bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Einfach komplex? Die Übersetzung politikwissenschaftlicher Komplexität in die Gesellschaft
Authors: Mende Janne , Müller Stefan
Published: August 2020

Der Artikel diskutiert die Herausforderungen des Transfers politikwissenschaftlicher Komplexität in die Gesellschaft. Wir unterscheiden dafür zwischen den drei idealtypischen Modellen a) einer Vereinfachung von Komplexität, b) der Abbildung von Komplexität sowie c) der Übersetzung von Komplexität. Die Anforderungen an das dritte Modell einer Übersetzung politikwissenschaftlicher Komplexität entwickeln wir anhand fachdidaktischer Diskussionen der Politischen Bildung, die wir Subdisziplinen-übergreifend mit dem Beispiel unternehmerischer Menschenrechtsverantwortung aus der Global-Governance-Forschung verbinden. Der reflexiven Politischen Bildung entnehmen wir Multiperspektivität, die Offenlegung und Begründung normativer Maßstäbe, eine subjektorientierte Mündigkeit der Adressat/-innen und das Aushalten von Spannungsfeldern, um Bildungsprozesse zu organisieren. Die Möglichkeiten und Grenzen der Übersetzung von Komplexität zeigen wir anhand der Weiterentwicklung einer menschenrechtlichen Unternehmensverantwortung auf globaler Ebene auf. Dieses Feld ist von Spannungen zwischen einem hohen Grad an (rechtlicher, wirtschaftlicher und politischer) Komplexität und einem Bedürfnis nach einfachen Antworten gekennzeichnet. Eine zentrale Stärke der Übersetzung von Komplexität skizzieren wir darin, dass sie einen Startpunkt für gesellschaftliches Denken und Handeln anbietet, statt dieses durch Dichotomien, Vorenthalten von Wissen, Überforderung oder vorgegebene Antworten abzuschneiden. So kann die Übersetzung von politikwissenschaftlicher Komplexität gesellschaftliche Denk- und Handlungsmöglichkeiten ausbauen.
Assessing the measurement invariance and antecedents of legal cynicism in São Paulo, Zurich, and Montevideo
Authors: Nivette Amy , Trajtenberg Nico , Eisner Manuel , Ribeaud Denis , Tourinho Peres Maria Fernanda
Published: August 2020

Introduction

This paper accomplishes two goals. First, we assesses the measurement invariance of legal cynicism among adolescents in São Paulo, Brazil, Montevideo, Uruguay, and Zurich, Switzerland. Second, we evaluate a series of social and individual antecedents that are expected to influence legal cynicism across contexts.

Methods

This paper first evaluates the measurement invariance of legal cynicism using Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis with three randomized clustered samples of adolescents in Zurich (n = 1447), São Paulo (n = 2680) and Montevideo (n = 2204). Second, we assessed the correlates for legal cynicism in each city using structural equation modelling techniques.

Results

The results demonstrated metric invariance, but not scalar invariance among adolescents in São Paulo, Zurich, and Montevideo. We were able to establish partial measurement invariance for legal cynicism in São Paulo and Zurich, and therefore proceeded with the comparison of latent means and antecedents. The results show that on average legal cynicism is higher in Zurich, but that the size and strength of antecedents were similar across cities. Low self‐control was by far the strongest correlate of legal cynicism.

Conclusions

Overall, our results suggest that current operationalizations of legal cynicism may not be rooted in social structural context and experiences with legal authorities, but rather reflect how individuals interpret legal boundaries and dispositions towards rule‐breaking. Researchers must reconsider how legal cynicism fits into models of legal socialization, and whether developmental models of self‐control may help us understand the origins and nature of legal cynicism, as it is currently measured.
The CETA ICS and the Autonomy of the EU Legal Order in Opinion 1/17 – A Compass for the Future
Authors: FANOU Maria
Published: August 2020

In April 2019, the Court of Justice of the EU (‘CJEU’) handed down its Opinion (C-1/17) on the compatibility of the Investment Court System (‘ICS’), that is the Investor-State Dispute Settlement (‘ISDS’) mechanism under the EU-Canada Comprehensive and Economic Trade Agreement (‘CETA’), with EU law. This article puts Opinion 1/17 in its broader (policy and legal) context, focusing on the salient issue of compatibility with the principle of autonomy of the EU legal order. It argues that the Court's openness to this judicial competitor was an acknowledgment of the need to maintain the powers of the Union in international relations. However, Opinion 1/17 should not be perceived as an automatic green light for any future investment court (such as the Multilateral Investment Court) as the autonomy test it introduces is a rather difficult one to pass.
A scale-dependent model to represent changing aerodynamic roughness of ablating glacier ice based on repeat topographic surveys
Authors: Smith Thomas , Smith Mark W. , Chambers Joshua R. , Sailer Rudolf , Nicholson Lindsey , Mertes Jordan , Quincey Duncan J. , Carrivick Jonathan L. , Stiperski Ivana
Published: August 2020

