bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Strong CP Problem
Authors: Branco Gustavo Castelo , Lavoura Luís , Silva João Paulo
Published: May 2024

In this chapter we make a short introduction to an intriguing problem of the standard model of the strong and electroweak interactions: the ‘strong CP problem’. This problem might as well be called the ‘strong P problem’, because its crux is the possible presence in the strong-interaction Lagrangian of a P- and CF-violating term called the 0-term. We shall focus our attention on possible implications of the strong CP problem to model-building. Although the strong CP problem is, to a great extent, still an open question in particle physics, it is possible to construct models for the electroweak interaction which keep the strong CP problem at bay. The hope is that the strong CP problem may provide a clue to the ‘true’ model of CP violation.
Introduction
Authors: Branco Gustavo Castelo , Lavoura Luís , Silva João Paulo
Published: May 2024

The most compelling reason to study the decays of B mesons is to learn more about the mechanism behind CP violation. In particular, we would like to test the Standard Model with three generations of quarks and leptons (SM). In the SM, CP violation is accommodated through a single irremovable complex phase present in the Cabibbo-Kobayashi-Maskawa (CKM) matrix V. This may be represented in a rephasing-invariant manner by J Im (VusVcbv:bVe ) (Jarlskog 1985; Dunietz et al.1985)-see eqn (13.23). The fact that there is only one independent CP-violating quantity in the SM means that this is a very predictive model. Thus far, the SM picture of CP violation has only been tested to the extent that it is consistent with the experimental value of the CP-violating parameter fK in the neutral-kaon system. Experiments with B decays will enable us to learn more about the CKM matrix.
The Mixing Parameters
Authors: Branco Gustavo Castelo , Lavoura Luís , Silva João Paulo
Published: May 2024

In this chapter we review the determination of the mixing parameters q/ p for the various neutral-meson systems. We need them because they enter in the rephasing-invariant quantities A/ required for the calculation of the CP-violating asymmetries. We identify the conclusions which follow directly and (almost) model-independently from experiment, as opposed to expressions characteristic of the standard model (SM). Extensive use is made of the formulae in Chapter 6. The analysis presented in this chapter is based on a very simple observationabout eqn (6.58),
Decay Amplitudes: Diagrammatics
Authors: Branco Gustavo Castelo , Lavoura Luís , Silva João Paulo
Published: May 2024

In this chapter we work out the amplitudes governing B decays in the standard model (SM). We use a quark-diagram description which has the advantage of being very intuitive. This description may be combined with a classification of the diagrams according to their flavour-SU(3) properties (Zeppenfeld 1981; Chau et al.1991; Gronau et al.1994a,b, 1995), providing a tool to find approximate relations between different decay channels. However, the quark-diagram description does not yield exact results. In order to obtain exact results one must first derive the effective Hamiltonian governing the transitions, and then one must evaluate its matrix elements exactly. Unfortunately, the nonperturbative nature of quark confinement means that those matrix elements must be computed within some model, such as the BSW model (Bauer et al.1985, 1987), and the results thus obtained are model-dependent. The effective-Hamiltonian approach will be discussed in the next chapter.
Some Methods to Extract α
Authors: Branco Gustavo Castelo , Lavoura Luís , Silva João Paulo
Published: May 2024

In the preceding chapters we have concentrated our efforts on identifying decay channels for which, in the SM, a single weak phase dominates the amplitude. In those cases one can extract that CKM phase, barring new-physics contributions to the mixing or to the decay amplitudes. In this chapter we discuss some approaches that have been proposed to extract a, even when there are several SM diagrams contributing to the amplitude. Due to space limitations we only consider a few examples.It is customary to distinguish between cases for which we need to know only the branching ratio-denoted.
Thinking with Assent
Authors: Antognazza Maria Rosa
Published: May 2024

This book offers a major, historically informed intervention in contemporary epistemology. From the pre-Socratics until the mid-twentieth century, it reveals, the ‘standard’ conception of knowledge was not (as is commonly supposed) justified true belief (JTB). The genuinely ‘traditional’ view was that belief and knowledge are mutually exclusive mental states, involving different mental faculties, and playing distinct and complementary roles in our cognitive lives. An exceptionally lucid and authoritative survey of the history of this now unfamiliar conception provides a springboard for reintroducing it into contemporary debate. Accepting some of the findings of ‘knowledge first’ epistemology, it argues that belief is a distinct and indispensable mode of cognition which aims at truth when knowledge is out of reach. Applying innovative methods to an vast range of materials on a rich variety of interconnected topics, this is a rare philosopher and a work of exceptional interest.
The anxiolytic drugs—our key tool
Authors: McNaughton Neil , Gray Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2024

