bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Práticas de estudo na comunidade acadêmico-digital
Authors: Marigo Adriana Fernandes Coimbra , Reyes Claudia , Bozzini Isabela Custódio Talora
Published: January 2023

Este texto relata a experiência de três professoras universitárias a partir de um projeto apresentado ao Programa de Assistência Estudantil (PAE), elaborado com o intuito de introduzir os estudantes no ensino remoto emergencial no contexto da pandemia da COVID-19.  O curso proposto “Práticas de Estudo na Comunidade Acadêmico-Virtual”, teoricamente fundamentado na aprendizagem dialógica, trouxe elementos essenciais para o bom desempenho dos estudantes, explorando diferentes linguagens acadêmicas muito utilizadas nos cursos de graduação: leitura crítica, escrita de resumos e resenhas, elaboração e gravação de seminários. Os estudantes inscritos eram de diferentes cursos de graduação da universidade e estavam em semestres iniciais em sua maioria. Entendemos que a oferta do curso, baseado em evidências científicas de máximas aprendizagens foi fundamental para o acompanhamento dos estudantes em seus cursos de graduação e para nossa formação continuada, oportunizando a vivência da co-docência. Nesse sentido, pudemos evidenciar que a diversidade das docentes (de formação, atuação profissional e tempo na universidade) foram determinantes para que todos os objetivos fossem alcançados.
Política educacional, acesso e inovação nos cursos de licenciatura a distância
Authors: Maciel Carina Elisabeth , Taveira Franciele Aparecida Henrique , Ruas Kelly Cristina da Silva
Published: January 2023

Introdução/Objetivo: Esta pesquisa tem por objetivo analisar teses e dissertações em educação que tratam sobre a política educacional, acesso e inovação nos cursos de licenciatura na educação superior a distância e identificar o método científico utilizado nesses estudos. Metodologia: O percurso metodológico desta investigação é desenvolvido por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica realizada no Catálogo de Teses e Dissertações da Capes, tendo como recorte temporal o período de 2010 a 2020. Também foi usada a pesquisa documental para subsidiar as análises desenvolvidas por meio de abordagens qualitativas e quantitativas, desvelando elementos que constituem o objeto e que materializam os resultados identificados. O estudo destaca um conjunto de 9 trabalhos correlatos à EaD na educação superior, sendo sete das publicações dissertações e duas teses que envolvem a temática em questão. Resultado: Sobre o método científico utilizado nas publicações, observamos como principal referencial teórico indicando o método dialético voltado à perspectiva epistemológica marxista. Conclusão: As conclusões apontam a escassez de pesquisas específicas acerca da relação entre política educacional, acesso e inovação nos cursos EaD. As publicações destacam que a EaD no Brasil segue uma lógica neoliberal, associando inovação ao uso de tecnologias e à tentativa de organização da formação docente via modalidade a distância, mas com fraturas importantes resultantes do processo de precarização da educação superior.
Ações extensionistas em uma disciplina de educação ambiental
Authors: Souza Jana Magaly Tesserolli de , Morais Josmaria Lopes de
Published: January 2023

Introdução/Objetivo: Este trabalho foi escrito com o objetivo de promover reflexão sobre uma experiência de curricularização da extensão em uma disciplina de graduação. A disciplina de Educação Ambiental foi ministrada no formato remoto durante a pandemia da COVID-19, em uma universidade pública do sul do Brasil. Metodologia: A pesquisa com abordagem qualitativa de natureza exploratória apresenta oito ações extensionistas de sensibilização ambiental idealizadas e implementadas pelos estudantes de diferentes cursos de graduação durante dois semestres letivos. Neste estudo são destacados dois desafios: o primeiro, trabalhar de forma remota, e o segundo, ministrar uma disciplina com o compromisso de realização de ações de extensão pelos graduandos organizados em equipes. Resultados: Os resultados revelaram que, além do protagonismo dos estudantes, as ações de extensão contribuíram para a divulgação e sensibilização quanto a temáticas de interesse ambiental.  Conclusão: Entende-se que uma disciplina de caráter extensionista, embora exija uma dedicação maior tanto de professores quanto de graduandos, se configura como uma possibilidade viável de inserir a extensão universitária no currículo dos cursos de graduação, de promover a formação integral dos estudantes e de contribuir para a transformação da sociedade.
O impacto da interiorização do ensino de medicina
Authors: Moreira Antonio Vanderley , Rodrigues Maxweel Veras , Barros Conceição de Maria Pinheiro
Published: January 2023

