bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Serum Hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase as an early predictive marker of the severity of acute pancreatitis: a retrospective study
Authors: Xiao Weiming , Liu Weili , Yin Ling , Li Yong , Lu Guotao , Liu Xinnong , Gong Weijuan , Ding Yanbing , Wang Mei , Yan Zhigang
Published: July 2020

Background: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is an inflammatory disease caused by premature activation of the zymogen, which could lead to systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) and organ failure. Currently, some clinical multi-factor scoring systems have already been used to predict the occurrence of SAP, However, all these methods are complicated and difficult to obtain the first data.Methods: Patients diagnosed with AP from January 2013 to December 2018 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into the normal serum HBDH levels group (n-HBDH group) and the high serum HBDH levels group (h-HBDH group) according to the HBDH ≥ 182U/L after admission. The demographic parameters, laboratory data and the severity of AP in the two groups were compared. The receiver operating curve (ROC) was used to evaluate the efficacy of serum HBDH in predicting persistent organ failure and systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS).Results: A total of 260 AP patients were enrolled, including 176 cases in the n-HBDH group and 84 cases in the h-HBDH group. The incidence of SIRS and organ failure in the h-HBDH group were significantly higher than those in n-HBDH group (both P < 0.001). In addition, the serum HBDH levels were positively correlated with Atlanta classification, Ranson score, and BISAP score (all P < 0.05). ROC analysis showed that a serum HBDH cut-off point of 195.0 U/L had optimal predictive value for the development of persistent organ failure (AUC = 77.8%) and 166.5 U/L for the development of SIRS (AUC = 72.4%).Conclusion: The elevated serum HBDH in early stage of AP is closely related to the adverse prognosis of AP patients, which can be used as a potential early biomarker for the severity of AP.
Predicting Insect Invasiveness With Whole-genome Sequencing Data
Authors: Huang Cong , Yang Nianwan , Wang Shuping , Fan Xiaodan , Pian Cong , Luo Jiapeng , Li Xi , Lang Kun , Xing Longsheng , Jiang Mingxing , Liu Wanxue , Qian Wanqiang , Simberloff Daniel , Wan Fanghao , Li Fei
Published: July 2020

Background

Invasive alien insects threaten agriculture, biodiversity, and human livelihoods globally. Unfortunately, insect invasiveness still cannot be reliably predicted. Empirical policies of insect pest quarantine and inspection are mainly designed against species that are already problematic.
Results

We conducted a comparative genomic analysis of 37 invasive insect species and six non-invasive insect species, showing that the gene families associated with defense, protein and nucleic acid metabolism, chemosensory function, and transcriptional regulation were significantly expanded in invasive insects, suggesting that enhanced abilities in self-protection, nutrition exploitation, and locating food or mates are intrinsic features conferring invasiveness in insects. By using these intrinsic genome features, we proposed an invasiveness index and estimated the invasiveness of 99 other insect species with genome data, classifying them as highly, moderately, or minimally invasive. Insects possessing all these aforementioned enhanced abilities are predicted to be highly invasive, and vice versa. Next, a logistic-regression classifier was trained to predict insect invasiveness, achieving 93.2% accuracy.
Conclusions

We present evidence that several traits may confer invasiveness in insects and these features can be used to predict insect invasiveness accurately, and we quantify insect invasiveness with an invasiveness index.
Preoperative surgical risk assessment by evaluation of tumor blood flow using perfusion imaging by computed tomography in transsphenoidal surgery for pituitary adenoma
Authors: Hayashi Nakamasa , Mitsuya Koichi , Deguchi Shoichi , Urikura Atsushi , Endo Masahiro
Published: July 2020

Background: Complete removal of large and giant pituitary adenomas (PAs) with suprasellar extension by transsphenoidal surgery (TSS) is sometimes difficult. Swelling and bleeding of a residual suprasellar tumor after incomplete removal via TSS can compress the surrounding neurovascular structures, resulting in postoperative complications. We measured PA blood flow by perfusion computed tomography (PCT) and assessed its usefulness in the preoperative prediction of postoperative hemorrhagic complications after TSS.Method: We performed PCT in 28 patients with PAs with suprasellar extension before TSS. Perfusion studies were performed with a 320-row multidetector computed tomography system. We measured cerebral blood volume (CBV) and cerebral blood flow (CBF) of the tumor (CBVt and CBFt) and normal-appearing white matter (CBVw and CBFw).Results: In all patients, CBVt was greater than CBVw. There was a statistically significant difference between CBFt and CBFw (p < 0.0001). The patients were divided into 2 groups according to CBFt: high CBF (CBFt > mean value) and low CBF (CBFt < mean value). There were no statistically significant differences between the 2 groups in terms of gender, age, maximum tumor diameter, suprasellar extension grade, and extent of resection. Two of the 7 patients in the high CBF group suffered from visual acuity deterioration and visual field stenosis due to postoperative hemorrhage, while no patients in the low CBF group did (p = 0.014).Conclusions: PCT may be useful in the preoperative prediction of postoperative residual tumor hemorrhage, which can be a hazardous postoperative complication after TSS for large and giant PAs.
Predicting Heterogeneous Ice Nucleation With a Data-Driven Approach
Authors: Fitzner Martin , Pedevilla Philipp , Michaelides Angelos
Published: July 2020