Turbulent fluxes make a substantial and growing contribution to the energy balance of ice surfaces globally, but are poorly constrained owing to challenges in estimating the aerodynamic roughness length (z0). Here, we used structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry and terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) surveys to make plot-scale 2-D and 3-D microtopographic estimations ofz0and upscale these to mapz0across an ablating mountain glacier. At plot scales, we found spatial variability inz0estimates of over two orders of magnitude with unpredictablez0trajectories, even when classified into ice surface types. TLS-derived surface roughness exhibited strong relationships with plot-scale SfMz0estimates. At the glacier scale, a consistent increase inz0of ~0.1 mm d−1was observed. Space-for-time substitution based on time since surface ice was exposed by snow melt confirmed this gradual increase inz0over 60 d. These measurements permit us to propose a scale-dependent temporalz0evolution model where unpredictable variability at the plot scale gives way to more predictable changes ofz0at the glacier scale. This model provides a critical step towards deriving spatially and temporally distributed representations ofz0that are currently lacking in the parameterisation of distributed glacier surface energy balance models.
Border crimes, extraterritorial jurisdiction, and the racialization of sovereignty in the Ethiopia–British Somaliland borderlands during the 1920s
Authors: Thompson Daniel K.
Published: August 2020

This article argues that the politics of extraterritorial jurisdiction in the 1920s reshaped relations between ethnicity and territorial sovereignty in Ethiopia's eastern borderlands. A 1925 criminal trial involving Gadabursi Somalis began as what Britons deemed a ‘tribal matter’ to be settled through customary means, but became a struggle for Ethiopia's regent, Ras Tafari, to assert Ethiopia's territorial authority and imperial sovereignty. British claims of extraterritorial jurisdiction over Somalis amidst 1920s global geopolitical shifts disrupted existing practices of governance in Ethiopia's eastern borderlands and created a dilemma for Ethiopian authorities. In order to uphold international obligations, Ethiopian officials effectively had to revoke their sovereignty over some Somalis indigenous to Ethiopia. Yet Britons’ practical application of extraterritoriality to Somalis was predicated on assumed racial differences between Somalis and highland Ethiopians (‘Abyssinians’). Thus, Ethiopia's recognition of British extraterritorial jurisdiction would lend legitimacy to claims exempting Somalis from Ethiopian sovereignty due to differences in identity. The case reveals how assertions about race, nationality and ‘tribal’ identity articulated to subordinate Ethiopian rule to British interests and, in the longer term, to delegitimize Ethiopian governance over Somalis.
History, legitimacy, and Renamo's return to arms in central Mozambique
Authors: Pearce Justin
Published: August 2020

Twenty years after the Mozambican war ended, a return to arms from 2013 by the opposition movement Renamo served to revitalize support for the party in the 2014 election, and put pressure on the Frelimo government to consider demands for constitutional change. Building on existing research on post-war politics and on recent economic change, this article addresses the question of how Renamo obtained civilians’ approval for renewed armed action in the south of Sofala province, the region where conflict broke out in 2013. I argue that popular legitimacy for Renamo's challenge to the state is constituted in a narrative about Renamo that is congruent both with present-day grievances against the state and with understandings of local history dating to the anticolonial struggle that challenge the nationalist history on which Frelimo hegemony rests. Renamo has adapted this narrative in such a way as to claim a historic role for itself in defending the interests of central and northern Mozambique and in struggling for an inclusive and democratic state. In this way, Renamo has gained support for its renewed armed actions, not only among those politicized by Renamo in the earlier war but more broadly among civilians in the region.
Protracted late Neoproterozic – early Palaeozoic deformation and cooling history of Sør Rondane, East Antarctica, from 40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb geochronology
Authors: Ruppel Antonia S , Jacobs Joachim , Läufer Andreas , Ratschbacher Lothar , Pfänder Jörg A , Sonntag Benita-Lisette , Krasniqi Katarzyna , Elburg Marlina , Krohne Nicole , Damaske Detlef , Lisker Frank
Published: August 2020

40Ar/39Ar and U–Pb data from five structural domains constrain the late Neoproterozoic – early Palaeozoic tectonothermal history of the eastern part of the East African–Antarctic Orogen in Sør Rondane. A total of 27 new Ar/Ar ages span 570–474 Ma, roughly corresponding to the age range of three generations of syn- to post-tectonic granitoids. The ages are distinct for the five structural domains. The oldest cooling ages come from the weakly deformed southern part of the SW Terrane of Sør Rondane (SW Terrane S), a sliver of a Tonian island arc, which escaped much of the late Neoproterozoic accretionary deformation. This terrane was intruded by the oldest and largest granitoid complex at c. 640–620 Ma. The oldest Ar/Ar amphibole and biotite ages of 570–524 Ma are from the Main Shear Zone, along the northern margin of the SW Terrane S sliver. It hosts granites of age c. 584–570 Ma strung out along the shear zone. Two younger granitoid phases are recorded in the adjacent four terranes to the west, north and east of the SW Terrane S, and correlate with the younger group of Ar/Ar biotite ages spanning 513–474 Ma. We interpret the magmatic and cooling history of duration > 150 Ma to reflect repeated phases of accretion, magmatism and reactivation, that is, collage-style tectonism, partly pre-dating the incorporation of Sør Rondane into Gondwana. The study area first accreted to the cryptic Valkyrie Craton in Tonian times, was then ‘sandwiched’ between the Kalahari and Indo-Antarctica cratons, and experienced extensional tectonics and elevated heat flux due to lithospheric delamination, which resulted in slow cooling during the Pan-African Orogeny.
GENERALISED QUANTUM DETERMINANTAL RINGS ARE MAXIMAL ORDERS
Authors: LENAGAN T. H. , RIGAL L.
Published: August 2020

