bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Potato peel alleviation of the negative effects of salinity in bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Valentine’)
Authors: Al-Tabbal Jalal Ahmed Said Mohammad
Published: February 2021

Soil salinity is a serious problem that negatively affects the productivity of plants. Reducing the impact of salinity to sustain production is a goal of scientists. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of potato peel amendments at different rates in reducing the negative impact of saline water. Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Valentine’) was grown in soil mixed with potato peel at different rates (0%, 2.5%, 5%, and 7.5%). To achieve this objective, plants were irrigated with three levels of saline water (0, 50, and 100 mmol L−1) to induce stress at the vegetative stage. The results demonstrated the significant reduction in physiological parameters, plant growth, and yield of common bean after irrigation with saline water. Soil amendment with different rates of potato peel significantly increased the number of pods per plant, weight of pods per plant, pod length, chlorophyll content, and relative water content of common bean irrigated with saline water (50 mmol L−1) as compared with non-amended soil. Potato peel application also reduced electrolyte leakage and improved soil properties by reducing the salinity of the soil. Furthermore, among all potato peel rates used in this investigation, the 7.5% rate had a better result for common bean production. Conversely, potato peel did not improve the yield of beans grown under a high concentration of saline water (100 mmol L−1). In conclusion, soil amendments with potato peel at a 7.5% rate could be successfully used as a cost effective management practice to enhance bean production in soils stressed with high salt content.
Evaluating the Performance of a WRF Physics Ensemble in Simulating Rainfall over Lao PDR during Wet and Dry Seasons
Authors: Athukorala Rajitha , Thol Thaileng , Neluwala Panduka , Petri Monica , Sengxeu Sorlaty , Lattada Larxoy , Keomanivong Sengkeo , Sithivong Viengkham
Published: February 2021

Dynamical downscaling of General Circulation Model (GCM) data for any region has been made possible due to a set of physics options and model dynamics within the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. This study evaluated the performance of an ensemble of physics options in simulating rainfall during wet and dry seasons of Lao PDR. The model evaluation criteria focused on identifying the optimum physics options for a range of scenarios. No single combination of physics options performed well in all scenarios reflecting the importance of using different parameterizations according to the geographic location and the intended application of the results. For the dry season, none of the ensemble members performed satisfactorily for the southern region of Lao PDR, while all the ensemble members performed well for the northern and central regions. While almost all the WRF simulations overestimated the rainfall during the wet season, BMJ for cumulus physics performed better in the northern and central regions, and KF performed better in the south region. The YSU scheme performed best as the planetary boundary layer for both wet and dry seasons, while WSM5 for the wet season and Lin for the dry season gave the best model performance as the microphysics option.
Parametric Studies of Laminated Cooling Configurations: Overall Cooling Effectiveness
Authors: Wang Chen , Wang Chunhua , Zhang Jingzhou
Published: February 2021

Combing the advantages of film cooling, impingement cooling, and enhanced cooling by pin fins, laminated cooling is attracting more and more attention. This study investigates the effects of geometric and thermodynamic parameters on overall cooling effectiveness of laminated configuration, and model experiments were carried out to validate the numerical results. It is found that the increases in film cooling hole diameter and pin fin diameter both result in the increase in cooling effectiveness, but the increases in impingement hole diameter, impingement height, and spanwise hole pitch degrade the cooling performance. The increase of the coolant flow rate causes the increase in cooling efficiency, but this effect becomes weaker at a high coolant flow rate. The coolant-to-mainstream density ratio has no obvious effect on cooling effectiveness but affects wall temperature obviously. Moreover, based on the numerical results, an empirical correlation is developed to predict the overall cooling efficiency in a specific range, and a genetic algorithm is applied to determine the empirical parameters. Compared with the numerical results, the mean prediction error (relative value) of the correlation can reach 8.3%.
A Novel Dynamic Absorber with Variable Frequency and Damping
Authors: Wang Tian , Tian Ruilan , Yang Xinwei , Zhang Ziwen , Zhang Xiaolong
Published: February 2021

Smoothness and discontinuous (SD) oscillator is a nonlinear oscillator with the variable frequency, whose frequency can be varied with the smoothing parameter. However, how to adjust the smoothing parameter has not been solved in the actual device. In this paper, the shape memory alloy (SMA) is introduced into the SD oscillator to form the SMA‐SD oscillator to adjust the smoothing parameters. Combining the SMA‐SD oscillator with MRF, a nonlinear dynamic vibration absorber (DVA) with variable frequency and damping is designed. The structure and control principle of the designed DVA is studied to achieve the two variable characteristics simultaneously by adjusting the current intensity. Numerical results on a two‐degree‐of‐freedom coupled system show that the proposed DVA can adapt to different working conditions only by adjusting the current intensity.
Research on the Influence of Time‐Varying Excitation on Vibration Characteristics of the Spiral Bevel Geared Transmission System with Broken Teeth
Authors: Yang Dalian , Chen Liman , Jiang Lingli , Wang Ping , Tao Jie
Published: February 2021

