bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Self and selfishness in Late Antiquity: Plotinus on oikeiōsis
Authors: Regnier Daniel 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPlotinus’ understanding of self is formulated largely in dialogue with the Stoics. In early works he categorically rejects the Stoic notion of the hēgemonikon (‘leading part’ or ‘commanding faculty’) of the soul. In this paper, I show how, in light of a general dissatisfaction with the Stoic account of self articulated in his early work, Plotinus deals with the Stoic notion of oikeiōsis (‘appropriation’). I argue that Plotinus’ understanding of oikeiōsis develops across the period during which he uses it. In his middle writings, Plotinus engages with Stoic oikeiōsis by exploring how it functions in contexts related to selfhood. In his later writings, he shows, on the one hand, how the concept of oikeiōsis can be Platonized, such as to account for the relation of the self to the Good, and, on the other, how the Stoic understanding of oikeiōsis is untenable for many of the same reasons that he rejects the Stoic notion of the hēgemonikon. Ultimately, Plotinus thinks that Stoic understandings of the hēgemonikon and oikeiōsis are untenable because they lead to something that could be characterized as ‘selfishness’.
The power of interpersonal relationships: A socio-legal approach to international institutions and human rights advocacy
Authors: Reiners Nina 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis article further develops and illustrates the argument that relationships between individuals help to explain the success of human rights advocacy in international institutions. Drawing from advocacy theory and socio-legal studies, I shift the attention from collective forms of advocacy to the importance of interpersonal relationships of advocates with individuals in international institutions to influence the development of human rights. I introduce a framework consisting of three analytical steps – mapping the key actors in a network, process-tracing, and biographical research – and apply the framework to three cases of norm development by a United Nations human rights treaty body. My findings highlight the power of interpersonal relationships for the making of human rights, and they inform scholarship on transnational elites, human rights advocacy, and the politics of international law.
ON THE GEOMETRY OF SPACELIKE MEAN CURVATURE FLOW SOLITONS IMMERSED IN A GRW SPACETIME
Authors: DE LIMA HENRIQUE F. , GOMES WALLACE F. , SANTOS MÁRCIO S. , VELÁSQUEZ MARCO ANTONIO L. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWe investigate geometric aspects of complete spacelike mean curvature flow solitons of codimension one in a generalized Robertson–Walker (GRW) spacetime
$-I\times _{f}M^n$
, with base
$I\subset \mathbb R$
, Riemannian fiber
$M^n$
and warping function
$f\in C^\infty (I)$
. For this, we apply suitable maximum principles to guarantee that such a mean curvature flow soliton is a slice of the ambient space and to obtain nonexistence results concerning these solitons. In particular, we deal with entire graphs constructed over the Riemannian fiber
$M^n$
, which are spacelike mean curvature flow solitons, and we also explore the geometry of a conformal vector field to establish topological and further rigidity results for compact (without boundary) mean curvature flow solitons in a GRW spacetime. Moreover, we study the stability of spacelike mean curvature flow solitons with respect to an appropriate stability operator. Standard examples of spacelike mean curvature flow solitons in GRW spacetimes are exhibited, and applications related to these examples are given.
Promoting the systematic use of real-world data and real-world evidence for digital health technologies across Europe: a consensus framework
Authors: Srivastava Divya , Henschke Cornelia , Virtanen Lotta , Lotman Eno-Martin , Friebel Rocco , Ardito Vittoria , Petracca Francesco 
Published: September 2023

AbstractDespite the acceleration in the use of digital health technologies across different aspects of the healthcare system, the full potential of real-world data (RWD) and real-world evidence (RWE) arising from the technologies is not being utilised in decision-making. We examine current national efforts and future opportunities to systematically use RWD and RWE in decision-making in five countries (Estonia, Finland, Germany, Italy and the United Kingdom), and then develop a framework for promotion of the systematic use of RWD and RWE. A review assesses current national efforts, complemented with a three-round consensus-building exercise among an international group of experts (n1 = 44,n2 = 24,n3 = 24) to derive key principles. We find that Estonia and Finland have invested and developed digital health-related policies for several years; Germany and Italy are the more recent arrivals, while the United Kingdom falls somewhere in the middle. Opportunities to promote the systematic use of RWD and RWE were identified for each country. Eight building blocks principles were agreed through consensus, relating to policy scope, institutional role and data collection. Promoting post-market surveillance and digital health technology vigilance ought to rely on clarity in scope and data collection with consensus reached on eight principles to leverage RWD and RWE.
