bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Defining Russian Conservatism
Authors: Robinson Paul
Published: May 2020

This chapter undertakes the difficult task of defining Russian conservatism. Many of conservatism's most commonly cited features appear at best to fit uneasily together and at worst to contradict each other entirely. Conservatism is universalistic, but also anti-universalistic; seems to oppose change, but also to promote it; can be vehemently anti-liberal, but also can be liberal; and so on. Different groups labeled “conservative” often hold views diametrically opposed to one another. But different conservatives do all have something in common. Tying them together is the thread of a preference for organic change. Following this thread, the chapter demonstrates that Russian conservatism is not a philosophy of the status quo. Rather, it is one that endorses change, but change of a certain, gradual sort that is in keeping, as much as possible, with national traditions.
Between Revolutions
Authors: Robinson Paul
Published: May 2020

This chapter considers the tumultuous period of political turmoil following the 1905 Revolution. During this period, autocracy came under increasing pressure, and many conservatives either positively or grudgingly accepted the need for representative institutions or at least consultative ones. Anti-bureaucratic sentiment continued to grow and many conservatives pursued apparently paradoxical goals of strengthening autocracy while simultaneously limiting it. Meanwhile, the idea of the Russian nation remained very strongly associated with Orthodoxy, but a strand of conservatism that rested on ethno-nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-Semitism gained ground. Divisions among conservatives, furthermore, limited their political effectiveness. The defeat of the 1905 Revolution left liberalism and socialism in retreat. There was an opportunity for conservatives to take the lead and direct Russia along a new path, but they proved unable to unite around common projects.
The Soviet Union Under Stalin
Authors: Robinson Paul
Published: May 2020

This chapter looks at the processes underway in the Soviet Union in the 1930s and 1940s. However instrumental the Soviet appeal to traditional values may have been, it subtly altered the direction of the country's progress. Conservatism may be seen as a path, that is to say as a route along which a society progresses while retaining connections to its past. By reframing his revolutionary policies to include reference to Russia's traditions, Stalin did not “retreat” back along the existing path, but he did alter the Soviet Union's heading from one path to another. Initially, the divergence between the new and the old paths was not great. But over time, the new path would come to diverge more and more from the old one, until in the decades after Stalin the Soviet Union could be seen to be heading somewhere very different from where it had been heading at the start of the 1930s.
Various Types of Skis1
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter takes a look at the design and functions of different types of skis. There are two main categories of skis, each drastically different from the other—namely, Indian (Canadian) and European (Norwegian, Finnish). The main function of Canadian skis is to keep a person on the surface of the snow; travel is accomplished by stepping. The Indian ski consists of a wooden oval ring interlaced with cords, thongs, or willow plaits, with two crossbars. A similar kind of ski evolved with the substitution of a circular plank of wood having an oblong taper turned up at the front. This was the precursor to European skis, which in turn branched into five main groups: those from Lapland, Russian, Swedish, Norwegian, and Finnish. A few of these have further subdivisions as well depending on different conditions. These skis are divided again into two basic categories in terms of their special functions: mountain and running. Both categories have a multitude of variations.
Hill Climbing1
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter concerns mountain skis that are securely attached to the foot. Such skis allow various methods of hill climbing because they are easier to control than running skis that have no heel straps. One has to know how to climb a hill, ski back down while making turns, and in general control one's skis. Only then can one move about in variable terrain and perform jumps with confidence. The chapter shows that one can surmount a small slope without special exertion simply by lifting the front part of the skis and driving them back into the snow more forcefully, thereby preventing a slide backward.
Instruction of Ski Detachments with Marching and Company Battle Formation, Referencing “Infantry Drill Regulations”1
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter contains instructions for ski detachments in platoons and companies. It first provides the parade formations for a platoon, with directions for forming up, turning, and movement. The chapter then turns to company formations. In all forming up of the platoon and company, the intervals and distances between individuals are the same as those indicated for the platoon parade line. Finally, the chapter turns to company battle-arrays. It provides instructions for when the ski detachments are caught under live fire during actual battle, in which case particular importance accrues to prolonged, rapid running. Furthermore, on the firing line, a rifleman can either be on skis or have skis removed and then drag them behind, according to his preference.
Essential Rules for Skiers on the March
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter discusses essential rules for skiers on the march. Observing certain skills and rules assists everyone's work to a certain extent and provides the opportunity to fulfill the tasks placed upon skiers. These are especially useful for larger divisions where skiers of differing abilities are thrown together. It is essential, of course, to maintain the structure of the detachments and their regulations as far as possible and then modify them as required by local conditions or by the skis themselves. The chapter deals with the general marching formation of small detachments and skiers in platoon sections.
Scoring and Rules of ski Competitions
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter is about scoring and rules for ski competitions. As an example, it cites the rules established in Sweden by the Association of Amateurs in Skiing: these refer to competitions in general. The chapter distinguishes three main types of competitions: downhill; a run over varied terrain; and a competition combining downhill with an endurance run over varied terrain of, for example, thirty kilometers. For each of these types, the chapter provides scoring guidelines using statistics established as minimal norms for organized competitions. The chapter also discusses judging, measurers, schedules, timing, and other minutiae of scoring ski competitions. In addition, it provides some scoring alternatives.
Significance and Application of Ski Detachments in Time of War1
Authors: Eimeleus K. B. E. E.
Published: May 2020

