Master Key to Coinage Metal Nanoclusters Treasure Chest: 38-metal Clusters

Atomically precise metal nanoclusters with specific chemical compositions have become a popular research topic due to their precise structures, attractive properties and wide range of applications in various fields. Currently,...

Growth Hormone and the Human Hair Follicle

Ever since the discoveries that human hair follicles (HFs) display the functional peripheral equivalent of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis, exhibit elements of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis, and even generate melatonin and prolactin, human hair research has proven to be a treasure chest for the exploration of neurohormone functions. However, growth hormone (GH), one of the dominant neurohormones of human neuroendocrine physiology, remains to be fully explored in this context. This is interesting since it has long been appreciated clinically that excessive GH serum levels induce distinct human skin pathology. Acromegaly, or GH excess, is associated with hypertrichosis, excessive androgen-independent growth of body hair, and hirsutism in females, while dysfunctional GH receptor-mediated signaling (Laron syndrome) is associated with alopecia and prominent HF defects. The outer root sheath keratinocytes have recently been shown to express functional GH receptors. Furthermore, and contrary to its name, recombinant human GH is known to inhibit female human scalp HFs’ growth ex vivo, likely via stimulating the expression of the catagen-inducing growth factor, TGF-β2. These limited available data encourage one to systematically explore the largely uncharted role of GH in human HF biology to uncover nonclassical functions of this core neurohormone in human skin physiology.

KHẢO ĐỐI LIÊN VĂN BẢN TRUYỆN TỪ ĐẠO HẠNH HAY LÀ SỰ TÍCH THÁNH LÁNG TRONG KHO TÀNG TRUYỆN CỔ TÍCH VIỆT NAM VỚI CÁC TÀI LIỆU THAM KHẢO LIÊN QUAN

This article presents the results of a comparison between “Tale of Lang Lord,” which is printed in “Treasure Chest of Vietnamese Folklore”, and the documents that Nguyen Dong Chi consulted. This method not only puts the story back in an extensive cultural background but also helps us discover the actual meaning of the author’s work titled “Collecting Folk Tales.”

Collaborations and deceptions in strategic interactions revealed by hyperscanning fMRI

Despite its ubiquity, deceiving as a social phenomenon is scarcely addressed with fMRI, partly due to the spontaneity and individual differences in cheating, and the contextual variability that fosters lying. In this hyperscanning fMRI study, the participant pairs (n=33) from Taipei and Tainan joined an opening-treasure-chest (OTC) game, where the dyads took alternative turns as senders (to inform) and receivers (to decide) for guessing the right chest. The cooperation condition was achieved by, upon successful guessing, splitting the $200NTD trial reward, thereby promoting mutual trust. The competition condition, in contrast, was done by, also upon winning, the latter receivers taking all the $150NTD reward, thereby encouraging strategic interactions. One key fMRI finding was the negative correlations between the connectivity of the right temporo-parietal junction (rTPJ), known as the theory-of-mind function, and amygdala, parahippocampal gyrus, and rostral anterior cingulate (rACC), to senders' behavioral lying rates. Furthermore, the Multi-Voxel Pattern Analysis (MVPA) over multiple searchlight-identified Region-Of-Interests (ROIs), in classifying either the "truthful vs. lying in $150" or the "truthful in $200 vs. truthful in $150" conditions achieved 61% and 84.5% accuracy, respectively, reflecting the idiosyncratic brain networks involved in distinguishing the social trust vs. deceptions in the dyadic interactions.

Plasmons compressing the light – a jewel in the treasure chest of Mark Stockman’s legacy

Among all the contributions made by Mark Stockman, his work on concentrating the light energy to unprecedented densities is one of the most remarkable achievements. Here it is briefly reviewed and a relatively novel, intuitive, and physically transparent interpretation of nanofocusing using the effective volume of hybrid coupled modes formalism is presented and the role of Landau damping as the main limiting factor is highlighted.

Hebel and Tolstoy. Towards the problem of the characteristic genre features of Leo Tolstoy's stories for children

The article considers a possible influence of J. P. Hebel's works on Leo Tolstoy's stories for children. The author compares and contrasts the two writer's approaches to their genre of choice: the didactic, and entertaining literature. Noted are matching plots used by both, as well as stylistic and narrative differences. The scholar elaborates on the extent to which Tolstoy was familiar with Hebel's works and examines Tolstoy's ‘stories for children' in comparison with the religious and moralistic ‘stories for the people' he produced in later life. His works for younger audiences could have only resulted from Tolstoy's artistic assimilation of Hebel's experience. They are viewed as a sequel to the Treasure Chest of the Family Friend from the Rhine [Schatzkastlein des rheinischen Hausfreundes] inspired by Russian realia. The article describes the ways in which Tolstoy further developed the traditions of the ‘calendar/almanac stories.' Hebel's Russia-themed works are analysed in the context of Russo-German literary ties since the German writer followed Russian events with keen interest.

New discovery of ‘inspiration’ from the old treasure chest: An initial report on the Lexington Early Childhood Music Project

The Lexington Early Childhood Music Project aimed to improve the quality of musical experiences of young children living in Lexington, Kentucky, a mid-size US city. Classroom teachers collaborated with teaching artists, music therapists and music teachers on the development of a music programme that served thirty 3- and 4-year-old underprivileged children and their parents at the Family Care Center. The pedagogical approach of the project included: (1) helping children relate to an unfamiliar culture through music made familiar; (2) creating mediational tools for traditional songs and movements; (3) teaching children how to play musical instruments; and (4) attending participatory concerts. Collaborative efforts of the participants were found to enhance young children’s musical experiences. Shared inspiration played a critical role as the teachers and children voluntarily and creatively enriched their musical cultures.

Opening the Treasure Chest: The Current Status of Research on Brassica oleracea and B. rapa Vegetables From ex situ Germplasm Collections

Germplasm collections reflect the genetic variability in crops and their wild relatives. Hence, those genetic resources are tremendously valuable for breeders and researchers, especially in light of climatic change and stagnant crop production rates. In order to achieve improvements in crop production and end-use quality, favorable traits and donor alleles present in germplasm collections need to be identified and utilized. This review covers recent reports on the utilization of germplasm material to isolate genotypes of Brassica oleracea and B. rapa vegetables, focusing on high nutrient use efficiency, accumulation of biologically active metabolites, pest resistance, and favorable phenotypic appearance. We discuss the current state of Brassica vegetable collections in genebanks and summarize studies directed to the molecular characterization of those collections.