Aridification of Northwest Australia and Nutrient Decline in the Timor Sea During the 40 Kyr World
Authors: Zhang Y. , Andrade T. , Ravelo A. C. , Gong L. , Holbourn A. , Connock G. , Liu X. L. , Aiello I. W. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractStudying tropical hydroclimate and productivity change in the past is critical for understanding global climate dynamics. Northwest Australia is an ideal location for investigating Australian monsoon dynamics, the variability of the Indonesian Throughflow (ITF), and their impact on past productivity and Pacific warm pool evolution, which remain poorly understood during the 40 kyr world in the mid‐early Pleistocene. In this study, we present multi‐proxy records from International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Site U1483 in the Timor Sea spanning the last 2,000 ka, including orbitally‐resolved records from the 40 kyr world between 2,000 and 1,300 ka. Our results suggest that northwest Australia underwent a step of increased aridification and that productivity in the Timor Sea declined during the transition from ∼1,700 to ∼1,400 ka. We attribute this aridification to the reduced moisture supply to this region caused by the ITF restriction and warm pool contraction. We ascribe the declined productivity to a decrease in the nutrient supply of the Pacific source water associated with global nutrient redistribution. At orbital timescale, multiple mechanisms, including sea level changes, monsoon, and the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) dynamics, and variations in the ITF and Walker circulation could have controlled variations of productivity and terrigenous input in the Timor Sea during the 40 kyr world. Our bulk nitrogen and benthic carbon isotope records suggest a strong coupling to biogeochemical changes in the Pacific during this period. This research contributes to a better understanding of tropical hydroclimate and productivity changes during the 40 kyr world.
Impact of Oil Viscosity on Dispersion in the Aqueous Phase of an Immiscible Two‐Phase Flow in Porous Media: An X‐Ray Tomography Study
Authors: Li Zijing , Nasir Muhammad , Wang Weicen , Kaito Kazuki , Zhang Chunwei , Suekane Tetsuya , Matsushita Shintaro 
Published: September 2023

AbstractIn this study, dispersion and mixing were studied in a steady two‐phase flow generated using a co‐injection method. The impact of oil viscosity was investigated over a large range of fluid viscosity ratios. The results indicate that highly heterogeneous flow fields are generated by a wide distribution of oil clusters with varied volumes. Variation in the velocity distribution enhanced the deformation and spreading of a tracer plume, resulting in large dispersion scales and accelerated spreading rates. The dispersion coefficients vary with time and exhibit a non‐Fickian dispersion during co‐injection. Consequently, anomalous mixing behaviors can be observed when the viscosity ratio exceeds 10. The mixing strength, characterized by the scalar dissipation rate, is first enhanced by distortion on the surface of the solute. Therefore, diffusion contributes to mixing, resulting in a faster decrease in the mixing strength in the late time regime. These results can be attributed to the fact that the non‐wetting fluid becomes disconnected, and the size of each cluster decreases as the oil viscosity increases. The formation of an oil film narrows pore spaces, and a lubrication effect of the oil film may contribute to the enhanced dispersion and mixing state, even with the low relative permeability of the wetting phase. This study provides insights into dispersion in partially saturated porous media with varied oil viscosities at both the macro and pore scales, which can further improve CO2 storage capacity and safety.
Microbial metabolomic responses to changes in temperature and salinity along the western Antarctic Peninsula
Authors: Dawson H M , Connors E , Erazo N G , Sacks J S , Mierzejewski V , Rundell S M , Carlson L T , Deming J W , Ingalls A E , Bowman J S , Young J N 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSeasonal cycles within the marginal ice zones in polar regions include large shifts in temperature and salinity that strongly influence microbial abundance and physiology. However, the combined effects of concurrent temperature and salinity change on microbial community structure and biochemical composition during transitions between seawater and sea ice are not well understood. Coastal marine communities along the western Antarctic Peninsula were sampled and surface seawater was incubated at combinations of temperature and salinity mimicking the formation (cold, salty) and melting (warm, fresh) of sea ice to evaluate how these factors may shape community composition and particulate metabolite pools during seasonal transitions. Bacterial and algal community structures were tightly coupled to each other and distinct across sea-ice, seawater, and sea-ice-meltwater field samples, with unique metabolite profiles in each habitat. During short-term (approximately 10-day) incubations of seawater microbial communities under different temperature and salinity conditions, community compositions changed minimally while metabolite pools shifted greatly, strongly accumulating compatible solutes like proline and glycine betaine under cold and salty conditions. Lower salinities reduced total metabolite concentrations in particulate matter, which may indicate a release of metabolites into the labile dissolved organic matter pool. Low salinity also increased acylcarnitine concentrations in particulate matter, suggesting a potential for fatty acid degradation and reduced nutritional value at the base of the food web during freshening. Our findings have consequences for food web dynamics, microbial interactions, and carbon cycling as polar regions undergo rapid climate change.
