bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Die Qualität des Lehrkraftverhaltens in Lehrkraft-Kind-Dyaden
Authors: Hannover Bettina , Koeppen Karoline , Kreutzmann Madeleine
Published: July 2021

Zusammenfassung. Das Verhalten von Lehrkräften in Lehrkraft-Kind-Dyaden kann auf den beiden universalen orthogonalen Dimensionen interpersonalen Verhaltens beschrieben werden: Communion (z.B. Wärme, Bedürfnisbefriedigung) und Agency (z.B. Lenkung, Kontrolle). Bestimmte Kombinationen auf diesen Dimensionen haben sich als günstig erwiesen: Schülerinnen und Schüler lernen besonders motiviert und viel, wenn ihre Lehrkraft starke Communion zeigt. Weniger eindeutig ist, ob eine moderat starke oder starke Agency der Lehrkraft besonders vorteilhaft ist. Wir untersuchen unter Verwendung des neu konstruierten Fragebogens zum Lehrkraftverhalten in dyadischen Lehrkraft-Lernenden-Beziehungen, ob Lehrkräfte ihre Agency komplementär zur Kompetenz des Kindes ausrichten und ob sich dies auch in stärkerer Agency gegenüber Gruppen von Kindern niederschlägt, deren mittlere Kompetenz geringer ist, nämlich (a) Kindern mit sonderpädagogischen Förderbedarf, (b) Kindern mit nichtdeutscher Erstsprache und (c) Jungen. Zweiundsiebzig Lehrkräfte beschrieben ihr Verhalten gegenüber fünf Kindern ihrer Klasse ( N = 302) auf jeweils 13 Items, die in einem Zirkumplex acht Facetten unterschiedlicher Kombinationen von Communion und Agency erfassen. Noten wurden als Proxy für Kompetenzen genutzt. Wie erwartet korrelierten Facetten mit sehr starker Agency positiv ( r = .54 und .65) und Facetten mit sehr schwacher Agency negativ ( r = –.46 und –.59) mit den Noten des Kindes. Nach Aggregation der Angaben über die Gruppen von Kindern zeigte sich, dass Lehrkräfte gegenüber Kindern mit sonderpädagogischem Förderbedarf oder mit nichtdeutscher Erstsprache auf Verhaltensfacetten mit starker Agency höhere Ausprägungen aufwiesen als gegenüber Kindern ohne das entsprechende Merkmal, unabhängig von der Stärke der Communion der Facetten. Diese Unterschiede verschwanden meist nach Kontrolle der Noten. Gegenüber Jungen (relativ zu Mädchen) gaben die Lehrkräfte höhere Ausprägungen auf Facetten mit (moderat) starker Agency bei gleichzeitig nur (moderat) schwacher Communion an, auch nach der Berücksichtigung der Noten. Die Ergebnisse werden bzgl. der Forschung (a) zum Zusammenhang zwischen Lehrkraftverhalten und Motivation der Lernenden und (b) zu den Ursachen des geringeren Bildungserfolgs von Jungen diskutiert.
The Composition of the South Polar Cap of Mars Derived From Orbital Data
Authors: Broquet A. , Wieczorek M. A. , Fa W.
Published: July 2021

The flexure of the lithosphere under stresses imposed by the geologically young south polar cap is one of the few clues we have regarding the south polar cap composition and the present‐day thermal state of Mars. Here, we combine radar, gravity, and topography data with a flexural loading model to estimate the bulk density () and average real dielectric constant () of the south polar cap, and the elastic thickness of the lithosphere (). Given the uncertainties of the data, our results constrain to be 1,100–1,300 kg (best fit of 1,220 kg ), to be 2.5–3.4 (best fit of 3.3), and to be greater than 150 km (best fit of 360 km). Based on these results, the maximum lithospheric flexure is 770 m, and the polar cap volume could be up to 26% larger than previous estimates that did not account for lithospheric flexure. Our inferred compositions imply that the dust concentration would be at least 9 vol% if the ice content were negligible, and that the ice concentration would be more than the known 1 vol% if the dust concentration were less than 9 vol%. The 1‐ lower limit on implies a surface heat flow that is less than 23.5 mW . This lower limit is significantly less than the range of acceptable values at the north pole (330–450 km, heat flow of 11–16 mW ), and helps satisfy global thermal evolution simulations that predict hemispheric differences in surface heat flow.
Psychologists in Pediatric Palliative Care: Clinical Care Models Within the United States
Authors: Hildenbrand Aimee K. , Amaro Christina M. , Gramszlo Colette , Alderfer Melissa A. , Levy Carly , Ragsdale Lindsay , Wohlheiter Karen , Marsac Meghan L.
Published: July 2021

Objective: To examine the roles of psychologists in delivering pediatric palliative care (PPC) services, barriers and facilitators of psychologists’ involvement in PPC, and strategies to improve psychology integration into PPC. Method: N = 131 PPC professionals (45% physicians, 26% psychologists, 12% advanced practice nurses, 17% other disciplines) employed at hospitals serving pediatric patients across the United States completed an online survey. Results: Most psychologists who provide PPC services are members of a primary team that delivers palliative care independently or in collaboration with a specialized PPC program. Psychologists provide various services within the purview of PPC, including interventions to relieve children’s psychological and physical symptoms, support patient and family decision-making, and address grief and bereavement. Psychologists also commonly provide psychosocial support for health care providers and teach, supervise, and/or mentor trainees in PPC. Findings suggest a range of interrelated factors that influence integration of psychology in PPC, including funding, billing, time, training, institutional/departmental culture, quality of interdisciplinary collaborations, extent of psychosocial provider role differentiation, and perceptions of the value of psychology services. Strategies to improve integration included addressing funding, billing, and reimbursement challenges; expanding training and developing professional competencies for psychologists in PPC; optimizing communication and collaboration between psychologists and other PPC professionals; and conducting research on the value psychologists add to PPC teams. Conclusions: Pediatric psychologists provide a variety of important services to advance holistic care for children with life-limiting conditions and their families. Additional research examining the effectiveness of different models of psychology integration in PPC is warranted.

