bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Eigenvalue Ratio Approach to Inferring Population Structure from Whole Genome Sequencing Data
Authors: Xu Yuyang , Liu Zhonghua , Yao Jianfeng
Published: May 2022

Inference of population structure from genetic data plays an important role in population and medical genetics studies. With the advancement and decreasing cost of sequencing technology, the increasingly available whole genome sequencing data provide much richer information about the underlying population structure. The traditional method originally developed for array-based genotype data for computing and selecting top principal components (PCs) that capture population structure may not perform well on sequencing data for two reasons. First, the number of genetic variants p is much larger than the sample size n in sequencing data such that the sample-to-marker ratio is nearly zero, violating the assumption of the Tracy-Widom test used in their method. Second, their method might not be able to handle the linkage disequilibrium well in sequencing data. To resolve those two practical issues, we propose a new method called ERStruct to determine the number of top informative PCs based on sequencing data. More specifically, we propose to use the ratio of consecutive eigenvalues as a more robust test statistic, and then we approximate its null distribution using modern random matrix theory. Both simulation studies and applications to two public data sets from the HapMap 3 and the 1000 Genomes Projects demonstrate the empirical performance of our ERStruct method.
Cesarean birth and risk of obesity from birth to adolescence: A cohort study
Authors: Dal’Maso Elizandra , Rodrigues Paulo Rogério Melo , Ferreira Márcia Gonçalves , Moreira Naiara Ferraz , Muraro Ana Paula
Published: May 2022

Background

Recent studies have shown associations between cesarean birth and overweight. However, very few studies have evaluated weight gain or adiposity throughout life, and the majority are restricted to analysis during childhood. The purpose of this study was to analyze the effect of cesarean birth on obesity risk from birth to adolescence.

Methods

The study sample was drawn from live births that occurred in 1999 and 2000 in Mato Grosso‐Brazil. Participants were evaluated once when they were between 0 and 5 years of age and again after approximately 10 years (2009–2011). To measure the association between cesarean birth and obesity (Body Mass Index/age >+2 z‐scores), we used generalized estimation equations (GEE) with binomial distribution and log‐binomial models for repeated measures, controlled by the following confounding factors: weight and length at birth, sex, gestational age, breastfeeding, maternal age and schooling, economic class in childhood, and maternal smoking during pregnancy. The exposure‐time interaction term was evaluated to verify differences in the change in the risk of obesity over time.

Results

56.8% of children in the sample were born by cesarean birth. Children born by cesarean had a higher risk of obesity from birth through adolescence (RR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.02; 1.46), even after adjusting for covariates, when compared with those born vaginally. However, the time–exposure interaction term was not significant, which indicates that there was no increased risk of obesity over time.

Conclusion

Cesarean birth was positively associated with obesity from birth to adolescence, with a persistent risk in the period evaluated.
Neuroimaging and neurological outcome of children with acute encephalitis
Authors: Pöyhönen Heidi M. , Nyman Mikko J. , Peltola Ville T. , Löyttyniemi Eliisa S. , Lähdesmäki Tuire T.
Published: May 2022

Aim

To investigate the severity of acute phase magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings and severity of acute illness as risk factors for disability after recovery from encephalitis.

Method

Children with encephalitis (n = 98; median age 6 years 10 months, interquartile range 3 years–11 years 6 months; 59 males, 39 females) treated in Turku University Hospital during the years 1995 to 2016 were identified in this retrospective cohort study. The acute phase (<2 months of symptom onset) brain MRIs were re‐evaluated and classified based on the severity of neuroimaging finding by a neuroradiologist. Neurological outcome at discharge, at short‐term (<3 months from discharge) follow‐up, and at long‐term (>1 year from discharge) follow‐up was assessed from medical records using the Glasgow Outcome Scale.

Results

Long‐term recovery was poor in 24 of 82 (29%) children with follow‐up data. Two children died, eight had severe disability, and 14 had moderate disability. Acute phase MRI was available for re‐evaluation from 74 of 82 patients with follow‐up data. The increasing severity of MRI findings was associated with need for ventilator therapy and with poor recovery.

Interpretation

The risk for poor recovery in paediatric encephalitis is high, and it is associated with the severity of MRI findings.

What this paper adds

Poor long‐term recovery was found in 29% of children with encephalitis.

Severe disability measured by Glasgow Outcome Scale was found in 8%.

The most severe neuroimaging findings were a risk factor for severe acute illness and poor long‐term recovery.
13C methodologies for quantifying biochar stability in soil: A critique
Authors: Chalk Phillip , Smith Christopher J.
Published: May 2022

Methodologies based on 13C‐enrichment (E), 13C‐depletion (D) and 13C‐natural abundance (NA) to estimate the stability of biochar in soil were critically examined. The stability of 13C‐enriched biochar can be estimated by the quantitative recovery of excess 13C, either in the soil or in evolved CO2. Both approaches have advantages and disadvantages. Recovery in the soil is a measure of both residual biochar 13C + 13C immobilised in soil organic matter during biochar decomposition. Variable proportions of organic‐ and inorganic‐C are present in alkaline biochars, and few data exist on the uniformity of labelling, which is a basic requirement of the respired 13CO2 and E methodology. The E technique has had limited application due to the cost and difficulty of obtaining a uniformly‐enriched feedstock through continuous labelling of plants with 13CO2 at a constant 13C enrichment. In contrast, the NA technique has been widely applied. The NA and D techniques are in situ methods that involve the addition of C4‐derived biochar to a C3‐soil or vice versa. Stability is estimated by a two‐end‐member mixing model that allows the proportion of evolved CO2 derived from the biochar (Cdfb) to be estimated. The mixing model has recently been misused to estimate the Cdfb of 13C‐enriched biochar, with 13C‐abundance expressed as erroneously large δ values. 13C‐based methods provide a yardstick against which rapid stability tests should be evaluated. While numerous laboratory incubation comparisons have been conducted, very few field‐based data have been published.

