bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A learning-from-data approach with soft clustering and path relinking to the history-matching problem
Authors: Cavalcante Cristina C. B. , de Souza Cid C. , Maschio Célio , Schiozer Denis , Rocha Anderson
Published: July 2021

History matching is an important reservoir engineering process whereby the values of uncertain attributes of a reservoir model are changed to find models that have a better chance of reproducing the performance of an actual reservoir. As a typical inverse and ill-posed problem, different combinations of reservoir uncertain attributes lead to equally well-matched models and the success of a history-matching approach is usually measured in terms of its ability to efficiently find multiple history-matched models inside the search space defined by the parameterization of the problem (multiple-matched models have a higher chance of better representing the reservoir performance forecast). While studies on history-matching approaches have produced remarkable progress over the last two decades, given the uniqueness of each reservoir’s history-matching problem, no strategy is proven effective for all cases, and finding alternative, efficient, and effective history-matching methodologies is still a research challenge. In this work, we introduce a learning-from-data approach with path relinking and soft clustering to the history-matching problem. The proposed algorithm is designed to learn the patterns of input attributes that are associated with good matching quality from the set of available solutions, and has two stages that handle different types of reservoir uncertain attributes. In each stage, the algorithm evaluates the data of all-available solutions continuously and, based on the acquired information, dynamically decides what needs to be changed, where the changes shall take place, and how such changes will occur in order to generate new (and hopefully better) solutions. We validate our approach using the UNISIM-I-H benchmark, a complex synthetic case constructed with real data from the Namorado Field, Campos Basin, Brazil. Experimental results indicate the potential of the proposed approach in finding models with significantly better history-matching quality. Considering a global misfit quality metric, the final best solutions found by our approach are up to 77% better than the corresponding initial best solutions in the datasets used in the experiments. Moreover, compared with previous work for the same benchmark, the proposed learning-from-data approach is competitive regarding the quality of solutions found and, above all, it offers a significant reduction (up to 30 × less) in the number of simulations.
Variation characteristics of coal-rock mechanical properties under varying temperature conditions for Shanxi Linfen coalbed methane well in China
Authors: Li Xin , Zhang Jie , Li Cuinan , Li Ben , Zhao Haoyang , Li Rongxin , Qi Qi
Published: July 2021

In the actual exploitation process of coalbed methane (CBM), as the fluid in the wellbore continues to circulate, the surrounding rock of the CBM well will continuously exchange heat with the fluid in the wellbore, resulting in continuous changes in the temperature of the surrounding rock itself. Linfen, Shanxi is the main exploitation area for CBM in China. This paper aims further to improve the exploitation efficiency of CBM in this area and conducts experimental research on the change characteristics of coal-rock mechanical properties under varying temperature conditions. The experimental results show that under constant pressure conditions, the higher the temperature, the lower the stress value when the coal-rock breaks. In the process of reaching peak strength, the higher the temperature, the higher the proportion of coal-rock plastic deformation in its entire deformation stage. The compressive strength, elastic modulus, and main crack length of coal-rock will decrease with temperature. The Poisson's ratio and primary fracture angle will increase with the increase of experimental temperature.
Geophysical and hydrocarbon prospect evaluation of Nukhul Formation at Rabeh East oil field, Southern Gulf of Suez Basin, Egypt
Authors: Sarhan Mohammad Abdelfattah
Published: July 2021

Nukhul Formation is one of the primary oil reservoirs in the Gulf of Suez Basin. Rabeh East is an oil producer field located at the southern border of the Gulf of Suez. The present work deals with the geophysical investigation of Nukhul Formation in Rabeh East field using seismic lines and well log data of four wells, namely RE-8, RE-22, RE-25 and Nageh-1. The interpreted seismic profiles display that the RE-8 Well is the only well drilled within the up-thrown side of a significant horst fault block bounded by two normal faults. However, the other wells penetrated the downthrown side. The qualitative interpretation of the well logging data for RE-8 Well delineated two intervals have good petrophysical parameters and ability to store and produce oil. These zones locate between depths 5411.5 and 5424 ft (zone I) and between 5451 and 5459.5 ft (zone II). The calculated petrophysical parameters for zone I display water saturation (22–44%), shale volume (10–23%), total porosity (18–23%), effective porosity (12–20%) and bulk volume of water (0.04–0.06). Zone II exhibits water saturation (13–45%), shale volume (10–30%), total porosity (18–24%), effective porosity (11–20%) and bulk volume of water (0.03–0.05). This analysis reflects excellent petrophysical characteristics for the sandstones of Nukhul Formation in Rabeh East oil field for producing oil if the wells drilled in a suitable structural closure.
„Ohne Zusammenarbeit würde das gar nicht gehen“ – Kokonstruktive Lehrpersonen-Kooperation bei der Unterrichtsentwicklung zu personalisiertem Lernen
Authors: Stebler Rita , Galle Marco , Pauli Christine , Reusser Kurt
Published: July 2021

