bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“Our Modern Priapus”: Thauma and the Isernian Simulacra
Authors: Carter Sarah
Published: June 2020

In 1781, British Envoy Sir William Hamilton wrote to Joseph Banks of an astonishing discovery in rural Abruzzo. The inhabitants of Isernia offered wax phalluses as votives to Catholic shrines during the annual Fête of St. Cosmo and Damiano. The waxen vows were evidence that the cult of Priapus persisted in the modern world, and their appearance produced thauma or wonder in antiquarian circles. Moving from Hamilton’s letter to Richard Payne Knight’s A Discourse on the Worship of Priapus (1786), this essay draws from recent scholarship on the phenomenology of thauma to recast this well-known episode of the ex-voti as an eighteenth-century attempt to reconcile archaic Greek and modern modes of perception. Using archaic texts to ascribe new meaning to phallic emblems, Knight created an interpretative framework through which moderns might draw closer to the ancient world.
Music, Fable, and Fantasy: Thomas D’Urfey’s Wonders in the Sun and the Eighteenth-Century Political Animal
Authors: Ladd Heather Ann
Published: June 2020

This article considers a strange, understudied work of eighteenth-century musical theatre, Thomas D’Urfey’s Wonders in the Sun (1706). This highly intertextual, generically heterogeneous comic opera is a pastiche of literary and performative modes and ultimately a machine for generating wonder; it draws on elements from Aristophanes’ The Birds, seventeenth-century masque and semi-opera, as well as the lunar fictions. The article situates this play not only within a history of literary wonder and stage spectacle, but within the English tradition of politicized animal fable. Discussing D’Urfey’s comic opera against selections from John Gay’s Fables, it argues that the utopian/dystopian animal in these imaginative satires reveals the period’s twinned fascinations with discovery and alterity, as well as emergent discomfiture with anthro- and Eurocentric Enlightenment beliefs.
No Master of Himself: Pope and the Response of Wonder
Authors: Playfair Quinsey Katherine
Published: June 2020

Although he is the exemplar of poetic balance, control, and precision, Pope’s classical aesthetics and ecological vision are ultimately authorized not by restraint but by excess, by a response of wonder: emotive not rational, imaginative not formulaic, and fundamentally religious in nature. Pope’s lifelong and profound engagement with wonder—in both personal expression and formal poetics—embodies the tensions of his time: between myth and parody, enthusiasm and restraint, hyperbolic parody and interrupted awe, self-realization and self-loss, emotive expression and formalistic control. His poetry continually evokes the response of wonder, pushing at the boundaries of verse satire, and embodied through his mastery of the couplet. Wonder in Pope’s writings is specifically associated with admiration for the supranatural, with release from the limitations of the body, and with a sweeping environmental vision. Finally, the ideas of “stupefaction” and “rapture” appear throughout Pope’s work in a paradoxical expansion and distancing of perspective, with the perpetual fear of the loss of the observing self.
Banished Bodies and Spectral Identities: The Aging Actress in William Hazlitt’s Retirement Essays
Authors: Martinović Nevena
Published: June 2020

This article argues that eighteenth-century theatrical reviews and biographical descriptions equate the physical decline of the aging actress with the loss of her identity. It analyses disappearing selfhood through an investigation of the intersection of gender and age in William Hazlitt’s essays on retiring players: namely, “Miss O’Neill’s Retirement,” “Mr. Kemble’s Retirement,” and “Mrs. Siddons’ Lady Macbeth.” In these essays, Hazlitt suggests that the actress only maintains her public identity through an early departure from the stage. This is enforced by societal understandings of normative and desirable femininity as youthful. To emphasize the feminine loss that accompanied aging, Hazlitt and his contemporaries would often juxtapose a player’s physical body with those of younger players, as well as with the memory—or ghost—of its own younger form.
Orienter l’écoute et la réception. La diffusion des préfaces aux poèmes symphoniques de Liszt dans les salles et la presse en Allemagne et en France (1850-1914) : une enquête préliminaire
Authors: Carenco Céline , Dufetel Nicolas
Published: June 2020

Connu comme l’inventeur du « poème symphonique », Liszt entoure un grand nombre de ses oeuvres d’écrits aux formes diverses, que nous appelons « paratextes ». Ces paratextes semblent constituer un puissant moyen de médiatiser sa musique, mais qu’en est-il réellement de leur diffusion, de leur circulation et de leur réception ? Nous partirons à la recherche des textes de préface des poèmes symphoniques de Liszt, de leurs traces et de leur influence dans la presse et plus largement dans l’espace médiatique français et allemand (incluant les affiches, programmes, annonces et comptes rendus de concert), afin d’interroger leur fonction dans la médiatisation de sa musique : dans quelle mesure les paratextes permettent-ils au compositeur d’orienter l’écoute ? Et quels rôles jouent-ils dans la réception de sa musique ? Après quelques considérations sur le rôle des paratextes dans l’esthétique lisztienne, nous proposerons quelques pistes de recherche à travers plusieurs études de cas (exemples de diffusions en Allemagne, à, Paris, Angers et Nancy).
La radio comme lieu pour écrire. André Boucourechliev au micro
Authors: Le Bail Karine
Published: June 2020

