bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
APSA Ramps up Public Presence Activities in 2004
Authors: Rajaee Bahram
Published: July 2022

This past spring, with the approval of APSA President Susanne Rudolph and under the
guidance of President-Elect Margaret Levi, a subgroup of the APSA Council formulated a set
of recommendations for the Association with regard to its “public presence”—or activities
that sought to raise the public profile of political science research and illustrate its
utility for larger public debates. The intent behind the recommendations was to guide the
development of resources for the media and broader public in specific areas that were of
direct relevance to the 2004 U.S. elections. The group's recommendations resulted in the
reorganization of APSA staff to create a new position: Director, International and External
Relations.
The 2004 JPSA-APSA Exchange
Authors: Kume Ikuo
Published: July 2022

In 1990, the Japanese Political Science Association (JPSA) and the APSA initiated a formal
exchange program. Every year, the JPSA invites APSA representatives to attend our annual
meeting—where they have a joint session with Japanese members—and sends two JPSA
representatives to the APSA Annual Meeting. In 2004, APSA President Margaret Levi
(University of Washington) and Ian Shapiro (Yale University) attended the JPSA meeting in
Sapporo; the JPSA exchange participants in the APSA Annual Meeting in Chicago were Ryosuke
Amiya (Kobe University) and Kensuke Takayasu (Hokkaido University).
A cross-sectional study of the first two years of mandatory training for doctors participating in voluntary assisted dying
Authors: Willmott Lindy , Feeney Rachel , Yates Patsy , Parker Malcolm , Waller Katherine , White Ben P.
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Voluntary assisted dying (VAD) was legalized in Victoria, Australia, in June 2019. Victoria was the first jurisdiction in the world to require doctors to undertake training before providing VAD. This study examines data from doctors who completed the mandatory training in the first 2 years of the VAD system's operation (up to 30 June 2021). It describes the doctors who are undertaking VAD training, their post-training attitudes toward VAD participation, and their experiences of the mandatory training.

Methods

Through the online training, doctors completed a short demographic survey and undertook formal assessment of knowledge (90% pass mark). They also were invited to complete an optional survey evaluating the training.

Results

In total, 289 doctors passed the training, most commonly males (56%) aged 36–65 years (82%) from an urban location (72%). Most were more than 10 years post fellowship (68%) and practising as general practitioners (51%) or medical oncologists (16%). The training most commonly took 6 h (range 2 h to over 9 h). Most doctors passed the assessment at the first (65%) or second (19%) attempt. Almost all participants (97%) found the training helpful or very helpful and most reported being confident or very confident in their knowledge (93%) and application (88%) of the VAD legislation.

Significance of results

Doctors reported the training was helpful and improved their confidence in knowing the law and applying it in clinical practice. The profile of trained doctors (particularly their location and specialty) suggests continued growth of participating doctors is needed to facilitate patient access to VAD. It is important that this safeguard does not discourage doctors’ participation.
John Field's Russian Landscape and the Early Nineteenth-Century Piano Nocturne
Authors: Clark Katelyn
Published: July 2022

This article examines the creation and early dissemination of John Field's nocturnes, tracing this œuvre through initial publications in St Petersburg by Dalmas (1812; H24–25) to the posthumous collected editions by Schuberth and Liszt first released in the 1850s. Inspired by discourse on music and environment, I take the peculiar qualities of Russian night landscapes as a key factor in understanding how these works were composed and then marketed internationally. Although little documentation remains of Field's Russian experiences as described in his own voice, it is possible to reconstruct the place in which he worked through his musical publications, related contemporary descriptions, images and recollections of friends and admirers. These sources shed fresh light on his shift in musical style on relocation from England to Russia. Viewing Field's nocturnes through the lens of this landscape, both real and as imagined by later promoters such as Liszt, offers the opportunity to reach a newly nuanced understanding of Field's array of national identities – Irish, English and Russian – and of his nocturne as a Russia-based idiom.
The future of development work in the Red Cross and Red Crescent
Movement—Between the need for assistance and the requirements of
prevention
Authors: Ali Ali Said
Published: July 2022

La fin de la guerre froide a notamment modifié l'environnement dans
lequel travaillent les Sociétés nationales de la Croix-Rouge et du
Croissant-Rouge. Si la communauté internationale semble avoir trouvé les
moyens de résoudre les conflits traditionnels entre États sans recourir aux
armes, il en est autrement sur le plan interne, où des facteurs liés à un
développement insuffisant continuent d'engendrer la violence. L'auteur
s'intéresse, entre autres, à la question de savoir de quelle manière les
Sociétés nationales peuvent faire face aux deux tâches principales qui leur
incombent: l'assistance d'urgence aux victimes de catastrophes naturelles ou
de conflits, d'une part, et la prévention des situations d'urgence, d'autre
part. Même si elles sont accaparées par l'urgence, les Sociétés nationales
ne doivent pas négliger les activités liées au développement, car seules ces
activités permettront de prévenir déautres urgences. Enfin, l'auteur plaide
pour une Croix-Rouge et un Croissant-Rouge forts et innovateurs.
Study on customary rules of international humanitarian law: Purpose,
coverage and methodology
Authors: Henckaerts Jean-Marie
Published: July 2022