Implications for Impact Statement

Pediatric psychologists are not currently recognized as core members of interdisciplinary pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams, which aim to reduce physical, psychological, social, practical, and spiritual suffering for children with chronic illnesses. However, our findings suggest that pediatric psychologists provide important services to enhance the care of children with life-limiting conditions, including psychological assessment and treatment for patients and families, support for health care staff, supervision and mentorship of trainees, and skills in conducting research. This article outlines the roles and scope of services provided by psychologists within the purview of PPC and potential strategies for improving systematic inclusion of psychologists in PPC to advance holistic care for youth with serious illness and their families.
Childhood Cancer Physical Symptom Burden and Parent Distress: The Role of Parent Rumination
Authors: Fisher Rachel S. , Perez Megan N. , Basile Nathan L. , Pepper Morgan , Gamwell Kaitlyn L. , McNall-Knapp Rene , Carter J. Carrick , Mayes Sunnye , Chaney John M. , Mullins Larry L.
Published: July 2021

Objective: Symptom burden of children with cancer appears to contribute to parent distress, but the mechanisms of this relationship are relatively unexplored. The current cross-sectional study examined rumination (i.e., repeated focus on negative events and experiences) as a mediator of the associations between parent-report of child (a) pain or (b) nausea, and parent posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS); parent-report of child symptoms → parent rumination → parent PTSS. Methods: Caregivers (N = 40, MAge = 38.7 years, female = 87.5%, White = 67.5%) of children with cancer ( MAge = 9.4 years) were recruited at a Midwest pediatric cancer center following their child’s diagnosis ( M Months = 2.97 ± 1.98). Parents completed the PedsQL-Cancer Module, the Ruminative Response Scale, and the Impact of Events Scale—Revised. To test the hypothesized indirect effects, 2 separate regression models specifying 5,000 bias-corrected bootstrapping resamples were conducted via Hayes’ PROCESS macro. Family income served as a covariate. Results: Bootstrap regression analysis revealed that parent-report of child pain had an indirect effect on parent PTSS via parent rumination, controlling for family income, R2 = .37, ß = −.24, 95% CI [−.494, −.033]. Child nausea demonstrated an indirect effect on parent PTSS via parent rumination, controlling for family income, R2 = .36, ß = −.22, 95% CI [−.428, −.008]. Conclusions: Findings indicate that worse parent perception of child symptoms may lead to elevated parent distress through increased rumination. These results support the role of pediatric psychologists and the interdisciplinary team in alleviating parent distress through clinical management of both child physical symptoms and parent rumination.

Implications for Impact Statement

Parents of children with cancer may feel greater psychological distress when they see their child feeling physically ill (e.g., experiencing pain, experiencing nausea). This study indicates that 1 particular parent coping strategy, rumination (i.e., intensive negative thinking about their child’s illness), may explain how parental perceptions of pain or nausea lead to greater parental distress. Addressing child symptoms as part of palliative care is essential for the well-being of the whole family, and parents may benefit from increased involvement in the clinical symptom management process and from learning adaptive strategies for coping with cancer-related distress.
Dual-resonance enhanced quantum light-matter interactions in deterministically coupled quantum-dot-micropillars
Authors: Liu Shunfa , Wei Yuming , Li Xueshi , Yu Ying , Liu Jin , Yu Siyuan , Wang Xuehua
Published: July 2021

Optical microcavities have widely been employed to enhance either the optical excitation or the photon emission processes for boosting light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. When both the excitation and emission processes are simultaneously facilitated by the optical resonances provided by the microcavities, as referred to the dual-resonance condition in this article, the performances of many nanophotonic devices approach to the optima. In this work, we present versatile accessing of dual-resonance conditions in deterministically coupled quantum-dot (QD)-micropillars, which enables emission from neutral exciton (X)—charged exciton (CX) transition with improved single-photon purity. In addition, the rarely observed up-converted single-photon emission process is achieved under dual-resonance conditions. We further exploit the vectorial nature of the high-order cavity modes to significantly improve the excitation efficiency under the dual-resonance condition. The dual-resonance enhanced light-matter interactions in the quantum regime provide a viable path for developing integrated quantum photonic devices based on cavity quantum electrodynamics (QED) effect, e.g., highly efficient quantum light sources and quantum logical gates.
Identification of pleiotropy at the gene level between psychiatric disorders and related traits
Authors: Polushina Tatiana , Banerjee Niladri , Giddaluru Sudheer , Bettella Francesco , Espeseth Thomas , Lundervold Astri J. , Djurovic Srdjan , Cichon Sven , Hoffmann Per , Nöthen Markus M. , Steen Vidar M. , Andreassen Ole A. , Le Hellard Stéphanie
Published: July 2021

