bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Imperial Over-Stretch of International Law
Authors: Scott Shirley V.
Published: August 2020

In presenting the international law community with a call to action in defense of the liberal international order against a trend towards “authoritarian international law,” Tom Ginsburg prompts us to assess the systemic dynamics at play in the contemporary international legal order. In doing so, we should be cautious about assuming that the consequences for international law of any particular actor will be positive or otherwise. A couple of decades ago even American international lawyers were concerned about what they perceived to be the threat posed to international law by the United States as global hegemon. And yet from today's vantage point, it seems that the imperial actor during the post-Cold War period may not have been the United States so much as transnational civil society. The very openness of the system of international law that enables both democratic and authoritarian regimes to promote norms reflective of their policy preferences has also enabled civil society to advance norms, processes, and institutional structures that go beyond the policy preferences of dominant states. In doing so, civil society—a hallmark of what we might refer to as the “pseudo-democratic” international legal system—has challenged the delicate balance between power politics and the realization of a pure international rule of law. The consequences appear serious.
Immunohistochemical Markers in the Diagnosis of Calcifying Pseudoneoplasm of the Neuraxis
Authors: Yang Kaiyun , Reddy Kesava , Wang Bill H. , Cenic Aleksa , Provias John , Popovic Snezana , Yong William H. , Berthelet France , Bojanowski Michel W. , Hammond Robert , Lu Jian-Qiang
Published: August 2020

Background:

Calcifying pseudoneoplasm of the neuraxis (CAPNON) is a rare tumor-like lesion with unknown pathogenesis. It is likely under-reported due to diagnostic challenges including the nonspecific radiographic features, lack of diagnostic markers, and often asymptomatic nature of the lesions.

Methods:

We performed detailed examination of 11 CAPNON specimens diagnosed by histopathology, with the help of electron microscopy and immunohistochemistry.

Results:

Electron microscopy revealed the presence of fibrillary materials consistent with neurofilaments. In addition to some entrapped axons at the periphery of CAPNONs, we discovered that all specimens stained positive for neurofilament-light (NF-L) within the granular amorphous cores, but not neurofilament-phosphorylated (NF-p). CAPNONs also showed variable infiltration of CD8+ T-cells and a decreased ratio of CD4/CD8+ T-cells, suggesting an immune-mediated process in the pathogenesis of CAPNON.

Conclusion:

NF-L and CD4/CD8 immunostains may serve as diagnostic markers for CAPNON and shed light on its pathogenesis.
“The Miracle of You”: Women's Sex Education and the Marketing of Kotex
Authors: Guadagnolo Dan
Published: August 2020

In 1967, Kimberly-Clark, the makers of Kotex, hired women's marketing consultant Estelle Ellis to create and run the corporation's new sex education program. The Life Cycle Center, which opened in 1968, did not produce advertisements, but rather developed sex education curricula for public school classrooms. Its program, the Life Cycle Library, divided women's lives into distinct stages, tethering Kimberly-Clark goods and services to specific junctures of an idealized, heterosexual life. Ellis transformed the “life cycle” into a profitable, enduring marketing concept for Kimberly-Clark. She also extended the Center's influence, rendering it a research and educational authority on women's reproductive health for teachers, social scientists, government actors, and readers. Ellis's career reveals how marketers infiltrated powerful sites of institutional and public health discourse, reshaping them to fit commercial aims and intentions.
Minimizing movements for forced anisotropic mean curvature flow of partitions with mobilities
Authors: Bellettini Giovanni , Chambolle Antonin , Kholmatov Shokhrukh
Published: August 2020

Under suitable assumptions on the family of anisotropies, we prove the existence of a weak global 1/(n+1)-Hölder continuous in time mean curvature flow with mobilities of a bounded anisotropic partition in any dimension using the method of minimizing movements. The result is extended to the case when suitable driving forces are present. We improve the Hölder exponent to 1/2 in the case of partitions with the same anisotropy and the same mobility and provide a weak comparison result in this setting for a weak anisotropic mean curvature flow of a partition and an anisotropic mean curvature two-phase flow.
The ABCs of Electoral Reform: The Impact of Reading Levels on Knowledge, Interest and Opinion
Authors: Garnett Holly Ann , Blais André
Published: August 2020

How should citizens be educated about complicated political issues like electoral reform? Are there basic principles that should be followed? This article tests one potential principle for government bodies, the media and educators to follow when conducting information campaigns: namely, lowering the reading level of information. Educators have long argued that texts can be confusing when written at a literacy level higher than the reader is able to digest. This article tests the impact of reading level on knowledge, interest and opinion on an electoral reform proposal. It employs an experimental design, conducted in person in fall 2018 with college students in Ontario, Canada. The experiment asked the students to read a text on a single transferable vote (STV) electoral system at one of three reading levels (or a control text) and then answer a series of questions gauging their knowledge, interest and opinion on the electoral reform proposal. The results provide an assessment of the impact of different levels of information on these factors and suggest concrete recommendations for election management bodies (EMBs) and other actors seeking to educate the public on complex political issues.
Comparison of gustatory function between mucosal and squamous disease: a randomised controlled study
Authors: Anant A , Lal P , Pradhan P
Published: August 2020

Objective

The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the gustatory function between patients with chronic mucosal and squamous diseases before and after the surgery.

Method

A total of 33 patients with mucosal diseases and 34 patients with squamous diseases were evaluated for gustatory function both in the pre-operative and post-operative periods. The taste scores were compared between the two groups.

Results

The gustatory scores in the mucosal disease group were significantly better than the scores in the squamous disease group (p < 0.05). There was no significant correlation detected between the age of the patients or duration of the disease with the taste scores in any of the study groups.

