bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cooked broiler meat quality affected by different Mediterranean medicinal plants in the diet
Authors: AL-Hijazeen Marwan A. , AL-Rawashdeh Mustafa S. , Al-Rabadi Ghaid J.
Published: August 2021

Objective: This study was conducted to investigate the effects of adding oregano (Origanum syriacum L.) and germander (Teucrium polium L.) to poultry diets individually and/or in combination: i) on cooked chicken meat quality and storage stability, ii) to compare this effect with those of the synthetic antioxidant butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) and with the normal basic diet (Control: without supplements).Methods: Broilers (140 birds) were raised for 21 days and then equally divided into five different treatment groups of 28 birds each. The dietary treatments were as follows: i) control; ii) germander (GER, 1.5%); iii) oregano (ORE, 2.5%); iv) combination of GER and ORE (CM, 1.5%, and 2.5%); v) BHA (0.02%). Meat patties from the five treatments were prepared, cooked, and stored at 4°C prior to analysis. During storage, samples were measured for thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARS) and total carbonyl levels at 0, 4, and 7 days. In addition, cooked thigh meat was prepared separately to evaluate cooking loss and sensory attributes.Results: The CM dietary treatment showed the highest antioxidant effect, with decreasing TBARS values (breast and thigh meat) throughout the storage time (4 to 7 days). Furthermore, ORE showed a higher antioxidant effect, decreasing the rancidity development (TBARS values), compared to the GER during the storage period (days 0 to 7). The anticarbonyl effect of the CM supplement was the highest among all treatments from day 0 to 7. Generally, the antioxidant effect of GER was lower compared to that of ORE and BHA alone. The CM treatment most significantly decreased off-odor and rancidity development, with the lowest oxidation odor scores.Conclusion: The results indicate that the combination of oregano and germander in the diet of boilers improves meat quality and prolongs shelf life.
Letrozole, an aromatase inhibitor, improves seminal parameters and hormonal profile in aged endangered Markhoz bucks
Authors: Rezaei Ako , Vaziry Asaad , Farshad Abbas
Published: August 2021

Objective: Letrozole, a potent aromatase inhibitor, is known to have the potential to modify male reproductive function by altering sex hormone levels. This study aimed to evaluate the semen and testicular characteristics and hormonal profile of aged Mrakhoz bucks (Capra hircus) treated with letrozole.Methods: Twelve Markhoz male goats, aged between 4.5 to 5.5 years with an average body weight (BW) of 61.05±4.97 kg were used for the study. Animals were randomly divided into two equal groups and subcutaneously received either 0.25 mg/kg BW of letrozole or a control every week for 2 months. The semen collections were performed every 10 days, and blood samples and testicular biometric records were collected at 20 days intervals.Results: Letrozole causes increased testosterone and follicle-stimulating hormone levels, testosterone to estradiol ratio, semen index and reaction time during the period from 20th to 60th days (p<0.05). Furthermore, letrozole-treated bucks had higher semen volume, sperm concentration, and total sperm per ejaculate from 30th to 60th days (p<0.05). However, no differences occurred between the groups in scrotal circumference, relative testicular volume, semen pH, abnormality, acrosome integrity, and membrane integrity of sperm during the study (p>0.05). The serum luteinizing hormone levels, sperm viability, motility, and progressive motility increased, and estradiol levels decreased after 40th to 60th days of letrozole treatment (p<0.05).Conclusion: Letrozole application to aged Markhoz bucks provokes reproductive hormonal axis which, in turn, induces enhancement of semen production and quality.
Evaluation of recent changes in genetic variability in Thoroughbred horses based on microsatellite markers parentage panel in Korea
Authors: Park Chul Song , Lee Sun Young , Cho Gil Jae
Published: August 2021

Objective: In this study, we aimed to investigate the recent changes such as allele frequencies and total probability of exclusion (PE) in Thoroughbred horses in Korea using short tandem repeat (STR) parentage panels between 2006 and 2016.Methods: The genotype was provided for 5,988 horse samples with 15 microsatellite markers (AHT4, AHT5, ASB2, ASB17, ASB23, CA425, HMS1, HMS2, HMS3, HMS6, HMS7, HTG4, HTG10, LEX3 and VHL20).Results: In our study, the observed number of alleles per locus ranged from 3 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB17) in 2006 and 4 (HMS1) to 9 (ASB2) in 2016, with a mean value of 6.28 and 6.40, respectively. Of the 15 markers, HMS2, HTG4, and CA425 loci had relatively low polymorphism information content (<0.5000) in the Thoroughbred population. Mean levels of genetic variation in 2006 and 2016 were observed heterozygosity (HO) = 0.708, and expected heterozygosity (HE) = 0.685, as well as and HO = 0.699 and HE = 0.682, respectively. The PE was calculated for each group based on the allele frequencies of 14 or 15 STRs. The 2006 survey analyzed that PE was 0.9998, but it increased to 0.9999 in 2016 after the HMS2 marker was added in 2011. The current STR panel is still a powerful tool for parentage verification that contributes to the maintenance of integrity in the Thoroughbred population.Conclusion: The current STR panel is still a powerful tool for parentage verification that contributes to the maintenance of integrity in the Thoroughbred horses. However, continuous monitoring genetic variability is necessary.
Model Predictive Control of UCG: An Experiment and Simulation Study
Authors: Kacur Jan , Flegner Patrik , Durdan Milan , Laciak Marek
Published: August 2021