‘The anxiolytic drugs—our key tool’ explains our use of the term anxiolytic (i.e. drugs) that reduce clinical anxiety but not panic (so excluding panicolytic antidepressants). It explains the ‘triangulation’ that can be achieved by comparing the chemically different classes (classical/GABAA/benzodiazepines; novel/5HT1A/buspirone; pregabalin), that share anxiolytic action but not their side effects: so identifying behaviours and neural changes linked to anxiety. It teases apart the clinical actions both of the selective anxiolytics and the various other drugs (including new fast acting drugs like ketamine) that treat not only anxiety but also other neurotic disorders. It provides a detailed review of the pharmacologies of the drugs, their behavioural effects across a wide battery of tasks (including supposedly spatial tests like the water maze); and uses these actions to define the key elements of the Goal Inhibition System.
Memory and the septo-hippocampal system
Authors: McNaughton Neil , Gray Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2024

‘Memory and the septo-hippocampal system’ outlines five major myths about amnesia that have dogged analysis of septo-hippocampal function and it critiques 10 theories of the ‘type’ of memory supported by the hippocampus: spatial, working, configural, recognition, semantic, contextual, relational, temporal buffer, intermediate, multiple trace transformation, and contextual binding. In all cases there are non-conforming data and, in the bulk of cases, one can discern a role for interference. The data suggest that rather than amnesia, hippocampal damage produces catastrophic hypermnesia due to loss of a mechanism that reverse the effects of interference once these have occurred. This mechanism, in the Goal Inhibition System, not only accounts for memory failure but also non-memorial changes that result from hippocampal damage. The analysis of interference in relation to key aspects of the 10 theories is outlined; and the role of the hippocampus in memory formation, consolidation, and retrograde activation are considered in relation to both wake and sleep.
A theory of the septo-hippocampal system (SHS)
Authors: McNaughton Neil , Gray Jeffrey A.
Published: May 2024

‘A theory of the septo-hippocampal system’ adds a series of assumptions to the range of data principles we derived from our overview of septo-hippocampal system (SHS) data. It outlines problems with existing ‘single process’ perspectives: consolidation, voluntary movement, habituation, spatial mapping. It also argues against multiple functions as being ad hoc. It then outlines the key basic operations of the SHS as a goal-conflict detector and consequent processes of familiarity recognition, trouble shooting, ‘just checking’, and fault tagging. It explains how these complex results are produced iteratively by simple mechanisms and discusses the internal processing, and gating required. The basic circuits and gates are then applied to four scenarios: novelty, just checking, conflict, and disengagement. It emphasizes that the way the subject solves problems may not be that intended by the experimenter and needs to be determined. Finally, it outlines how rhythmical slow activity/theta rhythmicity acts to synchronize iterative processing across target structures.
Introduction
Authors: Katsirea Irini
Published: May 2024

Digitalization brought about the transformation of press products from printed newspapers to the now ubiquitous digital editions. This has been a technological development with far-reaching ramifications. This introductory chapter first discusses the implications of this transformation in the example of the legal dispute over the VAT exemption for online newspapers. It then traces the imprint of convergence on the existing regulatory models, questions their rationale, and debates the contentious relation between press freedom and regulation. It finally explains the merits of studying press regulation through a comparative lens and outlines the structure of this monograph.
Divergent Regulation, Convergent Media
Authors: Katsirea Irini
Published: May 2024

Historically, different media have been subject to disparate regulatory models on account of their technological characteristics. The diverse conceptions of press and broadcasting have left an indelible imprint on media regulation, which has always vacillated between self-regulation and state control. The arrival of the internet has fundamentally transformed the two media sectors and has bridged the conceptual divides between them while exposing the tensions between their disparate regulatory frameworks. The vertical and horizontal integration of previously separate communications sectors unleashed by digitalization affects the ways in which audiences access content as well as their expectations across media. However, the different sectors that have come together in this multiplatform environment remain subject to divergent regulatory traditions. This chapter questions the likely direction of travel for the newest medium, the internet, and for the online press, asking whether the regulatory ruptures besetting the analogue world will be perpetuated online.
The Notion of the Press Now and Then
Authors: Katsirea Irini
Published: May 2024

One of the most disruptive aspects of the transformation from the printed to the digital press has been the disaggregation of the different components of a traditional newspaper. As a result of digitalization, internet users can find articles on specific topics with the help of news aggregators, search engines, and social media while bypassing the publishers’ actual sites. This disintermediation of news poses a risk for editorial integrity. It means that users can more easily sidestep public interest content. Online platforms have little incentive to prioritize public interest news given that algorithm-driven, sensationalist content, coupled with ‘click-bait’, is likely to boost news engagement. News organizations have also embraced algorithmic processes of news production, in an effort to simulate the practices of social media platforms and to remain relevant. This chapter discusses the impact of the disintermediation and personalization of news and of its dissemination by online intermediaries. It explores the increasingly press-like role performed by these intermediaries and certain salient regulatory attempts to reign in their power. Finally, it discusses the dissemination of press-like content by non-professional content creators and the German experiment at extending journalistic due diligence obligations to these actors without bestowing on them such attendant rights as may be required by their status.
Regulating the Press for Accuracy and Objectivity
Authors: Katsirea Irini
Published: May 2024

