bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Host-associated and Environmental Microbiomes in an Open-Sea Mediterranean Gilthead Sea Bream Fish Farm
Authors: Quero Grazia Marina , Piredda Roberta , Basili Marco , Maricchiolo Giulia , Mirto Simone , Manini Elena , Seyfarth Anne Mette , Candela Marco , Luna Gian Marco
Published: October 2022

Gilthead seabream is among the most important farmed fish species in the Mediterranean Sea. Several approaches are currently applied to assure a lower impact of diseases and higher productivity, including the exploration of the fish microbiome and its manipulation as a sustainable alternative to improve aquaculture practices. Here, using 16S rRNA gene high-throughput sequencing, we explored the microbiome of farmed seabream to assess similarities and differences among microbial assemblages associated to different tissues and compare them with those in the surrounding environment. Seabream had distinct associated microbiomes according to the tissue and compared to the marine environment. The gut hosted the most diverse microbiome; different sets of dominant ASVs characterized the environmental and fish samples. The similarity between fish and environmental microbiomes was higher in seawater than sediment (up to 7.8 times), and the highest similarity (3.9%) was observed between gill and seawater, suggesting that gills are more closely interacting with the environment. We finally analyzed the potential connections occurring among microbiomes. These connections were relatively low among the host’s tissues and, in particular, between the gut and the others fish-related microbiomes; other tissues, including skin and gills, were found to be the most connected microbiomes. Our results suggest that, in mariculture, seabream microbiomes reflect only partially those in their surrounding environment and that the host is the primary driver shaping the seabream microbiome. These data provide a step forward to understand the role of the microbiome in farmed fish and farming environments, useful to enhance disease control, fish health, and environmental sustainability.
The EUSO@TurLab project in the framework of the JEM-EUSO program
Authors: Barrillon P. , Battisti M. , Belov A. , Bertaina M. , Bisconti F. , Blin-Bondil S. , Bonino R. , Capel F. , Caruso R. , Casolino M. , Contino G. , Cotto G. , Dagoret-Campagne S. , Fenu F. , Fornaro C. , Forza R. , Gorodetzky P. , Guardone N. , Jung A. , Klimov P. , Manfrin M. , Marcelli L. , Mignone M. , Miyamoto H. , Mulas R. , Onorato M. , Parizot E. , Piotrowski L. , Plebaniak Z. , Prevot G. , Szabelski J. , Suino G. , Takizawa Y. , Tibaldi P. , Vigorito C. , Youssef A.
Published: October 2022

The EUSO@TurLab project aims at performing experiments to reproduce Earth UV emissions as seen from a low Earth orbit by the planned missions of the JEM-EUSO program. It makes use of the TurLab facility, which is a laboratory, equipped with a 5 m diameter and 1 m depth rotating tank, located at the Physics Department of the University of Turin. All the experiments are designed and performed based on simulations of the expected response of the detectors to be flown in space. In April 2016 the TUS detector and more recently in October 2019 the Mini-EUSO experiment, both part of the JEM-EUSO program, have been placed in orbit to map the UV Earth emissions. It is, therefore, now possible to compare the replicas performed at TurLab with the actual images detected in space to understand the level of fidelity in terms of reproduction of the expected signals. We show that the laboratory tests reproduce at the order of magnitude level the measurements from space in terms of spatial extension and time duration of the emitted UV light, as well as the intensity in terms of expected counts per pixel per unit time when atmospheric transient events, diffuse nightlow background light, and artificial light sources are considered. Therefore, TurLab is found to be a very useful facility for testing the acquisition logic of the detectors of the present and future missions of the JEM-EUSO program and beyond in order to reproduce atmospheric signals in the laboratory.
Hamiltonicity in power graphs of a class of abelian groups
Authors: Santiago Arguello Anahy , Montellano-Ballesteros Juan José , Stadler Peter F.
Published: October 2022

The undirected power graph $$\mathscr {G}(S)$$

G
(
S
)

of a semigroup S is an undirected graph with vertex set S where two vertices $$u,v\in S$$

u
,
v
∈
S

are adjacent if and only if there is a positive integer m such that $$u^{m}=v$$

u
m

=
v

or $$v^{m}=u$$

v
m

=
u

. Here, we investigate the power graphs of a class of abelian groups and answer, in this case, the question whether or not the power graph is Hamiltonian.
Mechanical and antibacterial behavior of multilayered geopolymer coatings on Ti6Al4V alloys
Authors: Rondinella Alfredo , Furlani Erika , Dell’Antone Lorenzo , Marin Elia , Boschetto Francesco , Sordetti Francesco , Lanzutti Alex , Andreatta Francesco , Fedrizzi Lorenzo , Maschio Stefano
Published: October 2022

Geopolymers are commonly used in a wide range of applications including binders into the building industry, production of refractory elements, filtration systems, low CO2 emission applications, etc. Their production can be performed either by acidic or alkaline formulation. In the last 15 years, however, they have been proposed also in biomedical applications for bone tissue regeneration. The aim of this work is the preparation of a thin and homogeneous geopolymer coating on a Ti6Al4V alloy in order to test their futuristic application as coating of prosthetic devices made with this metal alloy. Multilayered coatings were therefore produced by mean of dip coating with the aim of verifying which formulation, acidic or alkaline maximize adhesion. The morphological and chemical characteristics of the coatings were analyzed and adhesion of geopolymers to the substrate was investigated by scratch tests. Finally, a bacterial growth test was performed to verify antibacterial properties of the coatings.

