bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Training for Awareness, Resilience and Action (TARA) for medical students: a single-arm mixed methods feasibility study to evaluate TARA as an indicated intervention to prevent mental disorders and stress-related symptoms
Authors: Ekbäck Erik , von Knorring Johanna , Burström Anna , Hunhammar David , Dennhag Inga , Molin Jenny , Henje Eva
Published: February 2022

Background

Medical students have a higher risk for depression, anxiety, stress-related symptoms, burnout, and suicide, and more rarely seek professional help or treatment than the general population. Appeals are being made to address the mental health and resilience of physicians-to-be. The novel program Training for Awareness, Resilience, and Action (TARA) was originally developed to treat depressed adolescents, targeting specific neuroscientific findings in this population. TARA has shown feasibility and preliminary efficacy in clinically depressed adolescents and corresponding brain-changes in mixed community adolescent samples. The present study investigated the feasibility and acceptability of TARA as a potential indicated prevention program for symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and burnout in Swedish medical students.

Methods

We conducted a single-arm trial with 23 self-selected students in their early semesters of medical school (mean age 25.38 years, 5 males and 18 females), with or without mental disorders. All participants received TARA. Self-reported symptoms of depression, anxiety, perceived stress and psychological inflexibility were collected before (T0) and after the intervention (T1). Qualitative data on the participants’ experiences of TARA were collected in focus-group interviews conducted halfway through the program and upon completion of the program. Individual interviews were also conducted 2 years later. Qualitative content analysis was performed.

Results

The mean attendance rate was 61.22% and the dropout rate was 17.40%. The Child Session Rating Scale administered after every session reflected an overall acceptable content, mean total score 34.99 out of 40.00. Trends towards improvement were seen across all outcome measures, including the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale Anxiety (t = 1.13, p = 0.29) and Depression (t = 1.71, p = 0.11) subscales, Perceived Stress Scale (t = 0.67, p = 0.51) and Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for youth (t = 1.64, p = 0.10). None of the participants deteriorated markedly during the intervention. Qualitative content analysis resulted in a main theme labeled: “An uncommon meeting-ground for personal empowerment”, with 4 themes; “Acknowledging unmet needs”, “Entering a free zone”, “Feeling connected to oneself and others” and “Expanding self-efficacy”.

Conclusion

TARA is feasible and acceptable in a mixed sample of Swedish medical students. The students’ reports of entering an uncommon meeting-ground for personal empowerment supports effectiveness studies of TARA in this context.
Demographic and psychological predictors of community pharmacists’ cancer-related conversations with patients: a cross-sectional analysis and survey study
Authors: Kerrison Robert S. , Robinson Anna , Skrobanski Hanna , Kayal Ghalia , Kaushal Aradhna , Ide-Walters Charlotte , Todd Adam , Husband Andrew , Lakhani Shivali , Alter Marsha , von Wagner Christian , MacDonald Lindsay
Published: February 2022

Background

There is increasing interest in the role of community pharmacy in the early diagnosis and prevention of cancer. This study set out to examine how often community pharmacists (CPs) encourage patients to spot or respond to potential signs and symptoms of cancer, and how often they help people to make an informed decision about taking part in bowel cancer screening.

Methods

Data from 400 UK CPs, who completed the 2018 Cancer Research UK Healthcare Professional Tracker survey, were analysed. The primary outcomes were: ‘how often CPs encourage patients to spot or respond to potential signs and symptoms of cancer’ and ‘how often CPs encourage eligible people to make an informed decision to participate in bowel cancer screening’. Associations between behaviours and demographic and psychological variables (Capability, Opportunity and Motivation) were assessed using multivariate logistic regression.

Results

Most (n = 331, 82.8%) CPs reported occasionally, frequently or always encouraging patients to spot or respond to potential signs and symptoms of cancer, while only half (n = 203, 50.8%) reported occasionally, frequently or always helping people make an informed decision to participate in bowel cancer screening. Female sex (aOR: 3.20, 95%CI: 1.51, 6.81; p < 0.01) and increased Opportunity (aOR: 1.72, 95%CIs: 1.12, 2.64; p < 0.05) and Motivation (aOR: 1.76, 95%CIs: 1.37, 2.27; p < 0.001) were associated with encouraging patients to spot or respond to potential signs and symptoms of cancer; all three psychological variables were associated with helping people to make an informed decision to participate in bowel cancer screening (Capability: aOR: 1.39, 95%CIs: 1.26, 1.52, p < 0.001; Opportunity: aOR: 1.44, 95%CIs: 1.11, 1.87; p < 0.01; Motivation: aOR: 1.45, 95%CIs: 1.05, 2.00; p < 0.05).

Conclusions

Most CPs encourage patients to spot or respond to potential cancer symptoms, while only half help them make an informed decision to participate in bowel cancer screening. A multifaceted approach, targeting multiple COM-B components, is required to change these behaviours.
Using Andersen’s model of health care utilization to assess factors associated with COVID-19 testing among adults in nine low-and middle-income countries: an online survey
Authors: Pengid Supa , Peltzer Karl , de Moura Villela Edlaine Faria , Fodjo Joseph Nelson Siewe , Siau Ching Sin , Chen Won Sun , Bono Suzanna A. , Jayasvasti Isareethika , Hasan M. Tasdik , Wanyenze Rhoda K. , Hosseinipour Mina C. , Dolo Housseini , Sessou Philippe , Ditekemena John D. , Colebunders Robert
Published: February 2022

Background

This study aimed to investigate, using Andersen’s model of health care utilization, factors associated with COVID-19 testing among adults in nine low- and middle- income countries.

