bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Políticas públicas voltadas à conversão ecológica sob a luz da economia ecológica
Authors: Bier Belló Rocha Pamela , Pereira Reginaldo , Riviera Duarte Maluche Baretta Carolina
Published: April 2021

A busca por modelos agrícolas seguros e menos dependentes de insumos inorgânicos ocupa as agendas internacionais e estatais preocupadas com a alimentação saudável e segura. Desde 2003, o Brasil regula a produção orgânica e a transição do padrão convencional de produção de alimentos para o agroecológico. Com o intuito de buscar elementos para a formulação de políticas públicas de produção agrícola sustentável, o artigo analisa se a regulamentação do processo de conversão ecológica da agricultura possibilita uma transição para formas agrícolas orgânicas e sustentáveis, segundo escalas construídas a partir da economia ecológica. O estudo é original, privilegia uma abordagem transdisciplinar e é relevante para a agricultura brasileira, pois visa contribuir para a afirmação do desenvolvimento sustentável na produção agrícola. O trabalho tem abordagem qualitativa e adota as técnicas da pesquisa bibliográfica e documental. Para a construção do resultado, adota-se o construtivismo social. Conclui-se que a adoção de políticas públicas de conversão ecológica pautadas na regulamentação de escalas de aproximação à sustentabilidade tem a possibilidade de fomentar a adoção de sistemas de produção agrícola sustentáveis – inclusive em larga escala – que, ao mesmo tempo, promovam o manejo ecológico dos ecossistemas e das espécies e atendam à crescente demanda alimentar.
Editorial
Authors: Folloni André , Hachem Daniel Wunder
Published: April 2021

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Minimization of damage at agriculture objects (vineyards) by using hunting birds of prey as bio-repellents
Authors: Kuznetsova Irina Nikolaevna
Published: April 2021

Wine-growers often face the necessity of fighting the insects, diseases, and pests threatening their business, and of protecting each racemation of their future harvest. Among the most frequent threats are the flocks of birds considering vineyards as a source of forage, which can eliminate the crop very fast. For many years, wine-growers have used various on-trend ways of repelling to avoid the destruction of harvest and plants, including the noisy air guns, laser emitters, holographic tapes, nets covering grapevines, acoustic systems, and even kites. However, the above mentioned means lose their effectiveness sooner or later, and their repelling effect lasts less than it is necessary for harvest ripening and preservation. It is explained by birds’ and animals’ adaptation to the changes in the environment - birds stop paying attention to the threats that haven’t been proved in reality or haven’t caused death. The forming adaptation leads to ignoring, birds and animals focus on foraging, and the harvest becomes at risk again. Meanwhile, the most significant results in harvest preservation are achieved by using a time-tested method of repelling, which doesn’t require any weird technologies - that is falconry.  Based on a natural fear of a predator, the bio-repellent method doesn’t build up a tolerance. A centuries-old tradition of falconry is effective and fully in line with the current international standards in the field of environmentally safe products manufacturing.   
Agricultural unions of Eastern Siberia in the late 19th - the early 20th century: the main forms of out-of-school education and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge
Authors: Sevostyanova Elena
Published: April 2021

The research object is agricultural unions formed in Eastern Siberia in the late 19th - the early 20th century. The research subject is reflected in the title of the article. The purpose of the research is to define the forms of agricultural education and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge among the broad public. To achieve this goal, the author analyzes, based on the dynamics of agricultural unions formation, the initiation and dynamics of the change of the main directions of work and the extent to which the forms of education corresponded to the aspirations of the authorities, the demands of the progressive public, and the practical needs of rural population. Generally, the work of East-Siberian agricultural unions was definitely less active than the work of the unions of the European part of Russia. That could be explained by the lack of educated employees, the difficulty of using the new agricultural approaches in risk farming areas, and the low literacy rate of the rural population. However, in the first decade of the 20th century, the work of agricultural unions became more active, which was determined, among other things, by the change of the authorities’ attitude and the channels of popularization of agricultural knowledge: exhibitions and public lectures were organized, libraries were founded, and books and magazines were sent out. The ways of rational farm management were popularized via special newspapers and agricultural magazines. Before and during the World War I the agricultural unions of Irkutsk province and Transbaikal started actively creating the branches in rural areas. Agricultural unions created the atmosphere of public interest, broadened and clarified the ideas of society about the needs of Siberian villages.   
Issues of Legal Regulation of the Use of Digital Technologies in Agricultural Business
Authors: Solovyanenko Nina Ivanovna
Published: April 2021

The modern agrarian revolution means the introduction of high-tech solutions, which play a significant role as a factor of sustainable development in the field of food security, agriculture, and the rational use of natural resources. The digital transformation of agriculture covers the use of a wide range of technologies in the production of agricultural products and food (the Internet of Things, robotics, artificial intelligence, big data analysis, e-commerce, and a number of others). The legislation lags behind the digital technologies being introduced, which are constantly improved and are a "moving target " in terms of regulation. An essential task is to create an up-to-date regulatory framework that will strengthen confidence in digital agriculture. Digital strategies define regulatory objectives. In Russia, the creation and development of the national platform "Digital Agriculture" is a part of the legal mechanism of strategic planning. It is aimed at the creation of conditions for the intensification of productivity and the reduction of operating expenditures by means of using high-tech solutions. Digital agriculture activities should be supported by updated basic legislation. The state information system of sectoral data collecting and analyzing "One-stop window" is projected as the incoming data source for the national platform "Digital Agriculture". 
Legal responsibility of the heads of territorial branches of federal executive authorities
Authors: Firsov Maksim Valer'evich
Published: April 2021