Underground coal gasification (UCG) is a potential technology that enables to mine coal without traditional mining equipment. The coal is gasified deep in underground and produced syngas is processed on the surface. The most important technical problem in UCG is unstable quality of syngas and control. This paper proposes advanced control based on an adaptive predictive controller. The maintaining of desired calorific value depends on flow rates of gasification agents injected to the underground geo-reactor and controlled exhaust. The paper proposes a physical model of UCG technology and applies a method of multivariate adaptive regression splines (MARS) to model the gasification process. This method satisfactorily approximates nonlinearity in the process variables. The paper proposes adaptive model predictive control (MPC) using online model estimation and applied it on the MARS model of UCG that imitates the real process. The results have shown that optimization of manipulation variables can replace manual control in UCG. Getting better quality of syngas depends on setpoints, optimized manipulation variables, and constraints used in MPC. In simulations, the adaptive MPC has shown better performance in comparison with manual and PI control.
Internationaler Schutz im Falle extremer Armut
Authors: Oepen-Mathey Meta
Published: August 2021

The book critically examines the juxtaposition of refugees eligible for admission or subsidiary protection and so-called poverty or economic refugees allegedly ineligible for protection. With regard to the question of whether international protection should be granted in cases of extreme poverty on the basis of the Common European Asylum System, the role of economic, social and cultural rights as well as the case law of the two European courts are examined in particular. Furthermore, existing challenges are identified and a proposal for a solution that closes protection gaps in the sense of a more far-reaching harmonisation of the European system is presented.
The Effect of Eight Weeks of Training on Positive and Negative Slopes with Royal Jelly Consumption on MGMT and ATPase Gene Expression Levels in the Hippocampus Tissue of Trimethyltin-Induced Alzheimer’s Rats
Authors: Giti Zahra , Banaeifar Abdolali , Arshadi Sajad , Azarbayjani Mohammad Ali
Published: August 2021

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a common disease in the elderly that is associated with impaired metabolism and biology of the hippocampus. Although the role of exercise and natural antioxidants in improving the disease has been reported, the role of muscle contraction-related physical activity along with royal jelly (RJ) consumption is not yet well understood. Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the effect of eight weeks of training on positive slope (ETPS) and negative slope (ETNS) with royal jelly (RJ) consumption on O-6-methylguanine DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) and ATPase gene expression levels in the hippocampus tissue of trimethyltin (TMT)-induced AD rats. Methods: In this experimental trial, 36 male Sprague-Dawley AD rats (induced with 8 mg/kg TMT) were divided into (1) control + normal saline/royal jelly solvent) (Sh); (2) ETPS; (3) ETNS; (4) ETPS + RJ; (5) ETNS + RJ, and (6) RJ groups. Six rats were placed in the healthy control (HC) group. Then the training groups trained on ( + 15 and -15) slopes for eight weeks, five sessions per week, and each session lasted 60 minutes at a speed of 16 m/min. The royal jelly (RJ) groups received 100 mg/kg royal jelly per day by intraperitoneal injection. Results: ETNS, ETPS, ETPS + RJ, and ETNS + RJ increased MGMT gene expression (P ≤ 0.05). ETPS and ETPS + RJ also increased ATPase gene expression (P ≤ 0.05). However, RJ had no significant effect on increasing MGMT and ATPase gene expression in the hippocampus tissue of AD rats (P ≥ 0.05). Conclusions: It seems that the improvement of DNA damage markers and energy levels depends on the type of contraction. Although training on positive and negative slopes with royal jelly consumption has an interactive effect on DNA repair markers, training on a positive slope and royal jelly consumption has an interactive effect on ATPase gene expression.
Effectiveness of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy with and Without Computer-based Cognitive Rehabilitation Therapy on Emotion Regulation and Response Inhibition in Methamphetamine Abusers
Authors: Ghanbari Pirkashani Nikzad , Shahidi Shahriar , Heidari Mahmood , Nejati Vahid
Published: August 2021

