Subsequent Developmental Stages Research Articles

Study on Static Mechanical Properties and Numerical Simulation of Coral Aggregate Seawater Shotcrete with Reasonable Mix Proportion

This study aims to explore the static mechanical characteristics of coral aggregate seawater shotcrete (CASS) using an appropriate mix proportion. The orthogonal experiments consisting of four-factor and three-level were conducted to explore an optimal mix proportion of CASS. On a macro-scale, quasi-static compression and splitting tests of CASS with optimal mix proportion at various curing ages employed a combination of acoustic emission (AE) and digital image correlation (DIC) techniques were carried out using an electro-hydraulic servo-controlled test machine. A comparative analysis of static mechanical properties at different curing ages was conducted between the CASS and ordinary aggregate seawater shotcrete (OASS). On a micro-scale, the numerical specimens based on particle flow code (PFC) were subjected to multi-level microcracks division for quantitive analysis of the failure mechanism of specimens. The results show that the optimal mix proportion of CASS consists of 700 kg/m3 of cementitious materials content, a water–binder ratio of 0.45, a sand ratio of 60%, and a dosage of 8% for the accelerator amount. The tensile failure is the primary failure mechanism under uniaxial compression and Brazilian splitting, and the specimens will be closer to the brittle material with increased curing age. The Brazilian splitting failure caused by the arc-shaped main crack initiates from the loading points and propagates along the loading line to the center. Compared with OASS, the CASS has an approximately equal early and low later strength mainly because of the minerals’ filling or unfilling effect on coral pores. The rate of increase in CASS is swifter during the initial strength phase and decelerates during the subsequent stages of strength development. The failure in CASS is experienced primarily within the cement mortar and bonding surface between the cement mortar and aggregate.

Fruit Quality and Plant Productivity of A Cherry Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) Grown under Different Irrigation Regimes during the Reproductive Phase

The impact of water deficit severity and the specific growth stages at which water stress is applied have been found to have significant implications for both tomato yield and fruit quality. Recent findings have highlighted the influence of water deficits during the reproductive phase on tomato fruit quality. This study aimed to assess the effects of deficit irrigation on tomato fruit quality and overall plant productivity. Cherry tomatoes (Solanum lycopersicum var. cerasiforme) were grown in a greenhouse from August to November 2022. Three distinct watering regimes were implemented: Daily watering (T1), watering every 3 days (T2) and watering every 7 days (T3), starting from the flowering stage and continuing through subsequent plant development stages. The mean soil metric potentials (SMP) were −4.9, −29.7 and −52.8 kPa for T1, T2 and T3, respectively. Various traits of fruit size, fruit biomass, total soluble solids (TSS), water content, glucose content and lycopene content were measured. Additionally, the overall plant biomass and root-to-shoot ratio were evaluated. The results revealed that traits of the fruit size, such as diameter, length, volume and fresh weight, were most favorable when plants were subjected to the T2 watering regime, while higher and lower watering frequencies led to smaller fruit sizes. Interestingly, the TSS concentration had the most pronounced response to drought stress, indicating increased fruit sweetness. However, the fruit water content, glucose content and lycopene content remained unaffected by the different watering regimes. Furthermore, plants subjected to the T3 with the minimum SMP at −196.4 kPa exhibited enhanced development of the root system, prioritizing resource acquisition such as water and mineral nutrients over shoot components. In conclusion, this study provided valuable insights for agricultural practitioners, offering a range of alternatives that can inform optimal irrigation strategies that effectively enhance the quality of cherry tomato yields. HIGHLIGHTS Water deficits during the reproductive phase have a notable impact on tomato fruit quality Three distinct watering regimes, including daily watering (T1), watering every 3 days (T2) and watering every 7 days (T3), were implemented, with mean soil metric potentials for T1, T2 and T3 recorded at −4.9, −29.7 and −52.8 kPa, respectively T2 watering regime resulted in the most favorable fruit size (diameter, length, volume and fresh weight), while higher and lower watering frequencies led to smaller fruit sizes Total soluble solid concentration showed a pronounced response to drought stress, indicating increased fruit sweetness, while glucose content and lycopene content were unaffected by different watering regimes The study provides valuable insights for agricultural practitioners, suggesting alternative irrigation strategies to enhance the quality of cherry tomato yields GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT

Gene Cloning, Heterologous Expression, and In Silico Analysis of Chitinase B from Serratia marcescens for Biocontrol of Spodoptera frugiperda Larvae Infesting Maize Crops.

