bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Taking Ethics Seriously
Authors: Franeta Duška
Published: February 2024

Abstract. Education in ethics and professional regulation are not alternatives; education in ethics for psychologists should not be framed merely as instruction regarding current professional regulation, or “ethical training.” This would reduce ethics to essentially a legal perspective, diminish professional responsibility, debase professional ethics, and downplay its primary purpose – the continuous critical reflection of professional identity and professional role. This paper discusses the meaning and function of education in ethics for psychologists and articulates the reasons why comprehensive education in ethics for psychologists should not be substituted by instruction in professional codes. Likewise, human rights education for psychologists should not be downgraded to mere instruction in existing legal norms. Human rights discourse represents an important segment of the comprehensive education in ethics for psychologists. Education in ethics should expose and examine substantial ethical ideas that serve as the framework for the law of human rights as well as the interpretative, multifaceted, evolving, even manipulable character of the human rights narrative. The typically proclaimed duty of psychologists to protect and promote human rights requires a deepening and expounding of the human rights legal framework through elaborate scrutiny of its ethical meaning. The idea of affirming and restoring human dignity – the concept often designated as the legal and ethical basis, essence, and purpose of human rights – represents one approach to framing this duty by which the goals of psychology on the professional and ethical levels become unified.
Association of Daily Stress With Daily Anxiety and	Depression
Authors: Peng Huini , Ma Jinjin , Hu Jun , Gan Yiqun
Published: February 2024

Abstract: Background: As stress continues to mount in everyday life, there is a corresponding uptick in emotional distress, notably anxiety and depression. Aims: The present research, grounded in the theory of resilience-boosting strategies, explored how daily perceived stress affects anxiety and depression, highlighting the critical moderating role of self-affirmation in cognitive pathways, and the significance of positive attention bias in improving stress resilience. Methods: Using a diary methodology, data was collected from 241 participants over 14 consecutive days and was analyzed using a multilevel linear model. Results: Daily positive attention bias mediated the relationship between perceived stress and anxiety/depression, while self-affirmation acted as a cross-level moderator, affecting the relationship between daily perceived stress and daily positive attention bias and its mediation effect. Specifically, for those with high self-affirmation, daily perceived stress has a weaker negative correlation with daily positive attention bias, which coincides with a decreased intensification of anxiety and depression. Limitations: The study’s limitations include a narrow demographic focus on young Chinese participants, a potential overlook of specific bias components by the self-report scale for positive attentional bias, subjective bias from self-reported stress and emotion measures, and an inability to draw causal conclusions from the diary method. Conclusions: These findings suggest that positive attentional bias and self-affirmation, as a mediating mechanism and cross-level moderator, respectively, are associated with diminishing the effect of perceived stress and the subsequent feelings of anxiety/depression, highlighting their potential protective roles in daily stress.
Seismic Evidence for Craton Formation by Underplating and Development of the MLD
Authors: Boyce Alistair , Bodin Thomas , Durand Stéphanie , Soergel Dorian , Debayle Eric
Published: February 2024

Inconsistencies between observations from long and short period seismic waves and geochemical data mean craton formation and evolution remains enigmatic. Specifically, internal layering and radial anisotropy are poorly constrained. Here, we show that these inconsistencies can be reconciled by inverting cratonic Rayleigh and Love surface wave dispersion curves for shear‐wave velocity and radial anisotropy using a flexible Bayesian scheme. This approach requires no explicit vertical smoothing and only adds anisotropy to layers where required by the data. We show that all cratonic lithospheres are comprised of a positively radially anisotropic upper layer, best explained by Archean underplating, and an isotropic layer beneath, indicative of two‐stage formation. Within the positively radially anisotropic upper layer, we find a variable amplitude low velocity zone within 9 of 12 cratons studied, that is well correlated with observed Mid‐Lithospheric Discontinuities (MLDs). The MLD is best explained by metasomatism after craton formation.
Impacts of Rate of Change in Effective Stress and Inertial Effects on Fault Slip Behavior: New Insights Into Injection‐Induced Earthquakes
Authors: Sun Zihan , Elsworth Derek , Cui Guanglei , Li Yingchun , Zhu Aiyu , Chen Tianyu
Published: February 2024

Understanding the physical mechanisms which link fluid injection with triggered earthquakes is critical in minimizing hazard in subsurface fluid‐injection operations. Currently, injection‐induced changes in effective stress on faults are considered as the main criterion in triggering seismic fault slip. However, rate of change in effective stress, together with inertial effects, are also be implicated in this criterion. We present a modified critical stiffness criterion to investigate the relative likelihood of triggering earthquakes during injection for different injection rate schedules (constant‐vs‐cycled‐vs‐increasing). A stability analysis of fault stress is used to define a critical stiffness as a function of magnitudes and rate of change in effective stresses. The relative potential for triggering earthquakes due to fluid injection is investigated using a coupled fluid‐flow‐deformation model. Polarities of change in critical stiffness are employed as an index to define the tendency for a transition from aseismic to seismic reactivation. During constant rate injection and self‐equilibration stages, the absolute magnitude of effective stress controls the transition. Conversely, the rate of change in effective stress dominates this transition when injection suddenly starts or stops, and inertial effects suppress the transformation to seismic slip. Cycling injection rates into a given fault is the most stable, followed by constant injection, with linear injection the least stable for the same total volume injected. High permeability reservoirs and strike‐slip faulting regimes reduce the potential of inducing seismicity. This work provides both new insights into assessing the seismic risks associated with injection and guidance for mitigation.
Molybdenum Isotopic Signatures of Forearc Serpentinites: Origin and Contribution to the Subduction Zone Mo Cycle
Authors: Li Xiaohui , Li Sanzhong , Chen Shuo , Fan Jingjing , Li Jie , Peng Weigang , Guo Kun , Chen Long
Published: February 2024