Water in nature predominantly freezes with the help of foreign materials through a process known as heterogeneous ice nucleation. Although this effect was exploited more than seven decades ago in Vonnegut's pioneering cloud seeding experiments, it remains unclear what makes a material a good ice former. Here, we show through a machine learning analysis of ice nucleation simulations on a database of diverse model substrates that a set of physical descriptors for heterogeneous ice nucleation can be identified. Our results reveal that, beyond Vonnegut's original connection
with the lattice match to ice, three new microscopic and experimentally accessible factors help to predict the ice nucleating ability. These are: i) the local ordering induced in liquid water; ii) the density reduction of the liquid water near the surface; and iii) the corrugation of the adsorption energy landscape felt by water. With this we take a step towards a quantitative understanding of heterogeneous ice nucleation and the in silico design of materials to control ice formation.
Why heat transfer coefficients are unnecessary and undesirable, and how heat transfer problems are solved without them.
Authors: ADIUTORI EUGENE
Published: July 2020

Heat transfer coefficients (h) are unnecessary and undesirable . They are unnecessary because heat transfer problems are readily solved without them. They are undesirable because they greatly complicate problems that concern nonlinear thermal behavior.

In order to understand why heat transfer coefficients are unnecessary and undesirable, it is necessary to know precisely what h is. The nomenclature in every heat transfer text should state “ h is a symbol for q/ D T ”. (Note that q = h D T and h = q/ D T are identical .)

Problems in convection heat transfer are conventionally solved using q, h, and D T —ie using q, q/ D T, and D T . It is self-evident that any problem that can be solved using q, q/ D T , and D T can also be solved using only q and D T . Therefore h (ie q/ D T ) is unnecessary.

h (ie q/ D T ) is undesirable because, when q is a nonlinear function of DT (as in free convection, condensation, and boiling), h (ie q/ D T ) is a third variable , and it greatly complicates problem solutions.

The text includes example problems that support the conclusion that h (ie q/ D T ) is unnecessary and undesirable.
Use of SHDM in Commutative Watermarking-Encryption
Authors: Schmitz Roland
Published: July 2020

SHDM stands for Sphere Hardening Dither Modulation and is a watermarking algorithm based on quantizing the norm of a vector extracted from the cover work. We show how SHDM can be integrated into a fully commutative watermarking encryption scheme and investigate implementations in the spatial, DCT- and DWT-domain with respect to their delity, robustness, capacity and security of encryption. The watermarking scheme, when applied in the DCT- or DWT-domain, proves to be very robust against JPEG/JPEG2000 compression. On the other hand, the spatial domain-based approach offers a large capacity. The increased robustness of the watermarking schemes, however, comes at the cost of rather weak encryption primitives, making the proposed CWE scheme suited for low - medium security applications with high robustness requirements.
Some asymptotic formulars for a Brownian motion whose dimension is variable with a regular variation from a parabolic domain to research the variation of biological species
Authors: Li Xiaoming , Che Wenbin , Zhang Jingjun
Published: July 2020

Consider a Brownian motion with a regular variation starting at an interior point of a domain D in R d+1 ,d ≥ 1, let τ D denote the ﬁrst time the Brownian motion exits from D. Estimates with exact constants for the asymptotics of logP(τ D > T) are given for T → ∞, depending on the shape of the domain D and the order of the regular variation. Furthermore, the asymptotically equivalence are obtained. The problem is motivated by the early results of Lifshits and Shi, Li in the ﬁrst exit time and Karamata in the regular variation. The methods of proof are based on their results and the calculus of variations.
Genetic evolution of class I Newcastle disease virus from poultry at live bird markets in Eastern China
Authors: Lu Xiaolong , Wang Xiaoquan , Sun Yifan , Wang Xin , Feng Lin , Chen Yu , Zhan Tiansong , Xu Naiqing , Liao Tianxing , Hu Jiao , Hu Zenglei , Gu Min , Hu Shunlin , Liu Xiaowen , Liu Xiufan
Published: July 2020

Background: Live bird markets (LBMs) serve as a natural reservoir for class I Newcastle disease virus (NDV) and play an important role in viral evolution and spread. LBMs and commercial farms are the main sources of daily poultry products. However, limited studies are available for the class I NDV circulating at LBMs and commercial farms. In this study, significant progress has been made in sample detection and genetic analysis at LBMs and commercial farms in Eastern China.Methods: A long-term epidemiological investigation at LBMs and commercial farms in Eastern China was conducted. We sequentially conducted the collection of samples, virus isolation, RNA extraction, RT-PCR, and phylogenetic analysis. We also analyzed class I NDVs deposited in NCBI during 2002–2018 from China in terms of the host, genotype, time, and functional domains.Results: Here we report that class I NDVs continue to circulate in LBMs. Class I NDVs were detected at a high prevalence in chickens (23/26) but were seldom detected in waterfowl (3/26) at LBMs. In contrast, class I NDVs were rarely detected in commercial chickens but were present in commercial waterfowl at a certain frequency before they were brought to the LBMs. This observation suggests that the mixture of poultry and the conventional housing at LBMs cause the spread of class I NDVs. Sequence analysis of Class I NDV genomes deposited in NCBI during 2002–2018 from China revealed a high prevalence of class I NDVs in terrestrial birds (82.7%), which was much higher than in water birds (17.3%). In addition, we found that the class I NDVs predominantly belonged to the sub-genotype 3c and rarely evolved into a new sub-genotype such as the 3d. Furthermore, the epidemic sub-genotype 3c seems to be under ongoing evolution.Conclusions: Our study provides evidence that the traditional feeding mode at LBMs causes the spread of class I NDVs and poses a great risk of NDV epidemics in the poultry industry in Eastern China. The sub-genotype 3c is circulating at LBMs and currently the terrestrial bird is the predominant host of class I NDVs.
Radiopharmacokinetic Modelling and Radiation Dose Assessment of 223ra Used for Treatment of Metastatic Castration Resistant Prostate Cancer
Authors: Höllriegl Vera , Petoussi-Henss Nina , Ramos Juan Camilo Ocampo , Li Wei Bo
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Ra-223-Dichloride (223Ra, Xofigo®) is used for treatment of patients suffering from castration-resistant metastatic prostate cancer. The objective of this work was to apply the most recent biokinetic model for radium and its progeny and dosimetric framework developed by the International Commission on Radiological Protection (ICRP) and to show their radiopharmacokinetic behaviour. Organ absorbed and equivalent doses after intravenous injection of 223Ra were estimated and compared to clinical data and other modelling study.
Methods