In December 1995 the 26th International Conference of the Red Cross and
Red Crescent endorsed the recommendations drawn up by the Intergovernmental
Group of Experts for the Protection for War Victims which had met, at the
invitation of the Swiss government, on 23–27 January 1995 in Geneva.
Recommendation II of this Group proposed that:

“the ICRC be invited to prepare, with the assistance of experts in IHL
[international humanitarian law] representing various geographical regions
and different legal systems, and in consultation with experts from
governments and international organisations, a report on customary rules of
IHL applicable in international and non-international armed conflicts, and
to circulate the report to States and competent international
bodies.”
Centenaire de la Conférence internationale de la Paix (La Haye,
1899)
Authors: Lavoyer Jean-Philippe
Published: July 2022

La communauté internationale a célébr– cette année le centenaire de la
Conférence internationale de la Paix qui s'était tenue à La Haye en 1899.
Deux événements ont eu lieu dans cette ville en mai 1999: une réunion des
États et une conférence organisée par des organisations non
gouvernementales. Une autre réunion gouvernementale s'est tenue a
Saint-Pétersbourg en juin 1999.
Mise en œuvre du droit international humanitaire
Authors:   Services consultatifs
                        en droit international humanitaire, CICR
Published: July 2022

Adoptée le 6 juillet 1998, la loi allemande de mise en œuvre du traité
d'Ottawa sur les mines antipersonnel contient deux volets principaux. Un
premier ensemble de dispositions donne un cadre légal aux missions
d'inspection prevues dans le traité d'Ottawa. Sont notamment réglementées:
la constitution de groupes nationaux d'accompagnement, la coopération avec
les missions d'inspection, l'obligation de notification et la transmission
des données obtenues. Une seconde série de dispositions vient modifier la
loi sur le contrôle des armes de guerre. Les interdictions prévues à
l'article premier du traité d'Ottawa sont introduites dans cette dernière,
accompagnees de précisions sur les diverses peines applicables. Des
références aux mines antipersonnel sont également insérées dans quelques
autres dispositions et une compétence juridictionnelle extra-territoriale à
l'égard des nationaux est ajoutée.
After the Kosovo conflict, a genuine humanitarian space: A utopian
concept or an essential requirement?
Authors: Roggo Béatrice Mégevand
Published: July 2022

Sur la base des expériences faites par le CICR au corns de l'action
humanitaire pendant la crise du Kosovo, l'auteur plaide pour le concept d'un
« espace humanitaire », condition essentielle pour atteindre les victimes de
conflits, assurer leur protection et leur apporter l'assistance dont ils ont
besoin. L'auteur rappelle que l'action humanitaire en situation de conflit
armé ne doit pas se limiter à la distribution de secours alimentaires. Le
«geste humanitaire» doit assurer aux victimes un minimum de sécurité
également: la «protection». Par ailleurs, l'auteur examine des questions
d'actualité comme le rôle des forces armées dans l'action humanitaire, les
rapports entre l'aide bilatérale et les actions multilatérales, ou encore la
fâcheuse tendance consistant à se contenter d'organiser des actions
d'assistance au lieu de chercher des solutions politiques durables aux
conflits qui sont à la base de la catastrophe humanitaire. Pour conclure, on
rappelle qu'il n'y a pas de réponses faciles aux nombreuses questions qui se
posent aujourd'hui à tous ceux qui s'intéressent à l'avenir de l'action
humanitaire. Il parait toutefois évident que l'action humanitaire doit se
conformer aux deux prindpes qui guident l'action de la Croix-Rouge: la
neutralité et l'impartialité.
Zero-casualty warfare
Authors: Rogers A. P. V.
Published: July 2022

L'obligation de faire la distinction entre objectifs militaires, d'une part, et personnes et objets civils, d'autre part, est à la base des règles internationales qui régissent la conduite des hostilités. Exemples concrets à l'appui, l'auteur démontre que grâce au développement de l'armement et à un changement certain des mentalités, la règle fondamentale de la distinction est aujourd'hui mieux respectée que ce n'était le cas, par exemple, pendant la Première Guerre mondiale ou la Seconde. Cependant, le nombre de victimes civiles des récents conflits est proportionnellement beaucoup plus élevé que le nombre des victimes militaires. Par ailleurs, les opérations au Kosovo prouvent que les dommages collatéraux qui frappent la population civile font partie de la réalité même des opérations conduites avec le matériel de guerre le plus moderne. Sur cette toile de fond, l'auteur examine la portée et les limites des possibilités de mener des opérations militaires «sans victimes» et lews conséquences. Il conclut avec un rappel que seul le respect absolu des obligations du droit international humanitaire peut garantir la survie de l'homme en cas de conflit armé.
The Kosovo crisis and the law of armed conflicts
Authors: Egorov Sergey Alexeyevich
Published: July 2022

