bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Choosing source populations for conservation reintroductions: lessons from variation in thermal tolerance among populations of the imperilled redside dace1
Authors: Turko Andy J. , Leclair Alexandra T.A. , Mandrak Nicholas E. , Drake D. Andrew R. , Scott Graham R. , Pitcher Trevor E.
Published: April 2021

Reintroduction is an increasingly common conservation tool used to recover populations of imperilled species, but its success depends on the suitability of the introduced animals’ phenotype for their new habitat. For fishes, thermal tolerance may be a key trait in urbanized habitats. We compared thermal tolerance (CTmax) among three lineages (western, central, eastern) of imperilled redside dace (Clinostomus elongatus). CTmax of eastern adults was 3–4 °C lower than that of the other lineages, but adults of each lineage had similar thermal acclimation responses. In contrast, the acclimation response of juveniles differed by ∼80% between the central and western lineages. Using these data, we predicted how each lineage would fare in a hypothetical reintroduction to relatively warm urbanized habitats. Owing to the differences in juvenile acclimation responses, predicted thermal safety margins for the central lineage were double those predicted for the western lineage. Overall, we suggest that CTmax is a useful trait to incorporate into the source population selection process; however, there is an urgent need for the establishment of captive experimental research populations of imperilled species to address remaining uncertainties.
Phase transition and universality of the three-one spin interaction based on the majority-rule model
Authors: Muslim Roni , Anugraha Rinto , Sholihun Sholihun , Rosyid Muhammad Farchani
Published: April 2021

In this work, we study the opinion dynamics of majority-rule model on a complete graph with additional social behavior namely anticonformity. We consider four spins with three-one interaction; three spins persuade the fourth spin in the population. We perform analytical and numerical calculations to find the critical behavior of the system. From both, we obtained the agreement results, e.g. the system undergoes a second-order phase transition and the critical point of the system only depends on the population number. In addition, the critical point decays exponentially as the number population increases. For the infinite population, the obtained critical point is [Formula: see text], which agrees well with that of the previous work. We also obtained the critical exponents [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text] of the model, thus, the model is in the same universality class with the mean-field Ising.
Schemes of propagation models and source estimators for rumor source detection in online social networks: A short survey of a decade of research
Authors: Jin Rong , Wu Weili
Published: April 2021

Recent years have seen various rumor diffusion models being assumed in detection of rumor source research of the online social network. Diffusion model is arguably considered as a very important and challenging factor for source detection in networks, but it is less studied. This paper provides an overview of three representative schemes of modeling the pattern of rumor propagation as well as three major schemes of rumor source estimator in the Independent Cascade-based model, the Epidemic-based model, and the Learning-based model, respectively, since their inception a decade ago.
Hamiltonicity of

3

t

EC
Graphs with
α
=
κ
+
1
Authors: He Huanying , An Xinhui , Zhao Zongjun
Published: April 2021

A set

S

of vertices in a graph

G

is a total dominating set of

G

if every vertex of

G

is adjacent to some vertex in

S

. The minimum cardinality of a total dominating set of

G

is the total domination number

γ

t

G

of

G

. The graph

G

is total domination edge-critical, or

γ

t

EC

, if for every edge

e

in the complement of

G

,

γ

t

G
+
e

<

γ

t

G

. If

G

is

γ

t

EC

and

γ

t

G

=
k

, we say that

G

is

k

t

EC

. In this paper, we show that every

3

t

EC

graph with

δ

G

≥
2

and

α

G

=
κ

G

+
1

has a Hamilton cycle.
Condensing Mappings and Best Proximity Point Results
Authors: Alshehri Sarah O. , Alsulami Hamed H. , Shahzad Naseer
Published: April 2021

Best proximity pair results are proved for noncyclic relatively u-continuous condensing mappings. In addition, best proximity points of upper semicontinuous mappings are obtained which are also fixed points of noncyclic relatively u-continuous condensing mappings. It is shown that relative u-continuity of

T

is a necessary condition that cannot be omitted. Some examples are given to support our results.
Neutrosophic Number Optimization Models and Their Application in the Practical Production Process
Authors: Tu Angyan , Ye Jun , Wang Bing
Published: April 2021

In order to simplify the complex calculation and solve the difficult solution problems of neutrosophic number optimization models (NNOMs) in the practical production process, this paper presents two methods to solve NNOMs, where Matlab built-in function “fmincon()” and neutrosophic number operations (NNOs) are used in indeterminate environments. Next, the two methods are applied to linear and nonlinear programming problems with neutrosophic number information to obtain the optimal solution of the maximum/minimum objective function under the constrained conditions of practical productions by neutrosophic number optimization programming (NNOP) examples. Finally, under indeterminate environments, the fit optimal solutions of the examples can also be achieved by using some specified indeterminate scales to fulfill some specified actual requirements. The NNOP methods can obtain the feasible and flexible optimal solutions and indicate the advantage of simple calculations in practical applications.
Fractional Rogue Waves with Translational Coordination, Steep Crest, and Modified Asymmetry
Authors: Xu Bo , Zhang Yufeng , Zhang Sheng
Published: April 2021

