Scientific Research Articles

Humanities scholars’ needs for open social scholarship platforms as online scholarly information sharing infrastructure

The contemporary scholarly communication environment is characterized by the growth in mandates and infrastructure for open access publication and open approaches to the research lifecycle, with a consequent explosion in the number of online platforms seeking to provide infrastructure for open scholarship. These include corporate academic social networks and scholar-governed infrastructure created as a reaction against those networks, as well as the recent major transformation of the social media landscape in the wake of changes at Twitter (now X), previously a major outlet for scholarly engagement with the public. Analysts of this environment have pointed out that most platform initiatives focus on narrow use cases rather than building up solutions through a holistic understanding of scholar workflows. This exploratory study uses focus group interviews to draw out responses to one academically governed platform, the Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) Commons, in the context of humanities scholars’ existing work. It explores humanities scholars’ needs and behaviors related to sharing scholarly information with each other and broader audiences, particularly on the Internet. Feedback from participants sheds light on opportunities and challenges for academy-governed infrastructure for “open social scholarship.” Themes identified include technical fatigue and burnout in the current multi-platform environment, sustainability, and desires to reach and engage the right academic and non-academic audiences when appropriate.

Near-Infrared-II Fluorescent Probes for Analytical Applications: From In Vitro Detection to In Vivo Imaging Monitoring.

ConspectusBiomarkers play a vital role in the regulation of life processes, especially in predicting the occurrence and development of diseases. For the early diagnosis and precise treatment of diseases, it has become necessary and significant to detect biomarkers with sensitivity, accuracy, simplicity, convenience, and even visualization. Fluorescent-probe-based techniques have been recognized as one of the most powerful tools for the sensitive detection and real time imaging of biomarkers in biological samples. However, traditional optical probes, mainly including the visible probes (400-700 nm) and the near-infrared I (NIR-I, 700-900 nm) probes, suffer from low sensitivity, poor resolution, strong absorption and scattering, and high background fluorescence, which hinder effective monitoring of biomarkers.Fortunately, the past decade has witnessed a remarkable evolution in the application fields of near-infrared II (NIR-II, 900-1700 nm) fluorescence, driven by its exceptional optical characteristics and the advancement of imaging technologies. Leveraging the superior penetration capabilities, negligible autofluorescence, and extended fluorescence emission wavelengths, NIR-II fluorescent probes significantly enhance the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of in vitro detection (IVD) and the temporal resolution of in vivo imaging. Our team has been committed to the design strategy, controlled synthesis, luminous mechanisms, and biomedical applications of NIR-II fluorescent probes. In this Account, we present the representative works in recent years from our group in the field of NIR-II fluorescent probes for analytical applications, ranging from in vitro detection of biomarkers to in vivo imaging monitoring of different biomarkers and various diseases, which also will further provide a general overview of analytical applications of NIR-II fluorescence probes. First, the in vitro analytical applications of NIR-II fluorescent probes are fully summarized, including tumor marker detection, virus and bacteria analysis, cell testing, and small-molecule sensing. Second, the in vivo imaging monitoring applications of NIR-II fluorescent probes are adequately discussed, including ROS detection, gas monitoring, pH sensing, small-molecule testing, receptor analysis, and the imaging diagnosis of some serious diseases. Finally, we further outline the application advantages of NIR-II fluorescent probes in analytical fields and also discuss in detail some challenges as well as their future development. There is a reasonable prospect that the in vitro detection technology and the in vivo imaging monitoring technology based on NIR-II fluorescent probes will exhibit great development potential in biomedical research and clinical disease diagnosis. We hope that this Account can expand their reach into an even broader spectrum of fields, further enhancing their impact on scientific discovery and medical practice.

Language Complexities for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Individuals in Their Pursuit of a Career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine: Perspectives From an LSL/ASL User.

A research scientist with 35 years of experience in the field of hearing research, the author writes that his own experiences have provided a perspective that may be valuable for both future d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) individuals and their peers with typical hearing in their pursuit of a career in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, and Medicine (STEMM). The author first describes the role of Hearing Inclusive-Association for Research in Otolaryngology in enhancing inclusivity and accessibility for D/HH scientists in the field of Hearing Research. Second, the challenges faced by D/HH scientists arise from the difficulties of working with peers with typical hearing, resulting in less inclusivity and accessibility for the D/HH scientists. The next section deals with solutions to these challenges, including American Sign Language interpreters, websites that give advice on inclusivity and accessibility, and technological advances such as assistive listening devices and smartphones with a capacity for auto captioning. The solutions, however, are fraught with issues such as limited budgets and misperception. Fourth, the author argues that the experiences necessary for a career in STEMM may require a higher-than-expected degree of collaboration with peers with typical hearing outside the laboratory. Finally, studies on successful D/HH scientists in STEMM fields should include experiences of obtaining successful research funding.

