bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growth performance of jute (Corchorus capsularies L.) as influenced by different organic manures
Authors: Qulsum U , Meem FF , Promi RS , Zaman JR , Ara MF , Rahman MK
Published: February 2021

A pot experiment was carried out in 2019 in the net house of the Department of Soil, Water and Environment, University of Dhaka, to evaluate the growth and yield of Jute plants (Corchorus capsularies L.) by applying different types of organic manures. Eight different types of organic manures viz. ACI, BGF-1, Mazim, Vermicompost, Shufola, GTS, Green and Poultry manures were collected from the local market. The experiment was set up following a completely randomized design (CRD) with nine treatments and three replications consisting of twenty-seven pots. Significant variation was observed in different growth and yield contributing characters. The highest plant height (19.83cm) in poultry manure, leaf number (8.33/plant) was observed in Green manure, leaf area (21.93 cm2 / plant) in Poultry manure, fresh weight (3.18g) and dry weight (2.25 g) were found in Poultry manure, stem girth (1.67 cm/plant) in Vermicompost, branch number (8.6/plant) in Green manure. The highest nutrient uptake by plants (kg/ha) occurred in Poultry manure. The overall best growth was observed in Poultry manure.

J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(1): 17-24
Role of honey bee on mustard (Brassica spp.) yield
Authors: Hossain MS , Paul JK , Rahman MM , Fazlullah MU , Sarkar S
Published: February 2021

The study was conducted in the field at Nagarpur, Tangail, Bangladesh, from November 2016 to February 2017 to find out the role of honey bees on mustard yield. Honey bee (Apis mellifera) was the main insect pollinator during mustard flowering season. Mustard seeds of variety Tori-7 were selected for this experiment. Three different treatments were used, viz. control, netting with honey bees and netting without honey bees. Honey bees helped mustard pollination, but decreased the flowering period (6 days) of the mustard plant. Honey bees assisted the pollination of mustard and increased the number of pod per plant (14%) as well as the number of seeds per pod (11%). Honey bees enhanced the pollination of mustard plant, and netting with honey bees increased the mean seed yield (15%) per plant of mustard, however, decreased the period of flowering stage of mustard. Mustard yield was considerably higher in honey bee foraging plots.

J. Biodivers. Conserv. Bioresour. Manag. 2020, 6(1): 25-30
Imipenem Resistance Gram-Negative Bacilli Isolated from Patients of a Tertiary Care Hospital in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Authors: Mostofa Hasbi Ara , Shamsuzzaman SM , Hasan Md Maniul , Shormin Moonmoon , Das Bithi , Habiba Umme , Rahman Md Mustafizur , Akhter Shakila
Published: February 2021

Introduction: The emergence of antibiotics resistance bacteria is a persistent global problem affecting public health. The occurrence and widespread resistance to Imipenem among hospital bacterial isolates can constitute a significant threat to chemotherapy.

Objectives: This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the imipenem resistant pattern among gram-negative bacilli isolated from different samples in Dhaka medical college hospital.

Methods: A total of 300 samples (wound swab, urine, endotracheal aspirate, blood, and sputum) were collected from July 2015 to June 2016. Two hundred four gram-negative bacilli were isolated and tested for resistance to imipenem by the disc diffusion method.

Results: Among 204-gram negative bacilli, 39.21% imipenem resistance was detected by the Disc Diffusion method. 14.7% imipenem resistance gram-negative bacilli were from wound swab. 83.33% of Acinetobacter baumannii were Imipenem resistant.

Conclusions: Imipenem resistance is widespread among gram-negative bacilli isolated from human infections. Imipenem resistance (39.21%) found in the study is quite worrisome.

J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll, December 2020, Vol.12(1); 3-5
Europeana y GIF IT UP fomentan la creatividad en tiempos de pandemia
Authors: Strzelichowska Aleksandra
Published: February 2021

Europeana, plataforma digital europea para el patrimonio cultural, sostiene que defender el patrimonio cultural puede ser muy divertido y ha organizado una nueva edición de GIF IT UP, una competición anual basada en la creación de ‘gifs’ (Graphics Interchange Format, en sus siglas en inglés) para fomentar la reutilización de material de patrimonio cultural de una forma creativa. Cada año, durante el mes de octubre, tanto animadores profesionales como entusiastas del patrimonio cultural, están invitados a crear innovadores gifs mezclando material sin derechos y de licencia abierta procedente de bibliotecas digitales de varias partes del mundo.
Un congreso analiza el discurso expositivo de los museos sobre el patrimonio alimentario
Authors: Fragoso Mora María
Published: February 2021

El presente texto expone la vivencia del Segundo congreso Internacional de Patrimonio Alimentario y Museos llevado a cabo los días 11 y 12 de noviembre en las instalaciones virtuales de la Universitat Politècnica de València. El cual fue un espacio de diálogo dónde se hizo palpar la diversidad y las innovaciones en espacios museísticos y discursos patrimoniales en torno al efímero sentido del gusto. En el texto se explica brevemente las impresiones de las conferencias y comunicaciones que nutrieron el diálogo y las gratas felicitaciones de los involucrados. Así como también se planteó el debate de la maleabilidad de la comida y la tradición gastronómica al ser llevada a un museo y cuál debería ser la gestión adecuada para visibilizarlo y desarrollar su puesta en valor.
A Case Report of Acute Laryngitis with Auricular Lesion: Herpes Zoster Infection with Isolated Vagus Nerve Involvement and Vocal Fold Paresis
Authors: Shin Jung-Woo , Kim Sang Woo , Park Seok-Won , Kim Bo Hae
Published: February 2021