This chapter explains the significance and military applications of ski detachments. It shows that skis are indispensible to small, self-sustained squadrons for winter guard duty, reconnaissance, and communications. They can also be used for all partisan and irregular war operations, with additional benefits for the sanitary service and even for border guards and railway brigades. Indeed, skis have been in use on a rather wide scale from history's earliest days and, in battle, often proved a magnificent benefit to the side that employed them. Besides all of the above, skiers can help repair established roads and install new ones, and construct ski trails useful for infantry and cavalry as well as false trails for misleading the enemy.
“This Accursed Place”: The Great Northern War
Authors: O'Connor Kevin C.
Published: May 2020

This chapter examines the city's experience during the Great Northern War (1700–1721). The end results of this war were the destruction of Swedish power in the Baltic Sea and Russia's acquisition of several new ports, including Riga. The chapter focuses on the actions of three powerful monarchs, Charles XII of Sweden, Augustus II of Poland-Saxony, and Peter I of Russia, as they clashed over the eastern Baltic. Its principal concern, however, is the experience of Rigans during these extraordinary times. The chapter ends with a scene of devastation in the starving and bombed-out city of Riga as its terrified residents surrendered to the victorious Russian state. It was in this manner that more than two centuries of tsarist dominion over Riga began in 1710.
Conclusion
Authors: Johnson Laurie M.
Published: May 2020

This concluding chapter argues that Thucydides' approach to politics is more preferable than Hobbes's. Hobbes, despite his pessimistic assumptions about human nature, is not realistic. Is it realistic to assume that all people act predictably, that they are always guided strictly by self-interest, that all other motivations are a sham—or, if genuine, so rare that to take them into account is useless? According to Thucydides, human beings are multifaceted, so that it becomes necessary, for example, to examine individual leaders and to listen seriously to their reasons for acting a certain way. Thucydides also shows that there is a natural sociability in people that goes beyond vying for power and glory and, indeed, coexists with these urges, so that it is unrealistic not to take into account a certain amount of genuine altruism. Does Hobbes's account of leadership deal with the impact of great individuals on history? Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War contains individuals with varying motivations, some altruistic, some self-interested, some acting on rage and revenge. In other words, it reflects reality. As such, Thucydides, as often as Hobbes, has been dubbed the father of international realism. The chapter then discusses how realism and neorealism, despite their differences, share the same philosophical roots. It also suggests that Thucydides has been misunderstood and that he actually provides an interesting alternative approach to realism in the study of international politics.
The Ravages of Christianity
Authors: Sullivan Vickie B.
Published: May 2020

This chapter argues that Niccolò Machiavelli finds that Christianity exerts a type of tyrannical rule over human beings, one that deprives them of their honor, dignity, and power. It is this domination from which Machiavelli endeavors to liberate them. Despite his early and forthright repudiation of the Christian understanding of history in the name of the imitation of pagan politics, Machiavelli infuses his additional explicit criticisms of the religion in the Discourses on Livy with a measure of ambiguity. Both when he offers his most stinging condemnation of the Church's role as spoiler in Italian politics and when he censures Christianity as such, he tempers his criticism by appealing from the Christianity of the vilely corrupt prelates to a purer version of the religion. The chapter examines these statements as well as additional discussions in which Christianity is less explicitly the subject.
Old Lands and Machiavelli’s New One
Authors: Sullivan Vickie B.
Published: May 2020

This chapter shows that, to provide a solution to the problem of the divided city that was inherent in ancient Rome and that became prominent in Christian times, Niccolò Machiavelli must go beyond Livy's depiction of Rome. He offers indications that his embrace of Livy's Rome is a calculated and provisional step to win the sympathy of his Renaissance readers, who are imbued with an abiding admiration of antiquity. His final destination is a new Rome that corrects the problems of ancient as well as of Christian Rome, and he arrives there by making changes in Livy's account. The problems inherent in both ancient and Christian Rome are corrected by his sketching the outlines of a new, more resilient Rome. The solution he suggests is distinctively modern because it emerges from his own understanding of the manner in which the Christians defeated the pagans. In short, Machiavelli's new Rome utilizes elements of both paganism and Christianity in order to subvert both.
Machiavelli’s Rule and Human Liberty
Authors: Sullivan Vickie B.
Published: May 2020

This chapter determines that, by perverting the previous understandings to which Niccolò Machiavelli explicitly appeals, he furnishes the impetus for a new understanding. He thus can be taken to be a type of ruler. A consideration of his rule—its envisioned extent, its intended effects, and its manner of attainment—allows this chapter to liken his dispensation to, and to distinguish it from, the rule he wants to overturn. Although fear will reign in the republic he envisions, in gathering adherents he avails himself of an appeal to love. Unlike the current prince, however, he offers his love for the people on the condition that they hear his call to arms. In his capacity as ruler he intends to allow human beings what they have been denied for so long: honor and glory for their earthly exploits. Indeed, he endeavors to replace the divine and natural realms with the human one. By his assumption of his exalted position and his imposition of human necessity, human beings will cultivate the faculties—those of the soldier—that will allow them to establish a human republic.
Introduction
Authors: Donovan Victoria
Published: May 2020

This introductory chapter discusses the Russian Northwest and its role in imagining Soviet-Russian nationhood. Novgorod, Pskov, and Vologda here served as symbolic homelands for the Soviet and post-Soviet Russian nations, mediating between the local, national, and transnational. Following the war, the state marketed the region's cultural heritage to the nation as the symbols of Russified Soviet identity linked to myths of sacredness, sacrifice, and patriotism. The idea of the Northwest was placed at the center of everyday life, emerging as a center of tourism and cultural activity in the 1960s to 1980s. The region thus formed a vehicle for internalizing the impersonal nation by placing it within the familiar local world, or a site where local and national memory could be fused.
Zapovedniks or Tourist Resorts?
Authors: Donovan Victoria
Published: May 2020

