bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-chainn-3 PUFA given before and throughout gestation and lactation in rats prevent high-fat diet-induced insulin resistance in male offspring in a tissue-specific manner
Authors: Guriec Nathalie , Le Foll Christelle , Delarue Jacques
Published: January 2023

This study investigated whether long-chainn-3 PUFA (LCn-3 PUFA) given to pregnant rats fed a high-fat (HF) diet may prevent fetal programming in male offspring at adulthood. Six weeks before mating, and throughout gestation and lactation, female nulliparous Sprague–Dawley rats were given a chow (C) diet, HF (60·6 % fat from maize, rapeseed oils and lard) or HF in which one-third of fat was replaced by fish oil (HFn-3). At weaning, the three offspring groups were randomly separated in two groups fed C diet, or HF without LCn-3 PUFA, for 7 weeks until adulthood. Glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity were assessed by an oral glucose tolerance test both at weaning and at adulthood. Insulin signalling was determined in liver, muscle and adipose tissue by quantification of the phosphorylation of Akt on Ser 473 at adulthood. At weaning, as at adulthood, offspring from HF-fed dams were obese and displayed glucose intolerance (GI) and insulin resistance (IR), but not those from HFn-3 fed dams. Following the post-weaning C diet, phosphorylation of Akt was strongly reduced in all tissues of offspring from HF dams, but to a lesser extent in liver and muscle of offspring from HFn-3 dams. However, it was abolished in all tissues of all offspring groups fed the HF post-weaning diet. Thus, LCn-3 PUFA introduced in a HF in dams partially prevented the transmission of GI and IR in adult offspring even though they were fed without LCn-3 PUFA from weaning.
Conjugacy growth in the higher Heisenberg groups
Authors: Evetts Alex
Published: January 2023

We calculate asymptotic estimates for the conjugacy growth function of finitely generated class 2 nilpotent groups whose derived subgroups are infinite cyclic, including the so-called higher Heisenberg groups. We prove that these asymptotics are stable when passing to commensurable groups, by understanding their twisted conjugacy growth. We also use these estimates to prove that, in certain cases, the conjugacy growth series cannot be a holonomic function.
Living with dementia during the COVID-19 pandemic: insights into identity from the IDEAL cohort
Authors: Stapley Sally , Pentecost Claire , Collins Rachel , Quinn Catherine , Dawson Eleanor , Morris Robin , Sabatini Serena , Thom Jeanette , Clare Linda
Published: January 2023

The continuing COVID-19 pandemic and social restrictions have impacted on the cognitive decline and mental health of people with dementia. Social isolation and loss of activities due to social restrictions may also have implications as to sense of identity for people with dementia. As part of the INCLUDE (Identifying and Mitigating the Individual and Dyadic Impact of COVID-19 and Life Under Physical Distancing on People with Dementia and Carers) component of the IDEAL (Improving the Experience of Dementia and Enhancing Active Life) cohort study, the overall aim of this subtle realist qualitative study was to explore the perspectives of people with dementia on living through the COVID-19 pandemic within the context of the ‘post-vaccine’ period and the national lockdowns in England and Wales; and to determine perceived challenges to and facilitators of ‘living well’ during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond as restrictions were eased. In addition, the study findings are considered in relation to understandings of identity in dementia which the broader accounts of living through the pandemic have highlighted. Seven people with mild-to-moderate dementia were interviewed and themes were derived using framework analysis. Themes suggest interviewees' stoic acceptance of the pandemic and social restrictions but also fear of decline related to the temporality of their condition as well as loss of self-confidence to re-engage with the world. Interviewees managed threats to social identity by striving to maintain social and emotional connections, where the importance of a shared, social identity, particularly for people with young-onset dementia, was also apparent. Unlike in previous studies during the pandemic, the relevance of occupation for identity was observed, where maintaining previous or new activities or occupations was important to facilitate identity as well as to keep a sense of purpose. Therefore, as well as supporting people with dementia as the pandemic eases, future research into occupation and identity in dementia is of potential value.
Powder diffraction data of the Al0.931Ni1.069Sc5 compound
Authors: Zeng Weijing , Liu Huashan
Published: January 2023

A new ternary compound Al0.931Ni1.069Sc5 has been synthesized and studied by means of the X-ray powder diffraction technique. Al0.931Ni1.069Sc5 crystallizes in the hexagonal crystal system with the Al5Co2 structure type, space group P63/mmc, with a = 8.8287(3) Å, c = 8.6959(4) Å, Z = 4 and V = 587.00 Å3, ρcalc = 3.538 g/cm3.
Antiquity market trends in Cycladic figurines, 2000–19: Studies in price, prevalence, and provenance
Authors: Devlin Liam
Published: January 2023