Due to heavy and alternating loads of working conditions, spiral bevel gears are prone to broken tooth failures. To solve the problem of vibration characteristic of spiral bevel geared transmission with broken tooth failures that is unknown, this study, considering time‐varying mesh stiffness and friction excitation, proposed a torsional vibration dynamic model of spiral bevel geared transmission, which has more simple transmission path and the smaller signal attenuation. First, the time‐varying excitations of various broken tooth failure are calculated and introduced into the torsional vibration dynamic model. The vibration response of spiral bevel geared transmission with various broken tooth failures is analysed in the time‐frequency domain. Then, the sensitivity of the time‐domain statistical index and the frequency domain components to different broken tooth failures are studied. Finally, the correctness of the simulation is verified by experiment. The results show that the crest factor is sensitive to minor tooth failure (10–30%), while kurtosis is sensitive to severe failure (30–60%). With the increase of degrees of broken tooth failure, the energy of the low‐frequency band increases obviously.
LKB1/STK11 Is a Tumor Suppressor in the Progression of Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Authors: Marinaccio Christian , Suraneni Praveen , Celik Hamza , Volk Andrew , Wen Qiang Jeremy , Ling Te , Bulic Marinka , Lasho Terra , Koche Richard P. , Famulare Christopher A. , Farnoud Noushin , Stein Brady , Schieber Michael , Gurbuxani Sandeep , Root David E. , Younger Scott T. , Hoffman Ronald , Gangat Naseema , Ntziachristos Panagiotis , Chandel Navdeep S. , Levine Ross L. , Rampal Raajit K. , Challen Grant A. , Tefferi Ayalew , Crispino John D.
Published: February 2021

The myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPN) frequently progress to blast phase disease, an aggressive form of acute myeloid leukemia. To identify genes that suppress disease progression, we performed a focused CRISPR/Cas9 screen and discovered that depletion of LKB1/Stk11 led to enhanced in vitro self-renewal of murine MPN cells. Deletion of Stk11 in a mouse MPN model caused rapid lethality with enhanced fibrosis, osteosclerosis, and an accumulation of immature cells in the bone marrow, as well as enhanced engraftment of primary human MPN cells in vivo. LKB1 loss was associated with increased mitochondrial reactive oxygen species and stabilization of HIF1α, and downregulation of LKB1 and increased levels of HIF1α were observed in human blast phase MPN specimens. Of note, we observed strong concordance of pathways that were enriched in murine MPN cells with LKB1 loss with those enriched in blast phase MPN patient specimens, supporting the conclusion that STK11 is a tumor suppressor in the MPNs.

Significance:

Progression of the myeloproliferative neoplasms to acute myeloid leukemia occurs in a substantial number of cases, but the genetic basis has been unclear. We discovered that loss of LKB1/STK11 leads to stabilization of HIF1a and promotes disease progression. This observation provides a potential therapeutic avenue for targeting progression.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 1307
Acute Dystonic Reaction in a 14-Year-Old Boy after Accidental Overuse of Nasal Metoclopramide
Authors: Zikidou Panagiota , Meziridou Rozeta , Alexiadou Sonia , Mantadakis Elpis
Published: February 2021

We present the case of a 14-year-old boy who developed an acute dystonic reaction 5 h following the overuse of a nasal metoclopramide spray that his mother gave him thinking it was a nasal decongestant. The patient had torticollis and intense motor restlessness, while he was fully conscious and hemodynamically stable. All laboratory investigations were normal. He was treated with a single dose of biperiden intravenously with direct disappearance of the symptoms. Children are particularly susceptible to the extrapyramidal side effects of metoclopramide that can occur irrespective of the route of administration.
On the Possibility of Self-Transcendence: Philosophical Counseling, Zen, and the Psychological Perspective
Authors: Blass Rachel B.
Published: February 2021

This paper distinguishes between two conceptions of philosophical counseling. The one focuses on the clarification of the individual’s psychological and philosophical self and the other on the transcendence of that self. A comparison of the latter conception with the self-transcendence that rakes place through Zen Buddhism contributes to the examination of the question of whether philosophical counseling can indeed overcome potential psychological obstacles to attaining a transcendent aim. Possible influences of the integration of psychological intervention into the philosophical search for transcendence are also discussed.
The Effects of Time Pressure on Temporal Overestimation Due to Threat
Authors: Tipples Jason , Lupton Michael , George David
Published: February 2021

How does emotion change the way we perceive time? Studies have shown that we overestimate the duration of faces that express anger of fear – an effect that has been explained as due the speeding of a pacemaker that resides within an internal clock. Here, we test the idea that attending longer to facial threat leads to an overestimation of time. Seventy participants (16 male) estimated the duration of angry, fearful and neutral expressions under conditions designed to either reduce attention to time (by emphasising speedy responses) or lengthen attention to time (by emphasising accuracy). Results were modelled using Bayesian Multilevel Logistic Regression. The results replicate previous findings: speed emphasis reduced temporal sensitivity and led to both a higher overall proportion of long responses and faster reaction times. Facial threat attenuated the drop in temporal sensitivity due to speed instructions supporting the idea that people prolong attention to threat (even when they are not directly instructed to do so). We relate the findings to research into attention bias to threat and more broadly to models of perceptual decision making.
Molecular investigation of a RSV outbreak in a geriatric hospital
Authors: Hababou Yohan , Taleb Assia , Recoing Amélie , Moreau Frédérique , Simon Isabelle , Muller de Schongor Florence , Gault Elyanne , Rameix-Welti Marie-Anne
Published: February 2021

Background

Acquired infections in hospitalized elderly people are a growing concern. In long-term care facilities with multiple staff and visitor contacts, virus outbreaks are a common challenge for infection prevention teams. Although several studies have reported nosocomial RSV outbreaks in long term care facilities, molecular epidemiology data are scarce.