L'auteur rappelle que l'ensemble du droit international humanitaire
relatif aux conflits armés internationaux était applicable an récent conflit
des Balkans, suite à l'intervention armée de l'OTAN contre la République
fédérale de Yougoslavie. Ce droit n'aurait pas été respecté par les forces
de l'OTAN dans plusieurs contextes, notamment en ce qui concerne le choix
des objectifs susceptibles d'être attaqués. Un trop grand nombre de civils
aurait péri sous les bombes et toutes sortes d'installations auraient été
attaquées et détruites illégalement. Par ailleurs, au cours de ce conflit,
l'expérience a montré que l'emploi de munition contenant de l'uranium
appauvri devrait être interdite par le droit international. Toutefois, même
après cette guerre, le droit international humanitaire n'est pas remis en
question. Mais il faut en renforcer les procédures, afin d'aboutir à une
meilleure mise en œuvre des obligations humanitaires.
The “failed State” and international law
Authors: Thürer Daniel
Published: July 2022

L'«État déstructuré» (“failed State”) est caractérisé par l'absence de toute structure officielle qui soit capable de garantir l'ordre et la justice. Un «État sans gouvernement» est toujours le résultat de situations de violence non-contrôlée qui empêchent les autorités constituées de fonctionner correctement. Le phénomène n'est certes pas nouveau, mais les quelques exemples actuels d'«États déstructurés» rappellent la fragilité de tout ordre constitué, de l'État du droit. L'auteur examine les problèmes posés par les États sans gouvernement, tant sous l'angle du droit international que sous celui des principes généraux du droit constitutionnel. Il s'intéresse particulièrement au comportement de la communauté internationale face à ces situations. Est-il concevable que, dans de tels cas, les (autres) États ou les Nations Unies puissent assurer un respect minimal de la dignité et de la sécurité de la personne humaine? Quelles sont les possibilités pratiques pour mettre en œuvre les garanties accordées par les traités relatifs aux droits de l'homme ou par le droit international humanitaire? L'auteur arrive à la conclusion que les quelques exemples de “failed States” n'annoncent pas la fin de l'État en tant que tel. Toutefois, beaucoup de questions restent posées, qui demandent une réponse, afin de permettre une évolution des institutions tenant compte des contraintes de notre temps.
Le premier Prix Nobel de la Paix (1901): Candidatures d'Henry Dunant, de
Gustave Moynier et du Comité international de la Croix-Rouge
Authors: Durand André
Published: July 2022

The first Nobel Peace Prize was awarded a century ago to Henry Dunant
and Frédéric Passy, thus honouring two different aspects of the struggle
against war: the endeavour to limit the suffering of war victims through
humanitarian action, in particular the creation of the Red Cross; and the
fight against war itself, or pacifism. The article traces the history of
Dunant's candidacy and the uneasiness to which it gave rise in Geneva.
Indeed, while recognizing the merits of Henry Dunant for promoting the idea
of what subsequently became the Red Cross Movement, the ICRC with Gustave
Moynier as its President considered that the International Committee itself
should be a candidate for the Peace Prize. The attempt to put forward the
institution (and not the person of Henry Dunant) failed, as did the
candidacy of Moynier in the following year. The ICRC did, however, receive
the Nobel Peace Prize in 1911, 1944 and, together with the International
Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, in 1963 (the centenary
of the Red Cross).
People's security as a new measure of global stability
Authors: Bruderlein Claude
Published: July 2022

La sécurité des individus n'est plus nécessairement garantie par l'État.
Comme on a pu le constater récemment à plusieurs reprises, les besoins des
États en matière de sécurité semblent aller à l'encontre des besoins
qu'éprouvent leurs populations dans le même domaine, les États se livrant de
plus en plus à de violentes attaques contre les civils et les institutions
civiles. Or, en vertu du droit international, il incombe avant tout aux
États de protéger leur population contre les effets de la guerre. Dans les
situations de conflit armé, cette tâche devient toutefois problématique,
puisque la population est souvent laissée à la merci de son oppresseur. Un
changement de stratégie s'impose de manière pressante. À côté d'un système
de protection basé sur l'État, la communauté internationale doit concevoir
des solutions de plus grande ampleur et diversifiées pour que la protection
des civils soit assurée, solutions qui n'impliqueraient pas settlement les
États, mais aussi des entités non étatiques, des groupes de la société
civile, des acteurs du monde des entreprises, les médias et les populations
elles-mêmes.
The Asian values debate and its relevance to international humanitarian
law
Authors: Boll Alfred M.
Published: July 2022

Au cours des années 90, une controverse a vu le jour en Asie sur la
question de savoir si les valeurs à la base de codifications universelles
sont nécessairement compatibles avec les valeurs acceptées et respectées
dans les différentes régions de ce continent. Plus particulièrement et à
titre d'exemple, les conventions internationales relatives aux droits de
l'homme sont censées exprimer des valeurs reconnues sur le plan universel.
Les Asiatiques doivent-ils de ce fait les accepter automatiquement dans
cette forme ? Ces valeurs dites « universelles » ne sont-elles pas pour la
plupart d'origine occidentale ? – Il apparaît qu'une prééminence des valeurs
asiatiques est notamment postulée pour certains aspects de la vie sociale
qui sont propres à l'Asie, dont l'ordre interne des États et l'économie. Le
droit international humanitaire, par contre, a toujours trouvé des principes
équivalents dans les traditions et coutumes ancestrales des différentes
nations asiatiques. Par ailleurs, les règles essentielles du droit
international humanitaire représentent le plus petit dénominateur commun des
règles de droit à respecter dans les conflits pour que l'homme soit protégé
contre la violence et l'abus de pouvoir; à ce titre, elles sont également en
harmonie avec les valeurs reconnues en Asie.
Le droit international humanitaire au Timor oriental: entre théorie et
pratique
Authors: Levrat Bertrand
Published: July 2022

