bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A d
8 anti-Hund’s singlet insulator in an infinite-layer nickelate
Authors: Jin Hyo-Sun , Pickett Warren E , Lee Kwan-Woo
Published: March 2022

The status of nickelate superconductors in relation to cuprate high temperature superconductors is one of the concepts being discussed in high temperature superconductivity in correlated transition metal oxides. New additions to the class of infinite layer nickelates can provide essential input relating to connections or distinctions. A recently synthesized compound Ba2NiO2(AgSe)2, which contains isolated ‘infinite layer’ NiO2 planes, may lead to new insights. Our investigations have discovered that, at density functional theory mean field level, the ground state consists of an unusual

e

g

singlet on the Ni2+ ion arising from large but separate Mott insulating gaps in both

e

g

orbitals, but with different, anti-Hund’s, spin directions of their moments. This textured singlet incorporates at the least new physics, and potentially a new platform for nickelate superconductivity, which might be of an unconventional form for transition metal oxides due to the unconventional undoped state. We include in this paper a comparison of electronic structure parameters of Ba2NiO2(AgSe)2 with a better characterized infinite layer nickelate LaNiO2. We provide more analysis of the d
8 anti-Hund’s singlet that emerges in this compound, and consider a minimally correlated wavefunction for this singlet in an itinerant background, and begin discussion of excitations—real or virtual—that may figure into new electronic phases.
Universal autohomeomorphisms of ℕ*
Authors: Hart Klaas Pieter , van Mill Jan
Published: March 2022

We study the existence of universal autohomeomorphisms of

N

∗

\mathbb {N}^*

. We prove that the Continuum Hypothesis (

C
H

\mathsf {CH}

) implies there is such an autohomeomorphism and show that there are none in any model where all autohomeomorphisms of 

N

∗

\mathbb {N}^*

are trivial.
Rank 𝑟 DT theory from rank 1
Authors: Feyzbakhsh S. , Thomas R.
Published: March 2022

Fix a Calabi-Yau 3-fold

X
X

satisfying the Bogomolov-Gieseker conjecture of Bayer-Macrì-Toda, such as the quintic 3-fold.

We express Joyce’s generalised DT invariants counting Gieseker semistable sheaves of any rank

r
r

on

X
X

in terms of those counting sheaves of rank 1. By the MNOP conjecture they are therefore determined by the Gromov-Witten invariants of

X
X

.
Abacus proofs of Schur expansions of Macdonald polynomials
Authors: Loehr Nicholas
Published: March 2022

A famous problem in symmetric function theory is to find combinatorial formulas for Schur expansions of the Macdonald polynomialsH~μ\tilde {H}_{\mu }. One such formula, valid forμ\musatisfyingμ1≤3\mu _1\leq 3andμ2≤2\mu _2\leq 2, involves Yamanouchi words weighted by Haglund’s statisticsinvμ\operatorname {inv}_{\mu }andmajμ\operatorname {maj}_{\mu }. Previous proofs of this formula use the technical machinery of crystals and dual equivalence graphs. We give a new, elementary, and fully bijective proof of this formula based on the abacus model for antisymmetrized Macdonald polynomials. An extension to the Schur expansion ofsνH~μs_{\nu }\tilde {H}_{\mu }is also provided.
On solutions of the transport equation in the presence of singularities
Authors: Miot Evelyne , Sharples Nicholas
Published: March 2022

We consider the transport equation on

[
0
,
T
]
×

R

n

[0,T]\times \mathbb {R}^n

in the situation where the vector field is

B
V

BV

off a set

S
⊂
[
0
,
T
]
×

R

n

S\subset [0,T]\times \mathbb {R}^n

. We demonstrate that solutions exist and are unique provided that the set of singularities has a sufficiently small anisotropic fractal dimension and the normal component of the vector field is sufficiently integrable near the singularities. This result improves upon recent results of Ambrosio who requires the vector field to be of bounded variation everywhere.

In addition, we demonstrate that under these conditions almost every trajectory of the associated regular Lagrangian flow does not intersect the set

S
S

of singularities.

Finally, we consider the particular case of an initial set of singularities that evolve in time so the singularities consists of curves in the phase space, which is typical in applications such as vortex dynamics. We demonstrate that solutions of the transport equation exist and are unique provided that the box-counting dimension of the singularities is bounded in terms of the Hölder exponent of the curves.
Preprint Highlight: Adult fibroblasts retain organ-specific transcriptomic identity
Authors: Aguilera Kristina
Published: March 2022

Even with recent advances in lineage tracing and multiomics analyses, it is difficult to specifically identify and target heterogeneous fibroblast populations in an organ-specific manner. This study combined robust multi-organ in vitro, in vivo, and high-throughput gene expression analyses of mouse fibroblast populations derived from various organs to define organ-specific transcriptional signatures. The analyses revealed that fibroblasts derived from different organs retain transcriptional embryonic gene signatures as organ-of-origin identifiers in adulthood. Moreover, organ-specific transcriptome identities of fibroblast populations were maintained in fibroblast co-cultures in vitro and ectopic transplants in vivo. These studies advance our current understanding of the heterogeneity of fibroblast populations and suggest opportunities for their exploitation and targetability in an organ-specific manner.
Association of Cerebral Oxygenation During Exercise With Target Organ Damage in Middle-Aged Hypertensive and Normotensive Individuals
Authors: Triantafyllou Georgios A , Triantafyllou Areti , Zafeiridis Alexandros Savvas , Koletsos Nikolaos , Zafeiridis Andreas , Gkaliagkousi Eugenia , Douma Stella , Dipla Konstantina
Published: March 2022

Background

The brain is one of the main target organs affected by hypertension. Impaired cerebral oxygenation during exercise is an indicator of cerebral dysfunction. We aimed to investigate whether cerebral oxygenation during exercise correlates with subclinical markers of early target organ damage in a population of middle-aged, newly diagnosed hypertensive and healthy individuals.

