bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Study of Car Demand and Its Interdependency in Sarawak
Authors: Nur Zaimah Ubaidillah
Published: April 2021

Several developing Asian countries recorded a high level of private based motorisation, specifically car and motorcycle ownership. Continuous rise in the level of private motorisations may lead to issues such as traffic congestions, high fuel consumption and pollutions. For that reason, there is a need to investigate the determinant of car ownership and the interdependency between car and motorcycle ownership in Sarawak, Malaysia. This study used time series annual data using vector error correction model (VECM) from 1980 to 2018. Based on the analysis, it is found that gross domestic product, fuel price and population density are significant determinants of car ownership. The findings revealed that as the standard of living rises, car demand increases. At the state aggregate level, it is found that there is a substitution relationship between both modes. This indicates that people are highly likely to shift from motorcycle ownership to car ownership in the long run. Based on the findings, the policy recommendations in the study include encouraging shifts to alternative modes of transport through public transport reforms as well as improving facilities for a more sustainable mode of transportation in Sarawak.
Factors Affecting Purchasing Intention by Using Mobile Shopping Applications in Malaysia
Authors: Kah-Boon Lim  , Sook-Fern Yeo  , Jin-Chee Wong
Published: April 2021

The increasing use of a smartphone to shop which is known as mobile commerce has become a new trend in the market. Majority of people have at least one smartphone in their hand due to the convenience of a smartphone. With the smartphone, smartphone users can easily download the mobile shopping applications and used the applications in their daily life. The main objective of this study is to investigate the factors affecting consumers’ purchasing intention with the use of mobile shopping applications in Malaysia. The five factors that included in this study are perceived enjoyment, perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, perceived trust and social influence while purchasing intention is the dependent variable. A set of selfadministered questionnaires has been circulated to 200 target respondents in Malaysia for data collection purpose. The major findings of this research showed that all the five independent variables have a significant relationship with purchasing intention. In conclusion, this research may help the mobile shopping applications marketers deeply developed better strategies to improve their business plan.
Validating Islamic Financial Literacy Instruments among MUM Generation: Rasch Analysis Approach
Authors: Purnomo M Antara  , Rosidah Musa
Published: April 2021

Islamic financial literacy is an emerging term which is increasingly used in research and policy. Though a study in this area is growing, there is a lack of an accepted method to measure Islamic financial literacy. This study aims to develop a valid and reliable instrument to access Islamic financial literacy among MUM (Muslim Urban Millennial) generations using Rasch analysis. A comprehensive literature review and a qualitative study were initially performed to identify the construct of Islamic financial literacy. A total of 109 respondents from MUM generation completed the 18-item instrument with multiple-choice questions. However, only 85 final sample out of 109 data measured after eliminating the person with the extreme score. The dimensionality of the items was evaluated using WINSTEPS 3.73. Results show that the measurements model is highly reliable with a reliability alpha of 0.87 and 0.96 for person and item, respectively. There is also six misfit item that needs to be reviewed or removed. Differential Item Functioning (DIF) analysis shows that three items have a bias between gender. Overall, the developed Islamic financial literacy scale is a validand reliable instrument to measure Islamic financial literacy in MUM generation. This measure lays a solid empirical and theoretical foundation for future research in Islamic financial literacy among the MUM generation.
Factors Influencing E-Commerce Adoption: Evaluation Using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM)
Authors: Kit-Yeng Sin  , Mun-Chong Sin
Published: April 2021

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) has become a rapidly growing phenomenon to date. A peep into the exponential growth of the main players in this industry reveals a large reservoir of market potential for ecommerce. Nevertheless, the prevalence of e-commerce adoption has attracted attention from the  government, retailers, and academicians to place specific focus on this area. As such, this study determined the correlation between Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO’s) technology knowledge, relative advantages, and competitive pressure through the lens of Tornatzky and Fleischer’s (1990) Organisational, Technological, and Environmental (OTE) model in order to probe into the adoption of e-commerce. CEOs and managers of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) established in the Northern states of Malaysia were selected as the subject of analysis. A total of 283 out of 364 questionnaires distributed were valid for analysing and testing the hypotheses. Next, the gathered data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 18.0 and Analysis of a Moment Structures (AMOS) version 16.0. The Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) was employed to assess model fit and to test hypotheses. As a conclusion, CEO’s technology knowledge and relative advantage displayed significantly positive influence upon adoption of ecommerce, whereas competitive pressure exhibited insignificant impact upon adoption of e-commerce. In precise, the insignificant influence of competitive pressure on e-commerce implementation appeared to be driven by other unseen variables worthy to be discovered. For future research, a comparison study can be conducted by selecting samples both from employers and employees, as well as other multiple variables associated with e-commerce adoption, so as to keep sampling bias at a minimum level.
Idiosyncratic Risk and Firm Characteristics on Islamic Stocks of Four Asean Countries 2005–2017
Authors: Putri Utami  , Muhammad Budi Prasetyo
Published: April 2021

