bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Function of ORFC of the polyketide synthase gene cluster on fatty acid accumulation in Schizochytrium limacinum SR21
Authors: Shi Yanyan , Chen Zhen , Li Yixin , Cao Xingyu , Yang Lijie , Xu Yiyuan , Li Zhipeng , He Ning
Published: July 2021

Background

As a potential source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA), Schizochytrium sp. has been widely used in industry for PUFA production. Polyketide synthase (PKS) cluster is supposed to be the primary way of PUFA synthesis in Schizochytrium sp. As one of three open reading frames (ORF) in the PKS cluster, ORFC plays an essential role in fatty acid biosynthesis. However, the function of domains in ORFC in the fatty acid synthesis of Schizochytrium sp. remained unclear.

Results

In this study, heterologous expression and overexpression were carried out to study the role of ORFC and its domains in fatty acid accumulation. Firstly, ORFC was heterologously expressed in yeast which increased the PUFA content significantly. Then, the dehydratase (DH) and enoyl reductase (ER) domains located on ORFC were overexpressed in Schizochytrium limacinum SR21, respectively. Fatty acids profile analysis showed that the contents of PUFA and saturated fatty acid were increased in the DH and ER overexpression strains, respectively. This indicated that the DH and ER domains played distinct roles in lipid accumulation. Metabolic and transcriptomic analysis revealed that the pentose phosphate pathway and triacylglycerol biosynthesis were enhanced, while the tricarboxylic acid cycle and fatty acids oxidation were weakened in DH-overexpression strain. However, the opposite effect was found in the ER-overexpression strain.

Conclusion

Therefore, ORFC was required for the biosynthesis of fatty acid. The DH domain played a crucial role in PUFA synthesis, whereas the ER domain might be related to saturated fatty acids (SFA) synthesis in Schizochytrium limacinum SR21. This research explored the role of ORFC in the PKS gene cluster in Schizochytrium limacinum and provided potential genetic modification strategies for improving lipid production and regulating PUFA and SFA content.
Epigenetic reprogramming of cell identity: lessons from development for regenerative medicine
Authors: Basu Amitava , Tiwari Vijay K.
Published: July 2021

Epigenetic mechanisms are known to define cell-type identity and function. Hence, reprogramming of one cell type into another essentially requires a rewiring of the underlying epigenome. Cellular reprogramming can convert somatic cells to induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) that can be directed to differentiate to specific cell types. Trans-differentiation or direct reprogramming, on the other hand, involves the direct conversion of one cell type into another. In this review, we highlight how gene regulatory mechanisms identified to be critical for developmental processes were successfully used for cellular reprogramming of various cell types. We also discuss how the therapeutic use of the reprogrammed cells is beginning to revolutionize the field of regenerative medicine particularly in the repair and regeneration of damaged tissue and organs arising from pathological conditions or accidents. Lastly, we highlight some key challenges hindering the application of cellular reprogramming for therapeutic purposes.
BMI trajectory in childhood is associated with asthma incidence at young adulthood mediated by DNA methylation
Authors: Rathod Rutu , Zhang Hongmei , Karmaus Wilfried , Ewart Susan , Kadalayil Latha , Relton Caroline , Ring Susan , Arshad S. Hasan , Holloway John W.
Published: July 2021

Purpose

Body mass index (BMI) is associated with asthma but associations of BMI temporal patterns with asthma incidence are unclear. Previous studies suggest that DNA methylation (DNAm) is associated with asthma status and variation in DNAm is a consequence of BMI changes. This study assessed the direct and indirect (via DNAm) effects of BMI trajectories in childhood on asthma incidence at young adulthood.

Methods

Data from the Isle of Wight (IoW) birth cohort were included in the analyses. Group-based trajectory modelling was applied to infer latent BMI trajectories from ages 1 to 10 years. An R package, ttscreening, was applied to identify differentially methylated CpGs at age 10 years associated with BMI trajectories, stratified for sex. Logistic regressions were used to further exclude CpGs with DNAm at age 10 years not associated with asthma incidence at 18 years. CpGs discovered via path analyses that mediated the association of BMI trajectories with asthma incidence in the IoW cohort were further tested in an independent cohort, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Children and Parents (ALSPAC).

Results

Two BMI trajectories (high vs. normal) were identified. Of the 442,474 CpG sites, DNAm at 159 CpGs in males and 212 in females were potentially associated with BMI trajectories. Assessment of their association with asthma incidence identified 9 CpGs in males and 6 CpGs in females. DNAm at 4 of these 15 CpGs showed statistically significant mediation effects (p-value < 0.05). At two of the 4 CpGs (cg23632109 and cg10817500), DNAm completely mediated the association (i.e., only statistically significant indirect effects were identified). In the ALSPAC cohort, at all four CpGs, the same direction of mediating effects were observed as those found in the IoW cohort, although statistically insignificant.

