bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shifting the social determinants of food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic: the Australian experience
Authors: Zorbas Christina , Browne Jennifer , Chung Alexandra , Peeters Anna , Booth Sue , Pollard Christina , Allender Steven , Isaacs Anna , Hawkes Corinna , Backholer Kathryn
Published: September 2022

We aimed to explore experiences of government-led actions on the social determinants of food insecurity during Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic response (which included novel, yet temporary, social protection measures to support Australians facing hardship during state-wide lockdowns). During November–December 2020, we conducted in-depth interviews with 24 Victorians who received government income support (prior to COVID-19) and the temporary COVID-19 specific payments. Interviews were guided by a theoretical understanding of the social determinants of health and health inequities, which we aligned to the social policy context. Data were audio-recorded, transcribed, inductively coded, categorised and thematically analysed. Our sample included mostly women (n = 19) and single parents (n = 13). Interviews reflected four key themes. Firstly, participants described ‘battles all around them' (i.e., competing financial, health and social stressors) that were not alleviated by temporary social policy changes and made healthy eating difficult to prioritise during the pandemic. Secondly, housing, income, job, and education priorities rendered food a lower and more flexible financial priority – even with 18 participants receiving temporary income increases from COVID-19 Supplements. Thirdly, given that food remained a lower and more flexible financial priority, families continued to purchase the cheapest and most affordable options (typically less healthful, more markedly price discounted). Finally, participants perceived the dominant public and policy rhetoric around income support policies and healthy eating to be inaccurate and shaming – often misrepresenting their lived experiences, both prior to and during COVID-19. Participants reported entrenched struggles with being able to afford basic living costs in a dignified manner during COVID-19, despite temporary social protection policy changes. To reduce inequities in population diets, a pre-requisite to health, all stakeholders must recognise an ongoing responsibility for adopting long-term food and social policies that genuinely improve lived experiences of food insecurity and poverty.
Spectral characteristics of a microchip Nd:YVO4 laser
Authors: Elsafty Ahmed S. , Terra Osama , Sobee Mohamed , Sherbini Ashraf M. El , Sherbini Tharwat M. El
Published: September 2022

Frequency-doubled light at 532 nm from the microchip Nd:YVO4 lasers is a promising candidate to replace the widely used He-Ne lasers in length metrology due to their superior characteristics, low-cost and rugged structure. In this paper, the spectral characteristics of a commercial microchip Nd:YVO4 laser are investigated. The laser temperature is initially controlled to facilitate the study of longitudinal mode structure of the laser at different pumping current and temperatures. Additionally, a simple method is suggested to obtain a single-mode operation at a relatively wide temperature range, namely from 20 to 25.8 °C, and pumping currents from 300 to 385 mA. The frequency stability is evaluated after controlling the laser temperature to be 1.9 × 10–8 at 1 s. Additionally, parameters that are important for locking the frequency of the laser to a molecular reference transition are investigated such as laser linewidth and the relation between current/temperature and wavelength.
Fluctuation in Grocery Sales by Brand: An Analysis Using Taylor’s Law
Authors: Koyama Kazuki , Ito Mariko I. , Ohnishi Takaaki
Published: September 2022

In recent years, Taylor’s law describing the power function relationship between the mean and standard deviation of certain phenomena has found an increasing number of applications. We studied the characteristics of Taylor’s law for branded product sales using point-of-sale (POS) data for brands sold in 72 grocery stores in the Greater Tokyo area. A previous study found that product sales follow Taylor’s law with a scaling exponent of 0.5 for low sales quantities and 1.0 for large sales quantities. In the current study, we observed Taylor’s law with cross-over for 54 product brands and estimated the value of the two coefficients in the theoretical curve to characterize the cross-over. The coefficients represent the fluctuations in the number of items purchased per consumer and the number of consumers in one store and in all stores. The estimated coefficients suggested the dependence of the features of Taylor’s law on the category to which the brands belong. We found that brands in the same category tend to share similar features under Taylor’s law. However, some brands exhibited specific features that differed from others in the same category. For example, for many brands in the Laundry Detergent and Instant Noodles categories, the number of customers purchasing the products in each store fluctuated significantly, whereas the number of purchased items per customer varied widely in the Japanese Tea category. In the coffee category, our results indicated that the degree of fluctuation in the number of purchasing customers largely depends on the brand.
A Study of the Ceramicisation of Allylhydridopolycarbosilane by Thermal Volatilisation Analysis and Solid-State Nuclear Magnetic Resonance
Authors: Print Lewis J. , Liggat John J. , Moug Stan , Seaton Helen , Apperley David C.
Published: September 2022

