bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification of the zebrafish homologues of IMPG2, a retinal proteoglycan
Authors: Castellini M. E. , Spagnolli G. , Poggi L. , Biasini E. , Casarosa S. , Messina A.
Published: July 2023

Photoreceptor outer segments are surrounded by a carbohydrate-rich matrix, the interphotoreceptor matrix, necessary for physiological retinal function. Few roles for molecules characterizing the interphotoreceptor matrix have been clearly defined. Recent studies have found the presence of nonsense mutations in the interphotoreceptor matrix proteoglycan 2 (IMPG2) gene in patients affected by retinal dystrophies. IMPG2 encodes for a proteoglycan synthesized by photoreceptors and secreted in the interphotoreceptor matrix. Little is known about the structure and function of this protein, we thus decided to characterize zebrafish impg2. In zebrafish there are two Impg2 proteins, Impg2a and Impg2b. We generated a phylogenetic tree based on IMPG2 protein sequence similarity among vertebrates, showing a significant similarity between humans and teleosts. The human and zebrafish proteins share conserved domains, as also shown by homology models. Expression analyses of impg2a and impg2b show a continued expression in the photoreceptor layer starting from developmental stages and continuing through adulthood. Between 1 and 6 months post-fertilization, there is a significant shift of Impg2 expression toward the outer segment region, suggesting an increase in secretion. This raises intriguing hypotheses about its possible role(s) during retinal maturation, laying the groundwork for the generation of most needed models for the study of IMPG2-related inherited retinal dystrophies.
Impact of kidney biopsy on deciding when to initiate enzyme replacement therapy in children with Fabry disease
Authors: Avarappattu Jenny , Gaspert Ariana , Spartà Giuseppina , Rohrbach Marianne
Published: July 2023

Background

Recommendations on when to start enzyme replacement therapy (ERT) in children with Fabry disease (FD) differ between guidelines. In this study, kidney biopsies of a cohort of 14 untreated children and one treated child were analyzed for their morphologic changes to determine whether early initiation of ERT is indicated.

Methods

All pediatric FD patients (< 18 years old) diagnosed between 2003 and 2021 in our department who received a kidney biopsy were enrolled. Clinical symptoms; laboratory parameters regarding kidney function, such as eGFR, plasma urea, protein-creatinine, and albumin/creatinine ratio; and 14 kidney biopsies prior to ERT and one under treatment were retrospectively analyzed.

Results

A total of 14 patients were enrolled, including 9 male and 5 female children, aged 3–18 years (median age 11). Seven of the enrolled children were 10 years old or younger. Histological analysis of kidney biopsy samples revealed severe vacuolization and accumulation of inclusions in podocytes and renal tubules. The majority of cases had no FD-specific clinical or laboratory features independent of age, gender, or genotype. The youngest FD patient presenting with isolated abnormal kidney biopsy was 3 years old.

Conclusions

We demonstrate that histological lesions, typical for FD, can be observed in kidney biopsies at a very young age in patients without classical clinical symptoms or laboratory abnormalities. Thus, we recommend kidney biopsies as a possible tool for early diagnosis of renal involvement in FD. As a consequence of these early biopsy findings without a clinical correlate, an early initiation of ERT should be considered.

Graphical abstract
A Hybrid Approach to Rock Pre-conditioning Using Non-explosive Demolition Agents and Hydraulic Stimulation
Authors: De Silva V. R. S. , Konietzky H. , Mearten H. , Ranjith P. G. , Kumari W. G. P.
Published: July 2023

This study presents a novel approach to rock pre-conditioning to promote the sustainability of low-grade ore mining applications such as in-situ recovery and cave mining. The proposed method involves a two-stage hybrid approach, utilizing soundless cracking demolition agents (SCDAs) to initiate radial fractures in a predrilled host rock, followed by hydraulic stimulation to extend the fractures. SCDA injection in the first stage creates multiple radial fractures around the injection well. However, the extent of fractures is limited to the near vicinity of the injection well. To overcome this limitation, the second stage involves the application of hydraulic stimulation to extend the initiated fractures, which produces a greater fracture density compared to pure hydraulic stimulation. The concept was assessed using a fully coupled hydro-mechanical discrete element model that simulated the hybrid fracturing method on crystalline rock at the grain scale. The results indicate that the proposed method can create a high density of fractures around the injection well. Additionally, we identify and evaluate the key factors affecting the performance of the proposed method, including rock mass heterogeneity, stress anisotropy, and pre-existing defects, providing valuable insights for further experimental design and execution. Overall, the study offers promising results for a potential solution to enhance the efficiency of low-grade ore mining through the hybrid rock pre-conditioning method.
Comparing different search methods for the open access journal recommendation tool B!SON
Authors: Entrup Elias , Eppelin Anita , Ewerth Ralph , Hartwig Josephine , Tullney Marco , Wohlgemuth Michael , Hoppe Anett
Published: July 2023