Methods

In between 10 December 2020 and 9 February 2021, an online survey was organized in nine low- and middle-income countries. In total 10,183 adults (median age 45 years, interquartile range 33–57 years, range 18–93 years), including 6470 from Brazil, 1738 Malaysia, 1124 Thailand, 230 Bangladesh, 219 DR Congo, 159 Benin, 107 Uganda, 81 Malawi and 55 from Mali participated in the study. COVID-19 testing/infection status was assessed by self-report.

Results

Of the 10,183 participants, 40.3% had ever tested for COVID-19, 7.3% tested positive, and 33.0% tested negative. In an adjusted logistic regression model, predisposing factors (residing in Brazil, postgraduate education), enabling/disabling factors (urban residence, higher perceived economic status, being a student or worker in the health care sector, and moderate or severe psychological distress), and need factors (having at least one chronic condition) increased the odds of COVID-19 testing. Among those who were tested, participants residing in Bangladesh, those who had moderate to severe psychological distress were positively associated with COVID-19 positive diagnosis. Participants who are residing in Malaysia and Thailand, and those who had higher education were negatively associated with a COVID-19 positive diagnosis. Considering all participants, higher perceived economic status, being a student or worker in the health sector, and moderate or severe psychological distress were positively associated with a COVID-19 positive diagnosis, and residing in Malaysia, Thailand or five African countries was negatively associated with a COVID-19 positive diagnosis.

Conclusion

A high rate of COVID-19 testing among adults was reported in nine low-and middle-income countries. However, access to testing needs to be increased in Africa. Moreover, COVID-19 testing programmes need to target persons of lower economic status and education level who are less tested but most at risk for COVID-19 infection.
Development and validation of nomogram to predict very early recurrence of combined hepatocellular-cholangiocarcinoma after hepatic resection: a multi-institutional study
Authors: Wu Yijun , Liu Hongzhi , Zeng Jianxing , Chen Yifan , Fang Guoxu , Zhang Jinyu , Zhou Weiping , Zeng Yongyi , Liu Jingfeng
Published: February 2022

Background and objectives

Combined hepatocellular cholangiocarcinoma (cHCC) has a high incidence of early recurrence. The objective of this study is to construct a model predicting very early recurrence (VER) (i.e., recurrence within 6 months after surgery) of cHCC.

Methods

One hundred thirty-one consecutive patients from Eastern Hepatobiliary Surgery Hospital served as a development cohort to construct a nomogram predicting VER by using multi-variable logistic regression analysis. The model was internally and externally validated in a validation cohort of 90 patients from Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital using the C concordance statistic, calibration analysis, and decision curve analysis (DCA).

Results

The VER nomogram contains microvascular invasion (MiVI), macrovascular invasion (MaVI), and CA19-9 > 25 mAU/mL. The model shows good discrimination with C-indexes of 0.77 (95% CI: 0.69–0.85) and 0.76 (95% CI: 0.66–0.86) in the development cohort and validation cohort respectively. Decision curve analysis demonstrated that the model is clinically useful and the calibration of our model was favorable. Our model stratified patients into two different risk groups, which exhibited significantly different VER.

Conclusions

Our model demonstrated favorable performance in predicting VER in cHCC patients.
Heterozygous FMN2 missense variant found in a family case of premature ovarian insufficiency
Authors: Li Jie , Peng Tianliu , Wang Le , Long Panpan , Quan Ruping , Tan Hangjing , Zeng Minghua , Wu Xue , Yang Junting , Xiao Hongmei , Shi Xiaobo
Published: February 2022

Background

Premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) plagues 1% of women under 40, while quite a few remain an unknown cause. The development of sequencing has helped find pathogenic genes and reveal the relationship between DNA repair and ovarian reserve. Through the exome sequencing, our study targets screening out the possible POI pathogenic gene and variants in a Chinese family and 20 sporadic POI patients, preliminarily exploring the functional impact and finding out potential linkages between the gene and POI.

Results

The whole exome sequencing suggested a novel FMN2 heterozygous variant c.1949C > T (p.Ser650Leu) carried by all three patients in a Chinese family and another c.1967G > A(p.Arg656His) variant in a sporadic case. Since no FMN2 missense mutation is reported for causing human POI, we preliminarily assessed p.Ser650Leu variant via cross-species alignment and 3D modeling and found it possibly deleterious. A series of functional evidence was consistent with our hypothesis. We proved the expression of FMN2 in different stages of oocytes and observed a statistical difference of chromosomal breakages between the POI patient carrying p.Arg656His variant and the health control (p = 0.0013). Western Blot also suggested a decrease in FMN2 and P21 in the mutant type and an associated increase in H2AX. The p.Arg656His variant with an extremely low frequency also indicated that the gene FMN2 might play an essential role in the genetic etiology of POI. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first POI report on missense variants of FMN2.

