bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Wound on Christ’s Back in New Spain
Authors: Robin Alena
Published: September 2020

Cet article examine une étrange gravure de la fin du XVIIIe siècle qui illustre la plaie du dos du Christ. Elle fut découverte dans les archives de l’Inquisition de la ville de Mexico. Cette plaie gigantesque, autour de laquelle sont disposés, sans ordre apparent, les instruments de la Passion du Christ, laisse voir quatre os. La gravure fut censurée par le Saint-Office à cause de son inscription, qui renfermait des informations incorrectes, principalement de fausses indulgences. Néanmoins, on peut établir des liens entre cette gravure et différentes peintures du XVIIIe siècle en Nouvelle-Espagne qui mettent l’accent tout particulièrement sur le dos du Christ pour y concentrer la souffrance de la Passion. En étudiant simultanément ces oeuvres, la gravure et l’analyse de l’Inquisition, on parvient à mieux comprendre la signification complexe de certaines images de la Passion du Christ en Nouvelle-Espagne. Les difficultés à représenter visuellement cette souffrance m’intéressent à un plus haut point parce qu’elles conduisirent les artistes à utiliser le dos du Christ comme élément de dévotion suscitant la compassion des fidèles. En évitant de représenter le corps en entier, la gravure de la plaie dorsale du Christ permettait d’élever la représentation visuelle de la souffrance du Seigneur.
A New Portrait Gallery for Canada: Stacking or Unpacking a National Narrative?
Authors: Koltun Lilly
Published: September 2020

Le plus grand défi présenté par la création du nouveau Musée du portrait du Canada, un programme de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada annoncé par le gouvernement fédéral en 2001, consiste probablement à démentir l’idée préconçue selon laquelle ce genre d’institution ne servira qu’à promouvoir sans discernement un nationalisme étroit, ainsi qu’une vision traditionnelle, voire même superficielle, de l’art. Situé directement en face de la colline parlementaire à Ottawa, dans un édifice patrimonial classé (l’ancienne ambassade des États-Unis) auquel s’ajoutera une aile moderne, le Musée du portrait du Canada pourrait facilement se conformer à cette idée reçue. Pourtant, le portrait, qui constitue l’art figuratif le plus accessible qui soit, doit aussi être « démasqué » afin de révéler sa nature interne complexe. Le présent article abordera une étude de cas en photographie et ses incidences sur d’autres médiums, pour exposer les enjeux entourant l’art du portrait au Canada. Ceci permettra de jeter un peu de lumière sur les ambiguïtés de la pratique du portrait et de sa réception, de même que sur les possibilités inattendues qu’offre la création de cette nouvelle institution pour l’art et le public canadiens.
Sur/Rendering Her Image: The Unknowable Harriet Tubman
Authors: Gibson Chantal N. , Silverman Monique
Published: September 2020

Que peut signifier le fait que Harriet Tubman, personnage historique transfrontalier devenu mythologique – la « Moïse de son peuple » – dans les historiographies américaines et canadiennes, pose pour une photographie ? Cet article explore comment des questions complexes d’identité et de représentation se complexifient davantage lorsque ce personnage transgressif est saisi par le biais d’une lentille victorienne.

Tubman accepte de poser et de projeter l’image de la femme victorienne. Pourtant, c’est la même Harriet Tubman qui portait pantalons et fusil lorsqu’elle servait de guide aux esclaves évadés le long d’un chemin de fer clandestin, cherchant la liberté au Canada. C’est la même Harriet Tubman qui jouait le rôle d’infirmière, d’éclaireuse, de blanchisseuse, d’espionne, de cuisinière et de guide des troupes durant la guerre de Sécession, et que ses collègues masculins blancs appelaient « général », lui reconnaissant l’habileté de se déplacer et de traverser les frontières sans se faire repérer.

La photo séduit l’observateur et le supplie de la prendre pour la réalité. Mais les restrictions fallacieuses qui persistent entre le moment capté et l’image bidimensionnelle, représentent un abîme que l’on doit franchir par le biais de l’intelligence critique. Dans la photo intitulée Standing Portrait of Harriet Tubman, l’examen de certains entrecroisements pose un défi tout particulier. Les contradictions et les chevauchements que révèlent ces différentes perspectives sont succintement mis en évidence lorsque l’on reconnaît la disparité entre la photographie et le vécu de Tubman.

La photographie de Harriet Tubman sert de modèle métaphorique à la structure du présent article. Elle offre une image composée d’attributs conflictuels, de refoulements et de contraintes propres à l’image victorienne, qui se juxtaposent à la connaissance historique d’une femme et de ses accomplissements extraordinaires. À la limite, la photographie est aussi subversive que les femmes qui en constituent les sujets.
(Re)Viewing Whistler and Sargent: Portraiture at the fin-de-siècle
Authors: Clarke Meaghan
Published: September 2020

