bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nationalism and Economy
Authors: Fetzer Thomas
Published: April 2020

This article reviews recent literature concerned with the analysis of the relationship between nationalism and economy. First, it discusses scholarship advocating a new understanding of the concept of “economic nationalism” beyond its traditional focus on protectionist state policies. Second, the article branches out to consider a more interdisciplinary body of literature addressing the nationalism-economy nexus, and it relates this literature to broader debates in nationalism studies, distinguishing between three prominent approaches in the discipline: nationalism as political movement and ideology; nationalism as political discourse; and everyday nationalism. The article concludes with suggestions for future research.
Health and marital status of older Chinese couples and implications for intergenerational co-residence
Authors: Kumar Sneha , Williams Lindy
Published: April 2020

Older individuals who are in poor health or who lack spousal support are in many ways vulnerable in contemporary China. Declines in family size, combined with improvements in life expectancy and the out-migration of young adults from rural areas, have reduced the pool of potential care-givers for a growing number of older individuals. At the same time, state support for elderly people remains inadequate, further emphasising families’ role in care provision. This paper uses couple-level panel data from the 2012, 2014 and 2016 China Family Panel Studies to examine whether older couples with health-care or other needs receive help in the form of intergenerational co-residence. Multinomial logistic regressions are used to examine factors associated with the intergenerational solidarity framework from the older parents’ perspective that could motivate co-residence. Results show that when mothers report activity limitations or poor word recall at baseline, or when at least one parent has activity limitations in both waves, the probability of co-residence in both waves increases. Further, when both parents have depression at baseline, or when a parent loses a spouse, the probability of transitioning to co-residence increases. Findings suggest that adult children in present-day China do respond to parental needs by living together. Nevertheless, going forward, the state will likely have to play a greater role in old-age care provision.
RANDOMIZATION TESTS OF COPULA SYMMETRY
Authors: Beare Brendan K. , Seo Juwon
Published: April 2020

New nonparametric tests of copula exchangeability and radial symmetry are proposed. The novel aspect of the tests is a resampling procedure that exploits group invariance conditions associated with the relevant symmetry hypothesis. They may be viewed as feasible versions of randomization tests of symmetry, the latter being inapplicable due to the unobservability of marginals. Our tests are simple to compute, control size asymptotically, consistently detect arbitrary forms of asymmetry, and do not require the specification of a tuning parameter. Simulations indicate excellent small sample properties compared with existing procedures involving the multiplier bootstrap.
OBSERVING AND PRODUCING DURATIONAL HAND GESTURES FACILITATES THE PRONUNCIATION OF NOVEL VOWEL-LENGTH CONTRASTS
Authors: Li Peng , Baills Florence , Prieto Pilar
Published: April 2020

While empirical studies have shown the beneficial role of observing and producing hand gestures mimicking pitch features in the learning of L2 tonal or intonational contrasts, mixed results have been obtained for the use of gestures encoding durational contrasts at the perceptual level. This study investigates the potential benefits of horizontal hand-sweep gestures encoding durational features for boosting the perception and production of nonnative vowel-length contrasts. In a between-subjects experiment with a pretest–posttest design, 50 Catalan participants without any knowledge of Japanese practiced perceiving and producing minimal pairs of Japanese disyllabic words featuring vowel-length contrasts in one of two conditions, namely with gestures or without them. Pretest and posttest consisted of the completion of identical vowel-length identification and imitation tasks. The results showed that while participants improved equally at posttest across the two conditions in the identification task, the Gesture group obtained a larger improvement than the No Gesture group in the imitation task. These results corroborate the claim that producing hand gestures encoding prosodic properties of speech may help naïve learners to learn novel phonological contrasts in a foreign language.
The People's Bowling Palace: Building Underground in Late Communist Leipzig
Authors: Demshuk Andrew
Published: April 2020

In 1987 a recreational centre called the Bowlingtreff arose at the centre of East German Leipzig without knowledge from central authorities thanks to 40,050 hours of volunteer labour. What can this incident of apparent optimism tell us about state–citizen relations as they had evolved on the eve of revolution? Rather than ‘ostalgic’ evidence of socialist paradise lost, this article shows how, overcoming years of bureaucratic proscriptions, dedicated local authorities built ‘off the record’ to prove to the people that they could attain something; and residents disillusioned with communism were eager to build a piece of the ‘imaginary West’ in their dying city. Ultimately, however, the bowling palace demonstrated system dysfunction and whetted Leipzigers’ appetite for the ‘real’ West.
Do somatic symptoms relate to PTSD and gender after earthquake exposure? A cross-sectional study on young adult survivors in Italy
Authors: Carmassi Claudia , Dell’Oste Valerio , Barberi Filippo M. , Pedrinelli Virginia , Cordone Annalisa , Cappelli Andrea , Cremone Ivan M. , Rossi Rodolfo , Bertelloni Carlo A. , Dell’Osso Liliana
Published: April 2020

Objective

Increasing evidence confirms a strict relationship between mental disorders and physical health. Particularly, stressful life events and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have been closely correlated with various physical disorders and somatic symptoms, such as chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and headaches. The aim of this study was to investigate the emergence of somatic symptoms in a sample of young adult survivors 21 months after exposure to the L’Aquila 2009 earthquake, with particular attention to PTSD and gender impact.

Methods

Four hundred and fifty high-school senior students (253 male and 197 female) exposed to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake, 21 months earlier, were enrolled and evaluated by the Trauma and Loss Spectrum Self-Report (TALS-SR), for symptomatological PTSD, and the Mood Spectrum Self-Report-Lifetime Version (MOODS-SR) “rhythmicity and vegetative functions” domain, for somatic symptoms.

