bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Humidity-dependence of the hydroxyl accessibility in Norway spruce wood
Authors: Altgen Michael , Rautkari Lauri
Published: October 2020

This study aimed at a better understanding of the wood-water interaction, in particular the role of the hydroxyl accessibility during the humidity-dependent change in moisture content. Thin sections (80 µm) of never-dried Norway spruce sapwood that contained early- and latewood were used for the experiments. Sorption isotherm measurements confirmed the humidity-dependent moisture content changes and the effect of the first drying of the wood sections. Changes in hydroxyl accessibility were then determined by deuteration of the sections using deuterium oxide, followed by their re-protonation in water (H2O) vapor at different relative humidity: 15, 55 or 95%. The deuteration and re-protonation of the wood sections were quantified by dry mass changes as well as by changes in the OH and OD stretching vibrations in the Fourier transform infrared spectra. The results showed that the deuterated sections could be almost completely re-protonated in H2O vapor, nearly irrespective of the applied relative humidity. Therefore, changes in hydroxyl accessibility were not the driving force for the humidity-dependent changes in moisture content. However, a slow re-protonation rate at low relative humidity had to be considered. Nonetheless, a small quantity of OD groups persisted the re-protonation in H2O vapor and liquid H2O, which was not related to the drying of the wood.

Graphic abstract
Is routine prenatal screening and testing fundamentally incompatible with a commitment to reproductive choice? Learning from the historical context
Authors: Nakou Panagiota
Published: October 2020

An enduring ethical dispute accompanies prenatal screening and testing (PST) technologies. This ethical debate focuses on notions of reproductive choice. On one side of the dispute are those who have supported PST as a way to empower women’s reproductive choice, while on the other side are those who argue that PST, particularly when made a routine part of prenatal care, limits deliberate choice. Empirical research does not resolve this ethical debate with evidence both of women for whom PST enhances their choices but also persistent evidence of recurrent problems between PST and women’s autonomous decision-making. While there have been attempts to remove challenges to reproductive choice, it has been argued that these challenges cannot be removed entirely. In this paper I provide a historical review of PST technologies’ development and in doing so provide a detailed insight into the root causes of this tension between the opposing sides of this debate. This historical account provides evidence that those who championed the early use of these technologies did so in order to achieve a number of wholly different goals other than women’s choice and empowerment. These different aims focus on scientific discovery and eugenic goals and, I argue, areirreconcilablewith women’s choice and empowerment. It thus may not be surprising that the resulting practice of PST continues to resist compatibility with women’s choice and empowerment. Ultimately, by understanding the historical foundations of PST we can more effectively assess how toreconcilewomen’s reproductive autonomy with routine prenatal screening.
Dimethylammonium iodide stabilized bismuth halide perovskite photocatalyst for hydrogen evolution
Authors: Zhao He , Chordiya Kalyani , Leukkunen Petri , Popov Alexey , Upadhyay Kahaly Mousumi , Kordas Krisztian , Ojala Satu
Published: October 2020

Metal halide perovskites have emerged as novel and promising photocatalysts for hydrogen generation. Currently, their stability in water is a vital and urgent research question. In this paper a novel approach to stabilize a bismuth halide perovskite [(CH3)2NH2]3[BiI6] (DA3BiI6) in water using dimethylammonium iodide (DAI) without the assistance of acids or coatings is reported. The DA3BiI6 powder exhibits good stability in DAI solutions for at least two weeks. The concentration of DAI is found as a critical parameter, where the I- ions play the key role in the stabilization. The stability of DA3BiI6 in water is realized via a surface dissolution–recrystallization process. Stabilized DA3BiI6 demonstrates constant photocatalytic properties for visible light-induced photo-oxidation of I- ions and with PtCl4 as a co-catalyst (Pt-DA3BiI6), photocatalytic H2 evolution with a rate of 5.7 μmol⋅h-1 from HI in DAI solution, obtaining an apparent quantum efficiency of 0.83% at 535 nm. This study provides new insights on the stabilization of metal halide perovskites for photocatalysis in aqueous solution.
The Pandemic in India and Its Impact on Footloose Labour
Authors: Breman Jan
Published: October 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is deepening the divide between people on the safe side of the social order and those at risk. The former are not only better equipped to protect their immunity, but can also count on support and care if they become infected. In a civilization haunted by the purity–pollution syndrome, the virus amplifies the stigma of impurity in which substantial segments of the population are forced to work and live. Social distancing fits well with a customary code of segregation. The transition to an informalized economy should be seen in the context of India’s ingrained social inequality resulting in widespread pauperism. In the havoc the pandemic created, politics and governance have further distorted the already highly skewed balance between capital and labour. An overview of the impact of the pandemic on the workforce kept adrift should also allow for the regional diversity that exists. Underlying my appraisal is the anthropological research I have carried out in the state of Gujarat, a major destination for footloose labour from other parts of the country. Since circular migrants are not allowed to settle down and set up home where they have gone to, they are bound to return to their place of origin after shorter or longer bouts of casual employment without effective legal protection and social security. They are kept floating because both capital and government want it that way.
England's Northern Frontier
Authors: Armstrong Jackson
Published: October 2020