La comparaison entre deux portraits de femmes réalisés en 1894 et 1896 permettra de mettre en lumière la problématique du présent travail, à savoir l’identité de l’artiste et celle du critique d’art. Le premier portrait, une estampe lithographique de l’artiste James McNeill Whistler imprimée par Thomas Way, est présente dans plusieurs collections, dont celles du British Museum, de la National Portrait Gallery à Washington et de la Library of Congress (fig. 1). Le second portrait, exemplaire unique réalisé au crayon par John Singer Sargent, est conservé à la National Portrait Gallery de Londres (fig. 2). De nombreux portraits de société de ce type, mettant en scène des modèles féminins américains et anglais, ont fait l’objet d’études qui révèlent comment les artistes aimaient à flatter ou à ridiculiser ces femmes. Elles étaient en effet perçues comme des icônes culturelles et leurs portraits pouvaient être interprétés, pour citer les mots d’un spécialiste, comme « la représentation de la vision des femmes par les hommes ». Toutefois, ce n’est pas tant la construction de la féminité à travers le regard de l’artiste qui est en jeu ici, que la manière dont ce regard renvoie à celui du modèle. On peut dire que ces deux portraits évoquent les thèmes de la production artistique et de la réception critique par le biais d’un jeu de miroirs entre l’artiste et son modèle.

Il faut signaler que les deux femmes représentées dans ces portraits étaient des critiques d’art influentes qui vivaient et travaillaient à Londres à la fin du XIXe siècle et au début du XXe siècle. Leur oeuvre critique a joué un rôle important dans la construction de l’image publique de Whistler et de Sargent, plaçant ces derniers au rang de références de l’art moderne britannique et américain. Il s’agit de l’Américaine Elizabeth Robins Pennells (1855–1936), critique à la Nation de New York et au Star de Londres, et d’Alice Meynell (1847–1922), critique au Weekly Register et à la Pall Mall Gazette. Le présent travail s’attachera à montrer comment les deux critiques mettent en scène l’identité publique de Whistler et de Sargent, tout en exposant les tensions inhérentes à la vie de ces artistes : celles opposant Londres et Paris, la Royal Academy et le New English Art Club, ainsi que l’art institutionnel et l’avant-garde.
Leaders, Legends and Felons: Negotiating portraiture, from veneration to vandalism
Authors: Carr Angela
Published: September 2020

En 2003, lors de l’arrivée en Iraq de la coalition dirigée par les États-Unis, un grand nombre de portraits de Saddam Hussein, dirigeant de l’Iraq à l’époque, furent détruits. Deux ans auparavant, les talibans avaient dynamité deux bouddhas géants, sculptés dans les falaises du nord de l’Afghanistan. Même si la destruction violente d’images est traditionnellement qualifiée de vandalisme ou d’iconoclasme, le « texte » esthétique, selon Umberto Eco, serait davantage un outil de communication que de représentation, outil dont les significations peuvent changer et auquel on ne réservera pas le même accueil avec le temps.

D’après le concept de communauté imaginée de Benedict Anderson, les monuments d’État illustrent des idéaux collectifs, tandis que Michael Taussig estime que l’État est un « autre » fétichisé, distinct de la population qu’il est censé servir. Dans les cas où les portraits d’État favorisent un culte de la personnalité, ces images rappellent constamment le pouvoir du régime en place et définissent le territoire où ce pouvoir s’exerce. Contrairement à ce que soutient Antonio Gramsci au sujet du concept d’hégémonie, les portraits de dictateurs ne consolident pas l’ascendant sur les classes : ils orchestrent un culte à l’égard d’une personne.

La transgression des règles relatives au sujet ou à la présentation peut entraîner des réactions violentes. Dans ces cas, entre autres, le spectateur peut considérer l’image comme un moyen de communiquer avec l’artiste, la personne représentée ou le public en général. Des « communications » de ce type, notamment par la violence, résistent aux stratégies analytiques liées au signifiant flottant, au simulacre et au fétiche, même si ces démarches restent utiles en ce qui concerne d’autres aspects de l’analyse du portrait.
Slippery Talk of Parliament’s Architecture: Canadian, Canadian British, or Anglo-American?
Authors: Thomas Christopher A.
Published: September 2020

L’historiographie classique de l’architecture canadienne – formulée en termes patriotiques comme dans bien des pays – a pris le parti de traiter les styles néo-médiévaux, y compris le gothique victorien et le « style château », comme particulièrement canadiens. Comme cette approche, que l’on retrouve dans les textes de R.H. Hubbard et de Alan Gowans, devint partie intégrante du nationalisme canadien d’après-guerre et coïncida plus ou moins avec la célébration du centenaire de la Confédération en 1967, elle s’inscrivit dans le processus identifié par le critique littéraire Northrop Frye comme un essai de définition du « génie canadien ». Cet article trace l’histoire de ce trope, de cette convention de l’histoire de l’architecture en s’appuyant sur l’exemple des comptes-rendus (y compris le mien) de la construction du Parlement à Ottawa (1859–76). Ainsi encapsulée, l’histoire du projet peut être confrontée à l’historiographie classique en soulevant des questions au sujet de sa genèse et de son style mises en évidence par une réexamination des faits historiques. On mettra l’accent sur la prise de conscience de la Province du Canada dans les années 1850, soulignée par le nom de Nova Britannia proposé par Alexander Morris. On explorera la signification de l’emploi du style néo-gothique « High Victorian » du Parlement par l’architecte Thomas Fuller (1823–98), en tenant compte du fait qu’il connaissait le projet contemporain de constuction des « Public Offices » à Londres; et le Parlement d’Ottawa est comparé au nouveau palais de Westminster et au capitole des Étas-Unis à Washington (considérablement agrandi à cette époque). Après cette étude détaillée, on est amené à se demander si le style du Parlement doit être – ainsi que le suggère le titre de cet article – qualifié de « canadien, canadien-britanique ou anglo-américain » et, implicitement, quel regard poser sur la Province du Canada durant cette période.
L’avènement de l’art naïf en Haïti. La portée instauratrice d’un jugement esthétique
Authors: Célius Carlo Avierl
Published: September 2020