East Timor has been on the international community's agenda since 1975,
and the events of 1999 have attracted worldwide attention to the island's
fate. This article examines some of the legal issues which are relevant for
the application of international humanitarian law to the conflict over East
Timor. In particular, the author examines the international status of East
Timor during the Indonesian occupation and after, with the arrival of the
multinational military force and the administration set up by the United
Nations. The status of those civilians who took refuge in West Timor from
the explosion of violence, as well as the rights of Timorese detained by the
provisional administration, are also extensively discussed. The author
regrets that many legal issues have not been settled in a satisfactory
manner by the various players involved in the international response to the
drama, although clear answers may be found in international humanitarian law
applicable to the situation prevailing in East Timor.
International refugee protection 50 years on: The protection challenges
of the past, present and future
Authors: Feller Erika
Published: July 2022

Directeur pour la protection à l'Office du Haut Commissaire des Nations
Unies pour les réfugiés, l'auteur brosse un large tableau des activités
dévolues au HCR, que résume la notion de « protection » des réfugiés. Après
avoir brièvement rappelé l'histoire de la protection internationale des
réfugiés, elle examine la question de savoir si la Convention de 1951
relative au statut des réfugiés est toujours à la hauteur pour résoudre les
problèmes liés aux migrations de masse qui caractérisent notre époque. Mêime
si la Convention de 1951 n'est pas idéale, elle reste le seul traité
international reconnu par la quasi-totalité des États pour légitimer le
régime de protection des réfugiés. Afin de renforcer cette protection, le
HCR a récemment engagé une vaste consultation des États, des organisations
non gouvernementales et des réfugiés eux-mêmes pour mieux définir les
problèmes et y trouver des solutions dans le contexte actuel. L'auteur est
convaincu que cette consultation renforcera la détermination de la
communauté internationale à mieux protéger les réfugiés.
Le CICR et l'assistance aux réfugiés arabes palestiniens
(1948–1950)
Authors: Rey-Schyrr Catherine
Published: July 2022

During the 1948–1949 conflict in Palestine, the ICRC conducted a major
operation for the wounded and the sick, the prisoners of war and civilian
victims of the conflict. It was also one of the first international
organizations to provide Palestinian refugees with concrete help: to begin
with, starting in July 1948, through the delegation it had opened several
months earlier in Palestine to carry out its traditional protection and
assistance work there; later, by setting up the ICRC Commissariat for Relief
to Palestine Refugees, which, alongside other organizations, acted as a
distribution agency within the framework of the United Nations Relief for
Palestine Refugees. In 1950, this activity was taken over by UNWRA.
Personnes déplacées en Colombie et personnes d'origine colombienne
cherchant refuge dans les pays voisins
Authors: Prunera Frédérique
Published: July 2022

In the course of half a century of political turmoil and civil war in
Colombia, a large number of civilians have fled their homes or been
forcefully removed to other places. The author gives an overview of UNHCR
and ICRC activities for these internally displaced persons. While UNHCR
strives mainly to strengthen their ability to cope, the ICRC specializes in
direct assistance to displaced persons and pursues its traditional
protection work. Action taken for Colombian refugees in neighbouring
countries is also discussed.
Droit de Genève et droit de La Haye
Authors: Bugnion François
Published: July 2022

Present-day international humanitarian law has grown from two main
sources: the Law of Geneva, i.e. a body of rules which protect victims of
war, and the Law of The Hague, i.e. those provisions which affect the
conduct of hostilities. The author examines the different policies which are
behind these two branches of international humanitarian law and traces their
history up to the 1974-1977 Diplomatic Conference which, by adopting
Additional Protocol I, brought about their convergence. While the ICRC
undoubtedly gave rise to the Law of Geneva, its contribution to the
development and implementation of the Hague Law has been less explicit. The
author argues that any involvement in humanitarian law today implies a
concern for both domains, which now are inseparable parts of modem
international humanitarian law.
Protecting the health sector in Colombia: A step to make the conflit less
cruel
Authors: de Currea-Lugo Victor
Published: July 2022

Le conflit interne en Colombie a déjà fait un grand nombre de victimes
et détruit une grande partie des infrastructures du pays, notamment celles
de la santé. La survie du personnel médical est directement menacée par les
actes de violences et, autre conséquence de cette situation, les services de
santé n'arrivent plus à faire face aux besoins, en ce qui concerne les soins
aux victimes des affrontements. La mission médicate est done en danger. Le
présent article est issu d'une recherche sur les causes et sur le caractère
des actes de violence commis contre le personnel medical. II présente en
outre les mesures prises par la délégation du CICR sur place pour renforcer
la sécurité de son personnel médical sur le terrain et contribuer ainsi à un
meilleur respect du droit international humanitaire en Colombie.
Culturally Adapted Motivational Interviewing for Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia Adherence: Feasibility and Acceptability
Authors: El-Behadli Ana F. , Germann Julie N. , Pratt Chelsea , Acosta Dailyn , Montiel-Esparza Raul , Alvarez Nancy , Winick Naomi , Faith Melissa A.
Published: July 2022

Objective:

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) treatment mandates 2 to 3 years of maintenance therapy that includes daily oral 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP). Unfortunately, 6-MP nonadherence is linked with progressive relapse risk. This study evaluated feasibility, acceptability, and fidelity of a motivational interviewing (MI) intervention targeting 6-MP adherence during pediatric ALL maintenance therapy.