Conclusion

The association of BMI trajectory in childhood with asthma incidence at young adulthood is possibly mediated by DNAm.
Submandibular lymph node metastasis of occult thyroid carcinoma first suspected to be a salivary gland tumor: a case report
Authors: Kaneko Hiroyuki , Deguchi Mami , Yano Hisashi
Published: July 2021

Background

When diagnosing and treating neck masses, various diseases need to be considered, including benign or malignant tumors, lymph node-related diseases, and cysts. Thus, there may be cases in which making a definitive diagnosis is difficult on the basis of blood testing and imaging alone.

Case presentation

The patient was an 80-year-old Japanese female who presented with swelling in the right submandibular area. Magnetic resonance imaging and ultrasonography revealed a solid tumor with inhomogeneous content continuous with the submandibular gland. Therefore, the clinical diagnosis was salivary gland tumor. Surgical treatment was performed, and intraoperative frozen-section examination demonstrated submandibular lymph node metastasis of thyroid carcinoma. After surgical treatment, blood test for thyroid gland function yielded normal results except for increased thyroglobulin levels. Further positron-emission tomography–computed tomography and ultrasonography were performed, in addition to fine-needle aspiration biopsy of the thyroid gland and other tests; however, no other thyroid abnormalities were observed. Fine-needle aspiration biopsy revealed no carcinomatous components. Close observational follow-up has been continued without thyroid gland treatment, and as of approximately 8 years postoperation, no recurrence, metastases, or thyroid carcinoma have developed.

Conclusion

The mass was lymph node metastasis of occult thyroid carcinoma. In general, occult thyroid carcinoma metastasizes to level II–V. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of submandibular lymph node metastasis alone of occult thyroid carcinoma.
Preservation of nautilid soft parts inside and outside the conch interpreted as central nervous system, eyes, and renal concrements from the Lebanese Cenomanian
Authors: Klug Christian , Pohle Alexander , Roth Rosemarie , Hoffmann René , Wani Ryoji , Tajika Amane
Published: July 2021

Nautilid, coleoid and ammonite cephalopods preserving jaws and soft tissue remains are moderately common in the extremely fossiliferous Konservat-Lagerstätte of the Hadjoula, Haqel and Sahel Aalma region, Lebanon. We assume that hundreds of cephalopod fossils from this region with soft-tissues lie in collections worldwide. Here, we describe two specimens of Syrionautilus libanoticus (Cymatoceratidae, Nautilida, Cephalopoda) from the Cenomanian of Hadjoula. Both specimens preserve soft parts, but only one shows an imprint of the conch. The specimen without conch displays a lot of anatomical detail. We homologise the fossilised structures as remains of the digestive tract, the central nervous system, the eyes, and the mantle. Small phosphatic structures in the middle of the body chamber of the specimen with conch are tentatively interpreted as renal concrements (uroliths). The absence of any trace of arms and the hood of the specimen lacking its conch is tentatively interpreted as an indication that this is another leftover fall (pabulite), where a predator lost parts of its prey. Other interpretations such as incomplete scavenging are also conceivable.
Potential of helper-dependent Adenoviral vectors in CRISPR-cas9-mediated lung gene therapy
Authors: Bandara Ranmal Avinash , Chen Ziyan Rachel , Hu Jim
Published: July 2021

Since CRISPR/Cas9 was harnessed to edit DNA, the field of gene therapy has witnessed great advances in gene editing. New avenues were created for the treatment of diseases such as Cystic Fibrosis (CF). CF is caused by mutations in the Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (CFTR) gene. Despite the success of gene editing with the CRISPR/Cas9 in vitro, challenges still exist when using CRISPR/Cas9 in vivo to cure CF lung disease. The delivery of CRISPR/Cas9 into lungs, as well as the difficulty to achieve the efficiency required for clinical efficacy, has brought forth new challenges. Viral and non-viral vectors have been shown to deliver DNA successfully in vivo, but the sustained expression of CFTR was not adequate. Before the introduction of Helper-Dependent Adenoviral vectors (HD-Ad), clinical trials of treating pulmonary genetic diseases with first-generation viral vectors have shown limited efficacy. With the advantages of larger capacity and lower immunogenicity of HD-Ad, together with the versatility of the CRISPR/Cas9 system, delivering CRISPR/Cas9 to the airway with HD-Ad for lung gene therapy shows great potential. In this review, we discuss the status of the application of CRISPR/Cas9 in CF gene therapy, the existing challenges in the field, as well as new hurdles introduced by the presence of CRISPR/Cas9 in the lungs. Through the analysis of these challenges, we present the potential of CRISPR/Cas9-mediated lung gene therapy using HD-Ad vectors with Cystic Fibrosis lung disease as a model of therapy.
Sex differences in CRT device implantation rates, efficacy, and complications following implantation: protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of cohort studies
Authors: Dewidar Omar , Birnie David , Podinic Irina , Welch Vivian , Wells George A.
Published: July 2021

Introduction

There is abundant evidence for sex differences in the diagnosis, implantation, and outcomes for cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) devices. Controversial data suggesting women are less likely to receive the device regardless of the greater benefit. The aim of this review is to assess sex differences in the implantation rate, clinical effectiveness, and safety of patients receiving CRT devices.

