bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tres poéticas del ingenium en los siglos áureos: la sutileza, la agudeza y el temperamento
Authors:   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Instituto de Investigaciones Filológicas, Mexico, Pérez Martínez Ricardo
Published: July 2022

Wit is one of the most important notions in European culture during the Renaissance and the Baroque. This article shows, with examples from Caramuel, Góngora and Cervantes, that there are three traditions of this notion in the European culture of the 16th and 17th centuries: wit as mental subtlety, related to Theology and Philosophy; wit as verbal acuity, related to Rhetoric and Poetry; and wit as a bodily temperament, related to physics, medicine, politics, and satire. Although the bibliography is extremely extensive, these three traditions can be emblematized with the following treatises: Examen de ingenios para las ciencias (1575) by Juan Huarte de San Juan; Agudeza y arte de ingenio (1648) by Baltasar Gracián; and Il cannocchiale aristotelico (1663) by Emanuele Tesauro.
Rememorar desde los afectos: exilio republicano y resistencia antifranquista en “Wiederbegegnung” de Anna Seghers
Authors:   Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Facultad de Filosofía y Letras, Mexico, Seydel Ute
Published: July 2022

The analysis establishes a relation between Anna Seghers’s story “Wiederbegegnung” and her aesthetic reflection on a literature written beyond the guidelines for the method of socialist realism. It is highlighted how the experiences of exile made by the couple Seghers-Radványi and the writer’s memory images regarding experiences emotionally strong undergone during the exile in France and Mexico served as point of departure for the creation of the fictional story about the Spanish republicans Celia and Alfonso Varela.
Plantas, animales y caminos en la poesía de Hugo Jamioy
Authors:   Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Colombia, Becerra Lagos José Inocencio , Becerra Mayorga Witton ,   Universidad Pedagógica y Tecnológica de Colombia, Colombia
Published: July 2022

Several works of contemporary indigenous literature from Latin America can be read as a scenario of lyrical and narrative proposal of a harmonious relationship between human beings and nature. Almost always in their own language, each poet criticizes, describes and proposes variants of this relationship, born from the way their people live with nature. In the collection of poems Bínÿbe oboyejuayëng (Dancers of the Wind), by Hugo Jamioy, we have found three thematic axes in which this relationship unfolds: the presence of plants, animals and roads. In this article, we will interpret these presences in some poems, complementing the analysis with the place they have in Camëntsá culture.
Patsy, mi amor, la melancólica evasión de la feminidad mexicana
Authors:   Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, Arias Carbone Giovanna
Published: July 2022

Patsy, mi amor (1969) could seem like one more of the many films about young people thatwere shot in Mexico in the sixties or go unnoticed as an auteur extravaganza. A deeper look than the a-go-go irreverence and psychedelia, will find an aesthetic subtlety and an intertextual game that border on the excessive. This article does not intend to unfold that referential range, but rather to analyze one of the less obvious dialogues in the film, although with greater interpretative richness: the one established by the protagonist with the women of her own film tradition. To do this, we will analyze how the construction of the character of Patsy operates as a questioning of the classic saint/prostitute binarism, through a melancholic resistance to conventional femininity and eroticism.
Lirismo-narratividad. Reflexiones a partir del poema “Colloque sentimental” de Paul Verlaine
Authors:   Universidad de Buenos Aires, Argentina, Jitrik Noé
Published: July 2022

This essay explores the thin boundaries of genres in Paul Verlaine’s poem “Colloque sentimental”, where the theatrical, the lyrical, and the narrative coexist. Of these three terms, the lyrical is the most elusive, which beyond its musical substratum, would be related to the expressive side, the accent placed on the poetic subject, the extreme subjectivation and the tendency to self-representation, the varied world of explicit feelings, a singular atmosphere, something similar to a “soft” world, traversed by the exaltation of the “other”, and all the expressive consequences that these considerations have in poetry.
Pandemia, serviços públicos e trabalhadores vulneráveis em Portugal
Authors: Caleiras Jorge , Carmo Renato Miguel do , Roque Isabel , Assis Rodrigo Vieira de
Published: July 2022

Os cidadãos são a razão de ser dos serviços públicos. A pandemia de Covid-19 realçou a sua importância, mas também revelou insuficiências e a necessidade de os reforçar. Este artigo analisa um conjunto de experiências relacionais de trabalhadores vulneráveis com os serviços públicos, em particular com os serviços de emprego e segurança social, saúde, educação e transportes. Com base em 53 entrevistas, realizadas entre 2019 e 2020, e um follow-up de 14 casos seguidos durante o primeiro confinamento da pandemia, o objetivo é compreender como se desenvolveu o processo de interação e formou a perceção sobre estes serviços. Os resultados, embora ambivalentes, no sentido em que revelam tensões entre necessidades e críticas ao seu funcionamento, apontam para uma revalorização dos serviços públicos, nomeadamente num contexto de crise, onde foram chamados a desempenhar um papel crucial e insubstituível.
Telecollaborative Projects for Teaching English for Professional and Academic Purposes
Authors: Casañ Pitarch Ricardo , Candel Mora Miguel Ángel , Demydenko Olga , Tikan Iana
Published: July 2022

