bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Z Zurich Foundation
Authors: Pickford Helen Campbell , Nash David , Ellis Justine Esta
Published: April 2021

Zurich is one of the world’s leading insurance groups with a mission to help customers to ‘understand and protect themselves from risks’. It is seeking to reduce flood risk through preventive action and in 2013 it launched a global flood resilience programme. This involved building partnerships with several organizations including the Red Cross and Red Crescent, and Wharton Business School. It runs interventions with communities in Mexico, Indonesia, Nepal, Peru, and Bangladesh. Zurich believes that for every dollar spent on flood risk reduction, five dollars are saved through avoided and reduced losses.
Employment Rights and Duties, Statutory Office Holders, and Volunteers
Authors: George Elizabeth , Jackson Karen
Published: April 2021

This chapter examines Part 5 of the Equality Act 2010, which prohibits discrimination, harassment, and victimization in employment and analogous situations. It contains provisions regarding those who are not strictly employees but who are also protected from discrimination in the course of performing their duties such as police officers, partners, barristers and advocates, and other office holders. Part 5 also contains the Occupational Pension Schemes provisions. Meanwhile, Chapter 3 of Part 5 contains the provisions relating to equal pay, pregnancy and maternity pay, restrictions on pay discussions, and gender pay gap information. The Act consolidates and replaces the previous anti-discrimination legislation which is largely replicated in the Act, with some notable amendments. These amendments are intended to unify the level of protection across all of the protected characteristics and to resolve any anomalies, for example around disability-related discrimination.
Premises
Authors: Casserley Catherine
Published: April 2021

This chapter assesses provisions relating to premises. The provisions for premises are contained in Part 4 of the Equality Act 2010 and are heavy in legislative detail and remain relatively light on case law. Part 4 of the Act sets out what is unlawful in relation to premises. It is concerned with the sale, leasing, and management of all premises, both residential and commercial. It applies to both the public and the private sector in their roles relating to the disposal and management of premises. However, the premises provisions do not apply to the protected characteristics of age and marriage and civil partnership. There are also provisions to ensure that there is no overlap between the premises provisions and other parts of the Act. Thus, the premises provisions do not apply to discrimination, harassment, or victimization that is prohibited by Part 5 (work), or Part 6 (education), or would be prohibited but for an express exception.
Public Procurement and Transparency in the Private Sector
Authors: Brown Tom
Published: April 2021

This chapter begins by considering public procurement in the context of equality duties. The United Kingdom government has not used the Equality Act 2010’s regulation-making powers to impose specific statutory public procurement equality duties in England, but the Welsh and Scottish Ministers have made such regulations. Equality considerations are nonetheless relevant considerations in a public authority’s public procurement decisions as part of the general public sector equality duty in section 149 of the Act. The extent to which equality can (and should) be taken into account in the public procurement process is also, therefore, relevant to private undertakings which might wish to tender for the provision of goods or services to public authorities. The chapter then addresses the provisions in the Act intended to improve transparency in the private sector by prohibiting clauses which prevent employees discussing their pay. The Act introduced, in section 78, a power to make regulations which would impose a requirement on businesses to report on gender pay differences.
International Obligations and The Human Rights Act
Authors: Reading Peter
Published: April 2021

This chapter explains how the Equality Act 2010 has a direct relationship with the UK’s international human rights obligations at regional and global levels in the European Union (EU), the Council of Europe, and the United Nations (UN). It is thus vital to the understanding, interpretation, and application of the Act to appreciate how it interacts with: EU equality and human rights law, before and after the UK ceasing its membership of the European Union (Brexit); the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act 1998 (HRA) which implements the ECHR; and the key United Nations Conventions which relate to issues of equality of particular groups. The UK’s membership of the EU ended on 31 January 2020. This will have a fundamental effect on the application of EU equality and human rights law to the Act. It should be noted, however, that the UK’s departure from the EU does not in any way affect its membership of the Council of Europe, or being a party to the ECHR. The ECHR has been implemented into the UK’s domestic law by the enactment of the HRA.
Foundational Patents in Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Zingg Raphael
Published: April 2021

Despite advocating openness, technology leaders have been patenting artificial intelligence (AI) inventions at an exponentially increasing rate. Patents on foundational techniques with broad applications have the potential to deter innovation in the field, should the privatization of key components of artificial intelligence be used to exclude third-party innovators. This chapter studies patent applications in the US and demonstrates the extent to which the field has grown over the last twenty years. It then seeks to explore foundational patents by focusing on triadic patents: patents filed jointly with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, the European Patent Office, and the Japanese Patent Office. The results of this chapter indicate an increasingly globalized AI field. A proverbial land grab seems to be occurring; an increase in AI patenting, particularly the protection of triadic patents, illustrates industry players aggressively attempting to own the building blocks of a rapidly emerging market. A number of policy levers are presented, highlighting how the patent offices and courts can counter the patenting of foundational patents by relying on strict and narrow patentability standards.
Computer-generated Works under the CDPA 1988
Authors: Lee Jyh-An
Published: April 2021

