bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychological Features of Students Self-Realization in Youth
Authors: Shabysheva Yu. , Sen'ko M. , Levochkina N.
Published: December 2020

The article considers the problem of personal self-realization. The article presents an analysis of scientific approaches to understanding the essence of this phenomenon. Particular attention is paid to issues of self-realization of personality in youth. The results of an empirical study indicate the presence of psychological characteristics of the self-realization of university students engaged in poetry in a literary association.
Specificity of economic terms in structural, semantic and translation aspects
Authors:   Higher Educational Institution of Ukoopspilka ", Ishchenko Valentyna ,   Poltava University of Economics and Trade", Horbunova Sofia ,   Higher Educational Institution of Ukoopspilka "Poltava University of Economics and Trade"
Published: December 2020

The features of structure, semantics and translation of polycomponent economic terms from English into Ukrainian are analyzed in the article. The study found that English polycomponent economic terms are formed by two-, three- and four-component models, characterized by different degrees of usage in language, depending on extralinguistic factors, namely the need for the specified type of terminological phrases. The most productive model of the syntactic method of term formation is „adjective + noun”, which accounts for about 57% of selected terms. The semantic links between the components of terminological phrases are different – absolutely stable or relatively stable. A relatively stable link between components means that the components retain their direct meaning in English polycomponent economic terms. The meaning of terms with absolute stability is not (or almost not) derived from the meaning of their constituents. The terminology of economics is characterized by terms with a relatively stable relationship. Their share is 68% of the sample. The complexity of translating English multicomponent economic terms into Ukrainian is that some terms are ambiguous. When translating English polycomponent economic terms into Ukrainian, methods of literal translation, permutations, descriptive translation are used. The two-component terms are translated using the following constructions: „adjective + noun”, „noun + noun in the genitive case”, as well as a phrase of two nouns with a preposition. Three-component terms can be translated by a corresponding phrase, the components of which fully or partially coincide with the original English polycomponent economic term in form and meaning. We see further research prospects in the study of the structure, semantics and features of translation of these terminological units in other contexts.
About some changes in the dialect of the Plokhiv village, Chernihiv region
Authors:   Oleksandr Dovzhenko Hlukhiv National Pedagogical University, Marieiev Dmytro
Published: December 2020

The proposed exploration represents the dynamics of the language structure elements of the dialect of Plokhiv village (Chernihiv district, Chernihiv region) according to the evidence of three time slices – the end of the XIX century (ethnographic materials of Borys Hrinchenko), middle of the XX century (data „Atlas of the Ukrainian language”) and the beginning of the XXI century (own author’s expedition records). The research was carried out with such methods as content analysis, comparative analysis, interviews, linguistic-geographical method and linguistic description. It has been noted that folklore records have long been used as sources of dialectal speech in linguistics, although rarely. They are a valuable source for identifying the dynamics of dialects; it has been proved by scientific studies of the south-eastern dialect of the Ukrainian language. However, folklore texts as a source for studying the dynamics of dialectal speech of Eastern Polissya are still out of the attention of scholars. Comparative study of the dialect of Plokhiv village in different time slices showed that a significant part of the elements of speech have not changed for a long time. At the same time, a number of language elements reduced functional activity due to the development of other forms, which began to be used in parallel. However, the tendency to preserve the structure of speech dominates, because the replacement of some forms by others is rarely recorded.
Dialectal words in the ballad novel “Blakytna Sarna” (“The Blue Chamois”) by M. Nesterchuk. ІІІ
Authors:   Lesya Ukrainka Eastern European National University, Arkushyn Hryhorii
Published: December 2020

In this article, the usage of dialectal words in the ballad novel „Blakytna Sarna” („The Blue Chamois”) by M. Nesterchuk, a native of Volyn oblast, has been analyzed. The detailed analysis of the microtoponyms and anthroponyms proves that fictional tumultuous Zatyshshia village is modern Sylno village (Kivertsi raion, Volyn oblast). In the novel, the vocabulary of the local patois is characterized according to the following plan: dialecticisms that have become the passive vocabulary of the speakers; widely used dialectal words; dialectal synonymy. By comparison with the local patois, it has been identified which dialectal features the writer preferred. It has also been emphasized that the writer accurately explains the meaning of dialecticisms. It has been demonstrated that the writer does not blindly copy the patois, but makes a careful selection of the most common dialectal words.
The Bully Formula
Authors: Connell Rosie
Published: December 2020

Dental nurse Rosie Connell offers her guide to understanding workplace bullies
Want to be like Pam, Amy or Amanda?
Authors: Maynard Eleanor , Smith Mandy
Published: December 2020

Why orthodontic dental nursing is your next step forward
Why My Experience as a Patient Led Me to Join Osler’s Alliance
Authors:   Phoenix Pulmonary and Critical Care Research and Education Foundation, Gilbert, AZ USA, Robbins Richard
Published: December 2020