Conclusion

The improvement in gustatory score was better in the chronic mucosal disease group than the squamous disease group. There was no significant correlation found between the age of the patients or duration of disease and the taste score in any of the study groups.
Burden of respiratory syncytial virus hospitalisation among infants born at 32–35 weeks' gestational age in the Northern Hemisphere: pooled analysis of seven studies
Authors: Lanari M. , Anderson E.J. , Sheridan-Pereira M. , Carbonell-Estrany X. , Paes B. , Rodgers-Gray B.S. , Fullarton J. R. , Grubb E. , Blanken M.
Published: August 2020

To provide comprehensive information on the epidemiology and burden of respiratory syncytial virus hospitalisation (RSVH) in preterm infants, a pooled analysis was undertaken of seven multicentre, prospective, observational studies from across the Northern Hemisphere (2000–2014). Data from all 320–356weeks' gestational age (wGA) infants without comorbidity were analysed. RSVH occurred in 534/14 504 (3.7%) infants; equating to a rate of 5.65per100 patient-seasons, with the rate in individual wGA groups dependent upon exposure time (P= 0.032). Most RSVHs (60.1%) occurred in December–January. Median age at RSVH was 88 days (interquartile range (IQR): 54–159). Respiratory support was required by 82.0% of infants: oxygen in 70.4% (median 4 (IQR: 2–6) days); non-invasive ventilation in 19.3% (median 3 (IQR: 2–5) days); and mechanical ventilation in 10.2% (median 5 (IQR: 3–7) days). Intensive care unit admission was required by 17.9% of infants (median 6 days (IQR: 2–8) days). Median overall hospital length of stay (LOS) was 5 (IQR: 3–8) days. Hospital resource use was similar across wGA groups except for overall LOS, which was shortest in those born 35 wGA (median 3vs.4–6 days for 32–34 wGA;P< 0.001). Strategies to reduce the burden of RSVH in otherwise healthy 32–35 wGA infants are indicated.
PROJECTIVE LOOPS GENERATE RATIONAL LOOP GROUPS
Authors: Wang Gang , Goertsches Oliver , Wang Erxiao
Published: August 2020

We generalize Uhlenbeck’s generator theorem of ${\mathcal{L}}^{-}\operatorname{U}_{n}$ to the full rational loop group ${\mathcal{L}}^{-}\operatorname{GL}_{n}\mathbb{C}$ and its subgroups ${\mathcal{L}}^{-}\operatorname{GL}_{n}\mathbb{R}$, ${\mathcal{L}}^{-}\operatorname{U}_{p,q}$: they are all generated by just simple projective loops. Recall that Terng–Uhlenbeck studied the dressing actions of such projective loops as generalized Bäcklund transformations for integrable systems. Our result makes a nice supplement: any rational dressing is the composition of these Bäcklund transformations. This conclusion is surprising in the sense that Lie theory suggests the indispensable role of nilpotent loops in the case of noncompact reality conditions, and nilpotent dressings appear quite complicated and mysterious. The sacrifice is to introduce some extra fake singularities. So we also propose a set of generators if fake singularities are forbidden. A very geometric and physical construction of $\operatorname{U}_{p,q}$ is obtained as a by-product, generalizing the classical construction of unitary groups.
INVARIANT HYPERSURFACES
Authors: Bell Jason , Moosa Rahim , Topaz Adam
Published: August 2020

The following theorem, which includes as very special cases results of Jouanolou and Hrushovski on algebraic $D$-varieties on the one hand, and of Cantat on rational dynamics on the other, is established: Working over a field of characteristic zero, suppose $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{1},\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{2}:Z\rightarrow X$ are dominant rational maps from an (possibly nonreduced) irreducible scheme $Z$ of finite type to an algebraic variety $X$, with the property that there are infinitely many hypersurfaces on $X$ whose scheme-theoretic inverse images under $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{1}$ and $\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{2}$ agree. Then there is a nonconstant rational function $g$ on $X$ such that $g\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{1}=g\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}_{2}$. In the case where $Z$ is also reduced, the scheme-theoretic inverse image can be replaced by the proper transform. A partial result is obtained in positive characteristic. Applications include an extension of the Jouanolou–Hrushovski theorem to generalised algebraic ${\mathcal{D}}$-varieties and of Cantat’s theorem to self-correspondences.
“Strange What Cosmopolites Music Makes of Us”: Classical Music, the Black Press, and Nora Douglas Holt's Black Feminist Audiotopia
Authors: CAPLAN LUCY
Published: August 2020

This article examines the music criticism of Nora Douglas Holt, an African American woman who wrote a classical music column for theChicago Defender(1917–1923) and published a monthly magazine,Music and Poetry(1921–1922). I make two claims regarding the force and impact of Holt's ideas. First, by writing about classical music in the black press, Holt advanced a model of embodied listening that rejected racist attempts to keep African Americans out of the concert hall and embraced a communal approach to knowledge production. Second, Holt was a black feminist intellectual who refuted dominant notions of classical music's putative race- and gender-transcending universalism; instead, she acknowledged the generative possibilities of racial difference in general and blackness in particular. I analyze Holt's intellectual commitments by situating her ideas within the context of early twentieth-century black feminist thought; analyzing the principal themes of her writing in theChicago DefenderandMusic and Poetry; and assessing her engagement with a single musical work, Tchaikovsky'sSymphony No. 4 in F Minor, op. 36.Ultimately, Holt's criticism offers new insight into how race, gender, and musical activity intersected in the Jim Crow era and invites a more nuanced and capacious understanding of black women's manifold contributions to US musical culture.
Effects of maternal low-protein diet and spontaneous physical activity on the transcription of neurotrophic factors in the placenta and the brains of mothers and offspring rats
Authors: Fragoso Jéssica , Carvalho Jurema Santos Gabriela , da Silva Helyson Thomaz , Loizon Emmanuelle , de Oliveira Nogueira Souza Viviane , Vidal Hubert , Guedes Rubem Carlos Araújo , Costa-Silva João Henrique , da Silva Aragão Raquel , Pirola Luciano , Leandro Carol Gois
Published: August 2020

