bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
FluidFM for single-cell biophysics
Authors: Li Mi , Liu Lianqing , Zambelli Tomaso 
Published: June 2021

AbstractFluidic force microscopy (FluidFM), which combines atomic force microscopy (AFM) with microchanneled cantilevers connected to a pressure controller, is a technique allowing the realization of force-sensitive nanopipette under aqueous conditions. FluidFM has unique advantages in simultaneous three-dimensional manipulations and mechanical measurements of biological specimens at the micro-/nanoscale. Over the past decade, FluidFM has shown its potential in biophysical assays particularly in the investigations at single-cell level, offering novel possibilities for discovering the underlying mechanisms guiding life activities. Here, we review the utilization of FluidFM to address biomechanical and biophysical issues in the life sciences. Firstly, the fundamentals of FluidFM are represented. Subsequently, the applications of FluidFM for biophysics at single-cell level are surveyed from several facets, including single-cell manipulations, single-cell force spectroscopy, and single-cell electrophysiology. Finally, the challenges and perspectives for future progressions are provided.
Anodal Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation over the Cerebellum Enhances Sadness Recognition in Parkinson’s Disease Patients: a Pilot Study
Authors: Ruggiero Fabiana , Dini Michelangelo , Cortese Francesca , Vergari Maurizio , Nigro Martina , Poletti Barbara , Priori Alberto , Ferrucci Roberta 
Published: June 2021

Abstract
Emotional processing impairments, resulting in a difficulty to decode emotions from faces especially for negative emotions, are characteristic non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease (PD). There is limited evidence about the specific contribution of the cerebellum to the recognition of emotional contents in facial expressions even though patients with cerebellar dysfunction often lose this ability. In this study, we aimed to evaluate whether the recognition of facial expressions can be modulated by cerebellar transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in PD patients. Nine PD patients were enrolled and received anodal and sham tDCS (2 mA, 20 min), for 5 consecutive days, in two separate cycles at intervals of at least 1 month. The facial emotion recognition task was administered at baseline (T0) and after cerebellar tDCS on day 5 (T1). Our preliminary study showed that anodal cerebellar tDCS significantly enhanced emotional recognition in response to sad facial expressions by about 16%, but left recognition of anger, happiness, and neutral facial expressions unchanged. Despite the small sample size, our preliminary results show that anodal tDCS applied for five consecutive days over the cerebellum modulates the way PD patients recognize specific facial expressions, thus suggesting that the cerebellum plays a crucial role in recognition of negative emotions and corroborating previous knowledge on the link between social cognition and the cerebellum.
Jugend und Sport – zur Geschichte einer symbiotischen Beziehung von der Wende zum 20. Jahrhundert bis ins nationalsozialistische Deutschland
Authors: Krüger Michael 
Published: June 2021

ZusammenfassungDas 20. Jahrhundert war nicht nur das Jahrhundert des Sports und der Spiele, sondern auch das der Jugend. Jugend und Sport bilden eine symbiotische Beziehung. Dies gilt besonders für das erste Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts. Es begann mit der großen Hoffnung, dass der Jugend die Zukunft gehöre, wie es auch in der olympischen Idee zum Ausdruck kommt, die 1896 erstmals realisiert wurde. Sport und Spiel waren ein Bereich des Lebens und Handelns der Jugend und ihres Gefühls, stark und optimistisch den Weg in eine bessere Zukunft zu weisen. Aber dieser Traum verblasste schnell, spätestens als die europäische Jugend zu den Schlachtfeldern des Ersten Weltkriegs marschierte, statt auf den Spielplätzen und in den Stadien Sport zu treiben.In diesem Beitrag werden zwei Hauptrichtungen der Beziehung von Jugend und Sport in Deutschland im ersten Drittel des 20. Jahrhunderts betrachtet: Erstens die sogenannte deutsche Jugendbewegung. Sie umfasst sowohl Reformen der Leibeserziehung und des Schulsports „von oben“ als auch Ideen und Konzepte der Bildung und Erziehung „von unten“, ausgehend von der jungen Generation selbst. Zweitens die Sportbewegung, wie sie von der Jugend inspiriert wurde.Heute scheint sich, nicht zuletzt in Zeiten von Corona, die Hoffnung in die Jugend in die Angst einer ganzen Generation vor Niedergang und Tod umgekehrt zu haben.
Song of the Bison
Authors: Booth Frederick J. 
Published: June 2021

