bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enumerative combinatorics, representations and quasisymmetric functions
Authors: Μουστάκας Βασίλειος-Διονύσιος
Published: February 2022

Η παρούσα διατριβή αποτελείται ουσιαστικά από δυο μέρη με κύριο πρωταγωνιστή τις χρωματισμένες quasi-συμμετρικές συναρτήσεις. Το 1984 ο Gessel εισήγαγε τις quasi-συμμετρικές συναρτήσεις, μια γενίκευση των συμμετρικών συναρτήσεων. Έπειτα, το 1993, μαζί με τον Reutenauer μελέτησαν εκτιμήσεις διάφορων quasi-συμμετρικών συναρτήσεων που σχετίζονται με υποσύνολα της συμμετρικής ομάδας, τα οποία έχουν ενδιαφέρουσες ιδιότητες, όπως για παράδειγμα, συμμετρία και Schur-θτεικότητα. To 1998 ο Poirier εισήγαγε τις χρωματισμένες quasi-συμμετρικές συναρτήσεις, ένα χρωματισμένο ανάλογο των quasi-συμμετρικών συναρτήσεων του Gessel. Στο πρώτο μέρος, αναπτύσσουμε μια γενική θεωρία εκτιμήσεων χρωματισμένων quasi-συμμετρικών συναρτήσεων στο πνεύμα των Gessel και Reutenauer. Αυτό μας επιτρέπει να αποδείξουμε συστηματικά γενικευμένες ταυτότητες Euler-Mahonian πάνω από χρωματισμένες ομάδες μεταθέσεων καθώς και πάνω από ενδιαφέροντα υποσύνολα αυτών, όπως το σύνολο των χρωματισμένων μεταθέσεων χωρίς σταθερά σημεία μηδενικού χρώματος (colored derangements) και το σύνολο των χρωματισμένων μεταθέσεων που ισούνται με τον συζυγή αντίστροφό τους (absolute involutions). Το 2017 οι Elizalde και Roichman απέδειξαν ότι η quasi-συμμετρική γεννήτρια συνάρτηση ενός υποσυνόλου της συμμετρικής ομάδας, του οποίου η quasi-συμμετρική γεννήτρια συνάρτηση ισούται με την χαρακτηριστική Frobenius κάποιου χαρακτήρα χ της συμμετρικής ομάδας, και μιας αντίστροφης κλάσης καθόδων ισούται με τη χαρακτηριστική Frobenius του τανυστικού γινομένου του χ και του χαρακτήρα της αντίστοιχης αναπαράστασης καθόδων της συμμετρικής ομάδας. Στο δεύτερο μέρος αποδεικνύουμε ένα χρωματισμένο ανάλογο του θεωρήματος των Elizalde και Roichman. Πιο συγκεκριμένα, εισάγουμε την έννοια της χρωματισμένης λωρίδας και αποδεικνύουμε ότι η χαρακτηριστική Frobenius της αναπαράστασης καθόδων της χρωματισμένης ομάδας μεταθέσεων ισούται με την χρωματισμένη quasi-συμμετρική γεννήτρια συνάρτηση του συνόλου των ταμπλώ που το σχήμα τους είναι χρωματισμένη λωρίδα. Αυτό αποτελεί χρωματισμένο ανάλογο της προσέγγισης του Gessel στις αναπραστάσεις καθόδων της συμμετρικής ομάδας, ο οποίος χρησιμοποιεί λωρίδες (ή αλλιώς σχήματα zig-zag). Επιπλέον, στηριζόμενοι στη θεωρία χρωματισμένων P-διαμερίσεων των Hsiao και Petersen και την μέθοδο που αναπτύξαμε στο πρώτο μέρος,διατυπώνουμε και αποδεινύουμε ένα χρωματισμένο ανάλογο του θεωρήματος ανακατέματος του Stanley.
Bayes factor benefits for clinical psychology: review of child and adolescent evidence base
Authors: Bertelsen Thomas B. , Hoffart Asle , Rekdal Sondre Sverd , Zahl-Olsen Rune
Published: February 2022

Background: Statistical methods are a cornerstone of research in clinical psychology and are used in clinical trials and reviews to determine the best available evidence. The most widespread statistical framework, frequentist statistics, is often misunderstood and misused. Even when properly applied, this framework can lead to erroneous conclusions and unnecessarily prolonged trials. The implications for clinical psychology are difficulties in interpreting best available evidence and unnecessarily costly and burdensome research. An alternative framework, Bayesian statistics, is proposed as a solution to several issues with current practice. Methods: Statistical tests of primary outcome measures were extracted from 272 studies, which were cited in 11 recent reviews in the Evidence-based updates series in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. The extracted tests were examined regarding relevant features and re-analyzed using Bayes Factors. Results: When statistical tests were significant, the majority (98%) of re-analyzed tests agreed with such claims. When statistical tests were nonsignificant almost half (43%) of re-analyzed tests disagreed with such claims. Equally important for clinical research, an average of 13% fewer participants per study would have been required if the studies had used Bayes Factors. Conclusions: Bayes Factors offer benefits for research in clinical psychology through intuitive interpretations, and less costly trials.
Ecología política de la urbanización: convergencias y divergencias desde América Latina
Authors: Mancilla Marcelo , Scarpacci Martin
Published: February 2022

