bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptation is influenced by the complexity of environmental change during evolution in a dynamic environment
Authors: Boyer Sébastien , Hérissant Lucas , Sherlock Gavin
Published: January 2021

The environmental conditions of microorganisms’ habitats may fluctuate in unpredictable ways, such as changes in temperature, carbon source, pH, and salinity to name a few. Environmental heterogeneity presents a challenge to microorganisms, as they have to adapt not only to be fit under a specific condition, but they must also be robust across many conditions and be able to deal with the switch between conditions itself. While experimental evolution has been used to gain insight into the adaptive process, this has largely been in either unvarying or consistently varying conditions. In cases where changing environments have been investigated, relatively little is known about how such environments influence the dynamics of the adaptive process itself, as well as the genetic and phenotypic outcomes. We designed a systematic series of evolution experiments where we used two growth conditions that have differing timescales of adaptation and varied the rate of switching between them. We used lineage tracking to follow adaptation, and whole genome sequenced adaptive clones from each of the experiments. We find that both the switch rate and the order of the conditions influences adaptation. We also find different adaptive outcomes, at both the genetic and phenotypic levels, even when populations spent the same amount of total time in the two different conditions, but the order and/or switch rate differed. Thus, in a variable environment adaptation depends not only on the nature of the conditions and phenotypes under selection, but also on the complexity of the manner in which those conditions are combined to result in a given dynamic environment.
Development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) method for specific detection of Mycobacterium bovis
Authors: Kapalamula Thoko Flav , Thapa Jeewan , Akapelwa Mwangala Lonah , Hayashida Kyoko , Gordon Stephen V. , Hang' ombe Bernard Mudenda , Munyeme Musso , Solo Eddie Samuneti , Bwalya Precious , Nyenje Mirriam Ethel , Tamaru Aki , Suzuki Yasuhiko , Nakajima Chie
Published: January 2021

Bovine tuberculosis (TB) caused byMycobacterium bovisis a significant health threat to cattle and a zoonotic threat for humans in many developing countries. Rapid and accurate detection ofM.bovisis fundamental for controlling the disease in animals and humans, and for the proper treatment of patients as one of the first-line anti-TB drug, pyrazinamide, is ineffective againstM.bovis. Currently, there are no rapid, simplified and low-cost diagnostic methods that can be easily integrated for use in many developing countries. Here, we report the development of a loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assay for specific identification ofM.bovisby targeting the region of difference 4 (RD4), a 12.7 kb genomic region that is deleted solely inM.bovis. The assay's specificity was evaluated using 139 isolates comprising 65M.bovisisolates, 40M.tuberculosisisolates, sevenM.tuberculosiscomplex reference strains, 22 non-tuberculous mycobacteria and five other bacteria. The established LAMP detected onlyM.bovisisolates as positive and no false positives were observed using the other mycobacteria and non-mycobacteria tested. Our LAMP assay detected as low as 10 copies ofM.bovisgenomic DNA within 40 minutes. The procedure of LAMP is simple with an incubation at a constant temperature. Results are observed with the naked eye by a color change, and there is no need for expensive equipment. The established LAMP can be used for the detection ofM.bovisinfections in cattle and humans in resource-limited areas.
Quality and composition of Albendazole, Mebendazole and Praziquantel available in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Tanzania
Authors: Seitzer Moritz , Klapper Sylvia , Mazigo Humphrey D. , Holzgrabe Ulrike , Mueller Andreas
Published: January 2021

Background

Even though the international combat against Neglected Tropical Diseases such as schistosomiasis or soil-transmitted helminthiases depends on reliable therapeutics, anthelminthic pharmacovigilance has been neglected on many national African drug markets. Therefore, quality and composition of Albendazole, Mebendazole and Praziquantel locally collected in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana and Tanzania were analysed.

Methods

Samples of 88 different batches were obtained from randomly selected facilities. Sampling took place in Northwest Tanzania, Western Burkina Faso, Southeast Côte d’Ivoire and Southwest Ghana. Visual examination of both packaging and samples was performed according to the WHO ‘Be Aware’ tool. Products were then screened with the GPHF Minilab, consisting of tests of mass uniformity, disintegration times and thin-layer chromatography (TLC). Confirmatory tests were performed according to international pharmacopoeiae, applying assays for dissolution profiles and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC).

Findings

Despite minor irregularities, appearance of the products did not hint at falsified medicines. However, 19.6% of the brands collected in Ghana and Tanzania were not officially licensed for sale. Mass uniformity was confirmed in 53 out of 58 brands of tablets. 41 out of 56 products passed disintegration times; 10 out of the 15 failing products did not disintegrate at all. Evaluating TLC results, only 4 out of 83 batches narrowly missed specification limits, 18 batches slightly exceeded them. Not more than 46.3% (31 / 67) of the tablets assayed passed the respective pharmaceutical criteria for dissolution. HPLC findings confirmed TLC results despite shifted specification limits: 10 out of 83 tested batches contained less than 90%, none exceeded 110%.

