bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Âlemin Ötesine Uzanan El: Mu‘tezile’nin Basra ve Bağdat Ekolleri Arasında Boşluk/Halâ Tartışmaları
Authors: Kandemir Ahmet Mekin
Published: April 2021

Kelâmda boşluk fikrini atomculuğun kabulüyle başlatmak mümkün olsa da konuyla ilgili asıl tartışmaların Yunan felsefî mirasının İslam dünyasına aktarılmasından sonra gün yüzüne çıktığı görülmektedir. Kelâm literatüründe, felsefî gelenekte olduğu gibi boşluğun iki türü olduğu kabul edilmiştir. Bunların ilki âlemin dışında/ötesinde bulunan haricî boşluktur (ekstra-kozmik), ki bu tarz bir boşluğun olup olmadığı problemi kelâm kaynaklarında “âlemin ötesine bakan kimse bir şey görebilir mi” veya “âlemin dışına elini uzatan kimsenin eli hareket eder mi” soruları etrafında tartışılmıştır. İkincisi ve kelâmcıların gündemini daha çok meşgul eden boşluk türü ise âlemin içinde ve cisimleri oluşturan atomların/cevherlerin arasında olduğu kabul edilen dâhilî boşluktur (inter-kozmik). Bu türden bir boşluğun olup olmadığı hususu kelâm kaynaklarında “iki cevherin, aralarında üçüncü bir cevher olmadan ayrık bir şekilde durması mümkün müdür?” sorusu etrafında tartışılmıştır. Özellikle âlem-içi boşluk konusunda Mu‘tezile’nin Basra ve Bağdat ekolleri arasında yoğun tartışmalar yaşanmıştır. Bu tartışmalarda ortaya konan deliller İbn Metteveyh (V./ XI. yüzyılın ortaları) ve Ebû Reşîd en-Nîsâbûrî (V./XI. yüzyılın ortaları) tarafından orijinal halleriyle nakledilmiştir. Bu makalede iki ekol arasındaki bu tartışmalar ele alınmakta ve her iki ekolün kendi görüşlerini desteklemek için ortaya koyduğu teorik ve deneysel argümanlar, bunların felsefî kökenleri göz önünde bulundurularak değerlendirilmektedir.
Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede’nin Ahlâk Düşüncesi: Meşşâî Felsefe ile Tasavvufî Düşünceyi İşrâkî Hikmette Sentezleme
Authors: Kömbe İlker
Published: April 2021

Bu makale, Osmanlı döneminde, on yedinci yüzyılın ortası ile on sekizinci yüzyılın başında yaşamış olan Müneccimbaşı Ahmed Dede’nin (ö. 1702) ahlâk, ev idaresi ve siyasetten meydana gelen pratik felsefe türündeki Şerhu’l-Ahlâki’l-Adud şerhinin ahlâk ilmi bölümünü inceleme konusu yapmaktadır. Bu incelemenin iki iddiasından söz edilebilir. Birincisi, Müneccimbaşı ve yazdığı şerh, ahlâk felsefesi veya pratik felsefe açısından ve yazıldığı dönem dikkate alındığında, kadim olandan hareketle yenilenme veya kadim olanı güncelleme olarak tanımlanabilir. Fakat felsefî ahlâk bağlamında, kadim olanı yenileme veya güncelleme, yöntemlerin ayrıştırılması şeklinde değil, yöntemlerin bütünleştirilme alanının daha da genişletilmesi çerçevesinde gerçekleştirilmek istenmiştir. İkinci iddia ise, İşrâkî hikmetin amacı olan soyut nurların hakikatini görmek ve bilmek için Meşşâî felsefedeki insanî nefsin düşünce gücünün erdemi olan hikmet vasıtasıyla insanî nefsin arzu ve öfke gücünden kaynaklanan huyları ve davranışları nicelik ve nitelik açısından orta ve itidalli hale getirme anlamına gelen erdem teorisinin tasavvufî düşünceye ait olan bedensel ve cismanî hazlardan ve diğer şeylerden riyazet ve mücahedeyle arınma ve soyutlanma yöntemiyle birleştirilmesinin problemli olduğunu ifade etmektir.
Tıp-Geometri İlişkisi Bağlamında İbn Sînâ ve İbnü’n-Nefîs’in Burhânın Taşınma Alanını Genişletme Çabaları
Authors: Musametov Bakhadir
Published: April 2021

Bu çalışma, tıp-geometri ilişkisi bağlamında burhânın farklı disiplinler arasında taşınmasına ilişkin tartışmaları incelemeyi hedeflemektedir. Aristoteles’in metabasis-yasağına göre bu iki disiplin araştırdıkları konuların özelliklerinden ötürü ayrı ayrı kompartımanlarda bulunmaları gerekiyordu. Ancak İkinci Analitikler’deki dairesel yaralarla ilgili kritik metnin derinlemesine incelenmesi, bizi bilimler arası etkileşimlerin sınırlarını yeniden gözden geçirmeye zorlamaktadır. Zira daha sonra İbn Sînâ, yine bu metin temelinde burhânın taşınma alanını genişletecektir. Ayrıca İbn Sînâ ve İbnü’n-Nefîs’in anatomik araştırmalarda da geometrik burhânları kullanmaya devam etmeleri, kısıtlama kuralının ancak itibari olduğunu ileri süren yaygın görüşün aksine onu bir araştırmacının herhangi bir bilimsel incelemeye giriştiğinde mevcut bilimsel alt yapıyı ve mantık kurallarını da dikkate alması gerektiğini hatırlatan bir uyarı olarak anlamamız gerektiğini göstermektedir. Dolayısıyla farklı cinsler arasındaki geçişlerin ne zaman mümkün olduğu, tüm bu uyarıları dikkate aldıktan sonra farklı bir yöntemin izlendiği araştırmanın sonunda elde edilen neticenin belirli bir meselenin çözümüne yahut tahminî gerçeğe ulaşılmasına ne ölçüde katkıda bulunup bulunmadığına bağlıydı.
A public health intervention package for increasing tuberculosis notifications from private practitioners in Bandung, Indonesia (INSTEP2): A cluster-randomised controlled trial protocol
Authors: Hadisoemarto Panji Fortuna , Lestari Bony Wiem , Sharples Katrina , Afifah Nur , Chaidir Lidya , Huang Chuan-Chin , McAllister Susan , van Crevel Reinout , Murray Megan , Alisjahbana Bachti , Hill Philip C
Published: April 2021