To construct fractional rogue waves, this paper first introduces a conformable fractional partial derivative. Based on the conformable fractional partial derivative and its properties, a fractional Schrödinger (NLS) equation with Lax integrability is then derived and first‐ and second‐order fractional rogue wave solutions of which are finally obtained. The obtained fractional rogue wave solutions possess translational coordination, providing, to some extent, the degree of freedom to adjust the position of the rogue waves on the coordinate plane. It is shown that the obtained first‐ and second‐order fractional rogue wave solutions are steeper than those of the corresponding NLS equation with integer‐order derivatives. Besides, the time the second‐order fractional rogue wave solution undergoes from the beginning to the end is also short. As for asymmetric fractional rogue waves with different backgrounds and amplitudes, this paper puts forward a way to construct them by modifying the obtained first‐ and second‐order fractional rogue wave solutions.
Complaint of Testicular Discomfort in Patient with Esophageal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Krughoff Kevin , Schned Alan , Ren Bing , Pais Vernon M.
Published: April 2021

We report a case of esophageal cancer with solitary metastasis to the testicle in a 71-year-old man. The tumor was picked up on physical exam following new onset complaints of pain and swelling. While most testicular masses in older men are due to lymphoma, this case highlights the need to consider metastatic disease as a source of new symptoms in patients with a recent cancer diagnosis.
The Living-Related Kidney Transplant Program in Brunei Darussalam: Lessons Learnt from a Nascent National Program in a Small, Muslim, and Asian Country
Authors: Tan Jackson , Mabood Khalil Muhammad Abdul , Ahmed Dalinatul , Pisharam Jayakrishnan , Lim Chiao Yuen , Chua Hock Beng , Chong William , Tan Kim Khee
Published: April 2021

Brunei Darussalam commenced its living-related renal transplant program in 2013, with subsequent attainment of independent local capacity and proficiency in 2019. The preliminary outcome from the program has already begun to shape the national nephrology landscape with a 36% increment in transplant rate and mitigation of commercialized transplantations. The blueprint for the program was first laid out in 2010 and thereupon executed in four phases. The first phase involved the gathering of evidence to support the establishment of the national program, through researches investigating feasibility, public opinion, quality of life, graft survival, and cost-effectiveness. The second phase focused on laying the foundation of the program through grooming of local expertise, implementation of legal-ethical frameworks, religious legitimization, and propagation of awareness. The third phase worked on facilitating experiential exposure and strengthening local infrastructure through the upgrading of facilities and the introduction of subsidiary services. The fourth phase was implemented in Brunei in 2013 when foreign personnel worked together with the local team to perform the transplants. Between 2013 and 2019, ten kidney transplants were performed, with two being done in 2018 and three in 2019. We hope to inspire other similar countries to develop their own self-sustainable and independent local program.
A Deep Learning Prediction Model for Structural Deformation Based on Temporal Convolutional Networks
Authors: Luo Xianglong , Gan Wenjuan , Wang Lixin , Chen Yonghong , Ma Enlin
Published: April 2021

The structural engineering is subject to various subjective and objective factors, the deformation is usually inevitable, the deformation monitoring data usually are nonstationary and nonlinear, and the deformation prediction is a difficult problem in the field of structural monitoring. Aiming at the problems of the traditional structural deformation prediction methods, a structural deformation prediction model is proposed based on temporal convolutional networks (TCNs) in this study. The proposed model uses a one‐dimensional dilated causal convolution to reduce the model parameters, expand the receptive field, and prevent future information leakage. By obtaining the long‐term memory of time series, the internal time characteristics of structural deformation data can be effectively mined. The network hyperparameters of the TCN model are optimized by the orthogonal experiment, which determines the optimal combination of model parameters. The experimental results show that the predicted values of the proposed model are highly consistent with the actual monitored values. The average RMSE, MAPE, and MAE with the optimized model parameters reduce 44.15%, 82.03%, and 66.48%, respectively, and the average running time is reduced by 45.41% compared with the results without optimization parameters. The average RMSE, MAE, and MAPE reduce by 26.88%, 62.16%, and 40.83%, respectively, compared with WNN, DBN‐SVR, GRU, and LSTM models.
RB/E2F1 as a Master Regulator of Cancer Cell Metabolism in Advanced Disease
Authors: Mandigo Amy C. , Yuan Wei , Xu Kexin , Gallagher Peter , Pang Angel , Guan Yi Fang , Shafi Ayesha A. , Thangavel Chellappagounder , Sheehan Beshara , Bogdan Denisa , Paschalis Alec , McCann Jennifer J. , Laufer Talya S. , Gordon Nicolas , Vasilevskaya Irina A. , Dylgjeri Emanuela , Chand Saswati N. , Schiewer Matthew J. , Domingo-Domenech Josep , Den Robert B. , Holst Jeff , McCue Peter A. , de Bono Johann S. , McNair Christopher , Knudsen Karen E.
Published: April 2021

Loss of the retinoblastoma (RB) tumor suppressor protein is a critical step in reprogramming biological networks that drive cancer progression, although mechanistic insight has been largely limited to the impact of RB loss on cell-cycle regulation. Here, isogenic modeling of RB loss identified disease stage–specific rewiring of E2F1 function, providing the first-in-field mapping of the E2F1 cistrome and transcriptome after RB loss across disease progression. Biochemical and functional assessment using both in vitro and in vivo models identified an unexpected, prominent role for E2F1 in regulation of redox metabolism after RB loss, driving an increase in the synthesis of the antioxidant glutathione, specific to advanced disease. These E2F1-dependent events resulted in protection from reactive oxygen species in response to therapeutic intervention. On balance, these findings reveal novel pathways through which RB loss promotes cancer progression and highlight potentially new nodes of intervention for treating RB-deficient cancers.

