bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Possible Consequences of the Criminalization of Sex Work in Spain, Inferred from COVID-19 Lockdown Measures
Authors: Meneses-Falcón Carmen , Rúa-Vieites Antonio
Published: September 2023

Introduction

In this paper, we explore the possible consequences of the criminalization of sex work in Spain through an analysis of the measures adopted during the COVID-19 lockdown, which were tantamount to a prohibition of prostitution.

Methods

We interviewed 69 female sex workers (19 of them trafficking victims) from the lowest stratum and six escorts from the upper stratum of prostitution, during the period from March 2020 to May 2021. We also conducted an ethnographic study in a hotel operating in the middle to upper stratum of commercial sex work.

Results

The months of home confinement showed that the prohibition of sex work affected women in more precarious and vulnerable situations more adversely, worsening their living and working conditions compared to before the pandemic, whereas the impact on the escorts was far less.

Conclusion

If commercial sex work in Spain were totally or partially criminalized, sex work would not stop taking place, and nor would the demand for paid sex cease to exist. Rather, they would be driven underground, worsening the quality of life, and both health and working conditions in the practice of commercial sex work for women. On top of that, the implementation of such a policy would reduce or eliminate sex workers’ relationships or collaborations with the police.
Lattice sums for double periodic polyanalytic functions
Authors: Drygaś Piotr , Mityushev Vladimir
Published: September 2023

In 1892, Lord Rayleigh estimated the effective conductivity of rectangular arrays of disks and proved, employing the Eisenstein summation, that the lattice sum $$S_2$$

S
2

is equal to $$\pi $$
π
for the square array. Further, it became clear that such equality can be treated as a necessary condition of the macroscopic isotropy of composites governed by the Laplace equation. This yielded the description of two-dimensional conducting composites by the classic elliptic functions, including the conditionally convergent Eisenstein series. In 1935, Natanzon used a polyharmonic function to solve the plane elasticity problem. This paper is devoted to the extension of the classic lattice sums to the lattice sums for double periodic (pseudoperiodic) polyanalytic functions. The exact relations and computationally effective formulae between the polyanalytic and classic lattice sums are established. Polynomial representations of the lattice sums are obtained. They are a source of new exact formulae for the lattice sums.
Variants of the CASP9 gene as candidate markers for primary response to anti-TNF therapy in Crohn’s disease patients
Authors: Lykowska-Szuber Liliana , Walczak Michal , Stawczyk-Eder Kamila , Krela-Kazmierczak Iwona , Eder Piotr , Zakerska-Banaszak Oliwia , Dobrowolska Agnieszka , Skrzypczak-Zielinska Marzena
Published: September 2023

Anti-tumor necrosis factor (TNF) therapy is used to induce and maintain remission in Crohn’s disease (CD) patients. However, primary non-responders to initial treatment constitute 20–40% of cases. The causes of this phenomenon are still unknown. We aim to investigate the impact of the caspase 9 (CASP9) gene variants on the variable reactions of CD patients to anti-TNF therapy. The study group included 196 diagnosed and clinically characterized CD Polish patients following anti-TNF therapy. The sequence of the CASP9 gene was analyzed using next-generation and Sanger sequencing and was analyzed with the response to biological treatment. Using the RT-qPCR analysis, we estimated the CASP9 gene mRNA level in colon biopsies material from inflamed and non-inflamed tissue (21 CD patients: 14 responders and seven non-responders to anti-TNF therapy and six controls), as well as in vitro in a peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from CD patients (seven responders and seven non-responders to anti-TNF therapy) and eight controls. Our findings indicated association of variants rs1052571 and rs4645978 with response to anti-TNF monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). Moreover, we observed tendency for reduced expression after incubation with anti-TNF in the group of CD patients, in contrast to the control group. Our results suggest that response to anti-TNF therapy in CD patients may be an effect of variants of the CASP9 gene as a key effector of the internal pathway of apoptosis; however, further population and functional research are necessary.
Efficient Nanosystem for Nanomedicine Applications Based on Molecular Communications
Authors: Abd El-atty Saied M. , Attia Eman S. , Khalaf Ashraf A. M. , Abd El-Samie Fathi E. , Shawki Farid
Published: September 2023

The authors propose an efficient nanosystem based on molecular communication technology. Molecular communication via diffusion (MCvD) is a promising trend for exchanging biochemical signals between a nanotransmitter (NT) and a nanoreceiver (NR) in aqueous media over short distances. Nanosystem-based MCvD has recently received a lot of attention in advanced targeted nanomedicine applications such as targeted drug delivery and healthcare monitoring (disease/diagnosis/analysis). However, the random nature of molecular diffusion causes counting noise, which significantly degrades the performance of the nanosystem-based molecular communication. In this paper, a reliable and simple denoising technique, namely Savitzky–Golay (SG) filter, is developed in the nanosystem-based MCvD to provide high accuracy of molecular information reception. The performance of the proposed nanosystem is evaluated in terms of bit error rate (BER) and correlation efficiency. The results reveal that the nanosystem-based MCvD using the proposed SG filter outperforms the MCvD using current denoising techniques such as moving average filter, wavelet denoising and I-filter. Actually, it was found that the SG filter increases the gain efficiency in terms of the correlation coefficient by more than 60% in comparison to the I-filter at low and high signal-to-noise ratios (SNRs), whereas in comparison to wavelet denoising, the SG filter achieves more than 10% enhancement in gain efficiency at low SNRs.
Within Groups Designs: Inferences Based on A Robust Nonparametric Measure of Effect Size
Authors: Wilcox Rand R.
Published: September 2023