Conclusion

In the four study countries, no falsified anthelminthic medicine was encountered. The active pharmaceutical ingredient was not found to either exceed or fall below specification limits. Galenic characteristics however, especially dissolution profiles, revealed great deficits.
Relevance of oxidative stress in inhibition of eIF2 alpha phosphorylation and stress granules formation during Usutu virus infection
Authors: Blázquez Ana-Belén , Martín-Acebes Miguel A. , Poderoso Teresa , Saiz Juan-Carlos
Published: January 2021

Usutu virus (USUV) is an African mosquito-borne flavivirus closely related to West Nile, Japanese encephalitis, Zika, and dengue viruses. USUV emerged in 1996 in Europe, where quickly spread across the continent causing a considerable number of bird deaths and varied neurological disorders in humans, including encephalitis, meningoencephalitis, or facial paralysis, thus warning about USUV as a potential health threat. USUV replication takes place on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) of infected cells, inducing ER stress and resulting in the activation of stress-related cellular pathways collectively known as the integrated stress response (ISR). The alpha subunit of the eukaryotic initiation factor eIF2 (eIF2α), the core factor in this pathway, is phosphorylated by stress activated kinases: protein kinase R (PKR), PKR-like endoplasmic reticulum kinase (PERK), heme-regulated inhibitor kinase (HRI), and general control non-repressed 2 kinase (GCN2). Its phosphorylation results, among others, in the downstream inhibition of translation with accumulation of discrete foci in the cytoplasm termed stress granules (SGs). Our results indicated that USUV infection evades cellular stress response impairing eIF2α phosphorylation and SGs assembly induced by treatment with the HRI activator ArsNa. This protective effect was related with oxidative stress responses in USUV-infected cells. Overall, these results provide new insights into the complex connections between the stress response and flavivirus infection in order to maintain an adequate cellular environment for viral replication.
Pitfalls in AR42J-model of cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis
Authors: Hollenbach Marcus , Sonnenberg Sebastian , Sommerer Ines , Lorenz Jana , Hoffmeister Albrecht
Published: January 2021

Background

AR42J are immortalized pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells that share similarities with pancreatic acinar cells. AR42J are often used as a cell-culture model of cerulein (CN)-induced acute pancreatitis (AP). Nevertheless, it is controversial how to treat AR42J for reliable induction of AP-like processes. Gene knockout and/or overexpression often remain challenging, as well. In this study, we demonstrate conditions for a reliable induction of proinflammatory markers upon CN treatment in AR42J and high transfection efficacy using Glyoxalase-I (Glo-I) as a target of interest.

Methods

Effects of dexamethasone (dexa) and CN on cell morphology and amylase secretion were analyzed via ELISA of supernatant. IL-6, TNF-α and NF-κB-p65 were measured via qRT-PCR, ELISA and Western Blot (WB). Transfection efficacy was determined by WB, qRT-PCR and immune fluorescence of pEGFP-N1-Glo-I-Vector and Glo-I-siRNA.

Results

Treatment of AR42J with 100 nm dexa is mandatory for differentiation to an acinar-cell-like phenotype and amylase production. CN resulted in secretion of amylase but did not influence amylase production. High levels of CN-induced amylase secretion were detected between 3 and 24 hours of incubation. Treatment with LPS alone or in combination with CN did not influence amylase release compared to control or CN. CN treatment resulted in increased TNF-α production but not secretion and did not influence IL-6 mRNA. CN-induced stimulation of NF-κB was found to be highest on protein levels after 6h of incubation. Transient transfection was able to induce overexpression on protein and mRNA levels, with highest effect after 12 to 24 hours. Gene-knockdown was achieved by using 30 pmol of siRNA leading to effective reduction of protein levels after 72 hours. CN did not induce amylase secretion in AR42J cell passages beyond 35.

Conclusion

AR42J cells demonstrate a reliablein-vitromodel of CN-induced AP but specific conditions are mandatory to obtain reproducible data.
Perceived work environment and patient-centered behavior: A study of selected district hospitals in the central region of Ghana
Authors: Abekah-Nkrumah Gordon , Nkrumah Jacqueline
Published: January 2021

Introduction

Quality work environment has been established as a marker of employee value creation. A plethora of qualitative evidence suggested that sustained focus on employee satisfaction through changes in the work environment, communication of patient-centered care strategic vision, management of staff workload, and workplace social support are factors that stimulate Patient-centered care. Yet, it seems that the effect of work environment on the patient-centered behavior of hospital employees has not been statistically estimated, and it is unclear which of the elements of the work environment best predict patient-centered behavior.

Methods

Using a survey design and quantitative methods to gather and analyze data, a sample of 179 respondents from three district hospitals were included in the study using a multi-stage proportional sampling technique. Data were collected using self-administered Likert item questionnaires. Simple linear regression was used to estimate the influence of work environment elements on patient-centered behavior. Stepwise multiple regression was used to determine the best predictors of patient-centered behavior of hospital employees.

Results

Perceived internal communication of patient-centered care strategies (β = 0.23; P<0.001), supervisor support (β = 0.31; P<0.001), coworker support (β = 0.50; P<0.001), and working conditions (β = 0.18; P<0.013) had a positive significant effect on patient-centered behavior of employees. Good predictors of employees’ patient-centered behavior were perceived coworker support (β = 0.51; P<0.001) and job characteristics (β = 0.16; P<0.01).

