bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new mathematical program with complementarity constraints for optimal localization of pressure reducing valves in water distribution systems
Authors: Dai Pham Duc
Published: August 2021

Water loss reduction in water distribution systems (WDSs) is a challenging task for water utilities worldwide. One of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to reduce water loss is to properly regulate operational pressure of the system through optimizing pressure reducing valve (PRV) placements. This well-known engineering problem can be casted into a mixed-integer nonlinear program (MINLP) where binary variables are introduced to represent positions of PRVs. Many works in the literature applied heuristic algorithms to address the optimization problem. In this paper, at first, we proposed a new optimization model and reformulated it as the mathematical program with complementarity constraints (MPCCs). It is due to the fact that the stationary point of the MPCCs is likely to be trapped into bad local solutions, a soft heuristic method is then proposed to determine the MINLP local solution in each iteration before a stationary point of the MPCCs is reached. This method not only enhances the quality of MINLP solution, but also decreases computation time for solving the MPCCs. The newly formulated MPCCs is applied to determine optimal localization of PRVs for two WDS benchmarks and a real-world WDS in Vietnam. The results are compared with others in the literature demonstrating that using our new optimization model, better and more reliable MINLP solution can be found for large scale WDSs.
Commentary on the Third Geneva Convention
Authors: International Committee of the Red Cross
Published: August 2021

The application and interpretation of
the four Geneva Conventions of 1949 and their two Additional Protocols of 1977 have
developed significantly in the seventy years since the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) first published its Commentaries on these important humanitarian
treaties. To promote a better understanding of, and respect for, this body of law, the
ICRC commissioned a comprehensive update of its original Commentaries, of which this is
the third volume. The Third Convention, relative to the treatment of prisoners of war
and their protections, takes into account developments in the law and practice in the
past seven decades to provide up-to-date interpretations of the Convention. The new
Commentary has been reviewed by humanitarian law practitioners and academics from around
the world. This new Commentary will be an essential tool for anyone involved with
international humanitarian law.
Late Medieval Dress Accessories in Rural Communities in Central-Eastern Europe
Authors: Sawicki Jakub , Levá Kateřina
Published: August 2021

In this article, the authors discuss the standard of living in medieval villages in central Europe on the basis of accessibility to dress, which is usually represented by the only archaeological material remaining—dress accessories, including buckles, strap ends, and rings. They attempt to establish a method of determining the value of the finds based on the different technological qualities of their material, decoration, and types of artefacts, and then discuss the dress accessories from selected village sites with complementary data from rural cemeteries dating from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century. Their overview shows that there was a large degree of similarity between the finds from rural areas and typical urban assemblages.
Repeated antigen testing among severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–positive nursing home residents
Authors: Moritz Erin D. , McKay Susannah L. , Tobolowsky Farrell A. , LaVoie Stephen P. , Waltenburg Michelle A. , Lecy Kristin D. , Thornburg Natalie J. , Harcourt Jennifer L. , Tamin Azaibi , Folster Jennifer M. , Negley Jeanne , Brown Allison C. , McDonald L. Clifford , Kutty Preeta K. ,   for the CDC Infection Prevention and Control Group
Published: August 2021

Repeated antigen testing of 12 severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2)–positive nursing home residents using Abbott BinaxNOW identified 9 of 9 (100%) culture-positive specimens up to 6 days after initial positive test. Antigen positivity lasted 2–24 days. Antigen positivity might last beyond the infectious period, but it was reliable in residents with evidence of early infection.
QIZQAPAN: A ROCK-CUT TOMB FROM THE MEDIAN, ACHAEMENID, SELEUCID OR PARTHIAN PERIOD?
Authors: Rezaei Iraj
Published: August 2021

More than eight decades have passed since Edmonds's introduction to the rock-cut Tomb of Qizqapan, yet there are still ambiguities and questions regarding a number of aspects, specifically its dating. Different dates from the Median, Achaemenid, Seleucid, and Parthian periods have been proposed for this monument. However, out of all the proposed eras, none has been fully accepted by the majority of archaeologists, and disagreements regarding the date still continue. This article reviews and analyses previous proposals and discusses and evaluates other elements which affect the dating of this monument. The results show that by taking into account several factors, the most probable date for this tomb is the fourth century B.C., contemporaneous with the late Achaemenid and the early Seleucid period. The conclusion is that Qizqapan does have a Median identity but not a Median period date.
Electrophoretic motion of a non-uniformly charged particle in a viscoelastic medium in thin electrical double layer limit
Authors: Ghosh Uddipta , Mukherjee Siddhartha , Chakraborty Suman
Published: August 2021