Acute laryngitis and acute inflammatory diseases of either infectious or non-infectious causes have similarities with herpes zoster of the vagus nerve (VHZ). We present a case which was initially diagnosis wtih acute laryngitis but finally diagnosed as VHZ. A 41-year-old male presented with an ongoing fever, throat pain and right otalgia lasting for two days with worsening symptoms despite nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug medication. Initially, he was treated conservatively as acute laryngitis was suspected. However, VHZ was subsequently diagnosed in this patient after considering unilateral auricular and laryngeal vesicles which were followed by ipsilateral vocal fold paresis. An antiherpetic agent and prednisolone were administered upon the presentation of vocal fold paresis. Axonotmesis was discovered by laryngeal electromyography one week after the appearance of vocal fold paresis. All symptoms subsided after one month. These results highlight the importance of understanding vagus nerve function in developing a differential diagnosis for laryngitis and VHZ.
Chondrosarcoma of the Nasal Septum
Authors: Kim Tae Hoon , Kwon Ki Jin , Lim Sung-Jig , Lee Kun Hee
Published: February 2021

Chondrosarcoma of the nasal septum is a very rare malignant tumor in the head and neck region. To diagnose chondrosarcoma, it is challenging to obtain an exact initial impression just by simple physical examination. Therefore, imaging studies are useful in the initial assessment of chondrosarcoma. Pathological confirmation is necessary for a definitive diagnosis of chondrosarcoma. In the treatment of chondrosarcoma, complete surgical resection is most effective, but often difficult. We report a patient with chondrosarcoma misdiagnosed with nasal septal deviation causing nasal obstruction. The patient underwent endoscopic surgical resection via an external rhinoplasty approach. The pathological diagnosis of the patient was chondrosarcoma with pathological Grade 1. The patient has been regularly followed up to date without recurrence.
Verbal Auditory Agnosia Developed after Unilateral Temporal Lobe Infarction
Authors: Jeon Jeong-Bae , Jeon Min-Chae , Lee Dong-Hee
Published: February 2021

Stroke results in sudden loss of function related to its damaged portion. When this occurs in temporal lobe, the function of hearing and listening may be affected, although receptive language processing is affected while hearing perception is relatively spared. This is called as “central deafness.” It has been known that hearing ability is seldom impaired in the case of temporal lobe stroke except in the case of bilateral lesions. However, we experienced a 72-year-old, right-handed woman who presented with both sudden hearing difficulty due to unilateral temporal lobe infarctions after suddenly not being able to respond to any verbal questions except environmental sounds. Pure-tone audiometry showed both flat sensorineural hearing loss of mild degree in both ears but she could not understand any verbal sound. Brain MRI demonstrated extensive ischemic infarcts in the left temporal lobes involving primary auditory cortex. She was diagnosed as verbal auditory agnosia and has received speech-language therapy.
Oral Phase Dysphagia, the First Manifestation of Systemic Amyloidosis Associated with Multiple Myeloma
Authors: Hyun Ki Jong , Kim Sung Hoon , Kim Lucia , Kim Ji Won
Published: February 2021

Amyloidosis is a disease in which abnormal proteins called amyloid accumulates in various tissues. In the head and neck area, the larynx is the most common site with the rare involvement of the tongue, causing symptoms of macroglossia. Most of amyloid light-chain (AL) amyloidosis are systemic amyloidosis accompanied with multiple myeloma (MM), where the involvement of tongue can be often observed. We report a case of AL amyloidosis with MM, initially with symptoms of dysarthria and dysphagia without macroglossia, but gradually over the years, macroglossia and high tongue stiffness were observed.
Influência da temperatura de rotaevaporação e do tipo de resíduo na extração de compostos bioativos de jamelão (Syzygium cumini)
Authors: Neves-Brito Bruna Stephanny , Láscaris Matheus Péricles Silva , Moreira Jane de Jesus da Silveira , Nunes Tatiana Pacheco , Pagani Alessandra Almeida Castro , Silva Gabriel Francisco da
Published: February 2021

