bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic changes of genomic methylation profiles at different growth stages in Chinese Tan sheep
Authors: Liu Yufang , Xu Qiao , Kang Xiaolong , Wang Kejun , Wang Jve , Feng Dengzhen , Bai Ying , Fang Meiying
Published: November 2021

Background

Tan sheep, an important local sheep breed in China, is famous for their fur quality. One-month-old Tan sheep have white, curly hair with beautiful flower spikes, commonly known as “nine bends”, which has high economic value. However, the “nine bends” characteristic gradually disappears with age; consequently, the economic value of the Tan sheep decreases. Age-related changes in DNA methylation have been reported and may be responsible for age-induced changes in gene expression. Until now, no genome-wide surveys have been conducted to identify potential DNA methylation sites involved in different sheep growth stages. In this study we investigated the dynamic changes of genome-wide DNA methylation profiles in Tan sheep using DNA from skin and deep whole-genome bisulfite sequencing, and compared the DNA methylation levels at three different growth stages: 1, 24, and 48 months old (mon1, mon24, and mon48, respectively).

Results

In this study, 11 skin samples from three growth stages (four for mon1, four for mon24, and three for mon48) were used for DNA methylation analysis and gene expression profiling. There were 52, 288 and 236 differentially methylated genes (DMGs) identified between mon1 and mon24, mon1 and mon48, and mon24 and mon48, respectively. Of the differentially methylated regions, 1.11%, 7.61%, and 7.65% were in the promoter in mon1 vs. mon24, mon24 vs. mon48, and mon1 vs. mon48, respectively. DMGs were enriched in the MAPK and WNT signaling pathways, which are related to age growth and hair follicle morphogenesis processes. There were 51 DMGs associated with age growth and curly fleece formation. Four DMGs between mon1 and mon48 (KRT71, CD44, ROR2 and ZDHHC13) were further validated by bisulfite sequencing.

Conclusions

This study revealed dynamic changes in the genomic methylation profiles of mon1, mon24, and mon48 sheep, and the percentages of methylated cytosines were 3.38%, 2.85% and 4.17%, respectively. Of the DMGs, KRT71 and CD44 were highly methylated in mon1, and ROR2 and ZDHHC13 were highly methylated in mon48. These findings provide foundational information that may be used to develop strategies for potentially retaining the lamb fur and thus improving the economic value of Tan sheep.
Exploration of the investment patterns of potential retail banking customers using two-stage cluster analysis
Authors: Kovács Tibor , Ko Andrea , Asemi Asefeh
Published: November 2021

Identifying investment patterns as part of customer segmentation is one of the most important tasks in retail banking. Clustering customers effectively is an important element of improving marketing policy and strategic planning. There are several methods for identifying similar groups of customers and describing their characteristics to offer them appropriate products. However, using machine learning methods is rare, and the application is limited for certain types of data. The aim of this study is to investigate the benefits of using a two-stage clustering method using neural-network-based Kohonen self-organizing maps followed by hierarchical clustering for identifying the investment patterns of potential retail banking customers. The unique benefit of this method is the ability to use both categorical and numerical variables at the same time. This research examined 1,542 responses received for an online investment survey, focusing on the questions that are related to the respondents’ investment preferences and their current financial assets. The research utilizes descriptive statistics and multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) to understand the variables and Kohonen self-organizing maps (SOMs), in combination with hierarchical clustering, to identify customer groups and describe the characteristics of these clusters. The analysis was able to identify clusters of potential customers with similar preferences and gained insights into their investment patterns related to their investment portfolio and investment behavior, including their savings profile, attitude to risk-taking, and preferences for investment advice. These findings were supported by additional insights through the application of multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) describing patterns of financial instruments and portfolios. The main contribution of the research is the combined application of the machine learning methods Kohonen SOM, hierarchical clustering, and MCA for investment pattern analysis in the retail banking business.
Cancer nanotechnology: current status and perspectives
Authors: Kemp Jessica A. , Kwon Young Jik
Published: November 2021

Modern medicine has been waging a war on cancer for nearly a century with no tangible end in sight. Cancer treatments have significantly progressed, but the need to increase specificity and decrease systemic toxicities remains. Early diagnosis holds a key to improving prognostic outlook and patient quality of life, and diagnostic tools are on the cusp of a technological revolution. Nanotechnology has steadily expanded into the reaches of cancer chemotherapy, radiotherapy, diagnostics, and imaging, demonstrating the capacity to augment each and advance patient care. Nanomaterials provide an abundance of versatility, functionality, and applications to engineer specifically targeted cancer medicine, accurate early-detection devices, robust imaging modalities, and enhanced radiotherapy adjuvants. This review provides insights into the current clinical and pre-clinical nanotechnological applications for cancer drug therapy, diagnostics, imaging, and radiation therapy.
River discharge prediction for ungauged mountainous river basins during heavy rain events based on seismic noise data
Authors: P.C. Shakti , Sawazaki Kaoru
Published: November 2021

