bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“F*** tha police!” à la Russe: Rancière and the Metamodernist Turn in Contemporary Russian Music
Authors: Morozov Viacheslav , Reshetnikov Anatoly , Gaufman Elizaveta
Published: December 2022

The nationwide prominence of Russian oppositional artists has inspired a fair number of studies analyzing the political aspects of their creative output. We argue that the new generation of Russian musicians, whose art became popular in the end of 2010s, brings political engagement to a qualitatively new level. Following Jacques Rancière, we reject the assumption that critical art can bring about political mobilization by exposing social evils. Instead, we juxtapose politics and police, distinguishing between transformative moments of discursive confrontation and the mundane activity centered on distributing places and roles. In this article, we look at three popular Russian musical collectives – IC3PEAK, Shortparis, and Monetochka – whose art disrupts the police order in a novel and subversive manner. Some of their works became even more timely with the outbreak of Russia’s large-scale aggression against Ukraine. We have performed multimodal discourse analysis of their audio and video clips, aimed at identifying the ways in which these artworks create the conditions of possibility for new politics by re-articulating the connection between the political and the universal.
Participer ou s'autodéterminer ? Un état des lieux de la littérature décoloniale autochtone
Authors: Dabin Simon
Published: December 2022

La participation des Autochtones aux institutions démocratiques canadiennes (que ce soit par le vote, le fait de se présenter à une élection ou d’être député ou sénateur) fait l'objet d'un grand débat dans la littérature décoloniale. Certains auteurs considèrent ces actions comme étant incompatibles avec les mouvements d'autodétermination pendant que d'autres les encouragent en considérant que la participation peut bénéficier aux mouvements d'autodétermination. Par un état des lieux de la littérature décoloniale sur ce sujet, cet essai critique constate que cette mésentente entre les auteurs concernant la compatibilité ou non de la participation avec les mouvements d'autodétermination vient d'une acception différente des contours que devraient prendre l'autodétermination des nations autochtones et le processus devant y mener. Ainsi, il existe une première catégorie d'auteurs, que nous qualifions de « tenants de l'autodétermination incompatible ». Ces derniers établissent que l’État colonial d’établissement est totalisant ; il est donc impossible de le changer de l'intérieur. En outre, les sociétés allochtones et autochtones ne partagent pas les mêmes systèmes de valeurs et de pensées. Il en résulte que les mouvements d'autodétermination doivent se concentrer exclusivement sur la résurgence des sociétés autochtones en dehors des institutions de l’État colonial d’établissement. En conséquence, la participation ne peut faire partie du répertoire d'actions pouvant mener à cette résurgence. Cela pourrait même l'empêcher. À l'inverse, une autre catégorie d'auteurs que nous qualifions de « tenants de l'autodétermination relationnelle » considère que c'est justement parce que l’État colonial d’établissement est totalisant qu'il faut prendre en compte ses effets sur les sociétés autochtones. Dès lors, les sociétés autochtones et allochtones, bien qu'ayant des systèmes de valeurs différents les unes des autres, ne sont pas incompatibles : elles peuvent s'influencer. Par conséquent, la participation à ses institutions peut être compatible avec les mouvements d'autodétermination dans certaines conditions.
Enabling cumulative learning in user-oriented research for root, tuber and banana crop breeding
Authors: Valle José Francisco , Arnaud Elizabeth , Marimo Pricilla , van Etten Jacob
Published: December 2022

User-oriented research is important in breeding improved genotypes, for developing and validating product concepts (mostly involving trait prioritisation), as well as evaluating breeding products in use situations (mostly involving participatory variety evaluation). This paper examines key aspects that enable cumulative learning in user-oriented research for root, tuber and banana (RTB) crop breeding. We reviewed empirical user-oriented studies on RTB crops published between 1996 and 2020. We examined the ability of user-oriented research to foster cumulative learning by examining four key aspects: spatial and temporal coverage; gender aspects; the range of traits considered and publishing practices as evident in reports and datasets. We conclude that user-oriented studies have received attention in RTB breeding but fall short of enabling cumulative learning. Substantial investments in methodology development and capacity are needed to bring greater coherence to this field and enable cumulative learning about user perspectives to iteratively increase the fit between improved genotypes and user preferences.
The Risks and Benefits of National Stories
Authors: Smith Rogers M.
Published: December 2022

Authoritarian nationalism is on the rise in many countries around the world, threatening liberal democracies. Many on the left rightly fear that any and all celebrations of national identities risk heightening these dangers. It is questionable, however, whether illiberal nationalism can be defeated politically without some reliance on progressive stories of national identity that advance themes of equality, freedom, and inclusion in ways that resonate with many of the traditions in which those whom progressives seek to mobilize have been raised.
Healing Liberal Democracies: The Role of Restorative Constitutionalism
Authors: Dixon Rosalind , Landau David
Published: December 2022

This brief essay contrasts two modes of constitutional change: abusive constitutional projects that seek to erode democracy and restorative constitutional projects that aim to repair eroded democratic constitutional orders. Constitutional democracies are eroded and restored via the same mechanisms: formal processes of constitutional amendment and replacement, legislative amendment, changes to executive policies and practices (or respect for conventions), and processes of judicial decision-making. Under the right conditions, abusive uses of these mechanisms for antidemocratic ends can be reversed by prodemocratic or restorative uses. The more difficult question is what kinds of political discourses are most likely to sustain successful processes of democratic rebuilding. In recent work, we have pointed to the role sometimes played by liberal democratic discourses as purported justifications for processes of abusive constitutional change: we label this the rise of “abusive constitutional borrowing.” Less well understood are the kind of discourses likely to sustain successful democratic healing or rebuilding. Often, the most popular discourse is a restorative one, which focuses on repairing damage caused by authoritarians and returning to a constitutional status quo ante. In this essay, we discuss the advantages and disadvantages of restorative constitutionalism as a response to prior episodes of democratic erosion.
Conflict over Congressional Reapportionment: The Deadlock of the 1920s
Authors: NAPOLIO NICHOLAS G. , JENKINS JEFFERY A.
Published: December 2022

