bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Assessment of drought tolerance of spring wheat
Authors: Zotova L.P. , Zhumalin A.Kh. , Savin T.V. , Dzhataev S.A. , Nuralov A.S. , Khassanova G.Zh.
Published: November 2022

Under the conditions of climate change, the problem of drought tolerance of agricultural crops is gaining an increasing effect. The lack of moisture remains a limiting factor and leads to a decrease in plant productivity in an arid climate. Therefore, an important direction of modern breeding, and today, is to increase the drought tolerance of plants when creating new varieties. To assess the resistance of plants, various methods are used, including laboratory ones. In physiological assessment, an effective method is to assess drought tolerance at the seedling stage. A deeper analysis is molecular labeling based on the genes that control the trait under study. The article presents the results of studies on the assessment of soft durum wheat samples for resistance to osmotic stress and their molecular screening using marker technology. The purpose of the research is to study and select the selected varieties of spring wheat on the basis of drought tolerance. The selected varieties and lines are recommended as a promising starting material in breeding for drought tolerance.
Evaluation of the KRAS mutations in colorectal and pancreatic cancer patients
Authors: Samatkyzy D. , Rakhimova S. , Begimbetova D. , Kukanova A. , Fazyl F. , Stefanov I. , Pirozhenko O. , Gabdulkayum A. , Kozhamkulov U. , Makishev A. , Tuleutayev M. , Kukanova A. , Sarbassov D.
Published: November 2022

The RAS gene family is among the most studied and best characterized of the known cancer related genes. Of the three human RAS isoforms, KRAS is the most frequently altered gene, with mutations occurring in 17%–25% of all cancers. KRAS mutations are one of the most dominant mutations at 7% to 80% for colorectal cancer, 25% to 87% for pancreatic cancer, and 25% to 48% for lung cancer. The impact of KRAS mutations on the prognosis and survival of patients with adenocarcinoma and other types of cancer stimulates a lot of scientific research on their developmental mechanisms. To further develop a protocol for the treatment of mutant KRAS cases in Kazkahstan we study KRAS mutations status in Kazakhstani colorectal cancer and pancreatic patients. In this article, we review the literature on the role of KRAS mutation testing for management of patients and demonstrate preliminary data on KRAS mutation status in Kasakhstani patients with colorectal and pancreatic cancer.
Towards washing the baby in the bathwater? – commentary to Refstie
Authors: Häkli Jouni
Published: November 2022

As a response to Hilde Refstie’s research paper ‘Reconfiguring research relevance – steps towards salvaging the radical potential of the co-productive turn in searching for sustainable solutions’, in this commentary I reflect on some of the issues that I consider key elements in her timely and important argument. I mainly pay attention to how she lays out the key problems in co-creative research in our fast-paced academia that meets the increasing demands for relevance coming from the policymaking for sustainability. Yet, Refstie’s paper also states that we do not necessarily have to throw out the baby with the bathwater. I end with some remarks on where Refstie’s argument for rescuing the critical potential of co-creative research meets its understandable limits.
Fairness considerations in global mitigation investments
Authors: Pachauri Shonali , Pelz Setu , Bertram Christoph , Kreibiehl Silvie , Rao Narasimha D. , Sokona Youba , Riahi Keywan
Published: November 2022

Current mitigation finance flows are inadequate and unfair
Safety of Ceftazidime-Avibactam in Combination with Aztreonam (COMBINE) in a Phase I, Open-Label Study in Healthy Adult Volunteers
Authors: Lodise Thomas P. , O’Donnell J. Nicholas , Raja Shruti , Guptill Jeffrey T. , Zaharoff Smitha , Schwager Nyssa , Fowler Vance G. , Beresnev Tatiana , Wall Alison , Wiegand Katherine , Serti Chrisos Elisavet , Balevic Stephen , Chambers Henry F. ,   Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group
Published: November 2022

This phase I study evaluated the safety of the optimal ceftazidime-avibactam (CZA) with aztreonam (ATM) regimens identified in hollow fiber infection models of MBL-producing Enterobacterales. Eligible healthy subjects aged 18 to 45 years were assigned to one of six cohorts: 2.5 g CZA over 2 h every 8 h (approved dose), CZA continuous infusion (CI) (7.5 g daily), 2 g ATM over 2 h every 6 h, ATM CI (8 g daily), CZA (approved dose) with 1.5 g ATM over 2 h every 6 h, and CZA (approved dose) with 2 g ATM over 2 h every 6 h.
A split seesaw model with hidden neutrinoless double beta decay but successful leptogenesis
Authors: Zhao Zhen-hua
Published: November 2022

In a paper by Asaka, Ishida and Tanaka (Phys. Rev. D 103:015014, 2021), they proposed a novel possibility (which will be referred to as the AIT ansatz) that, in spite of the Majorana nature of neutrinos, the neutrinoless double beta ($$0\nu \beta \beta $$

0
ν
β
β

) decay can be hidden. In the original AIT model, the AIT ansatz is realized in the minimal seesaw model with two right-handed neutrinos which have a hierarchical mass structure: the lighter and heavier right-handed neutrinos are respectively much lighter and heavier than the typical Fermi-momentum scale of nuclei. However, the original AIT model does not accommodate a successful leptogenesis. For this problem, in this paper we study a split seesaw model with one lighter right-handed neutrino but two heavier right-handed neutrinos which can realize the AIT ansatz and accommodate a successful leptogenesis simultaneously. We first give the condition on the neutrino Yukawa couplings for realizing the AIT ansatz, discuss its realization by employing an Abelian flavor symmetry, and study its implications for the mixing of the lighter right-handed neutrino with three left-handed neutrinos. We then successively study the implications for leptogenesis of the interesting scenarios where $$M_{{\textrm{D}}}$$

