bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The study of the modern narrow-leafed lupin genebank for productivity elements and morpho-biological characters
Authors: Ageeva Polina , Pochutina Natalya , MISNIKOVA Nadezhda
Published: March 2023

Abstract. The narrow-leafed lupin (Lupinus angustifolius L.) is cultivated multipurpose specie of short domestication history. This specie is a historic ancient crop and development of a genebank with changed mutant genes began in the XX century only. Actuality is in mobilization and comprehensive study of the modern narrow-leafed lupin genebank under changed environmental conditions. The tests aimed to study the narrow-leafed lupin collections and breeding varieties and lines for productivity elements and morpho-biological characters and use of selected ones as parental forms in hybridization for development of new initial material and for the future breeding to create new varieties. The study object is a working collection of the narrow-leafed lupin which is represented by varieties and breeding lines of own breeding or got within the frame of exchange with other research institutions of Russia, near and far abroad ones and from the Federal Research Center N. I. Vavilov All-Russian Institute of Plant Genetic Resources (VIR). The collection was tested in the South-West zone of the Central region (Bryansk) in 2018–2021. The results. Percentage of saved plants to the yield of many breeding lines varies within the range 70-90%. The average survival of the forage Belorussian varieties Mirtan and Vanyusha, the Australian breeding line Walan-2248 and of the African sidereal variety Azuro during the research years was lower than this limit. The high infectious loading of our fields has negative effect on the narrow-leafed lupin gene pool because of its strong saturation in crop rotation. The grain productivity of the standard variety Vityaz’ made 4.7 g. The increase of the varieties Bryanskiy kormovoy, Uzkolistnyy 53 and USN 53-236 made 1.5–1.8 g. The Gibrid 1215 stood out in height (69.9 cm); its increase made 19.9 cm compared to the standard variety. The varieties Belorozovyy 144, Guslyar and SN 78-07 stood out for the initial growth tempo (7.0-8.5 point); Bryanskiy siderat stood out among alkaloid varieties.
Kiberbiztonsági körkép Tajvanról
Authors: Lendvai Tünde
Published: March 2023

A Tsai-adminisztráció kibervédelmi reformjai mentén Tajvan egy alapvetően defenzív berendezkedésű hatalomból mára jóval szélesebb körű, proaktív védelmi eszközkészlettel is rendelkező entitássá vált. A szerző azt elemzi, hogy milyen lehetőségeket nyújt, illetve milyen korlátok jelentkeztek az elrettentési koncepció mentén felépülő kibervédelmi stratégia alkalmazásával. A tanulmány azzal a konklúzióval zárul, hogy a jelenlegi tajvani vezetés stratégiai autonómia felépítésére törekszik a kibertérben, amely visszatükröződik a kiberdiplomáciai aktivitásban és a 021–2024-esNemzeti Kiberbiztonsági Programban előirányzott célokban. A minél ütőképesebb és széles körűbb – offenzív és defenzív – képességekkel rendelkező kibertéri erő kialakításával és folyamatos korszerűsítésével a diplomáciai erőfeszítések elérhetik, hogy Tajvan más védelmi szektorban is kimozduljon a kínai diplomáciai nyomás alól, vagy kiegyensúlyozottabb erőviszonyokon alapuló szoros-menti kapcsolatokat tartson fenn.
Peculiarities of secret investigative (detective) actions during the pre-trial investigation of criminal misdemeanors
Authors: Koniushenko Ya. Yu. , Ablamska V. V.
Published: March 2023

The purpose of the article is to highlight the theoretical and practical issues regarding the specifics of secret investigative (search) actions during the pre-trial investigation of criminal misdemeanors. Taking into account the purpose goal, the following tasks are to be solved: firstly, to identify and characterize the legal basis for conducting secret investigative (research) actions during the pre-trial investigation of criminal misdemeanors; secondly, to outline the problematic aspects of conducting secret investigative (research) actions during the pre-trial investigation of criminal misdemeanors; thirdly, to formulate the author’s vision for the elimination of identified legislative inaccuracies and contradictions. On the basis of the current legislation and scientific literature, the peculiarities of conducting undercover investigative (research) actions during the investigation of criminal misdemeanors have been investigated.

The need to conduct a study related to the analysis of the peculiarities of secret investigative (search) actions during the investigation of criminal offenses is due to the fact that the tasks of criminal proceedings are manifested both in the protection of the rights and freedoms of the person, and in bringing the guilty to criminal responsibility. The latter is achieved by collecting evidence during the investigation of criminal misdemeanors, one of the ways of which is to conduct covert investigative (search) actions, which have their own peculiarities. This primarily concerns the limitation of the scope of undercover investigative (search) actions during the investigation of criminal misdemeanors.In this regard, the specifics of conducting undercover investigative (search) actions during the investigation of criminal misdemeanors have been highlighted and characterized. It has been determined that the specifics of conducting the secret investigative (search) actions during the inquiry are devoted to Art. 300 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine, the norm of which is both blanket and forceful at the same time: “For the pre-trial investigation of criminal offenses, it is allowed to carry out … covert investigative (search) actions, provided for in Part 2 of Art. 264 and Art. 268 of this Code …”.

