bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ecological mechanisms of Acetes blooms as a threat to the security of cooling systems in coastal nuclear power plants
Authors: An Lina , Wang Lei , Ou Danyun , Jia Cun , Li Weiwen , Ding Ye , You Chengmao , Liao Jianji , Huang Hao
Published: November 2021

Recently, there have been an increasing number of reports on the shutdown of coastal nuclear power plants because of outbreaks of marine organisms, such as jellyfish and fish. These organisms clog the pipes during an outbreak or when they accumulate near nuclear power plants in coastal regions. The safety of nuclear power plants is threatened by Acetes blooms. Thus, based on the physiology and ecology of Acetes, including the biology, auxology, feeding ecology, population dynamics, environmental suitability and effects of nuclear power plant thermal effluents, three hypotheses were proposed by previous studies to explain the ecological mechanisms of an Acetes bloom: (1) the wintering ground hypothesis, (2) the population dynamics hypothesis and (3) the ecosystem dynamics hypothesis. The main content and prevention measures used in previous studies were introduced and reviewed. Ecological protection combined with relevant environmental protection policies and laws in coastal areas are the long-term goals for the management of Acetes blooms.
Fatal course of undetected Ewing-like sarcoma in a 9-year-old boy with uncharacteristic clinical presentation
Authors: Gotsmy Walther , Neumayer Bettina , Kraus Theo , Zellinger Barbara , Neureiter Daniel , Monticelli Fabio , Meyer Harald , Hofer Peter
Published: November 2021

A 9-year-old boy collapsed shortly after complaining of shortness of breath. Despite immediate resuscitation measures, the boy died. A few weeks earlier, he had received antibiotic treatment for respiratory infection. However, the post-mortem examination revealed an advanced tumor mass of the mediastinum with infiltration of vital structures, which was identified as a small blue round neoplasm with aspects of an extramedullary Ewing-like sarcoma by supplementary histological and immunohistochemical examinations.

This dramatic clinical course of events shows that the possible presence of serious diseases should always be considered behind harmless symptoms, even in children.
Rational complexity of binary sequences, F$\mathbb {Q}$SRs, and pseudo-ultrametric continued fractions in $\mathbb {R}$
Authors: Vielhaber Michael , Canales Chacón Mónica del Pilar , Jara Ceballos Sergio
Published: November 2021

We introduce rational complexity, a new complexity measure for binary sequences. The sequence s ∈ Bω is considered as binary expansion of a real fraction $s \equiv {\sum }_{k\in \mathbb {N}}s_{k}2^{-k}\in [0,1] \subset \mathbb {R}$
s
≡

∑

k
∈
ℕ

s

k

2

−
k

∈
[
0
,
1
]
⊂
ℝ
. We compute its continued fraction expansion (CFE) by the Binary CFE Algorithm, a bitwise approximation of s by binary search in the encoding space of partial denominators, obtaining rational approximations r of s with r → s. We introduce Feedback in$\mathbb {Q}$
ℚ
Shift Registers (F$\mathbb {Q}$
ℚ
SRs) as the analogue of Linear Feedback Shift Registers (LFSRs) for the linear complexity L, and Feedback with Carry Shift Registers (FCSRs) for the 2-adic complexity A. We show that there is a substantial subset of prefixes with “typical” linear and 2-adic complexities, around n/2, but low rational complexity. Thus the three complexities sort out different sequences as non-random.
The value of prognostic ultrasound features of breast cancer in different molecular subtypes with a focus on triple negative disease
Authors: Evans Andy , Sim Yee Ting , Lawson Brooke , Macaskill Jane , Jordan Lee , Thompson Alastair
Published: November 2021

The ultrasound (US) features of breast cancer have recently been shown to have prognostic significance. We aim to assess these features according to molecular subtype. 1140 consecutive US visible invasive breast cancers had US size and mean stiffness by shearwave elastography (SWE) recorded prospectively. Skin thickening (> 2.5 mm) overlying the cancer on US and the presence of posterior echo enhancement were assessed retrospectively while blinded to outcomes. Cancers were classified as luminal, triple negative (TN) or HER2 + ve based on immunohistochemistry and florescent in-situ hybridization. The relationship between US parameters and breast cancer specific survival (BCSS) was ascertained using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and ROC analysis. At median follow-up 6.3 year, there were 117 breast cancer (10%) and 132 non-breast deaths (12%). US size was significantly associated with BCSS all groups (area under the curve (AUC) 0.74 in luminal cancers, 0.64 for TN and 0.65 for HER2 + ve cancers). US skin thickening was associated most strongly with poor prognosis in TN cancers (53% vs. 80% 6 year survival, p = 0.0004). Posterior echo enhancement was associated with a poor BCSS in TN cancers (63% vs. 82% 6 year survival, p = 0.02). Mean stiffness at SWE was prognostic in the luminal and HER2 positive groups (AUC 0.69 and 0.63, respectively). In the subgroup of patients with TN cancers receiving neo-adjuvant chemotherapy posterior enhancement and skin thickening were not associated with response. US skin thickening is a poor prognostic indicator is all 3 subtypes studied, while posterior enhancement was associated with poor outcome in TN cancers
Deep-Water Circulation over the Last Two Glacial Cycles Reconstructed from Authigenic Neodymium Isotopes in the Equatorial Indian Ocean (Core HI1808-GPC04)
Authors: Bang Sunhwa , Huh Youngsook , Khim Boo-Keun , Takata Hiroyuki , Ikehara Minoru , Hyeong Kiseong , Seo Inah , Cho HyenGoo
Published: November 2021