The electrophoretic motion of a non-uniformly charged particle in an Oldroyd-B fluid is analysed here in the limit of thin electrical double layers. To this end, we analytically derive expressions for the modified Smoluchowski slip velocity around the particle, carrying weak but otherwise arbitrary surface charge. Our analysis reveals that the modified Smoluchowski slip around a particle differs significantly in a viscoelastic medium as compared with Newtonian fluids. The flow field thus derived is applied to two special cases of non-uniformly charged particles to obtain a closed-form expression for their electrophoretic translational and rotational velocities. We show that the particle's velocity strongly depends on its size in a viscoelastic medium, even for weakly charged surfaces, which is in stark contrast to the well-established theory for Newtonian fluids for weakly charged particles with negligible surface conduction. We further demonstrate that the presence of non-uniform surface charge enhances the influence of the medium's viscoelasticity on the particle's translational as well as angular velocity and this effect strongly depends on the nature of surface charge distribution. Such a physical paradigm, which leads to a breaking of fore–aft symmetry that is unique to complex fluids despite operating in the regime of creeping flows. Our study provides new theoretical framework for understanding electrophoresis of charged entities (such as DNA or active matter) in complex fluids, including biologically relevant fluidic media.
Homelands and Nationalism
Authors: Shelef Nadav G. , Koo Alex Zhi-Xiong
Published: August 2021

Homelands are an integral component of nationalism. This recognition notwithstanding, the lines nationalism draws on the globe have received much less systematic attention than the lines drawn between in-groups and out-groups. This article argues that homelands, precisely because they are so central to nationalism, should be more consistently integrated into scholarship on international conflict, among other outcomes. We begin by detailing what homelands are, why they matter, and some suggested mechanisms for how they impact outcomes of interest. The next section considers the choices scholars make about identifying homelands, including the particular measurement strategy and the level of analysis used. Here, we highlight recent advances that enable the measurement and analysis of homelands in ways consistent with both constructivist insights about the possibility of variation in the homeland’s extent (both over time and within populations) and with positivist analysis. We conclude by sketching out future directions for research on homelands and nationalism.
Disentangling Dispositions from Powers
Authors: Buckareff Andrei A.
Published: August 2021

Many powers-realists assume that the powers of objects are identical with the dispositions of objects and, hence, that ‘power’ and ‘disposition’ are interchangeable. In this article, I aim to disentangle dispositions from powers with the goal of getting a better sense of how powers and dispositions relate to one another. I present and defend a modest realism about dispositions built upon a standard strong realism about powers. I argue that each correct disposition-ascription we can make of an object is made true by the manifestations towards which a given power or collection of powers of the object is directed.
Hospital social work and discharge planning for older people: challenges of working in a clinical setting
Authors: Heenan Deirdre
Published: August 2021

Across the world acute hospitals are under unprecedented pressures due to shrinking budgets and increasing demand, against this backdrop they are also experiencing record levels of activity in Accident & Emergency and delayed transfers of care. Reducing pressure on hospitals by avoiding unnecessary admissions and delayed discharges has risen up the global policy agenda. However, reviews of strategies and policies have rarely involved discussions about the role that hospital social workers play in achieving timely hospital discharge. Yet discharge planning has become a, if not the, central function of these professionals. This paper presents the results of a small-scale exploratory study of hospital social work in an acute hospital in Northern Ireland. The findings reveal that the work of hospital social workers is characterised by increased bureaucracy, an emphasis on targets and a decrease in the time afforded to forming relationships with older people. Hospital social workers highlight concerns that the emphasis on discharge planning and pressures associated with the austerity agenda limits their capacity to provide other more traditional roles such as advocacy and counselling. It is argued that hospital social work should not be narrowly defined as ‘simply’ co-ordinating discharge plans. The tension that arises between expediting hospital discharge and advocating for older people and their families is also discussed.
Degree of muscle-and-tendon tonus effects on kinesthetic illusion in wrist joints toward advanced rehabilitation robotics
Authors: Komura Hiraku , Kubo Takumu , Honda Masakazu , Ohka Masahiro
Published: August 2021

Due to increasing demand for rehabilitation and therapy for cerebrovascular diseases, patients require advanced development of medical rehabilitation robots. In our laboratory, we focus on the formation capability of the substitute neural path caused by brain plasticity using the kinesthetic illusion (KI), which is effective for therapies using robots. In KI, people perceive an illusionary limb movement without an actual movement when a vibration stimulus is applied to a limb’s tendons. In previous research, the optimal frequency that induces the maximum KI has a correlation factor of about 0.5 with the tendon’s natural frequency when a human subject is in a state of laxity. However, we do not know whether the above finding can be applied to actual rehabilitation because muscles and tendons are sometimes in tonus during rehabilitation, a state that varies the natural frequency. In this study, we investigate the correlation between the optimal and natural frequencies of tendon by systematically changing their tension to clarify the effects on the illusion induced by the muscle and the tendon when they are in tonus. We identified a negative correlation between the optimal and natural frequencies when they are in tonus, although a positive correlation appeared when they are in laxity. This result suggests that KI’s optimal frequency should be changed based on the degree of the tendon and muscle tonus. Therefore, our present findings provide a suitable vibration frequency that induces KI due to the degree of the tendon and muscle tonus during robot therapies.
Strange Post-human Attractors: Algorithmic improvisation as acousmatic poiēsis
Authors: Nyström Erik
Published: August 2021