M
D

is a triangular matrix (which has maximally-restricted texture zeros, in line with the simplicity principle) or respects the $$\mu $$
μ
-$$\tau $$
τ
reflection symmetry (which is well motivated by the experimental results), on top of the AIT ansatz.
Doxycycline Hydrochloride Regulates Cytoskeletal Rearrangement and Epithelial‐To‐Mesenchymal Transition in Malignant Rhabdoid Tumour of the Kidney
Authors: Zhanghuang Chenghao , Zhang Zhaoxia , Mi Tao , Wang Jinkui , Jin Liming , Liu Jiayan , Li Maoxian , Li Mujie , Wu Xin , Wang Zhang , He Dawei
Published: November 2022

Objective. As a highly malignant tumour, malignant rhabdoid tumours of the kidney (MRTK) are prone to metastasis and invasion, while tumour metastasis and invasion are inseparable from matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and epithelial‐mesenchymal transformation (EMT). Moreover, the key to EMT is remodelling of the cytoskeleton. Therefore, our study is aimed at investigating whether doxycycline hydrochloride (DCH), an inhibitor of MMPs, could reverse EMT in MRTK to exert an antitumour effect by regulating MMPs and the cytoskeleton. Methods. The existence of EMT in MRTK cells was verified by bioinformatics analysis, immunofluorescence, and western blotting (WB). In vitro, the proliferation, migration, and invasion abilities of G401 cells were examined by Cell Counting Kit‐8 (CCK‐8), scratch, and Transwell assays, respectively. The effect of DCH on tumour growth in tumour‐bearing mice was explored in in vivo experiments, and the expression of MMP2 and MMP9 and EMT correlation indexes was measured by immunofluorescence and WB, and the changes in cytoskeletal F‐actin and β‐tubulin were measured by fluorescence. Results. The altered extracellular matrix (ECM) composition, EMT, and high expression of MMP2 and MMP9 existed in MRTK. DCH inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of G401 cells in vitro. In vivo, DCH inhibited tumour growth in mice, downregulated the expression of MMP2 and MMP9, and partially reversed EMT. Alternatively, DCH resulted in cytoskeletal rearrangements of G401 cells. Conclusions. DCH, as an MMP inhibitor, is used for the first time in MRTK research, showing good antitumour effects by reversing EMT and potentially providing new therapeutic measures for MRTK treatment.
Strain Properties of Multicomponent Nanosize Film Materials
Authors: Protsenko S. I. , Odnodvorets L. V. , Protsenko I. Yu. , Rylova A. K. , Tolstikov D. I.
Published: November 2022

The results of the correlation between the longitudinal strain coefficient (SC) and the values of the Poisson coefficient and Grüneisen parameter for nanosize film multicomponent alloys (d ≅ 30–50 nm, ci ≅ 11–20 at%) are presented. It is established that in the region of elastic or quasi‐elastic deformation (less than or equal to 0.4%), the value of SC is insensitive to changes in the Grüneisen parameter in the range of 1.5–2.5 units during the transition to plastic formation (more than 0.4%). The value of SC decreases from 4–5 units to 3–1 units. Similarly, SC is insensitive to changes in the Poisson coefficient less than or equal 0.4 but decreases sharply in the region of plastic deformation. It is concluded that a sensitive element based on a multicomponent nanoscale film of a solid solution, including a high‐entropy one, has advantages over others due to phase stability in a wide temperature range. These materials may be used to develop the architecture of sensitive elements of sensors for various functional purposes.
The Impact of Morphological Awareness Intervention in Enhancing L2 Postgraduate Students’ Productive Vocabulary Breadth
Authors: Asaad Hani Qasem Mohammed , Hasan Md. Kamrul , Alidoust Narges , Shabdin Ahmad Affendi , Ounissi Amine , Hossain Md. Didar
Published: November 2022

The significance of vocabulary knowledge in academic development and having a sufficient vocabulary in language learning cannot be overstated. Research has shown that postgraduate students studying English as a second language (L2) lack vocabulary and require improving it. This research study was conducted to investigate the role of morphological awareness and its relation to productive vocabulary breadth and explore the function of teaching L2 postgraduate students in intervention for improving their productive vocabulary breadth. Thirty L2 postgraduate participants were involved in an intervention. The intervention included 11 sessions of morphological awareness instructions. The students’ morphological awareness was tested using the Morphological Identification Test (MIT) and the Morphological Structure Awareness Test (MSAT), while productive vocabulary breadth was tested using the Productive Vocabulary Level Test (PVLT). A significant relationship was found between morphological awareness and productive vocabulary breadth. The synthetic aspect of morphological awareness was more closely related to the participants’ productive vocabulary breadth than the analytic aspect. The morphological awareness intervention was effective and beneficial in increasing the students’ productive vocabulary breadth. The results may indicate the benefits of teaching and learning morphology to L2 postgraduate students, especially for effective vocabulary building.
Retrieving Lost Texts: Early Persian Newspapers of Bombay
Authors: Ranganathan Murali
Published: November 2022

