bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi-compartment tumor organoids
Authors: Lee Meng-Horng , Rahmanto Yohan Suryo , Russo Gabriella , Wu Pei-Hsun , Gilkes Daniele , Kiemen Ashley , Miyamoto Tsutomu , Yu Yu , Habibi Mehran , Shih Ie-Ming , Wang Tian-Li , Wirtz Denis
Published: November 2020

Organoid cultures are widely used because they preserve many features of cancer cellsin vivo. Here, we developed high-throughput oil-in-water droplet microtechnology to generate highly uniform, small-volume, multi-compartment organoids. Each organoid culture features a microenvironmental architecture that mimics both the basement membrane and stromal barriers. This matrix architecture, which allows accessing both proliferative and invasive features of cancer cells in a single platform, has profound effect on observed drug responsiveness and tumor progression that correlate well within vivoand clinical outcomes. The method was tested on multiple types of cancer cells including primary cells and immortalized cell lines, and we determined our platform is suitable even for cells of poor organoid-forming ability. These new organoids also allow for direct orthotopic mouse implantation of cancer cells with unprecedented success.
Essential histone chaperones collaborate to regulate transcription and chromatin integrity
Authors: Viktorovskaya Olga , Chuang James , Jain Dhawal , Reim Natalia I. , López-Rivera Francheska , Murawska Magdalena , Spatt Dan , Churchman L. Stirling , Park Peter J. , Winston Fred
Published: November 2020

Histone chaperones are critical for controlling chromatin integrity during transcription, DNA replication, and DNA repair. We have discovered that the physical interaction between two essential histone chaperones, Spt6 and Spn1/Iws1, is required for transcriptional accuracy and nucleosome organization. To understand this requirement, we have isolated suppressors of anspt6mutation that disrupts the Spt6-Spn1 interaction. Several suppressors are in a third essential histone chaperone, FACT, while another suppressor is in the transcription elongation factor Spt5/DSIF. The FACT suppressors weaken FACT-nucleosome interactions and bypass the requirement for Spn1, possibly by restoring a necessary balance between Spt6 and FACT on chromatin. In contrast, the Spt5 suppressor modulates Spt6 function in a Spn1-dependent manner. Despite these distinct mechanisms, both suppressors alleviate the nucleosome organization defects caused by disruption of the Spt6-Spn1 interaction. Taken together, we have uncovered a network in which histone chaperones and other elongation factors coordinate transcriptional integrity and chromatin structure.
Pruriception and neuronal coding in nociceptor subtypes in human and nonhuman primates
Authors: Klein Amanda H , Solinski Hans Jürgen , Malewicz Nathalie M , Ieong Hada Fong-ha , Shimada Steven G , Hartke Timothy V , Wooten Matthew , Wu Gang , Hoon Mark A. , LaMotte Robert H , Ringkamp Matthias
Published: November 2020

In human, intradermal administration of β-alanine (ALA) and bovine adrenal medulla peptide 8-22 (BAM8-22) evokes the sensation of itch. Currently, it is unknown which human dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons express the receptors of these pruritogens, MRGPRD and MRGPRX1 respectively, and which cutaneous afferents these pruritogens activate in primate. In situ hybridization studies revealed that MRGPRD and MRGPRX1 are co-expressed in a subpopulation of TRPV1+ human DRG neurons. In electrophysiological recordings in nonhuman primates (Macaca nemestrina), subtypes of polymodal C-fiber nociceptors are preferentially activated by ALA and BAM8-22, with significant overlap. When pruritogens ALA, BAM8-22 and histamine, that activate different subclasses of C-fiber afferents, are administered in combination, human volunteers report itch and nociceptive sensations similar to those induced by a single pruritogen. Our results provide evidence for differences in pruriceptive processing between primates and rodents, and do not support the spatial contrast theory of coding of itch and pain.
Cryo-EM analysis of human mitochondrial Hsp90 in multiple tetrameric states
Authors: Liu Yanxin , Sun Ming , Elnatan Daniel , Larson Adam G. , Agard David A.
Published: November 2020

Hsp90 is a ubiquitous molecular chaperone that mediates the folding and maturation of hundreds of “client” proteins. Although Hsp90s generally function as homodimers, recent discoveries suggested that the mitochondrion specific Hsp90 (TRAP1) also forms functionally relevant tetramers. The structural mechanism of tetramer formation remains elusive. Here we used a combination of solution, biochemical and cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) approaches to confirm that, independent of nucleotide state, a subpopulation of TRAP1 exists as tetramers. Unexpectedly, cryo-EM reveals multiple tetramer conformations having TRAP1 dimers arranged in orthogonal, parallel, or antiparallel configurations. The cryo-EM structure of one of the orthogonal tetrameric states was determined at 3.5 Å resolution. Each of the two TRAP1 dimers is in a symmetric AMP·PNP-bound closed state with the tetramer being stabilized through three distinct dimer-dimer interaction sites. In unique ways, each of the three TRAP1 domains contributes to tetramer formation. In addition to tetramerization via direct dimer-dimer contacts, our structure suggests that additional stabilization could come from domain swapping between the dimers. These results expand our understanding of TRAP1 biology beyond the conventional view of a functional dimer and provide a platform to further explore the function and regulation of tetrameric TRAP1 in mitochondria.
Resilient negotiators: the effects of trait negotiation resilience on behavior, perception and outcomes
Authors: Shacham Rotem , Nelson Noa , Ben-Ari Rachel
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to test the contributions of a new type of resilience, Trait Negotiation Resilience (TNR; Nelsonet al., 2016), to negotiators’ effective behavior, perception of opponent and negotiation outcomes.