Maternal protein restriction and physical activity can affect the interaction mother–placenta–fetus. This study quantified the gene expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), neurothrophin 4, tyrosine kinase receptor B (TrkB/NTRK2), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), and insulin-like growth factor receptor (IGF-1r) in the different areas of mother’s brain (hypothalamus, hippocampus, and cortex), placenta, and fetus’ brain of rats. Female Wistar rats (n = 20) were housed in cages containing a running wheel for 4 weeks before gestation. According to the distance spontaneously traveled daily, rats were classified as inactive or active. During gestation, on continued access to the running wheel, active and inactive groups were randomized to receive normoprotein diet (18% protein) or a low-protein (LP) diet (8% protein). At day 20 of gestation, gene expression of neurotrophic factors was analyzed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in different brain areas and the placenta. Dams submitted to a LP diet during gestation showed upregulation of IGF-1r and BDNF messenger RNA in the hypothalamus, IGF-1r and NTRK2 in the hippocampus, and BDNF, NTRK2, IGF-1 and IGF-1r in the cortex. In the placenta, there was a downregulation of IGF-1. In the brain of pups from mothers on LP diet, IGF-1r and NTRK2 were downregulated. Voluntary physical activity attenuated the effects of LP diet on IGF-1r in the hypothalamus, IGF-1r and NTRK2 in the hippocampus, IGF-1 in the placenta, and NTRK2 in the fetus’ brain. In conclusion, both maternal protein restriction and spontaneous physical activity influence the gene expression of BDNF, NTRK2, IGF-1, and IGF-1r, with spontaneous physical activity being able to normalize in part the defects caused by protein restriction during pregnancy.
Advances in the field of intranasal oxytocin research: lessons learned and future directions for clinical research
Authors: Quintana Daniel S. , Lischke Alexander , Grace Sally , Scheele Dirk , Ma Yina , Becker Benjamin
Published: August 2020

Reports on the modulatory role of the neuropeptide oxytocin on social cognition and behavior have steadily increased over the last two decades, stimulating considerable interest in its psychiatric application. Basic and clinical research in humans primarily employs intranasal application protocols. This approach assumes that intranasal administration increases oxytocin levels in the central nervous system via a direct nose-to-brain route, which in turn acts upon centrally-located oxytocin receptors to exert its behavioral effects. However, debates have emerged on whether intranasally administered oxytocin enters the brain via the nose-to-brain route and whether this route leads to functionally relevant increases in central oxytocin levels. In this review we outline recent advances from human and animal research that provide converging evidence for functionally relevant effects of the intranasal oxytocin administration route, suggesting that direct nose-to-brain delivery underlies the behavioral effects of oxytocin on social cognition and behavior. Moreover, advances in previously debated methodological issues, such as pre-registration, reproducibility, statistical power, interpretation of non-significant results, dosage, and sex differences are discussed and integrated with suggestions for the next steps in translating intranasal oxytocin into psychiatric applications.
Polygenic risk score analysis revealed shared genetic background in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and narcolepsy
Authors: Takahashi Nagahide , Nishimura Tomoko , Harada Taeko , Okumura Akemi , Choi Damee , Iwabuchi Toshiki , Kuwabara Hitoshi , Takagai Shu , Nomura Yoko , Newcorn Jeffrey. H. , Takei Nori , Tsuchiya Kenji J.
Published: August 2020

Attention deficit hyperactive disorder (ADHD) is a highly heritable neurodevelopmental disorder, and excessive daytime sleepiness is frequently observed in ADHD patients. Excessive daytime sleepiness is also a core symptom of narcolepsy and essential hypersomnia (EHS), which are also heritable conditions. Psychostimulants are effective for the symptomatic control of ADHD (primary recommended intervention) and the two sleep disorders (frequent off-label use). However, the common biological mechanism for these disorders has not been well understood. Using a previously collected genome-wide association study of narcolepsy and EHS, we calculated polygenic risk scores (PRS) for each individual. We investigated a possible genetic association between ADHD and narcolepsy traits in the Hamamatsu Birth Cohort for mothers and children (HBC study) (n = 876). Gene-set enrichment analyses were used to identify common pathways underlying these disorders. Narcolepsy PRS were significantly associated with ADHD traits both in the hyperactivity domain (e.g., P-value threshold < 0.05, β [SE], 5.815 [1.774]; P = 0.002) and inattention domain (e.g., P-value threshold < 0.05, β [SE], 5.734 [1.761]; P = 0.004). However, EHS PRS was not significantly associated with either domain of ADHD traits. Gene-set enrichment analyses revealed that pathways related to dopaminergic signaling, immune systems, iron metabolism, and glial cell function involved in both ADHD and narcolepsy. Findings indicate that ADHD and narcolepsy are genetically related, and there are possible common underlying biological mechanisms for this relationship. Future studies replicating these findings would be warranted to elucidate the genetic vulnerability for daytime sleepiness in individuals with ADHD.
Sodium/potassium ratio change was associated with blood pressure change: possibility of population approach for sodium/potassium ratio reduction in health checkup
Authors: Kogure Mana , Nakaya Naoki , Hirata Takumi , Tsuchiya Naho , Nakamura Tomohiro , Narita Akira , Suto Yoko , Honma Yoko , Sasaki Hidemi , Miyagawa Ken , Ushida Yusuke , Ueda Hiroyuki , Hozawa Atsushi
Published: August 2020