This research investigates idiosyncratic volatility in the Islamic stock of four ASEAN countries, namely Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand for 2005–2017. The volatility will be analyzed based on the idiosyncratic volatility levels of each country. Furthermore, firm characteristics will be used to determine their relationship to the idiosyncratic volatility movement. This study used the Fama-French Three-Factor model for obtaining the realized value of idiosyncratic volatility. Furthermore, a panel data regression is used to estimate the relationship between firm characteristics and idiosyncratic volatility. The results of this research suggest that mean value of idiosyncratic risk in the Islamic stock of ASEAN countries is below the non-Islamic stock in the United States but above non-Islamic stock in Hong Kong. Meanwhile, after the global financial crisis of 2008, the relationship between return and idiosyncratic risk of Islamic stock changed in all four countries. Panel data regression of firm characteristics shows that firm size is significantly negative in all four countries, while share turnover is insignificant to idiosyncratic volatility.
Challenges of Women Leaders in Female and Male Dominated Occupations
Authors: Agota Giedrė Raišienė  , Jolita Gečienė  , Renata Korsakienė
Published: April 2021

The article presents the results of research revealing the challenges faced by women leaders during their career in public administration and business organisations and highlighting the peculiarities of women's experience in female and male dominated occupation areas. The study has shown that that stereotypes still do not disappear despite legislative institutionalization of gender equality in professional career. In most cases, women face constraints such as widespread stereotypes in society, negative attitudes of colleagues and behaviour related to that, doubts of women-leaders themselves about their opportunities, and conflict between family and work roles.
Role of Network Externalities and Innovation Characteristics in Influencing Intentions to Use an Online Bank: Moderating Technological Anxiety
Authors: Nancy Gloria Miranda  , Tengku Ezni Balqiah
Published: April 2021

Digital innovations have numerous impacts on modern life; as such, many business models have integrated online or virtual forms, which includes banking. An online bank is a virtual form of a bank’s business model that utilizes smartphones and the Internet. This paper intends to analyze the role of network externalities, innovation characteristics, and technological anxiety on the intention to use new forms of this financial business model. The model of this research uses three aforementioned theories on intention to use an online bank in Indonesia. This paper further verifies the relationship between network externalities to intention to use and examines whether any mediating effect of innovation and/or technological anxiety have a moderating effect on the proposed relationships. With the participation of 174 respondents, the data were gathered through purposive sampling and then analyzed using structural equation modeling with three typesof relationships: direct, indirect/mediation, and moderation. The result show that network externalities have direct effects on intention to use, most characteristics of innovation have mediating effects on previous relationships, and technological anxiety has a moderating effect in some paths.
The Human Resources as an Important Factor of Regional Development
Authors: Dana Jašková  , Katarína Havierniková  , Katarína Havierniková
Published: April 2021

The human resources present the key aspect of socioeconomic development, prosperity and competitiveness of each region due to the fact that contribute to increasing of employment, to the development of working places and improving the life standard of inhabitants. The main aim of the paper is the quantification of human resources development potential in Slovak regions. To meet this aim, the authors concentrated attention mainly on the evaluation of the level and variability of the selected indicators that were observed within four descriptors. The crucial contribution of the evaluation is the ranking of regions, based on the evaluation in each descriptor and drawing the overall ranking of human resources development potential in the Slovak Republic. To determine the order of regions, the relevant statistical methods were used: the characteristics of location and variability, hierarchical cluster analysis and its method of complete linkage. The results showed the dominance of Bratislava region that is following by Trnava and Žilina region.
The Mediating Effect of Emotion on Entrepreneurship Education and Business Opportunity Recognition
Authors: Nor Hafiza Othman  , Norasmah Othman
Published: April 2021

The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of entrepreneurial emotion on relationship between entrepreneurship education and business opportunity recognition. Entrepreneurship process begins when an entrepreneur recognizes a business opportunity that involves various emotions throughout the process. Although various activities and entrepreneurship programs are carried out in universities, the involvements of students and graduates in business start-ups are still small. The main factor is the failure to leverage potential business opportunities, which in turn, leads to the stability of emotion’s reliance. A total of 152 of final year students participated in this study. The data were collected from questionnaires, and the hypotheses were tested using Partial Least Square - Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings indicated that entrepreneurship education, emotion and opportunity recognition were significantly related. It was also found that entrepreneurial emotion partially mediated the relationship between entrepreneurship education and opportunity recognition. The findings have confirmed that although entrepreneurship education helps improve students’ capabilities to adapt to new environments, and recognizes the potential of business opportunities, a stable emotion is crucial throughout the entire entrepreneurship process.
Online Deliberation and #CivicTech: A Symposium
Authors: Zhang Weiyu , Davies Todd , Przybylska Anna
Published: April 2021

Online deliberation is one important instance of civic tech that is both for and by the citizens, through engaging citizens in Internet-supported deliberative discussions on public issues. This article explains the origins of a set of symposium articles in this journal issue based on the 2017 'International Conference on Deliberation and Decision Making: Interdisciplinary Perspectives on Civic Tech' held in Singapore. Symposium articles are presented in a sequence that flows from designing decision making systems to platforms to specific technological nudges.
Principles And Characters Of Religious Moderation In Christian Religious Education
Authors: Sagala Doli Alberto
Published: April 2021