Finding a suitable open access journal to publish academic work is a complex task: Researchers have to navigate a constantly growing number of journals, institutional agreements with publishers, funders’ conditions and the risk of predatory publishers. To help with these challenges, we introduce a web-based journal recommendation system called B!SON. A systematic requirements analysis was conducted in the form of a survey. The developed tool suggests open access journals based on title, abstract and references provided by the user. The recommendations are built on open data, publisher-independent and work across domains and languages. Transparency is provided by its open source nature, an open application programming interface (API) and by specifying which matches the shown recommendations are based on. The recommendation quality has been evaluated using two different evaluation techniques, including several new recommendation methods. We were able to improve the results from our previous paper with a pre-trained transformer model. The beta version of the tool received positive feedback from the community and in several test sessions. We developed a recommendation system for open access journals to help researchers find a suitable journal. The open tool has been extensively tested, and we found possible improvements for our current recommendation technique. Development by two German academic libraries ensures the longevity and sustainability of the system.
DBAFormer: A Double-Branch Attention Transformer for Long-Term Time Series Forecasting
Authors: Huang Ji , Ma Minbo , Dai Yongsheng , Hu Jie , Du Shengdong
Published: July 2023

The transformer-based approach excels in long-term series forecasting. These models leverage stacking structures and self-attention mechanisms, enabling them to effectively model dependencies in series data. While some approaches prioritize sparse attention to tackle the quadratic time complexity of self-attention, it can limit information utilization. We introduce a creative double-branch attention mechanism that simultaneously captures intricate dependencies in both temporal and variable perspectives. Moreover, we propose query-independent attention, taking into account the near-identical attention allocated by self-attention to different query positions. This enhances efficiency and reduces the impact of redundant information. We integrate the double-branch query-independent attention into popular transformer-based methods like Informer, Autoformer, and Non-stationary transformer. The results obtained from conducting experiments on six practical benchmarks consistently validate that our novel attention mechanism substantially improves the long-term series forecasting performance in contrast to the baseline approach.
The Freedom of Words
Authors: Borghi Anna M.
Published: July 2023

The Freedom of Words is for anyone interested in understanding the role of body and language in cognition and how humans developed the sophisticated ability to use abstract concepts like 'freedom' and 'thinking'. This volume adopts a transdisciplinary perspective, including philosophy, semiotics, psychology, and neuroscience, to show how language, as a tool, shapes our minds and influences our interaction with the physical and social environment. It develops a theory showing how abstract concepts in their different varieties enhance cognition and profoundly influence our social and affective life. It addresses how children learn such abstract concepts, details how they vary across languages and cultures, and outlines the link between abstractness and the capability to detect inner bodily signals. Overall, the book shows how words – abstract words in particular, because of their indeterminate and open character – grant us freedom.
Between Human Rights and Civil Society: The Case of Israel’s Apartheid Enablers
Authors: Gordon Neve
Published: July 2023

For decades, human rights organizations have exposed egregious abuses carried out by states across the globe. Yet, simultaneously, other national and transnational civil society actors have waged war on these human rights organizations to shield rights-abusive states from accountability. These assaults have increasingly resulted in the normative claims of human rights organizations being sidelined while rights-abusive laws and policies gain further ground. This article uses Israel as its primary case study to interrogate these civil society wars and their effects on human rights. Examining the work of Israeli and pro-Israeli civil society actors in bolstering apartheid and shielding the state from criticism, I highlight three strategies—native dispossession, lawfare, and advocacy—that civil society actors use to enable apartheid. I go on to show how these actors adopt liberal tactics to protect, reproduce, and facilitate apartheid and to attack human rights defenders. By way of conclusion, I argue that the dominant paradigm informing human rights NGOs needs to be modified and their remit needs to be extended to include civil society actors that contribute to the perpetuation of social wrongs.
Aridification of Colorado River Basin's Snowpack Regions Has Driven Water Losses Despite Ameliorating Effects of Vegetation
Authors: Bass Benjamin , Goldenson Naomi , Rahimi Stefan , Hall Alex
Published: July 2023

The Colorado River Basin is an important natural resource for the semi‐arid southwestern United States (US), where it provides water to more than 40 million people. While nearly 1.5°C of anthropogenic warming has occurred across this region from the 1880s to 2021, climate models show little agreement in the precipitation change during the same historical period, with no trend in the mean of the latest (sixth) generation of Global Climate Models. As such, here we focus on how the CO2 increase and associated anthropogenic warming over the historical period has impacted runoff across the Colorado Basin. We find that the Colorado Basin's runoff over the historical period has decreased by 8.1% per degree Celsius of warming (°C−1). However, the magnitude of this sensitivity is reduced to 6.8% °C−1 when considering vegetation response to historical CO2. For present‐day conditions, this translates to runoff reductions of 10.3% due to anthropogenic increases in both temperature and CO2 since 1880. We demonstrate that Colorado Basin's natural flow has been decreased by roughly the storage of Lake Mead during the 2000–2021 megadrought due to this long term anthropogenic influence, suggesting the basin's first shortage in 2021 would likely not have occurred without anthropogenic warming. We further show warming has led to disproportionate aridification in snowpack regions, causing runoff to decline at double the rate relative to non‐snowpack regions. Thus, despite only making up ∼30% of the basin's drainage area, 86% of runoff decreases in the Colorado Basin is driven by water loss in snowpack regions.
Flood Vulnerability Models and Household Flood Damage Mitigation Measures: An Econometric Analysis of Survey Data
Authors: Endendijk Thijs , Botzen W. J. Wouter , de Moel Hans , Aerts Jeroen C. J. H. , Slager Kymo , Kok Matthijs
Published: July 2023

