bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Eternity, perpetuity, and time in the cosmologies of Plotinus and Mīr Dāmād
Authors: Zaidi Syed A. H. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe present piece focuses on the influence of Plotinus' understanding of time and eternity as articulated in Plotinus' third and fifth Enneads upon Mīr Dāmād's (d. 1631–2) conception of eternity, perpetuity, and time found in his Book of Blazing Brands (Kitab al‐Qabasāt). Although Mīr Dāmād's conception of eternity, perpetuity, and time resembles that of Plotinus' cosmology and ontology, he departs from Plotinus' hypostases in establishing strict parameters for each domain. Unlike Plotinus, Mīr Dāmād argues that the realm of eternity is reserved for God alone, while the realm of Perpetuity contains the Platonic Forms. For Mīr Dāmād, the realm of time is an effect of the realm of Perpetuity and a tool for human beings to understand how to measure events in the temporal world. Unlike many other Shī'ite philosophers, Mīr Dāmād's articulation of these three cosmological realms incorporates thought found in the works of both prominent Sunni and Shī'ite scholars such as Ibn Sīnā, Abū Ḥāmid al‐Ghāzālī, Suhrawardī, and Naṣīr al‐Dīn Ṭūsī. Although his most successful student, Mullā Ṣadrā Shirazī, had ultimately disagreed with his teacher's cosmological doctrine, he remained influenced by the multitude of sources that his teacher had used.
The “ethnophilosophy” problem: How the idea of “social imaginaries” may remedy it
Authors: Ude Donald Mark C. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe work argues that engaging Africa's cultural and epistemic resources as social imaginaries, and not as metaphysical or ontological “essences,” could help practitioners of African philosophy overcome the cluster of shortcomings and undesirable features associated with “ethnophilosophy.” A number of points are outlined to buttress this claim. First, the framework of social imaginaries does not operate with the false assumption that Africa's cultural forms and epistemic resources are static and immutable. Second, this framework does not lend itself to sweeping generalizations about Africa or large swathes of it. Third, the framework of social imaginaries remedies ethnophilosophy's problem of collectivism. Fourth, unlike ethnophilosophy, it does not romanticize and canonize a supposedly “idyllic” African past, which militates against a realistic and forward‐looking philosophizing. Finally, with the framework of social imaginaries, Africa's indigenous cultural and epistemic resources become amenable to being engaged with critical philosophical rigor. This not only enhances their potential for cross‐cultural philosophical conversation but also enhances their usefulness for addressing current sociopolitical issues affecting Africa. The discussion in this paper somewhat touches upon the question of method in African philosophy, using the ethnophilosophy problem to navigate the vast gamut of issues involved.
Unravelling the aetiology of Dickeya zeae using polyphasic approaches for bacterial stalk rot in maize
Authors: Jatoth Rajender , Kashyap Abhijeet S. , Babu P. Lokesh , Singh Dinesh , Gogoi Robin , Manzar Nazia , Geat Neelam , Muthusamy Vignesh , Padaria J. C. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBacterial stalk rot (BSR), caused by Dickeya zeae (syn. Erwinia chrysanthemi pv. zeae), has emerged as a significant disease affecting maize crops worldwide. In this study, symptomatic maize plants were collected from diverse agroclimatic zones in India over the period of kharif 2019–2021. Various approaches, including pathogenicity tests, cultural characteristics, biochemical profiling and molecular analysis, were employed to accurately identify the collected bacterial isolates as Dickeya. Pathogenicity assessments were conducted on 40‐day‐old maize plants, following Koch's postulates, as well as through potato maceration assays. Furthermore, cross‐infectivity studies were conducted on rice, potato, tomato and banana plants. Phenotypic and biochemical characterization confirmed that all the isolates belonged to the Dickeya genus. Additionally, PCR amplification of a pel gene fragment, specific to the genus Dickeya, further verified the pathogenic isolates as Dickeya. Molecular characterization studies were performed on four isolates (UKMDZ‐3, PBMDZ‐7, TSMDZ‐11 and HPMDZ‐16), selected to represent distinct maize agroclimatic zones and four states of India, and which caused severe infections on susceptible maize cv. Early Composite. Amplification of six characteristic genome regions (16S rRNA, recN, gyrB, dnaX, recA and dnaJ) from these isolates facilitated individual and concatenated gene phylogenetic analyses, confirming their resemblance to Dickeya zeae. This study represents the first comprehensive molecular analysis of D. zeae isolates from India, providing valuable insights for future crop improvement strategies. The findings contribute to our understanding of the genetic basis of BSR in maize and offer potential avenues for genetic enhancement to mitigate the disease's impact on maize cultivation.
