bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
MPA alters metabolic phenotype of endometrial cancer-associated fibroblasts from obese women via IRS2 signaling
Authors: Omar Intan Sofia , Abd Jamil Amira Hajirah , Mat Adenan Noor Azmi , Chung Ivy
Published: July 2022

Obese women have a higher risk of developing endometrial cancer (EC) than lean women. Besides affecting EC progression, obesity also affects sensitivity of patients to treatment including medroxprogesterone acetate (MPA). Obese women have a lower response to MPA with an increased risk for tumor recurrence. While MPA inhibits the growth of normal fibroblasts, human endometrial cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) were reported to be less responsive to MPA. However, it is still unknown how CAFs from obese women respond to progesterone. CAFs from the EC tissues of obese (CO) and non-obese (CN) women were established as primary cell models. MPA increased cell proliferation and downregulated stromal differentiation genes, including BMP2 in CO than in CN. Induction of IRS2 (a BMP2 regulator) mRNA expression by MPA led to activation of glucose metabolism in CO, with evidence of greater mRNA levels of GLUT6, GAPDH, PKM2, LDHA, and increased in GAPDH enzymatic activity. Concomitantly, MPA increased the mRNA expression of a fatty acid transporter, CD36 and lipid droplet formation in CO. MPA-mediated increase in glucose metabolism genes in CO was reversed with a progesterone receptor inhibitor, mifepristone (RU486), leading to a decreased proliferation. Our data suggests that PR signaling is aberrantly activated by MPA in CAFs isolated from endometrial tissues of obese women, leading to activation of IRS2 and glucose metabolism, which may lead to lower response and sensitivity to progesterone in obese women.
Accuracy measurement of different marker based motion analysis systems for biomechanical applications: A round robin study
Authors: Schroeder Stefan , Jaeger Sebastian , Schwer Jonas , Seitz Andreas Martin , Hamann Isabell , Werner Michael , Thorwaechter Christoph , Santos Inês , Wendler Toni , Nebel Dennis , Welke Bastian
Published: July 2022

Introduction

Multiple camera systems are widely used for 3D-motion analysis. Due to increasing accuracies these camera systems gained interest in biomechanical research areas, where high precision measurements are desirable. In the current study different measurement systems were compared regarding their measurement accuracy.

Materials and methods

Translational and rotational accuracy measurements as well as the zero offset measurements of seven different measurement systems were performed using two reference devices and two different evaluation algorithms. All measurements were performed in the same room with constant temperature at the same laboratory. Equal positions were measured with the systems according to a standardized protocol. Measurement errors were determined and compared.

Results

The highest measurement errors were seen for a measurement system using active ultrasonic markers, followed by another active marker measurement system (infrared) having measurement errors up to several hundred micrometers. The highest accuracies were achieved by three stereo camera systems, using passive 2D marker points having errors typically below 20 μm.

Conclusions

This study can help to better assess the results obtained with different measurement systems. With the focus on the measurement accuracy, only one aspect in the selection of a system was considered. Depending on the requirements of the user, other factors like measurement frequency, the maximum analyzable volume, the marker type or the costs are important factors as well.
A machine learning approach using partitioning around medoids clustering and random forest classification to model groups of farms in regard to production parameters and bulk tank milk antibody status of two major internal parasites in dairy cows
Authors: Oehm Andreas W. , Springer Andrea , Jordan Daniela , Strube Christina , Knubben-Schweizer Gabriela , Jensen Katharina Charlotte , Zablotski Yury
Published: July 2022

Fasciola hepaticaandOstertagia ostertagiare internal parasites of cattle compromising physiology, productivity, and well-being. Parasites are complex in their effect on hosts, sometimes making it difficult to identify clear directions of associations between infection and production parameters. Therefore, unsupervised approaches not assuming a structure reduce the risk of introducing bias to the analysis. They may provide insights which cannot be obtained with conventional, supervised methodology. An unsupervised, exploratory cluster analysis approach using the k–mode algorithm and partitioning around medoids detected two distinct clusters in a cross-sectional data set of milk yield, milk fat content, milk protein content as well asF.hepaticaorO.ostertagibulk tank milk antibody status from 606 dairy farms in three structurally different dairying regions in Germany. Parasite–positive farms grouped together with their respective production parameters to form separate clusters. A random forests algorithm characterised clusters with regard to external variables. Across all study regions, co–infections withF.hepaticaorO.ostertagi, respectively, farming type, and pasture access appeared to be the most important factors discriminating clusters (i.e. farms). Furthermore, farm level lameness prevalence, herd size, BCS, stage of lactation, and somatic cell count were relevant criteria distinguishing clusters. This study is among the first to apply a cluster analysis approach in this context and potentially the first to implement a k–medoids algorithm and partitioning around medoids in the veterinary field. The results demonstrated that biologically relevant patterns of parasite status and milk parameters exist between farms positive forF.hepaticaorO.ostertagi, respectively, and negative farms. Moreover, the machine learning approach confirmed results of previous work and shed further light on the complex setting of associations a between parasitic diseases, milk yield and milk constituents, and management practices.
Adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) uncoating is a stepwise process and is linked to structural reorganization of the nucleolus
Authors: Sutter Sereina O. , Lkharrazi Anouk , Schraner Elisabeth M. , Michaelsen Kevin , Meier Anita Felicitas , Marx Jennifer , Vogt Bernd , Büning Hildegard , Fraefel Cornel
Published: July 2022

