bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Loss of Inhibin Advances Follicle Activation and Female Puberty Onset but Blocks Oocyte Maturation in Zebrafish
Authors: Lu Huijie , Zhao Cheng , Zhu Bo , Zhang Zhiwei , Ge Wei
Published: October 2020

Inhibin was first characterized in mammals as a gonadal dimeric protein that inhibited pituitary follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) secretion. As in mammals, the inhibin-specific α subunit (INHA/Inha/inha) has also been characterized in teleosts; however, its functions and physiological importance in fish reproduction remain unknown. Using CRISPR/Cas9 method, we generated an inha-deficient zebrafish line and analyzed its reproductive performance. As expected, pituitary expression of fshb increased significantly in both the young and the adult inha mutant. The expression of lhb also increased in the mutant, but only in sexually mature adults. Interestingly, the expression of activin βA (inhbaa) increased significantly in both the ovary and the testis of inha mutant, and the expression of ovarian aromatase (cyp19a1a) also increased dramatically in the mutant ovary. The juvenile female mutant showed clear signs of early follicle activation or precocious puberty onset. However, the adult female mutant was infertile with follicles arrested at the full-grown stage without final oocyte maturation and ovulation. Although follicle growth was normal overall in the mutant, the size and distribution of yolk granules in oocytes were distinct and some follicles showed granulosa cell hypertrophy. In contrast to females, inha-null males showed normal spermatogenesis and fertility. As reported in mammals, we also found sporadic tumor formation in inha mutants. Taken together, our study not only confirmed some conserved roles of inhibin across vertebrates, such as inhibition of FSH biosynthesis and tumor formation, but also revealed novel aspects of inhibin functions such as disruption of folliculogenesis and female infertility but no obvious involvement in spermatogenesis in fish.
Assembling the Laity: Standardizing Lay Buddhist Affiliation via Education in Contemporary Korea
Authors: Kaplan Uri
Published: October 2020

This paper discusses the new system of lay Buddhist education revolutionizing the Chogye Order of Korean Buddhism in the twenty-first century. Already involving over a half a million Buddhist laypeople and five hundred monasteries throughout the country, this system is now the hallmark of the Chogye Order’s propagation agenda, and it has transformed lay Buddhist activities in contemporary Korea. It is grounded upon a novel lay registration network which requires attending a basic Buddhism course at a designated temple in order to receive an official Lay ID. It now involves a lay ranking structure based on educational achievements, and culminates in the yearly Lay Propagator Exam. Besides delineating the historical construction of this system, this paper will investigate lay attitudes and motivations for joining the programs, analyze official textbook agendas, and provide ethnographic snippets from classroom rituals, in an overall attempt to paint a picture of the new Korean Buddhist lay orthodoxy the Chogye Order is currently in the process of creating.
Cold War Mnemonics: History, Melancholy, and Landscape in South Korean Films of the 1960s
Authors: Park Hyun Seon
Published: October 2020

This article examines the way that cinematic mnemonics of 1960s South Korean films ciphers the heterogeneous and conflicting experiences regarding two entangled wars: the Korean War and the Cold War. In a close reading of Kim Suyong’s Mist (An’gae, 1967) and Yi Sŏnggu’s The General’s Mustache (Changgun ŭi suyŏm, 1968), the article argues for the multifaceted aesthetics of Cold War mnemonics, which illuminates a binding and unbinding technology of affective memories in which the traumatic experience of the Korean war parallels the dominant narrative of Cold War historiography. In Mist and The General’s Mustache, historical trauma and the experience of loss take up important positions in relation to melancholic landscape and mnemonic devices. Visualizing the interstice between melancholy and mourning, between memory and history, and between landscape and interiority through the devices of flashback, widescreen, montage, and metanarrative structure, the exploration of mnemonic technologies is inextricably linked with the postwar Korean subject’s dual efforts to remember historical loss and to incorporate shameful memories. While Mist shows the male protagonist’s short visit to his countryside hometown, during which he is troubled by memories of the past and, thus, his encounter with the unfinished work of mourning, The General’s Mustache, beginning with a photojournalist’s suspicious death, assembles the fragmentary pieces of modern Korean history’s secrets through multiple frames of testimony and confession. Produced during the time of Cold War turmoil as well as at the height of global modernization, these films release alternative thinking about time, memory, and history, asking us to remember what is left behind in Cold War historiography.
Departure and Repatriation as Cold War Dissensus: Domestic Ethnography in Korean Documentary
Authors: Park Jinhee
Published: October 2020

This article examines autobiographic documentaries about families that expose “dissensus” in the mapping of transborder migration and diasporic desire that were the results of the Cold War in North Korea, South Korea, and Japan. Jae-hee Hong (dir. My Father’s Emails) and Yong-hi Yang (dir. Dear Pyongyang and Goodbye Pyongyang) document the ongoing Cold War in their fathers’ histories through their position as a “familial other,” who embodies both dissensus and intimacy. Hong reveals that anticommunism in South Korean postwar nation building reverberated in the private realm. Yang documents her Zainichi father, who sent his sons to North Korea during the Repatriation Campaign in Japan. The anticommunist father in South Korea (Hong’s) and the communist father in Japan (Yang’s) engendered family migration with contrasting motivations, departure from and return to North Korea, respectively. Juxtaposing these two opposite ideologies in family histories, as well as juxtaposing the filmmakers’ dissonance with the given ideologies in domestic space, provide the aesthetic form for “dissensus.” The politics of aesthetics in domestic ethnography manifests in that the self and the Other are inextricably interlocked because of the reciprocity of the filmmaker and the communist or anticommunist subject.
Sentient Flesh
Authors: Judy R. A.
Published: October 2020