Introdução: O Curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Ceará, em Sobral, há 20 anos vem formando médicos no interior do estado do Ceará, resultado do processo de interiorização desta Instituição Federal de Ensino Superior que teve início em 2001. Atualmente, o curso conta com 720 médicos graduados até dezembro de 2020. Objetivo: Diante do exposto, considerando o papel transformador da universidade na sociedade em que está inserida, este artigo tem como objetivo avaliar a interiorização do ensino superior por meio das contribuições de um Curso de Medicina da Universidade Federal do Ceará nos níveis da atenção à saúde primária, secundária e terciária no município de Sobral, dado o período de 2007 a 2020. Metodologia: A metodologia do estudo caracteriza-se por uma pesquisa descritiva, qualitativa e quantitativa, ancorada em uma análise documental realizada nas Diretrizes Curriculares Nacionais do Curso de Graduação em Medicina, resoluções da Universidade Federal do Ceará e no Cadastro Nacional dos Estabelecimentos de Saúde e em uma pesquisa de campo com aplicação de questionários à egressos de medicina. Resultados: Os resultados do estudo mostram que o Curso de Medicina de Sobral é um modelo exitoso do processo de interiorização do ensino superior no Brasil, realizado por uma IFES. Conclusão: Como conclusão, percebe-se a contribuição da Universidade Federal do Ceará para a melhoria da assistência à saúde da cidade de Sobral no estado do Ceará por meio da atuação dos seus egressos nos equipamentos públicos de saúde do município.
As contribuições dos educadores anarquistas à pedagogia freireana
Authors: Idelbrando Amália Galvão
Published: January 2023

Introdução/Objetivo: O presente artigo tem como objetivo relacionar as pedagogias antiautoritária de Paulo Freire e a Educação libertária do movimento Anarquista. Para tanto, busca identificar em que medida se verificam vestígios das forças do pensamento anarquista manifestado por Proudhon (1809-1865), Bakunin (1814-1876), entre outros, que permanecem nas pedagogias imortais em Paulo Freire (1921-1997). Metodologia: Com base em metodologia qualitativa interpretativa propusemos a 32 alunos de 2 turmas de Pós-graduação em áreas da Educação a avaliação da qualidade da experiência de sua própria aprendizagem durante o curso de modo a tornar esses alunos investigadores de si próprios. Resultados: Os resultados desse estudo contribuem para o entendimento dos nexos entre a Educação Libertária, anarquista, do século XIX-XX, e as pedagogias de Paulo Freire. Conclusão: A conclusão foi de que Paulo Freire abordou o ideal anarquista, colocando-o à contemporaneidade de modo político e como ferramenta de desconstrução da realidade única e reconstrução de um mundo diverso.
Women, teachers and researchers
Authors: Rossi Jean Pablo Guimarães , Mares Thaíse Fernanda de Lima , Maio Eliane Rose
Published: January 2023

Introduction: In this research, our general objective is to present issues that can be identified and analyzed, around the experiences of women, teachers, researchers, who were in the university space at the time of the pandemic (which began in 2019), due to of the Coronavirus/COVID-19. Social isolation, which was imposed as one of the measures to contain the virus, required (and has required) all of us to (re)think new adaptations and readjustments, especially in regard to the academic field. Teachers have been challenged to reflect on their activities in various aspects, both professional and personal. In this way, from the context of a global pandemic, we problematize: what issues can be identified and analyzed, around the experiences of women, teachers, researchers, who were in the university space at the time of the pandemic? Method: To do this, we applied a questionnaire through the Google Forms platform, to ten women, teachers, researchers and who were inserted in Postgraduate programs during the years 2020 and 2021. The data collected was analyzed from the Feminist and Gender Studies, relevant for the analysis and discussion of the nuances of "being a woman" and their experiences in the face of the demands of this historical moment. Results/Conclusion: The data highlighted the gender inequalities associated with female researchers, and also pointed to the need to rethink gender issues in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Letter from the Editors
Authors: Scrivens Kashian , Dial A. Joseph , Clark Young Brittany
Published: January 2023

Blackness as a non-monolithic lived experience surrounds us at all times, permeating across institutions and platforms. Within this antiblack singularity where Black is rendered visible through violence and cruelty, Look @ Me Now: Black (In)Visibility across Institutions and Platforms seeks submissions highlighting Black joy, activism, exploration, and liberation as an unapologetic reclamation. Blackness does not and must not fit into Western technocultural modes of being and living. In lieu of challenges, across various spaces, platforms, and institutions perseverance and ingenuity have long served Black people as catalysts for agency and visibility. Shifting perspectives and bending realities, Blackness continues to leave its imprint within cultures, technologies, institutions, and platforms. Black (In)Visibility speaks to Black narratives and traditions as both demanding visibility and foretelling the benefits of an insular and protective interpretation of obscurity. Particularly, the invisibility of Blackness can be combated through non-oppressive systems and frameworks of knowing, doing, and being. What non-traditional frameworks and technologies do we use to make Blackness visible? How do choices of consumption and engagement confront and produce assumptions and frameworks for Blackness and establish alternative frameworks of vitality and joy? And finally, in what ways does visibility, invisibility, or hypervisibility affect the constitution and perception of Black personhood and everyday life? Our interpretation of (in)visibility encompasses the diversity of Black imaging and imagining and redaction and annotation. Moreover, our hope in this collection is to assemble a robust corpus that engages with Black (In)Visibility across various non-academic spaces and academic disciplines and perspectives.
Minimally invasive transthoracic resection of a segment eight liver tumor
Authors: Panettieri Elena , Vega Eduardo A. , Conrad Claudius
Published: January 2023