Physical Activity and Its Relationship With National-Based Examination Results Among Adolescents.

This study investigated the longitudinal relationship between self-reported physical activity and national examination results among adolescents in an upper-middle-income country. This study engaged in a secondary data analysis derived from a closed prospective cohort consisting of 579 students, who were recruited at the age of 13 in 2012 and followed up at ages 15 (2014) and 17 (2016) as part of the Malaysian Health and Adolescents Longitudinal Research Team (MyHeART) study, which was conducted across three states in Peninsula Malaysia. Physical activity levels were evaluated using the Physical Activity Questionnaire, and outcomes were assessed based on the National-Based Examinations at ages 15 (Form 3, Year 9) and 17 (Form 5, Year 11) in Malaysia. A multivariate ordinal regression employing complex sample analysis was applied to ascertain the relationship between physical activity and national examination results. In Form 3 (Year 9), those physically active performed better in Malay Language, English Language, Mathematics and Science. Those physically active in Form 5 (Year 11), performed better in Modern Mathematics, Chemistry, and Principles of Accounting. Longitudinally, there was an increase in the overall percentage of those who were overweight and obese and an increase in those with suboptimal dietary and iron intake. This study has shown that those physically active students fared better in several subjects in the national-based examinations. Suitable physical activity intervention should be tailored accordingly to support adolescents' optimum achievement in academia.

Cigarette Smoke Contributes to the Progression of MASLD: From the Molecular Mechanisms to Therapy

Cigarette smoke (CS), an intricate blend comprising over 4000 compounds, induces abnormal cellular reactions that harm multiple tissues. Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a prevalent chronic liver disease (CLD), encompassing non-alcoholic fatty liver (NAFL), non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), cirrhosis, and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Recently, the term NAFLD has been changed to metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and NASH has been renamed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). A multitude of experiments have confirmed the association between CS and the incidence and progression of MASLD. However, the specific signaling pathways involved need to be updated with new scientific discoveries. CS exposure can disrupt lipid metabolism, induce inflammation and apoptosis, and stimulate liver fibrosis through multiple signaling pathways that promote the progression of MASLD. Currently, there is no officially approved efficacious pharmaceutical intervention in clinical practice. Therefore, lifestyle modifications have emerged as the primary therapeutic approach for managing MASLD. Smoking cessation and the application of a series of natural ingredients have been shown to ameliorate pathological changes in the liver induced by CS, potentially serving as an effective approach to decelerating MASLD development. This article aims to elucidate the specific signaling pathways through which smoking promotes MASLD, while summarizing the reversal factors identified in recent studies, thereby offering novel insights for future research on and the treatment of MASLD.

Astronomaly Protege: Discovery through Human-machine Collaboration

Abstract Modern telescopes generate catalogs of millions of objects with the potential for new scientific discoveries, but this is beyond what can be examined visually. Here we introduce ASTRONOMALY: PROTEGE, an extension of the general-purpose machine-learning-based active anomaly detection framework ASTRONOMALY. PROTEGE is designed to provide well-selected recommendations for visual inspection, based on a small amount of optimized human labeling. The resulting sample contains rare or unusual sources that are simultaneously as diverse as the human trainer chooses and of scientific interest to them. We train PROTEGE on images from the MeerKAT Galaxy Cluster Legacy Survey, leveraging the self-supervised deep learning algorithm Bootstrap Your Own Latent to find a low-dimensional representation of the radio galaxy cutouts. By operating in this feature space, PROTEGE is able to recommend interesting sources with completely different morphologies in image space to those it has been trained on. This provides important advantages over similarity searches, which can only find more examples of known sources, or blind anomaly detection, which selects unusual but not necessarily scientifically interesting sources. Using an evaluation subset, we show that, with minimal training, PROTEGE provides excellent recommendations and find that it is even able to recommend sources that the authors missed. We briefly highlight some of PROTEGE's top recommendations, which include X- and circular-shaped sources, filamentary structures, and one-sided structures. These results illustrate the power of an optimized human-machine collaboration, such as PROTEGE, to make unexpected discoveries in samples beyond human-accessible scales.