Methods

Carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT) was measured using ultrasound, arterial stiffness was estimated measuring the augmentation index and pulse wave velocity, and retinal vessel diameter was assessed via the central retinal-arteriolar and vein equivalent and retinal-arteriovenous ratio. Participants (n = 93) performed a 3-minute isometric handgrip exercise. Cerebral prefrontal oxygenation was measured continuously using near infrared spectroscopy. The average exercise responses in oxygenated hemoglobin (O2Hb), deoxygenated hemoglobin (HHb), and total hemoglobin (tHb) were assessed. Univariate analyses were performed; partial correlation was used to account for traditional cardiovascular risk factors to identify independent associations between cerebral-oxygenation indices and early markers of target organ damage.

Results

Mean cIMT was negatively correlated with the average exercise response in cerebral oxygenation (rhoO2Hb = −0.348, PO2Hb = 0.001; rhotHb = −0.253, Pthb = 0.02). Augmentation index was negatively correlated with cerebral oxygenation during exercise (rhoO2Hb = −0.374, P < 0.001; rhotHb = −0.332, P = 0.02), whereas no significant correlation was observed between pulse wave velocity and cerebral-oxygenation indices. In the adjusted analysis, cerebral oxygenation was correlated with central retinal arteriolar diameter (CRAE r = 0.233, P = 0.043).

Conclusions

Our novel findings suggest that indices of lower cerebral oxygenation during a submaximal physical task are associated with markers of early, subclinical target organ damage, namely increased cIMT, arterial stiffness, and arteriolar retinal narrowing in newly diagnosed, untreated, hypertensive individuals.
BSDE: barycenter single-cell differential expression for case–control studies
Authors: Zhang Mengqi , Guo F Richard
Published: March 2022

Motivation

Single-cell sequencing brings about a revolutionarily high resolution for finding differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by disentangling highly heterogeneous cell tissues. Yet, such analysis is so far mostly focused on comparing between different cell types from the same individual. As single-cell sequencing becomes cheaper and easier to use, an increasing number of datasets from case–control studies are becoming available, which call for new methods for identifying differential expressions between case and control individuals.

Results

To bridge this gap, we propose barycenter single-cell differential expression (BSDE), a nonparametric method for finding DEGs for case–control studies. Through the use of optimal transportation for aggregating distributions and computing their distances, our method overcomes the restrictive parametric assumptions imposed by standard mixed-effect-modeling approaches. Through simulations, we show that BSDE can accurately detect a variety of differential expressions while maintaining the type-I error at a prescribed level. Further, 1345 and 1568 cell type-specific DEGs are identified by BSDE from datasets on pulmonary fibrosis and multiple sclerosis, among which the top findings are supported by previous results from the literature.

Availability and implementation

R package BSDE is freely available from doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6332254. For real data analysis with the R package, see doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6332566. These can also be accessed thorough GitHub at github.com/mqzhanglab/BSDE and github.com/mqzhanglab/BSDE_pipeline. The two single-cell sequencing datasets can be download with UCSC cell browser from cells.ucsc.edu/?ds=ms and cells.ucsc.edu/?ds=lung-pf-control.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
TopHap: rapid inference of key phylogenetic structures from common haplotypes in large genome collections with limited diversity
Authors: Caraballo-Ortiz Marcos A , Miura Sayaka , Sanderford Maxwell , Dolker Tenzin , Tao Qiqing , Weaver Steven , Pond Sergei L K , Kumar Sudhir
Published: March 2022

Motivation

Building reliable phylogenies from very large collections of sequences with a limited number of phylogenetically informative sites is challenging because sequencing errors and recurrent/backward mutations interfere with the phylogenetic signal, confounding true evolutionary relationships. Massive global efforts of sequencing genomes and reconstructing the phylogeny of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains exemplify these difficulties since there are only hundreds of phylogenetically informative sites but millions of genomes. For such datasets, we set out to develop a method for building the phylogenetic tree of genomic haplotypes consisting of positions harboring common variants to improve the signal-to-noise ratio for more accurate and fast phylogenetic inference of resolvable phylogenetic features.

Results

We present the TopHap approach that determines spatiotemporally common haplotypes of common variants and builds their phylogeny at a fraction of the computational time of traditional methods. We develop a bootstrap strategy that resamples genomes spatiotemporally to assess topological robustness. The application of TopHap to build a phylogeny of 68 057 SARS-CoV-2 genomes (68KG) from the first year of the pandemic produced an evolutionary tree of major SARS-CoV-2 haplotypes. This phylogeny is concordant with the mutation tree inferred using the co-occurrence pattern of mutations and recovers key phylogenetic relationships from more traditional analyses. We also evaluated alternative roots of the SARS-CoV-2 phylogeny and found that the earliest sampled genomes in 2019 likely evolved by four mutations of the most recent common ancestor of all SARS-CoV-2 genomes. An application of TopHap to more than 1 million SARS-CoV-2 genomes reconstructed the most comprehensive evolutionary relationships of major variants, which confirmed the 68KG phylogeny and provided evolutionary origins of major and recent variants of concern.

