bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interacting bactofilins impact cell shape of the MreB-less multicellular Rhodomicrobium vannielii
Authors: Richter Pia , Melzer Brigitte , Müller Frank D.
Published: May 2023

Most non-spherical bacteria rely on the actin-like MreB cytoskeleton to control synthesis of a cell-shaping and primarily rod-like cell wall. Diverging from simple rod shape generally requires accessory cytoskeletal elements, which locally interfere with the MreB-guided cell wall synthesis. Conserved and widespread representatives of this accessory cytoskeleton are bactofilins that polymerize into static, non-polar bundles of filaments. Intriguingly, many species of the Actinobacteria and Rhizobiales manage to grow rod-like without MreB by tip extension, yet some of them still possess bactofilin genes, whose function in cell morphogenesis is unknown. An intricate representative of these tip-growing bacteria isRhodomicrobium vannielii; a member of the hitherto genetically not tractable and poorly studied Hyphomicrobiaceae within the MreB-less Rhizobiales order.R.vannieliidisplays complex asymmetric cell shapes and differentiation patterns including filamentous hyphae to produce offspring and to build dendritic multicellular arrays. Here, we introduce techniques to genetically accessR.vannielii, and we elucidate the role of bactofilins in its sophisticated morphogenesis. By targeted mutagenesis and fluorescence microscopy, protein interaction studies and peptidoglycan incorporation analysis we show that theR.vannieliibactofilins are associated with the hyphal growth zones and that one of them is essential to form proper hyphae. Another paralog is suggested to represent a novel hybrid and co-polymerizing bactofilin. Notably, we presentR.vannieliias a powerful new model to understand prokaryotic cell development and control of multipolar cell growth in the absence of the conserved cytoskeletal element, MreB.
Lost time: Perception of events timeline affected by the COVID pandemic
Authors: Pawlak Daria A. , Sahraie Arash
Published: May 2023

The need to remember when a past event occurred, is often an everyday necessity. However, placing events in a timeline is seldom accurate and although to some extent modulated by event saliency, on average we are less accurate in remembering a timeline for events happening in the distant past compared to more recent events. 277 participants took part in an online study during May 2022 in which they were asked to state the year in which a number of events took place. The events’ occurrences ranged from 2017 to 2021, with participants choosing one date from the 2016–2022 range. In addition, they completed 4 questionnaires aimed at quantifying their State Boredom; Depression, Anxiety & stress; resilience; and level of activity during the lockdown periods of the COVID pandemic. As expected, the findings showed more errors for distant events than those in 2020, but surprisingly we found a large error for estimating the timing of events that occurred in 2021 matching in the extent to those 3 to 4 years earlier. The findings show that participants were less able to recall the timeline of very recent events coinciding with COVID lockdowns. This increased error in perception of event timeline correlated positively with reported levels of depression & anxiety as well as physical and mental demands during the pandemic, but negatively correlated with measures of resilience. Although measures of boredom showed significant correlations with reported depression & anxiety and physical/mental load, they did not correlate with errors in the perception of the event timeline for 2021. The findings are consistent with poor perception of event timeline reported previously in prison inmates. It is likely that an accurate perception of an event timeline relies on a collection of life events such as birthdays, holidays, travels, etc., anchoring our experiences in the time domain, which was largely absent during COVID restrictions.
Effects of acute low-moderate dose ionizing radiation to human brain organoids
Authors: Oyefeso Foluwasomi A. , Goldberg Gabriela , Opoku Nana Yaa P. S. , Vazquez Marcelo , Bertucci Antonella , Chen Zhong , Wang Charles , Muotri Alysson R. , Pecaut Michael J.
Published: May 2023

Human exposure to low-to-moderate dose ionizing radiation (LMD-IR) is increasing via environmental, medical, occupational sources. Acute exposure to LMD-IR can cause subclinical damage to cells, resulting in altered gene expression and cellular function within the human brain. It has been difficult to identify diagnostic and predictive biomarkers of exposure using traditional research models due to factors including lack of 3D structure in monolayer cell cultures, limited ability of animal models to accurately predict human responses, and technical limitations of studying functional human brain tissue. To address this gap, we generated brain/cerebral organoids from human induced pluripotent stem cells to study the radiosensitivity of human brain cells, including neurons, astrocytes, and oligodendrocytes. While organoids have become popular models for studying brain physiology and pathology, there is little evidence to confirm that exposing brain organoids to LMD-IR will recapitulate previous in vitro and in vivo observations. We hypothesized that exposing brain organoids to proton radiation would (1) cause a time- and dose-dependent increase in DNA damage, (2) induce cell type-specific differences in radiosensitivity, and (3) increase expression of oxidative stress and DNA damage response genes. Organoids were exposed to 0.5 or 2 Gy of 250 MeV protons and samples were collected at 30 minute, 24 hour, and 48 hour timepoints. Using immunofluorescence and RNA sequencing, we found time- and dose-dependent increases in DNA damage in irradiated organoids; no changes in cell populations for neurons, oligodendrocytes, and astrocytes by 24 hours; decreased expression of genes related to oligodendrocyte lineage, astrocyte lineage, mitochondrial function, and cell cycle progression by 48 hours; increased expression of genes related to neuron lineage, oxidative stress, and DNA damage checkpoint regulation by 48 hours. Our findings demonstrate the possibility of using organoids to characterize cell-specific radiosensitivity and early radiation-induced gene expression changes within the human brain, providing new avenues for further study of the mechanisms underlying acute neural cell responses to IR exposure at low-to-moderate doses.
Characterization of morphological and biological aspects of venomous caterpillars of the genus Lonomia Walker (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) in Colombia
Authors: Toro-Vargas Diana M. , González Camila , Rougerie Rodolphe , Amarillo-Suárez Angela R.
Published: May 2023