Methods

We will conduct a systematic literature search of MEDLINE, Embase, and Web of Science to identify cohort studies that meet our eligibility criteria. Title and full text screening will be conducted in duplicate independently. Eligible studies report clinical effectiveness or safety of patients receiving CRT device while providing sex-disaggregated data. Implantation rate will be extracted from the baseline characteristics tables of the studies. The effectiveness outcomes include the following: all-cause death, hospitalization, peak oxygen consumption (pVO2), quality of life (QoL), 6-min walk test, NYHA class reduction, LVEF, and heart failure hospitalization. The complication outcomes include the following: contrast-induced nephropathy, pneumothorax, pocket-related hematoma, pericardial tamponade, phrenic nerve stimulation, device infection, death, pulmonary edema, electrical storm, cardiogenic shock, and hypotension requiring resuscitation. Description of included studies will be reported in detail and outcomes will be meta-analyzed and presented using forest plots when feasible. Risk of bias will be assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) by two review authors independently. GRADE approach will be used to assess the certainty of evidence.

Discussion

The aim of this review is to determine the presence of differences in CRT implantation between women and men as well as differences in clinical effectiveness and safety of CRT after device implantation. Results from this systematic review will provide important insights into sex differences in CRT devices that could contribute to the development of sex-specific recommendations and inform policy.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42020204804
Access to systemic anti-cancer therapies for women with secondary breast cancer—protocol for a mixed methods systematic review
Authors: Pearson Sally Anne , Taylor Sally , Marsden Antonia , Yorke Janelle
Published: July 2021

Background

It is well recognised that access and receipt of appropriate guideline recommended treatment with systemic anti-cancer therapies for secondary breast cancer is a key determinant in overall survival. Where there is disparity in access this may result in unwarranted variation and disparity in outcomes. Individual, clinical and wider contextual factors have been associated with these disparities, however this remains poorly understood for women with secondary breast cancer. The purpose of the review is to examine individual, clinical and contextual factors which influence access to evidence-based systemic anti-cancer therapies for women with secondary breast cancer. This will include barriers and facilitators for access and receipt of treatment and an exploration of women and clinicians experience and perspectives on access.

Methods

A mixed methods approach with a segregated design will be used to examine and explore factors which influence access to systemic anti-cancer therapies for women with secondary breast cancer. Electronic databases to be searched from January 2000 onwards will be EBSCO CINAHL Plus, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, PsychINFO and the Cochrane Library and JBI database. This will include NHS Evidence which will be searched for unpublished studies and gray literature.

Title and abstract citations and full-text articles will be screened by the author and second reviewer. Data will be extracted by the author and validated by the second reviewer.

An overarching synthesis will be produced which brings together quantitative and qualitative findings. Methodological quality and risk of bias will be assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool.

Discussion

Understanding individual, clinical and wider contextual factors associated with access and receipt of systemic anti-cancer therapies for secondary breast cancer is a complex phenomenon. These will be examined to determine any association with access. Review findings will be used to guide future research in this area and the development of an evidence-based service level intervention designed to address unwarranted variation in access based upon the Medical Research Council (MRC) approach to the development, implementation and evaluation of complex interventions.

Systematic review registration

The review protocol has been registered in PROSPERO CRD42020196490.
Finite-time stability of linear stochastic fractional-order systems with time delay
Authors: Mchiri Lassaad , Ben Makhlouf Abdellatif , Baleanu Dumitru , Rhaima Mohamed
Published: July 2021

This paper focuses on the finite-time stability of linear stochastic fractional-order systems with time delay for $\alpha \in (\frac{1}{2},1)$
α
∈
(

1

2

,
1
)
. Under the generalized Gronwall inequality and stochastic analysis techniques, the finite-time stability of the solution for linear stochastic fractional-order systems with time delay is investigated. We give two illustrative examples to show the interest of the main results.
“I was eating more fruits and veggies than I have in years”: a mixed methods evaluation of a fresh food prescription intervention
Authors: Heasley Cole , Clayton Becca , Muileboom Jade , Schwanke Anna , Rathnayake Sujani , Richter Abby , Little Matthew
Published: July 2021

Background

Food insecurity is associated with poor nutritional health outcomes. Prescribing fresh fruits and vegetables in healthcare settings may be an opportunity to link patients with community supports to promote healthy diets and improve food security. This mixed methods study evaluated the impacts of a fresh food prescription pilot program.

Methods

The study took place at two Community Health Centre locations in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. Sixty food insecure patients with ≥1 cardio-metabolic condition or micronutrient deficiency participated in the intervention. Participants were prescribed 12 weekly vouchers to Community Food Markets. We conducted a one-group pre-post mixed-methods evaluation to assess changes in fruit and vegetable intake, self-reported health, food security, and perceived food environments. Surveys were conducted at baseline and follow-up and semi-structured interviews with participants were conducted following the intervention.

Results

Food security and fruit and vegetable consumption improved following the intervention. Food security scores increased by 1.6 points, on average (p < 0.001). Consumption of fruits and ‘other’ vegetables (cucumber, celery, cabbage, cauliflower, squashes, and vegetable juice) increased from baseline to follow-up (p < 0.05). No changes in self-reported physical or mental health were observed. Qualitative data suggested that the intervention benefited the availability, accessibility, affordability, acceptability, and accommodation of healthy foods for participating households.