Dans un constant aller-retour entre l’écriture de et sur la musique, André Boucourechliev, comme nombre de compositeurs de sa génération, n’a cessé de pénétrer le geste créateur. Cette exploration a pris la forme d’un nombre considérable d’articles et d’ouvrages auxquels il convient d’ajouter des centaines d’heures d’émissions produites dans les années 1970-1990 pour les ondes de France Culture et France Musique. Avec un art consommé de l’intrigue, Boucourechliev y invite l’auditeur à visiter le langage musical de Stravinsky, de Beethoven ou de Debussy. Il arrive souvent aussi – cette fois en configuration dialogique – qu’il écoute et regarde ses propres oeuvres. Le soin apporté à la langue, à sa scansion et à son pouls laisse entrevoir l’existence d’une véritable « écriture radiophonique », matériau fugace en apparence mais dont l’analyse textuelle permet d’en retrouver les traces, éparses, dans des textes publiés de Boucourechliev. Cet article porte attention à ce régime d’écriture singulier, trop négligé encore par les musicologues.
Écrits de compositeurs, médias et publics dans les années 1930. À propos des échanges sur le public de l’opéra entre Max d’Ollone et Charles Koechlin
Authors: Duchesneau Michel
Published: June 2020

En explorant les échanges entre deux compositeurs, Max d’Ollone et Charles Koechlin dans Le Ménestrel et Le Monde musical en 1932, nous interrogerons leur conception du public de la musique afin de mieux comprendre la manière dont ils défendent une position artistique, voire esthétique. D’Ollone soulève la question à savoir si les compositeurs doivent prendre en compte les goûts du public pour avoir du succès dans un contexte de crise du répertoire à l’opéra. Il n’en faut pas plus pour que Koechlin réagisse et propose une singulière catégorisation des publics qui tient à la fois compte des conditions sociales et des sensibilités de l’écoute. En se servant de leur pouvoir « médiatique » par l’entremise de revues musicales réputées, ils ne cherchent pas moins à influencer les points de vue, notamment en matière de goûts musicaux. L’intérêt de cet échange ne se limite pas au duel des compositeurs et des revues, car le directeur de l’Opéra-Comique, Georges Ricou, se mêle à la réflexion par l’intermédiaire du musicologue Paul Bertrand, chroniqueur dans Le Ménestrel.
Enjeux politiques et espaces médiatiques dans les écrits de compositeurs polonais
Authors: Keym Stefan
Published: June 2020

Les stratégies créatrices et médiatiques des compositeurs polonais furent fortement influencées par la situation politique particulière de leur pays, longtemps occupé par des puissances étrangères. L’engagement patriotique que la société polonaise exigeait de ses artistes permit à quelques compositeurs et à leurs textes de pénétrer dans des espaces médiatiques au-delà du domaine artistique. Les enjeux entre patriotisme et autopromotion artistique sont analysés à travers les écrits de compositeurs polonais de l’époque avant et après la renaissance de l’état polonais en 1918. Alors qu’avant cette césure la musique et le discours autour d’elle servaient souvent de moyen à des fins politiques (notamment dans le cas d’Ignacy Jan Paderewski), on constate une situation opposée aux années 1920, lorsque Karol Szymanowski n’hésita pas à instrumentaliser le sentiment nationaliste afin de promouvoir sa propre nouvelle esthétique comme une sorte de « libération » du joug de la musique germanique du xixe siècle.
Les écrits de compositeurs dans les publications liées au Congrès pour la liberté de la culture (1952-1966)
Authors: Barthel-Calvet Anne-Sylvie
Published: June 2020

Dans le contexte culturel de la guerre froide, le Congrès pour la liberté de la culture met en place une politique médiatique offensive, en particulier à travers un bouquet de journaux implantés dans divers pays européens, dont Preuves en France. D’autres publications, comme La Revue Musicale sont sollicitées pour des numéros spéciaux. C’est ainsi qu’en 1952, à l’occasion du festival « L’Oeuvre du xxe siècle », et en 1965-1966, avec l’enquête « La musique sérielle aujourd’hui » menée par André Boucourechliev, des textes de compositeurs sont rassemblés, respectivement dans La Revue Musicale et Preuves. Les auteurs sont invités plus ou moins explicitement à aborder des questions comme l’évolution en cours de la musique. D’une grande diversité de ton comme de contenu, ces écrits traduisent des conceptions très différentes du rapport au grand public. Cet article se propose d’étudier la manière dont les compositeurs ont investi ces espaces médiatiques spécifiques.
Phénoménologie du corps douloureux et anthropologie : questionnements théoriques et méthodologiques à partir d’une enquête ethnographique portant sur l’obésité au Burkina Faso
Authors: D’Haussy Julie
Published: June 2020

Partant d’une enquête ethnographique réalisée au sujet de l’obésité au Burkina Faso, nous dépeignons la façon dont nous avons exploité les situations d’étonnement auxquelles nous avons fait face. Ces dernières mobilisaient les corps, celui des enquêtés et le nôtre, et avaient en commun de faire émerger diverses formes de douleur. Confrontée à des enjeux théoriques et méthodologiques que nous n’avions pu anticiper, nous décrivons comment une approche phénoménologique nous a servi pour appréhender ces corps douloureux et comment la posture de recherche qu’elle a induite a ouvert des voies de recherche fructueuses. Ayant la particularité de concevoir le corps comme un site d’agencéité, ce courant a permis d’expliquer comment, au Burkina Faso, de nouveaux styles de vie naissent en silence au départ de corps douloureux, menant à la souffrance, dans un contexte où les espaces publics et intimes laissent peu de place aux discours tenus sur l’obésité.
L’imaginaire linguistique postcolonial : des écrivains classiques africains à ceux de la diaspora
Authors: Adjoumani A. Mia Élise
Published: June 2020