Serpentinites, as important reservoirs for volatile and fluid‐mobile elements, have been increasingly recognized as playing a critical role in global geochemical cycles. However, direct evidence for their dominance in the molybdenum (Mo) cycle in subduction zones has been elusive. Here, we address this issue by comprehensively investigating the Mo isotope systematics of serpentinites and accompanying metabasites recovered from the Mariana forearc. Forearc serpentinites under low‐pressure conditions (blue‐ and lizardite‐serpentinites) show substantial enrichments in Mo/Ce ratios (0.42 to 27.34) with high δ98/95Mo values (−0.03‰ to 2.48‰), which arise from not only the incorporation of shallow forearc slab‐derived fluids but also late low‐temperature metasomatism by seawater during clast exhumation. Subducted oceanic crust represented by metabasites has low Mo/Ce ratios (0.004 to 0.049) and δ98/95Mo values (−1.13‰ to −0.61‰), indicating that the loss of Mo during oceanic crust alteration in the early or before subduction stage tends to decrease the Mo isotopic compositions. Combined Mo‐Sr‐Pb isotope systematics indicate that the high δ98/95Mo values in some arc lavas cannot be ascribed simply to the incorporation of slab‐derived ﬂuids at subarc depths; instead, the injection of forearc serpentinite‐derived fluid into their mantle source is noteworthy. We propose that the mobilization of Mo by shallow slab‐derived ﬂuids during the early subduction stage generated forearc lizardite‐bearing serpentinites enriched in heavy Mo isotopes. Subsequently, dehydration and melting of these serpentinites, dragged by the subducting slab down to the subarc region, might have contributed to the Mo systematics in arc lavas. This study demonstrated that forearc serpentinites may be important reservoirs for arc lavas with high Mo isotopic compositions and may contribute to the Mo cycling in subduction zones.
Causally‐Informed Deep Learning to Improve Climate Models and Projections
Authors: Iglesias‐Suarez Fernando , Gentine Pierre , Solino‐Fernandez Breixo , Beucler Tom , Pritchard Michael , Runge Jakob , Eyring Veronika
Published: February 2024

Climate models are essential to understand and project climate change, yet long‐standing biases and uncertainties in their projections remain. This is largely associated with the representation of subgrid‐scale processes, particularly clouds and convection. Deep learning can learn these subgrid‐scale processes from computationally expensive storm‐resolving models while retaining many features at a fraction of computational cost. Yet, climate simulations with embedded neural network parameterizations are still challenging and highly depend on the deep learning solution. This is likely associated with spurious non‐physical correlations learned by the neural networks due to the complexity of the physical dynamical system. Here, we show that the combination of causality with deep learning helps removing spurious correlations and optimizing the neural network algorithm. To resolve this, we apply a causal discovery method to unveil causal drivers in the set of input predictors of atmospheric subgrid‐scale processes of a superparameterized climate model in which deep convection is explicitly resolved. The resulting causally‐informed neural networks are coupled to the climate model, hence, replacing the superparameterization and radiation scheme. We show that the climate simulations with causally‐informed neural network parameterizations retain many convection‐related properties and accurately generate the climate of the original high‐resolution climate model, while retaining similar generalization capabilities to unseen climates compared to the non‐causal approach. The combination of causal discovery and deep learning is a new and promising approach that leads to stable and more trustworthy climate simulations and paves the way toward more physically‐based causal deep learning approaches also in other scientific disciplines.
Time Variability Correction of CMIP6 Climate Change Projections
Authors: Shao Y. , Bishop C. H. , Hobeichi S. , Nishant N. , Abramowitz G. , Sherwood S.
Published: February 2024

Accurate projections of climate change and associated extreme events under differing emission scenarios are linked to realistic representations of the temporal variability of the atmosphere at a variety of time scales, for example, annual, seasonal, synoptic, and daily. Here a new method is employed to explicitly quantify a model's ability to accurately represent covariance at and between differing time scales. From our global‐scale analysis, on average, raw Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models misrepresent temporal variances at differing time scales for maximum temperature (tasmax) by a considerable margin, particularly at 183‐, 92‐ and 46‐day time scales. To ameliorate such variability errors, we propose a novel Time Variability Correction (TVC) method that corrects temporal covariances while preserving the essential time‐event sequence of the model simulations. We adopt a model‐as‐truth framework to evaluate the effectiveness of the TVC method under future forcing conditions when applied to daily tasmax simulations from 23 CMIP6 models for 1% of the global grid cells. TVC‐corrected temperatures generally show improved matching of temporal variance and lag correlations in the out‐of‐sample projection period compared to simple mean‐corrected projections. By imparting more realistic temporal‐correlations to model series, TVC is expected to improve the projections of extreme events associated with persistent heat, such as heatwaves. Applying TVC to future temperature projections using actual observations significantly increases the temperature variance in most middle to high latitude land regions in the Northern Hemisphere, while decreasing it in most low to middle latitude land regions, compared to simple mean‐corrected projections.
New Features and Enhancements in Community Land Model (CLM5) Snow Albedo Modeling: Description, Sensitivity, and Evaluation
Authors: He Cenlin , Flanner Mark , Lawrence David M. , Gu Yu
Published: February 2024