Highlights

13C methods for estimating biochar stability are based on uniform isotopic labelling.

Organic and inorganic constituents of biochar may not be uniformly labelled.

Expression of 13C enriched biochar as large δ values (>500 units) rather than atom fraction excess led to larger errors in stability estimation.

Few 13C field‐based estimates of biochar stability exist.
First record of the pyriform scale, Protopulvinaria pyriformis Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccidae), on Laurus nobilis L. in Tunisia
Authors: Harbi Ahlem , Abbes Khaled , Suma Pompeo , Gharsallaoui Samir , Chermiti Brahim
Published: May 2022

This paper reports the first finding of the pyriform scale, Protopulvinaria pyriformis Cockerell (1894), infesting laurel, Laurus nobilis L., in Tunisia. The pest was found in May 2020 in a private garden in the region of Jawhara, Governorate of Sousse, Coastal Tunisia. Heavily infested laurel trees were observed on which the upper surfaces of leaves were extensively covered with a black sooty mould. Brief notes on diagnostic features of this scale and symptoms of infestation are presented. Possible pest risks and control measures aimed at avoiding the potential further spread of the pest in Tunisia are discussed.
Effects of different cooking methods on chemical compositions, in vitro starch digestibility and antioxidant activity of taro (Colocasia esculenta) corms
Authors: Kapcum Chutikarn , Pasada Kannika , Kantiwong Pearploy , Sroysang Buraporn , Phiwtawee Jiratchaya , Suphantharika Manop , Belur Prasanna D. , Agoo Esperanza Maribel G. , Janairo Jose Isagani Belen , Wongsagonsup Rungtiwa
Published: May 2022

The impacts of different cooking methods (boiling, steaming, baking, microwaving and frying) on chemical compositions, starch digestibility and antioxidant activity of taro corms were investigated. Compared with raw taro, boiling and frying reduced crude protein and ash contents. Frying significantly increased crude fat and fibre contents but decreased carbohydrate content. All cooking methods reduced oxalate content, especially frying. Among the cooked products, the boiled taro had the highest rapidly digestible starch (RDS) but the lowest resistant starch (RS) contents. In contrast, the fried taro provided the lowest RDS but the highest RS contents. All cooking methods reduced the total phenolic content and antioxidant activity of taro. The boiled taro had the lowest antioxidant activity but the fired taro provided the highest. Frying was able to retain most of the health‐promoting compounds with the lowest oxalate content; however, the high consumption of high‐fat fried taro may adversely affect human health.
Exploiting adaptive immune receptor recombination read recoveries from exome files to identify subsets of ALL and to establish TCR features that correlate with better outcomes
Authors: Gozlan Etienne C. , Chobrutskiy Boris I. , Blanck George
Published: May 2022

Introduction

The recovery of adaptive immune receptor (IR) recombination reads from tumour‐derived genomics files has advanced the understanding of the immune system's interaction with cancer. This approach has been largely limited to solid tumours, where genomics file preparation allows for the recovery of adaptive IR reads corresponding to the T‐cells and B‐cells found in the solid tumour microenvironment. In this study, we sought to determine whether IR recombination reads from liquid tumour genomics files could also be informative.

Methods

We recovered the adaptive IR recombination reads from acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) normal and pathological genomics files of the Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET)‐ALL, phase 2 project.

Results

In the bone marrow setting, results indicated that there was little or no B‐cell response to ALL. However, results did show survival distinctions for B‐cell ALL, in cases with specific T‐cell complementarity determining region‐3 chemical features, potentially reflecting specificity of the adaptive T‐cell response against ALL. Furthermore, we found that the B‐cell form of ALL, as well as what is likely TRD clonotypic, T‐cell ALL, could likely be diagnosed via the recovery of B‐cell receptor and TRD recombination reads, respectively, from pathological bone marrow exome files.

Conclusions

Recovery of IR recombination reads from ALL exomes could aid in sub‐type diagnoses and prognoses.
Live‐attenuated influenza vaccine effectiveness against hospitalization in children aged 2–6 years, the first three seasons of the childhood influenza vaccination program in England, 2013/14–2015/16
Authors: Boddington Nicki L. , Mangtani Punam , Zhao Hongxin , Verlander Neville Q. , Ellis Joanna , Andrews Nick , Pebody Richard G.
Published: May 2022

Introduction

In 2013, the United Kingdom began to roll‐out a universal annual influenza vaccination program for children. An important component of any new vaccination program is measuring its effectiveness. Live‐attenuated influenza vaccines (LAIVs) have since shown mixed results with vaccine effectiveness (VE) varying across seasons and countries elsewhere. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of influenza vaccination in children against severe disease during the first three seasons of the LAIV program in England.