Conclusion

The work environment of hospital employees significantly affects their patient-centered behavior. Co-worker support and job characteristics were the best predictors of the patient-centered behavior of hospital employees. Hospitals Managers seeking to improve patient-centered behavior through employee value creation may consider improved job characteristics in combination with workplace social support and or communication of PCC strategies and goals.
A dynamic generalized fuzzy multi-criteria croup decision making approach for green supplier segmentation
Authors: Duc Do Anh , Van Luu Huu , Yu Vincent F. , Chou Shuo-Yan , Hien Ngo Van , Chi Ngo The , Toan Dinh Van , Dat Luu Quoc
Published: January 2021

Supplier selection and segmentation are crucial tasks of companies in order to reduce costs and increase the competitiveness of their goods. To handle uncertainty and dynamicity in the supplier segmentation problem, this research thus proposes a new dynamic generalized fuzzy multi-criteria group decision making (MCGDM) approach from the aspects of capability and willingness and with respect to environmental issues. The proposed approach defines the aggregated ratings of alternatives, the aggregated weights of criteria, and the weighted ratings by using generalized fuzzy numbers with the effect of time weight. Next, we determine the ranking order of alternatives via a popular centroid-index ranking approach. Finally, two case studies demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed dynamic approach. The applications show that the proposed appoach is effective in solving the MCGDM in vague environment.
T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans: A systematic review
Authors: Shrotri Madhumita , van Schalkwyk May C. I. , Post Nathan , Eddy Danielle , Huntley Catherine , Leeman David , Rigby Samuel , Williams Sarah V. , Bermingham William H. , Kellam Paul , Maher John , Shields Adrian M. , Amirthalingam Gayatri , Peacock Sharon J. , Ismail Sharif A.
Published: January 2021

Background

Understanding the T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 is critical to vaccine development, epidemiological surveillance and disease control strategies. This systematic review critically evaluates and synthesises the relevant peer-reviewed and pre-print literature published from 01/01/2020-26/06/2020.

Methods

For this systematic review, keyword-structured literature searches were carried out in MEDLINE, Embase and COVID-19 Primer. Papers were independently screened by two researchers, with arbitration of disagreements by a third researcher. Data were independently extracted into a pre-designed Excel template and studies critically appraised using a modified version of the MetaQAT tool, with resolution of disagreements by consensus. Findings were narratively synthesised.

Results

61 articles were included. 55 (90%) studies used observational designs, 50 (82%) involved hospitalised patients with higher acuity illness, and the majority had important limitations. Symptomatic adult COVID-19 cases consistently show peripheral T cell lymphopenia, which positively correlates with increased disease severity, duration of RNA positivity, and non-survival; while asymptomatic and paediatric cases display preserved counts. People with severe or critical disease generally develop more robust, virus-specific T cell responses. T cell memory and effector function has been demonstrated against multiple viral epitopes, and, cross-reactive T cell responses have been demonstrated in unexposed and uninfected adults, but the significance for protection and susceptibility, respectively, remains unclear.

Conclusion

A complex pattern of T cell response to SARS-CoV-2 infection has been demonstrated, but inferences regarding population level immunity are hampered by significant methodological limitations and heterogeneity between studies, as well as a striking lack of research in asymptomatic or pauci-symptomatic individuals. In contrast to antibody responses, population-level surveillance of the T cell response is unlikely to be feasible in the near term. Focused evaluation in specific sub-groups, including vaccine recipients, should be prioritised.
Knowledge on tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS service by tuberculosis patients in Lalitpur District, Nepal
Authors: Gautam Nirmal , Karki Rewati Raj , Khanam Rasheda
Published: January 2021

Background

Tuberculosis is one of the major infectious diseases and is both complex and serious. It is spread from person to person through the air, causing a public health burden, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to assess the knowledge on tuberculosis and the utilization of Directly-Observed Therapy, Short Course (DOTS) service from the public DOTS centers in Lalitpur district of Nepal.

Method

A structured questionnaire was used to collect data from 23 DOTS centers in Lalitpur district. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression was applied to assess the knowledge on tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS among people living with tuberculosis.

Results

Among 390 respondents, 80% of patients had knowledge of tuberculosis and 76.92% utilized the DOTS service from the DOTS center. People of higher age (50–60 years) [aOR; 13.96, 95% CI 4.79,40.68], [aOR; 10.84,95% CI 4.09,28.76] had significantly more knowledge on TB and utilization of the DOTS service compared to the younger group. Additionally, those who completed twelfth class [aOR; 2.25, 95% CI 0.46,11.07] and [aOR;2.47, 95% CI 0.51,11.28] had greater knowledge of Tuberculosis and utilization of DOTS compared to those who had not completed twelfth class. Likewise, compared to urban residents, respondents in rural areas (aOR; 0.51, 95% CI 0.27,0.97) had less knowledge of tuberculosis, (aOR; 0.57, 95% CI 0.32,1) and less chance of utilization of the DOTS service from the DOTS center.

