bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Blockchain‐enabled virtual coupling of automatic train operation fitted mainline trains for railway traffic conflict control
Authors: Muniandi Ganesan
Published: March 2020

Railway traffic conflicts are common in the day‐to‐day operation of trains due to the limited track capacity, the varying priority of trains, localised weather conditions, maintenance operations etc. The conventional conflict resolution strategy focuses on delaying the trains by considering the braking distance of a preceding train, cancellation or intermediate stopping of the trains etc. This strategy can solve the problem of railway operators than the passenger's problem of missed connecting trains, missed business opportunities or personal appointments etc. To ensure both operator and passenger satisfaction, this paper proposes a novel blockchain‐enabled virtual coupling of automatic train operation fitted mainline trains for railway traffic conflicts. The immutable blockchain databases of the trains and track infrastructures help to forecast the traffic conflicts in real time. Seven variants of virtual coupling strategies are described in this study. Based on the chosen strategy, the reference model of the automatic train operation of mainline trains is virtually coupled or synchronised. Finally, the simulation results and theoretical analyses using several case studies are carried out to confirm the sufficiency of the proposed system and method. The major advantage of the proposed study is that it can be an overlay to the existing European Railway Traffic Management System Level‐2.
Gas fractions and depletion times in galaxies with different degrees of interaction
Authors: Díaz-García S. , Knapen J. H.
Published: March 2020

Context. A moderate enhancement of the star formation rates (SFR) in local interacting galaxies has been reported, but the physical mechanisms leading to this increase are not clear.

Aims. We study the atomic gas content and the central stellar mass concentration for a sample of almost 1500 nearby galaxies to further investigate the nature of starbursts and the influence of galaxy-galaxy interactions on star formation.

Methods. We used a sample of catalogued interacting and non-interacting galaxies in the S4G survey – along with archival H I gas masses, stellar masses (M*), and SFRs from IRAS far-infrared fluxes – and calculate depletion times (τ) and gas fractions. We traced the central stellar mass concentration from the inner slope of the stellar component of the rotation curves, dRv*(0). Starbursts are defined as galaxies with a factor > 4 enhanced SFR relative to a control sample of non-interacting galaxies which are ±0.2 dex in stellar mass and ±1 in T-type.

Results. Starbursts are mainly early-type (T ≲ 5), massive spiral galaxies (M* ≳ 1010 M⊙) that are not necessarily interacting. For a given stellar mass bin, starbursts are characterised by lower gas depletion times, similar gas fractions, and larger central stellar mass concentrations than non-starburst galaxies. The global distributions of gas fraction and gas depletion time of interacting galaxies are not statistically different from those of their non-interacting counterparts. However, in the case of currently merging galaxies, the median gas depletion time is a factor of 0.4 ± 0.2 that of control sample galaxies, and their SFRs are a factor of 1.9 ± 0.5 enhanced, even though the median gas fraction is similar.

Conclusions. Starbursts present long-lasting star formation in circumnuclear regions, which causes an enhancement of the central stellar density at z ≈ 0 in both interacting and non-interacting systems. Starbursts have low gas depletion timescales, yet similar gas fractions as normal main-sequence galaxies. Galaxy mergers cause a moderate enhancement of the star formation efficiency.
Overcoming Knowledge Barriers for Inclusion of School-Based Speech-Language Pathologists in the Management of Students with Mild Traumatic Brain Injury
Authors: O'Brien Katy H.
Published: March 2020

School-based speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play an important role in the recovery of children who have sustained a mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Two types of knowledge barriers are described here that impact the beliefs and ability of SLPs to respond to the needs of these students. Foundational knowledge is relatively stable over time, and encompasses basic definitions and understanding of the injury. In contrast, flexible knowledge addresses clinical management, including assessment and treatment, and should be regularly updated to align with current best practice recommendations. Clinicians are sensitive to this difference, seeking clinically applicable continuing education. However, general poor understanding of pediatric mTBI paired with rapidly advancing research in the field has led to widespread inaccuracies in both foundational and flexible knowledge. Suggestions are provided for educational initiatives and for advocacy of the role of SLPs in the care of students with mTBI.
Development of a scale of Chinese primary school teachers’ job embeddedness
Authors: Sun Xuguang , Huang Ailing
Published: March 2020

Based on the background of Chinese education reform and Chinese cultural values, the paper aims to develop a good reliable and valid scale to measure the job embeddedness of Chinese primary school teachers. To achieve the above purpose, first, we created these domains and items through an analysis of previous literature and an opened questionnaire survey of Chinese primary school teachers. Second, three experts and scholars from education and psychology evaluated the content validity of the scale. Finally, we randomly selected 534 Chinese primary school teachers to form a sample, and then tested the reliability and validity of the scale by SPSS and Amos software. We found that the scale of Chinese primary school teachers’ job embeddedness consists of five domains, including 28 items. The reliability and validity of the scale is acceptable. The five domains were named “fit to organization”, “fit to community”, “organization-related sacrifice”, “links to community” and “fit to family”. Therefore, we come to the following conclusions: first, the structural model of job embeddedness of Chinese primary school teachers consists of five dimensions. Second, the scale gets a good reliability and validity.
Tuning ferromagnetism at room temperature by visible light
Authors: Náfrádi Bálint , Szirmai Péter , Spina Massimo , Pisoni Andrea , Mettan Xavier , Nemes Norbert M. , Forró László , Horváth Endre
Published: March 2020

