bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immune landscape of human placental villi using single-cell analysis
Authors: Toothaker Jessica M. , Olaloye Oluwabunmi , McCourt Blake T. , McCourt Collin C. , Silva Tatiana N. , Case Rebecca M. , Liu Peng , Yimlamai Dean , Tseng George , Konnikova Liza
Published: January 2022

Maintenance of a healthy pregnancy is reliant on a successful balance between the fetal and maternal immune systems. Although the maternal mechanisms responsible have been well studied, those used by the fetal immune system remain poorly understood. Using suspension mass cytometry and various imaging modalities, we report a complex immune system within the mid-gestation (17-23 weeks) human placental villi (PV). Consistent with recent reports in other fetal organs, T cells with memory phenotypes, although rare in abundance, were detected within the PV tissue and vasculature. Moreover, we determined that T cells isolated from PV samples may be more proliferative after T cell receptor stimulation than adult T cells at baseline. Collectively, we identified multiple subtypes of fetal immune cells within the PV and specifically highlight the enhanced proliferative capacity of fetal PV T cells.
The role of DNA methylation in genome-wide gene regulation during development
Authors: Cedar Howard , Sabag Ofra , Reizel Yitzhak
Published: January 2022

Although it is well known that DNA methylation serves to repress gene expression, precisely how it functions during the process of development remains unclear. Here, we propose that the overall pattern of DNA methylation established in the early embryo serves as a sophisticated mechanism for maintaining a genome-wide network of gene regulatory elements in an inaccessible chromatin structure throughout the body. As development progresses, programmed demethylation in each cell type then provides the specificity for maintaining select elements in an open structure. This allows these regulatory elements to interact with a large range of transcription factors and thereby regulate the gene expression profiles that define cell identity.
Neutral sphingomyelinase 2 controls exosome secretion by counteracting V-ATPase-mediated endosome acidification
Authors: Choezom Dolma , Gross Julia Christina
Published: January 2022

During endosome maturation, neutral sphingomyelinase 2 (nSMase2, encoded by SMPD3) is involved in budding of intraluminal vesicles (ILVs) into late endosomes or multivesicular bodies (MVBs). Fusion of these with the plasma membrane results in secretion of exosomes or small extracellular vesicles (sEVs). Here, we report that nSMase2 activity controls sEV secretion through modulation of vacuolar H+-ATPase (V-ATPase) activity. Specifically, we show that nSMase2 inhibition induces V-ATPase complex assembly that drives MVB lumen acidification and consequently reduces sEV secretion. Conversely, we further demonstrate that stimulating nSMase2 activity with the inflammatory cytokine TNFα (also known as TNF) decreases acidification and increases sEV secretion. Thus, we find that nSMase2 activity affects MVB membrane lipid composition to counteract V-ATPase-mediated endosome acidification, thereby shifting MVB fate towards sEV secretion.

This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper.
Responding to the signal and the noise: behavior of planktonic gastropod larvae in turbulence
Authors: DiBenedetto Michelle H. , Helfrich Karl R. , Pires Anthony , Anderson Erik J. , Mullineaux Lauren S.
Published: January 2022

Swimming organisms may actively adjust their behavior in response to the flow around them. Ocean flows are typically turbulent and are therefore characterized by chaotic velocity fluctuations. While some studies have observed planktonic larvae altering their behavior in response to turbulence, it is not always clear whether a plankter is responding to an individual turbulence fluctuation or to the time-averaged flow. To distinguish between these two paradigms, we conducted laboratory experiments with larvae in turbulence. We observed veliger larvae of the gastropod Crepidula fornicata in a jet-stirred turbulence tank while simultaneously measuring two components of the fluid and larval velocity. Larvae were studied at two different stages of development, early and late, and their behavior was analyzed in response to different characteristics of turbulence: acceleration, dissipation and vorticity. Our analysis considered the effects of both the time-averaged flow and the instantaneous flow, around the larvae. Overall, we found that both stages of larvae increased their upward swimming speeds in response to increasing turbulence. However, we found that the early-stage larvae tended to respond to the time-averaged flow, whereas the late-stage larvae tended to respond to the instantaneous flow around them. These observations indicate that larvae can integrate flow information over time and that their behavioral responses to turbulence can depend on both their present and past flow environments.
Το ιστορικό των Σχέσεων Ελλάδας - Τουρκίας και η προοπτική οριοθέτησης των θαλάσσιων ζωνών μέσα από τη συγκριτική ανάλυση των δεδικασμένων των διεθνών δικαιοδοτικών οργάνων έως και σήμερα
Authors: Παπαδάκης Κωνσταντίνος
Published: January 2022

