bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feminist Engagements with the History of Philosophy
Authors: Witt Charlotte
Published: June 2021

Feminist engagement with the Western philosophical canon is not a recent development; indeed, it stretches back at least to the Renaissance in the work of early feminist thinkers like the poet and philosopher Lucrezia Marinella. In The Nobility and Excellence of Women and the Defects and Vices of Men, Marinella uses an Aristotelian framework of bodily temperatures to argue for the superiority of women—a deeply ironic strategy of appropriation given Aristotle’s explicit and well-known views on the inferiority of the female animal. Still, the appropriation of canonical philosophers for use in feminist theorizing is an important strand in feminist engagement with the philosophical canon. And our knowledge of the existence of philosophers like Lucrezia Marinella exemplifies another facet of feminist engagement with the philosophical canon, namely the ongoing transformation of the history of Western philosophy to include the presence and voices of women philosophers. Other feminist historians of philosophy focus on uncovering and criticizing the sexism or misogyny in the thought of canonical philosophers like Aristotle and Kant (and many others). Finally, the proliferation of feminist engagements with the history of philosophy, and the questions that they raise about how contemporary philosophy is related to its past, has inspired reflection by feminist historians on the nature and methods of their discipline.
Latina/x Feminist Philosophy
Authors: Pitts Andrea J.
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in Latina/x feminist philosophy, as well as reflection on important contributions and future directions to the field and Themes discussed in the chapter include identity and the self, embodiment, ambivalence, multiplicity, and the relationship between Latin American and US Latinx philosophies. The chapter explains that much of the work among Latina/x feminist scholars strives to analyze the complicated dynamics among communities of color, including coalitional work among Black, Indigenous, Asian, Arab, and Latin American women.
Native and Indigenous Feminisms and Philosophies
Authors: Welch Shay
Published: June 2021

This chapter considers the intersection of Native American philosophy and feminist philosophy. It discusses the central themes and issues in Native American feminism; the epistemological, metaphysical, ethical, and political commitments that inform knowing and living in Native communities; and views about mainstream feminism. In addition, the chapter reflects on future directions of Native American philosophy generally and with respect to women’s issues specifically. Section one includes some core philosophical assumptions of the Native American worldview(s), which serve as the basis for Native American philosophy and about/from which Native and Native-ally philosophers theorize. The second section identifies the various camps of woman-centered Native theorizing: tribalism, womanism, and feminism. The third section explores the ways in which Native American philosophy intersects with feminist philosophy.
Metaphysics
Authors: Mikkola Mari
Published: June 2021

This chapter introduces some central issues and themes in feminist philosophical engagements with metaphysics. It provides an outline of what feminist metaphysics typically deals with and how to understand what this putative sub-discipline of metaphysics aims to achieve. One issue that has been increasingly discussed is whether feminist and “mainstream” metaphysics are compatible. The paper considers this question and examines whether one prominent strand of contemporary analytic metaphysics, Frank Jackson’s “serious metaphysics,” undermines feminist metaphysics. In so doing, the paper first presents in more detail themes central to feminist metaphysics. Next it outlines Jackson’s view. Finally, the paper will consider the compatibility of feminist and “serious” metaphysics, concluding that feminist metaphysics both is and is not compatible with Jackson’s metaphysics, depending on how we understand his project. Nevertheless, the paper suggests that this may not be because feminist metaphysicians are misguided in some sense; rather, issues internal to Jackson’s view generate the gap.
Continental Feminist Ethics
Authors: Gilson Erinn
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in continental feminist philosophical engagements with ethics. It considers how continental feminist ethics is an extension and deepening of certain threads of critical and constructive work in feminist ethics in general by exploring two overarching themes: the intersection of ethics and politics through the operation of norms and normalization, and the ethical significance of how subjects are formed. Four related ethical concepts—embodiment, vulnerability, relationality, and alterity—characterize the more profound conditions and processes of subject formation. The chapter suggests that, overall, continental feminist ethicists share the insight that embodied existence is ambiguous and contends that the most promising future for continental feminist thinking about ethics lies in critical analysis of actual specific practices.
On Feminist Temporalities
Authors: Hodge Joanna
Published: June 2021