Copyright protection in some commonwealth jurisdictions extends to computer-generated works. Although many scholars deem the right over computer-generated works to be a neighbouring right, it is still not clear under what circumstances a work is a computer-generated work. With the increasing application of artificial intelligence (AI), the copyright controversies associated with computer-generated works have become even more complicated. This chapter focuses on policy and legal issues surrounding the output of AI and copyright protection of computer-generated work under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (CDPA) 1988 in the UK. The CDPA approach to computer-generated work deviates from the mainstream international copyright practices, where human creativity is essential for authorship and copyright protection. From a policy perspective, it is important to explore whether this deviation can be justified. This chapter also investigates authorship issues concerning computer-generated works based on case law and its application, in particular who the person making the necessary arrangements is, and what the necessary arrangements in the AI environment are. Other issues relevant to computer-generated work, such as copyright term and joint authorship will be analysed as well.
Copyright Exceptions Reform and AI Data Analysis in ChinaA Modest Proposal
Authors: He Tianxiang
Published: April 2021

The development of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is firmly connected to the availability of big data. However, using data sets involving copyrighted works for AI analysis or data mining without authorization will incur risks of copyright infringement. Considering the fact that incomplete data collection may lead to data bias, and since it is impossible for the user of AI technology to obtain a copyright licence from each and every right owner of the copyrighted works used, a mechanism that can free the data from copyright restrictions under certain conditions is needed. In the case of China, it is crucial to check whether China’s current copyright exception model can take on the role and offer that kind of function. This chapter suggests that a special AI analysis and data mining copyright exception that follows a semi-open style should be added to the current exceptions list under the Copyright Law of China.
On the Road Again
Authors: Lindheim Sara H.
Published: April 2021

The space of empire also plays a starring role in Tibullus’ elegies; his obsession emerges around the word via, the road. It is not a great leap to assert that the road and the space of empire are inextricably intertwined. On the one hand, for Tibullus, the road and by extension the geographic expanse of empire are the root of all evils. Mobility belongs to the male world of commerce, exploration, and war—all activities he sets up in direct opposition to love. On the other hand, however, much as Tibullus struggles to divorce amor from the road, in particular, a dark and unholy alliance emerges between the two. Although he wishes to establish empire and amor as separate and opposing categories, bounded, fixed, and distinct, the fines do not hold. Characteristics of the man of politics, the warrior, and the merchant, players in the game of empire, turn up with increasing frequency as characteristics of the lover. And in the end, the viae appear on the very body of the puella, emblazoned on her most elegiac Coan clothing. Tibullus offers up a vision of the fallibility of fines, where things spill over the boundaries into places they are least welcome.
Conclusion
Authors: Lindheim Sara H.
Published: April 2021

The conclusion takes a final, closer look at empire’s toll on the subject in elegy. The juxtaposition of the puella of erotic elegy with the exiled Ovid in Chapter 5 highlights the differences between the ways that the aggressive pressure on Roman fines affect our textual characters. For the puellae, from Catullus to Ovid, the encounter, without fail, has consequences at the level of the body, although the specific manifestation is different in each text (or set of texts). The effects are not the same for the masculine subject. His corporeal self escapes the pressures, but as a subject he comes, or threatens to come, unhinged, incoherent, unstable.
Republic
Authors: Storey Mark
Published: April 2021

This chapter is the first of two “foundations” that form the second part of the book. Starting with an analysis of the analogies drawn between Donald Trump and Roman emperors across the mediascape of 2016, it introduces the temporal and political relationship between the Roman and American republics, via the work of Hannah Arendt and Ian Baucom. It then moves backwards through American history, from the twenty-first to the eighteenth centuries, bringing in a wide range of American writers: Ursula Le Guin, John Williams, Upton Sinclair, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, Louisa McCord, Mercy Otis Warren, and several others. Keeping the Roman analogy at the heart of its discussions, this chapter ultimately demonstrates the ways in which writers generate networks of coeval connection between ancient past and modern present in order to variously uphold and break down the seemingly contingent political, social, and racial logics of American empire.
Slave
Authors: Storey Mark
Published: April 2021

Twinned with the first chapter, this takes up the subject of American slavery and its intricate connections to the political philosophies of Roman slavery. The subject here is both the racialized figure of the Atlantic slave trade and the metaphorized “slave” as the coerced and oppressed subject of capitalist modernity. Engaging with the fields of Black classicism and theoretical history, the chapter begins with the photography of Carrie Mae Weems before moving into a series of textual engagements with the Roman slave: Toni Morrison, Howard Fast, Ralph Ellison, W. E. B. Du Bois, and Robert Montgomery Bird all feature, amongst a host of other writers. The chapter argues that Rome has proved to be a way of suturing the embodied and contingent experience of American slavery and subjugation into a fuller apprehension of imperial sovereignty and its long-term conditions.
{ Epilogue }
Authors: Storey Mark
Published: April 2021

This short concluding chapter considers the direction of Roman analogies in American political commentary by returning—via Twitter—to the Iraq War and the newest narratives of America’s Roman comparisons. The book’s central arguments and ideas are summarized at this moment at the “end of American empire,” seeing historical time not as a line of progress, or a circle of repetition, or even as layers of experience, but as a constellation of points between American history and Roman antiquity. The Great Seal of the United States serves as a telling closing symbol of the temporalities generated by historical analogies, and the imperial shape of America’s Roman redux.
GRAS transcription factor LOSS OF AXILLARY MERISTEMS is essential for stamen and runner formation in wild strawberry
Authors: Feng Jia , Cheng Laichao , Zhu Zhenying , Yu Feiqi , Dai Cheng , Liu Zhongchi , Guo Wen-Wu , Wu Xiao-Meng , Kang Chunying
Published: April 2021