Results

Significantly higher rates of endorsement of the MOODS-SR somatic symptoms emerged in survivors with PTSD compared to those without. Females reported higher rates of endorsement of at least one MOODS-SR somatic symptom compared to males; however, a Decision Tree model and a two-way analysis of variance model confirmed a significant effect of PTSD only. A multivariate logistical regression showed a significant association between the presence of at least one MOOD-SR somatic symptom and re-experiencing and maladaptive coping TALS-SR domains.

Conclusion

This study corroborates a relevant impact of symptomatological PTSD, across both the genders, on somatic symptoms occurring in young adults after months from exposure to a massive earthquake.
Soft X-Ray and Cathodoluminescence Examination of a Tanzanian Graphite Deposit
Authors: MacRae Colin M. , Pearce Mark A. , Wilson Nicholas C. , Torpy Aaron , Glenn Matthew A. , Russo Salvy P.
Published: April 2020

Hyperspectral soft X-ray emission (SXE) and cathodoluminescence (CL) spectrometry have been used to investigate a carbonaceous-rich geological deposit to understand the crystallinity and morphology of the carbon and the associated quartz. Panchromatic CL maps show both the growth of the quartz and the evidence of recrystallization. A fitted CL map reveals the distribution of Ti4+ within the grains and shows subtle growth zoning, together with radiation halos from 238U decay. The sensitivity of the SXE spectrometer to carbon, together with the anisotropic X-ray emission from highly orientated pyrolytic graphite, has enabled the C Kα peak shape to be used to measure the crystal orientation of individual graphite regions. Mapping has revealed that most grains are predominantly of a single orientation, and a number of graphite grains have been investigated to demonstrate the application of this new SXE technique. A peak fitting approach to analyzing the SXE spectra was developed to project the C Kα 2pz and 2p(x+y) orbital components of the graphite. The shape of these two end-member components is comparable to those produced by electron density of states calculations. The angular sensitivity of the SXE spectrometer has been shown to be comparable to that of electron backscatter diffraction.
Psychotherapy Improves the Well-Being of Elderly Danish Care Recipients
Authors: Larsen Lars , Christoffersen Morten , Vedel Anna
Published: April 2020

Abstract. Historically, the psychotherapeutic treatment of psychological problems in old people has had low priority among both clinical psychologists and researchers. Fortunately, this bleak picture is now changing, and a number of reviews and meta-analyses have documented the effect of psychotherapy with older adults suffering from psychopathology such as anxiety or depression. Yet studies on whether older adults not suffering from a psychiatric disorder benefit from psychotherapy are sparse. The objective of this study is threefold: First, we investigate the effects of individual psychotherapy on subjective well-being and symptoms of depression and anxiety of elderly care recipients. Second, we investigate whether the treatment effects continue 3 months after the final treatment session. Third, we examine whether well-being scores improve relatively more than depression and anxiety scores. We found significant positive treatment effects across all measures. Effect sizes were moderate to high. There were no significant differences between posttreatment and follow-up scores, indicating lasting treatment effects. Differences in treatment effect size for our three outcome variables indicated that the WHO-5 scores changed the most, followed by anxiety and depression symptoms. Strengths and weaknesses of the study are discussed, and future directions for research and practice are proposed.
Concurrent Electrodermal and Eyeblink Conditioning With Masked and Unmasked Stimuli
Authors: Marcos José Luis , Marcos Azahara
Published: April 2020

Abstract. The aim of this study was to determine if contingency awareness between the conditioned (CS) and unconditioned stimulus (US) is necessary for concurrent electrodermal and eyeblink conditioning to masked stimuli. An angry woman’s face (CS+) and a fearful face (CS−) were presented for 23 milliseconds (ms) and followed by a neutral face as a mask. A 98 dB noise burst (US) was administered 477 ms after CS+ offset to elicit both electrodermal and eyeblink responses. For the unmasking conditioning a 176 ms blank screen was inserted between the CS and the mask. Contingency awareness was assessed using trial-by-trial ratings of US-expectancy in a post-conditioning phase. The results showed acquisition of differential electrodermal and eyeblink conditioning in aware, but not in unaware participants. Acquisition of differential eyeblink conditioning required more trials than electrodermal conditioning. These results provided strong evidence of the causal role of contingency awareness on differential eyeblink and electrodermal conditioning.
Study of a Quasi 4‐Day Oscillation During the 2018/2019 SSW Over Mohe, China
Authors: Ma Zheng , Gong Yun , Zhang Shaodong , Zhou Qihou , Huang Chunming , Huang Kaiming , Luo Jiahui , Yu You , Li Guozhu
Published: April 2020