Cet article a pour but de montrer quelques variations, évolutions, constantes, caractéristiques du courant postcolonial ainsi que leurs implications, à partir d’une approche comparée des imaginaires linguistiques des écrivains « classiques du continent » africain et de ceux de la diaspora. Menée du point de vue de la pensée postcoloniale, cette réflexion présente les langues littéraires de ces derniers comme des laboratoires d’analyse du monde postcolonial.
« Une fissure dans le présent » : la ruine comme échappée chez Sylvain Tesson et Jean-Paul Kauffmann
Authors: Daunais Isabelle
Published: June 2020

Sylvain Tesson et Jean-Paul Kauffmann accordent une place centrale aux ruines qu’ils croisent, le premier le long des chemins ruraux qu’il suit dans une traversée de la France à pied (Sur les chemins noirs, 2016), le second sur les routes de l’oblast de Kaliningrad, qu’il visite à l’occasion du bicentenaire de la bataille d’Eylau (Outre-Terre, 2016). Le choix par les deux voyageurs de ces destinations marginales et hors du temps n’est pas un hasard : ce sont les ruines, les restes, les débris et les traces qui s’y trouvent qui non seulement les leur font choisir, mais qui, aussi, les aiguillonnent tout au long de leur parcours. En cela, leurs périples respectifs suggèrent un usage contemporain des ruines, qui n’est pas de partir à la recherche de mondes disparus ni d’éprouver leur propre finitude au contact de celle de la matière. Au contraire, Tesson et Kauffmann entreprennent chacun leur voyage dans un but de consolidation : du corps pour Tesson, accidenté quelques mois auparavant ; du sens qu’on peut donner à la survie pour Kauffmann, durablement marqué par son expérience d’ancien otage au Liban dans les années 1980. Les paysages ruinés à la rencontre desquels vont les deux voyageurs constituent une forme d’échappée ; le temps que mesurent pour eux les ruines ne les renvoie pas à un moment spécifique de l’Histoire, mais leur permet d’élargir les frontières du présent, de toucher au passé dans sa généralité et dans son étendue et, par là, d’ouvrir une brèche dans la vision présentiste qu’a notre époque du monde et de l’existence.
Premières observations au Québec du lépidoptère Hypercompe scribonia (Stoll, 1790) (Erebidae : Arctiinae)
Authors: Plante Érik
Published: June 2020

Le lépidoptère Hypercompe scribonia est rapporté pour la première fois au Québec. En 2019, des chenilles ont été observées par trois personnes différentes à trois endroits dans le sud du Québec, ce qui confirme l’expansion de l’aire de répartition de cette espèce.
“Conflict models” of transformation of civilizational political projects: an attempt of theoretical comprehension
Authors: Gorbachev Mikhail Valer'evich
Published: June 2020

The subject of this research is the conflict models of transformation of civilizational political projects: “cyclic models” of conflict transformations, “linear” models of conflicts transformations, “impulse models” of conflict transformations, “discrete models” of conflict transformations. Analysis is conducted on the factors and mechanisms of conflict transformations of civilizational political projects: “energy sources” of conflict transformations, impact of “sociocultural potential” of a civilizational political project upon the character and vector of its changes. The article also assesses the heuristic capabilities of civilizational-project methodology of studying transformations of civilizational political projects. Methodological framework is comprised of the civilizational theory coupled with the project approach. The author examines the causes of conflict transformations of civilizational political projects, as well as highlights typical models of conflict transformations. The modern scientific literature has multiple studies dedicated to the specificity of creation, implementation and maintenance of civilizational political projects. The internal mechanism of their creation and functionality are subjected to detailed expert examination. At the same time, systematic scientific research that touch upon the problematic of transformation of civilizational political projects are carried out fragmentarily. It particularly pertains to the works focused on the conflict aspects of transformations of political projects.
The impulses of growth of protest activity of Russian youth: the case of Yekaterinburg
Authors: Rudenkin Dmitry
Published: June 2020

This article is dedicated to the search of factors that intensify protest activity among youth in the modern Russian society. The relevance of research into this field is substantiated by the increase in real protest activity of Russian youth and its direct involvement into a number of resounding protests in 2017 and 2019. The author attempts to figure out the deep subcurrent of the increase of protest activity among young Russians. Polemicizing with the established research practice, the author formulates a hypothesis that the grounds for increase in protest activity of the Russian youth is created by not only external or institutional factors, but also internal experiences of the youth. The empirical base for this work became the questionnaire-based survey conducted by the author among the youth of Yekaterinburg just prior to 2019 large-scale protests that attracted a substantial number of young people. In the course of this study, it is underlined that the impulse for growth in protest activity among Russian youth can indeed be a product of internal experiences of its representatives. The main conclusion les in the thesis that the grounds for increase in protest activity of young Russians is largely created by their formation of a special political culture, raising their demands towards society and preparing the groundwork for growth of their dissatisfaction with the surrounding living conditions.
Peacekeeping operations and economic assistance: anthropological approach
Authors: Lebedev Sergei
Published: June 2020

The object of this research is the world politics, while the subjects is the psychoeconomic stimuli that incite the Libertarian Party of Russia to manifestation of altruism in world politics, reflected in participation in peacekeeping operations or rendering humanitarian assistance. At the same time, the classical concept of “regional choice” or the school of realism cannot explain propensity of the states for displaying altruism. In majority of cases, it was beneficial for the states to choose the strategy of “fare evader”; but the practice demonstrates that many countries spent considerably on altruism that are disadvantageous from the perspective of classical paradigm. The research methodology is bases on the historical and anthropological methods; the latter can be interpreted extensively, since the article uses the concepts of evolutionary psychology and economics. The scientific novelty consists in application of the concept of “conspicuous consumption” and “costly signaling” to the analysis of foreign policy of the states. The article underlines that certain foreign policy acts of the countries may be aimed at gaining additional prestige, rather than acquisition of actual strategic profits on the international arena.
Biochemical and toxicological effects of methanolic extract ofAsparagus africanusLam in Sprague-Dawley rats
Authors: El-Ishaq Abubakar , Alshawsh Mohammed A. , Mun Kein Seong , Chik Zamri
Published: June 2020