Background: Despite extensive evidence on cognitive deficits and difficulty in emotion regulation related to substance abuse, especially methamphetamine abuse, a few well-organized programs could have improved cognitive abilities and emotion regulation in drug users. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Interpersonal and Social Rhythm therapy (IPSRT) alone and combined with Cognitive Rehabilitation therapy (CRT) on inhibitory response and emotion dysregulation in people with methamphetamine use disorder. Patients and Methods: The current quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design included two intervention groups. Forty methamphetamine abusers were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and assigned randomly to the IPSRT (n = 20) and IPSRT + CRT (n = 20) groups. The first group received IPSRT in 12 sessions, two 60 min sessions per week. The second group received IPSRT and 16 sessions of CRT. Subjects were assessed three times at pre-intervention, immediately after the intervention, and four weeks after the intervention. The Go/No-Go test (a neuro-cognitive task) and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS-36) was used to gather the data. Data was analyzed by descriptive statistics and mixed repeated ANOVA. Results: The results indicated that the two interventions had significant long-term effects on increasing the inhibitory response and decreasing emotion dysregulation. In addition, IPSRT with CRT was more effective than IPSRT alone in promoting executive functions and decreasing emotion dysregulation. Conclusions: The findings of this study provide evidence that adding CRT as an adjunct intervention to psychological interventions such as IPSRT can improve emotional and cognitive performance. Therefore, a combination of psychological interventions with CRT can be considered a useful intervention in addiction treatment centers.
Antiracist School Counselor Preparation: Expanding on the Five Tenets of the Transforming School Counseling Initiative
Authors: Mason Erin , Robertson Adrianne , Gay Jan , Clarke Nkenji , Holcomb-McCoy Cheryl
Published: August 2021

As a profession, school counseling must serve as an active force against systemic racism, and school counselor preparation must equip future professionals as antiracist agents of change. This article expands the original Transforming School Counseling Initiative (TSCI) tenets that sought to re-envision school counselor preparation in the late 1990s with language that explicitly supports antiracism. The authors offer a definition of antiracist school counseling and sample assignments and experiences that align with the revised tenets.
The Case for a Core Anti-racist Course for Counselors in Training
Authors: Gonzalez Ileana A. , Cokley Raven K.
Published: August 2021

Historically, counseling programs in the United States have been rooted in whiteness and white supremacy. Despite this historical context, counseling programs fail to teach students about the varied ways that anti-Blackness and systemic racism show up in society, classrooms, and clinical settings. Given the systemic murders of Black folks by the state, the health disparities highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and the refusal of white voters to abandon white supremacist patriarchy in the 2020 presidential election, the counseling field must reconsider how it prepares trainees to embrace anti-racism in their personal and professional lives. The purpose of this article is to propose a core anti-racist counseling course to assist students in developing an anti-racist counseling identity including pedagogical practices, course learning objectives and assignments. Implications will be provided for counselor preparation programs, counseling students, and counselor educators to employ.
Toward a Voice-Centered Relational Anti-Racist Listening Praxis in Counselor Education
Authors: Bertrand Michelle R.
Published: August 2021

This article outlines key elements of an anti-racist listening praxis in counselor education. It demonstrates how racism in relationships of teaching and learning impacts racialized subjectivities, and the personal, cultural and ancestral worlds these subjectivities articulate, in a way that limits the capacity of racialized practitioners to be relational subjects and uses them instead to reinforce White/Western normativity. It describes a way of both listening to and challenging these impacts by re-centering the “I” of racialized speakers and the personal, cultural and traditional knowledges, identities and preferred ways of being to which they refer in their stories. Examples of the listening praxis are offered. Practical applications in research and methods of teaching and learning in counselor education are considered.
Multi-Tiered Intensive Supervision: A Culturally-Informed Method of Clinical Supervision
Authors: Cartwright Angie D. , Carey Chandra D. , Chen Huan , Hammonds Dominique , Reyes Ana G. , White Mickey E.
Published: August 2021

n this exploratory phenomenological study, the authors researched the experiences of doctoral level supervisors (N=5) who piloted a new supervision approach, Multi-Tiered Intensive Supervision (MTIS). MTIS is a 13-week supervision intervention that involves hierarchical supervisory experiences which includes clinical supervision with three different professionals. This approach applies an anti-racist framework and merges the components of traditional supervision models which allows concepts such as knowledge development of multicultural counseling theory, conceptualization of the intersectionality of cultural identities and enhanced personal self-awareness across each layer of supervision. Five themes were identified: (a) recognition of power, privilege, and oppression; (b) personal impact; (c) deficits in current supervision training and models; (d) supervisory skill development; and (e) impact of MTIS. Implications and recommendations for supervisors, counselor education programs, and researchers are provided.
Combinations of maternal-specific repressive epigenetic marks in the endosperm control seed dormancy
Authors: Sato Hikaru , Santos-González Juan , Köhler Claudia
Published: August 2021

Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2)-mediated trimethylation of histone H3 on lysine 27 (H3K27me3) and methylation of histone 3 on lysine 9 (H3K9me) are two repressive epigenetic modifications that are typically localized in distinct regions of the genome. For reasons unknown, however, they co-occur in some organisms and special tissue types. In this study, we show that maternal alleles marked by H3K27me3 in the Arabidopsis endosperm were targeted by the H3K27me3 demethylase REF6 and became activated during germination. In contrast, maternal alleles marked by H3K27me3, H3K9me2, and CHG methylation (CHGm) are likely to be protected from REF6 targeting and remained silenced. Our study unveils that combinations of different repressive epigenetic modifications time a key adaptive trait by modulating access of REF6.
A unified platform to manage, share, and archive morphological and functional data in insect neuroscience
Authors: Heinze Stanley , el Jundi Basil , Berg Bente G , Homberg Uwe , Menzel Randolf , Pfeiffer Keram , Hensgen Ronja , Zittrell Frederick , Dacke Marie , Warrant Eric , Pfuhl Gerit , Rybak Jürgen , Tedore Kevin
Published: August 2021