No abstract available. Article truncated after 150 words. There are a number of books and articles written by doctors that relate their own experience as patients. Count this as another although I promise it will not be nearly as entertaining as “The House of God”. Over a month ago I became short of breath and a chest x-ray revealed left lower lobe consolidation. Despite lack of fever, it seemed that an infectious process was most likely, and when multiple tests for COVID-19 were negative, it was felt by my pulmonary physician to be most likely coccidioidomycosis despite a negative cocci serology. After beginning on empirical therapy with fluconazole for nearly a month, I am feeling better. Most of us know that there is considerable laboratory to laboratory variation in serologic tests for Valley Fever (1). However, when my initial cocci serology was negative, efforts to send it a good reference lab such as Pappagianis’ Lab at UC Davis …
Policy actors’ perceptions of qualitative research in policymaking: the case of higher education rulemaking in the United States
Authors: Natow Rebecca S.
Published: December 2020

Background:

As calls for evidence-based policymaking become increasingly common, qualitative research has much to offer the policy community. However, policymakers frequently evidence a preference for quantitative research. By discounting the importance of qualitative research in the policymaking process, resulting policies and their target populations miss out on the benefits that qualitative research uniquely offers.

Aims and objectives:

The purpose of this study was to examine how qualitative research has been perceived and used in the US government’s rulemaking process for creating higher education regulations.

Methods:

This qualitative case study included data from semi-structured interviews with 34 policy actors involved in higher education rulemaking, rulemaking documents, and research reports cited in several key higher education regulations.

Findings:

Many policy actors viewed qualitative research favourably, but qualitative studies have seldom been cited in higher education rulemaking. Several respondents discussed validity concerns and some policymakers’ misunderstandings regarding qualitative methods. Moreover, storytelling can influence policy actors’ perspectives about the content of policies, and qualitative research was viewed as effective at identifying compelling stories. Thus, narratives derived from qualitative research may provide an opportunity for qualitative researchers to have their work considered in policymaking processes.

Discussion and conclusion:

Qualitative research faces challenges with gaining visibility and influence in the development of regulatory policy. However, this study has shown that qualitative research has the potential to be both useful and persuasive to policymakers. Studies that discuss relevant stories may be particularly compelling.
Hybrid PO-SBR-PTD method for composite scattering of a vehicle target on the ground
Authors: Li Juan , Zhao Lei , Guo Li-Xin , Li Ke , Chai Shui-Rong
Published: December 2020

In this paper, a hybrid method of physical optics (PO) shooting and bouncing ray (SBR) physical theory of diffraction (PTD), is adopted to investigate the composite scattering of a vehicle target on the ground. Where the scattering of ground is calculated by the PO method, the scattering of the vehicle target is computed by the SBR-PTD method, and the mutual couplings between them are solved by the ray tracing technique. In addition, an octree data structure is used to accelerate the ray tracing progress. A forward-backward ray tracing technique is employed to ensure the accuracy of the illuminated facet identification. In numerical simulation, the monostatic and bistatic scattering of a reduced-scale vehicle target are calculated by the SBR-PTD method and compared with the simulation results with the multilevel fast multipole method (MLFMM) in commercial software FEKO. And the composite scattering from a reduced-scale vehicle target on the planar ground by our PO-SBR-PTD method is also compared with the MLFMM. The results show that our methods can greatly reduce the computational time and memory requirement while keeping a satisfactory accuracy. Finally, the composite scattering from the vehicle target on the rough ground is demonstrated and analyzed for different incident parameters.
Comparative study of the influence of imaging resolution on linear retardance parameters derived from the Mueller matrix
Authors: Shen Yuanxing , Huang Rongrong , He Honghui , Liu Shaoxiong , Dong Yang , Wu Jian , Ma Hui
Published: December 2020

Polarization imaging techniques are emerging tools to provide quantitative information of anisotropic structures, such as the density and orientation distribution of fibers in tissue samples. Recently, it is found that when using Mueller matrix polarimetry to obtain the structural features of tissue samples, some information can be revealed by relatively low-resolution polarization parameter images. Thus, to analyze what kinds of anisotropic optical and structural information contained in high-resolution polarization images are preserved in low-resolution ones, here we carry out a comparative study of the influence of imaging resolution on the Mueller matrix derived linear retardance parameters. We measure the microscopic Mueller matrix of human healthy breast duct tissues and ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) tissues, which have distinct typical fibrous structures, using objectives with different numerical aperture. Then we quantitatively compare a group of image texture feature parameters of the linear retardance parameters images under high and low imaging resolutions. The results demonstrate that the fibers density information contained in the texture features of linear retardance δ parameter image are preserved well with the decline of imaging resolution. While for the azimuthal orientation parameter θ which closely related to the spatial location, we still need high imaging resolution to obtain quantitative structural information. The study provides an important criterion to decide which information of fibrous structures can be extracted accurately using transmission Mueller matrix microscope with low numerical aperture objectives.
Bidirectional single-fiber filterless optical networks: modeling and experimental assessment
Authors: Uzunidis Dimitris , Presi Marco , Sgambelluri Andrea , Paolucci Francesco , Stavdas Alexandros , Cugini Filippo
Published: December 2020

