bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Becoming an informal care-giver: the role of work status incongruence
Authors: Koreshi Shanika Yoshini , Alpass Fiona
Published: February 2022

The ageing of the workforce suggests that many older adults will be combining work and care. While there is extensive evidence for the impact of informal care-giving on paid employment, there is less research on how work status may influence the provision of informal care. It has also yet to be established whether work preferences may influence the uptake of care-giving responsibilities, particularly for older workers. We investigated the impact of work status congruence on taking up informal care at two-year follow-up. A sample of 1,211 employed participants aged 55–70 years was surveyed over two consecutive waves. Involuntary part-time workers were more likely to provide care at Time 1 than involuntary full-timers, voluntary part-timers and voluntary full-timers. Participants were more likely to take up care if the opportunity costs of doing so were low, however, only for those whose preferences for more work were not met. There were no moderating effects of gender and economic living standards on the relationship between work status incongruence and provision of care-giving. Understanding the decision-making processes older workers undertake when taking up informal care are complex and must consider the influence of personal work preferences. These findings have implications for care and work-based policy given the importance of informal care in sustaining ageing-in-place policies.
Rock Art and (Re)Production of Narratives: A Cassowary Bone Dagger Stencil Perspective from Auwim, East Sepik, Papua New Guinea
Authors: Tsang Roxanne , Katuk Sebastien , May Sally K. , Taçon Paul S.C. , Ricaut François-Xavier , Leavesley Matthew G.
Published: February 2022

Cassowaries (Casuarius) are one of the largest indigenous animal species of New Guinea. Researchers have long been trying to understand their local socio-cultural significance. Here we present new results from interviews recorded in 2018 on ethnography associated with bone daggers, a material culture ornament and tool carved from the cassowary's tibiotarsus. We present a ‘storied notion’—a contemporary narrative from oral history of why cassowary is not simply a bird, and briefly describe cassowary bone ornamentation in Auwim, East Sepik Province of Papua New Guinea. By exploring the material history of Casuarius through a ‘storied notion’ approach, we reveal that cassowary bone daggers in rock art are narrative ideas of the species from its landscape to ornamentation and through to people's cosmological beliefs surrounding Casuarius. We argue that the cassowary bone dagger stencil can be seen as part of the life history of this animal.
From Protest to Pragmatism: Stabilisation of the Green League into Finnish Political Culture and Party System during the 1990s
Authors: Karimäki Jenni
Published: February 2022

Though not the forefathers of the Green party family, the Finnish Greens are an avantgarde when it comes to adapting to existing political culture and making their way from political margins to mainstream. The examination of the intra-party reasons and reasonings regarding adaptation and conformation reveals that it is never a question of either/or but a testament of conflicting interests. Although the compromise and consensus-seeking Finnish political culture and party system created external pressures on the Green League, forcing the party to conform with the existing procedures and traditions, the growing intra-party willingness to adapt was expressed in streamlining of the organisation and ideology as well as in the increasing office-seeking tendencies and accentuation of stability and credibility as preconditions of incumbency. Instead of pursuing radical changes to the existing political system, transforming growing adherence into incumbency required adaptation and conformation
Identification of early symptoms and changes in QoL and functioning among men with primary localized prostate cancer who later develop metastases: A matched, prospective study
Authors: Doveson Sandra E. , Holm Maja , Fransson Per , Wennman-Larsen Agneta
Published: February 2022

Objective

To identify early symptoms and changes in QoL among men with primary localized prostate cancer (PC) who later develop metastases.

Methods

From an ongoing prospective study of 3.885 men with localized PC, primarily treated with radiotherapy (RT), a subsample of men developing metastatic PC (mPC) following the first year after the start of RT and that had died during the follow-up (mPC group,n= 107) were matched against men who did not develop metastases (non-mPC group,n= 214). Data were collected using the EORTC QLQ-C30 and PCSS instruments. Non-parametric tests were performed for comparisons at baseline, end of RT, 3 months, and 1, 2, 3, and 5 years after RT.

Results

The final sample consists of 317 men (mPCn= 106; non-mPCn= 211) who had completed at least one questionnaire. Initially, symptom levels were generally low and QoL and functioning high in both groups. An increasing difference between the groups was found, where the mPC group gradually deteriorated from the 2-year follow-up. Significant differences were found for several outcomes at 3 and 5 years. In a sensitivity analysis, where metastatic patients were removed from the time-point of verified metastases, most differences did not remain significant. Significant deterioration over time was seen within both groups for some outcomes.

Significance of results

The results indicate that unmet supportive needs occur over time among these men. Worsening QoL or functioning and symptoms may be difficult to recognize when the development is gradual over several years, and with various access to systematic follow-up in late phases. This highlights the need for continuous monitoring of PC patients to detect needs for supportive interventions early and throughout the disease course, also among those with non-metastatic disease who have undergone curatively intended treatment.
Local advantage in a global context. Competition, adaptation and resilience in textile manufacturing in the ‘periphery’, 1860–1960
Authors: Frederick Katharine , van Nederveen Meerkerk Elise
Published: February 2022

This article analyses the resilience of domestic textile production in Java and sub-Saharan Africa to uncover how local industries coped with the effects of broader global and colonial forces in the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries. We demonstrate that many domestic handicraft manufacturers managed to survive due to specific competitive advantages. Strategies of product differentiation, responsiveness to shifting consumer needs, and flexibility in manufacturing methods enabled local producers to remain competitive in confrontation with mounting imports from early factories, typically constituting cheap, but lower quality and less unique products. Some local manufacturers could even compete based on price given the very low labour costs associated with seasonally-oriented handicraft production, which raises questions about the extent of the comparative advantage enjoyed by early-industrializing nations in the Global North. The capacity of domestic textile producers to remain competitive amid colonial policies aimed at capturing local markets – and raw cotton sources – highlights not only the importance of product differentiation and the specificity of local demand, but also the agency exercised by both producers and consumers under colonial rule.
Was wird aus Care Leavern?
Authors: Schmid Marc , Fegert Jörg M. , Schmeck Klaus , Boonmann Cyril
Published: February 2022

