bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
‘What That Boy Needed Was a Real Good Thrashing’: Scotland’s Moral Crisis, 1940–5
Authors: Moffat Michelle
Published: October 2024

Chapter Two examines the moral panic that gripped Britain during the Second World War, and interrogates the associated view that delinquency in Scotland was raging uncontrollably. The chapter sets the scene by introducing the idea of the moral panic, and explaining popular pre-war beliefs about eugenics and ‘rational’ recreation. The chapter then explores the commonly-espoused causes of wartime delinquency in Scotland. The second half of the chapter questions the assumption that there was rampant delinquency in Scotland, beginning with a statistical overview. It argues that the obsession with delinquency was linked to wartime rhetoric about sacrifice and community, and that the moral panic was exploited by law and order officials, special interest groups, and the church. It asserts that the panic over morality revealed underlying fears about changing social norms, loss of religion, and the shifting role of the Kirk in Scottish society.
The Great Escape: Scottish Wartime Holidays
Authors: Moffat Michelle
Published: October 2024

Chapter Five challenges the assertion that wartime holidays were sacrificed ‘for the greater good’, using archival sources to demonstrate that leisure travel continued to be a favoured pastime in Scotland during the Second World War. The chapter begins by exploring the history of Scottish holiday-making. It then examines war’s effect on holidays, beginning with the innovative ‘holiday at home’ scheme. It then studies holidays away from the home environment, and assesses the war’s influence on this favoured pastime. The chapter then delves more deeply into the motivations behind Scottish wartime holidays, assessing a range of factors that were used to justify or prompt leisure travel, such as morale, entitlement, and denial. This chapter also explores elements of difference between English and Scottish wartime holidays. This chapter’s exploration of the Scottish determination to holiday during a time of national and global crisis has significant implications. The Scottish commitment to holidays away from home reveals that everyday life was not controlled by work, frugality and discipline, despite the predominance of Presbyterian ideals about work and sacrifice. Rather, it argues, leisure holidays were a revered cultural tradition that Scots were unwilling to sacrifice, even during war.
The Face of Post-Trauma
Authors: Steir-Livny Liat
Published: October 2024

The chapter analyzes movies that highlight the lives of the survivors after the Holocaust and their traumatic memory. It specifically examines representations of strategies of survival. It deals with lost identities and the way they re-emerge later in life. It aligns with research on the subjective meaning of the events for the witnesses, since the survivors build their behaviors and lives around this interpretation. The movies analyzed in this chapter convey a rich and consistent representation of PTSD symptoms by showing what cannot be seen by the naked eye.
The Memories Don’t Let Go
Authors: Steir-Livny Liat
Published: October 2024

This chapter deals with the representation of the third generation. Various books and movies in the last two decades draw on third-generation narratives from several continents and highlight the diversity of inherited memory and the transgenerational transfer of trauma, as well as the elements shared by members of this group. This chapter highlights the ways the Holocaust is remembered, misremembered, and debated in various contexts, and the way it shaped the lives of the grandchildren and their relationships not only with the surviving grandparents but also with their parents—the second generation.
Age, Gender and Status in Macedonian Society, 550-300 BCE
Authors: Salminen Elina M.
Published: October 2024

Building on the largest sample of Archaic to Hellenistic burials from Macedon synthesized to date, this work provides new insight into the society that gave birth to Philip II and Alexander the Great. An intersectional focus on gender, age, and status reveals the lives of Macedonians only rarely discussed, from non-elite men to women and children. Through quantitative analysis and case-studies, the reader gets a view of the complexity and nuance of a society sometimes reduced to mighty warriors and fierce royal women. Change over time is also discussed, introducing depth into the historical narrative that is largely limited to the Late Classical and Hellenistic periods. Finally, the book addresses the promise and challenges of applying intersectionality, a framework that is immensely fruitful but which was developed for contemporary contexts, to archaeological contexts.
Conclusion: The Network Novel, Inclusion and Infusion
Authors: Taylor Mark
Published: October 2024

The conclusion considers the recent emergence of the multi-protagonist, decentred network novel as function of the reconsideration of character which occurs in the twentieth century novel. Focusing on the example of David Mitchell, it discusses why his novels so frequently allude to psychic powers when the ostensible interest is often in chance encounters and their lasting effects. The chapter suggests that Mitchell’s induce a readerly fantasy not of an organized universe, as per the traditional novel, but of a universe which the human mind can organize. More broadly, the chapter uses the examples of Zadie Smith and Bernadine Evaristo to demonstrate how that the representational tools developed in response to psychic speculation are repurposed to represent a twenty-first century world of online shadow selves and continuous connection.
Robert Louis Stevenson and the “Horror of Creeping Things”
Authors: McAuley Louis Kirk
Published: October 2024