Most digital information today is encoded in the magnetization of ferromagnetic domains. The demand for ever-increasing storage space fuels continuous research for energy-efficient manipulation of magnetism at smaller and smaller length scales. Writing a bit is usually achieved by rotating the magnetization of domains of the magnetic medium, which relies on effective magnetic fields. An alternative approach is to change the magnetic state directly by acting on the interaction between magnetic moments. Correlated oxides are ideal materials for this because the effects of a small external control parameter are amplified by the electronic correlations. Here, we present a radical method for reversible, light-induced tuning of ferromagnetism at room temperature using a halide perovskite/oxide perovskite heterostructure. We demonstrate that photoinduced charge carriers from the

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photovoltaic perovskite efficiently dope the thin

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film and decrease the magnetization of the ferromagnetic state, allowing rapid rewriting of the magnetic bit. This manipulation could be accomplished at room temperature; hence this opens avenues for magnetooptical memory devices.
“I’ll tell you later on”
Authors: Mlynář Jakub
Published: March 2020

This article investigates an interactional phenomenon in which oral history interview participants
deal with temporal structure in extended storytelling. It is based on the observation that while narrating a
life story, participants routinely use its temporal structure as an organizing principle of the interview.
Drawing inspiration from Sacks’ notion of tying devices and Genette’s distinction of prolepsis/analepsis, I
have identified two forms of practices that interrelate storytelling sequences in an interview. For the first
form, I propose the term analeptic tying: in this practice, turns produced earlier are treated as a resource
for the current turn. For the second form, I propose the term proleptic tying, which refers to planned turns
of speech that have yet to be produced being treated as a resource. I discuss the proleptic and analeptic
tying devices in relation to relevant research in ethnomethodology/conversation analysis, which is the
approach taken in this article.
Antioxidant Activity of Blended of Robusta Coffee (Coffea canephora L.) with The White Turmeric (Curcuma zedoaria (Berg.) Roscoe) and Wild Ginger (Curcuma xantorrhiza, Roxb.)
Authors: Gafar P A , Agustini S
Published: March 2020

This research aims to study the manufacture of herbal mixed coffee by blending the ground roasted coffee with the white turmeric extract and wild Javanese turmeric extract as a natural additive. The treatment was the ratio between ground roasted coffee and white turmeric and wild Javanese turmeric extract, which consisted of three levels namely 80:20%, 60:40%, 40:60%. The measurement of antioxidant activity was carried out using the DPPH method as % inhibition. The results showed that the antioxidant activity of coffee mixed with white turmeric was 18%, 19%, 48% respectively for each ratio and IC50 of 12.98%; while coffee mixed with Javanese turmeric extract showed the antioxidant activity of 20%; 32%; 48% with IC50 7.71%.
In-vivo Test of Calcium Soap from Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) in Three Cow Farms
Authors: Indarto Antonius , Handojo Lienda A. , Shofinita Dian , Saadi Muhammad R. , Yulistia Dea , Hasyyati Fathinah I.
Published: March 2020

Palm Fatty Acid Distillate (PFAD) is a by-product of Crude Palm Oil (CPO) refinery. As the largest CPO producer, Indonesia exported an abundant amount of PFAD without further processing. The use of calcium soap as a supplement for ruminant feed will increase the productivity of dairy cows in Indonesia. Hence, this study reported in-vivo tests that were conducted to determine the effect of calcium soap supplementation on dairy cows. The result showed that feeding calcium soap to dairy cows could increase productivity and extend the lactation period. The milk quality also improved by the increase of fat content and density which lead to an increase in milk prices. Based on the field observations in three animal husbandries, calcium soap improved the health and fertility of cows.
Production Nanocellulose from Raw Materials For Oil Palm Empty Bunches (TKKS) with Hydrolysis and Freeze Drying Methods
Authors: Emmanuela Maria W , Kusumawati Endang , Regiana Anggi , Suminar Dian Ratna
Published: March 2020

Accumulation Oil Palm Empty Bunches (TKKS) cause environmental problems if not solved. TKKS has a high cellulose composition, so it can be used as nanocellulose which has a higher value. The process of making nanocellulose from TKKS through the isolation stage of α-cellulose with a delignification process using Sodium Hydroxide (NaOH) 17.5% (b/v) at 80°C, bleaching using Hydrogen Peroxide (H2O2) 10% (v/v), hydrolysis using sulfuric acid and drying using freeze drying at a heating temperature of 53°C for 7 hours. Cellulose yield produced from the isolation process of α-cellulose from TKKS was 20.8%. The results of drying process will reduce the aggregation of particles in the nanocellulose produced, so that nanocellulose is produced at 160-298 nm.
Optimization of Ceric Ammonium Nitrate and Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate in the Synthesis of Chitosan-Graft-Maleic Anhydride
Authors: Nadia Milla , Timotius Daniel , Wirawan Sang K. , Eviana Putri Nur Rofiqoh , Kusumastuti Yuni
Published: March 2020