We reconstructed the past deep-water character of the equatorial Indian Ocean using the isotope ratio of neodymium (εNd) in the Fe–Mn coating of mixed-species foraminifera. When compared with previous εNd records at the same site (ODP 758) and at another site to the west (SK 129), the three datasets were consistent and showed glacial-interglacial variations, even though the other two records were extracted from different media (cleaned foraminifera and bulk sediment leach). This confirms that while the foraminiferal coating is the preferred medium for reconstructing past bottom water εNd records, for carbonate-dominated lithologies, weak acid extraction of bulk sediment is also a viable option offering high-resolution capabilities. When the lithology includes volcanic particles or high organics, the extraction protocol may need to be adjusted to guard against detrital contamination or a slight correction may need to be applied. During glacials, the deep waters bathing the equatorial Indian Ocean had a larger AABW component and during interglacials a larger NADW component. Our HI1808-GPC04 record supplements the ODP 758 record in the interval with prominent AABW signal (MIS 6/5 transition and MIS 7) and reveals regional effects in some non-radiogenic intervals. The smaller differences between the HI1808-GPC04/ODP 758 and SK 129 records seem to reflect regional Nd input from river systems and non-radiogenic Nd from the boundaries.
An Extreme Value Bayesian Lasso for the Conditional Left and Right Tails
Authors: de Carvalho M. , Pereira S. , Pereira P. , de Zea Bermudez P.
Published: November 2021

We introduce a novel regression model for the conditional left and right tail of a possibly heavy-tailed response. The proposed model can be used to learn the effect of covariates on an extreme value setting via a Lasso-type specification based on a Lagrangian restriction. Our model can be used to track if some covariates are significant for the lower values, but not for the (right) tail—and vice versa; in addition to this, the proposed model bypasses the need for conditional threshold selection in an extreme value theory framework. We assess the finite-sample performance of the proposed methods through a simulation study that reveals that our method recovers the true conditional distribution over a variety of simulation scenarios, along with being accurate on variable selection. Rainfall data are used to showcase how the proposed method can learn to distinguish between key drivers of moderate rainfall, against those of extreme rainfall. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear online.
Cognitive and Affective Empathy Relate Differentially to Emotion Regulation
Authors: Thompson Nicholas M. , van Reekum Carien M. , Chakrabarti Bhismadev
Published: November 2021

The constructs of empathy (i.e., understanding and/or sharing another’s emotion) and emotion regulation (i.e., the processes by which one manages emotions) have largely been studied in relative isolation of one another. To better understand the interrelationships between their various component processes, this manuscript reports two studies that examined the relationship between empathy and emotion regulation using a combination of self-report and task measures. In study 1 (N = 137), trait cognitive empathy and affective empathy were found to share divergent relationships with self-reported emotion dysregulation. Trait emotion dysregulation was negatively related to cognitive empathy but did not show a significant relationship with affective empathy. In the second study (N = 92), the magnitude of emotion interference effects (i.e., the extent to which inhibitory control was impacted by emotional relative to neutral stimuli) in variants of a Go/NoGo and Stroop task were used as proxy measures of implicit emotion regulation abilities. Trait cognitive and affective empathy were differentially related to both task metrics. Higher affective empathy was associated with increased emotional interference in the Emotional Go/NoGo task; no such relationship was observed for trait cognitive empathy. In the Emotional Stroop task, higher cognitive empathy was associated with reduced emotional interference; no such relationship was observed for affective empathy. Together, these studies demonstrate that greater cognitive empathy was broadly associated with improved emotion regulation abilities, while greater affective empathy was typically associated with increased difficulties with emotion regulation. These findings point to the need for assessing the different components of empathy in psychopathological conditions marked by difficulties in emotion regulation.
Content and internal structural validity of the motivation for mathematics abbreviated instrument
Authors: Butler Kenneth , Dedrick Robert F.
Published: November 2021

This study details the development and initial validation of a 16-item psychometric instrument measuring college students’ motivation for mathematics. The Motivation for Mathematics Abbreviated Instrument (MMAI) consists of four factors (intrinsic motivation, mastery orientation, performance orientation, and expectancy) that were derived from three predominant motivation theories: self-determination, achievement goal, and expectancy value. The instrument development process began with an initial pool of 107 items from existing motivational measures. Input from members of the American Education Research Association (AERA) Special Interest Group (SIG) for Motivation in Education, interviews with students and instructors, and factor analyses of a preliminary (n = 186 post-secondary students) and final administration (n = 386 post-secondary students) of the instrument were used to create the final version of the 16-item measure. Qualitative analyses verified content. Results of the confirmatory factor analyses indicated acceptable fit of the 16-item four-factor model and measurement invariance by gender. We found strong composite reliability. Average variance extracted revealed acceptable internal validity. We conclude that the MMAI is a brief, psychometrically sound measure of motivation that provides a practical and useful tool for classroom-based research into motivation for mathematics.
The Lived Experience of Interdependence: Support Worker Relationships and Implications for Wider Rehabilitation
Authors: Bourke John A.
Published: November 2021