Spodoptera frugiperda, the fall armyworm (FAW), is a highly invasive polyphagous insect pest that is considered a source of severe economic losses to agricultural production. Currently, the majority of chemical insecticides pose tremendous threats to humans and animals besides insect resistance. Thus, there is an urgent need to develop new pest management strategies with more specificity, efficiency, and sustainability. Chitin-degrading enzymes, including chitinases, are promising agents which may contribute to FAW control. Chitinase-producing microorganisms are reported normally in bacteria and fungi. In the present study, Serratia marcescens was successfully isolated and identified from the larvae of Spodoptera frugiperda. The bacterial strain NRC408 displayed the highest chitinase enzyme activity of 250 units per milligram of protein. Subsequently, the chitinase gene was cloned and heterologously expressed in E. coli BL21 (DE3). Recombinant chitinase B was overproduced to 2.5-fold, driven by the T7 expression system. Recombinant chitinase B was evaluated for its efficacy as an insecticidal bioagent against S. frugiperda larvae, which induced significant alteration in subsequent developmental stages and conspicuous malformations. Additionally, our study highlights that in silico analyses of the anticipated protein encoded by the chitinase gene (ChiB) offered improved predictions for enzyme binding and catalytic activity. The effectiveness of (ChiB) against S. frugiperda was evaluated in laboratory and controlled field conditions. The results indicated significant mortality, disturbed development, different induced malformations, and a reduction in larval populations. Thus, the current study consequently recommends chitinase B for the first time to control FAW.

«Бьюти-пространство» Боттичелли, поп-арт и гностики (к вопросу о становлении классического искусства)

<p>The article continues the series of publications by the author on the art of the Renaissance and the work of Botticelli. The author's concept of “classical art” allows us to establish closer connections with subsequent stages of artistic development, as well as with the Early Renaissance. The multi-level structure of Botticelli’s art and the “collage” nature of his works are substantiated. The “universality” of the classics correlates with the gaming strategies of Neoplatonism and Gnosticism. The features that bring the intellectual culture of the Renaissance closer to modern scientific and artistic trends are revealed. New contexts and parallels (Michael Psellus, Honore de Balzac, Arthur Schopenhauer, Alois Riegl, David Hockney, Roy Lichtenstein) allow us to re-evaluate the transformation of the Neoplatonic tradition in European culture. The author rejects rigid interpretations of Gnosticism and Neoplatonism in connection with the work of Botticelli, preferring an “aesthetic” or “poetic” reading. Within the framework of this essentially psychological approach, the author draws attention to the problem of “presence” (“life-likeness”), characteristic of both medieval and modern art. Social issues of interpretation of classical art are touched upon in the article in connection with elements of elitism in the culture of the Medici circle. The concept of “poetry”, developed by Petrarch and Boccaccio and going back to ancient prototypes, is fully consistent with this type of “court” culture, which played a decisive role in the development of classical art. The "decadence" of the late Quattrocento and the work of Botticelli as its highest expression were thus the result of very complex intellectual strategies that were continued during the High Renaissance and Mannerism. Particular attention in the article is paid to the revision of the usual views on the historiography of the Renaissance, the actualization of classical art historical concepts. The article returns to the problem of the origins of the semiotic concept of art. Pragmatism and the “irrational” concept of art (appealing to the unconscious) turn out to be quite compatible, that has particular theoretical significance for the revaluation of conventional approaches to the classical heritage.</p>

Features of calculating the strength of gantry and ship cranes gear units in the probabilistic aspect