The three counties of England's northern borderlands have long had a reputation as an exceptional and peripheral region within the medieval kingdom, preoccupied with local turbulence as a result of the proximity of a hostile frontier with Scotland. Yet, in the fifteenth century, open war was an infrequent occurrence in a region which is much better understood by historians of fourteenth-century Anglo-Scottish conflict, or of Tudor responses to the so-called 'border reivers'. This first book-length study of England's far north in the fifteenth century addresses conflict, kinship, lordship, law, justice, and governance in this dynamic region. It traces the norms and behaviours by which local society sought to manage conflict, arguing that common law and march law were only parts of a mixed framework which included aspects of 'feud' as it is understood in a wider European context. Addressing the counties of Northumberland, Cumberland and Westmorland together, Jackson W. Armstrong transcends an east-west division in the region's historiography and challenges the prevailing understanding of conflict in late medieval England, setting the region within a wider comparative framework.
Galen and the Arabic Reception of Plato's Timaeus
Authors: Das Aileen R.
Published: October 2020

This first full-length study of the Arabic reception of Plato's Timaeus considers the role of Galen of Pergamum (129–c. 216 CE) in shaping medieval perceptions of the text as transgressing disciplinary norms. It argues that Galen appealed to the entangled cosmological scheme of the dialogue, where different relations connect the body, soul, and cosmos, to expand the boundaries of medicine in his pursuit for epistemic authority – the right to define and explain natural reality. Aileen Das situates Galen's work on disciplinary boundaries in the context of medicine's ancient rivalry with philosophy, whose professionals were long seen as superior knowers of the cosmos vis-à-vis doctors. Her case studies show how Galen and four of the most important Christian, Muslim, and Jewish thinkers in the Arabic Middle Ages creatively interpreted key doctrines from the Timaeus to reimagine medicine and philosophy as well as their own intellectual identities.
Evidence-based policies, nudge theory and Nancy Cartwright: a search for causal principles
Authors: HORTAL ALEJANDRO
Published: October 2020

Nancy Cartwright argues that evidence-based policies should not only rely on randomized controlled trials (RCTs) to test their effectiveness – they should also use horizontal and vertical searches to find support factors and causal principles that help define how those policies work. This paper aims at analyzing Cartwright's epistemology regarding evidence-based policies and their use of RCTs while applying her findings to current research involving nudges as behavioral public policy interventions. Holding a narrowly instrumental view of rationality, nudge theory tends to neglect other expressive components. Policymakers, in their quest for causal principles, should consider the expressive rationality of individuals in their research. This inclusion would not only increase the effectiveness of nudges, but also address some ethical issues related to people's autonomy when targeted by these interventions.
Foliations and conjugacy, II: the Mendes conjecture for time-one maps of flows
Authors: GROISMAN JORGE , NITECKI ZBIGNIEW
Published: October 2020

A diffeomorphism of the plane is Anosov if it has a hyperbolic splitting at every point of the plane. In addition to linear hyperbolic automorphisms, translations of the plane also carry an Anosov structure (the existence of Anosov structures for plane translations was originally shown by White). Mendes conjectured that these are the only topological conjugacy classes for Anosov diffeomorphisms in the plane. Very recently, Matsumoto gave an example of an Anosov diffeomorphism of the plane, which is a Brouwer translation but not topologically conjugate to a translation, disproving Mendes’ conjecture. In this paper we prove that Mendes’ claim holds when the Anosov diffeomorphism is the time-one map of a flow, via a theorem about foliations invariant under a time-one map. In particular, this shows that the kind of counterexample constructed by Matsumoto cannot be obtained from a flow on the plane.
Lagrangian foliations and Anosov symplectomorphisms on Kähler manifolds
Authors: HAMILTON M. J. D. , KOTSCHICK D.
Published: October 2020

We investigate parallel Lagrangian foliations on Kähler manifolds. On the one hand, we show that a Kähler metric admitting a parallel Lagrangian foliation must be flat. On the other hand, we give many examples of parallel Lagrangian foliations on closed flat Kähler manifolds which are not tori. These examples arise from Anosov automorphisms preserving a Kähler form.
Krieger’s finite generator theorem for actions of countable groups III
Authors: ALPEEV ANDREI , SEWARD BRANDON
Published: October 2020

We continue the study of Rokhlin entropy, an isomorphism invariant for probability-measure-preserving (p.m.p.) actions of countablegroups introduced in Part I [B. Seward. Krieger’s finite generator theorem for actions of countable groups I. Invent. Math. 215(1) (2019), 265–310]. In this paper we prove a non-ergodic finite generator theorem and use it to establish sub-additivity and semicontinuity properties of Rokhlin entropy. We also obtain formulas for Rokhlin entropy in terms of ergodic decompositions and inverse limits. Finally, we clarify the relationship between Rokhlin entropy, sofic entropy, and classical Kolmogorov–Sinai entropy. In particular, using Rokhlin entropy we give a new proof of the fact that ergodic actions with positive sofic entropy have finite stabilizers.
Pastors of a dispersed flock: Diyanet officers and Turkey's art of governing its diaspora
Authors: Maritato Chiara
Published: October 2020