Nitrogen fixation and diazotroph diversity in groundwater systems
Authors: Liu Xiaohan , Li Ping , Wang Helin , Han Li-Li , Yang Kai , Wang Yanhong , Jiang Zhou , Cui Li , Kao Shuh-Ji 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Biological nitrogen fixation (BNF), the conversion of N2 into bioavailable nitrogen (N), is the main process for replenishing N loss in the biosphere. However, BNF in groundwater systems remains poorly understood. In this study, we examined the activity, abundance, and community composition of diazotrophs in groundwater in the Hetao Plain of Inner Mongolia using 15N tracing methods, reverse transcription qPCR (RT-qPCR), and metagenomic/metatranscriptomic analyses. 15N2 tracing incubation of near in situ groundwater (9.5–585.4 nmol N L−1 h−1) and N2-fixer enrichment and isolates (13.2–1728.4 nmol N g−1 h−1, as directly verified by single-cell resonance Raman spectroscopy), suggested that BNF is a non-negligible source of N in groundwater in this region. The expression of nifH genes ranged from 3.4 × 103 to 1.2 × 106 copies L−1 and was tightly correlated with dissolved oxygen (DO), Fe(II), and NH4+. Diazotrophs in groundwater were chiefly aerobes or facultative anaerobes, dominated by Stutzerimonas, Pseudomonas, Paraburkholderia, Klebsiella, Rhodopseudomonas, Azoarcus, and additional uncultured populations. Active diazotrophs, which prefer reducing conditions, were more metabolically diverse and potentially associated with nitrification, sulfur/arsenic mobilization, Fe(II) transport, and CH4 oxidation. Our results highlight the importance of diazotrophs in subsurface geochemical cycles.
The NONRATT023402.2/rno-miR-3065-5p/NGFR axis affects levodopa-induced dyskinesia in a rat model of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Wang Qiao , Wang Huizhi , Meng Wenjia , Liu Chong , Li Renpeng , Zhang Moxuan , Liang Kun , Gao Yuan , Du Tingting , Zhang Jianguo , Han Chunlei , Shi Lin , Meng Fangang 
Published: September 2023

AbstractLevodopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) is a common motor complication in Parkinson’s disease. However, few studies have focused on the pathogenesis of LID at the transcriptional level. NONRATT023402.2, a long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) that may be related to LID was discovered in our previous study and characterized in rat models of LID. In the present study, NONRATT023402.2 was overexpressed by injection of adeno-associated virus (AAV) in striatum of LID rats, and 48 potential target genes, including nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR) were screened using next-generation sequencing and target gene predictions. The NONRATT023402.2/rno-miR-3065-5p/NGFR axis was verified using a dual luciferase reporter gene. Overexpression of NONRATT023402.2 significantly increased the abnormal involuntary movements (AIM) score of LID rats, activated the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, and up-regulated c-Fos in the striatum. NGFR knockdown by injection of ShNGFR-AAV into the striatum of LID rats resulted in a significant decrease in the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and c-Fos expression. The AIM score of LID rats was positively correlated with the expressions of NONRATT023402.2 and NGFR. A dual luciferase reporter assay showed that c-Fos, as a transcription factor, bound to the NONRATT023402.2 promoter and activated its expression. Together, the results showed that NONRATT023402.2 regulated NGFR expression via a competing endogenous RNA mechanism, which then activated the PI3K/Akt pathway and promoted c-Fos expression. This suggested that c-Fos acted as a transcription factor to activate NONRATT023402.2 expression, and form a positive feedback regulation loop in LID rats, thus, aggravating LID symptoms. NONRATT023402.2 is therefore a possible novel therapeutic target for LID.