O jamelão é um fruto rico em compostos bioativos, entretanto altamente perecível e pouco utilizado pela indústria. Visto que não existe literatura sobre o efeito da temperatura de rotaevaporação e do tipo de resíduo na extração de compostos bioativos, o objetivo deste trabalho foi verificar a influência desses fatores na extração destes compostos, e consequentemente nas atividades antioxidante e antimicrobiana. Parte do resíduo foi obtida mecanicamente (bagaço), e a outra parte manualmente (casca). O bagaço e a casca foram desidratados a 40°C e os extratos foram preparados utilizando uma proporção de 1:10 (m/v) de álcool etílico 70%. Após a homogeneização, os extratos foram filtrados a vácuo e rotaevaporados a 40°C e 50°C. Foi possível verificar que a extração do teor de compostos fenólicos totais, flavonoides e antocianinas foi significativamente maior a 50ºC. Em relação à comparação entre os tipos de resíduos, a casca apresentou-se como melhor fonte extratora para os teores de flavonoides, antocianina, atividade antioxidante (DPPH e FRAP) e atividade antimicrobiana, embora para os compostos fenólicos totais não foi observada diferença significativa entre os tipos de resíduos. Quanto à capacidade antimicrobiana, observou-se que os extratos foram efetivos frente a Listeria monocytogenes, Bacilus cereus e Staphylococcus aureus, sendo o da casca o mais eficiente. Assim, os extratos da casca produzidos a 50°C podem ser considerado uma fonte potencial de estudos para trazer benefícios nutricionais, como também para a redução de resíduos no impacto ambiental, podendo ser acrescentado em novos produtos pela indústria alimentícia, farmacêutica e afins.
Potencial de espécies comerciais analisado pelo índice de valor de importância em área de exploração de impacto reduzido
Authors: Pinheiro Klewton Adriano Oliveira , Ruschel Ademir Roberto , Carneiro Francimary da Silva , Frazão Alex da Silva , Souza Marcos Francisco Serafim de , D’arace Larissa Martins Barbosa , Amorim Marcio Braga
Published: February 2021

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o comportamento das espécies através do índice de valor de importância, verificamos as mudanças ocorridas na diversidade de árvores comerciais ao longo do tempo. A variedade de espécies foi determinada pelo Índice de Valor de Importância (IVI) e depois classificada em grupos de uso. Sapotaceae foi a família mais abundante em todo o estudo apresentando o maior volume e área basal. Pouteria spp., Goupia glabra e Manilkara huberi podem ser selecionadas para uma nova colheita devido a recuperação na taxa de crescimento. Atualmente, podem ser utilizadas para uma segunda colheita florestal 16 espécies comerciais somadas a mais 52 novas espécies. Devendo haver estudos de novas espécies para compor a exploração florestal levando em consideração a quantidade de indivíduos remanescentes, sua distribuição na área e a dominância dessa espécie em relação aos outros indivíduos.
Tamoxifen inhibits the anion channel induced by Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin: electrophysiological and docking analysis
Authors: Teixeira Luciana Ramos , Silva Júnior Janilson José da , Vieira Pedro Higor Saraiva , Canto Marcus Vinícius Guerra , Figueirêdo Anne Gabryelle Maciel de , Silva Joelmir Lucena Veiga da
Published: February 2021

To investigate the effects of tamoxifen on Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin channel (α-HL) in planar lipid bilayers with electrophysiological characterization and docking studies. Planar lipid bilayer membranes were prepared and α-HL (0.07 mg/mL) was added to the standard solution in cis compartment of the experimental chamber. All experiments were performed at room temperature using an Axopatch 200A amplifier in the voltage clamp mode. At pH 7.5, α-HL channels were usually in a high conductance ~4 nS and rarely switch to low conductance states. After the ion channel was incorporated in bilayer membrane, the tamoxifen was also added to the standard solution to the cis compartment. To docking studies, atomics coordinates for the α-HL heptameric channel was retrieved from PDB ID (7AHL) and the structure of tamoxifen was removed from the Pubchem, their coordinates were built and minimized with Avogadro software. The molecular docking experiments were performed using the Dockthor online portal. The tamoxifen inhibited (P < 0.05) α-HL channel conductance and it was a voltage-dependent manner. The three best docking solutions and the α-HL channel were evaluated, it was observed the connection mode with the highest affinity of interaction has a greater number of types of polar interaction. The residues present interactions of greater energy were 111 and 147 that form the remainders of the constriction in the channel of α-HL. The other conformers were accommodated in a region with more hydrophobic characteristics (valine 149). The mechanism of Staphylococcus aureus α-hemolysin inhibition by tamoxifen was blockade over the constriction of channel.
Exame de Papanicolaou e câncer cervical em homens transgêneros: revisão integrativa
Authors: Araújo Jéssica Mayara da Silva , Santos Maria Mylena Gomes , Silva Renata Santos da , Martins Manuela de Carvalho Vieira , Gallotti Fernanda Costa Martins
Published: February 2021

Introdução: O exame de Papanicolaou é o principal método de rastreamento para o câncer do colo do útero, que pode acometer os homens transgêneros que apresentam esse órgão. Objetivo: Destacar a importância do exame citopatológico no combate ao câncer cervical em homens transgêneros. Metodologia: Trata-se de uma revisão integrativa da literatura de cunho descritivo e abordagem qualitativa, realizada nas bases SciELO, PUBMED, MEDLINE, LILACS, BVS e Science Direct, utilizando os descritores “Transgender Persons”, “Uterine Cervical Neoplasms” e “Papanicolaou Test”. Foram incluídos artigos de 2015 a 2020 que abordam sobre o exame de Papanicolaou, e o câncer do colo do útero ou lesões precursoras do câncer em homens transgêneros. A análise ocorreu através de leitura crítica e categorização temática. Resultados e discussão: Foram encontrados oito artigos que originaram três categorias: Rastreamento do câncer cervical em homens transgêneros, histórico relacionado ao exame de Papanicolaou e percepções sobre o rastreamento do câncer cervical. Assim, constatou-se que os homens transgêneros não realizam rastreamento do câncer cervical como as mulheres cisgêneros e enfrentam desafios únicos no exame de Papanicolaou, pertinentes a cada realidade, levando-os a buscar alternativas que minimizem seus desconfortos. Conclusão: Os dados revelam a importância do exame de Papanicolaou no rastreamento do câncer cervical em homens transgêneros, visto que comparado a meios alternativos buscados, o mesmo é o mais confiável atualmente. Ainda, reforçam a necessidade de conhecimento para um rastreamento de forma individualizada nesse público.
Aquatic plant diversity of lakes around Gondia city, Maharashtra, India
Authors: Badole Amol , Zode Ravindra , Tagade Walay , Kawale Mahesh
Published: February 2021