Recently, the sodium (Na)/potassium (K) ratio was reported to be associated with blood pressure (BP). A Na/K ratio self-monitoring device using spot urine was established recently. Here, we assessed whether the urinary Na/K ratio change measured using the Na/K device was associated with BP change in a health checkup setting. We targeted 12,890 participants who attended the health checkup in Tome City, Miyagi between 2017 and 2018. Tome City introduced urinary Na/K ratio measurements during health checkups since 2017. For each year, we compared the baseline characteristics according to the urinary Na/K ratio and BP level. We assessed the relationship between change in urinary Na/K ratio and BP change using multiple regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, and change in body mass index (BMI) and alcohol intake. The average urinary Na/K ratio was significantly lower in 2018 than in 2017 (5.4 ± 3.0 to 4.9 ± 2.2, P < 0.01). The systolic BP of the participants in 2018 (130.9 ± 17.4 mmHg) was lower than that in 2017 (132.1 ± 17.9 mmHg). Moreover, the change in systolic BP and diastolic BP was positively associated with the change in urinary Na/K ratio. In conclusion, the association of the change in urinary Na/K ratio with hypertension and changes in systolic and diastolic BP can be explained by a change in alcohol intake, BMI, and urinary Na/K ratio. Therefore, measuring the urinary Na/K ratio in community settings is a potential population approach for counteracting hypertension.
Resonant thermal energy transfer to magnons in a ferromagnetic nanolayer
Authors: Kobecki Michal , Scherbakov Alexey V. , Linnik Tetiana L. , Kukhtaruk Serhii M. , Gusev Vitalyi E. , Pattnaik Debi P. , Akimov Ilya A. , Rushforth Andrew W. , Akimov Andrey V. , Bayer Manfred
Published: August 2020

Energy harvesting is a concept which makes dissipated heat useful by transferring thermal energy to other excitations. Most of the existing principles are realized in systems which are heated continuously. We present the concept of high-frequency energy harvesting where the dissipated heat in a sample excites resonant magnons in a thin ferromagnetic metal layer. The sample is excited by femtosecond laser pulses with a repetition rate of 10 GHz, which results in temperature modulation at the same frequency with amplitude ~0.1 K. The alternating temperature excites magnons in the ferromagnetic nanolayer which are detected by measuring the net magnetization precession. When the magnon frequency is brought onto resonance with the optical excitation, a 12-fold increase of the amplitude of precession indicates efficient resonant heat transfer from the lattice to coherent magnons. The demonstrated principle may be used for energy harvesting in various nanodevices operating at GHz and sub-THz frequency ranges.
Strength of immune selection in tumors varies with sex and age
Authors: Castro Andrea , Pyke Rachel Marty , Zhang Xinlian , Thompson Wesley Kurt , Day Chi-Ping , Alexandrov Ludmil B. , Zanetti Maurizio , Carter Hannah
Published: August 2020

Individual MHC genotype constrains the mutational landscape during tumorigenesis. Immune checkpoint inhibition reactivates immunity against tumors that escaped immune surveillance in approximately 30% of cases. Recent studies demonstrated poorer response rates in female and younger patients. Although immune responses differ with sex and age, the role of MHC-based immune selection in this context is unknown. We find that tumors in younger and female individuals accumulate more poorly presented driver mutations than those in older and male patients, despite no differences in MHC genotype. Younger patients show the strongest effects of MHC-based driver mutation selection, with younger females showing compounded effects and nearly twice as much MHC-II based selection. This study presents evidence that strength of immune selection during tumor development varies with sex and age, and may influence the availability of mutant peptides capable of driving effective response to immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy.
Publisher Correction: Present and future Köppen-Geiger climate classification maps at 1-km resolution
Authors: Beck Hylke E. , Zimmermann Niklaus E. , McVicar Tim R. , Vergopolan Noemi , Berg Alexis , Wood Eric F.
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Radiocarbon offsets and old world chronology as relevant to Mesopotamia, Egypt, Anatolia and Thera (Santorini)
Authors: Manning Sturt W. , Wacker Lukas , Büntgen Ulf , Bronk Ramsey Christopher , Dee Michael W. , Kromer Bernd , Lorentzen Brita , Tegel Willy
Published: August 2020

The new IntCal20 radiocarbon record continues decades of successful practice by employing one calibration curve as an approximation for different regions across the hemisphere. Here we investigate three radiocarbon time-series of archaeological and historical importance from the Mediterranean-Anatolian region, which indicate, or may include, offsets from IntCal20 (~0–22 14C years). While modest, these differences are critical for our precise understanding of historical and environmental events across the Mediterranean Basin and Near East. Offsets towards older radiocarbon ages in Mediterranean-Anatolian wood can be explained by a divergence between high-resolution radiocarbon dates from the recent generation of accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) versus dates from previous technologies, such as low-level gas proportional counting (LLGPC) and liquid scintillation spectrometry (LSS). However, another reason is likely differing growing season lengths and timings, which would affect the seasonal cycle of atmospheric radiocarbon concentrations recorded in different geographic zones. Understanding and correcting these offsets is key to the well-defined calendar placement of a Middle Bronze Age tree-ring chronology. This in turn resolves long-standing debate over Mesopotamian chronology in the earlier second millennium BCE. Last but not least, accurate dating is needed for any further assessment of the societal and environmental impact of the Thera/Santorini volcanic eruption.
A dual mechanism underlying retroactive shifts of auditory spatial attention: dissociating target- and distractor-related modulations of alpha lateralization
Authors: Klatt Laura-Isabelle , Getzmann Stephan , Begau Alexandra , Schneider Daniel
Published: August 2020