The performed study is the result of collecting statistical data on failures of port transshipment and floating cranes. It is found that many accidents of components and parts of crane mechanisms can be associated with an erroneous determination of design loads. In order to increase the strength reliability, numerous field tests were carried out in river and sea ports under various modes of transshipment for different types of cargo. Tests have shown that operational loads are random in nature, and their laws of distribution over time of individual crane mechanisms can be approximated by truncated normal Gauss laws, accounting for which at the stage of new design developments, as shown by the practice of performing strength fatigue calculations, is not possible. In the article, in order to use the obtained laws at the design stage, it is proposed to replace the representation of operational loads with initial moments that are common to the entire crane mechanism, and transfer individual characteristics consideration such as stress concentration coefficients, fatigue curve parameters, operating time or test base, to subsequent stages of machine components development. For practical testing of the operational loads representation by the normal Gauss laws, a critical analysis of their initial moments, which makes it possible to identify inconsistencies in the representations of variable loads proposed for strength calculation, is given. For the corrected truncated normal load distribution law, the initial moments, the value of the order of which corresponds to the formulas structure used in calculating fatigue resistance at variable load amplitudes (in particular, under alternating loading modes), are determined. The presentation of corrected normal distribution laws with initial moments complements the normative documents used in practice when performing strength calculations under variable loading conditions, significantly simplifies calculations and makes it possible to take it into account at the stage of new design developments in accordance with the formulas established in the current normative documents.

Our ancestors: the Cimbri, Goths and Sarmatians. Three ethnogenetic legends in early modern Europe

ABSTRACT The study presented here is an attempt at a comparative analysis of three early modern phenomena in the history of ideas and culture: three ethnogenetic theories about the origins of the Swedish (Gothic) and Polish (Sarmatian) nations and states, as well as that of the Danes, originating from the ancient Cimbri. First, they will be compared as historiographic concepts characteristic of early modern knowledge. The next part of the paper concerns modifications to these theories made in national historiographies and the broader visions of the history of the respective countries based on them. The last part of the study presents how these ideas function at the political level, both in relation to broader visions of political reality and political practice. The analysis suggests that while in the case of the 16th-century historical concepts of origo gentis, there are more similarities than differences, the subsequent stages of development show increasing differentiation: the ideas of Sarmatian ethnogenesis underwent greater changes than others. However, there are similarities in the way Gothic and Sarmatian ideas functioned in political life and politics during that period in Sweden and Poland, respectively. The weakest point is the influence of Cimbrian ethnogenesis on the politics of Denmark at that time.

Toward Unrivaled Chromatographic Resolving Power in Proteomics: Design and Development of Comprehensive Spatial Three-Dimensional Liquid-Phase Separation Technology.

Spatial comprehensive three-dimensional chromatography (3D-LC) offers an innovative approach to achieve unprecedented resolving power in terms of peak capacity and sample throughput. This advanced technique separates components within a 3D separation space, where orthogonal retention mechanisms are incorporated. The parallel development of the second- and third-dimension stages effectively overcomes the inherent limitation of conventional multidimensional approaches, where sampled fractions are analyzed sequentially. This review focuses on the design aspects of the microchip for spatial 3D-LC and the selection of orthogonal separation modes to enable the analysis of intact proteins. The design considerations for the flow distributor and channel layout are discussed, along with various approaches to confine the flow during the subsequent development stages. Additionally, the integration of stationary phases into the microchip is addressed, and interfacing to mass spectrometry detection is discussed. According to Pareto optimality, the integration of isoelectric focusing, size-exclusion chromatography, and reversed-phase chromatography in a spatial 3D-LC approach is predicted to achieve an exceptional peak capacity of over 30,000 within a 1-h analysis, setting a new benchmark in chromatographic performance. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Analytical Chemistry, Volume 17 is May 2024. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.

Ground subsidence and polygon development due to thermokarst in the Lena-Aldan interfluve, eastern Siberia, revealed by satellite remote sensing data

Thermokarst development is a topographic change in the landscape that is commonly associated with permafrost degradation in ice-rich permafrost regions. The Lena-Aldan interfluvial area in Central Yakutia in eastern Siberia has undergone extensive thermokarst development in the last three decades, particularly in the vicinity of settlements. Despite the negative effects of thermokarst development on the inhabitants of these settlements, no quantitative observation methods have been developed to investigate the surface displacement due to thermokarst development over entire towns. This study utilized interferometric synthetic aperture radar to reveal ground-surface displacement associated with thermokarst near the settlements of selected towns. The findings showed that significant subsidence was detected in disturbed areas (farming and abundant arable land) near the towns. The magnitude of subsidence in the Tyungyulyu and Mayya areas was less than that in Churapcha and Amga. Polygon density in a defined area in each town was examined using high-resolution optical images. The polygon density in Churapcha was considerably lower than that in Mayya, whereas polygonal texture in some areas in Tyungyulyu and Amga was unclear. Spatial frequency analysis using satellite optical images showed clear differences in averaged spectrum models between well-developed and less-developed polygons, which may reflect trough depths and density of vegetation between polygons. Satellite-based subsidence maps and statistics describing polygon development may be useful for evaluating both initial and subsequent stages of thermokarst development.

