bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
SOCS3 deficiency-dependent autophagy repression promotes the survival of early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells in breast cancer by activating the Wnt/mTOR pathway
Authors: Zhang Wenwen , Li Xingchen , Jiang Mengmeng , Ji Chenyan , Chen Guidong , Zhang Qiaoling , Liu Pengpeng , Zhang Rui , Ren Xiubao , Yu Wenwen , Yu Jinpu
Published: February 2023

Early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells are a newly defined subset of myeloid-derived suppressor cells in breast cancer tissues and related to poor prognosis in patients with breast cancer. Compared with classical myeloid-derived suppressor cells, early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells display exceptional immunosuppressive ability and accumulate in the tumor microenvironment to suppress innate and adaptive immunity. Previously, we demonstrated that early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells were SOCS3 deficiency dependent and correlated with differentiation arrest in the myeloid lineage. Autophagy is a major regulator of myeloid differentiation, but the mechanism by which autophagy regulates the development of early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells has not been elucidated. Here, we constructed EO771 mammary tumor-bearing conditional myeloid SOCS3 knockout mice (SOCS3MyeKO) characterized by abundant tumor-infiltrating early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells and exacerbated immunosuppression in vitro and in vivo. We found that early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells isolated from SOCS3MyeKO mice showed differentiation arrest in the myeloid lineage, which was caused by limited autophagy activation in an Wnt/mTOR-dependent manner. RNA sequencing and microRNA microarray assays revealed that miR-155–induced C/EBPβ downregulation activated the Wnt/mTOR pathway and promoted autophagy repression and differentiation arrest in early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Furthermore, inhibition of Wnt/mTOR signaling suppressed both tumor growth and the immunosuppressive functions of early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cells. Thus, SOCS3 deficiency-dependent autophagy repression and their regulatory mechanisms could contribute to the immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment. Our study proposes a novel mechanism for promoting early-stage myeloid-derived suppressor cell survival, which might shed new light on a potential target of oncologic therapy.
The genetic architecture of soybean photothermal adaptation to high latitudes
Authors: Zhu Xintian , Leiser Willmar L , Hahn Volker , Würschum Tobias
Published: February 2023

Soybean is a major plant protein source for both human food and animal feed, but to meet global demands as well as a trend towards regional production, soybean cultivation needs to be expanded to higher latitudes. In this study, we developed a large diversity panel consisting of 1503 early-maturing soybean lines and used genome-wide association mapping to dissect the genetic architecture underlying two crucial adaptation traits, flowering time and maturity. This revealed several known maturity loci, E1, E2, E3, and E4, and the growth habit locus Dt2 as causal candidate loci, and also a novel putative causal locus, GmFRL1, encoding a homolog of the vernalization pathway gene FRIGIDA-like 1. In addition, the scan for quantitative trait locus (QTL)-by-environment interactions identified GmAPETALA1d as a candidate gene for a QTL with environment-dependent reversed allelic effects. The polymorphisms of these candidate genes were identified using whole-genome resequencing data of 338 soybeans, which also revealed a novel E4 variant, e4-par, carried by 11 lines, with nine of them originating from Central Europe. Collectively, our results illustrate how combinations of QTL and their interactions with the environment facilitate the photothermal adaptation of soybean to regions far beyond its center of origin.
Hemispheric distribution of coronal mass ejections from 1996 to 2020
Authors: Zhang X J , Deng L H , Qiang Z P , Fei Y , Tian X A , Li C
Published: February 2023

Solar magnetic structures are known to be asymmetrically distributed between the two hemispheres. To date, the hemispheric variations of the coronal mass ejections (CMEs) at different latitudes, in different cycles, and for different types (regular and specific events) are still unclear. From the list of white-light CMEs in the Coordinated Data Analysis Web catalogue, we investigate the hemispheric asymmetry of high-latitude and low-latitude CMEs in the time interval from 1996 January to 2020 December. The main results are shown for the following: (1) in each hemisphere, regular CMEs are significantly correlated with solar activity, particularly for low latitudes. However, specific CMEs are not correlated with solar activity; (2) the main reason for the hemispheric asymmetry of the CMEs is attributable to specific CMEs, not regular CMEs. The hemispheric asymmetry of high-latitude CMEs appears to have little connection to that of low-latitude CMEs; (3) for the total and specific CMEs, the relationship between the absolute asymmetry index at high and low latitudes has a positive correlation prior to the cycle maximum, but a negative correlation after the cycle maximum; and (4) the dominant hemisphere, the cumulative trend, and the amplitude of the total, specific, and regular CMEs in cycle 23 differ from those in cycle 24. Our analysis results could be useful for understanding the cyclical variation of the magnetic free energy during different solar cycles, and could also provide insight into more physical processes responsible for the solar–terrestrial relationship.
INSPIRE: INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics – IV. The initial mass function slope in relics
Authors: Martín-Navarro Ignacio , Spiniello C , Tortora C , Coccato L , D’Ago G , Ferré-Mateu A , Pulsoni C , Hartke J , Arnaboldi M , Hunt L , Napolitano N R , Scognamiglio D , Spavone M
Published: February 2023

