bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Factors associated with dietary diversity among adolescents in Woldia, Northeast Ethiopia
Authors: Endalifer Melese Linger , Andargie Gashaw , Mohammed Bekri , Endalifer Bedilu Linger
Published: April 2021

Background

Consuming diversified food during the adolescent period is essential to build a healthy and active mind for their later life. Food prices increased in the local market due to fewer production of crops. Thus, exploring the dietary diversity of adolescents in this area is crucial to estimate diet quality. So the aim of the study was to identify determinant factors of dietary diversity.

Methods

An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted among adolescent students in Woldia town. A total of four hundred eleven students were included in the study. A simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants. The outcome variable was dietary diversity; it was calculated by summing of the number of food group consumed by individuals in the given reference period. Bivariable and multivariable logistic analysis was done. The odds ratio with a 95% confidence interval was computed to measure an association. A variable with a P-value less than 0.05 is considered a significant factor.

Results

The proportion of inadequate dietary diversity was 49.1% (95% CI 44.5–53.8). Being female (AOR =5.53, 95% CI 3.447–8.859), secondary and above mothers’ education level (AOR=0. 27, 95%CI 0.153–0.477), living in a family size five and above (AOR= 2.09, 95CI% 1.31–3.34), and poor knowledge about nutrition (AOR=4.56, 95% CI 2.727–7.639) were significantly associated with inadequate dietary diversity.

Conclusions and recommendations

Inadequate dietary diversity was associated with sex, knowledge of nutrition, maternal education level, and family size. It is better to design a nutrition intervention program that focus on nutrition education to scale up diversified food consumption among adolescents.
Comparing Two Treatment Approaches for Patients with Type 1 Diabetes During Aerobic Exercise: a Randomised, Crossover Study
Authors: Vartak Varun , Chepulis Lynne , Driller Matthew , Paul Ryan G.
Published: April 2021

Background

In a randomised, counterbalanced, crossover design, eight men with type 1 diabetes (T1D; mean ± SD age, 27.6 ± 11.4 years) reduced insulin (INS) by 50% of their normal dose or consumed carbohydrates equivalent to 1 g of carbohydrate per kilogramme of their body weight without the usual insulin bolus (CARBS) over two sessions, held a week apart. Each session included standardised meals, a 45-min treadmill walk at 7.24 km h−1 and a 6-min walk test (6MWT). Rate of perceived exertion (RPE), blood glucose, ketone and lactate measures were taken before, during and immediately after the aerobic exercise. The distance covered in metres and the predicted VO2 max (mL kg−1 min−1) were also calculated for the 6MWT.

Results

Participants completing the INS intervention spent more time in normoglycaemia (242 ± 135 min vs 88 ± 132 min; P < 0.01) and less time in hyperglycaemia (41 ± 95 min vs 154 ± 125 min; P = 0.01) as compared to the CARBS intervention. Mild hypoglycaemia occurred in two participants during INS and no participants during CARBS. Furthermore, there was no significant difference for blood lactate, ketone, RPE, distance covered and predicted VO2 max between interventions.

Conclusion

Based on this pilot study, INS intervention appears to be the best approach for maintaining blood glucose levels in those with T1D during aerobic exercise, though this does need evaluation in other groups, including women, children and those with suboptimal glycaemic control.

Trial Registration

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registry, ACTRN12619001397101p. Registered 09 September 2019.
Crime forecasting: a machine learning and computer vision approach to crime prediction and prevention
Authors: Shah Neil , Bhagat Nandish , Shah Manan
Published: April 2021

A crime is a deliberate act that can cause physical or psychological harm, as well as property damage or loss, and can lead to punishment by a state or other authority according to the severity of the crime. The number and forms of criminal activities are increasing at an alarming rate, forcing agencies to develop efficient methods to take preventive measures. In the current scenario of rapidly increasing crime, traditional crime-solving techniques are unable to deliver results, being slow paced and less efficient. Thus, if we can come up with ways to predict crime, in detail, before it occurs, or come up with a “machine” that can assist police officers, it would lift the burden of police and help in preventing crimes. To achieve this, we suggest including machine learning (ML) and computer vision algorithms and techniques. In this paper, we describe the results of certain cases where such approaches were used, and which motivated us to pursue further research in this field. The main reason for the change in crime detection and prevention lies in the before and after statistical observations of the authorities using such techniques. The sole purpose of this study is to determine how a combination of ML and computer vision can be used by law agencies or authorities to detect, prevent, and solve crimes at a much more accurate and faster rate. In summary, ML and computer vision techniques can bring about an evolution in law agencies.
Pulmonary function before and after surgical correction of scoliosis
Authors: Ahmed Mona Mansour , Abdelhalim Hesham Atef , Elamir Reham Mohammed Mohammed
Published: April 2021

Background

As one of the restrictive lung diseases, scoliosis can be treated by surgical intervention to enhance the pulmonary function of that group of patients. The purpose of the study was to determine the effects of scoliosis correction on pulmonary function after a 6-month duration. Around 30 patients with scoliosis were aged between 10 and 40 years old subjecting to posterior spinal fusion surgery who had been enrolled in the study; all of them were subjected to Cobb’s angle measuring and pulmonary function test before and 6 months after the operation.