Methods

RSV RNA was detected in respiratory samples from 19 patients in a long-term care hospital for elderly in Paris in March 2019 over a 3 weeks period. Genotyping was performed using nucleotide sequencing. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of cases part of a unique cluster, were retrospectively reviewed.

Results

Molecular investigation of theses RSV cases, revealed a unique cluster of 12 nosocomial cases in 2 adjacent wards. Mean age of these outbreak’s cases was 89. All patients had underlying medical conditions. Seven exhibited lower respiratory symptoms and three experienced decompensation of underlying chronic heart condition. Two patients died.

Conclusions

This case report highlights the importance of RSV in causing substantial disease in elderly in case of nosocomial outbreak and the contributions of molecular epidemiology in investigation and management of such outbreak.
Effects of health education on spousal knowledge and participation in birth preparedness in Farafenni Regional Hospital, The Gambia: a randomized trial
Authors: Tunkara- Bah Haddy , Adeyemo Florence O. , Okonofua Friday E.
Published: February 2021

Background

The Gambia is a male-dominant society in which the cultural norms empower husbands to decide when and where their wives seek care, yet they are not always involved in maternal health care services. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to design and measure the effects of antenatal health education on spousal participation in birth preparedness in Farafenni and satellite villages.

Methods

The study used a quasi-experimental design, and the participants were 300 spouses of pregnant women attending their antenatal care booking at Farafenni Hospital. A multistage sampling method was used to select the study participants who were then equally distributed to the intervention and comparison groups. Pre-test data were collected from both groups. Thereafter, the intervention group was exposed to two health education sessions on obstetric danger signs and birth preparedness. The post-test data were collected immediately before discharge of the participants’ wives after institutional delivery or within 2 weeks post-delivery for those who did not accompany their wives to the health care institution, or whose wives delivered at home. IBM SPSS version 21 software was used to analyze the data.

Results

The differences between the demographic characteristics of participants in the intervention and comparison groups were not statistically significant except for the highest level of education achieved. After controlling for the demographic variables, the health education administered to the intervention group effectively increased knowledge on birth preparedness among them (F (1, 255) = 376.108, p < .001). Every unit increase in the intervention led to a unit increase in the spouses’ knowledge on birth preparedness (β = 0.789, p <  0.001). Furthermore, the participants in the intervention group had higher mean score (M = 4.4; SD = 0.8) on participation in birth preparedness than those in the comparison group (M = 0.9; SD = 0.8). The spouses in the intervention group were four times more likely to be prepared for the delivery of their wives after being exposed to the health education than those in the comparison group (F (1, 255) = 522.414, p < .001).

Conclusion

The study provides evidence that educating men on maternal health care can improve their level of participation in birth preparedness.

Trial registration

Name of Registry: Pan African Clinical Trial Registry (www.pactr.org). Registry Number:PACTR202004752273171. Date of Registration: 19th April 2020. Retrospectively Registered.
A 4-gene signature predicts prognosis of uterine serous carcinoma
Authors: Chen Hui , Li Lingjun , Qin Ping , Xiong Hanzhen , Chen Ruichao , Zhang Minfen , Jiang Qingping
Published: February 2021

Background

Uterine serous carcinoma (USC) is an aggressive type of endometrial cancer that accounts for up to 40% of endometrial cancer deaths, creating an urgent need for prognostic biomarkers.

Methods

USC RNA-Seq data and corresponding patients’ clinical records were obtained from The Cancer Genome Atlas and Genotype-Tissue Expression datasets. Univariate cox, Lasso, and Multivariate cox regression analyses were conducted to forge a prognostic signature. Multivariable and univariable cox regression analysis and ROC curve evaluated the prediction efficiency both in the training and testing sets.

Results

We uncovered 1385 genes dysregulated in 110 cases of USC tissue relative to 113 cases of normal uterine tissue. Functional enrichment analysis of these genes revealed the involvement of various cancer-related pathways in USC. A novel 4-gene signature (KRT23, CXCL1, SOX9 and ABCA10) of USC prognosis was finally forged by serial regression analyses. Overall patient survival (OS) and recurrence-free survival (RFS) were significantly lower in the high-risk group relative to the low-risk group in both the training and testing sets. The area under the ROC curve of the 4-gene signature was highest among clinicopathological features in predicting OS and RFS. The 4-gene signature was found to be an independent prognostic indicator in USC and was a superior predictor of OS in early stage of USC.

Conclusions

Our findings highlight the potential of the 4-gene signature as a guide for personalized USC treatment.
Reasons for explantation of phakic intraocular lenses and associated perioperative complications: cross-sectional explant registry analysis
Authors: Yildirim Timur M. , Khoramnia Ramin , Son Hyeck-Soo , Mayer Christian S. , Łabuz Grzegorz , Munro Donald J. , Auffarth Gerd U.
Published: February 2021

Background

We discuss the safety, since their introduction, of phakic intraocular lenses (pIOLs) to correct refractive errors in healthy eyes. We investigated the reasons for pIOL explantation and the associated perioperative complications.