Conclusion

This finding indicates a novel gene possibly related to POI and sheds lights on the study of FMN2.
Senescent skeletal cells cross-talk with synovial cells plays a key role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis
Authors: Wu Chong-Jie , Liu Ri-Xu , Huan Song-Wei , Tang Wang , Zeng Yu-Kai , Zhang Jun-Cheng , Yang Jie , Li Zhen-Yan , Zhou Ying , Zha Zhen-Gang , Zhang Huan-Tian , Liu Ning
Published: February 2022

Osteoarthritis (OA) has been recognized as an age-related degenerative disease commonly seen in the elderly that affects the whole “organ” including cartilage, subchondral bone, synovium, and muscles. An increasing number of studies have suggested that the accumulation of senescent cells triggering by various stresses in the local joint contributes to the pathogenesis of age-related diseases including OA. In this review, we mainly focus on the role of the senescent skeletal cells (chondrocytes, osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteocyte, and muscle cells) in initiating the development and progression of OA alone or through cross-talk with the macrophages/synovial cells. Accordingly, we summarize the current OA-targeted therapies based on the abovementioned theory, e.g., by eliminating senescent skeletal cells and/or inhibiting the senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) that drives senescence. Furthermore, the existing animal models for the study of OA from the perspective of senescence are highlighted to fill the gap between basic research and clinical applications. Overall, in this review, we systematically assess the current understanding of cellular senescence in OA, which in turn might shed light on the stratified OA treatments.
PSnpBind: a database of mutated binding site protein–ligand complexes constructed using a multithreaded virtual screening workflow
Authors: Ammar Ammar , Cavill Rachel , Evelo Chris , Willighagen Egon
Published: February 2022

A key concept in drug design is how natural variants, especially the ones occurring in the binding site of drug targets, affect the inter-individual drug response and efficacy by altering binding affinity. These effects have been studied on very limited and small datasets while, ideally, a large dataset of binding affinity changes due to binding site single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) is needed for evaluation. However, to the best of our knowledge, such a dataset does not exist. Thus, a reference dataset of ligands binding affinities to proteins with all their reported binding sites’ variants was constructed using a molecular docking approach. Having a large database of protein–ligand complexes covering a wide range of binding pocket mutations and a large small molecules’ landscape is of great importance for several types of studies. For example, developing machine learning algorithms to predict protein–ligand affinity or a SNP effect on it requires an extensive amount of data. In this work, we present PSnpBind: A large database of 0.6 million mutated binding site protein–ligand complexes constructed using a multithreaded virtual screening workflow. It provides a web interface to explore and visualize the protein–ligand complexes and a REST API to programmatically access the different aspects of the database contents. PSnpBind is open source and freely available at https://psnpbind.org.
A detailed time series of hourly circumference variations in Pinus pinea L. in Chile
Authors: Loewe-Muñoz Veronica , del Río Rodrigo , Delard Claudia , Balzarini Mónica
Published: February 2022

Key message

The dataset provides digital dendrometer measurements on stem circumference of irrigated and non-irrigated Pinus pinea trees. Data were obtained in a xeric non-native habitat of central Chile. Forest mensuration was hourly collected from six adult trees during a growth year. This data can be re-used to perform different studies, including growth and tree water status temporal correlations, climate-growth relationships, and to compare stone pine stands growing in native and non-native habitats. Such studies could facilitate decisions for the species management and contribute to the understanding of its growth dynamics in a climate change context, providing valuable information for a climate-smart forestry. Dataset access is at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6010567. Associated metadata are available at metadata-afs.nancy.inra.fr/geonetwork/srv/fre/catalog.search#/metadata/bcea7f69-2cf1-444b-8e5b-e9feb23683db
Incidence and predictors of fragility fracture in postmenopausal rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving oral bisphosphonates: a longitudinal observational study
Authors: Kishimoto Yuji , Kato Yoshihiro , Uemura Manami , Kuranobu Koji
Published: February 2022

Background

Although many studies have reported the predictors of fractures in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) who are not receiving anti-osteoporotic treatments or who are receiving unspecified treatments, studies focusing on the predictors of fracture in patients with RA who are currently being treated with oral bisphosphonates (BP) are quite scarce. This study aims to investigate the incidence and predictors of fragility fracture in postmenopausal patients with RA receiving oral BP.

Methods

This retrospective longitudinal observational study comprised 98 postmenopausal RA patients receiving oral BP for a minimum of 6 months between April 2015 and December 2020. The cumulative incidence of fragility fractures including vertebral and nonvertebral fractures was investigated using the Kaplan–Meier method. Cox proportional hazards analysis was used to analyze baseline predictors of future fragility fractures. To determine a cutoff value of continuous predictors, the receiver-operating characteristic curve was applied.

Results

Twenty patients developed fractures during the study period, with a cumulative incidence of 6.1% at 12 months, 10.5% at a median follow-up of 28 months, and 14.4% at 36 months. Multivariable Cox hazards analysis showed a history of prior vertebral fracture (hazard ratio [HR] 6.26, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.99‒19.68, P = 0.001) and dose of methotrexate (HR 0.87, 95% CI 0.76‒0.99, P = 0.041) to be independent predictors. The cutoff value for methotrexate dose was 4 mg/week.

