bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microbial Community Dynamics of Soybean (Glycine max) Is Affected by Cropping Sequence
Authors: Bolaji Ayooluwa J. , Wan Joey C. , Manchur Christopher L. , Lawley Yvonne , de Kievit Teresa R. , Fernando W. G. Dilantha , Belmonte Mark F.
Published: February 2021

The microbial composition of the rhizosphere soil could be an important determinant of crop yield, pathogen resistance, and other beneficial attributes in plants. However, little is known about the impact of cropping sequences on microbial community dynamics, especially in economically important species like soybean. Using 2-year crop sequences of corn-soybean, canola-soybean, and soybean-soybean, we investigated how crops from the previous growing season influenced the structure of the microbiome in both the bulk soil and soybean rhizosphere. A combination of marker-based Illumina sequencing and bioinformatics analyses was used to show that bacterial species richness and evenness in the soybean rhizosphere soil were similar following canola and soybean compared to a previous corn sequence. However, fungal species richness and evenness remained unaffected by crop sequence. In addition, bacterial and fungal species diversity in both the bulk and soybean rhizosphere soil were not influenced by crop sequence. Lastly, the corn-soybean sequence significantly differed in the relative abundance of certain bacterial and fungal classes in both the soybean rhizosphere and bulk soil. While canola-soybean and a continuous soybean sequence did not, suggesting that a preceding corn sequence may reduce the occurrence of overall bacterial and fungal community members. For the present study, crop sequence impacts bacterial diversity and richness in both the bulk soil and soybean rhizosphere soil whereas fungal diversity and richness are resilient to crop sequence practices. Together, these findings could help drive decision making for annual crop and soil management practices.
Suppression of Calcineurin Enhances the Toxicity of Cry1Ac to Helicoverpa armigera
Authors: Wei Jizhen , Yao Xue , Yang Shuo , Liu Shaokai , Zhou Shuai , Cen Junjuan , Liu Xiaoguang , Du Mengfang , Tang Qingbo , An Shiheng
Published: February 2021

Insect resistance toBacillus thuringiensis(Bt) insecticidal proteins has rapidly evolved with the expansion of the planting area of transgenic Bt crops. Pyramiding RNA interference (RNAi) and Bt in crops is urgently needed to counter the rapid increase in pest resistance. The ideal “pyramid” strategy simultaneously targets different action pathways that exert synergetic effects on each other. Here, we identified a dephosphatase, namely,Helicoverpa armigeracalcineurin (HaCAN), which might enhance the insecticidal activity of Cry1Ac againstHelicoverpa armigeraby regulating immune gene expression via dephosphatase activity, but not by acting as a receptor. Notably, blocking enzyme activity or knocking down endogenous HaCAN significantly promoted the enhancement in Cry1Ac toxicity to insect larvae and cells. Correspondingly, the increase in HaCAN activity reduced the cytotoxicity of Cry1Ac as shown by the heterologous expression of HaCAN. Our results provide a probable that HaCAN is an important candidate gene for pyramiding RNAi and Cry1Ac crops to control cotton bollworm.
Mild Motor Signs Matter in Typical Brain Aging: The Value of the UPDRS Score Within a Functionally Intact Cohort of Older Adults
Authors: Zitser Jennifer , Casaletto Kaitlin B. , Staffaroni Adam M. , Sexton Claire , Weiner-Light Sophia , Wolf Amy , Brown Jesse A. , Miller Bruce L. , Kramer Joel H.
Published: February 2021

Objectives: To characterize the clinical correlates of subclinical Parkinsonian signs, including longitudinal cognitive and neural (via functional connectivity) outcomes, among functionally normal older adults.

Methods: Participants included 737 functionally intact community-dwelling older adults who performed prospective comprehensive evaluations at ~15-months intervals for an average of 4.8 years (standard deviation 3.2 years). As part of these evaluations, participants completed the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) longitudinally and measures of processing speed, executive functioning and verbal episodic memory. T1-weighted structural scans and task-free functional MRI scans were acquired on 330 participants. We conducted linear mixed-effects models to determine the relationship between changes in UPDRS with cognitive and neural changes, using age, sex, and education as covariates.

Results: Cognitive outcomes were processing speed, executive functioning, and episodic memory. Greater within-person increases in UPDRS were associated with more cognitive slowing over time. Although higher average UPDRS scores were significantly associated with overall poorer executive functions, there was no association between UPDRS and executive functioning longitudinally. UPDRS scores did not significantly relate to longitudinal memory performances. Regarding neural correlates, greater increases in UPDRS scores were associated with reduced intra-subcortical network connectivity over time. There were no relationships with intra-frontoparietal or inter-subcortical-frontoparietal connectivity.