Design/methodology/approach

A laboratory study (N= 98; 49 dyads) featuring a mixed-motive negotiation task. Participants self-reported TNR (emotional skills, social sensitivity, intrinsic motivation for self-improvement and a sense of purpose to life events) up to a week before negotiating. After the negotiations, they rated their opponents on resilient, effective personal attributes and reported their own subjective value (SV). Trained judges watched the negotiations, coded objective outcomes and rated negotiators on dimensions of effective negotiation behavior. Statistical analyses accounted for dyadic interdependence.

Findings

TNR predicted higher levels of effective negotiation behavior, which, in turn, fully mediated TNR’s favorable contribution to negotiated value. TNR also predicted higher levels of SV, and this contribution was partially mediated by perceiving effective personal attributes in the opponent.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size was moderate and it consisted of undergraduate students, most of them female.

Originality/value

Evidence on the contribution of a personality construct to both outcome and process negotiator variables; contribution to the research of specific types of resilience.
Securitization of the COVID-19 pandemic by metaphoric discourse during the state of emergency in Hungary
Authors: Molnár Anna , Takács Lili , Jakusné Harnos Éva
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Politicians' response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic worldwide relied on war scenarios having a tradition in disease management. The study contrasts how the political measures introduced during the state of emergency were presented by the Prime Minister of Hungary in his social media posts and his speeches and announcements broadcast by public media.

Design/methodology/approach

A computer-assisted content analysis was conducted to extract data on war and military metaphors, followed by a qualitative analysis of the metaphor scenarios used for explaining the situation and justifying action. The role of the prime minister (PM) indicated by the social media posts and by his transcripted speeches was compared with the suggestion of the visual illustrations.

Findings

The study’s findings were that verbal communication shifted between war-related metaphoric to military-related realistic. The third conceptual domain identified was fear. Messages were mostly about national cohesion, however, visually, the PM was the protagonist of the events. The communication proved efficient according to opinion polls.

Originality/value

The research revealed how the securitization of the pandemic took place via the political discourse constructed both for Internet users and traditional media consumers. Metaphors of fear, war and military action created the justification of the declaration of a state of emergency. The PM as a capable and responsible leader was placed in focus of the events. Although verbal messages by the PM were centred on a sense of community and joint action, the personalization of political action was remarkable by indirect means, such as visual messages. The personalization of politics throughout the period researched served the purpose of securitization of the pandemic with the PM as a charismatic leader attracting attention and giving credit to the severity of the threat along with the introduction of extraordinary measures.
Analysis of public reactions to the novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak on Twitter
Authors: Noor Saleha , Guo Yi , Shah Syed Hamad Hassan , Fournier-Viger Philippe , Nawaz M. Saqib
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, which started in late December 2019, has spread to more than 200 countries. As no vaccine is yet available for this pandemic, government and health agencies are taking draconian steps to contain it. This pandemic is also trending on social media, particularly on Twitter. The purpose of this study is to explore and analyze the general public reactions to the COVID-19 outbreak on Twitter.

Design/methodology/approach

This study conducts a thematic analysis of COVID-19 tweets through VOSviewer to examine people’s reactions related to the COVID-19 outbreak in the world. Moreover, sequential pattern mining (SPM) techniques are used to find frequent words/patterns and their relationship in tweets.

Findings

Seven clusters (themes) were found through VOSviewer: Cluster 1 (green): public sentiments about COVID-19 in the USA. Cluster 2 (red): public sentiments about COVID-19 in Italy and Iran and a vaccine, Cluster 3 (purple): public sentiments about doomsday and science credibility. Cluster 4 (blue): public sentiments about COVID-19 in India. Cluster 5 (yellow): public sentiments about COVID-19’s emergence. Cluster 6 (light blue): public sentiments about COVID-19 in the Philippines. Cluster 7 (orange): Public sentiments about COVID-19 US Intelligence Report. The most frequent words/patterns discovered with SPM were “COVID-19,” “Coronavirus,” “Chinese virus” and the most frequent and high confidence sequential rules were related to “Coronavirus, testing, lockdown, China and Wuhan.”

Research limitations/implications

The methodology can be used to analyze the opinions/thoughts of the general public on Twitter and to categorize them accordingly. Moreover, the categories (generated by VOSviewer) can be correlated with the results obtained with pattern mining techniques.

