bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ratings, Reviews, and the Marketing of New Products
Authors: Fainmesser Itay P. , Olié Lauga Dominique , Ofek Elie
Published: December 2020

We study how user-generated content (UGC) about new products impacts a firm's advertising and pricing decisions and the effect on profits and market dynamics. We construct a two-period model where consumers value quality and are heterogeneous in their taste for the new product's positioning and examine three information-transfer structures across generations: no information (benchmark), average rating (AR), and the joint distribution of ratings and taste locations (reviews). First, we show that in the AR case, the firm advertises to a smaller set of consumers and prices higher relative to the other cases. This occurs because the firm has an incentive to use advertising strategically to bump up the first-generation average rating in order to increase second-generation quality perceptions. The firm charges a higher first-period price as consumers who are relatively close to the product's location are advertised to. Second, we find that as more information is transferred across generations, there is a greater likelihood that average ratings will exhibit an increasing pattern over time. This happens because with reviews, second-generation consumers are able to base purchase decisions on the product's positioning in addition to its quality. Interestingly, because of the firm's narrower advertising strategy in the AR case and the richer UGC in the reviews case, average ratings will exhibit a reversal over time: higher in the AR case in the first period but higher in the reviews case in the second period. Third, a firm's expected profits can exhibit a nonmonotonic relationship with respect to the amount of UGC transferred: highest in the AR case if the marginal return on advertising is high (e.g., when advertising is cheap to execute, consumers are insensitive to product fit or consumers greatly value quality) but highest in the reviews case when the return on advertising is low. We then examine a setup whereby second-generation consumers become aware of the product through social interaction with first-generation buyers. We find that advertising and social contagion interact: the firm generally has a greater incentive to advertise as homophily increases, that is, as social interactions occur between consumers who more likely share similar preferences. However, this pattern can reverse with reviews. This paper discusses several robustness checks and model extensions and concludes by highlighting the managerial implications of the results.

This paper was accepted by Matthew Shum, marketing.
Antiviral Effects of Anthocyanins and Phytochemicals as Natural Dietary Compounds on Different Virus Sources
Authors: Choudhary Dhriti , Pan Min-Hsiung
Published: December 2020

Virus, an infectious agent is the main reason causing the deaths by life-threatening diseases, including HIV, cancer, influenza, herpes, dengue, hepatitis, chikungunya all around the world. Virus infections are a global health concern, due to worldwide travel and gradual modernization, the viral eruption is an epidemic menace and can be avoided by minimizing publicity to infectious viruses. Even with so many precautions, viral diseases can still spread and cause great risk to human health and requires proper sanitation by disinfectants or anti-viral agents. Very few vaccines are available that can effectively treat viral infections. As there are many advances progressing in the health care sector, there are some efficient anti-viral treatments and therapies, still some virus does not have effective vaccinations and therapies yet. For the past few years, there has been an intensive effort to study the defense mechanism of natural products such as foods and drinks we normally consume in our day-to-day life that may inhibit some anti-viral activities and some advantages over synthetic vaccines. The development of natural vaccines, that work against the virus is still a major goal. As it has been identified that the natural dietary compounds such as phytochemicals, anthocyanins, flavonoids, curcumins, polyphenols, and many more have some health benefit properties which may include anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, anti-bacterial, anti-cancer, anti-viral, anti-fungal activities. This mini-review generally summarizes the antiviral activities of anthocyanins and phytochemicals from various natural plant sources on different virus origins.
Implication of Sensory Evaluation and Quality Assessment in Food Product Development: A Review
Authors: Mihafu Fabian Dominicus , Issa Joseph Yohane , Kamiyango Moses Witness
Published: December 2020

The quality of food products is determined by physical properties, chemical composition, the level of contaminants (microbiological and toxic substances) and sensory attributes. Consumers around the world demand consistent supply of quality food products that reflect the value of the price they pay for them. The nature of raw materials and ingredients reflect the quality of food products in the market. Raw materials as well as packaging materials should be purchased based on the quality specifications that suppliers should adhere to. This review aimed at highlighting the importance of using objective assessment tools and consumer/sensory evaluation in determining the quality and acceptability of new food products. Objective tests are used to measure one particular attribute of a food product rather than its overall quality. They are generally rapid, reliable and repeatable. On the other hand sensory methods measure the reaction to stimuli resulting from the consumption of a product. Sensory testing is often used to determine consumer acceptability of a food product and contributes to the design of quality systems hence considered as a technical support for quality assurance during food production. Not only that but also it helps to obtain feedback for making decisions and carrying out proper modification of a particular food product. Therefore objective methods and sensory evaluation are indispensable tools for routine quality control of new food products as well as the existing ones.
Socio-ecological Factors Associated with Snacking Behaviors of Basic School Students in Nepal
Authors: Upreti Yadu R. , Bastien Sheri , Bjonness Birgitte , Devkota Bhimsen
Published: December 2020