La ecología política y los estudios urbanos son campos de saberes heterogéneos y dinámicos, difíciles de delimitar tanto por su amplitud como por su complejidad, pero también por sus pliegues, vacíos y yuxtaposiciones. Por ello, es necesario contribuir a la construcción de un mapa intelectual que permita situar los aportes de la ecología política de la urbanización desde América Latina. En este sentido, desarrollamos una investigación bibliográfica para identificar y comprender las convergencias y divergencias teóricas y político-ideológicas entre estos campos todavía emergentes. Para esto, realizamos un análisis de contenido que relaciona 30 artículos de revistas científicas. Los resultados muestran convergencias en la integración teórica del fe­nómeno de la urbanización a los marcos transdisciplinares y holísticos de la ecología política, y divergencias en la radicalidad de la crítica al sistema capitalista, las influencias intelectuales de organismos multilaterales y la mayor o menor tendencia a reproducir la fragmentación del fenómeno urbano. Concluimos con una propuesta de agenda general de investigación.
Aspectos a serem considerados na promoção de atividade física por profissionais de saúde
Authors: Gonçalves Letícia , Silva Andressa Ferreira da , Zanlorenci Suellem , Silva Diego Augusto Santos
Published: February 2022

No Brasil, as práticas corporais e atividade física (PCAF) obtiveram avanços com a implementação de políticas, ações e programas que contribuíram substancialmente com a saúde pública. Entretanto, recentes retrocessos, em que a instabilidade política, escassez e cortes de gastos públicos predominam, evidenciam o quando as PCAF ainda precisam avançar e serem consolidadas no Sistema Único de Saúde. Assim, o objetivo desse ensaio é demonstrar os aspectos que devem ser considerados para a promoção das PCAF na Atenção Primária à Saúde, trazendo reflexões quanto a sua complexidade e multifatoriedade. Essa reflexão é direcionada aos profissionais de saúde, sobretudo aos profissionais de Educação Física. Em conclusão, foram ressaltados aspectos essenciais, que vão desde a luta pela defesa e avanço de políticas públicas que incentivem o fomento e consolidação das PCAF até a apropriação de teorias que ajudem a compreender a dimensão do comportamento humano.
Deep Learning of Spatiotemporal Patterns for Urban Mobility Prediction Using Big Data
Authors: Wang Yun , Currim Faiz , Ram Sudha
Published: February 2022

Timely and accurate prediction of human movement in urban areas offers instructive insights into transportation management, public safety, and location-based services, to name a few. Yet, modeling urban mobility is challenging and complex because of the spatiotemporal dynamics of movement behavior and the influence of exogenous factors such as weather, holidays, and local events. In this paper, we use bus transportation as a proxy to mine spatiotemporal travel patterns. We propose a deep-learning-based urban mobility prediction model that collectively forecasts passenger flows between pairs of city regions in an origin-destination (OD) matrix. We first process OD matrices in a convolutional neural network to capture spatial correlations. Intermediate results are reconstructed into three multivariate time series: hourly, daily, and weekly time series. Each time series is aggregated in a long short-term memory (LSTM) network with a novel attention mechanism to guide the aggregation. In addition, our model is context-aware by using contextual embeddings learned from exogenous factors. We dynamically merge results from LSTM components and context embeddings in a late fusion network to make a final prediction. The proposed model is implemented and evaluated using a large-scale transportation data set of more than 200 million bus trips with a suite of Big Data technologies developed for data processing. Through performance comparison, we show that our approach achieves sizable accuracy improvements in urban mobility prediction. Our work has major implications for efficient transportation system design and performance improvement. The proposed deep neural network structure is generally applicable for sequential graph data prediction.
Proprietary Costs and Corporate Lobbying Against Changes in Mandatory Disclosure
Authors: Zhou Ying
Published: February 2022

The mandated increase in segment disaggregation under SFAS 131 could have harmed shareholders by revealing proprietary information or benefited them by reducing agency problems. Using a sample of firms that lobbied against SFAS 131 on the grounds of competitive harm, I examine whether concerns about proprietary costs, a much-cited reason for nondisclosure, motivate firms to lobby against reporting mandates to protect firms’ competitive position or are used as an excuse to disguise managers’ self-interest. Consistent with the proprietary cost hypothesis, I find that these lobbying firms experienced a decrease in operating performance upon adoption of SFAS 131. I find similar results for nonlobbying firms whose industry associations voiced concern of competitive harm, suggesting that associations are motivated by member concerns to lobby in accounting standard setting. The effect is more pronounced for firms that were forced to increase the number of reportable segments to a greater extent. Moreover, the reduced operating performance arises from lower sales growth and smaller profit margins. These findings shed light on lobbying motives and suggest that concerns about the competitive harm of reporting mandates were warranted.

This paper was accepted by Suraj Srinivasan, accounting.

Funding: Financial support from University of Connecticut and University of Florida is highly appreciated.

Supplemental Material: Data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2021.4290 .
Last Mile Innovation: The Case of the Locker Alliance Network
Authors: Lyu Guodong , Teo Chung-Piaw
Published: February 2022