Methods:

We randomized 80 caregivers to receive a single MI session and 42 to an education-only control condition. Participants completed self-report measures about demographics, 6-MP adherence, and intervention acceptability. MI sessions were delivered during a routine clinic visit and were fidelity-coded using Motivational Interviewing Treatment Integrity 4.2.1 coding.

Results:

Findings confirmed MI feasibility and acceptability during routine outpatient clinic visits. In the MI condition, 92.5% of caregivers completed the MI session and 96.20% reported strong MI acceptability. We found no differences in enrollment, completion, or MI acceptability by cultural group. All Spanish-delivered MI sessions addressed social contextual stressors and/or culture-specific values.

Conclusions:

MI may represent a “no-risk” approach to improving adherence and potentially enhancing cure. This study demonstrates feasibility and acceptability of MI during routine clinic visits, providing the basis for a larger randomized trial.

Implications for Impact Statement

This study evaluated MI feasibility and acceptability to promote oral chemotherapy adherence during pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia treatment. We found strong evidence for feasibility and acceptability among majority and ethnic minority participants. Additional study is needed to evaluate intervention effectiveness. MI may present a new way to enhance oral chemotherapy adherence.
RGS6 suppresses TGF-β-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition in non-small cell lung cancers via a novel mechanism dependent on its interaction with SMAD4
Authors: Wang Zhao , Chen Jun , Wang Shengjie , Sun Zelong , Lei Zhe , Zhang Hong-Tao , Huang Jie
Published: July 2022

Regulator of G-protein signaling 6 (RGS6) is a newly discovered tumor suppressor that has been shown to be protective in development of various cancers such as breast cancer and bladder cancer. But the mechanisms underlying these tumor-suppressing functions of RGS6 are not fully understood. Here, we discover a novel function of RGS6 in suppressing TGF-β-induced epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cells and in vivo NSCLC metastasis. Using both bioinformatics and experimental tools, we showed that RGS6 was downregulated in lung cancer tissues compared to noncancerous counterparts, and low expression of RGS6 was associated with poor survival of lung cancer patients. Overexpression of RGS6 suppressed TGF-β-induced EMT in vitro and TGF-β-promoted metastasis in vivo, by impairing gene expression of downstream effectors induced by the canonical TGF-β-SMAD signaling. The ability of RGS6 to suppress TGF-β-SMAD-mediated gene expression relied on its binding to SMAD4 to prevent complex formation between SMAD4 and SMAD2/3, but independent of its regulation of the G-protein signaling. Interaction between RGS6 and SMAD4 caused less nuclear entry of p-SMAD3 and SMAD4, resulting in inefficient SMAD3-mediated gene expression. Taken together, our findings reveal a novel and noncanonical role of RGS6 in regulation of TGF-β-induced EMT and metastasis of NSCLC and identify RGS6 as a prognostic marker and a potential novel target for NSCLC therapy.
The interaction between STING and NCOA4 exacerbates lethal sepsis by orchestrating ferroptosis and inflammatory responses in macrophages
Authors: Wu Jie , Liu Qinjie , Zhang Xufei , Tan Miaomiao , Li Xuanheng , Liu Peizhao , Wu Lei , Jiao Fan , Lin Zhaoyu , Wu Xiuwen , Wang Xin , Zhao Yun , Ren Jianan
Published: July 2022

The discovery of STING-related innate immunity has recently provided a deep mechanistic understanding of immunopathy. While the detrimental effects of STING during sepsis had been well documented, the exact mechanism by which STING causes lethal sepsis remains obscure. Through single-cell RNA sequence, genetic approaches, and mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that STING promotes sepsis-induced multiple organ injury by inducing macrophage ferroptosis in a cGAS- and interferon-independent manner. Mechanistically, Q237, E316, and S322 in the CBD domain of STING are critical binding sites for the interaction with the coiled-coil domain of NCOA4. Their interaction not only triggers ferritinophagy-mediated ferroptosis, but also maintains the stability of STING dimers leading to enhanced inflammatory response, and reduces the nuclear localization of NCOA4, which impairs the transcription factor coregulator function of NCOA4. Meanwhile, we identified HET0016 by high throughput screening, a selective 20-HETE synthase inhibitor, decreased STING-induced ferroptosis in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from patients with sepsis and mortality in septic mice model. Our findings uncover a novel mechanism by which the interaction between STING and NCOA4 regulates innate immune response and ferroptosis, which can be reversed by HET0016, providing mechanistic and promising targets insights into sepsis.
PACAP-PAC1R modulates fear extinction via the ventromedial hypothalamus
Authors: Velasco E. R. , Florido A. , Flores Á , Senabre E. , Gomez-Gomez A. , Torres A. , Roca A. , Norrholm S. , Newman E. L. , Das P. , Ross R. A. , Lori A. , Pozo O. J. , Ressler K. J. , Garcia-Esteve L. L. , Jovanovic T. , Andero R.
Published: July 2022

