bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The State Constitution v. the National Constitution: Original Nations’ “Sovereignty-Building” Projects in Asia, North America, and Beyond
Authors: FUKURAI Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

Historical tensions and conflicts have existed between the nation and the state across the globe for centuries. These antithetical geo-political entities have also erected Constitutions of their own to assert their sovereignty and independence. The paper then explores the constitutional activism by the nation to attain its sovereignty and the right to self-determination from the state supervision. The paper specifically interrogates recent efforts by the Nation of Lakota in North America, and its constitutional activism and the attempts to secede from the US jurisdiction in order to declare the nation’s independence. The paper provides the critical investigation of an array of both domestic and international laws used by the Nation of Lakota in order to complete the withdrawal of its political ties and legal obligation from the US territory. The paper concludes by discussing the ongoing constitutional activism by multiple nations in Asia and other regions of the world in an effort to attain their sovereignty and independence within, and even beyond, the respective state systems.
Do Better Lawyers Win More Often? Measures of Advocate Quality and Their Impact in Singapore's Supreme Court
Authors: CHESTERMAN Simon
Published: August 2020

Parties to a dispute that goes to court typically seek to retain the best lawyer they can afford. But do the ‘best’ lawyers get better results? This article surveys the literature across various jurisdictions before introducing a recent study of determinants of litigation outcomes in Singapore. The focus is on whether there is a correlation between various measures of lawyer quality (size of law firm, professional status, years of experience, etc) and actual success in court. Consistent with past studies, larger and better-resourced law firms tend to do better on average – though Singapore is unusual in that the Government Legal Service functions like the largest and best-resourced law firm. Individual lawyers, however, yield unusual results, with more experienced lawyers sometimes having a lower success rate in court – perhaps due to them taking on more complex cases. The study also shows that women are significantly underrepresented as lead counsel in Singapore, but on average may outperform men.
The rise, demise, and rebirth of a workfare programme in Israel
Authors: Helman Sara
Published: August 2020

In this article, I present an analysis of the conditions that led to the success of an NGO coalition to challenge and bring about the suspension of a workfare program in Israel. I compare the Israeli contention against workfare with similar mobilizations that took place in France and Germany, in order to identify conditions that may enhance challenges to the politics of conditionality. I argue that the success of collective action against a workfare programme in Israel was precipitated by the formation of a loose coalition of civil society organizations which succeeded in seizing opportunities, gaining access to institutionalized political systems, and mobilizing allies from the ranks of political elites. Moreover, I demonstrate these opportunities’ fluidity, such that the loss of certain allies engendered the workfare programme’s rebirth. The article concludes by outlining lessons that can be learned from this case.
Skin Color and System Support in Latin America
Authors: Sanchez Peter M. , Doherty David , Dobbs Kirstie Lynn
Published: August 2020

Is darker skin pigmentation associated with less favorable social and political outcomes in Latin America? We leverage data from 18 Latin American countries across multiple survey waves to demonstrate the robust and potent negative relationship between the darkness of skin tone and socio-economic status. Then we examine the relationship between skin color and attitudes toward the political system. In spite of our substantial sample size, we find little support for the expectation that respondents with darker skin are less favorably disposed toward the political system—indeed, on balance, our findings run counter to this expectation. Our findings suggest that the socio-economic “pigmentocracy” that pervades the region does not necessarily translate into pronounced differences in attitudes about the political system. This finding casts some doubt on the expectation that social inequalities are likely to destabilize governments or undermine their legitimacy.
A comparative study of endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty used to treat wet and dry ears with mucosal-type chronic otitis media
Authors: Lou Z , Li X
Published: August 2020

Objective

The outcomes of dry and wet ears were compared following endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty performed to treat chronic tympanic membrane perforations in patients with mucosal chronic otitis media.

Methods

Patients with chronic perforations, and with mucosal chronic otitis media with or without discharge, were recruited; all underwent endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty. The graft success rate and hearing gain were evaluated at six months post-operatively.

Results

The graft success rates were 85.9 per cent (67 out of 78) in dry ears and 86.2 per cent (25 out of 29) in wet ears; the difference was not significant (p = 0.583). Among the 29 wet ears, the graft success rates were 100 per cent in 11 ears with mucoid discharge and 77.8 per cent in the 18 patients with mucopurulent otorrhoea.

Conclusion

The wet or dry status of ears in patients with chronic perforations with mucosal chronic otitis media did not affect graft success rate or hearing gain after endoscopic cartilage myringoplasty. However, ears with mucopurulent discharge were associated with increased failure rates and graft collapse, whereas ears with mucoid discharge were associated with higher graft success rates.
“Fraud, Fun, and Feeling”: Slavery, Industrialism, and the Mother-Machine in Frances Trollope's Fiction
Authors: Sheehan Lucy
Published: August 2020

For Frances Trollope, the nineteenth century was defined by what she perceives to be a pervasive mechanization of emotional life, a phenomenon similar to what Tamara Ketabgian has recently described as the “industrialization of affect” in this period. At the center of this phenomenon, for Trollope, is the disquieting specter of the mother-machine, a figure in whom the processes of mechanical production and maternal reproduction collide. The figure originates, in Trollope's fiction, in the character Juno, an enslaved woman whose alienation from her children under slavery serves as a major plot point in her groundbreaking 1836 antislavery novelThe Life and Adventures of Jonathan Jefferson Whitlaw; or Scenes on the Mississippi. That figure is then reworked in the violent relationship between children and machines Trollope would go on to depict in her 1839–40 novel,The Life and Adventures of Michael Armstrong, the Factory Boy, one of the first industrial novels published in Victorian England. In these early fictions, Trollope documents what she perceives to be the mechanization of the maternal body under, alternately, slavery and industrialism, and its consequences for both the work and experience of care under nineteenth-century capitalism in its varied forms.
Animal and Social Ecologies in Anne Brontë'sAgnes Grey
Authors: Harner Christie
Published: August 2020