In der Studie wird untersucht, inwiefern sich die kokonstruktive Lehrpersonen-Kooperation in Schulen, die ihren Unterricht bottom-up in Richtung einer stärkeren Personalisierung des Lernens weiterentwickeln, verändert. Die Daten wurden im Zeitraum von drei Schuljahren in 43 Schulen mittels Fragebögen (t1, t3) und in elf dieser Schulen zusätzlich durch Leitfadeninterviews (t1, t2, t3) erhoben. Wie die statistischen und inhaltsanalytischen Auswertungen übereinstimmend zeigen, kooperieren die Lehrpersonen bei der Unterrichtsentwicklung rege, mit unterschiedlichen Partner/innen und kokonstruktiv. Die kokonstruktive Kooperation nimmt im Untersuchungszeitraum bei der Planung, Entwicklung und Auswertung von Unterricht für personalisiertes Lernen sowie im Umgang mit unterrichtlichen und schulischen Herausforderungen deutlich zu. Es entstehen Kooperationskulturen, die nicht nur die Unterrichtsentwicklung voranbringen, sondern auch bei beruflichen und persönlichen Problemen starken Rückhalt geben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass unterrichtsbezogene Innovationen, die von den einzelnen Schulen ausgehen und gemeinsam bejahte Ziele verfolgen, die kokonstruktive Kooperation zwischen Lehrpersonen fördern und zum pädagogischen Handeln als kollegiale Lerngemeinschaften beitragen.
Some local fixed point theorems and applications to open mapping principles and continuation results
Authors: Truşcă Radu
Published: July 2021

The purpose of this article is to present, under weaker assumptions, some local fixed point theorems for Ćirić–Reich–Rus, Chatterjea and Berinde type generalized contractions. Then, as applications we will obtain open mapping theorems and continuation principles for these classes of mappings.
Intraperitoneal extension of the peritoneal dialysis catheter—a new technique for catheter implantation in patients with obesity
Authors: Sayer Michael , Thiel Christian , Schenk Martin , Königsrainer Alfred , Heyne Nils , Birkenfeld Andreas L. , Artunc Ferruh , Thiel Karolin
Published: July 2021

Background

In patients with obesity and end-stage kidney disease, implantation of the peritoneal dialysis (PD) catheter may be complicated by increased abdominal circumference or skin folds. Relocation of the implantation site to the upper abdomen could solve this problem. However, this would require an extended catheter.

Methods

We developed an extended PD catheter based on a swan neck Missouri PD catheter with the help of two adaptors and a straight intraperitoneal extension segment. The extended catheter was assembled intraoperatively, and its length was adjusted individually to ensure correct positioning. After the operation, PD was commenced and handled as usual.

Results

In the period from 2011 to 2021, we implanted 31 extended PD catheters in 29 patients (38% men) with end-stage renal failure and obesity. Median age was 53 (range 28–77) years and body mass index was 35.5 (range 26.4–46.9) kg/m2. The postoperative course was unremarkable except for seroma formation in one patient and dialysate leakage in another. Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) was initiated in 20 and APD in 9 patients. The achieved median Kt/V was 2.10 (range 1.50–3.10). During the follow-up period lasting up to 51 months, there was one case of intraperitoneal catheter disconnection due to an avoidable handling error. The peritonitis rate was 1:40 months. The 1- and 2-year catheter survival was 92% and 67%, respectively, and paralleled patient survival.

Conclusions

When using a PD catheter with an intraperitoneal extension, PD catheter implantation can be relocated to the upper abdomen in patients with obesity, thus providing optimal position and easy surgical access.
GraspVDN: scene-oriented grasp estimation by learning vector representations of grasps
Authors: Dong Zhipeng , Tian Hongkun , Bao Xuefeng , Yan Yunhui , Chen Fei
Published: July 2021

Grasp estimation is a fundamental technique crucial for robot manipulation tasks. In this work, we present a scene-oriented grasp estimation scheme taking constraints of the grasp pose imposed by the environment into consideration and training on samples satisfying the constraints. We formulate valid grasps for a parallel-jaw gripper as vectors in a two-dimensional (2D) image and detect them with a fully convolutional network that simultaneously estimates the vectors’ origins and directions. The detected vectors are then converted to 6 degree-of-freedom (6-DOF) grasps with a tailored strategy. As such, the network is able to detect multiple grasp candidates from a cluttered scene in one shot using only an RGB image as input. We evaluate our approach on the GraspNet-1Billion dataset and archived comparable performance as state-of-the-art while being efficient in runtime.
Early Holocene aeolian sediments in southwestern Crete−preliminary results
Authors: Kirsten Fabian , Fülling Alexander , Heinrich Susann , Schneider Birgit , Heinrich Jürgen
Published: July 2021

The soilscapes along the southern and western coast of Crete (Greece) are dominated by coarse-grained reddish-brown slope sediments whose natural (pre-anthropogenic) configuration and properties are difficult to reconstruct due to the long history of intense land use. As a consequence, datable terrestrial sediment archives of pre-anthropogenic genesis are scarce. We present preliminary results of a study performed on an accumulation within an alluvial fan south of Stomio Bay in southwestern Crete. The studied profile is located in a small depression and is composed of a sequence of sandy to silty yellowish-brown calcareous sediments overlying coarse-grained slope sediments, including a fossil topsoil horizon. Based on macroscopic, micromorphological, geochemical, geophysical and mineralogical analysis, we interpret the fine-grained sediments to have a local aeolian origin. OSL dating indicates a final deposition phase during the early Holocene. Considering the scarcity of early Holocene terrestrial archives in Crete, the analysed profile provides valuable data for the reconstruction of landscape dynamics and paleoecological conditions as well as soil-sediment configurations during this time period. Additional research is needed to address the specific source area(s) as well as the ages of the deposition of slope sediments and formation of the fossil topsoil.
Global partnerships in governing labour migration: the uneasy relationship between the ILO and IOM in the promotion of decent work for migrants
Authors: Piper Nicola , Foley Laura
Published: July 2021