This article is a response to the request of the government, society, and business for improving efficiency of the work of territorial branches of federal executive authorities and the quality of the services rendered, which are particularly associated with the formation of transparent and clear mechanisms that meet modern requirements, as well as the creation of the fundamentally new level of development of territorial branches of federal executive authorities aimed at improvement of the entire system of executive branch. The goal of this work lies in the analysis of existing legal practice and outlining the ways for improving the autonomous institutions of legal responsibility. Leaning on the analysis of law enforcement practice of bringing to responsibility of the heads of territorial branches of federal executive authorities, the author explores the legislative gaps that lead to imbalance of sanctions for committing offences, and offers measures on elimination of such gaps. Based on examination of the institution of disciplinary responsibility, which is considered as a mechanism for deterring and preventing more serious offences, the author makes recommendations on formation of a single information field for interaction of oversight bodies and personnel department of the federal executive authorities. This article is the first stage of extensive work on elaboration of measures aimed at improving efficiency of the territorial branches of the federal executive authorities.
Peculiarities of the emergence of land disputes and mechanisms for their settlement
Authors: Korotin Anton Sergeevich , Romanov Vasilii Mikhailovich
Published: April 2021

In the current legislation, the terms “land dispute” and “dispute on land” have no regulatory basis, which directly affects the growth rate in the number of court cases. The phrase “land dispute” or “dispute on land” is attributed to such concepts that require utmost clarity and understanding of the entire chain of the dispute process from the origin of conflict to its consequences, including normative legal consolidation of each step. The article examines “land dispute” from the perspective of multi-criteria integrator of issues in land matters, turning to the methodological approach towards addressing major problems. Analysis is conducted on the sources of the emergence of this conflict. The author concludes on incompleteness of a number of previously considered approaches and research methods, as well as formulates recommendations. It is also indicated that the dialectical method, implemented through systemic analysis, would allow forming forecast models of the “land dispute” based on more precise amount of information. The conducted research proves that solution to the problem of “land dispute” is yet to be worked through; as well as substantiates the need for extending the criteria for analyzing the problematic of this issue and transferring it from the rank of uncertainty to the rank of mathematical modeling as one of the forecasting methods. The article explores the prerequisites for the emergence of “land dispute” from the perspective of occurrence of the sources of errors as a criterion for advent of conflict for litigation process and the mechanisms for settling such situations, taking into account the minimization of their origin.
Antiwar campaign of the British Labour Party in the early World War I
Authors: Susloparova Elena
Published: April 2021

This article is dedicated to the protest campaign of Labour Party of Great Britain, which unfolded in the early World War I. Based on the range of sources, such as socialist workers’ press of Great Britain, party documents, parliamentary debated, the author sets a goal to examine the key arguments of the opponents, namely activists of the Independent Workers’ Party, which became a stronghold of antiwar sentiment of the Labours. Special attention is given to such publicists as R. MacDonald and K. Hardy. The article also traces the evolution of antiwar campaign and reveals the reasons. Research methodology is based on the systematic approach towards analysis of public speeches of British activists printed in the workers' socialist publications of antiwar orientation. It is demonstrated how in the space of a few days, in August 1914, the moods of majority of the British workers changed dramatically, from unreserved condemnation of the war expressed in the slogans of the Second International towards support of the government in the fight against militaristic Germany. The conclusion is drawn that in the initial months of war, the antiwar campaign has experienced significant transformation. If in the early period it was characterized mostly by the emotional and somewhat sarcastic rhetoric, then later on the background of tremendous human losses, the campaign adopted a rather moderate tone. Attempts of the publicists to grasp on causes of war and focus the need to rebuild society after its completion comes to the forefront.
The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act of the 1930 as the classic example of a near-sided economic policy of the U.S. government during the Great Depression
Authors: Vasilyev Alexander
Published: April 2021

The object of this research is the antirecession policy of the United States during the Great Depression. The subject of this research The Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act, process of its adoption, and consequences. Special attention is given to the history of increase of tariffs on imported goods. The legislative bill drafted by congressmen R. Smoot and W. Hawley is considered one of the unsuccessful economic reforms in the history of the United States. The tax reform was conceived before the recession and was called to protect local farmers from excess of cheap foreign agricultural products on American markets. However, there was no substantial benefit from the increased tariffs on imports. Most historians find that this measure worsened the position of the lower classes of the population. There is also an opposing opinion that the legislation did not play a serious role in deepening of the recession. The article analyzes the extent of the impact of this legislation in the U.S. during the 1930s. The scientific novelty of this research consists in utilization of the transcripts of addresses of the members of U.S. Congress as the sources for research of the process of passing the legislation, as well as press materials in order to examine opinions on the legislative bill and consequences of increased tariffs. It is established that the adoption of the Smoot-Hawley Tariff Act had negative consequences for the economy, although not as severe as commonly cited. The impact of the new law was not as substantial on the background of the ongoing Great Depression. Passing of the protection measures took place almost simultaneously with other countries, with some countries raising the tariffs before the United States. The tax reform greatly affected the political situation in the United States, playing its role in diminishing the ratings of the President and the Republican Party. 
Project of the Russian Historical and Cultural Reference Institute of P. K. Simoni: scientific information network in the precomputer era
Authors: Demirova Natalya Ilinichna
Published: April 2021