Consumption of unhealthy snack foods among young children in low-and-middle-income countries is high and Nepal is no exception. A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 259 students to investigate their snacking behaviors and examine factors that influence the behavior from a socio-ecological Framework. The study used self-reported questionnaires, food recall diaries, and participant observation forms to collect data. Students' snacking behavior was the dependent variable where as age, sex, grade, parent's education, parent's sources of income, religion, ethnicity, family type, and living arrangements were the independent variables. Chi-square test and logistic regression were applied to analyze the results. The main findings of the study indicate that 89 percent of students consumed school snacks regularly, including unhealthy snacks, which were either commercially prepared junk foods bought from nearby vending shops and grocery stores or deep-oil-fried snacks food prepared at the school canteen. Bivariate analysis shows that age, grade, father's education, and the student's religion were significantly associated with snacking behaviors of students. The multivariate analysis indicates that grade (aOR= 0.259, P < .05) and religion (aOR= 0.373, P < .05) were the significant predictors. The snacking behaviors among basic level students are influenced by multilevel factors, which is consistent with the socio-ecological model. The study's findings further suggest that comprehensive and effective school-based nutrition education interventions are necessary to promote healthy snack consumption behaviors of students.
Effect of Roasting and Vacuum Microwave Treatments on Physicochemical and Antioxidant Properties of Oil Extracted from Black Sesame Seeds
Authors: Muangrat Rattana , Chalermchart Yongyut , Pannasai Supachet , Osiriphun Sukhuntha
Published: December 2020

Unroasted, roasted (at roasting temperatures of 100, 150 and 200 C and roasting times of 10, 20 and 30 min) and vacuum microwaved (at microwave watt powers of 800, 1440, 2400 and 3600 watts/kg black sesame seeds, for heating times of 10, 20 and 30 min) black sesame seeds were processed to extract oil using a single screw press at a constant pressing temperature of 50 C. The results revealed that different heat pre-treatments significantly affected yield and physiochemical and antioxidant properties of extracted oils. The extracted oil samples exhibited significantly different levels of total phenolic compounds, sesamin, sesamolin, and DPPH• and ABTS•+ scavenging activity. Additionally, it was found that these values of roasted and vacuum microwaved black sesame seed oils were significantly higher than those of unroasted oil. Sesamin, sesamolin, total content of phenolic compounds, and DPPH• and ABTS•+ scavenging activity of extracted black sesame oils increased when the roasting temperature and watt power increased. Black sesame oil obtained from unroasted, roasted and vacuum microwaved dried black sesame seeds contained linoleic and oleic acids as major fatty acids. Black sesame oil extracted from roasting and vacuum microwave treatments for 10 min at higher roasting temperature and microwave watt power had higher total phenolic content leading to a reduction of peroxide value and elevated stability of soybean oil when it was added during storage time at temperature of 65 °C.
In Vitro Glycemic Response of Indigenous Pigmented Rice Cultivars from South India and Influence of Different Carbohydrate Components
Authors: Haldipur Ashrita C. , Srividya N.
Published: December 2020

Staple diet patterns such as white rice consumption play an important part in the occurrence of chronic lifestyle-related disease like diabetes. This study intended to identify pigmented rice cultivars from India as an alternative to white rice. Nine carbohydrate components were quantified in six red and two black pigmented rice varieties. In vitro starch digestibility was also analyzed and the predicted glycemic index (pGI) was estimated. The relationship between the carbohydrate components and the pGI of the rice varieties was analyzed. The rice varieties, Kattuyanam and Chennangi exhibited high levels of insoluble dietary fibre, total dietary fibre and amylose. High soluble dietary fibre contents were observed in Poonghar and Aruvadam kuruvai. The levels of resistant starch and slowly digestible starch were found to be the highest in Karupakavuni. The results indicated Kattuyanam, Chennangi, Karungkuruvai, and Poonghar to be low pGI rice varieties (< 55). The three varieties, Kesari, Karupakavuni, and Aruvadam kuruvai were categorized under the medium pGI category (56-69). Mapillai samba had a high pGI of 70 which could be due to processing (partially milled and parboiled), but had significantly lower pGI than the white rice, Sona masuri (GI – 76). The dietary fibre components, resistant starch, slowly digestible starch, and the amylose content were negatively correlated with the pGI. Among these components, the insoluble dietary fibre, total dietary fibre, and resistant starch with significantly high (p ≤0.01) correlation were found to be the major determining factors of pGI in the studied pigmented rice cultivars. The inclusion of the identified pigmented rice varieties with low to medium glycemic response in the diet could become a key role in the dietary management of diabetes, especially among the rice-eating population.
Maternal Knowledge and Complementary Feeding Practices and their Relationship with Nutritional Status Among Children 6-23 Months Old in Pastoral Community of Marsabit County, Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Study
Authors: Mutuku Joyce Nzilani , Ochola Sophie , Osero Justus
Published: December 2020