Conclusion

Approximately one quarter of patients did not have adequate knowledge of tuberculosis and were not utilizing the DOTS service, particularly in younger age groups, people living in a combined family, with no education, poor economic position, and from rural areas. Findings of this study revealed that some specific programs are needed for enhancing the knowledge and utilization of DOTS, particularly for those patients whose economic situations extended from low to mid range.
What affected Chinese parents’ decisions about tuberculosis (TB) treatment: Implications based on a cross-sectional survey
Authors: Xia Tingsong , Chen Juan , Rui Jian , Li Jinxu , Guo Yuli
Published: January 2021

Objective

Although progress has been made in tuberculosis (TB) treatment, China still remains one of the high-burden TB countries. One important reason that has not received sufficient scholarly attention is that Chinese individuals tend to underestimate the threat of TB. This contributed to the high rate of delay in seeking TB treatment and noncompliance with doctors’ regimen. Hence, this research examined how TB knowledge affected Chinese parents’ risk perceptions and their efficacy appraisal in TB treatment, and how their risk perception and efficacy appraisal affected their intentions to seek timely TB treatment for their children and adhere to doctors’ regimen.

Methods

We conducted an online cross-sectional survey with 1129 parents of children attending kindergarten, primary school, and middle school in Shajing, a region with high TB incidence in China. Perceived severity of TB threat to self and to others, perceived susceptibility, response efficacy, and self-efficacy were measured, in addition to TB knowledge and intentions to seek timely TB treatment and adhere to doctors’ regimens.

Results

Ordinal least squares regression demonstrated that TB knowledge was positively associated with perceived severity of TB threat to self, perceived severity of TB threat to others, perceived susceptibility, response efficacy, and self-efficacy, but it did not affect their medical decisions. In addition, binary logistic regression revealed that response efficacy and self-efficacy predicted both intentions positively, and perceived severity of TB threat to self only enhanced Chinese individuals’ intention to follow doctors’ regimens.

Conclusion

Health education aimed at knowledge improvement may be effective in changing one’s perceptions of the given health threat but may not be effective to change their behavior. Thus, practitioners need to focus on changing Chinese parents’ perceptions of TB rather than simply improving their knowledge. Specifically, it is necessary to lower their efficacy in self-management and enhance their perceived infectiousness of TB.
Development and validation of a diabetes risk score among two populations
Authors: Schwatka Natalie V. , Smith Derek E. , Golden Ashley , Tran Molly , Newman Lee S. , Cragle Donna
Published: January 2021

The purpose of this study was to assess the validity of a practical diabetes risk score amongst two heterogenous populations, a working population and a non-working population. Study population 1 (n = 2,089) participated in a large-scale screening program offered to retired workers to discover previously undetected/incipient chronic illness. Study population 2 (n = 3,293) was part of a Colorado worksite wellness program health risk assessment. We assessed the relationship between a continuous diabetes risk score at baseline and development of diabetes in the future using logistic regression. Receiver operating curves and sensitivity/specificity of the models were calculated. Across both study populations, we observed that participants with diabetes at follow-up had higher diabetes risk scores at baseline than participants who did not have diabetes at follow-up. On average, the odds ratio of developing diabetes in the future was 1.38 (95% CI: 1.26–1.50, p < 0.0001) for study population 1 and 1.68 (95% CI: 1.45–1.95, p-value < 0.0001) for study population 2. These findings indicate that the diabetes risk score may be generalizable to diverse individuals, and thus potentially a population level diabetes screening tool. Minimally-invasive diabetes risk scores can aid in the identification of sub-populations of individuals at risk for diabetes.
Aggregated LDL turn human macrophages into foam cells and induce mitochondrial dysfunction without triggering oxidative or endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Sanda Gabriela M. , Stancu Camelia S. , Deleanu Mariana , Toma Laura , Niculescu Loredan S. , Sima Anca V.
Published: January 2021

Uptake of modified lipoproteins by macrophages turns them into foam cells, the hallmark of the atherosclerotic plaque. The initiation and progression of atherosclerosis have been associated with mitochondrial dysfunction. It is known that aggregated low-density lipoproteins (agLDL) induce massive cholesterol accumulation in macrophages in contrast with native LDL (nLDL) and oxidized LDL (oxLDL). In the present study we aimed to assess the effect of agLDL on the mitochondria and ER function in macrophage-derived foam cells, in an attempt to estimate the potential of these cells, known constituents of early fatty streaks, to generate atheroma in the absence of oxidative stress. Results show that agLDL induce excessive accumulation of free (FC) and esterified cholesterol in THP-1 macrophages and determine mitochondrial dysfunction expressed as decreased mitochondrial membrane potential and diminished intracellular ATP levels, without generating mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. AgLDL did not stimulate intracellular ROS (superoxide anion or hydrogen peroxide) production, and did not trigger endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) or apoptosis. In contrast to agLDL, oxLDL did not modify FC levels, but stimulated the accumulation of 7-ketocholesterol in the cells, generating oxidative stress which is associated with an increased mitochondrial dysfunction, ERS and apoptosis. Taken together, our results reveal that agLDL induce foam cells formation and mild mitochondrial dysfunction in human macrophages without triggering oxidative or ERS. These data could partially explain the early formation of fatty streaks in the intima of human arteries by interaction of monocyte-derived macrophages with non-oxidatively aggregated LDL generating foam cells, which cannot evolve into atherosclerotic plaques in the absence of the oxidative stress.
Does curve pattern impact on the effects of physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercises on Cobb angles of participants with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis: A prospective clinical trial with two years follow-up
Authors: Fan Yunli , To Michael K. T. , Yeung Eric H. K. , Wu Jianbin , He Rong , Xu Zhuoman , Zhang Ruiwen , Li Guangshuo , Cheung Kenneth M. C. , Cheung Jason P. Y.
Published: January 2021

Background

Current clinical evidence suggests that a well-planned physiotherapeutic scoliosis specific exercise (PSSE) program is effective for scoliosis regression.

