bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wczesnochrześcijańskie rozważania o imieniu Jezus
Authors: Paczkowski Mieczysław Celestyn
Published: December 2019

This study opens with a brief reflection on the typological value of the person and name of Josh- ua in the ancient Church. Christians saw the figure of Joshua as a foreshadowing of the saving work of Jesus Christ. According to patristic vision the order of grace in Jesus Saviour replaces the ancient order of the Law. On the basis of homonymy Joshua is associated with Christ. The intent of the study was also to present the historical beginning of the practice to invocate the Lord’s Name. To express the faith in Christ symbolically, the first Christians recurred to the use of numerology and to the nomina sacra. This article argues that the ancient Christian literature contains sustained and substantial references to the name of Jesus as ‘Saviour’. It is possible to find the theological finality in the interpretation of Lord’s name. At every point of the discussion in the Patristic tradition it is found a considerable richness and significance of the name of Jesus (biblical, doctrinal and spiritual).
Vitamin C measurement in critical illness: challenges, methodologies and quality improvements
Authors: Collie Jake T.B. , Greaves Ronda F. , Jones Oliver A.H. , Eastwood Glenn , Bellomo Rinaldo
Published: December 2019

Background

There is renewed interest in high-dose vitamin C interventions in clinical medicine due to its antioxidant properties, safe use and cost-effectiveness. Yet, randomised control trials (RCTs) employing these interventions are failing to include robust analytical methodology and proper sample handling and processing techniques. Consequently, comparisons between studies becomes impossible as there is no metrological traceability and results may be prone to pre-analytical errors.

Content

Through published vitamin C stability studies, method comparison papers and data from vitamin C external quality assurance programs, an assessment was made on the functionality of current methods for critically ill patient samples.

Data was obtained from two external quality assurance programs, two papers assessing sample stability and interlaboratory agreement and a publication on vitamin C method comparisons. A shift from spectrophotometric and enzymatic methodologies to high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) greatly improved the variability and interlaboratory agreement. Therefore, the current analytical performance of vitamin C HPLC methodologies are acceptable for the requirements of a high-dose vitamin C RCTs.

Outlook

Recommendations across the total testing process of vitamin C have been provided to improve the quality of the results. The harmonisation of sample handling and processing procedures will further improve the reliability of current analytical methodologies.
Concentration Enrichment of Fermentation Derived Acetic Acid: Transport Modeling of Forward Osmosis-Nanofiltration Integrated System
Authors: Nayak Jayato , Pal Parimal , Roy Zunipa , Chakrabortty Sankha , Dey Pinaki , Pandey Siddhartha , Varma S. Anand Kumar , Subashini K.
Published: December 2019

Forward Osmosis (FO)-Nanofiltration (NF) integration as the final product polishing step enables high concentration of acetic acid output through continuous dehydration of fermentation derived product. A mathematical transport model has been developed based on external and internal concentration polarization modulus of FO and extended Nernst–Plank equation for NF to capture the flux and rejection trends from those membranes. The modular designed production scheme ensured high flux (45 Lm−2 h−1), concentration (962 g L−1) and purity (>98 %) of acetic acid under non-neutralization condition. Excellent performance of the model is reflected in low relative error (<0.05), high Willmott d-index (>0.97) and high correlation coefficient (>0.98).
Effect of structure of technical lignin on the electrochemical performance of lignin-derived porous carbon from K2CO3 activation
Authors: Xi Yuebin , Yang Dongjie , Wang Yuanyuan , Huang JinHao , Yan Mengzhen , Yi Conghua , Qian Yong , Qiu Xueqing
Published: December 2019

Owing to its high aromaticity and carbon content, technical lignin as the by-product of chemical pulping and bio-refining industry can be converted into lignin-derived porous carbon (LPC) materials after activation, which is a promising strategy for high-value utilization. In particular, LPC with a higher surface area and graphitization will have a broad prospect as the electrode material for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs). However, the structure of technical lignin varies greatly due to its different industrial processes and botany sources, which remarkably affects the activation process and electrochemical properties of LPC. Herein, we study the effect of oxygen/carbon (O/C) ratio and molecular weight on the structure of LPC by exploring the effect of four kinds of technical lignin on K2CO3 activation. High O/C ratio can promote LPC to maintain a high specific surface area (SSA). High molecular weight and low O/C ratio were beneficial to increase the graphitization degree and keep the porous structure of LPC. The electrochemical performance evaluation showed that high graphitization and stable porous structure were beneficial for lithium-ion storage. Therefore, LPC from enzymatic hydrolysis lignin (EHL) had long cycle performance (490 mAh · g−1 at a current density of 400 mA · g−1) and excellent rate performance compared to lignin from chemical pulping.
Review of Applications of Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium in Combustion Modeling
Authors: Yu Guangying , Hadi Fatemeh , Wang Ziyu , Metghalchi Hameed
Published: December 2019