Despite advances in technology and technique of minimally invasive liver surgery, resection of lesions in the posterosuperior segments such as segment 8 (S8) remains challenging. Compared to open surgery, there are specific differences that make minimally invasive access to S8 challenging. These include the caudal view along the axis of the hepatoduodenal ligament, increased distance between trocars and the operative field, and the liver fulcrum created by the anterolateral segments limiting the view. However, several advancements have helped to overcome these challenges, such as the use of intercostal trocars (combined lateral-abdominal approach) and a flexible tip camera. Consequently, a total thoracoscopic (transthoracic) approach was developed to resect subdiaphragmatic tumors, which may particularly benefit patients with a hostile abdomen. This article summarizes the anatomic, technical, and technological considerations for safe resection of lesions in S8.
Concomitant medications and circulating tumor cells: friends or foes?
Authors: Di Cosimo Serena , Cappelletti Vera
Published: January 2023

The use of concomitant medications by patients with cancer is observed almost globally; however, little attention has been paid to this topic in the medical literature. Most clinical studies do not describe the type and duration of drugs used at the time of inclusion and during treatment or how these drugs may affect the experimental and/or standard therapy. Even less information has been published on the potential interaction between concomitant medications and tumor biomarkers. However, we do know that concomitant drugs can complicate cancer clinical trials and biomarker development, thus contributing to their interaction, leading to side effects, and resulting in suboptimal adherence to anticancer treatment. On the basis of these premises and moving from the study by Jurisova et al., which reported the effect of commonly used drugs on the prognosis of women with breast cancer and the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs), we comment on the role of CTCs as an emerging diagnostic and prognostic tool for breast cancer. We also report the known and hypothesized mechanisms of CTC interplay with other tumor and blood components, possibly modulated by widespread drugs, including over-the-counter compounds, and discuss the possible implications of commonly used concomitant medications on CTC detection and clearance. After considering all these points, it is conceivable that concomitant drugs are not necessarily a problem, but on the contrary, their virtuous mechanisms can be exploited to reduce tumor spread and enhance the effect of anticancer therapies.
New perspectives on epigenetic modifications and PARP inhibitor resistance in HR-deficient cancers
Authors: Bayley Rachel , Sweatman Ellie , Higgs Martin R.
Published: January 2023

The clinical treatment of DNA-repair defective tumours has been revolutionised by the use of poly(ADP) ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors. However, the efficacy of these compounds is hampered by resistance, which is attributed to numerous mechanisms including rewiring of the DNA damage response to favour pathways that repair PARP inhibitor-mediated damage. Here, we comment on recent findings by our group identifying the lysine methyltransferase SETD1A as a novel factor that conveys PARPi resistance. We discuss the implications, with a particular focus on epigenetic modifications and H3K4 methylation. We also deliberate on the mechanisms responsible, the consequences for the refinement of PARP inhibitor use in the clinic, and future possibilities to circumvent drug resistance in DNA-repair deficient cancers.
Effects of cane- and spur-retained node numbers on the pre-flowering vegetative growth of cane-pruned Sauvignon blanc
Authors: Epee Paul T. M. , Schelezki Olaf , Trought Michael C. T. , Werner Armin , Hofmann Rainer W. , Almond Peter , Charters Stuart , Parker Amber
Published: January 2023

In established vineyards, node number retention at winter pruning is the first step to achieving and maintaining vine balance. Balanced vines exhibit timely and quasi-uniform 100 percent budburst. To understand how vine capacity and balance are expressed before flowering, mature Sauvignon blanc vines were pruned according to a 5 [total node numbers on canes: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50] x 3 [total node numbers on spurs: 1, 2, 3] factorial design in one site, and in two other sites according to a 5 [total node numbers on canes: 10, 20, 30, 40, 50] x 2 [total node numbers on spurs: 1, 2] factorial design. Two spurs of one, two or three nodes each were retained on either side of the vine. The number of canes laid down per vine was one, two, three and four canes each of 10 nodes for the 10-, 20-, 30- and 40-node treatments, and four canes averaging 12.5 nodes for the 50-node treatment. The budburst percentage was calculated on the whole vine, canes, and spurs. Blind nodes, count shoots, non-count shoots and double shoots were counted and mapped along canes and spurs. Many non-count shoots were measured on the vine head of 10-node vines (29.5 ± 3.0 shoots, p < 0.001), compared to 50-node vines (2.8 ± 1.9 shoots, p < 0.001). 50-node vines had an overall budburst of 100 %, despite having the highest number of blind nodes (7.6 ± 0.3 nodes, p < 0.001). These were mainly located at the canes’ proximal sections relative to the vine head and were likely caused by correlative inhibition and primary bud necrosis. Cane budburst provided a more accurate assessment of the vine response to node loading than vine budburst. The number of double shoots was not associated with the vine node load, as they appeared on both low-node and high-node vines. Three-node spurs developed more blind nodes than one-node and two-node spurs (p < 0.001). Based on the findings of this research, we recommend a composite metric (cane percent budburst, cane blind node count and head shoot count) to assess vine capacity and balance between budburst and flowering, and the practice of retaining one- or two-node spurs at cane pruning is also justified.
Atomic Structure and Binding of Carbon Atoms
Authors: Ali Mubarak
Published: January 2023