Objectives

We investigated the effect of curve patterns on Cobb angles with PSSE.

Methods

This was a non-randomized prospective clinical trial that recruited participants with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis between January and June 2017. Participants were grouped by curve pattern into major thoracic and major lumbar groups. An outpatient-based PSSE program was conducted with the following schedule of intensive exercise: ≥ 1 session of supervised PSSE per month and > 30min of home exercise 5 days/week in the first 6 months, after which exercise frequency was reduced to 1 session of supervised PSSE every three months and > 30min of home exercise 5 days/week until 2 years after study initiation. Radiographic Cobb angle progressions were identified at the 1, 1.5 and 2-year follow-ups. A mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to examine the differences in Cobb angles between groups at four testing time points. The two-tailed significance level was set to 0.05.

Results

In total, 40 participants were recruited, including 22 with major thoracic curves (5 males and 17 females; mean age 13.5±1.8 years; Cobb angle 18–45 degrees) and 18 with major lumbar curves (7 males and 11 females; mean age 12.7±1.7 years; Cobb angle 15–48 degrees). Curve regressions, namely the reduction of Cobb angles between 7 to 10 degrees were noted in 9.1% of participants in the major thoracic group; reductions of 6 to 13 degrees were noted in 33.3% of participants in the major lumbar group at the 2-year follow-up. Repeated measurements revealed a significant time effect (F2.2,79.8 = 4.1, p = 0.02), but no group (F2.2,79.8 = 2.3, p = 0.1) or time × group (F1,37 = 0.97, p = 0.3) effects in reducing Cobb angles after 2 years of PSSE. A logistic regression analysis revealed that no correlation was observed between curve pattern and curve regression or stabilization (OR: 0.2, 95% CI: 0.31–1.1, p = 0.068) at the 2-year follow-up.

Conclusion

This was the first study to investigate the long-term effects of PSSE in reducing Cobb angles on the basis of major curve location. No significant differences in correction were observed between major thoracic and major lumbar curves. A regression effect and no curve deterioration were noted in both groups at the 2-year follow-up.

Trial registration

ChiCTR1900028073.
Functional characterization and immunomodulatory properties of Lactobacillus helveticus strains isolated from Italian hard cheeses
Authors: Zago Miriam , Massimiliano Lucia , Bonvini Barbara , Penna Giuseppe , Giraffa Giorgio , Rescigno Maria
Published: January 2021

Lactobacillus helveticus carries many properties such as the ability to survive gastrointestinal transit, modulate the host immune response, accumulate biopeptides in milk, and adhere to the epithelial cells that could contribute to improving host health. In this study, the applicability as functional cultures of four L. helveticus strains isolated from Italian hard cheeses was investigated. A preliminary strain characterization showed that the ability to produce folate was generally low while antioxidant, proteolytic, peptidase, and β-galactosidase activities resulted high, although very variable, between strains. When stimulated moDCs were incubated in the presence of live cells, a dose-dependent release of both the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-12p70 and the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10, was shown for all the four strains. In the presence of cell-free culture supernatants (postbiotics), a dose-dependent, decrease of IL-12p70 and an increase of IL-10 was generally observed. The immunomodulatory effect took place also in Caciotta-like cheese made with strains SIM12 and SIS16 as bifunctional (i.e., immunomodulant and acidifying) starter cultures, thus confirming tests in culture media. Given that the growth of bacteria in the cheese was not necessary (they were killed by pasteurization), the results indicated that some constituents of non-viable bacteria had immunomodulatory properties. This study adds additional evidence for the positive role of L. helveticus on human health and suggests cheese as a suitable food for delivering candidate strains and modulating their anti-inflammatory properties.
Simulation code for estimating external gamma-ray doses from a radioactive plume and contaminated ground using a local-scale atmospheric dispersion model
Authors: Satoh Daiki , Nakayama Hiromasa , Furuta Takuya , Yoshihiro Tamotsu , Sakamoto Kensaku
Published: January 2021