This entry inserts feminist critiques of traditions of thinking time and temporality into major strands of philosophy to reveal underlying connections from this critique to themes discussed in materialist and postcolonial philosophy. The Greek contrast between chronos, time as date, and kairos, time as turning point, as transmitted, splits philosophy into physics and ethics, natural philosophy and politics, which for feminist purposes must be reunited around a single account of time, and temporality, history and materiality. Analyses of differential embodiment, pregnancy and sterility, disability and chronic illness, reveals difference where oversimplified phenomenologies of the body seek a single unified body in question. The same holds for time and history, as this account of feminist temporalities seeks to show. A philosophical fixation with death, as opposed to analysing births, helps keep in place a one size fits all approach to bodies, deaths and time, which feminist critique seeks to disrupt.
Feminism and Epistemic Injustice
Authors: Medina José
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in feminist philosophical work on injustice that is distinctly epistemic. The first part of the chapter focuses on the contributions that classic feminist theorists have made to the conceptualization of issues of epistemic injustice long before such name was available, focusing especially on the writings of feminists of color from the seventeenth century onward (Sojourner Truth, Maria Stewart, Gloria Anzaldúa, Audre Lorde, etc.). The second half of the chapter focuses on the contributions to recent discussions of epistemic injustice by contemporary feminist scholars, especially Lorraine Code, Kristie Dotson, and Miranda Fricker. The chapter highlights the ways in which the feminist paradigms of intersectionality and standpoint theory have shaped analyses of epistemic injustice and epistemic resistance against injustice, elaborating the key notions of epistemic agency, epistemic responsibility and epistemic advocacy.
Epistemic Oppression, Ignorance, and Resistance
Authors: Pohlhaus Gaile
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of how feminist philosophers have understood the function of ignorance, in terms of epistemic oppression and epistemic resistance, with particular attention to how different forms of ignorance operate in relation to epistemic agency and epistemic autonomy. It analyzes three ways in which ignorance has been conceived in relation to epistemic oppression and resistance: ignorance as absence of knowledge, ignorance as active ignoring, and the use of ignorance as resistance to oppression. In addition, this chapter questions whether the frame of ignorance continues to be helpful for resisting epistemic oppression and considers an alternative frame for tracking the infringements on epistemic agency and autonomy highlighted in the literature on ignorance.
The Gender-Climate-Injustice Nexus
Authors: Parr Adrian
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in feminist critiques of the institutionalized system of gender-climate-injustice operating across the social, cultural, economic, political, and environmental spheres. In its consideration of the gendered impacts of climate change, it discusses the forces of violence, injustice, and inequity, which are at the core of the gender-climate-injustice nexus. It reflects on the meaning and possibility of a feminist climate change politics that works within the gender-climate-injustice nexus. Combining Judith Butler, Nancy Fraser, Chandra Mohanty, and Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, I argue for the importance of using feminist theory and a gendered perspective when assessing the variegated and uneven impacts climate change is, and will continue producing.
Critical Race Theory, Intersectionality, and Feminist Philosophy
Authors: Cisneros Natalie
Published: June 2021

This chapter offers an account of central issues and themes in feminist philosophical engagements with critical race theory, reflection on examples of important contributions to this discussion, and current and future directions in feminist critical race theory. In particular, it focuses on feminist philosophy’s engagement with intersectionality as the most productive site of the field’s engagement with critical race theory. The chapter discusses the meaning of intersectionality and the importance of understanding the concept not only in terms of the field of critical race theory but also as a philosophical contribution of the Black feminist intellectual tradition. The chapter explores how Black feminist philosophers and other feminist philosophers of color have resisted the move towards operational intersectionality and opened productive, liberatory ways forward for intersectional work within feminist philosophy as a critical practice rooted in the lived experiences of women of color.
FeminisT Phenomenology
Authors: Weiss Gail
Published: June 2021

This chapter charts the field-defining contributions to feminist phenomenology made by Simone de Beauvoir, Iris Marion Young, Sandra Lee Bartky, and Judith Butler and discusses how their work has been influenced by, critically intervened in, and transformed traditional phenomenology. Drawing on their work as well as the recent work of contemporary feminist phenomenologists such as Lisa Guenther, Sara Ahmed, Linda Martín Alcoff, Mariana Ortega, and Gayle Salamon, the chapter emphasizes that feminist phenomenology is a critical phenomenology. Not only does it directly engage specific social and political issues, eschewing the alleged universality and value-neutrality of traditional phenomenological accounts, but it is also in dialogue with, and immeasurably enriched by the multi- and interdisciplinary fields of critical race theory, prison studies, trans studies, queer theory, and disability studies.
Eating Local: A philosophical toolbox
Authors: Borghini Andrea , Piras Nicola , Serini Beatrice
Published: June 2021

Eating local food has become a mainstream proxy for virtue and a reliable model of sustainable dieting. It suffers, nonetheless, from genuine criticisms and limitations. In this paper, we suggest theoretical amendments to reorient the local food movement and turn eating local into a robust concept—comprehensive, coherent, and inclusive, affording a firm grip over structural aspects of the food chain. We develop our argument in three parts. The first contends that ‘local’ can be said of lots of entities (e.g. whole or multi-ingredient foods, recipes, menus) and that its meaning varies depending on which entities are under consideration. The second examines three dimensions of being local: the distance from the place of production; the geographical origins; the social links to consumers and producers. The third presents our robust conception of eating local, grounded on a more realistic model that accommodates for heterogeneous and complex actors.
Contribution of heavy neutrinos to decay of standard-model-like Higgs boson →μτ in a 3-3-1 model with additional gauge singlets
Authors: Hung H T , Tham N T , Hieu T T , Hang N T T
Published: June 2021