We present an analysis of planetary‐scale oscillations during sudden stratospheric warming (SSW) events based on data obtained from a meteor radar located at Mohe (MH, 53.5°N, 122.3°E), the Aura satellite and Modern‐Era Retrospective analysis for Research and Applications, Version 2 data (MERRA2). The planetary‐scale oscillations in the mesosphere and lower thermosphere (MLT) region during eight SSW events from 2012 to 2019 have been statistically investigated. Our analysis reveals that the enhancement or the generation of westward propagating quasi 16‐day oscillation with wavenumber 1 (W1) is a common feature during SSWs over MH. A strong enhancement of the quasi 4‐day oscillation during the 2018/2019 SSW is captured by both radar and satellite observations. The amplified quasi 4‐day oscillation has a period of ~4.3 days in both meridional and zonal winds and with a wavenumber of W2 in the zonal component. Using the meteor radar and MERRA2 data, the vertical structure of the quasi 4‐day oscillation from the stratosphere to the lower thermosphere is derived. The upward propagating feature of the quasi 4‐day oscillation in the meridional component indicates that the oscillation is very likely generated in the lower mesosphere. The mesospheric zonal wind reversal after an elevated stratopause event is observed during the SSW, which results in a negative meridional gradient of the quasi‐geostrophic potential vorticity. Our results not only reveal that the amplified quasi 4‐day oscillation in the MLT region is associated with the 2018/2019 SSW but also suggest that the amplification is originally generated around 60 km due to barotropic/baroclinic instability and propagates upward to MLT region.
Using a Time‐Based Subarray Method to Extract and Invert Noise‐Derived Body Waves at Long Beach, California
Authors: Castellanos Jorge C. , Clayton Robert W. , Juarez Alan
Published: April 2020

The reconstruction of body waves from the cross‐correlation of random wavefields has recently emerged as a promising approach to probe the fine‐scale structure of the Earth. However, because of the nature of the ambient noise field, the retrieval of body waves from seismic noise recordings is highly challenging and has only been successful in a few cases. Here, we use seismic noise data from a 5,200‐node oil‐company survey to reconstruct body waves and determine the velocity structure beneath Long Beach, California. To isolate the body wave energy from the ambient noise field, we divide the entire survey into small‐aperture subarrays and apply a modified double‐beamforming scheme to enhance coherent arrivals within the cross‐correlated waveforms. The resulting beamed traces allow us to identify clear refracted P waves traveling between different subarray pairs, which we then use to construct a high‐resolution 3D velocity model of the region. The inverted velocity model reveals velocity variations of the order of 3% and strong lateral discontinuities caused by the presence of sharp geologic structures such as the Newport‐Inglewood fault (NIF). Additionally, we show that the resolution that is achieved through the use of high‐frequency body waves allows us to illuminate small geometric variations of the NIF that were previously unresolved with traditional passive imaging methods.
A Novel Framework to Study Trace Gas Transport in Deep Convective Clouds
Authors: Bardakov Roman , Riipinen Ilona , Krejci Radovan , Savre Julien , Thornton Joel A. , Ekman Annica M. L.
Published: April 2020

Deep convective clouds reach the upper troposphere (8–15 km height). In addition to moisture and aerosol particles, they can bring aerosol precursor gases and other reactive trace gases from the planetary boundary layer to the cloud top. In this paper, we present a method to estimate trace gas transport based on the analysis of individual air parcel trajectories. Large eddy simulation of an idealized deep convective cloud was used to provide realistic environmental input to a parcel model. For a buoyant parcel, we found that the trace gas transport approximately follows one out of three scenarios, determined by a combination of the equilibrium vapor pressure (containing information about water‐solubility and pure component saturation vapor pressure) and the enthalpy of vaporization. In one extreme, the trace gas will eventually be completely removed by precipitation. In the other extreme, there is almost no vapor condensation on hydrometeors and most of the gas is transported to the top of the cloud. The scenario in between these two extremes is also characterized by strong gas condensation, but a small fraction of the trace gas may still be transported aloft. This approach confirms previously suggested patterns of inert trace gas behavior in deep convective clouds, agrees with observational data, and allows estimating transport in analytically simple and computationally efficient way compared to explicit cloud‐resolving model calculations.
Seismicity of the Incoming Plate and Forearc Near the Mariana Trench Recorded by Ocean Bottom Seismographs
Authors: Eimer Melody , Wiens Douglas A. , Cai Chen , Lizarralde Daniel , Jasperson Hope
Published: April 2020

Earthquakes near oceanic trenches are important for studying incoming plate bending and updip thrust zone seismogenesis, yet are poorly constrained using seismographs on land. We use an ocean bottom seismograph (OBS) deployment spanning both the incoming Pacific Plate and the forearc to study seismicity near the Mariana Trench. The yearlong deployment in 2012–2013 consisted of 20 broadband OBSs and 5 suspended hydrophones, with an additional 59 short period OBSs and hydrophones recording for 1 month. We locate 1,692 earthquakes using a nonlinear method with a 3D velocity model constructed from active source profiles and surface wave tomography results. Events occurring seaward of the trench occur to depths of ~35 km below the seafloor, and focal mechanisms of the larger events indicate normal faulting corresponding to plate bending. Significant seismicity emerges about 70 km seaward from the trench, and the seismicity rate increases continuously towards the trench, indicating that the largest bending deformation occurs near the trench axis. These plate‐bending earthquakes occur along faults that facilitate the hydration of the subducting plate, and the lateral and depth distribution of earthquakes is consistent with low‐velocity regions imaged in previous studies. The forearc is marked by a heterogeneous distribution of low magnitude (<5 Mw) thrust zone seismicity, possibly due to the rough incoming plate topography and/or serpentinization of the forearc. A sequence of thrust earthquakes occurs at depths ~10 km below seafloor and within 20 km of the trench axis, demonstrating that the megathrust is seismically active nearly to the trench.
Uncoupled El Niño Warming
Authors: Hu Zeng‐Zhen , McPhaden Michael J. , Kumar Arun , Yu Jin‐Yi , Johnson Nathaniel C.
Published: April 2020