Major mental disorders are highly prevalent and make a substantial contribution to the global disease burden. It is known that mental disorders share clinical characteristics, and genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have recently provided evidence for shared genetic factors as well. Genetic overlaps are usually identified at the single-marker level. Here, we aimed to identify genetic overlaps at the gene level between 7 mental disorders (schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, anorexia nervosa, ADHD, bipolar disorder and anxiety), 8 brain morphometric traits, 2 cognitive traits (educational attainment and general cognitive function) and 9 personality traits (subjective well-being, depressive symptoms, neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness, children’s aggressive behaviour, loneliness) based on publicly available GWASs. We performed systematic conditional regression analyses to identify independent signals and select loci associated with more than one trait. We identified 48 genes containing independent markers associated with several traits (pleiotropy at the gene level). We also report 9 genes with different markers that show independent associations with single traits (allelic heterogeneity). This study demonstrates that mental disorders and related traits do show pleiotropy at the gene level as well as the single-marker level. The identification of these genes might be important for prioritizing further deep genotyping, functional studies, or drug targeting.
The requirement of mitochondrial RNA polymerase for non-small cell lung cancer cell growth
Authors: Zhou Tong , Sang Yong-Hua , Cai Shang , Xu Chun , Shi Min-hua
Published: July 2021

POLRMT (RNA polymerase mitochondrial) is responsible for the transcription of mitochondrial genome encoding key components of oxidative phosphorylation. This process is important for cancer cell growth. The current study tested expression and potential functions of POLRMT in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). TCGA cohorts and the results from the local lung cancer tissues showed that POLRMT is overexpressed in human lung cancer tissues. In both primary human NSCLC cells and A549 cells, POLRMT silencing (by targeted lentiviral shRNAs) or knockout (through CRSIPR/Cas9 gene editing method) potently inhibited cell viability, proliferation, migration, and invasion, and induced apoptosis activation. On the contrast, ectopic overexpression of POLRMT using a lentiviral construct accelerated cell proliferation and migration in NSCLC cells. The mtDNA contents, mRNA levels of mitochondrial transcripts, and subunits of respiratory chain complexes, as well as S6 phosphorylation, were decreased in POLRMT-silenced or -knockout NSCLC cells, but increased after ectopic POLRMT overexpression. In vivo, intratumoral injection of POLRMT shRNA adeno-associated virus (AAV) potently inhibited NSCLC xenograft growth in severe combined immune deficiency mice. The mtDNA contents, mRNA levels of mitochondria respiratory chain complex subunits, and S6 phosphorylation were decreased in POLRMT shRNA AAV-injected NSCLC xenograft tissues. These results show that POLRMT is a novel and important oncogene required for NSCLC cell growth in vitro and in vivo.
Probing tissue transglutaminase mediated vascular smooth muscle cell aging using a novel transamidation-deficient Tgm2-C277S mouse model
Authors: Wang Huilei , Chen James , Jandu Sandeep , Melucci Sean , Savage William , Nandakumar Kavitha , Kang Sara K. , Barreto-Ortiz Sebastian , Poe Alan , Rastogi Shivam , Bauer Maria , Steppan Jochen , Santhanam Lakshmi
Published: July 2021

Tissue transglutaminase (TG2), a multifunctional protein of the transglutaminase family, has putative transamidation-independent functions in aging-associated vascular stiffening and dysfunction. Developing preclinical models will be critical to fully understand the physiologic relevance of TG2’s transamidation-independent activity and to identify the specific function of TG2 for therapeutic targeting. Therefore, in this study, we harnessed CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing technology to introduce a mutation at cysteine 277 in the active site of the mouse Tgm2 gene. Heterozygous and homozygous Tgm2-C277S mice were phenotypically normal and were born at the expected Mendelian frequency. TG2 protein was ubiquitously expressed in the Tgm2-C277S mice at levels similar to those of wild-type (WT) mice. In the Tgm2-C277S mice, TG2 transglutaminase function was successfully obliterated, but the transamidation-independent functions ascribed to GTP, fibronectin, and integrin binding were preserved. In vitro, a remodeling stimulus led to the significant loss of vascular compliance in WT mice, but not in the Tgm2-C277S or TG2−/− mice. Vascular stiffness increased with age in WT mice, as measured by pulse-wave velocity and tensile testing. Tgm2-C277S mice were protected from age-associated vascular stiffening, and TG2 knockout yielded further protection. Together, these studies show that TG2 contributes significantly to overall vascular modulus and vasoreactivity independent of its transamidation function, but that transamidation activity is a significant cause of vascular matrix stiffening during aging. Finally, the Tgm2-C277S mice can be used for in vivo studies to explore the transamidation-independent roles of TG2 in physiology and pathophysiology.
A novel chemical inhibitor suppresses breast cancer cell growth and metastasis through inhibiting HPIP oncoprotein
Authors: Li Pengyun , Cao Shengjie , Huang Yubing , Zhang Yanan , Liu Jie , Cai Xu , Zhou Lulu , Li Jianbin , Jiang Zefei , Ding Lihua , Zheng Zhibing , Li Song , Ye Qinong
Published: July 2021