Graphical abstract
Low Noise Frequency-Domain Multiplexing of TES Bolometers Using SQUIDs at Sub-Kelvin Temperature
Authors: Elleflot T. , Suzuki A. , Arnold K. , Bebek C. , Cantor R. H. , Crowley K. T. , Groh J. , de Haan T. , Hornsby A. , Joseph J. , Lee A. T. , Liu T. , Montgomery J. , Russell M. , Yu Q.
Published: October 2022

Digital Frequency-Domain Multiplexing (DfMux) is a technique that uses MHz superconducting resonators and Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (SQUID) arrays to read out sets of transition edge sensors. DfMux has been used by several Cosmic Microwave Background experiments, including most recently POLARBEAR-2 and SPT-3 G with multiplexing factors as high as 68, and is the baseline readout technology for the planned satellite mission LiteBIRD. Here, we present recent work focused on improving DfMux readout noise, reducing parasitic impedance, and improving sensor operation. We have achieved a substantial reduction in stray impedance by integrating the sensors, resonators, and SQUID array onto a single-carrier board operated at 250 mK. This also drastically simplifies the packaging of the cryogenic components and leads to better-controlled crosstalk. We demonstrate a low readout noise level of 8.6 $$\mathrm{pA/Hz}1^{1/2}$$

pA
/
Hz

1

1
/
2

, which was made possible by operating the SQUID array at a reduced temperature and with a low dynamic impedance. This is a factor of two improvement compared to the achieved readout noise level in currently operating Cosmic Microwave Background experiments using DfMux and represents a critical step toward maturation of the technology for the next generation of instruments.
Informing the UK Muslim Community on Organ Donation: Evaluating the Effect of a National Public Health Programme by Health Professionals and Faith Leaders
Authors: Ali Omar M. E. , Gkekas Eleftherios , Ali Ahmad M. S. , Tang Tsz Yau Tiffany , Ahmed Sameer , Chowdhury Imadul , Waqar Salman , Hamed Amer , Al-Ghazal Sharif , Ahmed Saeed
Published: October 2022

There is a significant shortage of transplantable organs in the UK particularly from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups, of which Muslims make a large proportion. The British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA) held a nationwide series of community gatherings with the aim of describing the beliefs and attitudes to organ donation amongst British Muslims and evaluate the efficacy of a national public health programme on views and uncertainties regarding religious permissibility and willingness to register. Eight public forums were held across the UK between June 2019 and March 2020 by the British Islamic Medical Association (BIMA). A panel of experts consisting of health professionals and Imams discussed with audiences the procedures, experiences and Islamic ethico-legal rulings on organ donation. Attendees completed a self-administered questionnaire which captured demographic data along with opinions before and after the session regarding religious permissibility and willingness to register given permissibility. A total of 554 respondents across seven UK cities were included with a M:F ratio 1:1.1. Only 45 (8%) respondents were registered as organ donors. Amongst those not registered multiple justifications were detailed, foremost of which was religious uncertainty (73%). Pre-intervention results indicated 50% of respondents were unsure of the permissibility of organ donation in Islam. Of those initially unsure or against permissibility or willingness to register, 72% changed their opinion towards deeming it permissible and 60% towards a willingness to register indicating a significant change in opinion (p < 0.001). The effectiveness of our interventions suggests further education incorporating faith leaders alongside local healthcare professionals to address religious and cultural concerns can reduce uncertainty whilst improving organ donation rates among the Muslim community.
Scaling up stochastic gradient descent for non-convex optimisation
Authors: Mohamad Saad , Alamri Hamad , Bouchachia Abdelhamid
Published: October 2022

Stochastic gradient descent (SGD) is a widely adopted iterative method for optimizing differentiable objective functions. In this paper, we propose and discuss a novel approach to scale up SGD in applications involving non-convex functions and large datasets. We address the bottleneck problem arising when using both shared and distributed memory. Typically, the former is bounded by limited computation resources and bandwidth whereas the latter suffers from communication overheads. We propose a unified distributed and parallel implementation of SGD (named DPSGD) that relies on both asynchronous distribution and lock-free parallelism. By combining two strategies into a unified framework, DPSGD is able to strike a better trade-off between local computation and communication. The convergence properties of DPSGD are studied for non-convex problems such as those arising in statistical modelling and machine learning. Our theoretical analysis shows that DPSGD leads to speed-up with respect to the number of cores and number of workers while guaranteeing an asymptotic convergence rate of$$O(1/\sqrt{T})$$O(1/T)given that the number of cores is bounded by$$T^{1/4}$$T1/4and the number of workers is bounded by$$T^{1/2}$$T1/2whereTis the number of iterations. The potential gains that can be achieved by DPSGD are demonstrated empirically on a stochastic variational inference problem (Latent Dirichlet Allocation) and on a deep reinforcement learning (DRL) problem (advantage actor critic - A2C) resulting in two algorithms: DPSVI and HSA2C. Empirical results validate our theoretical findings. Comparative studies are conducted to show the performance of the proposed DPSGD against the state-of-the-art DRL algorithms.
The regulatory role of long non- coding RNAs as a novel controller of immune response against cancer cells
Authors: Mofed Dina , Omran Jihad I , Sabet Salwa , Baiomy Ahmed A , Emara Marwan , Salem Tamer Z.
Published: October 2022