In Anne Brontë'sAgnes Grey(1847), the eponymous narrator uses a range of ecological metaphors to make sense of her interactions with others. She likens governessing to domestic horticulture and envisions how her task of educating children will be “to train the tender plants, and watch their buds unfolding day by day.” Rather than voice her unfulfilled romantic feelings for Weston or consciously work through her self-doubts about physical appearance, she visualizes them both as insects: she is the “humble glow-worm” who, without a “power of giving light” (i.e., beauty), “the roving fly might pass her . . . a thousand times, and never light beside her” (123). Even the reader, in the opening sentence, assumes the role of active participant: a nucivorous beast hunting for whatever “dry, shriveled kernel” of narrative meaning might be found by “cracking the nut” (5). As character, the budding naturalist “botanize[s] and entomologize[s] along the green banks and budding hedges”; as narrator, she projects herself and those around her into complex ecosystems (95). Her choice of metaphors captures a matrix of exchanges in which species of all kinds interact with one another and their environments in unpredictable ways. Agnes assigns the life cycles of flora and fauna to characters, populating the novel with human and nonhuman animals in ways that draw heavily on early nineteenth-century science even as they also prefigure some of the concerns of contemporary animal studies and ecocriticism.
“Thebourgeoisnature indifficulties”: The Crisis of Liberalism in Robert Browning'sAristophanes’ Apology
Authors: Hankinson Joseph
Published: August 2020

Nathan K. Hensley's recent study,Forms of Empire(2016), posits that liberalism, as the nineteenth century progressed, came up against the “wayward meanings” generated by its own contradictions, particularly the “curious intimacy between legality and harm” that characterized a doctrine of individual freedom inextricably rooted in violent imperial expansion. For Hensley, “the dogged persistence of killing in an age of liberty disrupted the conceptual assumptions of progressive idealism”; while “the very inseparability of law and violence, never more painfully evident than in episodes of colonial war and legal emergency, collapsed the logical principles of non-contradiction and identity that remain our common sense.”
The Long Run of Victorian Theater
Authors: Eriks Cline Lauren
Published: August 2020

It's March 2020 as I write this, and the theaters are closed. Broadway is dark, and the Globe is once again shut due to a plague. Perhaps “self-isolation” is a strange condition under which to be thinking about crowded Victorian playhouses. As I make dates to watch movies with friends hundreds of miles away on the Netflix Party app, the media environment in which I pursue entertainment has perhaps never felt more dissimilar to that of nineteenth-century theatergoers. But, then again, maybe the photos of empty auditoria and deserted streets are the best demonstration of the space that public culture has taken up in our lives. The vacuum shows us that what's missing mattered. And if scholars of Victorian theater have shared a primary goal, it's to insist on how deeply the collective experience of playgoing influenced the everyday practices and beliefs of the period—even when theater and drama may not always appear on Victorian syllabi or conference programs. This essay considers three recent studies in Victorian theater—The Cambridge Companion to English Melodrama(2018), edited by Carolyn Williams;The Drama of Celebrity(2019), by Sharon Marcus; andEveryone's Theater: Literature and Daily Life in England, 1860–1914(2019), by Michael Meeuwis—to register the force that theatrical performance exerted on Victorians and to explore how that force could change our sense of the field. By dwelling with archives and objects that might otherwise get classed as cultural “ephemera,” these studies push us to acknowledge that the run of Victorian theater hasn't ended. In the collective pause before a moment of intense feeling, or in a contradictory attachment to a public figure who is both imitable and extraordinary, they find a repertoire of spectator behavior from which many of our own modes of attention derive.
CME-Sonografie 92: Knoten am Hals
Authors: Tuma Jan
Published: August 2020

Zusammenfassung. Knoten am Hals können zufällig, beim Blick in den Spiegel oder zum Beispiel durch Schmerzen, die akut oder allmählich entstehen, entdeckt werden. Die klinische Untersuchung ist hilfreich, man kann die Lokalisation bzw. Zuordnung zu einem bestimmten Organ schätzen, die Konsistenz und die Verschieblichkeit beurteilen. Die Sonografie ist in den meisten Fällen sehr hilfreich, es gibt typische Befunde in Zusammenhang mit der Schilddrüse, ausgehend von Lymphknoten, Veränderungen der Tonsillen, von Gefässen und Speicheldrüsen. In einigen Fällen muss die Sonografie mit einer Feinnadelpunktion ergänzt werden.
Ionospheric Scale Index Map Based on TEC Data for Space Weather Studies and Applications
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

The present work shows the preliminary results from the analysis for developing an ionospheric scale index map based on the Disturbance Ionosphere indeX (DIX). This index aims to target all the different user groups affected by ionospheric disturbances, for example, the navigation, positioning, and satellite communication users, in a simple and straightforward approach. Therefore, we used the vertical total electron content (VTEC) over South America to calculate the total electron content (TEC) maps covering latitudes from 60°S to 20°N and longitudes from 90°W to 30°W, with 0.5° × 0.5° resolution. Afterward, the DIX maps are obtained to reveal the variation of the TEC over an average quiet ionosphere background. In order to illustrate the use of the map index, the ionospheric disturbances after and during the 17–23 December 2015 intense geomagnetic storm and the 2015 Saint Patrick magnetic storm are discussed, highlighting the disturbances in the DIX at different latitudinal ranges and under different magnetic conditions.
A GOLDen Way to Study Space Weather
Authors: Zastrow Mark
Published: August 2020

