bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nietzschean Autonomy and the Meaning of the “Sovereign Individual”*
Authors: Anderson R. Lanier
Published: August 2021

This paper has two goals, one narrower and one wider. The limited goal is to address an interpretive dispute over the Genealogy’s description of the “sovereign individual,” a character type whose features bear on Nietzsche’s distinctive conceptions of conscience, promising, and what it is to take responsibility for oneself. The wider goal is to characterize Nietzschean autonomy. The basic idea is that the meaning of the sovereign individual emerges clearly in light of a distinction from Bernard Williams between two senses of responsibility—one tied to voluntary action, the other to an ambitious conception of responsible agency. What we learn from Williams about responsibility then illuminates Nietzschean autonomy, which is understood as a matter of overcoming psychological weakness by unifying the self.
Why So Serious? The Nature and Value of Play*
Authors: Ridge Michael
Published: August 2021

In this paper, I develop an account of play and playfulness, argue it is superior to its rivals and investigate the value of play so understood. I begin by laying out some interesting semantic features of ‘play’ which have not previously been systematically investigated (section 1). A failure to note these distinctions can lead theorists (and has led them) into unwitting equivocations and confusions. Drawing on this broader semantic framework, I lay out and motivate a positive account of the meaning of ‘play’ and the nature of play full‐stop (section 2). I then survey some of this account’s main advantages (section 3) and argue that the theory helps us better understand thevalueof play (section 4), where this value should inform both moral theory and political philosophy. I then compare the proposal with rival theories (section 5). I conclude by suggesting directions for further research.
Transcriptional profiling and physiological responses reveal new insights into drought tolerance in a semiarid adapted species, Anacardium occidentale
Authors: Capelari É. F. , dos Anjos L. , Rodrigues N. F. , Sousa R. M. de J. , Silvera J. A. G. , Margis R.
Published: August 2021

Water stress affects plant performance at various organisational levels, from morphological to molecular, with a drastic drop in crop yield. Integrative studies involving transcriptomics and physiological data in recognized tolerant species are appropriate strategies to identify and understand molecular and functional processes related to water deficit tolerance. The cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale) is a species naturally adapted to environments with low water availability associated with adverse conditions such as heat, high radiation and salinity.

We used an integrative strategy, combining classical physiological measurements with high throughput RNA‐seq to understand the main adaptive mechanisms of cashew to water deficit followed by recovery.

Physiological analyses indicate that young cashew plants display typical isohydric behaviour. They first exhibit rapid stomatal closure, followed by CO2 assimilation, thus preserving the relative water content, membrane integrity and photosystem II activity. Differential expression was observed in 1733 genes from plant leaves exposed to water deficit stress for 26 days. Among them, 705 were upregulated and 1028 were downregulated. After rewatering, 1330 (76.7%) genes returned to their basal expression level.

Transcriptional, combined with physiological data, reveal that cashew plants display high phenotypic plasticity and resilience to acute water deficit, and do not activate senescence pathways. A series of genes/pathways and processes involved with drought tolerance in cashew are evidenced, particularly in carbon metabolism, photosynthesis and chloroplast homeostasis.
Characterization of Pectobacterium brasiliense strains from potato and vegetables in Israel
Authors: Tsror (Lahkim) Leah , Hélias Valerie , Mordechai‐Lebiush Sara , Erlich Orly , Hazanovsky Marina , Chalupowicz Laura , Reuven Michal , Dror Orit , Valinsky Lea , Laurent Angelique , Manulis‐Sasson Shulamit
Published: August 2021

Pectobacterium brasiliense (Pbr) infects a wide range of crops worldwide, causing potato blackleg and soft rot and vegetable soft rots. This study aimed to characterize the genetic diversity and virulence variability among 68 Pbr strains isolated from either symptomless potato progeny tubers, diseased potato plants, ware potatoes wash water, or vegetables grown in Israel, as well as strains isolated from symptomless seed tubers grown in Europe, or diseased potato plants grown in France. The collection was typed using PCR and TaqMan real‐time PCR analyses, dnaX sequence analysis, pulsed‐field gel electrophoresis (PFGE), and pectolytic activity. dnaX phylogeny grouped almost all strains in a common genetic clade related to Pbr, which was distinct from the other Pectobacterium species. PFGE analysis identified two main clusters, including one major group of 47 strains with 95%–100% similarity. Maceration assays on two potato cultivars showed significant differences between strains but with no correlations with the source of the strains nor the status of the host (with/without symptoms). Molecular (dnaX sequences and PFGE profiles) and phenotypic analyses (tuber maceration tests) showed that the tested Pbr strains are not a homogeneous group. Analysis of the tested Pbr strains isolated from potato and vegetables grown in fields with a history of potato cultivation suggests that seed tubers imported from Europe may be the main source for Pbr in Israel. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that describes biodiversity and population structure of P. brasiliense isolated from potato and vegetables under hot climate conditions.
A late Holocene shift of typhoon activity recorded by coastal sedimentary archives in eastern China
Authors: Yang Yang , Piper David J. W. , Normandeau Alexandre , Zhou Liang , Jia Jianjun , Wang Ya Ping , Gao Shu
Published: August 2021