Results

Cobb’s angle before the operation was 57.3 ± 13.6°, which significantly corrected and reached up to 21.2 ± 7.2° postoperatively with a mean difference of about 36.13°,P< 0.001. The correlation of Cobb’s angle, forced vital capacity (FVC%), and vital capacity (VC%) was significantly negative. Pulmonary function showed restrictive pattern; forced vital capacity “FVC”, forced expiratory volume 1 “FEV1”, vital capacity “VC”, and forced expiratory flow “FEF 25–75%” were 62.4± 18.06, 65.6±20, 60.7±17.8, and 79.6±28.5, respectively; after 6 months, the reading changed to 60.9± 17.9, 64.04±19.3, 59.16±17.5, and 80.26±28.02 respectively with an insignificant difference,P>0.05.

Conclusion

The pulmonary function showed insignificant changes after 6 months of operation, despite significant changes in Cobb’s angle while the preoperative FVC and VC were inversely correlated with it.
Mibefradil alters intracellular calcium concentration by activation of phospholipase C and IP3 receptor function
Authors: Souza Bomfim Guilherme H. , Mitaishvili Erna , Aguiar Talita Ferreira , Lacruz Rodrigo S.
Published: April 2021

Mibefradil is a tetralol derivative originally developed as an antagonist of T-type voltage-gated calcium (Ca2+) channels to treat hypertension when used at nanomolar dosage. More recently, its therapeutic application in hypertension has declined and has been instead repurposed as a treatment of cancer cell proliferation and solid tumor growth. Beyond its function as a Cav blocker, the micromolar concentration of mibefradil can stimulate a rise in [Ca2+]cyt although the mechanism is poorly known. The chanzyme TRPM7 (transient receptor potential melastanin 7), the release of intracellular Ca2+ pools, and Ca2+ influx by ORAI channels have been associated with the increase in [Ca2+]cyt triggered by mibefradil. This study aims to investigate the cellular targets and pathways associated with mibefradil’s effect on [Ca2+]cyt. To address these questions, we monitored changes in [Ca2+]cyt in the specialized mouse epithelial cells (LS8 and ALC) and the widely used HEK-293 cells by stimulating these cells with mibefradil (0.1 μM to 100 μM). We show that mibefradil elicits an increase in [Ca2+]cyt at concentrations above 10 μM (IC50 around 50 μM) and a fast Ca2+ increase capacity at 100 μM. We found that inhibiting IP3 receptors, depleting the ER-Ca2+ stores, or blocking phospholipase C (PLC), significantly decreased the capacity of mibefradil to elevate [Ca2+]cyt. Moreover, the transient application of 100 μM mibefradil triggered Ca2+ influx by store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE) mediated by the ORAI channels. Our findings reveal that IP3R and PLC are potential new targets of mibefradil offering novel insights into the effects of this drug.
Cost-Effectiveness of Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis During Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy for Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Ryan Emma S. , Havrilesky Laura J. , Salinaro Julia R. , Davidson Brittany A.
Published: April 2021

PURPOSE:

Two recent clinical trials have demonstrated that direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are effective as venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in patients with moderate-to-high risk ambulatory cancer initiating chemotherapy. Patients with advanced ovarian cancer receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy are at particularly increased risk of VTE. We performed a cost-effectiveness analysis from a health system perspective to determine if DOACs are a feasible prophylactic strategy in this population.

METHODS:

A simple decision tree was created from a health system perspective, comparing two strategies: prophylactic DOAC taken for 18 weeks during chemotherapy versus no VTE prophylaxis. Rates of VTE (7.3% DOAC v 13.6% no treatment), major bleeding (2.6% v 1.3%), and clinically relevant nonmajor bleeding (4.6% v 3.3%) were modeled. Cost estimates were obtained from wholesale drug costs, published studies, and Medicare reimbursement data. Probabilistic, one-way, and two-way sensitivity analyses were performed.

RESULTS:

In the base case model, DOAC prophylaxis is more costly and more effective than no therapy (incremental cost-effectiveness ratio = $256,218 in US dollars/quality-adjusted life year). In one-way sensitivity analyses, reducing the DOAC cost by 32% or raising the baseline VTE rate above 18% renders this strategy potentially cost-effective with an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio below $150,000 in US dollars/quality-adjusted life year.

CONCLUSION:

Further confirmation of the true baseline VTE rate among women initiating neoadjuvant chemotherapy for ovarian cancer will determine whether prophylactic dose DOAC is a value-based strategy. Less costly VTE prophylaxis options such as generic DOACs (once available) and aspirin also warrant investigation.
Home-Based Pediatric Cancer Care: Perspectives and Improvement Suggestions From Children, Family Caregivers, and Clinicians
Authors: Jibb Lindsay A. , Chartrand Julie , Masama Tatenda , Johnston Donna L.
Published: April 2021

PURPOSE:

Although the hospital remains the dominant site for delivering most pediatric cancer care, home-based care is increasingly provided. To effectively deliver comprehensive, relevant, and acceptable care in children's homes, the voices of these key informants must be considered. We examined the views of children with cancer, their family caregivers, and clinicians on home-based cancer care to identify necessary strategies to improve the delivery of care.

