bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pendidikan IPS Menjawab Tantangan Abad 21: Sebuah Kritik Atas Praktik Pembelajaran IPS di Sekolah Dasar
Authors: Widodo Arif , Indraswati Dyah , Sutisna Deni , Nursaptini Nursaptini , Anar Ashar Pajarungi
Published: March 2021

Abad 21 sarat dengan perkembangan teknologi informasi. Perkembangan berjalan semakin semakin pesat. Tujuan dari studi literatur ini adalah untuk menyelidiki tentang 1) Apakah pembelajaran IPS di SD masih relevan dengan keterampilan yang dibutuhkan pada abad 21, 2) Keterampilan apa saja yang didapatkan dari mempelajari IPS di SD, 3) Bagaimana seharusnya mempelajari IPS agar keterampilan abad 21 dapat dikuasai. Kajian ini menganalisis artikel yang berkaitan dengan pembelajaran IPS maupun keterampilan abad 21. Artikel yang dianalisis berupa artikel hasil penelitian empiris maupun hasil kajian konseptual. Analisis konsep dilakukan dengan melakukan sintesis dari beberapa artikel tersebut untuk menemukan relevansi pendidikan dengan keterampilan abad 21. Hasil kajian menunjukkan bahwa pembelajaran IPS masih relevan dengan pengembangan keterampilan abad 21. Keterampilan yang didapatkan melalui pembelajaran IPS diantaranya kemampuan bersosialisasi, kemampuan berkolaborasi, kemampuan networking, dan kemampuan berkomunikasi. Tuntutan keterampilan abad 21 yang mengharuskan setiap orang untuk memiliki keterampilan sosial dapat dipelajari melalui pembelajaran IPS. Agar keterampilan abad 21 dapat termuat dalam pembelajaran IPS secara untuk maka perlu dilakukan inovasi model pembelajaran.
The Symbolic Interaction of Tandhe’ in Sumenep Madurese
Authors: Al Humaidy Mohammad Ali , Ariwidodo Eko
Published: March 2021

Local culture everywhere presents meaning space as a guideline for people’s lives, even the presence of tradition can be a medium of social transformation. The tandhe’ as one of the local cultural treasures in Sumenep Madura, emerged as an appreciation of past civilizations that believe that tandhe’ is not a mere spectacle but also as a communication medium that contains the values of goodness. Signs implicitly or explicitly important to learn because it often contains the essence of da’wah which calls on humans to remember God. Tandhe’ as a manifestation of local wisdom will be an effective communication medium for building communities when properly packaged, because cultural anomalies can occur at any time. The researcher uses a qualitative approach in the form of field research so that researchers can directly make observations and even participate in contributing ideas as feedback from informants ideas. The presence of tandhe’ has until now experienced a shift in the function and purpose of tandh’ itself. The ancient kings tandhe’ functioned as the media for the propaganda used by Walisongo in order to spread the teachings of Islam. The religious value of the tandhe’ began to fade because the lovers of the tandhe’ began to abandon the teachings taught by the Walisongo. Tandhe’ at the moment is more dominant in the nature of entertainment which aims only for worldly purposes only. Tandhe’ essentially has a symbolic communication used by Walisongo in preaching Islam to the community which is also a symbol of tirakat by human.
Review of legislation in the field of science and technology in 2019–2020
Authors: Vasiliev Anton , Marchenko Alina
Published: March 2021

The paper analyzes the current legislation of the Russian Federation in the field of science and technology for 2019–2020. The authors consider such issues as the creation of world-class scientific and educational centers, the development of scientific personnel potential. The paper notes the commitment of the official course towards the development of university science according to the American model. This official directive has found expression in a new national project “Science and Universities”, which is supposed to hold acompetition among universities to form a pool of national research and national flagship universities.These universities will receive additional financial support for their academic strategic leadership programs. One of the important conditions for winning this competition is the creation of consortia of educational institutions of higher education, scientific organizations and enterprises of the real sector of the economy. In essence, the task of consortia is to find forms of introducing the obtained scientific results into the production of goods, works and services. In this sense, consortia are similar to clusters for the American type of cooperation between universities and business. Particular attention in the article is paid to state supportin the form of grants in the form of subsidies from the federal budget.
Range of Modern Military Operations: From Diversification to Synergy
Authors: Shishatskii M.
Published: March 2021

Changed nature of international conflicts over the last decade has led to the doctrinal evolution of US, NATO, EU as well as of other key actors in the sphere of international security. Most of the recent doctrines are characterized by the intention to develop capacities for implementing the full range of military and other operation within the broader approaches to security. The author focuses on the main features of different actors’ contemporary points of view on conflict resolution.
New International Initiatives in Sphere of Biosecurity
Authors: Netesov S. , Zavriev S.
Published: March 2021

The issue of biological security turned out to be highly acute in the modern world. The Russian Federation also faces this challenge. The nation has to resolve a number of serious tasks in this sphere. Russian participation in different international organizations on biosecurity can substantially help to succeed in it.
World Oil Industry: Forecasts of Development up to 2035
Authors: Baykov N.
Published: March 2021

The fresh forecasts on the probable state of world oil and gas industry up to 2035 have appeared in late 2011. The article deals with the main points and conclusions of the available forecasts of the International Energy Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy, especially concerning supposed indicators of output and consumption of primary energy resources, primarily crude oil, in the whole world and with breakdown by regions.
Oil and Gas Factor in Iran’s Foreign Policy
Authors: Kurshakov V.
Published: March 2021