Immunotherapy has been established as a promising therapy for different cancer types. However, many patients experience primary or secondary resistance to treatment. Immune cells and anti-inflammatory factors are regulated by long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs). In addition, lncRNAs have a role in immune resistance through antigen presentation loss or attenuation, PD-L1 upregulation, loss of T-cell activities, and activation of G-MDSCs and Tregs in the tumor environment. LncRNAs can also influence the interaction between cancer stem cells and immune cells in the tumor microenvironment, potentially resulting in cancer stem cell resistance to immunotherapy. Immunological-related lncRNAs can influence immune responses either directly by affecting neighboring protein-coding genes or indirectly by sponging miRNAs through various mechanisms. We have emphasized the role and levels of expression of lncRNAs that have been linked to immune cell formation, differentiation, and activation, which may have an influence on immunotherapy efficacy.
Learning enhanced features and inferring twice for fine-grained image classification
Authors: Nie Xuan , Chai Bosong , Wang Luyao , Liao Qiyu , Xu Min
Published: October 2022

Fine-Grained Visual Categorization (FGVC) aims to distinguish between extremely similar subordinate-level categories within the same basic-level category. Existing research has proven the great importance of the discriminative features in FGVC but ignored the contributions for correct classification from other features, and the extracted features always contain more information about the obvious regions but less about subtle regions. In this paper, firstly, a novel module named forcing module is proposed to force the network to extract more diverse features for FGVC, which generates a suppression mask based on the class activation maps to suppress the most distinguishable regions, so as to force the network to extract other secondary distinguishable features as the final features. The forcing module consists of the original branch and the forcing branch. The original branch focuses on the primary discriminative regions while the forcing branch focuses on secondary discriminative regions. Secondly, in order to solve the problem that information of small-scale distinguishable features is lost seriously after multi-layer down-sampling, according to the class activation maps of the first prediction, the object is cropped and scaled as the second input. To reduce the prediction error, the first and second prediction probabilities are fused as the final prediction result. Experimental results indicate that the proposed method not only outperforms the baseline model by a large margin (3.7%, 5.9%, 3.1% respectively) on CUB-200-2011, Stanford-Cars, and FGVC-Aircraft, but also achieves state-of-the-art performance on FGVC-Aircraft.
Semantic-aware deidentification generative adversarial networks for identity anonymization
Authors: Kim Hyeongbok , Pang Zhiqi , Zhao Lingling , Su Xiaohong , Lee Jin Suk
Published: October 2022

Privacy protection in the computer vision field has attracted increasing attention. Generative adversarial network-based methods have been explored for identity anonymization, but they do not take into consideration semantic information of images, which may result in unrealistic or flawed facial results. In this paper, we propose a Semantic-aware De-identification Generative Adversarial Network (SDGAN) model for identity anonymization. To retain the facial expression effectively, we extract the facial semantic image using the edge-aware graph representation network to constraint the position, shape and relationship of generated facial key features. Then the semantic image is injected into the generator together with the randomly selected identity information for de-Identification. To ensure the generation quality and realistic-looking results, we adopt the SPADE architecture to improve the generation ability of conditional GAN. Meanwhile, we design a hybrid identity discriminator composed of an image quality analysis module, a VGG-based perceptual loss function, and a contrastive identity loss to enhance both the generation quality and ID anonymization. A comparison with the state-of-the-art baselines demonstrates that our model achieves significantly improved de-identification (De-ID) performance and provides more reliable and realistic-looking generated faces. Our code and data are available on https://github.com/kimhyeongbok/SDGAN
Nonlinear autocorrelation function of functional time series
Authors: Huang Xin , Shang Han Lin
Published: October 2022

In functional time series analysis, the functional autocorrelation function (fACF) plays an important role in revealing the temporal dependence structures underlying the dynamics and identifying the lags at which substantial correlation exists. However, akin to its counterpart in the univariate case, the fACF is restricted by linear structure and can be misleading in reflecting nonlinear temporal dependence. This paper proposes a nonlinear alternative to the fACF for analyzing the temporal dependence in functional time series. We consider linear and nonlinear data generating processes: a functional autoregressive process and a functional generalized autoregressive conditional heteroskedasticity process. We demonstrate that when the process exhibits linear temporal structures, the inference obtained from our proposed nonlinear fACF is consistent with that from the fACF. When the underlying process exhibits nonlinear temporal dependence, our nonlinear fACF has a superior capability in uncovering the nonlinear structure that the fACF misleads. An empirical data analysis highlights its applications in unveiling nonlinear temporal structures in the daily curves of the intraday volatility dynamics of the foreign exchange rate.
On the dynamics between local and international tax planning in multinational corporations
Authors: Beuselinck Christof , Pierk Jochen
Published: October 2022

The international dimension of multinational corporations creates opportunities for pursuing both global as well as local (i.e., unilateral subsidiary country) tax planning strategies. To date, however, researchers have limited insights into both the dynamics and relative importance of one versus another strategy for multinationals. We propose and test a group-level ETR-based measure of profit shifting and validate it by showing it correctly identifies profit shifting reductions when shifting costs increase. We confirm that multinationals can keep group ETRs stable after the introduction of tighter tax compliance and documentation rules and suggest they can do so by relying relatively more on local tax planning. In line with the substitution argument, we document that especially groups identified as ex-ante income shifters as well as those with greater target ETR pressure are responsible for the results.
The Content of Cd and Pb in Herbs and Single-Component Spices Used in Polish Cuisine
Authors: Winiarska-Mieczan Anna , Jachimowicz Karolina , Kwiecień Małgorzata , Krusiński Robert , Kislova Svitlana , Sowińska Lesya , Zasadna Zvenyslava , Yanovych Dmytro
Published: October 2022