Developing an effective model for non-equilibrium states is of great importance for a variety of problems related to chemical synthesis and combustion. Rate-Controlled Constrained-Equilibrium (RCCE), a model order reduction method that originated from the second law of thermodynamics, assumes that the non-equilibrium states of a system can be described by a sequence of constrained-equilibrium states kinetically controlled by a relatively small number of constraints within acceptable accuracy. The full chemical composition at each constrained-equilibrium state is obtained by maximizing (or minimizing) the appropriate thermodynamic quantities, e. g., entropy (or Gibbs functions), subject to the instantaneous values of RCCE constraints. Regardless of the nature of the kinetic constraints, RCCE always guarantees a correct final equilibrium state. This paper reviews the fundamentals of the RCCE method, its constraints, constraint potential formulations, and major constraint selection techniques, as well as the application of the RCCE method to combustion of different fuels using a variety of combustion models. The RCCE method has been proven to be accurate and to reduce computational time in these simulations.
Integrated biobanks facilitate high-quality collection and analysis of liquid biomaterials
Authors: Winter Theresa , Schäfer Christian , Westphal Steven , Böttcher Christin , Lamp Sophia , Wallaschofski Henri , Roser Markus , Petersmann Astrid , Nauck Matthias
Published: December 2019

The collection and storage of biomaterials is essential for medical research. The aim of biobanking is the safe extension of the preanalytical phase. However, not all quality aspects are clearly defined nor accepted by the whole biobanking community. Samples for large or complex trials have to be collected and stored according to well-defined, rapid and reliable processes. In a comparable manner, also the post-storage phase needs well-defined, rapid and reliable processes which have to be implemented in order to guarantee high-quality samples as an inevitable basis for accurate analytical results. The time span between the sample removal from the biobank and analysis seems not to be in the focus of a biobank especially when it is run independently of a laboratory. Sample analysis represents the core responsibility of laboratories. But the quality of samples can be impaired by all process steps in the preanalytical phase, including preparation for analysis after the freezing period. Biobanks may contribute to high-quality standards in the retrieval and handling of samples before storage. They can offer electronic tools for data entry in parallel to sampling allowing a tight control and documentation of the preanalytical phase directly in the laboratory information system. In case of a biobank independent of the laboratory, which performs the measurements, the biobank’s responsibility ends with the transport. A closer link between the two institutions, however, could significantly improve sample quality and laboratory results. Integrated biobanking combines long-term sample storage with optimized laboratory processes, thus facilitating high-quality analytical results.
Existence of periodic solutions with prescribed minimal period of a 2nth-order discrete system
Authors: Liu Xia , Zhou Tao , Shi Haiping
Published: December 2019

In this paper, we concern with a 2nth-order discrete system. Using the critical point theory, we establish various sets of sufficient conditions for the existence of periodic solutions with prescribed minimal period. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time to discuss the periodic solutions with prescribed minimal period for a 2nth-order discrete system.
A family of Cantorvals
Authors: Ferdinands John , Ferdinands Timothy
Published: December 2019

The set of subsums of the series$\begin{array}{} \sum_{n=1}^{\infty} \end{array}$xnis known to be one of three types: a finite union of intervals, homeomorphic to the Cantor set, or of the type known as a Cantorval. Bartoszewicz, Filipczak and Szymonik have described a family of series which contained all known examples of subsum sets which are Cantorvals. We construct another family of series which produces new examples of subsum sets which are Cantorvals.
In South Africa, “Rhodes Must Fall” (while Rhodes’ Walls Rise)
Authors: Bond Patrick
Published: December 2019

The African borders established in Berlin in 1884–85, at the peak of Cecil John Rhodes’ South African ambitions, were functional to the main five colonial-imperial powers, but certainly not to African societies then, nor to future generations. The residues of Rhodes’ settler-colonial racism and extractive-oriented looting include major cities such as Johannesburg, which are witnessing worse inequality and desperation, even a quarter of a century after apartheid fell in 1994. In South Africa’s financial capital, Johannesburg, a combination of post-apartheid neoliberalism and regional subimperial hegemony amplified xenophobic tendencies to the boiling point in 2019. Not only could University of Cape Town students tear down the hated campus statue of Rhodes, but the vestiges of his ethnic divide-and-conquer power could be swept aside. Rhodes did “fall,” in March 2015, but the South African working class and opportunistic politicians took no notice of the symbolic act, and instead began to raise Rhodes’ border walls ever higher, through ever more violent xenophobic outbreaks. Ending the populist predilection towards xenophobia will require more fundamental changes to the inherited political economy, so that the deep structural reasons for xenophobia are ripped out as convincingly as were the studs holding down Rhodes’ Cape Town statue.
Design and simulation of a photonic crystal resonator as a biosensor for point-of-care applications
Authors: Zhao Yixiong , Vora Kunj Himanshu , vom Bögel Gerd , Seidl Karsten , Weidenmüller Jens
Published: December 2019