Insect neuroscience generates vast amounts of highly diverse data, of which only a small fraction are findable, accessible and reusable. To promote an open data culture, we have therefore developed the InsectBrainDatabase (IBdb), a free online platform for insect neuroanatomical and functional data. The IBdb facilitates biological insight by enabling effective cross-species comparisons, by linking neural structure with function, and by serving as general information hub for insect neuroscience. The IBdb allows users to not only effectively locate and visualize data, but to make them widely available for easy, automated reuse via an application programming interface. A unique private mode of the database expands the IBdb functionality beyond public data deposition, additionally providing the means for managing, visualizing, and sharing of unpublished data. This dual function creates an incentive for data contribution early in data management workflows and eliminates the additional effort normally associated with publicly depositing research data.
Superspreaders drive the largest outbreaks of hospital onset COVID-19 infections
Authors: Illingworth Christopher JR , Hamilton William L , Warne Ben , Routledge Matthew , Popay Ashley , Jackson Chris , Fieldman Tom , Meredith Luke W , Houldcroft Charlotte J , Hosmillo Myra , Jahun Aminu S , Caller Laura G , Caddy Sarah L , Yakovleva Anna , Hall Grant , Khokhar Fahad A , Feltwell Theresa , Pinckert Malte L , Georgana Iliana , Chaudhry Yasmin , Curran Martin D , Parmar Surendra , Sparkes Dominic , Rivett Lucy , Jones Nick K , Sridhar Sushmita , Forrest Sally , Dymond Tom , Grainger Kayleigh , Workman Chris , Ferris Mark , Gkrania-Klotsas Effrossyni , Brown Nicholas M , Weekes Michael P , Baker Stephen , Peacock Sharon J , Goodfellow Ian G , Gouliouris Theodore , de Angelis Daniela , Török M Estée
Published: August 2021

SARS-CoV-2 is notable both for its rapid spread, and for the heterogeneity of its patterns of transmission, with multiple published incidences of superspreading behaviour. Here, we applied a novel network reconstruction algorithm to infer patterns of viral transmission occurring between patients and health care workers (HCWs) in the largest clusters of COVID-19 infection identified during the first wave of the epidemic at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, UK. Based upon dates of individuals reporting symptoms, recorded individual locations, and viral genome sequence data, we show an uneven pattern of transmission between individuals, with patients being much more likely to be infected by other patients than by HCWs. Further, the data were consistent with a pattern of superspreading, whereby 21% of individuals caused 80% of transmission events. Our study provides a detailed retrospective analysis of nosocomial SARS-CoV-2 transmission, and sheds light on the need for intensive and pervasive infection control procedures.
Identification of neural progenitor cells and their progeny reveals long distance migration in the developing octopus brain
Authors: Deryckere Astrid , Styfhals Ruth , Elagoz Ali Murat , Maes Gregory E , Seuntjens Eve
Published: August 2021

Cephalopods have evolved nervous systems that parallel the complexity of mammalian brains in terms of neuronal numbers and richness in behavioral output. How the cephalopod brain develops has only been described at the morphological level, and it remains unclear where the progenitor cells are located and what molecular factors drive neurogenesis. Using histological techniques, we located dividing cells, neural progenitors and postmitotic neurons in Octopus vulgaris embryos. Our results indicate that an important pool of progenitors, expressing the conserved bHLH transcription factors achaete-scute or neurogenin, is located outside the central brain cords in the lateral lips adjacent to the eyes, suggesting that newly formed neurons migrate into the cords. Lineage-tracing experiments then showed that progenitors, depending on their location in the lateral lips, generate neurons for the different lobes, similar to the squid Doryteuthis pealeii. The finding that octopus newborn neurons migrate over long distances is reminiscent of vertebrate neurogenesis and suggests it might be a fundamental strategy for large brain development.
An evidence-based 3D reconstruction of Asteroxylon mackiei, the most complex plant preserved from the Rhynie chert
Authors: Hetherington Alexander J , Bridson Siobhán L , Lee Jones Anna , Hass Hagen , Kerp Hans , Dolan Liam
Published: August 2021

The Early Devonian Rhynie chert preserves the earliest terrestrial ecosystem and informs our understanding of early life on land. However, our knowledge of the 3D structure, and development of these plants is still rudimentary. Here we used digital 3D reconstruction techniques to produce the first well-evidenced reconstruction of the structure and development of the rooting system of the lycopsid Asteroxylon mackiei, the most complex plant in the Rhynie chert. The reconstruction reveals the organisation of the three distinct axis types – leafy shoot axes, root-bearing axes, and rooting axes – in the body plan. Combining this reconstruction with developmental data from fossilised meristems, we demonstrate that the A. mackiei rooting axis – a transitional lycophyte organ between the rootless ancestral state and true roots – developed from root-bearing axes by anisotomous dichotomy. Our discovery demonstrates how this unique organ developed and highlights the value of evidence-based reconstructions for understanding the development and evolution of the first complex vascular plants on Earth.
Cancer risk perception and physician communication behaviors on cervical cancer and colorectal cancer screening
Authors: Harper Diane M , Tariq Madiha , Alhawli Asraa , Syed Nadia , Patel Minal , Resnicow Ken
Published: August 2021

Background:

Women 50–65 years of age have the lowest cervical and colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates among ages recommended for screening. The primary aim of this work is to determine how cancer risk perceptions and provider communication behaviors, in addition to known demographic factors, influence the uptake of both cervical and CRC screening or a single screen among women in southeast Michigan.