Increasing evidence suggests the pivotal role of hematopoietic pre-B-cell leukemia transcription factor (PBX)-interacting protein (HPIP/PBXIP1) in cancer development and progression, indicating that HPIP inhibition may be a promising target for cancer therapy. Here, we screened compounds inhibiting breast cancer cell proliferation with HPIP fused with green fluorescent protein as a reporter. A novel agent named TXX-1-10 derived from rimonabant, an antagonist of cannabinoid receptor 1 with anticancer effects, has been discovered to reduce HPIP expression and has greater inhibitory effects on breast cancer cell growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo than rimonabant. TXX-1-10 regulates HPIP downstream targets, including several important kinases involved in cancer development and progression (e.g., AKT, ERK1/2, and FAK) as well as cell cycle-, apoptosis-, migration-, and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT)-related genes. Consistent with the results of anticancer effects, genome-wide RNA sequencing indicated that TXX-1-10 has more significant effects on regulation of the expression of genes related to DNA replication, cell cycle, apoptosis, cell adhesion, cell migration, and invasion than rimonabant. In addition, TXX-1-10 significantly regulated genes associated with the cell growth and extracellular matrix organization, many of which were shown to be regulated by HPIP. Moreover, compared with rimonabant, TXX-1-10 greatly reduces blood-brain barrier penetrability to avoid adverse central depressive effects. These findings suggest that HPIP inhibition may be a useful strategy for cancer treatment and TXX-1-10 is a promising candidate drug for cancer therapy.
Effectiveness and safety of ranibizumab in patients with central retinal vein occlusion: results from the real-world, global, LUMINOUS study
Authors: Lotery Andrew , Clemens Andreas , Tuli Raman , Xu Xun , Shimura Masahiko , Nardi Marco , Ziemssen Focke , Dunger-Baldauf Cornelia , Tadayoni Ramin ,   on behalf of the LUMINOUS™ study group
Published: July 2021

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness, treatment patterns and long-term safety of ranibizumab 0.5 mg in treatment-naïve patients with central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) in a real-world setting.

Methods

LUMINOUS, a 5-year, global, prospective, multicentre, multi-indication, observational, open-label study, recruited treatment naïve or prior treated patients who were treated as per the local ranibizumab label. Here, we report the mean change in visual acuity (VA; Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study [ETDRS] letters), treatment exposure over year (Y) 1 and 5-year safety in treatment-naïve CRVO patients.

Results

At baseline, the mean age of treatment-naïve CRVO patients (n = 327) was 68.9 years, with a mean (Standard deviation [SD]) VA of 40.6 (23.9) letters. At Y1, patients (n = 144) had a mean (SD) VA gain from baseline of 10.8 (19.66) letters, with a mean (SD) of 5.4 (2.65) ranibizumab injections. Patients demonstrated mean (SD) VA gains of 2.7 (19.35), 11.6 (20.56), 13.9 (18.08), 11.1 (18.46) and 8.2 (24.86) letters with 1, 2–3, 4–5, 6–8 and >8 ranibizumab injections, respectively. Mean (SD) VA gains at Y1 in patients receiving loading (67.4%) and no loading dose (32.6%) was 11.9 (20.42) and 8.4 (17.99) letters, respectively. Over five years, the incidence of ocular/non-ocular adverse events (AEs) and serious AEs was 11.3%/8.6% and 1.2%/6.7%, respectively.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate the effectiveness of ranibizumab in treatment-naïve CRVO patients at Y1 with clinically meaningful VA gains and no new safety findings over five years. These findings may help inform routine practice and enable better clinical management to achieve optimal visual outcomes.
20th century cooling of the deep ocean contributed to delayed acceleration of Earth’s energy imbalance
Authors: Bagnell A. , DeVries T.
Published: July 2021

The historical evolution of Earth’s energy imbalance can be quantified by changes in the global ocean heat content. However, historical reconstructions of ocean heat content often neglect a large volume of the deep ocean, due to sparse observations of ocean temperatures below 2000 m. Here, we provide a global reconstruction of historical changes in full-depth ocean heat content based on interpolated subsurface temperature data using an autoregressive artificial neural network, providing estimates of total ocean warming for the period 1946-2019. We find that cooling of the deep ocean and a small heat gain in the upper ocean led to no robust trend in global ocean heat content from 1960-1990, implying a roughly balanced Earth energy budget within −0.16 to 0.06 W m−2 over most of the latter half of the 20th century. However, the past three decades have seen a rapid acceleration in ocean warming, with the entire ocean warming from top to bottom at a rate of 0.63 ± 0.13 W m−2. These results suggest a delayed onset of a positive Earth energy imbalance relative to previous estimates, although large uncertainties remain.
MuSyC is a consensus framework that unifies multi-drug synergy metrics for combinatorial drug discovery
Authors: Wooten David J. , Meyer Christian T. , Lubbock Alexander L. R. , Quaranta Vito , Lopez Carlos F.
Published: July 2021

Drug combination discovery depends on reliable synergy metrics but no consensus exists on the correct synergy criterion to characterize combined interactions. The fragmented state of the field confounds analysis, impedes reproducibility, and delays clinical translation of potential combination treatments. Here we present a mass-action based formalism to quantify synergy. With this formalism, we clarify the relationship between the dominant drug synergy principles, and present a mapping of commonly used frameworks onto a unified synergy landscape. From this, we show how biases emerge due to intrinsic assumptions which hinder their broad applicability and impact the interpretation of synergy in discovery efforts. Specifically, we describe how traditional metrics mask consequential synergistic interactions, and contain biases dependent on the Hill-slope and maximal effect of single-drugs. We show how these biases systematically impact synergy classification in large combination screens, potentially misleading discovery efforts. Thus the proposed formalism can provide a consistent, unbiased interpretation of drug synergy, and accelerate the translatability of synergy studies.
Highly efficient and robust noble-metal free bifunctional water electrolysis catalyst achieved via complementary charge transfer
Authors: Oh Nam Khen , Seo Jihyung , Lee Sangjin , Kim Hyung-Jin , Kim Ungsoo , Lee Junghyun , Han Young-Kyu , Park Hyesung
Published: July 2021