Αρχικά εξετάζεται το θεωρητικό πλαίσιο με τη βιβλιογραφική έρευνα και θεμελίωση των ελληνοτουρκικών σχέσεων. Στην ανάλυση αυτή ενσωματώθηκε το θεωρητικό πλαίσιο αναφορικά με τις θαλάσσιες ζώνες και η νομολογία σχετικά με αυτές τόσο σε διεθνές όσο και σε εθνικό επίπεδο (Ελλάδα, Τουρκία). Στην συνέχεια αναλύεται, ως παράδειγμα, το πως η Κύπρος κατάφερε σε δυσχερέστερες συνθήκες να οριοθετήσει την Αποκλειστική Οικονομική Ζώνη (Α.Ο.Ζ.) με τα γειτονικά της κράτη (Αίγυπτο, Λίβανο, Ισραήλ). Εξετάστηκαν διεξοδικά επιμέρους περιπτώσεις διενέξεων που περιλαμβάνουν παρόμοια χαρακτηριστικά και αποφέρουν χρήσιμα συμπεράσματα ως προς την υπό μελέτη περίπτωση. Συγκεκριμένα, πραγματοποιήθηκε ανάλυση των τρόπων που τα συγκεκριμένα έως σήμερα δεδικασμένα του Διεθνούς Δικαστηρίου της Χάγης (Δ.Δ.Χ.) και του Διεθνούς Δικαστηρίου για το Δίκαιο της Θάλασσας (Δ.Δ.Δ.Θ.) επηρεάζουν την υπό μελέτη περίπτωση της διένεξης της Ελλάδας και της Τουρκίας για την Α.Ο.Ζ. αλλά και τις υπόλοιπες θαλάσσιες ζώνες. Αφότου εξετάσουμε το παραπάνω πλαίσιο, με την χρησιμοποίηση και ανάλυση των σχετικών αποφάσεων του Δ.Δ.Χ και Δ.Δ.Δ.Θ. που εδράζονται αφενός μεν στη διεθνή νομολογία αλλά αφετέρου και στην - σε γενικές γραμμές - εφαρμοζόμενη αρχή της ευθυδικίας, θα εξαχθούν τα στοιχεία που θα επέτρεπαν στην Ελλάδα να προετοιμαστεί σε μεγάλο βαθμό για μία ενδεχόμενη δικαστική διευθέτηση με την Τουρκία αναφορικά με την οριοθέτηση των θαλασσίων ζωνών (ΑΟΖ/Υφαλοκρηπίδα) ενώπιων των δικαιοδοτικών οργάνων, μέσα από την περιπτωσιολογική αντιμετώπιση της κάθε αμφισβητούμενης περιοχής, έτσι ώστε να επιτύχει το καλύτερο δυνατό αποτέλεσμα.Ακόμα θα αναλύσουμε τα στρατηγικά βήματα που θα πρέπει να κάνει η Ελλάδα προκειμένου να οριοθετήσει ΑΟΖ, κατά σειρά ευκολίας, πρώτα με την Ιταλία, εν συνεχεία με την Αλβανία, τη Λιβύη, την Αίγυπτο και τη Κύπρο, και τέλος με την Τουρκία, έχοντας ενισχυθεί διπλωματικά από τις προηγούμενες οριοθετήσεις, κάτι το ωστόσο αναμένεται να επιδεινώσει τις σχέσεις Αθηνών - Άγκυρας ή και υπό ορισμένες συνθήκες να τις οδηγήσει στο Διεθνές Δικαστήριο. Τέλος αφότου αναφέρουμε τρόπους και καταστάσεις που θα οδηγούσαν την διένεξη των δύο χωρών ενώπιον ενός Διεθνούς Δικαιοδοτικού Οργάνου, θα αναλυθεί τόσο το σκεπτικό των αποφάσεων, αναφορικά με τα 12 ναυτικά μίλια και την αναλογικότητα της υφαλοκρηπίδας-ΑΟΖ με τη μέθοδο της ευθυδικίας, και θα ληφθούν υπόψη οι μέθοδοι οι οποίες χρησιμοποιήθηκαν από τα δικαιοδοτικά όργανα για την οριοθέτηση των ΑΟΖ άλλων χωρών, θα επιχειρηθεί η ψηφιακή απεικόνιση του χάρτη της πιθανής ΑΟΖ Ελλάδας - Τουρκίας, όπως θα αποτυπωνόταν μέσα από την απόφαση ενός δικαιοδοτικού οργάνου είτε αυτό είναι το Δ.Δ.Χ. είτε το Δ.Δ.Δ.Θ.
Management: graduate qualification work of a master's student
Authors: Reznik Semen , Dvoeglazov Vladimir , Makarova Svetlana , Dzhevickaya Ekaterina , Polubinskiy Stanislav , Repina Ol'ga , Rudenko Svetlana , Sazykina Ol'ga , Chemezov Igor'
Published: January 2022

The textbook is designed to provide methodological assistance to undergraduate students in preparing for the state exam and completing the final qualifying work - a master's thesis in the field of preparation 38.04.02 "Management".
Meets the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Higher Education.
For students of higher educational institutions studying in the field of training 38.04.02 "Management".
Zagrożenia internetowe dla młodzieży – klasyfikacja, skala występowania w Polsce oraz profilaktyka
Authors: Wójcik Szymon
Published: January 2022

W dobie pandemii i przedłużonej edukacji zdalnej szczególnego znaczenia nabiera kwestia bezpieczeństwa młodzieży w Internecie. Na podstawie literatury międzynarodowej artykuł przedstawia klasyfikację zagrożeń internetowych opartą na modelu 4C, a następnie analizowane są cztery najczęściej pojawiające się w debacie publicznej kwestie: kontakt z pornografią internetową, seksting (przesyłanie przez młodzież materiałów intymnych), cyberprzemoc (przemoc rówieśnicza z użyciem mediów elektronicznych), nadużywanie Internetu. Dla każdego z tych zagrożeń przyjęto następujący schemat: zdefiniowanie problemu, ocena skali jego występowania w Polsce na podstawie najnowszych dostępnych danych, wybrane propozycje profilaktyczne.
Rola mniejszości narodowych, etnicznych i religijnych w kształtowaniu dziedzictwa kulturowego na obszarze wschodniego pogranicza województwa podkarpackiego
Authors: Skulimowska Małgorzata
Published: January 2022