Contemporary thought is moving away from the notion that the human is a clear-cut concept. In particular, non-anthropocentric views are proliferating within the interdisciplinary area of critical post-humanism, with emphasis on non-dualistic views on relations between human and technology. This article shows how such a view can inform electroacoustic and computer music practice, and sees improvisation linked with composition as a fruitful avenue in this. Following a philosophical preparation and a discussion of relevant music discourse, two computer music works created by the author are discussed to demonstrate a model of music-making that merges composition and improvisation, based on the concepts of cognitive assemblages and intra-action, following the writings of N. Katherine Hayles and Karen Barad, respectively. The works employ techniques related to artificial intelligence and cybernetics, such as machine learning algorithms, agent-based organisation and feedback systems. It is argued that acousmatic sound is an important aspect of this practice. The research is thus situated not only in the frames of improvisation practice and music technology but also within spatial acousmatic composition and performance.
‘Making Life Lively’: Co-estrangement in live electroacoustic improvisation
Authors: MacDonald Alistair
Published: August 2021

The use of live electronic processing to extend, modify or transform an acoustic musical instrument has its roots in the recording and broadcast technologies that were developed in the first few decades of the twentieth century. In the second half of the century these tools were adopted by composers and musicians in many musical genres and have become commonplace and in some musics, ubiquitous. The perceived musical relationship between instrument and its electronic ‘other’ has been discussed largely from the point of view of listener and composer. This paper focuses on theperformers’ perspective through reflection on and discussion of the author’s working methods in improvising duo contexts. The author suggests ‘estrangement’ as a term to describe and understand aspects of the performer’s experience of live transformation and discusses how this estrangement might influence the relationship between musicians and the resulting musical interaction in improvisation, and finally offers ‘co-estrangement’ as a description of his shared experience in such improvising duos.
Live 4 Life: A spatial performance tool to play the ephemeral and improvise with space and playback speeds
Authors: Lengelé Christophe
Published: August 2021

This article describes my own way to improvise with space using a computer-based tool implemented in SuperCollider. The objective of this spatial performance tool is to have an ergonomic spatio-temporal and spectral control over numerous sound objects in real time, in order to alternate between spatialised polyrhythms and textures. After a brief review of spatial audio context, the spatial performance tool is summarised and detailed here by focusing on one of the core parameters: the playback speeds, which can act both on rhythm and space and enable among others the spatio-temporal articulation of the performance. As well as discussing the word ‘comprovisation’ and my conception of human–computer improvisation, the possibilities and approach of the tool in terms of improvisation and controllerism are illustrated through the use and combination of different controllers (computer keyboard, tactile interfaces, force touch sensors). Whereas some controllers are more dedicated to the selection and triggering of streams of spatialised sound events, others have their own mappings and ways of acting on some parameters (depending on the temporality of the sounds: playing or future events).
Household food insecurity during pregnancy as a predictor of anthropometric indices failures in infants aged less than 6 months: a retrospective longitudinal study
Authors: Karbin Karim , Khorramrouz Fatemeh , Farkhani Ehsan Mosa , Sobhani Seyyed Reza , Mosalmanzadeh Negin , Shahriari Zahra , Ranjbar Golnaz
Published: August 2021

Objective:

To investigate the impact of household food insecurity during the third trimester of pregnancy on the growth indicators of infants aged less than 6 months.

Design:

Retrospective longitudinal study.

Setting:

137 healthcare centres (15 cities) in Khorasan Razavi province, Iran. Data were extracted from the Sina Electronic Health Record System (SinaEHR®).

Participants:

This study was conducted on 2481 mother and infant dyads during November 2016–March 2019. The Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (nine-item version) was used to measure food insecurity in the third trimester of pregnancy. Women who delivered singleton infants were included in the study, and anthropometric indices of infants were measured throughout the first 6 months of life.

Results:

Approximately 67 % of the participants were food secure, while 33 % had varying degrees of food insecurity. The children born to the mothers in the food-insecure households were, respectively, 2·01, 3·03, and 3·83 times more likely to be stunted at birth (95 % CI 1·17, 3·46), 4 months (95 % CI 1·21, 7·61) and 6 months of age (95 % CI 1·37, 10·68) compared to their counterparts in the food-secure households. However, there were no significant differences in mean birth weight, birth height and head circumference at birth between the two groups.