This chapter addresses the role of cultural heritage in the drive to strengthen social solidarity and national unity in the ideologically unstable era of de-Stalinization. During the second, reconstitutive phase of de-Stalinization after 1961, the heritage of the Northwest played a strategic role in “imagining” the post-Stalin Soviet nation, a community founded on the political principles of socialist democracy, collectivism, and internationalism. The chapter shows how the creation of a touristic infrastructure in the region served as a means of exhibiting the heritage of the Northwest to the Soviet people. A key component in this enterprise is the body of touristic and kraevedenie materials focusing on the region's historic architecture. These texts reinforced a politically correct understanding of heritage as an integral part of Soviet modernity.
Conclusion
Authors: Donovan Victoria
Published: May 2020

This concluding chapter reflects on the findings provided by the previous chapters. It considers how the Russian Northwest has so often been seen as a “center” or “capital” of cultural production. Since the end of the war, the region has been imagined variously as a heartland of authentic Russian traditions, a preserve of “Old Russian” architecture, a hub of Russian folk culture, and even a chalice containing the sacred soils of Russian history. The exceptional status of the Northwest in the national imaginary is due in part to its celebration by Russian patriots and nationalists, who seized upon the region's associations with ideas of Russian cultural authenticity to promote their own cultural agendas. Yet, as this chapter shows, it is also a consequence of the Soviet nation-building politics of the postwar era. The strategic endorsement of northwestern heritage at moments of political crisis in the second half of the twentieth century resulted in the region becoming not only a showcase of Russian traditions, but also a focus of Soviet identity politics.
Geography, History, Trope: Facts on the Ground
Authors: Lounsbery Anne
Published: May 2020

This chapter explores how Russia's capital functions in its geographic imaginary. Here, only the center promises to make sense of everyplace else. Even today, educated Russians outside the capitals echo the belief that provincials must look through the capitals' lens in order to perceive anything, including provintsiia itself, with real clarity. The capital, they affirm, serves as “mirror” for the entire nation, reflecting “the true face of society” and thereby linking provincials to “the Unity of history.” And only the capital can lay claim to representativeness: by “creating the appearance of unity,” the capital “takes upon itself the role of complete spokesman for all national and state interests and opinions.”
In the End: Shchedrin, Sologub, and Terminal Provinciality
Authors: Lounsbery Anne
Published: May 2020

This chapter shows how, in the nineteenth-century discourse of provintsiia, Mikhail Saltykov-Shchedrin and Fyodor Sologub act as end points. They evoke what one might call a “terminal provinciality.” At the same time, their texts point forward to how the provinces trope will make itself felt in the twentieth century. Shchedrin's The Golovlyov Family and Sologub's Petty Demon are separated in time by approximately two decades (The Golovlyov Family was serialized between 1875 and 1880; Petty Demon came out between 1892 and 1902); Shchedrin's text is set on an estate, Sologub's in an unnamed provincial town. But both these settings seem to be the end of the line—places where narrative itself is so congealed in a mire of sticky provintsial 'nost' that forward movement has become virtually impossible.
Políticas Públicas: subalternidade como crítica a racionalidade linear
Authors: Conceição Cássio Henrique Oliveira , Tavares Breitner Luiz
Published: May 2020

O presente trabalho aborda a proposta de campo para as Políticas Públicas, feita por Lasswell em 1951 e 1976; questionando-o teoricamente a partir do pressuposto teórico da subalternidade, sobre a possibilidade de participação deste novo ator frente a ênfase dada pelo campo para a racionalidade em seus processos políticos. O artigo utiliza de 4 categorias analíticas específicas: Estado, Ator, Argumento e Problema, que são categorias transversais a proposta de Lasswell, para apresentar linhas críticas já estabelecidas ao campo, a fim de explorar possibilidades teóricas que suscitem a participação de atores outros. Esse referencial foi gradativamente relacionado a diversa gama de autores que trata da subalternidade, incluindo, além de Gramsci (2002, 2007), os Subaltern Studies e teóricos da colonialidade/decolonialidade. Do debate realizado, destacaram-se impossibilidades a participação do subalterno, em qualquer que fosse a fase do processo político, ainda que rompendo com o protagonismo do ator estatal a partir do conceito de comunidade, pois, teoricamente, o subalterno não possui qualquer poder, influencia pública ou argumentativa para figurar em conjunto com o mesmo sem permanecer sob estado de dominação. Logo, a possibilidade que se encontrou para a participação deste ator enquanto propositor ao campo, formatou-se ao contrastar fundamentalmente a racionalidade linear proposta, não apenas ampliando a contextualização da construção social presente, mas destituindo de qualquer participação do processo o Estado e seus agentes.
COVID-19 Revela a Desigualdade de Condições da Vida dos Brasileiros
Authors: Sposati Aldaiza De Oliveira
Published: May 2020

A medida sanitária de isolamento social não é acessível a cerca de 100milhões de brasileiros devido a precariedade de suas condições de moradia, moradores de rua, ausência de serviços públicos, e de trabalho e renda.
O comum e a gestão social do pós-pandemia
Authors: Giannella Valéria
Published: May 2020

