Colonial policy studies in Japan: racial visions of Nan'yo, or the early creation of a global South

This article examines Japanese colonial policy studies (shokumin seisaku gaku) with a particular focus on its relationship with the distinct region of ‘Nan'yo’ (the South Seas). Specifically analysing the works of Takekoshi Yosaburo (1865–1950), Nitobe Inazo (1862–1933) and Yanaihara Tadao (1893–1961), it seeks to uncover the ways in which the exponents of this study area accounted for Nan'yo based on their conceptions of race. It also shows how they inflicted envisaged racial hierarchies on the southern Pacific and how such attempts were related to colonial policy debates behind the practice of Japanese imperialism. Part of the findings point out that Takekoshi's and Nitobe's comparable projections of strict racial hierarchies on the Malays served to justify the southward colonization of the Japanese. Yanaihara's depiction of Nan'yo islanders as radically underdeveloped was tailored to championing Japan's sustained espousal of the League Mandate. The article argues that their accounts of Nan'yo formed part of a transnational knowledge chain about colonial and racial victimization. Like their western counterparts including Gustav Le Bon, Paul Leroy-Beaulieu, Paul S. Reinsch and J. A. Hobson, they built purported racial pyramids with the tropical areas at their bottom, the bulk of which correspond to today's global South. They have been accomplices in this colonial present.

Optimizing ethyl cellulose-ethanol delivery towards enabling ablation of cervical dysplasia

In low-income countries, up to 80% of women diagnosed with cervical dysplasia do not return for follow-up care, primarily due to treatment being inaccessible. Here, we describe development of a low-cost, portable treatment suitable for such settings. It is based on injection of ethyl cellulose (EC)-ethanol to ablate the transformation zone around the os, the site most impacted by dysplasia. EC is a polymer that sequesters the ethanol within a prescribed volume when injected into tissue, and this is modulated by the injected volume and delivery parameters (needle gauge, bevel orientation, insertion rate, depth, and infusion rate). Salient injection-based delivery parameters were varied in excised swine cervices. The resulting injection distribution volume was imaged with a wide-field fluorescence imaging device or computed tomography. A 27G needle and insertion rate of 10 mm/s achieved the desired insertion depth in tissue. Orienting the needle bevel towards the outer edge of the cervix and keeping infusion volumes ≤ 500 µL minimized leakage into off-target tissue. These results guided development of a custom hand-held injector, which was used to locate and ablate the upper quadrant of a swine cervix in vivo with no adverse events or changes in host temperature or heart rate. After 24 h, a distinct region of necrosis was detected that covered a majority (> 75%) of the upper quadrant of the cervix, indicating four injections could effectively cover the full cervix. The work here informs follow up large animal in vivo studies, e.g. in swine, to further assess safety and efficacy of EC-ethanol ablation in the cervix.

SECONDARY HEMOPHAGOCYTIC LYMPHOHISTIOCYTOSIS IN A CHILD WITH CONCOMITANT EBSTEIN BARR VIRUS AND SCRUB TYPHUS INFECTION – A RARE ENTITY

Scrub typhus is a life threatening zoonosis caused by Orientia tsutsugamushi organisms that are transmitted by the larvae of trombiculid mites. It is endemic to a geographically distinct region, the so called Tsutsugamushi triangle, which includes Japan, China and South Korea. The disease is more prevalent in southern and northern India.It is characterised by focal or disseminated vasculitis and perivasculitis involving the lungs, liver, spleen and central nervous system. We report our experience with pediatric scrub typhus at a hospital in eastern India with EBV positive and secondary HLH. An 8 year old boy with fever, maculopapular rash, hepatosplenomegaly and lymphadenopathy was admitted in our institution and diagnosed with Scrub typhus. Physical and laboratory data showed hepatosplenomegaly, bicytopenia, hyperferritinemia, and hypobrinogenemia. Secondary HLH was diagnosed and the child was managed with IVIG and steroids. In view of rash followed by lymphadenopathy and hepatosplenomegaly EBV serology was also sent as a cause of HLH. Surprisingly, EBV panel was also positive. We therefore concluded that the most probable explanation was EBV triggered HPS following scrub typhus infection. Another possible explanation is EBV can be reactivated in critically ill patients. To our knowledge this is the rst such case in the pediatric population reported till date.

