bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Terahertz liquid crystal programmable metasurface based on resonance switching
Authors: Liu Shui , Xu Feng , Zhan Junlin , Qiang Jingxia , Xie Qi , Yang Ling , Deng Senshen , Zhang Yamei
Published: March 2022

A programmable metasurface based on liquid crystal is of great significance to versatile dynamic wave manipulation such as beamforming and beam steering. One of the biggest obstacles currently is the lack of a simple way to multi-bit programming scheme for massive electrically addressable arrays, which limits its application and magnifies drawbacks like unavoidable symmetrical beam diffraction. Here, we put forward the concept of a liquid crystal metasurface based on a resonance switching mechanism for quasi-2-bit coding control, which is established upon interdigital structure electrodes. This enables a more elaborate control of meta-unit and a quasi-2-bit modulation based on a universal binary coding system to be realized. Our design could suppress unwanted –1 diffraction order with a maximum single-beam scanning angle of ± 21° under active beam manipulation. This concept paves the way for a feasible and robust multi-bit coding scheme of a liquid crystal metasurface, which is promising for THz applications such as spatial light modulators and wireless communication.
Airy–Talbot plasmon: an accelerating self-imaging surface wave
Authors: Tu Zhifeng , Wu You , Hu Hongcheng , Zhao Jiajia , Tang Huilin , Chen Yanru , Yang Haobin , Xu Chuangjie , Deng Dongmei
Published: March 2022

In this Letter, a new class of an accelerating self-imaging surface plasmonic wave, the Airy–Talbot plasmon, is introduced for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. Our research shows that such a surface wave propagates at the interface between metal (silver) and a dielectric material (air) and causes a strong interference along curved trajectories, which generates the Talbot effect in the surface. The propagation properties have potential value in nanoscale plasmonic devices. A scheme for generating this novel plasmon theoretically is proposed, and we prove it by finite difference time-domain numerical simulations.
Single-shot noninvasive imaging through scattering medium under white-light illumination
Authors: Lu Dajiang , Xing Qi , Liao Meihua , Situ Guohai , Peng Xiang , He Wenqi
Published: March 2022

We experimentally investigate image reconstruction through a scattering
medium under white-light illumination. To solve the inverse problem of
noninvasive scattering imaging, a modified iterative algorithm is
employed with an interpretable constraint on the optical transfer
function (OTF). As a result, a sparse and real object can be retrieved
whether it is illuminated with a narrowband or broadband light.
Compared with the well-known speckle correlation technique (SCT), the
proposed method requires no restrictions on the speckle
autocorrelation and shows a potential advantage in scattering
imaging.
External-cavity laser diode using acousto-optic deflector as tunable grating
Authors: Suzuki Takamasa , Kaneko Yuzuki , Choi Samuel , Sasaki Osami
Published: March 2022

In this study, a novel, to the best of our knowledge, external-cavity laser diode (ECLD) without a diffraction grating is proposed and demonstrated. In the proposed configuration, an acousto-optic deflector (AOD) acts not only as a deflector but also as a diffraction grating. Thus, the AOD functions as a wavelength-selective device, which helps improve the overall performance of the ECLD. In fact, the proposed configuration realizes a wide range of wavelength scanning with a simple configuration, highly efficient optical feedback, and a steady optical resonator with a constant cavity length. We confirm that the wavelengths scanned with the proposed ECLD agree well with theoretical calculations. The scanning range and maximum frequency response reached approximately 60 nm and 50 kHz, respectively. Moreover, reproducible measurements of the three-dimensional thickness distribution of a thin glass plate indicates that the proposed ECLD can be used for optical coherence tomography imaging systems.
Progress in water-based metamaterial absorbers: a review
Authors: Wen Jingda , Zhao Qian , Peng Ruiguang , Yao Haoyang , Qing Yuchang , Yin Jianbo , Ren Qiang
Published: March 2022

Increasing attention on microwave ultra-broadband metamaterial absorbers has been paid due to their promising applications. While most microwave ultra-broadband metamaterial absorbers developed so far are based on metallic resonant structures, dispersive dielectric water-based metamaterial opens a simpler and more versatile route for the construction of polarization- and angle- insensitive ultra-broadband absorption. Here, we review the recent progress of water-based metamaterial absorbers by providing an illustration of the mechanisms to realize ultra-broadband, tunable and multi-functional absorption. We also address the further development direction and some potential novel applications.
Intensity diffusion: a concealed cause of fringe distortion in fringe projection profilometry
Authors: Sun Zheng , Duan Minghui , Zheng Yabing , Jin Yi , Fan Xin , Zheng Jinjin
Published: March 2022

Fringe projection profilometry (FPP) is widely used in optical three-dimensional (3D) measurements because of its high stability. In FPP, fringe distortion is an inevitable and highly complex systematic error that significantly reduces the 3D measurement accuracy. At this point, the existing causes of fringe distortion represented by gamma distortion, high-order harmonics, and image saturation have been effectively analyzed and compensated to restore high-quality fringe images. In this paper, we innovatively reveal a concealed cause of fringe distortion, i.e., intensity diffusion across pixels, which is induced by photocarrier diffusion between photodiodes. To the best of our knowledge, intensity diffusion has not been studied in the field of fringe restoration. Based on the motion of photocarrier diffusion, we theoretically analyze the mechanism of how the intensity diffusion affects FPP. Subsequently, an intensity diffusion model is established for quantifying the diffused intensity in each pixel, and an intensity diffusion correction algorithm is presented to remove the diffused intensity from the fringe images and correct the fringe distortion. Experiments demonstrate the impact of intensity diffusion on FPP, and the 3D measurement results prove the effectiveness of the proposed methods on improving the 3D measurement accuracy by correcting the fringe distortion.
Vascular E-selectin Expression Detected in Formalin-fixed, Paraffin-embedded Sections With an E-selectin Monoclonal Antibody Correlates With Ulcerative Colitis Activity
Authors: Murahashi Masataka , Kogami Akiya , Muramoto Akifumi , Hoshino Hitomi , Akama Tomoya O. , Mitoma Junya , Goi Takanori , Hirayama Atsuhiro , Okamura Takuma , Nagaya Tadanobu , Kobayashi Motohiro
Published: March 2022