According to the results of the research, the problematic normative aspects regarding the conduct of secret investigative (search) actions during the investigation of criminal offenses have been identified and ways of their elimination have been proposed.
Problematic issues of collecting evidence by the defense in criminal proceedings
Authors: Nechaieva I. O.
Published: March 2023

The genesis, legislative enshrining in the norms of international legislation and the Constitution of Ukraine of the national process regarding the provision and implementation of the right to professional legal assistance in the criminal proceedings of Ukraine, as well as the state of the procedural mechanism for collecting evidence by the defense party, have been studied. The method of comparison has been applied with respect to the previous criminal procedural legislation of 1960 and the current Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine of 2012 on the issues raised. At the retrospective level, existing problematic issues of the procedural mechanism for collecting and obtaining evidence by the defense at the stage of pre-trial investigation have been investigated. For this purpose, it has been clarified the powers of the defense party, including defense counsel, suspect, accused, convicted, acquitted person, person in respect of whom the use of compulsory medical or educational measures are envisaged or the issue of their use has been decided, as well as person in respect of whom the issue of extradition to a foreign state is to be considered, to collect evidence. At the same time, the scientific positions of scientists and representatives of scientific schools, the results of the existing discussion on the raised problematic and promising issues have been investigated.

Based on the results of the research, a number of proposals and recommendations for improving theoretical and applied issues in the researched direction have been developed and proposed. Attention has been drawn to the fact that the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine enshrines provisions according to which the defense is granted the right to collect factual data significant for criminal proceedings, but at the same time, the procedural form of implementing this right is not fully provided for, which is the subject to legislative clarification. In the course of discussion, the suggestions of the scientists regarding the elimination of the inconsistency between the use and application of the phrase “the right to professional legal assistance”, which is enshrined in the Basic Law of Ukraine, but not implemented and used in the current Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and other legislative acts, have been supported. It has been proposed to eliminate the indicated inconsistencies in a legislative manner.
Efektivitas Model Pembelajaran GQGA Dan ICM Terhadap Kemandirian Belajar Dan Prestasi Belajar Peserta Didik
Authors: Amral
Published: March 2023

This study aims to determine (1) whether the learning independence and learning achievement of students using the Giving Questions and Getting Answers (GQGA) learning model is better than the Index Card Match (ICM) learning model. (2) Is the learning model of Giving Questions and Getting Answers effective for class VIII students of SMP Muhammadiyah Nunukan? The data collection technique used is the method of documentation, observation, and tests. The research instrument was in the form of observation sheets and student achievement tests. The hypothesis test used was a multivariate test and continued with a separate univariate test. Based on the calculations, it can be concluded: (1) learning independence and learning achievement of students who are subjected to the Giving Question and Getting Answer learning model are better than learning independence and student achievement with the Index Card Match learning model. (2) learning with the Giving Question and Getting Answers learning model is effectively used for class VIII students of SMP Muhammadiyah Nunukan.
Cenário atual das pastagens no estado do Tocantins
Authors: Araujo Valquíria Dayce da Silva , Santos Danilo Marcelo Aires dos , Barbieri Rayner Sversut , Ramos Michele Ribeiro
Published: March 2023

O estado do Tocantins está localizado na nova fronteira agrícola do Brasil, região que compreende o Matopiba (região compreendida pelos estados do Maranhão, Tocantins, Piauí e Bahia). O estado é caracterizado pela atividade pecuária, ocupando 6,2 milhões de hectares de pastagens plantadas e com um rebanho bovino efetivo de 10 milhões de cabeças. As pastagens ocupam lugar de destaque na cadeia produtiva de carne bovina. Em 2021, foram produzidas 79 milhões de toneladas de carne e derivados. O estado vem buscando se adequar aos modelos de produção sustentável, visando a intensificação dessas pastagens, ao mesmo tempo em que a agricultura vem se expandindo. Está ocorrendo um processo de alteração no uso e ocupação dessas áreas. Assim, este trabalho objetivou descrever o cenário das pastagens no estado do Tocantins, para caracterizar as principais mudanças e avanços na região e as perspectivas econômicas e desafios futuros. A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no formato de revisão bibliográfica, e foi pautada em selecionar fontes bibliográficas por meio da coleta de dados, leitura exploratória e seletiva, realização de análise e interpretação dos resultados encontrados. Para o presente estudo, foi utilizado o método dialético, pautado em argumentar e contra-argumentar com as ideias de diferentes autores, integrando suas ideias com as ideias do pesquisador. A escolha deste método, e por se tratar de um estudo bibliográfico, foi feita por meio da abordagem qualitativa de caráter exploratório, no momento da interpretação. Neste trabalho, foi adotada como estratégia metodológica o estudo exploratório, por meio de uma pesquisa bibliográfica, desenvolvida a partir de material já elaborado, constituído de livros e artigos científicos. Conclui-se que as áreas de pastagens apresentam estabilidade no estado do Tocantins. Há um processo dinâmico no uso dessas áreas para agricultura e outros fins, com incremento de produtividade nos últimos anos, mas ainda enfrenta desafios quanto à adoção de práticas de manejo.
Análise exploratória e por correlação sobre o impacto dos testes de acessibilidade em projetos de desenvolvimento de software para PC
Authors: Almeida Hugo Leonardo Nascimento , Correia Walter Franklin Marques , Almeida Filho Adiel Teixeira de
Published: March 2023