Twórczy rodzic - twórcze dziecko? Znaczenie środowisk wychowawczych w rozwoju potencjału twórczego dziecka

Aim: Educational environments heavily emphasize the well-rounded development of a child, often disregarding their individual needs. Schools and their teachers increasingly offer a wide range of "educational services," including elaborate interest-based clubs, skill-enhancement programs, and extracurricular activities. Children immersed in the pressure of "being the best at everything" often lose their natural curiosity about the world and are denied the opportunity to reflect on their true interests, leading to constant exhaustion. Parents are the primary caregivers and educators for their children, with the right and responsibility to raise them. In the process of upbringing, parents should not forget that a child has not only obligations but also rights. Often, in their desire to provide their children with material comforts, parents overlook the importance of being present in their everyday lives. Objective: To identify and present areas of interest for students attending additional classes, as well as to analyze the types of actions taken by significant people for children to develop their creative potential. Methods: diagnostic survey Results: According to the results of the diagnostic survey, active participation in the additional classes offered by schools has a positive impact on children’s development. Parents (80%) enroll their children in these classes, recognizing the need for such activities, while teachers see the need to reduce differences in compensatory classes. Additional classes help students develop their passions and achieve positive effects in physical, intellectual, cognitive, socio-moral, and emotional development. They also improve their memory and learn self-discipline. Significant adults confirm the beneficial impact of children’s participation in all areas of child development, emphasizing that it also translates into their child’s extracurricular functioning. Conclusion: Entities that participate in a child’s understanding of their immediate environment and the outside world have the task of not only delegating tasks to be performed or meeting their expectations but above all, participating and supporting the child in this effort. Both parents, as the first teachers, and teachers at subsequent stages of development, should play a special role as companions, inspirers, and observers of children’s development. Working with a child should be an opening to their subjectivity, individuality, and natural desire to gain new experiences. Originality: This is a scientific article presenting the results of original empirical research. Keywords. child, parent, teacher, development, educational environments, potential, creative child.

The evolution and transformation of youth entrepreneurship in China: a sociological analysis

The purpose of the article is to conduct a socio-historical study of the evolution and stages of the formation of youth entrepreneurship in China. The main problem is to identify and characterize the evolution and patterns that reveal the entrepreneurship of Chinese youth as a market mechanism that successfully functions in the conditions of the socialist economy of China. The object of the study is the entrepreneurial activity of young Chinese people. The subject of the study is the systematization of the stages of formation of youth entrepreneurship in various periods of transformation of Chinese society. The sources of information are scientific research carried out by Russian and Chinese researchers, as well as researchers from other countries. A comprehensive analysis of the sociodynamics of the development of youth entrepreneurship in China allows us to thoroughly and objectively identify and characterize the main systemic connections of this social phenomenon. The research methodology assumes a socio-historical analysis of the stages of the formation of youth entrepreneurship in China. A generalized analysis of the significant dependence of youth entrepreneurship on the general trends in the development of entrepreneurship in China as a social institution and the need for significant regulatory, organizational, educational efforts on the part of society and the state for its formation, maintenance and development is carried out. It is shown that at the stage of transition of Chinese society from subsistence farming to a planned economy (1945-1950), youth entrepreneurship was mainly spontaneous, non-institutional in nature and manifested itself as facts of entrepreneurial activity of individuals. The patriarchal way of life and rigid hierarchies of relations did not contribute to the development of entrepreneurial initiative of young people. At the second stage, in the process of transition to an industrial society (1951-1966), the centralization of the economy is increasing, and the main areas of activity of Chinese youth are directed to the political sphere, to the detriment of entrepreneurial initiatives in the economy. The third stage, the transition to an open society (1967-1978), is characterized by changes in the understanding of the political role of youth in society, the era after the Cultural Revolution laid the foundation for recognizing the important role of market foundations and youth entrepreneurship in the subsequent stages of China's development. The transition to a legal society (the fourth stage of the "Four Modernizations", after 1978), gives impetus to the development of youth entrepreneurship in China.

Comparative study of Eimeria tenella development in different cell culture systems.