Celem artykułu jest przedstawienie roli mniejszości narodowych, etnicznych i religijnych w kształtowaniu dziedzictwa kulturowego oraz obecnego znaczenia ich spuścizny dla turystyki kulturowej. Na początku artykułu przedstawione zostały historyczne i geograficzne uwarunkowania osadnictwa poszczególnych grup narodowościowych i etnicznych na badanym obszarze. Następnie zarysowano problematykę zmian w jego strukturze ludnościowej po drugiej wojnie światowej oraz wpływ tych zmian i polityki państwa na stan zachowania wielokulturowego dziedzictwa. Ostatnią część artykułu poświęcono roli, jaką pełnią obecnie obiekty świadczące o różnorodnym dziedzictwie kulturowym, ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem szlaków kulturowych. Zasadnicza część tekstu oparta została na badaniach terenowych, które autorka prowadzi w tym regionie od kilku lat.
Księstwo Mazowieckie u progu inkorporacji. Charakterystyka obszaru około 1526 r. (część południowa)
Authors: Piber-Zbieranowska Marta
Published: January 2022

Artykuł jest pierwszą z dwóch części przeglądu dziesięciu ziem Księstwa Mazowieckiego i tworzących je powiatów w przededniu włączenia ich do Królestwa Polskiego we wrześniu 1526 r. Przedstawiono w nim cztery południowe ziemie: czerską i warszawską, stanowiące trzon polityczny władztwa ostatnich Piastów, oraz wyodrębnione z nich w ciągu XV w. – liwską i nurską. W sumie obszar ten obejmował dziesięć powiatów. Wszystkie ziemie księstwa mazowieckiego scharakteryzowano według jednolitego schematu, w obowiązującym ówcześnie układzie starszeństwa. Poszczególne ziemie zaprezentowano pod kątem podziałów administracyjnych (państwowych i kościelnych), procesów osadniczych i stanu sieci miejskiej, typów i rozmieszczenia własności ziemskiej oraz pozycji danej ziemi w strukturach politycznych księstwa, wyrażającej się m.in. funkcjonowaniem pełnej bądź niepełnej hierarchii urzędów oraz udziale szlachty danej ziemi w sprawowaniu władzy. Starano się pokazać zróżnicowanie stopnia zagospodarowania ziem mazowieckich i wskazać jego genezę.
Hell Hath No Fury
Authors: Henning Meghan R.
Published: January 2022

Engaging ancient medical texts, inscriptions, ancient philosophy, early church fathers, and apocalypses, this book demonstrates that early Christian depictions of hell intensified and preserved ancient notions of gender and bodily normativity. Whereas heaven uses ancient categories of the body to construct identity, in hell the stakes are higher-the damned look like the bodies of living women and people with disabilities, and they are punished after death in spaces that mirror real carceral spaces, criminalizing those bodies on earth. Hell Hath No Fury uncovers the relationship between textual violence and real world violence. This book examines that way that ancient understandings of the gender and the body influenced early Christian constructions of sin, showing that gender roles deemed some bodies more susceptible to sin. Early Christian understandings of gender and the body also figured highly in the punishments themselves, depicting the damned as female and disabled for eternity. This book also considers the way in which Mary’s composite characterization draws upon ancient notions of gender and the body to depict her as the ideal figure to descend to hell and minister to the damned. Avoiding reductionist understandings of ancient apocalyptic literature, gender, and the body, Hell Hath No Fury demonstrates that early Christian visions of hell traversed freely between worlds in order to negatively mark the damned, and in turn those who inhabited female, enslaved, or disabled bodies on earth.
Sustainable Hedonism
Authors: Lelkes Orsolya
Published: January 2022

Ancient hedonism is fundamentally different from its current simplified incarnation. Both Aristippus and Epicurus enjoyed all that the present moment offered, but warned of becoming slaves of one’s desires (Chapter 4). A number of intriguing stories from the lives of these philosophers illustrate what they actually meant by this. Aristotle argues for aspiring for a mean state of pleasures, between asceticism and indulgence. He also calls for differentiating between necessary and optional things, and focus on the former in our aspirations. Greek philosophers could teach us how to master hedonism in its pure sense without hurting others or ourselves. In the 21st century, it may be called ‘sustainable hedonism’.
Korzyści oraz problemy związane z wykorzystaniem e-learningu w nauczaniu języków obcych
Authors: Bałaban Krzysztof
Published: January 2022

E-learning stanowi nowoczesną metodę kształcenia, która coraz częściej jest stosowana w edukacji. Z uwagi na fakt, iż forma ta pozwala na naukę w dowolnym czasie i miejscu jest chętnie wykorzystywana przez uczniów. W artykule omówiono korzyści oraz problemy związane z wykorzystaniem e-learningu w nauczaniu języków obcych.
Enhancing the temporal contrast and peak power of femtosecond laser pulses
Authors: Silin Dmitry , Khazanov Efim
Published: January 2022

It is shown that a nonlinear polarization interferometer and a chirped mirror enable enhancement of the contrast of high-power laser pulses with a duration of tens and hundreds of femtoseconds by several orders of magnitude and simultaneously a several-fold reduction of their duration. Different variants of interferometers based on cubic nonlinearity in KDP and DKDP crystals are considered. The interferometer and chirped mirror parameters are optimized aimed at enhancing the peak power of the compressed pulse.
Higher-order mode suppression technique for multimode sapphire fiber external Fabry-Perot interferometers
Authors: Feng Xinxing , Jiang Yi , Xie Shangran , Cui Yang , Zhang Yutong
Published: January 2022