Regulation of m6A modification on ferroptosis and its potential significance in radiosensitization
Authors: Chen Xun , Zhang Lejia , He Yi , Huang Siyuan , Chen Shangwu , Zhao Wei , Yu Dongsheng 
Published: September 2023

AbstractRadiotherapy is often used to treat various types of cancers, but radioresistance greatly limits the clinical efficiency. Recent studies have shown that radiotherapy can lead to ferroptotic cancer cell deaths. Ferroptosis is a new type of programmed cell death caused by excessive lipid peroxidation. The induction of ferroptosis provides a potential therapeutic strategy for radioresistance. As the most common post-transcriptional modification of mRNA, m6A methylation is widely involved in the regulation of various physiopathological processes by regulating RNA function. Dynamic m6A modification controlled by m6A regulatory factors also affects the susceptibility of cells to ferroptosis, thereby determining the radiosensitivity of tumor cells to radiotherapy. In this review, we summarize the mechanism and significance of radiotherapy induced ferroptosis, analyze the regulatory characteristics of m6A modification on ferroptosis, and discuss the possibility of radiosensitization by enhancing m6A-mediated ferroptosis. Clarifying the regulation of m6A modification on ferroptosis and its significance in the response of tumor cells to radiotherapy will help us identify novel targets to improve the efficacy of radiotherapy and reduce or overcome radioresistance.
Activation of melanocortin-1 receptor signaling in melanoma cells impairs T cell infiltration to dampen antitumor immunity
Authors: Cui Yazhong , Miao Yang , Cao Longzhi , Guo Lifang , Cui Yue , Yan Chuanzhe , Zeng Zhi , Xu Mo , Han Ting 
Published: September 2023

AbstractInhibition of T cell infiltration dampens antitumor immunity and causes resistance to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. By in vivo CRISPR screening in B16F10 melanoma in female mice, here we report that loss of melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) in melanoma cells activates antitumor T cell response and overcomes resistance to ICB. Depletion of MC1R from another melanocytic melanoma model HCmel1274 also enhances ICB efficacy. By activating the GNAS-PKA axis, MC1R inhibits interferon-gamma induced CXCL9/10/11 transcription, thus impairing T cell infiltration into the tumor microenvironment. In human melanomas, high MC1R expression correlates with reduced CXCL9/10/11 expression, impaired T cell infiltration, and poor patient prognosis. Whereas MC1R activation is restricted to melanoma, GNAS activation by hotspot mutations is observed across diverse cancer types and is associated with reduced CXCL9/10/11 expression. Our study implicates MC1R as a melanoma immunotherapy target and suggests GNAS-PKA signaling as a pan-cancer oncogenic pathway inhibiting antitumor T cell response.
Stressed target cancer cells drive nongenetic reprogramming of CAR T cells and solid tumor microenvironment
Authors: Wang Yufeng , Drum David L. , Sun Ruochuan , Zhang Yida , Chen Feng , Sun Fengfei , Dal Emre , Yu Ling , Jia Jingyu , Arya Shahrzad , Jia Lin , Fan Song , Isakoff Steven J. , Kehlmann Allison M. , Dotti Gianpietro , Liu Fubao , Zheng Hui , Ferrone Cristina R. , Taghian Alphonse G. , DeLeo Albert B. , Ventin Marco , Cattaneo Giulia , Li Yongxiang , Jounaidi Youssef , Huang Peigen , Maccalli Cristina , Zhang Hanyu , Wang Cheng , Yang Jibing , Boland Genevieve M. , Sadreyev Ruslan I. , Wong LaiPing , Ferrone Soldano , Wang Xinhui 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe poor efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy (CAR T) for solid tumors is due to insufficient CAR T cell tumor infiltration, in vivo expansion, persistence, and effector function, as well as exhaustion, intrinsic target antigen heterogeneity or antigen loss of target cancer cells, and immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Here we describe a broadly applicable nongenetic approach that simultaneously addresses the multiple challenges of CAR T as a therapy for solid tumors. The approach reprograms CAR T cells by exposing them to stressed target cancer cells which have been exposed to the cell stress inducer disulfiram (DSF) and copper (Cu)(DSF/Cu) plus ionizing irradiation (IR). The reprogrammed CAR T cells acquire early memory-like characteristics, potent cytotoxicity, enhanced in vivo expansion, persistence, and decreased exhaustion. Tumors stressed by DSF/Cu and IR also reprogram and reverse the immunosuppressive TME in humanized mice. The reprogrammed CAR T cells, derived from peripheral blood mononuclear cells of healthy donors or metastatic female breast cancer patients, induce robust, sustained memory and curative anti-solid tumor responses in multiple xenograft mouse models, establishing proof of concept for empowering CAR T by stressing tumor as a promising therapy for solid tumors.