Conclusions:

Household food insecurity during pregnancy is a risk factor for stunting in infants aged less than 6 months. Therefore, national nutrition programs could considerably support women in food-insecure households during and before pregnancy.
Determining the nominal body contour image using wideband millimeter-wave radar for characterizing person-worn threats
Authors: Tajdini Mohammad M. , Rappaport Carey M.
Published: August 2021

Precise characterization of concealed person-worn objects will speed up the passenger screening process by reducing the rate of nuisance alarms, while also enhancing the airport security imaging systems. This paper presents an automatic, real-time method for wideband millimeter-wave radar identification of the nominal surface contours of the human body – even with affixed foreign objects or when a segment of the body cross-section is not captured by the radar – without relying on the body's bilateral symmetry. The developed method is verified experimentally when applied to the actual images generated by a laboratory airport scanning prototype developed recently by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Our method uses the noisy collection of radar cross-section reflectivity data to extract the main contours and estimates the nominal body surface cross-sections through fitting a small-term Fourier series of circumferential variation. This is a necessary step for accurate characterizing of concealed terrorist threat objects affixed to the body.
First Report of Seismicity That Initiated in the Lower Mantle
Authors: Lee Jack
Published: August 2021

A 4D back-projection method revealed that aftershocks of the 2015 earthquake beneath the Ogasawara (Bonin) Islands occurred as deep as about 750 kilometers.
Detection and Height Measurement of Tenuous Clouds and Blowing Snow in ICESat‐2 ATLAS Data
Authors: Herzfeld Ute , Hayes Adam , Palm Stephen , Hancock David , Vaughan Mark , Barbieri Kristine
Published: August 2021

Tenuous atmospheric layers, such as high, thin cirrus clouds and blowing snow over Antarctica, play an important role in the climate system, affecting energy fluxes between the Earth and the atmosphere. Our knowledge of the structure of the atmosphere is largely derived from atmospheric satellite measurements. Yet tenuous layers can be hard to detect in satellite lidar data, especially in daylight data characterized by high solar background. In this study, we introduce an approach to detect tenuous atmospheric layers in the atmospheric lidar measurements of NASA's ICESat‐2. The density‐dimension algorithm for ICESat‐2 atmospheric data (DDA‐atmos) identifies atmospheric layers while automatically adapting to different background conditions of night, twilight, and daylight data. This capability, demonstrated for tenuous clouds and blowing snow, offers a data‐based solution to an important climate modeling problem. Atmospheric layer boundaries, detection confidence, and density fields resultant from the DDA‐atmos are reported in ICESat‐2 atmospheric data product ATL09.
Retreat of the Antarctic Ice Sheet During the Last Interglaciation and Implications for Future Change
Authors: Golledge N. R. , Clark P. U. , He F. , Dutton A. , Turney C. S. M. , Fogwill C. J. , Naish T. R. , Levy R. H. , McKay R. M. , Lowry D. P. , Bertler N. A. N. , Dunbar G. B. , Carlson A. E.
Published: August 2021

The Antarctic Ice Sheet (AIS) response to past warming consistent with the 1.5–2°C “safe limit” of the United Nations Paris Agreement is currently not well known. Empirical evidence from the most recent comparable period, the Last Interglaciation, is sparse, and transient ice‐sheet experiments are few and inconsistent. Here, we present new, transient, GCM‐forced ice‐sheet simulations validated against proxy reconstructions. This is the first time such an evaluation has been attempted. Our empirically constrained simulations indicate that the AIS contributed 4 m to global mean sea level by 126 ka BP, with ice lost primarily from the Amundsen, but not Ross or Weddell Sea, sectors. We resolve the conflict between previous work and show that the AIS thinned in the Wilkes Subglacial Basin but did not retreat. We also find that the West AIS may be predisposed to future collapse even in the absence of further environmental change, consistent with previous studies.
Tissue-specific Tregs in cancer metastasis: opportunities for precision immunotherapy
Authors: Huppert Laura A. , Green Michael D. , Kim Luke , Chow Christine , Leyfman Yan , Daud Adil I. , Lee James C.
Published: August 2021

Decades of advancements in immuno-oncology have enabled the development of current immunotherapies, which provide long-term treatment responses in certain metastatic cancer patients. However, cures remain infrequent, and most patients ultimately succumb to treatment-refractory metastatic disease. Recent insights suggest that tumors at certain organ sites exhibit distinctive response patterns to immunotherapy and can even reduce antitumor immunity within anatomically distant tumors, suggesting the activation of tissue-specific immune tolerogenic mechanisms in some cases of therapy resistance. Specialized immune cells known as regulatory T cells (Tregs) are present within all tissues in the body and coordinate the suppression of excessive immune activation to curb autoimmunity and maintain immune homeostasis. Despite the high volume of research on Tregs, the findings have failed to reconcile tissue-specific Treg functions in organs, such as tolerance, tissue repair, and regeneration, with their suppression of local and systemic tumor immunity in the context of immunotherapy resistance. To improve the understanding of how the tissue-specific functions of Tregs impact cancer immunotherapy, we review the specialized role of Tregs in clinically common and challenging organ sites of cancer metastasis, highlight research that describes Treg impacts on tissue-specific and systemic immune regulation in the context of immunotherapy, and summarize ongoing work reporting clinically feasible strategies that combine the specific targeting of Tregs with systemic cancer immunotherapy. Improved knowledge of Tregs in the framework of their tissue-specific biology and clinical sites of organ metastasis will enable more precise targeting of immunotherapy and have profound implications for treating patients with metastatic cancer.
Structural basis for proficient oxidized ribonucleotide insertion in double strand break repair
Authors: Jamsen Joonas A. , Sassa Akira , Perera Lalith , Shock David D. , Beard William A. , Wilson Samuel H.
Published: August 2021