The genus Lonomia Walker, 1855 (Lepidoptera: Saturniidae) is of particular interest to the medical community, since the scoli of these caterpillars harbor a venom that induces hemorrhaging in humans. In Colombia, deadly encounters with Lonomia achelous (Cramer, 1777), have been reported since 2000. There is little information on the main biological and ecological aspects of this genus to help better understand and develop prevention strategies. This study aimed to describe morphological and biological aspects (especially of immature stages) of four recently reported species of Lonomia in Colombia that pose a risk to humans. We collected caterpillars and adults from five localities and reared them under laboratory conditions. Specimens were identified using DNA barcoding and dissection of adult male genitalia. We provided the first description, to our knowledge, of part of the life cycles of Lonomia casanarensis Brechlin, 2017 and Lonomia orientoandensis Brechlin & Meister, 2011 and the complete life cycles of Lonomia columbiana Lemaire, 1972 and Lonomia orientocordillera Brechlin, Käch & Meister, 2013. We also present the first records of the parasitoids of L. orientocordillera, and L. casanarensis and new host plants. This information will guide not only their morphological recognition and the identification of their parasitoids and hosts, but also will guide rearing methods of these and other Lonomia species in new studies to prevent incidents with humans and create specific antivenoms.
Integrating machine learning with otolith isoscapes: Reconstructing connectivity of a marine fish over four decades
Authors: Arai Kohma , Castonguay Martin , Lyubchich Vyacheslav , Secor David H.
Published: May 2023

Stable isotopes are an important tool to uncover animal migration. Geographic natal assignments often require categorizing the spatial domain through a nominal approach, which can introduce bias given the continuous nature of these tracers. Stable isotopes predicted over a spatial gradient (i.e., isoscapes) allow a probabilistic and continuous assignment of origin across space, although applications to marine organisms remain limited. We present a new framework that integrates nominal and continuous assignment approaches by (1) developing a machine-learning multi-model ensemble classifier using Bayesian model averaging (nominal); and (2) integrating nominal predictions with continuous isoscapes to estimate the probability of origin across the spatial domain (continuous). We applied this integrated framework to predict the geographic origin of the Northwest Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus), a migratory pelagic fish comprised of northern and southern components that have distinct spawning sites off Canada (northern contingent) and the US (southern contingent), and seasonally overlap in the US fished regions. The nominal approach based on otolith carbon and oxygen stable isotopes (δ13C/δ18O) yielded high contingent classification accuracy (84.9%). Contingent assignment of unknown-origin samples revealed prevalent, yet highly varied contingent mixing levels (12.5–83.7%) within the US waters over four decades (1975–2019). Nominal predictions were integrated into mackerel-specific otolith oxygen isoscapes developed independently for Canadian and US waters. The combined approach identified geographic nursery hotspots in known spawning sites, but also detected geographic shifts over multi-decadal time scales. This framework can be applied to other marine species to understand migration and connectivity at a high spatial resolution, relevant to management of unit stocks in fisheries and other conservation assessments.
Intimate but not intimate: The perils of workplace romance in fostering knowledge sabotage
Authors: Qiu Jun , Sultana Fatima , Iqbal Shahid , Ayub Arslan
Published: May 2023

Extant research on workplace ostracism has investigated a victimization perspective to understand ostracism at the cost of examining the perpetrator-centric view of ostracism. The current study draws on the self-categorization theory and the social exchange theory to investigate the harmful effects of workplace romance in cultivating workplace ostracism from the perpetrator’s perspective to combat concerns for victim blaming. The study further proposes that workplace ostracism triggered by workplace romance provokes knowledge sabotage. Besides, the study investigates the moderating role of parochial altruism in the underlying linkages. The study utilizes a multisource, time-lagged research design to collect data from employees working in service sector organizations in Pakistan. The study analyzes 343 responses using SmartPLS (v 4.0). The findings of this study reveal that workplace romance elicits workplace ostracism, which, in turn, fosters knowledge sabotage. In addition, the study finds that parochial altruism strengthens the associations between (a) workplace romance and workplace ostracism and (b) workplace romance and knowledge sabotage, mediated by workplace ostracism such that the associations are more potent at higher levels of parochial altruism and vice versa. This is the first study that examines workplace romance as the perpetrator-centric antecedent of workplace ostracism, and parochial altruism exaggerates outgroup ostracism and knowledge sabotage.
A novel home-use culture mechanism for identifying microbial load in urine samples
Authors: Singh Monika , Sahai Riya , Pattnaik Siddharth
Published: May 2023