Social implications

This study has a significant socio-economic impact as Twitter offers content posting and sharing to billions of users worldwide.

Originality/value

According to the authors’ best knowledge, this may be the first study to carry out a thematic analysis of COVID-19 tweets at a glance and mining the tweets with SPM to investigate how people reacted to the COVID-19 outbreak on Twitter.
Evaluating the web accessibility of IIT libraries: a study of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines
Authors: Panda Subhajit , Chakravarty Rupak
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to investigate and identify the status of Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) conformance levels (A, AA, AAA) and accessibility status in terms of Severity (Error, Warning and Review) and Responsibility (Editor, Webmaster and Developer) of Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT) Library websites based on Siteimprove Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.

Design/methodology/approach

The library websites of IITs were tested using Siteimprove web-tool to gather details pertaining to W3C's WCAG 2.1 standards. The data thus obtained were then visualized using spreadsheet software for greater insight. A partial correlation test was also done to assess the relationship between the three conformance levels.

Findings

The study could identify significant accessibility-related limitations of the IIT library websites concerning the three WCAG 2.1 conformance levels A (max IIT Bombay), AA (max IIT Dhanbad (ISM)) and AAA (max IIT Gandhinagar and IIT Varanasi (BHU)), Severity and Responsibility. A positive linear relationship exists amongst these conformance levels. The mean value of conformance levels were found to be 18.3 (A), 2.2 (AA) and 3.1 (AAA); Severity scores were found to be 14.4 (Error), 3.9 (Warning) and 5.2 (Review); and Responsibility scores were found to be 6 (Editor), 9.3 (Webmaster) and 8.3 (Developer), respectively.

Practical implications

The study highlights the comparative picture of accessibility issues and conformance levels of the IITs' library website homepage with the help of results derived/based on Siteimprove Accessibility Checker. The findings of the study reveal that though the library website of IITs' in India possess a well-designed and easily navigable website homepage as far as their accessibility for VIPs is concerned, there are several issues that are still to be resolved.

Social implications

World Intellectual Property Organization's (WIPO) Marrakesh VIP Treaty (MVT) and the W3C's WCAG cater to the requirements and rights of the persons with vision-related disability of accessing information and knowledge building a steeper and deeper knowledge divide. Identifying and rectifying the shortcomings in the library websites will bridge the accessibility-divide and make the society more inclusive.

Originality/value

No previous study could be identified evaluating the accessibility issues of the library website of Indian IITs focussed on vision-disabled persons using Siteimprove. The methodology and approach of this paper have value in terms of reusability and reproducibility facilitating future studies.
Building relational research capacity in care homes in the COVID-19 era: applying recognition theory to the research agenda
Authors: Toms Gill , Green Stephanie , Orrell Alison , Verity Fiona
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Research can be an influential driver in raising care home standards and the well-being and human rights of residents. This paper aims to present a case for how a relational research capacity building programme could advance this agenda.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses Axel Honneth’s Recognition Theory as a lens through which to explore organisational and institutional factors (such as research capacity and investment) that can either enable or limit “recognition” in the context of research in care homes. This paper draws on recent evidence from the COVID-19 pandemic in the UK and worldwide, to argue that such a relational capacity building agenda is even more pressing in the current context, and that it resonates with evidence from existing relational capacity building initiatives.

Findings

A lack of relevant research arguably contributed to the crisis experienced by the care home sector early in the pandemic, and there are only tentative signs that residents, care home providers and staff are now informing the COVID-19 research agenda. Evidence from pre COVID-19 and insights from Honneth’s Recognition Theory suggest that relational approaches to building research capacity within the care home sector can better generate evidence to inform practice.

Originality/value

This is a novel application of recognition theory to research in the care home sector. Drawing on theory, as well as evidence, has enabled the authors to provide a rationale as to why relationship-based research capacity building in care homes warrants further investment.
Women’s political representation in the local governance of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan
Authors: Matloob Tasmia , Shabbir Malik Shahzad , Saher Noreen
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study to identify the role of women in political agenda at Azad Jammu Kashmir. The political parties are always considered main gatekeepers to women’s political representation. Existing scholarship highlights the significance of centralized political institutions (parties) with structured set up for the effective representation of women at different levels. However, the functioning of these institutions is greatly influenced by the social and cultural context of a country in which they operate.

Design methodology/approach

This paper mainly analyzes social and cultural practices and those informal ways that operate within the exited democratic government setup and creates serious obstacles for women’s effective political representation at the party level. For this purpose, a qualitative research methodology is used to get the full insight of the issue at hand. The authors conducted 25 in-depth interviews with women members of three different political parties.

