bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
ANALISIS KUALITAS PELAYANAN TERHADAP LOYALITAS NASABAH MELALUI KEPUASAN PADA KOPERASI KREDIT PINTU AIR CABANG MAKASSAR
Authors: Nur Andi Musfirawati
Published: December 2020

Peningkatan jumlah koperasi yang ada di kota Makassar menunjukan perkembangan yang signifikan, dimana hal ini akan sangat bergantung pada kualitas pelayanan yang mereka berikan kepada nasabah. Pada akhirnya pelayanan yang kurang memuaskan akan berdampak pada loyalitas nasabah atau bahkan beralih ke jasa layanan lainnya yang lebih baik. Masalah dalam penelitian ini adalah performa layanan yang diberikan kepada nasabah dalam bertransaksi di Koperasi Kredit Pintu Air Cabang Makassar, dimana pelayanan cenderung kurang memuaskan bagi sebagian pelanggan mereka. Adapun tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menganalisis bagaimana gambaran kualitas pelayanan terhadap loyalitas nasabah melalui kepuasan pada Koperasi Kredit pintu air cabang Makassar. Jenis  penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah Jenis penelitian kuantitatif dengan pendekatan deskriptif. Metode pengumpulan data menggunakan observasi partisipan, kuisoner dan telaah dokumen, di mana analisis data menggunakan path analysis untuk mengetahui hubungan antar variabel. Dari hasil penelitian, diperoleh bahwa kualitas pelayanan yang di berikan kepada nasabah tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap tingkat loyalitas nasabah ketika bertransaksi, akan tetapi loyalitas nasabah dapat berpengaruh signifikan terhadap kualitas pelayanan jika kepuasan nasabah terpenuhi.
Özelleştirme, Sendikal Hareket ve Çalışma İlişkileri: Yatağan Örneği
Authors: EKİZ Çisel , GİRGİN Süleyman
Published: December 2020

Özelleştirme uygulamaları hem aynı işyerinde çalışmaya devam eden hem de özelleştirme sonrası başka kamu kurumlarına nakil olan çalışanların istihdam koşullarını etkilemektedir. Bu çalışmanın amacı, Yatağan Termik Santrali ve bağlı maden ocağının özelleştirilmesinden sonra çalışmaya devam eden işçilerin çalışma koşullarında yaşanan değişimi değerlendirmek ve işçilerin özelleştirme sonrası olası kazanç ve kayıplarında sendikal örgütlülüğün önemini araştırmaktır. Bu amaçla çalışma kapsamında Yatağan Termik Santrali’nin özelleştirilmesinden sonra çalışmaya devam eden 126 işçiye anket uygulanmıştır. Araştırma kapsamında ayrıca termik ve maden direktörlüğünde çalışan işçiler ile iki odak grup görüşmesi ve Tes-İş ile Türkiye Maden-İş Yatağan şube başkanları ile derinlemesine görüşme gerçekleştirilmiştir. Özelleştirme literatürünün aksine, görüşmecilerin büyük bir çoğunluğu Yatağan direnişi sayesinde, özelleştirmenin ardında ücret düzeylerinde ve çalışma koşullarında herhangi bir değişiklik olmadığını belirtmiştir. Bu anlamda Yatağan örneği, işyerinin özelleştirilmesinden sonra bile, işçilerin hak kaybına uğramaması ve çalışma koşullarının kötüleşmemesinde güçlü bir sendikal örgütlülüğe sahip olmanın önemini göstermektedir.
Effect of Electrode Patterning on Melting Behavior and Electrode Degradation in Resistance Spot Welding of A6014-T4 Alloy
Authors: Jun Hyun-Uk , Kim Jae-Hun , Kim Jae Won , Lee Eun-Kyung , Kim Yang-Do , Ji Changwook
Published: December 2020

In this study, the effects of electrode surface design on the resistance spot weldability and degradation of the electrode following resistance spot welding (RSW) of aluminum 6014-T4 alloy were investigated. A new patterning method that can be produced through repetitive pressurization was applied to the electrode, producing a lattice-like pattern shape on the resulting patterned electrode. When RSW was performed using the lattice patterned electrode, the contact resistance decreased because of the effective removal of the oxide film from the surface of the aluminum alloy. As a result, heat generated by resistance on the E/S interface was reduced. Moreover, the growth rate of the weld nuggets formed with the patterned electrode in the thickness direction was lower than that of the nuggets formed with the as-received electrode, and there was comparatively less Cu-Al alloying of the patterned electrode. In addition, a continuous RSW process was performed on the alloy to observe the effect of the electrode surface design on electrode sticking. The results indicated that electrode surface shape can significantly influence resistance heat generation and electrode cooling effects, as well as produce welds with different weld morphology and microstructure. Finally, it was proved that the patterned electrode suffered less electrode degradation through EPMA on the electrode surface after the continuous RSW was completed.
Beyond Axon Guidance: Roles of Slit-Robo Signaling in Neocortical Formation
Authors: Gonda Yuko , Namba Takashi , Hanashima Carina
Published: December 2020