From Endemic Diseases to Pandemics at High Latitudes in Modern Eurasia: Toward a New “Imperial Medicine”

The exploration of how societies throughout history have responded to disease and the influence of humans on the occurrence of disease can unearth important insights on humanity, culture and history. The study of the history of humans and disease can paint an invaluable picture of opinions about disease, limitations and how to prepare for future challenges. Associate Professor of Cultural Policy and Management Chiho Miyazaki is a historical researcher based at Shizuoka University of Art and Culture who is conducting research on the history of medicine, endemic diseases and cultural interactions, with a focus on Eurasia. Through her historical research, she wants to unravel the relationship between diseases and humans and shed light on diseases and the nature of humans. One component of Miyazaki’s research is better understanding the modernity of medicine and disease response in the late 19th century as, during this time, capitalisation and industrialisation advanced apace and people moved across regions, encountering new diseases. This has an impact on the widespread fear of disease, as well as medical progress. Miyazaki is working to clarify disease response, epidemiological thinking and the development of medical and sanitary methods in the context of imperial colonisation and governance. She is conducting empirical research on individual cases in different regions of Eurasia and examining and comparing these cases.

Climate, peace, and conflict-past and present:Bridging insights from historical sciences and contemporary research.

Concern has risen that current global warming and more frequent extreme events such as droughts and floods will increase conflict around the world. This concern has spurred both social science research on contemporary climate, peace, and conflict as well as research in the historical sciences on past climate, weather, warfare, and violence. This perspectives article compares these two fields of scholarship and examines how each may benefit the other. It finds significant convergences in methods and insights across contemporary and historical research as well as persistent patterns in causal pathways between climate and conflict. Contemporary climate, peace, and conflict (CPC) research may sharpen methods and causal models for historical researchers. Historical studies, particularly those informed by contemporary research, may elucidate deep origins and long-term effects of climate-related conflicts. For policymakers and the public, history offers comprehensible ways to make sense of complex and contingent linkages and to construct cogent narratives of the past as well as storylines for the future.

Seascape Factors in the Loss of the SS Waratah

Abstract The SS Waratah was lost with all 211 lives circa 27 July 1909 off the South African eastern coast, for reasons unknown, and the wreck has not been found despite numerous searches at the time and into the present. The purpose of this paper is to identify possible sinking locations based on the interaction of meteorological fronts, Agulhas current, and bathymetric features. The route of the ship is reconstructed from historical documents, and the account of the following ship Clan Macintyre, using haversines. The analysis shows that the Waratah met the storm on the edge of the continental shelf of Algoa Bay. Multiple simulations were conducted to explore parameter variability, and the meeting location shifts accordingly, bracketing an area of 40 nm by 10 nm (nm). It is proposed that the ship sank on meeting a rogue wave in the storm, or shortly afterwards, at the continental shelf break, possibly near the head of a submarine canyon. Two locations stand out for meeting these criteria and these are 34.3482oS 26.2627oE, and 34.3942oS 25.9394oE. The work provides a new hypothesis, backed by detailed navigational modelling from the known facts, regarding where and how the ship sank. The novel contribution of this research is the combination of multiple disciplines, such as historical research, principles of maritime engineering, navigational modelling, meteorological phenomena, and oceanographic analysis, to reconstruct the ship's likely route and identify potential shipwreck locations.

Spatial-temporal characteristics and influence factors of high-quality development of animal husbandry industry in China.