While the study of the history of print culture in India is still at an early stage, languages moribund in India, like Persian, have been all but ignored in this narrative. Persian newspapers of the nineteenth century, especially from its first half, played an important role in the development of the Indian public sphere. To a certain extent, they continued in the vein of the pre-British akhbārs, while on the other hand, they took on gradually the character of a modern newspaper. Bombay (Mumbai), for historical and geographical reasons, emerged as a center of Persian language activity during this period and its rapidly burgeoning printing infrastructure facilitated the development of Persian, as a language for books and newspapers. Using a range of contemporary government records and newspapers, an attempt is made here to reconstruct the history of these early Persian newspapers. Over a dozen Persian newspapers are identified, most of them for the first time; a preliminary attempt is made to understand the impact of these newspapers and the motivations of their Parsi, Hindu, and Muslim editors.
Using Intuition to Strengthen Administrative Decision-Making
Authors: Kumar Niraj , Taneja Anshul
Published: November 2022

Decision-making effectiveness is vital for government functioning and its administration. However, this greatly impacts the changing circumstances of uncertainty and ambiguity. Intuition offers a viable way forward by integrating it with rational thinking and decision-making. It has a scientific basis and can be developed as a skill. It has been found to be helpful to point out the way forward dealing with uncertainty, recognising patterns and handling information overloads. The challenge lies in how to harness this skill. In this paper, a number of ways are discussed to integrate intuition into the workplace, enabling the organisation to support this process and ultimately merge it into the day-to-day decision-making.
The New Terrain of Global Governance: Mapping Membership in Informal International Organizations
Authors: Roger Charles , Rowan Sam
Published: November 2022

We present a new dataset of membership in informal international organizations—IOs founded with non-binding instruments—which constitute one-third of operating IOs. We introduce state-IO-year–level membership data for 195 countries that complements the dataset on formal IOs from the Correlates of War Project. We explain our conceptualization of an informal IO, contrast it with other approaches, and detail the data collection process. We illustrate similarities and differences across formal and informal IOs, and across states and regions. We explain how our data validate or challenge conjectures about informal cooperation that have been inaccessible for lack of data. We demonstrate that while formal and informal IOs are similar in size, the composition of informal memberships in informal IOs is more fragmented. While informal IOs are a growing part of the governance portfolios of most states, some countries and regions participate more. We conclude by outlining elements of the research program our dataset unlocks.
A novel strategy against hepatitis B virus: Glycyrrhetnic acid conjugated multi-component synergistic nano-drug delivery system for targeted therapy
Authors: Guan QingXia , Zhou XiaoYing , Yang FangFang , Zhang Xue , Wang YanHong , Li WeiNan , Li XiuYan
Published: November 2022

It is well known that Glycyrrhetnic acid (GA) has significant liver-targeting and anti-inflammatory effects. Syringopicroside (SYR) and Hydroxytyrosol (HT), the active components of the Chinese herb Syringa oblata Lindl, have earned great reputation for their potential in preventing or treating viral hepatitis type B. Therefore, we loaded SYR and HT into GA-conjugated PEG-PLGA, so that they could target the liver in additional to exerting their own pharmacological effects in a synergistic. However, the in vivo targeting and the low bioavailability of SYR and HT pose a huge challenge. Therefore, we synthesized GA-conjugated multi-component nano-drug delivery system (SH-GPP). SH-GPP had a regular spherical shape with a uniform size distribution of 110.5 ± 3.18 nm. We further evaluated the effects of SH-GPP in vitro and in vivo. In the in vivo experiment, we evaluated the following parameters: the serum ALT and AST values; liver tissue homogenate MDA and SOD; HE staining of the pathological liver sections; and the liver coefficient. In the in vitro studies, the following parameters were evaluated: cellular uptake of SH-GPP; wound healing/scratch assay; cellular apoptosis; cell cycle; HBsAg; and HBeAg content. SH-GPP had better anti-hepatitis B effect than Syringopicroside and hydroxytyrosol (SH) and NPP alone. The targeting ability of GA enabled HT and SYR in GPP to reach the liver accurately, and played a synergistic role to maximize their therapeutic effects. This study provides a novel strategy against hepatitis B virus, and also provides a feasible scheme for improving the low bioavailability of the active components of traditional Chinese medicine.
Love Is Not a Panacea: Moderating Role of Followers’ Attachment Dimensions on the Effectiveness of Agape-Based Leadership
Authors: Carvalho Fallan Kirby , Mulla Zubin R.
Published: November 2022

Love (in the agape form) forms the foundation of most leadership concepts and has been ignored in research. We respond to the debate on universal applicability of leadership forms by bringing followers into the spotlight through our examination of the interactive influence of loving (agape-based) and non-loving (non-agape-based) leadership styles and followers’ attachment dimensions (self-model and other-model) on follower outcomes. Two hundred and eighty-two business management students worked in teams on a task under the direction of leaders who demonstrated agape-based behaviours and leaders who demonstrated non-agape-based behaviours in a laboratory experiment. Agape-based leadership was positively related with follower satisfaction with the leader, team commitment and perception of leaders’ effectiveness. Further, followers’ attachment dimensions (self- and other-model) moderated the relationship between agape-based leadership and follower work attitudes, such that the relationship was positive for followers with a negative self-model and for followers with a positive other-model, and the relationship was negative for followers with a negative other-model. We provide a practical set of tools for demonstrating agape leadership behaviours which are useful for educators and organizations. We suggest that leaders must alter their leadership style depending on their followers’ attachment dimensions.
Systematic Literature Review of Private Equity Determinants: Status, Evidence and Open Issues
Authors: Kapil Sheeba , Rawal Vrinda
Published: November 2022