Several mountainous river basins in Japan do not have a consistent hydrological record due to their complex environment and remoteness, as discharge measurements are not economically feasible. However, understanding the flow rate of rivers during extreme events is essential for preventing flood disasters around river basins. In this study, we used the high-sensitivity seismograph network (Hi-net) of Japan to identify the time and peak discharge of heavy rain events. Hi-net seismograph stations are distributed almost uniformly at distance intervals of approximately 20 km, while being available even in mountainous regions. The Mogami River Basin in Northeastern Japan was selected as a target area to compare the seismic noise data of two Hi-net stations with the hydrological response of a nearby river. These stations are not located near hydrological stations; therefore, direct comparison of seismic noise and observed discharge was not possible. Therefore, discharge data simulated using a hydrological model were first validated with gauging station data for two previous rain events (10–23 July 2004 and 7–16 September 2015). Then, the simulated river discharge was compared with Hi-net seismic noise data for three recent events (10–23 July 2004, 7–16 September 2015, and 10–15 October 2019). The seismic noise data exhibited a similar trend to the time series of simulated discharge in a frequency range of 1–2 Hz for the selected events. Discharge values predicted from the noise data effectively replicate the simulated discharge values in many cases, especially the timing and amount of peak discharge.

Simulated and predicted discharge near NIED Hi-net seismic stations in the Mogami River Basin for the event of October 2019 (Typhoon Hagibis).
Birds and plastic pollution: recent advances
Authors: Wang Limin , Nabi Ghulam , Yin Liyun , Wang Yanqin , Li Shuxin , Hao Zhuang , Li Dongming
Published: November 2021

Plastic waste and debris have caused substantial environmental pollution globally in the past decades, and they have been accumulated in hundreds of terrestrial and aquatic avian species. Birds are susceptible and vulnerable to external environments; therefore, they could be used to estimate the negative effects of environmental pollution. In this review, we summarize the effects of macroplastics, microplastics, and plastic-derived additives and plastic-absorbed chemicals on birds. First, macroplastics and microplastics accumulate in different tissues of various aquatic and terrestrial birds, suggesting that birds could suffer from the macroplastics and microplastics-associated contaminants in the aquatic and terrestrial environments. Second, the detrimental effects of macroplastics and microplastics, and their derived additives and absorbed chemicals on the individual survival, growth and development, reproductive output, and physiology, are summarized in different birds, as well as the known toxicological mechanisms of plastics in laboratory model mammals. Finally, we identify that human commensal birds, long-life-span birds, and model bird species could be utilized to different research objectives to evaluate plastic pollution burden and toxicological effects of chronic plastic exposure.
Plastering mud around the entrance hole affects the estimation of threat levels from nest predators in Eurasian Nuthatches
Authors: Yu Jiangping , Zhang Li , Yi Guodong , Zhang Keqin , Yao Jiyuan , Fang Jian , Shen Chao , Wang Haitao
Published: November 2021

Background

For cavity-nesting birds, the nest entrance plays an important role in preventing predators from accessing nests. Several species of nuthatches use mud to narrow the entrance of cavities. In theory, the smaller the entrance hole size, the more effective it is against predators; however, few studies have tested whether narrowing the entrance hole size can affect the estimation of threat levels from nest predators in cavity-nesting birds.

Methods

Using dummy experiments, we tested whether Eurasian Nuthatches (Sitta europaea, narrow the entrance hole of cavities) and Cinereous Tits (Parus cinereus, do not narrow the entrance hole, as a control) perform different nest defence behaviours against Common Chipmunks (Tamias sibiricus, small nest predator) and Red Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris, larger nest predator).

Results

Both nuthatches and tits exhibited stronger response behaviours (high dummy response scores) against chipmunks than against squirrels. Compared with tits, nuthatches exhibited more aggressive behaviours to chipmunks, but their responses to squirrels were similar.

Conclusions

Nest defence behaviours of nuthatches to chipmunks differed from tits, and the results suggested that nuthatches might estimate threat levels of nest predators according to their narrowed entrance-hole size.
Application of dual-stream 3D convolutional neural network based on 18F-FDG PET/CT in distinguishing benign and invasive adenocarcinoma in ground-glass lung nodules
Authors: Shao Xiaonan , Niu Rong , Shao Xiaoliang , Gao Jianxiong , Shi Yunmei , Jiang Zhenxing , Wang Yuetao
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This work aims to train, validate, and test a dual-stream three-dimensional convolutional neural network (3D-CNN) based on fluorine 18 (18F)-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT to distinguish benign lesions and invasive adenocarcinoma (IAC) in ground-glass nodules (GGNs).

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed patients with suspicious GGNs who underwent 18F-FDG PET/CT in our hospital from November 2011 to November 2020. The patients with benign lesions or IAC were selected for this study. According to the ratio of 7:3, the data were randomly divided into training data and testing data. Partial image feature extraction software was used to segment PET and CT images, and the training data after using the data augmentation were used for the training and validation (fivefold cross-validation) of the three CNNs (PET, CT, and PET/CT networks).

Results

A total of 23 benign nodules and 92 IAC nodules from 106 patients were included in this study. In the training set, the performance of PET network (accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.92 ± 0.02, 0.97 ± 0.03, and 0.76 ± 0.15) was better than the CT network (accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity of 0.84 ± 0.03, 0.90 ± 0.07, and 0.62 ± 0.16) (especially accuracy was significant, P-value was 0.001); in the testing set, the performance of both networks declined. However, the accuracy and sensitivity of PET network were still higher than that of CT network (0.76 vs. 0.67; 0.85 vs. 0.70). For dual-stream PET/CT network, its performance was almost the same as PET network in the training set (P-value was 0.372–1.000), while in the testing set, although its performance decreased, the accuracy and sensitivity (0.85 and 0.96) were still higher than both CT and PET networks. Moreover, the accuracy of PET/CT network was higher than two nuclear medicine physicians [physician 1 (3-year experience): 0.70 and physician 2 (10-year experience): 0.73].