Appropriate complementary feeding practices have positive impact on health and growth of children aged 6-23 months. Little is known about complementary feeding practices among the pastoralists. The aim of this study was to document the influence of maternal knowledge on child feeding and complementary practices on the nutritional status of children aged 6-23 months amongst a pastoral community in Kenya. A WHO standard validated questionnaire was used to collect data from 289 randomly selected mothers/primary caregivers and their children aged 6-23 months. The interviews were conducted through face-to-face in a one-time household visit. The findings showed that half (50.2%) of the children received complementary foods at the age of six months. The proportion of breastfed and non-breastfed children that achieved the recommended Minimum Meal Frequency (MMF) was 28.7% and 2.6% respectively. About one-quarter (23.9%) achieved the recommended Minimum Dietary Diversity (MDD). A total of 5.9% achieved the Minimum Acceptable Diet (MAD). Majority of the mothers/caregivers (95.1%) knew that children should be encouraged to feed while 61.6% knew that children should be fed more frequently during and after illness. The timing of introduction of complementary feeding ([OR]=0.307, P=0.001) and child’s dietary diversity ([OR]=3.112, P=0.020 were predictors of wasting among the children while timing of introduction of complementary feeding ([OR]=0.226, P=0.000) and maternal knowledge on the duration of breastfeeding ([OR]=6.359, P=0.012) predicted child underweight.. Complementary feeding practices are not optimal and the nutritional status of the children is poor. Complementary feeding practices predicted child nutritional status whereas maternal/caregivers’ knowledge on complementary feeding practices had limited impact on child nutrition status.
Dietary Fresh and Boiled Mangkokan Leaves (Nothopanax Scutellarius) Normalized Body Weight, Serum Lipid Profile and Malondialdehyde in Metabolic Syndrome Rats
Authors: Rachma Devi Elvina , Murwani Retno , Juniarto Achmad Zulfa
Published: December 2020

The antioxidant activity of Nothopanax scutellarius (Burm. f.) Merr, an edible plant, can prevent oxidative stress in metabolic syndrome (MetS). Thus, our research aimed to study the effect of dietary inclusion of fresh or boiled N. scutellarius on body weight and biochemical markers of Wistar rats with MetS. Twenty-four male Wistar rats were divided randomly into four groups, i.e., normal control group, high-fat-high-fructose diet (HFFD) group, fresh N. scutellarius (FNs) group, and boiled N. scutellarius (BNs) group. The normal control group was fed only a standard diet during the entire experiment. High-fat and high-fructose (HFHFr) diet accompanied with 20% fructose in drinking water to induce MetS was given to the HFFD, FNs, and BNs groups for 29 days. This was followed by a 29-day intervention diet in which standard normal diet, fresh N. scutellarius-containing standard diet, and boiled N. scutellarius-containing standard diet were given to the HFFD, FNs, and BNs groups, respectively. HFHFr diet significantly (p<0.05) raised fasting blood glucose (FBG), serum triglyceride, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, and malondialdehyde (MDA), and significantly (p<0.05) reduced HDL-cholesterol. After 29 days on the intervention diet, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL-cholesterol levels were found to decrease, and HDL-cholesterol levels were found to increase significantly (p<0.05). Thus, it can be concluded that dietary intake of N. scutellarius for 29 days can improve MetS components, i.e., FBG, serum lipid profile, and MDA, similar to those seen in rats on a normal control diet.
Measurement and correction of misalignments in corneal topography using the null-screen method
Authors: Campos-García Manuel , Aguirre-Aguirre Daniel , Moreno-Oliva Victor Ivan , Huerta-Carranza Oliver , de emanuel armengol-cruz Victor
Published: December 2020

Misalignments are a common problem in corneal topography reconstruction. To determine the topography of the surface using a corneal topographer based on the null-screen method, it is necessary to measure errors caused by mechanical misalignment of the topographer, which could influence the results of this technique but are not related to the quality of the corneal surface. To evaluate the variability in measurements, in this work, we simulate some misalignments in the optical system, for the simulation we design a semi-radial null-screen to test a reference spherical surface to identify the variations in results introduced by misalignment errors of the corneal topographer with respect to the test surface. According to the simulations, the accuracy of the null-screen method ranges from 0.81 µm to 2.84 µm for typical tilt, decentering, and defocusing errors. Experimental results for the testing of a spherical surface are shown. After removing the misalignments, we found that the variations are approximately 3.5 μm rms value measured with respect to the best-fitting sphere, and the radius of curvature differs approximately 0.06% from the design value.
Schreibcoaching und Schreibberatung – der Versuch einer Abgrenzung
Authors: Kuntschner Eva
Published: December 2020

Klickt man sich durch die Websiten von Kolleg*innen „aus der Schreibszene“, findet man viele unterschiedliche Namen für deren Angebote: Schreibtraining, Schreibwerkstätten, Schreibworkshops, Schreibberatung, Schreibcoaching … Dabei wirkt es so, also ob sich Schreibtraining, Schreibwerkstätten und Schreibworkshops eher auf die Arbeit mit Gruppen beziehen, während Schreibberatung und Schreibcoaching für Einzelsettings gebräuchlicher zu sein scheinen. Der Unterschied bzw. die Ähnlichkeit von Schreibcoaching und Schreibberatung bleibt dabei oftmals unklar, was nicht zuletzt bei den Ratsuchenden (aber auch bei den Anbieter*innen selbst) für Verwirrung sorgen kann.