In this study, we developed a simulation code powered by lattice dose-response functions (hereinafter SIBYL), which helps in the quick and accurate estimation of external gamma-ray doses emitted from a radioactive plume and contaminated ground. SIBYL couples with atmospheric dispersion models and calculates gamma-ray dose distributions inside a target area based on a map of activity concentrations using pre-evaluated dose-response functions. Moreover, SIBYL considers radiation shielding due to obstructions such as buildings. To examine the reliability of SIBYL, we investigated five typical cases for steady-state and unsteady-state plume dispersions by coupling the Gaussian plume model and the local-scale high-resolution atmospheric dispersion model using large eddy simulation. The results of this coupled model were compared with those of full Monte Carlo simulations using the particle and heavy-ion transport code system (PHITS). The dose-distribution maps calculated using SIBYL differed by up to 10% from those calculated using PHITS in most target locations. The exceptions were locations far from the radioactive contamination and those behind the intricate structures of building arrays. In addition, SIBYL’s computation time using 96 parallel processing elements was several tens of minutes even for the most computationally expensive tasks of this study. The computation using SIBYL was approximately 100 times faster than the same calculation using PHITS under the same computation conditions. From the results of the case studies, we concluded that SIBYL can estimate a ground-level dose-distribution map within one hour with accuracy that is comparable to that of the full Monte Carlo simulation.
Study on the region-specific expression of epididymis mRNA in the rams
Authors: Wu Cuiling , Wang Chunxin , Zhai Bo , Zhao Yunhui , Zhao Zhuo , Yuan Zhiyu , Fu Xuefeng , Zhang Mingxin
Published: January 2021

The epididymis is divided into three regions including the caput, corpus and cauda. Gene expression profiles in different regions indicate the different functions of epididymis which are crucial for sperm maturation. In this study, three one-year-old rams was used as the experimental animal. Transcriptome sequencing technology was used to sequence mRNA in the caput, corpus and cauda of the epididymis. Based on the spatiotemporal-specific expression pattern in the epididymis, the mRNA expression profiles of the three parts of the epididymis were analysed. Region-specifically expressed genes were analysed by GO and KEGG analyses to screen the key genes involved in sheep sperm maturation. We obtained 129, 54 and 99 specifically expressed genes in the caput, corpus and cauda, respectively. And twenty specific expressed genes related to sperm maturation were used to construct functional networks. The heatmap showed that 6 genes of LCN protein family were highly expressed in the head of epididymis of sheep. We infer that sperm maturation is gradual in the epididymis and that there are significant differences in epididymal gene expression patterns between different species. This provides a data resource for analysing the regulatory mechanism of epididymis genes related to sperm maturation in rams.
Zooplankton variability in the Strait of Georgia, Canada, and relationships with the marine survivals of Chinook and Coho salmon
Authors: Perry R. Ian , Young Kelly , Galbraith Moira , Chandler Peter , Velez-Espino Antonio , Baillie Steve
Published: January 2021

The Strait of Georgia, Canada, has complex interactions among natural and human pressures that confound understanding of changes in this system. We report on the interannual variability in biomass of 12 zooplankton taxonomic groups in the deep (bottom depths greater than 50 m) central and northern Strait of Georgia from 1996 to 2018, and their relationships with 10 physical variables. Total zooplankton biomass was dominated (76%) by large-sized crustaceans (euphausiids, large and medium size calanoid copepods, amphipods). The annual anomaly of total zooplankton biomass was highest in the late 1990s, lowest in the mid-2000s, and generally above its climatological (1996–2010) average after 2011, although many individual groups had different patterns. Two latent trends (derived from dynamic factor analyses) described the variability of annual biomass anomalies underlying all zooplankton groups: a U-shaped trend with its minimum in the mid-2000s, and a declining trend from 2001 to 2011. Two latent trends also described the physical variables. The variability represented by these four latent trends clustered into two periods: 1996–2006, with generally declining zooplankton biomass and increasing salinities, and 2007–2018, with increasing zooplankton biomass and decreasing salinities. ARIMA modelling showed sea surface salinity at Entrance Island in the middle Strait of Georgia, the Pacific Decadal Oscillation, and the peak date of the spring phytoplankton bloom were significantly related to the two latent zooplankton trends. ARIMA models comparing zooplankton and physical variables with the marine survivals of four salmon populations which enter the Strait as juveniles (Chinook: Cowichan River, Puntledge River, Harrison River; Coho: Big Qualicum River) all included zooplankton groups consistent with known salmon prey; prominent among the physical variables were sea surface salinity and variables representing the flow from the Fraser River. These regressions explained (adjR2) 38 to 85% of the annual variability in marine survival rates of these salmon populations over the study time period. Although sea temperature was important in some relationships between zooplankton biomass and salmon marine survival, salinity was a more frequent and more important variable, consistent with its influence on the hydrodynamics of the Strait of Georgia system.
The effect of de-escalation of P2Y12 receptor inhibitor therapy after acute myocardial infarction in patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention: A nationwide cohort study
Authors: Yeh Jong-Shiuan , Hsu Chien-Yi , Huang Chun-Yao , Chen Wan-Ting , Hsieh Yi-Chen , Chien Li-Nien
Published: January 2021