Nucleoli are membrane-less structures located within the nucleus and are known to be involved in many cellular functions, including stress response and cell cycle regulation. Besides, many viruses can employ the nucleolus or nucleolar proteins to promote different steps of their life cycle such as replication, transcription and assembly. While adeno-associated virus type 2 (AAV2) capsids have previously been reported to enter the host cell nucleus and accumulate in the nucleolus, both the role of the nucleolus in AAV2 infection, and the viral uncoating mechanism remain elusive. In all prior studies on AAV uncoating, viral capsids and viral genomes were not directly correlated on the single cell level, at least not in absence of a helper virus. To elucidate the properties of the nucleolus during AAV2 infection and to assess viral uncoating on a single cell level, we combined immunofluorescence analysis for detection of intact AAV2 capsids and capsid proteins with fluorescence in situ hybridization for detection of AAV2 genomes. The results of our experiments provide evidence that uncoating of AAV2 particles occurs in a stepwise process that is completed in the nucleolus and supported by alteration of the nucleolar structure.
Three enigmatic BioH isoenzymes are programmed in the early stage of mycobacterial biotin synthesis, an attractive anti-TB drug target
Authors: Xu Yongchang , Yang Jie , Li Weihui , Song Shuaijie , Shi Yu , Wu Lihan , Sun Jingdu , Hou Mengyun , Wang Jinzi , Jia Xu , Zhang Huimin , Huang Man , Lu Ting , Gan Jianhua , Feng Youjun
Published: July 2022

Tuberculosis (TB) is one of the leading infectious diseases of global concern, and one quarter of the world’s population are TB carriers. Biotin metabolism appears to be an attractive anti-TB drug target. However, the first-stage of mycobacterial biotin synthesis is fragmentarily understood. Here we report that three evolutionarily-distinct BioH isoenzymes (BioH1 to BioH3) are programmed in biotin synthesis of Mycobacterium smegmatis. Expression of an individual bioH isoform is sufficient to allow the growth of an Escherichia coli ΔbioH mutant on the non-permissive condition lacking biotin. The enzymatic activity in vitro combined with biotin bioassay in vivo reveals that BioH2 and BioH3 are capable of removing methyl moiety from pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester to give pimeloyl-ACP, a cognate precursor for biotin synthesis. In particular, we determine the crystal structure of dimeric BioH3 at 2.27Å, featuring a unique lid domain. Apart from its catalytic triad, we also dissect the substrate recognition of BioH3 by pimeloyl-ACP methyl ester. The removal of triple bioH isoforms (ΔbioH1/2/3) renders M. smegmatis biotin auxotrophic. Along with the newly-identified Tam/BioC, the discovery of three unusual BioH isoforms defines an atypical ‘BioC-BioH(3)’ paradigm for the first-stage of mycobacterial biotin synthesis. This study solves a long-standing puzzle in mycobacterial nutritional immunity, providing an alternative anti-TB drug target.
Cellular electron tomography of the apical complex in the apicomplexan parasite Eimeria tenella shows a highly organised gateway for regulated secretion
Authors: Burrell Alana , Marugan-Hernandez Virginia , Wheeler Richard , Moreira-Leite Flavia , Ferguson David J. P. , Tomley Fiona M. , Vaughan Sue
Published: July 2022

The apical complex of apicomplexan parasites is essential for host cell invasion and intracellular survival and as the site of regulated exocytosis from specialised secretory organelles called rhoptries and micronemes. Despite its importance, there are few data on the three-dimensional organisation and quantification of these organelles within the apical complex or how they are trafficked to this specialised region of plasma membrane for exocytosis. In coccidian apicomplexans there is an additional tubulin-containing hollow barrel structure, the conoid, which provides a structural gateway for this specialised apical secretion. Using a combination of cellular electron tomography and serial block face-scanning electron microscopy (SBF-SEM) we have reconstructed the entire apical end of Eimeria tenella sporozoites; we report a detailed dissection of the three- dimensional organisation of the conoid and show there is high curvature of the tubulin-containing fibres that might be linked to the unusual comma-shaped arrangement of protofilaments. We quantified the number and location of rhoptries and micronemes within cells and show a highly organised gateway for trafficking and docking of rhoptries, micronemes and microtubule-associated vesicles within the conoid around a set of intra-conoidal microtubules. Finally, we provide ultrastructural evidence for fusion of rhoptries directly through the parasite plasma membrane early in infection and the presence of a pore in the parasitophorous vacuole membrane, providing a structural explanation for how rhoptry proteins may be trafficked between the parasite and the host cytoplasm.
Investment needs to achieve SDGs: An overview
Authors: Kulkarni Shridhar , Hof Andries , Ambrósio Geanderson , Edelenbosch Oreane , Köberle Alexandre C. , van Rijn Jeroen , van Vuuren Detlef
Published: July 2022

