bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Back‐electromotive‐force observer (BEMF observer) based symmetrical PLL for grid synchronization stability enhancement under weak grid conditions
Authors: Duan Ziyue , Meng Yongqing , Wu Kang , Yang Yong , Wang Xiuli , Wang Xifan
Published: August 2022

The synchronous reference frame phase‐locked loop (SRF‐PLL) is widely utilized for grid synchronization in voltage‐source converter (VSC) system. However, it fails to eliminate the effect of high grid impedance leading to instability in weak grids. To address this issue, this paper introduces the back‐electromotive‐force observer (BEMF observer), commonly being utilized in DC motor, to modify the input of the SRF‐PLL. To be specific, the equivalent internal electromotive force calculated by the BEMF observer rather than the PCC voltage is used to capture the phase information. Since the BEMF observer is designed in ‐frame while the SRF‐PLL is in ‐frame, the conventional stability analysis method suffers from complicated process. Thus, this paper further reconstructs the SRF‐PLL with the BEMF observer to be symmetrical for simplification. Apart from the symmetrical structure, the stability criterion is accordingly modified. As a result, the proposed back electromotive force based symmetrical PLL (BEFS‐PLL) offers the following advantages: (i) it effectively enhances the grid synchronization stability and simplifies the stability analysis process simultaneously, (ii) it exhibits a strong robustness even with the calculation error up to 50%, and (iii) it is characteristic of clear physical meanings. Finally, the effectiveness of the BEFS‐PLL is verified by simulation.
Enhanced switching electric field and breakdown strength of epoxy composites with core‐shell silicon carbide nanoparticles
Authors: Han Yongsen , Wang Zi , Sun Jian , Li Zhonghua
Published: August 2022

Silicon carbide (SiC) is widely used to improve the non‐linear conductivity of non‐linear resistive field grading composite. In this paper, the SiC nanoparticles are modified into core‐shell nanoparticles with silica (SiO2) coating on the surface and are characterised by transmission electron microscopy and X‐ray diffraction, respectively. The 7 wt% SiC@SiO2/epoxy nanocomposite is then prepared, and the pure epoxy and 7 wt% SiC/epoxy nanocomposite are prepared as a contrast. The relative permittivity, thermally stimulated current, conductivity and breakdown strength are studied, respectively. The presence of SiO2 shell around SiC nanoparticles has a great effect on the relative permittivity and trap distribution. The epoxy nanocomposites show non‐linear conductivity characteristics, compared with pure epoxy. The 7 wt% SiC@SiO2/epoxy nanocomposite has higher switching electric field and breakdown strength than the 7 wt% SiC/epoxy nanocomposite, which is helpful for the application of non‐linear resistive field grading composite in higher‐voltage equipment or components.
Wideband and metal‐only linear to circular polarization converter using multi‐slot elements
Authors: Pesarakloo Ali , Oraizi Homayoon
Published: August 2022

A wideband, metal‐only, and low‐cost transmission‐type polariser is proposed in which a plane wave with linear polarization impinging on the structure is converted to circular polarization wave on the other side and vice versa. The proposed structure is a quad‐layer frequency selective surface that its unit cell is composed of two sets of multi‐slot elements placed perpendicular to each other to achieve a wideband polariser. In this unit cell, by changing the length of the slots, the amplitude and phase of transmission coefficient can be controlled, which are used to create a 90‐degree phase difference between vertical and horizontal components of the incident electric field. A array of the proposed polariser with a quad‐layer is simulated and fabricated that shows the bandwidth of 22% (11.7–14.7 GHz) for an axial ratio below −3 dB and a transmission efficiency of more than 85%.
Design of hybrid SiC/Si based T‐type three‐level LLC$ LLC$ resonant converter with wide‐input range and low conduction loss for automotive auxiliary power module
Authors: Ma Wenjie , Li Hui , Yin Shan , Pang Xiaohu , Chu Doudou
Published: August 2022

The auxiliary power module (APM) in the electrical vehicle converts the high voltage of battery pack to the low voltage to supply the electric power for the internal loads, including electric power steering, electric turbo, headed windshield and cooling pumps. The increasing demands on charging time and mileage have made the battery packs with even higher voltage (e.g. 800 V) a promising option. However, it brings a new challenge for the APM, and either the 1.2‐kV silicon carbide (SiC) device or the three‐level (TL) topology are used conventionally. This work proposes a cost‐effective hybrid SiC/Si‐based T‐type TL resonant converter for the vehicular APM application with a high step‐down ratio. The 1.2‐kV SiC and 650‐V Si devices are used as the main and auxiliary switches, respectively. It fully utilizes the voltage rating of device, and also improves the efficiency compared with conventional TL topology. To improve the gain range and electromagnetic interference performance, a variable frequency and adjustable phase‐shift modulation scheme is adopted. At the same time, the steady‐state time‐domain model is established to elaborate the operation principles, topology features, and boundary conditions for soft‐switching. Furthermore, the precise solutions for switching frequency and phase‐shift angle are figured out. Finally, the effectiveness of model is verified by the simulation as well as the experiment. A 1‐kW prototype for the application in the APM is demonstrated with the input voltage of 640–840 V and a constant output of 48 V/ 21 A.
Ices in planet-forming disks: Self-consistent ice opacities in disk models
Authors: Arabhavi Aditya M. , Woitke Peter , Cazaux Stéphanie M. , Kamp Inga , Rab Christian , Thi Wing-Fai
Published: August 2022

Context. In cold and shielded environments, molecules freeze out on dust grain surfaces to form ices such as H2O, CO, CO2, CH4, CH3OH, and NH3. In protoplanetary disks, such conditions are present in the midplane regions beyond the snowline, but the exact radial and vertical extension depend on disk mass, geometry, and stellar ultra-violet irradiation.