A NASA mission is observing airglow in the upper atmosphere and uncovering what it tells us about Earth’s space weather system.
Solar Mandates in Sacred Groves
Authors: Pardikar Rishika
Published: August 2020

As India moves toward ambitious climate goals, it is trampling on sacred groves in desert ecosystems.
Fungal communities decline with urbanization—more in air than in soil
Authors: Abrego Nerea , Crosier Brittni , Somervuo Panu , Ivanova Natalia , Abrahamyan Arusyak , Abdi Amir , Hämäläinen Karoliina , Junninen Kaisa , Maunula Minna , Purhonen Jenna , Ovaskainen Otso
Published: August 2020

Increasing evidence suggests that degradation of biodiversity in human populated areas is a threat for the ecosystem processes that are relevant for human well-being. Fungi are a megadiverse kingdom that plays a key role in ecosystem processes and affects human well-being. How urbanization influences fungi has remained poorly understood, partially due to the methodological difficulties in comprehensively surveying fungi. Here we show that both aerial and soil fungal communities are greatly poorer in urban than in natural areas. Strikingly, a fivefold reduction in fungal DNA abundance took place in both air and soil samples already at 1 km scale when crossing the edge from natural to urban habitats. Furthermore, in the air, fungal diversity decreased with urbanization even more than in the soil. This result is counterintuitive as fungal spores are known to disperse over large distances. A large proportion of the fungi detectable in the air are specialized to natural habitats, whereas soil fungal communities comprise a large proportion of habitat generalists. The sensitivity of the aerial fungal community to anthropogenic disturbance makes this method a reliable and efficient bioindicator of ecosystem health in urban areas.
Infection during the first year in patients treated with CD19 CAR T cells for diffuse large B cell lymphoma
Authors: Wudhikarn Kitsada , Palomba M. Lia , Pennisi Martina , Garcia-Recio Marta , Flynn Jessica R. , Devlin Sean M. , Afuye Aishat , Silverberg Mari Lynne , Maloy Molly A. , Shah Gunjan L. , Scordo Michael , Dahi Parastoo B. , Sauter Craig S. , Batlevi Connie L. , Santomasso Bianca D. , Mead Elena , Seo Susan K. , Perales Miguel-Angel
Published: August 2020

CD19-targeted chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cell therapy is an effective treatment for diffuse large B cell lymphoma (DLBCL). In addition to cytokine release syndrome (CRS) and immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity (ICANS), B cell aplasia and hypogammaglobulinemia are common toxicities predisposing these patients to infections. We analyzed 60 patients with DLBCL treated with FDA-approved CD19 CAR T cells and report the incidence, risk factors, and management of infections during the first year after treatment. A total of 101 infectious events were observed, including 25 mild, 51 moderate, 23 severe, 1 life-threatening, and 1 fatal infection. Bacteria were the most common causative pathogens. The cumulative incidence of overall, bacterial, severe bacterial, viral, and fungal infection at 1 year were 63.3%, 57.2%, 29.6%, 44.7%, and 4%, respectively. In multivariate analyses, the use of systemic corticosteroids for the management of CRS or ICANS was associated with an increased risk of infections and prolonged admission. Impaired performance status and history of infections within 30 days before CAR T cell therapy was a risk factor for severe bacterial infection. In conclusion, infections were common within the first 60 days after CAR T cell therapy, however, they were not associated with an increased risk of death.
Subduction hides high-pressure sources of energy that may feed the deep subsurface biosphere
Authors: Vitale Brovarone A. , Sverjensky D. A. , Piccoli F. , Ressico F. , Giovannelli D. , Daniel I.
Published: August 2020

Geological sources of H2 and abiotic CH4 have had a critical role in the evolution of our planet and the development of life and sustainability of the deep subsurface biosphere. Yet the origins of these sources are largely unconstrained. Hydration of mantle rocks, or serpentinization, is widely recognized to produce H2 and favour the abiotic genesis of CH4 in shallow settings. However, deeper sources of H2 and abiotic CH4 are missing from current models, which mainly invoke more oxidized fluids at convergent margins. Here we combine data from exhumed subduction zone high-pressure rocks and thermodynamic modelling to show that deep serpentinization (40–80 km) generates significant amounts of H2 and abiotic CH4, as well as H2S and NH3. Our results suggest that subduction, worldwide, hosts large sources of deep H2 and abiotic CH4, potentially providing energy to the overlying subsurface biosphere in the forearc regions of convergent margins.
Uncertainty-quantified parametrically homogenized constitutive models (UQ-PHCMs) for dual-phase α/β titanium alloys
Authors: Kotha Shravan , Ozturk Deniz , Ghosh Somnath
Published: August 2020