The paper deals with a robust, projection-type measure of effect size when comparing$$J>1$$J>1dependent groups. The measure of effect size is scale invariant and does not assume or require that the underlying multivariate distribution is elliptically contoured. By design the measure of effect size is equal to zero when the corresponding measures of location are equal. A simple method is suggested for testing the hypothesis that this effect size is zero. The method is readily extended to comparingK-variate distributions associated with two independent groups. One of the main goal is to report simulation results on how well the method performs in terms of controlling the Type I error probability. The method, when comparing independent groups, is used to reveal new insights into the connection between depression and cortisol levels.
Revisiting the ‘Whys’ and ‘Hows’ of the Warm-Up: Are We Asking the Right Questions?
Authors: Afonso José , Brito João , Abade Eduardo , Rendeiro-Pinho Gonçalo , Baptista Ivan , Figueiredo Pedro , Nakamura Fábio Yuzo
Published: September 2023

The warm-up is considered beneficial for increasing body temperature, stimulating the neuromuscular system and overall preparing the athletes for the demands of training sessions and competitions. Even when warm-up–derived benefits are slight and transient, they may still benefit preparedness for subsequent efforts. However, sports training and competition performance are highly affected by contextual factors (e.g., how is the opponent acting?), and it is not always clear what should be the preferred warm-up modalities, structure and load for each athlete and context. Further, we propose that the warm-up can also be used as a pedagogical and training moment. The warm-up may serve several different (albeit complementary) goals (e.g., rising body temperature, neuromuscular activation, attentional focus) and be performed under a plethora of different structures, modalities, and loads. The current commentary highlights the warm-up period as an opportunity to teach or improve certain skills or physical capacities, and not only as a preparation for the subsequent efforts. Moreover, the (justified) call for individualized warm-ups would benefit from educating athletes about exploring different warm-up tasks and loads, providing a broad foundation for future individualization of the warm-up and for more active, engaged, and well-informed participation of the athletes in deciding their own warm-up practices.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring in Endurance Athletes: Interpretation and Relevance of Measurements for Improving Performance and Health
Authors: Flockhart Mikael , Larsen Filip J.
Published: September 2023

Blood glucose regulation has been studied for well over a century as it is intimately related to metabolic health. Research in glucose transport and uptake has also been substantial within the field of exercise physiology as glucose delivery to the working muscles affects exercise capacity and athletic achievements. However, although exceptions exist, less focus has been on blood glucose as a parameter to optimize training and competition outcomes in athletes with normal glucose control. During the last years, measuring glucose has gained popularity within the sports community and successful endurance athletes have been seen with skin-mounted sensors for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). The technique offers real-time recording of glucose concentrations in the interstitium, which is assumed to be equivalent to concentrations in the blood. Although continuous measurements of a parameter that is intimately connected to metabolism and health can seem appealing, there is no current consensus on how to interpret measurements within this context. Well-defined approaches to use glucose monitoring to improve endurance athletes’ performance and health are lacking. In several studies, blood glucose regulation in endurance athletes has been shown to differ from that in healthy controls. Furthermore, endurance athletes regularly perform demanding training sessions and can be exposed to high or low energy and/or carbohydrate availability, which can affect blood glucose levels and regulation. In this current opinion, we aim to discuss blood glucose regulation in endurance athletes and highlight the existing research on glucose monitoring for performance and health in this population.
Does Videoconferencing-Based Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxious Youth Work? A Systematic Review of the Literature
Authors: Vu Bich-Phuong , Dang Hoang-Minh , Andersen Per Normann
Published: September 2023

Opinion statement

While videoconferencing has become a common tool for remote communication in health-related services such as psychotherapy, scientific evidence for its outcomes is scarce in the population of youth with problematic anxiety. This paper reviews the primary and secondary outcomes of cognitive behavioral therapies (CBT) delivered via videoconferencing for youth with subclinical or clinical anxiety. Quantitative and qualitative studies focusing on youth (aged 7 to 20), anxiety, CBT, and videoconferencing were systematically searched on Embase, PubMed, PsycINFO, and ERIC databases. Eight studies met the inclusion criteria, of which seven were extracted for quantitative data. Out of the seven studies, only one study was quasi-experimental with an in-person CBT comparison group, while another study was a small-scaled randomized controlled trial with a waitlist control group. The pooled sample size was 213 children and adolescents. Significant changes in primary (i.e., anxiety symptoms and severity) and secondary outcome measures (e.g., global functioning and life interference) at post-treatment of videoconferencing-based CBT were reported, but lacking a control group in a majority of the studies reduces the finding’s validity. Satisfaction, treatment completion rate, and therapist’s fidelity were rarely reported but found to be high in some studies. None of the studies reported negative effects specific to videoconferencing-based CBT. The current evidence for this topic is somewhat limited in terms of quantity and quality. Replication studies in low- and middle-income countries are also lacking. More well-designed trials are needed to provide more conclusive evidence for the videoconferencing modality, which may help scale up psychological interventions for a highly prevalent problem such as youth anxiety in remote or low-income areas.
Evolving Interest with Feature Co-action Network for CTR Prediction
Authors: Yuan Zhiyang , Zheng Wenguang , Yang Peilin , Hao Qingbo , Xiao Yingyuan
Published: September 2023

