bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Responsibility to Understand
Authors: George Theodore
Published: September 2021

Few topics have received broader attention within contemporary philosophy than that of responsibility. Current interest in such questions of responsibility draw on a broad range of approaches and methods, from those customarily associated with analytic philosophy to those associated with phenomenology and existentialism, deconstruction, critical theory, feminist theory, race theory, and post-colonial theory. Yet, despite the expanse of current interest, philosophers have not fully appreciated the contributions that can be made to questions of responsibility by contemporary hermeneutics. Based on an examination of issues in contemporary hermeneutics, The Responsibility to Understand makes a novel case for a distinctive experience of responsibility at stake in understanding and interpretation and argues for the significance of this hermeneutical responsibility in the context of our relations with things, animals, and others, as well as of political solidarity and the formation of political solidarities through the arts, literature, and translation. The Responsibility to Understand thus pushes current debate in hermeneutics and continental Ethics in groundbreaking new directions.
Others
Authors: George Theodore
Published: September 2021

Chapter 5 takes up our responsibility to understand other persons. Gadamer, as I argue, holds that the ethical stakes of our relations with others are directed not at the other person in isolation from other others (to borrow a well-known turn of phrase from Levinas). Rather, for Gadamer, our relations to others take shape precisely in the larger context of the shared world in which we find ourselves and one another. Thus, for Gadamer, our responsibility to understand others is epitomized first of all by our relation to what he, in reference to Aristotle, designates as relations of friendship. From this viewpoint, our responsibility to understand others is not only a relation of ‘I and thou,’ but marks a transition to our relations in a larger world. Building on Gadamer, I argue that our responsibility to other persons is to enact and cultivate the capacity to see the other in his or her difference from us, to come to understand and care for the other in our respective and also shared commitments, and, in this manner, to help the other understand herself and her life context otherwise and even better.
Solidarity
Authors: George Theodore
Published: September 2021

Chapter 6 focuses on our responsibility for the formation of solidarities. For Gadamer, however, the formation of solidarities concerns not the determination of identities (racial or ethnic, gendered, religious, national, or otherwise). Rather, for him, the formation of solidarities concerns our capacity to displace ourselves from our individuated interests in order to achieve a shared space of visibility in which we come into view for one another in our respective vulnerabilities and differences.
Arts and Literature
Authors: George Theodore
Published: September 2021

This Chapter considers contributions that can be made to our pursuit of the formation of solidarities by hermeneutical experiences of the arts and literature. It is a mainstay of hermeneutics that our encounters with arts and literature can displace our prejudices and lead us to understand otherwise than before. This chapter, however, stresses the responsibility that attends such displacement for the formation of a shared world of solidarities. Indeed, this stress on our responsibility to form solidarities brings into relief Gadamer’s understated but significant concern for the role that the arts and literature can play not only within a given cultural tradition, but, more than this, in a global context. In this, I argue that our responsibility to form solidarities is fostered by the arts and literature because of the power of the arts and literature to displace us even from the prejudices of our own traditions as such, allowing us to understand otherwise our participation in the transmission of meaning in the wider context of global life.
Plotting the News in the Victorian Novel
Authors: Valdez Jessica R.
Published: September 2021

Newspapers are constantly lying in the worlds of Victorian novels, from the false report of John Harmon’s death in Our Mutual Friend (1864-1865) to allegations of extramarital affairs in Phineas Finn (1867-1868). Yet characters continue to believe what they read in the newspaper, assuming that news must be recent, relevant, and true. Victorian novels thus explore the contradictory logic of news: claims to journalistic reality sit uneasily alongside unrepresentative, malicious, or even false news. This book argues that nineteenth-century novels analysed the formal and social workings of news through a shifting series of metaphors, analogies, and plots. By incorporating newspapers and news discourse into their narratives, Victorian novels experimented with the ways that generic and formal qualities might reshape communal and national imaginings.
This book shows that novelists often responded to newspapers by reworking well-known events covered by Victorian newspapers in their fictions. Each chapter addresses a different narrative modality and its relationship to the news: Charles Dickens interrogates the distinctions between fictional and journalistic storytelling, while Anthony Trollope explores novelistic bildung in serial form; the sensation novels of Wilkie Collins and Mary Elizabeth Braddon locate melodrama in realist discourses, whereas Anglo-Jewish writer Israel Zangwill represents a hybrid minority experience. At the core of these metaphors and narrative forms is a theorisation of the newspaper’s influence on society.
Religion, Identity and Power
Authors: Öztürk Ahmet Erdi , Haynes Jeffrey
Published: September 2021

Turkey and its recent ethno-religious transformation have had a strong impact on the state identity and country’s relation to the Balkan Peninsula. This book examines Turkey’s ethno-religious activism and power-related political strategies in the Balkans between 2002 and 2020, the period under the rule of the Justice and Development Party (AKP), to determine the scopes of its activities in the region. This study illuminates an often-neglected aspect of Turkey’s relations with its Balkan neighbours that emerged as a result of the much discussed ‘authoritarian turn’ – a broader shift in Turkish domestic and foreign policy from a realist-secular to a Sunni Islamic orientation with ethno-nationalist policies. In order to understand how these concepts have been received locally, the author draws on personal testimonies given by both Turkish and non-Turkish, Muslim and non-Muslim interviewees in three country cases: Republic of Bulgaria, Republic of North Macedonia and Republic of Albania. The findings shed light on contemporary issues surrounding the continuous redefinition of Turkish secularism under the AKP rule and the emergence of a new Muslim elite in Turkey.
Keats's Anatomy of Melancholy
Authors: White Robert
Published: September 2021