METHODS:

Children with cancer, their family caregivers, and multiprofessional clinicians who provide care at a tertiary pediatric care center or in the community participated in audio-recorded, semistructured interviews in French and English. Interviews were conducted until data saturation in each participant group was achieved. Interviews were transcribed, coded, and analyzed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS:

Thirteen children, 20 family caregivers, and 22 clinicians participated. Home-based care was endorsed as a means to improve child health-, family social- and financial-, and system-level outcomes. The success of a home-based model is built on care that addresses child and family informational, treatment and care, material, and psychosocial needs. Mechanisms to improve care include enhanced homecare agency-hospital-family communication, training for homecare nurses in pediatric cancer care, virtual solutions, and an expanded breadth of services provided in-home. Child-, family-, and system-related factors affect the delivery of optimal home-based care.

CONCLUSION:

Children, families, and clinicians value a model of pediatric cancer care that incorporates home-based services. The insights of these key informants should be reflected in the principles that become the basis of home-based cancer care best practices.
Incidence of Complications in 25 Adult Patients With X-linked Hypophosphatemia
Authors: Kato Hajime , Koga Minae , Kinoshita Yuka , Taniguchi Yuki , Kobayashi Hiroshi , Fukumoto Seiji , Nangaku Masaomi , Makita Noriko , Ito Nobuaki
Published: April 2021

Context

Adults with X-linked hypophosphatemia (XLH) present complications other than osteomalacia.

Objective

To describe the incidence and severity of comorbidities in adults with XLH.

Methods

This observational retrospective study included a total of 25 adults with XLH with thorough investigations, including spinal computed tomography scans, x-rays of hip/knee joints and Achilles tendons, abdominal ultrasounds, and audiograms. The index of ossification of the anterior/posterior longitudinal ligament and yellow ligament (OA/OP/OY index) and the sum of OA/OP/OY index (OS index) were utilized to evaluate the severity of spinal ligament ossification. The Kellgren-Lawrence (KL) classification was adopted to evaluate the severity of the hip/knee osteophytes.

Results

The participants consisted of 13 male patients and 12 female patients from 21 families, with a median age of 43 (range, 18-72) years. In all, 20 patients (80%) showed spinal ligament ossification. The median OA/OP/OY/OS indices were 2 (0-22), 0 (0-15), 6 (0-13), and 12 (0-41), respectively. Hip/knee osteophytes were reported in 24 (96%) and 17 cases (68%). The median KL grade was 3 in the hip joint and 2 in the knee joint, and 18 cases (72%) developed enthesopathy in the Achilles tendon. Nephrocalcinosis and hearing impairment were observed in 18 (72%) and 8 (32%) cases.

Conclusion

This study revealed a high prevalence and severity of ectopic ossification and disclosed the incidence of nephrocalcinosis and hearing impairment in adults with XLH. In cases with severe spinal ligament ossification or noticeable osteophytes around the hip/knee joints, undiagnosed XLH should be considered as a possible underlying condition.
A NovelSLC5A5Variant Reveals the Crucial Role of Kinesin Light Chain 2 in Thyroid Hormonogenesis
Authors: Martín Mariano , Modenutti Carlos Pablo , Gil Rosas Mauco Lucas , Peyret Victoria , Geysels Romina Celeste , Bernal Barquero Carlos Eduardo , Sobrero Gabriela , Muñoz Liliana , Signorino Malvina , Testa Graciela , Miras Mirta Beatriz , Masini-Repiso Ana María , Calcaterra Nora Beatriz , Coux Gabriela , Carrasco Nancy , Martí Marcelo Adrián , Nicola Juan Pablo
Published: April 2021

Context

Iodide transport defect (ITD) (Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man No. 274400) is an uncommon cause of dyshormonogenic congenital hypothyroidism due to loss-of-function variants in the SLC5A5 gene, which encodes the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), causing deficient iodide accumulation in thyroid follicular cells.

Objective

This work aims to determine the molecular basis of a patient’s ITD clinical phenotype.

Methods

The propositus was diagnosed with dyshormonogenic congenital hypothyroidism with minimal 99mTc-pertechnetate accumulation in a eutopic thyroid gland. The propositus SLC5A5 gene was sequenced. Functional in vitro characterization of the novel NIS variant was performed.

Results

Sanger sequencing revealed a novel homozygous missense p.G561E NIS variant. Mechanistically, the G561E substitution reduces iodide uptake, because targeting of G561E NIS to the plasma membrane is reduced. Biochemical analyses revealed that G561E impairs the recognition of an adjacent tryptophan-acidic motif by the kinesin-1 subunit kinesin light chain 2 (KLC2), interfering with NIS maturation beyond the endoplasmic reticulum, and reducing iodide accumulation. Structural bioinformatic analysis suggests that G561E shifts the equilibrium of the unstructured tryptophan-acidic motif toward a more structured conformation unrecognizable to KLC2. Consistently, knockdown of Klc2 causes defective NIS maturation and consequently decreases iodide accumulation in rat thyroid cells. Morpholino knockdown of klc2 reduces thyroid hormone synthesis in zebrafish larvae leading to a hypothyroid state as revealed by expression profiling of key genes related to the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis.