A signal picked-up technique to improve the demodulation stability and accuracy of sapphire fiber external Fabry-Perot interferometer is proposed and demonstrated. Through fusion splicing four pieces of multimode fiber in sequence with different core diameters, the in-step change of the core diameter is found to introduce a sufficient fliting effect on the transmitted higher-order guided modes in the sapphire fiber and further reduce their influence on the fundamental mode interference demodulation. Experimental results show that the proposed multi-stage coupling technique can suppress by five-fold the additional phase imposed on the fundamental mode demodulation when compared with the conventional single-stage coupling approach in which single-mode fiber is spliced with only one piece of multimode fiber. The standard deviation of the demodulated optical phase and cavity length can also be reduced by more than two times. The proposed technique provides a simple yet sufficient solution for the long-standing difficulty of multimode sapphire fiber Fabry-Perot interferometer demodulation.
One-time pad scheme based on polar code and OFDM for MMW-RoF system at W-band
Authors: Xiao Yaoqiang , Wang Bingshuai , Wang Zhiyi , Zhou Zhihua , He Jing
Published: January 2022

The physical layer security of millimeter-wave radio-over-fiber (MMW-RoF) system at W-band is a promising topic. This paper experimentally demonstrates a one-time pad scheme based on polar code and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) for MMW-RoF system. In the proposed scheme, the initial key is obtained by looking-up table mapping randomly, and chaotic sequence is generated by using 4-D cellular neural network (CNN). The key for next frame is placed in the partial frozen bits of polar code, which can realize the one-time pad mechanism. The encrypted OFDM signal carried by 100GHz millimeter-wave is successfully transmitted over 50 km standard single-mode fiber (SSMF) and 5 m wireless channel in this experiment. The experimental results show that, compared with the traditional OFDM signal, the proposed scheme in SCL8 decoder can achieve ∼4.1 dB gain at the BER of 10−3, which can effectively use the frozen bits of polar code to transmit more information and improve the security and reliability of the whole system.
Third-harmonic generation of spatially structured light in a quasi-periodically poled crystal
Authors: Lou Yan-Chao , Cheng Zi-Mo , Liu Zhi-Hong , Yang Yu-Xiang , Ren Zhi-Cheng , Ding Jianping , Wang Xi-Lin , Wang Hui-Tian
Published: January 2022

Nonlinear optical processes of spatially structured light such as optical vortices and vector optical fields have exhibited many interesting physical effects and found a variety of important applications from classical to quantum regimes. However, high-harmonic generation of a vector optical field with a space-varying polarization state is still a challenge. Here we present a solution to realize third-harmonic generation of spatially structured light including vector optical fields in a nonlinear Sagnac interferometer containing only one carefully designed quasi-periodically poled potassium titanyl phosphate, for the first time, to our knowledge. The experimental results well confirm our theoretical predictions. Our results will enable to manipulate spatially structured light or photons carrying higher orbital angular momentum at new wavelengths. Our scheme has potential applications such as in optical skyrmions and may open up new opportunities to produce spatially structured entangled photons for quantum communication and computation.
Massively parallel reporter assays discover de novo exonic splicing mutants in paralogs of Autism genes
Authors: Rhine Christy L. , Neil Christopher , Wang Jing , Maguire Samantha , Buerer Luke , Salomon Mitchell , Meremikwu Ijeoma C. , Kim Juliana , Strande Natasha T. , Fairbrother William G.
Published: January 2022

To determine the contribution of defective splicing in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), the most common neurodevelopmental disorder, a high throughput Massively Parallel Splicing Assay (MaPSY) was employed and identified 42 exonic splicing mutants out of 725 coding de novo variants discovered in the sequencing of ASD families. A redesign of the minigene constructs in MaPSY revealed that upstream exons with strong 5’ splice sites increase the magnitude of skipping phenotypes observed in downstream exons. Select hits were validated by RT-PCR and amplicon sequencing in patient cell lines. Exonic splicing mutants were enriched in probands relative to unaffected siblings -especially synonymous variants (7.5% vs 3.5%, respectively). Of the 26 genes disrupted by exonic splicing mutations, 6 were in known ASD genes and 3 were in paralogs of known ASD genes. Of particular interest was a synonymous variant in TNRC6C - an ASD gene paralog with interactions with other ASD genes. Clinical records of 3 ASD patients with TNRC6C variant revealed respiratory issues consistent with phenotypes observed in TNRC6 depleted mice. Overall, this study highlights the need for splicing analysis in determining variant pathogenicity, especially as it relates to ASD.
Fluorinated oil-surfactant mixtures with the density of water: Artificial cells for synthetic biology
Authors: Laos Roberto , Benner Steven
Published: January 2022