This paper examines the multi-actor and multi-sited character of global labour migration governance as a sphere in which various organisations seek influence on the direction of global policy via various methods. We focus on the relational dynamics between the two key organisations which engage in the governance of labour migration, yet which have fundamentally different mandates and modes for governing: the ILO and the IOM. This paper contributes to the existing literature on global migration governance and the role of international organisations by applying the concept of ‘global partnerships’ to our examination of the relationship between those two key international organisations in the field of migration. We characterise the evolving ILO–IOM global partnership as an uneasy alliance along a “competition/clash-cooperation spectrum” and argue that, in order to manage the competing-cooperating dynamics, a type of strategic ILO–IOM partnership has emerged, an alliance which has also been driven by the blurring of public and private realms in new global migration governing forms and formats. The ultimate question raised by these developments is whether this global partnership will promote or obstruct the advancement of the decent work policy agenda for migrant workers.
Determinants of urban sprawl in Latin America: evidence from Santiago de Chile
Authors: Silva Cristian , Vergara-Perucich Francisco
Published: July 2021

Urban sprawl has been widely discussed in regard of its economic, political, social and environmental impacts. Consequently, several planning policies have been placed to stop—or at least restrain—sprawling development. However, most of these policies have not been successful at all as anti-sprawl policies partially address only a few determinants of a multifaceted phenomenon. This includes processes of extended suburbanisation, peri-urbanisation and transformation of fringe/belt areas of city-regions. Using as a case study the capital city of Chile—Santiago—thirteen determinantsof urban sprawl are identified as interlinked at the point of defining Santiago's sprawling geography as a distinctive space that deserves planning and policy approaches in its own right. Unpacking these determinants and the policy context within which they operate is important to better inform the design and implementation of more comprehensive policy frameworks to manage urban sprawl and its impacts.
More Trust in Fewer Followers: Diverging Effects of Popularity Metrics and Green Orientation Social Media Influencers
Authors: Pittman Matthew , Abell Annika
Published: July 2021

Digital marketing campaigns increasingly utilize social media influencers. Research in influencer marketing has investigated popularity metrics but found conflicting results on how the number of followers and likes on posts might influence consumers’ behaviors. The present research investigates green living orientation of influencers as a moderating characteristic that leads to differential interpretation of popularity metrics in the context of green advertising messages. Specifically, lower popularity metrics seem to benefit green influencers or “greenfluencers.” An increased perception of trust in greenfluencers with lower popularity results in enhanced attitudes toward a sponsored product and increased purchase intentions. Additionally, consumers are willing to donate higher amounts to a related charity after exposure to a promotional post by a green influencer with low following. We present the results of three lab studies and discuss theoretical and practical implications.
Matching Pragmatic Lithic Analysis and Proper Data Architecture
Authors: Contreras Daniel A. , Batist Zachary , Zogheib Ciara , Carter Tristan
Published: July 2021

The documentation and analysis of archaeological lithics must navigate a basic tension between examining and recording data on individual artifacts or on aggregates of artifacts. This poses a challenge both for artifact processing and for database construction. We present here an R Shiny solution that enables lithic analysts to enter data for both individual artifacts and aggregates of artifacts while maintaining a robust yet flexible data structure. This takes the form of a browser-based database interface that uses R to query existing data and transform new data as necessary so that users entering data of varying resolutions still produce data structured around individual artifacts. We demonstrate the function and efficacy of this tool (termed the Queryable Artifact Recording Interface [QuARI]) using the example of the Stelida Naxos Archaeological Project (SNAP), which, focused on a Paleolithic and Mesolithic chert quarry, has necessarily confronted challenges of processing and analyzing large quantities of lithic material.
Droits de l'homme et anthropogenèse du trans/posthumain. La « forme humaine » et les droits de l'homme : quels droits pour le trans/posthumain ?
Authors: Boarini Serge
Published: July 2021

Aux termes de l'article premier de la Déclaration du 26 août 1789, ne peut disposer des droits de l'homme que celui ou celle qui naît homme. La naissance, c'est-à-dire la manifestation d'un corps selon des lois naturelles dans un monde social, est la condition par laquelle un être advient à la personnalité. Si une longue tradition, étudiée ici, attribue l'identité humaine à ce qui possède à la naissance une « forme humaine », il reste à déterminer ce que désigne cette « forme », et à examiner si elle peut s’étendre aux êtres formés ou transformés par l'industrie humaine. La présente contribution examine les conditions nécessaires pour que soient reconnus ou accordés des droits tels que les droits de l'homme aux individus trans/posthumains.
‘The Biggest Charity You’ve Never Heard of’: Institutional Logics of Charity and the State in Public Fundraising in Scotland’s NHS.
Authors: STEWART ELLEN , DODWORTH KATHY
Published: July 2021

The boundaries between state and charitable activities within the NHS are set out in regulations but are also enacted, blurred, and contested through local practices. This article reports research on NHS Charities– charitable funds set up within NHS organizations to enhance statutory provision – in Scotland. We analysed financial accounts and conducted qualitative interviews with staff in 12 of the 14 NHS Charities in Scotland, where they are generally known as endowments. Our findings suggest that Scotland’s endowments are relatively wealthy in charitable terms, but that this wealth is unevenly distributed when population size and socio-economic deprivation are considered. We also identify two diverging organisational approaches to decisions, including those about appropriate and inappropriate fundraising. We argue that these approaches cohere with contrasting ‘state’ and ‘charitable’ institutional logics, which in turn imply different attitudes to potential inequalities, and to relationships with local publics.
How do buildings talk? Embodied experience in the Rolex Learning Centre
Authors: Yang Jing , Hale Jonathan , Blackman Toby
Published: July 2021