Availability and implementation

TopHap is available at https://github.com/SayakaMiura/TopHap.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
BPPRC database: a web-based tool to access and analyse bacterial pesticidal proteins
Authors: Panneerselvam Suresh , Mishra Ruchir , Berry Colin , Crickmore Neil , Bonning Bryony C
Published: March 2022

Pesticidal proteins derived from the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis, have provided the bases for a diverse array of pest management tools ranging from natural products used in organic agriculture, to modern biotechnological approaches. With advances in genome sequencing technologies and protein structure determination, an increasing number of pesticidal proteins from myriad bacterial species have been identified. The Bacterial Pesticidal Protein Resource Center (BPPRC) has been established to provide informational and analytical resources on the wide range of pesticidal proteins derived from bacteria that have potential utility for arthropod management. In association with a revised nomenclature for these proteins, BPPRC contains a database that allows users to browse and download sequences. Users can search the database for the best matches to sequences of interest and can incorporate their own sequences into basic informatic analyses. These analyses include the ability to draw and export guide trees from either whole protein sequences or, in the case of the three-domain Cry proteins, from individual domains. The associated website also provides a portal for users to submit protein sequences for naming. The BPPRC provides a single authoritative source of information to which all stakeholders can be referred including academics, government regulatory bodies and research and development personnel in the industrial sector. The database provides information on more than 1060 pesticidal proteins derived from 13 species of bacteria, including insecticidal activities for a subset of these proteins.

Database URL: www.bpprc.org and www.bpprc-db.org/
Scaling up oligogenic diseases research with OLIDA: the Oligogenic Diseases Database
Authors: Nachtegael Charlotte , Gravel Barbara , Dillen Arnau , Smits Guillaume , Nowé Ann , Papadimitriou Sofia , Lenaerts Tom
Published: March 2022

Improving the understanding of the oligogenic nature of diseases requires access to high-quality, well-curated Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) data. Although first steps were taken with the development of the Digenic Diseases Database, leading to novel computational advancements to assist the field, these were also linked with a number of limitations, for instance, the ad hoc curation protocol and the inclusion of only digenic cases. The OLIgogenic diseases DAtabase (OLIDA) presents a novel, transparent and rigorous curation protocol, introducing a confidence scoring mechanism for the published oligogenic literature. The application of this protocol on the oligogenic literature generated a new repository containing 916 oligogenic variant combinations linked to 159 distinct diseases. Information extracted from the scientific literature is supplemented with current knowledge support obtained from public databases. Each entry is an oligogenic combination linked to a disease, labelled with a confidence score based on the level of genetic and functional evidence that supports its involvement in this disease. These scores allow users to assess the relevance and proof of pathogenicity of each oligogenic combination in the database, constituting markers for reporting improvements on disease-causing oligogenic variant combinations. OLIDA follows the FAIR principles, providing detailed documentation, easy data access through its application programming interface and website, use of unique identifiers and links to existing ontologies.

Database URL

https://olida.ibsquare.be
ESC/EAS guidelines for the detection, prevention, and treatment of individuals at risk of a first myocardial infarction: effect of 5 years of updates and the new SCORE2
Authors: Sulman David , Zeitouni Michel , Silvain Johanne , Kerneis Mathieu , Guedeney Paul , Barthélémy Olivier , Brugier Delphine , Sabouret Pierre , Lattuca Benoit , Mertens Emilie , Posson Julianne , Procopi Niki , Salloum Tomy , Collet Jean-Philippe , Montalescot Gilles
Published: March 2022

Aims

The European Society of Cardiology (ESC) has released three consecutive guidelines within 5 years addressing cardiovascular prevention, risk scores, and cholesterol treatment. This study aims to evaluate whether the 2021 ESC guidelines improved the eligibility of individuals for primary prevention statin therapy before their first ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI), and for intensive lipid-lowering treatments in secondary prevention.

Methods and results

The cardiovascular risk category of 2757 consecutive individuals admitted for a first STEMI was evaluated to assess whether they would have been eligible for primary prevention statins according to 2021 vs. 2019 and 2016 ESC guidelines. Eligibility for intensive lipid-lowering therapy in secondary prevention was assessed according to the real-life follow-up low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and the expected follow-up LDL-C. More individuals would have been eligible for primary prevention statins according to 2021 and 2019 vs. 2016 guidelines (61.8% vs. 38.7% vs. 23.6%, P < 0.01), a finding observed in both men (62.3% vs. 35.0% vs. 24.9%, P < 0.01) and women (60.2% vs. 50.7% vs. 19.3%, P = 0.18). Only 27% of individuals reached the LDL-C objective of 55 mg/L in secondary prevention: using the ESC stepwise approach, 61.7% were eligible for higher doses of statins, 26.2% for ezetimibe, and 12.1% for a proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) inhibitor (PCSK9i). Based on expected LDL-C reductions, eligibility for a PCSK9i in secondary prevention was greater with 2021 vs. 2016 guidelines (44.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

