Class Profile Research Articles

The hybrid number of a ploidy profile

Polyploidization, whereby an organism inherits multiple copies of the genome of their parents, is an important evolutionary event that has been observed in plants and animals. One way to study such events is in terms of the ploidy number of the species that make up a dataset of interest. It is therefore natural to ask: How much information about the evolutionary past of the set of species that form a dataset can be gleaned from the ploidy numbers of the species? To help answer this question, we introduce and study the novel concept of a ploidy profile which allows us to formalize it in terms of a multiplicity vector indexed by the species the dataset is comprised of. Using the framework of a phylogenetic network, we present a closed formula for computing the hybrid number (i.e. the minimal number of polyploidization events required to explain a ploidy profile) of a large class of ploidy profiles. This formula relies on the construction of a certain phylogenetic network from the simplification sequence of a ploidy profile and the hybrid number of the ploidy profile with which this construction is initialized. Both of them can be computed easily in case the ploidy numbers that make up the ploidy profile are not too large. To help illustrate the applicability of our approach, we apply it to a simplified version of a publicly available Viola dataset.

Analysis of facial proportions in skeletal Class II subjects treated with Clark's twin block appliance, followed by nonextraction fixed mechanotherapy: A retrospective longitudinal study

This study aimed to determine the influence of Clark's twin block (CTB) appliance therapy on achieving golden proportion in post-treatment facial profiles in skeletal Class II patients. A retrospective longitudinal study was conducted on a sample of 44 skeletal Class II subjects treated with CTB, followed by nonextraction mechanotherapy.Ricketts' 13 dentoskeletal ratios were measured on pre- and post-treatment lateral cephalograms.Paired Student's t test was used to analyze the existenceof golden proportion in the values of the pre- and post-treatment ratios.The influence of pretreatment variables was tested on post-treatment ratio 4 using simple and multiple linear regression analyses. A statistically significant difference in pre- and post-treatment values was found for ratios 4 (P=0.02), 9 (P=0.04), 10 (P < 0.001), and 13 (P=0.01).Ratios 4, 9, and 13 moved closer to the golden proportion, whereas ratio 10 moved away from the golden proportion after CTB therapy. Simple linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant association of post-treatment ratio 4 with pretreatment ratios 1, 4, 8, 9, and 12.Multiple linear regression analysis showed a statistically significant association of post-treatment ratio 4 with pretreatment ratios 4 and 12. Treatment with CTB appliance may well move various facial ratios in individual patients toward the published Ricketts ideals.Ricketts' published golden proportion may be used as one guide when planning for attempted dentofacial change in individual patients.

Metacognition Profile on Habits of Mind in Biology Learning

The purpose of this study was to determine the level profile of the Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition) category in the habits of mind of high school students in Biology learning. The research method used is descriptive research. The sample selection technique used stratified random sampling technique. The population in this study were all students of class XI and XII at SMAN A, SMAN B, SMAN C, and SMAN D Bandung, as many as 294 students. Data collection used an instrument in the form of a Habits of Mind's Costa and Kallick questionnaire. The results showed that the metacognition profile of class XI students was 67% (299) and class XII students was 69% (307), which means that Thinking about Thinking (Metacognition) of high school students is included in the low category. This shows that high school students in class XI and XII have not fully demonstrated good metacognitive abilities. The results of this study indicate that the metacognition category in habits of mind still needs to be introduced and accustomed to school students, especially in learning biology.