Frequency changes in intense typhoons are of great concern to modern society. However, current understanding of the influence of climate on typhoon activity on the millennial scale is restricted by the sparseness of pre‐observational reconstructions in the north‐western Pacific. This study presents a 5500 year long typhoon record from the Jiangsu coast that provides the first >2 ka record in eastern China. Variations in the D90 grain size are the best predictor of recent typhoons in a second short high‐resolution core. Comparison with other typhoon records from south‐eastern China establishes a China millennial typhoon variability index during the middle to late Holocene, with maxima at ca 4750 ± 170, 3500 ± 220, 1500 ± 480 and 250 ± 170 yr bp and minima at ca 5200 ± 300, 4150 ± 430, 2600 ± 650 and 750 ± 270 yr bp. Peaks in typhoon activity in south‐eastern China (compared with Japan) correlate with damped (enhanced) El Niño–Southern Oscillation and weak (strong) East Asian Summer Monsoon, indicating a seesaw pattern in typhoon activity between the two regions. A shift in typhoon frequency pattern was also identified around 2000 yr bp in south‐eastern China, with subsequent more frequent typhoon activity. At that time there was sustained Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation reduction and its associated El Niño–Southern Oscillation enhancement, so Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation‐driven El Niño–Southern Oscillation changes are likely to be the major cause of the significant increase in typhoon activity since 2000 yr bp, resulting in the 1500 ± 480 and 250 ± 170 yr bp China millennial typhoon variability peaks. To accurately predict changes in intense typhoon activity, it is therefore important to understand how the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation and El Niño–Southern Oscillation will respond to future climate change.
Dynamics and stratigraphy of a tidal sand ridge in the Bristol Channel (Nash Sands banner bank) from repeated high‐resolution multibeam echo‐sounder surveys
Authors: Mitchell Neil C. , Jerrett Rhodri , Langman Rob
Published: August 2021

Repeated multibeam echo‐sounder surveys can provide information on developing stratigraphy over large areas and during periods when environmental conditions are known. In this study, analysis encompasses 13 time‐separated multibeam echo‐sounder surveys between 2002 and 2010 of a tidal sand ridge in a macrotidal estuary: Nash Sands, a banner bank in the Bristol Channel (UK). Over the surveyed period, Nash Sands was S‐shaped in plan‐view, with twoen échelonsegments separated by a channel (swatchway). Migration of these inflections along the ridge led to deposition of clinoforms up to 5° to 7° steep and 12 to 14 m tall. The clinoforms downlapped onto their substrates or onto cross‐sets formed by dunes migrating clockwise around the lower flanks of the ridge. Clinoform topsets were removed or truncated by repeated erosion and/or dune migrations over the ridge crest and replaced with packages of near‐horizontal laterally discontinuous irregular beds. Flank dune crests were oriented obliquely to nearly perpendicularly to the clinoforms in all three sets, so the clinoforms developed by oblique−lateral accretion locally. Although one area had strongly eroded in the prior decade during elevated wave conditions, the 2002 to 2010 stratigraphic development revealed a different relationship with extreme wave heights; Nash Sands generally accumulated sand during times of more extreme waves and lost sand during more quiescent conditions. Using also single‐beam survey data from 1991 to 2002 to study the ridge morphology over 19 years to 2010, the swatchway was absent in 1991 to 1992 and progressively developed as the ridge sinuosity became more accentuated. Dunes found migrating north‐west through the swatchway are potential evidence of a current caused by tidal height differences across the ridge during ebb conditions. The study illustrates how repeated sonar measurements reveal the processes and timescales that lead to the deposition of stratigraphic units.
Seagrass development in terrigenous‐influenced inner ramp settings during the middle Eocene (Urbasa–Andia Plateau, Western Pyrenees, North Spain)
Authors: Baceta Juan Ignacio , Mateu‐Vicens Guillem
Published: August 2021

Since their first occurrence in the late Cretaceous, seagrasses have played a major role in carbonate production and sedimentation across shallow‐water and nearshore environments, sustaining a prolific carbonate factory and contributing to sediment accumulation through the combination of baffling and trapping effects. Most reported Palaeogene seagrass occurrences developed in oligo−mesotrophic shallow warm‐water habitats and are characterized by distinct associations of small and larger benthic foraminifers adapted to low terrigenous influence. This study describes a number of seagrass episodes interbedded in the Bartonian (middle Eocene) of San Fausto–Lazkua area (Navarra region, North Spain), within a nearshore to inner‐ramp succession that, in spite of being deposited under general transgressive conditions, was highly influenced by terrigenous supply from the adjacent land. Up to twelve different seagrass bed intervals occur interbedded in a cyclical manner with high‐energy nearshore siliciclastics and inner ramp bioclastic carbonates rich in mesophotic−oligophotic foraminifers and heterozoan biota (red algae, echinoderms, bryozoans). Seagrass deposits exhibit typical unsorted textures, abundant bioturbation and moderate to high terrigenous content, and comprise a characteristic skeletal association of epiphytic foraminifers, red algae and, most particularly, of abundant encrusting acervulinids, commonly with distinct hooked and tubular growth forms. This abundance of suspension‐feeders relative to autotrophs and mixotrophs may be indicative of temperate waters, although the taxonomic diversity of the foraminiferal assemblages in both seagrass and non‐seagrass embedding deposits supports the interpretation of shallow, warm‐water conditions. The studied seagrass deposits provide evidence that high siliciclastic supply and associated nutrient input may determine the occurrence of temperate‐like seagrass deposits in warm‐water settings, analogous to extensive heterozoan carbonate production in modern shallow‐tropical environments. Thus, the identification and correct interpretation of past seagrass‐vegetated environments are crucial for reconstructing palaeoecological conditions in ancient shallow‐marine environments. Therefore, in comparison with carbonate‐dominated environments, the mixed terrigenous−carbonate seagrass deposits are volumetrically less important, presenting a more irregular, patchy distribution, and a skeletal assemblage dominated by heterotrophs, regardless of the water temperature.
Field based lower limb strength tests provide insight into sprint and change of direction ability in academy footballers
Authors: Jones Steven , Mullen Rich , Clair Zoe , Wrigley Russ , Andersen Thor Einar , Williams Morgan
Published: August 2021