To examine the effect of de-escalation of P2Y12 inhibitor in dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) on major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) and bleeding complications after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in Taiwanese patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Patients who had received PCI during hospitalization for AMI (between 2013 and 2016) and were initially treated with aspirin and ticagrelor and without adverse events after 3 months of treatment were retrospectively evaluated. In total, 1,901 and 8,199 patients were identified as “de-escalated DAPT” (switched to aspirin and clopidogrel) and “unchanged DAPT” (continued on aspirin and ticagrelor) cohorts, respectively. With a mean follow-up of 8 months, the incidence rates (per 100 person-year) of death, AMI readmission and MACE were 2.89, 3.68, and 4.91 in the de-escalated cohort and 2.42, 3.28, and 4.72 in the unchanged cohort, respectively, based on an inverse probability of treatment weighted approach that adjusting for baseline characteristics of the patients. Multivariate Cox regression analyses showed the two groups had no significant differences in the hazard risk of death, AMI admission, and MACE. Additionally, there was no observed difference in the risk of bleeding, including major or clinically relevant non-major bleeding. The real-world data revealed that de-escalation of P2Y12 inhibitor in DAPT was not associated with a higher risk of death or AMI readmission in Taiwanese patients with AMI undergoing successful PCI.
Effectiveness of adulticide and larvicide in controlling high densities of Aedes aegypti in urban environments
Authors: Wilke André B. B. , Vasquez Chalmers , Carvajal Augusto , Ramirez Monica , Cardenas Gabriel , Petrie William D. , Beier John C.
Published: January 2021

Current management and control of Aedes aegypti populations in urban areas are based on the spraying of insecticides. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of spraying larvicide (Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis) using a truck-mounted Buffalo Turbine and adulticide (Deltamethrin) using a Grizzly ULV Sprayer in an urban area with high densities of Ae. aegypti and many cryptic and difficult to reach aquatic breeding habitats. Experiments were conducted in a tire shop located in Miami-Dade County, Florida with approximately 100,000 used airplane tires. Insecticide interventions were performed after a baseline survey consisting of 3 weeks of collections, followed by two insecticide interventions: (i) application of the adulticide followed by the application of larvicide on the subsequent week; and (ii) application of both adulticide and larvicide on two consecutive weeks. The first insecticide intervention resulted in a non-significant decrease in the relative abundance of Ae. aegypti. On the other hand, the second insecticide intervention significantly reduced the Ae. aegypti relative abundance (P < 0.002). Our results demonstrated that the combined insecticide interventions on two consecutive weeks significantly reduced the relative abundance of Ae. aegypti. This result indicated that the larvicide was successfully propelled reaching cryptical and difficult to reach aquatic habitats. However, even though the number of mosquitoes was greatly reduced, it was still greatly above the 10-mosquito threshold by trap night used by the Miami-Dade Mosquito Control Division to deploy an inspector to survey the area. Considering the lack of new and effective mosquito control tools, efficient and mobile insecticide propellers such as Buffalo Turbine can be of great help to manage mosquito populations in urban areas.
Navigation in darkness: How the marine midge (Pontomyia oceana) locates hard substrates above the water level to lay eggs
Authors: Chang Chun-Gin , Hsu Chia-Hsuan , Soong Keryea
Published: January 2021

Finding suitable habitats for specific functions such as breeding provides examples of key biotic adaptation. The adult marine midgePontomyia oceanarequires an extremely specific habitat, i.e., hard substrates above water in shallow water, to deposit fertilized eggs. We investigated how these sea surface-skimming insects accomplished this with a stringent time constraint of 1–2 h of the adult life span in the evenings. We observed that in artificial containers, midges aggregated at bright spots only if the light was not in the direction of the sea. This behavior could potentially attract midges toward the shore and away from the open water. Experiments were performed in the intertidal zone in southern Taiwan to test three hypotheses explaining such behavior: gradients of temperature and CO2, and soundscape. No differences were observed in moving directions or aggregation of midges under artificial temperature and CO2gradients. However, midges preferred sounds at 75 Hz compared with other frequencies (all ≤300 Hz) as observed in a field experiment involving floating traps with loudspeakers. Moreover, when background noise was experimentally masked using white noise of all frequencies, midges were significantly more likely to aggregate at bright spots in the direction of the sea than in the absence of white noise. These results establish that sound is used by midges to navigate in dark seas and move toward the shore where exposed hard substrates are in abundance. Marine mammals present well-known cases of sound pollution at sea; here the finding in the insignificant marine midge is just the harbinger of the potential effects noise at shore may have to affect critical reproductive stages of marine organisms.
Novela y ficción. (A propósito de Una novela criminal de Jorge Volpi)
Authors: Martín Francisco José
Published: January 2021

Partiendo de la división aristotélica entre el relato de las cosas sucedidas y las que podrían suceder, que tradicionalmente ha enfrentado la escritura de la historia a la creación poética, este artículo se adentra en las derivas de algunos conceptos que surgen a la luz de esta dicotomía, como son los de literatura y poesía, o ficción y novela, en su diferente modo de aproximación a lo real. Sobre este acercamiento, el artículo propone una lectura de Una novela criminal de Jorge Volpi que explore las posibilidades de la novela para constituirse como un medio privilegiado de indagación de los aspectos ficcionales de toda representación de lo real. La maestría de la novela no ficcional de Volpi consiste no tanto en decantar la diferencia entre ficción y verdad sino, más bien, en hacer forma del límite mismo.
Emergencia del institucionalismo en la teoría argumental
Authors: Navarro María G.
Published: January 2021