Methods:

Fourteen health services and communication behavior questions were adapted from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) and administered to a multiethnic sample of adults in southeast Michigan. The outcome variable was self-reported up-to-date cervical cancer and/or CRC screening as defined by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Demographic and cancer risk/communication behavior responses of the four screening populations (both tests, one test, no tests) were analyzed with multinomial regression for all comparisons.

Results:

Of the 394 respondents, 54% were up to date for both cervical and CRC screening, 21% were up to date with only cervical cancer screening and 12% were up to date for only CRC screening. Of the 14 risk perception and communication behavior questions, only ‘Did your primary care physician (PCP) involve you in the decisions about your health care as much as you wanted?’ was significantly associated with women having both screens compared to only cervical cancer screening (aOR 1.67; 95% CI: 1.08, 2.57). The multivariate model showed age, and Middle East and North African (MENA) ethnicity and Black race, in addition to PCP-patient dyad decision-making to be associated with the cancer screenings women completed.

Conclusions:

Optimizing PCP-patient decision-making in health care may increase opportunities for both cervical cancer and CRC screening either in the office or by self-sampling. Understanding the effects of age and the different interventional strategies needed for MENA women compared to Black women will inform future intervention trials aimed to increase both cancer screenings.

Funding:

This work was supported by NIH through the Michigan Institute for Clinical and Health Research UL1TR002240 and by NCI through The University of Michigan Rogel Cancer Center P30CA046592-29-S4 grants.
Analysis of meiosis in Pristionchus pacificus reveals plasticity in homolog pairing and synapsis in the nematode lineage
Authors: Rillo-Bohn Regina , Adilardi Renzo , Mitros Therese , Avşaroğlu Barış , Stevens Lewis , Köhler Simone , Bayes Joshua , Wang Clara , Lin Sabrina , Baskevitch K Alienor , Rokhsar Daniel S , Dernburg Abby F
Published: August 2021

Meiosis is conserved across eukaryotes yet varies in the details of its execution. Here we describe a new comparative model system for molecular analysis of meiosis, the nematode Pristionchus pacificus, a distant relative of the widely studied model organism Caenorhabditis elegans. P. pacificus shares many anatomical and other features that facilitate analysis of meiosis in C. elegans. However, while C. elegans has lost the meiosis-specific recombinase Dmc1 and evolved a recombination-independent mechanism to synapse its chromosomes, P. pacificus expresses both DMC-1 and RAD-51. We find that SPO-11 and DMC-1 are required for stable homolog pairing, synapsis, and crossover formation, while RAD-51 is dispensable for these key meiotic processes. RAD-51 and DMC-1 localize sequentially to chromosomes during meiotic prophase and show nonoverlapping functions. We also present a new genetic map for P. pacificus that reveals a crossover landscape very similar to that of C. elegans, despite marked divergence in the regulation of synapsis and crossing-over between these lineages.
Derivative-free optimization adversarial attacks for graph convolutional networks
Authors: Yang Runze , Long Teng
Published: August 2021

In recent years, graph convolutional networks (GCNs) have emerged rapidly due to their excellent performance in graph data processing. However, recent researches show that GCNs are vulnerable to adversarial attacks. An attacker can maliciously modify edges or nodes of the graph to mislead the model’s classification of the target nodes, or even cause a degradation of the model’s overall classification performance. In this paper, we first propose a black-box adversarial attack framework based on derivative-free optimization (DFO) to generate graph adversarial examples without using gradient and apply advanced DFO algorithms conveniently. Second, we implement a direct attack algorithm (DFDA) using the Nevergrad library based on the framework. Additionally, we overcome the problem of large search space by redesigning the perturbation vector using constraint size. Finally, we conducted a series of experiments on different datasets and parameters. The results show that DFDA outperforms Nettack in most cases, and it can achieve an average attack success rate of more than 95% on the Cora dataset when perturbing at most eight edges. This demonstrates that our framework can fully exploit the potential of DFO methods in node classification adversarial attacks.
In silico predictions of protein interactions between Zika virus and human host
Authors: Pitta João Luiz de Lemos Padilha , Vasconcelos Crhisllane Rafaele dos Santos , Wallau Gabriel da Luz , Campos Túlio de Lima , Rezende Antonio Mauro
Published: August 2021

Background

The ZIKA virus (ZIKV) belongs to the Flaviviridae family, was first isolated in the 1940s, and remained underreported until its global threat in 2016, where drastic consequences were reported as Guillan-Barre syndrome and microcephaly in newborns. Understanding molecular interactions of ZIKV proteins during the host infection is important to develop treatments and prophylactic measures; however, large-scale experimental approaches normally used to detect protein-protein interaction (PPI) are onerous and labor-intensive. On the other hand, computational methods may overcome these challenges and guide traditional approaches on one or few protein molecules. The prediction of PPIs can be used to study host-parasite interactions at the protein level and reveal key pathways that allow viral infection.

