bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Koalicja Wschowskich Kolędników. Między dziedzictwem kulturowym a tradycją wynalezioną
Authors: Dziubata Karolina
Published: February 2021

Celem artykułu jest analiza działalności Koalicji Wschowskich Kolędników – grupy młodych ludzi z okolic Wschowy (woj. lubuskie), która w okresie Świąt Bożego Narodzenia praktykuje obchody kolędnicze ulicami miasta i przylegających do niego wsi. Jest to zjawisko stosunkowo świeże, które z uwagi na brak przekazu międzypokoleniowego w formie i treści czerpie z różnych regionów Polski. Artykuł składa się z trzech części: 1) etnograficznego opisu kolędowania, prezentacji grupy i społecznego odbioru zjawiska, 2) osadzenia wschowskiego kolędowania na tle wielkopolsko-lubuskich tradycji kolędniczych, 3) analizy przypadku w kategoriach tradycji, folkloryzmu, tradycji wynalezionej i niematerialnego dziedzictwa kulturowego.
O genius loci w muzeum regionalnym. Czego nam jeszcze trzeba w muzeach lokalnych światów?
Authors: Barańska Katarzyna
Published: February 2021

Artykuł prezentuje nowe spojrzenie na znaczenie i funkcje muzeum regionalnego wobec zmian mających miejsce w świecie współczesnym. Zmiany te dotyczą samej filozofii człowieka, którego rola coraz mniej postrzegana jest w kategoriach supremacji wobec środowiska naturalnego, a coraz bardziej relacji równorzędności. Dalej, ma miejsce pomniejszanie roli państwa narodowego na rzecz społeczeństwa globalnego, poszerzając zarazem przestrzeń dla lokalizmów kulturowych, w tym regionalnych i mniejszościowych. Lokalizmy z kolei wykraczają poza sferę etnosu, obejmując swym zasięgiem podziały kulturowe z porządku typologicznego. Kryteria opisu osobliwości kulturowych wychodzą poza ramy afirmacji własnego dziedzictwa, skupiając się zarazem na jego ciemnych stronach. Te i inne procesy pociągają konieczność redefinicji misji muzeum regionalnego, którego wszak naczelnym zadaniem pozostaje eksponowanie genius loci, ducha miejsca, w którym muzeum funkcjonuje i którego ma wyrażać.
COMPARATIVA NUTRICIONAL DEL CULTIVO DE Moringa oleifera EN ESPAÑA
Authors: Rubio-Sanz Laura
Published: February 2021

La Moringa oleifera es posiblemente una de las especies vegetales mas nutritivas que existen. De este árbol de crecimiento rápido originario del norte de la India y conocido como el “árbol de la vida”, se pueden consumir las hojas frescas, o secas y molidas en polvo para añadirlas a cualquier alimento. Estas hojas poseen una elevada concentración de proteína con todos los aminoácidos esenciales, vitaminas de los grupos A, B, C y E, y elevadas cantidades de nutrientes y micronutrientes como calcio, potasio, hierro, magnesio y zinc. Estas características hacen que las hojas de moringa sean un alimento completo que puede ser utilizado como suplemento alimentario en dietas veganas, vegetarianas, sin gluten o sin lactosa. La Moringa oleifera necesita un clima tropical-subtropical para su correcto desarrollo, cultivándose en España en la costa tropical Mediterránea y en las Islas Canarias. En este trabajo nos hemos focalizado en la comparación del análisis nutricional de hojas de moringa cultivadas en distintos puntos de la geografía española, con el fin de establecer el lugar idóneo de siembra donde obtener un producto de mayor calidad nutricional. Los resultados nos han llevado a concluir que es en las Islas Canarias donde mejor se desarrolla el cultivo por las condiciones edafológicas y climatológicas, así como por el rendimiento y acumulación de nutrientes en las hojas
Using a Mobile-Based Online Platform to Mentor Girls: Challenges and Benefits
Authors: Fakayode Bukola , Okegbe Samantha
Published: February 2021

In some parts of Nigeria, many girls do not attend school, and among those sent to school, many still drop out early. This and other socio-cultural factors affect girls psychologically. There is no doubt that girls need consistent love and tutoring to guide them through the turbulent teen years and beyond. They need a mentor who acts as a friend and a role model. The Mobile-based Mentoring Platform seeks to leverage on mobile technology's affordances to focus on the needs of the girl-child, such as improvement in academic achievement, guidance in career choice, development of self-concept, and esteem. The girl-mentees comments revealed that using the platform provided them frequent access to mentors and access to learning opportunities. The challenges they faced include epileptic internet network, intrusions by parents, and others. Therefore, this paper examined the challenges and benefits of mentoring girls via a mentoring platform.
Predicting Progress in Word Learning for Children with Autism and Minimal Verbal Skills
Authors: Brady Nancy , Kosirog Christine , Fleming Kandace K. , Williams Lindsay
Published: February 2021