Methods

Using the screening method, LAIV vaccination coverage in children hospitalized with laboratory‐confirmed influenza infection was compared with vaccination coverage in 2–6‐year‐olds in the general population to estimate VE in 2013/14–2015/16.

Results

The overall LAIV VE, adjusted for age group, week/month and geographical area, for all influenza types pooled over the three influenza seasons was 50.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] 31.2, 63.8). By age, there was evidence of protection against hospitalization from influenza vaccination in both the pre‐school (2–4‐year‐olds) (48.1%, 95% CI 27.2, 63.1) and school‐aged children (5–6‐year‐olds) (62.6%, 95% CI 2.6, 85.6) over the three seasons.

Conclusion

LAIV vaccination in children provided moderate annual protection against laboratory‐confirmed influenza‐related hospitalization in England over the three influenza seasons. This study contributes further to the limited literature to date on influenza VE against severe disease in children.
Comparison of the clinical effects of intermittently scanned and real‐time continuous glucose monitoring in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: A retrospective cohort study
Authors: Urakami Tatsuhiko , Terada Hiroki , Yoshida Kei , Kuwabara Remi , Mine Yusuke , Aoki Masako , Shoji Yasuko , Suzuki Junichi , Morioka Ichiro
Published: May 2022

Aims/Introduction

The aim of the study was to compare two continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, intermittently scanned CGM (isCGM) and real‐time CGM (rtCGM), to determine which system achieved better glycemic control in pediatric patients.

Materials and Methods

We carried out a retrospective cohort study of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes, and compared the time in range (70–180 mg/dL), time below range (<70 mg/dL) and time above range (>180 mg/dL), and estimated glycated hemoglobin levels between patients on isCGM and rtCGM.

Results

Of the 112 participants, 76 (67.9%) used isCGM and 36 (32.1%) used rtCGM for glycemic management. Patients on rtCGM had significantly greater time in range (57.7 ± 12.3% vs 52.3 ± 12.3%, P = 0.0368), and had significantly lower time below range (4.3 ± 2.7% vs 10.2% ± 5.4%, P < 0.001) than those on isCGM, but there was no significant difference in the time above range (37.4 ± 12.9% vs 38.0% ± 12.5%, P = 0.881) or the glycosylated hemoglobin A1c levels (7.4 ± 0.9% vs 7.5 ± 0.8%, P = 0.734) between the two groups.

Conclusions

Pediatric patients with type 1 diabetes on rtCGM also showed more beneficial effects for increase of time in range, with a notable reduction of time below range compared with those on isCGM. Real‐time CGM might provide better glycemic control than isCGM in children with type 1 diabetes.
Sustained positive consequences of genetic rescue of fitness and behavioural traits in inbred populations of Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Jørgensen Daniel Bang , Ørsted Michael , Kristensen Torsten Nygaard
Published: May 2022

One solution to alleviate the detrimental genetic effects associated with reductions in population size and fragmentation is to introduce immigrants from other populations. While the effects of this genetic rescue on fitness traits are fairly well known, it is less clear to what extent inbreeding depression and subsequent genetic rescue affect behavioural traits. In this study, replicated crosses between inbred lines of Drosophila melanogaster were performed in order to investigate the effects of inbreeding and genetic rescue on egg‐to‐adult viability and negative geotaxis behaviour—a locomotor response used to measure, e.g. the effects of physiological ageing. Transgenerational effects of outcrossing were investigated by examining the fitness consequences in both the F1 and F4 generation. The majority of inbred lines showed evidence for inbreeding depression for both egg‐to‐adult viability and behavioural performance (95% and 66% of lines, respectively), with inbreeding depression being more pronounced for viability compared with the locomotor response. Subsequent outcrossing with immigrants led to an alleviation of the negative effects for both viability and geotaxis response resulting in inbred lines being similar to the outbred controls, with beneficial effects persisting from F1 to F4. Overall, the results clearly show that genetic rescue can provide transgenerational rescue of small, inbred populations by rapidly improving population fitness components. Thus, we show that even the negative effects of inbreeding on behaviour, similar to that of neurodegeneration associated with physiological ageing, can be reversed by genetic rescue.
Insulin resistance and idiopathic hirsutism: A systematic review, meta‐analysis, and meta‐regression
Authors: Amiri Mina , Mahmoudieh Leila , Sheidaei Ali , Fallahzadeh Aida , Ramezani Tehrani Fahimeh
Published: May 2022

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the Standardized Mean Difference (SMD) of insulin resistance parameters in women with IH, compared to healthy and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) controls.

Materials and Methods

PubMed, Scopus, Web of Sciences, and Embase were searched for retrieving studies published up to November 2021 investigating the insulin resistance parameters in women with IH, compared to control groups. Meta‐regression and subgroup analysis were conducted to evaluate the effect of potential confounders, such as age, BMI, and study design.