Overexpression of an NLP protein family member increases virulence of Verticillium dahliae
Authors: Triantafyllopoulou Alexandra , Tzima Aliki K. , Chronopoulou Evangelia G. , Labrou Nikolaos E. , Kang Seogchan , Paplomatas Epaminondas J. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractVerticillium dahliae is a xylem‐invading fungal pathogen that causes vascular wilt in a wide range of angiosperms. The pathogen uses a variety of virulence factors to invade and colonize its hosts. Here, we report that VdNEP, an NLP (Necrosis and ethylene inducing peptide 1‐Like Protein), functions as one such factor in multiple hosts. Eggplant leaves treated with VdNEP developed necrotic symptoms. Overexpression of VdNEP by incorporating extra copies of the VdNEP gene increased virulence to cotton, eggplant and tomato plants, suggesting its role as a virulence factor in diverse plants. Increased expression of VdNEP among the transformants did not correlate with the number of VdNEP inserts, suggesting that its expression was affected by the genomic context of the insertion sites. Interestingly, a transformant derived from a defoliating strain with high VdNEP transcript levels caused disease symptoms in tomato plants, whereas the corresponding wild‐type strain did not cause visible symptoms. The amount of V. dahliae DNA in plants infected with this VdNEP‐overexpressing transformant was 22 times higher than that in plants infected with the wild‐type isolate, further supporting the critical role of VdNEP in infection. A VdNEP‐EGFP fusion was constructed to follow its localization in fungal cells and during infection.
The cytochrome P450 enzyme WsCYP71B35 from Withania somnifera has a role in withanolides biosynthesis and defence against bacteria
Authors: Shilpashree H. B. , Narayanan Ananth Krishna , Kumar Sarma Rajeev , Barvkar Vitthal , Nagegowda Dinesh A. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe medicinal properties of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera L. Dunal) are attributed to withanolides, which belong to the triterpenoid steroidal lactones class of compounds. Though it is proposed that intermediates of the universal phytosterol pathway are utilized by cytochrome P450 (CYP450) enzymes to form withanolides, studies on the functional characterization of these enzymes have been sparse. This study reports the functional characterization of a CYP450 candidate from W. somnifera, WsCYP71B35 that exhibited induced expression in response to methyl jasmonate treatment and showed higher expression in tissues that accumulate withanolides. Biochemical assay with yeast microsomal fraction expressing recombinant WsCYP71B35 indicated no activity when phytosterols and their intermediate 24‐methylene cholesterol were used as substrates. However, WsCYP71B35 catalyzed product formation with withaferin A, withanolide A, withanolide B, and withanoside IV among the tested substrates. Moreover, virus‐induced gene silencing (VIGS) and transient overexpression of WsCYP71B35 in W. somnifera leaves modulated the levels of withaferin A, withanolide A, and withanolide B, indicating the role of WsCYP71B35 in withanolides pathway. Furthermore, VIGS of WsCYP71B35 in W. somnifera reduced its tolerance to Pseudomonas syringae (DC3000) infection, whereas overexpression enhanced the tolerance to the bacterium in W. somnifera and transgenic tobacco. Overall, these results provide insights into the role of W. somnifera WsCYP71B35 in withanolides biosynthesis and bacterial defence.