Background. A significant proportion of tuberculosis (TB) patients globally make their initial visit for medical care to either an informal provider or a private practitioner, and many are not formally notified. Involvement of private practitioners (PPs) in a public–private mix for TB (TB-PPM) provides an opportunity for improving TB control. However, context-specific interventions beyond public–private agreements and mandatory notification are needed. In this study we will evaluate whether a tailored intervention package can increase TB notifications from PPs in Indonesia.

Methods. This is a cluster-randomized trial of a multi-component public health intervention. 36 community health centre (CHC) areas will be selected as study locations and randomly allocated to intervention and control arms (1:1). PPs in the intervention areas will be identified using a mapping exercise and recruited into the study if they are eligible and consent. They will receive a tailored intervention package including in-person education about TB management along with bimonthly electronic refreshers, context-specific selection of referral pathways, and access to a TB-reporting app developed in collaboration with the National TB programme. The primary hypothesis is that the intervention package will increase the TB notification rate. The primary outcome will be measured by collecting notification data from the CHCs in intervention and control arms at the end of a 1-year observation period and comparing with the 1-year pre-intervention. The primary analysis will be intention-to-treat at the cluster level, using a generalised mixed model with repeated measures of TB notifications for 1 year pre- and 1 year post-intervention.

Discussion. The results from this study will provide evidence on whether a tailored intervention package is effective in increasing the number of TB notifications, and whether the PPs refer presumptive TB cases correctly. The study results will guide policy in the development of TB-PPM in Indonesia and similar settings.
Physiotherapist beliefs and perspectives on virtual reality–supported rehabilitation for the assessment and management of musculoskeletal shoulder pain: a focus group study protocol
Authors: Brady Niamh , Lewis Jeremy , McCreesh Karen , Dejaco Beate , McVeigh Joseph G.
Published: April 2021

Shoulder pain accounts for a large proportion of musculoskeletal disorders and years lived with disability. Musculoskeletal shoulder pain is challenging to manage and while research evidence suggests that exercise should be a cornerstone of shoulder pain rehabilitation, the exact type and dosage of exercise is unclear. Adherence is a barrier to successful outcomes with exercise-based management of musculoskeletal pain, especially for those with co-morbidities, high pain levels and reported boredom associated with competing prescribed exercise. Virtual reality (VR) may offer an effective platform for rehabilitation of musculoskeletal shoulder pain. VR has been shown to be effective for management of acute and chronic pain conditions, for delivering education around various health conditions, and for supporting rehabilitation of neurological conditions. Therefore, it is possible that VR may have a role in the delivery of exercise and education for individuals with musculoskeletal shoulder pain. VR intervention design should involve several steps and begin with establishing early acceptability from users as to the suitability of the technology in clinical practice as well as potential barriers and facilitators to using the technology successfully. This study will therefore aim to explore physiotherapists beliefs and perspectives of immersive VR as a platform for assessment and rehabilitation in patients with musculoskeletal shoulder pain. Further, this study will inform the development of a VR intervention for use in the rehabilitation of musculoskeletal shoulder pain. A series of online focus groups will be conducted with physiotherapists in Ireland using a qualitative descriptive approach to data analysis. A six-phase process of data analysis will be carried out to identify important patterns and themes within the data. The current study will be the first to explore clinician’s perspectives on the role of VR in musculoskeletal practice.
FAKTOR KUNCI KEBERHASILAN MANAJEMEN RANTAI PASOKAN PENANGANAN BENCANA ALAM DALAM PERSPEKTIF PEMERINTAH
Authors: Rini Poppy Laksita
Published: April 2021

Disaster supply chain management is different from the supply chain management of commercial organization because of the high level of uncertainty. The high level of uncertainty significantly affects the availability of logistic supplies that are  needed  by the victims of the disaster. This study discovers the key success factors of the disaster supply chain management based on the perspective of the government. The re- search specifically study the Government of the D.I. Yogyakarta that are represented by Badan Penanggulangan Bencana Daerah (BPBD). Due the fact that Yogyakarta as one of the regions that have the high risk of catastrophic nature in Indonesia. The study will be carried out in a qualitative methodology by conducting deep interview with the Representative of Logistics Department in BPBD. The results of in-depth interviews with four representative of BPBD found that there are six key success factors of disasater management supply chain management which are : (1) Quality of the TRC Team Assessment Results; (2) BPBD Coordination with Government and Non-Government; (3) Effective Rules and Regulations; (4) Character and Attitude of the Community in Dealing with Disasters; (5) BPBD Warehouse Inventory Management; (6) Management Information Systems and Data Updates.
PENGARUH KONFLIK PERAN GANDA DAN JOB STRESS TERHADAP KINERJA PERAWAT (STUDI PADA RUMAH SAKIT DI KOTA METRO)
Authors: Japlani Ardiansyah , Suwarto Suwarto , Ali Karnila
Published: April 2021