A number of scholars have sought to explain the emergence of naïve art in Haiti. They have put forth a range of factors: historical, sociological, and anthropological. A brief analysis of the main arguments advanced reveals that these explanatory models are far from satisfactory. The argument defended here is that the naïve art movement in Haiti began when an outside curator assigned aesthetic value to the work of a naïve painter. This aesthetic judgement created a conceptual foundation upon which the new movement would be based, initiating a process of institutionalization and collective organization, and giving the painters a new sense of identity.
Le Problème de l’ornement chez Cellini : théorie, iconographie et humanisme
Authors: Trottein Gwendolyn
Published: September 2020

This essay attempts to answer three intimately connected and fundamental questions regarding the art of Benvenuto Cellini (1500–71). Is a coherent theory of the arts discernible in his literary and plastic oeuvre? Further, what place is accorded ornament in this theory? And, finally, what philosophical positions are inherent in Cellini’s largely implicit theory of the arts? The Cellinian art theory which emerges from his apparently silent artworks, his seemingly narrative autobiography, and his predominantly empirical treatises provides an alternative to the Vasarian model promulgated in Cinquecento Florence and nineteenth- and twentieth-century art history. Downplaying the role of disegno and of spiritualizing neo-platonism, Cellini insists on an “ornamental” aesthetic that is grounded not so much in the visions and nightmares of a divinely inspired artistic imagination as in the experience and action of a willfol and all-too-human master goldsmith and sculptor. His theory is gendered and hierarchical, imposing male mastery on female matter, setting free-standing sculpture and goldsmithery at the top of a pyramid of the arts with drawing and painting relegated to its base.
La Gloire du peintre et les errements de l’Académie : des pistes pour l’étude des marines de Claude-Joseph Vernet au Salon
Authors: Gaudreau Nicolas
Published: September 2020

Thomas Crow (1985) has established that the Academy’s Salon was the theatre of an art crisis in the France of Louis XV. This has inspired a comparison between the tempests and shipwrecks of Claude-Joseph Vernet (1714–1789) and his series Les Ports de France (1754–1765), commissioned on behalf of the King by Marigny. In the first part of the article, we examine the popularity of the former paintings. After analysing the enthusiastic response of Diderot in his Salons, directly inspired by Burke's treatise on the sublime, we show that the success of these paintings was in their power to produce strong emotions in the spectator’s mind. We then describe the perception of the sea in the eighteenth century in order to anchor Diderot’s critique in a body of non-artistic representations. The popularity of Vernet’s tempests and shipwrecks rests on a lack of social symbolism. This gives them a universal character with which, unlike the more aristocratie history painting, spectators of ail origins can identify. The last section deals with Les Ports de France. We begin by discussing the choice of landscape for such a prestigious work, which can be explained by the necessity to renew the image of the state. The choice of the seaport motif answered both the need of propaganda by imposing a unitary vision of France and the wish to recall Colbert’s heritage. Finally we analyse how the King and the Salon received the series by concluding that it was ultimately a failure for political and aesthetic reasons.
White Marble, Black Bodies and the Fear of the Invisible Negro: Signifying Blackness in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Neoclassical Sculpture
Authors: Nelson Charmaine A.
Published: September 2020

La sculpture néoclassique du XIXe siècle a été profondément marquée par les différences raciales inscrite dans le corps. L’esclavage transatlantique, l’abolitionnisme et la Reconstruction fournirent aux artistes de nouveaux thèmes socialement complexes qui s’accommodèrent facilement du sujet noir féminin. Pourtant, celui-ci faisaient problème pour le néoclassicisme (et le « grand » art en général) puisqu’il était doublement éloigné des idéaux de la couleur blanche et de la masculinité. Cet article examine de quelle façon le sujet noir féminin s’avère une (im)possibilité autant au niveau esthétique, narratif que thématique. De manière significative, la dépendance esthétique du néoclassicisme pour la marbre blanc refusait l’expression raciale au niveau même de la peau. Ce phénomène attire l’attention sur les nombreuses angoisses sociales de l’époque pour les contacts et les croisements entre les races qui permirent la prédominance d’un type féminin noir-blanc. Puisque la pratique néoclassique faisait inextricablement partie des discours raciaux du XIXe siècle, les historiens n’ont pas su reconnaître l’importance de la race dans ce type de production et dans la culture visuelle en général. Dans cet article, nous tenterons « d’excaver » les contextes coloniaux originaux de production et d’en analyser les implications pour les artistes, les sujets et la culture visuelle.
Technoscience in History
Authors: Klein Ursula
Published: September 2020

The relationship of the current technosciences and the older engineering sciences, examined through the history of the “useful” sciences in Prussia.