Engaging in a meaningful life where one can exercise autonomy has been proposed as a key aim of rehabilitation. Influenced by a neoliberal worldview, this has traditionally been characterised by a pursuit towards individual functional independence in which one completes tasks and activities unassisted. However for many persons, individual functional independence may not be a realistic, prioritised or beneficial goal. Many individuals must learn to work with support workers to exercise choice and control. Such relationships extend beyond a transactional nature and involve many subtle characteristics. In this article, I draw on my lived experience of partnering with support workers to illustrate the complexity of such relationships and how they can enable interdependence to serve as a vehicle to self-determination. I finish with some ideas about what rehabilitation can do to recognise the important role human connections play in facilitating interdependence. Understanding the nature of these relationships is necessary to provide services which value interdependence, supporting people to pursue a meaningful life following impairment.
The Communication Argument and the Pluralist Challenge
Authors: Wang Shawn Tinghao
Published: November 2021

Various theorists have endorsed the “communication argument”: communicative capacities are necessary for morally responsible agency because blameaims ata distinctive kind of moral communication. I contend that existing versions of the argument, including those defended by Gary Watson and Coleen Macnamara, face a pluralist challenge: they do not seem to sit well with the plausible view that blame has multiple aims. I then examine three possible rejoinders to the challenge, suggesting that a context-specific, function-based approach constitutes the most promising modification of the communication argument.
Excursions to the cusps for geometrically finite hyperbolic orbifolds and equidistribution of closed geodesics in regular covers
Authors: MOR RON
Published: November 2021

We give a finitary criterion for the convergence of measures on non-elementary geometrically finite hyperbolic orbifolds to the unique measure of maximal entropy. We give an entropy criterion controlling escape of mass to the cusps of the orbifold. Using this criterion, we prove new results on the distribution of collections of closed geodesics on such an orbifold, and as a corollary, we prove the equidistribution of closed geodesics up to a certain length in amenable regular covers of geometrically finite orbifolds.
Influence of phylogeny on the estimation of diet from dental morphology in the Carnivora
Authors: Hopkins Samantha S. B. , Price Samantha A. , Chiono Alec J.
Published: November 2021

Because teeth are the most easily preserved part of the vertebrate skeleton and are particularly morphologically variable in mammals, studies of fossil mammals rely heavily on dental morphology. Dental morphology is used both for systematics and phylogeny as well as for inferences about paleoecology, diet in particular. We analyze the influence of evolutionary history on our ability to reconstruct diet from dental morphology in the mammalian order Carnivora, and we find that much of our understanding of diet in carnivorans is dependent on the phylogenetic constraints on diet in this clade. Substantial error in estimating diet from dental morphology is present regardless of the morphological data used to make the inference, although more extensive morphological datasets are more accurate in predicting diet than more limited character sets. Unfortunately, including phylogeny in making dietary inferences actually decreases the accuracy of these predictions, showing that dietary predictions from morphology are substantially dependent on the evolutionary constraints on carnivore diet and tooth shape. The “evolutionary ratchet” that drives lineages of carnivorans to evolve greater degrees of hypercarnivory through time actually plays a role in allowing dietary inference from tooth shape, but consequently requires caution in interpreting dietary inference from the teeth fossil carnivores. These difficulties are another reminder of the differences in evolutionary tempo and mode between morphology and ecology.
Taking dyads seriously
Authors: Minhas Shahryar , Dorff Cassy , Gallop Max B. , Foster Margaret , Liu Howard , Tellez Juan , Ward Michael D.
Published: November 2021

International relations scholarship concerns dyads, yet standard modeling approaches fail to adequately capture the data generating process behind dyadic events and processes. As a result, they suffer from biased coefficients and poorly calibrated standard errors. We show how a regression-based approach, the Additive and Multiplicative Effects (AME) model, can be used to account for the inherent dependencies in dyadic data and glean substantive insights in the interrelations between actors. First, we conduct a simulation to highlight how the model captures dependencies and show that accounting for these processes improves our ability to conduct inference on dyadic data. Second, we compare the AME model to approaches used in three prominent studies from recent international relations scholarship. For each study, we find that compared to AME, the modeling approach used performs notably worse at capturing the data generating process. Further, conventional methods misstate the effect of key variables and the uncertainty in these effects. Finally, AME outperforms standard approaches in terms of out-of-sample fit. In sum, our work shows the consequences of failing to take the dependencies inherent to dyadic data seriously. Most importantly, by better modeling the data generating process underlying political phenomena, the AME framework improves scholars’ ability to conduct inferential analyses on dyadic data.
Motivated Reasoning and Democratic Accountability
Authors: LITTLE ANDREW T. , SCHNAKENBERG KEITH E. , TURNER IAN R.
Published: November 2021

Does motivated reasoning harm democratic accountability? Substantial evidence from political behavior research indicates that voters have “directional motives” beyond accuracy, which is often taken as evidence that they are ill equipped to hold politicians accountable. We develop a model of electoral accountability with voters as motivated reasoners. Directional motives have two effects: (1) divergence—voters with different preferences hold different beliefs, and (2) desensitization—the relationship between incumbent performance and voter beliefs is weakened. While motivated reasoning does harm accountability, this is generally driven by desensitized voters rather than polarized partisans with politically motivated divergent beliefs. We also analyze the relationship between government performance and vote shares, showing that while motivated reasoning always weakens this relationship, we cannot infer that accountability is also harmed. Finally, we show that our model can be mapped to standard models in which voters are fully Bayesian but have different preferences or information.
Association between panic disorder and childhood adversities: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Zhang Joyce , Wiecaszek Patryja , Sami Saber , Meiser-Stedman Richard
Published: November 2021

Background

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase the risk of mental health difficulties in general, but the link to panic disorder (PD) has received comparatively little attention. There are no data for the magnitudes between ACEs and PD. This systematic review and meta-analysis estimated the overall, as well as the subgroups, odds ratio of having PD in adults who report ACEs, compared to adults who do not.