Significance:

This study identifies stage-specific consequences of RB loss across cancer progression that have a direct impact on tumor response to clinically utilized therapeutics. The study herein is the first to investigate the effect of RB loss on global metabolic regulation and link RB/E2F1 to redox control in multiple advanced diseases.

This article is highlighted in the In This Issue feature, p. 2113
Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction 1 Year After Acute Myocardial Infarction Identifies the Benefits of the Long-Term Use of β-Blockers
Authors: Park Chan Soon , Yang Han-Mo , Ki You-Jeong , Kang Jeehoon , Han Jung-Kyu , Park Kyung Woo , Kang Hyun-Jae , Koo Bon-Kwon , Kim Chong-Jin , Cho Myeong Chan , Kim Young Jo , Chae Shung-Chull , Jeong Myung Ho , Kim Hyo-Soo ,   on behalf of the KAMIR-NIH Registry
Published: April 2021

Background:

β-Blockers can improve prognosis after acute myocardial infarction. However, it remains unclear how long β-blockers should be prescribed.

Methods:

We included patients from the prospective, nationwide Korea Acute Myocardial Infarction Registry-National Institutes of Health registry and collected data on β-blockers and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) at 1-year follow-up. Patients were stratified into 2 groups: 1001 patients with a 1-year LVEF<50% and 3007 patients with a 1-year LVEF≥50%. The primary outcome was 2-year all-cause mortality from the 1-year follow-up.

Results:

A total of 3177 patients received β-blockers at 1 year, and 151 patients died during the 2-year follow-up from 1 year after index hospitalization. β-Blockers showed survival benefits in patients with a 1-year LVEF<50% (log-rank
P
=0.001) but not in those with a 1-year LVEF≥50% (log-rank
P
=0.311). After adjusting covariates, β-blockers were associated with a 51% reduction in mortality in patients with a 1-year LVEF<50% (
P
=0.020) but not in their counterparts (
P
=0.322). Indeed, there was a prognostic interaction between the use of β-blockers at 1 year and 1-year LVEF (
P
for interaction=0.004).

Conclusions:

Use of β-blockers at 1-year follow-up after acute MI was associated with improved outcomes in patients with an LVEF<50% at 1 year but not in those with an LVEF>50% at 1 year. This study provides valuable information about differential responsiveness to β-blockers according to 1-year LVEF and might suggest the proper duration of β-blockers after acute MI.

Registration:

URL:
http://cris.nih.go.kr/cris/en/
; Unique identifier: KCT0000863.
Hepatic Steatosis in Patients With Single Ventricle and a Fontan Circulation
Authors: Katz David A. , Peck Daniel , Lubert Adam M. , Possner Mathias , Zafar Faizeen , Trout Andrew T. , Palermo Joseph J. , Anwar Nadeem , Dillman Jonathan R. , Powell Adam W. , Xanthakos Stavra A. , Opotowsky Alexander R. , Veldtman Gruschen , Alsaied Tarek
Published: April 2021

Background

Hepatic steatosis, caused by nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. The interplay between hepatic steatosis and the development of liver disease following the Fontan procedure is not well understood. This study examined the prevalence and associations of hepatic steatosis in patients with a Fontan circulation.

Methods and Results

This was a single‐center retrospective study of 95 patients with a Fontan circulation with liver magnetic resonance imaging performed between 2012 and 2019. The average age at magnetic resonance imaging was 21.5±8.5 years. The percent liver fat signal was determined using magnetic resonance chemical shift‐encoded proton density fat fraction imaging. Hepatic steatosis was defined as liver fat ≥5% and was present in 10.5% of the cohort. The presence of hepatic steatosis was associated with higher body mass index (29±4 versus 24±6 kg/m
2
,
P
=0.006), a higher frequency of obesity (50% versus 12%,
P
=0.015), lower high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol (35±9 versus 43±14 mg/dL,
P
=0.050), and greater subcutaneous fat thickness (2.6±0.7 versus 1.8±1.0 cm,
P
=0.043). There was no association between hepatic steatosis and cardiovascular imaging or hemodynamic variables from cardiac catheterization.

Conclusions

Risk factors for hepatic steatosis in patients with Fontan circulation include obesity and dyslipidemia, similar to what is seen in the general population. Fontan hemodynamics were not associated with hepatic steatosis.
Transcranial Doppler in Acute COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Ziai Wendy C. , Cho Sung-Min , Johansen Michelle C. , Ergin Bahattin , Bahouth Mona N.
Published: April 2021

Background and Purpose:

Stroke may complicate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) infection based on clinical hypercoagulability. We investigated whether transcranial Doppler ultrasound has utility for identifying microemboli and clinically relevant cerebral blood flow velocities (CBFVs) in COVID-19.

Methods:

We performed transcranial Doppler for a consecutive series of patients with confirmed or suspected COVID-19 infection admitted to 2 intensive care units at a large academic center including evaluation for microembolic signals. Variables specific to hypercoagulability and blood flow including transthoracic echocardiography were analyzed as a part of routine care.