Flood events are expected to increase in their frequency and severity, which results in higher flood risk without additional adaptation measures. The information gained from flood risk models is essential in effective disaster risk management. However, vulnerability estimations are often a large driver of uncertainty, and flood damage is rarely estimated due to a lack of empirical damage data from flood events. This study uses a unique data set with experienced damages and the implementation of flood damage mitigation (FDM) measures on the household level, collected after the flood event in the Netherlands in 2021. Flood damage models that control for several hazard, exposure, and vulnerability indicators are estimated and allow for additional input in flood risk models. Previous estimates of the effectiveness of FDM measures are prone to a selection bias, as households that do, and do not implement FDM measures systematically differ in their risk profiles. By using an instrumental variable‐estimation, this study overcomes this selection bias and finds significant reductions in flood damage due to FDM measures. These reductions can be incorporated in multivariate flood vulnerability estimations, which indicate that FDM measures significantly reduce flood damage. Providing information on flood hazard, as well as implementing early warning systems, is crucial for ensuring effective flood risk management.
First High‐Speed Video Camera Observations of a Lightning Flash Associated With a Downward Terrestrial Gamma‐Ray Flash
Authors: Abbasi R. U. , Saba M. M. F. , Belz J. W. , Krehbiel P. R. , Rison W. , Kieu N. , da Silva D. R. , Stanley M. A. , Rodeheffer Dan , Remington J. , Mazich J. , LeVon R. , Smout K. , Petrizze A. , Abu‐Zayyad T. , Allen M. , Arimura R. , Barcikowski E. , Bergman D. R. , Blake S. A. , Buckland I. , Cheon B. G. , Chikawa M. , Fujii T. , Fujisue K. , Fujita K. , Fujiwara R. , Fukushima M. , Furlich G. , Globus N. , Gonzalez R. , Hanlon W. , Hayashida N. , He H. , Hibino K. , Higuchi R. , Honda K. , Ikeda D. , Inoue N. , Ishii T. , Ito H. , Ivanov D. , Iwakura H. , Iwasaki A. , Jeong H. M. , Jeong S. , Jui C. C. H. , Kadota K. , Kakimoto F. , Kalashev O. , Kasahara K. , Kasami S. , Kawakami S. , Kawata K. , Kharuk I. , Kido E. , Kim H. B. , Kim J. H. , Kim J. H. , Kim S. W. , Kimura Y. , Komae I. , Kubota Y. , Kuznetsov M. , Kwon Y. J. , Lee K. H. , Lubsandorzhiev B. , Lundquist J. P. , Matsuyama T. , Matthews J. N. , Mayta R. , Myers I. , Nagataki S. , Nakai K. , Nakamura R. , Nakamura T. , Nakazawa A. , Nishio E. , Nonaka T. , Ogio S. , Ohnishi M. , Ohoka H. , Oku Y. , Okuda T. , Omura Y. , Ono M. , Oshima A. , Ozawa S. , Park I. H. , Potts M. , Pshirkov M. S. , Rodriguez D. C. , Rott C. , Rubtsov G. I. , Ryu D. , Sagawa H. , Sakaki N. , Sako T. , Sakurai N. , Sato K. , Seki T. , Sekino K. , Shah P. D. , Shibasaki Y. , Shibata N. , Shibata T. , Shikita J. , Shimodaira H. , Shin B. K. , Shin H. S. , Shinto D. , Smith J. D. , Sokolsky P. , Stokes B. T. , Stroman T. A. , Takahashi K. , Takamura M. , Takeda M. , Takeishi R. , Taketa A. , Takita M. , Tameda Y. , Tanaka K. , Tanaka M. , Thomas S. B. , Thomson G. B. , Tinyakov P. , Tkachev I. , Tokuno H. , Tomida T. , Troitsky S. , Tsuda R. , Tsunesada Y. , Udo S. , Uehama T. , Urban F. , Warren D. , Wong T. , Yamamoto M. , Yamazaki K. , Yashiro K. , Yoshida F. , Zhezher Y. , Zundel Z.
Published: July 2023

In this paper, we present the first high‐speed video observation of a cloud‐to‐ground lightning flash and its associated downward‐directed Terrestrial Gamma‐ray Flash (TGF). The optical emission of the event was observed by a high‐speed video camera running at 40,000 frames per second in conjunction with the Telescope Array Surface Detector, Lightning Mapping Array, interferometer, electric‐field fast antenna, and the National Lightning Detection Network. The cloud‐to‐ground flash associated with the observed TGF was formed by a fast downward leader followed by a very intense return stroke peak current of −154 kA. The TGF occurred while the downward leader was below cloud base, and even when it was halfway in its propagation to ground. The suite of gamma‐ray and lightning instruments, timing resolution, and source proximity offer us detailed information and therefore a unique look at the TGF phenomena.
The Rise and Fall of Laramide Topography and the Sediment Evacuation From Wyoming
Authors: Caylor Emilia , Carrapa Barbara , Jepson Gilby , Sherpa Tshering Z. L. , DeCelles Peter G.
Published: July 2023