In Sentient Flesh R. A. Judy takes up freedman Tom Windham’s 1937 remark “we should have our liberty ‘cause . . . us is human flesh” as a point of departure for an extended meditation on questions of the human, epistemology, and the historical ways in which the black being is understood. Drawing on numerous fields, from literary theory and musicology, to political theory and phenomenology, as well as Greek and Arabic philosophy, Judy engages literary texts and performative practices such as music and dance that express knowledge and conceptions of humanity appositional to those grounding modern racialized capitalism. Operating as critiques of Western humanism, these practices and modes of being-in-the-world—which he theorizes as “thinking in disorder,” or “poiesis in black”—foreground the irreducible concomitance of flesh, thinking, and personhood. As Judy demonstrates, recognizing this concomitance is central to finding a way past the destructive force of ontology that still holds us in thrall. Erudite and capacious, Sentient Flesh offers a major intervention in the black study of life.
CHIP mutations affect the heat shock response differently in human fibroblasts and iPSC-derived neurons
Authors: Schuster S. , Heuten E. , Velic A. , Admard J. , Synofzik M. , Ossowski S. , Macek B. , Hauser S. , Schöls L.
Published: October 2020

C-terminus of HSC70-interacting protein (CHIP) encoded by the gene STUB1 is a co-chaperone and E3 ligase that acts as a key regulator of cellular protein homeostasis. Mutations in STUB1 cause autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia type 16 (SCAR16) with widespread neurodegeneration manifesting as spastic-ataxic gait disorder, dementia and epilepsy. CHIP−/− mice display severe cerebellar atrophy, show high perinatal lethality and impaired heat stress tolerance. To decipher the pathomechanism underlying SCAR16, we investigated the heat shock response (HSR) in primary fibroblasts of three SCAR16 patients. We found impaired HSR induction and recovery compared to healthy controls. HSPA1A/B transcript levels (coding for HSP70) were reduced upon heat shock but HSP70 remained higher upon recovery in patient- compared to control-fibroblasts. As SCAR16 primarily affects the central nervous system we next investigated the HSR in cortical neurons (CNs) derived from induced pluripotent stem cells of SCAR16 patients. We found CNs of patients and controls to be surprisingly resistant to heat stress with high basal levels of HSP70 compared to fibroblasts. Although heat stress resulted in strong transcript level increases of many HSPs, this did not translate into higher HSP70 protein levels upon heat shock, independent of STUB1 mutations. Furthermore, STUB1(−/−) neurons generated by CRISPR/Cas9-mediated genome editing from an isogenic healthy control line showed a similar HSR to patients. Proteomic analysis of CNs showed dysfunctional protein (re)folding and higher basal oxidative stress levels in patients. Our results question the role of impaired HSR in SCAR16 neuropathology and highlight the need for careful selection of proper cell types for modeling human diseases.
The F1 loop of the talin head domain acts as a gatekeeper in integrin activation and clustering
Authors: Kukkurainen Sampo , Azizi Latifeh , Zhang Pingfeng , Jacquier Marie-Claude , Baikoghli Mo , von Essen Magdaléna , Tuukkanen Anne , Laitaoja Mikko , Liu Xiaonan , Rahikainen Rolle , Orłowski Adam , Jänis Janne , Määttä Juha A. E. , Varjosalo Markku , Vattulainen Ilpo , Róg Tomasz , Svergun Dmitri , Cheng R. Holland , Wu Jinhua , Hytönen Vesa P. , Wehrle-Haller Bernhard
Published: October 2020

Integrin activation and clustering by talin are early steps of cell adhesion. Membrane-bound talin head domain and kindlin bind to the β integrin cytoplasmic tail, cooperating to activate the heterodimeric integrin, and the talin head domain induces integrin clustering in the presence of Mn2+. Here we show that kindlin-1 can replace Mn2+ to mediate β3 integrin clustering induced by the talin head, but not that induced by the F2–F3 fragment of talin. Integrin clustering mediated by kindlin-1 and the talin head was lost upon deletion of the flexible loop within the talin head F1 subdomain. Further mutagenesis identified hydrophobic and acidic motifs in the F1 loop responsible for β3 integrin clustering. Modeling, computational and cysteine crosslinking studies showed direct and catalytic interactions of the acidic F1 loop motif with the juxtamembrane domains of α- and β3-integrins, in order to activate the β3 integrin heterodimer, further detailing the mechanism by which the talin–kindlin complex activates and clusters integrins. Moreover, the F1 loop interaction with the β3 integrin tail required the newly identified compact FERM fold of the talin head, which positions the F1 loop next to the inner membrane clasp of the talin-bound integrin heterodimer.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Stepwise Assembly of Ultrathin Poly(vinyl alcohol) Films on Photoresponsive Diarylethene Crystals
Authors: Chiba Hiroka , Morimoto Masakazu , Irie Masahiro
Published: October 2020