Methods

The study was pre-registered on PROSPERO [CRD42018111506] and the database was searched in June 2021. In order to overcome the violation of independent assumptions due to multiple estimations from the same samples, we utilized a robust variance estimation model that supports meta-analysis for clustered estimations. Accordingly, an advanced method relaxing the distributional and asymptotic assumptions was used to assess publication bias and sensitivity.

Results

The literature search and screening returned 34 final studies, comprising 192,182 participants. Ninety-six estimations of 20 types of ACEs were extracted. Pooled ORs are: overall 2.2, CI (1.82–2.58), sexual abuse 1.92, CI (1.37–2.46), physical abuse 1.71, CI (1.37–2.05), emotional abuse 1.61, CI (0.868–2.35), emotional neglect 1.53, CI (0.756–2.31), parental alcoholism 1.83, CI (1.24–2.43), and parental separation/loss 1.82, CI (1.14–2.50). No between-group difference was identified by either sociolegal classification (abuse, neglect, household dysfunction) or threat-deprivation dimensions (high on threat, high on deprivation and mixed).

Conclusions

There are links of mild to medium strength between overall ACEs and PD as well as individual ACEs. The homogeneous effect sizes across ACEs either suggest the effects of ACEs on PD are comparable, or raised the question whether the categorical or dimensional approaches to classifying ACEs are the definitive ways to conceptualize the impact of ACEs on later mental health.
Foreshadowing the Civil Rights Counter-Revolution
Authors: Jenkins Jeffery A. , Peck Justin
Published: November 2021

After overseeing the adoption of two landmark civil rights proposals in 1964 and 1965, the Johnson administration and its allies in Congress sought to implement the third item of its broader agenda: a legal prohibition on racial discrimination in the sale and rental of housing. Enacting fair housing legislation, however, proved to be a vexing process. Advocates had to win support from northern White Democrats skeptical of the policy, as well as Republicans who were often (and increasingly) unreliable allies. Fair housing legislation failed in 1966 (89th Congress) but passed two years later, during the 90th Congress. We provide a legislative policy history detailing how, after three tumultuous years, Congress came to enact the fair housing provision of the Civil Rights Act of 1968. Overall, the battle to enact fair housing legislation presaged a dynamic that would take hold as the Great Society gave way to the Nixon years: once federal civil rights policies started to bear directly on the lives of White northerners, they became much harder to pass and implement. It also showcased the moment at which the Republican Party in Congress first moved to the right on civil rights and explicitly adopted a position of racial conservatism.
Near‐Surface Stratification Due to Ice Melt Biases Arctic Air‐Sea CO2 Flux Estimates
Authors: Dong Yuanxu , Yang Mingxi , Bakker Dorothee C. E. , Liss Peter S. , Kitidis Vassilis , Brown Ian , Chierici Melissa , Fransson Agneta , Bell Thomas G.
Published: November 2021

Air‐sea carbon dioxide (CO2) flux is generally estimated by the bulk method using upper ocean CO2 fugacity measurements. In the summertime Arctic, sea‐ice melt results in stratification within the upper ocean (top ∼10 m), which can bias bulk CO2 flux estimates when the seawater CO2 fugacity is taken from a ship's seawater inlet at ∼6 m depth (fCO2w_bulk). Direct flux measurements by eddy covariance are unaffected by near‐surface stratification. We use eddy covariance CO2 flux measurements to infer sea surface CO2 fugacity (fCO2w_surface) in the Arctic Ocean. In sea‐ice melt regions, fCO2w_surface values are consistently lower than fCO2w_bulk by an average of 39 μatm. Lower fCO2w_surface can be partially accounted for by fresher (≥27%) and colder (17%) melt waters. A back‐of‐the‐envelope calculation shows that neglecting the summertime sea‐ice melt could lead to a 6%–17% underestimate of the annual Arctic Ocean CO2 uptake.
First Measurements of Surface Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Signals Without an Oscillating Excitation Pulse – Exploiting Non‐Adiabatic Prepolarization Switch‐Off
Authors: Hiller Thomas , Costabel Stephan , Dlugosch Raphael , Müller‐Petke Mike
Published: November 2021

Recently, small‐scale surface nuclear magnetic resonance (SNMR) measurements with a footprint of about a few square meters have gained interest in the soil geophysics community as they directly provide water content and pore geometry information. Here, the application of strong prepolarization (PP) fields enables the detection of water in the vadose zone. Introducing PP into SNMR shifts the reference for the decay of the SNMR signal from the excitation pulse to the end of the PP, effectively increasing the instrumental dead time, which is already too long to measure short signals associated with unsaturated fine‐grained soil. In an approach to overcome this limitation, we present the first measurements of SNMR signals from a water reservoir without an oscillating excitation pulse. Instead, we use the non‐adiabatic, that is, imperfect, switch‐off of the PP‐field as an effective excitation mechanism. We complement our field experiments with numerical simulations of the corresponding SNMR spin dynamics.
Using Radiative Convective Equilibrium to Explore Clouds and Climate in the Community Atmosphere Model
Authors: Reed Kevin A. , Silvers Levi G. , Wing Allison A. , Hu I‐Kuan , Medeiros Brian
Published: November 2021

