bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advising and Warning the People: Swedish Salafis on Violence, Renunciation and Life in the Suburbs
Authors: Olsson Susanne
Published: May 2021

The chapter analyses the public discourse of a Swedish Salafi group, concerned with concrete social ills in the local community. The group is against violence, carrying out missionary activities focused on piety, correct practice and behaviour. Three topics are analysed using material from their YouTube-channel: 1) Reaching Paradise through Renunciation, 2) Establishing a Non-Violent Strategy, and 3) Social development. Through missionary activities (daʿwa), they respond to the current situation with foreign fighters, terrorism and gang criminality. The message is straightforward and self-assured as it attempts to disrupt the positive images some young people may have of violent lifestyles and create new role models to emulate. They are thereby striving to present a positive message: if people join their project of moral reform and renunciation, they will contribute to strengthening suburbs and create a peaceful environment. At the same time, in-group identity construction is strong and exclusionist.
Discourses on Marriage, Religious Identity and Gender in Medieval and Contemporary Islamic Preaching: Continuities and Adaptations
Authors: Jones Linda G.
Published: May 2021

Because homiletics has been associated with marriage since the origins of Islam, analysing sermons on marriage from different historical periods allows us to identify continuities within the homiletic tradition and detect developments reflecting the preacher’s adaptation of his message to suit the needs, expectations and values of his audience. This chapter explores Islamic homiletic discourses about marriage, gender, and marital relations in an anonymous sixteenth-century Egyptian hortatory sermon (mawʿiẓa) on ‘the inalienable rights of the two spouses’ and a contemporary Friday khuṭba on ‘the path to a healthy marriage,’ preached by a Los Angeles-based American Muslim in 2016. This cross-cultural diachronic analysis seeks to explain how each preacher interprets the meaning of marriage, represents spousal relations and defines gender identities and roles for his audience. It then addresses the broader question of how to account for the continuities and adaptability of Islam as a religious tradition in light of changing circumstances.
Epilogue
Authors: Stjernholm Simon , Özdalga Elisabeth
Published: May 2021

In this epilogue, the volume’s editors comment on some of the shared themes throughout the book’s chapters. Two important forces of change that have affected Muslim preaching are especially highlighted: the emergence of the nation-state and media developments.
Introduction – Death in the Diaspora: British and Irish Gravestones
Authors: Evans Nicholas J. , McCarthy Angela
Published: May 2021

This introductory chapter provides an overview of the historical use of headstones and epitaphs in the commemoration of death during the period of British overseas imperialism between c.1608 and 1960. It examines the ways that previous scholars from a number of disciplines have interpreted such memorials and highlights the book’s specific contribution to both death studies and diaspora studies. Each chapter in the volume seeks to compare and contrast different temporal and spatial contexts, including Europe, North America, the Caribbean, Africa, Asia and Australasia, to explore how and why British and Irish migrants and their families and friends tried to display attachment to home on gravestones.
Irish Memorialisation in South Australia, 1850–99
Authors: McEgan Janine
Published: May 2021

The extent to which expressions of ‘Irishness’ were materialised in the new colony of South Australia through tangible material culture provides an avenue for archaeologists to explore. Given the highly symbolic and communicative functions of cemetery material culture, expressions of ‘Irishness’ may be found in the memorialisation of death and remembrance. The relatively low proportion of Irish settlers in this colony resulted in the Irish being invisible in a number of ways: their narratives are not dominant in the foundation of the state. This chapter explores the degree to which cultural traditions were incorporated in the material culture of Irish graves, and what this implies for expressions of ‘Irishness’ in South Australia, with some expression of Irish culture being maintained through memorialisation though with subtle, rather than overt, symbolism and text.
Conclusion
Authors: McCarthy Angela , Evans Nicholas J.
Published: May 2021

This concluding chapter synthesises the key findings and theoretical points raised in this multidisciplinary collection and reinforces the richness and diversity of memorialisation at home and abroad during four centuries of British and Irish settlement overseas. Alert to the material composition of stones, their locations, symbolism, traditions of remembrance, and cross-cultural adaptation, contributors to this book show that gravestones were very public statements about the religious, geographic, economic, political and ethnic identities of European’s dying abroad. The collective findings suggest not just the evolution of a global death industry, but also the transfer of cultural practices by most societies wherever these migrants settled.
Concrete USA: Building Ronald Johnson’s ARK
Authors: Kosick Rebecca
Published: May 2021

Chapter 4 argues that Ronald Johnson’s ARK, written over a period of twenty years from the 1970s to the 1990s, represents a future of concrete poetry. This chapter shows how ARK carried the practice of concrete poetry into North America at the end of the twentieth century, and it examines the changes the practice undergoes as a result. ARK, a 300-page long poem, also incorporates modern and postmodern experiments with the epic form (such as Charles Olson’s The Maximus Poems). This chapter interrogates ARK’s approach to poetic time. ARK rejects history, as well the instantaneous time of earlier, more dogmatic versions of concrete poetry, where a small poem can be apprehended in what feels like an instant. Rather than linearity or instantaneity, this chapter argues that ARK constructs a circular time, which is itself interrupted by many circular eddies that wind the reader back through concrete poetry even as the book continues to move ‘forward’. This, in turn, leads towards a theory of the linguistic object which, in contradiction to many theories that take the object as already itself and finished, shows the object in-process, an ark-itecture in the making.
The Subject of the Material Poem
Authors: Kosick Rebecca
Published: May 2021