Rodlike two-component mixed crystals composed of 1-(5-methyl-2-phenyl-4-thiazolyl)-2-(5-methyl-2-p-tolyl-4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (1a) and 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-p-tolyl-4-thiazolyl)perfluorocyclopentene (2a) undergo light-driven bending upon alternate irradiation with ultraviolet (UV) and visible light. To provide stability of the crystals in organic solvents, the crystal surface was coated with ultrathin poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) films using a stepwise assembly method. The crystals coated with 15 ultrathin PVA layers were stable in n-hexane and no appreciable suppression in the bending performance was observed by the PVA coating. The light-driven bending could be repeated more than 1000 times.
BioSounds: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics
Authors: Darras Kevin F.A. , Pérez Noemí , - Mauladi , Hanf-Dressler Tara
Published: October 2020

Passive acoustic monitoring of soundscapes and biodiversity produces vast amounts of audio recordings. However, the management of these raw data presents technical challenges and their analysis suffers from bottlenecks. A multitude of software solutions exist, but none can perform all the data processing needed by ecologists for analysing large acoustic data sets. The field of ecoacoustics needs a software tool that is free, evolving, and accessible. We take a step in that direction and present BioSounds: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics designed by ecologists and built by software engineers. Biosounds can be used for archiving and sharing recordings, manually creating and reviewing annotations of sonant animals in soundscapes, analysing audio in time and frequency, and storing reference recordings for different taxa. We present its features and structure, and compare it with similar software. We describe its operation mode and the workflow for typical use cases such as the analysis of bird and bat communities sampled in soundscape recordings. BioSounds is available from: https://github.com/nperezg/biosounds
Nicotine products relative risk assessment: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Murkett Rachel , Rugh Megyn , Ding Belinda
Published: October 2020

Background: Nicotine products have been the subject of considerable innovation over the past few decades.  While the health risks of combustible cigarettes and most tobacco-based products are well characterized, there is less clarity regarding newer nicotine products, and how they compare with the traditional forms.

Methods: In this study, we have developed a relative risk hierarchy (RRH) of 13 nicotine products based on systematic review of the scientific literature and analysis of the best available evidence. In total, 3980 publications were identified and screened, with 320 studies being carried through to the final analysis. The health risk data for each product was extracted and the level assessed.  The products were analyzed in terms of their toxin emissions and epidemiological data, which were combined on an arbitrary scale from 0 to 100 (low to high risk) to derive a combined risk score for each nicotine product.

Results: Combustible tobacco products dominate the top of the RRH, with combined risk scores ranging from 40 to 100. The most frequently consumed products generally score highest. Dipping and chewing tobacco place considerably lower on the hierarchy than the combustible products with scores of 10 to 15, but significantly above heat-not-burn devices and snus, which score between 3 and 4. The lowest risk products have scores of less than 0.25 and include electronic cigarettes, non-tobacco pouches and nicotine replacement therapy.

Conclusions: The RRH provides a framework for the assessment of relative risk across all categories of nicotine products based on the best available evidence regarding their toxin emissions and the observed risk of disease development in product users. As nicotine products continue to evolve, and more data comes to light, the analyses can be updated to represent the best available scientific evidence.
Impact That Elements of Agile Methodologies Have on IT Project Success
Authors: Nikulina Tat'yana
Published: October 2020

Agile methodologies that have proven themselves are actively developing. Choosing a methodology is complicated as each of them has its own pros and cons. Project outcome depends not only on methodology, but also on the definition of success. There is lack of research on how agile practices independently impact project success. The aim of this work is to measure the impact agile practices have on IT-project success. The object of the study is agile practices used in IT-projects; the subject of the study are features of agile methodology usage in IT-project. The paper shows two practices — Stand-up and Kanban-board — are guaranteed to contribute to IT-project success if used correctly. At the same time, another significant characteristic of IT-project success is leadership openness to agile methodologies.
Incomplete Information and the Liquidity Premium Puzzle
Authors: Chen Yingshan , Dai Min , Goncalves-Pinto Luis , Xu Jing , Yan Cheng
Published: October 2020

We examine the problem of an investor who trades in a market with unobservable regime shifts. The investor learns from past prices and is subject to transaction costs. Our model generates significantly larger liquidity premia compared with a benchmark model with observable market shifts. The larger premia are driven primarily by suboptimal risk exposure, as turnover is lower under incomplete information. In contrast, the benchmark model produces (mechanically) high turnover and heavy trading costs. We provide empirical support for the amplification effect of incomplete information on the relation between trading costs and future stock returns. We also show empirically that such amplification is not driven by turnover. Overall, our results can help explain the large disconnect between theory and evidence regarding the magnitude of liquidity premia, which has been a longstanding puzzle in the literature.

This paper was accepted by Kay Giesecke, finance.
An exploratory randomized controlled trial comparing wood-composite and synthetic fibreglass splint systems for the immobilization of paediatric upper limb fractures
Authors: Martynov Illya , Klink Thomas , Slowik Volker , Stich Rainer , Zimmermann Peter , Engel Christoph , Lacher Martin , Boehm Roland
Published: October 2020

Aims

This exploratory randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to determine the splint-related outcomes when using the novel biodegradable wood-composite splint (Woodcast) compared to standard synthetic fibreglass (Dynacast) for the immobilization of undisplaced upper limb fractures in children.