Generalised quantum determinantal rings are the analogue in quantum matrices of Schubert varieties. Maximal orders are the noncommutative version of integrally closed rings. In this paper, we show that generalised quantum determinantal rings are maximal orders. The cornerstone of the proof is a description of generalised quantum determinantal rings, up to a localisation, as skew polynomial extensions.
A pragmatic patient preference trial of cognitive behavioural versus cognitive analytic guided self-help for anxiety disorders
Authors: Kellett Stephen , Bee Charlotte , Aadahl Vikki , Headley Emma , Delgadillo Jaime
Published: August 2020

Aims:

To outline the methods of a pragmatic patient preference trial in the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme comparing cognitive behavioural therapy guided self-help (CBT-GSH) with cognitive analytic therapy guided self-help (CAT-GSH).

Method:

A partially randomised patient preference trial (PRPPT) methodology. Participants will be assessed with the MINI to ascertain a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder. Treatment will be six to eight 35-minute sessions in each arm. The primary outcome measure is the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), with secondary outcome measures of the IAPT minimum dataset and indices of service utilisation. Participants will be followed up at 8 and 24 weeks.

Planned analyses:

Choice, treatment completion, drop-out and step-up rates will be summarised via a CONSORT diagram. If there are no differences between randomised and preference participants within each form of GSH, then these groups will be collapsed to form a two-arm trial. The primary analysis will compare between-arm standardised effect sizes on the BAI measure, using Cohen’s d+ at 8- and 24-week follow-up. The proportions in each arm achieving reliable and clinical change on the BAI will be established, with interviews exploring the change process with participants achieving a reliable pre–post change on the GAD-7.

Conclusions:

The utility of patient preference trials in mental health services are discussed and the necessary further development of robust evidence concerning low-intensity interventions is highlighted.
Health behaviours during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic: implications for obesity
Authors: Parekh Niyati , Deierlein Andrea L
Published: August 2020

Objective:

Obesity is a risk factor for severe complications and death from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Public health efforts to control the pandemic may alter health behaviors related to weight gain, inflammation, and poor cardiometabolic health, exacerbating the prevalence of obesity, poor immune health, and chronic diseases.

Design:

We reviewed how the pandemic adversely influences many of these behaviors, specifically physical activity, sedentary behaviors, sleep, and dietary intakes, and provided individual level strategies that may be used to mitigate them.

Results:

At the community level and higher, public health and health care professionals need to advocate for intervention strategies and policy changes that address these behaviors, such as increasing nutrition assistance programs and creating designated areas for recreation and active transportation, to reduce disparities among vulnerable populations.

Conclusions:

The long-lasting impact of the pandemic on health behaviors, and the possibility of a second COVID-19 wave, emphasize the need for creative and evolving, multi-level approaches to assist individuals in adapting their health behaviors to prevent both chronic and infectious diseases.
On the limits of markets
Authors: Hodgson Geoffrey M.
Published: August 2020

This is a review essay ofMarkets without Limitsby Jason Brennan and Peter M. Jaworski and ofThe Invisible Hand?by Bas van Bavel. From different perspectives, both books focus on the moral or practical limits to markets in modern society. While both works make major contributions, there are theoretical flaws. Brennan and Jarworski powerfully countered some criticisms of commodification. But they downplayed the possibility that the transition from gift to contract or market exchange may raise moral issues that are additional to those intrinsic to the goods or services being traded. Van Bavel investigated cycles of growth, inequality and decline in several market economies over the last 1,500 years. But his argument is built on a confusion between finance and capital goods. Nevertheless, much that is positive remains in both books after their flaws are corrected.
Advances in imaging feto-placental vasculature: new tools to elucidate the early life origins of health and disease
Authors: Tongpob Yutthapong , Wyrwoll Caitlin
Published: August 2020

Optimal placental function is critical for fetal development, and therefore a crucial consideration for understanding the developmental origins of health and disease (DOHaD). The structure of the fetal side of the placental vasculature is an important determinant of fetal growth and cardiovascular development. There are several imaging modalities for assessing feto-placental structure including stereology, electron microscopy, confocal microscopy, micro-computed tomography, light-sheet microscopy, ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging. In this review, we present current methodologies for imaging feto-placental vasculature morphologyex vivoandin vivoin human and experimental models, their advantages and limitations and how these provide insight into placental function and fetal outcomes. These imaging approaches add important perspective to our understanding of placental biology and have potential to be new tools to elucidate a deeper understanding of DOHaD.
A Mineralogy‐Based Anthropogenic Combustion‐Iron Emission Inventory
Authors: Rathod S. D. , Hamilton D. S. , Mahowald N. M. , Klimont Z. , Corbett J. J. , Bond T. C.
Published: August 2020