In the last decade, growing evidence has emerged supporting a non-universal stellar initial mass function (IMF) in massive galaxies, with a larger number of dwarf stars with respect to the Milky Way (bottom-heavy IMF). However, a consensus about the mechanisms that cause IMF variations is yet to be reached. Recently, it has been suggested that stars formed early-on in cosmic time, via a star formation burst, could be characterized by a bottom-heavy IMF. A promising way to confirm this is to use relics, ultra-compact massive galaxies, almost entirely composed by these ‘pristine’ stars. The INvestigating Stellar Population In RElics (INSPIRE) Project aims at assembling a large sample of confirmed relics, that can serve as laboratory to investigate on the conditions of star formation in the first 1–3 Gyr of the Universe. In this third INSPIRE paper, we build a high signal-to-noise spectrum from five relics, and one from five galaxies with similar sizes, masses, and kinematical properties, but characterized by a more extended star formation history (non-relics). Our detailed stellar population analysis suggests a systematically bottom-heavier IMF slope for relics than for non-relics, adding new observational evidence for the non-universality of the IMF at various redshifts and further supporting the above proposed physical scenario.
Spectro-temporal and type I X-ray burst analysis of GX 3+1 using AstroSat observations
Authors: Thomas Neal Titus , Gudennavar S B , Bubbly S G
Published: February 2023

GX 3+1, an atoll type neutron star low-mass X-ray binary, was observed four times by Soft X-ray Telescope and The Large Area X-ray Proportional Counter on-board AstroSat between 2017 October 5 and 2018 August 9. The hardness-intensity-diagram of the source showed it to be in the soft spectral state during all the four observations. The spectra of the source could be adequately fit with a model consisting of blackbody ($\tt {bbody}$) and power--law ($\tt {powerlaw}$) components. This yielded the blackbody radius and mass accretion rate to be ∼8 km and ∼2 × 10−9 M⊙ y−1, respectively. In one of the observations, a type I X-ray burst having a rise and e-folding time of 0.6 and 5.6 s, respectively, was detected. Time-resolved spectral analysis of the burst showed that the source underwent a photospheric radius expansion. The radius of the emitting blackbody in GX 3+1 and its distance were estimated to be 9.19 $\substack{+0.97\\ -0.82}$ km and 10.17 $\substack{+0.07\\ -0.18}$ kpc, respectively. Temporal analysis of the burst yielded upper limits of the fractional root mean square amplitude of 7${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, 5${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$, and 6${{\ \rm per\ cent}}$ during burst start, burst maximum, and right after the radius expansion phase, respectively.
Genome Size Changes by Duplication, Divergence, and Insertion inCaenorhabditisWorms
Authors: Adams Paula E , Eggers Victoria K , Millwood Joshua D , Sutton John M , Pienaar Jason , Fierst Janna L
Published: February 2023

Genome size has been measurable since the 1940s but we still do not understand genome size variation. Caenorhabditis nematodes show strong conservation of chromosome number but vary in genome size between closely related species. Androdioecy, where populations are composed of males and self-fertile hermaphrodites, evolved from outcrossing, female-male dioecy, three times in this group. In Caenorhabditis, androdioecious genomes are 10–30% smaller than dioecious species, but in the nematode Pristionchus, androdioecy evolved six times and does not correlate with genome size. Previous hypotheses include genome size evolution through: 1) Deletions and “genome shrinkage” in androdioecious species; 2) Transposable element (TE) expansion and DNA loss through large deletions (the “accordion model”); and 3) Differing TE dynamics in androdioecious and dioecious species. We analyzed nematode genomes and found no evidence for these hypotheses. Instead, nematode genome sizes had strong phylogenetic inertia with increases in a few dioecious species, contradicting the “genome shrinkage” hypothesis. TEs did not explain genome size variation with the exception of the DNA transposon Mutator which was twice as abundant in dioecious genomes. Across short and long evolutionary distances Caenorhabditis genomes evolved through small structural mutations including gene-associated duplications and insertions. Seventy-one protein families had significant, parallel decreases across androdioecious Caenorhabditis including genes involved in the sensory system, regulatory proteins and membrane-associated immune responses. Our results suggest that within a dynamic landscape of frequent small rearrangements in Caenorhabditis, reproductive mode mediates genome evolution by altering the precise fates of individual genes, proteins, and the phenotypes they underlie.
PBRM1 bromodomains associate with RNA to facilitate chromatin association
Authors: De Silva Saumya M , Dhiman Alisha , Sood Surbhi , Mercedes Kilsia F , Simmons William J , Henen Morkos A , Vögeli Beat , Dykhuizen Emily C , Musselman Catherine A
Published: February 2023