The subject of this article is the project of the “Russian Historical and Cultural Reference Institute” proposed by the philologist and historian of the Russian booklore P. K. Simoni for consideration by the Academic Council of the Russian Historical Museum in May 1917. The October Revolution triggered the major changes in the infrastructure of historical science. Dozens of scientific and cultural establishments were restructured or ceased their activity, and dozens opened up. The project of P. K. Simoni was one of many in this series of transformations. It was developed by a practicing scholar in the humanities, who knew firsthand about all the difficulties of research work, which defines the uniqueness of this project. This fact makes this document a valuable historical source on the history of the Russian humanities in the late XIX – early XX centuries. Although the project of P. K. Simoni has been previously mentioned in the special literature, this is the first detailed analysis on the topic. The conducted analysis allowed revealing the challenge faced by scholars in the humanities of the late XIX – early XX centuries in their research activity, as well as outlining the possibilities for establishment of a new institution to resolve them. The author described the similar in their concept projects, which inspired P. K. Simoni in his work, as well as determined the similarities and differences of the proposed solutions. The conclusion was made that the Russian scientific community requires an institution that would solve the tasks of information support for the humanities, since the 1820s. Such need was formulated, clarified and modified over time, and yet does not fully meet the demands.
Unexpected intracranial location of a Cephenemyia stimulator larva in a roe deer, Capreolus capreolus, revealed by computed tomography
Authors: Hidalgo Luis E. , López-Beceiro Ana M. , Martínez-Carrasco Carlos , Caparrós-Fontarosa Noelia , Sánchez Antonio , Vila Mónica , Barreiro Daniel , Sarasa Mathieu , Pérez Jesús M.
Published: April 2021

In this study we describe the finding of a Cephenemyia stimulator larva in the brain of a roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) after performing a computed tomography (CT) scan of its head. Despite this anatomical location of oestrid larvae could be relatively frequent in other genera, such as Oestrus, to our knowledge, this is the first reported case involving the genus Cephenemyia. Concretely, a second-instar C. stimulator larva was found in the basis of the cranium. The location of a macroscopic hemorrhagic lesion involving the brain parenchyma peripheral to the location of the larva suggests that tissue colonization occurred before the animal was hunted. Since no detectable alterations or damage to the cranial bones were observed, we suggest a possible larval migration route drilling the skull bones. Finally, we propose the use of the term “neuromyiasis” to be referred to the invasion of the central nervous system by dipteran larvae, particularly oestrids.
Glucose restriction drives spatial reorganization of mevalonate metabolism
Authors: Rogers Sean , Hariri Hanaa , Wood N Ezgi , Speer Natalie Ortiz , Henne W Mike
Published: April 2021

Eukaryotes compartmentalize metabolic pathways into sub-cellular domains, but the role of inter-organelle contacts in organizing metabolic reactions remains poorly understood. Here, we show that in response to acute glucose restriction (AGR) yeast undergo metabolic remodeling of their mevalonate pathway that is spatially coordinated at nucleus-vacuole junctions (NVJs). The NVJ serves as a metabolic platform by selectively retaining HMG-CoA Reductases (HMGCRs), driving mevalonate pathway flux in an Upc2-dependent manner. Both spatial retention of HMGCRs and increased mevalonate pathway flux during AGR is dependent on NVJ tether Nvj1. Furthermore, we demonstrate that HMGCRs associate into high-molecular-weight assemblies during AGR in an Nvj1-dependent manner. Loss of Nvj1-mediated HMGCR partitioning can be bypassed by artificially multimerizing HMGCRs, indicating NVJ compartmentalization enhances mevalonate pathway flux by promoting the association of HMGCRs in high molecular weight assemblies. Loss of HMGCR compartmentalization perturbs yeast growth following glucose starvation, indicating it promotes adaptive metabolic remodeling. Collectively, we propose a non-canonical mechanism regulating mevalonate metabolism via the spatial compartmentalization of rate-limiting HMGCR enzymes at an inter-organelle contact site.
Evolution of the complex transcription network controlling biofilm formation in Candida species
Authors: Mancera Eugenio , Nocedal Isabel , Hammel Stephen , Gulati Megha , Mitchell Kaitlin F , Andes David R , Nobile Clarissa J , Butler Geraldine , Johnson Alexander D
Published: April 2021

We examine how a complex transcription network composed of seven ‘master’ regulators and hundreds of target genes evolved over a span of approximately 70 million years. The network controls biofilm formation in several Candida species, a group of fungi that are present in humans both as constituents of the microbiota and as opportunistic pathogens. Using a variety of approaches, we observed two major types of changes that have occurred in the biofilm network since the four extant species we examined last shared a common ancestor. Master regulator ‘substitutions’ occurred over relatively long evolutionary times, resulting in different species having overlapping but different sets of master regulators of biofilm formation. Second, massive changes in the connections between the master regulators and their target genes occurred over much shorter timescales. We believe this analysis is the first detailed, empirical description of how a complex transcription network has evolved.
Terminology as a source of misunderstanding: English and Russian humour term systems
Authors: Shcheglova Ekaterina Alexanrovna , Shilikhina Ksenia Mihailovna
Published: April 2021