Problem definition: The Singapore government has recently proposed the concept of “Locker Alliance” (LA), an interoperable network of public lockers in residential areas and hot spots in community, to improve the efficiency of last mile parcel delivery operations. This is to complement the existing infrastructure, composed mainly of proprietary lockers and collection points in commercial areas set up by large delivery companies. How do we determine the density and coverage of the LA network to promote adoption of locker pickup in Singapore? What will be the impact on the delivery profile in the central business district, far from the residential areas? Academic/practical relevance: We discuss the operational challenges associated with the problem of public locker installation in a city, following a new smart nation initiative in Singapore. We used data analytics to address the following questions: What are the chances that a customer will choose to pick up the parcel from a locker, over home or office deliveries, based on walking distance (to lockers) and a variety of other features? Without knowing the transit routes of the customers, how do we design the LA network to ensure that the lockers will be well utilized? Methodology: We use a set of locker usage data from a commercial courier company to calibrate a locker choice model to determine the impact of walking distance on locker pickup intentions. We use the current (observed) parcel delivery profile to develop a facility location model for the LA network. We use this model to extrapolate and approximate the true adoption and new delivery profiles when the LA network is built. Results: Contrary to conventional wisdom, our model does not always place lockers near areas with peak parcel volume (in preexisting data) because the LA lockers provide another option for customers to pick up from lockers near residential areas. Furthermore, the model suggests that a coverage of 250 meters is appropriate for the LA network in Singapore. Managerial implications: Commercial parcel locker installation has traditionally focused on hot spots in the transit routes of the citizens in the city. The LA network is the first attempt in Singapore to allow public lockers in residential areas. This paper develops an analytical method to determine network density and coverage based on a locker choice model and argues how useful insights can be gleaned from the model, despite not having the full transit route information of all citizens in the city.
The Road Not Taken: Technological Uncertainty and the Evaluation of Innovations
Authors: Tan David
Published: February 2022

When venturing into unfamiliar areas of technology, inventors face ex ante technological uncertainty, that is many possible alternative technological paths going forward and limited guidance from existing technological knowledge for predicting the likelihood that a given path will successfully result in an invention. I theorize, however, that this ex ante technological uncertainty becomes less apparent when evaluating inventions in hindsight. When one knows that a given technological path turned out to be successful ex post, it may be difficult to appreciate the ex ante plausibility of reasons to prefer alternative paths. As a result, inventions may seem more obvious to those evaluating inventions with the benefit of hindsight. My theory yields a counterintuitive implication; when inventors venture into less familiar areas of technology, there is a greater risk of evaluators overestimating obviousness due to hindsight bias. Empirical evidence comes from novel data on accepted and rejected patent applications, including hand-collected data from the text of applicant objections to obviousness rejections and examiners’ subsequent reversals of rejections in response to applicant objections.
Verdicts on the Reception Baseline Assessment
Authors: O'Connell Suzanne
Published: February 2022

We have been anticipating the introduction of the Reception Baseline Assessment for years. With full implementation finally coming last term, has it lived up to expectations? Suzanne O'Connell speaks to schools and reflects on the choppy past and uncertain future of the controversial test
How to handle negative reviews of the practice
Authors: Nicholas Bobby
Published: February 2022

Online review and comparison sites, alongside increasing use of social media, has provided patients with many platforms to comment on the care or treatment they have received at the practice. How best to handle negative comments or reviews?
Building STEM Inquiry-Based Teaching Proposal Through Collaborations Between Schools and Research Centres: Students’ and Teachers’ Perceptions
Authors: Lupión-Cobos Teresa , Girón-Gambero Jesús , García-Ruiz Cristina
Published: February 2022

This study presents an inquiry-based teaching approach using a rich methodology involving STEM (science-technology-engineering and mathematics) projects, developed using a cooperative way to work between schools and research centres. We describe the teaching pattern scenario with students, teachers, and scientists. We also illustrate the learning process, conducted through two inquiry-based problems in Biochemistry, the mutagenesis process and the transgenesis effects caused by inoculation of bacteria. The teaching sequence, as well as the scientific knowledge and students’ competencies involved, are shown. We then analyse the students' and teachers' perceptions in this scenario regarding the development of students' STEM learning through their inquiry skills promoted and concerning predictors to vocational careers involved (students’ identities as potential scientists, scientific attitudes, social implications towards science or students´ agency). Finally, we add some conclusions and contributions to teaching STEM education, related to factors of the design teaching scenario that bring connections with the interests and motivations of students, such as the relevance of the projects to evoke understanding of processes or causal relationships of content or the teacher's professionalisation supported by a proper allocation between scientists and teachers.
Generation of octapartite entanglement by connecting two symmetric cascaded four-wave mixing processes with one linear beam splitter: publisher’s note
Authors: Yu Sheng , Liu Huanzhang , Jing Jietai
Published: February 2022

This publisher’s note corrects the spelling of the third author’s name
in J. Opt. Soc. Am.
B 39, 619
(2022).JOBPDE0740-322410.1364/JOSAB.440363
Bias-free estimation of information content in temporally sparse neuronal activity
Authors: Sheintuch Liron , Rubin Alon , Ziv Yaniv
Published: February 2022

Applying information theoretic measures to neuronal activity data enables the quantification of neuronal encoding quality. However, when the sample size is limited, a naïve estimation of the information content typically contains a systematic overestimation (upward bias), which may lead to misinterpretation of coding characteristics. This bias is exacerbated in Ca2+ imaging because of the temporal sparsity of elevated Ca2+ signals. Here, we introduce methods to correct for the bias in the naïve estimation of information content from limited sample sizes and temporally sparse neuronal activity. We demonstrate the higher accuracy of our methods over previous ones, when applied to Ca2+ imaging data recorded from the mouse hippocampus and primary visual cortex, as well as to simulated data with matching tuning properties and firing statistics. Our bias-correction methods allowed an accurate estimation of the information place cells carry about the animal’s position (spatial information) and uncovered the spatial resolution of hippocampal coding. Furthermore, using our methods, we found that cells with higher peak firing rates carry higher spatial information per spike and exposed differences between distinct hippocampal subfields in the long-term evolution of the spatial code. These results could be masked by the bias when applying the commonly used naïve calculation of information content. Thus, a bias-free estimation of information content can uncover otherwise overlooked properties of the neural code.
Prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites among school children in africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hajissa Khalid , Islam Md Asiful , Sanyang Abdoulie M. , Mohamed Zeehaida
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Parasitic infections, especially intestinal protozoan parasites (IPPs) remain a significant public health issue in Africa, where many conditions favour the transmission and children are the primary victims. This systematic review and meta-analysis was carried out with the objective of assessing the prevalence of IPPs among school children in Africa.