The author’s analysis is based on the assumption of special importance of the energy factor in the world politics. The author considers the problems of Iranian oil and gas sector, the outcomes of strict pressures of the international sanctions against the national nuclear program, the Tehran’s retaliatory measures. Also, the article deals with the issues of extraction and sales of Iranian natural gas, as well as of production and exports of petroleum products. Most likely, as the author states, the sanctions will not provide the desired results.
Social Context of Innovation Development
Authors: Ivanov N.
Published: March 2021

The article deals the problems of innovative development, primarily those of accumulation of human capital that occupies the central position of the world economy of XX century. Its priority is based on revolutionary character of scientific and technological development of recent decades. This not only triggers the major breakthroughs a number of leading branches of knowledge but makes the innovations permanent. At the same time under the conditions of globalization the issues of moral and ethical norms and universal solidarity come to forefront. This makes more and more urgent the change of the developmental priorities.
Shugoshin: From a Perspective of Clinical Disorders
Authors: Kumar Ravinder , Agarwal Meenakshi
Published: March 2021

Proper and timely segregation of cellular genome is an important and a prime requirement of all cell division programmes. Mis-segregation of chromosomes and resulting aneuploidy leads to several clinical consequences. Over the years, shugoshin emerges as a key protein factor involved in the segregation of genetic material in dividing cells. Deletion or altered level of shugoshin is reported in several human malignancies, as a result, shugoshin now emerges as an important tumour associated gene and a possible target for cancer therapy. Apart from the role in cancer, recent studies also showed the involvement of shugoshin in several other clinical disorders. Through this review, we tried to highlight the clinical relevance of shugoshin.
Two-Year Recall Bias After ACL Reconstruction Is Affected by Clinical Result
Authors: Randsborg Per-Henrik , Adamec Dakota , Cepeda Nicholas A. , Ling Daphne I. ,   on behalf of the HSS ACL Registry
Published: March 2021

Background:

Recall bias is a systematic error caused by inaccuracy in reporting past health status and can be a substantial methodological flaw in the retrospective collection of data. Little is known about recall bias following anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACLR). The purpose of this study was to evaluate patients’ recall bias regarding preinjury knee function at 2 years after ACLR.

Methods:

Patients undergoing ACLR were enrolled in an institutional ACL registry. Preoperatively and at 2 years postoperatively, patients quantified their preinjury knee function on a scale of 0 to 10 (10 = best). Recall bias was quantified as the difference in the reported preinjury function between the 2 time points. The clinical result of ACLR was evaluated according to the International Knee Documentation Committee (IKDC) Subjective Knee Evaluation score. Patients meeting the minimal clinically important difference (MCID) in the IKDC score were considered to have had a good outcome, while patients who did not reach the MCID were considered to have had failure of treatment. Recall bias was compared between the 2 groups.

Results:

Of 2,109 patients enrolled in the registry, 1,219 were included in the study. Patients with a good outcome remembered their preinjury knee function on a 0-to-10 scale to be better than what they reported at baseline, by a mean difference of 0.40 points (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.22 to 0.58 points). The recall bias was stronger for patients with a poor outcome, who remembered their knee function to be worse than reported at baseline, by a mean difference of −0.81 (95% CI, −1.4 to −0.26). The mean difference in recall between the 2 groups was −1.21 (95% CI, −1.74 to −0.67) (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions:

The recall bias of preinjury knee function following ACLR was small and not clinically meaningful for the majority of patients. However, patients with a poor outcome had a clinically relevant and significant recall bias.

Clinical Relevance:

Our findings suggest that patients with a poor outcome have a substantial recall bias. This has clinical relevance when considering treatment effects of revision surgery, whereby the clinical benefit of the treatment might be affected by recall bias.
Sub-centennially resolved behavior of an accreting sandy shoreline over the past ∼ 1000 years
Authors: Oliver Thomas S.N. , Tamura Toru
Published: March 2021

Coastal ridge plains represent a valuable record of past shoreline deposition. However, there remain questions regarding shoreline behavior on intermediate timescales (sub-centennial), the impact of storms, and process of ridge genesis. We address these questions through high-resolution reconstruction of the sandy-beach progradation at Boydtown Beach in Twofold Bay, southeastern Australia, over the past 1000 years using ground-penetrating radar (GPR) and optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) dating. GPR profiles are dominated by seaward-dipping reflections that result from beach and dune progradation. Prominent reflections with heavy-mineral concentrations are also preserved resulting from storm erosion. OSL ages reveal alternative phases of steady and episodic accretion, rather than a constant progradation. We hypothesize that steady phases may result from moderate storm events where each successive storm only partially erodes the recovery of the previous event. This results in incremental seaward accretion of the active beach. Phases of episodic accretion could be the result of larger storm events or storm clusters when large post-storm recovery rapidly shifts the active shoreline seaward. The two modes of shoreline progradation (steady and episodic) appear broadly associated with a change in ridge-and-swale morphology whereby subdued ridge swale topography is associated with steady or incremental progradation and higher, better-defined ridges with episodic accretion. These results suggest that a single coastal ridge plain experiences variable intermediate-scale shoreline behavior in response to storm events which then lead to multiple modes of ridge genesis.
Manifestaciones orales del síndrome de Maroteaux-Lamy (Mucopolisacaridosis VI)
Authors: Cáceres Matta Sandra Viviana , Carmona Arango Luis Eduardo
Published: March 2021