The objective of this research is to determine the effect of family work conflict, work family conflict and job stress in influencing the nurse job performance in hospital, as well as to determine whether family work conflict, work family conflict variables can be influenced by job stress in nurse performance in hospital. The results of this study are expected to be used as a consideration for the hospital in evaluating the level of service to patients. This research is a quantitative causal research that allows to know the relationship that is influential between two or more variables by using SEM (Structural Equation Modeling). The population in this research is all female nurse who work at hospital in Metro (Muhammadiyah Hospital, Ahmad Yani Hospital, Mardiwaluyo Hospital, Islamic Hospital), while the study sample was 120 respondents with a non probability sampling purposive sampling method as a sampling method. Based on the results of the study that family work conflict has no positive effect on job stress. And also work family conflict has positive effect on job. Job stress has positive effect on job performance. In this study also shows that family work conflict has a negative effect on job performance. Work family conflict are also has postive effect on job performance. The implication of this research is that conflict of commitment and responsibility towards family is a key value in work family conflict. Recommendations in this reseacrh is for the hospitals to hold employee recreation activities with their families, it means that hospital get to know the families of the employees in order to tight the bonds between employees and their families
Review Article: Indoor Biological Contaminants in the Built Environment
Authors: Rasli Nur Baitul Izati , Ramli Nor Azam , Ismail Mohd Rodzi
Published: April 2021

Occupants of buildings spent most of their time indoors and posed themselves to the indoor biological contaminants (i.e. bacteria and fungi) in the built environment. However, the factors that influenced the prevalence of suspended bacteria and fungi in the air of the built environment are not well recognised. Authorities must take the growth of biological contaminants seriously to prevent serious health effects among occupants of buildings. This review summarises the factors (i.e. outdoor air, dust, ventilation problems, humidity/moisture surface problems and human occupancy) of indoor biological contaminants and their species in buildings that could worsen the indoor air quality. Bacteria species could exist in various indoor buildings (i.e. schools, cafeterias, mosques, faculties, child day-care centres, hospitals, dwellings, educational buildings, homes, elderly care centres, libraries, restaurants, and factories). The dominant bacteria were Bacillus spp. (24.1 %), Staphylococcus spp. (20.7 %), and Micrococcus spp. (20.7 %) whereas for fungi species were Penicillium spp. (25 %), Cladosporium spp. (21.9 %), and Aspergillus spp. (21.9 %).
Enhanced Removal of Organic Pollutants and Reactive Dye in Polyethersulfone Submerged Membrane Bioreactor (PES-SMBR) for Textile Wastewater
Authors: Chavan Tukaram P. , More Ganpat B. , Thorat Sanjaykumar R.
Published: April 2021

The present investigation was carried out to assess the operation of a pilot-scale submerged membrane bioreactor (SMBR) for the treatment of reactive dye and textile wastewater. The operation of SMBR model was conducted by using a polyethersulfone (PES) hollow fibre membrane with continuous flow mode at different HRTs at 8, 6 and 4 h, for 90 days. During the entire operation, the average permeate flux, TMP, F/M ratio and OLR was found to be 19 (L/m²/h), 2.6 (psi), 0.10 (g BOD/(g MLSS•d) and 0.89 (kg BOD/m³.d), respectively. The variations in the permeate flux, TMP, F/M ratio and OLR have not adversely effects on the operation of the SMBR model. Throughout the entire operation, despite the TP, TDS and conductivity, the high amount of COD (82%), BOD (86%), NO3-N (79%), TSS (98%), turbidity (97%) and colour (79%), removal was achieved. The permeate flux was declined by membrane fouling and it was recovered by chemical cleaning as well as regular backwashing during the entire operation. The results obtained from the study concluded that the hollow fibre ultrafiltration polyethersulfone (PES) membrane shows good performance while treating textile wastewater along with reactive dye solution.
HUMOR NUMA HORA DESSAS? A RELEVÂNCIA DO HUMOR PARA A PROFICIÊNCIA EM LEITURA
Authors: Rocha Claudia Moura da
Published: April 2021

O texto de humor demanda de seus leitores estratégias e habilidades de leitura requeridas para se ler outros tipos de texto. Por essa razão, acreditamos que ele possa ser empregado no ensino de língua portuguesa, a fim de promover a proficiência em leitura, uma vez que seu leitor deverá empregar seu conhecimento de mundo e avaliar o contexto para preencher as lacunas e informações implícitas de um texto. Neste trabalho, partimos das contribuições da Linguística Textual (KOCH, 2002; KOCH; ELIAS, 2006) e da Semiótica, em especial, a sua aplicação ao texto verbal empreendida por Simões (2019), que a denominou de Teoria da Iconicidade Verbal (TIV). Escolhemos como corpus de análise os textos fictícios publicados pelo site Sensacionalista.
Recent local geodynamic processes in the Penola Strait_Lemaire Channel fault area (West Antarctica)
Authors: Savchyn Ihor
Published: April 2021

We present the crustal deformation field in the Penola Strait – Lemaire Channel fault area (West Antarctica), based on the analysis of the 5 seasonal cycles of static GNSS survey. This 5 GNSS campaigns were conducted with approximately a 16-year interval from 2003 to 2019. The analyses indicate that average linear velocities of horizontal movements are multidirectional but no larger than 1 – 2 mm/yr. Average linear velocities of vertical movements are no larger than ±3 mm/yr. In the present work scheme of vertical and horizontal movements has been drawn out. The obtained results correlate well with the movements of the surrounding GNSS stations. Based on the analysis of spatial distribution of the Earth’s surface dilatation velocity the zones of extreme compression and expansion values were revealed. The analyses of spatial distribution of the Earth’s surface total shear velocity indicate that the studied region is horizontally heterogeneous. Based on the analysis of obtained results, a new kinematic model of fault area was developed. The possibility of using static GNSS survey to study recent local geodynamic processes in Antarctica has been demonstrated.
Improving resolution in imaging through obscuring media with early-time diffusion signals
Authors: Bleszynski Elizabeth , Bleszynski Marek , Jaroszewicz Thomas
Published: April 2021