O trabalho é composto por uma introdução teórica que conceitua engenharia de software, desenvolvimento de software, testes, defeitos escapados, experiência do usuário, usabilidade e acessibilidade. Com o objetivo de realizar uma pesquisa na área de testes voltados para a acessibilidade, foi proposta uma análise de projetos reais. Foram realizadas entrevistas com gerentes de projetos de software que já se encontram no mercado, extração de dados provenientes dos mesmos projetos, análise exploratória dos dados, testes de correlação e estruturação dos resultados encontrados. Ao fim da pesquisa, observou-se a relevância de alguns dados e a significância da relação entre eles. A partir dos resultados obtidos, conclui-se a relevância da construção de casos de testes para acessibilidade, bem como os fatores que contribuem para que as equipes deem a devida atenção aos testes de acessibilidade, como composição da equipe e colaborações externas.
The Battle for the Wrong Mistake: Risk Salience in Canadian Refugee Status Decision-making
Authors: Evans Cameron Hilary
Published: March 2023

Canadian refugee status adjudicators must choose between two opposing bodies of law, one of which resolves doubt in the claimant’s favour and the other at the claimant’s expense. How do they decide which to prefer? How do they decide whether it would be better to risk accepting an unfounded claim or to risk rejecting a well-founded one? This paper explores one potentially relevant factor: the salience of the harms that decision-makers associate with potential risk outcomes. A brief account of recent events in Canadian refugee law history, beginning with the refugee law reforms of former Conservative Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, shows how risk salience can be manipulated. For each refugee claim to be heard on its own merits, the law cannot leave adjudicators to decide for themselves which kind of error to prefer. It must recognize that sending a refugee home to persecution is the wrong mistake.
A cross-over, randomised feasibility study of digitally printed versus hand-painted artificial eyes in adults: PERSONAL-EYE-S - a study protocol
Authors: Gout Taras , Zoltie Tim , Woodward Amie , Coleman Elizabeth , Boele Florien , Chang Bernard , Bartlett Paul , Ronaldson Sarah , Kalantzis George , Theaker Mike , El-Hindy Nabil , Walshaw Emma , Watson Judith
Published: March 2023

Background/objectives: Around 11,500 artificial eyes are required yearly for new and existing patients. Artificial eyes have been manufactured and hand-painted at the National Artificial Eye Service (NAES) since 1948, in conjunction with approximately 30 local artificial eye services throughout the country. With the current scale of demand, services are under significant pressure. Manufacturing delays as well as necessary repainting to obtain adequate colour matching, may severely impact a patient’s rehabilitation pathway to a normal home, social and work life. However, advances in technology mean alternatives are now possible. The aim of this study is to establish the feasibility of conducting a large-scale study of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of digitally printed artificial eyes compared to hand-painted eyes.

Methods: A cross-over, randomised feasibility study evaluating a digitally-printed artificial eye with a hand-painted eye, in patients aged ≥18 years with a current artificial eye. Participants will be identified in clinic, via ophthalmology clinic databases and two charity websites. Qualitative interviews will be conducted in the later phases of the study and focus on opinions on trial procedures, the different artificial eyes, delivery times, and patient satisfaction.

Discussion: Findings will inform the feasibility, and design, of a larger fully powered randomised controlled trial. The long-term aim is to create a more life-like artificial eye in order to improve patients’ initial rehabilitation pathway, long term quality of life, and service experience. This will allow the transition of research findings into benefit to patients locally in the short term and National Health Service wide in the medium to long term.

ISRCTN registration: ISRCTN85921622 (prospectively registered on 17/06/2021)
Attitudes Towards STEAM, Critical Thinking Disposition and Decision-Making Skills: Mediation and Gender Moderation
Authors: Aydın Gürler Sümeyye , Kaplan Orhan
Published: March 2023

In this study, the relationship between highly desired 21st century skills including students’ attitudes towards STEAM, critical thinking dispositions and decision-making skills and the role of gender on these associations were investigated. The data was collected from 4th grade students in the 2022-2023 academic year using the typical case sampling method. “STEAM Attitude Scale”, “Critical Thinking Disposition Scale” and “Decision-Making Skill Scale” were utilized. Mediation model were estimated using the whole sample, followed by multigroup analyses that employed gender as the moderation variable. The results indicated that primary school students' attitudes towards STEAM, their critical thinking dispositions and decision-making skills were at a high level. The mediation analysis revealed that attitudes towards STEAM had direct effect on decision-making skills, and critical thinking disposition was found to be partially mediating this association. Multigroup analyses provided evidences for the significant moderation role of gender pertaining to the specified associations in the model. The findings provide insights into the importance of developing positive attitudes towards STEAM disciplines regarding its evidential effect on critical thinking disposition and informed decision-making skills in primary schools, and the necessity of attending to the role of gender in future educational interventions.
TikTok e l’informazione sanitaria
Authors: Quintaliani Giuseppe , Rinaldi Miliani Maria , Savignani Claudia
Published: March 2023