In the framework of the improved version of the 3-3-1 models with right-handed neutrinos, which are added to the Majorana neutrinos as new gauge singlets, the recent experimental neutrino oscillation data is completely explained through the inverse seesaw mechanism. We show that the major contributions to $Br(\mu\rightarrow e\gamma)$ are derived from corrections at one-loop order of heavy neutrinos and bosons. But, these contributions are sometimes mutually destructive, creating regions of parametric spaces where the experimental limits of $Br(\mu\rightarrow e\gamma)$ are satisfied. In these regions, we find that $Br(\tau\rightarrow \mu\gamma)$ can achieve values of $10 ^{- 10}$ and $Br(\tau\rightarrow e\gamma)$ may even reach values of $10 ^{- 9}$, very close to the upper bound of the current experimental limits. Those are ideal areas to study lepton-flavor-violating decays of the standard-model-like Higgs boson ($h_1^0$). We also point out that the contributions of heavy neutrinos play an important role in changing $Br(h_1^0\rightarrow \mu\tau)$; this is presented through different forms of mass mixing matrices ($M_R$) of heavy neutrinos. When $M_R \sim \mathrm{diag}(1,1,1)$, $Br(h_1^0\rightarrow \mu\tau)$ can attain a greater value than in the cases $M_R \sim \mathrm{diag}(1,2,3)$ and $M_R \sim \mathrm{diag}(3,2,1)$; the largest that $Br(h_1^0\rightarrow \mu\tau)$ can reach is very close $10 ^{-3}$.
Shoulder-Specific Patient-Reported Outcome Measures for Use in Patients With Head and Neck Cancer: An Assessment of Reliability, Construct Validity, and Overall Appropriateness of Test Score Interpretation Using Rasch Analysis
Authors: Eden Melissa M , Kunze Katie L , Galantino Mary Lou , Kolber Morey J , Cheng M Samuel
Published: June 2021

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to investigate the construct validity and overall appropriateness of test score interpretation of 4 shoulder-related patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures for use in a population of patients with head and neck cancer using Rasch analysis.

Methods

One hundred eighty-two individuals who had received a neck dissection procedure within the past 2 weeks to 18 months were recruited for this cross-sectional psychometric study. Rasch methodologies were used to investigate scale dimensionality, scale hierarchy, response scale structure, and reliability of Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand (DASH), QuickDASH, Shoulder Pain and Disability Index (SPADI), and Neck Dissection Impairment Index (NDII).

Results

DASH did not meet criteria for unidimensionality and was deemed inappropriate for use in this sample. The QuickDASH, SPADI, and NDII were all determined to be unidimensional. All scales had varying issues with person and item misfit, differential item functioning, coverage of ability levels, and optimal rating scale requirements. The NDII met most requirements. All measures were found to meet thresholds for person and item separation as well as reliability statistics.

Conclusions

Rasch analysis indicates the NDII is the most appropriate measure studied for this population. The QuickDASH and SPADI are recommended with reservation, whereas the DASH is not recommended.

Impact

This study demonstrates the use of objective methodologies, using Rasch analysis, to validate PRO recommendations provided by clinical experts in forums such as the Evaluation Database to Guide Effectiveness (EDGE) TaskForce, which are based upon a comprehensive literature review, consideration of published psychometric properties, and expert consensus. Use of Rasch methodologies demonstrates weaknesses in this model and provides opportunities to strengthen recommendations for clinicians.
Central Vestibular Functions Correlate With Fatigue and Walking Capacity in People With Multiple Sclerosis
Authors: Cochrane Graham D , Christy Jennifer B , Motl Robert W
Published: June 2021

Objective

Imbalance and fatigue are among the most common and disabling symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS). Vestibular rehabilitation studies demonstrate not only improvements in balance but fatigue also, suggesting a relationship between central vestibular integration and fatigue. The objective of this study was to determine whether the relationship between balance and fatigue in people with MS is seen between other measures of central vestibular integration and fatigue and to understand how central vestibular integration measures interrelate.

Methods

This cross-sectional study consisted of 40 people with MS (age = 27–55 years, Expanded Disability Severity Scale score = 1.0–6.5) who completed vestibular ocular reflex testing, subjective visual vertical testing, static posturography, dynamic gait, 2 self-report fatigue surveys, and a 6-Minute Walk Test to assess walking capacity/physical fatigue was completed. Spearman correlations were calculated between variables.

Results

Measures of central vestibular integration were significantly correlated with measures of fatigue and walking capacity and with each other. The correlations between physical fatigue and central vestibular functions were larger than self-reported fatigue correlations with central vestibular functions.

Conclusion

The relationship between balance and fatigue extends to other measures requiring central vestibular integration, suggesting a deficit in central vestibular processing in people with MS. These measures may compliment balance assessment as outcome measures for vestibular rehabilitation in people with MS. Fatigue measures should be included in vestibular rehabilitation as secondary outcomes.

Impact

Correlations between central vestibular integration and fatigue in people with MS suggest that future studies of vestibular rehabilitation should include fatigue, as a secondary outcome measure as vestibular function and fatigue may share similar a similar etiology in people with MS.
Characteristics and reproducibility of novel sleep EEG biomarkers and their variation with sleep apnea and insomnia in a large community-based cohort
Authors: Younes Magdy , Azarbarzin Ali , Reid Michelle , Mazzotti Diego R , Redline Susan
Published: June 2021

Study Objectives

New electroencephalogram (EEG) features became available for use in polysomnography and have shown promise in early studies. They include a continuous index of sleep depth (odds-ratio-product: ORP), agreement between right and left sleep depth (R/L coefficient), dynamics of sleep recovery following arousals (ORP-9), general EEG amplification (EEG Power), alpha intrusion and arousal intensity. This study was undertaken to establish ranges and reproducibility of these features in subjects with different demographics and clinical status.