Axillary bud development is a major factor that impacts plant architecture. A runner is an elongated shoot that develops from axillary bud and is frequently used for clonal propagation of strawberry. However, the genetic control underlying runner production is largely unknown. Here, we identified and characterized loss of axillary meristems (lam), an ethyl methanesulfonate-induced mutant of the diploid woodland strawberry (Fragaria vesca) that lacked stamens in flowers and had reduced numbers of branch crowns and runners. The reduced branch crown and runner phenotypes were caused by a failure of axillary meristem initiation. The causative mutation of lam was located in FvH4_3g41310, which encodes a GRAS transcription factor, and was validated by a complementation test. lamCR mutants generated by CRISPR/Cas9 produced flowers without stamens and had fewer runners than the wild-type. LAM was broadly expressed in meristematic tissues. Gibberellic acid (GA) application induced runner outgrowth from the remaining buds in lam, but failed to do so at the empty axils of lam. In contrast, treatment with the GA biosynthesis inhibitor paclobutrazol converted the runners into branch crowns. Moreover, genetic studies indicated that lam is epistatic to suppressor of runnerless (srl), a mutant of FveRGA1 in the GA pathway, during runner formation. Our results demonstrate that LAM is required for stamen and runner formation and acts sequentially with GA from bud initiation to runner outgrowth, providing insights into the molecular regulation of these economically important organs in strawberry.
Nambu dynamics and hydrodynamics of granular material
Authors: Sugamoto Akio , Bamba Kazuharu , Kawamura Tetuya , Kuwana Anna , Nagata Yusaku , Saitou Mayumi
Published: April 2021

On the basis of the intimate relation between Nambu dynamics and hydrodynamics, hydrodynamics on a non-commutative space (obtained by the quantization of space), proposed by Nambu in his last work, is formulated as hydrodynamics of granular material. In Sect. 2, the quantization of space is done using a Moyal product, and the hydrodynamic simulation is performed for the thus-obtained 2D fluid, which flows inside a channel with an obstacle. The obtained results differ between two cases in which the size of a fluid particle is zero and finite. The difference seems to come from the behavior of vortices generated by an obstacle. In Sect. 3, considering a vortex as a string, two models are examined; one is the hybrid model in which vortices interact with each other by exchanging Kalb–Ramond fields (a generalization of stream functions), and the other is the more general string field theory in which the Kalb–Ramond field is one of the excitation modes of string oscillations. In the string field theory, an Altarelli–Parisi-type evolution equation is introduced. This is expected to describe the response of the distribution function of a vortex inside turbulence, when the energy scale is changed. The behavior of viscosity differs in string theory compared with particle theory, so that the Landau theory of fluids to introduce viscosity may be modified. In conclusion, hydrodynamics and string theory are almost identical theories. It should be noted, however, that the string theory needed to reproduce a given hydrodynamics is not the usual string theory.
Industrial Elites, Philanthrocapitalism and the Institutionalisation of Visiting Nursing in Interwar Luxembourg
Authors: Dittrich Klaus
Published: April 2021

In the Grand-Duchy of Luxembourg, rapid industrialisation since the late nineteenth century raised awareness of multiple public health issues, most urgently the wide spread of tuberculosis among the working population. Representatives of Luxembourg’s steel elite made use of private welfare organisations in order to implement their vision of public health philanthropy. Focusing on the introduction of visiting nurses in the early 1920s, this article discusses how Luxembourg appropriated new ideas and practices of public health that circulated globally in the wake of WWI. Young women were sent abroad to receive a nursing education. After their return to Luxembourg, the professional experience of these visiting nurses was characterised by hard work in anti-tuberculosis and infant dispensaries. While bringing the latest public health innovations to Luxembourg, the industrial philanthropy subjugated the nursing apparatus to private interests and forged and stabilised socio-economic patterns that worked to the advantage of the steel industry.
Guernsey foundations—an update
Authors: Kapp Natasha , Arstall Laila
Published: April 2021

The Guernsey foundation has proven to be a unique, highly adaptable and flexible vehicle, and a number of extremely high value and innovative Guernsey foundations have been established to date. The ‘Private Trust Foundation’ is an attractive alternative to the classic private trust company structure; and Guernsey foundations are growing in popularity as vehicles for the structuring of international philanthropic giving. There is an increasing trend of migration of foundations to Guernsey from other jurisdictions. A Guernsey foundation is treated as a company for Guernsey tax purposes but is not subject to substance regulations.
The impact of maternal genetic merit and country of origin on ewe reproductive performance, lambing performance, and ewe survival
Authors: Fetherstone Nicola , McHugh Nóirín , Boland Tommy M , McGovern Fiona M
Published: April 2021