Gondia is one of the centrally located districts of India. It is famous for its lakes and water bodies. These water bodies exhibit enormous diversity of plants according to geographical location, depth of water body, water regime, chemistry of water, soil and sediment characteristics. Very little work has been done so far on the flora of the water bodies of Gondia district. Therefore, a study has carried out to understand the aquatic plants diversity of selected 5 lakes around Gondia city. For this, well-planned surveys were carried out at selected sites frequently. During visits, data like habit, life span, local names, and life forms of all the plant species present in the water body were collected. During the study, 44 species of 37 genera belonging to 26 families have been recorded from selected sites. Most dominant family was Hydrocharitaceae with 4 genera and 4 species, followed by Asteraceae, Poaceae, Convolvulaceae and Potamogetonaceae with 3 species each. Jaccard and Sorenson similarity indexes showed that Lake I and Lake II have maximum similarity and highest diversity as compared to other sites. The present work revealed the database of aquatic plants in water bodies around Gondia, which will help in future work for the conservation, preservation and growth of the local biodiversity.
Electoral Opportunism: Disentangling Myopia and Moderation
Authors: Cronert Axel , Nyman Pär
Published: February 2021

A central component of representative democracy, competitive elections imply that political incumbents face uncertainty about being re-elected into office. This study jointly considers two types of opportunistic behavior that may be triggered by such uncertainty—policy myopia and policy moderation—which hitherto have been the focus of separate research traditions. Disentangling the two behaviors theoretically and empirically, we evaluate their prevalence in economic policy-making among Swedish local governments. To this end, we apply a new measure of electoral competitiveness that captures the incumbent government’s re-election probability, for which plausibly exogenous variation is generated by exploiting national-level vote intention polls. We find a substantial moderating effect of competitiveness on incumbents’ tax rate decisions—shifting policy towards the median voter—but little evidence of policy myopia. Further corroborated by original survey evidence on politicians’ perceptions of their re-election prospects and opportunistic policy options, these findings challenge the widespread notion that electoral opportunism is inherently short-sighted.
Program for Optimizing the Role of WPA to Reduce the Stigma and Discrimination PLWHA in The Community
Authors: Winarni Sri , MARTININGSIH Wiwin
Published: February 2021

Stigma and discrimination remain significant obstacles in the management of HIV / AIDS prevention programs. The data shows there are stigma and discrimination within the health service, treatment is not going well. PLWHA tends to be ashamed and afraid to control or get medicine in the hospital, injustice to the provision of services, thus, low quality of care, and lack of respect for patients. The purpose of this study was to reduce the stigma and discrimination of HIV / AIDS patients in the community, through community empowerment programs. Long-term benefits were finding the right design to reduce stigma and discrimination toward HIV / AIDS patients, through community empowerment by integrating the concepts of social support, social networks, and social marketing. One group pretest-posttest design was used in this research. Seventy-five respondents were taken purposively. The intervention was "Optimizing Program of WPA's Role in reducing stigma and discrimination toward HIV AIDS patients in the community". The results showed that before and after the intervention, the average of community members did not have a negative attitude, did not perceived discrimination, and supported the equity. However, there were still hesitant and had a negative attitude within several community members to HIV / AIDS patient and the numbers decreased after the intervention. Based on the Wilcoxon signed-rank test, there were significant differences in negative attitudes, perceived discrimination, and support for equity before and after intervention with significance levels respectively p = 0.049, p = 0.006, and p = 0.000. Intensive coordination and evaluation of activities are needed to ensure the sustainability of the WPA Optimization program.

Keywords: WPA optimization program; stigma; discrimination; HIV / AIDS
Recent Advances in the Direct Electron Transfer-Enabled Enzymatic Fuel Cells
Authors: Yu Sooyoun , Myung Nosang V.
Published: February 2021

Direct electron transfer (DET), which requires no mediator to shuttle electrons from enzyme active site to the electrode surface, minimizes complexity caused by the mediator and can further enable miniaturization for biocompatible and implantable devices. However, because the redox cofactors are typically deeply embedded in the protein matrix of the enzymes, electrons generated from oxidation reaction cannot easily transfer to the electrode surface. In this review, methods to improve the DET rate for enhancement of enzymatic fuel cell performances are summarized, with a focus on the more recent works (past 10 years). Finally, progress on the application of DET-enabled EFC to some biomedical and implantable devices are reported.
Paracoccidioides brasiliensis Releases a DNase-Like Protein That Degrades NETs and Allows for Fungal Escape
Authors: Zonta Yohan Ricci , Dezen Ana Laura Ortega , Della Coletta Amanda Manoel , Yu Kaio Shu Tsyr , Carvalho Larissa , Santos Leandro Alves dos , Deprá Igor de Carvalho , Kratofil Rachel M. , Willson Michelle Elizabeth , Zbytnuik Lori , Kubes Paul , Ximenes Valdecir Farias , Dias-Melicio Luciane Alarcão
Published: February 2021