Uno de los desafíos relacionados con las prácticas discursivas de agentes argumentativos es el de llegar a conocer si esas interacciones tienen un efecto institucional. En este artículo se sostiene que en el nuevo institucionalismo se perfilan enfoques teóricos y análisis determinantes para investigar prácticas argumentativas que tienen lugar en procesos de legitimación y reconocimiento. Aquí se defiende un doble enfoque socio-institucional y discursivo o constructivista de la teoría argumental, y se sostiene que dicha perspectiva podría ampliarse hasta dar lugar a un programa de investigación destinado a interpretar procesos argumentativos en la esfera pública que actúan como mecanismo de cálculo y conformación de capital social.
Francisco Sánchez: ¿Escéptico académico o pirrónico?
Authors: García Rodríguez Sergio
Published: January 2021

La figura de Francisco Sánchez, el escéptico ha estado siempre sujeta a distintas polémicas tanto biográficas como filosóficas. En este sentido, a lo largo de las últimas décadas se ha dado una controversia sobre si su escepticismo se debe considerar de corte académico o pirrónico. Este artículo reconstruye las aproximaciones académicas y pirrónicas que se han realizado a fin de determinar su consistencia y ofrece nuevos argumentos para defender el carácter académico de su escepticismo.
Paradoxes of Pain: A Dialogue between Plato and Contemporary Phenomenology
Authors: Torres Bernat Morales
Published: January 2021

The paper presents a dialogue, between contemporary phenomenology and Plato, on the nature and complexity of pain. Taking as a departure point D. Leder’s article «The experiential paradoxes of pain», the article delves into the essentially liminal character of pain and focusses afterwards in two paradoxes that this experiences reveals. The first one is the one that describes pain as a sensation and also as an interpretation; the second one is the one that describes pain as a destructive and also productive experience. Throughout the article we will see that the Platonic approach, although being much more holistic (in the sense of combining always the persona, ethical, political and also cosmological perspective), is not far away from the phenomenological one. That both approaches try to set limits and to describe an experience that escapes all limitations and determinations.
Thoughts on Pain. Friedrich Nietzsche and Human Suffering
Authors: Scolari Paolo
Published: January 2021

In Nietzsche the autobiographical theme of disease has at its core the philosophical problem of pain. While he reflects daily on the actual condition of the ill person, Nietzsche oscillates the man like a pendulum. He defines him as ‘the most melancholic and most happy animal who suffers so profoundly that he must invent laughter’, as ‘the ill animal’ but also ‘the most courageous and most used to pain’. Nietzsche seems to be entertained no end by playing around with these definitions, almost as if he is making fun of Aristotle.

   It is in fact these two later quotations from the Genealogy that go on to construct the tracks on which his reflections on badness and suffering will move, marking out the area in which the decisive ‘match’ of the health of humanity is discussed. The first displays a Nietzsche who is always tranchant and blazing in its ability to conjure up the humanity of humans in few words. The highlight of the determinate article is original (‘the ill animal’) and shows that man is a unique animal who can define himself as being ill.  The second suggests the image of a human being who tolerates pain with courage, arriving, just thanks to this journey of pain, to embark on a voyage leading to internal transformation.

   Nietzsche’s lifelong illness was what prompted him to develop the philosophical problem of pain and its relationship with thought. Taking advantage of his condition as a constant sufferer, Nietzsche strived to understand which directions human thought is able to take whenever it is ‘subjected to the pressure of evil’. The first is a hypocritical direction, represented by man’s attempts to remove pain from his life. Nietzsche denounces all justifications made for the purpose of providing at all costs a meaning for suffering, and which converge with the modern welfare society that dares to fashion mankind ‘without evil’. The other direction, however, is that of those who are not afraid to listen to suffering. Reflecting on his own personal situation, Nietzsche outlines the traits of human beings who reach out towards the mystery of existence and, shaken by the experience of pain, come to abandon their certainties and adopt a more critical view of themselves.

   ‘Every man is a medical history’, recites a posthumous fragment. Certainly, Nietzsche himself is the first to notice ‘his own story is the story of an illness and also of a healing’ – and this is not only true for him but for everyone who experiences suffering up close. This experience of pain – so intimate that it seems difficult to express in words – does not cause one to be locked up inside of oneself but rather serves to introduce a discussion on one’s subjectivity and as an occasion for a moral adventure into the profundities of one’s existence.
El proceso constructivo de la colegiata de Santa María la Mayor de Alcañiz (Teruel) a través del pleito entre el Ayuntamiento y el Cabildo. 1771‑1779
Authors: Martín Marco Jorge
Published: January 2021

Los conflictos de preeminencia que venían arrastrando el Ayuntamiento de Alcañiz y el Cabildo de la colegial de la ciudad desembocaron en un pleito que fue incoado ante la Real Audiencia de Aragón en 1771 y que se prolongó durante ocho años. Ambas instituciones aportaron diversa documentación sobre su implicación en diferentes empresas artísticas para apoyar sus versiones, y que, en algunos casos, los originales no han llegado hasta nuestros días, por lo que constituyen una importante fuente documental que permite arrojar luz a la historia constructiva de la empresa arquitectónica más importante de la provincia de Teruel en el Setecientos.