It is widely accepted that E-selectin, an inducible endothelial cell adhesion molecule, plays a critical role in the initial step of neutrophil recruitment to sites of acute inflammation. However, immunohistological analysis of E-selectin has been hampered by lack of E-selectin-specific monoclonal antibodies that can stain formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) tissue sections. Here, we employed E-selectin•IgM (a soluble form of E-selectin) as immunogen, and then, after negative selection with L-selectin•IgM and P-selectin•IgM and screening of FFPE sections of both COS-1 cells overexpressing E-selectin and acute appendicitis tissues, we successfully generated an E-selectin-specific monoclonal antibody capable of staining FFPE tissue sections. We used this antibody, designated U12-12, to perform quantitative immunohistological analysis of 390 colonic mucosal biopsy specimens representing ulcerative colitis. We found that the higher the histological disease activity, the greater the number of vessels expressing E-selectin, an observation consistent with previous analyses of frozen tissue sections. Furthermore, in active ulcerative colitis, E-selectin-expressing vessels contained neutrophils attached to endothelial cells, presumably in the process of extravasation, which eventually could cause epithelial damage. These results overall indicate that U12-12 is effective for E-selectin immunohistochemistry in archived FFPE samples representing various human diseases:
Transcriptome and proteome profiling reveals complex adaptations of Candida parapsilosis cells assimilating hydroxyaromatic carbon sources
Authors: Cillingová Andrea , Tóth Renáta , Mojáková Anna , Zeman Igor , Vrzoňová Romana , Siváková Barbara , Baráth Peter , Neboháčová Martina , Klepcová Zuzana , Brázdovič Filip , Lichancová Hana , Hodorová Viktória , Brejová Broňa , Vinař Tomáš , Mutalová Sofia , Vozáriková Veronika , Mutti Giacomo , Tomáška Ľubomír , Gácser Atilla , Gabaldón Toni , Nosek Jozef
Published: March 2022

Many fungal species utilize hydroxyderivatives of benzene and benzoic acid as carbon sources. The yeast Candida parapsilosis metabolizes these compounds via the 3-oxoadipate and gentisate pathways, whose components are encoded by two metabolic gene clusters. In this study, we determine the chromosome level assembly of the C. parapsilosis strain CLIB214 and use it for transcriptomic and proteomic investigation of cells cultivated on hydroxyaromatic substrates. We demonstrate that the genes coding for enzymes and plasma membrane transporters involved in the 3-oxoadipate and gentisate pathways are highly upregulated and their expression is controlled in a substrate-specific manner. However, regulatory proteins involved in this process are not known. Using the knockout mutants, we show that putative transcriptional factors encoded by the genes OTF1 and GTF1 located within these gene clusters function as transcriptional activators of the 3-oxoadipate and gentisate pathway, respectively. We also show that the activation of both pathways is accompanied by upregulation of genes for the enzymes involved in β-oxidation of fatty acids, glyoxylate cycle, amino acid metabolism, and peroxisome biogenesis. Transcriptome and proteome profiles of the cells grown on 4-hydroxybenzoate and 3-hydroxybenzoate, which are metabolized via the 3-oxoadipate and gentisate pathway, respectively, reflect their different connection to central metabolism. Yet we find that the expression profiles differ also in the cells assimilating 4-hydroxybenzoate and hydroquinone, which are both metabolized in the same pathway. This finding is consistent with the phenotype of the Otf1p-lacking mutant, which exhibits impaired growth on hydroxybenzoates, but still utilizes hydroxybenzenes, thus indicating that additional, yet unidentified transcription factor could be involved in the 3-oxoadipate pathway regulation. Moreover, we propose that bicarbonate ions resulting from decarboxylation of hydroxybenzoates also contribute to differences in the cell responses to hydroxybenzoates and hydroxybenzenes. Finally, our phylogenetic analysis highlights evolutionary paths leading to metabolic adaptations of yeast cells assimilating hydroxyaromatic substrates.
Pan-ebolavirus serology study of healthcare workers in the Mbandaka Health Region, Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Shaffer Kelly C. L. , Hui Sean , Bratcher Anna , King Liam B. , Mutombe Rachel , Kavira Nathalie , Kompany Jean Paul , Tambu Merly , Musene Kamy , Mukadi Patrick , Mbala Placide , Gadoth Adva , West Brandyn R. , Ilunga Benoit Kebela , Kaba Didine , Muyembe-Tanfum Jean Jacques , Hoff Nicole A. , Rimoin Anne W. , Saphire Erica Ollmann
Published: March 2022