While this book takes the poetic object as its primary concern, the conclusions it draws point toward new possibilities for theorizing subjectivity as well. Many practices of material poetry reject the notion of the lyrical subject. This is true to one degree or another for each of the objects examined in this study. This chapter reflects on the status of subjectivity for such objects and points to an emerging framework for understanding the subject in the context of material language. This conclusion revisits the notion of author intentionality, whose presence in this project marks a specific sort of critical formalism it is interested in resurrecting. This book’s approach attends to experimental poetic form while also registering a commitment to the complex theoretical projects its poet subjects hoped to materialize in their poetic objects.
Rhetoric and Rhythm — Derrida, Nancy and the Poetics of Drawing
Authors: Gould Thomas
Published: May 2021

Opening with a consideration of the distribution of the two graphic acts — drawing and writing — this article offers a comparative study of Jacques Derrida's and Jean-Luc Nancy's respective exhibitions and catalogue essays on the subject of drawing. Through a comparative examination of what I take to be their central theoretical contributions to the study of drawing — Derrida its ‘rhetoric’, Nancy its ‘rhythm’ — this article moves on to suggest how these concepts inform a theory of poetic lineation.
FEATURES OF DERMAL MICROCIRCULATION IN PATIENTS WITH ROSACEA
Authors:   Sumy state university, Hamdi Khayem , Hortynska O.M. ,   Sumy state university
Published: May 2021

The objective: determination of integral criteria for assessing the state dermal vascularization in rosacea patients. Materials and methods. There were 57 patients with rosacea under observation (39 women and 18 men) between the ages of 18 and 45. The control group consisted of 15 healthy individuals. Using laser Doppler flowmetry, microcirculation index, standard deviation of microcirculation index, coefficient of variation of microcirculation index, myotonus, neurotonus, shunting index were determined. Results. It was found that in patients with rosacea in the lesions, there is an increase in the microcirculation index and the standard deviation of the microcirculation index, which is combined with a suppression of the coefficient of variation of the microcirculation index, which indicates a stressed state of the mechanisms of regulation of tissue circulation and the presence of a hyperemic type of hemodynamics. An increase in myotonus and neurotonus, a decrease in the bypass rate reverse the spastic state of arteriovenular anastomoses, which provide extracapillary blood circulation. Conclusions. It is advisable for patients with rosacea to carry out laser Doppler flowmetry of dermal microcirculation in order to determine the degree of developing disorders. Integral indicators of skin vascularization can serve as criteria for the effectiveness of the therapy.
BACTERIAL VAGINOSIS: A LOOK AT THE PROBLEM. REVIEW OF LITERARY SOURCES
Authors:   Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Alatorskikh A. E. , Fedorych P. V. ,   Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Grechanska L. V. ,   Ukrainian Military Medical Academy, Koval S. B. ,   Ukrainian Military Medical Academy
Published: May 2021

One of the leading diseases of the genitourinary system in women of reproductive age is occupied by infectious diseases that are associated with changes in the normal biocenosis of the vagina. It is these changes with a shift in the composition of the vaginal microflora towards anaerobic and microaerophilic opportunistic pathogens that are the background on which inflammatory diseases of the genitourinary system of women are able to develop almost without hindrance. The literature suggests that the diversity of the spectrum of microorganisms that are associated with bacterial vaginosis can complicate not only the local immune response, but also the immunological reactivity of the body as a whole. Scientific and practical interest in this problem is due to the pathogenetic link of vaginal dysbiosis with inflammatory diseases of the pelvic organs, as well as the possible possibility of complications or complications of chronic dermatoses due to immune system disorders in relevant patients with bacterial vaginosis. Literature data on the most significant modern aspects of bacterial vaginosis are given. It has been suggested that the microflora associated with bacterial vaginosis, mediated by the immune system, may be affected by the occurrence and / or course of chronic dermatoses.
Group Theoretic proof of infinitude of primes.
Authors: Haque Nazrul
Published: May 2021

A short proof using group theoretical idea.
Clavier Music of Germany in the 17th Century
Authors:   Galina P. Vishnevskaya College of Music and Theatrical Arts, Beletskaya Olga A.
Published: May 2021

17th century German clavier music presents a capacious stratum of culture of the Baroque period, which is of enormous interest. Frequently it is perceived as an enormous transition to J.S. Bach’s musical legacy, but upon more assiduous examination it turns out that this stratum has its own value, although, obviously, it could not do otherwise than create the footing for the musical culture of the following 18th century. The present article has an overview character and is meant to summate the most important phenomena which could give an overall perception of the chronological order of the formation of clavier genres and forms of the pre-Bach era, about the outstanding composers of clavier music, and of the intersection between various national styles in their heritages.
Modeling Multi-Plant Capacitated Lot Sizing Problem with Interplant Transfer
Authors: Patil Amitkumar , Badhotiya Gaurav Kumar , Nepal Bimal , Soni Gunjan
Published: May 2021