The formation of the neocortex relies on intracellular and extracellular signaling molecules that are involved in the sequential steps of corticogenesis, ranging from the proliferation and differentiation of neural progenitor cells to the migration and dendrite formation of neocortical neurons. Abnormalities in these steps lead to disruption of the cortical structure and circuit, and underly various neurodevelopmental diseases, including dyslexia and autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this review, we focus on the axon guidance signaling Slit-Robo, and address the multifaceted roles of Slit-Robo signaling in neocortical development. Recent studies have clarified the roles of Slit-Robo signaling not only in axon guidance but also in progenitor cell proliferation and migration, and the maturation of neocortical neurons. We further discuss the etiology of neurodevelopmental diseases, which are caused by defects in Slit-Robo signaling during neocortical formation.
A Review of the Antimalarial, Antitrypanosomal, and Antileishmanial Activities of Natural Compounds Isolated From Nigerian Flora
Authors: Ungogo Marzuq A. , Ebiloma Godwin U. , Ichoron Nahandoo , Igoli John O. , de Koning Harry P. , Balogun Emmanuel O.
Published: December 2020

The West African country Nigeria features highly diverse vegetation and climatic conditions that range from rain forest bordering the Atlantic Ocean in the South to the Desert (Sahara) at the Northern extreme. Based on data from the World Conservation Monitoring Center of the United Nations Environmental Protection, Nigeria, with ~5,000 documented vascular plants, ranks amongst the top 50 countries in terms of biodiversity. Such a rich biodiversity implies that the country is rich in diverse secondary metabolites—natural products/unique chemicals produced by the plant kingdom to confer selective advantages to them. Like many tropical countries, Nigeria is also endemic to numerous infectious diseases particularly those caused by parasitic pathogens. These phytochemicals have been exploited for the treatment of diseases and as a result, a new branch of chemistry, natural product chemistry, has evolved, to try to reproduce and improve the therapeutic qualities of particular phytochemicals. In this review, we have compiled a compendium of natural products, isolated from Nigerian flora, that have been reported to be effective against certain protozoan parasites with the aim that it will stimulate interests for further investigations, and give impetus to the development of the natural products into registered drugs. In total 93 structurally characterized natural compounds have been identified with various levels of anti-parasite activity mainly from Nigerian plants. The synthesis protocol and molecular target for some of these natural anti-parasite agents have been established. For instance, the anti-plasmodial compound fagaronine (7), a benzophenanthridine alkaloid from Fagara zanthoxyloides has been successfully synthesized in the laboratory, and the anti-trypanosomal compound azaanthraquinone (55) elicits its effect by inhibiting mitochondrial electron transfer in trypanosomes. This review also discusses the barriers to developing approved drugs from phytochemicals, and the steps that should be taken in order to accelerate the development of new antiparasitics from the highlighted compounds.
Morphology Controlled Synthesis of Composition Related Plasmonic CuCdS Alloy Nanocrystals
Authors: Gao Yan , Wang Lei , Tian Guimin , Zang Shuaipu , Wang Hongzhe , Niu Jinzhong , Li Lin Song
Published: December 2020

Cu-based ternary alloy nanocrystals have emerged for extensive applications in solar cells, light-emitting devices (LEDs), and photoelectric detectors because of their low-toxicity, tunable band gaps, and large absorption coefficients. It is still an enormous challenge that regulating optical and electrical properties through changing their compositions and shapes in alloy nanocrystals. Herein, we present a facile method to synthesize CuCdS alloy nanocrystals (NCs) with tunable compositions and shapes at relatively low temperature. Different morphologies of monodisperse CuCdS nanocrystals are tailored successfully by simply adjusting the reaction temperature and Cu:Cd precursor molar ratio. The as-synthesized nanocrystals are of homogeneous alloy structures with uniform obvious lattice fringes throughout the whole particles rather than heterojunction structures. The localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) absorption peaks of CuCdS NCs are clearly observed and can be precisely tuned by varying the Cu:Cd molar ratio. Moreover, current–voltage (I–V) behaviors of different shaped CuCdS nanocrystals show certain rectification characteristics. The alloy CuCdS NCs with tunable shape, band gap, and compositionpossess a potential application in optoelectronic devices.
Molecular Epidemiology and Risk Factors of Clostridium difficile ST81 Infection in a Teaching Hospital in Eastern China
Authors: Yang Ziyu , Huang Qian , Qin Juanxiu , Zhang Xiaoye , Jian Ying , Lv Huiying , Liu Qian , Li Min
Published: December 2020

Background

The prevalence of Clostridium difficile causes an increased morbidity and mortality of inpatients, especially in Europe and North America, while data on C. difficile infection (CDI) are limited in China.

Methods

From September 2014 to August 2019, 562 C. difficile isolates were collected from patients and screened for toxin genes. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) and antimicrobial susceptibility tests by E-test and agar dilution method were performed. A case group composed of patients infected with sequence type (ST) 81 C. difficile was compared to the non-ST81 infection group and non CDI diarrhea patients for risk factor and outcome analyses.