A Covid-19 pegou o mundo inteiro despreparado diante de uma ameaça que, apesar de parecer súbita, tinha sido aventada repetidamente em anos recentes. A produção de informação e reflexão sobre o que está nos acontecendo, é tamanha que passamos facilmente dias inteiros buscando acompanhar a massa de notícias, artigos, Lives,... tentando entender, manter um sentido de acontecimentos avassaladores. No meio disso tudo, alguns elementos chamam atenção: muitos ponderam que as transformações do nosso cotidiano serão radicais, não apenas no curto prazo, e que o mundo pós pandemia será outro, diferente do que conhecemos. No entanto, diante do drama, parece que o mundo terá uma inesperada possibilidade de repensar rumos e prioridades do futuro próximo e longínquo. Naturalmente nada está posto sobre quais rumos prevalecerão; a disputa do futuro é o que está em jogo, hoje como nunca. Nas anotações a seguir proponho algumas perguntas e uma reflexão sobre o “Comum”, a ser indagado como possível principio de ação, fundamento político e ontológico das sociedades a se reconstruir e sobre as formas possíveis dessa construção.
Governança Tecnopolítica: Biopoder e Democracia em Tempos de Pandemia
Authors: Freitas Christiana Soares de , Capiberibe Camila Luciana Góes , Montenegro Luísa Martins Barroso
Published: May 2020

O presente artigo discute possíveis convergências entre biopoder e democracia em tempos de pandemia da covid-19. São analisadas práticas de extração e apropriação de dados pessoais, justificadas por narrativas que apontam uma suposta necessidade de controle governamental sobre o comportamento dos cidadãos a partir desses dados. O artigo reflete sobre as possibilidades de aliança entre práticas biopolíticas analisadas e princípios democráticos, visando ao uso das ferramentas existentes em prol do bem-estar público. Uma das pontes de confluência para tanto é a inovação democrática. De acordo com a abordagem tecnopolítica, a inovação democrática é compreendida como um espaço sociotécnico aonde saberes, instrumentos, processos, atores e representações se encontram para a materialização da ação pública. A inovação democrática digital é o espaço mediado pela tecnologia para o mesmo fim, sistematizando demandas cidadãs e construindo espaços de confluência entre os múltiplos atores envolvidos na busca por soluções para determinado problema público. No atual contexto, as inovações democráticas tornam-se fundamentais para a implementação de mecanismos que reduzam os efeitos negativos do momento histórico vivido, atuando como meios de mitigação das consequências sociais, políticas e econômicas da pandemia.
Serum neurofilament light chain in FTLD: association with C9orf72, clinical phenotype, and prognosis
Authors: Cajanus Antti , Katisko Kasper , Kontkanen Aleksi , Jääskeläinen Olli , Hartikainen Päivi , Haapasalo Annakaisa , Herukka Sanna‐Kaisa , Vanninen Ritva , Solje Eino , Hall Anette , Remes Anne M.
Published: May 2020

Objective

The aim of the present study was to compare the levels of serum neurofilament light chain (sNfL) in frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) patients of different clinical subtypes (bvFTD, PPA, and FTLD‐MND) and with or without the C9orf72 repeat expansion, and to correlate sNfL levels to disease progression, assessed by the brain atrophy rate and survival time.

Methods

The sNfL levels were determined from 78 FTLD patients (C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers [n = 26] and non‐carriers [n = 52]) with Single Molecule Array (SIMOA). The progression of brain atrophy was evaluated using repeated T1‐weighted MRI scans and the survival time from medical records.

Results

In the total FTLD cohort, sNfL levels were significantly higher in C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers compared to non‐carriers. Considering clinical phenotypes, sNfL levels were higher in the C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers than in the non‐carriers in bvFTD and PPA groups. Furthermore, sNfL levels were the highest in the FTLD‐MND group (median 105 pg/mL) and the lowest in the bvFTD group (median 27 pg/mL). Higher sNfL levels significantly correlated with frontal cortical atrophy rate and subcortical grey matter atrophy rate. The higher sNfL levels also associated with shorter survival time.

Interpretation

Our results indicate that the C9orf72 repeat expansion carriers show elevated sNFL levels compared to non‐carriers and that the levels differ among different clinical phenotypes of FTLD. Higher sNfL levels correlated with a shorter survival time and cortical and subcortical atrophy rates. Thus, sNfL could prove as a potential prognostic biomarker in FTLD.
CCAPP: Number of deaths from untreated addiction may rival those from COVID‐19
Authors: Knopf Alison
Published: May 2020

In a far‐reaching clarion call for attention to addiction in the midst of the COVID‐19 pandemic, Pete Nielsen, CEO of the California Consortium of Addiction Professionals and Programs (CCAPP), urges policymakers to recognize that the isolation required in shelter‐in‐place will fuel even more deaths from alcohol, drugs and suicide. In The Disease of Addiction Thrives on Isolation, released this month, Nielsen warns that these deaths were already “on track to break records in the number of victims in our state this year,” and goes on to say that those “who survive this year will face a second wave of death due to tobacco related diseases and or relapse to drug of choice unless tobacco is routinely treated in substance use disorder.”
Comparison of soil sampling techniques for alkaline hydrolyzable‐nitrogen on clay soils
Authors: Davidson Jarom T. , Roberts Trenton L. , Hardke Jarrod T. , Slaton Nathan A. , Fulford Anthony M.
Published: May 2020