While the illicit trade in Cycladic figurines is a well-known phenomenon, and the escalatory impact of auction sales upon the looting of Cycladic deposits is widely accepted, there has been to date no systematic study of commercial transactions in Cycladic figurines. This study addresses this gap by performing a quantitative market analysis of auction house sales in Cycladic figurines between 2000 and 2019, examining the frequency with which they appear on the market, fluctuations in their price, and the nature of their provenance. In doing so, it sets out a methodology for navigating the ambiguous nature of antiquity market data, which can often give the misleading impression of a reforming market if the latent commercial contexts are not considered. Overall, a comprehensive insight is gained into the present state of the antiquities market in Cycladic figurines. This insight contributes much needed empirical data on the illicit antiquities trade and offers a new interpretative methodology that can be incorporated in future studies that seek to understand the true nature of antiquity market data.
Migration routes and stepping stones along the western flyway of Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus)
Authors: Kruckenberg Helmut , Moonen Sander , Kölzsch Andrea , Liljebäck Niklas , Müskens Gerhard J. D. M.
Published: January 2023

In 2015 and 2016 four Lesser White-fronted Geese (Anser erythropus), a globally threatened species, were caught and tagged during spring migration representing nearly 10% of the entire Swedish breeding population at the time. Two of the birds were followed over more than one season. Tracking data revealed an unexpected wide network of migration corridors and staging sites. Autumn and spring migration differed by stepping-stone sites and migration speed. So far unknown key stopover sites were discovered in Denmark, northern Germany, and Sweden. By using dynamic Brownian bridge movement models, the potential areas that Lesser White-fronted Geese used during migration are described and conservation implications spotlighted. This study provides another important piece of the puzzle describing the migration of Lesser White-fronted Geese in Western Europe.
Irrelevant Scapegoat: The Perils of Doing European History in Post-Trump America
Authors: Reill Dominique Kirchner
Published: January 2023

On 8 February 2022, an expert in Middle Eastern legal history – Florida State University associate professor Will Hanley – testified in front of Florida's House Education and Employment Committee. As a volunteer commentator rather than an invited speaker, Hanley was allotted just sixty seconds. But in his brief time, he did everything he could to argue against the adoption of the HB 7 ‘stop WOKE act’, which called for new educational protocols, especially regarding how race be taught in US classrooms.1 Hanley is not an Americanist; he does not teach on the subjects the HB 7 law affects, such as the Declaration of Independence, the US constitution, or the Federalist Papers. Nonetheless, this specialist on Islamic naming practices and Ottoman-Egyptian nationalisms stepped up and risked his career at a publicly funded institution because he knew that the reach of the US culture wars is much greater than American history, affecting all historians and all the students they teach – in the United States and beyond.2 In this essay, I want to explain why Hanley's actions should serve as a model for us all. To do this, I focus on how the US culture wars – as waged by both the right and the left – are triggering a global reconceptualisation of European history that will have dangerous consequences for students, researchers, teachers, and the profession at large. I start with Florida – the state where both Hanley and I work – because it is an extreme case of how the new culture wars have taken aim at history education, a template unfortunately being replicated with similar interventions in other US states.
Comparative study between SpermSlow™ hyaluronan and traditional sperm selection in ICSI outcome
Authors: Abd Elraouf Ahmed , Bakry Sayed , Kadry Ahmed , Abdelzaher Othman F. , Adel Mohammed
Published: January 2023

The role of hyaluronic acid (HA) as a ‘physiologic selector’ is also well recognized in vitro: it has been demonstrated that spermatozoa that bind to immobilized HA in vitro are those having completed their plasma membrane remodelling, and cytoplasmic and meiotic maturation. Sperm selection using HA has been expected to increase the implantation rate in intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) cycles. This work was designed to evaluate an alternative product for slowing sperm motility that contains HA and measures its outcomes: fertilization rate, embryo quality, and implantation and pregnancy rates. The present study found a positive drift in embryo quality that was statistically significant in the study group (SpermSlow™-ICSI) with teratozoospermia compared with PVP-ICSI in the same group. There were differences in the pregnancy rate (statistically insignificant in normozoospermia, asthenozoospermia, oligozoospermia, and teratozoospermia) in the SpermSlow-ICSI group compared with PVP-ICSI. The HA-ICSI technique in assisted reproduction technology (ART) is an important way to improve fertilization rate, embryo quality, and pregnancy rate.
Marble trade in the Roman Mediterranean: a quantitative and diachronic study
Authors: Taelman Devi
Published: January 2023

Marble provenance studies in archaeology have become increasingly popular in recent decades. This has resulted in a large quantity of analytical data becoming available for archaeological marbles. This article presents the results of a quantitative study of the distribution of white marble in the Mediterranean based on an analysis of the available provenance data for the Roman period. The study shows increased distribution of white marble between the late 1st c. BCE and the end of the 2nd c. CE. A decline in distribution from the 3rd c. CE was less abrupt than traditionally believed and shows object-, material-, and region-specific trajectories. The marble distribution data is finally evaluated within a wider socio-economic frame, considering factors such as the marble trade system and broader Roman economy, changes in cultural practices related to statue erection, importance of reuse and recycling, growing ruralization, and reduced interest of the elite in urban capital investment in the later Roman periods.
The newly discovered tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio at the Porta Sarno, Pompeii: Neronian zeitgeist and its local reflection
Authors: Alapont Martin Llorenç , Zuchtriegel Gabriel
Published: January 2023