This book is conceived as a sustained critical study of John Keats’s collection of poems, Lamia, Isabella, The Eve of St Agnes, And Other Poems (1820). It was published in the 2020 bicentenary. It treats the collection as an authorially organised and thematically unified volume rather than as a collection of occasional poems. An important thread, which I follow through the volume as a major unifying principle, has also gone largely unnoticed by critics, since it is not self-evident when we read the poems individually and outside the book’s overarching intellectual context. The guiding theme behind 1820 I propose, is the persistent emphasis on different shades and types of an ancient major medical condition and literary preoccupation in Renaissance and Romantic poetry, namely melancholy, which was of interest to Keats through his medical training, temperament, and his delighted reading of Burton’s The Anatomy of Melancholy. This emotional area was considerably richer and more complex than today’s paler reflection in the word ‘melancholy’, and it could range between suicidal thoughts, love illness, manic hilarity, and inspired creativity in poetry, art and music. In this design the clinching closure comes with ‘Ode on Melancholy’, which exuberantly attributes value to the emotional state as a form of creative inspiration driving the 1820 volume.
Hunter Beattie (1876–1951): A Conscientious Objector at the Margins
Authors: Dickson Neil
Published: September 2021

Glasgow was the Scottish city in which the Open Brethren movement grew most profusely. During the First World War, significant sections of the leadership of their assemblies supported the British war effort. One individual who stood apart from this was the evangelist and homeopath, Hunter Beattie. He was the leading individual in an assembly in the east end who launched an occasional periodical in which he expounded his pacifist views. His publication was criticized in a Sunday newspaper, and his subsequent military hearing and criminal trial was covered by the newspaper. Other leading Glasgow Brethren publicly disassociated themselves from his position, which, in turn, led to criticism of them by some Brethren non-combatants. As well as giving an example of the treatment of conscientious objectors during the First World War, the paper examines the positions adopted towards war by both Beattie and his antagonists, illuminating aspects of the Brethren, their social class and relationships to society. It examines how some Brethren rejected a completely marginal status in church and society, but others saw the attraction of the margins.
Culturally Responsive and Sustaining STEM Curriculum as a Problem-Based Science Approach to Supporting Student Achievement for Black and Latinx Students
Authors: Thevenot Yvonne
Published: September 2021

This article explores the tenets of culturally responsive STEM curriculum, providing an innovative look into STEM teaching and learning, which illuminates student agency, prior knowledge, and positive connections with their teachers. It seeks to answer the question, what happens when students experience informal STEM learning spaces as positive ones that enable them to develop a sense of agency, voice, and academic achievement.
Franco-Indian Maritime Cooperation: Implications for the Indo-Pacific
Authors: Naha Alik
Published: September 2021

With the shift of the global power center from Europe to Asia, the Indo-Pacific, regarded as the “maritime underbelly” has become the center of geo-economics and geostrategic contestation. This significance of the Indo-Pacific maritime realm has drawn the attention of several regional and extra-regional powers since the past decade. In this changing geopolitical scenario, maritime security has acquired primacy in Indian foreign policy discourse. To counter the growing Chinese presence in its strategic backyard, New Delhi is increasingly looking for partners to advance the idea of ‘Free, Open, and Inclusive Indo-Pacific’ and also to establish itself as a net security provider in the Indian Ocean Region. France is also skeptical of assertive China as a threat to its regional interests. Since 1998, France is India’s all-weather strategic partner. With their shared Indo-Pacific strategy, there is a greater opportunity for them to cooperate in the Indo-Pacific region. Coupled with this bilateral opportunity, the idea of trilateral or minilateral is also gaining ground. Whatever may be the motivation, if realized such frameworks can have far-reaching ramifications. In this context, the paper seeks to analyze the implications of the Franco-Indian relationship in the Indo-Pacific region.
Amor Mundi as Capability to Transcend: Hannah Arendt’s Conception of the Human
Authors: Tang Zhangmei
Published: September 2021

The paper aims at offering a phenomenological interpretation of the idea of ‘transcendence’ (as human capability) by reconceptualizing Hannah Arendt’s rather vague notion of amor mundi. Firstly, I show the paradoxical tension of amor mundi within her own writings. Then, I trace the origin of the problematic of love of the world from her doctoral dissertation (Arendt’s critic of Augustine’s ‘neighbor love’) by using Heidegger’s phenomenological method. Finally, I explicate a phenomenological approach toward amor mundi as human capability to transcend (regarding how ‘love’ and ‘world’ are presentable as ‘experience’ and ‘capability’) by further analyzing the distinction between ‘ontological’ claim and ‘political’ claim (regarding the human): the world which humans build and sustain together is to be shared, but that first-hand experience of the world is not particularly demonstrable or sharable.
Metabolic Engineering of Corynebacterium glutamicum for Production of UDP-N-Acetylglucosamine
Authors: Gauttam Rahul , Desiderato Christian K. , Radoš Dušica , Link Hannes , Seibold Gerd M. , Eikmanns Bernhard J.
Published: September 2021