A short pulse propagating through a medium consisting of randomly distributed scatterers, large compared to the wavelength, is expected to develop an “early-time diffusion” (ETD) behavior: a sharply rising structure in the time-resolved intensity, immediately following the coherent (ballistic) component. Since the ETD signal is attenuated at a rate substantially lower than the coherent wave, it offers a possibility of application in imaging through diverse scattering media, such as atmospheric obscurants (clouds, fog, mist), dust, aerosols, fuel sprays, or biological tissues. We describe here a two-way (reflection) imaging scenario utilizing the ETD phenomenon, and propose a specific image formation technique. We evaluate, by using the radiative transport theory, the resulting point-spread function (PSF) characterizing the image resolution. We show that the directly formed image has an angular resolution comparable to the width of the forward peak in the ensemble-averaged scattering cross section of the medium constituents. Subsequently, we show that, through the application of a regularized deconvolution technique enhancing higher Fourier components of the PSF, the resolution can be further significantly improved—at least by a factor of∼4for a medium layer of optical thickness of the order of 20. Such an improvement can be reached even if the noise level is a few orders of magnitude higher than the coherent (ballistic) image component.
Global imaging with high resolution region of interest using fusion data based on dual-field of view detection system
Authors: Xiaoqin Xia , Jing Zou , Qi Zhang , Xiaodong Hu
Published: April 2021

X-ray micro-computed tomography (CT) is an important tool for high-resolution three-dimensional imaging. But one limitation of micro-CT is the compromise between resolution and fields of view (FOV). In this paper, we develop an x-rays dual-FOV optical coupling detection (DFOCD) system for global imaging with high-resolution region of interest (ROI). In DFOCD system, the beam splitter separates lights to form two sub-optical paths, two objectives with different FOV and magnification are used in the two sub-optical paths for dual-FOV imaging. Then a data fusion method is proposed to register and fuse dual-FOV data. Reconstructed images are obtained based on back projection filtering algorithm using fusion data. Dual-FOV data are collected simultaneously in DFOCD system, which precludes artifacts in fusion images from phantom movement or changes in two acquisitions on common micro-CT, and also saves scanning time. Simulation and experimental results show that details in ROI and global morphology of phantoms are correctly reconstructed. Bright ring artifacts of ROI caused by truncated data are corrected in reconstruction images. Therefore, global imaging with high-resolution ROI of samples can be obtained by single scan experiment using DFOCD system and data fusion method, which is expected to expand the application of micro-CT.
Freeform based hYperspectral imager for MOisture Sensing (FYMOS)
Authors: Graham Christopher , Girkin John M. , Bourgenot Cyril
Published: April 2021

We present FYMOS, an all-aluminum, robust, light weight, freeform based, near infrared hYperspectral imager for MOisture Sensing. FYMOS was designed and built to remotely measure moisture content using spectral features from 0.7-1.7µm integrating an InGaAs sensor. The imaging system, operating at F/2.8, is based on the three-concentric-mirror (Offner) spectrograph configuration providing a spectral resolution of 8 nm optimized for broad spectral coverage with sufficient resolution to make assessments of water levels. To optimize the optical performance, whilst minimizing weight and size, the design incorporates a bespoke freeform blazed grating machined on a commercial 5 axis ultra precision diamond machine. We achieve a 30% improvement on the RMS wavefront error in the spatial and spectral fields compared to a conventional Offner-Chrisp design with similar aperture and the monolithic Primary/Tertiary mirror eases the manufacturing assembly whilst minimizing weight. We demonstrate the performance of FYMOS by measuring the evaporation rate of water on a soil sample and results are processed with a physical multilayer radiative transfer model (MARMIT) to estimate the mean water thickness.
Trace gas sensing based on single-quartz-enhanced photoacoustic–photothermal dual spectroscopy
Authors: Qiao Shunda , He Ying , Ma Yufei
Published: April 2021

A single-quartz-enhanced dual spectroscopy (S-QEDS)-based trace gas sensor is reported for the first time, to the best of our knowledge. In S-QEDS, a quartz tuning fork (QTF) was utilized to detect the photoacoustic and photothermal signals simultaneously and added the two signals together. The S-QEDS technique not only improved the detection performance but also avoided the issue of resonant frequency mismatching of QTFs for the multi-QTFs-based sensor systems. Water vapor (

H

2

O

) was selected as the target gas to investigate the S-QEDS sensor performance. The photoacoustic, photothermal, and composited signals were measured, respectively, under the same conditions. The experimental results verified the ideal adding of the photoacoustic and photothermal signals by using a single QTF in this S-QEDS sensor system.
Thermally tunable dispersion modulation in a chalcogenide-based hybrid optical fiber
Authors: Meneghetti Marcello , Petersen Christian R. , Hansen Rasmus E. , Adamu Abubakar I. , Bang Ole , Markos Christos
Published: April 2021

A hybrid optical fiber comprising metal electrodes, high performance polymers, and a highly nonlinear glass core is presented in this work as a novel, to the best of our knowledge, platform for mid-infrared nonlinear devices. The fiber allows for electrical tuning of the temperature by joule heating using a set of embedded tungsten wires. Unlike temperature tuning by an external heater, this results in a strong modulation, which introduces alternating signs of its dispersion. Enhanced spectral broadening through supercontinuum generation in the mid-infrared due to this modulation is investigated numerically.
New additions to the OMEx team: editorial
Authors: Boltasseva Alexandra
Published: April 2021