Asparagus africanusLam. is a plant used traditionally to treat different ailments. Currently, scanty information is available on its safety. The aim of this study is to determine the acute toxicity of the methanolic extract on vital organs and its associated biochemical parameters. Fifteen female Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into five groups. Group I served as normal control, groups II, III, IV, and V were orally administered single dose of crude extract dissolved in distilled water at 5 mg/kg BW, 50 mg/kg BW, 300 mg/kg BW and 2,000 mg/kg BW. Rats were observed for 14 days and body weights were recorded. On day 15, the rats were sacrificed and blood samples were collected for biochemical and haematological analyses, while the liver and kidneys were sampled for histopathological examination. Body weight and haematology parameters results showed significance difference (p < 0.05) among means of HGB, RDW, RBC, and MCHC; likewise, (p < 0.001) for WBC and platelet among treated groups. Histopathology result showed that kidneys appeared normal while livers were congested with mildly swollen hepatocytes and occasional binucleation. Focal lobular hepatitis was observed in all treated animals. However, hepatic enzymes were not significantly affected and no histopathological harmful effects were observed in kidney.In conclusion, methanolic extracts ofA. africanusare safe up to 2,000 mg/kg BW. The obtained results could be used as a justification for the traditional application of the plant for treatment of various ailments.
Salticidae (Arachnida, Araneae) of Thailand: new species and records of Epeus Peckham & Peckham, 1886 and Ptocasius Simon, 1885
Authors: Patoleta Barbara Maria , Gardzińska Joanna , Żabka Marek
Published: June 2020

The study is based on new material from the collections of the Naturalis Biodiversity Centre in Leiden (RNHM) and the Hungarian Natural History Museum (HNHM) and addresses issues in two genera: Epeus Peckham & Peckham, 1886 and Ptocasius Simon, 1885 from Thailand. Both genera are of Asian/Indomalayan origin, the latter with a diversity hotspot in the subtropical valleys of the Himalayas. Based on morphological data, we propose three new species of Epeus (Epeus daiqini sp. nov. (♂♀), Epeus pallidus sp. nov. (♀), Epeus szirakii sp. nov. (♀)) and two new species of Ptacasius (Ptocasius metzneri sp. nov. (♂♀) and Ptocasius sakaerat sp. nov. (♀)). Additionally, we redescribed E. tener (Simon, 1877) and added photographs of morphological characters. The genus Ptocasius is redefined due to the inclusion of 37 species, previously included in Yaginumaella Prószyński, 1979. Relationships and distribution of both genera are discussed in reference to molecular, morphological and distributional data, published by other authors in recent years.
Dual Single‐Atomic Ni‐N4 and Fe‐N4 Sites Constructing Janus Hollow Graphene for Selective Oxygen Electrocatalysis
Authors: Chen Jiangyue , Li Hao , Fan Chuang , Meng Qingwei , Tang Yawen , Qiu Xiaoyu , Fu Gengtao , Ma Tianyi
Published: June 2020

Nitrogen‐coordinated metal single atoms in carbon have aroused extensive interest recently and have been growing as an active research frontier in a wide range of key renewable energy reactions and devices. Herein, a step‐by‐step self‐assembly strategy is developed to allocate nickel (Ni) and iron (Fe) single atoms respectively on the inner and outer walls of graphene hollow nanospheres (GHSs), realizing separate‐sided different single‐atom functionalization of hollow graphene. The Ni or Fe single atom is demonstrated to be coordinated with four N atoms via the formation of a Ni‐N4 or Fe‐N4 planar configuration. The developed Ni‐N4/GHSs/Fe‐N4 Janus material exhibits excellent bifunctional electrocatalytic performance, in which the outer Fe‐N4 clusters dominantly contribute to high activity toward the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), while the inner Ni‐N4 clusters are responsible for excellent activity toward the oxygen evolution reaction (OER). Density functional theory calculations demonstrate the structures and reactivities of Fe‐N4 and Ni‐N4 for the ORR and OER. The Ni‐N4/GHSs/Fe‐N4 endows a rechargeable Zn–air battery with excellent energy efficiency and cycling stability as an air‐cathode, outperforming that of the benchmark Pt/C+RuO2 air‐cathode. The current work paves a new avenue for precise control of single‐atom sites on carbon surface for the high‐performance and selective electrocatalysts.
Capacitive Organic Dye Removal by Block Copolymer Based Porous Carbon Fibers
Authors: Serrano Joel Marcos , Khan Assad U. , Liu Tianyu , Xu Zhen , Esker Alan R. , Liu Guoliang
Published: June 2020