Diagnosing a urinary tract infection (UTI) is typically a clinical procedure involving multiple steps. The need to perform a test depends on the presence of relevant symptoms. Given the current pandemic situation, visiting a clinic may not be a preferable choice for many users. Many vulnerable groups of patients, namely, males with certain predispositions and pregnant women, may not present with symptoms of UTI and may go undiagnosed, which could give rise to a more complicated situation. So far, microbial cultures have been used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of an infection. However, performing microbial cultures currently requires trained professionals and laboratory grade equipment. Therefore, there is a need for a home-use culture kit that can serve this purpose. To our knowledge, no such kit exists. Here, we present a feasibility study of an affordable and easy-to-use home-based setup for quantifying bacterial load in a urine. We believe that such a system can be used by people at home to monitor recurrent UTI infections and also by physicians to remotely monitor and prescribe narrow-spectrum antibiotics for more effective treatment.
Efficacy and safety of electrical acupoint stimulation for postoperative nausea and vomiting: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lu Liyue , Xie Chenlong , Li Xing , Zhou Yalan , Yin Zhiyu , Wei Pan , Gao Hao , Wang Jian , Yong Yue , Song Jiangang
Published: May 2023

Background

Postoperative nausea and vomiting are typical postsurgical complications. Drug therapy is only partially effective. The goal of our meta-analysis is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of electrical acupoint stimulation for postoperative nausea and vomiting and to score the quality of evidence supporting this concept.

Methods

PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov were searched from inception to March 19, 2020.

Results

Twenty-six studies (2064 patients) were included. Compared with control treatment, electrical acupoint stimulation reduced the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting (RR 0.49, 95% CI 0.41 to 0.57, P < 0.001), postoperative nausea (RR 0.55, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.64, P < 0.001) and postoperative vomiting (RR 0.56, 95% CI 0.45 to 0.70, P < 0.001). Electrical acupoint stimulation also reduced the number of patients requiring antiemetic rescue (RR 0.60, 95% CI 0.43 to 0.85, P = 0.004). No differences in adverse events were observed. Subgroup analysis showed that both electroacupuncture (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.74, P < 0.001) and transcutaneous electrical acupoint stimulation (RR 0.44, 95% CI 0.34 to 0.58, P < 0.001) had significant effects. Electrical acupoint stimulation was effective whether administered preoperatively (RR 0.40, 95% CI 0.27 to 0.60, P < 0.001), postoperatively (RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.46 to 0.76, P < 0.001), or perioperatively (RR 0.50, 95% CI 0.37 to 0.67, P < 0.001). The quality of evidence was moderate to low.

Conclusions

Electrical acupoint stimulation probably reduce the incidence of postoperative nausea and vomiting, postoperative nausea, postoperative vomiting, and reduce the number of patients requiring antiemetic rescue, with few adverse events.
Comparative curiosity: How do great apes and children deal with uncertainty?
Authors: Sánchez-Amaro Alejandro , Rossano Federico
Published: May 2023

Humans are perhaps the most curious animals on earth, but to what extent our innate motivations for discovering new information are shared with our closest relatives remain poorly understood. To shed light on this question, we presented great apes with two experimental paradigms in which they had to initially choose between an empty opaque cup and a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in study 1, or to choose between a transparent cup with rewards or a baited opaque cup with rewards invisible to the ape in studies 2 and 3. We also presented young children with scenarios comparable to the second paradigm (studies 4 and 5). Notably, after the initial choice phase, we presented participants with potential alternatives providing better rewards than the previously secured options. Importantly, those alternatives shared some features with the uncertain options, giving subjects the possibility to relate both options through analogical reasoning. We found that most great apes were not curious about the uncertain options. They only explored those options after they were presented with the alternatives. Children, instead, explored the uncertain options before the alternatives were presented, showing a higher degree of curiosity than the great apes. We argue that differences between children and apes mostly lay in motivational dispositions to explore the unknown.
The diurnal course of salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase on workdays and leisure days in teachers and the role of social isolation and neuroticism
Authors: Schneider Sandra , grosse Holtforth Martin , Wettstein Alexander , Jenni Gabriel , Kühne Fabienne , Tschacher Wolfgang , La Marca Roberto
Published: May 2023

Teachers are among the occupational groups with the highest sick leave rates due to workplace stress and burnout symptoms. A substantial body of research has suggested social isolation and neuroticism to be related to physiological stress activity. However, the relationship between such characteristics and stress experiences has rarely been studied in conjunction with physiological stress indicators in the teachers’ natural settings. Thus, the present study examines salivary cortisol and α-amylase as physiological stress indicators on teachers’ work and leisure days and their relationship with social isolation. Furthermore, we test whether neuroticism moderates the relationship between social isolation and salivary biomarkers. Forty-two teachers completed questionnaires assessing social isolation (Trier Inventory for the Assessment of Chronic Stress) and neuroticism (Big-Five Inventory). Participants collected eight saliva samples on three days, two workdays, and one leisure day to measure the concentration of cortisol and α-amylase as biomarkers of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and the autonomic nervous system (ANS), respectively. Results showed a significantly higher Cortisol Awakening Response (CAR) and diurnal cortisol slope (DCS) on workdays than on the leisure day but no significant differences regarding measures of α-amylase. We found a significant positive relationship between social isolation and the CAR on the leisure day but no association with the α-amylase measures. Furthermore, after controlling for confounders, social isolation was unrelated to neuroticism, and the latter did not moderate between social isolation and the CAR. Our findings suggest an association between social isolation and the HPA axis, i.e., the CAR, but do not support an association with the ANS, which would be indicated by the α-amylase assessments. Finally, our findings could not support an association of neuroticism with the HPA axis and ANS.
Early chronic suppression of microglial p38α in a model of Alzheimer’s disease does not significantly alter amyloid-associated neuropathology
Authors: Braun David J. , Frazier Hilaree N. , Davis Verda A. , Coleman Meggie J. , Rogers Colin B. , Van Eldik Linda J.
Published: May 2023