El uso práctico del enfoque basado en proyectos mediante telecolaboración parece ser un recurso útil en el aula de idiomas extranjeros. Esta investigación tiene como objetivo analizar la percepción de los estudiantes sobre la necesidad de comunicarse en un ámbito global siguiendo la clasificación de las situaciones comunicativas más habituales propuesta por Lehman y DuFrene (2013). Para ello, se realizó un experimento entre estudiantes de la Universidad Politécnica de Valencia (UPV) y del Instituto Politécnico Igor Sikorsky de Kiev (KPI) durante el semestre del curso 2020/21. Estudiantes de ambas universidades trabajaron virtualmente en equipos mixtos internacionales en sus proyectos para crear blogs sobre el tema 'Sustainable development today’. Nuestros resultados mostraron que los estudiantes de ambas instituciones mejoraron su confianza para comunicarse en contextos profesionales y académicos durante la realización de este proyecto. Los participantes mejoraron su competencia comunicativa en entornos online internacionales, y esta experiencia de intercambio virtual les ayudó a desarrollar sus habilidades digitales e interculturales, entre otras. El valor de esta investigación es la implementación de un trabajo mediante un proyecto telecolaborativo en el aula de lengua extranjera con el objetivo de ayudar a los estudiantes a comunicarse en un contexto global sobre cuestiones técnicas, como la sostenibilidad.
Frequency of Hepatitis B and C in Relation to Lifestyle and Socio-Demographic Characteristics Among Adults in Lahore
Authors: Raza Qaisar , Khan Zunaira , Fatima Nayab , Aysha Anis Riffat
Published: July 2022

Hepatitis is the eighth highest cause of mortality globally and second-highest in Pakistan. The purpose of this study was to determine frequency of Hepatitis B and C and related lifestyle and socio-demographic risk factors among adults. The data were collected though questionnaire from Hepatitis B and C patients from Mayo and Jinnah hospital Lahore. The data was analyzed using SPSS version 18. There were 5095 patients with Hepatitis B and C out of which 146 patients (67 males and 79 females) filled questionnaire. The frequency of hepatitis C was higher than hepatitis B. The significant risk factors associated with hepatitis B and C were education, marital status, family history, household income, and type of food consumed. Therefore, socio-demographic and lifestyle risk factors related interventions are needed to reduce frequency of Hepatitis B and C.
The Deviation and Responses in the Construction of Criminal Policy System Algorithm
Authors:   Korean Association of Public Safety and Criminal Justice, Im Yong Jin , Park Kyu Dong
Published: July 2022

A discussion is urgently needed to identify the efficiency and effectiveness of the criminal justice algorithm, which is intended to develop and operate in an automated decision-making form and to reduce the bias that is understood as a negative effect of the algorithm. In the method of Active Crime Prediction, which comprehensively analyzes current data and accessible public data and transmits the predicted and analyzed information to the on-site police in real-time, it utilizes pure social data rather than on-site information or front-line information. It is defined as a predictive police activity that determines the target of crime prevention or police intervention through statistical prediction and is facing a change to the establishment of criminal justice procedures through an algorithmic system as a type.
Overseas, systems such as DAS, PredPol, and COMPAS are being produced and operated by private companies. However, in Korea, it is only at the stage of technical discussion and testing of the evolved method so far, and there are many issues and issues regarding the elements and algorithms that must be equipped legally and institutionally. Nevertheless, the realm of these debates and issues is obscured by technological advances. Therefore, it is important to exclude technical aspects and identify the problems and issues through the examples of the United States and the United Kingdom, which are leading countries in introducing criminal justice algorithm systems in the humanities and social sciences.
In this study, the problems that appeared through previous studies and cases were classified and explored according to the system operation stage (construction, utilization, management). The various issues and problems analyzed are ultimately problems that appeared in the use of the algorithm. It also had a structure that reduced it to a problem created by the person using the technology. It is interpreted as a limitation in that it cannot provide a clear solution to the ongoing debate or reflect it in the field. Therefore, in the field of criminal policy dealing with predictive policing and recidivism prediction, we examine the bias accompanying the automated judgment of algorithms, and envision the prerequisite for detailed complementation and construction in terms of normative aspects and data collection and utilization to solve problems.
Interval-valued intuitionistic linear Diophantine fuzzy set and its applications in multi-attribute decision making problems
Authors: De Avijit , Das Sujit , Kar Samarjit
Published: July 2022

The domain principle of intuitive fuzzy set (IFS), interval-value intuitionistic fuzzy set (IVIFS), Pythagorean fuzzy set (PFS), interval-valued Pythagorean fuzzy set (IVPFS) and q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (q-ROFS) have various real-life implementations in different fields. But researchers found some limitations to apply these concepts in much uncertain problems due to some issues related to membership and non-membership grads in above mention theories. In order to resolve the issues, firstly, we introduce the novel idea of the interval-valued intuitionistic linear Diophantine fuzzy set (IVILDFS) with the introduction of reference parameters. Next, we propose some score and accuracy functions for interval-valued intuitionistic linear Diophantine fuzzy numbers (IVILDFNs) and apply them in decision making paradigm. We also define interval-valued intuitionistic linear Diophantine fuzzy weighted geometric aggregation operator (IVILDFWGA) for decision making purpose. Then we present two algorithms to solve multiple attribute group decision making (MAGDM) problems using the propose score functions and IVILDFWGA operator. To illustrate the applicability of the proposed approach, we have used two numerical examples. Finally, we present a comparative study and sensitivity analysis to analyze the effectiveness of the proposed method with the existing approaches. The proposed study exhibits a useful way to solve fuzzy MAGDM problems in much efficient manner.
Association between retinal and cortical impairments in schizophrenia with visual hallucinations : an electrophysiological study of the visual processing
Authors: Remy Irving , Bernardin Florent , Ligier Fabienne , Krieg Julien , Maillard Louis , Schwan Raymund , Schwitzer Thomas , Laprévote Vincent
Published: July 2022