Methods

An exploratory RCT was performed at a tertiary paediatric referral hospital between 1 June 2018 and 30 September 2019. The intention-to-treat population consisted of 170 patients (mean age 8.42 years (SD 3.42); Woodcast (WCG), n = 84, 57 male (67.9%); Dynacast (DNG), n = 86, 58 male (67.4%)). Patients with undisplaced upper limb fractures were randomly assigned to WCG or DNG treatment groups. Primary outcome was the stress stability of the splint material, defined as absence of any deformations or fractures within the splint during study period. Secondary outcomes included patient satisfaction and medical staff opinion. Additionally, biomechanical and chemical analysis of the splint samples was carried out.

Results

Of the initial 170 patients, 168 (98.8%) completed at least one follow-up, and were included for analysis of the primary endpoint. Both treatment groups were well-matched regarding to age, sex, and type and localization of the fracture. Splint breakage occurred in three patients (3.6%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.007% to 0.102%) in the WCG and in three children (3.5%, 95% CI 0.007% to 0.09%) in the DNG (p > 0.99). The incidence of splint-related adverse events did not differ between the WCG (n = 21; 25.0%) and DNG (n = 24; 27.9%; p = 0.720). Under experimental conditions, the maximal tensile strength of Dynacast samples was higher than those deriving from Woodcast (mean 15.37 N/mm² (SD 1.37) vs 10.75 N/mm² (SD 1.20); p = 0.002). Chemical analysis revealed detection of polyisocyanate-prepolymer in Dynacast and polyester in Woodcast samples.

Conclusion

Splint-related adverse events appear similar between WCG and DNG treatment groups during the treatment of undisplaced forearm fractures. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2020;102-B(10):1405–1411.
Double curvature membrane lens
Authors: Mikš Antonín , Pokorný Petr
Published: October 2020

The paper presents a theoretical analysis of properties of a specific liquid membrane lens composed of two axially symmetric membranes of different thicknesses and double curvature. These membranes enclose a space where an optical liquid is filled. Mechanical and optical properties of the lens are then changed by varying the volume of the liquid. The paper presents new formulas for calculation of membrane deflections, radii of curvatures of the membranes, and axial geometry, which offer to minimize the third-order spherical aberration of the lens for an object at infinity. The presented theory is examined on specific examples.
Dynamically controllable terahertz metamaterial based on annealed and unannealed BiFeO3 thin film on Si
Authors: Yue Jin , Ling Furi , Yao Jianquan
Published: October 2020

We theoretically and experimentally study a terahertz metamaterial based on a hybrid metamaterial/BFO/Si structure, where the BFO thin films are annealed and unannealed, respectively. Due to the interaction or hybridization of two resonators, an obvious plasma-induced transparency effect can be obtained in the transmission spectra. With increasing the external optical pumping power, the transparency peak modulation depth of the annealed hybrid sample is about 45% while the unannealed hybrid sample is almost zero. The annealing treatment has a significant effect on the modulation through investigating the photoconductivity of the BFO thin films. The photogenerated carriers suppress the resonances of the two bright modes, thus the transparency peak of the metamaterial is disappeared. This work is a further step forward in practical applications of BFO-based terahertz functional devices and a path for exploration of multiferroic material

B
i
F
e

O

3

in the terahertz range.
Full-field real-time characterization of creeping solitons dynamics in a mode-locked fiber laser
Authors: Zhang Yusheng , Cui Yudong , Huang Lin , Tong Limin , Liu Xueming
Published: October 2020

Creeping solitons, which belong to the class of pulsating solitons, can be meaningful for fundamental physics owing to their fruitful nonlinear dynamics. Their characteristics in mode-locked lasers have been studied theoretically, but it is difficult to experimentally observe evolution dynamics in real time. Here, we have experimentally observed the temporal and spectral evolution dynamics of creeping solitons in a passively mode-locked fiber laser by employing time-lens and dispersive Fourier transform technique. With the aid of Raman amplification, the measured recording length of the time lens in the asynchronous mode could be substantially improved. Temporal soliton snaking motion and spectral breathing dynamics are experimentally obtained, confirming intrinsic feature of pulsation dynamics. These results display how single-shot measurements can offer new insights into ultrafast transient dynamics in nonlinear optics.
Experimental mitigation of the effects of the limited size aperture or misalignment by singular-value-decomposition-based beam orthogonalization in a free-space optical link using Laguerre–Gaussian modes
Authors: Pang Kai , Song Haoqian , Su Xinzhou , Zou Kaiheng , Zhao Zhe , Song Hao , Almaiman Ahmed , Zhang Runzhou , Liu Cong , Hu Nanzhe , Zach Shlomo , Cohen Nadav , Lynn Brittany , Molisch Andreas F. , Boyd Robert W. , Tur Moshe , Willner Alan E.
Published: October 2020

Limited-size receiver (Rx) apertures and transmitter–Rx (Tx–Rx) misalignments could induce power loss and modal crosstalk in a mode-multiplexed free-space link. We experimentally demonstrate the mitigation of these impairments in a 400 Gbit/s four-data-channel free-space optical link. To mitigate the above degradations, our approach of singular-value-decomposition-based (SVD-based) beam orthogonalization includes (1) measuring the transmission matrix

H

for the link given a limited-size aperture or misalignment; (2) performing SVD on the transmission matrix to find the

U

,

Σ

, and

V

complex matrices; (3) transmitting each data channel on a beam that is a combination of Laguerre–Gaussian modes with complex weights according to the