Conducting field‐based strength assessments is embedded within football academy development processes. Yet, there is a limited understanding of how hip and groin strength assessments relate to vital game‐based tasks such as sprinting and change of direction (COD) performance. Our aim was to explore field‐based strength assessments and their relationships with both sprint and COD performance in male academy footballers. Participants (n = 146; age 14.2 ± 2.2 years; stature 166.3 ± 15.4 cm; body mass 55.6 ± 15.6 kg) performed maximal countermovement jump (CMJ), Nordic hamstring strength (NHS), isometric hip adductor (ADD)/abductor (ABD), 5 m, 10 m, 20 m sprints, and modified 505 agility test. All strength measures were allometrically scaled to account for body weight. Between‐limb differences were reported as imbalance scores. Principal component analysis reduced sprint and COD variables to a single “running ability” component score. Scaled strength and imbalance, when controlled for age, were associated with “running ability” (adjusted R2 = 0.78, p < 0.001). Significant effects on “running ability” included the following: age, CMJ impulse, NHS, and hip‐ADD. When the sprint and COD variables were explored independently, age and CMJ‐impulse were featured in all sprint and COD models. For 10 m and 20 m sprint distances, hip‐ADD emerged as a significant effect. Mean 505 performance was explained by age, CMJ‐impulse, hip‐ADD, but also with the addition of NHS. Our findings suggest that insight into the underpinning strength qualities of “running ability” of academy footballers can be obtained from a suite of field‐based tests.
Phosphorus availability from magnesium‐modified P‐enriched Douglas fir biochar as a controlled release fertilizer
Authors: Arwenyo Beatrice , Varco Jac J. , Dygert Andrew , Mlsna Todd
Published: August 2021

Phosphorus (P) is one of the essential elements required for plant growth and development. However, worldwide, many agricultural soils can be deficient in P. The use of fertilizers and manures as a source of P can be costly, limited in supply in some regions of the world and ecologically unfavourable. Nutrient‐enriched biochar has been suggested as a relatively cost‐effective and eco‐friendly P source. This study investigated P availability from Douglas fir biochar modified with magnesium chloride and potassium hydroxide solutions only (B), and modified P‐enriched Douglas fir biochar B50, B100 and B150 corresponding to B treated with 50, 100 and 150 mg P L−1 solutions of potassium phosphate monobasic. Triple super phosphate fertilizer (FC) and a control treatment without phosphate added (C) used as a reference treatment. Treatments were added to soil in varied amounts to obtain the same P rate of 30 kg P ha−1. Aboveground biomass dry weight yield (R2 = .7) and plant height (R2 = .86) improved with P contents. After harvest, residual soil P for the FC treatment was significantly greater than all other treatments (p‐value = 1.7848 E‐6, R2 = .8). Plant height and aboveground dry weight biomass were greater with B150 compared to B50 at the same total P loading, suggesting that the greater P concentration of the biochar (B150) resulted in less tightly bound P and was therefore more available for plant uptake. This study showed promise of utilizing P‐enriched Douglas fir biochar as a slow‐release P fertilizer.
Novel HLA‐A, HLA‐B, and HLA‐DRB1 alleles identified in Brazilian individuals
Authors: Tavares Jessica , Petry Natalia A. , da Silva José Samuel , Bicalho Maria da Graça , de Araujo‐Souza Patricia Savio
Published: August 2021

Identification of 12 novel HLA class I and II alleles in Brazilian bone marrow donors.
Peripartum cardiomyopathy
Authors: Kulkarni Akshatha , Squire Gareth , Hogrefe Kai , Waseem Osman Mohamed
Published: August 2021

Key content

The increasing incidence of peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM) is associated with advancing maternal age, multiple gestation, obesity and increasing awareness of the implications of the disease.

A ‘two‐hit’ model of pathogenesis has been proposed, wherein a vascular insult secondary to hormonal effects of advanced pregnancy prompt cardiomyopathy changes in women with underlying genetic predisposition.

The emphasis should be on making a diagnosis, and not simply excluding a diagnosis.

Early involvement of a multidisciplinary team and senior clinicians is imperative in managing these women effectively.

Newer pharmacotherapeutic agents to treat PPCM lack adequate evidence, making their use experimental.

Learning objectives

To understand the principles of clinical assessment, which sometimes mimic physiological symptoms of pregnancy.