This paper proposes, designs, and validates a filterless metro network employing bidirectional transmission over a single fiber. Transmission impairments, dominated by cross talk, are specifically estimated leveraging on what we believe to be novel closed-form expressions to determine optical reach, launch power, and number of supported cascaded nodes. Results show that extremely good transmission performance can be achieved and further improved when misalignment in spectrum allocation is configured among the two counter-propagating directions. This confirms that filterless metro networks employing bidirectional transmission over a single fiber represent an extremely attractive solution, particularly in the case of scarce fiber availability and when regulatory aspects impose a rent for any occupied fiber infrastructure.
Non-line-of-sight object location estimation from scattered light using plenoptic data
Authors: Sasaki Takahiro , Leger James R.
Published: December 2020

We investigate the use of plenoptic data for locating non-line-of-sight (NLOS) objects from a scattered light signature. Using Fourier analysis, the resolution limits of the depth and transversal location estimates are derived from fundamental considerations on scattering physics and measurement noise. Based on the refocusing algorithm developed in the computer vision field, we derive an alternative formulation of the projection slice theorem in a form directly connecting the light field and a full spatial frequency spectrum including both depth and transversal dimensions. Using this alternative formulation, we propose an efficient spatial frequency filtering method for location estimation that is defined on a newly introduced mixed space frequency plane and achieves the theoretically limited depth resolution. A comparison with experimental results is reported.
Tunable fiber Fabry-Perot cavities with high passive stability
Authors: Saavedra Carlos , Pandey Deepak , Alt Wolfgang , Pfeifer Hannes , Meschede Dieter
Published: December 2020

We present three high finesse tunable monolithic fiber Fabry-Perot cavities (FFPCs) with high passive mechanical stability. The fiber mirrors are fixed inside slotted glass ferrules, which guarantee an inherent alignment of the resonators. An attached piezoelectric element enables fast tuning of the FFPC resonance frequency over the entire free-spectral range for two of the designs. Stable locking of the cavity resonance is achieved for sub-Hertz feedback bandwidths, demonstrating the high passive stability. At the other limit, locking bandwidths up to tens of kilohertz, close to the first mechanical resonance, can be obtained. The root-mean-square frequency fluctuations are suppressed down to ∼2% of the cavity linewidth. Over a wide frequency range, the frequency noise is dominated by the thermal noise limit of the system’s mechanical resonances. The demonstrated small footprint devices can be used advantageously in a broad range of applications like cavity-based sensing techniques, optical filters or quantum light-matter interfaces.
Optical vector analyzer with time-domain analysis capability
Authors: Li Shupeng , Qing Ting , Wang Lihan , Chen Xufeng , Fang Yijie , Tang Xiaohu , Cao Meihui , Pan Shilong
Published: December 2020

Time-domain analysis (TDA) is useful for measuring optical devices along with a link and for diagnosing a long device. In this Letter, an optical vector analyzer with TDA capability is proposed and experimentally demonstrated. The key to realizing TDA is a low-coherence optical carrier, which is achieved by modulating an electrical broadband signal on a continuous-wave light via acousto-optic modulation. Then, optical single-sideband modulation and vector balanced detection are used to measure the total frequency response of multiple devices under test (DUTs). Through an inverse Fourier transform, the obtained DUT impulses are distinguished in the time domain. Finally, time-domain gating and Fourier transform are applied to extract the frequency response of each DUT. An experiment is performed in which a fiber link comprising three DUTs and an

gas cell with a breakpoint inserted is characterized. The frequency setting resolution is 5 MHz, and a time-domain resolution of 30.84 ns is proved, which can reach 14.881 ns in theory.
All-fiber laser feedback interferometer using a DBR fiber laser for effective sub-picometer displacement measurement
Authors: Zhu Desheng , Zhao Yuanyang , Tu Yourui , Li Hongtao , Xu Lin , Yu Benli , Lu Liang
Published: December 2020

A fiber autodyne laser feedback displacement sensor based on the effect of the frequency shift is demonstrated. The all-fiber structure enables our system to be easily employed in diverse complex and narrow scenes. By virtue of adopting an ultra-high sensitivity distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) fiber laser as the laser source and the frequency–shift technology to avoid the phenomenon that the measured signal of the low frequency is submerged in the noise, the measurement of the sub-picometer displacement under weak feedback condition has been achieved, which shows a great potential in the field of micro-vibration measurement. Moreover, the proposed system has advantages such as simplicity in system structure, low cost of implementation, and immunity to electromagnetic interference.
Resonant waveguide grating fabrication on planar and cylindrical substrates using a photosensitive TiO2 sol-gel approach
Authors: Usuga Higuita Maria Alejandra , Bruhier Hugo , Hochedel Marion , Kampfe Thomas , Vocanson Francis , Valour Arnaud , Jamon Damien , Langlet Michel , Crespo-Monteiro Nicolas , Jourlin Yves
Published: December 2020