Methods

Relevant studies published between January 2000 and December 2020 were identified by systematic online search on PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Scopus databases without language restriction. Pooled prevalence was estimated using a random-effects model. Heterogeneity of studies were assessed using Cochrane Q test and I2 test, while publication bias was evaluated using Egger’s test.

Results

Of the 1,645 articles identified through our searches, 46 cross-sectional studies matched our inclusion criteria, reported data from 29,968 school children of Africa. The pooled prevalence of intestinal protozoan parasites amongst African school children was 25.8% (95% CI: 21.2%-30.3%) with E. histolytica/ dispar (13.3%; 95% CI: 10.9%-15.9%) and Giardia spp. (12%; 95% CI: 9.8%-14.3%) were the most predominant pathogenic parasites amongst the study participants. While E. coli was the most common non-pathogenic protozoa (17.1%; 95% CI: 10.9%-23.2%).

Conclusions

This study revealed a relatively high prevalence of IPPs in school children, especially in northern and western Africa. Thus, poverty reduction, improvement of sanitation and hygiene and attention to preventive control measures will be the key to reducing protozoan parasite transmission.
Limited reciprocal surrogacy of bird and habitat diversity and inconsistencies in their representation in Romanian protected areas
Authors: Geue Julia C. , Rotter Paula J. , Gross Caspar , Benkő Zoltán , Kovács István , Fântână Ciprian , Veres-Szászka Judit , Domșa Cristi , Baltag Emanuel , Daróczi Szilárd J. , Bóné Gábor M. , Popescu Viorel D. , Thomassen Henri A.
Published: February 2022

Because it is impossible to comprehensively characterize biodiversity at all levels of organization, conservation prioritization efforts need to rely on surrogates. As species distribution maps of relished groups as well as high-resolution remotely sensed data increasingly become available, both types of surrogates are commonly used. A good surrogate should represent as much of biodiversity as possible, but it often remains unclear to what extent this is the case. Here, we aimed to address this question by assessing how well bird species and habitat diversity represent one another. We conducted our study in Romania, a species-rich country with high landscape heterogeneity where bird species distribution data have only recently started to become available. First, we prioritized areas for conservation based on either 137 breeding bird species or 36 habitat classes, and then evaluated their reciprocal surrogacy performance. Second, we examined how well these features are represented in already existing protected areas. Finally, we identified target regions of high conservation value for the potential expansion of the current network of reserves (as planned under the new EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030). We found a limited reciprocal surrogacy performance, with bird species performing slightly better as a conservation surrogate for habitat diversity than vice versa. We could also show that areas with a high conservation value based on habitat diversity were represented better in already existing protected areas than areas based on bird species, which varied considerably between species. Our results highlight that taxonomic and environmental (i.e., habitat types) data may perform rather poorly as reciprocal surrogates, and multiple sources of data are required for a full evaluation of protected areas expansion.
An improved chronology for the Middle Stone Age at El Mnasra cave, Morocco
Authors: Ben Arous Eslem , Philippe Anne , Shao Qingfeng , Richter Daniel , Lenoble Arnaud , Mercier Norbert , Richard Maïlys , Stoetzel Emmanuelle , Tombret Olivier , El Hajraoui Mohamed Abdeljalil , Nespoulet Roland , Falguères Christophe
Published: February 2022

North African coastal Middle Stone Age (MSA) sites are key to study the development and expansion of early H. sapiens. El Mnasra cave on the Atlantic coast of Morocco (Témara region) is a crucial site associated with MSA archaeological materials considered advanced cognitive hallmarks of behavioural innovation, such as numerous Nassariidae perforated shells, hematite pigments, bones industry and coastal resources exploitation. We provide new trapped-charges dates (OSL and combined US-ESR ages). Our Bayesian modelling strengthens the new lithostratigraphic interpretation of the cave stratigraphic units (US) and we propose an updated chronostratigraphic model for the Middle Stone Age archaeo-sequence of El Mnasra Cave. We confirm a human presence between 124–104 ka, earlier than what the previous OSL and US-ESR data showed. Our time range intervals allowed us to also extend the age of the MSA occupations considerably to the MIS 4/3 (~62–30 ka), marked by the disappearance of the Nassariidae perforated shells. Outstandingly, our model pushed back the age of the largest record of Nassariidae perforated shells and placed the age of their use by the Aterian groups at El Mnasra from the MIS 5d-5b (~115–94 ka).
Cost-utility analysis of community occupational therapy in dementia (COTiD-UK) versus usual care: Results from VALID, a multi-site randomised controlled trial in the UK
Authors: Pizzo Elena , Wenborn Jennifer , Burgess Jane , Mundy Jacqueline , Orrell Martin , King Michael , Omar Rumana , Morris Stephen
Published: February 2022

Background

A community-based occupational therapy intervention for people with mild to moderate dementia and their family carers: the Community Occupational Therapy in Dementia–UK version (COTiD-UK); and Treatment as usual (TAU) were randomly assigned to 468 pairs (each comprising a person with dementia and a family carer) in the Valuing Active Life in Dementia (VALID) randomised controlled trial (RCT).

