bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The experiences of older individuals providing care to older dependents: A phenomenological study in Spain
Authors: Alcañiz-Garrán M. , García-Sanjuán S. , Ramos-Pichardo J. D. , Sanjuán-Quiles A. , Montejano-Lozoya R.
Published: August 2021

Objective

Non-professional care provided in domestic settings by a family member or someone from the close environment and without a connection to a professional care service, is increasingly assumed by older people, mainly the spouses of those requiring care. The aim of this study was to describe the experience of older people providing care at home to older dependents.

Methods

A qualitative study was carried out to describe and explore the experience of older people, caregivers of dependent older people in the home.

Results

Four themes emerged as a result of the analysis: interpersonal relationships established in the caregivers’ immediate environment; the need and request for public and private resources; consequences of providing care during old age; and adaptation to the circumstance of being a caregiver during old age. Older people who provide home-based care, experience their situation as stressful, feel that it limits their daily life, deprives them of their freedom, and affects their interpersonal relationships and social activities.

Discussion

Older caregivers learn quickly and can manage the skills issues. The volume of work is their challenge. Interpersonal relationships are altered depending on the length of time spent together and the demand for care. Public services and benefits are not adapted to the demands of caregivers or dependent persons.
Neural signatures of bullying experience and social rejection in teenagers
Authors: Kiefer Markus , Sim Eun-Jin , Heil Sabrina , Brown Rebecca , Herrnberger Bärbel , Spitzer Manfred , Grön Georg
Published: August 2021

Relational bullying in schools is one of the most frequent forms of violence and can have severe negative health impact, e.g. depression. Social exclusion is the most prominent form of relational bullying that can be operationalized experimentally. The present study used MR-based perfusion imaging (pCASL) to investigate the neural signatures of social exclusion and its relationship with individually different extent of previous bullying experience. Twenty-four teenagers reporting bullying experience at different extent were scanned during a virtual ball-tossing (Cyberball game). Our findings showed that social exclusion (relative to social inclusion) activated frontal brain areas: sub- and perigenual anterior cingulate cortex (sg/pgACC), left inferior frontal cortex (IFG), and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Positive relationship between exclusion-specific signal increase and individually different extents of prior bullying experience was for the first time observed in left IFG and sgACC. This suggests that more frequent prior experience has conditioned greater mentalizing and/or rumination, in order to cope with the situation. While this interpretation remains speculative, the present data show that the experience of being bullied partly sensitizes the neural substrate relevant for the processing of social exclusion.
Horses show individual level lateralisation when inspecting an unfamiliar and unexpected stimulus
Authors: Baragli Paolo , Scopa Chiara , Felici Martina , Reddon Adam R.
Published: August 2021

Animals must attend to a diverse array of stimuli in their environments. The emotional valence and salience of a stimulus can affect how this information is processed in the brain. Many species preferentially attend to negatively valent stimuli using the sensory organs on the left side of their body and hence the right hemisphere of their brain. Here, we investigated the lateralisation of visual attention to the rapid appearance of a stimulus (an inflated balloon) designed to induce an avoidance reaction and a negatively valent emotional state in 77 Italian saddle horses. Horses’ eyes are laterally positioned on the head, and each eye projects primarily to the contralateral hemisphere, allowing eye use to be a proxy for preferential processing in one hemisphere of the brain. We predicted that horses would inspect the novel and unexpected stimulus with their left eye and hence right hemisphere. We found that horses primarily inspected the balloon with one eye, and most horses had a preferred eye to do so, however, we did not find a population level tendency for this to be the left or the right eye. The strength of this preference tended to decrease over time, with the horses using their non-preferred eye to inspect the balloon increasingly as the trial progressed. Our results confirm a lateralised eye use tendency when viewing negatively emotionally valent stimuli in horses, in agreement with previous findings. However, there was not any alignment of lateralisation at the group level in our sample, suggesting that the expression of lateralisation in horses depends on the sample population and testing context.
Robotic RNA extraction for SARS-CoV-2 surveillance using saliva samples
Authors: Hamilton Jennifer R. , Stahl Elizabeth C. , Tsuchida Connor A. , Lin-Shiao Enrique , Tsui C. Kimberly , Pestal Kathleen , Gildea Holly K. , Witkowsky Lea B. , Moehle Erica A. , McDevitt Shana L. , McElroy Matthew , Keller Amanda , Sylvain Iman , Hirsh Ariana , Ciling Alison , Ehrenberg Alexander J. , Ringeisen Bradley R. , Huberty Garth , Urnov Fyodor D. , Giannikopoulos Petros , Doudna Jennifer A. ,   IGI SARS-CoV-2 Consortium
Published: August 2021