Aims. The goal of this work is to present a computationally efficient method to compute ice and bare-grain opacities in protoplanetary disk models consistently with the chemistry and to investigate the effect of ice opacities on the physico-chemical state and optical appearance of the disk.

Methods. A matrix of Mie efficiencies is pre-calculated for different ice species and thicknesses, from which the position dependent opacities of icy grains are then interpolated. This is implemented in the PRODIMO code by a self-consistent solution of ice opacities and the local composition of ices, which are obtained from our chemical network.

Results. Locally, the opacity can change significantly, for example, an increase by a factor of more than 200 in the midplane, especially at ultra-violet and optical wavelengths, due to ice formation. This is mainly due to changes in the size distribution of dust grains resulting from ice formation. However, since the opacity only changes in the optically thick regions of the disk, the thermal disk structure does not change significantly. For the same reason, the spectral energy distributions (SEDs) computed with our disk models with ice opacities generally show only faint ice emission features at far-IR wavelengths. The ice absorption features are only seen in the edge-on orientation. The assumption made on how the ice is distributed across the grain size distribution (ice power law) influences the far-infrared and millimeter slope of the SED. The ice features and their strengths are influenced by the ice power law and the type of chemistry. Our models predict stronger ice features for observations that can spatially resolve the disk, particularly in absorption.
Binary open clusters in the Gaia data
Authors: Song Fangfang , Esamdin Ali , Hu Qingshun , Zhang Mengfan
Published: August 2022

Context. Observations indicate that the fraction of potential binary star clusters in the Milky Way is either the same or lower than that of the Magellanic Clouds. The unprecedented precision in the parallax measurements by Gaia has allowed for the discovery of a growing number of new binary open clusters (OCs).

Aims. We aim to survey the candidates of truly binary open clusters that are formed simultaneously, using information from the Gaia database.

Methods. Based on the most recent catalog of open clusters, we investigated the interactions of adjacent binary open clusters in our Galaxy within separations of 50 pc. We compared their coordinates, proper motions, parallaxes, and color-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) via binary plots for all candidate pairs. The candidates of truly binary open clusters are selected on the basis of their common proper motions and consistent behaviors in the CMDs of different clusters that are limited to a separation of 50 pc.

Results. About ten pairs of the selected binary open clusters appear to be the same clusters, based on evidence that almost half of the cluster members are shared. Fourteen pairs are possibly true binaries, implying that they may come from the same clouds, among which five pairs are newly discovered. In addition, two clusters, UBC 46 and UBC 192, were found to be part of the stellar complex LISCA I. Our results confirm that OCs born in groups are usually composed of young open clusters.
Hunting for anti-solar differentially rotating stars using the Rossby number
Authors: Noraz Q. , Breton S. N. , Brun A. S. , García R. A. , Strugarek A. , Santos A. R. G. , Mathur S. , Amard L.
Published: August 2022

Context. Anti-solar differential rotation profiles have been found for decades in numerical simulations of convective envelopes of solar-type stars. These profiles are characterized by a slow equator and fast poles (i.e., reversed with respect to the Sun) and have been found in simulations for high Rossby numbers. Rotation profiles like this have been reported in evolved stars, but have never been unambiguously observed for cool solar-type stars on the main sequence. As solar-type stars age and spin down, their Rossby numbers increase, which could therefore induce a transition toward an anti-solar differential rotation regime before the end of the main sequence. Such a rotational transition will impact the large-scale dynamo process and the magnetic activity. In this context, detecting this regime in old main-sequence solar-type stars would improve our understanding of their magnetorotational evolution.

Aims. The goal of this study is to identify the most promising cool main-sequence stellar candidates for anti-solar differential rotation in the Kepler sample.

Methods. First, we introduce a new theoretical formula to estimate fluid Rossby numbers, Rof, of main-sequence solar-type stars. We derived it from observational quantities such as Teff and Prot, and took the influence of the internal structure into account. Then, we applied it on a subset of the most recent catalog of Kepler rotation periods, after removing subgiants and selecting targets with solar metallicity. Next, we considered the highest computed Rof and inspected each target individually to select the most reliable anti-solar candidate. Finally, we extended our study to stars with metallicities different from that of the Sun. To this end, we developed a formulation for Rof dependent on the metallicity index [Fe/H] by using 1D stellar grids, and we also considered this compositional aspect for the selection of the targets.

Results. We obtain a list of the most promising stars that are likely to show anti-solar differential rotation. We identify two samples: one at solar metallicity, including 14 targets, and another for other metallicities, including 8 targets. We find that the targets with the highest Rof are likely to be early-G or late-F stars at about log10g = 4.37 dex.