Results:

Twenty-six patients were included in this analysis, 16 with confirmed COVID-19 infection. Of those, 2 had acute ischemic stroke secondary to large vessel occlusion. Ten non-COVID stroke patients were included for comparison. Two COVID-negative patients had severe acute respiratory distress syndrome and stroke due to large vessel occlusion. In patients with COVID-19, relatively low CBFVs were observed diffusely at median hospital day 4 (interquartile range, 3–9) despite low hematocrit (29.5% [25.7%–31.6%]); CBFVs in comparable COVID-negative stroke patients were significantly higher compared with COVID-positive stroke patients. Microembolic signals were not detected in any patient. Median left ventricular ejection fraction was 60% (interquartile range, 60%–65%). CBFVs were correlated with arterial oxygen content, and C-reactive protein (Spearman ρ=0.28 [
P
=0.04]; 0.58 [
P
<0.001], respectively) but not with left ventricular ejection fraction (ρ=−0.18;
P
=0.42).

Conclusions:

In this cohort of critically ill patients with COVID-19 infection, we observed lower than expected CBFVs in setting of low arterial oxygen content and low hematocrit but not associated with suppression of cardiac output.
The Assessment of Variation
Authors: van der Schoor Hanneke
Published: April 2021

Paleographers differ in considering variation in scribal hands preserved in the Dead Sea Scrolls. Mostly formal manuscripts have been used as pegs both in establishing the date of a particular manuscript and in assessing whether different fragments could have been written by the same scribe. However, informal manuscripts are likely to display more variation in arrangement and formation of letter forms. This article proposes to differentiate between formal and informal manuscripts and to assess the degree of variation in both. Such a distinction leads to a reassessment of the manuscript evidence of the Aramaic Levi Document, which this article argues has been preserved in a maximum of three, instead of six, manuscripts in Cave 4.
Monsters in the city: multiple deformities increase in terrestrial-breeding urban salamanders
Authors: Velo-Antón Guillermo , Alvarez David , Alarcón-Ríos Lucía
Published: April 2021

Amphibians are subjected to an assortment of environmental stressors responsible for their population declines and malformations. Deciphering the underlying causes of amphibian deformities is challenging due to the complex nature and interplay among factors. We evaluated morphological deformities in 9 urban and 9 woodland populations of terrestrial-breeding fire salamanders. We report several types of malformations and higher incidences among urban populations. This model system allowed us to tease apart some of the common factors responsible for amphibian deformations, suggesting airborne/terrestrial pollutants, predation, and/or inbreeding as potential environmental stressors. Yet, the putative underlying factors of fire salamander deformities need to be properly addressed in thorough studies linking habitat quality and the prevalence of morphological abnormalities, as well as predator-prey interactions. Reporting deformation rates among amphibians is key to identify warning signals of population declines and preventing local extinctions.
High concentrations of dissolved oxygen influence the composition of low molecular weight natural compounds in Lake Baikal endemic amphipods
Authors: Axenov-Gribanov D. V. , Rzhechitskiy Y. A. , Morgunova M. M. , Emshanova V. A. , Lubyaga Y. A. , Vereshchagina K. P. , Luzhetskyy A. N.
Published: April 2021

Lake Baikal provides a unique opportunity to study oxyphilic organisms in the focus of their adaptive abilities, and antioxidant potential. The purpose of this study was to estimate the changes in metabolic profiles and reactions of antioxidant capacities in Baikal endemic amphipods to the stress of high oxygen content.

As a result of our study we have found that a high level of oxygen in the environment leads to the activation of a specific adaptive response in endemic organisms, which are naturally resistant to short-term increased concentrations of oxygen. Exposing animals to high oxygen concentrations causes both activation, i.e., use, and concurrently apparent inhibition of the synthesis of some low molecular weight natural compounds (whose specific nature is yet to be determined) in these endemic amphipods. This could be explained by the animals’ response to oxidative stress and stress-induced synthesis of natural compounds as adaptation mechanisms. At the same time, the reactions of elimination of some natural products found in metabolic profiles can be explained by the specific reduction of target metabolites or molecules neutralizing oxygen radicals and decreasing their content during exposition to current stress conditions. We also noted species-specific, stress-dependent changes in the antioxidant capacity of amphipods.

Thus, the newly described mechanisms of stress resistance and newly found molecules in these endemic crustaceans can become a basis for development of new potential natural products, e.g., drugs, the action of which should be aimed at elimination or at least reduction of oxidative stress in organisms and its undesired consequences.
The Operation of the CLCS Facing Disputes: An Examination of the Rules and Practices
Authors: Gau Michael Sheng-ti , Tang Gang
Published: April 2021

The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (LOSC) regulates the establishment of the outer limits of its continental shelf beyond 200 miles by a coastal State. Such limits are legitimised when based on the recommendations of the Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) under LOSC Article 76(8). The coastal State must first submit the information for delineating the limits to the CLCS, which will evaluate the information before providing recommendations. The CLCS shall not consider the submission made by any State concerned in a land or maritime dispute unless consent from all disputing parties is given under paragraph 5(a) of Annex I to the CLCS Rules of Procedure. This article interprets paragraph 5(a) and examines the subsequent practice of States sending submissions and/or notifying the CLCS of disputes, and the CLCS in handling various submissions involved in these disputes.
The Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria and Liturgical Inculturation in Chimamanda Adichie’s Purple Hibiscus
Authors: Amaefule Adolphus Ekedimma
Published: April 2021

Beyond its entertainment value, every piece of creative literature has something more to say which reading between the lines often has a way of revealing. This is true of the novel Purple Hibiscus by the award-winning Nigerian writer, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. While his novel says something about the family, politics, post-colonial history and religious realities such as priesthood, mission, Mary, and the Eucharist, this paper looks at what it can tell us about liturgical inculturation and its implications for the Roman Catholic Church in Nigeria. It is hoped that the paper would help to continue, in the spirit of interdisciplinarity, the conversation on the nexus between Ecclesiology and Creative Literature.
Negativity in Luke’s Rich Fool and the Abyss of the Cross
Authors: Braun Adam F.
Published: April 2021