Conclusions: Our findings add to the aging literature by indicating that mild motor changes are negatively associated with cognition and network connectivity in functionally intact adults.
Place vs. Response Learning: History, Controversy, and Neurobiology
Authors: Goodman Jarid
Published: February 2021

The present article provides a historical review of the place and response learning plus-maze tasks with a focus on the behavioral and neurobiological findings. The article begins by reviewing the conflict between Edward C. Tolman’s cognitive view and Clark L. Hull’s stimulus-response (S-R) view of learning and how the place and response learning plus-maze tasks were designed to resolve this debate. Cognitive learning theorists predicted that place learning would be acquired faster than response learning, indicating the dominance of cognitive learning, whereas S-R learning theorists predicted that response learning would be acquired faster, indicating the dominance of S-R learning. Here, the evidence is reviewed demonstrating that either place or response learning may be dominant in a given learning situation and that the relative dominance of place and response learning depends on various parametric factors (i.e., amount of training, visual aspects of the learning environment, emotional arousal, et cetera). Next, the neurobiology underlying place and response learning is reviewed, providing strong evidence for the existence of multiple memory systems in the mammalian brain. Research has indicated that place learning is principally mediated by the hippocampus, whereas response learning is mediated by the dorsolateral striatum. Other brain regions implicated in place and response learning are also discussed in this section, including the dorsomedial striatum, amygdala, and medial prefrontal cortex. An exhaustive review of the neurotransmitter systems underlying place and response learning is subsequently provided, indicating important roles for glutamate, dopamine, acetylcholine, cannabinoids, and estrogen. Closing remarks are made emphasizing the historical importance of the place and response learning tasks in resolving problems in learning theory, as well as for examining the behavioral and neurobiological mechanisms of multiple memory systems. How the place and response learning tasks may be employed in the future for examining extinction, neural circuits of memory, and human psychopathology is also briefly considered.
Cannabinoids in Audiogenic Seizures: From Neuronal Networks to Future Perspectives for Epilepsy Treatment
Authors: Lazarini-Lopes Willian , Do Val-da Silva Raquel A. , da Silva-Júnior Rui M. P. , Cunha Alexandra O. S. , Garcia-Cairasco Norberto
Published: February 2021

Cannabinoids andCannabis-derived compounds have been receiving especial attention in the epilepsy research scenario. Pharmacological modulation of endocannabinoid system's components, like cannabinoid type 1 receptors (CB1R) and their bindings, are associated with seizures in preclinical models. CB1R expression and functionality were altered in humans and preclinical models of seizures. Additionally,Cannabis-derived compounds, like cannabidiol (CBD), present anticonvulsant activity in humans and in a great variety of animal models. Audiogenic seizures (AS) are induced in genetically susceptible animals by high-intensity sound stimulation. Audiogenic strains, like the Genetically Epilepsy Prone Rats, Wistar Audiogenic Rats, and Krushinsky-Molodkina, are useful tools to study epilepsy. In audiogenic susceptible animals, acute acoustic stimulation induces brainstem-dependent wild running and tonic-clonic seizures. However, during the chronic protocol of AS, the audiogenic kindling (AuK), limbic and cortical structures are recruited, and the initially brainstem-dependent seizures give rise to limbic seizures. The present study reviewed the effects of pharmacological modulation of the endocannabinoid system in audiogenic seizure susceptibility and expression. The effects ofCannabis-derived compounds in audiogenic seizures were also reviewed, with especial attention to CBD. CB1R activation, as wellCannabis-derived compounds, induced anticonvulsant effects against audiogenic seizures, but the effects of cannabinoids modulation andCannabis-derived compounds still need to be verified in chronic audiogenic seizures. The effects of cannabinoids andCannabis-derived compounds should be further investigated not only in audiogenic seizures, but also in epilepsy related comorbidities present in audiogenic strains, like anxiety, and depression.
Guillain-Barré Syndrome in Suriname; Clinical Presentation and Identification of Preceding Infections
Authors: Langerak Thomas , van Rooij Irene , Doornekamp Laura , Chandler Felicity , Baptista Mark , Yang Harvey , Koopmans Marion P. G. , GeurtsvanKessel Corine H. , Jacobs Bart C. , Rockx Barry , Adriani Kirsten , van Gorp Eric C. M.
Published: February 2021

Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) is associated with various types of preceding infections including Campylobacter jejuni and cytomegalovirus, but there is also an association with arthropod borne viruses (arboviruses), such as Zika virus, that are endemic in tropical regions. Here we present the clinical characteristics of 12 GBS patients from Suriname that were hospitalized between the beginning of 2016 and half 2018. Extensive diagnostic testing was performed for pathogens that are commonly associated with GBS, but also for arboviruses, in order to identify the preceding infection that might have led to GBS. With this extensive testing algorithm, we could identify a recent infection in six patients of which four of them had evidence of a recent Zika virus or dengue virus infection. These results suggest that arboviruses, specifically Zika virus but possibly also dengue virus, might be important causative agents of GBS in Suriname. Furthermore, we found that more accessibility of intravenous immunoglobulins or plasma exchange could improve the treatment of GBS in Suriname.
Executive Functions in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Comorbidity Overlaps Between Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder and Specific Learning Disorders
Authors: Crisci Giulia , Caviola Sara , Cardillo Ramona , Mammarella Irene C.
Published: February 2021