Chapter 4 explores how both walking and weeding contributed to Robert Louis Stevenson’s writing (especially his Pacific poetry and prose) and to his increasing awareness of what contemporary economists and ecologists routinely call our shrinking world. In other words, this chapter focuses upon Stevenson’s inter-subjective relationship to particular natures, including the sensitive plant (Mimosa pudica), especially as they relate to larger, global questions and concerns about biological invasion. Not only does Stevenson’s psycho-geographic conflation of Scotland and Samoa reflect a keen transoceanic attentiveness to the shrinking of his world, but he also implicitly establishes a troubling parallel between capitalism’s acceleration of turnover time and a particular invasive plant species’ infiltration of Samoa’s forests, a natural-historical unfolding that he aptly refers to in his letters as the “horror of creeping things.” Clearing ground in Samoa enables Stevenson to sympathetically adopt a plant’s-eye and, thus, world-ecological view of Pacific islands – a strange new perspective that, in turn, prompts him to rethink his (the human) place in nature. Like Macarena Gómez-Barris, whose valuable work engages the “possibility of renewed perception,” this chapter explores how the sensitive plant affectively transformed Stevenson’s view of the human and, more broadly, world-ecology.
Towards a Vegan Future: Animal Death and the First World War in Katherine Mansfield’s Fiction
Authors: McCray Brigitte N.
Published: October 2024

Kenneth Monteath’s Science in Diet, a thesis that called for an end to animal cruelty was published in 1922, the same year as Katherine Mansfield’s The Garden Party and Other Stories. Although the word vegan was not coined until 1944, scholars like Carol Adams have pointed to First World War nonhuman animal suffering for the rise of vegetarianism in the post-war period, resulting in a modernist ‘vegan sensibility,’ to use a term from Catherine Brown. While some Mansfield scholars have analysed the nonhuman animals in her war stories, they are treated as mere symbols for the human suffering experienced during the war. The animal slaughter in her stories is not mere symbolism; she draws our attention to nonhuman suffering and asks us to reevaluate our duties to the nonhuman world in the face of human created catastrophe.
The Spanish Lady Cannot Speak: Katherine Mansfield and ‘Miasmic Modernism’
Authors: Whyte Jessica
Published: October 2024

In this essay, I explore how Katherine Mansfield’s life and writing were affected and influenced by the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1920. By examining her letters, I deduce that there was a strong possibility that Mansfield was affected by Spanish flu at the peak of the epidemic in October 1918. Through close reading of her story ‘Revelations’ I will apply what Elizabeth Outka labels the ‘pandemic lens’ to excavate oblique references to illness and contagion that challenge the reading of Monica Tyrell’s character as a malingering invalid and suggest that she could have been a survivor of Spanish flu.
‘At the Bay’
Authors: Stead C. K.
Published: October 2024

Poem by C. K. Stead
John Middleton Murry’s Unfinished Second Volume of Autobiography
Authors: Ferrall Charles
Published: October 2024

Parts of John Middleton Murry's unpublished 1947 sequel to his autobiography Between Two Worlds are well known to Mansfield scholars through F.A. Lea's extensive quotation from them in his biography of Murry.  But the original manuscript held at the Turnbull Library in Wellington appears to have been unknown to scholars until now.  The section reproduced here concerns the death of Katherine Mansfield and the "possession" by Mansfield of Murry's second wife, Violet Le Maistre.
Katherine Mansfield, Illness, Recuperation and Re-enchantment
Authors: Zimring Rishona
Published: October 2024

A review essay focusing on Claire Davison and Gerri Kimber, eds, The Edinburgh Edition of the Collected Letters of Katherine Mansfield, Volume 2: Letters to Correspondents K–Z (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2022), 853 pages, ISBN 9781474445481; Aimee Gasston, Modernist Short Fiction and Things (Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, 2021), 227 pages, ISBN 9783030785444; Andrew Kahn, The Short Story: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2021), 141 pages, ISBN 9780198754633; Gaurav Majumdar, Illegitimate Freedom: Informality in Modernist Literature, 1900–1940 (New York: Routledge, 2022), 169 pages, ISBN 9780367444624; Joyce Morgan, The Countess from Kirribilli: The Mysterious and Free-Spirited Literary Sensation Who Beguiled the World (Sydney: Allen & Unwin, 2021), 344 pages, ISBN 9781760875176.
The Other Ayasofya: The Restoration of Thessaloniki’s Ayasofya Mosque, 1890–1911
Authors: Dimitriadis Sotirios
Published: October 2024

The story of Thessaloniki’s Ayasofya mosque at the turn of the 20th century is indicative of the evolving (albeit contested) interpretations by Ottoman bureaucrats and intellectuals of the empire’s Byzantine heritage. Like its more famous namesake in Istanbul, the building was constructed by the Byzantines as the monumental church of Hagia Sophia, then converted by the Ottomans into a mosque in the early 16th century. Badly damaged by fire in 1890, the building remained a ruin for many years. Even as the city itself boomed, the mosque’s pious endowment was unable to raise the necessary funds for its restoration. As European Byzantinists, however, flocked to the city and debated the history of its monuments with local scholars, the restoration was taken over by the luminaries of the Imperial Museum, who set in motion an ambitious plan: restoring Ayasofya as an imperial mosque, and hosting Sultan Mehmet V for his Friday prayers during his state visit to Thessaloniki. In the process, architects restored and highlighted the building’s Byzantine decorative elements, including the magnificent mosaics of the dome and apse, which had been covered up at some point after the building’s conversion.
‘That Domed Feeling’: A Byzantine Synagogue in Cleveland
Authors: Nelson Robert S.
Published: October 2024