The p38 alpha mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38α) is linked to both innate and adaptive immune responses and is under investigation as a target for drug development in the context of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other conditions with neuroinflammatory dysfunction. While preclinical data has shown that p38α inhibition can protect against AD-associated neuropathology, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated. Inhibitors of p38α may provide benefit via modulation of microglial-associated neuroinflammatory responses that contribute to AD pathology. The present study tests this hypothesis by knocking out microglial p38α and assessing early-stage pathological changes. Conditional knockout of microglial p38α was accomplished in 5-month-old C57BL/6J wild-type and amyloidogenic AD model (APPswe/PS1dE9) mice using a tamoxifen-inducible Cre/loxP system under control of theCx3cr1promoter. Beginning at 7.5 months of age, animals underwent behavioral assessment on the open field, followed by a later radial arm water maze test and collection of cortical and hippocampal tissues at 11 months. Additional endpoint measures included quantification of proinflammatory cytokines, assessment of amyloid burden and plaque deposition, and characterization of microglia-plaque dynamics. Loss of microglial p38α did not alter behavioral outcomes, proinflammatory cytokine levels, or overall amyloid plaque burden. However, this manipulation did significantly increase hippocampal levels of soluble Aβ42 and reduce colocalization of Iba1 and 6E10 in a subset of microglia in close proximity to plaques. The data presented here suggest that rather than reducing inflammationper se, the net effect of microglial p38α inhibition in the context of early AD-type amyloid pathology is a subtle alteration of microglia-plaque interactions. Encouragingly from a therapeutic standpoint, these data suggest no detrimental effect of even substantial decreases in microglial p38α in this context. Additionally, these results support future investigations of microglial p38α signaling at different stages of disease, as well as its relationship to phagocytic processes in this particular cell-type.
Vision screening and vocational aptitude: A factor analysis approach
Authors: Seemiller Eric S. , Gaska James , O’Keefe Eleanor , Shoda Elizabeth , Knapp Jonelle , Winterbottom Marc
Published: May 2023

For a good vision screening battery to quickly and accurately reflect the status of the human visual system it should be relevant, reliable, and streamlined. Because the early visual system has limited functional architecture, many simple measurements of the visual system may in fact be measuring the shared computations and parallel processes of other visual functions, making much of the measurement process redundant. This can make a screening battery repetitious and therefore inefficient. The purpose of this research is to investigate these redundancies in a large occupational screening dataset using factor analysis. 192 subjects participated in the Operational Based Vision Assessment (OBVA) Laboratory Automated Vision Testing (AVT) procedure. The AVT includes digital tests for visual acuity, luminance and cone contrast sensitivity, motion coherence, stereopsis, and binocular motor function. Psychometric thresholds and fusional ranges were collected from each subject and a factor analysis was utilized to investigate independent latent variables in the dataset. A promax rotation revealed 5 factors that explained 74% of the total variance: (1) medium and high spatial frequency vision, (2) stereoacuity and horizontal fusional range, (3) cone contrast sensitivity, (4) motion perception, and (5) low spatial frequency vision. Practically, these results suggest that the screening battery can be reduced to 5 independent measurements that capture much of the variance in the dataset. Furthermore, the factors predicted operational and vocational aptitude better than any single variable. More interestingly, these relationships also reiterate known computational processes within the human visual system, such as the parallel processing of low and high spatial frequency content.
Understanding uncertainty in forest resources maps
Authors: Kangas Annika , Myllymäki Mari , Mehtätalo Lauri
Published: May 2023

Maps of forest resources and other ecosystem services are needed for decision making at different levels. However, such maps are typically presented without addressing the uncertainties. Thus, the users of the maps have vague or no understanding of the uncertainties and can easily make wrong conclusions. Attempts to visualize the uncertainties are also rare, even though the visualization would be highly likely to improve understanding. One complication is that it has been difficult to address the predictions and their uncertainties simultaneously. In this article, the methods for addressing the map uncertainty and visualize them are first reviewed. Then, the methods are tested using laser scanning data with simulated response variable values to illustrate their possibilities. Analytical kriging approach captured the uncertainty of predictions at pixel level in our test case, where the estimated models had similar log-linear shape than the true model. Ensemble modelling with random forest led to slight underestimation of the uncertainties. Simulation is needed when uncertainty estimates are required for landscape level features more complicated than small areas.
Let it Grow (Back): A Call for the Conservation of Secondary Forests as Medicinal Plant Habitat
Authors: Shebitz Daniela J. , Agnew Lindsey Page , Kerns Steven , Oviedo Angela , Ha Juyoung
Published: May 2023