Results

The incidence of inpatients with CDI was 7.06 cases per 10,000 patient-days. Of the 562 C. difficile isolates, ST81(22.78%) was the predominant clone over this period, followed by ST54 (11.21%), ST3 (9.61%), and ST2 (8.72%). Toxin genotype tcdA+tcdB+cdt- accounted for 50.18% of all strains, while 29.54% were tcdA-tcdB+cdt- genotypes. Overall, no isolate was resistant to vancomycin, teicoplanin or daptomycin, and resistance rates to meropenem gradually decreased during these years. Although several metronidazole-resistant strains were isolated in this study, the MIC values decreased during this period. Resistance rates to moxifloxacin and clindamycin remained higher than those to the other antibiotics. Among CDI inpatients, longer hospitalization, usage of prednisolone, suffering from chronic kidney disease or connective tissue diseases and admission to emergency ward 2 or emergency ICU were significant risk factors for ST81 clone infection. All-cause mortality of these CDI patients was 4.92%(n=18), while the recurrent cases accounted for 5.74%(n=21). The 60-day mortality of ST81-CDI was significantly higher than non-ST81 infected group, while ST81 also accounted for most of the recurrent CDI cases.

Conclusion

This study revealed the molecular epidemiology and risk factors for the dominant C. difficile ST81 genotype infection in eastern China. Continuous and stringent surveillance on the emerging ST81 genotype needs to be initiated.
Scalar Inferences in the Acquisition of Even
Authors: Gowda Yadav , Newman Elise , Rosenstein Leo , Hackl Martin
Published: December 2020

Scalar inferences are ubiquitous in human reasoning. Correspondingly, language has many means of expressing and encoding them. One of these means is the focus particleeven, which utilizes scalar inferences to signal the pragmatic status of asserted content as noteworthy. The vehicles thatevenemploys to signal noteworthiness are scalar likelihood inferences. A peculiarity of these inferences is that they are presuppositional in nature (not-at-issue) and yet, they are responsive to the polarity of the sentence expressing the proposition whose likelihood is signaled. This property raises intricate questions about what learners might expect scalar operators of this sort to look like (initial hypothesis space) as well as what type of evidence and learning strategies they have access to as they figure out the specific properties ofevenin adult English. This paper presents a detailed study of this development, combining data from a series of comprehension experiments and corpus studies. We find that children are sensitive to the basic scalar nature ofevenmuch earlier than previous literature has claimed. We additionally find, however, that children sometimes exhibit non-adult-like responses toevensentences, which we argue provide insight into their developing grammar. On this view, the child grammar offers a larger option space foreventhan the adult grammar. Becoming adult-like, in turn, involves eliminating some of these options, namely those that are underutilized in production due to their limited conversational value.
Carbon Capture From Flue Gas and the Atmosphere: A Perspective
Authors: Wang Xiaoxing , Song Chunshan
Published: December 2020

Climate change has become a worldwide concern with the rapid rise of the atmospheric Co2 concentration. To mitigate Co2 emissions, the research and development efforts in Co2 capture and separation both from the stationary sources with high Co2 concentrations (e.g., coal-fired power plant flue gas) and directly from the atmosphere have grown significantly. Much progress has been achieved, especially within the last twenty years. In this perspective, we first briefly review the current status of carbon capture technologies including absorption, adsorption, membrane, biological capture, and cryogenic separation, and compare their advantages and disadvantages. Then, we focus mainly on the recent advances in the absorption, adsorption, and membrane technologies. Even though numerous optimizations in materials and processes have been pursued, implementing a single separation process is still quite energy-intensive or costly. To address the challenges, we provide our perspectives on future directions of Co2 capture research and development, that is, the combination of flue gas recycling and hybrid capture system, and one-step integrated Co2 capture and conversion system, as they have the potential to overcome the technical bottlenecks of single capture technologies, offering significant improvement in energy efficiency and cost-effectiveness.
Various Digestion Protocols Within Microplastic Sample Processing—Evaluating the Resistance of Different Synthetic Polymers and the Efficiency of Biogenic Organic Matter Destruction
Authors: Pfeiffer Felix , Fischer Elke Kerstin
Published: December 2020

The digestion of biogenic organic matter is an essential step of sample preparation within microplastic analyses. Organic residues hamper the separation of polymer particles especially within density separation or polymer identification via spectroscopic and staining methods. Therefore, a concise literature survey has been undertaken to identify the most commonly applied digestion protocols with a special focus on water and sediments samples. The selected protocols comprise different solutions, concentrations, and reaction temperatures. Within this study we tested acids (nitric acid and hydrochloric acid), bases (sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide), and oxidizing agents [hydrogen peroxide, sodium hypochlorite and Fenton's reagent (hydrogen peroxide 30% in combination with iron(II)sulfate 0.27%)] at different concentrations, temperature levels, and reaction times on their efficiency of biogenic organic matter destruction and the resistance of different synthetic polymers against the applied digestion protocols. Tests were carried out in three parallels on organic material (soft tissue—leaves, hard tissue—branches, and calcareous material—shells) and six polymers (low-density polyethylene, high-density polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamide, polystyrene, and polyethylene terephthalate) in two size categories. Before and after the application of different digestion protocols, the material was weighed in order to determine the degree of digestion efficiency and polymer resistance, respectively. The efficiency of organic matter destruction is highly variable. Calcareous shells showed no to very low reaction to oxidizing agents and bases, but were efficiently dissolved with both tested acids at all concentrations and at all temperatures. Soft and hard tissue were most efficiently destroyed by sodium hypochlorite. However, the other reagents can also have good effects, especially by increasing the temperature to 40–50°C. The additional temperature increase to 60–70°C showed a further but less effective improvement, compared to the initial temperature increase. The resistance of tested polymer types can be rated as good except for polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate. Increasing the concentrations and temperatures, however, results in accelerated degradation of all polymers. This is most evident for polyamide and polyethylene terephthalate, which show losses in weight between 15 and 100% when the digestion temperature is increased. This effect is most pronounced for polyamide in the presence of acids and for polyethylene terephthalate digested with bases. As a concluding recommendation the selection of the appropriate digestion method should be specifically tested within initial pre-tests to account for the specific composition of the sample matrix and the project objectives.
Review: In vitro Cell Platform for Understanding Developmental Toxicity
Authors: Xie Junkai , Wettschurack Kyle , Yuan Chongli
Published: December 2020