The grand Tifereth Israel synagogue in Cleveland, Ohio, exemplifies the Jewish adoption of new architectural idioms during the 1920s and 1930s. Designed by Charles Greco and completed in 1924, the synagogue borrows elements from Byzantine architecture and especially the church of Hagia Sophia. Another point of reference was the prominent Hurva Synagogue in Jerusalem, erected by an Ottoman architect from Istanbul in the style of mosques that depend upon Hagia Sophia. These associations served to associate the congregation with Palestine. Its charismatic rabbi, Abba Hillel Silver, was a leader in the Zionist movement in America.
Bergson in Britain?
Authors: de Mille Charlotte
Published: October 2024

This chapter traces the complex network of associations and friendships that worked both for and against the assimilation of Bergson’s thought in British academia before World War One. It includes the reception of his UK lectures together with case studies on Bertrand Russell, J.E. McTaggart, G.E. Moore, Karin Costelloe, and T.E. Hulme. The chapter considers the importace of the Cambridge Society of Apostles, The Independent Review, The New Age, and the Society for Psychical Research.
Conclusion
Authors: de Mille Charlotte
Published: October 2024

Abstract and Keywords to be supplied.
Epilogue – ‘a momentary displacement of our equilibrium’ 1
Authors: de Mille Charlotte
Published: October 2024

Like the intention of Bergson’s philosophy as a whole, art acts to enable us to perceive the world differently. The chapter traces convergence in thinking between Bergson’s contemporaries, the alleged founders of modern-day art history, Alois Riegl, Aby Warburg and Heinrich Wölfflin, and Bergson himself.
Conclusions: The Mosaic of Islamic Modernities
Authors: Jung Dietrich
Published: October 2024

The last chapter of the book presents a summary of its empirical arguments, leading to a tentative explanation of the hegemonic rise of the idea of Islamic modernity. In addition, it links the findings of the book to conceptual discussions in the sociology of modernity. While the theoretical reflections of chapter two provide the necessary heuristic framework for my enquiry, the historical and thematic case studies of the book serve as a critical reflection upon these theoretical assumptions at the same time. The conclusions discuss ways in which this book can inform debates about the “Eurocentric” bias of social theory. The chapter concludes with future research questions regarding the confirmation, refutation, or re-formulation of the conceptual apparatuses with which we try to make sense of global modern history.
‘Let the Buyer Beware’: Clementina Black and the Consumers’ League in the UK, 1887–1890
Authors: Janssen Flore
Published: October 2024

This chapter examines the campaign strategies developed by British labour activist Clementina Black to promote her idea of a consumers’ league. It explores how she used the platforms available to her as a popular writer and journalist to speak to consumers and engage them in consumer activism including ethical shopping initiatives based on trade union research into working conditions. The chapter close-reads two campaign texts by Black that were central to the foundation of her consumers’ league project.
‘An Epoch-Making Movement’: Consumers’ Leagues in the USA and Beyond, 1890–1900
Authors: Janssen Flore
Published: October 2024

This chapter examines the development of the National Consumers’ League (NCL) in the United States from its roots in a campaign to raise awareness of labour conditions in New York department stores. By close-reading different versions of the origin story of the movement it critically analyses how the NCL presented itself as it grew in influence in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It also explores the different campaign strategies with which the movement experimented before abandoning the initial course of ethical shopping for approaches such as legislative lobbying.
Introducing Health Support Activities at the University for Local Residents Living in the Mount Haku Foothills
Authors: Maitani Kuniyo
Published: October 2024

According to long-term population projections for Japan by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications [1], the aging rate will rise from the current 29.9% to 40% in 2050. On the other hand, the population continues to decline, and it is said that approximately 20% of areas currently inhabited in the country will become uninhabited. It had been reported that in 2022, the number of municipalities known as “underpopulated areas” exceed half of the nation’s total number of municipalities for the first time. Population decline due to the falling number of young people may weaken communities and social welfare resources such as medical care and nursing care.Hakusan City [2], where our university is located, has the second largest population in Ishikawa prefecture, and 28.6% of the population is 65 or older, an average percentage for Japan. However, when the city is looked at on an area-by-area basis, there is an under populated region that accounts for only 4.7% of the city’s total population. This is the Mount Haku foothills, which occupy more than 80% of the city's area.
Health Education: The Power of the Podcast
Authors: MacMullen Nancy , Comer Shirley , Samson Linda F. , Chairse Tareylon , Roberson Tonya S.
Published: October 2024

Various strategies have been utilized by nurses to bring health education to community members. Role play, radio, and television (public service announcements), face to face meetings, printed literature and focus group are some of the strategies that have been used with varying degrees of success.Advances in technology have increased the types of tools available to offer health education. Social media has been used to bring information to a variety of types of community members. Zoom, GoToMeeting, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok are some of the newest technological and social media platforms employed to communicate health education and information. The Podcast in various formats is one of the newest techniques to bring accessible education to communities of interest.
Neuronal Vulnerability of the Entorhinal Cortex to Tau Pathology in Alzheimer’s Disease
Authors: Zhang Simi , Crossley Chelsea Ann , Yuan Qi
Published: October 2024