We explore the utility of social media platforms as educational tools, providing a summary of how these sites are used by the public and demonstrating ways these findings may be applied for educational purposes.
Over half of the world’s population utilizes social media platforms. More recently, these platforms have increasingly been used for educational purposes. In the field of health, a large portion of the educational content is coming from users with no formal medical or dermatologic training.
In nephrology field there are not TikTok accounts. It would be useful to have an institutional account to provide serious, correct and appropriate information before others spread incorrect information.
Observed changes in temperature and precipitation over Asia, 1901-2020
Authors: Ren G , Zhan Y , Ren Y , Wen K , Zhang Y , Sun X , Zhang P , Zheng X , Qin Y , Zhang S , He J
Published: March 2023

Asia is the largest continent in the world and home to 4.7 billion people. Climate change on this continent, therefore, attracts a significant amount of attention from scientists and policy-makers. However, observational studies of long-term climate change over the continent as a whole are lacking. Using updated, homogenized observational data from stations in Asia since 1901 and systematic-bias-adjusted data from stations in China after 1950, we analyzed the long-term trends of surface air temperature (SAT) and precipitation in Asia and China from 1901-2020. The results showed that (1) in the 120 yr between 1901 and 2020, the annual mean SAT rose significantly at rates of 0.13 ± 0.01 and 0.14 ± 0.03°C decade-1 in Asia and China, respectively. The year 2020 in Asia may have been the warmest year since the beginning of the 20th century. (2) Since 1901, in both Asia and China, the annual mean minimum temperature increased more than twice as fast as the maximum temperature, and the diurnal temperature range (DTR) dropped significantly. (3) From 1901-2019, the annual precipitation anomaly percentage in Asia showed a significant increasing trend at an average rate of 0.52 ± 0.10% decade-1, and the increase was more obvious in high latitudes than in low to mid-latitudes. (4) Since 1901, there has been no significant change in annual precipitation in China, but there was a weak and non-significant decrease in the first half of the 20th century and a significant increase after the mid 20th century. The results presented in this paper can help us understand the spatio-temporal patterns and causes of climate change in the Asian continent and Chinese mainland.
Escherichia coli infection indicates favorable outcomes in patients with infected pancreatic necrosis
Authors: Huang Haosu , Peng Jie , Ning Caihong , Wei Qin , Li Jiarong , Lin Chiayen , Sun Zefang , Chen Lu , Zhu Shuai , Shen Dingcheng , Huang Gengwen
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Infected pancreatic necrosis (IPN) is a severe complication of acute necrotizing pancreatitis with increasing morbidity. Escherichia coli is the most frequently cultured microorganism in IPN. However, the implications of Escherichia coli infection on the outcomes of patients with IPN remain unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the clinical impacts of Escherichia coli infection on IPN.

Methods

A prospective database with consecutive patients with IPN between January 2010 and April 2022 at a tertiary hospital was post-hoc analyzed. The clinical and microbiological characteristics, surgical management, and follow-up data of patients with and without Escherichia coli infection were compared.

Results

A total of 294 IPN patients were enrolled in this cohort. Compared with non-Escherichia coli infection cases (n=80, 27.2%), patients with Escherichia coli infection (n=214, 72.8%) were characterized by more frequent polymicrobial infections (77.5% vs. 65.0%, P=0.04) but a lower occurrence of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) (42.5% vs. 61.7%, P=0.003). In addition, significantly lower mortality (12.5% vs. 30.4%, p=0.002), fewer step-up surgical interventions (73.8% vs. 85.1%, P=0.025), and a lower rate of multiple organ failure (MOF) (25.0% vs. 40.2%, P=0.016) were also observed in patients with Escherichia coli infection. Multivariate analysis of mortality predictors indicated that MOF (odds ratio [OR], 6.197; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.373–16.187; P<0.001) and hemorrhage (OR, 3.485; 95% CI, 1.623–7.487; P=0.001) were independent predictors associated with higher mortality in patients with IPN. Escherichia coli infection was significantly associated with a lower mortality (OR, 0.302; 95% CI, 0.121–0.751; P= 0.01).

Conclusion

Escherichia coli infection indicates a favorable prognosis in patients with IPN, although the mechanism needs further investigation.
Alteration of the gut microbiome and correlated metabolism in a rat model of long-term depression
Authors: Li Yubo , Li Junling , Cheng Ran , Liu Haixia , Zhao Yukun , Liu Yanjun , Chen Yanjing , Sun Zhibo , Zhai Zhiguang , Wu Meng , Yan Yupeng , Sun Yuxiu , Zhang Zhiguo
Published: March 2023

Objective

This study aims to investigate the composition and function of the gut microbiome in long-term depression using an 8-week chronic unpredictable mild stress (CUMS) rat model.

Materials and methods

Animals were sacrificed after either 4 weeks or 8 weeks under CUMS to mimic long-term depression in humans. The gut microbiome was analyzed to identify potential depression-related gut microbes, and the fecal metabolome was analyzed to detect their functional metabolites. The correlations between altered gut microbes and metabolites in the long-term depression rats were explored. The crucial metabolic pathways related to long-term depression were uncovered through enrichment analysis based on these gut microbes and metabolites.