Although multiple antigenically distinct ebolavirus species can cause human disease, previous serosurveys focused on only Zaire ebolavirus (EBOV). Thus, the extent of reactivity or exposure to other ebolaviruses, and which sociodemographic factors are linked to this seroreactivity, are unclear. We conducted a serosurvey of 539 healthcare workers (HCW) in Mbandaka, Democratic Republic of the Congo, using ELISA-based analysis of serum IgG against EBOV, Sudan ebolavirus (SUDV) and Bundibugyo ebolavirus (BDBV) glycoproteins (GP). We compared seroreactivity to risk factors for viral exposure using univariate and multivariable logistic regression. Seroreactivity against different GPs ranged from 2.2–4.6%. Samples from six individuals reacted to all three species of ebolavirus and 27 samples showed a species-specific IgG response. We find that community health volunteers are more likely to be seroreactive against each antigen than nurses, and in general, that HCWs with indirect patient contact have higher anti-EBOV GP IgG levels than those with direct contact. Seroreactivity against ebolavirus GP may be associated with positions that offer less occupational training and access to PPE. Those individuals with broadly reactive responses may have had multiple ebolavirus exposures or developed cross-reactive antibodies. In contrast, those individuals with species-specific BDBV or SUDV GP seroreactivity may have been exposed to an ebolavirus not previously known to circulate in the region.
A phase II multicenter randomized study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of combining thermotherapy and a short course of miltefosine for the treatment of uncomplicated cutaneous leishmaniasis in the New World
Authors: López Liliana , Valencia Braulio , Alvarez Fiorela , Ramos Ana Pilar , Llanos-Cuentas Alejandro , Echevarria Juan , Vélez Iván , Boni Marina , Rode Joelle , Quintero Juliana , Jiménez Alejandra , Tabares Yulied , Méndez Claudia , Arana Byron
Published: March 2022

Background

Systemic pentavalent antimonials, mainly meglumine antimoniate, continue to be the first-choice drugs for treatment of cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL) despite their toxicity, difficulty of administration and high cost. In the search for therapeutic alternatives, combining two treatment interventions has emerged as a potential alternative to either reduce the use of antimonials with the associated toxicities, or to increase efficacy. Here, we report the results of a recently completed trial assessing the efficacy and safety of a combination of thermotherapy (TT) plus a short course of miltefosine (MLT) for the treatment of uncomplicated CL in Colombia and Peru.

Methods

A multicenter, randomized, evaluator-blinded, phase II, controled clinical trial was conducted. Adult volunteers with a parasitologically confirmed diagnosis of uncomplicated CL were randomly allocated to receive either a single session of TT or a combination of TT plus a short course of MLT (3 weeks). Therapeutic response outcomes and safety were assessed.

Results

130 subjects were included in the study, of whom 64 were randomly assigned to the TT arm and 66 to the TT + MLT arm. Cure at 3 months’ follow-up was achieved in 57.8% (n = 37) and 80.3% (n = 53) in the TT and TT + MLT groups, respectively, in the intention to treat analysis. The TT + MLT regimen was better that TT alone (p = 0.0055). The presence of vesicles at the site of heat application was the most common adverse event reported associated with the use of TT; while vomiting (31.8%) and elevation of liver enzymes (28.8%) were the most frequent adverse events reported associated with the use of MLT.

Conclusion

The combination of TT plus a short course of MLT was shown to be significantly better than TT alone for the treatment of uncomplicated CL in the New World.

Trial registration

Registered in clinicaltrials.gov NCT02687971.
PERSonality, Ehical, and PROfessional quality of life in Pediatric/Adult Intensive Nurses study: PERSEPRO PAIN study
Authors: Matsuishi Yujiro , Mathis Bryan J. , Hoshino Haruhiko , Enomoto Yuki , Shimojo Nobutake , Kawano Satoru , Sakuramoto Hideaki , Inoue Yoshiaki
Published: March 2022

Background

The World Health Organization included burnout syndrome criteria that reduce both professional quality of life and work satisfaction in its 11th Revision of the International Classification of Diseases in 2019 while nursing bodies have issued action calls to prevent burnout syndrome. Despite this, the effect of social factors, personality traits and cross-interaction on professional quality of life is still unclear.

Aim

To reveal the association between ethical climate, personal trait and professional quality of life.

Method

An online survey of registered nurses working in adult, pediatric or both ICUs. We used the ten-item personality measure based on The Big Five theory and Type-D personality Scale-14 then measured the ethical climate with the Hospital Ethical Climate Survey and the professional domains of burnout syndrome, secondary traumatic stress and compassion satisfaction by the Professional Quality of Life Scale Version 5 simultaneously. Multivariate analysis confirmed the triangular association of hospital ethical climate, personality traits and professional quality of life.

Result

We enrolled 310 participants from September 2019 to February 2020. Mean age was 33.1 years (± 5.9) and about 70% were female. In the multivariate analysis, neuroticism (p = 0.03, p = 0.01) and Type D personality (both of p<0.01) were associated with burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress while agreeableness (p<0.01) was associated with secondary traumatic stress. Conversely, extraversion (p = 0.01), agreeableness (p<0.01) and openness (p<0.01) were associated with compassion satisfaction. We also observed interactions between hospital ethical climate and conscientiousness (p = 0.01) for burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress. Neuroticism was related to (p<0.01) BOS and compassion satisfaction while Type D personality (p<0.01) correlated with burnout syndrome and secondary traumatic stress.