Carbon is a versatile element due to having many allotropes. Depending on the processing conditions of a carbon precursor, a carbon atom changes its state behavior. Converting carbon atoms from one state to another is under the electron transfer mechanism. In conversion, the dash-shaped energy bits involved transferring electrons to nearby unfilled states. The involved dash-shaped energy bit has partially conserved behavior. The forces exerted on the transferring electrons also remain partially conserved. Under only attained dynamics of atoms, a two-dimensional or amorphous graphite structure forms. To form a structure in one dimension, two dimensions, or four dimensions, graphite, nanotube, or fullerene state atoms perform electron dynamics, respectively. In these structures, binding is due to the dash-shaped energy bits involved while the electron transfer mechanism. The structural formations in diamond, lonsdaleite, and graphene state atoms involve differently shaped bits of energy. The bit of energy has a shape like a golf stick. Each outer ring electron of a depositing diamond atom undertakes a clamp of the outer ring energy knot of the deposited diamond atom by involving a golf-stick-shaped energy bit. A depositing diamond atom binds to the deposited diamond atom from the east-west poles to the south pole. Growth is from the south pole to the east-west poles, so the structure of the diamond is a tetra-electron topological structure. The lonsdaleite atoms bind from the east-west poles to a bit south pole. In glassy carbon, the layers of gaseous, graphite, and lonsdaleite state atoms bind simultaneously. The order of the layers repeats in the growth of glassy carbon. Differently processed carbon materials also study hardness under a new insight. Thus, this study develops an understanding of the fundamental and applied science of carbon-based materials.
The Hyperboloidal Universe
Authors: Laforet Christopher
Published: January 2023

This paper investigates a relativistic model of the Universe in which the geometry describes a 4D version of the 2-sheeted hyperboloid that is isotropic, homogeneous in space at a given time and inhomogeneous in time. The internal Schwarzschild metric is used for this model, which is justified by the fact that spherically-symmetric empty spaces in the Universe are effectively surrounded by a shell of infinite mass (the surrounding Universe and in particular, the infinitely dense mass at the Big Bang). Thus the metric for the empty spaces must be described by the Schwarzschild metric according to Birkhoff’s theorem. Since the shell’s mass is infinite, the external solution cannot describe this spacetime and therefore the internal Schwarzschild solution must be the correct metric for this spacetime. The important insight here is that the source of the metric is not at r = 0, but that the event horizon is the metric source in both cases, representing a location/time of infinite density. This is supported by looking at the internal geometry in Kruskal coordinates where the event horizon surrounds the vacuum at an infinite distance, meaning the Schwarzschild radius, and therefore mass, of the source shell is infinite. The full spatial homogeneity of the internal metric is also demonstrated by visualizing at the Schwarzschild geometry (with 2 spatial dimensions and the time dimension) in Kruskal coordinates. The model predicts both a Universe and Anti-Universe moving in opposite directions of time undergoing an expansion phase, followed by a collapsing phase. Using only the current coordinate age of the Universe and transition redshift, it predicts the accelerated expansion and it is shown that its Hubble diagram fits currently available supernova and quasar data as well as predicting a Hubble constant H0 ≈ 71.6km/s/M pc. The angular term of the metric describes time dilation caused by the relativistic kinematic precession effect known as Thomas Precession which can be interpreted as spin about the time dimension. The model also makes two novel predictions: that the early Universe should have structures older than expected due to an increased amount of proper time relative to coordinate time in that era and that the background Universe should appear brighter than current models predict.
Light Speed Expanding Hubble-Hawking Universe
Authors: U.V.S. Seshavatharam , S. Lakshmanarayana
Published: January 2023

Based on four major cosmological and astrophysical coincidences, it seems possible to develop a new model of Hubble-Hawking Universe having light speed expansion. First Coincidence is - distance travelled by light in 14 billion years seems to equal to the currently believed cosmic Hubble radius. Second Coincidence is - Product of currently believed cosmic critical density and cosmic Hubble volume seems to be equal to the black hole mass of the current Hubble universe. Third Coincidence is - Currently believed cosmic temperature seems to be equal to the geometric mean of Hawking temperature of Planck mass and Hawking temperature of current Hubble mass. Fourth coincidence is - single big bang having evolution that resembles a light speed growing Planck mass. Considering the analysis of 740 super novae data, it is possible to consider a constant rate of cosmic expansion. As there is no physical reasoning for the observed speed of light and all the cosmological observations are completely based on speed of light-by considering ‘light speed expansion’ concept as a characteristic nature of the universe, big bang, inflation, dark energy, quintessence and lambda term like ideal and unidentified concepts can be reviewed and relinquished at fundamental level and a practical model of expanding universe can be developed with ease and clarity. In this context, we encourage the reader to see Figure 1 pertaining to light travel distances prepared with . For a comparison, readers are encouraged to visit https://cosmocalc.icrar.org/ and http://www.atlasoftheuniverse.com/cosmodis.c. It may be noted that, considering 200 million solar masses as a cut off for ordinary gravity, dark matter can be considered as an effect of power law based super gravity of galactic baryonic mass. It is well believed that, Hawking’s findings about black holes are the most important contributions to physics in recent decades. Hence, we appeal the science community to recommend our Hubble-Hawking model for further research and study.
Mathematical Singularities in the Farthest Confines of the Universe — And a Brief Report on Its Evolutionary History
Authors: Elizalde Emilio
Published: January 2023