Background Approximately 30 % children diagnosed with autism remain minimally verbal past age 5. Interventions are often effective in increasing spoken communication for some of these children. Clinical and research decisions would be facilitated by identifying early indicators of progress in interventions. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between speech sound measures obtained from the early phases of treatment and later treatment outcomes in children with autism and minimal verbal skills. Methods Twenty-three children (18 boys) between 5-9 years of age participated. We compared scores reflecting the phonemic features of word attempts produced during probes, and the number of correct words after 4 weeks of intervention to later word learning outcomes. Results Correlational and hierarchical regression analyses showed that both predictors were positively correlated with outcomes, but the phonemic scores were more strongly related than number of correct words. Conclusion We conclude that phonemic scoring may be a useful measure to determine proximal gains in a spoken word learning intervention. Proximal measures are particularly helpful when trying to decide if the current course of intervention should be maintained or altered. Trial Registration Not applicable.
Anticancer effects of Bifidobacteria on colon cancer cell lines
Authors: Faghfoori Zeinab , Faghfoori Mohammad Hasan , Saber Amir , Izadi Azimeh , Khosroushahi Ahmad Yari
Published: February 2021

Background: Colorectal cancer (CRC), with a growing incidence trend worldwide, is resistant to apoptosis and have the uncontrolled proliferation. It is recently reported that probiotic microorganisms exert anticancer effects. The genus Bifidobacterium, one of the dominant bacterial populations in the gastrointestinal tract, has received increasing attention because of widespread interest in using as health-promoting microorganisms. Therefore, the present study aimed to assess the apoptotic effects of some bifidobacteria species on colon cancer cell lines.Methods: The cytotoxicity evaluations performed using MTT assay and FACS-flow cytometry tests. Also, the effects of five species of bifidobacteria secretion metabolites on the expression level of anti- or pro-apoptotic genes including BAD, Bcl-2, Caspase-3, Caspase-8, Caspase-9, and Fas-R studied by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) method. Results: The cell-free supernatant of all studied bifidobacteria significantly decreased the survival rates of colon cancer cells compared with control groups. Flow cytometric and RT-PCR results indicated that apoptosis is induced by bifidobacteria secretion metabolites and the mechanism for the action of bifidobacteria species in CRC prevention could be down-regulation and up-regulation of anti-apoptotic and, pro-apoptotic genes.Conclusions: In the present study, different bifidobacteria species showed anticancer activity on colorectal cancer cells through down-regulation and up-regulation of anti-apoptotic and pro-apoptotic genes. However, further studies are required to clarify the exact mechanism of apoptosis induction by bifidobacteria species.
How to design a registry for undiagnosed patients in the framework of rare disease diagnosis – suggestions on software, data set and coding system
Authors: Berger Alexandra , Rustemeier Anne-Kathrin , Göbel Jens , Kadioglu Dennis , Britz Vanessa , Schubert Katharina , Mohnike Klaus , Storf Holger , Wagner Thomas OF
Published: February 2021

Background: About 30 million people in the EU and USA, respectively, suffer from a rare disease. Driven by European legislative requirements, national strategies for the improvement of care in rare diseases are being developed. To improve timely and correct diagnosis for patients with rare diseases, the development of a registry for undiagnosed patients was recommended by the German National Action Plan. In this paper we focus on the question on how such a registry for undiagnosed patients can be built and which information it should contain.Results: To develop a registry for undiagnosed patients, a software for data acquisition and storage, an appropriate data set and an applicable terminology/classification system for the data collected are needed. We have used the open-source software OSSE (Open-Source Registry System for Rare Diseases) to build the registry for undiagnosed patients. Our data set is based on the minimal data set for rare disease patient registries recommended by the European Rare Disease Registries Platform. We extended this Common Data Set to also include symptoms, clinical findings and other diagnoses. In order to ensure findability, comparability and statistical analysis, symptoms, clinical findings and diagnoses have to be encoded. We evaluated three medical ontologies (SNOMED CT, HPO and LOINC) for their usefulness. With exact matches of 98% of tested medical terms, a mean number of five deposited synonyms, SNOMED CT seemed to fit our needs best. HPO and LOINC provided 73% and 31% of exacts matches of clinical terms respectively. Allowing more generic codes for a defined symptom, with SNOMED CT 99%, with HPO 89% and with LOINC 39% of terms could be encoded.Conclusions: With the use of the OSSE software and a data set, which, in addition to the Common Data Set, focuses on symptoms and clinical findings, a functioning and meaningful registry for undiagnosed patients can be implemented. The next step is the implementation of the registry in centres for rare diseases. With the help of medical informatics and big data analysis, case similarity analyses could be realized and aid as a decision-support tool enabling diagnosis of some patients.
Garcinoic Acid Improves Cardiac Function and Enhances Angiogenesis Following Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Hu Hongyao , Li Wei , Wei Yanzhao , Zhao Hui , Wu Zhenzhong , Rao Min , Tang Yanhong
Published: February 2021