Conclusion

We report a novel NIS pathogenic variant associated with dyshormonogenic congenital hypothyroidism. Detailed molecular characterization of G561E NIS uncovered the significance of KLC2 in thyroid physiology.
Anesthetic Management of Von Willebrand Disease in Pregnancy: A Retrospective Analysis of a Large Case Series
Authors: Reale Sharon C. , Farber Michaela K. , Lumbreras-Marquez Mario I. , Connors Jean M. , Carabuena Jean M.
Published: April 2021

BACKGROUND:

Although Von Willebrand disease (vWD) is the most common heritable bleeding disorder, there are limited reports regarding the safety of neuraxial anesthesia in the obstetric population and no definitive guidelines specifying recommended pretreatment or therapies for patients with vWD. The aim of this study is to describe the anesthetic management of pregnant patients with vWD at a large tertiary-care center.

METHODS:

In this retrospective analysis, the study population was identified from vWD patients evaluated by our high-risk obstetric anesthesia consultation service and by diagnosis codes from our institutional research database registry. We manually reviewed records of patients with vWD in pregnancy who delivered at our institution between January 1, 2000 and January 1, 2019 for demographic characteristics, circumstances of vWD diagnosis, history of bleeding, laboratory studies, and overall management of vWD. Anesthetic management of vWD was at the discretion of individual providers, based on multidisciplinary consensus and the specific circumstances of each patient’s disease and obstetric presentation.

RESULTS:

We identified 106 deliveries among 71 individual vWD patients. Of the unique patients, 54 had vWD type 1, 6 had vWD type 2, and 11 had vWD type unknown. Forty-three cases (40.6%) were cesarean deliveries. Neuraxial techniques were used in 94 of 106 deliveries (88.7%). Treatment with desmopressin or Von Willebrand factor/factor VIII concentrate before neuraxial anesthesia occurred in 27 of 94 neuraxial anesthetics (28.7%). Eleven deliveries (10.4%) were complicated by postpartum hemorrhage (PPH), defined as estimated blood loss of ≥1000 mL. There were no noted adverse anesthetic outcomes (0 of 106; 0% [95% confidence interval, 0-3.4]), including neuraxial hematoma or thromboembolic events.

CONCLUSIONS:

In this large case series, the majority of vWD patients received neuraxial anesthesia for labor and delivery, with no noted adverse events. This suggests that neuraxial anesthesia can be safely performed with the peripartum management that we describe. Pretreatment was dictated by the type and severity of vWD. Multidisciplinary planning is important to optimize the coagulation status of patients with vWD and facilitate options for analgesia and anesthesia.
“They Will Live without Law or Religion”: Cádiz, Indigenous People, and Political Change in the Viceroyalty of Peru, 1812–1820
Authors: Escanilla Huerta Silvia
Published: April 2021

This article argues that the impact of the Constitution of Cádiz among Indigenous communities in the Viceroyalty of Peru was significant. In the context of the imperial crisis of the Spanish crown, Indigenous people took the tools that the constitution granted them to increase their level of self-government. Moreover, the changes implemented by the constitution persisted after its abolition, allowing Indigenous people to retain a level of self-government otherwise impossible to conceive after Ferdinand VII restored absolutist rule. In other words, Indigenous communities held on to their jurisdictional authority and refused to surrender the political tools that the constitution had granted them. Their actions demonstrate that the constitution was a watershed moment in the history of the viceroyalty because it inaugurated an era of political change with consequences nobody could predict at the time.
The Unfungible Flow of Liquid Blackness
Authors: Judy R. A.
Published: April 2021

This essay explores the question of black liquidity in relation to Zygmunt Bauman's conception of liquid modernity. Along these lines, it charts the historical process by which capitalist modernity cast the Negro as a commodity and how that led to so-called Negro liquidity as the principal collateral in an extensive banking-finance-credit system with international scope. In that system, Negro liquidity was so thorough a monetization that its relation to Negro work was somewhat tangential—in the sense that simple ownership of a Negro indicated creditworthiness, irrespective of what work that Negro did. What's more, from 1850 to 1860, the accumulated wealth generated by that credit finance system, measured in Negro liquidity, was the largest in the nation. Drawing an analogy between that system of credit financing based on Negro liquidity and the current system of art credit financing, in which the artist's blackness is monetized, the essay foregrounds the appositive relation between this capitalist genealogy of liquidity and a concomitant genealogy of black poiēsis entailing a concept of liquidity not completely determined or circumscribed by that genealogy. Construing this poiēsis as polygenous and para-semiotic, the essay argues that it is a performative black critique of capitalism's commodification of life.
Daseinstufe
Authors: Farred Grant
Published: April 2021

Beginning with the premise that “liquidity” is an abstraction, this essay takes up liquidity as the condition for thinking capital, race, and racism, the ways in which capital shapes the possibilities of being—black—in the world. Using a range of theorists, from Karl Marx to Carl Schmitt to Martin Luther King Jr., and a host of cultural figures, most prominently Colin Kaepernick, the author explores how the black body, in its stillness and in its movement, provides us with a singular opportunity for thinking the “abstraction of liquidity” across (and within) a range of registers: some that reinforce one another, others that throw each into sharp relief, and still others that, surprisingly, confound expectations. Liquidity, then, as that vehicle which evinces the capacity to give new form(s) to thinking some of the critical difficulties of our moment.
Head and neck single- and dual-energy CT: differences in radiation dose and image quality of 2nd and 3rd generation dual-source CT
Authors: Lenga Lukas , Lange Marvin , Martin Simon S , Albrecht Moritz H , Booz Christian , Yel Ibrahim , Arendt Christophe T , Vogl Thomas J , Leithner Doris
Published: April 2021

Objectives:

To compare radiation dose and image quality of single-energy (SECT) and dual-energy (DECT) head and neck CT examinations performed with second- and third-generation dual-source CT (DSCT) in matched patient cohorts.