It is advisable to avoid and, even better, demystify such grandiose terms as "infinity" or "singularity" in the description of the cosmos. Its proliferation does not positively contribute to the understanding of key concepts that are essential for an updated account of its origin and evolutionary history. It will be here argued that, as a matter of fact, there are no infinities in physics, in the real world: all which appear, in any given formulation of nature by means of mathematical equations, actually arise from extrapolations, which are made beyond the bounds of validity of the equations themselves. Such crucial point is rather well-known, but too often forgotten, as discussed in this paper with several examples; namely, the famous Big Bang singularity and others, which appeared before in classical mechanics and electrodynamics, and notably in the quantization of field theories. A brief description of the Universe’s history and evolution follows. Special emphasis is put on what is presently known, from detailed observations of the cosmos and, complementarily, from advanced experiments of very-high-energy physics. To conclude, a future perspective on how this knowledge might soon improve is given.
“One and a Half Years of Things We Could Have Done”: Multi-Method Analysis of the Narratives of Adolescents with T1D during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tremolada Marta , Cusinato Maria , D’Agnillo Alessia , Negri Arianna , Righetto Elena , Moretti Carlo
Published: January 2023

Background: The global prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in adolescents has increased considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health problems may compromise glycemic control in young people with type 1 diabetes; however, evidence of improved glycemic control in adolescents with T1D appeared early during the pandemic. This qualitative study aimed to provide a more in-depth understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic affected adolescents with type 1 diabetes routines, experiences, T1D management, behaviors, and mental health. Methods: 24 adolescents, aged 15-18 years, with DM1, joined the discussion of focus groups in the context of the summer camp for diabetes. Word frequency and thematic analysis were conducted on adolescents’ narratives. Results: The word Frequency Analysis identified 'friends', 'family', and 'home' as the most frequent terms. Seven themes were identified: (1) COVID-19 and T1D; (2) emotional reactions to the COVID-19 pandemic; (3) changes in daily life; (4) feelings of loss; (5) coping with the COVID-19 pandemic; (6) the COVID-19 pandemic as an opportunity; (7) return to (new) normality. Conclusions The COVID-19 pandemic may have represented a more stressful condition for adolescents with DM1, facing additional challenges compared to their healthy peers. The results offer directions to the diabetes care team for a customized intervention while the consequences of the pandemic on adolescents’ health continue.
Known Modifiable Risk Factors of Cancers
Authors: Justiz-Vaillant Angel
Published: January 2023

It was estimated the proportion and number of invasive cancer cases and deaths for 26 cancer types in adults aged 30 years and older in the United States in 2014. In this study was found that these cancers were attributable to modifiable risk factors such as cigarette smoking, second-hand smoke, alcohol intake, physical inactivity, excess body weight, red and processed meat consumption, low consumption of vegetables and fruits, dietary calcium, and ultraviolet radiation and six cancer-associated infections. Several databases were reviewed including PUBMED, Google scholar, and Web of Science. The facts suggest that a number of individuals in the US present risk factors for cancer, which development in malignancies would ultimately depend on the interaction of environmental and genetic factors.
Credence Goods, Price, and Quality
Authors: Moszoro Marian
Published: January 2023

When sellers set the price for ex-ante unobservable and ex-post unenforceable quality, price signals credence quality. Hedge funds resemble incomplete long-term contracts for credence goods under buyer-determined auctions. I show that hedge funds' ability to solicit investments at higher management fees signals their capacity to generate higher net returns. This result is more pronounced during bust cycles and closer to financial hubs, i.e., when signaling quality is more valuable. The findings are relevant to understanding price and effort in the provision of credence goods like medical procedures and legal advice.
COVID-19: The Ethno-Geographic Perspective of Differential Immunity
Authors: Abdullah Usman , Saleh Ned , Shaw Peter , Jalal Nasir
Published: January 2023