Conclusion

Hospital ethical climate strongly affects professional quality of life in nurses with specific personality traits. Therefore, it is important to maintain an ethical hospital climate, considering individual personalities to prevent burnout syndrome.
A study on the rheological properties and modification mechanism of graphene oxide/polyurethane/SBS-modified asphalt
Authors: Li Shuai , Xu Wenyuan , Zhang Fengfa , Wu He
Published: March 2022

To study the effect of graphene oxide (GO) on thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU)/styrene–butadiene–styrene (SBS)-modified asphalt and reveal the modification mechanism, GO/TPU/SBS-modified asphalt was prepared by high-speed shearing Hongjuan et al. (2020). The physical properties of the modified asphalt were measured via a basic index test, and the dynamic rheological behavior of the modified asphalt was characterized by a dynamic shear rheometer (DSR), a bending beam rheometer (BBR), and other technical means. Moreover, double-beam UV-visible (UV-Vis) spectrophotometry and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) were conducted to determine the mechanism of asphalt modification from the microscopic perspective. The experimental results reveal that the GO content can improve the basic mechanical properties, high-temperature stability, and low-temperature cracking resistance of TPU/SBS-modified asphalt. When the GO content is 0.5%, the ductility and softening point of the modified asphalt are found to be significantly increased, and the degree of penetration is slightly decreased. Moreover, with the increase of the GO content, the rutting resistance and crack resistance of the asphalt materials are improved. Via the joint action of physical modification and chemical reaction, GO can form a stable structure with asphalt molecules, enhance the stability between asphalt molecules, and increase the colloidal content of macromolecules in the modified asphalt components.
Banana bunchy top virus genetic diversity in Pakistan and association of diversity with recombination in its genomes
Authors: Bashir Sana , Naqvi Syed Muhammad Saqlan , Muhammad Aish , Hussain Iqbal , Ali Kazim , Khan Muhammad Ramzan , Farrakh Sumaira , Yasmin Tayyaba , Hyder Muhammad Zeeshan
Published: March 2022

Banana Bunchy top virus (BBTV) is a multipartite circular single strand DNA virus that belongs to genus Babuvirus and family Nanoviridae. It causes significant crop losses worldwide and also in Pakistan. BBTV is present in Pakistan since 1988 however, till now only few (about twenty only) sequence of genomic components have been reported from the country. To have insights into current genetic diversity in Pakistan fifty-seven genomic components including five complete genomes (comprises of DNA-R, -U3, -S, -M, -C and -N components) were sequenced in this study. The genetic diversity analysis of populations from Pakistan showed that DNA-R is highly conserved followed by DNA-N, whereas DNA-U3 is highly diverse with the most diverse Common Region Stem-loop (CR-SL) in BBTV genome, a functional region, which previously been reported to have undergone recombination in Pakistani population. A Maximum Likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analysis of entire genomes of isolates by using sequence of all the components concatenated together with the reported genomes around the world revealed deeper insights about the origin of the disease in Pakistan. A comparison of the genetic diversity of Pakistani and entire BBTV populations around the world indicates that there exists a correlation between genetic diversity and recombination. Population genetics analysis indicated that the degree of selection pressure differs depending on the area and genomic component. A detailed analysis of recombination across various components and functional regions suggested that recombination is closely associated with the functional parts of BBTV genome showing high genetic diversity. Both genetic diversity and recombination analyses suggest that the CR-SL is a recombination hotspot in all BBTV genomes and among the six components DNA-U3 is the only recombined component that has extensively undergone inter and intragenomic recombination. Diversity analysis of recombinant regions results on average one and half fold increase and, in some cases up to four-fold increase due to recombination. These results suggest that recombination is significantly contributing to the genetic diversity of BBTV populations around the world.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of combined staged surgical treatment in patients with keratoconus
Authors: Maharramov Polad M. , Aghayeva Fidan A.
Published: March 2022

Purpose

This study performs comparative assessment of the results of different types of two-stage surgical treatment in patients with keratoconus, including combination of corneal collagen cross-linking with intrastromal corneal ring segments followed by topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy.

Materials and methods

Prospective review of 101 patients (101 eyes) with keratoconus was performed. Patients underwent corneal collagen cross-linking (32 patients), intrastromal corneal ring segments (48 patients), and a combination of these two procedures (21 patients). Transepithelial topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy was performed as the second stage of treatment in all patients with obtained stable refractive results at 8 months after first stage. Main outcome measures were visual acuity (uncorrected distance and corrected distance) and corneal topographic indices.

Results

Comparison of the studied parameters after first stage surgical treatment between non-combined CXL and combined groups demonstrated a statistically significant difference for uncorrected distance visual acuity, corrected distance visual acuity, and cylindrical refraction values (p<0.05). We observed significant improvement of visual acuity and key corneal topographic indices after topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy in all study groups (p<0.05). In 50 (49.5%) patients customized excimer laser ablation gave the possibility of full spherical and cylindrical corrections. Ten eyes (10%) had delayed epithelial healing, no corneal stromal opacities developed.

Conclusions

This study shows that combined two-stage surgical treatment of keratoconus, consisting of intrastromal corneal ring segment implantation with corneal collagen cross-linking followed by topography-guided photorefractive keratectomy, is clinically more effective to prevent keratectasia progression and increase visual acuity than the use of non-combined two-stage techniques.
Machine learning prediction of non-attendance to postpartum glucose screening and subsequent risk of type 2 diabetes following gestational diabetes
Authors: Periyathambi Nishanthi , Parkhi Durga , Ghebremichael-Weldeselassie Yonas , Patel Vinod , Sukumar Nithya , Siddharthan Rahul , Narlikar Leelavati , Saravanan Ponnusamy
Published: March 2022

Objective

The aim of the present study was to identify the factors associated with non-attendance of immediate postpartum glucose test using a machine learning algorithm following gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) pregnancy.