The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of the ewe’s maternal genetic merit and country of origin [New Zealand (NZ) or Ireland] on ewe reproductive, lambing, and productivity traits. The study was performed over a 4-yr period (2016–2019) and consisted of three genetic groups: high maternal genetic merit (NZ), high maternal genetic merit Irish (High Irish), and low maternal genetic merit Irish (Low Irish) ewes. Each group contained 30 Suffolk and 30 Texel ewes, selected based on the respective national maternal genetic indexes; i.e., either the NZ Maternal Worth (NZ group) or the €uro-star Replacement index (Irish groups). The impact of maternal genetic merit on reproductive traits such as litter size; lambing traits such as gestation length, birth weight, lambing difficulty, mothering ability; and productivity traits such as the number of lambs born and weaned was analyzed using linear mixed models. For binary traits, the impact of maternal genetic merit on reproductive traits such as conception to first artificial insemination (AI) service; lambing traits such as dystocia and perinatal lamb mortality; and productivity traits such as ewe survival was analyzed using logistic regression. NZ ewes outperformed Low Irish ewes for conception to first AI (P < 0.05) and litter size (P = 0.05). Irish ewes were more likely to suffer from dystocia [6.84 (High Irish) and 8.25 (Low Irish) times] compared to NZ ewes (P < 0.001); birth weight and perinatal mortality did not differ between groups (P > 0.05). Lambs born from NZ ewes were 4.67 [95% confidence interval (CI): 1.89–11.55; P < 0.001] and 6.54 (95% CI: 2.56–16.71; P<0.001) times more likely to stand up and suckle unassisted relative to lambs born from High or Low Irish ewes, respectively. NZ and High Irish ewes had a greater number of lambs born and weaned throughout the duration of the study compared to their Low Irish counterparts (P<0.001). NZ ewes tended to be more likely to survive from one year to the next compared with Low Irish ewes (P=0.07). Irish ewes of high maternal genetic merit outperformed their low counterparts in total number of lambs born and weaned per ewe, but performance did not differ across other traits investigated. This highlights the importance of continuous development of the Irish maternal sheep index to ensure favorable improvements in reproductive, lambing, and productivity traits at the farm level. Overall, results demonstrate the suitability of NZ genetics in an Irish production system.
Mentoring Migrants for Labor Market Integration: Policy Insights from a Survey of Mentoring Theory and Practice
Authors: Bagnoli Lisa , Estache Antonio
Published: April 2021

The vast majority of international migrants from developing countries are of working age. And yet, their integration in the formal local labor market of their host countries continues to be a challenge. This paper reviews the scope of mentoring programs as a more systematic policy instrument to facilitate the integration of migrants into the labor market. It synthesizes the multidisciplinary academic research on mentoring. The review highlights the diversity of outcomes indicators and the relevance of context in the choice of mentoring program design. Determinants of success include the personal characteristics of the mentee and of the mentor and the efforts to match them but also the efforts made to account for the human, institutional, financial, and political context in the overall design of programs. Despite the significant progress achieved in understanding the determinants of mentoring effectiveness, the survey shows that there are still many sources of uncertainty on the optimal design of mentoring programs. This justifies a research agenda in a field with growing and significant political and social prominence of direct relevance to both developed and developing countries.
Combined Use of Aspirin and Statin is Associated With a Decreased Incidence of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Singh Jasleen , Wozniak Amy , Cotler Scott J. , Dhanarajan Asha , Aldrich Daniel , Park David , Kasia Chris , Schmidt Benjamin , Scaglione Steven
Published: April 2021

Background:

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is a leading cause of cancer and cancer-related mortality worldwide. Studies have suggested that aspirin (ASA) and statins may be associated with a decrease in incident HCC.

Goals:

We aimed to evaluate the effect of ASA and statin use on the incidence of HCC in a prospective cohort of patients with liver cirrhosis and to identify if there was an increased risk of esophageal variceal hemorrhage (VH) in patients with ASA use.

Study:

We conducted a retrospective study of 521 patients with data collected from July 1, 2012 to December 31, 2017. We used competing risk analysis to assess the association between risk factors and HCC; and the association between ASA and VH.

Results:

ASA use alone was associated with a decreased incidence of HCC in the univariate and multivariate models; [hazard ratio (HR) confidence interval (CI): 0.348 (0.124-0.976); P=0.0448] and [HR (CI): 0.266 (0.094-0.755); P=0.0129, respectively]. The combination of ASA and statin use was associated with a decreased hazard of HCC [HR (CI): 0.15 (0.036-0.624); P=0.0090] and this remained statistically significant in the multivariable model [HR (CI): 0.113 (0.026-0.483); P=0.0033]. Among daily ASA users compared with non-users, there was not a significant increase in risk of VH.

Conclusions:

Daily ASA use was associated with a decrease risk of incident HCC. The combination of daily ASA use and statin use decreased the risk of incident HCC suggesting there is beneficial interaction. Finally, no excess VH was observed in daily ASA users compared with non-users.
Global adverse events reported for direct-acting antiviral therapies for the treatment of hepatitis C: an analysis of the World Health Organization VigiBase
Authors: Hayes Kaleen N. , Burkard Theresa , Weiler Stefan , Tadrous Mina , Burden Andrea M.
Published: April 2021

Background

Direct-acting antivirals (DAAs) have transformed the treatment of hepatitis C infection (HCV) globally. Exploratory studies to identify potential rare adverse drug events associated with DAAs to optimize their use are scarce.