The Venice Architecture Biennale in 2010, curated by Japanese architect Kazuyo Sejima, co-founder of Tokyo-based practice SANAA, included a remarkable twenty-four-minute 3D film by the German director Wim Wenders depicting the practice’s Rolex Learning Centre in Switzerland. Entitled If Buildings Could Talk, the film ran in a continuous loop, without a tangible beginning or end, much like the building itself. Invited by SANAA to develop the film, Wenders found himself confronted with a new type of space that he had no prior experience of, and no vocabulary to describe: ‘The Rolex Learning Centre’, said Wenders during a talk given at the Biennale, ‘is more landscape than building.’
Does coffee, tea and caffeine consumption reduce the risk of incident breast cancer? A systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Wang Shu , Li Xiang , Yang Yue , Xie Jingping , Liu Mingyue , Zhang Ya , Zhang Yingshi , Zhao Qingchun
Published: July 2021

Objective:

We aimed to evaluate the association between coffee and/or tea consumption and breast cancer (BC) risk among premenopausal and postmenopausal women and to conduct a network meta-analysis.

Design:

Systematic review and network meta-analysis.

Setting:

We conducted a systematic review of electronic publications in the last 30 years to identify case–control studies or prospective cohort studies that evaluated the effects of coffee and tea intake.

Results:

Forty-five studies that included more than 3 323 288 participants were eligible for analysis. Network meta-analysis was performed to determine the effects of coffee and/or tea consumption on reducing BC risk in a dose-dependent manner and differences in coffee/tea type, menopause status, hormone receptor and the BMI in subgroup and meta-regression analyses. According to the first pairwise meta-analysis, low-dose coffee intake and high-dose tea intake may exhibit efficacy in preventing ER(estrogen receptor)− BC, particularly in postmenopausal women. Then, we performed another pairwise and network meta-analysis and determined that the recommended daily doses were 2–3 cups/d of coffee or ≥5 cups/d of tea, which contained a high concentration of caffeine, particularly in postmenopausal women.

Conclusions:

Coffee and tea consumption is not associated with a reduction in the overall BC risk in postmenopausal women and is associated with a potentially lower risk of ER− BC. And the highest recommended dose is 2–3 cups of coffee/d or ≥5 cups of tea/d. They are potentially useful dietary protectants for preventing BC.
COMPARISON OF KUMMER LOGARITHMIC TOPOLOGIES WITH CLASSICAL TOPOLOGIES
Authors: Zhao Heer
Published: July 2021

We compare the Kummer flat (resp., Kummer étale) cohomology with the flat (resp., étale) cohomology with coefficients in smooth commutative group schemes, finite flat group schemes, and Kato’s logarithmic multiplicative group. We are particularly interested in the case of algebraic tori in the Kummer flat topology. We also make some computations for certain special cases of the base log scheme.
Evaluation of Mean State in NCEP Climate Forecast System (Version 2) Simulation Using a Stochastic Multicloud Model Calibrated With DYNAMO RADAR Data
Authors: Roy Kumar , Mukhopadhyay Parthasarathi , Krishna R. P. M. , Khouider B. , Goswami B. B.
Published: July 2021

Stochastic parameterizations are continuously providing promising simulations of unresolved atmospheric processes for global climate models (GCMs). One of the stochastic multi‐cloud model (SMCM) features is to mimic the life cycle of the three most common cloud types (congestus, deep, and stratiform) in tropical convective systems. To better represent organized convection in the Climate Forecast System version 2 (CFSv2), the SMCM parameterization is adopted in CFSv2 (SMCM‐CTRL) in lieu of the pre‐existing revised simplified Arakawa–Schubert (RSAS) cumulus scheme and has shown essential improvements in different large‐scale features of tropical convection. But the sensitivity of the SMCM parameterization from the observations is yet to be ascertained. Radar data during the Dynamics of the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (DYNAMO) field campaign is used to tune the SMCM in the present manuscript. The DYNAMO radar observations have been used to calibrate the SMCM using a Bayesian inference procedure to generate key time scale parameters for the transition probabilities of the underlying Markov chains of the SMCM as implemented in CFS (hereafter SMCM‐DYNAMO). SMCM‐DYNAMO improves many aspects of the mean state climate compared to RSAS, and SMCM‐CTRL. Significant improvement is noted in the rainfall probability distribution function over the global tropics. The global distribution of different types of clouds, particularly low‐level clouds, is also improved. The convective and large‐scale rainfall simulations are investigated in detail.
Atmospheric Rivers Impacting Northern California Exhibit a Quasi‐Decadal Frequency
Authors: Stuivenvolt‐Allen Jacob , Wang Shih‐Yu Simon , Johnson Zachary , Chikamoto Yoshimitsu
Published: July 2021