Conclusions

Fresh food prescription programs may be a useful model for healthcare providers to improve patients’ food environments, healthy food consumption, and food security.
Observed magnitude and trends in socioeconomic and geographic area inequalities in obesity prevalence among non-pregnant women in Chad: evidence from three waves of Chad demographic and health surveys
Authors: Shibre Gebretsadik , Zegeye Betregiorgis , Woldeamanuiel Gashaw Garedew , Negash Wassie , Lemma Gorems , Taderegew Mitku Mamo
Published: July 2021

Background

While the prevalence of obesity is increasing worldwide, the growing rates of overweight and obesity in developing countries are disquieting. Obesity is widely recognized as a risk factor for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular diseases. Available evidence on whether obesity has been more prevalent among higher or lower socioeconomic groups, across regions and urban-rural women’s are inconsistent. This study examined magnitude of and trends in socioeconomic, urban-rural and sub-national region inequalities in obesity prevalence among non-pregnant women in Chad.

Method

Using cross-sectional data from Chad Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs) conducted in 1996, 2004 and 2014; we used the World Health Organization (WHO) Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) to analyze socio-economic, urban-rural and regional inequalities in obesity prevalence among non-pregnant women aged 15–49 years. Inequalities were assessed using four equity stratifiers namely wealth index, educational level, place of residence and subnational region. We presented inequalities using simple and complex as well as relative and absolute summary measures such as Difference (D), Population Attributable Risk (PAR), Population Attributable Fraction (PAF) and Ratio (R).

Results

Though constant pattern overtime, both wealth-driven and place of residence inequality were observed in all three surveys by Difference measure and in the first and last surveys by Ratio measure. Similarly, including the recent survey (D = -2.80, 95% CI:-4.15, − 1.45, R = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.23, 0.50) absolute (in 1996 & 2014 survey) and relative (in all three surveys) educational status inequality with constant pattern were observed. Substantial absolute (PAR = -2.2, 95% CI: − 3.21, − 1.34) and relative (PAF = − 91.9, 95% CI: − 129.58, − 54.29) regional inequality was observed with increasing and constant pattern by simple (D) and complex (PAR, PAF) measures.

Conclusion

The study showed socioeconomic and area-based obesity inequalities that disfavored women in higher socioeconomic status and residing in urban areas. Prevention of obesity prevalence should be government and stakeholders’ priority through organizing the evidence, health promotion and prevention interventions for at risk population and general population.
Altered splicing associated with the pathology of inflammatory bowel disease
Authors: Berger Kiera , Somineni Hari , Prince Jarod , Kugathasan Subra , Gibson Greg
Published: July 2021

Background

Aberrant splicing of individual genes is a well-known mechanism promoting pathology for a wide range of conditions, but disease is less commonly attributed to global disruption of exon usage. To explore the possible association of aberrant splicing with inflammatory bowel disease, we developed a pipeline for quantifying transcript abundance and exon inclusion transcriptome-wide and applied it to a dataset of ileal and rectal biopsies, both obtained in duplicate from 34 pediatric or young adult cases of ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease.

Results

Expression and splicing covary to some extent, and eight individuals exhibited aberrant profiles that can be explained by altered ratios of epithelial to stromal and immune cells. Ancestry-related biases in alternative splicing accounting for 5% of the variance were also observed, in part also related to cell-type proportions. In addition, two individuals were identified who had 284 exons with significantly divergent percent spliced in exons, including in the established IBD risk gene CEACAM1, which caused their ileal samples to resemble the rectum.

Conclusions

These results imply that quantitative differences in splice usage contribute to the pathology of inflammatory bowel disease in a previously unrecognized manner.
Establishing a baseline of science communication skills in an undergraduate environmental science course
Authors: Shivni Rashmi , Cline Christina , Newport Morgan , Yuan Shupei , Bergan-Roller Heather E.
Published: July 2021

Background

Seminal reports, based on recommendations by educators, scientists, and in collaboration with students, have called for undergraduate curricula to engage students in some of the same practices as scientists—one of which is communicating science with a general, non-scientific audience (SciComm). Unfortunately, very little research has focused on helping students develop these skills. An important early step in creating effective and efficient curricula is understanding what baseline skills students have prior to instruction. Here, we used the Essential Elements for Effective Science Communication (EEES) framework to survey the SciComm skills of students in an environmental science course in which they had little SciComm training.

Results

Our analyses revealed that, despite not being given the framework, students included several of the 13 elements, especially those which were explicitly asked for in the assignment instructions. Students commonly targeted broad audiences composed of interested adults, aimed to increase the knowledge and awareness of their audience, and planned and executed remote projects using print on social media. Additionally, students demonstrated flexibility in their skills by slightly differing their choices depending on the context of the assignment, such as creating more engaging content than they had planned for.