Saliva is an attractive specimen type for asymptomatic surveillance of COVID-19 in large populations due to its ease of collection and its demonstrated utility for detecting RNA from SARS-CoV-2. Multiple saliva-based viral detection protocols use a direct-to-RT-qPCR approach that eliminates nucleic acid extraction but can reduce viral RNA detection sensitivity. To improve test sensitivity while maintaining speed, we developed a robotic nucleic acid extraction method for detecting SARS-CoV-2 RNA in saliva samples with high throughput. Using this assay, the Free Asymptomatic Saliva Testing (IGI FAST) research study on the UC Berkeley campus conducted 11,971 tests on supervised self-collected saliva samples and identified rare positive specimens containing SARS-CoV-2 RNA during a time of low infection prevalence. In an attempt to increase testing capacity, we further adapted our robotic extraction assay to process pooled saliva samples. We also benchmarked our assay against nasopharyngeal swab specimens and found saliva methods require further optimization to match this gold standard. Finally, we designed and validated a RT-qPCR test suitable for saliva self-collection. These results establish a robotic extraction-based procedure for rapid PCR-based saliva testing that is suitable for samples from both symptomatic and asymptomatic individuals.
Spatial pattern of tuberculosis (TB) and related socio-environmental factors in South Korea, 2008-2016
Authors: Im Changmin , Kim Youngho
Published: August 2021

Tuberculosis (TB) incidence and corresponding mortality rates in S. Korea are unusual and unique compared to other economically developed countries. Korea has the highest TB incidence rate in Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. TB is known as a disease reflecting socio-economic and environmental conditions of a society. Besides, TB is an infectious disease spread through the air, naturally forming spatial dependence of its incidence. This study investigates TB incidences in Korea in socio-economic and environmental perspectives. Eigenvector spatial filtering applied accounts for spatial autocorrelation in the TB incidence, and Getis-OrdGi*statistic tracks the changes of TB clusters at given time. The results show that population composition ratio, population growth rate, health insurance payment, and public health variables are significant throughout the study period. Environmental variables make minor effects on TB incidence. This study argues that unique demographic features of Korea are a potential threat to TB control in the future.
Barriers in utilizing lipid-lowering agents in non-institutionalized population in the U.S.: Application of a theoretical framework
Authors: Alfaifi Abdullah A. , Lai Leanne , Althemery Abdullah U.
Published: August 2021

Cardiovascular diseases are a major cause of death globally. Epidemiological evidence has linked elevated levels of blood cholesterol with the risk of coronary heart disease. However, lipid-lowering agents, despite their importance for primary prevention, are significantly underused in the United States. The objective of this study was to explore associations among socioeconomic factors and the use of antihyperlipidemic agents in 2018 in U.S. patients with hyperlipidemia by applying a theoretical framework. Data from the 2018 Medical Expenditure Panel Survey were used to identify the population of non-institutionalized U.S. civilians diagnosed with hyperlipidemia. This cross sectional study applied the Andersen Behavioral Model to identify patients’ predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Approximately 43 million non-institutionalized adults were diagnosed with hyperlipidemia. With the exception of gender and race, predisposing factors indicated significant differences between patients who used antihyperlipidemic agents and those who did not. The relation between income level and use of antihyperlipidemic agents was significant: X2 (4, N = 3,781) = 7.09, p <.001. Hispanic patients were found to be less likely to receive treatment (OR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.43–0.88), as observed using a logistic model, with controls for predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Patients without health insurance were less likely to use lipid-lowering agents (OR: 0.33; 95% CI: 0.14–0.77). The present study offers essential data for prioritizing interventions by health policy makers by identifying barriers in utilizing hyperlipidemia therapy. Non-adherence to treatment may lead to severe consequences and increase the frequency of fatal cardiac events in the near future.
What does PrEP mean for ‘safe sex’ norms? A qualitative study
Authors: Haire Bridget , Murphy Dean , Maher Lisa , Zablotska-Manos Iryna , Vaccher Stephanie , Kaldor John
Published: August 2021

While HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) is highly effective, it has arguably disrupted norms of ‘safe sex’ that for many years were synonymous with condom use. This qualitative study explored the culture of PrEP adoption and evolving concepts of ‘safe sex’ in Sydney, Australia, during a period of rapidly escalating access from 2015–2018, drawing on interviews with sexually active gay men (n = 31) and interviews and focus groups with key stakeholders (n = 10). Data were analysed thematically. Our results explored the decreasing centrality of condoms in risk reduction and new patterns of sexual negotiation. With regards to stigma, we found that there was arguably more stigma related to not taking PrEP than to taking PrEP in this sample. We also found that participants remained highly engaged with promoting the wellbeing of their communities through activities as seemingly disparate as regular STI testing, promotion of PrEP in their social circles, and contribution to research. This study has important implications for health promotion. It demonstrates how constructing PrEP as a rigid new standard to which gay men ‘should’ adhere can alienate some men and potentially create community divisions. Instead, we recommend promoting choice from a range of HIV prevention options that have both high efficacy and high acceptability.
Assessing math anxiety in elementary schoolchildren through a Spanish version of the Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA)
Authors: Sánchez-Pérez Noelia , Fuentes Luis J. , González-Salinas Carmen
Published: August 2021