Characteristics of, and fundamental differences between, the radiative‐convective equilibrium (RCE) climate states following the Radiative‐Convective Equilibrium Model Intercomparison Project (RCEMIP) protocols in the Community Atmosphere Model version 5 (CAM5) and version 6 (CAM6) are presented. This paper explores the characteristics of clouds, moisture, precipitation and circulation in the RCE state, as well as the tropical response to surface warming, in CAM5 and CAM6 with different parameterizations. Overall, CAM5 simulates higher precipitation rates that result in larger global average precipitation, despite lower outgoing longwave radiation compared to CAM6. Differences in the structure of clouds, particularly the amount and vertical location of cloud liquid, exist between the CAM versions and can, in part, be related to distinct representations of shallow convection and boundary layer processes. Both CAM5 and CAM6 simulate similar peaks in cloud fraction, relative humidity, and cloud ice, linked to the usage of a similar deep convection parameterization. These anvil clouds rise and decrease in extent in response to surface warming. More generally, extreme precipitation, aggregation of convection, and climate sensitivity increase with warming in both CAM5 and CAM6. This analysis provides a benchmark for future studies that explore clouds, convection, and climate in CAM with the RCEMIP protocols now available in the Community Earth System Model. These results are discussed within the context of realistic climate simulations using CAM5 and CAM6, highlighting the usefulness of a hierarchical modeling approach to understanding model and parameterization sensitivities to inform model development efforts.
Modeling clonal hematopoiesis in umbilical cord blood cells by CRISPR/Cas9
Authors: Christen Friederike , Hablesreiter Raphael , Hoyer Kaja , Hennch Cornelius , Maluck-Böttcher Antje , Segler Angela , Madadi Annett , Frick Mareike , Bullinger Lars , Briest Franziska , Damm Frederik
Published: November 2021

To investigate clonal hematopoiesis associated gene mutations in vitro and to unravel the direct impact on the human stem and progenitor cell (HSPC) compartment, we targeted healthy, young hematopoietic progenitor cells, derived from umbilical cord blood samples, with CRISPR/Cas9 technology. Site-specific mutations were introduced in defined regions of DNMT3A, TET2, and ASXL1 in CD34+ progenitor cells that were subsequently analyzed in short-term as well as long-term in vitro culture assays to assess self-renewal and differentiation capacities. Colony-forming unit (CFU) assays revealed enhanced self-renewal of TET2 mutated (TET2mut) cells, whereas ASXL1mut as well as DNMT3Amut cells did not reveal significant changes in short-term culture. Strikingly, enhanced colony formation could be detected in long-term culture experiments in all mutants, indicating increased self-renewal capacities. While we could also demonstrate preferential clonal expansion of distinct cell clones for all mutants, the clonal composition after long-term culture revealed a mutation-specific impact on HSPCs. Thus, by using primary umbilical cord blood cells, we were able to investigate epigenetic driver mutations without confounding factors like age or a complex mutational landscape, and our findings provide evidence for a direct impact of clonal hematopoiesis-associated mutations on self-renewal and clonal composition of human stem and progenitor cells.
Iron overload in endometriosis peritoneal fluid induces early embryo ferroptosis mediated by HMOX1
Authors: Li Shishi , Zhou Yier , Huang Qiongxiao , Fu Xiaohua , Zhang Ling , Gao Fang , Jin Zhen , Wu Limei , Shu Chongyi , Zhang Xirong , Xu Weihai , Shu Jing
Published: November 2021

Endometriosis is one of the most common disorders that causes infertility in women. Iron is overloaded in endometriosis peritoneal fluid (PF), with harmful effects on early embryo development. However, the mechanism by which endometriosis peritoneal fluid affects embryonic development remains unclear. Hence, this study investigated the effect of iron overload on mouse embryos and elucidated the molecular mechanism. Iron overload in endometriosis PF disrupted blastocyst formation, decreased GPX4 expression and induced lipid peroxidation, suggesting that iron overload causes embryotoxicity and induces ferroptosis. Moreover, mitochondrial damage occurs in iron overload-treated embryos, presenting as decreased ATP levels, increased ROS levels and MMP hyperpolarization. The cytotoxicity of iron overload is attenuated by the ferroptosis inhibitor Fer-1. Furthermore, Smart-seq analysis revealed that HMOX1 is upregulated in embryo ferroptosis and that HMOX1 suppresses ferroptosis by maintaining mitochondrial function. This study provides new insight into the mechanism of endometriosis infertility and a potential target for future endometriosis infertility treatment efforts.
Zipper head mechanism of telomere synthesis by human telomerase
Authors: Wan Futang , Ding Yongbo , Zhang Yuebin , Wu Zhenfang , Li Shaobai , Yang Lin , Yan Xiangyu , Lan Pengfei , Li Guohui , Wu Jian , Lei Ming
Published: November 2021