Zusammenfassung. Theoretischer Hintergrund: Verschiedene Studien zeigen auf, dass ehemals ausserfamiliär platzierte Jugendliche, die viele biologische und psychosoziale Risikofaktoren akkumulieren, im weiteren Lebenslauf häufig eine geringere soziale Teilhabe aufweisen. Fragestellung: Dieser Themenschwerpunkt berichtet von einer Längsschnittstudie (JAEL – Jugendhilfe aus Erfahrung lernen) mit ehemals fremdplatzierten jungen Erwachsenen, die einer Hochrisikostichprobe zugeordnet werden können. Methode: Die Studie kombiniert für ihre Forschungsfragen prospektive und retrospektive Aspekte sowie qualitativ und quantitativ erhobene Daten. Ergebnisse: Der Themenschwerpunkt gibt sowohl eine kurze Einführung in die Methoden und die Rekrutierung der Stichprobe als auch einen Einblick in drei ausgewählte Themen, die in den drei Beiträgen dieses Themenschwerpunktes behandelt werden. Der erste Beitrag berichtet über die Ergebnisse zum Verlauf der psychischen Probleme vom Jugend- bis ins junge Erwachsenenalter. Der zweite Beitrag befasst sich mit Misshandlung und Vernachlässigung in der Kindheit als Risikofaktor für die soziale Teilhabe im jungen Erwachsenenalter, wie z. B. Arbeitslosigkeit, Legalbewährung, sozioökonomische Lage, psychische Gesundheit oder auch Beziehungsfähigkeit. Diese negativen Auswirkungen können durch Selbstwirksamkeitserfahrungen abgemildert werden. Der dritte Beitrag beinhaltet einen der bisher weniger beachteter Längsschnittstudienaspekte, nämlich die Risikofaktoren für eine Persönlichkeitsstörung in einer Hochrisikostichprobe sowie deren Stabilität. Diskussion und Schlussfolgerung: Auf die Bedeutung und Implikationen für Interventionen und Jugendhilfepolitik einerseits und die Forschung in diesem Feld andererseits wird eingegangen.
Influence of the Lander Size and Shape on the Ballistic Landing Motion
Authors: Zeng X. Y. , Li Z. W. , Wen T. G. , Zhang Y. L.
Published: February 2022

This article investigates the ballistic landing motion and final distribution of the landers in different sizes or shapes near the small celestial body. Three typical shapes, including cubic, cuboid, and cylindrical, are considered for the landers deployed to a tri‐axial ellipsoid model. The Polygonal Contact Model (PCM) is used to detect the contact/collision, where the Hertz model is applied to calculate the continuous contact force. Different‐sized cubic landers (in the edge length of 20, 30, 40, and 50 cm) are numerically simulated to examine how the lander size influences its dynamics. The landing motion of the cuboid‐ and the cylinder‐shaped landers are then analyzed in the same technique. The heights of these asymmetrical landers are assumed to be 25, 30, and 35 cm, respectively, to illustrate the shape effect. Monte Carlo simulations are implemented for various landers to account for the surface motion randomness. The final dispersion, the outgoing velocity after the collision, the horizontal transfer distance, and the settling time are taken to be critical indicators for discussing the landing behavior, which can provide implications for the probe design of future missions.
Gas Leakage From Shallow Ponding Magma and Trapdoor Faulting at Sierra Negra Volcano (Isabela Island, Galápagos)
Authors: Aiuppa Alessandro , Allard Patrick , Bernard Benjamin , Lo Forte Francesco Maria , Moretti Roberto , Hidalgo Silvana
Published: February 2022

We report on new volcanic gas composition results acquired in October 2017 at Minas de Azufre, a persistent fumarolic field topping the resurgent Sierra Negra caldera, in the Galápagos archipelago. Our results indicate that the Minas de Azufre fumaroles are moderately hydrous (52–64 mol.% H2O) and rich in CO2 (35–46 mol.%), with total sulfur (ST) being 21–35 times less abundant than CO2. SO2, the most abundant S species, is released at an average rate of 19 ± 9 tons/day. Using a volatile saturation model that provides the composition of magmatic gases at equilibrium with western Galápagos basaltic melt (48 wt. % SiO2) in the 400–0.1 MPa pressure range, we infer that Minas de Azufre fumarolic emissions consist of a mixture of (a) magma‐derived gases coexisting with a melt at ∼50–60 MPa and (b) shallow meteoric water. We thus propose that the fumaroles are supplied by outgassing of magma stored in a ∼2 km deep sill‐like reservoir underneath the caldera floor, and that the trapdoor fault system at the western margin of the resurgent caldera block acts as a preferential pathway for magmatic gas ascent and surface discharge. Our results thus suggest that, in contrast to the majority of the volcano‐hosted hydrothermal systems worldwide, Minas de Azufre releases a relatively pristine magmatic gas.
Geospatial Distribution of Age‐Adjusted Incidence of the Three Major Types of Pediatric Cancers and Waterborne Agrichemicals in Nebraska
Authors: Ouattara Balkissa S. , Puvvula Jagadeesh , Abadi Azar , Munde Siddhi , Kolok Alan S. , Bartelt‐Hunt Shannon , Bell Jesse E. , Wichman Christopher S. , Rogan Eleanor
Published: February 2022