Results

The microbial composition of long-term depression (8-week CUMS) showed decreased species richness indices and different profiles compared with the control group and the 4-week CUMS group, characterized by disturbance of Alistipes indistinctus, Bacteroides ovatus, and Alistipes senegalensis at the species level. Additionally, long-term depression was associated with disturbances in fecal metabolomics. D-pinitol was the only increased metabolite in the 8-week CUMS group among the top 10 differential metabolites, while the top 3 decreased metabolites in the long-term depression rats included indoxyl sulfate, trimethylaminen-oxide, and 3 alpha,7 alpha-dihydroxy-12-oxocholanoic acid. The disordered fecal metabolomics in the long-term depression rats mainly involved the biosynthesis of pantothenate, CoA, valine, leucine and isoleucine.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that the gut microbiome may participate in the long-term development of depression, and the mechanism may be related to the regulation of gut metabolism.
Comprehensive study of micro-seismicity by using an automatic monitoring platform
Authors: Adinolfi G. M. , De Landro G. , Picozzi M. , Carotenuto F. , Caruso A. , Nazeri S. , Colombelli S. , Tarantino S. , Muzellec T. , Emolo A. , Zollo A. , Orefice A. , Ulivieri B. , Calcagni D. , Piantanida M.
Published: March 2023

A modern digital seismic network, with many stations optimally distributed on the earthquake causative seismic zone, enables detection of very low magnitude earthquakes and determination of their source parameters. It is essential to associate to such kind of networks procedures to analyze the huge amount of continuously recorded data for monitoring the space-time-magnitude evolution of natural and/or induced seismicity. Hence, the demand for near-real-time, automated data collection and analysis procedures for assisting seismic network operators in carrying out microearthquake monitoring is growing. In response to this need, we designed a computational software platform, TREMOR, for fast and reliable detection and characterization of seismicity recorded by a dense local seismic network. TREMOR integrates different open-source seismological algorithms for earthquake signal detection, location, and source characterizations in a fully automatic workflow. We applied the platform in play-back mode to the continuous waveform data recorded during 1 month at the Japanese Hi-net seismic network in the Nagano region (Japan) and compared the resulting catalog with the Japan Meteorological Agency bulletin in terms of number of detections, location pattern and magnitudes. The results show that the completeness magnitude of the new seismic catalog decreased by 0.35 units of the local magnitude scale and consequently the number of events increased by about 60% with respect to the available catalog. Moreover, the fault plane solutions resulted coherent with the stress regime of the region, and the Vp/Vs ratio well delineated the main structural features of the area. According to our results, TREMOR has shown to be a valid tool for investigating and studying earthquakes, especially to identify and monitor natural or induced micro-seismicity.
The diagnostic efficacy and inappropriate biopsy rate of ACR TI-RADS and ATA guidelines for thyroid nodules in children and adolescents
Authors: Li Guanghan , Zhang Bo , Liu Jia , Xiong Ying
Published: March 2023

Background

This study is aimed at evaluating the diagnostic efficacy and unnecessary fine-needle aspiration (FNA) rate of ultrasound-based risk stratification for thyroid nodules in the American College of Radiology (ACR) Thyroid Imaging Reporting and Data System (TI-RADS) and the American Thyroid Association (ATA) risk stratification systems.

Methods

Children and adolescents with pathology confirmed thyroid nodules were retrospectively included in this study. A total of 217 thyroid nodules from multicenter of Union Medical College Hospital, China Japan Friendship Hospital and Civil Aviation Hospital were included, the diagnostic efficiency and unnecessary FNA rate were calculated according to ACR and ATA guidelines.

Results

Among all thyroid nodules, 139 nodules were malignant, and 78 nodules were benign. Choosing ATA high suspicion and ACR TI-RADS TR5 as benign and malignant cut-off points, the area under the curve and sensitivity of ATA were higher than ACR (AUC: 0.887 vs 0.840, p=0.0037; sensitivity 81.3% vs 71.0%, P <0.049;specificity 96.2% vs 97.4%, p=1.000;specificity both 85.9%); choosing high/intermediate suspicion in ATA and ACR TR4/5 as benign and malignant cut-off points, the two guidelines demonstrated similar diagnostic efficacy (AUC:0.890 vs 0.897, p=0.6038, sensitivity 92.1% vs 93.5%, P =0.817;specificity both 85.9%, p=1.000). The inappropriate FNA rate of ACR guideline was relatively lower (ATA 42.9% vs ACR 27.2%, P <0.001). If ACR TI-RADS TR5 nodules less than 1.0cm were included in the FNA indication, the unnecessary biopsy rate would be further reduced to 17.9%.

Conclusion

This study indicated that both ATA and ACR TI-RADS risk stratification systems could provide a feasible differential diagnosis of benign and malignant thyroid nodules, while the ACR risk stratification system demonstrates a lower rate of inappropriate FNA rate. In addition, it was necessary to further study the minimum FNA threshold of thyroid nodules in Children and adolescents in order to reduce the missed biopsy rate of malignant nodules.
A systematic review of the safety of tirzepatide-a new dual GLP1 and GIP agonist - is its safety profile acceptable?
Authors: Meng Zhuqing , Yang Min , Wen Haibo , Zhou Su , Xiong Chuan , Wang Yu
Published: March 2023

Aims

Tirzepatide is a novel dual glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide (GIP) and glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA). At present, there is no controversy over its effectiveness, but its safety. We conducted a systematic review to assess the safety of tirzepatide.

Methods

We searched PubMed, Embase and Cochrane databases for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of tirzepatide from databases inception to August 28, 2022 and used the Cochrane Systematic Assessment Manual Risk of Bias Assessment Tool (version 5.1) and modified Jadad scale to assess risk of bias. The systematic review was conducted via Revman5.4.