A single-step sol-gel technological approach combining sol-gel layer development and UV lithography is demonstrated for the fabrication of resonant waveguide gratings (RWG) on planar and cylindrical substrates. The aim of this article is the demonstration of a resonant reflection in TE and TM polarization in the near-infrared region (NIR) in a planar and in cylindrical-based resonant waveguide gratings (RWG). In this work, we start with a planar corrugated waveguide structure excited by a planar wave and demonstrate this concept to a circularly symmetrical waveguide applied to the inside wall of an 8 mm diameter tube, excited by a cylindrical wave. For both configurations, the same TiO2 sol-gel layer is used for the high index waveguide layer and for the grating printing thanks to the UV photosensitivity property of the sol-gel layers, avoiding any etching processes. The reflection spectrum was measured in the near-infrared range and compared to the modeling, showing the expected resonant behavior.
Optical analog of valley Hall effect of 2D excitons in hyperbolic metamaterial
Authors: Guddala Sriram , Khatoniar Mandeep , Yama Nicholas , Liu Wenxiao , Agarwal Girish S. , Menon Vinod M.
Published: December 2020

The robust spin and momentum valley locking of electrons in two-dimensional semiconductors makes the valley degree of freedom of great utility for functional optoelectronic devices. Owing to the difference in optical selection rules for the different valleys, these valley electrons can be addressed optically. The electrons and excitons in these materials exhibit the valley Hall effect, where the carriers from specific valleys are directed to different directions under electrical or thermal bias. Here we report the optical analog of valley Hall effect, where the light emission from the valley-polarized excitons in a monolayer

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2

propagates in different directions owing to the preferential coupling of excitonic emission to the high momentum states of the hyperbolic metamaterial. The experimentally observed effects are corroborated with theoretical modeling of excitonic emission in the near field of hyperbolic media. The demonstration of the optical valley Hall effect using a bulk artificial photonic media without the need for nanostructuring opens the possibility of realizing valley-based excitonic circuits operating at room temperature.
Primate phylogenomics uncovers multiple rapid radiations and ancient interspecific introgression
Authors: Vanderpool Dan , Minh Bui Quang , Lanfear Robert , Hughes Daniel , Murali Shwetha , Harris R. Alan , Raveendran Muthuswamy , Muzny Donna M. , Hibbins Mark S. , Williamson Robert J. , Gibbs Richard A. , Worley Kim C. , Rogers Jeffrey , Hahn Matthew W.
Published: December 2020

Our understanding of the evolutionary history of primates is undergoing continual revision due to ongoing genome sequencing efforts. Bolstered by growing fossil evidence, these data have led to increased acceptance of once controversial hypotheses regarding phylogenetic relationships, hybridization and introgression, and the biogeographical history of primate groups. Among these findings is a pattern of recent introgression between species within all major primate groups examined to date, though little is known about introgression deeper in time. To address this and other phylogenetic questions, here, we present new reference genome assemblies for 3 Old World monkey (OWM) species: Colobus angolensis ssp. palliatus (the black and white colobus), Macaca nemestrina (southern pig-tailed macaque), and Mandrillus leucophaeus (the drill). We combine these data with 23 additional primate genomes to estimate both the species tree and individual gene trees using thousands of loci. While our species tree is largely consistent with previous phylogenetic hypotheses, the gene trees reveal high levels of genealogical discordance associated with multiple primate radiations. We use strongly asymmetric patterns of gene tree discordance around specific branches to identify multiple instances of introgression between ancestral primate lineages. In addition, we exploit recent fossil evidence to perform fossil-calibrated molecular dating analyses across the tree. Taken together, our genome-wide data help to resolve multiple contentious sets of relationships among primates, while also providing insight into the biological processes and technical artifacts that led to the disagreements in the first place.
Transmembrane tumor necrosis factor alpha attenuates pressure-overload cardiac hypertrophy via tumor necrosis factor receptor 2
Authors: Miao Kun , Zhou Ling , Ba Hongping , Li Chenxi , Gu Haiyan , Yin Bingjiao , Wang Jing , Yang Xiang-ping , Li Zhuoya , Wang Dao Wen
Published: December 2020

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) plays an important pathogenic role in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure (HF); however, anti-TNF is paradoxically negative in clinical trials and even worsens HF, indicating a possible protective role of TNF-α in HF. TNF-α exists in transmembrane (tmTNF-α) and soluble (sTNF-α) forms. Herein, we found that TNF receptor 1 (TNFR1) knockout (KO) or knockdown (KD) by short hairpin RNA or small interfering RNA (siRNA) significantly alleviated cardiac hypertrophy, heart dysfunction, fibrosis, and inflammation with increased tmTNF-α expression, whereas TNFR2 KO or KD exacerbated the pathological phenomena with increased sTNF-α secretion in transverse aortic constriction (TAC)- and isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac hypertrophy in vivo and in vitro, respectively, indicating the beneficial effects of TNFR2 associated with tmTNF-α. Suppressing TNF-α converting enzyme by TNF-α Protease Inhibitor-1 (TAPI-1) to increase endogenous tmTNF-α expression significantly alleviated TAC-induced cardiac hypertrophy. Importantly, direct addition of exogenous tmTNF-α into cardiomyocytes in vitro significantly reduced ISO-induced cardiac hypertrophy and transcription of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and induced proliferation. The beneficial effects of tmTNF-α were completely blocked by TNFR2 KD in H9C2 cells and TNFR2 KO in primary myocardial cells. Furthermore, we demonstrated that tmTNF-α displayed antihypertrophic and anti-inflammatory effects by activating the AKT pathway and inhibiting the nuclear factor (NF)-κB pathway via TNFR2. Our data suggest that tmTNF-α exerts cardioprotective effects via TNFR2. Specific targeting of tmTNF-α processing, rather than anti-TNF therapy, may be more useful for the treatment of hypertrophy and HF.
The two kinds of free energy and the Bayesian revolution
Authors: Gottwald Sebastian , Braun Daniel A.
Published: December 2020