The present study examines the comorbidity between specific learning disorders (SLD) and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by comparing the neuropsychological profiles of children with and without this comorbidity. Ninety-seven schoolchildren from 8 to 14 years old were tested: a clinical sample of 49 children with ADHD (n = 18), SLD (n = 18) or SLD in comorbidity with ADHD (n = 13), and 48 typically-developing (TD) children matched for age and intelligence. Participants were administered tasks and questionnaires to confirm their initial diagnosis, and a battery of executive function (EF) tasks testing inhibition, shifting, and verbal and visuospatial updating. Using one-way ANOVAs, our results showed that all children in the clinical samples exhibited impairments on EF measures (inhibition and shifting tasks) when compared with TD children. A more specific pattern only emerged for the updating tasks. Only children with SLD had significant impairment in verbal updating, whereas children with ADHD, and those with SLD in comorbidity with ADHD, had the worst performance in visuospatial updating. The clinical and educational implications of these findings are discussed.
Prediction of Transmembrane Regions, Cholesterol, and Ganglioside Binding Sites in Amyloid-Forming Proteins Indicate Potential for Amyloid Pore Formation
Authors: Venko Katja , Novič Marjana , Stoka Veronika , Žerovnik Eva
Published: February 2021

Besides amyloid fibrils, amyloid pores (APs) represent another mechanism of amyloid induced toxicity. Since hypothesis put forward by Arispe and collegues in 1993 that amyloid-beta makes ion-conducting channels and that Alzheimer's disease may be due to the toxic effect of these channels, many studies have confirmed that APs are formed by prefibrillar oligomers of amyloidogenic proteins and are a common source of cytotoxicity. The mechanism of pore formation is still not well-understood and the structure and imaging of APs in living cells remains an open issue. To get closer to understand AP formation we used predictive methods to assess the propensity of a set of 30 amyloid-forming proteins (AFPs) to form transmembrane channels. A range of amino-acid sequence tools were applied to predict AP domains of AFPs, and provided context on future experiments that are needed in order to contribute toward a deeper understanding of amyloid toxicity. In a set of 30 AFPs we predicted their amyloidogenic propensity, presence of transmembrane (TM) regions, and cholesterol (CBM) and ganglioside binding motifs (GBM), to which the oligomers likely bind. Noteworthy, all pathological AFPs share the presence of TM, CBM, and GBM regions, whereas the functional amyloids seem to show just one of these regions. For comparative purposes, we also analyzed a few examples of amyloid proteins that behave as biologically non-relevant AFPs. Based on the known experimental data on the β-amyloid and α-synuclein pore formation, we suggest that many AFPs have the potential for pore formation. Oligomerization and α-TM helix to β-TM strands transition on lipid rafts seem to be the common key events.
Autophagy as a Vital Therapy Target for Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: He Ying-hua , Tian Guo
Published: February 2021

Autophagy is a process that degrades and recycles superfluous organelles or damaged cellular contents. It has been found to have dual functions in renal cell carcinoma (RCC). Many autophagy-related proteins are regarded as prognostic markers of RCC. Researchers have attempted to explore synthetic and phytochemical drugs for RCC therapy that target autophagy. In this review, we highlight the importance of autophagy in RCC and potential treatments related to autophagy.
Orde ab Chao Method for Disruptive Innovations Creation (With COVID-19 Pandemic Case Application)
Authors: Likar Borut , Trcek Denis
Published: February 2021

This paper introduces a novel method for the creation of ideas for disruptive innovations. It provides an application of innovation management techniques to specifics of disruptive technologies, which stand behind the Industry 4.0 (and Society 4.0) changes that are taking place at present. Centered around the Ordo ab Chao technique, the paper presents how contemporary disruptive technologies can attain reflections in the complex creative process that has to lead to disruptive ideas and innovations. Quite some innovative thinking techniques already exist. However, they fail to place emphasis on creation of ideas that are tied to emerging disruptive technologies so as to further deploy them in a focused, yet innovative manner. Hence, this paper presents an effective technique that facilitates creation of disruptive ideas with a focused potential for real-life implementations. Practical application of the method related to challenges in higher education processes amid the COVID-19 pandemic is also demonstrated. Based on the understanding of existing disruptive technologies, the technique is used for the adaptation and improvements of distance-learning processes to further add value for students and our society in general. In brief, the Ordo ab Chao technique is a promising tool for systematic development of disruptive solutions, representing a creative synergy between cutting-edge technologies and innovation management approaches.
Creating a Compassionate World: Addressing the Conflicts Between Sharing and Caring Versus Controlling and Holding Evolved Strategies
Authors: Gilbert Paul
Published: February 2021