In 1929, Congress passed a law capping the US House of Representatives at 435 seats, delegating the power to reapportion to the Executive Branch, and empowering state legislatures to redistrict with few federal limitations. The 1929 law was a compromise after nearly ten years of squabbling over how to apportion pursuant to the 1920 Census. In this article, we consider the apportionment debates of the 1920s both to better understand the politics of the era and to draw lessons that might apply to a potential reapportionment debate today. Throughout the decade, partisanship and political self-interest structured members’ votes on reapportionment. The legislation that eventually passed resulted from a compromise that greatly empowered state legislatures to redistrict freely by removing federal requirements that had been in effect since the 1870s, effectively shifting the battle over congressional representation from one over reapportionment in Congress to one over redistricting in the states.
Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas as another Iconoclastic Way
Authors: Narbón Xavier
Published: December 2022

There are other forms of iconoclasm besides the destruction of idols. For example, an iconoclast can be considered one who, instead of eliminating a deified image, reveals the trick of a magician. The manipulator distracts attention with the gesture of one hand while the other acts. This action affects everyone when it is driven by political-economic power. Warburg’s Mnemosyne Atlas aims to eliminate magic and reveal the hidden plot that seeks to dominate society. His first panel already announces this: at the top, a map of the zodiac constellations; in the middle, Europe; and below, a genealogical tree of the Medici-Tornabuoni banking family. The Renaissance elites accumulate wealth and influence because it is seemingly dictated by the stars from birth. It is an illusion they display on the roofs of their palaces in the same way that a war is justified by a prophecy. There are some coincidences between Giordano Bruno, Aby Warburg and Vilém Flusser, in their respective ways to explain the dual role of image: both as a weapon of propaganda and as a device to disclose the truth. This article aims to reveal two different types of montages: the persuasive one, controlled by people in power through the ages, which is dismantled by the other, the photographic Warburg Atlas. A mirror broken into fragments, therefore, breaks the mirage: a new iconoclastic way.
Zwischen Anspruch und Wirklichkeit
Authors: Faas Stefan , Kluczniok Katharina
Published: December 2022

Zusammenfassung. Bildungspläne im Elementarbereich sind mittlerweile in allen Bundesländern etabliert. Ihr Anspruch ist es, als Steuerungsinstrument zu wirken und dabei die pädagogische Qualität in der Praxis positiv zu beeinflussen. Ausgehend von der konzeptionellen und inhaltlichen Ausrichtung der Bildungspläne diskutiert der Beitrag am Beispiel Berlins, wie sich die fachwissenschaftlich begründbaren normativen Vorgaben des dortigen Bildungsprogramms zur pädagogischen Wirklichkeit, d.h. zur realisierten Praxis verhalten. Dazu werden Daten von externen Evaluationen (N = 287 Gruppen) ausgewertet. Insgesamt lässt sich eine hohe globale Prozessqualität feststellen. Größerer Entwicklungsbedarf zeigt sich dagegen bei bereichsspezifischen Qualitätsaspekten. Abschließend werden Implikationen für die Weiterentwicklung der Bildungspläne abgeleitet.
Electron Accepting Capacities of a Wide Variety of Peat Materials From Around the Globe Similarly Explain CO2 and CH4 Formation
Authors: Guth Patrick , Gao Chuanyu , Knorr Klaus‐Holger
Published: December 2022

In organic soils, the availability of terminal electron acceptors (TEAs) determines the ratio of CO2 to CH4 formation under anoxic conditions. While the importance of electron accepting capacities (EACs) of organic matter is increasingly acknowledged, redox properties of organic matter have only been investigated in a limited set of peat and reference materials. Therefore, we incubated 60 peat samples from 15 sites covering a variety of both bog and poor to intermediate fen samples and characterized their capacities to serve as TEA for anaerobic CO2 formation. We quantified CO2 and CH4 formation and changes in available EAC in anoxic incubations of 56 days. In our experiment, on average 36.5% of CO2 could be attributed to CH4 formation, assuming an CO2:CH4 ratio for methanogenesis of 1:1. Regarding the remaining CO2 formed, for which a corresponding TEA would be needed, we could on average explain 70.8% by corresponding consumption of EAC from both organic and inorganic TEAs, the latter contributing less than 0.1%. When the initial EAC was high, CO2 formation from the apparent consumption of EAC was high and outweighed CO2 formation from methanogenesis. Rapid depletion of available EAC, especially in reactive peat, resulted in a higher share of CO2 from CH4 formation. Our study demonstrates that EAC provides the most important redox buffer for competitive suppression of methanogenesis in peat soils, particularly under fluctuating water table levels, when EAC is repeatedly regenerated. Moreover, electron budgets including EAC of organic matter could largely explain anaerobic CO2 production.
On the Deep Western Boundary Current Separation and Anticyclone Genesis off Northeast Brazil
Authors: Vilela‐Silva Felipe , Silveira Ilson C. A. , Napolitano Dante C. , Souza‐Neto Pedro W. M. , Biló Tiago C. , Gangopadhyay Avijit
Published: December 2022