This study aims to describe the inculcation of the value of religious moderation in Christian Religious Education. The research method used is descriptive qualitative. This study concludes that the cultivation of the value of religious moderation in Christian Religious Education is based on the principles of religious moderation: (1) fairness, (2) balance and character of religious moderation: (1) wisdom (2) sincerity (3) courage
ANALISI YURIDIS PENGATURAN JANGKA WAKTU NOTARIS DALAM MENERIMA DAN MENYIMPAN PROTOKOL NOTARIS DI INDONESIA
Authors: Zukriadi Diki , Jamba Padrisan , Arman Zuhdi
Published: April 2021

Notary Public is a public official who is authorized to make credential deeds as a means of proof. Besides being given a notary protokol, it is also obliged to save the notary protokol, both its own and other notary protokols. Regulations related to depository of notary protokol in article 65 paragraph (5) of the UUJN only state that the time for submission was issued 25 (twenty-five) years or more sent by the Notary recipient of the Notary Protokol to the Regional Supervisory Council. This can lead to legal considerations of the notary who will accept the protokol responsible for the notary protokol which is of great concern, which causes rejection of other notaries who will accept the protokol. This study uses a normative method with steps of description, systematization, and explanation of the content of positive law related to using laws and regulations, accessing history and obtaining concepts. Based on the results of the assessment and analysis, the notary protokol is not regulated by the exploitation in UUJN so as to make an agreement on the law so that it can keep documents on the notary protokol while he is still working and also open the work agreement by getting permission from the Notary Association Regional Supervisory Board. Indonesia. While it was agreed that there was a refusal to accept the notary protokol, legal considerations would be given to the notary recipient of the protokol. Tackling these responsibilities can be incorporated into codes of ethics, the notary profession, and approved by the government regarding sanctions for reprimands and compensation from membership.
Advances in Synthetic Biology and Biosafety Governance
Authors: Li Jing , Zhao Huimiao , Zheng Lanxin , An Wenlin
Published: April 2021

Tremendous advances in the field of synthetic biology have been witnessed in multiple areas including life sciences, industrial development, and environmental bio-remediation. However, due to the limitations of human understanding in the code of life, any possible intended or unintended uses of synthetic biology, and other unknown reasons, the development and application of this technology has raised concerns over biosafety, biosecurity, and even cyberbiosecurity that they may expose public health and the environment to unknown hazards. Over the past decades, some countries in Europe, America, and Asia have enacted laws and regulations to control the application of synthetic biology techniques in basic and applied research and this has resulted in some benefits. The outbreak of the COVID-19 caused by novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 and various speculations about the origin of this virus have attracted more attention on bio-risk concerns of synthetic biology because of its potential power and uncertainty in the synthesis and engineering of living organisms. Therefore, it is crucial to scrutinize the control measures put in place to ensure appropriate use, promote the development of synthetic biology, and strengthen the governance of pathogen-related research, although the true origin of coronavirus remains hotly debated and unresolved. This article reviews the recent progress made in the field of synthetic biology and combs laws and regulations in governing bio-risk issues. We emphasize the urgent need for legislative and regulatory constraints and oversight to address the biological risks of synthetic biology.
3D Printed Poly(ε-Caprolactone)/Meniscus Extracellular Matrix Composite Scaffold Functionalized With Kartogenin-Releasing PLGA Microspheres for Meniscus Tissue Engineering
Authors: Li Hao , Liao Zhiyao , Yang Zhen , Gao Cangjian , Fu Liwei , Li Pinxue , Zhao Tianyuan , Cao Fuyang , Chen Wei , Yuan Zhiguo , Sui Xiang , Liu Shuyun , Guo Quanyi
Published: April 2021

Meniscus tissue engineering (MTE) aims to fabricate ideal scaffolds to stimulate the microenvironment for recreating the damaged meniscal tissue. Indeed, favorable mechanical properties, suitable biocompatibility, and inherent chondrogenic capability are crucial in MTE. In this study, we present a composite scaffold by 3D printing a poly(ε-caprolactone) (PCL) scaffold as backbone, followed by injection with the meniscus extracellular matrix (MECM), and modification with kartogenin (KGN)-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic) acid (PLGA) microsphere (μS), which serves as a drug delivery system. Therefore, we propose a plan to improve meniscus regeneration via KGN released from the 3D porous PCL/MECM scaffold. The final results showed that the hydrophilicity and bioactivity of the resulting PCL/MECM scaffold were remarkably enhanced. In vitro synovium-derived mesenchymal stem cells (SMSCs) experiments suggested that introducing MECM components helped cell adhesion and proliferation and maintained promising ability to induce cell migration. Moreover, KGN-incorporating PLGA microspheres, which were loaded on scaffolds, showed a prolonged release profile and improved the chondrogenic differentiation of SMSCs during the 14-day culture. Particularly, the PCL/MECM-KGN μS seeded by SMSCs showed the highest secretion of total collagen and aggrecan. More importantly, the synergistic effect of the MECM and sustained release of KGN can endow the PCL/MECM-KGN μS scaffolds with not only excellent cell affinity and cell vitality preservation but also chondrogenic activity. Thus, the PCL/MECM-KGN μS scaffolds are expected to have good application prospects in the field of MTE.
TERT Mutation Is Accompanied by Neutrophil Infiltration and Contributes to Poor Survival in Isocitrate Dehydrogenase Wild-Type Glioma
Authors: Gao Mengqi , Lin Yi , Liu Xing , Zhao Zheng , Zhu Zhiyuan , Zhang Hongbo , Ban Yunchao , Bie Yanan , He Xiaozheng , Sun Xiang , Zhang Shizhong
Published: April 2021