The modern topography within the Laramide region consists of high‐relief ranges and high‐elevation low‐relief (HELR) surfaces separated by intraforeland basins. However, the timing and development of this topography within the type‐locality of the Wyoming Laramide province is poorly understood. Previous models suggest that the modern topography is a young feature that was acquired after Laramide tectonism, post‐Laramide burial, and basin evacuation; however, evidence of such a progression is sparse. We present low‐temperature‐thermochronological data from two Laramide uplifts in Wyoming, the Wind River and Bighorn Ranges, which document an early record of Laramide exhumation, subsequent reheating, and significant cooling after 10 Ma. Our results indicate that the Laramide ranges were buried by post‐Laramide Cenozoic basin fill, creating a low‐relief topography by the early Miocene that was reduced due to late Miocene regional incision and basin evacuation. We suggest that HELR surfaces experienced further relief reduction from Pleistocene glaciation.
Restratification in Late Winter Lakes Induced by Cabbeling
Authors: Grace Andrew P. , Fogal Alexander , Stastna Marek
Published: July 2023

The under‐ice fluid dynamics during late winter in many freshwater settings remain poorly understood. One example is how cabbeling, the generation of dense water by mixing water masses on different sides of the temperature of maximum density (Tmd), affects the vertical transport. Using high resolution numerical simulations of the development of a stratified parallel shear flow, we show that when the temperature stratification passes through Tmd, cabbeling modifies the three‐dimensional aspects of the instability with the net effect of forming an emergent, stable stratification after a brief period of strong mixing. This stratification effectively separates the quiescent upper layer from the turbulent one below, thereby limiting transport and mixing between them. We propose a simple model for the vertical fluid flux during the mixing regime, and discuss a potential mechanism responsible for the emergent stratification as well as its sensitivity to the bulk Richardson number.
Demographic history of Ryukyu islanders at the southern part of the Japanese Archipelago inferred from whole-genome resequencing data
Authors: Koganebuchi Kae , Matsunami Masatoshi , Imamura Minako , Kawai Yosuke , Hitomi Yuki , Tokunaga Katsushi , Maeda Shiro , Ishida Hajime , Kimura Ryosuke
Published: July 2023

The Ryukyu Islands are located in the southernmost part of the Japanese Archipelago and consist of several island groups. Each island group has its own history and culture, which differ from those of mainland Japan. People of the Ryukyu Islands are genetically subdivided; however, their detailed demographic history remains unclear. We report the results of a whole-genome sequencing analysis of a total of 50 Ryukyu islanders, focusing on genetic differentiation between Miyako and Okinawa islanders. We confirmed that Miyako and Okinawa islanders cluster differently in principal component analysis and ADMIXTURE analysis and that there is a population structure among Miyako islanders. The present study supports the hypothesis that population differentiation is primarily caused by genetic drift rather than by differences in the rate of migration from surrounding regions, such as the Japanese main islands or Taiwan. In addition, the genetic cline observed among Miyako and Okinawa islanders can be explained by recurrent migration beyond the bounds of these islands. Our analysis also suggested that the presence of multiple subpopulations during the Neolithic Ryukyu Jomon period is not crucial to explain the modern Ryukyu populations. However, the assumption of multiple subpopulations during the time of admixture with mainland Japanese is necessary to explain the modern Ryukyu populations. Our findings add insights that could help clarify the complex history of populations in the Ryukyu Islands.
Condylar motion analysis: a controlled, blinded clinical study on the interindividual reproducibility of standardized evaluation of computer-recorded condylar movements
Authors: Ahlers M. Oliver , Petersen Tim , Katzer Lukasz , Jakstat Holger A. , Roehl Jakob C. , Türp Jens C.
Published: July 2023

The present study investigated to what extent a systematic evaluation of electronic condylar motion recordings leads to reproducible results in different examiners. The study was based on the anonymized condylar motion recordings of 20 patients (Cadiax compact II system). These were recruited consecutively from the examinations in a center specializing in diagnosing and managing temporomandibular disorders (TMD). Four trained practitioners independently evaluated the identical movement recordings of all patients after calibration. The evaluation was based on the previously published evaluation system. The results were recorded digitally in a database. The findings were then compared, and the matching values were determined (Fleiss' Kappa). The evaluation, according to Fleiss' Kappa, showed that the consistency of the assessment of the findings among the examiners is excellent (mean value 0.88, p < 0.00001). The study shows that calibrated dentists achieved reproducible results using this evaluation system and computer-assisted reporting. Good reproducibility confirms the reliability of systematic evaluation of clinical motion analysis. The ambiguities uncovered and eliminated in the study should avoid misunderstandings in the future. Both factors establish the prerequisites for applying condylar motion analysis in clinical practice.
Applications of IoT and digital twin in electrical power systems: A comprehensive survey
Authors: Mansour Diaa‐Eldin A. , Numair Mohamed , Zalhaf Amr S. , Ramadan Rawda , Darwish Mohamed M. F. , Huang Qi , Hussien Mohamed G. , Abdel‐Rahim Omar
Published: July 2023