Results

Nine RCTs with a total of 9818 patients were included. The overall safety profile of tirzepatide is similar to GLP-1RAs, except for the hypoglycemia (tirzepatide 15mg, pooled RR=3.83, 95% CI [1.19- 12.30], P=0.02) and discontinuation (tirzepatide 10mg, pooled RR=1.75,95%CI[1.16-2.63], P=0.007 and 15mg, pooled RR=2.03, 95%CI [1.37-3.01], P=0.0004). It also showed that the dose escalation could not rise the occurrence rates of total, severe, gastrointestinal adverse events and hypoglycemia (P>0.05); Compared with 5mg, tirzepatide 10mg and 15mg were associated with more frequent nausea (P<0.001), discontinuation (P<0.05) and injection-site reaction (P<0.01); The rates of vomiting and diarrhea were dose-dependence at the range of 5-15mg.

Conclusion

The safety profile of tirzepatide is generally acceptable, similar to GLP-1 RAs. It is necessary to pay attention to its specific adverse events (hypoglycemia and discontinuation) at high doses (10mg or higher). Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, discontinuation and injection-site reaction were dose-dependence among specific dose ranges.As the heterogeneity in different studies by interventions, the results may be with biases and the further confirmation is needed. Meanwhile, more well-designed trials are needed to control the confounding factors and ensure adequate sample size.
The mesoglea buffers the physico-chemical microenvironment of photosymbionts in the upside-down jellyfish Cassiopea sp.
Authors: Lyndby Niclas Heidelberg , Murray Margaret Caitlyn , Trampe Erik , Meibom Anders , Kühl Michael
Published: March 2023

Introduction

The jellyfish Cassiopea has a conspicuous lifestyle, positioning itself upside-down on sediments in shallow waters thereby exposing its photosynthetic endosymbionts (Symbiodiniaceae) to light. Several studies have shown how the photosymbionts benefit the jellyfish host in terms of nutrition and O2 availability, but little is known about the internal physico-chemical microenvironment of Cassiopea during light–dark periods.

Methods

Here, we used fiber-optic sensors to investigate how light is modulated at the water-tissue interface of Cassiopea sp. and how light is scattered inside host tissue. We additionally used electrochemical and fiber-optic microsensors to investigate the dynamics of O2 and pH in response to changes in the light availability in intact living specimens of Cassiopea sp.

Results and discussion

Mapping of photon scalar irradiance revealed a distinct spatial heterogeneity over different anatomical structures of the host, where oral arms and the manubrium had overall higher light availability, while shaded parts underneath the oral arms and the bell had less light available. White host pigmentation, especially in the bell tissue, showed higher light availability relative to similar bell tissue without white pigmentation. Microprofiles of scalar irradiance into white pigmented bell tissue showed intense light scattering and enhanced light penetration, while light was rapidly attenuated over the upper 0.5 mm in tissue with symbionts only. Depth profiles of O2 concentration into bell tissue of live jellyfish showed increasing concentration with depth into the mesoglea, with no apparent saturation point during light periods. O2 was slowly depleted in the mesoglea in darkness, and O2 concentration remained higher than ambient water in large (> 6 cm diameter) individuals, even after 50 min in darkness. Light–dark shifts in large medusae showed that the mesoglea slowly turns from a net sink during photoperiods into a net source of O2 during darkness. In contrast, small medusae showed a more dramatic change in O2 concentration, with rapid O2 buildup/consumption in response to light–dark shifts; in a manner similar to corals. These effects on O2 production/consumption were also reflected in moderate pH fluctuations within the mesoglea. The mesoglea thus buffers O2 and pH dynamics during dark-periods.
Emergence phenology of the giant salmonfly and responses by birds in Idaho river networks
Authors: Adams McKenna M. , Baxter Colden V. , Delehanty David J.
Published: March 2023

Emergence of adult aquatic insects from rivers is strongly influenced by water temperature, and emergence timing helps to determine the availability of this ephemeral food resource for birds and other terrestrial insectivores. It is poorly understood how spatial heterogeneity in riverine habitat mediates the timing of emergence. Such spatiotemporal variation may have consequences for terrestrial insectivores that rely on aquatic-derived prey resources. We investigated emergence phenology of the giant salmonfly, Pteronarcys californica, at three spatial scales in two Idaho river networks. We examined the influence of tributary confluences on salmonfly emergence timing and associated insectivorous bird responses. Salmonfly emergence timing was highly variable at the basin-scale during the period we sampled (May–June). Within sub-drainage pathways not punctuated by major tributaries, emergence followed a downstream-to-upstream pattern. At the scale of reaches, abrupt changes in thermal regimes created by 10 major tributary confluences created asynchrony in emergence of 1–6  days among the 20 reaches bracketing the confluences. We observed 10 bird species capturing emerged salmonflies, including 5 species typically associated with upland habitats (e.g., American robin, red-tailed hawk, American kestrel) but that likely aggregated along rivers to take advantage of emerging salmonflies. Some birds (e.g., Lewis’s woodpecker, western tanager, American dipper) captured large numbers of salmonflies, and some of these fed salmonflies to nestlings. Emergence asynchrony created by tributaries was associated with shifts in bird abundance and richness which both nearly doubled, on average, during salmonfly emergence. Thermal heterogeneity in river networks created asynchrony in aquatic insect phenology which prolonged the availability of this pulsed prey resource for insectivorous birds during key breeding times. Such interactions between spatial and temporal heterogeneity and organism phenology may be critical to understanding the consequences of fluxes of resources that link water and land. Shifts in phenology or curtailment of life history diversity in organisms like salmonflies may have implications for these organisms, but could also contribute to mismatches or constrain availability of pulsed resources to dependent consumers. These could be unforeseen consequences, for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms, of human-driven alteration and homogenization of riverscapes.
The impact of tourism on farmers’ household income in the context of China’s regulatory policies of protected areas
Authors: He Dan , Wang Jingwen , Zhang Tingting , Xu Zhe , Wang Yang , Liu Shiyu , Chen Ke
Published: March 2023