There is a rising interest in biotechnology for the compartmentalization of biochemical reactions in water droplets. Several applications, such as the widely used digital PCR, seek to encapsulate a single molecule in a droplet to be amplified. Directed evolution, another technology with growing popularity, seeks to replicate what happens in nature by encapsulating a single gene and the protein encoded by this gene, linking genotype with phenotype. Compartmentalizing reactions in droplets also allows the experimentalist to run millions of different reactions in parallel. Compartmentalization requires a fluid that is immiscible with water and a surfactant to stabilize the droplets. While there are fluids and surfactants on the market that have been used to accomplish encapsulation, there are reported concerns with these. Span® 80, for example, a commonly used surfactant, has contaminants that interfere with various biochemical reactions. Similarly, synthetic fluids distributed by the cosmetic industry allow some researchers to produce experimental results that can be published, but then other researchers fail to reproduce some of these protocols due to the unreliable nature of these products, which are not manufactured with the intent of being used in biotechnology. The most reliable fluids, immiscible with water and suitable for biochemical reactions, are fluorinated fluids. Fluorinated compounds have the peculiar characteristic of being immiscible with water while at the same time not mixing with hydrophobic molecules. This peculiar characteristic has made fluorinated fluids attractive because it seems to be the basis of their being biologically inert. However, commercially available fluorinated fluids have densities between 1.4 to 1.6 g/mL. The higher-than-water density of fluorinated oils complicates handling of the droplets since these would float on the fluid since the water droplets would be less dense. This can cause aggregation and coalescence of the droplets. Here, we report the synthesis, characterization, and use of fluorinated polysiloxane oils that have densities similar to the one of water at room temperature, and when mixed with non-ionic fluorinated surfactants, can produce droplets encapsulating biochemical reactions. We show how droplets in these emulsions can host many biological processes, including PCR, DNA origami, rolling circle amplification (RCA), and Taqman® assays. Some of these use unnatural DNA built from an Artificially Expanded Genetic Information System (AEGIS) with six nucleotide "letters".
Health risk assessment of exposure to chlorpyrifos in pregnant women using deterministic and probabilistic approaches
Authors: Taheri Ensiyeh , Amin Mohammad Mehdi , Daniali Seyede Shahrbanoo , Abdollahpour Ibrahim , Fatehizadeh Ali , Kelishadi Roya
Published: January 2022

Since chlorpyrifos (CPF), a major organophosphorus pesticide, is widely used for agricultural and domestic purposes, thus, humans may be exposed to these toxic compounds through multiple sources. In recent years, significant concerns have been raised regarding the deleterious effects of exposure to CPF on human health, especially growing fetus. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to evaluate the health risks of exposure to CPF among pregnant women living in Isfahan province, Iran, using deterministic and probabilistic approaches. The urinary concentration of 3, 5, 6-trichloro-2-pyridinol (TCP), the most common metabolite of CPF, was measured as the biomarker of current exposure to CPF. For this purpose, spot urine samples were taken from 110 pregnant women and the urinary concentrations of TCP were quantified. The estimated daily intake and hazard quotient (HQ) for CPF exposure were measured according to the reference values set by World Health Organization (WHO) and United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) for acute and chronic exposure to CPF. Based on the results, TCP was detected in more than 70% of samples (3.8 ± 2.72 μg/L). The estimated daily intake for some participants was found to be higher than the suggested reference dose by USEPA for chronic exposure to CPF. Furthermore, the HQ>1 was obtained for 20% of the study population in Monte-Carlo analysis using USEPA chronic reference dose, indicating that chronic toxic effects are expected at least for a part of the target population. Based on the findings, proper measures should be taken to reduce the exposure of Iranian pregnant women to CPF and resultant health risks.
Diagnostic accuracy of three commercially available one step RT-PCR assays for the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in resource limited settings
Authors: Sisay Abay , Abera Adugna , Dufera Boja , Endrias Tujuba , Tasew Geremew , Tesfaye Abraham , Hartnack Sonja , Beyene Dereje , Desta Adey Feleke
Published: January 2022

Background

COVID-19 is an ongoing public health pandemic regardless of the countless efforts made by various actors. Quality diagnostic tests are important for early detection and control. Notably, several commercially available one step RT-PCR based assays have been recommended by the WHO. Yet, their analytic and diagnostic performances have not been well documented in resource-limited settings. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of three commercially available one step reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays in Ethiopia in clinical setting.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted from April to June, 2021 on 279 respiratory swabs originating from community surveillance, contact cases and suspect cases. RNA was extracted using manual extraction method. Master-mix preparation, amplification and result interpretation was done as per the respective manufacturer. Agreements between RT-PCRs were analyzed using kappa values. Bayesian latent class models (BLCM) were fitted to obtain reliable estimates of diagnostic sensitivities, specificities of the three assays and prevalence in the absence of a true gold standard.

Results

Among the 279 respiratory samples, 50(18%), 59(21.2%), and 69(24.7%) were tested positive by TIB, Da An, and BGI assays, respectively. Moderate to substantial level of agreement was reported among the three assays with kappa value between 0 .55 and 0.72. Based on the BLCM relatively high specificities (95% CI) of 0.991(0.973–1.000), 0.961(0.930–0.991) and 0.916(0.875–0.952) and considerably lower sensitivities with 0.813(0.658–0.938), 0.836(0.712–0.940) and 0.810(0.687–0.920) for TIB MOLBIOL, Da An and BGI respectively were found.

Conclusions

While all the three RT-PCR assays displayed comparable sensitivities, the specificities of TIB MOLBIOL and Da An were considerably higher than BGI. These results help adjust the apparent prevalence determined by the three RT-PCRs and thus support public health decisions in resource limited settings and consider alternatives as per their prioritization matrix.
Sex-specific association of high maternal psychological stress during pregnancy on newborn birthweight
Authors: Bernard Nathalie , Giguère Yves , Mélançon Joanie , Tessier Réjean , Tarabulsy George M. , Forest Jean-Claude
Published: January 2022