Electrophysiological deficits in the visual cortical processing are reported in schizophrenia. Specifically, studies support the hypothesis of a magnocellular impairment in the psychiatric illness. However, recent findings reported electrophysiological anomalies as early as retina. Hence, question arises about the link between these retinal and cortical alterations, especially during magnocellular biased conditions among patients with schizophrenia. Their association with visual symptoms such as visual hallucinations was also investigated in this population. We recorded the P100 amplitude and latency in EEG during the projection of low or high spatial frequency gratings (LSF or HSF ; 0.5 or 15 cycles/degree) presented statically or dynamically (Temporal Frequency TF : 0Hz or 8Hz). We recruited 29 healthy controls (HC, n = 29) and 21 patients with schizophrenia (SZ, n = 21) divided in two subgroups according to the presence or absence of history of visual hallucinations : VH group (n = 9) and auditory hallucinations or no hallucinations group (AHNH group, n = 12). We compared P100 results to former results regarding retinal ganglion cells activity (N95) and visual cognition performances in participants 1. Data were compared between groups by repeated measures ANCOVA, linear regression analyses and mediation analyses. First, analysis showed a decreased P100 amplitude and an increased P100 latency in SZ compared to HC (p < 0.05). Second, analysis reported main effects of SF and TF without group interaction. More, P100 latency was correlated with the VOSP object score and the N95 latency in SZ group. Third, VH group reported an increased P100 latency compared to HC (p < 0.05). P100 latency was also correlated with the VOSP object score and the N95 latency in the VH group. Finally, we found a partial mediation between the P100 latency, N95 latency and VOSP object score in the VH group. P100 alterations in SZ are consistent with the early visual cortical processing deficit shown in literature. Importantly, these deficits seem to be not related with the magnocellular processing but appears to be associated with previous retinal measurements. Thereby, impairments in N95 and P100 were found only in VH group and were associated with the VOSP object score, thus supporting the role of retina in VH. Studies with coupled ERG-EEG measures are now required to clarify these findings.
Runnels Reverse Mega-pool Expansion and Improve Marsh Resiliency in the Great Marsh, Massachusetts (USA)
Authors: McKown J Grant , Burdick David M , Moore Gregg E , Peter Christopher R , Payne Andrew R , Gibson Jennifer L
Published: July 2022

One of the main mechanisms for salt marsh decline across the United States is the inability of the marsh surface to keep pace with sea level rise. The interior platform is especially vulnerable, leading to the encroachment of short form Spartina alterniflora pannes, pool formation, and ultimately runaway pool expansion if recovery is not possible. Coastal ecologists in New England have been implementing a restoration strategy of runnels, or shallow ditches, to enhance drainage of oversaturated and ponding interior marshes. In 2015, runnels were constructed to drain two large and expanding pools in the Great Marsh System of Massachusetts, USA. Vegetation, elevation, and hydrology were monitored using field sampling and remote sensing analysis pre- and post-restoration over seven growing seasons to document the restoration trajectory of the pools and adjacent salt marsh platforms. Pool drainage improved reflecting tidal cycles after three growing seasons. Substantial colonization of S. alterniflora and S. patens into the previously unvegetated pools required three growing seasons. In the adjacent marsh platform, S. patens and Distichlis spicata increased in abundance with substantial declines in S. alterniflora. The runnel for one pool became partially blocked by vegetation after 2018 and inhibited drainage and recovery of the vegetation community in the pool yet not the platform. Runnels may be a viable solution for restoring interior marshes following vegetation loss yet substantial improvements in vegetation and hydrology may require 3–5 years and complete recovery of the vegetation community in the pool system at least a decade or more.
Thermal stress response of different age group of Nile tilapia Oreochromis niloticus (Linnaeus, 1758) exposed to various temperature regimes
Authors: Panda B , Nayak S , Mishra G , Patra S , Gopikrishna O , Radhakrishnan K , Verma DK , Adhikari S , Samanta L , Routray P
Published: July 2022