To understand how to manage women with PPCM in a multidisciplinary setting and become familiar with the various pharmacotherapies available.

To understand the importance of counselling women on long‐term prognosis and implications on future pregnancy.

Ethical issues

The unexpected presentation of the disease and the acuity of illness profoundly affects women at an early stage of their lives.

Sparse knowledge means there is uncertainty on the long‐term prognosis, which poses a challenge in counselling for future pregnancies.
Late endosomal/lysosomal accumulation of a neurotransmitter receptor in a cellular model of Smith‐Lemli‐Opitz syndrome
Authors: Sharma Ashwani , Kumar G. Aditya , Chattopadhyay Amitabha
Published: August 2021

Smith‐Lemli‐Opitz syndrome (SLOS) is a congenital and developmental malformation syndrome associated with defective cholesterol biosynthesis. It is characterized by accumulation of 7‐dehydrocholesterol (the immediate biosynthetic precursor of cholesterol in the Kandutsch‐Russell pathway) and an altered cholesterol to total sterol ratio. Because SLOS is associated with neurological malfunction, exploring the function and trafficking of neuronal receptors and their interaction with membrane lipids under these conditions assume significance. In this work, we generated a cellular model of SLOS in HEK‐293 cells stably expressing the human serotonin1A receptor (an important neurotransmitter G‐protein coupled receptor) using AY 9944, an inhibitor for the enzyme 3β‐hydroxy‐steroid‐∆7‐reductase (7‐DHCR). Using a quantitative flow cytometry based assay, we show that the plasma membrane population of serotonin1A receptors was considerably reduced under these conditions without any change in total cellular expression of the receptor. Interestingly, the receptors were trafficked to sterol‐enriched LysoTracker positive compartments, which accumulated under these conditions. To the best of our knowledge, our results constitute one of the first reports demonstrating intracellular accumulation and misregulated traffic of a neurotransmitter GPCR in SLOS‐like conditions. We believe these results assume relevance in our overall understanding of the molecular basis underlying the functional relevance of neurotransmitter receptors in SLOS.
The ‘Forgotten’ middle class: An analysis of the effects of globalisation
Authors: Pleninger Regina , de Haan Jakob , Sturm Jan‐Egbert
Published: August 2021

This paper studies the effects of globalisation on the income share of the middle class. Our findings suggest that globalisation, proxied by the KOF Economic Globalization Index, reduces the income share of the middle class. The income share of the poorest 20% also drops due to globalisation, while that of the richest 20% increases. We find that only de facto and not de jure measures of globalisation have statistically significant effects on income shares and inequality. Our results are robust for alternative definitions of the middle‐class income share and hold for trade and financial globalisation. When we distinguish between groups of countries, we find that our main result is driven by low‐ and middle‐income countries; for high‐income countries, we do not find evidence that globalisation has an effect on the income share of the middle class.
Retrospective evaluation of the prognostic utility of quick sequential organ failure assessment scores in dogs with surgically treated sepsis (2011‐2018): 204 cases
Authors: Stastny Tereza , Koenigshof Amy M. , Brado Glenn E. , Chan Elton K. , Levy Nyssa A.
Published: August 2021

Objective

To assess the prognostic utility of admission quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scores for in‐hospital mortality in a population of dogs with surgically treated sepsis.

Design

Retrospective cohort study of dogs from January 2011 to January 2018.

Setting

University teaching hospital.

Animals

One thousand three hundred nine cases were identified with a clinical diagnosis of sepsis requiring surgical source control. Two hundred and four dogs with surgically treated sepsis met inclusion criteria, defined as: meeting 2 or more systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) criteria with a documented source of infection. One hundred and forty‐three cases of septic peritonitis, 26 cases of septic soft tissue infection, 20 cases of pyometra, and 15 cases of pyothorax were evaluated.

Interventions

None.

Measurements and main results

Overall in‐hospital mortality was 63 of 204 (30.9%). Patients with a qSOFA ≥ 2 were more likely to die or be euthanized (odds ratio [OR] 7.1, 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.9‐16.4; P < 0.0001). Survivor and nonsurvivor qSOFA scores were significantly different in all categories. Dogs with septic peritonitis and a qSOFA ≥ 2 had an increased risk of postoperative complications (OR 3.9; 95% CI 1.3‐11.1; P = 0.02). qSOFA scores were correlated with length of hospitalization in survivors of all‐cause surgical sepsis (r = 0.28, P = 0.0007), septic peritonitis (r = 0.33, P = 0.001), and septic soft tissue infection (r = 0.59, P = 0.004).

Conclusions

This was the first study to retrospectively evaluate the prognostic utility of qSOFA scores in dogs surgically treated for sepsis. Dogs diagnosed with septic peritonitis and other causes of surgically treated sepsis with a qSOFA ≥ 2 may have a higher risk of in‐hospital mortality, although future prospective studies are necessary.
Evaluation of coccygeal and radial artery Doppler blood pressure measurements in sick cats with and without abnormalities in tissue perfusion
Authors: De Rosa Sage M. , Drobatz Kenneth J. , Reineke Erica L.
Published: August 2021

Objective

To compare systolic blood pressure measured by Doppler (SBP) taken from the coccygeal artery versus common digital branch of the radial artery in cats with normal and poor perfusion parameters.