Accuracy is a cardinal norm of journalistic practice. However, developments around the phenomenon of ‘fake news’ in recent times have sparked off an intense debate about whether mainstream media can live up to the ideal of accuracy. News organizations, faced with shrinking budgets and a fierce competition for readers, are often presented with a stark choice between speed and accuracy. In an age of viral news, the temptation is there to publish first and verify later. In the face of overall low levels of trust in professional media, many newsrooms have invested in hubs which fact-check user-generated content. At the same time, their own news reports are scrutinized—and occasionally suppressed—by online platforms and by external fact-checking sites, situated on the cusp between ‘traditional journalism and digital network logics’. This chapter will, first, examine the way in which the ethics of journalism have been interpreted by the European Court of Human Rights. Next, it will focus on the journalistic standards of accuracy and objectivity/impartiality in a comparative context. Furthermore, it will discuss the recent phenomenon of ‘fake news’, and the concomitant rise in scepticism about the accuracy and objectivity of news media, and in particular the press. Finally, it will ask whether there has been a shift in the editorial standards adhered to by news media and in their role and self-perception as guarantors of accuracy. The influence of online platforms and of fact-checking sites will be explored in this context.
Holding Online News Websites Liable for User Comments
Authors: Katsirea Irini
Published: May 2024

Online forums, the modern-day equivalent of readers’ letters, have enhanced the capacity of readers to access the press. User comments have become a prevalent feature of journalism in the digital era as a way by which to increase democratic participation while boosting website traffic and enhancing brand loyalty. At the same time, vitriolic comments could become toxic to online news websites’ brand identity, thus alienating the very audience these are trying to appeal to. To tackle the problem of online incivility, news organizations have resorted to several strategies, ranging from the moderation of user comments and the ban on anonymity to the migration of public discussion to the outlets’ social media presence or, ultimately, the closure of online forums. Online news portals’ choice of preferred strategy has been influenced in recent times by the spectre of liability for hate speech and defamatory user comments. The extent to which online news portals should assume editorial responsibility and should be liable for user comments has been shaped by national law, by the E-Commerce Directive framework, and by the extensive and not entirely consistent body of case law developed by the European Court of Human Rights in this area. This chapter will discuss the liability of online news portals for user comments from an EU and comparative perspective before examining the criteria crafted by the European Court of Human Rights. Finally, it will consider the impact of online news platforms’ responsibility for user-generated content on press freedom.
Buoyant Clouds
Authors: Bluestein Howard B.
Published: May 2024

What drives air motions in deep, precipitating convective clouds is described in this chapter, including the effects of positive and negative buoyancy and interactions of clouds with their environment. Cumulonimbus clouds and their ancillary cloud features are described in considerable detail, including their evolution, along with radar observations of them. The dynamics and thermodynamics of gust fronts and associated clouds are explained. Clouds that can produce severe, violent weather are also explored by the author. The structure and appearance of ordinary and multicell convective storms and supercell storms, and mesoscale convective systems, are detailed, along with radar observations of them.
The Future of Cloud Observing
Authors: Bluestein Howard B.
Published: May 2024

The following topics are briefly noted in the context of future observations of clouds: Webcams and crowdsourcing on the internet, cloud classification by artificial intelligence, cameras mounted on drones, stereo photography, infrared photography, electronically scanning radars, low-powered-radar networks, and cloud radars and lidars. The chapter also speculates on what the effects of climate change on clouds will be. When this happens, we expect that there will be a change in the frequency of occurrence of different types of clouds in many regions of our planet. Obviously, regions that become warmer may have fewer clouds containing ice crystals and vice versa.
Big Science and Society as Seen through Research Lenses
Authors: Nordberg Markus , Liyanage Shantha , Streit-Bianchi Marilena
Published: May 2024

Chapter 1 reviews concepts, literature, and the development of Big Science initiatives. It outlines the key and significant work contributing to Big Science initiatives. The chapter traces the evolution and progress of Big Science since its inception in 1961 with the Weinberg thesis on Reflection of Big Science, the role and purpose of Big Science contributions to fundamental scientific knowledge and its application for societal benefits. The chapter gives a systematic review of the literature, providing readers with a broader understanding of the values, goals, and purpose of Big Science organisations and experiments tracing their past, present, and future. The review covers theoretical and practical issues relevant to shared experiences and the challenges faced in the scientific, technological, administrative, or political nature of Big Science initiatives and how Big Science benefits manifest in modern society.
Leapfrogging into the Future
Authors: Benedikt Michael , Ellis John , Charitos Panagiotis , Liyanage Shantha
Published: May 2024