Climate change and temperature variations are of paramount importance to aquaculture. Here, we investigated the thermal stress response of five life stages of tilapia viz. spawn, fry, fingerling, juveniles and adults exposed to different temperatures (28°C to 40°C). Stress response was assessed in terms of survival/mortality, thermal shock, changes in hematology, histopathology of liver and gonad. The spawn, fry and fingerlings died within 1 to 39 min at 40°C due to thermal shock. Thermal acclimation was observed in these stages till 34°C. Beyond 34°C, low feed intake and susceptibility were marked. Significant increments in the hematological parameters were noticed when the water temperature elevated from 28°C to 32°C and thereafter deteriorated. Hematological parameters, gonadosomatic index (GSI), digestive somatic index (DSI) and hepatosomatic index (HSI) showed ideal conditions at temperatures between 28°C to 30°C. However, a marked change in the liver and gonad histoarchitecture and decreased organ somatic indices of adult tilapia were also noticed in response to elevated temperatures. This study suggests that the developmental stages of tilapia are highly susceptible to thermal shock and a gradual temperature rise helped them acclimate to 34°C. Further temperature rise may adversely affect tilapia aquaculture.
Operational strategy preventing scaling and wetting in an intermittent membrane distillation process
Authors: Jeong Seongpil , Kim Hye-Won , Jang Am
Published: July 2022

The solar-powered membrane distillation (SPMD) process can improve the energy efficiency of the MD process by using solar energy as a heat source. However, the SPMD process can only be intermittently operated during the daytime. In this study, effects of intermittent modes (IMs) on scaling and wetting were investigated. Scaling and wetting tendencies in three types of shutdown protocols (P1: non-draining, P2: draining, P3: flushing and draining), IMs with/without temperature variations (IM-1/IM-2) and continuous mode (CM) were verified. A direct contact membrane distillation (DCMD) coupled with a real-time visualization system (in-situ method) and SEM-EDS (ex-situ method) were used for analysis in each condition. Consequently, scaling and wetting tendencies were lower in the P3 protocol, during which membrane samples were dried after drainage and flushing. Furthermore, scaling and wetting in CM and IM (IM-1 and IM-2) at P3 showed low differences, indicating that shutdown protocols had a more profound effect than temperature variations and operation mode. The visualization system provided information to understand and elucidate the mechanisms of scaling and wetting under each condition.
Influence of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease on Long-term Hospitalization and Mortality in Patients with Heart Failure with Reduced Ejection Fraction
Authors: Lin Chiung-Hung , Yeh Jih-Kai , Lin Ting-Yu , Lo Yu-Lun , Chang Bo-Jui , Ju Jia-Shiuan , Chiu Tzu-Hsuan , Tung Pi-Hung , Huang Yun-Ju , Lin Shu-Min
Published: July 2022

Background: Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) can coexist with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), which complicates the clinical situation and worsens quality of life. The study used standard diagnostic criteria for detecting COPD in hospitalized HFrEF patients and to determine the impact of other comorbidities and medications on the long-term outcomes of HFrEF + COPD patients.Methods: We retrospectively recruited patients hospitalized due to HFrEF in a tertiary medical center and examined and followed up clinical outcomes, including length of hospital stay, mortality, and readmission episodes, for a 5-year period. Risk factors for mortality were analyzed using multivariate analysis. Results: Of the 118 hospitalized HFrEF study participants, 68 had concurrent COPD whereas 50 did not. There was a significant increase in the male predominance, smoking history, lower left ventricular ejection fraction, and higher hemoglobin level and increased length of hospital stay in the HF + COPD group than in the HF-only group. In multivariate analysis, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker (ACEI/ARB) use independently predicted 5-year all-cause mortality. Oral corticosteroid use and stroke as a comorbidity were independently associated with a shorter time to the first readmission episode. Conclusion: In HFrEF patients, COPD was associated with a prolonged length of hospital stay. ACEI/ARB use was independently associated with a beneficial effect on survival in HF patients with COPD. Long-term oral corticosteroid use in patients with both HF and COPD should be crucially evaluated to determine the clinical benefit and disadvantages.
Pharmacological inhibition of PTEN rescues dopaminergic neurons by attenuating apoptotic and neuroinflammatory signalling events
Authors: Johnson Aishwarya Mary , Jose Sara , Palakkot Abdul Rasheed , Khan Farheen Badrealam , Kizhakkayil Jaleel , AlNaqbi Shamma Ali Abdulla , Scott Mark GH , Ayoub Mohammed Akhli , Gordon Richard , Saminathan Hariharan
Published: July 2022

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by a selective degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral mid-brain of humans called substantia nigra. This results in an irreversible and debilitating motor dysfunction. Though both genetic and idiopathic factors are implicated in the disease etiology, idiopathic PD comprise the majority of clinical cases and is caused due to environmental toxicants and oxidative stress. Activation of Fyn kinase has been implicated to be an early signalling event that primes both neuroinflammatory and neurodegenerative events associated with dopaminergic cell death. Fyn kinase is activated by dephosphorylation at the negatively regulating tyrosine site by tyrosine phosphatases. However, the tyrosine phosphatase that dephosphorylates and activates Fyn kinase is unidentified. One of the tyrosine phosphatases - PTEN (Phosphatase and Tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) a lipid and protein tyrosine phosphatase pathological roles in causing Parkinson’s disease has been previously studied in experimental models. We sought to study if PTEN would be the upstream regulator of Fyn activation in PD models. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that PTEN is a very early stress-sensor in response to oxidative stress and neurodegenerative toxicants in in vitro models of PD. Pharmacological inhibition of PTEN attenuates Fyn kinase and rescues dopaminergic neurons from neurotoxicants induced cytotoxicity. Our findings also identify PTEN’s additional and novel roles in contributing to mitochondrial dysfunction and neuroinflammatory pathways, both of which contribute to neurodegenerative processes. Taken together, we have identified PTEN as a disease course altering pharmacological target that may be further validated for the development of novel therapeutic strategies.
Immunogenicity and safety of the CoronaVac inactivated SARS-CoV-2 vaccine in people with underlying medical conditions in China: a retrospective study
Authors: Li Chunmei , Bi Hanfang , Fu Zhenwang , Li Ao , Wan Na , Hu Jun , Yang Fan , Zhou Tai-cheng , Liang Yupeng , Su Wei , Shi Tianpei , Yang Mei , Wang Rong , Qin Wanting , Yu Xuanjing , Zheng Hong-yi , Zhou Zumi , Zheng Yong-Tang , Wei Jia , Zeng Gang , Zhang Zijie , group Precise-CoVaccine study
Published: July 2022