This paper develops an uncertainty-quantified parametrically homogenized constitutive model (UQ-PHCM) for dual-phase α/β titanium alloys such as Ti6242S. Their microstructures are characterized by primary α-grains consisting of hcp crystals and transformed β-grains consisting of alternating laths of α (hcp) and β (bcc) phases. The PHCMs bridge length-scales through explicit microstructural representation in structure-scale constitutive models. The forms of equations are chosen to reflect fundamental deformation characteristics such as anisotropy, length-scale dependent flow stresses, tension-compression asymmetry, strain-rate dependency, and cyclic hardening under reversed loading conditions. Constitutive coefficients are functions of representative aggregated microstructural parameters or RAMPs that represent distributions of crystallographic orientation and morphology. The functional forms are determined by machine learning tools operating on a data-set generated by crystal plasticity FE analysis. For the dual phase alloys, an equivalent PHCM is developed from a weighted averaging rule to obtain the equivalent material response from individual PHCM responses of primary α and transformed β phases. The PHCMs are readily incorporated in FE codes like ABAQUS through user-defined material modeling windows such as UMAT. Significantly reduced number of solution variables in the PHCM simulations compared to micromechanical models, make them several orders of magnitude more efficient, but with comparable accuracy. Bayesian inference along with a Taylor-expansion based uncertainty propagation method is employed to quantify and propagate different uncertainties in PHCM such as model reduction error, data sparsity error and microstructural uncertainty. Numerical examples demonstrate the accuracy of PHCM and the relative importance of different sources of uncertainty.
Printable 3D vocal tract shapes from MRI data and their acoustic and aerodynamic properties
Authors: Birkholz Peter , Kürbis Steffen , Stone Simon , Häsner Patrick , Blandin Rémi , Fleischer Mario
Published: August 2020

A detailed understanding of how the acoustic patterns of speech sounds are generated by the complex 3D shapes of the vocal tract is a major goal in speech research. The Dresden Vocal Tract Dataset (DVTD) presented here contains geometric and (aero)acoustic data of the vocal tract of 22 German speech sounds (16 vowels, 5 fricatives, 1 lateral), each from one male and one female speaker. The data include the 3D Magnetic Resonance Imaging data of the vocal tracts, the corresponding 3D-printable and finite-element models, and their simulated and measured acoustic and aerodynamic properties. The dataset was evaluated in terms of the plausibility and the similarity of the resonance frequencies determined by the acoustic simulations and measurements, and in terms of the human identification rate of the vowels and fricatives synthesized by the artificially excited 3D-printed vocal tract models. According to both the acoustic and perceptual metrics, most models are accurate representations of the intended speech sounds and can be readily used for research and education.
Impaired consciousness at stroke onset in large hemisphere infarction: incidence, risk factors and outcome
Authors: Li Jie , Zhang Ping , Wu Simiao , Yuan Ruozhen , Liu Junfeng , Tao Wendan , Wang Deren , Liu Ming
Published: August 2020

Impaired consciousness (IC) at stroke onset in large hemispheric infarctions (LHI) patients is common in clinical practice. However, little is known about the incidence and risk factors of IC at stroke onset in LHI. Besides, stroke-related complications and clinical outcomes in relation to the development of IC has not been systematically examined. Data of 256 consecutive patients with LHI were collected. IC at stroke onset was retrospectively collected from the initial emergency department and/or admission records. Of the 256 LHI patients enrolled, 93 (36.3%) had IC at stroke onset. LHI patients with IC at stroke onset were older (median age 66 vs. 61, p = 0.041), had shorter prehospital delay (24 vs. 26 h, p < 0.001and higher baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (19 vs. 12, p < 0.001). Independent risk factors of IC at stroke onset were high NIHSS score (odds ratio, OR 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.12 to 1.23) and atrial fibrillation (OR 1.93, 95% CI 1.07 to 3.47). Dyslipidemia appeared to protect against IC at stroke onset (adjusted OR 0.416, 95% CI 0.175 to 0.988). IC at stroke onset was associated with higher frequency of stroke-related complications (90.32% vs. 67.48%, p < 0.001), especially brain edema (45.16% vs. 23.31%, p < 0.001) and pneumonia (63.44% vs. 47.82%, p = 0.019). The IC group had higher rates of in-hospital death (23.66% vs. 11.66%, p = 0.012), 3-month mortality (49.46% vs. 24.87%, p = 0.002), and 3-month unfavorable outcome (64.51% vs. 49.07%, p = 0.017). However, after adjusting for age, baseline NIHSS score and other confounders, IC at stroke onset was not an independent predictor of in-hospital death (adjusted OR 0.56, 95% CI 0.22 to 1.47), 3-month mortality (adjusted OR 0.54, 95% CI 0.25 to 1.14) and 3-month unfavorable outcome (adjusted OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.31 to 1.33) in LHI patients (all p > 0.05). Our results suggested that IC occur in 1 out of every 3 LHI patients at stroke onset and was associated with initial stroke severity and atrial fibrillation. LHI patients with IC at stroke onset more frequently had stroke-related complications, 3-month mortality and unfavorable outcome, whereas IC was not an independent predictor of poor outcomes.
The rare sugar d-tagatose protects plants from downy mildews and is a safe fungicidal agrochemical
Authors: Mochizuki Susumu , Fukumoto Takeshi , Ohara Toshiaki , Ohtani Kouhei , Yoshihara Akihide , Shigematsu Yoshio , Tanaka Keiji , Ebihara Koichi , Tajima Shigeyuki , Gomi Kenji , Ichimura Kazuya , Izumori Ken , Akimitsu Kazuya
Published: August 2020