La mucopolisacaridosis tipo VI, también conocida como síndrome de Maroteaux-Lamy, es un trastorno lisosómico autosómico recesivo, causado por la deficiencia de la enzima arilsulfatasa B, lo que conduce a la acumulación de dermatán sulfato en los tejidos y su excreción urinaria. La deposición de mucopolisacáridos genera un trastorno progresivo que afecta a múltiples órganos y que, a menudo, resulta en la muerte a temprana edad. Esta enfermedad tiene varias manifestaciones orales, entre las que destacan las complicaciones dentales, que pueden ser graves e incluir folículos similares a quistes dentígeros, maloclusiones, defectos condilares e hiperplasia gingival, además de características clínicas como cuello corto, opacidad corneal, macroglosia y agrandamiento del cráneo, dimensión anteroposterior larga y mano en garra. Se presenta el caso de un paciente de 14 meses de edad que acudió a consulta de odontopediatría por episodios de fiebre, bajo peso e hiperplasia gingival severa. El examen físico evidenció facies tosca, cuello corto, pectus excavatus, manos con disminución en agarre y retardo en el neurodesarrollo. El examen intraoral halló retardo de la erupción dental, hiperplasia gingival generalizada y paladar con poco crecimiento transversal. El examen radiográfico detectó órganos dentarios incluidos y mala posición en el sector anterior, molares superiores dentro del seno maxilar y caninos inferiores rotados. El paciente fue remitido a medicina para exámenes bioquímicos y genéticos para definir el diagnóstico. La bioquímica reveló MPS tipo VI, lo que fue confirmado mediante prueba molecular. Las manifestaciones clínicas en este caso corresponden a la forma clínica de progresión rápida reportada en estos pacientes: talla baja, malformaciones esqueléticas y alteraciones a nivel oral. Los niños con MPS VI grave comienzan temprano y progresan rápidamente, las radiografías óseas y la medición de GAG en orina son útiles para el diagnóstico con actividad de la enzima ARSB y genética. Es necesario fortalecer el conocimiento en odontología y la población en general sobre las características clínicas de mucopolisacáridos tipo VI para tener un diagnóstico temprano y un mejor manejo de patologías en estos pacientes.
Intra-host dynamic variations in SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Li Jiarui , Du Pengcheng , Yang Lijiang , Zhang Ju , Song Chuan , Chen Danying , Song Yangzi , Ding Nan , Hua Mingxi , Han Kai , Song Rui , Xie Wen , Chen Zhihai , Wang Xianbo , Liu Jiangyuan , Xu Yanli , Gao Guiju , Wang Qi , Pu Lin , Di Lin , Li Jie , Yue Jinglin , Han Junyan , Zhao Xuesen , Yan Yonghong , Yu Fengting , Wu Angela R , Zhang Fujie , Gao Yi , Huang Yanyi , Wang Jianbin , Zeng Hui , Chen Chen
Published: March 2021

The mutations make uncertain to SARS-CoV-2 disease control and vaccine development. At population-level, single nucleotide polymorphism (SNPs) have displayed mutations for illustrating epidemiology, transmission, and pathogenesis of COVID-19. These mutations are to be expected by the analysis of intra-host level, which presented as intra-host variations (iSNVs). Here, we performed spatio-temporal analysis on iSNVs in 402 clinical samples from 170 patients, and observed an increase of genetic diversity along the day post symptom onset within individual patient and among subpopulations divided by gender, age, illness severity and viral shedding time, suggested a positive selection at intra-host level. The comparison of iSNVs and SNPs displayed that most of nonsynonymous mutations were not fixed suggested a purifying selection. This two-step fitness selection enforced iSNVs containing more nonsynonymous mutations, that highlight the potential characters of SARS-CoV-2 for viral infections and global transmissions.
Why do people continue to live near polluted sites? Empirical evidence from Southwestern Europe
Authors: Levasseur Pierre , Erdlenbruch Katrin , Gramaglia Christelle
Published: March 2021

Poverty is a major determinant for pollution exposure, according to the US location choice literature. In this paper, we assess the impact of socio-economic status on location choices in the European context. Our analysis relies on an original dataset of 1194 households living in polluted and non-polluted areas in three European countries: Spain, Portugal and France. We use instrumental variables strategies to identify the socioeconomic causes of location choices. We show that low education, wealth and income are main reasons for living in polluted areas. We provide several robustness checks testing for the exogeneity of selected instruments. We observe that unobserved heterogeneity tends to understate the impact of socioeconomic status on residence location. Interestingly, we highlight that an important proportion of intermediate social groups (especially young couples) are living in polluted areas, probably because of place attachment and affordable housing facilities. Similarly, we show that middle-income households have lower move-out intentions than other income groups. These latter results contrast the linear vision of environmental inequalities found in the US.
Prevalence of traumatic brain hemorrhages in brain death patients
Authors: Hassani Parvaneh , Ahmadi Ziya oddin , Halimi Shadi , Abbasi Mehdi , Besharati Sajad , Sarreshtehdari Ali , Shafiee Mehran , Khademi Rahele
Published: March 2021