Objectives

To compare the cost-utility of the COTiD-UK intervention compared to TAU, using data from the VALID RCT.

Methods

We performed a cost-utility analysis estimating mean costs and quality adjusted life years (QALYs) per person with dementia and carer for both treatments over a 26 weeks’ time horizon based on resource use data and utility values collected in the trial.

Results

Taking the National Health Service and Personal Social Services perspective, including costs and benefits to the person with dementia only, measuring Health Related Quality of Life based on Dementia Quality of Life scale (DEMQOL), accounting for missing data and adjusting for baseline values, there was a significant difference in costs between COTiD-UK and TAU (mean incremental cost for COTiD-UK £784 (95% CI £233 to £1334)), but no significant difference in outcomes (mean QALYs gained 0.00664 (95% CI -0.00404, 0.01732)). The Incremental Net Monetary Benefit (INMB) for COTiD-UK versus TAU was negative at a maximum willingness to pay for a QALY of £20000 (mean -£651, 95% CI -£878 to -£424) or £30000 (mean -£585, 95% CI -£824 to -£345). Extensive sensitivity analyses confirmed the results.

Conclusions

This community-based occupational therapy intervention has a very low probability of being cost-effective.
Examining emotional functioning in misophonia: The role of affective instability and difficulties with emotion regulation
Authors: Guetta Rachel E. , Cassiello-Robbins Clair , Trumbull Jacqueline , Anand Deepika , Rosenthal M. Zachary
Published: February 2022

Misophonia is a newly described condition characterized by sensory and emotional reactivity (e.g., anxiety, anger, disgust) to repetitive, pattern-based sounds (e.g., throat clearing, chewing, slurping). Individuals with misophonia report significant functional impairment and interpersonal distress. Growing research indicates ineffective coping and emotional functioning broadly (e.g., affective lability, difficulties with emotion regulation) are central to the clinical presentation and severity of misophonia. Preliminary evidence suggests an association between negative emotionality and deficits in emotion regulation in misophonia. Still, little is known about (a) the relationships among specific components of emotional functioning (e.g., emotion regulation, affective lability) with misophonia, and (b) which component(s) of misophonia (e.g., noise frequency, emotional and behavioral responses, impairment) are associated with emotional functioning. Further, despite evidence that mood and anxiety disorders co-occur with misophonia, investigation thus far has not controlled for depression and anxiety symptoms. Examination of these relationships will help inform treatment development for misophonia. The present study begins to disambiguate the relationships among affective lability, difficulties with emotion regulation, and components of misophonia. A sample of 297 participants completed questionnaires assessing misophonia, emotional functioning, depression, anxiety, and COVID-19 impact. Findings indicated that misophonia severity was positively associated with each of these constructs with small to medium effect sizes. When controlling for depression, anxiety, and COVID-19 impact, results from this preliminary study suggest that (a) difficulties with emotion regulation may be correlated with misophonia severity, and (b) misophonic responses, not number of triggers or perceived severity, are associated with difficulties with emotion regulation. Overall, these findings begin to suggest that emotion regulation is important to our understanding the risk factors and treatment targets for misophonia.
Oral administration of bovine lactoferrin suppresses the progression of rheumatoid arthritis in an SKG mouse model
Authors: Yanagisawa Shunryou , Nagasaki Karin , Chea Chanbora , Ando Toshinori , Ayuningtyas Nurina Febriyanti , Inubushi Toshihiro , Ishikado Atsushi , Imanaka Hiromichi , Sugiyama Eiji , Takahashi Ichiro , Miyauchi Mutsumi , Takata Takashi
Published: February 2022

Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune disease characterized by inflammatory bone destruction in which tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) plays a key role. Bovine lactoferrin (bLF) is a multifunctional protein with anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory properties. This study aimed to clarify the inhibitory effects of bLF on the pathological progression of RA. The mannan-induced arthritis model in SKG mice (genetic RA model) was used. Orally applied liposomal bLF (LbLF) markedly reduced ankle joint swelling and bone destruction. Histologically, pannus formation and osteoclastic bone destruction were prevented in the LbLF-treated animals. Moreover, orally administered LbLF improved the balance between Th17 cells and regulatory T cells isolated from the spleen of mannan-treated SKG mice. In an in vitro study, the anti-inflammatory effects of bLF on TNF-α-induced TNF-α production and downstream signaling pathways were analyzed in human synovial fibroblasts from RA patients (RASFs). bLF suppressed TNF-α production from RASFs by inhibiting the nuclear factor kappa B and mitogen-activated protein kinase pathways. The intracellular accumulation of bLF in RASFs increased in an applied bLF dose-dependent manner. Knockdown of the lipoprotein receptor-related protein-1 (LRP1) siRNA gene reduced bLF expression in RASFs, indicating that exogenously applied bLF was mainly internalized through LRP-1. Immunoprecipitated proteins with anti-TNF receptor-associated factor 2 (TRAF2; an adapter protein/ubiquitin ligase) included bLF, indicating that bLF binds directly to the TRAF2-TRADD-RIP complex. This indicates that LbLF may effectively prevent the pathological progression of RA by suppressing TNF-α production by binding to the TRAF2-TRADD-RIP complex from the RASFs in the pannus. Therefore, supplemental administration of LbLF may have a beneficial effect on preventive/therapeutic reagents for RA.
Transcriptome analysis of gibberellins and abscisic acid during the flooding response in Fokienia hodginsii
Authors: Su Shunde , Zhu Tengfei , Su Jun , Li Jian , Zhao Qing , Kang Xiangyang , Zheng Renhua
Published: February 2022