PBRM1 is a subunit of the PBAF chromatin remodeling complex, which is mutated in 40–50% of clear cell renal cell carcinoma patients. It is thought to largely function as a chromatin binding subunit of the PBAF complex, but the molecular mechanism underlying this activity is not fully known. PBRM1 contains six tandem bromodomains which are known to cooperate in binding of nucleosomes acetylated at histone H3 lysine 14 (H3K14ac). Here, we demonstrate that the second and fourth bromodomains from PBRM1 also bind nucleic acids, selectively associating with double stranded RNA elements. Disruption of the RNA binding pocket is found to compromise PBRM1 chromatin binding and inhibit PBRM1-mediated cellular growth effects.
DNA polymerase θ-mediated repair of high LET radiation-induced complex DNA double-strand breaks
Authors: Yi Geunil , Sung Yubin , Kim Chanwoo , Ra Jae Sun , Hirakawa Hirokazu , Kato Takamitsu A , Fujimori Akira , Kim Hajin , Takata Kei-ichi
Published: February 2023

DNA polymerase θ (POLQ) is a unique DNA polymerase that is able to perform microhomology-mediated end-joining as well as translesion synthesis (TLS) across an abasic (AP) site and thymine glycol (Tg). However, the biological significance of the TLS activity is currently unknown. Herein we provide evidence that the TLS activity of POLQ plays a critical role in repairing complex DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) induced by high linear energy transfer (LET) radiation. Radiotherapy with high LET radiation such as carbon ions leads to more deleterious biological effects than corresponding doses of low LET radiation such as X-rays. High LET-induced DSBs are considered to be complex, carrying additional DNA damage such as AP site and Tg in close proximity to the DSB sites. However, it is not clearly understood how complex DSBs are processed in mammalian cells. We demonstrated that genetic disruption of POLQ results in an increase of chromatid breaks and enhanced cellular sensitivity following treatment with high LET radiation. At the biochemical level, POLQ was able to bypass an AP site and Tg during end-joining and was able to anneal two single-stranded DNA tails when DNA lesions were located outside the microhomology. This study offers evidence that POLQ is directly involved in the repair of complex DSBs.
Allosteric effects ofE. coliSSB and RecR proteins on RecO protein binding to DNA
Authors: Shinn Min Kyung , Chaturvedi Sumit K , Kozlov Alexander G , Lohman Timothy M
Published: February 2023

Escherichia coli single stranded (ss) DNA binding protein (SSB) plays essential roles in DNA maintenance. It binds ssDNA with high affinity through its N-terminal DNA binding core and recruits at least 17 different SSB interacting proteins (SIPs) that are involved in DNA replication, recombination, and repair via its nine amino acid acidic tip (SSB-Ct). E. coli RecO, a SIP, is an essential recombination mediator protein in the RecF pathway of DNA repair that binds ssDNA and forms a complex with E. coli RecR protein. Here, we report ssDNA binding studies of RecO and the effects of a 15 amino acid peptide containing the SSB-Ct monitored by light scattering, confocal microscope imaging, and analytical ultracentrifugation (AUC). We find that one RecO monomer can bind the oligodeoxythymidylate, (dT)15, while two RecO monomers can bind (dT)35 in the presence of the SSB-Ct peptide. When RecO is in molar excess over ssDNA, large RecO–ssDNA aggregates occur that form with higher propensity on ssDNA of increasing length. Binding of RecO to the SSB-Ct peptide inhibits RecO–ssDNA aggregation. RecOR complexes can bind ssDNA via RecO, but aggregation is suppressed even in the absence of the SSB-Ct peptide, demonstrating an allosteric effect of RecR on RecO binding to ssDNA. Under conditions where RecO binds ssDNA but does not form aggregates, SSB-Ct binding enhances the affinity of RecO for ssDNA. For RecOR complexes bound to ssDNA, we also observe a shift in RecOR complex equilibrium towards a RecR4O complex upon binding SSB-Ct. These results suggest a mechanism by which SSB recruits RecOR to facilitate loading of RecA onto ssDNA gaps.
A genome-wide map of DNA replication at single-molecule resolution in the malaria parasitePlasmodium falciparum
Authors: Totañes Francis Isidore Garcia , Gockel Jonas , Chapman Sarah E , Bártfai Richárd , Boemo Michael A , Merrick Catherine J
Published: February 2023

The malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum replicates via schizogony: an unusual type of cell cycle involving asynchronous replication of multiple nuclei within the same cytoplasm. Here, we present the first comprehensive study of DNA replication origin specification and activation during Plasmodium schizogony. Potential replication origins were abundant, with ORC1-binding sites detected every ∼800 bp. In this extremely A/T-biased genome, the sites were biased towards areas of higher G/C content, and contained no specific sequence motif. Origin activation was then measured at single-molecule resolution using newly developed DNAscent technology: a powerful method of detecting replication fork movement via base analogues in DNA sequenced on the Oxford Nanopore platform. Unusually, origins were preferentially activated in areas of low transcriptional activity, and replication forks also moved fastest through lowly transcribed genes. This contrasts with the way that origin activation is organised in other systems, such as human cells, and suggests that P. falciparum has evolved its S-phase specifically to minimise conflicts between transcription and origin firing. This may be particularly important to maximise the efficiency and accuracy of schizogony, with its multiple rounds of DNA replication and its absence of canonical cell-cycle checkpoints.
Molecular basis of stepwise cyclic tetra-adenylate cleavage by the type III CRISPR ring nuclease Crn1/Sso2081
Authors: Du Liyang , Zhang Danping , Luo Zhipu , Lin Zhonghui
Published: February 2023