Der vorliegende Artikel beschäftigt sich mit den beiden letztgenannten Begriffen „Schreibcoaching“ und „Schreibberatung“ und versucht diese einer näheren Begriffsbestimmung und –abgrenzung zuzuführen. Dies soll dazu beitragen, Unklarheiten in diesem Bereich zu beseitigen und Schreibberater*innen und Schreibcoaches in der begrifflichen Verortung ihrer Angebote mehr Sicherheit zu bieten.
Clustering of Tir during enteropathogenic E. coli infection triggers calcium influx–dependent pyroptosis in intestinal epithelial cells
Authors: Zhong Qiyun , Roumeliotis Theodoros I. , Kozik Zuza , Cepeda-Molero Massiel , Fernández Luis Ángel , Shenoy Avinash R. , Bakal Chris , Frankel Gad , Choudhary Jyoti S.
Published: December 2020

Clustering of the enteropathogenicEscherichia coli(EPEC) type III secretion system (T3SS) effector translocated intimin receptor (Tir) by intimin leads to actin polymerisation and pyroptotic cell death in macrophages. The effect of Tir clustering on the viability of EPEC-infected intestinal epithelial cells (IECs) is unknown. We show that EPEC induces pyroptosis in IECs in a Tir-dependent but actin polymerisation-independent manner, which was enhanced by priming with interferon gamma (IFNγ). Mechanistically, Tir clustering triggers rapid Ca2+influx, which induces lipopolysaccharide (LPS) internalisation, followed by activation of caspase-4 and pyroptosis. Knockdown of caspase-4 or gasdermin D (GSDMD), translocation of NleF, which blocks caspase-4 or chelation of extracellular Ca2+, inhibited EPEC-induced cell death. IEC lines with low endogenous abundance of GSDMD were resistant to Tir-induced cell death. Conversely, ATP-induced extracellular Ca2+influx enhanced cell death, which confirmed the key regulatory role of Ca2+in EPEC-induced pyroptosis. We reveal a novel mechanism through which infection with an extracellular pathogen leads to pyroptosis in IECs.
NGS-PrimerPlex: High-throughput primer design for multiplex polymerase chain reactions
Authors: Kechin Andrey , Borobova Viktoria , Boyarskikh Ulyana , Khrapov Evgeniy , Subbotin Sergey , Filipenko Maxim
Published: December 2020

Multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has multiple applications in molecular biology, including developing new targeted next-generation sequencing (NGS) panels. We present NGS-PrimerPlex, an efficient and versatile command-line application that designs primers for different refined types of amplicon-based genome target enrichment. It supports nested and anchored multiplex PCR, redistribution among multiplex reactions of primers constructed earlier, and extension of existing NGS-panels. The primer design process takes into consideration the formation of secondary structures, non-target amplicons between all primers of a pool, primers and high-frequent genome single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) overlapping. Moreover, users of NGS-PrimerPlex are free from manually defining input genome regions, because it can be done automatically from a list of genes or their parts like exon or codon numbers. Using the program, the NGS-panel for sequencing the LRRK2 gene coding regions was created, and 354 DNA samples were studied successfully with a median coverage of 97.4% of target regions by at least 30 reads. To show that NGS-PrimerPlex can also be applied for bacterial genomes, we designed primers to detect foodborne pathogens Salmonella enterica, Escherichia coli O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes, and Staphylococcus aureus considering variable positions of the genomes.
Genome-scale reconstruction of Gcn4/ATF4 networks driving a growth program
Authors: Srinivasan Rajalakshmi , Walvekar Adhish S. , Rashida Zeenat , Seshasayee Aswin , Laxman Sunil
Published: December 2020

Growth and starvation are considered opposite ends of a spectrum. To sustain growth, cells use coordinated gene expression programs and manage biomolecule supply in order to match the demands of metabolism and translation. Global growth programs complement increased ribosomal biogenesis with sufficient carbon metabolism, amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis. How these resources are collectively managed is a fundamental question. The role of the Gcn4/ATF4 transcription factor has been best studied in contexts where cells encounter amino acid starvation. However, high Gcn4 activity has been observed in contexts of rapid cell proliferation, and the roles of Gcn4 in such growth contexts are unclear. Here, using a methionine-induced growth program in yeast, we show that Gcn4/ATF4 is the fulcrum that maintains metabolic supply in order to sustain translation outputs. By integrating matched transcriptome and ChIP-Seq analysis, we decipher genome-wide direct and indirect roles for Gcn4 in this growth program. Genes that enable metabolic precursor biosynthesis indispensably require Gcn4; contrastingly ribosomal genes are partly repressed by Gcn4. Gcn4 directly binds promoter-regions and transcribes a subset of metabolic genes, particularly driving lysine and arginine biosynthesis. Gcn4 also globally represses lysine and arginine enriched transcripts, which include genes encoding the translation machinery. The Gcn4 dependent lysine and arginine supply thereby maintains the synthesis of the translation machinery. This is required to maintain translation capacity. Gcn4 consequently enables metabolic-precursor supply to bolster protein synthesis, and drive a growth program. Thus, we illustrate how growth and starvation outcomes are both controlled using the same Gcn4 transcriptional outputs that function in distinct contexts.
Tooth replacement patterns in the Early Triassic epicynodont Galesaurus planiceps (Therapsida, Cynodontia)
Authors: Norton Luke A. , Abdala Fernando , Rubidge Bruce S. , Botha Jennifer
Published: December 2020

