bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental evaluation for daylight‐linked gradation lighting control using image‐based motion sensors
Authors: Futagami Takuya , Yano Toru , Huang Chingchun , Enohara Takaaki
Published: February 2020

In this study, we propose a daylight‐linked gradation lighting control, which adjusts the dimming level of a light above an occupant according to daylight and also gradually lowers the dimming level of surrounding lights based on the distance from the occupants by using image‐based motion sensors. We evaluated it in terms of both energy savings and visual comfort of the occupants in comparison experiments. Compared with the individual occupancy control (IC), the actual and simulated median energy savings of daylight‐linked gradation control (DGC) were 27.1 and 28.9%, respectively, per day. The results of a questionnaire consisting of seven questions and using a semantic differential method for scoring visual comfort showed that the DGC tended to improve visual comfort compared with the IC. Further experiments, however, are needed as only four of nine occupants responded to the questions. In addition, we found that the DGC creates a smoother contrast in the office than the IC, which may produce conspicuous changes in illumination intensity. Finally, we analyzed the advantages and disadvantages of the DGC on the basis of our experimental results. © 2020 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Noose Carpets: A Novel Method to Capture Rails
Authors: Harrity Eamon J. , Conway Courtney J.
Published: February 2020

Avian research may require investigators to capture birds for many reasons, including to collect measurements and attach leg bands or transmitters. The effectiveness and efficiency of capture techniques varies by species, habitat, and time of year. Rails are particularly challenging to capture because of their secretive behavior and the dense vegetation they inhabit. As such, basic natural history questions for many rail species remain unanswered. We paired audio lures with modified noose carpets to capture and study 69 Yuma Ridgway's rails (Rallus obsoletus yumanensis) in the southwestern United States during 2016–2018. We compared results with other more commonly used capture methods, and our results show that noose carpets paired with audio lures can be an effective tool to capture rails, thereby facilitating studies of their ecology and life history. Noose carpets are easy to use, cheap to build and maintain, and effective over a wide range of conditions. This method could be used to capture rails other than the Yuma Ridgway's rail by adjusting the noose size, noose line weight, and audio lures to match the target species. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA.
Development and optimisation of a defined high cell density yeast medium
Authors: Roberts Tania Michelle , Kaltenbach Hans‐Michael , Rudolf Fabian
Published: February 2020

Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells grown in a small volume of chemically defined media neither reach the desired cell density nor grow at a fast enough rate to scale down the volume and increase the sample number of classical biochemical assays, as the detection limit of the readout often requires a high number of cells as an input. To ameliorate this problem, we developed and optimised a new high cell density (HCD) medium for S. cerevisiae. Starting from a widely used synthetic medium composition, we systematically varied the concentrations of all components without the addition of other compounds. We used response surface methodology to develop and optimise the five components of the medium: glucose, yeast nitrogen base, amino acids, monosodium glutamate, and inositol. We monitored growth, cell number, and cell size to ensure that the optimisation was towards a greater density of cells rather than just towards an increase in biomass (i.e., larger cells). Cells grown in the final medium, HCD, exhibit growth more similar to the complex medium yeast extract peptone dextrose (YPD) than to the synthetic defined (SD) medium. Whereas the final cell density of HCD prior to the diauxic shift is increased compared with YPD and SD about threefold and tenfold, respectively. We found normal cell‐cycle behaviour throughout the growth phases by monitoring DNA content and protein expression using fluorescent reporters. We also ensured that HCD media could be used with a variety of strains and that they allow selection for all common yeast auxotrophic markers.
Ternary MIn2S4 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) Thiospinels – Crystal Structure and Thermoelectric Properties
Authors: Wyżga Paweł , Veremchuk Igor , Bobnar Matej , Hennig Christoph , Leithe‐Jasper Andreas , Gumeniuk Roman
Published: February 2020

A combined structural, magnetic and thermoelectric study of polycrystalline ternary MIn2S4 (M = Mn, Fe, Co, Ni) thiospinels is presented. All compounds crystallize with MgAl2O4‐type structure. Rietveld refinement analysis confirmed that the preferred crystallographic position of transition metal element changes from mainly tetrahedral 8a for Mn to exclusively octahedral 16d for Ni (i.e. increase of the inversion parameter). Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed M‐elements to possess 2+ oxidation state in MIn2S4. All these compounds order antiferromagnetically with Néel temperatures TN ranging from 5–13 K. The studied thiospinels are n‐type semiconductors with large values of electrical resistivity ρ > 0.6 Ω·m at room temperature. An increase of the inversion parameter leads to a reduction of the determined activation energies, as well as to a more disorder‐like behavior of thermal conductivity. The highest thermoelectric Figure of merit ZT was observed for MIn2S4 with M = Fe, Ni, which adopt inverse spinel structure.
Sandwich results for periodicity and conjugacy
Authors: Matkowski Janusz , Wójcik Paweł
Published: February 2020