Conclusions. We conclude that cool main-sequence stellar candidates for anti-solar differential rotation exist in the Kepler sample. The most promising candidate is KIC 10907436, and two other particularly interesting candidates are the solar analog KIC 7189915 and the seismic target KIC 12117868. Future characterization of these 22 stars is expected to help us understand how dynamics can impact magnetic and rotational evolution of old solar-type stars at high Rossby number.
Characterization of exoplanetary atmospheres with SLOPpy
Authors: Sicilia D. , Malavolta L. , Pino L. , Scandariato G. , Nascimbeni V. , Piotto G. , Pagano I.
Published: August 2022

Transmission spectroscopy is among the most fruitful techniques to infer the main opacity sources present in the upper atmosphere of a transiting planet and to constrain the composition of the thermosphere and of the unbound exosphere. Not having a public tool able to automatically extract a high-resolution transmission spectrum creates a problem of reproducibility for scientific results. As a consequence, it is very difficult to compare the results obtained by different research groups and to carry out a homogeneous characterization of the exoplanetary atmospheres. In this work, we present a standard, publicly available, user-friendly tool, named SLOPpy (Spectral Lines Of Planets with python), to automatically extract and analyze the optical transmission spectrum of exoplanets as accurately as possible. Several data reduction steps are first performed by SLOPpy to correct the input spectra for sky emission, atmospheric dispersion, the presence of telluric features and interstellar lines, center-to-limb variation, and Rossiter–McLaughlin effect, thus making it a state-of-the-art tool. The pipeline has successfully been applied to HARPS and HARPS-N data of ideal targets for atmospheric characterization. To first assess the code’s performance and to validate its suitability, here we present a comparison with the results obtained from the previous analyses of other works on HD 189733 b, WASP-76 b, WASP-127 b, and KELT-20 b. Comparing our results with other works that have analyzed the same datasets, we conclude that this tool gives results in agreement with the published results within 1σ most of the time, while extracting, with SLOPpy, the planetary signal with a similar or higher statistical significance.
Ultrafast broadband optical modulation in indium tin oxide/titanium dioxide 1D photonic crystal
Authors: Moscardi Liliana , Varas Stefano , Chiasera Alessandro , Scotognella Francesco , Guizzardi Michele
Published: August 2022

Photonic crystals can integrate plasmonic materials such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) in their structure. Exploiting ITO plasmonic properties, it is possible to tune the photonic band gap of the photonic crystal upon the application of an external stimuli. In this work, we have fabricated a one-dimensional multilayer photonic crystal alternating ITO and Titanium Dioxide (TiO2) via radio frequency sputtering and we have triggered its optical response with ultrafast pump-probe spectroscopy. Upon photoexcitation, we observe a change in the refractive index of ITO. Such an effect has been used to create a photonic crystal that changes its photonic bandgap in an ultrafast time scale. All optical modulation in the visible region, that can be tuned by designing the photonic crystal, has been demonstrated.
Design of novel energy harvesting device based on water flow manipulation
Authors: Pang Haixiang , Feng Aichun , You Yunxiang , Chen Ke
Published: August 2022

Water power is abundant to meet the energy needs of the world. To exploit these plentiful natural resources, a novel energy harvesting device has been designed based on the water field manipulation theory. The flow field can be redirected, and the kinetic energy can be harvested flexibly and efficiently. The proposed energy concentrator exhibits promising prospects to harvest low-speed water flow energy at a highly effective level of up to 4–7 times the power of solar panels and wind turbines. While this study is at an early stage, it can prompt the exploitation of water flow energy that is not directly available due to the low flow rates.
A low-storage adjoint lattice Boltzmann method for the control of incompressible flows
Authors: Yong Silong , Zhao Weifeng
Published: August 2022

In this paper, we present a low-storage adjoint lattice Boltzmann method (LSALBM) for the control of unsteady incompressible flows. The core of the method is to adopt a velocity-independent approximate equilibrium for the adjoint variable. Thus, the space–time history of the flow field is not needed to be stored for the adjoint variable and the well-known drawback of the existing adjoint methods is overcome. The new method is validated through both initial-value and boundary control problems. Numerical examples demonstrate that the LSALBM agrees well with the standard adjoint lattice Boltzmann method when the terminal time of the problem is not too long. For long-time unsteady flow problems, the standard method loses its effectiveness, while the LSALBM still produces ideal results. Moreover, the efficiency of our method for steady-state problems is shown by simulating a lid-driven grooved cavity flow.
Hydrodynamic interaction within star-branched macromolecules
Authors: Pak Myong Chol , Chakraborty R. , Kanso M. A. , Kim Kwang-Il , Giacomin A. J.
Published: August 2022

Recent work arrived at expressions for the complex viscosity of a suspension of star-branched macromolecules [Coombs, Phys Fluids, 33, 093111 (2021)] using general rigid bead-rod theory without hydrodynamic interaction. In this work, we advance the theory by accounting for intramolecular interactions modeled with the interferences of Stokes flow solvent velocity profiles between adjacent beads. We derive the analytical expression for the complex viscosity of a suspension of four-arm star-branched macromolecules as a function of the number of beads in each arm NB and of the hydrodynamic interaction parameter A. We test our comprehensive theory against complex viscosity measurements of a cis-polybutadiene silicon-centered four-arm star suspension. We find the incorporation of hydrodynamic interaction improves the fit to complex viscosity measurements.
A novel Artificial Intelligence-based tool to assess anticholinergic burden: a survey
Authors: Secchi Agostina , Mamayusupova Hulkar , Sami Saber , Maidment Ian , Coulton Simon , Myint Phyo Kyaw , Fox Chris
Published: August 2022

Background

many medications possess anticholinergic activity. Their use is associated with a number of serious adverse effects including cognitive effects. The cumulative anticholinergic effect of medications as assessed by tools such as the anticholinergic burden scale (AchB) can identify people particularly at risk of anticholinergic side-effects. Currently, >20 tools are available for clinicians to use, but there is no consensus on the most appropriate tool.