Editor-in-Chief Alexandra Boltasseva introduces new Optical Materials Express Associate Editors Shekhar Guha and Germano Montemezzani.
Enhancement of the fluorescence property of carbon quantum dots based on laser ablated gold nanoparticles to evaluate pyrene: publisher’s note
Authors: Sadrolhosseini Amir Reza , Krishnan Ganesan , Safie Suhaidi , Beygisangchin Mahnoush , Rashid Suraya Abdul , Harun Sulaiman Wadi
Published: April 2021

This publisher’s note corrects a figure in [Opt. Mater. Express 10, 2227 (2020)].
3D printing enabled by light and enabling the manipulation of light: feature issue introduction
Authors: Blasco Eva , Maruo Shoji , Xu Xianfan , Wegener Martin
Published: April 2021

This feature issue aims at highlighting the two-way connection between optics and photonics and 3D printing. One direction concerns novel photoresist materials and technical advances in optics-based 3D additive manufacturing. The other direction uses such advanced optical 3D printing technologies for the realization of novel micro-optical components, micro-optical systems, 3D artificial materials called metamaterials, micro-robots, and more. All of these would be difficult if not impossible to manufacture otherwise.
Focus issue introduction: Advanced Solid-State Lasers 2020
Authors: Petersen Alan , Taccheo Stefano , Mirov Sergey , Nilsson Johan , Pask Helen , Saraceno Clara , Wetter Niklaus , Wu Ruifen
Published: April 2021

This Joint Issue of Optics Express and Optical Materials Express features 15 articles written by authors who participated in the international online conference Advanced Solid State Lasers held 13–16 October, 2020. This review provides a summary of the conference and these articles from the conference which sample the spectrum of solid state laser theory and experiment, from materials research to sources and from design innovation to applications.
Photonic Topological Materials feature issue: publisher’s note
Authors: Amo Alberto , Ozawa Tomoki , El-Ganainy Ramy
Published: April 2021

“Invited” was added to two reviews in this feature issue
[Opt. Mater.
Express 11(4),
1119 (2021)10.1364/OME.414890] and [Opt. Mater. Express
11(4), 1292
(2021)10.1364/OME.417392].
2020 Optical Materials Express Emerging Researcher Best Paper Prize: editorial
Authors: Boltasseva Alexandra , Hu Juejun
Published: April 2021

Optical Materials Express Editor-in-Chief, Alexandra Boltasseva, and Deputy Editor, Juejun Hu, announce the recipient of the 2020 prize for the best paper published by an emerging researcher in the Journal.
HMGCR inhibition stabilizes the glycolytic enzyme PKM2 to support the growth of renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Huang Jiajun , Zhao Xiaoyu , Li Xiang , Peng Jiwei , Yang Weihao , Mi Shengli
Published: April 2021

Renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is responsible for most cases of the kidney cancer. Previous research showed that low serum levels of cholesterol level positively correlate with poorer RCC-specific survival outcomes. However, the underlying mechanisms and functional significance of the role of cholesterol in the development of RCC remain obscure. 3-Hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase (HMGCR) plays a pivotal role in RCC development as it is the key rate-limiting enzyme of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway. In this study, we demonstrated that the inhibition of HMGCR could accelerate the development of RCC tumors by lactate accumulation and angiogenesis in animal models. We identified that the inhibition of HMGCR led to an increase in glycolysis via the regulated HSP90 expression levels, thus maintaining the levels of a glycolysis rate-limiting enzyme, pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2). Based on these findings, we reversed the HMGCR inhibition-induced tumor growth acceleration in RCC xenograft mice by suppressing glycolysis. Furthermore, the coadministration of Shikonin, a potent PKM2 inhibitor, reverted the tumor development induced by the HMGCR signaling pathway.
The structure of MgtE in the absence of magnesium provides new insights into channel gating
Authors: Jin Fei , Sun Minxuan , Fujii Takashi , Yamada Yurika , Wang Jin , Maturana Andrés D. , Wada Miki , Su Shichen , Ma Jinbiao , Takeda Hironori , Kusakizako Tsukasa , Tomita Atsuhiro , Nakada-Nakura Yoshiko , Liu Kehong , Uemura Tomoko , Nomura Yayoi , Nomura Norimichi , Ito Koichi , Nureki Osamu , Namba Keiichi , Iwata So , Yu Ye , Hattori Motoyuki
Published: April 2021

MgtE is a Mg2+ channel conserved in organisms ranging from prokaryotes to eukaryotes, including humans, and plays an important role in Mg2+ homeostasis. The previously determined MgtE structures in the Mg2+-bound, closed-state, and structure-based functional analyses of MgtE revealed that the binding of Mg2+ ions to the MgtE cytoplasmic domain induces channel inactivation to maintain Mg2+ homeostasis. There are no structures of the transmembrane (TM) domain for MgtE in Mg2+-free conditions, and the pore-opening mechanism has thus remained unclear.