Let P be a nonconstant selfmap of a set $$\mathcal {M}$$M. A sandwich-type theorem for generalized sub-P-periodic functions defined on $$\mathcal {M}$$M with values in a reflexive Banach space is proved. In particular, given functions $$f,g:\mathcal {M}\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$f,g:M→R, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions for the existence of a generalized P-periodic function $$F:\mathcal {M}\rightarrow \mathbb {R}$$F:M→R such that $$f\le F\le g$$f≤F≤g. The formula for F is given and its Lipschitz constant is discussed. Moreover the solvability of the functional equation $$f\circ p= r\circ f$$f∘p=r∘f with the help of a new sandwich method, is considered.
Solution sets of systems of equations over finite lattices and semilattices
Authors: Tóth Endre , Waldhauser Tamás
Published: February 2020

Solution sets of systems of homogeneous linear equations over fields are characterized as being subspaces, i.e., sets that are closed under linear combinations. Our goal is to characterize solution sets of systems of equations over arbitrary finite algebras by a similar closure condition. We show that solution sets are always closed under the centralizer of the clone of term operations of the given algebra; moreover, the centralizer is the only clone that could characterize solution sets. If every centralizer-closed set is the set of all solutions of a system of equations over a finite algebra, then we say that the algebra has Property $${{\,\mathrm{(SDC)}\,}}$$(SDC). Our main result is the description of finite lattices and semilattices with Property $${{\,\mathrm{(SDC)}\,}}$$(SDC): we prove that a finite lattice has Property $${{\,\mathrm{(SDC)}\,}}$$(SDC) if and only if it is a Boolean lattice, and a finite semilattice has Property $${{\,\mathrm{(SDC)}\,}}$$(SDC) if and only if it is distributive.
Two-millimetre diameter operative arthroscopy of the ankle is safe and effective
Authors: Stornebrink Tobias , Altink J. Nienke , Appelt Daniel , Wijdicks Coen A. , Stufkens Sjoerd A. S. , Kerkhoffs Gino M. M. J.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Technical innovation now offers the possibility of 2-mm diameter operative arthroscopy: an alternative to conventional arthroscopy that no longer uses inner rod-lenses. The purpose of this study was to assess whether all significant structures in the ankle could be visualized and surgically reached during 2-mm diameter operative arthroscopy, without inflicting iatrogenic damage.

Methods

A novel, 2-mm diameter arthroscopic system was used to perform a protocolled arthroscopic procedure in 10 fresh-frozen, human donor ankles. Standard anteromedial and anterolateral portals were utilized. Visualization and reach with tailored arthroscopic instruments of a protocolled list of articular structures were recorded and documented. A line was etched on the most posterior border of the talar and tibial cartilage that was safely reachable. The specimens were dissected and distances between portal tracts and neurovascular structures were measured. The articular surfaces of talus and tibia were photographed and inspected for iatrogenic damage. The reachable area on the articular surface was calculated and analysed.

Results

All significant structures were successfully visualized and reached in all specimens. The anteromedial portal was not in contact with neurovascular structures in any specimen. The anterolateral portal collided with a branch of the superficial peroneal nerve in one case but did not cause macroscopically apparent harm. On average, 96% and 85% of the talar and tibial surfaces was reachable respectively, without causing iatrogenic damage.

Conclusion

2-mm diameter operative arthroscopy provides safe and effective visualization and surgical reach of the anterior ankle joint. It may hold the potential to make ankle arthroscopy less invasive and more accessible.
The use of adverse outcome pathways in the safety evaluation of food additives
Authors: Vinken Mathieu , Kramer Nynke , Allen Timothy E. H. , Hoffmans Yvette , Thatcher Natalie , Levorato Sara , Traussnig Heinz , Schulte Stefan , Boobis Alan , Thiel Anette , Rietjens Ivonne M. C. M.
Published: February 2020

In the last decade, adverse outcome pathways have been introduced in the fields of toxicology and risk assessment of chemicals as pragmatic tools with broad application potential. While their use in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics sectors has been well documented, their application in the food area remains largely unexplored. In this respect, an expert group of the International Life Sciences Institute Europe has recently explored the use of adverse outcome pathways in the safety evaluation of food additives. A key activity was the organization of a workshop, gathering delegates from the regulatory, industrial and academic areas, to discuss the potentials and challenges related to the application of adverse outcome pathways in the safety assessment of food additives. The present paper describes the outcome of this workshop followed by a number of critical considerations and perspectives defined by the International Life Sciences Institute Europe expert group.
Wheat PP2C-a10 regulates seed germination and drought tolerance in transgenic Arabidopsis
Authors: Yu Xiaofen , Han Jiapeng , Li Li , Zhang Qian , Yang Guangxiao , He Guangyuan
Published: February 2020

Key message

A wheat protein phosphatase PP2C-a10, which interacted with TaDOG1L1 and TaDOG1L4, promoted seed germination and decreased drought tolerance of transgenic Arabidopsis.