Conclusion

The 3D-CNN based on 18F-FDG PET/CT can be used to distinguish benign lesions and IAC in GGNs, and the performance is better when both CT and PET images are used together.
Assessing learning transfer and constraining issues in EAP writing practices
Authors: Wubalem Abebe Yitbarek
Published: November 2021

The aim of this study was to investigate what learners carry over from a general academic writing course to disciplinary writing settings and the variables constraining the quality of the outcome. Seven EFL university writing teachers and 58 students were selected using purposive and stratified sampling techniques. Data were generated using in-depth interview and document analysis. Thematic analysis and non-parametric statistical tools were employed to analyze the data. The findings showed that the students made limited learning transfer from the writing course to their writing settings across academic discourses. While surface level knowledge of grammatical features show better transfer, skills of discourse level writing processes, thinking strategies and vocabulary showed very poor transfer. A number of reasons are identified for the failure of learning transfer in the study setting. Among others, EAP teachers’ failure to bridge the EFL writing and content area writing practice contributed to this problem. The other variable causing this problem is students’ failure to make significant moves to adapt skills of writing processes and thinking strategies to new situations. Based on these evidences, alternative ways of improving the carryover impact of such courses have been put forward.
A decomposition formula for the wall heat flux of a compressible boundary layer
Authors: Sun Dong , Guo Qilong , Yuan Xianxu , Zhang Haoyuan , Li Chen , Liu Pengxin
Published: November 2021

Understanding the generation mechanism of the heat flux is essential for the design of hypersonic vehicles. We proposed a novel formula to decompose the heat flux coefficient into the contributions of different terms by integrating the conservative equation of the total energy. The reliability of the formula is well demonstrated by the direct numerical simulation results of a hypersonic transitional boundary layer. Through this formula, the exact process of the energy transport in the boundary layer can be explained and the dominant contributors to the heat flux can be explored, which are beneficial for the prediction of the heat and design of the thermal protection devices.
Predicting the testicular function in non-obstructive azoospermia via targeted gene panel
Authors: Emad Mai , Omar Hossam El-Din , Khalifa Abdel-Razik , Ahmed Emad A. , Taha Emad Abdel Rhim
Published: November 2021

Background

Men with non-obstructive azoospermia constitute a challenging subgroup of male infertility patients in whom a genetic cause of defective spermatogenesis may be a contributing factor. The aim of this prospective observational cohort study was to determine whether assessment of meiotic nuclear division 1 (MND1) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) gene expression (MND1/GAPDH) in testicular tissue could be a prognostic indicator for sperm retrieval and ICSI outcome in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia. The study participants underwent clinical evaluation, conventional semen analysis, serum follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), testosterone assay, scrotal ultrasound examination, microsurgical testicular sperm extraction (mTESE), and assessment of MND1/GAPDH gene expression levels in testicular tissue via quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) techniques.

Results

The MND1/GAPDH level was associated with the likelihood of identifying sperm in testicular biopsies (odds ratio (OR) 1.25, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.14 to 1.34, p < 0.0001), which was confirmed by the pairwise comparison of high vs. low levels of MND1/GAPDH (OR 5.34, 95% CI 1.97 to 13.16, p = 0.0006). The level of FSH was inversely associated with a lower chance of finding sperm (OR 0.37, 95% CI 0.20 to 0.65, p = 0.001). Compared with small testicular volume, normal volume was inversely associated with the chance of sperm presence (OR 0.16, 95% CI 0.06 to 0.47, p = 0.0002). However, there was no correlation between MND1/GAPDH levels and ICSI outcome.

Conclusion

Gene expression analysis to predict the likelihood of sperm retrieval following mTESE in patients with non-obstructive azoospermia provides a new avenue for future research, diagnosis and treatment of male factor infertility. Before its wider clinical application, however, this proof-of-concept should be tested in a large multinational, multicenter observational study.
Pasteurella multocida capsular: lipopolysaccharide types D:L6 and A:L3 remain to be the main epidemic genotypes of pigs in China
Authors: Liu Songtao , Lin Lin , Yang Hao , Wu Wenqing , Guo Long , Zhang Yue , Wang Fei , Wang Xueying , Song Wenbo , Hua Lin , Liang Wan , Tang Xibiao , Chen Huanchun , Peng Zhong , Wu Bin
Published: November 2021