Chapter 5 discusses the open questions in particle physics that motivate the design of a post-LHC generation of colliders and experiments that could offer answers to these questions by pushing further back the luminosity and energy frontiers. Evolution in the very early stages of the history of the Universe is still a puzzle, as is its accelerating expansion. The LHC is designed to operate at 7.5 TeV (ultimate value) while the proposed FCCs would offer an intensity-frontier electron-positron collider (FCC-ee), followed by an energy frontier proton collider (FCC-hh) reaching 50 TeV per beam or reaching energies of 100 TeV. The chapter also outlines, complementary to FCC programmes, the non-accelerator experiment searchers to unveil the dark matter mystery and the way forward for designing and building scientific and technological solutions to implement the realisation of such a gigantic circular collider. The conceptual designs and tools to answer Big Science questions are known to be sources of innovation and FCC will follow the steps of LEP and LHC as the boundaries of accelerators and detector technologies are pushed to the limit.
Intentionality Deconstructed
Authors: Horowitz Amir
Published: May 2024

Intentionality Deconstructed: An Anti-Realist Theory argues for the view that there are, and can be, no intentional states. We may put this view in terms of the truth of content ascriptions: Content ascriptions, in themselves, cannot be true or false—they lack truth conditions—for the concept of intentionality is flawed. Nonetheless, content ascriptions have truth conditions and can be true (or possess a related epistemic merit) relative to practices of content ascription. The suggested view does not deny the existence of those mental states standardly considered intentional, notably the so-called propositional attitudes; it affirms it. That is, the book defends the existence of those states with the properties usually attributed to them, but absent intentional properties. Specifically, it is argued that the so-called propositional attitudes possess logico-syntactic properties. The postulation of such properties plays an important role in addressing the challenge of reconciling intentional anti-realism with beliefs being true or having substitute epistemic merits, the argument from the predictive and explanatory success of content ascription for intentional realism, and the cognitive suicide objection to views that deny intentionality. As part of the rejection of this final objection, intentional anti-realism is presented as a radical view, which replaces traditional talk of content ascriptions with talk of “quoted” logico-syntactic structures, but which can yet give clear sense to its dispute with its rivals as well as to its own superiority.
Against Naturalistic Reductions of Intentionality
Authors: Horowitz Amir
Published: May 2024

Chapter 4 criticizes the very idea of a naturalistic reduction of intentionality. The chapter examines possible models for this approach. The first is the scientific model of reduction, as in the water–H2O case. It is argued that this model is inapplicable to the case of intentionality because in this case there is no analogue to the reduced macro property: we cannot identify an explanandum that can both be reduced to external relations and fit intentional realism. Second, the chapter attends to the conceptualist model, according to which it is the concept of intentionality (or of reference etc.) that determines some naturalistic relation as the intentional relation. It is argued that this option leaves aboutness out. A related argument against the very idea of naturalistic reductions of intentionality is then presented, according to which the difficulty of singling out the intentional relation among the many world–mind naturalistic relations is insurmountable.
Solidarity as a Bridge towards Interspecies Justice?
Authors: Blattner Charlotte E.
Published: May 2024

While bottom-up manifestations of solidarity vis-à-vis animals are thriving, acts of civic solidarity exercised through the law in a top-down manner are few and far between. This chapter explores the argumentative rationales and possible contours of a more fully fledged account of interspecies solidarity for and with other animals. It argues that civic solidarity through law is long overdue, as part of a reciprocal relationship (and considering that we have been free-riding on animals’ labour for centuries) and to stabilize growing discontent about how we treat other animals. Though the precise content of civic solidarity vis-à-vis animals is yet to be determined, critical drivers include enabling clauses, the freezing of subsidies (most patently subsidies for animal products), divestment, the introduction of fundamental rights that protect animals from the encroachment of state action and those of third parties, and their positive rights to protection, provision, and participation. As part of this quest for pro-solidaristic interspecies laws, this chapter also argues for social rights to which animals are entitled including, notably, workers’ rights and related rights, such as the right to leisure time, right to maternity and parental leave, healthcare provisions, access to services of general economic interest, and a recognition of animals as agents who are themselves entitled to environmental and consumer protection.
Beauty
Authors: Heath J. M. F.
Published: May 2024

Taste is traditionally closely associated with the judgement of beauty, although Bourdieu reduced this too to a social commodity. Beauty has been important in Christian accounts of taste, wherein it is normally emphasized that Christian taste means acquiring a taste for divine beauty made visible in Christ. Clement focuses on drawing people away from forms of beauty that elicit appetite for wealth or sexual desire, and turning their attention to beauty that is manifest in the human being who is perfectly formed through divine creation, clearly visible through Christ. This Christian ideal of the perfect human person is a counterpart to Hellenistic philosophical speculation about the sage, and to Plato’s ideal of forming a beautiful statue as a model for the beautiful city, both of which are further developed in the Stromateis. In presenting this ideal, Clement develops a new, Christian style of ekphrasis.
Love
Authors: Heath J. M. F.
Published: May 2024