Atmospheric supply of iron can modulate ocean biogeochemistry, due to its key role in global nitrogen and carbon cycles. Current estimates predict up to 20% of global ocean net primary productivity depends on an atmospheric iron source. Using a technology‐based methodology, we revise total and soluble anthropogenic iron emissions and resolve iron into its mineral components, which allows modeling mineral‐specific atmospheric reactions. We compare different methodologies for representing anthropogenic iron solubility: measured in mild and strong leaches and estimated using a mineralogy basis and identify the emissions that are most affected by such assumptions. The inclusion of metal smelting as an iron source increases iron emissions by up to 10 times higher in the fine aerosol fraction (smaller than 1 μm) than most previous inventories. Different solubility assumptions alter anthropogenic soluble iron emissions and deposition by a factor of 20 and 10, respectively. Using solubilities measured in mild leaches and calculated by mineralogy give 20–30 Gg/yr anthropogenic emissions and 40–50 Gg/yr deposition, while those measured in strong leaches give 80–440 Gg/yr emissions and 200–450 Gg/yr deposition. This range of anthropogenic soluble iron deposition leads to global soluble iron deposition of 1,900–2,300 Gg/yr when dust, wildfires, and atmospheric processing are included, indicating such assumptions can affect global soluble iron supply by about 30%. In regions where marine primary productivity is iron limited, anthropogenic combustion‐iron contributes up to half of the atmospheric soluble iron flux to the North Pacific Ocean but supplies less than 5% to the Southern Ocean.
Ionospheric Scale Index Map Based on TEC Data During the Saint Patrick Magnetic Storm and EPBs
Authors: Denardini C. M. , Picanço G. A. S. , Barbosa Neto P. F. , Nogueira P. A. B. , Carmo C. S. , Resende L. C. A. , Moro J. , Chen S. S. , Romero‐Hernandez E. , Silva R. P. , Bilibio A. V.
Published: August 2020

This study examines the variability of the ionospheric content during the period around the 2015 Saint Patrick magnetic storm and when equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are observed during the quiet time over South America during two other events. It uses the ionospheric scales index map based on the disturbance ionospheric index (DIX). The results are compared to the traces of the ionograms obtained at three different ionospheric stations (Fortaleza, Campo Grande, and Cachoeira Paulista) in Brazil acquired in the same period and at the same time rate. The index is based on the TEC map developed at the “Brazilian Studies and Monitoring of Space Weather” (Embrace/INPE). It covers the whole South America (latitudes from 20°N to 60°S and longitudes from 90°W to 30°W) with 0.5° × 0.5° resolution cells (60 × 60 km2). Among the results, the DIX map revealed some patches of “Disturbed” and “Weakly Disturbed” ionospheric conditions during the magnetically quiet time before the storm, which were associated with range and frequency Spread‐F over the same area as observed in ionograms. Also, the information from the southern portion of the dip equator showed a transition from occurrences of Spread‐F prior to sunrise to a condition favorable enough to develop a F3 layer after sunrise.
Tidal Resonance in the Adriatic Sea: Observational Evidence
Authors: Medvedev Igor P. , Vilibić Ivica , Rabinovich Alexander B.
Published: August 2020

Tides in the Adriatic Sea are anomalously strong in comparison with most of other parts of the Mediterranean Sea. Consequently, tides play a fundamental role in the hydrodynamics of this sea and in the formation of destructive floods in its northernmost part. The resonant character of the Adriatic tides is evident, but the exact mechanism of their formation has never been thoroughly examined. In the present study, we used multidecadal tide gauge data from 10 stations located along the basin's coastline to examine the spectral properties of the Adriatic Sea and to provide high‐resolution tidal analysis. Our results demonstrate that both diurnal and semidiurnal tidal harmonics are resonantly amplified due to the proximity of tidal periods to the periods of the fundamental (21.5 hr) and first (10.9 hr) Adriatic eigen modes, respectively. The constructed resonance models were found to closely describe specific features of the observed tides in the Adriatic Sea, including both major and minor harmonics, and therefore help to explain the dominant physical mechanism driving the floods in the northernmost part of the basin, including the Venice Lagoon.
Variability of the Canary Current Diagnosed by Inverse Box Models
Authors: Casanova‐Masjoan M. , Pérez‐Hernández M. D. , Vélez‐Belchí P. , Cana L. , Hernández‐Guerra A.
Published: August 2020

Four hydrographic cruises carried out between ~26.5 and 31°N in the eastern North Atlantic Subtropical Gyre in fall (2016 and 2017) and spring (2017 and 2018) are used to identify water masses and infer oceanic circulation. Geostrophic velocities are initially adjusted by referencing them to data from a Lower Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (LADCP) and later to velocities estimated with an inverse box model. The distribution of the intermediate water masses (700 to 1,400 m depth) varies seasonally. Antarctic Intermediate Water (AAIW) comprises the largest contributor to the seasonal cycle in the intermediate water masses. Circulation of the Canary Current (CC) differs in fall and spring. In fall, the CC flows southward through the western islands and recirculates south of the archipelago, subsequently flowing northward through the passage between the eastern islands and Africa. North of Lanzarote, the recirculated CC intensified as it is joined by a southeasterly branch of the CC north of Lanzarote. In spring, the net transport of the CC is southward. High interannual variability in mass transport is evident in both spring and fall as a result of the position of the current, with its easternmost (westernmost) position found in spring (fall) 2018 (2016). At intermediate levels, highly variable northward/southward transport is apparent in fall over the African slope, with the Intermediate Poleward Under Current (IPUC) only present in 2017.
Evaluation of Total Electron Content Prediction Using Three Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Models
Authors: Verkhoglyadova O. , Meng X. , Mannucci A. J. , Shim J.‐S. , McGranaghan R.
Published: August 2020