Uridine diphosphate-N-acetylglucosamine (UDP-GlcNAc) is an acetylated amino sugar nucleotide that naturally serves as precursor in bacterial cell wall synthesis and is involved in prokaryotic and eukaryotic glycosylation reactions. UDP-GlcNAc finds application in various fields including the production of oligosaccharides and glycoproteins with therapeutic benefits. At present, nucleotide sugars are produced either chemically or in vitro by enzyme cascades. However, chemical synthesis is complex and non-economical, and in vitro synthesis requires costly substrates and often purified enzymes. A promising alternative is the microbial production of nucleotide sugars from cheap substrates. In this study, we aimed to engineer the non-pathogenic, Gram-positive soil bacterium Corynebacterium glutamicum as a host for UDP-GlcNAc production. The native glmS, glmU, and glmM genes and glmM of Escherichia coli, encoding the enzymes for UDP-GlcNAc synthesis from fructose-6-phosphate, were over-expressed in different combinations and from different plasmids in C. glutamicum GRS43, which lacks the glucosamine-6-phosphate deaminase gene (nagB) for glucosamine degradation. Over-expression of glmS, glmU and glmM, encoding glucosamine-6-phosphate synthase, the bifunctional glucosamine-1-phosphate acetyltransferase/N-acetyl glucosamine-1-phosphate uridyltransferase and phosphoglucosamine mutase, respectively, was confirmed using activity assays or immunoblot analysis. While the reference strain C. glutamicum GlcNCg1 with an empty plasmid in the exponential growth phase contained intracellularly only about 0.25 mM UDP-GlcNAc, the best engineered strain GlcNCg4 accumulated about 14 mM UDP-GlcNAc. The extracellular UDP-GlcNAc concentrations in the exponential growth phase did not exceed 2 mg/L. In the stationary phase, about 60 mg UDP-GlcNAc/L was observed extracellularly with strain GlcNCg4, indicating the potential of C. glutamicum to produce and to release the activated sugar into the culture medium. To our knowledge, the observed UDP-GlcNAc levels are the highest obtained with microbial hosts, emphasizing the potential of C. glutamicum as a suitable platform for activated sugar production.
Novel Molecular Subtypes and Related Score Based on Histone Acetylation Modification in Renal Clear Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Wang Shichao , Xiang Ting , Yu Ling , Wen Junmao , Liu Fang , Yang Dong , Wu Wei , Hu Ling
Published: September 2021

Background: Histone acetylation modification has been found to be correlated the development of renal carcinoma; however, its role in clear cell renal carcinoma (ccRCC) remains to be investigated. Thus, this study aimed to identify the molecular subtypes and establish a relevant score based on histone acetylation modification in ccRCC.

Methods: Gene expression and mutation data were retrieved from The Cancer Genome Atlas database. Molecular subtypes were identified by unsupervised clustering based on histone acetylation regulators expression, and the molecular and clinical characteristics including survival, tumor microenvironment, gene set variation, immune cell infiltration, and immune checkpoints in each subtype were investigated. Next, we employed univariate Cox analysis to analyze these genes and established acetylation-related score by lasso regression analysis. Furthermore, we investigated the differences including survival, signaling pathways, mutational landscape, and tumor mutation burden (TMB) between high-risk and low-risk groups. The established score was validated by receiver operating curve and univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses. We also established a nomogram including acetylation score, age, gender, grade, and stage and verified it by decision curve analysis and calibration plot. The E-MTAB-1980 cohort from the ArrayExpress database was employed as a reference to validate the established score.

Results: Thirty-three types of histone acetylation regulators were employed in this study, and two clusters were identified. The two clusters presented significant differences in survival, tumor microenvironment, immune cell infiltration, immune checkpoints, and signaling pathways. Furthermore, an acetylation-related score, composed of six genes (BRD9, HDAC10, KAT2A, KAT5, BRDT, SIRT1, KAT6A, HDAC5), was verified to be significantly associated with prognosis and TMB. Thus, the established scores were successfully verified by the validated cohort, and the nomogram was constructed and successfully validated.

Conclusion: The identification of the histone acetylation-related subtypes and score in our study may help reveal the potential relation between histone acetylation and immunity and provide novel insights for the development of individualized therapy for ccRCC.
Long Non-coding RNA Double Homeobox A Pseudogene 8: A Novel Oncogenic Propellant in Human Cancer
Authors: Xue Chen , Cai Xiaolu , Jia Junjun
Published: September 2021

