bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The naturally occurring radioactivity of ‘scalar energy’ pendants and concomitant radiation risk
Authors: Hassan Halmat Jalal , Hashim Suhairul , Mohd Sanusi Mohamad Syazwan , Jamal Mohamad Hidayat , Hassan Sitti Asmah , Bradley David Andrew , García-Tenorio Rafael , Tahar Rozman Mohd
Published: June 2021

Forming part of a study of radiological risk arising from use of radioactive consumer products, investigation is made of pendants containing naturally occurring radioactive material. Based on use of gamma-ray spectrometry and Monte Carlo (MC) simulations, the study investigates commercially available ‘scalar energy pendants’. The doses from these have been simulated using MIRD5 mathematical phantoms, evaluation being made of dose conversion factors (DCFs) and organ dose. Metallic pendants code MP15 were found to contain the greatest activity, at 7043 ± 471 Bq from 232Th, while glass pendants code GP11 were presented the greatest 238U and 40K activity, at 1001 ± 172 and 687 ± 130 Bq respectively. MP15 pendants offered the greatest percentage concentrations of Th, Ce, U and Zr, with means of 25.6 ± 0.06, 5.6 ± 0.005, 1.03 ± 0.04 and 28.5 ± 0.08 respectively, giving rise to an effective dose of 2.8 mSv for a nominal wearing period of 2000 h. Accordingly, these products can give rise to annual doses in excess of the public limit of 1 mSv.
Screening and verification of extranuclear genetic markers in green tide algae from the Yellow Sea
Authors: Cai Chuner , Gu Kai , Zhao Hui , Steinhagen Sophie , He Peimin , Wichard Thomas
Published: June 2021

Over the past decade, Ulva compressa, a cosmopolitan green algal species, has been identified as a component of green tides in the Yellow Sea, China. In the present study, we sequenced and annotated the complete chloroplast genome of U. compressa (alpha-numeric code: RD9023) and focused on the assessment of genome length, homology, gene order and direction, intron size, selection strength, and substitution rate. We compared the chloroplast genome with the mitogenome. The generated phylogenetic tree was analyzed based on single and aligned genes in the chloroplast genome of Ulva compared to mitogenome genes to detect evolutionary trends. U. compressa and U. mutabilis chloroplast genomes had similar gene queues, with individual genes exhibiting high homology levels. Chloroplast genomes were clustered together in the entire phylogenetic tree and shared several forward/palindromic/tandem repetitions, similar to those in U. prolifera and U. linza. However, U. fasciata and U. ohnoi were more divergent, especially in sharing complementary/palindromic repetitions. In addition, phylogenetic analyses of the aligned genes from their chloroplast genomes and mitogenomes confirmed the evolutionary trends of the extranuclear genomes. From phylogenetic analysis, we identified the petA chloroplast genes as potential genetic markers that are similar to the tufA marker. Complementary/forward/palindromic interval repetitions were more abundant in chloroplast genomes than in mitogenomes. Interestingly, a few tandem repetitions were significant for some Ulva subspecies and relatively more evident in mitochondria than in chloroplasts. Finally, the tandem repetition [GAAATATATAATAATA × 3, abbreviated as TRg)] was identified in the mitogenome of U. compressa and the conspecific strain U. mutabilis but not in other algal species of the Yellow Sea. Owing to the high morphological plasticity of U. compressa, the findings of this study have implications for the rapid non-sequencing detection of this species during the occurrence of green tides in the region.
English colour terms carry gender and valence biases: A corpus study using word embeddings
Authors: Jonauskaite Domicele , Sutton Adam , Cristianini Nello , Mohr Christine
Published: June 2021

In Western societies, the stereotype prevails that pink is for girls and blue is for boys. A third possible gendered colour is red. While liked by women, it represents power, stereotypically a masculine characteristic. Empirical studies confirmed such gendered connotations when testing colour-emotion associations or colour preferences in males and females. Furthermore, empirical studies demonstrated that pink is a positive colour, blue is mainly a positive colour, and red is both a positive and a negative colour. Here, we assessed if the same valence and gender connotations appear in widely available written texts (Wikipedia and newswire articles). Using a word embedding method (GloVe), we extracted gender and valence biases for blue, pink, and red, as well as for the remaining basic colour terms from a large English-language corpus containing six billion words. We found and confirmed that pink was biased towards femininity and positivity, and blue was biased towards positivity. We found no strong gender bias for blue, and no strong gender or valence biases for red. For the remaining colour terms, we only found that green, white, and brown were positively biased. Our finding on pink shows that writers of widely available English texts use this colour term to convey femininity. This gendered communication reinforces the notion that results from research studies find their analogue in real word phenomena. Other findings were either consistent or inconsistent with results from research studies. We argue that widely available written texts have biases on their own, because they have been filtered according to context, time, and what is appropriate to be reported.
Not far enough: Public health policies to combat COVID-19 in Mexico’s states
Authors: Knaul Felicia , Arreola-Ornelas Héctor , Porteny Thalia , Touchton Michael , Sánchez-Talanquer Mariano , Méndez Óscar , Chertorivski Salomón , Ortega Sonia , Chudnovsky Mariana , Kuri Pablo ,   the group from the Observatory for the Containment of COVID-19 in the Americas
Published: June 2021

Background

Mexican state governments’ actions are essential to control the COVID-19 pandemic within the country. However, the type, rigor and pace of implementation of public policies have varied considerably between states. Little is known about the subnational (state) variation policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Mexico.