The Deep Western Boundary Current (DWBC) is the main component of the deep limb of the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC). Off northeast Brazil, the DWBC breaks up into southwestward‐propagating anticyclones. In this study, we investigate the breakup mechanism with hydrographic observations, eddy‐resolving numerical model outputs, and theory. Here, we present a quasi‐synoptic map of geostrophic velocities and stream function at the DWBC core level between 2.5°S and 11°S. We observe, in horizontal distributions of velocities, that the DWBC breakup site is linked to a topographic feature of the Brazilian continental margin centered at 8°S: the Pernambuco Plateau (PP). Moreover, both observations and model outputs hint at a possible DWBC separation near the PP preceding anticyclone genesis. We test, with three different theories from the literature, whether or not the DWBC separates at 8°S. The results of the tests converge to indicate that the DWBC undergoes a local and intermittent inertial separation while contouring the PP. Downstream of its separation at the plateau, the DWBC sheds eddies similarly to previously reported laboratory experiments. In addition, a regional analysis of energy transfer shows that barotropic instability significantly contributes to the anticyclones growth between 8°S and 13°S. Analysis of the energy budget and separation of waters related to the AMOC pathways into the basin interior provide a better understanding for later studies about heat fluxes and ventilation in the deep tropical South Atlantic.
Intensification of Global Hydrological Droughts Under Anthropogenic Climate Warming
Authors: Gu Lei , Yin Jiabo , Slater Louise J. , Chen Jie , Do Hong Xuan , Wang Hui‐Min , Chen Lu , Jiang Zhiqiang , Zhao Tongtiegang
Published: December 2022

Anthropogenic climate warming is expected to accelerate the hydrological cycle with significant consequences for hydrological droughts. However, a systematic understanding of climate warming impacts on the global hydrological droughts and their driving mechanisms is still lacking. Here, we integrate bias‐corrected climate experiments, multiple hydrological models (HYs), and a multivariate analysis of variance (ANOVA) with a machine learning modeling framework, to examine the evolving frequency and multivariate characteristics of hydrological droughts and their mechanisms under climate warming for 6,688 catchments in the five principal Köppen‐Geiger climate zones. Results show that the total frequency of hydrological droughts is likely to stay unchanged while extreme hydrological droughts (e.g., events with a 30 yr joint return period, JRP) are projected to occur more frequently across the 21st century. The historical 30 yr JRP events assessed during the historical baseline period of 1985–2014 could become twice as frequent over ∼60% of global catchments by 2071–2100 under the middle and high emission scenarios (ESs). Climate uncertainty (i.e., from global climate models and ESs) is the major source of uncertainty over temperate and tropical catchments, versus HY uncertainty in arid catchments with locally complex runoff regimes. Our machine learning framework indicates that precipitation stress controls the development of historical droughts over ∼87% of global catchments. However, with climate warming, air temperature variations are expected to become the new primary driver of droughts in high‐latitude cold catchments. This study highlights an increasing risk of global extreme hydrological droughts with warming and suggests that rising temperatures in high latitudes may lead to more extreme hydrological droughts.
Six Decades of Hindsight Into Yesa Reservoir (Central Spanish Pyrenees): River Flow Dwindles as Vegetation Cover Increases and Mediterranean Atmospheric Dynamics Take Control
Authors: Juez C. , Garijo N. , Vicente‐Serrano S. M. , Beguería S.
Published: December 2022

River discharge has experienced diverse changes in the last decades due to modification of hydrological patterns, anthropogenic intervention, re‐vegetation or annual and interannual climatic and atmospheric fluctuations. Assessing the recent changes in river discharge and understanding the main drivers of these changes is thus extremely important from theoretical and applied points of view. More specifically, here we want to draw attention toward the impacts of streamflow changes on reservoir storage and operation. We describe the hydrological dynamics of the Yesa reservoir draining catchment, located in the central Spanish Pyrenees, and characterize the reservoir operation modes over the last 60 years (1956–2020). We analyze concurrent climatic (precipitation, air temperature, drought index), atmospheric mechanisms, land cover (Normalized Different Vegetation Index) and discharge (inlet and outlet of Yesa reservoir) time‐series. By using the wavelet transform methodology, we detect historical breakpoints in the hydrological dynamics at different time‐scales. Distinctive periods are thus identified. More regular seasonal flows characterized the catchment's dynamics during the first decades of the study period, while the last decades were characterized by a high inter‐annual variability. These changes are primarily attributed to the natural re‐vegetation process that the catchment experienced. Furthermore, we related changes in atmospheric circulation with a decline of the long‐term discharge temporal features. This research contributes to the understanding of long‐term river discharge changes and helps to improve the reservoir management practices.
BAP1 loss induces mitotic defects in mesothelioma cells through BRCA1-dependent and independent mechanisms
Authors: Singh Anita , Busacca Sara , Gaba Aarti , Sheaff Michael , Poile Charlotte , Nakas Apostolos , Dzialo Joanna , Bzura Aleksandra , Dawson Alan G. , Fennell Dean A. , Fry Andrew M.
Published: December 2022