Amongst various methods for chitosan modification, grafting process is one of the promising techniques to alter chitosan surface properties. Maleic anhydride (MA) was grafted onto chitosan in the presence of an initiator to produce chitosan-graft-maleic anhydride (CTS- graft-MA). In this study, we compared and optimized two types of initiators: Ceric Ammonium Nitrate (CAN) and Ferrous Ammonium Sulfate (FAS) with various ratios in the synthesis of chitosan-graft-maleic anhydride. Chitosan was dissolved in dilute acetic acid solution. Subsequently, the initiator was added into solution to initiate the reaction and maleic anhydride was added immediately afterward. The reaction was carried out for 45 minutes at 70 °C with 430 rpm of agitation. The results of Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy showed an appearance of a new peak at 1705.07 cm−1 which belongs to C=O bands for both initiators. To find out the optimum results from CAN and FAS, the back-titration method was performed. The optimum ratio for CAN is 2.51% with the acidic content 5.4421 mmol/gr, while FAS is 0.268% with the acidic content 4.4673 mmol/gr. In conclusion, CAN is more effective than FAS to initiate the grafting process on CTS-graft- MA.
Electron correlation effects in isomers of C20
Authors: Cleland Deidre M , Fletcher Emily K , Kuperman Ariel , Per Manolo C
Published: March 2020

The C20molecule exists as three low-energy isomers: the monocyclic ring, a corannulene-like bowl structure, and the cage-the smallest possible fullerene. The curious structures of these isomers, along with the valuable properties and possible applications of fullerenes more generally, mean that C20has attracted interest both experimentally and computationally. Unfortunately, previous theoretical studies have found these C20isomers present a significant computational challenge, and widely used methods such as Density Functional Theory with different functionals have been unable to agree on even the relative ordering of the isomer energies. Even accurate high-level methods such as coupled-cluster with singles, doubles, and perturbative triples (CCSD(T)) and Diffusion Monte Carlo (DMC) have previously disagreed on the energetic ordering of these isomers. Here we re-examine the ring, bowl, and cage isomers of C20using a more accurate DMC technique. We employ a novel method to go beyond the single-determinant DMC approaches previously used, and instead use more accurate multi-determinant trial wavefunctions. Our results show that the fullerene cage exhibits different electron correlation effects than the ring and bowl, which when taken into account leads to a reordering of their relative energies. This finally establishes agreement between DMC and relatively recent complete-basis CCSD(T) results, thereby resolving a long-standing disparity between these two high-level descriptions of the C20isomers. The approach we use is generalisable, and could be used to provide insight into even larger systems in future.
Living with the Past: Thoughts on Community Collaboration and Difficult History in Native American and Indigenous Studies
Authors: Silverman David J.
Published: March 2020

David Silverman offers a critical appraisal of two prizewinning works in Native American and Indigenous studies (NAIS), Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War, by Lisa Brooks, and Memory Lands: King Philip’s War and the Place of Violence in the Northeast, by Christine M. DeLucia. Silverman’s review treats the methodology associated with NAIS with some skepticism, offering the opportunity for a lively discussion about the merits and perils of community-engaged history scholarship. Four scholars of Native American history, including DeLucia, respond, defending new approaches to Indigenous history represented by these recent works.
In the Shadow of the Wind
Authors: Turner Sasha
Published: March 2020

The 2018 publication of Julius S. Scott’s The Common Wind: Afro-American Currents in the Age of the Haitian Revolution inspired a renewed focus on the reverberations of the Haitian Revolution. Here, six scholars of the Atlantic World and the Age of Revolutions consider the historiographical implications of The Common Wind and remind us how the Haitian upheaval belongs at the very center of the ripples of modernity that spread across the globe from the revolutionary Atlantic.
Impecunious parties in international commercial arbitration
Authors: Engholm Cardoso Marcel Carvalho
Published: March 2020

This article discusses the possible effects that a party’s lack of funds can have on the arbitration agreement. It explains the different theories used to deal with this issue and proposes to classify them into substantive and jurisdictional solutions, depending on whether they propose an actual answer or examine it from a competence–competence perspective, thus simply deferring the question to the arbitrators without further guidance. The former category can also be divided into two further subgroups, in accordance with the weight given to the contractual nature of arbitration or to its jurisdictional nature. Finally, the article proposes a uniform solution under the New York Convention, arguing that impecuniosity might fall under the ‘incapable of being performed’ exception of article II(3). It concludes by proposing a narrow construction of this exception and putting forward four factors that practitioners should consider when deciding whether impecuniosity can void or suspend the effects of arbitration agreements.
Arbitration cases and preliminary references to the European Court of Justice—an assessment of ‘the Danish Solution’
Authors: Broberg Morten , Fenger Niels
Published: March 2020

When a case, that is pending before a national court in one of the Member States of the European Union, requires a decision on the interpretation or validity of an EU legal measure, the national court can seek a preliminary ruling on the matter from the European Court of Justice before deciding the main action. In its preliminary ruling, the European Court of Justice establishes authoritatively the interpretation or validity of the relevant EU legislation. When EU law plays a role in commercial arbitration it may be very useful for arbitration tribunals to have access to the preliminary reference procedure. However, according to the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union, only ‘a court or tribunal of a Member State’ can make a preliminary reference and this notion does not include commercial arbitration tribunals. In order to give arbitration tribunals access to the preliminary reference procedure Denmark has introduced a scheme which allows them to ask the ordinary Danish courts to make preliminary references on behalf of the arbitration tribunal. This article explains the Danish scheme and considers to what extent it provides a useful model for other Member States.
‘A Tale of Silent Suffering’: Wordsworth’s Poetics of Silence and its Function of Reintegration
Authors: Lo Yimon
Published: March 2020