This study was conducted to examine, at the county level, the relationship between pediatric cancer incidence rate and atrazine and nitrate mean concentrations in surface and groundwater. A negative binomial regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between central nervous system (CNS) tumors, leukemia, lymphoma, and atrazine and nitrate mean concentrations in groundwater. The age‐adjusted brain and other CNS cancer incidence was higher than the national average in 63% of the Nebraska counties. After controlling for the counties socio‐economic status and nitrate concentrations in groundwater, counties with groundwater atrazine concentrations above 0.0002 µg/L had a higher incidence rate for pediatric cancers (brain and other CNS, leukemia, and lymphoma) compared to counties with groundwater atrazine concentrations in the reference group (0.0000–0.0002 µg/L). Additionally, compared to counties with groundwater nitrate concentrations between 0 and 2 mg/L (reference group), counties with groundwater nitrate concentrations between 2.1 and 5 mg/L (group 2) had a higher incidence rate for pediatric brain and other CNS cancers (IRR = 8.39; 95% CI: 8.24–8.54), leukemia (IRR = 7.35; 95% CI: 7.22–7.48), and lymphoma (IRR = 5.59; CI: 5.48–5.69) after adjusting for atrazine groundwater concentration and the county socio‐economic status. While these findings do not indicate a causal relationship, because other contaminants or cancer risk factors have not been accounted for, they suggest that atrazine and nitrate may pose a risk relative to the genesis of pediatric brain and CNS cancers, leukemia, and lymphoma.
Enhanced and Asymmetric Melting Beneath the Southern Mariana Back‐Arc Spreading Center Under the Influence of Pacific Plate Subduction
Authors: Matsuno Tetsuo , Seama Nobukazu , Shindo Haruka P. , Nogi Yoshifumi , Okino Kyoko
Published: February 2022

The back‐arc spreading at the southern Mariana is categorized as slow, but surface morphological and geophysical features of the spreading centers suggest that the spreading process is associated with enhanced melting in the upper mantle, due to water being derived from the subducted Pacific slab. A marine magnetotelluric experiment was performed along a transect across a segment at 13°N to reveal the key processes of melting, dehydration, and dynamics in the upper mantle, and their relationships to the surface characteristics. Our inversion model of electrical resistivity shows (a) a conductive body at 10–20 km depth beneath the spreading axis, and (b) another conductive area expanding asymmetrically under and around the conductive body. Away from the spreading center, there is (c) a resistive area thickening up to ∼40 km on the remnant arc side, and (d) another resistive area with a constant thickness of ∼150 km on the trench side. Implications of these model features are (a) a melt body beneath the spreading axis; (b) a hydrous mantle above the subducted slab and asymmetric passive decompression melting in the mantle wedge; (c) a residual mantle off from the spreading axis; and (d) a cold mantle wedge tip and the subducted Pacific mantle. The structure markedly contrasts with that in the central Mariana Trough at 18°N, suggesting that the horizontal distance between the location of the spreading center and the root of the buoyant upwelling above the subducted slab is a key parameter that controls the mantle dynamics beneath the back‐arc spreading.
Performance Evaluation of the Meteorology and Air Quality Conditions From Multiscale WRF‐CMAQ Simulations for the Long Island Sound Tropospheric Ozone Study (LISTOS)
Authors: Torres‐Vazquez Ana , Pleim Jonathan , Gilliam Robert , Pouliot George
Published: February 2022

The Long Island Sound (LIS) Tropospheric Ozone Study was a multi‐agency collaborative field campaign conducted during the summer of 2018 to improve the understanding of ozone chemistry and transport from New York City to areas downstream, especially the LIS and adjacent Connecticut coastline. Measurements made during this campaign were leveraged to test and evaluate the coupled WRF‐CMAQ model at 12 km, 4 and 1.33 km horizontal grid spacing. Special attention was placed on the model's representation of sea breeze circulations, low level jets, and boundary layer evolution. The evaluation suggests using higher resolutions resulted in improved surface meteorology statistics throughout the whole summer, with temperature biases seeing the biggest statistical improvements when using 1.33‐km grid spacing, going from −0.12 to 0.08 K. Additionally, 4‐km grid spacing provided the biggest advantage when simulating ozone over the region of interest, with biases being reduced from 2.40 to 0.57 to 0.37 ppbV with increased resolution. Case studies of two high ozone concentration events (July 10 and August 6) revealed that sound breezes and low‐level jets had a critical role in transporting pollutant‐rich, shallow marine air masses from the LIS inland over the Connecticut coast. Modifications were made to the representation of sea surface temperatures, which subsequently improved the simulation of surface ozone predictions.
Biological Impact of Typhoon Wipha in the Coastal Area of Western Guangdong: A Comparative Field Observation Perspective
Authors: Lu Xuan , Zhou Xin , Jin Guangzhe , Chen Fajin , Zhang Shuwen , Li Zhiyang , Chen Chunqing , Zhu Qingmei , Lao Qibin
Published: February 2022