The rare sugar d-tagatose is a safe natural product used as a commercial food ingredient. Here, we show that d-tagatose controls a wide range of plant diseases and focus on downy mildews to analyze its mode of action. It likely acts directly on the pathogen, rather than as a plant defense activator. Synthesis of mannan and related products of d-mannose metabolism are essential for development of fungi and oomycetes; d-tagatose inhibits the first step of mannose metabolism, the phosphorylation of d-fructose to d-fructose 6-phosphate by fructokinase, and also produces d-tagatose 6-phosphate. d-Tagatose 6-phosphate sequentially inhibits phosphomannose isomerase, causing a reduction in d-glucose 6-phosphate and d-fructose 6-phosphate, common substrates for glycolysis, and in d-mannose 6-phosphate, needed to synthesize mannan and related products. These chain-inhibitory effects on metabolic steps are significant enough to block initial infection and structural development needed for reproduction such as conidiophore and conidiospore formation of downy mildew.
Laser cooling of ytterbium-doped silica glass
Authors: Mobini Esmaeil , Rostami Saeid , Peysokhan Mostafa , Albrecht Alexander , Kuhn Stefan , Hein Sigrun , Hupel Christian , Nold Johannes , Haarlammert Nicoletta , Schreiber Thomas , Eberhardt Ramona , Tünnermann Andreas , Sheik-Bahae Mansoor , Mafi Arash
Published: August 2020

Laser cooling of a solid is achieved when a coherent laser illuminates the material in the red tail of its absorption spectrum, and the heat is carried out by anti-Stokes fluorescence of the blue-shifted photons. Solid-state laser cooling has been successfully demonstrated in several materials, including rare-earth-doped crystals and glasses. Here we show the net cooling of high-purity Yb-doped silica glass samples that are fabricated with low impurities to reduce their parasitic background loss for fiber laser applications. The non-radiative decay rate of the excited state in Yb ions is very small in these glasses due to the low level of impurities, resulting in near-unity quantum efficiency. We report the measurement of the cooling efficiency as a function of the laser wavelength, from which the quantum efficiency of the Yb-doped silica is calculated.
Microfluidic channel-integrated hanging drop array chip operated by pushbuttons for spheroid culture and analysis
Authors: Park Juhwan , Kim Hwisoo , Park Je-Kyun
Published: August 2020

We developed a simple method for liquid handling in a hanging drop array chip for spheroid culture and analysis by integrating microfluidic channels operated by pushbuttons.
A two-photon fluorescent probe for sensitive detection and imaging of γ-glutamyl transpeptidase
Authors: Huo Ruijin , Zheng Xiuli , Liu Weimin , Zhang Liping , Wu Jiasheng , Li Fan , Zhang Wenjun , Lee Chun-Sing , Wang Pengfei
Published: August 2020

A GGT-activated two-photon fluorescent probe was developed for distinguishing ovarian cancer cells from normal cells.
Evidence and exploitation of dicationic ammonium–nitrilium superelectrophiles: direct synthesis of unsaturated piperidinones
Authors: Cantin Thomas , Morgenstern Yvonne , Mingot Agnès , Kornath Andreas , Thibaudeau Sébastien
Published: August 2020

Exploiting superacid activation, the reactivity of aminonitriles was enhanced through the transient formation of highly reactive ammonium–nitrilium superelectrophiles.
The same but different: multiple functions of the fungal flavin dependent monooxygenase SorD fromPenicillium chrysogenum
Authors: Kahlert Lukas , Cox Russell J. , Skellam Elizabeth
Published: August 2020

The flavin dependent monooxygenase (FMO) SorD fromPenicillium chrysogenum(PcSorD) catalyzes formation of bisorbicillinol, bisvertinol, oxosorbicillinol, bisvertinolone and epoxysorbicillinol.
Synthesis of 3-alkyl-6-methyl-1,2,4,5-tetrazines via a Sonogashira-type cross-coupling reaction
Authors: Ros Enric , Prades Amparo , Forson Dominique , Smyth Jacqueline , Verdaguer Xavier , Pouplana Lluís Ribas de , Riera Antoni
Published: August 2020

A new methodology involving Sonogashira cross-coupling was applied to the synthesis of new amino acids bearing a 6-methyltetrazin-3-yl fragment.
From homonuclear to heteronuclear: a viable strategy to promote and modulate phosphorescence
Authors: Wang Qian , Xiao Hui , Wu Yue , Wang Zhao-Yi , Zheng Da-Sheng , Chen Zhong-Ning
Published: August 2020

The use of weakly emissive homonuclear Pt(ii) precursors to fabricate Pt–M heteronuclear complexes with intermetallic contacts paves a unique avenue to achieve highly efficient phosphorescence as well as modulate emission energy.
Poly(hydroxyurethane): catalytic applicability for the cyclic carbonate synthesis from epoxides and CO2
Authors: Motokucho Suguru , Morikawa Hiroshi
Published: August 2020

We have developed a synthetic methodology using poly(hydroxyurethane) as an organocatalyst for the chemical fixation of CO2 into epoxides, leading to the formation of five-membered cyclic carbonates with remarkably high selectivity and yields.
Crystallographic evidence and spin activation for the Russian-doll-type metallofullerene Sc4C2@C80
Authors: Nie Mingzhe , Meng Haibing , Zhao Chong , Lu Yuxi , Zhang Jie , Feng Lai , Wang Chunru , Wang Taishan
Published: August 2020

We report the unambiguous crystallographic evidence, cluster configuration and oxidation properties for the Russian-doll-type metallofullerene Sc4C2@Ih-C80.
An nπ* gated decay mediates excited-state lifetimes of isolated azaindoles
Authors: Lamas Iker , Montero Raúl , Martínez-Martínez Virginia , Longarte Asier , Blancafort Lluís
Published: August 2020

The excited-state lifetime of 5- and 6-azaindole (AI) is 100–800 fs, and that of the 7-AI isomer several orders of magnitude slower. The three molecules have a similar decay mechanism, and the difference lies in the relative energy of the nπ* state.
New insight into the interaction between divacancy and H/He impurity in Ti3AlC2 using first-principles studies
Authors: Meng Zhaocang , Wang Canglong , Liu Jitao , Wang Yinlong , Zhu Xiaolu , Yang Lei , Huang Liang
Published: August 2020