Point-of-care (POC) devices are essential for rapid testing of samples for early diagnosis of diseases. The accuracy and the sensitivity of the POC device depend mainly on the biosensors. The currently used POC devices require specialized operating personnel, long sample preparation time and high equipment costs. We aim to explain a bio-sensing concept using a photonic crystal (PC) resonator that would mitigate the drawbacks of the present sensing techniques. Photonic crystals consist of spatially arranged dielectric materials presenting a band gap that prevents electromagnetic waves of certain frequency range to propagate through it. PC resonators have shown to have very high sensitivities for bio-sensing applications at THz frequencies. A PC resonator with a high Q-factor is designed and simulated to detect the changes in the surrounding dielectric permittivity. As an application for detecting specific biomolecules, a protocol for surface functionalization has been explained. This will enable the selective binding of biomolecules from the sample. Shift in resonant frequency and attenuation in magnitude at the peak resonant frequency can be observed from the simulation results. These changes in the resonator properties can be indicative of the presence of a particular biomolecule or pathogen and its concentration within the sample.
Wittgenstein and Piccoli
Authors: Morra Lucia
Published: December 2019

In 1929 Ludwig Wittgenstein met Raffaello Piccoli, the Serena Professor of Italian, with whom he arranged several meetings in the following terms. For a long time their intellectual friendship was suggested only by the occurrences of Piccoli’s name in Wittgenstein’s Cambridge Pocket Diaries, then a paper about Piccoli including hypothesis on his meetings with Wittgenstein was published (Marjanović 2005), and more recently, the diaries of a student of both Piccoli and Wittgenstein in 1929 – 1930 were discovered. The new material, on the background of data now available about Piccoli’s life and works, throws new light onto his relationship with Wittgenstein, and hypothesis on the topics of their conversations are also advanced. Piccoli’s perspective on the difference between ethics, religion and philosophy on the one hand and science on the other was in tune with Wittgenstein’s view and similar was also their aversion towards scientism; furthermore, Piccoli had read many of the authors for which Wittgenstein showed an interest in 1930 – 1931 – Freud, Spengler, Frazer, Augustine, and also James.
Wittgenstein’s Four-Stroke Faces and the Idea of Visual Philosophy
Authors: Krkač Kristijan
Published: December 2019

In the paper the author explores the question ‘Did Wittgenstein (re)invent emoticons?’ in three sub-questions. What did he draw and for which purposes? What are emoticons? Are there similarities and differences between his drawings and emoticons? The answers are following. Wittgenstein has drawn faces from the 1930s to the 1940s which are graphically and by use like emoticons. He presented a philosophical problem of interpretation of faces. Emoticons as made of written and typed punctuation marks or as drawings were invented and used centuries before the 1930s, but common and popular use started in the 1960s. Previous inventions were probably unknown to Wittgenstein, and his faces probably didn’t influence later inventions. His faces and emoticons are graphically similar and made with the similar purposes. Differences are that he only used drawings and never written or typed punctuation marks, and he used them to deal with problems of emotions and perception (similar to his problems of the duck-rabbit head). These answers are connected to available textual and interpretative evidence, interpretations are given in propositions from (a) to (p), and summarized in the conclusion (r). Some consequences of visual thinking on philosophical thinking are also drawn in terms of a future research.
Wittgenstein on Understanding Religious Beliefs
Authors: Fadeeva Yuliya
Published: December 2019

Wittgenstein’s writings on religious and magical beliefs, especially the “Lectures on Religious Belief” and “Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough” are taken to imply semantic incommensurability and inaccessibility by the Wittgensteinian Fideism and, in part, the expressivist interpretation. According to these interpretations, religious and non-religious discourses are self-contained, closed, and not intertranslatable. Wittgenstein is taken to deny mutual understanding between believers and non-believers with respect to religious and magical discourse. I argue against such interpretations and support readings by Kusch, Schroeder, and Tripodi that are optimistic of the possibility of mutual understanding. Nevertheless, there is a danger of scepticism for such optimistic readings when they refer to a special attitude that is needed to understand religious belief and speech. I offer a reply to this problem and suggest to see Wittgenstein’s stance on understanding religious discourse in a greater proximity to his general views about language in his later writings. Then, however, any fideist view of the religious (and magical) form of life as self-contained and isolated from the non-religious has to be repudiated.
The Threat of Privacy in Wittgenstein’s Investigations: Kripke vs. Cavell
Authors: Techio Jônadas
Published: December 2019

Most readers of the Investigations take skepticism as a target of Wittgenstein’s remarks, something to be refuted by means of a clear grasp of our criteria. Stanley Cavell was the first to challenge that consensual view by reminding us that our criteria are constantly open to skeptical repudiation, hence that privacy is a standing human possibility. In an apparently similar vein, Saul Kripke has argued that a skeptical paradox concerning rules and meaning is the central problem of the Investigations – and one that receives a skeptical solution. Following the orthodoxy, however, Kripke does not take privacy as a real threat but instead reads Wittgenstein as offering an argument against its very possibility. This paper offers a critical assessment of Kripke’s and Cavell’s readings, and concludes by delineating an understanding of our linguistic practices that acknowledges the seriousness of skepticism while avoiding the kind of evasion shared by Kripke and the orthodoxy, enabling us to see agreement and meaning as continual tasks whose failure is imbued with high existential costs.
What is it that Wittgenstein denies in his philosophy of psychology?
Authors: Schneider Hans Julius
Published: December 2019