The impact of typhoons on the ecology of the ocean has been observed using high‐accuracy satellite remote sensing data. However, few field observations in the ocean have been conducted to understand the effect of typhoons on the biogeochemistry because typhoon is furious, dangerous, and unpredictable. Here, we investigated the impact of Typhoon Wipha on the biogeochemistry of the coastal area of western Guangdong, northwest South China Sea. Our results show that the typhoon triggered phytoplankton blooms (the level of Chl a increased 3.25 times after the typhoon) nearshore (water depths <23 m); however, there was little change in the nutrients and Chl a offshore (water depths between 23 and 60 m). Terrestrial runoff and vertical seawater mixing were identified as the main processes that bring nutrients into the nearshore area and thus triggering phytoplankton blooms after the typhoon. Moreover, the positive apparent oxygen utilization (AOU) and unsaturated DO contents during the posttyphoon period suggest significant oxygen consumption (i.e., degradation process and biological respiration) caused by Typhoon Wipha in both nearshore and offshore areas. The internal nutrient recirculation and biological respiration are responsible for little change in POC, PN and nutrients in the offshore area between the pre‐ and posttyphoon periods and thus did not cause phytoplankton blooms. Our results suggest that the potential oxygen consumption (i.e., decomposition and biological respiration) after the typhoon are important biogeochemical impacts induced by Typhoon Wipha in coastal waters.
ALCAM regulates multiple myeloma chemoresistant side population
Authors: Wang Fangfang , Dan Zhang , Luo Hongmei , Huang Jingcao , Cui Yushan , Ding Hong , Xu Juan , Lin Zhimei , Gao Yuhan , Zhai Xinyu , Yang Yan , Qu Ying , Zhang Li , Chen Fengjiao , Wang Qiang , Wang Xin , Feng Yu , Liu Ting , Yi Qing , Niu Ting , Zheng Yuhuan
Published: February 2022

Drug-resistance is a major problem preventing a cure in patients with multiple myeloma (MM). Previously, we demonstrated that activated-leukocyte-cell-adhesion-molecule (ALCAM) is a prognostic factor in MM and inhibits EGF/EGFR-initiated MM clonogenicity. In this study, we further showed that the ALCAM-EGF/EGFR axis regulated the MM side population (SP)-mediated drug-resistance. ALCAM-knockdown MM cells displayed an enhanced ratio of SP cells in the presence of bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) or with the supplement of recombinant EGF. SP MM cells were resistant to chemotherapeutics melphalan or bortezomib. Drug treatment stimulated SP-genesis. Mechanistically, EGFR, primed with EGF, activated the hedgehog pathway and promoted the SP ratio; meanwhile, ALCAM inhibited EGFR downstream pro-MM cell signaling. Further, SP MM cells exhibited an increased number of mitochondria compared to the main population. Interference of the mitochondria function strongly inhibited SP-genesis. Animal studies showed that combination therapy with both an anti-MM agent and EGFR inhibitor gefitinib achieved prolonged MM-bearing mice survival. Hence, our work identifies ALCAM as a novel negative regulator of MM drug-resistance, and EGFR inhibitors may be used to improve MM therapeutic efficacy.
Acquired temozolomide resistance in MGMTlow gliomas is associated with regulation of homologous recombination repair by ROCK2
Authors: Zhang Xin , Li Tao , Yang Mengdi , Du Qianming , Wang Rui , Fu Bin , Tan Yingying , Cao Mengran , Chen Yaxin , Wang Qing , Hu Rong
Published: February 2022

It was reported that MGMTlow gliomas may still be resistant to TMZ, while the mechanisms remain poorly understood. In this study, we demonstrated that rho-associated kinase 2 (ROCK2), a cytoskeleton regulator, was highly expressed in MGMTlow recurrent gliomas, and its expression strongly correlated with poor overall survival (OS) time in a subset of MGMTlow recurrent gliomas patients with TMZ therapy. And we also found that overactive ROCK2 enhanced homologous recombination repair (HR) in TMZ-resistant (TMZ-R) glioma cell lines with low MGMT expression. Silencing ROCK2 impaired HR repair, and induced double-strand break (DSB) and eradicated TMZ-R glioma cells in culture. Notably, in MGMTlow TMZ-R models, as a key factor of HR, ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) expression was upregulated directly by hyper-activation of ROCK2 to improve HR efficiency. ROCK2 enhanced the binding of transcription factor zinc finger E-box binding homeobox 1 (ZEB1) to ATM promoter for increasing ATM expression. Moreover, ROCK2 transformed ZEB1 into a gene activator via Yes-associated protein 1 (YAP1). These results provide evidence for the use of ROCK inhibitors in the clinical therapy for MGMTlow TMZ-resistant glioma. Our study also offered novel insights for improving therapeutic management of MGMTlow gliomas.
Early differential responses elicited by BRAFV600E in adult mouse models
Authors: Bosso Giuseppe , Lanuza-Gracia Pablo , Piñeiro-Hermida Sergio , Yilmaz Merve , Serrano Rosa , Blasco Maria A.
Published: February 2022