Lot sizing models involve operational and tactical decisions. These decisions may entail multi-level production processes such as assembly operations with multiple plants and limited capacities. Lot sizing problems are widely recognized as NP-hard problems therefore difficult to solve, especially the ones with multiple plants and capacity constraints. The level of complexity rises to an even higher level when there is an interplant transfer between the plants. This paper presents a Genetic Algorithm (GA) based solution methodology applied to large scale multi-plant capacitated lot sizing problem with interplant transfer (MPCLSP-IT). Although the GA has been a very effective and widely accepted meta-heuristic approach used to solve large scale complex problems, it has not been employed for MPCLSP-IT problem. This paper solves the MPCLSP-IT problem in large scale instances by using a genetic algorithm, and in doing so successfully obtains a better solution in terms of computation time when compared to the results obtained by the other methods such as Lagrangian relaxation, greedy randomized adaptive search procedure (GRASP) heuristics, and GRASP-path relinking techniques used in extant literature.
The Intestinal Epithelium – Fluid Fate and Rigid Structure From Crypt Bottom to Villus Tip
Authors: Bonis Vangelis , Rossell Carla , Gehart Helmuth
Published: May 2021

The single-layered, simple epithelium of the gastro-intestinal tract controls nutrient uptake, coordinates our metabolism and shields us from pathogens. Despite its seemingly simple architecture, the intestinal lining consists of highly distinct cell populations that are continuously renewed by the same stem cell population. The need to maintain balanced diversity of cell types in an unceasingly regenerating tissue demands intricate mechanisms of spatial or temporal cell fate control. Recent advances in single-cell sequencing, spatio-temporal profiling and organoid technology have shed new light on the intricate micro-structure of the intestinal epithelium and on the mechanisms that maintain it. This led to the discovery of unexpected plasticity, zonation along the crypt-villus axis and new mechanism of self-organization. However, not only the epithelium, but also the underlying mesenchyme is distinctly structured. Several new studies have explored the intestinal stroma with single cell resolution and unveiled important interactions with the epithelium that are crucial for intestinal function and regeneration. In this review, we will discuss these recent findings and highlight the technologies that lead to their discovery. We will examine strengths and limitations of each approach and consider the wider impact of these results on our understanding of the intestine in health and disease.
Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia in Children—Predictable or Random?
Authors: Lubocka Paulina , Sabiniewicz Robert
Published: May 2021

Background: Respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) is associated with better health in children.

Aim: The study was conducted to analyze the trajectory of RSA in 10-year-olds.

Methods: A follow-up study on 120 healthy children (62 boys) aged 10.7 ± 0.5 years consisted of a standard 12-lead electrocardiogram, measurements of height, weight and blood pressure. The protocol was repeated after 3 years. Assessment of RSA based on semi-automatic measurements of RR intervals included: the difference between the longest and shortest RR interval duration (pvRSA), the root mean square of differences between successive RR intervals (RMSSD), the standard deviation of the RR interval length (SDNN) and their equivalents corrected for heart rate (RMSSDc and SDNNc).

Results: A the first visit 61.7% of children presented with RSA; 51.7% 3 years later. 23.3% of them had RSA only on the first examination; 13.3% only on the second one. The pvRSA, RMSSD, and SDNN measured in 2019 did not differ significantly from their 2016 equivalents (p > 0.05). The decline in RSA defined by RMSSD was noted in 52.5% of children and in 54.2% when defined by SDNN. The corrected values decreased in 68.3 and 64.2% of the participants for RMSSDc and SDNNc, respectively. The students with RSA at both visits had lower heart rate (p < 0.001) and systolic blood pressure (p = 0.010) compared to those with rhythmic electrocardiograms.

Conclusions: RSA in children is changeable, though its measurable indices should be adjusted to heart rate.
Late Quaternary Kinematics and Deformation Rate of the Huoyanshan Structure Derived From Deformed River Terraces in the South Piedmont of the Eastern Chinese Tian Shan
Authors: Yang Xue , Wu Chuanyong , Li Zhigang , Wang Weitao , Chen Gan , Duan Lei
Published: May 2021

The deformation pattern and strain partitioning in the Eastern Chinese Tian Shan are poorly known because of the lack of quantitative study of the kinematics and deformation rate of the major structure. Here we report a late Quaternary shortening rate for the most active reverse fault-and-fold in the Eastern Chinese Tian Shan. We quantified the kinematics and late Quaternary shortening rate of the Huoyanshan structure based on detailed high-resolution remote sensing image interpretations, field investigations and geological mapping. Six generations of folded terraces along the Tuyugou valley that showed the progressive folding process by the Huoyanshan structure were identified. A kinematic model of curved thrust fault propagation and folding allowed us to describe the terrace deformation pattern and subsurface fault geometry and calculate shortening across this structure. Combined with a regional age control of terrace T4 in the Tuyugou valley, a late Quaternary shortening rate of 2.0–3.2 mm/yr of the Huoyanshan structure was obtained. This is a relatively high shortening rate in the whole Eastern Chinese Tian Shan (roughly east of 88 E). This shortening rate of the Huoyanshan structure highlights that the ongoing India and Eurasia collision has affected the entire Tian Shan but shows two strain partitions: the main strain-absorption belt is located within the Eastern Chinese Tian Shan interior, but strain also occurs at the range-front foreland in the Western Tian Shan.
Calculation of Deflection of Vertical and Gravity Anomalies Over the South China Sea Derived from ICESat-2 Data
Authors: Che Defu , Li Hang , Zhang Shengjun , Ma Baodong
Published: May 2021