Musculoskeletal modelling of sprawling and parasagittal forelimbs provides insight into synapsid postural transition

The sprawling-parasagittal postural shift was a major transition during synapsid evolution and is considered key to mammalian ecological diversity. Despite a good fossil record, debate remains over when the shift to parasagittal posture occurred, primarily due to limited comparative biomechanical data on extant species. Here, we built forelimb musculoskeletal models of three extant taxa that bracket the sprawling-parasagittal transition: a tegu lizard, an echidna, and an opossum. We measured shoulder joint range of motion (ROM) about all three degrees of rotational freedom and characterized shoulder muscle moment arms (MMAs) across the entire pose space. Our results show that both the opossum and the tegu had high shoulder joint ROM, and both were substantially higher than the echidna. However, the opossum occupied a distinct region of pose space characterized by high humeral retraction angles. There are clear interspecific differences in MMAs related to posture, with the sprawling tegu and echidna emphasizing humeral depression, and the parasagittal opossum emphasizing humeral elevation. There are also notable differences between our sprawling taxa, with the echidna possessing much greater moment arms for humeral pronation than the tegu. We demonstrate clear functional variation between locomotor grades and use these data to hypothesize major shifts in forelimb function and posture along the mammalian stem.

Novel Salinity Tolerance Loci in Chickpea Identified in Glasshouse and Field Environments

A better understanding of the genetics of salinity tolerance in chickpea would enable breeding of salt tolerant varieties, offering potential to expand chickpea production to marginal, salinity-affected areas. A Recombinant Inbred Line population was developed using accelerated-Single Seed Descent of progeny from a cross between two chickpea varieties, Rupali (salt-sensitive) and Genesis836 (salt-tolerant). The population was screened for salinity tolerance using high-throughput image-based phenotyping in the glasshouse, in hydroponics, and across 2 years of field trials at Merredin, Western Australia. A genetic map was constructed from 628 unique in-silico DArT and SNP markers, spanning 963.5 cM. Markers linked to two flowering loci identified on linkage groups CaLG03 and CaLG05 were used as cofactors during genetic analysis to remove the confounding effects of flowering on salinity response. Forty-two QTL were linked to growth rate, yield, and yield component traits under both control and saline conditions, and leaf tissue ion accumulation under salt stress. Residuals from regressions fitting best linear unbiased predictions from saline conditions onto best linear unbiased predictions from control conditions provided a measure of salinity tolerance per se, independent of yield potential. Six QTL on CaLG04, CaLG05, and CaLG06 were associated with tolerance per se. In total, 21 QTL mapped to two distinct regions on CaLG04. The first distinct region controlled the number of filled pods, leaf necrosis, seed number, and seed yield specifically under salinity, and co-located with four QTL linked to salt tolerance per se. The second distinct region controlled 100-seed weight and growth-related traits, independent of salinity treatment. Positional cloning of the salinity tolerance-specific loci on CaLG04, CaLG05, and CaLG06 will improve our understanding of the key determinants of salinity tolerance in chickpea.

Anatomical and cellular heterogeneity in the mouse oviduct—its potential roles in reproduction and preimplantation development†

The oviduct/fallopian tube is a tube-like structure that extends from the uterus to the ovary. It is an essential reproductive organ that provides an environment for internal fertilization and preimplantation development. However, our knowledge of its regional and cellular heterogeneity is still limited. Here, we examined the anatomical complexity of mouse oviducts using modern imaging techniques and fluorescence reporter lines. We found that there are consistent coiling patterns and turning points in the coiled mouse oviduct that serve as reliable landmarks for luminal morphological regionalities. We also found previously unrecognized anatomical structures in the isthmus and uterotubal junction, which likely play roles in reproduction. Furthermore, we demarcated the ampulla–isthmus junction as a distinct region. Taken together, the oviduct mucosal epithelium has highly diverse structures with distinct epithelial cell populations, reflecting its complex functions in reproduction.

Crustal Thickness Variation Across the Sea of Marmara Region, NW Turkey: A Reflection of Modern and Ancient Tectonic Processes

<div> <div> <div> <p>The Marmara region in Turkey is an important geological setting, both from a tectonic and a seismic hazard/risk perspective. Here we present a recently published map of crustal thickness variation across this complex region (Jenkins et al., 2020), to aid in furthering our understanding of the past and present tectonic processes that formed present‐day structure. The crustal thickness map was created using Ps converted phases and receiver function (RF) analysis of earthquakes recorded at all publicly available seismic stations and stations in the national monitoring network (run by AFAD Disaster and Emergency Management Authority Turkey). RFs were converted from time to depth using a local 3‐D full‐waveform tomographic model and combined in multiphase common conversion point stacks, such that direct P to S converted arrivals and associated multiples are used together to produce continuous maps of the Moho discontinuity. Results reveal the Moho beneath Marmara ranges in depth from 26–41 km, and shows a regional trend of westward thinning, reflecting the effects of the extensional regime in western Anatolia and the neighboring Aegean Sea. The thinnest crust is observed beneath the western end of the Sea of Marmara, and can be attributed to transtensional basin opening. A distinct region of increased crustal thickness bounded by the West Black Sea Fault in the west, and the northern strand of the North Anatolian Fault in the south, defines the ancient crustal terrane of the Istanbul Zone. Isostatic arguments indicate that the thickened crust and lower elevation in the Istanbul Zone require it to be underlain by thicker lithosphere, a conclusion that is consistent with its hypothesized origin near the Odessa shelf.</p> </div> </div> </div>