Do today's technoscientific disciplines—including materials science, genetic engineering, nanotechnology, and robotics—signal a radical departure from traditional science? In Technoscience in History, Ursula Klein argues that these novel disciplines and projects represent not an “epochal break,” but part of a history that can be traced back to German “useful” sciences and beyond. Klein's account traces a deeper history of technoscience, mapping the relationship between today's cutting-edge disciplines and the development of the useful and technological sciences in Prussia from 1750 to 1850.

Klein shows that institutions that coupled natural-scientific and technological inquiry existed well before the twentieth century. Focusing on the science of mining, technical chemistry, the science of forestry, and the science of building (later known as civil engineering), she examines the emergence of practitioners who were recognized as men of science as well as inventive technologists—key figures that she calls “scientific-technological experts.”

Klein describes the Prussian state's recruitment of experts for technical projects and manufacturing, including land surveys, the apothecary trade, and porcelain production; state-directed mining, mining science, and mining academies; the history and epistemology of useful science; and the founding of Prussian scientific institutions in the nineteenth century, including the University of Berlin, the Academy of Building, the Technical Deputation, and the Industrial Institute.
Integrase-RNA interactions underscore the critical role of integrase in HIV-1 virion morphogenesis
Authors: Elliott Jennifer L , Eschbach Jenna E , Koneru Pratibha C , Li Wen , Puray-Chavez Maritza , Townsend Dana , Lawson Dana Q , Engelman Alan N , Kvaratskhelia Mamuka , Kutluay Sebla B
Published: September 2020

A large number of human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1) integrase (IN) alterations, referred to as class II substitutions, exhibit pleiotropic effects during virus replication. However, the underlying mechanism for the class II phenotype is not known. Here we demonstrate that all tested class II IN substitutions compromised IN-RNA binding in virions by one of the three distinct mechanisms: (i) markedly reducing IN levels thus precluding the formation of IN complexes with viral RNA; (ii) adversely affecting functional IN multimerization and consequently impairing IN binding to viral RNA; and (iii) directly compromising IN-RNA interactions without substantially affecting IN levels or functional IN multimerization. Inhibition of IN-RNA interactions resulted in the mislocalization of viral ribonucleoprotein complexes outside the capsid lattice, which led to premature degradation of the viral genome and IN in target cells. Collectively, our studies uncover causal mechanisms for the class II phenotype and highlight an essential role of IN-RNA interactions for accurate virion maturation.
Host-induced spermidine production in motile Pseudomonas aeruginosa triggers phagocytic uptake
Authors: Felgner Sebastian , Preusse Matthias , Beutling Ulrike , Stahnke Stephanie , Pawar Vinay , Rohde Manfred , Brönstrup Mark , Stradal Theresia , Häussler Susanne
Published: September 2020

Exploring the complexity of host–pathogen communication is vital to understand why microbes persist within a host, while others are cleared. Here, we employed a dual-sequencing approach to unravel conversational turn-taking of dynamic host–pathogen communications. We demonstrate that upon hitting a host cell, motile Pseudomonas aeruginosa induce a specific gene expression program. This results in the expression of spermidine on the surface, which specifically activates the PIP3-pathway to induce phagocytic uptake into primary or immortalized murine cells. Non-motile bacteria are more immunogenic due to a lower expression of arnT upon host-cell contact, but do not produce spermidine and are phagocytosed less. We demonstrate that not only the presence of pathogen inherent molecular patterns induces immune responses, but that bacterial motility is linked to a host-cell-induced expression of additional immune modulators. Our results emphasize on the value of integrating microbiological and immunological findings to unravel complex and dynamic host–pathogen interactions.
Nutrient status shapes selfish mitochondrial genome dynamics across different levels of selection
Authors: Gitschlag Bryan L , Tate Ann T , Patel Maulik R
Published: September 2020

Cooperation and cheating are widespread evolutionary strategies. While cheating confers an advantage to individual entities within a group, competition between groups favors cooperation. Selfish or cheater mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) proliferates within hosts while being selected against at the level of host fitness. How does environment shape cheater dynamics across different selection levels? Focusing on food availability, we address this question using heteroplasmicCaenorhabditis elegans. We find that the proliferation of selfish mtDNA within hosts depends on nutrient status stimulating mtDNA biogenesis in the developing germline. Interestingly, mtDNA biogenesis is not sufficient for this proliferation, which also requires the stress-response transcription factor FoxO/DAF-16. At the level of host fitness, FoxO/DAF-16 also prevents food scarcity from accelerating the selection against selfish mtDNA. This suggests that the ability to cope with nutrient stress can promote host tolerance of cheaters. Our study delineates environmental effects on selfish mtDNA dynamics at different levels of selection.
Ribosomal profiling during prion disease uncovers progressive translational derangement in glia but not in neurons
Authors: Scheckel Claudia , Imeri Marigona , Schwarz Petra , Aguzzi Adriano
Published: September 2020

