bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
What inhibits the progress of early-career women in Karachi? Studying the effects of socio-spatial mobility barriers on women’s employment
Authors: Iqbal Sana , Woodcock Andree
Published: February 2023

BACKGROUND: There is a widespread acceptance and shift towards sustainable, inclusive and smart mobility solutions around the world. However, in Karachi, poorly coordinated urban planning, lack of effective governance structure and investment in transport, has allowed the growth of an almost unregulated and ungovernable informal transport sector. Women are more severely affected by the poor service since men not only have more space allocated to them on public transport but also have the freedom to use alternative and cheaper private vehicles such as motorbikes and cycles. Poor representation of women in the transport sector further aggravates the situation. OBJECTIVE: The paper aims to highlight the gender-disaggregated effects of poor transport design, provision and lack of personal agency on mobility, for emphasising the social and cultural attitudes faced by female employees. It argues that not integrating the gender-based disadvantages faced by women into planning, reinforces their disadvantaged position and force them to take complex trips. METHODS: Scenario-based questions were designed for focus group discussion which covered not only the everyday mobility challenges but also their reactions to the potential solutions. For a gender-based comparative analysis, two separate focus group discussions were organised. RESULTS: Adopting a sector-based mapping approach of the issues discussed in the groups helped understand the complexity of female user experience at various levels, starting from planning or discussing the trips with families, to making modal choices. It also helped to tease out the impact of these issues on their employment opportunities as early-career women. CONCLUSION: The model proposed in this paper can help illustrate where changes can be made in the system considering the social aspects of transport.
Theory and Practice of Forensic Science and Criminalistics: War Challenges
Authors: Kliuiev Oleksandr
Published: February 2023

Зараз ви маєте нагоду ознайомитися із 27-м випуском  збірника наукових праць «Теорія та практика судової експертизи і криміналістики». Це вже другий номер, який  редакція видає під час російської війни проти України.  Співзасновники видання — Національний науковий центр  «Інститут судових експертиз ім. Засл. проф. М. С. Бокаріуса» і Національний юридичний університет імені Ярослава Мудрого — упродовж 22 років дотримуються періодичності наукового видання, і навіть війна не здатна завадити  цій благородній справі.
Peculiarities of Determining Affecting Properties of Small-bore Bullets After Ricochet
Authors: Kolomiitsev Oleksandr , Sapielkin Viktor , Giverts Pavel , Herman Oleksandr
Published: February 2023

Authors aimed to summarize experimental researches of affecting properties of monolithic .22 Long Rifle bullets after their ricochet from various types of obstacles. Alternative criterion for evaluating the affecting properties of bullets is proposed using this criterion it is possible to forecast the degree and severity of bodily injuries after ricochet. Specifics and conditions under which fragmentation of monolithic small-bore bullets occurs are revealed, as well as flight speed of bullets and their fragments after impact-contact interaction with obstacles of various types is determined. Special attention is paid to research on interaction nature of bullets and their fragments with a viscoelastic environment imitating biological human body tissues after ricocheting. It has been determined that energy concept of affection to biological target and criteria for its evaluation research on affecting properties of bullets after ricochet have limited application, since it is not always possible to accurately determine initial conditions of hitting as the bullets themselves as their individual fragments. Obtained results of experimental research and field tests made possible to form an alternative criterion for assessing the severity of bodily injuries that a person suffered as a result of being hit by small- bore lead bullets after ricocheting. It is the length of the wound channel caused by a bullet or its fragments as a result of their impact on a person’s body after ricocheting. A calculation method for determining the length of the caused wound channel is proposed that can be used in forensic expert practice to determine potential injury to human life and health.
Forensic Economics Regarding Fuel Accounting in Armed Forces of Ukraine
Authors: Panchenko Nataliya , Нordiіenko Irina , Grek Olga
Published: February 2023

Theoretical best practices of forensic experts on peculiarities of fuel accounting in transport and defense fields has been studied and a list of legislative and regulatory acts regulating the procedure for accounting, movement and write-off of fuel and lubricants in military units is given. The authors aimed to highlight the issue of fuel accounting in conditions of martial law and Russian military aggression, document effective use of fuel by military units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and territorial defense while carrying out combat missions. Research objects of forensic economic examinations are summarized, range of powers granted to experts while conducting such examinations is outlined. Peculiarities of the accounting and movement of military property that are characteristic of the rules for receiving, accounting, issuing and writing off material assets in Armed Forces of Ukraine are indicated. The issues and tasks solved by forensic experts while forensic economic examinations related to accounting and use of fuel by military units of Armed Forces of Ukraine are defined. The list of legislative and normative legal acts that should be guided by forensic economists in their professional activities while accounting for military property, is presented. Attention has been drawn to the unsettledness of some issues of such accounting (for example when some legislative acts have lost their validity, and new ones have not been adopted instead) causing certain difficulties. The main types of accounting of military property (quantitative and qualitative accounting; accounting of military property in numerical and value indicators) are highlighted and disclosed.
Technical Malfunctions Determination of Vehicle Brake System while Road Accident Analysis
Authors: Koshkarov Artem
Published: February 2023