The BRAF gene is frequently mutated in cancer. The most common genetic mutation is a single nucleotide transition which gives rise to a constitutively active BRAF kinase (BRAFV600E) which in turn sustains continuous cell proliferation. The study of BRAFV600E murine models has been mainly focused on the role of BRAFV600E in tumor development but little is known on the early molecular impact of BRAFV600E expression in vivo. Here, we study the immediate effects of acute ubiquitous BRAFV600E activation in vivo. We find that BRAFV600E elicits a rapid DNA damage response in the liver, spleen, lungs but not in thyroids. This DNA damage response does not occur at telomeres and is accompanied by activation of the senescence marker p21CIP1 only in lungs but not in liver or spleen. Moreover, in lungs, BRAFV600E provokes an acute inflammatory state with a tissue-specific recruitment of neutrophils in the alveolar parenchyma and macrophages in bronchi/bronchioles, as well as bronchial/bronchiolar epithelium transdifferentiation and development of adenomas. Furthermore, whereas in non-tumor alveolar type II (ATIIs) pneumocytes, acute BRAFV600E induction elicits rapid p53-independent p21CIP1 activation, adenoma ATIIs express p53 without resulting in p21CIP1 gene activation. Conversely, albeit in Club cells BRAFV600E-mediated proliferative cue is more exacerbated compared to that occurring in ATIIs, such oncogenic stimulus culminates with p21CIP1-mediated cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Our findings indicate that acute BRAFV600E expression drives an immediate induction of DNA damage response in vivo. More importantly, it also results in rapid differential responses of cell cycle and senescence-associated proteins in lung epithelia, thus revealing the early molecular changes emerging in BRAFV600E-challenged cells during tumorigenesis in vivo.
Tailoring the coercive field in ferroelectric metal-free perovskites by hydrogen bonding
Authors: Choi Hwa Seob , Li Shunning , Park In-Hyeok , Liew Weng Heng , Zhu Ziyu , Kwon Ki Chang , Wang Lin , Oh In-Hwan , Zheng Shisheng , Su Chenliang , Xu Qing-Hua , Yao Kui , Pan Feng , Loh Kian Ping
Published: February 2022

The miniaturization of ferroelectric devices in non-volatile memories requires the device to maintain stable switching behavior as the thickness scales down to nanometer scale, which requires the coercive field to be sufficiently large. Recently discovered metal-free perovskites exhibit advantages such as structural tunability and solution-processability, but they are disadvantaged by a lower coercive field compared to inorganic perovskites. Herein, we demonstrate that the coercive field (110 kV/cm) in metal-free ferroelectric perovskite MDABCO-NH4-(PF6)3 (MDABCO = N-methyl-N’-diazabicyclo[2.2.2]octonium) is one order larger than MDABCO-NH4-I3 (12 kV/cm) owing to the stronger intermolecular hydrogen bonding in the former. Using isotope experiments, the ferroelectric-to-paraelectric phase transition temperature and coercive field are verified to be strongly influenced by hydrogen bonds. Our work highlights that the coercive field of organic ferroelectrics can be tailored by tuning the strength of hydrogen bonding.
Whole exome sequencing in Alopecia Areata identifies rare variants in KRT82
Authors: Erjavec Stephanie O. , Gelfman Sahar , Abdelaziz Alexa R. , Lee Eunice Y. , Monga Isha , Alkelai Anna , Ionita-Laza Iuliana , Petukhova Lynn , Christiano Angela M.
Published: February 2022

Alopecia areata is a complex genetic disease that results in hair loss due to the autoimmune-mediated attack of the hair follicle. We previously defined a role for both rare and common variants in our earlier GWAS and linkage studies. Here, we identify rare variants contributing to Alopecia Areata using a whole exome sequencing and gene-level burden analyses approach on 849 Alopecia Areata patients compared to 15,640 controls. KRT82 is identified as an Alopecia Areata risk gene with rare damaging variants in 51 heterozygous Alopecia Areata individuals (6.01%), achieving genome-wide significance (p = 2.18E−07). KRT82 encodes a hair-specific type II keratin that is exclusively expressed in the hair shaft cuticle during anagen phase, and its expression is decreased in Alopecia Areata patient skin and hair follicles. Finally, we find that cases with an identified damaging KRT82 variant and reduced KRT82 expression have elevated perifollicular CD8 infiltrates. In this work, we utilize whole exome sequencing to successfully identify a significant Alopecia Areata disease-relevant gene, KRT82, and reveal a proposed mechanism for rare variant predisposition leading to disrupted hair shaft integrity.
Shaping lightwaves in time and frequency for optical fiber communication
Authors: Cho Junho , Chen Xi , Raybon Greg , Che Di , Burrows Ellsworth , Olsson Samuel , Tkach Robert
Published: February 2022

In optical communications, sphere shaping is used to limit the energy of lightwaves to within a certain value over a period. This minimizes the energy required to contain information, allowing the rate of information transmission to approach the theoretical limit if the transmission medium is linear. However, when shaped lightwaves are transmitted through optical fiber, Kerr nonlinearity manifests itself as nonlinear interference in a peculiar way, potentially lowering communications capacity. In this article, we show that the impact of sphere shaping on Kerr nonlinearity varies with chromatic dispersion, shaping block length and symbol rate, and that this impact can be predicted using a novel statistical measure of light energy. As a practical consequence, by optimally controlling the parameters of sphere-shaped lightwaves, it is experimentally demonstrated that the information rate can be increased by up to 25% in low-dispersion channels on a 2824 km dispersion-managed wavelength-division multiplexed optical fiber link.
Direct assessment of confinement effect in zeolite-encapsulated subnanometric metal species
Authors: Liu Lichen , Lopez-Haro Miguel , Perez-Omil Jose Antonio , Boronat Mercedes , Calvino Jose J. , Corma Avelino
Published: February 2022

Subnanometric metal species confined inside the microporous channels/cavities of zeolites have been demonstrated as stable and efficient catalysts. The confinement interaction between the metal species and zeolite framework has been proposed to play the key role for stabilization, though the confinement interaction is elusive to be identified and measured. By combining theoretical calculations, imaging simulation and experimental measurements based on the scanning transmission electron microscopy-integrated differential phase contrast imaging technique, we have studied the location and coordination environment of isolated iridium atoms and clusters confined in zeolite. The image analysis results indicate that the local strain is intimately related to the strength of metal-zeolite interaction and a good correlation is found between the zeolite deformation energy, the charge state of the iridium species and the local absolute strain. The direct observation of confinement with subnanometric metal species encapsulated in zeolites provides insights to understand their structural features and catalytic consequences.
Associative detachment in anion-atom reactions involving a dipole-bound electron
Authors: Hassan Saba Zia , Tauch Jonas , Kas Milaim , Nötzold Markus , Carrera Henry López , Endres Eric S. , Wester Roland , Weidemüller Matthias
Published: February 2022