Paracoccidioidomycosis is a systemic fungal disease, considered endemic in Latin America. Its etiological agents, fungi of theParacoccidioidescomplex, have restricted geographic habitat, conidia as infecting form, and thermo-dimorphic characteristics. Polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs) are responsible for an important defense response against fungus, releasing Neutrophil Extracellular Traps (NETs), which can wrap and destroy the yeasts. However, it has been described that some pathogens are able to evade from these DNA structures by releasing DNase as an escape mechanism. As different NETs patterns have been identified in PMNs cultures challenged with different isolates ofParacoccidioides brasiliensis, the general objective of this study was to identify if different patterns of NETs released by human PMNs challenged with Pb18 (virulent) and Pb265 (avirulent) isolates would be correlated with fungal ability to produce a DNase-like protein. To this end, PMNs from healthy subjects were isolated and challengedin vitrowith both fungal isolates. The production, release, and conformation of NETs in response to the fungi were evaluated by Confocal Microscopy, Scanning Microscopy, and NETs Quantification. The identification of fungal DNase production was assessed by DNase TEST Agar, and the relative gene expression for hypothetical proteins was investigated by RT-qPCR, whose genes had been identified in the fungal genome in the GenBank (PADG_11161 and PADG_08285). It was possible to verify the NETs release by PMNs, showing different NETs formation when in contact with different isolates of the fungus. The Pb18 isolate induced the release of looser, larger, and more looking like degraded NETs compared to the Pb265 isolate, which induced the release of denser and more compact NETs. DNase TEST Agar identified the production of a DNase-like protein, showing that only Pb18 showed the capacity to degrade DNA in these plates. Besides that, we were able to identify that both PADG_08528 and PADG_11161 genes were more expressed during interaction with neutrophil by the virulent isolate, being PADG_08528 highly expressed in these cultures, demonstrating that this gene could have a greater contribution to the production of the protein. Thus, we identified that the virulent isolate is inducing more scattered and loose NETs, probably by releasing a DNase-like protein. This factor could be an important escape mechanism used by the fungus to escape the NETs action.
Extraction of Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques From Computed Tomography Imaging: A Review of Recent Methods
Authors: Liu Haipeng , Wingert Aleksandra , Wang Jian'an , Zhang Jucheng , Wang Xinhong , Sun Jianzhong , Chen Fei , Khalid Syed Ghufran , Jiang Jun , Zheng Dingchang
Published: February 2021

Background: Atherosclerotic plaques are the major cause of coronary artery disease (CAD). Currently, computed tomography (CT) is the most commonly applied imaging technique in the diagnosis of CAD. However, the accurate extraction of coronary plaque geometry from CT images is still challenging.

Summary of Review: In this review, we focused on the methods in recent studies on the CT-based coronary plaque extraction. According to the dimension of plaque extraction method, the studies were categorized into two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) ones. In each category, the studies were analyzed in terms of data, methods, and evaluation. We summarized the merits and limitations of current methods, as well as the future directions for efficient and accurate extraction of coronary plaques using CT imaging.

Conclusion: The methodological innovations are important for more accurate CT-based assessment of coronary plaques in clinical applications. The large-scale studies, de-blooming algorithms, more standardized datasets, and more detailed classification of non-calcified plaques could improve the accuracy of coronary plaque extraction from CT images. More multidimensional geometric parameters can be derived from the 3D geometry of coronary plaques. Additionally, machine learning and automatic 3D reconstruction could improve the efficiency of coronary plaque extraction in future studies.
Application of Phase-Only Correlation to Travel-Time Determination in GNSS-Acoustic Positioning
Authors: Honsho Chie , Kido Motoyuki , Ichikawa Toshihito , Ohashi Toru , Kawakami Taichi , Fujimoto Hiromi
Published: February 2021

The GNSS-acoustic technique is a geodetic method for oceanic areas that combines GNSS positioning of a sea-surface platform and acoustic ranging of seafloor stations. Its positioning accuracy is typically a few and several centimeters for the horizontal and vertical positions, respectively. For further accuracy enhancement, we examined the errors in travel time, the most fundamental data in acoustic ranging. The reference signal used in our observations is a series of sinusoidal waves modulated by binary phase-shift keying with a maximal length sequence whose auto-correlation has a clear main peak at zero lag. However, cross-correlation between the actual returned signal and reference signal is often accompanied by many large sidelobes and looks very different from the synthetic auto-correlation. As a practical measure, we have chosen empirically one peak among several comparable peaks in the cross-correlation, though that is likely to lead to systematic errors in travel time. In this study, we revealed that a variety of cross-correlation waveform primarily depends on the incident angle of acoustic paths and that sidelobes were significantly reduced by substituting phase-only correlation (POC) for conventional cross-correlation. We therefore developed a template-matching technique using POC for the peak detection. POC templates were prepared by stacking actual POCs with certain ranges of the incident angle for each campaign. In the application of this method to actual data, we achieved successful results of our numerous campaign data to date. We consider that POC is advantageous in identifying the main peak uniquely and performing template matching more robustly, because POC enhances short-period components and thus highlights the timing of phase changes further than conventional cross-correlation.
A Method for Performing Reforestation to Effectively Recover Soil Water Content in Extremely Degraded Tropical Rain Forests
Authors: Liu Tiedong , Jiang Kai , Tan Zhaoyuan , He Qifang , Zhang Hui , Wang Chen
Published: February 2021