Birthweight is an important predictor of newborn health and has been linked to maternal psychological stress during pregnancy. However, it is unclear whether prenatal stress affects birthweight similarly for both male and female infants. We used a well-established pregnancy cohort to investigate the impact of high maternal psychological stress during pregnancy on birthweight as a function of infant sex. Overall, 5702 mother-newborn pairs were analysed. Of these, 198 mothers reported high levels of stress using the Psychological Stress Measure (nine-items version; PSM-9). Maternal psychological stress was assessed between the 24thand 28thweek of gestation and analyses were performed jointly and independently as a function of neonatal sex (separate analyses for male and female infants). Newborns exposed to high maternal psychological stress during pregnancy (a score above 26 measured using the PSM-9 questionnaire, corresponding to >97.5thpercentile) were compared to newborns of mothers who reported lower stress. ANCOVAs revealed that high levels of maternal stress during pregnancy were linked to infant birthweight as a function of infant sex. Male infants of mothers who reported high levels of stress had a greater birthweight whereas female infants had a lower birthweight under the same conditions, in comparison to mothers who did not report greater levels of stress. Although the effect size is small, these results underline the possibility that male and female fetuses may use different strategies when adapting to maternal adversity and highlight the need to consider infant sex as a moderator of the association between maternal psychological stress during pregnancy and infant birthweight.
Are high medical costs incurred by people with disabilities excessive?: An empirical analysis of Korean National Health Insurance Data
Authors: Hong Min Jung , Lee Changwoo , Lee Clara , Kim Ye-Soon , Jeong Jae Yeon , Park Seeun , Shin Dong Wook , Shin Euichul
Published: January 2022

A crude comparison of medical costs between people with disabilities (PWD) and without disabilities (PWoD) shows a much higher expenditure among PWD and such results have been a cause for further stigmatization. This study aims to empirically analyze whether the medical costs for PWD are actually high when characteristics related to medical costs are adjusted. Ten percent of the total population was randomly selected from the Korean National Health Insurance (NHI) Database in 2016. A crude comparative analysis was performed to calculate the medical cost of PWD and PWoD. A subsequent multiple regression analysis was conducted to adjust factors affecting the medical costs such as socioeconomic status, disease, and health behavior-related characteristics. The medical cost for PWD was 3.6 times higher than that for PWoD by crude comparison. However, after multiple regression analysis, margin of difference decreased to 1.5 times although the cost for PWD remained higher. Substantial decrease in higher medical costs for PWD after multiple analyses compared to crude analysis implies that additional adjustment using variables such as disease severity, not available in the NHI database, may predict a further reduction in differences. Thus, it is difficult to determine that the medical expenditure for PWD is excessive.
Probiotics counteract the expression of hepatic profibrotic genes via the attenuation of TGF-β/SMAD signaling and autophagy in hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Kanmani Paulraj , Kim Hojun
Published: January 2022

Hepatic fibrosis is caused by the increased accumulation and improper degradation of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins in the liver. Hepatic stellate cells (HSCs) activation is a key process in initiating hepatic fibrosis and can be ameliorated by the administration of probiotic strains. This study hypothesized that LAB strains (Lactiplantibacillus plantarum, Lactobacillus brevis, and Weissella cibaria) might attenuate pro-fibrogenic cytokine TGF-β mediated HSCs activation and induce collagen deposition, expression of other fibrogenic/inflammatory markers, autophagy, and apoptotic processes in vitro. Few studies have evaluated the probiotic effects against fibrogenesis in vitro. In this study, TGF-β exposure increased collagen deposition in LX-2 cells, but this increase was diminished when the cells were pretreated with LAB strains before TGF-β stimulation. TGF-β not only increased collagen deposition, but it also significantly upregulated the mRNA levels of Col1A1, alpha-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA), matrix metalloproteinases-2 (MMP-2), IL-6, CXCL-8, CCL2, and IL-1β in LX-2 cells. Pretreatment of the cells with LAB strains counteracted the TGF-β-induced pro-fibrogenic and inflammatory markers by modulating SMAD-dependent and SMAD-independent TGF-β signaling. In addition, LX-2 cells exposed to TGF-β induced the autophagic and apoptotic associated proteins that were also positively regulated by the LAB strains. These findings suggest that LAB can attenuate TGF-β signaling that is associated with liver fibrogenesis.
Mapping health behaviour related to Chagas diagnosis in a non-endemic country: Application of Andersen’s Behavioural Model
Authors: Iglesias-Rus Laura , Romay-Barja María , Boquete Teresa , Benito Agustín , Jordan Briggitte , Blasco-Hernández Teresa
Published: January 2022

Background

Chagas disease has become a challenge for non-endemic countries since population mobility has increased in recent years and it has spread to these regions. In order to prevent vertical transmission and improve the prognosis of the disease, it is important to make an early diagnosis. And to develop strategies that improve access to diagnosis, it is important to know the factors that most influence the decision of the population to know their serological status. For this reason, this study uses Andersen’s Behavioural Model and its proposed strategies to explore the health behaviours of Bolivian population.

Methods

Twenty-three interviews, two focus groups, and two triangular groups were performed with Bolivian men and women, involving a total of 39 participants. In addition, four interviews were conducted with key informants in contact with Bolivian population to delve into possible strategies to improve the Chagas diagnosis.

Results

The most relevant facts for the decision to being diagnosed pointed out by participants were having relatives who were sick or deceased from Chagas disease or, for men, having their pregnant wife with a positive result. After living in Spain more than ten years, population at risk no longer feels identified with their former rural origin and the vector. Moreover, their knowledge and awareness about diagnosis and treatment still remains low, especially in younger people. Limitations on access to healthcare professionals and services were also mentioned, and proposed strategies focused on eliminating these barriers and educating the population in preventive behaviours.