Associative electronic detachment (AED) between anions and neutral atoms leads to the detachment of the anion’s electron resulting in the formation of a neutral molecule. It plays a key role in chemical reaction networks, like the interstellar medium, the Earth’s ionosphere and biochemical processes. Here, a class of AED involving a closed-shell anion (OH−) and alkali atoms (rubidium) is investigated by precisely controlling the fraction of electronically excited rubidium. Reaction with the ground state atom gives rise to a stable intermediate complex with an electron solely bound via dipolar forces. The stability of the complex is governed by the subtle interplay of diabatic and adiabatic couplings into the autodetachment manifold. The measured rate coefficients are in good agreement with ab initio calculations, revealing pronounced steric effects. For excited state rubidium, however, a lower reaction rate is observed, indicating dynamical stabilization processes suppressing the coupling into the autodetachment region. Our work provides a stringent test of ab initio calculations on anion-neutral collisions and constitutes a generic, conceptual framework for understanding electronic state dependent dynamics in AEDs.
Mark-release-recapture experiment in Burkina Faso demonstrates reduced fitness and dispersal of genetically-modified sterile malaria mosquitoes
Authors: Yao Franck Adama , Millogo Abdoul-Azize , Epopa Patric Stephane , North Ace , Noulin Florian , Dao Koulmaga , Drabo Mouhamed , Guissou Charles , Kekele Souleymane , Namountougou Moussa , Ouedraogo Robert Kossivi , Pare Lea , Barry Nourou , Sanou Roger , Wandaogo Haida , Dabire Roch K. , McKemey Andrew , Tripet Frederic , Diabaté Abdoulaye
Published: February 2022

Every year, malaria kills approximately 405,000 people in Sub-Saharan Africa, most of them children under the age of five years. In many countries, progress in malaria control has been threatened by the rapid spread of resistance to antimalarial drugs and insecticides. Novel genetic mosquito control approaches could play an important role in future integrated malaria control strategies. In July 2019, the Target Malaria consortium proceeded with the first release of hemizygous genetically-modified (GM) sterile and non-transgenic sibling males of the malaria mosquito Anopheles coluzzii in Burkina Faso. This study aimed to determine the potential fitness cost associated to the transgene and gather important information related to the dynamic of transgene-carrying mosquitoes, crucial for next development steps. Bayesian estimations confirmed that GM males had lower survival and were less mobile than their wild type (WT) siblings. The estimated male population size in Bana village, at the time of the release was 28,000 - 37,000. These results provide unique information about the fitness and behaviour of released GM males that will inform future releases of more effective strains of the A. gambiae complex.
Machine learning-based integration develops an immune-derived lncRNA signature for improving outcomes in colorectal cancer
Authors: Liu Zaoqu , Liu Long , Weng Siyuan , Guo Chunguang , Dang Qin , Xu Hui , Wang Libo , Lu Taoyuan , Zhang Yuyuan , Sun Zhenqiang , Han Xinwei
Published: February 2022

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are recently implicated in modifying immunology in colorectal cancer (CRC). Nevertheless, the clinical significance of immune-related lncRNAs remains largely unexplored. In this study, we develope a machine learning-based integrative procedure for constructing a consensus immune-related lncRNA signature (IRLS). IRLS is an independent risk factor for overall survival and displays stable and powerful performance, but only demonstrates limited predictive value for relapse-free survival. Additionally, IRLS possesses distinctly superior accuracy than traditional clinical variables, molecular features, and 109 published signatures. Besides, the high-risk group is sensitive to fluorouracil-based adjuvant chemotherapy, while the low-risk group benefits more from bevacizumab. Notably, the low-risk group displays abundant lymphocyte infiltration, high expression of CD8A and PD-L1, and a response to pembrolizumab. Taken together, IRLS could serve as a robust and promising tool to improve clinical outcomes for individual CRC patients.
Pluripotency factors determine gene expression repertoire at zygotic genome activation
Authors: Gao Meijiang , Veil Marina , Rosenblatt Marcus , Riesle Aileen Julia , Gebhard Anna , Hass Helge , Buryanova Lenka , Yampolsky Lev Y. , Grüning Björn , Ulianov Sergey V. , Timmer Jens , Onichtchouk Daria
Published: February 2022

Awakening of zygotic transcription in animal embryos relies on maternal pioneer transcription factors. The interplay of global and specific functions of these proteins remains poorly understood. Here, we analyze chromatin accessibility and time-resolved transcription in single and double mutant zebrafish embryos lacking pluripotency factors Pou5f3 and Sox19b. We show that two factors modify chromatin in a largely independent manner. We distinguish four types of direct enhancers by differential requirements for Pou5f3 or Sox19b. We demonstrate that changes in chromatin accessibility of enhancers underlie the changes in zygotic expression repertoire in the double mutants. Pou5f3 or Sox19b promote chromatin accessibility of enhancers linked to the genes involved in gastrulation and ventral fate specification. The genes regulating mesendodermal and dorsal fates are primed for activation independently of Pou5f3 and Sox19b. Strikingly, simultaneous loss of Pou5f3 and Sox19b leads to premature expression of genes, involved in regulation of organogenesis and differentiation.
Pervasive misannotation of microexons that are evolutionarily conserved and crucial for gene function in plants
Authors: Yu Huihui , Li Mu , Sandhu Jaspreet , Sun Guangchao , Schnable James C. , Walia Harkamal , Xie Weibo , Yu Bin , Mower Jeffrey P. , Zhang Chi
Published: February 2022