In light of a warming climate, the complexity of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) makes its prediction a challenge. In addition to various flavors of ENSO, oceanic warming in the central and eastern tropical Pacific is not always accompanied by corresponding atmospheric anomalies; that is, the atmosphere and ocean remain uncoupled. Such uncoupled warm events as happened in 1979, 2004, 2014, and 2018 are rare and represent an unusual form of ENSO diversity. A weaker zonal sea surface temperature anomaly gradient across the tropical Pacific compared to a conventional El Niño may partially account for the decoupling. Also, the uncoupled warm events typically start late in the calendar year, which raises the possible influence of seasonality in background conditions for the lack of coupling. Without coupling, the impact of the warming in the central and eastern tropical Pacific on extratropical climate is different from that of its coupled counterpart.
Faster Atlantic currents drive poleward expansion of temperate phytoplankton in the Arctic Ocean
Authors: Oziel L. , Baudena A. , Ardyna M. , Massicotte P. , Randelhoff A. , Sallée J.-B. , Ingvaldsen R. B. , Devred E. , Babin M.
Published: April 2020

The Arctic marine biome, shrinking with increasing temperature and receding sea-ice cover, is tightly connected to lower latitudes through the North Atlantic. By flowing northward through the European Arctic Corridor (the main Arctic gateway where 80% of in- and outflow takes place), the North Atlantic Waters transport most of the ocean heat, but also nutrients and planktonic organisms toward the Arctic Ocean. Using satellite-derived altimetry observations, we reveal an increase, up to two-fold, in North Atlantic current surface velocities over the last 24 years. More importantly, we show evidence that the North Atlantic current and its variability shape the spatial distribution of the coccolithophore Emiliania huxleyi (Ehux), a tracer for temperate ecosystems. We further demonstrate that bio-advection, rather than water temperature as previously assumed, is a major mechanism responsible for the recent poleward intrusions of southern species like Ehux. Our findings confirm the biological and physical “Atlantification” of the Arctic Ocean with potential alterations of the Arctic marine food web and biogeochemical cycles.
Dynamic genome evolution and complex virocell metabolism of globally-distributed giant viruses
Authors: Moniruzzaman Mohammad , Martinez-Gutierrez Carolina A. , Weinheimer Alaina R. , Aylward Frank O.
Published: April 2020

The discovery of eukaryotic giant viruses has transformed our understanding of the limits of viral complexity, but the extent of their encoded metabolic diversity remains unclear. Here we generate 501 metagenome-assembled genomes of Nucleo-Cytoplasmic Large DNA Viruses (NCLDV) from environments around the globe, and analyze their encoded functional capacity. We report a remarkable diversity of metabolic genes in widespread giant viruses, including many involved in nutrient uptake, light harvesting, and nitrogen metabolism. Surprisingly, numerous NCLDV encode the components of glycolysis and the TCA cycle, suggesting that they can re-program fundamental aspects of their host’s central carbon metabolism. Our phylogenetic analysis of NCLDV metabolic genes and their cellular homologs reveals distinct clustering of viral sequences into divergent clades, indicating that these genes are virus-specific and were acquired in the distant past. Overall our findings reveal that giant viruses encode complex metabolic capabilities with evolutionary histories largely independent of cellular life, strongly implicating them as important drivers of global biogeochemical cycles.
Structural morphing in a symmetry-mismatched viral vertex
Authors: Fang Qianglin , Tang Wei-Chun , Tao Pan , Mahalingam Marthandan , Fokine Andrei , Rossmann Michael G. , Rao Venigalla B.
Published: April 2020

Large biological structures are assembled from smaller, often symmetric, sub-structures. However, asymmetry among sub-structures is fundamentally important for biological function. An extreme form of asymmetry, a 12-fold-symmetric dodecameric portal complex inserted into a 5-fold-symmetric capsid vertex, is found in numerous icosahedral viruses, including tailed bacteriophages, herpesviruses, and archaeal viruses. This vertex is critical for driving capsid assembly, DNA packaging, tail attachment, and genome ejection. Here, we report the near-atomic in situ structure of the symmetry-mismatched portal vertex from bacteriophage T4. Remarkably, the local structure of portal morphs to compensate for symmetry-mismatch, forming similar interactions in different capsid environments while maintaining strict symmetry in the rest of the structure. This creates a unique and unusually dynamic symmetry-mismatched vertex that is central to building an infectious virion.
Data-driven questionnaire-based cluster analysis of asthma in Swedish adults
Authors: Kisiel Marta A. , Zhou Xingwu , Sundh Josefin , Ställberg Björn , Lisspers Karin , Malinovschi Andrei , Sandelowsky Hanna , Montgomery Scott , Nager Anna , Janson Christer
Published: April 2020

The aim of this study was to identify asthma phenotypes through cluster analysis. Cluster analysis was performed using self-reported characteristics from a cohort of 1291 Swedish asthma patients. Disease burden was measured using the Asthma Control Test (ACT), the mini Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (mini-AQLQ), exacerbation frequency and asthma severity. Validation was performed in 748 individuals from the same geographical region. Three clusters; early onset predominantly female, adult onset predominantly female and adult onset predominantly male, were identified. Early onset predominantly female asthma had a higher burden of disease, the highest exacerbation frequency and use of inhaled corticosteroids. Adult onset predominantly male asthma had the highest mean score of ACT and mini-AQLQ, the lowest exacerbation frequency and higher proportion of subjects with mild asthma. These clusters, based on information from clinical questionnaire data, might be useful in primary care settings where the access to spirometry and biomarkers is limited.
Masticatory Loading and Ossification of the Mandibular Symphysis during Anthropoid Origins
Authors: Ravosa Matthew J. , Vinyard Christopher J.
Published: April 2020