The most recent ICRP systemic biokinetic model of 223Ra and its progeny as well as the ICRP human alimentary tract model were applied for the radiopharmacokinetic modelling of Xofigo® biodistribution in patients after bolus administration. Independent kinetics was assumed for the progeny of 223Ra. The time activity curves for 223Ra were modelled and the time integrated activity coefficients, in the source regions for each progeny were determined. For estimating the organ absorbed doses, the Specific Absorbed Fractions (SAF) and dosimetric framework of ICRP were used together with the aforementioned values to estimate the organ absorbed and equivalent doses.
Results

The distribution of 223Ra after injection showed a rapid plasma clearance and a low urinary excretion. Main elimination was via faeces. Bone retention was found to be about 30% at 4 h post-injection. Similar tendencies were observed in clinic trials. The highest absorbed dose coefficients were found for bone endosteum, liver, and red marrow, followed by kidneys and colon.
Conclusion

The biokinetic modelling of 223Ra and its progeny may help to predict their distributions in patients after administration of Xofigo®. The organ dose coefficients of this work showed some variation to the values from clinical studies and of a previous compartmental modelling study. The dose to the bone endosteum was found to be lower by a factor of ca. 3 than previously estimated.
Characterization of Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma From Jamaican Patients
Authors: HARRISON SHARON Rosemarie , Ragin Camille C , Liu Jeffery , Chin Sheray , Reid Marvin , Escoffery Carlos
Published: July 2020

HNSCC is the sixth most common cancer worldwide and the seventh most common in Jamaica. Mortality rates for HNSCC in the Caribbean are among the highest in the world. Despite this there is no information on the molecular characterization of these cancers and the relative contribution of tobacco and HPV in this population. This study will examine the molecular features of HNSCC as it relates to p16 expression and HPV in patients from Jamaica. There were no previous published studies of this kind conducted in the English-speaking Caribbean.Methods: This retrospective cohort study was conducted using archival formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue from patients diagnosed with HNSCC at the Department of Pathology, University of the West Indies and the National Public Health Laboratory from 2001–2010. Clinical information was extracted for all patients. P16 immunohistochemistry was performed using P16INK4A clone E6H4 mouse anti-human protein and identification of HR-HPV DNA was done by standard PCR using MY09/MY11 consensus primers of the L1 HR-HPV gene.Results: The study population consisted of 327 HNSCC cases with ages ranging from 18 to 92 years (mean, 65 yrs. ± 15 SD). There were 254 males and 63 females (10 unreported sex) with M: F ratio of 4:1. Most tumors were either moderately differentiated 147/327 (45%) or were poorly differentiated 55/327 (17%). This study cohort consisted of patients diagnosed with cancer of the larynx (57.5%), oral cavity (19.3%), other sites including lip, salivary gland and nasopharynx (14.7%) and oropharynx (8.6%). FFPE tissues from all cases were tested for p16; the majority 255/327 (78%) were negative and 71/327 (21.7%) were positive. All p16 + cases along with a subset of 60 randomly selected p16- cases were tested for HR-HPV by PCR. There were nine p16 + cases which were also positive for HR-HPV DNA. HPV 16 was detected in all cases, one case had HPV16 and 18, and another had HPV 16, 18, 39, 68 and 73. None of the sixty p16- cases were positive for HR-HPV. The nine patients that were HR-HPV + and p16 + had a mean age of 61 years ± 15 SD (range 39–83 years) with a M: F ratio of 8:1. All of these patients had moderately differentiated tumors, from oropharynx and larynx (44.4%) each and oral cavity (11.1%).Conclusion: In Jamaica, cancer of the larynx is the most common head and neck cancer. The prevalence of HPV-related HNSCC appears to be low with most patients with disease in non-oropharyngeal cancer sites. Based on what is known from the literature, our study results suggest that in Jamaica most patients are diagnosed with alcohol and tobacco driven disease. Interventions to reduce smoking and limit alcohol use are highly relevant in Jamaica. The role of HPV in HNSCC warrants further investigation in this population.
Heart Rate Variability-Derived Features Based on Deep Neural Networks for Monitoring Depth of Anaesthesia
Authors: Zhan Jian , Wu Zuo-xi , Duan Zhen-xin , Yang Gui-ying , Du Zhi-yong , Bao Xiao-hang , Li Hong
Published: July 2020