Math anxiety (MA) affects students of all age groups. Because of its effects on children’s academic development, the need to recognize its early manifestations has been highlighted. We designed a European-Spanish version of the Scale for Early Mathematics Anxiety (SEMA; Wu et al. (2012)), and assessed its psychometric properties in a sample of children aged 7 to 12 years. The participants (967 typically developing children) were elementary school students recruited from ten schools. Children reported their general and math anxiety levels in an individual session and performed nonverbal IQ and math abilities subtests in a group session. Teachers reported the final math grades. The psychometric indices obtained, and the resulting factor structure revealed that the European-Spanish version of the SEMA developed in this study is a reliable and valid measure to evaluate MA in children from 3rdto 6thgrade. Moreover, we explored gender differences, that resulted in small effect sizes, which disappeared when controlling for trait anxiety. Differences across grades were found for both global MA and the numerical processing anxiety factor but not for the situational and performance anxiety factor. Finally, MA was negatively associated with students’ math achievement, although the strength of the associations varied with the MA measure selected, the kind of math achievement analyzed, and the school stage considered. Our findings highlight the relevance of MA in elementary school and highlight the need for an early identification of students at risk of suffering MA to palliate the negative consequences of MA in children’s cognitive and academic development.
Post-earthquake dizziness syndrome following the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes, Japan
Authors: Miwa Toru , Matsuyoshi Hidetake , Nomura Yasuyuki , Minoda Ryosei
Published: August 2021

This study aimed to examine the types and causes of dizziness experienced by individuals after a major earthquake. This cross-sectional study enrolled healthy participants who experienced the 2016 Kumamoto earthquakes and their aftershocks. Participants completed a questionnaire survey on their symptoms and experiences after the earthquakes. The primary outcome was the occurrence of dizziness and the secondary outcome was the presence of autonomic dysfunction and anxiety. Among 4,231 eligible participants, 1,543 experienced post-earthquake dizziness. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that age (≥21, P < .001), female sex (P < .001), floor on which the individual was at the time (≥3, P = .007), tinnitus/ear fullness (P < .001), anxiety (P < .001), symptoms related to autonomic dysfunction (P = .04), and prior history of motion sickness (P = .002) were significantly associated with the onset of post-earthquake dizziness. Thus suggesting that earthquake-related effects significantly affect inner ear symptoms, autonomic function, and psychological factors. Earthquake-induced disequilibrium may be further influenced by physical stressors, including sensory disruptions induced by earthquake vibrations, changes in living conditions, and autonomic stress. This study increases our understanding of human equilibrium in response to natural disasters.
Depressive symptoms and associated factors among HIV positive patients attending public health facilities of Dessie town: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Damtie Yitayish , Kefale Bereket , Yalew Melaku , Arefaynie Mastewal , Adane Bezawit , Edmealem Afework , Andualem Atsedemariam
Published: August 2021

Background

Depressive symptoms are the most common psychiatric complication of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) infection. They are associated with poor drug adherence, treatment failure, and increase the risk for suicide. There was limited evidence of depressive symptoms among HIV-positive patients in the study area. So, this study aimed to determine the prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors among HIV-positive patients attending public health facilities of Dessie town, North-central Ethiopia, 2019.

Method

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 380 HIV-positive patients attending ART clinics in Dessie town, North-central Ethiopia, 2019. Samples were selected using systematic random sampling and the data were collected by using structured, pretested, and interviewer-administered questionnaires. Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at a cut-off point of 5 was used to assess depressive symptoms. The data were entered by Epi data version 3.1 and analyzed by SPSS version 25. A binary logistic regression model was used to identify factors associated with depressive symptoms. The Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) along with a 95% Confidence Interval (CI) was estimated to measure the association. The level of significance was declared at a p-value of less than 0.05.

Result

The prevalence of depressive symptoms among HIV positive patients was 15.5% (95% CI: (12.4%, 19.2%)). Age 40–49 years compared to 30–39 years (AOR = 2.96, 95% CI: (1.01, 8.68)), age ≥50 years compared to 30–39 years (AOR = 3.81, 95% CI: (1.05, 13.8)), having perceived stigma (AOR = 10.2, 95%CI: (4.26, 24.4)) taking medication other than Antiretroviral Therapy (ART) (AOR = 2.58, 95% CI: (1.25, 5.33)) and history of opportunistic infections (AOR = 5.17, 95% CI: (1.31, 20.4)) were factors associated with depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

The prevalence of depressive symptoms was low compared to previous studies. Age, perceived stigma, taking medication other than ART, and history of opportunistic infections were factors associated with depressive symptoms. Health education and counseling programs should be strengthened and target older patients, patients who took medications other than ART, patients who experienced perceived stigma and patients with a history of history opportunistic infections.
Effect of internal limiting membrane peeling on postoperative visual acuity in macula-off rhegmatogenous retinal detachment
Authors: Obata Shumpei , Kakinoki Masashi , Sawada Osamu , Saishin Yoshitsugu , Ichiyama Yusuke , Ohji Masahito ,   on behalf of the Japan Retina Vitreous Society Registry Committee
Published: August 2021

Purpose

To investigate the effects of internal limiting membrane (ILM) peeling on visual acuity (VA) after rhegmatogenous retinal detachment (RRD) surgery.

Methods

This retrospective analysis examined the medical records of patients with RRD who underwent vitrectomy at 26 institutions. To detect prognostic factors of VA at 6 months postoperatively (post-VA), multivariate linear regression was performed with post-VA as the objective variable; ILM peeling, sex, age, preoperative VA (pre-VA), intraocular pressure, axial length, duration of RRD, and cataract surgery served as explanatory variables. Recurrence of RRD and epiretinal membrane formation within 6 months postoperatively were compared between groups of patients with and without ILM peeling, among patients with macula-on and macula-off RRD.