Method

A retrospective cohort study of all GDM women (n = 607) for postpartum glucose test due between January 2016 and December 2019 at the George Eliot Hospital NHS Trust, UK.

Results

Sixty-five percent of women attended postpartum glucose test. Type 2 diabetes was diagnosed in 2.8% and 21.6% had persistent dysglycaemia at 6–13 weeks post-delivery. Those who did not attend postpartum glucose test seem to be younger, multiparous, obese, and continued to smoke during pregnancy. They also had higher fasting glucose at antenatal oral glucose tolerance test. Our machine learning algorithm predicted postpartum glucose non-attendance with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.72. The model could achieve a sensitivity of 70% with 66% specificity at a risk score threshold of 0.46. A total of 233 (38.4%) women attended subsequent glucose test at least once within the first two years of delivery and 24% had dysglycaemia. Compared to women who attended postpartum glucose test, those who did not attend had higher conversion rate to type 2 diabetes (2.5% vs 11.4%; p = 0.005).

Conclusion

Postpartum screening following GDM is still poor. Women who did not attend postpartum screening appear to have higher metabolic risk and higher conversion to type 2 diabetes by two years post-delivery. Machine learning model can predict women who are unlikely to attend postpartum glucose test using simple antenatal factors. Enhanced, personalised education of these women may improve postpartum glucose screening.
Examining the psychometric properties of the Chinese Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire-3: A bi-factor approach
Authors: Luo Yan , Mullin Elizabeth M. , Mellano Kathleen T. , Sha Yanru , Wang Cheng
Published: March 2022

The Behavioral Regulation in Exercise Questionnaire (BREQ) was revised to its third iteration (BREQ-3) and has been widely used to measure different types of exercise motivation, including amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation. However, the Chinese version has not been similarly revised. The aim of this study was to develop and examine the psychometric properties of the Chinese BREQ-3 using alternative structural equation models. Specifically, this study aimed to translate the English BREQ-3 into Chinese to examine the best representation of the factor configuration of Chinese BREQ-3, measurement invariance for the best-fitted model, and the concurrent validity evidence and reliability for the Chinese BREQ-3. Undergraduate students (N = 825) from mainland China completed a battery of online questionnaires. After including two general motivation factors (controlled motivation and autonomous motivation), we discovered that the majority of items on the identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation subscales no longer loaded on or had very low loadings on their specific factors, implying that these items essentially represent a unidimensional construct. Invariance testing supported the comparison between latent factor means across gender based on the bi-factor exploratory structural equation model (BESEM). Concurrent validity evidence was found for amotivation, controlled motivation, and autonomous motivation. The hierarchical omega, explained common variance (ECV), item explained common variance (I_ECV), and percentage of uncontaminated correlations (PUC) indicated that the external regulation and introjected regulation subscales had a multidimensional structure, while the identified regulation, integrated regulation, and intrinsic motivation subscales had a unidimensional structure (autonomous motivation). We advocate calculating amotivation, external regulation, introjected regulation, and a single autonomous motivation (excluding item 19) score when utilizing the Chinese BREQ-3.
HLA-A*11:01-restricted CD8+ T cell immunity against influenza A and influenza B viruses in Indigenous and non-Indigenous people
Authors: Habel Jennifer R. , Nguyen Andrea T. , Rowntree Louise C. , Szeto Christopher , Mifsud Nicole A. , Clemens E. Bridie , Loh Liyen , Chen Weisan , Rockman Steve , Nelson Jane , Davies Jane , Miller Adrian , Tong Steven Y. C. , Rossjohn Jamie , Gras Stephanie , Purcell Anthony W. , Hensen Luca , Kedzierska Katherine , Illing Patricia T.
Published: March 2022

HLA-A*11:01 is one of the most prevalent human leukocyte antigens (HLAs), especially in East Asian and Oceanian populations. It is also highly expressed in Indigenous people who are at high risk of severe influenza disease. As CD8+T cells can provide broadly cross-reactive immunity to distinct influenza strains and subtypes, including influenza A, B and C viruses, understanding CD8+T cell immunity to influenza viruses across prominent HLA types is needed to rationally design a universal influenza vaccine and generate protective immunity especially for high-risk populations. As only a handful of HLA-A*11:01-restricted CD8+T cell epitopes have been described for influenza A viruses (IAVs) and epitopes for influenza B viruses (IBVs) were still unknown, we embarked on an epitope discovery study to define a CD8+T cell landscape for HLA-A*11:01-expressing Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian people. Using mass-spectrometry, we identified IAV- and IBV-derived peptides presented by HLA-A*11:01 during infection. 79 IAV and 57 IBV peptides were subsequently screened for immunogenicityin vitrowith peripheral blood mononuclear cells from HLA-A*11:01-expressing Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australian donors. CD8+T cell immunogenicity screening revealed two immunogenic IAV epitopes (A11/PB2320-331and A11/PB2323-331) and the first HLA-A*11:01-restricted IBV epitopes (A11/M41-49, A11/NS1186-195and A11/NP511-520). The immunogenic IAV- and IBV-derived peptides were >90% conserved among their respective influenza viruses. Identification of novel immunogenic HLA-A*11:01-restricted CD8+T cell epitopes has implications for understanding how CD8+T cell immunity is generated towards IAVs and IBVs. These findings can inform the development of rationally designed, broadly cross-reactive influenza vaccines to ensure protection from severe influenza disease in HLA-A*11:01-expressing individuals.
Distinct spatial arrangements of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression in Syrian hamster lung lobes dictates SARS-CoV-2 infection patterns
Authors: Tomris Ilhan , Bouwman Kim M. , Adolfs Youri , Noack Danny , van der Woude Roosmarijn , Kerster Gius , Herfst Sander , Sanders Rogier W. , van Gils Marit J. , Boons Geert-Jan , Haagmans Bart L. , Pasterkamp R. Jeroen , Rockx Barry , de Vries Robert P.
Published: March 2022