Unraveling bilayer interfacial features and their effects in polar polymer nanocomposites
Authors: Li Xinhui , He Shan , Jiang Yanda , Wang Jian , Yu Yi , Liu Xiaofei , Zhu Feng , Xie Yimei , Li Youyong , Ma Cheng , Shen Zhonghui , Li Baowen , Shen Yang , Zhang Xin , Zhang Shujun , Nan Ce-Wen 
Published: September 2023

AbstractPolymer nanocomposites with nanoparticles dispersed in polymer matrices have attracted extensive attention due to their significantly improved overall performance, in which the nanoparticle-polymer interface plays a key role. Understanding the structures and properties of the interfacial region, however, remains a major challenge for polymer nanocomposites. Here, we directly observe the presence of two interfacial polymer layers around a nanoparticle in polar polymers, i.e., an inner bound polar layer (~10 nm thick) with aligned dipoles and an outer polar layer (over 100 nm thick) with randomly orientated dipoles. Our results reveal that the impacts of the local nanoparticle surface potential and interparticle distance on molecular dipoles induce interfacial polymer layers with different polar molecular conformations from the bulk polymer. The bilayer interfacial features lead to an exceptional enhancement in polarity-related properties of polymer nanocomposites at ultralow nanoparticle loadings. By maximizing the contribution of inner bound polar layer via a nanolamination design, we achieve an ultrahigh dielectric energy storage density of 86 J/cm3, far superior to state-of-the-art polymers and nanocomposites.
Charge density wave surface reconstruction in a van der Waals layered material
Authors: Lee Sung-Hoon , Cho Doohee 
Published: September 2023

AbstractSurface reconstruction plays a vital role in determining the surface electronic structure and chemistry of semiconductors and metal oxides. However, it has been commonly believed that surface reconstruction does not occur in van der Waals layered materials, as they do not undergo significant bond breaking during surface formation. In this study, we present evidence that charge density wave (CDW) order in these materials can, in fact, cause CDW surface reconstruction through interlayer coupling. Using density functional theory calculations on the 1T-TaS2 surface, we reveal that CDW reconstruction, involving concerted small atomic displacements in the subsurface layer, results in a significant modification of the surface electronic structure, transforming it from a Mott insulator to a band insulator. This new form of surface reconstruction explains several previously unexplained observations on the 1T-TaS2 surface and has important implications for interpreting surface phenomena in CDW-ordered layered materials.
Assessment of spinal cord injury using ultrasound elastography in a rabbit model in vivo
Authors: Tang Songyuan , Weiner Bradley , Taraballi Francesca , Haase Candice , Stetco Eliana , Mehta Shail Maharshi , Shajudeen Peer , Hogan Matthew , De Rosa Enrica , Horner Philip J. , Grande-Allen K. Jane , Shi Zhaoyue , Karmonik Christof , Tasciotti Ennio , Righetti Raffaella 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe effect of the mechanical micro-environment on spinal cord injury (SCI) and treatment effectiveness remains unclear. Currently, there are limited imaging methods that can directly assess the localized mechanical behavior of spinal cords in vivo. In this study, we apply new ultrasound elastography (USE) techniques to assess SCI in vivo at the site of the injury and at the time of one week post injury, in a rabbit animal model. Eleven rabbits underwent laminectomy procedures. Among them, spinal cords of five rabbits were injured during the procedure. The other six rabbits were used as control. Two neurological statuses were achieved: non-paralysis and paralysis. Ultrasound data were collected one week post-surgery and processed to compute strain ratios. Histologic analysis, mechanical testing, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), computerized tomography and MRI diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) were performed to validate USE results. Strain ratios computed via USE were found to be significantly different in paralyzed versus non-paralyzed rabbits. The myelomalacia histologic score and spinal cord Young’s modulus evaluated in selected animals were in good qualitative agreement with USE assessment. It is feasible to use USE to assess changes in the spinal cord of the presented animal model. In the future, with more experimental data available, USE may provide new quantitative tools for improving SCI diagnosis and prognosis.