First-principles studies show the trapping behavior of H atoms within the divacancy and evolution progress of H bubbles in Ti3AlC2. In addition, He atoms effectively suppress further aggregation of H atoms.
Intra- and intermolecular atomic-scale interactions in the receptor binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein: implication for ACE2 receptor binding
Authors: Adhikari Puja , Li Neng , Shin Matthew , Steinmetz Nicole F. , Twarock Reidun , Podgornik Rudolf , Ching Wai-Yim
Published: August 2020

Five structural domains in chain A and partial charge distribution in RBD with same orientation as of chain A.
Mechanism of Pd and K co-doping to enhance the simultaneous removal of NOx and soot over LaMnO3
Authors: Yang Li , Hu Jingnan , Zhang Chen , Song Qiang , Xue Zhigang , Zhang Xinmin , Tong Li
Published: August 2020

A series of La0.5K0.5Mn1−yPdyO3 catalysts with different doping amounts of Pd (y = 0, 0.01, 0.02, 0.03, 0.04) were synthesized by the citric acid complexation method and tested for the simultaneous removal of NOx and soot.
Recent advances in three-way catalysts of natural gas vehicles
Authors: Huang Cenyan , Shan Wenpo , Lian Zhihua , Zhang Yan , He Hong
Published: August 2020

This review presents recent advances in TWCs for NGVs, particularly for Pd-based catalysts and potential alternatives.
Synthesis, dynamics and redox properties of eight-coordinate zirconium catecholate complexes
Authors: Do Thomas H. , Brown Seth N.
Published: August 2020

Eight-coordinate zirconium complexes of a chelating bis(iminium-catecholate) ligand can be reversibly oxidized to semiquinone complexes.
Rapid switch-on fluorescent detection of nanomolar-level hydrazine in water by a diacetoxy-functionalized MOF: application in paper strips and environmental samples
Authors: Nandi Soutick , SK Mostakim , Biswas Shyam
Published: August 2020

A diacetoxy-functionalized Zr-based metal–organic framework was employed for the selective, ultra-sensitive, turn-on fluorescent detection of hydrazine in an aqueous medium.
Degradation of a chloroacetanilide herbicide in natural waters using UV activated hydrogen peroxide, persulfate and peroxymonosulfate processes
Authors: Molnar Jazić Jelena , Đurkić Tajana , Bašić Bojan , Watson Malcolm , Apostolović Tamara , Tubić Aleksandra , Agbaba Jasmina
Published: August 2020

In water treatment, the application of advanced oxidation processes (AOPs) which involve the generation of not only hydroxyl but also sulfate radicals has recently attracted increasing attention worldwide.
Milk whey from different animal species stimulates the in vitro release of CCK and GLP-1 through a whole simulated intestinal digestion
Authors: Sánchez-Moya T. , Planes-Muñoz D. , Frontela-Saseta C. , Ros-Berruezo G. , López-Nicolás R.
Published: August 2020

Milk whey is effective in enhancing the production of satiety hormones as GLP-1 and CCK depending on the phase of digestion and origin of milk whey.
Influence of quercetin on the global DNA methylation pattern in pigs
Authors: Burdeos Gregor C. , Blank Ralf , Wolffram Siegfried
Published: August 2020

The plant flavonol quercetin causes multiple health-promoting effects in human and animals.
Ring-opening reactions of donor–acceptor cyclopropanes with cyclic ketals and thiol ketals
Authors: Zhang Dongxin , Yin Lei , Zhong Junchao , Cheng Qihang , Cai Hu , Chen Yan , Zhang Qian-Feng
Published: August 2020

Cyclic (thiol) ketals were used as hetero-nucleophiles for the ring opening of donor–acceptor cyclopropanes to afford functionalized diethers.
Electronic, vibrational, and charge-transport properties of benzothienobenzothiophene–TCNQ co-crystals
Authors: Ashokan Ajith , Hanson Caitlin , Corbin Nathan , Brédas Jean-Luc , Coropceanu Veaceslav
Published: August 2020

The electronic, optical, vibrational, and charge-transport properties of a series of benzothienobenzothiophene–TCNQ co-crystals are discussed on the basis of density functional theory calculations.
Recent advances in the synthesis of bridgehead (or ring-junction) nitrogen heterocycles via transition metal-catalyzed C–H bond activation and functionalization
Authors: Nie Biao , Wu Wanqing , Zhang Yingjun , Jiang Huanfeng , Zhang Ji
Published: August 2020

An update on recent advances in the synthesis of bridgehead nitrogen fused heterocycles via transition metal-catalyzed C–H activation and functionalization is reported.
Chemically synthesized nanoparticles of iron and iron-carbides
Authors: Khurshid Hafsa , Abdu Yassir A. , Devlin Eamonn , Issa Bashar Afif , Hadjipanayis George C.
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we report a one-pot chemical synthesis for the preparation of iron and iron-carbide nanoparticles.
Hybrid approach to obtain high-quality BaMO3 perovskite nanocrystals
Authors: Chamorro Natalia , Martínez-Esaín Jordi , Puig Teresa , Obradors Xavier , Ros Josep , Yáñez Ramón , Ricart Susagna
Published: August 2020

A novel hybrid solvothermal approach for perovskite nanocrystal formation via accurate control of the hydrolytic process is reported.
Facile all-dip-coating deposition of highly efficient (CH3)3NPbI3−xClx perovskite materials from aqueous non-halide lead precursor
Authors: Adnan Muhammad , Irshad Zobia , Lee Jae Kwan
Published: August 2020