Methods

We utilized data from the two phases of the Sleep-Heart-Health-Study (SHHS1 and SHHS2). Polysomnograms of 5,804 subjects from SHHS1 were scored to determine the above features. Feature values were segregated according to clinical status of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), insomnia, insomnia plus OSA, no clinical sleep disorder, and demographics (age, gender, and race). Results from SHHS visit2 were compared with SHHS1 results.

Results

All features varied widely among clinical groups and demographics. Relative to participants with no sleep disorder, wake ORP was higher in participants reporting insomnia symptoms and lower in those with OSA (p < 0.0001 for both), reflecting opposite changes in sleep pressure, while NREM ORP was higher in both insomnia and OSA (p<0.0001), reflecting lighter sleep in both groups. There were significant associations with age, gender, and race. EEG Power, and REM ORP were highly reproducible across the two studies (ICC > 0.75).

Conclusions

The reported results serve as bases for interpreting studies that utilize novel sleep EEG biomarkers and identify characteristic EEG changes that vary with age, gender and may help distinguish insomnia from OSA.
Phylogeny, migration and geographic range size evolution ofAnaxdragonflies (Anisoptera: Aeshnidae)
Authors: Clement Rebecca A , Saxton Natalie A , Standring Samantha , Arnold Preston R , Johnson K Kaihileipihamekeola , Bybee David R , Bybee Seth M
Published: June 2021

The genus Anax is a group of cosmopolitan dragonflies noted for its conspicuous migratory behaviours and large size. Here we present the first dated, species-level, multigene, molecular phylogeny for the group to test generic and species-limits, as well as the evolution of migration and range size. Using five mitochondrial and nuclear gene regions (COI, COI/COII, CYTB/ND1, ITS1 and PRMT) from 20 species, we reconstructed a phylogeny of Anax using both a Bayesian and maximum likelihood approach. We found that Anax (including its hypothesized sister group Hemianax) forms a monophyletic group, and that 12 out of 20 species tested positive for monophyly were also monophyletic. The monophyly of several species of Anax is less clear. Migratory behaviour, which is known to occur in at least nine species, is recovered as the ancestral behaviour, which was lost and subsequently gained at least three times. Geographic range size seems to be tightly associated with migratory behaviour.
Plant Age Influences Microbiome Communities More Than Plant Compartment in Greenhouse-Grown Creeping Bentgrass
Authors: Doherty Joseph R. , Crouch Jo Anne , Roberts Joseph A.
Published: June 2021

Creeping bentgrass (Agrostis stolonifera) is widely used in golf course settings for its desirable playing surface characteristics; however, it is highly susceptible to diseases that can disrupt surface integrity and cause significant losses despite preventative management. Understanding the influence of early plant growth and basic management practices on microbiome communities are crucial first steps to developing future efforts to harness the microbiome for plant health. This study investigated bacterial and fungal communities of creeping bentgrass foliage and rhizosphere through 6 months postemergence under a controlled environment to elucidate microbiome community dynamics in response to plant age. We hypothesized that plant compartments will host distinct community structures and exhibit different responses to plant age. Our results showed that predominant bacterial phyla and fungal classes remain consistent across time and plant compartment. However, genus-level classification revealed that bacterial taxa differed across plant compartment while fungal taxa remained consistent. Host influence over the microbiome manifests quickly, with the largest shift in both microbial communities occurring between emergence and 2 months postemergence. For example, Burkholderia and Penicillium spp. were present at high relative abundance at emergence but, by 2 months postemergence, both taxa decreased significantly. Bacterial communities continued to experience significant fluctuation in rare taxa from 2 months postemergence onward, while fungal community structure was driven by the fluctuation of the most common taxa. These results highlight the connection between plant age and microbial community structure in creeping bentgrass in addition to underscoring future research efforts in creeping bentgrass microbiome manipulation for plant health.

[Formula: see text] Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license .
Pathogenicity Testing of Fungal Isolates Associated with Olive Trunk Diseases in South Africa
Authors: van Dyk Meagan , Spies Christoffel F. J. , Mostert Lizel , van der Rijst Marieta , du Plessis Ihan L. , Moyo Providence , van Jaarsveld Wynand J. , Halleen Francois
Published: June 2021