Estimating the investments needed to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is key to mobilising the financial resources to achieve them. Despite an increasing body of research to estimate the capital and operational costs towards achieving various related SDG targets individually and collectively, an overview of the total estimated investment needs at the global scale has not been conducted since the adoption of SDGs in 2015. This study provides such an overview. Estimates for investment needs are found for nine goals: SDG 2 (zero hunger), SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 4 (quality education), SGD 6 (clean water and sanitation), SDG7 (access to energy), SDG 9 (infrastructure), SDG 13 (climate action), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 15 (life on land). The reviewed studies vary significantly in terms of applied methodology, the assumed targets that need to be achieved, and presented estimates, but overall they indicate significantly higher investment needs to achieve all covered SDGs than previous estimates suggest. For most SDGs, annual investment needs are in the order of hundreds of billion USD annually, and for SDG6 and SDG13 estimates of a trillion or more are reported.
Divines and the Constructed Self
Authors: Barbour Sophie
Published: July 2022

This article examines the character of Dounia from the 2016 film Divines through different facets of her identity. As a North African girl living in a Roma camp outside of a Parisian banlieue, Dounia faces a multitude of challenges if she wishes to not only survive, but ultimately escape her socio-economic position. To do so, Dounia must enter the banlieue’s male-dominated economy by masquerading in a male role. This performance of gender exposes other pieces of her identity as performed, and performance itself is exposed as her most powerful tool toward escape.
Nagisa Ōshima’s Essayistic Exploration of Japan’s “Korean Problem”
Authors: O’Connell Dylan
Published: July 2022

Japanese New Wave filmmaker Nagisa Ōshima repeatedly tackled Japan’s cultural and systemic discrimination toward Koreans in his films. The “Korean problem” is a complex issue that stems from a storied history between the two countries. However, Ōshima was undaunted at the task of confronting his Japanese audience with challenges to their potential biases. Ōshima incorporated essay film techniques in his films Forgotten Soldiers (1963), Diary of Yunbogi (1965), Death by Hanging (1968), and Three Resurrected Drunkards (1968) to disrupt the illusion of film and encourage self-reflection among the audience.
Ethical Criticism and There Will Be Blood: Autonomism, Moralism, and Immoralist Perspectives
Authors: Tronconi Giulia
Published: July 2022

The article explores the role played by moral categories in the assessment of an artwork’s overall aesthetic value. By means of close analysis of Paul Thomas There Will Be Blood, the work maintains an immoralist approach, where an artwork’s unethical attitude may yield cognitive gain to its receiver—or perhaps unsettle their moral compass in an unusual, pleasant way. There Will Be Blood is considered a cinematic masterwork; yet, the viewing experience is complicated by the film’s greedy and self-obsessed protagonist, Daniel Plainview (Daniel Day-Lewis). The article scrutinizes the film’s most notable sequence—the explosion of the oil derrick—to formulate an aesthetic evaluation that manages to assess, simultaneously, formal and moral aspects.
Hitchcock and the Internalization of Soviet Sound Theory
Authors: Zornado Jack
Published: July 2022

This article provides an overview of the trajectory of Alfred Hitchcock’s use of film sound as it relates to Soviet sound theory. I begin with his first use of sound in Blackmail (1929), tracing a line through his middle period with Strangers on a Train (1951), and end with a film from his late period, The Birds (1963). My analysis of Hitchcock’s use of sound in these films shows the influence of Soviet sound theory and its affects on his films and his own cinematic style.
Introduction: What Kind of Faith? On Christian Spiritual Life and the Message of Silence
Authors: Radovic Mina
Published: July 2022

The dossier examines the ways in which spiritual life can be communicated through literary and cinematic expression. The dossier emerged from work with three outstanding students—Elijah Young, Alison Parmenter, and Costanza Chirdo—taking the class on the final-year undergraduate course Studies in Literature and Film which I taught at the Department of English and Creative Writing at Goldsmiths, University of London. By looking at one shared source text the aim is to study, compare, and reveal the ways in which literature and film can serve as unique artistic forms for communicating about faith and the significance of confronting silence as a way to building one’s relationship with God and our fellow human beings. The text in question is the Japanese novel Silence by Shūsaku Endō, and its two eponymous film adaptations, by Masahiro Shinoda and Martin Scorsese, respectively. It is through a comparative study of the texts that we can get the “full picture” of the message of Silence and better understand how each author (or auteur!) adds meaningful depth to the source material’s depiction of the Christian spiritual life.
The Internal Journey Toward Spiritual Self-Recognition in Shūsaku Endō’s Silence
Authors: Young Elijah
Published: July 2022

This article will plot and examine the spiritual progression of protagonist Sebastiao Rodrigues from “blind faith” to a fuller awareness of his spiritual self. Endo’s narratives will be seen to eschew allegorical readings in favor of presenting the importance of the spiritual journey for the individual. In the face of extreme violence, Rodrigues will be seen to develop from a position of aspiration toward honorable martyrdom to one of disillusion and disconnection from institutions that obfuscate the clarity of his personal relationship with Christ. The conclusion Endo will be seen to arrive at is that this is the true potential of a spiritual life, that the individual might find affirmation of their own belief in spite of persecution and judicial torture.
The Sound of Silence: Spiritual Struggle and Apostasy in Masahiro Shinoda’s Film
Authors: Parmenter Alison
Published: July 2022

