bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms Underlying Temperature-Dependent Sex Determination in Turtles
Authors: Merchant-Larios Horacio , Díaz-Hernández Verónica , Cortez Diego
Published: June 2021

The discovery in mammals that fetal testes are required in order to develop the male phenotype inspired research efforts to elucidate the mechanisms underlying gonadal sex determination and differentiation in vertebrates. A pioneer work in 1966 that demonstrated the influence of incubation temperature on sexual phenotype in some reptilian species triggered great interest in the environment’s role as a modulator of plasticity in sex determination. Several chelonian species have been used as animal models to test hypotheses concerning the mechanisms involved in temperature-dependent sex determination (TSD). This brief review intends to outline the history of scientific efforts that corroborate our current understanding of the state-of-the-art in TSD using chelonian species as a reference.
Might Gene Duplication and Neofunctionalization Contribute to the Sexual Lability Observed in Fish?
Authors: Edgecombe Jonika , Urban Lara , Todd Erica V. , Gemmell Neil J.
Published: June 2021

Sex determination and differentiation varies widely across vertebrates, but is most dramatically diverse in fishes. Among fishes sex reversal and sex change are observed in 41 teleost families spanning 7 orders. These sex-changing fish perhaps highlight better than any other system that sex determination is not the narrow and fixed construct we once thought, but a plastic trait that is better viewed as a reaction norm. However, while this stunning transformation is increasingly understood, a fundamental question arises, which is why some fish species have retained this inherent plasticity in sexual fate, while others have not? Here, we explore our current understanding of sex change in fish, some of the factors that permit and constrain sex reversal, and posit that gene duplication and neofunctionalization contribute to the sexual lability observed in fish.
The Role of the Hematopoietic Cell-Specific Protein 1-Associated Protein X-1 in Human Papillomavirus 16 E2-Induced Human Cervical Squamous Carcinoma Cell Apoptosis via a Mitochondria-Dependent Pathway
Authors: Gong Hui , Wang Ping , Yu Ming , Zhu Yu , Teng Lichen , Su Yajuan
Published: June 2021

Objectives: Human papillomavirus 16 (HPV 16) E2 is a transcriptional regulator that plays a key role in regulating a variety of biological responses. Hematopoietic cell-specific protein 1-related protein X-1 (HAX-1) is a mitochondrial membrane protein, and the HAX-1 gene is involved in the occurrence, growth, invasion, and metastasis of various human malignant tumors. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships among HPV 16 E2, the role of HAX-1 gene, and the underlying intracellular apoptotic mechanism of human cervical squamous carcinoma cells (C33a and SiHa). Methods: In this study, HAX-1 expression was examined using real-time polymerase chain reaction, Western blot, and immunohistochemical staining analysis. Apoptosis of cells was assessed by flow cytometry. The mitochondrial function was assessed by the mitochondrial copy number, reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation, the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), and mitochondrial morphology. Results: Our study demonstrated that the expression of the HAX-1 gene was significantly increased in human cervical carcinoma tissues relative to noncancerous cervix tissues. HPV 16 E2 inhibited HAX-1 protein expression. Overexpression of HAX-1 increased the mitochondrial copy number, decreased the production of ROS, and maintained the integrity of the mitochondrial membrane and morphology. So, enhanced expression of the HAX-1 gene could abrogate the HPV 16 E2-induced cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Therefore, these data support a mechanism that HAX-1 plays a crucial role in HPV 16 E2-induced human cervical squamous carcinoma cell apoptosis in a mitochondrial-dependent manner.
Investigation of IL-2 and IFN-γ to EBV Peptides in Stimulated Whole Blood among Multiple Sclerosis Patients and Healthy Individuals
Authors: Rafiee Nastaran , Ravanshad Mehrdad , Asadi Bahador , Kianfar Roya , Maleki Ali
Published: June 2021

Introduction: Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a double-stranded DNA virus, has 2 phases of lytic and latent infection in host cells. After infecting B lymphocytes, EBV becomes persistent in these cells. In healthy individuals, T lymphocytes play a key role in killing EBV-infected B cells. Statistical studies have shown that symptomatic EBV infection increases the risk of MS. Methods: This study intended to measure the immune system’s response against the different components of EBV, focusing particularly on T lymphocytes’ reaction. Consequently, the mRNA level of IL-2 and IFN-γ, liable for impressing autoimmune diseases and as indicators of T-cell function, was compared in EBNA1- and BRLF1-treated whole blood (WB) cultures of 10 healthy individuals and 10 MS patients using real-time RT-PCR. Results: The analysis of the results demonstrated a significant increased level of IL-2 in MS patients than healthy subjects after exposure to both peptides. Also, the mRNA level of IFN-γ increased in MS patients in EBNA1-treated WB culture. Conclusion: According to the study’s results, EBV peptides can reactivate immune cells, especially T lymphocytes, and may indirectly induce inflammation and develop MS; however, it seems that long-time exposure to these peptides has reducing effect on T-cell function and faces the control of infected B lymphocytes with difficulties.
Adherence to Guideline-Oriented Preventive Measures in Patients with Atopic Dermatitis in Germany
Authors: Zyriax Birgit-Christiane , Augustin Matthias , Abeck Finn , Mohr Nicole , Kirsten Natalia , Langenbruch Anna
Published: June 2021