The Ice, Cloud, and land Elevation Satellite-2 (ICESat-2) satellite uses a synchronized multi-beam photon-counting method to collect data from three pairs of synchronous ground tracks. The sampling rate along the ground tracks is designed to be ∼0.7 m, much smaller than that used in conventional radar altimeters. Hence, it is reasonable to expect an improvement in marine gravity recovery over coastal zones using ICESat-2 data. ICESat-2 provides valid sea surface height (SSH) measurements and a standard data product (ATL12) over ocean areas. This led us to consider the possibility of investigating its ability to calculate the deflection of vertical (DOV) and marine gravity anomalies. We processed ATL12 data about 22 months over the South China Sea (0°–23°N, 103°–120°E) and verified the ability of ICESat-2 SSH measurements to be used in calculating directional components of DOV. The results show that the ICESat-2 SSH data have a similar centimeter-magnitude accuracy level as data from the Jason-2 satellite. Furthermore, the accuracy of cross-track deflection of vertical (CTDOV) calculations between non-identical side beams is lower. For along-track points, the difference in accuracy between the solution of the prime component and the meridional component is significantly reduced, the prime component accuracy is significantly better than the directional components of the gridded deflection of vertical (GDOV), although the enhancement is weak for the meridional component. We also implemented the inversion of the ICESat-2 single mission based on the inverse Vening Meinesz formula, and verified the capability of ICESat-2 gravity field detection using shipborne gravity measurements and XGM2019 gravity field model, and found that the accuracy is 1.35 mGal and 2.47 mGal, respectively. ICESat-2 deserves the attention of the altimetry community, and its advantages are expected to make it an alternative data source for multi-mission fusion inversion of the ocean gravity field in the future.
Using Individualized Photobooks to Enhance 3- and 4-Year-Old Children’s Science Identity Through a Science Outreach Program
Authors: Howitt Christine , Rennie Léonie J.
Published: May 2021

This paper describes how individualized photobooks were used to support 3- and 4-year-old children in demonstrating their science learning and developing their science identity through participation in a science outreach program. Photographic images stimulate children’s visual thinking and allow them to provide explanations of complex concepts using their language, thus supporting children at their level of understanding. Twenty child/parent dyads were video-recorded interacting with the exhibits during a Science Outreach program into Western Australian community playgroups. Screen shots from the video-recordings were used to develop individual printed photobooks for each child. One week after the program, the photobooks were used in a photo-elicitation conversation with the children (accompanied by their parents) about how the exhibits worked. Children took their photobooks home and 7 weeks after the program parents were interviewed about how the photobooks were used. The photobooks were found to assist the children in demonstrating their science understandings by providing a context for conversation and allowing the children to show their competence, use multiple forms of communication (verbal, non-verbal and through parent), and participate or withdraw on their terms. At home, the photobooks were found to be a focus for the children to share their knowledge of the Outreach program with family members, give the children a voice, and provide them with time to express their understandings. Having the child as narrator of his/her story and the adult as listener empowered the child’s sense of identity. The use of individualized photobooks was found to contribute to the development of the children’s identity and increase their agency in science and enhanced the parents’ perceptions of their children as young scientists.
Structure and Topology Analysis of Separated Vortex in Forward-Swept Blade
Authors: Liang D. , Li Y. , Zhou Z. , Wiśniewski P. , Dykas S.
Published: May 2021

Flow separation commonly affects the stability of turbomachines, especially under low-flowrate conditions. Compared with conventional blades, a forward-swept blade is more efficient at high flowrates. However, experiments and numerical simulations show that a forward-swept blade produces an unstable region under low flowrate. In this paper, the topological analysis is used to analyze the structure and size of flow separation in forward swept blades. Three-dimensional structure and formation mechanism of vortices in forward-swept blades are analyzed using the cross-section flow pattern method. For forward-swept blades, flow separation mainly occurs at the blade tip and corner, accompanied by clear velocity fluctuations, the break-up of shed vortices, and diffusion. With decreasing flowrate, the shedding vortices move forward and the speed of vortex annihilation gradually decreases. In addition, the number of singularities in the rotor passage increases with the decrease of flow rate, and the region affected by shedding vortex increases. The rotating direction of internal vortex in turbomachinery is fixed. The pressure surface, passage vortex, and concentrated shedding vortex were found to rotate clockwise, whereas the suction surface, corner vortex, and shedding vortex rotate in a counterclockwise direction.
ATTICUS: Ambient-Intelligent Tele-monitoring and Telemetry for Incepting and Catering Over hUman Sustainability
Authors: Laudato Gennaro , Scalabrino Simone , Colavita Angela Rita , Chiacchiari Quintiliano , D'Orazio Romolo , Donadelli Roberto , De Vito Luca , Picariello Francesco , Tudosa Ioan , Malatesta Raffaele , Gallo Lolita , Oliveto Rocco
Published: May 2021