Results

A meta‐analysis of 20 studies revealed that higher SMDs of fasting insulin (SMD: 0.58; 95% CI: 0.10, 1.06), HOMA‐IR (SMD: 0.53; 95% CI: 0.09, 0.97), and FBS levels (SMD: 0.11; 95% CI: 0.03, 0.19) in women with IH than healthy. It also showed that the SMD of HOMA‐IR was significantly lower in women with IH than PCOS patients (SMD: −0.49; 95% CI: −0.88, −0.09). A subgroup analysis of cross‐sectional studies showed higher SMDs of fasting insulin (SMD: 0.86; 95% CI: 0.05, 1.68), HOMA‐IR (SMD: 0.83; 95% CI: 0.01, 1.64), and FBS levels (SMD: 0.14; 95% CI: 0.00, 0.28) in women with IH than healthy, whereas there was no difference in the SMD of these metabolic parameters between IH and PCOS groups, except for SMD of HOMA‐IR (SMD: −0.22; 95% CI: −0.42, −0.02).

Conclusions

The results of the study demonstrate that insulin resistance parameters are related to IH, although insulin resistance values in women with IH are not as high as in patients with PCOS. According to the results of the study, measuring these metabolic parameters can be beneficial to evaluate all hirsute women with IH.
Patent law and 3D printing applications in response to COVID‐19: Exceptions to inventor rights
Authors: Abbas Muhammad Z.
Published: May 2022

Three‐dimensional (3D) printing technology offers promise in relation to much‐needed health technologies associated with COVID‐19. Additive manufacturing, which allows the rapid conversion of information from digital 3D models into physical objects, is uniquely well‐positioned to address the shortage of critical medical devices by enabling the fabrication and repair of medical devices in a timely and cost‐effective manner. This paper examines the issue of patent rights being at odds with access to critical 3D printable health technologies during COVID‐19 crisis. It undertakes an in‐depth analysis of the right to repair and calls for a clearer recognition of the right to repair exemption at the global level. It also evaluates the private and noncommercial use exception and proposes the use of a reasonably broad form of this exception to make it practically significant. It also considers the experimental use exception and calls upon World Trade Organization Member States to provide legislative clarity that a defense of an experimental use extends to repairs. This study is crucial because access to necessary health technologies, in a pandemic context, is a matter of life and death for millions of patients around the globe, especially for underprivileged patients in resource‐constrained countries.
Experts, aliens, and everyone in between: Agriculture committee assignments and sector embeddedness in the Argentine Congress
Authors: Levita Gabriel
Published: May 2022

Agriculture is one of the most important sectors in Argentina's economy. Although most of the time congressional committees play a secondary role regarding agricultural policy, they become crucial in certain situations. In this article, we analyze the political economy of agriculture committee assignments in the Argentine Congress and the embeddedness of their members in the agricultural sector from 2001 to 2019. Conventional wisdom holds that in Argentina—a strongly presidential country with a congress full of amateur legislators and party‐oriented career paths—the standing committee's composition reflects party leaders' preferences rather than constituencies' interests or legislators' backgrounds. Through descriptive analysis and a binary logistic regression, we show that many committee members are in fact experts in agriculture and are highly embedded in the sector, whereas others have no bonds whatsoever. Moreover, constituency preferences have some influence on committee appointments. These findings contribute to understanding better the legislative organization of Congress and the overlap between politics and this fundamental economic sector. They further help to expand the theoretical approach for studying economic committee composition in Argentina.
Identification and functional assays of single‐nucleotide variants of opsins genes in melanocytic tumors
Authors: Zhang Wei , Zeng Wen , Feng Jianglong , Li Pinhao , Wang Yu , Lu Hongguang
Published: May 2022

Epidermal melanocytes sense solar light via the opsin‐coupled signaling pathway which is involved in a range of biological functions, including regulating pigmentation, proliferation, apoptosis, and tumorigenesis. However, it remains unclear whether there are genetic variants within these opsins that affect opsin protein structure and function, and further melanocyte biological behaviors. Here, we examined single‐nucleotide variants (SNVs) of five opsin (RGR, OPN1SW, OPN2, OPN4, and OPN5) genes in MM (malignant melanoma; n = 76) and MN (melanocytic nevi; n = 157), using next‐generation sequencing. The effects of these pathogenic single‐nucleotide variants (SNVs) on opsin structure and function were further investigated using molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, dynamic cross‐correlation (DCC), and site‐directed mutagenesis. In total, 107 SNV variants were identified. Of these variants, 14 nonsynonymous SNVs (nsSNVs) of opsin genes were detected, including three mutations in the RGR gene, three mutations in the OPN1SW gene, two mutations in the OPN2 gene, and six mutations in the OPN4 gene. The effect of these missense mutations on opsin function was then assessed using eight prediction tools to estimate the potential impact of an amino acid substitution. The impact of each nsSNV was investigated using MD simulations and DCC analysis. Furthermore, we performed in vitro fluorescence calcium imaging to assess the functional properties of nsSNV proteins using a site‐directed mutagenesis method. Taken together, these results revealed that p.A103V (RGR), p.T167I (RGR), p.G141S (OPN1SW), p.R144C (OPN1SW), and p.S231F (OPN4) had more deleterious effects on protein structure and function among the 14 nsSNVs. Opsin gene alterations showed the low frequency of missense mutations in melanocytic tumors, and although rare, some mutations in these opsin genes disrupt the canonical function of opsin. Our findings provide new insight into the role of opsin variants in the loss of function.
Viability Improvement of Three‐Dimensional Human Skin Substitutes by Photobiomodulation during Cultivation
Authors: Tsunoi Yasuyuki , Miyazaki Hiromi , Kawauchi Satoko , Akagi Takami , Akashi Mitsuru , Saitoh Daizoh , Sato Shunichi
Published: May 2022