Recently, many deep learning-based models have been successfully applied to click-through rate prediction. However, most previous models focus only on feature-level interactions between a single user behavior and the target item or only treat the user’s historical behavior as a sequence to uncover the hidden interests behind it when mining user interests. This can lead to user interest that evolves over time dynamically being ignored or the interest shown by a single user’s behavior not being exploited. Based on the above problems, we propose evolving interest with feature co-action network (EIFCN). Specifically, we first design user dynamic interest network to treat the user’s historical behavior as a sequence of information, and tap into the user’s hidden interests over time. In this part, we use a multi-head self-attention mechanism to initially process the data and then pass it into the deep learning network. Then a feature co-action network is designed to mine the user’s single behavior and the displayed feature-level interactions of the target item. Experimental results show that the EIFCN model performs better than other models.
Deep Learning-Based Bloom Filter for Efficient Multi-key Membership Testing
Authors: Chen Haitian , Wang Ziwei , Li Yunchuan , Yang Ruixin , Zhao Yan , Zhou Rui , Zheng Kai
Published: September 2023

Multi-key membership testing plays a crucial role in computing systems and networking applications, encompassing web search, mail systems, distributed databases, firewalls, and network routing. Traditional approaches, such as the Bloom filter, encounter limitations within this specific context. Addressing these challenges, we propose the Multi-key Learned Bloom Filter (MLBF), a hybrid method that combines machine learning techniques with the Bloom filter. The MLBF introduces a value-interaction-based multi-key classifier and a multi-key Bloom filter. Furthermore, we introduce an Interval-based MLBF approach, which categorizes keys into specific intervals based on data distribution to minimize the False Positive Rate (FPR). Additionally, MLBF incorporates an out-of-distribution (OOD) detection component to identify data shifts. Through extensive experimental evaluations on three authentic datasets, we demonstrate the superiority of the proposed MLBF in terms of FPR and query efficiency.
Combining Graph Contrastive Embedding and Multi-head Cross-Attention Transfer for Cross-Domain Recommendation
Authors: Xiao Shuo , Zhu Dongqing , Tang Chaogang , Huang Zhenzhen
Published: September 2023

Cross-domain recommendation (CDR) has become an important research direction in the field of recommender systems due to the increasing demand for personalized recommendations across different domains. However, CDR faces multiple challenges, including data sparsity, popularity bias, and long-tail problems. To address these challenges, we propose a novel framework that combines graph contrastive embedding and multi-head cross-attention transfer for cross-domain recommendation, called GCE-MCAT. Specifically, in the pre-training process, we generate more uniform user and item embeddings through contrastive learning, effectively solving the problem of inconsistent data embedding space distribution and recommendation popularity bias. Moreover, we propose a multi-head cross-attention transfer mechanism that allows the model to extract user common and specific domain features from multiple perspectives and perform cross-domain bidirectional knowledge transfer. Finally, we propose a cross-domain feature fusion mechanism that dynamically assigns weights to common user features and specific domain features. This enables the model to more effectively learn common user interests. We evaluate the proposed framework on three real-world CDR datasets and show that GCE-MCAT consistently and significantly improves recommendation performance compared to state-of-the-art methods. In particular, the proposed framework has demonstrated remarkable effectiveness in addressing long-tail distribution and enhancing recommendation novelty, providing users with more diversified recommendations and reducing popularity bias.
A Survey of Personalized News Recommendation
Authors: Meng Xiangfu , Huo Hongjin , Zhang Xiaoyan , Wang Wanchun , Zhu Jinxia
Published: September 2023

Personalized news recommendation is an important technology to help users obtain news information they are interested in and alleviate information overload. In recent years, news recommendation has been increasingly widely studied and has achieved remarkable success in improving the news reading experience of users. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive overview of personalized news recommendation approaches. Firstly, we introduce personalized news recommendation systems according to different needs and analyze the characteristics. And then, a three-part research framework on personalized news recommendation is put forward. Based on the framework, the knowledge and methods involved in each part are analyzed in detail, including news datasets and processing techniques, prediction models, news ranking and display. On this basis, we focus on news recommendation methods based on different types of graph structure learning, including user–news interaction graph, knowledge graph and social relationship graph. Lastly, the challenges of the current news recommendation are analyzed and the prospect of the future research direction is presented.
Exploring the Ecology: Beyond Cameron and Khanna
Authors: Kowalski Patricia , Taylor Annette Kujawski
Published: September 2023

In reviewing the Cameron and Khanna project, we find much to be commended. The large diverse sample of researchers and the collection of widespread student misconceptions will help focus students and instructors in the introductory course on teaching and learning the science of psychology. The recommendations we make provide a guide for looking beyond student belief and recognizing factors potentially contributing to and supporting misconceptions. Because teaching psychological science in the introductory psychology course is challenging, it is likely that misconceptions result from misinterpretations of the evidence. Investigating how textbooks and instructors’ perceptions of claims perpetuate misconceptions would be an important contribution toward improving the teaching of psychology. Assessing student misconceptions about psychological science would document the prevalence of science misconceptions, would permit the investigation of change in knowledge and scientific attitudes with the introductory psychology course, and would provide a basis for studying links between misconceptions about psychology and misunderstanding (or lack of appreciation) of the very nature of science.
We (Still!) Need to Talk About Valence: Contemporary Issues and Recommendations for Affective Science
Authors: Walle Eric A. , Dukes Daniel
Published: September 2023

Valence is central to the experience of emotion. However, to the detriment of affective science, it is often ill-defined and poorly operationalized. Being more precise about what is meant by valence would make for more readily comparable emotion stimuli, methodologies, and results, and would promote consideration of the diversity, complexity, and function of discrete emotions. This brief review uses prior literature and an informal survey of affective scientists to illustrate disagreements in conceptualizing valence. Next, we describe issues of valence in affective science, particularly as they pertain to the emotion process, the functions of emotion, and precision in empirical research. We conclude by providing recommendations for the future of valence in affective science.
The Japanese Circular Economy and Sound Material-Cycle Society Policies: Discourse and Policy Analysis
Authors: Arai Risa , Calisto Friant Martin , Vermeulen Walter J. V.
Published: September 2023

Although the Japanese government is an early adopter of Circular Economy (CE) policies and developed the concept of the Sound Material-Cycle Society in the early 2000s, its CE policies have nonetheless been poorly researched and understood, especially in English academic literature. This article addresses this research gap by answering the following questions: What are the dominant discourses of key stakeholders in Japan regarding CE? And to what extent does the current CE policy in Japan relate to that? Methodologically, this paper conducted a discourse analysis through a mix of policy analysis, media analysis, stakeholder interviews, keyword mining, qualitative content analysis, and analysis of stakeholder presence. Results show that, while CE discourses in Japan are rather diverse, they mostly fall within the Reformist Circular Society discourse type, with some smaller Technocentric Circular Economy and Transformational Circular Society elements. Results also show that businesses and academics were over-represented in policy meetings and the media, compared to NGOs and local government actors, which are more likely to hold transformational circularity discourses. Most circularity discourses in Japan are thus focused on a growth-optimistic narrative that emphasises innovative technologies and lacks a stronger understanding of social justice and planetary boundaries. Based on these findings, this article suggests recommendations, such as revisiting Japanese ecological thinking and Buddhist philosophy, which can inspire degrowth-oriented circularity approaches, as well as encompassing more participation of neglected societal groups in the development and implementation of CE policies and practices. By highlighting the challenges in current CE discourse and implementation in Japan, this study presents implications for a more socially inclusive and ecologically sustainable path towards a circular society.
Evaluating Causal Arctic‐Midlatitude Teleconnections in CMIP6
Authors: Galytska Evgenia , Weigel Katja , Handorf Dörthe , Jaiser Ralf , Köhler Raphael , Runge Jakob , Eyring Veronika
Published: September 2023

To analyze links among key processes that contribute to Arctic‐midlatitude teleconnections we apply causal discovery based on graphical models known as causal graphs. First, we calculate the causal dependencies from observations during 1980–2021. Observations show several robust connections from early to late winter, such as atmospheric blocking within central Asia via the Ural blocking and Siberian High, the North Atlantic Oscillation phase and the polar vortex (PV). The PV is affected by poleward eddy heat flux at 100 hPa, which is also directly connected with the Aleutian Low. We then evaluate climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) by comparing their causal graphs with those derived from observations. Compared to observations, CMIP6 historical and future simulations do not robustly capture Arctic‐midlatitude teleconnections arising from Arctic sea ice variability. This highlights the role of atmospheric internal variability in modulating the Arctic‐midlatitude teleconnections. However, we find several distinct patterns that are simulated by most of the analyzed climate models. For example, both historical and future model simulations robustly capture observed atmospheric blocking in central Asia. But contrary to observations, model simulations show a robust link between the Arctic temperature and sea ice cover over Barents and Kara seas. The analysis of future changes also reveals that the connection between the Aleutian Low and the poleward eddy heat flux at 100 hPa is expected to become more robust toward the end of the 21st century than in the analyzed past.
Regional‐Scale Heavy Precipitation Over Fujian‐Jiangxi Region in the Late Spring‐Early Summer of 2006 and Its Connection With Baroclinic Wave Packets in the Upper Troposphere
Authors: Ye Dechao , Guan Zhaoyong , Sun Siyuan , Jin Dachao
Published: September 2023