For thousands of years, various spiritual traditions and social activists have appealed to humans to adopt compassionate ways of living to address the suffering of life. Yet, along with our potential for compassion and self-sacrifice, the last few thousand years of wars, slavery, tortures, and holocausts have shown humans can be extraordinarily selfish, callous, vicious, and cruel. While there has been considerable engagement with these issues, particularly in the area of moral psychology and ethics, this paper explores an evolutionary analysis relating to evolved resource-regulation strategies that can be called “care and share” versus “control and hold.” Control and hold are typical of primates that operate through intimidatory social hierarchies. Care and share are less common in non-human primates, but evolved radically in humans during our hunter-gatherer stage when our ancestors lived in relatively interdependent, small, mobile groups. In these groups, individualistic, self-focus, and self-promoting control and hold strategies (trying to secure and accumulate more than others) were shunned and shamed. These caring and sharing hunter-gatherer lifestyles also created the social contexts for the evolution of new forms of childcare and complex human competencies for language, reasoning, planning, empathy, and self-awareness. As a result of our new ‘intelligence’, our ancestors developed agriculture that reduced mobility, increased group size, resource availability and storage, and resource competition. These re-introduced competing for, rather than sharing of, resources and advantaged those who now pursue (often aggressively) control and hold strategies. Many of our most typical forms of oppressive and anti-compassionate behavior are the result of these strategies. Rather than (just) thinking aboutindividualscompeting with one another, we can also consider these different resource regulation strategies ascompeting within populationsshaping psychophysiological patterns; both wealth and poverty change the brain. One of the challenges to creating a more compassionate society is to find ways to create the social and economic conditions that regulate control and hold strategies and promote care and share. No easy task.
Family Embeddedness and Medical Students’ Interest for Entrepreneurship as an Alternative Career Choice: Evidence From China
Authors: Zhao W. G. Will , Liu Xiaotong , Zhang Hui
Published: February 2021

Joining the ongoing academic debates around medical students’ alternative career choices, this research examines the role of family in medical school attendees’ entrepreneurial intention (EI). Specifically, this study decomposes the multidimensionality of family embeddedness and highlights the mediated nature of the family–EI relationship. The empirical analysis relied on data from graduation year medical students from diverse geographical locations and from different institution types in China. These data were collected from a total of 687 questionnaires covering the basic information of individual, parents, and family composition, as well as the measuring scale of EI. Examining medical students’ EI and its antecedents provide a dual-missing-link in the extant knowledge, i.e., it adds the medical school piece to the overall picture of university students’ EI, and equally important, it de-trivializes entrepreneurship from the extant theorizations of medical students’ career choices. This study also bears implications for educators, practitioners, and policymakers interested in better understanding EI of medical school attendees and family embeddedness.
The Art of Happiness: An Explorative Study of a Contemplative Program for Subjective Well-Being
Authors: Rastelli Clara , Calabrese Lucia , Miller Constance , Raffone Antonino , De Pisapia Nicola
Published: February 2021

In recent decades, psychological research on the effects of mindfulness-based interventions has greatly developed and demonstrated a range of beneficial outcomes in a variety of populations and contexts. Yet, the question of how to foster subjective well-being and happiness remains open. Here, we assessed the effectiveness of an integrated mental training program The Art of Happiness on psychological well-being in a general population. The mental training program was designed to help practitioners develop new ways to nurture their own happiness. This was achieved by seven modules aimed at cultivating positive cognition strategies and behaviors using both formal (i.e., lectures, meditations) and informal practices (i.e., open discussions). The program was conducted over a period of 9 months, also comprising two retreats, one in the middle and one at the end of the course. By using a set of established psychometric tools, we assessed the effects of such a mental training program on several psychological well-being dimensions, taking into account both the longitudinal effects of the course and the short-term effects arising from the intensive retreat experiences. The results showed that several psychological well-being measures gradually increased within participants from the beginning to the end of the course. This was especially true for life satisfaction, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, highlighting both short-term and longitudinal effects of the program. In conclusion, these findings suggest the potential of the mental training program, such as The Art of Happiness, for psychological well-being.
The Transformation of Higher Education After the COVID Disruption: Emerging Challenges in an Online Learning Scenario
Authors: García-Morales Víctor J. , Garrido-Moreno Aurora , Martín-Rojas Rodrigo
Published: February 2021

Crisis requires society to renew itself, albeit in a disruptive way. The current Covid-19 pandemic is transforming ways of working, living, and relating to each other on a global level, suddenly and dramatically. This paper focuses on the field of education to show how higher education institutions are undergoing radical transformations driven by the need to digitalize education and training processes in record time with academics who lack innate technological capabilities for online teaching. The university system must strive to overcome this situation to be competitive and provide high-quality education in a scenario of digital transformation, disruptive technological innovations, and accelerated change. To achieve these goals, this paper explains some barriers and challenges that universities encounter, as well as technological resources and methodologies they have used in the current scenario to transform higher education to face Covid-19 disruption. The discussion and conclusion synthesize significant insights that can be applied to the digitalization of education in the foreseeable future.
Design of the Arizona CoVHORT: A Population-Based COVID-19 Cohort
Authors: Catalfamo Collin J. , Heslin Kelly M. , Shilen Alexandra , Khan Sana M. , Hunsaker Josh R. , Austhof Erika , Barraza Leila , Cordova-Marks Felina M. , Farland Leslie V. , Garcia-Filion Pamela , Hoskinson Joshua , Jehn Megan , Kohler Lindsay N. , Lutrick Karen , Harris Robin B. , Chen Zhao , Klimentidis Yann C. , Bell Melanie L. , Ernst Kacey C. , Jacobs Elizabeth T. , Pogreba-Brown Kristen
Published: February 2021