V

matrix; and (4) applying the

U

matrix to the channel demultiplexer at the Rx. Compared with the case of transmitting each channel on a beam using a single mode, our experimental results when transmitting multi-mode beams show that (a) with a limited-size aperture, the power loss and crosstalk could be reduced by

∼

8

and

∼

23

dB

, respectively; and (b) with misalignment, the power loss and crosstalk could be reduced by

∼

15

and

∼

40

dB

, respectively.
Spectroscopic analysis and laser simulations of Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped lead-germanate glass
Authors: Khalid Mamoona , Lancaster D. G. , Ebendorff-Heidepriem Heike
Published: October 2020

The potential of a Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped lead-germanate glass as a laser gain medium around 2 µm is investigated by spectroscopic measurements and rate equation modelling. The glass, based on the molar composition of 56GeO2-31PbO-4Ga2O3-9Na2O and co-doped with 1.5 mol% Yb2O3 and 0.4 mol% Ho2O3, possesses a broad Ho3+ emission spectrum covering ∼1.8 µm to 2.2 µm for the Ho3+:5I7→5I8 transition, and a long 5I7 fluorescence lifetime of (7.74 ± 0.03) ms. We estimate a competitive 2 µm quantum efficiency (76%) compared to other germanate glasses. The intensity parameters are calculated to be Ω2 = 3.0×10−20 cm2, Ω4 = 1.2×10−20 cm2 and Ω6 = 2.0×10−20 cm2. The energy transfer analysis from Ho3+ to OH group represents a low Ho3+-OH clustering factor (γ = 0.15) compared to phosphate and other germanate glasses. Applying these parameters to the laser model predicts > 15% laser slope efficiency for cavity losses ≤ 0.5 dB using 976 nm pumping. The results show that this Yb3+/Ho3+ co-doped lead-germanate glass is a promising candidate for efficient lasing around 2 µm.
Collective phenomena in Dy-doped silver halides in the near- and mid-IR
Authors: Okhrimchuk Andrey G. , Pryamikov Andrey D. , Boldyrev Kirill N. , Butvina Leonid N. , Sorokin Evgeni
Published: October 2020

The kinetics of the electronic transitions within the f-shell of Dy3+ ions were studied with monitoring near- and mid-IR luminescence decay under pulsed laser excitation at 1.3 µm. The luminescence decay curves were found to be profoundly non-exponential in all bands in the range between 1.3-5.5 µm. Such behavior is attributed to cross-relaxation and up-conversion processes dominating in relaxation of Dy3+ ions from the laser-excited multiplet 6H9/2+6F11/2. We suggest that strong collective phenomena occurring under relatively low concentrations are due to anomalous clustering of Dy3+ ions. The cross-relaxation enables an efficient population of 6H13/2 and 6H11/2 multiplets, offering this material as an active medium for a 3-µm and 4.3-µm lasers.
Urinalysis in dog and cat: A review
Authors: Yadav S. N. , Ahmed N. , Nath A. J. , Mahanta D. , Kalita M. K.
Published: October 2020

Urinalysis is the examination of normal and abnormal constituents of urine. It is an easy, cheap, and vital initial diagnostic test for veterinarians. Complete urinalysis includes the examination of color, odor, turbidity, volume, pH, specific gravity, protein, glucose, ketones, blood, erythrocytes, leukocytes, epithelial cells, casts, crystal, and organisms. Semi-quantitative urine analysis with urine dipsticks, as well as an automatic analyzer, provides multiple biochemical data. Contamination is almost entirely avoided if the protocols for ensuring a proper sample have been followed, as mentioned still consideration must be given to the likelihood of contamination, even if the sample is correctly obtained. Interpretation of urinalysis will be doubtful if the knowledge of the interference is limited. Well-standardized urinalysis, when correlated in the context of history, clinical findings, and other diagnostic test results, can identify both renal and non-renal disease. This paper reviews significance of different components of urinalysis of dog and cat, such as collection, storage, examination, interpretation, and common causes of error in the result.
Effect of salvage-logging on post-fire tree establishment and ground cover vegetation in semi-natural hemiboreal forests
Authors: Kārkliņa Annija , Brūmelis Guntis , Dauškane Iluta , Elferts Didzis , Freimane Lāsma , Kitenberga Māra , Lībiete Zane , Matisons Roberts , Jansons Āris
Published: October 2020

Fire is a common disturbance in boreal forests causing changes in biological diversity at various spatial scales. In the past 100 years, forest management has limited fire outbreaks, but in the future, the fire-affected forest area is expected to increase in many regions due to climate change. Burned forests are typically salvage-logged, but the effect of this type of management versus natural regeneration on biological diversity is not well understood, particularly the mid-term effect to tree establishment and understory vegetation composition and diversity. Various management methods were used after a large fire in 1992 in a peatland-forest complex and neighbouring managed forests, which created an experimental setup for study of the effect of management after fire in the Sliteres National park, northwestern Latvia. Understory vegetation was described in plots using a design of four forest and three management types: natural regeneration (unmanaged) and managed sites with salvage logging followed by no further human intervention and salvage logging with planting. Post-fire management had different effect in each forest type. Species richness was higher in forest types with salvage logging than in natural regenerated sites on rich wet and rich dry forest types, but not for the poor forest types. Tree regeneration was generally greater in salvage-logged stands, but differed between forest types. Species composition was related to tree regeneration and canopy openness. In contrast to other studies, salvage logging had a positive mid-term effect to ground vegetation diversity and tree establishment in the studied stands, implying potential for concomitant management and conservation of ground cover vegetation in semi-natural stands.
VERIFICATION OF CLINICAL ACCURACY OF AUTOMATED NON-INVASIVE SPHYGMOMANOMETERS: IS IT APPROPRIATE TO USE BLOOD PRESSURE SIMULATORS?
Authors: Havlík Jan , Fabián Vratislav
Published: October 2020