The tumour suppressor BRCA1-associated protein 1 (BAP1) is the most frequently mutated cancer gene in mesothelioma. Here we report novel functions for BAP1 in mitotic progression highlighting the relationship between BAP1 and control of genome stability in mesothelioma cells with therapeutic implications. Depletion of BAP1 protein induced proteasome-mediated degradation of BRCA1 in mesothelioma cells while loss of BAP1 correlated with BRCA1 loss in mesothelioma patient tumour samples. BAP1 loss also led to mitotic defects that phenocopied the loss of BRCA1 including spindle assembly checkpoint failure, centrosome amplification and chromosome segregation errors. However, loss of BAP1 also led to additional mitotic changes that were not observed upon BRCA1 loss, including an increase in spindle length and enhanced growth of astral microtubules. Intriguingly, these consequences could be explained by loss of expression of the KIF18A and KIF18B kinesin motors that occurred upon depletion of BAP1 but not BRCA1, as spindle and astral microtubule defects were rescued by re-expression of KIF18A and KIF18B, respectively. We therefore propose that BAP1 inactivation causes mitotic defects through BRCA1-dependent and independent mechanisms revealing novel routes by which mesothelioma cells lacking BAP1 may acquire genome instability and exhibit altered responses to microtubule-targeted agents.
The Neuropilin-1/PKC axis promotes neuroendocrine differentiation and drug resistance of prostate cancer
Authors: Blanc Charly , Moktefi Anissa , Jolly Ariane , de la Grange Pierre , Gay Denise , Nicolaiew Nathalie , Semprez Fannie , Maillé Pascale , Soyeux Pascale , Firlej Virginie , Vacherot Francis , Destouches Damien , Amiche Mohamed , Terry Stéphane , de la Taille Alexandre , Londoño-Vallejo Arturo , Allory Yves , Delbé Jean , Hamma-Kourbali Yamina
Published: December 2022

Background

Neuroendocrine prostate cancer (NEPC) is a multi-resistant variant of prostate cancer (PCa) that has become a major challenge in clinics. Understanding the neuroendocrine differentiation (NED) process at the molecular level is therefore critical to define therapeutic strategies that can prevent multi-drug resistance.

Methods

Using RNA expression profiling and immunohistochemistry, we have identified and characterised a gene expression signature associated with the emergence of NED in a large PCa cohort, including 169 hormone-naïve PCa (HNPC) and 48 castration-resistance PCa (CRPC) patients. In vitro and preclinical in vivo NED models were used to explore the cellular mechanism and to characterise the effects of castration on PCa progression.

Results

We show for the first time that Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) is a key component of NED in PCa cells. NRP1 is upregulated in response to androgen deprivation therapies (ADT) and elicits cell survival through induction of the PKC pathway. Downmodulation of either NRP1 protein expression or PKC activation suppresses NED, prevents tumour evolution toward castration resistance and increases the efficacy of docetaxel-based chemotherapy in preclinical models in vivo.

Conclusions

This study reveals the NRP1/PKC axis as a promising therapeutic target for the prevention of neuroendocrine castration-resistant variants of PCa and indicates NRP1 as an early transitional biomarker.
Structural insights into the covalent regulation of PAPP-A activity by proMBP and STC2
Authors: Zhong Qihang , Chu Honglei , Wang Guopeng , Zhang Cheng , Li Rong , Guo Fusheng , Meng Xinlu , Lei Xiaoguang , Zhou Youli , Ren Ruobing , Tao Lin , Li Ningning , Gao Ning , Wei Yuan , Qiao Jie , Hang Jing
Published: December 2022

Originally discovered in the circulation of pregnant women as a protein secreted by placental trophoblasts, the metalloprotease pregnancy-associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A) is also widely expressed by many other tissues. It cleaves insulin-like growth factor-binding proteins (IGFBPs) to increase the bioavailability of IGFs and plays essential roles in multiple growth-promoting processes. While the vast majority of the circulatory PAPP-A in pregnancy is proteolytically inactive due to covalent inhibition by proform of eosinophil major basic protein (proMBP), the activity of PAPP-A can also be covalently inhibited by another less characterized modulator, stanniocalcin-2 (STC2). However, the structural basis of PAPP-A proteolysis and the mechanistic differences between these two modulators are poorly understood. Here we present two cryo-EM structures of endogenous purified PAPP-A in complex with either proMBP or STC2. Both modulators form 2:2 heterotetramer with PAPP-A and establish extensive interactions with multiple domains of PAPP-A that are distal to the catalytic cleft. This exosite-binding property results in a steric hindrance to prevent the binding and cleavage of IGFBPs, while the IGFBP linker region-derived peptides harboring the cleavage sites are no longer sensitive to the modulator treatment. Functional investigation into proMBP-mediated PAPP-A regulation in selective intrauterine growth restriction (sIUGR) pregnancy elucidates that PAPP-A and proMBP collaboratively regulate extravillous trophoblast invasion and the consequent fetal growth. Collectively, our work reveals a novel covalent exosite-competitive inhibition mechanism of PAPP-A and its regulatory effect on placental function.
Rare diseases and space health: optimizing synergies from scientific questions to care
Authors: Puscas Maria , Martineau Gabrielle , Bhella Gurjot , Bonnen Penelope E. , Carr Phil , Lim Robyn , Mitchell John , Osmond Matthew , Urquieta Emmanuel , Flamenbaum Jaime , Iaria Giuseppe , Joly Yann , Richer Étienne , Saary Joan , Saint-Jacques David , Buckley Nicole , Low-Decarie Etienne
Published: December 2022