Pulsar emission beam geometry of radio broad-band Arecibo sources

ABSTRACT We present radio pulsar emission beam analyses and models with the primary intent of examining pulsar beam geometry and physics over the broadest band of radio frequencies reasonably obtainable. We consider a set of well-studied pulsars that lie within the Arecibo sky. These pulsars stand out for the broad frequency range over which emission is detectable, and have been extensively observed at frequencies up to 4.5 GHz and down to below 100 MHz. We utilize published profiles to quantify a more complete picture of the frequency evolution of these pulsars using the core/double-cone emission beam model as our classification framework. For the low-frequency observations, we take into account measured scattering time-scales to infer intrinsic versus scatter broadening of the pulse profile. Lastly, we discuss the populational trends of the core/conal class profiles with respect to intrinsic parameters. We demonstrate that for this subpopulation of pulsars, core and conal dominated profiles cluster together into two roughly segregated $P{\!-\!}\dot{P}$ populations, lending credence to the proposal that an evolution in the pair-formation geometries is responsible for core/conal emission and other emission effects such as nulling and mode changing.

Profiling of phospholipid classes and molecular species in human milk, bovine milk, and goat milk by UHPLC-Q-TOF-MS

This study aimed to identify differences of lipidome and fatty acid composition among human, bovine and caprine milk fat globule membrane (MFGM) using a lipidomics approach. In total, 11 lipid classes were determined, including PC, PE, SM, PG, PI, PS, Cer, PA, HexCer, Hex2Cer and CL. Using positive and negative ionization modes, 73 and 156 common significantly differential lipid species were identified in three typical MFGM. The oleic acid (C18:1) was the dominant fatty acid in human (28.29 ± 0.04 g/100 g) and caprine (35.71 ± 0.02 g/100 g) MFGM, whereas Palmitic acid (C16:0, 29.13 ± 0.07 g/100 g) was the dominant fatty acid in bovine MFGM. In addition, there was no significant difference in long chain fatty acids between human MFGM and caprine milk. Overall, the results provide essential insights into differential lipids characterization in MFGM, along with a theoretical basis for the design of new infant formula.

Profiling of multiple classes of flame retardants in house dust in China: Pattern analysis and human exposure assessment

Legacy [e.g., brominated- (BFRs)] and alternative [e.g., organophosphate- (OPFRs) and nitrogenous- (NFRs)] flame retardants have a propensity to migrate out of consumer products, and thus are dispersed in indoor microenvironments. In this study, simultaneous presence of 11 BFRs, 18 OPFRs and 11 NFRs were measured in house dust collected from Tianjin, China. OPFRs were found at the highest concentrations, with a median value of 3200 ng/g, followed by NFRs (2600) and BFRs (1600). Tris(2-butoxyethyl) phosphate (median: 1800 ng/g), melamine (1100), and BDE-209 (870) were the top three most abundant chemicals in the respective groups. Location-specific patterns of flame retardant concentrations were found with 30%, 20% and 10% of samples were predominated by OPFRs, NFRs and BFRs, respectively, and the remaining samples contained by two or more of the chemical groups occurring concurrently. Network and cluster analysis results indicated the existence of multiple sources of flame retardants in the indoor microenvironment. Estimated human daily intakes via indoor dust ingestion were approximately several tens of ng/kg bw/day and were below their respective reference dose values. Our results indicate widespread occurrence of multiple flame retardant families in indoor dust and suggest need for continued monitoring and efforts to reduce exposures through dust ingestion.

Guselkumab, Risankizumab, and Tildrakizumab in the Management of Psoriasis: A Review of the Real-World Evidence.

Interleukin (IL)-23 inhibitors, guselkumab, risankizumab, and tildrakizumab, represent the latest class of biologics approved for the treatment of moderate-to-severe psoriasis. Since their approval numerous real-life studies were published on anti-IL-23 use in routine clinical practice. Indeed, real-life data are important to improve the dermatological decision-making process, including patients who are typically excluded from clinical trials, such as subjects suffering from several comorbidities, subjects on polypharmacy, as well as multifailure patients. Herein, we performed a comprehensive literature review about real-life data available on guselkumab, risankizumab, and tildrakizumab. Real-life data of anti-IL-23 seem to confirm the promising results of IL-23 shown by clinical trials, highlighting the efficacy and safety profiles of this new class of biologics also in clinical practice.

Analysing Complex Problem-Solving Strategies from a Cognitive Perspective: The Role of Thinking Skills.