Attention can be allocated to mental representations to select information from working memory. To date, it remains ambiguous whether such retroactive shifts of attention involve the inhibition of irrelevant information or the prioritization of relevant information. Investigating asymmetries in posterior alpha-band oscillations during an auditory retroactive cueing task, we aimed at differentiating those mechanisms. Participants were cued to attend two out of three sounds in an upcoming sound array. Importantly, the resulting working memory representation contained one laterally and one centrally presented item. A centrally presented retro-cue then indicated the lateral, the central, or both items as further relevant for the task (comparing the cued item(s) to a memory probe). Time–frequency analysis revealed opposing patterns of alpha lateralization depending on target eccentricity: A contralateral decrease in alpha power in target lateral trials indicated the involvement of target prioritization. A contralateral increase in alpha power when the central item remained relevant (distractor lateral trials) suggested the de-prioritization of irrelevant information. No lateralization was observed when both items remained relevant, supporting the notion that auditory alpha lateralization is restricted to situations in which spatial information is task-relevant. Altogether, the data demonstrate that retroactive attentional deployment involves excitatory and inhibitory control mechanisms.
Author Correction: Simultaneous Inhibition of Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation Triggers a Multi-Fold Increase in Secretion of Exosomes: Possible Role of 2′,3′-cAMP
Authors: Ludwig Nils , Yerneni Saigopalakrishna S. , Menshikova Elizabeth V. , Gillespie Delbert G. , Jackson Edwin K. , Whiteside Theresa L.
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Lithium chloride enhances serotonin induced calcium activity in EGFP-GnIH neurons
Authors: Teo Chuin Hau , Soga Tomoko , Parhar Ishwar
Published: August 2020

Neurons synthesizing gonadotropin-inhibitory hormone (GnIH) have been implicated in the control of reproduction, food intake and stress. Serotonin (5-HT) receptors have been shown in GnIH neurons; however, their functional role in the regulation of GnIH neurons remains to be elucidated. In this study, we measured intracellular calcium ion levels following 5-HT treatment to hypothalamic primary cultures of enhanced fluorescent green protein-tagged GnIH (EGFP-GnIH) neurons from Wistar rat pups of mixed sex. Three days after initial seeding of the primary cultures, the test groups were pre-treated with lithium chloride to selectively inhibit glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta to promote intracellular calcium levels, whereas the control groups received culture medium with no lithium chloride treatment. 24 h later, the cultures were incubated with rhodamine-2AM (rhod-2AM) calcium indicator dye for one hour prior to imaging. 5-HT was added to the culture dishes 5 min after commencement of imaging. Analysis of intracellular calcium levels in EGFP-GnIH neurons showed that pre-treatment with lithium chloride before 5-HT treatment resulted in significant increase in intracellular calcium levels, two times higher than the baseline. This suggests that lithium chloride enhances the responsiveness of GnIH neurons to 5-HT.
Characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna of the Galapagos Islands
Authors: Salinas-de-León Pelayo , Martí-Puig Patricia , Buglass Salome , Arnés-Urgellés Camila , Rastoin-Laplane Etienne , Creemers Marie , Cairns Stephen , Fisher Charles , O’Hara Timothy , Ott Bruce , Raineault Nicole A. , Reiswig Henry , Rouse Greg , Rowley Sonia , Shank Timothy M. , Suarez Jenifer , Watling Les , Wicksten Mary K. , Marsh Leigh
Published: August 2020

The deep sea represents the largest and least explored biome on the planet. Despite the iconic status of the Galapagos Islands and being considered one of the most pristine locations on earth, the deep-sea benthic ecosystems of the archipelago are virtually unexplored in comparison to their shallow-water counterparts. In 2015, we embarked on a multi-disciplinary scientific expedition to conduct the first systematic characterization of deep-sea benthic invertebrate communities of the Galapagos, across a range of habitats. We explored seven sites to depths of over 3,300 m using a two-part Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) system aboard the E/V Nautilus, and collected 90 biological specimens that were preserved and sent to experts around the world for analysis. Of those, 30 taxa were determined to be undescribed and new to science, including members of five new genera (2 sponges and 3 cnidarians). We also systematically analysed image frame grabs from over 85 h of ROV footage to investigate patterns of species diversity and document the presence of a range of underwater communities between depths of 290 and 3,373 m, including cold-water coral communities, extensive glass sponge and octocoral gardens, and soft-sediment faunal communities. This characterization of Galapagos deep-sea benthic invertebrate megafauna across a range of ecosystems represents a first step to study future changes that may result from anthropogenic impacts to the planet’s climate and oceans, and informed the creation of fully protected deep-water areas in the Galapagos Marine Reserve that may help preserve these unique communities in our changing planet.
Organically modified layered magnesium silicates to improve rheology of reservoir drilling fluids
Authors: Patel Hasmukh A. , Santra Ashok
Published: August 2020