Block copolymer based porous carbon fibers (PCFs) have hierarchical pores, high surface areas, and excellent electrical/ion conductivities. Herein, PCF is synthesized from poly(methyl methacrylate)‐block‐poly(acrylonitrile) and utilized for organic dye removal. The PCF contains hierarchical macro‐, meso‐, and micropores with a surface area of 780 m2 g−1. The electrosorptive behavior of PCF is well described by the Langmuir isotherm and the Weber–Morris model. Based on the model, the interconnected hierarchical pores contribute to easy accessibility of dye ions to the inner surface sites within PCF, resulting in a high electrosorption capacity of 1360 mg g−1, reaching ≈87% of the theoretical maximum. The PCF shows a capacity loss of <0.5% over ten cycles during a 240 h operation period. Thanks to the hierarchical pores that allow for rapid ion desorption, the PCF can easily be regenerated. Lastly, depending on the electrode configuration, the PCF can selectively remove anionic dye, cationic dye, or both. The findings herein provide a fundamental understanding of electrosorptive behavior of block copolymer based porous carbon fibers, enabling future development in filtration applications.
Scalable Construction of Hollow Multishell Co3O4 with Mitigated Interface Reconstruction for Efficient Lithium Storage
Authors: Li Junhao , Li Fangyuan , Liao Jinyun , Li Hao , Dang Dai , Liu Quanbing , Peng Hong‐Jie
Published: June 2020

To meet the growing needs for high‐capacity and/or high‐power energy storage systems, designing high‐performance lithium storage materials beyond traditional graphite anodes are crucial for lithium‐ion batteries. Cobalt oxide (Co3O4) as a potential anode material is proved to own a high theoretical capacity, but its practical application is always limited by the conflict between performance comprehensiveness and synthesis scalability. Herein, a uniform hollow multishell Co3O4 with high specific surface area is designed via a simple and scalable route based on inhomogeneous contraction. The mean diameter of precursor and inner structure are influenced by hydrothermal reaction time. Owing to the unique structure, the material exhibits high electrochemical performance for lithium storage. The as‐prepared hollow sphere delivers a high specific capacity of 1012 mAh g−1 at a current density of 445 mA g−1 even after 200 cycles. Moreover, the synthetic strategy is readily extendable for accurate construction of other desired energy storage materials.
Integrated Soft Optoelectronics for Wearable Health Monitoring
Authors: Biswas Shantonu , Shao Yitian , Hachisu Taku , Nguyen‐Dang Tung , Visell Yon
Published: June 2020

Recent developments in stretchable electronics hold promise to advance wearable technologies for health monitoring. Emerging techniques allow soft materials to serve as substrates and packaging for electronics, enabling devices to comply with and conform to the body, unlike conventional rigid electronics. However, few stretchable electronic devices achieve the high integration densities that are possible using conventional substrates, such as printed rigid or flexible circuit boards. Here, a new manufacturing method is presented for wearable soft health monitoring devices with high integration densities. It is shown how to fabricate soft electronics on rigid carrier substrates using microfabrication techniques in tandem with strain relief features. Together, these make it possible to integrate a large variety of surface mount components in complex stretchable circuits on thin polymer substrates. The method is largely compatible with existing industrial manufacturing processes. The promise of these methods is demonstrated by realizing skin‐interfaced devices for multimodal physiological data capture via multiwavelength optoelectronic sensor arrays comprised of light emitting diodes and phototransistors. The devices provide high signal‐to‐noise ratio measurements of peripheral hemodynamics, illustrating the promise of soft electronics for wearable health monitoring applications.
Enantioselective Heck‐Matsuda Reactions of Spirocyclopentenyl Hydantoins Directed by Non‐Covalent Interactions: Total Synthesis of the (S,S)‐VPC01091
Authors: de Oliveira Valdeir C. , de Oliveira Juliana M. , Menezes da Silva Vitor H. , Khan Ismat U. , Correia Carlos Roque D.
Published: June 2020

A highly efficient Heck‐Matsuda desymmetrization of unsaturated spirohydantoins directed by non‐covalent interactions, which allows the construction of two simultaneous stereogenic centers, including a trisubstituted quaternary one, is described. This Heck arylation permitted a novel enantioselective total synthesis of the S1PR1 agonist (also an S1PR3 antagonist) compound VPC01091, a potential drug for the treatment of multiple sclerosis. The broad scope of these enantioselective Heck‐Matsuda protocol provided several arylated spiro systems in yields ranging from 76% to 99%, with enantiomeric ratios (er) up to 97:3, and diastereoselectivities (dr) of >20:1 in all cases studied. The method uses only 2% of Pd(TFA)2 and 3 mol% of the chiral N,N‐ligand Pyrabox in short reaction times of 1–2 h. These enantioselective Heck arylations can also be carried out at the gram scale in high yields with no erosion of their diastereoselectivity or enantioselectivity. The key spiro Heck products (R,R)‐21 and (R,R)‐27 bearing an aryl iodide moiety or an aryl n‐octyl moiety were employed as starting materials for the total enantioselective syntheses of the (S,S)‐VPC01091, in overall yields of 20% and 22% respectively after 10 or 9 steps from the starting spirohydantoin, with an er>95:5. Computational analysis of the enantioselective Heck‐Matsuda desymmetrization supports the rationale involving a key non‐covalent interaction between the imide carbonyl of the spirohydantoin and the cationic palladium bounded to the chiral N,N‐ligand.