Prediction of ionospheric state is a critical space weather problem. We expand on our previous research of medium‐range ionospheric forecasts and present new results on evaluating prediction capabilities of three physics‐based ionosphere‐thermosphere models (Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model, TIE‐GCM; Coupled Thermosphere Ionosphere Plasmasphere Electrodynamics Model, CTIPe; and Global Ionosphere Thermosphere Model, GITM). The focus of our study is understanding how current modeling approaches may predict the global ionosphere for geomagnetic storms (as studied through 35 storms during 2000–2016). Prediction approach uses physics‐based modeling without any manual model adjustment, quality control, or selection of the results. Our goal is to understand to what extent current physics‐based modeling can be used in total electron content (TEC) prediction and explore uncertainties of these prediction efforts with multiday lead times. The ionosphere‐thermosphere model runs are driven by actual interplanetary conditions, whether those data come from real‐time measurements or predicted values themselves. These model runs were performed by the Community Coordinated Modeling Center (CCMC). Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)‐produced global ionospheric maps (GIMs) were used to validate model TEC estimates. We utilize the True Skill Statistic (TSS) metric for the TEC prediction evaluation, noting that this is but one metric to assess predictive skill and that complete evaluations require combinations of such metrics. The meanings of contingency table elements for the prediction performance are analyzed in the context of ionosphere modeling. Prediction success is between about 0.2 and 0.5 for weak ionospheric disturbances and decreases for strong disturbances. We evaluate the prediction of TEC decreases and increases. Our results indicate that physics‐based modeling during storms shows promise in TEC prediction with multiday lead time.
The impact of donor type on the outcome of pediatric patients with very high risk acute lymphoblastic leukemia. A study of the ALL SCT 2003 BFM-SG and 2007-BFM-International SG
Authors: Dalle Jean-Hugues , Balduzzi Adriana , Bader Peter , Pieczonka Anna , Yaniv Isaac , Lankester Arjan , Bierings Marc , Yesilipek Akif , Sedlacek Petr , Ifversen Marianne , Svec Peter , Toporski Jacek , Gungor Taifun , Wachowiak Jacek , Glogova Evgenia , Poetschger Ulrike , Peters Christina
Published: August 2020

Allogeneic HSCT represents the only potentially curative treatment for very high risk (VHR) ALL. Two consecutive international prospective studies, ALL-SCT-(I)BFM 2003 and 2007 were conducted in 1150 pediatric patients. 569 presented with VHR disease leading to any kind of HSCT. All patients >2 year old were transplanted after TBI-based MAC. The median follow-up was 5 years. 463 patients were transplanted from matched donor (MD) and 106 from mismatched donor (MMD). 214 were in CR1. Stem cell source was unmanipulated BM for 330 patients, unmanipulated PBSC for 135, ex vivo T-cell depleted PBSC for 62 and cord-blood for 26. There were more advanced disease, more ex vivo T-cell depletion, and more chemotherapy based conditioning regimen for patients transplanted from MMD as compared to those transplanted from MSD or MD. Median follow up (reversed Kaplan Meier estimator) was 4.99 years, median follow up of survivals was 4.88, range (0.01–11.72) years. The 4-year CI of extensive cGvHD was 13 ± 2% and 17 ± 4% (p = NS) for the patients transplanted from MD and MMD, respectively. 4-year EFS was statistically better for patients transplanted from MD (60 ± 2% vs. 42 ± 5%, p < 0.001) for the whole cohort. This difference does not exist if considering separately patients treated in the most recent study. There was no difference in 4-year CI of relapse. The 4-year NRM was lower for patients transplanted from MD (9 ± 1% vs. 23 ± 4%, p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, donor-type appears as a negative risk-factor for OS, EFS, and NRM. This paper demonstrates the impact of donor type on overall results of allogeneic stem cell transplantation for very-high risk pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia with worse results when using MMD stem cell source.
Emergence and significance of carbohydrate-specific antibodies
Authors: Kappler Katharina , Hennet Thierry
Published: August 2020

Carbohydrate-specific antibodies are widespread among all classes of immunoglobulins. Despite their broad occurrence, little is known about their formation and biological significance. Carbohydrate-specific antibodies are often classified as natural antibodies under the assumption that they arise without prior exposure to exogenous antigens. On the other hand, various carbohydrate-specific antibodies, including antibodies to ABO blood group antigens, emerge after the contact of immune cells with the intestinal microbiota, which expresses a vast diversity of carbohydrate antigens. Here we explore the development of carbohydrate-specific antibodies in humans, addressing the definition of natural antibodies and the production of carbohydrate-specific antibodies upon antigen stimulation. We focus on the significance of the intestinal microbiota in shaping carbohydrate-specific antibodies not just in the gut, but also in the blood circulation. The structural similarity between bacterial carbohydrate antigens and surface glycoconjugates of protists, fungi and animals leads to the production of carbohydrate-specific antibodies protective against a broad range of pathogens. Mimicry between bacterial and human glycoconjugates, however, can also lead to the generation of carbohydrate-specific antibodies that cross-react with human antigens, thereby contributing to the development of autoimmune disorders.
Homogeneous and heterogeneous catalytic reduction of amides and related compounds using molecular hydrogen
Authors: Cabrero-Antonino Jose R. , Adam Rosa , Papa Veronica , Beller Matthias
Published: August 2020