This paper reviews the applications of Internet of Things (IoT) and digital twin technology in electrical power systems. It begins by discussing the generalized IoT value chain, followed by the terminology of smart grid, with clarifying the role of IoT‐systems and the digital twin structure within the Smart Grid. A comparison between different short‐range and long‐range transports is presented. The paper then discusses the use of IoT and digital twin technology for effective energy management with applications in smart homes, smart buildings, smart grids, smart industries (Industry 4.0), smart transportation and smart cities. Additionally, the paper explores the use of IoT and digital twin technology for condition monitoring and diagnosis (CMD) in electrical power systems. Three different cases are presented for CMD, that is, CMD of power transformers, CMD of electrical grids and CMD of substations. IoT and digital twin applications are also highlighted in power electronic systems. Finally, the paper discusses the challenges and opportunities of applying IoT and digital twin technology to electrical power systems and provides recommendations for future research.
Vasicek and Van Es entropy‐based spectrum sensing for cognitive radios
Authors: Sarkar Sutapa , Muralishankar R. , Gurugopinath Sanjeev
Published: July 2023

Accurate detection of spectrum holes is a useful requirement for cognitive radios that improves the efficiency of spectrum usage. The authors propose three novel, simple, and entropy‐based detectors for spectrum sensing in cognitive radio. The authors evaluate the probability of detection of these three detectors: Vasicek's entropy detector, truncated Vasicek's entropy detector, and Van Es' entropy detector, over a predefined probability of false‐alarm. In particular, the authors provide the approximate and asymptotic test statistics for these detectors in the presence and absence of Nakagami‐m fading, noise variance uncertainty, and optimised detection threshold. Furthermore, the authors provide a detailed comparison study among all the detectors via Monte Carlo simulations and justify authors results through real‐world data. The authors’ experimental results establish a superior performance of truncated Vasicek's entropy detector over Vasicek's entropy detector, energy detector, differential entropy detector and Van Es' entropy detector in practically viable scenarios.
SGLT-2-Hemmer
Authors: Wolf Gunter
Published: July 2023

Ich kann mich gut erinnern, als vor über 10 Jahren die ersten Zulassungsstudien zu SGLT-2-Hemmern (SGLT-2: Natrium-Glukose-Kotransporter-2) erschienen, mit einer durchschnittlichen HbA1c-Reduktion um 0,7 %, einer relativ bescheidenen Blutdrucksenkung mit Gewichtsabnahme, aber zusätzlich Harnwegsinfekten als Nebenwirkung, dass ich in einem Vortrag vor Diabetologen gewitzelt habe, was denn nun wirklich der Stellenwert dieser Medikamente sei – ob wir diese bräuchten und ob eine „Karamellisierung“ der Niere und der ableitenden Harnwege nicht die Progression einer diabetischen Nephropathie fördern würde. Selten habe ich mich in meinem Leben so geirrt. Schon 2015 konnte in der EMPA-REG-Outcome-Studie gezeigt werden, dass Empagliflozin im Vergleich zum Placebo bei Patienten mit Typ-2-Diabetes den zusammengesetzten Nierenendpunkt (Verdopplung des Serumkreatinins, Beginn einer Nierenersatztherapie oder Tod durch Nierenerkrankungen) signifikant reduzierte mit einer Hazard-Ratio von 0,54 1.
Pyoderma gangraenosum als diagnostische und therapeutische interdisziplinäre Herausforderung
Authors: Michel Daniel , Dege Tassilo , Kneitz Hermann , Stumpf Marco , Goebeler Matthias , Schmieder Astrid
Published: July 2023

Das Pyoderma gangraenosum (PG) ist eine neutrophile Dermatose unklarer Genese, die sowohl in Assoziation zu hämatologischen und neoplastischen Systemerkrankungen, chronisch-entzündlichen Darmerkrankungen und autoinflammatorischen Syndromen als auch idiopathisch auftreten kann. Sowohl die Diagnosestellung wie auch die Therapie des PG stellen aufgrund seiner Seltenheit, des Fehlens großer randomisierter kontrollierter Studien und der unzureichend verstandenen Pathogenese eine Herausforderung in der klinischen Praxis dar. Diese Übersichtsarbeit beschreibt und diskutiert aktuelle Erkenntnisse, die das PG als autoinflammatorische Erkrankung beschreiben. Durch eine Dysregulation von T-Lymphozyten und myeloiden Zellen wie den neutrophilen Granulozyten kommt es zur Entstehung von Pusteln und großflächigen Ulzera. Klassische Therapieansätze umfassen eine anti-inflammatorische topische Therapie, eine Analgesie sowie die systemische Gabe von Immunmodulantien oder -suppressiva. Neuere, bisher nicht zugelassene Therapieoptionen sind der Einsatz von Biologika und JAK-Inhibitoren.
Catherine the Great’s writings for children in transnational
context
Authors: Weld Sara Pankenier
Published: July 2023

When Russian Empress Catherine the Great
(1729–1796) wrote allegorical fairy tales and educational materials
for her grandsons, as well as an audience of Russian children, she
actively partook in transnational traditions, finding inspiration
and models in genres that fluidly crossed geographical boundaries in
the eighteenth century. Comparing Catherine’s writings for children
both nationally and transnationally with other mirrors for princes
intended to guide young rulers, allegorical fairy tales in exotic
settings, and broader enlightening projects of the time, reveals how
her works hybridise different genres and transnational sources of
inspiration to create something new and never seen before in Russia.
At the same time, the example of Catherine’s writings also
exemplifies how writings for a child become literature for
children.
From Michaelmas-Day to Thanksgiving
Authors: Wasowicz Laura
Published: July 2023