A growing number of studies are reporting important roles played by long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) in various pathological and physiological processes. LncRNAs are implicated in numerous genomic regulatory functions at different levels, including regulation of transcription, post-transcriptional processes, genomic stability, and epigenetic genome modifications. Double homeobox A pseudogene 8 (DUXAP8), a novel lncRNA, has been reported to be involved in many cancers, including gastric, colorectal, esophageal, bladder, oral, ovarian, lung, and pancreatic cancers as well as hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). DUXAP8 plays specific oncogenic roles via numerous malignancies promoting pathways. DUXAP8 is frequently dysregulated in multiple cancers, acting as a sponge to downregulate various tumor-suppressing microRNA activities. In this review, we comprehensively explore DUXAP8 expression and prognosis across cancer types, and systematically summarize current evidence concerning the functions and molecular mechanisms of DUXAP8 in tumorigenesis and progression. We conclude that DUXAP8 is a potential biomarker and therapeutic target for multiple cancers.
Interaction Between Functionally Activate Endometrial Microbiota and Host Gene Regulation in Endometrial Cancer
Authors: Chen Peigen , Guo Yingchun , Jia Lei , Wan Jing , He TianTian , Fang Cong , Li Tingting
Published: September 2021

Objective: In this study, we mainly explored two questions: Which microorganisms were functionally active in the endometrium of patients with endometrial cancer (EC)? What kind of response did the human host respond to functionally active microorganisms?

Methods: Nine endometrial cancer patients and eight normal subjects were included in this study. HMP Unified Metabolic Analysis Network 3 (HUMAnN3) was used to obtain functional information of microorganisms. In addition, metaCyc-based GSEA functional enrichment analysis was used to obtain information on the metabolic pathways of the human host. At the same time, the O2PLS model and Spearman correlation analysis were used to analyze the microorganisms–host interaction.

Results: With the novel metatranscriptome analysis pipeline, we described the composition of more than 5,000 functionally active microorganisms and analyzed the difference in microorganisms between the EC and the normal group. Our research found that these microorganisms were involved in part of the metabolic process of endometrial cancer, such as 6-sulfo-sialyl Lewis x epitope, N-acetyl-beta-glucosaminyl. In addition, the host–microbiota crosstalk of EC endometrium also included many biological processes, mainly functions related to tumor migration and the Apelin signaling pathway.

Conclusion: The functionally active microorganisms in the EC endometrium played an essential role in the occurrence and migration of tumors. This meant that functionally active microorganisms could not be ignored in the treatment of endometrial cancer. This study helped to better understand the possible role of endometrial functional, active microorganisms in the occurrence and development of EC in patients with endometrial cancer and provided new information for new attempts to treat EC.
Desmosomes as Signaling Hubs in the Regulation of Cell Behavior
Authors: Müller Lisa , Hatzfeld Mechthild , Keil René
Published: September 2021

Desmosomes are intercellular junctions, which preserve tissue integrity during homeostatic and stress conditions. These functions rely on their unique structural properties, which enable them to respond to context-dependent signals and transmit them to change cell behavior. Desmosome composition and size vary depending on tissue specific expression and differentiation state. Their constituent proteins are highly regulated by posttranslational modifications that control their function in the desmosome itself and in addition regulate a multitude of desmosome-independent functions. This review will summarize our current knowledge how signaling pathways that control epithelial shape, polarity and function regulate desmosomes and how desmosomal proteins transduce these signals to modulate cell behavior.
Domain Organization of the UBX Domain Containing Protein 9 and Analysis of Its Interactions With the Homohexameric AAA + ATPase p97 (Valosin-Containing Protein)
Authors: Riehl Jana , Rijal Ramesh , Nitz Leonie , Clemen Christoph S. , Hofmann Andreas , Eichinger Ludwig
Published: September 2021

The abundant homohexameric AAA + ATPase p97 (also known as valosin-containing protein, VCP) is highly conserved from Dictyostelium discoideum to human and a pivotal factor of cellular protein homeostasis as it catalyzes the unfolding of proteins. Owing to its fundamental function in protein quality control pathways, it is regulated by more than 30 cofactors, including the UBXD protein family, whose members all carry an Ubiquitin Regulatory X (UBX) domain that enables binding to p97. One member of this latter protein family is the largely uncharacterized UBX domain containing protein 9 (UBXD9). Here, we analyzed protein-protein interactions of D. discoideum UBXD9 with p97 using a series of N- and C-terminal truncation constructs and probed the UBXD9 interactome in D. discoideum. Pull-down assays revealed that the UBX domain (amino acids 384–466) is necessary and sufficient for p97 interactions and that the N-terminal extension of the UBX domain, which folds into a β0-α–1-α0 lariat structure, is required for the dissociation of p97 hexamers. Functionally, this finding is reflected by strongly reduced ATPase activity of p97 upon addition of full length UBXD9 or UBXD9261–573. Results from Blue Native PAGE as well as structural model prediction suggest that hexamers of UBXD9 or UBXD9261–573 interact with p97 hexamers and disrupt the p97 subunit interactions via insertion of a helical lariat structure, presumably by destabilizing the p97 D1:D1’ intermolecular interface. We thus propose that UBXD9 regulates p97 activity in vivo by shifting the quaternary structure equilibrium from hexamers to monomers. Using three independent approaches, we further identified novel interaction partners of UBXD9, including glutamine synthetase type III as well as several actin-binding proteins. These findings suggest a role of UBXD9 in the organization of the actin cytoskeleton, and are in line with the hypothesized oligomerization-dependent mechanism of p97 regulation.
Molecular Dynamics Calculation on the Adhesive Interaction Between the Polytetrafluoroethylene Transfer Film and Iron Surface
Authors: Zuo Zhen , Liang Lifen , Bao Qianqian , Yan Pengtao , Jin Xin , Yang Yulin
Published: September 2021