Results

Applying Random Forest and Support Vector Machine (SVM) algorithms, we performed predictions of PPI between two ZIKV strains and human proteomes. The consensus number of predictions of both algorithms was 17,223 pairs of proteins. Functional enrichment analyses were executed with the predicted networks to access the biological meanings of the protein interactions. Some pathways related to viral infection and neurological development were found for both ZIKV strains in the enrichment analysis, but the JAK-STAT pathway was observed only for strain PE243 when compared with the FSS13025 strain.

Conclusions

The consensus network of PPI predictions made by Random Forest and SVM algorithms allowed an enrichment analysis that corroborates many aspects of ZIKV infection. The enrichment results are mainly related to viral infection, neuronal development, and immune response, and presented differences among the two compared ZIKV strains. Strain PE243 presented more predicted interactions between proteins from the JAK-STAT signaling pathway, which could lead to a more inflammatory immune response when compared with the FSS13025 strain. These results show that the methodology employed in this study can potentially reveal new interactions between the ZIKV and human cells.
A new threat to local marine biodiversity: filamentous mats proliferating at mesophotic depths off Rapa Nui
Authors: Sellanes Javier , Gorny Matthias , Zapata-Hernández Germán , Alvarez Gonzalo , Muñoz Praxedes , Tala Fadia
Published: August 2021

Mesophotic and deeper habitats (∼40 to 350 m in depth) around Rapa Nui (Easter Island) were investigated using a remotely operated vehicle. We observed extensive fields of filamentous cyanobacteria-like mats covering sandy substrates and mostly dead mesophotic Leptoseris spp. reefs. These mats covered up to 100% of the seafloor off Hanga Roa, the main village on the island, located on its western side. The highest mortality of corals was observed at depths between 70 and 95 m in this area. Healthy Leptoseris reefs were documented off the northern and southeastern sides of the island, which are also the least populated. A preliminary morphologic analysis of samples of the mats indicated that the assemblage is composed of at least four filamentous taxa, including two cyanobacteria (cf. Lyngbya sp. and Pseudoanabaena sp.), a brown alga (Ectocarpus sp.), and a green alga (Cladophora sp.). An ongoing eutrophication process is suggested as a potential driver of the proliferation of these filamentous mats off Hanga Roa village.
Enhanced quadratic approximation integrated with butterfly optimization: a new search algorithm tested on structural and mathematical problems
Authors:   Graduate School of Natural and Applied Sciences, Ege University, Izmir, 35100 (Turkey), Mortazavi Ali , Seker Soner ,   Civil Engineering Department, Uşak University, Uşak, 64000 (Turkey)
Published: August 2021

The Butterfly Optimization Algorithm (BOA) is a swarm based technique, inspired from mating and food searching process of butterflies, developed in last year. Experiments indicate that BOA provides substantial exploration capability on conventional non-constrained benchmark problems, however for the cases with more complex and noisy domains the algorithm can easily be trapped into local minima due to its restricted exploitation behavior. To tackle this issue, current study deals with introducing an alternative search strategy to explore the region of the search domain with high certainty. Such that, firstly a weighted agent is defined and then a quadratic search is performed in the vicinity of this pre-defined agent. This alternative search strategy is named as Enhanced Quadratic Approximation (EQA) and it is combined with BOA method to improve its exploitation behavior and provide an efficient search algorithm. Thus, obtained new method is named as Enhanced Quadratic Approximation Integrated with Butterfly Optimization (EQB) algorithm. Different properties of proposed EQB are tested on mathematical and structural benchmark problems. Acquired results show that the introduced algorithm, in comparison with its parent method and some other well-stablished reported algorithms in the literature, provides a competitive performance in terms of stability, accuracy and convergence rate.
Long-term sulfuric and hydrochloric acid resistance of silica fume and colemanite waste reinforced metakaolin-based geopolymers
Authors:   Yildiz Technical University, Department of Civil Engineering Davutpasa Campus, 34220, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey), Aygörmez Yurdakul , Canpolat Orhan ,   Yildiz Technical University, Department of Civil Engineering Davutpasa Campus, 34220, Esenler, Istanbul (Turkey)
Published: August 2021