Conclusions

We found a cumulative incidence of any fractures of 10.5% at 28 months in patients with RA currently being treated with oral BP. A history of prior vertebral fractures and methotrexate dose were positive and negative predictors for fractures, respectively. Practitioners should consider selecting another anti-osteoporotic drug in patients with RA who remain at risk despite receiving oral BP.
The impact of closed-loop intracortical stimulation on neural activity in brain-injured, anesthetized animals
Authors: Carè Marta , Averna Alberto , Barban Federico , Semprini Marianna , De Michieli Lorenzo , Nudo Randolph J. , Guggenmos David J. , Chiappalone Michela
Published: February 2022

Background

Acquired brain injuries, such as stroke, are a major cause of long-term disability worldwide. Intracortical microstimulation (ICMS) can be used successfully to assist in guiding appropriate connections to restore lost sensorimotor integration. Activity-Dependent Stimulation (ADS) is a specific type of closed-loop ICMS that aims at coupling the activity of two different brain regions by stimulating one in response to activity in the other. Recently, ADS was used to effectively promote behavioral recovery in rodent models following a unilateral traumatic brain injury in the primary motor cortex. While behavioral benefits have been described, the neurophysiological changes in spared areas in response to this type of stimulation have not been fully characterized. Here we explored how single-unit spiking activity is impacted by a focal ischemic lesion and, subsequently, by an ADS treatment.

Methods

Intracortical microelectrode arrays were implanted in the ipsilesional rostral forelimb area (RFA) to record spike activity and to trigger intracortical microstimulation in the primary somatosensory area (S1) of anaesthetized Long Evans rats. An ischemic injury was induced in the caudal forelimb area through microinjections of Endothelin-1. Activity from both RFA and S1 was recorded and analyzed off-line by evaluating possible changes, either induced by the lesion in the Control group or by stimulation in the ADS group.

Results

We found that the ischemic lesion in the motor area led to an overall increase in spike activity within RFA and a decrease in S1 with respect to the baseline condition. Subsequent treatment with ADS increased the firing rate in both RFA and S1. Post-stimulation spiking activity was significantly higher compared to pre-stimulation activity in the ADS animals versus non-stimulated controls. Moreover, stimulation promoted the generation of highly synchronized bursting patterns in both RFA and S1 only in the ADS group.

Conclusions

This study describes the impact on single-unit activity in ipsilesional areas immediately following a cortical infarct and demonstrates that application of ADS is effective in altering this activity.
Intra-arterial application of nimodipine in reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome: a neuroradiological method to help differentiate from primary central nervous system vasculitis
Authors: Strunk Daniel , Veltkamp Roland , Meuth Sven G. , Chapot René , Kraemer Markus
Published: February 2022

Background

Reversible cerebral vasoconstriction syndrome (RCVS) is characterized by a prolonged, but self-limiting segmental cerebral vasoconstriction. Neurological outcomes vary, but can be severe. The clinical hallmark of RCVS is thunderclap headache, which might come along with further neurological symptoms. Distinguishing RCVS from other entities, such as primary angiitis of the central nervous system (PACNS), is of utmost importance for appropriate therapy. The angiographic response to intra-arterial nimodipine application has been suggested as an additional diagnostic criterion for RCVS but confirmatory studies are limited. We aimed to evaluate the angiographic nimodipine test.

Methods

We reviewed retrospectively the clinical and imaging data of 13 RCVS patients, who were admitted to a single German neurological department between January 2013 and December 2020.

Results

Out of 13 patients diagnosed with RCVS, 4 patients underwent an angiographic nimodipine test. In all 4 patients cerebral vasoconstriction completely resolved during nimodipine application. Among the four patients with a positive test, there was one individual, in whom a response was detected after a delay of 60 min. In all patients, we found a complete resolution of cerebral vasoconstriction within 12 weeks.

Conclusion

Our findings support the usefulness of the application of nimodipine in diagnosing RCVS. Prolonged angiographic observation of the vascular response after nimodipine injection is important.
Assessment of serum Talin-1 in liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Ibrahim El Said H. , Naguib Hend , Emara Doaa M. , El Sayed Eman T. , Tawfik Marwa M. R.
Published: February 2022

Background

Early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is crucial for improving the survival rate for patients. Talin-1 is first identified as a cytoskeleton protein that is required for cell adhesion and motility and plays a role in tumor migration and metastasis. In the present work, we aimed to study the possible role of Talin1 compared to alpha fetoprotein (AFP) in the diagnosis and prognosis of HCC.

Methods

To achieve this goal, serum levels of Talin-1 were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in 90 patients divided into four groups. Group I: 30 patients with early HCC. Group II: 30 patients with late HCC according to Modified Barcelona-Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC). Group III: 15 patients with liver cirrhosis, and group IV: 15 healthy controls. Receiver operating characteristics (ROC) curve analysis was used to create a predictive model for Talin-1 relative to AFP in HCC diagnosis.

Results

It was found that serum Talin-1 in HCC patients was significantly higher compared to its level in cirrhotic patients and the healthy control group. Talin-1 was superior to AFP regarding sensitivity, specificity, positive, and negative predictive value in the diagnosis of HCC. We also found a significant positive correlation between serum Talin-1 and the degree of tumor burden of HCC (BCLC staging), tumor size, and vascular invasion.