Wearable devices as medical technologies are becoming an integral part of our lives. Many research studies are dedicated to these devices and are mainly focused on providing personal analytics, measuring physical status, and acquiring physiological signals and parameters. These continuously evolving technologies play an important role in telemedicine. Telemedicine can be broadly defined as the use of advanced telecommunications technologies to support many medical activities, such as the diagnosis, the analysis of patient data, the improvement of disease management and the treatment in remote areas. In this article, we present ATTICUS (Ambient-intelligent Tele-monitoring and Telemetry for Incepting and Catering over hUman Sustainability), an innovative remote monitoring system for ambient-assisted living based on the analysis of vital and behavioral parameters. The ATTICUS system consists of two essential components: a smart wearable—in the form of a short singlet—made of innovative textile which allows the acquisition of real-time body signals, e.g., electrocardiogram (ECG), breathing wave, temperature, and a multi-level Decision Support System (DSS), a distributed software which integrates advanced machine learning methods to automatically detect anomalies. ATTICUS is capable of operating in different application scenarios. Especially, the system will support in-home and out-home monitoring, personal check-ups, and specialized check-ups. Thus, the system will positively impact the canonical medical practices allowing simultaneous and continuous monitoring of a large number of people.
High Productivity Makes Mangroves Potentially Important Players in the Tropical Silicon Cycle
Authors: Elizondo Elani B. , Carey Joanna C. , Al-Haj Alia N. , Lugo Ariel E. , Fulweiler Robinson W.
Published: May 2021

Over the last two decades, recognition of the important role terrestrial plants play in regulating silicon (Si) cycling has emerged. Si improves plant fitness by protecting them from abiotic (e.g., desiccation) and biotic (e.g., fungal attack) stressors. Once incorporated into plant biomass this biogenic Si is more bio-available than the lithogenic material from which it was ultimately derived. Thus plants play a key function in regulating the amount and timing of Si availability in downstream ecosystems. Recent work has highlighted the importance of salt marshes in the temperate Si cycle. However, the role of their tropical counterparts, mangroves, has largely gone unexplored. Here we report foliar concentrations of plant Si (as %Si by dry weight) for four Caribbean mangrove species: Conocarpus erectus (buttonwood), Laguncularia racemosa (white mangrove), Avicennia germinans (black mangrove), and Rhizophora mangle (red mangrove). Overall, the median Si concentration was low (0.07%) and did not vary among plant part (e.g., foliage, twig, and propagule). There was also little variation in Si among species. Using literature values of aboveground net primary production, and the concentrations reported here, we estimate an aboveground mangrove Si uptake rate of 2–10 kg Si ha–1 year–1. These rates are on par with rates reported for temperate and boreal forests as well as low nutrient salt marshes, but lower than estimates for high nutrient salt marshes. Thus, despite the low Si concentrations observed in mangroves, their high productivity appears to make them a hot spot of Si cycling in tropical coastal systems.
Challenges Caused by Imported Cases Abroad for the Prevention and Control of COVID-19 in China
Authors: Zhu Jianfei , Zhang Qingqing , Jia Chenghui , Xu Shuonan , Lei Jie , Chen Jiakuan , Xia Yanmin , Wang Wenchen , Wang Xuejiao , Wen Miaomiao , Wang Hongtao , Zhang Zhipei , Wang Wuping , Zhao Jinbo , Jiang Tao
Published: May 2021

Background: Overseas imported cases of COVID-19 continue to increase in China, so we conducted this study to review the epidemiological characteristics of these patients.

Methods: From February 26 to April 4, 2020, the imported cases from abroad were enrolled in this study. The effect of prevention countermeasures in curbing the spread of COVID-19 was assessed in this study. Moreover, we defined incubation period and confirmed time as from the date of leaving the epicenter to date of symptom onset and date of final diagnosed, respectively, and the interval of symptom onset to final diagnosed time was defined as diagnostic time. Categorical variables were summarized as numbers and percentages, and the difference among the variables were analyzed.

Results: For 670 cases imported from abroad, 555 were Chinese and 115 were foreigners. Apparently, confirmed cases had significantly decreased after China was compelled to temporarily suspend the entry of foreign passport holders with valid visas or residence permits; 6 days after implement of controlled measures, the daily new confirmed cases were reduced to 13 cases. Moreover, about 84.3% of patients (166/197) presented symptoms 1 week after leaving the epicenter, and notably seven patients (3.6%) had symptoms 2 weeks after leaving the epicenter. The median incubation period was 3.0 days (inter quartile range, 1.0 to 6.0), the 95th percentile was 11.6 days. Additionally, most of cases (92.9%) were detected positively of nucleic acid after symptom onset with 4 days, the median diagnostic time was 2.0 days (interquartile range, 1.0 to 3.0), and the 95th percentile of the distribution was 5.0 days. Finally, about 5.8% of patients were healthy carriers, and the median confirmed time of asymptomatic patients was 4.0 days (interquartile range, 2.0 to 9.0). The following variables might be associated with confirmed time: symptom type (P = 0.005), exported regions (P < 0.001), and symptom onset time (P < 0.001).