Design

Prospective, observational study.

Setting

University Teaching Hospital.

Animals

Eighty‐five cats presenting to the emergency service for which prior emergency treatment was not received and a blood pressure was indicated on triage.

Interventions

Systolic blood pressure was measured by Doppler using the radial and coccygeal arteries. Cats were categorized as having normal or poor tissue perfusion based on physical examination.

Measurements and Main Results

Agreement was poor between coccygeal and radial SBP overall with absolute and relative bias (95% limits of agreement) of 23 (–51 to 96) mm Hg and 16% (–38% to 69%), respectively. In cats with poor perfusion, the agreement was absolute bias = 28 mm Hg and relative bias = 22% and with normal perfusion absolute bias = 22 mm Hg, and relative bias = 12%. The median (interquartile range) coccygeal SBP was significantly different from the radial SBP 141 (50) mm Hg versus 120 (45) mm Hg, P < 0.001. In multivariate linear regression, heart rate was negatively associated with coccygeal SBP (r2 = 0.088, P = 0.049), and pale mucous membrane color (P = 0.034) and poor pulse quality (P = 0.007) were independently associated with lower radial SBP (r2 = 0.18).

Conclusions

Median coccygeal SBP is significantly greater than radial SBP in sick cats with both normal perfusion and hypoperfusion. Agreement between coccygeal and radial SBP is poor in cats and cannot be used interchangeably. As clinically significant differences exist between sites, the authors recommend obtaining SBP from both sites initially and choosing to monitor and trend changes with the one site that correlates most with physical examination findings.
Using Simulation to Develop Clinical Nursing Faculty Teaching of Ethics: A Pilot Project
Authors: Randall Cynthia S. , Randall Carla E.
Published: August 2021

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the experiences of clinical instructors participating in a simulated experience teaching ethics.Background: Teaching ethics is an essential role of the clinical instructor. Limited information exists to guide instructors in the teaching of ethics in clinical settings. Clinical nursing instructors are often hired based on their experience as clinicians and are underprepared to teach ethics to nursing students during clinical instruction.Methods: A qualitative descriptive interpretive approach was used to understand the experiences of clinical faculty who participated in simulation based learning activities that explored ways to include ethics in clinical teaching. A video, case studies, and role-playing provided an opportunity to practice responding to teaching challenges and explored strategies for guiding ethical learning in clinical teaching.Results: Participants realized that ethics could be integrated into clinical teaching and seeking out ethical discussions with students is as important as teaching other nursing skills.Conclusions: Using simulation based education is a means to prepare faculty to include ethics in clinical instruction.
Time restricted eating for the prevention of type 2 diabetes
Authors: Cienfuegos Sofia , McStay Mara , Gabel Kelsey , Varady Krista A.
Published: August 2021

Type 2 diabetes can potentially be prevented by targeted lifestyle and weight loss interventions. Time restricted eating (TRE) is a form of intermittent fasting that has emerged as a novel diet strategy to reduce body weight and improve glycaemic control. TRE involves eating within a certain window of time (usually 4 to 10 h), and water‐fasting for the remaining hours of the day. The purpose of this review is to summarize the effects of TRE on body weight and markers of glycaemic control in human subjects. We also aim to provide mechanistic insights into the effect of TRE on insulin sensitivity and glucose tolerance. Results to date reveal that TRE produces mild weight loss (1%–4% from baseline) and energy restriction, when food consumption is restricted to 4–10 h/day. TRE also reduces fasting insulin and improves insulin sensitivity in individuals with prediabetes and those with obesity. Moreover, TRE improves glucose tolerance and decreases serum glucose excursions. The possible mechanisms underlying these benefits include increased autophagic flux, mild elevations in ketone bodies, a reduction in oxidative stress, and the stimulation of β‐cell responsiveness. While these preliminary results offer promise for the use of TRE in the prevention of type 2 diabetes, larger and longer‐term human trials will be needed to confirm these findings.

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Cortical layer‐specific modulation of neuronal activity after sensory deprivation due to spinal cord injury
Authors: Zaforas Marta , Rosa Juliana M. , Alonso‐Calviño Elena , Fernández‐López Elena , Miguel‐Quesada Claudia , Oliviero Antonio , Aguilar Juan
Published: August 2021

Cortical areas have the capacity of large‐scale reorganization following sensory deafferentation. However, it remains unclear whether this phenomenon is a unique process that homogeneously affects the entire deprived cortical region or whether it is susceptible to changes depending on neuronal networks across distinct cortical layers. Here, we studied how the local circuitry within each layer of the deafferented cortex forms the basis for neuroplastic changes after immediate thoracic spinal cord injury (SCI) in anaesthetized rats. In vivo electrophysiological recordings from deafferented hindlimb somatosensory cortex showed that SCI induces layer‐specific changes mediating evoked and spontaneous activity. In supragranular layer 2/3, SCI increased gamma oscillations and the ability of these neurons to initiate up‐states during spontaneous activity, suggesting an altered corticocortical network and/or intrinsic properties that may serve to maintain the excitability of the cortical column after deafferentation. On the other hand, SCI enhanced the infragranular layers’ ability to integrate evoked sensory inputs leading to increased and faster neuronal responses. Delayed evoked response onsets were also observed in layer 5/6, suggesting alterations in thalamocortical connectivity. Altogether, our data indicate that SCI immediately modifies the local circuitry within the deafferented cortex allowing supragranular layers to better integrate spontaneous corticocortical information, thus modifying column excitability, and infragranular layers to better integrate evoked sensory inputs to preserve subcortical outputs. These layer‐specific neuronal changes may guide the long‐term alterations in neuronal excitability and plasticity associated with the rearrangements of somatosensory networks and the appearance of central sensory pathologies usually associated with spinal cord injury.