Pasteurella multocida is a leading cause of respiratory disorders in pigs. This study was designed to understand the genotypical and antimicrobial resistant characteristics of P. multocida from pigs in China. To achieve this, we briefly investigated 158 P. multocida isolates from pigs with respiratory disorders in China between 2019 and 2020. Genotyping through multiplex PCR assays assigned these 158 isolates into capsular genotypes A (60.13%, 95/158), D (35.44%, 56/158), F (4.43%, 7/158), and/or lipopolysaccharide (LPS) genotypes L3 (28.48%, 45/158) and L6 (66.46%, 105/158). In addition, eight isolates (5.06%, 8/158) were found to be nontypable using the LPS genotyping method. When combining the capsular genotypes and the LPS genotypes, D: L6 (34.81%, 55/158) and A: L6 (31.65%, 50/158) were the predominant genotypes, followed by A: L3 (24.05%, 38/158). PCR detection of virulence factor-encoding genes showed that over 80% of the isolates were positive for exbB, tonB, exbD, ompH, ptfA, fimA, sodA, sodC, fur, ompA, oma87, plpB, hsf-2, nanH and hgbB, suggesting the presence of these genes were broad characteristics of P. multocida. We also found approximately 63.92% (101/158), 51.27% (81/158), 8.86% (14/158), 7.59% (12/158), 3.16% (5/158), 0.63% (1/158), and 0.63% (1/158) of the isolates grew well in media with the presence of colistin (4 μg/mL), tetracycline (16 μg/mL), tigecycline (1 μg/mL), ampicillin (32 μg/mL), chloramphenicol (32 μg/mL), cefepime (16 μg/mL), and ciprofloxacin (1 μg/mL), respectively. This study contributes to the understanding of genotypes and antimicrobial resistance profile of P. multocida currently circulation in pigs of China.
Liouville partial-differential-equation methods for computing 2D complex multivalued eikonals in attenuating media
Authors: Leung Shingyu , Hu Jiangtao , Qian Jianliang
Published: November 2021

We have developed a Liouville partial-differential-equation (PDE)-based method for computing complex-valued eikonals in real phase space in the multivalued sense in attenuating media with frequency-independent qualify factors, where the new method computes the real and imaginary parts of the complex-valued eikonal in two steps by solving Liouville equations in real phase space. Because the earth is composed of attenuating materials, seismic waves usually attenuate so that seismic data processing calls for properly treating the resulting energy losses and phase distortions of wave propagation. In the regime of high-frequency asymptotics, the complex-valued eikonal is one essential ingredient for describing wave propagation in attenuating media because this unique quantity summarizes two wave properties into one function: Its real part describes the wave kinematics and its imaginary part captures the effects of phase dispersion and amplitude attenuation. Because some popular ordinary-differential-equation (ODE)-based ray-tracing methods for computing complex-valued eikonals in real space distribute the eikonal function irregularly in real space, we are motivated to develop PDE-based Eulerian methods for computing such complex-valued eikonals in real space on regular meshes. Therefore, we solved novel paraxial Liouville PDEs in real phase space so that we can compute the real and imaginary parts of the complex-valued eikonal in the multivalued sense on regular meshes. We call the resulting method the Liouville PDE method for complex-valued multivalued eikonals in attenuating media; moreover, this new method provides a unified framework for Eulerianizing several popular approximate real-space ray-tracing methods for complex-valued eikonals, such as viscoacoustic ray tracing, real viscoelastic ray tracing, and real elastic ray tracing. In addition, we also provide Liouville PDE formulations for computing multivalued ray amplitudes in a weakly viscoacoustic medium. Numerical examples, including a synthetic gas-cloud model, demonstrate that our methods yield highly accurate complex-valued eikonals in the multivalued sense.
Mental health of unaccompanied children: effects of U.S. immigration policies
Authors: Song Suzan J.
Published: November 2021

Background

There is an unprecedented surge of forcibly displaced people globally, with a crisis of unaccompanied minors seeking haven across the US border.

Aims

This paper aims to provide an understanding of the intersection between mental health and immigration policies.

Method

Examples of contemporary policies that focus on the deterrence, detention and deportation of unaccompanied minors in the USA, will be discussed, as well as the mental health effects of such ‘iron triangle’ immigration policies.

Results

In the ideal circumstances, systems and policies for migrant children would uphold international humanitarian law, hasten the shift from enforcement to protection, adhere to a ‘do no (further) harm’ model that uses a trauma-informed, culturally responsive approach to engaging with migrant children, engage the community as stakeholders to end detention and advocate to share the burden of responsibility.

Conclusions

Building a humanitarian response that protects both country and migrant interest is possible through commitment and policy change that addresses mental, physical and legal protection needs.
The interplay between memory and potentials of mean force: A discussion on the structure of equations of motion for coarse-grained observables
Authors: Glatzel Fabian , Schilling Tanja
Published: November 2021

The underdamped, non-linear, generalized Langevin equation is widely used to model coarse-grained dynamics of soft and biological materials. By means of a projection operator formalism, we show under which approximations this equation can be obtained from the dynamics of the underlying microscopic system and in which cases it makes sense to introduce a potential of mean force. We discuss shortcomings of previous derivations presented in the literature and demonstrate the implications of our derivation for the structure of memory terms and for generalized fluctuation-dissipation relations. We show, in particular, that the widely used, simple structure which contains a potential of mean force, a memory term which is linear in the observable, and a fluctuating force which is related to the memory term by a fluctuation-dissipation relation, is neither exact nor can it, in general, be derived as a controlled approximation to the exact dynamics.
Prolonged Islet Allograft Function is Associated With Female Sex in Patients After Islet Transplantation
Authors: Lemos Joana R N , Baidal David A , Poggioli Raffaella , Fuenmayor Virginia , Chavez Carmen , Alvarez Ana , Linetsky Elina , Mauvais-Jarvis Franck , Ricordi Camillo , Alejandro Rodolfo
Published: November 2021

Background

Islet transplantation (ITx) has proved to be effective in preventing severe hypoglycemia and improving metabolic control in selected subjects with type 1 diabetes. Long-term graft function remains a challenge. Estrogens have been shown to protect β cells from metabolic stresses and improve revascularization of transplanted human islets in the mouse. We aimed to evaluate the influence of sex in allograft survival of ITx recipients.