Cardiovascular disease is the most common cause of death in developed countries. Blood measurement is an integral part of the diagnosis of these diseases. With the development of oscillometric blood pressure monitors, the question of regular monitoring of their clinical accuracy (overall error) has arisen. This paper deals with the overall accuracy of two commercial tonometers (Hartmann Digital HG 160 comfort and HuBDIC HBP–1520), using two calibrated blood pressure simulators (Fluke BP Pump 2 and Fluke ProSim). Using the Wilcoxon rank-sum test, significant differences between the simulators have been proved for all measurements – both for SBP and DBP measurements and both for Hartmann Digital HG 160 and HuBDIC HBP–1520 tonometers (p < 0.001). Therefore, without the precise knowledge of the relationship between the blood pressure monitor and the simulator used, it is not appropriate to use simulators to determine the overall error. On the other hand, the tested devices had a very good repeatability of the measurements at all presets, with both simulators. From this point of view, it is suitable to use simulators to determine the stability of measurement by a given tonometer rather than its clinical accuracy.
FREQUENCY AND DURATION OF OXIMETER DROP-OUTS IN THE NICU: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY
Authors: Bachman Thomas Edward , Roubik Karel
Published: October 2020

Oximeters used for continuous monitoring experience periods with no signal. This SpO2drop-out is widely acknowledged and its causes generally understood. This is a prospectively designed analysis of an existing database with the aim of characterizing drop-outs as experienced in the neonatal ICU. The data reflects 116 days of monitoring in seven tertiary care neonatal ICUs in 6 countries.  From the evaluation of 1,396 drop-outs we found that typically the time was minimal with missing SpO2 data, and the episodes were short (median 2.79 minutes per day IQR 0.17-76, median 22 seconds IQR: 15-37, respectively). During during about half of the days there were no prolonged dropouts (1 minute or longer), even so half of the total time spent with no SpO2data were in prolonged episodes (median length 110 seconds IQR 85-150). The predominate factor associated with excessive drop-out time was the number of prolonged episodes rather than their duration. We concluded that the impact of drop-outs during manual control of inspired oxygen primarily impact alarm fatigue, but that during automatic FiO2control they could have an important impact. The relative effectiveness of the fall-back strategies of these automatic control systems ought to be evaluated.
Importance of miR-125a-5p and miR-122-5p expression in patients with HBV infection
Authors: Lak Ramin , Yaghobi Ramin , Garshasbi Masood
Published: October 2020

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) as a small RNA and post-transcriptional modulator are shown to have regulatory effects for different cellular activities and pathways, such as metabolism, virus replication and also cell growth. In addition, miRNAs can regulate the replication of the hepatitis B virus (HBV). Therefore, the expression profile of miRNAs was evaluated in HBV infected patient groups and healthy controls. The expression levels of following microRNAs (as noninvasive biomarkers) were compared in two experimental (those with various stages of HBV infection) and control groups to evaluate their diagnosis ability: miR-122-5p, miR-125a-5p, miR-199a-3p, miR-210-5p, miR-205-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-372-5p, and miR-1-5p. RNA extraction was performed for 45 serum samples. The miRCURY LNAâ„¢ Universal RT-miRNA-PCR system and miRNA PCR panels were used for measuring microRNA expression profiles. To normalize quantitative values, the endogenous reference by UniSp6 expression was used.Serum miR-125a-5p and miR-122-5p were significantly higher in patients in different stages of HBV infection (p<0.001) than in controls (p<0.001). Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses suggested that serum miR-125a-5p and miR-122-5p have significant diagnostic value for HBV infection. A significant difference was not found in terms of serum levels of other miRs (miR-199a-3p, miR-210-5p, miR-205-5p, miR-155-5p, miR-372-5p and miR-1-5p). Results suggest that miR-125a-5p and miR-122-5p can be used as possible noninvasive biomarkers for monitoring of HBV infection need to confirm in future completed studies.
Comprehensive multi-factor analysis and exploration for the pathogenesis of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy
Authors: Li Fengling , Cheng Lin , Ma Lin
Published: October 2020