Cell culture systems have long been recognised as great resources to mitigate the use of animals in research, offering effective solutions for replacement or reduction with benefits commonly including lower costs, shorter duration and improved reproducibility. The use of in vitro culture methods has been extensively explored for many apicomplexan parasites, supporting significant research advances, but studies with Eimeria are often limited since they still depend on the animal host. In this study we have used 2.5D and 3D culture systems for the first time to evaluate the growth of Eimeria tenella parasites using a panel of cell lines (MDBK, HD11, COLO-680N and HCC4006). Results were compared to growth in 2D monolayers following established protocols. Observations using the fluorescent transgenic strain Et-dYFP showed invasion and development of parasites inside cells suspended in a collagen matrix (2.5D or 3D), supporting the development of asexual stages with the release of first-generation merozoites. Similar findings were observed when Scaffold-free 3D cell spheroids of HD11 cells were infected with sporozoites. No subsequent developmental stages were identified while evaluating these cell lines and further work will be required to improve in vitro culture systems to a point where reduction and replacement of animal use becomes routine.

Experimental investigation on the self-ignition behavior of dangerous dust accumulations

A process known as spontaneous combustion is brought on by the gradual oxidation of flammable organic particles and takes place when air passes over a mass of dust. Combustible powders react with air oxygen in a process known as oxidation, which produces carbon dioxide, carbon oxide, water, and other gases whose contents depend on the temperature at which the oxidation occurs. Combustible dusts can self-ignite depending on their chemical makeup, the characteristics of their constituent components, the particle size and mass geometry, and last but not least, the ambient temperature. Self-ignition is a complicated process that occurs in three subsequent or concurrent stages of development, namely self-heating, humidity evaporation, and self-ignition. Self-ignition is a complicated process that occurs in three separate or concurrent stages of development, namely self-heating, humidity evaporation and self-ignition, all of which interact with one another. Even at normal temperatures, the molecules on the surface of combustible dust particles are prone to exothermic interactions with oxygen in the air conveyed in the free volume between particles, which is the cause of self-heating (or possibly self-ignition). The temperature of the reactive-air dust system will then rise as a result of any heat emitted, hastening the reactivity of other dust molecules with oxygen. By using drying tests at constant temperatures, this work aims to demonstrate the self-ignition behavior of flammable dusts by volume.

Roles of immune microenvironment in the female reproductive maintenance and regulation: novel insights into the crosstalk of immune cells.

Female fertility decline is an accumulative consequence caused by complex factors, among them, the disruption of the immune profile in female reproduction stands out as a crucial contributor. Presently, the effects of immune microenvironment (IME) on the female reproductive process have attracted increasing attentions for their dynamic but precisive roles. Immunocytes including macrophages, dendritic cells, T cells, B cells and neutrophils, with diverse subpopulations as well as high plasticity functioned dynamically in the process of female reproduction through indirect intercellular communication via specific cytokine release transduced by molecular signal networks or direct cell-cell contact to maintain the stability of the reproductive process have been unveiled. The immune profile of female reproduction in each stage has also been meticulously unveiled. Especially, the application of single-cell sequencing (scRNA-seq) technology in this process reveals the distribution map of immune cells, which gives a novel insight for the homeostasis of IME and provides a research direction for better exploring the role of immune cells in female reproduction. Here, we provide an all-encompassing overview of the latest advancements in immune modulation within the context of the female reproductive process. Our approach involves structuring our summary in accordance with the physiological sequence encompassing gonadogenesis, folliculogenesis within the ovaries, ovulation through the fallopian tubes, and the subsequent stages of embryo implantation and development within the uterus. Our overarching objective is to construct a comprehensive portrayal of the immune microenvironment (IME), thereby accentuating the pivotal role played by immune cells in governing the intricate female reproductive journey. Additionally, we emphasize the pressing need for heightened attention directed towards strategies that focus on immune interventions within the female reproductive process, with the ultimate aim of enhancing female fertility.