Developmental toxicity and its affiliation to long-term health, particularly neurodegenerative disease (ND) has attracted significant attentions in recent years. There is, however, a significant gap in current models to track longitudinal changes arising from developmental toxicity. The advent of induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) derived neuronal culture has allowed for more complex and functionally activein vitroneuronal models. Coupled with recent progress in the detection of ND biomarkers, we are equipped with promising new tools to understand neurotoxicity arising from developmental exposure. This review provides a brief overview of current progress in neuronal culture derived from iPSC and in ND markers.
We're in This Together: Intergenerational Health Policies as an Emerging Public Health Necessity
Authors: Plagg Barbara , Oschmann Jörg , Engl Adolf , Piccoliori Giuliano , Conca Andreas , Eisendle Klaus
Published: December 2020

The global handling of the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the lack of intergenerational public health solutions. Discontinuity of educational and health care services and environmental threats increase various pathologies and may provoke long-term health damage among the youngest. Unbalanced generational approaches within health policies have been evident before the pandemic and will continue to be a global challenge as both acute and chronic threats due to environmental hazards and social disparities are increasing. We therefore aim to bring with the present article the concept of intergenerational health to the center of socio-political attention as it must become beyond the COVID-19 crisis a core concept in the development and implementation of health policies.
Intestinal Microbes in Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disease
Authors: Wu Wan-Jung H. , Zegarra-Ruiz Daniel F. , Diehl Gretchen E.
Published: December 2020

Autoimmune diseases and chronic inflammatory disorders are characterized by dysregulated immune responses resulting in excessive and uncontrolled tissue inflammation. Multiple factors including genetic variation, environmental stimuli, and infection are all thought to contribute to continued inflammation and pathology. Current evidence supports the microbiota as one such factor with emerging data linking commensal organisms to the onset and progression of disease. In this review, we will discuss links between the microbiota and specific diseases as well as highlight common pathways that link intestinal microbes with multiple autoimmune and inflammatory diseases.
Short-Chain Fatty Acids Promote Intracellular Bactericidal Activity in Head Kidney Macrophages From Turbot (Scophthalmus maximus L.) via Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α
Authors: Zhang Jinjin , Zhang Hui , Liu Miao , Lan Yawen , Sun Huiyuan , Mai Kangsen , Wan Min
Published: December 2020

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) are mainly produced by microbiota through the fermentation of carbohydrates in the intestine. Acetate, propionate, and butyrate are the most abundant SCFA metabolites and have been shown to be important in the maintenance of host health. In this study, head kidney macrophages (HKMs) were isolated and cultured from turbots. We found that the antibacterial activity of HKMs was increased after these cells were incubated with sodium butyrate, sodium propionate or sodium acetate. Interestingly, our results showed that all three SCFAs enhanced the expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 α (HIF-1α) in HKMs, and further study confirmed that butyrate augmented the oxygen consumption of these cells. Moreover, HIF-1α inhibition diminished the butyrate-promoted intracellular bacterial killing activity of macrophages, and SCFAs also raised the gene expression and activity of lysozymes in HKMs via HIF-1α signaling. In addition, our results suggested that butyrate induced HIF-1α expression and the bactericidal activity of HKMs through histone deacetylase inhibition, while G protein-coupled receptors did not contribute to this effect. Finally, we demonstrated that butyrate induced a similar response in the murine macrophage cell line RAW264.7. In conclusion, our results demonstrated that SCFAs promoted HIF-1α expression via histone deacetylase inhibition, leading to the enhanced production of antibacterial effectors and increased bacterial killing of macrophages.
Transcriptomic Responses to Darkness and the Survival Strategy of the Kelp Saccharina latissima in the Early Polar Night
Authors: Li Huiru , Scheschonk Lydia , Heinrich Sandra , Valentin Klaus , Harms Lars , Glöckner Gernot , Corre Erwan , Bischof Kai
Published: December 2020