Material and methods

We collected daily information on public policies designed to inform the public, as well as to promote distancing, and mask use. The policies analyzed were: School Closure, Workplace Closure, Cancellation of Public Events, Restrictions on Gatherings, Stay at Home Order, Public Transit Suspensions, Information Campaigns, Internal Travel Controls, International Travel Controls, Use of Face Masks We use these data to create a composite index to evaluate the adoption of these policies in the 32 states. We then assess the timeliness and rigor of the policies across the country, from the date of the first case, February 27, 2020.

Results

The national average in the index during the 143 days of the pandemic was 41.1 out of a possible 100 points on our index. Nuevo León achieved the highest performance (50.4); San Luis Potosí the lowest (34.1). The differential between the highest versus the lowest performance was 47.4%.

Conclusions

The study identifies variability and heterogeneity in how and when Mexican states implemented policies to contain COVID-19. We demonstrate the absence of a uniform national response and widely varying stringency of state responses. We also show how these responses are not based on testing and do not reflect the local burden of disease. National health system stewardship and a coordinated, timely, rigorous response to the pandemic did not occur in Mexico but is desirable to contain COVID-19.
Structure elucidation and docking analysis of 5M mutant of T1 lipase Geobacillus zalihae
Authors: Ishak Siti Nor Hasmah , Kamarudin Nor Hafizah Ahmad , Ali Mohd Shukuri Mohamad , Leow Adam Thean Chor , Shariff Fairolniza Mohd , Rahman Raja Noor Zaliha Raja Abd
Published: June 2021

5M mutant lipase was derived through cumulative mutagenesis of amino acid residues (D43E/T118N/E226D/E250L/N304E) of T1 lipase from Geobacillus zalihae. A previous study revealed that cumulative mutations in 5M mutant lipase resulted in decreased thermostability compared to wild-type T1 lipase. Multiple amino acids substitution might cause structural destabilization due to negative cooperation. Hence, the three-dimensional structure of 5M mutant lipase was elucidated to determine the evolution in structural elements caused by amino acids substitution. A suitable crystal for X-ray diffraction was obtained from an optimized formulation containing 0.5 M sodium cacodylate trihydrate, 0.4 M sodium citrate tribasic pH 6.4 and 0.2 M sodium chloride with 2.5 mg/mL protein concentration. The three-dimensional structure of 5M mutant lipase was solved at 2.64 Å with two molecules per asymmetric unit. The detailed analysis of the structure revealed that there was a decrease in the number of molecular interactions, including hydrogen bonds and ion interactions, which are important in maintaining the stability of lipase. This study facilitates understanding of and highlights the importance of hydrogen bonds and ion interactions towards protein stability. Substrate specificity and docking analysis on the open structure of 5M mutant lipase revealed changes in substrate preference. The molecular dynamics simulation of 5M-substrates complexes validated the substrate preference of 5M lipase towards long-chain p-nitrophenyl–esters.
A novel approach to evaluate the effects of artificial bone focal lesion on the three-dimensional strain distributions within the vertebral body
Authors: Palanca Marco , De Donno Giulia , Dall’Ara Enrico
Published: June 2021

The spine is the first site for incidence of bone metastasis. Thus, the vertebrae have a high potential risk of being weakened by metastatic tissues. The evaluation of strength of the bone affected by the presence of metastases is fundamental to assess the fracture risk. This work proposes a robust method to evaluate the variations of strain distributions due to artificial lesions within the vertebral body, based on in situ mechanical testing and digital volume correlation. Five porcine vertebrae were tested in compression up to 6500N inside a micro computed tomography scanner. For each specimen, images were acquired before and after the application of the load, before and after the introduction of the artificial lesions. Principal strains were computed within the bone by means of digital volume correlation (DVC). All intact specimens showed a consistent strain distribution, with peak minimum principal strain in the range -1.8% to -0.7% in the middle of the vertebra, demonstrating the robustness of the method. Similar distributions of strains were found for the intact vertebrae in the different regions. The artificial lesion generally doubled the strain in the middle portion of the specimen, probably due to stress concentrations close to the defect. In conclusion, a robust method to evaluate the redistribution of the strain due to artificial lesions within the vertebral body was developed and will be used in the future to improve current clinical assessment of fracture risk in metastatic spines.
Development and validation of the facial scale (FaceSed) to evaluate sedation in horses
Authors: de Oliveira Alice Rodrigues , Gozalo-Marcilla Miguel , Ringer Simone Katja , Schauvliege Stijn , Fonseca Mariana Werneck , Esteves Trindade Pedro Henrique , Prospero Puoli Filho José Nicolau , Luna Stelio Pacca Loureiro
Published: June 2021