Findings

The results revealed that both (social context and political structure) have a significant impact on women’s nature and level of participation in the political processes in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Originality value

Prevailing social and political context of Pakistan does not support a truly democratic and centralized political system. Parties are weak entities with the less democratic organizational structure, which ultimately have a negative impact on women’s political representation.
Hearts and Muscles: Emotional Communities and Physical Culture Magazines in 1900s Ireland
Authors: Heffernan Conor
Published: November 2020

In 1898, the Prussian physical culturist Eugen Sandow officially launched his magazine of physical culture. A pastime more akin to bodybuilding than sport, physical culture rose to prominence in the closing decades of the nineteenth century, primarily amongst interested males. Through an examination of submissions and contributions to Sandow's magazine, the present article seeks to contribute to the current historiography concerning masculinity in Ireland. Utilising Rosenwein's theory of emotional communities, that is to say groups in which certain emotions are valued higher than others, the goal of the article is twofold. In the first instance, the article highlights Irishmen's engagement and interest in physical culture with reference to broader ideas about desirable male forms. Once established, the article uses pictorial and written submissions by Irishmen to explore the emotional discourses expressed by men in Sandow's magazine, namely feelings of pride, shame and anxiety. In doing so, the article sheds light on a previously unexplored area of Irish masculinity during this period, and points towards the importance that emotional discourses have in the creation of masculinities more generally.
Unwanted Distribution of Children's Images and the Right to Development
Authors: Bunn Anna
Published: November 2020

The unwanted distribution of images of children and young people is an issue of concern for many, including young people themselves and those who advocate for them. This article draws on research into child development, self‐presentation, and the developmental implications of computer mediated communication to suggest that distribution of images of children and young people, where unwanted by the image subject, can have implications for development, particularly the development of self‐esteem. It is suggested that an awareness of these implications can and should inform the legal response to the problem of unwanted distribution of images of children and that there is a need to move the discussion about unwanted distribution of images beyond its traditional realm of personality rights and the discourse on privacy. A take‐down scheme relating to images of children is proposed as one response to the problem of unwanted image sharing, particularly in the online realm.
Inflation Variability Across Australian Households: Implications for Inequality and Indexation Policy*
Authors: van Kints Marcel , Breunig Robert
Published: November 2020

We examine the consumer price inflation experiences of Australian households across the income distribution using Australian Bureau of Statistics data and prices and methodology from the national consumer price index. Across the period 2011–18, we find that the lowest‐income households have experienced the largest inflation and those at the top have experienced the least inflation. These differences in inflation experience are completely driven by alcohol and tobacco. When we remove alcohol and tobacco, we find that there is little variation in the inflation experiences of households across the income distribution.
Plasma‐mediated enhancement of enzyme secretion in Aspergillus oryzae
Authors: Veerana Mayura , Mitra Sarmistha , Ki Se‐Hoon , Kim Soo‐Min , Choi Eun‐Ha , Lee Taek , Park Gyungsoon
Published: November 2020

Technical bottlenecks in protein production and secretion often limit the efficient and robust industrial use of microbial enzymes. The potential of non‐thermal atmospheric pressure plasma to overcome these technical barriers was examined. Spores of the fermenting fungus Aspergillus oryzae (A. oryzae) were submerged in potato dextrose broth (PDB) (5 × 106 per ml) and treated with micro dielectric barrier discharge plasma at an input voltage of 1.2 kV and current of 50 to 63 mA using nitrogen as the feed gas. The specific activity of α‐amylase in the broth was increased by 7.4 to 9.3% after 24 and 48 h of plasma treatment. Long‐lived species, such as NO2− and NO3−, generated in PDB after plasma treatment may have contributed to the elevated secretion of α‐amylase. Observations after 24 h of plasma treatment also included increased accumulation of vesicles at the hyphal tip, hyphal membrane depolarization and higher intracellular Ca2+ levels. These results suggest that long‐lived nitrogen species generated in PDB after plasma treatment can enhance the secretion of α‐amylase from fungal hyphae by depolarizing the cell membrane and activating Ca2+ influx into hyphal cells, eventually leading to the accumulation of secretory vesicles near the hyphal tips.
Civil Disobedience as Strategic Resistance in the US Immigrant Rights Movement
Authors: Escudero Kevin , Pallares Amalia
Published: November 2020

Undocumented immigrants are removable from the nation at any time and their participation in political activism heightens this risk. Yet, undocumented organisers have been at the forefront of the immigrant rights movement. This article demonstrates how through their use of civil disobedience tactics, undocumented activists are in fact working to re‐conceptualise citizenship to include those who are not legally present in the country. Drawing on three years of ethnographic fieldwork conducted in Chicago, IL, we develop a three‐part framework—double vulnerability, extending/expanding risk, and including the excluded—to analyse the role of civil disobedience in the contemporary US immigrant rights movement. We then compare the use of civil disobedience in the US immigrant rights movement with the US Civil Rights and Indian Independence movements. In our analysis of civil disobedience, we demonstrate that activists can simultaneously be complicit with and directly challenge mainstream depictions of deservingness for citizenship.
Candidate Effects on Election Outcomes: Political Skill, Campaign Efficacy, and Intentions in a British General Election
Authors: Silvester Joanne , Wyatt Madeleine , Ellen B. Parker , Ferris Gerald R.
Published: November 2020