Here, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the MgtE-Fab complex in the absence of Mg2+ ions. The Mg2+-free MgtE TM domain structure and its comparison with the Mg2+-bound, closed-state structure, together with functional analyses, showed the Mg2+-dependent pore opening of MgtE on the cytoplasmic side and revealed the kink motions of the TM2 and TM5 helices at the glycine residues, which are important for channel activity. Overall, our work provides structure-based mechanistic insights into the channel gating of MgtE.
Changes in inflammatory gene expression in brain tissue adjacent and distant to a viable cyst in a rat model for neurocysticercosis
Authors: Carmen-Orozco Rogger P. , Dávila-Villacorta Danitza G. , Delgado-Kamiche Ana D. , Celiz Rensson H. , Trompeter Grace , Sutherland Graham , Gavídia Cesar , Garcia Hector H. , Gilman Robert H. , Verástegui Manuela R. ,   for the Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru
Published: April 2021

Background

The parasite Taenia solium causes neurocysticercosis (NCC) in humans and is a common cause of adult-onset epilepsy in the developing world. Hippocampal atrophy, which occurs far from the cyst, is an emerging new complication of NCC. Evaluation of molecular pathways in brain regions close to and distant from the cyst could offer insight into this pathology.

Methods

Rats were inoculated intracranially with T. solium oncospheres. After 4 months, RNA was extracted from brain tissue samples in rats with NCC and uninfected controls, and cDNA was generated. Expression of 38 genes related to different molecular pathways involved in the inflammatory response and healing was assessed by RT-PCR array.

Results

Inflammatory cytokines IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1, together with TGF-β and ARG-1, were overexpressed in tissue close to the parasite compared to non-infected tissue. Genes for IL-1A, CSF-1, FN-1, COL-3A1, and MMP-2 were overexpressed in contralateral tissue compared to non-infected tissue.

Conclusions

The viable cysticerci in the rat model for NCC is characterized by increased expression of genes associated with a proinflammatory response and fibrosis-related proteins, which may mediate the chronic state of infection. These pathways appear to influence regions far from the cyst, which may explain the emerging association between NCC and hippocampal atrophy.
Developing and validating a questionnaire to assess an individual’s perceived risk of four major non-communicable diseases in Myanmar
Authors: Mya Kyaw Swa , Zaw Ko Ko , Mya Khay Mar
Published: April 2021

Adopting healthy lifestyles is greatly influenced by an individual’s perceived risk of developing non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to develop and validate a questionnaire that can assess an individual’s perceived risk of developing four major NCDs. We used the exploratory sequential mixed methods design. The qualitative part developed a questionnaire by two rounds of Delphi expert panels. The quantitative part validated the questionnaire using both exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). We used separate samples for EFA (n = 150) and CFA (n = 210). The participants were aged between 25–60 years of both sexes with no known history of NCDs, and face-to-face interviews were conducted. First, we generated an 86-item questionnaire based on the health belief model. Two expert panels ensured the questionnaire’s content validity. The experts removed the overlapped items and items that did not represent the specific construct and developed a 51-item questionnaire. Next, we validated the questionnaire. We conducted a parallel analysis to determine the number of factors to be extracted. EFA constituted a five-factor model with 22 high loading items, which extracted 54% of the variance. We run four CFA models (single factor, five-factor, bifactor, and hierarchical) and tested the hypothesized five-factor model. It was found that the 21-item questionnaire (removed one efficacy item due to low loading) was satisfied with good psychometric properties and fitted with observed data in the bifactor model (RMSEA = 0.051, CFI = 0.954, TLI = 0.938, SRMR = 0.054). Hence, an individual’s perceived risk of getting NCDs was constituted with a general perceived risk construct and five specific constructs (perceived susceptibility, perceived barrier, perceived benefit, perceived self-efficacy, and perceived behavioral change intention). It can be measured using the developed questionnaire (NCD-PR5-21). Further research is warranted to assess the questionnaire’s utility in a mismatch between risk perception and current risk; and individualized counseling for behavioral change communication.
The absence of thrombin-like activity in Bothrops erythromelas venom is due to the deletion of the snake venom thrombin-like enzyme gene
Authors: Lotto Nicholas P. , de Albuquerque Modesto Jeanne C. , Sant’Anna Sávio S. , Grego Kathleen F. , Guarnieri Miriam C. , Lira-da-Silva Rejane M. , Santoro Marcelo L. , Oguiura Nancy
Published: April 2021

Snake venom thrombin-like enzymes (SVTLEs) are serine proteinases that clot fibrinogen. SVTLEs are distributed mainly in venoms from snakes of the Viperidae family, comprising venomous pit viper snakes. Bothrops snakes are distributed throughout Central and South American and are responsible for most venomous snakebites. Most Bothrops snakes display thrombin-like activity in their venoms, but it has been shown that some species do not present it. In this work, to understand SVTLE polymorphism in Bothrops snake venoms, we studied individual samples from two species of medical importance in Brazil: Bothrops jararaca, distributed in Southeastern Brazil, which displays coagulant activity on plasma and fibrinogen, and Bothrops erythromelas, found in Northeastern Brazil, which lacks direct fibrinogen coagulant activity but shows plasma coagulant activity. We tested the coagulant activity of venoms and the presence of SVTLE genes by a PCR approach. The SVTLE gene structure in B. jararaca is similar to the Bothrops atrox snake, comprising five exons. We could not amplify SVTLE sequences from B. erythromelas DNA, except for a partial pseudogene. These genes underwent a positive selection in some sites, leading to an amino acid sequence diversification, mostly in exon 2. The phylogenetic tree constructed using SVTLE coding sequences confirms that they are related to the chymotrypsin/kallikrein family. Interestingly, we found a B. jararaca specimen whose venom lacked thrombin-like activity, and its gene sequence was a pseudogene with SVTLE structure, presenting nonsense and frameshift mutations. Our results indicate an association of the lack of thrombin-like activity in B. jararaca and B. erythromelas venoms with mutations and deletions of snake venom thrombin-like enzyme genes.
Protection of the C. elegans germ cell genome depends on diverse DNA repair pathways during normal proliferation
Authors: Meier Bettina , Volkova Nadezda V. , Hong Ye , Bertolini Simone , González-Huici Víctor , Petrova Tsvetana , Boulton Simon , Campbell Peter J. , Gerstung Moritz , Gartner Anton
Published: April 2021