Seed dormancy and germination are critical to plant fitness.DELAY OF GERMINATION 1(DOG1) is a quantitative trait locus for dormancy inArabidopsis thaliana. Some interactions between DOG1 and the type 2C protein phosphatases (PP2Cs) have been reported in Arabidopsis. However, the research on molecular functions and regulations of DOG1Ls and group A PP2Cs in wheat (Triticum aestivum. L), an important crop plant, is rare. In this study, the wholeTaDOG1Lfamily was identified. Expression analysis revealed thatTaDOG1L2,TaDOG1L4andTaDOG1L-N2specially expressed in wheat grains, while others displayed distinct expression patterns. Yeast two-hybrid analysis of TaDOG1Ls and group A TaPP2Cs revealed interaction patterns differed from those in Arabidopsis, and TaDOG1L1 and TaDOG1L4 interacted with TaPP2C-a10. The qRT-PCR analysis showed thatTaPP2C-a10exhibited the highest transcript level in wheat grains. Further investigation showed that ectopic expression ofTaPP2C-a10in Arabidopsis promoted seed germination and decreased sensitivity to ABA during germination stage. Additionally,TaPP2C-a10transgenic Arabidopsis exhibited decreased tolerance to drought stress. Finally, the phylogenetic analysis indicated thatTaPP2C-a10gene was conserved in angiosperm during evolutionary process. Overall, our results reveal the role ofTaPP2C-a10in seed germination and abiotic stress response, as well as the functional diversity ofTaDOG1Lfamily.
Synbiotic supplementation with prebiotic green banana resistant starch and probiotic Bacillus coagulans spores ameliorates gut inflammation in mouse model of inflammatory bowel diseases
Authors: Shinde Tanvi , Perera Agampodi Promoda , Vemuri Ravichandra , Gondalia Shakuntla V. , Beale David J. , Karpe Avinash V. , Shastri Sonia , Basheer Waheedha , Southam Benjamin , Eri Rajaraman , Stanley Roger
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The research goal is to develop dietary strategies to help address the growing incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). This study has investigated the effectiveness of green banana resistant starch (GBRS) and probiotic Bacillus coagulans MTCC5856 spores for the amelioration of dextran-sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis in mice.

Methods

Eight-week-old C57BL/6 mice were fed standard rodent chow diet supplemented with either B. coagulans, GBRS or its synbiotic combination. After 7 days supplementation, colitis was induced by adding 2% DSS in drinking water for 7 days while continuing the supplemented diets. Animal health was monitored and after 14 days all animals were sacrificed to measure the biochemical and histochemical changes associated with each supplement type.

Results

The disease activity index and histological damage score for DSS-control mice (6.1, 17.1, respectively) were significantly higher (p < 0.0001) than the healthy mice. Synbiotic supplementation alleviated these markers (− 67%, − 94% respectively) more adequately than B. coagulans (− 52%, − 58% respectively) or GBRS (− 57%, − 26%, respectively) alone. Compared to DSS-control synbiotic supplementation significantly (p < 0.0001) maintained expressions of tight junction proteins. Moreover, synbiotic effects accounted for ~ 40% suppression of IL-1β and ~ 29% increase in IL-10 levels in serum while also reducing C-reactive protein (− 37%) compared to that of the DSS-control. While, B. coagulans alone could not induce additional levels of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production beyond the caecum, the synbiotic combination with GBRS resulted in substantial increased SCFA levels across the whole length of the colon.

Conclusion

The synbiotic supplementation with B. coagulans and GBRS ameliorated the overall inflammatory status of the experimental IBD model via synergistic functioning. This supports researching its application in mitigating inflammation in human IBD.
Synaptotagmin 13 is neuroprotective across motor neuron diseases
Authors: Nizzardo M. , Taiana M. , Rizzo F. , Aguila Benitez J. , Nijssen J. , Allodi I. , Melzi V. , Bresolin N. , Comi G. P. , Hedlund E. , Corti S.
Published: February 2020

In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), spinal and lower brainstem motor neurons degenerate, but some motor neuron subtypes are spared, including oculomotor neurons (OMNs). The mechanisms responsible for this selective degeneration are largely unknown, but the molecular signatures of resistant and vulnerable motor neurons are distinct and offer clues to neuronal resilience and susceptibility. Here, we demonstrate that healthy OMNs preferentially express Synaptotagmin 13 (SYT13) compared to spinal motor neurons. In end-stage ALS patients, SYT13 is enriched in both OMNs and the remaining relatively resilient spinal motor neurons compared to controls. Overexpression of SYT13 in ALS and SMA patient motor neurons in vitro improves their survival and increases axon lengths. Gene therapy with Syt13 prolongs the lifespan of ALS mice by 14% and SMA mice by 50% by preserving motor neurons and delaying muscle denervation. SYT13 decreases endoplasmic reticulum stress and apoptosis of motor neurons, both in vitro and in vivo. Thus, SYT13 is a resilience factor that can protect motor neurons and a candidate therapeutic target across motor neuron diseases.
Pallidal lead placement in dystonia: leads of non-responders are contained within an anatomical range defined by responders
Authors: Zittel Simone , Hidding Ute , Trumpfheller Maria , Baltzer Vanessa Lupici , Gulberti Alessandro , Schaper Miriam , Biermann Maxine , Buhmann Carsten , Engel Andreas K. , Gerloff Christian , Westphal Manfred , Stadler Jana , Köppen Johannes A. , Pötter-Nerger Monika , Moll Christian K. E. , Hamel Wolfgang
Published: February 2020

Background

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) within the pallidum represents an effective and well-established treatment for isolated dystonia. However, clinical outcome after surgery may be variable with limited response in 10–25% of patients. The effect of lead location on clinical improvement is still under debate.