Prion diseases are caused by PrPSc, a self-replicating pathologically misfolded protein that exerts toxicity predominantly in the brain. The administration of PrPSc causes a robust, reproducible and specific disease manifestation. Here, we have applied a combination of translating ribosome affinity purification and ribosome profiling to identify biologically relevant prion-induced changes during disease progression in a cell-type-specific and genome-wide manner. Terminally diseased mice with severe neurological symptoms showed extensive alterations in astrocytes and microglia. Surprisingly, we detected only minor changes in the translational profiles of neurons. Prion-induced alterations in glia overlapped with those identified in other neurodegenerative diseases, suggesting that similar events occur in a broad spectrum of pathologies. Our results suggest that aberrant translation within glia may suffice to cause severe neurological symptoms and may even be the primary driver of prion disease.
Coral cover and rubble cryptofauna abundance and diversity at outplanted reefs in Okinawa, Japan
Authors: Biondi Piera , Masucci Giovanni Diego , Reimer James Davis
Published: September 2020

Global climate change is leading to damage and loss of coral reef ecosystems. On subtropical Okinawa Island in southwestern Japan, the prefectural government is working on coral reef restoration by outplanting coral colonies from family Acroporidae back to reefs after initially farming colonies inside protected nurseries. In order to establish a baseline for future comparisons, in this study we documented the current status of reefs undergoing outplanting at Okinawa Island, and nearby locations where no human manipulation has occurred. We examined three sites on the coast of Onna Village on the west coast of the island; each site included an outplanted and control location. We used (1) coral rubble sampling to measure and compare abundance and diversity of rubble cryptofauna; and (2) coral reef monitoring using Line Intercept Transects to track live coral coverage. Results showed that rubble shape had a positive correlation with the numbers of animals found within rubble themselves and may therefore constitute a reliable abundance predictor. Each outplanted location did not show differences with the corresponding control location in terms of rubble cryptofauna abundance, but outplanted locations had significantly lower coral coverage. Overall, differences between sites (Maeganeku1, Maeganeku2 and Manza, each including both outplanted and control locations) were significant, for both rubble cryptofauna and coral coverage. We recommend (1) to outplant colonies from more stress-resistant genera in place of Acropora, and (2) to conduct regular surveys to monitor the situation closely. With a lack of baseline data preceding impacts, rigorous monitoring over time can highlight trends towards increases or decreases in evaluated variables, allowing to obtain a clearer idea of the effects of transplants and on the trajectory of impacts due to climate change and local stressors . Finally, we also recommend (3) to establish conservation and sustainable practices that could aid the ongoing restoration efforts such as installing anchoring buoys to reduce impacts from anchoring, which could reduce coral mortality of both outplanted and native coral colonies.
Fungal infection, decline and persistence in the only obligate troglodytic Neotropical salamander
Authors: Olivares-Miranda Mizraim , Vredenburg Vance T. , García-Sánchez Julio C. , Byrne Allison Q. , Rosenblum Erica B. , Rovito Sean M.
Published: September 2020

The fungal pathogenBatrachochytrium dendrobatidis(Bd) is implicated in global mass die-offs and declines in amphibians. In Mesoamerica, theBdepidemic wave hypothesis is supported by detection ofBdin historic museum specimens collected over the last century, yet the timing and impact of the early stages of the wave remain poorly understood.Chiropterotriton magnipes, the only obligate troglodytic Neotropical salamander, was abundant in its small range in the decade following its description in 1965, but subsequently disappeared from known localities and was not seen for 34 years. Its decline is roughly coincident with that of other populations of Neotropical salamanders associated with the invasion and spread ofBd. To determine the presence and infection intensity ofBdonC. magnipesand sympatric amphibian species (which are alsoBdhosts), we used a noninvasive sampling technique and qPCR assay to detectBdon museum specimens ofC. magnipescollected from 1952 to 2012, and from extant populations ofC. magnipesand sympatric species of amphibians. We also tested for the presence of the recently discoveredBatrachochytrium salamandivorans(Bsal), another fungal chytridiomycete pathogen of salamanders, using a similar technique specific forBsal. We did not detectBdin populations ofC. magnipesbefore 1969, whileBdwas detected at low to moderate prevalence just prior to and during declines. This pattern is consistent withBd-caused epizootics followed by host declines and extirpations described in other hosts. We did not detectBsalin any extant population ofC. magnipes. We obtained one of the earliest positive records of the fungus to date in Latin America, providing additional historical evidence consistent with theBdepidemic wave hypothesis. Genotyping results show that at least one population is currently infected with the Global Panzootic Lineage ofBd, but our genotyping of the historical positive samples was unsuccessful. The lack of large samples from some years and the difficulty in genotyping historical Bd samples illustrate some of the difficulties inherent in assigning causality to historical amphibian declines. These data also provide an important historical baseline for actions to preserve the few known remaining populations ofC. magnipes.
Site selection by geese in a suburban landscape
Authors: Groom Quentin J. , Adriaens Tim , Colsoulle Claire , Delhez Pauline , Van der Beeten Iris
Published: September 2020

Background

In European and North American cities geese are among the most common and most visible large herbivores. As such, their presence and behaviour often conflict with the desires of the human residents. Fouling, noise, aggression and health concerns are all cited as reasons that there are “too many”. Lethal control is often used for population management; however, this raises questions about whether this is a sustainable strategy to resolve the conflict between humans and geese when, paradoxically, it is humans that are responsible for creating the habitat and often providing the food and protection of geese at other times. We hypothesise that the landscaping of suburban parks can be improved to decrease its attractiveness to geese and to reduce the opportunity for conflict between geese and humans.