The Nitrogen‐Soil Test for Rice (N‐STaR) provides a site‐specific N rate recommendation by quantifying alkaline hydrolyzable‐N (AH‐N). A user‐friendly method for obtaining a representative N‐STaR soil sample is needed, and this study was designed to evaluate the performance of alternative sampling techniques compared with the Dutch auger (DA). The alternative techniques included a Kleen Hole Spade dry (KHS‐D), a KHS lubricated with water (KHS‐W), a KHS lubricated with WD‐40 (KHS‐40), and the N‐STaR Bucket and Drill (BD). One soil sample was collected with each sampling technique from four blocks and was repeated across 14 sites. Each sample was analyzed for AH‐N using N‐STaR and compared against the DA. Variability in AH‐N ranged from a coefficient of variation (CV) of 4.4% at Site 3 to 22.3% at Site 5. The AH‐N at 13 of the 14 sites had no significant differences among sampling techniques. At Site 14, the AH‐N measured using the KHS‐40 was statistically higher than the DA by 25 mg AH‐N kg soil–1 and would correspond to a fertilizer N rate difference of 49 kg N ha–1. The KHS‐D probe appears to have the greatest accuracy and precision compared to the DA, although the KHS‐W, KHS‐40, and the BD produce similar results. All alternative techniques averaged a numerically higher AH‐N value than the DA but were not statistically different for 55 of the 56 observations. Therefore, these alternative soil sampling methods can be used successfully to collect soil samples for N‐STaR analysis on clayey soils.
Sex differences in daily activity intensity and energy expenditure and their relationship to cortisol among BaYaka foragers from the Congo Basin
Authors: Sarma Mallika S. , Boyette Adam H. , Lew‐Levy Sheina , Miegakanda Valchy , Kilius Erica , Samson David R. , Gettler Lee T.
Published: May 2020

Objectives

The pooling of energetic resources and food sharing have been widely documented among hunter‐gatherer societies. Much less is known about how the energetic costs of daily activities are distributed across individuals in such groups, including between women and men. Moreover, the metabolic physiological correlates of those activities and costs are relatively understudied.

Materials and methods

Here, we tracked physical activity, energy expenditure (EE), and cortisol production among Congo Basin BaYaka foragers engaged in a variety of daily subsistence activities (n = 37). Given its role in energy mobilization, we measured overall daily cortisol production and short‐term cortisol reactivity through saliva sampling; we measured physical activity levels and total EE via the wGT3X‐bt actigraph and heart rate monitor.

Results

We found that there were no sex differences in likelihood of working in common activity locations (forest, garden, house). Across the day, women spent greater percentage time in moderate‐to‐vigorous physical activity (%MVPA) and had lower total EE than men. Females with higher EE (kCal/hr) produced greater cortisol throughout the day. Though not statistically significant, we also found that individuals with greater %MVPA had larger decreases in cortisol reactivity.

Discussion

BaYaka women sustained higher levels of physical activity but incurred lower energetic costs than men, even after factoring in sex differences in body composition. Our findings suggest that the distribution of physical activity demands and costs are relevant to discussions regarding how labor is divided and community energy budgets take shape in such settings.
Direct Observation of Aggregation‐Induced Emission Mechanism
Authors: Guan Jianxin , Wei Rong , Prlj Antonio , Peng Jie , Lin Kun‐Han , Liu Jitian , Han Han , Corminboeuf Clémence , Zhao Dahui , Yu Zhihao , Zheng Junrong
Published: May 2020

The mechanism of aggregation‐induced emission, which overcomes the common aggregation‐caused quenching problem in organic optoelectronics, is revealed by monitoring the real time structural evolution and dynamics of electronic excited state with frequency and polarization resolved ultrafast UV/IR spectroscopy and theoretical calculations. The formation of Woodward–Hoffmann cyclic intermediates upon ultraviolet excitation is observed in dilute solutions of tetraphenylethylene and its derivatives but not in their respective solid. The ultrafast cyclization provides an efficient nonradiative relaxation pathway through crossing a conical intersection. Without such a reaction mechanism, the electronic excitation is preserved in the molecular solids and the molecule fluoresces efficiently, aided by the very slow intermolecular charge and energy transfers due to the well separated molecular packing arrangement. The mechanisms can be general for tuning the properties of chromophores in different phases for various important applications.
Al2Pt für die Sauerstoffentwicklungsreaktion bei der Wasserspaltung: eine Strategie zur Erzeugung von Multifunktionalität in der Elektrokatalyse
Authors: Antonyshyn Iryna , Barrios Jiménez Ana M. , Sichevych Olga , Burkhardt Ulrich , Veremchuk Igor , Schmidt Marcus , Ormeci Alim , Spanos Ioannis , Tarasov Andrey , Teschner Detre , Algara‐Siller Gerardo , Schlögl Robert , Grin Yuri
Published: May 2020