Methods

We analyzed a retrospective cohort of ITx recipients (n = 56) followed-up for up to 20 years. Allograft failure was defined as a stimulated C-peptide <0.3 ng/mL during a mixed-meal tolerance test. Subjects were divided into recipients of at least 1 female donor (group 1) and recipients of male donors only (group 2).

Results

Group 1 subjects (n = 25) were aged 41.5 ± 8.4 years and group 2 subjects (n = 22) 45.9 ± 7.3 years (P = 0.062). Female recipient frequency was 44.8% (n = 13) in group 1 and 55.2% (n = 16) in group 2 (P = 0.145). Group 2 developed graft failure earlier than group 1 (680 [286-1624] vs 1906 [756-3256] days, P = 0.038). We performed additional analyses on female recipients only from each group (group 1, n = 16; group 2, n = 20). Female recipients in group 1 exhibited prolonged allograft function compared with group 2, after adjustment for confounders (odds ratio, 28.6; 95% CI, 1.3-619.1; P < 0.05).

Conclusion

Recipients of islets from at least 1 female donor exhibited prolonged graft survival compared with recipients of islets from exclusively male donors. In addition, female recipients exhibited prolonged survival compared with male recipients following ITx of at least 1 female donor.
Writing between the Lines
Authors: Sievers Julie
Published: November 2021

This article explores how annotation with digital, social tools can address digital reading challenges while also supporting writing skill development for novices in college literature classrooms. The author analyzes student work and survey responses and shows that social annotation can facilitate closer digital reading and scaffold text-anchored argumentation practices.
Association of the caprine calpastatin MspI polymorphism with growth and reproduction traits in Saanen goats
Authors: ARDICLI S , USTUNER H , ARSLAN O
Published: November 2021

This study was designed to evaluate the effects of calpastatin (CAST) MspI polymorphism on some growth and reproduction traits, including birth weight, first breeding weight, litter size, and average daily weight gain in Saanen goats. In this sense, blood samples obtained from 73 purebred female Saanen goats were used for genotyping. Genomic DNA was isolated by the phenol-chloroform method and used to determine CAST genotypes, including MM, MN, and NN, by means of the PCR-RFLP method. The population genetic parameters were estimated based on allelic distribution and the data were statistically analysed using analysis of variance (ANOVA) using a general linear model (GLM). Results revealed that N allele frequency was remarkably high (0.64) and the MM genotype was not present. The frequency of the heterozygous genotype was 59.62%. Concerning ANOVA results, significant differences were found between genotypes of the CAST locus concerning birth weight (P<0.05). In this respect, animals with the NN genotype were associated with higher birth weight means (2.85±0.29 kg) compared to heterozygous animals (2.53±0.24 kg). There was no significant association between the CAST marker and any of the remaining phenotypic traits evaluated. The present results suggest that focusing on this genomic region may be particularly useful in improving birth weight in goats which can be considered as an early indicator of post-weaning animal growth and survival.
Effects of carprofen and/or CIDR administration on pregnancies per artificial insemination around pregnancy recognition in lactating dairy cows
Authors: ABAY M , PANCARCI SM , GUNGOR O , NAK Y , ALPARSLAN AD , BEKYUREK T
Published: November 2021

Effect of carprofen and/or CIDR on pregnancies per AI (P/AI) 14 days after artificial insemination (AI) in lactating cows were investigated. Following detection of corpus luteum (CL) by ultrasonography (USG) 14 days after AI, cows (n=853) were randomly allocated to CARP (carprofen, 1.4 mg/kg; Rimadyl®XL), CIDR (progesterone, 1.38g, for seven days), CARP+CIDR and CONT (control) groups. CL was re-determined with USG 21 days after AI to monitored the maintenance of CL. Rates of maintenance of CL did not differed among CARP (79.6% [168/211]), CIDR (86.0% [196/228]), CARP+CIDR (80.0% [172/215]) and CONT (74.9% [149/199]) groups; however, the interaction effect of treatment by body condition score (BCS) at AI (P<0.05) were existed. In this matter, among cows with BCS≤2.5, chances of maintenance of CL was lower in CONT (70.7%, [111/157]) group compared to those in CARP (81.7%, [125/153]), CIDR (83.6%, [153/183]) and CARP+CIDR (80.1%, [129/161]) groups. Whereas, among cows with BCS>2.5, chances of maintenance of CL were lower in CARP (74.1%, [43/58]) and CARP+CIDR (79.6%, [43/54]) groups compared to those in CONT (90.5%, [38/42]) and CIDR (95.6%, [43/45]) groups. For the P/AI at 28-32 days after AI, there was no difference among CARP (48.8% [103/211]), CIDR (50.9 [116/228]), CARP+CIDR (47.4% [102/215]) and CONT (44.7% [89/199]) groups. Pregnancy losses between 28-32 and 55-60 days did not differ among CARP (3.9%, [4/103]), CIDR (4.3%, [5/116]), CARP+CIDR (5.9%, [6/102]) and CONT (6.7%, [6/89]) groups. However, there was a significant (P<0.05) interaction effect of treatment by the number of services on pregnancy losses. In this regard, pregnancy losses were higher in cows inseminated thrice and four or more times in CONT (11.8% and 16.7%) group compared to those in CARP (0% and 4.8%), CIDR (0% and 6.9%), CARP+CIDR (0% and 11.1%); respectively. Consequently, no effects of carprofen or CIDR around pregnancy recognition on P/AI were observed despite a higher maintenance rate of CL in lactating cattle. Furthermore, fewer pregnancy losses in cows following three or more services could indicate the beneficial carry-over effects of carprofen and/or CIDR administration around maternal recognition of pregnancy.
The antioxidant effect of Michauxia campanuloides on rat ovaries
Authors: KURT S , KOCA RH , HÜRKUL MM , SEKER U , KÖROĞLU A
Published: November 2021