Objective

To identify stimulated brain regions associated with the most beneficial clinical outcome in dystonia patients.

Methods

18 patients with cervical and generalized dystonia with chronic DBS of the internal pallidum were investigated. Patients were grouped according to their clinical improvement into responders, intermediate responders and non-responders. Magnetic resonance and computed tomography images were co-registered, and the volume of tissue activated (VTA) with respect to the pallidum of individual patients was analysed.

Results

VTAs in responders (n = 11), intermediate responders (n = 3) and non-responders (n = 4) intersected with the posterior internal (GPi) and external (GPe) pallidum and the subpallidal area. VTA heat maps showed an almost complete overlap of VTAs of responders, intermediate and non-responders. VTA coverage of the GPi was not higher in responders. In contrast, VTAs of intermediate and non-responders covered the GPi to a significantly larger extent in the left hemisphere (p < 0.01).

Conclusions

DBS of ventral parts of the posterior GPi, GPe and the adjacent subpallidal area containing pallidothalamic output projections resulted in favourable clinical effects. Of note, non-responders were also stimulated within the same area. This suggests that factors other than mere lead location (e.g., clinical phenotype, genetic background) have determined clinical outcome in the present cohort.
JNJ-4178 (adafosbuvir, odalasvir, and simeprevir) in Japanese patients with chronic hepatitis C virus genotype 1 or 2 infection with or without compensated cirrhosis: the Phase IIa OMEGA-3 study
Authors: Takehara Tetsuo , Chayama Kazuaki , Kurosaki Masayuki , Yatsuhashi Hiroshi , Tanaka Yasuhito , Hiramatsu Naoki , Sakamoto Naoya , Asahina Yasuhiro , Nozaki Akito , Nakano Toshikazu , Hagiwara Yosuke , Shimizu Hiroko , Yoshida Hiroki , Huang Yuhan , Biermer Michael , Vijgen Leen , Hayashi Norio
Published: February 2020

Background

The efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetics of the combination of three direct-acting antiviral (DAA) agents (adafosbuvir [also known as AL-335], odalasvir, and simeprevir) were investigated in DAA treatment-naïve Japanese patients with genotype (GT)1 or GT2 chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, with or without compensated cirrhosis.

Methods

In this Phase IIa, open-label, multicenter study—OMEGA-3 (NCT02993250)—patients received JNJ-4178 (adafosbuvir 800 mg once daily [QD], odalasvir 25 mg QD, and simeprevir 75 mg QD) for 8 (non-cirrhotic patients; Cohort 1) or 12 (cirrhotic patients; Cohort 2) weeks. Patients were followed-up to 24 weeks following the end of treatment (EOT). The primary endpoint was safety, including adverse events (AEs).

Results

Overall, 33 patients were enrolled into Cohort 1 (N = 22) or 2 (N = 11) and received combined treatment with JNJ-4178. During the treatment and follow-up phases, a higher percentage of patients in Cohort 2 (81.8%) experienced AEs compared with Cohort 1 (68.2%), but the incidence of treatment-related AEs was similar. Most AEs were mild-to-moderate in severity and no patients discontinued due to an AE. There was one serious AE (cataract) in a patient in Cohort 2, which was not considered related to treatment. All patients achieved sustained virologic response 12 weeks after EOT (SVR12). No incidences of viral relapse were observed during follow-up.

Conclusions

In HCV GT1- and GT2-infected Japanese patients, treatment with JNJ-4178 was well tolerated and resulted in 100% of patients achieving SVR12.
A typology of community flood resilience
Authors: Laurien Finn , Hochrainer-Stigler Stefan , Keating Adriana , Campbell Karen , Mechler Reinhard , Czajkowski Jeffrey
Published: February 2020

Flood risk is increasing worldwide and there is a growing need to better understand the co-benefits of investments in disaster resilience. Utilizing a multinational community flood resilience dataset, this paper takes a systems approach to understanding community-level flood resilience. Using a cluster analysis and bivariate correlation methods, we develop a typology of community flood resilience capacity based on community characteristics and five capitals (human, financial, natural, physical, and social). Our results reinforce the importance of context-specific policymaking and give recommendations of four distinct clusters to investigate the relationship between flood resilience and prevailing development conditions. We especially find that communities with higher interactions between their capital capacities tend to have higher flood resilience levels. Additionally, there are indications that stronger interactions between community capacities can help to induce multiple co-benefits when investing in disaster resilience. Our results also have important policy implications on the individual community level. For example, based on our results, we suggest that communities with lower flood resilience capacities and interactions can best build resilience on leveraging their relatively higher human capital capacities to strengthen the financial and social capitals. Negative effects might happen for urban communities when co-benefits of natural and physical capital are not fully integrated. The highest flood resilience capacity is found in communities with a well-balanced household income distribution which is likely a contributing factor to the importance of financial capital for this cluster. Our results emphasize the importance of an integrative approach to management when implementing systematic flood disaster resilience metrics and development measures.
Predictors of postoperative cardiovascular complications up to 3 months after kidney transplantation
Authors: den Dekker W. K. , Slot M. C. , Kho M. M. L. , Galema T. W. , van de Wetering J. , Boersma E. , Roodnat J. I.
Published: February 2020