The concept of free energy has its origins in 19th century thermodynamics, but has recently found its way into the behavioral and neural sciences, where it has been promoted for its wide applicability and has even been suggested as a fundamental principle of understanding intelligent behavior and brain function. We argue that there are essentially two different notions of free energy in current models of intelligent agency, that can both be considered as applications of Bayesian inference to the problem of action selection: one that appears when trading off accuracy and uncertainty based on a general maximum entropy principle, and one that formulates action selection in terms of minimizing an error measure that quantifies deviations of beliefs and policies from given reference models. The first approach provides a normative rule for action selection in the face of model uncertainty or when information processing capabilities are limited. The second approach directly aims to formulate the action selection problem as an inference problem in the context of Bayesian brain theories, also known as Active Inference in the literature. We elucidate the main ideas and discuss critical technical and conceptual issues revolving around these two notions of free energy that both claim to apply at all levels of decision-making, from the high-level deliberation of reasoning down to the low-level information processing of perception.
Biologically-informed neural networks guide mechanistic modeling from sparse experimental data
Authors: Lagergren John H. , Nardini John T. , Baker Ruth E. , Simpson Matthew J. , Flores Kevin B.
Published: December 2020

Biologically-informed neural networks (BINNs), an extension of physics-informed neural networks [1], are introduced and used to discover the underlying dynamics of biological systems from sparse experimental data. In the present work, BINNs are trained in a supervised learning framework to approximate in vitro cell biology assay experiments while respecting a generalized form of the governing reaction-diffusion partial differential equation (PDE). By allowing the diffusion and reaction terms to be multilayer perceptrons (MLPs), the nonlinear forms of these terms can be learned while simultaneously converging to the solution of the governing PDE. Further, the trained MLPs are used to guide the selection of biologically interpretable mechanistic forms of the PDE terms which provides new insights into the biological and physical mechanisms that govern the dynamics of the observed system. The method is evaluated on sparse real-world data from wound healing assays with varying initial cell densities [2].
Adenovirus vectored IFN-α protects mice from lethal challenge of Chikungunya virus infection
Authors: Chen Huixin , Min Nyo , Ma Luyao , Mok Chee-Keng , Chu Justin Jang Hann
Published: December 2020

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that is responsible for numerous large and geographical epidemics, causing millions of cases. However, there is no vaccine or therapeutics against CHIKV infection available. Interferon-alpha (IFN-α) has been shown to produce potent antiviral responses during viral infection. Herein we demonstrated the use of an adenovirus-vectored expressed mouse IFN-α (mDEF201) as a prophylactic and therapeutic treatment against CHIKV in vivo. 6-day-old BALB/c mice were pre- or post-treated intranasally with single dose of mDEF201 at 5 x 106 PFU per mouse and challenged with lethal dose of CHIKV. Complete survival protection was observed in mice upon a single dose of mDEF201 administration 1 days prior to virus challenge. Viral load in the serum and multiple organs were significantly reduced upon mDEF201 administration in a dose dependent manner as compare with adenovirus 5 vector placebo set. Histological analysis of the mice tissue revealed that mDEF201 could significantly reduce the tissue morphological abnormities, mainly infiltration of immune cells and muscle fibre necrosis caused by CHIKV infection. In addition, administration of mDEF201 at 6 hours post CHIKV challenge also showed promising inhibitory effect against viral replication and dissemination. In conclusion, single-dose of intranasal administration with mDEF201 as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent within 6 hours post CHIKV infection is highly protective against a lethal challenge of CHIKV in the murine model.
Effects of land-use change and related pressures on alien and native subsets of island communities
Authors: Sánchez-Ortiz Katia , Taylor Kara J. M. , De Palma Adriana , Essl Franz , Dawson Wayne , Kreft Holger , Pergl Jan , Pyšek Petr , van Kleunen Mark , Weigelt Patrick , Purvis Andy
Published: December 2020

Island species and habitats are particularly vulnerable to human disturbances, and anthropogenic changes are increasingly overwriting natural island biogeographic patterns. However, quantitative comparisons of how native and alien assemblages respond to human disturbances are scarce. Using data from 6,242 species of vertebrates, invertebrates and plants, from 7,718 sites on 81 islands, we model how land-use change, human population density and distance to the nearest road affect local assemblages of alien and native species on islands. We found that land-use change reduces both richness and abundance of native species, whereas the number and abundance of alien species are high in plantation forests and agricultural or urban sites. In contrast to the long-established pattern for native species (i.e., decline in species number with island isolation), more isolated islands have more alien species across most land uses than do less isolated islands. We show that alien species play a major role in the turnover of island assemblages: our models show that aliens outnumber natives among the species present at disturbed sites but absent from minimally-disturbed primary vegetation. Finally, we found a homogenization pattern for both native and alien assemblages across sites within most land uses. The declines of native species on islands in the face of human pressures, and the particular proneness to invasions of the more remote islands, highlight the need to reduce the intensity of human pressures on islands and to prevent the introduction and establishment of alien species.
A novel prevascularized tissue-engineered chamber as a site for allogeneic and xenogeneic islet transplantation to establish a bioartificial pancreas
Authors: Liu Yanzhuo , Yang Maozhu , Cui Yuanyuan , Yao Yuanyuan , Liao Minxue , Yuan Hao , Gong Guojin , Deng Shaoping , Zhao Gaoping
Published: December 2020