Cardiac ischemia impairs angiogenesis in response to hypoxia, resulting in ventricular remodeling. Garcinoic acid (GA), the extraction from the plant garcinia kola, is validated to attenuate inflammatory response. However, the role of GA in heart failure (HF) and neovascularization after myocardial infarction (MI) is incompletely understood. The present study is striving to explore the role of GA and the potential mechanism of which in cardiac function after MI. SD rats were randomized into sham group, MI+vehicle group, and MI+GA group in vivo. Human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in vehicle or GA, and then additionally exposed to 2% hypoxia environment in vitro. MI rats displayed a dramatically reduced myocardial injury, cardiac function and vessel density in the peri-infarcted areas. GA delivery markedly improved cardiac performance and promoted angiogenesis. In addition, GA significantly enhanced tube formation in HUVECs under hypoxia condition. Furthermore, the expressions of pro-angiogenic factors HIF-1α, VEGF-A and bFGF, and pro-angiogenic proteins phospho-VEGFR2Tyr1175 and VEGFR2, as well as phosphorylation levels of Akt and eNOS were increased by GA treatment. In conclusion, GA preserved cardiac function after MI probably via promoting neovascularization. And the potential mechanism may be partially through upregulating the expressions of HIF-1α, VEGF-A, bFGF, phospho-VEGFR2Tyr1175 and VEGFR2 and activating the phosphorylations of Akt and eNOS.
A Qualitative Study of Home-Based and Hybrid Cardiac Rehabilitation During COVID-19
Authors: Ganeshan Smitha , Tse Crystal , Beatty Alexis
Published: February 2021

Background: Because of the need for distancing during the COVID-19 pandemic, many cardiac rehabilitation (CR) centers suspended in-person services and pivoted to home-based CR (HBCR). In this study, we qualitatively evaluated implementation of HBCR, which included weekly phone or video visits for individualized exercise plans, nutrition and health education counseling, wellness sessions, and optional mobile phone applications.Methods: Patient participants and staff members (physician, nurses, exercise physiologists, dietician, administrative staff) participated in semi-structured interviews. Two independent reviewers coded interview transcripts for emergent themes and pre-specified themes from the Theory of Planned Behavior, Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology, and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Results: A total of 12 patients and 7 staff were interviewed. Narrative descriptions highlighted the isolation, fear, and disruption of life activities during COVID-19. Key facilitators of the HBCR patient experience included strong relationships with staff who served as coaches and sources of accountability and the ability of HBCR to deliver an individually tailored experience within a patient’s home. Important organizational factors for implementation included leadership buy-in, culture of change, and support for staff. Though technology tools facilitated communication and accountability, not all participants embraced technology and some reported challenges with use.Conclusions: Individually tailored HBCR or hybrid CR can facilitate access for patients to participate outside of a CR center. Ongoing research is needed to understand the long-term outcomes of flexible delivery models that may include both in-person and remote visits, and the role of technology in these models.
Clustering of Cancer Data Based on Stiefel Manifold for Multiple Views
Authors: Tian Jing , Zhao Jianping , Zheng Chun-hou
Published: February 2021

Background: In recent years, various sequencing techniques have been used to collect biomedical omics datasets. It is usually possible to obtain multiple types of omics data from a single patient sample. Clustering of these datasets has proved to be valuable for biological and medical research and helpful to reveal data structures from multiple collections. However, such data often have small sample size and high dimension. It is difficult to find a suitable integration method for structural analysis of multiple datasets. Results: In this paper, a multi-view clustering based on Stiefel manifold method (MCSM) is proposed. Firstly, we established a binary optimization model for the simultaneous clustering problem. Secondly, the optimization problem solved by linear search algorithm based on Stiefel manifold. Finally, we integrated the clustering results obtained from three omics by using k-nearest neighbor method. We applied this approach to four cancer datasets on TCGA. The result shows that our method is superior to several state-of-art methods, which depends on the hypothesis that the underlying omics cluster class is the same.Conclusion: Particularly, our approach has better performs when the underlying clusters are inconsistent. For patients with different subtypes, both consistent and differential clusters can be identified at the same time.
A retrospective study on prophylactic regional lymphadenectomy versus nodal observation only in the management of dogs with stage I, completely resected, low-grade cutaneous mast cell tumors
Authors: Sabattini Silvia , Kiupel Matti , Finotello Riccardo , Stefanello Damiano , Faroni Eugenio , Bertazzolo Walter , Bonfanti Ugo , Rigillo Antonella , Magno Sara Del , Foglia Armando , Aresu Luca , Gambini Matteo , Caniatti Mario , Marconato Laura
Published: February 2021

Background. While lymphadenectomy of metastatic 27 lymph nodes (LNs) has been associated with improved outcome, the clinical utility of prophylactic lymphadenectomy in dogs with stage I cutaneous mast cell tumors (cMCTs) remains a controversial topic. To assess the therapeutic role of lymphadenectomy of uninvolved regional LNs, the long-term outcome of cMCT-bearing dogs with cytologically negative and surgically unresected regional LNs (observation only, OO) was compared with that of dogs with a surgically resected and histologically negative regional LNs (prophylactic regional lymphadenectomy, PRL).Results. A retrospective analysis of 64 dogs with a low-grade, completely resected stage I cMCT was performed: (54.7%) dogs were subjected to OO and 29 (45.3%) underwent PRL. Dogs were monitored for a median of 813 and 763 days in the OO group and PRL group, respectively. The number of dogs undergoing MCT progression was significantly higher in the OO group (P = 0.028) and curve comparison revealed a tendency to a better time to progression in the PRL group (P = 0.058). No significant difference in survival time (P = 0.294) was observed between dogs in the OO and PRL groups.Conclusions. Our results showed that lack of immediate lymphadenectomy was associated with a higher risk for tumor progression. This preliminary judgement, reinforced by the findings that lymphadenectomy was well tolerated in all cases, and that histopathology provides the definitive assessment of the nodal pathological status, may suggest that prophylactic lymphadenectomy is indicated in the management of stage I MCTs. Larger prospective studies are warranted for generating clinical evidence of this latter hypothesis.
Health Literacy, Information Seeking Patterns and Perceived Outcomes among Pregnant Women in Two Districts of Tanzania
Authors: Mbekenga Columba , Mutagaywa Reuben , Lwoga Edda Tandi
Published: February 2021