SARS-CoV-2 attaches to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) to gain entry into cells after which the spike protein is cleaved by the transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) to facilitate viral-host membrane fusion. ACE2 and TMPRSS2 expression profiles have been analyzed at the genomic, transcriptomic, and single-cell RNAseq levels. However, transcriptomic data and actual protein validation convey conflicting information regarding the distribution of the biologically relevant protein receptor in whole tissues. To describe the organ-level architecture of receptor expression, related to the ability of ACE2 and TMPRSS2 to mediate infectivity, we performed a volumetric analysis of whole Syrian hamster lung lobes. Lung tissue of infected and control animals was stained using antibodies against ACE2 and TMPRSS2, combined with SARS-CoV-2 nucleoprotein staining. This was followed by light-sheet microscopy imaging to visualize their expression and related infection patterns. The data demonstrate that infection is restricted to sites containing both ACE2 and TMPRSS2, the latter is expressed in the primary and secondary bronchi whereas ACE2 is predominantly observed in the bronchioles and alveoli. Conversely, infection completely overlaps where ACE2 and TMPRSS2 co-localize in the tertiary bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli.
Single-cell transcriptomics reveals expression profiles of Trypanosoma brucei sexual stages
Authors: Howick Virginia M. , Peacock Lori , Kay Chris , Collett Clare , Gibson Wendy , Lawniczak Mara K. N.
Published: March 2022

Early diverging lineages such as trypanosomes can provide clues to the evolution of sexual reproduction in eukaryotes. InTrypanosoma brucei, the pathogen that causes Human African Trypanosomiasis, sexual reproduction occurs in the salivary glands of the insect host, but analysis of the molecular signatures that define these sexual forms is complicated because they mingle with more numerous, mitotically-dividing developmental stages. We used single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNAseq) to profile 388 individual trypanosomes from midgut, proventriculus, and salivary glands of infected tsetse flies allowing us to identify tissue-specific cell types. Further investigation of salivary gland parasite transcriptomes revealed fine-scale changes in gene expression over a developmental progression from putative sexual forms through metacyclics expressing variant surface glycoprotein genes. The cluster of cells potentially containing sexual forms was characterized by high level transcription of the gamete fusion protein HAP2, together with an array of surface proteins and several genes of unknown function. We linked these expression patterns to distinct morphological forms using immunofluorescence assays and reporter gene expression to demonstrate that the kinetoplastid-conserved gene Tb927.10.12080 is exclusively expressed at high levels by meiotic intermediates and gametes. Further experiments are required to establish whether this protein, currently of unknown function, plays a role in gamete formation and/or fusion.
The glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenases GpsA and GlpD constitute the oxidoreductive metabolic linchpin for Lyme disease spirochete host infectivity and persistence in the tick
Authors: Drecktrah Dan , Hall Laura S. , Crouse Bethany , Schwarz Benjamin , Richards Crystal , Bohrnsen Eric , Wulf Michael , Long Bonnie , Bailey Jessica , Gherardini Frank , Bosio Catharine M. , Lybecker Meghan C. , Samuels D. Scott
Published: March 2022

We have identified GpsA, a predicted glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, as a virulence factor in the Lyme disease spirocheteBorrelia(Borreliella)burgdorferi: GpsA is essential for murine infection and crucial for persistence of the spirochete in the tick.B.burgdorferihas a limited biosynthetic and metabolic capacity; the linchpin connecting central carbohydrate and lipid metabolism is at the interconversion of glycerol-3-phosphate and dihydroxyacetone phosphate, catalyzed by GpsA and another glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, GlpD. Using a broad metabolomics approach, we found that GpsA serves as a dominant regulator of NADH and glycerol-3-phosphate levelsin vitro, metabolic intermediates that reflect the cellular redox potential and serve as a precursor for lipid and lipoprotein biosynthesis, respectively. Additionally, GpsA was required for survival under nutrient stress, regulated overall reductase activity and controlledB.burgdorferimorphologyin vitro. Furthermore, duringin vitronutrient stress, both glycerol andN-acetylglucosamine were bactericidal toB.burgdorferiin a GlpD-dependent manner. This study is also the first to identify a suppressor mutation inB.burgdorferi: aglpDdeletion restored the wild-type phenotype to the pleiotropicgpsAmutant, including murine infectivity by needle inoculation at high doses, survival under nutrient stress, morphological changes and the metabolic imbalance of NADH and glycerol-3-phosphate. These results illustrate how basic metabolic functions that are dispensable forin vitrogrowth can be essential forin vivoinfectivity ofB.burgdorferiand may serve as attractive therapeutic targets.
Cercetare Locală Ghid Metodologic
Authors: Letenyei László
Published: March 2022