The animal husbandry industry stands as a pillar of the agricultural sector. According to the defining characteristics of high-quality development in animal husbandry, this paper establishes a comprehensive evaluative indicator system. This system evaluates the quality of development in the industry from 2010 to 2022, including five key dimensions: output efficiency, product safety, resource conservation, environmental friendliness, and the level of scientific and technological &management. Results indicate a positive overall trend in the high-quality development of China's animal industry throughout this period. Provinces exhibiting the highest average levels of development are, in descending order, Jiangsu, Shanghai, Anhui, Beijing, Fujian, Yunnan, Chongqing, Gansu, Guangdong, and Guangxi. Among these five dimensions, the level of environmental friendliness and the level of scientific and technological &management are better developed, while the level of resource conservation, the level of product safety, and the level of output efficiency are poorly developed. Regional differences have demonstrated a slight narrowing trend; however, the effect of intra-regional differences on the overall differences has remained relatively stable. In contrast, the effect of inter-regional differences on overall differences has gradually reduced, while the effect of hypervariable density has steadily increased, becoming the most significant factor. High-quality development in China's animal industry exhibits a strong path dependency, with advancements typically occurring incrementally between adjacent levels and an insignificant probability of leapfrogging. The level of high-quality development in a given region is significantly influenced by the development levels observed in neighbouring regions, illustrating a phenomenon akin to the adage that One who is near vermilion is stained red, one who is near ink is stained black. Factors such as urbanisation rates, levels of scientific and technological innovation, transport infrastructure, levels of agricultural financial development, and population density all contribute positively to the high-quality development of China's animal industry. At the same time, a larger share of animal husbandry in both the overall industrial sector and the agricultural industry further contributes to this high-quality development; whereas, GDP per capita and fiscal support for agriculture do not appear to have a significant effect.

Highly Precise Prediction of Micro- and Supra-pKa Based on 3D Descriptors Integrating Non-Covalent Interactions.

Accurate pKa prediction is crucial for understanding proton dissociation in complex molecular systems. However, existing models often face challenges in addressing subtle stereoelectronic effects and conformational flexibility. This study presents H-SPOC, a localized 3D descriptor that captures covalent and non-covalent interactions and incorporates solvent effects to predict site-specific pKavalues accurately. H-SPOC was validated on multiple benchmark datasets, including SAMPL6, SAMPL7, and SAMPL8, where it outperformed state-of-the-art methods. H-SPOC also proved versatile across various applications, including aspirin's non-equilibrium conformations, glycine's microstate distributions, and the stereoelectronic anomalies of Janus Sponge and Meldrum's Acid. It addressed challenging supra-pKapredictions in crystalline environments and accurately correlated pKa with reaction rates, selectivity, tautomerism, and pharmacokinetic properties. With its chemically intuitive design and computational efficiency, H-SPOC provides an efficient framework for rapid and precise micro- and supra-pKapredictions, offering significant potential in drug discovery, catalysis, and materials science.

Highly Precise Prediction of Micro‐ and Supra‐pKa Based on 3D Descriptors Integrating Non‐Covalent Interactions

Accurate pKa prediction is crucial for understanding proton dissociation in complex molecular systems. However, existing models often face challenges in addressing subtle stereoelectronic effects and conformational flexibility. This study presents H‐SPOC, a localized 3D descriptor that captures covalent and non‐covalent interactions and incorporates solvent effects to predict site‐specific pKa values accurately. H‐SPOC was validated on multiple benchmark datasets, including SAMPL6, SAMPL7, and SAMPL8, where it outperformed state‐of‐the‐art methods. H‐SPOC also proved versatile across various applications, including aspirin's non‐equilibrium conformations, glycine's microstate distributions, and the stereoelectronic anomalies of Janus Sponge and Meldrum's Acid. It addressed challenging supra‐pKa predictions in crystalline environments and accurately correlated pKa with reaction rates, selectivity, tautomerism, and pharmacokinetic properties. With its chemically intuitive design and computational efficiency, H‐SPOC provides an efficient framework for rapid and precise micro‐ and supra‐pKa predictions, offering significant potential in drug discovery, catalysis, and materials science.

Citizen science and the nexus approach: unlocking synergies for sustainable development

Abstract This article explores how citizen science can contribute to achieving the United Nations (UN) sustainable development goals (SDGs) by focusing on the complex and sometimes interrelated nature of sustainability challenges. Citizen science presents a unique opportunity to ethically engage communities in research by actively involving them in defining sustainability targets, gathering data, and analysing results, thereby generating actionable insights that directly inform both local and global sustainability efforts. The authors advocate for integrating citizen science with the nexus approach to environmental resources management, which examines the interrelatedness and interdependencies that are inherent within complex systems, emphasising the relationships among water, energy, and food systems. The nexus approach proposes strategies to enhance the role of citizen science in addressing sustainability challenges. These include strengthening collective interaction and knowledge exchange between the five subsystems described by the quintuple helix innovation model, namely policy, science, industry, society and environment. The article also highlights the importance of inclusive participation, co-defining localised sustainability indicators, and co-creating citizen-led actions. By empowering communities to engage in participatory knowledge production and promoting multi-actor collaboration, citizen science not only has the potential to contribute valuable data to monitoring progress on the SDGs but also to help deliver on the UN’s pledge to ‘leave no one behind.’ Ultimately, creating an inclusive environment for the participation of diverse societal actors in nexus-oriented research and innovation can unlock the full potential of citizen science in advancing the SDGs and ensuring a sustainable future.

Grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3: A global threat to the grape and wine industries but a gold mine for scientific discovery.

Grapevine leafroll disease is the most damaging viral disease afflicting global grape and wine production. Of the five viruses likely associated with the disease, grapevine leafroll-associated virus 3 (GLRaV3) is believed to be the predominant agent, albeit its role as the causal agent has remained uncertain. GLRaV3 (species Ampelovirus trivitis, genus Ampelovirus, family Closteroviridae) has the third largest single-stranded, positive-sense RNA genome among plant viruses at ~18.5kb, only surpassed by two other members of the family Closteroviridae, citrus tristeza virus, and GLRaV1. GLRaV3 is unique among plant viruses in several ways including the size of its genome, the long non-coding regions, and its association with the outer mitochondrial membrane for viral replication. Unfortunately, our understanding of the molecular mechanisms governing GLRaV3 genome replication, gene expression and virus-host interactions is poor due to many factors, including the unavailability of infectious cDNA clones and effective experimental system to initiate grapevine infection with viral clones until recently. In this review, we capture some recent advances in GLRaV3 research towards the establishment of infectious clones, grapevine inoculation systems, as well as approaches towards elucidating the function of GLRaV3-encoded proteins. We also present a working model to explain GLRaV3 pathogenesis.

Innovation amidst post-socialist reform: Jonas Salk and the birth of the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine in China.

As an industrial science, vaccinology is susceptible to changing social, economic and political frameworks. This article reconstructs the history of the birth of the Sabin strains-derived inactivated polio vaccine (sIPV) in China. The development of this nascent vaccine can be attributed first and foremost to the circulation of knowledge and technology in the global polio research network of the 1980s, before the privatization of vaccine manufacturing and the escalation of intellectual-property protections. Tracing correspondence between Jonas Salk and a Chinese scientist, Jiang Shude, and his colleagues, we chart how institutional efforts in search of a profitable product and scientists' motives in pursuing personal careers in the post-socialist reform era led to collaboration on many levels, centered around polio vaccines. In response to recent polio history research, we also emphasize the impact of multiple temporalities of polio dramaturgy on the vaccine manufacturer, as this article demonstrates how the confluence of shifting global polio eradication agendas and contingencies in complex vaccinology undertakings ironically helped to materialize the idea of the sIPV. Finally, stories of vaccines and scientists in China add compelling subplots to the global polio history, which reveals the need to reconsider the politicization of imported technology in broader socialist contexts.A letter dated '3 June 1986' was mailed from Jonas Salk to Jiang Shude (). Jiang had been an unknown vaccinologist working at the Institute of Medical Biology (IMB) in Flower Red Cave in the Western Hills of Kunming, in south-western China. Salk had visited two years earlier to discuss the feasibility of the IMB's proposal to manufacture inactivated polio vaccine (IPV). The initial collaborative plan had come to a halt by the time Salk wrote the letter to Jiang; still, he kindly offered Jiang an opportunity to travel to Bilthoven and then Lyon to learn IPV-related technology with a generous $10,000 grant for his one-year stay in Europe.

The Potential For Dual Use of Emerging Technological Innovations in The Brazilian Army

Objective: the present study aims to analyze how scientific and technological innovations emerging in the Brazilian Army can develop dual use. Theoretical framework: the Triple Helix model and its evolutions were used as a theoretical basis, which allows the integration of different actors, mechanisms and strategies intrinsic to innovation results. Method: comprises a single incorporated case study, investigating three innovation initiatives operating in different scenarios and innovation ecosystems. Data collection was carried out through interviews, using content analysis. Results and Discussion: the research results indicate that military organizations can assume different roles that transcend their primary missions and integrate with initiatives aimed at innovation ecosystems, contributing to innovation and economic and social development. Research Implications: enable a better understanding of the application of the Triple Helix concepts and innovation ecosystems and present evidence that shared activities generate value and enable organizational transformations. Originality/Value: this study, due to its originality, contributes to the literature with insights aimed at the application of the concepts covered and the relevance and value are evidenced in understanding the way in which military organizations operate and the dual use of scientific and technological innovations.

Direct Electrochemical Conversion of CO2 from Industrial Flue Gases.