Although sites for clinical or experimental islet transplantation are well established, pancreatic islet survival and function in these locations remain unsatisfactory. A possible factor that might account for this outcome is local hypoxia caused by the limited blood supply. Here, we modified a prevascularized tissue-engineered chamber (TEC) that facilitated the viability and function of the seeded islets in vivo by providing a microvascular network prior to transplantation. TECs were created, filled with Growth Factor-Matrigel™ (Matrigel™) and then implanted into the groins of mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. The degree of microvascularization in each TECs was analyzed by histology, real-time PCR, and Western blotting. Three hundred syngeneic islets were seeded into each chamber on days 0, 14, and 28 post-chamber implantation, and 300, 200, or 100 syngeneic islets were seeded into additional chambers on day 28 post-implantation, respectively. Furthermore, allogeneic or xenogeneic islet transplantation is a potential solution for organ shortage. The feasibility of TECs as transplantation sites for islet allografts or xenografts and treatment with anti-CD45RB and/or anti-CD40L (MR-1) was therefore explored. A highly developed microvascularized network was established in each TEC on day 28 post-implantation. Normalization of blood glucose levels in diabetic mice was negatively correlated with the duration of prevascularization and the number of seeded syngeneic islets. Combined treatment with anti-CD45RB and MR-1 resulted in long-term survival of the grafts following allotransplantation (5/5, 100%) and xenotransplantation (16/20, 80%). Flow cytometry demonstrated that the frequency of CD4+Foxp3-Treg and CD4+IL-4+-Th2 cells increased significantly after tolerogenic xenograft transplantation, while the number of CD4+IFN-γ-Th1 cells decreased. These findings demonstrate that highly developed microvascularized constructs can facilitate the survival of transplanted islets in a TECs, implying its potential application as artificial pancreas in the future.
Sensitivity of radio-photoluminescence glass dosimeters to accumulated doses
Authors: Kim Dong Wook , Sung Jiwon , Son Jaeman , Shin Han-Back , Kim Min-Joo , Noh Yu-Yun , Kim Hojae , Han Min Cheol , Kim Jihun , Han Su Chul , Chang Kyung Hwan , Kim Hojin , Park Kwangwoo , Yoon Myonggeun , Kim Jinsung , Shin Dongho
Published: December 2020

Background

This study investigated the effect of accumulated doses on radio-photoluminescence glass dosimeters (RPLGDs) from measurements involving mega-voltage photons.

Methods

Forty-five commercially available RPLGDs were irradiated to estimate their dose responses. Photon beams of 6, 10, and 15 MV were irradiated onto the RPLGDs inside a phantom, which were divided into five groups with different doses and energies. Groups 1 and 2 were irradiated at 1, 5, 10, 50, and 100 Gy in a sequential manner; Group 3 was irradiated 10 times with a dose of 10 Gy; and Groups 4 and 5 followed the same method as that of Group 3, but with doses of 50 Gy and 100 Gy, respectively. Each device was subjected to a measurement reading procedure each time irradiation.

Results

For the annealed Group 1, RPLGD exhibited a linearity response with variance within 5%. For the non-annealed Group 2, readings demonstrated hyperlinearity at 6 MV and 10 MV, and linearity at 15 MV. Following the 100 Gy irradiation, the readings for Group 2 were 118.7 ± 1.9%, 112.2 ± 2.7%, and 101.5 ± 2.3% at 6, 10, and 15 MV, respectively. For Groups 3, 4, and 5, the responsiveness of the RPLGDs gradually decreased as the number of repeated irradiations increased. The percentage readings for the 10th beam irradiation with respect to the readings for the primary beam irradiation were 84.6 ± 1.9%, 87.5 ± 2.4%, and 93.0 ± 3.0% at 6 MV, 10 MV, and 15 MV, respectively.

Conclusions

The non-annealed RPLGD response to dose was hyperlinear for the 6 MV and 10 MV photon beams but not for the 15 MV photon beam. Additionally, the annealed RPLGD exhibited a fading phenomenon when the measurement was repeated several times and demonstrated a relatively large fading effect at low energies than at high energies.
Time after ostomy surgery and type of treatment are associated with quality of life changes in colorectal cancer patients with colostomy
Authors: Silva Karine de Almeida , Duarte Arenamoline Xavier , Cruz Amanda Rodrigues , de Araújo Lúcio Borges , Pena Geórgia das Graças
Published: December 2020

Purpose

Quality of life in colorectal cancer patients may be affected by colostomy and treatment, but relevant studies are still scarce and contradictory. The present study aimed to evaluate the association between colostomy time and treatment type with quality of life in colorectal cancer patients.