Global private equity (PE) investments continue to increase at unprecedented levels over the last two decades, as investors are increasingly thriving over the potential of funded firms. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of determining factors that guide the flow of private equity investment in target firms. The existing academic research concerning selection determinants of private equity investment is restrictive and unstructured. These determinants are diverse and observe inconclusive results in extant literature. To identify the firm-level determinants of private equity investment, understand the current gaps in the literature and direct the future scope of work, the authors conduct a systematic literature review of empirical private equity investment studies. The results pointed out the open issues in private equity literature focusing on drivers of investment decisions and extracted the most frequently observed selection determinants of private equity investments along with their causal relationship. The review also acknowledges that there exists a coherence among private equity and M&A investment decisions and thus, expands the scope of research by including empirical studies on M&A determinants. The study creates a comprehensive database and identifies shortcomings in the relevant literature addressing private equity.
Emotional Intelligence in the Field of Business and Management: A Bibliometric Analysis of the Last Two Decades
Authors: Sharma Shubham , Tiwari Vivek
Published: November 2022

Emotions are an inextricable part of human existence that must be managed. As a result, researchers from a variety of disciplines (health, psychology, management, and social science) have investigated a wide-ranging application of emotional intelligence (EI). In this study, using HistCite, BibExcel, and CiteSpace software, a total of 1,026 articles published on EI in the field of business and management from 2002 to 2022 were evaluated for performance analysis and co-citation analysis. Performance analysis results showed that the United States alone published about 38% of all publications. Institutes in Australia topped the list of institutions with the most articles published on EI. Co-citation analysis results found that in the first decade (2002–2012), major concepts/constructs studied with EI were transformational leadership, organization behaviour, cultural intelligence, exploring leadership capability, personal wisdom, team performance, subordinate perception, employee creativity and leadership competencies whereas in the second decade (2012–2022), major themes studied were and being studied are social intelligence competencies, job satisfaction, holistic perspective, meta-analytic review and entrepreneurial intention. Additionally, three emerging research hotspots (mindfulness, COVID-19 and artificial intelligence) that have been studied with EI but not identified by bibliometric techniques have also been discussed. Finally, this study offers useful theoretical and practical implications, as well as key future recommendations.
Yeh Hai Bombay Meri Jaan: Requiem for a Cosmopolitan City
Authors: Roy Anjali Gera
Published: November 2022

Critical toponymies, instead of viewing place names as transparent signifiers that designate places as ‘objects’ or ‘artifacts’, have foregrounded the necessity for understanding place naming as ‘a contested spatial practice’ and attempted ‘a critical interrogation of the politics of place naming’. In view of the frequency of colonial erasures and appropriations of the spaces of the colonised, post-colonial reclamations of place resort to technologies of toponymic cleansing, founding and restoration as acts of resistance. Toponymic resistance can occur on both the creation and deployment of alternative names and the use of alternative pronunciations for established names. Viewing ‘pronunciation to be an important element of the cultural politics of place naming within post-colonial societies’, Kearns and Berg argue ‘that even when widespread agreement on the name of a place prevails, the way the name is pronounced reflects, and contributes to, the constitution of imagined communities’. Arguing that plural pronunciations of the city’s names – Bombay, Bambai and Mumbai – evoke multiversal cosmopolitan urban imaginaries that are sometimes disjunctive, this article shows that Hindi cinema employs ‘multiplicity of means’, amalgamating the linguistic tools of toponymy with paralinguistic and extralinguistic codes, to produce the myth of the cosmopolitan city or ‘the Bombay Dream’.
Mergers and Acquisitions in the Bombay Stock Exchange: Testing for Market Efficiency Using Panel Regression
Authors: Rohra Neha , Anita
Published: November 2022

M&As are inorganic growth strategies which are not only related to accounting measures of performance of firms but also affect the wealth of shareholders either positively or negatively. According to the hubris hypothesis (Roll, 1986), M&A announcements result in a decrease in the stock price of the acquiring firm, leading to a fall in its value. On the other hand, the synergy hypothesis states that the two firms merge to take advantage of economic gains that result from sharing of resources, resulting in increased returns to the shareholders of both firms. The purpose of this paper is to find out whether there is any difference in the stock price and returns before and after the announcement of M&A. Also, it has been found that Indian stock market is efficient in a semi-strong form in the event of successful merger announcements.
Book review: Rup Kumar Barman, The Raidak: A Transnational River from Bhutan to Bangladesh Through India
Authors: Debnath Moniruna
Published: November 2022

Rup Kumar Barman, The Raidak: A Transnational River from Bhutan to Bangladesh Through India. Mittal Publications, 2021, 126 pp., ₹600 (Hard Bound).
Establishment survey participation during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Küfner Benjamin , Sakshaug Joseph W. , Zins Stefan
Published: November 2022