The tomb of Marcus Venerius Secundio was discovered in July 2021 in the necropolis of Porta Sarno at Pompeii. This paper contextualizes it against the backdrop of 1st-c. CE burial customs and social history. The inscription on the pediment shows that the tomb owner was a former public slave who, after manumission, rose to the rank of the Augustales; he was a “custodian” of the temple of Venus, and he organized “Greek and Latin games/performances.” This is the first archaeological discovery providing direct evidence of Greek musical and/or theatrical performances at Pompeii. Another peculiarity is that Secundio was inhumed, not cremated, a practice so far unique among adults in Pompeii during this period. The inhumation of Secundio and his titulus sepulcralis can be read as local reflections of the Neronian zeitgeist and shed light on the modes by which cultural trends spread from the capital throughout the empire.
Stay off my field: policing boundaries in human rights and democracy promotion
Authors: Bush Sarah Sunn , Stroup Sarah S.
Published: January 2023

The study of global politics is frequently organized around fields, but the boundaries of these fields are little understood. We explore the relationship between two proximate fields, human rights (HR) and democracy promotion (DP), in order to understand the emergence and maintenance of field boundaries. The two fields are closely linked in international law and practice, yet they have remained largely separate as fields of action, despite vast changes in global politics over four decades. The disjuncture has been largely maintained by HR organizations who police the boundary to keep DP out. We identify differences in anchoring norms as the key factor driving boundary maintenance. Actors in the two fields hold different foundational ideas about how to protect and advance rights, norms that we describe as cosmopolitan and statist. This account is superior to alternate explanations that emphasize functional demands or resource flows, and complements historical institutionalist accounts. Our research offers a theoretical contribution to the study of fields and practical insight into two important areas of global practice. Our qualitative research is supplemented by digital annotations, supported by the Qualitative Data Repository.
Ratgeber Verfolgungsängste und Verfolgungswahn
Authors: Ludwig Lea , Hug Valeska
Published: January 2023

Wer Angst hat, bedroht oder verfolgt zu werden, steht unter permanentem Stress. Viele Betroffene erleben sich von ihrem Umfeld im Stich gelassen und stoßen immer wieder auf Unverständnis. Daraus kann leicht ein Teufelskreis aus Rückzug, noch stärkerer Angst und weiterem Misstrauen entstehen. Angesichts der hohen Stigmatisierung von Menschen mit Verfolgungsängsten ist die Hürde, sich Hilfe zu holen, oft besonders hoch – sowohl für jene, die betroffen sind, als auch für ihre Angehörigen, die sich häufig hilflos erleben und sich oft große Sorgen machen.
Was steckt hinter dem Misstrauen? Gibt es einen schleichenden Übergang von anfänglichem Misstrauen zu klinisch relevanten Verfolgungsängsten? Wer kann davon betroffen sein? Wie äußern sich Verfolgungsängste und durch welche Lebensumstände werden sie begünstigt? Wie kommt es, dass diese Ängste meist nicht einfach wieder von alleine weg gehen und woran kann erkannt werden, wann Hilfe nötig ist? Dieser Ratgeber will Betroffene und ihre Angehörigen dabei unterstützen, sich mit diesen und weiteren Fragen auseinanderzusetzen und mögliche Antworten zu finden. Sich zu informieren und Bescheid zu wissen ist ein erster und besonders wichtiger Schritt, um Kontrolle zurückzugewinnen. Wer Zusammenhänge versteht, wird meist auch wieder handlungsfähig. Neben dem Verstehen geht es in diesem Ratgeber aber auch um konkrete Hilfestellung: Anhand zahlreicher praktischer Übungen soll solides Handwerkszeug für den Alltag vermittelt und zudem Einblick in Inhalte gegeben werden, die häufig Teil einer Psychotherapie sind. Der Ratgeber will Menschen mit Verfolgungsängsten auch Mut machen, sich psychotherapeutische Hilfe zu suchen, wenn eine alleinige Bewältigung nicht mehr möglich ist. Materialien mit Tipps für den Alltag und Audioaufnahmen mit Vorstellungsübungen können zudem nach erfolgter Registrierung von der Hogrefe Website heruntergeladen werden.
Inversion of GNSS Vertical Displacements for Terrestrial Water Storage Changes Using Slepian Basis Functions
Authors: Li Xianpao , Zhong Bo , Li Jiancheng , Liu Renli
Published: January 2023

The surface displacements measured by the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) provide a unique insight for studying terrestrial water storage (TWS) changes. In this study, we recovered the TWS changes from GNSS vertical displacements in Southwest China (SWC) using Slepian basis function (SBF) from January 2011 to December 2020. The performance of the TWS changes estimated by SBF was validated against the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE)/GRACE Follow‐On (GFO) and the GNSS‐inverted TWS changes estimated by Green's function method. The results showed that the spatial patterns, seasonal, and linear trends of the TWS changes derived from GNSS using SBF agreed with the GRACE/GFO estimates. However, there are still evident differences in the local scope, and the GNSS‐derived TWS changes presented stronger amplitudes and more details in the spatio‐temporal domains than the GRACE/GFO estimates in SWC. The unconstrained GNSS inversion results using SBF also presented stronger signal amplitudes than those estimates with Green's function, and the TWS changes estimated by SBF were more reliable than Green's function method for regions with sparsely distributed GNSS stations in SWC. Additionally, the average distance between the GNSS stations can be considered as a reasonable filtering radius of SBF, and the SBF‐estimated TWS changes with different Gaussian filtering radii had comparable signal amplitudes and spatial patterns with the estimates of Green's function and GRACE/GFO.
Reconstruction of Sparse Stream Flow and Concentration Time‐Series Through Compressed Sensing
Authors: Zhang Kun , Bin Mamoon Wasif , Schwartz E , Parolari Anthony J.
Published: January 2023