This review delves into the entorhinal cortex (EC) as a central player in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease (AD), emphasizing its role in the accumulation and propagation of tau pathology. It elucidates the multifaceted functions of the EC, encompassing memory formation, spatial navigation, and olfactory processing, while exploring how disruptions in these processes contribute to cognitive decline in AD. The review discusses the intricate interplay between tau pathology and EC vulnerability, highlighting how alterations in neuronal firing patterns and synaptic function within the EC exacerbate cognitive impairments. Furthermore, it elucidates how specific neuronal subtypes within the EC exhibit differential susceptibility to tau-induced damage, contributing to disease progression. Early detection methods, such as imaging techniques and assessments of EC blood flow, are examined as potential tools for identifying tau pathology in the preclinical stages of AD. These approaches offer promise for improving diagnostic accuracy and enabling timely intervention. Therapeutic strategies targeting tau pathology within the EC are explored, including the clearance of pathological tau aggregates and the inhibition of tau aggregation processes. By understanding the molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying EC vulnerability, researchers can develop more targeted and effective interventions to slow disease progression. The review underscores the importance of reliable biomarkers to assess disease progression and therapeutic efficacy in clinical trials targeting the EC. Ultimately, it aims to contribute to the development of more effective management strategies for AD, emphasizing the translation of research findings into clinical practice to address the growing societal burden of the disease.
rhBMP-2-loaded hydroxyapatite/beta-tricalcium phosphate microsphere/hydrogel composite promotes bone regeneration in a novel rat femoral nonunion model
Authors: Kitahara Takayuki , Tateiwa Daisuke , Hirai Hiromasa , Ikuta Masato , Furuichi Takuya , Bun Masayuki , Ukon Yuichiro , Kanie Yuya , Furuya Masayuki , Fujimori Takahito , Okada Seiji , Kaito Takashi
Published: October 2024

Background

Nonunion following fracture treatment remains a significant clinical challenge, adversely affecting the patient’s quality of life and imposing a substantial economic burden. The emergence of bone morphogenetic protein 2 (BMP-2) for bone regeneration represents a promising avenue, albeit limited by side effects such as inflammatory reactions primarily due to suboptimal drug delivery systems. This study focuses on NOVOSIS putty (NP), a novel biomaterial designed for the sustained release of BMP-2, aiming to mitigate these limitations and enhance bone healing.

Objective

This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of NP, a hydroxyapatite granules/β-tricalcium phosphate hydrogel composite (HA/β-TCP/hydrogel), as a BMP-2 carrier for promoting bone regeneration in a new rat nonunion model of long bone.

Methods

Using Sprague Dawley rats, a 2-mm silicone disk was interposed at the femoral fracture site, and intramedullary fixation with K-wire was performed to create a nonunion with a 2-mm bone defect. After 3 weeks, internal fixation with a plate, removal of the silicon disk, and refreshing the nonunion site were performed by implanting three different materials into the nonunion sites: allogenic iliac bone (IB), collagen sponge (CS) containing 10 μg of BMP-2, or NP containing 10 μg of BMP-2. Bone healing was evaluated weekly using micro-computed tomography (CT); ex vivo micro-Ct and histological evaluation were conducted at 6 weeks.

Results

At 6 weeks, NP demonstrated a significantly higher bone union rate (76.5%) compared with the CS group (35.3%, p = 0.037), and the IB group (6.3%, p < 0.0001). Bone mineral density (BMD) and bone volume/tissue volume (BV/TV) were also significantly higher in the NP group compared with the CS group (BMD, p < 0.0001; BV/TV, p = 0.031). Histological analysis showed the fracture gap in the NP group was filled with more trabecular bone and less fibrous tissue compared with the CS group.

Conclusion

The study confirms NP is a highly effective BMP-2 carrier, significantly improving bone union rates and new bone formation in nonunion fractures. The sustained release of BMP-2 from the hydrogel component reduced inflammatory responses and enhanced bone regeneration. NP can be a promising alternative to collagen-based BMP-2 delivery systems.
Recent advances in cancer detection using dynamic, stimuli-responsive supramolecular chemosensors. a focus review
Authors: Matsumoto Kotaro , Nakagawa Keiichi , Asanuma Daisuke , Fukuhara Gaku
Published: October 2024

In current chemistry, supramolecular materials that respond to a wide variety of external stimuli, such as solvents, temperature, light excitation, pH, and mechanical forces (pressure, stress, strain, and tension), have attracted considerable attention; for example, we have developed cyclodextrins, cucurbiturils, pillararenes, calixarenes, crown ether-based chemical sensors, or chemosensors. These supramolecular chemosensors have potential applications in imaging, probing, and cancer detection. Recently, we focused on pressure, particularly solution-state hydrostatic pressure, from the viewpoint of cancer therapy. This Mini Review summarizes (i) why hydrostatic pressure is important, particularly in biology, and (ii) what we can do using hydrostatic pressure stimulation.
The RNA m5C methyltransferase NSUN1 modulates human malaria gene expression during intraerythrocytic development
Authors: Tang Ruoyu , Fan Yanting , Lu BinBin , Jiang Qunfeng , Cheng Xinyu , Zhang Zuping , Shen Li , Shang Xiaomin
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Plasmodium falciparum is the most damaging malaria pathogen and brings a heavy burden to global health. Host switching and morphological changes in P. falciparum are dependent on an effective gene expression regulatory system. C5 methylation of cytosines is a common RNA modification in eukaryotes, and the NSUN family are essential m5C modification executors. Currently, little is known about this family in Plasmodium spp. In this study, we focus on exploring the function of PfNSUN1 protein.