Methods

A prospective observational study of 41 patients with colorectal cancer was conducted on three occasions T0, T1 and T2 (0–2; 3–5 and 6–8 months after ostomy surgery, respectively). The treatments prescribed were: surgery alone, chemotherapy or radiotherapy, or chemoradiotherapy. European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer questionnaires were used to evaluate quality of life. Worsening clinical changes were evaluated considering difference in scores between times of surgery ≥±9 points.

Results

Regarding ostomy surgery, scores in physical function improved between T0 and T1 and these better scores were maintained at T1 to T2. The same was observed for urinary frequency, appetite loss and dry mouth. Chemoradiotherapy was associated with worse scores for global health status, nausea and vomiting, bloating and dry mouth. Although significant differences were not observed in some domains in the Generalized Estimating Equations analysis, patients showed noticeable changes for the worse in the pain, anxiety, weight concern, flatulence and embarrassment domains during these periods.

Conclusions

Colostomy improved quality of life at 3–5 months in most domains of quality of life and remained better at 6–8 months after surgery. Chemoradiotherapy had a late negative influence on quality of life. Health teams could use these results to reassure patients that this procedure will improve their quality of life in many functional and symptomatic aspects.
SeqRepo: A system for managing local collections of biological sequences
Authors: Hart Reece K. , Prlić Andreas
Published: December 2020

Motivation

Access to biological sequence data, such as genome, transcript, or protein sequence, is at the core of many bioinformatics analysis workflows. The National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), Ensembl, and other sequence database maintainers provide methods to access sequences through network connections. For many users, the convenience and currency of remotely managed data are compelling, and the network latency is non-consequential. However, for high-throughput and clinical applications, local sequence collections are essential for performance, stability, privacy, and reproducibility.

Results

Here we describe SeqRepo, a novel system for building a local, high-performance, non-redundant collection of biological sequences. SeqRepo enables clients to use primary database identifiers and several digests to identify sequences and sequence alises. SeqRepo provides a native Python interface and a REST interface, which can run locally and enables access from other programming languages. SeqRepo also provides an alternative REST interface based on the GA4GH refget protocol.

SeqRepo provides fast random access to sequence slices. We provide results that demonstrate that a local SeqRepo sequence collection yields significant performance benefits of up to 1300-fold over remote sequence collections. In our use case for a variant validation and normalization pipeline, SeqRepo improved throughput 50-fold relative to use with remote sequences. SeqRepo may be used with any species or sequence type. Regular snapshots of Human sequence collections are available.

It is often convenient or necessary to use a computed digest as a sequence identifier. For example, a digest-based identifier may be used to refer to proprietary reference genomes or segments of a graph genome, for which conventional identifiers will not be available. Here we also introduce a convention for the application of the SHA-512 hashing algorithm with Base64 encoding to generate URL-safe identifiers. This convention, sha512t24u, combines a fast digest mechanism with a space-efficient representation that can be used for any object. Our report includes an analysis of timing and collision probabilities for sha512t24u. SeqRepo enables clients to use sha512t24u as identifiers, thereby seamlessly integrating public and private sequence sets.

Availability

SeqRepo is released under the Apache License 2.0 and is available on github and PyPi. Docker images and database snapshots are also available. See https://github.com/biocommons/biocommons.seqrepo.
Roles of Insulin Receptor Substrates (IRS) in renal function and renal hemodynamics
Authors: Hashimoto Seiji , Maoka Tomochika , Kawata Tetsuya , Mochizuki Toshio , Koike Takao , Shigematsu Takashi
Published: December 2020

We have reported previously that renal hemodynamic abnormalities exist in the prediabetic stage of type II diabetic rats. At this prediabetic stage these rats have hyperinsulinemia, insulin resistance and metabolic syndrome. It is well known that insulin resistance is frequently associated with renal abnormalities, but the mechanism underlying this association has remained speculative. Although insulin is known to modify renal hemodynamics, little is known about the roles of insulin receptor substrates (IRS1, IRS2) in the renal actions of insulin. To address this issue, the effects of insulin on renal function and renal hemodynamics were investigated in C57BL/6 (WT: wild type), insulin receptor substrate 1- knockout (IRS1–/–), and IRS2-knockout (IRS2–/–) mice. IRS2–/–mice had elevated glucose level as expected. 24-h urine collections and serum creatinine revealed that creatinine clearance did not significantly differ between these groups. Albuminuria was found inIRS1–/–andIRS2–/–groups. We examined the effects on the IRS during the administration of Losartan, which is widely used for diabetic nephropathy. After the administration of Losartan the IRS displayed improved renal hemodynamics. Moreover, the subjects were also given Pioglitazone, which improves insulin resistance. Losartan significantly reduced albuminuria in both groups. Pioglitazone also showed similar results. We assessed the autoregulatory responses of the total renal blood flow (RBF), the superficial (SBF) and the deep renal cortical blood flow (DBF) with stepwise reductions of renal perfusion pressure (RPP), which was induced by a manual clamp on the abdominal aorta. During the clamp induced reductions of the RPP by 10 to 20mm HG, RBF, SBF and the DBF fell significantly more in the IRS1 and IRS2 than in the WT mice. Furthermore micropuncture studies showded that compared to the WT tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) responses of the stop flow pressure (Psf) were reduced in both theIRS1 -/-andIRS2 -/-. The results of the IRS1 and IRS2 mice displayed the pressence of hemodynamic abnormalities. Losartan and Pioglitazone have shown the potential to improve these abnormalities. In conclusion the results indicate that IRS plays a major role in the stimulation of renal functions and renal hemodynamics in type type II diabetes.
Can scholarly pirate libraries bridge the knowledge access gap? An empirical study on the structural conditions of book piracy in global and European academia
Authors: Bodó Balázs , Antal Dániel , Puha Zoltán
Published: December 2020