Background

Renal transplant patients have a high peri-operative risk for cardiovascular events. Pre-operative screening for cardiac ischaemia might lower this risk, but there are no specific guidelines.

Methods

We conducted a chart review for all renal transplants performed between January 2010 and December 2013. We collected data about patient characteristics, pre-operative cardiac evaluation before referral, diagnostic tests and interventions. Logistic regression analyses were then applied to relate these factors to the composite endpoint of cardiac death, myocardial infarction, coronary revascularisation or admission for heart failure within 3 months after transplantation.

Results

A total of 770 kidney transplants were performed in 751 patients. In 750 cases (97%) a referral to the cardiologist was made. Non-invasive ischaemia detection by myocardial perfusion scintigraphy, exercise stress test or dobutamine stress echocardiography was carried out in 631 cases (82%). Coronary angiography was performed in 85 cases, which revealed significant coronary artery disease in 19 cases. Prophylactic revascularisation was done in 7 cases. The incidence of the study endpoint was 8.6%. In multivariable regression analysis, age at transplantation, pre-transplant myocardial infarction or heart failure, post-operative decrease in haemoglobin and positive non-invasive ischaemia testing were significantly associated with the study endpoint. However, when analysed separately, none of the different non-invasive ischaemia detection modalities were related to the study endpoint.

Conclusion

Especially those renal transplant candidates with a cardiac history carry a high risk for a cardiovascular event post-transplantation. Uniformity in cardiac screening of renal transplant candidates and better pre-operative preparation might lower this post-operative risk. Besides, post-transplant anaemia should be prevented.
What we learn from extremophiles
Authors: Schröder Carola , Burkhardt Christin , Antranikian Garabed
Published: February 2020

Extremophiles are microorganisms that love extreme conditions, such as high temperatures up to the boiling point of water or low temperatures down to below the freezing point. Moreover, some extreme microbes prefer to live in acidic or alkaline environments, under high pressure or high salinity. Three extremophilic species are presented in this article: Lacinutrix algicola, a psychrophilic bacterium that grows at temperatures between 0 and 25 °C, Anaerobranca gottschalkii, a thermophilic and alkaliphilic bacterium growing optimally at 50–55 °C under alkaline conditions, and Pyrococcus furiosus, a famous hyperthermophilic archaeon that prefers 100 °C for growth. These extraordinary microorganisms are examples of extremophiles that possess remarkable adaptation mechanisms and additionally produce unique enzymes called extremozymes. These robust biocatalysts can be applied in various biotechnologic processes to enable substrate conversions under extreme process conditions. Due to their unusual properties, extremophiles and extremozymes will play a pivotal role in the development of modern circular bioeconomy.
Translating batch electrochemistry to single-pass continuous flow conditions: an organic chemist’s guide
Authors: Maljuric Snjezana , Jud Wolfgang , Kappe C. Oliver , Cantillo David
Published: February 2020

The recent renaissance of electrochemical methods for organic synthesis has also attracted increased interest towards flow electrochemistry as the most suitable scale-up strategy. Many electrochemical methods using flow cells are based on recirculation of the electrolyte solution. However, single-pass processing is very attractive as it permits integration of the electrochemical reaction with other synthetic or purification steps in a continuous stream. Translation of batch electrochemical procedures to single-pass continuous flow cells can be challenging to beginners in the field. Using the electrochemical methoxylation of 4-methylanisole as model, this paper provides newcomers to the field with an overview of the factors that need to be considered to develop a flow electrochemical process, including advantages and disadvantages of operating in galvanostatic and potentiostatic mode in small scale reactions, and the effect of the interelectrode gap, supporting electrolyte concentration and pressure on the reaction performance. A comparison of the reaction efficiency in batch and flow is also presented.
Occurrence of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes from lowland forest patches of Northern and Central Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Linh Thuy Thi , Sanchez-Mahecha Oriana , Almadrones-Reyes King Joshua , Redeña-Santos John Carlo , Dagamac Nikki Heherson A.
Published: February 2020