Objective

We aimed to describe the most common serious DAA-associated adverse drug reaction (ADR) reports overall and by DAA regimen.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of post-market ADRs associated with DAA therapy using VigiBase, the global database of the WHO Programme for International Drug Monitoring. Reports occurring between 2013 and 2020 in which an eligible DAA brand or regimen was reported as the suspect drug were included and described. Reports of concomitant ribavirin or interferon use were excluded. The top 25 events for all reports where the outcome was indicated as ‘serious’ or ‘life-threatening’ were described overall and by drug regimen.

Results

We identified 56 636 global ADR reports [45% women, 38% ledipasvir/sofosbuvir use, 67% from USA/Canada, average patient age 57 (SD 13) years]. Overall, 3.8% of reports described a life-threatening event or death. Unexpected ADRs included major pulmonary (dyspnea, pneumonia, and respiratory failure) and cardiac (myocardial infarction and cardiac arrest) events.

Comment

When examining all serious ADRs for DAAs globally, unexpected pulmonary and cardiac events were identified and may be of interest for further research on DAA safety. Future studies must examine population-level risk of ADRs for DAA therapies while accounting for confounding by indication, comorbidities, and stage of HCV disease.
Competing tissue-specific functions for the Tribbles-1 plasma lipid associated locus
Authors: Hu Krista Y. , Bauer Robert C.
Published: April 2021

Purpose of review

The pseudokinase Tribbles-1 (TRIB1) remains the focus of intense research since genome-wide association studies (GWAS) associated it with multiple cardiometabolic traits in humans, including plasma lipids and atherosclerosis. This review highlights recent advances in understanding the function of TRIB1 and what outstanding questions remain.

Recent findings

Studies performed in a myeloid-specific Trib1 mouse model show that Trib1 contributes to foam cell formation, underscoring the importance of continued research into tissue-specific functions of TRIB1. Investigations of TRIB1 function in a 3D hepatic organoid model demonstrate that hepatic TRIB1 functions elucidated in mouse models are recapitulated in these organoid systems. Lastly, a recent study showed berberine, an existing lipid-lowering drug, to be acting via a TRIB1-dependent mechanism, highlighting both a novel regulator of TRIB1 expression and the potential of studying TRIB1 through existing therapeutics.

TRIB1 remains one of the more fascinating loci to arise from cardiometabolic GWAS, given the constellation of traits it associates with. As genetic studies continue to link TRIB1 to metabolic phenotypes, more functional research on tissue-specific TRIB1, regulation of TRIB1 and its function in current therapies, as well as the reproduction of results from mice in human contexts are all necessary to increase our understanding of TRIB1 and its relevance.
A 3-Year-Old Girl With Recent Onset of Seizures and Asymmetric Hypermetabolic Activity on 18F-FDG PET/CT
Authors: Hayrapetian Artineh , Dambroz Andrezza , Seyedroudbari Ameen , Schelbert Heinrich , Gupta Pawan
Published: April 2021

A 3-year-old, previously healthy girl started having clusters of seizures, not responsive to multiple antiepileptic medications. High-dose prednisone and intravenous immunoglobulin could partially control the seizures. Lumbar puncture and CT were normal. An MRI showed right hemispheric injury and atrophy compatible with clinical suspicion of Rasmussen encephalitis. Neurological 18F-FDG PET/CT demonstrated asymmetric hypermetabolic activity in the right frontal and parietal lobes compatible with active inflammation. The patient underwent a right functional hemispherectomy, which confirmed clinical suspicion of Rasmussen encephalitis. During the follow-up, the patient has continued to take phenobarbital and levetiracetam (Keppra), with no recurrence of seizures.
Vibrio ziniensis sp. nov., isolated from mangrove sediments
Authors: Wu Jie , Qu Wu , Lai Qiliang , Pei Shengxiang , Zhang Tianyou , Zhuang Yan , Chan Zhuhua , Zeng Runying
Published: April 2021

A novel Gram-staining-negative, catalase- and oxidase-positive, facultatively anaerobic and rod-shaped motile bacterial strain, designated as ZWAL4003T, was isolated from mangrove sediments of the Zini Mangrove Forest, Zhangzhou City, PR China. Phylogenetic analysis based on its 16S rRNA gene sequence indicated that ZWAL4003T was grouped into a separated branch with

Vibrio plantisponsor

MSSRF60T (97.38% nucleotide sequence identity) and

Vibrio diazotrophicus

NBRC 103148T (97.27%). The major cellular fatty acids were C14 : 0 (12.6%), C16 : 0 (17.6%), and summed feature 3 (C16 : 1ω6c /C16 : 1 ω7c, 45.6%). Its genome had a length of 4650556 bp with 42.8% DNA G+C content, and contained genes involved in the biosynthesis of bacteriocin, β-lactone, resorcinol, N-acyl amino acid, and arylpolyene. The in silico DNA–DNA hybridization and average nucleotide identity values for whole-genome sequence comparisons between ZWAL4003T and

V. plantisponsor

LMG 24470T were clearly below the thresholds used for the delineation of a novel species. The morphological and chemotaxonomic characteristics and the genotypic data of ZWAL4003T indicated that it represented a novel species of the genus