Taking up some of W.’s paradoxical remarks about the existence of ‘mental things’ the paper investigates, what exactly he is criticizing. After a discussion of the mistaken idea of a private baptizing of one’s own ‘mental events’ W.’s general criticism of the ‘object-and-name model’ is treated with a view on the consequences it has for our understanding of the mental. This treatment includes a discussion of figurative kinds of language use as well as a discussion of the difference between ‘things’ and ‘objects of reference’: With respect to figurative uses of language it often makes no sense to treat constituent expressions as names of objects, and not all objects of reference are things in an unproblematic ordinary-life sense. So what at first sight appears to be a limitation of our understanding of the nature of an object and consequently seems to ask for more empirical research often turns out to be a limitation of our understanding of how we use our language. The paper concludes that one important aspect of what the later W. opposes is dualism: The mental cannot be conceived of as an additional ‘something’ a description of which could be just added to a description of a person as a physical being. Thus W.’s anti-dualism can also be read as turning against a dualism in his Tractatus: The mental realm as well as other provinces of ‘the higher’ are no longer seen as areas of entities about which we have to be silent.
Wittgenstein und die Begriffe des Psychischen bei Hegel
Authors: Berg Alexander
Published: December 2019

Wittgenstein and the Concepts of Mind in Hegel. Hegel distinguishes three main forms of the (subjective) mind – the soul, the consciousness and the spirit. He seeks to use these concepts to rediscover the meaning of Aristotle’s works on the soul (Περὶ ψυχῆς) and, at the same time, to counteract certain scientistic tendencies within the philosophy of mind. Although Wittgenstein (most likely) was not aware of these Hegelian distinctions, his own use of the concepts of mind exhibits some remarkable similarities to Hegel’s, and Wittgenstein too develops his understanding of mind by first examining the scientific psychology of his time and delineating his own position by way of contrast with it.

This article examines three areas in which Wittgenstein substantially developed his understanding of the concepts of mind. The sequence of the investigation follows the order in which these areas became significant for Wittgenstein’s thinking, and compares them in each case with the three main Hegelian forms of the concepts of mind.
„Denken wir wieder an die Intention, Schach zu spielen.“
Authors: Max Ingolf
Published: December 2019

“Let us think of the intention to play chess”. On the Role of Chess Analogies in Wittgenstein’s Philosophy starting from 1929. Chess analogies represent a neglected topic in the studies on Wittgenstein. However, already a closer look at the Philosophical Investigations shows the great variety of contexts in which there are analogies to very different aspects of chess. An examination of the entire Nachlass illustrates Wittgenstein’s ongoing interest in chess which began in 1929 and lasted until his death in 1951. The integration of a thorough analysis of the references to chess sheds new light on an adequate understanding of the transition from his early philosophy of the Tractatus logico-philosophicus to his later philosophy, especially in the years 1929 to 1931. In our language of analysis, chess is understood as a codex-based strategy game. In this context and in contrast to it, we consider selected instructive uses of chess analogies in Wittgenstein's Nachlass. By means of such analogies similarities as well as filigree or significant differences in the meanings of linguistic expressions can be very convincingly illustrated, misunderstandings can be removed and complete clarity can be attained. Starting from Wittgenstein's considerations, the method of finding and inventing chess analogies can be developed in perspective into a creative form of practice of linguistic-analytic philosophizing.
Evaluation of the effect of different surface treatments on the bond strength of non-precious alloy‒ceramic interface: An SEM study
Authors: Belkhode Vikram M. , Nimonkar Sharayu V. , Godbole S. R. , Nimonkar Pranali , Sathe Seema , Borle Anjali
Published: December 2019