Monitoring water quality at high frequency is challenging and costly. Compressed sensing (CS) offers an approach to reconstruct high‐frequency water quality data from limited measurements, given that water quality signals are commonly “sparse” in the frequency domain. In this study, we investigated the sparsity of stream flow and concentration time‐series and tested reconstruction with CS. All stream signals were sparse using 15‐min discrete time‐series transformed to the Fourier domain. Stream temperature, conductance, dissolved oxygen, and nitrate plus nitrite (NOx‐N) concentration were sparser than discharge, turbidity, and total phosphorus (TP) concentration. CS effectively reconstructed these signals with only 5%–10% of measurements needed. Stream NOx‐N and TP loads were well estimated with errors of −6.6% ± 3.8% and −9.0% ± 2.9% with effective sampling frequencies of 10 and 0.4 days, respectively. For broader applications in environmental geosciences and engineering domains, CS can be integrated with dimensionality reduction and optimization techniques for more efficient sampling schemes.
Global Structure of Magnetotail Reconnection Revealed by Mining Space Magnetometer Data
Authors: Stephens G. K. , Sitnov M. I. , Weigel R. S. , Turner D. L. , Tsyganenko N. A. , Rogers A. J. , Genestreti K. J. , Slavin J. A.
Published: January 2023

Reconnection in the magnetotail occurs along so‐called X‐lines, where magnetic field lines tear and detach from plasma on microscopic spatial scales (comparable to particle gyroradii). In 2017–2020, the Magnetospheric MultiScale (MMS) mission detected X‐lines in the magnetotail enabling their investigation on local scales. However, the global structure and evolution of these X‐lines, critical for understanding their formation and total energy conversion mechanisms, remained virtually unknown because of the intrinsically local nature of observations and the extreme sparsity of concurrent data. Here, we show that mining a multi‐mission archive of space magnetometer data collected over the last 26 yr and then fitting a magnetic field representation modeled using flexible basis‐functions faithfully reconstructs the global pattern of X‐lines; 24 of the 26 modeled X‐lines match (Bz = 0 isocontours are within ∼2 Earth radii or RE) or nearly match (Bz = 2 nT isocontours are within ∼2RE) the locations of the MMS encountered reconnection sites. The obtained global reconnection picture is considered in the context of substorm activity, including conventional substorms and more complex events.
Chorus Wave Generation Modulated by Field Line Resonance and Mirror‐Mode ULF Waves
Authors: Li Li , Omura Yoshiharu , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Rankin Robert , Yue Chao , Fu Sui‐Yan , Ren Jie
Published: January 2023

Earth's inner magnetosphere is a zoo of plasma waves where electromagnetic and electrostatic emissions with distinct frequencies coexist and interact. Spacecraft observations have shown that whistler‐mode chorus waves, one of the key components in the magnetospheric dynamics, are often modulated by ultralow frequency (ULF) waves. Here, we investigate the effects of two typical ULF wave modes (i.e., field line resonance and mirror mode) on the nonlinear generation process of chorus waves. We report for the first time periodic excitations of lower‐ and upper‐band chorus waves near ULF wave crests and troughs, respectively. Their anticorrelated occurrence is explained by the nonlinear theory, in which the threshold amplitude of nonlinear wave growth is modified by the ULF wave field configuration and the modulated electron distributions. In this framework, the newly observed feature of chorus wave occurrence near the ULF wave crests is attributed to the antisymmetric field profiles of mirror‐mode ULF waves, which periodically modulate the threshold amplitude by modifying the second‐order derivative of the background dipole field. In addition to the second‐order derivative, the first‐order derivative of the background magnetic field is also modulated by the ULF waves to regulate the size of the chorus wave source region.
Numerical Study of the Response of Typhoon Hato (2017) to Grouped Mesoscale Eddies in the Northern South China Sea
Authors: Sun Jia , Ju Xia , Zheng Quanan , Wang Guihua , Li Lingli , Xiong Xuejun
Published: January 2023