Relying on Foucault's concept of pastoral power, the article scrutinizes the role of religious officers who are employed by Turkey's Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet) and serve Turkish Muslim communities in Europe. It investigates how state-led diaspora institutions operate at a micro-level and what they reveal about the state's governmentality outside its territory. In order to parse the pastoral actors' empirically visible agency, the work draws on ethnographic observations of the religious officers' activities in the Diyanet's mosques in Austria. It outlines (i) how Diyanet officers' pastoral practices go beyond the mosques and manifest in a wide range of socio-cultural religious services aimed at reaching diaspora communities, (ii) the relation between Diyanet officers' activities and the Turkish state's extraterritorial practices and discourse aimed to promoting obedience to the authorities and love for the motherland, and (iii) how the interaction between Diyanet officers and the flock shape people's perception of themselves as a community while remapping the boundaries of a Turkish and Muslim belonging in essentialist terms.
Chair's note: a strategy to develop our geographical and interdisciplinary reach, and our potential audiences
Authors: Atkinson David
Published: October 2020

The Society for Libyan Studies celebrated its 50th year in 2019 and it boasts a long record of promoting excellent research on Libya and its adjacent regions. Our second half-century will bring new challenges and opportunities. This note outlines our strategy to maintain our focus on Libya while acknowledging that Libya has always been embedded within wider networks of influence, trade and engagement across the Mediterranean and throughout North and Central Africa. We want to acknowledge this broader geographical remit more clearly with a new subtitle for this journal: Libyan Studies: a Journal of North African and Mediterranean Cultures. This subtitle also points to the benefits of engaging other academic communities beyond our traditional, core constituencies of archaeology, ancient history and history – not least because a broader engagement with contemporary research will help to maintain the Society's strength, relevance and sustainability. Likewise, we aim to engage more interest from the Libyan and North African diaspora in Britain. These initiatives will build upon our strong foundations to make us more able to respond to the challenges of our second 50 years.
Finitude, choice and the right to die: age and the completed life
Authors: Gilleard Chris
Published: October 2020

This paper explores the concept of the completed life outlined in recent writing in the Netherlands on euthanasia and assisted suicide and its implications for ageing studies. Central to this theme is the basic right of people to self-determine the length of their later life, linked with the subsidiary right to assistance in achieving such self-determination. Although the notion of weariness with life has a long history, the recent advocacy of a self-limited life seems shaped by the new social movements presaged upon individual rights together with what might be called a distinctly third-age habitus, giving centre stage to autonomy over the nature and extent of a desired later life, including choice over the manner and timing of a person's ending. In exploring this concept, consideration is given to the notion of a ‘right to die’, ‘rational suicide’ and the inclusion of death as a lifestyle choice. While reservations are noted over the unequivocal good attached to such self-determination, including the limits to freedom imposed by the duty to avoid hurt to society, the article concludes by seeing the notion of a completed life as a challenge to traditional ideas about later life.
“I Could Not Come in Unless over their Dead Bodies”: Dignitary Offenses
Authors: Glymph Thavolia
Published: October 2020

Scott gives us an expansive and critically important way of thinking about the ways in which former slaves and formerly free black people like Ransier, Bowers, Holmes, and the men and women of Front Street Church, understood the meaning of freedom and confronted the “all de day and every day” dignitary offenses they faced in the courts, on sidewalks, on public conveyances, in public places of amusement and houses of worship, and in their daily work and family lives. Her account of the response of cosmopolitan activists and lawmakers In New Orleans has tremendous implications for the struggle elsewhere. The concept of “public rights” that activists in Louisiana located in a “claim to respect in the activities of a shared and social ‘common life,’” excited the cause throughout the South.
A scoping review on paraneoplastic autoimmune limbic encephalitis (PALE) psychiatric manifestations
Authors: Costa Fernandes João , Gama Marques João
Published: October 2020

The term limbic encephalitis has been used with an oncological precedent for over 50 years and, since then, has been applied in relation to multiple antibodies found in its etiological process. Over the last decade, the psychiatric community has brought paraneoplastic autoimmune limbic encephalitis (PALE) to a new light, scattering the once known relationships between said screened antibodies responsible for causing limbic encephalitis. Due to the fact that some individuals with this condition have a psychiatric syndrome as an initial manifestation, the aim of this updated scoping review is to reestablish a causal relationship between the onconeuronal autoantibodies, both intracellular and extracellular, possible underlying malignancies and subsequent neuropsychiatric syndrome. In pair with it, there is the idea of sketching a cleaner thorough picture of what poses as psychiatric symptoms as well as possible therapeutics. Even though the always evolving epistemology of the neurosciences achieved a significant unveiling of what includes PALE in its relevant pathological subgroups, the amount of gray literature still is much superior, appealing to a further research with more randomized controlled trials, with larger populations, so that the results corroborate the small amount of data that already exist and posteriorly be applied in the general population.
Application of a staging model in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder: cross-sectional and follow-up results
Authors: Benatti Beatrice , Lucca Giulia , Zanello Riccardo , Fesce Fabio , Priori Alberto , Poloni Nicola , Callegari Camilla , Fontenelle Leonardo F. , Dell’Osso Bernardo
Published: October 2020

Introduction

Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a prevalent and disabling condition with frequent chronic course. Staging models applied to psychiatric disorders seek to define their extent of progression at a particular time-point and differentiate early, milder clinical phenomena from those characterizing illness progression and chronicity. In OCD patients, a staging model has been recently proposed but not tested yet. This was the aim of the present study.