An ossified or ‘fused’ mandibular symphysis characterizes the origins of the Anthropoidea, a primate suborder that includes humans. Longstanding debate about the adaptive significance of variation in this jaw joint centers on whether a bony symphysis is stronger than an unfused one spanned by cartilage and ligaments. To provide essential information regarding mechanical performance, intact adult symphyses from representative primates and scandentians were loaded ex vivo to simulate stresses during biting and chewing – dorsoventral (DV) shear and lateral transverse bending (‘wishboning’). The anthropoid symphysis requires significantly more force to induce structural failure vs. strepsirrhines and scandentians with unfused joints. In wishboning, symphyseal breakage always occurs at the midline in taxa with unfused conditions, further indicating that an ossified symphysis is stronger than an unfused joint. Greater non-midline fractures among anthropoids suggest that fusion imposes unique constraints on masticatory function elsewhere along the mandible, a phenomenon likely to characterize the evolution of fusion and jaw form throughout Mammalia.
Author Correction: Diversity of gut microflora is required for the generation of B cell with regulatory properties in a skin graft model
Authors: Alhabbab R. , Blair P. , Elgueta R. , Stolarczyk E. , Marks E. , Becker P. D. , Ratnasothy K. , Smyth L. , Safinia N. , Sharif-Paghaleh E. , O’Connell S. , Noelle R. J. , Lord G. M. , Howard J. K. , Spencer J. , Lechler R. I. , Lombardi G.
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: Connexin 32-mediated cell-cell communication is essential for hepatic differentiation from human embryonic stem cells
Authors: Qin Jinhua , Chang Mingyang , Wang Shuyong , Liu Zhenbo , Zhu Wei , Wang Yi , Yan Fang , Li Jian , Zhang Bowen , Dou Guifang , Liu Jiang , Pei Xuetao , Wang Yunfang
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Urinary Exosomes from Bladder Cancer Patients Show a Residual Cancer Phenotype despite Complete Pathological Downstaging
Authors: Hiltbrunner Stefanie , Mints Michael , Eldh Maria , Rosenblatt Robert , Holmström Benny , Alamdari Farhood , Johansson Markus , Veerman Rosanne E. , Winqvist Ola , Sherif Amir , Gabrielsson Susanne
Published: April 2020

Invasive urinary bladder cancer shows high recurrence rates after cystectomy even with apparent complete downstaging at cystectomy. Exosomes are nano-sized vesicles important in cell-cell communication, which have been hypothesized to contribute to cancer dissemination and recurrence. The aim of this study was to investigate if pro-carcinogenic exosomes could be detected in urine from histologically downstaged bladder cancer patients. 13 Patients were included in this study. Paired ureter and urine samples from nine patients underwent mass spectrometry, while samples from the remaining patients were used for exosome characterization. At cystectomy, exosomes were isolated from bladder and ureter urine, whereafter quantitative proteome profiling was performed. Urinary exosomes clustered based on whether they came from the bladder, with tumour contact, or the ureters, without tumour contact, even though all came from completely downstaged patients. Proteins overexpressed in exosomes derived from bladder urine contained several oncogenes and were mainly associated with tumour metabolism pathways. Although patients were histologically tumour-free at cystectomy, the bladder urine contained exosomes with a carcinogenic metabolic profile. This suggests a continuous release of exosomes from the bladder, which may promote recurrence at distant sites through metabolic rewiring, even after apparent complete downstaging. These exosomes, coming from either undetected cancer cells or partly transformed cells, are likely to increase the risk of metastasis and encourages cystectomy even in completely downstaged patients.
Author Correction: A novel indication of platonin, a therapeutic immunomodulating medicine, on neuroprotection against ischemic stroke in mice
Authors: Sheu Joen-Rong , Chen Zhih-Cherng , Jayakumar Thanasekaran , Chou Duen-Suey , Yen Ting-Lin , Lee Hsing-Ni , Pan Szu-Han , Hsia Chih-Hsuan , Yang Chih-Hao , Hsieh Cheng-Ying
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Urban Particles Elevated Streptococcus pneumoniae Biofilms, Colonization of the Human Middle Ear Epithelial Cells, Mouse Nasopharynx and Transit to the Middle Ear and Lungs
Authors: Yadav Mukesh Kumar , Go Yoon Young , Jun Indong , Chae Sung-Won , Song Jae-Jun
Published: April 2020