The influences of grouped anticyclonic eddies (AEs) in the ocean on the intensity of tropical cyclone (TC) in the atmosphere are investigated in the present study. The research was carried out using numerical methods taking the development of TC Hato (2017) in the northern South China Sea (SCS) as an example. Three AEs were observed, one at the TC track (defined as the inner area) and the other two in the south of the TC center (defined as the outer area), at about three times the radius of maximum wind speed. The results show that the outer AEs suppress TC development, but the inner AEs greatly favor TC development. This opposite influence primarily results from the different responses of TC secondary circulation to the AE‐induced local sea surface warm anomaly in the inner and outer areas. The outer AE triggers a low sea level pressure anomaly and convergent wind toward the AE, which weakens TC inflow at the lower layers and further weakens TC secondary circulation. Consequently, the energy conversion from ocean heat energy to TC kinetic energy is decreased by the weakened TC secondary circulation. The AE in the outer area also extends the TC eyewall, weakens the TC warm core, and increases the outer precipitation. As a result, the TC intensity is weakened. The inner AE causes opposite changes in TC secondary circulation, eyewall, warm core, and outer precipitation, so that favors TC development. These results provide evidence for the suppression effect of the outer AEs on TC development, providing a new perspective toward improving TC intensity forecasts.
Subseasonal Variations of Convective and Microphysical Characteristics of Extreme Precipitation Over the Pearl River Delta at Monsoon Coast
Authors: Yu Shuting , Luo Yali , Wu Chong , Xu Weixin
Published: January 2023

The large‐scale flows and rainfall pattern change markedly with the progression of the summer monsoon, but how the convective and microphysical characteristics of monsoon extreme precipitation vary subseasonally remains elusive. This study compares 16,844 extreme precipitation features (EPFs) among the pre‐monsoon, active‐monsoon, post‐monsoon periods, and tropical cyclone (TC) days using multisource data including dual‐polarimetric radar observations over the Pearl River Delta in South China. Results indicate that the environmental dynamics and thermodynamics significantly influence the EPFs' convective and microphysical properties. Despite the similar environmental conditions such as abundant moisture and moderate to large convective available potential energy (CAPE) under which the EPFs occur, differences among the four periods are noticed. During the pre‐monsoon period, precipitation systems are the largest in area but their EPFs are the least frequent and have the lowest raindrop concentration, likely due to the colder and drier environment with large vertical wind shear (VWS). The onset of the summer monsoon increases both the frequency and the convective intensity of EPFs, leading to an increase in raindrop size, which is consistent with the substantial increases of CAPE and moisture during the active‐monsoon period. The EPFs share similar convective intensity and raindrop size distribution (RSD) between the post‐monsoon and the active‐monsoon periods, although the post‐monsoon EPFs are slightly less frequent and have a smaller horizontal scale related to the reduced 0–6‐km VWS. Interestingly, EPFs associated with TCs have the weakest convective intensity but the most active warm‐rain processes with the RSD being closer to the maritime regime.
Implementation of Prognostic Cloud Ice Number Concentrations for the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double‐Moment 6‐Class (WDM6) Microphysics Scheme
Authors: Park Sun‐Young , Lim Kyo‐Sun Sunny
Published: January 2023

The ice microphysical processes in the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Double‐Moment 6‐class (WDM6) microphysics scheme are treated as a single‐moment approach, in which the number concentration of cloud ice is diagnosed based on its mixing ratio. This study develops the revised WDM6 scheme through the implementation of prognostic cloud ice number concentrations. The effect of the prognostic number concentration on the simulated precipitation is verified through simulations of short‐term winter snowfall cases during International Collaborative Experiments for the Pyeongchang 2018 Olympics and Paralympics (ICE‐POP 2018) winter games and a 1‐month regional climate case during the summer season, July 2009. For all cases, the revised WDM6 simulates higher cloud ice number concentrations and lower cloud ice mixing ratios than the original WDM6. The microphysics budget analysis for the snowfall cases shows that the inefficient deposition and vapor freezing nucleation processes of cloud ice reduce the available cloud ice mixing ratio. Consequently, the accretion processes with cloud ice decrease and the deposition into snow increases due to the surplus water vapor. The revised WDM6 alleviates the positive bias of surface precipitation consisting of snow over the region where the original WDM6 simulates excessive precipitation, compared to the observed data. For the regional climate case, the reduced cloud ice amount strengthens the Western North Pacific high‐pressure system by allowing more solar radiation to reach the surface, leading to simulated precipitation bands and synoptic environments that are more comparable with the observed data.
Comparative susceptibility of SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV across mammals
Authors: Li Meng , Du Juan , Liu Weiqiang , Li Zihao , Lv Fei , Hu Chunyan , Dai Yichen , Zhang Xiaoxiao , Zhang Zhan , Liu Gaoming , Pan Qi , Yu Yang , Wang Xiao , Zhu Pingfen , Tan Xu , Garber Paul A , Zhou Xuming
Published: January 2023

Exploring wild reservoirs of pathogenic viruses is critical for their long-term control and for predicting future pandemic scenarios. Here, a comparative in vitro infection analysis was first performed on 83 cell cultures derived from 55 mammalian species using pseudotyped viruses bearing S proteins from SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV. Cell cultures from Thomas’s horseshoe bats, king horseshoe bats, green monkeys, and ferrets were found to be highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, SARS-CoV, and MERS-CoV pseudotyped viruses. Moreover, five variants (del69-70, D80Y, S98F, T572I, and Q675H), that beside spike receptor-binding domain can significantly alter the host tropism of SARS-CoV-2. An examination of phylogenetic signals of transduction rates revealed that closely related taxa generally have similar susceptibility to MERS-CoV but not to SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. Additionally, we discovered that the expression of 95 genes, e.g., PZDK1 and APOBEC3, were commonly associated with the transduction rates of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 pseudotyped viruses. This study provides basic documentation of the susceptibility, variants, and molecules that underlie the cross-species transmission of these coronaviruses.
Confirmatory prediction-driven RCTs in comparative effectiveness settings for cancer treatment
Authors: Brand Adam , Sachs Michael C. , Sjölander Arvid , Gabriel Erin E.
Published: January 2023