During the last years, much of the diversity studies of myxomycetes (plasmodial slime molds) have been concentrated mostly in the Southern region of Vietnam. Moreover, information on leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes for the country is still in scarcity. Hence, this study aims to assess the occurrence and distribution of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycetes in different forest types in the subtropical northern and coastal tropical monsoon central part of the country. Samples of aerial and ground leaf litter that were used to prepare moist chamber cultures in the laboratory were collected in (1) Ba Vi National Park, Ha Noi, (2) Ho Nui Coc, Thai Nguyen, and (3) coastal forest patches in Da Nang. A total of 24 species belonging to 10 genera, wherein the majority of these myxomycete species appeared abundantly (11 species) is reported for this study. Based on species richness, Ha Noi harbored the highest number of myxomycete species. Leaf litter inhabiting myxomycete communities between aerial and ground substrates shared a high level of similarity based on their species composition and relative abundance. Highest level of similarity of leaf litter inhabiting myxomycete asssemblages is also reported between Ha Noi and Da Nang (CC = 0.78, PS = 0.56). This research study is the first step in understanding the complex myxomycete ecology of leaf inhabiting myxomycetes and would help filling now the large gap in one of the unexplored tropical areas of the world.
Memory-Politics and Neonationalism: Trianon as Mythomoteur
Authors: Feischmidt Margit
Published: February 2020

Analyzing the newly emerged Trianon cult, this article argues that the current wave of memory politics became the engine of new forms of nationalism in Hungary constituted by extremist and moderate right-wing civic and political actors. Following social anthropologists Gingrich and Banks, the term neonationalism will be applied and linked with the concept “mythomoteur” of John Armstrong and Anthony D. Smith, emphasizing the role of preexisting ethno-symbolic resources or mythomoteurs in the resurgence of nationalism. Special attention will be given to elites who play a major role in constructing new discourses of the nation and seek to control collective memories, taking their diverse intentions, agendas, and strategies specifically into consideration. This “view from above” will be complemented with a “view from below” by investigating the meanings that audiences give to and the uses they make of these memories. Thus, the analysis has three dimensions: it starts with the analysis of symbols, topics, and arguments applied by public Trianon discourses; it continues with the analysis of everyday perceptions, memory, and identity concerns; and finally ends with an anthropological interpretation of memory politics regarding a new form of nationalism arising in the context of propelling and mainstreaming populist right-wing politics. The main argument of this article is that although the Hungarian Trianon cult, identified as national mythomoteur, invokes a historical trauma, it rather speaks to current feelings of loss and disenfranchisement, offering symbolic compensation through the transference of historical glory, pride, and self-esteem within a mythological framework. This article is part of a larger effort to understand the cultural logic and social support of new forms of nationalism in Hungary propelled by the populist far right.
Introduction to Inconvenient Realities: The Emergence and Resilience of Parastates
Authors: Rossi Michael , Castan Pinos Jaume
Published: February 2020

Within the growing literature on de facto states and disputed territories, the parastate stands as the most contentious challenge to international sovereignty and one of the greatest threats to regional security. Parastates are territorial entities that have unilaterally declared independence and control territory claimed by another state. Though parastates have been a part of international studies since the 1960s, the collapse of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia have produced a number of breakaway entities that have challenged existing understandings of state theory and security studies. Without full legal international recognition, the de facto statehood of parastates cannot transform into de jure sovereignty. This special section introduces our collaborative project on the nature, scope, orientation, and character of parastates; a small, select, and particularly problematic subunit of the de facto state family. Though many of these examples should be familiar to researchers of disputed territories, we feel some that have been previously categorized as de facto, contested, or even unrecognized states are better understood as parastates due to the indefinite frozen conflict they find themselves in for years, if not decades.
The Durability of Parastates: Declarative Statehood in the Absence of Constitutive Sovereignty
Authors: Rossi Michael
Published: February 2020

This article assesses the characteristics of the parastate; a territorial entity that operates outside the formal structures of international law and sovereign recognition. The primary obstacle for parastates transforming declarative statehood into constitutive sovereignty is the nature of their creation, which is seen as a violation of another state’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Parastates are thus prevented from becoming equal members of the international community with access to and decision-making in international organizations and governing bodies. Left outside these groups, parastates remain disputed territories dependent on patron state sponsorship and blocked from improving their status by international actors that deny sovereign recognition. Despite these limitations, parastates have a noted record of endurance that can last decades as long as the international status quo prevents the host state from regaining control of the contested territory. This article concludes that while options for ending frozen conflicts of parastates are not impossible, they are extremely costly and highly risky. Without decisive diplomatic and military leverage favoring the host state, parastates will continue to endure for the foreseeable future.
Azawad: A Parastate Between Nomads and Mujahidins?
Authors: Baldaro Edoardo , Raineri Luca
Published: February 2020

As part of the collective work “Inconvenient Realities: Parastates, between Statehood and Frozen Conflict,” this article discusses today’s status of Azawad, a relatively remote parastate occupying the territories of northern Mali, currently entrapped in a low intensity conflict involving non-state actors, local security forces, and external interveners. By retracing the history and the development of Azawad, the article identifies the different and partly contrasting socio-economic and ethnic elements at the basis of Azawadian parastatehood, and it charts the dialectical process of co-construction, which have shaped and inextricably linked together the Azawad and the Malian state. Moreover, it underlines the complex and evolving relations existing between “nationalist” Tuareg rebels and jihadist groups, with the aim to problematize the classical distinction between secessionist and terrorist parastates. By showing the connections between parastatehood, hybrid governance, patronage politics, and statelessness characterizing the situation in the Azawad, the article claims that the current condition of stalled conflict represents a temporary and unstable arrangement, which is paving the way for further parastatehood projects to arise.
The Islamic State as the Epitome of the Terrorist Parastate
Authors: Castan Pinos Jaume
Published: February 2020