Mutation of the telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) promoter has been demonstrated as an unfavorable prognostic marker in patients with isocitrate dehydrogenase wild-type (IDHwt) glioma. This study aimed to investigate the immune role of TERT promoter mutation status which could improve prognostic prediction in IDHwt. TERT mutation status, IDH mutation, and 1p-19q codeletion status data were obtained from 614 glioma cases from the Cancer Genome Atlas, and 325 cases from the Chinese Glioma Genome Atlas. The same information was obtained from 49 clinical glioma tissues. TERT mutation is preferentially present in glioblastoma and IDH-wt gliomas and is associated with poor prognosis. Moreover, TERT mutation was associated with infiltration of neutrophils and expression of neutrophil chemokines. which might partially contribute to the poor outcome in IDH-wt glioma. Furthermore, patients with IDH-wt glioma did not harbor increased peripheral neutrophils, implying that the infiltrated neutrophil in the tumor environment might due to cytokine chemotaxis. In this study, we hereby propose that TERT mutation might be a molecular driver of the dysfunctional immune microenvironment in IDH-wt glioma. TERT mutation may be a potential immune therapeutic target for optimizing treatment combinations and patient selection for glioma immunotherapy.
Adipose-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells From a Hypoxic Culture Improve Neuronal Differentiation and Nerve Repair
Authors: Wu Szu-Hsien , Liao Yu-Ting , Hsueh Kuang-Kai , Huang Hui-Kuang , Chen Tung-Ming , Chiang En-Rung , Hsu Shan-hui , Tseng Ting-Chen , Wang Jung-Pan
Published: April 2021

Hypoxic expansion has been demonstrated to enhance in vitro neuronal differentiation of bone-marrow derived mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs). Whether adipose-derived mesenchymal stem cells (ADSCs) increase their neuronal differentiation potential following hypoxic expansion has been examined in the study. Real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and immunofluorescence staining were employed to detect the expression of neuronal markers and compare the differentiation efficiency of hypoxic and normoxic ADSCs. A sciatic nerve injury animal model was used to analyze the gastrocnemius muscle weights as the outcomes of hypoxic and normoxic ADSC treatments, and sections of the regenerated nerve fibers taken from the conduits were analyzed by histological staining and immunohistochemical staining. Comparisons of the treatment effects of ADSCs and BMSCs following hypoxic expansion were also conducted in vitro and in vivo. Hypoxic expansion prior to the differentiation procedure promoted the expression of the neuronal markers in ADSC differentiated neuron-like cells. Moreover, the conduit connecting the sciatic nerve gap injected with hypoxic ADSCs showed the highest recovery rate of the gastrocnemius muscle weights in the animal model, suggesting a conceivable treatment for hypoxic ADSCs. The percentages of the regenerated myelinated fibers from the hypoxic ADSCs detected by toluidine blue staining and myelin basic protein (MBP) immunostaining were higher than those of the normoxic ones. On the other hand, hypoxic expansion increased the neuronal differentiation potential of ADSCs compared with that of the hypoxic BMSCs in vitro. The outcomes of animals treated with hypoxic ADSCs and hypoxic BMSCs showed similar results, confirming that hypoxic expansion enhances the neuronal differentiation potential of ADSCs in vitro and improves in vivo therapeutic potential.
Ultra-High Dose Rate FLASH Irradiation Induced Radio-Resistance of Normal Fibroblast Cells Can Be Enhanced by Hypoxia and Mitochondrial Dysfunction Resulting From Loss of Cytochrome C
Authors: Han Jintao , Mei Zhusong , Lu Chunyang , Qian Jing , Liang Yulan , Sun Xiaoyi , Pan Zhuo , Kong Defeng , Xu Shirui , Liu Zhipeng , Gao Ying , Qi Guijun , Shou Yinren , Chen Shiyou , Cao Zhengxuan , Zhao Ye , Lin Chen , Zhao Yanying , Geng Yixing , Chen Jiaer , Yan Xueqing , Ma Wenjun , Yang Gen
Published: April 2021