Complex problem solving (CPS) is considered to be one of the most important skills for successful learning. In an effort to explore the nature of CPS, this study aims to investigate the role of inductive reasoning (IR) and combinatorial reasoning (CR) in the problem-solving process of students using statistically distinguishable exploration strategies in the CPS environment. The sample was drawn from a group of university students (N = 1343). The tests were delivered via the eDia online assessment platform. Latent class analyses were employed to seek students whose problem-solving strategies showed similar patterns. Four qualitatively different class profiles were identified: (1) 84.3% of the students were proficient strategy users, (2) 6.2% were rapid learners, (3) 3.1% were non-persistent explorers, and (4) 6.5% were non-performing explorers. Better exploration strategy users showed greater development in thinking skills, and the roles of IR and CR in the CPS process were varied for each type of strategy user. To sum up, the analysis identified students’ problem-solving behaviours in respect of exploration strategy in the CPS environment and detected a number of remarkable differences in terms of the use of thinking skills between students with different exploration strategies.

The signaling value of university rankings: Evidence from top 14 law schools

This paper measures the impact of signaling on labor-market outcomes by estimating the labor-market effects of attending a U.S. News & World Report Top 14 (T14) law school. Utilizing data from the American Bar Association on class profiles, we use the value added with drift methodology to estimate the causal impact of attending a particular law school and then use a regression discontinuity methodology to estimate the difference in value added between T14 and non-T14 law schools that is attributable to T14 status. We find that T14 law schools confer no signaling effect on the Bar exam, which is graded blindly, but a substantial signaling effect on employment at “Big Law” firms with more than 250 attorneys, which pay some of the highest salaries in the law profession. The lowest-ranked T14 university increases the likelihood of Big Law employment by 30 percentage points (96%) more than the highest-ranked non-T14 university. This likely reflects asymmetric information in the labor market for lawyers, and thus graduating from a T14 law school serves as a signal of a lawyer’s ability.

A Study on Cryptocurrency Investors’ Purchase Intentions: Revisiting the Brand Personality Theory

This paper aims to identify the factors affecting the investment decision of retail investors to add crypto assets to their portfolios. The personality theory and the innovation diffusion theory are used in this study to understand the characteristics that influence investors' buying intentions. The study results show that the retail investors' purchase intentions are influenced by familiarity with the asset, trust, risk and return profile of the asset class, and the perceived security of the investor. The study also examines the role of innovativeness as a moderating variable in the relationship between purchase intentions and the primary variables. The study confirms that innovativeness has a significant mediating role in the relationship between purchase intentions and trust and also in the relationship between purchase intentions and perceived security. The results indicate that innovativeness has no significant moderating impact on the relationship between purchase intentions and familiarity and also on the relationship between purchase intentions and risk and return consciousness.

Conflicting Blackness in Predator 2

The movie Predator 2 (1990) came out just two years before the L.A. Riots, and its depiction of Los Angeles as a war zone stems from the tensions within the city in the 1980s, which culminated in the 1992 riots. This article revisits the movie in the times of Black Lives Matter in order to show how 30 years after its release, it provides a complex, more nuanced picture of race in America of that time. As BLM activists demonstrate, the urban African American is a victim of racial and class profiling. Predator 2 focuses on urban Blackness and law enforcement, and it problematizes the binary oppositions between whiteness and blackness, the police and criminals, etc. The hero of Predator 2 is a Black man and a policeman, so he is a part of the system that creates the oppression of fellow Black men, but he also suffers from it, as he is targeted by his bosses, the FBI, gangsters and, most importantly, the Predator.