We enhance the Community Land Model (CLM) snow albedo modeling by implementing several new features with more realistic and physical representations of snow‐aerosol‐radiation interactions. Specifically, we incorporate the following model enhancements: (a) updating ice and aerosol optical properties with more realistic and accurate data sets, (b) adding multiple dust types, (c) adding multiple surface downward solar spectra to account for different atmospheric conditions, (d) incorporating a more accurate adding‐doubling radiative transfer solver, (e) adding nonspherical snow grain representations, (f) adding black carbon‐snow and dust‐snow internal mixing representations, and (g) adding a hyperspectral (480‐band vs. the default 5‐band) modeling capability. These model features/enhancements are included as new CLM physics/namelist options, which allows for quantification of model sensitivity to snow albedo processes and for multi‐physics model ensemble analyses for uncertainty assessment. The model updates have been included in the latest released CLM version. Sensitivity analyses reveal strong impacts of using the new adding‐doubling solver, nonspherical snow grains, aerosol‐snow internal mixing, updated aerosol optics, and different dust types. These enhanced snow albedo representations improve the CLM simulated global snowpack evolution and land surface conditions, with reduced biases in simulated snow surface albedo, snow cover, snow water equivalent, snow depth, and surface (2‐m) air temperature over many mid‐latitude mountainous regions and seasonal snowpacks but degraded performance in some northern high‐latitude regions.
Emulator of PR‐DNS: Accelerating Dynamical Fields With Neural Operators in Particle‐Resolved Direct Numerical Simulation
Authors: Zhang Tao , Li Lingda , López‐Marrero Vanessa , Lin Meifeng , Liu Yangang , Yang Fan , Yu Kwangmin , Atif Mohammad
Published: February 2024

Particle‐resolved direct numerical simulations (PR‐DNS) play an increasing role in investigating aerosol‐cloud‐turbulence interactions at the most fundamental level of processes. However, the high computational cost associated with high resolution simulations poses considerable challenges for large domain or long duration simulation using PR‐DNS. To address these issues, here we present an emulator of the complex physics‐based PR‐DNS developed by use of the data‐driven Fourier Neural Operator (FNO) method. The effectiveness of the method is showcased by presenting turbulence and temperature fields in a two‐dimensional space. The results demonstrate high accuracy at various resolutions and the emulator is two orders of magnitude cheaper in terms of computational demand compared to the physics‐based PR‐DNS model. Furthermore, the FNO emulator exhibits strong generalization capabilities for different initial conditions and ultra‐high‐resolution without the need to retrain models. These findings highlight the potential of the FNO method as a promising tool to simulate complex fluid dynamics problems with high accuracy, computational efficiency, and generalization capabilities, enhancing our understanding of the aerosol‐cloud‐precipitation system.
Baf-mediated transcriptional regulation of teashirt is essential for the development of neural progenitor cell lineages
Authors: Ko Byung Su , Han Myeong Hoon , Kwon Min Jee , Cha Dong Gon , Ji Yuri , Park Eun Seo , Jeon Min Jae , Kim Somi , Lee Kyeongho , Choi Yoon Ha , Lee Jusung , Torras-Llort Monica , Yoon Ki-Jun , Lee Hyosang , Kim Jong Kyoung , Lee Sung Bae
Published: February 2024

Accumulating evidence hints heterochromatin anchoring to the inner nuclear membrane as an upstream regulatory process of gene expression. Given that the formation of neural progenitor cell lineages and the subsequent maintenance of postmitotic neuronal cell identity critically rely on transcriptional regulation, it seems possible that the development of neuronal cells is influenced by cell type-specific and/or context-dependent programmed regulation of heterochromatin anchoring. Here, we explored this possibility by genetically disrupting the evolutionarily conserved barrier-to-autointegration factor (Baf) in the Drosophila nervous system. Through single-cell RNA sequencing, we demonstrated that Baf knockdown induces prominent transcriptomic changes, particularly in type I neuroblasts. Among the differentially expressed genes, our genetic analyses identified teashirt (tsh), a transcription factor that interacts with beta-catenin, to be closely associated with Baf knockdown-induced phenotypes that were suppressed by the overexpression of tsh or beta-catenin. We also found that Baf and tsh colocalized in a region adjacent to heterochromatin in type I NBs. Notably, the subnuclear localization pattern remained unchanged when one of these two proteins was knocked down, indicating that both proteins contribute to the anchoring of heterochromatin to the inner nuclear membrane. Overall, this study reveals that the Baf-mediated transcriptional regulation of teashirt is a novel molecular mechanism that regulates the development of neural progenitor cell lineages.
A novel alternative for pyrogen detection based on a transgenic cell line
Authors: He Qing , Yu Chuan-Fei , Wu Gang , Wang Kai-Qin , Ni Yong-Bo , Guo Xiao , Fu Zhi-Hao , Wang Lan , Tan De-Jiang , Gao Hua , Wang Can , Chen Gang , Chen Xu-Hong , Chen Bo , Wang Jun-Zhi
Published: February 2024