Conclusion

Talin-1 holds a promise as a potential marker for HCC diagnosis and prognosis.
Waveform inversion of seismic first arrivals acquired on irregular surface
Authors: Li Xiang , Yao Gang , Niu Fenglin , Wu Di , Liu Nengchao
Published: February 2022

The irregular topography of the earth’s surface and low signal-to-noise ratios of land seismic data bring challenges to full-waveform inversion (FWI). We propose a robust method for waveform inversion (WI) to invert such land seismic data. The inversion uses finite-difference methods with rectangular meshes to simulate seismic wavefields efficiently. To accurately model irregular free surface topography, we use an improved immersed boundary method with an iterative symmetric interpolation. First-arrival signals including direct waves and refraction waves are used to estimate the P-wave velocity. To overcome the cycle skipping and dynamic inconsistency issues between the modeled data and the observed data, we create an intermediate data set by shifting the first arrivals of the predicted data toward that of the observed data within half a cycle. The intermediate data instead of the observed data are then inverted. Thus, the inversion essentially matches the traveltime information of first arrivals, which is the most reliable information contained in seismic data. Applications on the synthetic and field data sets demonstrate that the proposed WI algorithm is robust for recovering P-wave velocity from land seismic data. The resulting models have higher resolution and deeper support than that of ray-based traveltime tomography.
Risk of COVID-19 Infections and of Severe Complications Among Survivors of Childhood, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer: A Population-Based Study in Ontario, Canada
Authors: Gupta Sumit , Sutradhar Rinku , Alexander Sarah , Science Michelle , Lau Cindy , Nagamuthu Chenthila , Agha Mohammad , Nathan Paul C. , Hodgson David
Published: February 2022

PURPOSE

Survivors of childhood, adolescent, and young adult cancer are at risk of late effects, including pulmonary and infectious complications. Whether survivors are at increased risk of COVID-19 infection and severe complications is unknown.

METHODS

Population-based registries in Ontario, Canada, identified all 5-year survivors of childhood cancer diagnosed age 0-17 years between 1985 and 2014, and of six common adolescent and young adult cancers diagnosed age 15-21 years between 1992 and 2012. Each survivor alive on January 1, 2020, was randomly matched by birth year, sex, and residence to 10 cancer-free population controls. Individuals were linked to population-based laboratory and health care databases to identify COVID-19 tests, vaccinations, infections, and severe outcomes (emergency department [ED] visits, hospitalizations, intensive care unit admissions, and death within 60 days). Demographic, disease, and treatment-related variables were examined as possible predictors of outcomes.

RESULTS

Twelve thousand four hundred ten survivors were matched to 124,100 controls. Survivors were not at increased risk of receiving a positive COVID-19 test (386 [3.1%] v 3,946 [3.2%]; P = .68) and were more likely to be fully vaccinated (hazard ratio, 1.23; 95 CI, 1.20 to 1.37). No increase in risk among survivors was seen in emergency department visits (adjusted odds ratio, 1.2; 95 CI, 0.9 to 1.6; P = .19) or hospitalization (adjusted odds ratio, 1.8; 95 CI, 1.0 to 3.5; P = .07). No survivor experienced intensive care unit admission or died after COVID-19 infection. Pulmonary radiation or chemotherapies associated with pulmonary toxicity were not associated with increased risk.

CONCLUSION

Cancer survivors were not at increased risk of COVID-19 infections or severe sequelae. These results can inform risk-counseling of survivors and their caregivers. Further study is warranted to determine risk in older survivors, specific subsets of survivors, and that associated with novel COVID-19 variants.
Dynamic Changes of Reproductive Hormones in Male Minipuberty: Temporal Dissociation of Leydig and Sertoli Cell Activity
Authors: Busch Alexander Siegfried , Ljubicic Marie Lindhardt , Upners Emmie N , Fischer Margit Bistrup , Raket Lars Lau , Frederiksen Hanne , Albrethsen Jakob , Johannsen Trine Holm , Hagen Casper P , Juul Anders
Published: February 2022

Context

The male hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis is transiently active during the first months of life with surging serum concentrations of reproductive hormones. This period, termed minipuberty, appears to be essential for priming testicular function. Despite the central role for male reproductive function, longitudinal data on HPG axis activation in infancy is sparse.

Objective

To explore the dynamics of HPG hormone activity in healthy male infants, to assess the association of HPG axis activity and testicular volume, and to establish reference curves for serum levels of reproductive hormones.

Design

Prospective, longitudinal birth cohort (the COPENHAGEN Minipuberty Study, 2016-2018, 1-year follow-up).

Setting

Population-based.

Patients or Other Participants

Healthy, male, term, singleton newborns were followed from birth on with repeated clinical examinations including blood sampling during a 1-year follow-up. A total of 128 boys contributed to this study, while 119 participated in the postnatal follow-up.

Main Outcome Measures

Serum reproductive hormone concentrations and testicular volume.

Results

Reproductive hormone concentrations showed marked dynamics during the first 6 months of age. Gonadotropins, total testosterone, and insulin-like factor 3 peaked at around 1 month of age. Inhibin B, anti-Müllerian hormone, and testicular volume peaked at around 4 to 5 months. Correlations largely recapitulated typical HPG axis pathways but also differed significantly from adult men.