Background: Estimating the depth of anaesthesia (DoA) is critical in clinical anaesthesiology. Electroencephalograms (EEGs) have been widely used for monitoring the DoA; however, they may be inaccurate under certain conditions. Methods: In this study, we propose a novel method to evaluate the DoA based on multiple heart rate variability (HRV)-derived features combined with a discrete wavelet transform and deep neural networks (DNNs). Four features were extracted from an electrocardiogram, including the HRV high-frequency power, low-frequency power, high-to-low-frequency power ratio, and sample entropy. Next, these features were used as inputs for the DNN, which used the expert assessment of consciousness level as the reference output. Finally, the DNN was compared with the logistic regression (LR), support vector machine (SVM), and decision tree (DT) models. The data of 23 anaesthesia patients were used to assess the proposed method. Results: The results demonstrated that the accuracies of the four models, in distinguishing the anaesthesia states, were 86.2% (LR),87.5% (SVM),87.2% (DT), and 90.1%(DNN). Our method outperformed the LR, SVM, and DT methods.Conclusions: The proposed method could accurately distinguish between different anaesthesia states, thus, providing an alternative or supplementary method to EEG monitoring for the assessment of DoA.
Patient satisfaction and its socio-demographic correlates in a tertiary public hospital in Nepal: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Adhikari Mukesh , Poudel Narendra Raj , Mishra Shiva Raj , Shrestha Archana , Upadhyaya Dipak Prasad
Published: July 2020

Background
Patient satisfaction is one proxy indicator of the health care quality; however, enhancing patient satisfaction in low-income settings is very challenging due to the inadequacy of resources as well as low health literacy among patients. In this study, we assess patient satisfaction and its correlates in a tertiary public hospital in Nepal.
Methods
We conducted a cross sectional study at outpatient department of Bhaktapur Hospital of Nepal. To recruit participants for the study, we applied a systematic random sampling method. Our study used a validated Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire III (PSQ-III) developed by RAND Corporation including various contextual socio-demographic characteristics. We calculated mean score and percentages of satisfaction across seven dimensions of patient satisfaction. To determine the association between various dimensions of patient satisfaction and socio-demographic characteristics of the patient, we used a multi-ordinal logistic regression.
Results
Among 204 patients, we observed a wide variation in patient satisfaction across seven dimensions. About 39% of patients were satisfied in the dimension of general satisfaction, 92% in interpersonal manner, and 45% in accessibility and convenience. Sociodemographic factors such as age (AOR: 6.42; CI: 1.30-35.05), gender (AOR: 2.81; CI: 1.41–5.74), and ethnicity (AOR: 0.26; CI: 0.08–0.77) were associated with general satisfaction of the patients. Other sociodemographic variables such as education, occupation, and religion were associated with a majority of the dimensions of patient satisfaction (p < 0.05). Age was found to be the strongest predictor of patient satisfaction in five out of seven dimensions.
Conclusions
We concluded that patient satisfaction varies across different dimensions. Therefore, targeted interventions that direct to improve the dimensions of patient satisfaction where the proportion of satisfaction is low are needed. Similar studies should be conducted regularly at different levels of health facilities across the country to capture a wider picture of patient satisfaction at various levels.
Associations between Defense Mechanisms and Life Satisfaction among North Korean Refugees
Authors: Lee Chang Woo , Lee Jooyoung , Jun Jin Yong , Lee So Hee , Yu So Young , Park Juhyun , Kim Seog Ju
Published: July 2020

Background The present study investigated associations between defense mechanisms and life satisfaction among North Korean refugees living in South Korea.Methods A total of 178 North Korean refugees completed the Korean version of the Defense Style Questionnaire, a revised version of the Ways of Thinking of North Korean Defectors scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, and the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory. Multiple stepwise regression analysis was performed to investigate the defense mechanisms associated with North Korean refugees’ life satisfaction in South Korea. Results Among defense mechanisms, denial most strongly predicted higher overall and economic satisfaction among North Korean refugees living in South Korea (β = 0.145, p < 0.01; β = 0.137, p = 0.03, respectively) after controlling for age, gender, anxiety, depression, and number of traumatic events experienced. Furthermore, resignation predicted lower overall (β = –0.206, p < 0.001) and economic satisfaction (β = –0.134, p = 0.02). However, the association between resignation and life satisfaction was not significant after controlling for depression, anxiety, and number of traumatic events experienced. Conclusions Specific defense mechanisms such as high denial and low resignation were associated with life satisfaction in South Korea among North Korean refugees. Our findings suggest that refugees’ psychological defense mechanisms may affect their satisfactory resettlement.
Development and Psychometric Investigation of Career Problems Inventory for Bipolar Disorder Patients
Authors: Rostami Zeinab , abedi mohammad reza , Nilforooshan Parisa
Published: July 2020

The authors have requested that this preprint be removed from Research Square.
HIV/AIDS-care and Support Competence of Secondary Schools in Western Uganda: A Qualitative Inquiry With School Stakeholders
Authors: Kimera Emmanuel , Vindevogel Sofie , Reynaert Didier , Engelen Anne-Mie , Justice Kintu Mugenyi , Rubaihayo John , Maeyer Jessica De , Bilsen Johan
Published: July 2020

Background

Although schools have been identified as significant settings in the response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic, limited research is available on how they can accommodate Youth Living with HIV/AIDS (YLWHA) especially in resource limited countries. In this study we explored how school stakeholders in western Uganda perceived of good practices to include and support YLWHA in their schools. We conceptualized an HIV/AIDS-care and support competent school community.
Methods