This chapter explores the appropriation,
adaptation, and translation of the picturebook Grandmamma
Easy’s Michaelmas Day, or The Fate of Poor Molly
Goosey. Originally issued by London publisher Dean & Company c. 1843,
it was reprinted three years later in Philadelphia by George S.
Appleton. In about 1850, the text was Americanized and issued by
Boston publisher Wier & White under the title
Thanksgiving Day. Around 1870, New York
publisher D. Appleton & Company translated the picturebook into
Spanish and issued it as La Historia de La Gansa
Amorosa (The Story of the Loving Goose) for sale in an
emerging Hispanic book market, enlisting picturebook manufacturer
McLoughlin Brothers. Tracing the transnational, translingual history
of Molly, this study illuminates the use of recognized public
holidays to reach new markets.
The roles of stomatal morphologies in transpiration and nutrient transportation between grasses and forbs in a temperate steppe
Authors: Chen Zhuo , Li Hongbo , Zhang Wen-hao , Wang Baolan
Published: July 2023

Background and Aims

Grasses and forbs are dominant functional groups in temperate grasslands and display substantial differences in many biological traits, especially in root and stomatal morphologies, which are closely related to the use of water and nutrients. However, few studies have investigated the differences in nutrient accumulation and stomatal morphology-mediated transportation of water and nutrients from roots to shoots comparatively between the two functional groups.

Methods

Here, we explored the patterns of accumulation of multiple nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Mg and S) in leaves and roots, transpiration-related processes and interactions between nutrients and transpiration at functional group levels by experiments in a temperate steppe and collection of data from the literature.

Key Results

The concentrations of all the examined nutrients were obviously higher in both leaves and roots of forbs than those in grasses, especially for leaf Ca and Mg concentrations. Grasses with dumbbell-shaped stomata displayed significantly lower transpiration and stomatal conductance than forbs with kidney-shaped stomata. In contrast, grasses showed much higher water-use efficiency (WUE) than forbs. The contrasting patterns of nutrient accumulation, transpiration and WUE between grasses and forbs were less sensitive to varied environments. Leaf N, P and S concentrations were not affected by transpiration. In contrast, leaf Mg concentrations were positively correlated with transpiration in forb species. Furthermore, linear regression and principal component analysis showed that leaf Ca and Mg concentrations were positively correlated with transpiration between the two functional groups.

Conclusions

Our results revealed contrasting differences in acquisition of multiple nutrients and transpiration between grasses and forbs, and that stomatal morphologies are an important driver for the distinct WUE and translocation of Ca and Mg from roots to leaves between the two functional groups in temperate steppes. These findings will contribute to our understanding of the important roles of functional traits in driving water and nutrient cycling.
Advances in understanding epigenetic regulation of plant trichome development: a comprehensive review
Authors: Dong Yuming , Li Sen , Wu Haoying , Gao Yiming , Feng Zhongxuan , Zhao Xi , Shan Li , Zhang Zhongren , Ren Huazhong , Liu Xingwang
Published: July 2023

Plant growth and development are controlled by a complex gene regulatory network, which is currently a focal point of research. It has been established that epigenetic factors play a crucial role in plant growth. Trichomes, specialized appendages that arise from epidermal cells, are of great significance in plant growth and development. As a model system for studying plant development, trichomes possess both commercial and research value. Epigenetic regulation has only recently been implicated in the development of trichomes in a limited number of studies, and microRNA-mediated post-transcriptional regulation appears to dominate in this context. In light of this, we have conducted a review that explores the interplay between epigenetic regulations and the formation of plant trichomes, building upon existing knowledge of hormones and transcription factors in trichome development. Through this review, we aim to deepen our understanding of the regulatory mechanisms underlying trichome formation and shed light on future avenues of research in the field of epigenetics as it pertains to epidermal hair growth.
Variegated Economies
Authors: Peck Jamie
Published: July 2023

The culmination of more than two decades of work on the spatiality of economic forms, worlds, and lives, Variegated Economies tackles the question of how to approach, conceptualize, and analyze economies as geographically differentiated and unevenly developed phenomena. Staged from the loosely bounded field known as economic geography, the book seeks to build bridges to complementary work in critical political economy and heterodox economic studies by way of a substantive theoretical and methodological program. Variegated Economies advances a series of arguments concerning the inherent—and highly consequential—spatiality of economic forms, worlds, and lives, engaging a range of issues from the diversity of capitalism(s) to the dynamics of late-stage neoliberalization, and from the problematic uneven geographical development to the challenges-cum-opportunities of conjunctural modes of analysis.
Relocating Variety
Authors: Peck Jamie
Published: July 2023