Integrating Social/Political Influence Theory with the Theory of Planned Behavior, we argue that personal resources (i.e., political skill, self‐efficacy) enable political candidates to form more ambitious campaign intentions, and thus perform better in elections. We tested this model with a sample of political candidates (N = 225) campaigning in a British general election. Three months before polling day, candidates provided self‐ratings of political skill, domain‐specific self‐efficacy (i.e., campaign efficacy), and personal campaign intentions during the campaign period. Our results demonstrated that political skill was positively related to campaign efficacy, and intentions, via campaign efficacy. We also found a significant indirect effect for political skill on electoral performance (i.e., percentage of the vote), through campaign efficacy and intentions. Implications of our results for understanding candidate effects in campaigns and future research are discussed.
GPCRs as an emerging host‐directed therapeutic target against mycobacterial infection: From notion to reality
Authors: Naz Farha , Arish Mohd
Published: November 2020

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (M. tb) is one of the successful pathogens and claim millions of deaths across the globe. The emergence of drug resistance in M. tb has created new hurdles in the tuberculosis elimination programme worldwide. Hence, there is an unmet medical need for alternative therapy, which could be achieved by targeting the host's critical signalling pathways that are compromised during M. tb infection. In this review, we have summarized some of the findings involving the modulation of host GPCRs in the regulation of the mycobacterial infection. Understanding the role of these GPCRs not only unravels signalling pathways during infection but also provides clues for targeting critical signalling intermediates for the development of GPCR‐based host‐directive therapy.

LINKED ARTICLES

This article is part of GPCR Review Series. To view the other articles in this section visit http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/toc/10.1111/(ISSN)1476‐5381.GPCRReviews
#Participating #Contesting: Studying Counterpublics’ Discourses on Twitter About the Social Acceptability of Medical Assistance in Dying Legislation in Canada
Authors: Lalancette Mireille , Yates Stéphanie , Rouillard Carol‐Ann
Published: November 2020

This article explores debates on medical assistance in dying (MAID) in Canada as they unfolded on Twitter before its adoption in June 2016. The opposition, which came from diverse groups—religious, experts, politicians—led to polarizing debates about the social acceptability of this measure. Our finding shows that the so‐called lay citizens refused to leave the discussion to experts and politicians and got involved in the debates around the issue. Our results also show that Twitter was mainly used to share information, hence complementing the role of traditional media. Overall, the platform gave rise to an “ambient political participation,” allowing minority or marginalized groups as well as lay citizens to share their knowledge and opinion about MAID. This may have favored a certain form of empowerment.
Maternal depressive symptoms are not associated with child anaemia: A cross‐sectional population study in Peru, 2015
Authors: Alarcón‐Guevara Samuel , Peñafiel‐Sam Joshua , Chang‐Cabanillas Sergio , Pereyra‐Elías Reneé
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Approximately, one in three Peruvian children aged 6 to 59 months old have anaemia. Maternal depression, which may be disabling and affect the proper care of children, is associated with chronic malnutrition in their offspring. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate if there is an association between depressive symptoms of mothers with the presence of anaemia in their children.

Methods

Analytical cross‐sectional study of the Peruvian Demographic Health Survey 2015, which is nationally representative. Depressive symptoms were measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire‐9 (PHQ‐9) using a score of 10 as cut‐off. The presence of anaemia was measured using HemoCue® and was considered positive when the haemoglobin was less than 11 g/dl.

Results

Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (PR and aPR) were calculated with 95% confidence interval (CI), using generalized linear models of the Poisson family. We analysed 6683 mother–child binomials. The prevalence of anaemia in the children and depressive symptoms in women were 28.7% (95% CI: 27.3–30.2) and 6.9% (95% CI: 6.1–7.9), respectively. We found no statistically significant association between these variables in the bivariable analysis or in the different multivariable models (aPR: 1.05, 95% CI: 0.85–1.30). The sample did not have moderate or severe malnutrition.

Conclusions

There is no statistically significant difference between the prevalence of anaemia in children of mothers with or without depressive symptoms. We recommend continuing research in this field to determine more associate factors to childhood anaemia in order to improve primary prevention interventions. Ideally, conducting longitudinal studies such as prospectives cohorts to determine risk factors should be done.
Levelling the EU participatory playing field: A legal and policy analysis of the Commission's public consultations in light of the principle of political equality
Authors: Alemanno Alberto
Published: November 2020