People living with chronic disease, particularly seniors older than 60 years old, are lagging behind in the national COVID-19 vaccination campaign in China due to the uncertainty of vaccine safety and effectiveness. However, this special population made up of most severe symptom and death cases among SARS-CoV-2 infected patients and should be prioritized in vaccination program. Thus, safety and immunogenicity data of COVID-19 vaccines in people with underlying medical conditions are needed to address the vaccine hesitancy in this special population. Here, we report a retrospective cohort study evaluating the immunogenicity and safety of the inactivated COVID-19 vaccine, CoronaVac, in people with at least one of the six common diseases, focusing on seniors (N = 969). We found that CoronaVac is as safe in people with chronic diseases as that in healthy control, without serious adverse event reported in this study. By day 14-28 post vaccination, we observed no significant difference for the antibody responses between disease groups and healthy control, except for the coronary artery disease (p=0.03) and chronic respiratory disease group (p=0.04) showing moderate reduction. Such difference diminished by day 90 and 180, as neutralizing antibodies significantly reduced in all participants. Most people showed detectable SARS-CoV-2-specific T cell response at day 90 and day 180 without significant difference between disease groups and healthy control. Overall, our results highlight the comparable safety, immunogenicity and cellular immunity memory of CoronaVac in seniors and people living with chronic diseases, addressing vaccine hesitancy for this special population.
Predicting Cotton Fiber Properties with Fiber Length Parameters Measured by Dual-beard Fibrograph
Authors: Zhou Jinfeng , Xu Bugao
Published: July 2022

Cotton fiber properties, although influenced tremendously by plant growing conditions, are largely dictated by cotton variety, and therefore certain associations inherently exist among the properties. Previous studies have examined cotton properties that have direct impacts on others, e.g., fiber maturity on strength, but latent associations between fiber properties, such as fiber length vs. maturity, have not been explored. This paper focuses on investigating the relationships between fiber length and other important properties (e.g., strength and maturity), and creating the regression models to predict these properties in case the testing conditions are unattainable. We firstly selected 117 cotton samples and divided them into a training set (100 samples) and a testing set (17 samples). We then measured the fiber length parameters with Dual-beard Fibrograph (DBF) that can generate accurate fiber length distributions, and the seven other fiber properties, strength, elongation, micronaire, nep, fineness, immature-fiber-content and maturity-ratio, with High Volume Instrument (HVI) and Advanced Fiber Information System (AFIS). Finally, we performed multivariate regression, Bland-Altman plot, clustering and other statistical analyses to assess the correlations, multicollinearity, agreements and clusters of the fiber properties. It was found that fiber length parameters had moderate associations (0.3<|r|<0.7) with the seven properties, and the prediction errors on the training set varied from 2.25% (for maturity-ratio) to 14.36% (for nep). The Bland-Altman analysis proved that for any of the seven properties, more than 94.9% of the predicted and actual points were within the 95% limits of agreement and without systematic biases. The regression models based on cotton clusters significantly lowered the prediction errors because the cluster centroids better represented the collective features of the fiber properties. The analyses on the testing set showed the prediction models can generate comparable results for both the training and testing sets, and demonstrated good generalization over new samples.
Genetic Relationships among Sorghum Lines and Correlation between Genetic Distance and Hybrid Performance
Authors: Emrey Tafere Mulualem , Mindaye Taye Tadesse , Kebede Sentayehu Alamerew
Published: July 2022

Sorghum [Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench] is an important grain crop in many parts of the world, especially in dry regions. It is an important crop for food and feed and its role in energy production is also currently growing. The demand for food and feed has shown an increasing trend due to the increasing human population and economic growth. Sorghum hybrids have demonstrated superior performances in the developed world as compared to their inbred parents. However, the technologies are not being used by Ethiopian farmers because of lack of farmers preferred traits in the hybrids developed so far. This study was conducted to identify the genetic potential of selected sorghum inbred lines involving landraces, introduced and improved lines and its effect on combining ability and hybrid performance to use for hybrid development. Genetic diversity of 37 inbred lines used for the test hybrids was assessed using 7339 SNP markers. The data were then analyzed using statistical packages (DarWin, PowerMarker, and GenAlex). The genotypes were grouped into four clusters, with the Ethiopian landraces depicting clear distinction from the introduced and breeding lines. The result implies that efforts might be needed to bring the best genes from the landraces for the hybrid breeding. Genetic distance between inbred lines estimates based on SNP markers ranged from 0.02 to 0.358 with an average of 0.247, indicating the very narrow genetic distance for this study. The regression analysis indicates that grain yield showed an increment as the genetic distance among parental lines increased.
Phenotypic variation of root-system architecture under high P and low P conditions in potato (Solanum tuberosum L.)
Authors: Kirchgesser Julian , Hazarika Mousumi , Bachmann-Pfabe Silvia , Dehmer Klaus J , Kavka Mareike , Uptmoor Ralf
Published: July 2022