Deforestation continues to be extensive in the tropics, resulting in reduced soil water content. Reforestation is an effective way to recover soil water content, but the recovery depends on the type of reforestation efforts that are implemented. Monoculture of fast-growing species is a common reforestation strategy, because it is an effective means of preventing landslides resulting from the frequent typhoons and heavy rains in the tropics and easy to implement. To quantify whether monoculture plantings can help recover soil water content, we initiated a reforestation project within a 0.2 km2 area of an extremely degraded tropical monsoon forest. We hypothesized that much higher transpiration rate of fast-growing tree species would deplete soil water more than the dominant slow-growing species in the adjacent secondary tropical rain forest during both wet and dry seasons, thereby resulting in much lower soil water content. To test this hypothesis, we compared transpiration rates and key functional traits that can distinguish transpiration rates between fast-growing and dominant slow-growing species in both wet and dry seasons. We also quantified whether soil water content around these species differed. We found that fast-growing species had transpiration rate and transpiration-related trait values that were 5–10 times greater than the dominant slow-growing species in both seasons. We also found that soil water content around dominant slow-growing species was 1.5–3 times greater than for fast-growing species in both seasons. Therefore, reforestation based on monoculture plantings of fast-growing species seems difficult to effectively recover the soil water content. We also provide a simple method for guiding the use of reforestation efforts to recover soil water content in extremely degraded tropical rain forests. We expect that this simple method can be an effective means to restore extremely degraded tropical rain forests in other parts of the world.
Access to and Quality of Healthcare for Pregnant and Postpartum Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Brislane Áine , Larkin Fionnuala , Jones Helen , Davenport Margie H.
Published: February 2021

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, obstetric care has adopted new precautions to ensure services can be maintained for pregnant women. The aim of this study was to describe access to and quality of obstetric care for pregnant and postpartum women during the COVID-19 pandemic and to identify factors that predict quality of care at this time.

Methods: Between May 3 and June 28, 2020, we recruited women who were pregnant or within the first 6 months after delivery to participate in an online survey. This included questions on access to obstetric healthcare (type and place of health care provider, changes to obstetric appointments/services, appointment preferences) and the Quality of Prenatal Care Questionnaire (QPCQ).

Results: Of the 917 eligible women, 612 (67%) were pregnant and 305 (33%) were in the first 6 months after delivery. Sixty-two percent (n = 571) reported that COVID-19 had affected their healthcare; appointments were rearranged, canceled or occurred via virtual means for 29% (n = 166), 29% (n = 167), and 31% (n = 175) of women, respectively. The majority preferred to physically attend appointments (74%; n = 676) and perceived the accompaniment of birth partners as important (77%; n = 471). Sixty-two percent (n = 380) were permitted a birth partner at delivery, 18% (n = 111) were unsure of the rules while 4% (n = 26) were not permitted accompaniment. During pregnancy, QPCQ was negatively associated with disruption to obstetric services including exclusion or uncertainty regarding birth partner permissions [F(7, 433) = 11.5, p < 0.001, R2 = 0.16] while QPCQ was negatively associated with inadequate breastfeeding support postpartum [F(1, 147) = 12.05, p = 0.001, R2 = 0.08].

Conclusion: Pregnant and postpartum have experienced disruption in their access to obstetric healthcare. Perceived quality of obstetric care was negatively influenced by cancellation of appointment(s), suspension of services and exclusion of birth partners at delivery. During this time, continuity of care can be fulfilled via virtual and/or phone appointments and women should receive clear guidance on changes to services including birth partner permissions to attend delivery.
Domain-Scan: Combinatorial Sero-Diagnosis of Infectious Diseases Using Machine Learning
Authors: Hada-Neeman Smadar , Weiss-Ottolenghi Yael , Wagner Naama , Avram Oren , Ashkenazy Haim , Maor Yaakov , Sklan Ella H. , Shcherbakov Dmitry , Pupko Tal , Gershoni Jonathan M.
Published: February 2021

The presence of pathogen-specific antibodies in an individual’s blood-sample is used as an indication of previous exposure and infection to that specific pathogen (e.g., virus or bacterium). Measurement of the diagnostic antibodies is routinely achieved using solid phase immuno-assays such as ELISA tests and western blots. Here, we describe a sero-diagnostic approach based on phage-display of epitope arrays we term “Domain-Scan”. We harness Next-generation sequencing (NGS) to measure the serum binding to dozens of epitopes derived from HIV-1 and HCV simultaneously. The distinction of healthy individuals from those infected with either HIV-1 or HCV, is modeled as a machine-learning classification problem, in which each determinant (“domain”) is considered as a feature, and its NGS read-out provides values that correspond to the level of determinant-specific antibodies in the sample. We show that following training of a machine-learning model on labeled examples, we can very accurately classify unlabeled samples and pinpoint the domains that contribute most to the classification. Our experimental/computational Domain-Scan approach is general and can be adapted to other pathogens as long as sufficient training samples are provided.
IgE and T Cell Reactivity to a Comprehensive Panel of Cockroach Allergens in Relation to Disease
Authors: Pomés Anna , Schulten Véronique , Glesner Jill , da Silva Antunes Ricardo , Sutherland Aaron , Bacharier Leonard B. , Beigelman Avraham , Busse Paula , Frazier April , Sette Alessandro
Published: February 2021