The EU Commission has a long tradition of consulting interested parties when formulating its policies. While the rationale, format and legal basis relied upon by the Commission when holding public consultations have changed over time, its systematic inability to make those consultations equally accessible to all affected parties has remained constant. This article discusses the extent to which such a consultation practice conflicts with the principle of political equality, as enshrined in Article 9 TEU. Given the Commission's unrestrained discretion regarding who, how and when to consult and the absence of corresponding participatory rights, it argues that the EU can no longer presume that all stakeholders—especially citizens and civil society groups—enjoy equal access to EU institutions. Rather, under a proposed substantive reading of the principle of political equality, it contends that EU institutions are procedurally required to ensure that everyone will effectively be given equal opportunities of access to the policy process. Only a series of structural, power‐shifting reforms—some of which are proposed in this article—may enable participation to become an autonomous form of legitimation of the Union.
Reconceptualising ‘internationalisation’ in higher education: The case of Hong Kong
Authors: Pan Suyan
Published: November 2020

This article examines the meaning and features of ‘internationalisation’ in higher education in the social and historical contexts of Hong Kong. From a perspective of shifting geopolitics of higher education aligned with a historical perspective of evolving academic traditions, this article discerns parallel developments featuring the transition of Hong Kong universities along two pathways—benchmarking Western universities’ internationalisation agenda, and converging with China’s projection for national integration and global outreach. The HK case provides a critique of liberal views of internationalisation of higher education based on the logics of neoliberalism, soft power, global citizenship, and internationalisation at home, suggesting a closer look at statist instrumentalism in conjunction with neoliberalism as competitive strategies in a realistic international higher education community.
Comment on an article by Gonzaga et al. J Am Ceram Soc. 2020;103:6280‐6288
Authors: Paparazzo Ernesto
Published: November 2020

I argue that the authors’ interpretation of X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) Ce3d spectra of their materials is untenable because it largely neglects the electronic structure of cerium ions and spin‐orbit interaction of the Ce3d subshell. I conclude that at %Ce3+ values the authors derived from their Ce3d spectra offer an inaccurate account of the cerium chemistry of their materials.
Aldosterone enhances high phosphate–induced vascular calcification through inhibition of AMPK‐mediated autophagy
Authors: Gao Jing‐Wei , He Wan‐Bing , Xie Chang‐Ming , Gao Ming , Feng Lei‐Yu , Liu Zhao‐Yu , Wang Jing‐Feng , Huang Hui , Liu Pin‐Ming
Published: November 2020

It remains unclear whether the necessity of calcified mellitus induced by high inorganic phosphate (Pi) is required and the roles of autophagy plays in aldosterone (Aldo)‐enhanced vascular calcification (VC) and vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) osteogenic differentiation. In the present study, we found that Aldo enhanced VC both in vivo and in vitro only in the presence of high Pi, alongside with increased expression of VSMC osteogenic proteins (BMP2, Runx2 and OCN) and decreased expression of VSMC contractile proteins (α‐SMA, SM22α and smoothelin). However, these effects were blocked by mineralocorticoid receptor inhibitor, spironolactone. In addition, the stimulatory effects of Aldo on VSMC calcification were further accelerated by the autophagy inhibitor, 3‐MA, and were counteracted by the autophagy inducer, rapamycin. Moreover, inhibiting adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase (AMPK) by Compound C attenuated Aldo/MR‐enhanced VC. These results suggested that Aldo facilitates high Pi‐induced VSMC osteogenic phenotypic switch and calcification through MR‐mediated signalling pathways that involve AMPK‐dependent autophagy, which provided new insights into Aldo excess‐associated VC in various settings.
Copyright and Economic Viability: Evidence from the Music Industry
Authors: García Kristelia , Hicks James , McCrary Justin
Published: November 2020

Copyright provides a long term of legal excludability, ostensibly to encourage the production of new creative works. How long this term should last, and the extent to which current law aligns with the economic incentives of copyright owners, has been the subject of vigorous theoretical debate. We investigate the economic viability of content in a major content industry—commercial music—using a novel longitudinal dataset of weekly sales and streaming counts. We find that the typical sound recording has an extremely short commercial half‐life—on the order of months, rather than years or decades—but also see evidence that subscription streaming services are extending this period of economic viability. Strikingly, though, we find that decay rates are sharp even for blockbuster songs, and that the patterns persist when we approximate weekly revenue. Although our results do not provide an estimate of the causal effect of copyright on incentives, they do put bounds on the problem, suggesting a misalignment between the economic realities of the music industry and the current life‐plus‐70 copyright term.
Development of a real‐time recombinase polymerase amplification assay for rapid detection of Aeromonas hydrophila
Authors: Qu Yang , Wang Qing , Li Yingying , Wang Yingying , Yin Jiyuan , Ren Yan , Liu Chun , Liu Xiaofang , Wang Yahui , Zeng Weiwei
Published: November 2020

Aeromonas hydrophila is ubiquitous in the aquaculture industry and a constant cause of severe disease and economic losses. The early diagnosis of these infections is crucial for disease surveillance and prevention. We developed a real‐time recombinase polymerase amplification (real‐time RPA) assay for detection of A. hydrophila using the haemolysin gene. The assay was performed at 37°C for 20 min and was highly specific with no cross‐reaction with other fish pathogens or with other Aeromonas species. The assay detection limit was 102 copies of the Aeromonas hydrophila per reaction. Compared with traditional culture‐based method or real‐time PCR, the diagnostic sensitivity and specificity of the real‐time RPA were 73.7 and 100%, as well as 64.7 and 93%. Our newly developed real‐time RPA was specific and sensitive and can be used in large‐scale and point‐of‐care field investigations of A. hydrophila infections to enable earlier diagnoses.
Qualitative diagnostic signature for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma based on the within‐sample relative expression orderings
Authors: Xia Jie , Zhang Huarong , Guan Qingzhou , Wang Shanshan , Li Yawei , Xie Jiajing , Li Meifeng , Huang Haiyan , Yan Haidan , Chen Ting
Published: November 2020

Background

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) accounts for about 90% of pancreatic cancer, which is one of the most aggressive malignant neoplasms with a 9.3% five‐year survival rate. The pathological biopsy is the current golden standard for confirming suspicious lesions of PDAC, but it is not entirely reliable because of the insufficient sampling amount and inaccurate sampling location. Therefore, developing a robust signature to aid the accurate diagnosis of PDAC is critical.

Methods

Based on the within‐sample relative expression orderings of gene pairs, we identified a qualitative signature to discriminate both PDAC and adjacent samples from both chronic pancreatitis and normal samples in the training datasets and validated it in other independent datasets produced by different laboratories with different measuring platforms.

Results

A six‐gene‐pair signature was identified in the training data and validated in eight independent datasets. For surgical samples, 96.63% of 356 PDAC tissues, 100% of 11 pancreatitis tissues of non‐cancer patients, and 23 of 24 normal pancreatic tissues were correctly classified. Especially, 59 of 60 cancer‐adjacent normal tissues of PDAC patients were correctly identified as PDAC. For biopsy samples, all of 11 PDAC biopsy tissues were correctly classified as PDAC.

Conclusion

The signature can distinguish both PDAC and PDAC‐adjacent normal tissues from both chronic pancreatitis and normal tissues of non‐cancer patients even when the sampling locations are inaccurate, which can aid the diagnosis of PDAC.
Nomogram for predicting the feasibility of natural orifice specimen extraction after laparoscopic rectal resection
Authors: Huang Ben , Liu Meng‐cheng , Gao Wei , Tang Jie , Zhu Zhe , Chen Lin , Han Jun‐yi , Zhou Zhu‐qing , Fu Chuan‐gang
Published: November 2020

Background and Aim

The goal of this study was to develop a preoperative nomogram for predicting the feasibility of trans‐anal natural orifice specimen extraction (NOSE) for rectal cancer.

Methods

The analysis included 201 patients who underwent trans‐anal NOSE and 457 patients who failed to undergo trans‐anal NOSE in Shanghai East Hospital. The data collected included age, gender, body mass index, presence of tumor obstruction, distance from anal verge; maximum tumor diameter and anteroposterior thickness of mesorectum (AP) measured by magnetic resonance imaging; interspinous diameter, intertuberous diameter (IT), anteroposterior diameter of the inlet (API), anteroposterior diameter of the midplane, anteroposterior diameter of the outlet (APO), sacral length and pelvic depth (PD) measured by computed tomography.

Results

The multivariate analysis suggested that a lower body mass index (P < 0.001), no tumor obstruction (P = 0.005), a shorter distance from anal verge (P < 0.001), a smaller tumor size (P < 0.001), a thinner AP (P < 0.001), a wider and shallower bony pelvis (API/PD, P < 0.001), and a wider and shorter pelvic outlet (IT/APO, P < 0.001) were significantly associated with an increased probability of trans‐anal NOSE. Successful NOSE patients had a decreased time to liquid intake (P < 0.001), a shorter postoperative hospital stay (P < 0.001), and fewer wound infections (P = 0.045). No significant difference in the rate of mortality or recurrence was observed. The nomogram model presented an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.81 (95% CI, 0.78 to 0.85) and good calibration.

Conclusion

We developed a nomogram model that has some predicative value for the feasibility of laparoscopic rectal resection with trans‐anal NOSE, utilizing clinical and radiologic parameters, available in most institutions.
Geriatric Engineering: An Engineering Systems Design Approach to Human Aging
Authors: Lubliner David J.
Published: November 2020