Photosynthetic and antioxidant responses of Ankistrodesmus flexuosus and Curvastrum pantanale to environmentally relevant copper concentrations
Authors: Dauda Suleiman , Lombardi Ana Teresa 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSince high concentrations of copper (Cu) are known to negatively affect algae, we investigated the effect of environmentally relevant concentrations of Cu on the metabolism and photosynthesis of microalgae. We investigated the photosynthesis and antioxidant responses of two green microalgae, Ankistrodesmus flexuosus and Curvastrum pantanale, to free Cu (1.7 nM–589.0 nM Cu2+), which included environmentally significant values (1.7 nM–21.4 nM Cu2+). The microalgae had similar growth rates at low Cu2+, but C. pantanale had higher growth rates at 7.4 and 21.4 nM Cu2+, and a higher Chl a/b ratio at 1.7–21.4 nM Cu2+. The Fv/Fo of A. flexuosus was not altered by Cu, whereas its relative maximum electron transport rate (rETRm) began to decrease at 7.4 nM Cu2+. The Fv/Fo and rETRm of C. pantanale increased at 21.4 nM Cu2+. The non‐photochemical quenching (NPQ) that was actively dissipated [Y(NPQ)] in A. flexuosus increased with Cu increase, whereas at 589.0 nM Cu2+, the NPQ of C. pantanale decreased and its passive energy dissipation [Y(NO)] increased. C. pantanale had higher photosynthesis at 1.7–21.4 nM Cu2+. Superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity increased in both microalgae at high Cu concentrations, at 21.4 nM Cu2+ for A. flexuosus, and at 589.0 nM Cu2+ for C. pantanale. Thus, environmentally relevant Cu concentrations can favor the survival of tolerant microalgae species, hence shifting the diversity of aquatic biota.
A review of using duckweed (Lemnaceae) in fish feeds
Authors: Minich Jeremiah J. , Michael Todd P. 
Published: January 2024

AbstractOne of the primary sustainability challenges in aquaculture is replacing fish meal with plant‐based ingredients in aquafeeds. Plants are not optimal due to low protein content and antinutritional factors which can cause gut dysbiosis. Duckweed (Lemnaceae) is a family of aquatic plants with high protein content and has been used successfully for various types of animal feeds. In this systematic review and meta‐analysis of 58 papers, we summarize the extent by which duckweed has been used in fish production including the species of fish tested, the grow‐out stage of fish, and method of application. Duckweed studies spanned a total of 18 species of fish (16 freshwater and two marine) that collectively are valued at 263 billion USD annually, and comprise 28% of total aquaculture production by mass. The average experiment length was 72 days (SD 42), primarily at the fingerling life stage. Duckweed was fed to the fish through live grazing, dried, and pelleted forms with 20% inclusion as the most common formulation. The Lemna spp., dominated by L. minor, L. gibba, and unknown Lemna species, were the most commonly used for feeds. Spirodela polyrhiza was the second most common. Duckweed inclusion levels between 15% and 30% were associated with positive outcomes on fish growth and feed conversion ratio without any negative impact on survival rates. Most duckweed species, especially from Wollfiella have not been tested as a fish feed but should be explored whereas most studies focused on freshwater fishes rather than marine.
Signalling regulation of reactive oxygen species in fish inflammation
Authors: Gao Feng , Zhao Yanjing , Shi Xiaowei , Qiao Dan , Pei Chao , Kong Xianghui 
Published: January 2024

AbstractReactive oxygen species (ROS), which are key cellular signalling molecules, are reactive chemicals containing oxygen. Cell survival or death is a critical issue in the inflammatory response. Accumulation of ROS involves ROS generation and scavenging, which determine ROS homeostasis. Understanding the roles of ROS in modulating the inflammatory response in fish is vital for helping protect fish from the damage of water pollutants in harsh environmental conditions. ROS‐related key genes and signalling pathways are relatively conserved in fish but vary among different species. Recent frequent incidences of fish diseases have posed a considerable challenge to large‐scale aquaculture. ROS is important in stress perception, integration of diverse stress‐responsive signalling networks, and activation of animal defence mechanisms, which frequently occur during inflammation in fish. This review summarises recent studies on ROS signalling pathways during inflammation in fish. Furthermore, it examines the relationship between ROS and inflammation in fish. This review may contribute to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms by which ROS regulate inflammation in fish and provide suggestions for sustainable development in aquaculture.