Methods

a newly created online tool—International Anticholinergic Cognitive Burden Tool (IACT)—based on natural language processing and chemical structure analysis, was developed and made available for clinicians to test its functions. We carried out a survey (between 8th of February and 31st of March 2021) to assess the overall need for an assessment tool as well as the usability of the IACT.

Results

a total of 110 responses were received from different countries and practitioners’ groups. The majority of the participants (86.11%) stated they would use a tool for AchB assessment if available and when they were asked to rate the IACT against other tools, amongst 34 responders, 20.59% rated it better and 8.82% rated it significantly better, 44.12% rated it neither better, nor worse, 14.71% rated it worse and 11.76% somewhat worse.

Conclusion

there is a need for an anticholinergic burden calculator to assess the anticholinergicity of medications. Tools such as the IACT potentially could meet this demand due to its ability to assign scores to current and new medications appearing on the market based both on their chemical structure and reported adverse pharmacological effects.
Light received by embryos promotes postnatal junior phenotypes in a seabird
Authors: Ruiz-Raya Francisco , Noguera Jose C , Velando Alberto
Published: August 2022

Light is a salient and variable ecological factor that can impact developmental trajectories of vertebrate embryos, yet whether prenatal light environment can act as an anticipatory cue preparing organisms to cope with postnatal conditions is still unclear. In asynchronous birds, last-laid eggs are particularly exposed to sunlight as parental incubation behavior becomes intermittent after the hatching of senior chicks. Here, we explore whether natural variations in prenatal light exposure shape the distinctive phenotype showed by last-hatched chicks of a semi-precocial seabird, the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis), potentially preparing them to cope with the postnatal competitive context. To do this, we manipulated the amount of light received by last-laid eggs (within a natural range) during last stages of embryonic development. Prenatal exposure to light cues promoted the development of the resilient “junior phenotype” exhibited by last-hatched gull chicks, characterized by accelerated hatching, increased begging behavior and a slower growth rate. These developmental and behavioral adjustments were accompanied by down-regulation of genes involved in metabolism and development regulation (SOD2 and TRalpha), as well as changes in the HPA-axis functioning (lower baseline corticosterone and robust adrenocortical response). Junior chicks exposed to light cues during the embryonic development showed longer telomeres during the early postnatal period, suggesting that light-induced adjustments could allow them to buffer the competitive disadvantages associated with hatching asynchrony. Our study provides evidence that postnatal junior phenotypes are, at least in part, prenatally shaped by light cues that act during a critical temporal window of developmental sensitivity.
APSCALE: advanced pipeline for simple yet comprehensive analyses of DNA metabarcoding data
Authors: Buchner Dominik , Macher Till-Hendrik , Leese Florian
Published: August 2022

DNA metabarcoding is an emerging approach to assess and monitor biodiversity worldwide and consequently the number and size of data sets increases exponentially. To date, no published DNA metabarcoding data processing pipeline exists that is (i) platform independent, (ii) easy to use [incl. graphical user interface (GUI)], (iii) fast (does scale well with dataset size) and (iv) complies with data protection regulations of e.g. environmental agencies. The presented pipeline APSCALE meets these requirements and handles the most common tasks of sequence data processing, such as paired-end merging, primer trimming, quality filtering, clustering and denoising of any popular metabarcoding marker, such as internal transcribed spacer, 16S or cytochrome c oxidase subunit I. APSCALE comes in a command line and a GUI version. The latter provides the user with additional summary statistics options and links to GUI-based downstream applications.

Availability and implementation

APSCALE is written in Python, a platform-independent language, and integrates functions of the open-source tools, VSEARCH (Rognes et al., 2016), cutadapt (Martin, 2011) and LULU (Frøslev et al., 2017). All modules support multithreading to allow fast processing of larger DNA metabarcoding datasets. Further information and troubleshooting are provided on the respective GitHub pages for the command-line version (https://github.com/DominikBuchner/apscale) and the GUI-based version (https://github.com/TillMacher/apscale_gui), including a detailed tutorial.

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Cancer multidisciplinary team meetings: impact of logistical challenges on communication and decision-making
Authors: Soukup Tayana , Lamb Benjamin W , Morbi Abigail , Shah Nisha J , Bali Anish , Asher Viren , Gandamihardja Tasha , Giordano Pasquale , Darzi Ara , Sevdalis Nick , Green James S A
Published: August 2022

Background

Multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) are widely used in cancer care. Recent research points to logistical challenges impeding MDT decision-making and dissatisfaction among members. This study sought to identify different types of logistical issues and how they impacted team processes.