The development of taste is fundamentally an ordering of loves. Discussions of Christian taste typically give attention to this, although it is not well brought into focus in Bourdieu. The present chapter draws out this strand from the earlier chapters, in order to show that Clement’s account of the Christian judgement of taste orders different styles of love for God and neighbour, which are structured through imagery of love within varied relationships. This in turn enables us to critique how the theology of desire has been dealt with in some modern studies of patristic tradition, especially Behr and Coakley, who give too much attention to sexuality. Clement offers a richer theology of love imagined in light of child-parent relationships and flourishing civic relationships.
Terrorism as Underground Political Violence
Authors: De la Calle Luis , Sánchez-Cuenca Ignacio
Published: May 2024

This chapter presents and elaborates the main claim of the book, namely that terrorism should be understood as underground violence rather than civilian victimization or coercive violence. What makes terrorism unique is that it does not require physical occupation or control of space. Terrorism is intrinsically linked to secret, covert action. Most insurgent violence, by contrast, is about gaining territorial control. This conceptualization is developed in several directions to make sense of some unique features of terrorism, such as its international dimension, the possibility of lone-actors, and state terrorism as covert repression. Moreover, a conceptual map on terrorism is provided, examining the various combinations of types of perpetrators and types of tactics. This makes room for the possibility of insurgencies with territorial control committing terrorist attacks when they act in the enemy’s territory.
Asymmetry, Territorial Control, and Rebel Tactics
Authors: De la Calle Luis , Sánchez-Cuenca Ignacio
Published: May 2024

It follows from the conception of terrorism as underground violence that terrorism is most likely in contexts marked by high asymmetry between the parties. Terrorist violence is expected when the perpetrators of the violence are significantly weaker than the enemy. Asymmetry in power is what forces armed groups to go underground (in the actor-sense) and to use the indirect tactics associated with terrorism (in the action-sense). Thus, in the actor-sense, the greater the asymmetry between the parties, the more likely it is that the weaker one is underground. This leads into an important conjecture that is nicely confirmed by the data: underground groups are more likely in countries with middle levels of development. In the action sense, a strong correlation is found between lower capabilities (captured by absence of territorial control) and the choice of indirect tactics: when perpetrators do not control territory, they carry out more bombings and assassinations.
Introduction
Authors: Ergene Boğaç A.
Published: May 2024

The introduction is largely devoted to surveying Ottoman and non-Ottoman scholarships on public office corruption to identify strategies for properly contextualizing this notion in the premodern Ottoman world. In doing so, the chapter engages with various perspectives on the topic in Ottoman and non-Ottoman historiographies while highlighting distinctive approaches and insights from other disciplines. A key argument of the introduction is that any attempt to historicize corruption requires an appreciation of both the long-term continuities in some of its connotations and the significant shifts in others. The final part of the introduction provides synopses of the chapters that follow.
Corruption in Ottoman Political Literature
Authors: Ergene Boğaç A.
Published: May 2024

The chapter focuses on the treatment of corruption in premodern Ottoman political literature. The genre includes commentaries on political ethics, advice literature, chronicles, and reform treaties. The chapter examines the relevant texts chronologically: it distinguishes between writings composed before and after the sixteenth century. This temporal threshold corresponds to the major bureaucratic-administrative transformation of the polity, which explains the emergence of new perspectives on corruption in later times. While authors in the first group tend to associate many relevant transgressions with state centralization, those in the second group relate them to the sale of offices, improper appointments to government posts, undue oppression of taxpayers through excessive extraction, and class mixing. The chapter also identifies discernible variations within the second group of texts and identifies those that display prominently pietistic and pragmatic inclinations in their engagements with the notion of corruption.
On the Morality of Patronage
Authors: Ergene Boğaç A.
Published: May 2024

Drawing on scholarly research on patronage networks in a variety of European settings, this chapter examines the ways in which Ottoman jurists, political commentators, and state officials defined the morality of patronage and favoritism. This topic has received little scholarly attention, although many researchers have previously addressed the notion of protective affiliation (intisab) involving patrons and clients of different social and political statuses. The discussion focuses on the Ottoman religious establishment (ilmiye) primarily because of the extensive secondary scholarship on this realm of Ottoman society. The chapter challenges the dominant scholarly narrative that normalizes nepotistic behavior in the premodern context and offers a more nuanced perspective.
On the X-ray efficiency of the white dwarf pulsar candidate ZTF J190132.9+145808.7
Authors: Bamba Aya , Terada Yukikatsu , Kashiyama Kazumi , Kisaka Shota , Minami Takahiro , Takahashi Tadayuki
Published: May 2024