Sequential all-dip-coating processed perovskite materials was conducted in an aqueous non-halide lead precursor solution, which was followed by that in a mixed halide solution for high-efficiency perovskite solar cells.
Multi-enzyme pyruvate removal system to enhance (R)-selective reductive amination of ketones
Authors: Zhang Jinhua , Zhao Yanshu , Li Chao , Song Hao
Published: August 2020

The ArR-ωTA/TdcE/FDH/LDH system is an efficient system for increasing the conversion in the transamination reaction.
Unraveling topology-induced shape transformations in dendrimersomes
Authors: Kostina Nina Yu. , Wagner Anna M. , Haraszti Tamás , Rahimi Khosrow , Xiao Qi , Klein Michael L. , Percec Virgil , Rodriguez-Emmenegger Cesar
Published: August 2020

Using cell-mimetic dendrimersomes we demonstrated how changes in the molecular topology of the amphiphilic Janus dendrimers forming the bilayer lead to the evolution of shape without the need for any active cellular machinery.
Biosynthesis and signalling functions of central and peripheral nervous system neurosteroids in health and disease
Authors: Lloyd-Evans Emyr , Waller-Evans Helen
Published: August 2020

Neurosteroids are steroid hormones synthesised de novo in the brain and peripheral nervous tissues. In contrast to adrenal steroid hormones that act on intracellular nuclear receptors, neurosteroids directly modulate plasma membrane ion channels and regulate intracellular signalling. This review provides an overview of the work that led to the discovery of neurosteroids, our current understanding of their intracellular biosynthetic machinery, and their roles in regulating the development and function of nervous tissue. Neurosteroids mediate signalling in the brain via multiple mechanisms. Here, we describe in detail their effects on GABA (inhibitory) and NMDA (excitatory) receptors, two signalling pathways of opposing function. Furthermore, emerging evidence points to altered neurosteroid function and signalling in neurological disease. This review focuses on neurodegenerative diseases associated with altered neurosteroid metabolism, mainly Niemann-Pick type C, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer disease. Finally, we summarise the use of natural and synthetic neurosteroids as current and emerging therapeutics alongside their potential use as disease biomarkers.
CzeV1731: The unique doubly eclipsing quadruple system
Authors: Zasche P. , Henzl Z. , Lehmann H. , Pepper J. , Powell B. P. , Kostov V. B. , Barclay T. , Wolf M. , Kučáková H. , Uhlař R. , Mašek M. , Palafouta S. , Gazeas K. , Stassun K. G. , Gaudi B. S. , Rodriguez J. E. , Stevens D. J.
Published: August 2020

We report the discovery of the relatively bright (V = 10.5 mag), doubly eclipsing 2+2 quadruple system CzeV1731. This is the third known system of its kind, in which the masses are determined for all four stars and both the inner and outer orbits are characterized. The inner eclipsing binaries are well-detached systems moving on circular orbits: pair A with period PA = 4.10843 d and pair B with PB = 4.67552 d. The inner binaries contain very similar components (q  ≈  1.0), making the whole system a so-called double twin. The stars in pair B have slightly larger luminosities and masses and pair A shows deeper eclipses. All four components are main-sequence stars of F/G spectral type. The mutual orbit of the two pairs around the system barycenter has a period of about 34 yr and an eccentricity of about 0.38. However, further observations are needed to reveal the overall architecture of the whole system, including the mutual inclinations of all orbits. This is a promising target for interferometry to detect the double at about 59 mas and ΔMbol <  1 mag.
Early warning signals indicate a critical transition in Betelgeuse
Authors: George Sandip V. , Kachhara Sneha , Misra Ranjeev , Ambika Gouri
Published: August 2020

Context.Critical transitions occur in complex dynamical systems when the system dynamics undergoes a regime shift. These can often occur with little change in the mean amplitude of the system response prior to the actual time of transition. The recent dimming and brightening event in Betelgeuse occurred as a sudden shift in the brightness and has been the subject of much debate. Internal changes or an external dust cloud have been suggested as reasons for this change in variability.

Aims.We examine whether the dimming and brightening event of 2019–20 could be due to a critical transition in the pulsation dynamics of Betelgeuse by studying the characteristics of the light curve prior to transition.

Methods.We calculated the quantifiers hypothesized to rise prior to a critical transition for the light curve of Betelgeuse up to the dimming event of 2019–20. These included the autocorrelation at lag-1, variance, and the spectral coefficient calculated from detrended fluctuation analysis, in addition to two measures that quantify the recurrence properties of the light curve. Significant rises are confirmed using the Mann-Kendall trend test.

Results.We see a significant increase in all quantifiers (p <  0.05) prior to the dimming event of 2019–20. This suggests that the event was a critical transition related to the underlying nonlinear dynamics of the star.

Conclusions.Together with results that suggest a minimal change inTeffand IR flux, a critical transition in the pulsation dynamics might be a reason for the unprecedented dimming of Betelgeuse. The rise in the quantifiers we studied prior to the dimming event supports this possibility.
Implementation of a biopsy protocol to improve detection of esophageal eosinophilia: a Danish registry-based study
Authors: Krarup Anne Lund , Drewes Asbjørn Mohr , Ejstrud Per , Laurberg Peter Thaysen , Vyberg Mogens
Published: August 2020

Background In the North Denmark Region (580 272 inhabitants), only 0–4 cases of possible eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE) were identified annually in 1999–2010, suggesting underdiagnosis. This study aimed to increase the diagnosis of EoE by introducing a regional biopsy protocol for patients with dysphagia.