Key points

Sensory stimulation of forelimb produces cortical evoked responses in the somatosensory hindlimb cortex in a layer‐dependent manner.

Spinal cord injury favours the input statistics of corticocortical connections between intact and deafferented cortices.

After spinal cord injury supragranular layers exhibit better integration of spontaneous corticocortical information while infragranular layers exhibit better integration of evoked sensory stimulation.

Cortical reorganization is a layer‐specific phenomenon.
Comparison of Fitbit One and ActivPAL3TM in Adults With Multiple Sclerosis in a Free-Living Environment
Authors: Mehrabani Golnoush , Gross Douglas P. , Aminian Saeideh , Manns Patricia J.
Published: August 2021

Walking is the most common and preferred way for people with multiple sclerosis (MS) to be active. Consumer-grade wearable activity monitors may be used as a tool to assist people with MS to track their walking by counting the number of steps. The authors evaluated the validity of Fitbit One activity tracker in individuals with MS by comparing step counts measured over a 7-day period against ActivPAL3TM(AP). Twenty-five ambulatory adults with MS with an average age 51.7 (10.2) years and gait speed 0.98 (0.47) m/s, median Expanded Disability Status Scale 5.5 (2.5–6.5), and 15 years post-MS diagnosis wore Fitbit One (using both waist and ankle placement) and AP for 7 consecutive days. Validity of Fitbit One for measuring step counts against AP was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs), Bland–Altman plots, andttests. Regardless of wearing location (waist or ankle), there was good agreement between steps recorded by Fitbit One and AP (ICC: .86 [.82, .90]). The ankle-worn Fitbit measured steps more accurately (ICC: .91 [.81, .95]) than the waist-worn Fitbit (ICC: .81 [.62, .85]) especially in individuals (n = 12) who walked slowly (gait speed = 0.74 m/s). Fitbit One as a user-friendly, inexpensive, consumer-grade activity tracker can accurately record steps in persons with MS in a free-living environment.
Association Between Accelerometer and Parental Reported Weekend and Weekday Sleeping Patterns and Adiposity Among Preschool-Aged Children
Authors: Coyle-Asbil Bridget , Coyle-Asbil Hannah J. , Ma David W.L. , Haines Jess , Ann Vallis Lori
Published: August 2021

Sleep is vital for healthy development of young children; however, it is not understood how the quality and quantity vary between the weekends and weekdays (WE–WD). Research focused on older children has demonstrated that there is significant WE–WD variability and that this is associated with adiposity. It is unclear how this is experienced among preschoolers. This study explored: (a) the accuracy of WE–WD sleep as reported in parental logbooks compared with accelerometers; (b) the difference between WE and WD total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and timing, as assessed by accelerometers; and (c) the association between the variability of these metrics and adiposity. Eighty-seven preschoolers (M = 46; 4.48 ± 0.89 years) wore an accelerometer on their right hip for 7 days. Parents were given logbooks to track “lights out” times (sleep onset) and out of bed time (sleep offset). Compared with accelerometers, parental logbook reports indicated earlier sleep onset and later sleep offset times on both WEs and WDs. Accelerometer-derived total sleep time, sleep efficiency, and onset/offset were not significantly different on the WEs and WDs; however, a sex effect was observed, with males going to bed and waking up earlier than females. Correlation analyses revealed that variability of sleep onset times throughout the week was positively correlated with percentage of fat mass in children. Results suggest that variability of sleep onset may be associated with increased adiposity in preschool children. Additional research with larger and more socioeconomically and racially diverse samples is needed to confirm these findings.
Derivative of Scorpion Neurotoxin BeM9 Is Selective for Insect Voltage-Gated Sodium Channels
Authors: Chernykh M. A. , Kuldyushev N. A. , Peigneur S. , Berkut A. A. , Tytgat J. , Efremov R. G. , Vassilevski A. A. , Chugunov A. O.
Published: August 2021