BackgroundPregnant women that engage in information seeking process are more likely to have a high level of knowledge about their health, be confident to discuss their health concerns with their health care providers and report better health promotion activities than individuals who do not seek health information. However, health literacy influence pregnant women’s information seeking behaviours and consequently their health knowledge and health outcomes. Limited studies have explored the effects of health literacy on the outcomes associated with the information seeking among pregnant women in Tanzania. This study investigates the relationship between health literacy and information seeking patterns and its associated outcomes among pregnant women in Tanzania. MethodsA cross- sectional survey was conducted among 260 pregnant women aged 18 and above attending selected antenatal clinics (ANC) in Tanzania. Health literacy was assessed using a REALM-SF instrument while information seeking patterns while the associated outcomes were measured using three Likert scales. Descriptive and analytic analyzes were performed using the SPSS, version 24.ResultsAmong the demographic factors, level of education was significantly associated with the level of health literacy (p<0.001). The level of health literacy was better among married pregnant women than those who were not married, and among those who have high income more than those with low-income. The number of ANC visits, gestational age and parity were significantly associated with the level of health literacy (p<0.05). A significant relationship was found between health literacy with seeking health information from village leaders (p < 0.0001) and all online information sources (p < 0.05). Pregnant women with high level of health literacy strongly agree to confirm (from health professionals) the validity of health information they receive from different sources and to recommend the importance of searching health information to others (p<0.001).ConclusionHealth literacy has great influence on maternal health behaviors and the associated outcomes. Maternal health interventions targeting both individual women and the public to ensure high health literacy levels across communities are required. An integration of online/ web-based health information in ANC health educational packages would warrant pregnant women access to high quality health information.
Group-occurring landslides and debris flows caused by the continuous heavy rainfall in June 2019 in Mibei village, Longchuan County, Guangdong Province, China
Authors: Bai Huilin , feng wenkai , Yi Xiaoyu , Fang Hongyu , Wu Yiying , Deng Pengcheng , Dai Hongchuan , Hu Rui
Published: February 2021

From June 10th to 13th, 2019, a continuous heavy rainfall occurred in Longchuan County, Guangdong Province, causing many landslide hazards. Among Longchuan County districts, Mibei village is one of the hardest-hit areas and suffered severe losses. In this paper, field investigation, remote sensing image interpretation , and UAV aerial photography were used to investigate and analyze hazard characteristics. Combined with rainfall monitoring data, laboratory and field tests data, and existing research results, the characteristics and failure mechanism of group-occurring landslides in Mibei village were studied. Because of the continuous heavy rainfall, 327 landslides occurred in the study area, mainly distributed in the north of the Mibei river and along the X158 road. The terrain slope of landslide hazards ranged from 35° to 45°, and the slope structure can be divided into two types. Granite residual soil was the main part of landslide mass, and sliding surface developed along with the interface between bedrock and covering layer. The continuous heavy rainfall from June 10th to 13th was the main triggering factor of the disaster. The total precipitation was 281.3 mm, and the rainfall on June 10th was 153.5 mm. The rain led to the continuous increase of volume water content in granite residual soil and completely weathered granite. The shear strength and parameters of the two materials changed differently, and slope stability continued to decrease, and then landslides occurred under terrain conditions and engineering excavation space. Untimely support and unreasonable support measures for the excavation slope exacerbated the disaster. The development degree of debris flows in the study area was very low, and debris flows were shown as the secondary disaster of landslides. The branch gully terrain is the key to transforming the landslide into the debris flow, and a large amount of loose deposits in the main gully will become the potential source of debris flow in the future.
Prioritizing suitable locations for underground dam construction in south east of Bushehr Province
Authors: Ebrahimi Javad , Moradi Hanid Reza , Chezgi Javad
Published: February 2021

The solutions to deal with the water crisis are summarized into two strategies for managing water resources and extraction of new sources of water. In Iran, due to geographical and climatic conditions, water resources management has a high priority . One of the methods to control and store water in wet periods for using in dry periods is construction of underground dams. The most important problem in the development and creation of underground dams is the complexity of determining the suitable areas for the dams. Developing underground dams can be a viable solution to prevent land use change, the gradual drainage of groundwater and out of reach. The present study was conducted to find the underground dams using Boolean logic and for priority of underground dam sites using MCDM methods include AHP, ANP, VIKOR, TOPSIS and ELECTRE III in four provinces of Bushehr, Tangestan, Dashti, and Jam in southern Iran. The results obtained by Boolean logic showed that the total area of the studied site had about 305 km potential for underground dam construction. In the next step, according to Google Earth images and based on different indices including, axial length, reservoir, lithology, distance from village and roads, 23 potential axes were identified afterward, by extensive field surveys, among these 23 potential axes, 6 locations were identified as suitable locations. In order to prioritize these six areas, the MCDM models were used. Finally, the results of the MCDM models showed that sites have different ranks of 1 to 6 for constructing underground dams. In the end for determined the final rank using Copeland method that result showed Zayer Abbasi site was in the first priority and Faghih Hasenan site is in sixth priority. ANP and AHP method near the Copeland method.
Projecting Climate Change Impacts on Mediterranean Finfish Production: A Case Study in Greece.
Authors: Stavrakidis-Zachou Orestis , Lika Konstadia , Anastasiadis Panagiotis , Papandroulakis Nikos
Published: February 2021