The field of humour studies has developed its own system of terms for designating its research objects. However, disputes about the boundaries of the concepts and their relationship within the terminological system are not uncommon. Along with the English terminological inventory there exist terminologies developed within other languages. The paper discusses key terms of humour studies in the Russian and English languages. Seven Russian terms – ‘комическое’, ‘юмор’, ‘ирония’, ‘шутка’, ‘анекдот’, ‘насмешка,’ and ‘подшучивание’ and six English terms – ‘the comic’, ‘humour’, ‘irony’, ‘(canned) joke’, ‘mocking,’ and ‘banter’ are described. By looking at dictionary entries, definitions suggested by researchers and contexts in which the words are used as terms, the authors describe their general and terminological meanings and analyse differences of the two terminologies. Though the Russian and English terms originate from the same Greek and Latin words, there are significant differences in the traditions of their usage as scholarly terms. These differences cause difficulties which arise when it comes to translation of Russian texts into English and vice versa.
Humour as a strategy for news delivery: the case of Meduza
Authors: Vasileva Viktoria Vladimirovna , Ivanova Liubov Yurevna
Published: April 2021

In this article, humour is viewed as a strategic resource for informing in media discourse. It is analyzed through the case of “Evening Meduza”, a Russian-language nightly newsletter, received via email or Telegram messenger. A media linguistics analysis of polycode hypermedia text is used to identify communicative linguistic means, contributing to a comic reinterpretation of news on the paratextual, intratextual and visual-illustrative level. News messages in the newsletter are created in the format of compressed “packagings” (a term borrowed from Chafe) with embedded links, following which an addressee goes to the page with source text or concomitant informational resources. Humour is analyzed in packagings as well as in whole text and paratext blocks. Humorous means are revealed in three vectors of analysis: empathy in packaging texts, paratextual focus interaction, and news visualization. The change of narrative perspectives in text packages allows the authors to shift the focus of contrast within a newspiece and create humorous content while showing empathy to readers with different presuppositional expectations. The author’s signature always includes a prepositive ironic addition (attribution) that highlights one of the issue’s news elements and forces the audience to reread the newsletter in order to understand the semantic relation. Subheadings create a comic contrast, focusing on individual parts of the reference content while preparing the reader to perceive the news of the day interconnectedly. A mandatory humorous component in the block “And – picture” was found to show the news event in a visual semiotic code using a demotivator style that expresses a pun.
An ensemble approach based on transformation functions for natural gas price forecasting considering optimal time delays
Authors: Saghi Faramarz , Jahangoshai Rezaee Mustafa
Published: April 2021

Natural gas, known as the cleanest fossil fuel, plays a vital role in the economies of producing and consuming countries. Understanding and tracking the drivers of natural gas prices are of significant interest to the many economic sectors. Hence, accurately forecasting the price is very important not only for providing an effective factor for implementing energy policy but also for playing an extremely significant role in government strategic planning. The purpose of this study is to provide an approach to forecast the natural gas price. First, optimal time delays are identified by a new approach based on the Euclidean Distance between input and target vectors. Then, wavelet decomposition has been implemented to reduce noise. Moreover, fuzzy transform with different membership functions has been used for modeling uncertainty in time series. The wavelet decomposition and fuzzy transform have been integrated into the preprocessing stage. An ensemble method is used for integrating the outputs of various neural networks. The results depict that the proposed preprocessing methods used in this paper cause to improve the accuracy of natural gas price forecasting and consider uncertainty in time series.
Entropy based C4.5-SHO algorithm with information gain optimization in data mining
Authors: Reddy G Sekhar , Chittineni Suneetha
Published: April 2021

Information efficiency is gaining more importance in the development as well as application sectors of information technology. Data mining is a computer-assisted process of massive data investigation that extracts meaningful information from the datasets. The mined information is used in decision-making to understand the behavior of each attribute. Therefore, a new classification algorithm is introduced in this paper to improve information management. The classical C4.5 decision tree approach is combined with the Selfish Herd Optimization (SHO) algorithm to tune the gain of given datasets. The optimal weights for the information gain will be updated based on SHO. Further, the dataset is partitioned into two classes based on quadratic entropy calculation and information gain. Decision tree gain optimization is the main aim of our proposed C4.5-SHO method. The robustness of the proposed method is evaluated on various datasets and compared with classifiers, such as ID3 and CART. The accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve parameters are estimated and compared with existing algorithms like ant colony optimization, particle swarm optimization and cuckoo search.
Transcriptomic dynamics changes related to anthocyanin accumulation in the fleshy roots of carmine radish (Raphanus sativus L.) characterized using RNA-Seq
Authors: Song Xia , Gao Jian , Peng Hua
Published: April 2021