This paper argues that the operative force in Luke’s parable of The Rich Fool is negativity. Moreover, negativity is as common in Lukan parables as status reversals. As the parable warns against securing the future, this paper reads Lee Edelman’s No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive to show how negativity, towards reproductive futurism in particular, activates Luke’s pessimism. This pessimism is grounded in the crucifixion and is not resolved in the resurrection. Luke’s pessimism is not only one which expresses his affective diasporic context, but it also invokes doubt on whether Jesus is messiah.
French partial interrogatives: a microdiachronic corpus study of variation and new perspectives in a refined pragmatics framework
Authors: Thiberge Gabriel , Badin Flora , Liégeois Loïc
Published: April 2021

In this paper we report and analyse data from the ESLO corpus of oral French, constituted during two time periods (1960–2010), allowing for an in-depth exploration of French partial interrogatives under a refined sociolinguistic perspective. With an original methodology for extracting the data we were able to create several subcorpora based on age of the speakers, interactive context and time period. The combination of all the data and the use of raw frequencies as well as Bayesian modeling shed new light on the variation available to French native speakers as to how they can structure a partial interrogative (position of the interrogative element, verb-subject inversion, “est-ce que” idiom). This variation has evolved throughout the 20th century, and both the social group (age) of the speaker and perceived characteristics of the context of interaction combine in different ways to weigh on what type of partial interrogative people will use.
For an Archaeology of Religious Identity in Adulis (Eritrea) and the Horn of Africa: Sources, Architecture, and Recent Archaeological Excavations
Authors: Castiglia Gabriele , Pergola Philippe , Ciliberti Marco , Maletić Božana , Pola Matteo , Larentis Omar
Published: April 2021

The aim of this paper is to present new archaeological data coming from the recent excavations in Adulis (Eritrea) in the so-called “Church of the British Museum”, discovered in 1868 by Captain Goodfellow. New excavations that began in 2018 have led to highlight the biggest church known so far in Adulis, probably the ecclesia episcopalis. It stands as a 30 meters long building, which follows the typical Aksumite architectural layout. Also, the great quantity of decorated marbles coming from the church are of great interest, revealing important contacts with Yemen and Byzantium, mostly in the 6th century AD. The new archaeological data will be contextualized in the wider scenario of the rise and establishment of early Christianity in the Aksumite kingdom, until the arrival of Islam.
Book shelf 2005/2006
Authors: Price Sally , Price Richard
Published: April 2021

A selection of books reviewed by Richard and Sally Price.
Travel, Ethnography, and Nation in the Writings of Rómulo Lachatañéré and Arthur Ramos
Authors: Cunha Olívia M.G.
Published: April 2021

Analyses how the traveling to and residence in the US of Arthur Ramos from Brazil and Rómulo Lachtañéré from Cuba, between 1939 and 1952, influenced their (anthropological) writings on Afro-American cultures and religions, specifically with regard to the relation between nation and race. Author describes that while Ramos and Lachatañéré went to the US under differing conditions, in the case of Lachatañéré in exile, and had dissimilar intellectual and political perspectives, their writings during and after their stay revealed identical approaches to interpreting the relation between nation and race in respectively Brazil and Cuba. She describes how Ramos and Lachatañéré developed a broader perspective on Afro-American culture, whilst moving in the same intellectual, anthropological circles, including contacts with Melville Herskovits and Fernando Ortiz, in the US. Author relates how both compared between African-Americans, in Louisiana in the case of Ramos and in New York in the case of Lachatañéré, and Afro-Brazilians and Afro-Cubans (including Caribbean migrants in the US), and thus between different race relations in the US, Brazilian, and Cuban contexts.
Book Reviews
Authors: KITLV Redactie
Published: April 2021