Kelps in the Arctic region are facing challenging natural conditions. They experience over 120 days of darkness during the polar night surviving on storage compounds without conducting photosynthesis. Furthermore, the Arctic is experiencing continuous warming as a consequence of climate change. Such temperature increase may enhance the metabolic activity of kelps, using up storage compounds faster. As the survival strategy of kelps during darkness in the warming Arctic is poorly understood, we studied the physiological and transcriptomic responses of Saccharina latissima, one of the most common kelp species in the Arctic, after a 2-week dark exposure at two temperatures (0 and 4°C) versus the same temperatures under low light conditions. Growth rates were decreased in darkness but remained stable at two temperatures. Pigments had higher values in darkness and at 4°C. Darkness had a greater impact on the transcriptomic performance of S. latissima than increased temperature according to the high numbers of differentially expressed genes between dark and light treatments. Darkness generally repressed the expression of genes coding for glycolysis and metabolite biosynthesis, as well as some energy-demanding processes, such as synthesis of photosynthetic components and transporters. Moreover, increased temperature enhanced these repressions, while the expression of some genes encoding components of the lipid and laminaran catabolism, glyoxylate cycle and signaling were enhanced in darkness. Our study helps to understand the survival strategy of kelp in the early polar night and its potential resilience to the warming Arctic.
Simulation of Microbial Response to Accidental Diesel Spills in Basins Containing Brackish Sea Water and Sediment
Authors: Yan Lijuan , Hui Nan , Simpanen Suvi , Tudeer Laura , Romantschuk Martin
Published: December 2020

The brackish Baltic Sea is under diesel oil pollution risk due to heavy ship traffic. The situation is exasperated by densely distributed marinas and a vigorous although seasonal recreational boating. The seasonality and physical environmental variations hamper the monitoring of microbial communities in response to diesel oil spills. Hence, an 8-week simulation experiment was established in metal basins (containing 265 L sea water and 18 kg quartz sand or natural shore sand as the littoral sediment) to study the effect of accidental diesel oil spills on microbial communities. Our results demonstrated that microbial communities in the surface water responded to diesel oil contamination, whereas those in the littoral sediment did not, indicating that diesel oil degradation mainly happened in the water. Diesel oil decreased the abundance of bacteria and fungi, but increased bacterial diversity in the water. Time was the predominant driver of microbial succession, attributable to the adaption strategies of microbes. Bacteria were more sensitive to diesel oil contamination than fungi and archaea. Diesel oil increased relative abundances of bacterial phyla, Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Flavobacteriia and Cytophagia, and fungal phylum Ascomycota in the surface water. Overall, this study improves the understanding of the immediate ecological impact of accidental diesel oil contamination, providing insights into risk management at the coastal area.
Bitstream-Based Neural Network for Scalable, Efficient, and Accurate Deep Learning Hardware
Authors: Sim Hyeonuk , Lee Jongeun
Published: December 2020

While convolutional neural networks (CNNs) continue to renew state-of-the-art performance across many fields of machine learning, their hardware implementations tend to be very costly and inflexible. Neuromorphic hardware, on the other hand, targets higher efficiency but their inference accuracy lags far behind that of CNNs. To bridge the gap between deep learning and neuromorphic computing, we present bitstream-based neural network, which is both efficient and accurate as well as being flexible in terms of arithmetic precision and hardware size. Our bitstream-based neural network (called SC-CNN) is built on top of CNN but inspired by stochastic computing (SC), which uses bitstreams to represent numbers. Being based on CNN, our SC-CNN can be trained with backpropagation, ensuring very high inference accuracy. At the same time our SC-CNN is deterministic, hence repeatable, and is highly accurate and scalable even to large networks. Our experimental results demonstrate that our SC-CNN is highly accurate up to ImageNet-targeting CNNs, and improves efficiency over conventional digital designs ranging through 50–100% in operations-per-area depending on the CNN and the application scenario, while losing <1% in recognition accuracy. In addition, our SC-CNN implementations can be much more fault-tolerant than conventional digital implementations.
Epilepsy Seizures in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats After Acoustic Stimulation: Role of Renin–Angiotensin System
Authors: Becari Christiane , Pereira Giorgia Lemes , Oliveira José A. C. , Polonis Katarzyna , Garcia-Cairasco Norberto , Costa-Neto Claudio M. , Pereira Marilia G. A. G.
Published: December 2020

Hypertension is a common comorbidity observed in individuals with epilepsy. Growing evidence suggests that lower blood pressure is associated with reduced frequency and severity of seizures. In this study, we sought to investigate whether the renin–angiotensin system (RAS), which is a critical regulator of blood pressure, is involved in the pathogenesis of audiogenic epilepsy-related seizures in a hypertensive rat model. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were given RAS inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor or angiotensin II type I receptor (AT1R) antagonist, for 7 days prior to inducing epileptic seizures by acoustic stimulation. After the pretreatment phase, blood pressure (BP) of SHRs normalized as expected, and there was no difference in systolic and diastolic BP between the pretreated SHRs and normotensive rat group (Wistar). Next, treated and untreated SHRs (a high BP control) were individually subjected to acoustic stimuli twice a day for 2 weeks. The severity of tonic–clonic seizures and the severity of temporal lobe epilepsy seizures (product of forebrain recruitment) were evaluated by the mesencephalic severity index (Rossetti et al. scale) and the limbic index (Racine’s scale), respectively. Seizures were observed in both untreated (a high BP control) SHRs and in SHRs treated with AT1R antagonist and ACE inhibitor. There was no statistical difference in the mesencephalic severity and limbic index between these groups. Our results demonstrate that SHRs present seizure susceptibility with acoustic stimulation. Moreover, although RAS inhibitors effectively reduce blood pressure in SHR, they do not prevent developing epileptic seizures upon acoustic stimulation in SHR. In conclusion, our study shows that RAS is an unlikely link between hypertension and susceptibility to epileptic seizures induced by acoustic stimulation in SHRs, which is in contrast with the anticonvulsant effect of losartan in other animal models of epilepsy.
Improving Accuracy of Brainstem MRI Volumetry: Effects of Age and Sex, and Normalization Strategies
Authors: Sander Laura , Horvath Antal , Pezold Simon , Andermatt Simon , Amann Michael , Sinnecker Tim , Wendebourg Maria J. , Kesenheimer Eva , Yaldizli Özgür , Kappos Ludwig , Granziera Cristina , Wuerfel Jens , Cattin Philippe , Schlaeger Regina
Published: December 2020