Background: Considering the significant burden of brain death and its leading cause in emergency clinical settings, head traumatic intracranial hemorrhage, the most prevalent type of hemorrhagic event in these scenarios, will help us predict the possibility of consequent development of a vegetative state. Methods: This study aimed to assess the prevalence of other intracranial hemorrhages in patients with brain death. 70 head traumatic brain dead patients referred to Masih Daneshvari hospital underwent CT scan assessment to determine the prevalence of major intracranial hemorrhage types and their complications. Results: Subarachnoid (SAH) and subdural (SDH) hemorrhages consisted of the most prevalent intracranial hemorrhage types among patients with brain dead; 45.7 % and 40%, respectively. Overall, hemorrhagic events led to a midline shift in 14.3% and Edema in 12.9% of cases. We noticed midline shift more in SAH subjects while Edema was of higher prevalence among subarachnoid hemorrhages SDH patients. Conclusion: This study found Subarachnoid (SAH) and subdural (SDH) hemorrhages as the most prevalent types of intracranial hemorrhage among head traumatic brain-dead patients.
Microbial ecology along the buffalo digestive tract provides insights to their functions and interactions with the host
Authors: Liu Qingyou , Chen Wei-Hua , Hua Guohua , Feng Tong , Wang Teng , Gao Na L , Liu Ziying , Cui Kuiqing , Duan Yiqian , Wu Sicheng , Luo Yuhong , Li Zhipeng , Yang Chengjian , Xu Yixue , Lin Bo , Yang Liguo , Pauciullo Alfredo , Shi Deshun
Published: March 2021

Buffalo is an important livestock in Asia. Like other ruminants, its digestive tract (DT) is the key to the quality and wellbeing of buffalo and heavily interact with microbes. Here, we present a comprehensive survey on the microbial ecology along buffalo’s DT, including eight sites in three sections (i.e., stomach, intestine and rectum). We collected 695 samples, performed metagenomic sequencing and obtained 4,960 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs), to which ~ 85% of the raw reads could be mapped. 90.7% of the MAGs are previously unidentified at species level. Overall, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes are the most abundant phyla; their ratios showed an increasing trend along the DT, consistent with their functions in the DT sections. We identified known interactions between microbes and DT sites including the enrichment of fiber-digesting and methane-producing microbes in the stomach. Strikingly, archaea were highly abundant in both stomach and intestine and showed positive-correlations with Fibrobacter, indicating their roles in methane-production and fiber-degradation at both sections. We annotated 5,862,748 non-redundant proteins from the MAGs, many of which also showed different abundances and were related to site-specific functions. By comparing with the rumen microbiota of cattle, we found higher abundances of microbes in fiber degradation and but lower in methane production. Our catalog of microbial genomes and encoded-proteins provides insight to their functions and interactions with distinct DT sites, and pave the way to microbial interventions for better buffalo quality.
Hsa-circ-0064636 regulation of the target gene VDAC1/UBE4A by hsa-miR-326/hsa-miR-503-5 in osteosarcoma
Authors: Yan Guohua , Huang Hanji , Li Kanglu , Zheng Mingjun , Qin Jiagang , Lu Dejie , Chen Ying , Cui Xiaofei , He Si , Cheng Jianwen
Published: March 2021

Background: Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are a subclass of noncoding RNAs that play a critical role in the regulation of gene expression in eukaryotic organisms. Recent studies have revealed the critical role of circRNAs in cancer progression. Yet, little is not well understood of hsa-circ-0064636 in osteosarcoma (OS).Methods: The differential expression of hsa-circ-0064636 in OS cell lines was verified by quantitative real-time PCR (qRT-PCR). Differentially expressed mRNAs and miRNAs were screened in OS mRNA and miRNA expression datasets. miRNAs that interacted with hsa-circ-0064636 were predicted by RNAhybrid, TargetScan and miRanda. and were further detected using RNAhybrid, TargetScan and miRanda. miRWalk, miRMap, and miRNAMap were used to perform target gene prediction on the intersected miRNAs to construct a circ-miRNA-mRNA interactor network. The target genes were then subjected to survival analysis using PROGgeneV2, which resulted in a circ-miRNA-mRNA interaction subnetwork with prognostic impact.Results: The qRT-PCR experiments successfully verified that hsa-circ-0064636 was significantly overexpressed in the OS cell line. Hsa-mir-326(miR-326) and hsa-mir-503-5p(miR-503-5p) are target miRNAs of hsa-circ-0064636 in the target genes obtained from the miR-326 and miR-503-5p screens. UBE4A and VDAC1 had a significant effect on prognosis. UBE4A is a target gene for miR-326, while VDAC1 is a target gene for miR-503-5p .Conclusion: hsa-circ-0064636 may be involved in OS development through acting as a sponge to inhibit miR-326 and miR-503-5p , thus regulating the expression of VDAC1 and UBE4A.
Large-scale placenta DNA methylation mega-analysis reveals fetal sex-specific differentially methylated CpG sites and regions
Authors: Andrews Shan , Yang Irene , Froehlich Karolin , Oskotsky Tomiko , Sirota Marina
Published: March 2021