Three‐dimensional (3D) cultured skin containing vascular networks is a useful skin substitute that enables rapid reperfusion after transplantation. During its cultivation, however, insufficient nutrient delivery to the thick cultured tissue from the surrounding culture medium decreases the tissue viability. To solve this problem, in this study, we applied photobiomodulation (PBM), which can optically activate the electron transport chain of mitochondria, to human 3D skin cultures constructed using the layer‐by‐layer cell coating technique. PBM was applied once 5 days after the start of epidermal differentiation using a light‐emitting diode array with a center wavelength of 440, 523, 658 or 823 nm at a constant light intensity of 15 mW cm−2 for 50 or 600 s. Two days after PBM, we assessed the viability of the tissues by a water‐soluble tetrazolium‐8 assay, adenosine triphosphate measurements and live/dead cell imaging, and the results showed that the PBM at 823 nm for 50 s (0.75 J cm−2) significantly improved the viability of the 3D‐cultured skin.
Is winter coming? Minor effect of the onset of chilling accumulation on the prediction of endodormancy release and budbreak
Authors: Charrier Guillaume
Published: May 2022

The buds of perennial plants become dormant in autumn and must integrate the information related to chilling and forcing temperatures to resume their growth in spring. In many studies, the initial date for chilling accumulation (DCA) is set arbitrarily using various rules resulting in high variability across studies and sites. To test the relevancy of different rules to set DCA, sequential models (taking into account or not the negative effect of warm temperature) were optimized by minimizing the sums of squares between observed and predicted values for 34 endodormancy release and 77 budbreak dates for the walnut Juglans regia L. cv Franquette across France. Optimization of these different models highlighted that many of the DCA rules, incorporating a photoperiod signal on endodormancy induction, were effective (predicted root mean square standard error less than 10 and 8 days for endodormancy onset and bud break, respectively). Furthermore, the use of functions that compute negative chilling accumulation did not improve the performance of the models. Among the different rules, the projections of the best models were explored under different climates (current climate and Representative Concentration Pathways RCP scenarios). The projections revealed a tipping point at a mean annual temperature between 13 and 15°C, beyond which the advance in ontogenic development during ecodormancy does not compensate for the delay in endodormancy release. Although the physiological mechanisms driving the onset of endodormancy may be profoundly altered by global change, they appear to have minimal impact on the way current models predict dormancy and budbreak dates in walnut.
Highly Irregular Functional Generalized Linear Regression with Electronic Health Records
Authors: Petrovich Justin , Reimherr Matthew , Daymont Carrie
Published: May 2022

This work presents a new approach, called Multiple Imputation of Sparsely-sampled Functions at Irregular Times (MISFIT), for fitting generalized functional linear regression models with sparsely and irregularly sampled data. Current methods do not allow for consistent estimation unless one assumes that the number of observed points per curve grows sufficiently quickly with the sample size. In contrast, MISFIT is based on a multiple imputation framework, which, as we demonstrate empirically, has the potential to produce consistent estimates without such an assumption. Just as importantly, it propagates the uncertainty of not having completely observed curves, allowing for a more accurate assessment of the uncertainty of parameter estimates, something that most methods currently cannot accomplish. This work is motivated by a longitudinal study on macrocephaly, or atypically large head size, in which electronic medical records allow for the collection of a great deal of data. However, the sampling is highly variable from child to child. Using MISFIT we are able to clearly demonstrate that the development of pathologic conditions related to macrocephaly is associated with both the overall head circumference of the children as well as the velocity of their head growth.
Children's inductive inferences about individuals with gender category uncertainty
Authors: Yuly‐Youngblood Andrea C. , Boseovski Janet J.
Published: May 2022

Little research focuses on children's reasoning about people whose gender is perceived as uncertain. Five‐ to 8‐year‐olds viewed a target with a gender uncertain appearance. The target had trait or preference similarities with a character from a binary, specified gender (i.e., boy, girl) and appearance similarities with another character that had an uncertain gender. Half of the participants heard gender uncertainty labels (i.e., “We're not sure about this person. This person doesn't look like a boy or a girl.”) or gender specification labels (i.e., “This person is a boy.”) for each character. The remaining participants heard miscellaneous character information. Children inferred whether the target favored the same novel activity as the character with similar traits or preferences, but with a specified gender, or the gender uncertain character. Seven‐ and 8‐year‐olds made more trait‐based predictions than 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds, but both age groups made unsystematic predictions in response to preferences, suggesting that some viewed preferences and others viewed gender as reflective of broader similarities among people in this context. A follow‐up study with 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds conveyed gender uncertainty more directly through identification (i.e., “This person is not a boy or a girl.”) and revealed that children consistently made preference‐based, but not trait‐based, predictions about the target. The present findings reveal that children do not reason about gender uncertainty in the same way that they reason about the binary gender categories, which highlights the need to further investigate children's understanding of gender beyond the typical boy and girl dichotomy.
Coupling of ASTEC V2.1 and RASCAL 4.3 Codes to Evaluate the Source Term and the Radiological Consequences of a Loss-of-Cooling Accident at a Spent Fuel Pool
Authors: Guglielmelli Antonio , Ederli Stefano , Mascari Fulvio , Rocchi Federico , Maccari Pietro
Published: May 2022