Scorpion α-toxins are small proteins inhibiting the inactivation of voltage-gated sodium channels. They can selectively act on either mammalian (mammal toxins) or insect channels (insect toxins), or affect both types of channels (α-like toxins). Currently no model has been proposed that fully explains the dependence of selectivity upon amino acid sequence, but some patterns have already been established. Thus, most mammal toxins have an aspartic acid residue in position 8, which is involved in the formation of the nest motif, but it is still not clear whether this residue interacts directly with channels. The objective of our study was to obtain a derivative of the α-like toxin BeM9 with the replacement of lysine in position 8 by glutamate (K8E), changing the charge, but excluding the formation of the nest motif. In addition, we replaced the tyrosine in position 17 with glycine (Y17G), which is characteristic of mammal toxins. Surprisingly, the double-mutant derivative BeM9EG lost its activity on mammalian channels, becoming an insect toxin. To explain these changes, we constructed models of BeM9 and BeM9EG complexes with channels, and also performed molecular dynamics of isolated toxins. Analysis of intermolecular contacts in the complexes did not explain the reason for the selectivity change. Nevertheless, the structure of intramolecular contacts and data on molecular mobility indicate an important role of residues K8 and Y17 in stabilizing a certain conformation of BeM9 loops. We assume that the replacement of these residues allosterically affects the efficiency of toxin binding to channels.
IgA1 Protease as a Vaccine Basis for Prevention of Bacterial Meningitis
Authors: Zhigis L. S. , Kotelnikova O. V. , Zinchenko A. A. , Karlinsky D. M. , Prokopenko Yu. A. , Rumsh L. D.
Published: August 2021

The review covers the study of the protective properties of IgA1 protease and the possibility of creating a vaccine preparation for the prevention of bacterial meningitis of various origins on its basis. Bacterial meningitis belongs to the group of socially dangerous diseases and is characterized by a severe course, numerous complications and high mortality. The approaches used at present in world practice to create antimicrobial vaccines are based on a narrow targeting against a specific pathogen. The development of a monocomponent vaccine against a wide range of bacterial pathogens with a common virulence factor is still relevant. IgA1 protease, a protein that is one of the main virulence factors of a number of gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, can serve as such an antigen. Bacterial IgA1 protease is uniquely specific for immunoglobulins A1 (IgA1), cleaving peptide bonds in the hinge regions of the IgA1 in humans and other higher primates. Bacteria, getting on the mucous membrane, destroy IgA1, which acts as the first barrier to protect the body from infections. Neutralization of IgA1 protease at this stage can become an obstacle to the development of infection, hindering the adhesion of a number of pathogens that produce this protein. The data available in the literature on the mechanism of antibacterial protection are scattered and ambiguous. The review considers the literature data and the results of our own experiments on the protective activity of IgA1 protease. We have shown that the recombinant meningococcal IgA1 protease and some of its fragments protect mice from infection with a live virulent culture not only of meningococci of the main epidemic serogroups (A, B, C, and W135), but also of some of the most common virulent pneumococcal serotypes. The data obtained indicate the possibility of creating a monocomponent vaccine against these and, possibly, other bacterial infections. Currently, significant progress has been made in studying the structure and functions of secreted proteins in the bacteria Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae. In this review we describe protein translocation systems of N. meningitidis, which are related to the secretion of proteins in these bacteria, and also present modern data on the functions of these proteins. Analysis of experimental data on the structure of IgA1 protease of N. meningitidis and the formation of immunity during vaccination is of key importance in the development of prophylactic preparations.
Investigating high energy proton proton collisions with a multi-phase transport model approach based on PYTHIA8 initial conditions
Authors: Zheng Liang , Zhang Guang-Hui , Liu Yun-Fan , Lin Zi-Wei , Shou Qi-Ye , Yin Zhong-Bao
Published: August 2021

The striking resemblance of high multiplicity proton-proton (pp) collisions at the LHC to heavy ion collisions challenges our conventional wisdom on the formation of the quark-gluon plasma (QGP). A consistent explanation of the collectivity phenomena in pp will help us to understand the mechanism that leads to the QGP-like signals in small systems. In this study, we introduce a transport model approach connecting the initial conditions provided by PYTHIA8 with subsequent AMPT rescatterings to study the collective behavior in high energy pp collisions. The multiplicity dependence of light hadron productions from this model is in reasonable agreement with the pp $$\sqrt{s}=13$$

s

=
13

TeV experimental data. It is found in the comparisons that both the partonic and hadronic final state interactions are important for the generation of the radial flow feature of the pp transverse momentum spectra. The study also shows that the long range two particle azimuthal correlation in high multiplicity pp events is sensitive to the proton sub-nucleon spatial fluctuations.
On measurement of photon polarization in radiative penguin B decays to baryons
Authors: Pakhlov P. , Uglov T.
Published: August 2021

A measurement of the photon polarization in radiative penguinBdecays provides a test of the Standard Model and a probe for New Physics, that can lead to a deviation from the Standard Model prediction of left-handed photons in$$b\rightarrow s \gamma $$b→sγ. We propose a new method to measure the photon polarization using the baryonic decay$$B^- \rightarrow \Lambda \bar{p} \gamma $$B-→Λp¯γ. TheP-violating$$\Lambda $$Λ-hyperon decay allows a measurement of the$$\Lambda $$Λhelicity to be performed, which can be uniquely related to the photon polarization in a model-independent way. The$$B^- \rightarrow \Lambda \bar{p} \gamma $$B-→Λp¯γdecay was recently measured to have a large branching fraction providing a possibility to get meaningful results with the data already available at LHC and B-factory experiments. An increase of theB-meson sample at high luminosity LHC experiments and Belle II should provide a really stringent test by using this method already in the near future.
Lepton flavour violation in rare $$\Lambda _b$$ decays
Authors: Bordone Marzia , Rahimi Muslem , Vos K. Keri
Published: August 2021