Pyrogen, often as a contaminant, is a key indicator affecting the safety of almost all parenteral drugs (including biologicals, chemicals, traditional Chinese medicines and medical devices). It has become a goal to completely replace the in vivo rabbit pyrogen test by using the in vitro pyrogen test based on the promoted ‘reduction, replacement and refinement’ principle, which has been highly considered by regulatory agencies from different countries. We used NF-κB, a central signalling molecule mediating inflammatory responses, as a pyrogenic marker and the monocyte line THP-1 transfected with a luciferase reporter gene regulated by NF-κB as an in vitro model to detect pyrogens by measuring the intensity of a fluorescence signal. Here, we show that this test can quantitatively and sensitively detect endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide from different strains) and nonendotoxin (lipoteichoic acid, zymosan, peptidoglycan, lectin and glucan), has good stability in terms of NF-κB activity and cell phenotypes at 39 cell passages and can be applied to detect pyrogens in biologicals (group A & C meningococcal polysaccharide vaccine; basiliximab; rabies vaccine (Vero cells) for human use, freeze-dried; Japanese encephalitis vaccine (Vero cells), inactivated; insulin aspart injection; human albumin; recombinant human erythropoietin injection (CHO Cell)). The within-laboratory reproducibility of the test in three independent laboratories was 85%, 80% and 80% and the interlaboratory reproducibility among laboratories was 83.3%, 95.6% and 86.7%. The sensitivity (true positive rate) and specificity (true negative rate) of the test were 89.9% and 90.9%, respectively. In summary, the test provides a novel alternative for pyrogen detection.
FSP1 is a predictive biomarker of osteosarcoma cells’ susceptibility to ferroptotic cell death and a potential therapeutic target
Authors: Panczyszyn Elzbieta , Saverio Valentina , Monzani Romina , Gagliardi Mara , Petrovic Jelena , Stojkovska Jasmina , Collavin Licio , Corazzari Marco
Published: February 2024

Human osteosarcoma (OS) is a relatively rare malignancy preferentially affecting long body bones which prognosis is often poor also due to the lack of effective therapies. Clinical management of this cancer basically relies on surgical removal of primary tumor coupled with radio/chemotherapy. Unfortunately, most osteosarcoma cells are resistant to conventional therapy, with the undergoing epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) giving rise to gene expression reprogramming, thus increasing cancer cell invasiveness and metastatic potential. Alternative clinical approaches are thus urgently needed. In this context, the recently described ferroptotic cell death represents an attractive new strategy to efficiently kill cancer cells, since most chemoresistant and mesenchymal-shaped tumors display high susceptibility to pro-ferroptotic compounds. However, cancer cells have also evolved anti-ferroptotic strategies, which somehow sustain their survival upon ferroptosis induction. Indeed, here we show that osteosarcoma cell lines display heterogeneous sensitivity to ferroptosis execution, correlating with the mesenchymal phenotype, which is consistently affected by the expression of the well-known anti-ferroptotic factor ferroptosis suppressor protein 1 (FSP1). Interestingly, inhibiting the activity or expression of FSP1 restores cancer cell sensitivity to ferroptosis. Moreover, we also found that: i) AKRs might also contribute to resistance; ii) NRF2 enhances FSP1 expression upon ferroptosis induction; while iii) p53 contributes to the regulation of FSP1 basal expression in OS cells.

In conclusion, FSP1 expression can potentially be used as a valuable predictive marker of OS sensitivity to ferroptosis and as a new potential therapeutic target.
Role of PATJ in stroke prognosis by modulating endothelial to mesenchymal transition through the Hippo/Notch/PI3K axis
Authors: Medina-Dols Aina , Cañellas Guillem , Capó Toni , Solé Montse , Mola-Caminal Marina , Cullell Natalia , Jaume Marina , Nadal-Salas Laura , Llinàs Jaume , Gómez Lluis , Tur Silvia , Jiménez Carmen , Díaz Rosa M. , Carrera Caty , Muiño Elena , Gallego-Fabrega Cristina , Soriano-Tárraga Carolina , Ruiz-Guerra Laura , Pol-Fuster Josep , Asensio Víctor , Muncunill Josep , Fleischer Aarne , Iglesias Amanda , Giralt-Steinhauer Eva , Lazcano Uxue , Fernández-Pérez Isabel , Jiménez-Balado Joan , Gabriel-Salazar Marina , Garcia-Gabilondo Miguel , Lei Ting , Torres-Aguila Nuria-Paz , Cárcel-Márquez Jara , Lladó Jerònia , Olmos Gabriel , Rosell Anna , Montaner Joan , Planas Anna M. , Rabionet Raquel , Hernández-Guillamon Mar , Jiménez-Conde Jordi , Fernández-Cadenas Israel , Vives-Bauzá Cristòfol
Published: February 2024