This article assesses the spiritual journey of a Christian priest in seventeenth-century Japan in Masahiro Shinoda’s 1971 film, Silence. With a specific focus on cinematic elements like soundscapes and themes, it evaluates how the director utilizes filmic features to establish and heighten prevalent motif’s such as religious boundaries and apostasy. Furthermore, it strives to understand how the film reflects its contemporary sociopolitical climate and aims to explore any authorial influences.
The Hope of the Cross in Martin Scorsese’s Silence
Authors: Chirdo Costanza
Published: July 2022

Martin Scorsese’s Silence depicts the relationship between man and God. In the atmosphere of seventeenth-century Japan, where Christians were persecuted as a consequence of their attempt to spread Catholic Christianity, the film follows the journey of Jesuit priest Father Rodrigues, who is sent to the country in search of his vanished mentor. Throughout, Rodrigues’s journey turns out to be external and physical as much as it is internal and, predominantly, spiritual. Found in a country and culture to which he doesn’t belong, and which are hostile to him, Rodrigues’s faith slowly undergoes a transformation. This article focuses on the way his relationship to God changes, and on how this delicate, yet powerful process is presented through the film.
Interview with the Makers of The Portal
Authors: Mahoney Nicholas , Vicoli Leigh Ann
Published: July 2022

Interviews with Jacqui Fifer and Tom Cronin, makers of The Portal.
Arrival: The Complex Concepts of Time and Language
Authors: Pascual Mika
Published: July 2022

A personal response to the social constructs of time and language as addressed in Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival.
Introduction: Can’t Buy Me Love?: Market, Mass Production, and Investment in Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Ue Tom
Published: July 2022

“Can’t Buy Me Love?: Market, Mass Production, and Investment in Steven Spielberg’s A.I. Artificial Intelligence” examines the film’s (2001) money plot. In so doing, it reveals how companies profit off robots like David (Haley Joel Osment). It goes on to revisit Spielberg’s source material, Brian Aldiss’s “Supertoys Last All Summer Long” (1969), which offers direct criticism of how we turn to short-term fixes, all the while neglecting long-term problems. I argue that Henry downplays his wife Monica’s discontent both in creating and in relying on a succession of AI stand-ins—Teddy, David, and now a serving-man—and, indeed, the couple abdicates their responsibility toward each other.
Audio mediation technology and liveness in modern musical theatre performance
Authors: Alexander-Hills Makulumy
Published: July 2022

The widespread use of audio technology in musical theatre – and, in particular, how the use of this audio technology interfaces with the presence of live musicians – complicates the sonic notion of liveness in the theatrical setting. This article will delve into the more complex details of what we call liveness in mainstream musical theatre, with special attention paid to live musicians in this highly mediated environment. The first half of the article explores the roots of contemporary audio technology norms for musical theatre and argues that they have developed in part to maximize the sonic similarity of the live performance to its mediatized forms (primarily cast recordings). The second section explores the impact of audio mediation norms on pit musicians and features comments drawn from interviews with a number of Broadway musicians. The use of audio technology in contemporary musical theatre performance, while perhaps making it easier to align mediatized and live performance forms for audience consumption, results in complex notions of quasi-liveness with respect to the live musicians.
Musicals, operettas and Heiteres Musiktheater in East Germany 1949–89
Authors: Clarke Kevin
Published: July 2022

This article examines the development of operetta and musicals in East and West Germany from 1949 until the reunification in 1989–90. It focuses on the special ideological requirements of popular musical entertainment in the socialist east, discusses how works by Offenbach and Strauss were adapted, considers how works from the Soviet Union were imported and examines how new works were created to fulfil the ideal of ‘socialist realism’. The arrival of Broadway musicals in East Germany in the 1960s were typically made to fit into the system of state subsidized theatre.
Original Cast Album: Company, D. A. Pennebaker (dir.) (1970)
Authors: Buchman Andrew
Published: July 2022

Review of: Original Cast Album: Company, D. A. Pennebaker (dir.) (1970)

53 minutes (52:56), ISBN 978-1-68143-868-9, Streaming on the Criterion Channel, available on (1K) DVD, $23.95 and Blu-Ray (4K) DVD, USD $31.96
Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America, Stacy Wolf (2020)
Authors: Gelles Barrie
Published: July 2022

Review of: Beyond Broadway: The Pleasure and Promise of Musical Theatre Across America, Stacy Wolf (2020)

New York: Oxford University Press, 382 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-19-063953-2, p/bk, USD $99.00
Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George, James Lapine (2021)
Authors: Housez Lara E.
Published: July 2022

Review of: Putting It Together: How Stephen Sondheim and I Created Sunday in the Park with George, James Lapine (2021)

New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 416 pp.,

ISBN 978-0-37420-009-1, h/bk, GBP £32
Um país de brandos costumes: Portugal nos guias The Rought Guide entre 1988 e 2019
Authors: Sá Vítor
Published: July 2022

Os guias de turismo são meios privilegiados para o estudo do turismo. Como tal, permitem-nos avaliar o percurso da imagem de um destino ao longo do tempo. O presente artigo debruça-se sobre a imagem de Portugal como destino em guias “The Rough Guide” dos anos 1988, 1998 e 2007. Esta análise permitiu-nos perceber de que forma a narrativa sobre o país se foi alterando durante perto de duas décadas e em que pontos se manteve inalterado, apesar de todos as transformações vividas.
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder symptom sub-cluster severity predicts gray matter volume changes better than overall symptom severity
Authors: Azma Sheeva , Thompson Rachel , Bermudez Diana , Renton Rachael , Adeyemo Adebanke , Meyerhoff James , Amdur Richard , Green Bonnie , Dutton Mary Ann , Vanmeter John
Published: July 2022

Although Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) can be understood as dysregulation in fear extinction circuitry, it is not a unitary, homogeneous disorder; some symptoms of PTSD do not have direct fear-related correlates (anhedonia, emotional numbing, associated substance abuse). This study examines the relationship between the severity of PTSD symptom sub-clusters and changes in gray matter volume (GMV).

11 patients who had experienced interpersonal violence (females, mean age 38.4 yrs) participated in a MRI study and were assessed using the PTSD Checklist (PCL) (Weathers 1993). Individuals with current substance dependence, lifetime or current psychosis, bipolar disorder, current suicidality, and current psychoactive medications were excluded. A T1-weighted 3D MPRAGE volume was acquired (Siemens 3T Tim Trio, 176 sagittal slices, TR/TE=1900/2.52ms, effective resolution 1mm
3). Voxel-Based Morphometry (VBM) analysis was conducted in SPM5 (Ashburner 2000). Symptom subclusters of Avoidance, Dysphoria, Hyperarousal, and Intrusions were calculated according to Krause et al. (2008). Associations between GMV and subclusters were tested with linear regression, with age as covariate of no interest. Results were thresholded at p=0.0025, with cluster-level correction.

Overall, symptom subcluster severity negatively correlated with GMV in regions previously implicated in PTSD. Severity of Avoidance symptoms (avoidant thinking, behavior) was negatively correlated with bilateral mid-cingulate (BA32) and anterior cingulate (BA24) cortices. Severity of Intrusions (flashbacks, nightmares, reliving) was negatively correlated with left-lateralized insula (BA13, BA47), inferior orbitofrontal cortex (BA47), postcentral gyrus (BA3), lingual gyrus, and calcarine sulcus (BA17). Hyperarousal (hypervigilant, “jumpy”) severity was not associated with GMV. Dysphoria symptom severity exhibited a trend of positive correlation with GMV in middle frontal gyrus (p=0.012). Total PCL score tended to correlate negatively (p=0.08) with GMV in right parahippocampal gyrus.

These results support the hypothesis that PTSD is an imbalance of brain systems involved in approach and avoidance (Stein and Paulus 2009). Use of symptom sub-clusters revealed, to a greater degree than total PCL score, subtle changes in GMV. Specifically, severity of Intrusions was associated with decreased GMV in visual, motor, and pain processing areas while Dysphoria was positively correlated with GMV in middle frontal gyrus as observed in depressed patients. Greater knowledge of the structural correlates of symptom clusters may enhance understanding and treatment of PTSD.
¿Cómo perciben las personas mayores el maltrato hacia ellas?
Authors: Salas Manuela , Buedo Paola
Published: July 2022

El maltrato hacia las personas mayores es una nueva demanda para el campo sanitario. La bioética debe colaborar con la salud pública para su abordaje. Se encuestaron personas mayores de 60 años en Argentina durante el 2020 sobre sus percepciones en torno al maltrato. Se recibieron 363 respuestas. El 81% considera que no tienen el lugar que les corresponde en la sociedad y el 81,3% que no se respetan sus derechos. Las formas de maltrato son extendidas, funcionan como capas de vulnerabilidad que afectan la salud y su identificación permite actuar sobre ellas para su erradicación.
Editorial
Authors: Dvořák Dominik
Published: July 2022

Editorial
LexCH: a quick and reliable receptive vocabulary size test for Chinese Learners
Authors: Qi Shiwei , Teng Mark Feng , Fu Ailan
Published: July 2022

The measurement of vocabulary size is crucial in applied linguistics research. Although increasing attention has been given to the study of Chinese vocabulary assessment, few reliable and valid tools are available to evaluate Chinese learners’ receptive vocabulary size, particularly for teenagers and adults. We aim to fill this gap by developing LexCH, a quick, reliable and free receptive vocabulary size assessment tool that researchers and language teachers can readily adopt. In developing LexCH, we chose items covering a range of difficulty levels and with strong discriminative power as test items for the final version of LexCH based on item response theory. In total, 480 students from a junior high school and a high school in China participated in this study. Our initial validation results suggest that LexCH is a reliable and valid receptive vocabulary size test for L1 Chinese speakers; it also shows great potential for use among L2 Chinese learners. Implications for assessing receptive vocabulary size in Chinese learning are provided.
Research on Gender Stereotyping and Entrepreneurship: Suggestions for Some Paths Worth Pursuing
Authors: Jennings Jennifer E. , Tonoyan Vartuhi
Published: July 2022

Despite the tremendous growth in research on gender stereotyping in the context of entrepreneurship, scholarly understanding of this phenomenon is far from complete. Accordingly, the overarching goal of this paper is to stimulate greater attention to topics that warrant fuller consideration. Of the many paths worth pursuing, we focus on those that we term “Investigating Intersectionalities”, “Mapping Masculinities”, and “Revealing Rationales”. In our coverage of each, we describe the recommended route’s essence and intellectual origins, summarize extant work within the entrepreneurship literature, and raise illustrative questions for future research. We hope our efforts to demarcate these paths encourage their pursuit.
Virtual patients: an option for future distance midwifery education?
Authors: Urbanová Eva , Bašková Martina , Maskálová Erika , Mazúchová Lucia , Škodová Zuzana
Published: July 2022

Background

The objective is to introduce the creating a set of virtual patients (VPs) to support distance midwifery education as well as the impact of distance education by means of VPs on knowledge, skills, motivation, clinical practice, and student satisfaction.

Methods

VPs were created using OpenLabyrinth (OL). The impact of the distance education was assessed using a feedback questionnaire.

Results

When creating our own VPs, the design and development phase can be considered the most difficult. On a scale of 1 (agree) to 4 (disagree), the student feedback rates were mostly positive (1.04–2.13). A high degree of agreement was associated with the acquisition of theoretical knowledge (1.15–1.28) and skills (1.43).

Conclusions

The creation of our own VPs is challenging for teachers due to its unconventional character. The students expressed great satisfaction with distance learning, but lacked face-to-face contact with the patient.
Extremely low gestational age neonates and resuscitation: survey on perspectives of Canadian neonatologists
Authors: Wood Stacie J. , Coughlin Kevin , Cheng Anita
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Resuscitation care planning for extremely low gestational age neonates (ELGANs) is complex and ethically charged. Increasing survival at lower gestational ages has had a significant impact on this complexity. It also has an impact on healthcare resource utilization and policy development in Canada. This study sought to determine the current attitudes and practices of neonatologists in Canada, and to assess moral distress associated with resuscitation decisions in the ELGAN population. It also aimed to explore the perspectives of adopting a shared decision-making approach where further data with regard to best interests and prognosis are gathered in an individualized manner after birth.

Methods

Neonatologists in Canadian level III NICUs were surveyed in 2020.

Results

Amongst the 65 responses, 78% expressed moral distress when parents request non-resuscitation at 24 weeks. Uncertainty around long-term outcomes in an era with improved chances of morbidity-free survival was the most prominent factor contributing to moral distress. 70% felt less moral distress deciding goals of care after the baby’s initial resuscitation and preferred an individualized approach to palliation decisions based on postnatal course and assessment.

Conclusions

While most current guidelines still support the option of non-resuscitation for infants born at less than 25 weeks, we show evidence of moral distress among Canadian neonatologists that suggests the consideration of routine resuscitation from 24 weeks and above is a more ethical approach in the current era of improved outcomes. Canadian neonatologists identified less moral distress when goals of care are developed postnatally, with availability of more evidence for prognostication, instead of antenatally based primarily on gestational age.
Gaps in transition readiness measurement: a comparison of instruments to a conceptual model
Authors: South Katherine , George Maureen , Smaldone Arlene
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Measuring transition readiness is important when preparing young people with chronic illness for successful transition to adult care. The Expanded Socioecological Model of Adolescent and Young Adult Readiness to Transition (Expanded SMART) offers a holistic view of factors that influence transition readiness and outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine conceptual congruency of transition readiness instruments with the Expanded SMART to determine the breadth and frequency of constructs measured.

Methods

PubMed was searched to identify observational and experimental studies that measured transition readiness across chronic illnesses. Selected instruments were first evaluated on their development and psychometric properties. Next, reviewers independently mapped each instrument item to Expanded SMART constructs: knowledge, skills/self-efficacy, relationships/communication, psychosocial/emotions, developmental maturity, beliefs/expectations, goals/motivation. If items did not map to a construct, a new construct was named inductively through group discussion.

Results

Three instruments (TRAQ [20 items], STARx [18 items] and TRxANSITION Index [32 items]), reported in 74 studies, were identified. Across instruments, most items mapped to three constructs: skills/self-efficacy, developmental maturity, and knowledge. The psychosocial constructs of goals/motivation and psychosocial/emotions were underrepresented in the instruments. No instrument mapped to every model construct. Two new constructs: independent living and organization were identified.

Conclusions

Constructs representing transition readiness in three frequently used transition readiness instruments vary considerably from Expanded SMART, a holistic conceptual model of transition readiness, suggesting that conceptualization and operationalization of transition readiness is not standardized. No instrument reflected all conceptual constructs of transition readiness and psychosocial constructs were underrepresented, suggesting that current instruments may provide an incomplete measurement of transition readiness.
Nonlinear discrete system model of tobacco supply chain information
Authors: Xu XiaoGuang , Guo Yue , Fu YongMin , Wang ZhengWei , Zhao XuDong
Published: July 2022

In order to understand the real environment and specific needs of China’s current tobacco industry, master the signal information in the tobacco supply chain, and timely discover the source of the tobacco supply chain, this paper puts forward the detection method of anti-counterfeiting at the source of the tobacco supply chain. Based on this, this article constructs a nonlinear discrete system model, which mainly studies the logistics information existing in the tobacco supply chain, utilizes the noise existing in the tobacco supply chain information obtained by EKF filtering, and combines it with Support vector machine data analysis method. The results showed that out of 450 sample tests, 0 real sample errors and 1 misuse of 49 false samples, with a total detection rate of up to 100% was achieved. The results show that the nonlinear discrete system model is better, has higher detection effect of tobacco supply source, and improves the detection accuracy.
Recent developments and applications of smart nanoparticles in biomedicine
Authors: Campora Simona , Ghersi Giulio
Published: July 2022

Over the last decades, nanotechnology applied in medicine (nanomedicine) has sparked great interest from the scientific community, thanks to the possibility to engineer nanostructured materials, including nanoparticles (NPs), for a specific application. Their small size confers them unique properties because they are subject to physical laws in the middle between classical and quantum physics. This review is proposed to explain better how to design a specific NP and clarify the relationship between the type, size, and shape of NPs and the specific medical applications. NPs are classified into inorganic (metallic NPs, quantum dots, carbon-based nanostructures, mesoporous silica NPs) and organic (liposomes and micelles, dendrimers, and polymer NPs). Here, we report an accurate description of the potential of each NPs type focusing on their multiple areas of application, including theranostics drug delivery, imaging, tissue engineering, antimicrobial techniques, and nanovaccines. All these features make NPs a promise to revolutionize the new era of nanomedicine.
Data format standards in analytical chemistry
Authors: Rauh David , Blankenburg Claudia , Fischer Tillmann G. , Jung Nicole , Kuhn Stefan , Schatzschneider Ulrich , Schulze Tobias , Neumann Steffen
Published: July 2022

Research data is an essential part of research and almost every publication in chemistry. The data itself can be valuable for reuse if sustainably deposited, annotated and archived. Thus, it is important to publish data following the FAIR principles, to make it findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable not only for humans but also in machine-readable form. This also improves transparency and reproducibility of research findings and fosters analytical work with scientific data to generate new insights, being only accessible with manifold and diverse datasets. Research data requires complete and informative metadata and use of open data formats to obtain interoperable data. Generic data formats like AnIML and JCAMP-DX have been used for many applications. Special formats for some analytical methods are already accepted, like mzML for mass spectrometry or nmrML and NMReDATA for NMR spectroscopy data. Other methods still lack common standards for data. Only a joint effort of chemists, instrument and software vendors, publishers and infrastructure maintainers can make sure that the analytical data will be of value in the future. In this review, we describe existing data formats in analytical chemistry and introduce guidelines for the development and use of standardized and open data formats.
From Kosovo Rush to Mass Atrocities’ Hush. German Debates since Unification
Authors: Hering Robin , Stahl Bernhard
Published: July 2022

Germany’s involvement in the Kosovo War marked its first active participation in combat operations since the Second World War. For many observers at the time, the intervention represented a fundamental policy shift in the West, and in Germany in particular. Mass atrocities, no longer to be observed from the sidelines, were now to be actively prevented. Twenty years later, this stance seems rather puzzling. Mass atrocities continued to be committed; Germany has neither championed efforts to prevent such acts, nor has it been proactive in this regard. In this article, the authors develop three proxies that serve to indicate whether mass atrocities were highly politicised: the existence of parliamentary debates, media coverage, and church statements. They show that Kosovo is an outlier within an otherwise clear continuity of German political silencing in the face of mass atrocities. To prove this claim, they turn to German domestic debates on twelve mass atrocity cases abroad since the country’s unification in 1990.
An experimental perspective on embedded gapping in Persian
Authors: Bîlbîie Gabriela , Faghiri Pegah
Published: July 2022

This paper empirically tests the embedding constraints on gapping in Persian. It has been suggested that gapping differs from other kinds of ellipsis in banning embedding. However, the first counter-examples in the literature come from Persian. Following up on previous experiments on embedded gapping in several languages, we report the results of two acceptability judgment tasks. Our results show that, while embedded gapping is overall acceptable in Persian, speakers’ acceptability judgements also vary depending on the semantic type of the embedding predicate, as well as the presence/absence of the complementizer. Data from Persian highlight that, despite the cross-linguistic variation observed with respect to the acceptability of embedded gapping, a general semantic constraint is at work across languages: non-factive verbs embed more easily than factive ones; inside factive verbs, semi-factive (cognitive) predicates embed more easily than true factive (emotive) ones. Moreover, whereas previous theoretical literature indicates no systematic preference for the absence or the presence of the complementizer in Persian, these new experimental data suggest a preference for complementizer drop. To account for the gradience observed in our experimental data, we propose an approach of gapping based on acceptability rather than grammaticality.
Isolated short attosecond pulse generation by a spatially inhomogeneous combined field
Authors: Hu Yueqiang , Zhang Gangtai , Bai Tingting , Wu Junxiao , Song Yunmei , Wang Ziqi , Yang Zhihuai , Wang Yuxing , Zhang Qian , Zhao Xi
Published: July 2022

We present a theoretical investigation of high-order harmonics and isolated short attosecond pulse generation by a spatially inhomogeneous combined field. The calculation results show that this spatiotemporally synthesized field can not only extend the spectral cutoff but also realize the quantum path control, whereupon an ultrawide supercontinuum with a smooth and regular structure is generated. By filtering a wide range of continuous harmonics around the cutoff region, an isolated 17.6 as pulse with a bandwidth of 279 eV is directly obtained without any phase compensation. Moreover, we also investigate the influence of the CEP, time delay, spatial nonhomogeneity, and laser intensity on the harmonic spectrum.
Mitotic checkpoint gene expression is tuned by codon usage bias
Authors: Esposito Eric , Weidemann Douglas E , Rogers Jessie M , Morton Claire M , Baybay Erod Keaton , Chen Jing , Hauf Silke
Published: July 2022

The mitotic checkpoint (also called spindle assembly checkpoint, SAC) is a signaling pathway that safeguards proper chromosome segregation. Correct functioning of the SAC depends on adequate protein concentrations and appropriate stoichiometries between SAC proteins. Yet very little is known about the regulation of SAC gene expression. Here, we show in the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe that a combination of short mRNA half‐lives and long protein half‐lives supports stable SAC protein levels. For the SAC genes mad2+ and mad3+, their short mRNA half‐lives are caused, in part, by a high frequency of nonoptimal codons. In contrast, mad1+ mRNA has a short half‐life despite a higher frequency of optimal codons, and despite the lack of known RNA‐destabilizing motifs. Hence, different SAC genes employ different strategies of expression. We further show that Mad1 homodimers form co‐translationally, which may necessitate a certain codon usage pattern. Taken together, we propose that the codon usage of SAC genes is fine‐tuned to ensure proper SAC function. Our work shines light on gene expression features that promote spindle assembly checkpoint function and suggests that synonymous mutations may weaken the checkpoint.
USP8 promotes cancer progression and extracellular vesicle‐mediated CD8+ T cell exhaustion by deubiquitinating the TGF‐β receptor TβRII
Authors: Xie Feng , Zhou Xiaoxue , Li Heyu , Su Peng , Liu Sijia , Li Ran , Zou Jing , Wei Xiang , Pan Chen , Zhang Zhengkui , Zheng Min , Liu Zhuang , Meng Xuli , Ovaa Huib , ten Dijke Peter , Zhou Fangfang , Zhang Long
Published: July 2022

TGF‐β signaling is a key player in tumor progression and immune evasion, and is associated with poor response to cancer immunotherapies. Here, we identified ubiquitin‐specific peptidase 8 (USP8) as a metastasis enhancer and a highly active deubiquitinase in aggressive breast tumors. USP8 acts both as a cancer stemness‐promoting factor and an activator of the TGF‐β/SMAD signaling pathway. USP8 directly deubiquitinates and stabilizes the type II TGF‐β receptor TβRII, leading to its increased expression in the plasma membrane and in tumor‐derived extracellular vesicles (TEVs). Increased USP8 activity was observed in patients resistant to neoadjuvant chemotherapies. USP8 promotes TGF‐β/SMAD‐induced epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT), invasion, and metastasis in tumor cells. USP8 expression also enables TβRII+ circulating extracellular vesicles (crEVs) to induce T cell exhaustion and chemoimmunotherapy resistance. Pharmacological inhibition of USP8 antagonizes TGF‐β/SMAD signaling, and reduces TβRII stability and the number of TβRII+ crEVs to prevent CD8+ T cell exhaustion and to reactivate anti‐tumor immunity. Our findings not only reveal a novel mechanism whereby USP8 regulates the cancer microenvironment but also demonstrate the therapeutic advantages of engineering USP8 inhibitors to simultaneously suppress metastasis and improve the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.
An ever-inquiring mind: A tribute to Dr. J. Sherman Bleakney (1928-2019)
Authors: Daborn Graham R.
Published: July 2022

N/A
Seabirds in a changing ocean: an overview of 20 years of research and monitoring on Machias Seal Island, Bay of Fundy, Canada
Authors: Diamond Antony W.
Published: July 2022

N/A
The current rockweed, Ascophyllum nodosum, harvesting regime on the shores of Nova Scotia – a review
Authors: Fass Megan P.
Published: July 2022

Ascophyllum nodosum is an ecologically and economically valuable species of brown seaweed found in Nova Scotia. The large fronds covered in airbladders create distinctive underwater canopy ecosystems in the intertidal zone. Ascophyllum is valuable as a soil supplement and fertilizer due to its biochemical composition. Commercial harvest of this wild resource began approximately sixty years ago and has been continuously exploited since. Careful management of Ascophyllum stocks is necessary to sustain the industry. In this literature review, the current harvesting regime of this seaweed in Nova Scotia is summarized and assessed in relation to harvesting regimes elsewhere and to the state of the intertidal marine ecosystem.Keywords:  Ascophyllum nodosum, ecological impacts, intertidal ecology, resource management, rockweed harvesting, seaweed industry
The Relationship of Character Accentuations and Professional Self-Determination of Adolescents
Authors:   Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University, Perevozkin Sergey B. , Perevozkina Sergey B. ,   Novosibirsk State Pedagogical University
Published: July 2022

A study was conducted to identify high-risk groups among adolescents, with a level of accentuations, characterized by a high probability of adaptive disorders in the professional sphere, which contribute to the development or intensification of intrapsychic conflict, frustration and emotional tension, mental stress. The questionnaires of K. Leonhard and N. Shmishek “Character Accentuationsˮ, “Orientationˮ (I. L. Solomin) and “Professional Readinessˮ by A. P. Chernyakovskaya. The relationship between the accentuations of the character of adolescents and their professional self-determination was determined using a correlation analysis – the r-Spearman criterion was used. Adolescents were tested, students of grades 10 and 11 in the amount of 60 people aged 15–17 years (including 22 boys and 38 girls). It is concluded that adolescents with dysthymic, anxious-fearful, exalted, affective-labile and stuck character accentuations are more vulnerable in the context of professional self-determination, more successful adolescents with hyperthymic, pedantic, demonstrative, excitable and emotive character accentuations.