Carmine radish is famous for containing a natural red pigment (red radish pigment). However, the expression of anthocyanin biosynthesis-related genes during the dynamic development stages of the fleshy roots in carmine radish has not been fully investigated. Here, based on HPLC quantification of anthocyanin levels from our previous study, young fleshy roots of the carmine radish “Hongxin 1” obtained at the dynamic development stages of fleshy roots (seedling stage (SS), initial expansion (IE), full expansion (FE), bolting stage (BS), initial flowering stage (IFS), full bloom stage (FBS) and podding stage (PS)) were used for RNA-Seq. Approximately 126 comodulated DEGs related to anthocyanin biosynthesis (common DEGs in the dynamic growth stages of fleshy roots in carmine radish) were identified, from which most DEGs appeared to be likely to participate in anthocyanin biosynthesis, including two transcription factors, RsMYB and RsRZFP. In addition, some related proteins, e.g., RsCHS, RsDFR, RsANS, RsF′3H, RsF3GGT1, Rs3AT1, RsGSTF12, RsUFGT78D2 and RsUDGT-75C1, were found as candidate contributors to the regulatory mechanism of anthocyanin synthesis in the fleshy roots of carmine radish. In addition, 11 putative DEGs related to anthocyanin synthesis were evaluated by qRT-PCR via the (2-ΔΔCT) method; the Pearson correlation analysis indicated excellent concordance between the RNA-Seq and qRT-PCR results. Furthermore, GO enrichment analysis showed that “anthocyanin-containing compound biosynthetic process” and “anthocyanin-containing compound metabolic process” were commonly overrepresented in the dynamic growth stages of fleshy roots after the initial expansion stage. Moreover, five significantly enriched pathways were identified among the DEGs in the dynamic growth stages of fleshy roots in carmine radish, namely, flavonoid biosynthesis, flavone and flavonol biosynthesis, diterpenoid biosynthesis, anthocyanin biosynthesis, and benzoxazinoid biosynthesis. In conclusion, these results will expand our understanding of the complex molecular mechanisms of anthocyanin biosynthesis in the fleshy roots of carmine radish and the putative candidate genes involved in this process.
Biocontrol of invasive pheretimoid earthworms using Beauveria bassiana
Authors: Nouri-Aiin Maryam , Görres Josef H.
Published: April 2021

Background

Invasive species cause enormous costs of over $120 billion to the U.S. economy. Among biological invasions, the invasion by pheretimoid earthworms has gone relatively unnoticed and their invasion imposes yet unknown damage on USA agriculture and horticulture. The main dispersal is with horticultural goods such as plant material and composts. Pheretimoids affect commercially important hardwood forest. With no chemical agents currently certified for earthworm control nor any best horticultural practices, slowing the invasion is difficult.

Methods

In this study we measured the efficacy of a commercial entomopathogenic fungal isolate of B. bassiana (BotaniGard®) to kill pheretimoid earthworms under greenhouse conditions. Four treatments of B. bassiana were applied: The commercial product as per label, re-cultured commercial B. bassiana, 15 g and 25 g millet grains mycotized with recultured product. In all, three bioassays were conducted in 2 consecutive years with two batches of BotaniGard®.

Results

With fresh batches, all B. bassiana treatments with re-cultured product resulted in greater than 70% mortality within 4 weeks. Mortality was less than 60% when BotaniGard® was used as prescribed by the label. When using 1-year old spores (refrigerated at 4 °C), mortality rates for B. bassiana treatments were less than 20% and not significantly different from the controls. However, B. bassiana still affected the earthworms by slowing their development from juvenile to adult stage.

Conclusion

B. bassiana was effective against pheretimoid earthworms. Overall, mycotized millet grains did not significantly increase mortality over the re-cultured, directly applied B. bassiana spores. More experimentation is needed to find the mode of action of the re-cultured B. bassiana before investigating ways to improve the efficacy of B. bassiana when applied as prescribed on the label.
Rethinking the use of finite element simulations in comparative biomechanics research
Authors: Tseng Z. Jack
Published: April 2021

In the past 15 years, the finite element (FE) method has become a ubiquitous tool in the repertoire of evolutionary biologists. The method is used to estimate and compare biomechanical performance implicated as selective factors in the evolution of morphological structures. A feature common to many comparative studies using 3D FE simulations is small taxonomic sample sizes. The time-consuming nature of FE model construction is considered a main limiting factor in taxonomic breadth of comparative FE analyses. Using a composite FE model dataset, I show that the combination of small taxonomic sample sizes and comparative FE data in analyses of evolutionary associations of biomechanical performance to feeding ecology generates artificially elevated correlations. Such biases introduce false positives into interpretations of clade-level trends. Considering this potential pitfall, recommendations are provided to consider the ways FE analyses are best used to address both taxon-specific and clade-level evolutionary questions.
Injuries and molting interference in a trilobite from the Cambrian (Furongian) of South China
Authors: Zong Ruiwen
Published: April 2021

An injured Shergoldia laevigata Zhu, Hughes & Peng, 2007 (Trilobita, Asaphida) was collected from the Furongian of Guangxi, South China. The injuries occurred in the left thoracic pleurae possessing two marked V-shaped gaps. It led to substantial transverse shortening of the left pleural segments, with barely perceptible traces of healing. This malformation is interpreted as a sub-lethal attack from an unknown predator. The morphology of injuries and the spatial and temporal distribution of predators indicated that the predatory structure might have been the spines on the ganathobase or ganathobase-like structure of a larger arthropod. There were overlapped segments located in the front of the injuries, and slightly dislocated thoracic segments on the left part of the thorax, suggesting that the trilobite had experienced difficulties during molting. The freshly molted trilobite had dragged forward the old exuvia causing the irregular arrangement of segments. This unusual trilobite specimen indicates that the injuries interfered with molting.
Feroxichthys panzhouensissp. nov., a hump-backed colobodontid (Neopterygii, Actinopterygii) from the early Middle Triassic of Panzhou, Guizhou, China
Authors: Ma Xin-Ying , Xu Guang-Hui , Geng Bing-He
Published: April 2021