In 1521, the young Polish diplomat Nicolaus Hussovianus was watching the bullfights at a papal celebration in Rome. He remarked that the spectacle reminded him of the bison hunts he had witnessed as a young man in the Polish-Lithuanian woods, and his employer then asked Hussovianus to write a poem about the bison hunts, to accompany the gift of a stuffed bison for Pope Leo X, an avid hunter. Song of the Bison is the first complete English translation of Hussovianus’s Latin poem, which is claimed as a national epic by Lithuania, Belarus, and Poland. The exciting poem discusses not only Hussovianus’s own experience in hunting and observing the European bison, but also the political, social, religious, and aesthetic developments of sixteenth-century Europe, and ends with an urgent plea for unity among European states threatened by foreign invasions.
The UN Guiding Principles’ Orbit and Other Regulatory Regimes in the Business and Human Rights Universe: Managing the Interface
Authors: DEVA Surya 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWhat should be the interface of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs) with other regulatory regimes in the business and human rights (BHR) universe? This article explores this issue in relation to two specific contexts. First, the interface of ‘social norm’ with evolving ‘legal norms’: relation of Pillar II of the UNGPs and mandatory human rights due diligence (HRDD) laws as well as parent companies’ direct duty of care for negligence. Second, the interface of ‘soft norms’ and evolving ‘hard norms’: how the UNGPs should inform the proposed BHR treaty. It is argued that legal norms should align with Pillar II only in a ‘loose manner’. They should draw from and build on the HRDD concept under Pillar II, but not be constrained by it, because a hard alignment of Pillar I laws with Pillar II could undercut the independent but complementary status of the two pillars. Moreover, the UNGPs should serve only as a ‘starting point’ and not the ‘end point’ in the evolution of other hard or soft norms in the future. Such an approach would be desirable because the UNGPs alone are unlikely to be enough to challenge or confront the existing structure of irresponsibility and inequality.
The South African Experience: Litigating Remedies
Authors: ABRAHAMS Charles 
Published: June 2021

AbstractMany transnational corporations (TNCs) that conducted business in South Africa during apartheid had deemed it profitable and desirable, despite the country’s systemic human rights violations against its majority black population. In the aftermath of the 1960 Sharpeville Massacre and 1976 student uprising, various United Nations and other international resolutions condemned TNCs for their incestuous relationship with apartheid South Africa and called for international sanctions against the regime. The demise of apartheid in 1994 brought about a new democratic, constitutional dispensation based on respect for human rights. However, attempts at holding TNCs liable for aiding and abetting the apartheid regime were fraught with obstacles and proved unsuccessful. Yet, the pursuit of strategic, class action litigation in areas as diverse as collusive conduct in bread manufacturing to occupational lung disease in South Africa’s goldmining industry have proven to be more successful in developing legal remedies against corporate harm. Areas impacted are extended legal standing under the common law, development of new causes of action and generous application of contingence fees arrangement.
Rise of Mandatory Human Rights Due Diligence: A Beacon of Hope or a Double-Edged Sword?
Authors: QUIJANO Gabriela , LOPEZ Carlos 
Published: June 2021

AbstractThis article discusses the evolution, current trends, limitations and controversies around the understanding and practice of human rights due diligence (HRDD), a concept developed in the course of the work of United Nations (UN)-mandate holder, John Ruggie, and enshrined in the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. While the concept has gathered broad acceptance and a growing number of legislative proposals are seeking to entrench it in law, significant differences of opinion exist among stakeholders as to its nature, objectives and relationship, if any, with legal liability. These differing understandings are at play in a contest to shape future legislation. Some of these carry significant risks for rights-holders, notably the risk of outcome being superseded by process and superficial, compliance-oriented HRDD prevailing in the law or in its interpretation and practice. As legislative efforts continue, the authors warn against the risk of hollow laws which do little to change the status quo or, even worse, inadvertently provide a tool to further impunity for business-related human rights abuses.
Self-adjoint extensions of bipartite Hamiltonians
Authors: Lenz Daniel , Weinmann Timon , Wirth Melchior 
Published: June 2021