Background. Dental porcelain has excellent esthetics in combination with biocompatibility and is one of the most commonly used restorative materials. Its low tensile strength remains a major drawback. The porcelain-fused-to-metal restorations have been introduced to increase the fracture resistance of dental porcelain. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of different surface treatments on the bond strength of a non-precious alloy to ceramic. Methods. The present cross-sectional observational study was conducted with forty samples of cobalt‒chromium that were fabricated with porcelain interposed between the two metal test pieces. The metal was subjected to combinations of different surface treatments. The samples group A (n=10) were not subjected to any surface treatments. Group B samples underwent sandblasting and surface grinding. Group C samples were subjected to sandblasting, surface grinding and degassing; and group D samples underwent sandblasting, surface grinding, ultrasonic cleaning and degassing. The tensile bond strength was measured in a universal testing machine, and a scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to obtain images of the samples after surface treatment to determine the surface irregularities and after the debonding of the samples for the type of the bond failure. ANOVA was used for the statistical analysis. Results. The results showed significant variations in the tensile bond strength between the four groups (F=251.05, P=0.000). The SEM images of group A showed no surface irregularities; group C samples exhibited surface irregularities more than those in group B. Group D had the highest surface irregularities. SEM evaluations showed a statistically significant difference in the type of bond failure (P<0.001). Conclusion. Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that the surface treatments on the metal increased the bond strength of the metal‒ceramic interface significantly. A combination of sandblasting, surface grinding and ultrasonic cleaning, followed by degassing, resulted in the highest tensile bond strength.
Experimental Study on Air Expansion Deformation of Composite Geomembrane under Ring-Restrained Condition
Authors: Yu Hai-rui , Li Wang-lin , Wei Ru-chun , Li Chen
Published: December 2019

The mechanical properties and failure mechanism of composite geomembrane air expansion deformation occurring in plain reservoirs or artificial lakes are investigated. Composite geomembranes are formed by the heat combination of a core geomembrane and the geotextiles on two sides. The deformation is simplified as a spherical bulging deformation under ring-restrained conditions. The experiment is performed by a self-developed apparatus. Rules of the air expansion deformation and failure are summarized, and the following conclusions are drawn. Air expansion deformation and failure belong to tensile failure, which begins at the crown top, and a typical failure mode is a crack distributed along the crown (great circle). The composite geomembrane produces synergistic deformation during the air expansion process, and the outer geotextile bears a large tensile force. The geotextile and geomembrane are broken simultaneously and are not separated during the failure process. A 34-Hz frequency is selected as the basic loading rate for the air expansion tests of the composite geomembrane; at this frequency, the bursting pressure is 3.24 MPa, and the bursting height is 26.1 mm. The tensile stress and strain curve of a composite geomembrane can be divided into four stages: elastic stage, yield stage, strengthening phase, and breaking stage. The air expansion deformation degree is inhomogeneous, at which the maximum is at the crown top and the minimum is at the ring constraint. The air expansion elongation at break is 17.3 %, which is far less than the uniaxial tensile elongation at break of 51.7 %.
Guidance on the Use of Existing ASTM Polymer Testing Standards for ABS Parts Fabricated Using FFF
Authors: Miller Arielle , Brown Celeste , Warner Grant
Published: December 2019

When evaluating the static mechanical performance of fused filament fabrication (FFF) polymers, researchers have conducted tensile testing using ASTM D3039, Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Polymer Matrix Composite Materials, and ASTM D638, Standard Test Method for Tensile Properties of Plastics. The choice of ASTM D638 versus ASTM D3039 test specimen geometry is usually based on the perceived susceptibility of the ASTM D638 test specimens to failure within the fillet radius. ASTM polymer and plastic tensile test standards define criteria for acceptably tested specimens as requiring failure inside the narrow length (i.e., ASTM D638) or outside of the grips (i.e., ASTM D3039) for the results to be considered acceptable. There has been limited published research regarding the selection of an ASTM test specimen geometry for FFF polymer materials. This study provides evidence-based guidance through the comparison of the mechanical performance and failure acceptance rates of ASTM D3039 and ASTM D638 test specimen geometries, fabricated using FFF acrylonitrile butadiene styrene. The purpose of this study is to provide guidance on the use of existing ASTM polymer testing standards for additively manufactured polymers. Results indicate there is an inherent benefit to using ASTM D3039 over ASTM D638 Type I and Type IV test specimens for tensile testing. ASTM D3039 test specimens provide the most consistent failure within the test specimen’s gage length, which is attributed to the rectangular design of the test specimen. Results also indicated that, like traditionally manufactured polymer composites, there will be differences in the tensile test results (e.g., ultimate tensile strength, elastic modulus) based on the different cross-sectional areas of the test specimen geometries.
Approaches to the life and influence of the Austro-American sports physician Hans Kraus (1905-1996)
Authors: Müllner Rudolf
Published: December 2019

The Austrian physician Hans Kraus was a central figure in the founding of the American fitness movement. His life and work are to this day almost unknown both within the Austrian scientific community and to a broader public.Kraus was born in Trieste in 1905 and obtained a doctorate in medicine from the University of Vienna in 1929. Subsequently he trained as an orthopedic surgeon at the Vienna General Hospital. After the annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938, he flew to the United States and worked at the prestigious Columbia Presbyterian Hospital (now the New York Presbyterian Hospital). His field of research was the physical performance and fitness of the American youth. At the beginning of the 1950s Kraus noted enormous deficits compared to the European youth. This attracted much public attention and led to significant public health interventions such as the founding of the "President's Council on Physical Fitness and Sports". This council should encourage the American population to engage in physical activity. In addition, Kraus gained great prominence as one of John F. Kennedy's doctors. On the occasion of his death in 1996, the New York Times described him as the "originator of sports medicine in U.S.". This study has two goals: Firstly, it will outline the migrant biography of Hans Kraus based on the work of Susan Schwartz (2005). Secondly, approaches for the classification of the scientific work of Kraus in the cultural history of fitness and physical enhancement will be presented. The theoretical background to this is Foucault's concept of biopolitics. The knowledge gained by physicians such as Kraus is interpreted as knowledge of power, which has a disciplining and regulating effect on the body and the population.
Probing Proteostatic Stress in Degenerating Photoreceptors Using Two ComplementaryIn VivoReporters of Proteasomal Activity
Authors: Dexter Paige M. , Lobanova Ekaterina S. , Finkelstein Stella , Arshavsky Vadim Y.
Published: December 2019