Vibrio

. Its proposed name is Vibrio ziniensis sp. nov., and the type strain is ZWAL4003T (=KCTC 72971T=MCCC 1A17474T).
Brevilactibacter coleopterorum sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of the dark diving beetle Hydrophilus acuminatus, and Weissella coleopterorum sp. nov., isolated from the intestine of the diving beetle Cybister lewisianus
Authors: Hyun Dong-Wook , Lee June-Young , Sung Hojun , Kim Pil Soo , Jeong Yun-Seok , Lee Jae-Yun , Yun Ji-Hyun , Choi Jee-Won , Han Jeong Eun , Lee So-Yeon , Tak Euon Jung , Kim Hyun Sik , Bae Jin-Woo
Published: April 2021

A polyphasic taxonomic approach was used to characterize two novel bacterial strains, designated as HDW11T and HDW19T, isolated from intestine samples of the dark diving beetle Hydrophilus acuminatus and the diving beetle Cybister lewisianus, respectively. Both isolates were Gram-stain-positive, facultatively anaerobic and non-motile. Strain HDW11T grew optimally at 30 °C, pH 8 and in the presence of 1% (w/v) NaCl. Strain HDW19T grew optimally at 25 °C, pH 7 and in the presence of 0.3% (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences and genome sequences revealed that strain HDW11T is a member of the genus

Brevilactibacter

and is closely related to

Brevilactibacter flavus

VG341T [with 97.9% 16S rRNA sequence identity and 79.1% average nucleotide identity (ANI)], and that strain HDW19T belongs to the genus

Weissella

and is closely related to

W. koreensis

KCTC 3621T (with 98.9% 16S rRNA sequence identity and 79.5% ANI). The major cellular fatty acids of strains HDW11T and HDW19T were C18:1
ω9c and anteiso-C15:0, respectively. The sole respiratory quinone of strain HDW11T was MK-9 (H4). The major polar lipid components of strain HDW11T were diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylglycerol, and the major polar lipid component of strain HDW19T was diphosphatidylglycerol. The genomic DNA G+C content of strains HDW11T and HDW19T were 72.1 and 37.2 mol%, respectively. The results of phylogenetic, phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic analyses suggest that strain HDW11T represents a novel species within the genus

Brevilactibacter

, and that strain HDW19T represents a novel species within the genus

Weissella

. We propose the name Brevilactibacter coleopterorum sp. nov. for strain HDW11T (=KACC 21335T=KCTC 49320T=JCM 33680T) and the name Weissella coleopterorum for strain HDW19T (=KACC 21347T=KCTC 43114T=JCM 33684T).
Paenibacillus foliorum sp. nov., Paenibacillus phytohabitans sp. nov., Paenibacillus plantarum sp. nov., Paenibacillus planticolens sp. nov., Paenibacillus phytorum sp. nov. and Paenibacillus germinis sp. nov., isolated from the Arabidopsis thaliana phyllosphere
Authors: Qi Shan Shan , Cnockaert Margo , Carlier Aurélien , Vandamme Peter A.
Published: April 2021

Six endospore-forming, Gram-stain-positive or variable, motile, rod-shaped, aerobic or facultatively anaerobic bacteria with different MALDI-TOF mass spectra (MS) were isolated from the phyllosphere of Arabidopsis thaliana plants grown in plant chambers after inoculation of surface sterilized seeds with a top soil microbial cell suspension. They were identified as members of the genus

Paenibacillus

through comparison with a commercial MALDI-TOF MS database and comparative 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Their genome sequences comprised multiple biosynthetic gene clusters and suggested they have unexplored biotechnological potential. Analyses of average nucleotide identity values between these strains and the type strains of their nearest neighbour species demonstrated that they represented a novel

Paenibacillus

species each. A detailed phenotypic comparison yielded distinctive biochemical characteristics for each of these novel species. We therefore propose to classify that these isolates into six novel species within genus

Paenibacillus

, for which we propose the names Paenibacillus foliorum sp. nov., Paenibacillus phytohabitans sp. nov., Paenibacillus plantarum sp. nov., Paenibacillus planticolens sp. nov., Paenibacillus phytorum sp. nov. and Paenibacillus germinis sp. nov., with strains LMG 31456T (=R-74617T=CECT 30138T), LMG 31459T (=R-74621T=CECT 30135T), LMG 31461T (=R-74618T=CECT 30133T), LMG 31457T (=R-74619T=CECT 30137T), LMG 31458T (=R-74620T=CECT 30136T) and LMG 31460T (=R-74622T=CECT 30134T) as the type strains, respectively.
Shimia sediminis sp. nov., a bacterium isolated from marine sediment in the East China Sea
Authors: Zhu Suting , Chen Can , Cheng Yuping , Guo Chaobo , Peng Nan , Zhang Weiyan , He Shan
Published: April 2021

A Gram-stain-negative, ovoid-shaped, motile and strictly aerobic bacterium, designated ZQ172T, was isolated from marine sediment sampled on Zhoushan Island located in the East China Sea. Strain ZQ172T grew optimally at temperatures of 25–30 °C, at NaCl concentration of 2.0 % (w/v) and at pH 7.0–8.5. Catalase and oxidase activities, urease, and nitrate reduction were positive. Indole production, methyl red reaction, H2S production and hydrolysis of gelatin, starch, casein and Tweens 20, 40, 60 and 80 were negative. The major cellular fatty acid was summed feature 8 (C18 : 1
 ω7c and/or C18 : 1
 ω6c). The only respiratory quinone was ubiquinone-10. The major polar lipids were phosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylglycerol, diphosphatidylglycerol and phosphatidylcholine. Comparative analysis of the 16S rRNA gene sequence showed highest similarities to