Rediscovering classics: Robert Darnton’s communications circuit

Many scholars point to the crisis in the Russian bibliology. Meanwhile, those involved in the discussion specify the origins of the crisis in the discipline differently. One possible way to overcome the theoretical crisis of bibliology is to turn to Robert Darnton’s conceptual model of communications circuit. Robert Darnton is well known for his studies in the history of book culture of the modern era yet his model, which has long been recognized as a classic in international historical book studies, has been ignored by Russian bibliologists. The author describes the model that contemplates to identify agents of book communications; the sustained interactions between the agents structure and reproduce the world of book culture. The methodological context of the “pragmatic turn” that defines the model-based concept of book culture based on Clifford Geertz’s semiotic theory of culture, is revised. Possible ways of adapting Darnton’s model to the subsequent stages of media development are outlined. The communications circuit model offers research optics to consider book culture as the communicative wholeness within which the book serves as a medium to facilitate social interactions between different agents involved in the book communication process. Application of Darnton’s model would provide a new research agenda and its incorporation into the relevant international scholarly context.

Gibberellin and the miRNA156-targeted SlSBPs synergistically regulate tomato floral meristem determinacy and ovary patterning.

Many developmental processes associated with fruit development occur at the floral meristem (FM). Age-regulated microRNA156 (miR156) and gibberellins (GA) interact to control flowering time, but their interplay in subsequent stages of reproductive development is poorly understood. Here, we show GA and miR156-targeted SlSBPs interact in tomato FM and ovary patterning. High GA responses or overexpression of miR156 (156OE), which leads to low levels of miR156-silenced SQUAMOSA PROMOTER BINDING PROTEIN-LIKE (SPL/SBP), resulted in enlarged FMs, ovary indeterminacy, and fruits with increased locule number. Conversely, low GA responses reduced indeterminacy and locule number, and overexpression of a miR156-resistant SlSBP15 allele (rSBP15) reduced FM size and locule number. GA responses were partially required for the defects observed in 156OE and rSBP15 fruits. Transcriptome analysis and genetic interactions revealed shared and divergent functions of miR156-targeted SlSBPs, PROCERA/DELLA and the classical WUSCHEL/CLAVATA pathway, which has been previously associated with meristem size and determinacy. Our findings reveal the miR156/SlSBP/GA regulatory module is deployed differently depending on developmental stage and create novel opportunities to fine-tune aspects of fruit development that have been important for tomato domestication.

RELIABILITY OF HYDROPNEUMODRIVES FOR METAL CUTTING EQUIPMENT

The reliability of hydropneumodrives largely determines the safety of machine tools, metal cutting equipment, the movement of transport vehicles, and the flight of modern passenger aircraft, and their failures can in some cases lead to accidents. The design stage is crucial in ensuring reliability. The main tasks of reliability research and calculation at this stage can be divided into three groups. First, it is a justification of reliability requirements for the main elements of the hydraulic pneumatic actuator (the task of reliability norming). This task is solved at an early stage of design and involves the preliminary development of the unit structure and justification of design principles. Secondly, it is to ensure the reliability of the elements and the unit as a whole. This group of tasks includes research and quantitative assessment of the efficiency of possible ways to ensure reliability; selection of basic design characteristics, statistical reserves of durability and longevity, stability reserves and other indicators; comparative analysis of options and selection of optimal designs. Thirdly, these are control calculations of the unit's reliability according to the design documentation. Algorithms for the distribution of normalised reliability indices at the design stage for hydropneumodrives implemented by the standard positional structure method and the minimisation method are obtained. Algorithms allow already at the early stages of hydropneumodrive design to normalise reliability indices, which makes it possible to obtain optimal solutions of reliability issues at the subsequent stages of development of the drive life cycle. The methods of calculation and determination of design relations for finding quantitative characteristics of failure-free indices of designed hydropneumodrives, implemented by the method of standard positional structure and the method of minimisation, are selected, which allows designing highly reliable hydropneumodrives for new metal cutting equipment. Evaluation of reliability indicators of hydropneumodrives at the stage of preliminary design allows to make a rational choice of structural scheme and parameters, to select appropriate materials and elements of scheme realisations.

Early-onset smoking theory of compulsivity development: a neurocognitive model for the development of compulsive tobacco smoking.