The operating principle of conventional water electrolysis using heterogenous catalysts has been primarily focused on the unidirectional charge transfer within the heterostructure. Herein, multidirectional charge transfer concept has been adopted within heterostructured catalysts to develop an efficient and robust bifunctional water electrolysis catalyst, which comprises perovskite oxides (La0.5Sr0.5CoO3–δ, LSC) and potassium ion-bonded MoSe2 (K-MoSe2). The complementary charge transfer from LSC and K to MoSe2 endows MoSe2 with the electron-rich surface and increased electrical conductivity, which improves the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) kinetics. Excellent oxygen evolution reaction (OER) kinetics of LSC/K-MoSe2 is also achieved, surpassing that of the noble metal (IrO2), attributed to the enhanced adsorption capability of surface-based oxygen intermediates of the heterostructure. Consequently, the water electrolysis efficiency of LSC/K-MoSe2 exceeds the performance of the state-of-the-art Pt/C||IrO2 couple. Furthermore, LSC/K-MoSe2 exhibits remarkable chronopotentiometric stability over 2,500 h under a high current density of 100 mA cm−2.
BRCA2 binding through a cryptic repeated motif to HSF2BP oligomers does not impact meiotic recombination
Authors: Ghouil Rania , Miron Simona , Koornneef Lieke , Veerman Jasper , Paul Maarten W. , Le Du Marie-Hélène , Sleddens-Linkels Esther , van Rossum-Fikkert Sari E. , van Loon Yvette , Felipe-Medina Natalia , Pendas Alberto M. , Maas Alex , Essers Jeroen , Legrand Pierre , Baarends Willy M. , Kanaar Roland , Zinn-Justin Sophie , Zelensky Alex N.
Published: July 2021

BRCA2 and its interactors are required for meiotic homologous recombination (HR) and fertility. Loss of HSF2BP, a BRCA2 interactor, disrupts HR during spermatogenesis. We test the model postulating that HSF2BP localizes BRCA2 to meiotic HR sites, by solving the crystal structure of the BRCA2 fragment in complex with dimeric armadillo domain (ARM) of HSF2BP and disrupting this interaction in a mouse model. This reveals a repeated 23 amino acid motif in BRCA2, each binding the same conserved surface of one ARM domain. In the complex, two BRCA2 fragments hold together two ARM dimers, through a large interface responsible for the nanomolar affinity — the strongest interaction involving BRCA2 measured so far. Deleting exon 12, encoding the first repeat, frommBrca2disrupts BRCA2 binding to HSF2BP, but does not phenocopy HSF2BP loss. Thus, results herein suggest that the high-affinity oligomerization-inducing BRCA2-HSF2BP interaction is not required for RAD51 and DMC1 recombinase localization in meiotic HR.
SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses are lower in children and increase with age and time after infection
Authors: Cohen Carolyn A. , Li Athena P. Y. , Hachim Asmaa , Hui David S. C. , Kwan Mike Y. W. , Tsang Owen T. Y. , Chiu Susan S. , Chan Wai Hung , Yau Yat Sun , Kavian Niloufar , Ma Fionn N. L. , Lau Eric H. Y. , Cheng Samuel M. S. , Poon Leo L. M. , Peiris Malik , Valkenburg Sophie A.
Published: July 2021

SARS-CoV-2 infection of children leads to a mild illness and the immunological differences with adults are unclear. Here, we report SARS-CoV-2 specific T cell responses in infected adults and children and find that the acute and memory CD4+ T cell responses to structural SARS-CoV-2 proteins increase with age, whereas CD8+ T cell responses increase with time post-infection. Infected children have lower CD4+ and CD8+ T cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 structural and ORF1ab proteins when compared with infected adults, comparable T cell polyfunctionality and reduced CD4+ T cell effector memory. Compared with adults, children have lower levels of antibodies to β-coronaviruses, indicating differing baseline immunity. Total T follicular helper responses are increased, whilst monocyte numbers are reduced, indicating rapid adaptive co-ordination of the T and B cell responses and differing levels of inflammation. Therefore, reduced prior β-coronavirus immunity and reduced T cell activation in children might drive milder COVID-19 pathogenesis.
Proton switching molecular magnetoelectricity
Authors: Hu Yong , Broderick Scott , Guo Zipeng , N’Diaye Alpha T. , Bola Jaspal S. , Malissa Hans , Li Cheng , Zhang Qiang , Huang Yulong , Jia Quanxi , Boehme Christoph , Vardeny Z. Valy , Zhou Chi , Ren Shenqiang
Published: July 2021

The convergence of proton conduction and multiferroics is generating a compelling opportunity to achieve strong magnetoelectric coupling and magneto-ionics, offering a versatile platform to realize molecular magnetoelectrics. Here we describe machine learning coupled with additive manufacturing to accelerate the design strategy for hydrogen-bonded multiferroic macromolecules accompanied by strong proton dependence of magnetic properties. The proton switching magnetoelectricity occurs in three-dimensional molecular heterogeneous solids. It consists of a molecular magnet network as proton reservoir to modulate ferroelectric polarization, while molecular ferroelectrics charging proton transfer to reversibly manipulate magnetism. The magnetoelectric coupling induces a reversible 29% magnetization control at ferroelectric phase transition with a broad thermal hysteresis width of 160 K (192 K to 352 K), while a room-temperature reversible magnetic modulation is realized at a low electric field stimulus of 1 kV cm−1. The findings of electrostatic proton transfer provide a pathway of proton mediated magnetization control in hierarchical molecular multiferroics.
Stroboscopic high-order nonlinearity for quantum optomechanics
Authors: Rakhubovsky Andrey A. , Filip Radim
Published: July 2021