This study is a prospective, population-based cohort of individuals with a history of SARS-CoV-2 infection and those without past infection through multiple recruitment sources. The main study goal is to track health status over time, within the diverse populations of Arizona and to identify the long-term consequences of COVID-19 on health and well-being. A total of 2,881 study participants (16.2% with a confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection) have been enrolled as of December 22, 2020, with a target enrollment of 10,000 participants and a planned follow-up of at least 2 years. This manuscript describes a scalable study design that utilizes a wide range of recruitment sources, leveraging electronic data collection to capture and link longitudinal participant data on the current and emerging issues associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The cohort is built within a collaborative infrastructure that includes new and established partnerships with multiple stakeholders, including the state's public universities, local health departments, tribes, and tribal organizations. Challenges remain for ensuring recruitment of diverse participants and participant retention, although the electronic data management system and timing of participant contact can help to mitigate these problems.
Transcriptomic Analysis of High- and Low-Virulence Bovine Pasteurella multocida in vitro and in vivo
Authors: He Fang , Zhao Zongling , Wu Xiaoyan , Duan Lijie , Li Nengzhang , Fang Rendong , Li Pan , Peng Yuanyi
Published: February 2021

Pasteurella multocida is a gram-negative opportunistic pathogen that causes various diseases in poultry, livestock, and humans, resulting in huge economic losses. Pasteurella multocida serotype A CQ6 (PmCQ6) is a naturally occurring attenuated strain, while P. multocida serotype A strain CQ2 (PmCQ2) is a highly virulent strain isolated from calves. Compared with PmCQ2, it was found that bacterial loads and tissue lesions of lung tissue significantly decreased and survival rates significantly improved in mice infected with PmCQ6 by intranasal infection. However, comparative genome analysis showed that the similarity between the two strains is more than 99%. To further explore the virulence difference mechanism of PmCQ2 and PmCQ6, transcriptome sequencing analysis of the two strains was performed. The RNA sequencing analysis of PmCQ2 and PmCQ6 showed a large number of virulence-related differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in vivo and in vitro. Among them, 38 virulence-related DGEs were significantly up-regulated due to PmCQ6 infection, while the number of PmCQ2 infection was 46, much more than PmCQ6. In addition, 18 virulence-related DEGs (capsule, iron utilization, lipopolysaccharide, and outer membrane protein-related genes) were up-regulated in PmCQ2 infection compared to PmCQ6 infection, exhibiting a higher intensive expression level in vivo. Our findings indicate that these virulence-related DEGs (especially capsule) might be responsible for the virulence of PmCQ2 and PmCQ6, providing prospective candidates for further studies on pathogenesis.
An Evaluation of Antibiotic Prescribing Practices in a Rural Refugee Settlement District in Uganda
Authors: Bonniface Matua , Nambatya Winnie , Rajab Kalidi
Published: February 2021

Ensuring access to effective antibiotics and rational prescribing of antibiotics are critical in reducing antibiotic resistance. In this study, we evaluated antibiotic prescribing practices in a rural district in Uganda. It was a cross-sectional study that involved a retrospective review of 500 outpatient prescriptions from five health facilities. The prescriptions were systematically sampled. World Health Organization core medicine use prescribing and facility indicators were used. Percentage of encounters with one or more antibiotics prescribed was 23% (10,402/45,160). The mean number of antibiotics per prescription was 1.3 (669/500). About 27% (133/500) of the diagnoses and 42% (155/367) of the prescriptions were noncompliant with the national treatment guidelines. Prescribing antibiotics for nonbacterial infections such as malaria 32% (50/156) and noninfectious conditions such as dysmenorrhea and lumbago 15% (23/156) and nonspecific diagnosis such as respiratory tract infection 40% (59/133) were considered noncompliant with the guidelines. On average, 68% (51/75) of the antibiotics were available on the day of the visit. Inappropriate prescribing practices included excessive use of antibiotics and failure to diagnose and prescribe in compliance with treatment guidelines. There is a need to strengthen antibiotic use in the health facilities through setting up stewardship programs and interventions to promote adherence to national treatment guidelines.
Bioinformatic Approaches to Validation and Functional Analysis of 3D Lung Cancer Models
Authors: Li P. Jonathan , Roose Jeroen P. , Jablons David M. , Kratz Johannes R.
Published: February 2021

3D models of cancer have the potential to improve basic, translational, and clinical studies. Patient-derived xenografts, spheroids, and organoids are broad categories of 3D models of cancer, and to date, these 3D models of cancer have been established for a variety of cancer types. In lung cancer, for example, 3D models offer a promising new avenue to gain novel insights into lung tumor biology and improve outcomes for patients afflicted with the number one cancer killer worldwide. However, the adoption and utility of these 3D models of cancer vary, and demonstrating the fidelity of these models is a critical first step before seeking meaningful applications. Here, we review use cases of current 3D lung cancer models and bioinformatic approaches to assessing model fidelity. Bioinformatics approaches play a key role in both validating 3D lung cancer models and high dimensional functional analyses to support downstream applications.
Effect of Cesium and Phosphate Addition to Mo/V/W Mixed Oxide Catalysts for the Gas Phase Oxidation of Methacrolein to Methacrylic Acid
Authors: Sennerich Maximilian , Weidler Peter G. , Heißler Stefan , Kraushaar-Czarnetzki Bettina
Published: February 2021