Die Herstellung von Wasserstoff durch Wasserelektrolyse ist nur möglich, wenn wirksame und stabile Katalysatoren für die Sauerstoffentwicklungsreaktion (Oxygen Evolution Reaction, OER) verfügbar sind. Intermetallische Verbindungen mit genau definierter Kristallstruktur und elektronischen Eigenschaften sowie besonderer chemischer Bindung werden als Vorstufe für neue Werkstoffe vorgeschlagen, die interessante katalytische Eigenschaften aufweisen. Al2Pt kristallisiert im Anti‐Fluorit‐Kristallstrukturtyp und zeigt eine stark polare chemische Bindung. Platin ist hierbei katalytisch aktiv und wird auch unter den Bedingungen der Sauerstoffentwicklungsreaktion vergleichsweise wenig aus der Katalysatoroberfläche herausgelöst. Im Folgenden wird die unerwartete Leistungsfähigkeit einer Oberflächen‐Nanokomposit‐Architektur beschrieben, die aus der selbstorganisierten Umwandlung der intermetallischen Vorstufe Al2Pt resultiert. Hierbei wird insbesondere das Langzeitverhalten der katalytischen Aktivität und Stabilität unter den Bedingungen der Sauerstoffentwicklungsreaktion untersucht.
Synthesis, characterization, and biological investigation of new mixed‐ligand complexes
Authors: Amin Basma H. , Abou‐Dobara Mohamed I. , Diab Mostafa A. , Gomaa Essam A. , El‐Mogazy Mohammed A. , El‐Sonbati Adel Z. , EL‐Ghareib Mohamed S. , Hussien Mostafa A. , Salama Hanaa M.
Published: May 2020

A novel series of mixed‐ligand complexes of 5,5′‐{(1E,1E′)‐1,4‐phenelynebis(diazene‐2,1‐diyl)}bis(quinolin‐8‐ol) (H2L1) as a primary ligand and 4‐aminoantipyrine(L2) as a secondary ligand with Mn(II) ion were prepared using two general formulae: [Mn2(H2L1)2(L2)2X4].4Cl (X = OH2(1), ONO2−(2), Cl=nil; OAc(3), Cl = nil) and [Mn2(H2L1)(L2)2(O2SO2)2](4). Free ligands and their complexes were characterized. Electronic absorption spectra of the mixed‐ligand complexes indicate a distorted octahedral geometry around the central metal ion, and the anions X− are in the axial positions for all compounds. The ligands behave in a neutral bidentate manner, through nitrogen atoms and oxygen atoms of the carbonyl group (L2), whereas H2L1 coordinated through nitrogen and OH groups as a neutral bidentate ligand. All complexes do not contain coordinated water molecules, but complex (1) contains four water molecules. The water molecules are removed in a single step. The complexes exhibited magnetic susceptibility corresponding to five unpaired electrons. The antimicrobial activity of the Mn(II) mixed‐ligand complexes (1–4) against two gram‐positive bacteria, three local gram‐negative bacteria, and three fungi species was tested. Mn(II) mixed‐ligand complex (2) exhibited significant antibacterial activity against Bacillus cereus, Staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli, Klebsiella pneumoniae, and Pseudomonas sp. Mixed‐ligand complex (2) exhibited a high potential cytotoxicity against the growth of human lung cancer cells.
Flower‐like shaped Bi12TiO20/g‐C3N4 heterojunction for effective elimination of organic pollutants: Preparation, characterization, and mechanism study
Authors: Yu Xinmin , Zhang Xinyan , Zhao Jie , Xu Lei , Yan Jinghui
Published: May 2020

Flower‐like shaped Bi12TiO20 (Bismuth Titanate)/g‐C3N4 (graphite‐like carbon nitride) heterojunction was prepared through hydrothermal and sonification methods for the degradation of organic pollutants by visible‐light irradiation. The preparation process, chemical structures, and the mechanism of photocatalytic enhancement of the heterostructures were studied systematically. Under visible‐light irradiation, the novel flower‐like shaped Bi12TiO20/g‐C3N4 heterojunction demonstrates prominent activities for the degradation of rhodamine B and p‐nitrophenol, with the introduction of flower‐like shaped Bi12TiO20 into g‐C3N4 composites greatly increasing the activity of pure g‐C3N4. This activity enhancement for the heterojunction could be mainly attributed to its low recombination speed of electron–hole pairs, high adsorption ability of organic pollutants, and better optical absorption ability. Moreover, in the visible‐light system of Bi12TiO20/g‐C3N4, •OH also contributed to the degradation of pollutants, which may explain the enhanced photocatalytic activity after the introduction of Bi12TiO20, as •OH is inactive in pure g‐C3N4. Furthermore, 10 wt.% Bi12TiO20/g‐C3N4 showed not only high activity but also good stability for degradation of aqueous organic pollutants, implying potential applications prospect.
Electroreduction of Dy(III) assisted by Zn and its co‐deposition with Zn(II) in LiCl–KCl molten salt
Authors: Li Wenlong , Han Wei , Li Mei , Zhang Yongcheng , Zhang Yingchun , Yue Mengti , Sun Yang
Published: May 2020