Spices and herbs play an important role in the human diet, mostly due to the presence of essential oils and high antioxidant activity. Therefore, the toxicity of metals raises concerns about the safety of consumption of spices and herbs. This paper examines the content of Cd and Pb in fresh and dried herbs and single-component spices that are the most popular in Polish cuisine: 100 samples of nine kinds of dried herbs, 184 samples of 15 kinds of fresh herbs and 148 samples of 14 kinds of loose single-component spices. The level of Cd and Pb was determined using the GF AAS method. The safety of herbs and spices for consumption was estimated based on the percentage intake of Cd and Pb compared with the tolerable intake (% TWI, % BMDL), chronic daily intake (CDI), target hazard quotient (THQ), hazard index (HI) and comparisons of the results of chemical analyses with the maximum admissible levels of Cd and Pb in Poland and in the European Union. Calculated per fresh weight of the product, dried herbs on average contained 0.134 ± 0.168 mg of Cd and 0.548 ± 0.161 mg of Pb per kg−1, fresh herbs on average contained 0.004 ± 0.007 mg of Cd and 0.039 ± 0.033 mg of Pb per kg−1, and the mean content of Cd in spices was 0.017 ± 0.019 mg per kg−1 and 0.064 ± 0.050 mg of Pb. The % TWI, % BMDL, CDI, THQ and HI (Cd + Pb) for all the analysed products were lower than 1. The results do not imply a risk due to the supply of Cd and Pb with the diet to the human body, primarily due to the small intake of these products. However, it should be highlighted that the content of Cd in dried coriander and estragon and that of Pb in watercress, jiaogulan, celery, basil and dill exceeded the acceptable limit. Thus, their consumption for people from particularly sensitive groups such as babies, pregnant and breastfeeding women and people should be carefully limited.
HIV peripheral neuropathy‐related degeneration of white matter tracts to sensorimotor cortex
Authors: Timtim Sara H. , Simmons Alan N. , Hays Chelsea , Strigo Irina , Sorg Scott , Ellis Ronald , Keltner John R.
Published: October 2022

Human immunodeficiency virus-associated distal sensory polyneuropathy (HIV-DSP) affects up to 50% of people with HIV and is associated with depression, unemployment, and generally worsened quality of life. Previous work on the cortical mechanism of HIV neuropathy found decreased gray matter volume in the bilateral midbrain, thalamus, and posterior cingulate cortex, but structural connectivity in this context remains under-studied. Here we examine alterations in white matter microstructure using diffusion imaging, hypothesizing that cortical white matter degeneration would be observed in continuation of the peripheral white matter atrophy previously observed in HIV-DSP. Male HIV seropositive patients (n = 57) experiencing varying degrees of HIV neuropathy underwent single-shell diffusion tensor imaging with 51 sampling directions. The scans were pooled using tractography and connectometry to create a quantitative map of white matter tract integrity, measured in generalized fractional anisotropy (GFA). The relationship between GFA and neuropathy severity was evaluated with linear regression. Correction for multiple comparisons was done using false discovery rate (FDR), a statistical method commonly used in genomics and imaging to minimize false positives when thousands of individual comparisons are made. Neuropathy severity was associated with decreased GFA along thalamocortical radiations leading along the lateral thalamus to sensorimotor cortex, with r = -0.405 (p < 0.001; FDR), as well as with the superior bilateral cingulum (r = -0.346 (p < 0.05; FDR)). Among a population of HIV neuropathy patients, greater neuropathy severity was correlated with lower white matter integrity running from midbrain to somatosensory cortex. This suggests ascending deafferentation extending from damaged peripheral nerves further downstream than seen previously, into the axons of third-order neurons. There is also evidence of cingulum degeneration, implying some more complex mechanism beyond the ascending atrophy observed here.
Diagnosing Social Pathology
Authors: Neuhouser Frederick
Published: October 2022

Can a human society suffer from illness like a living thing? And if so, how does such a malaise manifest itself? In this thought-provoking book, Fred Neuhouser explains and defends the idea of social pathology, demonstrating what it means to describe societies as 'ill', or 'sick', and why we are so often drawn to conceiving of social problems as ailments or maladies. He shows how Rousseau, Hegel, Marx, and Durkheim – four key philosophers who are seldom taken to constitute a 'tradition' – deploy the idea of social pathology in comparable ways, and then explores the connections between societal illnesses and the phenomena those thinkers made famous: alienation, anomie, ideology, and social dysfunction. His book is a rich and compelling illumination of both the idea of social disease and the importance it has had, and continues to have, for philosophical views of society.
Transcultural Memory and European Identity in Contemporary German-Jewish Migrant Literature
Authors: Ortner Jessica
Published: October 2022

Examines how German-Jewish writers from Eastern Europe who migrated to Germany during or after the Cold War have widened European cultural memory to include the traumas of the Gulag.
The Kecak and Cultural Tourism on Bali
Authors: Stepputat Kendra
Published: October 2022

Examines the history of one of the best known dramatic dance performance practices on Bali and its connection with cultural tourism.
Seneca's Medea and Republican Spain
Authors: Baldwin Oliver
Published: October 2022

Based on extensive archival research and containing rare and previously unpublished photos, this book provides the most detailed reconstruction ever of one of the most important events in Spanish theatrical history.
Gender Violence in Twenty-First-Century Latin American Women's Writing
Authors: López María Encarnación , Hart Stephen M.
Published: October 2022