AHPCS is a pre-ceramic polymer utilised as a precursor to SiC. An initial polymerisation to a cross-linked network is followed by a complex sequence of processes ultimately leading to amorphous SiC. Using thermal volatilisation analysis (TVA) accompanied with solid-state NMR (SSNMR), FTIR, MS, DSC and TGA the complete thermal profile was identified. Between 160 – 300 °C, AHPCS cross-links through the allyl group and undergoes some carbon-silicon rearrangement, with a volatilisation of low mass oligomeric material and significant volumes of hydrogen released from dehydrocoupling of SiH moieties. By 300 °C the allyl group is completely cross-linked but the polymer starts to undergo pyrolytic degradation of the network, with the release of chain fragments and low molar mass species such as methane, ethane, methanol, propane, propene and silane species. Hydrogen once again becomes the major volatile product above 400 °C due to higher proportion of dehydrocoupling forming Si–C and Si–Si bonds. Small chain fragments are seen in the form of larger alkyl silanes. These fragments come from the chain scission of the polymer at weaker parts of the network. The process of side group scission leads to further radical recombination reactions of silicon and carbon atoms to build the SiC network. By 500 °C higher proportion of dehydrocoupling occurs with recombination of Si–Si and Si–C species. The Si–H bonds in -SiH3 groups have completely cleaved along with C-H bonds in the CH3 and CH2 groups leaving SiC, -SiH and HCSi3 present in the material. This bond cleavage leads the silicon and carbon radical species to undergo radical recombination in the network with the volatile release being dominated by H2. By 650 °C the cleavage and recombination of remaining -SiH2-, -SiH- and HCSi3 groups ultimately form amorphous SiC. The volatiles released are mostly hydrogen with very few condensable products seen. Finally, SiC is then crystallised at higher temperatures forming β-SiC at 1100 °C and then subsequently α-SiC above 1500 °C.
Anisotropy of soil water diffusivity of hillslope soil under spruce forest derived by X-ray CT and lab experiments
Authors: Beck-Broichsitter Steffen , Dusek Jaromir , Vogel Tomas , Horn Rainer
Published: September 2022

The idea of the study is to indicate direction-dependent differences in hydraulic conductivity, K(Se), and soil water diffusivity, D(θ), as function of the volume fraction related to the fractional capillary potential for each of the characteristic pore size classes by extended anisotropy factors. The study is exemplary focused on a BwC horizon of a Dystric Cambisol under spruce forest formed on the weathered and fractured granite bedrock in the mountainous hillslopes Uhlirska catchment (Czech Republic). Thus, undisturbed soil samples were taken in vertical (0°, y = x-axis) and horizontal (90°, z-axis) direction. The D(θ) values and especially the D(θ)-weighted anisotropy ratios showed that anisotropy increases with the volume fraction of macropores, MaP (d > 0.03 mm), with r2 between 0.89 and 0.92. The X-ray computer tomography (CT) based anisotropy ratio (ACT) is larger for the horizontal sampled soil core with 0.31 than for the vertical with 0.09. This underlines the existence of a predominantly horizontally oriented pore network and the fact that weathered bedrock strata can initiate lateral preferential flow. The study results suggest that combining the hydraulic conductivity as intensity and the capacity parameter by means of diffusivity results in an extended anisotropy ratio which unveils the role of the soil hydraulic characteristics in generation of small-scale lateral preferential flow. In future, the small-scale direction-dependent differences in the soil hydraulic capacity and intensity parameter will be used for model-based upscaling for better understanding of preferential flow at the catchment scale.
METTL3 dual regulation of the stability of LINC00662 and VEGFA RNAs promotes colorectal cancer angiogenesis
Authors: Zhang Guoying , Wang Tianjun , Huang Zihui , Chen Yuanyuan , Sun Li , Xia Xia , He Fang , Fan Chenying , Wang Shukui , Liu Wanli
Published: September 2022

Purpose

The angiogenesis is among the primary factors that affect tumor recurrence and distant organ metastasis in colorectal cancer (CRC). N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is one of the most common chemical modifications in eukaryotic mRNA, especially at the post-transcriptional level. Methyltransferase-like 3 (METTL3) promoting angiogenesis in a variety of tumors has been reported. However, the mechanism of how METTL3 dual-regulates the stability of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and vascular-related factor RNAs to affect angiogenesis in CRC is unclear.

Methods

64 paired CRC and adjacent normal tissues were collected. In vitro, quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), immunohistochemistry (IHC), actinomycin assay, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation (MeRIP) experiment,3-(4,5)-dimethylthiahiazo(-z-y1)-3,5-di-phenytetrazoliumromide (MTT) and colony formation assay were performed. The functions were also studied in zebrafish model animals in vivo.

Results

We found that the vascular endothelial growth factor A(VEGFA), METTL3 and LINC00662 RNAs were highly expressed in CRC, and that METTL3 was significantly positively correlated with LINC00662 and VEGFA. The protein expression levels of CD31, CD34, VEGFA, m6A and METTL3 were all significantly increased in the CRC tissues. The angiogenesis experiments both in vivo and in vitro found that METTL3 and LINC00662 promoted angiogenesis in CRC. The actinomycin assay indicated that METTL3 maintained the stability of LINC00662 and VEGFA RNAs. In addition, the MeRIP experiment confirmed that the LINC00662 and VEGFA RNAs had METTL3-enriched sites.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that METTL3 and LINC00662 may both serve as diagnostic and prognostic predictive biomarkers for CRC and potential targets for anti-vascular therapy.
Characterization of the health and irrigation risks and hydrochemical properties of groundwater: a case study of the Selian coal mine area, Ordos, Inner Mongolia
Authors: Li Yaqiang , Zhang Xueliang
Published: September 2022