China’s central government has issued several governance policies for protected areas since 2015. Some of these affected the use of natural resources by the farmers living in protected areas. Tourism is an important source of income for farmers around such areas. Based on the survey data of 1,028 farmer households, this study use propensity score matching (PSM) method to solve the samples selection bias and improve the accuracy of evaluation. For both the vertical and horizontal, this study explores the changes in the impact of tourism on farmers’ household income under regulatory policies. Longitudinally, before the introduction of these policies, the income effect of tourism on the per capita net income of households was about 49.21%, while this percentage dropped to 41.36% after their introduction. Horizontally, before these policies were implemented, the farmers involved in the protected areas’ tourism experienced 16.30% higher tourism income effect than those outside protected areas. Post implementation, the income effect of tourism in protected areas dropped by 9.83%. Empirical data based on the abovementioned were used to verify the inhibitory effect of the existing control policies on tourism in protected areas, and put forward the direction of policies reform in China or state governance-protected areas in other countries.
A Chinese SCA36 pedigree analysis of NOP56 expansion region based on long-read sequencing
Authors: Zou Jinlong , Wang Fengyu , Gong Zhenping , Wang Runrun , Chen Shuai , Zhang Haohan , Sun Ruihua , Gao Chenhao , Li Wei , Shang Junkui , Zhang Jiewen
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Spinocerebellar ataxias 36 (SCA36) is the neurodegenerative disease caused by the GGCCTG Hexanucleotide repeat expansions in NOP56, which is too long to sequence using short-read sequencing. Single molecule real time (SMRT) sequencing can sequence across disease-causing repeat expansion. We report the first long-read sequencing data across the expansion region in SCA36.

Methods: We collected and described the clinical manifestations and imaging features of Han Chinese pedigree with three generations of SCA36. Also, we focused on structural variation analysis for intron 1 of the NOP56 gene by SMRT sequencing in the assembled genome.

Results: The main clinical features of this pedigree are late-onset ataxia symptoms, with a presymptomatic presence of affective and sleep disorders. In addition, the results of SMRT sequencing showed the specific repeat expansion region and demonstrated that the region was not composed of single GGCCTG hexanucleotides and there were random interruptions.

Discussion: We extended the phenotypic spectrum of SCA36. We applied SMRT sequencing to reveal the correlation between genotype and phenotype of SCA36. Our findings indicated that long-read sequencing is well suited to characterize known repeat expansion.
Host-specific differences in top-expanded TCR clonotypes correlate with divergent outcomes of anti-PD-L1 treatment in responders versus non-responders
Authors: John Jessy , Chen Samantha M. Y. , Woolaver Rachel A. , Ge Huaibin , Vashisht Monika , Huang Ziyu , Chen Zhangguo , Wang Jing H.
Published: March 2023

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer treatment; however, the responses to ICI treatment are highly variable in different individuals and the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here, we employed a mouse squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) model where tumor-bearing recipients diverged into responders (R) versus non-responders (NR) upon anti-PD-L1 treatment. We performed in-depth TCRβ sequencing with immunoSEQ platform to delineate the differences in CD8 tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TILs). We found that R and NR CD8 TILs both exhibited evidence of clonal expansion, suggesting activation regardless of response status. We detected no differences in clonal expansion or clonal diversity indexes between R vs. NR. However, the top expanded (>1%) TCRβ clonotypes appeared to be mutually exclusive between R and NR CD8 TILs, showing a preferential expansion of distinct TCRβ clonotypes in response to the same SCC tumor in R vs. NR. Notably, the mutual exclusivity of TCR clonotypes in R vs. NR was only observed when top TCRβ clonotypes were counted, because such top-expanded clonotypes are present in the opposite outcome group at a much lower frequency. Many TCRβ sequences were detected in only one recipient at a high frequency, implicating highly individualized anti-tumor immune responses. We conclude that differences in the clonal frequency of top TCR clonotypes between R and NR CD8 TILs may be one of the factors underlying differential anti-PD-L1 responses. This notion may offer a novel explanation for variable ICI responses in different individuals, which may substantially impact the development of new strategies for personalized cancer immunotherapy.
The serum IgG antibody level as a biomarker for clinical outcome in patients with cerebral sparganosis after treatment
Authors: Xiang Haijie , Wang Jie , Tan Dandan , Xiong Ying , Huang Pengcheng , Shen Yu , Xu Yun , Gong Zhihong , Hu Fei , Xu Chunhua , Wu Jie , Liu Wei , Liu Junpu , Wan Hui , Hong Daojun , Xie Huiqun
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Cerebral sparganosis is a rare parasitic infection of the brain tissue. The remission of MRI change and clinical symptom has been used to evaluate the therapeutic effect. However, there is no study to correlate the serum IgG antibody level of sparganum to the prognosis of disease after treatment.