Establishment surveys around the globe have measured the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on establishments’ conditions and business practices. At the same time, the consequences of the pandemic, such as closures, hygiene standards, or remote work arrangements, may have also altered patterns of survey participation and introduced nonresponse bias, threatening the quality of establishment survey data. To investigate these issues, this article examines fieldwork outcomes, nonresponse bias, and predictors of survey participation in the IAB-Job Vacancy Survey. As comparisons with previous survey years show, it became more difficult to successfully interview establishments during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using linked administrative data, we show that nonresponse bias was higher in 2020 compared to previous years, even after applying the standard weighting adjustment. However, general patterns of survey participation in 2020 were similar to previous years and COVID-19 related measures were not strong predictors of survey participation in 2020. Further, we provide evidence that nonresponse bias during the pandemic can be reduced by incorporating additional administrative variables into the weighting procedure relative to the standard weighting variables. We conclude this article with a discussion of the findings and implications for survey practitioners.
COVID-19, normative attitudes and pluralistic ignorance in employer-employee relationships
Authors: Abraham Martin , Collischon Matthias , Grimm Veronika , Kreuter Frauke , Moser Klaus , Niessen Cornelia , Schnabel Claus , Stephan Gesine , Trappmann Mark , Wolbring Tobias
Published: November 2022

Employment relationships are embedded in a network of social norms that provide an implicit framework for desired behaviour, especially if contractual solutions are weak. The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about major changes that have led to situations, such as the scope of short-time work or home-based work in a firm. Against this backdrop, our study addresses three questions: first, are there social norms dealing with these changes; second, are there differences in attitudes between employees and supervisors (misalignment); and third, are there differences between respondents’ average attitudes and the attitudes expected to exist in the population (pluralistic ignorance). We find that for the assignment of short-time work and of work at home, there are shared normative attitudes with only small differences between supervisors and nonsupervisors. Moreover, there is evidence for pluralistic ignorance; asked for the perceived opinion of others, respondents over- or underestimated the consensus in the (survey) population. Such pluralistic ignorance can contribute to the upholding of a norm even if individuals do not support the norm, with potentially far-reaching consequences for the quality of the employment relationship and the functioning of the organization. Our results show that, especially in times of change, social norms should be considered for the analysis of labour markets.
Periodontal condition and ultrasound-based measures of arterial stiffness: results of the Health 2000 Survey
Authors: Ollikainen Emilia , Tervonen Tellervo , Suominen Anna Liisa , Knuuttila Matti , Jula Antti , Saxlin Tuomas , Ylöstalo Pekka
Published: November 2022

Background

Periodontitis has been associated with inflammatory processes in arterial walls such as impairment in endothelial function and thickening of intima media. As inflammation plays a role also in arterial stiffening, an association between periodontal inflammation and arterial stiffness can be expected. So far, conflicting results of the association between periodontal disease and arterial stiffness have been reported. Many of the earlier studies were conducted in specific populations and heterogeneous measures of both arterial stiffness and periodontal status were used. In this population-based study we aimed to investigate whether periodontal pocketing and gingival bleeding are associated with ultrasound-based measures of arterial stiffness.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, two sets of data based on the national Health 2000 Survey in Finland were formed. Data set I comprised never-smoking 45–64-year-old dentate (≥ 10 natural teeth), non-diabetic, non-rheumatic, non-obese (BMI ≤ 30 kg/m2), non-hypertensive subjects with no coronary artery disease or ongoing lipid-lowering medications (n = 157). Data set II was formed of an unrestricted 45–74-year-old dentate population (n = 536). Four arterial stiffness measures (carotid artery compliance, Peterson’s elastic modulus, Young’s elastic modulus and beta stiffness index) based on an ultrasound examination of the common carotid artery were used. Periodontal parameters included the number of teeth with ≥ 4 mm deep periodontal pockets and the number of sextants with gingival bleeding. β-estimates, confidence intervals, and p-values were obtained from linear regression models.

Results

In Data set I, the adjusted β-estimates for the association between the number of teeth with ≥ 4 mm deep periodontal pockets and Peterson’s elastic modulus and Young’s elastic modulus were 15.80 (p = 0.12) and 61.02 (p = 0.22), respectively. The respective β-estimates were 31.06 (p = 0.17) and 121.16 (p = 0.28) for the association between the number of bleeding sextants and these two stiffness measures. The results in Data set II were in line with the results in Data set I, with the exception that the adjusted β-estimates for the associations between Peterson’s elastic modulus and Young’s elastic modulus and periodontal parameters were closer to null.

Conclusions

This population-based study did not provide evidence of an association between periodontal condition and arterial stiffness.
Bromodomain-containing factor GTE4 regulates Arabidopsis immune response
Authors: Zhou Qin , Sun Yingnan , Zhao Xiwang , Yu Yue , Cheng Weijia , Lu Li , Chu Zhaohui , Chen Xiangsong
Published: November 2022

Background

Plants are continuously challenged with biotic stress from environmental pathogens, and precise regulation of defense responses is critical for plant survival. Defense systems require considerable amounts of energy and resources, impairing plant growth, and plant hormones controlling transcriptional regulation play essential roles in establishing the appropriate balance between defense response to pathogens and growth. Chromatin regulators modulating gene transcription are broadly involved in regulating stress-responsive genes. However, which chromatin factors are involved in coordinating hormone signaling and immune responses in plants, and their functional mechanisms, remains unclear. Here, we identified a role of bromodomain-containing protein GTE4 in negatively regulating defense responses in Arabidopsis thaliana.