Strongly magnetized, rapidly rotating massive white dwarfs (WDs) emerge as potential outcomes of double degenerate mergers. These WDs can act as sources of non-thermal emission and cosmic rays, gethering attention as WD pulsars. In this context, we studied the X-ray emissions from ZTF J190132.9+145808.7 (hereafter ZTF J1901+14), a notable massive isolated WD in the Galaxy, using the Chandra X-ray observatory. Our results showed 3.5σ level evidence of X-ray signals, although it is marginal. Under the assumption of a photon index of 2, we derived its intrinsic flux to be 2.3 (0.9–4.7) × 10−15 erg cm−2 s−1 and luminosity 4.6 (2.0–9.5) × 1026 erg s−1 for a 0.5–7 keV band in the $90\%$ confidence range, given its distance of 41 pc. We derived the X-ray efficiency (η) concerning the spin-down luminosity to be 0.012 (0.0022–0.074), a value comparable to that of ordinary neutron star pulsars. The inferred X-ray luminosity may be compatible with curvature radiation from sub-TeV electrons accelerated within open magnetic fields in the magnetosphere of ZTF J1901+14. Conducting more extensive X-ray observations is crucial to confirm whether ZTF J1901+14-like isolated WDs are also significant sources of X-rays and sub-TeV electron cosmic rays, similar to other WD pulsars in accreting systems.
Endoplasmic reticulum protein ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM 1 negatively regulates senescence in Arabidopsis
Authors: Xue Hui , Zhou Wenhui , Yang Lan , Li Shuting , Lei Pei , An Xue , Jia Min , Zhang Hongchang , Yu Fei , Meng Jingjing , Liu Xiayan
Published: May 2024

Plant senescence is a highly regulated developmental program crucial for nutrient reallocation and stress adaptation in response to developmental and environmental cues. Stress-induced and age-dependent natural senescence share both overlapping and distinct molecular responses and regulatory schemes. Previously, we have utilized a carbon-deprivation (C-deprivation) senescence assay using Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) seedlings to investigate senescence regulation. Here we conducted a comprehensive time-resolved transcriptomic analysis of Arabidopsis wild type seedlings subjected to C-deprivation treatment at multiple time points, unveiling substantial temporal changes and distinct gene expression patterns. Moreover, we identified ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM 1 (AMP1), encoding an endoplasmic reticulum protein, as a potential regulator of senescence based on its expression profile. By characterizing loss-of-function alleles and overexpression lines of AMP1, we confirmed its role as a negative regulator of plant senescence. Genetic analyses further revealed a synergistic interaction between AMP1 and the autophagy pathway in regulating senescence. Additionally, we discovered a functional association between AMP1 and the endosome-localized ABNORMAL SHOOT3 (ABS3)-mediated senescence pathway and positioned key senescence-promoting transcription factors downstream of AMP1. Overall, our findings shed light on the molecular intricacies of transcriptome reprogramming during C-deprivation-induced senescence and the functional interplay among endomembrane compartments in controlling plant senescence.
ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 sustains cellular differentiation by limiting HD-ZIP III transcription factor gene expression
Authors: Yang Saiqi , Poretska Olena , Poppenberger Brigitte , Sieberer Tobias
Published: May 2024

Plants show remarkable developmental and regenerative plasticity through the sustained activity of stem cells in meristems. Under certain conditions, pluripotency can even be reestablished in cells that have already entered differentiation. Mutation of the putative carboxypeptidase ALTERED MERISTEM PROGRAM1 (AMP1) in Arabidopsis (Arabidopsis thaliana) causes a set of hypertrophic phenotypes, indicating a defect in the suppression of pluripotency. A role of AMP1 in the miRNA-mediated inhibition of translation has previously been reported; however, how this activity is related to its developmental functions is unclear. Here, we examined the functional interaction between AMP1 and the Class III homeodomain-leucine zipper (HD-ZIP III) transcription factors, which are miRNA-controlled determinants of shoot meristem specification. We found that the HD-ZIP III transcriptional output is enhanced in the amp1 mutant and that plant lines with increased HD-ZIP III activity not only developed amp1 mutant-like phenotypes but also showed a synergistic genetic interaction with the mutant. Conversely, the reduction of HD-ZIP III function suppressed the shoot hypertrophy defects of the amp1 mutant. We further provide evidence that the expression domains of HD-ZIP III family members are expanded in the amp1 mutant and that this misexpression occurs at the transcriptional level and does not involve the function of miRNA165/166. Finally, amp1 mutant–specific phenotypes cannot be mimicked by a general inhibition of miRNA function in the AMP1 expression domain. These findings lead us to a model in which AMP1 restricts cellular pluripotency upstream of HD-ZIP III proteins, and this control appears to be not directly mediated by the canonical miRNA pathway.
Sulfide oxidation by members of the Sulfolobales
Authors: Fernandes-Martins Maria C , Colman Daniel R , Boyd Eric S
Published: May 2024