This article examines a category of parastatates that has been largely neglected; the terrorist parastate. The main aim of the article is to fill this gap by scrutinizing the case of the Islamic State (IS), an organization that could be considered as the epitome of a terrorist parastate. Before the collapse of its territorial strategy in 2019, the group had targeted a significant number of states through terrorist attacks, while simultaneously controlling large swathes of territory and developing state-like institutions. During its buoyant period, IS called itself a state (Dawla), it viewed itself as a state (accomplishing a religious obligation), and perhaps more significantly, it was often perceived as a state by its enemies. The article will discuss the future prospects for the Islamic State after the collapse of its territorial/statehood strategy. After conceptualizing the nature of the terrorist parastate, the article will venture into comparative uncharted territory through an examination of the terrorist parastate vis-Á-vis its ordinary secessionist counterparts. One of the chief dissimilarities is the fact that IS, and terrorist parastates in general, tend to be less durable projects than secessionist parastates because they lack international sponsorship and they are more susceptible to foreign military interventions.
From Pararepublic to Parastate: International Leverage in Shaping Kosovo’s Secession
Authors: Mrdalj Mladen
Published: February 2020

The Kosovo Albanian political movement in the 1990s contained three fluctuating factions with distinct strategies: boycotting Serbian institutions, participating in elections, and resorting to an armed insurgency. This article shows how expectations of external assistance, primarily from the Clinton administration, influenced which strategy was to dominate the movement at certain periods. It also shows how the movement successfully conflated the issues of human rights and the ethnonationalist secessionist agenda, even though the secessionist agenda predated the claims of human rights violations following the rise of Slobodan Milošević to power in Serbia. In the end, the article discusses how the Clinton administration’s failure in the Rambouillet peace talks, the diplomatic result of the NATO attack on Serbia, and the fall of Slobodan Milošević set the foundations for freezing the conflict and turning Kosovo into a parastate.
CAUSATION AND RISK IN NEGLIGENCE AND HUMAN RIGHTS LAW
Authors: Turton Gemma
Published: February 2020

The UK Supreme Court noted in Smith v Chief Constable of Sussex Police that the approach to causation in claims based on Article 2 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) is “looser” than in negligence. While the but-for test is generally applied in negligence, in Article 2 claims “it appears sufficient generally to establish merely that [the claimant] lost a substantial chance” of avoiding harm. The English courts have not always been comfortable with this divergence. In Re E. (A Child) Lady Hale stated that she was “troubled by the rejection of the ‘but for’ test” by the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). In part this discomfort seems attributable to a lack of detailed exposition as to how the approaches to causation differ in negligence and human rights law. The lack of clarity as to what the “looser” approach consists of is unsatisfactory. Although the reference to causation in Smith was a relatively minor observation in the wider decision not to develop the duty of care owed by the police in negligence to a victim of crime, we cannot appreciate whether the difference in approach is justified without first understanding what the difference actually is. In response, one aim of this paper is to draw together key decisions on causation in the ECHR to identify what the “looser” approach entails and how it differs from the approach in negligence.
A geochemical and biostratigraphic approach to investigating regional changes in sandstone composition through time; an example from Paleocene–Eocene strata, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand
Authors: Higgs Karen E. , Munday Stuart , Forbes Anne , Crouch Erica M. , Sagar Matthew W.
Published: February 2020

A geochemical and biostratigraphic approach has been applied to investigate the spatial and stratigraphic variability of Palaeogene sandstones from key wells in Taranaki Basin, New Zealand. Chronostratigraphic control is predominantly based on miospore zonation, while differences in the composition of Paleocene and Eocene sandstones are supported by geochemical evidence. Stratigraphic changes are manifested by a significant decrease in Na2O across the New Zealand miospore PM3b/MH1 early Eocene zonal boundary, at approximately 53.5 Ma. The change in Na2O is associated with a decrease in baseline concentrations of many other major (MnO, CaO, TiO2) and trace elements, and is interpreted to reflect a significant change in sandstone maturity. Paleocene sandstones are characterized by abundant plagioclase (albite and locally Na–Ca plagioclase), significant biotite and a range of heavy minerals, while Eocene sandstones are typically quartzose, with K-feldspar dominant over plagioclase, low mica contents and rare heavy minerals comprising a resistant suite. This change could reflect a change in provenance from local plutonic basement during the Paleocene Epoch to relatively quartz- and K-feldspar-rich granitic sources during Eocene time. However, significant quartz enrichment of Eocene sediment was also likely due to transportation reworking/winnowing along the palaeoshoreface and enhanced chemical weathering, driven in part by long-term global warming associated with the Early Eocene Climatic Optimum. The broad-ranging changes in major-element composition overprint local variations in sediment provenance, which are only detectable from the immobile trace-element geochemistry.
The Chicago School goes East: Edward Shils and the dilemma of the Indian intellectuals,circa1956–67
Authors: SHARMA SHALINI
Published: February 2020