Inherited retinal degenerations originate from mutations in >300 genes, many of which cause the production of misfolded mutant photoreceptor proteins that are ultimately degraded by the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS). It was previously shown that rod photoreceptors in multiple mouse models of retinal degeneration suffer from proteostatic stress consisting of an insufficient cellular capacity for degrading UPS substrates. In this study, we focused on a specific UPS component required for the degradation of a subset of proteasome targets: the substrate-processing complex formed by the AAA+ ATPase P97/VCP and associated cofactors. To assess whether P97 capacity may be insufficient in degenerating rods, we employed two complementaryin vivoproteasomal activity reporters whose degradation is either P97-dependent or P97-independent. Retinal accumulation of each reporter was measured in two models of retinal degeneration: the transducinγ-subunit knock-out (Gγ1-/-) and P23H rhodopsin knock-in (P23H) mice. Strikingly, the patterns of reporter accumulation differed between these models, indicating that the proteostatic stress observed inGγ1-/-and P23H rods likely originates from different pathobiological mechanisms, in which UPS substrate degradation may or may not be limited by P97-dependent substrate processing. Further, we assessed whether P97 overexpression could ameliorate pathology inGγ1-/-mice, in which proteostatic stress appears to result from P97 insufficiency. However, despite P97 overexpression being aphenotypic in other tissues, the ∼2.4-fold increase in retinal P97 content was toxic to rods, which complicated the interpretation of the observed phenotype. Our results highlight the complexity of pathophysiological mechanisms related to degrading misfolded proteins in mutant photoreceptors.
Cocaine Dysregulates Dynorphin Modulation of Inhibitory Neurotransmission in the Ventral Pallidum in a Cell-Type-Specific Manner
Authors: Inbar Kineret , Levi Liran A. , Bernat Nimrod , Odesser Tal , Inbar Dorrit , Kupchik Yonatan M.
Published: December 2019

Cocaine-driven changes in the modulation of neurotransmission by neuromodulators are poorly understood. The ventral pallidum (VP) is a key structure in the reward system, in which GABA neurotransmission is regulated by opioid neuropeptides, including dynorphin. However, it is not known whether dynorphin acts differently on different cell types in the VP and whether its effects are altered by withdrawal from cocaine. Here, we trained wild-type, D1-Cre, A2A-Cre, or vGluT2-Cre:Ai9 male and female mice in a cocaine conditioned place preference protocol followed by 2 weeks of abstinence, and then recorded GABAergic synaptic input evoked either electrically or optogenetically onto identified VP neurons before and after applying dynorphin. We found that after cocaine CPP and abstinence dynorphin attenuated inhibitory input to VPGABAneurons through a postsynaptic mechanism. This effect was absent in saline mice. Furthermore, this effect was seen specifically on the inputs from nucleus accumbens medium spiny neurons expressing either the D1 or the D2 dopamine receptor. Unlike its effect on VPGABAneurons, dynorphin surprisingly potentiated the inhibitory input on VPvGluT2neurons, but this effect was abolished after cocaine CPP and abstinence. Thus, dynorphin has contrasting influences on GABA input to VPGABAand VPvGluT2neurons and these influences are affected differentially by cocaine CPP and abstinence. Collectively, our data suggest a role for dynorphin in withdrawal through its actions in the VP. As VPGABAand VPvGluT2neurons have contrasting effects on drug-seeking behavior, our data may indicate a complex role for dynorphin in withdrawal from cocaine.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe ventral pallidum consists mainly of GABAergic reward-promoting neurons, but it also encloses a subgroup of aversion-promoting glutamatergic neurons. Dynorphin, an opioid neuropeptide abundant in the ventral pallidum, shows differential modulation of GABA input to GABAergic and glutamatergic pallidal neurons and may therefore affect both the rewarding and aversive aspects of withdrawal. Indeed, abstinence after repeated exposure to cocaine alters dynorphin actions in a cell-type-specific manner; after abstinence dynorphin suppresses the inhibitory drive on the “rewarding” GABAergic neurons but ceases to modulate the inhibitory drive on the “aversive” glutamatergic neurons. This reflects a complex role for dynorphin in cocaine reward and abstinence.
Taste Quality Representation in the Human Brain
Authors: Avery Jason A. , Liu Alexander G. , Ingeholm John E. , Riddell Cameron D. , Gotts Stephen J. , Martin Alex
Published: December 2019