Conclusions: The prevention countermeasures for imported cases implemented by the Chinese government played an indispensable role in curbing the spread of COVID-19; the time of departure from epicenter could provide an estimate of the incubation period; and a confirmed time, 2-week quarantine period might need to be prolonged, while asymptomatic patients should be closely monitored.
Case Report: Anti-N-Methyl-D-Aspartate Receptor Encephalitis in an Elderly Patient With Primary Sjögren's Syndrome
Authors: Li Xia , Kong Rui , Liao Qiuju , Ye Jing , Zhao Yi
Published: May 2021

Neurological manifestations of primary Sjögren's syndrome (SS) are diverse involving the peripheral and central nervous system. Anti-N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) encephalitis, as the most prevalent autoimmune encephalitis, was rarely reported to be complicated with primary SS. Herein, we present an elderly patient with a 15-year history of primary SS presenting with progressive cognitive dysfunction due to anti-NMDAR encephalitis that was once misdiagnosed as primary degenerative dementia. Early recognition of anti-NMDAR encephalitis and initiation of treatment with steroids and immunosuppressant gained a favorable outcome. Our findings enhance the awareness that autoimmune encephalitis should be taken into account in the patients with primary SS presenting with progressive cognitive impairment.
Knock-Out of Tenascin-C Ameliorates Ischemia-Induced Rod-Photoreceptor Degeneration and Retinal Dysfunction
Authors: Wiemann Susanne , Yousf Aisha , Joachim Stephanie C. , Peters Carolin , Mueller-Buehl Ana M. , Wagner Natalie , Reinhard Jacqueline
Published: May 2021

Retinal ischemia is a common pathomechanism in various eye diseases. Recently, evidence accumulated suggesting that the extracellular matrix (ECM) glycoprotein tenascin-C (Tnc) plays a key role in ischemic degeneration. However, the possible functional role of Tnc in retinal ischemia is not yet known. The aim of our study was to explore retinal function and rod-bipolar/photoreceptor cell degeneration in wild type (WT) and Tnc knock-out (KO) mice after ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury. Therefore, I/R was induced by increasing intraocular pressure in the right eye of wild type (WT I/R) and Tnc KO (KO I/R) mice. The left eye served as untreated control (WT CO and KO CO). Scotopic electroretinogram (ERG) recordings were performed to examine rod-bipolar and rod-photoreceptor cell function. Changes of Tnc, rod-bipolar cells, photoreceptors, retinal structure and apoptotic and synaptic alterations were analyzed by immunohistochemistry, Hematoxylin and Eosin staining, Western blot, and quantitative real time PCR. We found increased Tnc protein levels 3 days after ischemia, while Tnc immunoreactivity decreased after 7 days. Tnc mRNA expression was comparable in the ischemic retina. ERG measurements after 7 days showed lower a-/b-wave amplitudes in both ischemic groups. Nevertheless, the amplitudes in the KO I/R group were higher than in the WT I/R group. We observed retinal thinning in WT I/R mice after 3 and 7 days. Although compared to the KO CO group, retinal thinning was not observed in the KO I/R group until 7 days. The number of PKCα+ rod-bipolar cells, recoverin+ photoreceptor staining and Prkca and Rcvrn expression were comparable in all groups. However, reduced rhodopsin protein as well as Rho and Gnat1 mRNA expression levels of rod-photoreceptors were found in the WT I/R, but not in the KO I/R retina. Additionally, a lower number of activated caspase 3+ cells was observed in the KO I/R group. Finally, both ischemic groups displayed enhanced vesicular glutamate transporter 1 (vGlut1) levels. Collectively, KO mice showed diminished rod-photoreceptor degeneration and retinal dysfunction after I/R. Elevated vGlut1 levels after ischemia could be related to an impaired glutamatergic photoreceptor-bipolar cell signaling and excitotoxicity. Our study provides novel evidence that Tnc reinforces ischemic retinal degeneration, possibly by synaptic remodeling.
Activated Natural Killer Cells Withstand the Relatively Low Glucose Concentrations Found in the Bone Marrow of Multiple Myeloma Patients
Authors: Ehlers Femke A. I. , Mahaweni Niken M. , Olieslagers Timo I. , Bos Gerard M. J. , Wieten Lotte
Published: May 2021

Infusion of ex vivo expanded and cytokine-activated natural killer (NK) cells is a promising alternative way to treat multiple myeloma (MM). However, the tumor microenvironment (TME) may suppress their function. While reduced glucose availability is a TME hallmark of many solid tumors, glucose levels within the TME of hematological malignancies residing in the bone marrow (BM) remain unknown. Here, we measured glucose levels in the BM of MM patients and tested the effect of different glucose levels on NK cells. BM glucose levels were measured using a biochemical analyzer. Compared to the normal range of blood glucose, BM glucose levels were lower in 6 of 9 patients (479-1231 mg/L; mean=731.8 mg/L). The effect of different glucose levels on NK cell cytotoxicity was tested in 4-hour cytotoxicity assays with tumor cells. 500 mg/L glucose (representing low range of MM BM) during the 4-hour cytotoxicity assay did not negatively affect cytotoxicity of activated NK cells, while higher glucose concentrations (4000 mg/L) diminished NK cell cytotoxicity. Since clinical application of NK cell therapy might require ex vivo expansion, expanded NK cells were exposed to a range of glucose concentrations from 500-4000 mg/L for a longer period (4 days). This did not reduce cytotoxicity or IFN-γ secretion nor affected their phenotypic profile. In summary, low glucose concentrations, as found in BM of MM patients, by itself did not compromise the anti-tumor potential of IL-2 activated NK cells in vitro. Although follow up studies in models with a more complex TME would be relevant, our data suggest that highly activated NK cells could be used to target tumors with a reduced glucose environment.
Bioinformatics Analysis of a Prognostic miRNA Signature and Potential Key Genes in Pancreatic Cancer
Authors: Chen Shuoling , Gao Chang , Yu Tianyang , Qu Yueyang , Xiao Gary Guishan , Huang Zunnan
Published: May 2021

Background

In this study, miRNAs and their critical target genes related to the prognosis of pancreatic cancer were screened based on bioinformatics analysis to provide targets for the prognosis and treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Methods

R software was used to screen differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) and genes (DEGs) downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) and Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) databases, respectively. A miRNA Cox proportional hazards regression model was constructed based on the miRNAs, and a miRNA prognostic model was generated. The target genes of the prognostic miRNAs were predicted using TargetScan and miRDB and then intersected with the DEGs to obtain common genes. The functions of the common genes were subjected to Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) analyses. A protein-protein interaction (PPI) network of the common genes was constructed with the STRING database and visualized with Cytoscape software. Key genes were also screened with the MCODE and cytoHubba plug-ins of Cytoscape. Finally, a prognostic model formed by the key gene was also established to help evaluate the reliability of this screening process.

Results

A prognostic model containing four downregulated miRNAs (hsa-mir-424, hsa-mir-3613, hsa-mir-4772 and hsa-mir-126) related to the prognosis of pancreatic cancer was constructed. A total of 118 common genes were enriched in two KEGG pathways and 33 GO functional annotations, including extracellular matrix (ECM)-receptor interaction and cell adhesion. Nine key genes related to pancreatic cancer were also obtained: MMP14, ITGA2, THBS2, COL1A1, COL3A1, COL11A1, COL6A3, COL12A1 and COL5A2. The prognostic model formed by nine key genes also possessed good prognostic ability.

Conclusions

The prognostic model consisting of four miRNAs can reliably predict the prognosis of patients with pancreatic cancer. In addition, the screened nine key genes, which can also form a reliable prognostic model, are significantly related to the occurrence and development of pancreatic cancer. Among them, one novel miRNA (hsa-mir-4772) and two novel genes (COL12A1 and COL5A2) associated with pancreatic cancer have great potential to be used as prognostic factors and therapeutic targets for this tumor.
Immune-Related Gene SERPINE1 Is a Novel Biomarker for Diffuse Lower-Grade Gliomas via Large-Scale Analysis
Authors: Huang Xiaoming , Zhang Fenglin , He Dong , Ji Xiaoshuai , Gao Jiajia , Liu Wenqing , Wang Yunda , Liu Qian , Xin Tao
Published: May 2021

Background

Glioma is one of the highly fatal primary tumors in the central nervous system. As a major component of tumor microenvironment (TME), immune cell has been proved to play a critical role in the progression and prognosis of the diffuse lower-grade gliomas (LGGs). This study aims to screen the key immune-related factors of LGGs by investigating the TCGA database.

Methods

The RNA-sequencing data of 508 LGG patients were downloaded in the TCGA database. ESTIMATE algorithm was utilized to calculate the stromal, immune, and ESTIMATE scores, based on which, the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were analyzed by using “limma” package. Cox regression analysis and the cytoHubba plugin of Cytoscape software were subsequently applied to screen the survival-related genes and hub genes, the intersection of which led to the identification of SERPINE1 that played key roles in the LGGs. The expression patterns, clinical features, and regulatory mechanisms of SERPINE1 in the LGGs were further analyzed by data mining of the TCGA database. What’s more, the above analyses of SERPINE1 were further validated in the LGG cohort from the CGGA database.

Result

We found that stromal and immune cell infiltrations were strongly related to the prognosis and malignancy of the LGGs. A total of 54 survival-related genes and 46 hub genes were screened out in the DEGs, within which SERPINE1 was identified to be significantly overexpressed in the LGG samples compared with the normal tissues. Moreover, the upregulation of SERPINE1 was more pronounced in the gliomas of WHO grade III and IDH wild type, and its expression was correlated with poor prognosis in the LGG patients. The independent prognostic value of SERPINE1 in the LGG patients was also confirmed by Cox regression analysis. In terms of the functions of SERPINE1, the results of enrichment analysis indicated that SERPINE1 was mainly enriched in the immune‐related biological processes and signaling pathways. Furthermore, it was closely associated with infiltrations of immune cells in the LGG microenvironment and acted synergistically with PD1, PD-L1, PD-L2.