Background

Medical advances in the treatment of cancer have allowed the development of multiple approved treatments and prognostic and predictive biomarkers for many types of cancer. Identifying improved treatment strategies among approved treatment options, the study of which is termed comparative effectiveness, using predictive biomarkers is becoming more common. RCTs that incorporate predictive biomarkers into the study design, called prediction-driven RCTs, are needed to rigorously evaluate these treatment strategies. Although researched extensively in the experimental treatment setting, literature is lacking in providing guidance about prediction-driven RCTs in the comparative effectiveness setting.

Methods

Realistic simulations with time-to-event endpoints are used to compare contrasts of clinical utility and provide examples of simulated prediction-driven RCTs in the comparative effectiveness setting.

Results

Our proposed contrast for clinical utility accurately estimates the true clinical utility in the comparative effectiveness setting while in some scenarios, the contrast used in current literature does not.

Discussion

It is important to properly define contrasts of interest according to the treatment setting. Realistic simulations should be used to choose and evaluate the RCT design(s) able to directly estimate that contrast. In the comparative effectiveness setting, our proposed contrast for clinical utility should be used.
The NFIB/CARM1 partnership is a driver in preclinical models of small cell lung cancer
Authors: Gao Guozhen , Hausmann Simone , Flores Natasha M. , Benitez Ana Morales , Shen Jianjun , Yang Xiaojie , Person Maria D. , Gayatri Sitaram , Cheng Donghang , Lu Yue , Liu Bin , Mazur Pawel K. , Bedford Mark T.
Published: January 2023

The coactivator associated arginine methyltransferase (CARM1) promotes transcription, as its name implies. It does so by modifying histones and chromatin bound proteins. We identified nuclear factor I B (NFIB) as a CARM1 substrate and show that this transcription factor utilizes CARM1 as a coactivator. Biochemical studies reveal that tripartite motif 29 (TRIM29) is an effector molecule for methylated NFIB. Importantly, NFIB harbors both oncogenic and metastatic activities, and is often overexpressed in small cell lung cancer (SCLC). Here, we explore the possibility that CARM1 methylation of NFIB is important for its transforming activity. Using a SCLC mouse model, we show that both CARM1 and the CARM1 methylation site on NFIB are critical for the rapid onset of SCLC. Furthermore, CARM1 and methylated NFIB are responsible for maintaining similar open chromatin states in tumors. Together, these findings suggest that CARM1 might be a therapeutic target for SCLC.
Universality of light thermalization in multimoded nonlinear optical systems
Authors: Zhong Qi , Wu Fan O. , Hassan Absar U. , El-Ganainy Ramy , Christodoulides Demetrios N.
Published: January 2023

Recent experimental studies in heavily multimoded nonlinear optical systems have demonstrated that the optical power evolves towards a Rayleigh–Jeans (RJ) equilibrium state. To interpret these results, the notion of wave turbulence founded on four-wave mixing models has been invoked. Quite recently, a different paradigm for dealing with this class of problems has emerged based on thermodynamic principles. In this formalism, the RJ distribution arises solely because of ergodicity. This suggests that the RJ distribution has a more general origin than was earlier thought. Here, we verify this universality hypothesis by investigating various nonlinear light-matter coupling effects in physically accessible multimode platforms. In all cases, we find that the system evolves towards a RJ equilibrium—even when the wave-mixing paradigm completely fails. These observations, not only support a thermodynamic/probabilistic interpretation of these results, but also provide the foundations to expand this thermodynamic formalism along other major disciplines in physics.
Potassium nutrient status drives posttranslational regulation of a low-K response network in Arabidopsis
Authors: Li Kun-Lun , Tang Ren-Jie , Wang Chao , Luan Sheng
Published: January 2023

Under low-potassium (K+) stress, a Ca2+ signaling network consisting of calcineurin B-like proteins (CBLs) and CBL-interacting kinases (CIPKs) play essential roles. Specifically, the plasma membrane CBL1/9-CIPK pathway and the tonoplast CBL2/3-CIPK pathway promotes K+ uptake and remobilization, respectively, by activating a series of K+ channels. While the dual CBL-CIPK pathways enable plants to cope with low-K+ stress, little is known about the early events that link external K+ levels to the CBL-CIPK proteins. Here we show that K+ status regulates the protein abundance and phosphorylation of the CBL-CIPK-channel modules. Further analysis revealed low K+-induced activation of VM-CBL2/3 happened earlier and was required for full activation of PM-CBL1/9 pathway. Moreover, we identified CIPK9/23 kinases to be responsible for phosphorylation of CBL1/9/2/3 in plant response to low-K+ stress and the HAB1/ABI1/ABI2/PP2CA phosphatases to be responsible for CBL2/3-CIPK9 dephosphorylation upon K+-repletion. Further genetic analysis showed that HAB1/ABI1/ABI2/PP2CA phosphatases are negative regulators for plant growth under low-K+, countering the CBL-CIPK network in plant response and adaptation to low-K+ stress.
Velocity-dependent heat transfer controls temperature in fracture networks
Authors: Heinze Thomas , Pastore Nicola
Published: January 2023