Drawing on collaborative work originally developed with Nik Theodore, this chapter is concerned with the comparative analysis of capitalism. It traces a course from the critical orthodoxy, established during the 1990s, to analyze capitalist “variety” through to a series of generative critiques of this varieties of capitalism school. The varieties approach is critiqued for its preoccupation with limited, formal registers of institutional variety, for its methodological nationalism, for its turn to rational-choice, firm-centric methods, and for its failure to account for the interdependent character of transnational, unevenly developed capitalism. The chapter culminates in a provisional specification of the emergent concept of variegated capitalism, which on the one hand can be considered immanent to the project of geographical political economy but on the other represents a challenge and prompt to a different kind of “macroeconomic geography.”
Arid Comparisons?
Authors: Peck Jamie
Published: July 2023

In dialogue with the approach outlined in the previous chapter, this chapter explores the methodological potential of substantivist economic geography by way of an engagement with the distinctive regional economy of the Pilbara in Western Australia. It reflects on the experience of taking Polanyi to the Pilbara, framed first and foremost as a methodological experiment. The chapter traces the often-destructive interaction between different modes, meanings, and manifestations of socioeconomic development in the Pilbara, beginning with the moment of Aboriginal dispossession through to the globalization of this resource-rich region. It also reflects on the contested and zigzagging course of labor relations in the region, the meaning and consequences of economic “modernization,” and some of the many open questions around the issue of Indigenous economic development. The chapter is concluded with a discussion of the potential of substantivist economic geographies, in this and other (regional) contexts.
After Variety
Authors: Peck Jamie
Published: July 2023

The goals of this chapter are primarily epistemological. It begins by re-engaging with some of the motivating themes of the book—the distinctive analytical perspective of geographical political economy, critiques of varieties-of-capitalism orthodoxies and ideal-typical reasoning, the challenge of working substantively, with and through sociospatial difference—in order to build a case for theorizing capitalist diversity through the lens of uneven and combined development. The concept of uneven development has a checkered history all of its own. Often deemed to be a source of unnecessary complications in the “non-spatial” social sciences, even the critical ones, uneven geographical development is a staple concern for economic geographers in general and geographical political economists in particular, yet even here it can sometimes assume taken-for-granted status. This chapter asks what it means to transcend the “background” status to which uneven and combined development is often assigned, engaging it instead in a more methodologically active manner, including the problematization of its often-silent c, combination.
Collective Life Stories
Authors: Trower Shelley
Published: July 2023

This chapter moves beyond the duality of auto/biographical coauthorship to consider how an editor-author mediates multiple voices, including their orality, into a single written text. It focuses on how feminist oral historians and authors have brought together collections of voices, including middle- and working-class suffragettes, black and Asian women in Britain, Italian activists, and Soviet women in wartime, and considers the benefits and limitations of turning vernacular speech into relatively “standard” English. The chapter foregrounds the authorial control over these multiple voices, from decisions of selection and exclusion to how to juxtapose voices and how much of the orality to keep and strip out. It also discusses the use of autobiography to blend personal and collective experiences, and finally the form of polyphony, whereby the minimizing of any authorial presence helps to equalize multiple voices and give autonomy to a reader who interprets them.
The Selection Surface and Adaptive Landscape for a Single Trait
Authors: Arnold Stevan J.
Published: July 2023

Selection on a single trait can be visualized as a curve, the ISS, that relates trait values to fitness. The fundamental properties of this curve (slope and curvature) are intimately related to the changes in trait mean and variance that are induced by selection within a generation. For example, a steep selection curve dramatically shifts the mean. A ∩-shaped curve reduces trait variance within a generation. Although we generally will not know the shape of the ISS, we can deduce its properties and approximate its shape with various functions. To make predictions about how the trait will change from one generation to the next, we need a related curve, one that is averaged over the trait distribution. This curve is called the adaptive landscape.
Inheritance of Multiple Traits
Authors: Arnold Stevan J.
Published: July 2023

The G-matrix provides a useful way to model inheritance when multiple traits are affected by many genes and genetically coupled. The G-matrix is an m trait × m trait table with genetic variances on its main diagonal and genetic covariances elsewhere. The genetic covariance between two traits summarizes genetic connections arising from linkage disequilibrium and/or pleiotropy. Studies of multiple trait inheritance often reveal appreciable genetic correlations between traits, especially when those traits are size-related. The M-matrix summarizes the patterns of mutational effects on multiple traits. Just as covariances among relatives are the foundation for estimation of the G-matrix, the accumulation of mutations in inbred lines is the foundation for estimation of the M-matrix. Studies of G- and M-matrices suggest that these matrices have almost as many dimensions of variation as the number of characters included in the study. Consequently, these matrices are unlikely to constrain the course of evolution on long evolutionary timescales. The entire G-matrix, as well as its constituent genetic variances and covariances, can be visualized as achieving a stable balance between opposing forces. This stable equilibrium represents a compromise between alternative structures imposed by the processes of selection, mutation, recombination, and migration.
Evolution of Multiple Traits on a Stationary Adaptive Landscape
Authors: Arnold Stevan J.
Published: July 2023