The cyclic oligoadenylates (cOAs) act as second messengers of the type III CRISPR immunity system through activating the auxiliary nucleases for indiscriminate RNA degradation. The cOA-degrading nucleases (ring nucleases) provide an ‘off-switch’ regulation of the signaling, thereby preventing cell dormancy or cell death. Here, we describe the crystal structures of the founding member of CRISPR-associated ring nuclease 1 (Crn1) Sso2081 from Saccharolobus solfataricus, alone, bound to phosphate ions or cA4 in both pre-cleavage and cleavage intermediate states. These structures together with biochemical characterizations establish the molecular basis of cA4 recognition and catalysis by Sso2081. The conformational changes in the C-terminal helical insert upon the binding of phosphate ions or cA4 reveal a gate-locking mechanism for ligand binding. The critical residues and motifs identified in this study provide a new insight to distinguish between cOA-degrading and -nondegrading CARF domain-containing proteins.
Mono-ADP-ribosylation by PARP10 and PARP14 in genome stability
Authors: Dhoonmoon Ashna , Nicolae Claudia M
Published: February 2023

ADP-ribosylation is a post-translational modification involved in a variety of processes including DNA damage repair, transcriptional regulation, and cellular proliferation. Depending on the number of ADP moieties transferred to target proteins, ADP-ribosylation can be classified either as mono-ADP-ribosylation (MARylation) or poly-ADP-ribosylation (PARylation). This post-translational modification is catalyzed by enzymes known as ADP-ribosyltransferases (ARTs), which include the poly (ADP-ribose)-polymerase (PARP) superfamily of proteins. Certain members of the PARP family including PARP1 and PARP2 have been extensively studied and assessed as therapeutic targets. However, the other members of the PARP family of protein are not as well studied but have gained attention in recent years given findings suggesting their roles in an increasing number of cellular processes. Among these other members are PARP10 and PARP14, which have gradually emerged as key players in maintenance of genomic stability and carcinogenesis. PARP10 and PARP14 catalyze the transfer of a single ADP moiety to target proteins. Here, we summarize the current knowledge on MARylation in DNA repair and cancer, focusing on PARP10 and PARP14. We highlight the roles of PARP10 and PARP14 in cancer progression and response to chemotherapeutics and briefly discuss currently known PARP10 and PARP14 inhibitors.
A computational map of the human-SARS-CoV-2 protein–RNA interactome predicted at single-nucleotide resolution
Authors: Horlacher Marc , Oleshko Svitlana , Hu Yue , Ghanbari Mahsa , Cantini Giulia , Schinke Patrick , Vergara Ernesto Elorduy , Bittner Florian , Mueller Nikola S , Ohler Uwe , Moyon Lambert , Marsico Annalisa
Published: February 2023

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) are critical host factors for viral infection, however, large scale experimental investigation of the binding landscape of human RBPs to viral RNAs is costly and further complicated due to sequence variation between viral strains. To fill this gap, we investigated the role of RBPs in the context of SARS-CoV-2 by constructing the first in silico map of human RBP-viral RNA interactions at nucleotide-resolution using two deep learning methods (pysster and DeepRiPe) trained on data from CLIP-seq experiments on more than 100 human RBPs. We evaluated conservation of RBP binding between six other human pathogenic coronaviruses and identified sites of conserved and differential binding in the UTRs of SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2 and MERS. We scored the impact of mutations from 11 variants of concern on protein–RNA interaction, identifying a set of gain- and loss-of-binding events, as well as predicted the regulatory impact of putative future mutations. Lastly, we linked RBPs to functional, OMICs and COVID-19 patient data from other studies, and identified MBNL1, FTO and FXR2 RBPs as potential clinical biomarkers. Our results contribute towards a deeper understanding of how viruses hijack host cellular pathways and open new avenues for therapeutic intervention.
FrangiPANe, a tool for creating a panreference using left behind reads
Authors: Christine Tranchant-Dubreuil , Clothilde Chenal , Mathieu Blaison , Laurence Albar , Valentin Klein , Cédric Mariac , Wing Rod A , Yves Vigouroux , Francois Sabot
Published: February 2023