Air-pollutants containing toxic particulate matters (PM) deposit in the respiratory tract and increases microbial infections. However, the mechanism by which this occurs is not well understood. This study evaluated the effect of urban particles (UP) on Streptococcus pneumoniae (pneumococcus) in vitro biofilm formation, colonization of human middle ear epithelium cells (HMEECs) as well as mouse nasal cavity and its transition to the middle ear and lungs. The in vitro biofilms and planktonic growth of S. pneumoniae were evaluated in metal ion free medium in the presence of UP. Biofilms were quantified by crystal violet (CV) microplate assay, colony forming unit (cfu) counts and resazurin staining. Biofilm structures were analyzed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) and confocal microscopy (CM). Gene expressions of biofilms were evaluated using real time RT-PCR. Effects of UP exposure on S. pneumoniae colonization to HMEECs were evaluated using fluorescent in-situ hybridization (FISH), cell viability was detected using the Ezcyto kit, apoptosis in HMEECs were evaluated using Annexin-V/PI based cytometry analysis and reactive oxygen species (ROS) production were evaluated using the Oxiselect kit. Alteration of HMEECs gene expressions on UP exposure or pneumococci colonization was evaluated using microarray. In vivo colonization of pneumococci in the presence of UP and transition to middle ear and lungs were evaluated using an intranasal mice colonization model. The UP exposure significantly increased (*p < 0.05) pneumococcal in vitro biofilms and planktonic growth. In the presence of UP, pneumococci formed organized biofilms with a matrix, while in absence of UP bacteria were unable to form biofilms. The luxS, ply, lytA, comA, comB and ciaR genes involved in bacterial pathogenesis, biofilm formation and quorum sensing were up-regulated in pneumococci biofilms grown in the presence of UP. The HMEECs viability was significantly decreased (p < 0.05) and bacteria colonization was significantly elevated (p < 0.05) in co-treatment (UP + S. pneumoniae) when compared to single treatment. Similarly, increased apoptosis and ROS production were detected in HMEECs treated with UP + pneumococci. The microarray analysis of HMEECs revealed that the genes involve in apoptosis and cell death, inflammation, and immune response, were up-regulated in co-treatment and were unchanged or expressed in less fold in single treatments of UP or S. pneumoniae. The in vivo study showed an increased pneumococcal colonization of the nasopharynx in the presence of UP and a higher transition of bacteria to the middle ear and lungs in the presence of UP. The UP exposure elevated S. pneumoniae in vitro biofilm and colonization of HMEECs, and in vivo mouse nasopharyngeal colonization, and increased dissemination to mouse middle ear and lungs.
Network-based metabolic characterization of renal cell carcinoma
Authors: Pandey Nishtha , Lanke Vinay , Vinod P. K.
Published: April 2020

An emerging hallmark of cancer is metabolic reprogramming, which presents opportunities for cancer diagnosis and treatment based on metabolism. We performed a comprehensive metabolic network analysis of major renal cell carcinoma (RCC) subtypes including clear cell, papillary and chromophobe by integrating transcriptomic data with the human genome-scale metabolic model to understand the coordination of metabolic pathways in cancer cells. We identified metabolic alterations of each subtype with respect to tumor-adjacent normal samples and compared them to understand the differences between subtypes. We found that genes of amino acid metabolism and redox homeostasis are significantly altered in RCC subtypes. Chromophobe showed metabolic divergence compared to other subtypes with upregulation of genes involved in glutamine anaplerosis and aspartate biosynthesis. A difference in transcriptional regulation involving HIF1A is observed between subtypes. We identified E2F1 and FOXM1 as other major transcriptional activators of metabolic genes in RCC. Further, the co-expression pattern of metabolic genes in each patient showed the variations in metabolism within RCC subtypes. We also found that co-expression modules of each subtype have tumor stage-specific behavior, which may have clinical implications.
CXXC5 as an unmethylated CpG dinucleotide binding protein contributes to estrogen-mediated cellular proliferation
Authors: Ayaz Gamze , Razizadeh Negin , Yaşar Pelin , Kars Gizem , Kahraman Deniz Cansen , Saatci Özge , Şahin Özgür , Çetin-Atalay Rengül , Muyan Mesut
Published: April 2020

Evidence suggests that the CXXC type zinc finger (ZF-CXXC) protein 5 (CXXC5) is a critical regulator/integrator of various signaling pathways that include the estrogen (E2)-estrogen receptor α (ERα). Due to its ZF-CXXC domain, CXXC5 is considered to be a member of the ZF-CXXC family, which binds to unmethylated CpG dinucleotides of DNA and through enzymatic activities for DNA methylation and/or chromatin modifications generates a chromatin state critical for gene expressions. Structural/functional features of CXXC5 remain largely unknown. CXXC5, suggested as transcription and/or epigenetic factor, participates in cellular proliferation, differentiation, and death. To explore the role of CXXC5 in E2-ERα mediated cellular events, we verified by generating a recombinant protein that CXXC5 is indeed an unmethylated CpG binder. We uncovered that CXXC5, although lacks a transcription activation/repression function, participates in E2-driven cellular proliferation by modulating the expression of distinct and mutual genes also regulated by E2. Furthermore, we found that the overexpression ofCXXC5, which correlates with mRNA and protein levels of ERα, associates with poor prognosis in ER-positive breast cancer patients. Thus, CXXC5 as an unmethylated CpG binder contributes to E2-mediated gene expressions that result in the regulation of cellular proliferation and may contribute to ER-positive breast cancer progression.
Long-term exposure to nanoplastics reduces life-time in Daphnia magna
Authors: Kelpsiene Egle , Torstensson Oscar , Ekvall Mikael T. , Hansson Lars-Anders , Cedervall Tommy
Published: April 2020

Plastics are widely used in todays society leading to an accelerating amount of plastic waste entering natural ecosystems. Over time these waste products degrade to micro- and, eventually, nanoplastic particles. Therefore, the break-down of plastics may become a critical threat to aquatic ecosystems and several short term studies have demonstrated acute toxicity of nanoplastics on aquatic organisms. However, our knowledge about effects of chronic or life-time exposure on freshwater invertebrates remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate results from life-time exposure (103 days) of a common freshwater invertebrate, Daphnia magna, exposed to sub-lethal concentrations of polystyrene nanoparticles. 53 nm positively charged aminated polystyrene particles were lethal at concentration of 0.32 mg/L which is two magnitudes lower than previously used concentrations in short-term (24 h) tests. At this concentration the life-time of individuals was shortened almost three times. Negatively charged carboxylated 26 and 62 nm polystyrene particles, previously demonstrated to be non-toxic at 25 and 50 mg/L concentrations in short-term tests, were toxic to D. magna at all concentrations used in our long-term study. Although total reproductive output was not significantly affected at increasing concentrations of polystyrene nanoparticles, there was a decreasing trend in the number of offspring over their life-time. Hence, in order to understand how the potential future environmental problem of nanoplastic particles may affect biota, long-term or life-time studies resembling environmental concentrations should be performed in order to provide information for predictions of future scenarios in natural aquatic environments.
Tungsten Diselenide Top-gate Transistors with Multilayer Antimonene Electrodes: Gate Stacks and Epitaxially Grown 2D Material Heterostructures
Authors: Zhang Yu-Wei , Li Jun-Yan , Wu Chao-Hsin , Chang Chiao-Yun , Chang Shu-Wei , Shih Min-Hsiung , Lin Shih-Yen
Published: April 2020