Conclusions

The students exhibited several key baseline skills, even though they had minimal training on the best practices of SciComm; however, more support is required to help students become better communicators, and more work in different contexts may be beneficial to acquire additional perspectives on SciComm skills among a variety of science students. The few elements that were not well highlighted in the students’ projects may not have been as intuitive to novice communicators. Thus, we provide recommendations for how educators can help their undergraduate science students develop valuable, prescribed SciComm skills. Some of these recommendations include helping students determine the right audience for their communication project, providing opportunities for students to try multiple media types, determining the type of language that is appropriate for the audience, and encouraging students to aim for a mix of communication objectives. With this guidance, educators can better prepare their students to become a more open and communicative generation of scientists and citizens.
Hippocampal magnetic resonance imaging in focal onset seizure with impaired awareness—descriptive study from tertiary care centre in southern part of India
Authors: Andrews Aleena Elizabeth , Perumpalath Naufal , Puthiyakam Juvaina , Mekkattukunnel Andrews
Published: July 2021

Background

Temporal lobe epilepsy is the most common type of focal onset seizure. Focal onset seizure with impaired awareness, previously known as complex partial seizure (CPS), account for 18–40% of all seizure types. Hippocampal sclerosis (HS) is the most common cause of temporal lobe epilepsy, which produces focal onset seizure with impaired awareness. It may be detected in MRI visually, but bilateral abnormalities are better identified using volumetric analysis.

We aimed to compare hippocampal volume in patients with focal onset seizure with impaired awareness visually and quantitatively.

Methodology

This cross-sectional study includes clinically diagnosed cases of 56 focal onset seizure with impaired awareness undergoing MRI at a tertiary teaching hospital in the southern part of India for a duration of 18 months from February 2018 to August 2019.

Results

Out of 53 patients studied using 1.5 T MRI brain with seizure protocols, hippocampal atrophy was identified visually in 13 (24.5%) on the right side, 9 (16.98%) on the left side, and in 6 (11.32%) bilaterally. However, with volumetry, hippocampal atrophy (not taking T2 signal change) was detected in 15 (28.30%) on the right side, 10 (18.86%) on the left side, and in 7 (13.20%) bilaterally. Hippocampal volumes between ipsilateral and contralateral seizure focus were found to have no significant difference (p-0.84).

Conclusions

Though visual analysis is efficient in the diagnosis of pathology, MR volumetry may be used as an expert eye in cases of subtle volume loss.
Body Mass Index and Risk of COVID-19 Diagnosis, Hospitalization, and Death: A Cohort Study of 2 524 926 Catalans
Authors: Recalde Martina , Pistillo Andrea , Fernandez-Bertolin Sergio , Roel Elena , Aragon Maria , Freisling Heinz , Prieto-Alhambra Daniel , Burn Edward , Duarte-Salles Talita
Published: July 2021

Context

A comprehensive understanding of the association between body mass index (BMI) and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is still lacking.

Objective

To investigate associations between BMI and risk of COVID-19 diagnosis, hospitalization with COVID-19, and death after a COVID-19 diagnosis or hospitalization (subsequent death), accounting for potential effect modification by age and sex.

Design

Population-based cohort study.

Setting

Primary care records covering >80% of the Catalan population, linked to regionwide testing, hospital, and mortality records from March to May 2020.

Participants

Adults (≥18 years) with at least 1 measurement of weight and height.

Main outcome measures

Hazard ratios (HR) for each outcome.

Results

We included 2 524 926 participants. After 67 days of follow-up, 57 443 individuals were diagnosed with COVID-19, 10 862 were hospitalized with COVID-19, and 2467 had a subsequent death. BMI was positively associated with being diagnosed and hospitalized with COVID-19. Compared to a BMI of 22 kg/m2, the HR (95% CI) of a BMI of 31 kg/m2 was 1.22 (1.19-1.24) for diagnosis and 1.88 (1.75-2.03) and 2.01 (1.86-2.18) for hospitalization without and with a prior outpatient diagnosis, respectively. The association between BMI and subsequent death was J-shaped, with a modestly higher risk of death among individuals with BMIs ≤ 19 kg/m2 and a more pronounced increasing risk for BMIs ≥ 40 kg/m2. The increase in risk for COVID-19 outcomes was particularly pronounced among younger patients.

Conclusions

There is a monotonic association between BMI and COVID-19 diagnosis and hospitalization risks but a J-shaped relationship with mortality. More research is needed to unravel the mechanisms underlying these relationships.
Effect of obesity on risk and severity of periodontitis: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Maulani Chaerita , Auerkari Elza Ibrahim , C. Masulili Sri Lelyati , Kusdhany Lindawati S. , Prahasanti Chiquita , Soedarsono Nurtami
Published: July 2021

Background: The present study aimed to investigate the correlation between obesity and periodontitis, among other risk factors for periodontitis.  

Methods:  In total, 262 Indonesian male and female subjects were analysed for body mass index (BMI), oral hygiene, plaque index, and clinically evaluated periodontitis. Statistical analysis was performed using Spearman tests and Pearson chi-square tests to estimate the correlation between BMI and periodontitis. Multivariate binary logistic analysis was conducted between covariate and periodontitis. P<0.05 was considered as statistically significant.  

Results: The prevalence of obesity was 48.47%. There were positive correlations between BMI and periodontal status for healthy-mild periodontitis, moderate, and severe periodontitis respectively. BMI and periodontitis crude odds ratio (OR) = 2.31 (95% CI 1.41-3.78); p < 0.05, adjusted OR of BMI among other variables, was 1.88 (95%CI 1.05-3.37); p < 0.05. Exploration of the ROC curve found a BMI cut off point of 24.785 kg/m2. 