Conclusion

These findings proved that SERPINE1 could serve as a prognostic biomarker and potential immunotherapy target of LGGs.
Supraoptimal Iron Nutrition of Brassica napus Plants Suppresses the Iron Uptake of Chloroplasts by Down-Regulating Chloroplast Ferric Chelate Reductase
Authors: Sági-Kazár Máté , Zelenyánszki Helga , Müller Brigitta , Cseh Barnabás , Gyuris Balázs , Farkas Sophie Z. , Fodor Ferenc , Tóth Brigitta , Kovács Béla , Koncz Anna , Visnovitz Tamás , Buzás Edit I. , Bánkúti Barbara , Bánáti Ferenc , Szenthe Kálmán , Solti Ádám
Published: May 2021

Iron (Fe) is an essential micronutrient for plants. Due to the requirement for Fe of the photosynthetic apparatus, the majority of shoot Fe content is localised in the chloroplasts of mesophyll cells. The reduction-based mechanism has prime importance in the Fe uptake of chloroplasts operated by Ferric Reductase Oxidase 7 (FRO7) in the inner chloroplast envelope membrane. Orthologue of Arabidopsis thaliana FRO7 was identified in the Brassica napus genome. GFP-tagged construct of BnFRO7 showed integration to the chloroplast. The time-scale expression pattern of BnFRO7 was studied under three different conditions: deficient, optimal, and supraoptimal Fe nutrition in both leaves developed before and during the treatments. Although Fe deficiency has not increased BnFRO7 expression, the slight overload in the Fe nutrition of the plants induced significant alterations in both the pattern and extent of its expression leading to the transcript level suppression. The Fe uptake of isolated chloroplasts decreased under both Fe deficiency and supraoptimal Fe nutrition. Since the enzymatic characteristics of the ferric chelate reductase (FCR) activity of purified chloroplast inner envelope membranes showed a significant loss for the substrate affinity with an unchanged saturation rate, protein level regulation mechanisms are suggested to be also involved in the suppression of the reduction-based Fe uptake of chloroplasts together with the saturation of the requirement for Fe.
Job Crafting: A Challenge to Promote Decent Work for Vulnerable Workers
Authors: Svicher Andrea , Di Fabio Annamaria
Published: May 2021

In recent years, the decent work agenda has called upon vocational psychologists to advance psychological research and intervention to promote work as a human right. Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic is having disproportionate consequences on vulnerable workers, such as unemployment and underemployment, highlighting the need to enhance access to decent work for these workers. As a response, the present perspective article advances job crafting as a promising way to shape decent work for marginalized workers. To this end, the article deals with decent work and job crafting, starting with the definition of decent work according to the psychology of working theory (PWT) and examining the evolution of the construct of job crafting. Subsequently, the literature on job crafting is discussed, focusing on variables related to the PWT model of decent work and their effect on vulnerable workers. Finally, possibilities for further research and intervention aimed at promoting decent work through job crafting are discussed.
Robot-as-a-Service: From Cloud to Peering Technologies
Authors: Kapitonov Aleksandr , Lonshakov Sergey , Bulatov Vitaly , Montazam Babak Kia , White James
Published: May 2021

This article is devoted to the historical overview of the Robot-as-a-Service concept. Several major scientific publications on the development of Robot-as-a-Service systems based on a service-oriented paradigm are considered. Much attention is paid to the analysis of a centralized approach in the development using cloud computing services and the search for the limitations of this approach. As a result, general conclusions on the reviewed publications are given, as well as the authors' own vision of Robot-as-a-Service systems based on the concept of robot economics.
Sunburn, Sun Safety and Indoor Tanning Among Schoolchildren in Ireland
Authors: Költő András , Rodriguez Lauren , McAvoy Helen , Nic Gabhainn Saoirse
Published: May 2021

Objectives: We present patterns of sunburn, sun safety behaviors and indoor tanning bed use in a nationally representative sample of schoolchildren aged 10–17. These behaviors were explored across gender, age, and social class groups.

Methods: Within the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Ireland study, 10,271 young people (aged 13.54 ± 1.92, percentage girls 53.3%) reported frequency of sun safety behaviors, sunburn, and frequency and circumstances of indoor tanning bed use.

Results: Children frequently experienced sunburn (90% lifetime, 74% last year), and 3% reported never using any sun protection. Applying sunscreen and wearing sunglasses were the most commonly used sun safety measures; other ways of sun protection were less popular. Indoor tanning bed use was reported by around 5%, and a large proportion of users were not advised of any indoor tanning safety measures. Sun safety behaviors varied by age and gender, with some socio-economic differences in tanning bed use. An association was found between frequency of family holidays abroad and sunburn.

Conclusion: Targeted interventions are needed to increase sun safety behaviors and eliminate tanning bed use among children in Ireland.