Knowledge transfer among research disciplines can lead to substantial research progress. At first glance, astronaut health and rare diseases may be seen as having little common ground for such an exchange. However, deleterious health conditions linked to human space exploration may well be considered as a narrow sub-category of rare diseases. Here, we compare and contrast research and healthcare in the contexts of rare diseases and space health and identify common barriers and avenues of improvement. The prevalent genetic basis of most rare disorders contrasts sharply with the occupational considerations required to sustain human health in space. Nevertheless small sample sizes and large knowledge gaps in natural history are examples of the parallel challenges for research and clinical care in the context of both rare diseases and space health. The two areas also face the simultaneous challenges of evidence scarcity and the pressure to deliver therapeutic solutions, mandating expeditious translation of research knowledge into clinical care. Sharing best practices between these fields, including increasing participant involvement in all stages of research and ethical sharing of standardized data, has the potential to contribute to humankind’s efforts to explore ever further into space while caring for people on Earth in a more inclusive fashion.
A novel intradermal tattoo-based injection device enhances the immunogenicity of plasmid DNA vaccines
Authors: Gomez Alejandro M. , Babuadze George , Plourde-Campagna Marc-André , Azizi Hiva , Berger Alice , Kozak Robert , de La Vega Marc-Antoine , XIII Ara , Naghibosadat Maedeh , Nepveu-Traversy Marie-Edith , Ruel Jean , Kobinger Gary P.
Published: December 2022

In recent years, tattooing technology has shown promising results toward evaluating vaccines in both animal models and humans. However, this technology has some limitations due to variability of experimental evaluations or operator procedures. The current study evaluated a device (intradermal oscillating needle array injection device: IONAID) capable of microinjecting a controlled dose of any aqueous vaccine into the intradermal space. IONAID-mediated administration of a DNA-based vaccine encoding the glycoprotein (GP) from the Ebola virus resulted in superior T- and B-cell responses with IONAID when compared to single intramuscular (IM) or intradermal (ID) injection in mice. Moreover, humoral immune responses, induced after IONAID vaccination, were significantly higher to those obtained with traditional passive DNA tattooing in guinea pigs and rabbits. This device was well tolerated and safe during HIV vaccine delivery in non-human primates (NHPs), while inducing robust immune responses. In summary, this study shows that the IONAID device improves vaccine performance, which could be beneficial to the animal and human health, and importantly, provide a dose-sparing approach (e.g., monkeypox vaccine).
Treatment of peanut allergy and colitis in mice via the intestinal release of butyrate from polymeric micelles
Authors: Wang Ruyi , Cao Shijie , Bashir Mohamed Elfatih H. , Hesser Lauren A. , Su Yanlin , Hong Sung Min Choi , Thompson Andrew , Culleen Elliot , Sabados Matthew , Dylla Nicholas P. , Campbell Evelyn , Bao Riyue , Nonnecke Eric B. , Bevins Charles L. , Wilson D. Scott , Hubbell Jeffrey A. , Nagler Cathryn R.
Published: December 2022

The microbiome modulates host immunity and aids the maintenance of tolerance in the gut, where microbial and food-derived antigens are abundant. Yet modern dietary factors and the excessive use of antibiotics have contributed to the rising incidence of food allergies, inflammatory bowel disease and other non-communicable chronic diseases associated with the depletion of beneficial taxa, including butyrate-producing Clostridia. Here we show that intragastrically delivered neutral and negatively charged polymeric micelles releasing butyrate in different regions of the intestinal tract restore barrier-protective responses in mouse models of colitis and of peanut allergy. Treatment with the butyrate-releasing micelles increased the abundance of butyrate-producing taxa in Clostridium cluster XIVa, protected mice from an anaphylactic reaction to a peanut challenge and reduced disease severity in a T-cell-transfer model of colitis. By restoring microbial and mucosal homoeostasis, butyrate-releasing micelles may function as an antigen-agnostic approach for the treatment of allergic and inflammatory diseases.
Arithmetic value representation for hierarchical behavior composition
Authors: Makino Hiroshi
Published: December 2022

The ability to compose new skills from a preacquired behavior repertoire is a hallmark of biological intelligence. Although artificial agents extract reusable skills from past experience and recombine them in a hierarchical manner, whether the brain similarly composes a novel behavior is largely unknown. In the present study, I show that deep reinforcement learning agents learn to solve a novel composite task by additively combining representations of prelearned action values of constituent subtasks. Learning efficacy in the composite task was further augmented by the introduction of stochasticity in behavior during pretraining. These theoretical predictions were empirically tested in mice, where subtask pretraining enhanced learning of the composite task. Cortex-wide, two-photon calcium imaging revealed analogous neural representations of combined action values, with improved learning when the behavior variability was amplified. Together, these results suggest that the brain composes a novel behavior with a simple arithmetic operation of preacquired action-value representations with stochastic policies.
Region-selective control of the thalamic reticular nucleus via cortical layer 5 pyramidal cells
Authors: Hádinger Nóra , Bősz Emília , Tóth Boglárka , Vantomme Gil , Lüthi Anita , Acsády László
Published: December 2022

Corticothalamic pathways, responsible for the top-down control of the thalamus, have a canonical organization such that every cortical region sends output from both layer 6 (L6) and layer 5 (L5) to the thalamus. Here we demonstrate a qualitative, region-specific difference in the organization of mouse corticothalamic pathways. Specifically, L5 pyramidal cells of the frontal cortex, but not other cortical regions, establish monosynaptic connections with the inhibitory thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN). The frontal L5–TRN pathway parallels the L6–TRN projection but has distinct morphological and physiological features. The exact spike output of the L5-contacted TRN cells correlated with the level of cortical synchrony. Optogenetic perturbation of the L5–TRN connection disrupted the tight link between cortical and TRN activity. L5-driven TRN cells innervated thalamic nuclei involved in the control of frontal cortex activity. Our data show that frontal cortex functions require a highly specialized cortical control over intrathalamic inhibitory processes.
Metabolic and physiological effects of water stress on Moshgak (Ducrosia anethifolia Boiss) populations using GC–MS and multivariate analyses
Authors: Arabsalehi Fatemeh , Rahimmalek Mehdi , Sabzalian Mohammad R. , Barzegar Sadeghabad Amir , Matkowski Adam , Szumny Antoni
Published: December 2022