Results

GTE4 mainly functions as activator of gene expression upon infection with Pseudomonas syringe. Genome-wide profiling of GTE4 occupancy shows that GTE4 tends to bind to active genes, including ribosome biogenesis related genes and maintains their high expression levels during pathogen infection. However, GTE4 is also able to repress gene expression. GTE4 binds to and represses jasmonate biosynthesis gene OPR3. Disruption of GTE4 results in overaccumulation of jasmonic acid (JA) and enhanced JA-responsive gene expression. Unexpectedly, over-accumulated JA content in gte4 mutant is coupled with downregulation of JA-mediated immune defense genes and upregulation of salicylic acid (SA)-mediated immune defense genes, and enhanced resistance to Pseudomonas, likely through a noncanonical pathway.

Conclusions

Overall, we identified a new role of the chromatin factor GTE4 as negative regulator of plant immune response through inhibition of JA biosynthesis, which in turn noncanonically activates the defense system against Pseudomonas. These findings provide new knowledge of chromatic regulation of plant hormone signaling during defense responses.
IgG response to spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in healthy individuals and potential of intravenous IgG as treatment for COVID-19
Authors: Wang Gang , He Zebao , Wu Fengtian , Ge Zhengming , Zhu Jiansheng , Chen Zhi
Published: November 2022

Background

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the cause of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which is currently a worldwide pandemic. There are limited available treatments for severe COVID-19 patients. However, some evidence suggests that intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) provides clinical benefits for these patients.

Methods

We administered IVIg to 23 severe COVID-19 patients, and all of them survived. Four related coronaviruses can cause the common cold. We speculated that cross-reactivity of SARS-CoV-2 and other common coronaviruses might partially explain the clinical efficacy of IVIg therapy. Thus, we performed multiple alignment analysis of the spike (S), membrane (M), and nucleotide (N) proteins from SARS-CoV-2 and the common coronaviruses to identify conserved regions. Next, we synthesized 25 peptides that were conserved regions and tested their IVIg seropositivity.

Results

The results indicated four peptides had significant or nearly significant seropositivity, and all of them were associated with the S and M proteins. Examination of the immune responses of healthy volunteers to each synthetic peptide indicated high seropositivity to the two peptides from S protein. Blood samples from healthy individuals may have pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgGs, and IVIg is a potentially effective therapy for severe COVID-19.

Conclusion

In conclusion, blood samples from many healthy individuals have pre-existing anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgGs, and IVIg may be an effective therapy for severe COVID-19.
Role of postoperative chemoradiotherapy in head and neck cancer without positive margins or extracapsular extension: a propensity score-matching analysis
Authors: Liu Zhi-Qiao , OuYang Pu-Yun , Zhang Bao-Yu , Chen En-Ni , Xiao Su-Ming , Yang Shan-Shan , Yang Zhong-Yuan , Xie Fang-Yun
Published: November 2022

Background

The aim of this work was to determine whether patients with intermediate-risk head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) can benefit from postoperative chemoradiotherapy (POCRT).

Methods

Patients without extracapsular extension (ECE) or positive margins (PMs) who received POCRT or postoperative radiotherapy (PORT) at our center were retrospectively (December 2009 to October 2018) included for analysis, in particular, using a propensity score-matching method.

Results

After matching, 264 patients were enrolled, including 142 (41.2%) patients with pT3-4, 136 (38.3%) patients with pN2-3, 68 (21.1%) patients with perineural invasion, and 45 (12.8%) patients with lymphatic/vascular space invasion. With a median follow-up of 52 months, 3-year overall survival (OS), locoregional relapse-free survival (LRFS), distant metastasis-free survival (DMFS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates were 72.4%, 79.3%, 83.5% and 62.5%, respectively. pN2-3 was an independent risk factor for OS (p < 0.001), DFS (p < 0.001), LRFS (p < 0.001) and DMFS (p = 0.002), while pT3-4 was a poor prognostic factor for DMFS (p = 0.005). Overall, patients receiving POCRT had no significant differences from those receiving PORT in OS (p = 0.062), DFS (p = 0.288), LRFS (p = 0.076) or DMFS (p = 0.692). But notably, patients with pN2-3 achieved better outcomes from POCRT than PORT in 3-year OS (p = 0.050, 63.9% vs. 47.9%) and LRFS (p = 0.019, 74.6% vs. 54.9%). And patients with pT3-4 also had higher 3-year LRFS (p = 0.014, 88.5% vs. 69.1%) if receiving POCRT.

Conclusions

Among all intermediate-risk pathological features, pN2-3 and pT3-4 were independent unfavorable prognostic factors for patients with HNSCC without PMs or ECE. POCRT can improve the survival outcomes of patients with pN2-3 or pT3-4.
Enhancing biomass and lipid productivity of a green microalga Parachlorella kessleri for biodiesel production using rapid mutation of atmospheric and room temperature plasma
Authors: Elshobary Mostafa E. , Zabed Hossain M. , Qi Xianghui , El-Shenody Rania A.
Published: November 2022

Background

Microalgae, with their high adaptability to various stress conditions and rapid growth, are considered excellent biomass resources for lipid production and biodiesel feedstocks. However, lipid yield and productivity of the natural strains are common bottlenecks in their large-scale use for lipid production, which can be overcome by evolving new strains using conventional and advanced mutagenic techniques. It is challenging to generate microalgae strains capable of high lipid synthesis through natural selection. As a result, random mutagenesis is currently considered a viable option in many scenarios. The objective of this study was to explore atmospheric and room temperature plasma (ARTP) as a random mutagenesis technique to obtain high lipid-accumulating mutants of a green microalga for improved biodiesel production.