Cardiomyopathy is a group of heterogeneous diseases that negatively affect cardiac function. Twenty-five years ago, clinical researchers began to realize that cardiomyopathy is an important and fairly common heart disease. Although many aspects of the pathogenesis of cardiomyopathy have been explored by biologists, the molecular mechanisms remain elusive. This study modularized the pathogenesis of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy and finally explored their common core pathogenic driver genes. First, based on the normal expression profile data of patients with non-ischemic cardiomyopathy and ischemic cardiomyopathy, differential expression analysis was used to screen differentially expressed genes. Secondly, the co-expression analysis of differentially expressed genes was performed to obtain a co-expression module of genes. Thirdly, the enrichment analysis of GO functions and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway was conducted on the module genes. Finally, based on hypergeometric tests, non-coding RNA (ncRNA) and transcription factors with significant regulatory effects were predicted. In summary, we obtained 8 co-expression modules, of which HN1, PRDX3 genes had significant differences in expression in patients with cardiomyopathy, and had a positive regulatory role in the dysfunction module, so they were recognized as non-ischemic and key genes for non-ischemic diseases and ischemic cardiomyopathy. The enrichment results showed that the module genes were significant in the biological processes of neutrophil activation involved in immunoreaction, neutrophil-mediated immunity, neutrophil activation, and neutrophil degranulation, and significantly regulate the signal pathways such as vibrio cholerae infection. Finally, significant regulatory dysfunction modules of pivot ncRNAs (including MALAT1, miR-133a-3p, and miR-133b) and pivot TFs (including NFKB1, PML, and RELA, etc.) were identified. In summary, our work decodes a co-expression network involving the regulation of key genes in non-ischemic and ischemic cardiomyopathy. It helps to discover core dysfunction modules and potential regulatory factors, drive disease genes, and improve our understanding of its pathogenesis.
Molecular detection of type III secretory toxins in Pseudomonas aeruginosa isolates
Authors: Jarjees Khanzad Khudhur
Published: October 2020

Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been known as a common unscrupulous pathogen that reasons cause nosocomial infections in patients with immunocompromise. Infection with multi-drug resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection in many patients is a public health problem. The bacterium causes urinary tract infections, respiratory tract infections, skin inflammation and inflammation, soft tissue infections, bacteremia, bone and joint infections, gastrointestinal infections and various systemic infections, especially in patients with severe burns, cancer and AIDS, whose immune systems are suppressed. Among diverse virulence factors, the type III secretion system is known as a significant agent in virulence and development of antimicrobial resistance in P. aeruginosa. A total of 50 isolates of P. aeruginosa were gathered from burn wound and milk specimens. Documentation and antimicrobial susceptibility evidence were performed using the VITEK 2 system. Multiplex PCR was done to detect the secretion toxins-encoding genes. Out of 50 samples: 45/225 (20%) burn wound and 6/120 (5%) raw milk samples were found positive for P. aeruginosa. The multiplex PCR analysis of ExoT and ExoY genes showed that all P. aeruginosa 50 (100%) were positive. The occurrence of the ExoS and ExoU genes was 97.7% and 86.6% among clinical isolates while none of the raw milk isolates harbored the ExoU gene and 60% of them carried the ExoS gene. The results found 20 (40%) of isolates were multidrug resistance and the most effective antibiotics against clinical isolates were Ciprofloxacin and Meropenem. The aim of this study was to prevalence the exotoxin genes encoded type III secretion system and pattern of antimicrobial susceptibility of P. aeruginosa isolated from clinical and raw milk specimens.
GC-MS and metabolomics analysis of amino acids, glucose and urinary metabolic pathways and characteristics in children with spleen-deficiency diarrhea
Authors: Xu Shan , Wang Shouchuan
Published: October 2020

Diarrhea is a disease, and patients must have bowel movements at least three times per day. This condition may last for several days and may cause dehydration due to fluid loss. Spleen-deficiency makes a person more vulnerable to some infectious diseases. Persistent diarrhea due to spleen-deficiency may affect amino acids and glucose metabolic pathways, and urinary metabolic characteristics. For this purpose, this research was carried out to investigate the pathogenesis and changes of metabolic profiling in urine samples that come from 3 months to 3 years old children with persistent diarrhea due to Spleen-deficiency were analyzed by metabolomics methods based on gas chromatography and mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The urine samples were collected and divided into normal children group (NC group, n=30), persistent diarrhea group (PD group, n=30)ï¼ŽThe endogenous metabolites in urine were obtained by GC-MS. Principal component analysis (PCA) and orthogonal partial least squares-discriminant analysis (OPLS-DA) was used to analyze the dataï¼ŽThe results were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance and Fold changeï¼ŽFinallyï¼Œthere was a significant difference between the normal group and the diarrhea group, and the significant metabolites, glutamic acid, serineï¼Œphenylalanine, histidine, and et al. were identified between two groups. The metabolism of glycine, serine and threonine, arginine and proline, glutathione and pentose phosphate were involved. The result demonstrated that amino acid metabolism and glucose metabolism were the main metabolic pathways and responsible for persistent diarrhea due to Spleen-deficiency.
Effects of Xinjierkang on Nrf2/HO-1 expression in viral myocarditis mice models
Authors: Yin Jie , Li Wencheng , Yao Weidong
Published: October 2020