The 2021 ESC guidelines improved the detection and treatment of individuals at risk for a first myocardial infarction. In secondary prevention, 70% of patients kept LDL-C levels above 55 mg/dL: increasing the statin dose and adding ezetimibe were the most frequently recommended therapeutic actions.
EU General Court considers the importance of trade mark specification: one product, one category (unless it’s a composite product)
Authors: Sztoldman Agnieszka
Published: March 2022

The EU General Courts revoked Sony’s ‘VITA’ word trade mark registration due to non-use and considered the importance of trade mark registration at the outset, as well as the business’ use and promotion of the registered trade mark for assessing whether this trade mark is genuinely used in the European Union during the relevant period.
Acquiescence or national rules of limitation? Polish Supreme Court addresses time limit for pursuing EUTM’s continuous infringement
Authors: Sztoldman Agnieszka
Published: March 2022

The Polish Supreme Court has dispelled doubts about the national statute of limitation for non-pecuniary claims arising from continuous infringements. Even though the case involved Audi AG’s frontline EU trade mark (EUTM), the Supreme Court decided on a limitation period under national law, not the EUTM acquiescence.
Broad-band emission from a kilonova ejecta-pulsar wind Nebula system: late-time X-ray afterglow rebrightening of GRB 170817A
Authors: Ren J , Dai Z G
Published: March 2022

We study the broad-band radiation behaviour of a kilonova ejecta-pulsar wind nebula (PWN) system. In this model, we jointly fit the observations of AT 2017gfo in UV-optical-IR bands and the late-time X-ray afterglow of GRB 170817A. Our work shows that a PWN powered by the remnant neutron star (NS) post GW170817 event could affect the optical transient AT 2017gfo and re-brighten the late-time X-ray afterglow of GRB 170817A. The PWN radiation will regulate the trend of future X-ray observations from a flattening to a steep decline until some other sources (e.g. a kilonova afterglow) become dominant. The restricted ranges of the central NS parameters in this work are consistent with the previous works based on the observations of AT 2017gfo only. In addition, the new fitting result indicates that the NS wind is highly magnetized. We point out that the radio and X-ray emission from a kilonova ejecta-PWN system could be an important electromagnetic feature of binary NS mergers when a long-lived remnant NS is formed. Therefore, observations of a kilonova ejecta-PWN system will provide important information to inferring the nature of a merger remnant.
Herscheldiscovery of far-infrared emission from the hotspot D in the radio galaxy Cygnus A
Authors: Sunada Yuji , Isobe Naoki , Tashiro Makoto S , Kino Motoki , Koyama Shoko , Nakahara Satomi
Published: March 2022

The far-infrared counterpart of hotspot D, the terminal hotspot of the eastern jet hosted by the radio galaxy Cygnus A, is detected with Herschel Aperture photometry of the source performed in 5 photometric bands covering the wavelength range of 70–350 $\mu$m. After removing the contamination from another nearby hotspot, E, the far-infrared intensity of hotspot D is derived as 83 ± 13 and 269 ± 66 mJy at 160 and 350 $\mu$m, respectively. Since the far-infrared spectrum of the object smoothly connects to the radio one, the far-infrared emission is attributed to the synchrotron radiation from the radio-emitting electron population. The radio-to-near-infrared spectrum is confirmed to exhibit a far-infrared break feature at the frequency of $\nu _\mathrm{br}=2.0^{+1.2}_{-0.8} \times 10^{12}$ Hz. The change in energy index at the break (Δα = 0.5) is interpreted as the impact of radiative cooling on an electron distribution sustained by continuous injection from diffusive shock acceleration. By ascribing the derived break to this cooling break, the magnetic field, B, in the hotspot is determined as a function of its radius, R within a uniform one-zone model combined with the strong relativistic shock condition. An independent B–R constraint is obtained by assuming the X-ray spectrum is wholly due to synchrotron self-Compton emission. By combining these conditions, the two parameters are tightly determined as B = 120–150 μG and R = 1.3–1.6 kpc. A further investigation into the two conditions indicates the observed X-ray flux is highly dominated by the synchrotron self-Compton emission.
Characteristics of small protoplanetary disc warps in kinematic observations
Authors: Young Alison K , Alexander Richard , Rosotti Giovanni , Pinte Christophe
Published: March 2022

Many circumstellar discs appear to have misaligned central regions that give rise to shadows seen in scattered light observations. Small warps (<20° misalignment) are probably more common but are also more difficult to detect than the large misalignments studied previously. We present the characteristics of CO emission that may be used to identify a small disc warp, found from synthetic 13CO maps of a model misaligned circumbinary disc. The spectra are not symmetrical, so fitting a Keplerian model is not appropriate and can hide a warp or lead to spurious features such as spirals appearing in the residuals. We quantify the observed warp structure by fitting sinusoids to concentric annuli of the disc. From this we can trace the radial variation of the peak velocity and of the azimuth of the peak velocity, i.e. the twist. At near face-on inclinations, these radial profiles reveal the warp structure. The twist remains detectable at moderate inclinations (iouter disc ≲ 35°) in the absence of radial flows but the measured inclination must be accurate to ≲ 5° to allow detection of the radial variation. The observed twist does not provide a direct measure of the warp structure because of its dependence on optical depth. The warp causes broad asymmetries in the channel maps that span several channels and that are distinct from localized features caused by embedded planets and gravitational instability. We suspect that kinematic evidence of warps may have been missed and we suggest a few examples where the data may be revisited.
Copper-mediated β-amyloid toxicity and its chelation therapy in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Singh Sandeep Kumar , Balendra Vyshnavy , Obaid Ahmad A , Esposto Josephine , Tikhonova Maria A , Gautam Naveen Kumar , Poeggeler Burkhard
Published: March 2022