A recent olive trunk disease survey performed in the Western Cape Province, South Africa, identified several fungi associated with olive trunk disease symptoms, including species of Basidiomycota, Botryosphaeriaceae, Coniochaetaceae, Calosphaeriaceae, Diaporthaceae, Diatrypaceae, Phaeomoniellaceae, Phaeosphaeriaceae, Symbiotaphrinaceae, Togniniaceae, and Valsaceae. Many of the species recovered had not yet been reported from olive trees; therefore, the aim of this study was to determine their pathogenicity toward this host. Pathogenicity tests were first conducted on detached shoots to select virulent isolates, which were then used in field trials. During field trials, 2-year-old olive branches of 15-year-old trees were inoculated by inserting colonized agar plugs into artificially wounded tissue. Measurements were made of the internal lesions after 8 months. In total, 58 isolates were selected for the field trials. Species that formed lesions significantly larger than the control could be considered as olive trunk pathogens. These included Biscogniauxia rosacearum, Celerioriella umnquma, Coniochaeta velutina, Coniothyrium ferrarisianum, isolates of the Cytospora pruinosa complex, Didymocyrtis banksiae, Diaporthe foeniculina, Eutypa lata, Fomitiporella viticola, Neofusicoccum stellenboschiana, Neofusicoccum vitifusiforme, Neophaeomoniella niveniae, Phaeoacremonium africanum, Phaeoacremonium minimum, Phaeoacremonium oleae, Phaeoacremonium parasiticum, Phaeoacremonium prunicola, Phaeoacremonium scolyti, Phaeoacremonium spadicum, Pleurostoma richardsiae, Pseudophaeomoniella globosa, Punctularia atropurpurascens, Vredendaliella oleae, an undescribed Cytospora sp., Geosmithia sp., two undescribed Neofusicoccum spp., and four Xenocylindrosporium spp. Pseudophaeomoniella globosa can be regarded as one of the main olive trunk pathogens in South Africa because of its high incidence from olive trunk disease symptoms in established orchards and its high virulence in pathogenicity trials.
Sensitivity of the U.S. Wheat Powdery Mildew Population to Quinone Outside Inhibitor Fungicides and Determination of the Complete Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici Cytochrome b Gene
Authors: Cowger Christina , Meyers Emily , Whetten Rebecca
Published: June 2021

Wheat powdery mildew, caused by Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, is managed primarily with cultivar resistance and foliar fungicides. Quinone outside inhibitors (QoIs), which target the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene, are one of the two main fungicide classes used on wheat. While European populations of B. graminis f. sp. tritici are widely insensitive to QoIs, largely because of the cytb mutation G143A, the QoI sensitivity of the U.S. B. graminis f. sp. tritici population had never been evaluated despite years of QoI use on U.S. wheat. A total of 381 B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolates from 15 central and eastern U.S. states were screened for sensitivity to QoI fungicides pyraclostrobin and picoxystrobin. A modest range of sensitivities was observed, with maximum resistance factors of 11.2 for pyraclostrobin and 5.3 for picoxystrobin. The F129L, G137R, and G143A cytb mutations were not detected in the U.S. B. graminis f. sp. tritici population, nor were mutations identified in the PEWY loop, a key part of the Qo site. Thus, no genetic basis for the observed quantitative variation in QoI sensitivity of U.S. B. graminis f. sp. tritici was identified. Isolate sporulation was weakly negatively associated with reduced QoI sensitivity, suggesting a fitness cost. In the course of the study, the complete B. graminis f. sp. tritici cytb gene sequence was determined for the first time in the isolate 96224 v. 3.16 reference genome. Contrary to previous reports, the gene has an intron that appears to belong to intron group II, which is unusual in fungi. The study was the first QoI sensitivity screening of a large, geographically diverse set of U.S. B. graminis f. sp. tritici isolates, and while the population as a whole remains relatively sensitive, some quantitative loss of efficacy was observed.
Validamycin A Enhances the Interaction Between Neutral Trehalase and 14-3-3 Protein Bmh1 in Fusarium graminearum
Authors: Ren Li , Hou Yi-Ping , Zhu Yuan-Ye , Zhao Fei-Fei , Duan Ya-Bing , Wu Luo-Yu , Duan Xiao-Xin , Zhang Jie , Zhou Ming-Guo
Published: June 2021

In agriculture, Trehalase is considered the main target of the biological fungicide validamycin A, and the toxicology mechanism of validamycin A is unknown. 14-3-3 proteins, highly conserved proteins, participate in diverse cellular processes, including enzyme activation, protein localization, and acting as a molecular chaperone. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the 14-3-3 protein Bmh1could interact with Nth1 to respond to specific external stimuli. Here, we characterized FgNth, FgBmh1, and FgBmh2 in Fusarium graminearum. ΔFgNth, ΔFgBmh1, and ΔFgBmh2 displayed great growth defects and their peripheral tips hyphae generated more branches when compared with wild-type (WT) PH-1. When exposed to validamycin A as well as high osmotic and high temperature stresses, ΔFgNth, ΔFgBmh1, and ΔFgBmh2 showed more tolerance than WT. Both ΔFgNth and ΔFgBmh1 displayed reduced deoxynivalenol production but opposite for ΔFgBmh2, and all three deletion mutants showed reduced virulence on wheat coleoptiles. In addition, coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) experiments suggested that FgBmh1 and FgBmh2 both interact with FgNth, but no interaction was detected between FgBmh1 and FgBmh2 in our experiments. Further, validamycin A enhances the interaction between FgBmh1 and FgNth in a positive correlation under concentrations of 1 to 100 μg/ml. In addition, both high osmotic and high temperature stresses promote the interaction between FgBmh1 and FgNth. Co-IP assay also showed that neither FgBmh1 nor FgBmh2 could interact with FgPbs2, a MAPKK kinase in the high-osmolarity glycerol pathway. However, FgBmh2 but not FgBmh1 binds to the heat shock protein FgHsp70 in F. graminearum. Taken together, our results demonstrate that FgNth and FgBmh proteins are involved in growth and responses to external stresses and virulence; and validamycin enhanced the interaction between FgNth and FgBmh1in F. graminearum.
Physical Mechanisms Create and Loop the Embryonic Heart
Authors: Taber Larry
Published: June 2021