This qualitative inquiry involved school stakeholders (parents/caretakers, school staff and students) purposively selected from 3 secondary schools in western Uganda. A total of 88 participants were involved in focus group discussions and individual interviews. Data analysis followed an inductive and deductive thematic strategy.
Results

We identified 7 overarching interrelated themes in which participants reported practices to include and support YLWHA: counselling and guidance; social support networks and linkages; knowledge and skills; anti-stigma and anti-discrimination measures; disclosure of HIV status; treatment and management of HIV/AIDS; and affirmative actions for YLWHA. Stakeholders’ perceptions of good practices often differed regarding what was considered appropriate, the approach and who to take lead in supporting YLWHA.
Conclusion

Despite the meager support for YLWHA currently available in schools, our study points to optimism and high potential. We posit that building competent HIV/AIDS-care and support school communities is a gradual process requiring each school to develop a strong knowledge base about HIV/AIDS and support needs of YLWHA, develop a coherent and school-wide approach, and collaborate extensively with external stakeholders who are significant in supporting YLWHA.
The Pattern of Liver Dysfunction in Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Study
Authors: wang Chunyan , Rong Yihui , Wei Lei , Zheng Huanwei , Xu Jing , Niu Xiaoxia , Ji Dong
Published: July 2020

Background. Information about liver dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 is scarce. We aimed to explored the pattern and risk factors of liver dysfunction in patients with COVID-19.Methods. In this retrospective study, we included all consecutive confirmed patients with COVID-19 in Fuyang Second People’s Hospital between January 20 and February 25, 2020 and collected clinical characteristics until discharge. The pattern and risk factors of liver dysfunction, viral shedding and outcome were analyzed.Results. Totally, 146 patients were analyzed. The median age was 44.9 years and 54.1% were men, 43.8% patients presented liver dysfunction (22.6% on admission, 21.2% during hospitalization). The percentage of elevated ALT (15.1% on admission and 24.7% during hospitalization) were significantly higher than ALP (2.1% on admission and 3.4% during hospitalization) (P < 0.001). Four clinical types were identified, type 1 (persistent normal liver function, 56.2%), type 2 (normal liver function on admission developed to liver dysfunction during hospitalization, 21.2%), type 3 (liver dysfunction on admission restored to normal on discharge, 13.0%) and type 4 (persistent liver dysfunction, 9.6%). The median duration of viral shedding was 12.0 (type 1), 15.0 (type 2), 14.0 (type 3) and 18.0 (type 4) days (P < 0.001). Prolonged viral shedding and severity were potential risk factors associated with liver dysfunction. Conclusions. The incidence of liver dysfunction in patients with COVID-19 is common but not severe, which mainly due to SARS-CoV-2-mediated immune injury on hepatocyte rather than cholangiocyte, DILI and underlying chronic liver disease should not be neglect.
The EFFECT OF USING 3-2-1 STRATEGY ON STUDENTS’ READING COMPREHENSION ACHIEVEMENT
Authors: Deliany Zhenita
Published: July 2020

Reading needs comprehension to form understanding or meaning of the information provided in the reading text. Reading comprehension is influenced by some various aspects. This research focused on the use of reading strategy as one of many aspects that affect reading comprehension. The 3-2-1 strategy was determined to be investigated its effectiveness when employed in reading comprehension especially on narrative text. This research aimed at investigating the effect of using 3-2-1 strategy students’ reading comprehension achievement. The design of this research was quasi-experimental research. The participants were the eighth grade students of junior high school. The result in the form of post-test scores was analyzed by using Independence sample t-test in SPSS computing system. Based on the calculation of the data analysis, the significant value was 0.046 which was less than 0.05 (p<0.05). The result indicated that there was a significant difference. Therefore, it can be concluded that the 3-2-1 strategy gave a significant effect on the students’ reading comprehension achievement.
ENGLISH EDUCATION DEPARTMENT GRADUATES’ JOB PREFERENCES: A CASE STUDY ON ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING CENTER TEACHERS
Authors: Rinekso Aji Budi , Afifah Nurin , Widyantoro Ari Nur
Published: July 2020

The demands of English as an international language keep increasing along the time. Through time, the needs for learning English vary from for different purposes. Then the realization came to the surface that not all groups of learners need to learn general English. Thus, the design of English courses is developed for specific purposes as they are best known as English for Specific Purpose (ESP). The needs for learning English in specific purpose enable English teachers to pose themselves in different challenges other than in formal education. This paper aims at investigating the motivations of some English Education Department graduates for working as English instructors at English courses. The qualitative data was obtained by conducting the interview on some English instructors in Swift English School in Yogyakarta. After analyzing the data, it was found that despite its challenges, some English Education graduates prefer to work in English courses to regular schools. With all of the privileges of working in an English course, some general motivations underlie their working preferences. Among of the factors are flexible teaching situation, more chances for improving personal competence, higher salary and moderate career prospect.
FEMINIST CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS TO THE LANGUAGE USE AND DISPLAY IN WHITENING COSMETIC PRODUCT ADVERTISEMENTS
Authors: Mendrofa Melania Priska
Published: July 2020