Methods

This was a secondary analysis of a cross-sectional observational study. Three cancer MDTs (breast, colorectal, and gynaecological) were recruited from UK hospitals. Validated observational instruments were used to measure decision-making (Metrics of Observational Decision-making, MDT-MODe), communication (Bales' Interaction Process Analysis, Bales' IPA), and case complexity (Measure of Case Discussion Complexity, MeDiC), including logistical challenges (Measure of Case Discussion Complexity, MeDiC), across 822 case discussions from 30 videoed meetings. Descriptive analysis and paired samples t tests were used to identify and compare frequency of different types of logistical challenges, along with partial correlations, controlling for clinical complexity of cases, to understand how such issues related to the MDT decision-making and communication.

Results

A significantly higher frequency of administrative and process issues (affecting 30 per cent of cases) was seen compared with the frequency of equipment issues (affecting 5 per cent of cases; P < 0.001) and the frequency of the attendance issues (affecting 16 per cent of cases; P < 0.001). The frequency of the attendance issues was significantly higher than the frequency of equipment issues (P < 0.001). Partial correlation analysis revealed that administrative and process issues, including attendance, were negatively correlated with quality of information (r = −0.15, P < 0.001; r = −0.11, P < 0.001), and equipment issues with the quality of contribution to meeting discussion (r = −0.14, P < 0.001). More questioning and answering by MDT members was evident with the administrative and process issues (r = 0.21, P < 0.001; r = 0.19, P < 0.001). Some differences were observed in teams' socioemotional reactions to the administrative and process issues with the gynaecological MDT showing positive correlation with positive socioemotional reactions (r = 0.20, P < 0.001), and the breast cancer MDT with negative socioemotional reactions (r = 0.17, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Administrative and process issues were the most frequent logistical challenges for the studied teams. Where diagnostic results were unavailable, and inadequate patient details provided, the quality of decision-making was reduced.
Exposure theory for learning complex networks with random walks
Authors: Klishin Andrei A , Bassett Dani S
Published: August 2022

Random walks are a common model for the exploration and discovery of complex networks. While numerous algorithms have been proposed to map out an unknown network, a complementary question arises: in a known network, which nodes and edges are most likely to be discovered by a random walker in finite time? Here, we introduce exposure theory, a statistical mechanics framework that predicts the learning of nodes and edges across several types of networks, including weighted and temporal, and show that edge learning follows a universal trajectory. While the learning of individual nodes and edges is noisy, exposure theory produces a highly accurate prediction of aggregate exploration statistics.
SLOAD: a comprehensive database of cancer-specific synthetic lethal interactions for precision cancer therapy via multi-omics analysis
Authors: Guo Li , Dou Yuyang , Xia Daoliang , Yin Zibo , Xiang Yangyang , Luo Lulu , Zhang Yuting , Wang Jun , Liang Tingming
Published: August 2022

Synthetic lethality has been widely concerned because of its potential role in cancer treatment, which can be harnessed to selectively kill cancer cells via identifying inactive genes in a specific cancer type and further targeting the corresponding synthetic lethal partners. Herein, to obtain cancer-specific synthetic lethal interactions, we aimed to predict genetic interactions via a pan-cancer analysis from multiple molecular levels using random forest and then develop a user-friendly database. First, based on collected public gene pairs with synthetic lethal interactions, candidate gene pairs were analyzed via integrating multi-omics data, mainly including DNA mutation, copy number variation, methylation and mRNA expression data. Then, integrated features were used to predict cancer-specific synthetic lethal interactions using random forest. Finally, SLOAD (http://www.tmliang.cn/SLOAD) was constructed via integrating these findings, which was a user-friendly database for data searching, browsing, downloading and analyzing. These results can provide candidate cancer-specific synthetic lethal interactions, which will contribute to drug designing in cancer treatment that can promote therapy strategies based on the principle of synthetic lethality.

Database URL http://www.tmliang.cn/SLOAD/
Cost effectiveness of population screening vs. no screening for cardiovascular disease: the Danish Cardiovascular Screening trial (DANCAVAS)
Authors: Søgaard Rikke , Diederichsen Axel Cosmus Pyndt , Rasmussen Lars M , Lambrechtsen Jess , Steffensen Flemming H , Frost Lars , Egstrup Kenneth , Urbonaviciene Grazina , Busk Martin , Lindholt Jes S
Published: August 2022

Aims

A recent trial has shown that screening of men for cardiovascular disease (CVD) may reduce all-cause mortality. This study assesses the cost effectiveness of such screening vs. no screening from the perspective of European healthcare systems.

Methods and results

Randomized controlled trial-based cost-effectiveness evaluation with a mean 5.7 years of follow-up. Screening was based on low-dose computed tomography to detect coronary artery calcification and aortic/iliac aneurysms, limb blood pressure measurement to detect peripheral artery disease and hypertension, telemetric assessment of the heart rhythm to detect atrial fibrillation, and measurements of the cholesterol and HgbA1c levels. Censoring-adjusted incremental costs, life years (LY), and quality-adjusted LY (QALY) were estimated and used for cost-effectiveness analysis. The incremental cost of screening for the entire health care sector was €207 [95% confidence interval (CI) −24; 438, P = 0.078] per invitee for which gains of 0.019 LY (95% CI −0.007; 0.045, P = 0.145) and 0.023 QALY (95% CI −0.001; 0.046, P = 0.051) were achieved. The corresponding incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were of €10 812 per LY and €9075 per QALY, which would be cost effective at probabilities of 0.73 and 0.83 for a willingness to pay of €20 000. Assessment of population heterogeneity showed that cost effectiveness could be more attractive for younger men without CVD at baseline.