Through GWAS studies we identifiedPATJassociated with functional outcome after ischemic stroke (IS). The aim of this study was to determine PATJ role in brain endothelial cells (ECs) in the context of stroke outcome.PATJexpression analyses in patient’s blood revealed that: (i) the risk allele of rs76221407 induces higher expression ofPATJ, (ii)PATJis downregulated 24 h after IS, and (iii) its expression is significantly lower in those patients with functional independence, measured at 3 months with the modified Rankin scale ((mRS) ≤2), compared to those patients with marked disability (mRS = 4–5). In mice brains,PATJwas also downregulated in the injured hemisphere at 48 h after ischemia. Oxygen-glucose deprivation and hypoxia-dependent of Hypoxia Inducible Factor-1α also caused PATJ depletion in ECs. To study the effects ofPATJdownregulation, we generatedPATJ-knockdown human microvascular ECs. Their transcriptomic profile evidenced a complex cell reprogramming involving Notch, TGF-ß, PI3K/Akt, and Hippo signaling that translates in morphological and functional changes compatible with endothelial to mesenchymal transition (EndMT). PATJ depletion caused loss of cell-cell adhesion, upregulation of metalloproteases, actin cytoskeleton remodeling, cytoplasmic accumulation of the signal transducer C-terminal transmembrane Mucin 1 (MUC1-C) and downregulation of Notch and Hippo signaling. The EndMT phenotype of PATJ-depleted cells was associated with the nuclear recruitment of MUC1-C, YAP/TAZ, β-catenin, and ZEB1. Our results suggest thatPATJdownregulation 24 h after IS promotes EndMT, an initial step prior to secondary activation of a pro-angiogenic program. This effect is associated with functional independence suggesting that activation of EndMT shortly after stroke onset is beneficial for stroke recovery.
Analytical characterization of full, intermediate, and empty AAV capsids
Authors: McColl-Carboni Aisleen , Dollive Serena , Laughlin Sarah , Lushi Rudenc , MacArthur Michael , Zhou Shanshan , Gagnon Jeffrey , Smith Christopher A. , Burnham Brenda , Horton Robert , Lata Dimpal , Uga Brianna , Natu Kalyani , Michel Emmanuela , Slater Celia , DaSilva Evan , Bruccoleri Robert , Kelly Tim , McGivney James B.
Published: February 2024

Manufacturing of recombinant adeno-associated virus (AAV) vectors produces three types of capsids: full, intermediate, and empty. While there are different opinions about the impact of intermediate and empty capsids on safety and efficacy of AAV products, they are generally considered impurities because they are not the intended fully intact vector product. The presence of these impurities could impact product efficacy due to potential competition with fully packaged AAVs for cellular transduction, as well as have potential implications to patient safety due to increased capsid load during dosing. To determine the impact of intermediate capsids on potency, an AAV preparation was separated into fractions enriched for full, intermediate, or empty capsids. Using a matrix of in vitro (infectivity, gene expression, biological activity) and in vivo potency assays to determine potency as a function of capsid content, our results indicate that while intermediate capsids contribute to the vector genome titer of the product and are equally as infectious as full capsids, they do not contribute to the potency of the AAV product. This study confirms the criticality of reducing and controlling the level of intermediate capsids to ensure a more efficacious AAV product.
Circular olefin copolymers made de novo from ethylene and α-olefins
Authors: Han Xing-Wang , Zhang Xun , Zhou Youyun , Maimaitiming Aizezi , Sun Xiu-Li , Gao Yanshan , Li Peizhi , Zhu Boyu , Chen Eugene Y.-X. , Kuang Xiaokang , Tang Yong
Published: February 2024

Ethylene/α-olefin copolymers are produced in huge scale and widely used, but their after-use disposal has caused plastic pollution problems. Their chemical inertness made chemical re/upcycling difficult. Ideally, PE materials should be made de novo to have a circular closed-loop lifecycle. However, synthesis of circular ethylene/α-olefin copolymers, including high-volume, linear low-density PE as well as high-value olefin elastomers and block copolymers, presents a particular challenge due to difficulties in introducing branches while simultaneously installing chemical recyclability and directly using industrial ethylene and α-olefin feedstocks. Here we show that coupling of industrial coordination copolymerization of ethylene and α-olefins with a designed functionalized chain-transfer agent, followed by modular assembly of the resulting AB telechelic polyolefin building blocks by polycondensation, affords a series of ester-linked PE-based copolymers. These new materials not only retain thermomechanical properties of PE-based materials but also exhibit full chemical circularity via simple transesterification and markedly enhanced adhesion to polar surfaces.
Tunable positions of Weyl nodes via magnetism and pressure in the ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi
Authors: Cheng Erjian , Yan Limin , Shi Xianbiao , Lou Rui , Fedorov Alexander , Behnami Mahdi , Yuan Jian , Yang Pengtao , Wang Bosen , Cheng Jin-Guang , Xu Yuanji , Xu Yang , Xia Wei , Pavlovskii Nikolai , Peets Darren C. , Zhao Weiwei , Wan Yimin , Burkhardt Ulrich , Guo Yanfeng , Li Shiyan , Felser Claudia , Yang Wenge , Büchner Bernd
Published: February 2024