Although facial characteristics are used to estimate horse sedation, there are no studies measuring their reliability and validity. This randomised controlled, prospective, horizontal study aimed to validate a facial sedation scale for horses (FaceSed). Seven horses received detomidine infusion i.v. in low or high doses/rates alone (DL 2.5 μg/kg+6.25 μg/kg/h; DH 5 μg/kg+12.5 μg/kg/h) or combined with methadone (DLM and DHM, 0.2 mg/kg+0.05 mg/kg/h) for 120 min, or acepromazinebolii.v. in low (ACPL 0.02 mg/kg) or high doses (ACPH 0.09 mg/kg). Horses’ faces were photographed at i) baseline, ii) peak, iii) intermediate, and iv) end of sedation. After randomisation of moments and treatments, photos were sent to four evaluators to assess the FaceSed items (ear position, orbital opening, relaxation of the lower and upper lip) twice, within a one-month interval. The intraclass correlation coefficient of intra- and interobserver reliability of FaceSed scores were good to very good (0.74–0.94) and moderate to very good (0.57–0.87), respectively. Criterion validity based on Spearman correlation between the FaceSedversusthe numerical rating scale and head height above the ground were 0.92 and -0.75, respectively. All items and the FaceSed total score showed responsiveness (construct validity). According to the principal component analysis all FaceSed items had load factors >0.50 at the first dimension. The high internal consistency (Cronbach´s α = 0.83) indicated good intercorrelation among items. Item-total Spearman correlation was adequate (rho 0.3–0.73), indicating homogeneity of the scale. All items showed sensitivity (0.82–0.97) to detect sedation, however only orbital opening (0.79) and upper lip relaxation (0.82) were specific to detect absence of sedation. The limitations were that the facial expression was performed using photos, which do not represent the facial movement and the horses were docile, which may have reduced specificity. The FaceSed is a valid and reliable tool to assess tranquilisation and sedation in horses.
Influence of seasonal changes and salinity on spinach phyllosphere bacterial functional assemblage
Authors: Ibekwe Abasiofiok M. , Ors Selda , Ferreira Jorge F. S. , Liu Xuan , Suarez Donald L.
Published: June 2021

The phyllosphere is the aerial part of plants that is exposed to different environmental conditions and is also known to harbor a wide variety of bacteria including both plant and human pathogens. However, studies on phyllosphere bacterial communities have focused on bacterial composition at different stages of plant growth without correlating their functional capabilities to bacterial communities. In this study, we examined the seasonal effects and temporal variabilities driving bacterial community composition and function in spinach phyllosphere due to increasing salinity and season and estimated the functional capacity of bacterial community16S V4 rRNA gene profiles by indirectly inferring the abundance of functional genes based on metagenomics inference tool Piphillin. The experimental design involved three sets of spinach (Spinacia oleraceaL., cv. Racoon) grown with saline water during different seasons. Total bacteria DNA from leaf surfaces were sequenced using MiSeq® Illumina platform. About 66.35% of bacteria detected in the phyllosphere were dominated by four phyla-Proteobacteria,Firmicutes,Bacteroidetes, andActinobacteria. Permutational analysis of variance (PERMANOVA) showed that phyllosphere microbiomes were significantly (P< 0.003) affected by season, but not salinity (P= 0.501). The most abundant inferred functional pathways in leaf samples were the amino acids biosynthesis, ABC transporters, ribosome, aminoacyl-tRNA biosynthesis, two-component system, carbon metabolism, purine metabolism, and pyrimidine metabolism. The photosynthesis antenna proteins pathway was significantly enriched in June leaf samples, when compared to March and May. Several genes related to toxin co-regulated pilus biosynthesis proteins were also significantly enriched in June leaf samples, when compared to March and May leaf samples. Therefore, planting and harvesting times must be considered during leafy green production due to the influence of seasons in growth and proliferation of phyllosphere microbial communities.
Antiproliferative activity of Syzygium coriaceum, an endemic plant of Mauritius, with its UPLC-MS metabolite fingerprint: A mechanistic study
Authors: Rummun Nawraj , Serag Ahmed , Rondeau Philippe , Ramsaha Srishti , Bourdon Emmanuel , Bahorun Theeshan , Farag Mohamed A. , Neergheen Vidushi S.
Published: June 2021

Flowering plants from the Syzygium genus have long been used in different ethnomedicinal systems worldwide and have been under scrutiny for their biological activities. Syzygium coriaceum, an endemic plant of Mauritius has been poorly studied for its potential application against cancer. Herein, Syzygium coriaceum leaf extract has been investigated for its anticancer effect against hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The anticancer activity was assessed using cell proliferation assays, flow cytometry, JC-1 mitochondrial membrane potential assay, and the COMET assay. Un-targeted metabolite profiling via ultra-performance liquid chromatography coupled to high-resolution qTOF-MS (UPLC-MS) and aided by molecular networking was employed to identify the crude extract metabolites. S. coriaceum treatment induced a dose-dependent increase in lactate dehydrogenase leakage into the culture media, peaking up to 47% (p ≤ 0.0001), compared to untreated control. Moreover, at 40 μg/mL, S. coriaceum led to 88.1% (p ≤ 0.0001) drop in mitochondrial membrane potential and 5.7% (p ≤ 0.001) increased in the number of the cell population in G0/G1 phase as well as increased (p < 0.05) the proportion of cells undergoing apoptotic/necrotic cell death. More so, at 10 μg/mL, S. coriaceum induced DNA damage which was 19 folds (p < 0.001) higher than that of untreated control cells. Metabolite profiling indicated the presence of 65 metabolites, out of which 59 were identified. Tannins, flavonoids, nitrogenous compounds, and organic acids were the most predominant classes of compounds detected. Our findings showed that the presence of tannins and flavonoids in S. coriaceum leaf extract could account for the multiple mechanisms of actions underlying the antiproliferative effect against HepG2 cells.
Telling the same story: Fishers and landing data reveal changes in fisheries on the Southeastern Brazilian Coast
Authors: Fogliarini Carine O. , Ferreira Carlos E. L. , Bornholdt Jéssica , Barbosa Moysés. C. , Giglio Vinicius J. , Bender Mariana G.
Published: June 2021