Ducrosia anethifolia Boiss is a medicinal and aromatic plant that is used as a food additive and drug in the areas of natural distribution. In this study, eight populations from different geographical regions of Iran were evaluated for their essential oil composition, total phenolics and flavonoids as well as for free radical scavenging activity during two consecutive years under water deficit. Analysis of variance was performed using a randomized block design at three levels of irrigation and 2 years, using the GLM procedure of SAS software and cluster analysis was used according to Ward's method using squared Euclidean dissimilarity. The highest essential oil and total phenolics/flavonoids content were obtained in the second year. GC–MS analysis was used to analyze the essential oil components. In normal conditions, cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (39.1–66.4%) and α-pinene (1.02–4.7%) were recognized as major compounds. The essential oil components were elevated under water stress. The highest increase in cis-chrysanthenyl acetate (21.32%) in response to water stress was observed in Abarkuh1. Elevation in total phenolic, flavonoid and antioxidant activity was also observed in plants subjected to water deficit. The highest content of phenolic acids was measured in Semirom (136.74 mg TAE/g DW), while the highest flavonoid content was in Kerman (6.05 mg QUE/g DW) in severe water stress condition. Finally, a high diversity in the studied populations can be used to select advantageous populations for other pharmaceutical and food purposes.
An ultra-wideband orthogonal-beam directional graphene-based antenna for THz wireless systems
Authors: Dash Sasmita , Psomas Constantinos , Patnaik Amalendu , Krikidis Ioannis
Published: December 2022

In terahertz (THz) wireless systems, graphene shows a tremendous promise for the implementation of miniaturized and reconfigurable antennas due to its unique tunable property. This paper presents a wideband beam reconfigurable directional antenna for THz wireless communication systems. The antenna design concept is based on the Yagi-Uda antenna working principle. The proposed antenna consists of a centre-fed graphene-based driven dipole and three graphene-based parasitic elements on either side of the driven element. These graphene-based parasitic elements either act as directors or reflectors by controlling the surface conductivity of these elements. The surface conductivity of the elements is adjusted individually by applying a bias voltage via the chemical potential of the graphene. The main beam direction of the antenna can be reconfigured by controlling the chemical potentials of the graphene-based parasitic elements. Specifically, the proposed graphene THz antenna reconfigures the main beam into four orthogonal directions (0°, 90°, 180° and 270°) at an operational frequency 1.25 THz. The antenna achieves a directional symmetrical radiation pattern with 14 dBi gain and a front-to-back ratio of 15.5 dB. Furthermore, the proposed graphene THz antenna provides a stable reflection coefficient in four reconfigurable cases and an ultra-wideband of 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 120%. Therefore, this novel design technique of graphene-based ultra-wideband high gain beam reconfigurable THz antenna is promising for THz wireless systems.
Structural characteristic of polysaccharide isolated from Nostoc commune, and their potential as radical scavenging and antidiabetic activities
Authors: Wang Xinjian , Yang Zhen , Liu Yu , Wang Xuehong , Zhang Hongjuan , Shang Ruofeng , Laba Cidan , Wujin Cuomu , Hao Baocheng , Wang Shengyi
Published: December 2022

In this paper, Nostoc commune crude polysaccharide was extracted by heating and Ultrasonic-assisted methods separately, homogeneous polysaccharide HNCP3 and UNCP4 were obtained after purified by DEAE-52 cellulose column chromatography and Sephacryl G-100 gel column chromatography. The structures of HNCP3 and UNCP4 were characterized by molecular weight determination, infrared spectroscopy, DSC detection, sodium periodate oxidation, smith degradation reaction and methylation analysis. The conformation of the solution was studied by SEM and AFM. The results showed that the Ultrasonic-assisted extraction had effects on the molecular weight, monosaccharide composition, molar ratio and configuration of Nostoc commune. The main chain of HNCP3 and UNCP4 was → 6)-D-Glcp(1→ and → 2, 6)-D-Glcp, but UNCP4 contained 1, 2, 6-galactose and 2, 3-Me2-D-Ara branches, while HNCP3 did not. The results of the monosaccharides composition of indicated that mannose was presented in both HNCP3 and UNCP4. SEM and AFM showed that the structure of UNCP4 was helical, and the solution conformations of HNCP3 and UNCP4 were different in different solution environments. Studies on DPPH radicals, superoxide anions, and hydroxyl radicals scavenging abilities showed that UNCP4 had higher antioxidant activity, while studies on the antidiabetic activities showed that the hypoglycemic effect of UNCP4 was stronger than that of HNCP3. Therefore, Ultrasonic-assisted extraction (UAE) increases the bioactivity of Nostoc commune polysaccharide (NCP) as well as the extraction rate.
Surgical gestures as a method to quantify surgical performance and predict patient outcomes
Authors: Ma Runzhuo , Ramaswamy Ashwin , Xu Jiashu , Trinh Loc , Kiyasseh Dani , Chu Timothy N. , Wong Elyssa Y. , Lee Ryan S. , Rodriguez Ivan , DeMeo Gina , Desai Aditya , Otiato Maxwell X. , Roberts Sidney I. , Nguyen Jessica H. , Laca Jasper , Liu Yan , Urbanova Katarina , Wagner Christian , Anandkumar Animashree , Hu Jim C. , Hung Andrew J.
Published: December 2022