This study investigated how Michauxia campanuloides affects the Proliferating Cell Nuclear Antigen (PCNA) expression in granulosa cells, the ovarian histomorphology and serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in rats. Rats were divided into control (C), treatment 1 (T 1) and treatment 2 (T 2) groups. The rats in the T 1 and T 2 groups received aqueous extract of M. campanuloides at doses of 20 mg/kg/day and 40 mg/kg/day orally for 21 days, respectively. Serum TAC levels, follicles counts including primordial, primary, preantral, antral and atretic follicles, and PCNA expression in granulosa cells were evaluated. Numbers of preantral follicles increased in T 1 and T 2 groups compared to C group (P < 0.05). TAC and numbers of preantral and antral follicles increased in T 2 group compared to T 1 and C groups (P < 0.05). PCNA expression in granulosa cells was increased in T 2 group compared to T 1 and C groups (P < 0.01). In conclusion, treatment with M. campanuloides had positive effects on antioxidant activity, follicular dynamics, and PCNA expression of granulosa cell in rats.
Dim blue light colour reduces the activities and improves the performance of Indian River broilers under Egyptian conditions
Authors: MOUSA-BALABEL TM , AL-MIDANY SA , ALGAZZAR WZ
Published: November 2021

Poultry producers accustomed to use light colours in broiler production as atrial to increase their productivity, especially in the developing countries to cover the animal protein gap. This experiment was planned to study the effect of different blue light colour intensities (high, medium and dim) on a recently imported Indian River (IR) broilers to Egypt. In this study, 270 one-day old Indian River broiler chicks were used. The birds were exposed to high blue light intensity (HBLI), medium blue light intensity (MBLI) and dim blue light intensity (DBLI), through a monochromatic lighting system that was installed in different rooms for 24 hours daily. The birds were randomly divided and housed into three well controlled pens of 5.46 m2 with three replicates of 30 each using a density of 17 birds/m2 in the room. The results showed that the broilers reared under DBLI had a significantly (p< 0.05) higher body weight, body weight gain, Newcastle disease virus antibody titer and foot pad dermatitis with obviously, economic Feed conversion ratio (FCR) and low activities and heterophyil/lymphocyte ratio in comparing with (MBLI) and (HBLI). In conclusion, poultry producer can use dim blue light in their farms to reduce the activities and increase the productivity of the birds.
The importance of professional based questionnaire in the dog’s acute and chronic pain evaluation
Authors: MARKOVSZKY AK , DANES M , DUMITRESCU E , MUSELIN F , STANCU AC , BECSKEI Z , PUVAČA N , CRISTINA RT
Published: November 2021

The measurement of pain levels is made differently depending if acute or chronic pain is diagnosed, objective (e.g. cortisol, prolactin, serotonin, catecholamines, or the cardiac frequency and arterial pressure evaluation) or subjective methods being imagined. All subjective methods are including questionnaires and specific additional methods. The aim was the verifying the effectiveness of drug and physiotherapy combinations by using an owner based questionnaire for the chronic patients and a veterinary professional based questionnaire for the acute pain patient group. In this study a total of 20 dogs with observable pain were selected and two groups (n = 10 / group), constituted: G1 - chronic pain, and G2 - acute pain. The treatment of dogs with acute signs of pain was made oral or injectable with NSAIDs administration and for dogs with signs of chronic pain, physiotherapy treatment and drug therapy was administered. The owners of the dogs with chronic pain received the HCPI questionnaire in order to evaluate their dog’s pain level subjectively. For the dogs with acute pain the veterinarian filled out the short form of Glasgow Composite Measure Pain Scale (CMPS-SF). After initiating a Paired t-test in Excel 2010 with the scores obtained with HCPI and CMPS-SF, there was observed a significant reduction of pain after associated drug administration and physiotherapy and no significant evidence of acute pain after drug therapy. The used physiotherapy and drug combinations delivered a significant reduction of chronic pain, both clinically and visually mirrored in score reduction after treatments. The HCPI questionnaire could be considered a valuable tool for evaluating chronic pain in patients in the clinic environment. The CMPS-SF has also proven to be a very useful questionnaire in diagnose of acute pain and evaluation of the effectiveness of drug therapy used.
Case Report: Pediatric pharmacobezoar with subacute intestinal obstruction
Authors: Hakeem Mahnaz , Lohana Heeramani , Urooj Sarwat , Ahmed Sheraz
Published: November 2021