The noncentrosymmetric ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal CeAlSi with simultaneous space-inversion and time-reversal symmetry breaking provides a unique platform for exploring novel topological states. Here, by employing multiple experimental techniques, we demonstrate that ferromagnetism and pressure can serve as efficient parameters to tune the positions of Weyl nodes in CeAlSi. At ambient pressure, a magnetism-facilitated anomalous Hall/Nernst effect (AHE/ANE) is uncovered. Angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) measurements demonstrated that the Weyl nodes with opposite chirality are moving away from each other upon entering the ferromagnetic phase. Under pressure, by tracing the pressure evolution of AHE and band structure, we demonstrate that pressure could also serve as a pivotal knob to tune the positions of Weyl nodes. Moreover, multiple pressure-induced phase transitions are also revealed. These findings indicate that CeAlSi provides a unique and tunable platform for exploring exotic topological physics and electron correlations, as well as catering to potential applications, such as spintronics.
Evidence for Topological Protection Derived from Six-Flux Composite Fermions
Authors: Huang Haoyun , Hussain Waseem , Myers S. A. , Pfeiffer L. N. , West K. W. , Baldwin K. W. , Csáthy G. A.
Published: February 2024

The composite fermion theory opened a new chapter in understanding many-body correlations through the formation of emergent particles. The formation of two-flux and four-flux composite fermions is well established. While there are limited data linked to the formation of six-flux composite fermions, topological protection associated with them is conspicuously lacking. Here we report evidence for the formation of a quantized and gapped fractional quantum Hall state at the filling factor ν = 9/11, which we associate with the formation of six-flux composite fermions. Our result provides evidence for the most intricate composite fermion with six fluxes and expands the already diverse family of highly correlated topological phases with a new member that cannot be characterized by correlations present in other known members. Our observations pave the way towards the study of higher order correlations in the fractional quantum Hall regime.
Angiotensin type 1 receptor activation promotes neuronal and glial alpha-synuclein aggregation and transmission
Authors: Lage Lucia , Rodriguez-Perez Ana I. , Villar-Cheda Begoña , Labandeira-Garcia Jose L. , Dominguez-Meijide Antonio
Published: February 2024

The brain renin-angiotensin system (RAS) has been related to dopaminergic degeneration, and high expression of the angiotensin II (AngII) type 1 receptor (AT1) gene is a marker of the most vulnerable neurons in humans. However, it is unknown whether AngII/AT1 overactivation affects α-synuclein aggregation and transmission. In vitro, AngII/AT1 activation increased α-synuclein aggregation in dopaminergic neurons and microglial cells, which was related to AngII-induced NADPH-oxidase activation and intracellular calcium raising. In mice, AngII/AT1 activation was involved in MPTP-induced increase in α-synuclein expression and aggregation, as they significantly decreased in mice treated with the AT1 blocker telmisartan and AT1 knockout mice. Cell co-cultures (transwells) revealed strong transmission of α-synuclein from dopaminergic neurons to astrocytes and microglia. AngII induced a higher α-synuclein uptake by microglial cells and an increase in the transfer of α-synuclein among astroglial cells. However, AngII did not increase the release of α-synuclein by neurons. The results further support brain RAS dysregulation as a major mechanism for the progression of Parkinson’s disease, and AT1 inhibition and RAS modulation as therapeutic targets.
Temporal changes of gene expression in health, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder
Authors: Arakelyan Arsen , Avagyan Susanna , Kurnosov Aleksey , Mkrtchyan Tigran , Mkrtchyan Gohar , Zakharyan Roksana , Mayilyan Karine R. , Binder Hans
Published: February 2024

The molecular events underlying the development, manifestation, and course of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and major depressive disorder span from embryonic life to advanced age. However, little is known about the early dynamics of gene expression in these disorders due to their relatively late manifestation. To address this, we conducted a secondary analysis of post-mortem prefrontal cortex datasets using bioinformatics and machine learning techniques to identify differentially expressed gene modules associated with aging and the diseases, determine their time-perturbation points, and assess enrichment with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) genes. Our findings revealed early, mid, and late deregulation of expression of functional gene modules involved in neurodevelopment, plasticity, homeostasis, and immune response. This supports the hypothesis that multiple hits throughout life contribute to disease manifestation rather than a single early-life event. Moreover, the time-perturbed functional gene modules were associated with genetic loci affecting gene expression, highlighting the role of genetic factors in gene expression dynamics and the development of disease phenotypes. Our findings emphasize the importance of investigating time-dependent perturbations in gene expression before the age of onset in elucidating the molecular mechanisms of psychiatric disorders.
Enhancing identification of nonaffective psychosis in register-based studies
Authors: Holm Minna , Suokas Kimmo , Liukko Emmi , Lindgren Maija , Näätänen Petri , Kärkkäinen Jukka , Salokangas Raimo K. R. , Suvisaari Jaana
Published: February 2024

The Finnish Quality of Psychosis Care Register assesses nonaffective psychosis (NAP) care, acknowledging treatment outside specialized psychiatric services. This approach, while providing a holistic view, raises concerns about diagnostic inaccuracies. Here, we studied situations where the register-based diagnosis might be inaccurate, and whether the first episode can be reliably identified using a 14-year wash-out period. People with first register-based NAP (ICD-10 F20-F29) between years 2010 and 2018 and without NAP diagnoses in 1996–2009 were identified from the Care Register for Health Care. A diagnosis of NAP was deemed unreliable before age 7, when dementia preceded NAP diagnosis, and when a NAP diagnosis had been assigned at admission or during psychiatric hospitalization but was not confirmed by discharge diagnosis. Despite a 14-year follow-back the first register diagnosis may miss the first treatment episode in older patients. Register-based studies on psychotic disorders should pay attention to exclusion criteria and to the definition of treatment onset.
MatKG: An autonomously generated knowledge graph in Material Science
Authors: Venugopal Vineeth , Olivetti Elsa
Published: February 2024