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Atomically Controlled Tunable Doping in High‐Performance WSe2 Devices
Authors: Pang Chin‐Sheng , Hung Terry Y. T. , Khosravi Ava , Addou Rafik , Wang Qingxiao , Kim Moon J. , Wallace Robert M. , Chen Zhihong
Published: June 2020

2D transitional metal dichalcogenide (TMD) field‐effect transistors are promising candidates for future electronic applications, owing to their potential for ultimate device scaling. However, it is acknowledged that substantial contact resistance associated with the contact‐TMD interface has impeded device performance to a large extent. It has been discovered that O2 plasma treatment can convert WSe2 into WO3−x and substantially improve contact resistances of p‐type WSe2 devices by strong doping induced thinner depletion width. In this paper, temperature dependence of this conversion is studied, demonstrating an oxidation process with a precise monolayer control at room temperature and multilayer conversion at elevated temperatures. Furthermore, lateral oxidation of WSe2 underneath contact revealed by high‐resolution scanning transmission electron microscope leads to potential unpinning of the metal Fermi level and Schottky barrier lowering, resulting in lower contact resistances. The p‐doping effect is attributed to the high electron affinity of the WO3−x layer on top of the remaining WSe2 channel, and the doping level is dependent on the WO3−x thickness that is controlled by the temperature. Comprehensive materials and electrical characterizations are presented, with a low contact resistance of ≈528 Ω μm and record high on‐state current of 320 μA μm−1 at −1 V bias being reported.
Cowpeas as a summer cover crop for forage rye
Authors: Aiosa M. L. , Neely C. B. , Morgan C. L. , Jessup R. W. , Corriher‐Olson V. A. , Somenahally A. C. , Norman K. D. , Smith G. R. , Rouquette F. M.
Published: June 2020

Cowpeas [Vigna unguiculate (L) Walp] as a summer cover crop have the potential to provide N to a cool‐season crop. The objectives of this study were to evaluate two cowpea cultivars grown as a cover crop to supply N for forage rye (Secale cereale L.) and to document cowpea N and C contributions to the soil. The 2‐yr study was conducted at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research Center at Overton on a Darco loamy fine sand (loamy, siliceous, semiactive, thermic Grossarenic Paleudult) during 2014–2016. Treatments were arranged in a split‐plot design with four replicates with cover crop as the main plot and N rate as subplot. Cover crop treatments included ‘Combine’ (COM) and ‘Iron and Clay’ (IAC) cowpeas and summer fallow. In late summer, cowpeas were incorporated as green manure, and four rates of fertilizer N were applied to rye. Total 2‐yr cowpea biomass incorporated as green manure was similar at 4,596 kg ha−1 and 5,058 kg ha−1 for IAC and COM, respectively. Cowpea was not effective as a green manure crop at providing N for rye biomass. Total soil N showed no difference (P ≥ .34) between cowpea entries or N rate within a soil depth. Each N rate increased rye biomass (P < .01) linearly (P < .001) in each year. Soil organic C from cowpeas increased about 6–8% over 2 yr. The extent of decomposition of cowpeas on the deep, sandy Darco soil limited nutrient transfer from cowpeas during this 2‐yr period.
A systematic approach to define flexibility in chemical engineering
Authors: Bruns Bastian , Herrmann Felix , Polyakova Maria , Grünewald Marcus , Riese Julia
Published: June 2020

Increasing economic and environmental challenges leads to the need for changes in the chemical industry. In this context, a promising approach is utilizing flexible apparatuses and flexible plants to react to changing boundary conditions. However, the concept of flexibility in chemical engineering, which originated in manufacturing, still lacks a comprehensive organization and categorization of different types of flexibility. Thus, in this work, the origin of flexibility in manufacturing is traced, and a literature overview on flexibility in chemical engineering is provided. Based on a subsequent cluster analysis, four types of flexibility are identified and defined. Furthermore, this work enables research on flexibility to be integrated into a general and consistent definition of flexibility. The definitions are applied to examples from literature to achieve comparability. While enabling the qualitative assessment of flexibility, this work identifies open research gaps regarding the quantification of flexibility.
Haploinsufficiency of Cyfip2 Causes Lithium‐Responsive Prefrontal Dysfunction
Authors: Lee Seung‐Hyun , Zhang Yinhua , Park Jina , Kim Bowon , Kim Yangsik , Lee Sang Hoon , Kim Gyu Hyun , Huh Yang Hoon , Lee Bokyoung , Kim Yoonhee , Lee Yeunkum , Kim Jin Yong , Kang Hyojin , Choi Su‐Yeon , Jang Seil , Li Yan , Kim Shinhyun , Jin Chunmei , Pang Kaifang , Kim Eunjeong , Lee Yoontae , Kim Hyun , Kim Eunjoon , Choi Jee Hyun , Kim Jeongjin , Lee Kea Joo , Choi Se‐Young , Han Kihoon
Published: June 2020

Objective

Genetic variants of the cytoplasmic FMR1‐interacting protein 2 (CYFIP2) encoding an actin‐regulatory protein are associated with brain disorders, including intellectual disability and epilepsy. However, specific in vivo neuronal defects and potential treatments for CYFIP2‐associated brain disorders remain largely unknown. Here, we characterized Cyfip2 heterozygous (Cyfip2+/−) mice to understand their neurobehavioral phenotypes and the underlying pathological mechanisms. Furthermore, we examined a potential treatment for such phenotypes of the Cyfip2+/− mice and specified a neuronal function mediating its efficacy.

Methods

We performed behavioral analyses of Cyfip2+/− mice. We combined molecular, ultrastructural, and in vitro and in vivo electrophysiological analyses of Cyfip2+/− prefrontal neurons. We also selectively reduced CYFIP2 in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of mice with virus injections.