Although male-female differences in placental structure and function have been observed, little is understood about their molecular underpinnings. Here, we present a mega-analysis of 14 publicly available placenta DNA methylation (DNAm) microarray datasets to identify individual CpGs and regions associated with fetal sex. In the discovery dataset of placentas from full term pregnancies (N = 532 samples), 5,212 CpGs met genome-wide significance (p < 1E-8) and were enriched in pathways such as keratinization (FDR p-value = 7.37E-14), chemokine activity (FDR p-value = 1.56E-2), and eosinophil migration (FDR p-value = 1.83E-2). Nine differentially methylated regions were identified (fwerArea < 0.1) including a region in the promoter of ZNF300 that showed consistent differential DNAm in samples from earlier timepoints in pregnancy and appeared to be driven predominately by effects in the trophoblast cell type. We describe the largest study of fetal sex differences in placenta DNAm performed to date, revealing genes and pathways characterizing sex-specific placenta function and health outcomes later in life.
Retrospective Observational Study of Patient Outcomes With Local Wound Infusion vs Epidural Analgesia After Open Hepato-pancreato-biliary Surgery
Authors: Jackson Alexandra Claire , Memory Katherine , Issa Eyad , Isherwood John , Graff-Baker Philippa , Garcea Giuseppe
Published: March 2021

BackgroundEpidural analgesia is conventionally used as the mainstay of analgesia in open abdominal surgery but has a small life-changing risk of complications (epidural abscesses or haematomas). Local wound-infusion could be a viable alternative and are associated with fewer adverse effects. Methods A retrospective observational analysis of individuals undergoing open hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery over 1 year was undertaken. Patients either received epidural analgesia (EP) or continuous wound infusion (WI) + IV patient controlled anaesthesisa (PCA) with an intraoperative spinal opiate. Outcomes analyzed included length of stay, commencement of oral diet and opioid use. ResultsBetween Jan 2016- Dec 2016, 110 patients were analyzed (WI n=35, EP n=75). The median length of stay (days) was 8 in both the WI and EP group (p=0.846), the median time to commencing oral diet (days) was 3 in WI group and 2 in EP group (p=0.455). There was no significant difference in the amount of oromorph, codeine or tramadol (mg) between WI and EP groups (p=0.829, p=0.531, p=0.073, respectively). ConclusionsContinuous wound infusion + IV PCA provided adequate analgesia to patients undergoing open hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery. It was non-inferior to epidural analgesia with respect to hospital stay, commencement of oral diet and opioid use.
Early and long-term antibody kinetics of asymptomatic and mild disease COVID-19 patients
Authors: Efrati Shai , Catalogna Merav , Hamed Ramzia Abu , Hadanny Amir , Bar-Chaim Adina , Benveniste-Levkovitz Patricia , Strugo Refael , Levtzion-Korach Osnat
Published: March 2021

Most patients infected with SARS-CoV-19 are asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic. However, the early and late antibody kinetics in those patients have not yet been fully defined. Confirmed SARS-CoV-2 patients, and their household contacts were evaluated over a period four months. The evaluation procedure included symptom monitoring, viral load and serology analysis every ten days. A total of 1334 serum samples were collected from 135 patients and analyzed using three assays for IgG-N, IgG-S and IgM antibodies. Of the study participants, 97% were seropositive during the study and two distinct clusters were identified. These clusters were significantly different in their inflammatory related symptoms. Peak IgG-S was 45.8 AU/ml for cluster 1 and 71.5 AU/ml for cluster 2 (P = 0.004), whereas IgG-N peaks were 4.5 and 5.8 (P = 0.001) respectively. Finally, a decision tree model was designed to predict the disease phase based on the serological titer levels, and had an overall accuracy of 80.7%. The specific profile of seroconversion and decay of serum antibodies can be used to predict the time course from the acute infection.
Oestrogen-Dependent Oxytocin Dynamics in the Hypothalamus of Female Rats
Authors: Nishimura Kazuaki , Yoshino Kiyoshi , Ikeda Naofumi , Baba Kazuhiko , Sanada Kenya , Akiyama Yasuki , Nishimura Haruki , Tanaka Kentaro , Sonoda Satomi , Ueno Hiromichi , Yoshimura Mitsuhiro , Maruyama Takashi , Hachisuga Toru , Ueta Yoichi
Published: March 2021

Oxytocin (OXT) is produced in the hypothalamic nuclei and is secreted into systemic circulation from the posterior pituitary gland (PP). In the central nervous system, OXT regulates behaviours including maternal and feeding behaviours. Our aim was to evaluate whether oestrogen regulates hypothalamic OXT dynamics. Herein, we provide the first evidence that OXT dynamics in the hypothalamus vary with sex and that oestrogen may modulate dynamic changes in OXT levels, using OXT-mRFP1 transgenic rats. The fluorescence intensity of OXT-mRFP1 in the hypothalamic nuclei and PP was most strongly expressed during the oestrus stage in female rats and decreased significantly in ovariectomised rats. Oestrogen replacement caused significant increases in the fluorescent intensities in the hypothalamic nuclei and PP in a dose-dependent manner. This was also demonstrated in feeding behaviour and hypothalamic Fos neurons using immunohistochemistry. Hypothalamic OXT expression was oestrogen dependent and could be enhanced centrally by the administration of oestrogen.
An Environmental Selection and Transfer Learning Based Dynamic Multiobjective Optimization Evolutionary Algorithm
Authors: He Qiang , Xiang Zheng , Ren Peng
Published: March 2021