How well a surgery is performed impacts a patient’s outcomes; however, objective quantification of performance remains an unsolved challenge. Deconstructing a procedure into discrete instrument-tissue “gestures” is a emerging way to understand surgery. To establish this paradigm in a procedure where performance is the most important factor for patient outcomes, we identify 34,323 individual gestures performed in 80 nerve-sparing robot-assisted radical prostatectomies from two international medical centers. Gestures are classified into nine distinct dissection gestures (e.g., hot cut) and four supporting gestures (e.g., retraction). Our primary outcome is to identify factors impacting a patient’s 1-year erectile function (EF) recovery after radical prostatectomy. We find that less use of hot cut and more use of peel/push are statistically associated with better chance of 1-year EF recovery. Our results also show interactions between surgeon experience and gesture types—similar gesture selection resulted in different EF recovery rates dependent on surgeon experience. To further validate this framework, two teams independently constructe distinct machine learning models using gesture sequences vs. traditional clinical features to predict 1-year EF. In both models, gesture sequences are able to better predict 1-year EF (Team 1: AUC 0.77, 95% CI 0.73–0.81; Team 2: AUC 0.68, 95% CI 0.66–0.70) than traditional clinical features (Team 1: AUC 0.69, 95% CI 0.65–0.73; Team 2: AUC 0.65, 95% CI 0.62–0.68). Our results suggest that gestures provide a granular method to objectively indicate surgical performance and outcomes. Application of this methodology to other surgeries may lead to discoveries on methods to improve surgery.
Electrocatalytic hydrogenation of alkenes with Pd/carbon nanotubes at an oil–water interface
Authors: Han Chenhui , Zenner Johannes , Johny Jacob , Kaeffer Nicolas , Bordet Alexis , Leitner Walter
Published: December 2022

Electrocatalytic hydrogenation (ECH) produces high-value chemicals from unsaturated organics using water as a hydrogen source. However, ECH is limited by the low solubility of substrates when operated under aqueous conditions, by electrical losses when performed in organic electrolytes and, in general, by low faradaic efficiency and fastidious work-up. Here, we show that a Pickering emulsion compartmenting organic substrates and aqueous electrolytes in different phases enables efficient ECH at the interface. We designed a construct comprising Pd nanoparticles immobilized on positively charged carbon nanotubes that localizes at the interface to act as both emulsion stabilizer and electrocatalyst. Applied to the ECH of styrene, the system delivers ethylbenzene at high faradaic efficiency (95.0%) and mass specific current density (–148.1 mA  $${{{\mathrm{mg}}}}_{{{{\mathrm{Pd}}}}}^{ - 1}$$

mg

Pd

−
1

). The system combines good substrate solubility, high conductivity and simplified product isolation, and has proved applicable to the conversion of various alkenes. This strategy may thus provide alternative solutions to the ECH of substrates with low water solubility, such as bio-oil and bio-crude.
Significance of NatB-mediated N-terminal acetylation of auxin biosynthetic enzymes in maintaining auxin homeostasis in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Liu Hai-Qing , Pu Zuo-Xian , Di Dong-Wei , Zou Ya-Jie , Guo Yu-Man , Wang Jun-Li , Zhang Li , Tian Peng , Fei Qiong-Hui , Li Xiao-Feng , Khaskheli Allah Jurio , Wu Lei , Guo Guang-Qin
Published: December 2022

The auxin IAA (Indole-3-acetic acid) plays key roles in regulating plant growth and development, which depends on an intricate homeostasis that is determined by the balance between its biosynthesis, metabolism and transport. YUC flavin monooxygenases catalyze the rate-limiting step of auxin biosynthesis via IPyA (indole pyruvic acid) and are critical targets in regulating auxin homeostasis. Despite of numerous reports on the transcriptional regulation of YUC genes, little is known about those at the post-translational protein level. Here, we show that loss of function of CKRC3/TCU2, the auxiliary subunit (Naa25) of Arabidopsis NatB, and/or of its catalytic subunit (Naa20), NBC, led to auxin-deficiency in plants. Experimental evidences show that CKRC3/TCU2 can interact with NBC to form a NatB complex, catalyzing the N-terminal acetylation (NTA) of YUC proteins for their intracellular stability to maintain normal auxin homeostasis in plants. Hence, our findings provide significantly new insight into the link between protein NTA and auxin biosynthesis in plants.
A statistical framework for high-content phenotypic profiling using cellular feature distributions
Authors: Pearson Yanthe E. , Kremb Stephan , Butterfoss Glenn L. , Xie Xin , Fahs Hala , Gunsalus Kristin C.
Published: December 2022

High-content screening (HCS) uses microscopy images to generate phenotypic profiles of cell morphological data in high-dimensional feature space. While HCS provides detailed cytological information at single-cell resolution, these complex datasets are usually aggregated into summary statistics that do not leverage patterns of biological variability within cell populations. Here we present a broad-spectrum HCS analysis system that measures image-based cell features from 10 cellular compartments across multiple assay panels. We introduce quality control measures and statistical strategies to streamline and harmonize the data analysis workflow, including positional and plate effect detection, biological replicates analysis and feature reduction. We also demonstrate that the Wasserstein distance metric is superior over other measures to detect differences between cell feature distributions. With this workflow, we define per-dose phenotypic fingerprints for 65 mechanistically diverse compounds, provide phenotypic path visualizations for each compound and classify compounds into different activity groups.
Simultaneous invasion decouples zebra mussels and water clarity
Authors: Rantala Heidi M. , Branstrator Donn K. , Hirsch Jodene K. , Jones Thomas S. , Montz Gary
Published: December 2022