The sociologist Edward Shils (1910–95) is a neglected commentator on modern India. Best known in a South Asian context for his involvement in the Congress for Cultural Freedom, Shils also produced an influential study on Indian intellectuals, published in 1961. He was one of the few non-Marxists to write about the role of intellectuals during the era of decolonization in Asia and Africa. His book appeared in the same year as Frantz Fanon'sLes Damnés de la Terre(1961) and a year before C. L. R. James'sMarxism and the Intellectuals(1962), just as Pan-Africanism was finding its ideological voice. This article recovers Shils’ work on the Indian intellectual. It describes his Indian interlocutors, his methodology, and his claims about the isolated and ineffectual character of the Indian academic elite. The article concludes with an examination of the longer-term influence and validity of Shils’ critique of the Indian intelligentsia.
Rural hinterlands of the Black Sea during the fourth century BCE: expansion, intensification and new connections
Authors: Rempel Jane , Doonan Owen
Published: February 2020

This paper takes a holistic approach to the data for rural hinterlands in the Black Sea region in the fourth century BCE to reveal pan-Black Sea patterning, importantly including the southern coast and the territory of ancient Sinope. During a period of dynamic mobility and prosperity, the rural hinterlands of Greek settlements around the Black Sea expanded in ways that demonstrate significant regional commonalities in terms of increased settlement, intensified agricultural infrastructure, new connections via road and path networks and the inclusion of dependent territories beyond the traditional chora. Decisions to expand rural territory and intensify agricultural production were taken at the local level, but this patterning demonstrates that such developments were also a response to the dynamics of Black Sea economic and political networks. The associated increased density of occupation and connectivity in these rural hinterlands made them key facilitators of social networks, creating stronger ties between Greek settlements and other local communities, and ultimately enmeshing a more diverse group of people within Black Sea networks.
Diversity of fruits inArtibeus lituratusdiet in urban and natural habitats in Brazil: a review
Authors: Laurindo Rafael de Souza , Vizentin-Bugoni Jeferson
Published: February 2020

The great fruit-eating bat (Artibeus lituratus) is a large-sized species that forages primarily on fruits. This species is widespread throughout the Neotropics, where it is common in natural areas and also occupies forest patches and cities. In this study, we review the composition ofArtibeus lituratusdiet in Brazil as well as the size of fruits and seeds, plant geographic origin, and sampling methods used in naturalversusurban habitats. We show thatArtibeus lituratusis able to consume a higher proportion of exotic fruits with large seeds in urban environments than in natural areas. Fruit diameter was not statistically different between environments, but both fruit and seed diameters are smaller when detected by fecal sampling than by other methods. This difference is likely due to the fact that in natural habitats studies are predominantly based on fecal samples, which hinders the detection of large unswallowed seeds. Consequently, we recommend the use of complementary sampling methods (not only the widely used technique of fecal sorting) in order to produce more accurate descriptions of frugivorous bats’ diets. We suggest that the ability to exploit fruits of exotic plant species including the ones with large seeds may be a key trait for the persistence ofA. lituratusin urban habitats.
Silas Marnerand the Ecology of Form
Authors: Griffiths Devin
Published: February 2020

This article explores the ecology of form presented in George Eliot's novelSilas Marner. Though many have read the novel as a tight-knit account of an organic society, this author reads a more disorienting, emergent, and conflicted study of the coproduction of lives and environment. George Henry Lewes's account of physiology, particularly his discussion of epigenesis, is foundational to this disorganizing turn in Eliot's fiction. Finally, the author explores how the contingent relation between Eppie and Silas Marner underlines the recent convergence between discussions of queer futurity and the agential turn in ecocriticism.
The Ecological Plot: A Brief History of Multispecies Storytelling, from Malthus toMiddlemarch
Authors: Miller John MacNeill
Published: February 2020

This essay returns to the early nineteenth-century prehistory of ecology to argue that the anthropocentrism of Victorian social novels should be understood as a deliberate, pragmatic response to the ethical dilemmas of ecological entanglement—dilemmas visible by the late eighteenth century. Interspecies entanglement and its discontents provided the cornerstone of Malthus's infamous arguments about overpopulation in theEssay on the Principle of Population(1798). Inspired by Malthus's proto-ecological vision of endless interconnection, Harriet Martineau adopted it as the plot structure of herIllustrations of Political Economy(1832–34), some of the earliest and most influential examples of industrial fiction. Later social novelists borrowed Martineau's narrative technique of disclosing community by tracing material interdependence, but they excluded relations that crossed the species barrier. Those exclusions arose not from arrogance or ignorance of humanity's dependence on other species but from the decision to bracket often unanswerable questions arising from interspecies collectivity to foreground the practical importance of attending to the urgent needs of human beings.