Safety of Anti-TNFs in Patients with Immune-Mediated Disease

In chronic inflammatory disease, TNF-α is produced in high concentrations, leading to excessive inflammation and eventually organ damage. The advent of anti-TNF therapy in clinical practice 20 years ago represented a significant change in the management of immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (IMID). Common concerns regarding the safety profile of anti-TNFs include increased infection rates, associations with cancer, and safety in pregnancy. Regulatory authority guidelines to reduce risk include vaccination and screening for latent infections prior to treatment initiation. In general, pharmacovigilance and tailored medicine are the best methods for optimising anti-TNF therapy while minimising side effects. This mini review aims to summarise the current understanding of the safety profile of this drug class.

Identification of Distinct Symptom Profiles in Cancer Patients Using a Pre-Specified Symptom Cluster.

Pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance, and depression often co-occur in oncology patients and negatively impact quality of life (QOL). Study purposes were to identify subgroups of patients with distinct symptom profiles based on their experiences with a pre-specified symptom cluster (i.e., pain, fatigue, depression, sleep disturbance) and to identify demographic, clinical, and symptom characteristics and QOL outcomes associated with each distinct profile. Patients with breast, lung, gastrointestinal, and gynecologic cancers (n=1340) were recruited from outpatient clinics during their first or second cycle of chemotherapy. They completed valid and reliable measures of pain, fatigue, sleep disturbance. depression, and QOL prior to their next dose of chemotherapy. Latent class profile analysis was used to identify the patient subgroups. Differences among the profiles were evaluated using parametric and non-parametric tests. Three distinct profiles were identified (i.e., Low (44.0%), Moderate (45.1%), High (10.8%). Compared to Low class, Moderate and High classes were younger and more likely to be female. Compared to the other two classes, High class was less likely to be married/partnered and employed, more likely to have a lower income and childcare responsibilities, had lower functional status, a higher body mass index, and exercised less. For both QOL scales, differences in subscale and total scores followed the same pattern (Low>Moderate>High). Over 55% of patients undergoing chemotherapy had a moderate to high symptom burden associated with these four common co-occurring symptoms. Multimodal interventions are needed to decrease symptom burden and improve QOL outcomes in these patients.

House Level Latent Classes as Predictors of Recovery and Evictions

ABSTRACT The current study explored whether substance abuse recovery houses could be categorized into meaningful classes, which might be associated with house evictions as well as changes in individual-level recovery capital. A total of 602 individuals from 42 recovery homes were followed for up to 6 data collection periods over 2 years. House level latent class analyses were based on house-level data. A 3-class model fit very well (entropy 0.94) and better than a 2-class model. Class profiles examined concurrent (averaged across waves 1 and 2) house and resident-level variables (e.g., gender, race, age, employment, education). Class was then used to prospectively predict outcomes of the hazard of eviction and improvement in a recovery index over waves 3–6. One latent class representing 45% of the recovery houses had the highest density of members willing to loan, able to pay their rent, active involvement in outside chapter activities–this group of houses had the best outcomes including the lowest eviction rate and highest mean recovery factor. The two other classes had higher eviction rates, with one having the lowest density of friendship, selectivity of residents, and ability to pay rent. The other of the higher eviction-rate classes surprisingly had the highest density of friendship and advice seeking, but the lowest density of willingness to loan. These findings suggest that there are meaningful differences in types of recovery homes, and that house characteristics appear to influence recovery changes and eviction outcomes.

PROFIL PEMBELAJARAN KELAS VIII PADA ERA PANDEMI COVID-19 DI SMP NASIONAL BANAU KOTA TERNATE

The Covid-19 pandemic that is sweeping the world is currently forcing people to stay at home so that they can no longer do activities outside the home as usual, including studying at school, doing the learning process as usual, while efforts to educate the nation's life must be done in an innovative way, one of which is by doing the online learning process. This study aims (1) to reveal the profile of class VIII biology learning in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic, (2) To find out the constraints of class VIII biology learning in the era of the Covid-19 pandemic. The type of research used is qualitative descriptive using observations, interviews and documentation. The results of this study showed that it was explained at the planning, implementation and evaluation stage carried out by teachers in the field of Biology IPA studies, namely, at the stage of learning planning conducted offline (face-to-face) with teaching materials in the form of RPP, Syllabus, LKS and package books, while at the stage of the implementation and evaluation process through online learning. From the tendency of planning is not in accordance with the implementation of learning because, planning through offline (face-to-face) while the implementation is online (online).