Methods

Using observations collected over five years from a botanic garden situated in suburban Belgium and data from the whole of Flanders in Belgium, we examined landscape features that attract geese. These included the presence of islands in lakes, the distance from water, barriers to level flight and the size of exploited areas. The birds studied were the tadornine gooseAlopochen aegyptiaca(L. 1766) (Egyptian goose) and the anserine geese,Branta canadensis(L. 1758) (Canada goose),Anser anser(L. 1758) (greylag goose) andBranta leucopsis(Bechstein, 1803) (barnacle goose). Landscape modification is a known method for altering goose behaviour, but there is little information on the power of such methods with which to inform managers and planners.

Results

Our results demonstrate that lakes with islands attract more than twice as many anserine geese than lakes without islands, but make little difference to Egyptian geese. Furthermore, flight barriers between grazing areas and lakes are an effective deterrent to geese using an area for feeding. Keeping grazing areas small and surrounded by trees reduces their attractiveness to geese.

Conclusion

The results suggest that landscape design can be used successfully to reduce the number of geese and their conflict with humans. However, this approach has its limitations and would require humans to compromise on what they expect from their landscaped parks, such as open vistas, lakes, islands and closely cropped lawns.
Flavoured water consumption alters pharmacokinetic parameters and increases exposure of erlotinib and gefitinib in a preclinical study using Wistar rats
Authors: Almomen Aliyah , Maher Hadir M. , Alzoman Nourah Z. , Shehata Shereen M. , Alsubaie Amal
Published: September 2020

Background

Erlotinib (ERL) and Gefitinib (GEF) are considered first line therapy for the management of non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC). Like other tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), ERL and GEF are mainly metabolized by the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) CYP3A4 isoform and are substrates for transporter proteins with marked inter-/intra-individual pharmacokinetic (PK) variability. Therefore, ERL and GEF are candidates for drug-drug and food-drug interactions with a consequent effect on drug exposure and/or drug-related toxicities. In recent years, the consumption of flavoured water (FW) has gained in popularity. Among multiple ingredients, fruit extracts, which might constitute bioactive flavonoids, can possess an inhibitory effect on the CYP450 enzymes or transporter proteins. Therefore, in this study we investigated the effects of different types of FW on the PK parameters of ERL and GEF in Wistar rats.

Methods

ERL and GEF PK parameters in different groups of rats after four weeks consumption of different flavours of FW, namely berry, peach, lime, and pineapple, were determined from plasma drug concentrations using ultra-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS).

Results

Data indicated that tested FWs altered the PK parameters of both ERL and GEF differently. Lime water had the highest impact on most of ERL and GEF PK parameters, with a significant increase in Cmax(95% for ERL, 58% for GEF), AUC0–48(111% for ERL, 203% for GEF), and AUC0–∞(200% for ERL, 203% for GEF), along with a significant decrease in the apparent oral clearance of both drugs (65% for ERL, 67% for GEF). The order by which FW affected the PK parameters for ERL and GEF was as follows: lime > pineapple > berry > peach.

Conclusion

The present study indicates that drinking FW could be of significance in rats receiving ERL or GEF. Our results indicate that the alteration in PKs was mostly recorded with lime, resulting in an enhanced bioavailability, and reduced apparent oral clearance of the drugs. Peach FW had a minimum effect on the PK parameters of ERL and no significant effect on GEF PKs. Accordingly, it might be of clinical importance to evaluate the PK parameters of ERL and GEF in human subjects who consume FW while receiving therapy.
Analysis of dynamic and widespread lncRNA and miRNA expression in fetal sheep skeletal muscle
Authors: Yuan Chao , Zhang Ke , Yue Yaojing , Guo Tingting , Liu Jianbin , Niu Chune , Sun Xiaoping , Feng Ruilin , Wang Xiaolong , Yang Bohui
Published: September 2020

The sheep is an economically important animal, and there is currently a major focus on improving its meat quality through breeding. There are variations in the growth regulation mechanisms of different sheep breeds, making fundamental research on skeletal muscle growth essential in understanding the regulation of (thus far) unknown genes. Skeletal muscle development is a complex biological process regulated by numerous genes and non-coding RNAs, including microRNAs (miRNAs) and long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs). In this study, we used deep sequencing data from sheep longissimus dorsi (LD) muscles sampled at day 60, 90, and 120 of gestation, as well as at day 0 and 360 following birth, to identify and examine the lncRNA and miRNA temporal expression profiles that regulate sheep skeletal myogenesis. We stained LD muscles using histological sections to analyse the area and circumference of muscle fibers from the embryonic to postnatal development stages. Our results showed that embryonic skeletal muscle growth can be characterized by time. We obtained a total of 694 different lncRNAs and compared the differential expression between the E60 vs. E90, E90 vs. E120, E120 vs. D0, and D0 vs. D360 lncRNA and gene samples. Of the total 701 known sheep miRNAs we detected, the following showed a wide range of expression during the embryonic stage: miR-2387, miR-105, miR-767, miR-432, and miR-433. We propose that the detected lncRNA expression was time-specific during the gestational and postnatal stages. GO and KEGG analyses of the genes targeted by different miRNAs and lncRNAs revealed that these significantly enriched processes and pathways were consistent with skeletal muscle development over time across all sampled stages. We found four visual lncRNA–gene regulatory networks that can be used to explore the function of lncRNAs in sheep and may be valuable in helping improve muscle growth. This study also describes the function of several lncRNAs that interact with miRNAs to regulate myogenic differentiation.
Species distribution modelling of Bryde’s whales, humpback whales, southern right whales, and sperm whales in the southern African region to inform their conservation in expanding economies
Authors: Purdon Jean , Shabangu Fannie W. , Yemane Dawit , Pienaar Marc , Somers Michael J. , Findlay Ken
Published: September 2020