“There's a little bit of mistrust”: Red River Métis experiences of the H1N1 and COVID‐19 pandemics
Authors: Driedger S. Michelle , Maier Ryan , Capurro Gabriela , Jardine Cindy , Tustin Jordan , Chartrand Frances , Sanguins Julianne , Kloss Olena 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWe examined the perspectives of the Red River Métis citizens in Manitoba, Canada, during the H1N1 and COVID‐19 pandemics and how they interpreted the communication of government/health authorities’ risk management decisions. For Indigenous populations, pandemic response strategies play out within the context of ongoing colonial relationships with government institutions characterized by significant distrust. A crucial difference between the two pandemics was that the Métis in Manitoba were prioritized for early vaccine access during H1N1 but not for COVID‐19. Data collection involved 17 focus groups with Métis citizens following the H1N1 outbreak and 17 focus groups during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Métis prioritization during H1N1 was met with some apprehension and fear that Indigenous Peoples were vaccine‐safety test subjects before population‐wide distribution occurred. By contrast, as one of Canada's three recognized Indigenous nations, the non‐prioritization of the Métis during COVID‐19 was viewed as an egregious sign of disrespect and indifference. Our research demonstrates that both reactions were situated within claims that the government does not care about the Métis, referencing past and ongoing colonial motivations. Government and health institutions must anticipate this overarching colonial context when making and communicating risk management decisions with Indigenous Peoples. In this vein, government authorities must work toward a praxis of decolonization in these relationships, including, for example, working in partnership with Indigenous nations to engage in collaborative risk mitigation and communication that meets the unique needs of Indigenous populations and limits the potential for less benign—though understandable—interpretations.
Global shocks, budgets deficits, and international fiscal policy coordination
Authors: Agénor Pierre‐Richard 
Published: January 2024

AbstractA simple two‐country model with trade, fiscal and interest rate externalities is used to study strategic interactions between national policymakers. Optimal fiscal policy internalizes a trade‐off between output stability and fiscal stability. With lump‐sum taxation, the noncooperative equilibrium is inefficient and both countries are better off under coordination. These results also hold if taxation is distortionary and trade generates a fiscal externality as well, regardless of how strong the preference for output stability is. In response to a negative global demand shock, consistent with the disruptions that occurred during the recent pandemic, the optimal policy response is to increase spending by more under cooperation. However, if budget deficits generate a sufficiently strong negative cross‐border externality through higher interest rates, the optimal response calls for lower spending under cooperation.
‘That's someone's grandma’: Teaching person‐centred care in a frailty context
Authors: Robinson Lucy , Andrew Inga , Kenny Lee , Garrad Sophie , Thomson Richard , Fisher James 
Published: January 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe ability to provide person‐centred care (PCC) is an essential skill for doctors and requires therapeutic empathy. We sought to evaluate a novel teaching approach to understand how medical students' personal reflections on an older person impact their views about PCC and frailty.ApproachWe designed a teaching session where students prepared an image and story about an older person they knew. Given the innovative nature of this, we set it in the context of a Plan Do Study Act cycle to ensure evaluation and continuous improvement at each stage. Students' contributions were discussed in a supportive environment, weaving together stories about individuals with the impacts of ageing they experienced. We evaluated the teaching with a pre‐ and post‐session ‘frailty’ word cloud and an online focus group.EvaluationWord cloud analysis showed a shift in the words students used when considering ‘frailty’, from words associated with illness and vulnerability to those associated with character and experience. Focus group themes supported these findings. Students expressed a change in their perception of frailty to consider ‘the person behind the patient’, which, unexpectedly, led to them also seeing ‘the person behind the medical student’. The session stimulated student reflection on challenges that may impact on delivery of truly person‐centred care.ImplicationsThis flexible teaching technique was an effective stimulus for medical students to consider the person behind the patient. Future work could consider how to promote retention of empathy as medical students make the transition to working as a doctor.
A normalization method that controls for total RNA abundance affects the identification of differentially expressed genes, revealing bias toward morning‐expressed responses
Authors: Laosuntisuk Kanjana , Vennapusa Amaranatha , Somayanda Impa M. , Leman Adam R. , Jagadish SV Krishna , Doherty Colleen J. 
Published: January 2024

SUMMARYRNA‐Sequencing is widely used to investigate changes in gene expression at the transcription level in plants. Most plant RNA‐Seq analysis pipelines base the normalization approaches on the assumption that total transcript levels do not vary between samples. However, this assumption has not been demonstrated. In fact, many common experimental treatments and genetic alterations affect transcription efficiency or RNA stability, resulting in unequal transcript abundance. The addition of synthetic RNA controls is a simple correction that controls for variation in total mRNA levels. However, adding spike‐ins appropriately is challenging with complex plant tissue, and carefully considering how they are added is essential to their successful use. We demonstrate that adding external RNA spike‐ins as a normalization control produces differences in RNA‐Seq analysis compared to traditional normalization methods, even between two times of day in untreated plants. We illustrate the use of RNA spike‐ins with 3' RNA‐Seq and present a normalization pipeline that accounts for differences in total transcriptional levels. We evaluate the effect of normalization methods on identifying differentially expressed genes in the context of identifying the effect of the time of day on gene expression and response to chilling stress in sorghum.