Shimia aestuarii

JC2049T (97.5 %),

Shimia abyssi

JAMH 043T (97.5 %) and

Shimia thalassica

CECT 7735T (97.3 %). Phylogenetic analyses indicated that strain ZQ172T clustered with the genus

Shimia

and was closely related to

Shimia thalassica

CECT 7735T. The average nucleotide identity and digital DNA–DNA hybridization values between strain ZQ172T and related species of the genus

Shimia

were well below the threshold limit for prokaryotic species delineation. The DNA G+C content was 59.6 mol%. Based on its phenotypic, chemotaxonomic and genotypic data, strain ZQ172T is considered to be a representative of a novel species in the genus

Shimia

, for which the name Shimia sediminis sp. nov. is proposed. The type strain is ZQ172T (=KCTC 62578T=MCCC 1K03531T).
Facilitation of sensory axon conduction to motoneurons during cortical or sensory evoked primary afferent depolarization (PAD) in humans
Authors: Metz K. , Concha-Matos I. , Li Y. , Afsharipour B. , Thompson C.K. , Negro F. , Bennett DJ. , Gorassini MA.
Published: April 2021

Sensory and corticospinal (CST) pathways activate spinal GABAergic interneurons with axo-axonic connections onto proprioceptive (Ia) afferents that depolarize these afferents (termed primary afferent depolarization, PAD). In rodents sensory-evoked PAD is produced by GABAAreceptors at nodes of Ranvier in Ia-afferents, rather than at presynaptic terminals, and facilitates action potential propagation to motoneurons by preventing branch point failures, rather than causing presynaptic inhibition. Here we examined if PAD likewise facilitates the Ia-afferent mediated H-reflex in humans by evoking PAD with both sensory and CST stimulation. H-reflexes in several lower limb muscles were facilitated by prior conditioning from low-threshold proprioceptive, cutaneous or CST pathways, with a similar time course (∼200 ms) to the PAD measured in rodent Ia-afferents. Long trains of repeated cutaneous or proprioceptive afferent stimulation produced long-lasting facilitation of the H-reflex for up to 2 minutes, consistent with the tonic depolarization of rodent Ia-afferents mediated by nodal 5-GABA receptors for similar stimulation trains. Facilitation of the conditioned H-reflexes was not mediated by direct facilitation of the motoneurons because isolated stimulation of sensory or CST pathways did not modulate the firing rate of tonically activated motor units in tested muscles. Furthermore, cutaneous conditioning increased the firing probability of a single motor unit during the H-reflex without increasing its firing rate at this time, indicating that the underlying excitatory postsynaptic potential (EPSP) was more probable, but not larger. These results are consistent with sensory and CST pathways activating nodal GABAAreceptors that reduce intermittent failure of action potentials propagating into Ia-afferent branches.

Key Points Summary

The control of posture and movement requires peripheral sensory feedback, which was previously thought to be inhibited by specialized GABAergic neurons in the spinal cord.

Based on new findings in rodents, we provide evidence in humans that sensory and corticospinal pathways that likely activate these GABAergic pathways facilitate, rather than inhibit, the flow of sensory feedback in afferents that carry information about body position, movement and effort.

These new findings of how sensory and descending pathways facilitate this sensory feedback to spinal motor neurons can now be applied to people with injury to the brain or spinal cord where these GABA neurons are affected, allowing us to understand how altered sensory control may affect residual motor function and the production of involuntary muscle spasticity.
Caerin 1.1 and 1.9 peptides from Australian tree frog inhibit antibiotic-resistant bacteria growth in a murine skin infection model
Authors: Chen Shu , Zhang Pingping , Xiao Liyin , Liu Ying , Wu Kuihai , Ni Guoying , Li Hejie , Wang Tianfang , Wu Xiaolian , Chen Guoqiang , Liu Xiaosong
Published: April 2021

Host-defence caerin 1.9 peptide was originally isolated from skin secretion of Australian tree frog, and inhibits the growth of a wide range of bacteriain vitro. In this study, we demonstrated that caerin 1.9 shows high bioactivity against several bacteria strains, such asStaphylococcus aureus, Acinetobacter Baumannii, methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus(MRSA), andStreptococcus hemolyiicus in vitro. Importantly, unlike antibiotic Tazocin, caerin 1.9 does not induce bacterial resistance after 30 rounds ofin vitroculture. Moreover, caerin 1.1, another peptide of caerin family, has additive antibacterial effect when used together with caerin 1.9. Furthermore, caerin 1.1 and 1.9 prepared in the form of a temperature sensitive gel inhibitMRSAgrowth in skin bacterial infection model of two murine strains. These results indicate that caerin 1.1 and 1.9 may have the advantage than conventional antibiotics against bacterial infection of skin.
Effects of TeaCrine® (theacrine), Dynamine™ (methylliberine), and caffeine on gamer psychomotor performance in a first-person shooter video game scenario
Authors: La Monica Michael B. , Listman Jennifer B. , Donovan Ian , Johnson Taylor E. , Heeger David J. , Mackey Wayne E
Published: April 2021

Purpose

To compare the effects of purported cognitive enhancing dietary bioactive ingredients on subjective and objective measures of cognitive and motor performance during a first-person shooter video game.