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) oxidize cellular nucleotide pools and cause double strand breaks (DSBs). Non-homologous end-joining (NHEJ) attaches broken chromosomal ends together in mammalian cells. Ribonucleotide insertion by DNA polymerase (pol) μ prepares breaks for end-joining and this is required for successful NHEJ in vivo. We previously showed that pol μ lacks discrimination against oxidized dGTP (8-oxo-dGTP), that can lead to mutagenesis, cancer, aging and human disease. Here we reveal the structural basis for proficient oxidized ribonucleotide (8-oxo-rGTP) incorporation during DSB repair by pol μ. Time-lapse crystallography snapshots of structural intermediates during nucleotide insertion along with computational simulations reveal substrate, metal and side chain dynamics, that allow oxidized ribonucleotides to escape polymerase discrimination checkpoints. Abundant nucleotide pools, combined with inefficient sanitization and repair, implicate pol μ mediated oxidized ribonucleotide insertion as an emerging source of widespread persistent mutagenesis and genomic instability.
Achieving high strength and ductility in ODS-W alloy by employing oxide@W core-shell nanopowder as precursor
Authors: Dong Zhi , Ma Zongqing , Yu Liming , Liu Yongchang
Published: August 2021

With excellent creep resistance, good high-temperature microstructural stability and good irradiation resistance, oxide dispersion strengthened (ODS) alloys are a class of important alloys that are promising for high-temperature applications. However, plagued by a nerve-wracking fact that the oxide particles tend to aggregate at grain boundary of metal matrix, their improvement effect on the mechanical properties of metal matrix tends to be limited. In this work, we employ a unique in-house synthesized oxide@W core-shell nanopowder as precursor to prepare W-based ODS alloy. After low-temperature sintering and high-energy-rate forging, high-density oxide nanoparticles are dispersed homogeneously within W grains in the prepared alloy, accompanying with the intergranular oxide particles completely disappearing. As a result, our prepared alloy achieves a great enhancement of strength and ductility at room temperature. Our strategy using core-shell powder as precursor to prepare high-performance ODS alloy has potential to be applied to other dispersion-strengthened alloy systems.
Gold-like activity copper-like selectivity of heteroatomic transition metal carbides for electrocatalytic carbon dioxide reduction reaction
Authors: Esmaeilirad Mohammadreza , Baskin Artem , Kondori Alireza , Sanz-Matias Ana , Qian Jin , Song Boao , Tamadoni Saray Mahmoud , Kucuk Kamil , Belmonte Andres Ruiz , Delgado Pablo Navarro Munoz , Park Junwon , Azari Rahman , Segre Carlo U. , Shahbazian-Yassar Reza , Prendergast David , Asadi Mohammad
Published: August 2021

An overarching challenge of the electrochemical carbon dioxide reduction reaction (eCO2RR) is finding an earth-abundant, highly active catalyst that selectively produces hydrocarbons at relatively low overpotentials. Here, we report the eCO2RR performance of two-dimensional transition metal carbide class of materials. Our results indicate a maximum methane (CH4) current density of −421.63 mA/cm2 and a CH4 faradic efficiency of 82.7% ± 2% for di-tungsten carbide (W2C) nanoflakes in a hybrid electrolyte of 3 M potassium hydroxide and 2 M choline-chloride. Powered by a triple junction photovoltaic cell, we demonstrate a flow electrolyzer that uses humidified CO2 to produce CH4 in a 700-h process under one sun illumination with a CO2RR energy efficiency of about 62.3% and a solar-to-fuel efficiency of 20.7%. Density functional theory calculations reveal that dissociation of water, chemisorption of CO2 and cleavage of the C-O bond—the most energy consuming elementary steps in other catalysts such as copper—become nearly spontaneous at the W2C surface. This results in instantaneous formation of adsorbed CO—an important reaction intermediate—and an unlimited source of protons near the tungsten surface sites that are the main reasons for the observed superior activity, selectivity, and small potential.
Ultrahigh-speed graphene-based optical coherent receiver
Authors: Wang Yilun , Li Xiang , Jiang Zhibin , Tong Lei , Deng Wentao , Gao Xiaoyan , Huang Xinyu , Zhou Hailong , Yu Yu , Ye Lei , Xiao Xi , Zhang Xinliang
Published: August 2021