Groundwater (GW) is an important source of freshwater in arid and semiarid areas. Some important industrial activities, such as coal mining, also consume GW. There have been few studies evaluating GW quality in the Selian coal mining area of Inner Mongolia. This study aimed to identify the hydrochemical phases and the sources of main ions in the GW of the Selian coal mining area. Water quality analysis was performed on 20 shallow GW samples collected from the study area. Statistical correlation analysis was performed on these water quality data. The quality of irrigation water was evaluated based on water quality indices such as the sodium absorption rate and sodium percentage. The risk of nitrate pollution in the study area to human health was evaluated by GW nitrate content. The results show that the dominant GW chemistry types in the study area are the mixed and Ca–HCO3 types. Correlation analysis indicates that rock weathering and leaching are the main natural drivers of GW hydrochemistry in this area. The irrigation risk analysis shows that GW in this area can be used for irrigation, although some caution is needed. The human health risk assessment shows that GW nitrate pollution poses more risk to children than to adults by a factor of 1.168. It is recommended that centralized treatment of drinking water is the optimal approach to managing this risk. The results of this study can act as a reference for the rational use of GW and for control of nitrate pollution in this area.
Exploring the metabolic features of purple non-sulfur bacteria for waste carbon utilization and single-cell protein synthesis
Authors: Rashid Naim , Onwusogh Udeogu , Mackey Hamish R.
Published: September 2022

In recent years, single-cell protein (SCP) has been considered a promising aquaculture feed to cope with the growing issue of food security. SCP is derived from microbes including algae, yeasts, and bacteria. Algae and yeasts have been comprehensively studied as SCP sources in the last few years. However, their large-scale application is not yet economical. Recently, the use of purple non-sulfur bacteria (PNSB) has been realized as a sustainable source of SCP. PNSB display unique metabolic features that distinguish them from other SCP sources. They can grow under various light and electron donor/acceptor conditions, can use a variety of low-cost carbon sources, give high substrate yield under their preferred photoheterotrophic growth mode, and demonstrate anti-pathogenic properties. They also use the infrared region of light that enables their straightforward enrichment under non-axenic conditions. Despite the unique characteristics of PNSB, their use as SCP has not been widely reported. This review provides comprehensive knowledge about different factors that influence the quality and quantity of SCP produced from PNSB. The effects of key factors including light, redox conditions, trace metals, carbon substrate, and substrate availability are discussed. Special focus is given to the use of PNSB as SCP in aquaculture and PNSBs concomitant role in improving water quality. This information would expand knowledge and enhance understanding to utilize PNSB as an alternative SCP source for aquaculture feed.
The Role of lncRNAs and miRNAs in Therapy-Induced Senescence in Neuroblastoma
Authors: Jahangiri Leila , Ishola Tala
Published: September 2022

Purpose of Review

Neuroblastoma, a paediatric malignancy of the sympathoadrenal lineage with a variable clinical course, is the most prevalent extra-cranial cancer in children. The majority of multi-modal therapeutics utilised for treating neuroblastoma may drive cells towards cell death or cellular senescence.

Recent Findings

Although cellular senescence has been historically regarded as a permanent state of non-proliferation, new evidence supports the notion that this process may indeed be much more dynamic than previously thought. Further, senescent tumour cells may escape treatment and further promote inflammation and migration through their repertoire of secreted molecules, leading to disease relapse.

Given this background, we review here the role of non-coding RNAs inclusive of long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and miRNAs in therapy-induced senescence-related processes in neuroblastoma and discuss how these molecules may be manipulated for therapeutic gain.
Impact of Covid-19 Restrictions on Individual Placement and Support Service Delivery in Northern Norway
Authors: Wittlund Sina , Butenko Daniil , Brandseth Oda Lekve , Brinchmann Beate , Killackey Eóin , McDaid David , Rinaldi Miles , Mykletun Arnstein
Published: September 2022

Individual Placement and Support (IPS) is an evidence-based supported employment program that helps people with severe mental illness to achieve steady, meaningful employment in competitive mainstream jobs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Covid-19 restrictions on IPS service delivery in Northern Norway between March and October 2020. In Norway, IPS is in the early stages of full-scale implementation and is therefore potentially sensitive to external stressors such as the Covid-19 pandemic. In October 2020 we conducted a retrospective, cross-sectional survey with IPS employment specialists in Northern Norway (n = 25). The purpose was to collect information about how Covid-19 restrictions between March and October 2020 impacted their ability to deliver IPS services. As a result of Covid-19 restrictions, more than half the employment specialists were reassigned to other roles or non-IPS related work tasks. They also reported less collaborative engagement with clinical teams and employers. 69 (20.4%) of IPS users supported by employment specialists gained employment after the Covid-19 restrictions were introduced and 82.8% of unemployed IPS users continued to seek competitive employment despite Covid-19 restrictions. Covid-19 restrictions appear to have created obstacles for IPS service delivery in Northern Norway and have negatively impacted the employment specialists' collaborative engagement with clinical teams. However, IPS employment specialists have shown strong capabilities in overcoming these challenges and services users have remained motivated to seek employment during the pandemic.
Object tracking in infrared images using a deep learning model and a target-attention mechanism
Authors: Parhizkar Mahboub , Karamali Gholamreza , Abedi Ravan Bahram
Published: September 2022