Results

The inclusion criteria were met by 523 eyes with a macula-on RRD and 364 eyes with a macula-off RRD. ILM peeling was performed in 85 eyes with a macula-on RRD and 57 eyes with a macula-off RRD. In eyes with a macula-on RRD, ILM peeling did not affect post-VA (p = 0.72). Vitrectomy without cataract surgery and poor pre-VA were significantly associated with poor post-VA (p = 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). In eyes with a macula-off RRD, ILM peeling, long duration of RRD, and poor pre-VA were significantly associated with poor post-VA (p = 0.037, p = 0.007, and p < 0.001, respectively). Recurrence of RRD and epiretinal membrane formation were similar between groups of patients with and without ILM peeling, among patients with macula-on and macula-off RRD. Retina sensitivity was not evaluated by microperimetry.

Conclusion

ILM peeling did not affect post-VA in eyes with a macula-on RRD, whereas post-VA was worse in eyes with ILM peeling than in eyes without peeling, among eyes with a macula-off RRD.
High-performance simplification of triangular surfaces using a GPU
Authors: Mousa Mohamed H. , Hussein Mohamed K.
Published: August 2021

Due to advances in high-performance computing technologies, computer graphics techniques—especially those related to mesh simplification—have been noticeably improved. These techniques, which have a strong impact on many applications, such as geometric modeling and visualization, have been well studied for more than two decades. Recent advances in GPUs have led to significant improvements in terms of speed and interactivity. In this paper, we present a mesh simplification algorithm that benefits from the parallel framework provided by recent GPUs. We customize the halfedge data structure for adaption with the dynamic memory restrictions of CUDA. The proposed algorithm is fully parallelized by employing a lock-free skip priority queue and a set of disjoint regions of the mesh. The proposed technique accelerates the simplification process while preserving the topological properties of the mesh. Some results and comparisons are provided to verify the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
Optimal distribution-preserving downsampling of large biomedical data sets (opdisDownsampling)
Authors: Lötsch Jörn , Malkusch Sebastian , Ultsch Alfred
Published: August 2021

Motivation

The size of today’s biomedical data sets pushes computer equipment to its limits, even for seemingly standard analysis tasks such as data projection or clustering. Reducing large biomedical data by downsampling is therefore a common early step in data processing, often performed as random uniform class-proportional downsampling. In this report, we hypothesized that this can be optimized to obtain samples that better reflect the entire data set than those obtained using the current standard method.

Results

By repeating the random sampling and comparing the distribution of the drawn sample with the distribution of the original data, it was possible to establish a method for obtaining subsets of data that better reflect the entire data set than taking only the first randomly selected subsample, as is the current standard. Experiments on artificial and real biomedical data sets showed that the reconstruction of the remaining data from the original data set from the downsampled data improved significantly. This was observed with both principal component analysis and autoencoding neural networks. The fidelity was dependent on both the number of cases drawn from the original and the number of samples drawn.

Conclusions

Optimal distribution-preserving class-proportional downsampling yields data subsets that reflect the structure of the entire data better than those obtained with the standard method. By using distributional similarity as the only selection criterion, the proposed method does not in any way affect the results of a later planned analysis.
A non-neutralizing antibody broadly protects against influenza virus infection by engaging effector cells
Authors: Ko Yi-An , Yu Yueh-Hsiang , Wu Yen-Fei , Tseng Yung-Chieh , Chen Chia-Lin , Goh King-Siang , Liao Hsin-Yu , Chen Ting-Hua , Cheng Ting-Jen Rachel , Yang An-Suei , Wong Chi-Huey , Ma Che , Lin Kuo-I
Published: August 2021

Hemagglutinin (HA) is the immunodominant protein of the influenza virus. We previously showed that mice injected with a monoglycosylated influenza A HA (HAmg) produced cross-strain-reactive antibodies and were better protected than mice injected with a fully glycosylated HA (HAfg) during lethal dose challenge. We employed a single B-cell screening platform to isolate the cross-protective monoclonal antibody (mAb) 651 from mice immunized with the HAmg of A/Brisbane/59/2007 (H1N1) influenza virus (Bris/07). The mAb 651 recognized the head domain of a broad spectrum of HAs from groups 1 and 2 influenza A viruses and offered prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy against A/California/07/2009 (H1N1) (Cal/09) and Bris/07 infections in mice. The antibody did not possess neutralizing activity; however, antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity and antibody-dependent cellular phagocytosis mediated by natural killer cells and alveolar macrophages were important in the protective efficacy of mAb 651. Together, this study highlighted the significance of effector functions for non-neutralizing antibodies to exhibit protection against influenza virus infection.
Signatures in SARS-CoV-2 spike protein conferring escape to neutralizing antibodies
Authors: Alenquer Marta , Ferreira Filipe , Lousa Diana , Valério Mariana , Medina-Lopes Mónica , Bergman Marie-Louise , Gonçalves Juliana , Demengeot Jocelyne , Leite Ricardo B. , Lilue Jingtao , Ning Zemin , Penha-Gonçalves Carlos , Soares Helena , Soares Cláudio M. , Amorim Maria João
Published: August 2021