This paper deals with a general methodology to evaluate the Source Term (ST) and the Radiological Consequences (RC) of a hypothetical Severe Accident (SA) at a Fukushima-like Spent Fuel Pool (SFP) by coupling ASTEC 2.1 and RASCAL 4.3 SA and consequence projections (CP) codes, respectively. The methodology consists of the following sequential steps: the ST provided by a prior simulation performed by ASTEC V2.1 code was used as input to RASCAL 4.3 code to make a RC analysis. This approach was developed as a preparatory study for the Management and Uncertainties in Severe Accident (MUSA) H2020 European Project, coordinated by CIEMAT, where the ENEA's Nuclear Installations safety laboratory is committed to performing an analysis on a Fukushima-like SFP with the aim to apply innovative management of SFP accidents (WP6) to mitigate the RC of the accident itself. To perform the RC studies that could have an impact on Italy, a Fukushima-like SFP was assumed located in one of the Italian cross-border NPP sites. The weather data adopted are both standard and real hourly meteorological data taken from more than one geographical location. The results of the RC for 96 h of ST release in a range of 160 km from the emission point are reported in terms of Total Effective Dose Equivalent (TEDE), Thyroid dose, and Cs-137 total ground deposition. The mitigating effect on ST and on RC of the cooling spray system (CSS) actuated with several pH values (i.e., 4,7,10) was also investigated.
Experimental and Numerical Investigations Into the Blade Tip Phantom Cooling Performance
Authors: Li Feng , Jia Zhe , Wang Haifeng , Liu Zhao , Feng Zhenping
Published: May 2022

In the gas turbines, the blade tip is difficult to be cooled down due to the complex flow and the intense heat transfer process here. Phantom cooling has been considered a kind of second-order cooling effect to help protect the tip using upstream spent cooling air. In this work, the blade tip phantom cooling performance of four different tip configurations (the flat tip (FT), the squealer tip with suction-side rim (SSRST), the squealer tip with pressure-side rim (PSRST), and the squealer tip with double-side rims (DSRST)) was compared under four different cooling air blowing ratios (M), with two different tip gaps (τ = 1.32% C (chord), and 3.22% C). Pressure sensitive paint technique was adopted to obtain the cooling effectiveness contours. The turbulence-validated computational predictions were performed to help analyze the flow characteristics near the tip. Results indicated that the FT case presents the best phantom cooling performance than others, and phantom cooling traces can be detected on most portions of the tip. The η values of the SSRST case are a little bit lower than the FT case, and the PSRST and DSRST cases perform the worst for almost no phantom cooling traces can be observed on the cavity surface. Additionally, a bigger tip gap would reduce the tip phantom cooling effectiveness for any tip configuration. Moreover, from the computational results (τ = 1.32% C, M = 1.5), relatively lower aerodynamic losses are obtained in SSRST and DSRST cases, while the PSRST case shows the highest loss.
Categorizing auditory objects of perceived sounds in the built environment
Authors: Yilmazer Semiha , Acun Volkan , Dalirnaghadeh Donya , Fasllija Ela , Şahin Zekiye , Mercan Elif
Published: May 2022

This exploratory study focuses on a cognitive approach to categorize complex auditory scenes in the built environment, while prior studies have concentrated on outdoor acoustic environments. Six experts and 30 non-experts performed a free chip sorting task to assess 70 binaural recordings taken from indoor spaces. Healthcare, working, cultural, educational, leisure, worship, and transportation spaces (e.g., bus, train, metro stations, and airports) were chosen as public spaces. The participants were asked to classify the auditory objects into sound categories based on the descriptive labels provided by the authors to identify the sound sources. The findings, obtained through hierarchical agglomerative clustering and non-metric multidimensional scaling (MDS), show that there are three prominent category labels regarding perceived sound in the indoor acoustic environment: (1) intelligible and unintelligible speech; (2) periodic and transient sounds; and (3) stationary and non-stationary sounds. Human-generated sounds such as conversation, laughter, footsteps, and coughing vary over time according to the context of the built environment. Moreover, technology-related sounds, such as mechanical and electronic ones, have a deterministic and random nature that differ according to the function of the spaces.
Acoustic metamaterials with independently tunable mass, damping, and stiffness
Authors: Ramakrishnan Vinod , Frazier Michael J.
Published: May 2022