Background: Atopic dermatitis (AD) is a chronic inflammatory skin disease that is often associated with comorbidities and quality of life losses. The implementation of evidence-based preventive measures strengthens patient participation and offers the potential to improve quality of care for AD. Objectives: To assess adherence to guideline-oriented preventive measures in adult patients with AD in dermatological routine care in Germany. Methods: The self-responsible application of preventive measures, clinical features, pruritus, disease severity, and duration of disease as well as skin disease-related quality of life were assessed in two independent cross-sectional studies in 2010 and 2017–2019. Results: Between 2017 and 2019, 706 patients (55.8% female, mean age 41 years) were recruited in a comparable way to the survey in 2010 with 1,678 patients (60.5% female, mean age 38 years). Regular skin care was applied by 99.5% (2010: 94.9%), 90.9% avoided skin irritants (2010: 84.6%), and 80.2% (2010: 61.6%) did not smoke at home. Relaxation techniques were applied by 44.4% (2010: 29.9%). Advice on self-help measures was taken by 36.4% (2010: 27.1%) and 29.2% (2010: 15.4%) attended AD patient education courses. All six preventive measures categorized as obligatory were performed by 13.9% of the patients (2010: 6.7%). Predictors for the number of obligatory preventive measures applied were a high level of education, a longer disease duration, and a lower quality of life. Conclusions: Although the self-reported use of evidence-based preventive measures in the 2017–2019 study appears to be more frequent than in 2010, important measures are still insufficiently established. Hence, more implementation, including education, is needed to increase the use of guideline-oriented preventive measures.
The Influence of Seasonal Availability of Young Leaves on Dietary Niche Separation in Two Ecologically Similar Folivorous Lemurs
Authors: Campera Marco , Balestri Michela , Besnard Fiona , Phelps Megan , Rakotoarimanana Faniry , Nijman Vincent , Nekaris K.A.I. , Ganzhorn Jörg U. , Donati Giuseppe
Published: June 2021

Traditional socio-ecological models consider that folivorous primates experience limited feeding competition due to the low quality, high abundance, and even distribution of leaves. Evidence from several folivorous species that experience similar constraints to frugivores does not support this hypothesis. The sympatric lemur genera Avahi (Indriidae) and Lepilemur (Lepilemuridae) are good models to understand how food availability constrains folivores since they are both nocturnal, folivorous, and have a comparable body mass. Here we investigate how two nocturnal folivorous primates, Avahi meridionalis and Lepilemur fleuretae, living in the lowland rain forest of Tsitongambarika, South-East Madagascar, partition their dietary niche and are influenced by seasonality of young leaves. To account for food availability, we collected annual phenological data on 769 trees from 200 species. We also collected behavioural data on 5 individuals per lemur species from August 2015 to July 2016 via continuous focal sampling. We found the phenological profile to be seasonal with peaks of leaf flushing, flowering, and fruiting occurring in the austral summer. The two species showed limited dietary overlap (37% rich period, 6% lean period), and A. meridionalis showed higher feeding time and longer daily distances travelled during the rich period. Lepilemur fleuretae showed a dietary shift during the lean period, relying more on mature leaves (73.3% during the lean period, 13.5% during the rich period) but maintaining similar activity levels between seasons. The time spent feeding on food items by A. meridionalis was positively correlated with the nitrogen content and negatively correlated with polyphenols during the rich period. We highlighted a clear effect of the seasonality of young leaves on the diet, nutritional content, activity patterns, and daily distances travelled by two folivorous species, which can be linked to nutrient balancing and time-minimising versus energy-maximising strategies.
Conversion from Intermediate Age-Related Macular Degeneration to Geographic Atrophy in a Proxima B Subcohort Using a Multimodal Approach
Authors: Schmitz-Valckenberg Steffen , Braun Martina D. , Thiele Sarah , Ferrara Daniela , Honigberg Lee , Gao Simon S. , Chen Hao , Steffen Verena , Holz Frank G. , Saßmannshausen Marlene
Published: June 2021

Introduction: This retrospective analysis assessed geographic atrophy (GA) progression in fellow eyes from the Proxima B trial intermediate age-related macular degeneration (iAMD) subcohort using high-resolution multimodal imaging anchored on optical coherence tomography (OCT). Methods: Thirty-two patients from the Proxima B iAMD subcohort were assessed; all had GA with no macular neovascularization (MNV) in the contralateral eye. Imaging data, including color fundus photography, fluorescein angiography, near-infrared reflectance, fundus autofluorescence (FAF), and spectral-domain OCT, were obtained. Features preceding progression/conversion to advanced AMD (drusen, reticular pseudodrusen [RPD], MNV, incomplete/complete retinal pigment epithelium and outer retinal atrophy [iRORA/cRORA]) were assessed. Results: Of 30 fellow eyes with available follow-up images, 12 converted to GA (FAF), 2 converted to MNV, and 16 were nonconverters during the review period (median: 17.8 months). iRORA/cRORA features (present in all converters at baseline) were identified on OCT in eyes that progressed to GA. Median time interval from iRORA to cRORA and from cRORA to GA was 7 months each. GA development/progression was either drusen- or RPD-associated (n = 6 each). Eyes with baseline RPD showed faster GA progression versus eyes with drusen (1.49 vs. 0.38 mm2/year). Conclusions: RPD presence was associated with rapid GA lesion enlargement and may provide an early indication of faster GA progression.
Towards a Multisystem, Strength-Based Model of Social Inequities in US Latinx Youth
Authors: Davis Alexandra N. , Carlo Gustavo , Maiya Sahitya
Published: June 2021