Methods:

200 patients (mean age 55.1 ± 16.9 years) who underwent venous phase head and neck CT with a vendor-preset protocol were retrospectively divided into four equal groups (n = 50) matched by gender and BMI: second (Group A, SECT, 100-kV; Group B, DECT, 80/Sn140-kV), and third-generation DSCT (Group C, SECT, 100-kV; Group D, DECT, 90/Sn150-kV). Assessment of radiation dose was performed for an average scan length of 27 cm. Contrast-to-noise ratio measurements and dose-independent figure-of-merit calculations of the submandibular gland, thyroid, internal jugular vein, and common carotid artery were analyzed quantitatively. Qualitative image parameters were evaluated regarding overall image quality, artifacts and reader confidence using 5-point Likert scales.

Results:

Effective radiation dose (ED) was not significantly different between SECT and DECT acquisition for each scanner generation (p = 0.10). Significantly lower effective radiation dose (p < 0.01) values were observed for third-generation DSCT groups C (1.1 ± 0.2 mSv) and D (1.0 ± 0.3 mSv) compared to second-generation DSCT groups A (1.8 ± 0.1 mSv) and B (1.6 ± 0.2 mSv). Figure-of-merit/contrast-to-noise ratio analysis revealed superior results for third-generation DECT Group D compared to all other groups. Qualitative image parameters showed non-significant differences between all groups (p > 0.06).

Conclusion:

Contrast-enhanced head and neck DECT can be performed with second- and third-generation DSCT systems without radiation penalty or impaired image quality compared with SECT, while third-generation DSCT is the most dose efficient acquisition method.

Advances in knowledge:

Differences in radiation dose between SECT and DECT of the dose-vulnerable head and neck region using DSCT systems have not been evaluated so far. Therefore, this study directly compares radiation dose and image quality of standard SECT and DECT protocols of second- and third-generation DSCT platforms.
Intraluminal catheter plasty. An alternative technique to remove tethered abdominal surgical drains
Authors: Patel Virjen , Thomson Benedict , Thulasidasan Narayanan , Diamantopoulos Athanasios
Published: April 2021

Objective:

Retained surgical drains can lead to significant complications including gastrointestinal fistulae, abscess formation and intestinal obstruction. Today, there is little in the literature describing the role of Interventional Radiology (IR) in assisting the removal of surgical drains. We describe the use of the well-established intraluminal catheter plasty technique, previously used for the removal of adhered central venous catheters, in order to remove a tethered abdominal drain.

Methods and materials:

A 67-year-old female was referred to the IR department for the removal of a 24 Fr Robinson’s intra-abdominal surgical drain that could not be removed by conventional methods, as there was a concern that it was kinked internally. Both fluoroscopy and cone beam CT were performed, which identified the drain to be sited within the pelvis with no kinks. A first attempt to remove the drain over a 0.035 stiff wire was unsuccessful due to resistance and patient discomfort. We suspected that this was due to adhesions surrounding the drain. Consequently, a 9 × 40 mm angioplasty balloon was used over the wire with serial dilatations along the drain to disrupt the adhesions. Several areas of waisting were identified. The drain was gently withdrawn over the wire with minimal resistance. Ex-vivo inspection of the drain showed no evidence of structural damage and fluoroscopic imaging confirmed no retained fragments.

Conclusion:

We describe a safe and effective novel technique of intraluminal catheter plasty used to remove a tethered surgical drain following failed conventional methods.
Differential translation of mRNA isoforms transcribed with distinct sigma factors
Authors: McCormick Dylan M. , Lalanne Jean-Benoît , Lan Tammy C.T. , Rouskin Silvi , Li Gene-Wei
Published: April 2021

Sigma factors are an important class of bacterial transcription factors that lend specificity to RNA polymerases by binding to distinct promoter elements for genes in their regulons. Here we show that activation of the general stress sigma factor, σB, in Bacillus subtilis paradoxically leads to dramatic induction of translation for a subset of its regulon genes. These genes are translationally repressed when transcribed by the housekeeping sigma factor, σA, owing to extended RNA secondary structures as determined in vivo using DMS-MaPseq. Transcription from σB-dependent promoters excludes the secondary structures and activates translation, leading to dual induction. Translation efficiencies between σB- and σA-dependent RNA isoforms can vary by up to 100-fold, which in multiple cases exceeds the magnitude of transcriptional induction. These results highlight the role of long-range RNA folding in modulating translation and demonstrate that a transcription factor can regulate protein synthesis beyond its effects on transcript levels.
Approaches and Methods for Causal Analysis of Panel Data in the Area of Morbidity and Mortality
Authors: Hoffmann Rasmus , Doblhammer Gabriele
Published: April 2021

We aim to give an overview of the state of the art of causal analysis of demographic issues related to morbidity and mortality. We will systematically introduce strategies to identify causal mechanisms, which are inherently linked to panel data from observational surveys and population registers. We will focus on health and mortality, and on the issues of unobserved heterogeneity and reverse causation between health and (1) retirement, (2) socio-economic status, and (3) characteristics of partnership and fertility history.