Sixteen specimens of the Early Triassic cynodontGalesaurus planiceps(including eight that were scanned using micro-computed tomography) representing different ontogenetic stages were assembled to study the dental replacement in the species. The growth series shows that the incisors and postcanines continue to develop and replace, even in the largest (presumably oldest) specimen. In contrast, replacement of the canines ceased with the attainment of skeletal maturity, at a basal skull length of ~90 mm, suggesting thatGalesaurushad a finite number of canine replacement cycles. Additionally, the functional canine root morphology of these larger specimens showed a tendency to be open-rooted, a condition not previously reported in Mesozoic theriodonts. An alternating pattern of tooth replacement was documented in the maxillary and mandibular postcanine series. Both postcanine series increased in tooth number as the skull lengthened, with the mandibular postcanine series containing more teeth than the maxillary series. In the maxilla, the first postcanine is consistently the smallest tooth, showing a proportional reduction in size as skull length increased. The longer retention of a tooth in this first locus is a key difference betweenGalesaurusandThrinaxodon, in which the mesial-most postcanines are lost after replacement. This difference has contributed to the lengthening of the postcanine series inGalesaurus, as teeth continued to be added to the distal end of the tooth row through ontogeny. Overall, there are considerable differences betweenGalesaurusandThrinaxodonrelating to the replacement and development of their teeth.
EXSEQREG: Explaining sequence-based NLP tasks with regions with a case study using morphological features for named entity recognition
Authors: Güngör Onur , Güngör Tunga , Uskudarli Suzan
Published: December 2020

The state-of-the-art systems for most natural language engineering tasks employ machine learning methods. Despite the improved performances of these systems, there is a lack of established methods for assessing the quality of their predictions. This work introduces a method for explaining the predictions of any sequence-based natural language processing (NLP) task implemented with any model, neural or non-neural. Our method named EXSEQREG introduces the concept of region that links the prediction and features that are potentially important for the model. A region is a list of positions in the input sentence associated with a single prediction. Many NLP tasks are compatible with the proposed explanation method as regions can be formed according to the nature of the task. The method models the prediction probability differences that are induced by careful removal of features used by the model. The output of the method is a list of importance values. Each value signifies the impact of the corresponding feature on the prediction. The proposed method is demonstrated with a neural network based named entity recognition (NER) tagger using Turkish and Finnish datasets. A qualitative analysis of the explanations is presented. The results are validated with a procedure based on the mutual information score of each feature. We show that this method produces reasonable explanations and may be used for i) assessing the degree of the contribution of features regarding a specific prediction of the model, ii) exploring the features that played a significant role for a trained model when analyzed across the corpus.
Modeling pastoralist movement in response to environmental variables and conflict in Somaliland: Combining agent-based modeling and geospatial data
Authors: Nelson Erica L. , Khan Saira A. , Thorve Swapna , Greenough P. Gregg
Published: December 2020

Pastoralism is widely practiced in arid lands and is the primary means of livelihood for approximately 268 million people across Africa. Environmental, interpersonal, and transactional variables such as vegetation and water availability, conflict, ethnic tensions, and private/public land delineation influence the movements of these populations. The challenges of climate change and conflict are widely felt by nomadic pastoralists in Somalia, where resources are scarce, natural disasters are increasingly common, and protracted conflict has plagued communities for decades. Bereft of real-time data, researchers and programmatic personnel often turn to post hoc analysis to understand the interaction between climate, conflict, and migration, and design programs to address the needs of nomadic pastoralists. By designing an Agent-Based Model to simulate the movement of nomadic pastoralists based on typologically-diverse, historical data of environmental, interpersonal, and transactional variables in Somaliland and Puntland between 2008 and 2018, this study explores how pastoralists respond to changing environments. Through subsequent application of spatial analysis such as choropleth maps, kernel density mapping, and standard deviational ellipses, we characterize the resultant pastoralist population distribution in response to these variables. Outcomes demonstrate a large scale spatio-temporal trend of pastoralists migrating to the southeast of the study area with high density areas in the south of Nugaal, the northwest of Sool, and along the Ethiopian border. While minimal inter-seasonal variability is seen, multiple analyses support the consolidation of pastoralists to specifically favorable regions. Exploration of the large-scale population, climate, and conflict trends allows for cogent narratives and associative hypotheses regarding the pastoralist migration during the study period. While this model produces compelling associations between pastoralist movements and terrestrial and conflict variables, it relies heavily on assumptions and incomplete data that are not necessarily representative of realities on the ground. Given the paucity of data regarding pastoralist decision-making and migration, validation remains challenging.
Leader emergence and affective empathy: A dynamic test of the dual-hormone hypothesis
Authors: Vongas John G. , Al Hajj Raghid , Fiset John
Published: December 2020

Personal distress is a building block of empathy, yet has received scant attention in studies of individual differences in leadership. We investigate whether the effect of leader emergence on men’s distress is influenced by their personalized power motive (p Power) and changes in their testosterone (T) and cortisol (C) levels. In an experiment involving 96 males, p Power modulated the direction and intensity of T change in emergent leaders, with high p-Power leaders showing a more positive T change compared to their low p-Power counterparts. We also conducted a dynamic test of the dual-hormone hypothesis in which participants’ changes in T and C interacted to produce differences in personal distress. Contrary to expectations, positive changes in T were associated with increased distress at negative changes in C. Given that high T and low C are associated with leadership, we explain these findings and question the assumption that personal distress represents a shortcoming in leaders.
Global health security and universal health coverage: Understanding convergences and divergences for a synergistic response
Authors: Assefa Yibeltal , Hill Peter S. , Gilks Charles F. , Damme Wim Van , Pas Remco van de , Woldeyohannes Solomon , Reid Simon
Published: December 2020

Background

Global health security (GHS) and universal health coverage (UHC) are key global health agendas which aspire for a healthier and safer world. However, there are tensions between GHS and UHC strategy and implementation. The objective of this study was to assess the relationship between GHS and UHC using two recent quantitative indices.