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the emissary behind the worst global pandemic of the 21st century, is primarily a respiratory disease-causing virus called SARS-CoV-2 which is responsible for millions of new cases (incidence) and deaths (mortalities), worldwide. Many factors have played a role in the differential morbidity and mortality experienced by nations and ethnicities against SARS-CoV-2, such as the quality of primary medical health facilities or enabling economies. Nevertheless, the most important variable, i.e., the subsequent ability of individuals to be immunologically sensitive or resistant to the infection, was not properly discussed before. Therefore, an astounding issue arose when some developed countries experienced higher morbidity and mortality, compared with their relatively underdeveloped counterparts, despite having excellent medical health facilities. Hence this investigative review attempts to analyze the issue from an angle of previously undiscussed genetic, epigenetic, and molecular immune resistance mechanisms in correlation with the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 and varied ethnicity-based immunological responses against it. The biological factors discussed here include the overall landscape of human microbiota, endogenous retroviral genes spliced into the human genome, copy number variation, and how they could modulate the innate and adaptive immune systems, which put a particular ethnic genetic architecture at a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection than others. Considering an array of these factors in their entirety may help explain the geographic disparity of disease incidence, severity, and subsequent mortality associated with the disease while at the same time encouraging scientists to design new experimental approaches to investigation.
Differentially Expressed Conserved Plant Vegetative Phase-change Related Micro RNAs as Markers of Juvenility for Silver Birch In Vitro Propagation
Authors: Krivmane Baiba , Samsone Ineta , Ruņģis Dainis Edgars
Published: January 2023

In plants, phase change from the juvenile stage to maturity is a tightly controlled process at the physiological and genetic level, which is controlled by evolutionary highly conserved microRNAs. These phase changes are more pronounced in woody plant species, but the majority of molecular genetic studies on the regulation of this transition has been done in annual model or crop species. This process is of particular significance for the in vitro propagation of woody plant species, as individuals or tissues that have undergone the transition to vegetative maturity are recalcitrant to propagation. Development of effective methodologies for silver birch vegetative propagation are required to increase the efficiency of breeding programs. Conserved miRNAs that were differentially expressed between juvenile and mature silver birch tissues were identified using high-throughput sequencing of small RNA libraries. These differentially expressed miRNAs could potentially be utilized to develop markers indicating the juvenility or maturity of silver birch explants and in vitro cultures. In addition, the obtained results will provide an insight into the molecular mechanisms regulating vegetative phase change in silver birch and other perennial woody plant species.
Spatial Habitat Structure Assembles Willow-Dependent Communities across the Primary Successional Watersheds of Mount St. Helens
Authors: Minsavage-Davis Charles D. , Garthwaite Iris J. , Fisher Marisa , Leigh Addison , Ramstack Hobbs Joy M. , Claeson Shannon M. , Wimp Gina M. , LeRoy Carri J.
Published: January 2023

Major disturbances fundamentally alter ecosystems through the transformation of both biotic and abiotic factors. The eruption of Mount St. Helens in 1980 resulted in a cataclysmic restructuring of its surrounding landscapes. The Pumice Plain is one of these landscapes, where tree species such as Sitka willow (Salix sitchensis) and their dependent communities have established along newly-formed streams. Thus, the study of these dependent communities provides a unique opportunity to investigate factors influencing metacommunity assembly during true primary succession. We analyzed the influence of landscape connectivity on metacommunity assembly through a novel application of circuit theory, alongside the effects of other factors such as stream locations, willow leaf chemistry, and leaf area. We found that landscape connectivity structures community composition on willows across the Pumice Plain, while our other factors had varied effects. Most importantly, multiple levels of spatial habitat structure linked via landscape connectivity can predict the presence of organisms lacking high rates of dispersal, such as the invasive stem-boring poplar weevil (Cryptorhynchus lapathi). This is critical for management as we show that the maintenance of a heterogeneous mixture of landscape connectivities and resource locations can facilitate meta-community dynamics to promote ecosystem function and mitigate the influences of invasive species.
Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices toward Hepatitis B Infection among Healthcare Students; A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Study in Jordan.
Authors: Alaridah Nader , Joudeh Rayan M. , Al-Abdallat Haneen , Jarrar Raba’a F. , Ismail Layan , Jum’ah Mohammad , Alnajjar Zaina S , Alzyoud Eman , Battah Zaina , Battah Aya , Alshami Manar , Abu-Humaidan Anas H. A.
Published: January 2023

The World Health Organization estimated that around 66 thousand HBV are caused by needlestick injuries annually. Healthcare students should be aware of HBV transmission route and preventive measures. This study assessed the knowledge, attitudes, and practices toward HBV among Jordanian healthcare students and its associated factor. A cross-national study conducted from March to August. The participants were asked to complete the questionnaire. It had four sections: participants' sociodemographic, knowledge, attitudes, and practices about HBV. 2322 participants were enrolled, 67.9% were females, 26.4% were medical student, 35.9% were in the 3rd year. 40% of the participants held a high level of knowledge and attitude. 63.9% of participants had good practices toward HBV. Medical students in the last year of study, encountered HBV patients , had better knowledge. Male students from medicine college, encountered HBV patients and had extra HBV courses showed better attitude. High practice level was associated with being dentistry student, at 5th year, encountered HBV patient and extras HBV courses. This study demonstrated insufficient knowledge and attitudes toward HBV, the practices level toward HBV among healthcare students was promising. Subsequently, public health efforts should modify the knowledge and attitude gaps to reinforce awareness and minimizing risks of the infection.
SLAMF7/STAT6 Pathway Inhibit Innate Immune Response in Late-Stage Human Acanthamoeba Keratitis: A Comparative Transcriptome Analysis
Authors: Wei Zhenyu , Zhang Yuheng , Chen Qiankun , Xu Xizhan , Pan Zhiqiang , Jin Zi-Bing , Liang Qingfeng
Published: January 2023