Results

A green microalgal species was isolated from the Chinese Yellow Sea and identified asParachlorella kessleri(OM758328). The isolated microalga was subsequently mutated by ARTP to obtain high lipid-accumulating mutants. Based on the growth rate and lipid content, 5 mutants (named M1, M2, M4, M5, and M8) were selected from 15 pre-selected mutants. These five mutants varied in their growth rate from 0.33 to 0.68 day−1, with the lipid content varying between 0.25 g/L in M2 to 0.30 g/L in M8 at 10th day of cultivation. Among the mutants, M8 showed the maximum biomass productivity (0.046 g/L/day) and lipid productivity (20.19 mg/L/day), which were 75% and 44% higher than the wild strain, respectively. The triglyceride (TAG) content of M8 was found to be 0.56 g/L at 16th day of cultivation, which was 1.77-fold higher than that of the wild strain. Furthermore, M8 had the highest saturated fatty acids (C16-18) with the lowermost polyunsaturated fatty acid content, which are favorable properties of a biodiesel feedstock according to international standards.

Conclusion

The mutant strain ofP. kesslerideveloped by the ARTP technique exhibited significant improvements in biomass productivity, lipid content, and biodiesel quality. Therefore, the biomass of this mutant microalga could be a potential feedstock for biodiesel production.
Acute effects of game-based biofeedback training on trunk motion in chronic low back pain: a randomized cross-over pilot trial
Authors: Mueller Juliane , Niederer Daniel , Tenberg Sarah , Oberheim Lukas , Moesner Alina , Mueller Steffen
Published: November 2022

Background

Improving movement control might be a promising treatment goal during chronic non-specific low back pain (CLBP) rehabilitation. The objective of the study is to evaluate the effect of a single bout of game-based real-time feedback intervention on trunk movement in patients with CLBP.

Methods

Thirteen CLBP patients (8female;41 ± 16 years;173 ± 10 cm;78 ± 22 kg) were included in this randomized cross-over pilot trial. During one laboratory session (2 h), participants performed three identical measurements on trunk movement all including: first, maximum angle of lateral flexion was assessed. Secondly, a target trunk lateral flexion (angle: 20°) was performed. Main outcome was maximum angle ([°]; MA). Secondary outcomes were deviation [°] from the target angle (angle reproduction; AR) and MA of the secondary movement planes (rotation; extension/flexion) during lateral flexion. The outcomes were assessed by an optical 3D-motion-capture-system (2-segment-trunk-model). The measurements were separated by 12-min of intervention and/or resting (randomly). The intervention involved a sensor-based trunk exergame (guiding an avatar through virtual worlds). After carryover effect-analysis, pre-to-post intervention data were pooled between the two sequences followed by analyses of variances (paired t-test).

Results

No significant change from pre to post intervention for MA or AR for any segment occurred for the main movement plane, lateral flexion (p > .05). The upper trunk segment showed a significant decrease of the MA for trunk extension/flexion from pre to post intervention ((4.4° ± 4.4° (95% CI 7.06–1.75)/3.5° ± 1.29° (95% CI 6.22–0.80); p = 0.02, d = 0.20).

Conclusions

A single bout of game-based real-time feedback intervention lead to changes in the secondary movement planes indicating reduced evasive motion during trunk movement.

Trial registration No. DRKS00029765 (date of registration 27.07.2022). Retrospectively registered in the German Clinical Trial Register.
Complex trigger wrist associated with carpal tunnel syndrome: a case report
Authors: Lychagin Alexey V. , Bobrov Dmitry S. , Artemov Kirill D. , Rukin Yaroslav A. , Cherepanov Vadim G. , Rudenko Ekaterina E. , Ponomarev Andrey B.
Published: November 2022

Background

There are few reports of trigger wrist in the literature, as it is a rare pathology. Furthermore, various authors report that it is also hard to diagnose. It manifests with neurological symptoms at the affected wrist, which are usually induced by wrist movement, and can lead to partial or full loss of wrist function and sensitivity. The reason for reporting this specific case is that it was hard to differentiate between trigger finger and trigger wrist by clinical symptoms; no pathology was palpable or clearly seen on magnetic resonance imaging scan of the wrist. We propose a new diagnostic statement relative to this pathology.

Case presentation

A case of a 45-year-old white slavic man with trigger wrist associated with carpal tunnel syndrome, caused by a fibroma of the flexor tendon sheath, is reported. Despite careful clinical examination, it was not possible to differentiate between trigger finger and trigger wrist. Magnetic resonance imaging was performed to arrive at the right diagnosis but did not reveal any pathology in the wrist area. Carpal tunnel release was performed with a fibroma identified and excised. Wrist function was maintained well; no signs of carpal tunnel syndrome were seen at last follow-up.