Methods

An efficient CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique was applied to construct the PfNSUN1 knockdown strain. The knockdown efficiency was confirmed by growth curves and western blot experiments. The knockdown transcriptome data was acquired to find differentially expressed genes, and target genes of PfNSUN1 protein were identified by RNA immunoprecipitation and high-throughput sequencing experiments.

Results

The efficiency of PfNSUN1 protein down-regulated was about 34%. RNA-seq data revealed that differentially expressed genes were mainly down-regulated. And there were 224, 278, 556 genes that were down-regulated with more than 2-fold changes and p-adj<0.05 at ring, trophozoite and schizont stages, respectively. PfNSUN1 protein was significantly enriched on 154 target genes, including 28S ribosomal RNA and pfap2-g5 transcription factor.

Discussion

PfNSUN1 is a crucial RNA post-transcriptional modification protein in P. falciparum. It plays a pivotal role in regulating gene expression and parasite growth by targeting 28S ribosomal RNA and pfap2-g5 transcription factor.
Ontology extension by online clustering with large language model agents
Authors: Wu Guanchen , Ling Chen , Graetz Ilana , Zhao Liang
Published: October 2024

An ontology is a structured framework that categorizes entities, concepts, and relationships within a domain to facilitate shared understanding, and it is important in computational linguistics and knowledge representation. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to automatically extend an existing ontology from streaming data in a zero-shot manner. Specifically, the zero-shot ontology extension framework uses online and hierarchical clustering to integrate new knowledge into existing ontologies without substantial annotated data or domain-specific expertise. Focusing on the medical field, this approach leverages Large Language Models (LLMs) for two key tasks: Symptom Typing and Symptom Taxonomy among breast and bladder cancer survivors. Symptom Typing involves identifying and classifying medical symptoms from unstructured online patient forum data, while Symptom Taxonomy organizes and integrates these symptoms into an existing ontology. The combined use of online and hierarchical clustering enables real-time and structured categorization and integration of symptoms. The dual-phase model employs multiple LLMs to ensure accurate classification and seamless integration of new symptoms with minimal human oversight. The paper details the framework's development, experiments, quantitative analyses, and data visualizations, demonstrating its effectiveness in enhancing medical ontologies and advancing knowledge-based systems in healthcare.
Brief research report: Transcriptional blockade of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 modelled in human retinal pigment epithelial cells
Authors: Ashander Liam M. , Lumsden Amanda L. , Ma Yuefang , Tan Alwin Chun Rong , Appukuttan Binoy , Daniel Santhosh , Michael Michael Z. , Smith Justine R.
Published: October 2024

As a key host protein involved in cellular infection by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE)2 is an ideal target for antiviral drugs. Manipulation of transcription provides opportunity for graduated blockade that preserves physiological functions. We sought to develop a model system for evaluating manipulation of ACE2 gene transcription using human retinal pigment epithelium. Retinal pigment epithelial cell isolates were prepared from human posterior eyecups (n = 11 individual isolates). The cells expressed ACE2 transcript and protein, and expression was not induced by hypoxia mimetic dimethyloxaloylglycine, or inflammatory cytokine IL-1β. ACE2 gene transcription factors were predicted in silico and cross-referenced with the human retinal pigment epithelial cell transcriptome, and five candidate transcription factors were identified: ETS proto-oncogene 1 transcription factor (ETS1), nuclear factor I C (NFIC), nuclear receptor subfamily 2 group C member 1 (NR2C1), TEA domain transcription factor 1 (TEAD1), and zinc finger protein 384 (ZNF384). The candidates were individually targeted in cells by transfection with small interfering (si)RNA. Knockdowns reduced mean cellular expression of all the transcription factors in comparison to expression in cells transfected with control non-targeted siRNA. Mean cellular ACE2 transcript was reduced under the condition of NR2C1 knockdown, but not for ETS1, NFIC, TEAD1, and ZNF384 knockdowns. Our findings build on previous work demonstrating the potential for drugging gene transcription. Importantly, we show the value of human retinal pigment epithelium as a system for evaluating ACE2 transcriptional blockade, a possible approach for treating SARS-CoV-2 infection. Brief Research Report.
Photophysiological response of glacier ice algae to abiotic stressors
Authors: Jensen Marie Bolander , Turpin-Jelfs Thomas , Tranter Martyn , Benning Liane G. , Anesio Alexandre M.
Published: October 2024