During the friction process, the polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) adhered on the counterpart surface was known as the PTFE transfer film, which was fundamental to the lubricating performance of the PTFE. However, the adhesive interaction between the iron surface and the adhered PTFE transfer film is still unclear. In present study, molecular dynamics simulations were used to reveal the adhesive interaction between the iron surface and PTFE transfer film. Based on the atomic trajectories obtained through the molecular dynamics, the interaction energy, concentration profile, radial distribution function, and mean square displacement were calculated to analyze the structure of the interface. The negative values of the interaction energy demonstrated the adhesive interaction between the PTFE transfer film and Fe surfaces, resulting in the accumulation of the PTFE transfer film on the Fe surface. Among the (100) (110), and (111) surfaces of α-Fe (110) surface owns the strongest adhesive interaction with the PTFE transfer film. Compared with the original PTFE molecule, the chain broken PTFE, hydroxyl substituted PTFE, and carbonyl substituted PTFE exhibited stronger adhesive interaction with Fe surface. The adhesive interaction between the PTFE transfer film and Fe surfaces was mainly originated from the Fe atoms and the F atoms of the adsorbate PTFE transfer film, which was governed by the van der Waals force. The bonding distance between the Fe atom and the F atom of the adsorbate PTFE transfer film is around 2.8 Å. Moreover, the chain broken of PTFE molecule and the rise of temperature can remarkably increase the mobility of polymer chains in the interface system.
Ab Initio Study of the Large Amplitude Motions of Various Monosubstituted Isotopologues of Methylamine (CH3-NH2)
Authors: Al-Mogren Muneerah Mogren , Senent María Luisa
Published: September 2021

CCSD(T)-F12 theory is applied to determine electronic ground state spectroscopic parameters of various isotopologues of methylamine (CH3-NH2) containing cosmological abundant elements, such as D, 13C and 15N. Special attention is given to the far infrared region. The studied isotopologues can be classified in the G12, G6 and G4 molecular symmetry groups. The rotational and centrifugal distortion constants and the anharmonic fundamentals are determined using second order perturbation theory. Fermi displacements of the vibrational bands are predicted. The low vibrational energy levels corresponding to the large amplitude motions are determine variationally using a flexible three-dimensional model depending on the NH2 bending and wagging and the CH3 torsional coordinates. The model has been defined assuming that, in the amine group, the bending and the wagging modes interact strongly. The vibrational levels split into six components corresponding to the six minima of the potential energy surface. The accuracy of the kinetic energy parameters has an important effect on the energies. Strong interactions among the large amplitude motions are observed. Isotopic effects are relevant for the deuterated species.
Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction: Sex Differences in the ECG
Authors: Lyle Jane V. , Nandi Manasi , Aston Philip J.
Published: September 2021

Background: The electrocardiogram (ECG) is a key tool in patient management. Automated ECG analysis supports clinical decision-making, but traditional fiducial point identification discards much of the time-series data that captures the morphology of the whole waveform. Our Symmetric Projection Attractor Reconstruction (SPAR) method uses all the available data to provide a new visualization and quantification of the morphology and variability of any approximately periodic signal. We therefore applied SPAR to ECG signals to ascertain whether this more detailed investigation of ECG morphology adds clinical value.

Methods: Our aim was to demonstrate the accuracy of the SPAR method in discriminating between two biologically distinct groups. As sex has been shown to influence the waveform appearance, we investigated sex differences in normal sinus rhythm ECGs. We applied the SPAR method to 9,007 10 second 12-lead ECG recordings from Physionet, which comprised; Dataset 1: 104 subjects (40% female), Dataset 2: 8,903 subjects (54% female).

Results: SPAR showed clear visual differences between female and male ECGs (Dataset 1). A stacked machine learning model achieved a cross-validation sex classification accuracy of 86.3% (Dataset 2) and an unseen test accuracy of 91.3% (Dataset 1). The mid-precordial leads performed best in classification individually, but the highest overall accuracy was achieved with all 12 leads. Classification accuracy was highest for young adults and declined with older age.

Conclusions: SPAR allows quantification of the morphology of the ECG without the need to identify conventional fiducial points, whilst utilizing of all the data reduces inadvertent bias. By intuitively re-visualizing signal morphology as two-dimensional images, SPAR accurately discriminated ECG sex differences in a small dataset. We extended the approach to a machine learning classification of sex for a larger dataset, and showed that the SPAR method provided a means of visualizing the similarities of subjects given the same classification. This proof-of-concept study therefore provided an implementation of SPAR using existing data and showed that subtle differences in the ECG can be amplified by the attractor. SPAR's supplementary analysis of ECG morphology may enhance conventional automated analysis in clinically important datasets, and improve patient stratification and risk management.
Reference Values of Right Ventricular Volumes and Ejection Fraction by Three-Dimensional Echocardiography in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Wang Shitong , Wang Shuyu , Zhu Qing , Wang Yonghuai , Li Guangyuan , Kong Fanxin , Yang Jun , Ma Chunyan
Published: September 2021

Objective: This study was conducted in order to determine the reference values for right ventricular (RV) volumes and ejection fraction (EF) using three-dimensional echocardiography (3DE) and to identify sources of variance through a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Methods: This systematic review was preregistered with the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/) (CRD42020211002). Relevant studies were identified by searches of the PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Library databases through October 12, 2020. Pooled reference values were calculated using the random-effects model weighted by inverse variance. Meta-regression analysis and Egger's test were used to determine the source of heterogeneity. A subgroup analysis was performed to evaluate the reference values across different conditions.