An understanding of the effects of fishing on marine ecosystems relies on information about the conserved state of these environments. Non-conventional approaches such as the use of historical data and local ecological knowledge can provide information and help adjust our references of changes in the environment. Also, the combination of different types of data can indicate a fisheries trend that would be undetectable when evaluated separately. Here we investigated changes in fisher’s perceptions regarding overexploited and new target species in artisanal fisheries in a secular fishing village of the subtropical, southeastern Brazilian coast. We identified temporal changes in landings and in the mean trophic level (MTL) of high trophic level species (≥ 3.5 and >4) over 16 years. Fishers’ knowledge revealed shifts in perception associated with years of fishing practice. More experienced fishers recognized a greater number of overexploited and new target species than fishers in the beginning of their careers. Landing data has revealed declining trends of 72% for five mesopredators species. Due to the overfishing of mesopredators, there was a shift in target species, towards fish that were previously discarded. Temporal changes in landings and in the MTL metric are concordant with previous reports on the overexploitation of species caught by local fishers. Our work reveals that multiple sources of information can be combined to establish historical baselines and improve the detection of change in marine ecosystems.
The role of endoplasmic reticulum in in vivo cancer FDG kinetics
Authors: Sommariva Sara , Scussolini Mara , Cossu Vanessa , Marini Cecilia , Sambuceti Gianmario , Caviglia Giacomo , Piana Michele
Published: June 2021

A recent result obtained by means of an in vitro experiment with cancer cultured cells has configured the endoplasmic reticulum as the preferential site for the accumulation of 2-deoxy-2-[18F]fluoro-D-glucose (FDG). Such a result is coherent with cell biochemistry and is made more significant by the fact that the reticular accumulation rate of FDG is dependent upon extracellular glucose availability. The objective of the present paper is to confirm in vivo the result obtained in vitro concerning the crucial role played by the endoplasmic reticulum in FDG cancer metabolism. This study utilizes data acquired by means of a Positron Emission Tomography scanner for small animals in the case of CT26 models of cancer tissues. The recorded concentration images are interpreted within the framework of a three-compartment model for FDG kinetics, which explicitly assumes that the endoplasmic reticulum is the dephosphorylation site for FDG in cancer cells. The numerical reduction of the compartmental model is performed by means of a regularized Gauss-Newton algorithm for numerical optimization. This analysis shows that the proposed three-compartment model equals the performance of a standard Sokoloff’s two-compartment system in fitting the data. However, it provides estimates of some of the parameters, such as the phosphorylation rate of FDG, more consistent with prior biochemical information. These results are made more solid from a computational viewpoint by proving the identifiability and by performing a sensitivity analysis of the proposed compartment model.
Predicting direct and indirect non-target impacts of biocontrol agents using machine-learning approaches
Authors: Kotula Hannah J. , Peralta Guadalupe , Frost Carol M. , Todd Jacqui H. , Tylianakis Jason M.
Published: June 2021

Biological pest control (i.e. ‘biocontrol’) agents can have direct and indirect non-target impacts, and predicting these effects (especially indirect impacts) remains a central challenge in biocontrol risk assessment. The analysis of ecological networks offers a promising approach to understanding the community-wide impacts of biocontrol agents (via direct and indirect interactions). Independently, species traits and phylogenies have been shown to successfully predict species interactions and network structure (alleviating the need to collect quantitative interaction data), but whether these approaches can be combined to predict indirect impacts of natural enemies remains untested. Whether predictions of interactions (i.e. direct effects) can be made equally well for generalists vs. specialists, abundant vs. less abundant species, and across different habitat types is also untested for consumer-prey interactions. Here, we used two machine-learning techniques (random forest and k-nearest neighbour; KNN) to test whether we could accurately predict empirically-observed quantitative host-parasitoid networks using trait and phylogenetic information. Then, we tested whether the accuracy of machine-learning-predicted interactions depended on the generality or abundance of the interacting partners, or on the source (habitat type) of the training data. Finally, we used these predicted networks to generate predictions of indirect effects via shared natural enemies (i.e. apparent competition), and tested these predictions against empirically observed indirect effects between hosts. We found that random-forest models predicted host-parasitoid pairwise interactions (which could be used to predict attack of non-target host species) more successfully than KNN. This predictive ability depended on the generality of the interacting partners for KNN models, and depended on species’ abundances for both random-forest and KNN models, but did not depend on the source (habitat type) of data used to train the models. Further, although our machine-learning informed methods could significantly predict indirect effects, the explanatory power of our machine-learning models for indirect interactions was reasonably low. Combining machine-learning and network approaches provides a starting point for reducing risk in biocontrol introductions, and could be applied more generally to predicting species interactions such as impacts of invasive species.
Producing molecular biology reagents without purification
Authors: Bhadra Sanchita , Nguyen Vylan , Torres Jose-Angel , Kar Shaunak , Fadanka Stéphane , Gandini Chiara , Akligoh Harry , Paik Inyup , Maranhao Andre C. , Molloy Jenny , Ellington Andrew D.
Published: June 2021