Library Genesis is one of the oldest and largest illegal scholarly book collections online. Without the authorization of copyright holders, this shadow library hosts and makes more than 2 million scholarly publications, monographs, and textbooks available. This paper analyzes a set of weblogs of one of the Library Genesis mirrors, provided to us by one of the service’s administrators. We reconstruct the social and economic factors that drive the global and European demand for illicit scholarly literature. In particular, we test if lower income regions can compensate for the shortcomings in legal access infrastructures by more intensive use of illicit open resources. We found that while richer regions are the most intensive users of shadow libraries, poorer regions face structural limitations that prevent them from fully capitalizing on freely accessible knowledge. We discuss these findings in the wider context of open access publishing, and point out that open access knowledge, if not met with proper knowledge absorption infrastructures, has limited usefulness in addressing knowledge access and production inequalities.
In vitro comparison of performance including imposed work of breathing of CPAP systems used in low-resource settings
Authors: Heenan Megan , Rojas Jose D. , Oden Z. Maria , Richards-Kortum Rebecca
Published: December 2020

Respiratory distress due to preterm birth is a significant cause of death in low-resource settings. The introduction of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) systems to treat respiratory distress significantly reduced mortality in high-resource settings, but CPAP was only recently introduced in low-resource settings due to cost and infrastructure limitations. We evaluated pressure stability and imposed work of breathing (iWOB) of five CPAP systems used in low resource settings: the Fisher and Paykel bubble CPAP, the Diamedica baby CPAP, the Medijet nCPAP generator, and the first (2015) and second (2017) generation commercially available Pumani CPAPs. Pressure changes due to fresh gas flow were evaluated for each system by examining the relationship between flow and pressure at the patient interface for four pressures generated at the bottle (0, 3, 5, and 7 cm H2O); for the Medijet nCPAP generator, no bottle was used. The slope of the resulting relationship was used to calculate system resistance. Poiseuille’s law of resistance was used to investigate significant contributors to resistance. Resistance ranged from 0.05 to 1.40 cmH2OL/min; three CPAP devices had resistances < 0.4 cmH2OL/min: the Fisher and Paykel system, the Diamedica system, and the second generation Pumani bubble CPAP. The other two systems, the Medijet nCPAP generator and the first generation Pumani bCPAP, had resistances >1.0 cmH2OL/min. Imposed WOB was measured using an ASL5000 test lung to simulate the breath cycle for an infant (5.5 kg), a term neonate (4.0 kg), and a preterm neonate (2.5 kg). Imposed WOB ranged from 1.4 to 39.5 mJ/breath across all systems and simulated infant sizes. Changes in pressure generated by fresh gas flow, resistance, and iWOB differ between the five systems evaluated under ideal laboratory conditions. The available literature does not indicate that these differences affect clinical outcomes.
Morphological description of a novel synthetic allotetraploid(A1A1G3G3) of Gossypium herbaceum L.and G.nelsonii Fryx. suitable for disease-resistant breeding applications
Authors: Yin Xiaomin , Zhan Rulin , He Yingdui , Song Shun , Wang Lixia , Ge Yu , Chen Di
Published: December 2020

Wild species ofGossypiumssp. are an important source of traits for improving commercial cotton cultivars. Previous reports show thatGossypium herbaceumL. andGossypium nelsoniiFryx. have better disease resistance characteristics than commercial cotton varieties. However, chromosome ploidy and biological isolation make it difficult to hybridize diploid species with the tetraploidGossypium hirsutumL. We developed a new allotetraploid cotton genotype (A1A1G3G3) using a process of distant hybridization within wild cotton species to create new germplasms. First of all,G.herbaceumandG.nelsoniiwere used for interspecific hybridization to obtain F1generation. Afterwards, apical meristems of the F1diploid cotton plants were treated with colchicine to induce chromosome doubling. The new interspecific F1hybrid and S1cotton plants originated from chromosome duplication, were tested via morphological and molecular markers and confirmed their tetraploidy through flowrometric and cytological identification. The S1tetraploid cotton plants was crossed with a TM-1 line and fertile hybrid offspring were obtained. These S2offsprings were tested for resistance to Verticillium wilt and demonstrated adequate tolerance to this fungi. The results shows that the new S1cotton line could be used as parental material for hybridization withG.hirsutumto produce pathogen-resistant cotton hybrids. This new S1allotetraploid genotype will contributes to the enrichment ofGossypiumgermplasm resources and is expected to be valuable in polyploidy evolutionary studies.