Methods

This retrospective, cross-sectional study included 69 pIOLs, explanted at a single tertiary center between July 2005 and March 2020: 34 angle-supported (G1), 28 iris-fixated (G2) and seven posterior chamber (G3) pIOLs. Case data including the reason for explantation was taken from the patient records. Intra- and postoperative complications were evaluated for an association with the pIOL.

Results

The mean duration in the eye was 10.4 (0.2–28) years. Cataractogenesis and subsequent surgery that required pIOL explantation was the reason in 42% of all cases. In 22%, cataract in combination with endothelial damage prompted explantation, with 26, 18 and 14% for G1, G2 and G3 respectively. The second most common reasons were corneal damage alone in the angle-supported group (26%), IOL subluxation in the iris-fixated group (18%), and photopic disturbance in the posterior chamber group (29%). In 68% of all explantations, the surgical course was unremarkable, while in the remaining cases perioperative complications were associated with the lens in 45.7%.

Conclusion

Overall, the need for cataract surgery was the most common reason for pIOL explantation. Corneal complications were more frequent in the angle-supported pIOLs and their removal was associated with higher rates of complication compared to the other groups.
Integrated analysis of differentially expressed genes and construction of a competing endogenous RNA network in human Huntington neural progenitor cells
Authors: Tan Xiaoping , Liu Yang , Zhang Taiming , Cong Shuyan
Published: February 2021

Background

Huntington's disease (HD) is one of the most common polyglutamine disorders, leading to progressive dyskinesia, cognitive impairment, and neuropsychological problems. Besides the dysregulation of many protein-coding genes in HD, previous studies have revealed a variety of non-coding RNAs that are also dysregulated in HD, including several long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). However, an integrated analysis of differentially expressed (DE) genes based on a competing endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network is still currently lacking.

Methods

In this study, we have systematically analyzed the gene expression profile data of neural progenitor cells (NPCs) derived from patients with HD and controls (healthy controls and the isogenic controls of HD patient cell lines corrected using a CRISPR-Cas9 approach at the HTT locus) to screen out DE mRNAs and DE lncRNAs and create a ceRNA network. To learn more about the possible functions of lncRNAs in the ceRNA regulatory network in HD, we conducted a functional analysis of Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and established a protein–protein interaction (PPI) network for mRNAs interacting with these lncRNAs.

Results

We identified 490 DE mRNAs and 94 DE lncRNAs, respectively. Of these, 189 mRNAs and 20 lncRNAs were applied to create a ceRNA network. The results showed that the function of DE lncRNAs mainly correlated with transcriptional regulation as demonstrated by GO analysis. Also, KEGG enrichment analysis showed these lncRNAs were involved in tumor necrosis factor, calcium, Wnt, and NF-kappa B signaling pathways. Interestingly, the PPI network revealed that a variety of transcription factors in the ceRNA network interacted with each other, suggesting such lncRNAs may regulate transcription in HD by controlling the expression of such protein-coding genes, especially transcription factors.

Conclusions

Our research provides new clues for uncovering the mechanisms of lncRNAs in HD and can be used as the focus for further investigation.
Quantitative proteomics analysis of Mycoplasma pneumoniae identifies potential macrolide resistance determinants
Authors: Li Shaoli , Xue Guanhua , Zhao Hanqing , Feng Yanling , Yan Chao , Cui Jinghua , Xie Xianghui , Yuan Jing
Published: February 2021

Mycoplasma pneumoniae is one of the leading causes of community-acquired pneumonia in children and adolescents. Because of the wide application of macrolides in clinical treatment, macrolide-resistant M. pneumoniae strains have become increasingly common worldwide. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying drug resistance in M. pneumoniae are poorly understood. In the present work, we analyzed the whole proteomes of macrolide-sensitive and macrolide-resistant strains of M. pneumoniae using a tandem mass tag-labeling quantitative proteomic technique, Data are available via ProteomeXchange with identifier PXD022220. In total, 165 differentially expressed proteins were identified, of which 80 were upregulated and 85 were downregulated in the drug-resistant strain compared with the sensitive strain. Functional analysis revealed that these proteins were predominantly involved in protein and peptide biosynthesis processes, the ribosome, and transmembrane transporter activity, which implicates them in the mechanism(s) of resistance of M. pneumoniae to macrolides. Our results provide new insights into drug resistance in M. pneumoniae and identify potential targets for further studies on resistance mechanisms in this bacterium.
Weighted average current method for active damping control based on grid voltage feed-forward
Authors: Li Shengqing , Li Xinluo , Lee Xiaobao
Published: February 2021

In the weak current network environment, the existence of power network impedance will reduce the current control stability margin of LCL grid connected inverter, the stability margin will gradually deteriorate as the inductive component of the power network impedance increases, leading to system instability. In this paper, an improved weighted average current control strategy is proposed, which is based on the active damping control of the voltage feedforward of the charged network. In the new control strategy, with the zero-pole cancellation method, a new weighting coefficient related only to the parameters of LCL filter is obtained, which reduces the order of the system, suppresses the influence of power network impedance, and improves the stabilization of the system, getting better inverter output current quality. Then the influence of power network impedance on the control system of grid connected inverter is analyzed, and the feed-forward control of grid voltage is improved to improve the stability of inverter in weak current network. The Bode diagram analysis and MATLAB simulation results proved that the proposed control strategy is feasible.
The impact of close surgical margins on recurrence in oral squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Solomon Joseph , Hinther Ashley , Matthews T. Wayne , Nakoneshny Steven C. , Hart Rob , Dort Joseph C. , Chandarana Shamir P.
Published: February 2021

Background

Close margins influence treatment and outcome in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). This study evaluates 187 cases of surgically treated OSCC regarding the impact of close margins on recurrence-free survival (RFS) and disease-specific survival (DSS).