Finfish aquaculture in the Mediterranean Sea faces increasing challenges due to climate change while potential adaptation requires a robust assessment of the arising threats and opportunities. This paper presents an approach developed to investigate effects of climate drivers on Greek aquaculture, a representative Mediterranean country with a leading role in the sector. Using a farm level approach, Dynamic Energy Budget models for European seabass and meagre were developed and environmental forcing was used to simulate changes in production and farm profitability under IPCC scenarios RCP45 and RCP85. The effects of temperature and extreme weather events at the individual and farm level were considered along with that of husbandry parameters such as stocking timing, market size, and farm location (inshore, offshore) for nine regions. The simulations suggest that at the individual level fish may benefit from warmer temperatures in the future in terms of growth, thus reaching commercial sizes faster, while the husbandry parameters may have as large an effect on growth as the projected shifts in climatic cues. However, this benefit will be largely offset by the adverse effects of extreme weather events at the population level. Such events will be more frequent in the future and, depending on the intensity one assigns to them, they could cause losses in biomass and farm profits that range from mild to detrimental for the industry. Overall, these results provide quantification of some of the potential threats for an important aquaculture sector while suggesting possibilities to benefit from emerging opportunities. Therefore, they could contribute to improving the sector’s readiness for tackling important challenges in the future.
Determinants on COVID-19 Case Fatality Rates of Cities in China: A Logit-NB Hurdle Model Analysis
Authors: Yu Hanchen , Lao Xin , Gu Hengyu , Zhao Zhihao , He Honghao
Published: February 2021

Background: The ongoing Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), a global pandemic with high infectiousness and high mortality, has seriously threatened human health, life safety and caused enormous economic losses. This study investigates the influencing factors on the case fatality rate (CFR) of COVID-19 at the city level in China. Methods: A logistic-negative binomial (Logit-NB) hurdle model is employed to examine the determinants on the probability of death and the value of CFR with COVID-19, based on confirmed cases and deaths by 13 March 2020 and 25 January 2021 at the city level in China and related environmental, demographic, and socioeconomic data.Results: We found that the probability of death from COVID-19 will increase by 1% with 1 newly increased confirmed case and increase by 4% in response to a rise of 1 unit in the air quality index. CFR will feebly increase with the number of confirmed cases, with the estimator being 2.81E-05. As the number of doctors increases by 10,000, CFR will decrease by 0.18%. Each 1% increase in the humidity leads to a 0.02% decrease in CFR, and each 1-unit increase in the population density causes a 0.09% decline in CFR. The comparison between the two research periods confirms the robustness of the results.Conclusions: The number of confirmed cases and the air quality are closely associated with the death probability, while the number of confirmed cases, the medical resources, the humidity, and the population density significantly affect the CFR. Furthermore, the air quality and population density stand out in the first wave of epidemic outbreak, while they become non-significant in the second wave.
Optic Nerve Head Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography Findings in Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019
Authors: Abrishami Mojtaba , Daneshvar Ramin , Emamverdian Zahra , Shoeibi Naser , Sedighi Shima , Rezvani Talieh Saeidi , Saeedian Neda , Eslami Saeid
Published: February 2021

Purpose: To quantify the microvasculature density of the optic nerve head (ONH) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) analysis.in patients recovered from Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Methods: In a comparative cross-sectional, observational study patients recovered from COVID-19, whom diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by a positive reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction of a nasopharyngeal sample were included in this study. The. OCTA of ONH was performed at least 2 weeks after recovery from systemic COVID-19. Vascular density (VD) of the all vessels (AV) and small vessels (SV) inside the disc and radial peripapillary capillary (RPC) network density were measured in COVID-19 recovered patients and compared with similar parameters in an age-matched group of normal controls.Results: Twenty-five COVID-19 patients and 22 age-matched normal controls were enrolled in the study and one eye per participant was evaluated. Mean whole image SV VD in the COVID-19 group (49.94 ± 2.22) was not statistically significantly different from that in the control group (49.31 ± 1.93; p-value= 0.308). An increase in RPC VD was found in all AV and SV VD measured, which became statistically significant in whole peripapillary SV VD, peripapillary inferior nasal SV VD, peripapillary inferior temporal SV VD, peripapillary superior nasal SV VD and grid-based AV VD inferior sector (p<0.05 for all comparisons).Conclusion: Unremarkable increase was found in ONH microvasculature in patients who had recovered from COVID-19. These patients may be at risk of ONH vascular complications.
A Comprehensive Evaluation of Surface Air Temperature Reanalyses over China against Urbanization Bias–Adjusted Observations
Authors: Zhang Siqi , Ren Guoyu , Ren Yuyu , Zhang Yingxian , Xue Xiaoying
Published: February 2021