The oxidation of sulfur compounds drives the acidification of geothermal waters. At high temperatures (>80°C) and in acidic conditions (pH <6.0), oxidation of sulfide has historically been considered an abiotic process that generates elemental sulfur (S0) that, in turn, is oxidized by thermoacidophiles of the model archaeal order Sulfolobales to generate sulfuric acid (i.e. sulfate and protons). Here, we describe five new aerobic and autotrophic strains of Sulfolobales comprising two species that were isolated from acidic hot springs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and that can use sulfide as an electron donor. These strains significantly accelerated the rate and extent of sulfide oxidation to sulfate relative to abiotic controls, concomitant with production of cells. Yields of sulfide-grown cultures were ∼2-fold greater than those of S0-grown cultures, consistent with thermodynamic calculations indicating more available energy in the former condition than the latter. Homologs of sulfide:quinone oxidoreductase (Sqr) were identified in nearly all Sulfolobales genomes from YNP metagenomes as well as those from other reference Sulfolobales, suggesting a widespread ability to accelerate sulfide oxidation. These observations expand the role of Sulfolobales in the oxidative sulfur cycle, the geobiological feedbacks that drive the formation of acidic hot springs, and landscape evolution.
Evaluation of twin fetal exposure to radiofrequency field during magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Zhong Nan , Mi Qunzheng , Lu Meng , Jiang Haoyu , Zhang Yi
Published: May 2024

Fetal development is essential to the human lifespan. As more and more multifetal gestations have been reported recently, clinical diagnosis using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), which introduced radiofrequency (RF) exposure, raised public concerns. The present study developed two whole-body pregnant models of 31 and 32 gestational weeks (GWs) with twin fetuses and explored RF exposure by 1.5 and 3.0 T MRI. Differences in the relative position of the fetus and changes in fetal weight can cause differences in fetal peak local specific absorption rate averaged over 10 g tissue (pSAR10g). Variation of pSAR10g due to different fetal positions can be ~35%. Numerically, twin and singleton fetal pSAR10g results were not significantly different, however twin results exceeded the limit in some cases (e.g. fetuses of 31 GW at 1.5 T), which indicated the necessity for further research employing anatomically correct twin-fetal models coming from various GWs and particular sequence to be applied.
Thinking About the Future of Cognitive Remediation Therapy Revisited: What Is Left to Solve Before Patients Have Access?
Authors: Wykes Til , Bowie Christopher R , Cella Matteo
Published: May 2024

In our previous paper on the Future of Cognitive Remediation published more than 10 years ago, we envisaged an imminent and wide implementation of cognitive remediation therapies into mental health services. This optimism was misplaced. Despite evidence of the benefits, costs, and savings of this intervention, access is still sparse. The therapy has made its way into some treatment guidance, but these documents weight the same evidence very differently, causing confusion, and do not consider barriers to implementation. This paper revisits our previous agenda and describes how some challenges were overcome but some remain. The scientific community, with its commitment to Open Science, has produced promising sets of empirical data to explore the mechanisms of treatment action. This same community needs to understand the specific and nonspecific effects of cognitive remediation if we are to provide a formulation-based approach that can be widely implemented. In the last 10 years we have learned that cognitive remediation is not “brain training” but is a holistic therapy that involves an active therapist providing motivation support, and who helps to mitigate the impact of cognitive difficulties through metacognition to develop awareness of cognitive approaches to problems. We conclude that, of course, more research is needed but, in addition and perhaps more importantly at this stage, we need more public and health professionals’ understanding of the benefits of this therapy to inform and include this approach as part of treatment regimens.
Export of heme by the feline leukemia virus C receptor regulates mitochondrial biogenesis and redox balance in the hematophagous insect Rhodnius prolixus
Authors: Walter‐Nuno Ana Beatriz , Taracena‐Agarwal Mabel , Oliveira Matheus P. , Oliveira Marcus F. , Oliveira Pedro L. , Paiva‐Silva Gabriela O.
Published: May 2024

Heme is a prosthetic group of proteins involved in vital physiological processes. It participates, for example, in redox reactions crucial for cell metabolism due to the variable oxidation state of its central iron atom. However, excessive heme can be cytotoxic due to its prooxidant properties. Therefore, the control of intracellular heme levels ensures the survival of organisms, especially those that deal with high concentrations of heme during their lives, such as hematophagous insects. The export of heme initially attributed to the feline leukemia virus C receptor (FLVCR) has recently been called into question, following the discovery of choline uptake by the same receptor in mammals. Here, we found that RpFLVCR is a heme exporter in the midgut of the hematophagous insect Rhodnius prolixus, a vector for Chagas disease. Silencing RpFLVCR decreased hemolymphatic heme levels and increased the levels of intracellular dicysteinyl‐biliverdin, indicating heme retention inside midgut cells. FLVCR silencing led to increased expression of heme oxygenase (HO), ferritin, and mitoferrin mRNAs while downregulating the iron importers Malvolio 1 and 2. In contrast, HO gene silencing increased FLVCR and Malvolio expression and downregulated ferritin, revealing crosstalk between heme degradation/export and iron transport/storage pathways. Furthermore, RpFLVCR silencing strongly increased oxidant production and lipid peroxidation, reduced cytochrome c oxidase activity, and activated mitochondrial biogenesis, effects not observed in RpHO‐silenced insects. These data support FLVCR function as a heme exporter, playing a pivotal role in heme/iron metabolism and maintenance of redox balance, especially in an organism adapted to face extremely high concentrations of heme.
Vasorin promotes endothelial differentiation of glioma stem cells via stimulating the transcription of VEGFR2
Authors: Qin Zixi , Zhong Ying , Li Peiwen , Ma Ziqing , Kang Hui , Huang Youwei , Zhong Ying , Wang Lihui
Published: May 2024