Conclusions

Trigger wrist can be misdiagnosed as trigger finger even if adequate clinical evaluation is performed, and this can lead to inadequate treatment. We state that, when clinical symptoms of both trigger wrist and trigger finger are present, except painful palpation of the A-1 pulley region, the case should be referred to as trigger wrist.
The potential for the double risk of rabies and antimicrobial resistance in a high rabies endemic setting: detection of antibiotic resistance in bacterial isolates from infected dog bite wounds in Uganda
Authors: Kisaka Stevens , Makumbi Fredrick E. , Majalija Samuel , Muwanga Moses , Thumbi S. M.
Published: November 2022

Background

Post-exposure treatment for dog bites in humans aims at alleviating the risk of rabies and promoting wound healing. Wound healing may be complicated by bacteria. This study identified the different bacteria and their antibiotic susceptibilities in infected dog bite wounds (DBWs) in Uganda.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted among 376 dog bite patients. Wound swabs from patients with infected DBWs were collected and inoculated into recommended media. They were cultured for both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria. All isolated bacteria were identified based on colony characteristics, gram stain, and standard biochemical tests. Molecular identification was performed for strains that were resistant to three or more antibiotics. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was conducted using the disc diffusion method following the modified Kirby-Bauer method. The data were analysed using Stata version 15 software.

Results

Approximately half of the patients (52.9%, 199/376) presented with infected wounds. Majority of the swabs (84.4%, 168/199) were culture positive, and yielded a total of 768 isolates where about half (52.9%, 406/768) were gram positive bacteria, and about two-thirds (64.6%, 496/768) were recovered from category II wounds. Among the gram positive bacteria, 339 (83.5%) were aerobes where Staphylococcus aureus (103, 30.4%), Coagulase-negative staphylococci (68, 20.1%), and Corynebacterium spp (33, 9.7%) had the highest prevalence. For the 362 Gram negative isolates, 217 (59.9%) were aerobes and the commonest isolates were P. maltocida (64, 29.5%), Capnocytophaga canimorsus (36, 16.6%) and P. canis (26, 12.0%). Gram-positive isolates were resistant to metronidazole (93.6%), oxacillin (68.5%), ceftriaxone (14.6%) and amoxicillin/clavulanic acid (14.0%). Gram negative isolates were resistant to metronidazole (100%), ampicillin (30.7%), oxacillin (29.3%), and doxycycline (22.9%). Multidrug resistance was in 105 (29.0%) and 121/406 (29.8%) of the gram-negative and gram-positive isolates, respectively. All gram-positive isolates were susceptible to vancomycin and ciprofloxacin.

Conclusions

Infection rates of DBWs in Uganda are high and the dominant bacterial isolates are Staphylococcus aureus, Pasteurella spps, and Capnocytophaga canimorsus. Multidrug resistance to commonly used antibiotics is high. The recommendation in the Uganda Clinical Guidelines to use metronidazole in the management of DBWs should be reviewed. DBWs should be enlisted for routine antimicrobial resistance surveillance and rational use of antimicrobial agents should be promoted.
Primed and cued: long-term acoustic telemetry links interannual and seasonal variations in freshwater flows to the spawning migrations of Common Snook in the Florida Everglades
Authors: Massie Jordan A. , Santos Rolando O. , Rezek Ryan J. , James W. Ryan , Viadero Natasha M. , Boucek Ross E. , Blewett David A. , Trotter Alexis A. , Stevens Philip W. , Rehage Jennifer S.
Published: November 2022

Background

Spawning migrations are a widespread phenomenon among fishes, often occurring in response to environmental conditions prompting movement into reproductive habitats (migratory cues). However, for many species, individual fish may choose not to migrate, and research suggests that conditions preceding the spawning season (migratory primers) may influence this decision. Few studies have provided empirical descriptions of these prior conditions, partly due to a lack of long-term data allowing for robust multi-year comparisons. To investigate how primers and cues interact to shape the spawning migrations of coastal fishes, we use acoustic telemetry data from Common Snook (Centropomus undecimalis) in Everglades National Park, Florida, USA. A contingent of Snook migrate between rivers and coastal spawning sites, varying annually in both the proportion of the population that migrates and the timing of migration within the spawning season. However, the specific environmental factors that serve as migratory primers and cues remain unknown.

Methods

We used eight years of acoustic telemetry data (2012–2019) from 173 tagged Common Snook to investigate how primers and cues influence migratory patterns at different temporal scales. We hypothesize that (1) interannual differences in hydrologic conditions preceding the spawning season contribute to the number of individuals migrating each year, and (2) specific environmental cues trigger the timing of migrations during the spawning season. We used GLMMs to model both the annual and seasonal migratory response in relation to flow characteristics (water level, rate of change in water level), other hydrologic/abiotic conditions (temperature, salinity), fish size, and phenological cues independent of riverine conditions (photoperiod, lunar cycle).

Results

We found that the extent of minimum marsh water level prior to migration and fish size influence the proportion of Snook migrating each year, and that high river water level and daily rates of change serve as primary cues triggering migration timing.

Conclusion

Our findings illustrate how spawning migrations are shaped by environmental factors acting at different temporal scales and emphasize the importance of long-term movement data in understanding these patterns. Research providing mechanistic descriptions of conditions that promote migration and reproduction can help inform management decisions aimed at conserving ecologically and economically important species.