The morphogenetic mechanisms that drive heart early development are poorly understood. The objective of this study was to determine the role played by physical forces in formation and looping of the heart tube. The work involved integrating experiments on chick embryos with computational models based on the fundamental laws of mechanics.

For decades, it was commonly thought that the bilateral heart fields in the early embryo fold directly toward the midline, where they meet and fuse to form the primitive heart tube. Recent studies have challenged this view, however, suggesting that the heart fields fold in a diagonal pattern that carries their cranial aspects toward the midline. Our experiments and models suggest that differential anisotropic growth between mesoderm and endoderm drives diagonal folding to simultaneously create both the heart tube and foregut. Then, contraction along the anterior intestinal portal generates tension that elongates both structures.

After the heart tube forms, it begins to loop to create the basic pattern of the mature heart. During the first phase of looping (c‐looping), the heart tube bends and twists into a c‐shaped tube. First, we created cylindrical finite‐element models to simulate the bending process in isolated hearts. With the number of free parameters reduced as much as possible, numerical distributions of mechanical stress and strain were compared to those measured in cultured chick hearts. The results show that published patterns of hypertrophic growth yield results that agree reasonably well with the trends in our data. Next, we extended our model to include realistic 3D geometry and the effects of external loads, including those exerted by the omphalomesenteric veins at the caudal end of the heart tube and splanchnopleuric membrane against the ventral surface. The bending and torsional behaviors of the model are in reasonable agreement with available experimental data from both control and perturbed embryos, suggesting that a combination of differential growth and external loads drives cardiac c‐looping.

Support or Funding Information

This research was supported by NIH grants R01 GM075200, R01 HL083393, and R01 NS070918.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Modeling Adult‐Onset Neurodegenerative Disorders with Human Neurons through Direct Neuronal Reprogramming
Authors: Yoo Andrew
Published: June 2021

Studying late‐onset neurodegenerative disorders using human neurons remains a challenging task due to the inaccessibility of live neurons from the affected patients. Neurons from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have limited potential to recapitulate cellular processes that occur in aged neurons as the induction of pluripotency resets the cellular age to an embryonic/fetal stage. The ability to generate human neurons that reflect the mature adult state will thus provide a powerful platform to investigate adult‐onset disorders. Brain‐enriched microRNAs (miRNAs), miR‐9/9* and miR‐124 (miR‐9/9*‐124) can function as potent cell fate regulators that can direct cell fate conversion (reprogramming) of non‐neural human somatic cells to neurons. When ectopically expressed in human adult fibroblasts, miR‐9/9*‐124 target multiple components of chromatin modifiers inducing an extensive reconfiguration of the chromatin landscape while erasing the fibroblast fate and promoting the neuronal identity. The miR‐9/9*‐124‐induced state becomes poised to receive inputs from additional subtype‐defining transcription factors (TFs), allowing the generation of specific neuronal subtypes including cortical, striatal, and spinal cord motor neurons. Importantly, for modeling adult‐onset disorders, we found that directly converted neurons preserve the age‐associated epigenetic memory reflecting the age signature of fibroblast donors. We have applied the neuronal conversion method specific for striatal medium spiny neurons (MSNs), the primary cell target that undergoes neurodegeneration in Huntington's disease (HD) in fibroblasts of HD patients (HD‐MSNs). We found that HD‐MSNs manifested hallmarks of adult‐onset HD including the aggregation of Huntingtin protein, increased DNA damage, mitochondrial dysfunction and spontaneous neuronal death in culture. Collectively, our studies demonstrate the potent activity of microRNAs as cell fate regulators and its utility to generate a patient‐derived cellular platform to model adult‐onset neurodegenerative diseases.

Support or Funding Information

Andrew B and Virginia C. Craig Faculty Fellowship Endowment, Farrell Fund, Cure Alzheimer's Fund (CAF), Mallinckrodt Scholar Award, NIA (RF1AG056296), and NINDH (1R01NS107488)

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Clinical Translation of Computed Tomography in Zoos and Gross Anatomic Interpretation
Authors: Hostnik Eric T. , Adkesson Michael J
Published: June 2021

The clinical use of computed tomography in veterinary medicine has been an upward trend since its initial installment. The cross‐sectional imaging modality was previously isolated to large referral clinics and academic hospitals. The novelty of the tomographic tool has transitioned into a staple for advanced medical care. Research using computed tomography in the clinical setting for small animal medicine grows yearly. Comfort with the interpretation of hundreds to thousands of serial images for cats and dogs is becoming more commonplace and routine, especially with new generations of American College of Veterinary Radiology specialists that train for years with computed tomography. The new frontier for cross‐sectional computed tomographic imaging is the expansion into the world of non‐domestic zoo species.