IgE sensitization to cockroach allergens is associated with development of allergic diseases, such as asthma. To understand the relevance of different cockroach allergens for diagnosis and immunotherapy, a comprehensive analysis of IgE antibody levels and T cell reactivity to an expanded set of cockroach allergens and their relationship to disease was performed in a cohort of USA cockroach sensitized patients. IgE antibody levels to recombinant chitinase and hemocyanin were measured for 23 subjects by custom-made ImmunoCAPs and compared with IgE levels to eight cockroach allergens we previously reported for the same cohort. Ex vivo T cell activation (Ox40/PDL-1 expression) of PBMCs stimulated with peptide pools derived from 11 German cockroach proteins, including nine official cockroach allergens, plus chitinase and vitellogenin, was determined by flow cytometry. IgE prevalences to chitinase (17%) and hemocyanin (44%) were comparable to values for the other eight allergens that we previously reported (21–57%). Hemocyanin (Bla g 3), was a major allergen (one to which more than 50% of patients with an allergy to its source react) for a sub-group of 15 highly cockroach-sensitized subjects (IgE > 3.5 kUA/L: 53%). Chitinase was officially named as new allergen Bla g 12. Cockroach-specific IgE levels in plasma showed excellent correlation with the sum of 10 allergen-specific IgE (r = 0.94, p < 0.001). T cell reactivity to 11 proteins was highly variable among subjects, the highest being for vitellogenin, followed by Bla g 3. The main finding was that cockroach allergen-specific IgE and T cell reactivity patterns were unique per subject, and lacked immunodominant allergens and correlation with clinical phenotype/disease severity in the studied cohort. Knowing the subject-specific B/T cell reactivity profiles to a comprehensive panel of cockroach allergens will contribute to diagnosis of cockroach allergy and will be important for planning and assessing allergen immunotherapy outcomes, according to the allergen content in therapeutic cockroach extracts.
Advanced in vitro Research Models to Study the Role of Endothelial Cells in Solid Organ Transplantation
Authors: Peelen Daphne M. , Hoogduijn Martin J. , Hesselink Dennis A. , Baan Carla C.
Published: February 2021

The endothelium plays a key role in acute and chronic rejection of solid organ transplants. During both processes the endothelium is damaged often with major consequences for organ function. Also, endothelial cells (EC) have antigen-presenting properties and can in this manner initiate and enhance alloreactive immune responses. For decades, knowledge about these roles of EC have been obtained by studying bothin vitroandin vivomodels. These experimental models poorly imitate the immune response in patients and might explain why the discovery and development of agents that control EC responses is hampered. In recent years, various innovative human 3Din vitromodels mimickingin vivoorgan structure and function have been developed. These models will extend the knowledge about the diverse roles of EC in allograft rejection and will hopefully lead to discoveries of new targets that are involved in the interactions between the donor organ EC and the recipient's immune system. Moreover, these models can be used to gain a better insight in the mode of action of the currently prescribed immunosuppression and will enhance the development of novel therapeutics aiming to reduce allograft rejection and prolong graft survival.
CDK11 Promotes Cytokine-Induced Apoptosis in Pancreatic Beta Cells Independently of Glucose Concentration and Is Regulated by Inflammation in the NOD Mouse Model
Authors: Sala Ester , Vived Celia , Luna Júlia , Saavedra-Ávila Noemí Alejandra , Sengupta Upasana , Castaño A. Raúl , Villar-Pazos Sabrina , Haba Laura , Verdaguer Joan , Ropero Ana B. , Stratmann Thomas , Pizarro Javier , Vázquez-Carrera Manuel , Nadal Angel , Lahti Jill M. , Mora Conchi
Published: February 2021

Background

Pancreatic islets are exposed to strong pro-apoptotic stimuli: inflammation and hyperglycemia, during the progression of the autoimmune diabetes (T1D). We found that the Cdk11(Cyclin Dependent Kinase 11) is downregulated by inflammation in the T1D prone NOD (non-obese diabetic) mouse model. The aim of this study is to determine the role of CDK11 in the pathogenesis of T1D and to assess the hierarchical relationship between CDK11 and Cyclin D3 in beta cell viability, since Cyclin D3, a natural ligand for CDK11, promotes beta cell viability and fitness in front of glucose.

Methods

We studied T1D pathogenesis in NOD mice hemideficient for CDK11 (N-HTZ), and, in N-HTZ deficient for Cyclin D3 (K11HTZ-D3KO), in comparison to their respective controls (N-WT and K11WT-D3KO). Moreover, we exposed pancreatic islets to either pro-inflammatory cytokines in the presence of increasing glucose concentrations, or Thapsigargin, an Endoplasmic Reticulum (ER)-stress inducing agent, and assessed apoptotic events. The expression of key ER-stress markers (Chop, Atf4 and Bip) was also determined.