Background Phosphorus (P) is an essential macronutrient required for plant metabolism and growth. Its acquisition by plants depends on the availability of dissolved P in the rhizosphere and on the characteristics of P uptake mechanisms such as root-system architecture (RSA). Compared to other crops, potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) has a relatively poor P acquisition efficiency. This is mainly due to its shallow and sparsely branched root system, resulting in a rather limited exploitable soil volume. Aim of this study is to reveal phenotypic variability of RSA and its reactions to P deficiency.ResultsOnly one out of 22 RSA-traits showed a significant increase under low-P conditions. This indicates an overall negative effect of P scarcity on potato root growth. Differences among genotypes, however, were statistically significant for 21 traits, revealing a high variability in potato RSA. Using a principal component analysis (PCA), we were able to classify genotypes into three groups with regard to their root-system size. Genotypes with both small and large root systems reacted to low-P conditions by in- or decreasing their relative root-system size to medium, whereas genotypes with an intermediate root system size showed little to no changes. ConclusionsWe observed a huge variation in both the potato root system itself and its adaptation to P deficiency. This may enable the selection of potato genotypes with an improved root-zone exploitation. Eventually, these could be utilized in the development of new cultivars adapted to low-P environments with better resource-use efficiencies.
PrEP risk perception and adherence among men who have sex with men: a prospective cohort study based on growth mixture model
Authors: Lin Bing , Liu Jiaxiu , Zhong Xiaoni
Published: July 2022

Background: It can be considered that pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) risk perception is the negative experiences or concerns about taking PrEP. The aim of this study is to explore the longitudinal trajectory of PrEP risk perception among men who have sex with men (MSM) and its impact on adherence.Methods: Data related to PrEP risk perception and adherence were derived from a prospective, open-label, cohort study in Western China from 2013 to 2015. Subjects who were divided into the medicine group took oral PrEP daily. The PrEP risk perception scale was constructed, and the growth mixture model (GMM) was used to classify PrEP risk perception. Finally, the effect of different levels of PrEP risk perception on drug adherence was explored using generalized estimating equations (GEE) with relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI).Results: The PrEP risk perception scale consists of 4 dimensions and 16 items with Cronbach's alpha=0.828 and a good model fit. According to the GMM analysis, the subjects' PrEP risk perceptions were separated into two groups: a "high risk perception-declining group" (n=133) and a "low risk perception-smooth group" (n=493), where the proportion of high levels of drug adherence were 57.89% and 68.35%, respectively (p=0.0237). High levels of PrEP risk perception in the MSM population hinder drug adherence (RR=0.6993, 95% CI: 0.4961 to 0.9856, p=0.0411).Conclusion: This study demonstrates that high levels of PrEP risk perception in the MSM population are an obstacle to drug adherence, emphasizing the necessity of focusing on PrEP risk perception in this population.
MEKK4-mediated Phosphorylation of HOXA10 at Threonine 362 facilitates embryo adhesion to the endometrial epithelium
Authors: Yan Guijun , Zhang Mei , Zhang Qun , Cao Zhiwen , Cai Xinyu , Liu Jingyu , Jiang Yue , Zhu Yingchun , Zhou Jidong , Yu Lina , Zhen Xin , Hu Yali , Sun Haixiang
Published: July 2022

Embryo adhesion is a very important step in the embryo implantation process. Homeobox A10 (HOXA10), a key transcriptional factor of endometrial receptivity, is indispensable for embryo adhesion. However, how to control the activation status of HOXA10 remains elusive. Here, we found that Mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase kinase 4 (MEKK4) was associated with HOXA10 and directly phosphorylated HOXA10 at threonine 362. This MEKK4-mediated phosphorylation enhanced HOXA10-mediated transcriptional responses and adhesion between the embryo and endometrial epithelium. Specific deletion or kinase inactivation of MEKK4 in endometrial epithelial cells attenuates adhesion between embryo and epithelium. Therefore, the identification of MEKK4 as a novel physiological positive regulator of HOXA10 activation provides mechanistic insights to improve embryo implantation success. Moreover, when Thr362 was mutated to alanine (T362A) to mimic its dephosphorylation, the protein stability and transcriptional regulation of HOXA10 were decreased. In addition, HOXA10 -promoted embryo adhesion was weakened after the mutation of Thr362, suggesting that the phosphorylation of HOXA10 at this site may be a new indicator for evaluating endometrial receptivity and judging the ‘implantation window’.
Histopathological features predicated long-term clinical outcomes in patients with vanishing bile duct syndrome
Authors: LV Tingting , Yu Haitian , Han Xiao , Wee Aileen , Liu Jimin , Li Min , Xu Jinghang , Hu Xiaoli , Li Jia , Duan Weijia , Wang Tailing , Jia Jidong , Zhao Xinyan
Published: July 2022