Over the past decades, metamaterials—whose engineered internal architecture grants unusual or extraordinary macroscopic response—have garnered increasing attention from researchers as the desire to shape material behavior beyond natural limitations (e.g., chemistry) arises within several areas of materials science and engineering. The bulk of reported acoustic metamaterial architectures are passive such that their properties and functions are fixed at fabrication. Nevertheless, a tuning capacity is desirable to expand the range of response, in general, and to allow for adaptation in the face of changing service requirements. Despite the diversity of proposed tuning strategies, most target the stiffness parameter alone, leaving the inertial and dissipative properties unaffected. In this presentation, we present a novel implementation of (geometric) bi-stability and kinematic amplification to independently tune the value and distribution of the effective mass, stiffness, and viscous damping within acoustic metamaterials, which impacts the dynamic response. Through analytical and numerical investigations of a 1D system, we show that the corresponding frequency band structure depends on the specific configurations of bi-stable elements within the unit cell. As the number of bi-stable elements per unit cell increases, so to do the number of unique dynamic responses to which to tailor the system. The proposed strategy significantly expands the property set available for tuning acoustic metamaterial performance post-fabrication.
Dynamics of quasiperiodic and quasicrystalline elastic metamaterials
Authors: Ruzzene Massimo , Rosa Matheus , Guo Yuning
Published: May 2022

This talk describes recent progress on quasiperiodic and quasicrystalline metamaterial research done by the group. While the vast majority of metamaterials are based on periodic designs based on a repeating unit cell, quasiperiodic and quasicrystalline metamaterials break the periodicity paradigm and open new interesting possibilities. The first category is based on modulations of the properties of inclusions of otherwise periodic lattices, such as point masses, springs, resonators, or stiffeners, that are given by a deterministic non-periodic pattern. In the second case, quasicrystalline materials are based on rotational symmetries which are forbidden in periodic materials, such as 5,7,8, and 10-fold rotational symmetries. The investigation of the dynamics of such materials reveals intriguing properties such as topological bandgaps and localized vibration modes that can be manipulated by a few key parameters, and wave directionalities enabled by higher order rotational symmetries that expand the behavior known to be possible in periodic metamaterials. The talk will summarize the progress done in the area, including a large number of numerical and experimental investigations.
Benefits of app-based speech in noise screener for children
Authors: Lewis Darchayla , Sullivan Jessica , Irwin Julia , Nelson Peggy
Published: May 2022

Current hearing screening methods focus on assessing a child’s ability to hear tones in quiet. However, this isn’t reflective of real-world classroom situations. Our proposed screening test uses speech in quiet and noise to evaluate a child’s auditory comprehension and possible auditory processing abilities. In this study, we investigate whether a speech in noise screener, Hearing Assessment in Response to Noise Screener (HeARS), is sensitive to detecting possible listening difficulties. We measured responses to a four-choice task with adapting signal to noise ratios based on individual performance. Following an auditory stimulus, the child is presented with four choices that are visual images of the spoken words. The child selects the correct image they hear, and based on their performance the signal to noise ratios increase or decrease in difficulty. Scores are reported as percent correct. We hypothesized that results from the screener would capture differences between speech understanding in noise and quiet conditions. In addition, a speech in noise screener may be more sensitive to deficits in auditory comprehension than traditional screening methods. Preliminary data suggest that the accuracy of understanding words in background noise increases with age. Results have implications for identifying children with auditory comprehension and processing deficits sooner, especially in underserved populations.
Annotated Whole-Genome Multilocus Sequence Typing Schema for Scalable High-Resolution Typing of Streptococcus pyogenes
Authors: Friães A. , Mamede R. , Ferreira M. , Melo-Cristino J. , Ramirez M.
Published: May 2022

Streptococcus pyogenes
is a major human pathogen with high genetic diversity, largely created by recombination and horizontal gene transfer, making it difficult to use single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based genome-wide analyses for surveillance. Using a gene-by-gene approach on 208 complete genomes of
S. pyogenes
, a novel whole-genome multilocus sequence typing (wgMLST) schema was developed, comprising 3,044 target loci.
Draft Genome Sequence of
Nereida
sp. Strain MMG025, Isolated from Giant Kelp
Authors: Alker Amanda T. , Hern Natalie A. , Ali Munira A. , Baez Melissa I. , Baswell Brianna C. , Baxter Bryn I. , Blitz Alyssa , Calimlim Theresa M. , Chevalier Cierra A. , Eguia Claudia A. , Esparza Tania , Fuller Alaina E. , Gwynn Caitlin J. , Hedin Allison L. , Johnson Ronnesha A. , Kaur Maninder , Laxina Rio T. , Lee Kouta , Maguire Payton N. , Martelino Isabella F. , Melendez Jennifer A. , Navarro Jeannine J. , Navarro Jazmin N. , Osborn James M. , Padilla Mariana R. , Peralta Nicole D. , Pureza John Lawrence R. , Rojas Jesse J. , Romo Taelor R. , Sakha Morsal , Salcedo Geronimo J. , Sims Kaiden A. , Trieu Thanh Ha , Niesman Ingrid R. , Shikuma Nicholas J.
Published: May 2022

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of
Nereida
sp. strain MMG025, isolated from the surface of giant kelp and assembled and analyzed by undergraduate students participating in a marine microbial genomics course. A genomic comparison suggests that MMG025 is a novel species, providing a resource for future microbiology and biotechnology investigations.
Complete Genome Sequence of Lactobacillus acidophilus LA-10A, a Promising Probiotic Strain Isolated from Fermented Mare’s Milk
Authors: Yu Xueping , Yu Yang , Ouyang Jialiang , Wen Haixia , Wang Hongting , Ma Xin
Published: May 2022