Small object tracking in infrared images is widely utilized in various fields, such as video surveillance, infrared guidance, and unmanned aerial vehicle monitoring. The existing small target detection strategies in infrared images suffer from submerging the target in heavy cluttered infrared (IR) maritime images. To overcome this issue, we use the original image and the corresponding encoded image to apply our model. We use the local directional number patterns algorithm to encode the original image to represent more unique details. Our model is able to learn more informative and unique features from the original and encoded image for visual tracking. In this study, we explore the best convolutional filters to obtain the best possible visual tracking results by finding those inactive to the backgrounds while active in the target region. To this end, the attention mechanism for the feature extracting framework is investigated comprising a scale-sensitive feature generation component and a discriminative feature generation module based on the gradients of regression and scoring losses. Comprehensive experiments have demonstrated that our pipeline obtains competitive results compared to recently published papers.
Experimental study of coal flow characteristics under mining disturbance in China
Authors: Zhang Lei , Kan Zihao , Zhang Cun , Tang Jun
Published: September 2022

With annually increased coal mining depth, gas extraction becomes more and more problematic. The gas extraction effect depends on coal seam permeability, which, in turn, is affected by many factors, including loading and unloading stresses and strains in the coal seam. Stresses induce internal cracks, resulting in cleats and gas emission channels, the coal seam permeability permanently changes accordingly. To clarify the stress-induced effects on coal seam permeability, this survey summarized the available approaches used to link the stress path and seepage law in the coal body seepage law, which can be classified into two design methods: single load variation and combined field mining method. The characterization methods used to observe the surface of coal samples and three-dimensional reconstruction include electron microscopy, CT scanning, and Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR). According to the stress paths designed by the above two approaches, the seepage laws and similarities of three kinds of coal samples with the fractured structure were summarized in this paper. The following directions are recommended to study the seepage law of coal bodies with three kinds of fractured structures under stress. Firstly, the stress path of the experimental coal body should be designed by the combined field mining method. The stressed environment of a deep coal seam is complicated, and the axial and confining pressures change simultaneously. Therefore, one cannot fully reflect the real situation on-site by studying permeability evolution alone. Secondly, during the coal seam mining, the stressed state changes from time to time, and the development of coal seam fractures is affected by mining. When studying the stress effect on seepage of coal samples, the fractured structure of coal samples should be considered. Finally, the available structural characterization methods of coal samples can be combined with the 3D printing technology, which would produce artificial samples with the fractured structure characteristics of natural coal.
Do Secondary School Students’ Strategies in Solving Permutation and Combination Problems Change with Instruction?
Authors: Lamanna Luca , Gea María Magdalena , Batanero Carmen
Published: September 2022

This work is part of an investigation conducted in Italy, which aims to explore the effects of instruction on secondary school students’ combinatorial reasoning. We gave a questionnaire adapted from Navarro-Pelayo’s research to two groups of students with and without instruction on combinatorics in order to analyse the students’ performances and the strategies used in their solutions, as well as the effect of instruction on the same. We present the results obtained in two permutation and two combination problems (each in the distribution and selection models). Permutation problems were found easier than combination problems, selection problems were found easier after instruction, and the instruction group obtained better results. We found differences in the main strategies used in both groups: enumeration and dividing a problem in parts was more common in the no-instruction group. The instruction group frequently relied on the use of a formula and the product rule.
The Prevention of Adolescent Problem Gambling Through Probabilistic Reasoning: Evidence of the Intervention’s Efficacy
Authors: Primi Caterina , Donati Maria Anna
Published: September 2022

Preventive efforts are necessary to reduce the risk for problem gambling among adolescents, especially among more at-risk youth. However, only a small proportion of the preventive initiatives implemented in the field of adolescent problem gambling are based on robust theoretical models and have been evaluated in their efficacy. By referring to the dual-process model of human functioning, especially to the mindware concept, the goal of this study was to develop and evaluate a school-based preventive intervention based on teaching probabilistic reasoning ability and explaining biases in reasoning with probability. Indeed, research with adolescents found that poor probabilistic reasoning ability is associated with gambling-related cognitive distortions that, in turn, are a risk factor for problem gambling. The study aim was to reduce gambling-related distortions by working on the concept of randomness and probability. A pre- and post-test design was performed with 72 adolescents randomly assigned to a Training group and a No Training group. Results showed a significant reduction of cognitive distortions at the post-test only in the Training group. Findings suggest that teaching probability can serve to reduce the susceptibility to gambling-related distortions and should be pointed out in the training process of the intervention providers in the gambling field.
Green and Social Regulation of Second Hand Appliance Markets: the Case of Air Conditioners in the Philippines
Authors: Never Babette
Published: September 2022