Methods

From an overall sample of 198 OCD patients, recruited across two psychiatric clinics in Northern Italy, 70 patients on stable treatment completed a follow-up assessment ranging from 12 to 24 months. At follow-up initiation, patients had been divided into four staging groups, according to the model proposed by Fontenelle and Yucel. At the end of the follow-up, patients were subdivided into three groups (no stage change, improved stage, or worsened stage) compared with statistical analyses.

Results

At the end of the follow-up, 67.1% patients showed no stage changes, 24.3% a stage improvement, and 8.6% a stage progression. Worsened patients showed higher rates of comorbid disorders and higher rates of unfavorable employment characteristics compared to the other subgroups (P < .05). Patients with worsened stage showed higher prevalence of somatic obsessions (P < .05), while patients with improved stage showed higher rates of magical thinking and violence/harm obsessions compared to other groups (P < .05).

Discussion

The present results provide epidemiologic and clinical correlates of the first application of a staging model in a sample of OCD patients, encouraging further studies to assess the utility of this approach in the field.
Influence of organic cocoa agroforestry on soil physico-chemical properties and crop yields of smallholders’ cocoa farms, Ghana
Authors: Asigbaase Michael , Lomax Barry H. , Dawoe Evans , Sjogersten Sofie
Published: October 2020

The success of sustainable Theobroma cacao (cocoa) production depends on the physical and chemical properties of the soils on which they are established but these are possibly moderated by the management approach that farmers adopt. We assessed and compared soil physico-chemical properties of young, mature and old organic and conventional cocoa agroforestry systems at two depths (0–15 and 15–30 cm) and evaluated the production of cocoa pods, banana and plantain in the two farm types. Cocoa farms under organic management had 20, 81, 88 and 323% higher stocks of soil organic carbon, P, Mn and Cu, respectively, compared to those under conventional management. Higher soil moisture content, electrical conductivity and pH were found on organic systems than the conventional farms. Annual cocoa pod production per tree was similar in both cocoa systems (Org. 10.1 ± 1.1 vs Con. 10.1 ± 0.6 pods per tree). The annual production of banana and plantain was higher on organic farms (186.3 ± 34.70 kg ha−1 yr−1) than conventional systems (31.6 ± 9.58 kg ha−1 yr−1). We concluded that organic management of cocoa agroforestry systems result in soils with the greater overall quality for cocoa production than conventional management and it increases the yield of co-products. Studies focusing on the impact of organic management on cocoa agroforestry systems at the landscape and regional scales are urgently needed to further deepen our understanding and support policy.
Cognitive Stimulation Therapy
Authors: Werheid Katja , Schaubs Barbara , Aguirre Elisa , Spector Aimee
Published: October 2020

Abstract. Cognitive stimulation therapy (CST) is a manualized psychosocial group intervention for people with mild to moderate dementia. Because of its broad scientific evidence and cost effectiveness, CST is now used globally. To ensure replicability and quality standards of the intervention in other cultures, Aguirre et al. (2014) developed guidelines for cultural adaptation of CST based on the formative method for adapting psychotherapy (FMAP). Following this community-based approach, we adapted and translated the English CST manual into German, including multiprofessional focus groups, two adaptation cycles, and two pilot CST groups ( n = 13) in different settings representative of the German healthcare system. Effectiveness in both groups was assessed by pre-post comparison of standard scales on cognition, depression, quality of life, and self-efficacy. We were able to replicate previous findings of improved cognition as measured by the ADAS-Cog, with effect sizes in the same range as in previous randomized controlled trials. Additionally, self-efficacy increased in post-test compared to the pre-test, indicating that CST might trigger cognition through positive, self-rewarding activation.
Reaching Consensus on Assessments of Ocean Acidification Trends
Authors: Sutton Adrienne , Newton Jan
Published: October 2020

Scientists are working to establish a common methodology for evaluating rates of change in—and the various mechanisms that affect—acidification across ocean environments.
A Pilot Study on Zinc Isotopic Compositions in Shallow‐Water Coral Skeletons
Authors: Xiao Hangfang , Deng Wenfeng , Wei Gangjian , Chen Jiubin , Zheng Xinqing , Shi Tuo , Chen Xuefei , Wang Chenying , Liu Xi , Zeng Ti
Published: October 2020