To recover dysprosium (Dy) from LiCl–KCl molten salt, the electrochemical mechanism of Dy(III) on liquid Zn electrode and co‐deposition of Dy(III) and Zn(II) on W electrode were studied using electrochemical methods. Cyclic voltammetry results demonstrated that the redox process of Dy on liquid Zn electrode is reversible and controlled by diffusion. Reverse chronopotentiograms showed that the transition time ratio of reduction and oxidation is ~3:1, revealing the redox of Dy on liquid Zn electrode is a kind of soluble–soluble system: Dy(III) + 3e− = (Dy–Zn)solution. The half‐wave potential of Dy(III) was almost constant with the increase in scanning rate. The electrochemical separation of metallic Dy from the molten salt was performed using constant potential electrolysis, and the product characterized using X‐ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy–energy‐dispersive X‐ray spectroscopy was the thermodynamic unstable compound DyZn5. Also, the co‐deposition mechanism of Dy(III) and Zn(II) was explored, indicating that Dy(III) could deposit on pre‐deposited Zn and form Dy–Zn compounds: Zn(II) + 2e− = Zn and xDy(III) + yZn + 3xe− = DyxZny. Moreover, the effect of Dy(III) concentration on the formation of Dy–Zn compounds was investigated. The redox peak currents corresponding to different Dy–Zn compounds changed with the increase in Dy(III) concentration. The co‐deposition of Dy(III) and Zn(II) was performed using constant current electrolysis at diverse Dy(III) concentrations. The different Dy–Zn compounds were produced by controlling Dy(III) concentration.
Bisdemethoxycurcumin inhibits oxidative stress and antagonizes Alzheimer's disease by up‐regulating SIRT1
Authors: Xu Yan , Hu Rong , He Duanqun , Zhou Guijuan , Wu Heng , Xu Chenlin , He Bing , Wu Lin , Wang Yilin , Chang Yunqian , Ma Rundong , Xie Ming , Xiao Zijian
Published: May 2020

Introduction

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. It can lead to progressive cognitive impairment, memory loss, and behavioral alterations. So far, the exact cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying this disorder remain unclear. And there are no effective treatments to prevent, halt, or reverse AD. In recent years, Chinese traditional medicine has become a new force in the treatment of AD, and the typical representatives of natural herbal ingredients are curcumin and its derivatives. Bisdemethoxycurcumin (BDMC), which is a classical derivative of curcumin, was found to have neuroprotective effects against a cell model of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in our previous studies. This study investigated the intrinsic mechanism of BDMC against AD in animal models.

Methods

In this study, BDMC was injected into the lateral ventricles of normal C57BL/6 mice, APP/PS mice, and APP/PS mice treated with EX527 (the inhibitor of SIRT1). Y maze and Morris water maze were used to test the learning and memory ability of mice. Nissl staining was used to observe the morphological changes of neurons. Immunofluorescence staining was used to detect Aβ deposition in mice. The activities of GSH and SOD were determined to observe the levels of oxidative stress in mice. And Western blot analyses were used to detect content of SIRT1 in mice.

Results

In the APP/PS mice, after BDMC intervention, their cognitive function improved, oxidative stress adjusted, the number of neurons increased, Aβ deposition decreased, and the level of SIRT1 expression increased. However, when SIRT1 is inhibited, BDMC on the improvement in the learning and memory ability and the improvement on oxidative stress in APP/PS1 mice were reversed.

Conclusion

Our findings demonstrated that in the AD mice, BDMC has antagonistic effect on AD. And an intermediate step in the antagonism effect is caused by SIRT1 upregulation, which leading to decreased oxidative stress. Based on these, we concluded that BDMC injection into the lateral ventricle can act against AD by upregulating SIRT1 to antioxidative stress.
Hematological predictive markers for recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinomas of the head and neck treated with nivolumab: A multicenter study of 88 patients
Authors: Matsuki Takashi , Okamoto Isaku , Fushimi Chihiro , Sawabe Michi , Kawakita Daisuke , Sato Hiroki , Tsukahara Kiyoaki , Kondo Takahito , Okada Takuro , Tada Yuichiro , Miura Kouki , Omura Go , Yamashita Taku
Published: May 2020

Background

There is increasing evidence that immunotherapy with nivolumab, an anti‐programmed death 1 monoclonal antibody, is effective in the treatment of recurrent or metastatic squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (R/M SCCHN). However, the predictive role of hematological inflammatory markers such as neutrophil‐to‐lymphocyte ratio (NLR) and the modified Glasgow prognostic score (mGPS) in patients with R/M SCCHN treated with nivolumab remains unclear.

Methods

We conducted a multi‐institutional cohort study to evaluate the impact of pretreatment NLR and mGPS on overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) in patients with R/M SCCHN treated with nivolumab in Japan. From 2012 to 2013, 102 patients were eligible, of whom 88 were finally included in the analysis. mGPS was calculated as follows: mGPS of 0, C‐reactive protein (CRP) ≤1.0 mg/dL; 1, CRP > 1.0 mg/dL; and 2, CRP > 1.0 mg/dL and albumin < 3.5 mg/dL. Optimal cutoff point of dichotomized NLR was calculated using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC). Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CIs) were estimated by Cox proportional hazard models adjusted by potential confounders.

Results

Higher NLR was significantly associated with worse survival (1‐year OS: 45.3% vs 16.3%, log‐rank P‐value < .001, adjusted HR: 4.40 (95% CIs: 1.78‐10.88); one‐year PFS: 39.1% vs 9.0%, P‐value = .001, adjusted HR: 3.37 (95% CI: 1.64‐6.92)). In addition, high mGPS (=2) was significantly associated with worse survival compared to low mGPS (=0) (1‐year OS: 37.4% vs 26.1%, P‐value = .004, adjusted HR: 4.20 (95% CI:1.54‐11.49); 1‐year PFS: 41.5% vs 24.8%, P‐value = .007, adjusted HR: 2.01 (95% CI: 0.87‐4.68)). These associations were consistent with subgroup analyses stratified by potential confounders.