How do contemporary female authors in Latin America tackle gender violence in their writings?
A History of the Early Medieval Siege, c.450–1220
Authors: Purton Peter
Published: October 2022

A detailed, comprehensive survey of the siege, looking at its development across three continents.
The Impact of Subsidies on Persistent and Transient Technical Inefficiency: Evidence from Polish Dairy Farms
Authors: Pisulewski Andrzej , Marzec Jerzy
Published: October 2022

We investigate the impact of five types of subsidies granted under the European Union Common Agricultural Policy on the persistent and transient inefficiency of Polish dairy farms. Our research shows that coupled and environmental subsidies reduce transient technical inefficiency, while the opposite is true for Less Favoured Areas (LFA) and other rural subsidies. Simultaneously, environmental, LFA, and other rural subsidies increase persistent technical inefficiency. These results imply that the impact of each type of subsidy on technical efficiency can be different and that the effect of the particular type of subsidy can vary between transient and persistent technical inefficiency.
Change-Point Detection and Regularization in Time Series Cross-Sectional Data Analysis
Authors: Park Jong Hee , Yamauchi Soichiro
Published: October 2022

Researchers of time series cross-sectional data regularly face the change-point problem, which requires them to discern between significant parametric shifts that can be deemed structural changes and minor parametric shifts that must be considered noise. In this paper, we develop a general Bayesian method for change-point detection in high-dimensional data and present its application in the context of the fixed-effect model. Our proposed method, hidden Markov Bayesian bridge model, jointly estimates high-dimensional regime-specific parameters and hidden regime transitions in a unified way. We apply our method to Alvarez, Garrett, and Lange’s (1991,American Political Science Review85, 539–556) study of the relationship between government partisanship and economic growth and Allee and Scalera’s (2012,International Organization66, 243–276) study of membership effects in international organizations. In both applications, we found that the proposed method successfully identify substantively meaningful temporal heterogeneity in parameters of regression models.
NCodR: A multi-class support vector machine classification to distinguish non-coding RNAs in Viridiplantae
Authors: Nithin Chandran , Mukherjee Sunandan , Basak Jolly , Bahadur Ranjit Prasad
Published: October 2022

Non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs) are major players in the regulation of gene expression. This study analyses seven classes of ncRNAs in plants using sequence and secondary structure-based RNA folding measures. We observe distinct regions in the distribution of AU content along with overlapping regions for different ncRNA classes. Additionally, we find similar averages for minimum folding energy index across various ncRNAs classes except for pre-miRNAs and lncRNAs. Various RNA folding measures show similar trends among the different ncRNA classes except for pre-miRNAs and lncRNAs. We observe different k-mer repeat signatures of length three among various ncRNA classes. However, in pre-miRs and lncRNAs, a diffuse pattern of k-mers is observed. Using these attributes, we train eight different classifiers to discriminate various ncRNA classes in plants. Support vector machines employing radial basis function show the highest accuracy (average F1 of ~96%) in discriminating ncRNAs, and the classifier is implemented as a web server, NCodR.
Epidemiology and bacterial characteristics of invasive group B streptococcus disease: a population-based study in Japan in 2010–2020
Authors: Takeuchi Noriko , Chang Bin , Takeshita Kenichi , Naito Sachiko , Takahashi Yoshiko , Hishiki Haruka , Ishiwada Naruhiko
Published: October 2022

This is the first report on a population-based prospective study of invasive group B streptococcus (GBS) disease among children aged <15 years conducted over a period of 11 years in Japan. This study investigated the incidence and clinical manifestations of invasive GBS disease in children in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and analysed the serotypes and drug susceptibility of GBS strains isolated during the study period. Overall, 127 episodes of invasive GBS disease were reported in 123 patients. Of these, 124 were observed in 120 patients aged <1 year, and the remaining three episodes were reported in a 9-year-old child and two 14-year-old children with underlying disease. For patients aged <1 year, the incidence rate per 1000 live births was 0.24 (0.15–0.36). The incidences of early-onset disease and late-onset disease were 0.04 (0.0–0.09) and 0.17 (0.08–0.25), respectively. The rate of meningitis was 45.2%, and the incidence of GBS meningitis was higher than that of other invasive diseases among children in Japan. Of the 109 patients for whom prognosis was available, 7 (6.4%) died and 21 (19.3%) had sequelae. In total, 68 strains were analysed. The most common were serotype III strains (n = 42, 61.8%), especially serotype III/ST17 strains (n = 22, 32.4%). This study showed that the incidence of invasive GBS disease among Japanese children was constant during the study period. Because of the high incidence of meningitis and disease burden, new preventive strategies, such as GBS vaccine, are essential.
Micro-TESE strategy in patients with NOA caused by AZFc deletion: synchronous or asynchronous?
Authors: Mao Jiaming , Deng Chenyao , Zhao Lianming , Liu Defeng , Lin Haocheng , Zhang Zhe , Yang Yuzhuo , Zhang Haitao , Li Rong , Hong Kai , Jiang Hui
Published: October 2022