For this paper, silica fume (SF), slag (S), and colemanite waste (C) were added to metakaolin (MK)-based geopolymer composites and exposed to 10% (by volume) hydrochloric acid (HCl) and sulfuric acid (H2SO4) solutions for up to 12 months. Geopolymer composites were examined in terms of weight loss, compressive strength, and flexural strength at 3, 6, and 12 months in solutions. Furthermore, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Micro-computed Tomography (micro-CT), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), and X-ray Diffraction (XRD) analyses were carried out to examine the microstructure before and after acid attacks. An important decrease in flexural and compressive strengths was seen when geopolymer mortars were subjected to sulfuric and hydrochloric acid attacks. The main cause of this situation is the deterioration of the oxy-aluminum bridge (-Al-Si-O) when exposed to sulfuric and hydrochloric acid. The oxy-aluminum bridge (-Al-Si-O), the primary factor in the geopolymer matrix, plays a significant role in consolidating the gel and enhancing the bond formed between the matrix components. Despite this, geopolymer mortar samples maintain the aluminosilicate structure. Compared to hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid is a stronger solution, resulting in a greater loss of compressive and flexural strengths.
Comparative analysis of stress distributions and displacements in rigid and flexible pavements via finite element method
Authors:   Department of Civil Engineering, OsmaniyeKorkut Ata University, 80010, Osmaniye (Turkey), Serin Sercan , Oğuzhanoğlu Muhammet Ahmet ,   Institute of Natural Sciences, Department of Civil Engineering, OsmaniyeKorkut Ata University, 80010, Osmaniye (Turkey), Kayadelen Cafer ,   Department of Civil Engineering, OsmaniyeKorkut Ata University, 80010, Osmaniye (Turkey)
Published: August 2021

In many countries of the world, rigid and flexible pavements are widely used. Some of the external factors such as stresses and displacements play major role in the design of pavement layers such as coating, base and sub-base. Although empirical formulas and methods were used in the calculation and design of the pavement layers, complexity of today's transportation engineering demands effectiveness of the empirical formulas were diminished. Nowadays complex problems can be easily simulated and solved thanks to the higher analysis capabilities of the computer-aided softwares. In this study, the stress distributions and displacements were examined under traffic loads in rigid and flexible pavements with different coating layer thicknesses (30 mm, 50mm, 70mm, 100 mm, and 150 mm) by using finite element method. As a result, the vertical displacement in the flexible pavements were obtained as 5% higher than the vertical displacement in the rigid pavements. Based on the stress distribution results, the stress values of flexible pavements were 60% lower than the stress values of the rigid pavements. Moreover, It was determined that the stresses in the rigid pavements remain in the coating layer, while the stresses in the flexible pavements reach the base and sub-base. In addition, regression models have been developed to predict stress and displacements by using layer thicknesses. High correlation and determination coefficient values (> 0.90) were achieved based on the regression analysis both in flexible and rigid pavements.
Frictional properties between geocells filled with granular material
Authors:   Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Department of Civil Engineering, 80000, Osmaniye (Turkey), Altay Gökhan , Kayadelen Cafer ,   Osmaniye Korkut Ata University, Department of Civil Engineering, 80000, Osmaniye (Turkey), Taskiran Taha ,   Ankara Yildirim Beyazit University, Department of Civil Engineering, 06830, Ankara (Turkey), Bagriacik Baki ,   Cukurova University, Department of Civil Engineering, 01380, Adana (Turkey), Toprak Okkes ,   Osmaniye Korkut University, Department of Civil Engineering, 80000, Osmaniye (Turkey)
Published: August 2021

The parameters concerning the interaction between geocell and granular materials is required for the design of many geotechnical structures. With this in mind, a series of experiments using simple direct shear tests are conducted in order to understand the frictional properties between geocells filled with granular materials. The 54 test samples are prepared by filling the geocell with granular materials having three different gradations. These samples are tested at three different relative densities under three different normal stress levels. As a result, it was observed that interface resistance between the geocells filled with granular material is found to be generally greater than in the samples without geocells. Additionally, these samples with geocells are found to be stiffer; this is due to the fact that the samples with geocell gained more cohesion because geocells confined the grains within a restricted volume.
Selection of insulation materials with PSI-CRITIC based CoCoSo method
Authors:   International Trade and Logistics Department, Sivas Cumhuriyet University, 58140 (Turkey), Ulutaş Alptekin , Balo Figen ,   Industrial Engineering Department, Fırat University, 23100 (Turkey), Sua Lutfu ,   Department of Marketing and Management, Southern University, 70813 (Kyrgyzstan), Karabasevic Darjan ,   Faculty of Applied Management, Economics and Finance, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 21102 (Serbia), Stanujkic Dragisa ,   Technical Faculty in Bor, University of Belgrade, 11000 (Serbia), Popovic Gabrijela ,   Faculty of Applied Management, Economics and Finance, University Business Academy in Novi Sad, 21102 (Serbia)
Published: August 2021