S‐ar putea ca cititorului să‐i pară familiară situaţia în care soseşte într‐un loc despre care nu are suficiente informaţii anterioare, nu ştie exact care sunt problemele locale cele mai importante, ştie doar că el va trebui să dea un răspuns la acestea, în condiţiile în care nu dispune de timp suficient, iar mijloacele materiale îi sunt limitate. Această situaţie de bază apare de fiecare dată, când dorim să dezvăluim viaţa unei aşezări umane, sau a unei întinderi cu scop ştiinţific, sau aplicativ. Chiar şi atunci când este vorba de împrejurimile propriului nostru spaţiu locativ ‐ deşi cunoaştem deja unele statistici care se referă la zona respectivă ‐ întotdeauna vom dispune de mai puţine informaţii anterioare, decât am avea nevoie pentru a da răspuns la problemele ce pot apărea ulterior. La începutul cercetării noastre nu putem şti cu precizie, care vor fi întrebările care necesită atenţia şi sensibilitatea noastră maximă, care vor fi, deci, temele cele mai importante ale cercetării noastre. Sursele materiale şi timpul alocat cercetării se vor dovedi a fi insuficiente de fiecare dată, indiferent dacă este vorba de o cercetare cu scop ştiinţific planificată pe mai mulţi ani, sau doar pe câteva săptămâni. Acest volum doreşte să fie de folos în astfel de situaţii. Prin ,,teren” – în interpretarea prezentului volum – se va înţelege o aşezare umană, ori un ţinut, regiune, teritoriu, întindere. Practica contemporană europeană face diferenţă între profesiile de dezvoltare a aşezărilor, teritoriilor şi provinciilor, respectiv între specialiştii care se ocupă cu sistematizare şi dezvoltare. În zilele noastre, instituţionalizarea acestor profesii şi domenii de specialitate este un proces în plină desfăşurare. Totuşi, la derularea unei cercetări sociale, între diferitele profesii de sistematizare şi dezvoltare nu se înregistrează diferenţe; aceleaşi tehnici de culegere de date şi procesare trebuie aplicate atât în cazul teritoriilor, cât şi a aşezărilor umane. Mai bine spus, metodele aplicate trebuie modificate puţin de fiecare dată, dar aceasta este o problemă specifică terenului şi nu profesiei. Metodele prezentate în acest volum pot fi aplicate şi în alte cazuri, de exemplu, în cercetarea unei părţi a aşezării, a unei subculturi, sau a unei instituţii. Există nenumărate metode pentru cunoaşterea terenului. În volumul nostru, din considerente de întindere, nu putem să le prezentăm pe toate, dorim doar să prezentăm câteva tehnici de colectare de date din domeniul antropologiei, sociologiei, socio‐geografiei şi a ştiinţelor economice. Fără îndoială, alegerea acestor metode poate fi discutabilă, dincolo de tehnicile prezentate există alte metode pe care le‐am putea include. În alegerea tehnicilor prezentate m‐am bazat pe experienţele mele personale din domeniul dezvoltării aşezărilor umane, conform cărora se pot dezvălui şi pot fi răspunse relativ rapid, eficient şi cu încredere temele cele mai importante ale cercetării.
Statistical comparison between the adjustment equations of the water retention curve in sanitary landfills coverage soil
Authors: Souza Júnior Alexandre de , Lira Bruna Silveira , Araújo Henrique Antônio Oliveira , Carvalho Jeovanesa Régis , Sousa Maria Natália de Melo , Araujo Pabllo da Silva , Gurjão Renan Ítalo Leite , Paiva William de
Published: March 2022

Residual soils result from chemical weathering, so their characteristics depend on environmental factors, in addition to origin, topography, drainage and geological age. In the unsaturated condition, the behavior of soils is conditioned by suction, which refers to the state of the soil under reduced pressure. The aim of this study is to compare the water retention curve fitting equations in the study of tropical unsaturated soils through the filter paper technique and the analytical analysis of the data obtained in this test. By performing the analysis of the statistical evaluation parameters used in this study and the proximity of its values to the necessary boundary conditions defined for the equation to explain the soil suctioning behavior of the soil as it loses moisture naturally to the environment, it was verified that the Van Genuchten equation appeared to be the most suitable.
REVITALIZATION OF THE ROLE OF THE PRINCIPAL IN OPTIMIZING STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT BASED ON RELIGIOUS VALUES AT AL ISHLAH ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Authors: Hanum Suroiya Hamida
Published: March 2022

Dalam memajukan prestasi sekolah tentunya harus ada peran aktif kepala sekolah dalam menyusun langkah-langkah yang ditempuh untuk mencapai tujuan tersebut. Selain kepala sekolah, guru, dan seluruh tenaga kependidikan harus bekerja sama dengan baik. Prestasi itu muncul dari bakat dan minat peserta didik. Oleh karena itu, harus ada sarana dan prasarana yang mewadahi, mendukung agar bakat dan minat mereka bisa tersalurkan. Hal ini juga tidak luput dari campur tangan guru yang mengajar dan mendidik mereka. Dimana dari jasa seorang guru mereka menjadi paham tentang hal yang merek ketahui. Kinerja dan metode pengajaran yang dipakai juga berdampak pada hasil yang dicapai dari sebuah proses pembelajaran. Selain itu, juga harus ada usaha pendekatan spiritual kepada Sang Khalik agar tujuan tersebut dimudahkan mencapainya. Penelitian ini menggunaan metode kualitatif dengan melakukan wawancara.
MOTIVATION TO LEARN PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS AND BOARDING SCHOOLS DURING ONLINE LEARNING
Authors: Cahyani Adhetya , Imam Mahdi Nur , Ro'fah
Published: March 2022