The boundaries between demographic research on mortality and morbidity and the neighbouring disciplines epidemiology, public health and economy are often blurred. We will highlight the specific contribution of demography by reviewing methods used in the demographic literature. We classify these methods according to important criteria, such as a design-based versus model-based approach and control for unobserved confounders. We present examples from the literature for each of the methods and discuss the assumptions and the advantages and disadvantages of the methods for the identification of causal effects in demographic morbidity and mortality research.

The differentiation between methods that control for unobserved confounders and those that do not reveal a fundamental difference between (1) methods that try to emulate a randomised experiment and have higher internal validity and (2) methods that attempt to achieve conditional independence by including all relevant factors in the model. The latter usually have higher external validity and require more assumptions and prior knowledge of relevant factors and their relationships. It is impossible to provide a general definition of the sort of validity that is more important, as there is always a trade-off between generalising the results to the population of interest and avoiding biases in the estimation of causal effects in the sample. We hope that our review will aid researchers in identifying strategies to answer their specific research question.

*  This article belongs to a special issue on "Identification of causal mechanisms in demographic research: The contribution of panel data".
Huerto escolar en el desierto. Experiencias de vinculación, innovación y formación en preescolar.
Authors: Cervantes Holguín Evangelina , Anaya Ramírez Fatima
Published: April 2021

El presente trabajo tiene como objetivo recuperar la experiencia en torno al huerto escolar implementado en un Jardín de Niños localizado en Ciudad Juárez (México) para identificar los aprendizajes de la práctica, socializar la experiencia y aportar a la elaboración de otras propuestas educativas. El estudio se adscribe a la sistematización de experiencias educativas que prioriza los relatos de las docentes y directora escolar, sus voces y perspectivas, a partir de tres ejes de sistematización: la vinculación entre la escuela y la comunidad; la innovación educativa, y; la formación docente. El Aprendizaje Basado en Huertos sirvió como referente teórico y estrategia metodológica. Se concluye que: el huerto escolar permitió fortalecer la vinculación entre la escuela y la comunidad, reconocer los saberes colectivos y potenciar la participación de las familias en las actividades escolares; la experiencia confirmó las posibilidades que ofrece el huerto educativo para desarrollar prácticas pedagógicas innovadoras en la educación preescolar; frente a la formación del profesorado, se propone impulsar la formación situada, aprovechar la flexibilidad del trabajo escolar en el diseño de situaciones didácticas contextualizadas e incorporar contenidos de alfabetización científica en los trayectos de formación inicial y continua. El estudio se presenta como antecedente para futuras investigaciones que permitan valorar la riqueza del huerto escolar, impulsar su práctica y fomentar su investigación.
Los idilios del mundo petrificado: Stine de Theodor Fontane o el asedio de la inhumanidad
Authors: Andrade Ricardo
Published: April 2021

El presente artículo busca reflexionar sobre los mecanismos sociales, políticos e ideológicos en el período de la fundación del imperio alemán (Gründerzeit) a través de una novela poco estudiada de la producción literaria de Theodor Fontane: Stine. A través de esta novela, el autor expone las contradicciones inherentes del incipiente capitalismo alemán y su unión con un elemento central de la política de su tiempo, el prusianismo. Nacido de los estratos sociales terratenientes y aristocráticos reaccionarios, la ideología prusiana es un elemento importante para entender el proyecto imperialista de Alemania y sus últimas consecuencias, manifestadas estas en el nacionalsocialismo. En este sentido, el artículo propone una lectura, a través de la literatura, de los orígenes de dicha tendencia política en la vida nacional del país germano. Por medio de este análisis, también se problematiza sobre la noción de realismo en el ámbito literario específicamente alemán.
The role of ‘Rich Tasks’ an interdisciplinary and digital approach to learning post COVID-19
Authors: Harris Christopher
Published: April 2021

The Covid-19 pandemic has thrown into stark relief the importance of students being able to be flexible learners: juggling blended learning opportunities, being independent and creative, and collaborating with staff and students- often in digital virtual environments. This paper reviews alternative interdisciplinary curriculum models that break down artificial barriers between subject disciplines through the use of ‘Rich Tasks’, interdisciplinary tasks which integrate subject knowledge with developing student skills in the 4C’s collaboration, critical thinking, communication, and creativity. The paper suggests that ‘Rich Tasks’ provide a futureproof methodology as they focus learning on the global, emotionally resilient skills that children need to adapt to a changing digital world where they may change jobs many times. Historic and current interdisciplinary learning models are explored. Interviews with key practitioners and learners who were and are involved in these were conducted. Significantly positive responses to interdisciplinary learning from both groups of respondents are found. A development of the form of learning called ‘Rich Tasks’ (See Moulds 2004 for definitions) can be constructed through the enhanced knowledge and utilisation of digital technology which teachers have gained worldwide in order to continue teaching during the pandemic.
MONITORAMENTO DA COMUNIDADE DE ABELHAS (HYMENOPTERA:APIDAE) NA ÁREA DE INFLUÊNCIA DIRETA DA VIA EXPRESSA TRANSOLÍMPICA
Authors: Silva Cleber Vinicius Akita Vitorio , Almeida Josimar Ribeiro de
Published: April 2021