Neopterygii is a taxonomically diverse clade of ray-finned fishes, including Teleostei, Holostei and closely related fossil taxa. The Colobodontidae is a stem group of large-sized neopterygians with a durophagous feeding adaption from the Middle to Late Triassic marine ecosystems in Europe and South China. Here, we report the discovery of a new colobodontid,Feroxichthys panzhouensissp. nov., based on a well-preserved specimen from the early Middle Triassic (Anisian) of Panzhou (formerly known as Panxian), Guizhou, China. The discovery extends the geographical distribution ofFeroxichthysfrom eastern Yunnan into western Guizhou, and demonstrates a more rapid diversification of early colobodontids than previously thought. The new species possesses diagnostic features ofFeroxichthys(e.g., a fused lacrimal-maxilla), but it is easily distinguished from the type speciesFeroxichthys yunnanensisand other colobodontids by some derived features on the skull and, especially, the relatively short and deep body with a prominent postcranial hump. This body form, previously unknown in colobodontids, implicates a morphological adaptation to structurally complex habitats in light of ecological studies of modern ray-finned fishes with a similar body form. In addition, the feeding apparatus suggests a more obligate durophagous diet forF. panzhouensissp. nov. than other colobodontids. Results of a cladistic analysis recover the new species as a sister taxon ofF. yunnanensiswithin the Colobodontidae, and suggest that a hump-backed body form has independently evolved multiple times in Triassic neopterygians. As such, the new finding provides an important addition for our understanding of the morphological and ecological diversity of neopterygian fishes from the Triassic marine ecosystems in South China.
Palliative Management of Sarcomatoid Buccal Carcinoma by Laser Ablation
Authors: Bhalla Rusy S , Bhalla Seemantini
Published: April 2021

Sarcomatoid change in buccal carcinoma is a rare and aggressive variant of Squamous Cell Carcinoma (SCC) and most often a diagnostic dilemma. There are some reports of second primary sarcomatous tumours in the oral cavity and nasopharynx post irradiation. Synchronous and metachronous lesions in this category in the oral cavity and neck have also been reported. Spindle cell neoplasms comprise a diverse collection of benign and malignant tumours. These tumours are uncommon in the oral cavity, accounting for <1% of all tumours of oral region. It is an unusual aggressive variant that frequently recurs and metastasises. Herein, the author present a case report of a 45-year-old Indian male with a sarcomatoid lesion according to his previous reports in the oral cavity of five months duration at presentation. The patient presented late as he was not willing for surgery and hence a very extensive 9×5 cm lesion was observed. In addition, he had trismus, multiple, firm, fixed lymph nodes in the ipsilateral neck. The biopsy of the oral cavity tumour showed a histological appearance of spindle shaped cells with penetration of basement membrane suggestive of sarcomatoid carcinoma. He was treated with repeated ablative laser technique for the primary and metastatic nodes in the neck disease and chemotherapy. The patient resumed normal activities 14 days after the laser ablation.
Laser Excision of Large Peripheral Ossifying Fibroma, Histological and Radiographic Interpretation: A Case Report
Authors: Karhana Preeti , Sheokand Vidushi , Bhardwaj Amit , Munjal Neha
Published: April 2021

In oral cavity, the site for localised growth is usually gingiva which is considered as reactive in nature. Many of these lesions can be identified only on the basis of typical and consistent histomorphology and are difficult to identify clinically. One such reactive lesion which is clinically similar in presentation is Peripheral Ossifying Fibroma (POF). Females are affected more often than males. The presented case report is of a 45-year-old female with a significant growth of large POF in the anterior maxilla. The various clinical, radiological and histological features and diagnosis of POF with its treatment of choice are explained.
Analgesic Efficacy of Perioperative Esmolol as an Adjunct to Morphine in Mastectomy- A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Tania Jose , Hema Vadakkoot Raghavan , Vineetha Prabhakaran
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Multimodal analgesia with opioids as the prime component is the mainstay of postoperative analgesia for mastectomy, which can lead to many opioid related unwanted side-effects. Esmolol infusion has been found as a useful adjunct in reducing opioid requirements. Aim: To find the effect of perioperative esmolol infusion on postoperative pain and opioid requirements. Materials and Methods: This prospective observational study was done in 140 American Society of Anaesthesiologists (ASA) physical status l and ll patients, between 20-65 years of age posted for mastectomy under general anaesthesia. Esmolol group (group E) received 0.25 mg/kg of esmolol bolus ten minutes before induction followed by continuous infusion 5 μg/kg/min till end of surgery while control group (group C) received equivalent volumes of saline. Primary outcome measures were Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for pain, total postoperative opioid consumption and time to first rescue analgesic dosage till 24 hours. Intraoperative haemodynamics and other side-effects were secondary outcomes. Descriptive statistics of numerical rating scores and analgesic requirements were analysed in terms of mean and standard deviation. Independent t-test was used to compare numerical rating scores and analgesic requirement of the two groups. A p-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean numerical pain scores were significantly lower in the esmolol group for the first 24 hour. The mean time to first rescue analgesic was 17.59±5.012 hour in the esmolol group and 8.21±2.22 hour in the control group which was statistically significant (p<0.001). The total tramadol consumption was also significantly lesser in the esmolol group (42.14±29.03 mg), compared to control group (102.86±22.3 mg), (p=0.0001). Mean heart rate was statistically lower in the esmolol group, but there was no incidence of bradycardia requiring treatment. Mean Arterial Pressures (MAP) were comparable. Conclusion: Perioperative esmolol infusion when used as an adjunct to morphine decreased postoperative pain and analgesic requirements for the first 24 hours without any haemodynamic disturbances.
Effects of Different Doses of Dexmedetomidine on Intraocular Pressure after Suxamethonium in Non-ocular Surgeries: A Randomised Controlled Trial
Authors: Das Saswati , Das Mousumi , Sahu Lingaraj , Mohanty Gayatree , Parida Akshya Kumar
Published: April 2021