High-order quantum nonlinearity is an important prerequisite for the advanced quantum technology leading to universal quantum processing with large information capacity of continuous variables. Levitated optomechanics, a field where motion of dielectric particles is driven by precisely controlled tweezer beams, is capable of attaining the required nonlinearity via engineered potential landscapes of mechanical motion. Importantly, to achieve nonlinear quantum effects, the evolution caused by the free motion of mechanics and thermal decoherence have to be suppressed. For this purpose, we devise a method of stroboscopic application of a highly nonlinear potential to a mechanical oscillator that leads to the motional quantum non-Gaussian states exhibiting nonclassical negative Wigner function and squeezing of a nonlinear combination of mechanical quadratures. We test the method numerically by analyzing highly instable cubic potential with relevant experimental parameters of the levitated optomechanics, prove its feasibility within reach, and propose an experimental test. The method paves a road for experiments instantaneously transforming a ground state of mechanical oscillators to applicable nonclassical states by nonlinear optical force.
Early visual processing relevant to the reduction of adaptation-induced perceptual bias
Authors: Urakawa Tomokazu , Tanaka Motoyoshi , Suzuki Yuta , Araki Osamu
Published: July 2021

Visual perception is biased by the preceding visual environment. A well-known perceptual bias is the negative bias where a current percept is biased away from the preceding image (adaptor). The preceding adaptor induces augmentation of early visual evoked potential (the P1 enhancement) of the following test image; the adaptor may invoke certain visual processing for the subsequent test image. However, the visual mechanism underlying P1 enhancement remains unclear. The present study assessed what the P1 alteration reflects in relation to the occurrence of the negative bias. In terms of inter-individual differences, we report that the P1 enhancement of the Necker lattice significantly correlated with the reduction of the reverse-bias effect. Further analyses revealed that the P1 enhancement was insusceptible to neural adaptation to the adaptor at the level of perceptual configuration. The present study suggests that prolonged exposure to a visual image induces modulatory visual processing for the subsequent image (reflected in the P1 enhancement), which is relevant to counteraction of the negative bias.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Discovery of nanoscale sanal flow choking in cardiovascular system: exact prediction of the 3D boundary-layer-blockage factor in nanotubes
Authors: Kumar V. R. Sanal , Sankar Vigneshwaran , Chandrasekaran Nichith , Rafic Sulthan Ariff Rahman Mohamed , Sukumaran Ajith , Radhakrishnan Pradeep Kumar , Choudhary Shiv Kumar
Published: July 2021

Evidences are escalating on the diverse neurological-disorders and asymptomatic cardiovascular-diseases associated with COVID-19 pandemic due to the Sanal-flow-choking. Herein, we established the proof of the concept of nanoscale Sanal-flow-choking in real-world fluid-flow systems using a closed-form-analytical-model. This mathematical-model is capable of predicting exactly the 3D-boundary-layer-blockage factor of nanoscale diabatic-fluid-flow systems (flow involves the transfer of heat) at the Sanal-flow-choking condition. As the pressure of the diabatic nanofluid and/or non-continuum-flows rises, average-mean-free-path diminishes and thus, the Knudsen-number lowers heading to a zero-slip wall-boundary condition with the compressible-viscous-flow regime in the nanoscale-tubes leading to Sanal-flow-choking due to the sonic-fluid-throat effect. At the Sanal-flow-choking condition the total-to-static pressure ratio (ie., systolic-to-diastolic pressure ratio) is a unique function of the heat-capacity-ratio of the real-world flows. The innovation of the nanoscale Sanal-flow-choking model is established herein through the entropy relation, as it satisfies all the conservation-laws of nature. The physical insight of the boundary-layer-blockage persuaded nanoscale Sanal-flow-choking in diabatic flows presented in this article sheds light on finding solutions to numerous unresolved scientific problems in physical, chemical and biological sciences carried forward over the centuries because the mathematical-model describing the phenomenon of Sanal-flow-choking is a unique scientific-language of the real-world-fluid flows. The 3D-boundary-layer-blockage factors presented herein for various gases are universal-benchmark-data for performing high-fidelity in silico, in vitro and in vivo experiments in nanotubes.
Epigenetic regulation of triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) by TGF-β signaling
Authors: Vishnubalaji Radhakrishnan , Alajez Nehad M.
Published: July 2021