Conformational flexibility in carbapenem hydrolysis drives substrate specificity of the class D carbapenemase OXA-24/40

The evolution of multidrug resistance in Acinetobacter spp. increases the risk of our best antibiotics losing their efficacy. From a clinical perspective, the carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamase subfamily present in Acinetobacter spp. is particularly concerning because of its ability to confer resistance to carbapenems. The kinetic profiles of class D β-lactamases exhibit variability in carbapenem hydrolysis, suggesting functional differences. To better understand the structure–function relationship between the carbapenem-hydrolyzing class D β-lactamase OXA-24/40 found in Acinetobacter baumannii and carbapenem substrates, we analyzed steady-state kinetics with the carbapenem antibiotics meropenem and ertapenem and determined the structures of complexes of OXA-24/40 bound to imipenem, meropenem, doripenem, and ertapenem, as well as the expanded-spectrum cephalosporin cefotaxime, using X-ray crystallography. We show that OXA-24/40 exhibits a preference for ertapenem compared with meropenem, imipenem, and doripenem, with an increase in catalytic efficiency of up to fourfold. We suggest that superposition of the nine OXA-24/40 complexes will better inform future inhibitor design efforts by providing insight into the complicated and varying ways in which carbapenems are selected and bound by class D β-lactamases.

Aβ1-42 peptide toxicity on neuronal cells: A lipidomic study

Currently Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) pathological pathways, which lead to cell death and dementia, are not completely well-defined; in particular, the lipid changes in brain tissues that begin years before AD symptoms. Due to the central role of the amyloid aggregation process in the early phase of AD pathogenesis, we aimed at developing a lipidomic approach to evaluate the amyloid toxic effects on differentiated human neuroblastoma derived SH-SY5Y cells. First of all, this work was performed to highlight qualitative and relative quantitative lipid variations in connection with amyloid toxicity. Then, with an open outcome, the study was focused to find out some new lipid-based biomarkers that could result from the interaction of amyloid peptide with cell membrane and could justify neuroblastoma cells neurotoxicity. Hence, cells were treated with increasing concentration of Aβ1–42 at different times, then the lipid extraction was carried out by protein precipitation protocol with 2-propanol-water (90:10 v/v). The LC-MS analysis of samples was performed by a RP-UHPLC system coupled with a quadrupole-time-of-flight mass spectrometer in comprehensive data - independent SWATH acquisition mode. Data processing was achieved by MS-DIAL. Each lipid class profile in SH-SY5Y cells treated with Aβ1–42 was compared to the one obtained for the untreated cells to identify (and relatively quantify) some altered species in various lipid classes. This approach was found suitable to underline some peculiar lipid alterations that might be correlated to different Aβ1–42 aggregation species and to explore the cellular response mechanisms to the toxic stimuli. The in vitro model presented has provided results that coincide with the ones in literature obtained by lipidomic analysis on cerebrospinal fluid and plasma of AD patients. Therefore, after being validated, this method could represent a way for the preliminary identification of potential biomarkers that could be researched in biological samples of AD patients.

Latent Class Profiles of Police Violence Exposure in 4 US Cities and Their Associations with Anticipation of Police Violence and Mental Health Outcomes