Background The clinicopathological features and long-term outcomes of vanishing bile duct syndrome (VBDS) remains to be revealed. The aim of this study was to elucidate the clinicopathological features and identify potential factors for poor prognosis in patients with VBDS.Methods This retrospective study recruited patients with liver biopsy-proven VBDS who were followed up at five hospitals in northern China from January 2003 to April 2022. Clinical and pathological data at time of biopsy were reviewed. Clinical outcomes including development of cirrhosis, decompensation events, liver transplantation (LT) or liver-related death were recorded. Cox regression analysis was used to identify risk factors in the prediction of dismal outcomes.Results A total of 183 patients were finally included. The median age at the diagnosis was 47 (38, 55) years, with 77.6% being women. During a median follow-up time of 4.8 years, 48.1% of the patients developed compensated or decompensated cirrhosis, with 27 die and 15 received liver transplantation. Multivariate Cox regression analysis showed that hepatocellular cholestasis (HR 2.953, 95%CI 1.437-6.069), foam cells (HR 2.349, 95%CI 1.092-5.053), and advanced fibrosis (HR 2.524, 95%CI 1.313-4.851) were independent predictors for LT or liver-related deaths. A nomogram formulated with the above factors showed good consistency with concordance index of 0.746 (95% CI 0.706-0.785). Conclusions Nearly half of the patients with VBDS progressed to end-stage liver disease and 23% of them had LT or liver-related death within two years after diagnosis. Histological factors including hepatocellular cholestasis, foam cells and advanced fibrosis were independently associated with poor prognosis in patients with VBDS.
Specific alterations in riboproteomes composition of isonicotinic acid treated Arabidopsis seedlings
Authors: Zainab Fakih , Plourde Mélodie B. , Fourcassié Victor , Bourassa Sylvie , Droit Anrand , Germain Hugo
Published: July 2022

Plants have developed strategies to deal with the great variety of challenges they are exposed to. Among them, common targets are the regulation of transcription and translation to finely modulate protein levels during both biotic and abiotic stresses. Increasing evidence suggests that ribosomes are highly adaptable modular supramolecular structures which remodel to adapt to stresses. Each Arabidopsis thaliana ribosome consists of approximately 80 distinct ribosomal proteins (RPs), each of which being encoded by two to seven genes. To investigate the identity of ribosomal proteins of the small subunit (RPS) and of the large subunit (RPL) as well as ribosomes-associated proteins, we analysed by LC/MS/MS immunopurified ribosomes from A. thaliana leaves treated with isonicotinic acid (INA), an inducer of plant innate immunity. We quantified a total of 2084 proteins. 165 ribosome-associated proteins showed increased abundance while 52 were less abundant. Of the 55 identified RPS (from a possibility of 104 encoding genes), 16 were deregulated. Similarly, from the 148 possible RPL, 81 were detected and 9 were deregulated. Our results revealed potential candidates involved in innate immunity that could be interesting targets for functional genomic studies.
A multi-centre, randomized, 12-month, parallel-group, feasibility study to assess the acceptability and preliminary impact of family navigation plus usual care versus usual care on attrition in managing pediatric obesity: A study protocol
Authors: Ball Geoff , O’Neill Marcus G. , Noor Rafat , Alberga Angela , Azar Rima , Buchholz Annick , Enright Michelle , Geller Josie , Ho Josephine , Holt Nicholas L. , Lebel Tracy , Rosychuk Rhonda J. , Tarride Jean-Eric , Zenlea Ian
Published: July 2022

BACKGROUND: Pediatric obesity management can be successful, but some families discontinue care prematurely (i.e., attrition), limiting treatment impact. Attrition is often a consequence of barriers and constraints that limit families’ access to obesity management. Family Navigation (FN) can improve access, satisfaction with care, and treatment outcomes in diverse areas of healthcare. To help our team prepare for a future effectiveness trial, the objectives of our randomized feasibility study are to (i) explore children's and caregivers' acceptability of FN and (ii) examine attrition, measures of study rigour and conduct, and responses to FN + Usual Care vs Usual Care by collecting clinical, health services, and health economic data.METHODS: In our 2.5-year study, 108 6–17-year-olds with obesity and their caregivers will be randomized (1:1) to FN + Usual Care or Usual Care after they enroll in obesity management clinics in Edmonton, Calgary, and Mississauga, Canada. Our Stakeholder Steering Committee and research team will use Experience-Based Co-Design to design and refine our FN intervention to reduce families’ barriers to care, maximizing the intervention dose families receive. FN will be delivered by a navigator at each site who will use logistical and relational strategies to enhance access to care, supplementing obesity management. Usual Care will be offered similarly at each clinic, adhering to expert guidelines. At enrollment, families will complete a multidisciplinary assessment, then meet regularly with a multidisciplinary team of clinicians for obesity management. Over 12 months, both FN and Usual Care will be delivered virtually and/or in-person, pandemic permitting. Data will be collected at 0, 3, 6, and 12 months post-baseline. We will explore child and caregiver perceptions of FN acceptability as well as evaluate attrition, recruitment, enrolment, randomization, and protocol integrity against pre-set success thresholds. Data on clinical, health services, and health economic outcomes will be collected using established protocols. Qualitative data analysis will apply thematic analysis; quantitative data analysis will be descriptive.DISCUSSION: Our trial will assess the feasibility of FN to address attrition in managing pediatric obesity. Study data will inform a future effectiveness trial, which will be designed to test whether FN reduces attrition. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered prospectively at clinicaltrials.gov (#NCT05403658; first posted: June 3, 2022); full details available at: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05403658.
Experimental Analysis of Fundamental Water Droplet Coalescence Mechanisms on a Single Vertical Fiber
Authors: Schwarzwälder Alexander , Dittler Achim , Meyer Jörg
Published: July 2022