Conclusions

We demonstrate a temporal dissociation of Leydig and Sertoli cell activity during male minipuberty and provide reference curves for reproductive hormones.
Gynoecium and fruit development in Arabidopsis
Authors: Herrera-Ubaldo Humberto , de Folter Stefan
Published: February 2022

Flowering plants produce flowers and one of the most complex floral structures is the pistil or the gynoecium. All the floral organs differentiate from the floral meristem. Various reviews exist on molecular mechanisms controlling reproductive development, but most focus on a short time window and there has been no recent review on the complete developmental time frame of gynoecium and fruit formation. Here, we highlight recent discoveries, including the players, interactions and mechanisms that govern gynoecium and fruit development in Arabidopsis. We also present the currently known gene regulatory networks from gynoecium initiation until fruit maturation.
Effects of neurotransmitter receptor antagonists on sea urchin righting behavior and tube foot motility
Authors: McDonald Morgan , Griffin Natalie Paige , Howell Emma , Li Dingchen , Harnew-Spradley Sophia , Rodriguez Patrick , Lancaster Abigail , Umutoni Feza , Besh Jordan , Shelley Chris
Published: February 2022

Echinoderms, such as sea urchins, occupy an interesting position in animal phylogeny in that they are genetically closer to vertebrates than the vast majority of all other invertebrates but have a nervous system that lacks a brain or brain-like structure. Despite this, very little is known about the neurobiology of the adult sea urchin, and how the nervous system is utilized to produce behavior. Here, we investigated effects on the righting response of antagonists of ionotropic receptors for the neurotransmitters acetylcholine, GABA and glycine, and antagonists of metabotropic receptors for the amines dopamine and noradrenaline (norepinephrine). Antagonists slowed the righting response in a dose-dependent manner, with a rank order of potency of strychnine>haloperidol>propranolol>bicuculline>hexamethonium, with RT50 values (concentrations that slowed righting time by 50%) ranging from 4.3 µmol l−1 for strychnine to 7.8 mmol l−1 for hexamethonium. The results also showed that both glycine and adrenergic receptors are needed for actual tube foot movement, and this may explain the slowed righting seen when these receptors were inhibited. Conversely, inhibition of dopamine receptors slowed the righting response but had no effect on tube foot motility, indicating that these receptors play roles in the neural processing involved in the righting behavior, rather than the actual physical righting. Our results identify the first effects of inhibiting the glycinergic, dopaminergic and adrenergic neurotransmitter systems in adult sea urchins and distinguish between the ability of sea urchins to right themselves and their ability to move their tube feet.
Fatigue Resistance of Photochromic Diarylethene in the Presence of Cyclodextrins with Different Pore Sizes
Authors: Miyamoto Ryotaro , Kitagawa Daichi , Kobatake Seiya
Published: February 2022

Among the various types of photochromic compounds, diarylethenes have good fatigue resistance, but further improvement is required. In this study, we investigated photochromic reaction behavior and fatigue resistance by inclusion in cyclodextrin (CD), which is a cyclic host molecule with three different pore sizes. A water-soluble diarylethene (DE1) synthesized in this work exhibited reversible photochromism in water. Continuous irradiation with UV light resulted in the formation of its byproduct. The addition of αCD showed no improvement of fatigue resistance. However, the addition of βCD and γCD suppressed a side reaction to result in the improvement of fatigue resistance. Especially, the addition of γCD gave a large improvement. To clarify the relationship between fatigue resistance of DE1 and the pore size of CD, the host-guest interaction between DE1 and CD was investigated using NOESY spectra. The results indicate that the depth of DE1 included in CD shows a large effect on suppression of the side reaction of DE1.
Fictional Money, Real Costs: Impacts of Financial Salience on Disadvantaged Students
Authors: Duquennois Claire
Published: February 2022

Disadvantaged students perform differentially worse when randomly given a financially salient mathematics exam. For students with socioeconomic indicators below the national median, a 10 percentage point increase in the share of monetary themed questions depresses exam performance by 0.026 standard deviations, about 6 percent of their performance gap. Using question-level data, I confirm the role of financial salience by comparing performance on monetary and highly similar non-monetary questions. Leveraging the randomized ordering of questions, I identify an effect on subsequent questions, providing evidence that the attention capture effects of poverty affect policy relevant outcomes outside of experimental settings. (JEL G53, I21, I24, I32, J13, O15)
Διερεύνηση τεχνικών ενεργητικής αφής μαθητών Πρωτοβάθμιας Εκπαίδευσης με αναπηρία όρασης κατά τη διαδικασία εύρεσης εμβαδού ορθογώνιων επιφανειών
Authors: Κόζα Μαρία
Published: February 2022