In this paper, we present MatKG, a knowledge graph in materials science that offers a repository of entities and relationships extracted from scientific literature. Using advanced natural language processing techniques, MatKG includes an array of entities, including materials, properties, applications, characterization and synthesis methods, descriptors, and symmetry phase labels. The graph is formulated based on statistical metrics, encompassing over 70,000 entities and 5.4 million unique triples. To enhance accessibility and utility, we have serialized MatKG in both CSV and RDF formats and made these, along with the code base, available to the research community. As the largest knowledge graph in materials science to date, MatKG provides structured organization of domain-specific data. Its deployment holds promise for various applications, including material discovery, recommendation systems, and advanced analytics.
Effects of different KRAS mutants and Ki67 expression on diagnosis and prognosis in lung adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wang Jun , Dong Liwen , Zheng Zhaowei , Zhu Zhen , Xie Baisheng , Xie Yue , Li Xiongwei , Chen Bing , Li Pan
Published: February 2024

Lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) is a prevalent form of non-small cell lung cancer with a rising incidence in recent years. Understanding the mutation characteristics of LUAD is crucial for effective treatment and prediction of this disease. Among the various mutations observed in LUAD, KRAS mutations are particularly common. Different subtypes of KRAS mutations can activate the Ras signaling pathway to varying degrees, potentially influencing the pathogenesis and prognosis of LUAD. This study aims to investigate the relationship between different KRAS mutation subtypes and the pathogenesis and prognosis of LUAD. A total of 63 clinical samples of LUAD were collected for this study. The samples were analyzed using targeted gene sequencing panels to obtain sequencing data. To complement the dataset, additional clinical and sequencing data were obtained from TCGA and MSK. The analysis revealed significantly higher Ki67 immunohistochemical scores in patients with missense mutations compared to controls. Moreover, the expression level of KRAS was found to be significantly correlated with Ki67 expression. Enrichment analysis indicated that KRAS missense mutations activated the SWEET_LUNG_CANCER_KRAS_DN and CREIGHTON_ENDOCRINE_THERAPY_RESISTANCE_2 pathways. Additionally, patients with KRAS missense mutations and high Ki67 IHC scores exhibited significantly higher tumor mutational burden levels compared to other groups, which suggests they are more likely to be responsive to ICIs. Based on the data from MSK and TCGA, it was observed that patients with KRAS missense mutations had shorter survival compared to controls, and Ki67 expression level could more accurately predict patient prognosis. In conclusion, when utilizing KRAS mutations as biomarkers for the treatment and prediction of LUAD, it is important to consider the specific KRAS mutant subtypes and Ki67 expression levels. These findings contribute to a better understanding of LUAD and have implications for personalized therapeutic approaches in the management of this disease.
Erianin promotes endogenous neurogenesis in traumatic brain injury rats
Authors: Li Qingquan , Gan Xiaokui , Zhang Ming , Zhang Guangmin , Li Yingbin , Gao Liang
Published: February 2024

The objective of this study was to explore the positive influence and potential mechanism of Erianin on the recovery of brain cells following a traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI rat models were prepared and treated with Erianin injection via tail vein. The assessment included evaluating the rats' levels of oxidative stress, inflammation, neuronal damage, mitochondrial damage, neuronal regeneration, transformation of pro-inflammatory microglial cells, activation status of the ERK signal pathway, and the functionality of their learning and memory. After administering Erianin, there was a suppression of oxidative stress, inflammation, nerve cell damage, and mitochondrial damage in the TBI rats. Additionally, there was an increase in neuronal regeneration in the cortex and hippocampus, inhibition of pro-inflammatory microglial cell transformation in the cortex, improvement in learning and memory function in TBI rats, and simultaneous inhibition of the activation of the ERK1/c-Jun signal pathway. The findings suggest that Erianin has the potential to reduce oxidative stress and inflammatory reaction in rats with TBI, safeguard nerve cells against apoptosis, stimulate the growth of new neural cells, ultimately enhancing the cognitive abilities and memory function of the rats. The inhibition of the ERK signaling pathway could be closely associated with these effects.
Improving the risk management process in quality management systems of higher education
Authors: Bazaluk Oleg , Pavlychenko Artem , Yavorska Olena , Nesterova Olha , Tsopa Vitaliy , Cheberiachko Serhii , Deryugin Oleg , Lozynskyi Vasyl
Published: February 2024