The language used in the advertisement can reflect social and cultural perspectives. Specific words and sentences used by the cosmetic company can attract the consumer's desire to buy and consume a product. The language can also change someone's perspective about life and lead them to experience new knowledge of life. The cosmetic product has changed woman's perspective toward the standard of beauty. The beauty standard is submitted through the persuasive language and the display of a beautiful model in the advertisement. It is a common issue that the concept of being a beautiful woman is to have white and glowing skin. Because of this, women buy and use many whitening products to beautify themselves. The language of advertisement 'colonizes' woman and kills the concept of a woman's nature. It subordinates some women who keep their natural look by not using any whitening products. However, a woman should be aware of this problem, which is not to be affected by the language of the advertisement so that they can accept themselves for who they are. Feminist CDA helps this research to analyze and criticize the beauty standard that has been put to women through the language. In the end, woman's awareness is needed to resist gender-stereotype, the beauty standard, constructed by society.
A STUDY OF INDONESIAN LECTURERS' PERCEPTION ON STUDENT PLAGIARISM
Authors: Nugraha I Gede Nyoman Arya Risaldi Dwi , Santosa Made Hery , Paramartha Anak Agung Gede Yudha
Published: July 2020

Cases of plagiarism exist universally. Although it is unacceptable, students are doing it purposively. Prior studies about students’ perception on this academic misconduct have been done extensively, while studies about lecturers’ perception with the same concern are limited. This research was done to fill this gap. The purpose of this study is to find out: (1) lecturer’s perception on students’ plagiarism and (2) solution to prevent students’ plagiarism. Two instruments were used in order to collect the data, they are plagiarism questionnaire and an interview guide. Both instruments are divided into two dimensions, namely knowledge dimension and attitude dimension. The questionnaire has 12 statements with 4 possible responses in each dimension. Meanwhile, there are 3 questions in the interview guide consisting of 1 question about knowledge dimension and 2 questions about attitude dimension. Thirty seven English as a Foreign Language (EFL) lecturer participants from institutions in Indonesia joined the survey and 5 of which were selected for the interview session. Both results of survey and interview are positive. The results implied an indication of students doing academic dishonesty.
Evaluation of Variances in VEGF-A-D and VEGFR-1-3 Expression in the Ishikawa Endometrial Cancer Cell Line Treated with Salinomycin and Anti-Angiogenic/Lymphangiogenic Effect
Authors: Kras Piotr , Talkowski Karol , Grabarek Beniamin O. , Skalska-Dziobek Nina , Boroń Dariusz , Oplawski Marcin
Published: July 2020

Background:

In cancer, an excessive and uncontrolled process of creating new blood and
lymphatic vessels that play a key role in the metastasis process can be observed. The Vascular Endothelial
Growth Factor (VEGF-A,-B,-C,-D) family together with their specific receptors (VEGFR-1,-2,-
3) plays a key role in these processes, therefore, it would be reasonable to determine the correct pattern
of their expression.

Objective:

The study aimed to assess the use of salinomycin as an anti-angiogenic and anti-lymphangiogenic
drug during endometrial cancer by examining changes in the expression pattern of VEGF-A,
VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D, VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3 depending on the treatment period of
the Ishikawa endometrial cancer cells with salinomycin in comparison to the control culture.

Materials and Methods:

To determine how influential salinomycin was on the expression of both
mRNAs, 1 μM of the drug was added to the cell culture and then it was cultured all together for 12, 24
and 48 hour periods. The cells that made up the control culture were not treated with salinomycin. To
determine the changes in the expression profile of the selected genes, we used the microarray, techniques:
RTqPCR and ELISA (p<0.05).

Results:

For all isoforms of VEGF-A-D as well as receptors of VEGFR-1-3, a decrease in expression
under the influence of salinomycin was noted. For VEGF-A and VEGFR-1, the difference in the expression
between the culture treated with salinomycin in comparison to the control was statistically
significant (p=0.0004). In turn, for VEGF-B, the difference between the culture exposed for 24 hours in
comparison to the control (p=0.00000) as well as the comparison between H48 vs. C (p=0.00000) was
statistically significant. In reference to VEGF-C, VEGFR-2 and VEGFR-3, the statistical analysis
showed the significant difference in expression between the culture incubated with the drug for 12, 24
and 48 hours in comparison to the control as well as between the selected times. For all of these comparisons,
p=0.00000 was utilized.

Conclusions:

Salinomycin changes the expression pattern of VEGF-A, VEGF-B, VEGF-C, VEGF-D,
VEGFR-1, VEGFR-2, and VEGFR-3 in endometrial cancer cells. The obtained results suggest that salinomycin
might exert the effect via VEGF signaling pathways.
Activation of Caspase-3 by Terpenoids and Flavonoids in Different Types of Cancer Cells
Authors: Masood Nusrat , Dubey Vijaya , Luqman Suaib
Published: July 2020

Background:

Caspase-3 is accountable for the execution of apoptosis. Recently, it has gained
attention as a promising target for the discovery of natural products as anticancer agents.

Methods:

We examined the efficacy of two different sets of natural products (terpenoids and flavonoids)
towards caspase-3 activity adopting in silico, cell-free and cell-based activity and real-time gene expression
analysis.

Results:

It was observed that terpenes activate caspase-3 activity in both the cell-free and cell-based systems,
which was supported by the gene expression analysis, binding energy and activation constant. Flavonoids’
action, however, was limited to the cell-based system and transcriptional regulation suggesting
their indirect association, which enhanced the enzyme activity and up-regulated the expression of
mRNA levels in the cells. Among the tested natural products, (+) carvone was observed to be the best
activator of caspase-3 in K562 (34.4 μM), WRL-68 (22.3 μM), HeLa (18.7 μM), MCF-7 (39.4 μM) and
MDA-MB-231 cell lines (45.1 μM).