Second hand markets for appliances such as air conditioners are largely unregulated in many low and middle income countries this far. Energy and climate goals may require a speedy phase-out of old appliances, whereas material resource and social concerns may call for repairing and reusing air conditioners as long as possible. Demand for space cooling is soaring globally, increasing regulatory pressure. In middle income countries such as the Philippines, the market for second hand room air conditioners is sizeable. This study targets the question when and how to regulate the market for used air conditioners to balance green and social goals. It analyses the second hand market for air conditioners in Metro Manila, uncovering the general supply chain, business models and customers as well as energy efficiency, refrigerant and repair practices. The study draws on qualitative interviews with 10 experts and 29 retailers and technicians active in the semi-formal second hand market for air conditioners. Available information of lifecycle analyses is taken into account, but the focus of this contribution lies on social impacts of potential regulation. Overall, short-to-medium interventions in the second hand market are required to balance environmental and social goals that target the different players in the market: construction industry, brokers, retailers and technicians, customers and scrap dealers. Neither a complete ban nor delaying or foregoing regulation is advisable. Specific policy recommendations are derived.
Integrated Neuro-Evolution-Based Computing Paradigm to Study the COVID-19 Transposition and Severity in Romania and Pakistan
Authors: Shoaib Muhammad , Abukhaled Marwan , Kainat Saba , Nisar Kottakkaran Sooppy , Raja Muhammad Asif Zahoor , Zubair Ghania
Published: September 2022

Numerical treatment of the COVID-19 transposition and severity in Romania and Pakistan has been presented in this study, i.e., ANN-GA-SQP through artificial neural network genetic algorithms (ANN-GA) and sequential quadratic programming (SQP), a design of an integrated computational intelligent paradigm, COVID-19 is widely considered to be the greatest health threat humanity has ever faced. In terms of both health and economics, COVID-19 is a huge disaster. Many academics have looked at the COVID-19 model in their research papers, although they use different traditional techniques to represent it. The use of hybrid suggested solutions to solve this issue in the present article is significant, demonstrating the study's novelty. The SIR model of COVID-19 consists of a susceptible, infectious, and recovered class of population. The activation function for the construction of functions based on fitness in mean squared error sense is developed using nonlinear equations of the COVID-19 SIR model for the best performance of ANN-GA-SQP with the combined potential of GA and SQP of a network. While detailed refining is done with efficient local search with SQP, GAs operates as a global search. In addition, a neuron analysis will be presented to verify the effectiveness and complexity of the proposed method. Adam’s numerical methodology is applied to compare the sustainability and efficacy of the presented paradigm. Analytical evaluations of mean, median, and semi-interquartile range values, as well as Theil’s inequality coefficients, root mean squared error, and mean of absolute deviation) values have been observed. The convergence and correctness of the ANN-GA-SQP approach are further validated by statistical analyses.
The expression of SOX10 and its value for predicting tumor biological behaviors in patients suffering gastric adenocarcinoma, cross sectional study
Authors: Yazdi Seyed Amir Miratashi , Nazar Elham , Shafiei Sepideh
Published: September 2022

Abstract

Background

Special attention has been recently paid to the expression of the SOX10 marker, which is actually responsible for coordinating the signaling process of the Wnt/B-catenin evolutionary pathway and therefore responsible for cell proliferation and differentiation in tumor cells. We aimed to study the expression of this marker in different types of gastric adenocarcinomas and to find its relationship with histopathologic features of the tumor.

Methods

This cross-sectional study was performed on patients with gastric adenocarcinoma (diffuse or intestinal type) whose malignancy could be confirmed by tissue. Subjects were classified according to CAP criteria based on pathology results. Patients underwent immunohistochemical staining to evaluate SOX10 expression. Tumor behavior was determined based on histological studies.

Results

SOX10 positivity was reported in 22.5% of all tissue samples assessed. The assessment of relationship between SOX10 expression and baseline and tumor characteristics showed no significant association of SOX10 expression and patients’ gender, age, tumor location, tumor size, its type and also lymphovascular and perineural invasions.

Conclusion

The expression of the SOX10 marker is expected only in 22.5% of patients diagnosed with gastric cancer. In our society, the expression of this marker has nothing to do with the biological and aggressive behaviors of this tumor.

Highlights
Plants Need a Lot of Power to Pump Sap
Authors: Dzombak Rebecca
Published: September 2022

A novel calculation reveals how much power plants need to move water through their stems—and how plants gain energy from the process.
Predictive Intelligence for Cholera in Ukraine?
Authors: Usmani Moiz , Brumfield Kyle D. , Magers Bailey M. , Huq Anwar , Barciela Rosa , Nguyen Thanh H. , Colwell Rita R. , Jutla Antarpreet
Published: September 2022

Cholera, an ancient waterborne diarrheal disease, remains a threat to public health, especially when climate/weather processes, microbiological parameters, and sociological determinants intersect with population vulnerabilities of loss of access to safe drinking water and sanitation infrastructure. The ongoing war in Ukraine has either damaged or severely crippled civil infrastructure, following which the human population is at risk of health disasters. This editorial highlights a perspective on using predictive intelligence to combat potential (and perhaps impending) cholera outbreaks in various regions of Ukraine. Reliable and judicious use of existing earth observations inspired mathematical algorithms integrating heuristic understanding of microbiological, sociological, and weather parameters have the potential to save or reduce the disease burden.
Climate and Anthropogenic Controls of Seaweed Expansions in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea
Authors: Qi Lin , Hu Chuanmin , Barnes Brian B. , Lapointe Brian E. , Chen Yanlong , Xie Yuyuan , Wang Menghua
Published: September 2022