It is challenging to identify the smallest microexons (≤15-nt) due to their small size. Consequently, these microexons are often misannotated or missed entirely during genome annotation. Here, we develop a pipeline to accurately identify 2,398 small microexons in 10 diverse plant species using 990 RNA-seq datasets, and most of them have not been annotated in the reference genomes. Analysis reveals that microexons tend to have increased detained flanking introns that require post-transcriptional splicing after polyadenylation. Examination of 45 conserved microexon clusters demonstrates that microexons and associated gene structures can be traced back to the origin of land plants. Based on these clusters, we develop an algorithm to genome-wide model coding microexons in 132 plants and find that microexons provide a strong phylogenetic signal for plant organismal relationships. Microexon modeling reveals diverse evolutionary trajectories, involving microexon gain and loss and alternative splicing. Our work provides a comprehensive view of microexons in plants.
Optical van-der-Waals forces in molecules: from electronic Bethe-Salpeter calculations to the many-body dispersion model
Authors: Ambrosetti Alberto , Umari Paolo , Silvestrelli Pier Luigi , Elliott Joshua , Tkatchenko Alexandre
Published: February 2022

Molecular forces induced by optical excitations are connected to a wide range of phenomena, from chemical bond dissociation to intricate biological processes that underpin vision. Commonly, the description of optical excitations requires the solution of computationally demanding electronic Bethe-Salpeter equation (BSE). However, when studying non-covalent interactions in large-scale systems, more efficient methods are desirable. Here we introduce an effective approach based on coupled quantum Drude oscillators (cQDO) as represented by the many-body dispersion model. We find that the cQDO Hamiltonian yields semi-quantitative agreement with BSE calculations and that both attractive and repulsive optical van der Waals (vdW) forces can be induced by light. These optical-vdW interactions dominate over vdW dispersion in the long-distance regime, showing a complexity that grows with system size. Evidence of highly non-local forces in the human formaldehyde dehydrogenase 1MC5 protein suggests the ability to selectively activate collective molecular vibrations by photoabsorption, in agreement with recent experiments.
Dissolving salt is not equivalent to applying a pressure on water
Authors: Zhang Chunyi , Yue Shuwen , Panagiotopoulos Athanassios Z. , Klein Michael L. , Wu Xifan
Published: February 2022

Salt water is ubiquitous, playing crucial roles in geological and physiological processes. Despite centuries of investigations, whether or not water’s structure is drastically changed by dissolved ions is still debated. Based on density functional theory, we employ machine learning based molecular dynamics to model sodium chloride, potassium chloride, and sodium bromide solutions at different concentrations. The resulting reciprocal-space structure factors agree quantitatively with neutron diffraction data. Here we provide clear evidence that the ions in salt water do not distort the structure of water in the same way as neat water responds to elevated pressure. Rather, the computed structural changes are restricted to the ionic first solvation shells intruding into the hydrogen bond network, beyond which the oxygen radial-distribution function does not undergo major change relative to neat water. Our findings suggest that the widely cited pressure-like effect on the solvent in Hofmeister series ionic solutions should be carefully revisited.
Palaeoecological data indicates land-use changes across Europe linked to spatial heterogeneity in mortality during the Black Death pandemic
Authors: Izdebski A. , Guzowski P. , Poniat R. , Masci L. , Palli J. , Vignola C. , Bauch M. , Cocozza C. , Fernandes R. , Ljungqvist F. C. , Newfield T. , Seim A. , Abel-Schaad D. , Alba-Sánchez F. , Björkman L. , Brauer A. , Brown A. , Czerwiński S. , Ejarque A. , Fiłoc M. , Florenzano A. , Fredh E. D. , Fyfe R. , Jasiunas N. , Kołaczek P. , Kouli K. , Kozáková R. , Kupryjanowicz M. , Lagerås P. , Lamentowicz M. , Lindbladh M. , López-Sáez J. A. , Luelmo-Lautenschlaeger R. , Marcisz K. , Mazier F. , Mensing S. , Mercuri A. M. , Milecka K. , Miras Y. , Noryśkiewicz A. M. , Novenko E. , Obremska M. , Panajiotidis S. , Papadopoulou M. L. , Pędziszewska A. , Pérez-Díaz S. , Piovesan G. , Pluskowski A. , Pokorny P. , Poska A. , Reitalu T. , Rösch M. , Sadori L. , Sá Ferreira C. , Sebag D. , Słowiński M. , Stančikaitė M. , Stivrins N. , Tunno I. , Veski S. , Wacnik A. , Masi A.
Published: February 2022

The Black Death (1347–1352ce) is the most renowned pandemic in human history, believed by many to have killed half of Europe’s population. However, despite advances in ancient DNA research that conclusively identified the pandemic’s causative agent (bacteriumYersinia pestis), our knowledge of the Black Death remains limited, based primarily on qualitative remarks in medieval written sources available for some areas of Western Europe. Here, we remedy this situation by applying a pioneering new approach, ‘big data palaeoecology’, which, starting from palynological data, evaluates the scale of the Black Death’s mortality on a regional scale across Europe. We collected pollen data on landscape change from 261 radiocarbon-dated coring sites (lakes and wetlands) located across 19 modern-day European countries. We used two independent methods of analysis to evaluate whether the changes we see in the landscape at the time of the Black Death agree with the hypothesis that a large portion of the population, upwards of half, died within a few years in the 21 historical regions we studied. While we can confirm that the Black Death had a devastating impact in some regions, we found that it had negligible or no impact in others. These inter-regional differences in the Black Death’s mortality across Europe demonstrate the significance of cultural, ecological, economic, societal and climatic factors that mediated the dissemination and impact of the disease. The complex interplay of these factors, along with the historical ecology of plague, should be a focus of future research on historical pandemics.
Tropical larval and juvenile fish critical swimming speed (U-crit) and morphology data
Authors: Fisher Rebecca , Leis Jeffrey M. , Hogan J. Derek , Bellwood David R. , Wilson Shaun K. , Job Suresh D.
Published: February 2022