Silence is an important aspect of Wordsworth’s treatment of sound and the auditory imagination. With different emphases, a number of critics have attended to the significance of silence in Wordsworth’s poetry. Various other scholars have addressed the notion of community in Wordsworth’s silence. Their readings encourage a reappraisal of Wordsworth’s poetics of silence as a mode of mournful reconciliation with forgotten communities. Alert to the ambiguities and contingencies in Wordsworth’s consolatory vision, my argument reinforces the social and communal function of silence rather than evaluating its achievement of compensation or reassurance in respect of loss and suffering. My reading engages with the emergent critical interest in Wordsworth’s use of negativity to offer a renewed perspective on how Wordsworth poeticizes the negative quality that silence lends to sound and mobilizes the idea of unattainable silence. Through debunking the conventional dualistic perception of sound and silence, my essay redefines the concept of auditory presence and absence to evaluate Wordsworth’s poetics of silence in terms of its effectiveness as a medium for social, spiritual, and imaginative reintegration.
Parallel Sequencing of Wolbachia wCer2 from Donor and Novel Hosts Reveals Multiple Incompatibility Factors and Genome Stability after Host Transfers
Authors: Morrow Jennifer L , Schneider Daniela I , Klasson Lisa , Janitz Caroline , Miller Wolfgang J , Riegler Markus
Published: March 2020

The application of Wolbachia in insect pest and vector control requires the establishment of genotypically stable host associations. The cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) inducing Wolbachia strain wCer2 naturally occurs in the cherry fruit fly Rhagoletis cerasi as co-infection with other strains and was transferred to other fruit fly species by embryonic microinjections. We obtained wCer2 genome data from its native and three novel hosts, Drosophila simulans, Drosophila melanogaster, and Ceratitis capitata and assessed its genome stability, characteristics, and CI factor (cif) genes. De novo assembly was successful from Wolbachia cell-enriched singly infected D. simulans embryos, with minimal host and other bacterial genome traces. The low yield of Wolbachia sequence reads from total genomic extracts of one multiply infected R. cerasi pupa and one singly infected C. capitata adult limited de novo assemblies but was sufficient for comparative analyses. Across hosts wCer2 was stable in genome synteny and content. Polymorphic nucleotide sites were found in wCer2 of each host; however, only one nucleotide was different between R. cerasi and C. capitata, and none between replicated D. simulans lines. The wCer2 genome is highly similar to wAu (D. simulans), wMel (D. melanogaster), and wRec (Drosophila recens). In contrast to wMel and wRec (each with one cif gene pair) and wAu (without any cif genes), wCer2 has three pairs of Type I cif genes, and one Type V cifB gene without a cifA complement. This may explain previously reported CI patterns of wCer2, including incomplete rescue of its own CI modification in three novel host species.
Thermal degradation and kinetic analysis of organic constituents in coal-gasification wastewater with a novel treatment
Authors: Zhang Wei , Wang Suilin
Published: March 2020

The traditional treatment of coal-gasification wastewater produces high solvent and operation cost, secondary pollution and long processing cycle. The aim of the paper was to attempt an alternative approach of wastewater treatment in coal gasification process. With wastewater being heated and sprayed into the gasifier, water participates in the water–gas shift reaction; meanwhile, organic constituents in wastewater are thermally degraded in specific conditions. In the study, thermal degradation and kinetic analysis of COD and NH3-N from Lurgi coal-gasification wastewater were conducted experimentally. The results showed that COD degradation can be divided into three reaction regions: 200–600, 600–1000 and 1000–1200°C. Also, NH3-N degradation can be divided as 200–400, 400–800 and 800–1200°C. The reaction temperature, oxygen concentration and reaction residence time can improve organic constituents’ degradation rate. The COD and NH3-N degradation rate ranks in the order oxidative > inert > reductive. It is because increasing oxygen concentration indicates more free radical generation and aromatic hydrocarbon polymerization was weakened. In addition, NO conversion with NH3 occurs within a narrow temperature window (800–1000°C). Thus, NO concentration reached the peak 230 mg/m3 at 800°C and then reduced with the increase in reaction temperature. Furthermore, a pseudo-first-order reaction model was implemented to analyse the kinetics of COD and NH3-N degradation rate. The results of the present study indicate that the proposed wastewater treatment is feasible and can be preferable reference for further practical application.
Reparation by Pecuniary Means of Direct Moral Damages Suffered by States as a Result of Internationally Wrongful Acts
Authors: Pirim Ceren Zeynep
Published: March 2020