Understanding SARS-CoV-2 evolution and host immunity is critical to control COVID-19 pandemics. At the core is an arms-race between SARS-CoV-2 antibody and angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) recognition, a function of the viral protein spike. Mutations in spike impacting antibody and/or ACE2 binding are appearing worldwide, imposing the need to monitor SARS-CoV2 evolution and dynamics in the population. Determining signatures in SARS-CoV-2 that render the virus resistant to neutralizing antibodies is critical. We engineered 25 spike-pseudotyped lentiviruses containing individual and combined mutations in the spike protein, including all defining mutations in the variants of concern, to identify the effect of single and synergic amino acid substitutions in promoting immune escape. We confirmed that E484K evades antibody neutralization elicited by infection or vaccination, a capacity augmented when complemented by K417N and N501Y mutations.In silicoanalysis provided an explanation for E484K immune evasion. E484 frequently engages in interactions with antibodies but not with ACE2. Importantly, we identified a novel amino acid of concern, S494, which shares a similar pattern. Using the already circulating mutation S494P, we found that it reduces antibody neutralization of convalescent and post-immunization sera, particularly when combined with E484K and with mutations able to increase binding to ACE2, such as N501Y. Our analysis of synergic mutations provides a signature for hotspots for immune evasion and for targets of therapies, vaccines and diagnostics.
Substrate-mediated regulation of the arginine transporter of Toxoplasma gondii
Authors: Rajendran Esther , Clark Morgan , Goulart Cibelly , Steinhöfel Birte , Tjhin Erick T. , Gross Simon , Smith Nicholas C. , Kirk Kiaran , van Dooren Giel G.
Published: August 2021

Intracellular parasites, such as the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii, are adept at scavenging nutrients from their host. However, there is little understanding of how parasites sense and respond to the changing nutrient environments they encounter during an infection. TgApiAT1, a member of the apicomplexan ApiAT family of amino acid transporters, is the major uptake route for the essential amino acid L-arginine (Arg) in T. gondii. Here, we show that the abundance of TgApiAT1, and hence the rate of uptake of Arg, is regulated by the availability of Arg in the parasite’s external environment, increasing in response to decreased [Arg]. Using a luciferase-based ‘biosensor’ strain of T. gondii, we demonstrate that the expression of TgApiAT1 varies between different organs within the host, indicating that parasites are able to modulate TgApiAT1-dependent uptake of Arg as they encounter different nutrient environments in vivo. Finally, we show that Arg-dependent regulation of TgApiAT1 expression is post-transcriptional, mediated by an upstream open reading frame (uORF) in the TgApiAT1 transcript, and we provide evidence that the peptide encoded by this uORF is critical for mediating regulation. Together, our data reveal the mechanism by which an apicomplexan parasite responds to changes in the availability of a key nutrient.
EBNA2 driven enhancer switching at the CIITA-DEXI locus suppresses HLA class II gene expression during EBV infection of B-lymphocytes
Authors: Su Chenhe , Lu Fang , Soldan Samantha S. , Lamontagne R. Jason , Tang Hsin-Yao , Napoletani Giorgia , Farrell Paul J. , Tempera Italo , Kossenkov Andrew V. , Lieberman Paul M.
Published: August 2021

Viruses suppress immune recognition through diverse mechanisms. Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) establishes latent infection in memory B-lymphocytes and B-cell malignancies where it impacts B-cell immune function. We show here that EBV primary infection of naïve B-cells results in a robust down-regulation of HLA genes. We found that the viral encoded transcriptional regulatory factor EBNA2 bound to multiple regulatory regions in the HLA locus. Conditional expression of EBNA2 correlated with the down regulation of HLA class II transcription. EBNA2 down-regulation of HLA transcription was found to be dependent on CIITA, the major transcriptional activator of HLA class II gene transcription. We identified a major EBNA2 binding site downstream of the CIITA gene and upstream of DEXI, a dexamethasone inducible gene that is oriented head-to-head with CIITA gene transcripts. CRISPR/Cas9 deletion of the EBNA2 site upstream of DEXI attenuated CIITA transcriptional repression. EBNA2 caused an increase in DEXI transcription and a graded change in histone modifications with activation mark H3K27ac near the DEXI locus, and a loss of activation marks at the CIITA locus. A prominent CTCF binding site between CIITA and DEXI enhancers was mutated and further diminished the effects of EBNA2 on CIITA. Analysis of HiC data indicate that DEXI and CIITA enhancers are situated in different chromosome topological associated domains (TADs). These findings suggest that EBNA2 down regulates HLA-II genes through the down regulation of CIITA, and that this down regulation is an indirect consequence of EBNA2 enhancer formation at a neighboring TAD. We propose that enhancer competition between these neighboring chromosome domains represents a novel mechanism for gene regulation demonstrated by EBNA2.
Back to the future: Rewriting fashion history from the Cook Islands
Authors: Alexeyeff Kalissa
Published: August 2021