In recent years, the dynamic multiobjective optimization problems (DMOPs), whose major strategy is to track the varying PS (Pareto Optimal Solution, PS) and/or PF (Pareto Optimal Frontier), caused a great deal of attention worldwide. As a promising solution, reusing of “experiences” to establish a prediction model is proved to be very useful and widely used in practice. However, most existing methods overlook the importance of environmental selection in the evolutionary processes. In this paper, we propose a dynamic multiobjective optimal evolutionary algorithm which is based on environmental selection and transfer learning (DMOEA-ESTL). This approach makes full use of the environmental selection and transfer learning technique to generate individuals for a new environment by reusing experience to maintain the diversity of the population and speed up the evolutionary process. As experimental validation, we embed this new scheme in the NSGA-II (non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm). We test the proposed algorithm with the help of six benchmark functions as well as compare it with the other two prediction based strategies FPS (Forward-looking Prediction Strategy, FPS) and PPS (Population Prediction Strategy, PPS). The experimental results testify that the proposed strategy can deal with the DMOPs effectively.
Analysis of Long Intergenic Non-Coding RNAs Transcriptomic Profiling in Skeletal Muscle Growth During Porcine Embryonic Development
Authors: Zhao Wenjuan , Li Zijing , Liu Quan , Xie Su , Li Mengxun , Wang Yuan , Li Changchun
Published: March 2021

Skeletal muscle growth plays a critical role during porcine muscle development stages. Genome-wide transcriptome analysis reveals that thousands of long intergenic non-coding RNAs (lincRNAs) have been identified in various species and implicated as crucial regulator involving in epigenetic regulation. However, comprehensive analysis of lincRNAs in embryonic muscle development stages remain still elusive. Here, we investigated the transcriptome profiles of duroc embryonic muscle tissues from days 33, 65, and 90 of gestation using RNA-seq, there were 228 putative lincRNAs identified. Moreover, these lincRNAs exhibit the characteristics of shorter transcripts length, longer exons, less exon numbers and lower expression level compared with protein-coding transcripts. Differential expression analysis showed that a total of 91 lincRNAs and 2638 mRNAs were differentially expressed. In addition, we also performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping analysis for DE lincRNAs, 113 of 120 DE lincRNAs were localized on 2200 QTLs, we observed many QTLs involved in growth and meat quality traits. Furthermore, we predicted potential target genes of DE lincRNAs in cis or trans regulation. Gene ontology and pathway analysis reveals that potential targets of DE lincRNAs mostly were enriched in the processes and pathways related to tissue development, MAPK signaling pathway, Wnt signaling pathway, TGF-beta signaling pathway and insulin signaling pathway, which involved in skeletal muscle physiological functions. Based on cluster analysis, a co-expression network analysis of DE lincRNAs and their potential target genes indicated that DE lincRNAs highly regulated protein-coding genes associated with skeletal muscle development. In this study, many of the DE lincRNAs identified may play essential roles in pig muscle growth and muscle mass. Our study provides crucial information for exploring further the molecular mechanisms of lincRNAs during skeletal muscle development.
Identification of Molecular Mechanisms Underlying Sex-Associated Differences in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease through Bioinformatics Analysis
Authors: Chen Fengshou , Hou Haijia , Han Jie , Tang Bing
Published: March 2021

Background Accumulating evidence suggests the existence sex associated differences in the Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). However, limited knowledge exists on the molecular mechanisms underlying sex associated differences in COPD patients. Methods The GSE8581 dataset obtained from the GEO database was used to analyze differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Then enrichment analysis for DEGs were conducted through Metascape. PPI and the hub genes-pathway networks were constructed using the STRING database and Cytoscape software. Finally, the CTD was used to examine the relationships between the hub DEGs and COPD. Results The results revealed that different subsets of DEGs had different characteristics in GO functions and KEGG pathways. Different subsets of hub genes were obtained based on PPI network. The study then constructed the hub genes-pathway network for different subsets to explore the key signaling pathways and hub genes involved. The findings showed that NRAS and RAC1 functioned through “Rap1 signaling pathway” and “PI3K-Akt signaling pathway”, in male COPD patients. On the other hand, “Cholesterol metabolism” was among the important pathways in female COPD patients while the hub genes, APOE and APOC3 functioned through “Cholesterol metabolism”. Moreover, “Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis” and the “p53 signaling pathway” were shown to play more important roles in male COPD patients compared to their female counterparts. Furthermore, CDK2 and UBE2N were the hub genes involved in “p53 signaling pathway” and “Ubiquitin mediated proteolysis”, respectively. Finally the study identified the relationship between the hub genes and COPD in CTD. Conclusions The present study uncovered different molecular mechanisms in COPD patients based on sex. Additionally, distinct pathways and hub genes including NRAS, RAC1, APOE, APOC3, CDK2 and UBE2N were identified in the two genders of COPD patients. Further studies are needed to explore individualized treatment for COPD based on the findings.
Ferulic Acid production by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli
Authors: Lv Huajun , Zhang Ying , Shao Jie , Liu Haili , Wang Yong
Published: March 2021