Το αισθητήριο όργανο της όρασης αποτελεί το σημαντικότερο δίαυλο επικοινωνίας του ανθρώπου (Βλάχου, 2005), ενώ η αφή λειτουργεί ως αίσθηση αντισταθμιστική της έλλειψης της όρασης σε άτομα με αναπηρία όρασης. Είναι μια σημαντική και συνάμα πολύπλοκη αίσθηση, η οποία διερευνάται όλο και περισσότερο τα τελευταία χρόνια (Αrgyropoulos, Chamonikolaou, & Nikolaraizi, 2013). Η ερμηνεία των πληροφοριών που λαμβάνει η αίσθηση της αφής, μέσω των απτικών διεγέρσεων, οδηγεί το άτομο στη δημιουργία της απτικής του αντίληψης (Piaget & Inhelder, 1997 στο Αrgyropoulos, Chamonikolaou, & Nikolaraizi, 2013). Η απτική αντίληψη, αναδεικνύεται ως η απαραίτητη ικανότητα για την κατανόηση και την ερμηνεία του κόσμου από μη βλέποντα άτομα. Εμπλέκει κύριες και δευτερεύουσες πηγές πληροφοριών, όπως την αφή, την κίνηση και τη στάση του σώματος, ως κύριες, καθώς και τα γλωσσικά θέματα, την προϋπάρχουσα γνώση και το είδος του αντικειμένου/σχήματος/δραστηριότητας και τις συνθήκες πραγματοποίησης μίας δραστηριότητας, ως δευτερεύουσες. Η μελέτη της απτικής αντίληψης κατευθύνει εκπαιδευτικούς και ερευνητές στην κατανόηση του τρόπου με τον οποίο οι μαθητές με αναπηρία όρασης χτίζουν το οικοδόμημα της γνώσης τους και τους παρέχει τη δυνατότητα για σωστές παρεμβάσεις στην εκπαιδευτική διαδικασία, με την επιλογή της κατάλληλης μεθόδου διδασκαλίας και του κατάλληλου εκπαιδευτικού υλικού, προσαρμοσμένα στις ανάγκες τους, με σεβασμό στην ιδιαιτερότητα και τη μοναδικότητα των ατόμων αυτών (Αργυρόπουλος, 2003α), συμβάλλοντας στη βελτίωση των εκπαιδευτικών πρακτικών της ειδικής αγωγής και εκπαίδευσης. Η παρούσα διδακτορική διατριβή, μέσα από τη μελέτη περίπτωσης οκτώ μαθητών Δημοτικού Σχολείου με αναπηρία όρασης και χωρίς συνοδά προβλήματα, στοχεύει στον εντοπισμό και την καταγραφή των τεχνικών ενεργητικής αφής που εφαρμόζουν οι μαθητές με αναπηρία όρασης κατά τη διάρκεια της ενεργητικής τους αφής στη διαδικασία αναγνώρισης σχήματος, σύγκρισης και μέτρησης ορθογώνιων επιφανειών. Η καταγραφή αυτή θα αναδείξει τι είναι πραγματικά σημαντικό και ουσιώδες για τα παιδιά με αναπηρία όρασης πάνω στους τομείς αυτούς και θα δώσει χρήσιμες πληροφορίες σε ερευνητές και εκπαιδευτικούς που ασχολούνται με μαθητές με αναπηρία όρασης, ώστε να μπορούν να λαμβάνουν υπόψη τους τις τεχνικές εκείνες που διευκολύνουν τους μαθητές αυτούς, να σχεδιάζουν και να εφαρμόζουν κατάλληλα εξατομικευμένα προγράμματα προσαρμοσμένα στις ανάγκες αυτών των μαθητών, με τη συμβολή των υλικών εκείνων που ξεχώρισαν μέσα από τη βιβλιογραφία ως προς τη θετική συνεισφορά τους στη μέτρηση εμβαδού ορθογώνιων επιφανειών.
Is outdoor-resting behaviour in malaria vectors consistent? Short report from northern Ghana
Authors: Hamid-Adiamoh Majidah , Nwakanma Davis , Sraku Isaac , Amambua-Ngwa Alfred , A. Afrane Yaw
Published: February 2022

Background: Recent studies have observed vectors resting predominantly outdoors in settings where anti-vector tools are extensively deployed, attributed to selection pressure from use of control tools. This present study examined if the outdoor resting behaviour in the vector population is random or indicative of a consistent preference of one resting site over the other. 

Methods: Mark-release-recapture experiments were conducted with outdoor-resting Anopheles gambiae and An. funestus mosquitoes collected from two villages in northern Ghana during rainy and dry seasons. Mosquitoes were marked with fluorescent dyes and released indoors. The experiments were controlled with indoor-resting mosquitoes, which were marked and released outdoors. Species of all recaptured mosquitoes were identified and assessed for consistency in their resting behaviour.

Results: A total of 4,460 outdoor-resting mosquitoes comprising An. gambiae sensu lato (s.l.) (2,636, 59%) and An. funestus complex (1,824, 41%) were marked and released. Overall, 31 (0.7%) mosquitoes were recaptured mostly from outdoor location comprising 25 (81%) An. gambiae s.l. and 6 (19%) An. funestus complex. Only 3 (10%) of the recaptured mosquitoes were found resting indoors where they were released. The majority of the outdoor-recaptured mosquitoes were An. arabiensis (11, 39%), followed by An. coluzzii (7, 25%); whereas all indoor-recaptured mosquitoes were An. coluzzii.  For the control experiment, 324 indoor-resting mosquitoes constituting 313 (97%) An. gambiae s.l. and 11 (3%) An. funestus complex were marked and released. However, none of these was recaptured neither indoors nor outdoors. More mosquitoes were captured and recaptured during rainy season, but this was not statistically significant (Z=0.79, P=0.21).