Heat transfer between a fluid and the surrounding rock in the subsurface is a crucial process not only, but most obviously, in geothermal systems. Heat transfer is described by Newton’s law of cooling, relating the heat transferred to a coefficient, the specific surface area, and the temperature difference between rock and fluid. However, parameterizing the heat transfer coefficient in fracture networks poses a major challenge. Here we show that within a fracture network the heat transfer coefficient is strongly heterogeneous but that laboratory single fracture experiments can provide a reasonable estimate in dependence of flow rate. We investigate the distribution of the heat transfer coefficient experimentally as well as numerically and analyze the heat transfer at individual fractures. Our results improve the prediction of temperatures in engineered and natural geothermal systems and allow sustainable management and design of reservoirs considering the role of individual fractures.
The kinetics of carbon pair formation in silicon prohibits reaching thermal equilibrium
Authors: Deák Peter , Udvarhelyi Péter , Thiering Gergő , Gali Adam
Published: January 2023

Thermal equilibrium is reached when the system assumes its lowest energy. This can be hindered by kinetic reasons; however, it is a general assumption that the ground state can be eventually reached. Here, we show that this is not always necessarily the case. Carbon pairs in silicon have at least three different configurations, one of them (B-configuration) is the G photoluminescence centre. Experiments revealed a bistable nature with the A-configuration. Electronic structure calculations predicted that the C-configuration is the real ground state; however, no experimental evidence was found for its existence. Our calculations show that the formation of the A- and B-configurations is strongly favoured over the most stable C-configuration which cannot be realized in a detectable amount before the pair dissociates. Our results demonstrate that automatized search for complex defects consisting of only the thermodynamically most stable configurations may overlook key candidates for quantum technology applications.
Simulated microgravity reduces quality of ovarian follicles and oocytes by disrupting communications of follicle cells
Authors: Cheng Kaixin , Feng Xie’an , Yang Chen , Ma Chiyuan , Niu Shudong , Jia Longzhong , Yang Xuebing , Liang Jing , Bo Yingnan , Geng Kaiying , Li Qin , Zhang Hua , Lei Xiaohua , Zhang Yan
Published: January 2023

Ovarian follicles are the fundamental structures that support oocyte development, and communications between oocytes and follicle somatic cells are crucial for oogenesis. However, it is unknown that whether exposure to microgravity influences cellular communications and ovarian follicle development, which might be harmful for female fertility. By 3D culturing of ovarian follicles under simulated microgravity (SMG) conditions in a rotating cell culture system, we found that SMG treatment did not affect the survival or general growth of follicles but decreased the quality of cultured follicles released oocytes. Ultrastructure detections by high-resolution imaging showed that the development of cellular communicating structures, including granulosa cell transzonal projections and oocyte microvilli, were markedly disrupted. These abnormalities caused chaotic polarity of granulosa cells (GCs) and a decrease in oocyte-secreted factors, such as Growth Differentiation Factor 9 (GDF9), which led to decreased quality of oocytes in these follicles. Therefore, the quality of oocytes was dramatically improved by the supplementations of GDF9 and NADPH-oxidase inhibitor apocynin. Together, our results suggest that exposure to simulated microgravity impairs the ultrastructure of ovarian follicles. Such impairment may affect female fertility in space environment.
Macroscale EEG characteristics in antipsychotic-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis and healthy controls
Authors: Dominicus L. S. , Oranje B. , Otte W. M. , Ambrosen K. S. , Düring S. , Scheepers F. E. , Stam C. J. , Glenthøj B. Y. , Ebdrup B. H. , van Dellen E.
Published: January 2023

Electroencephalography in patients with a first episode of psychosis (FEP) may contribute to the diagnosis and treatment response prediction. Findings in the literature vary due to small sample sizes, medication effects, and variable illness duration. We studied macroscale resting-state EEG characteristics of antipsychotic naïve patients with FEP. We tested (1) for differences between FEP patients and controls, (2) if EEG could be used to classify patients as FEP, and (3) if EEG could be used to predict treatment response to antipsychotic medication. In total, we studied EEG recordings of 62 antipsychotic-naïve patients with FEP and 106 healthy controls. Spectral power, phase-based and amplitude-based functional connectivity, and macroscale network characteristics were analyzed, resulting in 60 EEG variables across four frequency bands. Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) were assessed at baseline and 4–6 weeks follow-up after treatment with amisulpride or aripiprazole. Mann-Whitney U tests, a random forest (RF) classifier and RF regression were used for statistical analysis. Our study found that at baseline, FEP patients did not differ from controls in any of the EEG characteristics. A random forest classifier showed chance-level discrimination between patients and controls. The random forest regression explained 23% variance in positive symptom reduction after treatment in the patient group. In conclusion, in this largest antipsychotic- naïve EEG sample to date in FEP patients, we found no differences in macroscale EEG characteristics between patients with FEP and healthy controls. However, these EEG characteristics did show predictive value for positive symptom reduction following treatment with antipsychotic medication.
No second law of entanglement manipulation after all
Authors: Lami Ludovico , Regula Bartosz
Published: January 2023