Methods

Predictors of worsened outcome were identified using Kaplan-Meier analysis and multivariate Cox regression analysis.

Results

Tumour size [HR:1.70(0.95–3.08)], nodal status [HR:2.15(1.00–4.64)], presence of extracapsular spread (ECS) [HR:6.36(2.41–16.74)] and smoking history [HR:2.87(1.19–6.86)] were associated with worsened RFS. Similar factors were associated with worsened DSS. Close margins did not influence RFS or DSS.

Conclusions

While most conventional risk factors for OSCC conferred a worsened outcome, close margins did not. One explanation for this would be that close margins (< 5 mm) are equivalent to clear margins and the cutoff definition for a close margin should be re-evaluated. Lack of standardized pathology could also reduce accuracy of reporting of close surgical margins.

Graphical Abstract
Comparable emotional dynamics in women with ADHD and borderline personality disorder
Authors: Moukhtarian Talar R. , Reinhard Iris , Moran Paul , Ryckaert Celine , Skirrow Caroline , Ebner-Priemer Ulrich , Asherson Philip
Published: February 2021

Background

Emotional dysregulation (ED) is a core diagnostic symptom in borderline personality disorder (BPD) and an associated feature of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). We aimed to investigate differences in dynamical indices of ED in daily life in ADHD and BPD.

Methods

We used experience sampling method (ESM) and multilevel modelling to assess momentary changes in reports of affective symptoms, and retrospective questionnaire measures of ED in a sample of 98 adult females with ADHD, BPD, comorbid ADHD+BPD and healthy controls.

Results

We found marked differences between the clinical groups and healthy controls. However, the ESM assessments did not show differences in the intensity of feeling angry and irritable, and the instability of feeling sad, irritable and angry, findings paralleled by data from retrospective questionnaires. The heightened intensity in negative emotions in the clinical groups compared to controls was only partially explained by bad events at the time of reporting negative emotions, suggesting both reactive and endogenous influences on ED in both ADHD and BPD.

Conclusions

This study supports the view that ED is a valuable trans-diagnostic aspect of psychopathology in both ADHD and BPD, with similar levels of intensity and instability. These findings suggest that the presence or severity of ED should not be used in clinical practice to distinguish between the two disorders.
It’s Time to Change Direction on Agility Research: a Call to Action
Authors: Young Warren , Rayner Russell , Talpey Scott
Published: February 2021

Agility is an important skill for both attackers and defenders in invasion sports such as codes of football. On the sporting field, agility requires reacting to a stimulus, often presented by an opponent’s movement, before a change of direction or speed. There is a plethora of research that examines the movement component of agility in isolation, which is described as change-of-direction (COD) ability, and this is thought to underpin agility performance. This opinion article proposes that COD ability should not be researched as the only or primary outcome measure when the objective is to inform agility performance in invasion sports. It is argued that pre-planned COD movements and tests lack ecological validity because they lack perception-action coupling and involve movement out of context from the game. The movement techniques and strength qualities required for the performance of COD tests can be quite different to those required for agility. It is suggested that COD tests can be applied to sports that involve pre-planned COD movements, but researchers should endeavour to use agility tests when studying invasion sports. Some new methods for assessing one-on-one agility contests are reported as potentially valuable for future research, and examples of research questions are provided.
Electron Dynamics in Molecular Elementary Processes and Chemical Reactions
Authors: Takatsuka Kazuo
Published: February 2021

This account places a particular emphasis on recent progress in the theory and its applications of nonadiabatic electron dynamics in chemical science. After a brief description of the fundamental relevance of the breakdown of the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, we show examples of our extensive and systematic application of electron dynamics to highlight the significance and necessity of beyond-Born-Oppenheimer chemistry. The chemical subjects presented herewith cover (1) characteristic phenomena arising from nonadiabatic dynamics, (2) flow of electrons during chemical reactions and ionization dynamics, (3) symmetry breaking and its possible control in chemical reactions emerging from multi-dimensional nonadiabatic interactions, a special example which can cause possible breakdown of molecular mirror symmetry, (4) physical mechanism of charge separation in organic compounds and biomolecules, (5) essential roles of charge separation and elementary chemical reaction mechanisms in catalytic cycles of Mn oxo complexes up to Mn4CaO5 in water splitting dynamics (2H2O → 4H+ + 4e− + O2), (6) chemical bonds and huge electronic state fluctuation in densely quasi-degenerate electronic manifolds, which make chemistry without the notion of potential energy surfaces, and so on. All these materials and issues have been chosen because they are not directly resolved by the method of energetics based on time-independent quantum chemistry. We thus have been exploring, developing, and cultivating a new chemical realm beyond the Born-Oppenheimer paradigm. This account is closed with a scope about the theory of simultaneous electronic and nuclear quantum wavepacket dynamics.
Electron Density-based Estimation of Diradical Character: An Easy Scheme for DFT/Plane-wave Calculations
Authors: Tada Kohei , Kitagawa Yasutaka , Kawakami Takashi , Okumura Mitsutaka , Tanaka Shingo
Published: February 2021