Methods

We conducted a macro-analysis to determine the presence of relationship between GHS index (GHSI) and UHC index (UHCI). We calculated Pearson’s correlation coefficient and the coefficient of determination. Analyses were performed using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 25 with a 95% level of confidence.

Findings

There is a moderate and significant relationship between GHSI and UHCI (r = 0.662, p<0.001) and individual indices of UHCI (maternal and child health and infectious diseases: r = 0.623 (p<0.001) and 0.594 (p<0.001), respectively). However, there is no relationship between GHSI and the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) index (r = 0.063, p>0.05). The risk of GHS threats a significant and negative correlation with the capacity for GHS (r = -0.604, p<0.001) and the capacity for UHC (r = -0.792, p<0.001).

Conclusion

The aspiration for GHS will not be realized without UHC; hence, the tension between these two global health agendas should be transformed into a synergistic solution. We argue that strengthening the health systems, in tandem with the principles of primary health care, and implementing a “One Health” approach will progressively enable countries to achieve both UHC and GHS towards a healthier and safer world that everyone aspires to live in.
DACH1 mutation frequency in endometrial cancer is associated with high tumor mutation burden
Authors: Riggs McKayla J. , Lin Nan , Wang Chi , Piecoro Dava W. , Miller Rachel W. , Hampton Oliver A. , Rao Mahadev , Ueland Frederick R. , Kolesar Jill M.
Published: December 2020

Objective

DACH1is a transcriptional repressor and tumor suppressor gene frequently mutated in melanoma, bladder, and prostate cancer. Loss ofDACH1expression is associated with poor prognostic features and reduced overall survival in uterine cancer. In this study, we utilized the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) Avatar database to determine the frequency ofDACH1mutations in patients with endometrial cancer in our Kentucky population.

Methods

We obtained clinical and genomic data for 65 patients with endometrial cancer from the Markey Cancer Center (MCC). We examined the clinical attributes of the cancers byDACH1status by comparing whole-exome sequencing (WES), RNA Sequencing (RNASeq), microsatellite instability (MSI), and tumor mutational burden (TMB).

Results

Kentucky women with endometrial cancer had an increased frequency ofDACH1mutations (12/65 patients, 18.5%) compared to The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) endometrial cancer population (25/586 patients, 3.8%) with p-value = 1.04E-05.DACH1mutations were associated with increased tumor mutation count in both TCGA (median 65 vs. 8972, p-value = 7.35E-09) and our Kentucky population (490 vs. 2160, p-value = 6.0E-04).DACH1mutated patients have a higher tumor mutation burden compared toDACH1wild-type (24 vs. 6.02, p-value = 4.29E-05).DACH1mutations showed significant gene co-occurrence patterns withPOLE,MLH1, andPMS2.DACH1mutations were not associated with an increase in microsatellite instability at MCC (MSI-H) (p-value = 0.1342).

Conclusions

DACH1mutations are prevalent in Kentucky patients with endometrial cancer. These mutations are associated with high tumor mutational burden and co-occur with genome destabilizing gene mutations. These findings suggestDACH1may be a candidate biomarker for future trials with immunotherapy, particularly in endometrial cancers.
Antibiotic prescribing practices of dentists for endodontic infections; a cross-sectional study
Authors: B. Abraham Sheela , Abdulla Nizam , Himratul-Aznita Wan Harun , Awad Manal , Samaranayake Lakshman Perera , Ahmed Hany Mohamed Aly
Published: December 2020

Objective

The indiscriminate prescription of antibiotics has led to the emergence of resistance microbes worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the antibiotic prescribing practices amongst general dental practitioners and specialists in managing endodontic infections in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Design

General dental practitioners and specialists in the UAE were invited to participate in an online questionnaire survey which included questions on socio-demographics, practitioner’s antibiotic prescribing preferences for various pulpal and periapical diseases, and their choice, in terms of the type, dose and duration of the antibiotic. The link to the survey questionnaire was sent to 250 invited dentists. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square tests for independence and level of significance was set at 0.05.

Results

A total of 174 respondents participated in the survey (response rate = 70%). The respondents who prescribed antibiotics at least once a month were 38.5% while 17.2% did so, more than three times a week; amoxicillin 500 mg was the antibiotic of choice for patients not allergic to penicillin (43.7%), and in cases of penicillin allergies, erythromycin 500 mg (21.3%). There was a significant difference in the antibiotic prescribing practices of GDPs compared to endodontists and other specialties especially in clinical cases such as acute apical abscesses with swelling and moderate to severe pre-operative symptoms and retreatment of endodontic cases (p<0.05). Approximately, three quarters of the respondents (78.7%) did not prescribe a loading dose when prescribing antibiotics. About 15% respondents prescribed antibiotics to their patients if they were not accessible to patients due to a holiday/weekend.