The theoretical evolution of the multivariate trait mean has been most explored in the case of a hill-shaped adaptive landscape that has a consistent position, shape, and orientation. Under particular but general conditions, the mean tends to evolve uphill on this stationary landscape, towards the adaptive peak. When two or more traits are genetically correlated, the evolutionary path towards the peak is generally curved rather than straight. The big challenge is to develop generalizations about how multivariate evolution will proceed on different kinds of adaptive peaks. The effect of peak configuration on multivariate trait radiations has been explored by assuming that the peak is multivariate Gaussian. Theory is especially well developed for systems in which a single male trait (ornament) evolves in response to sexual selection exerted by a second, female trait (sexual preference). Under these conditions, the equilibrium of the bivariate mean may be a stable point, a line or an elliptical cycle. Unstable dynamics are also possible, but probably unlikely. Finite population size adds an element of uncertainty to the outcome, changing stable points into clouds, for example. Predictions from these models are consistent with important features of actual sexual radiations, but only a few discriminating, quantitative tests have been conducted.
Everyday Lookism
Authors: Mason Andrew
Published: July 2023

This chapter considers the phenomenon of ‘everyday lookism’, that is, the ordinary practice of commenting upon and judging the appearance of others. It conceptualizes everyday lookism as a discriminatory practice, and then explores the ways in which it can be demeaning, or have unjust consequences, especially by being oppressive. Just as a work ethic can be oppressive in virtue of the combined costs of compliance and non-compliance, so too everyday lookism may be oppressive in virtue of being fuelled by demanding appearance norms the costs of failing to comply with which are high. Even if we exclude costs of compliance that are a product of a person’s reflective endorsement of the relevant norms, and costs of non-compliance that might reasonably be avoided by developing a thicker skin, the acts of discrimination involved in everyday lookism are often wrongful in virtue of contributing to the oppressiveness of the practice.
Dickens Contemplates Sledge Hammer Blows
Authors: Patten Robert L.
Published: July 2023

Dickens traveled to North America in 1841; when there he advocated for bi-national copyright agreements. That provoked outrage. On his return to Britain, he took up three burning issues. Copyright, though that faded when his fight in Chancery to quash a parody of A Christmas Carol cost so much money he concluded that he wouldn’t go to law again. On two other matters, he published scathing satirical essays about labor conditions in the mines and factories, and the quarreling of religious sects—Catholic, Church of England, dissenters—that prevented any policy for providing national education for children from being adopted by Parliament. Descriptions and illustrations of miners instance deplorable working conditions. If children are not educated and provided for, they could destroy the world. The analysis of Dickens’s struggles to make a difference on these issues constitutes a largely untold story of its own.
The Foundations of Complex Evolving Economies
Authors: Dosi Giovanni
Published: July 2023

This Manual offers an integrated analysis of the ‘anatomy of the capitalist engine’ of generation and exploitation of technological, organisational, and institutional innovations and its dynamic socio-economic consequences. It starts from the identification of ‘what is there to be explained’—that is, the empirical and historical stylized facts at different levels of aggregation and different time scales—and then it moves to interpret them, from the drivers of knowledge accumulation to the modes in which such knowledge is incorporated into business firms and the processes of innovation-driven ‘Schumpeterian competition’ all the way to macroeconomic growth and development (in the forthcoming Volume II). The economy is interpreted as a complex evolving system in that a wide set of techno-economic phenomena are understood as emergent properties—outcomes of far-from-equilibrium interactions among heterogeneous agents, characterized by endogenous preferences, most often ‘boundedly rational’ but always capable of learning, adapting, and innovating with respect to their understandings of the world in which they operate, the technologies they master, their organizational forms, and their behavioural repertoires.
Development, Growth, and Economic Coordination
Authors: Dosi Giovanni
Published: July 2023

The chapter presents a broad historical overview of ‘what is there to be explained’, from the first episodes of industrialization to the contemporary patterns of growth and development. Rather than searching for mono-causal explanations, in the proposed interpretation, national systems of innovation and production develop, and advance (or do not) on the grounds of the co-evolutionary dynamics among five sub-domains, and related institutions, governing: (i) the generation of scientific knowledge; (ii) the development, improvement, adoption of new artefacts and new techniques of production (that is the domain of technology); (iii) the economic machine which organizes the production and distribution of goods, services and incomes, and together, information flows and governance modes; (iv) the political and legal structure; and (v) the cultural domain, shaping values, norms, and customs. We apply such a framework as an interpretative example to the First Industrial Revolution. More generally, each of the foregoing domain represent enormous ‘blackboxes’ awaiting to be opened. We shall do that in the following, concerning technology and innovation; the nature and dynamics of organizations; the theory of production; the patterns of consumption; markets and how they work; the structure and evolution of industries. The more macroeconomic and macro institutional domains will be left to Volume II.
Markets and Their Organization
Authors: Dosi Giovanni
Published: July 2023

Of all economic institutions, the market is probably the most ancient and the most historically documented. And, as all the others, it is a ‘socially constructed one in which the behaviour of traders is suspended in a web of customs, norms, and structures of control’ (Aboulafia, 1997). Phenomena like incomplete and asymmetric information are ubiquitous. However, the sole acknowledgement of them is largely insufficient to characterize how markets work. We study different forms of market organizations and the ways different institutional architectures, distributions of behavioural rules, and mechanisms of interaction affect collective outcomes. And we study learning processes within them. Generically, the aggregate relationship is not the sum of many similar individual relationships but has characteristics resulting from the ensemble of interactions themselves. In order to study ‘how markets work’, one must study how they behave out of equilibrium and the characteristics of the states through which they pass or on which they settle.