Costa Rica is widely regarded as a global leader in conservation practices. In the Maquenque National Wildlife Refuge (MNWLR), within Costa Rica’s Northern Zone, a strong commitment to conservation has led to protecting highly biodiverse mature forests. However, a significant opportunity to strengthen conservation in this region is being overlooked at a great cost to the local community and environment: the protection of regenerating secondary forests. Secondary forests account for over 50% of global tropical forests and serve vital ecological and cultural functions. Within the MNWLR, many species in the secondary forests provide medicinal value to the rural communities where western medical care is difficult to access. Recent research, however, has shown that secondary forests in Costa Rica are re-cleared within 20 years, before they have accumulated the previously lost biomass and biodiversity. In this paper, we call for conservation and management strategies to incorporate community held knowledge about culturally significant species, and for there to be economic incentives for keeping secondary forests intact and for determining which forests are designated as Protected Areas. We discuss previous research with two trees that are common in secondary forests in the MNWLR (Vismia macrophylla and Pentaclethra macroloba), recognizing that these are some of the many species that have great potential to both the ecological and social communities. While our focus area is in the Northern Zone of Costa Rica, the integration of community use and local knowledge into conservation should be a global priority.
Evaluation of the Relationship between Mandibular Third Molars and Adjacent Second Molars - Panoramic Radiography vs. CBCT
Authors: Muhammed Furkan Gedik  , Raif Alan
Published: May 2023

BACKGROUND

Negative effects of third molars (3Ms) on the periodontal conditions of adjacent second molars (2Ms) depending on the level of impaction are quite common. Radiographic evaluation is of great importance in such cases. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of panoramic radiography (PR) and cone-beam CT (CBCT) images to determine the amount of bone loss on the distal side of 2Ms in relation to mandibular 3Ms.

METHODS

Radiographic data of 491 patients selected consecutively from the database were scanned. After applying the exclusion criteria, PR and CBCT images of a total of 97 patients were analyzed. The chi-square test was used to determine whether there was a relationship between the independent variables. The measurement of the agreement between PRs and CBCTs was calculated using Cohen's kappa coefficient.

RESULTS

97 patients (47 females and 50 males) aged between 18-67 years (33.79±12.23 years) were included in this study. Most of the patients were in their 20s (41.2%). Moderate agreement was found between measurements made using PR and CBCT to determine bone loss in the distal side of the 2M. While bone loss was recorded in 53.7% of the teeth as a result of measurements made with PRs, this prevalence was determined as 61.5% in measurements made with CBCTs. (κ=0.448; P<0.001). There was no difference in terms of bone loss according to gender and location, while the highest rate of bone loss was observed in individuals aged 50 and over. In addition, a maximum bone loss was detected when 3M's position was horizontal and Class III / Level C according to Winter and Pell & Gregory classifications, respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

In individuals with 3M teeth, it is critical to use radiographs at regular intervals to monitor the periodontal status of 2M teeth, even in the absence of symptoms. In cases where severe bone loss is observed or suspected to be severe, CBCT provides detailed information and facilitates the clinician in planning any intervention.
Cutaneous Sarcoidosis Encountered in a Patient with Major Depressive Disorder – A Case Report
Authors: Sanjana A.S.  , Girishma J.
Published: May 2023

Sarcoidosis was characterised by Scadding and Mitchell as an idiopathic multisystem disorder characterised by the formation of non-caseating epithelioid cell tubercles in the organs or tissues that are affected by the condition.[1] The disease process is extensive, with varying symptoms and an unpredictability in its progression. Skin manifestations are present in 20–35% of individuals with systemic sarcoidosis, but 25% of patients with cutaneous sarcoidosis do not have any systemic illness.[2]

Psychological symptoms are more prevalent in sarcoidosis patients than in the general population. Between 18% and 66% of sarcoidosis patients have depression, while between 31% and 33% have anxiety.[3] When treating these patients, clinicians should look for signs of depression and, if found, consider a therapeutic trial of antidepressants and/or psychosocial interventions.

Management of sarcoidosis is done by a multidisciplinary team. The most common forms of treatment for sarcoidosis are immunosuppressive medicine, such as corticosteroids used orally or topically, methotrexate, and the TNF-alpha inhibitors adalimumab and infliximab.[4]
A review: CRISPR/Cas12-Mediated Genome Editing in Fungal Cells: Advancements, Mechanisms, and Future Directions in Plant-Fungal Pathology
Authors: Agarwal Chiti , Ellur Vishnutej
Published: May 2023

The CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas) system, characterized by clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats, has revolutionized life science research by providing vast possibilities for alteringspecific DNA or RNA sequences in a variety of organisms. The present system integrates fragments of exogenous DNA, known as spacers, into CRISPR cassettes. These cassettes are subsequently transcribed into CRISPR arrays, which are further processed to generate guide RNA (gRNA). The CRISPR arrays are genetic loci that are responsible for encoding Cas proteins. The Cas proteins are responsible for supplying the necessary enzymatic machinery to acquire new spacers that are aimed at invading elements. The development of novel genome engineering tools has been made possible by utilizing various Cas proteins, including but not limited to Cas9, Cas12, Cas13, and Cas14, which possess programmable sequence specificity. The emergence of Cas variants has spurred genetic research and advanced the utilization of the CRISPR/Cas tool to manipulate and edit nucleic acid sequences within a wide range of living organisms. This review aims to furnishoperational modalities ofthe Cas12 protein identified thus far. Furthermore, the advantages and disadvantages ofCas12proteinare examined, along with their recent implementations in the plant fungal world. This review provides the researcher with insights into diverse Cas proteins and their potential applications in advanced genome editing for the next generation.
Change Detection in SAR Images through Clustering Fusion Algorithm and Deep Neural Networks
Authors: Lin Zhikang , Liu Wei , Wang Yulong , Xu Yan , Niu Chaoyang
Published: May 2023

The detection of changes in synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images based on deep learning has been widely used in landslides detection, flood disaster monitoring, and other fields of change detection due to its high classification accuracy. However, the inherent speckle noise in SAR
images restricts the performance of existing SAR image change detection algorithms by clustering analysis. Therefore, this paper proposes a novel method for SAR image change detection based on clustering fusion and deep neural networks. We first used hierarchical fuzzy c-means clustering (HFCM
) to process two different images to obtain HFCM classification results. Then a fusion strategy is designed to obtain the fused image from the two HFCM classified images as the pre-classification result. Furthermore, a lightweight deep neural network com posed of a decomposition convolution
module and an auxiliary classification module was proposed; the former module could reduce network parameters by 28%, and the latter could reduce network parameters by 33.3%. To improve the recognition performance of the network, the classification layer was replaced by the regression layer
at the outcome of the network. By comparing the experiments of different methods on five data sets, the performance of our proposed method is superior.
Disfungsi Media Sosial dalam Seruan Pemerintah: Lemahnya Pengaruh Konten Instagram terhadap Pelaksanaan Protokol Kesehatan Covid-19
Authors: Nugraha Rian Ervina , Nusa Lukman
Published: May 2023

In early 2020, the coronavirus disease (covid-19) has reached Indonesia and is rapidly spreading. The Province of the Special Region of Yogyakarta is the area with the lowest positive number of covid-19 compared to other provinces on the island of Java. This is certainly inseparable from the decision of the Yogyakarta’s Government, one of which is communication on the @humasjogja Instagram account. Through the content produced, the Instagram account @humasjogja actively urges its followers to be vigilant and comply with the health protocol of covid-19. For this reason, it would be interesting if there was research to determine the magnitude of the influence of Instagram content on the implementation of the COVID-19 health protocol. To answer this problem, Media Dependency Theory is suitable to be used as a research basis because this theory explains that media that can provide individual desires will be considered important and can affect individual behavior changes. This study uses a survey research method to 100 respondents who are followers of the Instagram account @humasjogja and uses a simple linear regression analysis method. The results of the study found that there was an effect of 35.9% of Instagram content on the implementation of the covid-19 health protocol on followers of the Instagram account @humasjogja, and showed a scale of influence that was at a weak level.Keywords: Social Media, Instagram Content, Covid-19, Health Protocol of Covid-19.
SOSYAL MEDYA PAZARLAMASININ TÜKETİCİLERİN SATIN ALMA TUTUMLARINA ETKİSİ: KUŞAKLAR ARASI FARKLILIKLARA YÖNELİK BİR ÇALIŞMA
Authors: KARA Altuğ Caner , VARAN Aysun
Published: May 2023

Bu araştırmanın amacı, sosyal medya kanallarında reklamı yapılan ürün veya hizmetlerin Y ve Z kuşakları baz alınarak satın alma tutumlarında farklılık olup olmadığını incelemektir. Araştırmada kolayda örneklem yöntemi kapsamında 500 katılımcıya anket formu ile ulaşılmıştır. Çalışmada verilerin analizi için SPSS 26 ve AMOS 24 paket programları kullanılmıştır. Verilerin analizi için Pearson Korelasyon testi, Doğrulayıcı Faktör Analizi, Yol Analizi ve Çoklu Grupla Düzenleyici Etki Analizi kullanılmıştır. Araştırma sonucunda Y ve Z kuşağı arasında reklamların rahatsız ediciliğinin satın alma tutumuna etkisi açısından anlamlı bir farklılık olduğu bulunmuştur.
Analysis of Mary Halvorson's Improvisational and Compositional Style
Authors: Mock Paul
Published: May 2023

Mary Halvorson has established herself as one of the leading figures of free improvised music since the turn of the millennium, winning DownBeat Magazine’s Best Guitarist category in 2017, 2018 and 2019 and receiving a “Genius” Grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2019. Despite these accolades—and the many reviews of her albums and performances, interviews, and opinion pieces in the jazz press—there has been a marked dearth of scholarly literature dedicated to analyzing her music and her guitar playing to date. This article is intended to open the door to a more critical discourse about Halvorson’s artistry, achievements, and her position in the intersecting jazz, avant-garde, and free improvising communities. Throughout, I draw extensively on interviews I conducted with Halvorson and one of her early mentors, guitarist/educator Joe Morris as well as my own transcriptions of her work to detail how Halvorson approaches composing and interpreting music in a meticulous manner while still preserving space for the adventurous and sometimes chaotic aesthetic of free improvised music.
Revisiting Kenny G (Colloquy)
Authors: Klotz Kelsey
Published: May 2023

Throughout his career, Kenny G has been heralded by some audiences as a jazz icon, even as he portrays ambivalence toward well-recognized jazz histories and is often critiqued by self-described members of jazz communities. By diving deeply into the cringe-worthy moments in which Kenny G’s refusal of jazz knowledge are most evident, Klotz examines Kenny G’s performance of white ignorance as a form of white privilege. The essay closes with a meditation on what exclusion of Kenny G might tell jazz scholars about gender exclusivity and the jazz genre.
Strategieentwicklung mittels „Cultural Probes“
Authors: Doppler Achim
Published: May 2023

Es ist ein in der Forschung bekanntes, in der Praxis aber oft ignoriertes Phänomen, dass in Umfragen erbetene Auskünfte zum Kulturkonsum in Richtung sozialer Normen und Ideale verschoben werden. Eine Möglichkeit, Antwortverzerrungen dieser Art prinzipiell auszuschließen, ist die möglichst zeitsynchrone Erfassung der tatsächlichen Alltagspraxis mittels protokollierter Beobachtung. Der nachfolgende Beitrag berichtet vom Einsatz von „Cultural Probes“, eine die vorgenannten Anforderungen erfüllende Untersuchungsmethode im Zusammenhang mit der Strategieentwicklung des niederösterreichischen öffentlichen Bibliothekswesens.
Synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging on natural rubber
Authors: Zhou Meng-Zhen , Wang Hao-Ran , Guo Xing , Wei Yan-Chan , Liao Shuangquan
Published: May 2023

The oxidation of natural rubber (NR) leads to a decrease in mechanical properties, even resulting in failure of NR products. Many studies focusing on this single factor have failed to fully elucidate the impact of tropical island environment on NR properties. Based on this concern, the synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and ultraviolet (UV) aging on NR was systematically studied. The results revealed that thermal oxygenation can promote UV aging, which leads to the appearance of surface cracks and deepening of color. With the extension of aging time, the mechanical properties of NR correspondingly decreased. Besides, to deeply understand the mechanism of the synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging on NR, we selected squalene to simulate and analyze the molecular structure changes in NR. Based on these results, a possible synergistic effect of thermal oxygen and UV aging mechanisms on NR could be proposed.
Weighted composition operators from Dirichlet–Zygmund-type spaces into Stević-type spaces
Authors: Zhu Xiangling
Published: May 2023

A family of Zygmund-type spaces, called Dirichlet–Zygmund-type spaces, are introduced. The boundedness, compactness and the essential norm of
weighted composition operators from Dirichlet–Zygmund-type spaces into Stević-type spaces are also investigated in this paper.
Experimental validation of non-dual adaptive controller based DSTATCOM for power quality enhancement
Authors: Shadangi Pushpanjali , Swain Sushree Diptimayee , Ray Pravat Kumar , Panda Gayadhar , Dalai Sumant
Published: May 2023

In this manuscript, a new control approach is counselled for DSTATCOM to resolve power quality (PQ) related issues. The Non-dual Adaptive Controller (NDAC) is employed with DSTATCOM to enhance the performance in terms of stability. The DSTATCOM is the constituent of voltage source inverter shunt DC-capacitor. A hysteresis block is employed for switching pulse triggering. The counselled scheme is a new method of shunt compensation and offers superior performance, for the lower frequency band in comparision with traditional strategies. Now-a-days we are dealing with huge nonlinear loads which draws non sinusoidal currents and also they generate large amount of harmonics. There are various advantages of using this new modified adaptive controllers over the tradition controllers. We are going to compare the performance of this new counselled controllers performance with the existing one in this literature. This new controller is initially simulated over MATLAB 2016 and then the efficacy of the counselled control approach (NDAC) is investigated using Laboratory prototype. Hardware setup is then authenticated through prototype with the help of dSPACE 1104. The execution reflects wide variation in the performances of both the controllers and also shows the supremacy of Non-dual adaptive controllers in terms of various aspects like harmonic current reduction, reduction in Total harmonic distortions during load dynamics.
Improving the wear resistance of the magnesium alloy WE43 by cold sprayed Ni–Al2O3 and Ni–Zn–Al2O3 coatings
Authors: Gül Serkan , Durmuş Hülya , Gül Canser , Çömez Nilay
Published: May 2023

Lightweight magnesium (Mg) alloys are employed in a wide range of applications due to their high specific strengths. Nevertheless, some applications require improvement of the wear resistance of Mg alloys. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of the initial surface conditions, cold spray temperature, and coating material on the wear resistance of the cold sprayed coatings on WE43 Mg substrate. Blasted and sandpapered surfaces were coated with commercial powders of K-32 (Ni and Al2O3) and K-714 (Zn, Ni, and Al2O3). The coating materials were cold sprayed on blasted and sandpapered WE43 Mg surfaces at 500 °C and 600 °C. Surface roughness, thickness and wear resistance of the coatings were examined. Deposition efficiency was improved by raising the N2 gas temperature. The samples with the greatest wear resistance were those that were coated with Zn, Ni, and Al2O3 powder mixture on sandpapered surfaces at temperatures of 600 °C, where deposition efficiency is maximum. Cold spray coatings enhanced the wear resistance of the WE43 Mg substrate.
The crystal structure of N-(6-chloro-2-methyl-2H-indazol-5-yl)acetamide, C10H10ClN3O
Authors: Du Yi-Jing , Sun Hong-Shun , Wang Jian-Qiang , Guo Cheng
Published: May 2023

C10H10ClN3O, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 4.7273(7) Å, b = 10.2148(16) Å, c = 21.283(3) Å, β = 91.458(4)°, V = 1027.4(3) Å3, Z = 4,

R

g
t

${R}_{gt}$

(F) = 0.0623,

w

R

r
e
f

$w{R}_{ref}$

(F
2) = 0.1287, T = 193 K.
Research Image Management Practices Reported by Scientific Literature: An Analysis by Research Domain
Authors: Rodrigues Joana , Lopes Carla Teixeira
Published: May 2023

Research data management is essential for safeguarding and prospecting data generated in a scientific context. Specific issues arise regarding data in image format, as this data typology poses particular challenges and opportunities; however, not much attention has been given to data as images. We reviewed 109 articles from several research domains where images were used either as data or metadata to understand how researchers specifically deal with this data format, and what are your habits and behaviors. We use the Web of Science (WoS), considering its five main areas of research. We included in the initial corpus the most relevant articles by research domain, selecting the ten most cited articles in WoS, by year, between 2010 and 2021. The selected articles should be in English and in open access. The results found that images have been used in scientific works numerous times, but, unfortunately, few are those in which they are the central element of the study. Photography is the type of image most used in most domains. In terms of the instruments used, the Technology and Life Sciences and Biomedicine domains use the microscope more, while the Arts and Humanities and Physical Sciences domains use the camera more. We found that the images are mostly produced in the context of the project, rather than reused by third parties. As for their collection scenario, these are mostly produced/used in a laboratory context. The overwhelming majority of the images present in the articles are digital, and only a small part is analog. We verify that Arts and Humanities are more likely to perform qualitative types of analyses, while Life Sciences and Biomedicine overwhelmingly use quantitative analyses. As for the issues of sharing and depositing, Life Sciences and Biomedicine is the domain that stands out the most in the tasks of depositing and sharing images. It was found that the licenses of a project are intrinsically related to the motivations for sharing results with third parties. Description, a fundamental step in the data management process, is neglected by a large number of researchers. The images are mostly not described or annotated and when this happens, researchers don’t provide much detail about this.
Dispositivos de poder empregados por homens na violência doméstica contra a mulher: perspectiva de enfermeiros / Power devices employed by men in domestic violence against women: nurses’ perspective
Authors: Amarijo Cristiane Lopes , Silva Camila Daiane , Acosta Daniele Ferreira , Figueira Aline Belletti , Barlem Edison Luiz Devos
Published: May 2023

Objetivo: conhecer os dispositivos de poder empregados pelos homens na ocorrência da violência doméstica contra a mulher, na perspectiva de enfermeiros da Atenção Básica. Método: pesquisa qualitativa com 20 enfermeiros de Unidades, cujas entrevistas foram gravadas, entre abril e junho de 2018, e tratadas por análise textual discursiva sobre a ótica foucaultiana. Resultados: emergiram as categorias: “dispositivos não materiais” constituída pela cultura e criação dos filhos, a naturalização da violência, a distinção dos papéis sociais e o medo; e “dispositivos materiais” composta pelo uso de substâncias lícitas/ilícitas e dependência financeira. Conclusões: sob a ótica dos enfermeiros, os homens utilizam dispositivos de poder materiais e não materiais dentro dos relacionamentos. Ações de enfrentamento da violência não podem manter seu foco exclusivamente nas mulheres devido ao risco de permanecer irresoluta. Os homens precisam ser incluídos nas intervenções, pois a violência doméstica constitui uma das formas de exercício desigual de poder.
Perspectiva da equipe de enfermagem sobre o cuidado da família ao recém-nascido
Authors: Lopes Caroline Fagundes , Gabatz Ruth Irmgard Bärtschi , Milbrath Viviane Marten , Ferreira Vitória de Almeida , Specht Ana Lúcia
Published: May 2023

Objetivo: identificar as produções científicas acerca da perspectiva da equipe de enfermagem sobre a inserção da família no cuidado ao recém-nascido na Unidade de Terapia Intensiva Neonatal. Método: revisão integrativa realizada na biblioteca virtual da saúde, no mês de abril de 2021. Para busca, utilizou-se os descritores: unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal, família, equipe de enfermagem, nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol. Resultados: selecionou-se treze artigos que evidenciaram a importância da equipe de enfermagem na inserção da família no cuidado do recém-nascido no ambiente da unidade de cuidados intensivos neonatais. Conclusões: observa-se que mesmo que a equipe de enfermagem reconheça a importância do cuidado da família ao neonato ainda há uma fragilidade na inserção dessa na unidade de terapia intensiva neonatal. Dessa forma, é imprescindível elaborar estratégias para ampliar a participação familiar nesse contexto.