Ferulic acid (p-hydroxy-3-methoxycinnamic acid, FA) is a natural active substance present in plant cell walls, with antioxidant, anticancer, antithrombotic and other properties; it is widely used in medicine, food, and cosmetics areas. Production of FA by eco-friendly bioprocess is of great potential. In this study, FA was biosynthesized by metabolically engineered Escherichia coli. As the first step, the genes tal (encoding Tyrosine ammonia-lyase, RsTAL) from Rhodobacter sphaeroides, sam5 (encoding p - coumarate 3-hydroxylase, SeSAM5) from Saccharothrix espanaensis and comt (encoding Caffeic acid O-methytransferase, TaCM) from Triticum aestivum were cloned in an operon on the pET plasmid backbone, E. coli strain containing this construction was proved to produce FA from L-tyrosine successfully, and confirmed the function of TaCM as Caffeic acid O-methytransferase. Fermentation results revealed JM109(DE3) as more suitable host cell for FA production than BL21(DE3). After that the genes expression strength of FA pathway were optimized by tuning of promoter strength (T7 promoter or T5 promoter) and copy number (pBR322 ori or p15a ori), and the combination p15a-T5 works best. To further improve FA production, E.coli native pntAB, encoding pyridine nucleotide transhydrogenase, was selected from five NADPH regeneration genes to supplement redox cofactor NADPH for converting p-coumaric acid into caffeic acid in FA biosynthesis process. Sequentially, to further convert caffeic acid into FA, a non-native methionine kinase (MetK from Streptomyces spectabilis) was also over expressed. Based on the flask fermentation data which shows that the engineered E. coli strain produced 212 mg/L of FA with 11.8 mg/L caffeic acid residue, it could be concluded that it is the highest yield of FA achieved by E.coli K-12 strains reported to the best of our knowledge.
Fabrication of Gelatin Microspheres 1 Containing Ammonium Hydrogen Carbonate for the Tunable Release of Herbicide
Authors: Liu He , Zhang Zheng , yang jun , Zang Wanyu , Yang Qing
Published: March 2021

The major challenge in utilizing pesticides lies in identifying the precise application that would improve the efficiency of these pesticides and reduce their environmental and health hazards at the same time. Such application requires the development of specific formulations that enable controlled, stimuli-responsive release of the pesticides. Gelatin is a relatively cheap material characterized by temperature-sensitivity and abundant amino acid groups, which makes it suitable for the storage and controlled release of pesticides. In this study, gelatin microspheres were prepared by emulsion and cross-linking, then they were loaded with 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid sodium (2,4-D Na) as a model herbicide. To achieve temperature-tunable release of 2,4-D Na from the microspheres, NH4HCO3 was added to the formulations at different concentrations. The prepared formulations were characterized by SEM, FTIR, and size distribution analyses, and their drug loading capacities were determined. Based on bioassay experiments, the 2,4-D Na-NH4HCO3-loaded gelatin microspheres can effectively control the spread of dicotyledonous weeds. Therefore, the strategy proposed herein can be used to develop novel, effective herbicide formulations.
A Qualitative Study of the Development and Utilization of Health Facility-based Immunization Microplans in Uganda.
Authors: Kaawa-Mafigiri David , Iradukunda Constance , Atumanya Catherine , Odie Michael , Mancuso Arielle , Tran Nhan , McGrath Janet , Luzze Henry
Published: March 2021

Background: In 2006, Uganda adopted the Reaching Every District strategy with the goal of attaining at least 80% coverage for routine immunizations in every district. The development and utilization of health facility/district immunization microplans is the key to the strategy. A number of reports have shown sub-optimal development and use of microplans in Uganda. This study explores factors associated with sub-optimal development and use of microplans in two districts in Uganda to pinpoint challenges encountered during the microplanning process.Methods: A qualitative study was conducted comparing two districts, Kapchorwa with low immunization coverage and Luwero with high immunization coverage. Data were collected through multilevel observation of health facilities, planning sessions and planning meetings; records review of microplans, micromaps, and meeting minutes; 57 interviews with health workers at the Ministry level and lower cadre health facility workers. Data were analyzed using NVivo 8 qualitative text analysis software. Transcripts were coded, memos and display matrices were developed to examine the process of developing and utilization of microplans, including experiences of health workers (implementers). Results: Three key findings emerged from this study. First, there are significant knowledge gaps about the microplanning process among health workers at all levels (community and district health facility and nationally). Limited knowledge about communities and program catchment areas greatly hinders the planning process by limiting the ability to identify hard-to-reach areas as well as prioritize areas according to need. Secondly, the microplanning tool is bulky and complex. Finally, microplanning is being implemented in the context of already over-tasked health personnel who have to conduct several other activities as part of their daily routines.Conclusions: In order to achieve quality improvement of the Reaching Every District campaign, the microplanning process should be revised. Health workers’ misunderstanding and limited knowledge about the microplanning process, especially at peripheral health facilities, coupled with the complex, bulky nature of the microplanning tool reduces the effectiveness of microplanning in improving routine immunization in Uganda. The study reveals the need to reduce the complexity of the tool and identify ways to train and support workers in the use of the revised tool, including support in incorporating the microplanning process into their busy schedules.
Integrated Genomics Analysis Identifies Recessive Ciliopathy Mutations in Primary Endocardial Fibroelastosis: a Rare Neonatal Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Zhao Yan , Lee-Kai Wang , Eskin Ascia , Kang Xuedong , Fajardo Viviana M. , Mehta Zubin , Pineles Stacy , Schmidt Ryan J. , Nagiel Aaron , Satou Gary , Garg Meena , Federman Myke , Reardon Leigh C. , Lee Steven L. , Biniwale Reshma , Grody Wayne W. , Halnon Nancy , Khanlou Negar , Quintero-Rivera Fabiola , Alejos Juan C. , Nakano Atsushi , Fishbein Gregory A. , Arsdell Glen S. Van , Nelson Stanley F. , Touma Marlin
Published: March 2021