In the mammalian brain, the insula is the primary cortical substrate involved in the perception of taste. Recent imaging studies in rodents have identified a “gustotopic” organization in the insula, whereby distinct insula regions are selectively responsive to one of the five basic tastes. However, numerous studies in monkeys have reported that gustatory cortical neurons are broadly-tuned to multiple tastes, and tastes are not represented in discrete spatial locations. Neuroimaging studies in humans have thus far been unable to discern between these two models, though this may be because of the relatively low spatial resolution used in taste studies to date. In the present study, we examined the spatial representation of taste within the human brain using ultra-high resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at high magnetic field strength (7-tesla). During scanning, male and female participants tasted sweet, salty, sour, and tasteless liquids, delivered via a custom-built MRI-compatible tastant-delivery system. Our univariate analyses revealed that all tastes (vs tasteless) activated primary taste cortex within the bilateral dorsal mid-insula, but no brain region exhibited a consistent preference for any individual taste. However, our multivariate searchlight analyses were able to reliably decode the identity of distinct tastes within those mid-insula regions, as well as brain regions involved in affect and reward, such as the striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and amygdala. These results suggest that taste quality is not represented topographically, but by a distributed population code, both within primary taste cortex as well as regions involved in processing the hedonic and aversive properties of taste.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTThe insula is the primary cortical substrate involved in taste perception, yet some question remains as to whether this region represents distinct tastes topographically or via a population code. Using high field (7-tesla), high-resolution functional magnetic resonance imaging in humans, we examined the representation of different tastes delivered during scanning. All tastes activated primary taste cortex within the bilateral mid-insula, but no brain region exhibited any consistent taste preference. However, multivariate analyses reliably decoded taste quality within the bilateral mid-insula as well as the striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and bilateral amygdala. This suggests that taste quality is represented by a spatial population code within regions involved in sensory and appetitive properties of taste.
Progression from Feature-Specific Brain Activity to Hippocampal Binding during Episodic Encoding
Authors: Cooper Rose A. , Ritchey Maureen
Published: December 2019

The hallmark of episodic memory is recollecting multiple perceptual details tied to a specific spatial-temporal context. To remember an event, it is therefore necessary to integrate such details into a coherent representation during initial encoding. Here we tested how the brain encodes and binds multiple, distinct kinds of features in parallel, and how this process evolves over time during the event itself. We analyzed data from 27 human subjects (16 females, 11 males) who learned a series of objects uniquely associated with a color, a panoramic scene location, and an emotional sound while fMRI data were collected. By modeling how brain activity relates to memory for upcoming or just-viewed information, we were able to test how the neural signatures of individual features as well as the integrated event changed over the course of encoding. We observed a striking dissociation between early and late encoding processes: left inferior frontal and visuo-perceptual signals at the onset of an event tracked the amount of detail subsequently recalled and were dissociable based on distinct remembered features. In contrast, memory-related brain activity shifted to the left hippocampus toward the end of an event, which was particularly sensitive to binding item color and sound associations with spatial information. These results provide evidence of early, simultaneous feature-specific neural responses during episodic encoding that predict later remembering and suggest that the hippocampus integrates these features into a coherent experience at an event transition.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTUnderstanding and remembering complex experiences are crucial for many socio-cognitive abilities, including being able to navigate our environment, predict the future, and share experiences with others. Probing the neural mechanisms by which features become bound into meaningful episodes is a vital part of understanding how we view and reconstruct the rich detail of our environment. By testing memory for multimodal events, our findings show a functional dissociation between early encoding processes that engage lateral frontal and sensory regions to successfully encode event features, and later encoding processes that recruit hippocampus to bind these features together. These results highlight the importance of considering the temporal dynamics of encoding processes supporting multimodal event representations.
Armitage determines Piwi−piRISC processing from precursor formation and quality control to inter‐organelle translocation
Authors: Yamashiro Haruna , Negishi Mayu , Kinoshita Tatsuki , Ishizu Hirotsugu , Ohtani Hitoshi , Siomi Mikiko C
Published: December 2019

Piwi and piRNA form the piRNA‐induced silencing complex (piRISC) to repress transposons. In the current model, Armitage (Armi) brings the Piwi–piRISC precursor (pre‐piRISC) to mitochondria, where Zucchini‐dependent piRISC maturation occurs. Here, we show that Armi is necessary for Piwi–pre‐piRISC formation at Yb bodies and that Armi triggers the exit of Piwi–pre‐piRISC from Yb bodies and the translocation to mitochondria. Piwi–pre‐piRISC resist leaving Yb bodies until Armi binds Piwi–pre‐piRISC through the piRNA precursors. The lack of the Armi N‐terminus also blocks the Piwi–pre‐piRISC exit from Yb bodies. Thus, Armi determines Piwi–piRISC processing, in a multilayered manner, from precursor formation and quality control to inter‐organelle translocation for maturation.
Competencia profesional de futuros docentes, tratamiento de la diversidad y alumnado inmigrante
Authors: Abal Alonso Nuria , Fuentes Abeledo Eduardo José , Muñoz Carril Pablo César
Published: December 2019