Eigenspectra: a framework for identifying spectra from 3D eclipse mapping

ABSTRACT Planetary atmospheres are inherently 3D objects that can have strong gradients in latitude, longitude, and altitude. Secondary eclipse mapping is a powerful way to map the 3D distribution of the atmosphere, but the data can have large correlations and errors in the presence of photon and instrument noise. We develop a technique to mitigate the large uncertainties of eclipse maps by identifying a small number of dominant spectra to make them more tractable for individual analysis via atmospheric retrieval. We use the eigencurves method to infer a multiwavelength map of a planet from spectroscopic secondary eclipse light curves. We then apply a clustering algorithm to the planet map to identify several regions with similar emergent spectra. We combine the similar spectra together to construct an ‘eigenspectrum’ for each distinct region on the planetary map. We demonstrate how this approach could be used to isolate hot from cold regions and/or regions with different chemical compositions in observations of hot Jupiters with the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST). We find that our method struggles to identify sharp edges in maps with sudden discontinuities, but generally can be used as a first step before a more physically motivated modelling approach to determine the primary features observed on the planet.

Rhizobacterial community structure in grafted tomato plants infected by Ralstonia solanacearum

Navitasari L, Joko T, Murti RH, Arwiyanto T. 2020. Rhizobacterial community structure in grafted tomato plants infected by Ralstonia solanacearum. Biodiversitas 21: 4888-4895. Bacterial wilt disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating soil-borne vascular disease of tomato leading to a 100% yield loss. One of the alternatives to suppress the infestation of R. solanacearum infestation is the application of grafting techniques, which has been studied and successfully practiced by tomato growers. However, the infestation mode of R. solanacearum and the rhizobacterial community structure in grafted tomato plants are poorly reported. In this study, the rhizobacterial community structure in grafted tomato plants infected by R. solanacearum was investigated. The experiment was conducted on tomato germplasms with the implementation of tube grafting using resistant rootstocks (Amelia from Indonesia, H.7996 from Asian Vegetable Research Development Center/AVRDC) and susceptible scion (Servo from Indonesia). The rhizobacterial community structure was analyzed by metagenomic study under 16S rRNA genes sequencing with a distinct region (16SV3-V4) that was amplified using a specific primer (16SV4: 515F-806R) 5’-GTGCCAGCMGCCGCGGTAA and 5’GGACTACHVHHHTWTCTAAT. The results indicated that the grafted tomato plants and resistant rootstocks that were infected by R. solanacearum showed significantly lower intensity of bacterial wilt disease compared to the susceptible scion. The rhizobacterial community structure in the grafted tomato plants infected by R. solanacearum was indicated by predominant phyla of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, and Actinobacteria with dominant genera of Pseudomonas and Bacillus. Besides, significant difference was also indicated by species of Geitlerinema sp. in the grafted tomatoes infected by R. solanacearum.

Development of a diamide resistance diagnostic method using LAMP based on a resistance-specific indel in ryanodine receptors for Spodoptera exigua (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Recently, resistance to diamide insecticides (IRAC group 28) has been reported in various lepidopteran pests, including Spodoptera exigua. In the present study, susceptibility of six field populations was evaluated to two diamide insecticides: chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide. The bioassay test for resistance revealed a high level of diamide resistance and helped to select a diamide resistant (Di-R) strain, whose LC50 values against chlorantraniliprole and flubendiamide were 28,950- and 135,286-fold higher, respectively, than those of susceptible strains. In the ryanodine receptor, instead of the G4946E mutation, one of the well-known diamide resistance mechanisms, we found a I4790M mutation and identified the resistance allele-specific indel linked to it. Resistance allele diagnostic primers were designed using this distinct region and applied in loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) and general PCR. LAMP accurately detected the specific indel when conducted for 2 h at temperature range from 63 °C to 65 °C and using four LAMP primers; its efficiency was further amplified by an additional loop primer. A broad range of DNA concentrations was workable in the LAMP assay, with the minimum detectable DNA concentration of 100 pg. The new DNA releasing method used for the LAMP assay consisted of 5 min of incubation of a larva or adult tissue at 95°C. The entire diagnostic process, which included the DNA releasing technique and LAMP, lasted only 100 min. This simple and accurate LAMP assay can be applied to monitor diamide resistance and for integrated resistance management of S. exigua in the field.