Results: The search identified 25 studies of 2,165 subjects. The mean reference values were as follows: RV end-diastolic volume, 100.71 ml [95% confidence interval (CI), 90.92–110.51 ml); RV end-systolic volume, 44.19 ml (95% CI, 39.05–49.33 ml); RV end-diastolic volume indexed, 57.01 ml/m2 (95% CI, 51.93–62.08 ml/m2); RV end-systolic volume indexed, 25.41 ml/m2 (95% CI, 22.58–28.24 ml/m2); and RVEF, 56.20% (95% CI, 54.59–57.82%). The sex- and age-specific reference values were assessed according to the studies reporting the values of different sexes and age distributions, respectively. In addition, the vendor- and software-specific reference values were analyzed. The meta-regression analysis revealed that sex, frame rate, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, and software packages were associated with variations in RV volumes (P < 0.05). Inter-vendor and inter-software discrepancies may explain the variability of RVEF.

Conclusions: The reference values for RV volumes and RVEF using 3DE were assessed. The confounders that impacted the variability in RV volumes or RVEF contained the sex, frame rate, pulmonary artery systolic pressure, inter-vendor discrepancies, and inter-software discrepancies.
The Extended Continental Crust West of Islas Marías (Mexico)
Authors: Núñez Diana , Acosta-Hernández Jorge A. , Escalona-Alcázar Felipe de Jesús , Pilia Simone , Núñez-Cornú Francisco Javier , Córdoba Diego
Published: September 2021

The crustal structure around the Islas Marías Archipelago has been debated for a long time. An important unresolved question is where the Rivera-North American plate subduction ends and the Tamayo fracture zone begins, from SE to NW. Results from the TsuJal project have shed light on the northwesternmost part of the Jalisco block structure. It is now clear that Sierra de Cleofas and the Islas Marías Escarpment comprise the northwestern continuation of the Middle America trench. However, other questions remain. In this paper, we present the structure of the shallow and deep crust and the upper mantle of the Islas Marías western region through the integration of multichannel seismic reflection, wide-angle seismic bathymetric and seismicity data, including records of an amphibious seismic network, OBS, and portable seismic stations, purposely deployed for this project, providing an onshore-offshore transect of 310 km length. Our findings disclose new evidence of the complex structure of the Rivera plate that dips 8°–9° underneath the NW Jalisco block as revealed by two seismic profiles parallel to the Islas Marías Escarpment. Moreover, we find five sedimentary basins and active normal faults at the edges of tectonic structures of the E-W oriented West Ranges and the N-S trending Sierra de Cleofas. Furthermore, the Sierra de Cleofas is the beginning of the active subduction of the Rivera plate beneath North America. The oceanic crust thickens and submerges towards the south while is coupled with the continental crust, from 6 km at the northern ends of the seismic profiles to 15 km in the contact region and 24 km at the coast and southern ends of them. The continental Moho was not fully characterized because of the geometry of the seismic transects, but a low-velocity layer associated with Rivera Plate subduction was observed beneath the Jalisco Block. Our results constrain the complexity of the area and reveal new structural features from the oceanic to continental crust and will be pivotal to assess geohazards in this area.
Small-Scale Volcanic Structures of the Aeolian Volcanic Arc Revealed by Seismic Attenuation
Authors: Castro-Melgar Ignacio , Prudencio Janire , Cannata Andrea , Del Pezzo Edoardo , Ibáñez Jesús M.
Published: September 2021

We present the first two-dimensional (2-D) spatial distribution of seismic scattering and intrinsic attenuation beneath the Aeolian Islands arc. The Aeolian Islands archipelago represents one of the best examples of a small dimension volcanic island arc characterised by the alternation of different structural domains. Using the seismic wave diffusion model as the basis for the analysis, and using data from an active seismic experiment (TOMO-ETNA), we analysed more than 76,700 seismic paths marked by epicentre-seismic station pairs. Based on frequencies of 4–24 Hz, we identified high regional attenuation, comparable with other volcanic areas of the world. We used two different seismogram lengths, reflecting two different sampling depths, which allowed us to observe two different attenuative behaviours. As in most volcanic regions, scattering attenuation predominates over intrinsic attenuation, but some characteristics are area-specific. Volcanic structures present the highest contribution to scattering, especially in the low frequency range. This behaviour is interpreted to reflect the small size of the islands and the potentially relatively small size of individual magmatic feeding systems. In addition, strong scattering observed in one zone is associated with the northernmost part of the so-called Aeolian-Tindari-Letojanni fault system. In contrast, away from the volcanic islands, intrinsic attenuation dominates over scattering attenuation. We interpret this shift in attenuative behaviour as reflecting the large volume of sedimentary material deposited on the seabed. Owing to their poorly consolidated nature, sediments facilitate intrinsic attenuationviaenergy dissipation, but in general present high structural homogeneity that is reflected by low levels of scattering. Our results show that this region is not underlain by a large volcanic structural complex such as that beneath nearby Mt. Etna volcano. Instead, we observe dimensionally smaller and isolated subsurface volcanic structures. The identification of such features facilitates improved geological interpretation; we can now separate consolidated marine structures from independent subsurface volcanic elements. The results of this study provide a model for new research in similar regions around the world.
Design of Self-Powered Solid-State Fault Current Limiters for VSC DC Grids
Authors: Xu Jun , Gao Lei , Zhang Huiyuan
Published: September 2021