Periods of water surplus and deficit in Northern California follow a pronounced quasi‐decadal cycle. This cycle is largely driven by the frequency of atmospheric rivers (ARs), affecting the region’s wet and dry periods. Our analyses demonstrate that the quasi‐decadal cycle of AR frequency relies on moisture transport associated with the position and intensity of the Aleutian Low. In observations, the Aleutian Low is shown to covary with tropical Pacific sea surface temperature anomalies. A modeling experiment, which incorporates ocean observations from the equatorial Pacific into the fully coupled climate model, provides support that the quasi‐decadal cycle of the Aleutian Low is forced by the tropical Pacific. Subsequently, the tropical Pacific modulates the wet season moisture transport toward California on decadal time scales, affecting AR frequency. These results provide metrics for improving interannual‐to‐decadal prediction of AR activity, which drives hydrological cycles in Northern California.
A New Hydrologic Sensitivity Framework for Unsteady‐State Responses to Climate Change and Its Application to Catchments With Croplands in Illinois
Authors: Han Peng‐Fei , Istanbulluoglu Erkan , Wan Li , Wang Xu‐Sheng
Published: July 2021

Climate change has been concerned as a trigger of hydrologic changes around the world. Budyko framework was widely used in hydrologic sensitivity analyses on the steady‐state water balance. The unsteady‐state responses, for example the inter‐annual hydrologic sensitivity, were not well investigated, especially for catchments influenced by croplands as that exist in Illinois in the United States. We propose a new hydrologic sensitivity framework for the unsteady‐state condition, together with a new hydrological model, to investigate the impact of croplands on the hydrologic sensitivity. In addition to the Budyko‐type relationship between the annual evapotranspiration ratio (E/P) and the aridity index (Ep/P), this framework incorporates the empirical relationship between the annual storage change ratio (ΔS/P) and Ep/P into sensitivity coefficients. The required data of annual E/P and ΔS/P could be obtained from observation and hydrological models. In particular, the bcd‐αK model is newly developed from the existing bcd model in considering croplands in Illinois, which includes only five parameters while capturing major hydrological processes for catchments with croplands. Results show that the annual E/P, ΔS/P and Q/P in 12 studied catchments have significant linear relationships with Ep/P. The annual runoff is much more sensitive to the change in precipitation than to the change in potential evapotranspiration. The traditional steady‐state analysis overestimates the sensitivity of the evapotranspiration to the change in the precipitation for the unsteady‐state condition and underestimates the variability of sensitivity coefficients among catchments.
Jointly Calibrating Hydrologic Model Parameters and State Adjustments
Authors: Kim S. S. H. , Marshall L. A. , Hughes J. D. , Sharma A. , Vaze J.
Published: July 2021

A method is presented to address model state uncertainty in hydrologic model simulation. This is achieved by introducing tuneable parameters that allow adjustments to the model states. Excessive dimensionality is avoided by introducing only a limited number of parameters that control the index (timing) and size of the state adjustments. The method is designed to compensate for issues with hydrologic model structures, particularly those relevant to the soil moisture state in a rainfall‐runoff model. In the context of water resource planning and management, errors in the model states have often been overlooked as an important source of uncertainty and have the potential to significantly degrade model simulations. A synthetic study shows that a classical parameter estimation approach will produce biased distributions when state errors exist, and that the proposed state and parameter uncertainty estimation (SPUE) can remove the bias in parameter estimates for improved model simulations. In a real case study, SPUE and the classical approach are implemented in 46 sites around Australia. The results show that hydrologic parameter distributions for a selected conceptual model can be significantly different when accounting for state uncertainty. This has large implications for scenario modeling since it puts into dispute how to determine appropriate parameters for such studies. SPUE outperforms the classical approach in a range of calibration and validation metrics, particularly for sites that contain zero flows. Future work involves testing SPUE with different hydrologic models and likelihood formulations, and enhancing rigor by explicitly accounting for observational data uncertainty.
Unveiling the Next Exoplanet Act
Authors: Goss Heather
Published: July 2021

In August, Eos looks at what the first round of observations with the James Webb Space Telescope might reveal about faraway worlds.
Underground Traffic‐Induced Body Waves Used to Quantify Seismic Attenuation Properties of a Bimaterial Interface Nearby a Main Fault
Authors: Le Gonidec Y. , Kergosien B. , Wassermann J. , Jaeggi D. , Nussbaum C.
Published: July 2021

Underground traffic activities spread ground‐borne vibrations in a complex way. The present work focuses on 173 individual vehicles tracked as moving sources of vibrations in the Mont Terri rock laboratory, located 95 m away from a motorway tunnel. Two neighboring geophones record the vertical ground velocity of traffic‐induced events with peak particle velocities ranging in 0.15–0.35 m/s. A dynamic cross‐correlation of the waveforms is used to align the individual events for coherent and robust analysis. A root mean square (rms) method allows identifying the main feature, centered at the Main Fault, and an unexpected feature located about 140 m apart. The dominant seismic frequencies are 15 and 10 Hz, respectively. The vehicle speeds (70–90 km/h), estimated from the time‐delay between the two features, and the seismic velocity (800–2,300 m/s), assessed from a simple kinematic model, are used to convert time to position along the tunnel, allowing modeling the local rms with the Bornitz's equation. The resolved frequency‐independent attenuation coefficients are 2.61 s/km in the Opalinus Clay including the gallery network, and 1.23 s/km in the Limestone, a contrast of elastic properties that defines a bimaterial interface. A particle motion analysis highlights body waves, with dominant vertically polarized shear waves above the Main Fault. The origin of the unexpected feature is discussed in terms of site effects and seismic propagation in a heterogeneous fracture network. Traffic‐induced events can be used as reproducible, low‐frequency, and non‐destructive sources with potential interest in long‐term monitoring at the scale of an underground gallery.
Dual targeting of the DNA damage response pathway and BCL-2 in diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Rossi Alessandra , Orecchioni Stefania , Falvo Paolo , Tabanelli Valentina , Baiardi Elena , Agostinelli Claudio , Melle Federica , Motta Giovanna , Calleri Angelica , Fiori Stefano , Corsini Chiara , Casadei Beatrice , Mazzara Saveria , Vitolo Umberto , Bertolini Francesco , Zinzani Pier Luigi , Alcalay Myriam , Pelicci Pier Giuseppe , Pileri Stefano , Tarella Corrado , Derenzini Enrico
Published: July 2021