Conclusions

Comprehensive screening for CVD is overall cost effective at conventional thresholds for willingness to pay and also competitive to the cost effectiveness of common cancer screening programmes. The screening target group, however, needs to be settled.
Vegetation drives the response of the active fraction of the rhizosphere microbial communities to soil warming in Antarctic vascular plants
Authors: Parada-Pozo Génesis , Bravo León A , Sáez Patricia L , Cavieres Lohengrin A , Reyes-Díaz Marjorie , Abades Sebastián , Alfaro Fernando D , De la Iglesia Rodrigo , Trefault Nicole
Published: August 2022

In the Antarctic Peninsula, increases in mean annual temperature are associated with the coverage and population density of the two Antarctic vascular plant species—Deschampsia antarctica and Colobanthus quitensis—potentially modifying critical soil processes. In this study, we characterized the diversity and community composition of active microorganisms inhabiting the vascular plant rhizosphere in two sites with contrasting vegetation cover in King George Island, Western Antarctic Peninsula. We assessed the interplay between soil physicochemical properties and microbial diversity and composition, evaluating the effect of an in situ experimental warming on the microbial communities of the rhizosphere from D. antarctica and C. quitensis. Bacteria and Eukarya showed different responses to warming in both sites, and the effect was more noticeable in microbial eukaryotes from the low vegetation site. Furthermore, important changes were found in the relative abundance of Tepidisphaerales (Bacteria) and Ciliophora (Eukarya) between warming and control treatments. Our results showed that rhizosphere eukaryal communities are more sensitive to in situ warming than bacterial communities. Overall, our results indicate that vegetation drives the response of the active fraction of the microbial communities from the rhizosphere of Antarctic vascular plants to soil warming.
Identification of upregulated genes in Tricholoma matsutake mycorrhiza
Authors: Sakamoto Yuichi , Sato Shiho , Takizawa Miyuki , Narimatsu Maki
Published: August 2022

Many plant roots associate with fungi to form mycorrhizae; tree roots especially associate with ectomycorrhizal fungi, such as Tricholoma species. Tricholoma matsutake is an economically important fungus in Asian countries and usually inhabits forests primarily composed of Pinus densiflora (Japanese red pine). In this study, to understand the mycorrhizal association between T. matsutake and P. densiflora, genes specifically expressed in mycorrhiza compared with those expressed in mycelia and fruiting bodies were identified by RNA-seq. This revealed that genes for chromatin, proteasomes, signal transduction, pheromones, cell surface receptors, cytoskeleton, RNA processing and transporters from T. matsutake were highly expressed in mycorrhiza. It also identified 35 mycorrhiza-induced small secreted proteins (MiSSPs) that were highly expressed in mycorrhiza. Meanwhile, genes for proteases, defence-related proteins, cell-wall degradation, signal transduction, pinene synthesis, plant hormones and transporters from P. densiflora were highly expressed in mycorrhiza. These genes may be involved in mycorrhizal formation and maintenance. A MiSSP, 1460819, was highly expressed in mycorrhiza, and this expression was maintained for 24 months. These results provide insight into the mycorrhizal association between T. matsutake and P. densiflora.
The mIAA7 degron improves auxin-mediated degradation inCaenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Sepers Jorian J , Verstappen Noud H M , Vo An A , Ragle James Matthew , Ruijtenberg Suzan , Ward Jordan D , Boxem Mike
Published: August 2022

Auxin-inducible degradation is a powerful tool for the targeted degradation of proteins with spatiotemporal control. One limitation of the auxin-inducible degradation system is that not all proteins are degraded efficiently. Here, we demonstrate that an alternative degron sequence, termed mIAA7, improves the efficiency of degradation in Caenorhabditis elegans, as previously reported in human cells. We tested the depletion of a series of proteins with various subcellular localizations in different tissue types and found that the use of the mIAA7 degron resulted in faster depletion kinetics for 5 out of 6 proteins tested. The exception was the nuclear protein HIS-72, which was depleted with similar efficiency as with the conventional AID* degron sequence. The mIAA7 degron also increased the leaky degradation for 2 of the tested proteins. To overcome this problem, we combined the mIAA7 degron with the C. elegans AID2 system, which resulted in complete protein depletion without detectable leaky degradation. Finally, we show that the degradation of ERM-1, a highly stable protein that is challenging to deplete, could be improved further by using multiple mIAA7 degrons. Taken together, the mIAA7 degron further increases the power and applicability of the auxin-inducible degradation system. To facilitate the generation of mIAA7-tagged proteins using CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering, we generated a toolkit of plasmids for the generation of dsDNA repair templates by PCR.
The Drosophila BEAF insulator protein interacts with the polybromo subunit of the PBAP chromatin remodeling complex
Authors: McKowen J Keller , Avva Satya V S P , Maharjan Mukesh , Duarte Fabiana M , Tome Jacob M , Judd Julius , Wood Jamie L , Negedu Sunday , Dong Yunkai , Lis John T , Hart Craig M
Published: August 2022