In this study, the changes of Nrf2/HO-1 and cytokines TNF-Î±, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-1Î² in cardiac muscle cells of Viral myocarditis (VMC) mice were detected in order to clarify the mechanism of action of Xinjierkang (XJEK). One hundred and fifty healthy male BALBC mice were randomly divided into the normal group, model group, low-, medium- and high-dose XJEK groups, with 30 in each group. Replication of the VMC model in mice inoculated with CVB3m. Serum inflammatory factors TNF-Î±, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-1Î², Nrf2 and HO-1 protein levels in myocardial tissue were compared. The results showed that no apoptotic cells were found in the myocardium of normal mice. The percentage of cardiomyocyte apoptosis in the low, medium and high dose groups of XJEK was significantly lower than the model group (P <0.05). At 3, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days after inoculation, compared with the normal group, the TNF-Î±, IL-6, IL-17 and IL-1Î² levels in the model group significantly increased (p < 0.05). After the administration of XJEK, compared with the model group, the TNF-Î±, IL-6, IL-17, and IL-1Î² levels in the low-, middle-, and high-dose XJEK groups significantly decreased (p < 0.05). At 28 days after inoculation, compared with the normal group, the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in the myocardial tissue of the model group were significantly down-regulated (p < 0.05); and compared with the model group, the expressions of Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in the low-, medium-, and high-dose XJEK groups were significantly up-regulated (p < 0.05) in a concentration-dependent manner. In conclusion, XJEK can prevent myocardial injury in VMC mice, and its mechanism of action may be related to improving myocardial cell apoptosis, inhibiting inflammatory response, and up-regulating the expression of Nrf2 and HO-1 proteins in myocardial tissue.
The protective role of melatonin against the effects of different doses of caffeine on the fetus
Authors: Yılmaz Seher , Göçmen Ayşe Yeşim , Arıkan Evrim Suna , Akyüz Enes , Tokpınar Adem , Nisari Mehtap , Unur Erdoğan , Yay Arzu Hanım , Yalçın Betül , Yılmaz Halil , Ertekin Tolga , Güler Hatice , Sabitaliyevich Uteuliyev Yerzhan
Published: October 2020

Skeletal system and some organs development changes in rat fetuses with 30 and 60 mg/kg caffeine and melatonin's (10 mg/kg) protective role against rat fetuses were investigated. Groups (n = 4) were formed as Control, LDC, HDC, LDC+melatonin, HDC+melatonin and melatonin. Fetuses were taken by cesarean section and stained using dual skeletal staining method and FESEM. TRAP and AP immune-reactivity concentrations were calculated.  Oxidative stress and inflammatory markers were also measured by liver, bone and placenta samples.  TNF-Î±, IL-1íŸ, IL-6, VEGF-A, SOST and Fetuin-A levels were measured in tissue by using ELISA. TBARS, SOD, GSH, GSSG, TOS, TAS, measured by spectrophotometric assay method.  The mRNA levels of Agtr2 gene expressed in placental tissues of control rats and in placental tissues of rats exposed to HDC, LDC, MEL, HDC+MEL, LDC+MEL were analyzed by Real-time PCR. The gene expressions of Agtr2 were significantly upregulated in the placentas exposed to HDC, MEL, HDC+MEL and LDC+MEL (P<0,001). No significant difference in samples of the LDC group (P>0,05). According to these data, caffeine used during pregnancy delayed ossification; melatonin, a powerful antioxidant, was found to eliminate this effect. Besides, changes in angiotensin receptor expression observed in response to a caffeine and melatonin exposure result from high dose and join effect.
Quantification of circadian rhythm in mitochondrial DNA copy number in whole blood, and identification of factors that influence it
Authors: Wang Yakun , Liu Yuanwu , Zhao Yiqiang , Luo Junjie
Published: October 2020

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), the genetic material in mitochondria, encodes key genes related to the respiratory chain and ATP production. To accurate quantification mtDNA content in whole blood is important for various disease states. Absolute quantitative Real-time PCR and platelet contamination erase method were used for mtDNA copy number analysis in whole blood. In the quantitative study of mtDNA content, it was found that whole blood mtDNA copy number showed a fluctuating rhythm during a 24-h period due to dynamic changes in white blood cells combined with platelets. However, when isolated white blood cells were used, or absolute whole blood mtDNA was calculated, the circadian rhythm pattern of mtDNA disappeared. In this study, a feasible method that can accurately quantify mitochondrial DNA in small blood samples was established, and it was found that two factors which greatly influenced mtDNA copy number were sampling time and platelets in blood.
Nobiletin inhibits viability of human renal carcinoma cells via the JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/Akt pathway
Authors: Xu Zhenyu , Wu Ding , Fu Dian , Tang Chaopeng , Ge Jingping , Zhang Zhengyu , Zhou Wenquan
Published: October 2020

Nobiletin, a flavonoid found chiefly in oranges and lemons, has exhibited potential anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic activities in various types of cancers. However, the inhibitory effect and mechanisms of nobiletin on renal cancer cells are unclear.  CCK8 and plate clone formation assay were used to determine the effect of nobiletin on the proliferation of renal cancer cells, while scratch healing test was used to assay its effect on migration ability. The effect of nobiletin on the invasion of renal cancer cells was determined using Trans well chamber assay. Flow cytometry was used to determine the effect of nobiletin on apoptosis of renal cancer cells, while Western blotting assay was used to determine its effect on the expressions of JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/Akt pathway proteins, and apoptosis-related proteins. Nobiletin inhibited the proliferation of renal carcinoma cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner. It inhibited the migration and invasion of renal cancer cells, and promoted their apoptosis. Western blot results showed that nobiletin inhibited the phosphorylations of JAK2, STAT3, PI3K, and Akt, and promoted the expressions of apoptosis-related proteins. Nobiletin inhibits the proliferation, invasion and migration of renal cell carcinoma by inhibiting JAK2/STAT3 and PI3K/Akt pathways, and promotes their apoptosis. These findings provide a new experimental basis for the application of nobiletin in the treatment of renal cancer.