Introduction: Succinylcholine causes a rise in Intraocular Pressure (IOP) and is deleterious in patients with open globe injuries. Dexmedetomidine, by its virtue of central sympatholytic action can help prevent this rise in IOP. Aim: To find out the optimal dose of Dexmedetomidine in preventing the rise of IOP after administration of Suxamethonium. Materials and Methods: One hundred American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) I or II patients posted for non-ophthalmic surgery were included in this randomised, prospective, double blind study. Patients were randomly allocated to four groups. Group A (n=25) received Dexmedetomidine 0.6 μg/kg, Group B (n=25) received Dexmedetomidine 0.8 μg/kg, Group C (n=25) received Dexmedetomidine 1 μg/kg, Group D (n=25) received Normal Saline (NS) over a period of 10 minutes and IOP was measured at different points in time. Results: Premedication with Dexmedetomidine at doses of 0.6 μg/kg, 0.8 μg/kg and 1 μg/kg intravenous (IV) were equally effective in attenuation of the rise in IOP associated with Succinylcholine administration. The IOP recorded was 15.53±1.10 mm of Hg in Group A, 14.49±0.94 mm of Hg in Group B, 14.72±1.03 mm of Hg in Group C as compared to 20.12±1.40 mm of Hg in the control group (Group D) after 60 seconds of injecting Suxamethonium. It also significantly obtunded the sympathetic response to laryngoscopy and intubation. However, the incidence of side effects increased with incremental doses. Conclusion: Dexmedetomidine 0.6 μg/kg IV premedication is the optimum dose to be used for attenuating the rise in IOP associated with Succinylcholine administration in situations where rise of IOP may be detrimental.
Single‐Molecule Electrochemical Transistors
Authors: Bai Jie , Li Xiaohui , Zhu Zhiyu , Zheng Yan , Hong Wenjing
Published: April 2021

Single‐molecule electrochemical transistors are a type of novel molecular devices in which the tunneling current through the single‐molecule junction is modulated by the electrochemical gate, and is considered a promising candidate to be employed in molecular integrated circuits for building the future “molecular computers.” Benefiting from the particular interfacial electrical double layer, the current modulation process can be realized through direct orbital gating as well as electrochemical electron transfer driven by electrode potential, thus significantly enriching the functions of the transistor devices. This review focuses on the transfer characteristics and the performance of several typical types of single‐molecule electrochemical transistors and the prospects for the fabrication toward integrated devices.
Artificial Organelles with Orthogonal‐Responsive Membranes for Protocell Systems: Probing the Intrinsic and Sequential Docking and Diffusion of Cargo into Two Coexisting Avidin–Polymersomes
Authors: Wang Xueyi , Moreno Silvia , Boye Susanne , Wang Peng , Liu Xiaoling , Lederer Albena , Voit Brigitte , Appelhans Dietmar
Published: April 2021

The challenge of effective integration and use of artificial organelles with orthogonal‐responsive membranes and their communication in eukaryotic protocells is to understand the intrinsic membrane characteristics. Here, a novel photo‐crosslinked and pH‐responsive polymersome (Psome B) with 2‐(N,N′‐diisopropylamino)ethyl units in the membrane and its respective Avidin‐Psome B hybrids, are reported as good candidates for artificial organelles. Biotinylated (macro)molecules are able to dock and diffuse into Avidin‐Psome B to carry out biological activity in a pH‐ and size‐dependent manner. Combined with another polymersome (Psome A) with 2‐(N,N′‐diethylamino)ethyl units in the membrane, two different pH‐responsive polymersomes for mimicking different organelles in one protocell system are reported. The different intrinsic docking and diffusion processes of cargo (macro)molecules through the membranes of coexisting Psome A and B are pH‐dependent as confirmed using pH titration–dynamic light scattering (DLS). Psome A and B show separated “open”, “closing/opening”, and “closed” states at various pH ranges with different membrane permeability. The results pave the way for the construction of multicompartmentalized protocells with controlled communications between different artificial organelles.
Mechanochemische Bildung von Gold(III)‐Kohlenstoffbindungen
Authors: Eppel Daniel , Eryiğit Alpay , Rudolph Matthias , Brückner Margit , Rominger Frank , Asiri Abdullah M. , Hashmi A. Stephen K.
Published: April 2021