The trace metal element zinc (Zn) participates in coral metabolic processes and therefore accumulates in their skeletons. These metabolic processes are largely controlled by the changes of environment in which they live, so Zn isotopic compositions (δ66Zn) in coral skeletons may possibly serve as potential tracers for climate and environmental changes. In this study, we first reported the δ66Zn in shallow‐water coral skeletons by investigating with monthly resolution δ66Zn values in the skeleton of a modern Porites coral 10AR2 from the Great Barrier Reef of Australia, and the bulk skeletal δ66Zn values of several coral species from the Luhuitou Reef of Hainan Island in the northern South China Sea. Correlations between δ66Zn and other climate and environmental proxies (Sr/Ca, δ18O, and δ13C) and instrumental environmental variables (sea surface temperature, river runoff, and chlorophyll a) are poor, suggesting that the effects of external environmental changes on monthly variations in δ66Zn in coral skeletons are not significant. However, significant interspecific differences in the skeletal δ66Zn of corals growing under identical external environments may suggest the occurrence of biologically controlled δ66Zn fractionation during coral skeletons formation. In addition, the monthly δ66Zn in the 10AR2 coral skeleton roughly decreases with increasing temperature, which is in agreement with the recent finding that δ66Zn in coral tissues and zooxanthellae increases with increasing temperature and can serve as a proxy for thermal stress in corals. We thus suggest that the complicated coral internal biological processes hinder the use of skeletal δ66Zn as a climate and environmental proxy.
Physical and Mechanical Characteristics of Lunar Soil at the Chang'E‐4 Landing Site
Authors: Tang Zhencheng , Liu Jianjun , Wang Xing , Ren Xin , Chen Wangli , Yan Wei , Zhang Xiaoxia , Tan Xu , Zeng Xingguo , Liu Dawei , Zhang Hongbo , Wen Weibin , Zuo Wei , Su Yan , Yang Jianfeng , Li Chunlai
Published: October 2020

Chang'E‐4, with the Yutu‐2 rover, is the first lunar probe to successfully land and conduct a tour on the far side of the Moon from early 2019. We analyze the physical and mechanical characteristics of lunar soil through the in situ terrain data collected by the panoramic camera onboard the Yutu‐2 rover. With the slip ratio and wheel sinkage obtained by the derived Digital Orthophoto Map (DOM) and Digital Elevation Model (DEM), the mechanical parameters of lunar soil are derived from the slip‐sinkage model. These mechanical parameters and wheel size of the rover are used to obtain the pressure‐sinkage curves, which can estimate the lunar soil strength. The experimental results indicate that the soil strength at the Chang'E‐4 landing site is much higher than that at the Chang'E‐3 landing site. The discrepancies in lunar soil strength between the two landing sites may be related to the local surface topography and degree of space weathering.
Characteristics of Energetic Electrons Near Active Magnetotail Reconnection Sites: Statistical Evidence for Local Energization
Authors: Cohen Ian J. , Turner Drew L. , Mauk Barry H. , Bingham Sam T. , Blake J. Bern , Fennell Joseph F. , Burch James L.
Published: October 2020

Magnetic reconnection is a universal process where energy is transferred from magnetic fields to particles. However, it remains unclear whether this transfer of energy includes the direct energization of particles to high energies (i.e., >10s of keV). We compare the spectral indices of energetic (50–200 keV) electrons from six magnetotail electron diffusion region candidates encountered by MMS with those from “quiet‐time” plasma sheet crossings to test whether energetic electron enhancements result from direct energization at/near the reconnection site or simply focusing high‐energy populations that do not originate from the nearby X‐line and already exist in the plasma sheet along the newly reconnected field lines. The study suggests that active reconnection can be a source of localized electron energization. However, the EDR spectra are not outside the range of those from the quiet‐time plasma sheet, which surprisingly still often have very energetic (up to and beyond 200 keV) electrons present.
Seismicity Rate Changes and Geodetic Transients in Central Apennines
Authors: Vičič Blaž , Aoudia Abdelkrim , Borghi Alessandra , Momeni Seyyedmaalek , Vuan Alessandro
Published: October 2020

Using template matching and GPS data, we investigate the evolution of seismicity and observable deformation in Central Apennines. Seismicity appears more persistent at the base of the seismogenic layer than in the shallower crust. Diffuse activity is reported on segments at depth, alternating along strike with apparent quiescence on segments that experienced one or more Mw6+ earthquakes in 1997, 2009, and 2016. Central Apennines are likely underlain by a sizeable shear zone with areas of diffuse seismicity bounding shallow normal faults where Mw6+ earthquakes occurred. The deformation observed at the surface seems to follow the seismicity variations at the base of seismogenic layer along the Apenninic chain. Principal and independent component analyses of GPS data exhibit a transient when the 2016 foreshock sequence starts. This transient propagated northward from the Campotosto fault up to the Alto Tiberina fault system and has likely loaded the Mw6+ 2016 earthquake sequence.
Observational Evidence of the Basin‐Wide Gyre Reversal in the Gulf of Taranto
Authors: Federico I. , Pinardi N. , Lyubartsev V. , Maicu F. , Causio S. , Trotta F. , Caporale C. , Coppini G. , Demarte M. , Falconieri A. , Lacava T. , Lecci R. , Lisi M. , Lorenzetti G. , Manfè G. , Sepp‐Neves A. A. , Zaggia L.
Published: October 2020

The paper shows for the first time the observational evidence of basin‐wide gyre reversal in the Gulf of Taranto (north‐western Ionian Sea in the eastern Mediterranean Sea) by means of two specifically designed in situ oceanographic campaigns (based on CTD and ADCP measurements). The analysis of the in situ data shows a change in circulation from anticyclonic in October 2014 to cyclonic in June–July 2016. Furthermore, long‐term (1993–2018) analysis using gridded satellite altimetry data in the Gulf of Taranto shows that the cyclonic gyres are more frequent than anticyclonic gyres. The latter occur only for 2 to 3 years at a time in some decades.
Multispecies Reactive Transport in a Microporous Rock: Impact of Flow Heterogeneity and Reversibility of Reaction
Authors: Oliveira Thomas D. S. , Blunt Martin J. , Bijeljic Branko
Published: October 2020