In the treatment of infertile patients with non-obstructive azoospermia (NOA) caused by the deletion of the azoospermia factor c region (AZFc) on the Y chromosome, synchronous and asynchronous surgical strategies are discussed. Clinical data from NOA patients with the AZFc deletion who underwent micro-TESE were analyzed retrospectively. The sperm retrieval rate (SRR) and sperm utilization rate of synchronous and asynchronous operation groups were followed up and compared. The fertilization rate, high-quality embryo rate, clinical pregnancy rate, abortion rate, and cumulative live birth rate of ICSI in patients with successful sperm retrieval were compared between the two groups. The two groups had sperm utilization rates of 98.9% (93/94) and 50.0% (14/28), respectively. The asynchronous group’s sperm consumption rates were much lower than those of the synchronous operation group. Fertilization rate, high-quality embryo rate, clinical pregnancy rate of fresh transfer cycle, abortion rate, and cumulative live birth rate of patients in the synchronous operation group with fresh sperm, and the asynchronous operation group with thawed sperm, respectively, were 30.6% vs 33.8%, 33.8% vs 40.7%, 40.0% vs 12.5%, 30.4% vs 7.1%. Between the two groups, there was no significant difference. This suggests that individuals with NOA caused by the AZFc deletion have a high possibility of successfully acquiring sperm using micro-TESE and ICSI to conceive their own offspring. Synchronous micro-TESE is recommended to improve sperm utilization rate and the cumulative live birth rate.
Effect of priming on adjunctive repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment of late-life depression: protocol of a prospective randomized sham-controlled study
Authors: Vidya Kote L. , Srivastava Shrikant , Singh Bhupendra , Kar Sujita K.
Published: October 2022

Objective

Priming stimulation, which involves high-frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) followed by low-frequency, has been shown to enhance neural response and is one of the novel paradigms found beneficial in adult patients with depression and has not been studied in late-life depression (LLD). This study aims to compare the effect of adjunctive priming vis-a-vis no priming rTMS over right dorso-lateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), on treatment of LLD.

Methods

This trial is registered in Clinical Trial Registry-India (CTRI) on www.ctri.nic.in. CTRI registration number: CTRI/2020/08/027230. Forty patients of LLD who are symptomatic after an adequate antidepressant trial will be randomized into 2 groups (active priming and sham priming rTMS); each receiving 10 sessions of rTMS over 2 weeks. Patients will remain blind to treatment allocation. Assessments will be done using Hamilton rating scale for depression, Geriatric Depression Scale, Hamilton rating scale for Anxiety, Somatic Symptom Severity Scale 8, Hindi Mental Status Examination, and Clinical Global Impression scale at baseline, week 1, 2, and 4. Side effect checklist will be applied after each session in both groups and at the end of 4 weeks.

Result

Data will be analyzed using statistical software Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Both the groups (active and sham groups) will be compared at the four given timepoints. Also, the baseline characteristics will be compared with the 3 follow-up points for any change.

Conclusion

The findings of the study will give an insight to the possible role of priming to augment the effect of low-frequency rTMS in LLD.
Measuring and Explaining the Power of State Senate Leadership
Authors: Green Matthew N.
Published: October 2022

Theories that explain the power of legislative leaders have been developed for the U.S. Congress and lower chambers of state legislatures, but they have not been tested for state senates, even though senate leaders can be quite influential. Following Mooney (2013a), I develop a new numerical index score measuring the formal power of the top chamber-elected leader of each state senate from 1995 through 2010. I then use the data to test various hypotheses explaining variation in the power of legislative leaders. The results uncover partial evidence for conditional party government theory, but only for senates that elect their own president. When the lieutenant governor serves as senate president, senators do not perceive their top chamber-elected leader as an officer able to best carry out their ideological, electoral, or policy objectives. This underscores crucial differences between senate chambers that elect their own presidents and those that do not.
Psychosen aus dem schizophrenen Formenkreis im Jugendalter: Einflussfaktoren auf Neuropsychologie, Behandlungserfolg und Negativsymptomatik
Authors: Herwerth Lisette , Prinz Katharina , Brauner Heike , Müller Katarina , Fleischhaker Christian
Published: October 2022

Zusammenfassung: Fragestellung: Ziel der vorliegenden Studie war es, Einflussfaktoren auf den Erkrankungsverlauf von Kindern und Jugendlichen mit der Diagnose einer Psychose aus dem schizophrenen Formenkreis in einer stationären Eingliederungsmaßnahme zu untersuchen. Methodik: 33 Patient_innen (Durchschnittsalter 19.4 Jahre, SD = 2.3), davon 12 (36 %) weiblich, nahmen teil. Diese wurden mit klinischen Interviews (IRAOS, SANS/SAPS), neuropsychologischen Tests (WAIS-IV, TMT) und Fragebögen (FBB, BSCL) untersucht. Ergebnis: Korreliert waren das neuropsychologische Funktionsniveau und die prämorbide kognitive Leistungsfähigkeit, ebenso der Behandlungserfolg aus Patientensicht und eine gute Beziehung zum Therapeuten bzw. zur Therapeutin, außerdem eine stärkere Negativsymptomatik mit einer längeren Dauer der unbehandelten Psychose (DUP) und einem längeren ersten Krankenhausaufenthalt. Schlussfolgerung: Mögliche Ansatzpunkte zur besseren Behandlung von Jugendlichen mit Psychosen aus dem schizophrenen Formenkreis stellen eine Verkürzung der DUP und eine gute therapeutische Beziehung dar.
Monsoon Seasonality Advanced by Opposite‐Hemisphere Continental Drift
Authors: Yin Zihan , Nie Ji
Published: October 2022