We recently developed ‘cellular’ reagents–lyophilized bacteria overexpressing proteins of interest–that can replace commercial pure enzymes in typical diagnostic and molecular biology reactions. To make cellular reagent technology widely accessible and amenable to local production with minimal instrumentation, we now report a significantly simplified method for preparing cellular reagents that requires only a common bacterial incubator to grow and subsequently dry enzyme-expressing bacteria at 37°C with the aid of inexpensive chemical desiccants. We demonstrate application of such dried cellular reagents in common molecular and synthetic biology processes, such as PCR, qPCR, reverse transcription, isothermal amplification, and Golden Gate DNA assembly, in building easy-to-use testing kits, and in rapid reagent production for meeting extraordinary diagnostic demands such as those being faced in the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Furthermore, we demonstrate feasibility of local production by successfully implementing this minimized procedure and preparing cellular reagents in several countries, including the United Kingdom, Cameroon, and Ghana. Our results demonstrate possibilities for readily scalable local and distributed reagent production, and further instantiate the opportunities available via synthetic biology in general.
Can Acropora tenuis larvae attract native Symbiodiniaceae cells by green fluorescence at the initial establishment of symbiosis?
Authors: Yamashita Hiroshi , Koike Kazuhiko , Shinzato Chuya , Jimbo Mitsuru , Suzuki Go
Published: June 2021

Most corals acquire symbiodiniacean symbionts from the surrounding environment to initiate symbiosis. The cell densities of Symbiodiniaceae in the environment are usually low, and mechanisms may exist by which new coral generations attract suitable endosymbionts. Phototaxis of suitable symbiodiniacean cells toward green fluorescence in corals has been proposed as one such mechanism. In the present study, we observed the phototaxis action wavelength of various strains of Symbiodiniaceae and the fluorescence spectra of aposymbiotic Acropora tenuis larvae at the time of endosymbiont uptake. The phototaxis patterns varied among the Symbiodiniaceae species and “native” endosymbionts—commonly found in Acropora juveniles present in natural environments; that is, Symbiodinium microadriaticum was attracted to blue light rather than to green light. Another native endosymbiont, Durusdinium trenchii, showed no phototaxis specific to any wavelength. Although the larvae exhibited green and broad orange fluorescence under blue-violet excitation light, the maximum green fluorescence peak did not coincide with that of the phototaxis action spectrum of S. microadriaticum. Rather, around the peak wavelength of larval green fluorescence, this native endosymbiont showed slightly negative phototaxis, suggesting that the green fluorescence of A. tenuis larvae may not play a role in the initial attraction of native endosymbionts. Conversely, broad blue larval fluorescence under UV-A excitation covered the maximum phototaxis action wavelength of S. microadriaticum. We also conducted infection tests using native endosymbionts and aposymbiotic larvae under red LED light that does not excite visible larval fluorescence. Almost all larvae failed to acquire S. microadriaticum cells, whereas D. trenchii cells were acquired by larvae even under red illumination. Thus, attraction mechanisms other than visible fluorescence might exist, at least in the case of D. trenchii. Our results suggest that further investigation and discussion, not limited to green fluorescence, would be required to elucidate the initial attraction mechanisms.
Effect of NAD+ boosting on kidney ischemia-reperfusion injury
Authors: Morevati Marya , Egstrand Søren , Nordholm Anders , Mace Maria L. , Andersen Claus B. , Salmani Rouzbeh , Olgaard Klaus , Lewin Ewa
Published: June 2021

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is associated with a very high mortality and an increased risk for progression to chronic kidney disease (CKD). Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a model for AKI, which results in tubular damage, dysfunction of the mitochondria and autophagy, and in decreased cellular nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+) with progressing fibrosis resulting in CKD. NAD+ is a co-enzyme for several proteins, including the NAD+ dependent sirtuins. NAD+ augmentation, e.g. by use of its precursor nicotinamide riboside (NR), improves mitochondrial homeostasis and organismal metabolism in many species. In the present investigation the effects of prophylactic administration of NR on IRI-induced AKI were studied in the rat. Bilateral IRI reduced kidney tissue NAD+, caused tubular damage, reduced α-Klotho (klotho), and altered autophagy flux. AKI initiated progression to CKD, as shown by induced profibrotic Periostin (postn) and Inhibin subunit beta-A, (activin A / Inhba), both 24 hours and 14 days after surgery. NR restored tissue NAD+ to that of the sham group, increased autophagy (reduced p62) and sirtuin1 (Sirt1) but did not ameliorate renal tubular damage and profibrotic genes in the 24 hours and 14 days IRI models. AKI induced NAD+ depletion and impaired autophagy, while augmentation of NAD+ by NR restored tissue NAD+ and increased autophagy, possibly serving as a protective response. However, prophylactic administration of NR did not ameliorate tubular damage of the IRI rats nor rescued the initiation of fibrosis in the long-term AKI to CKD model, which is a pivotal event in CKD pathogenesis.
Division of labor of Y-family polymerases in translesion-DNA synthesis for distinct types of DNA damage
Authors: Inomata Yuriko , Abe Takuya , Tsuda Masataka , Takeda Shunichi , Hirota Kouji
Published: June 2021