Sally Price & Richard Price; Romare Bearden: The Caribbean Dimension (J. Michael Dash)J. Lorand Matory; Black Atlantic Religion: Tradition, Transnationalism, and Matriarchy in the Afro-Brazilian Candomblé (Stephan Palmié)Dianne M. Stewart; Three Eyes for the Journey: African Dimensions of the Jamaican Religious Experience (Betty Wood)Toyin Falola & Matt D. Childs (eds.); The Yoruba Diaspora in the Atlantic World (Kim D. Butler)Silvio Torres-Saillant; An Intellectual History of the Caribbean (Anthony P. Maingot)J.H. Elliott; Empires of the Atlantic World: Britain and Spain in America 1492-1830 (Aaron Spencer Fogleman)Elizabeth Mancke & Carole Shammmmas (eds.); The Creation of the British Atlantic World (Peter A. Coclanis)Adam Hochschild; Bury the Chains: Prophets and Rebels in the Fight to Free an Empire’s Slaves (Cassssandra Pybus)Walter Johnson (ed.); The Chattel Principle: Internal Slave Trades in the Americas (Gregory E. O’Malley)P.C. Emmer; The Dutch Slave Trade, 1500-1850 (Victor Enthoven)Philip Beidler & Gary Taylor (eds.); Writing Race Across the Atlantic World, Medieval to Modern (Eric Kimball)Felix Driver & Luciana Martins (eds.); Tropical Visions in an Age of Empire (Peter Redfield)Elizabeth A. Bohls & Ian Duncan (eds.); Travel Writing, 1700-1830: An Anthology (Carl Thompson)Alison Donnell; Twentieth-Century Caribbean Literature: Critical Moments in Anglophone Literary History (Sue N. Greene)Luís Madureira; Cannibal Modernities: Postcoloniality and the Avant-garde in Caribbean and Brazilian Literature (Lúcia Sá)Zilkia Janer; Puerto Rican Nation-Building Literature: Impossible Romance (Jossianna Arroyo)Sherrie L. Baver & Barbara Deutsch Lynch (eds.); Beyond Sun and Sand: Caribbean Environmentalisms (Rivke Jaffe)Joyce Moore Turner, with the assistance of W. Burghardt Turner; Caribbean Crusaders and the Harlem Renaissance (Gert Oostindie)Lisa D. McGill; Constructing Black Selves: Caribbean American Narratives and the Second Generation (Mary Chamberlain)Mark Q. Sawyer; Racial Politics in Post-Revolutionary Cuba (Alejandra Bronfman)Franklin W. Knight & Teresita Martínez-Vergne (eds.); Contemporary Caribbean Cultures and Societies in a Global Context (R. Charles Price)Luis A. Figueroa; Sugar, Slavery, and Freedom in Nineteenth-Century Puerto Rico (Astrid Cubano Iguina)Rosa E. Carrasquillo; Our Landless Patria: Marginal Citizenship and Race in Caguas, Puerto Rico, 1880-1910 (Ileana M. Rodriguez-Silva) Michael Largey; Vodou Nation: Haitian Art Music and Cultural Nationalism (Julian Gerstin)Donna P. Hope; Inna di Dancehall: Popular Culture and the Politics of Identity in Jamaica (Daniel Neely)Gloria Wekker; The Politics of Passion: Women’s Sexual Culture in the Afro-Surinamese Diaspora (W. van Wetering)Claire Lefebvre; Issues in the Study of Pidgin and Creole Languages (Salikoko S. Mufwene)
'An All Too Present Absence: Fernando Ortiz's Work on Abaku? in its Sociocultural Context
Authors: Palmié Stephan , Pérez Elizabeth
Published: April 2021

Focusses on the Abukuá associations, Afro-Cuban male initiatory secret societies, as such originated in Regla, Havana in 1836. Authors describe how Abakuá titleholders gained powerful social and labour positions in the Havana area, and how they were eventually outlawed in 1876. They point out how Abakuá societies by and since then were designated as negative and criminal in the public sphere, and condemned by many writers and politicians. They show how published accounts of Abakuá since the late 19th c and early 20th c. were thus seldom merely descriptive, but were presented as proof of Cuba's lagging modernity, and of a for some undesired Africanization. They further relate how Fernando Ortiz's studies and work on Abakuá fit in this. They note how Ortiz' s earlier "criminal anthropology" work on Abakuá was in the same negative and criminalizing vein, yet they point at changes, as in time he described and evaluated Abakuá as more positive, and as part of Cuban culture. They describe how Ortiz dedicated much effort to studying different aspects of Abakuá, and that extensive notations on these became part of his archive, which, as he told fellow-scholars, he would work out in an eventual monograph on Abakuá. The authors deplore that this monograph was not only never published, but also seems to have been lost.
The tragedy of the ñáñigos: Genesis of an unpublished book
Authors: Del Rosario Díaz María
Published: April 2021

Reconstructs Fernando Ortiz' s anthropological study on Afro-Cuban culture since the early 20th c., in particular on the Abakuá male secret societies, also called "ñañigos", with origins in African societies in the Calabar region. Author describes how Ortiz developed from earlier positivist, criminological approaches to broader, appreciative studies of Afro-Cuban culture, with a lasting interest in the Abakuá societies. Ortiz studied several aspects of Abakuá and collected much data and information, and referred to Abakuá aspects in works from the 1930s and 1940s, and wrote articles on specific Abakuá aspects in the 1950s. Author shows how Ortiz from 1917 onward in his correspondence stated repeatedly to fellow-scholars his goal of writing a comprehensive, extensive monograph on Abakuá, for which he collected much information during his life. In the 1950s he cooperated for this purpose with Vera Rubin from Columbia University. Author points out, however, how this monograph on Abakuá, while probably written by Ortiz at the end of his life, and seen by some, cannot be found in the present.
Significant Stuttering about the Inexpressible
Authors: Gordon James M.
Published: April 2021

This article attempts to understand Herbert’s susp1c1on of all attempts at defining the soul's relation to God, and suggests that each image Herbert uses, captures something of that relationship, but only partially. I suggest that the poem is a quiet but effective rebuke to all who ‘approach the burning bush with cheerful aplomb.
A Jesus Quest Without a Compass? Article-Review
Authors: Burge Gary M.
Published: April 2021

The article offers a summary of Bruce Chilton’s recent book, Rabbi Jesus: An Intimate Biography and discusses the methodological problems which it raises. It is argued that the reconstruction of the life of Jesus is not sufficiently historically rigorous.
‘The Sincere Pagan is Sincerely Wrong and Therefore Lost’: A Critique
Authors: Cook Rob
Published: April 2021