Exposure to traumatic stress can lead to fear dysregulation, which has been associated with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Previous work showed that a polymorphism in the PACAP-PAC1R (pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide) system is associated with PTSD risk in women, and PACAP (ADCYAP1)-PAC1R (ADCYAP1R1) are highly expressed in the hypothalamus. Here, we show that female mice subjected to acute stress immobilization (IMO) have fear extinction impairments related to Adcyap1 and Adcyap1r1 mRNA upregulation in the hypothalamus, PACAP-c-Fos downregulation in the Medial Amygdala (MeA), and PACAP-FosB/ΔFosB upregulation in the Ventromedial Hypothalamus dorsomedial part (VMHdm). DREADD-mediated inhibition of MeA neurons projecting to the VMHdm during IMO rescues both PACAP upregulation in VMHdm and the fear extinction impairment. We also found that women with the risk genotype of ADCYAP1R1 rs2267735 polymorphism have impaired fear extinction.
Targeting transcription in heart failure via CDK7/12/13 inhibition
Authors: Hsu Austin , Duan Qiming , Day Daniel S. , Luo Xin , McMahon Sarah , Huang Yu , Feldman Zachary B. , Jiang Zhen , Zhang Tinghu , Liang Yanke , Alexanian Michael , Padmanabhan Arun , Brown Jonathan D. , Lin Charles Y. , Gray Nathanael S. , Young Richard A. , Bruneau Benoit G. , Haldar Saptarsi M.
Published: July 2022

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) is associated with high mortality, highlighting an urgent need for new therapeutic strategies. As stress-activated cardiac signaling cascades converge on the nucleus to drive maladaptive gene programs, interdicting pathological transcription is a conceptually attractive approach for HFrEF therapy. Here, we demonstrate that CDK7/12/13 are critical regulators of transcription activation in the heart that can be pharmacologically inhibited to improve HFrEF. CDK7/12/13 inhibition using the first-in-class inhibitor THZ1 or RNAi blocks stress-induced transcription and pathologic hypertrophy in cultured rodent cardiomyocytes. THZ1 potently attenuates adverse cardiac remodeling and HFrEF pathogenesis in mice and blocks cardinal features of disease in human iPSC-derived cardiomyocytes. THZ1 suppresses Pol II enrichment at stress-transactivated cardiac genes and inhibits a specific pathologic gene program in the failing mouse heart. These data identify CDK7/12/13 as druggable regulators of cardiac gene transactivation during disease-related stress, suggesting that HFrEF features a critical dependency on transcription that can be therapeutically exploited.
Aberrant androgen action in prostatic progenitor cells induces oncogenesis and tumor development through IGF1 and Wnt axes
Authors: Kim Won Kyung , Olson Adam W. , Mi Jiaqi , Wang Jinhui , Lee Dong-Hoon , Le Vien , Hiroto Alex , Aldahl Joseph , Nenninger Christian H. , Buckley Alyssa J. , Cardiff Robert , You Sungyong , Sun Zijie
Published: July 2022

Androgen/androgen receptor (AR) signaling pathways are essential for prostate tumorigenesis. However, the fundamental mechanisms underlying the AR functioning as a tumor promoter in inducing prostatic oncogenesis still remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that a subpopulation of prostatic Osr1 (odd skipped-related 1)-lineage cells functions as tumor progenitors in prostate tumorigenesis. Single cell transcriptomic analyses reveal that aberrant AR activation in these cells elevates insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF1) signaling pathways and initiates oncogenic transformation. Elevating IGF1 signaling further cumulates Wnt/β-catenin pathways in transformed cells to promote prostate tumor development. Correlations between altered androgen, IGF1, and Wnt/β-catenin signaling are also identified in human prostate cancer samples, uncovering a dynamic regulatory loop initiated by the AR through prostate cancer development. Co-inhibition of androgen and Wnt-signaling pathways significantly represses the growth of AR-positive tumor cells in both ex-vivo and in-vivo, implicating co-targeting therapeutic strategies for these pathways to treat advanced prostate cancer.
Single-droplet surface-enhanced Raman scattering decodes the molecular determinants of liquid-liquid phase separation
Authors: Avni Anamika , Joshi Ashish , Walimbe Anuja , Pattanashetty Swastik G. , Mukhopadhyay Samrat
Published: July 2022

Biomolecular condensates formed via liquid-liquid phase separation (LLPS) are involved in a myriad of critical cellular functions and debilitating neurodegenerative diseases. Elucidating the role of intrinsic disorder and conformational heterogeneity of intrinsically disordered proteins/regions (IDPs/IDRs) in these phase-separated membrane-less organelles is crucial to understanding the mechanism of formation and regulation of biomolecular condensates. Here we introduce a unique single-droplet surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) methodology that utilizes surface-engineered, plasmonic, metal nanoparticles to unveil the inner workings of mesoscopic liquid droplets of Fused in Sarcoma (FUS) in the absence and presence of RNA. These highly sensitive measurements offer unprecedented sensitivity to capture the crucial interactions, conformational heterogeneity, and structural distributions within the condensed phase in a droplet-by-droplet manner. Such an ultra-sensitive single-droplet vibrational methodology can serve as a potent tool to decipher the key molecular drivers of biological phase transitions of a wide range of biomolecular condensates involved in physiology and disease.
Datasets of fingertip forces while grasping a handle with unsteady thumb platform
Authors: Rajakumar Banuvathy , SKM Varadhan
Published: July 2022