Conclusion:

Overall, terpenoids have a persistent activation of caspase-3 in all the investigated systems,
while flavonoids circuitously affect the enzyme activity.
Isothymusin, a Potential Inhibitor of Cancer Cell Proliferation: An In Silico and In Vitro Investigation
Authors: Singh Shilpi , Kumari Priyanka , Hussain Yusuf , Luqman Suaib , Meena Abha , Kanaojia Deepika
Published: July 2020

Background:

Since centuries plant-based compounds are known for the treatment of cancer in both traditional and contemporary medicine. The problems like target non-specificity and toxicity are well-known regarding anticancer drugs. Therefore, target specific search of novel entities is constant. Isothymusin is a dimethoxy, trihydroxy flavone present in plants like Ocimum sanctum, and Limnophilla geoffrayi. There are limited reports available on the anticancer potential of isothymusin.

Objectives:

The effects of isothymusin on redox status, cell cytotoxicity, and targets involved in the promotion and progression of the cancer cells have been investigated.

Methods:

Antiproliferative efficacy was evaluated by MTT, Neutral Red Uptake, and Sulforhodamine-B assays. The spectrophotometric methods were adopted to study the effect against selected targets. Redox activity was assessed by in vitro antioxidant assays and the interaction study, ADMET profiling, and toxicity assessments were done in silico.

Results:

Isothymusin scavenges the radicals, i.e., DPPH and nitric oxide with moderate ferric reducing potential. It affected the proliferation of leukemia, colon, skin, and breast cancer cell lines by more than 50% but moderately affected prostate, kidney, lung, hepatic, and breast adenocarcinoma (up to 48%). Isothymusin inhibited the enzymes associated with the promotion stage of cancer, including cycloxygenase- 2 and lipoxygenase-5. Additionally, it also inhibited the activity of proliferation markers like cathepsin- D, dihydrofolate reductase, hyaluronidase, and ornithine-decarboxylase. Besides, in silico studies supported the in vitro enzyme inhibition assays outcome. Toxicity studies showed promising results of chemical descriptors and non-skin-irritant, moderate ocular-irritancy, and in vitro Ames test confirmed non-mutagenic nature.

Conclusion:

Isothymusin showed radical scavenging and anti-proliferative activities, which may be taken up as a phytochemical lead for the synthesis of analogues possessing enhanced anticancer potential.
Delineating Characteristic Sequence and Structural Features of Precursor and Mature Piwi-interacting RNAs of Epithelial Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Singh Garima , Swain Arpit Chandan , Mallick Bibekanand
Published: July 2020

Background:

Piwi-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) are an amazing class of small noncoding
RNAs (sncRNAs) known for its promising role in germline and somatic cells. Myriad
functional studies have been performed to unveil the true potential of this class of ncRNAs;
however, global features encoded in their sequence and structure have not been explored.

Objectives:

We aim to identify the sequence and structural level characteristic features of piRNAs of normal ovary (NO),
and two subtypes of epithelial ovarian cancer (EOCa)- endometrioid (ENOCa), and serous ovarian cancer (SOCa) that we
had reported earlier and their precursors.

Methods:

We have performed sequence analysis of mature piRNAs and their upstream/downstream regions as well as
structural analysis of precursor piRNAs (pre-piRNAs) by examining their minimal folding energy (MFE), adjusted
minimal folding energy (AMFE) and minimal folding energy index (MFEI) etc using in silico approaches.

Results:

We observed enrichment of U at first position and G at several other positions of mature
piRNAs, which might be associated with the processing of mature piRNAs similar to what is seen
in the case of miRNAs and strong target binding, respectively. In addition, we found the richness
of AU in and around 20 nts upstream and downstream of precursor piRNAs (pre-piRNAs). This
characteristic feature of pre-piRNAs possibly contributes to lower MFE compared to random
sequences and make its secondary structure less stable which decides biogenesis of piRNAs. We
also noticed that MFE, AMFE and MFEI of pre-piRNAs are comparatively less than pre-miRNAs
of metazoans, plants and viruses reported in other studies, which clearly discriminate pre-piRNAs
from other RNA sequences including pre-miRNAs of other organisms.

Conclusion:

In summary, the present study reveals key characteristic features encoded within and around mature piRNAs
as well as pre-piRNAs of NO and EOCa samples that distinguish piRNAs from miRNAs and other random RNA
sequences. These findings might act as a cornerstone for better understanding of biogenesis and function of piRNAs as
well as will aid in easier identification of new piRNAs from unknown stretch of sequences using the characteristic
features.
Comparison of the Detection of Toxocara Spp. in the Soils of Public Parks of Ahvaz (Southwest of Iran) by PCR and Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification (LAMP)
Authors: Kazemi Forough , Arjmand Reza , Fallahizadeh Somayeh , Tavalla Mehdi
Published: July 2020

Introduction:

The infections caused by Toxocara spp. are considered as one of the most important zoonotic diseases in the world, especially in developing countries. Human toxocariasis, particularly in children, is acquired by playing in public parks. Hence, the aim of the current study was to detect Toxocara spp. in the soils of public parks of the city of Ahvaz, southwest of Iran, using the PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) methods.