Control of Resonant Disturbances on an Euler–Bernoulli Beam Using a Robust Partial Differential Equation Boundary Control Technique
Authors: Karagiannis Dimitri , Radisavljevic-Gajic Verica 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
This article discusses and analyzes the capabilities and limitations of a series of related controllers for Euler–Bernoulli beam vibration, and the powerful capabilities of a robust second-order sliding mode backstepping control method are exhibited. Motivated by the open-loop unstable response to harmonic excitations at resonant frequencies, specific attention is given to disturbances at system resonant frequencies. It is shown that the second-order sliding mode backstepping controller provides arbitrary exponential stability of the beam position where other similar controllers cannot. Furthermore, it is shown that other controllers exhibit large (relative to the disturbance) steady-state harmonic vibrations, or otherwise do not return the system to the origin. This article is an extension of the Dynamic Systems and Control Division Vibrations Technical Committee “Best Vibrations Paper Award”-winning conference paper (Karagiannis and Radisavlejevic-Gajic, 2017, “Robust Boundary Control for an Euler Bernoulli Beam Subject to Unknown Harmonic Disturbances With a Focus on Resonance”). The previous work is significantly extended to include an exponentially stabilizing, second-order sliding mode controller and discusses several boundary conditions.
Smart Construction of Fe2O3 Nanowire Arrays on Carbon Cloth for Enhanced Supercapacitor and Lithium-Ion Battery
Authors: Yin Xiangyu , Liu Zhen , Li Xinyi , Qi Meili , Hu Ming , Mu Xin 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
Due to its excellent theoretical specific capacity, the transition metal oxide Fe2O3 has garnered significant attention due to its potential as a cathode material. Nevertheless, Fe2O3 remains a drawback due to low electrical conductivity and significant volume expansion in the charge and discharge process. In this experiment, we have reported a facile strategy for the Fe2O3 nanowire array grown on carbon cloth (Fe2O3@CC) by hydrothermal method. The prepared Fe2O3@CC composite served as an electrode for lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) and supercapacitors. Herein, we utilized the above-mentioned unique composite of Fe2O3@CC nanowire array supported on carbon cloth as a repetitive and directional composite of anode electrode composite with a high specific surface area. The supercapacitor exhibited a specific capacitance of 221.19 F g−1 after 500 cycles at a current density of 200 mA g−1. Fe2O3@CC nanowire composite was utilized in LIBs, demonstrating an exceptional rate capacity of 240.7 mAh g−1 at a high current density of 500 mA g−1, as well as a high reversible degree of 514.1 mAh g−1 after 100 cycles at 100 mA g−1.
Study on Cable Tension Characteristics of Shore-Based Constant Tension Mooring Systems Under the Coupling Effect of Wind, Wave, and Current
Authors: Wang Li , Liu Nan , Wang Shoujun , Chen Songgui 
Published: January 2024

Abstract
This paper proposes a shore-based constant tension mooring system, which improves the cable tension distribution by adjusting the length of the cable to maintain the constant tension of the cable between the ship and the mooring pile in order to solve the problem of poor safety and reliability of the traditional mooring system in the mooring process. First, based on the three-dimensional potential flow theory, this paper uses the hydrodynamic software AQWA to numerically simulate the dynamic response of the traditional mooring system under the coupling of wind, wave, and current in different sea states. Subsequently, a shore-based constant tension mooring system using the principle of volume-varying hydraulic control was studied. On the basis of a comprehensive analysis of the working principle of the constant tension hydraulic control mooring system, a mathematical model of the main working circuit is established. The system was numerically simulated by relying on matlab/Simulink simulation software. Finally, by comparing with traditional mooring systems, the results show that the maximum cable tension of the shore-based constant tension mooring system is significantly reduced so that the tension is controlled within a fixed range, and the safety factor of the mooring cable is significantly improved, thus reducing the risk of mooring system failure and improving the ship's survivability.