Computed tomography is becoming a popular tool of the small animal radiologist. In the hospital setting, dogs/cats are tranquilized with sedation or general anesthesia providing a compliant patient for rapid image acquisition of standardized protocols. Reviewing multiple animals of the same species each day enables a consistent systematic approach. However, species diversity and evolution are among the largest challenges to a veterinary radiologist working in the zoo setting. Unique, species‐specific adaptations in a diverse collection of taxa derail the routine approach to image interpretation. Understanding form and function becomes more important in the zoo field. Zoo computed tomography is a nascent field in radiology with limitless potential for discovery and collaboration between clinical hospitals and academic institutions. This presentation will discuss transitioning an advanced imaging tool into the clinical setting of zoo medicine to aid in overcoming boundaries of shells in turtles, improving the conspicuity of air sacs in penguins, and developing research to build a foundation of clinical anatomy in non‐domestic species.

Support or Funding Information

Support was provided by Barbara Levy Kipper and the Kipper Family Foundation. Special thanks to the animal care and veterinary staff at the Brookfield Zoo.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Validation of a Formaldehyde‐Free Embalming Method for Preparing High Fidelity Cadavers for Teaching Surgical and Procedural Skills
Authors: Goodwin Shannon J , Kibbee Richard , Ramnanan Christopher J , Jalali Alireza
Published: June 2021

Cadavers embalmed using traditional formaldehyde‐based solutions are considered low‐fidelity in terms of representing the flexibility and texture of patients. Further, many current ‘soft’ embalming solutions are expensive, involve complicated procedures, and/or result in short‐term preservation periods. The objective of this study was to develop a low‐cost, formaldehyde‐free embalming solution that would produce high fidelity cadaveric models for teaching procedural or surgical skills in postgraduate medical education. The novel embalming formula was based on replacing formaldehyde with saturating levels of sodium chloride (357 grams/L) in combination with other conventionally used, low cost chemicals. Formaldehyde‐free cadavers (FFC) were compared with cadavers embalmed using a traditional formaldehyde‐based formula in terms of microbiological profiles, and in terms of feedback from residents and faculty who participated in cadaveric‐based workshops. Swabs from oral, nasal, and rectal cavities over a 100 day time course in formaldehyde‐free donors demonstrated a nearly complete reduction of microbes that was generally comparable to that observed in formaldehyde‐preserved cadavers. In terms of feedback, qualitative commentary was obtained from separate workshops for anesthesiologists, orthopaedic surgeons, plastics surgeons, ophthalmologists and neurosurgeons over a two year period (2016–2018). Across these different groups, clinicians generally perceived that FFC donors featured enhanced fidelity in terms of flexibility and texture, and produced more realistic and higher quality ultrasound images, relative to formaldehyde‐preserved donors. In particular, anaesthesiologists noted the potential utility of FFC specimens for practicing needle insertion techniques, while neurosurgeons and ophthalmologists had strong positive feedback regarding the texture and quality of brain specimens and eye musculature, respectively. FFC tissue remained viable at least two years post‐embalming for use in postgraduate workshops. In conclusion, the FFC model has the potential to generate low‐cost, high‐fidelity anatomical resources, with long‐term viability, for the purposes of surgical and procedural skills training.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Intergenerational Inheritance of the Effects of Exercise on Novel Object Recognition Memory and Pattern Separation Performance in Mice
Authors: McGreevy Kerry R. , Fontán‐Lozano Ángela , Tezanos Patri , Pallé Anna , Ferreiro‐Villar Iria , Trejo Jose Luis
Published: June 2021

It is known that intergenerational inheritance can be induced by environmental changes in parents. These studies usually focus on negative stressors that affect the offspring adversely. There is increasing evidence that exercise improves learning and memory in humans and mice. These beneficial effects could be mediated by enhanced hippocampal neurogenesis. Whether these effects could be inherited by future generations remains to be seen. This study analysed if paternal exercise training could facilitate hippocampal‐dependent novel object recognition memory and pattern separation performance in offspring. Firstly, male progenitors were subjected to a forced moderate exercise protocol for eight weeks before mating. All male experimental animals underwent the following behavioural protocols: an activity cage and two different protocols of a novel object recognition memory test and a pattern separation test, both protocols differing in the level of difficulty. Regarding basal motor activity, no differences were found between experimental groups in a known environment. As for the novel object recognition and pattern separation tests, only male progenitors that had undergone the exercise protocol were able to discriminate the novel object and the change of pattern in the difficult protocols. No significant differences were found in postnatal behaviour. However, the behavioural outcomes in adulthood showed that only the offspring of male progenitors that had undergone physical exercise displayed facilitation in novel object recognition memory and pattern separation performance. In order to assess adult hippocampal neurogenesis, immunohistochemistry against different neurogenesis markers was performed. Furthermore, whole‐genome sequence analyses showed differential gene expression among experimental groups. These results suggest that beneficial effects of exercise training on learning and memory can be inherited.