We have demonstrated that with e-beam deposition of a thin Al2O3 layer before atomic layer deposition, a uniform Al2O3 film can be obtained on WSe2/sapphire samples. Device performances are observed for WSe2 top-gate transistors by using oxide stacks as the gate dielectric. By using thermal evaporation, epitaxially grown multilayer antimonene can be prepared on both MoS2 and WSe2 surfaces. With multilayer antimonene as the contact metal, a significant increase in drain currents and ON/OFF ratios is observed for the device, which indicates that high contact resistance between metal/2D material interfaces is a critical issue for 2D devices. The observation of multilayer antimonene grown on different 2D material surfaces has demonstrated less dependence on the substrate lattice constant of the unique van der Waals epitaxy for 2D materials. The results have also demonstrated that stacking 2D materials with different materials plays an important role in the practical applications of 2D devices.
Effect of surface defects on the interaction of the oxygen molecule with the ZnO(101̄0) surface
Authors: Saputro Adhitya Gandaryus , Akbar Fiki Taufik , Setyagar Nikita Pradnya Paramita , Agusta Mohammad Kemal , Pramudya Aditya Dimas , Dipojono Hermawan Kresno
Published: April 2020

Strong O2–ZnO(101̄0) interactions can only occur when the ZnO(101̄0) surface has either an O vacancy or a Zn–O dimer vacancy.
What laboratory skills do students think they possess at the start of University?
Authors: Mistry Nimesh , Gorman Stephen G.
Published: April 2020

To be able to design a laboratory course it is important to know what laboratory skills students possess before the course starts. This way the course can focus on developing skills in areas that are lacking. Despite the extensive literature on laboratory education, there are few studies on what laboratory skills students have at this stage of their education. In this work, we aimed to address this by surveying students’ percieved knowledge, experience and confidence of a range of laboratory competencies at the start of a chemistry degree. Our key findings were that students percieved to have knowledge, experience and confidence of performing lower-order competencies such as practical techniques, but lacked the knowledge, experience and confidence to perform higher-order competencies such as designing experiments. From our results, we propose that instructors should be aware that experiments focussing on certain practical skills may not teach students how to perform that technique but are providing more experience and confidence. We also propose instructors should use laboratory courses to teach higher-order skills such as experimental design and problem-solving where these skills are more evidently lacking.
A general strategy for designing NIR-II emissive silk for the in vivo monitoring of an implanted stent model beyond 1500 nm
Authors: Deng Zhiming , Huang Junqing , Xue Zhenluan , Jiang Mingyang , Li Youbin , Zeng Songjun
Published: April 2020

The NIR-II emissive silk is explored by a general feeding strategy for NIR-II imaging guided in situ monitoring of the implanted biological stent model made from silk.
Simultaneous detection of plant growth regulators jasmonic acid and methyl jasmonate in plant samples by a monoclonal antibody-based ELISA
Authors: Yi Minghui , Zhao Linchuan , Wu Kang , Liu Chang , Deng Diandian , Zhao Kang , Li Jianguo , Deng Anping
Published: April 2020

Methyl jasmonate (MeJA) and its free-acid form, jasmonic acid (JA), collectively referred to as jasmonates (JAs), are natural plant growth regulators that are widely present in higher plants.
Delivery of dual miRNA through CD44-targeted mesoporous silica nanoparticles for enhanced and effective triple-negative breast cancer therapy
Authors: Ahir Manisha , Upadhyay Priyanka , Ghosh Avijit , Sarker Sushmita , Bhattacharya Saurav , Gupta Payal , Ghosh Swatilekha , Chattopadhyay Sreya , Adhikary Arghya
Published: April 2020

Cationic Mesoporous silica Nanoparticle coated with hyaluronic acid conjugated polymer (HA-Dual miRNA Np) facilitated enhanced dual miRNA loading, efficient delivery and significantly inhibited tumor growth as well as retarded metastasis in triple-negative breast cancer.
Type-II tunable SiC/InSe heterostructures under an electric field and biaxial strain
Authors: Wang Zhu , Zhang Yan , Wei Xing , Guo Tingting , Fan Jibin , Ni Lei , Weng Yijun , Zha Zhengdi , Liu Jian , Tian Ye , Li Ting , Duan Li
Published: April 2020

A novel type II band alignment with lower carrier effective mass can be adjusted by an electric field and strain.
A relationship between membrane permeation and partitioning of nitroaromatic explosives and their functional groups. A computational study
Authors: Yang Hong , Li Huarong , Zhou Mi , Wei Tong , Tang Can , Liu Liu , Zhou Yang , Long Xinping
Published: April 2020