Living organisms are continuously under threat from a vast array of DNA-damaging agents, which impact genome DNA. DNA replication machinery stalls at damaged template DNA. The stalled replication fork is restarted via bypass replication by translesion DNA-synthesis polymerases, including the Y-family polymerases Polη, Polι, and Polκ, which possess the ability to incorporate nucleotides opposite the damaged template. To investigate the division of labor among these polymerasesin vivo, we generatedPOLη−/−,POLι−/−,POLκ−/−, double knockout (KO), and triple knockout (TKO) mutants in all combinations from human TK6 cells. TKO cells exhibited a hypersensitivity to ultraviolet (UV), cisplatin (CDDP), and methyl methanesulfonate (MMS), confirming the pivotal role played by these polymerases in bypass replication of damaged template DNA.POLη−/−cells, but notPOLι−/−orPOLκ−/−cells, showed a strong sensitivity to UV and CDDP, while TKO cells showed a slightly higher sensitivity to UV and CDDP than didPOLη−/−cells. On the other hand, TKO cells, but not all single KO cells, exhibited a significantly higher sensitivity to MMS than didwild-typecells. Consistently, DNA-fiber assay revealed that Polη plays a crucial role in bypassing lesions caused by UV-mimetic agent 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide and CDDP, while all three polymerases play complementary roles in bypassing MMS-induced damage. Our findings indicate that the three Y-family polymerases play distinctly different roles in bypass replication, according to the type of DNA damage generated on the template strand.
Expanded transcriptomic view of strawberry fruit ripening through meta-analysis
Authors: Yi Gibum , Shin Hosub , Min Kyeonglim , Lee Eun Jin
Published: June 2021

Strawberry is an important fruit crop and a model for studying non-climacteric fruit ripening. Fruit ripening and senescence influence strawberry fruit quality and postharvest storability, and have been intensively studied. However, genetic and physiological differences among cultivars preclude consensus understanding of these processes. We therefore performed a meta-analysis by mapping existing transcriptome data to the newly published and improved strawberry reference genome and extracted meta-differentially expressed genes (meta-DEGs) from six cultivars to provide an expanded transcriptomic view of strawberry ripening. We identified cultivar-specific transcriptome changes in anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes and common changes in cell wall degradation, chlorophyll degradation, and starch metabolism-related genes during ripening. We also identified 483 meta-DEGs enriched in gene ontology categories related to photosynthesis and amino acid and fatty acid biosynthesis that had not been revealed in previous studies. We conclude that meta-analysis of existing transcriptome studies can effectively address fundamental questions in plant sciences.
Extensive C->U transition biases in the genomes of a wide range of mammalian RNA viruses; potential associations with transcriptional mutations, damage- or host-mediated editing of viral RNA
Authors: Simmonds Peter , Ansari M. Azim
Published: June 2021

The rapid evolution of RNA viruses has been long considered to result from a combination of high copying error frequencies during RNA replication, short generation times and the consequent extensive fixation of neutral or adaptive changes over short periods. While both the identities and sites of mutations are typically modelled as being random, recent investigations of sequence diversity of SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) have identified a preponderance of C->U transitions, proposed to be driven by an APOBEC-like RNA editing process. The current study investigated whether this phenomenon could be observed in datasets of other RNA viruses. Using a 5% divergence filter to infer directionality, 18 from 36 datasets of aligned coding region sequences from a diverse range of mammalian RNA viruses (including Picornaviridae, Flaviviridae, Matonaviridae, Caliciviridae and Coronaviridae) showed a >2-fold base composition normalised excess of C->U transitions compared to U->C (range 2.1x–7.5x), with a consistently observed favoured 5’ U upstream context. The presence of genome scale RNA secondary structure (GORS) was the only other genomic or structural parameter significantly associated with C->U/U->C transition asymmetries by multivariable analysis (ANOVA), potentially reflecting RNA structure dependence of sites targeted for C->U mutations. Using the association index metric, C->U changes were specifically over-represented at phylogenetically uninformative sites, potentially paralleling extensive homoplasy of this transition reported in SARS-CoV-2. Although mechanisms remain to be functionally characterised, excess C->U substitutions accounted for 11–14% of standing sequence variability of structured viruses and may therefore represent a potent driver of their sequence diversification and longer-term evolution.
The critique of anti-communist state violence in Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives
Authors: Chunsaengchan Palita
Published: June 2021

Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s Palme d’Or-awarded Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives (2010) has ostensibly been embraced by both critics and scholars alike as international art cinema and for being constitutive of a canon of world cinema from the vantage of Southeast Asia. This article, however, takes a detour to focus particularly on the film’s engagement with Thai politics and its complex intertwinement with Buddhism during the period of anti-communism. I specifically look at how the film replicates religious beliefs and indigenous practices, such as the structure of kamma and reincarnation as redemption, that were used by the right-wing military government to justify a series of anti-communist pogroms. I argue that by hijacking such religious narratives and translating them into cinematic form, the film manages to eschew the risk of being suppressed by censorship, or, at worst, of reproducing the state-imposed narrative on the appropriation and accomplishment of such violence in the name of the nation. This article aims to shed light on how the film criticizes not only the past – what historically happened – but also the way we come to understand the history of such atrocious event and relate to it as our national history.
Worldly Desires: Cosmopolitanism and Cinema in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Brian Hu (2018)
Authors: Poon Erica Ka-yan
Published: June 2021

Review of: Worldly Desires: Cosmopolitanism and Cinema in Hong Kong and Taiwan, Brian Hu (2018)

Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 264 pp.,

ISBN 978-1-47442-845-3, h/bk, £75.00

ISBN 978-1-47442-846-0, p/bk, £19.99
What is normal
Authors: Holub Barbara
Published: June 2021

The text discusses the role of art engaging in current urban issues, and how critical spatial practice and artistic-urbanistic strategies can contribute as durational involvement (see Paul O’Neill) to direct urbanism – for promoting a more just society by a socially engaged urban planning and development. The two projects 'NORMAL' and 'Harbour for Cultures' presented in this text address questions of what is considered 'normal' in our current society – which is characterized by the unplannable and increasing fears fueled by right wing demagogy. Rather than resigning in helplessness or fear – on the contrary, transparadiso considers this a unique chance to question dominant values of society driven by neo-liberal economics for re-introducing shared values of living together as social beings, for creating new, inclusive communities beyond cultural borders and thus counteracting the increasing isolation based on fear. Both projects exemplify participatory strategies like the 'production of desires' for producing programs beyond the functional, enhancing also poetic moments as non-recognized value in urban planning, and discuss how dialogues (see 'dialogical art', Grant Kester) can be created between conflicting interests. At the same time the projects make use of the 'autonomy of art' as inherent quality of approaching burning issues of society from an angle of the non-functional, the non-efficient – thus counteracting the dominant claims of decision making in our contemporary globalized society.
David Hammons meets Richard Serra downtown
Authors: Iles Anthony
Published: June 2021

This article was originally presented at a seminar organized by Josephine Berry (2020) around the ideas of milieu and geoaesthetics, derived respectively from Michel Foucault (2009) and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1999). In this account of a network of artworks, I will focus on direct reading of a significant conjunction between works by Richard Serra and David Hammons through an understanding of the political economy of New York at an important moment of transition. I develop the understanding of milieu derived from Michel Foucault with Henri Lefebvre’s concepts of the ‘production of space’ (1991) and the ‘reproduction of the relations of production’ (1976), operations by which capitalism survives its crisis of accumulation at a key conjuncture in the 1970s which has direct consequences for the works I discuss. Responding to the initial presentation context for this article, a seminar coordinated by Dr Josephine Berry, geoaesthetics, a concept derived by Berry from ideas of milieu and geoaesthetics, respectively, from Michel Foucault (2009) and Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari (1986) is grasped in the sense of art and aesthetics responding to the earth’s (adopting the same prefix as) geology, geography and geometry (ge) by offering a planetary reading of art or experience of art that is entwined with a consciousness of our planet as a totality, and perhaps galvanized by our increasing awareness of it as a finite resource. Geoaesthetics in this context is thought of as an aesthetics, an attempt to understand the experience of artworks in ways that render accessible the conditions of their making and witnessing in terms that are inseparable from the environments and conditions in which they are made and experienced.
Stop measuring, start understanding! An arts policy and management researcher’s autobiographic account of the urgency of an ethnographic turn in research on the values of art1
Authors: Chiaravalloti Francesco
Published: June 2021

In this article I argue for a shift of focus from measurement to understanding in research on the values of art. Based on my research experience with publicly funded opera companies and inspired by ethnography, I suggest a bottom-up, contextual and patient approach to research on the values of art in society. Bottom-up means that it focuses on the valorization of practice versus theory; contextual means that it focuses on the valorization of the specific contexts versus the generalizability of results; patient means that it focuses on the valorization of the process of understanding versus the urgency to apply. Three of my research projects illustrate how this approach can contribute to finding a voice for all facets, both quantifiable and unquantifiable ones, of the values that arts organizations create for their communities.
The many lives of the messy museum: Site, memory and voice
Authors: van Loenen Clare
Published: June 2021