This article engages in debates about the European and capitalist origins of the fashion system and aims to decentre this history from a Pacific perspective. Taking fashion to be a process of novel and transformative display, the article reconstructs a Pacific fashion system that innovatively presents local aesthetics, status and affiliation and re-presents social, economic and political identities and agendas. It examines present-day and historical accounts of clothing and dress in the Cook Islands, starting from a shirt described in 1896; it then tracks forward to contemporary logo T-shirts and back again to suggest an alternate fashion trajectory of bodily self-representation, collective display and distinction. Fashion emerges as an anticipatory social force that produces a multiplicity of meanings that move unpredictably across time, place and systems of representation.
Rootkit Detection on Embedded IoT Devices
Authors: Nagy Roland , Németh Krisztián , Papp Dorottya , Buttyán Levente
Published: August 2021

IoT systems are subject to cyber attacks, including infecting embedded IoT devices with rootkits. Rootkits are malicious software that typically run with elevated privileges, which makes their detection challenging. In this paper, we address this challenge: we propose a rootkit detection approach for embedded IoT devices that takes advantage of a trusted execution environment (TEE), which is often supported on popular IoT platforms, such as ARM based embedded boards. The TEE provides an isolated environment for our rootkit detection algorithms, and prevents the rootkit from interfering with their execution even if the rootkit has root privileges on the untrusted part of the IoT device. Our rootkit detection algorithms identify modifications made by the rootkit to the code of the operating system kernel, to system programs, and to data influencing the control flow (e.g., hooking system calls), as well as inconsistencies created by the rootkit in certain kernel data structures (e.g., those responsible to handle process related information). We also propose algorithms to detect rootkit components in the persistent storage of the device. Besides describing our approach and algorithms in details, we also report on a prototype implementation and on the evaluation of our design and implementation, which is based on testing our prototype with rootkits that we developed for this purpose.
A Geometric Method for Accelerated Sphere Tracing of Implicit Surfaces
Authors: Bálint Csaba , Kiglics Mátyás
Published: August 2021

Sphere tracing is a common raytracing technique used for rendering implicit surfaces defined by a signed distance function (SDF). However, these distance functions are often expensive to compute, prohibiting several real-time applications despite recent efforts to accelerate it. This paper presents a method to precompute a slightly augmented distance field that hugely accelerates rendering. This novel method called quadric tracing supports two configurations: (i) accelerating raytracing without losing precision, so the original SDF is still needed; (ii) entirely replacing the SDF and tracing an interpolated surface. Quadric tracing can offer 20% to 100% speedup in rendering static scenes and thereby amortizing the slowdown caused by the complexity of the geometry.
SOME ASPECTS OF DRUG SECURITY IN THE SIBERIAN FEDERAL DISTRICT IN THE CONTEXT OF ANNUAL MONITORING OF DRUG SITUATION
Authors: Shinkevich Vladimir E.
Published: August 2021

The state of drug situation is an important component of security enforcement of modern society. In this regard, narcotism, the effectiveness of the implementation of anti-drug policy by the state and public institutions are annually studied in various areas. In the article based on the study of statistical data on hospitalization of patients in the organizations of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation with a diagnosis of «drug addiction», the amount of drugs and psychotropic substances seized by law enforcement agencies from illegal drug trafficking, as well as the level of drug crime, the drug situation in the Siberian Federal District is analyzed. Also, when assessing narcotism, the results of sociological research as an integral part of the annual monitoring of the drug situation were used. Special attention is paid to the consideration of the movement of drugs of the opium group, the state of opium addiction, determination of the most problematic federal subjects located within the district. An attempt to determine the most probable transit regions and the concentration of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances is made. Reasoning from the analysis carried out, attention is drawn to the high level of drug tension in the district, exceeding in some areas the corresponding indicators across the Russian Federation.
THE INSTITUTIONAL ENVIRONMENT OF COLLECTIVE ACTIONS OF CITIZENS (ON THE EXAMPLE OF THE ACTIVITIES OF SOCIALLY ORIENTED NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS)
Authors: Kosygina Ksenia E.
Published: August 2021

The study analyzes the institutional environment of associated collective actions of citizens on the example of the functioning of organizations of the non-profit sector, which is formed by the state and affects their work. Using the methods of economic-statistical, comparative and structural-logical analysis, the main trends in the provision of financial and property state support to socially oriented non-profit organizations at the federal, regional and municipal levels of government are identified.  The study showed that state funding is carried out in two major areas – industry and grant (competitive). Problems of implementation of these directions are noted. It is determined that at the regional level, the form of competitive subsidies from the budgets of the subjects of the Russian Federation for the implementation of social projects by non-profit organizations prevails. In terms of state property support, it was found that more than half of the registered organizations do not have premises for carrying out their activities, while only 13% received it for free use from the state.  The results of this discussion can be used by the authorities to make management decisions in the implementation of public policy aimed at the development of the non-profit sector.
VIRTUAL SATISFACTION AS A SYMPTOM OF INTERPASSIVITY IN MODERN SOCIETY
Authors: Vavilova Zhanna E.
Published: August 2021