Flooding is one of the main abiotic stresses suffered by plants. Plants respond to flooding stress through regulating their morphological structure, endogenous hormone biosynthesis, and genetic signaling transduction. We previously found thatFokienia hodginsiivarieties originating from Gutian exhibited typical flooding tolerance traits compared to three other provenances (Yongzhou, Sanming, Nanping), expressed as increased height, longer diameter at breast height (DBH), and smaller branch angle. Herein, the changes in endogenous gibberellins (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) contents were measured under flooding stress inF.hodginsii, and ABA was found to decrease, whereas GA increased with time. Furthermore, the GA and ABA contents of the varieties originating from Gutian and the three other provenances were measured, and the results indicated thatF.hodginsiifrom Gutian could respond more rapidly to flooding stress. The transcriptomes of the varieties originating from Gutian and the other three provenances were compared using RNA sequencing to explore the underlying genetic mechanisms of the flood-resistant phenotypes inF.hodginsii. The results indicated that two flood-stress response genes (TRINITY_DN142_c0_g2 and TRINITY_DN7657_c0_g1) were highly related to both the ABA and GA response inF.hodginsii.
Psychiatric comorbidities among patients with complex drug-resistant tuberculosis in Mumbai, India
Authors: Laxmeshwar Chinmay , Das Mrinalini , Mathur Taanya , Israni Tarun , Jha Santosh , Iyer Aparna , Morales Mabel , Decroo Tom , Gils Tinne , Ferlazzo Gabriella , Iakovidi Kleio , Garcia Mariana , Isaakidis Petros
Published: February 2022

Background

People with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB) are known to suffer from many mental-health disorders. This study aims to describe the proportion of patients diagnosed with psychiatric comorbidities, the different psychiatric diagnoses made, and treatment outcomes among DR-TB patients with or without psychiatric comorbidity and initiated on DR-TB treatment between January 2012 and March 2019 at Médecins Sans Frontières independent clinic in Mumbai, India.

Methods

This is a retrospective study using routinely collected clinical data. DR-TB care included individualised treatment, psychosocial support, and integrated psychiatric care.

Results

During the study period, 341 DR-TB patients were enrolled, with a median age of 25 years (IQR:20.0–36.5 years), 185 (54.2%) females, 143 (41.9%) with PreXDR-TB, and 140 (41.0%) with XDR-TB. All 341 patients were screened by a counsellor, 119 (34.9%) were referred for psychiatric evaluation, and 102 (29.9% of 341) were diagnosed with a psychiatric comorbidity. Among 102 diagnosed with a psychiatric comorbidity, 48 (47.0%) were diagnosed at baseline, and 86 (84.3%), or 25.2% of all 341 patients enrolled, were treated with psychotropic drugs. Depressive disorders were diagnosed in 49 (48.0%), mixed anxiety and depression in 24 (23.5%), neurocognitive disorders and anxiety in five (4.9%), and medication induced psychosis in two (2.0%). No anti-TB drugs were significantly associated with psychiatric comorbidities developed during treatment. Of 102 DR-TB patients with a psychiatric comorbidity, 75.5% (77) had successful DR-TB treatment outcomes, compared to 61.1% (146/239) not diagnosed with a psychiatric comorbidity (p = 0.014).

Conclusion

In our setting, among people started on DR-TB treatment, and with a complex TB resistance profile, about one in three patients experienced a psychiatric comorbidity, of which half developed this comorbidity during treatment. With comprehensive psychiatric care integrated into DR-TB care delivery, treatment outcomes were at least as good among those with psychiatric comorbidities compared to those without such comorbidities.
Procollagen C-Proteinase Enhancer-1 (PCPE-1) deficiency in mice reduces liver fibrosis but not NASH progression
Authors: Sansilvestri Morel Patricia , Duvivier Valerie , Bertin Florence , Provost Nicolas , Hammoutene Adel , Hubert Edwige-Ludiwyne , Gonzalez Arantxa , Tupinon-Mathieu Isabelle , Paradis Valerie , Delerive Philippe
Published: February 2022

Background and aims

Nonalcoholic Steatohepatitis (NASH) is a major cause of end-stage liver diseases such as cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma resulting ultimately in increased liver-related mortality. Fibrosis is the main driver of mortality in NASH. Procollagen C-Proteinase Enhancer-1 (PCPE-1) plays a key role in procollagen maturation and collagen fibril formation. To assess its role in liver fibrosis and NASH progression, knock-out mice were evaluated in a dietary NASH model.

Methods

Global constitutivePcolce-/-and WT male mice were fed with a Choline Deficient Amino acid defined High Fat Diet (CDA HFD) for 8 weeks. Liver triglycerides, steatosis, inflammation and fibrosis were assessed at histological, biochemical and gene expression levels. In addition, human liver samples from control and NASH patients were used to evaluate the expression of PCPE-1 at both mRNA and protein levels.

Results

Pcolcegene deficiency prevented diet-induced liver enlargement but not liver dysfunction. Furthermore, liver triglycerides, steatosis and inflammation were not modified inPcolce-/-male mice compared to WT under CDA HFD. However, a significant decrease in liver fibrosis was observed inPcolce-/-mice compared to WT under NASH diet, associated with a decrease in total and insoluble collagen content without any significant modifications in the expression of genes involved in fibrosis and extracellular matrix remodeling. Finally, PCPE-1 protein expression was increased in cirrhotic liver samples from both NASH and Hepatitis C patients.