Maintaining genome integrity is particularly important in germ cells to ensure faithful transmission of genetic information across generations. Here we systematically describe germ cell mutagenesis in wild-type and 61 DNA repair mutants cultivated over multiple generations. ~44% of the DNA repair mutants analysed showed a >2-fold increased mutagenesis with a broad spectrum of mutational outcomes. Nucleotide excision repair deficiency led to higher base substitution rates, whereaspolh-1(Polη) andrev-3(Polζ) translesion synthesis polymerase mutants resulted in 50–400 bp deletions. Signatures associated with defective homologous recombination fall into two classes: 1)brc-1/BRCA1andrad-51/RAD51 paralog mutants showed increased mutations across all mutation classes, 2)mus-81/MUS81andslx-1/SLX1nuclease, andhim-6/BLM,helq-1/HELQorrtel-1/RTEL1helicase mutants primarily accumulated structural variants. Repetitive and G-quadruplex sequence-containing loci were more frequently mutated in specific DNA repair backgrounds. Tandem duplications embedded in inverted repeats were observed inhelq-1helicase mutants, and a unique pattern of ‘translocations’ involving homeologous sequences occurred inrip-1recombination mutants.atm-1/ATM checkpoint mutants harboured structural variants specifically enriched in subtelomeric regions. Interestingly, locally clustered mutagenesis was only observed for combinedbrc-1andcep-1/p53 deficiency. Our study provides a global view of how different DNA repair pathways contribute to prevent germ cell mutagenesis.
Prevalence and determinants of anemia among pregnant women in East Africa; A multi-level analysis of recent Demographic and Health Surveys
Authors: Liyew Alemneh Mekuriaw , Tesema Getayeneh Antehunegn , Alamneh Tesfa Sewunet , Worku Misganaw Gebrie , Teshale Achamyeleh Birhanu , Alem Adugnaw Zeleke , Tessema Zemenu Tadesse , Yeshaw Yigizie
Published: April 2021

Introduction

Anemia during pregnancy is a public health problem that leads to different life-threatening complications and poor pregnancy outcomes. So far, the evidence is scarce on pooled prevalence and determinants of anemia during pregnancy in East Africa for integrated intervention. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the prevalence and determinants of anemia among pregnant women in eastern Africa using recent Demographic and Health Surveys.

Method

Secondary data analysis was conducted using data from recent Demographic and Health Survey datasets from 10 East African countries. A total of 8583 (weighted sample) pregnant women were included in the analysis. The multi-level mixed-effects generalized linear model (Poisson regression with robust error variance) was fitted to identify determinants of anemia. Finally, the adjusted prevalence ratio (aPR) with 95% CI and random effects for the multilevel generalized linear mixed-effects model was reported.

Results

In this study, the overall prevalence of anemia among pregnant women was 41.82% (95% CI: 40.78, 42.87) with a large difference between specific countries which ranged from 23.36% in Rwanda to 57.10% in Tanzania. In the multi-level analysis, teenage pregnant women (aPR = 1.22;95%CI:1.02, 1.40), unmarried women (aPR = 1.14; 95% CI;1.02,1.28), pregnant women who had unimproved toilet facility (aPR = 1.17;95%CI:1.06,1.27), and those women from countries with high illiteracy level (aPR = 1.12;95%CI; 1.07,1.18) had a higher prevalence of anemia during pregnancy.

Conclusion

Anemia is still a public health problem in East Africa. Therefore, enabling the households to have improved toilet facilities by strengthening the existing health extension program, reducing teenage pregnancy, and improving the community literacy level is vital to reduce the prevalence of anemia during pregnancy in East Africa.
Anti-listerial properties of chemical constituents of Eruca sativa (rocket salad): From industrial observation to in vitro activity
Authors: Fagerlund Annette , Wubshet Sileshi Gizachew , Møretrø Trond , Schmidt Gesine , Borge Grethe Iren , Langsrud Solveig
Published: April 2021

The frequency of foodborne outbreaks epidemiologically associated with Listeria monocytogenes in fresh produce has increased in recent years. Although L. monocytogenes may be transferred from the environment to vegetables during farming, contamination of food products most commonly occurs in food processing facilities, where L. monocytogenes has the ability to establish and persist on processing equipment. The current study was undertaken to collect data on the occurrence of L. monocytogenes and the identity of the endogenous microbiota in a fresh produce processing facility, for which information has remained scarce. L. monocytogenes was not detected in the facility. Experiments simulating conditions in the processing environment were performed, including examination of bacterial growth in nutrients based on vegetables (salad juice) compared to in other types of nutrients (fish, meat). Results showed that the endogenous microbiota (dominated by Pseudomonas) grew well in iceberg lettuce and rocket salad juice at low temperatures, while growth inhibition of L. monocytogenes was observed, particularly in rocket salad juice. The anti-listerial activity in rocket salad juice was retained in a polar chromatographic fraction containing several metabolites. Characterization of this active fraction, using LC-MS/MS, led to identification of 19 compounds including nucleosides and amino acids. Further work is necessary to determine the molecular mechanism responsible for the inhibitory activity of rocket salad constituents. The study nevertheless suggests that the available nutrients, as well as a low temperature (3 °C) and the in-house bacterial flora, may influence the prevalence of L. monocytogenes in fresh produce processing facilities.
Music, metaphor and modernism: Barrie Gavin’s composer portraits
Authors: Venn Edward
Published: April 2021