Blooms of various types of seaweeds have been reported worldwide, with recent expansions in surface waters. While most of the expansions have been attributed to eutrophication due mainly to human activities, any potential role of climate change is unclear. Here we show that, in the East China Sea and Yellow Sea, increased biomass of Sargassum horneri (S. horneri, brown seaweed) from 2000 to 2021 appears to be caused primarily by ocean warming, as S. horneri prefers a certain temperature range to grow. In contrast, while increases of Ulva prolifera (U. prolifera, green seaweed) in the same regions might also be related to ocean warming, during the same period, human activities such as coastal aquaculture or seaweed mitigation may muddle such effects. With the projected ocean warming in the next decades, we hypothesize that S. horneri blooms may occur earlier during the year and may continue to expand in the future.
Impact of the Latitude of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection on the Southern Annular Mode
Authors: Bednarz Ewa M. , Visioni Daniele , Richter Jadwiga H. , Butler Amy H. , MacMartin Douglas G.
Published: September 2022

The impacts of Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (SAI) strategies on the Southern Annular Mode (SAM) are analyzed with the Community Earth System Model. Using a set of simulations with fixed single‐point SO2 injections we demonstrate the first‐order dependence of the SAM response on the latitude of injection, with the northern hemispheric and equatorial injections driving a response corresponding to a positive phase of SAM and the southern hemispheric injections driving a negative phase of SAM. We further demonstrate that the results can to first order explain the differences in the SAM responses diagnosed from the two recent large ensembles of geoengineering simulations utilizing more complex injection strategies – Geoengineering Large Ensemble and Assessing Responses and Impacts of Solar climate intervention on the Earth system with Stratospheric Aerosol Injection (GLENS and ARISE‐SAI) – as driven by the differences in the simulated sulfate aerosol distributions. Our results point to the meridional extent of aerosol‐induced lower stratospheric heating as an important driver of the sensitivity of the SAM response to the injection location.
Number of Chamber Measurement Locations for Accurate Quantification of Landscape‐Scale Greenhouse Gas Fluxes: Importance of Land Use, Seasonality, and Greenhouse Gas Type
Authors: Wangari E. G. , Mwanake R. M. , Kraus D. , Werner C. , Gettel G. M. , Kiese R. , Breuer L. , Butterbach‐Bahl K. , Houska T.
Published: September 2022

Accurate quantification of landscape soil greenhouse gas (GHG) exchange from chamber measurements is challenging due to the high spatial‐temporal variability of fluxes, which results in large uncertainties in upscaled regional and global flux estimates. We quantified landscape‐scale (6 km2 in central Germany) soil/ecosystem respiration (SR/ER‐CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O) fluxes at stratified sites with contrasting landscape characteristics using the fast‐box chamber technique. We assessed the influence of land use (forest, arable, and grassland), seasonality (spring, summer, and autumn), soil types, and slope on the fluxes. We also evaluated the number of chamber measurement locations required to estimate landscape fluxes within globally significant uncertainty thresholds. The GHG fluxes were strongly influenced by seasonality and land use rather than soil type and slope. The number of chamber measurement locations required for robust landscape‐scale flux estimates depended on the magnitude of fluxes, which varied with season, land use, and GHG type. Significant N2O‐N flux uncertainties greater than the global mean flux (0.67 kg ha−1 yr−1) occurred if landscape measurements were done at <4 and <22 chamber locations (per km2) in forest and arable ecosystems, respectively, in summer. For CO2 and CH4 fluxes, uncertainties greater than the global median CO2‐C flux (7,500 kg ha−1 yr−1) and the global mean forest CH4‐C uptake rate (2.81 kg ha−1 yr−1) occurred at <2 forest and <6 arable chamber locations. This finding suggests that more chamber measurement locations are required to assess landscape‐scale N2O fluxes than CO2 and CH4, based on these GHG‐specific uncertainty thresholds.
Selection, drift and community interactions shape microbial biogeographic patterns in the Pacific Ocean
Authors: Milke Felix , Wagner-Doebler Irene , Wienhausen Gerrit , Simon Meinhard
Published: September 2022