The glacier ice algae Ancylonema alaskanum and Ancylonema nordenskiöldii grow in harsh dynamic environments on bare ice surfaces. In these environments, they contribute to the continuous darkening of the ice surface, which in turn accelerates the ice melt. However, investigation into their adaptation and resilience in these environments is necessary in order to understand their robustness and potential for increasing the intensity of blooms. In this study, it was examined how variations in environmental parameters such as pH, salinity, light and temperature impacted the photophysiology of the glacier ice algae during a bloom in Greenland. Through in situ incubations and pulse-amplitude-modulation (PAM) fluorometric measurements, the photophysiological responses of algal cells were assessed. Results suggest that light intensity significantly influences glacier ice algae photophysiology, with cells exhibiting better performance (in terms of a higher theoretical maximum light coefficient and maximum quantum efficiency) under lower light intensity. Moreover, while light emerges as the primary driver of photophysiology, glacier ice algae demonstrate tolerance to a broad range of pH and temperatures four times higher than those experienced during Greenland’s summer.
Microclimate monitoring in commercial tomato (Solanum Lycopersicum L.) greenhouse production and its effect on plant growth, yield and fruit quality
Authors: Šalagovič Jakub , Vanhees Dorien , Verboven Pieter , Holsteens Kristof , Verlinden Bert , Huysmans Marlies , Van de Poel Bram , Nicolaï Bart
Published: October 2024

Introduction

High annual tomato yields are achieved using high-tech greenhouse production systems. Large greenhouses typically rely only on one central weather station per compartment to steer their internal climate, ignoring possible microclimate conditions within the greenhouse itself.

Methods

In this study, we analysed spatial variation in temperature and vapour pressure deficit in a commercial tomato greenhouse setting for three consecutive years. Multiple sensors were placed within the crop canopy, which revealed microclimate gradients.

Results and discussion

Different microclimates were present throughout the year, with seasonal (spring – summer – autumn) and diurnal (day – night) variations in temperature (up to 3 °C, daily average) and vapour pressure deficit (up to 0.6 kPa, daily average). The microclimate effects influenced in part the variation in plant and fruit growth rate and fruit yield – maximum recorded difference between two locations with different microclimates was 0.4 cm d-1 for stem growth rate, 0.6 g d-1 for fruit growth rate, 80 g for truss mass at harvest. The local microclimate effect on plant growth was always larger than the bulk climate variation measured by a central sensor, as commonly done in commercial greenhouses. Quality attributes of harvested tomato fruit did not show a significant difference between different microclimate conditions. In conclusion, we showed that even small, naturally occurring, differences in local environment conditions within a greenhouse may influence the rate of plant and fruit growth. These findings could encourage the sector to deploy larger sensor networks for optimal greenhouse climate control. A sensor grid covering the whole area of the greenhouse is a necessity for climate control strategies to mitigate suboptimal conditions.
Brugia malayi filarial helminth-derived extracellular vesicles suppress antigen presenting cell function and antigen-specific CD4+ T cell responses
Authors: Sanku Gayatri , Ricciardi Alessandra , Redekar Neelam R. , Schaughency Paul , Lack Justin , Gazzinelli-Guimaraes Pedro H. , Nutman Thomas B.
Published: October 2024

Introduction

Live microfilariae (mf) and mf-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have been shown to modulate human antigen presenting cell (APC) function, most notably by suppressing the induction of IL-12 (and other pro-inflammatory cytokines) following activation with LPS and interferon-y. 

Methods

To explore further how EVs alter human APC function, we studied the effect of mf and EVs on human elutriated monocyte-derived dendritic cells (DC) following exposure to Mf, mf-derived excretory/secretory (E/S) products, E/S depleted of EVs through ultracentrifugation and purified EVs.  After demonstrating that the measurable responses induced by live mf could be recapitulated by EVs and EV-containing E/S, we next performed RNAseq analysis of human DC following exposure to live mf, EVs, E/S, or EV-depleted E/S.

Results

In our analyses of the data for the DC, using a false discovery rate (FDR)<0.05, EV-exposed DC had induced the expression of 212 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) when compared to unexposed DC and 157 when compared to E/S-depleted EVs.  These genes were enriched in GO biological processes associated with neutrophil degranulation and 15 DEGs associated with KEGG Lysosome pathways. IPA analysis point to immune dysregulation. We next aimed to understand the intracellular processes altered by EVs and the effect these have on effector T cells. When SARS CoV-2 Membrane-specific CD4+ TCLs were assessed following EV conditioning of autologous DC and activation with the SARS CoV-2-Membrane peptide pool, we found conditioning reduced the frequency of SARS CoV-2 Membrane-specific CD3+ CD4+ CD154+ cells (p=.015). Similarly, EV-conditioning of SARS CoV-2 Membrane-specific CD3+ CD4+ cells induced fewer cell capable of producing IFN-γ (p=.045).

Discussion

Taken together, our data suggest a modulatory role of EVs on APC function that likely leads to defects in T cell effector function.
Causal relationship between beta-2 microglobulin and B-cell malignancies: genome-wide meta-analysis and a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization study
Authors: Li Jiuling , Wu Yao , Zhang Xin , Wang Xueju
Published: October 2024

Background

Beta-2 microglobulin (β2M) is acknowledged as a prognostic biomarker for B-cell malignancies. However, insights into the impact of β2M on B-cell malignancy risk, and vice versa, are limited.

Methods

We conducted a genome-wide meta-analysis (GWMA), bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization (TSMR) analysis, and pathway enrichment analysis to explore the causal relationship between β2M and B-cell malignancies and the underlying biological processes.