Ausgehend von einem [(MeOC^N^C)AuCl]‐Komplex als Vorstufe wurde eine direkte Substitution durch C,H‐Aktivierung von sp‐, sp2‐ oder sp3‐C,H‐Bindungen unter basischen Bedingungen in einer Planetenkugelmühle erreicht. Aufgrund der außergewöhnlichen photophysikalischen Eigenschaften der Zielverbindungen bietet dieses Verfahren einen einfachen Zugang zu einer wertvollen Klasse von Komplexen. Im Gegensatz zu zuvor bereits bestehenden Verfahren, erfordert dieses keine Vorfunktionalisierung der Ausgangsmaterialien und die Verwendung teurer Übergangsmetallkatalysatoren kann vermieden werden, was diese Anwendung auch für industrielle Zwecke attraktiv macht. Darüber hinaus war die Methodik nicht auf Pincer‐Komplexe beschränkt, was durch die Substitution von Chelat‐Typ [(tpy)AuCl2]‐Komplexen gezeigt wurde.
Mechanochemical Release of N‐Heterocyclic Carbenes from Flex‐Activated Mechanophores
Authors: Shen Hang , Larsen Michael B. , Roessler Allison G. , Zimmerman Paul M. , Boydston Andrew J.
Published: April 2021

We have discovered a new flex‐activated mechanophore that releases an N‐heterocyclic carbene (NHC) under mechanical load. The mechanophore design is based upon NHC‐carbodiimide (NHC‐CDI) adducts and demonstrates an important first step toward flex‐activated designs capable of further downstream reactivities. Since the flex‐activation is non‐destructive to the main polymer chains, the material can be subjected to multiple compression cycles to achieve iterative increases in the activation percentage of mechanophores. Two different NHC structures were demonstrated, signifying the potential modularity of the mechanophore design.
Production of Piperidine and δ‐Lactam Chemicals from Biomass‐Derived Triacetic Acid Lactone
Authors: Chen Bingfeng , Xie Zhenbing , Peng Fangfang , Li Shaopeng , Yang Junjuan , Wu Tianbin , Fan Honglei , Zhang Zhaofu , Hou Minqiang , Li Shumu , Liu Huizhen , Han Buxing
Published: April 2021

Piperidine and δ‐Lactam chemicals have wide application, which are currently produced from fossil resource in industry. Production of this kind of chemicals from lignocellulosic biomass is of great importance, but is challenging and the reported routes give low yield. Herein, we demonstrate the strategy to synthesize 2‐methyl piperidine (MP) and 6‐methylpiperidin‐2‐one (MPO) from biomass‐derived triacetic acid lactone (TAL) that is produced microbially from glucose. In this route, TAL was firstly converted into 4‐hydroxy‐6‐methylpyridin‐2(1H)‐one (HMPO) through facile aminolysis, subsequently HMPO was selectively transformed into MP or MPO over Ru catalysts supported on beta zeolite (Ru/BEA‐X, X is the molar ratio of Si to Al) via the tandem reaction. It was found that the yield of MP could reach 76.5 % over Ru/BEA‐60 in t‐BuOH, and the yield of MPO could be 78.5 % in dioxane. Systematic studies reveal that the excellent catalytic performance of Ru/BEA‐60 was closely correlated with the cooperative effects between active metal and acidic zeolite with large pore geometries. The related reaction pathway was studied on the basis of control experiments.
(2‐Ethylhexyl)natrium: Ein hexanlösliches Reagenz für Br/Na‐Austauschreaktionen und dirigierte Metallierungen im kontinuierlichen Durchfluss
Authors: Harenberg Johannes H. , Weidmann Niels , Wiegand Alexander J. , Hoefer Carla A. , Annapureddy Rajasekar Reddy , Knochel Paul
Published: April 2021

Wir beschreiben die bedarfsgerechte Produktion von hexanlöslichem (2‐Ethylhexyl)natrium (1) ausgehend von 3‐(Chloromethyl)heptan (2) unter Verwendung eines Natrium‐Festbettreaktors. Die resultierende Lösung von 1 ist frei von elementarem Natrium und auf Grund dessen für ein breites Feld an synthetischen Anwendungen geeignet. Dieses neue Protokoll vermeidet die Lagerung von Alkylnatriumreagenzien und limitiert die Handhabe von metallischem Natrium auf ein Minimum. (2‐Ethylhexyl)natrium (1) stellte seinen Nutzen unter Beweis und unterging nachgeschaltete Br/Na‐Austauschreaktionen sowie dirigierte Natriierungen. Die resultierenden Arylnatriumintermediate wurden nachfolgend im Kolben mit verschiedenen Elektrophilen wie zum Beispiel, Ketonen, Aldehyden, Weinreb‐Amiden, Iminen Allylbromiden, Disulfiden oder Alkyliodiden abgefangen. Eine Vergrößerung des Reaktionsansatzes des Br/Na‐Austausches unter Nutzung einer elektrophilen Abfangreaktion im kontinuierlichen Durchfluss wurde ebenfalls berichtet.