The most serious heavy precipitation in the past 43 years occurred over Fujian‐Jiangxi region from late May to early June of 2006, causing significant economic losses. Using the ERA5 reanalysis database and daily precipitation collected at 2,479 surface meteorological stations in China, the present study investigates the relationship between the heavy precipitation over Fujian‐Jiangxi region in late spring‐early summer of 2006 and baroclinic wave packets in the upper troposphere. Information flow between the two systems has been diagnosed. Results indicate that different from the disturbance source for Meiyu in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangzi River, the disturbance source for this heavy precipitation originated from areas near the Syrian Desert to the north of the Arabian Peninsula and propagated along the northwest‐southeast direction, reaching Fujian‐Jiangxi region 4 days later. This kind of baroclinic wave packets provide the necessary energy for the occurrence and persistence of heavy precipitation. Analysis of wave activity flux vectors indicates that during the heavy precipitation period, disturbance energy was transported from the upstream westerly belt to Fujian‐Jiangxi region almost every day. Obviously, there existed information transfer between the two regions, re‐confirming that the upstream Rossby wave packets affect the Fujian‐Jiangxi precipitation. The above results provide helpful hints for a better understanding of the mechanisms for heavy precipitation in this region and will be helpful for its effective prediction.
Biomarker Records of Environmental Shifts on the Labrador Shelf During the Holocene
Authors: Kolling Henriette , Schneider Ralph , Gross Felix , Hamann Christian , Kienast Markus , Kienast Stephanie , Doering Kristin , Fahl Kirsten , Stein Ruediger
Published: September 2023

The ultimate demise of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and the preceding and succeeding oceanographic changes along the western Labrador Sea offer insights critically important to improve climate predictions of expected future climate warming and further melting of the Greenland ice cap. However, while the final disappearance of the LIS during the Holocene is rather well constrained, the response of sea ice during the resulting meltwater events is not fully understood. Here, we present reconstructions of paleoceanographic changes over the past 9.3 Kyr BP on the northwestern Labrador Shelf, with a special focus on the interaction between the final meltwater event around 8.2 Kyr BP and sea ice and phytoplankton productivity (e.g., IP25, HBI III (Z), brassicasterol, dinosterol, biogenic opal, total organic carbon). Our records indicate low sea‐ice cover and high phytoplankton productivity on the Labrador Shelf prior to 8.9 Kyr BP, sea‐ice formation was favored by decreased surface salinities due to the meltwater events from Lake Agassiz‐Ojibway and the Hudson Bay Ice Saddle from 8.55 Kyr BP onwards. For the past ca. 7.5 Kyr BP sea ice is mainly transported to the study area by local ocean currents such as the inner Labrador and Baffin Current. Our findings provide new insights into the response of sea ice to increased meltwater discharge as well as shifts in atmospheric and oceanic circulation.
On the Links Between Ice Nucleation, Cloud Phase, and Climate Sensitivity in CESM2
Authors: McGraw Zachary , Storelvmo Trude , Polvani Lorenzo M. , Hofer Stefan , Shaw Jonah K. , Gettelman Andrew
Published: September 2023

Ice nucleation in mixed‐phase clouds has been identified as a critical factor in projections of future climate. Here we explore how this process influences climate sensitivity using the Community Earth System Model 2 (CESM2). We find that ice nucleation affects simulated cloud feedbacks over most regions and levels of the troposphere, not just extratropical low clouds. However, with present‐day global mean cloud phase adjusted to replicate satellite retrievals, similar total cloud feedback is attained whether ice nucleation is simulated as aerosol‐sensitive, insensitive, or absent. These model experiments all result in a strongly positive total cloud feedback, as in the default CESM2. A microphysics update from CESM1 to CESM2 had substantially weakened ice nucleation, due partly to a model issue. Our findings indicate that this update reduced global cloud phase bias, with CESM2's high climate sensitivity reflecting improved mixed‐phase cloud representation.
Percolation of Low‐Dimensional Water at Crystalline Interfaces Mediates Fluid Migration in Subducting Slabs
Authors: Chen Meng , Zhu Runliang , Zhu Jianxi , He Hongping
Published: September 2023

During subduction, metamorphic dehydration reactions in the downgoing slab release fluids, generating fluid overpressure. It has been suggested that fluid is driven to flow upward by buoyancy, but a sufficiently high permeability allowing formation of a fluid percolation network is required. Traditionally, fluid percolation has been identified based on the textural equilibrium assumption by measuring the dihedral angle at the triple junction of grains. According to this theory, grain boundaries generally cannot be infiltrated by fluid, and only the grain edge can form a fluid flow channel. We argue that this theory is insufficient because we have found that water from fluid can be adsorbed into the crystalline interface, that is, a layered mineral interlayer, a crack, or a grain boundary. The high pressure in a subducting slab drives water adsorption into the crystalline interface, forming a low‐dimensional fluidic phase, and thus fluid percolation is achieved. Because water adsorbed in the interface is fluidic, water diffusion drives fluid transport in the subducting slab. Due to water adsorption, fluid overpressure at the dehydration front may release, so that dehydration embrittlement may be excluded. Stable water adsorption in the subduction‐slab conditions is determined here by combining molecular dynamics simulations and thermodynamic calculations. Analysis based on simulations shows that water adsorption requires crystalline surfaces which do not form hydrogen bonds well.
Emission Factors for Crop Residue and Prescribed Fires in the Eastern US During FIREX‐AQ
Authors: Travis Katherine R. , Crawford James. H. , Soja Amber J. , Gargulinski Emily M. , Moore Richard H. , Wiggins Elizabeth B. , Diskin Glenn S. , DiGangi Joshua P. , Nowak John B. , Halliday Hannah , Yokelson Robert J. , McCarty Jessica L. , Simpson Isobel J. , Blake Donald R. , Meinardi Simone , Hornbrook Rebecca S. , Apel Eric C. , Hills Alan J. , Warneke Carsten , Coggon Matthew M. , Rollins Andrew W. , Gilman Jessica B. , Womack Caroline C. , Robinson Michael A. , Katich Joseph M. , Peischl Jeff , Gkatzelis Georgios I. , Bourgeois Ilann , Rickly Pamela S. , Lamplugh Aaron , Dibb Jack E. , Jimenez Jose L. , Campuzano‐Jost Pedro , Day Douglas A. , Guo Hongyu , Pagonis Demetrios , Wennberg Paul O. , Crounse John D. , Xu Lu , Hanisco Thomas F. , Wolfe Glenn M. , Liao Jin , St. Clair Jason M. , Nault Benjamin A. , Fried Alan , Perring Anne E.
Published: September 2023

Agricultural and prescribed burning activities emit large amounts of trace gases and aerosols on regional to global scales. We present a compilation of emission factors (EFs) and emission ratios from the eastern portion of the Fire Influence on Regional to Global Environments and Air Quality (FIREX‐AQ) campaign in 2019 in the United States, which sampled burning of crop residues and other prescribed fire fuels. FIREX‐AQ provided comprehensive chemical characterization of 53 crop residue and 22 prescribed fires. Crop residues burned at different modified combustion efficiencies (MCE), with corn residue burning at higher MCE than other fuel types. Prescribed fires burned at lower MCE (<0.90) which is typical, while grasslands burned at lower MCE (0.90) than normally observed due to moist, green, growing season fuels. Most non‐methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOCs) were significantly anticorrelated with MCE except for ethanol and NMVOCs that were measured with less certainty. We identified 23 species where crop residue fires differed by more than 50% from prescribed fires at the same MCE. Crop residue EFs were greater for species related to agricultural chemical use and fuel composition as well as oxygenated NMVOCs possibly due to the presence of metals such as potassium. Prescribed EFs were greater for monoterpenes (5×). FIREX‐AQ crop residue average EFs generally agreed with the previous agricultural fire study in the US but had large disagreements with global compilations. FIREX‐AQ observations show the importance of regionally‐specific and fuel‐specific EFs as first steps to reduce uncertainty in modeling the air quality impacts of fire emissions.
The mediating role of obesity on the prospective association between urinary sucrose and diabetes incidence in a sub-cohort of the EPIC-Norfolk
Authors: Lang Alexander , Kuss Oliver , Filla Tim , Kuhnle Gunter , Schlesinger Sabrina
Published: September 2023

Background/objectives

Findings from epidemiological studies showed controversial findings between dietary sugar intake and the development of diabetes. Most of these studies assessed dietary sugar intake by self-reports which might be prone to bias. Urinary sucrose, an objective biomarker of sucrose intake, might provide better insights into this association. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the associations between sucrose intake, measured via self-reports and urinary sucrose, with incident diabetes and to detect the impact of obesity on this association.

Subjects/methods

Data of a sub-group (n = 2996) from the prospective EPIC-Norfolk cohort were investigated. Sucrose intake was assessed by self-reports (validated food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 7-day diet diaries (7DD)) and as an objective urinary sucrose biomarker. Cox proportional hazard models were conducted to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for the associations between urinary and dietary sucrose intake and incident diabetes. Mediation analysis was performed to investigate the mediated percentage of body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC) on this association.

Results

The mean age of the participants was 60.6 ± 9.5 years and 53% were women. After a mean follow-up of 11.2 ± 2.9 years, 97 participants developed diabetes. Findings suggested inverse associations regarding incident diabetes for self-reported sucrose intake per 50 g/d via 7DD [HR: 0.63 (95% CI: 0.43, 0.91)], and a tendency via FFQ [HR: 0.81 (95% CI: 0.46, 1.42)]. Urinary sucrose indicated a positive association with incident diabetes for each increase of 100 µM [HR: 1.14 (95% CI: 0.95, 1.36)]. The proportion mediated of BMI and WC for this association was 16 and 22%.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that sucrose measured as objective urinary biomarker points to a positive association with incident diabetes. BMI might partly mediate this association. However, to obtain more precise results, more studies are warranted that consider this objective biomarker.
N7-methylguanosine methylation of tRNAs regulates survival to stress in cancer
Authors: García-Vílchez Raquel , Añazco-Guenkova Ana M. , López Judith , Dietmann Sabine , Tomé Mercedes , Jimeno Sonia , Azkargorta Mikel , Elortza Félix , Bárcena Laura , Gonzalez-Lopez Monika , Aransay Ana M. , Sánchez-Martín Manuel A. , Huertas Pablo , Durán Raúl V. , Blanco Sandra
Published: September 2023