Catalytic hydrogenation of amides is of great interest for chemists working in organic synthesis, as the resulting amines are widely featured in natural products, drugs, agrochemicals, dyes, etc. Compared to traditional reduction of amides using (over)stoichiometric reductants, the direct hydrogenation of amides using molecular hydrogen represents a greener approach. Furthermore, amide hydrogenation is a highly versatile transformation, since not only higher amines (obtained by C–O cleavage), but also lower amines and alcohols, or amino alcohols (obtained by C–N cleavage) can be selectively accessed by fine tuning of reaction conditions. This review describes the most recent advances in the area of amide hydrogenation using H2exclusively and molecularly defined homogeneous as well as nano-structured heterogeneous catalysts, with a special focus on catalyst development and synthetic applications.
Cyclic peptide FXII inhibitor provides safe anticoagulation in a thrombosis model and in artificial lungs
Authors: Wilbs Jonas , Kong Xu-Dong , Middendorp Simon J. , Prince Raja , Cooke Alida , Demarest Caitlin T. , Abdelhafez Mai M. , Roberts Kalliope , Umei Nao , Gonschorek Patrick , Lamers Christina , Deyle Kaycie , Rieben Robert , Cook Keith E. , Angelillo-Scherrer Anne , Heinis Christian
Published: August 2020

Inhibiting thrombosis without generating bleeding risks is a major challenge in medicine. A promising solution may be the inhibition of coagulation factor XII (FXII), because its knock-out or inhibition in animals reduced thrombosis without causing abnormal bleeding. Herein, we have engineered a macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of activated FXII (FXIIa) with sub-nanomolar activity (Ki = 370 ± 40 pM) and a high stability (t1/2 > 5 days in plasma), allowing for the preclinical evaluation of a first synthetic FXIIa inhibitor. This 1899 Da molecule, termed FXII900, efficiently blocks FXIIa in mice, rabbits, and pigs. We found that it reduces ferric-chloride-induced experimental thrombosis in mice and suppresses blood coagulation in an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) setting in rabbits, all without increasing the bleeding risk. This shows that FXIIa activity is controllable in vivo with a synthetic inhibitor, and that the inhibitor FXII900 is a promising candidate for safe thromboprotection in acute medical conditions.
The inferior temporal cortex is a potential cortical precursor of orthographic processing in untrained monkeys
Authors: Rajalingham Rishi , Kar Kohitij , Sanghavi Sachi , Dehaene Stanislas , DiCarlo James J.
Published: August 2020

The ability to recognize written letter strings is foundational to human reading, but the underlying neuronal mechanisms remain largely unknown. Recent behavioral research in baboons suggests that non-human primates may provide an opportunity to investigate this question. We recorded the activity of hundreds of neurons in V4 and the inferior temporal cortex (IT) while naïve macaque monkeys passively viewed images of letters, English words and non-word strings, and tested the capacity of those neuronal representations to support a battery of orthographic processing tasks. We found that simple linear read-outs of IT (but not V4) population responses achieved high performance on all tested tasks, even matching the performance and error patterns of baboons on word classification. These results show that the IT cortex of untrained primates can serve as a precursor of orthographic processing, suggesting that the acquisition of reading in humans relies on the recycling of a brain network evolved for other visual functions.
Author Correction: Polycyclic aromatic chains on metals and insulating layers by repetitive [3+2] cycloadditions
Authors: Riss Alexander , Richter Marcus , Paz Alejandro Pérez , Wang Xiao-Ye , Raju Rajesh , He Yuanqin , Ducke Jacob , Corral Eduardo , Wuttke Michael , Seufert Knud , Garnica Manuela , Rubio Angel , Barth Johannes V. , Narita Akimitsu , Müllen Klaus , Berger Reinhard , Feng Xinliang , Palma Carlos-Andres , Auwärter Willi
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Publisher Correction: A dietary fatty acid counteracts neuronal mechanical sensitization
Authors: Romero Luis O. , Caires Rebeca , Nickolls Alec R. , Chesler Alexander T. , Cordero-Morales Julio F. , Vásquez Valeria
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Fifth-degree elastic energy for predictive continuum stress–strain relations and elastic instabilities under large strain and complex loading in silicon
Authors: Chen Hao , Zarkevich Nikolai A. , Levitas Valery I. , Johnson Duane D. , Zhang Xiancheng
Published: August 2020

Materials under complex loading develop large strains and often phase transformation via an elastic instability, as observed in both simple and complex systems. Here, we represent a material (exemplified for Si I) under large Lagrangian strains within a continuum description by a 5th-order elastic energy found by minimizing error relative to density functional theory (DFT) results. The Cauchy stress—Lagrangian strain curves for arbitrary complex loadings are in excellent correspondence with DFT results, including the elastic instability driving the Si I → II phase transformation (PT) and the shear instabilities. PT conditions for Si I → II under action of cubic axial stresses are linear in Cauchy stresses in agreement with DFT predictions. Such continuum elastic energy permits study of elastic instabilities and orientational dependence leading to different PTs, slip, twinning, or fracture, providing a fundamental basis for continuum physics simulations of crystal behavior under extreme loading.
Linking metabolic phenotypes to pathogenic traits among “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” and its hosts
Authors: Zuñiga Cristal , Peacock Beth , Liang Bo , McCollum Greg , Irigoyen Sonia C. , Tec-Campos Diego , Marotz Clarisse , Weng Nien-Chen , Zepeda Alejandro , Vidalakis Georgios , Mandadi Kranthi K. , Borneman James , Zengler Karsten
Published: August 2020