Conclusions

Pcolcedeficiency limits fibrosis but not NASH progression in CDA HFD fed mice.
FMI-based co-simulation method and test verification for tractor power-shift transmission
Authors: Wu Yiwei , Mao Yawei , Xu Liyou
Published: February 2022

The tractor power-shift transmission (PST) research and development is a design process that incorporates many disciplines such as mechanical, control, and electronics. Modeling and simulation are typically dependent on various commercial tools for each discipline, making simulation, integration, and verification of system-level models problematic. Aiming at this, we propose a PST multi-domain co-simulation method based on the functional mock-up interface (FMI) standard, analyze the FMI-based simulation mechanism and the PST simulation system logical structure, and established the PST mechanical system model, control system model, tractor engine model, and tractor dynamic model. Based on FMI, these models are integrated into a PST co-simulation model. The starting speed, final drive half shaft speed and torque were simulated and tested. Among them, the simulation and the test starting time are 2.7s and 2.8s respectively, and the two speed curves are consistent; the simulation and the test final drive half shaft torque are approximately equal with a value of 1.5kN·m; the average Theil’s inequality coefficients (TIC) value of the simulation and the test final drive half shaft speed is 0.1375, which is less than 0.25. The results show that the simulation and the test results are consistent, the PST co-simulation model is accurate, and the co-simulation method is feasible, which can improve the efficiency of tractor PST system development.
Una plaquita de hueso con esfinge procedente de Segobriga (Cabeza de Griego, Saelices, Cuenca). Paralelos y cronología
Authors: Cebrián Fernández Rosario
Published: February 2022

Entre los materiales arqueológicos recuperados en la campaña de excavaciones realizada en Segobriga en el año 1982 se encuentra una plaquita rectangular de hueso con la representación de una esfinge. Procede de un estrato fechado en época tardoantigua donde esta plaquita constituye un elemento aislado de la caja que originalmente decoró. Las similitudes estilísticas de la pieza con la placa con esfinge de Ibiza aconsejan atribuir su origen a la esfera artística etrusca. Sin embargo, la esfinge segobrigense tiene un aire más arcaico, más cercano a la técnica figurativa jonia/oriental que, desde un punto de vista cronológico, admite fecharla en el último cuarto del siglo VI a. C o inicios de la siguiente centuria. La pieza debe añadirse a la lista de materiales de la Edad del Hierro documentados en los trabajos arqueológicos en Segobriga o procedentes de hallazgos aislados, que confirma la existencia de una población prerromana asentada sobre el cerro de Cabeza de Griego desde, al menos, el siglo VI a. C. La presencia de este objeto junto a otros, como un colgante fálico de origen púnico y un aryballos de vidrio del ámbito griego, testimonia la llegada de productos de lujo destinados a la aristocracia local asentada sobre este castro de la Celtiberia. En particular, la plaquita con esfinge complementa el mapa de distribución de las importaciones de kibotia –etrusca o griega– en el extremo occidental del Mediterráneo a partir del siglo VI a. C., donde son escasos este tipo de objetos, especialmente, en yacimientos del interior peninsular.
Whose Association Is It?
Authors: Jancsák Csaba
Published: February 2022

MEFESZ (Association of University and College Students, AHUCS), which is considered to have been the spark of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, was founded at the University of Szeged on 16 October 1956. The acronym (MEFESZ) appeared three times in the Hungarian history of the second half of the 20th century (in 1945, 1948, and 1956), and all three of them were youth and education organisations. The few years of the existence of each ‘MEFESZ’ has many lessons to teach. The three organisations, abbreviated identically but different in long forms of their names, each had different objectives and roles. In this paper, we show that the 1956 AHUCS (the third MEFESZ) was not a successor to either of the earlier organisations: the first MEFESZ of the period of the “tentative democracy” (1945–1948) and the second MEFESZ (in the first period of the communist dictatorship, 1948–1950). The precursor of the 1956 revolution (MEFESZ3 , AHUCS) was a new grassroots initiative, grounded in democratic principles in its aims, programs, and missions. The 1956 AHUCS organisation was not an umbrella organisation of student associations like the first MEFESZ organisation. The founders of the 1956 AHUCS were deliberate in not seeking to become the sole, unified organisation of university youth (like MEFESZ).
Investigation of water soluble sugar content and flavour evaluation of Gala Must, Royal Gala and Pinova apple varieties
Authors: Jiayi Ma , Gyalai Ingrid Melinda , Lantos Ferenc
Published: February 2022

Humankind has known regular consumption of apple since ancient times. The fruits contain several bioactive compounds for human. Nowadays, a lot of breeded varieties are in cultivation on the world. There are more than 7,500 known cultivars of apples, resulting in a wide range of desired characteristics. The Gala series apples are one of the most popular and common apples in Hungary in the 21st century. Gala Must was used as the subject of a study to compare the fruit quality of Hungarian Gala Must with Pinova and commercially available Royal Gala apples. By studying the data recorded and samples collected in the orchard, the following points were studied and its cultivation in the Szentes region of Hungary is described: total sugar concentration, firmness, colour of fruits in biological ripening status and opinion of consumers. Based our results the water soluble sugar content of Gala Must 15; Pinova 13.8; Royal Gala 14.1 BRIX%
Obtención de híbridos de Portulaca umbraticola a través de cruzamientos convencionales
Authors: Sandí Montero H. , Zuñiga Orozco A. , Carrodeguas González A.
Published: February 2022