Results

The GWMA identified 55 lead SNPs across five genomic regions (three novel: WDR72, UMOD, and NLRC5) associated with β2M. In the UKB, genetically predicted β2M showed a positive association with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL; odds ratio [OR]: 1.742 per standard deviation increase in β2M; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.215–2.498; P = 3.00 × 10−3; FDR = 7.50× 10−3) and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL; OR: 2.270; 95% CI: 1.525–3.380; P = 5.15 × 10−5; FDR =2.58 × 10−4). However, no associations were found with follicular lymphoma (FL), chronic lymphoid leukemia (CLL), or multiple myeloma (MM). Reverse TSMR analysis revealed no association between genetically predicted B-cell malignancies and β2M. In FinnGen, β2M was found to be associated with an increased risk of DLBCL (OR: 2.098; 95% CI: 1.358-3.242; P = 8.28 × 10−4; FDR = 4.14 × 10−3), HL (OR: 1.581; 95% CI: 1.167-2.142; P = 3.13 × 10−3; FDR = 5.22 × 10−3), and FL (OR: 2.113; 95% CI: 1.292-3.455; P = 2.90 × 10−3; FDR = 5.22 × 10−3). However, no association was found with CLL or MM. Reverse TSMR analysis indicated that genetically predicted DLBCL, FL, and MM may perturb β2M levels. Pathway enrichment analysis suggested that the innate immune system represents a convergent biological process underlying β2M, DLBCL, and HL.

Conclusions

Our findings suggested that elevated levels of β2M were associated with an increased risk of DLBCL and HL, which is potentially linked to dysfunction of the innate immune system.
B cells: roles in physiology and pathology of pregnancy
Authors: Liu Jin-Chuan , Zeng Qunxiong , Duan Yong-Gang , Yeung William S. B. , Li Raymond H. W. , Ng Ernest H. Y. , Cheung Ka-Wang , Zhang Qingqing , Chiu Philip C. N.
Published: October 2024

B cells constitute a diverse and adaptable immune cell population with functions that can vary according to the environment and circumstances. The involvement of B cells in pregnancy, as well as the associated molecular pathways, has yet to be investigated. This review consolidates current knowledge on B cell activities and regulation during pregnancy, with a particular focus on the roles of various B cell subsets and the effects of B cell-derived factors on pregnancy outcomes. Moreover, the review examines the significance of B cell-associated autoantibodies, cytokines, and signaling pathways in relation to pregnancy complications such as pregnancy loss, preeclampsia, and preterm birth.
Dietary supplementation with sodium propionate and tributyrin alleviated hepatic lipid deposition and improved the antioxidant capacity and hypoxic stress resistance of spotted seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus)
Authors: Cui Kun , Zhang Hanle , Yun Biao , Wang Jianxue , Qian Xueqiao , Xue Min
Published: October 2024

We investigated the effects of dietary supplementation with sodium propionate (SP) and tributyrin (TB) on hepatic lipid deposition and antioxidant capacity of spotted seabass (Lateolabrax maculatus) via an 8-week feeding experiment and a hypoxia stress experiment. The fish were fed five experimental diets: a control diet (CON), a diet supplemented with 2 g/kg SP (SP-0.2%), 4 g/kg SP (SP-0.4%), 2 g/kg TB (TB-0.2%), or 4 g/kg TB (TB-0.4%). No significant difference in growth performance was presented among the groups (P > 0.05). The SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% groups presented significantly lower hepatosomatic and viscerasomatic indexes compared with the CON group. Then, the SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% groups presented stronger resistance to hypoxic stress than the other groups and were analyzed further. The hepatic histology and triglyceride levels revealed that SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% reduced hepatic lipid deposition. Similarly, the downregulation of malondialdehyde and the upregulation of total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and catalase activities and the related gene expression levels revealed that SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% improved the antioxidant capacity. Additionally, the RNA sequencing demonstrated that SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% regulated gene expression to a similar extent. Among the 117 differentially expressed genes, 67 genes were enriched in the same pattern, and involved the FoxO signaling, PI3K-Akt signaling, and insulin-related pathways. In conclusion, supplementing SP-0.4% and TB-0.2% as feed additives effectively improved hepatic lipid metabolism, antioxidant capacity, and hypoxic stress resistance of spotted seabass.
Decoding the intricacies: a comprehensive analysis of microRNAs in the pathogenesis, diagnosis, prognosis and therapeutic strategies for COVID-19
Authors: Smail Shukur Wasman , Hirmiz Sarah Mousa , Ahmed Akhter Ahmed , Albarzinji Niaz , Awla Harem Khdir , Amin Kawa , Janson Christer
Published: October 2024