La investigación en la que se enmarca la aportación de este artículo responde a la recomendación del Consejo de la Unión Europea (2014) sobre la realización de estudios acerca del desarrollo de las competencias de los maestros. Nuestro objetivo es ofrecer una radiografía del nivel de competencia en las diferentes funciones y tareas docentes de los futuros profesores al final de sus estudios de Grado de Educación Infantil desde la propia perspectiva de los maestros en formación de dos Universidades públicas de Galicia. En este trabajo nos centramos en algunas de las competencias necesarias para afrontar retos educativos que se derivan de fenómenos como el multiculturalismo, el plurilingüismo, la inmigración y la diversidad. Los resultados nos alertan de la distancia que existe entre la autopercepción de competencia en las variables seleccionadas y las recomendaciones del Consejo de Europa (2019) relacionadas con las mismas.
La formación en interpretación remota: una experiencia docente interuniversitaria
Authors: Vigier-Moreno Francisco Javier , Lázaro Gutiérrez Raquel
Published: December 2019

La interpretación remota, es decir, la mediación lingüística oral que se realiza a través de algún medio tecnológico (como la interpretación telefónica o la interpretación por videoconferencia), está cobrando gran impulso en todo el mundo debido a sus incuestionables ventajas en cuanto a coste y disponibilidad tanto geográfica como temporal de los intérpretes. Sin embargo, los centros universitarios de formación de intérpretes no parecen estar ofreciendo programas formativos en esta nueva modalidad de trabajo. Para cubrir este vacío, en los cursos académicos 2016-17, 2017-18 y 2018-19 se llevó a cabo una experiencia docente interuniversitaria en forma de taller de interpretación remota entre la Universidad Pablo de Olavide de Sevilla y la Universidad de Alcalá, cuyo diseño, implementación, metodología y evaluación se describen en este artículo.
Die Risikotonalität deutscher Kreditinstitute in der externen Berichterstattung
Authors: Wilhelms Jan Hendrik , Wiedemann Arnd
Published: December 2019

Die Bedeutung der Unternehmenskommunikation ist in den letzten Jahren deutlich gestiegen. Dies gilt in besonderem Maße auch für die Kreditwirtschaft. Dieser Beitrag analysiert Unterschiede in der externen Berichterstattung der drei Bankensektoren in Deutschland, den Sparkassen, den Genossenschaftsbanken und den sonstigen Instituten mittels einer automatisierten, wörterbuchbasierten Textanalyse. Es lassen sich deutliche Unterschiede identifizieren. Insbesondere ist die Sprache der Sparkassen positiver als die der Kreditgenossenschaften.

Zusätzlich zu den üblichen Wörterbüchern für positive und negative Wörter zur Messung der Tonalität der Kommunikation wird im Rahmen dieses Beitrags ein eigenes Wörterbuch für die Kategorie „Risiko“ entwickelt und angewendet. Mit diesem kann gezeigt werden, dass Sparkassen Risikobegrifflichkeiten deutlich häufiger verwenden. Auch geht eine pessimistischere Sprache einher mit einer vermehrten Verwendung von Risikobegriffen. Rein quantitativ dominieren in der externen Berichterstattung die Risiken die sich aus der Risikoübernahme ergebenden Chancen.
Pit and fissure sealants penetration capacity and their correlation with fissure morphology
Authors: Muntean Alexandrina , Simu Meda-Romana , Suhani Raluca , Mesaros Anca Stefania
Published: December 2019

Background and aims. Pit and fissure sealant placement corresponds to an effective approach of the prevention of caries on occlusal surfaces. Fissure morphology and dental material characteristics are the key factors for sealant effectiveness. The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the penetration ability of two commercially available pit and fissure sealants.

Methods. Twenty sound human premolars extracted for orthodontic purpose have been sealed according to manufacturer’s instructions as follows: Group I (n=10), light-cured unfilled resin-based sealant, Admira Seal® (Voco GmbH); Group II (n=10), resin modified glass ionomer sealant without varnish, GC Fuji Triage® (GC Corporation). The teeth have been sectioned buccal-lingually in the middle of the occlusal surface, and the sections were examined at 40x with an inverted microscope.

Results. Penetration of the sealants was found to be greater in U-type fissure pattern (91.69%) followed by V-type (75.42%), IK-type (71.24%) and then in I-type (63.98%). The depth of penetration of GC Fuji Triage® (82.85%) demonstrated to be superior to Admira Seal® (76.28%).

Conclusion. U fissure design was more common than other fissure patterns and showed significantly higher penetration for the two type of sealants evaluated. Resin modified glass ionomer sealant used in the present study perform comparably with the filled resin sealant.