Issues related to the driver's characterization of condition and technical malfunction of the vehicle braking system before a traffic accident are considered. This Article Purpose is to determine specifics of a technical malfunction of a vehicle braking system before a traffic collision, as well as to consider the interaction of investigative bodies with experts (in particular, in criminal proceedings related to traffic accidents) while establishing reliability of driver statements. Features of appointment of a forensic auto- technical road accident analysis aimed at establishing technical condition of braking system of vehicles, preparation of initial data and research objects are structured. The goals and objectives of the investigation of the technical malfunction of the brake system of the vehicle before the traffic accident are outlined. The procedure for establishing the reliability of drivers' statements about mechanism of development of a traffic accident is specified. Issues related to the study of the vehicle brake system, troubleshooting and their causes are considered. Theoretical provisions and practical recommendations for the application of special knowledge in process of researching the technical condition of the braking system of the vehicle and identifying its malfunctions are formulated. The causal relationship between driver actions and detected malfunctions of the vehicle's braking system was clarified. Attention is drawn to possible consequences and features of the further investigation of the traffic accident after determining technical reliability of driver statements.
The The Impact of Sodium Perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-Tetracarboxylate Surfactant Concentration on the Yield of Liquid Phase Exfoliated Graphene Sheets
Authors: Ahmad Nurin Jazlina
Published: February 2023

The graphene sheets were aqueous processed via simple method liquid phase exfoliation. Sodium perylene-3, 4, 9, 10-tetracarboxylate (NaPTCA) were used as surfactant to assist the exfoliation process. The purpose of this research is to investigate the impact of NaPTCA concentration on the yield of liquid phase exfoliation of graphite to graphene sheets. The degree of exfoliation was found to be greatly influenced upon the concentration of NaPTCA surfactant. 1.0 mgmL-1 was identified as the optimal NaPTCA concentration as the graphene produced had a distinct x-ray diffraction crystallinity, scanning electron microscopic image features, high concentration of graphene dispersion (0.154 mgmL-1) and high conductivity values (751.88 Sm-1) in 2-probe electrical measurements, all of which comparison are much favourably with typical values obtained for multi-layer graphene. Hence, this simple approach for liquid-phase graphite exfoliation provides decent potential for mass production of high-quality graphene for a wide range of applications in energy storage, optical, and electronic areas.
Pendidikan akhlak persfektif Ibnu Taimiyah: Analisis Kitab Tazkiyatun Nafs
Authors: Sulhan Sulhan
Published: February 2023

The main emphasis of education in Indonesia is still more on the cognitive process, and less on the morals and character of students. Thus, there are still many students who have bad morals in their lives. This study aims to analyse moral education extracted from the Book of Tazkiyatun Nafsi by Ibn Taymiyyah. The method used in this research is qualitative with a literature study approach and primary data sourced from the book Tazkiyatun Nafsi by Ibn Taymiyyah. The results of the study revealed that Ibn Taimiyah's concept of moral education was born as a form of response to the state of faith and morals of the local community at that time, where the community at that time was increasingly damaged and destroyed. The scope of moral education in the book of Tazkiyatun Nafsi Ibn Taimiyah includes the material of sincerity, piety, amar makruf nahi mungkar, shame, noble and generous, repentance, praise and gratitude, honesty, patience, iffah, jealousy, prayer, khosyah, at-tadzkir, husnudzon (being kind), tawaddhu (humble), tawakkal, obedience, and ridha.

Abstrak

Titik berat pendidikan di Indonesia masih lebih banyak menekankan pada proses kognitif, dan kurang memperhitungkan akhlak dan budi pekerti siswa. Sehingga, masih banyak siswa yang memiliki akhlak yang tidak baik dalam kehidupannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis pendidikan akhlak yang digali dari Kitab Tazkiyatun Nafsi Karya Ibnu Taimiyah. Metode yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah kualitatif dengan pendekatan studi pustaka dan data primer yang bersumber dari kitab Tazkiyatun Nafsi karangan Ibnu Taimiyah. Hasil penelitian mengungkapkan bahwa konsep pendidikan akhlak Ibnu Taimiyah lahir sebagai bentuk respons keadaan akidah dan akhlak masyarakat setempat pada waktu itu, di mana masyarakat pada saat itu akhlaknya yang semakin rusak dan hancur. Ruang lingkup pendidikan akhlak dalam kitab Tazkiyatun Nafsi Ibnu Taimiyah mencakup materi ikhlas, takwa, amar makruf nahi mungkar, malu, mulia dan dermawan, taubat, pujian dan syukur, jujur, sabar, iffah, rasa cemburu, doa, khosyah, at-tadzkir, husnudzon (berbaik sangka), tawaddhu (rendah hati), tawakkal, taat, dan ridha.
Pendidikan tafsir bagi santri di pesantren tahfidz
Authors: Nasyirudin Ilyas , Al-Kattani Abdul Hayyi
Published: February 2023