We study the impact of pore space heterogeneity on mixing and reaction in porous media. We simulate the parallel injection of two streams of reactants at different pH in a three‐dimensional microporous consolidated rock whose pore space was resolved by differential micro‐CT imaging. As an exemplar of a heterogeneous medium, we consider the pore structure obtained from a Portland carbonate sample. We use direct numerical simulation to study the coupled impact of flow heterogeneity, characterized by a wide distribution of velocities and chemical reversibility on multispecies reaction. The flow field is found from the Darcy‐Brinkman equation while the advection‐diffusion equation describes transport, which is coupled to a general multispecies geochemical solver for homogeneous reactions; precipitation, and dissolution are ignored. We observe a highly nonuniform spatial distribution of concentration and rates of formation and consumption. For advection‐dominated transport, the heterogeneous flow field leads to significant transverse mixing in macropores at early times, followed by a slower mixing driven by diffusion between macropore and micropore regions. The effective rates of formation and consumption are species‐dependent and distinct in macroporosity and microporosity: while some species reach an asymptotic rate in well‐mixed regions, others still show a transient nonmonotonic behavior as a consequence of incomplete mixing. Our findings have important implications for the understanding of time‐ and space‐dependent reaction rate behavior: the coupled impact of pore space heterogeneity and reversible reactions need to be taken into account as key determinants to describe multispecies reactive transport.
Soluble PD-L1 improved direct ARDS by reducing monocyte-derived macrophages
Authors: Xu Jing , Wang Jiahui , Wang Xiaoli , Tan Ruoming , Qi Xiaoling , Liu Zhaojun , Qu Hongping , Pan Tingting , Zhan Qingyuan , Zuo Yong , Yang Wen , Liu Jialin
Published: October 2020

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is common in intensive care units (ICUs), although it is associated with high mortality, no effective pharmacological treatments are currently available. Despite being poorly understood, the role of programmed cell death protein 1 (PD-1) and PD-ligand 1 (PD-L1) axis in ARDS may provide significant insights into the immunosuppressive mechanisms that occur after ARDS. In the present study, we observed that the level of soluble PD-L1 (sPD-L1), a potential activator of the PD-1 pathway, was upregulated in survivors of direct ARDS than in non-survivors. Administration of sPD-L1 in mice with direct ARDS relieved inflammatory lung injury and improved the survival rate, indicating the protective role of sPD-L1 in direct ARDS. Using high-throughput mass cytometry, we found a marked decrease in the number of lung monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) with proinflammatory markers, and the protective role of sPD-L1 diminished in ARDS mice with monocyte/macrophage depletion. Furthermore, PD-1 expression increased in the MDMs of patients and mice with direct ARDS. Finally, we showed that sPD-L1 induced MDM apoptosis in patients with direct ARDS. Taken together, our results demonstrated that the engagement of sPD-L1 on PD-1 expressing macrophages resulted in a decrease in pro-inflammatory macrophages and eventually improved direct ARDS. Our study identified a prognostic indicator for patients with direct ARDS and a potential target for therapeutic development in direct ARDS.
Anterior chamber angle imaging with swept-source optical coherence tomography: comparison between CASIAII and ANTERION
Authors: Chan Poemen Pui-man , Lai Gilda , Chiu Vivian , Chong Anita , Yu Marco , Leung Christopher Kai-shun
Published: October 2020

This study compared the test–retest variabilities and measurement agreement of anterior chamber angle (ACA) dimensions measured by two anterior segment swept-source optical coherence tomography (SS-OCT)—the ANTERION (Heidelberg Engineering, Heidelberg, Germany) and CASIAII (Tomey, Nagoya, Japan). Thirty-eight subjects, 18 patients with primary angle closure and 20 healthy participants with open angles, were included. The mean age was 54.7 ± 15.8 years (range: 26–75 years). One eye of each subject was randomly selected for anterior segment imaging by ANTERION and CASIAII, using the same scan pattern (6 evenly spaced radial scans across the anterior segment for three times) in the same visit. The between- and within-instrument agreement and repeatability coefficients of angle open distance (AOD500), trabecular-iris space area (TISA500), lens vault (LV), scleral spur-scleral spur distance (SSD), anterior chamber depth (ACD), and pupil diameter (PD) were measured. The anterior and posterior boundaries of the cornea, iris, and lens were automatically segmented by the SS-OCT instruments; the scleral spur was manually located by a single masked observer. There were significant differences between ANTERION and CASIAII measurements; the SSD, PD, and ACD were smaller whereas AOD500 and TISA500 were greater in ANTERION compared with CASIAII (P < 0.001). Anterior segment measurements obtained from the two SS-OCT instruments showed strong associations (R2 ranged between 0.866 and 0.998) although the between-instrument agreement was poor; the spans of 95% limits of between-instrument agreement were ≥ 1.5-folds than the within-instrument agreement for either instrument. Whereas both SS-OCT instruments showed low test–retest measurement variabilities, the repeatability coefficients of AOD500, TISA500, ACD, and PD were slightly smaller for CASIAII than ANTERION (P ≤ 0.012).
Growth hormone alleviates oxidative stress and improves oocyte quality in Chinese women with polycystic ovary syndrome: a randomized controlled trial
Authors: Gong Yan , Luo Shan , Fan Ping , Jin Song , Zhu Huili , Deng Tang , Quan Yi , Huang Wei
Published: October 2020