TGFβ signaling plays crucial role during development and cancer, however the role for TGFβ signaling in regulating the noncoding part of the human genome in triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is still being unraveled. Herein, we provide the transcriptional landscape of TNBC in response to TGFβ activation and subsequent inhibition employing SB431542, selective TGFβ1 Receptor ALK5 Inhibitor. Our data revealed 72 commonly upregulated [fold change (FC) ≥ 2.0], including PLAU, TPM1, TAGLN, COL1A1, TGFBI, and SNAI1, and 53 downregulated (FC ≤ 2.0) protein coding genes in BT-549 and MDA-MB-231 models in response to TGFβ1 activation. Alignment to the geocode (V33) identified 41 upregulated (FC ≥ 2.0) and 22 downregulated (FC ≤ 2.0) long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) in response to TGFβ1 activation, which were inhibited by concurrent treatment with SB431542. To place our data from the in vitro models into their clinical context, we identified AC015909.1, AC013451.1, CYP1B1-AS1, AC004862.1, LINC01824, AL138828.1, B4GALT1-AS1, AL353751.1, AC090826.3, AC104695.4, ADORA2A-AS1, PTPRG-AS1, LINC01943, AC026954.3, TPM1-AS, ZFPM2-AS1, AC007362.1, AC112721.2, MALAT1, AL513314.2, AC112721.1, AC010343.3, LINC01711, and MAP3K2-DT lncRNA expression to positively correlate with TGFβ1 expression in a cohort of 360 TNBC patients. To provide mechanistic insight into lncRNA regulation by TGFβ signaling, SMAD2/3 ChIp-Seq data from BT-549 TNBC model retrieved from Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) revealed direct binding of SMAD2/SMAD3 to the promoter of AC112721.1, AC112721.2, MALAT1, HHIP-AS1, LINC00472, and SLC7A11, suggesting their direct regulation by TGFβ1/SMAD2/SMAD3 pathway. Interestingly, AC112721.1, AC112721.2 exhibited higher expression in TNBC compared to normal breast tissue suggesting a possible role for those lncRNA in TNBC biology. Our miRNA analysis in the BT-549 model in response to exogenous TGFB1 revealed several affected miRNAs (2.0 ≤ FC ≤ 2.0), whose expression pattern was reversed in the presence of SB431542, suggesting those miRNA as plausible targets for TGFβ regulation. In particular, we observed hsa-miR-1275 to be downregulated in response to TGFB1 which was highly predicted to regulate PCDH1, FIBCD1, FXYD7, GDNF, STC1, EDN1, ZSWIM4, FGF1, PPP1R9B, NUAK1, PALM2AKAP2, IGFL3, and SPOCK1 whose expression were upregulated in response to TGFβ1 stimulus. On the other hand, hsa-miR-181b-5p was among the top upregulated miRNAs in response to TGFB1, which is also predicted to regulate CDKN1B, TNFRSF11B, SIM1, and ARSJ in the BT-549 model. Taken together, our data is the first to provide such in depth analysis of lncRNA and miRNA epigenetic changes in response to TGFβ signaling in TNBC.
A framework for quantifying uncertainty in DFT energy corrections
Authors: Wang Amanda , Kingsbury Ryan , McDermott Matthew , Horton Matthew , Jain Anubhav , Ong Shyue Ping , Dwaraknath Shyam , Persson Kristin A.
Published: July 2021

In this work, we demonstrate a method to quantify uncertainty in corrections to density functional theory (DFT) energies based on empirical results. Such corrections are commonly used to improve the accuracy of computational enthalpies of formation, phase stability predictions, and other energy-derived properties, for example. We incorporate this method into a new DFT energy correction scheme comprising a mixture of oxidation-state and composition-dependent corrections and show that many chemical systems contain unstable polymorphs that may actually be predicted stable when uncertainty is taken into account. We then illustrate how these uncertainties can be used to estimate the probability that a compound is stable on a compositional phase diagram, thus enabling better-informed assessments of compound stability.
Muscle synergy differences between voluntary and reactive backward stepping
Authors: Wang Shuaijie , Varas-Diaz Gonzalo , Bhatt Tanvi
Published: July 2021

Reactive stepping responses are essential to prevent falls after a loss of balance. It has previously been well described that both voluntary and reactive step training could improve the efficacy of reactive stepping in different populations. However, the effect of aging on neuromuscular control during voluntary and reactive stepping remains unclear. Electromyography (EMG) signals during both backward voluntary stepping in response to an auditory cue and backward reactive stepping elicited by a forward slip-like treadmill perturbation during stance were recorded in ten healthy young adults and ten healthy older adults. Using muscle synergy analysis, we extracted the muscle synergies for both voluntary and reactive stepping. Our results showed that fewer muscle synergies were used during reactive stepping than during voluntary stepping in both young and older adults. Minor differences in the synergy structure were observed for both voluntary and reactive stepping between age groups. Our results indicate that there is a low similarity of muscle synergies between voluntary stepping and reactive stepping and that aging had a limited effect on the structure of muscle synergies. This study enhances our understanding of the neuromuscular basis of both voluntary and reactive stepping as well as the potential effect of aging on neuromuscular control during balance tasks.
Gas–liquid mass transfer characteristics of aviation fuel scrubbing in an aircraft fuel tank
Authors: Chaoyue Li , Shiyu Feng , Lei Xu , Xiaotian Peng , Yan Yan
Published: July 2021