Despite accumulating data on microbial biogeographic patterns in terrestrial and aquatic environments, we still lack a comprehensive understanding of how these patterns establish, in particular in ocean basins. Here we show the relative significance of the ecological mechanisms selection, dispersal and drift for shaping the composition of microbial communities in the Pacific Ocean over a transect of 12,400 km between subantarctic and subarctic regions. In the epipelagic, homogeneous selection contributes 50–60% and drift least to the three mechanism for the assembly of prokaryotic communities whereas in the upper mesopelagic, drift is relatively most important for the particle-associated subcommunities. Temperature is important for the relative significance of homogeneous selection and dispersal limitation for community assembly. The relative significance of both mechanisms was inverted with increasing temperature difference along the transect. For eukaryotes >8 µm, homogeneous selection is also the most important mechanisms at two epipelagic depths whereas at all other depths drift is predominant. As species interactions are essential for structuring microbial communities we further analyzed co-occurrence-based community metrics to assess biogeographic patterns over the transect. These interaction-adjusted indices explained much better variations in microbial community composition as a function of abiotic and biotic variables than compositional or phylogenetic distance measures like Bray–Curtis or UniFrac. Our analyses are important to better understand assembly processes of microbial communities in the upper layers of the largest ocean and how they adapt to effectively perform in global biogeochemical processes. Similar principles presumably act upon microbial community assembly in other ocean basins.
Prediction of remission among patients with a major depressive disorder based on the resting-state functional connectivity of emotion regulation networks
Authors: Wu Hang , Liu Rui , Zhou Jingjing , Feng Lei , Wang Yun , Chen Xiongying , Zhang Zhifang , Cui Jian , Zhou Yuan , Wang Gang
Published: September 2022

The prediction of antidepressant response is critical for psychiatrists to select the initial antidepressant drug for patients with major depressive disorders (MDD). The implicated brain networks supporting emotion regulation (ER) are critical in the pathophysiology of MDD and the prediction of antidepressant response. Therefore, the primary aim of the current study was to identify the neuroimaging biomarkers for the prediction of remission in patients with MDD based on the resting-state functional connectivity (rsFC) of the ER networks. A total of 81 unmedicated adult MDD patients were investigated and they underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imagining (fMRI) scans. The patients were treated with escitalopram for 12 weeks. The 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale was used for assessing remission. The 36 seed regions from predefined ER networks were selected and the rsFC matrix was caculated for each participant. The support vector machine algorithm was employed to construct prediction model, which separated the patients with remission from those with non-remission. And leave-one-out cross-validation and the area under the curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristic were used for evaluating the performance of the model. The accuracy of the prediction model was 82.08% (sensitivity = 71.43%, specificity = 89.74%, AUC = 0.86). The rsFC between the left medial superior frontal gyrus and the right inferior frontal gyrus as well as the precuneus were the features with the highest discrimination ability in predicting remission from escitalopram among the MDD patients. Results from our study demonstrated that rsFC of the ER brain networks are potential predictors for the response of antidepressant drugs. The trial name: appropriate technology study of MDD diagnosis and treatment based on objective indicators and measurement. URL: http://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=21377. Registration number: ChiCTR-OOC-17012566.
Evaluation of brain structure and metabolism in currently depressed adults with a history of childhood trauma
Authors: Jones Joshua S. , Goldstein Samantha J. , Wang Junying , Gardus John , Yang Jie , Parsey Ramin V. , DeLorenzo Christine
Published: September 2022

Structural differences in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), hippocampus, and amygdala were reported in adults who experienced childhood trauma; however, it is unknown whether metabolic differences accompany these structural differences. This multimodal imaging study examined structural and metabolic correlates of childhood trauma in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD). Participants with MDD completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ, n = 83, n = 54 female (65.1%), age: 30.4 ± 14.1) and simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET)/magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Structure (volume, n = 80, and cortical thickness, n = 81) was quantified from MRI using Freesurfer. Metabolism (metabolic rate of glucose uptake) was quantified from dynamic 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-PET images (n = 70) using Patlak graphical analysis. A linear mixed model was utilized to examine the association between structural/metabolic variables and continuous childhood trauma measures while controlling for confounding factors. Bonferroni correction was applied. Amygdala volumes were significantly inversely correlated with continuous CTQ scores. Specifically, volumes were lower by 7.44 mm3 (95% confidence interval [CI]: –12.19, –2.68) per point increase in CTQ. No significant relationship was found between thickness/metabolism and CTQ score. While longitudinal studies are required to establish causation, this study provides insight into potential consequences of, and therefore potential therapeutic targets for, childhood trauma in the prevention of MDD. This work aims to reduce heterogeneity in MDD studies by quantifying neurobiological correlates of trauma within MDD. It further provides biological targets for future interventions aimed at preventing MDD following trauma. To our knowledge, this is the first simultaneous positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) study to assess both structure and metabolism associated with childhood trauma in adults with MDD.
Pedigree-based study to identify GOLGB1 as a risk gene for bipolar disorder
Authors: Liu Fa-rong , Zhou Yunqiang , Wang Yong , Huang Ling-ling , Zhang Xian , Luo Hong , Wu Su-ying , Lyu Hai-yan , Huang Li-huan , Xu Huaxi , Zhang Yun-wu
Published: September 2022