Research into how new media are transforming our daily lives is the frontier of modern philosophical and scientific thought. It is difficult to reflect on what is happening to society and to the person at the moment; however, for all the pace of social transformations today, we can still talk about potential risks and opportunities offered by new technologies. The article introduces the concept of virtual satisfaction and examines its connection with the phenomenon of interpassivity which is well known in philosophical discourse, as well as with manifestations of visual normalization in society. The aim of the study is to trace the mechanism of involvement of humans in interpassive practices of a virtualized society through consumption of media images. This environment acts as a virtual link between social reality and the needs of the individual which can only be satisfied with the mediation of the Other. On the one hand, this is the world of safe interactions and quasi-interactions where satisfaction is obtained in screen non-contact forms. On the other hand, this satisfaction turns out to be interpassive, depriving us not only of realization of desire, but also of desire itself, so that people voluntarily lose part of themselves, and therefore part of their humanity.
ATTITUDE TOWARDS THE ISSUE OF HOMELESS ANIMALS IN THE ARTICULATION OF COMMUNITY IN SOCIAL MEDIA (BASED ON RESEARCH MATERIALS)
Authors: Panfilova Anna O. , Smolina Alexandra A.
Published: August 2021

The problem of animal homelessness is a multifaceted and urgent social phenomenon. The main difficulties: combining measures of humane and effective control of the number of homeless animals; public health risks; development of a unified state and public position and decision model.  This is an important issue of social and personal responsibility of citizens, as well as a weakly sounding problem on the social agenda. The purpose of the article is to show the attitude of representatives of the virtual community towards it, as well as to evaluate the methods of work they use. The methodological basis of the research was made up of a semi-formalized targeted interview and analysis of network content. The results show that civilians interested in solving this problem form virtual communities. They use the network resource for information and communication activities, although the community under study is distinguished by the use of real educational and volunteer practices. The methods they use are not always correct from an ethical and even legal point of view. Their practice is a kind of reaction to the lack of attention to the problem on the part of the state. The general conclusion of the work done: against the background of a low degree of civil, corporate and personal responsibility towards pets, the efforts of caring subjects are largely reduced to private, not fully legalized initiatives.
WALKING ACTIVITY OF OLDER PATIENTS IN REHABILITATION: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY
Authors: PEEL N.M. , KUYS S.S.
Published: August 2021

Objectives: To quantify, using accelerometry, walking activity of older rehabilitation inpatients and toexamine the relationship between walking activity and functional outcomes. Design: Prospective cohort study.Setting:Inpatient geriatric rehabilitation unit. Participants:Of 74 consecutive eligible patients, aged 60 years orolder and able to walk independently or with assistance, 60 participants (32 males, 28 females) with a mean (SD)length of stay of 37 (26) days completed the study. Intervention Measures:An accelerometer was worn indaytime hours from study recruitment until discharge to monitor daily walking minutes. Results:On study entry,patients spent a median (IQR) of 33 (20 to 48) minutes (7%) of the daily monitored eight hour period walking.By discharge, this had increased to 43 (30 to 56) minutes (9%) (p< 0.001). Average daily walking activity overthe week prior to discharge correlated with change in gait speed from admission to discharge (p<0.05). Walkingactivity prior to discharge was significantly different (p<0.05) between the slowest gait speed group (≤0.4 m/s)and the fastest gait speed group (≥0.8 m/s). Those with discharge gait speeds ≥0.8 m/s (associated with ability tobe ambulant in the community) had median (IQR) daily walking times at discharge of 51 (33 to 78) minutes.Conclusion:Activity monitoring has the potential to assist clinicians and patients set goals around activity levelsto achieve better outcomes.
IMPACT OF BODY COMPOSITION ON PHYSICAL PERFORMANCE TASKS IN OLDER OBESE WOMEN UNDERGOING A MODERATE WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM
Authors: MILLER G.D. , ROBINSON S.L.
Published: August 2021

Background: Although obesity is a recognized risk factor for impaired physical function in olderadults, there is still debate on whether older obese adults should undergo intentional weight loss due to concern ofloss in lean body mass, including appendicular lean soft tissue mass. This may put them at risk for worseningmuscle strength and mobility. Objectives:Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effect of aweight loss intervention on body composition and physical function in obese older women. Design:Womenwere randomized into either a weight stable (WS) (n=20) or an intensive weight loss (WL) (n=26) group.Setting:The study setting was at a university research facility. Participants:Women (age, 67.8±1.3 yrs; BMI,34.9 (0.7) kg/m2; mean±standard error of the mean) were recruited. Intervention:The WL intervention was for 6months and included moderate dietary energy restriction and aerobic and strength exercise training.Measurements:Variables were obtained at baseline and 6-months and included body weight, dual energy x-rayabsorptiometry (DXA), 6-minute walk distance, stair climb time, and concentric knee extension muscularstrength. Results:Estimated marginal means (SEM) for weight loss at 6-months was -8.5 (0.9)% for WL and +0.7(1.0)% for WS. There was a significant loss of body fat mass, lean body mass, appendicular lean soft tissue mass,relative muscle mass, and skeletal muscle index for WL vs. WS at 6-months. However, improvements for WLvs. WS were seen in 6-minute walk distance and stair climb time, and trends for improved relative strength andleg muscle quality. Change in body fat mass was positively related to improved physical function and musclestrength and quality. Conclusion:These results further support the use of a sound intentional weight loss programincorporating moderate dietary energy restriction and exercise training in older obese women to improve physicalfunction. Although lean soft tissue mass was lost, over the 6-month program there was no deleterious effect onmuscle strength or muscle quality.
CURRENT NUTRITIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS AND NOVEL DIETARY STRATEGIES TO MANAGE SARCOPENIA
Authors: CALVANI R. , MICCHELI A. , LANDI F. , BOSSOLA M. , CESARI M. , LEEUWENBURGH C. , SIEBER C.C. , BERNABEI R. , MARZETTI E.
Published: August 2021