Abstract-Fault current limiters (FCLs) can suppress the rise of short-circuit fault currents in voltage source converter (VSC) based DC grids. However, the power electronic switches of FCLs need extra source equipment to supply the required power, which increases complexity and cost. This paper presents three kinds of self-powered solid-state FCLs (SSFCLs). The proposed self-powered SSFCLs detect short-circuit faults by sensing fault current increases and draw energy from the fault DC line to automatically drive the power electronic switches. The self-powered SSFCLs are equipped with a self-powered supply system (SPSS). The SPSS obtains energy from the magnetic field induced by short-circuit fault current using magnetic-coupling mutual inductance coils. In PSCAD/EMTDC, the proposed self-powered SSFCLs are placed directly on the DC line without external power supply equipment. When a short-circuit fault occurs, the simulation results verify that the proposed self-powered SSFCLs can rapidly acquire power to drive the power electronic switches and then suppress the rise of the fault current. The proposed self-powered SSFCL prototypes provide a solution for decreasing the cost and complexity associated with installing extra source equipment.
Neuroendocrine Regulation of Reproductive Dormancy in the Fruit Fly Drosophila melanogaster: A Review of Juvenile Hormone-Dependent Regulation
Authors: Kurogi Yoshitomo , Mizuno Yosuke , Imura Eisuke , Niwa Ryusuke
Published: September 2021

Animals can adjust their physiology, helping them survive and reproduce under a wide range of environmental conditions. One of the strategies to endure unfavorable environmental conditions such as low temperature and limited food supplies is dormancy. In some insect species, this may manifest as reproductive dormancy, which causes their reproductive organs to be severely depleted under conditions unsuitable for reproduction. Reproductive dormancy in insects is induced by a reduction in juvenile hormones synthesized in the corpus allatum (pl. corpora allata; CA) in response to winter-specific environmental cues, such as low temperatures and short-day length. In recent years, significant progress has been made in the study of dormancy-inducing conditions dependent on CA control mechanisms in Drosophila melanogaster. This review summarizes dormancy control mechanisms in D. melanogaster and discusses the implications for future studies of insect dormancy, particularly focusing on juvenile hormone-dependent regulation.
Case Report: Candidate Genes Associated With Prenatal Ultrasound Anomalies in a Fetus With Prenatally Detected 1q23.3q31.2 Deletion
Authors: Song Jiahao , Zhang Qian , Lu Bing , Gou Zhongshan , Wang Ting , Tang Hui , Xiang Jingjing , Jiang Wei , Deng Xuedong
Published: September 2021

Background: Patients with deletions involving the long arm of chromosome 1 are rare, and the main aim of this study was to refine the genotype-phenotype correlation.

Case Report: In this report, a 28-year-old pregnant woman, gravida 2 para 1, at 25+4 weeks of gestation underwent ultrasound examination in our institute. The ultrasonographic findings of the fetus were as follows: (1) fetal growth restriction; (2) cleft lip and palate; (3) bilateral renal hypoplasia; (4) lateral ventriculomegaly; (5) single umbilical artery; (6) absent stomach; (7) coronary sinus dilatation with persistent left superior vena cava, ventricular septal defect and unroofed coronary sinus syndrome. Chromosomal microarray analysis of amniotic fluid from the fetus revealed a 28.025 Mb deletion in 1q23.3q31.2, spanning from position 164,559,675 to 192,584,768 (hg19).

Conclusion: Genotype-phenotype correlation might improve prenatal diagnosis of fetuses with chromosome 1q deletion. PBX1 could be a candidate gene for fetal growth restriction, renal hypoplasia and congenital heart disease. Fetal growth restriction was accompanied by decreased renal volume in the fetus. Combined with ultrasonic examination, the application of chromosomal microarray analysis will provide accurate prenatal diagnosis.
High-Throughput Genomic Data Reveal Complex Phylogenetic Relationships in Stylosanthes Sw (Leguminosae)
Authors: Oliveira Maria Alice Silva , Nunes Tomáz , Dos Santos Maria Aparecida , Ferreira Gomes Danyelle , Costa Iara , Van-Lume Brena , Marques Da Silva Sarah S. , Oliveira Ronaldo Simão , Simon Marcelo F. , Lima Gaus S. A. , Gissi Danilo Soares , Almeida Cícero Carlos de Souza , Souza Gustavo , Marques André
Published: September 2021