Results

N-HTZ mice were significantly protected against T1D, and NS-HTZ pancreatic islets exhibited an impaired sensitivity to cytokine-induced apoptosis, regardless of glucose concentration. However, thapsigargin-induced apoptosis was not altered. Furthermore, CDK11 hemideficiency did not attenuate the exacerbation of T1D caused by Cyclin D3 deficiency.

Conclusions

This study is the first to report that CDK11 is repressed in T1D as a protection mechanism against inflammation-induced apoptosis and suggests that CDK11 lies upstream Cyclin D3 signaling. We unveil the CDK11/Cyclin D3 tandem as a new potential intervention target in T1D.
The Role of DICOM in Artificial Intelligence for Skin Disease
Authors: Caffery Liam J. , Rotemberg Veronica , Weber Jochen , Soyer H. Peter , Malvehy Josep , Clunie David
Published: February 2021

There is optimism that artificial intelligence (AI) will result in positive clinical outcomes, which is driving research and investment in the use of AI for skin disease. At present, AI for skin disease is embedded in research and development and not practiced widely in clinical dermatology. Clinical dermatology is also undergoing a technological transformation in terms of the development and adoption of standards that optimizes the quality use of imaging. Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine (DICOM) is the international standard for medical imaging. DICOM is a continually evolving standard. There is considerable effort being invested in developing dermatology-specific extensions to the DICOM standard. The ability to encode relevant metadata and afford interoperability with the digital health ecosystem (e.g., image repositories, electronic medical records) has driven the initial impetus in the adoption of DICOM for dermatology. DICOM has a dedicated working group whose role is to develop a mechanism to support AI workflows and encode AI artifacts. DICOM can improve AI workflows by encoding derived objects (e.g., secondary images, visual explainability maps, AI algorithm output) and the efficient curation of multi-institutional datasets for machine learning training, testing, and validation. This can be achieved using DICOM mechanisms such as standardized image formats and metadata, metadata-based image retrieval, and de-identification protocols. DICOM can address several important technological and workflow challenges for the implementation of AI. However, many other technological, ethical, regulatory, medicolegal, and workforce barriers will need to be addressed before DICOM and AI can be used effectively in dermatology.
The GPI-Anchored GH76 Protein Dfg5 Affects Hyphal Morphology and Osmoregulation in the Mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride and Is Interconnected With MAPK Signaling
Authors: Atanasova Lea , Moreno-Ruiz Dubraska , Grünwald-Gruber Clemens , Hell Viktoria , Zeilinger Susanne
Published: February 2021

The fungal cell wall is composed of a cross-linked matrix of chitin, glucans, mannans, galactomannans, and cell wall proteins with mannan chains. Cell wall mannans are directly attached to the cell wall core, while the majority of mannoproteins is produced with a glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) anchor and then transferred to β-1,6-glucan in the cell wall. In this study, we functionally characterized the transmembrane protein Dfg5 of the glycoside hydrolase family 76 (GH76) in the fungal mycoparasite Trichoderma atroviride, whose ortholog has recently been proposed to cross-link glycoproteins into the cell wall of yeast and fungi. We show that the T. atroviride Dfg5 candidate is a GPI-anchored, transmembrane, 6-hairpin member of the GH76 Dfg5 subfamily that plays an important role in hyphal morphology in this mycoparasite. Alterations in the release of proteins associated with cell wall remodeling as well as a higher amount of non-covalently bonded cell surface proteins were detected in the mutants compared to the wild-type. Gene expression analysis suggests that transcript levels of genes involved in glucan synthesis, of proteases involved in mycoparasitism, and of the Tmk1 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK)-encoding gene are influenced by Dfg5, whereas Tmk3 governs Dfg5 transcription. We show that Dfg5 controls important physiological properties of T. atroviride, such as osmotic stress resistance, hyphal morphology, and cell wall stability.
Impact of Temporal pH Fluctuations on the Coexistence of Nasal Bacteria in an in silico Community
Authors: Dedrick Sandra , Akbari M. Javad , Dyckman Samantha K. , Zhao Nannan , Liu Yang-Yu , Momeni Babak
Published: February 2021

To manipulate nasal microbiota for respiratory health, we need to better understand how this microbial community is assembled and maintained. Previous work has demonstrated that the pH in the nasal passage experiences temporal fluctuations. Yet, the impact of such pH fluctuations on nasal microbiota is not fully understood. Here, we examine how temporal fluctuations in pH might affect the coexistence of nasal bacteria in in silico communities. We take advantage of the cultivability of nasal bacteria to experimentally assess their responses to pH and the presence of other species. Based on experimentally observed responses, we formulate a mathematical model to numerically investigate the impact of temporal pH fluctuations on species coexistence. We assemble in silico nasal communities using up to 20 strains that resemble the isolates that we have experimentally characterized. We then subject these in silico communities to pH fluctuations and assess how the community composition and coexistence is impacted. Using this model, we then simulate pH fluctuations—varying in amplitude or frequency—to identify conditions that best support species coexistence. We find that the composition of nasal communities is generally robust against pH fluctuations within the expected range of amplitudes and frequencies. Our results also show that cooperative communities and communities with lower niche overlap have significantly lower composition deviations when exposed to temporal pH fluctuations. Overall, our data suggest that nasal microbiota could be robust against environmental fluctuations.