In southern African waters, information about species distribution and habitat preferences of many cetacean species is limited, despite the recent economic growth that may affect them. We determined the relative importance of eight environmental variables (bathymetry, distance to shore, slope, chlorophyll-a, salinity, eastwards sea water velocity, northwards sea water velocity and sea surface temperature) as drivers of seasonal habitat preferences of Bryde’s whales (Balaenoptera brydei), humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae), southern right whales (Eubalaena australis) and sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus). Using presence only data from multiple sources, we constructed predictive species distribution models (SDMs) consisting of ensembles of seven algorithms for these species during both summer and winter. Predicted distribution for all cetaceans was high in southern Africa and, in particular, within the South African Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ). Predictive models indicated a more pronounced seasonal variation for humpback, sperm and southern right whales than for Bryde’s whales. Southern right whales occurred closer to shore during winter, humpback whales were more likely to occur along the east coast in winter and the west coast in summer, and sperm whales were more concentrated off the shelf in winter. Our study shows that ensemble models using historical, incidental and scientific data, in conjunction with modern environmental variables, can provide baseline knowledge on important environmental drivers of cetacean distribution for conservation purposes. Results of this study can further be used to help develop marine spatial plans and identify important marine mammal areas.
Decision Making and Truck Operating Costs on Haulage Business in Lagos, Nigeria
Authors: Wojuade Christopher Adesola , Oladosu Jubril
Published: September 2020

Aim: To evaluates how managers take decisions on variable components of freight operation and its effects on truck operating costs in haulage business in Lagos, Nigeria.

Study Design: The structure of this paper is a descriptive design. It identified a gap in knowledge and employed a structured questionnaire to obtain useful information that gives a clearer understanding of the subject in a new environment. The data collected was analysed using descriptive statistics.

Place and Duration of Study: Haulage companies operating in Lagos, Nigeria between June and August 2019.

Methodology: The population study is 2154 staff drawn from the eight purposively selected registered haulage companies in Lagos, Nigeria. A structured questionnaire was randomly administered on 337 personnel involved in freight operations. The questionnaire survey was conducted to obtain information on company’s expenses and policy decisions on truck operating components.

Result: The decision to use new truck reduces fuel consumption and maintenance cost of haulage business. Furthermore, remunerating drivers in salary is cost effective, regular training of drivers improves their performance while high empty return trips leads to revenue loss. Business owners take decisions on huge financial investment while managers handled those that are directly related to daily fleet operations.

Conclusion: The study concluded that decisions on components of freight operation increases truck operating cost of the haulage companies in the study area. The study therefore recommends policy actions that will enhance productivity of haulage companies through effective decisions.
Impact of Doubling Farmers’ Income on Area, Production and Productivity of Pulses in India
Authors: Lakshmi S. B. Ramya , Patra Priyanka , Gummagolmath K. C.
Published: September 2020

India is the largest producer and consumer of pulses in the world contributing around 25-28% of the total global production. The increasing demand and supply gap of pulses has led to an increasing trend in their import by India. In view of this gap, one of the strategies for “Doubling Farmers’ Income by 2022” was to enhance area, production and productivity of pulses in India by incentivizing the farmers with right price. Hence an attempt has been made in this study to analyze the growth of pulses over a period of time i.e. from 1980-81 to 2017-18 in India using secondary data. The average annual growth rates and percentages were used as tools to carry out analysis. The results revealed that area, production and productivity of total pulses was positive but indicating a slow growth of 1.36 per cent, 3.29 per cent and 2.04 per cent respectively per annum. Due to steep hike in Minimum Support Price (MSP) during 2015-16, it was noticed that area, production and yield have recorded higher growth than previous years. The percentage change in area, production and productivity for major pulses during three periods indicated that there was a marginal increase in area and production of gram in major producing states and the same trend was noticed in red gram and black gram. It was also observed that in some of the states the growth in period- III for major pulses was higher compared to period-II. Policy implications or lessons learned are missing!
Changes over time in pulmonary inflammatory response in rat lungs after intratracheal instillation of nickel oxide nanoparticles
Authors: Nishi Ken-ichiro , Kadoya Chikara , Ogami Akira , Oyabu Takako , Morimoto Yasuo , Ueno Susumu , Myojo Toshihiko
Published: September 2020

Objective

Nickel oxide nanoparticles (NiONPs) are representative metal oxide NPs and are categorized as an insoluble nickel compound. Our previous studies suggested that NiONPs have more pulmonary toxicity than micron-sized NiO because they may dissolve slowly and produce many more Ni ions. We confirmed the hypothesis that the slow dissolution of NiONPs induces a change in inflammatory response over time.