The present study investigates modified Mo/V/W mixed oxides as a possible alternative for state of the art heteropoly acid catalysts (HPA) in the partial oxidation of methacrolein (MAC) to methacrylic acid (MAA). Even though HPAs show an excellent activity and MAA selectivity, their long-term stability is unsatisfying, rendering the catalyst inoperable after runtimes of roughly 6 months. Mo/V/W mixed oxides consisting of M1 and a hexagonal (Mo,V,W)Ox-phase (h-phase) in varying proportions were modified by impregnation with aqueous solutions containing cesium and phosphate ions. All samples were characterized with respect to specific surface area, crystallinity, elemental and phase composition. The catalytic performance in the oxidation of MAC to MAA was investigated using a continuously operated reaction unit with tubular fixed bed reactor. Impregnation with cesium and phosphate ions and subsequent heating triggers the transformation of the mixed oxide into a Keggin-type HPA, whereby the h-phase is more reactive than M1. The transformation into HPA is accompanied by a change in the catalytic properties, i.e., the selectivity to MAA is considerably improved. Compared to HPA synthesized directly, however, the HPA samples obtained by transformation of mixed oxides exhibit no advantages, be it with respect to activity, MAA selectivity or stability.
Quality of Life and Its Correlates in People Serving Prison Sentences in Penitentiary Institutions
Authors: Skowroński Bartłomiej , Talik Elżbieta
Published: February 2021

Background: The aim of the study was to analyze the determinants of prison inmates’ quality of life (QoL). Methods: 390 men imprisoned in penitentiary institutions were assessed. Data were collected by means of the Sense of Quality of Life Questionnaire (SQLQ), general self-efficacy scale (GSES), resilience assessment scale (RAS-25), social support scale (SSS), intensity of religious attitude scale (IRA), SPI/TPI, and COPE Inventory, measures that have high validity and reliability. All models were specified in a path analysis using Mplus version 8.2. Results: The positive correlates of QoL are: self-efficacy, social support, intensity of religious attitude, trait and state depression, resilience, and the following coping strategies, which are at the same time mediators between the variables mentioned above and QoL: behavioral disengagement, turning to religion, planning, and seeking social support for instrumental reasons. Conclusions: In penitentiary practice, attention should be devoted to depressive individuals, and support should be provided to them in the first place because depressiveness is the strongest negative correlate of important aspects of prisoners’ QoL. All the remaining significant factors, namely: self-efficacy, social support, intensity of religious attitude, and the following coping strategies: turning to religion, planning, and seeking social support for instrumental reasons, should be taken into account in rehabilitation programs.
Estimating Heart Rate and Respiratory Rate from a Single Lead Electrocardiogram Using Ensemble Empirical Mode Decomposition and Spectral Data Fusion
Authors: Chung Iau-Quen , Yu Jen-Te , Hu Wei-Chi
Published: February 2021

Cardiopulmonary monitoring is important and useful for diagnosing and managing multiple conditions, such as stress and sleep disorders. Wearable ambulatory systems can provide continuous, comfortable, and inexpensive means for monitoring; it always has been a research subject in recent years. Being simple and cost-effective, electrocardiogram-based commercial products can be found in the market that provides cardiac diagnostic information for assessment, including heart rate measurement and atrial fibrillation identification. Based on a data-driven and self-adaptive approach, this study aims to estimate heart rate and respiratory rate simultaneously from one lead electrocardiogram signal. In contrast to ensemble empirical mode decomposition with principle component analysis, performed in the time domain, our method uses spectral data fusion, together with intrinsic mode functions using ensemble empirical mode decomposition obtains a more accurate heart rate and respiratory rate. Equipped with a rule-based selection of defined frequency levels for respiratory rate (RR) estimation, the proposed method obtains (0.92, 1.32) beat per minute for the heart rate and (2.20, 2.92) breath per minute for the respiratory rate as their mean absolute error and root mean square error, respectively outperforming other existing methods.
Recent Advances in Understanding Mechanisms of Plant Tolerance and Response to Aluminum Toxicity
Authors: Wei Yunmin , Han Rongrong , Xie Yonghong , Jiang Caode , Yu Yongxiong
Published: February 2021

Aluminum (Al) toxicity is a major environmental stress that inhibits plant growth and development. There has been impressive progress in recent years that has greatly increased our understanding of the nature of Al toxicity and its mechanisms of tolerance. This review describes the transcription factors (TFs) and plant hormones involved in the adaptation to Al stress. In particular, it discusses strategies to confer plant resistance to Al stress, such as transgenic breeding, as well as small molecules and plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPRs) to alleviate Al toxicity. This paper provides a theoretical basis for the enhancement of plant production in acidic soils.
Does Revitalizing the Center of Mid-Sized French Cities Reduce GHG Emissions from Commuting?
Authors: Poulhès Alexis , Brachet Angèle
Published: February 2021