Standard chemotherapies for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL), based on the induction of exogenous DNA damage and oxidative stress, are often less effective in the presence of increased MYC and BCL-2 levels, especially in the case of double hit (DH) lymphomas harboring rearrangements of the MYC and BCL-2 oncogenes, which enrich for a patient’s population characterized by refractoriness to anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Here we hypothesized that adaptive mechanisms to MYC-induced replicative and oxidative stress, consisting in DNA damage response (DDR) activation and BCL-2 overexpression, could represent the biologic basis of the poor prognosis and chemoresistance observed in MYC/BCL-2-positive lymphoma. We first integrated targeted gene expression profiling (T-GEP), fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis, and characterization of replicative and oxidative stress biomarkers in two independent DLBCL cohorts. The presence of oxidative DNA damage biomarkers identified a poor prognosis double expresser (DE)-DLBCL subset, characterized by relatively higher BCL-2 gene expression levels and enrichment for DH lymphomas. Based on these findings, we tested therapeutic strategies based on combined DDR and BCL-2 inhibition, confirming efficacy and synergistic interactions in in vitro and in vivo DH-DLBCL models. These data provide the rationale for precision-therapy strategies based on combined DDR and BCL-2 inhibition in DH or DE-DLBCL.
Molecular insights into the human ABCB6 transporter
Authors: Song Guangyuan , Zhang Sensen , Tian Mengqi , Zhang Laixing , Guo Runyu , Zhuo Wei , Yang Maojun
Published: July 2021

ABCB6 plays a crucial role in energy-dependent porphyrin transport, drug resistance, toxic metal resistance, porphyrin biosynthesis, protection against stress, and encoding a blood group system Langereis antigen. However, the mechanism underlying porphyrin transport is still unclear. Here, we determined the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structures of nanodisc-reconstituted human ABCB6 trapped in an apo-state and an ATP-bound state at resolutions of 3.6 and 3.5 Å, respectively. Our structures reveal a unique loop in the transmembrane domain (TMD) of ABCB6, which divides the TMD into two cavities. It restrains the access of substrates in the inward-facing state and is removed by ATP-driven conformational change. No ligand cavities were observed in the nucleotide-bound state, indicating a state following substrate release but prior to ATP hydrolysis. Structural analyses and functional characterizations suggest an “ATP-switch” model and further reveal the conformational changes of the substrate-binding pockets triggered by the ATP-driven regulation.
The trans-omics landscape of COVID-19
Authors: Wu Peng , Chen Dongsheng , Ding Wencheng , Wu Ping , Hou Hongyan , Bai Yong , Zhou Yuwen , Li Kezhen , Xiang Shunian , Liu Panhong , Ju Jia , Guo Ensong , Liu Jia , Yang Bin , Fan Junpeng , He Liang , Sun Ziyong , Feng Ling , Wang Jian , Wu Tangchun , Wang Hao , Cheng Jin , Xing Hui , Meng Yifan , Li Yongsheng , Zhang Yuanliang , Luo Hongbo , Xie Gang , Lan Xianmei , Tao Ye , Li Jiafeng , Yuan Hao , Huang Kang , Sun Wan , Qian Xiaobo , Li Zhichao , Huang Mingxi , Ding Peiwen , Wang Haoyu , Qiu Jiaying , Wang Feiyue , Wang Shiyou , Zhu Jiacheng , Ding Xiangning , Chai Chaochao , Liang Langchao , Wang Xiaoling , Luo Lihua , Sun Yuzhe , Yang Ying , Zhuang Zhenkun , Li Tao , Tian Lei , Zhang Shaoqiao , Zhu Linnan , Chang Ashley , Chen Lei , Wu Yiquan , Ma Xiaoyan , Chen Fang , Ren Yan , Xu Xun , Liu Siqi , Wang Jian , Yang Huanming , Wang Lin , Sun Chaoyang , Ma Ding , Jin Xin , Chen Gang
Published: July 2021

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a global health emergency. Various omics results have been reported for COVID-19, but the molecular hallmarks of COVID-19, especially in those patients without comorbidities, have not been fully investigated. Here we collect blood samples from 231 COVID-19 patients, prefiltered to exclude those with selected comorbidities, yet with symptoms ranging from asymptomatic to critically ill. Using integrative analysis of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and lipidomic profiles, we report a trans-omics landscape for COVID-19. Our analyses find neutrophils heterogeneity between asymptomatic and critically ill patients. Meanwhile, neutrophils over-activation, arginine depletion and tryptophan metabolites accumulation correlate with T cell dysfunction in critical patients. Our multi-omics data and characterization of peripheral blood from COVID-19 patients may thus help provide clues regarding pathophysiology of and potential therapeutic strategies for COVID-19.
Brain-specific inhibition of mTORC1 eliminates side effects resulting from mTORC1 blockade in the periphery and reduces alcohol intake in mice
Authors: Ehinger Yann , Zhang Ziyang , Phamluong Khanhky , Soneja Drishti , Shokat Kevan M. , Ron Dorit
Published: July 2021