Acanthamoeba keratitis (AK) is a blinding corneal infection caused by the protozoan Acanthamoeba. The long-term course of AK suggests the host immunity could not kill Acanthamoeba rapidly. The immune status is still unclear in the late stage of AK. The comparative transcriptome analysis was made based on the bulk RNA sequencing of cornea tissues from AK patients and donors. Differentially expressed genes and enriched signaling pathways were calculated. CIBERSORT algorithm was used for Immune infiltration analysis of cornea tissue between AK and normal controls. A total of 2668 differentially expressed genes, including 1477 upregulated genes and 1191 downregulated genes, were detected. Gene Ontology analysis revealed that the pathways were significantly enriched in leukocyte migration, regulation of T cell activation, the external side of plasma membrane, collagen-containing extracellular matrix, immune receptor activity and cytokine binding. KEGG pathway analysis showed that the pathways were significantly enriched in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction, hematopoietic cell lineage and Staphylococcus aureus infection pathway. The immune infiltration profiles varied little between AK and normal controls. Compared with normal tissue, cornea tissue of AK contained a higher proportion of M0 macrophages and CD8 T cells, while resting memory CD4 T cells contributed to a relatively lower portion (P < 0.05). Finally, the expression levels of cell markers and SLAMF7/STAT6 pathway were confirmed by histopathology examinations, RT-qPCR and western blot.
Improving the Directionality of Low-Frequency Acoustic Radiation by a Finite Array of Quadrupolar Sources with Acoustic Metamaterials
Authors: Zeng Qinglei , Gao Shenlian , Lai Yun , Liu Xiaozhou
Published: January 2023

Manipulation of radiation pattern control is challenging, especially at low frequencies. In this paper, we demonstrate that acoustic metamaterials as an effective array of quadrupoles can remarkably improve the directionality of acoustic radiation at low frequencies, compared with previous metamaterials as monopole and dipole structures. The directivity of the acoustic radiation can be adjusted by changing the characteristic parameter and the symmetry of the structure, which provide a flexible method of adjustable radiation di-rections. The directionality can be further improved by constructing linear array of structure. Our work opens an approach of acoustic radiation control via quadrupolar metamaterials.
Recovery in Transplanted Rat after Stopping the Injected of Immunosuppressant Agent ‘Cyclosporine’
Authors: Naghynajadfard Maryam , Li Ying
Published: January 2023

The hitologiy image of mouse xenograft of olfactory ensheating cells ( OECs) in to Albino Swiss Strain rats corticospinal tract lesion shows immunorejection after 10 days in grafted tissue . Moreover, the images of postoperative xenotransplanted OECs under daily subcutaneous injection of 100 ml of a dosage of 6 mg/kg/day avoid immunorejection in the misplace of GFP labeled transplanted OECs with the survival time of 4 weeks and there is no sign of inflammation. the result shows that the daily injection of 100ml diluted cyclosporine avoids immune attack and reduces inflammatory cells infiltrate in delayed CST ipsilateral rat model and also our study proved that stop of cyclosporine injection would not prevent DFR function and the regenerated fibers can still be visualised.
Postpartum depression and Health: Role of Perceived Social Support among Women.
Authors: Jamshaid Samrah , Malik Najma Iqbal , Ullah Irfan , Saboor Sundas , Arain Fauzia , De Berardis Domenico
Published: January 2023

Postpartum depression (PPD) can predispose to physical and mental health problems in women. However, PPD is associated with health and perceived social support but their causal relationship is unclear. Therefore, this study intended to evaluate the association of PPD with insomnia, mental health, and physical health. Convenience sampling technique was used to collect data from 320 (52.8 %) young and middle aged postpartum women, in the outpatient departments of obstetrics and gynecology in Government Maula Bakhsh Hospital, District Head Quarter in Sargodha, Pakistan. The Edinburgh Postnatal depression scale, Pittsburg sleep quality index, Warwick-Edinburgh mental wellbeing scale, Patient health questionnaire, and Multidimensional scale of perceived social support were used to measure study variables. Results revealed a significant positive relationship of PPD with physical health (r= .45, p=.001), while a negative relationship with insomnia (r= -.24, p<.001), and perceived social support (r= -.38, p=.001). Results further confirmed that perceived social support played a moderating role (β = .97, p=.01) in the relationship between PPD and mental health among females. This study concluded that perceived social support has an important role in PPD and women’s health. The study also concluded that poor health is a risk indicator for identifying aid in the early stages of postpartum among women.
The Fight Against Corruption at Global Level. A Metric Approach
Authors: Laureti Lucio , Costantiello Alberto , Leogrande Angelo
Published: January 2023