Petroleum well drilling fluids are one of the most significant constituents in the subterranean drilling processes to meet an increasing global demand for oil and gas. Drilling fluids experience exceptional wellbore conditions, e.g. high temperature and high pressure that adversely affect the rheology of these fluids. Gas and oil well drilling operations have to adjourn due to changes in fluid rheology, since the drilling fluids may lose their effectiveness to suspend heavy particles and to carry drilled cuttings to the surface. The rheological properties of drilling fluids can be controlled by employing viscosifiers that should have exceptional stability in downhole environments. Here, we have developed next-generation viscosifiers—organically modified magnesium silicates (MSils)—for reservoir drilling fluids where organic functionalities are directly linked through the Si–C bond, unlike the industry’s traditional viscosifier, organoclay, that has electrostatic linkages. The successful formation of covalently-linked hexadecyl and phenyl functionalized magnesium silicates (MSil-C16 and MSil-Ph) were confirmed by X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA). Identical drilling fluid formulations were designed for comparison using MSils and a commercial viscosifier. The rheological properties of fluids were measured at ambient conditions as well as at high temperatures (up to 150 °C) and high pressure (70 MPa). Owing to strong covalent linkages, drilling fluids that were formulated with MSils showed a 19.3% increase in yield point (YP) and a 31% decrease in apparent viscosity (AV) at 150 °C under 70 MPa pressure, as compared to drilling fluids that were formulated with traditional organoclay. The higher yield point and lower apparent viscosity are known to facilitate and increased drilling rate of penetration of the fluids and an enhanced equivalent circulation density (ECD), the dynamic density condition, for efficient oil and gas wells drilling procedures.
Role of Armadillo repeat 2 and kinesin-II motor subunit Klp64D for wingless signaling in Drosophila
Authors: Vuong Linh Thuong , Won Jong-Hoon , Nguyen Minh Binh , Choi Kwang-Wook
Published: August 2020

Armadillo (Arm) is crucial for transducing Wingless (Wg) signaling. Previously, we have shown that Klp64D, a motor subunit of Drosophila kinesin-II, interacts with Arm for Wg signaling. Molecular basis for this interaction has remained unknown. Here we identify a critical Arm repeat (AR) required for binding Klp64D and Wg signaling. Arm/$${\varvec{\beta}}$$

β

-catenin family proteins contain a conserved domain of 12 Arm repeats (ARs). Five of these ARs can interact with Klp64D, but only the second AR (AR2) binds to the cargo/tail domain of Klp64D. Overexpression of AR2 in wing imaginal disc is sufficient to cause notched wing margin. This phenotype by AR2 is enhanced or suppressed by reducing or increasing Klp64D expression, respectively. AR2 overexpression inhibits Wg signaling activity in TopFlash assay, consistent with its dominant-negative effects on Klp64D-dependent Wg signaling. Overexpression of the Klp64D cargo domain also results in dominant-negative wing notching. Genetic rescue data indicate that both AR2 and Klp64D cargo regions are required for the function of Arm and Klp64D, respectively. AR2 overexpression leads to an accumulation of Arm with GM130 Golgi marker in Klp64D knockdown. This study suggests that Wg signaling for wing development is regulated by specific interaction between AR2 and the cargo domain of Klp64D.
DNA-damage and cell cycle arrest initiated anti-cancer potency of super tiny carbon dots on MCF7 cell line
Authors: Şimşek Sinem , Şüküroğlu Ayça Aktaş , Yetkin Derya , Özbek Belma , Battal Dilek , Genç Rükan
Published: August 2020

While carbon-based materials have spearheaded numerous breakthroughs in biomedicine, they also have procreated many logical concerns on their overall toxicity. Carbon dots (CDs) as a respectively new member have been extensively explored in nucleus directed delivery and bioimaging due to their intrinsic fluorescence properties coupled with their small size and surface properties. Although various in vitro/in vivo studies have shown that CDs are mostly biocompatible, sufficient information is lacking regarding genotoxicity of them and underlying mechanisms. This study aims to analyze the real-time cytotoxicity of super tiny CDs (2.05 ± 0.22 nm) on human breast cancer cells (MCF7) and human primary dermal fibroblast cell cultures (HDFa) by xCELLigence analysis system for further evaluating their genotoxicity and clastogenicity to evaluate the anti-tumor potential of CDs on breast adenocarcinoma. As combined with flow cytometry studies, comet assay and cytokinesis-block micronucleus assay suggest that the CDs can penetrate to the cell nuclei, interact with the genetic material, and explode DNA damage and G0/G1 phase arrest in cancer cells even at very low concentrations (0.025 ppm) which provide a strong foundation for the design of potentially promising CD-based functional nanomaterials for DNA-damage induced treatment in cancer therapy.
Dietary ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonate, a marine sphingophosphonolipid, improves skin barrier function in hairless mice
Authors: Tomonaga Nami , Manabe Yuki , Aida Kazuhiko , Sugawara Tatsuya
Published: August 2020

Sphingolipids are one of the major components of cell membranes and are ubiquitous in eukaryotic organisms. Ceramide 2-aminoethylphosphonate (CAEP) of marine origin is a unique and abundant sphingophosphonolipid with a C-P bond. Although molluscs such as squids and bivalves, containing CAEP, are consumed globally, the dietary efficacy of CAEP is not understood. We investigated the efficacy of marine sphingophosphonolipids by studying the effect of dietary CAEP on the improvement of the skin barrier function in hairless mice fed a diet that induces severely dry-skin condition. The disrupted skin barrier functions such as an increase in the transepidermal water loss (TEWL), a decrease in the skin hydration index, and epidermal hyperplasia were restored by CEAP dietary supplementation. Correspondingly, dietary CAEP significantly increased the content of covalently bound ω-hydroxyceramide, and the expression of its biosynthesis-related genes in the skin. These effects of dietary CAEP mimic those of dietary plant glucosylceramide. The novel observations from this study show an enhancement in the skin barrier function by dietary CAEP and the effects could be contributed by the upregulation of covalently bound ω-hydroxyceramide synthesis in the skin.
Early overnutrition sensitizes the growth hormone axis to the impact of diet-induced obesity via sex-divergent mechanisms
Authors: Sanchez-Garrido M. A. , Ruiz-Pino F. , Pozo-Salas A. I. , Castellano J. M. , Vazquez M. J. , Luque R. M. , Tena-Sempere M.
Published: August 2020