Support or Funding Information

Work was supported by project grants from Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness BFU2013‐48907‐R and BFU2016‐77162‐R (to J.L.T.). A.F. was funded by a JaE‐DOC CSIC grant, I.L.T. was funded by an FPI grant, and K.R.McG. was funded by a contract associated with the project grants above mentioned (to J.L.T.).

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Extracellular Matrix Protection Factor Increases Sulfated Proteoglycan Production in Serum‐free, Primary Cultures of Human Osteoarthritic Chondrocytes
Authors: Morris Gregory , Milton LaBraya , Popper Hannah , Buckley Andrea , Mattioli Patrisia , Behling Kathryn , Selim Abdulhafez , D'Angelo Marina
Published: June 2021

Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common chronic condition which involves the loss of articular cartilage, the cushion between joints that provides a smooth surface for the bones to glide. Three compounds that make up most of the articular cartilage are type II collagen, proteoglycans, and water. In OA there is an increase in collagenase activity that degrades collagens and proteoglycans necessary for healthy cartilage. The composition of the extracellular matrix changes in OA as evidenced by production of type I collagen. Previous studies in our lab have shown that primary cultures of human osteoarthritic chondrocytes (HOACs) can be reared in serum‐free alginate culture but measurable extracellular matrix endpoints of the OA profile are dampened when chondrocytes isolated from sides of greater and least pathology in the joint are pooled together in culture. In this study, we obtained HOACs from patients undergoing total knee arthroplasty. Femoral condyles and the tibial plateau were labeled greater or least pathology, determined by gross anatomical observation, the cells were isolated and plated separately in three‐dimensional, twelve‐well, alginate cultures at a density of 1.8 × 106 cells per 0.5 mL. Samples were treated for 48 hours from day of plating with either 250nM Extracellular Matrix Protective Factor‐1 (ECPF‐1) or hyaluronic acid conjugated ECPF‐1 (HA‐ECPF‐1). Collagen I degradation and sulfated proteoglycan synthesis were measured in alginate‐associated matrix of the treated cultures. HOACs isolated from the side of greatest pathology responded to treatment by reducing collagen type I degradation (8.42ng/culture Control, 7.25ng/culture ECPF‐1 and 4.25ng/culture HA‐ECPF‐1) and increasing retention of sulfated proteoglycans in the extracellular matrix (0.36ug/culture Control versus 0.56ug/culture ECPF‐1 treated). These data confirm that 48 hour treatment in serum free HOAC culture is sufficient to measure the therapeutic efficacy of an OA drug intervention and that both formulations of ECPF‐1 can slow the progression of OA by altering production of sulfated proteoglycan and collagen type I.

Support or Funding Information

This work was supported in part by a grant from the New Jersey Health Foundation and Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine's Center for Chronic Disorders of Aging and the Division of Research.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.
Investigating the Interaction of V. parahaemolyticus Effector VopR and its Putative Chaperone VP1684
Authors: Lafrance Alexander , De Nisco Nicole , Jiang Catherine , Orth Kim
Published: June 2021

Vibrio parahaemolyticus (V. para) is a Gram‐negative, halophilic bacteria that causes acute gastroenteritis in humans upon consumption of contaminated seafood. The V. para life cycle is facilitated by an array of virulence factors, including two type III secretion systems (T3SS). T3SS‐mediated translocation of effectors into host cells is dependent on delivery of each effector to the base of the T3SS needle by a chaperone. VopR is an effector secreted by the first V. para T3SS (T3SS1) that uses an N‐terminal PIP2 –binding domain (BPD) to localize to the plasma membrane and induces host cell rounding through an unknown catalytic mechanism. We hypothesize that VP1684, encoded by a gene directly upstream of vopR in the V. para genome, is the cognate chaperone of VopR, and that the BPD also constitutes the chaperone‐binding domain. Through affinity column purification coupled with FPLC filtration we demonstrate that VP1684 forms a homodimer in solution much like other T3SS effector chaperones, which corroborates bioinformatics analyses indicating that VP1684 shares conserved biochemical properties with T3SS effector chaperones. We also show that VP1684 forms a stable complex with VopR. Moreover, we reveal through confocal microscopy of HeLa cells infected with V. para that the VopR‐mediated cell rounding phenotype is VP1684‐dependent. Finally, we show via increases in host cell cAMP levels by translocated cyaA‐tagged effectors that the translocation of VopR into the host cell by T3SS1 also depends on the presence of VP1684. Taken together, these data suggest that VP1684 is acting as the previously unidentified cognate chaperone for VopR, and as a necessary factor in effector translocation plays a significant role in V. para pathogenicity.

Support or Funding Information

This work was funded by the HHMI, National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant R01‐AI056404, NIH grant 5T32AI007520‐20, the Welch Foundation grant I‐1561, and Once Upon a Time&[hellip]Foundation. STARS program funding provided by the state of Texas.

This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2019 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal.