bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The role of H3K9me2‐regulated base excision repair genes in the repair of DNA damage induced by arsenic in HaCaT cells and the effects of Ginkgo biloba extract intervention
Authors: Ding Xuejiao , Zhang Anliu , Li Changzhe , Ma Lu , Tang Shunfang , Wang Qi , Yang Guanghong , Li Jun 
Published: December 2020

AbstractArsenic is an established human carcinogen that can induce DNA damage; however, the precise mechanism remains unknown. Histone modification is of great significance in chemical toxicity and carcinogenesis. To investigate the role of histone H3K9me2 in arsenic‐induced DNA damage, HaCaT cells were exposed to sodium arsenite in this study, and the results showed that the enrichment level of H3K9me2 at the N‐methylated purine‐DNA‐glycosylase (MPG), X‐ray repair cross‐complementary gene 1 (XRCC1), and polyadenylate diphosphate ribose polymerase‐1 (PARP1) promoter regions of base‐excision repair (BER) genes was increased, which inhibited the expression of these BER genes, thereby inhibiting the repair of DNA damage and aggravating the DNA damage. Furthermore, the molecular mechanism by which H3K9me2 participates in the BER repair of arsenic‐induced DNA damage was verified based on functional loss and gain experiments. In addition, Ginkgo biloba extract can upregulate the expression of MPG, XRCC1, and PARP1 and ameliorate cell DNA damage by reducing the enrichment of H3K9me2 at repair gene promoter regions.
Complicit Reproductions in the Global South: Courting World Class Universities and Global Rankings
Authors: Lee Jack T. , Naidoo Rajani 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThe proliferation of global rankings has led to vigorous debates about the dominance of world-class universities and the encroaching institutional isomorphism in higher education. Specifically, the narrow metrics of rankings celebrate STEM research and institutional reputation at the expense of the humanist roots of higher education: teaching, self-cultivation, and community engagement. This critique on global rankings faces an equally vocal demand that a country must develop world-class universities in order to remain economically competitive in the global era – an instrumental logic that attracts devotees in both advanced economies as well as developing economies. Ironically, policymakers in both contexts simultaneously lament the prevalence of rankings and calibrate strategies to promote success in league tables. Although rankings attract scrutiny in both higher education policymaking and research, the implications of these metrics on higher education in the Global South receive little attention. The discourse is largely focused on top and mid ranking institutions, which are often located in the Global North. In the Global South, global rankings and the concept of world-class universities act through subtle yet powerful mechanisms to shape the contours of higher education. For many institutions and states in the Global South, the fervour is less about creating a world-class university and more about establishing links with well ranked universities (domestically and internationally). Therefore, while the explicit goal is not to build a world-class university, policymakers are nevertheless complicit in reproducing the hegemony of global rankings. This chapter will examine the activities in which global rankings exert tremendous pressure on the Global South: curriculum development, student mobility, faculty recruitment, research partnerships, and strategic planning. In mapping out the mechanisms of reproduction, the goal is to highlight the pervasive influence of global rankings and the complicity in reproduction rather than paint a binary division between the global and local dimensions of higher education.
The cost of associating with males for Bornean and Sumatran female orangutans: a hidden form of sexual conflict?
Authors: Kunz Julia A. , Duvot Guilhem J. , van Noordwijk Maria A. , Willems Erik P. , Townsend Manuela , Mardianah Neneng , Utami Atmoko Sri Suci , Vogel Erin R. , Nugraha Taufiq Purna , Heistermann Michael , Agil Muhammad , Weingrill Tony , van Schaik Carel P. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractSexual coercion, in the form of forced copulations, is relatively frequently observed in orangutans and generally attributed to their semi-solitary lifestyle. High ecological costs of association for females may be responsible for this lifestyle and may have prevented the evolution of morphological fertility indicators (e.g., sexual swellings), which would attract (male) associates. Therefore, sexual conflict may arise not only about mating per se but also about associations, because males may benefit from associations with females to monitor their reproductive state and attempt to monopolize their sexual activities. Here, we evaluate association patterns and costs for females when associating with both males and females of two different orangutan species at two study sites: Suaq, Sumatra (Pongo abelii), and Tuanan, Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii). Female association frequency with both males and females was higher in the Sumatran population, living in more productive habitat. Accordingly, we found that the cost of association, in terms of reduced feeding to moving ratio and increased time being active, is higher in the less sociable Bornean population. Males generally initiated and maintained such costly associations with females, and prolonged associations with males led to increased female fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels at Tuanan, the Bornean population. We conclude that male-maintained associations are an expression of sexual conflict in orangutans, at least at Tuanan. For females, this cost of association may be responsible for the lack of sexual signaling, while needing to confuse paternity.Significance statementSocioecological theory predicts a trade-off between the benefits of sociality and the ecological costs of increased feeding competition. Orangutans’ semi-solitary lifestyle has been attributed to the combination of high association costs and low predation risk. Previous work revealed a positive correlation between association frequencies and habitat productivity, but did not measure the costs of association. In this comparative study, we show that females likely incur costs from involuntary, male-maintained associations, especially when they last for several days and particularly in the population characterized by lower association frequencies. Association maintenance therefore qualifies as another expression of sexual conflict in orangutans, and especially prolonged, male-maintained associations may qualify as an indirect form of sexual coercion.
Pooled Plasmid Sequencing Reveals the Relationship Between Mobile Genetic Elements and Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Clinically Isolated Klebsiella Pneumoniae
Authors: Jiang Yan , Wang Yanfei , Hua Xiaoting , Qu Yue , Peleg Anton Y. , Yu Yunsong 
Published: December 2020

Abstract
Plasmids remain important microbial components mediating the horizontal gene transfer (HGT) and dissemination of antimicrobial resistance. To systematically explore the relationship between mobile genetic elements (MGEs) and antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs), a novel strategy using single-molecule real-time (SMRT) sequencing was developed. This approach was applied to pooled conjugative plasmids from clinically isolated multidrug-resistant (MDR) Klebsiella pneumoniae from a tertiary referral hospital over a 9-month period. The conjugative plasmid pool was obtained from transconjugants that acquired antimicrobial resistance after plasmid conjugation with 53 clinical isolates. The plasmid pool was then subjected to SMRT sequencing, and 82 assembled plasmid fragments were obtained. In total, 124 ARGs (responsible for resistance to β-lactam, fluoroquinolone, and aminoglycoside, among others) and 317 MGEs [including transposons (Tns), insertion sequences (ISs), and integrons] were derived from these fragments. Most of these ARGs were linked to MGEs, allowing for the establishment of a relationship network between MGEs and/or ARGs that can be used to describe the dissemination of resistance by mobile elements. Key elements involved in resistance transposition were identified, including IS26, Tn3, IS903B, ISEcp1, and ISKpn19. As the most predominant IS in the network, a typical IS26-mediated multicopy composite transposition event was illustrated by tracing its flanking 8-bp target site duplications (TSDs). The landscape of the pooled plasmid sequences highlights the diversity and complexity of the relationship between MGEs and ARGs, underpinning the clinical value of dominant HGT profiles.
Concrete Architecture: A Lost Opportunity?
Authors: Yeomans David 
Published: December 2020

AbstractWhen reinforced concrete was first used in Britain for framed buildings, it was treated in the same way as steel — that is, in terms of a simple grid of columns and beams. It took some time for one of the advantages of reinforced concrete to be realised, namely that it could be handled as a series of planes with walls and floor plates, which overcame the problem of intrusive beams and columns in domestic interiors. This essay explores the causes of this delay, as well as the work of the engineers who introduced architects to the architectural possibilities of reinforced concrete. In the immediate postwar years, when reinforced concrete was favoured over steel, there was a return to simple grid structures.
John Nash in Ireland: Patronage and Legacy
Authors: Hajba Anna-Maria 
Published: December 2020

ABSTRACTStudies on Irish architectural history following the Act of Union in 1801 have concentrated on public buildings. This article introduces an important new perspective to the subject by exploring John Nash (1752–1835) and his work in Ireland from 1803 to 1810. Nash is best known for the work he undertook for the prince regent, later King George IV. Relatively little is known of his other clients. However, patronage connections were singularly important to Nash and it was ultimately their high social and political profile that contributed to his career's upward trajectory. Nowhere are these connections more evident than in Ireland, where practically all of Nash's clients can be linked to his first known Irish patron, James Stewart (1741–1821) of Killymoon Castle in County Tyrone, and his wife Elizabeth née Molesworth (1751–1835). The timing of Nash's arrival in Ireland within a year of the Act of Union is also significant. Many of his Irish clients were new MPs at Westminster or representative peers elected to the House of Lords whose shared desire for personal aggrandisement found form in building works. In spite of Nash's often troubled relationships with his clients, his architectural output in Ireland was versatile and involved a variety of styles. As Nash's involvement with the prince regent grew, his supervisory role in Ireland passed to his pupils James and George Richard Pain, who in time established successful architectural practices of their own in the country. Few of Nash's Irish buildings have survived the test of time, but his legacy in Ireland is preserved in the works of the Pain brothers, whose design style remained remarkably faithful to their teaching master.
Getting into a Scrape: The Buckler Dynasty, Lincoln Cathedral and Mid-Victorian Architectural Politics
Authors: Mardell Joshua 
Published: December 2020

AbstractBetween 1859 and 1866, John Chessell Buckler (1793–1894) was accused, as architect to Lincoln Cathedral, of overseeing a process of ‘scraping’ the exterior stonework of the building during its restoration. The controversy involved the leading architectural bodies of the time, with professional journals and both national and local newspapers reporting on it over the course of half a decade. In his defence, Buckler published an angry book that, rather than exonerating the author, offended many members of the architectural profession, particularly George Gilbert Scott and the Ecclesiological Society. The dispute took place during a conservative shift in attitude to the repair of historic buildings. This essay attempts to clarify what Buckler did, what was at stake for his detractors, and what the ‘scraping’ scandal reveals about the political atmosphere of nineteenth-century British architectural culture.
Tunnels in Arcadia: Isambard Kingdom Brunel's Portal Designs for the Great Western Railway
Authors: Pragnell Hubert 
Published: December 2020

AbstractFrom the 1830s, the British landscape was transformed by the development of the steam-hauled railway system, which necessitated bridges, viaducts and tunnels. Of such structures, tunnel entrances feature little in serious studies of railway architecture. However, rich archival evidence exists relating to the designs of Isambard Kingdom Brunel for the tunnel portals on the Great Western Railway between London and Bristol, including numerous pencil and ink drawings in sketchbooks held by the Brunel Archive, University of Bristol, and watercolour elevations in the Network Rail Archive in York, as well as lithographs of the portals by John Cooke Bourne for his History and Description of the Great Western Railway (1846). Brunel's drawings, unique among nineteenth-century engineers, range from the classical style for Box and Middle Hill tunnels in Wiltshire, through the Gothic for Twerton in Somerset, to the Romanesque for Brislington on the edge of Bristol, his so-called ‘Tunnel No. 1’. In their variety and careful design, Brunel's portals represent an important part of Britain's railway and industrial architectural heritage.
L’ambivalence de la solidarité des artistes interprètes face à l’Union des artistes
Authors: Choko Maude 
Published: December 2020

RésuméL’Union des artistes a conclu des dizaines d’ententes collectives avec des producteurs dans le cadre de la Loi S-32.1. En vertu des Règlements généraux de l’Union, il est interdit aux membres d’accepter un contrat de travail en marge de ces ententes sous peine de sanction disciplinaire. Pour l’artiste rarement sollicité, soit la grande majorité des membres, ces offres de travail posent un dilemme : privilégier son intérêt individuel à court terme ou respecter la collectivité. Dans ce contexte, le discours des artistes est marqué par une certaine ambivalence dans leur sentiment de solidarité. Le présent article tente de dépeindre cette ambivalence par le biais d’un monologue théâtral qui étaye ce vécu. Après avoir exposé le contexte juridique et la méthodologie retenue, inspirée de la création, l’article présente un monologue afin de faire vivre au lecteur ce que les artistes ont exprimé et leurs émotions telles que la chercheure les a interprétées.
Heat‐Blanketed Convection and its Implications for the Continental Lithosphere
Authors: Vilella K. , Deschamps F. 
Published: December 2020

AbstractEarth's continental crust is characterized by a strong enrichment in long‐lived radioactive isotopes. Recent estimates suggest that the continental crust contributes to 33% of the heat released at the surface of the Earth, while occupying less than 1% of the mantle. This distinctive feature has profound implications for the underlying mantle by impacting its thermal structure and heat transfer. However, the effects of a continental crust enriched in heat‐producing elements on the underlying mantle have not yet been systematically investigated. Here, we conduct a preliminary investigation by considering a simplified convective system consisting in a mixed heated fluid where all the internal heating is concentrated in a top layer of thicknessdHL(referred to as “heat‐blanketed convection”). We perform 24 numerical simulations in three dimensional Cartesian geometry for four specific set‐ups and various values ofdHL. Our results suggest that the effects of the heated layer strongly depend on its thickness relative to the thickness of the thermal boundary layer (δTBL) in the homogeneous heating case (dHL = 1.0). More specifically, fordHL > δTBL, the effects induced by the heated layer are quite modest, while, fordHL < δTBL, the properties of the convective system are strongly altered asdHLdecreases. In particular, the surface heat flux and convective vigor are significantly enhanced for very thin heated layers compared to the casedHL = 1.0. The vertical distribution of heat producing elements may therefore play a key role in mantle dynamics. For Earth, the presence of continents should however not affect significantly the surface heat flux, and thus the Earth's cooling rate.
Assessing Real-Life Benefit From Hearing-Aid Noise Management: SSQ12 Questionnaire Versus Ecological Momentary Assessment With Acoustic Data-Logging
Authors: Andersson Klaudia Edinger , Andersen Line Storm , Christensen Jeppe Høy , Neher Tobias 
Published: December 2020

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to investigate real-life benefit from directional microphone and noise reduction (“noise management” [NM]) processing using retrospective self-reports and smartphone-based ecological momentary assessments (EMAs) combined with logging of the acoustic environments.

Method

A single-blinded, counterbalanced crossover design was used. Eleven hearing-impaired adults were bilaterally fitted with behind-the-ear devices with NM either activated (NM
ON
) or deactivated. For the retrospective self-reports, the short scale of the Speech, Spatial, and Qualities Hearing Scale questionnaire (SSQ12) was applied. For the EMAs, smartphone-based self-reports combined with hearing aid (HA)–based classifications of the listening environments (“soundscapes”) experienced by the participants was used. To explore potential associations with the real-life data, two laboratory measures of aided speech recognition in noise were administered.

Results

The soundscapes in which the participants submitted their EMAs were representative of the soundscapes they experienced during normal HA use and of the soundscapes reported in the literature for older HA users. The SSQ12 and EMA scores both showed an overall benefit from NM
ON
. The EMA scores, together with the logged acoustic data, revealed that this benefit was driven by NM
ON
being preferred particularly in listening environments classified as “speech” or “speech in noise.” The laboratory measures of aided speech recognition in noise were unable to predict the real-life data.

Conclusions
EMA combined with acoustic data-logging is suited for more targeted evaluations of real-life HA benefit. Advanced NM settings can provide subjective user benefits in specific listening situations.
Effects of Low-Level Laser Therapy as a Therapeutic Strategy for Patients With Tinnitus: A Systematic Review
Authors: Ferreira Maria Carolina , de Matos Izabella Lima , de Toledo Isabela Porto , Honório Heitor Marques , Mondelli Maria Fernanda Capoani Garcia 
Published: December 2020

PurposeThis systematic review aimed to analyze the effects of low-level laser therapy (LLLT) on the severity of tinnitus when compared to no therapy or other modalities of therapies.MethodA systematic review protocol was registered at the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the Registration Number CRD42019119376. A search was performed in each of the following databases: EMBASE, LILACS, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ProQuest. The inclusion criteria consisted of studies in adults over 16 years of age, randomized clinical trials in which subjects presented chronic (≥ 6 months) and subjective tinnitus (unilateral or bilateral) as well as with or without bilateral sensorineural hearing loss, and studies that used only LLLT for treatment of tinnitus compared to no-therapy group or other modalities of therapy. No language or time restrictions were stipulated. The references were managed by Endnote Web and Rayyan QCRI.ResultsAfter the screening process, seven studies remained that attained the eligibility criteria. Regarding the risk of bias, only one study was categorized as low risk of bias; the six remaining studies were classified as moderate risk of bias. The seven included studies mainly assessed the LLLT effects on tinnitus by Visual Analogue Scale, Tinnitus Handicap Inventory, pitch and loudness matching, minimum masking level, and pure-tone audiometry. All the seven selected studies found different degrees of significant results regarding tinnitus severity; however, there was no consensus among the results.ConclusionEven though the LLLT showed positive effects in the tinnitus severity in some studies, it is not possible yet to make any recommendation over its uses for the treatment of tinnitus severity.
Pose control of multi‐rigid‐body systems with distance‐dependent topologies
Authors: Deng Juan 
Published: December 2020

AbstractThis paper investigates the pose control problem of multi‐rigid‐body systems, where the distance‐dependent graphs are adopted to describe the interaction relations between rigid bodies. The authors design distributed control laws for torque and force of rigid bodies, with back‐stepping technique and potential function method being utilized. An admissible set for initial states of rigid bodies is presented, on which the theoretical results about attitude synchronization, collision avoidance and connectivity maintenance are established without relying on the prior connectivity assumption of the dynamical neighbour graphs. The authors introduce the initial neighbourhoods or the neighbourhoods corresponding to a minimum spanning tree extracted from the initial neighbour graph into the controller, to reduce the communication pressure on system and the constraints on motion of rigid bodies. Furthermore, a leader is introduced into the system to guide all rigid bodies to a desired attitude. Simulation examples are given to verify the theoretical results.
Preparation of Ag/Ag2W2O7 nanoribbons and their SERS detection for dye molecules
Authors: Li Weijun , Cheng Mingming , Li Chenyan , Liu Yingkai 
Published: December 2020

AbstractAg2W2O7 nanoribbons were synthesized by hydrothermal method and then Ag/Ag2W2O7 NRs were developed by in situ chemical‐reduction with NaBH4. The samples were characterized by X‐ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy, and UV–vis spectroscopy, high‐resolution transmission electron microscope (HRTEM), and Raman spectrum. In addition, methylene blue and Rhodamine B were selected as probe molecules to explore surface‐enhanced Raman scattering effect of Ag/Ag2W2O7 NRs. It was found that the detection of limit and enhancement factor for methylene blue is 8.91 × 10−13 m and 2.78 × 107, whereas the counterpart for Rhodamine B is 8.71 × 10−12 m and 4.34 × 106 on the Ag/Ag2W2O7 NRs substrate. Relative standard deviation was not exceed 19% when methylene blue concentration reached 1.0 × 10−6 m, it can be seen that the substrate has good uniformity, strength stability and high repeatability, which can be applied to the detection of organic dyes and additives.
One‐step hydrothermal synthesis of ZnO microtubes with an efficient photocatalytic activity
Authors: Abideen Zain Ul , Shah Abid Hussain , Teng Fei , Abro Muhammad Ilyas , Ullah Kifayat 
Published: December 2020

AbstractIn this work, the novel rod‐like ZnO microtubes were successfully synthesized via one‐step simple, non‐toxic, fast and economical hydrothermal route. The as‐obtained microtubes were characterized in detail with X‐ray diffraction, scanning electron microscope, UV–visible diffuse reflectance spectroscopy, Fourier‐transform infrared spectroscopy, steady‐state photoluminescence spectrum and surface photovoltage spectroscopy. The photocatalytic activity of the as‐obtained microtubes was evaluated by degradation of methylene blue. The results indicated that the ZnO microtubes, exhibited higher photodegradation efficiency of 95% under UV light irradiation (λ ≤ 420 nm) for 20 min. The photodegradation could be described as the pseudo‐first‐order kinetics with apparent rate constant of 0.126 min‐1, which was based on the unique morphology of ZnO. Moreover, ZnO microtubes maintained a good photostability after three consecutive cycles. Unique microtubes can be applied practically for dye waste‐water treatment.