Tumour progression and therapy tolerance are highly regulated and complex processes largely dependent on the plasticity of cancer cells and their capacity to respond to stress. The higher plasticity of cancer cells highlights the need for identifying targetable molecular pathways that challenge cancer cell survival. Here, we show that N7-guanosine methylation (m7G) of tRNAs, mediated by METTL1, regulates survival to stress conditions in cancer cells. Mechanistically, we find that m7G in tRNAs protects them from stress-induced cleavage and processing into 5’ tRNA fragments. Our analyses reveal that the loss of tRNA m7G methylation activates stress response pathways, sensitising cancer cells to stress. Furthermore, we find that the loss of METTL1 reduces tumour growth and increases cytotoxic stress in vivo. Our study uncovers the role of m7G methylation of tRNAs in stress responses and highlights the potential of targeting METTL1 to sensitise cancer cells to chemotherapy.
Impact of intraspecific variation in insect microbiomes on host phenotype and evolution
Authors: Lange Claudia , Boyer Stéphane , Bezemer T Martijn , Lefort Marie-Caroline , Dhami Manpreet K , Biggs Eva , Groenteman Ronny , Fowler Simon V , Paynter Quentin , Verdecia Mogena Arletys M , Kaltenpoth Martin
Published: September 2023

Microbes can be an important source of phenotypic plasticity in insects. Insect physiology, behaviour, and ecology are influenced by individual variation in the microbial communities held within the insect gut, reproductive organs, bacteriome, and other tissues. It is becoming increasingly clear how important the insect microbiome is for insect fitness, expansion into novel ecological niches, and novel environments. These investigations have garnered heightened interest recently, yet a comprehensive understanding of how intraspecific variation in the assembly and function of these insect-associated microbial communities can shape the plasticity of insects is still lacking. Most research focuses on the core microbiome associated with a species of interest and ignores intraspecific variation. We argue that microbiome variation among insects can be an important driver of evolution, and we provide examples showing how such variation can influence fitness and health of insects, insect invasions, their persistence in new environments, and their responses to global environmental changes.
Brain mediators of biased social learning of self-perception in social anxiety disorder
Authors: Koban Leonie , Andrews-Hanna Jessica R. , Ives Lindsay , Wager Tor D. , Arch Joanna J.
Published: September 2023

Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by an excessive fear of social evaluation and a persistently negative view of the self. Here we test the hypothesis that negative biases in brain responses and in social learning of self-related information contribute to the negative self-image and low self-esteem characteristic of SAD. Adult participants diagnosed with social anxiety (N = 21) and matched controls (N = 23) rated their performance and received social feedback following a stressful public speaking task. We investigated how positive versus negative social feedback altered self-evaluation and state self-esteem and used functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI) to characterize brain responses to positive versus negative feedback. Compared to controls, participants with SAD updated their self-evaluation and state self-esteem significantly more based on negative compared to positive social feedback. Responses in the frontoparietal network correlated with and mirrored these behavioral effects, with greater responses to positive than negative feedback in non-anxious controls but not in participants with SAD. Responses to social feedback in the anterior insula and other areas mediated the effects of negative versus positive feedback on changes in self-evaluation. In non-anxious participants, frontoparietal brain areas may contribute to a positive social learning bias. In SAD, frontoparietal areas are less recruited overall and less attuned to positive feedback, possibly reflecting differences in attention allocation and cognitive regulation. More negatively biased brain responses and social learning could contribute to maintaining a negative self-image in SAD and other internalizing disorders, thereby offering important new targets for interventions.
Ufmylation on UFBP1 alleviates non-alcoholic fatty liver disease by modulating hepatic endoplasmic reticulum stress
Authors: Mao Ziming , Ma Xiaowen , Jing Yu , Shen Minyan , Ma Xirui , Zhu Jing , Liu Huifang , Zhang Guangya , Chen Fengling
Published: September 2023

Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease characterized by lipid accumulation and endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, while effective therapies targeting the specific characteristics of NAFLD are limited. Ufmylation is a newly found post-translational modification process that involves the attachment of the Ubiquitin-fold modifier 1 (UFM1) protein to its substrates via ufmylation modification system. Ufmylation regulates ER stress via modifying UFM1 binding protein 1 (UFBP1), suggesting a potential role for ufmylation in NAFLD pathogenesis. However, the precise role of ufmylation in NAFLD remains unclear. Herein, we aim to elucidate the impact of ufmylation on UFBP1 in NAFLD and explore the underlying mechanisms involved. We observed increased expression of UFM1-conjugated proteins and ufmylation modification system components in livers with steatosis derived from NAFLD patients and NAFLD models. Upregulation of ufmylation on hepatic proteins appeared to be an adaptive response to hepatic ER stress in NAFLD. In vitro, knocking down UFBP1 resulted in increased lipid accumulation and lipogenesis in hepatocytes treated with free fatty acids (FFA), which could be rescued by wild-type UFBP1 (WT UFBP1) but not by a mutant form of UFBP1 lacking the main ufmylation site lys267 (UFBP1 K267R). In vivo, ufmylation on UFBP1 ameliorated obesity, hepatic steatosis, hepatic lipogenesis, dyslipidemia, insulin resistance and liver damage in mice with NAFLD induced by a high fat diet (HFD). We also demonstrated that the downregulation of UFBP1 induced ER stress, whereas the reintroduction or overexpression of UFBP1 alleviated ER stress in a manner dependent on ufmylation in NAFLD. This mechanism could be responsible for the amelioration of aberrant hepatic lipogenesis and insulin resistance in NAFLD. Our data reveal a protective role of ufmylation on UFBP1 against NAFLD and offer a specific target for NAFLD treatment.
BCL2L13 promotes mitophagy through DNM1L-mediated mitochondrial fission in glioblastoma
Authors: Wang Jiwei , Chen Anbin , Xue Zhiwei , Liu Junzhi , He Ying , Liu Guowei , Zhao Zhimin , Li Wenjie , Zhang Qing , Chen Anjing , Wang Jian , Li Xingang , Wang Xinyu , Huang Bin
Published: September 2023