Background: Brainstem-mediated functions are impaired in neurodegenerative diseases and aging. Atrophy can be visualized by MRI. This study investigates extrinsic sources of brainstem volume variability, intrinsic sources of anatomical variability, and the influence of age and sex on the brainstem volumes in healthy subjects. We aimed to develop efficient normalization strategies to reduce the effects of intrinsic anatomic variability on brainstem volumetry.

Methods: Brainstem segmentation was performed from MPRAGE data using our deep-learning-based brainstem segmentation algorithm MD-GRU. The extrinsic variability of brainstem volume assessments across scanners and protocols was investigated in two groups comprising 11 (median age 33.3 years, 7 women) and 22 healthy subjects (median age 27.6 years, 50% women) scanned twice and compared using Dice scores. Intrinsic anatomical inter-individual variability and age and sex effects on brainstem volumes were assessed in segmentations of 110 healthy subjects (median age 30.9 years, range 18–72 years, 53.6% women) acquired on 1.5T (45%) and 3T (55%) scanners. The association between brainstem volumes and predefined anatomical covariates was studied using Pearson correlations. Anatomical variables with associations of |r| > 0.30 as well as the variables age and sex were used to construct normalization models using backward selection. The effect of the resulting normalization models was assessed by % relative standard deviation reduction and by comparing the inter-individual variability of the normalized brainstem volumes to the non-normalized values using paired t- tests with Bonferroni correction.

Results: The extrinsic variability of brainstem volumetry across different field strengths and imaging protocols was low (Dice scores > 0.94). Mean inter-individual variability/SD of total brainstem volumes was 9.8%/7.36. A normalization based on either total intracranial volume (TICV), TICV and age, or v-scale significantly reduced the inter-individual variability of total brainstem volumes compared to non-normalized volumes and similarly reduced the relative standard deviation by about 35%.

Conclusion: The extrinsic variability of the novel brainstem segmentation method MD-GRU across different scanners and imaging protocols is very low. Anatomic inter-individual variability of brainstem volumes is substantial. This study presents efficient normalization models for variability reduction in brainstem volumetry in healthy subjects.
Frontal Functional Network Disruption Associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An fNIRS-Based Minimum Spanning Tree Analysis
Authors: Borgheai Seyyed Bahram , McLinden John , Mankodiya Kunal , Shahriari Yalda
Published: December 2020

Recent evidence increasingly associates network disruption in brain organization with multiple neurodegenerative diseases, including amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare terminal disease. However, the comparability of brain network characteristics across different studies remains a challenge for conventional graph theoretical methods. One suggested method to address this issue is minimum spanning tree (MST) analysis, which provides a less biased comparison. Here, we assessed the novel application of MST network analysis to hemodynamic responses recorded by functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) neuroimaging modality, during an activity-based paradigm to investigate hypothetical disruptions in frontal functional brain network topology as a marker of the executive dysfunction, one of the most prevalent cognitive deficit reported across ALS studies. We analyzed data recorded from nine participants with ALS and ten age-matched healthy controls by first estimating functional connectivity, using phase-locking value (PLV) analysis, and then constructing the corresponding individual and group MSTs. Our results showed significant between-group differences in several MST topological properties, including leaf fraction, maximum degree, diameter, eccentricity, and degree divergence. We further observed a global shift toward more centralized frontal network organizations in the ALS group, interpreted as a more random or dysregulated network in this cohort. Moreover, the similarity analysis demonstrated marginally significantly increased overlap in the individual MSTs from the control group, implying a reference network with lower topological variation in the healthy cohort. Our nodal analysis characterized the main local hubs in healthy controls as distributed more evenly over the frontal cortex, with slightly higher occurrence in the left prefrontal cortex (PFC), while in the ALS group, the most frequent hubs were asymmetrical, observed primarily in the right prefrontal cortex. Furthermore, it was demonstrated that the global PLV (gPLV) synchronization metric is associated with disease progression, and a few topological properties, including leaf fraction and tree hierarchy, are linked to disease duration. These results suggest that dysregulation, centralization, and asymmetry of the hemodynamic-based frontal functional network during activity are potential neuro-topological markers of ALS pathogenesis. Our findings can possibly support new bedside assessments of the functional status of ALS’ brain network and could hypothetically extend to applications in other neurodegenerative diseases.
Inheritance of Rootstock Effects in Avocado (Persea americana Mill.) cv. Hass
Authors: Reyes-Herrera Paula H. , Muñoz-Baena Laura , Velásquez-Zapata Valeria , Patiño Laura , Delgado-Paz Oscar A. , Díaz-Diez Cipriano A. , Navas-Arboleda Alejandro A. , Cortés Andrés J.
Published: December 2020