Methods

Using a placebo-controlled crossover design, nine healthy men (23.4±5.7 yr, 178.9±5.8cm, 86.0±17.1kg) completed four 20-minute gaming sessions designed to assess cognitive, motor, and perceptual skills via artificial intelligence-driven battery of tasks (Aim Lab). Participants ingested either a placebo (PL), caffeine (CAFF), or caffeine + methylliberine (Dynamine™) + theacrine (TeaCrine®) (CMT). Before and after each gaming session participants rated various feelings of affect. Data were analyzed using mixed factorial ANOVA, bootstrapping post-hoc tests with 95% confidence intervals, and effect sizes.

Results

Compared to PL, self-assessed performance was significantly increased in CMT vs. PL (p=0.035) and self-assessed jitteriness was increased by CAFF vs. PL (p=0.043). CMT was associated with a greater improvement of participants’ visuo-spatial working memory from baseline vs. PL (p=0.04) and CAFF (p=0.033). CAFF had a greater decrease in reaction time for false alarms (indicating diminished cognitive control) from baseline vs. PL (p=0.002) and CMT (p=0.001) and a greater increase for time on target tracking vs. PL (p=0.008) and CMT (p=0.047). Compared to PL, CMT was associated with a greater decrease in median kill time (indicating improved speed) (p=0.017). Compared to PL, systolic blood pressure was significantly increased by CAFF (p=0.025) and CMT (p=0.020) but remained within normal limits.

Conclusions

Acute CMT supplementation improved cognitive and motor abilities in recreational gamers. The addition of theacrine and methylliberine to caffeine may lessen some undesirable effects of isolated caffeine ingestion on cognitive control and jitteriness.
Smc3 acetylation, Pds5 and Scc2 control the translocase activity that establishes cohesin dependent chromatin loops
Authors: Bastié Nathalie , Chapard Christophe , Dauban Lise , Gadal Olivier , Beckouёt Frederic , Koszul Romain
Published: April 2021

Chromosome spatial organization and dynamics influence DNA-related metabolic processes. SMC complexes like cohesin are essential instruments of chromosome folding. Cohesin-dependent chromatin loops bring together distal loci to regulate gene transcription, DNA repair and V(D)J recombination processes. Here we characterize further the roles of members of the cohesin holocomplex in regulating chromatin loop expansion, showing that Scc2, which stimulates cohesin ATPase activity, is essential for the translocation process required to extend DNA loop length. Eco1-dependent acetylation of Smc3 during S phase counteracts this activity through the stabilization of Pds5, to finely tune loop sizes and stability during G2. Inhibiting Pds5 in G2 leads to a strong enlargement of pre-established, stable DNA loops, in a Scc2-dependent manner. Altogether, the study strongly supports a Scc2-mediated translocation process driving expansion of DNA loops in living cells.
An ELISA-based method for rapid genetic screens inDrosophila
Authors: Jay Taylor R , Kang Yunsik , Jefferson Amanda , Freeman Marc R
Published: April 2021

Drosophila is a powerful model in which to perform genetic screens, but screening assays that are both rapid and can be used to examine a wide variety of cellular and molecular pathways are limited.Drosophilaoffer an extensive toolbox of GFP-based transcriptional reporters, GFP-tagged proteins, and driver lines which can be used to express GFP in numerous subpopulations of cells. Thus, a tool that can rapidly and quantitatively evaluate GFP levels inDrosophilatissue would provide a broadly applicable screening platform. To quantify GFP levels fromDrosophilalysates, we developed a GFP-based ELISA assay. We demonstrate that this assay can detect membrane localized GFP in a variety of neuronal and glial cell populations and validate that it can identify genes that change the morphology of these cells. This assay was also able to detect STAT transcriptional activity after injury. We found that this assay can detect endogenously GFP-tagged proteins, including Draper and Cryptochrome, and it is able to report developmental and circadian changes in the expression of these proteins. Finally, we validated that the assay can be used to detect changes in synapse elimination upon genetic manipulation of astrocytes. We then used the assay to perform a small-scale screen, which identified Syntaxins as novel regulators of astrocyte-mediated synapse elimination. Together, these studies establish an ELISA as a rapid, easy and quantitativein vivoscreening method to assay a wide breadth of fundamental questions in neurobiology.

Significance Statement

Forward genetic screens inDrosophilahave played an integral role in elucidating the cellular and molecular pathways that govern almost every facet of biology. However, current screening methods inDrosophilaare either fast, but limited in their specificity for particular pathways or processes, or rely on imaging, which requires substantial expertise, time, and cost. We have developed a rapid GFP-based ELISA screening method that, when paired with the wealth of GFP-based genetic tools already available inDrosophila, can be used to screen for regulators of many subpopulations of cells, transcriptional programs and levels of thousands of different proteins. Using this assay, we have identified a novel family of genes required for astrocytes to mediate developmental synapse elimination. This technique provides a screening platform that is fast, accessible, and broadly applicable to many pathways and processes, makingDrosophilaan even more powerful screening tool.