AbstractWe compute the deficiency spaces of operators of the form $H_A{\hat {\otimes }} I + I{\hat {\otimes }} H_B$, for symmetric $H_A$ and self-adjoint $H_B$. This enables us to construct self-adjoint extensions (if they exist) by means of von Neumann's theory. The structure of the deficiency spaces for this case was asserted already in Ibort et al. [Boundary dynamics driven entanglement, J. Phys. A: Math. Theor.47(38) (2014) 385301], but only proven under the restriction of $H_B$ having discrete, non-degenerate spectrum.
Regulatory Imperatives for Renewable Energy: South African Perspectives
Authors: Murombo Tumai 
Published: June 2021

AbstractAccess to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy is a pre-condition for sustainable economic development. This is the case in South Africa, where the workforce and entrenched fossil fuel industry remain sceptical about a transition to renewable energy. This article explores the complexity of energy regulation in countries with a deep-seated economic dependency on fossil fuels. South Africa presents a good case study of the challenge of balancing the environmental, social and economic imperatives of energy. It unpacks the drivers behind directed regulation towards renewable electricity. A painful, but necessary, “just transition” to a low-carbon economy requires laws to phase-out fossil fuels, without exposing public funds to private profit seekers. The South African experience of renewable electricity demonstrates the challenges of regulatory uncertainty. Careful legal reforms are necessary to rid existing electricity laws of their inertia and achieve a low-carbon economy while ensuring access to affordable, reliable and environmentally sustainable energy.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation treatment of major depressive disorder and comorbid chronic pain: response rates and neurophysiologic biomarkers
Authors: Corlier Juliana , Tadayonnejad Reza , Wilson Andrew C , Lee Jonathan C , Marder Katharine G , Ginder Nathaniel D , Wilke Scott A , Levitt Jennifer , Krantz David , Leuchter Andrew F 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundMajor depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain are highly comorbid, and pain symptoms are associated with a poorer response to antidepressant medication treatment. It is unclear whether comorbid pain also is associated with a poorer response to treatment with repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS).Methods162 MDD subjects received 30 sessions of 10 Hz rTMS treatment administered to the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) with depression and pain symptoms measured before and after treatment. For a subset of 96 patients, a resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) was recorded at baseline. Clinical outcome was compared between subjects with and without comorbid pain, and the relationships among outcome, pain severity, individual peak alpha frequency (PAF), and PAF phase-coherence in the EEG were examined.Results64.8% of all subjects reported pain, and both depressive and pain symptoms were significantly reduced after rTMS treatment, irrespective of age or gender. Patients with severe pain were 27% less likely to respond to MDD treatment than pain-free individuals. PAF was positively associated with pain severity. PAF phase-coherence in the somatosensory and default mode networks was significantly lower for MDD subjects with pain who failed to respond to MDD treatment.ConclusionsPain symptoms improved after rTMS to left DLPFC in MDD irrespective of age or gender, although the presence of chronic pain symptoms reduced the likelihood of treatment response. Individual PAF and baseline phase-coherence in the sensorimotor and midline regions may represent predictors of rTMS treatment outcome in comorbid pain and MDD.
World Trade Center responders in their own words: predicting PTSD symptom trajectories with AI-based language analyses of interviews
Authors: Son Youngseo , Clouston Sean A. P. , Kotov Roman , Eichstaedt Johannes C. , Bromet Evelyn J. , Luft Benjamin J. , Schwartz H. Andrew 
Published: June 2021