Bezoars are an undigested mass causing an intraluminal obstruction in children.  Pharmacobezoars are formed from medicines or their vehicle, considered as a less frequent type observed in children. Our objective is to report a relatively rare entity as a potential cause of intestinal obstruction in children.  Here we report a case of 13-year-old girl with a history of herbal medicine intake who presented with persistent vomiting and abdominal distension. She was diagnosed with acute intestinal obstruction and managed conservatively without any complications. The patient became stable within two days so was discharged home. We found that ineffective history could lead to a delay in diagnosis and management. Clinicians should have a high index of suspicion for pica and psychiatric disorders, especially in adolescent children.
SARS-CoV-2 and the role of orofecal transmission: a systematic review
Authors: Heneghan Carl J. , Spencer Elizabeth A. , Brassey Jon , Plüddemann Annette , Onakpoya Igho J. , Evans David H. , Conly John M. , Jefferson Tom
Published: November 2021

Background: Modes of transmission of SARS-CoV-2 are of key public health importance. SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in the feces of some COVID-19 patients, suggesting the possibility that the virus could, in addition to droplet and fomite transmission, be transmitted via the orofecal route.

Methods: This review is part of an Open Evidence Review on Transmission Dynamics of COVID-19. We conduct ongoing searches using WHO COVID-19 Database, LitCovid, medRxiv, and Google Scholar; assess study quality based on five criteria and report important findings. Where necessary, authors are contacted for further details on the content of their articles.

Results: We include searches up until 20 December 2020. We included 110 relevant studies: 76 primary observational studies or reports, and 35 reviews (one cohort study also included a review) examining the potential role of orofecal transmission of SARS-CoV-2. Of the observational studies, 37 were done in China. A total of 48 studies (n=9,081 patients) reported single cases, case series or cohort data on individuals with COVID-19 diagnosis or their contacts and 46 (96%) detected binary RT-PCR with 535 out of 1358 samples positive for SARS-CoV-2 (average 39.4%). The results suggest a long duration of fecal shedding, often recorded after respiratory samples tested negative, and symptoms of gastrointestinal disease were reported in several studies. Twenty-nine studies reported finding SARS-CoV-2 RNA in wastewater, river water or toilet areas. Six studies attempted viral culture from COVID-19 patients’ fecal samples: culture was successful in 3 of 6 studies, and one study demonstrated invasion of the virus into intestinal epithelial cells.

Conclusions: Varied observational and mechanistic evidence suggests SARS-CoV-2 can infect and be shed from the gastrointestinal tract, including some data demonstrating viral culture in fecal samples. To fully assess these risks, quantitative data on infectious virus in these settings and infectious dose are needed.
A nonlinear and time-dependent leak current in the presence of calcium fluoride patch-clamp seal enhancer
Authors: Lei Chon Lok , Fabbri Alan , Whittaker Dominic G. , Clerx Michael , Windley Monique J. , Hill Adam P. , Mirams Gary R. , de Boer Teun P.
Published: November 2021

Automated patch-clamp platforms are widely used and vital tools in both academia and industry to enable high-throughput studies such as drug screening. A leak current to ground occurs whenever the seal between a pipette and cell (or internal solution and cell in high-throughput machines) is not perfectly insulated from the bath (extracellular) solution. Over 1 GΩ seal resistance between pipette and bath solutions is commonly used as a quality standard for manual patch work. With automated platforms it can be difficult to obtain such a high seal resistance between the intra- and extra-cellular solutions. One suggested method to alleviate this problem is using an F− containing internal solution together with a Ca2+ containing external solution — so that a CaF2 crystal forms when the two solutions meet which ‘plugs the holes’ to enhance the seal resistance. However, we observed an unexpected nonlinear-in-voltage and time-dependent current using these solutions on an automated patch-clamp platform. We performed manual patch-clamp experiments with the automated patch-clamp solutions, but no biological cell, and observed the same nonlinear time-dependent leak current. The current could be completely removed by washing out F− ions to leave a conventional leak current that was linear and not time-dependent. We therefore conclude fluoride ions interacting with the CaF2 crystal are the origin of the nonlinear time-dependent leak current. The consequences of such a nonlinear and time-dependent leak current polluting measurements should be considered carefully if it cannot be isolated and subtracted.
Clinical Case of Treatment of Stage IV Esophageal Cancer
Authors: Strikanova I. , Gumeneckaja Ju. , Dzhabrailova S. , Makarova K. , Kireeva T.
Published: November 2021

In 2018 in Russian Federation more than 500 thousand new cases of cancer were found, including 8000 cases with malignant tumors of esophagus and more than 30 % of patients have the IV stage.

Esophageal cancer takes the 6-th place in death causes connected to cancer in the world and it is still one of the main global problems in medical care. Oncologists face the problem of the most difficult choice in treatment tactics for spread stages of disease. In this situation it is recommended to provide combined treatment (surgery, neoadjuvant and adjuvant chemotherapy).

Definitive radiotherapy or chemoradiotherapy (without surgery) is used for patients with unrespectable esophageal tumor.