Telomerase, a multi-subunit ribonucleoprotein complex, is a unique reverse transcriptase that catalyzes the processive addition of a repeat sequence to extend the telomere end using a short fragment of its own RNA component as the template. Despite recent structural characterizations of human and Tetrahymena telomerase, it is still a mystery how telomerase repeatedly uses its RNA template to synthesize telomeric DNA. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of human telomerase holoenzyme bound with telomeric DNA at resolutions of 3.5 Å and 3.9 Å for the catalytic core and biogenesis module, respectively. The structure reveals that a leucine residue Leu980 in telomerase reverse transcriptase (TERT) catalytic subunit functions as a zipper head to limit the length of the short primer–template duplex in the active center. Moreover, our structural and computational analyses suggest that TERT and telomerase RNA (hTR) are organized to harbor a preformed active site that can accommodate short primer–template duplex substrates for catalysis. Furthermore, our findings unveil a double-fingers architecture in TERT that ensures nucleotide addition processivity of human telomerase. We propose that the zipper head Leu980 is a structural determinant for the sequence-based pausing signal of DNA synthesis that coincides with the RNA element-based physical template boundary. Functional analyses unveil that the non-glycine zipper head plays an essential role in both telomerase repeat addition processivity and telomere length homeostasis. In addition, we also demonstrate that this zipper head mechanism is conserved in all eukaryotic telomerases. Together, our study provides an integrated model for telomerase-mediated telomere synthesis.
Untangling the clinicopathological significance of MRE11-RAD50-NBS1 complex in sporadic breast cancers
Authors: Alblihy Adel , Shoqafi Ahmed , Toss Michael S. , Algethami Mashael , Harris Anna E. , Jeyapalan Jennie N. , Abdel-Fatah Tarek , Servante Juliette , Chan Stephen Y. T. , Green Andrew , Mongan Nigel P. , Rakha Emad A. , Madhusudan Srinivasan
Published: November 2021

The MRE11–RAD50–NBS1 (MRN) complex is critical for genomic stability. Although germline mutations in MRN may increase breast cancer susceptibility, such mutations are extremely rare. Here, we have conducted a comprehensive clinicopathological study of MRN in sporadic breast cancers. We have protein expression profiled for MRN and a panel of DNA repair factors involved in double-strand break repair (BRCA1, BRCA2, ATM, CHK2, ATR, Chk1, pChk1, RAD51, γH2AX, RPA1, RPA2, DNA-PKcs), RECQ DNA helicases (BLM, WRN, RECQ1, RECQL4, RECQ5), nucleotide excision repair (ERCC1) and base excision repair (SMUG1, APE1, FEN1, PARP1, XRCC1, Pol β) in 1650 clinical breast cancers. The prognostic significance of MRE11, RAD50 and NBS1 transcripts and their microRNA regulators (hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-99b) were evaluated in large clinical datasets. Expression of MRN components was analysed in The Cancer Genome Atlas breast cancer cohort. We show that low nuclear MRN is linked to aggressive histopathological phenotypes such as high tumour grade, high mitotic index, oestrogen receptor- and high-risk Nottingham Prognostic Index. In univariate analysis, low nuclear MRE11 and low nuclear RAD50 were associated with poor survival. In multivariate analysis, low nuclear RAD50 remained independently linked with adverse clinical outcomes. Low RAD50 transcripts were also linked with reduced survival. In contrast, overexpression of hsa-miR-494 and hsa-miR-99b microRNAs was associated with poor survival. We observed large-scale genome-wide alterations in MRN-deficient tumours contributing to aggressive behaviour. We conclude that MRN status may be a useful tool to stratify tumours for precision medicine strategies.
Pathogenic neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) RNA splicing resolved by targeted RNAseq
Authors: Koster R. , Brandão R. D. , Tserpelis D. , van Roozendaal C. E. P. , van Oosterhoud C. N. , Claes K. B. M. , Paulussen A. D. C. , Sinnema M. , Vreeburg M. , van der Schoot V. , Stumpel C. T. R. M. , Broen M. P. G. , Spruijt L. , Jongmans M. C. J. , Lesnik Oberstein S. A. J. , Plomp A. S. , Misra-Isrie M. , Duijkers F. A. , Louwers M. J. , Szklarczyk R. , Derks K. W. J. , Brunner H. G. , van den Wijngaard A. , van Geel M. , Blok M. J.
Published: November 2021

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is caused by loss-of-function variants in the NF1 gene. Approximately 10% of these variants affect RNA splicing and are either missed by conventional DNA diagnostics or are misinterpreted by in silico splicing predictions. Therefore, a targeted RNAseq-based approach was designed to detect pathogenic RNA splicing and associated pathogenic DNA variants. For this method RNA was extracted from lymphocytes, followed by targeted RNAseq. Next, an in-house developed tool (QURNAs) was used to calculate the enrichment score (ERS) for each splicing event. This method was thoroughly tested using two different patient cohorts with known pathogenic splice-variants in NF1. In both cohorts all 56 normal reference transcript exon splice junctions, 24 previously described and 45 novel non-reference splicing events were detected. Additionally, all expected pathogenic splice-variants were detected. Eleven patients with NF1 symptoms were subsequently tested, three of which have a known NF1 DNA variant with a putative effect on RNA splicing. This effect could be confirmed for all 3. The other eight patients were previously without any molecular confirmation of their NF1-diagnosis. A deep-intronic pathogenic splice variant could now be identified for two of them (25%). These results suggest that targeted RNAseq can be successfully used to detect pathogenic RNA splicing variants in NF1.
The effects of subliminal or supraliminal sadness induction on the sense of body ownership and the role of dissociative symptoms
Authors: Schroter Franziska A. , Günther Bianca A. , Jansen Petra
Published: November 2021