US Latinx youth are overrepresented across numerous social inequity domains (e.g., education, incarceration, health) in US society. Such concerning data call for culturally sensitive and strength-based models to guide future research to better understand, and perhaps mitigate, such inequities. The present paper presents a conceptual model that highlights the roles of multiple systems (cultural, relational, intrapersonal, behavioral) that predict US Latinx youth social inequities. The proposed model incorporates a culture- and strength-based approach to further our understanding of US Latinx youth developmental trajectories associated with social inequalities. We also highlight a set of culture-specific and non-culture-specific risk and protective factors (e.g., ethnic identity, social support, neighborhood characteristics) that can exacerbate or mitigate social inequities, with a focus on positive social behaviors. The extant research literature that yields supportive evidence for the model and gaps in the research are briefly reviewed. The essay concludes with recommendations for future research.
Cardiac Troponin Thresholds and Kinetics to Differentiate Myocardial Injury and Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Wereski Ryan , Kimenai Dorien M. , Taggart Caelan , Doudesis Dimitrios , Lee Kuan Ken , Lowry Matthew T.H. , Bularga Anda , Lowe David J. , Fujisawa Takeshi , Apple Fred S. , Collinson Paul O. , Anand Atul , Chapman Andrew R. , Mills Nicholas L.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Although the 99th percentile is the recommended diagnostic threshold for myocardial infarction, some guidelines also advocate the use of higher troponin thresholds to rule in myocardial infarction at presentation. It is unclear whether the magnitude or change in troponin concentration can differentiate causes of myocardial injury and infarction in practice.

Methods:

In a secondary analysis of a multicenter randomized controlled trial, we identified 46 092 consecutive patients presenting with suspected acute coronary syndrome without ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. High-sensitivity cardiac troponin I concentrations at presentation and on serial testing were compared between patients with myocardial injury and infarction. The positive predictive value and specificity were determined at the sex-specific 99th percentile upper reference limit and rule-in thresholds of 64 ng/L and 5-fold of the upper reference limit for a diagnosis of type 1 myocardial infarction.

Results:

Troponin was above the 99th percentile in 8188 patients (18%). The diagnosis was type 1 or type 2 myocardial infarction in 50% and 14% and acute or chronic myocardial injury in 20% and 16%, respectively. Troponin concentrations were similar at presentation in type 1 (median [25th–75th percentile] 91 [30–493] ng/L) and type 2 (50 [22–147] ng/L) myocardial infarction and in acute (50 [26–134] ng/L) and chronic (51 [31–130] ng/L) myocardial injury. The 99th percentile and rule-in thresholds of 64 ng/L and 5-fold upper reference limit gave a positive predictive value of 57% (95% CI, 56%–58%), 59% (58%–61%), and 62% (60%–64%) and a specificity of 96% (96%–96%), 96% (96%–96%), and 98% (97%–98%), respectively. The absolute, relative, and rate of change in troponin concentration were highest in patients with type 1 myocardial infarction (
P
<0.001 for all). Discrimination improved when troponin concentration and change in troponin were combined compared with troponin concentration at presentation alone (area under the curve, 0.661 [0.642–0.680] versus 0.613 [0.594–0.633]).

Conclusions:

Although we observed important differences in the kinetics, cardiac troponin concentrations at presentation are insufficient to distinguish type 1 myocardial infarction from other causes of myocardial injury or infarction in practice and should not guide management decisions in isolation.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01852123.
Effects of Sodium‐Glucose Linked Transporter 2 Inhibition With Ertugliflozin on Mitochondrial Function, Energetics, and Metabolic Gene Expression in the Presence and Absence of Diabetes Mellitus in Mice
Authors: Croteau Dominique , Luptak Ivan , Chambers Jordan M. , Hobai Ion , Panagia Marcello , Pimentel David R. , Siwik Deborah A. , Qin Fuzhong , Colucci Wilson S.
Published: June 2021

Background

Inhibitors of the sodium‐glucose linked transporter 2 improve cardiovascular outcomes in patients with or without type 2 diabetes mellitus, but the effects on cardiac energetics and mitochondrial function are unknown. We assessed the effects of sodium‐glucose linked transporter 2 inhibition on mitochondrial function, high‐energy phosphates, and genes encoding mitochondrial proteins in hearts of mice with and without diet‐induced diabetic cardiomyopathy.