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a flutuação da comunidade de abelhas e realizar seu resgate, durante a fase de implantação dos 23 Km da via expressa Ligação Transolímpica, também nomeada de corredor Presidente Tancredo de Almeida Neves. A comunidade de abelhas foi prospectada durante as atividades de implantação do empreendimento para as sazonalidades de inverno e primavera. As amostragens qualiquantitativas seguiram o protocolo padrão estabelecido na Resolução CONAMA No 346/2004 para abelhas nativas e africanizadas, sendo realizado o resgate de 34 enxames para a sazonalidade de inverno e 46 de primavera, donde a espécie mais abundante para as duas sazonalidades foi a Tetragonisca angustula, destaca-se que foi realizado o resgate da espécie Melipona quadrifasciata anthidioides, diversas espécies de abelhas do gênero Melipona encontram-se ameaçadas para os biomas Mata Atlântica e Cerrado.
PANORAMA DO SISTEMA LAGUNAR DE MARICÁ – RJ: INDICADORES DE SANEAMENTO VS. QUALIDADE DE ÁGUA
Authors: Toledo Luane Marques , Wall Fernanda Carvalho Moreno , Obraczka Marcelo , Salomão André Luís de Sá
Published: April 2021

Um sistema de saneamento básico deficiente pode gerar inúmeras consequências nocivas à sociedade e ao meio ambiente. Dentre elas destacam-se os riscos à saúde pública e a poluição dos corpos hídricos. Medidas de mitigação desses problemas são necessárias, preferencialmente baseadas em ações de planejamento e gestão, que demandam um maior conhecimento do problema e a análise criteriosa de propostas para sua solução. Este trabalho teve como objetivo apresentar um panorama ambiental do Sistema Lagunar de Maricá-RJ baseado nos índices de qualidade de água (IQA) e indicadores de saneamento disponíveis nos bancos de dados do INEA e SNIS, respectivamente. Para uma percepção mais abrangente do estudo, realizou-se complementarmente uma comparação desses índices referentes as lagoas de Maricá com índices apresentados pelo Sistema Lagunar de Saquarema, complexo lagunar vizinho com diversas características semelhantes. Pode ser constatado uma relação entre a qualidade precária das águas do Sistema Lagunar de Maricá e as más condições do sistema de saneamento básico nas áreas urbanas de sua bacia hidrográfica. Portanto, infere-se que uma das principais condições para a revitalização ambiental dessas vitais lagoas para o município é a obtenção de maior abrangência e qualidade dos serviços de saneamento básico prestados à população no seu entorno. Nesse sentido, para viabilizar a curto prazo essa melhoria da qualidade das águas do sistema lagunar, podem ser empregadas alternativas emergenciais de engenharia entre as quais destaca-se a adoção de sistema de captação de esgoto em tempo seco, já utilizada com êxito em complexos lagunares vizinhos como Saquarema e Araruama.
Differentiation of breast tissue types for surgical margin assessment using machine learning and polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography
Authors: Zhu Dan , Wang Jianfeng , Marjanovic Marina , Chaney Eric J. , Cradock Kimberly A. , Higham Anna M. , Liu Zheng G. , Gao Zhishan , Boppart Stephen A.
Published: April 2021

We report an automated differentiation model for classifying malignant tumor, fibro-adipose, and stroma in human breast tissues based on polarization-sensitive optical coherence tomography (PS-OCT). A total of 720 PS-OCT images from 72 sites of 41 patients with H&E histology-confirmed diagnoses as the gold standard were employed in this study. The differentiation model is trained by the features extracted from both one standard OCT-based metric (i.e., intensity) and four PS-OCT-based metrics (i.e., phase difference between two channels (PD), phase retardation (PR), local phase retardation (LPR), and degree of polarization uniformity (DOPU)). Further optimized by forward searching and validated by leave-one-site-out-cross-validation (LOSOCV) method, the best feature subset was acquired with the highest overall accuracy of 93.5% for the model. Furthermore, to show the superiority of our differentiation model based on PS-OCT images over standard OCT images, the best model trained by intensity-only features (usually obtained by standard OCT systems) was also obtained with an overall accuracy of 82.9%, demonstrating the significance of the polarization information in breast tissue differentiation. The high performance of our differentiation model suggests the potential of using PS-OCT for intraoperative human breast tissue differentiation during the surgical resection of breast cancer.
Differential wavefront sensing and control using radio-frequency optical demodulation
Authors: Brown Daniel , Cao Huy Tuong , Ciobanu Alexei , Veitch Peter , Ottaway David
Published: April 2021

Differential wavefront sensing is an essential technique for optimising the performance of many precision interferometric experiments. Perhaps the most extensive application of this is for alignment sensing using radio-frequency beats measured with quadrant photodiodes. Here we present a new technique that uses optical demodulation to measure such optical beats at high resolutions using commercial laboratory equipment. We experimentally demonstrate that the images captured can be digitally processed to generate wavefront error signals and use these in a closed loop control system for correct wavefront errors for alignment and mode-matching a beam into an optical cavity to 99.9%. This experiment paves the way for the correction of even higher order errors when paired with higher order wavefront actuators. Such a sensing scheme could find use in optimizing complex interferometers consisting of coupled cavities, such as those found in gravitational wave detectors, or simply just for sensing higher order wavefront errors in heterodyne interferometric table-top experiments.
Photoluminescence enhancement at a high generation rate induced by exciton localization
Authors: Zheng Ting , Niu Xianghong , Zhao Hui , Wang Jinlan , Zhao Weiwei , Lu Junpeng , Ni Zhenhua
Published: April 2021