Species invasions are a leading threat to ecosystems globally, but our understanding of interactions among multiple invasive species and their outcomes on ecosystem properties is undeveloped despite their significance to conservation and management. Here we studied a large lake in Minnesota, USA, that experienced a simultaneous surge in invasive zebra mussel and spiny water flea populations. A long-term (2000–2018) dataset offered a rare opportunity to assess whole-ecosystem shifts following the co-invasion. Within two years, the native crustacean zooplankton community declined abruptly in density and productivity (−93% and −91%, respectively). Summer phytoplankton abundance and water clarity remained stable across the time series, an unexpected outcome given the high density of zebra mussels in the lake. Observational data and modeling indicate that removal of native herbivorous zooplankton by the predatory spiny water flea reduced zooplankton grazing pressure enough to compensate new grazing losses due to zebra mussels, resulting in a zero net effect on phytoplankton abundance and water clarity despite a wholesale shift in secondary production from the pelagic to the benthic food web. This study reveals the extent of direct and indirect effects of two aquatic invaders on food-web processes that cancel shifts in water clarity, a highly valued ecosystem service.
Gut microbiota modulates lung fibrosis severity following acute lung injury in mice
Authors: Chioma Ozioma S. , Mallott Elizabeth K. , Chapman Austin , Van Amburg Joseph C. , Wu Hongmei , Shah-Gandhi Binal , Dey Nandita , Kirkland Marina E. , Blanca Piazuelo M. , Johnson Joyce , Bernard Gordon R. , Bodduluri Sobha R. , Davison Steven , Haribabu Bodduluri , Bordenstein Seth R. , Drake Wonder P.
Published: December 2022

Independent studies demonstrate the significance of gut microbiota on the pathogenesis of chronic lung diseases; yet little is known regarding the role of the gut microbiota in lung fibrosis progression. Here we show, using the bleomycin murine model to quantify lung fibrosis in C57BL/6 J mice housed in germ-free, animal biosafety level 1 (ABSL-1), or animal biosafety level 2 (ABSL-2) environments, that germ-free mice are protected from lung fibrosis, while ABSL-1 and ABSL-2 mice develop mild and severe lung fibrosis, respectively. Metagenomic analysis reveals no notable distinctions between ABSL-1 and ABSL-2 lung microbiota, whereas greater microbial diversity, with increased Bifidobacterium and Lactobacilli, is present in ABSL-1 compared to ABSL-2 gut microbiota. Flow cytometric analysis reveals enhanced IL-6/STAT3/IL-17A signaling in pulmonary CD4 + T cells of ABSL-2 mice. Fecal transplantation of ABSL-2 stool into germ-free mice recapitulated more severe fibrosis than transplantation of ABSL-1 stool. Lactobacilli supernatant reduces collagen 1 A production in IL-17A- and TGFβ1-stimulated human lung fibroblasts. These findings support a functional role of the gut microbiota in augmenting lung fibrosis severity.
NiH-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov hydroamidation of unactivated alkenes with 1,4,2-dioxazol-5-ones for the direct synthesis of N-alkyl amides
Authors: Du Bingnan , Chan Chun-Ming , Ouyang Yuxin , Chan Kalok , Lin Zhenyang , Yu Wing-Yiu
Published: December 2022

The addition of a nitrogen-based functional group to alkenes via a direct catalytic method is an attractive way of synthesizing value-added amides. The regioselective hydroamidation of unactivated alkenes is considered one of the easiest ways to achieve this goal. Herein, we report the NiH-catalyzed anti-Markovnikov intermolecular hydroamidation of unactivated alkenes enabled by using 2,9-dibutylphenathroline (diBuphen) as the ligand. This protocol provides a platform for the direct synthesis of over 90 structurally diverse N-alkyl amides using dioxazolones, which can be easily derived from abundant carboxylic acid feedstocks. This method succeeds for both terminal and internal unactivated alkenes and some natural products. Mechanistic studies including DFT calculations reveal an initial reversible insertion/elimination of the [NiH] to the alkene, followed by the irreversible amidation to furnish the N-alkyl amides. By crossover experiments and deuterium labeling studies, the observed anti-Markovnikov regioselectivities are suggested to be controlled by the sterical environment of the coupling reaction.
Early detection of the initial stages of LED light-triggered non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by wax physisorption kinetics-Fourier transform infrared imaging
Authors: Chen Yi-Ting , Huang Pei-Yu , Chai Chee-Yin , Yu Sebastian , Hsieh Yu-Lin , Chang Hao-Chao , Kuo Chin-Wei , Lee Yao-Chang , Yu Hsin-Su
Published: December 2022

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs), particularly in the blue waveform range, are regarded as a major source of circadian rhythm dysregulation.
Transformer fault diagnosis research based on LIF technology and IAO optimization of LightGBM
Authors: Yan Pengcheng , Chen Fengxiang , Zhao Tianjian , Zhang Heng , Kan Xuyue , Liu Yang
Published: December 2022

Transformer fault diagnosis is a necessary operation to ensure the stable operation of a power system.