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD) affects a large portion of the population. Unfortunately, efficacious medications to treat the disease are limited. Studies in rodents suggest that mTORC1 plays a crucial role in mechanisms underlying phenotypes such as heavy alcohol intake, habit, and relapse. Thus, mTORC1 inhibitors, which are used in the clinic, are promising therapeutic agents to treat AUD. However, chronic inhibition of mTORC1 in the periphery produces undesirable side effects, which limit their potential use for the treatment of AUD. To overcome these limitations, we designed a binary drug strategy in which male mice were treated with the mTORC1 inhibitor RapaLink-1 together with a small molecule (RapaBlock) to protect mTORC1 activity in the periphery. We show that whereas RapaLink-1 administration blocked mTORC1 activation in the liver, RapaBlock abolished the inhibitory action of Rapalink-1. RapaBlock also prevented the adverse side effects produced by chronic inhibition of mTORC1. Importantly, co-administration of RapaLink-1 and RapaBlock inhibited alcohol-dependent mTORC1 activation in the nucleus accumbens and attenuated alcohol seeking and drinking.
Cryo-EM structure of human Wntless in complex with Wnt3a
Authors: Zhong Qing , Zhao Yanyu , Ye Fangfei , Xiao Zaiyu , Huang Gaoxingyu , Xu Meng , Zhang Yuanyuan , Zhan Xiechao , Sun Ke , Wang Zhizhi , Cheng Shanshan , Feng Shan , Zhao Xiuxiu , Zhang Jizhong , Lu Peilong , Xu Wenqing , Zhou Qiang , Ma Dan
Published: July 2021

Wntless (WLS), an evolutionarily conserved multi-pass transmembrane protein, is essential for secretion of Wnt proteins. Wnt-triggered signaling pathways control many crucial life events, whereas aberrant Wnt signaling is tightly associated with many human diseases including cancers. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of human WLS in complex with Wnt3a, the most widely studied Wnt, at 2.2 Å resolution. The transmembrane domain of WLS bears a GPCR fold, with a conserved core cavity and a lateral opening. Wnt3a interacts with WLS at multiple interfaces, with the lipid moiety on Wnt3a traversing a hydrophobic tunnel of WLS transmembrane domain and inserting into membrane. A β-hairpin of Wnt3a containing the conserved palmitoleoylation site interacts with WLS extensively, which is crucial for WLS-mediated Wnt secretion. The flexibility of the Wnt3a loop/hairpin regions involved in the multiple binding sites indicates induced fit might happen when Wnts are bound to different binding partners. Our findings provide important insights into the molecular mechanism of Wnt palmitoleoylation, secretion and signaling.
Structural basis for genome packaging, retention, and ejection in human cytomegalovirus
Authors: Li Zhihai , Pang Jingjing , Dong Lili , Yu Xuekui
Published: July 2021

How the human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) genome—the largest among human herpesviruses—is packaged, retained, and ejected remains unclear. We present the in situ structures of the symmetry-mismatched portal and the capsid vertex-specific components (CVSCs) of HCMV. The 5-fold symmetric 10-helix anchor—uncommon among known portals—contacts the portal-encircling DNA, which is presumed to squeeze the portal as the genome packaging proceeds. We surmise that the 10-helix anchor dampens this action to delay the portal reaching a “head-full” packaging state, thus facilitating the large genome to be packaged. The 6-fold symmetric turret, latched via a coiled coil to a helix from a major capsid protein, supports the portal to retain the packaged genome. CVSCs at the penton vertices—presumed to increase inner capsid pressure—display a low stoichiometry, which would aid genome retention. We also demonstrate that the portal and capsid undergo conformational changes to facilitate genome ejection after viral cell entry.
Pulmonary fibrosis distal airway epithelia are dynamically and structurally dysfunctional
Authors: Stancil Ian T. , Michalski Jacob E. , Davis-Hall Duncan , Chu Hong Wei , Park Jin-Ah , Magin Chelsea M. , Yang Ivana V. , Smith Bradford J. , Dobrinskikh Evgenia , Schwartz David A.
Published: July 2021

The airway epithelium serves as the interface between the host and external environment. In many chronic lung diseases, the airway is the site of substantial remodeling after injury. While, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has traditionally been considered a disease of the alveolus and lung matrix, the dominant environmental (cigarette smoking) and genetic (gain of functionMUC5Bpromoter variant) risk factor primarily affect the distal airway epithelium. Moreover, airway-specific pathogenic features of IPF include bronchiolization of the distal airspace with abnormal airway cell-types and honeycomb cystic terminal airway-like structures with concurrent loss of terminal bronchioles in regions of minimal fibrosis. However, the pathogenic role of the airway epithelium in IPF is unknown. Combining biophysical, genetic, and signaling analyses of primary airway epithelial cells, we demonstrate that healthy and IPF airway epithelia are biophysically distinct, identifying pathologic activation of the ERBB-YAP axis as a specific and modifiable driver of prolongation of the unjammed-to-jammed transition in IPF epithelia. Furthermore, we demonstrate that this biophysical state and signaling axis correlates with epithelial-driven activation of the underlying mesenchyme. Our data illustrate the active mechanisms regulating airway epithelial-driven fibrosis and identify targets to modulate disease progression.
Hamiltonian simulation in the low-energy subspace
Authors: Şahinoğlu Burak , Somma Rolando D.
Published: July 2021