Methods In 2011, leaders of regional endoscopy units attended a consensus meeting where a biopsy protocol was proposed. The national pathology registry was used to identify patients with esophageal eosinophilic inflammation during 2007–2017.

Results Discussion resulted in consensus on a protocol to take eight biopsy samples in dysphagia patients (four biopsies from 4 cm and 14 cm above the esophagogastric junction–“4–14–4 rule”) regardless of the macroscopic appearance, and to code eosinophilia systematically in the pathology registry. A pictogram showing the 4–14–4 rule was sent to all endoscopy units. The number of patients with esophageal eosinophilia detected per year increased 50-fold after the protocol was implemented in 2011 (median of 1 [interquartile range 0–3] vs. 52 [47–56]; P < 0.001), and the number of biopsy samples per patient doubled (median 4 [4–5] vs. 8 [6–9]; P < 0.04). Of 309 patients diagnosed with esophageal eosinophilia in 2007–2017, 24 % had erosive esophagitis or Barrett’s esophagus, and 74 % had EoE.

Conclusions A consensus-based biopsy protocol and improved coding of eosinophilia in the pathology registry resulted in a 50-fold increase in patients diagnosed with esophageal eosinophilia/year. These patients can now receive treatment. The effort to establish the protocol and change the culture of endoscopists and pathologists was minimal.
Controlling the All-trans Stereochemistry in Liquid Crystalline 4,4′-Dialkyl-[1,1′-bicyclohexyl] Compounds
Authors: Wächtler Andreas , Bremer Matthias , Maillard David , Mohr Thomas
Published: August 2020

A good part of today’s liquid crystals (LCs) for display applications are derived from the Darzens–Nenitzescu reaction which, in a one-pot-process, yields 1,4-trans-acylphenylcyclohexanes from acid chlorides, benzene, and cyclohexene. A mechanism for this process is proposed based on quantum-chemical computations. The products of this reaction can be further elaborated to all-trans-4,4′-disubstituted-[1,1′-bicyclohexane] compounds, essential components in almost all fast switching LC-mixtures. An equilibration process involving carbo­cations is used to control the diastereomer distribution.
The Role of Advanced Endoscopic Resection of Diverse Skull Base Malignancies: Technological Analysis during an 8-Year Single Institutional Experience
Authors: Rutland John W. , Goldrich David , Loewenstern Joshua , Banihashemi Amir , Shuman William , Sharma Sonam , Balchandani Priti , Bederson Joshua B. , Iloreta Alfred M. , Shrivastava Raj K.
Published: August 2020

Background Resection of skull base malignancies poses complex pathological and treatment-related morbidities. Recent technological advancements of endoscopic endonasal surgery (EES) offer the ability to reexamine traditional treatment paradigms with endoscopic procedures. The utility of EES was quantitatively examined in a longitudinal series with attention to morbidities and postoperative outcomes.

Methods A single-center retrospective review was performed of all malignant sinonasal tumors from 2010 to 2018. Patients with purely EES were selected for analysis. Disease features, resection extent, complications, adjuvant treatment, recurrence, and survivability were assessed. Despite the mixed pathological cohort, analysis was performed to identify technical aspects of resection.

Results A total of 68 patients (47.6% males and 52.4% females, average age: 60.3 years) were included. A diversity of histotypes included clival chordoma (22.1%), olfactory neuroblastoma (14.7%), squamous cell carcinoma (11.8%), and adenoid cystic carcinoma (11.8%). Gross total resection (GTR) was achieved in 83.8% of cases. Infection (4.4%) and cerebrospinal fluid leak (1.5%) were the most common postoperative complications. Total 46 patients (67.6%) underwent adjuvant treatment. The average time between surgery and initiation of adjunctive surgery was 55.7 days.

Conclusion In our 8-year experience, we found that entirely endoscopic resection of mixed pathology of malignant skull base tumors is oncologically feasible and can be accomplished with high GTR rates. There may be a role for EES to reduce operative morbidity and attenuate time in between surgery and adjuvant treatment, which can be augmented through recent mixed reality platforms. Future studies are required to systematically compare the outcomes with those of open surgical approaches.
Multidrug-Resistant Orthopaedic Surgical Site Infections Treated with Linezolid in Four Dogs
Authors: Chou Po-Yen , Yoon Jin , Hersh-Boyle Rebecca A. , Marcellin-Little Denis J.
Published: August 2020

Objective This study aimed to report the adverse drug events and treatment outcome of systemic linezolid therapy to manage multi-drug resistant orthopaedic surgical site infection in dogs.

Materials and Methods Retrospective case review of four dogs that received linezolid to treat surgical site infections after orthopaedic surgery. Reevaluations consisted of a clinical examination or a telephone interview.

Results Serum drug concentrations varied. All dogs showed a temporary resolution of clinical signs of surgical site infection. Two dogs that received linezolid at the previously reported dose developed drug-associated side effects. The side effects were anorexia, nausea, vomiting and regenerative anaemia. All side effects resolved after the discontinuation of linezolid. Surgical site infection recurred in two dogs 52 and 177 days after discontinuing linezolid respectively.

Clinical significance Adverse drug events occurred in dogs receiving oral linezolid at the dosage of 10 to 20 mg/kg. Oral linezolid therapy failed to resolve deep orthopaedic surgical site infections in two out of four dogs. As a tertiary antimicrobial, linezolid should only be used in carefully selected cases while monitoring for drug-associated side effects.