Density functional theory calculations with plane-wave basis sets are often used for theoretical investigations of solid materials; nevertheless, analysis techniques for open shell structures are insufficient. In this study, we established an electron density-based estimation scheme for the diradical character (y). The values estimated by the proposed and conventional schemes are consistent. Additionally, the estimated y values are qualitatively the same as the experimentally obtained values, and the values obtained using plane-wave and atom-centred basis sets are equal.
Allometric models for estimating aboveground biomass in tree sprouts of three dendroenergetic crops
Authors: Ríos-Saucedo Julio César , Acuña-Carmona Eduardo , Cancino-Cancino Jorge , Corral-Rivas Javier , Rosales-Serna Rigoberto , Valenzuela-Núñez Luis Manuel
Published: February 2021

Recurrent problems have been observed for biomass measurement in tree sprouts, mainly dueto differences in patterns of biomass distribution and the bias generated by using models for mature trees.The objective of this research was to evaluate models to estimate aboveground biomass in sprouts from two-year-old stumps of Short Rotation Woody Crops (SRWC) used for energetic purposes. The study was conducted in Central Chile (Bío-Bío region) under a complete block design and four replications.Three plant species were included: Eucalyptus globulus, E. denticulata, and Acacia dealbata, established in three population densities (5,000, 10,000 and 15,000 trees per ha). Two groups of nonlinear models wereused on three independent variables: root collar diameter (squared mean of two dominant stems), height (mean of two dominant stems) and number of epicormic stems. In the allometric model, the total aboveground biomass and the aboveground biomass by component were explained as the product of the mean square of the root collar diameter, mean height of the two dominant new sprouts and total number of epicormic sprouts as the predictive variable. Values of coefficient of determination (R2) ranged from 0.78 to 0.95 and RMSE ranged from 168 to 913 g. The species of E. globulus showed higher RMSE for biomass estimation in the all components except the branch component. The inclusion of dummy variables to identify the differences in each parameter of the models explained the seasonalityof the biomass accumulation in tree sprouts at 10, 21, and 31 months of age, improving the model goodness of fit RMSE by 27%. Accurate prediction of sprouts aboveground biomass was obtained by the models only evaluating the two dominant epicormic sprouts in the stump, avoiding the need of individual sprouts evaluation or using destructive methods for biomass measurement.
Incidence of pressure ulcer in patients using an alternating pressure mattress overlay: the ACTIVE study
Authors: Meaume Sylvie , Rousseaux Chantal , Marty Marc
Published: February 2021

Objective:

The primary objective was to determine the clinical benefit of using a specific alternating-pressure mattress overlay (APMO) in the prevention of pressure ulcer (PU) in patients at medium to high risk.

Method:

This prospective study was conducted in five rehabilitation centres and three nursing homes. Patients at medium to high risk of PU, but without PU at baseline, and lying between 15 and 20 hours per day on a specific APMO were included. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients who developed a sacral, spine, heel or trochanteric PU (supine support areas) of at least category II, at day 35. All patients were included in the analysis.

Results:

A total of 89 patients were included; of whom six patients (6.7%) dropped out of the study (average (±standard deviation) follow-up 32±5.4 days). No sacral, spine, heel or trochanteric PU of at least category II was reported (i.e., an incidence of 0% [95% Confidence Interval: 0–4.1%] according to the exact Clopper–Pearson method]. Patients were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with the comfort and stability of the APMO. The caregivers assessed as ‘very easy’ or ‘easy’ the implementation, maintenance and use of the APMO (turning over, moving to a sitting position).

Conclusion:

In combination with the usual measures to prevent PU, the results of our study showed a low incidence of PU in high-risk patients lying for between 15 and 20 hours a day on an APMO, use of which is therefore recommended in these patients.
Diversity of antibiotic-producing Actinomycetes in mangrove forest of Torosiaje, Gorontalo, Indonesia
Authors: RETNOWATI YULIANA , SEMBIRING LANGKAH , MOELJOPAWIRO SUKARTI , DJOHAN TJUT SUGANDAWATY , SOETARTO ENDANG SUTARININGSIH
Published: February 2021