In this article we estimate the level of Control of Corruption for 193 countries in the period 2011-2020 using data from the ESG World Bank Database. Various econometric techniques are applied i.e.: Panel Data with Random Effects, Panel Data with Fixed Effects, Pooled OLS, WLS. Results show that “Control of Corruption” is positively associated, among others, to “Government Effectiveness” and “Political Stability and Absence of Violence/Terrorism”, while it is negatively associated among others to “Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Value Added as Percentage of GDP” and “GHG Net Emissions/Removals by LUCF”. A cluster analysis implemented with the k-Means algorithm optimized with the Elbow Method shows four clusters. A confrontation among eight Machine Learning algorithms is proposed for the prediction of Control of Corruption. Polynomial Regression is the best predictor for the training data. The level of Control of Corruption is expected to growth by 10.36% on average.
Traumatic Brain Injury Induced Microglial and Caspase3 Activation in the Retina
Authors: Kovács-Öller Tamás , Zempléni Renáta , Balogh Boglárka , Szarka Gergely , Fazekas Bálint , Tengölics Ádám J , Amrein Krisztina , Czeiter Endre , Hernádi István , Büki András , Völgyi Béla
Published: January 2023

A Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is among the main causes of sudden death after head trauma. These injuries can result in severe degeneration and neuronal cell death in the CNS, including the retina which is a crucial part of the brain responsible for perceiving and transmitting visual information. The long-term effects of mild-repetitive TBI (rmTBI) are far less studied thus far, even though damages induced by repetitive injuries occurring in the brain are more common, especially amongst athletes. rmTBI can also have a detrimental effect on the retina and the pathophysiology of these injuries are likely to differ from the severe TBI (sTBI) retinal injury.Here we showed how rmTBI and sTBI can dissimilarly affect the retina. Our results indicate an increase in the number of activated microglial cells and Caspase3-positive cells in the retina in both traumatic models, suggesting a rise in the level of inflammation and cell death after TBI. The pattern of microglial activation appears evenly distributed and widespread but differs amongst the various retinal layers. sTBI induced microgial activation in both the superficial and deep retinal layers. In contrast to sTBI, no significant change occurred following the repetitive mild injury in the superficial layer, only the deep layer (spanning from the inner nuclear layer to the outer plexiform layer) shows microglial activation. This difference suggests that alternate response mechanisms play a role in the case of the different TBI incidents. The Caspase3 activation pattern showed a uniform increase in both the superficial and deep layers of the retina. This suggests a different action in the course of the disease in sTBI and rmTBI models and points to the need for new diagnostic procedures.Our present results suggest that the retina might serve as such a model of head injuries since the retinal tissue reacts to both forms of TBI and is the most accessible part of the human brain.
Multimodal Neural Network System for Skin Cancer Recognition with a Modified Cross-Entropy Loss Function
Authors: Lyakhov Pavel , Lyakhova Ulyana , Kalita Diana
Published: January 2023

Currently, skin cancer is the most commonly diagnosed form of cancer in humans and is one of the leading causes of death in patients with cancer. Biopsy methods are an invasive research method and are not always available for primary diagnosis. Imaging methods have low accuracy and depend on the experience of the dermatologist. Artificial intelligence technologies can match and surpass visual analysis methods in accuracy, but they have the risk of a false negative response when a malignant pigmented lesion can be recognized as benign. One possible way to improve accuracy and reduce the risk of false negatives is to analyze heterogeneous data, combine different preprocessing methods, and use modified loss functions to eliminate the negative impact of unbalanced dermatological data. The paper proposes a multimodal neural network system with a modified cross-entropy loss function that is sensitive to unbalanced heterogeneous dermatological data. The accuracy of recognition in 10 diagnostically significant categories for the proposed system was 85.19%. The novelty of the proposed system lies in the use of cross-entropy loss when training the modified function with the help of weight coefficients. The introduction of weighting factors has reduced the number of false negative forecasts, as well as improved accuracy by 1.02-4.03 percentage points compared to the original multimodal systems. The introduction of the proposed multimodal system as an auxiliary diagnostic tool can reduce the consumption of financial and labor resources involved in the medical industry, as well as increase the chance of early detection of skin cancer.
Do Opposites Attract? New Insight into the Crosstalk between Auxin and ABA.
Authors: Ortiz-García Paloma , González Ortega-Villaizán Adrián , Onejeme Francis Chukwuma , Müller Maren , Pollmann Stephan
Published: January 2023

Plants are constantly exposed to a variety of different environmental stresses, including drought, salinity, and elevated temperatures. These stress cues are assumed to aggravate in the future driven by the global climate change scenario which we are currently experiencing. These stressors have largely detrimental effects on plant growth and development and, therefore, put global food security in jeopardy. For this reason, it is necessary to expand our understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which plants respond to abiotic stresses. Especially boosting our insight into the ways by which plants balance their growth and their defense programs appears to be of paramount importance, as this may lead to novel perspectives that can pave the way to increase agricultural productivity in a sustainable manner. In this review, our aim was to present a detailed overview of different factettes of the crosstalk between the antagonistic plant hormones abscisic acid (ABA) and auxin, two phytohormones that are the main drivers of plant stress responses, on the one hand, and plant growth, on the other.