Among neonatal cardiomyopathies, primary endocardial fibroelastosis (pEFE) remains a mysterious disease of the endomyocardium, affecting 1/5000 live births and accounting for 25% of the entire pediatric dilated cardiomyopathy with a devastating course and grave prognosis. To investigate the potential genetic cause that underlies pEFE, we performed integrative genomic analysis, using whole exome sequencing (WES) and RNA-seq in a female infant with confirmed pathological diagnosis of pEFE. Within regions of homozygosity in the proband genome, WES analysis revealed novel parent-transmitted homozygous mutations affecting three genes with known roles in cilia assembly or function. Among them, a novel homozygous variant [c.1938delA] of uncertain significance in ALMS1 was prioritized for functional genomic and mechanistic analysis. Loss of function mutations of ALMS1 have been implicated in Alstrom syndrome (AS) [OMIM 203800], a rare recessive ciliopathy that has been associated with cardiomyopathy. The variant of interest results in a frameshift introducing a premature stop codon. RNA-seq of the proband’s dermal fibroblasts confirmed the impact of novel ALMS1 variant on RNA-seq reads and revealed dysregulated cellular signaling and function, including the induction of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT) and activation of TGFβ signaling. ALMS1 loss enhanced cellular migration in patient fibroblasts as well as neonatal cardiac fibroblasts, while ALMS1-depleted cardiomyocytes exhibited enhanced proliferation activity. Herein we present the unique pathological features of pEFE compared to DCM and utilize integrated genomic analysis to elucidate the molecular impact of a novel mutation in ALMS1 gene in an AS case. Our report provides insights into pEFE etiology and suggests, for the first time to our knowledge, ciliopathy as a potential underlying mechanism for this poorly understood and incurable form of neonatal cardiomyopathy.
Data-driven optimization algorithm for economic operation of microgrid based on dynamic Kriging model and two-stage search strategy
Authors: Fan Chaodong , Bo Hou , Qu Xilong , Xiao Leyi , Cheng Fanyong
Published: March 2021

The economic operation optimization of microgrid is an important research topic in the power system. Therefore, this paper proposes a surrogate model particle swarm optimization algorithm based on the global-local search mechanism. Firstly, aiming at the problem that the statistical information of Kriging model is difficult to guarantee the prediction accuracy, the dynamic transformation is carried out to enhance the robustness of the model; secondly, the global-local search mechanism is introduced to make the algorithm fully explore the fitness landscape near the Kriging model after quickly locating the current optimal particle position, so as to achieve the balance of convergence quality and convergence efficiency. The proposed method has been tested on numerous benchmark test functions from two test suites, and the results show that the proposed algorithm has more advantages than other comparison algorithms in optimization accuracy. Finally, simulations are carried out in two operating modes of microgrid islanding and grid-connected, which has verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Using Pharmacist-Led Tele-Consultation to Review Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Tatari Wisam , Sowter Julie , Assi Khaled
Published: March 2021

Background: Remote tele-consultation (TC) is seen as one possible solution to circumvent accessibility issues and the feeling of isolation when individuals suffering with Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at home. Since COVID-19, shifting clinical care to TC has been accelerated. Objective: A feasibility study was conducted with patients randomized to the intervention, a tele-consultation, or a conventional in-person consultation. The study aimed to inform a future definitive trial to test the impact of pharmacist interventions via TC amongst patients with COPD. Setting: Conducted in a single community pharmacy by one specialist respiratory pharmacist. Method: Participants were >35 years, with clinician diagnosed COPD and able to communicate in English. Participants were randomized (1:1) to receive an in-person consultation (IPC) or TC after spirometry, oximetry, and BMI measurements in-person. Consultations comprised of COPD review, education and medication optimization. After 6-months, all participants were reassessed in-person. Main Outcome Measure: Determining the feasibility of the rate of patient recruitment, retention, acceptability of TC, practicalities and completeness of data collection for outcome measures used to assess COPD control and management. Results : Forty-eight patients from 16 GP practices were recruited over 4-months; 41 (85%) completed the study. At follow-up, 29% of participants in the TC group declared a preference for IPC. Collection of data on all outcomes were completed with no adverse events.Conclusion: The recruitment target was met by employing additional strategies and achieved a satisfactory retention rate. Acceptability of the process of conducting TCs and the completeness of data collection was confirmed.
Water repellent Bi2MoO6 cotton fabric for implementing water-source purification
Authors: Yue Jie , Tang Shaowang , Ge Bo , Wang Min , Ren Guina , Shao Xin
Published: March 2021

As a low-budget, facile-availability and eco-friendly substrate material, cotton fabric after hydrophobic modification has been applied to sewage purification. While, a single superhydrophobic function is unable to decompose toxic water-soluble organic dye. In this paper, pathways are propounded for the simultaneous achievement of the removal of insoluble spilling oil and organic dye contaminants. Particularly, the hydrophobic ZnSnO3 after stearic acid modification and Bi2MoO6 catalysts are introduced into the cotton fabric substrate through solution dip-coating. The durability of the prepared fabric suffers from the acid-base corrosion, thermal treatment and mechanical wear, meanwhile, it still exhibits remarkable water repellent (WCA > 150°) property. Furthermore, the remarkable photocatalytic activity makes it possible for reusable degradation and the primary active species, namely the holes, to be verified by the radicals-capturing experiment.