A number of North American artist project spaces established in 2003 activated alternatives to display and programming practices found in mainstream museums, giving voice to artists who did not fit existing durational, disciplinary and authorial parameters. One such site was Elsewhere in Greensboro, North Carolina, an artist residency and living museum set within a 1930s Depression-era thrift store. Here, an archival approach emerged from the mess of thrift store Americana that considered what an artist project space could be if nothing was sold, altered beyond repair or thrown away. Central to the artist organizing practices that emerged on-site are archival principles that enable empathetic connections to form in relation to object meanings, lost subjectivities and neighbourhood relationships. Elsewhere, as a site, offered a means for hidden voices to be heard and alternative archiving practices to be tested as a form of community memory, with their museological presentation indebted to the implications of mess and its endless reordering. This article builds on the idea of empathy as a capacity to be engendered in museum audiences by seeing it also as a structuring principle to invoke organizational difference at every turn. Such structural empathy became tellingly significant in 2020 as racial justice protests and the COVID-19 pandemic underscored the inequities of American life. For Elsewhere, the principles of practice that enabled them to become a platform for imagining and securing hyper-local change are bound to successive reformulations of both the site since 2003 and the resulting archive.
Tres vías de alivio cómico para el documental: nueva diégesis, nueva ética y nueva tecnología
Authors: Ortiz de Urbina Arandigoien Xabier
Published: June 2021

La historia del cine documental no se caracteriza por su abundancia de momentos humorísticos, sino más bien por todo lo contrario. Sin embargo, desde el resurgimiento del documental en la década de los noventa, algunos cineastas han irrumpido con propuestas que llevan al documental a un nuevo paradigma en el que la comicidad gana terreno. En este artículo se proponen tres vías por las que llegar a este nuevo estado de las cosas, en el que el cine de no-ficción ha superado una serie de constricciones narrativas y formales que lo mantenían alejado de cualquier posibilidad cómica.
Impacto de los influencers en las estrategias promocionales del sector gastronómico de la ciudad de Medellín
Authors: Amaya Henao Sandra Milena , Silva Cortés Germán Augusto , Rincón Quintero Yanyn Aurora
Published: June 2021

Los Influencers gastronómicos se han constituido en figuras que inciden altamente en el reconocimiento e impulso de los negocios en este sector y a su vez permiten a la comunidad conocer la diversidad gastronómica que puede encontrarse en la ciudad de Medellín. Este artículo tiene como objetivo conocer el impacto de los Influencers en las estrategias promocionales del sector gastronómico de la ciudad de Medellín, por medio de una investigación no experimental, transeccional descriptiva y de campo, mediante la técnica de entrevista a Influencers y a Administradores de negocios del sector, así como con la aplicación de una encuesta al público en general, a través de un cuestionario multivariado, de opciones múltiples. Los resultados mostraron que los influencers son la opción predilecta cuando los establecimientos del sector desean promocionar sus productos, ya que logran un mayor alcance en menos tiempo y a menor costo que con otros medios más tradicionales, particularmente desde la red social Instagram; además, de contribuir en gran medida al aumento en los indicadores de cumplimiento en ventas gracias a su intervención.
Le politiche urbanistiche ed edilizie delle città italiane negli statuti dei secoli XII e XIII
Authors: Lattanzio Federico
Published: June 2021

Este artículo analiza las políticas de planificación y urbanización de las ciudades italianas mediante el estudio de los estatutos de los siglos XII y XIII. El texto se enfrenta específicamente a esa temática identificando dos aspectos principales: los gobiernos urbanos como actores y organizadores de la edificación pública y de la planificación urbanística; y los gobiernos urbanos como reguladores de la construcción privada, pero también como promotores de la seguridad y salud públicas. Se realiza un examen de esos dos papeles fundamentales de las autoridades urbanas y se hacen numerosas referencias a las fuentes documentales sobre las que se basa la investigación. Pero también se ofrece una imagen de la historiografía hasta ahora existente sobre la planificación urbana y las políticas constructivas en las ciudades italianas.
Petrificando la riqueza familiar más allá de la frontera. La construcción como elemento de creación de identidad y memoria nobiliaria entre León y Portugal
Authors: Calderon Medina Inés
Published: June 2021

A lo largo de los siglos XI y XIII la nobleza invirtió gran parte de su patrimonio en la construcción de edificios, civiles y eclesiásticos, para crear su identidad y memoria. A través del análisis de los restos arquitectónicos, la documentación diplomática, las Inquirições Gerais de 1258 y las obras genealógicas portuguesas se estudiará cómo la nobleza asentada en el territorio transfronterizo entre Bragança, Chaves y Zamora, Toro, Sanabria y Cabrera financió la construcción de casas, castillos, iglesias y monasterios para crear su identidad, memoria e imagen de su poder.
Identidad y dimensión social de la construcción plenomedieval eclesiástica en Segovia y Sepúlveda entre los siglos XI y XIII: similitudes y divergencias
Authors: Maira Vidal Rocío
Published: June 2021

El estudio de la construcción y los recursos utilizados para llevar a cabo los edificios erigidos entre los siglos XI y XIII resulta especialmente interesante porque permite conocer ciertos aspectos de la sociedad medieval que no pueden analizarse de otro modo. En este artículo se presentan los resultados del estudio comparativo de los edificios eclesiásticos construidos en esta cronología en Segovia y Sepúlveda. Ambas poblaciones, próximas entre sí, presentan semejanzas significativas en la tipología arquitectónica y sus elementos más representativos. Sin embargo existen importantes divergencias en los materiales y técnicas empleados en su construcción, propios del territorio en que se enclavan, pero que también reflejan los cambios sociales y políticos en ambas ciudades a lo largo de este periodo de su historia.