The Quran is a guide to life that must be understood by Muslims. For santri, interpreting the Quran is a must that must be mastered. This research tries to explore the curriculum of tafsir education at Pesantren Fath Darut Tafsir Sukamakmur Bogor. This pesantren is concerned with education, da'wah, and social affairs, one of whose main programmes is tahfidz Quran, accompanied by understanding through deepening tafsir. This research uses qualitative field research method and found: First, the purpose of learning tafsir in Fath Darut Tafsir Pesantren Sukamakmur Bogor is to create a generation of quranis, who are able to read and memorise and understand the contents of the Quran comprehensively, both in terms of text and context. Second, tafsir material is only given at the SMA/MA level equivalent, using simple and concise tafsir books, with language that is easily understood by santri, such as Tafsir Jalalain, tafsir and Tafsir Muyassar. Third, the learning methods used vary, including lecture, discussion, question and answer, and recitation methods. Fourth, the evaluation of subject matter includes; daily, monthly, midterm, and semesterly assessments, either orally or in writing, while the evaluation of the learning process is carried out by evaluators either from the leadership or peers, through learning supervision, or weekly meeting mechanisms.

Abstrak

Alquran adalah pedoman hidup yang harus dipahami oleh umat Islam. Bagi santri, menafsirkan Alquran menjadi suatu keharusan yang harus dikuasai. Penelitian ini mencoba menelusuri kurikulum pendidikan tafsir di Pesantren Fath Darut Tafsir Sukamakmur Bogor. Pesantren ini konsen dalam bidang pendidikan, dakwah, dan sosial, yang salah satu program utamanya adalah tahfidz Alquran, disertai dengan pemahaman melalui pendalaman tafsir. Penelitian ini menggunakan metode kualitatif lapangan (field research) dan menemukan: Pertama, tujuan dari pembelajaran tafsir di pesantren Fath Darut Tafsir Sukamakmur Bogor adalah menciptakan generasi qurani, yang mampu membaca dan menghafal serta memahami isi kandungan Alquran secara komprehensif, baik dari sisi teks maupun konteksnya. Kedua, materi tafsir baru diberikan di jenjang SMA/MA sederajat, menggunakan kitab tafsir yang sederhana dan ringkas, dengan bahasa yang mudah dipahami santri, seperti Tafsir Jalalain, tafsir dan Tafsir Muyassar. Ketiga, metode pembelajaran yang digunakan bervariasi antara lain, metode ceramah, diskusi, tanya jawab, dan resitasi. Keempat, evaluasi materi pelajaran meliputi; penilaian harian, bulanan, tengah semester, dan semesteran, baik secara lisan ataupun tulisan, sementara evaluasi proses pembelajaran dilakukan oleh evaluator baik dari unsur pimpinan atau teman sejawat, melalui supervisi pembelajaran, ataupun mekanisme rapat pekanan.
Agricultural production and market prices in Mexico
Authors: Cruz-Lázaro Luis M. , Banda-Ortiz Humberto , Vivanco-Palacios Paulina I.
Published: February 2023

Objective: to establish that the price of the main products of the Mexican agricultural sector are cointegrated with the production of the main producing States of the five regions of the Mexican agricultural sector.
Design/methodology/approach: thirty cointegration tests were carried out to determine if prices influence the production of the main producing States of the regions of the agricultural sector of Mexico of the main products of Mexico, which are grain corn, grain sorghum and bean.
Results: in the northwest region, the price does not influence the production of the main producing States of grain corn, grain sorghum and beans; In the northeast, central-western and central regions, the price influences the production of the main producing States of grain maize, grain sorghum and beans; and, in the south-southeast region, in most of the States, the price does not affect the production of the main producing States of grain corn, grain sorghum and beans.
Limitations on study/implications: Not all States and their main products were analyzed because it was not the objective of the investigation.
Findings/conclusions: the price influences the production, but it does not influence in the same way the production of the five regions of Mexico and neither of the main producing States of grain corn, grain sorghum and beans.
PERANCANGAN UI/UX APLIKASI JOBHUB LAYANAN APLIKASI FREELANCE MENGGUNAKAN FIGMA
Authors: Laga Sinarring Azi , Hermansyah Deny , Alifkhan Mochammad Vaif Dwi
Published: February 2023

Perkembangan ilmu pengetahuan dan teknologi informasi saat ini memberikan pengaruh yang kuat terhadap perkembangan hampir di semua bidang kehidupan. Minimnya informasi lowongan kerja juga menjadi salah satu masalah yang membuat pencari kerja dan pencari kerja sulit untuk bertemu, sehingga internet bisa menjadi salah satu alternatif pencarian kerja, oleh karena itu dibuatlah JobHub. Metode yang digunakan pada penelitian ini yakni prototyping. Metode prototyping merupakan salah satu metode yang menggunakan pendekatan secara bertahap, sehingga dapat dengan mudah dievaluasi oleh user maupun pemangku kepentingan. Pada dunia digital saat ini sangat mudah membuat prototype
A COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT KERNEL FUNCTIONS OF SVM CLASSIFICATION METHOD FOR SPAM DETECTION
Authors: Karyawati AAIN Eka , Wijaya Komang Dhiyo Yonatha , Supriana I Wayan , Supriana I Wayan
Published: February 2023

Today, the use of e-mail, especially for formal online communication, is still often done. There is one common problem faced by e-mail users, which is the frequent receiving of spam messages. Spam messages are generally in the form of advertising or promotional messages in bulk to everyone. Of course this will cause inconvenience for people who receive the SPAM message. SPAM e-mails can be interpreted as junk messages or junk mail. So that spam has the nature of sending electronic messages repeatedly to the owner of the e-mail. This is abuse of the messaging system. One way to solve the spam problem is to identify spam messages for automatic message filtering. Several machine learning based methods are used to classify spam messages. In this study, a comparison was made between several kernel functions (i.e., linear, degree 1 polynomial, degree 2 polynomial, degree 3 polynomial, and RBF) of the SVM method to get the best SVM model in identifying spam messages. The evaluation results based on the Kaggle 1100 dataset showed that the best model were the SVM model with a linear kernel function and a degree 1 polynomial, where both models returned Precision = 0.99, Recall = 0.99, and F1-Score = 0.98. On the other hand, the RBF kernel produced lower performance in terms of Precision, Recall, and F1-Score of 0.95, 0.95, and 0.94, respectively.
Defining the Carceral Characteristics of the ‘Dickensian prison’: A Corpus Stylistics Analysis of Dickens’s Novels
Authors: March Eleanor , Moran Dominique , Houlbrook Matt , Jewkes Yvonne , Mahlberg Michaela
Published: February 2023

Charles Dickens is often evoked to make connections to Victorian times – and to highlight the need for change in today’s society. The situation of prisons is a prime example, where references to the ‘Dickensian prison’ figure in contemporary discourse to draw critical attention to the state of prisons and to call for reform. But it would be too simple to assume that today’s references to the Dickensian prison relate directly to the way Dickens narrates the prison. Therefore, this paper presents a detailed digital humanities textual study of prisons in Dickens’s novels to shed light on the vocabulary that the author uses to talk about this institution. The prisons in Dickens’s novels tend to be historic and outdated prisons, rather than the new Victorian-built model prisons. Using the CLiC (Corpus Linguistics in Context) web app, which combines a set of corpora with tools to access and search sets of texts, we set out to accumulate a substantial amount of textual evidence for a description of the carceral characteristics of Dickens’s prisons. These characteristics describe features of the prison building, prison TimeSpace, prison life, and effects of the prison. Our findings present a valuable platform from which to consider the enduring popularity of the Dickensian prison in contemporary penal discourse.
Impact of Inputs Price Subsidy on Sunflower Production in Punjab, Pakistan: A Mode of Productivity Enhancement
Authors: Ahmad Ijaz , Muhstaq Muhammad S. , Ilyas Muhammad , Anjum Muhammad A. , Hammad Abdullah , Safdar Muhammad H.
Published: February 2023

The importance of edible oil cannot be ignored because it is used in each and every home. Pakistan is a major edible oil importer. Each year millions of dollars are spent for its imports. The gap between demand and supply can be fulfilled by increasing the production of sunflower because of its high oil and protein content. This study conducted in the District Bahawalpur to check the impact of inputs subsidies on sunflower production. Respondents were divided into two groups to examine the productivity with available subsidy and without subsidy on production. Primary data were collected from two hundred respondents by using purposive sampling technique to fulfill the objectives of the study. One hundred respondents were selected who got subsidy and one hundred growers who did not get subsidy. For analyzing the data descriptive statistics, estimation of cost of production and profitability and regression analysis methods were used. Based on finding of results, it is strongly recommended that the present subsidy program should be continued and be also extended to other oil potential oilseed crops. There are (71 percent) farmers have average yield 27.70 mounds and confirmed that they will cultivate sunflower in the future due to subsidy provision. It is strongly recommended that the present subsidy program should be continued and be also extended to other oil potential oilseed crops.
Gastric emptying performance of stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy versus conventional gastrojejunostomy for treating gastric outlet obstruction: A retrospective clinical and numerical simulation study
Authors: Zhang Haiqiao , Xu Fengyan , Zheng Zhi , Liu Xiaoye , Yin Jie , Fan Zhenmin , Zhang Jun
Published: February 2023

Purpose: This study evaluated the gastric emptying performance of stomach-partitioning gastrojejunostomy (SPGJ) versus conventional gastrojejunostomy (CGJ) for treating gastric outlet obstruction (GOO).

Methods: First, 73 patients who underwent SPGJ (n = 48) or CGJ (n = 25) were involved. Surgical outcomes, postoperative recovery of gastrointestinal function, delayed gastric emptying, and nutritional status of both groups were compared. Second, a three-dimensional stomach model was constructed based on the gastric filling CT images from a GOO patient with a standard stature. The present study evaluated SPGJ numerically by comparing it with CGJ in terms of local flow parameters such as flow velocity, pressure, particle retention time, and particle retention velocity.

Results: Clinical data found that SPGJ had significant advantages over CGJ in terms of time to pass gas (3 versus 4 days, p < 0.001), time to oral intake (3 versus 4 days, p = 0.001), postoperative hospitalization (7 versus 9 days, p < 0.001), the incidence of delay gastric emptying (DGE) (2.1% versus 36%, p < 0.001), DGE grading (p < 0.001), and complications (p < 0.001) for GOO patients. Moreover, numerical simulation revealed that the SPGJ model would induce contents in stomach discharge to the anastomosis at a higher speed, and only 5% of that flowed to the pylorus. SPGJ model also had a low-pressure drop as the flow from the lower esophagus to the jejunum, reducing the resistance to food discharge. Besides, the average retention time of particles in the CGJ model is 1.5 times longer than that in the SPGJ models, and the average instantaneous velocity in CGJ and SPGJ models are 22 mm/s and 29 mm/s, respectively.

Conclusion: Compared with CGJ, patients after SPGJ had better gastric emptying performance and better postoperative clinical efficacy. Therefore, we think that SPGJ may be a better option for treating GOO.
Protex—A Python utility for proton exchange in molecular dynamics simulations
Authors: Joerg Florian , Wieder Marcus , Schröder Christian
Published: February 2023

Protex is an open-source program that enables proton exchanges of solvent molecules during molecular dynamics simulations. While conventional molecular dynamics simulations do not allow for bond breaking or formation, protex offers an easy-to-use interface to augment these simulations and define multiple proton sites for (de-)protonation using a single topology approach with two different λ-states. Protex was successfully applied to a protic ionic liquid system, where each molecule is prone to (de-)protonation. Transport properties were calculated and compared to experimental values and simulations without proton exchange.
Study on the corrosion resistance of composite modified anti-corrosion mortar under the action of bio-organic water
Authors: Wei Jun , Wang Zhenshan , Xu Jibin , Jia Haiqin
Published: February 2023

The concrete structure will be seriously eroded in a sewage environment, causing substantial economic losses. Therefore, it is of great significance to repair the existing corrosion structure. In order to quickly restore the mechanical properties and enhance the durability performance of eroded concrete structures, this paper develops a new composite high-durability mortar by adding polypropylene fibers, basalt fibers and impermeable agents, which can achieve the dual requirements of structural repair and protection. For the new material, this test set up a total of five groups of mixing ratios. This test analyzed the water absorption, mass loss rate, compressive strength and other performance indicators of the test block in the corrosive environment, and scanned and studied the microstructure of each mortar test block after corrosion. It was found that the new anti-corrosion mortar has relatively less crystallization, dense internal structure, and significantly lighter erosion. From the mechanical properties, the strength of ordinary polymer mortar after erosion decreased by 6%; high-durability mortar instead improved the strength by nearly 20%, showing better resistance to erosion. Taken together, the use of mineral dopants and water repellents can effectively enhance the strength and corrosion resistance of mortar, and the cost is low, with good prospects for engineering applications.
Eye-tracking measures as indicators for a local vs. global view of data
Authors: Schreiter Saskia , Vogel Markus
Published: February 2023

Comparing data distributions is a fundamental activity in statistics and a motivating learning opportunity in schools to initiate statistical thinking. Research has shown that many students tend to perceive a data distribution as a collection of individual values rather than as a conceptual entity that has certain features such as center, spread, and shape. These difficulties are reflected in students’ tendency to focus on local details of the distribution (so-called local view of data) instead of referring to differences between the distributions as a whole (so-called global view of data). While many authors refer to school students’ conceptions and difficulties related to their view of data, there is, to the best of our knowledge, no empirical study that investigated their actual viewing behavior (local vs. global) when comparing distributions. The central assumption of this study is that specific eye-tracking measures constitute indicators for the perceiving and processing of local vs. global distributional features. For this purpose, hypotheses for differences in certain eye-tracking measures (fixation count, saccade amplitude, and saccade direction) between students with a local and global view of data were theoretically derived and empirically investigated using a methodological combination of eye-tracking and stimulated recall interviews. We analyzed data of 25 sixth-grade students who each completed four items on distributional comparisons. The results showed strong positive inter-item correlations for all eye-tracking measures, indicating high internal consistency in participants’ gaze behavior across all items. Based on the analysis of the eye-tracking stimulated recall interviews, we split our sample into those students who perceived and processed global features in half or more of the items (global view) and those below that threshold (local view). In line with our theoretically derived hypotheses, students with a global compared to a local view of data had on average significantly fewer fixations, longer saccade amplitudes, and a higher relative number of horizontal saccades. These results suggest that eye-tracking can assist in identifying students’ conceptions and difficulties related to a local vs. global view of data. Implications for school practice and further research are discussed.
Pathogenic gene variants in CCDC39, CCDC40, RSPH1, RSPH9, HYDIN, and SPEF2 cause defects of sperm flagella composition and male infertility
Authors: Aprea I. , Wilken A. , Krallmann C. , Nöthe-Menchen T. , Olbrich H. , Loges N. T. , Dougherty G. W. , Bracht D. , Brenker C. , Kliesch S. , Strünker T. , Tüttelmann F. , Raidt J. , Omran H.
Published: February 2023

Primary Ciliary Dyskinesia (PCD) is a rare genetic disorder affecting the function of motile cilia in several organ systems. In PCD, male infertility is caused by defective sperm flagella composition or deficient motile cilia function in the efferent ducts of the male reproductive system. Different PCD-associated genes encoding axonemal components involved in the regulation of ciliary and flagellar beating are also reported to cause infertility due to multiple morphological abnormalities of the sperm flagella (MMAF). Here, we performed genetic testing by next generation sequencing techniques, PCD diagnostics including immunofluorescence-, transmission electron-, and high-speed video microscopy on sperm flagella and andrological work up including semen analyses. We identified ten infertile male individuals with pathogenic variants in CCDC39 (one) and CCDC40 (two) encoding ruler proteins, RSPH1 (two) and RSPH9 (one) encoding radial spoke head proteins, and HYDIN (two) and SPEF2 (two) encoding CP-associated proteins, respectively. We demonstrate for the first time that pathogenic variants in RSPH1 and RSPH9 cause male infertility due to sperm cell dysmotility and abnormal flagellar RSPH1 and RSPH9 composition. We also provide novel evidence for MMAF in HYDIN- and RSPH1-mutant individuals. We show absence or severe reduction of CCDC39 and SPEF2 in sperm flagella of CCDC39- and CCDC40-mutant individuals and HYDIN- and SPEF2-mutant individuals, respectively. Thereby, we reveal interactions between CCDC39 and CCDC40 as well as HYDIN and SPEF2 in sperm flagella. Our findings demonstrate that immunofluorescence microscopy in sperm cells is a valuable tool to identify flagellar defects related to the axonemal ruler, radial spoke head and the central pair apparatus, thus aiding the diagnosis of male infertility. This is of particular importance to classify the pathogenicity of genetic defects, especially in cases of missense variants of unknown significance, or to interpret HYDIN variants that are confounded by the presence of the almost identical pseudogene HYDIN2.
Analysis of the conserved protective epitopes of hemagglutinin on influenza A viruses
Authors: Jiao Chenchen , Wang Bo , Chen Pucheng , Jiang Yongping , Liu Jinxiong
Published: February 2023

The conserved protective epitopes of hemagglutinin (HA) are essential to the design of a universal influenza vaccine and new targeted therapeutic agents. Over the last 15 years, numerous broadly neutralizing antibodies (bnAbs) targeting the HA of influenza A viruses have been isolated from B lymphocytes of human donors and mouse models, and their binding epitopes identified. This work has brought new perspectives for identifying conserved protective epitopes of HA. In this review, we succinctly analyzed and summarized the antigenic epitopes and functions of more than 70 kinds of bnAb. The highly conserved protective epitopes are concentrated on five regions of HA: the hydrophobic groove, the receptor-binding site, the occluded epitope region of the HA monomers interface, the fusion peptide region, and the vestigial esterase subdomain. Our analysis clarifies the distribution of the conserved protective epitope regions on HA and provides distinct targets for the design of novel vaccines and therapeutics to combat influenza A virus infection.
Aerobic and facultative anaerobic Klebsiella pneumoniae strains establish mutual competition and jointly promote Musca domestica development
Authors: Zhang Kexin , Wang Shumin , Yao Dawei , Zhang Xinyu , Zhang Qian , Liu Wenjuan , Li Ying , Yin Yansong , An Sha , Zhang Ruiling , Zhang Zhong
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The gut microenvironment in housefly harbors a rich and diverse microbial community which plays a crucial role in larval development. However, little is known about the impact of specific symbiotic bacteria on larval development as well as the composition of the indigenous gut microbiota of housefly.

Methods

In the present study, two novel strains were isolated from housefly larval gut, i.e., Klebsiella pneumoniae KX (aerobe) and K. pneumoniae KY (facultative anaerobe). Moreover, the bacteriophages KXP/KYP specific for strains KX and KY were used to analyse the effects of K. pneumoniae on larval development.

Results

Our results showed that dietary supplementation with K. pneumoniae KX and KY individually promoted housefly larval growth. However, no significant synergistic effect was observed when the two bacterial strains were administered in combination. In addition, using high-throughput sequencing, it was demonstrated that the abundance of Klebsiella increased whereas that of Provincia, Serratia and Morganella decreased when housefly larvae received supplementation with K. pneumoniae KX, KY or the KX-KY mixture. Moreover, when used combined, K. pneumoniae KX/KY inhibited the growth of Pseudomonas and Providencia. When the abundance of both bacterial strains simultaneously increased, a balance in total bacterial abundance was reached.

Discussion

Thus, it can be assumed that strains K. pneumoniae KX and KY maintain an equilibrium to facilitate their development in housefly gut, by establishing competition but also cooperation with each other to maintain the constant composition of gut bacteria in housefly larvae. Thus, our findings highlight the essential role of K. pneumoniae in regulating the composition of the gut microbiota in insects.
Donation type and the effect of pre-transplant donor specific antibodies – Data from the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study
Authors: de Rougemont Olivier , Deng Yun , Frischknecht Lukas , Wehmeier Caroline , Villard Jean , Ferrari-Lacraz Sylvie , Golshayan Déla , Gannagé Monique , Binet Isabelle , Wirthmueller Urs , Sidler Daniel , Schachtner Thomas , Schaub Stefan , Nilsson Jakob ,   the Swiss Transplant Cohort Study
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The type of donation may affect how susceptible a donor kidney is to injury from pre-existing alloimmunity. Many centers are, therefore, reluctant to perform donor specific antibody (DSA) positive transplantations in the setting of donation after circulatory death (DCD). There are, however, no large studies comparing the impact of pre-transplant DSA stratified on donation type in a cohort with a complete virtual cross-match and long-term follow-up of transplant outcome.

Methods

We investigated the effect of pre-transplant DSA on the risk of rejection, graft loss, and the rate of eGFR decline in 1282 donation after brain death (DBD) transplants and compared it to 130 (DCD) and 803 living donor (LD) transplants.

Results

There was a significant worse outcome associated with pre-transplant DSA in all of the studied donation types. DSA directed against Class II HLA antigens as well as a high cumulative mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of the detected DSA showed the strongest association with worse transplant outcome. We could not detect a significant additive negative effect of DSA in DCD transplantations in our cohort. Conversely, DSA positive DCD transplants appeared to have a slightly better outcome, possibly in part due to the lower mean fluorescent intensity (MFI) of the pre-transplant DSA. Indeed when DCD transplants were compared to DBD transplants with similar MFI (<6.5k), graft survival was not significantly different.

Discussion

Our results suggest that the negative impact of pre-transplant DSA on graft outcome could be similar between all donation types. This suggests that immunological risk assessment could be performed in a similar way regardless of the type of donor kidney transplantation.
Bioregionalization in a data-poor situation: Mapping of Uruguayan marine benthic regions
Authors: Limongi Pablo , Ortega Leonardo , Horta Sebastián , Burone Leticia , Carranza Alvar
Published: February 2023

Introduction

The Uruguayan Exclusive Economic Zone (U-EEZ) is still lacking a technically sound and institutionally agreed system for classifying marine benthic ecosystems. This fact, added to the growing anthropic pressure marine ecosystems face in the U-EEZ, increases the vulnerability of these ecosystems and their associated biodiversity. Despite this, there is valuable and abundant disaggregated environmental and biological information for benthic systems.

Methods

In this work, we used ca. 4000 records of all major Phyla of benthic invertebrates to determine discrete benthic regions for the U-EEZ. We looked at the structuring forces of bathymetry, salinity, and water masses. First, we categorized the multivariate structure according to statistical significance to test a priori categories for univariate descriptors. Then, we mapped unique combinations of categories of structuring variables, which largely determine the structure and composition of benthic communities. Operationally, the variables to be analyzed were classified, and subsequently, group (cluster) and SIMPROF analyzes were performed.

Results

The results suggest seven bathymetric categories, two of water masses and two of salinity, significantly structuring the benthic communities. The combination of these categories suggests nine discrete benthic marine regions for the U-EEZ, with heterogeneous structural characteristics. Our results provide an initial model of distinct benthic ecological complexes in U-EEZ.

Discussion

However, caution should be exerted when using this model during decision-making. For example, implementing use restrictions of benthic areas should rely on further groundtruthing, including direct seafloor observations and collections. The latter is relevant since our system is based on the analysis of accumulated historical data that may or may not represent the current condition of habitats of interest.
Characteristics and result reporting of registered COVID-19 clinical trials of Chinese and Indian traditional medicine: A comparative analysis
Authors: Zhao Nan , Pandey Kritika , Lakshmanan Skanthesh , Zhao Ran , Fan Jingchun , Zhang Junhua , Bachmann Max O. , Fan Hong , Song Fujian
Published: February 2023

Objective

To assess the main characteristics and result reporting of registered COVID-19 interventional trials of traditional Chinese medicine and traditional Indian medicine.

Materials and methods

We assessed design quality and result reporting of COVID-19 trials of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) and traditional Indian medicine (TIM) registered before 10 February 2021, respectively, on Chinese Clinical Trial Registry (ChiCTR) and Clinical Trial Registry-India (CTRI). Comparison groups included registered COVID-19 trials of conventional medicine conducted in China (WMC), India (WMI), and in other countries (WMO). Cox regression analysis was used to assess the association between time from trial onset to result reporting and trial characteristics.

Results

The proportion of COVID-19 trials investigating traditional medicine was 33.7% (130/386) among trials registered on ChiCTR, and 58.6% (266/454) on CTRI. Planned sample sizes were mostly small in all COVID-19 trials (median 100, IQR: 50–200). The proportion of trials that were randomized was 75.4 and 64.8%, respectively, for the TCM and TIM trials. Blinding measures were used in 6.2% of the TCM trials, and 23.6% of the TIM trials. Cox regression analysis revealed that planned COVID-19 clinical trials of traditional medicine were less likely to have results reported than trials of conventional medicine (hazard ratio 0.713, 95% confidence interval: 0.541–0.939; p = 0.0162).

Conclusion

There were considerable between-country and within-country differences in design quality, target sample size, trial participants, and reporting of trial results. Registered COVID-19 clinical trials of traditional medicine were less likely to report results than trials of conventional medicine.
Predicting mortality in patients with nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding using machine-learning
Authors: Ungureanu Bogdan Silviu , Gheonea Dan Ionut , Florescu Dan Nicolae , Iordache Sevastita , Cazacu Sergiu Marian , Iovanescu Vlad Florin , Rogoveanu Ion , Turcu-Stiolica Adina
Published: February 2023

Background

Non-endoscopic risk scores, Glasgow Blatchford (GBS) and admission Rockall (Rock), are limited by poor specificity. The aim of this study was to develop an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) for the non-endoscopic triage of nonvariceal upper gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB), with mortality as a primary outcome.

Methods

Four machine learning algorithms, namely, Linear Discriminant Analysis (LDA), Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA), logistic regression (LR), K-Nearest Neighbor (K-NN), were performed with GBS, Rock, Beylor Bleeding score (BBS), AIM65, and T-score.

Results

A total of 1,096 NVUGIB hospitalized in the Gastroenterology Department of the County Clinical Emergency Hospital of Craiova, Romania, randomly divided into training and testing groups, were included retrospectively in our study. The machine learning models were more accurate at identifying patients who met the endpoint of mortality than any of the existing risk scores. AIM65 was the most important score in the detection of whether a NVUGIB would die or not, whereas BBS had no influence on this. Also, the greater AIM65 and GBS, and the lower Rock and T-score, the higher mortality will be.

Conclusion

The best accuracy was obtained by the hyperparameter-tuned K-NN classifier (98%), giving the highest precision and recall on the training and testing datasets among all developed models, showing that machine learning can accurately predict mortality in patients with NVUGIB.
Genome, host genome integration, and gene expression in Diadegma fenestrale ichnovirus from the perspective of coevolutionary hosts
Authors: Kim Juil , Rahman Md-Mafizur , Kim A-Young , Ramasamy Srinivasan , Kwon Min , Kim Yonggyun
Published: February 2023

Polydnaviruses (PDVs) exhibit species-specific mutualistic relationships with endoparasitoid wasps. PDVs can be categorized into bracoviruses and ichnoviruses, which have independent evolutionary origins. In our previous study, we identified an ichnovirus of the endoparasitoid Diadegma fenestrale and named it DfIV. Here, DfIV virions from the ovarian calyx of gravid female wasps were characterized. DfIV virion particles were ellipsoidal (246.5 nm × 109.0 nm) with a double-layered envelope. Next-generation sequencing of the DfIV genome revealed 62 non-overlapping circular DNA segments (A1–A5, B1–B9, C1–C15, D1–D23, E1–E7, and F1–F3); the aggregate genome size was approximately 240 kb, and the GC content (43%) was similar to that of other IVs (41%–43%). A total of 123 open reading frames were predicted and included typical IV gene families such as repeat element protein (41 members), cysteine motif (10 members), vankyrin (9 members), polar residue-rich protein (7 members), vinnexin (6 members), and N gene (3 members). Neuromodulin N (2 members) was found to be unique to DfIV, along with 45 hypothetical genes. Among the 62 segments, 54 showed high (76%–98%) sequence similarities to the genome of Diadegma semiclausum ichnovirus (DsIV). Three segments, namely, D22, E3, and F2, contained lepidopteran host genome integration motifs with homologous regions of about 36–46 bp between them (Diadegma fenestrale ichnovirus, DfIV and lepidopteran host, Plutella xylostella). Most of the DfIV genes were expressed in the hymenopteran host and some in the lepidopteran host (P. xylostella), parasitized by D. fenestrale. Five segments (A4, C3, C15, D5, and E4) were differentially expressed at different developmental stages of the parasitized P. xylostella, and two segments (C15 and D14) were highly expressed in the ovaries of D. fenestrale. Comparative analysis between DfIV and DsIV revealed that the genomes differed in the number of segments, composition of sequences, and internal sequence homologies.
Structural insight into the substrate-binding mode and catalytic mechanism for MlrC enzyme of Sphingomonas sp. ACM-3962 in linearized microcystin biodegradation
Authors: Guo Xiaoliang , Li Zengru , Jiang Qinqin , Cheng Cai , Feng Yu , He Yanlin , Zuo Lingzi , Rao Li , Ding Wei , Feng Lingling
Published: February 2023

Removing microcystins (MCs) safely and effectively has become an urgent global problem because of their extremely hazardous to the environment and public health. Microcystinases derived from indigenous microorganisms have received widespread attention due to their specific MC biodegradation function. However, linearized MCs are also very toxic and need to be removed from the water environment. How MlrC binds to linearized MCs and how it catalyzes the degradation process based on the actual three-dimensional structure have not been determined. In this study, the binding mode of MlrC with linearized MCs was explored using a combination of molecular docking and site-directed mutagenesis methods. A series of key substrate binding residues, including E70, W59, F67, F96, S392 and so on, were identified. Sodium dodecane sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) was used to analyze samples of these variants. The activity of MlrC variants were measured using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). We used fluorescence spectroscopy experiments to research the relationship between MlrC enzyme (E), zinc ion (M), and substrate (S). The results showed that MlrC enzyme, zinc ion and substrate formed E-M-S intermediates during the catalytic process. The substrate-binding cavity was made up of N and C-terminal domains and the substrate-binding site mainly included N41, E70, D341, S392, Q468, S485, R492, W59, F67, and F96. The E70 residue involved in both substrate catalysis and substrate binding. In conclusion, a possible catalytic mechanism of the MlrC enzyme was further proposed based on the experimental results and a literature survey. These findings provided new insights into the molecular mechanisms of the MlrC enzyme to degrade linearized MCs, and laid a theoretical foundation for further biodegradation studies of MCs.