Contemporary international law requires full reparation for all material and moral damages suffered by States as a result of internationally wrongful acts and provides that reparation can take the form of restitution, compensation or satisfaction. While it is admitted that material damages which are financially assessable can be repaired by restitution and/or compensation, satisfaction seems to be reserved to the reparation of moral damages. As to whether moral damages suffered by States can be repaired by pecuniary means, the answer seems to be controversial. Moral damages indirectly suffered by States as a result of internationally wrongful acts committed against their citizens are considered, both by the jurisprudence and the international literature, as reparable by monetary means, through the existence of the individual substratum. However, the reparability by pecuniary means of direct moral damages doing harm to States’ dignity, honour and prestige is problematical. This article argues for the reparability by payments of money of moral damages and discusses the nature of the monetary payment that may be done to States in order to remediate such damages.
Petrogenesis of Secondary Diatexites and the Melt Budget for Crustal Reworking
Authors: Sawyer E W
Published: March 2020

This study investigates the petrogenesis of diatexite migmatites and leucogranites in a granulite facies terrain and quantifies the melt budget for it. The anatectic rock types in the Ashuanipi Subprovince are: (1) melt-depleted orthopyroxene metatexite migmatite, (2) secondary diatexite migmatite formed where anatectic melt intruded, entrained and accumulated in the metatexite, and (3) leucogranite. The FeO, MgO, TiO2, Cr, Co and Sc contents of the diatexites are controlled by the fraction of entrained metatextite. However, most diatexites and many leucogranites are richer in (Na2O+CaO) but depleted in K2O relative to an anatectic melt + metatexite mixture. This, and the predominance of plagioclase + orthopyroxene frameworks in the diatexites, indicates loss of fractionated melt. Mass-balance models using the metatexite and compositions of fractionated melts and crystallised solids obtained from simulated crystallisation of the anatectic melt indicate that ‘typical’ diatexite formed by mixing ∼40% metatexite with ∼60% anatectic melt, and then when 8 to 30% crystallised, most (>73%) of the remaining melt was expelled, likely by shear-enhanced compaction. The processes making the diatexites and leucogranites expelled ∼50% of the initial amount of melt; some formed the K2O-rich leucodiatexites and leucogranites in the terrain, but most escaped. A melt budget for the present Ashuanipi surface made by combining mass-balance calculations and the area of each rock type reveals that it once held 3.05 times more melt than was generated there. The adjacent Opinaca Subprovince contains 10 times more leucogranite than partial melting there produced; moreover, its leucogranites are compositionally similar to fractionated melts expelled from the Ashuanipi. Combining these crustal levels and assuming a gradient of 30oC km-1, then ∼400 000 km3 of melt representing >68% of the total generated during crustal reworking in the Ashuanipi remained in the middle crust where temperatures were above the solidus.
Type I interferon susceptibility distinguishes SARS-CoV-2 from SARS-CoV
Authors: Lokugamage Kumari G. , Hage Adam , de Vries Maren , Valero-Jimenez Ana M. , Schindewolf Craig , Dittmann Meike , Rajsbaum Ricardo , Menachery Vineet D.
Published: March 2020

SARS-CoV-2, a novel coronavirus (CoV) that causes COVID-19, has recently emerged causing an ongoing outbreak of viral pneumonia around the world. While distinct from SARS-CoV, both group 2B CoVs share similar genome organization, origins to bat CoVs, and an arsenal of immune antagonists. In this report, we evaluate type-I interferon (IFN-I) sensitivity of SARS-CoV-2 relative to the original SARS-CoV. Our results indicate that while SARS-CoV-2 maintains similar viral replication to SARS-CoV, the novel CoV is much more sensitive to IFN-I. In Vero and in Calu3 cells, SARS-CoV-2 is substantially attenuated in the context of IFN-I pretreatment, while SARS-CoV is not. In line with these findings, SARS-CoV-2 fails to counteract phosphorylation of STAT1 and expression of ISG proteins, while SARS-CoV is able to suppress both. Comparing SARS-CoV-2 and influenza A virus in human airway epithelial cultures (HAEC), we observe the absence of IFN-I stimulation by SARS-CoV-2 alone, but detect failure to counteract STAT1 phosphorylation upon IFN-I pretreatment resulting in near ablation of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Next, we evaluated IFN-I treatment post infection and found SARS-CoV-2 was sensitive even after establishing infection. Finally, we examined homology between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 in viral proteins shown to be interferon antagonists. The absence of an equivalent open reading frame (ORF) 3b and changes to ORF6 suggest the two key IFN-I antagonists may not maintain equivalent function in SARS-CoV-2. Together, the results identify key differences in susceptibility to IFN-I responses between SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 that may help inform disease progression, treatment options, and animal model development.

Importance

With the ongoing outbreak of COVID-19, differences between SARS-CoV-2 and the original SARS-CoV could be leveraged to inform disease progression and eventual treatment options. In addition, these findings could have key implications for animal model development as well as further research into how SARS-CoV-2 modulates the type I IFN response early during infection.