This paper challenges the assumption, often canvassed in evangelical circles, that personal sincerity is salvifically insufficient, and argues that those who are inclusivists must reject the assumption. The stress in modern theology on attitude over dogma is traced from Kierkegaard and assessed with some reference to Scripture. The possibility of sincerely worshipping the wrong God is considered with some uncomfortable conclusions for Christians.
A Rival, a Relative, or Both? Differing Christian Stances Toward Judaism Over Two Millennia
Authors: Keith Graham
Published: April 2021

In both the patristic and medieval periods Christians thought little of examining Judaism in its own right as they considered it the product of a spiritually blinded people. A more positive approach emerged first with the flowering of scholarship in the Renaissance and then with the Enlightenment dismissal of the idea of divine revelation, which meant that Jews were considered more as a people than as a religious group. More recently, Christian complicity in the Holocaust has jolted churches into rethinking their attitudes to the Jews, though few as yet have seen that this must entail an appraisal of modern Judaism.
Pholcid spiders (Araneae: Pholcidae) from Southeast Asia, with descriptions of five new species
Authors: LAN TIANQI , JÄGER PETER , ZHU WENHUI , LI SHUQIANG
Published: April 2021

Five new pholcid species belonging to Holocneminus Berland, 1942, Khorata Huber, 2005 and Pholcus Walckenaer, 1805 are newly described from Southeast Asia: Holocneminus samanggi Lan & Li sp. nov. (Indonesia, male and female), Khorata kep Lan, Jäger & Li sp. nov. (Cambodia, male), Khorata musee Lan & Li sp. nov. (Thailand, male and female), Pholcus bat Lan & Li sp. nov. (China, male and female), and Pholcus phnombak Lan, Jäger & Li sp. nov. (Cambodia, male and female). Species from the genera Khorata and Pholcus are reported from Cambodia for the first time.
Notes on a small collection of Prioninae from North-East Madagascar with the description of a new Schizodontus Quentin & Villiers, 1974 (Cerambycidae, Closterini)
Authors: BOUYER THIERRY , DRUMONT ALAIN , ROLAND LILY-ARISON RENE DE , SLOOTMAEKERS DAN , PIRKL JIRI , MITTERMEIER JOHN C , WRIGHT DALE R , JOCQUE MERLIJN
Published: April 2021

We present observations from a small collection of longhorns belonging to the subfamily Prioninae and collected during an expedition in the rainy season to a newly designated protected area, Mahimborondro, in North-East Madagascar. The material includes a new species (S. mahimborondroensis sp. nov.) of Closterini (Prioninae) from a small genus with only two described species (Schizodontus angustus Quentin & Villiers, 1974 and S. latus Quentin & Villiers, 1974). An identification key to the three species is included.
A new jawfish of the genus Opistognathus (Perciformes: Opistognathidae)
from Japan
Authors: SHINOHARA GENTO
Published: April 2021

A new species of jawfish, Opistognathus ocellicaudatus, is described based on a single specimen collected at 67 m depth in Sagami Bay (near the mouth of Tokyo Bay), Honshu Island, Japan. The new species can be separated from all other Indo-West Pacific jawfish species in having 3 longitudinal dark brown stripes on the body, a large dark whitish-rimmed ocellus on the caudal fin, a small black blotch on the opercular flap, the dorsal fin with 11 spines and 11 soft rays, the anal fin with 2 spines and 11 soft rays, 21 pectoral-fin soft rays, 26 vertebrae, 42 oblique scale rows, and 2 supraneurals. The holotype is a female containing mature eggs, suggesting summer spawning. The type locality was close to the northern distributional limit of Opistognathidae in the Indo-West Pacific. [http://zoobank.org/urn:lsid:zoobank.org:act:00DCADDA-BE92-4C33-B7EB-1DA8348BA02A]
Anti-Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2 Single-Chain Fv Fragment-Decorated DM1 Nanoparticles for Specific Targeting of Human Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Positive Breast Tumor Cells
Authors: Ni Ling , Li You-Xin
Published: April 2021

Purpose: Although monoclonal antibodies are used to decorate nanoparticles to target specific cells, penetration of tumor tissues by monoclonal antibodies is limited by their large size. Therefore, we prepared DM1 nanoparticles decorated with the small anti-HER2 single-chain Fv fragment
(scFvHER2) of trastuzumab (TMAB) for targeting to human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) overexpressing in breast cancer effectively. Methods: ScFvHER2 fragment was coupled with DM1 nanoparticles (NPs) via covalent thiol-maleimide linkages. Their physicochemical properties, uptake
by cells, and toxicity to tumor cells were investigated. Their vivo biodistribution was assessed employing liquid chromatographytandem mass spectrometry, while their antitumor activity was investigated in nude mice burdened with BT-474 tumor. Results: Viability of BT-474 cells incubated with
scFvHER2-DM1-Nanoparticles (scFv-DM1-NPs) was significantly lower than that of BT-474 cell treated with TMAB-DM1-Nanoparticles (TMAB-DM1-NPs) (P < 0 05). Uptake by cells of scFvDM1-NPs was significantly higher than TMAB-DM1-NPs (P < 0 01). Accumulation of scFv-DM1-NPs in tumor tissue
was notably higher than TMAB-DM1-NPs (P < 0 05). scFv-DM1-NPs exhibited improved antitumor effects compared to TMABDM1-NPs (P < 0 05), showing a tumor inhibition rate of more than 70%. Conclusions: ScFvHER2 fragment could serve as a more effective targeting ligand than TMAB, and scFv-DM1-NPs
could be developed as a possible drug delivery system to target HER2-positive breast cancer.
Nano-TiO2 Reduces Testosterone Production in Primary Cultured Leydig Cells from Rat Testis Through the Cyclic Adenosine Phosphate/Cyclic Guanosine Phosphate/Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor/Matrix Metalloproteinase Signaling Pathway
Authors: Hong Fashui , Ze Xiao , Li Lingjuan , Ze Yuguan
Published: April 2021