Results

Adult Cyfip2+/− mice exhibited lithium‐responsive abnormal behaviors. We found increased filamentous actin, enlarged dendritic spines, and enhanced excitatory synaptic transmission and excitability in the adult Cyfip2+/− PFC that was restricted to layer 5 (L5) neurons. Consistently, adult Cyfip2+/− mice showed increased seizure susceptibility and auditory steady‐state responses from the cortical electroencephalographic recordings. Among the identified prefrontal defects, lithium selectively normalized the hyperexcitability of Cyfip2+/− L5 neurons. RNA sequencing revealed reduced expression of potassium channel genes in the adult Cyfip2+/− PFC. Virus‐mediated reduction of CYFIP2 in the PFC was sufficient to induce L5 hyperexcitability and lithium‐responsive abnormal behavior.

Interpretation

These results suggest that L5‐specific prefrontal dysfunction, especially hyperexcitability, underlies both the pathophysiology and the lithium‐mediated amelioration of neurobehavioral phenotypes in adult Cyfip2+/− mice, which can be implicated in CYFIP2‐associated brain disorders. ANN NEUROL 2020;88:526–543
NOx emissions of pulverized coal combustion in high‐temperature flue gas
Authors: Zhu Shujun , Zhu Jianguo , Lyu Qinggang
Published: June 2020

An improved high‐temperature flue gas combustion technology was developed and examined in this study. The high‐temperature flue gas generator generated a flow of flue gas at a high temperature (720°C) with low oxygen content (10%), which flowed into the main combustion zone and acted as the carrier gas for pulverized bituminous coal (0–0.355 mm) in the combustion chamber. In the combustion chamber, the coal particles reached a higher combustion temperature (>1,100°C) in a short time, and the temperature difference was within 230°C, which showed that the local oxidation zone had been avoided. Furthermore, air‐staging combustion technology was also adopted in combination with this technology. NO was the main nitrogen‐containing compound, and the concentrations of other nitrogen‐containing compounds (N2O, NH3, and HCN) were extremely low. The NO concentrations were reduced to 0 ppm twice when the volatiles released rapidly in the initial stage, and the volatiles burned violently in the intermediate stage, which are the main reasons for the significant reduction in NOx emissions. The original emissions of NOx were 187.2 mg/m3 (@6% O2), and the conversion ratio of fuel‐nitrogen to NOx was 16.6%. High‐temperature flue gas combustion technology has reached low‐NOx combustion for pulverized coal.
Application of multiplatform, multispectral remote sensors for mapping intertidal macroalgae: A comparative approach
Authors: Rossiter Thomas , Furey Thomas , McCarthy Timothy , Stengel Dagmar B.
Published: June 2020

Intertidal macroalgal communities are economically and ecologically important and, with a likely increase in anthropogenic pressures, there is need to evaluate and monitor these diverse habitats. Efforts to conserve and sustainably manage these habitats must be underpinned by accurate, cost‐effective, and efficient data collection methods. The high spatial and temporal resolution of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), compared with satellites and aircraft, combined with the development of lightweight sensors, provides researchers with a valuable set of tools to research intertidal macroalgal communities.

The ability of multispectral sensors, mounted on a satellite, an aircraft, and a UAV, to identify and accurately map the intertidal brown fucoid Ascophyllum nodosum (Fucales, Ochrophyta) at a site with a low species diversity of macroalgae were compared.

Visual analysis confirmed that the spatial resolution of satellite imagery was too coarse to map intertidal macroalgae as it could not capture the fine spatial patterns of the macroalgal community. High‐resolution RGB (colour) imagery, taken during the aircraft and UAV surveys, was used to collect training and reference data through the visual identification and digital delineation of species. Classes were determined based on the level of taxonomic detail that could be observed, with higher levels of taxonomic detail observed in the UAV imagery over the aircraft imagery. Data from both were used to train a maximum‐likelihood classifier (MLC).

The UAV imagery was able to more accurately classify a distinct A. nodosum class, along with other macroalgal and substratum classes (overall accuracy, OA, 92%), than the aerial imagery, which could only identify a lower taxonomic resolution of mixed A. nodosum and fucoid class, achieving a lower OA (78.9%). This study has demonstrated that in a coastal site with low macroalgal species diversity, and despite the spectral similarity of macroalgal species, UAV‐mounted multispectral sensors proved the most accurate for focused assessments of individual canopy‐forming species.
Analysis of structure and gene expression in developing kidneys of male and female rats exposed to low protein diets in utero
Authors: Wood‐Bradley Ryan J. , Henry Sarah L. , Barrand Sanna , Giot Anais , Eipper Luke , Bertram John F. , Cullen‐McEwen Luise A. , Armitage James A.
Published: June 2020

A maternal low protein (LP) diet in rodents often results in low nephron endowment and renal pathophysiology in adult life, with outcomes often differing between male and female offspring. Precisely how a maternal LP diet results in low nephron endowment is unknown. We conducted morphological and molecular studies of branching morphogenesis and nephrogenesis to identify mechanisms and timepoints that might give rise to low nephron endowment. Sprague–Dawley rats were fed a normal protein (19.4% protein, NP) or LP (9% protein) diet for 3 weeks prior to mating and throughout gestation. Embryonic day 14.25 (E14.25) kidneys from males and females were either cultured for 2 days after which branching morphogenesis was quantified, or frozen for gene expression analysis. Real‐time PCR was used to quantify expression of key nephrogenesis and branching morphogenesis genes at E14.25 and 17.25. At E17.25, nephron number was determined in fixed tissue. There was no effect of either maternal diet or sex on branching morphogenesis. Nephron number at E17.25 was 14% lower in male and female LP offspring than in NP controls. At E14.25 expression levels of genes involved in branching morphogenesis (Gfrα1, Bmp4, Gdnf) and nephrogenesis (Hnf4a, Pax2, Wnt4) were similar in the dietary groups, but significant differences between sexes were identified. At E17.25, expression of Gfrα1, Gdnf, Bmp4, Pax2 and Six2 was lower in LP offspring than NP offspring, in both male and female offspring. These findings provide new insights into how a LP diet leads to low nephron endowment and renal sexual dimorphism.
DNA Methylation and Brain‐Derived Neurotrophic Factor Expression Account for Symptoms and Widespread Hyperalgesia in Patients With Chronic Fatigue Syndrome and Comorbid Fibromyalgia
Authors: Polli Andrea , Ghosh Manosij , Bakusic Jelena , Ickmans Kelly , Monteyne Dora , Velkeniers Brigitte , Bekaert Bram , Godderis Lode , Nijs Jo
Published: June 2020