Conclusions

Based on Andersen’s Behavioural Model, the results obtained regarding the factors that most influence the decision to carry out Chagas diagnosis provide information that could help to develop strategies to improve access to health services and modify health behaviours related to Chagas screening.
Comparison of direct and inverse methods for 2.5D traction force microscopy
Authors: Blumberg Johannes W. , Schwarz Ulrich S.
Published: January 2022

Essential cellular processes such as cell adhesion, migration and division strongly depend on mechanical forces. The standard method to measure cell forces is traction force microscopy (TFM) on soft elastic substrates with embedded marker beads. While in 2D TFM one only reconstructs tangential forces, in 2.5D TFM one also considers normal forces. Here we present a systematic comparison between two fundamentally different approaches to 2.5D TFM, which in particular require different methods to deal with noise in the displacement data. In the direct method, one calculates strain and stress tensors directly from the displacement data, which in principle requires a divergence correction. In the inverse method, one minimizes the difference between estimated and measured displacements, which requires some kind of regularization. By calculating the required Green’s functions in Fourier space from Boussinesq-Cerruti potential functions, we first derive a new variant of 2.5D Fourier Transform Traction Cytometry (FTTC). To simulate realistic traction patterns, we make use of an analytical solution for Hertz-like adhesion patches. We find that FTTC works best if only tangential forces are reconstructed, that 2.5D FTTC is more precise for small noise, but that the performance of the direct method approaches the one of 2.5D FTTC for larger noise, before both fail for very large noise. Moreover we find that a divergence correction is not really needed for the direct method and that it profits more from increased resolution than the inverse method.
A novel concatenate feature fusion RCNN architecture for sEMG-based hand gesture recognition
Authors: Xu Pufan , Li Fei , Wang Haipeng
Published: January 2022

Hand gesture recognition tasks based on surface electromyography (sEMG) are vital in human-computer interaction, speech detection, robot control, and rehabilitation applications. However, existing models, whether traditional machine learnings (ML) or other state-of-the-arts, are limited in the number of movements. Targeting a large number of gesture classes, more data features such as temporal information should be persisted as much as possible. In the field of sEMG-based recognitions, the recurrent convolutional neural network (RCNN) is an advanced method due to the sequential characteristic of sEMG signals. However, the invariance of the pooling layer damages important temporal information. In the all convolutional neural network (ACNN), because of the feature-mixing convolution operation, a same output can be received from completely different inputs. This paper proposes a concatenate feature fusion (CFF) strategy and a novel concatenate feature fusion recurrent convolutional neural network (CFF-RCNN). In CFF-RCNN, a max-pooling layer and a 2-stride convolutional layer are concatenated together to replace the conventional simple dimensionality reduction layer. The featurewise pooling operation serves as a signal amplitude detector without using any parameter. The feature-mixing convolution operation calculates the contextual information. Complete evaluations are made on both the accuracy and convergence speed of the CFF-RCNN. Experiments are conducted using three sEMG benchmark databases named DB1, DB2 and DB4 from the NinaPro database. With more than 50 gestures, the classification accuracies of the CFF-RCNN are 88.87% on DB1, 99.51% on DB2, and 99.29% on DB4. These accuracies are the highest compared with reported accuracies of machine learnings and other state-of-the-art methods. To achieve accuracies of 86%, 99% and 98% for the RCNN, the training time are 2353.686 s, 816.173 s and 731.771 s, respectively. However, for the CFF-RCNN to reach the same accuracies, it needs only 1727.415 s, 542.245 s and 576.734 s, corresponding to a reduction of 26.61%, 33.56% and 21.19% in training time. We concluded that the CFF-RCNN is an improved method when classifying a large number of hand gestures. The CFF strategy significantly improved model performance with higher accuracy and faster convergence as compared to traditional RCNN.
Immunopeptidomic analysis of influenza A virus infected human tissues identifies internal proteins as a rich source of HLA ligands
Authors: Nicholas Ben , Bailey Alistair , Staples Karl J. , Wilkinson Tom , Elliott Tim , Skipp Paul
Published: January 2022

CD8+ and CD4+ T cells provide cell-mediated cross-protection against multiple influenza strains by recognising epitopes bound as peptides to human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I and -II molecules respectively. Two challenges in identifying the immunodominant epitopes needed to generate a universal T cell influenza vaccine are: A lack of cell models susceptible to influenza infection which present population-prevalent HLA allotypes, and an absence of a reliable in-vitro method of identifying class II HLA peptides. Here we present a mass spectrometry-based proteomics strategy for identifying viral peptides derived from the A/H3N2/X31 and A/H3N2/Wisconsin/67/2005 strains of influenza. We compared the HLA-I and -II immunopeptidomes presented by ex-vivo influenza challenged human lung tissues. We then compared these with directly infected immortalised macrophage-like cell line (THP1) and primary dendritic cells fed apoptotic influenza-infected respiratory epithelial cells. In each of the three experimental conditions we identified novel influenza class I and II HLA peptides with motifs specific for the host allotype. Ex-vivo infected lung tissues yielded few class-II HLA peptides despite significant numbers of alveolar macrophages, including directly infected ones, present within the tissues. THP1 cells presented HLA-I viral peptides derived predominantly from internal proteins. Primary dendritic cells presented predominantly viral envelope-derived HLA class II peptides following phagocytosis of apoptotic infected cells. The most frequent viral source protein for HLA-I and -II was matrix 1 protein (M1). This work confirms that internal influenza proteins, particularly M1, are a rich source of CD4+ and CD8+ T cell epitopes. Moreover, we demonstrate the utility of two ex-vivo fully human infection models which enable direct HLA-I and -II immunopeptide identification without significant viral tropism limitations. Application of this epitope discovery strategy in a clinical setting will provide more certainty in rational vaccine design against influenza and other emergent viruses.
Greenham: Costume, memory and activism in outdoor performance
Authors: Ceschi Valentina , Lane Kate
Published: January 2022