Dissolved oxygen evolving from aviation fuel leads to an increase in the oxygen concentration in an inert aircraft fuel tank ullage that may increase the flammability of the tank. Aviation fuel scrubbing with nitrogen-enriched air (NEA) can largely reduce the amount of dissolved oxygen and counteract the adverse effect of oxygen evolution. The gas–liquid mass transfer characteristics of aviation fuel scrubbing are investigated using the computational fluid dynamics method, which is verified experimentally. The effects of the NEA bubble diameter, NEA superficial velocity and fuel load on oxygen transfer between NEA and aviation fuel are discussed. Findings from this work indicate that the descent rate of the average dissolved oxygen concentration, gas holdup distribution and volumetric mass transfer coefficient increase with increasing NEA superficial velocity but decrease with increasing bubble diameter and fuel load. When the bubble diameter varies from 1 to 4 mm, the maximum change of descent rate of dissolved oxygen concentration is 18.46%, the gas holdup is 8.73%, the oxygen volumetric mass transfer coefficient is 81.45%. When the NEA superficial velocities varies from 0.04 to 0.10 m/s, the maximum change of descent rate of dissolved oxygen concentration is 146.77%, the gas holdup is 77.14%, the oxygen volumetric mass transfer coefficient is 175.38%. When the fuel load varies from 35 to 80%, the maximum change of descent rate of dissolved oxygen concentration is 21.15%, the gas holdup is 49.54%, the oxygen volumetric mass transfer coefficient is 44.57%. These results provide a better understanding of the gas and liquid mass transfer characteristics of aviation fuel scrubbing in aircraft fuel tanks and can promote the optimal design of fuel scrubbing inerting systems.
Myeloid-IL4Rα is an indispensable link in IL-33-ILCs-IL-13-IL4Rα axis of eosinophil recruitment in murine lungs
Authors: Patial Sonika , Lewis Brandon W. , Vo Thao , Choudhary Ishita , Paudel Kshitiz , Mao Yun , Singamsetty Dhruthi , Brombacher Frank , Saini Yogesh
Published: July 2021

Increased eosinophil recruitment is a hallmark feature of eosinophilic disorders. Here, we delineated the key molecular and cellular players involved in physiological eosinophilic recruitment during normal postnatal lung development in mice. Physiological eosinophilic recruitment was consistently present in 7-, 10-, and 15-day-old neonatal mice, but not in 42-day-old mice. This feature was completely abolished in interleukin 33 (IL-33)-, interleukin 2 receptor gamma chain (IL2rγ)-, and interleukin 4 receptor alpha (IL4Rα)-knockout mice, but not in recombination activating gene 1 (Rag1)-knockout mice demonstrating an indispensable role for IL-33, innate lymphoid cells (ILCs), and IL4Rα in eosinophil recruitment. Interestingly, myeloid-specific IL4Rα-deficient (mye-IL4Rα−/−) mice had significantly reduced eosinophilia in the airspaces that was associated with reduced levels of IL-4 and IL-5 in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). Further, we tested the effect of myeloid-specific IL4Rα deficiency on IL-13-induced eosinophil recruitment into adult lung airspaces. Eosinophil recruitment into the airspaces was elevated in IL-13-treated WT mice but not in IL-13-treated mye-IL4Rα−/− mice. Consistent with the degree of eosinophilia, the BALF levels of eosinophil recruitment-associated cytokines were significantly elevated in IL-13-treated WT but not in IL-13-treated mye-IL4Rα−/− mice. These data establish that myeloid-IL4Rα is an indispensable component of the IL-33-ILCsIL-13-IL4Rα axis of eosinophil recruitment.
Evidence for the expression of TRPM6 and TRPM7 in cardiomyocytes from all four chamber walls of the human heart
Authors: Andriulė Inga , Pangonytė Dalia , Almanaitytė Mantė , Patamsytė Vaiva , Kuprytė Milda , Karčiauskas Dainius , Mubagwa Kanigula , Mačianskienė Regina
Published: July 2021

The expression of the channels-enzymes TRPM6 and TRPM7 in the human heart remains poorly defined, and TRPM6 is generally considered not to be expressed in cardiomyocytes. We examined their expression at protein and mRNA levels using right atrial samples resected from patients (n = 72) with or without ischemic heart disease (IHD) and samples from all chamber walls of explanted human hearts (n = 9). TRPM6 and TRPM7 proteins were detected using immunofluorescence on isolated cardiomyocytes, ELISA on tissue homogenates, and immunostaining of cardiac tissue, whereas their mRNAs were detected by RT-qPCR. Both TRPM6 and TRPM7 were present in all chamber walls, with TRPM7 being more abundant. TRPM6 was co-expressed with TRPM7. The expression levels were dependent on cell incubation conditions (presence or absence of divalent cations, pH of the extracellular milieu, presence of TRP channel inhibitors 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl-borate and carvacrol). These drugs reduced TRPM7 immunofluorescence but increased that of TRPM6. TRPM6 and TRPM7 expression was increased in tissues from IHD patients. This is the first demonstration of the presence and co-expression of TRPM6 and TRPM7 in cardiomyocytes from all chamber walls of the human heart. The increased TRPM6 and TRPM7 expression in IHD suggests that the chanzymes are involved in the pathophysiology of the disease.
A network approach to rank countries chasing sustainable development
Authors: Sciarra Carla , Chiarotti Guido , Ridolfi Luca , Laio Francesco
Published: July 2021

In 2015, the United Nations established the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development, addressing the major challenges the world faces and introducing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). How are countries performing in their challenge toward sustainable development? We address this question by treating countries and Goals as a complex bipartite network. While network science has been used to unveil the interconnections among the Goals, it has been poorly exploited to rank countries for their achievements. In this work, we show that the network representation of the countries-SDGs relations as a bipartite system allows one to recover aggregate scores of countries’ capacity to cope with SDGs as the solutions of a network’s centrality exercise. While the Goals are all equally important by definition, interesting differences self-emerge when non-standard centrality metrics, borrowed from economic complexity, are adopted. Innovation and Climate Action stand as contrasting Goals to be accomplished, with countries facing the well-known trade-offs between economic and environmental issues even in addressing the Agenda. In conclusion, the complexity of countries’ paths toward sustainable development cannot be fully understood by resorting to a single, multipurpose ranking indicator, while multi-variable analyses shed new light on the present and future of sustainable development.