Objective

The epigenetics of neurotrophic factors holds the potential to unravel the mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of complex conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). This study was undertaken to explore the role of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) genetics, epigenetics, and protein expression in patients with both CFS and comorbid fibromyalgia (CFS/FM).

Methods

A repeated‐measures study was conducted in 54 participants (28 patients with CFS/FM and 26 matched healthy controls). Participants underwent a comprehensive assessment, including questionnaires, sensory testing, and blood withdrawal. Serum BDNF (sBDNF) protein levels were measured using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, while polymorphism and DNA methylation were measured in blood using pyrosequencing technology. To assess the temporal stability of the measures, participants underwent the same assessment twice within 4 days.

Results

Repeated‐measures mixed linear models were used for between‐group analysis, with mean differences and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) shown. Compared to controls, serum BNDF was higher in patients with CFS/FM (F = 15.703; mean difference 3.31 ng/ml [95% CI 1.65, 4.96]; P = 0.001), whereas BDNF DNA methylation in exon 9 was lower (F = 7.543; mean difference −2.16% [95% CI −3.93, −0.83]; P = 0.007). BDNF DNA methylation was mediated by the Val66Met (rs6265) polymorphism. Lower methylation in the same region predicted higher sBDNF levels (F = 7.137, β = −0.408 [95% CI −0.711, −0.105]; P = 0.009), which in turn predicted participants’ symptoms (F = 14.410, β = 3.747 [95% CI 1.79, 5.71]; P = 0.001) and widespread hyperalgesia (F = 4.147, β = 0.04 [95% CI 0.01, 0.08]; P = 0.044).

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that sBDNF levels are elevated in patients with CFS/FM and that BDNF methylation in exon 9 accounts for the regulation of protein expression. Altered BDNF levels might represent a key mechanism explaining CFS/FM pathophysiology.
New Therapeutic Targets in Antineutrophil Cytoplasm Antibody–Associated Vasculitis
Authors: Prendecki Maria , McAdoo Stephen P.
Published: June 2020

Antineutrophil cytoplasm antibody (ANCA)–associated vasculitis (AAV) is a rare systemic autoimmune disease that is characterized by necrotizing inflammation of predominantly the small blood vessels and the presence of circulating ANCAs directed against myeloperoxidase or proteinase 3. Current treatment strategies for severe disease, supported by the findings of several well‐coordinated randomized controlled trials, aim to induce remission with high‐dose glucocorticoids and either rituximab or cyclophosphamide, followed by relapse prevention with a period of sustained low‐dose treatment. This approach has dramatically improved outcomes in AAV; however, a significant proportion of patients develop serious treatment‐related side effects or experience relapse. Recent advances in our understanding of the pathogenesis of AAV have led to the identification of novel therapeutic targets that may address these problems, including strategies directed at the aberrant adaptive autoimmune response (B and T cell–directed treatments) and those targeting innate immune elements (complement, monocytes, and neutrophils). It is anticipated that these novel treatments, used alone or in combination, will lead to more effective and less toxic treatment regimens for patients with AAV.
Hyperbranched Poly(ester‐enamine) from Spontaneous Amino‐yne Click Reaction for Stabilization of Gold Nanoparticle Catalysts
Authors: Yang Dong , Liu Pei , Lin Wanran , Sui Shanglin , Huang Long‐Biao , Xu Ben Bin , Kong Jie
Published: June 2020

Hyperbranched polymers have garnered much attention due to attractive properties and wide applications, such as drug‐controlled release, stimuli‐responsive nano‐objects, photosensitive materials and catalysts. Herein, two types of novel hyperbranched poly(ester‐enamine) (hb‐PEEa) were designed and synthesized via the spontaneous amino‐yne click reaction of A2 monomer (1, 3‐bis(4‐piperidyl)‐propane (A2a) or piperazine (A2b)) and B3 monomer (trimethylolpropanetripropiolate). According to Flory's hypothesis, gelation is an intrinsic problem in an ideal A2+B3 polymerization system. By controlling the polymerization conditions, such as monomer concentration, molar ratio and rate of addition, a non‐ideal A2+B3 polymerization system can be established to avoid gelation and to synthesize soluble hb‐PEEa. Due to abundant unreacted alkynyl groups in periphery, the hb‐PEEa can be further functionalized by different amino compounds or their derivates. The as‐prepared amphiphilic PEG‐hb‐PEEa copolymer can readily self‐assemble into micelles in water, which can be used as surfactant to stabilize Au nanoparticles (AuNPs) during reduction of NaBH4 in aqueous solution. As a demonstration, the as‐prepared PEG‐hb‐PEEa‐supported AuNPs demonstrate good dispersion in water, solvent stability and remarkable catalytic activity for reduction of nitrobenzene compounds.