Characteristics of regional monsoons are largely determined by continental configuration. Motivated by the impacts of Australia on the East Asian monsoon, we investigate the modulation of the monsoon by opposite‐hemisphere continent using aquaplanet simulations with idealized continents. Simulation results show that the monsoon seasonality is advanced significantly by a near‐equator continent in the opposite‐hemisphere. In the early boreal summer, the rapid cooling of the Southern Hemisphere continents forms a high pressure on it, leading to enhanced cross‐equatorial flow and premoistening of the Northern Hemisphere monsoon, thus promoting the monsoon onset. This mechanism requires the opposite‐hemispheric continent to be within a 25° tropical belt to activate this mechanism. The results imply that the continental drift of Australia over the past 40 Ma might have shaped the seasonality of the East Asian monsoon over the geological timescale.
Spectral Characteristics of Ionospheric Disturbances Over the Southwestern Pacific From the 15 January 2022 Tonga Eruption and Tsunami
Authors: Ghent Jessica N. , Crowell Brendan W.
Published: October 2022

On 15 January 2022, Tonga's Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai (HTHH) volcano violently erupted, generating a tsunami that killed three people. Acoustic‐gravity waves propagated by the eruption and tsunami caused global complex ionospheric disturbances. In this paper, we study the nature of these perturbations from Global Navigation Satellite System observables over the southwestern Pacific. After processing data from 818 ground stations, we detect supersonic acoustic waves, Lamb waves, and tsunamis, with filtered magnitudes between 1 and 7 Total Electron Content units. Phase arrivals appear superpositioned up to ∼1,000 km from HTHH and are distinct by ∼2,200 km. Within ∼2,200 km, signals have an initial low‐frequency pulse that transitions to higher frequencies. We note the presence of a faster perturbation generated 1 hr post‐eruption which crosses the tsunami disturbance ∼3,000 km from HTHH, potentially contributing to premature land arrivals. Lastly, the arrival of tsunami‐generated disturbances coincides with deep‐ocean observations.
Performance Evaluation of Modified IRI2016 and Its Application to the 24 hr Ahead Forecast foF2 Mapping Over China
Authors: Song Qian , Ye Qian , Zhang Xiaoxin , Mao Tian , Guo Jianguang
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we have modified the International Reference Ionosphere model 2016 (IRI2016) with the Global Navigation Satellite System total electron content data observation in China by adjusting the ionospheric index (IG12) for given location and time. The capability of the modified IRI2016 to reproduce the F2 layer critical frequency foF2 is validated for high/low solar activity conditions and disturbed geomagnetic conditions for the time period 2014–2017 over low‐latitude ionosonde station located at Sanya in China. The analysis shows that the modified IRI2016 better reproduced the variability of the observed foF2 versus time and seasons. Also, the modified IRI2016 foF2 prediction exhibits lower root mean square error and higher correlation coefficients (R) over different solar activity periods, and significantly reduces the average percentage deviations (△foF2(%)) under enhanced geomagnetic activity periods. Subsequently, the 24 hr ahead forecast foF2 map over China constructed by the combination of the modified IRI2016 and the eXtreme Gradient Boosting algorithm is presented for the first time. The promising performance of the modified IRI2016 indicates that this combination method may be an effective way to predict the ionospheric parameters, though further validations are needed in the future work.
The ataxia-linked E1081Q mutation affects the sub-plasma membrane Ca2+-microdomains by tuning PMCA3 activity
Authors: Vallese Francesca , Maso Lorenzo , Giamogante Flavia , Poggio Elena , Barazzuol Lucia , Salmaso Andrea , Lopreiato Raffaele , Cendron Laura , Navazio Lorella , Zanni Ginevra , Weber Yvonne , Kovacevic-Preradovic Tatjana , Keren Boris , Torraco Alessandra , Carrozzo Rosalba , Peretto Francesco , Peggion Caterina , Ferro Stefania , Marin Oriano , Zanotti Giuseppe , Calì Tito , Brini Marisa , Carafoli Ernesto
Published: October 2022

Calcium concentration must be finely tuned in all eukaryotic cells to ensure the correct performance of its signalling function. Neuronal activity is exquisitely dependent on the control of Ca2+homeostasis: its alterations ultimately play a pivotal role in the origin and progression of many neurodegenerative processes. A complex toolkit of Ca2+pumps and exchangers maintains the fluctuation of cytosolic Ca2+concentration within the appropriate threshold. Two ubiquitous (isoforms 1 and 4) and two neuronally enriched (isoforms 2 and 3) of the plasma membrane Ca2+ATPase (PMCA pump) selectively regulate cytosolic Ca2+transients by shaping the sub-plasma membrane (PM) microdomains. In humans, genetic mutations inATP2B1, ATP2B2andATP2B3gene have been linked with hearing loss, cerebellar ataxia and global neurodevelopmental delay: all of them were found to impair pump activity. Here we report three additional mutations inATP2B3gene corresponding to E1081Q, R1133Q and R696H amino acids substitution, respectively. Among them, the novel missense mutation (E1081Q) immediately upstream the C-terminal calmodulin-binding domain (CaM-BD) of the PMCA3 protein was present in two patients originating from two distinct families. Our biochemical and molecular studies on PMCA3 E1081Q mutant have revealed a splicing variant-dependent effect of the mutation in shaping the sub-PM [Ca2+]. The E1081Q substitution in the full-lengthbvariant abolished the capacity of the pump to reduce [Ca2+] in the sub-PM microdomain (in line with the previously described ataxia-related PMCA mutations negatively affecting Ca2+pumping activity), while, surprisingly, its introduction in the truncatedavariant selectively increased Ca2+extrusion activity in the sub-PM Ca2+microdomains. These results highlight the importance to set a precise threshold of [Ca2+] by fine-tuning the sub-PM microdomains and the different contribution of the PMCA splice variants in this regulation.
Analysis of Fibroblast Growth Factor 14 (FGF14) structural variants reveals the genetic basis of the early onset nystagmus locus NYS4 and variable ataxia
Authors: Ceroni Fabiola , Osborne Daniel , Clokie Samuel , Bax Dorine A. , Cassidy Emma J. , Dunn Matt J. , Harris Christopher M. , Self Jay E. , Ragge Nicola K.
Published: October 2022