Ultra-high dose rate FLASH irradiation (FLASH-IR) has got extensive attention since it may provide better protection on normal tissues while maintain tumor killing effect compared with conventional dose rate irradiation. The FLASH-IR induced protection effect on normal tissues is exhibited as radio-resistance of the irradiated normal cells, and is suggested to be related to oxygen depletion. However, the detailed cell death profile and pathways are still unclear. Presently normal mouse embryonic fibroblast cells were FLASH irradiated (∼109 Gy/s) at the dose of ∼10–40 Gy in hypoxic and normoxic condition, with ultra-fast laser-generated particles. The early apoptosis, late apoptosis and necrosis of cells were detected and analyzed at 6, 12, and 24 h post FLASH-IR. The results showed that FLASH-IR induced significant early apoptosis, late apoptosis and necrosis in normal fibroblast cells, and the apoptosis level increased with time, in either hypoxic or normoxic conditions. In addition, the proportion of early apoptosis, late apoptosis and necrosis were significantly lower in hypoxia than that of normoxia, indicating that radio-resistance of normal fibroblast cells under FLASH-IR can be enhanced by hypoxia. To further investigate the apoptosis related profile and potential pathways, mitochondria dysfunction cells resulting from loss of cytochrome c (cyt c–/–) were also irradiated. The results showed that compared with irradiated normal cells (cyt c+/+), the late apoptosis and necrosis but not early apoptosis proportions of irradiated cyt c–/– cells were significant decreased in both hypoxia and normoxia, indicating mitochondrial dysfunction increased radio-resistance of FLASH irradiated cells. Taken together, to our limited knowledge, this is the first report shedding light on the death profile and pathway of normal and cyt c–/– cells under FLASH-IR in hypoxic and normoxic circumstances, which might help us improve the understanding of the FLASH-IR induced protection effect in normal cells, and thus might potentially help to optimize the future clinical FLASH treatment.
Long Non-coding RNA RMRP in the Pathogenesis of Human Disorders
Authors: Hussen Bashdar Mahmud , Azimi Tahereh , Hidayat Hazha Jamal , Taheri Mohammad , Ghafouri-Fard Soudeh
Published: April 2021

RNA component of mitochondrial RNA processing endoribonuclease (RMRP) is a non-coding transcript firstly acknowledged for its association with the cartilage-hair hypoplasia (CHH) syndrome, a rare autosomal recessive condition. This transcript has been spotted in both nucleus and mitochondria. In addition to its role in the pathogenesis of CHH, RMRP participates in the pathogenesis of cancers. Independent studies in bladder cancer, colon cancer, hepatocellular carcinoma, lung cancer, breast carcinoma and multiple myeloma have confirmed the oncogenic effects of RMRP. Mechanistically, RMRP serves as a sponge for some miRNAs such as miR-206, miR-613, and miR-217. In addition to these miRNAs, expressions of tens of miRNAs have been altered following RMRP silencing, implying the vast extent of RMRP/miRNA network. In the present narrative review, we explain the role of RMRP in the development of cancers and some other non-malignant disorders.
Microstructure and Properties of Ag-Doped ZnO Grown Hydrothermally on a Graphene-Coated Polyethylene Terephthalate Bilayer Flexible Substrate
Authors: Ai Taotao , Fan Yuanyuan , Wang Huhu , Zou Xiangyu , Bao Weiwei , Deng Zhifeng , Zhao Zhongguo , Li Miao , Kou Lingjiang , Feng Xiaoming , Li Mei
Published: April 2021

Ag-doped ZnO nanorods growth on a PET-graphene substrate (Ag-ZnO/PET-GR) with different Ag-doped content were synthesized by low-temperature ion-sputtering-assisted hydrothermal synthesis method. The phase composition, morphologies of ZnO, and electrical properties were analyzed. Ag-doping affects the initially perpendicular growth of ZnO nanorods, resulting in oblique growth of ZnO nanorods becoming more obvious as the Ag-doped content increases, and the diameter of the nanorods decreasing gradually. The width of the forbidden band gap of the ZnO films decreases with increasing Ag-doped content. For the Ag-ZnO/PET-GR composite structure, the Ag-ZnO thin film with 5% Ag-doped content has the largest carrier concentration (8.1 × 1018 cm−3), the highest mobility (67 cm2 · V−1 · s−1), a small resistivity (0.09 Ω·cm), and impressive electrical properties.
Multidrug Resistance and Molecular Characterization of Streptococcus agalactiae Isolates From Dairy Cattle With Mastitis
Authors: Hernandez Luciana , Bottini Enriqueta , Cadona Jimena , Cacciato Claudio , Monteavaro Cristina , Bustamante Ana , Sanso Andrea Mariel
Published: April 2021

Streptococcus agalactiae is a pathogen-associated to bovine mastitis, a health disorder responsible for significant economic losses in the dairy industry. Antimicrobial therapy remains the main strategy for the control of this bacterium in dairy herds and human In order to get insight on molecular characteristics of S. agalactiae strains circulating among Argentinean cattle with mastitis, we received 1500 samples from 56 dairy farms between 2016 and 2019. We recovered 56 S. agalactiae isolates and characterized them in relation to serotypes, virulence genes, and antimicrobial susceptibility. Serotypes III and II were the most prevalent ones (46% and 41%, respectively), followed by Ia (7%). In relation to the 13 virulence genes screened in this study, the genes spb1, hylB, cylE, and PI-2b were present in all the isolates, meanwhile, bca, cpsA, and rib were detected in different frequencies, 36%, 96%, and 59%, respectively. On the other hand, bac, hvgA, lmb, PI-1, PI-2a, and scpB genes could not be detected in any of the isolates. Disk diffusion method against a panel of eight antimicrobial agents showed an important number of strains resistant simultaneously to five antibiotics. We also detected several resistance-encoding genes, tet(M), tet(O), ermB, aphA3, and lnu(B) (9%, 50%, 32%, 32%, and 5%, respectively). The results here presented are the first molecular data on S. agalactiae isolates causing bovine mastitis in Argentina and provide a foundation for the development of diagnostic, prophylactic, and therapeutic methods, including the perspective of a vaccine.
Chaos, Care, and Critique: Performing the Contemporary Academy During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Davies Sarah R.
Published: April 2021