The link between bio-metals, Alzheimer's disease (AD), and its associated protein, amyloid-β (Aβ), is very complex and one of the most studied aspects currently. Alzheimer's disease, a progressive neurodegenerative disease, is proposed to occurs due to the misfolding and aggregation of Aβ. Dyshomeostasis of metal ions and their interaction with Aβ has largely been implicated in AD. Copper plays a crucial role in amyloid-β toxicity, and AD development potentially occurs through direct interaction with the copper-binding motif of APP and different amino acid residues of Aβ. Previous reports suggest that high levels of copper accumulation in the AD brain result in modulation of toxic Aβ peptide levels, implicating the role of copper in the pathophysiology of AD. In this review, we explore the possible mode of copper ion interaction with Aβ, which accelerates the kinetics of fibril formation and promote amyloid-β mediated cell toxicity in Alzheimer's disease and the potential use of various copper chelators in the prevention of copper-mediated Aβ toxicity.
PARP inhibitors trap PARP2 and alter the mode of recruitment of PARP2 at DNA damage sites
Authors: Lin Xiaohui , Jiang Wenxia , Rudolph Johannes , Lee Brian J , Luger Karolin , Zha Shan
Published: March 2022

Dual-inhibitors of PARP1 and PARP2 are promising anti-cancer drugs. In addition to blocking PARP1&2 enzymatic activity, PARP inhibitors also extend the lifetime of DNA damage-induced PARP1&2 foci, termed trapping. Trapping is important for the therapeutic effects of PARP inhibitors. Using live-cell imaging, we found that PARP inhibitors cause persistent PARP2 foci by switching the mode of PARP2 recruitment from a predominantly PARP1- and PAR-dependent rapid exchange to a WGR domain-mediated stalling of PARP2 on DNA. Specifically, PARP1-deletion markedly reduces but does not abolish PARP2 foci. The residual PARP2 foci in PARP1-deficient cells are DNA-dependent and abrogated by the R140A mutation in the WGR domain. Yet, PARP2-R140A forms normal foci in PARP1-proficient cells. In PARP1-deficient cells, PARP inhibitors - niraparib, talazoparib, and, to a lesser extent, olaparib - enhance PARP2 foci by preventing PARP2 exchange. This trapping of PARP2 is independent of auto-PARylation and is abolished by the R140A mutation in the WGR domain and the H415A mutation in the catalytic domain. Taken together, we found that PARP inhibitors trap PARP2 by physically stalling PARP2 on DNA via the WGR-DNA interaction while suppressing the PARP1- and PAR-dependent rapid exchange of PARP2.
Functional specialization of monocot DCL3 and DCL5 proteins through the evolution of the PAZ domain
Authors: Chen Shirui , Liu Wei , Naganuma Masahiro , Tomari Yukihide , Iwakawa Hiro-oki
Published: March 2022

Monocot DICER-LIKE3 (DCL3) and DCL5 produce distinct 24-nt small interfering RNAs (siRNAs), heterochromatic siRNAs (hc-siRNAs) and phased secondary siRNAs (phasiRNAs), respectively. The former small RNAs are linked to silencing of transposable elements and heterochromatic repeats, and the latter to reproductive processes. It is assumed that these DCLs evolved from an ancient ‘eudicot-type’ DCL3 ancestor, which may have produced both types of siRNAs. However, how functional differentiation was achieved after gene duplication remains elusive. Here, we find that monocot DCL3 and DCL5 exhibit biochemically distinct preferences for 5′ phosphates and 3′ overhangs, consistent with the structural properties of their in vivo double-stranded RNA substrates. Importantly, these distinct substrate specificities are determined by the PAZ domains of DCL3 and DCL5, which have accumulated mutations during the course of evolution. These data explain the mechanism by which these DCLs cleave their cognate substrates from a fixed end, ensuring the production of functional siRNAs. Our study also indicates how plants have diversified and optimized RNA silencing mechanisms during evolution.
The role of China's terrestrial carbon sequestration 2010–2060 in offsetting energy-related CO2 emissions
Authors: Huang Yao , Sun Wenjuan , Qin Zhangcai , Zhang Wen , Yu Yongqiang , Li Tingting , Zhang Qing , Wang Guocheng , Yu Lingfei , Wang Yijie , Ding Fan , Zhang Ping
Published: March 2022