The Drosophila Boundary Element-Associated Factor of 32 kDa (BEAF) binds in promoter regions of a few thousand mostly housekeeping genes. BEAF is implicated in both chromatin domain boundary activity and promoter function, although molecular mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we show that BEAF physically interacts with the polybromo subunit (Pbro) of PBAP, a SWI/SNF-class chromatin remodeling complex. BEAF also shows genetic interactions with Pbro and other PBAP subunits. We examine the effect of this interaction on gene expression and chromatin structure using precision run-on sequencing and micrococcal nuclease sequencing after RNAi-mediated knockdown in cultured S2 cells. Our results are consistent with the interaction playing a subtle role in gene activation. Fewer than 5% of BEAF-associated genes were significantly affected after BEAF knockdown. Most were downregulated, accompanied by fill-in of the promoter nucleosome-depleted region and a slight upstream shift of the +1 nucleosome. Pbro knockdown caused downregulation of several hundred genes and showed a correlation with BEAF knockdown but a better correlation with promoter-proximal GAGA factor binding. Micrococcal nuclease sequencing supports that BEAF binds near housekeeping gene promoters while Pbro is more important at regulated genes. Yet there is a similar general but slight reduction of promoter-proximal pausing by RNA polymerase II and increase in nucleosome-depleted region nucleosome occupancy after knockdown of either protein. We discuss the possibility of redundant factors keeping BEAF-associated promoters active and masking the role of interactions between BEAF and the Pbro subunit of PBAP in S2 cells. We identify Facilitates Chromatin Transcription (FACT) and Nucleosome Remodeling Factor (NURF) as candidate redundant factors.
Visceral adipose volume is correlated with surgical tissue fibrosis in Crohn’s disease of the small bowel
Authors: Yuan Gang , He Yao , Cao Qing-Hua , Tang Mi-Mi , Xie Zong-Lin , Qiu Yun , Zeng Zhi-Rong , Peng Sui , Chen Min-Hu
Published: August 2022

Background

This study explored the diagnostic performance of visceral adiposity to predict the degree of intestinal inflammation and fibrosis.

Methods

The patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) who underwent surgical small bowel resection at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University (Guangzhou, China) between January 2007 and December 2017 were enrolled. We evaluated the intestinal imaging features of computed tomography enterography (CTE), including mesenteric inflammatory fat stranding, the target sign, mesenteric hypervascularity, bowel wall thickening, lymphadenopathy, stricture diameter, and maximal upstream diameter. We used A.K. software (Artificial Intelligence Kit, version 1.1) to calculate the visceral fat (VF) and subcutaneous fat (SF) volumes at the third lumbar vertebra level. Pathological tissue information was recorded. Diagnostic models were established based on the multivariate regression analysis results, and their effectiveness was evaluated by area under the curve (AUC) and decision curve analyses.

Results

Overall, 48 patients with CD were included in this study. The abdominal VF/SF volume ratio (odds ratio, 1.20; 95% confidence interval, 1.05–1.38; P = 0.009) and the stenosis diameter/upstream intestinal dilatation diameter (ND) ratio (odds ratio, 0.90; 95% confidence interval, 0.82–0.99; P = 0.034) were independent risk factors for the severe fibrosis of the small intestine. The AUC values of the VF/SF ratio, the ND ratio, and their combination were 0.760, 0.673, and 0.804, respectively. The combination of the VS/SF volume ratio and ND ratio achieved the highest net benefit on the decision curve.

Conclusion

The VF volume on CTE can reflect intestinal fibrosis. The combination of the VF/SF volume ratio and ND ratio of CD patients assessed using CTE can help predict severe fibrosis stenosis of the small intestine.
The thermal state of Volgo–Uralia from Bayesian inversion of surface heat flow and temperature
Authors: Ognev Igor , Ebbing Jörg , Lösing Mareen , Nurgaliev Danis
Published: August 2022

Volgo–Uralia is the easternmost segment of the East European Craton. It accommodates the Volga–Ural petroleum province where the maturity of source rocks is tightly related to the temperature distribution in the crust. Numerous heat flow and temperature measurements have been reported for this region. However, no consistent geothermal model was presented for the Volgo–Uralian crustal block so far. In this study, we present a novel model of the Volgo–Uralian geothermal field where we aim to reconcile the reported heat flow and temperature data.

The main goal of the study is to explore lateral variations of the unknown thermal parameters within Volgo–Uralia. For this purpose, we applied a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo approach where we used the known surface heat flow, surface temperature, lithosphere–asthenosphere boundary temperature and thicknesses of the Earth's lithospheric and crustal layers as input and investigated the possible lateral variations of crustal and lithospheric mantle thermal conductivities, crustal heat production and mantle heat flow. We implemented this methodology for a single-layer and multilayer crust and validated the obtained geothermal models with existing subsurface temperature measurements for the region.