Many fruitful analogies have emerged between the theories of quantum entanglement and thermodynamics, motivating the pursuit of an axiomatic description of entanglement akin to the laws of thermodynamics. A long-standing open problem has been to establish a true second law of entanglement, and in particular a unique function that governs all transformations between entangled systems, mirroring the role of entropy in thermodynamics. Contrary to previous promising evidence, here we show that this is impossible and that no direct counterpart to the second law of thermodynamics can be established. This is accomplished by demonstrating the irreversibility of entanglement theory from first principles. Assuming only the most general microscopic physical constraints of entanglement manipulation, we show that entanglement theory is irreversible under all non-entangling transformations. We furthermore rule out reversibility without significant entanglement expenditure, showing that reversible entanglement transformations require the generation of macroscopically large amounts of entanglement according to certain measures. Our results not only reveal fundamental differences between quantum entanglement transformations and thermodynamic processes, but also showcase a unique property of entanglement that distinguishes it from other known quantum resources.
Establishment of a Chinese critical care database from electronic healthcare records in a tertiary care medical center
Authors: Jin Senjun , Chen Lin , Chen Kun , Hu Chaozhou , Hu Sheng’an , Zhang Zhongheng
Published: January 2023

The medical specialty of critical care, or intensive care, provides emergency medical care to patients suffering from life-threatening complications and injuries. The medical specialty is featured by the generation of a huge amount of high-granularity data in routine practice. Currently, these data are well archived in the hospital information system for the primary purpose of routine clinical practice. However, data scientists have noticed that in-depth mining of such big data may provide insights into the pathophysiology of underlying diseases and healthcare practices. There have been several openly accessible critical care databases being established, which have generated hundreds of scientific outputs published in scientific journals. However, such work is still in its infancy in China. China is a large country with a huge patient population, contributing to the generation of large healthcare databases in hospitals. In this data descriptor article, we report the establishment of an openly accessible critical care database generated from the hospital information system.
Metamorphic aerial robot capable of mid-air shape morphing for rapid perching
Authors: Zheng Peter , Xiao Feng , Nguyen Pham Huy , Farinha Andre , Kovac Mirko
Published: January 2023

Aerial robots can perch onto structures at heights to reduce energy use or to remain firmly in place when interacting with their surroundings. Like how birds have wings to fly and legs to perch, these bio-inspired aerial robots use independent perching modules. However, modular design not only increases the weight of the robot but also its size, reducing the areas that the robot can access. To mitigate these problems, we take inspiration from gliding and tree-dwelling mammals such as sugar gliders and sloths. We noted how gliding mammals morph their whole limb to transit between flight and perch, and how sloths optimized their physiology to encourage energy-efficient perching. These insights are applied to design a quadrotor robot that transitions between morphologies to fly and perch with a single-direction tendon drive. The robot’s bi-stable arm is rigid in flight but will conform to its target in 0.97 s when perching, holding its grasp with minimal energy use. We achieved a$$30\%$$30%overall mass reduction by integrating this capability into a single body. The robot perches by a controlled descent or a free-falling drop to avoid turbulent aerodynamic effects. Our proposed design solution can fulfill the need for small perching robots in cluttered environments.
Damage amplification during repetitive seismic waves in mechanically loaded rocks
Authors: Lamur Anthony , Kendrick Jackie E. , Schaefer Lauren N. , Lavallée Yan , Kennedy Ben M.
Published: January 2023

Cycles of stress build-up and release are inherent to tectonically active planets. Such stress oscillations impart strain and damage, prompting mechanically loaded rocks and materials to fail. Here, we investigate, under uniaxial conditions, damage accumulation and weakening caused by time-dependent creep (at 60, 65, and 70% of the rocks’ expected failure stress) and repeating stress oscillations (of ± 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5% of the creep load), simulating earthquakes at a shaking frequency of ~ 1.3 Hz in volcanic rocks. The results show that stress oscillations impart more damage than constant loads, occasionally prompting sample failure. The magnitudes of the creep stresses and stress oscillations correlate with the mechanical responses of our porphyritic andesites, implicating progressive microcracking as the cause of permanent inelastic strain. Microstructural investigation reveals longer fractures and higher fracture density in the post-experimental rock. We deconvolve the inelastic strain signal caused by creep deformation to quantify the amount of damage imparted by each individual oscillation event, showing that the magnitude of strain is generally largest with the first few oscillations; in instances where pre-existing damage and/or the oscillations’ amplitude favour the coalescence of micro-cracks towards system scale failure, the strain signal recorded shows a sharp increase as the number of oscillations increases, regardless of the creep condition. We conclude that repetitive stress oscillations during earthquakes can amplify the amount of damage in otherwise mechanically loaded materials, thus accentuating their weakening, a process that may affect natural or engineered structures. We specifically discuss volcanic scenarios without wholesale failure, where stress oscillations may generate damage, which could, for example, alter pore fluid pathways, modify stress distribution and affect future vulnerability to rupture and associated hazards.