Conclusion: Obesity by BMI measurement of ≥ 25kg/m2 correlated to a higher risk of acquiring periodontitis compared to normal-weight individuals.
Procrastinar academicamente é coisa de perfeccionista? Correlatos valorativos e da personalidade
Authors: Soares Ana Karla Silva , Kamazaki Daniely Fernandes , Freire Sandra Elisa de Assis
Published: July 2021

O presente estudo objetivou conhecer o poder preditivo dos traços de personalidade, dos valores humanos e do perfeccionismo para com a procrastinação acadêmica, propondo um modelo explicativo. Participaram 348 universitários, a maioria do sexo feminino (58,4%), com idade média de 22 anos. Estes responderam a Escala de Procrastinação Acadêmica; a Escala de Quase Perfeição – Revisada; o Questionário dos Valores Básicos; o Inventário dos Cinco Grandes Fatores da Personalidade e perguntas demográficas. Baseado na regressão, propôs-se um modelo explicativo no qual a conscienciosidade predisse as dimensões de perfeccionismo (adaptativo e desadaptativo) e estas, por sua vez, predisseram a procrastinação acadêmica. Os resultados apontam para um ajuste satisfatório deste modelo que contribuem para o entendimento da procrastinação acadêmica.
Reference Pricing for Healthcare Services
Authors: Nassiri Shima , Adida Elodie , Mamani Hamed
Published: July 2021

Problem definition: The traditional payment system between an insurer and providers does not incentivize providers to limit their prices, nor patients to choose less expensive providers, hence contributing to high insurer expenditures. Reference pricing has been proposed as a way to better align incentives and control the rising costs of healthcare. In this payment system, the insurer determines the maximum amount that can be reimbursed for a procedure (reference price). If a patient selects a provider charging more than the reference price, the patient is responsible for the entire portion above it. Our goal is to understand how reference pricing performs relative to more traditional payment systems. Academic/practical relevance: Our results can help healthcare leaders understand when reference pricing has the potential to be a successful alternative payment mechanism, what its impact on the different stakeholders is, and how to best design it. Methodology: We propose a game-theoretical model to analyze the reference pricing payment scheme. Our model incorporates an insurer that chooses the reference price, multiple competing price-setting providers, and heterogeneous patients who select a provider based on a multinomial logit choice model. Results: We find that the highest-priced providers reduce their prices under reference pricing. Moreover, reference pricing often outperforms the fixed and the variable payment systems both in terms of expected patient utility and insurer cost but incurs a loss in the highest-priced providers’ profit. Furthermore, we show that in general the insurer utility is often higher under reference pricing unless the insurer is a public nonprofit insurer that weighs the providers’ utility as much as its own cost. Managerial implications: Overall, our findings indicate that reference pricing constitutes a promising payment system for “shoppable” healthcare services as long as the insurer does not act similar to a public nonprofit insurer.
Distributionally Robust Inverse Covariance Estimation: The Wasserstein Shrinkage Estimator
Authors: Nguyen Viet Anh , Kuhn Daniel , Mohajerin Esfahani Peyman
Published: July 2021

Note. The best result in each experiment is highlighted in bold.The optimal solutions of many decision problems such as the Markowitz portfolio allocation and the linear discriminant analysis depend on the inverse covariance matrix of a Gaussian random vector. In “Distributionally Robust Inverse Covariance Estimation: The Wasserstein Shrinkage Estimator,” Nguyen, Kuhn, and Mohajerin Esfahani propose a distributionally robust inverse covariance estimator, obtained by robustifying the Gaussian maximum likelihood problem with a Wasserstein ambiguity set. In the absence of any prior structural information, the estimation problem has an analytical solution that is naturally interpreted as a nonlinear shrinkage estimator. Besides being invertible and well conditioned, the new shrinkage estimator is rotation equivariant and preserves the order of the eigenvalues of the sample covariance matrix. If there are sparsity constraints, which are typically encountered in Gaussian graphical models, the estimation problem can be solved using a sequential quadratic approximation algorithm.
The use of Betel leaf in Nyirih tradition: Analyzing an ethnoscience-based learning material
Authors: Rizaldi Dedi Riyan , Andayani Yayuk , Doyan Aris , Makhrus Muh. , Fatimah Ziadatul , Nurhayati Eris
Published: July 2021

Nyirih tradition is one of popular traditions in Indonesia, a country with a diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and languages. The traditions are potential to be explored and used as contextual learning materials. This research aims to analyze the relationship between science (physics, biology, and chemistry) on the use of Betel leaf in the Nyirih tradition. This research used an ethnoscience approach, an approach which raises various cultures in a society to become a science learning topic, so that it would be easier for students to integrate various material in science learning with the real-life  contexts. It was a qualitative research using the study literature type which consists of several steps, namely: (1) determining the topic, (2) gathering materials as references, (3) making an introduction, (4) determining the method, (5) discussing the findings, and (6) making a conclusion. The results suggest that the use of Betel leaf in Nyirih tradition could become an interesting topic in explaining several concepts in science.
Validity and Reliability of Instrument Competencies Framework of Agriculture Educators: The Rasch Measurement Model
Authors: Raof Shuhada Abdul , Musta’amal Aede Hatib
Published: July 2021