AbstractBackgroundOral histories from 9/11 responders to the World Trade Center (WTC) attacks provide rich narratives about distress and resilience. Artificial Intelligence (AI) models promise to detect psychopathology in natural language, but they have been evaluated primarily in non-clinical settings using social media. This study sought to test the ability of AI-based language assessments to predict PTSD symptom trajectories among responders.MethodsParticipants were 124 responders whose health was monitored at the Stony Brook WTC Health and Wellness Program who completed oral history interviews about their initial WTC experiences. PTSD symptom severity was measured longitudinally using the PTSD Checklist (PCL) for up to 7 years post-interview. AI-based indicators were computed for depression, anxiety, neuroticism, and extraversion along with dictionary-based measures of linguistic and interpersonal style. Linear regression and multilevel models estimated associations of AI indicators with concurrent and subsequent PTSD symptom severity (significance adjusted by false discovery rate).ResultsCross-sectionally, greater depressive language (β = 0.32; p = 0.049) and first-person singular usage (β = 0.31; p = 0.049) were associated with increased symptom severity. Longitudinally, anxious language predicted future worsening in PCL scores (β = 0.30; p = 0.049), whereas first-person plural usage (β = −0.36; p = 0.014) and longer words usage (β = −0.35; p = 0.014) predicted improvement.ConclusionsThis is the first study to demonstrate the value of AI in understanding PTSD in a vulnerable population. Future studies should extend this application to other trauma exposures and to other demographic groups, especially under-represented minorities.
Three-variable systems: An integrative moderation and mediation framework for developmental psychopathology
Authors: Goldstein Brandon L. , Finsaas Megan C. , Olino Thomas M. , Kotov Roman , Grasso Damion J. , Klein Daniel N. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractIn this article, we consider an often overlooked model that combines mediation and moderation to explain how a third variable can relate to a risk factor–psychopathology relationship. We refer to it as moderation and mediation in a three-variable system. We describe how this model is relevant to studying vulnerability factors and how it may advance developmental psychopathology research. To illustrate the value of this approach, we provide several examples where this model may be applicable, such as the relationships among parental externalizing pathology, harsh parenting, and offspring psychopathology as well as between neuroticism, stressful life events, and depression. We discuss possible reasons why this model has not gained traction and attempt to clarify and dispel those concerns. We provide guidance and recommendations for when to consider this model for a given data set and point toward existing resources for testing this model that have been developed by statisticians and other methodologists. Lastly, we describe important caveats, limitations, and considerations for making this approach most useful for developmental research. Overall, our goal in presenting this information to developmental psychopathology researchers is to encourage testing moderation and mediation in a three-variable system with the aim of advancing analytic strategies for studying vulnerability factors.
A cryoprotectant supplemented with pentoxifylline can improve the effect of freezing on the motility of human testicular sperm
Authors: Xian Yang , Jiang Min , Liu Bo , Zhao Wenrui , Zhou Bin , Liu Xiao , Liu Shasha , Li Fuping 
Published: June 2021

SummaryThis study examined the effect of a cryoprotectant with and without pentoxifylline supplementation on the motility and viability of human testicular sperm, both before and after freezing. Testicular samples were obtained from 68 patients with azoospermia who came to the Andrology Service of West China Second University Hospital, Sichuan University, for testicular biopsies from December 2019 to April 2020. All patients were assigned randomly to two groups: experimental, whose testicular sperm were added to the cryoprotectant with pentoxifylline, and the control, whose testicular sperm were added to the cryoprotectant without pentoxifylline. Both groups used the same freezing and thawing methods. Testicular sperm motility in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group, both before and after cryopreservation. The recovery rate of sperm motility in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The percentage of samples with motile testicular sperm in the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group after thawing. Sperm viability was unchanged between the experimental and control groups, both before and after freezing. Overall, a pentoxifylline-supplemented cryoprotectant can significantly improve the motility of testicular sperm before and after cryopreservation.
Palliative care among adult cancer survivors: Knowledge, attitudes, and correlates
Authors: Stal Julia , Nelson Mary Baron , Mobley Erin M. , Ochoa Carol Y. , Milam Joel E. , Freyer David R. , Miller Kimberly A. 
Published: June 2021