The starting point for this article is that the COVID-19 global pandemic has brought normally invisible, taken-for-granted aspects of contemporary societies into sharp relief. I explore the analytical affordances of this moment through a focus on the nature of the contemporary academy, asking how this was performed on “academic Twitter” in the early months of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, therefore contributing to work that has characterized contemporary university, research practice, and social media discussion of this. I draw on a dataset of tweets from academic Twitter, systematically downloaded between 1 March and 24 July 2020, that are concerned with the pandemic, analyzing these through a qualitative, multimodal, and practice-oriented approach. I identify themes of the disruption of academic work, of care and care practices, and of critiques of injustice and inequity within academia, but also argue that the ways in which these topics are instantiated—through distinctive repertoires of humor and of emotional honesty, positivity, and gratitude—are central to performances of academic life. The analysis thus further contributes to studies of communication to and by other publics, and in particular, the ways in which the content and form of social media communication are intertwined.
RGB Colors and Ecological Optics
Authors: Koenderink Jan , van Doorn Andrea , Gegenfurtner Karl
Published: April 2021

Object color space is highly structured due to optical constraints (radiant power non-negative, reflectance factors between zero and unity) and ecological context (daylight illuminant). In this setting trichromacy induces a natural geometry through a unique spectral tripartition. Different from null-context colorimetry, one gains two desirable relations: The colorimetric coordinates are coarse-grained spectral reflectance factors and there is a direct link to color experiences, since RGB–coordinates provide ostensive definitions. The framework allows one to deal with subtractive color mixture, source variation, effects of metamerism and relations between scenes and image data in a unified, structured manner. In ecological contexts, colors are effectively object properties. The formal framework is linear algebra and convex geometry. Applications in human biology, computer graphics, design, etc., are immediate.
Clinical Significance of Variants in the TTN Gene in a Large Cohort of Patients With Sporadic Dilated Cardiomyopathy
Authors: Xiao Lei , Li Chenze , Sun Yang , Chen Yanghui , Wei Haoran , Hu Dong , Yu Ting , Li Xianqing , Jin Li , Shi Leming , Marian Ali J. , Wang Dao Wen
Published: April 2021

Background: Mutations in the TTN gene are the most common causes of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The clinical significance of TTN gene variants remains inadequately understood.

Methods: Whole-exome sequencing and phenotypic characterisation were performed, and patients were followed up for a median of 44 months.

Results: We analyzed the association of the TTN variants with the clinical outcomes in a prospective study of 1,041 patients with sporadic DCM. TTN truncating variants (tTTN) were detected in 120 (11.5%) patients as compared with 2.4/10,000 East Asian populations in the Genome Aggregation Database (GnomAD; p < 0.0001). Pathogenic TTN missense variants were also enriched in DCM as compared with the GnomAD populations (27.6 vs. 5.9%, p < 0.0001). DCM patients with tTTN had a lower left ventricular ejection fraction (28.89 ± 8.72 vs. 31.81 ± 9.97, p = 0.002) and a lower frequency of the left bundle branch block (3.3 vs. 11.3%, p = 0.011) than those without or with mutations in other known causal genes (OCG). However, tTTN were not associated with the composite primary endpoint of cardiac death and heart transplantation during the follow-up period [adjusted hazard ratio (HR): 0.912; 95% confidence interval: 0.464–1.793; p = 0.790]. There was also no sex-dependent effect. Concomitant tTTN and pathogenic variants in OCG were present in only eight DCM patients and did not affect the outcome.

Conclusion: The phenotype of DCM caused by tTTN, major causes of sporadic DCM, is not distinctly different from those caused by other causal genes for DCM.
Solar Radiation Prediction Using Different Machine Learning Algorithms and Implications for Extreme Climate Events
Authors: Huang Liexing , Kang Junfeng , Wan Mengxue , Fang Lei , Zhang Chunyan , Zeng Zhaoliang
Published: April 2021

Solar radiation is the Earth’s primary source of energy and has an important role in the surface radiation balance, hydrological cycles, vegetation photosynthesis, and weather and climate extremes. The accurate prediction of solar radiation is therefore very important in both the solar industry and climate research. We constructed 12 machine learning models to predict and compare daily and monthly values of solar radiation and a stacking model using the best of these algorithms were developed to predict solar radiation. The results show that meteorological factors (such as sunshine duration, land surface temperature, and visibility) are crucial in the machine learning models. Trend analysis between extreme land surface temperatures and the amount of solar radiation showed the importance of solar radiation in compound extreme climate events. The gradient boosting regression tree (GBRT), extreme gradient lifting (XGBoost), Gaussian process regression (GPR), and random forest models performed better (poor) prediction capabilities of daily and monthly solar radiation. The stacking model, which included the GBRT, XGBoost, GPR, and random forest models, performed better than the single models in the prediction of daily solar radiation but showed no advantage over the XGBoost model in the prediction of the monthly solar radiation. We conclude that the stacking model and the XGBoost model are the best models to predict solar radiation.
Effect of Ocean Fluid Changes on Pressure on the Seafloor: Ocean Assimilation Data Analysis on Warm-Core Rings off the Southeastern Coast of Hokkaido, Japan on an Interannual Timescale
Authors: Hasegawa Takuya , Nagano Akira , Ariyoshi Keisuke , Miyama Toru , Matsumoto Hiroyuki , Iwase Ryoichi , Wakita Masahide
Published: April 2021

The relationship between sea surface height (SSH) and seawater density anomalies, which affects the pressure on the seafloor (PSF) anomalies off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, was analyzed using the eddy-resolving spatial resolution ocean assimilation data of the JCOPE2M for the period 2001–2018. On an interannual (i.e., year-to-year) timescale, positive SSH anomalies of nearly 0.1 m appeared off the southeastern coast of Hokkaido, Japan, in 2007, associated with a warm-core ring (WCR), while stronger SSH anomalies (∼0.2 m) related to a stronger WCR occurred in 2016. The results show that the effects of such positive SSH anomalies on the PSF are almost canceled out by the effects of negative seawater density anomalies from the seafloor to the sea surface (SEP; steric effect on PSF) due to oceanic baroclinic structures related to the WCRs, especially in offshore regions with bottom depths greater than 1000 m. This means that oceanic isostasy is well established in deep offshore regions, compared with shallow coastal regions. To further verify the strength of the oceanic isostasy, oceanic isostasy anomalies (OIAs), which represent the barotropic component of SSH anomalies, are introduced and analyzed in this study. OIAs are defined as the sum of the SSH anomalies and SEP anomalies. Our results indicate that the effect of oceanic fluid changes due to SSH and seawater density anomalies (i.e., OIAs) on PSF changes cannot be neglected on an interannual timescale, although the amplitudes of the OIAs are nearly 10% of those of the SSH anomalies in the offshore regions. Therefore, to better estimate the interannual-scale PSF anomalies due to crustal deformation related to slow earthquakes including afterslips, long-term slow slip events, or plate convergence, the OIAs should be removed from the PSF anomalies.
Geochemical Characteristics of Hydrocarbons in Core Sediments From the Southwest Sub-Basin of the South China Sea and Its Implications for the Sedimentary Environment
Authors: Wang Xianqing , Wan Zhifeng , Chen Chongmin , Chen Sheng
Published: April 2021

Marine sediments are found to record various information for example the evolution of ocean and the exchange of matter and energy between the surrounding continents and oceans. The Southwest Sub-basin is one of the most important tectonic unit in the South China Sea Basin. The geochemical information of the sediments provides potential to understand the sedimentary history of the Southwest Sub-basin of South China Sea. In this paper, the aliphatic hydrocarbon compounds in two core sediments from the Southwest sub-basin were analyzed using lipid biomarker analysis. The average concentration of the total organic carbon (TOC) and the total nitrogen (TN) for both core sediment A and sediment B are similar, falling in the range of 0.64% ± 0.18 and 0.10% ± 0.02%, respectively. The C/N ratios vary from 3.2 to 11.1, reflecting that the organic carbon was a mixture of terrestrial and marine sources with more contributions from marine sources in core sediment B than sediment A. The long-chain n-alkanes of both core sediments show an even-odd predominance, reflecting the contributions of terrestrial higher plants and short-chain n-alkanes from marine plankton or bacteria. The Pr/Ph of core sediments A and B are 0.3–0.5 and 0.2–0.4, respectively, both of which are far less than 1, indicating that the sedimentary environment was dominated by strong reduction and long-term stability. The odd-even distribution of medium-chain n-alkanes (n-C14–20) in the core sediments A and B is due to the reduction of n-fatty acids with an odd carbon dominance in a strongly reductive depositional environment.
Severity of COVID-19 and Treatment Strategy for Patient With Diabetes
Authors: Jin Shi , Hu Weina
Published: April 2021

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), which was named by the World Health Organization (WHO) in February 2020, has quickly spread to more than 200 countries around the world and was declared as a global pandemic in March 2020. The severity of the disease makes it more prone to severe symptoms and higher mortality rates in patients, especially those who are with comorbidities, including high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and diabetes, increases the concern over the consequences of this pandemic. However, initial reports do not clearly describe whether diabetes itself or associated comorbidities or treatment strategies contribute to the severe prognosis of COVID-19 infections. Various clinical trials are being conducted on glucose-lowering agents but to date, there is no standard treatment protocol approved for COVID-19 cases with pre-existing diabetes. This review is aimed to decipher the potential risk factors of COVID-19 involved from existing evidence. Identification of a novel therapeutic strategy could be beneficial for combating SARS-CoV-2, which might be dreadful to debilitating people who have diabetes.
Predicting the Likelihood of Live Birth in Assisted Reproductive Technology According to the Number of Oocytes Retrieved and Female Age Using a Generalized Additive Model: A Retrospective Cohort Analysis of 17,948 Cycles
Authors: Zhu Haiyan , Zhao Chenqiong , Xiao Peiwen , Zhang Songying
Published: April 2021

Capsule

We designed a predictive reference model to evaluate how many stimulation cycles are needed for a patient to achieve an ideal live birth rate using assisted reproductive technology.