Article Summary

SARS-CoV-2 has similar replication kinetics to SARS-CoV, but demonstrates significant sensitivity to type I interferon treatment.
Force-dependent recruitment of Piezo1 drives adhesion maturation and calcium entry in normal but not tumor cells
Authors: Yao Mingxi , Tijore Ajay , Cheng Delfine , Li Jinyuan Vero , Hariharan Anushya , Martinac Boris , Van Nhieu Guy Tran , Cox Charles D , Sheetz Michael
Published: March 2020

Mechanosensing is an integral part of many physiological processes including stem cell differentiation, fibrosis, and cancer progression. Two major mechanosensing systems – focal adhesions and mechanosensitive ion channels, can convert mechanical features of the microenvironment into biochemical signals. We report here surprisingly that the mechanosensitive Ca2+-channel Piezo1, previously perceived to be diffusive on plasma membranes, binds to matrix adhesions in a force-dependent manner, promoting adhesion maturation and cell spreading in normal but not in tumor cells. In the absence of Piezo1, matrix adhesions are smaller in normal cells mimicking transformed cells where adhesions do not change with or without Piezo1. A novel adhesion-targeted calcium sensor shows robust Piezo1-dependent, calcium influx at adhesions in normal cells; but not in transformed cells. A linker domain in Piezo1 is needed for binding to adhesions and overexpression of the domain blocks Piezo1 binding to adhesions decreasing adhesion size and cell spread area. Thus, we suggest that Piezo1 is a novel component of focal adhesions in non-transformed cells that catalyzes adhesion maturation and growth through force-dependent calcium signaling, but this function is absent in most cancer cells.
Localization of regions of aBordetella pertussisautotransporter, Vag8, interacting with C1 inhibitor
Authors: Onoda Naoki , Hiramatsu Yukihiro , Teruya Shihono , Suzuki Koichiro , Horiguchi Yasuhiko
Published: March 2020

Bordetella pertussisis the causative agent of pertussis (whooping cough), a contagious respiratory disease that has recently seen a resurgence despite high vaccination coverage, necessitating improvement of current pertussis vaccines. An autotransporter ofB. pertussis, virulence-associated gene 8 (Vag8), has been proposed as an additional component to improve pertussis vaccines. Vag8 is known to play a role in evasion of the complement system and activation of the contact system by inactivating the complement regulating factor, C1 inhibitor (C1 Inh), which inhibits serine proteases, such as plasma kallikrein (PK). However, the nature of the molecular interaction between Vag8 and C1 Inh remains to be determined. In the present study, we attempted to determine the minimum region of Vag8 that interacts with C1 Inh by examining the differently–truncated Vag8 derivatives for the ability to bind and inactivate C1 Inh. The region of Vag8 from amino–acid residues 102 to 548 was found to bind C1 Inh and cancel its inhibitory action on the protease activity of PK at the same level as a Vag8 fragment from amino–acid residues 52 to 648 covering the passenger domain, which carries its extracellular function. In contrast, the truncated Vag8 containing amino–acid residues 102 – 479 or 202 – 648 barely interacted with C1 Inh. These results indicated that the two separate regions of amino–acid residues 102 – 202 and 479 – 548 are likely required for the interaction with C1 Inh.

Importance

Pertussis is currently reemerging worldwide, and is still one of the greatest disease burdens in infants.B. pertussisproduces a number of virulence factors, including toxins, adhesins, and autotransporters. One of the autotransporters, Vag8, which binds and inactivates the complement regulator C1 Inh, is considered to contribute to the establishment ofB. pertussisinfection. However, the nature of the interaction between Vag8 and C1 Inh remains to be explored. In this study, we narrowed down the region of Vag8 that interacts with C1 Inh and demonstrated that at least two separate regions of Vag8 are necessary for the interaction with C1 Inh. Our results provide insight into the structure–function relationship of the Vag8 molecule and information to determine its potential role in the pathogenesis ofB. pertussis.
Competitive ecosystems are robustly stabilized by structured environments
Authors: Ursell Tristan
Published: March 2020

Natural environments, like soils or the mammalian gut, frequently contain microbial consortia competing within a niche, wherein many species contain genetic mechanisms of interspecies competition. Recent computational work suggests that physical structures in the environment can stabilize competition between species that would otherwise be subject to competitive exclusion under isotropic conditions. Here we employ Lotka-Volterra models to show that physical structure stabilizes large competitive ecological networks, even with significant differences in the strength of competitive interactions between species. We show that for stable communities the length-scale of physical structure inversely correlates with the width of the distribution of competitive fitness, such that physical environments with finer structure can sustain a broader spectrum of interspecific competition. These results highlight the generic stabilizing effects of physical structure on microbial communities and lay groundwork for engineering structures that stabilize and/or select for diverse communities of ecological, medical, or industrial utility.

AUTHOR SUMMARY

Natural environments often have many species competing for the same resources and frequently one species will out-compete others. This poses the fundamental question of how a diverse array of species can coexist in a resource limited environment. Among other mechanisms, previous studies examined how interactions between species – like cooperation or predation – could lead to stable biodiversity. In this work we looked at this question from a different angle: we used computational models to examine the role that the environment itself might play in stabilizing competing species. We modeled how species arrange themselves in space when the environment contains objects that alter the interfaces along which competing species meet. We found that these ‘structured’ environments stabilize species coexistence, across a range of density of those objects and in a way that was robust to differing strengths of interspecies competition. Thus, in addition to biological factors, our work presents a generic mechanism by which the environment itself can influence ecological outcomes and biodiversity.
The short-term effect of residential home energy retrofits on indoor air quality and microbial exposure: a case-control study
Authors: Nguyen Mytien , Holmes Eric C. , Angenent Largus T.
Published: March 2020