We present here FrangiPANe, a pipeline developed to build panreference using short reads through a map-then-assemble strategy. Applying it to 248 African rice genomes using an improved CG14 reference genome, we identified an average of 8 Mb of new sequences and 5290 new contigs per individual. In total, 1.4 G of new sequences, consisting of 1 306 676 contigs, were assembled. We validated 97.7% of the contigs of the TOG5681 cultivar individual assembly from short reads on a newly long reads genome assembly of the same TOG5681 cultivar. FrangiPANe also allowed the anchoring of 31.5% of the new contigs within the CG14 reference genome, with a 92.5% accuracy at 2 kb span. We annotated in addition 3252 new genes absent from the reference. FrangiPANe was developed as a modular and interactive application to simplify the construction of a panreference using the map-then-assemble approach. It is available as a Docker image containing (i) a Jupyter notebook centralizing codes, documentation and interactive visualization of results, (ii) python scripts and (iii) all the software and libraries requested for each step of the analysis. We foreseen our approach will help leverage large-scale illumina dataset for pangenome studies in GWAS or detection of selection.
Meredith March against Fear
Authors: Goudsouzian Aram
Published: February 2023

The Meredith March Against Fear was a civil rights demonstration that started in Memphis, Tennessee, and ended in Jackson, Mississippi in June 1966. It is best known for introducing the slogan of “Black Power.” It began on June 5 as the endeavor of James Meredith, the man who integrated the University of Mississippi in 1962. He announced goals of registering Black voters and defying white racist intimidation. On the second day, a white racist shot and wounded him. Representatives from all the major civil rights organizations came to Memphis with the intention of continuing Meredith’s march. Ultimately, the NAACP and National Urban League declined to participate, given the militant politics of organizations such as the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). Martin Luther King, of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), emerged as the key moderating force. Over three weeks, hundreds of marchers walked south down Highway 51 and then detoured into the Mississippi Delta, holding rallies and registering voters. In Batesville, a man named El Fondren, who had been born in slavery, registered to vote for the first time in his 106 years of life. When the march reached Greenwood, Stokely Carmichael, the new chairman of SNCC, spoke at a rally and proclaimed, “What we need now is Black Power!” The crowd responded with enthusiasm, as “Black Power” captured African Americans’ frustrations with the slow pace of federal reforms and the limits of interracial cooperation; it further articulated aspirations of Black pride and electoral power. King did not use the slogan, however, as it challenged his core principles of interracial amity and nonviolence. In the march’s final week, activists faced some harrowing violence. In the town of Philadelphia, a white mob attacked the demonstrators, and in Canton, the Mississippi Highway Patrol tear-gassed and beat hundreds of marchers who had claimed a Black elementary school as a campsite. The march ended on June 26 with an estimated 15,000 people walking through the state capital of Jackson. The Meredith March is often understood as a turning point in the civil rights movement, as it was the last mass demonstration of its kind, while Black Power grew prominent. It had a significant local impact as well, as over four thousand people registered to vote and countless more defied the culture of racial fear that characterized much of Mississippi.
Company Towns in the United States
Authors: Vergara Ángela
Published: February 2023

Every once in a while, company towns reappear in discussions about housing and employers’ investment in community infrastructure. Whether it is a new Amazon warehouse or Blockchains LLC’s announcement of a “smart city” in Storey County, Nevada, the model of the company town has sparked hope, curiosity, and reservations. Defined as a planned community primarily owned by a single corporation, company towns first appeared in the US landscape in the mid-19th century. Early historical studies focused on textile mills and factories, showing how employers built model communities to control the workforce and avoid the social turmoil that plagued industrial cities at the time. Like model industrial towns in Europe, their American counterparts included free or low-cost housing, company stores, and a wide range of company-sponsored social and recreational programs. Pullman was built in 1881 outside Chicago, and it quickly came to symbolize the ideal company town. But the strike of 1894 questioned the success of paternalism and ability to eliminate conflict. Despite the blow, company towns did not disappear from the US landscape. Indeed, they reinvented themselves. A fresh era started in the 1910s; the so-called new company town included a better design and encouraged homeownership, while welfare capitalism with its scientific ideas and professionals replaced the traditional paternalism of the Pullman era. They also moved west and became the symbol of industrial mining communities, from Montana to Arizona. During the New Deal era, the Farm Security Administration (FSA) housed hundreds of rural workers in labor camps across the nation. At the same time, fruit growers in California and timber companies also built camps and sponsored activities for the workforce. Many of these mining and rural communities did not strictly fit the definition of company towns. More than towns founded, owned, and run by a single company, they were places controlled by a single employer or depended on a single commodity or resource. Like resource towns in other parts of the world, they devastated the natural environment and were usually abandoned after resources were exhausted. The influence of the US company town also reached other countries, as American businesses and entrepreneurs investing abroad brought their experiences and ideas on managing labor. Company towns thrived in the tropical banana lands and the Andes, where companies such as the United Fruit and the Anaconda Copper Corporation built segregated camps. In sum, company towns are an essential chapter in the history of US industrial expansion, shedding light on topics such as urban planning, labor relations, and working-class formation.
Ruth
Authors: Koosed Jennifer
Published: February 2023