This study aims to produce empirical evidence of the validity and reliability of instrument items for the competency framework of agricultural teaching staff in Malaysian agricultural vocational colleges. The validity and reliability of the framework were analyzed using Rasch Model Measurement assisted by Winsteps 3.72 software. This research instrument contained 116 items, which was distributed to 30 instructors at the Teluk Intan Agricultural Vocational College, Malaysia. The selection of respondents was made by strata random where the researcher makes the strata of the population according to the percentage and then selects randomly based on the desired percentage. Validity analysis of the instrument was done through four functional testings. For reliability and separation of respondents, it was found that the individual reliability value was very good and acceptable. The results of the item polarity analysis detected no negative value (-) in the Point Measure Correlation value. Item matching analysis found that 11 items had to be dropped as they failed to meet the required conditions. From the analysis on local dependence that determines dependent items based on the standardized residual correlation value, it was discovered that the correlation value for the items used was detected; 13 items need attention. The results of the data analysis checking the functionality of the items suggested that some items should be dropped. The omission of these items has provided evidence that the instrument of competence of agricultural instructors is crucial to have a high level of validity and reliability for use in actual studies.
Measuring Thinking Styles of Pre-service and Early Career Teachers: Validation of a Revised Inventory
Authors: Li Zheng , Li Bing
Published: July 2021

The early phase is the decisive period for the teachers’ career. Intellectual styles (particularly thinking styles) play a vital role in teachers’ professional development. With the purpose of measuring thinking styles of teachers at the early phase, this study was designed to validate a revised inventory of thinking styles (TSI-R2) for pre-service and early career teachers. A sample of pre-service teachers (n = 248) were invited to join the pilot study and a sample of teachers with one year work experience (n = 252) participated in the main study. Exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and reliability analysis were performed. The results suggested that with slight modification, TSI-R2 was a reliable and valid instrument to measure thinking styles of pre-service teachers and early career teachers, which has some implications to enhancing teacher education and development.
Phase-factor spectra of turbulent phase screens
Authors: Muschinski Andreas
Published: July 2021

The optical phase

ϕ

is a key quantity in the physics of
light propagating through a turbulent medium. In certain respects,
however, the statistics of the phase factor,

ψ
=
exp
⁡
(
i
ϕ
)

, are more relevant than the
statistics of the phase itself. Here, we present a theoretical
analysis of the 2D phase-factor spectrum

F
ψ

(

κ

)

of a random phase screen. We apply
the theory to four types of phase screens, each characterized by a
power-law phase structure function,

D
ϕ

(
r
)
=
(
r

/

r
c

)
γ

(where

r
c

is the phase coherence length defined
by

D
ϕ

(

r
c

)
=
1

r
a
d

2

), and a probability density function

p
α

(
α
)

of the phase increments for a given
spatial lag. We analyze phase screens with turbulent (

γ
=
5

/

3

) and quadratic (

γ
=
2

) phase structure functions and with
normally distributed (i.e., Gaussian) versus Laplacian phase
increments. We find that there is a pronounced bump in each of the
four phase-factor spectra

F
ψ

(
κ
)

. The precise location and shape of
the bump are different for the four phase-screen types, but in each
case it occurs at

κ
∼
1

/

r
c

. The bump is unrelated to the
well-known “Hill bump” and is not caused by diffraction effects. It is
solely a characteristic of the refractive-index statistics represented
by the respective phase screen. We show that the second-order

ψ

statistics (covariance function,
structure function, and spectrum) characterize a random phase screen
more completely than the second-order

ϕ

counterparts.
High-speed wide-angle interleaved scanning technique for a 3D imaging lidar
Authors: Prasad Narasimha S. , Mylapore Anand R.
Published: July 2021

In this paper, we describe a novel interleaved scanner for an eye-safe 3D scanning lidar system to measure aerodynamic phenomena in a wind tunnel using elastic backscatter from seeding particles. The scanner assembly consists of a rotating polygon scanner for line scanning along the fast axis, a galvanometer (galvo) scanner for scanning along the slow axis, angular position sensors, and motor controllers. The polygon scanner sweeps the lidar beam at up to 10,000 lines/s across a 27 deg angular field of regard in the fast axis, while the galvo scanner covers an angular range of 20 deg in the slow axis. Using this scanner, the lidar can perform nonintrusive flow visualization, velocimetry, and hard target mapping at millimeter-scale spatial resolution to a standoff range of 5 m at an update rate of 50 Hz for the full field of regard. An interleaved scanning methodology for the acquisition of two snapshots of 3D lidar intensity data with a 100 µs time offset is discussed. The design of the control and data acquisition electronics is described. The effects of rapid scanning on the response of a narrow field-of-view lidar are addressed. The design of the scanner is scalable and can be tailored to meet the requirements of other applications by increasing or decreasing the standoff range, angular field of regard, and scan rate.
Transmission properties of microwaves at an optical Weyl point in a three-dimensional chiral photonic crystal
Authors: Takahashi Shun , Tamaki Souma , Yamashita Kenichi , Yamaguchi Takuya , Ueda Tetsuya , Iwamoto Satoshi
Published: July 2021