The purpose of this paper is to improve the risk management process in the quality management system of higher education, taking into account the hazardous factors that increase the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences of undesirable events, as well as favorable factors that reduce the probability of occurrence and severity of consequences of hazardous events. The basis of risk management in the quality management systems of higher education institutions is the “Bowtie” method, which involves six main steps of identifying inconsistency, determining the impact of hazardous and favorable factors according to the impact group, ranking hazardous and favorable factors, calculating risk, substantiating precautionary measures and checking calculations. To rank hazardous and favorable factors, the authors used the “Decision Making Trial and Evaluation” method (hereinafter—DE-MATEL), which is based on paired comparison and decision-making tools based on graph theory. An improved process is proposed for risk assessment, which differs from the known ones by the presence of the identification of the cause-and-effect relationship “hazard (inconsistency)-hazardous event-consequences”, identification of hazardous and favorable factors of the internal and external environment that affect the probability and/or the degree of severity of a hazardous event—the appearance of an inconsistency, which is carried out after the inconsistency has been determined; determination of causal hazardous and favorable factors by an acceptable method. Registers of inconsistencies (hazards), hazardous and favorable factors have been developed and proposed based on the requirements for accreditation of educational programs and the international standard ISO 9001:2015, which will allow, based on a risk-oriented approach, to provide a basis for setting the goals of a higher education institution under martial law in order to guarantee effective implementation of the mission and strategy. They are proposed for decision-making in the quality management systems of educational organizations on the substantiation of precautionary or corrective measures based on ranking the risks from identified inconsistencies, which are determined taking into account the impact of the entire set of identified significant hazardous and favorable factors. The value of this paper is to improve the quality risk management process in educational organizations, taking into account the impact of hazardous and favorable factors, and to develop an appropriate step-by-step algorithm of actions and a risk assessment form.
Individuals departing non-breeding areas early achieve earlier breeding and higher breeding success
Authors: Bell Fraser , Ouwehand Janne , Both Christiaan , Briedis Martins , Lisovski Simeon , Wang Xuelai , Bearhop Stuart , Burgess Malcolm
Published: February 2024

Conditions experienced by an individual during migration have the potential to shape migratory tactic and in turn fitness. For large birds, environmental conditions encountered during migration have been linked with survival and subsequent reproductive output, but this is less known for smaller birds, hindering our understanding of mechanisms driving population change. By combining breeding and tracking data from 62 pied flycatchers (Ficedula hypoleuca) representing two breeding populations collected over 2016-2020, we determine how variation in migration phenology and tactic among individuals affects subsequent breeding. Departure date from West African non-breeding areas to European breeding grounds was highly variable among individuals and had a strong influence on migration tactic. Early departing individuals had longer spring migrations which included longer staging duration yet arrived at breeding sites and initiated breeding earlier than later departing individuals. Individuals with longer duration spring migrations and early arrival at breeding sites had larger clutches, and for males higher fledging success. We suggest that for pied flycatchers, individual carry-over effects may act through departure phenology from West Africa, and the associated spring migration duration, to influence reproduction. While our results confirm that departure date from non-breeding areas can be associated with breeding success in migratory passerines, we identify spring staging duration as a key component of this process.
In vitro SELEX and application of an African swine fever virus (ASFV) p30 protein specific aptamer
Authors: Hu Changchun , Li Shuo , Zhou Jie , Wei Dan , Liu Xueying , Chen Zhu , Peng Hongquan , Liu Xun , Deng Yan
Published: February 2024

The African swine fever virus (ASFV) has caused severe economic losses in the pig industry. To monitor ASFV spread, the p30 protein has been identified as an ideal infection marker due to its early and long-term expression during the ASFV infection period. Timely monitoring of ASFV p30 enables the detection of ASFV infection and assessment of disease progression. Aptamers are an outstanding substitute for antibodies to develop an efficient tool for ASFV p30 protein detection. In this study, a series of aptamer candidates were screened by in vitro magnetic bead-based systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (MB-SELEX). An aptamer (Atc-20) finally showed high specificity and affinity (Kd = 140 ± 10 pM) against ASFV p30 protein after truncation and affinity assessment. Furthermore, an aptamer/antibody heterogeneous sandwich detection assay was designed based on Atc20, achieving a linear detection of ASFV p30 ranging from 8 to 125 ng/ml and a detection limit (LOD) of 0.61 ng/ml. This assay showed good analytical performances and effectively detected p30 protein in diluted serum samples, presenting promising potential for the development of ASFV biosensors.
Modified host defence peptide GF19 slows TNT-mediated spread of corneal herpes simplex virus serotype I infection
Authors: Thathapudi Neethi C. , Callai-Silva Natalia , Malhotra Kamal , Basu Sankar , Aghajanzadeh-Kiyaseh Mozhgan , Zamani-Roudbaraki Mostafa , Groleau Marc , Lombard-Vadnais Félix , Lesage Sylvie , Griffith May
Published: February 2024

Corneal HSV-1 infections are a leading cause of infectious blindness globally by triggering tissue damage due to the intense inflammation. HSV-1 infections are treated mainly with antiviral drugs that clear the infections but are inefficient as prophylactics. The body produces innate cationic host defence peptides (cHDP), such as the cathelicidin LL37. Various epithelia, including the corneal epithelium, express LL37. cHDPs can cause disintegration of pathogen membranes, stimulate chemokine production, and attract immune cells. Here, we selected GF17, a peptide containing the LL37 fragment with bioactivity but with minimal cytotoxicity, and added two cell-penetrating amino acids to enhance its activity. The resulting GF19 was relatively cell-friendly, inducing only partial activation of antigen presenting immune cells in vitro. We showed that HSV-1 spreads by tunneling nanotubes in cultured human corneal epithelial cells. GF19 given before infection was able to block infection, most likely by blocking viral entry. When cells were sequentially  exposed to viruses and GF19,  the infection was attenuated but not arrested, supporting the contention that the GF19 mode of action was to block viral entry. Encapsulation into silica nanoparticles allowed a more sustained release of GF19, enhancing its activity. GF19 is most likely suitable as a prevention rather than a virucidal treatment.