Graphene-based photodetectors have attracted significant attention for high-speed optical communication due to their large bandwidth, compact footprint, and compatibility with silicon-based photonics platform. Large-bandwidth silicon-based optical coherent receivers are crucial elements for large-capacity optical communication networks with advanced modulation formats. Here, we propose and experimentally demonstrate an integrated optical coherent receiver based on a 90-degree optical hybrid and graphene-on-plasmonic slot waveguide photodetectors, featuring a compact footprint and a large bandwidth far exceeding 67 GHz. Combined with the balanced detection, 90 Gbit/s binary phase-shift keying signal is received with a promoted signal-to-noise ratio. Moreover, receptions of 200 Gbit/s quadrature phase-shift keying and 240 Gbit/s 16 quadrature amplitude modulation signals on a single-polarization carrier are realized with a low additional power consumption below 14 fJ/bit. This graphene-based optical coherent receiver will promise potential applications in 400-Gigabit Ethernet and 800-Gigabit Ethernet technology, paving another route for future high-speed coherent optical communication networks.
Multi-omics integration analysis identifies novel genes for alcoholism with potential overlap with neurodegenerative diseases
Authors: Kapoor Manav , Chao Michael J. , Johnson Emma C. , Novikova Gloriia , Lai Dongbing , Meyers Jacquelyn L. , Schulman Jessica , Nurnberger John I. , Porjesz Bernice , Liu Yunlong ,   The Collaborative Study on the Genetics of Alcoholism (COGA), Hesselbrock Victor , Kuperman Samual , Kramer John , Kamarajan Chella , Pandey Ashwini , Bierut Laura , Rice John P. , Bucholz Kathleen K. , Schuckit Marc , Tischfield Jay , Brooks Andrew , Hart Ronald P. , Almasy Laura , Dick Danielle , Salvatore Jessica , Slesinger Paul , Foroud Tatiana , Edenberg Howard J. , Marcora Edoardo , Agrawal Arpana , Goate Alison
Published: August 2021

Identification of causal variants and genes underlying genome-wide association study (GWAS) loci is essential to understand the biology of alcohol use disorder (AUD) and drinks per week (DPW). Multi-omics integration approaches have shown potential for fine mapping complex loci to obtain biological insights to disease mechanisms. In this study, we use multi-omics approaches, to fine-map AUD and DPW associations at single SNP resolution to demonstrate that rs56030824 on chromosome 11 significantly reduces SPI1 mRNA expression in myeloid cells and lowers risk for AUD and DPW. Our analysis also identifies MAPT as a candidate causal gene specifically associated with DPW. Genes prioritized in this study show overlap with causal genes associated with neurodegenerative disorders. Multi-omics integration analyses highlight, genetic similarities and differences between alcohol intake and disordered drinking, suggesting molecular heterogeneity that might inform future targeted functional and cross-species studies.
Saturated very long chain fatty acid configures glycosphingolipid for lysosome homeostasis in long-lived C. elegans
Authors: Wang Feng , Dai Yuxi , Zhu Xufeng , Chen Qilong , Zhu Huanhu , Zhou Ben , Tang Haiqing , Pang Shanshan
Published: August 2021

The contents of numerous membrane lipids change upon ageing. However, it is unknown whether and how any of these changes are causally linked to lifespan regulation. Acyl chains contribute to the functional specificity of membrane lipids. In this study, working with C. elegans, we identified an acyl chain-specific sphingolipid, C22 glucosylceramide, as a longevity metabolite. Germline deficiency, a conserved lifespan-extending paradigm, induces somatic expression of the fatty acid elongase ELO-3, and behenic acid (22:0) generated by ELO-3 is incorporated into glucosylceramide for lifespan regulation. Mechanistically, C22 glucosylceramide is required for the membrane localization of clathrin, a protein that regulates membrane budding. The reduction in C22 glucosylceramide impairs the clathrin-dependent autophagic lysosome reformation, which subsequently leads to TOR activation and longevity suppression. These findings reveal a mechanistic link between membrane lipids and ageing and suggest a model of lifespan regulation by fatty acid-mediated membrane configuration.
A method of calculating the bearing capacity of sand pile composite foundations in a mucky soil layer considering consolidation
Authors: Zhang Yongtao , Liu Yuqing , Luo Huiwu , Chen Peishuai , Li Dejie , Liu Enlong , Yang Benliang
Published: August 2021

In engineering practice, the measured bearing capacity of a sand pile composite foundation in a mucky soil layer is much larger than the design value. Based on the sand pile construction and the load application process, a method of calculating the bearing capacity of the foundation based on the effective stress was proposed. Cavity diameter expansion in sand pile construction was simplified into a planar problem, and the cavity expansion theory was used to establish the expression of the rate of displacement and the horizontal stress increase. Based on the e–p curve and the calculation of the degree of consolidation, the relationships between the horizontal and vertical effective stress and the void ratio were obtained. According to the close relationship between the bearing capacity of the foundation in a mucky soil layer and the water content, an expression describing the relationships between the bearing capacity of the foundation, effective stress, void ratio, and water content was established. For the temporary engineering foundation treatment project, which needs a high bearing capacity but allows large foundation deformation, the design of sand pile composite foundations uses these relationships to take the consolidation effect of mucky soil into consideration, thereby reducing the replacement rate and lowering the construction cost.
Dietary fermented rapeseed or/and soybean meal additives on performance and intestinal health of piglets
Authors: Czech Anna , Grela Eugeniusz Ryszard , Kiesz Martyna
Published: August 2021