This study aims to determine whether there are differences in learning motivation between general high school and high school of Islamic boarding school during online learning. The population of the study were all high school students, both general and Islamic boarding schools who were taking online learning. The research method used is a quantitative approach. The data collection method uses a questionnaire that is distributed using google form. The data analysis method uses the Independent Sample t Test technique. The data collected was 250 people, divided by 149 general high school students and 101 high school students of Islamic boarding schools. After testing the hypothesis using the Independent Sample t Test, it is found that the hypothesis is accepted, there is a significant difference in learning motivation between general high school students and Islamic boarding schools with a significance value of 0.033 and 0.027. Then also the results obtained that the mean value of high school students of Islamic boarding schools is higher, namely 53.09 compared to the mean value of general high school students which is 51.27. This means that the learning motivation of Islamic boarding school high school students is higher than general high school students during the online learning process.
Coloured Metallography of Ti-6Al-4V Alloys Using Phtalocyanine Blue
Authors: García L. , Dietz C. , Gómez de Salazar J. M. , Martínez J. A. , Criado A. J.
Published: March 2022

This work presents a method to improve visualisation of metallographic structures in titanium containing alloys. After conventional selective chemical etching with Kroll’s reagent, the surface of the sample specimen is manually dyed with a phtalocyanine based lacquer. The results are highly detailed and sharp coloured images when investigated with Optical Microscopy, providing much more information compared to the grey shaded, etching only approach.
The markers of the organic acidemias and their ratios in healthy neonates in Serbian population
Authors: Beletić Anđelo , Tijanić Aleksandra , Chrastina Petr , Nikolić Tatjana , Stefanović Aleksandar , Stanković Sanja
Published: March 2022

Objectives

The newborn screening (NBS) program in the Republic of Serbia has several decades of tradition, but it has not included any organic acidemias (OA). Therefore, this study aimed to establish the cut-offs of the corresponding NBS markers in the population of healthy newborns.

Methods

In dried blood samples (DBS) collected from 1,771 healthy newborns, we analyzed levels of propionylcarnitine (C3), isovalerylcarnitine (C5), and glutarylcarnitine (C5DC) using tandem mass spectrometry. Further we calculated the following ratios: C3/acetylcarnitine (C3/C2), C3/palmitoylcarnitine (C3/C16), C5/ free carnitine (C0), C5/C2, C5/C3, C5DC/octanoylcarnitine (C8), and C5DC/C0.

Results

The cut-offs for methylmalonic acidemia (MMA) or propionic acidemia (PA) were C3>5.73 μmol/L, C3/C2>0.23, and C3/C16>2.36. Based on the study findings, the screening results indicative for isovaleric acidemia (IVA) would include C5>0.372 μmol/L, C5/C0>0.020, C5/C2>0.019, and C5/C3>0.31. Finally, C5DC>0.303 μmol/L, C5DC/C8>7.1, and C5DC/C0>0.019 would justify further testing for glutaric acidemia type I (GA1). The cut-offs were satisfactorily validated via the comparison with worldwide estimates and data for several Caucasian populations.

Conclusions

The levels of the OA biomarkers in the Serbian population of healthy newborns have a distribution pattern similar to the other world populations. Therefore, the proposed cut-offs represent a reliable starting point for the future development of the OA NBS.
Enhancing the Utility of the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to Identify Drivers of Rising Mortality Rates in the United States
Authors: Monnat Shannon M. , Elo Irma T.
Published: March 2022

A recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) highlights rising rates of working-age mortality in the United States, portending troubling population health trends for this group as they age. The Health and Retirement Study (HRS) is an invaluable resource for researchers studying health and aging dynamics among Americans ages 50 and above and has strong potential to be used by researchers to provide insights about the drivers of rising U.S. mortality rates. This paper assesses the strengths and limitations of HRS data for identifying drivers of rising mortality rates in the U.S. and provides recommendations to enhance the utility of the HRS in this regard. Among our many recommendations, we encourage the HRS to prioritize the following: link cause of death information to respondents; reduce the age of eligibility for inclusion in the sample; increase the rural sample size; enhance the existing HRS Contextual Data Resource by incorporating longitudinal measures of structural determinants of health; develop additional data linkages to capture residential settings and characteristics across the life course; and add measures that capture drug use, gun ownership, and social media use.
Crystal structure of N-(4-bromo-2,6-dichloro-phenyl)pyrazin-2-amine, C10H6BrCl2N3
Authors: Zhu Zhoujing , Liu Bin , Xu Xiaona
Published: March 2022

C10H6BrCl2N3, monoclinic, P21/c (no. 14), a = 9.2229(13) Å, b = 14.709(2) Å, c = 8.6472(13) Å, β = 104.851(3)°, V = 1133.9(3) Å3, Z = 4, R

gt
(F) = 0.0312, wRref
(F
2) = 0.0839, T = 173 K.
London and Budapest: A Tale of Two Parliaments
Authors: Sisa József
Published: March 2022

The Houses of Parliament in London (1835–1860) and the Parliament in Budapest (1885– 1902) are related in many ways. It was due to former Prime Minister Gyula Andrássy’s personal commitment that a riverside site and the Neo-Gothic style were selected for the Hungarian edifice. While the New Palace of Westminster represents the late-medieval English variant of the Gothic style, its Hungarian counterpart is an amalgamation of various Gothic features marshalled into a heterogeneous synthesis. Inevitably the issue of a national style emerged, as well as the representation of royalty on the exterior and in the interior of the building. The Parliament in Budapest was meant tobe a national monument and project the (illusive) image of a Hungary on equal footing with the world’s major countries.