We study the problem of simulating the dynamics of spin systems when the initial state is supported on a subspace of low energy of a HamiltonianH. This is a central problem in physics with vast applications in many-body systems and beyond, where the interesting physics takes place in the low-energy sector. We analyze error bounds induced by product formulas that approximate the evolution operator and show that these bounds depend on an effective low-energy norm ofH. We find improvements over the best previous complexities of product formulas that apply to the general case, and these improvements are more significant for long evolution times that scale with the system size and/or small approximation errors. To obtain these improvements, we prove exponentially decaying upper bounds on the leakage to high-energy subspaces due to the product formula. Our results provide a path to a systematic study of Hamiltonian simulation at low energies, which will be required to push quantum simulation closer to reality.
Genetic diversity and population structure analysis of Lateolabrax maculatus from Chinese coastal waters using polymorphic microsatellite markers
Authors: Wang Wei , Ma Chunyan , Ouyang Longling , Chen Wei , Zhao Ming , Zhang Fengying , Fu Yin , Jiang Keji , Liu Zhiqiang , Zhang Heng , Ma Lingbo
Published: July 2021

In order to provide valuable guidelines for the conservation of germplasm ofLateolabrax maculatus, the genetic diversity and population structure analysis were evaluated for eight geographic populations along coastal regions of China, using 11 microsatellite DNA markers. The genetic parameters obtained showed that, eight populations can be clustered into two groups, the Northern group and the Southern group, concordant with their geographical positions. The UPGMA tree constructed according to the Nei’s genetic distance along with the structure analysis and discriminant analysis of principal component also supported this result. This might be explained by the geographic separation and the divergent environmental conditions among the populations. It's worth noting that, QD (Qingdao) population from northern area was assigned to the Southern group and showed a close genetic relationship and similar genetic constitution with the southern populations. We speculated that large scales of anthropogenic transportation of wild fries from QD populations to the southern aquaculture areas in history should be the primary cause. The populations from GY (Ganyu), RD (Rudong) and BH (Binhai) had higher genetic diversity and showed limited genetic exchange with other populations, indicating better conservation of the natural resources in these regions. All populations were indicated to have experienced bottleneck events in history.
Valorization of rare earth processing byproducts for agriculture usage
Authors: Hanafi Mohamed Musa , Azizi Parisa , Akinbola Sheu Tijani , Ismail Roslan , Sahibin Abdul Rahim , Wan Mohd Razi Idris , Ismail Aznan Fazli
Published: July 2021

Sandy texture soil, a major problem for agriculture requires structure and capacity improvements. However, utilization of soil conditioner may arrest this problem. This research was carried out to investigate the accumulated levels of metal ions and radionuclides in water, soil and plants following phosphogypsum organic (PG organic) added to a sandy soil for 23-month in 3 cropping seasons. The condition in the field was simulated in the laboratory using an open leaching column for 30-day under constant but different pH of leachant. More ions were released at pH < 4.6 and decreases greatly at pH > 5.6. The metal ions measured in the surface and borehole water, and soils were below the target values for respective standard raw drinking water. The metal ions did not accumulate in soil, plant and grain, and water as indicated by biological accumulation coefficients, contamination factors, I-geo index and pollution load index in a sandy soil that received the PG organic. Naturally occurring radionuclide concentrations, such as 226Ra, 228Ra, and 40K, in soil and plant tissue were found to be lower than the average value reported by several earlier studies. Under field condition the pH of water (i.e., rainfall) was greater than pH 5.6, thus renders PG organic became less soluble. There was no leaching of natural occurring radionuclides to the groundwater. Therefore, the application of PG organic to the studied soil had no impact on the soil, plants, and water and suitable as a soil conditioner in sandy texture soils.
Early life neonicotinoid exposure results in proximal benefits and ultimate carryover effects
Authors: Zgirski Thomas , Legagneux Pierre , Chastel Olivier , Regimbald Lyette , Prouteau Louise , Le Pogam Audrey , Budzinski Hélène , Love Oliver P. , Vézina François
Published: July 2021

Neonicotinoids are insecticides widely used as seed treatments that appear to have multiple negative effects on birds at a diversity of biological scales. Adult birds exposed to a low dose of imidacloprid, one of the most commonly used neonicotinoids, presented reduced fat stores, delayed migration and potentially altered orientation. However, little is known on the effect of imidacloprid on birds growth rate despite studies that have documented disruptive effects of low imidacloprid doses on thyroid gland communication. We performed a$$2 \times 2$$2×2factorial design experiment in Zebra finches, in which nestling birds were exposed to a very low dose (0.205 mg kg body$$\hbox {mass}^{-1}$$mass-1) of imidacloprid combined with food restriction during posthatch development. During the early developmental period, imidacloprid exposure resulted in an improvement of body condition index in treated nestlings relative to controls. Imidacloprid also led to compensatory growth in food restricted nestlings. This early life neonicotinoid exposure also carried over to adult age, with exposed birds showing higher lean mass and basal metabolic rate than controls at ages of 90–800 days. This study presents the first evidence that very low-dose neonicotinoid exposure during early life can permanently alter adult phenotype in birds.