Weatherization of residential homes is a popular retrofit procedure to improve the energy efficiency of older homes by reducing building leakage. It is a vital tool in the fight against climate change. Several studies have evaluated the effect of weatherization on indoor pollutants such as formaldehyde and radon, but few studies have evaluated the effect of weatherization on indoor particulates and microbial exposure. In this study, we compared the effect of change in building leakage on indoor pollutants and bacterial communities in weatherized compared to non-weatherized single-family residential homes in New York State. Nine weatherized and eleven non-weatherized single-family homes in Tompkins County, New York were sampled twice: before and after the weatherization procedures for case homes, and at least 3 months apart for control homes that were not weatherized. We found a significant increase in both indoor-outdoor temperature ratio and living-area- and basement-radon levels of weatherized homes compared to control homes. The indoor-outdoor relative humidity ratio significantly decreased in weatherized compared to control homes. The indoor microbiome also became less similar to the outdoor community after weatherization. Compared to the changes in ventilation rate, temperature, relative humidity, and occupancy, the change in season was a more predictive measure of indoor bacterial concentration. Ventilation rate reduction from weatherization procedures led to an increase in indoor radon levels, as well as a warmer and less humid indoor environment. However, it did not affect indoor particulate mass concentration or indoor airborne bacteria load, and did only marginally affect the microbiome composition of residential homes. Finally, we found that changes in airborne bacterial load are more sensitive to shifts in season, whereas radon levels are more sensitive to ventilation rate.
Bis(4-hydroxy-N-isopropyl-N-methyltryptammonium) fumarate: a new crystalline form of miprocin
Authors: Chadeayne Andrew R. , Pham Duyen N. K. , Golen James A. , Manke David R.
Published: March 2020

The title compound, bis(4-hydroxy-N-isopropyl-N-methyltryptammonium) (4-HO-MiPT) fumarate (systematic name: bis{[2-(4-hydroxy-1H-indol-3-yl)ethyl](methyl)propan-2-ylazanium} but-2-enedioate), 2C14H21N2O+·C4H2O4
2−, has a singly protonated tryptammonium cation and one half of a fumarate dianion in the asymmetric unit. The tryptammonium and fumarate ions are held together in one-dimensional chains by N—H...O and O—H...O hydrogen bonds. These chains are a combination of R
4
2(20) rings, and C
2
2(15) and C
4
4(30) parallel chains along (110). They are further consolidated by N—H...π interactions. There are two two-component types of disorder impacting the tryptammonium fragment with a 0.753 (7):0.247 (7) occupancy ratio and one of the fumarate oxygen atoms with a 0.73 (8):0.27 (8) ratio.
A theoretical grounding of teacher leadership
Authors: Nerlino Erin
Published: March 2020

Purpose

This paper identifies two conceptualizations of teacher leadership – constructivist leadership theory and sociocultural theory. Using aspects of the conceptualizations, this paper provides direction for future study into and implementation of teacher leadership.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper draws from both review and empirical literature that references constructivist leadership theory and sociocultural theory or that describes aspects of the aforementioned theories in relation to teacher leadership.

Findings

Findings reveal that both constructivist leadership theory and sociocultural theory provide insight into the past lukewarm success of teacher leadership implementation and guidance for future efforts in teacher leadership. Such efforts include reconceptualizing leadership in schools, redesigning development opportunities for teachers based on the link between leading and learning, capitalizing on collaboration between universities and schools, focusing on the mentorship of new teachers and developing teacher leadership in relation to well-studied local school cultures.

Originality/value

The literature reviews of York-Barr and Duke (2004) and Wenner and Campbell (2017) regarding teacher leadership describe the field as largely atheoretical. This paper provides a theoretical grounding for teacher leadership in constructivist leadership theory and sociocultural theory and derives direction for future work around teacher leadership from a combination of these theories.
Multi‐decadal stability of woody cover in a mesic eucalypt savanna in the Australian monsoon tropics
Authors: Prior Lynda D. , Whiteside Timothy G. , Williamson Grant J. , Bartolo Renee E. , Bowman David M. J. S.
Published: March 2020

Previous analyses of historical aerial photography and satellite imagery have shown thickening of woody cover in Australian tropical savannas, despite increasing fire frequency. The thickening has been attributed to increasing precipitation and atmospheric CO2 enrichment. These analyses involved labour‐intensive, manual classification of vegetation, and hence were limited in the extent of the areas and the number of measurement times used. Object‐based, semi‐automated classification of historical sequences of aerial photography and satellite imagery has enabled the spatio‐temporal analysis of woody cover over entire landscapes, thus facilitating measurement, monitoring and attribution of drivers of change. Using this approach, we investigated woody cover change in 4000 ha of intact mesic savanna in the Ranger uranium lease and surrounding Kakadu National Park, using imagery acquired on 10 occasions between 1950 and 2016. Unlike previous studies, we detected no overall trend in woody cover through time. Some variation in cover was related to rainfall in the previous 12 months, and there were weak effects of fire in the year of image acquisition and the antecedent 4 years. Our local‐scale study showed a mesic eucalypt savanna in northern Australia has been resilient to short‐term variation in rainfall and fire activity; however, changes in canopy cover could have occurred in other settings. When applying this semi‐automated approach to similar studies of savanna dynamics, we recommend maximising the time depth and number of measurement years, standardising the time of year for image acquisition and using many plots of 1 ha in area, rather than fewer, larger plots.
Exploring the genetic pathogenicity of aortic dissection from 72 Han Chinese individuals using next‐generation sequencing
Authors: Pan Meichen , Chen Shu , Wang Haihao , Wu Shifan , Ding Zijiao , Wang Yuning , Li Lianjie , Li Zehao , Liu Qian
Published: March 2020