Lepton flavour violation (LFV) naturally occurs in many new physics models, specifically in those explaining theBanomalies. While LFV has already been studied for mesonic decays, it is important to consider also baryonic decays mediated by the same quark transition. In this paper, we study LFV in the baryonic$$\Lambda _b \rightarrow \Lambda \ell _1 \ell _2$$Λb→Λℓ1ℓ2using for the first time a full basis of New Physics operators. We present expected bounds on the branching ratio in a model-independent framework and using two specific new physics models. Finally, we point out the interplay and orthogonality between the baryonic and mesonic LFV searches.
Ultracompact stars with polynomial complexity by gravitational decoupling
Authors: Carrasco-Hidalgo M. , Contreras E.
Published: August 2021

In this work we construct an ultracompact star configuration in the framework of Gravitational Decoupling by the Minimal Geometric Deformation approach. We use the complexity factor as a complementary condition to close the system of differential equations. It is shown that for a polynomial complexity the resulting solution can be matched with two different modified-vacuum geometries.
Tracking droplets in soft granular flows with deep learning techniques
Authors: Durve Mihir , Bonaccorso Fabio , Montessori Andrea , Lauricella Marco , Tiribocchi Adriano , Succi Sauro
Published: August 2021

The state-of-the-art deep learning-based object recognition YOLO algorithm and object tracking DeepSORT algorithm are combined to analyze digital images from fluid dynamic simulations of multi-core emulsions and soft flowing crystals and to track moving droplets within these complex flows. The YOLO network was trained to recognize the droplets with synthetically prepared data, thereby bypassing the labor-intensive data acquisition process. In both applications, the trained YOLO + DeepSORT procedure performs with high accuracy on the real data from the fluid simulations, with low error levels in the inferred trajectories of the droplets and independently computed ground truth. Moreover, using commonly used desktop GPUs, the developed application is capable of analyzing data at speeds that exceed the typical image acquisition rates of digital cameras (30 fps), opening the interesting prospect of realizing a low-cost and practical tool to study systems with many moving objects, mostly but not exclusively, biological ones. Besides its practical applications, the procedure presented here marks the first step towards the automatic extraction of effective equations of motion of many-body soft flowing systems.
Towards non-perturbative quantization and the mass gap problem for the Yang–Mills field
Authors: Sevostyanov A.
Published: August 2021

In this paper, we reduce the problem of quantization of the Yang–Mills field Hamiltonian to a problem for defining a probability measure on an infinite-dimensional space of gauge equivalence classes of connections on [Formula: see text]. We suggest a formally self-adjoint expression for the quantized Yang–Mills Hamiltonian as an operator on the corresponding Lebesgue [Formula: see text]-space. In the case when the Yang–Mills field is associated to the abelian group [Formula: see text], we define the probability measure which depends on two real parameters [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. This yields a non-standard quantization of the Hamiltonian of the electromagnetic field, and the associated probability measure is Gaussian. The corresponding quantized Hamiltonian is a self-adjoint operator in a Fock space the spectrum of which is [Formula: see text], i.e. it has a gap.
Symmetric coexisting attractors and extreme multistability in chaotic system
Authors: Li Xiaoxia , Zheng Chi , Wang Xue , Cao Yingzi , Xu Guizhi
Published: August 2021

In this paper, a new four-dimensional (4D) chaotic system with two cubic nonlinear terms is proposed. The most striking feature is that the new system can exhibit completely symmetric coexisting bifurcation behaviors and four symmetric coexisting attractors with the same Lyapunov exponents in all parameter ranges of the system when taking different initial states. Interestingly, these symmetric coexisting attractors can be considered as unusual symmetrical rotational coexisting attractors, which is a very fascinating phenomenon. Furthermore, by using a memristor to replace the coupling resistor of the new system, an interesting 4D memristive hyperchaotic system with one unstable origin is constructed. Of particular surprise is that it can exhibit four groups of extreme multistability phenomenon of infinitely many coexisting attractors of symmetric distribution about the origin. By using phase portraits, Lyapunov exponent spectra, and coexisting bifurcation diagrams, the dynamics of the two systems are fully analyzed and investigated. Finally, the electronic circuit model of the new system is designed for verifying the feasibility of the new chaotic system.
Analytical solution of nonlinear differential equations two oscillators mechanism using Akbari–Ganji method
Authors: Hosseinzadeh Saman , Hosseinzadeh Kh. , Rahai M. , Ganji D. D.
Published: August 2021

In the last decade, many potent analytical methods have been utilized to find the approximate solution of nonlinear differential equations. Some of these methods are energy balance method (EBM), homotopy perturbation method (HPM), variational iteration method (VIM), amplitude frequency formulation (AFF), and max–min approach (MMA). Besides the methods mentioned above, the Akbari–Ganji method (AGM) is a highly efficient analytical method to solve a wide range of nonlinear equations, including heat transfer, mass transfer, and vibration problems. In this study, it was constructed the approximate analytic solution for movement of two mechanical oscillators by employing the AGM. In the derived analytical method, both oscillator motion equations and the sensitivity analysis of the frequency were included. The AGM was validated through comparison against Runge–Kutta fourth-order numerical method and an excellent agreement was achieved. Based on the results, the highest sensitivity of the oscillation frequency is related to the mass. As [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] increase, the slope of the system velocity and acceleration will increase.