Nitroaromatic explosives, such as 2,4,6-trinitrotoluene, are representative aromatic compounds, which are generally highly toxic.
Photocatalytic reductive defluorination of perfluorooctanoic acid in water under visible light irradiation: the role of electron donor
Authors: Wang Wanjun , Chen Yu , Li Guiying , Gu Wenquan , An Taicheng
Published: April 2020

Visible light-driven defluorination of PFOA was achieved via a photo-reductive pathway by using Pt–Bi2O4 as a photocatalyst and KI as an electron donor.
Chemotherapy for human schistosomiasis: how far have we come? What's new? Where do we go from here?
Authors: Dziwornu Godwin Akpeko , Attram Henrietta Dede , Gachuhi Samuel , Chibale Kelly
Published: April 2020

After a century since the first antimonial-based drugs were introduced to treat the disease, anti-schistosomiasis drug development is again at a bottleneck with only one drug, praziquantel, available for treatment purposes.
Serial in-solution digestion protocol for mass spectrometry-based glycomics and proteomics analysis
Authors: Sethi Manveen K. , Downs Margaret , Zaia Joseph
Published: April 2020

A high-throughput & efficient protocol for mass spectrometry-based glycomic and proteomic analysis.
A hydrothermally synthesized MoS2(1−x)Se2x alloy with deep-shallow level conversion for enhanced performance of photodetectors
Authors: Hou Kaiqiang , Huang Zongyu , Liu Shengqian , Liao Gengcheng , Qiao Hui , Li Hongxing , Qi Xiang
Published: April 2020

Schematic diagram of MoS2(1−x)Se2x synthesis and schematic diagram of device preparation.
Retraction: Kinetic and mechanistic studies on adsorption of Cu(ii) in aqueous medium onto montmorillonite K10 and its modified derivative
Authors: Shore Andrew
Published: April 2020

Retraction of ‘Kinetic and mechanistic studies on adsorption of Cu(ii) in aqueous medium onto montmorillonite K10 and its modified derivative’ by Himani Medhi and Krishna G. Bhattacharyya, New J. Chem., 2017, 41, 13533–13552.
Near-infrared control and real-time detection of osteogenic differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells by multifunctional upconversion nanoparticles
Authors: Wang Kaipeng , Wu Qian , Wang Xichao , Liang Guohai , Yang Anli , Li Jinming
Published: April 2020

A multifuctional platform based on meseporous sillicon coated upconversion nanoparticles was developed for near-infrared light controlled and real-time detection of differentiation in mesenchymal stem cells for regeneration medicine.
NiSe2-anchored N, S-doped graphene/Ni foam as a free-standing bifunctional electrocatalyst for efficient water splitting
Authors: Zhou Jinhao , Wang Zegao , Yang Dongxu , Qi Fei , Hao Xin , Zhang Wanli , Chen Yuanfu
Published: April 2020

A strategy to synthesize free-standing electrocatalysts coupling active nanostructured NiSe2 with conductive S, N-doped 3D graphene foam (3DSNG) is presented and the hybrid delivers superior performances for the HER, OER and overall water splitting.
The quasi-irreversible inactivation of cytochrome P450 enzymes by paroxetine: a computational approach
Authors: Kamel Emadeldin M. , Lamsabhi Al Mokhtar
Published: April 2020

The potency of paroxetine as a P450 inhibitor is mainly attributed to the availability of two active sites on its structure, its compatibility with P450's active site and the ease of its tight coordination to heme iron.
Correction: Block copolymer hierarchical structures from the interplay of multiple assembly pathways
Authors: Ianiro Alessandro , Chi Meng , Hendrix Marco M. R. M. , Koç Ali Vala , Eren E. Deniz , Sztucki Michael , Petukhov Andrei V. , de With Gijsbertus , Esteves A. Catarina C. , Tuinier Remco
Published: April 2020

Correction for ‘Block copolymer hierarchical structures from the interplay of multiple assembly pathways’ by Alessandro Ianiro et al., Polym. Chem., 2020, DOI: 10.1039/d0py00081g.
Hydroxyalkylation/alkylation of 2-methylfuran and furfural over niobic acid catalysts for the synthesis of high carbon transport fuel precursors
Authors: Raguindin Reibelle Q. , Gebresillase Mahlet N. , Han Seung Ju , Seo Jeong Gil
Published: April 2020

In producing high-grade transport fuel from lignocellulosic biomass, carbon–carbon (C–C) coupling reactions are one of the most available and efficient strategies for increasing the carbon chain length and thereby producing fuel precursors.
How can multi-bond network hydrogels dissipate energy more effectively: an investigation on the relationship between network structure and properties
Authors: Xu Hao , Shi Fu-Kuan , Liu Xiao-Ying , Zhong Ming , Xie Xu-Ming
Published: April 2020

As the amount of PVA microcrystals increases, the network structure changes from being dual-crosslinked (for pure PAA hydrogels) to ternary-crosslinked and finally to a double network structure, as shown by the step-increased modulus of the hydrogels.
Large-scale MoS2 thin films with a chemically formed holey structure for enhanced Seebeck thermopower and their anisotropic properties
Authors: Kang Min-Sung , Kang Soo-Young , Lee Won-Yong , Park No-Won , Kown Ki Chang , Choi Seokhoon , Kim Gil-Sung , Nam Jungtae , Kim Keun Soo , Saitoh Eiji , Jang Ho Won , Lee Sang-Kwon
Published: April 2020

A large-scale MoS2 thin film with a holey structure enhances the in-plane Seebeck thermopower, resulting in an enhancement of the Seebeck thermopower anisotropy.