Conclusions: These results suggested the tendency for the mosquitoes to retain their outdoor-resting behaviour. Further investigations are required to ascertain if emerging preference for outdoor resting behaviour in malaria vector populations is consistent or a random occurrence.
The idea of a fragile state: Emergence, conceptualization, and application in international political practice
Authors: Ficek Ryszard
Published: February 2022

This paper studies the concept of a ‘fragile state,’ its origins, uniqueness, and the circumstances determining the changing dynamics of the presented subject, as well as the possibility of its application in the practice of International Relations (IR). The analysis of the conceptualization process, as well as the instrumental treatment of the idea of state’s fragility structures by decision-makers responsible for shaping foreign policy - especially in the context of the global development and security strategy - underlines the complexity and incoherence of the fragile state’s concept, which is currently considered as one of the most ‘wicked problems’ of the modern world, often torn by numerous brutal military conflicts. The author of the piece uses the term ‘fragile state’ to describe not only the form and conditions of disintegration of the state’s political and social ties and the dismantling of its state-legal infrastructure, but also analyzes issues related to the economic collapse, poverty, hunger, humanitarian disasters, armed conflicts, as well as numerous cases of elementary civil liberties and human rights violations. The article argues that deepening the comprehending of the fragile state’s idea, along with emphasizing its conceptual vagueness and complexity, concerning the ‘politically correct’ discourse on the problems of ‘fragility’ and states’ weakness, is necessary for a better awareness of the ambiguous and the perplexing nature of state power operating within the most politically unstable and insecure regions of the so-called ‘Third World.’
A Class of Convex Quadratic Nonseparable Resource Allocation Problems with Generalized Bound Constraints
Authors: Schoot Uiterkamp Martijn H. H. , Gerards Marco E. T. , Hurink Johann L.
Published: February 2022

We study a convex quadratic nonseparable resource allocation problem that arises in the area of decentralized energy management (DEM), where unbalance in electricity networks has to be minimized. In this problem, the given resource is allocated over a set of activities that is divided into subsets, and a cost is assigned to the overall allocated amount of resources to activities within the same subset. We derive two efficient algorithms with [Formula: see text] worst-case time complexity to solve this problem. For the special case where all subsets have the same size, one of these algorithms even runs in linear time given the subset size. Both algorithms are inspired by well-studied breakpoint search methods for separable convex resource allocation problems. Numerical evaluations on both real and synthetic data confirm the theoretical efficiency of both algorithms and demonstrate their suitability for integration in DEM systems.
Arc Routing with Electric Vehicles: Dynamic Charging and Speed-Dependent Energy Consumption
Authors: Fernández Elena , Leitner Markus , Ljubić Ivana , Ruthmair Mario
Published: February 2022

Concerns about greenhouse gas emissions and government regulations foster the use of electric vehicles. Several recently published articles study the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in node-routing problems. In contrast, this article considers EVs in the context of arc routing while also addressing practically relevant aspects that have not been addressed sufficiently so far. These include dynamic charging of EVs while driving, speed-dependent energy consumption, and nonlinear charging functions that depend on the battery’s state of charge and the charging time. A generic way of dealing with these aspects is introduced through the concept of an energy-indexed graph, which is used to derive an integer linear programming formulation and a solution framework based on branch and cut. Efficient construction heuristics and a local search for approximately solving large-scale instances are proposed. A computational study is performed on realistic problem instances. Besides analyzing the performance of all proposed methods, the obtained results also provide insights into strategic decisions related to the battery size and the amount of charging facilities.
Vehicle Routing with Stochastic Demands and Partial Reoptimization
Authors: Florio Alexandre M. , Feillet Dominique , Poggi Marcus , Vidal Thibaut
Published: February 2022

We consider the vehicle routing problem with stochastic demands (VRPSD), a problem in which customer demands are known in distribution at the route planning stage and revealed during route execution upon arrival at each customer. A long-standing open question in the VRPSD concerns the benefits of allowing, during route execution, partial reordering of the planned customer visits. Given the practical importance of this question and the growing interest on the VRPSD under optimal restocking, we study the VRPSD under a recourse policy known as the switch policy. The switch policy is a canonical reoptimization policy that permits only pairs of successive customers to be reordered. We consider this policy jointly with optimal preventive restocking and introduce a branch-cut-and-price algorithm to compute optimal a priori routing plans in this context. At its core, this algorithm features pricing routines where value functions represent the expected cost-to-go along planned routes for all possible states and reordering decisions. To ensure pricing tractability, we adopt a strategy that combines elementary pricing with completion bounds of varying complexity, and we solve the pricing problem without relying on dominance rules. Our numerical experiments demonstrate the effectiveness of the algorithm for solving instances with up to 50 customers. Notably, they also give us new insights into the value of reoptimization. The switch policy enables significant cost savings over optimal restocking when the planned routes come from an algorithm built on a deterministic approximation of the data, an important scenario given the difficulty of finding optimal VRPSD solutions. The benefits are smaller when comparing optimal a priori VRPSD solutions obtained for both recourse policies. As it appears, further cost savings may require joint reordering and reassignment of customer visits among vehicles when the context permits.