The biblical book of Ruth is composed with great literary artistry. Its narrative arc is well constructed, its characters richly drawn, and its use of motifs and productive ambiguities is masterful. The historical-critical questions that have dominated scholarship include when, and the interrelated question of why, it was written. There are two dominant theories. Some scholars understand Ruth to be written during or immediately following the reign of King David as part of the apologetic propaganda justifying his usurpation of the throne from the house of Saul. Perhaps David really did have a Moabite grandmother, leading to disparagement of his identity and questioning of his loyalty to Israel. Other scholars position Ruth in the Persian period when, according to books like Ezra-Nehemiah, there were intense debates around intermarriage. In this context, the focus of the narrative would be to demonstrate the power even providence of some intermarriages by claiming that David himself was a descendent of such a union. In this case, Ruth is also in allegiance with texts like Isaiah 56. Regardless of the dating of the text, Ruth is generally understood to be a work of fiction, classified as an idyll, short story, or folktale. Some have pointed out the comic, even carnivalesque, elements in the story. As a work of fiction, the literary artistry of the text comes to the fore and much scholarship centers around an analysis of this artistry. The agricultural seasons structure the plot, the laws of gleaning provide the setting for the meeting between the two who will end up married in the end; there is a connection between human fertility and agricultural fertility and it is only when they come together (Ruth’s pregnancy in a land full of bread) that the story resolves. Ruth is ultimately a story of relationships. Recently, productive interpretations have been generated around issues of gender, sexuality, class, and ethnicity. The characters do not stay within the proscribed boundaries but instead challenge gender expectations, cross ethnic boundaries and class borders, and perhaps even promote queer kinship arrangements.
Cynewulf
Authors: Heckman Christina M.
Published: February 2023

Cynewulf is one of only two poets, along with Cædmon, mentioned by name as composers of religious verse during the Old English period. Little is known about Cynewulf aside from the runic signatures concluding the four poems attributed to him: The Fates of the Apostles, Christ II (The Ascension), Juliana, and Elene. Cynewulf’s language suggests an association with the English midlands, and his writings have been most often dated to the ninth century, although some critics argue for a later date; see also Date and Language of Cynewulf’s Writings. In his signed poems, Cynewulf utilizes runes in acrostic passages to spell out his name; these passages also meditate on the transitory nature of earthly life, contemplate the coming Judgment, and request the reader’s prayers for the poet’s soul. Most of Cynewulf’s signed poems, written in alliterative verse, belong to the broader genre of hagiography, “the writing of the sacred” or the legends of the saints. While The Fates of the Apostles presents a brief martyrology, Juliana and Elene incorporate longer hagiographical narratives. Christ II (The Ascension) focuses not on the lives of the saints but rather on the Ascension of Christ; it has therefore frequently been associated with two other poems not currently attributed to Cynewulf, Christ I and Christ III. In composing his four signed poems, Cynewulf depends strongly on Latin sources but diverges from them frequently, expanding on his material to provide exegetical insight into scripture, examine theological problems, develop unique personae, and celebrate his Germanic cultural milieu. In recent years, his poetry has received significant attention for the fearless speech and conduct of his saintly heroines, Elene (Helen), the mother of the emperor Constantine, and Juliana, a virgin martyr, both of whom lived in the fourth century ce. Cynewulf has also received significant recent critical attention for his complex portrayal of Jews and Judaism; see Representations of Jews in Elene. For discussion of relevant historical and literary contexts, see the separate Oxford Bibliographies articles “Pre-Conquest England,” “English Prosody,” and “Old English Religious Poetry.”
Thirteenth-Century Motets in France
Authors: Thomson Matthew P.
Published: February 2023

The first extant written motets appear in manuscripts of the mid-13th century, written in the north of France. By this time, they seem to be an already well-established genre, possibly dating back to the late 12th century. These early motets comprise a genre of vocal polyphony in which the lowest voice, the tenor, is based on preexisting musical material. Most frequently, it borrows a small section of liturgical plainchant. As tenors generally borrow melismatic musical material, they do not usually have a syllabic text, although some later motets use secular French song for their tenor, sometimes quoting its syllabic text. Above the tenor, there are between one and three upper voices, named motetus, triplum, and quadruplum respectively, each singing a syllabic text. When motets have more than one upper voice, all upper voices might sing the same text at the same time; such motets are often named ‘monotextual’ or conductus motets, after the medieval polyphonic genre with similar text-setting (see the separate article in Oxford Bibliographies in Medieval Studies article “Medieval Songs” by Vincent Corrigan). In other cases, motets are polytextual, with each upper voice singing its own text. Each of these texts might be in Latin or French, a choice which sometimes runs along generic lines: almost all extant monotextual motets have Latin texts, while polytextual motets that use both languages almost always use Latin texts for the motetus and French texts for the triplum and, if present, the quadruplum. According to the traditional scholarly narrative, motets emerged out of the practice of adding texts to clausulae, short sections of vocal polyphony whose tenor contained a short segment of liturgical chant and whose upper voices did not have a syllabic text. Some motets originated in this way, adorning the upper voices of clausulae with Latin texts that expanded on the sacred topic of the chant from which the tenor was taken. However, recent scholarship has complicated this origin narrative, suggesting that the relationship between clausulae and motets was not so monodirectional. Additionally, some scholars have suggested that French-texted traditions had a separate origin, which was dependent on refrains—small snippets of music and French text that were quoted in many 13th-century genres. This would explain the French etymology of motet, meaning “little word.” The different practices of motet composition in the 13th century make up what is known as the “ars antiqua,” or old practice, which was eventually transformed by the 14th-century practices of the “ars nova,” or new practice, the end point of this entry’s coverage.
Pretrial Diversion
Authors: Alarid Leanne , Cebak Nicole
Published: February 2023