Aortic dissection (AD) is a heterogeneous genetic disease with high morbidity and mortality. Although many genes predispose patients to AD, the pathogenic spectrum remains incomplete. This study aims to (a) investigate whether genotype differences exist between Stanford A and B AD individuals, and (b) broaden the pathogenic genetic spectrum of AD and reported novel variants of AD‐associated genes. The DNA of 72 unrelated Han Chinese individuals with AD was tested by whole‐exome sequencing. Of 142 AD‐associated genes, 10 pathogenic variants, and 48 likely pathogenic variants in 36 genes were identified among 39 cases. The diagnostic yield was 54.2%. Of the 58 positive variants, 27 were novel. FBN1 was the most frequently positive gene in both Stanford A and Stanford B. Twenty‐seven positive variants from 18 COL family genes were distributed in 36.8% of Stanford A and 6.7% of Stanford B cases. We emphasize that positive variants of COL family genes show distribution predominance and strong pathogenicity in Stanford A, while positive variants of smooth muscle cell pathway genes present distribution advantages mainly in Stanford B cases. Our findings provide a new perspective for both the pathogenic mechanism and the treatment of AD.
Wild‐type FLT3 and FLT3 ITD exhibit similar ligand‐induced internalization characteristics
Authors: Kellner Fabienne , Keil Andreas , Schindler Katrin , Tschongov Todor , Hünninger Kerstin , Loercher Hannah , Rhein Peter , Böhmer Sylvia‐Annette , Böhmer Frank‐D. , Müller Jörg P.
Published: March 2020

Class III receptor tyrosine kinases control the development of hematopoietic stem cells. Constitutive activation of FLT3 by internal tandem duplications (ITD) in the juxtamembrane domain has been causally linked to acute myeloid leukaemia. Oncogenic FLT3 ITD is partially retained in compartments of the biosynthetic route and aberrantly activates STAT5, thereby promoting cellular transformation. The pool of FLT3 ITD molecules in the plasma membrane efficiently activates RAS and AKT, which is likewise essential for cell transformation. Little is known about features and mechanisms of FLT3 ligand (FL)‐dependent internalization of surface‐bound FLT3 or FLT3 ITD. We have addressed this issue by internalization experiments using human RS4‐11 and MV4‐11 cells with endogenous wild‐type FLT3 or FLT3 ITD expression, respectively, and surface biotinylation. Further, FLT3 wild‐type, or FLT3 ITD‐GFP hybrid proteins were stably expressed and characterized in 32D cells, and internalization and stability were assessed by flow cytometry, imaging flow cytometry, and immunoblotting. FL‐stimulated surface‐exposed FLT3 WT or FLT3 ITD protein showed similar endocytosis and degradation characteristics. Kinase inactivation by mutation or FLT3 inhibitor treatment strongly promoted FLT3 ITD surface localization, and attenuated but did not abrogate FL‐induced internalization. Experiments with the dynamin inhibitor dynasore suggest that active FLT3 as well as FLT3 ITD is largely endocytosed via clathrin‐dependent endocytosis. Internalization of kinase‐inactivated molecules occurred through a different yet unidentified mechanism. Our data demonstrate that FLT3 WT and constitutively active FLT3 ITD receptor follow, despite very different biogenesis kinetics, similar internalization and degradation routes.
Glyburide inhibits the bone resorption induced by traumatic occlusion in rats
Authors: Arita Yoichi , Yoshinaga Yasunori , Kaneko Takashi , Kawahara Yuri , Nakamura Keiko , Ohgi Kimiko , Arita Seiichi , Ryu Takanori , Takase Minoru , Sakagami Ryuji
Published: March 2020

Objective

To examine whether glyburide inhibits bone destruction caused by traumatic occlusion in a rat occlusal trauma model.

Background

Excessive mechanical stress, such as traumatic occlusion, induces expression of IL‐1β and may be involved in bone resorption. NLRP3 inflammasomes have been linked to IL‐1β expression, but it is currently unclear whether glyburide, the inhibiter of NLRP3 inflammasome, suppresses occlusal trauma in rats.

Methods

Male SD rats aged 7 weeks were used. In the trauma group, the occlusal surface of the maxillary first right molar was raised by attaching a metal wire to apply occlusal trauma to the mandibular first right molar. In the trauma + glyburide group, the NLRP3 inhibitor glyburide was administered orally every 24 hours from 1 day before induction of occlusal trauma. Rats were euthanized after 5 or 10 days, and the maxillary first molars were harvested with the adjacent tissues for histopathological investigation. Immunohistochemical expression of IL‐1β, NLRP3, and RANKL was also assessed.

Results

On day 5, bone resorption was significantly greater in the trauma group compared with the control group or the trauma + glyburide group, and there were significantly higher numbers of osteoclasts and cells positive for IL‐1β, NLRP3, and RANKL in the trauma group.

Conclusion

In this study, glyburide inhibits bone resorption by traumatic occlusion in rats. It suggests that the NLRP3/IL‐1β pathway might be associated with bone resorption induced by traumatic occlusion.