Grafting is typically utilized to merge adapted seedling rootstocks with highly productive clonal scions. This process implies the interaction of multiple genomes to produce a unique tree phenotype. However, the interconnection of both genotypes obscures individual contributions to phenotypic variation (rootstock-mediated heritability), hampering tree breeding. Therefore, our goal was to quantify the inheritance of seedling rootstock effects on scion traits using avocado (Persea americanaMill.) cv. Hass as a model fruit tree. We characterized 240 diverse rootstocks from 8 avocado cv. Hass orchards with similar management in three regions of the province of Antioquia, northwest Andes of Colombia, using 13 microsatellite markers simple sequence repeats (SSRs). Parallel to this, we recorded 20 phenotypic traits (including morphological, biomass/reproductive, and fruit yield and quality traits) in the scions for 3 years (2015–2017). Relatedness among rootstocks was inferred through the genetic markers and inputted in a “genetic prediction” model to calculate narrow-sense heritabilities (h2) on scion traits. We used three different randomization tests to highlight traits with consistently significant heritability estimates. This strategy allowed us to capture five traits with significant heritability values that ranged from 0.33 to 0.45 and model fits (r) that oscillated between 0.58 and 0.73 across orchards. The results showed significance in the rootstock effects for four complex harvest and quality traits (i.e., total number of fruits, number of fruits with exportation quality, and number of fruits discarded because of low weight or thrips damage), whereas the only morphological trait that had a significant heritability value was overall trunk height (an emergent property of the rootstock–scion interaction). These findings suggest the inheritance of rootstock effects, beyond root phenotype, on a surprisingly wide spectrum of scion traits in “Hass” avocado. They also reinforce the utility of polymorphic SSRs for relatedness reconstruction and genetic prediction of complex traits. This research is, up to date, the most cohesive evidence of narrow-sense inheritance of rootstock effects in a tropical fruit tree crop. Ultimately, our work highlights the importance of considering the rootstock–scion interaction to broaden the genetic basis of fruit tree breeding programs while enhancing our understanding of the consequences of grafting.
Characterization of the Genetic Architecture for Fusarium Head Blight Resistance in Durum Wheat: The Complex Association of Resistance, Flowering Time, and Height Genes
Authors: Ruan Yuefeng , Zhang Wentao , Knox Ron E. , Berraies Samia , Campbell Heather L. , Ragupathy Raja , Boyle Kerry , Polley Brittany , Henriquez Maria Antonia , Burt Andrew , Kumar Santosh , Cuthbert Richard D. , Fobert Pierre R. , Buerstmayr Hermann , DePauw Ron M.
Published: December 2020

Durum wheat is an economically important crop for Canadian farmers. Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the most destructive diseases that threatens durum production in Canada. FHB reduces yield and end-use quality and most commonly contaminates the grain with the fungal mycotoxin deoxynivalenol, also known as DON. Serious outbreaks of FHB can occur in durum wheat in Canada, and combining genetic resistance with fungicide application is a cost effective approach to control this disease. However, there is limited variation for genetic resistance to FHB in elite Canadian durum cultivars. To explore and identify useful genetic FHB resistance variation for the improvement of Canadian durum wheat, we assembled an association mapping (AM) panel of diverse durum germplasms and performed genome wide association analysis (GWAS). Thirty-one quantitative trait loci (QTL) across all 14 chromosomes were significantly associated with FHB resistance. On 3BS, a stable QTL with a larger effect for resistance was located close to the centromere of 3BS. Three haplotypes ofFhb1QTL were identified, with an emmer wheat haplotype contributing to disease susceptibility. The large number of QTL identified here can provide a rich resource to improve FHB resistance in commercially grown durum wheat. Among the 31 QTL most were associated with plant height and/or flower time. QTL 1A.1, 1A.2, 3B.2, 5A.1, 6A.1, 7A.3 were associated with FHB resistance and not associated or only weakly associated with flowering time nor plant height. These QTL have features that would make them good targets for FHB resistance breeding.
A Pilot Study for Forgiveness Intervention in Adolescents With High Trait Anger: Enhancing Empathy and Harmony
Authors: Tao Linjin , Ji Mingxia , Zhu Tingting , Fu Hong , Sun Ruoying
Published: December 2020