The goal of this study is to compare the differences in surface air temperature (SAT) between observational and reanalysis data in mainland China from 1961–2015 for evaluating the reliability and applicability of the reanalysis datasets, based on an observational dataset of 763 stations which has been adjusted for urbanization bias, and 8 reanalysis datasets. The time series, anomaly correlations, standard deviations, climate state, and linear trends of the reanalysis data are evaluated against the observations. The reanalysis data are consistent with the observational climate characteristics to a large extent. The correlation and standard deviation ratio between the reanalysis data and observations exhibited highly consistent inter–annual variability and dispersion, with the inter–annual SAT variability of JRA55 and ERA5 the closest to the observations for the periods 1961–2015 and 1979–2015, and the dispersions of 20CRV3 and NCEPV1 the most consistent with the observations for the two periods. The annual mean SAT of the reanalyses is generally 0–2.0°C lower than the observations, while the linear trends of all datasets exhibited clear warming. The biases in the SAT climatology of 20CRV3 and CRA40 are lower than other reanalysis datasets, and the linear trends of NCEPV1 and 20CRV3 are closer to the observations. With increasing elevation, the biases of the reanalysis data in terms of correlation, standard deviation, climate state, and linear trend all increased. Overall, in terms of the similarity of multiple measures to the urbanization bias–adjusted observations, CRA40 and JRA55 show the best performance of the products in reproducing various aspects of climatological and climate change features in mainland China for the period 1979–2015 and 1961–2015 respectively.
Co‑expression Network Analysis by WGCNA and Identify Potential Prognostic Markers Associated with Lung Metastasis in Breast Cancer
Authors: zhang xixun
Published: February 2021

Backgroud: Breast cancer (BC) is an aggressive cancer with a high percentage recurrence and metastasis. As one of the most common distant metastasis organ in breast cancer, lung metastasis has a worse prognosis than that of liver and bone. Therefore, it’s important to explore some potential prognostic markers associated with the lung metastasis in breast cancer for preventive treatment. Methods: In our study, transcriptomic data and clinical information of breast cancer patients were downloaded from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. Co-expression modules was built by Weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) to find out the royalbule modules which is significantly associated with lung metastasis in breast cancer. Then, co-expression genes were analyzed for functional enrichment. Furthermore, the prognostic value of these genes was assessed by GEPIA Database and Kaplan-Meier Plotter. Results: Results showed that the hub genes, LMNB and CDC20, were up-regulated in breast cancer and indicated worse survival. Therefore, we speculate that these two genes play crucial roles in the process of lung metastasis in breast cancer, and can be used as potential prognostic markers in lung metastasis of breast cancer. Conclusion: Collectively, our study identified two potential key genes in the lung metastasis of breast cancer, which might be applied as the prognostic markers of the precise treatment in breast cancer with lung metastasis.
An Innovative Polyaniline/Platinum-Coated Fiber Optic – Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensor for Picomolar Detection of 4-Nitrophenol
Authors: ANTOHE Iulia , IORDACHE Iuliana , ANTOHE Vlad-Andrei , SOCOL Gabriel
Published: February 2021

The paper reports for the first time an innovative polyaniline (PANI)/platinum (Pt)-coated fiber optic – surface plasmon resonance (FO-SPR) sensor used for highly-sensitive 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) pollutant detection. The Pt thin film was coated over an unclad core of an optical fiber (FO) using a DC magnetron sputtering technique, while the 4-NP responsive PANI layer was synthetized using a cost-effective electroless polymerization method. The presence of the electrolessly-grown PANI on the Pt-coated FO was observed by field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and subsequently evidenced by energy dispersive X-ray analysis (EDX). These FO-SPR sensors with a demonstrated sensitivity of 1515 nm/RIU were then employed for 4-NP sensing, exhibiting am excellent limit of detection (LOD) in the low picomolar range (0.17 pM). The proposed sensor’s configuration has many other advantages, such as low-cost production, small size, immunity to electromagnetic interferences, remote sensing capability, and moreover, can be operated as a “stand-alone device”, making it thus well-suited for applications such as “on-site” screening of extremely low-level trace pollutants.
Influence of Pollution by Antibiotics on Biological Properties of Soils (Through the Example of Ordinary Chernozem)
Authors: Akimenko Yuliya
Published: February 2021