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) has been associated with Huanglongbing, a lethal vector-borne disease affecting citrus crops worldwide. While comparative genomics has provided preliminary insights into the metabolic capabilities of this uncultured microorganism, a comprehensive functional characterization is currently lacking. Here, we reconstructed and manually curated genome-scale metabolic models for the six CLas strains A4, FL17, gxpsy, Ishi-1, psy62, and YCPsy, in addition to a model of the closest related culturable microorganism, L. crescens BT-1. Predictions about nutrient requirements and changes in growth phenotypes of CLas were confirmed using in vitro hairy root-based assays, while the L. crescens BT-1 model was validated using cultivation assays. Host-dependent metabolic phenotypes were revealed using expression data obtained from CLas-infected citrus trees and from the CLas-harboring psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama. These results identified conserved and unique metabolic traits, as well as strain-specific interactions between CLas and its hosts, laying the foundation for the development of model-driven Huanglongbing management strategies.
Structure-guided covalent stabilization of coronavirus spike glycoprotein trimers in the closed conformation
Authors: McCallum Matthew , Walls Alexandra C. , Bowen John E. , Corti Davide , Veesler David
Published: August 2020

SARS-CoV-2 is the causative agent of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 10 million infections and more than 500,000 fatalities by June 2020. To initiate infection, the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) glycoprotein promotes attachment to the host cell surface and fusion of the viral and host membranes. Prefusion SARS-CoV-2 S is the main target of neutralizing antibodies and the focus of vaccine design. However, its limited stability and conformational dynamics are limiting factors for developing countermeasures against this virus. We report here the design of a construct corresponding to the prefusion SARS-CoV-2 S ectodomain trimer, covalently stabilized by a disulfide bond in the closed conformation. Structural and antigenicity analyses show we successfully shut S in the closed state without otherwise altering its architecture. We demonstrate that this strategy is applicable to other β-coronaviruses, such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV, and might become an important tool for structural biology, serology, vaccine design and immunology studies.
Haptoglobin polymorphism and prostate cancer mortality
Authors: Kaiser Melanie , Thurner Eva-Maria , Mangge Harald , Herrmann Markus , Semeraro Maria Donatella , Renner Wilfried , Langsenlehner Tanja
Published: August 2020

Prostate cancer is a common malignancy in men worldwide and it is known that oxidative stress is a risk factor for cancer development. A common functional haptoglobin (Hp) polymorphism, originating from a duplication of a gene segment spanning over two exons, results in three distinct phenotypes with different anti-oxidative capacities: Hp1-1, Hp1-2, and Hp2-2. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between this Hp polymorphism and prostate cancer mortality. The study was performed on 690 patients with histologically confirmed prostate cancer, recruited between January 2004 and January 2007. Hp genotypes were determined by a TaqMan fluorogenic 5′-exonuclease assay. Hp1-1 was present in 76 (11%), Hp1-2 in 314 (45.5%), and Hp2-2 in 300 (43.5%) patients. During a median follow-up of 149 months, 251 (35.3%) patients died. Hp genotypes were not significantly associated with higher overall mortality (HR 1.10; 95% CI 0.91–1.33; p = 0.34). This remained similar in a multivariate analysis including age at diagnosis, androgen deprivation therapy, and risk group based on PSA level, GS, and T stage (HR 1.11; 95% CI 0.91–1.34; p = 0.30). We conclude that the common Hp polymorphism does not seem to be associated with overall mortality in prostate cancer patients.
Using proximity extension proteomics assay to discover novel biomarkers associated with circulating leptin levels in patients with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Vavruch Camilla , Nowak C. , Feldreich T. , Östgren C. J. , Sundström J. , Söderberg S. , Lind L. , Nyström F. , Ärnlöv J.
Published: August 2020

We aimed to discover novel associations between leptin and circulating proteins which could link leptin to the development of cardiovascular disease in patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM). In a discovery phase, we investigated associations between 88 plasma proteins, assessed with a proximity extension assay, and plasma leptin in a cohort of middle-aged patients with T2DM. Associations passing the significance threshold of a False discovery rate of 5% (corresponding to p < 0.0017) were replicated in patients with T2DM in an independent cohort. We also investigated if proteins mediated the longitudinal association between plasma leptin and the incidence of major cardiovascular events (MACE). One protein, adipocyte fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP), was significantly associated with leptin in both the discovery phase [95% CI (0.06, 0.17) p = 0.00002] and the replication cohort [95% CI (0.12, 0.39) p = 0.0003]. Multiplicative interaction analyses in the two cohorts suggest a stronger association between A-FABP and leptin in men than in women. In longitudinal analyses, the association between leptin and MACE was slightly attenuated after adding A-FABP to the multivariate model. Our analysis identified a consistent association between leptin and A-FABP in two independent cohorts of patients with T2DM, particularly in men.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier NCT 01049737.
Author Correction: Genetic insights into the social organisation of the Avar period elite in the 7th century AD Carpathian Basin
Authors: Csáky Veronika , Gerber Dániel , Koncz István , Csiky Gergely , Mende Balázs G. , Szeifert Bea , Egyed Balázs , Pamjav Horolma , Marcsik Antónia , Molnár Erika , Pálfi György , Gulyás András , Kovacsóczy Bernadett , Lezsák Gabriella M. , Lőrinczy Gábor , Szécsényi-Nagy Anna , Vida Tivadar
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
FOSL1 is a novel mediator of endotoxin/lipopolysaccharide-induced pulmonary angiogenic signaling
Authors: Nitkin Christopher R. , Xia Sheng , Menden Heather , Yu Wei , Xiong Min , Heruth Daniel P. , Ye Shui Qing , Sampath Venkatesh
Published: August 2020