Method

We reanalyzed our previous data on intratracheally instilled NiONP to rats and focused on Ni retention in the lungs and the lung weight ratio for each rat to the mean of control rat lungs. We also measured the solubility of NiONPs and micron-sized NiO samples by means of an artificial lysosomal fluid (ALF, pH 4.5).

Results

The in vivo test of instilled NiONPs resulted in the biomarkers reaching their peak values at 1 week or 1 month, and not at 3 days, after instillation. We found that as the NiO mass in the lung increased, the lung weight ratios tended to increase. The relationships shifted to more toxic at 3 days to 1 month (P < .01). Compared to the dissolution of NiONPs in the ALF that took roughly 1 week, the dissolution of NiONPs in vivo was take about 1 month or more.

Conclusion

When intratracheally instilled NiONPs dissolve slowly in the phagolysosomes of alveolar macrophages (AM), the resulting Ni ions cause the AM to transform into foamy cells at 1 month, and the inflammatory response persists even at 3 months after instillation.
Analysis of cardiac motion without respiratory motion for cardiac stereotactic body radiation therapy
Authors: Ouyang Zi , Schoenhagen Paul , Wazni Oussama , Tchou Patrick , Saliba Walid I. , Suh John H. , Xia Ping
Published: September 2020

Purpose/objective(s)

To study the heart motion using cardiac gated computed tomographies (CGCT) to provide guidance on treatment planning margins during cardiac stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT).

Materials/methods

Ten patients were selected for this study, who received CGCT scans that were acquired with intravenous contrast under a voluntary breath‐hold using a dual source CT scanner. For each patient, CGCT images were reconstructed in multiple phases (10%–90%) of the cardiac cycle and the left ventricle (LV), right ventricle (RV), ascending aorta (AAo), ostia of the right coronary artery (O‐RCA), left coronary artery (O‐LCA), and left anterior descending artery (LAD) were contoured at each phase. For these contours, the centroid displacements from their corresponding average positions were measured at each phase in the superior–inferior (SI), medial–lateral (ML), and anterior–posterior (AP). The average volumes as well as the maximum to minimum ratios were analyzed for the LV and RV.

Results

For the six contoured substructures, more than 90% of the measured displacements were <5 mm. For these patients, the average volumes ranged from 191.25 to 429.51 cc for LV and from 91.76 to 286.88 cc for RV. For each patient, the ratios of maximum to minimum volumes within a cardiac cycle ranged from 1.15 to 1.54 for LV and from 1.34 to 1.84 for RV.

Conclusion

Based on this study, cardiac motion is variable depending on the specific substructure of the heart but is mostly within 5 mm. Depending on the location (central or peripheral) of the treatment target and treatment purposes, the treatment planning margins for targets and risk volumes should be adjusted accordingly. In the future, we will further assess heart motion and its dosimetric impact.
Ultrasmall Ternary FePtMn Nanocrystals with Acidity‐Triggered Dual‐Ions Release and Hypoxia Relief for Multimodal Synergistic Chemodynamic/Photodynamic/Photothermal Cancer Therapy
Authors: Yang Baochan , Dai Zhichao , Zhang Gaorui , Hu Zunfu , Yao Xiuxiu , Wang Shan , Liu Qingyun , Zheng Xiuwen
Published: September 2020

Multimodal imaging‐guided synergistic anticancer strategies have attracted increasing attention for efficient diagnosis and therapy of cancer. Herein, a multifunctional nanotheranostic agent FePtMn‐Ce6/FA (FPMCF NPs) is constructed by covalently anchoring photosensitizer chlorin e6 (Ce6) and targeting molecule folic acid (FA) on ultrasmall homogeneous ternary FePtMn nanocrystals. Response to tumor microenvironment (TME), FPMCF NPs can release Fe2+ to catalyze H2O2 into •OH by Fenton reaction and simultaneously catalyze hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) into O2 to overcome the tumor hypoxia barrier. Released O2 is further catalyzed into 1O2 under 660 nm laser irradiation with Ce6. Thus, the FPMCF NPs exhibit superior dual‐ROS oxidization capability including ferroptosis chemodynamic oxidization and 1O2‐based photodynamic oxidization. Interestingly, FPMCF NPs reveal strong photothermal conversion efficiency exposed to an 808 nm laser, which can assist dual‐ROS oxidization to suppress solid tumor remarkably. Additionally, Mn2+ can be released from FPMCF NPs to enhance longitudinal relaxivity (T1‐weighted magnetic resonance (MR) imaging) and Fe‐synergistic transverse relaxivity (T2‐weighted MR imaging), which is convenient for diagnosis of solid tumors. Meanwhile, the fluorescent/photothermal (FL/PT) imaging function of FPMCF NPs can also accurately monitor tumor location. Therefore, FPMCF NPs with multimodal MR/FL/PT imaging‐guided synergistic chemodynamic/photodynamic/photothermal cancer therapy capability have potential bioapplication in bionanomedicine field.