This article explores the development of an interdisciplinary Geriatric Engineering 5‐year Bachelor of Science degree program. The process evolved over 5 years and began with exploring the need, precedents, and data acquisition from target individuals 60 to 92 years of age. The economics of aging necessitates training engineers to design and implement systems that drastically reduce costs. The literature search confirmed the need for medical and engineering collaboration. The precedents for a medical‐engineering curriculum were found to exist in several graduate MD/MS Engineering programs. Finally, data were gathered from several hundred over 60‐year olds, via a research questionnaire and interviews that supported that technology assistance to promote independent living was desired by a significant portion of older individuals. With confirmatory data in hand, geriatric engineering courses were introduced in 2017 at an engineering college. Feedback of more than 100 students who completed these courses was positive. An Advisory Board, composed of medical companies, hospitals, and target population individuals, supported a Geriatrics Engineering minor. The college's undergraduate curriculum committee then established a minor in Geriatric Engineering in 2019, as the next logical step in the process toward developing a bachelor's degree. In conclusion, student feedback from several years of Geriatric Engineering courses, data from individuals over 60 and an advisory board support the next step of creating a Geriatric Engineering Bachelor's degree. Student evaluations/perceptions of the courses were positive. Data and feedback indicate that there is a need for a dedicated undergraduate Geriatric Engineering program.
Sex‐specific Positioning of the Mating Structure in Scale‐bearing Gametes of Monostroma angicava and Collinsiella cava (Ulvophyceae, Chlorophyta): A Possible Widespread Difference between Male and Female Gametes
Authors: Miyamura Shinichi , Nakayama Takeshi , Mitsuhashi Fusako , Nagumo Tamotsu , Sato Tomonori , Motomura Taizo , Hori Terumitsu
Published: November 2020

The gametes of chlorophytes can be divided into two morphological types (types α and β) based on the position of the mating structure relative to the flagella and eyespot. To elucidate the relationship between the morphological types and the sexes, we studied spatial relationships between the flagellar apparatus‐eyespot‐mating structures in biflagellate male and female gametes and their fate after fertilization in the anisogamous (Monostroma angicava) and the slightly anisogamous species (Collinsiella cava) using field emission scanning electron microscopy and transmission electron microscopy. The smaller male and larger female gametes of M. angicava had two basal bodies arranged at a 180° angle and the cell surface coated with square‐shaped body scales, except for the flagella and mating structures. The mating structure of the female gamete was located on the same side of the flagellar beat plane as the eyespot (type β), whereas that of the male gamete was located on the opposite side (type α). This mating structure arrangement was also confirmed in C. cava. The initial fusion when male and female gametes were mixed involved the mating structures. In a fusing pair of gametes, each flagellum of one gamete lay alongside one flagellum of the other gamete. As fusion proceeded, the gamete pair transformed into a quadriflagellate planozygote, in which the four basal bodies were arranged in a cruciate pattern. The eyespots were positioned side‐by‐side on the same side of the cell. These results suggest that the two morphological types of gametes are intimately correlated with the particular sexes.
The mPINC survey: Impacting US maternity care practices
Authors: Nelson Jennifer M. , Grossniklaus Daurice A. , Galuska Deborah A. , Perrine Cria G.
Published: November 2020

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention administered the original Maternity Practices in Infant Nutrition and Care (mPINC) survey, a census of all US birth facilities, from 2007 to 2015 to monitor infant feeding‐related maternity care practices and policies. The purpose of this paper is to describe the many uses of mPINC data. Hospitals, organizations and governments (federal, state and local) have used the mPINC survey as a tool for improving care among the populations they serve. Nationally, the mPINC survey has been used to document marked improvements in infant feeding‐related maternity care. Researchers have used the mPINC data to examine a variety of questions related to maternity care practices and policies. The newly revised mPINC survey (2018) has been designed to capture changes that have occurred over the past decade in infant feeding‐related US maternity care. Hospitals, organizations, governments and researchers will be able to continue using this important tool in their efforts to ensure US maternity care practices and policies are fully supportive of breastfeeding.
Niche specificity influences gene flow across fine‐scale habitat mosaics in Succulent Karoo plants
Authors: Musker Seth D. , Ellis Allan G. , Schlebusch Stephen A. , Verboom G. Anthony
Published: November 2020

While the tempo of diversification in biodiversity hotspots has received much attention, the spatial scale of diversification has often been overlooked. Addressing this deficiency requires understanding the drivers of population divergence and the spatial scales at which they operate in species‐rich clades and ecosystems. South Africa's Succulent Karoo (SK) hotspot provides an excellent system for such research, being both compact (ca. 110,000 km2) and home to spectacular in‐situ radiations, such as the ruschioid Aizoaceae. Here we use GBS to document genetic structure in two co‐occurring ruschioid species, at both coarse (>10 km) and fine (<500 m) spatial scales. Where Ruschia burtoniae shows strong between‐population genetic differentiation and no gene flow, Conophytum calculus shows weak differentiation, with high levels of admixture suggesting recent or ongoing gene flow. Community analysis and transplant experiments reveal that R. burtoniae occupies a narrow, low‐pH edaphic niche, and at scales of a few hundred metres, areas of elevated genetic turnover correspond to patches of edaphically unsuitable habitat. In contrast, C. calculus occupies a broader niche and exhibits isolation‐by‐distance without a habitat effect. We suggest that edaphic specialisation, coupled with highly restricted seed and pollen dispersal in heterogeneous landscapes, has played a major role in driving rapid diversification at small spatial scales in this system. However, the contrasting patterns in our study species show that these factors do not influence all organisms uniformly, being strongly modulated by lineage‐specific traits that influence both the spatial scale of gene flow and habitat specificity.