Energy consumption dominates annual CO2 emissions in China. It is essential to significantly reduce CO2 emissions from energy consumption to reach national carbon neutrality by 2060, while the role of terrestrial carbon sequestration in offsetting energy-related CO2 emissions cannot be underestimated. Natural climate solutions (NCS), including improvements in terrestrial carbon sequestration, represent readily deployable options to offset anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, the extent to which China's terrestrial carbon sequestration in the future, especially when target-oriented managements (TOMs) are implemented, can help to mitigate energy-related CO2 emissions is far from certain. By synthesizing available findings and using several parameter-sparse empirical models that have been calibrated and/or fitted against contemporary measurements, we assessed China's terrestrial carbon sequestration over 2010–2060 and its contribution to offsetting national energy-related CO2 emissions. We show that terrestrial C sequestration in China will increase from 0.375 ± 0.056 (mean ± standard deviation) Pg C yr−1 in the 2010s to 0.458 ± 0.100 Pg C yr−1 under RCP2.6 and 0.493 ± 0.108 Pg C yr−1 under the RCP4.5 scenario in the 2050s, when TOMs are implemented. The majority of carbon sequestration comes from forest, accounting for 67.8–71.4% of the total amount. China's terrestrial ecosystems can offset 12.2–15.0% and 13.4–17.8% of energy-related peak CO2 emissions in 2030 and 2060, respectively. The implementation of TOMs contributes 11.9% of the overall terrestrial carbon sequestration in the 2020s and 23.7% in the 2050s. The most likely strategy to maximize future NCS effectiveness is a full implementation of all applicable cost-effective NCS pathways in China. Our findings highlight the role of terrestrial carbon sequestration in offsetting energy-related CO2 emissions and put forward future needs in the context of carbon neutrality.
Dual-compressed photoacoustic single-pixel imaging
Authors: Guo Yuning , Li Baowen , Yin Xiaobo
Published: March 2022

Photoacoustic imaging, an acoustic imaging modality with potentially optical resolution in an optical turbid medium, has attracted great attention. However, the convergence of wavefront optimization and raster scanning in computational photoacoustic imaging leads to the challenge of fast mapping, especially for a spatial resolution approaching the acoustic deep-subwavelength regime. As a sparse sampling paradigm, compressive sensing has been applied in numerous fields to accelerate data acquisition without significant quality losses. In this work, we propose a dual-compressed approach for photoacoustic surface tomography that enables high-efficiency imaging with 3D spatial resolution unlimited by the acoustics in a turbid environment. The dual-compressed photoacoustic imaging with single-pixel detection, enabled by spatially optical modulation with synchronized temporally photoacoustic coding, allows decoding of the fine optical information from the modulated acoustic signal even when the variance of original photoacoustic signals is weak. We perform a proof-of-principle numerical demonstration of dual-compressed photoacoustic imaging, that resolves acoustic sub-acoustic-wavelength details with a significantly reduced number of measurements, revealing the potential for dynamic imaging. The dual-compressed concept, which transforms unobtrusive spatial difference into spatio-temporal detectable information, can be generalized to other imaging modalities to realize efficient, high-spatial-resolution imaging.
Evidence of Youth-Appealing Cigarette Advertising Tactics from a Randomized, Controlled Experiment
Authors: Moran Meghan Bridgid , Weiger Caitlin , Czaplicki Lauren , Heley Kathryn
Published: March 2022

Introduction

Receptivity to tobacco advertising is an important component in the progression from exposure to advertising to use behavior, yet little is known about current tobacco advertising tactics that increase receptivity. This study tests the effect of three advertising features identified in earlier work as potentially appealing to adolescents and young adults: flora imagery, eco-friendly language, and sweepstakes.

Aims and Methods

We conducted an online survey in which 1,000 US adolescents (age 15–17) and 1,000 US young adults (age 18–24), equally stratified by smoking status, were exposed to three experimental modules manipulating presence/absence of each feature of interest on cigarette ads. After viewing each ad, participants reported their receptivity to the advertisement. Bivariable analysis and multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to assess the effect of each appeal’s presence on receptivity.

Results

Adolescents (aOR = 1.55, 95%CI: 1.12–2.14) and young adults (aOR = 1.43, 95%CI: 1.06–1.93) were more likely to be receptive to ads with flora imagery. The effect of sweepstakes on receptivity was modified by the specific ad for young adults. Ecofriendly language did not significantly impact receptivity among either group. Exploratory subgroup analysis found a significant ad by sweepstakes interaction among young adult noncurrent smokers.

Conclusion

These findings provide evidence that use of flora imagery increases cigarette advertising receptivity among adolescents and young adults, while the effect of sweepstakes on young adults might additionally depend on the ad shown. Restrictions on youth appealing advertising tactics, such as those identified in this study, as well as broader content-neutral advertising restriction policies, should be considered.

Implications

This study provides evidence for the appeal of flora imagery in cigarette advertising for both adolescents and young adults, as well as the complexity of how use of sweepstakes interacts with branding in specific ads to predict receptivity among young adults. Because receptivity to cigarette advertising is a documented step in the pathway between advertising exposure and product use, restrictions on use of these tactics should be implemented, and broader content-neutral advertising restriction policies should be considered.
Retrofitting Leninism
Authors: Gueorguiev Dimitar D.
Published: March 2022

Retrofitting Leninism explores the relationship between political inclusion and political control through the lens of participatory governance in the People’s Republic of China. In this book, Dimitar Gueorguiev explores and substantiates three key points. First, public participation is a prerequisite for effective administration, irrespective of how a regime is constituted. Second, a regime’s ability to solicit, process, and recast public input into policy outputs is central to its political durability. Third, technological advances in communication make it easier for authoritarian regimes, particularly those with Leninist foundations, to correspond with the public and thus undercut calls for genuine democratic progress—an endogenous process of regime maintenance the author calls retrofitting. Using archival data, media reports, and original opinion polls, Gueorguiev shows how public inputs are incorporated into the marketing and implementation of top-down policy outputs. To unpack the interface between inputs and outputs, he focuses on proposal-making and government priorities in local Chinese legislatures. Finally, to evaluate the downstream impact, Gueorguiev estimates the effect of open policymaking on sub-national regulation and government approval. The findings suggest that public engagement contributes to both policy stability and positive public perceptions of policy. Though instrumental, the book also underscores that inclusive authoritarianism depends on the voluntary participation of Chinese citizens, which is far from guaranteed.
The Empowered Citizens Guide
Authors: Libby Pat
Published: March 2022