This article presents the fingertip forces and moments data of the individual fingers and thumb when the thumb was placed on an unsteady platform, when the mass of the handle was systematically increased and when the thumb normal force was restricted while grasping a handle. Further, this article also includes a dataset while the thumb makes vertical movements such as extension (or upward motion) and flexion movement (or downward motion) during the static holding of a handle. An instrumented five-finger prehension handle was designed with a vertical railing on the thumb side. A slider platform was placed over the railing to mount the thumb force sensor. Further, a laser displacement sensor was mounted on top of the handle towards the thumb side to record the displacement of the thumb platform. The dataset includes fingertip forces, orientation of the handle, and the displacement data of thumb platform. This data helps therapists assess the degree of thumb disability, the contribution of ulnar fingers in establishing static equilibrium of a handheld object.
The role of plant functional groups mediating climate impacts on carbon and biodiversity of alpine grasslands
Authors: Vandvik Vigdis , Althuizen Inge H. J. , Jaroszynska Francesca , Krüger Linn C. , Lee Hanna , Goldberg Deborah E. , Klanderud Kari , Olsen Siri L. , Telford Richard J. , Östman Silje A. H. , Busca Sara , Dahle Ingrid J. , Egelkraut Dagmar D. , Geange Sonya R. , Gya Ragnhild , Lynn Josh S. , Meineri Eric , Young Sherry , Halbritter Aud H.
Published: July 2022

Plant removal experiments allow assessment of the role of biotic interactions among species or functional groups in community assembly and ecosystem functioning. When replicated along climate gradients, they can assess changes in interactions among species or functional groups with climate. Across twelve sites in the Vestland Climate Grid (VCG) spanning 4 °C in growing season temperature and 2000 mm in mean annual precipitation across boreal and alpine regions of Western Norway, we conducted a fully factorial plant functional group removal experiment (graminoids, forbs, bryophytes). Over six years, we recorded biomass removed, soil microclimate, plant community composition and structure, seedling recruitment, ecosystem carbon fluxes, and reflectance in 384 experimental and control plots. The dataset consists of 5,412 biomass records, 360 species-level biomass records, 1,084,970 soil temperature records, 4,771 soil moisture records, 17,181 plant records covering 206 taxa, 16,656 seedling records, 3,696 ecosystem carbon flux measurements, and 1,244 reflectance measurements. The data can be combined with longer-term climate data and plant population, community, ecosystem, and functional trait data collected within the VCG.
Reading text works better than watching videos to improve acuity in a simulation of artificial vision
Authors: Rassia Katerina Eleonora K. , Moutoussis Konstantinos , Pezaris John S.
Published: July 2022

Simulated artificial vision is used in visual prosthesis design to answer questions about device usability. We previously reported a striking increase in equivalent visual acuity with daily use of a simulation of artificial vision in an active task, reading sentences, that required high levels of subject engagement, but passive activities are more likely to dominate post-implant experience. Here, we investigated the longitudinal effects of a passive task, watching videos. Eight subjects used a simulation of a thalamic visual prosthesis with 1000 phosphenes to watch 23 episodes of classic American television in daily, 25-min sessions, for a period of 1 month with interspersed reading tests that quantified reading accuracy and reading speed. For reading accuracy, we found similar dynamics to the early part of the learning process in our previous report, here leading to an improvement in visual acuity of 0.15 ± 0.05 logMAR. For reading speed, however, no change was apparent by the end of training. We found that single reading sessions drove about twice the improvement in acuity of single video sessions despite being only half as long. We conclude that while passive viewing tasks may prove useful for post-implant rehabilitation, active tasks are likely to be preferable.
Identifying potential mechanisms between childhood trauma and the psychological response to the COVID‐19 pandemic in Germany: a longitudinal study
Authors: Rek Stephanie V. , Reinhard Matthias A. , Bühner Markus , Freeman Daniel , Adorjan Kristina , Falkai Peter , Padberg Frank
Published: July 2022

Childhood maltreatment (CM) has been associated with adverse psychosocial outcomes during the pandemic, but the underlying mechanisms are unclear. In a prospective online study using baseline and 10-week follow-up data of 391 German participants, we applied multiple mediation analyses to test to what extent COVID-19 perceived stressors mediate the association between CM and later adverse psychosocial outcomes compared to established mediators of rumination and insecure attachment. We also explored the relative importance of different COVID-19 related stressors in predicting adverse psychological trajectories using elastic net regression. Results showed that CM was longitudinally associated with all adverse psychosocial outcome. COVID-19 perceived stressors, rumination, and insecure attachment mediated this relationship and full mediation was observed for the outcomes anxiety, stress and psychological well-being. COVID-19-related concerns about the future was most strongly and consistently associated with adverse psychosocial functioning. These findings provide preliminary evidence that COVID-19 perceived stressors, in particular concerns about the future, may be a key mechanism underlying the development of adverse psychosocial outcomes in individuals with a CM history. Thus, COVID-19 perceived stressors may require a higher priority for prevention and treatment efforts in vulnerable groups. Our results warrant replication in more representative cross-cultural samples.
A dynamic AES cryptosystem based on memristive neural network
Authors: Liu Y. A. , Chen L. , Li X. W. , Liu Y. L. , Hu S. G. , Yu Q. , Chen T. P. , Liu Y.
Published: July 2022