In model laboratory and field conditions, the influence of pollution by antibiotics (benzylpenicillin, ampicillin, streptomycin, oxytetracycline, tylosin, pharmasin, tromexin, aliseryl, and nystatin) on the biological properties of ordinary chernozem was examined in concentrations of 1-1000 mg/kg. A decrease in the majority of the basic biological parameters of chernozem occurs when the concentration of antibiotics is 100 mg/kg of soil. In most cases, there was a direct relationship between the content of antibiotics in the soil and the scale of a decrease in the studied parameters. The degree of the influence of antibiotics was determined by their nature, concentration and time of exposure. Antibacterial antibiotics had more negative impact on the studied indicators than fungicidal ones. By the degree of inhibiting the biological properties of chernozem, antibiotics formed the following sequence: ampicillin > benzylpenicillin ≥ streptomycin ≥ oxytetracycline > tylosin ≥ pharmasin > nystatin > tromexin > aliseryl. Among the examined biological parameters when polluted by antibiotics, the most informative one was the number of ammonifying bacteria and the activity of dehydrogenases. The least informative was the indicator of catalase activity. The abundance of bacteria of the genus Azotobacter in case of pollution by antibiotics was not informative. The degree of a decrease in biological indicators was more pronounced in laboratory conditions than in the field ones. The rate of the biological activity recovery of chernozem after pollution in the field was 2 times higher. According to the degree of resistance to antibiotics, the investigated microorganisms of chernozem formed the following sequence: bacteria of the genus Azotobacter > micromycetes > amylolytic bacteria > ammonifying bacteria. Enzymes formed the following sequence: peroxidase ≥ polyphenol oxidase > catalase > dehydrogenase > invertase ≥ phosphatase. Antibiotics had prolonged influence on the biological properties of ordinary chernozem. The examined parameters were observed not to be recovered to control values even on the 120th day after the pollution.
Molecular Characterization and mRNA Expression of ISP2 and ISP4 in the Large Yellow Croaker (Larimichthys Crocea) Under Acute Cold Stress
Authors: Qian Baoying
Published: February 2021

Ice structure proteins (ISPs), also known as antifreeze proteins, can lower the point of freezing by inhibiting the growth of ice crystals and protect organisms from freezing temperatures. The large yellow croaker (Larimichthys crocea) is an important warm-temperate marine fish in Chinese aquaculture. Only a few ISP studies have been reported in this fish to date. In this study, the cDNA of ISP2 were cloned and characterized, and mRNA expression of ISP2 and ISP4 was assessed in different tissues of the large yellow croaker under different periods of acute cold stress (0, 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h, rewarming after 12 and 24 h). We found that ISP2 cDNA is 861 bases in length, encoding a protein of 168 amino acid residues. The mRNA expression of ISP2 and ISP4 in tissues of large yellow croaker under different periods of acute cold stress changed significantly. In comparison with the control group, ISP2 expression increased dramatically in the heart (1,976 fold) and intestine (26 fold) after 3 h of acute cold stress and increased 43 fold in the spleen after 6 h. ISP4 expression was up-regulated significantly in the brain (43 fold) and gill (376 fold) at 1 h acute cold stress, and increased 2,774 fold in the intestine at 3 h, 64 fold in muscle and 141 fold in the spleen after rewarming for 1 h after 12 h acute cold stress. These results indicate that ISP2 and ISP4 may play an important role in the response of large yellow croaker to acute cold stress.
Highly Sensitive and Selective Fluorescent Sensor for Ag+ in Using β-Cyclodextrin / Chitosan Polymer Coated S QDs Based on Aggregation Caused Quenching Mechanism
Authors: Wang Shan , Wang Huan , Yue Jianshe , Lu Yi , Jia Tian , Chen Jie
Published: February 2021

A fluorometric sensor based on poly (β- cyclodextrin/chitosan) with H bonded S QDs/CTSCD nanocomposites was synthesized by self-assembly. They were characterized by FTIR, UV–Vis spectroscopy, XPS, and TEM. The S QDs on the chain of the polymer could coordinate with transition-metal ions due to surface electronegativity. The distance between the S QDs on the different chains of polymer could construct the bridge bond of S–Ag+–S with silver ions leading to fluorescence aggregation-caused quenching. The linear range of the method was from 1.0×10-5 -5.5×10−5mol/L. The correlation coefficient was 0.9992 with a detection limit of 66.7 nM. This method could be used to detect silver ions in real samples with excellent sensitivity and selectivity, indicating its potential as a novel sensor.
Dihydromyricetin Ameliorates Inflammation-Induced Insulin Resistance via Phospholipase C-CaMKK-AMPK Signal Pathway
Authors: Hou Lianjie , Jiang Fangyi , Huang Bo , Zheng Weijie , Jiang Yufei , Cai Gengyuan , Liu Dewu , Hu Ching Yuan , Wang Chong
Published: February 2021

Background

Metabolic syndrome is associated with obesity, inflammation, and insulin resistance. Patients with metabolic syndrome have a higher risk of turning into type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The metabolic syndrome has become an urgent public health problem. Insulin resistance in obesity is the common pathophysiological basis of metabolic syndrome. The insulin resistance is induced by the increasing levels of inflammatory factors during obesity. Therefore, developing a therapeutic strategy for preventing inflammation-induced insulin resistance has great significance for the treatment of metabolic syndrome. Dihydromyricetin, as a bioactive polyphenol, has been used for anti-inflammatory, anti-tumor, and improving insulin sensitivity. However, the target of DHM and the molecular mechanism of DHM in preventing inflammation-induced insulin resistance are still unclear.
Methods

In this study, we first confirmed the role of dihydromyricetin in inflammation-induced insulin resistance through ELISA, oral glucose tolerance test and glucose uptake test. Then, we demonstrated the pathway of dihydromyricetin ameliorated inflammation-induced insulin resistance by using signal pathway blockers, Ca2 + probes, and immunofluorescence. Finally, we clarified the target protein of dihydromyricetin by using drug affinity responsive target stability (DARTS) assay, qPCR, and western blotting.
Results