This report describes the whole-genome sequence of
Lactobacillus acidophilus
LA-10A, isolated from fermented mare’s milk. This strain has been widely consumed due to its excellent performance in the treatment and prevention of
Helicobacter pylori
infection. The genome sequence of LA-10A provides further molecular information about its features.
Stabilization of Murine Norovirus by Bacteria
Authors: Budicini Melissa R. , Pfeiffer Julie K.
Published: May 2022

Enteric viruses are exposed to a wide variety of bacteria in the intestine, but the effects of bacteria on viral particles are incompletely understood. We found that murine norovirus (MNV) virion stability is enhanced in the presence of several Gram-positive bacterial strains.
Development of HEK-293 Cell Lines Constitutively Expressing Flaviviral Antigens for Use in Diagnostics
Authors: Powers Jordan A. , Skinner Benjamin , Davis Brent S. , Biggerstaff Brad J. , Robb Lucy , Gordon Elizabeth , de Souza William M. , Fumagalli Marcilio Jorge , Calvert Amanda E. , Chang Gwong-Jen
Published: May 2022

Serological diagnostic testing for flaviviral infections is hindered by the need for specialized biocontainment for preparation of reagents and assay implementation. The use of previously developed COS-1 cell lines secreting noninfectious recombinant viral antigen is limited due to diminished antigen secretion over time.
Short Chain Fatty Acids and Bacterial Taxa Associated with Reduced Salmonella enterica serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- Shedding in Swine Fed a Diet Supplemented with Resistant Potato Starch
Authors: Trachsel Julian M. , Bearson Bradley L. , Kerr Brian J. , Shippy Daniel C. , Byrne Kristen A. , Loving Crystal L. , Bearson Shawn M. D.
Published: May 2022

Prebiotics, such as resistant potato starch (RPS), are types of food that help to support beneficial bacteria and their activities in the intestines.
Salmonella enterica
serovar I 4,[5],12:i:- is a foodborne pathogen that commonly resides in the intestines of pigs without disease, but can make humans sick if unintentionally consumed. Here we show that in
Salmonella
inoculated pigs, feeding them a diet containing RPS altered the colonization and activity of certain beneficial bacteria in a way that reduced the amount of
Salmonella
in their feces.
Evidence for benthic oxygen production in Neoarchean lacustrine stromatolites
Authors: Wilmeth Dylan T. , Lalonde Stefan V. , Berelson William M. , Petryshyn Victoria , Celestian Aaron J. , Beukes Nicolas J. , Awramik Stanley M. , Spear John R. , Mahseredjian Taleen , Corsetti Frank A.
Published: May 2022

The evolution of oxygenic photosynthesis fundamentally altered the global environment, but the history of this metabolism prior to the Great Oxidation Event (GOE) at ca. 2.4 Ga remains unclear. Increasing evidence suggests that non-marine microbial mats served as localized “oxygen oases” for hundreds of millions of years before the GOE, though direct examination of redox proxies in Archean lacustrine microbial deposits remains relatively limited. We report spatially distinct patterns of positive and negative cerium (Ce) anomalies in lacustrine stromatolites from the 2.74 Ga Ventersdorp Supergroup (Hartbeesfontein Basin, South Africa), which indicate that dynamic redox conditions within ancient microbial communities were driven by oxygenic photosynthesis. Petrographic analyses and rare earth element signatures support a primary origin for Ce anomalies in stromatolite oxides. Oxides surrounding former bubbles entrained in mats (preserved as fenestrae) exhibit positive Ce anomalies, while oxides in stromatolite laminae typically contain strong negative Ce anomalies. The spatial patterns of Ce anomalies in Ventersdorp stromatolites are most parsimoniously explained by localized Ce oxidation and scavenging around oxygen bubbles produced by photosynthesis in microbial mats. Our new data from Ventersdorp stromatolites supports the presence of oxygenic photosynthesis ~300 m.y. before the GOE, and add to the growing evidence for early oxygen oases in Archean non-marine deposits.
Four-Stream Network and Nonsignificant Feature Learning for Visible–Infrared Person Re-Identification
Authors: Liang Yilei , Han Hua , Huang Li , Wang Chunyuan
Published: May 2022

Visible–infrared person re-identification (VI-ReID) is a current focused area in the field of re-identification. In order to reduce the gap between two modalities in VI-ReID and improve recognition accuracy, this paper proposes a four-stream network and nonsignificant feature learning (FS-NSF) method for VI-ReID. First, the dual-intermediate modality images of visible and infrared modalities are generated by two lightweight networks, and the labels are inherited from the visible and infrared images. Second, the ResNet50 backbone network is split in order to reconstruct the network adapted to shared feature learning of the four modalities. Finally, a multi-branch, multi-scale and multi-granularity feature extraction strategy is used to extract both significant and nonsignificant features. The comparison experiments are conducted on SYSU-MM01 dataset and RegDB dataset. The experimental results show that, compared with state-of-the-arts, our method has excellent performance on both datasets, especially on the SYSU-MM01 dataset, with an increase in performance of 1.9–6.28% for each index.
Homology torsion growth of finitely presented pro-p groups
Authors: Nikolov Nikolay
Published: May 2022

We prove that torsion in the abelianizations of open normal subgroups in finitely presented pro-[Formula: see text] groups can grow arbitrarily fast. By way of contrast in [Formula: see text]-adic analytic groups the torsion growth is at most polynomial.