Oxidative stress (OS) is associated with poor oocyte quality and in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF-ET) outcomes for patients with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Growth hormone (GH) can function to reduce OS in some types of cells. Therefore, this prospective randomized study investigated whether GH can significantly improve OS and oocyte quality in women with PCOS. This study enrolled 109 and 50 patients with and without PCOS (controls), respectively. The patients with PCOS were randomly assigned to receive treatment with GH (PCOS-T) or not (PCOS-C). The primary outcome included markers of OS in serum and FF, and secondary outcomes were mitochondrial function in granulosa cells (GCs) and IVF-ET outcomes. The PCOS groups showed higher basal serum total oxidant status (TOS) and OS index (OSI) levels. The follicle fluid (FF) TOS and OSI and GC apoptosis rate were significantly higher, whereas the GC mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was significantly lower in the PCOS-C group than in the PCOS-T and non-PCOS control groups (P < 0.05). Significantly more oocytes were fertilised and cleavage stage embryos were produced in the PCOS-T group than in the PCOS-C group (P < 0.05). GH also improved the rates of implantation and clinical pregnancy, but not significantly (P > 0.05). This study showed that GH alleviated the TOS and OSI level in FF and improved GC mitochondrial dysfunction and oocyte quality in patients with PCOS.

Clinical Trial Registration Number: This project was prospectively registered on the Chinese Clinical Trial Registry on October 20, 2018. (ChiCTR1800019437) (https://www.chictr.org.cn/edit.aspx?pid=28663&htm=4).
Proteomics reveals the preliminary physiological states of the spotted seal (Phoca largha) pups
Authors: Tian Jiashen , Du Jing , Han Jiabo , Bao Xiangbo , Song Xinran , Lu Zhichuang
Published: October 2020

Spotted seal (Phoca largha) is a critically endangered pinniped in China and South Korea. The conventional method to protect and maintain the P. largha population is to keep them captive in artificially controlled environments. However, little is known about the physiological differences between wild and captive P. largha. To generate a preliminary protein expression profile for P. largha, whole blood from wild and captive pups were subjected to a label-free comparative proteomic analysis. According to the results, 972 proteins were identified and predicted to perform functions related to various metabolic, immune, and cellular processes. Among the identified proteins, the expression level of 51 were significantly different between wild and captive P. large pups. These differentially expressed proteins were enriched in a wide range of cellular functions, including cytoskeleton, phagocytosis, proteolysis, the regulation of gene expression, and carbohydrate metabolism. The abundances of proteins involved in phagocytosis and ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis were significantly higher in the whole blood of wild P. largha pups than in captive individuals. In addition, heat shock protein 90-beta, were determined as the key protein associated with the differences in the wild and captive P. largha pups due to the most interactions of it with various differentially expressed proteins. Moreover, wild P. largha pups could be more nutritionally stressed and have more powerful immune capacities than captive pups. This study provides the first data on the protein composition of P. largha and provides useful information on the physiological characteristics for research in this species.
Author Correction: Coupling Chlorin e6 to the surface of Nanoscale Gas Vesicles strongly enhances their intracellular delivery and photodynamic killing of cancer cells
Authors: Fernando Ann , Gariépy Jean
Published: October 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Acute pain and side effects after tramadol in breast cancer patients: results of a prospective double-blind randomized study
Authors: Besic Nikola , Smrekar Jaka , Strazisar Branka
Published: October 2020

The objective of this study was to evaluate the severity of acute pain and side effects in breast cancer patients postoperatively treated with two regimens of tramadol with paracetamol in a prospective double-blind study. Altogether 117 breast cancer patients who had axillary lymphadenectomy were randomized into two analgesic study groups and the analgesic treatment lasted 4 weeks. Stronger analgesia group received every 8 h 75/650 mg of tramadol with paracetamol, while weaker analgesia group received every 8 h 37.5/325 mg of tramadol with paracetamol. Patients with the higher dose of tramadol had less pain during the 1st and 4th week than patients with the lower dose. Frequency of nausea, vomiting, lymphedema or range of shoulder movement was not significantly different between the two groups of patients. Constipation was significantly more common in the group with stronger analgesia during the 2nd week in comparison to patients with weaker analgesia. The patients who were on 75/650 mg of tramadol with paracetamol had less pain in comparison to patients who were on 37.5/325 mg. Side effects were mild, but common in both groups of patients.
The preliminary experience of methylene blue assisted laparoscopy in the treatment of renal parapelvic cysts
Authors: Ma Zhen , Li Song , Chen Fang-Min , Yu Da-Hai , Zhang Xiao-Guang , Li Kai , Zhang Ming-Hao , Tang Shuai , Wang Qi
Published: October 2020