Electrochemical CO2 conversion to high-value chemicals and fuels has been extensively investigated as a promising carbon-neutrality technology. To date, most studies are generally performed with pure or highly concentrated CO2 feeds, however the composition of industrial flue gases is very complex, with a low CO2 concentration and impurities like O2, CO, NOx, and SOx. Direct utilization of industrial flue gases can bypass the capture and purification steps, yet it suffers from multiple challenges. In this Concept article, we discuss scientific challenges and innovation strategies towards direct electrochemical conversion of CO2 from industrial flue gases. Selected examples on rationally designing catalytic materials and electrode structures for promoting electrochemical reduction of CO2 in the presence of N2 and impurity gases are highlighted. We end up the article with perspectives on the research opportunities and future directions in this emerging yet practical field.

Everything's under Control: Maximizing Biosensor Performance through Negative Control Probe Selection.

The rapid rise of label-free biosensing technologies has led to multiple creative strategies for the detection of macromolecules in complex biological solutions for disease state monitoring, drug discovery, and basic science research. A challenge with these techniques is that assays conducted in complex media such as serum suffer from nonspecific binding of matrix constituents. In label-free biosensors, it is virtually impossible to distinguish these nonspecific interactions without the use of a reference (negative control) probe. Only with reference subtraction can the specific binding signal be faithfully reported. To date, this has been a sparsely studied area in the biosensing field. Here, we report an FDA-inspired framework for optimum control probe selection and a systematic analysis for determining the optimal negative control probe given two monoclonal antibody capture probes on photonic ring resonator sensors. Briefly, while the differences in assay performance for IL-17A and CRP were found to be subtle, the best-scoring reference control based on the bioanalytical parameters of linearity, accuracy, and selectivity differed for each analyte. In the IL-17A assay, BSA scored the highest at 83%, while mouse IgG1 isotype control antibody placed a close second with 75%. With respect to the CRP assay, the rat IgG1 isotype control antibody scored the highest at 95%, while anti-FITC scored the second highest at 89%. These results suggest that although isotype-matching to the capture antibody may be tempting, the best on-chip reference control must be optimized on a case-by-case basis using the framework we report.

Effects of therapeutic factors on brown adipose tissue in order to correct obesity

Adipose tissue has morphological heterogeneity. Currently, five types of fat cells are known: white, beige, brown, yellow and pink adipocytes. In the future, we will consider white, beige and brown adipocytes. The main pathological role in the development of obesity and a number of other metabolic diseases is played by white adipose tissue. The function of energy storage in white adipocytes is well known. However, in pathological conditions, the mass of white fat can increase significantly, amounting to more than 70% of the total body weight. In addition, white adipocytes are prone to inflammation and pathological production of biologically active substances - adipokines. Many adipokines negatively affect musculoskeletal and bone tissues, exacerbate systemic chronic inflammation and the severity of polymorbid pathology. At the same time, brown adipose tissue, due to its pronounced ability to heat production (thermogenesis), has protective properties. Activation of brown adipose tissue and stimulation of the transformation of white adipocytes into brown ones (the so-called “browning”) with the help of physical activity, medications and dietary supplements seems promising. These methods can be successfully used to combat overweight and obesity. In addition, modern advances in genetics and transplantology allow us to hope for the future use of brown adipocyte transplantation in patients who suffer from severe obesity. Research on the interrelationships of adipose tissue, muscles, cardiovascular, nervous, endocrine and other body systems continue. Undoubtedly, there are many interesting scientific discoveries to be made in medical science.

The Reductive Addition–Oxidative Elimination Mechanism

AbstractThe oxidative addition–reductive elimination (OARE) mechanism of reactive molecules on metal atoms is a cornerstone of modern chemistry. However, the complementary reductive addition–oxidative elimination (RAOE) mechanism is barely considered, despite a first reduction reaction between metal atoms and the incoming organic reactant makes chemical sense in a plethora of processes. Here we show, in a chronological order, early precedents in the literature which indicated the possibility of a general RAOE mechanism, the few systems explicitly reported so far (including a catalytic system) and some other reactions where a RAOE mechanism would satisfactorily explain the mechanistic evidences found. These examples, together, strongly suggest that researchers should consider the RAOE mechanism during their investigations, and not simply adjust their conclusions to the omnipresent OARE mechanism. This new line of thinking might open new avenues in the design of chemical reactions, particularly catalytic ones.