Allopolyploidy is widely present across plant lineages. Though estimating the correct phylogenetic relationships and origin of allopolyploids may sometimes become a hard task. In the genus Stylosanthes Sw. (Leguminosae), an important legume crop, allopolyploidy is a key speciation force. This makes difficult adequate species recognition and breeding efforts on the genus. Based on comparative analysis of nine high-throughput sequencing (HTS) samples, including three allopolyploids (S. capitata Vogel cv. “Campo Grande,” S. capitata “RS024” and S. scabra Vogel) and six diploids (S. hamata Taub, S. viscosa (L.) Sw., S. macrocephala M. B. Ferreira and Sousa Costa, S. guianensis (Aubl.) Sw., S. pilosa M. B. Ferreira and Sousa Costa and S. seabrana B. L. Maass & 't Mannetje) we provide a working pipeline to identify organelle and nuclear genome signatures that allowed us to trace the origin and parental genome recognition of allopolyploids. First, organelle genomes were de novo assembled and used to identify maternal genome donors by alignment-based phylogenies and synteny analysis. Second, nuclear-derived reads were subjected to repetitive DNA identification with RepeatExplorer2. Identified repeats were compared based on abundance and presence on diploids in relation to allopolyploids by comparative repeat analysis. Third, reads were extracted and grouped based on the following groups: chloroplast, mitochondrial, satellite DNA, ribosomal DNA, repeat clustered- and total genomic reads. These sets of reads were then subjected to alignment and assembly free phylogenetic analyses and were compared to classical alignment-based phylogenetic methods. Comparative analysis of shared and unique satellite repeats also allowed the tracing of allopolyploid origin in Stylosanthes, especially those with high abundance such as the StyloSat1 in the Scabra complex. This satellite was in situ mapped in the proximal region of the chromosomes and made it possible to identify its previously proposed parents. Hence, with simple genome skimming data we were able to provide evidence for the recognition of parental genomes and understand genome evolution of two Stylosanthes allopolyploids.
Contraceptive Use, Access to Methods, and Program Efforts in Urban Areas
Authors: Ross John A.
Published: September 2021

This article uses two large sets of internationally comparable national surveys to analyze urban patterns of contraceptive use, access to methods, and fertility. Urban areas show higher use of contraception and lower fertility rates than rural areas, with substantial differences in the method mix. Urban women tend more toward the long-term methods of the intrauterine device (IUD), implant, and sterilization and less toward short-term, resupply methods. The overall use increases with education and with higher wealth quintiles. By regions, contraceptive use is unbalanced between urban and rural sectors especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where the overall levels of use are lowest. Overall, the urban fertility rate is only 70% of the rural rate. Across countries, the fertility rate correlates negatively with contraceptive use. National family planning programs tend to raise contraceptive use and to improve access to the methods. About half of the unmarried, sexually active women use contraception, with great diversity in which method is preferred. This holds for all married women as well: regions and countries show quite different patterns of use. Therefore, planners and donors should focus on the circumstances in individual countries.
A Barcoded Flow Cytometric Assay to Explore the Antibody Responses Against SARS-CoV-2 Spike and Its Variants
Authors: Vesper Niklas , Ortiz Yaneth , Bartels-Burgahn Frauke , Yang Jianying , de la Rosa Kathrin , Tenbusch Matthias , Schulz Sebastian , Finzel Stephanie , Jäck Hans-Martin , Eibel Hermann , Voll Reinhard E. , Reth Michael
Published: September 2021

The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has spread to all parts of the world and can cause life-threatening pneumonia and other severe disease manifestations known as COVID-19. This health crisis has resulted in a significant effort to stop the spread of this new coronavirus. However, while propagating itself in the human population, the virus accumulates mutations and generates new variants with increased fitness and the ability to escape the human immune response. Here we describe a color-based barcoded spike flow cytometric assay (BSFA) that is particularly useful to evaluate and directly compare the humoral immune response directed against either wild type (WT) or mutant spike (S) proteins or the receptor-binding domains (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. This assay employs the human B lymphoma cell line Ramos, transfected for stable expression of WT or mutant S proteins or a chimeric RBD-CD8 fusion protein. We find that the alpha and beta mutants are more stably expressed than the WT S protein on the Ramos B cell surface and/or bind with higher affinity to the viral entry receptor ACE2. However, we find a reduce expression of the chimeric RBD-CD8 carrying the point mutation N501Y and E484K characteristic for the alpha and beta variant, respectively. The comparison of the humoral immune response of 12 vaccinated probands with 12 COVID-19 patients shows that after the boost, the S-specific IgG class immune response in the vaccinated group is similar to that of the patient group. However, in comparison to WT the specific IgG serum antibodies bind less well to the alpha variant and only poorly to the beta variant S protein. This is in line with the notion that the beta variant is an immune escape variant of SARS-CoV-2. The IgA class immune response was more variable than the IgG response and higher in the COVID-19 patients than in the vaccinated group. In summary, we think that our BSFA represents a useful tool to evaluate the humoral immunity against emerging variants of SARS-CoV-2 and to analyze new vaccination protocols against these variants.