Methods and Results

Mice fed a control diet or a high‐fat, high‐sucrose diet received ertugliflozin mixed with the diet (0.5 mg/g of diet) for 4 months. Isolated mitochondria were assessed for functional capacity. High‐energy phosphates were assessed by
31
P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy concurrently with contractile performance in isolated beating hearts. The high‐fat, high‐sucrose diet caused myocardial hypertrophy, diastolic dysfunction, mitochondrial dysfunction, and impaired energetic response, all of which were prevented by ertugliflozin. With both diets, ertugliflozin caused supernormalization of contractile reserve, as measured by rate×pressure product at high work demand. Likewise, the myocardial gene sets most enriched by ertugliflozin were for oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism, both of which were enriched independent of diet.

Conclusions

Ertugliflozin not only prevented high‐fat, high‐sucrose–induced pathological cardiac remodeling, but improved contractile reserve and induced the expression of oxidative phosphorylation and fatty acid metabolism gene sets independent of diabetic status. These effects of sodium‐glucose linked transporter 2 inhibition on cardiac energetics and metabolism may contribute to improved structure and function in cardiac diseases associated with mitochondrial dysfunction, such as heart failure.
Risk of Fractures in Stroke Patients Treated With a Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Jones Joshua S. , Kimata Rina , Almeida Osvaldo P. , Hankey Graeme J.
Published: June 2021

Background and Purpose:

Stroke survivors have an increased risk of depression and bone fractures. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have been associated with an increased risk of fractures in observational studies. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting the effect of SSRIs on the risk of fractures in stroke survivors have been published recently but have not been subject to a meta-analysis. We aimed to determine the risk of fractures associated with the use of SSRIs, and the risk of falls, seizures, and recurrent strokes as possible mediators of fractures, in stroke survivors.

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs of SSRIs in stroke survivors according to a protocol registered in PROSPERO (CRD42020192632). Web of Science, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Ovid Medline/PubMed bibliographic databases, clinical trial registers, and grey literature sources were searched. RCTs of SSRIs versus placebo or no intervention that report the risk of fractures in adult survivors of hemorrhagic or ischemic stroke were included. Two reviewers independently screened search results and extracted data. Meta-analyses were conducted for each outcome using the Mantel-Haenszel random-effects models.

Results:

The searches yielded 683 records, of which 4 RCTs of 6 months duration with a total of 6549 participants were included in the meta-analysis: 3 studies of fluoxetine and 1 study of citalopram. Treatment with an SSRI for 6 months increased the risk of fractures with a risk ratio of 2.36 (95% CI, 1.64–3.39) compared with placebo. The risk of falls, seizures, and recurrent stroke was not statistically significantly increased. Only studies of fluoxetine and citalopram were available for inclusion in the review, and hence the generalizability of the findings to other SSRIs is uncertain.

Conclusions:

Based on available RCTs of fluoxetine and citalopram, SSRIs used for 6 months doubled the risk of fractures in stroke survivors.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/
; Unique identifier: CRD42020192632.
Some Costs & Benefits of Cost-Benefit Analysis
Authors: Sunstein Cass R.
Published: June 2021

The American administrative state has become a cost-benefit state, at least in the sense that prevailing executive orders require agencies to proceed only if the benefits justify the costs. Some people celebrate this development; others abhor it. For defenders of the cost-benefit state, the antonym of their ideal is, alternately, regulation based on dogmas, intuitions, pure expressivism, political preferences, or interest-group power. Seen most sympathetically, the focus on costs and benefits is a neo-Benthamite effort to attend to the real-world consequences of regulations, and it casts a pragmatic, skeptical light on modern objections to the administrative state, invoking public-choice theory and the supposedly self-serving decisions of unelected bureaucrats. The focus on costs and benefits is also a valuable effort to go beyond coarse arguments, from both the right and the left, that tend to ask this unhelpful question: “Which side are you on?” In the future, however, there will be much better ways, which we might consider neo-Millian, to identify those consequences: 1) by relying less on speculative ex ante projections and more on actual evaluations; 2) by focusing directly on welfare and not relying on imperfect proxies; and 3) by attending closely to distributional considerations–on who is helped and who is hurt.
Early Vernacular Medical Advice Books and Their Popular Appeal in Early Modern Italy
Authors: Cavallo Sandra
Published: June 2021

The essay considers the explosion of medical advice publications in the vernacular thatcharacterises the first two centuries of printing, and in particular their chronology and the different textual genres that made up this literature in early modern Italy. It shows that, in spite of the almost exclusive focus on recipe books in recent scholarship, the composition of this literature was much more varied and regimens of health, food regimens, books about the medicinal properties of naturalia, and compendia of medical information of various kinds (diagnostic, preventative and therapeutic) matched and sometimes exceeded the fortune of recipe books. It then goes on to ask what made some vernacular medical advice books particularly appealing to a wide non-professional and non-Latinate audience,while apparently similar publications attracted little interest. To this end it pays unprecedented attention to the full range of elements that determined the appeal of a book: its physical and typographical features, its contents and implicit functions, its author, patron, publisher and geographical reach.
The Reception, Consumption and Broader Context of a French Vernacular Plague Tract Printed in 1495
Authors: Brenner Elma
Published: June 2021

This article focuses on the physician Thomas Le Forestier’s French vernacular plague tract published in Rouen in 1495, to explore how medical advice on epidemic illness was consumed and disseminated in Normandy and further afield in the later fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. While plague was an urgent issue facing all people at this time, and the publication of this text in the vernacular ostensibly made its advice more accessible than material in Latin, the article finds that it was probably read above all by physicians or other medical practitioners, including those from a monastic or ecclesiastical context, rather than by a more diverse range of readers. These medical readers sometimes assembled personalised Sammelbände (volumes in which separately produced printed and/or manuscript works were bound together), gathering together a range of health-related texts that could be read alongside each other. Although the extant copies of Le Forestier’s tract do not appear to have travelled beyond France, continental plague printings in Latin were annotated by English readers, indicating the transnational dissemination of such material in the scholarly language shared across Europe.
A New Sphere of Influence: Table Tennis Diplomacy and the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations
Authors: Crean Jeffrey
Published: June 2021

Prominent China studies academics who, with the assistance of members of the business and religious communities, founded the National Committee on United States-China Relations (ncuscr) in 1966 did not build it to last. Its leaders foresaw the organization’s work as “catalytic” and envisioned that it would be “going out of business as soon as possible.” By March 1971, with a new era of U.S. relations with China on the horizon, its leaders saw little reason to continue operations, and seriously contemplated closing up shop. Yet that April, the government of the People’s Republic of China hosted the U.S. Table Tennis team, and pledged to have its team make a reciprocal visit to the United States the following year, which the ncuscr funded and organized. This visit’s controversies mirrored the previous ideological divides the group had weathered. Conservative anti-Communist protesters and pro-Taiwan activists disrupted the earliest public events, but antiwar demonstrators, who appeared at later exhibition matches to protest President Richard M. Nixon’s bombing of Haiphong in North Vietnam, soon superseded them. Despite these pitfalls, the visit proved to be a great success for the nsuscr, which received a new lease on life and gained a renewed sense of purpose.
Cymbidium motuoense (Orchidaceae; Epidendroideae), a new species from China: evidence from morphological and molecular data
Authors: HU WENQI , ZHANG QINGHAI , CHEN GUIZHEN , ZHU MENGJIA , YU XIA , ZHANG DIYANG , LIU ZHONGJIAN
Published: June 2021

This study describes a new orchid species, Cymbidium motuoense, from Xizang, China based on morphological and molecular analyses. Several unique morphological features distinguish this new orchid from all other species of Cymbidium. Based on its morphology, this orchid is similar to C. tracyanum but differs in its yellow-green flower with dark purple-red spots on the veins, oblong-elliptic sepals, side lobes of the lip with reddish brown hairs along the veins and disc with three purple-red lamellae. Phylogenetic analyses based on plastid DNA (matK and rbcL) supported C. motuoense as a new species. However, the low support in nuclear ribosomal ITS tree provide the possibility that the new orchid may be a natural hybrid of C. tracyanum and C. iridioides or another closely related species.
Nomenclatural notes in Brazilian Ternstroemia (Pentaphylacaceae)
Authors: VIEIRA JAQUELINE ALVES , SAMPAIO DANIELA , SOARES-SILVA JOÃO PAULO
Published: June 2021

During the elaboration of the taxonomic revision for Pentaphylacaceae of Brazil, we detected five species (i.e., Ternstroemia alnifolia, T. brasiliensis, T. candolleana, T. cuneifolia and T. dentata) and a variety (i.e., T. candolleana var. angustifolia) in need of lectotypification. Furthermore, we provided the synonyms of the above mentioned species and identified five inadvertent lectotypifications performed by Kobuski, for which we provide a second-step lectotypification, resulting in the typification of 13 names of Ternstroemia from Brazil. Additionally, T. borbensis was reduce to a synonym of T. dentata.
Near-Infrared Light Enhanced Peroxidase-Like Activity of PEGylated Palladium Nanozyme for Highly Efficient Biofilm Eradication
Authors: Xiang Sijin , Fan Zhongxiong , Sun Duo , Zhu Tianbao , Ming Jiang , Chen Xiaolan
Published: June 2021

The overall eradication of biofilm-mode growing bacteria holds significant key to the answer of a series of infection-related health problems. However, the extracellular matrix of bacteria biofilms disables the traditional antimicrobials and, more unfortunately, hampers the development
of the anti-infectious alternatives. Therefore, highly effective antimicrobial agents are an urgent need for biofilm-infection control. Herein, a PEGylated palladium nanozyme (Pd-PEG) with peroxidase (POD)-like activity for highly efficient biofilm infection control is reported. Pd-PEG also
shows the intrinsic photothermal effect as well as near-infrared (NIR) light-enhanced POD-like activity in the acidic environment, thereby massively destroying the biofilm matrix and killing the adhering bacteria. Importantly, the antimicrobial mechanism of the synergistic treatment based
on Pd-PEG+H2O2+NIR combination was disclosed. In vitro and in vivo results illustrated the designed Pd-PEG+H2O2 +NIR treatment reagent possessed outstanding antibacterial and biofilms elimination effects with negligible biotoxicity.
This work hopefully facilitates the development of metal-based nanozymes in biofilm related infectious diseases.
Cross-Scale Integration of Nano-Sized Extracellular Vesicle-Based Biomarker and Radiomics Features for Predicting Suspected Sub-Solid Pulmonary Nodules
Authors: Patel Nishant , Xu Wenwen , Deng Yuxia , Jin Jiyang , Zhang Haijun
Published: June 2021

Sub-solid nodules (SSN) are common radiographic findings. Due to possibility of malignancy, further evaluation is urgentlyneeded for prevention and management of lung cancer (LC). This current study enrolled patients with SSN, including LC, benign nodules (BN), and healthy individuals
as a control, to discover small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs) as biomarker by next-generation sequencing (NGS) and validation by RT-qPCR. Through cross-scale integration of validated small-molecule and macro-imaging, the prediction model was developed
by logistic algorithms and further interpreted into an easy-to-use Nomogram by Cox-proportional hazards modeling. Present study has discovered various sEVs DEMs and sEVs-miR-424-5p that were selected and validated as novel potential biomarkers for cancerous nodule, namely LC. Furthermore,
the 10 radiomics signs and 4 clinical features of SSN were merged with sEVs-miR-424-5p and proceeded in multivariate logistic regression analysis to develop the cross-scale integrated modeling, which yielded a significantly higher area under the curve (AUC). Finally, visualization of an easy-to-use
nomogram was invented to potentially predict suspected SSN. sEVs-miR-424-5p could be a novel biomarker for distinguishing SSN from LC and BN populations. Its association with cross-scale fusion of radiomics-clinical features will provide great potential to be an errorless prediction of malignant
SSN.
An Analytic Solution for Electrical Magneto-Hydrodynamics Darcy–Forchheimer Three Dimensional Non-Newtonian Nanofluid Flow with Convective Boundary Conditions
Authors: Adem Gossaye Aliy
Published: June 2021

In this article, the treatment of three-dimensional non-Newtonian Williamson fluid has been carried out under examination. Using the standard transformation, the governing equations are converted into universal similarity equations which have been solved by the optimal homotopy asymptotic method. We observed that the method is effective, reliable, consistent and efficient in solving strongly nonlinear differential equations. The influence of embedded parameters on the fluid flow has discovered graphically and using table. The velocity profile in thex-direction is increased with magnetic and electric field parameters and decreased with the increased stretching parameter, coefficient of inertia, velocity slip parameterL1and porosity parameters. The velocity profile in they-direction is increased with magnetic and electric field parameters, the distended stretching parameter, while reduced with the velocity slip parameterL2, coefficient of inertia, and porosity parameters. The temperature profile is increased with the radiation, thermophoresis and Brownian motion parameters, and Biot number. The profile of concentration is rising with the enlarged Biot numbers and thermophoresis parameter, while reduced with the Brownian motion parameter.
Characteristics of Magnetohydrodynamics Nanofluid Flow in the Presence of Porous Medium Towards a Stretching Sheet with a Convective Boundary Condition
Authors: Satya Prasad M. , Swamy Naidu N. V. , Srinivasa Raju R.
Published: June 2021

With the effects of variable viscosity and convective boundary conditions, the contemporary studies work ambitions to investigate the together effects of the magnetic field and porous medium on non-Newtonian nano fluid flow to a stretching layer. In this latest work, to examine the
impact of thermophoresis and Brownian motion, the nanofluid model is utilized. To lessen the basic governing coupled non-linear PDE’s for velocity (momentum), temperature (energy), and nanoparticle concentration to an assortment of ordinary non-linear differential equations, the necessary
transformations are used. Utilizing the fourth-fifth order Runge-Kutta-Fehlberg strategy, the resulting reshaped conditions are tackled mathematically. The effects on the dimensionless temperature, velocity, nanoparticle concentration profiles of various engineering parameters are discussed
and graphically analyzed. The numerically computed values of skin-friction, coefficients of heat transfer rate and mass transfer are tabulated. The numerical findings got are contrasted and the outcomes recently detailed as unique instances of the current examination and viewed as in reasonable
consistence.
Entropy Generation in Magnetized Bioconvective Nanofluid Flow Along a Vertical Cylinder with Gyrotactic Microorganisms
Authors: Gangadhar K. , Bhanu Lakshmi K. , Kannan T. , Chamkha Ali J.
Published: June 2021

This paper presents the analysis of thermal optimization in magnetic materials based on the entropy generation in a mixed convective MHD flow of an electrically conductive nano liquid having motile microorganisms together with a vertical cylinder. By using the convection boundary condition,
the process of heat transport is examined in detail. With coupled linear boundary conditions the related equations (continuity, momentuum and energy) are reduced to five ODE’s. The RKF-4,5 method by shooting algorithm was employed to examine variation of physical parameters under study.
The resuts of vital physical parameters on the wall friction, Nusselt number, mass flux, wall of motile microorganism flux, along with velocity profiles, temperature, concentration of nanopar-ticles, and density of motile microbes, were studied in detail. It is detected that heat transport
rate is 0.81% greater for cylindrical surface compared to flat plate surface.
Coupled Air Quality and Boundary-Layer Meteorology in Western U.S. Basins during Winter: Design and Rationale for a Comprehensive Study
Authors: Hallar A. Gannet , Brown Steven S. , Crosman Erik , Barsanti Kelley C. , Cappa Christopher D. , Faloona Ian , Fast Jerome , Holmes Heather A. , Horel John , Lin John , Middlebrook Ann , Mitchell Logan , Murphy Jennifer , Womack Caroline C. , Aneja Viney , Baasandorj Munkhbayar , Bahreini Roya , Banta Robert , Bray Casey , Brewer Alan , Caulton Dana , de Gouw Joost , De Wekker Stephan F.J. , Farmer Delphine K. , Gaston Cassandra J. , Hoch Sebastian , Hopkins Francesca , Karle Nakul N. , Kelly James T. , Kelly Kerry , Lareau Neil , Lu Keding , Mauldin Roy L. , Mallia Derek V. , Martin Randal , Mendoza Daniel L. , Oldroyd Holly J. , Pichugina Yelena , Pratt Kerri A. , Saide Pablo E. , Silva Philip J. , Simpson William , Stephens Britton B. , Stutz Jochen , Sullivan Amy
Published: June 2021

Wintertime episodes of high aerosol concentrations occur frequently in urban and agricultural basins and valleys worldwide. These episodes often arise following development of persistent cold-air pools (PCAPs) that limit mixing and modify chemistry. While field campaigns targeting either basin meteorology or wintertime pollution chemistry have been conducted, coupling between interconnected chemical and meteorological processes remains an insufficiently studied research area. Gaps in understanding the coupled chemical–meteorological interactions that drive high-pollution events make identification of the most effective air-basin specific emission control strategies challenging. To address this, a September 2019 workshop occurred with the goal of planning a future research campaign to investigate air quality in western U.S. basins. Approximately 120 people participated, representing 50 institutions and five countries. Workshop participants outlined the rationale and design for a comprehensive wintertime study that would couple atmospheric chemistry and boundary layer and complex-terrain meteorology within western U.S. basins. Participants concluded the study should focus on two regions with contrasting aerosol chemistry: three populated valleys within Utah (Salt Lake, Utah, and Cache Valleys) and the San Joaquin Valley in California. This paper describes the scientific rationale for a campaign that will acquire chemical and meteorological datasets using airborne platforms with extensive range, coupled to surface-based measurements focusing on sampling within the near-surface boundary layer, and transport and mixing processes within this layer, with high vertical resolution at a number of representative sites. No prior wintertime basin-focused campaign has provided the breadth of observations necessary to characterize the meteorological–chemical linkages outlined here, nor to validate complex processes within coupled atmosphere–chemistry models.
Tropical Cyclone Footprints in Long-Term Mean State and Multiscale Climate Variability in the Western North Pacific as Seen in the JRA-55 Reanalysis
Authors: Arakane Sho , Hsu Huang-Hsiung
Published: June 2021

The monsoon trough and subtropical high have long been acknowledged to exert a substantial modulating effect on the genesis and development of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the western North Pacific (WNP). However, the potential upscaling effect of TCs on large-scale circulation remains poorly understood. This study revealed the considerable contributions of TCs to the climate mean state and variability in the WNP between 1958 and 2019, characterized by a strengthened monsoon trough and weakened subtropical anticyclonic circulation in the lower troposphere, enhanced anticyclonic circulation in the upper troposphere, and warming throughout the troposphere. TCs constituted distinct footprints in the long-term mean states of the WNP summer monsoon, and their contributions increased intraseasonal and interannual variance by 50%–70%. The interdecadal variations and long-term trends in intraseasonal variance were mainly due to the year-to-year fluctuations in TC activity. The size of TC footprints was positively correlated with the magnitude of TC activity. Our findings suggest that the full understanding of climate variability and changes cannot be achieved simply on the basis of low-frequency, large-scale circulations. Rather, TCs must be regarded as a crucial component in the climate system, and their interactions with large-scale circulations require thorough exploration. The long-term dataset created in this study provides an opportunity to study the interaction between TCs and TC-free large-scale circulations to advance our understanding of climate variability in the WNP. Our findings also indicate that realistic climate projections must involve the accurate simulations of TCs.
New Technology and Conflict Resolution: Digitally Recorded Music-Based Counselling as a Communication Intervention Strategy for Promoting Cattle Ranching in Nigeria
Authors: Talabi Felix Olajide , Oloyede David , Fadeyi Olajide Isaac , Talabi Joseph Moyinoluwa , Nnanyelugo Emelda , Celestine Gever Verlumun , Ikechukwu-Ilomuanya Amaka B.
Published: June 2021

This study tests the effectiveness of a music-based counselling intervention that was digitally recorded on 470 herdsmen in Nigeria. The study was a quasi-experiment with the questionnaire as the instrument for data collection. The result of the study showed that the intervention was effective because respondents in the treatment group scored higher regarding the acceptance of ranching, had more positive intention towards cattle ranching, and more readiness to address challenges that come with cattle ranching than their counterparts in the control group. The researchers highlighted the theoretical and practical implications of the results.
Do Backer Affiliations Help or Hurt Crowdfunding Success?
Authors: Herd Kelly B. , Mallapragada Girish , Narayan Vishal
Published: June 2021

Crowdfunding has emerged as a mechanism to raise funds for entrepreneurial ideas. On crowdfunding platforms, backers (i.e., individuals who fund ideas) jointly fund the same idea, leading to affiliations, or overlaps, within the community. The authors find that while an increase in the total number of backers may positively affect funding behavior, the resulting affiliations affect funding negatively. They reason that when affiliated others fund a new idea, individuals may feel less of a need to fund, a process known as “vicarious moral licensing.” Drawing on data collected from 2,021 ideas on a prominent crowdfunding platform, the authors show that prior affiliation among backers negatively affects an idea’s funding amount and eventual funding success. Creator engagement (i.e., idea description and updates) and backer engagement (i.e., Facebook shares) moderate this negative effect. The effect of affiliation is robust across several instrumental variables, model specifications, measures of affiliation, and multiple crowdfunding outcomes. Results from three experiments, a survey, and interviews with backers support the negative effect of affiliation and show that it can be explained by vicarious moral licensing. The authors develop actionable insights for creators to mitigate the negative effects of affiliation with the language used in idea descriptions and updates.
Effect of COVID-19 pandemic on mental health among Bangladeshi healthcare professionals: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Repon Md Azim Uddin , Pakhe Sajuti Akter , Quaiyum Sumaiya , Das Rajesh , Daria Sohel , Islam Md Rabiul
Published: June 2021

The COVID-19 has been spreading across the world since December 2019. The pandemic has created tremendous fear of death from infection and awful psychological pressure on healthcare professionals (HCPs). The measures of psychological effects of the COVID-19 outbreak on the Bangladeshi HCPs are unknown. The present study aimed to assess the mental health outcomes of Bangladeshi HCPs and associated risk factors. We conducted this cross-sectional study from July 15 to September 20, 2020. A total of 355 HCPs aged between 20 and 60 years residing in Bangladesh participated in this study. All the participants completed a self-administered questionnaire through Google Forms consisting of socio-demographic characteristics and mental health outcomes. We measure loneliness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance using the UCLA loneliness scale-8, patient health questionnaire-9, 7-item generalized anxiety disorder scale, Pittsburgh sleep quality index. The present study observed the prevalence of loneliness, depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbance among HCPs were 89%, 44%, 78%, and 87%, respectively. The factors significantly associated with the development of mental health problems among HCPs were working environment, economic condition, education level, area of residence, marital status, gender differences, professional category, body mass index, and smoking habit. Moreover, we have seen significant correlations among the different mental health outcomes. In Bangladesh, a large portion of HCPs reported mental health issues during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 pandemic incredibly impacted the psychological health of Bangladeshi healthcare professionals. Appropriate supportive programs and interventional initiatives might help the HCPs with mental health problems during and after this pandemic.
Work-Time, Male-Breadwinning and the Division of Domestic Labour: Male Part-Time and Full-Time Workers in Unsettled Times
Authors: Warren Tracey
Published: June 2021

The majority of male workers spend full-time hours in the labour market while part-time employment is heavily female dominated. A decade of economic unrest in the UK following the recession of 2008–2009 was accompanied by a considerable expansion in the numbers of men working part-time. Growing male part-time employment is a significant phenomenon, with potential for narrowing gender inequalities in ways of working, inside and outside the home. Applying a gendered lens to men’s working lives, the article focuses upon the ramifications of this growing male work-time diversity. Unsettled times can create the circumstances for opening up acceptable behaviours, for ‘undoing’ gender roles. The financial circumstances of male part- and full-timers, and men’s engagement in unpaid domestic work, are compared. Part-time jobs are associated with more financial hardship than are full-time, but they offer up the potential for narrowing gender inequality in the sharing of core domestic work tasks.
Optimization of the polyester fabric dyeing process using coumarin as a green carrier
Authors: Lima CN , Silva KKOS , Nascimento JHO , Rossi CGFT , Granato MA , Oliveira FR
Published: June 2021

The present study aims to evaluate the application of coumarin as a green carrier alternative for dyeing of polyester fabrics, as well as to optimize key dyeing parameters in order to obtain greater color strength (K/S) at lower temperatures than 130°C using single azo class dispersed dye. For this purpose, a full-factorial design was used to study the influence of the single and interactive effects of four factors involved in the dyeing process, namely, pH, temperature, and coumarin and dye concentrations. The chosen technique was a 24-factorial, one-center point, and three replicates at the center point resulting on a response surface, which has shown an increase of the color strength of five times at 90°C, and of three times at 100°C when compared to dyeing at the same temperatures without the use of a carrier. In addition, excellent fastness to washing and to rubbing were obtained.
Family and Social Variables Associated with Family Health
Authors: Lima-Rodríguez Joaquín Salvador , Domínguez-Sánchez Isabel , Lima-Serrano Marta
Published: June 2021

The current study examined the interrelationships among potentially relevant family and social factors associated with family health. A cross-sectional study was conducted by collecting demographic information from 432 families, including family typology, family life cycle (FLC), and social status as well as social support and stressful life events (SLEs), with self-perception of family health being measured as a dependent variable. Descriptive analysis of the sample and univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were performed. Multivariate analyses showed that the FLC stage of families as launching centers, lower educational level of household heads, and impact of SLEs were negatively associated with family health, whereas adequate perceived social support and the number of close friends and relatives were positively associated with family health. Therefore, these factors must be considered by family nurses to promote family health and prevent family dysfunction.