The aim of the study was to assess the effect of fermented dried soybean (FSBM) and/or fermented rapeseed meal (FRSM) in diets for weaned piglets on production results, nutrient digestibility, gastrointestinal tract histology, and the composition of the gut microbiota. Piglets in the control group received standard diets with soybean meal. Animals in all experimental groups received diets in which a portion of the soybean meal was replaced: in group FR—8% FRSM; in group FR/FS—6% FRSM and 2% FSBM; in group FS/FR—2% FRSM and 6% FSBM and in group FS—8% FSBM. The use of 8% FRSM or 6% FRSM and 2% FSBM in the piglet diets had a positive effect on average daily gains. Piglets from the FR and FR/FS groups had the highest feed conversion rate. Group FS/FR and FS piglets had significantly lower mortality and lower incidence of diarrhoea. Piglets fed a diet with the fermented components, in particular with 8% FRSM or 6% FRSM and 2% FSBM, exhibited a positive effect on the microbiological composition and histology of intestines, which resulted in improved nutrient digestibility coefficients (ATTD and AID).
The promise(s) of mesenchymal stem cell therapy in averting preclinical diabetes: lessons from in vivo and in vitro model systems
Authors: Kotikalapudi Nagasuryaprasad , Sampath Samuel Joshua Pragasam , Sukesh Narayan Sinha , R. Bhonde , Nemani Harishankar , Mungamuri Sathish Kumar , Venkatesan Vijayalakshmi
Published: August 2021

Obesity (Ob) poses a significant risk factor for the onset of metabolic syndrome with associated complications, wherein the Mesenchymal Stem Cell (MSC) therapy shows pre-clinical success. Here, we explore the therapeutic applications of human Placental MSCs (P-MSCs) to address Ob-associated Insulin Resistance (IR) and its complications. In the present study, we show that intramuscular injection of P-MSCs homed more towards the visceral site, restored HOMA-IR and glucose homeostasis in the WNIN/GR-Ob (Ob-T2D) rats. P-MSC therapy was effective in re-establishing the dysregulated cytokines. We report that the P-MSCs activates PI3K-Akt signaling and regulates the Glut4-dependant glucose uptake and its utilization in WNIN/GR-Ob (Ob-T2D) rats compared to its control. Our data reinstates P-MSC treatment's potent application to alleviate IR and restores peripheral blood glucose clearance evidenced in stromal vascular fraction (SVF) derived from white adipose tissue (WAT) of the WNIN/GR-Ob rats. Gaining insights, we show the activation of the PI3K-Akt pathway by P-MSCs both in vivo and in vitro (palmitate primed 3T3-L1 cells) to restore the insulin sensitivity dysregulated adipocytes. Our findings suggest a potent application of P-MSCs in  pre-clinical/Ob-T2D management.
Cross-modal auditory priors drive the perception of bistable visual stimuli with reliable differences between individuals
Authors: Pálffy Zsófia , Farkas Kinga , Csukly Gábor , Kéri Szabolcs , Polner Bertalan
Published: August 2021

It is a widely held assumption that the brain performs perceptual inference by combining sensory information with prior expectations, weighted by their uncertainty. A distinction can be made between higher- and lower-level priors, which can be manipulated with associative learning and sensory priming, respectively. Here, we simultaneously investigate priming and the differential effect of auditory vs. visual associative cues on visual perception, and we also examine the reliability of individual differences. Healthy individuals (N = 29) performed a perceptual inference task twice with a one-week delay. They reported the perceived direction of motion of dot pairs, which were preceded by a probabilistic visuo-acoustic cue. In 30% of the trials, motion direction was ambiguous, and in half of these trials, the auditory versus the visual cue predicted opposing directions. Cue-stimulus contingency could change every 40 trials. On ambiguous trials where the visual and the auditory cue predicted conflicting directions of motion, participants made more decisions consistent with the prediction of the acoustic cue. Increased predictive processing under stimulus uncertainty was indicated by slower responses to ambiguous (vs. non-ambiguous) stimuli. Furthermore, priming effects were also observed in that perception of ambiguous stimuli was influenced by perceptual decisions on the previous ambiguous and unambiguous trials as well. Critically, behavioural effects had substantial inter-individual variability which showed high test–retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) > 0.78). Overall, higher-level priors based on auditory (vs. visual) information had greater influence on visual perception, and lower-level priors were also in action. Importantly, we observed large and stable differences in various aspects of task performance. Computational modelling combined with neuroimaging could allow testing hypotheses regarding the potential mechanisms causing these behavioral effects. The reliability of the behavioural differences implicates that such perceptual inference tasks could be valuable tools during large-scale biomarker and neuroimaging studies.
Impact of temporal variability of radon concentration in workplaces on the actual radon exposure during working hours
Authors: Venoso G. , Iacoponi A. , Pratesi G. , Guazzini M. , Boccini L. , Corbani E. , Bucci S. , Leonardi F. , Trevisi R. , Ampollini M. , Antignani S. , Caprio M. , Carpentieri C. , Di Carlo C. , Bochicchio F.
Published: August 2021