There is an urgent need for novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for patients with Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). Previous studies have shown that BCL2 like 13 (BCL2L13) is a member of the BCL2 family regulating cell growth and apoptosis in different types of tumors. However, the clinical significance, biological role, and potential mechanism in GBM remain unexplored. In this study, we showed that BCL2L13 expression is significantly upregulated in GBM cell lines and clinical GBM tissue samples. Mechanistically, BCL2L13 targeted DNM1L at the Ser616 site, leading to mitochondrial fission and high mitophagy flux. Functionally, these alterations significantly promoted the proliferation and invasion of GBM cells both in vitro and in vivo. Overall, our findings demonstrated that BCL2L13 plays a significant role in promoting mitophagy via DNM1L-mediated mitochondrial fission in GBM. Therefore, the regulation and biological function of BCL2L13 render it a candidate molecular target for treating GBM.
Recombinant oncolytic adenovirus armed with CCL5, IL-12, and IFN-γ promotes CAR-T infiltration and proliferation in vivo to eradicate local and distal tumors
Authors: Fang Lin , Yuan Sen , Wang Meng , Zhang Chen , Wang Xueyan , Li Hailong , Yang Jie , Li Wanjing , Sun Nan , Zhang Qi , Zhang Yuxin , Chai Dafei , Li Huizhong , Zheng Junnian , Wang Gang
Published: September 2023

The efficacy of chimeric antigen receptor T (CAR-T) cells for solid tumors remains unsatisfactory due to the limited tumor infiltration and immunosuppressive microenvironment. To overcome these limitations, the genetically engineered recombinant oncolytic adenoviruses (OAVs) that conditionally replicate in tumor cells were developed to modify the tumor microenvironment (TME) to facilitate CAR-T-mediated tumor eradication. Here in the present study, a novel recombinant OAV carrying CCL5, IL12, and IFN-γ controlled by Ki67 promoter was constructed (named AdKi67-C3). The antitumor activity of AdKi67-C3 was tested in vitro and in vivo by using mono administration or combing with CAR-T cells targeting B7H3. It proved that CCL5 expressed by AdKi67-C3 indeed induced more CAR-T migration in vitro and CAR-T infiltration in tumor mass in vivo. Meanwhile, cytokines of IFN-γ and IL12 secreted by AdKi67-C3-infected tumor cells significantly promoted proliferation and persistence of CAR-T cells in vitro and in vivo. In tumor-bearing xenograft mouse models of kidney, prostate or pancreatic cancer, local pretreatment with AdKi67-C3 dramatically enhanced CAR-T cell efficacy and eliminated local and distant tumors. More importantly, mice achieving complete tumor regression resisted to re-challenge with the same tumor cells, suggesting establishment of long-term antitumor immune response. Therefore, OAVs armored with cytokines could be developed as a bioenhancer to defeat the immunosuppressive microenvironment and improve therapeutic efficacy of CAR-T in solid tumors.
Flexible and broadband colloidal quantum dots photodiode array for pixel-level X-ray to near-infrared image fusion
Authors: Liu Jing , Liu Peilin , Shi Tailong , Ke Mo , Xiong Kao , Liu Yuxuan , Chen Long , Zhang Linxiang , Liang Xinyi , Li Hao , Lu Shuaicheng , Lan Xinzheng , Niu Guangda , Zhang Jianbing , Fei Peng , Gao Liang , Tang Jiang
Published: September 2023

Combining information from multispectral images into a fused image is informative and beneficial for human or machine perception. Currently, multiple photodetectors with different response bands are used, which require complicated algorithms and systems to solve the pixel and position mismatch problem. An ideal solution would be pixel-level multispectral image fusion, which involves multispectral image using the same photodetector and circumventing the mismatch problem. Here we presented the potential of pixel-level multispectral image fusion utilizing colloidal quantum dots photodiode array, with a broadband response range from X-ray to near infrared and excellent tolerance for bending and X-ray irradiation. The colloidal quantum dots photodiode array showed a specific detectivity exceeding 1012 Jones in visible and near infrared range and a favorable volume sensitivity of approximately 2 × 105 μC Gy−1 cm−3 for X-ray irradiation. To showcase the advantages of pixel-level multispectral image fusion, we imaged a capsule enfolding an iron wire and soft plastic, successfully revealing internal information through an X-ray to near infrared fused image.