Concern about the harm that involvement in the criminal justice system can cause for youth and socially marginalized individuals prompted alternatives to traditional criminal processing in the mid-1960s. Pretrial diversion initially was an initiative focused around rehabilitating youths and first-time nonviolent defendants charged with a criminal offense. The defendant could voluntarily enter a diversion program to be helped, and at the same time, avoid the stigmatizing effects of a criminal conviction. Diversion, in most cases, takes place after the filing of a formal charge and before the adjudication of guilt, but the defendant remains under the authority of the criminal justice system. One important exception to this is police-led diversion whereby police officers typically divert youths away from juvenile justice system oversight. Pretrial diversion in practice is also known as deferred adjudication, deferred prosecution, police-led diversion or pre-prosecution intervention. Pretrial diversion is frequently and incorrectly confused with pretrial detention or pretrial release (See the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Criminology article “Bail and Pretrial Detention” for more information about pretrial detention). In pretrial release, the defendant is released from detention to assist in his or her own defense in a criminal case that is being processed through traditional channels. In contrast, the prosecutor in a diversion case agrees to delay the prosecution of the charge while the defendant undergoes counseling in a community-based setting or pays back the victim for losses incurred. With successful completion of diversion, the charge is dismissed, but the meaning of dismissal varies. Some states (e.g., Kansas) will permanently dismiss charges, while prosecutors in other states (e.g., Florida, Texas) exercise the option to re-file the charge again if a new crime is committed within a specified number of years after diversion is completed. The primary goals of the original diversion programs were the defendant’s likelihood of rehabilitation, increased employment prospects, and lowered recidivism. Rehabilitation was also a central tenet of the juvenile justice system (See the separate Oxford Bibliographies in Criminology article “Juvenile Justice System”) at this same time. This goal required the defendant in some jurisdictions to admit responsibility by entering a guilty plea. The judge decided whether this plea was made voluntarily and intelligently. In other jurisdictions, a guilty plea is not required and the prosecutor delays the case or the judge “continues” the case until diversion is completed. This bibliography presents the most important criminological works and law reviews that discuss history of diversion, legal issues, criticisms, referral methods, youth diversion programs, and evaluations of diversion programs for adults.
Paolo Veronese
Authors: Gisolfi Diana
Published: February 2023

Paolo Veronese was born in 1528 in Verona and died on 19 April 1588 in Venice. He was active as a painter from 1546 until his unexpected death at the height of his career in 1588. He is typically seen in the literature as the youngest in the triumvirate of great painters of the late Renaissance in Venice, together with Titian and Tintoretto. Paolo’s early years and training in Verona are important in understanding his use of drawings and his applications of color in ways that are distinct from the practices of each of his famous colleagues. In some later documents and signatures the artist’s name is given as Paolo Caliari Veronese. Veronese’s mysterious relationship to the noble Caliari family of Verona was clarified only in 2000, by Pier Paolo Brugnoli, who discovered records showing that Veronese’s mother was the natural daughter of an Antonio Caliari who died young. Paolo’s brother Benedetto and his sons Carletto and Gabriele are known by this surname. Veronese’s career was promoted by his familial and professional connections in Verona; ample patronage continued seamlessly in Venice. Early commissions from noble families and distinguished monastic orders in Verona brought the artist into circles that produced further and even more important commissions in Venice (Gisolfi 2017, cited under Monographs). High appreciation of Veronese’s gifts during his lifetime continued with great critical acclaim in the 17th century and for most of the 18th century. In the late 1700s Joshua Reynolds deprecated Veronese’s paintings as mere displays of virtuosity, and the idea that Veronese was only a “decorator” entered English literature. This view was directly challenged by Sylvie Béguin, Madlyn Kahr, and Philip Fehl beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, who showed the religious content of Veronese’s splendid pictures, and much scholarly literature since has sought to understand Veronese’s sophisticated art in its religious, cultural, and material context. The four hundredth anniversary of the artist’s death in 1988 was the occasion of important exhibitions, conservation projects, and new research. In the twenty-first century Veronese’s paintings in fresco and oil, his drawings, and his designs have been examined via major conservation campaigns and celebrated in exhibitions and scholarly publications. Further study of process and workshop practice has been made possible by an increasing volume of conservation data, and by bringing drawings, paintings and conservation information together in several exhibitions (2011–2015). This bibliography is selective. Each section is selective. For a more comprehensive bibliography (not annotated, last updated 2013), see Diana Gisolfi’s article “Veronese [Caliari], Paolo” in Oxford Art Online, Grove Art (first published with comprehensive bibliography to that date in The Dictionary of Art, 34 vols, Macmillan, 1996, vol. 32, pp. 347–358).
Southern Italy, 1500–1700
Authors: Musto Ronald G.
Published: February 2023