Microwave transmission measurements were performed for a three-dimensional (3D) layer-by-layer chiral photonic crystal (PhC), whose photonic band structure contains 3D singular points, Weyl points. For the frequency and wavevector in the vicinity of a Weyl point, the transmitted intensity was found to be inversely proportional to the square of the propagation length. In addition, the transmitted wave was well-collimated in the plane parallel to the PhC layers, even for point-source incidence. When a plane wave was incident on the PhC containing metal scatters, the planar wavefront was reconstructed after the transmission, indicating a cloaking effect.
Calibration-free wavelength modulation spectroscopy based on even-order harmonics
Authors: Wang Yihong , Zhou Bin , Liu Chang
Published: July 2021

This paper proposes a novel and rapid calibration-free wavelength modulation spectroscopy algorithm based on even-order harmonics. The proposed algorithm, analytically deduced from Voigt line-shape function, only involves simple algebraic operations to describe the actual gas absorption spectra, thus eliminating the time-consuming simulations and line-shape fitting procedures adopted in traditional algorithms. Instead of acquiring the entirely scanned absorption line-shape, the proposed technique only requires extraction of the peak values of the harmonics. This characteristic significantly benefits gas diagnosis at elevated pressure and/or temperature, in which the entirely scanned absorption is very difficult to be obtained due to the broadened line-shapes. The proposed algorithm is validated by both numerical simulation and condition-controlled experiment, indicating millisecond-level calculation of gas parameters with the relative error less than 4% in the experiments.
Adaptive optics with spatio-temporal lock-in detection for temporal focusing microscopy
Authors: Ishikawa Tomohiro , Isobe Keisuke , Inazawa Kenta , Namiki Kana , Miyawaki Atsushi , Kannari Fumihiko , Midorikawa Katsumi
Published: July 2021

Wavefront distortion in temporal focusing microscopy (TFM) results in a distorted temporal profile of the excitation pulses owing to spatio-temporal coupling. Since the pulse duration is dramatically changed in the excitation volume, it is difficult to correct the temporal profile for a thick sample. Here, we demonstrate adaptive optics (AO) correction in a thick sample. We apply structured illumination microscopy (SIM) to an AO correction in wide-field TFM to decrease the change in the pulse duration in the signal detection volume. The AO correction with SIM was very successful in a thick sample for which AO correction with TFM failed.
Auto-focusing and quantitative phase imaging using deep learning for the incoherent illumination microscopy system
Authors: Ding Hao , Li Fajing , Meng Zhang , Feng Shaotong , Ma Jun , Nie Shouping , Yuan Caojin
Published: July 2021

It is well known that the quantitative phase information which is vital in the biomedical study is hard to be directly obtained with bright-field microscopy under incoherent illumination. In addition, it is impossible to maintain the living sample in focus over long-term observation. Therefore, both the autofocusing and quantitative phase imaging techniques have to be solved in microscopy simultaneously. Here, we propose a lightweight deep learning-based framework, which is constructed by residual structure and is constrained by a novel loss function model, to realize both autofocusing and quantitative phase imaging. It outputs the corresponding in-focus amplitude and phase information at high speed (10fps) from a single-shot out-of-focus bright-field image. The training data were captured with a designed system under a hybrid incoherent and coherent illumination system. The experimental results verify that the focused and quantitative phase images of non-biological samples and biological samples can be reconstructed by using the framework. It provides a versatile quantitative technique for continuous monitoring of living cells in long-term and label-free imaging by using a traditional incoherent illumination microscopy system.
Manufacturable low-crosstalk high-RCMF 13-core 5-LP mode fiber with graded-index core and stairway-index trench
Authors: Li Zenghui , Wang Luyao , Wang Yan , Li Shuguang , Meng Xiaojian , Guo Ying , Wang Guorui , Zhang Han , Cheng Tonglei , Xu Weiwei , Qin Yu , Zhou Hui
Published: July 2021

We propose a novel scheme of high doped core and stairway-index trench structure to design a manufacturable graded-index 13-core 5-LP mode fiber with low inter-core crosstalk (ICXT) and large mode differential group delay (MDGD). By using the couple power theory and the finite element method (FEM), the change ICXT of with fiber parameters are investigated. The design of core graded profile and trench structure are optimized to achieve better performance and to meet the fabrication conditions. The numerical result demonstrate that this fiber achieves a low ICXT of lower than −30dB/km (Rb≤500 mm). The bending loss values satisfy the ITU-T recommendation G.655 in 195 µm cladding diameter. Furthermore, the dispersion and the MDGD dependences on wavelength are calculated. The relative core multiplicity factor (RCMF) is obtained as 75.17, which realizes the high density multiplexing. The fabrication methods of this fiber are briefly introduced. The designed fiber may be used for Space-division multiplexing (SDM) system to solve the problem of fiber capacity limitation.