Nano-titanium dioxide (nano-TiO2) has been shown to inhibit testosterone synthesis in male mice or rats; however, the mechanisms underlying these effects have yet to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated whether the inhibition of testosterone synthesis by nano-TiO2
on Leydig cells (LCs) was related to the dysfunction of the cAMP/CGMP/EGFR/MMP signaling pathway in primary cultures of LCs prepared from rat testis exposed to nano-TiO2. We found that the early apoptotic rate of LCs increased by 4.34 and 4.94 times, respectively, after exposure
to 20 g/mL and 40 g/mL nano-TiO2 ; we also found that NO increased by 1.1 and 2.86 times, respectively. ROS increased by times of 0.71, 3.15 and 3.43; RNS increased by 0.62, 1.34 and 1.14 times; and SOD activity decreased by 18.3%, 28.16%, and 67.6%, respectively, when the concentration
of nano-TiO2 was 10, 20 and 40 g/mL. These results indicated that nano-TiO2 treatment resulted caused damage to the LCs, including an imbalance of oxidation and antioxidation. Following nano-TiO2 treatment, the cAMP content had decreased by 48%, 48% and 47.6%;
cGMP content had decreased by 18.7%, 52.2% and 56.7%; the levels of ATP in the LCs had decreased by 15.15%, 45.75% and 66.67%; the expression of HCGR protein had decreased by 26.7%, 45.07% and 74.64%; the expression of LHR protein had decreased by 18.3%, 28.16% and 67.6%; and the levels of
T had decreased by 34.48%, 46.62% and 44.12%. Collectively, our results indicated that the inhibition of testosterone production by nano-TiO2 is related to the dysfunction of the cAMP/CGMP/EGFR/MMP signaling pathway.
Exploring the Pathogenesis and Potential Therapeutic Drugs of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Based on Functional Disorder Modules
Authors: Wang Hui , Liu Yanliang , Yang Zengjian
Published: April 2021

Researchers widely acknowledged that chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) became the third leading cause of death in the United States. At present, the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD still need to be further explored. In this study, the pathogenesis and treatment of COPD
were modularized, and effective therapeutic drugs were explored. First, we identified 467 COPD-related genes from the NCBI-Gene database to explore the co-expression of these genes and their highly interacting proteins in patients with COPD. Secondly, COPD-related genes were analyzed using
a co-expression module. Then, crosstalk analysis of co-expression modules was performed to reveal the interaction between these modules. Next, the enrichment of GO function and KEGG pathway module genes was analyzed. At the same time, non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), transcription factors that regulate
modules and potential drugs were predicted using hypergeometric tests. In summary, we obtained 22 co-expression modules, and a significant relationship was found between these modules. From the results of this study, we determined that the identified module genes are involved in the biological
processes of cell growth, leukocyte activation, cytokine production, and humoral immune responses. Wnt, NF-kappa B, PI3 K-AKT, mitochondrial autophagy, oxidative stress, and other signaling pathways were significantly regulated. In addition, a ncRNA pivot (including microRNA-93-5p and microRNA-128-3p)
and TF pivot (including NFKB1, RELA, and SP1) were identified as significant regulatory dysfunction modules. Finally, according to the target effect of drugs on the module genes, we found that drugs, such as fostamatinib and copper, demonstrate a certain therapeutic effect on COPD. In conclusion,
COPD multifactorial dysfunction, in which helps to reveal the disease, at that meantime, to improve its basic molecular mechanisms. These findings provide valuable theoretical references for the diagnosis and personalized treatment of patients with COPD.
Impact of Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells That Express Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor on Cardiac Function After Myocardial Infarction
Authors: He Yongming , Li Ping , Chen Yunlong , Li Youmei
Published: April 2021

Transplanted bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) can differentiate into cardiomyocytes and may have the potential to replace necrotic cardiomyocytes resulting from myocardial infarction (MI). Here we established a method for transfection of MSCs with an expression vector encoding
human vascular Eedothelial Ggowth Ffctor (hVEGF). We evaluated the impact of transplantation of transfected MSCs on the recovery cardiac function and angiogenesis in a rat model of MI. Rat MSCs were separated by density gradient centrifugation; their specific surface markers were examined
as was their ability to differentiate. MSCs were then transfected with pcDNA 3.1-hVEGF 165 or control-containing liposomes. Rats in the experimental MI groups received transfected MSCs, MSCs alone, or gene-transfection alone; controls included a no intervention MI group and a group that was
not subjected to ischemia. Among the results, MSCs were successfully isolated and cultured. Among the intervention groups, those that received transplantation of MSCs expressing hVEGF 165 included the smallest areas of infarction and demonstrated the best recovery of cardiac function overall.
Moreover, capillary density detected in this group was significantly greater than in the control group and likewise greater than in rats transplanted with MSCs alone. BrdU and Troponin-T staining revealed differential increases in the number of viable cardiomyocytes within the infarction areas;
some cardiomyocytes were double-positive. Likewise, evaluation using RT-PCR revealed higher expression levels of hVEGF in rats transplanted with transfected cells compared to those treated with gene transfection alone.