Fish swimming capacity is a key life history trait critical to many aspects of their ecology. U-crit (critical) swimming speeds provide a robust, repeatable relative measure of swimming speed that can serve as a useful surrogate for other measures of swimming performance. Here we collate and make available one the most comprehensive datasets on U-crit swimming abilities of tropical marine fish larvae and pelagic juveniles, most of which are reef associated as adults. The dataset includes U-crit speed measurements for settlement stage fishes across a large range of species and families obtained mostly from field specimens collected in light traps and crest nets; and the development of swimming abilities throughout ontogeny for a range of species using reared larvae. In nearly all instances, the size of the individual was available, and in many cases, data include other morphological measurements (e.g. “propulsive area”) useful for predicting swimming capacity. We hope these data prove useful for further studies of larval swimming performance and other broader syntheses.
From Himba indigenous knowledge to engineered Fe2O3 UV-blocking green nanocosmetics
Authors: Havenga D. , Akoba R. , Menzi L. , Azizi S. , Sackey J. , Swanepoel N. , Gibaud A. , Maaza M.
Published: February 2022

This contribution reports on the physical properties of the natural Namibian red Ochre used by the Himba Community in a form of a formulation, so called Otjize as a skin protective and beauty cream. The morphological and crystallographic studies of this red ochre validated its nano-scaled dominating phase of rhombohedral α-Fe2O3 nanocrystals with an additional hydrolized oxide component in a form of γ-FeOOH. The optical investigations showed that such a red ochre exhibits an exceptional UV filtration and a significant IR reflectivity substantiating its effectiveness as an effective UV-blocking & solar heat IR reflector in support of the low skin cancer rate within the Namibian Himba community. In addition, such nanocrystals exhibited a non-negligible antibacterial response against E. Coli & S. Aurus. This study seems confirming the effectiveness of the indigenous Otjize as an effective skin UV protection cream with a sound antimicrobial efficacy against e-Coli & S-Aurus.
Effect of magnetic field on improvement of photocatalytic performance of V2O5/TiO2 nanoheterostructure films prepared by sparking method
Authors: Pooseekheaw Porntipa , Thongpan Winai , Kantarak Ekkapong , sroila Wattikon , Kumpika Tewasin , Singjai Pisith
Published: February 2022

Our porous V2O5/TiO2 nanoheterostructure films (with a Ti/V atomic ratio of 1:1) were fabricated via a single-step sparking method using a strong magnetic field (0.5 T) without annealing requirement for the first time. We found that the magnetic flux arrangement has effect on film crystallization, unique morphology, large specific surface area, and surprisingly controllable phase structure of the films. An amorphous TV film was transformed to the TiO2 (anatase/rutile) phase (for TVN) and V2O5–VO2 mixed-phase (for TVH) without destroying the mesopores from an annealing process. Moreover, the TVH sample able to improve the degradation rate up to 270% compared with pre-annealed TV films and up to 30% with post-annealed (400 °C) TVA films. In this paper, the influence of magnetic flux arrangement on structural, morphological, optical, and photocatalytic properties of prepared sample have been investigated and reported.
Verification of rebuild-up effect on superficial cardiac lesion of ventricular tachycardia using 3-D printed phantom in volumetric-modulated arc therapy planning
Authors: Roh Shiwon , Shin Jun-Bong , Bae Yong-Ki , Kim Jungmin , Hong Semie , Lee Jeong-Woo
Published: February 2022

The aim of the study was to evaluate dose distributions on the superficial cardiac lesion surrounded by low-density lungs. Volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) technique was applied to optimize the dose distribution using the anisotropic analytic algorithm (AAA) and Acuros XB algorithm (AXB) using the 3-D printed cardiac phantom. We used four full and half arcs with 6-MV and 15-MV photons to investigate the rebuild-up effect near the planning target volume (PTV). Depending on the calculation algorithm (AAA vs. AXB) for full arcs plans, V95of PTV differed by 27% for 6-MV and 29% for 15-MV, and D95for 6-MV and 15-MV shows 24% and 30%, respectively. The maximum doses in the AXB plans on PTV were 5.1% higher than those in AAA plans at 6-MV, and 3.8% higher at 15-MV. In addition, half arcs treatment plans showed a very similar tendency with full arcs plans. Film dosimetry showed significant differences from the planned results in the AAA plans. Particularly, the dose mismatch occurred between the cardiac PTV and the left lung interface. In the case of 6-MV plans calculated by AAA, the maximum dose increased from 4.1 to 7.7% in the PTV. Furthermore, it showed that 50% of the width of dose profiles was reduced by 1.3 cm in the 6-MV plan. Conversely, in the case of the plans using the AXB algorithm, the maximum dose increased by 2.0–5.0%. In contrast to the AAA algorithm, the dose patterns at the interface demonstrated a good agreement with the plans. Dose fluctuation on the interface between superficial cardiac lesions and low-density lungs can lead to an error in the estimation of accurate dose delivery for the case of VT SBRT.