Politics is no longer a spectator sport. Citizens are taking to the streets to demand lawmakers change public policies. But there’s more to making law than protesting. This book is for anyone who wants to try their hand at passing or repealing a law, regardless of whether you’ve tried and failed in the past or are making your first attempt. It provides a simple-to-use step-by-step framework that breaks down the lawmaking process into bite-sized pieces. The framework has been successfully used by citizen advocates to pass important laws on their first try. If you are passionate about creating change in your community, city, or state this book provide a simple recipe for how you can achieve your goal.
The Law and Politics of Global Competition
Authors: Townley Christopher , Guidi Mattia , Tavares Mariana
Published: March 2022

This book discusses the International Competition Network’s (ICN) formally neutral structures that provide powerful influence mechanisms for strong national competition authorities (NCAs), non-governmental actors (NGAs), and competition experts over wider state interests. It highlights the legitimacy of ICN from a political and legal theory perspective and analyses the ICN’s effectiveness and efficiency. It also describes the ICN as a transnational network that is set up by its members, without wider state input. The book points out how the ICN has sought to enrich its discussions and outputs through the inclusion of NGAs, principally large multi-nationals and legal and economic professions. It reviews ICN’s mission, which is to advocate the adoption of superior standards and procedures in competition policy around the world, formulate proposals for procedural and substantive convergence, and seek to facilitate effective international cooperation to the benefit of member agencies, consumers, and economies worldwide.
Disparities in Speech and Language Delay Among Children With Aural Atresia
Authors: Florentine Michelle M. , Le Clec’h Sophie , Upton Susanna M. , Scarpelli Chiara , Carr Jason P. , Chan Dylan K.
Published: March 2022

Objective:

To describe risk factors for speech and language delay in a diverse population of children with aural atresia.

Methods:

Retrospective chart review was performed from 2012 to 2020 at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital to identify children with aural atresia evaluated for speech, language, or auditory skills delays. Ninety-five children with aural atresia, conductive hearing loss, and assessment of speech, language, or auditory skills delay were included. Demographic and clinical data were analyzed to identify predictors of speech and language delay. Cohort and case-control analyses were performed to determine risk factors for delayed intervention, and for ultimate delays in speech, language, or auditory skills.

Results:

Children exhibited a wide diversity of race/ethnicity, primary home language, geography, and insurance status. Eighty-nine percent had unilateral aural atresia. Forty-eight percent had delays in speech, language, or auditory skills. Most children used hearing aids (84%), had educational accommodations (84%), and received speech therapy (63%). In a univariate retrospective cohort analysis, public-insured (p = 0.004), non-English speaking (p = 0.002) and non-white/non-Hispanic children (p = 0.007) were found to be significantly less likely to be fit with hearing aids in infancy. Children with delays were fit with hearing aids at later ages. In a multivariate case-control analysis, primary home language was a significant predictor for presence of delays [OR, 3.9 (95% CI: 1.2–13.2), p = 0.03].

Conclusions:

Disparities due to insurance type, primary language, and race/ethnicity are associated with delays in hearing aid fitting for children with aural atresia. Earlier, hearing amplification is correlated with reduced risk for speech, language, and auditory skills delay. These findings can help identify at-risk children for targeted support.
Bilateral posterior central corneal steepening with decreased visual acuity
Authors: Moshirfar Majid , Conley Matthew E. , Sugar Joel , Afshari Natalie , Moon Jared , Bowden Eileen , Kim Gene , Karimian Farid , Murri Michael , Jacob Soosan
Published: March 2022

A 40-year-old woman was referred for the assessment of bilateral corneal opacities with gradual visual decline over the course of the past decade. Her past ocular history is significant for bilateral amblyopia and strabismus surgery in both eyes before age 5. The patient's parents were told by her childhood ophthalmologist that she had a hereditary disorder. Her systemic review was significant for anal fissure and human leukocyte antigen-B27 ankylosing spondylitis. Her past ocular record revealed corrected distance visual acuity (CDVA) of 20/80 in both eyes in 2018 with central corneal haze.

On presentation, her uncorrected distance visual acuity was 20/150 in both eyes. Her CDVA was 20/100 in both eyes with manifest refraction of +0.50 −2.50 × 075 in the right eye and +5.00 −2.25 × 094 in the left eye. Corneal topography reflected keratometry of 35.75/38.97 × 171 in the right eye and 36.45/38.35 × 32 in the left eye. Central corneal thickness was 669 μm and 652 μm, respectively.

External slitlamp examination revealed a central faint stromal opacity inferior to the visual axis in the right eye and a central faint stromal opacity in the left eye, and both were associated with steep posterior curvature of the cornea (Figure 1). Further findings included 0.5 corneal haze with mild guttata, normal irides, and clear lenses in both eyes. Intraocular pressure was 23 mm Hg and 26 mm Hg, respectively (Figure 2, Supplemental Figures 1 and 2, http://links.lww.com/JRS/A543). Gonioscopy was unremarkable. Dilated fundus examination revealed a 0.15 cup-to-disc ratio bilaterally, but otherwise no pertinent vitreoretinal pathologies were noted.