Bipolar disorder (BD) is a complex psychiatric disorder with strong heritability. Identification of new BD risk genes will help determine the mechanism underlying disease pathogenesis. In the present study, we carried out whole genome sequencing for a Chinese BD family with three affected members and three unaffected members, and identified multiple candidate causal variations, including a frameshift mutation in the GOLGB1 gene. Since a GOLGB1 missense mutation was also found in another BD pedigree, we carried out functional studies by downregulating Golgb1 expression in the brain of neonatal mice. Golgb1 deficiency had no effect on anxiety, memory, and social behaviors in young adult mice. However, we found that young adult mice with Golgb1 deficiency exhibited elevated locomotor activity and decreased depressive behaviors in the tail suspension test and the sucrose preference test, but increased depressive behaviors in the forced swim test, resembling the dual character of BD patients with both mania and depression. Moreover, Golgb1 downregulation reduced PSD93 levels and Akt phosphorylation in the brain. Together, our results indicate that GOLGB1 is a strong BD risk gene candidate whose deficiency may result in BD phenotypes possibly through affecting PSD93 and PI3K/Akt signaling.
Mutations within the cGMP-binding domain of CNGA1 causing autosomal recessive retinitis pigmentosa in human and animal model
Authors: Kandaswamy Surabhi , Zobel Lena , John Bina , Santhiya Sathiyavedu Thyagarajan , Bogedein Jacqueline , Przemeck Gerhard K. H. , Gailus-Durner Valérie , Fuchs Helmut , Biel Martin , de Angelis Martin Hrabĕ , Graw Jochen , Michalakis Stylianos , Amarie Oana Veronica
Published: September 2022

Retinitis pigmentosa is a group of progressive inherited retinal dystrophies that may present clinically as part of a syndromic entity or as an isolated (nonsyndromic) manifestation. In an Indian family suffering from retinitis pigmentosa, we identified a missense variation in CNGA1 affecting the cyclic nucleotide binding domain (CNBD) and characterized a mouse model developed with mutated CNBD. A gene panel analysis comprising 105 known RP genes was used to analyze a family with autosomal-recessive retinitis pigmentosa (arRP) and revealed that CNGA1 was affected. From sperm samples of ENU mutagenesis derived F1 mice, we re-derived a mutant with a Cnga1 mutation. Homozygous mutant mice, developing retinal degeneration, were examined for morphological and functional consequences of the mutation. In the family, we identified a rare CNGA1 variant (NM_001379270.1) c.1525 G > A; (p.Gly509Arg), which co-segregated among the affected family members. Homozygous Cnga1 mice harboring a (ENSMUST00000087213.12) c.1526 A > G (p.Tyr509Cys) mutation showed progressive degeneration in the retinal photoreceptors from 8 weeks on. This study supports a role for CNGA1 as a disease gene for arRP and provides new insights on the pathobiology of cGMP-binding domain mutations in CNGA1-RP.
Pt1 enhanced C-H activation synergistic with Ptn catalysis for glycerol cascade oxidation to glyceric acid
Authors: An Zhe , Zhang Zilong , Huang Zeyu , Han Hongbo , Song Binbin , Zhang Jian , Ping Qi , Zhu Yanru , Song Hongyan , Wang Bin , Zheng Lirong , He Jing
Published: September 2022

The selective oxidation of glycerol to glyceric acid, an important value-added reaction from polyols, is a typical cascade catalytic process. It is still of great challenge to simultaneously achieve high glycerol activity and glyceric acid selectivity, suffering from either deep oxidation and C-C cleavage or poor oxidation efficiency from glyceraldehyde to glyceric acid. Herein, this work, inspired by nature, proposes a cascade synergistic catalysis strategy by atomic and low-coordinated cluster Pt on well-defined Cu-CuZrOx, which involves enhanced C-H activation on atomic Pt1 and O-H activation on cluster Ptn in the oxidation of glycerol to glyceraldehyde, and cluster Ptn for C=O activation followed by O-H insertion and atomic Pt1 for C-H activation in the tandem oxidation of glyceraldehyde to glyceric acid. The enhanced C-H activation in the cascade process by atomic Pt1 is revealed to be essential for the high glycerol activity (90.0±0.1%) and the glyceric acid selectivity (80.2±0.2%).
Spatio-temporal analysis of prostate tumors in situ suggests pre-existence of treatment-resistant clones
Authors: Marklund Maja , Schultz Niklas , Friedrich Stefanie , Berglund Emelie , Tarish Firas , Tanoglidi Anna , Liu Yao , Bergenstråhle Ludvig , Erickson Andrew , Helleday Thomas , Lamb Alastair D. , Sonnhammer Erik , Lundeberg Joakim
Published: September 2022

The molecular mechanisms underlying lethal castration-resistant prostate cancer remain poorly understood, with intratumoral heterogeneity a likely contributing factor. To examine the temporal aspects of resistance, we analyze tumor heterogeneity in needle biopsies collected before and after treatment with androgen deprivation therapy. By doing so, we are able to couple clinical responsiveness and morphological information such as Gleason score to transcriptome-wide data. Our data-driven analysis of transcriptomes identifies several distinct intratumoral cell populations, characterized by their unique gene expression profiles. Certain cell populations present before treatment exhibit gene expression profiles that match those of resistant tumor cell clusters, present after treatment. We confirm that these clusters are resistant by the localization of active androgen receptors to the nuclei in cancer cells post-treatment. Our data also demonstrates that most stromal cells adjacent to resistant clusters do not express the androgen receptor, and we identify differentially expressed genes for these cells. Altogether, this study shows the potential to increase the power in predicting resistant tumors.