AbstractObjectivePalliative care (PC) is patient and family-centered supportive care intended to improve symptom management, reduce caregiver burden, coordinate care, and improve quality of life for patients diagnosed with serious illness. Optimally, PC is begun close to initial diagnosis and delivered in synchrony with disease-specific treatment until symptom relief or patient death. The purpose of this study was to examine cancer survivors’ knowledge and perceptions of PC using a nationally representative sample of US adults from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).MethodA total of 593 HINTS respondents reported a personal history of cancer and were included in the sample (55.56% female; mean age of 65.88 years, SD = 18.21; mean time from diagnosis 13.83 years, SD = 18.21). Weighted logistic regression models were conducted to identify correlates of PC knowledge.ResultsOf the 593 cancer survivors in the sample, 66% (N = 378) reported that they had never heard of PC, 18% (N = 112) reported knowing a little bit about PC, and 17% (N = 95) reported knowing what PC is and could explain it to someone else. In multivariable analysis, survivors of color (Hispanic/Latino, Black, Asian, American Indian, and Pacific Islander), males, and those less educated were significantly less likely to report knowledge of PC. Among survivors who did report knowledge of PC, a lack of distinction between differing modes of supportive care exists.Significance of resultsThese findings suggest a need to increase PC knowledge among cancer survivors with the ultimate goal of addressing disparities in PC acceptance and utilization.
The federal government and Canada's COVID-19 responses: from ‘we're ready, we're prepared’ to ‘fires are burning’
Authors: Allin Sara , Fitzpatrick Tiffany , Marchildon Gregory P. , Quesnel-Vallée Amélie 
Published: June 2021

AbstractCanada's experience with the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has been characterized by considerable regional variation, as would be expected in a highly decentralized federation. Yet, the country has been beset by challenges, similar to many of those documented in the severe acute respiratory syndrome outbreak of 2003. Despite a high degree of pandemic preparedness, the relative success with flattening the curve during the first wave of the pandemic was not matched in much of Canada during the second wave. This paper critically reviews Canada's response to the COVID-19 pandemic with a focus on the role of the federal government in this public health emergency, considering areas within its jurisdiction (international borders), areas where an increased federal role may be warranted (long-term care), as well as its technical role in terms of generating evidence and supporting public health surveillance, and its convening role to support collaboration across the country. This accounting of the first 12 months of the pandemic highlights opportunities for a strengthened federal role in the short term, and some important lessons to be applied in preparing for future pandemics.
Influence of the Kuroshio Intrusion on Deep Flow Intraseasonal Variability in the Northern South China Sea
Authors: Quan Qi , Liu Zhiqiang , Sun Shantong , Cai Zhongya , Yang Yang , Jin Guangzhen , Li Zhibing , Liang X. San 
Published: June 2021

AbstractInteractions between the open ocean and marginal seas have been suggested to be critical to the redistribution and dissipation of global energy. Here, we propose a mechanism for the upper open ocean influencing the deep flow in marginal seas that hinges on the formation and propagation of topographic Rossby waves (TRWs). Observations and high‐resolution simulations suggest substantial intraseasonal variability with periods of 5–60 days associated with the deep flow over continental slopes of the northern South China Sea (NSCS). These fluctuations generally account for over 40% of the total deep kinetic energy variability and the number can reach 70% over the slopes to the west of the Luzon Strait, southwest of the Dongsha Islands, and northeast of the Xisha Islands. By examining the spatiotemporal features of the fluctuations, we demonstrate that the intraseasonal variability of the deep flow in the NSCS is closely associated with TRWs. Using a recently developed multiscale energetics analysis in combination with a ray tracing model, we show that the energy sources of TRWs can be traced back to the east of the Dongsha Islands, where the Kuroshio intrusion and related eddies energize the TRWs primarily through pressure work. These waves propagate westward across the NSCS and drive the intraseasonal variability of the deep flow over continental slopes. Our findings highlight an energy pathway from the open ocean western boundary current to the abyssal marginal sea that could modulate regional circulation as well as exchanges between major ocean basins.