Mid-sized cities are usually considered in the literature to be shrinking cities. Some policies promote right-sizing and others promote revitalization. The relationship between land-use planning and mobility having been established, the present research issue is focused on whether a policy of revitalizing the centers of mid-sized cities is favorable to low-carbon mobility. Our study investigates commuting trips through two indicators: commuting trip distance and car modal share. The increase in total population, the increase in the number of jobs per resident, the decrease in the unemployment rate, the increase in the rate of executives, the increase in the rate of working people in the population and the decrease in the residential vacancy rate all come from the censuses of 2006 and 2016. Statistical models based on individuals in 113 mid-sized cities, in which sociodemographic variables are introduced, show that at the level of agglomerations, no indicator has a simultaneously positive effect in the center and in the urban periphery. No indicator is entirely positive or negative on GHG emissions from commuting trips. While the increase in GHG emissions from commuting trips between 2006 and 2016 is significant in mid-sized cities (18%), a shift toward shrinking city centers is insufficient to change this trajectory.
FINITE ELEMENT CALCULATION OF THE RIVET JOINT OBTAINED BY NITROGEN COOLING OF THE RIVET
Authors: LEONTYEV V.V.
Published: February 2021

A method for creating a rivet connection using nitrogen cooling of rivets is considered. A rivet, cooled to a temperature of -196 C, is placed in a cylindrical hole in the plates at room temperature. When heated to room temperature, the rivet undergoes a thermal all-round expansion and creates a tight fit. The finite element method solves the contact termal-stress problem for such a connection in the COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS and APM Winmachine software complexes. The problem is solved in a three-dimensional statement. The first stage is the temperature distribution in the rivet-plate system. The resulting temperature field is used as a parameter at the second stage when solving the stress problem. The fields of residual stresses in the plate and rivet are obtained. It is shown that plastic deformations occur in a small part of one of the connected plates. Recommendations for calculating the strength of such compounds are given.
AUTOMATIC DEVICE FOR CARDIAC-PULMONARY REANIMATION ON THE BASIS OF LINEAR PNEUMATIC DRIVE
Authors: PASHKOV E.V. , POLIVTSEV V.P. , POLIVTSEV V.V.
Published: February 2021

The results of the analysis of the designs and functional capabilities of a number of devices for cardiopulmonary resuscitation by well-known manufacturers of medical equipment are presented, the basic schemes of force action on the chest are considered, the disadvantages that narrow the functionality and reliability of the devices are identified. A description is given of the design and principle of operation of an original automatic device for cardiopulmonary resuscitation based on a linear pneumatic drive with a tape chest bandage and with varying parameters of force exposure, depending on the size of the chest.
LINEAR RECONSTRUCTION OF THE CONTROLLED OBJECT POSITION
Authors: NEMENKO A.V. , NIKITIN M.M.
Published: February 2021

We consider the method of non-contact measurement of the displacements of a controlled structure using its scanning by radiation of the optical range with fixing the point of reception of reflected radiation. We show that when coordinating the position of the receiving and transmitting blocks, a high sensitivity of the method is achieved. For the practical application of the method, the installation of a receiving and transmitting unit and a mirror technological site at a controlled facility is required.
Development of Professionally-Oriented Reading Skills of Future Veterinarians
Authors: Pikulytska Liudmyla
Published: February 2021

The article deals with the development of future veterinarians’ professionally-oriented reading skills during foreign language learning.The article's aim is to highlight and analyze the main directions of the development of professionally-oriented foreign reading skills of future veterinarians as one of the effective methods of mastering foreign language competence. The objectives of the article are to study and characterize the theoretical foundations of professionally-oriented reading training; to define principles and criteria for the selection of professionally-oriented texts for future veterinarians; to introduce and substantiate the stage-by-stage work with the text of professional veterinary orientation.General theoretical research methods (analysis, synthesis, system-structural) have been used to reach the research purpose.The results are the following. The teacher’s work on developing reading skills is not only to teach the students to read but also to encourage them to use learned material in their future professional activities. Properly selected training material on professionally-oriented reading takes a leading role in the successful training of future veterinarians. The problem of the selection of training material for the formation of professional competence in reading was solved by taking into account the criteria of authenticity, informativeness, and accessibility of texts. In the process of selecting materials for training professionally-oriented reading at the faculty of veterinary medicine, it is appropriate to rely on the principles of professional orientation; scientificity; sustainability; unity of theory and practice.As an outcome of the research, we have concluded that the development of professionally-oriented reading skills helps to solve a number of tasks: it gives the motivation to learn a foreign language, allows students to deepen their knowledge of scientific authentic material, develops abilities to use foreign sources in future professional activities, improves skills of professional communication.
Avances en tecnología arqueométrica para el estudio de cerámicas arqueológicas del ámbito circumpuneño
Authors: Acevedo Verónica , Staropoli Laura , Riera Soto Camila , Soto Daiana , Herrera Valeria , Rossi Leonardo
Published: February 2021