For workplaces where significant diurnal variations in radon concentrations are likely, measurements to evaluate average radon concentration during working hours could be useful for planning an optimized protection of workers according to the 2013/59/Euratom Directive. However, very few studies on this subject, generally limited to periods of few weeks, have been published. Therefore, a study has been conducted to evaluate the actual long-term radon exposure during working hours for a sample of 33 workplaces of four different types (postal offices, shops, restaurants, municipal offices), mainly located at the ground floor, and with expected considerable air exchange rate occurring during working hours due to frequent entrance/exit of persons or mechanical ventilation. The results show that the difference between the average radon level during working hours and that one during the whole day is about 20% on average and ranges from 0 to 50%. These observed differences, generally smaller compared with those found in other similar studies, are nearly the same if the analysis is restricted to workplaces with annual radon level higher than 300 Bq m–3, and therefore natural or mechanical ventilation normally present during working hours of the monitored workplaces cannot be considered an effective mitigation measure. However, the costs and time-response characteristics of the active monitors, as those used for the present study, will probably allow using more frequently a similar measurement strategy in workplaces.
An improved calibration and uncertainty analysis approach using a multicriteria sequential algorithm for hydrological modeling
Authors: Wu Hongjing , Chen Bing , Ye Xudong , Guo Huaicheng , Meng Xianyong , Zhang Baiyu
Published: August 2021

Hydrological models are widely used as simplified, conceptual, mathematical representatives for water resource management. The performance of hydrological modeling is usually challenged by model calibration and uncertainty analysis during modeling exercises. In this study, a multicriteria sequential calibration and uncertainty analysis (MS-CUA) method was proposed to improve the efficiency and performance of hydrological modeling with high reliability. To evaluate the performance and feasibility of the proposed method, two case studies were conducted in comparison with two other methods, sequential uncertainty fitting algorithm (SUFI-2) and generalized likelihood uncertainty estimation (GLUE). The results indicated that the MS-CUA method could quickly locate the highest posterior density regions to improve computational efficiency. The developed method also provided better-calibrated results (e.g., the higher NSE value of 0.91, 0.97, and 0.74) and more balanced uncertainty analysis results (e.g., the largest P/R ratio values of 1.23, 2.15, and 1.00) comparing with other traditional methods for both case studies.
Dynamic landscape of chromatin accessibility and transcriptomic changes during differentiation of human embryonic stem cells into dopaminergic neurons
Authors: Meléndez-Ramírez César , Cuevas-Diaz Duran Raquel , Barrios-García Tonatiuh , Giacoman-Lozano Mayela , López-Ornelas Adolfo , Herrera-Gamboa Jessica , Estudillo Enrique , Soto-Reyes Ernesto , Velasco Iván , Treviño Víctor
Published: August 2021

Chromatin architecture influences transcription by modulating the physical access of regulatory factors to DNA, playing fundamental roles in cell identity. Studies on dopaminergic differentiation have identified coding genes, but the relationship with non-coding genes or chromatin accessibility remains elusive. Using RNA-Seq and ATAC-Seq we profiled differentially expressed transcripts and open chromatin regions during early dopaminergic neuron differentiation. Hierarchical clustering of differentially expressed genes, resulted in 6 groups with unique characteristics. Surprisingly, the abundance of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) was high in the most downregulated transcripts, and depicted positive correlations with target mRNAs. We observed that open chromatin regions decrease upon differentiation. Enrichment analyses of accessibility depict an association between open chromatin regions and specific functional pathways and gene-sets. A bioinformatic search for motifs allowed us to identify transcription factors and structural nuclear proteins that potentially regulate dopaminergic differentiation. Interestingly, we also found changes in protein and mRNA abundance of the CCCTC-binding factor, CTCF, which participates in genome organization and gene expression. Furthermore, assays demonstrated co-localization of CTCF with Polycomb-repressed chromatin marked by H3K27me3 in pluripotent cells, progressively decreasing in neural precursor cells and differentiated neurons. Our work provides a unique resource of transcription factors and regulatory elements, potentially involved in the acquisition of human dopaminergic neuron cell identity.
Bumble bee queen pheromones are context-dependent
Authors: Orlova Margarita , Amsalem Etya
Published: August 2021

Queen pheromones have long been studied as a major factor regulating reproductive division of labor in social insects. Hitherto, only a handful of queen pheromones were identified and their effects on workers have mostly been studied in isolation from the social context in which they operate. Our study examined the importance of behavioral and social context for the perception of queen semiochemicals by bumble bee workers. Our results indicate that a mature queen’s cuticular semiochemicals are capable of inhibiting worker reproduction only when accompanied by the queen’s visual presence and the offspring she produces, thus, when presented in realistic context. Queen’s chemistry, queen’s visual presence and presence of offspring all act to regulate worker reproduction, but none of these elements produces an inhibitory effect on its own. Our findings highlight the necessity to reconsider what constitutes a queen pheromone and suggest a new approach to the study of chemical ecology in social insects.