Conclusions

In general, the antibiotic prescribing practices of UAE dentists are congruent with the international norms. However, there were occasions of inappropriate prescriptions such as in patients with irreversible pulpitis, necrotic pulps with no systemic involvement and/or with sinus tracts.
Comparing the effectiveness of group-based exercise to other non-pharmacological interventions for chronic low back pain: A systematic review
Authors: Lemieux James , Abdollah Vahid , Powelske Brandyn , Kawchuk Greg
Published: December 2020

Background

Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide with a substantial financial burden on individuals and health care systems. To address this, clinical practice guidelines often recommend non-pharmacological, non-invasive management approaches. One management approach that has been recommended and widely implemented for chronic LBP is group-based exercise programs, however, their clinical value compared with other non-pharmacological interventions has not been investigated systematically.

Objective

To compare the effectiveness of group-based exercise with other non-pharmacological interventions in people with chronic LBP.

Methods

Four electronic databases were searched by two independent reviewers. Only randomized controlled trials that compared group-based exercise with other non-pharmacological interventions for chronic LBP were eligible. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Handbook for systematic reviews of Interventions by two independent reviewers.

Results

Eleven studies were eligible. We identified strong evidence of no difference between group exercise and other non-pharmacologic interventions for disability level and pain scores 3-month post-intervention in people with chronic LBP. We could not find any strong or moderate evidence for or against the use of group-based exercise in the rehabilitation of people with chronic LBP for other time-points and health measurement outcomes. We found no statistically significant differences in disability and quality of life and pain between the group and individual non-pharmacological interventions that included exercise.

Conclusion

With this equivocal finding, group-based exercise may be a preferred choice given potential advantages in other domains not reviewed here such as motivation and cost. Further research in this area is needed to evaluate this possibility.
Progression of coronary artery calcification in conventional hemodialysis, nocturnal hemodialysis, and kidney transplantation
Authors: Jansz Thijs T. , Özyilmaz Akin , van Reekum Franka E. , Boereboom Franciscus T. J. , de Jong Pim A. , Verhaar Marianne C. , van Jaarsveld Brigit C.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) and is strongly associated with vascular calcification. An important driver of vascular calcification is high phosphate levels, but these become lower when patients initiate nocturnal hemodialysis or receive a kidney transplant. However, it is unknown whether nocturnal hemodialysis or kidney transplantation mitigate vascular calcification. Therefore, we compared progression of coronary artery calcification (CAC) between patients treated with conventional hemodialysis, nocturnal hemodialysis, and kidney transplant recipients.

Methods

We measured CAC annually up to 3 years in 114 patients with ESRD that were transplantation candidates: 32 that continued conventional hemodialysis, 34 that initiated nocturnal hemodialysis (≥4x 8 hours/week), and 48 that received a kidney transplant. We compared CAC progression between groups as the difference in square root transformed volume scores per year (ΔCAC SQRV) using linear mixed models. Reference category was conventional hemodialysis.

Results

The mean age of the study population was 53 ±13 years, 75 (66%) were male, and median dialysis duration was 28 (IQR 12–56) months. Median CAC score at enrollment was 171 (IQR 10–647), which did not differ significantly between treatment groups (P = 0.83). Compared to conventional hemodialysis, CAC progression was non-significantly different in nocturnal hemodialysis -0.10 (95% CI -0.77 to 0.57) and kidney transplantation -0.33 (95% CI -0.96 to 0.29) in adjusted models.

Conclusions

Nocturnal hemodialysis and kidney transplantation are not associated with significantly less CAC progression compared to conventional hemodialysis during up to 3 years follow-up. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, to determine which type of calcification is measured with CAC in end-stage renal disease, and whether that reflects cardiovascular risk.
Potency of Tokishakuyakusan in treating preeclampsia: Drug repositioning method by in vitro screening of the Kampo library
Authors: Yagi Kazunobu , Mimura Kazuya , Tomimatsu Takuji , Matsuyama Tatsuya , Kawanishi Yoko , Kakigano Aiko , Nakamura Hitomi , Endo Masayuki , Kimura Tadashi
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Preeclampsia therapy has not been established, except for the termination of pregnancy. The aim of this study was to identify a potential therapeutic agent from traditional Japanese medicine (Kampo) using the drug repositioning method.

Materials and methods

We screened a library of 74 Kampo to identify potential drugs for the treatment of preeclampsia. We investigated the angiogenic effects of these drugs using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were performed to measure the levels of placental growth factor (PlGF) in conditioned media treated with 100 μg/mL of each drug. We assessed whether the screened drugs affected cell viability. We performed tube formation assays to evaluate the angiogenic effects of PlGF-inducing drugs. PlGF was measured after administering 10, 50, 100, and 200 μg/mL of the candidate drug in the dose correlation experiment, and at 1, 2, 3, 6, 12, and 24 h in the time course experiment. We also performed tube formation assays with the candidate drug and 100 ng/mL of soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1). PlGF production by the candidate drug was measured in trophoblastic cells (BeWo and HTR-8/SVneo). The Mann-Whitney U test or one-way analyses of variance followed by the Newman-Keuls post-hoc test were performed. P–values < 0.05 were considered significant.