In this study, we first confirmed that dihydromyricetin ameliorated inflammation-induced insulin resistance in vivo and in vitro. Then, we demonstrated that dihydromyricetin ameliorated inflammation-induced insulin resistance by activating Ca2+-CaMKK-AMPK signal pathway. Finally, we clarified that dihydromyricetin activated Ca2+-CaMKK-AMPK signaling pathway by interacting with phospholipase C (PLC), its target protein.
Conclusions

Our results not only demonstrated that dihydromyricetin ameliorated inflammation-induced insulin resistance via the PLC-CaMKK-AMPK signal pathway but also discovered that the target protein of dihydromyricetin is PLC. Our results provided experimental data for the development of dihydromyricetin as a functional food additive and a new therapeutic strategy for treating or preventing insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome.
Metformin Protects Against Insulin Resistance Induced by High Uric Acid in Cardiomyocytes via AMPK Signaling Pathways in Vitro and in Vivo
Authors: Li Zhi , Jiao Zhenyu , Chen Yingqun , Xie Yang , Li Yanbing
Published: February 2021

High uric acid (HUA) is associated with insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. Metformin is a recognized agonist of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and an antidiabetic drug widely used for type 2 diabetes. It can play a cardioprotective role in many pathways. We investigated whether metformin protects against HUA-induced insulin resistance and abnormal glucose metabolism in cardiomyocytes. We exposed primary cardiomyocytes to HUA, and cellular glucose uptake was quantified by measuring the uptake of 2-NBDG, a fluorescent glucose analog, after insulin excitation. Treatment with metformin (10 μmol/L) protected against HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin in primary cardiomyocytes, as shown by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry analysis. HUA directly inhibited the phosphorylation of Akt and the translocation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4) induced by insulin, which was blocked by metformin. Metformin promoted phosphorylation of AMPK, renewed HUA-inhibited glucose uptake induced by insulin and protected against insulin resistance in cardiomyocytes. As a result of these effects, in a mouse model of acute hyperuricemia, metformin improved insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance, accompanied by increased AMPK phosphorylation, Akt phosphorylation and translocation of GLUT4 in myocardial tissues. As expected, AICAR, another AMPK activator, had equivalent effects to metformin, demonstrating the important role of AMPK activation in protecting against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes. Metformin protects against insulin resistance induced by HUA in cardiomyocytes and improves insulin tolerance and glucose tolerance in an acute hyperuricemic mouse model, along with the activation of AMPK. Consequently, metformin may be an important potential new treatment strategy for hyperuricemia-related cardiovascular disease.
Large Strain With Ultra-Low Hysteresis and Enhanced Energy Storage Performance of Mn-Doped 0.65Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.35SrTiO3 Lead-Free Ceramics
Authors: Cao W.P. , Li Weili , Zhang Wenzhong , Xu Dan , Sheng Jie
Published: February 2021

In this paper, the electric-field-induced strain behavior and energy storage performance of MnO-doped 0.65Bi0.5Na0.5TiO3-0.35SrTiO3 (NBT-ST-xMn) lead-free ceramics has been investigated. After the introduction of MnO into NBT-ST ceramics, pinched and double P-E hysteresis loops with high Pmax and negligible Pr can be observed due to the introduction of defect dipoles. As a result, a relatively high strain of 0.22% with ultra-low hysteresis of 14% was achieved under a moderate electric field of 60 kV/cm at x=1.0 mol.%. Excellent energy storage performance of 1.14 and 1.17 J cm-3 with a high η of 83 and 80% are achieved at x=0.5 and 1.0 mol.%, respectively. Meanwhile, high electrostriction coeffcient of 0.022 m4C2 with pure electrostrictive characteristics was obtained at x=0.5 mol.%. The results illustrate that the proper selection of base composition and effective chemical modifier can made the NBT-ST an outstanding candidate for actuators and energy storage devices.
Identification of Schizosaccharomyces Pombe Ird Mutants Resistant to Glucose Suppression and Oxidative Stress
Authors: YILMAZER Merve , BAYRAK Beste , KARTAL Burcu , UZUNER Semian KARAER , PALABIYIK Bedia
Published: February 2021

BackgroundGlucose both is the favorite carbon and energy source and acts as a hormone that plays a regulated role in many biological processes. Calorie restriction extended lifespan in many organisms, including Schizosaccharomyces pombe, while uptake of high glucose led to undesired results, such as diabetes and aging.Methods and ResultsIn this study, sequence analysis of Schizosaccharomyces pombe ird5 and ird11 mutants was performed using next-generation sequencing techniques and a total of 20 different mutations were detected. ird11 is resistant to oxidative stress without calorie restriction, whereas ird5 displays an adaptive response against oxidative stress. Candidate 9 mutations, which are thought to be responsible for ird5 and ird11 mutant phenotypes, were investigated via forward and reverse mutations by using various cloning techniques.ConclusionThe results of this study contribute to the basic sciences by showing the relationship between glucose sensing/signaling and oxidative stress response components.