Methods:

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 260 soil samples were randomly collected from the different public parks of the city of Ahvaz. After performing zinc sulfate (ZnSO4) flotation technique, the DNA samples were extracted from the isolated Toxocara spp. eggs. Lastly, the extracted DNA was used for PCR and LAMP-based molecular detection.

Results:

Out of 260 specimens, 57 (21.9%) samples were found positive for Toxocara spp., using the PCR method, out of that 38 (14.6%) samples were positive for T. canis and 19 (7.3%) samples were positive for T. cati. Also, out of 260 specimens, 81 (31.1%) cases were positive for Toxocara species, using the LAMP method, among them 51 (19.6%) samples were found positive for T. canis and 30 (11.5%) samples were positive for T. cati. Kappa (κ) coefficient between PCR and LAMP showed a strong agreement (0.766, P-value=0.002).

Conclusion:

The obtained data showed a relatively high outbreak of Toxocara spp. in the public parks’ soils of the city, using the PCR and LAMP methods. Since the parasite can cause human toxocariasis, particularly in children; thus, the health authorities of the city of Ahvaz and other similar cities, especially in developing countries, must pay more attention to the hygiene of the public parks’ soils.
An Iterative Process for Identifying Pediatric Patients With Type 1 Diabetes: Retrospective Observational Study
Authors: Morris Heather Lynne , Donahoo William Troy , Bruggeman Brittany , Zimmerman Chelsea , Hiers Paul , Zhong Victor W , Schatz Desmond
Published: July 2020

Background

The incidence of both type 1 diabetes (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes (T2DM) in children and youth is increasing. However, the current approach for identifying pediatric diabetes and separating by type is costly, because it requires substantial manual efforts.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to develop a computable phenotype for accurately and efficiently identifying diabetes and separating T1DM from T2DM in pediatric patients.

Methods

This retrospective study utilized a data set from the University of Florida Health Integrated Data Repository to identify 300 patients aged 18 or younger with T1DM, T2DM, or that were healthy based on a developed computable phenotype. Three endocrinology residents/fellows manually reviewed medical records of all probable cases to validate diabetes status and type. This refined computable phenotype was then used to identify all cases of T1DM and T2DM in the OneFlorida Clinical Research Consortium.

Results

A total of 295 electronic health records were manually reviewed; of these, 128 cases were found to have T1DM, 35 T2DM, and 132 no diagnosis. The positive predictive value was 94.7%, the sensitivity was 96.9%, specificity was 95.8%, and the negative predictive value was 97.6%. Overall, the computable phenotype was found to be an accurate and sensitive method to pinpoint pediatric patients with T1DM.

Conclusions

We developed a computable phenotype for identifying T1DM correctly and efficiently. The computable phenotype that was developed will enable researchers to identify a population accurately and cost-effectively. As such, this will vastly improve the ease of identifying patients for future intervention studies.
Partial Characterization of Chitosanase from Bacillus cereus Strain BFE5400 Isolated from Snakehead Fish Intestine
Authors: Lestari Shanti Dwita , Baehaki Ace , Guttifera Guttifera
Published: July 2020

Feeding pattern of wild snakehead fish (Channa striata) which includes shrimp and small crustaceans makes it is intestine a good source of chitinase and chitosanase enzymes. This study aimed to isolate chitosanase producing bacteria from snakehead fish intestine, to select isolate with highest chitosanolytic activity, to produce chitosanase using the selected isolate and partially characterize the resulting enzyme. I2 isolate exhibited the highest chitosanolytic index with the value of 1.5 and produced enzyme with an activity of 0.00331 U/mL after 72 hours incubation. The ultimate bacterial density was at the 24th hour with a turbidity value of 0.5315. The enzyme activity was optimum at pH 6, with a value of 0.00816 U/mL, while the optimum temperature was 70°C with the enzyme activity of 0.00785 U/mL. Genetic identification of I2 isolate using 16S rRNA showed that the isolate has a high similarity to Bacillus cereus strain BFE 5400.
Peningkatan Pertumbuhan Rumput Laut Halymenia sp. melalui Penentuan Jarak Tanam Rumpun
Authors: Fadilah Siti , Pratiwi Dhini Arum
Published: July 2020

Tujuan penelitian ini adalah untuk menentukan jarak tanam rumpun yang sesuai untuk budidaya rumput laut Halymenia sp. Penelitian dilaksanakan pada bulan September - Oktober 2017 di perairan Desa Patas, Kecamatan Gerokgak, Kabupaten Buleleng, Provinsi Bali. Desain penelitian yang digunakan adalah rancangan acak lengkap (RAL). Satu faktor perlakuan yang diuji adalah jarak rumpun yang terdiri atas 4 taraf perlakuan yaitu 10, 15, 20 dan 25 cm. Tali bentangan yang digunakan panjangnya 15 m dengan jarak antar tali bentangan 1 m dan bobot awal rumpun 50 g. Budidaya dilakukan dengan metode monoline lepas dasar. Pemeliharaan  dilakukan selama 1 siklus (45 hari) dengan sampling pertumbuhan tiap 5 hari dan sampling kualitas air tiap 15 hari. Analisis sampel dilakukan untuk mendapatkan rendemen karaginan dan kualitas air berupa nitrat dan fosfat. Hasil penelitian menunjukkan jarak tanam rumpun 25 cm memberikan laju pertumbuhan terbaik (p<0,5) dan randemen karaginan yang lebih tinggi dari perlakuan jarak 20 cm (p<0.5).