The history of southern Italy during these centuries coincides with that of the Kingdom of Naples (the Regno di Napoli). For numerous reasons, including historical and modern geopolitical designations, it is separate from that of Sicily and Sardinia. This history is one of constant change, of foreign influence, of internal turmoil and innovation, and of renewal. The Spanish period in southern Italy (1504–1707) shares the fate of early modern Mediterranean and Iberian studies. There are three major historiographical issues. The first is the overwhelming prominence of Naples both as a physical, political, cultural, and economic capital and as the focus of most modern research. These factors often eclipse the rest of the South. The second is the Question of the South, covered in Ronald G. Musto’s Oxford Bibliographies article “Southern Italy, 1300–1500.” The third, a corollary of the second, is the Spanish Black Legend. The early modern Regno, like its master Spain, has been the object both of this legend and of subsequent historiographical disdain among Anglophones for the monarchical and supposedly backward nature of its governance, economy, and Catholic culture. We address the Black Legend in this article. This bibliography includes more recent books and articles from both Anglophone and Continental scholars. It generally does not include dissertations. With Ferdinand the Catholic’s defeat of the Regno’s French invaders and the imprisonment of the last Aragonese claimant, the Mezzogiorno became part of the Spanish and then Habsburg global empire: another wealthy province like Mexico or the Philippines administered by a viceroy. But what the South lost in autonomy it gained in international position in trade and other economic activity, cultural exchange, and influence. The Regno’s politics and culture now reflected Spanish priorities. Under the Viceregency of Pedro de Toledo (1532–1553), the Regno began to see mass migration from rural areas of poverty and local political repression into its cities, most especially Naples. The Regno’s revenues increased rapidly but were just as rapidly siphoned off by Habsburg wars and display elsewhere in Europe and the Mediterranean. New arts and sciences flourished despite the pressures of Spanish autocracy that suppressed the humanist academies and of the Inquisition that periodically repressed religious and intellectual expression. By 1600, in the wake of earthquake, plague, food shortages, and fiscal mismanagement, the Regno was on the verge of economic exhaustion and widespread popular discontent, revolt (especially that of Masaniello in 1647), and subsequent repression. With the War of the Spanish Succession and the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713, it became a possession of the Austrian Habsburgs. Many of the topics here also overlap with entries in Ronald G. Musto’s Oxford Bibliographies article “Naples, 1300–1700.”
Interdisciplinarity in Childhood Studies
Authors: Basu Chandni
Published: February 2023

Childhood studies per se is an interdisciplinary domain of knowledge generation. It draws from different fields of knowledge (disciplines) within social sciences and humanities like history, anthropology, sociology, geography, literature, and law apart from interdisciplinary domains like gender studies, cultural studies, film studies, and others. Notably, the sociopolitical transformations which influenced shaping of childhood as a modern phenomenon also resulted in the emergence of “the child” as a philosophical concept in modern times. This emergence along with efforts toward pedagogization and psychologization of childhood by the end of the nineteenth century set in motion discursive deliberations on childhood in the academic sphere especially within the western European context (with a difference between the continental and Anglo-Saxon version). Evidently, academic disciplines and specializations of social pedagogy, psychology, and pediatrics were forerunners in setting forth an academic construction of childhood by the beginning of the twentieth century. “The child” became an object of study in such academic deliberation. This stature of “the child” led to its academic portrayal as a passive recipient of disciplinary and socialization mandates over larger span of the twentieth century. In this scheme, childhood was deemed to be a transformative zone, where the child reached finality in adulthood. Such a construction of childhood under academic influences furthered the notion of a universal modern childhood. Childhood studies as it is known today became formalized in the 1990s with the consolidation of the new sociology of childhood. It marked the reconstruction of childhood which characterized a paradigmatic shift within the discourse of childhood. Formalization of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989) provided an impetus in this direction. Childhood therefore soon featured as a contested terrain especially among historians, sociologists, and psychologists. The reconstruction entailed a transformation of the figure of the “child” from its earlier psychologized version. The new sociology of childhood challenged such academic construction of childhood. It advocated for children as active agents of their own societies beyond their passive existences. This paved a new pathway toward the theorization of children and childhoods. This bibliography is organized into four sections. General Overview on Childhood Studies contains a brief introduction to the topic of childhood studies. Interdisciplinarity summarizes the significance and debates surrounding the topic within academic discussions. Postcolonial-Postmodern Interdisciplinarity directs the reader toward an understanding of interdisciplinarity in terms of the postcolonial and the postmodern, and finally Interdisciplinarity in Childhood Studies charts the course of childhood studies as an interdisciplinary endeavor in itself.