In addition to its essential role in the physiological control of longitudinal growth, growth-hormone (GH) is endowed with relevant metabolic functions, including anabolic actions in muscle, lipolysis in adipose-tissue and glycemic modulation. Adult obesity is known to negatively impact GH-axis, thereby promoting a vicious circle that may contribute to the exacerbation of the metabolic complications of overweight. Yet, to what extent early-overnutrition sensitizes the somatotropic-axis to the deleterious effects of obesity remains largely unexplored. Using a rat-model of sequential exposure to obesogenic insults, namely postnatal-overfeeding during lactation and high-fat diet (HFD) after weaning, we evaluated in both sexes the individual and combined impact of these nutritional challenges upon key elements of the somatotropic-axis. While feeding HFD per se had a modest impact on the adult GH-axis, early overnutrition had durable effects on key elements of the somatotropic-system, which were sexually different, with a significant inhibition of pituitary gene expression of GH-releasing hormone-receptor (GHRH-R) and somatostatin receptor-5 (SST5) in males, but an increase in pituitary GHRH-R, SST2, SST5, GH secretagogue-receptor (GHS-R) and ghrelin expression in females. Notably, early-overnutrition sensitized the GH-axis to the deleterious impact of HFD, with a significant suppression of pituitary GH expression in both sexes and lowering of circulating GH levels in females. Yet, despite their similar metabolic perturbations, males and females displayed rather distinct alterations of key somatotropic-regulators/ mediators. Our data document a synergistic effect of postnatal-overnutrition on the detrimental impact of HFD-induced obesity on key elements of the adult GH-axis, which is conducted via mechanisms that are sexually-divergent.
Progressive patterns of neurological disability in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders
Authors: Akaishi Tetsuya , Takahashi Toshiyuki , Misu Tatsuro , Abe Michiaki , Ishii Tadashi , Fujimori Juichi , Aoki Masashi , Fujihara Kazuo , Nakashima Ichiro
Published: August 2020

The progressive patterns of neurological disability in multiple sclerosis (MS) and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMOSD) and the significance of clinical relapses to the progressions of neurological disability in these diseases have not been fully elucidated. In this study, to elucidate the impact of relapses to the progression of accumulated neurological disability and to identify the factors to affect the progression of neurological disability in MS and NMOSD, we followed 62 consecutive MS patients and 33 consecutive NMOSD patients for more than 5 years with the clinical symptoms, relapse occurrence, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) in the chronic phase. All enrolled MS patients were confirmed to be negative for serum anti-myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein antibody. As a result, patients with NMOSD showed significantly severer neurological disability at 5 years from onset than MS patients. Progression in EDSS score was almost exclusively seen after clinical attacks in NMOSD, whereas progression could be observed apart from relapses in MS. Neurological disability did not change without attacks in NMOSD, whereas it sometimes spontaneously improved or deteriorated apart from relapses in MS (p < 0.001). In patients with MS, those with responsible lesions primarily in spinal cord were more likely to show such spontaneous improvement. In conclusion, clinical deterioration in NMOSD patients is irreversible and almost exclusively takes place at the timing of clinical attacks with stepwise accumulation of neurological disability. Meanwhile, changes in EDSS score can be seen apart from relapses in MS patients. Neurological disability in MS patients is partly reversible, and the patients with disease modifying drugs sometimes present spontaneous improvement of the neurological disability.
Case study on the use of image analysis for the simple and inexpensive colorimetric detection of Fe(iii) in water
Authors: Bhagat Bhooma , Jadeja Vrajrajsinh , Sharma Paawan , Joshi Kuldeep , Mukherjee Kalisadhan
Published: August 2020

Visual, spectroscopic and image analysis to analyse the color change due to the complex formation between Fe(iii) and glycine.
A highly selective green supported liquid membrane by using a hydrophobic deep eutectic solvent for carrier-less transport of silver ions
Authors: Shahrezaei Fatemeh , Shamsipur Mojtaba , Gholivand Mohammad Bagher , Zohrabi Parvin , Babajani Nasrin , Abri Abdolreza , Zonouz Adeleh Moshtaghi , Shekaari Hemayat
Published: August 2020

A new supported liquid membrane (SLM) was designed by using a suitable deep eutectic solvent (DES) as the hydrophobic liquid membrane phase for the selective and facilitated carrier-less transport of Ag+ ions.
Ionic hydrogen bond effects on polyelectrolyte brushes beyond the hydronium and hydroxide ions
Authors: Zhang Jian , Xu Siyuan , Jin Hengguo , Liu Guangming
Published: August 2020

The properties of polyelectrolyte brushes can be controlled by hydrogen bonding between the bound counterions and the grafted chains.
RuO2−x decorated CoSnO3 nanoboxes as a high performance cathode catalyst for Li–CO2 batteries
Authors: Yue Guanghui , Luo Xianrui , Hu Zhenyu , Xu Wanjie , Li Jintang , Liu Jinzhang , Cao Ruiguo
Published: August 2020