This paper proposes an advanced encryption standard (AES) cryptosystem based on memristive neural network. A memristive chaotic neural network is constructed by using the nonlinear characteristics of a memristor. A chaotic sequence, which is sensitive to initial values and has good random characteristics, is used as the initial key of AES grouping to realize "one-time-one-secret" dynamic encryption. In addition, the Rivest-Shamir-Adleman (RSA) algorithm is applied to encrypt the initial values of the parameters of the memristive neural network. The results show that the proposed algorithm has higher security, a larger key space and stronger robustness than conventional AES. The proposed algorithm can effectively resist initial key-fixed and exhaustive attacks. Furthermore, the impact of device variability on the memristive neural network is analyzed, and a circuit architecture is proposed.
On the generation of realistic synthetic petrographic datasets using a style-based GAN
Authors: Ferreira Ivan , Ochoa Luis , Koeshidayatullah Ardiansyah
Published: July 2022

Deep learning architectures have transformed data analytics in geosciences, complementing traditional approaches to geological problems. Although deep learning applications in geosciences show encouraging signs, their potential remains untapped due to limited data availability and the required in-depth knowledge to provide a high-quality labeled dataset. We approached these issues by developing a novel style-based deep generative adversarial network (GAN) model, PetroGAN, to create the first realistic synthetic petrographic datasets across different rock types. PetroGAN adopts the architecture of StyleGAN2 with adaptive discriminator augmentation (ADA) to allow robust replication of statistical and esthetical characteristics and improve the internal variance of petrographic data. In this study, the training dataset consists of > 10,000 thin section images both under plane- and cross-polarized lights. Here, using our proposed novel approach, the model reached a state-of-the-art Fréchet Inception Distance (FID) score of 12.49 for petrographic images. We further observed that the FID values vary with lithology type and image resolution. The generated images were validated through a survey where the participants have various backgrounds and level of expertise in geosciences. The survey established that even a subject matter expert observed the generated images were indistinguishable from real images. This study highlights that GANs are a powerful method for generating realistic synthetic data in geosciences. Moreover, they are a future tool for image self-labeling, reducing the effort in producing big, high-quality labeled geoscience datasets. Furthermore, our study shows that PetroGAN can be applied to other geoscience datasets, opening new research horizons in the application of deep learning to various fields in geosciences, particularly with the presence of limited datasets.
Quasi-dark resonances with antiferromagnetic order in silicon metasurfaces
Authors: Zografopoulos D. C. , Algorri J. F. , López-Higuera J. M. , Hernandez-Figueroa H. E. , Dmitriev V.
Published: July 2022

Quasi-dark resonances exhibiting antiferromagnetic order are theoretically investigated in a near-infrared metasurface composed of square slotted rings etched in a thin silicon layer on glass substrate. Access to the quasi-dark mode is achieved by reducing the symmetry of the metasurface according to the findings of a detailed group theory analysis. A thorough finite-element study reveals the key optical properties of the antiferromagnetic order quasi-dark mode, namely resonant wavelengths, quality factors, angular dispersion, and its robustness against optical extinction losses. It is demonstrated that the thickness of the silicon metasurface can adjust the asymmetry degree of the resonant Fano lineshape without affecting substantially its quality factor. Furthermore, tuning of the resonant wavelength can be achieved without significant modification of the Fano lineshape by controlling the angle of incidence of the impinging planewave. Overall, the work presents an all-dielectric, near-infrared metasurface for the excitation of sharp resonances with antiferromagnetic order, which can find use in emerging applications based on this particular configuration of artificial optical magnetism and/or strong field confinement and light-matter interaction.
Endogenous rhythms influence musicians’ and non-musicians’ interpersonal synchrony
Authors: Tranchant Pauline , Scholler Eléonore , Palmer Caroline
Published: July 2022

Individuals display considerable rate differences in the spontaneous production of rhythmic behaviors (such as speech, gait, dance). Temporal precision in rhythmic behavior tends to be highest at individuals’ spontaneous production rates; musically trained partners with similar spontaneous rates show increased synchrony in joint tasks, consistent with predictions based on intrinsic frequencies of coupled oscillators. We address whether partner-specific influences of intrinsic frequencies are evidenced in musically trained and untrained individuals who tapped a familiar melody at a spontaneous (uncued) rate individually. Each individual then synchronized with a partner from the same musicianship group at an initially cued rate that matched the partners’ spontaneous rates. Musically trained partners showed greater synchrony in joint tapping than musically untrained partners. Asynchrony increased in both groups as the partners’ difference in individual spontaneous rates increased, with greater impact for musically untrained pairs. Recurrence quantification analysis confirmed that musically untrained individuals demonstrated greater determinism (less flexibility) in their tapping than musically trained individuals. Furthermore, individuals with greater determinism in solo performances demonstrated reduced synchrony in joint performances. These findings suggest that musicians’ increased temporal flexibility is associated with decreased endogenous constraints on production rate and greater interpersonal synchrony in musical tasks.