In this article we present clinical case of successful treatment of a patient with metastatic esophageal cancer. The patient got chemoradiotherapy in 2017 and after control checkup in November 2019 remission was registered. After provided treatment stopping of pain syndrome and dysphagia, food passage through esophagus was restored. The patient notes good life quality, he is physically active and socially adapted.
Potential Possibilities of Nuclear Medicine Methods in Diagnostics Age Changes of the Cardiovascular System.
Authors: Vorontsova M. , Obrezan A. , Obrezan A.
Published: November 2021

In connection with the increase in the average age of the world's population, the problem of preventing premature aging and the treatment of age-related diseases is coming to the fore. The main direction in the implementation of this goal is to influence the key molecular mechanisms of aging in order to suppress pathological processes and activate the defense systems of the cell and the body as a whole. In order to solve this daunting task, it is necessary to have in the arsenal not only various means of intervention in the aging process, but also diagnostic methods that would allow to fully verify these processes and evaluate the effectiveness of medical interventions.
Incidence of Basal Cell Carcinoma in Cohort of Mayak Workers
Authors: Bannikova M. , Azizova T.
Published: November 2021

Results: To estimate incidence rates for basal cell carcinoma (BSC) following chronic occupational radiation exposure.

Conclusion:The study cohort included 22,377 workers (25.4 % of females) of the nuclear production facility, Mayak Production Association (PA), who had been hired in 1948–1982. Gamma doses of external exposure were provided by the Mayak Workers Dosimetry System – 2013 (MWDS–2013). The cohort was followed up until 31.12.2018.

Results: By the end of the follow-up period 293 BSC cases were registered in the study cohort. BSC incidence rates significantly increased with increasing attained age of workers. The highest BSC incidence rate was observed in the age group above 70 years, both for males and females. The study found a significant increasing linear trend for standardized incidence rates for both males and females; approximation confidence factors were R2 = 0.82 and R2 = 0.95, respectively. The majority of BSC cases in the study cohort were registered in 1994–2018 (71.12 % in males and 81.13 % in females). The component analysis demonstrated that the absolute growth in the BSC incidence rate in both males and females was due to changes in the age structure of the study population and the risk of the disease.

Conclussion: BSC incidence rates were significantly higher in males externally exposed to gamma rays at cumulative skin absorbed doses 0.2–0.5 Gy, 0.5–1.0 Gy and above 1.0 Gy compared to those exposed at doses below 0.1 Gy. In females the corresponding differences were non-significant.
Izydora Dąmbska’s Study on Ingarden’s and Frege’s Philosophy of Language in View of the Contemporary Discussion about the Relationship between Phenomenology and Analytic Philosophy
Authors: Gomułczak Aleksandra
Published: November 2021

The aim of this paper is to elaborate on Izydora Dąmbska’s comparative study of the philosophy of language of Ingarden and Frege. My analysis is conducted within the context of the studies about the so-called analytic-continental divide. In the first section, I give an account of Dąmbska’s analysis of the similarities between Ingarden and Frege. The second section is devoted to the examination of Ingarden’s relationship to the analytic philosophy of language. This part delivers more detailed comments on some essential connections between Ingarden and Frege, and Ingarden and Ajdukiewicz, respectively. I conclude with the statement that Dąmbska’s work (and the philosophy of the Lvov-Warsaw School in general) plays an important role on the map of the studies about the analytic-continental divide.
New Venture Creation: A Drift-Variance Diffusion Control Model
Authors: Wang Zhengli , Zenios Stefanos
Published: November 2021

A Model for New Venture Creation

New ventures go through multiple stages: In the early stage, there is a business concept and preliminary evidence supporting the concept. In later stages, there are revenues and sales. In each stage, there are usually milestones for the venture to meet in order for investors to provide additional funding. Otherwise, the venture is abandoned. The entrepreneur can engage in a set of costly activities that aim to create value and reach the appropriate milestones. In “New Venture Creation: A Drift-Variance Diffusion Control Model,” Wang and Zenios develop a framework for new venture creation. The authors provide theoretical guidance on the optimal policy, which is relatively simple to describe. Their analysis reveals a trade-off between how costly an activity is and how much upside potential the activity generates, and their result shows how a new venture creator can manage that trade-off.
Integrating Chaotic Perspective and Behavioral Learning Theory into a Global Pandemic Crisis Management Framework for Hotel Service Providers
Authors: Le Dung , Phi Giang T. , Le Truc H.
Published: November 2021

Hotel service providers are among the most affected by the evolving Covid-19 pandemic. Although the consequences of the pandemic on hotel operations have been widely examined, the question of how hotel businesses can revive, innovate, and transform in order to survive and recover remains vastly under-researched. This study aims to provide insights on this important topic by analyzing 312 news articles between December 1, 2019, and March 1, 2021, published by global news media, which report hotels’ strategies and tactics to deal with the pandemic. Grounded on chaos theory, behavioral learning theory, and an integrated crisis management model, a global pandemic crisis management framework is developed. Practically, the paper reveals best practices applied by hoteliers to deal with the pandemic (e.g., service transformation, smart marketing, strategic collaboration/alliance, mergers and acquisitions, and digitalization) and suggests ways for hotel services providers to adapt to the “new travel” age.