The results show that the Volgo–Uralian subcraton is characterized by significant lateral variations of crustal radiogenic heat production (RHP) and mantle heat flow. The variations of crustal and lithospheric mantle thermal conductivities are less pronounced. According to our model, the surface heat flow distribution is controlled mostly by crustal RHP which accounts for more than half of Volgo–Uralian surface heat flow. Validation of the models shows that single-layer and multilayer crustal models give roughly the same fit of measured and modelled temperatures. This implies that a single-layer crust with constant RHP can be considered a sufficient approximation for regional-scale geothermal modelling.
Gradient-constrained model parametrization in 3-D compact full waveform inversion
Authors: Xu Linan , Winner Valérie , Maurer Hansruedi
Published: August 2022

Seismic full waveform inversion (FWI) can produce high-resolution subsurface models by using the complete information of the observed data, but its computational cost can be prohibitively large, particularly for realistically sized 3-D problems. Due to its relatively fast convergence rate, it would be beneficial when Gauss–Newton algorithms could be employed for such problems, but the approximate Hessian matrix required for Gauss–Newton schemes would be too large to be kept in computer memory. Therefore, compact FWI (CFWI) was introduced, with which the number of inversion model parameters can be reduced substantially, and thus the amenable properties of Gauss–Newton inversion schemes can be exploited. Here, we extend the CFWI technology to 3-D problems. Since the spatial coverage of sources and receivers is generally sparser in 3-D (compared with 2-D problems), the total number of model parameters can become very large, and adequate model parametrization is particularly important for 3-D problems. Furthermore, we introduce gradient constrained CFWI (GC-CFWI). This is a novel development that allows the number of model parameters to be further reduced significantly. CFWI employs hierarchical model parametrizations that can be, for example, based on spatial Fourier transforms or wavelet transforms. Only those parameters of such a hierarchical parametrization are retained that exhibit a sufficiently high formal resolution. With GC-CFWI, it is further checked which of these parameters are expected to be changed significantly during a single CFWI iteration. Only parameters with a potentially significant adjustment are retained in the inversion parameter space. We have performed numerical experiments to analyse the performance of CFWI and GC-CFWI for 3-D acoustic FWI problems. For that purpose, we have considered a crosshole geometry including four boreholes and a surface deployment of sources and receivers. As parametrizations, we have considered the Fourier-based Hartley transform and the Haar wavelet transform. For both set-ups, the number of inversion model parameters could be reduced to about 20 per cent for the crosshole model and to about 10 per cent for the surface-based acquisition using CFWI. With GC-CFWI, a further reduction of about 50 per cent for both experimental set-ups could be achieved. The different results for the crosshole and surface-based set-ups indicate that an optimal model parametrization is tightly coupled to the experimental layout.
Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on total, sex- and age-specific all-cause mortality in 20 countries worldwide during 2020: results from the C-MOR project
Authors: Demetriou Christiana A , Achilleos Souzana , Quattrocchi Annalisa , Gabel John , Critselis Elena , Constantinou Constantina , Nicolaou Nicoletta , Ambrosio Giuseppe , Bennett Catherine M , Le Meur Nolwenn , Critchley Julia A , Mortensen Laust Hvas , Rodriguez-Llanes Jose Manuel , Chong Mario , Denissov Gleb , Klepac Petra , Goldsmith Lucy P , Costa Antonio José Leal , Hagen Terje P , Chan Sun Marie , Huang Qian , Pidmurniak Nataliia , Zucker Inbar , Cuthbertson Joseph , Burström Bo , Barron Manuel , Eržen Ivan , Stracci Fabrizio , Calmon Wilson , Martial Cyndy , Verstiuk Olesia , Kaufman Zalman , Tao Wenjing , Kereselidze Maia , Chikhladze Nino , Zimmermann Claudia , Schernhammer Eva , Polemitis Antonis , Charalambous Andreas
Published: August 2022

Background

To understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mortality, this study investigates overall, sex- and age-specific excess all-cause mortality in 20 countries, during 2020.

Methods

Total, sex- and age-specific weekly all-cause mortality for 2015–2020 was collected from national vital statistics databases. Excess mortality for 2020 was calculated by comparing weekly 2020 observed mortality against expected mortality, estimated from historical data (2015–2019) accounting for seasonality, long- and short-term trends. Crude and age-standardized rates were analysed for total and sex-specific mortality.

Results

Austria, Brazil, Cyprus, England and Wales, France, Georgia, Israel, Italy, Northern Ireland, Peru, Scotland, Slovenia, Sweden, and the USA displayed substantial excess age-standardized mortality of varying duration during 2020, while Australia, Denmark, Estonia, Mauritius, Norway, and Ukraine did not. In sex-specific analyses, excess mortality was higher in males than females, except for Slovenia (higher in females) and Cyprus (similar in both sexes). Lastly, for most countries substantial excess mortality was only detectable (Austria, Cyprus, Israel, and Slovenia) or was higher (Brazil, England and Wales, France, Georgia, Italy, Northern Ireland, Sweden, Peru and the USA) in the oldest age group investigated. Peru demonstrated substantial excess mortality even in the <45 age group.

Conclusions

This study highlights that excess all-cause mortality during 2020 is context dependent, with specific countries, sex- and age-groups being most affected. As the pandemic continues, tracking excess mortality is important to accurately estimate the true toll of COVID-19, while at the same time investigating the effects of changing contexts, different variants, testing, quarantine, and vaccination strategies.