In mist filtration, fiber-based coalescers are an established form of filtering droplets contained in mist. The filtration process can be divided into different process steps, describing the impact of the droplets on fibers, the liquid transport, and the formation of fluid structures. According to the current state of knowledge, the transport of fluid along the fibre is caused by gravitational draining, pressure, shearing, and electrostatic forces. The formation of fluid structures includes the creation of larger droplets by coalescing and fluid sails between adjacent fibres [1–3].
In order to investigate mechanisms inside depth filters on a microscopic level, investigations are often reduced to single fibers [1, 4–6]. Zhang et al. [7] observed self-propelled detachment of coalesced droplets which were arranged side by side on identical axial position. In this work, the coalescence mechanisms of axial distributed water droplets on a vertical fiber, subjected to gravity, are investigated. This is done with the latest high-speed camera technology commercially available. Automated tracking of droplets is used for a frame-by-frame investigation of droplet position, size, and oscillation behaviour.
Characteristic coalescence mechanisms are reported and describe the process of fluid formation. The first coalescence mechanism is identified by the coalescence of droplets contained in mist with an adhering droplet at the fiber. The second coalescence mechanism describes the coalescence of two closely spaced sessile droplets on a fiber. As a result, the newly formed droplet oscillates and can begin to drain. Furthermore, the coalescence mechanism of a draining and sessile droplet is investigated.
Additional observed mechanisms describe the process of droplet transportation. These mechanisms are: gravitational draining, droplet bouncing, and droplet sweeping.
Plant availability and leaching of 15N-labelled mineral fertilizer residues retained in an agricultural soil for 25 years: a lysimeter study
Authors: Sørensen Peter , Pedersen Betina N. , Thomsen Ingrid K. , Eriksen Jørgen , Christensen Bent T.
Published: July 2022

Purpose: The crop uptake and leaching of labelled fertilizer N applied 25-30 years ago was measured in different agricultural cropping systems to improve the understanding and quantification of the long-term fate of fertilizer N. Methods: 15N-labelled mineral fertilizers were added to a field plot with different crops over 5 years. After 12 years arable cropping the top-soil was relocated to lysimeters with set-aside grassland for the next 13 years. The lability of the residual 15N in soil was then tested over a period of two years by either converting to fertilized and cut grass, or by replacing the set-aside grassland with spring barley (+/- autumn cover crop) or vegetation-free fallow, all receiving unlabelled mineral N fertilizers. The crop uptake and leaching of 15N was determined over the 2-year period.Results: The 15N residing in soil before set-aside decreased by 24% during the 13 years under set-aside grassland. Crop uptake and leaching of 15N were generally highest in the first test year after termination of the set-aside. The leaching of residual 15N in soil declined in the order: vegetation-free soil (4.7%), spring barley (1.9%), spring barley + cover crop (0.7%), and production grassland (0.2%). Corresponding losses for the second leaching period were 2.7%, 0.9%, 0.4%, and 0.06%. There was a constant relationship between the leaching loss of 15N and total N. Conclusions: After residing in soil for 25-30 years, the lability of labelled mineral N fertilizer residues were slightly higher than the lability of bulk soil N. Autumn vegetation was crucial for reducing leaching losses.
An educative framework for analysing risk perceptions
Authors: Garthwaite Kathryn , Birdsall Sally , France Bev
Published: July 2022

When secondary school students were asked about the socio-scientific issue of using sodium fluoroacetate (1080) poison to control New Zealand’s possum pests, they provided a wide range of responses. Their responses showed that they considered this method of control to be risky and contentious. Such contentious issues are an example of the complexity involved in using a socio-scientific approach to investigate an aspect of post-normal science. This paper provides the background to and development of a new risk perceptions analysis framework that was employed to qualitatively interpret these diverse viewpoints. Four Cultural Types (Nature Benign, Nature Tolerant, Nature Ephemeral and Nature Capricious) are accommodated within this framework. Each Cultural Type has a particular view of risk that is defined using common characteristics and is differentiated by unique individual attributes. It is proposed that this framework has the potential to analyse students’ responses to this contentious issue of 1080 use. The framework could be used as an educative tool in classrooms to investigate the range of views within society about issues that involve risk. Additionally, it could be used to assist students to gain awareness of their own view as well as develop an appreciation about the differing views of risk held by other people when discussing contentious issues.