Retnowati Y, Sembiring L, Moeljopawiro S, Djohan TS, Soetarto ES. 2017. Diversity of antibiotic-producing actinomycetes in mangrove forest of Torosiaje, Gorontalo, Indonesia. Biodiversitas 18: 1453-1461. Actinomycetes for antibiotic production have been studied at various extreme environments. Mangrove forest of Torosiaje in Gorontalo Province, Indonesia has unique geomorphological conditions where the forest is surrounded by karst ecosystem consisting of fringe and overwash types. Therefore, the objective of this study was to analyze the distribution and diversity of antibiotic-producing Actinomycetes in various rhizosphere including different locations and mangrove species. Samples of rhizosphere soil were collected in the depth of 0-10 cm, which was then subjected to detailed physicochemical analysis. Actinomycetes were collected through heating pre-treatment (60oC for 15 min) followed by culturing in the Starch Casein Agar medium supplemented with cycloheximide and nystatin. The screening process of antibiotic-producing Actinomycetes was based on Agar block method against pathogenic microorganisms. Grouping of Actinomycetes was determined by ARDRA fingerprinting analysis. The diversity of Actinomycetes was analyzed based on sequencing of 16S rDNA. The results showed that the distribution of Actinomycetes was found in overwash type, middle zone and upper zone of fringe type including rhizosphere of 7 species of mangrove. The highest population of Actinomycetes was found in rhizosphere of R. mucronata at the overwash type, and the lowest one found in rhizosphere of R. apiculata at the middle zone of fringe type. A total of 77 isolates amongst 167 isolate collection showed antibacterial activities. Forty seven representatives from 77 antibacterial-activities isolates were selected using ARDRA for partial characterization according to their phylogenetic diversity. Sequencing and analysis of 16S rDNA from selectedrepresentative isolates displayed the presence of members associated with Actinomycetes genera such as Streptomyces, Amycolatopsis, Saccharomonospora, and Nocardiopsis. The member of genus Streptomyces such as Streptomyces qinglanensis and Streptomyces champavatii were distributed across locations. Genus Saccharomonospora and Nocardiopsis were mostly found at the overwash type, while Amycolatopsis was found at the upper zone of fringe type.
Studi Fenomenologi: Ketangguhan (Hardiness) pada Wanita Dewasa Penyandang Disabilitas Tunanetra yang Berwirausaha
Authors: Adi Bintang Estu
Published: February 2021

Untuk bertahan dalam wirausaha, penyandang disabilitas tunanetra harus memiliki tingkat ketangguhan (hardiness) yang tinggi. Hardiness (ketangguhan) adalah konstelasi kepribadian yang menjadikan individu lebih tahan dalam menanggulangi efek negatif stresor. Proses hardiness (ketangguhan) adalah: 1) hardy attitudes; 2) hardy coping; 3) hardy social support; 4) hardy health practices.Penelitian ini menjelaskan dinamika proses ketangguhan (hardiness) pada wanita penyandang disabilitas tunanetra yang berwirausaha. Penelitian ini menggunakan pendekatan kualitatif Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). Teknik pemilihan sampel penelitian ini adalah purposive sampling dengan tiga subjek penelitian, wanita usia dewasa awal, penyandang disabilitas tunanetra berwirausaha dan berinisial STI, AFS dan SRA. Metode pengumpulan data penelitian ini adalah wawancara, observasi dan riwayat hidup.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, motif wirausaha tiap subjek berbeda. Motif wirausaha subjek STI adalah perbaikan ekonomi dan menjadikan sebagai pekerjaan utama. Motif wirausaha subjek AFS adalah membantu suami memperbaiki ekonomi, mandiri finansial dan berbagi dengan lingkungan sekitar melalui wirausaha. Motif wirausaha SRA adalah mencukupi finansial keluarga dan membantu sesama tunanetra untuk belajar. Hambatan STI dalam berwirausaha adalah keterbatasan fisik, sosial dan psikologis, sedangkan pada AFS dan SRA adalah keterbatasan fisik. Proses hardiness yang dilalui ketiga subjek adalah sama, yaitu: 1) hardy attitudes; 2) hardy coping; 3) hardy social support; 4) hardy health practices. Proses tersebut pada akhirnya mengarahkan ketiga subjek untuk mempertahankan wirausaha hingga saat ini.
STUDI KASUS TENTANG BUNUH DIRI DI GUNUNG KIDUL: ANTARA REALITAS DAN MITOS PULUNG GANTUNG
Authors: Ali Tatag Maulana
Published: February 2021

ABSTRAK Kasus bunuh diri di Indonesia terkhusus Gunung Kidul masih cukup tinggi. Kasus bunuh diri di Gunung Kidul tersebut tidak terlepas dari fenomena Pulung Gantung yang sudah dipercayai turun temurun oleh masyarakat Gunung Kidul. Penelitian ini bertujuan meneliti pengalaman dan persepsi tentang Pulung Gantung pada partisipan yang pernah selamat dari upaya bunuh diri serta dari partisipan lain yang terlibat langsung dalam upaya pertolongan. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif dengan pendekatan fenomenologis-studi kasus. Peengumpulan data menggunakan observasi dan wawancara. Penelitian ini menggunakan empat (4) partisipan yang terdiri dari 2 kriteria. kriteria pertama adalah warga Gunung Kidul yang pernah melakukan percobaan bunuh diri akibat pengaruh budaya Pulung Gantung. Partisipan kriteria kedua adalah dua orang warga Gunung Kidul yang masing-masing berumur 42 tahun dan 40 tahun serta sudah lebih dari 25 tahun hidup di Gunung Kidul. Temuan penelitian ini menunjukkan bahwa sebelum partisipan melakukan upaya gantung diri, partisipan memiliki masalah atau penyakit menahun yang tidak dapat diselesaikan, kemudian mendapat mimpi atau ajakan bunuh diri, serta hilangnya kesadaran ketika melakukan upaya gantung diri. Pasca upaya gantung dirinya partisipan mengalami beberapa perubahan dan dapat kembali beraktivas, dan timbul rasa tidak percaya terhadap penyebab upaya gantung dirinya disebabkan oleh Pulung Gantung. Penelitian lebih lanjut agar menambah jumlah partisipan yang memiliki masalah yang berbeda untuk menambah kedalaman data. Selain itu, data sekunder yang didapatkan oleh penulis mengenai budaya Pulung Gantung belum cukup mendalam.
Evolution and circulation of Yersinia pestis in the Northern Caspian and Northern Aral Sea regions in the 20th-21st centuries
Authors: Eroshenko Galina A. , Popov Nikolay V. , Al’khova Zhanna V. , Kukleva Lyubov M. , Balykova Alina N. , Chervyakova Nadezhda S. , Naryshkina Ekaterina A. , Kutyrev Vladimir V.
Published: February 2021