What is the most likely diagnosis? What medical or surgical interventions would you recommend for this patient? What is the prognosis for this patient?
Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Adults Receiving Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation: A Systematic Review
Authors: Iannattone Patrick A. , Yang Stephen Su , Koolian Maral , Wong Evan G. , Lipes Jed
Published: March 2022

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has become an increasingly used tool for cardiorespiratory support. Thrombosis is a well-recognized complication of ECMO, yet the burden of disease remains unclear. We undertook a systematic review to investigate the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) during ECMO or soon after decannulation, in patients screened for VTE. We retrieved all studies that evaluated VTE incidence in ECMO patients in EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from inception to April 2, 2021. Studies reporting incidence of VTE diagnosed on systematic screening tests during ECMO or within 7 days of decannulation in adult patients were included. A total of 18 studies were included in the systematic review. These studies screened a total of 1095 ECMO patients. Most studies screened for cannula-associated deep vein thrombosis (CaDVT) after decannulation. The overall incidence of DVT was 52.8% (95% CI, 49.8–55.8%). Incidence of DVT was 53.5% (95% CI, 50.0–57.0%) for venovenous ECMO vs. 34.0% (95% CI, 26.5–42.2%) for venoarterial ECMO. No studies screened for pulmonary embolism. Our systematic review found a very high incidence of DVT among patients treated with ECMO. Routine screening for DVT after decannulation for all ECMO patients may be warranted.
Surgically Implanted Impella Device for Patients on Impella CP Support Experiencing Refractory Hemolysis
Authors: Salas de Armas Ismael , Bergeron Amanda , Bhardwaj Anju , Patarroyo Maria , Akay Mehmet H. , Al Rameni Dina , Nascimbene Angelo , Patel Manish K. , Patel Jayeshkumar , Marcano Juan , Kar Biswajit , Gregoric Igor D.
Published: March 2022

The Impella CP (Abiomed Inc., Danvers, MA) is widely used in cardiac catheterization laboratories for patients presenting with cardiogenic shock, but it is also known to cause significant hemolysis. The risk of hemolysis can be reduced by properly positioning the device, ensuring an adequate volume status, and using full anticoagulation strategies; however, in some cases hemolysis persists. We present a case series of eight patients that were diagnosed with cardiogenic shock, underwent Impella CP placement, and then suffered from refractory hemolysis which was treated by upgrading the Impella device to the 5.0 or 5.5 version. Fifty percent (4/8) of the patients in this series were already receiving continuous renal replacement therapy, and the levels of plasma free hemoglobin (pFHb) and lactate dehydrogenase continued to increase after the implantation of the Impella CP. The median time between Impella CP placement and the diagnosis of refractory hemolysis was 16.5 hours (interquartile range [IQR], 8.0–26.0). The median time between the diagnosis of hemolysis to Impella upgrade was 6.0 hours (IQR, 4.0–7.0). A total of 87.5% (7/8) of patients experienced a drop in pFHb to below 40 mg/dl at 72 hours post-Impella upgrade, and they were discharged without any further need of dialysis. One patient expired due to irreversible multiple organ failure. We propose that early identification of hemolysis by close monitoring of pFHb and upgrading to the Impella 5.5 reduces hemolysis, prevents further kidney damage, and significantly improves clinical outcomes.
Thymic Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma
Authors: Murase Takayuki , Nakano Satsuki , Sakane Tadashi , Domen Hiromitsu , Chiyo Masako , Nagasaka Satoshi , Tanaka Michio , Kawahara Yutaka , Toishi Masayuki , Tanaka Takuji , Nakamura Shota , Sawabata Noriyoshi , Okami Jiro , Mukaida Hidenori , Tzankov Alexandar , Szolkowska Malgorzata , Porubsky Stefan , Marx Alexander , Roden Anja C. , Inagaki Hiroshi
Published: March 2022

Thymic mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) is a rare tumor, and its characteristics remain to be clarified. Here we investigated 20 cases of thymic MEC to systematically characterize its clinical, histopathologic, and molecular features. The median age of the patients was 56 years (range, 19 to 80 y), there was a slight male predilection (3:2), and 44% of the patients were asymptomatic at diagnosis. The median tumor size was 6.8 cm in diameter, 55% were pT1 tumors, and 50% were TNM stage I tumors. When 4 tumor grading systems for salivary MEC (Armed Forces Institutes of Pathology, Brandwein, modified Healey, and the Memorial Sloan-Kettering) were employed, low-grade, intermediate-grade, and high-grade tumors accounted for 35% to 70%, 5% to 25%, and 25% to 50%, respectively. Many histologic variants were noted, and 70% of the cases were classified as nonclassic variants. MAML2 rearrangement was detected in 56% of cases, and the fusion partner was CRTC1 in all cases. CRTC1-MAML2 fusion was associated with lower pT classification and lower TNM stage. The overall survival rate of all patients was 69% and 43% at 5 and 10 years, respectively. Worse overall survival was associated with higher pT stage, higher TNM stage, residual tumors, greater tumor size, high-grade tumor histology (Armed Forces Institutes of Pathology and Memorial Sloan-Kettering, but not the other 2), and with the absence of CRTC1-MAML2 fusion. Of note, none of the patients with CRTC1-MAML2 fusion-positive tumors died during the follow-up. In conclusion, the clinicopathologic and molecular findings of thymic MEC presented here are expected to contribute to the management of this rare tumor.