Las especies del género Portulaca son muy utilizadas en jardinería para planta en maceta y para decoración de exteriores. Son fáciles de cultivar, poseen requerimientos mínimos, aportan belleza a un ambiente particular y constituyen un valorado recurso para el paisajismo. El mercado de plantas ornamentales es muy dinámico y se muestra ávido de incorporar frecuentemente nuevas variedades e híbridos. Por tales razones, el objetivo de la presente investigación es: crear nuevos híbridos de P. umbraticola a través de cruzamientos intraespecíﬁcos. Se realizaron cruzamientos entre cuatro cultivares de P. umbraticola con ﬂores de diferentes colores (blanca, roja, roja-fusia y bicolor amarillo-fusia) bajo un diseño de dialelo parcial sin incorporar autopolinizaciones. Después de realizadas las polinizaciones, se midió el porcentaje de formación de frutos, cantidad de semillas y porcentaje de germinación en cada cruzamiento. Se obtuvo en promedio un % de formación de frutos de 42,5%, 13,5 semillas por fruto y un % de germinación de 22,5%. Se obtuvieron híbridos con características morfológicas similares en cada cruzamiento, sin embargo, presentaron diferentes patrones de coloración interesantes en la ﬂor y follaje. Todos los híbridos, excepto los del cuarto cruzamiento, mostraron cambios fenotípicos novedosos. También se analiza los posibles patrones de herencia para el color de ﬂ or. Al presentarse estos nuevos fenotipos pueden considerarse como material para desarrollar nuevos cultivares con interés ornamental y paisajístico. La hibridación intraespecíﬁ ca de P. umbraticola es una técnica efectiva para el mejoramiento genético de la especie y la obtención de nuevos cultivares.
Uso de suelo en laderas del sector sur de la Comuna de Lonquimay (Chile) y sus características estructurales
Authors: Vial-Alarcón M.
Published: February 2022

Se determinaron indicadores de calidad física de suelo en una ladera del sur de la comuna de Lonquimay (38°37’38” Latitud Sur; 71°05’26” Longitud Oeste) como unidad ﬁsiográﬁca uniforme sometida a 3 usos: Bosque bajo pastoreo (BP) compuesto por Ñirre (Nothofagus antárctica), Pradera sembrada (PS) de Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) y Pradera degradada (PD) (Acaena sp., Chusquea sp., Festuca sp., Stipa sp.). Son suelos Franco Arenosos (media de 60,6% arena, 31,3% limo y 8,1% de arcilla) sometidos a pastoreo caprino. Presenta una porosidad alta (>52%). Existieron diferencias en el contenido de MO en la secuencia BP>PS>PD. Existieron diferencias en Macroagregados (PD>BP>PS) y Microagregados (PS>PD>BP). Al medir el Diámetro Peso Medio DPM (mm), como indicador de estabilidad de agregados, se esperaba un mayor valor BP por la presencia de materia orgánica lo cual no ocurrió; todos los valores de DPM fueron <0,2 mm, considerados como agregados inestables. Se concluye que los suelos estudiados presentan condiciones generalizadas de degradación estructural, independiente a su uso y profundidad; esto ocurre debido al efecto aditivo de una serie de factores de degradación tales como un bajo contenido de materia orgánica, erosión, escasa estructura de los suelos, baja estabilidad de agregados y pastoreo excesivo que no permite recuperar la cubierta vegetal; a lo cual se suman condiciones climáticas con bajas temperaturas que ralentizan la dinámica biológica.
Sono and nano: A perfect synergy for eco-compatible Biginelli reaction
Authors: Tahmasbi Marzieh , Koukabi Nadiya , Armandpour Ozra
Published: February 2022

In this study, we evaluated the performance of nano-γ-Fe2O3–SO3H catalyst in the Biginelli reaction and synthesized 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2-(1H)-ones. This reaction was carried out under solvent-free and ultrasonic irradiation conditions and belonged to one-pot multicomponent reactions (MCRs) with an adopted aromatic aldehyde, ethyl acetoacetate, and urea as starting materials for the beginning of the reaction. The synthesized materials were efficient in synthesizing 3,4-dihydropyrimidine-2-(1H)-ones via the Biginelli reaction under reaction conditions. Thus, the advantages of using nano-γ-Fe2O3–SO3H in the Biginelli reaction are short reaction time, high efficiency, green method, solvent free, and cost-effective. Furthermore, nano-γ-Fe2O3–SO3H as a heterogeneous catalyst can be recycled five times without significantly reducing catalytic activity.
Thermodynamic assessment of the Dy–Mg system
Authors: Du Zhenmin , Yang Xiaojian , Ling Gang , Liu Hongying
Published: February 2022

The Dy–Mg system has been critically assessed by means of the CALPHAD technique. The solution phases (liquid,body-centered cubic, and hexagonal close-packed) were modeled with the Redlich – Kister equation. The intermetallic compounds DyMg, DyMg2, and Dy5Mg24, which have some homogeneity ranges, were treated as the formula (Dy, Mg) (Mg, Va), (Dy, Mg) (Dy, Mg)2, and (Dy, Mg)5 (Dy, Mg)24 by a two-sublattice model with Dy and Mg on the first sublattice, Mg and vacancies, denoted Va, or Dy and Mg on the second one, respectively. The compound DyMg3 was treated as a stoichiometric compound. A set of self–consistent thermodynamic parameters of the Dy–Mg system was obtained.