Systemic sepsis is a known risk factor for bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) in premature infants, a disease characterized by dysregulated angiogenesis and impaired vascular and alveolar development. We have previoulsy reported that systemic endotoxin dysregulates pulmonary angiogenesis resulting in alveolar simplification mimicking BPD in neonatal mice, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. We undertook an unbiased discovery approach to identify novel signaling pathways programming sepsis-induced deviant lung angiogenesis. Pulmonary endothelial cells (EC) were isolated for RNA-Seq from newborn C57BL/6 mice treated with intraperitoneal lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to mimic systemic sepsis. LPS significantly differentially-regulated 269 genes after 6 h, and 1,934 genes after 24 h. Using bioinformatics, we linked 6 h genes previously unknown to be modulated by LPS to 24 h genes known to regulate angiogenesis/vasculogenesis to identify pathways programming deviant angiogenesis. An immortalized primary human lung EC (HPMEC-im) line was generated by SV40 transduction to facilitate mechanistic studies. RT-PCR and transcription factor binding analysis identified FOSL1 (FOS like 1) as a transcriptional regulator of LPS-induced downstream angiogenic or vasculogenic genes. Over-expression and silencing studies of FOSL1 in immortalized and primary HPMEC demonstrated that baseline and LPS-induced expression of ADAM8, CXCR2, HPX, LRG1, PROK2, and RNF213 was regulated by FOSL1. FOSL1 silencing impaired LPS-induced in vitro HPMEC angiogenesis. In conclusion, we identified FOSL1 as a novel regulator of sepsis-induced deviant angiogenic signaling in mouse lung EC and human fetal HPMEC.
Estimating the organic oxygen content of biochar
Authors: Bakshi Santanu , Banik Chumki , Laird David A.
Published: August 2020

The organic O content of biochar is useful for assessing biochar stability and reactivity. However, accurately determining the organic O content of biochar is difficult. Biochar contains both organic and inorganic forms of O, and some of the organic O is converted to inorganic O (e.g., newly formed carbonates) when samples are ashed. Here, we compare estimates of the O content for biochars produced from pure compounds (little or no ash), acid-washed biomass (little ash), and unwashed biomass (range of ash content). Novelty of this study includes a new method to predict organic O content of biochar using three easily measured biochar parameters- pyrolysis temperature, H/C molar ratio, and %biochar yield, and evidence indicating that the conventional difference method may substantially underestimate the organic O in biochar and adversely impact the accuracy of O:C ratios and van Krevelen plots. We also present evidence that acid washing removed 17% of the structural O from biochars and significantly changes O/C ratios. Environmental modelers are encouraged to use biochar H:C ratios.
Modelling transport of inhibiting and activating signals and their combined effects on floral induction: application to apple tree
Authors: Belhassine Fares , Fumey Damien , Chopard Jérôme , Pradal Christophe , Martinez Sébastien , Costes Evelyne , Pallas Benoît
Published: August 2020

Floral induction (FI) in shoot apical meristems (SAM) is assumed to be triggered by antagonistic endogenous signals. In fruit trees, FI occurs in some SAM only and is determined by activating and inhibiting signals originating from leaves and fruit, respectively. We developed a model (SigFlow) to quantify on 3D structures the combined impact of such signals and distances at which they act on SAM. Signal transport was simulated considering a signal ‘attenuation’ parameter, whereas SAM fate was determined by probability functions depending on signal quantities. Model behaviour was assessed on simple structures before being calibrated and validated on a unique experimental dataset of 3D digitized apple trees with contrasted crop loads and subjected to leaf and fruit removal at different scales of tree organization. Model parameter estimations and comparisons of two signal combination functions led us to formulate new assumptions on the mechanisms involved: (i) the activating signal could be transported at shorter distances than the inhibiting one (roughly 50 cm vs 1 m) (ii) both signals jointly act to determine FI with SAM being more sensitive to inhibiting signal than activating one. Finally, the genericity of the model is promising to further understand the physiological and architectural determinisms of FI in plants.
Publisher Correction: Spectral and spatial shaping of laser-driven proton beams using a pulsed high-field magnet beamline
Authors: Brack Florian-Emanuel , Kroll Florian , Gaus Lennart , Bernert Constantin , Beyreuther Elke , Cowan Thomas E. , Karsch Leonhard , Kraft Stephan , Kunz-Schughart Leoni A. , Lessmann Elisabeth , Metzkes-Ng Josefine , Obst-Huebl Lieselotte , Pawelke Jörg , Rehwald Martin , Schlenvoigt Hans-Peter , Schramm Ulrich , Sobiella Manfred , Szabó Emília Rita , Ziegler Tim , Zeil Karl
Published: August 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.