The Royal Philharmonic Society has described the series of composer portraits created by Barrie Gavin as ‘an unprecedented legacy and treasure trove for musicians and curious listeners alike to discover’. These profiles are characterized by their commitment to music of living composers, but also to a repertoire that has become increasingly marginalized in arts coverage in the half century or so since Gavin’s first portrait. This article examines Gavin’s contribution to the filmic presentation of musical modernism of the past 50 years and, in particular, explores his use of creative visual metaphors as a tool for interpretation.
Flipped Classroom and Aronson´s Puzzle: a Combined Evaluation in the Master´s Degree in Preuniversitary Teaching
Authors: Lázaro-Carrascosa Carlos , Hernán-Losada Isidoro , Palacios-Alonso Daniel , Velázquez-Iturbide Ángel
Published: April 2021

This article presents a double evaluation carried out in the subject Complements for disciplinary training II: Computing, corresponding to the Master's degree teacher training in secondary education, baccalaureate, vocational training and languages taught by the Universidad Rey Juan Carlos. The students of the subject had to learn how to prepare simple web pages, using HTML, CSS and JavaScript programming languages. To this end, the flipped classroom technique was used to present the necessary contents, combined with the adaptation of Aronson's cooperative learning puzzle technique, used to carry out a group practice that reflected the knowledge acquired. It is worth mentioning, as a complement to the two techniques used, the use of an adapted assessment rubric, which was provided to the students at the beginning of the teaching block. The evaluation was carried out during two consecutive academic years, 2018/2019 and 2019/2020. There were important differences between the two studies: in the first study, the students' previous self-assigned level was much higher (2.8 points as opposed to 1.4 points on a scale of 1 to 5). The other difference, even more relevant, was that in the second year all teaching was done at home, in a non-attendance format, on a mandatory basis, due to the period of confinement decreed by the state of alarm at that moment, because of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, popularly known as coronavirus. At the end of the experience, the students expressed their satisfaction with the learning acquired and with the tasks performed, in both cases. The techniques used were well-appreciated, in the first year more than in the second, and especially flipped classroom. The scores obtained were, in addition, always very relevant.
Megkoronázott sebezhetőségek
Authors: Mariann Fekete
Published: April 2021

A 2020-as év korábban nem ismert tapasztalatok, események, élethelyzetek sorát hozta el a világ számára. Az ismeretlentől való félelem, a bizonytalanság, a kiszámíthatatlanság és a drámai változások a társadalom minden rétegére, minden szegmensére erős hatást gyakoroltak. Feltételezzük, hogy a COVID 19-járvány következtében új típusú sebezhetőségek jelennek meg a fiatalok életében, miközben a régiek is tovább élnek, ennélfogva a fiatalság egy új típusú megélése válik majd kényszerűségből általánossá az elkövetkező időszakban. Tanulmányunkban egyetemista fiatalok élethelyzetét vizsgáljuk több aspektusból, különös tekintettel az oktatás, a munka és a szabadidő-felhasználás területére.
The effect of public expenditures on economic growth of Kosovo: An econometric analysis
Authors: Miftari Florije , Kida Nakije , Shala Nuhi
Published: April 2021

Public spending as an important component of the composition of GDP has an impact on economic growth and development. The main purpose of this paper is to analyze the effects of disaggregated public expenditures, to measure the impact of current expenditures, transfers and subsidies, and capital expenditures as part of total government expenditures on economic growth and development of the Republic of Kosovo. To achieve the main goal of the paper was used the multiple linear regression model (OLS) and Pearson. The regression model has been modified and adapted to measure the regression of public spending on economic growth in Kosovo. The data used in the paper are secondary and collected from the Ministry of Finance of Kosovo, Agency of Statistics, and the Tax Administration of Kosovo. Data processing was done with SPSS. The results of the analysis show that the trend of Kosovo public spending for the analyzed period is increasing. According to Pearson correlation analysis, the results show that current public spending; transfers, and subsidies have a strong positive correlation to Gross Domestic Product. Whereas capital (investment) expenditures have a weaker positive correlation with GDP. The results of OLS regression, in our case, did not show the significance of independent variables, which means that the pubic expenses do not have an impact on economic growth in Kosovo.
Política Externa Migratória do Brasil: a política imigratória brasileira
Authors: Georg Uebel Roberto Rodolfo , Ranincheski (in memoriam) Sonia
Published: April 2021

Este artigo apresenta a Política Externa Migratória do Brasil (PEXMB). Surgida em um contexto de assertividade da Política Externa Brasileira (PEB), no período de 2003 a 2016, onde cerca de 2,1 milhões de imigrantes e solicitantes de refúgio chegaram no país, a PEXMB se configura como a política migratória do Brasil, dependente da PEB e das agendas do Ministério das Relações Exteriores. Analisaremos como este conceito surgiu a partir de eixos de inserção estratégica do Brasil em duas regiões específicas: América Latina e África. Os resultados apontam que a sua sustentação se deu por pilares como as participações brasileiras em missões humanitárias, a concessão de bolsas de estudo e pesquisa para estrangeiros, a criação do visto humanitário, a emissão e isenção de vistos para grandes eventos desportivos, a discussão e tramitação da nova Lei de Migração e a imigração subsidiada por meio do Programa Mais Médicos, tudo em um curto período, que chamaremos de hiperdinamização das migrações.
Optimization Procedure for Design of High-lift Airfoils with Specified Stall Behaviour
Authors: Bolsunovsky A. L. , Buzoverya N. P. , Nickolaeva K. S.
Published: April 2021

, which allows one to control the abruptness of stall. Some examples of using the developed technique for design of high-lift airfoils are given.