The performance effect of construction on energy conservation substantially depends upon application of correct materials and energy saving methodologies. A sizable financial impact is accomplished through insulated walls. The criteria explaining the present wall insulating material options may have different values. Furthermore, they may alter in different aspects, i.e. higher values of certain criteria show a preferable status, while for others they denote an inferior status. In this framework, a variant of compromise is needed, which can be situated through multi-criteria assessment methodologies. To diminish the effect of different methodologies on computational results, few diverse techniques can be considered, with descriptions of the mean predicted values. Thus, drawbacks of certain multi-criteria assessment techniques could be compensated through others. A hybrid methodology through the combination of individual techniques will be accurate if there is a relationship between the values determined through diverse methodologies. In this study, the most efficient insulation material used at external walls is selected by using PSI-CRITIC based CoCoSo Method. The analytical results are important both from financial and engineering point of views as the applied methodology is commercially viable and practically implementable. Precise and up-to-date material properties are derived from the leading companies in the sector.
Teaching ideas for improving oral performance through formulaic language instruction
Authors: Ogawa Chie
Published: August 2021

This article suggests three teaching ideas to help L2 learners improve speaking performances through form-focused instruction using formulaic language. Formulaic language is considered an effective way to foster speaking fluency because prefabricated chunks are faster to retrieve than constructing sentences word by word (Wray, 2002). In spite of the benefits of learning formulaic language in L2 learning theory, few empirical studies were found which examined the effects of formulaic language instruction in intact classrooms, in particular in the EFL (English as a Foreign Language) context. By introducing some effective classroom tasks to foster L2 learners’ speaking fluency focusing on formulaic language in this article, the author emphasizes the need for empirical research involving EFL learners.
Evaluation of Iron Status in Children with Autism Spectral Disorder: A Case-control Study
Authors: Prakash Pritam , Kumari Rekha , Sinha Niska , Kumar Santosh , Sinha Poonam
Published: August 2021

Introduction: Iron is an important factor in neural development. Iron Deficiency (ID) and Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) anaemia is highly prevalent in patients of autism. There are a very small number of studies to show association between iron profile and autism. Aim: To investigate factors affecting iron status such as hemoglobin (%), serum iron, ferritin, and Total Iron Binding Capacity (TIBC) level in children with Autism Spectral Disorder (ASD) and healthy control. Materials and Methods: It was a case-control study done from April 2018 to April 2019. Total 100 participants were recruited of which 50 autistic patients were taken as cases, and 50 healthy subjects were taken as control. Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) was used to evaluate the severity of autistic symptoms. Cut-off value of serum ferritin was <10 ng/mL for preschoolers (<6 years) and <12 ng/mL for school-aged (>6 years) children to evaluate ID. Anaemia was defined as haemoglobin <11.0 g/dL for preschoolers and <12.0 g/dL for school-aged categorical variables and were compared by using chi-square test. Normally distributed parametric variables were compared between groups by using independent samples t-test. Serum ferritin, iron, TIBC values were compared between severe, mild-moderate and control groups with ANOVA. The p-value <0.05 was accepted to be statistically significant. Results: Mean serum levels of ferritin iron TIBC were significantly reduced in ASD patients (p<0.001). The level of haemoglobin was also lower in ASD patients but it was not significant. Risk of ID and IDA was higher than normal subjects (RR for ID 1.74). Level of serum ferritin, iron and TIBC was lowest in severe autism as compared to mild-moderate autism and control groups. Conclusion: These findings suggest iron and ferritin levels should be measured in autistic patients as a baseline investigation and it may be used as a screening test for ASD.
Response of 1st Year Medical Students of West Bengal about Compulsive Online Teaching during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Observational Study
Authors: Mukherjee Suranjana Sur , Sarkar Kakali Das , Sengupta Debalina , Sinhababu Sunanda
Published: August 2021

Introduction: Coronavirus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic forced everyone to stay indoors for a long period. The institutional education system got a backseat. But Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) syllabus had to be covered within a stipulated time frame. As with every academic curriculum, online teaching had to be implemented in MBBS courses too without any scope for developing adequate logistics beforehand. Teachers, as well as students, tried their best to cope up with this ‘new normal’. Every day student had to be online for few hours to attend their classes as per the modified roster during the pandemic. Aim: To gather the data regarding perspective, satisfaction and problems of online classes from the 1st year MBBS students and also to recommend the modifications for future curriculum and upgrade the quality based on the students’ feedback and suggestions. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional observational study was done in a single day across three government medical colleges of West Bengal after eight months of continued online classes since lockdown. An online survey was conducted among the first-year students through google forms, which was mailed to every student’s email ID at a stipulated time of the day with prior notification. Out of 700 google forms sent, 527 responses were received. Responses were automatically analysed by google and were represented graphically. Results: Out of 527 responses received, 145 were from females (27.5%) and 382 were from males (72.5%). Students were ready to adapt to this new development and 54.6% were more or less satisfied with the teaching methodologies, though interruption with the internet hampered their classes very often. Some could not afford the online class due to logistic or financial constraints. A 67.9% of students learnt to acquire in-depth knowledge by themselves though a good number of students (56.7%) disliked online classes and lost interest in the topic. Conclusion: Online teaching cannot replace classroom teaching but can complement it as compulsive prolonged online teaching made the learning self-directed. A thoughtful blending of online and offline classes can be implemented to make an Indian Medical Graduate (IMG) a lifelong learner.