The photoluminescence (PL) efficiency of two-dimensional (2D) transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) is extremely low under high power excitation, limiting its potential in display and light-emission application. This arises from the much shorter lifetime of non-radiative recombination than radiative recombination, wherein photo-carriers tend to decay through non-radiative processes. Herein, a “molecular state” near the valence band is successfully introduced into the

M
o
S

2

monolayer to increase the density of radiative states and speed up the exciton relaxation. This reduces the recombination lifetime of excitons by two orders of magnitude and forms vigorous competition with non-radiative decays. As a consequence, dozens of times enhancement of PL in

M
o
S

2

monolayers under high excitation power (

G

∼

10

19

c
m

−
2

⋅

S

−
1

) is realized. These results provide an effective method to improve PL efficiency under high injection levels for applications of 2D materials in light-emission industry.
Pure green emission self-crystallization CsPbBr3 quantum dot glass with Ag+ doping for stable light-emitting devices
Authors: Lu Yang , Li Panpan , Xie Wenqing , Duan Yongmin , Xu Shiqing , Zhang Junjie
Published: April 2021

Recently, cesium lead bromide perovskite glass has been recognized as a potential material to fabricate green light emission devices because of their high stability and excellent optical performance. However, the low photoluminescence efficiency and poor color purity (

<

525

n
m

) of

C
s
P
b
B
r

3

quantum dot (QD) glass restricts its practical application. In this work, self-crystallization

C
s
P
b
B
r

3

QD glasses are successfully prepared via the melt quenching method, and the photoluminescence efficiency increases 10-fold compared with regular thermal treatment

C
s
P
b
B
r

3

QD glass without

A
g

+

doping. The green light-emitting devices based on bulk self-crystallization

C
s
P
b
B
r

3

QD glass with 0.4 mol.%

A
g

+

doping achieves a luminescence efficiency of 20.85 lm/W with a CIE (0.2084, 0.6026) under a 20 mA driving current. The present results provide new, to the best of our knowledge, insight into the application of

C
s
P
b
B
r

3

QD glass in the optoelectronic field.
Selective etching properties of Mg thin films and micro/nanostructures for dynamic photonics [Invited]
Authors: Farinha Thomas G. , Gong Tao , Lyu Peifen , Deniz Ece , Hoerauf John M. , Leite Marina S.
Published: April 2021

The fixed post-manufacturing properties of metal-based photonic devices
impose limitations on their adoption in dynamic photonics. Modulation
approaches currently available (e.g. mechanical stressing or
electrical biasing) tend to render the process cumbersome or
energy-inefficient. Here we demonstrate the promise of utilizing
magnesium (Mg) in achieving optical tuning in a simple and
controllable manner: etching in water. We revealed an evident etch
rate modulation with the control of temperature and structural
dimensionality. Further, our numerical calculations demonstrate the
substantial tuning range of optical resonances spanning the entire
visible frequency range with the etching-induced size reduction of
several archetypal plasmonic nanostructures. Our work will help to
guide the rational design and fabrication of bio-degradable photonic
devices with easily tunable optical responses and minimal power
footprint.
Mapping the degradation pathway of a disease-linked aspartoacylase variant
Authors: Gersing Sarah K. , Wang Yong , Grønbæk-Thygesen Martin , Kampmeyer Caroline , Clausen Lene , Willemoës Martin , Andréasson Claes , Stein Amelie , Lindorff-Larsen Kresten , Hartmann-Petersen Rasmus
Published: April 2021

Canavan disease is a severe progressive neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by swelling and spongy degeneration of brain white matter. The disease is genetically linked to polymorphisms in the aspartoacylase (ASPA) gene, including the substitution C152W. ASPA C152W is associated with greatly reduced protein levels in cells, yet biophysical experiments suggest a wild-type like thermal stability. Here, we use ASPA C152W as a model to investigate the degradation pathway of a disease-causing protein variant. When we expressed ASPA C152W in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, we found a decreased steady state compared to wild-type ASPA as a result of increased proteasomal degradation. However, molecular dynamics simulations of ASPA C152W did not substantially deviate from wild-type ASPA, indicating that the native state is structurally preserved. Instead, we suggest that the C152W substitution interferes with the de novo folding pathway resulting in increased proteasomal degradation before reaching its stable conformation. Systematic mapping of the protein quality control components acting on misfolded and aggregation-prone species of C152W, revealed that the degradation is highly dependent on the molecular chaperone Hsp70, its co-chaperone Hsp110 as well as several quality control E3 ubiquitin-protein ligases, including Ubr1. In addition, the disaggregase Hsp104 facilitated refolding of aggregated ASPA C152W, while Cdc48 mediated degradation of insoluble ASPA protein. In human cells, ASPA C152W displayed increased proteasomal turnover that was similarly dependent on Hsp70 and Hsp110. Our findings underscore the use of yeast to determine the protein quality control components involved in the degradation of human pathogenic variants in order to identify potential therapeutic targets.