En los últimos años, la aplicación de los estudios arqueométricos se ha incrementado notablemente. Por un lado, porque se ha logrado expandir un campo interdisciplinario que ha permitido la capacitación de los profesionales. Por el otro, porque se han logrado desarrollar espacios de trabajo con acceso al uso de diferentes técnicas analíticas, así como el diálogo e intercambio en el análisis de los resultados entre especialistas. En cuanto al estudio de materiales cerámicos arqueológicos, los avances en el desarrollo de las técnicas y la tecnología vinculada al trabajo arqueométrico ha facilitado la revisión de resultados y datos que fueran obtenidos oportunamente durante las investigaciones, con el fin de continuar explorando problemáticas arqueológicas y resolver cuestiones pendientes relacionadas con procesos de producción y circulación de materiales cerámicos, prácticas sociales de intercambio, interacción e integración y sus rituales asociados, entre otros. Este trabajo tiene como objetivo mostrar la aplicación de nuevas tecnologías y metodologías adaptadas a materiales cerámicos para evaluar su potencial afín al alcance de la información obtenida y revisar e incorporar nuevos datos vinculados con el estudio de la procedencia de materias primas, caracterización de pastas y técnicas de manufactura usadas por los alfareros andinos. Para ello, se presentan dos casos de estudio de cerámicas arqueológicas de la Quebrada de Humahuaca, provincia de Jujuy (Argentina), a partir de análisis realizados con petrografía-QEMSCAN, Raman-IFT-IR, microscopio UV-IR y microestratrigrafías de pigmentos. Los resultados obtenidos han ofrecido información adicional y específica para interpretar las interacciones dentro y fuera del espacio de la Quebrada de Humahuaca en diferentes momentos cronológicos del pasado prehispánico, dando cuenta del uso del espacio circumpuneño por las comunidades que lo habitaron
Outlier Vietnam and the Problem of Embeddedness: Contributions to the Political Economy of Learning
Authors: London Jonathan
Published: February 2021

Recent literature on the political economy of education highlights the role of political settlements, political commitments, and features of public governance in shaping education systems’ development and performance around learning. Vietnam’s experiences provide fertile ground for the critique and further development of this literature including, especially, its efforts to understand how features of accountability relations shape education systems’ performance across time and place. Globally, Vietnam is a contemporary outlier in education, having achieved rapid gains in enrolment and strong learning outcomes at relatively low levels of income. This paper proposes that beyond such felicitous conditions as economic growth and social historical and cultural elements that valorize education, Vietnam’s distinctive combination of Leninist political commitments to education and high levels of societal engagement in the education system often works to enhance accountability within the system in ways that contribute to the system’s coherence around learning; reflecting the sense and reality that Vietnam is a country in which education is a first national priority. Importantly, these alleged elements exist alongside other features that significantly undermine the system’s coherence and performance around learning. These include, among others, the system’s incoherent patterns of decentralization, the commercialization and commodification of schooling and learning, and corresponding patterns of systemic inequality. Taken together, these features of education in Vietnam underscore how the coherence of accountability relations that shape learning outcomes are contingent on the manner in which national and local systems are embedded within their broader social environments while also raising intriguing ideas for efforts to understand the conditions under which education systems’ performance with respect to learning can be promoted, supported, and sustained.
PENGARUH INFLASI TERHADAP PERTUMBUHAN EKONOMI DI INDONESIA
Authors: Simanungkalit Erika Feronika Br
Published: February 2021

This study aims to determine the effect of inflation on economic growth in Indonesia since 1983-2014.The analysis used in this research is descriptive analysis and econometric analysis. Econometricanalysis in this study uses simple linear regression with the Ordinary Least Squre (OLS) method.The results showed that the independent variable influencing the dependent variable was proven fromthe probability value (F-statistic) smaller than α = 5%. T Test results show that the Inflation variableinfluences Economic Growth with a probability value smaller than α = 5%. The results of thecoefficient of determination test indicate that the dependent variable can be explained by theindependent variable by 74.7588% and the remaining 25.2412% is explained by other variablesoutside the model.

Keywords : Economic Growth, Inflation & Ordinary Least Squre (OLS)
discriminación por color de la piel en el debate educativo actual: ¿antropología frente a educación?
Authors: Martínez O’Farrill Luisa
Published: February 2021

El tema de las discriminaciones sociales por color de piel, sexo, religiones o estereotipos sobre los géneros, bien podría parecernos aspectos superados dentro del contexto de la Sociedad Cubana actual. Sin embargo, la supervivencia de este flagelo de la discriminación acompaña el desarrollo de nuestra sociedad en el presente, alimentando en algunas personas la toma de decisiones con respecto a individuos con los cuales entran en contacto bajo determinadas condiciones laborales, de estudio, relaciones interpersonales y de pareja. El objetivo 57, aprobado en la Primera Conferencia Nacional del Partido en Cuba, celebrada en enero del pasado (2011), habla de enfrentar los prejuicios y conductas discriminatorias por color de piel, género, creencias religiosas, orientación sexual, origen territorial y otros que son contrarios a la Constitución y las leyes, atentan contra la unidad nacional y limitan el ejercicio de los derechos de las personas. La Universidad ante el llamado del país, tiene una alta responsabilidad en la lucha por la superación de estas mentalidades que son rezagos del pasado. Pero sobre todo alejadas del ideal humanista tradicional de la Sociedad Cubana, a cuya conquista dedicaron sus vidas los mejores hijos, en toda la trayectoria temporal de nuestra historia y cultura.