Forgiveness interventions benefit victims’ mental health, reduce levels of anger, and promote forgiveness. However, forgiveness interventions are rarely used to improve the offender’s anger and mental health, especially in specific situations such as juvenile correctional facilities. The offender is often also a victim, and reducing the offender’s excessive anger may prevent or decrease the likelihood of future interpersonal violence. This study examined the effects of forgiveness interventions on anger, forgiveness, empathy, and harmony of juvenile delinquents with high levels of trait anger. Eighteen adolescents with trait anger in a juvenile correctional facility volunteered to participate in group counseling. A pretest–posttest method of quasi-experimental design was used, with 8 participants in the intervention group and 10 in the control group; the intervention group received forgiveness group counseling, and the control group did not. The results revealed that the intervention group had significantly higher scores for forgiveness, empathy, and harmony than the control group, although no significant differences in the scores of state and trait anger were found. The forgiveness intervention had significantly improved the levels of forgiveness toward specific perpetrators of childhood victimization for the juvenile delinquents with high levels of trait anger, raising their levels of empathy and harmony; there was no significant increase in trait anger. The findings indicated that forgiveness intervention provides an effective way to improve the positive mental strength of adolescents with high levels of trait anger.
COVID-19 Unintended Effects on Breast Cancer in Italy After the Great Lockdown
Authors: Oldani Chiara , Vanni Gianluca , Buonomo Oreste Claudio
Published: December 2020

Italy introduced social distancing measures, which limited the spread of COVID-19; all the non-life-threatening treatments have been temporarily suspended, including screening programs. This decision leads to unintended effects on the ability to detected neoplasia in their first stages. Possible future outcomes of the ability to detect new breast cancer cases based on two alternative scenarios show that the reduction in organized screening activities will limit the ability to detect no <3.43% of the new cases; the economic crisis will reduce voluntary screening, increasing the undetected new cases up to 11.73%. Cases diagnosed with delay will show up in their advanced stage along with unknown effects on mortality and health care costs. Global health care policies should be implemented to counterbalance these adverse effects.
Predators and Parasitoids-in-First: From Inundative Releases to Preventative Biological Control in Greenhouse Crops
Authors: Pijnakker Juliette , Vangansbeke Dominiek , Duarte Marcus , Moerkens Rob , Wäckers Felix L.
Published: December 2020

Repeated mass introductions of natural enemies have been widely used as a biological control strategy in greenhouse systems when the resident population of natural enemies is insufficient to suppress the pests. As an alternative strategy, supporting the establishment and population development of beneficials can be more effective and economical. The preventative establishment of predators and parasitoids, before the arrival of pests, has become a key element to the success of biological control programs. This “Predators and parasitoids-in-first” strategy is used both in Inoculative Biological Control (IBC), and in Conservation Biological Control (CBC). Here, we provide an overview of tools used to boost resident populations of biocontrol agents.
Gene Expression of Metalloproteinases and Endogenous Inhibitors in the Lamellae of Dairy Heifers With Oligofructose-Induced Laminitis
Authors: Ding Jiafeng , Shi Mingxian , Wang Long , Qi Dongdong , Tao Ze , Hayat Muhammad A. , Liu Tao , Zhang Jian-tao , Wang Hongbin
Published: December 2020

Bovine laminitis leads to huge economic losses and animal welfare problems in the dairy industry worldwide. Numerous studies suggested that several metalloproteinases (MPs) may play vital roles in the failure of epidermal attachment. To the best of our knowledge, the present study is the first to investigate and characterize the gene-level changes in distinct MPs and endogenous inhibitors using oligofructose (OF)-induced bovine laminitis model. The objective of this study was to determine aberrant MPs and related inhibitors of bovine laminitis in gene level, and to provide reasonable directions for the further protein-level research. Twelve normal Chinese Holstein dairy heifers were randomly divided into treatment group (n= 6) and control group (n= 6). The heifers in the treatment group were administered with OF solutions at a dose of 17 g/kg of body weight via a stomach tube. The heifers were then humanely euthanized when they met the criteria of bovine laminitis. The heifers in the control group were administered with deionized water at a dose of 2 L/100 kg of body weight. They humanely euthanized at 72 h. The gene expressions of MPs and endogenous inhibitors, namely, matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), A disintegrin and metalloproteinases (ADAMs), and A disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs (ADAMTs), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs) in the lamellae from two groups were determined via real-time quantitative PCR. The gene expressions of MMP-2, MMP-9, ADAMTS-4, and ADAMTS-5 significantly increased (P< 0.05), whereas that of TIMP-2 significantly decreased (P< 0.05) in the treatment group relative to the control group. No significant difference was found in the gene expressions of ADAM-10, ADAM-17, TIMP-1, and TIMP-3. These results indicated that the gene-level imbalanced condition of MPs and their TIMPs may be the basic cause for the failure of epidermal attachment. At the same time, more detailed protein-level studies would be needed to further clarify the roles of MPs and TIMPs in the pathogenesis of bovine laminitis, especially to MMP-2, MMP-9, ADAMTS-4, ADAMTS-5, TIMP-2 as well as related substrates (e.g., aggrecan and versican).
Differential Somatic Cell Count: Value for Udder Health Management
Authors: Halasa Tariq , Kirkeby Carsten
Published: December 2020

Intramammary infection (IMI) can cause mastitis, which is one of the costliest and most prevalent diseases in dairy cattle herds. Somatic cell count (SCC) is a well-established parameter to indicate IMI, and it represents the total count of immune cells in the milk. The differential somatic cell count (DSCC) has also long been suggested to indicate IMI, but no machine was available until recently to provide this parameter automatically. Two new machines have recently been introduced to measure the milk DSCC as an additional indicator of IMI. Here we provide insights about the DSCC measured by these two machines and the value it may provide for udder health management, based on the available literature. We also provide perspectives for future research to investigate potential value in using the DSCC to improve udder health.