Results

Of the 7 drugs that induced PlGF, Tokishakuyakusan (TS), Shoseiryuto, and Shofusan did not reduce cell viability. TS significantly facilitated tube formation (P = 0.017). TS administration increased PlGF expression in a dose- and time-dependent manner. TS significantly improved tube formation, which was inhibited by sFlt1 (P = 0.033). TS also increased PlGF production in BeWo (P = 0.001) but not HTR-8/SVneo cells (P = 0.33).

Conclusions

By using the drug repositioning method in thein vitroscreening of the Kampo library, we identified that TS may have a therapeutic potential for preeclampsia. Its newly found mechanisms involve the increase in PlGF production, and improvement of the antiangiogenic state.
PELINDIAN ZIRKONIUM DARI TAILING MAGNETIK PASIR ZIRKON HASIL ROASTING MENGGUNAKAN NAOH
Authors: Trisnawati Iga
Published: December 2020

Tailing pertambangan adalah penyebab sebagian besar pencemaran lingkungan yang terkait dengan industri ekstraktif. Peningkatan risiko pencemaran lingkungan telah diamati di seluruh dunia karena sejumlah besar pengolahan bijih kadar rendah. Dalam penelitian ini, pemulihan zirkonium dari tailing magnetik pasir zirkon telah diselidiki. Tujuan dari studi ini adalah untuk mengetahui pengaruh kondisi operasi pencucian terhadap pemulihan zirkonium dari tailing magnetik pasir zirkon. Tailing magnetik pasir zirkon yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini diperoleh dari PT Monokem Surya. Awalnya, tailing magnetik pasir zirkon dipanggang dengan tujuan memisahkan senyawa zirkonium dan silikat sebagai pengotor. Proses pemanggangan telah dilakukan dengan mereaksikan tailing magnetik zirkon pasir dan NaOH dengan perbandingan 1: 1 pada 450 °C selama 3 jam. Produk tersebut kemudian dicuci, dikeringkan dan dilindi menggunakan larutan HCl dan H2SO4. Untuk mengetahui kinerja pelindian, kondisi operasi bervariasi termasuk suhu (30 °C-110 °C), konsentrasi asam (0,125M-2M) dan rasio padat terhadap cair (0,05 g/mL-0,25 g/mL). Ditemukan bahwa pemulihan zirkonium mencapai optimal ketika proses pelindian menggunakan 0,5 M HCl dan H2SO4. Menggunakan kondisi ini, pemulihan 88% dan 26% diperoleh untuk zirkonium menggunakan HCl dan H2SO4, masing-masing.
SYNTHESIS AND CHARACTERIZATION OF NICKEL HYDROXIDE FROM EXTRACTION SOLUTION OF SPENT CATALYST
Authors: Wanta Kevin Cleary , Tanujaya Felisha Hapsari , Putra Federick Dwi , Susanti Ratna Frida , Gemilar Gelar Panji , Astuti Widi , Petrus Himawan Tri Bayu Murti
Published: December 2020

Nickel is an essential metal element and is applied in various sectors. One of the useful nickel–based derivatives products is nickel hydroxide [Ni(OH)2]. This compound is widely applied as raw material for electrodes of rechargeable batteries, capacitors, electrolyzers, and catalysts. This study focuses on the synthesis of Ni(OH)2 using the hydroxide precipitation method. A solution from the extraction process of spent catalysts was used as a precursor solution. After the precursor solution was obtained, the precipitation process was carried out at pH 10, where the operating temperature was varied at 30–60oC. NaOH, KOH, and MgO solutions were used as precipitating agents. The experimental results show that the Ni(OH)2 compounds were produced optimally at low temperatures, 30oC. It could be indicated from the lowest concentration of Ni2+ ions in the liquid phase that reached that temperature. The three precipitation agents also gave good results in the precipitation of Ni2+ ions, where almost all of the Ni2+ ions were precipitated from the liquid phase. The precipitated products were characterized using SEM, XRD, and XRF. The analysis results showed that the product was agglomerated and formless. The purity of the precipitates formed were 24.1 and 29% for the precipitating agents MgO and NaOH, respectively.
TAXONOMIC NOTES ON THE HOVER WASP GENUS EUSTENOGASTER (VESPIDAE, STENOGASTRINAE), WITH DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES FROM SUMATRA ISLAND, INDONESIA
Authors: Morooka Fuki Saito- , Nugroho Hari , Handru Alan , Kojima Jun- Ichi
Published: December 2020

Wasps of the genus Eustenogaster van der Vecht, 1969, with 17 species currently recognized, are distributed from the Indian subcontinent in the west to the Philippines, Sulawesi Island and Java Island in the east. Two new species of hover wasp genus Eustenogaster (E. multifolia sp. nov., E. sumatraensis sp. nov.) are described from specimens collected in Sumatra Island. The female of E. vietnamensis occurring in Vietnam are described for the first time. The lectotypes of Paravespa eva Bell, 1936 and Ischnogaster ornatifrons Cameron, 1902 are designated. The new taxonomic status is proposed for Stenogaster eximioides Dover and Rao, 1922 as a good (=valid) species of Eustenogaster. The synonymy of Ischnogaster ornatifrons Cameron, 1902 with Eustenogaster micans (de Saussure, 1852) has been confirmed. A revised key to species and a taxonomic and distributional checklist of all the species of Eustenogaster are provided.