While studying polyvictimization is well established within the broader violence literature and applied to other types of violence, it has yet to be documented whether polyvictimization also presents in patterns of police violence exposure (i.e., neglectful, psychological, physical, and sexual police violence). Our objective was to analyze latent patterns of co-occurring police contact and their associations with mental health. By applying latent class analysis (LCA) methods to the 2016 and 2017 Surveys of Police-Public Encounters (N = 2615), conducted in 4 Northeastern US cities, we identified classes of direct and vicarious police violence and compared sociodemographic characteristics among classes using multinomial regression. Classes were regressed on mental health outcomes. LCA identified four classes of police contact. Compared to Positive Police Contact (33.0%) class members, members of the (a) Extreme Police Violence (4.0%) class reported higher anticipation of future police victimization, psychological distress, and suicide ideations and attempts; they were more likely to be Black, cisgender men, and Latinx; (b) members of the High Police Violence (23.6%) class reported higher anticipation of future police victimization and psychological distress; they were more likely to be Black, Native American, and multiracial; members of the (c) Low Police Contact (39.5%) class had comparable mental health outcomes; they were more likely to report a household income < $19,999. Notably, no participants were unexposed to police contact. Polyvictimization presents in experiences of police violence and disproportionately impacts structurally marginalized people.

Songs for Ordinary People

This article aims to illuminate the links between culture and class in the post-socialist years in the Czech Republic. To this end, it considers the reception of two music acts—the country folk duo Bratři Nedvědi in the 1990s and the “nationalist rock” band Ortel in the 2010s—and discusses the labeling of their fans based on their social class profiles. My analysis draws on mainstream Czech media coverage of these acts, materials reflecting fans’ perspectives, and broader scholarly debates about the links between music consumption and social class. One similarity between these bands lay in their decision to forsake their original subcultural fans for a more mainstream audience. A second commonality relates to the dismissal of their mainstream fans by cultural elites, who saw them as backward and out of step with the norms of liberal democracy and Western capitalism. These critics often described these types of Czech music as lowbrow and regressive. Meanwhile, the two bands continued to insist that they were making songs for “ordinary people” rather than elites: their fan bases, while not homogenous, remained largely working class. This study considers key intersections between class, age, ethnicity, and gender in Czech post-socialist society. I argue that certain kinds of local musical taste reflect class differences, which are further shaped by age, gender, and political orientation.

Timber strength variation due to establishment density—can grading cope with it?

Abstract High planting densities in coniferous stands usually lead to advantageous wood properties with high yields for strength graded timber in sawmills. In timber design, however, the focus is on mechanical wood properties, as structural engineers rely on the characteristic values for strength, stiffness and wood density defined for the strength classes. Almost 700 Douglas-fir boards from plots with establishment densities of 1000, 2000 and 4000 trees per hectare were graded with different strength grading machines before the boards were finally tensile tested. Three existing models including both the functional relationship and the class limits were applied to the tensile strength prediction: Modelknot based on knot size and wood density, ModelEdyn based on the dynamic modulus of elasticity (Edyn) only and Modelknot,Edyn based on Edyn and knot size were used to calculate the indicating properties (IPs) IPknot, IPEdyn and IPknot,Edyn. The ratio of achieved and required characteristic values for strength, stiffness and wood density was calculated for various T classes according to the European standard EN 338:2016. The focus was on two questions: (1) Do the samples from different densities meet the characteristic values of the respective T classes? (2) How does the complexity of the grading model affect the characteristic values of sawn timber with raw material planted at different initial densities? The results showed that the stiffness and wood density requirements of the T class profile according to EN 338:2016 were met for boards of all initial densities. Boards from higher and highest densities always exceeded the strength requirements, by on average $+$16 per cent and $+$36 per cent, whereas boards from low establishment densities fell short of the strength requirements by on average −15 per cent. Grading of multiple classes in one run also influenced the characteristic strength value. Applying the strength class combinations T15/T9, the negative deviations from the required strength value of the lower class T9 improved for boards coming from plots with an initial stand density of 1000 trees ha−1 from −14 per cent to −13 per cent (Modelknot), from −12 per cent to −2 per cent (ModelEdyn) and from −10 per cent to $+$6 per cent (Modelknot,Edyn). The non-compliance of the characteristic strength values at low initial density was only in a few cases below the limit value required for the test (90 per cent). The relative distance between the characteristic values within the three densities, nevertheless, was high. Complex grading models resulted in both better yields and low deviations from the requirements.