According to the whole genome SNP analysis of 38Yersinia pestisstrains isolated in the foci of the Northern Caspian and Northern Aral Sea regions in the 20th–early 21st centuries, between 1912 and 2015, the spatial and temporal structure of the 2.MED population of a medieval biovar in this region was determined. A phylogenetic branch 2.MED4 was identified which preceded the 2.MED1 branch that diverged later. 2.MED1 strains became the etiological agent of high-mortality plague outbreaks that occurred in the Northern Caspian region at the beginning of the 20th century. Later in the 20th century, the 2.MED1 branch became widespread in the Caspian Sea region, Caucasus, and vast areas of Central Asia. Based on the data of phylogenetic analysis, as well as epidemiological and epizootiological data, we reconstructed the paths of spread of the 2.MED1 branch in the Northern Caspian Sea region and in the Northern subzone of the Central Asian deserts. It is shown, that the reason for the activation of plague foci in the Northern Caspian region in the second half of the 20th century after a long inter-epizootic period caused by cyclical climate warming was the return of 2.MED1 from the foci of the Northern Aral Sea region. This led to the formation of stable plague foci in the Northern Caspian Sea region and Pre-Caucasus, which manifested epizootic activity in the second half of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Inter-identity amnesia for neutral episodic self-referential and autobiographical memory in Dissociative Identity Disorder: An assessment of recall and recognition
Authors: Marsh Rosemary J. , Dorahy Martin J. , Butler Chandele , Middleton Warwick , de Jong Peter J. , Kemp Simon , Huntjens Rafaele
Published: February 2021

Amnesia is a core diagnostic criterion for Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID), however previous research has indicated memory transfer. As DID has been conceptualised as being a disorder of distinct identities, in this experiment, behavioral tasks were used to assess the nature of amnesia for episodic 1) self-referential and 2) autobiographical memories across identities. Nineteen DID participants, 16 DID simulators, 21 partial information, and 20 full information comparison participants from the general population were recruited. In the first study, participants were presented with two vignettes (DID and simulator participants received one in each of two identities) and asked to imagine themselves in the situations outlined. The second study used a similar methodology but with tasks assessing autobiographical experience. Subjectively, all DID participants reported amnesia for events that occurred in the other identity. On free recall and recognition tasks they presented a memory profile of amnesia similar to simulators instructed to feign amnesia and partial information comparisons. Yet, on tests of recognition, DID participants recognized significantly more of the event that occurred in another identity than simulator and partial information comparisons. As such, results indicate that the DID performance profile was not accounted for by true or feigned amnesia, lending support to the idea that reported amnesia may be more of a perceived than actual memory impairment.
Alteration of oxidative-stress and related marker levels in mouse colonic tissues and fecal microbiota structures with chronic ethanol administration: Implications for the pathogenesis of ethanol-related colorectal cancer
Authors: Ohira Hideo , Tsuruya Atsuki , Oikawa Daiki , Nakagawa Wao , Mamoto Rie , Hattori Masahira , Waki Toshiyuki , Takahashi Seiji , Fujioka Yoshio , Nakayama Toru
Published: February 2021

Chronic ethanol consumption is a risk factor for colorectal cancer, and ethanol-induced reactive oxygen species have been suggested to play important roles in the pathogenesis of ethanol-related colorectal cancer (ER-CRC). In this study, the effects of 10-week chronic administration of ethanol on the colonic levels of oxidative stress and advance glycation end product (AGE) levels, as well as fecal microbiota structures, were examined in a mouse model. Chronic oral administration of ethanol in mice (1.0 mL of 1.5% or 5.0% ethanol (v/v) per day per mouse, up to 10 weeks) resulted in the elevation of colonic levels of oxidative stress markers (such as 8-hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine and 4-hydroxynonenal) compared to control mice, and this was consistently accompanied by elevated levels of inflammation-associated cytokines and immune cells (Th17 and macrophages) and a decreased level of regulatory T (Treg) cells to produce colonic lesions. It also resulted in an alteration of mouse fecal microbiota structures, reminiscent of the alterations observed in human inflammatory bowel disease, and this appeared to be consistent with the proposed sustained generation of oxidative stress in the colonic environment during chronic ethanol consumption. Moreover, the first experimental evidence that chronic ethanol administration results in elevated levels of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) and their receptors (RAGE) in the colonic tissues in mice is also shown, implying enhanced RAGE-mediated signaling with chronic ethanol administration. The RAGE-mediated signaling pathway has thus far been implicated as a link between the accumulation of AGEs and the development of many types of chronic colitis and cancers. Thus, enhancement of this pathway likely exacerbates the ethanol-induced inflammatory states of colonic tissues and might at least partly contribute to the pathogenesis of ER-CRC.