Previous research has shown that emotions can alter our sense of ownership. Whether this relationship is modulated by differences in emotion experience and awareness, however, remains unclear. We investigated this by comparing the susceptibility to the rubber hand illusion (RHI) between participants who were either exposed to a low-arousing emotion induction (sadness) or placed in a neutral control group. Several factors that might influence this relationship were considered: dissociative symptoms were included to observe if a sadness induction led to a higher RHI score in participants scoring high in dissociation, as a result of detached emotion experience. Whether the level of awareness of the emotion mattered was also tested, as subliminal processing was shown to require less focal attention. Therefore, our sample (N = 122) was divided into three experimental groups: Sad pictures were presented to two of the three groups differing in presentation mode (subliminal: n = 40, supraliminal: n = 41), neutral pictures were presented supraliminally to the control group (n = 41). Additionally, the effects of slow (3 cm/s) and fast (30 cm/s) stroking, applied either synchronously or asynchronously, were examined as the comforting effects of stroking might interfere with the emotion induction. Results showed that the supraliminal sadness induction was associated with a stronger subjective illusion, but not with a higher proprioceptive drift compared to the subliminal induction. In addition, a stronger subjective illusion after fast and synchronous stroking was found compared to slow and asynchronous stroking. A significant proprioceptive drift was detected independent of group and stroking style. Both slow and synchronous stroking were perceived as more comforting than their respective counterparts. Participants with higher dissociative symptoms were more susceptible to the subjective illusion, especially in the supraliminal group in the synchronous condition. We concluded that individual differences in emotion experience are likely to play a role in body ownership. However, we cannot clarify at this stage whether differences in proprioception and the subjective illusion depend on the type of emotion experienced (e.g. different levels of arousal) and on concomitant changes in multisensory integration processes.
Lion and spotted hyena distributions within a buffer area of the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem
Authors: Mwampeta Stanslaus B. , Wilton Clay M. , Mkasanga Imani J. , Masinde Lusato M. , Ranke Peter S. , Røskaft Eivin , Fyumagwa Robert , Belant Jerrold L.
Published: November 2021

Most large carnivore populations are declining due to anthropogenic activities including direct persecution, prey depletion, habitat loss and degradation. protected areas (PAs) can help maintain viable large carnivore populations; however, anthropogenic activities occurring near and within PA borders or edges can reduce their effectiveness. We investigated the influence of edge effects on abundance of lions (Panthera leo) and spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) in Maswa Game Reserve (MGR), a part of the Serengeti ecosystem in northern Tanzania. We conducted repeated call-ins to attract and enumerate lions and hyenas at 20 stations in MGR during June–July 2017. We used N-mixture models to estimate hyena and lion abundance in relation to land cover and distance from the south-western MGR borders which are adjacent to villages. We found lowest lion and hyena abundances by the south-western border, with abundance of both species increasing toward the eastern border adjacent to Serengeti National Park. Lions were uniformly distributed among land covers whereas hyenas were more abundant in woodlands. We suggest that reduced lion and hyena abundance near human settlements was in response to depleted prey, due to human actions. We recommend ecologically compatible land uses and effective border patrols to mitigate these adverse effects.
Formulas and algorithms for the length of a Farey sequence
Authors: Sukhoy Vladimir , Stoytchev Alexander
Published: November 2021

This paper proves several novel formulas for the length of a Farey sequence of order n. The formulas use different trade-offs between iteration and recurrence and they range from simple to more complex. The paper also describes several iterative algorithms for computing the length of a Farey sequence based on these formulas. The algorithms are presented from the slowest to the fastest in order to explain the improvements in computational techniques from one version to another. The last algorithm in this progression runs in $$O(n^{2/3})$$

O
(

n

2
/
3

)

time and uses only $$O(\sqrt{n})$$

O
(

n

)

memory, which makes it the most efficient algorithm for computing $$|F_n|$$

|

F
n

|

described to date. With this algorithm we were able to compute the length of the Farey sequence of order $$10^{18}$$

10
18

.
Model-based estimation of transmissibility and reinfection of SARS-CoV-2 P.1 variant
Authors: Coutinho Renato Mendes , Marquitti Flavia Maria Darcie , Ferreira Leonardo Souto , Borges Marcelo Eduardo , da Silva Rafael Lopes Paixão , Canton Otavio , Portella Tatiana P. , Poloni Silas , Franco Caroline , Plucinski Mateusz M. , Lessa Fernanda C. , da Silva Antônio Augusto Moura , Kraenkel Roberto Andre , de Sousa Mascena Veras Maria Amélia , Prado Paulo Inácio
Published: November 2021

Background

The SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern (VOC) P.1 (Gamma variant) emerged in the Amazonas State, Brazil, in November 2020. The epidemiological consequences of its mutations have not been widely studied, despite detection of P.1 in 36 countries, with local transmission in at least 5 countries. A range of mutations are seen in P.1, ten of them in the spike protein. It shares mutations with VOCs previously detected in the United Kingdom (B.1.1.7, Alpha variant) and South Africa (B.1.351, Beta variant).

Methods

We estimated the transmissibility and reinfection of P.1 using a model-based approach, fitting data from the national health surveillance of hospitalized individuals and frequency of the P.1 variant in Manaus from December-2020 to February-2021.

Results

Here we estimate that the new variant is about 2.6 times more transmissible (95% Confidence Interval: 2.4–2.8) than previous circulating variant(s). Manaus already had a high prevalence of individuals previously affected by the SARS-CoV-2 virus and our fitted model attributed 28% of Manaus cases in the period to reinfections by P.1, confirming the importance of reinfection by this variant. This value is in line with estimates from blood donors samples in Manaus city.