Sarcopenia, the loss of skeletal muscle mass and function that occurs with aging, is associated withincreased risk for several adverse health outcomes, including frailty, disability, falls, loss of independent living,and mortality. At present, no pharmacological treatment exists that is able to definitely halt the progression ofsarcopenia. Likewise, no pharmacological remedies are yet available to prevent the onset of age-related musclewasting. The combination of nutritional interventions and physical exercise appears to be the most effectivestrategy presently available for the management of sarcopenia. The purposes of this review are to summarize thecurrent knowledge on the role of nutrition as a countermeasure for sarcopenia, illustrate the mechanisms of actionof relevant dietary agents on the aging muscle, and introduce novel nutritional strategies that may help preservemuscle mass and function into old age. Issues related to the identification of the optimal timing of nutritionalinterventions in the context of primary and secondary prevention are also discussed. Finally, the prospect ofelaborating personalized dietary and physical exercise recommendations through the implementation ofintegrated, high-throughput analytic approaches is illustrated.
“ESTÁ NA BÍBLIA! VOCÊ LEU A BÍBLIA, SEU PERVERTIDO?”: INTERSECÇÕES ENTRE RELIGIÃO E HOMOSSEXUALIDADES A PARTIR DO FILME “O PADRE”
Authors: Figueiredo Roniel Santos , Machado de Souza Lais , Dias Silva Erlon , Rodrigues Lino dos Santos Beatriz , Lopes de Souza Marcos
Published: August 2021

Neste artigo refletimos a respeito das aprendizagens sobre homossexualidades e religião, colocadas em movimento a partir da discussão do filme “O padre”, realizada em um dos módulos de um curso de extensão sobre respeito à diversidade sexual, voltado à formação de profissionais de saúde, educação, segurança pública e assistência social, Trata-se de um estudo pós-crítico no qual ensaiamos algumas reflexões entre seus pressupostos e elementos cinematográficos. Para a produção de dados utilizamos questionário contendo perguntas sobre percepções, sensações e cenas do filme que impactaram os/as cursistas, investindo também na apresentação de algumas cenas que nos capturaram. As principais discussões presentes em nossa “escrita-gravação” cursam em torno das significações das homossexualidades na igreja católica; das vivências homossexuais balizadas pelo amor e escarnecidas pelo prazer; da religião enquanto campo de renúncias e de sofrimento; e da dimensão do segredo que atravessa o confessionário e as vivências sexuais dissidentes.
CLAQUETE: A FAMÍLIA CONTEMPORÂNEA APRESENTADA NOS FILMES “MINHA MÃE É UMA PEÇA” E “MINHA MÃE É UMA PEÇA 2”
Authors: De Almeida Saionara Vitória , Pereira Quadrado Raquel
Published: August 2021

O artigo discute as relações familiares das produções cinematográficas “Minha mãe é uma peça” e “Minha mãe é uma peça 2”. Os filmes têm como protagonista o ator Paulo Gustavo – Dona Hermínia - que diz que as obras são baseadas em sua própria mãe. O trabalho traz uma análise de como se estabelecem as relações familiares apresentadas nos filmes e as performances de gênero dos personagens principais da história. O aporte teórico fundamenta-se a partir do campo dos Estudos Culturais na sua vertente pós-estruturalista. A metodologia se fundamenta na análise cultural dos artefatos e partem de conceitos construídos historicamente que fazem parte da cultura de onde se vive, no caso, a cultura da família brasileira. Os filmes mostram o quanto a linguagem produz significados ao ver a idealização do corpo, a preocupação constante da mãe com os filhos, querendo que se enquadrem às normas que regulam a sua cultura.
EDUCAÇÃO PARA A SEXUALIDADE A PARTIR DA BIOLOGIA:
Authors: Carvalho Maria Eulina Pessoa de , De Almeida Edson Leandro
Published: August 2021

A educação para a sexualidade tem sido in(ex)cluída do currículo da escola brasileira, limitando-se ou ao ensino de Biologia, ou a projetos específicos, permanecendo o desafio da abordagem transversal indicada nas últimas décadas. Historicamente, tem predominado o viés higienista e biologicista, com ênfase na prevenção da gravidez na adolescência e ISTs, fugindo das questões ligadas ao desejo, afeto, prazer, gênero e identidades fora do padrão heronormativo. Ultimamente, o ataque aos estudos e políticas de gênero tem mirado as questões de sexualidade e diversidade sexual. Nesse contexto de disputa cultural em torno das concepções de sexualidade e gênero, este texto aborda a possibilidade de enfocar a educação para a sexualidade a partir da Biologia, enfatizando a diversidade sexual, com base no legado de Alfred Kinsey. O filme Kinsey, que teve pouca repercussão no Brasil, é destacado como possibilidade pedagógica.