Objective

To develop a counseling tool for women who wish to undergo assisted reproductive technology (ART) treatment to predict the likelihood of live birth based on age and number of oocytes retrieved.

Methods

This was a 6-year population-based retrospective cohort analysis using individual patient ART data. Between 2012 and 2017, 17,948 women were analyzed from their single ovarian stimulation cycle until they had a live birth or had used all their embryos. All consecutive women between 20 and 49 years old undergoing their ovarian stimulation cycles for ART in our center were enrolled. The cumulative live birth rate (CLBR) was defined as the delivery of a live neonate born during fresh or subsequent frozen–thawed embryo transfer cycles. Only the first delivery was considered in the analysis. Binary logistic regression was performed to identify and adjust for factors known to affect the CLBR independently. A generalized additive model was used to build a predictive model of CLBR according to the woman’s age and the number of oocytes retrieved.

Results

An evidenced-based counseling tool was created to predict the probability of an individual woman having a live birth, based on her age and the number of oocytes retrieved in ART cycles. The model was verified by 10 times 10-fold cross-validation using the preprocessed data, and 100 area under the curve (AUC) values for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained on the test set. The mean AUC value was 0.7394. Our model predicts different CLBRs ranging from nearly 90% to less than 20% for women aged 20–49 years with at least 22 oocytes retrieved. The CLBRs of women aged 20–28 years were very similar, nearly on one trend line with a certain number of oocytes retrieved. Differences in the CLBR began to appear by the age of 29 years; these increased gradually in women aged >35 years.

Conclusion

A predictive model of the CLBR was designed to serve as a guide for physicians and for patients considering ART treatment. The number of oocytes needed to be retrieved to achieve a live birth depends on the woman’s age.
Vildagliptin Has a Neutral Association With Dementia Risk in Type 2 Diabetes Patients
Authors: Tseng Chin-Hsiao
Published: April 2021

Background and aims

Animal studies suggested that vildagliptin might exert a beneficial effect on cognitive function. The present study evaluated whether the use of vildagliptin in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus might affect dementia risk.

Methods

The database of Taiwan’s National Health Insurance was used to enroll an unmatched cohort and a propensity score-matched-pair cohort of ever and never users of vildagliptin from patients with newly diagnosed diabetes mellitus during 2002-2014. The patients should be alive on January 1, 2015 and were followed up for dementia diagnosis until December 31, 2016. Unadjusted and multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated for vildagliptin ever versus never users, for cumulative duration and cumulative dose of vildagliptin therapy categorized into tertiles versus never users, and for cumulative duration and cumulative dose treated as continuous variables.

Results

There were 355610 never users and 43196 ever users in the unmatched cohort and 40489 never users and 40489 ever users in the matched cohort. In the unmatched cohort, unadjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.929 (0.683-1.264) and the multivariate-adjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.922 (0.620-1.372). In the matched cohort, the unadjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.930 (0.616-1.402) and the multivariate-adjusted HR (95% CI) was 0.825 (0.498-1.367). None of the analyses conducted for cumulative duration and cumulative dose was significant, either being treated as tertile cutoffs or as continuous variables, in either the unmatched cohort or the matched cohort.

Conclusions

This study showed a neutral effect of vildagliptin on dementia risk.
The Small Size and Superficial Location Suggest That Laparoscopic Partial Nephrectomy Is the First Choice for the Treatment of Juxtaglomerular Cell Tumors
Authors: Ye Zixing , Fan Hua , Tong Anli , Xiao Yu , Zhang Yushi
Published: April 2021

Background

Juxtaglomerular cell tumor (JGCT) is a very rare disease, and surgical resection is the only possible way to cure this tumor. Open nephrectomy and partial nephrectomy have been reported to manage JGCTs with excellent results in the previous reviews. Laparoscopic surgery has been popularized in recent years, while critical issues associated with laparoscopic surgical management have been seldom reported. We summarized the JGCTs in our center to discover the optimal surgical management and its anatomic foundation.

Methods

In this retrospective study, we enrolled a total of 14 JGCT patients. All patients received surgeries and were followed up for up to 11 years. We mainly summarized the size and location of tumors, imaging features, and surgical strategies. A descriptive statistical analysis was performed.

Results

The JGCTs in this study had a median size of 1.35 cm and all located superficially, mainly in the cortical or subcortical area of the kidney. All 14 patients had hypertension, ten had hypokalemia, and seven had elevated plasma renin activity. Pathologically, JGCT cells were polygonal or spindle shape, with positive CD34 and vimentin immunostaining. All patients received partial nephrectomy; nine were laparoscopic, and five were open. Laparoscopic partial nephrectomy (LPN) was performed in seven out of eight patients over the last nine years. Postoperative blood pressure, serum potassium, and plasma renin activity were normal in all patients. No recurrence occurred within a median follow-up of 60 months.

Conclusion

The small size and superficial location are the characteristic anatomic features of JGCT; they suggest that LPN is the preferred surgical strategy. Laparoscopic ultrasound is helpful for the intraoperative detection of small JGCTs. Longer follow-up is required to examine the biological behavior of JGCTs and the effect of LPN.