Renal cyst is a common disease in humans and laparoscopic renal cyst decortication is the gold standard for treatment. However, specialized surgical skills are required for the treatment of renal parapelvic cysts. In this study, we describe an improved laparoscopic method for the treatment of renal parapelvic cysts involving the use of continuous infusion of methylene blue. Sixteen patients with renal parapelvic cyst were enrolled in this study. All patients underwent retrograde ureteral catheterization, with continuous perfusion of the renal pelvis using a solution of 0.2% methylene blue and saline, during laparoscopic decortication of the parapelvic cyst. In one patient, the cyst communicated with the renal collection system which was injured, but this was immediately repaired intraoperatively. All operations were successful, and none was converted to open surgery. There were no occurrences of persistent urinary fistula, bleeding, or other complications postoperatively. All patients were followed-up for 3–24 months, and results of postoperative imaging investigations revealed that all of our patients experienced either complete recovery or a greater than 50% decrease in size of the cysts. Our study demonstrates that methylene blue-assisted laparoscopic treatment is a safe, effective and practical method for the treatment of renal parapelvic cysts.
An in-silico method leads to recognition of hub genes and crucial pathways in survival of patients with breast cancer
Authors: Dashti Sepideh , Taheri Mohammad , Ghafouri-Fard Soudeh
Published: October 2020

Breast cancer is a highly heterogeneous disorder characterized by dysregulation of expression of numerous genes and cascades. In the current study, we aim to use a system biology strategy to identify key genes and signaling pathways in breast cancer. We have retrieved data of two microarray datasets (GSE65194 and GSE45827) from the NCBI Gene Expression Omnibus database. R package was used for identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs), assessment of gene ontology and pathway enrichment evaluation. The DEGs were integrated to construct a protein–protein interaction network. Next, hub genes were recognized using the Cytoscape software and lncRNA–mRNA co-expression analysis was performed to evaluate the potential roles of lncRNAs. Finally, the clinical importance of the obtained genes was assessed using Kaplan–Meier survival analysis. In the present study, 887 DEGs including 730 upregulated and 157 downregulated DEGs were detected between breast cancer and normal samples. By combining the results of functional analysis, MCODE, CytoNCA and CytoHubba 2 hub genes including MAD2L1 and CCNB1 were selected. We also identified 12 lncRNAs with significant correlation with MAD2L1 and CCNB1 genes. According to The Kaplan–Meier plotter database MAD2L1, CCNA2, RAD51-AS1 and LINC01089 have the most prediction potential among all candidate hub genes. Our study offers a framework for recognition of mRNA–lncRNA network in breast cancer and detection of important pathways that could be used as therapeutic targets in this kind of cancer.
Chemicals orchestrate reprogramming with hierarchical activation of master transcription factors primed by endogenous Sox17 activation
Authors: Yang Zhenghao , Xu Xiaochan , Gu Chan , Li Jun , Wu Qihong , Ye Can , Nielsen Alexander Valentin , Mao Lichao , Ye Junqing , Bai Ke , Guo Fan , Tang Chao , Zhao Yang
Published: October 2020

Mouse somatic cells can be chemically reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells (CiPSCs) through an intermediate extraembryonic endoderm (XEN)-like state. However, it is elusive how the chemicals orchestrate the cell fate alteration. In this study, we analyze molecular dynamics in chemical reprogramming from fibroblasts to a XEN-like state. We find that Sox17 is initially activated by the chemical cocktails, and XEN cell fate specialization is subsequently mediated by Sox17 activated expression of other XEN master genes, such as Sall4 and Gata4. Furthermore, this stepwise process is differentially regulated. The core reprogramming chemicals CHIR99021, 616452 and Forskolin are all necessary for Sox17 activation, while differently required for Gata4 and Sall4 expression. The addition of chemical boosters in different phases further improves the generation efficiency of XEN-like cells. Taken together, our work demonstrates that chemical reprogramming is regulated in 3 distinct “prime–specify–transit” phases initiated with endogenous Sox17 activation, providing a new framework to understand cell fate determination.
Single-cell analysis of AIMP2 splice variants informs on drug sensitivity and prognosis in hematologic cancer
Authors: Ku Jayoung , Kim Ryul , Kim Dongchan , Kim Daeyoon , Song Seulki , Lee Keonyong , Lee Namseok , Kim MinA , Yoon Sung-Soo , Kwon Nam Hoon , Kim Sunghoon , Kim Yoosik , Koh Youngil
Published: October 2020

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetase-interacting multifunctional protein 2 (AIMP2) is a non-enzymatic component required for the multi-tRNA synthetase complex. While exon 2 skipping alternatively spliced variant of AIMP2 (AIMP2-DX2) compromises AIMP2 activity and is associated with carcinogenesis, its clinical potential awaits further validation. Here, we found that AIMP2-DX2/AIMP2 expression ratio is strongly correlated with major cancer signaling pathways and poor prognosis, particularly in acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Analysis of a clinical patient cohort revealed that AIMP2-DX2 positive AML patients show decreased overall survival and progression-free survival. We also developed targeted RNA-sequencing and single-molecule RNA-FISH tools to quantitatively analyze AIMP2-DX2/AIMP2 ratios at the single-cell level. By subclassifying hematologic cancer cells based on their AIMP2-DX2/AIMP2 ratios, we found that downregulating AIMP2-DX2 sensitizes cells to anticancer drugs only for a subgroup of cells while it has adverse effects on others. Collectively, our study establishes AIMP2-DX2 as a potential biomarker and a therapeutic target for hematologic cancer.