According to the literature, individuals who start tobacco smoking during adolescence are at greater risk of developing severe tobacco addiction and heavier smoking behavior in comparison with individuals who uptake tobacco smoking during subsequent developmental stages. As suggested by animal models, this may be related to the unique neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects of nicotine on adolescents' fronto-striatal brain regions modulating cognitive control and impulsivity. Previous research has proposed that these neuroadaptive and neurotoxic effects may cause a heightened reward-oriented impulsive behavior that may foster smoking relapses during quit attempts. However, developments in the field of addiction neuroscience have proposed drug addiction to represent a type of compulsive behavior characterized by the persistent use of a particular drug despite evident adverse consequences. One brain region that has received increased attention in recent years and that has been proposed to play a central role in modulating such compulsive drug-seeking and using behavior is the insular cortex. Lesion studies have shown that structural damages in the insular cortex may disrupt smoking behavior, while neuroimaging studies reported lower gray matter volume in the anterior insular cortex of chronic smokers compared with non-smokers, in addition to correlations between gray matter volume in the anterior insular cortex and measures of compulsive cigarette smoking. Based on the findings of our recent study reporting on early-onset smokers (mean age at regular smoking initiation = 13.2 years) displaying lower gray matter and white matter volume in the anterior insular cortex compared to late-onset smokers (mean age at regular smoking initiation = 18.0 years), we propose that the anterior insular cortex may play a central role in mediating the association between smoking uptake during adolescence and smoking heaviness/tobacco addiction during adulthood.

Kyoto's Gion festival: a longue-durée history of patronage, piety, and play

ABSTRACT The Gion festival of Kyoto has a relatively well-documented history of more than a millennium. This article uses historical sources to investigate the dynamic between patronage, piety, and play diachronically, from a longue durée perspective. Political and economic patronage took radically different forms in subsequent stages of the festival's development. Surviving sources offer more insight into structures of patronage than into piety and are even more terse when it comes to play, but even with these limitations, it is clear that shifts in patronage have had a defining impact on both. Vice versa, both piety and play have generated renewed patronage, at times inspiring concerted action to revive the festival or prevent it from collapsing. Kyoto's Gion festival offers a unique archive that allows us to study how historical circumstances have shifted the dynamic between political and economic patronage, piety, and play in one of Japan's most influential festivals.

Industrial chicory genome gives insights into the molecular timetable of anther development and male sterility.

Industrial chicory (Cichorium intybus var. sativum) is a biannual crop mostly cultivated for extraction of inulin, a fructose polymer used as a dietary fiber. F1 hybrid breeding is a promising breeding strategy in chicory but relies on stable male sterile lines to prevent self-pollination. Here, we report the assembly and annotation of a new industrial chicory reference genome. Additionally, we performed RNA-Seq on subsequent stages of flower bud development of a fertile line and two cytoplasmic male sterile (CMS) clones. Comparison of fertile and CMS flower bud transcriptomes combined with morphological microscopic analysis of anthers, provided a molecular understanding of anther development and identified key genes in a range of underlying processes, including tapetum development, sink establishment, pollen wall development and anther dehiscence. We also described the role of phytohormones in the regulation of these processes under normal fertile flower bud development. In parallel, we evaluated which processes are disturbed in CMS clones and could contribute to the male sterile phenotype. Taken together, this study provides a state-of-the-art industrial chicory reference genome, an annotated and curated candidate gene set related to anther development and male sterility as well as a detailed molecular timetable of flower bud development in fertile and CMS lines.

Metabolic Modeling of Hermetia illucens Larvae Resource Allocation for High-Value Fatty Acid Production.

All plant and animal kingdom organisms use highly connected biochemical networks to facilitate sustaining, proliferation, and growth functions. While the biochemical network details are well known, the understanding of the intense regulation principles is still limited. We chose to investigate the Hermetia illucens fly at the larval stage because this stage is a crucial period for the successful accumulation and allocation of resources for the subsequent organism's developmental stages. We combined iterative wet lab experiments and innovative metabolic modeling design approaches to simulate and explain the H. illucens larval stage resource allocation processes and biotechnology potential. We performed time-based growth and high-value chemical compound accumulation wet lab chemical analysis experiments on larvae and the Gainesville diet composition. We built and validated the first H. illucens medium-size, stoichiometric metabolic model to predict the effects of diet-based alterations on fatty acid allocation potential. Using optimization methods such as flux balance and flux variability analysis on the novel insect metabolic model, we predicted that doubled essential amino acid consumption increased the growth rate by 32%, but pure glucose consumption had no positive impact on growth. In the case of doubled pure valine consumption, the model predicted a 2% higher growth rate. In this study, we describe a new framework for researching the impact of dietary alterations on the metabolism of multi-cellular organisms at different developmental stages for improved, sustainable, and directed high-value chemicals.