Nystagmus (involuntary, rhythmical eye movements) can arise due to sensory eye defects, in association with neurological disorders or as an isolated condition. We identified a family with early onset nystagmus and additional neurological features carrying a partial duplication of FGF14, a gene associated with spinocerebellar ataxia type 27 (SCA27) and episodic ataxia. Detailed eye movement analysis revealed oculomotor anomalies strikingly similar to those reported in a previously described four-generation family with early onset nystagmus and linkage to a region on chromosome 13q31.3-q33.1 (NYS4). Since FGF14 lies within NYS4, we revisited the original pedigree using whole genome sequencing, identifying a 161 kb heterozygous deletion disrupting FGF14 and ITGBL1 in the affected individuals, suggesting an FGF14-related condition. Therefore, our study reveals the genetic variant underlying NYS4, expands the spectrum of pathogenic FGF14 variants, and highlights the importance of screening FGF14 in apparently isolated early onset nystagmus.
High-precision electron affinity of oxygen
Authors: Kristiansson Moa K. , Chartkunchand Kiattichart , Eklund Gustav , Hole Odd M. , Anderson Emma K. , de Ruette Nathalie , Kamińska Magdalena , Punnakayathil Najeeb , Navarro-Navarrete José E. , Sigurdsson Stefan , Grumer Jon , Simonsson Ansgar , Björkhage Mikael , Rosén Stefan , Reinhed Peter , Blom Mikael , Källberg Anders , Alexander John D. , Cederquist Henrik , Zettergren Henning , Schmidt Henning T. , Hanstorp Dag
Published: October 2022

Negative ions are important in many areas of science and technology, e.g., in interstellar chemistry, for accelerator-based radionuclide dating, and in anti-matter research. They are unique quantum systems where electron-correlation effects govern their properties. Atomic anions are loosely bound systems, which with very few exceptions lack optically allowed transitions. This limits prospects for high-resolution spectroscopy, and related negative-ion detection methods. Here, we present a method to measure negative ion binding energies with an order of magnitude higher precision than what has been possible before. By laser-manipulation of quantum-state populations, we are able to strongly reduce the background from photodetachment of excited states using a cryogenic electrostatic ion-beam storage ring where keV ion beams can circulate for up to hours. The method is applicable to negative ions in general and here we report an electron affinity of 1.461 112 972(87) eV for 16O.
The spike gene is a major determinant for the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron-BA.1 phenotype
Authors: Barut G. Tuba , Halwe Nico Joel , Taddeo Adriano , Kelly Jenna N. , Schön Jacob , Ebert Nadine , Ulrich Lorenz , Devisme Christelle , Steiner Silvio , Trüeb Bettina Salome , Hoffmann Bernd , Veiga Inês Berenguer , Leborgne Nathan Georges François , Moreira Etori Aguiar , Breithaupt Angele , Wylezich Claudia , Höper Dirk , Wernike Kerstin , Godel Aurélie , Thomann Lisa , Flück Vera , Stalder Hanspeter , Brügger Melanie , Esteves Blandina I. Oliveira , Zumkehr Beatrice , Beilleau Guillaume , Kratzel Annika , Schmied Kimberly , Ochsenbein Sarah , Lang Reto M. , Wider Manon , Machahua Carlos , Dorn Patrick , Marti Thomas M. , Funke-Chambour Manuela , Rauch Andri , Widera Marek , Ciesek Sandra , Dijkman Ronald , Hoffmann Donata , Alves Marco P. , Benarafa Charaf , Beer Martin , Thiel Volker
Published: October 2022

Variant of concern (VOC) Omicron-BA.1 has achieved global predominance in early 2022. Therefore, surveillance and comprehensive characterization of Omicron-BA.1 in advanced primary cell culture systems and animal models are urgently needed. Here, we characterize Omicron-BA.1 and recombinant Omicron-BA.1 spike gene mutants in comparison with VOC Delta in well-differentiated primary human nasal and bronchial epithelial cells in vitro, followed by in vivo fitness characterization in hamsters, ferrets and hACE2-expressing mice, and immunized hACE2-mice. We demonstrate a spike-mediated enhancement of early replication of Omicron-BA.1 in nasal epithelial cultures, but limited replication in bronchial epithelial cultures. In hamsters, Delta shows dominance over Omicron-BA.1, and in ferrets Omicron-BA.1 infection is abortive. In hACE2-knock-in mice, Delta and a Delta spike clone also show dominance over Omicron-BA.1 and an Omicron-BA.1 spike clone, respectively. Interestingly, in naïve K18-hACE2 mice, we observe Delta spike-mediated increased replication and pathogenicity and Omicron-BA.1 spike-mediated reduced replication and pathogenicity, suggesting that the spike gene is a major determinant of replication and pathogenicity. Finally, the Omicron-BA.1 spike clone is less well-controlled by mRNA-vaccination in K18-hACE2-mice and becomes more competitive compared to the progenitor and Delta spike clones, suggesting that spike gene-mediated immune evasion is another important factor that led to Omicron-BA.1 dominance.