Conclusions

Pretreatment NLR and mGPS might be predictive markers of survival in patients with R/M SCCHN treated with nivolumab.
Treatment patterns and outcomes in adolescents and young adults with Hodgkin lymphoma in pediatric versus adult centers: An IMPACT Cohort Study
Authors: Gupta Sumit , Baxter Nancy N. , Hodgson David , Punnett Angela , Sutradhar Rinku , Pole Jason D. , Nagamuthu Chenthila , Lau Cindy , Nathan Paul C.
Published: May 2020

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a common adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer. While outcome disparities between pediatric vs. adult centers [locus of care (LOC)] have been demonstrated in other AYA cancers such as acute lymphoblastic leukemia, they have not been well studied in HL. We therefore compared population‐based treatment patterns and outcomes in AYA HL by LOC. The IMPACT Cohort includes data on all Ontario, Canada AYA (15‐21 years) diagnosed with HL between 1992 and 2012. Linkage to population‐based health administrative data identified late effects. We examined LOC‐based differences in treatment modalities, cumulative doses, event‐free survival (EFS), overall survival (OS), and late effects. Among 954 AYA, 711 (74.5%) received therapy at adult centers. Pediatric center AYA experienced higher rates of radiation therapy but lower cumulative doses of doxorubicin and bleomycin. 10‐year EFS did not differ between pediatric vs. adult cancer vs. community centers (83.8% ± 2.4% vs. 82.8% ± 1.6% vs. 82.7%±3.0%; P = .71); LOC was not significantly associated with either EFS or OS in multivariable analyses. Higher incidences of second malignancies in pediatric center AYA and of cardiovascular events in adult center AYA were observed, but were not significant. In conclusion, while pediatric and adult centers used different treatment strategies, outcomes were equivalent. Differences in treatment exposures are however likely to result in different late‐effect risks. Protocol choice should be guided by individual late‐effect risk.
Reduced expression of CYLD promotes cell survival and inflammation in gefitinib‐treated NSCLC PC‐9 cells: Targeting CYLD may be beneficial for acquired resistance to gefitinib therapy
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Liu Liu , Wang Yi , Liu Shangquan
Published: May 2020

The application of tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) has been proven to be highly effective for non‐small‐cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, patients often evolve into acquired resistance. The secondary mutations in EGFR account for nearly half of the acquired resistance. While the remaining 50% of patients exhibit tolerance to EGFR‐TKIs with unclear mechanism(s). Cylindromatosis (CYLD), a deubiquitinase, functions as a tumor suppressor to regulate cell apoptosis, proliferation, and immune response, and so on. The role of CYLD in NSCLC EGFR‐TKI resistance remains elusive. Here, we found CYLD was upregulated in PC‐9 cells, whereas downregulated in PC‐9 acquired gefitinib‐resistant (PC‐9/GR) cells in response to the treatment of gefitinib, which is consistent with the results in the Gene Expression Omnibus database. Overexpression of CYLD promoted a more apoptotic death ratio in PC‐9/GR cells than that in PC‐9 cells. In addition, silencing the expression of CYLD resulted in an increase of the expression level of interleukin‐6, transforming growth factor‐β and tumor necrosis factor‐α, which may contribute to acquired resistance of PC‐9 cells to gefitinib. Taken together, our data in vitro demonstrate that PC‐9/GR cells downregulated CYLD expression, enhanced subsequent CYLD‐dependent antiapoptotic capacity and inflammatory response, which may provide a possible target for acquired gefitinib‐resistant treatment in NSCLC.
Stepwise Assembly of an Electroactive Framework from a Co6S8 Superatomic Metalloligand and Cuprous Iodide Building Units
Authors: Freeman Matthew B. , Edokobi Ozioma D. , Gillen Jonathan H. , Kocherga Margaret , Dipple Kathleen M. , Jones Daniel S. , Paley Daniel W. , Wang Le , Bejger Christopher M.
Published: May 2020

The design of metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) that incorporate more than one metal cluster constituent is a challenging task. Conventional one‐pot reaction protocols require judicious selection of ligand and metal ion precursors, yet remain unpredictable. Stable, preformed nanoclusters, with ligand shells that can undergo additional coordination‐driven reactions, provide a platform for assembling multi‐cluster solids with precision. Herein, a discrete Co6S8(PTA)6 (PTA=1,3,5‐triaza‐7‐phosphaadamantane) superatomic‐metalloligand is assembled into a three‐dimensional (3D) coordination polymer comprising Cu4I4 secondary building units (SBUs). The resulting heterobimetallic framework (1) contains two distinct cluster constituents and bifunctional PTA linkers. Solid‐state diffuse reflectance studies reveal that 1 is an optical semiconductor with a band‐gap of 1.59 eV. Framework‐modified electrodes exhibit reversible redox behavior in the solid state arising from the Co6S8 superatoms, which remain intact during framework synthesis.
Low‐Temperature Miniemulsion‐Based Routes for Synthesis of Metal Oxides
Authors: Muñoz‐Espí Rafael , Landfester Katharina
Published: May 2020

The use of miniemulsions containing chemical precursors in the disperse phase is a versatile method to produce nanoparticles and nanostructures of different chemical nature, including not only polymers, but also a variety of inorganic materials. This Minireview focuses on materials in which nanostructures of metal oxides are synthesized in processes that involve the miniemulsion technique in any of the steps. This includes in the first place those approaches in which the spaces provided by nanodroplets are directly used to confine precipitation reactions that lead eventually to oxides. On the other hand, miniemulsions can also be used to form functionalized polymer nanoparticles that can serve either as supports or as controlling agents for the synthesis of metal oxides. Herein, the description of essential aspects of the methods is combined with the most representative examples reported in the last years for each strategy.