The pandemic of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19), provoked by the appearance of a novel coronavirus named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), required a worldwide healthcare emergency. This has elicited an immediate need for accelerated research into its mechanisms of disease, criteria for diagnosis, methods for forecasting outcomes, and treatment approaches. microRNAs (miRNAs), are diminutive RNA molecules, that are non-coding and participate in gene expression regulation post-transcriptionally, having an important participation in regulating immune processes. miRNAs have granted substantial interest in their impact on viral replication, cell proliferation, and modulation of how the host’s immune system responds. This narrative review delves into host miRNAs’ multifaceted roles within the COVID-19 context, highlighting their involvement in disease progression, diagnostics, and prognostics aspects, given their stability in biological fluids and varied expression profiles when responding to an infection. Additionally, we discuss complicated interactions between SARS-CoV-2 and host cellular machinery facilitated by host miRNAs revealing how dysregulation of host miRNA expression profiles advances viral replication, immune evasion, and inflammatory responses. Furthermore, it investigates the potential of host miRNAs as therapeutic agents, whether synthetic or naturally occurring, which could be harnessed to either mitigate harmful inflammation or enhance antiviral responses. However, searching more deeply is needed to clarify how host’s miRNAs are involved in pathogenesis of COVID-19, its diagnosis processes, prognostic assessments, and treatment approaches for patients.
Enhancing learning experiences: EEG-based passive BCI system adapts learning speed to cognitive load in real-time, with motivation as catalyst
Authors: Beauchemin Noémie , Charland Patrick , Karran Alexander , Boasen Jared , Tadson Bella , Sénécal Sylvain , Léger Pierre-Majorique
Published: October 2024

Computer-based learning has gained popularity in recent years, providing learners greater flexibility and freedom. However, these learning environments do not consider the learner’s mental state in real-time, resulting in less optimized learning experiences. This research aimed to explore the effect on the learning experience of a novel EEG-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) that adjusts the speed of information presentation in real-time during a learning task according to the learner’s cognitive load. We also explored how motivation moderated these effects. In accordance with three experimental groups (non-adaptive, adaptive, and adaptive with motivation), participants performed a calibration task (n-back), followed by a memory-based learning task concerning astrological constellations. Learning gains were assessed based on performance on the learning task. Self-perceived mental workload, cognitive absorption and satisfaction were assessed using a post-test questionnaire. Between-group analyses using Mann–Whitney tests suggested that combining BCI and motivational factors led to more significant learning gains and an improved learning experience. No significant difference existed between the BCI without motivational factor and regular non-adaptive interface for overall learning gains, self-perceived mental workload, and cognitive absorption. However, participants who undertook the experiment with an imposed learning pace reported higher overall satisfaction with their learning experience and a higher level of temporal stress. Our findings suggest BCI’s potential applicability and feasibility in improving memorization-based learning experiences. Further work should seek to optimize the BCI adaptive index and explore generalizability to other learning contexts.
Body compositions phenotypes of older adults with COPD
Authors: Kaluźniak-Szymanowska Aleksandra , Talarska Dorota , Tobis Sławomir , Styszyński Arkadiusz , Cofta Szczepan , Wieczorowska-Tobis Katarzyna , Deskur-Śmielecka Ewa
Published: October 2024

Purpose

Changes in nutritional status are important extrapulmonary manifestations of the chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The study aimed to assess the prevalence of different body composition phenotypes in older patients with COPD and to investigate the relationship between these phenotypes and the severity of the disease, as well as physical performance of the subjects.

Patients and methods

The study included 124 subjects aged ≥60 with COPD. In all of them body composition analysis and muscle strength measurement were performed. Additionally, data from patients’ medical records were analyzed. Study sample was divided into four groups based on the phenotypic body composition: normal phenotype (N), sarcopenia, obesity and sarcopenic obesity (SO).

Results

Incidence of sarcopenia was significantly higher in patients with severe or very severe COPD based on GOLD in comparison with subjects with mild or moderate obstruction (p = 0.043). Participants with sarcopenia, obesity and SO had lower results of the 6-min walk test than subjects with N (225.77 m, 275.33 m, 350.67 m, 403.56 m, respectively). Moreover, sarcopenia and SO had lower results than obesity (p = 0.001, p = 0.041, respectively).

Conclusion

Sarcopenia is common in patients with advanced COPD. Sarcopenia and SO are associated with poorer physical performance. All older people with COPD should routinely have their body composition assessed, instead of simply measuring of body weight or body mass index (BMI).
Comparative analysis of COVID-19 responses in Japan and Africa: diet, phytochemicals, vitamin D, and gut microbiota in reducing mortality—A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Santa Kazuki , Tamaki Raita , Watanabe Kenji , Nagaoka Isao
Published: October 2024

Background

As the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic subsides, the clinical sequelae are becoming more problematic. Interestingly, the statistical data indicate that Africa has experienced the lowest number of cases and deaths, with an unexpected phenomenon where the number of deaths from COVID-19 has not increased significantly. Several studies have investigated the relationship between diet and coronavirus. However, no systematic review/meta-analysis has conclusively linked diet (phytochemicals and vitamin D) and the gut microbiota in the context of COVID-19.

Methods

This study examined the responses to COVID-19 in Japan and Africa, formulating the following hypotheses: (1) a healthy diet is effective against COVID-19, (2) blood vitamin D levels are associated with COVID-19 mortality, and (3) COVID-19 is associated with the gut microbiota. To investigate these hypotheses, a keyword search and meta-analysis were conducted using PubMed, and each hypothesis was tested.

Results

This study found that a healthy diet, particularly rich in phytochemicals such as polyphenols and flavonoids, is effective against COVID-19. An association was detected between blood vitamin D levels and COVID-19 mortality. The gut microbiota was linked to COVID-19 and its amelioration. These findings may have significant implications for not only understanding COVID-19 but also future prevention of pneumonia.