CoSnO3/RuO2−x nanocomposites were employed as efficient air cathodes for Li–CO2 batteries can lower the overpotential remarkably, showing a performance of 140 cycles with a limiting capacity of 600 mA h g−1 at 100 mA g−1.
Hydrothermal growth of facet-tunable fluoride perovskite crystals KMF3(M = Mg, Mn, Co, Ni and Zn)
Authors: Yuan Long , Ge Lei , Sun Xiaoli , Zhang Jiaqi , Yu Jie , Zhang Chenyang , Li Haibo
Published: August 2020

A family of perovskite structure fluoride (KMF3, M = Mg, Mn, Co, Ni, and Zn) single crystals has been grown with tuneable exposed facetsvialigand substitution strategy in mild hydrothermal condition.
2-Propionylthiophene: planar, or not planar, that is the question
Authors: Dindić Christina , Stahl Wolfgang , Nguyen Ha Vinh Lam
Published: August 2020

Non-planarity of 2-propionylthiophene proven by the microwave spectroscopy – quantum chemistry duet.
Plasma-chemical promotion of catalysis for CH4dry reforming: unveiling plasma-enabled reaction mechanisms
Authors: Sheng Zunrong , Kim Hyun-Ha , Yao Shuiliang , Nozaki Tomohiro
Published: August 2020

Abundant carbonate species are generated over lanthanum by vibrationally excited CO2, which increase adsorbed oxygen species fixation for surface reaction.
Assessing counterion effects in gold-catalyzed domino spirocyclization: an industrial perspective on hydrogen bonding
Authors: Li Yunhe , Zhao Xiang
Published: August 2020

Different roles of some hydrogen bonding in gold-catalyzed ipso-cyclization to diverse polyheterocyclic frameworks are exposed. The correlation between hydrogen bonding parameters and chemoselectivity is determined.
Mechanistic insight into the azo radical-promoted dehydrogenation of heteroarene towards N-heterocycles
Authors: Bains Amreen K. , Adhikari Debashis
Published: August 2020

A mechanistic analysis reflecting the desaturation of heteroarene towards the efficient synthesis of pyrimidine and triazine under mild conditions.
Bimetallic Fe–Cu/beta zeolite catalysts for direct hydroxylation of benzene to phenol: effect of the sequence of ion exchange for Fe and Cu cations
Authors: Xiao Peipei , Osuga Ryota , Wang Yong , Kondo Junko N. , Yokoi Toshiyuki
Published: August 2020

Recently, bimetallic cation-exchanged zeolite catalysts have received much attention.
Designing and controlling the morphology of spherical molecularly imprinted polymers
Authors: Lu Hongzhi , Tian Hao , Wang Changzheng , Xu Shoufang
Published: August 2020

Particular attention was paid to the preparation methods, morphology control and application of MIPs in sample pretreatment and proposed fluorescent sensors.
Scaffold diversity for enhanced activity of glycosylated inhibitors of fungal adhesion
Authors: Martin Harlei , Somers Tara , Dwyer Mathew , Robson Ryan , Pfeffer Frederick M. , Bjornsson Ragnar , Krämer Tobias , Kavanagh Kevin , Velasco-Torrijos Trinidad
Published: August 2020

Norbornene scaffolds are suitable replacements of aromatic cores in glycosylated inhibitors of adhesion of fungal pathogen Candida albicans to epithelial cells.
Effects of gas-phase and wet-chemical surface treatments on substrates induced vertical, valley–hill & micro-granular growth morphologies of close space sublimated CdTe films
Authors: Ramanathan Kulandai Velu , Shankar Balakrishnan , Nair Shantikumar V. , Shanmugam Mariyappan
Published: August 2020

Substrates induced growth morphologies in CdTe. These were further treated by wet-chemical and gas-phase methods which effectively changed structure, optical properties and charge transport kinetics.
Greener synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles using a copper(i)-exchanged magnetically recoverable β-zeolite as catalyst
Authors: Costa Elizama R. , Andrade Floyd C. D. , de Albuquerque Danilo Yano , Ferreira Luanne E. M. , Lima Thiago M. , Lima Carolina G. S. , Silva Domingos S. A. , Urquieta-González Ernesto A. , Paixão Márcio W. , Schwab Ricardo S.
Published: August 2020

A novel magnetically recoverable Cu(i)-exchanged β-zeolite catalyst was prepared, characterized and applied for the synthesis of 1,2,3-triazoles via the one-pot three-component reaction.
On the planarity of the cyclobutane ring in the crystal of dimethyl 2,4-bis(3,4-dimethoxyphenyl)cyclobutane-1,3-dicarboxylate: a natural bond orbital and Hirshfeld surface analysis study
Authors: Shabir Ghulam , Saeed Aamer , Qasim Muhammad , Bolte Michael , Hökelek Tuncer , Erben Mauricio Federico
Published: August 2020

The α-form of this 1,3-di-(substituted)-2,4-bis-(substituted)-cyclobutane derivative displays a planar ring in the gas phase and solution. The intermolecular interactions in the crystal have been determined.
Iridium-catalysed C–H borylation of β-aryl-aminopropionic acids
Authors: Robinson Henry , Stillibrand Joe , Simelis Klemensas , Macdonald Simon J. F. , Nortcliffe Andrew
Published: August 2020

Iridium-catalysed C–H borylation of β-aryl-aminopropionic acid derivatives gives 3,5-functionalised protected β-aryl-aminopropionic acid boronates. One-pot borylation–functionalisation provides diverse building blocks for medicinal chemistry.