Gliomas are highly vascularized malignancies, but current anti‐angiogenic treatments have not demonstrated practical improvements in patient survival. Studies have suggested that glioma‐derived endothelial cell (GdEC) formed by glioma stem cell (GSC) differentiation may contribute to the failure of this treatment. However, the molecular mechanisms involved in GSC endothelial differentiation remain poorly understood. We previously reported that vasorin (VASN) is highly expressed in glioma and promotes angiogenesis. Here, we show that VASN expression positively correlates with GdEC signatures in glioma patients. VASN promotes the endothelial differentiation capacity of GSC in vitro and participates in the formation of GSC‐derived vessels in vivo. Mechanistically, vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) is a critical factor that mediates the regulation of VASN on GSC endothelial differentiation. Separation of cell chromatin fractionation and chromatin immunoprecipitation‐sequencing analysis show that VASN interacts with Notch1 and co‐translocates into the cell nuclei, where VASN binds to the VEGFR2 gene promoter to stimulate its transcription during the progression of GSC differentiation into GdEC. Together, these findings elucidate the role and mechanisms of VASN in promoting the endothelial differentiation of GSC and suggest VASN as a potential target for anti‐angiogenic therapy based on intervention in GdEC formation in gliomas.
Chlorogenic acid ameliorates intestinal inflammation via miRNA‐microbe axis in db/db mice
Authors: Yan Yongwang , Li Qing , Yang Fengluan , Shen Ling , Guo Kangxiao , Zhou Xu
Published: May 2024

Chlorogenic acid improves diabetic symptoms, including inflammation, via the modulation of the gut microbiota. However, the mechanism by which the microbiota is regulated by chlorogenic acid remains unknown. In this study, we firstly explored the effects of chlorogenic acid on diabetic symptoms, colonic inflammation, microbiota composition, and microRNA (miRNA) expression in db/db mice. The results showed that chlorogenic acid decreased body weight, improved glucose tolerance and intestinal inflammation, altered gut microbiota composition, and upregulated the expression level of five miRNAs, including miRNA‐668‐3p, miRNA‐467d‐5p, miRNA‐129‐1‐3p, miRNA‐770‐3p, and miRNA‐666‐5p in the colonic content. Interestingly, the levels of these five miRNAs were positively correlated with the abundance of Lactobacillus johnsonii. We then found that miRNA‐129‐1‐3p and miRNA‐666‐5p promoted the growth of L. johnsonii. Importantly, miRNA‐129‐1‐3p mimicked the effects of chlorogenic acid on diabetic symptoms and colonic inflammation in db/db mice. Furthermore, L. johnsonii exerted beneficial effects on db/db mice similar to those of chlorogenic acid. In conclusion, chlorogenic acid regulated the gut microbiota composition via affecting miRNA expression and ameliorated intestinal inflammation via the miRNA‐microbe axis in db/db mice.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring for Management of Type 2 Diabetes and Perinatal Outcomes
Authors: Padgett Charles E. , Ye Yuanfan , Champion Macie L. , Fleenor Rebecca E. , Orfanakos Vasiliki B. , Casey Brian M. , Battarbee Ashley N.
Published: May 2024

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between continuous glucose monitoring in pregnant people with type 2 diabetes and perinatal outcomes.

METHODS:

This was a retrospective cohort study of pregnant people with type 2 diabetes who received prenatal care and delivered singleton, nonanomalous neonates at a single academic tertiary care center from November 1, 2019, to February 28, 2023. The primary outcome was a composite of neonatal morbidity, including hypoglycemia, hyperbilirubinemia, shoulder dystocia, large for gestational age at birth, preterm birth, neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) admission, or perinatal death. Demographics and outcomes were compared by type of monitoring (continuous glucose monitoring vs intermittent self-monitoring of blood glucose), and multivariable logistic regression estimated the association between continuous glucose monitoring use and perinatal outcomes.

RESULTS:

Of 360 pregnant people who met the inclusion criteria, 82 (22.7%) used continuous glucose monitoring. The mean gestational age at continuous glucose monitoring initiation was 21.3±6.4 weeks. The use of continuous glucose monitoring was associated with lower odds of the primary composite neonatal morbidity (65.9% continuous glucose monitoring vs 77.0% self-monitoring of blood glucose, adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.48, 95% CI, 0.24–0.94). Continuous glucose monitoring use was also associated with lower odds of preterm birth (13.4% vs 25.2%, aOR 0.48, 95% CI, 0.25–0.93) and NICU admission (33.8% vs 47.6%, aOR 0.36, 95% CI, 0.16–0.81).

CONCLUSION:

In pregnant people with type 2 diabetes, continuous glucose monitoring use was associated with less neonatal morbidity, fewer preterm births, and fewer NICU admissions.