Methods

87 patients with cerebral sparganosis were collected from three medical centers. Clinical symptoms and MRI changes were evaluated at 12 months after initial treatment, and serum IgG antibody level of sparganum was evaluated at 2, 6, and 12 months after treatment. The positive cut-off value was based on 2.1 times the optical density (OD) of negative control. The index value was defined as the sample OD divided by the cut-off value.

Results

Among the 87 patients after treatment, 71 patients had good clinical outcomes, and 16 had poor clinical outcomes. The area under the curve (AUC) showed that the index value measured at 12 months after treatment had the best prediction effect, with a value of 2.014. In the good-outcome group, the index values were less than 2.014 in all 71 patients, and only 8 patients had mildly enhanced residual lesions on MRI. In the poor-outcome group, the index values were more than 2.014 in all 16 patients, and all patients still showed significantly enhanced lesions on MRI. Compared with poor-outcome patients, only 2 patients with good outcomes had disease recurrence after treatment.

Discussion

This study provided evidence that the serum IgG antibody level of sparganum was a promising biomarker to evaluate the prognosis of patients with cerebral sparganosis after treatment.
Potential of natural rubber latex in cement mortar for thermal insulating material in buildings
Authors: Awoyera Paul O. , Althoey Fadi , Ajinomisan Hephzibah , Othuman Mydin Md Azree , Bheel Naraindas , Sabri Sabri Mohanad Muayad , Hadidi Haitham M. , Jayanthi V. , Ahmad Mahmood
Published: March 2023

The improvement of cement mortar’s thermal and mechanical properties has been greatly impacted by the addition of polymeric materials. However, polymers added to mortar shouldn’t impair either its mechanical or thermal conductivity properties. The main idea of this project is to insulate buildings by reinforcing their constituent mix with natural rubber latex (NRL) to reduce thermal conductance from excessive solar radiation which causes discomfort to building occupants. Consequently, this study presents experimental findings on the influence of natural rubber latex (NRL) on the properties of NRL-modified mortar. Five varying percentages of NRL (0.5%, 1.0%, 1.5%, 2.0% and 2.5%) were added into the mortar. Properties such as thermal conductivity, water absorption capacity, compressive and flexural strengths were evaluated. In addition, scanning electron microscopy was employed for the microstructural investigation. The experimental findings demonstrated that adding 2.5% NRL to mortar increased its thermal conductivity of mortar significantly thus enhancing its insulative properties. Even though adding NRL to mortar decreased the compressive and flexural strengths of some mixes, this wasn’t too substantial nor substandard. The tests that were executed demonstrate that the NRL has a huge potential to insulate cement mortar.
Screening of Key Fungal Strains in the Fermentation Process of the Chinese Medicinal Preparation “Lianzhifan Solution” Based on Metabolic Profiling and High-Throughput Sequencing Technology
Authors: Xie Jie , Ye Yang , Wu Ze , Gou Xun , Peng Tong , Yuan Xuegang , Yang Xiangdong , Zhang Xiaoyu , Peng Quekun
Published: March 2023

“Lianzhifan solution” (LZF) is produced by the natural fermentation of coptis root and gardenia fruit, and it is a classic prescription for external use in anorectal department. During the fermentation process, the structural evolution of microbial communities led to significant changes in the chemical profile. In this study, we first analyzed the dynamic changes of chemical components as well as the composition and succession of microbial community during the whole fermentation process of LZF, and confirmed the changes of characteristics of nine compounds during the whole fermentation process by metabolic profile. Further analysis found that there was no significant change of alkaloids in all stages of fermentation of LZF, but there were significant changes of iridoids in the middle and late stage of fermentation by deglycosylation. Genipin gentiobioside and geniposide were converted to genipin by biotransformation, showing that deglycosylation was the main event occurring in the fermentation. The community composition and abundance of species in 10 and 19days LZF fermentation broth were analyzed with high-throughput sequencing technology, and 16 dominant bacterial genera and 15 dominant fungal genera involved in the fermentation process were identified. Correlation analysis revealed that Penicillium expansum and Aspergillus niger involved in the fermentation were the dominant genera closely related to the dynamic changes of the deglycosylation of the main chemical components, and P. expansum YY-46 and A. niger YY-9 strains were obtained by the further fractionation. Then the monoculture fermentation process was evaluated, whereby we found that the deglycoside conversion rate of iridoid glycosides was greatly improved and the fermentation cycle was shortened by 3–4 times. This finding combined with equivalence evaluation of chemical component and pharmacodynamics to confirm that P. expansum YY-46 and A. niger YY-9 strains were key strains for fermentation concoction. This study established an efficient and practical screening strategy “Microfauna communities-Chemical component-Pharmacodynamic” axis for key strain, to improve the production process and formulating good manufacturing practice (GMP) work, and it is also applicable to the whole fermentation drugs industry.

Graphical Abstract

The figure highly summarizes the research content of this study and shows the screening process of key strains in LZF fermentation.