This visual essay illustrates the transformative, performative and narrative potential costume can have in the context of outdoor site-responsive work, by looking at Ceschi + Lane’s recent R&D project, Greenham. The project included two performances that took place on Greenham Common, the site of a former RAF and American Army base in the English countryside, which is now common land. Greenham is also the former site of the Greenham Common Women’s Peace camp, set up in 1981 to protest against the British government allowing American cruise missiles to be stored at the base. In response to the scarred landscape of the post-Cold War dereliction and the contested history of Greenham Common, we created costumes that embodied imaginative and provocative ideas around landscape and memory, the body and its environment and women’s relationship to power. These costumes acted as critical intervention and commentary in a public space. This visual essay provides retrospective analysis of these costumes, their effect on the performers and their contribution to the dramaturgy of the site-responsive performance. Drawing on contemporary references, it attempts to articulate the work’s contribution to the wider discussion around costume’s agency and costume as carrier of meaning in public spaces and as part of site-responsive performance practice.
Aniversários em Rede
Authors: Silveirinha Maria João
Published: January 2022

Neste artigo cruzamos o 60º aniversário da publicação de Strukturwandel der Öffentlichkeit de Jürgen Habermas com o 25º aniversário do documento da ONU adotado na IV Conferência Mundial sobre a Mulher - a Declaração da Plataforma de Ação de Pequim, onde é feita uma referência aos media como área crítica de preocupação. Com esse cruzamento pretendemos abordar um conjunto de que podem ajudar-nos a considerar criticamente algumas das razões que poderão explicar as limitações nos avanços face aos objetivos da Plataforma no tocante aos progressos das mulheres na área da comunicação, à luz das mutações da esfera pública tal como pensada por Habermas. Assim, o artigo desenvolver-se-á explorando dois aspetos: a constituição da esfera pública internacional e o papel das instituições internacionais na tomada de decisão; e as condições em que as mulheres desenvolvem a sua participação política e social e a importância das políticas públicas na regulação dos media digitais.
The Determinants of Indonesian Islamic Rural Banks' Non-Performing Financing
Authors: Widarjono Agus , Rudatin Ari
Published: January 2022

Islamic bank encounters a high financing risk because of scheme contract using the profit-loss sharing system leading to an agency problem. The non-performing financing of Islamic rural banks as small Islamic banks in Indonesia is above the maximum threshold and is higher than that of conventional rural banks as their competitors. This paper investigates the impact of bank characteristic variables and macroeconomic variables on the non-performing financing of Islamic rural banks. Our study employs aggregate Islamic rural banks data, spanning from January 2009 to December 2018. Non-linear autoregressive distributed lag model (NARDL) is applied to address this issue. Capital adequacy ratio obviously increases impaired financing and income diversification clearly reduces non-performing financing. More interestingly, domestic output and inflation have an asymmetric effect on non-performing financing. Economic downturns increase non-performing financing but economic upturns have no impact on non-performing financing. Meanwhile, inflation deteriorates non-performing financing but deflation does not reduce non-performing financing.
Assessing the Online Purchasing Behavior during the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in the Kingdom of Bahrain
Authors: Al-Khalifa Mohamed Khalifa , Sakti Muhammad Rizky Prima , Alhadrami Abdullah
Published: January 2022

The Covid-19 pandemic has disrupted consumer habits of buying and shopping. It is anticipated that online purchasing transactions are increased during the pandemic, since the consumers are urged to stay home and practice new normal behavior. This study examines the online purchasing transactions in the Kingdom of Bahrain during the pandemic. Particularly, the study investigates the impacts of product price, product availability, social media, product details, and easiness toward online purchasing decision during Covid-19 pandemic. Using hand-collected data from 200 respondents, the study discovers that all variables have significant impacts toward online purchasing behavior in the Kingdom of Bahrain during the pandemic age.
Wstęp do psychologii miłości
Authors: Błaszczyk Marek
Published: January 2022

The paper presents a critical approach to Psychologia kochania by Piotr Olesiński (Warszawa 2018). It discusses the main theses presented in the dissertation and invites to reflection focused on the psychological dimension of love, its role and place in human existence.
Validación de la escala de comportamiento sostenible en las Mipymes de Tamaulipas
Authors: Rodriguez Jasso Lucero de Jesús , Galván Mendoza Oscar , Sanchez Limon Monica Lorena
Published: January 2022

Tomando en consideración la importancia de la sostenibilidad, esta investigación tiene como objetivo la validación de una escala que permita determinar el comportamiento sostenible en las Mipymes de Tamaulipas en función de los valores de trabajo y de las competencias emprendedoras. Para esto, se integró un instrumento basado en estudios previos y fundamentos teóricos, con el cual, a través del análisis de 137 unidades económicas, se llevó a cabo la evaluación a través de distintas etapas: análisis descriptivo de datos para medir parámetros de normalidad, análisis factorial exploratorio para establecer la consistencia de los ítems más representativos y los constructos planteados de manera teórica (Alpha de Cronbach, KMO, esfericidad de Bartlett, comunalidades, correlaciones, varianza explicada, cargas factoriales) y un análisis factorial confirmatorio para determinar la validez convergente y discriminante. Dentrode los resultados obtenidos se presenta una escala válida y confiable para las variables y constructos a través de propiedades estadísticas satisfactorias.