Conclusions

Our estimates rank P.1 as one of the most transmissible among the SARS-CoV-2 VOCs currently identified, and potentially as transmissible as the posteriorly detected VOC B.1.617.2 (Delta variant), posing a serious threat and requiring measures to control its global spread.
Correction: Synthesis, self-aggregation and cryopreservation effects of perylene bisimide–glycopeptide conjugates
Authors: He Xu , Hu Bing , Yang Yan , Zhu Hong-Yu , Rong Rui-Xue , Li Xiao-Liu , Wang Ke-Rang
Published: November 2021

Correction for ‘Synthesis, self-aggregation and cryopreservation effects of perylene bisimide–glycopeptide conjugates’ by Xu He et al., Chem. Commun., 2021, DOI: 10.1039/d1cc03835d.
Kinetics of Cu(ii) complexation by ATCUN/NTS and related peptides: a gold mine of novel ideas for copper biology
Authors: Kotuniak Radosław , Bal Wojciech
Published: November 2021

The aim of this perspective is to help revive studies of the kinetics of formation and exchange in Cu(ii)–peptide complexes. Such studies have the power to reveal novel reactive intermediates and set timeframes for actual physiological processes.
From polygons to polyhedra through intermediate structures. A shape measures study of six-atom inorganic rings and clusters
Authors: Alvarez Santiago
Published: November 2021

The book of Nature displays a wealth of continuously varying molecular geometries. See what can be done with just six atoms.
Platinum binding preferences dominate the binding of novel polyamide amidine anthraquinone platinum(ii) complexes to DNA
Authors: Lo Anthony T. S. , Chen Jon K. , Murray Vincent , Todd Matthew H. , Hambley Trevor W.
Published: November 2021

Platinum(ii) complexes with a threading anthraquinone intercalator and a pyrrole lexitropsin have DNA profiles surprisingly similar to that of cisplatin suggesting the platinum binding dominates the sequence selectivity.
Correction: CCL01, a novel formulation composed of Cuscuta seeds and Lactobacillus paracasei NK112, enhances memory function via nerve growth factor-mediated neurogenesis
Authors: Ju In Gyoung , Hong Seong Min , Yun Soo-Won , Huh Eugene , Kim Dong-Hyun , Kim Sun Yeou , Oh Myung Sook
Published: November 2021

Correction for ‘CCL01, a novel formulation composed of Cuscuta seeds and Lactobacillus paracasei NK112, enhances memory function via nerve growth factor-mediated neurogenesis’ by In Gyoung Ju et al., Food Funct., 2021, 12, 10690–10699, DOI: 10.1039/D1FO01403J.
Competitive induction of circularly polarized luminescence of CdSe/ZnS quantum dots in a nucleotide–amino acid hydrogel
Authors: Wen Xin , Fan Huahua , Jing Lihong , Deng Ming , Huang Xiaodan , Jiao Tifeng , Zhang Li , Liu Minghua
Published: November 2021

CdSe/ZnS quantum dots with circularly polarized luminescence in a nucleotide–amino acid hydrogel.
Chalcogen-substituted PCBM derivatives as ternary components in PM6:Y6 solar cells
Authors: Sánchez José G. , Cabrera-Espinoza Andrea , Martínez-Ferrero Eugenia , Delgado Juan Luis , Palomares Emilio
Published: November 2021

Chalcogen-substituted PCBM derivatives are a promising approach to enhance power efficiency in ternary organic solar cells (TOSCs).
Discovery of FtsZ inhibitors by virtual screening as antibacterial agents and study of the inhibition mechanism
Authors: Du Ruo-Lan , Sun Ning , Fung Yik-Hong , Zheng Yuan-Yuan , Chen Yu-Wei , Chan Pak-Ho , Wong Wing-Leung , Wong Kwok-Yin
Published: November 2021

S2727 (Dacomitinib) was virtually screened out from a compound library via targeting the PC 190723 binding site of FtsZ and its inhibition effect on the functions of FtsZ was demonstrated by biological assays.
Localized thermal spike driven morphology and electronic structure transformation in swift heavy ion irradiated TiO2 nanorods
Authors: Dey Sutapa , Chakravorty Anusmita , Mishra Shashi Bhusan , Khatun Nasima , Hazra Arnab , Nanda Birabar Ranjit Kumar , Sudakar Chandran , Kabiraj Debdulal , Roy Somnath C.
Published: November 2021

100 MeV Ag ion beam irradiation induced thermal spike resulting from inelastic interaction, significantly modifies physicochemical properties of the TiO2 nanorods.
Enhancing the activity and stability of carbon-supported platinum–gadolinium nanoalloys towards the oxygen reduction reaction
Authors: Campos-Roldán C. A. , Pailloux F. , Blanchard P.-Y. , Jones D. J. , Rozière J. , Cavaliere S.
Published: November 2021

The activity/stability towards the ORR of PtxGd/C nanoalloys has been enhanced by controlling the atmosphere during the dealloying process.
The role of streptavidin and its variants in catalysis by biotinylated secondary amines
Authors: Nödling Alexander R. , Santi Nicolò , Castillo Raquel , Lipka-Lloyd Magdalena , Jin Yi , Morrill Louis C. , Świderek Katarzyna , Moliner Vicent , Luk Louis Y. P.
Published: November 2021

Here, we combine the use of host screening, protein crystallography and QM/MM molecular dynamics simulations to investigate how protein enviroment affects iminium catalysis by biotinylated secondary amines in a model 1,4 conjugate addition reaction.
Phosphomolybdic acid encapsulated in ZIF-8-based porous ionic liquids for reactive extraction desulfurization of fuels
Authors: Yang Ning , Lu Linjie , Zhu Linhua , Wu Peiwen , Tao Duanjian , Li Xiaowei , Gong Jiahong , Chen Linlin , Chao Yanhong , Zhu Wenshuai
Published: November 2021

Phosphomolybdic acid was encapsulated within a ZIF-8-based porous ionic liquid (HPMo@ZIF-8-PIL) for ultradeep reactive extraction desulfurization.