bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sociability, Social Isolation, and Social Interaction During the First Months of COVID-19 Pandemic: a Qualitative Analysis of Brazilian, Finnish, and American Adults
Authors: Ferreira Juliene Madureira , Merçon-Vargas Elisa A. , Midgette Allegra J.
Published: March 2022

The
social distancing imposed by the pandemic transformed how people interact with others, and little is known about how it has impacted new ways of sociability and if culture influences this process. This is a qualitative study exploring changes in the configurations of social interactions and the resources for sociability that adults in Brazil, the USA, and Finland have developed during the initial stage of quarantine. A total of 95 participants (ages between 20 and 60) experiencing social isolation either living alone or with their partners (without children) completed online questionnaires about their interactive experiences. The questionnaire was composed of multiple choices, addressing the frequency, types, and length of social interactions before and during the pandemic, and open questions focusing on the participants’ experiences on online interactions during the pandemic. Frequencies were analyzed through a paired-sample t-test, and open-ended responses were thematically analyzed. Results revealed, first, that social isolation did not represent a significant change in the composition of the participants’ social network, but family bonds became the main connection during the period, and other sources of social interaction were kept due to the possibility of interaction through virtual means. Although the frequency of social interactions reduced, their significance increased. Second, virtual environments reframed social interactions, influencing individual’s bodily perceptions such as differences in attentional demands, communication processes, and awareness of their own image, and the interaction itself. Third, cultural values seemed to influence the way participants signified their interactive experiences. This study suggests that although virtual environments changed the ways interactions happen, virtual encounters were essential for maintaining participants’ social networks.
Exploration of Target Spaces in the Human Genome for Protein and Peptide Drugs
Authors: Liu Zhongyang , Li Honglei , Jin Zhaoyu , Li Yang , Guo Feifei , He Yangzhige , Liu Xinyue , Qi Yaning , Yuan Liying , He Fuchu , Li Dong
Published: March 2022

After decades of development, protein and peptide drugs have now grown into a major drug class in the marketplace. Target identification and validation are crucial for the discovery of protein and peptide drugs, and bioinformatics prediction of targets based on the characteristics of known target proteins will help improve the efficiency and success rate of target selection. However, owing to the developmental history in the pharmaceutical industry, previous systematic exploration of the target spaces has mainly focused on traditional small-molecule drugs, while studies related to protein and peptide drugs are lacking. Here, we systematically explore the target spaces in the human genome specifically for protein and peptide drugs. Compared with other proteins, both successful protein and peptide drug targets have many special characteristics, and are also significantly different from those of small-molecule drugs in many aspects. Based on these features, we develop separate effective genome-wide target prediction models for protein and peptide drugs. Finally, a user-friendly web server, Predictor Of Protein and PeptIde drugs’ therapeutic Targets (POPPIT) (http://poppit.ncpsb.org.cn/), is established, which provides not only target prediction specifically for protein and peptide drugs but also abundant annotations for predicted targets.
The New Humanitarian Crisis in Ukraine: Coping With the Public Health Impact of Hybrid Warfare, Mass Migration, and Mental Health Trauma
Authors: Patel Sonny S. , Erickson Timothy B.
Published: March 2022

One of the largest mass movements of displaced people from their homelands in recent history must be recognized and assisted by the Free World. The unprovoked Russian attacks on Ukraine beginning in February 2022 will leave long-lasting devastating effects on millions of innocent victims. Nations worldwide, especially NATO member countries, will need to intervene to ameliorate the situation. This letter describes major public health issues apart from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that are emerging concerns, such as shortages of health-care professionals, chronic care treatments and health prevention services, disinformation communication campaigns affecting the health-care infrastructure, and the generational impact of the conflict on people’s mental health. A global response and public health support need immediate action, including humanitarian assistance, food security, clean water supplies, adequate shelter, and safe transportation out of the active military zones.
Time-averaged velocity and scalar fields of the flow over and around a group of cylinders: a model experiment for canopy flows
Authors: Wangsawijaya D. D. , Nicolai C. , Ganapathisubramani B.
Published: March 2022

We conduct a well-controlled model experiment for a wide variety of canopy flows. Examples of these include engineering flows such as wind flow, dispersion of scalars through and over urban areas, and the convective heat transfer in many heat exchangers, as well as natural canopies such as flows through terrestrial or aquatic vegetation. We aim to shed the light on fundamental flow and transport phenomena common to these applications. Specifically, the characteristics of mean flow and scalar concentration characteristics of a turbulent boundary layer flow impinging on a canopy, which comprises a cluster of tall obstacles (this can also be interpreted as a porous obstruction). The cluster is created with a group of cylinders of diameter

$d$

and height

$h$

arranged in a circular patch of diameter

$D$

. The solidity of the patch/obstruction is defined by

$\phi$

(the total planar area covered by cylinders), which is systematically varied (

$0.098 \leq \phi \leq 1$

) by increasing the number of cylinders in a patch (

$N_c$

). A point source is placed at ground level upstream of the patch and its transport over and around the patch is examined. Time-averaged velocity and scalar fields, obtained from simultaneous planar particle image velocimetry-planar laser-induced fluorescence (PIV-PLIF) measurements, reveal that the characteristics of wake and flow above porous patches are heavily influenced by

$\phi$

. In particular, we observe that the horizontal and vertical extent of the wake and scalar concentration downstream of the patches decreases and increases with

$\phi$

, respectively. Here, the recirculation bubble is shifted closer to the trailing edge (TE) of the patches as

$\phi$

increases, limiting the flow from convecting downstream, decreasing the scalar concentration and virtually ‘extending’ the patch in the streamwise direction. As the bubble forms in the TE, vertical bleeding increases and hence the concentration increases above the patch where the cylinders appear to ‘extend’ vertically towards the freestream.
The Constitutional Role of Independent Fiscal Institutions in the Eurozone
Authors: Fasone Cristina
Published: March 2022

The new European economic governance has made the creation or reform of independent fiscal institutions (IFIs) compulsory, in particular for Eurozone countries. While these institutions have been subject to extensive investigation by the economic literature, a constitutional analysis of their prospective and actual impact on national legal systems is lacking. In fact, depending on their design and powers, they could alter the ordinary inter-institutional dynamics on budgetary decisions. IFIs could redress the marginalization of parliaments in budgetary procedures in so far as they are able to offer reliable and independent information from the executive, and should mechanisms of “comply or explain” be put in place. By contrast, in the event an IFI operates within the executive branch and is not autonomous in the exercise of its mandate, parliamentary accountability could be further jeopardized. IFIs could also affect democratic rule-making over the budget, should their technocratic determinations be able to replace those of the budgetary authorities. Through a comparative constitutional analysis and based on selected case studies—France, Italy, Spain, and the Netherlands—the article aims to assess the constitutional impact of IFIs on parliaments and on the problem of information asymmetry on the budget.
Adtech and Real-Time Bidding under European Data Protection Law
Authors: Veale Michael , Zuiderveen Borgesius Frederik
Published: March 2022

This article discusses the troubled relationship between contemporary advertising technology (adtech) systems, in particular systems of real-time bidding (RTB, also known as programmatic advertising) underpinning much behavioral targeting on the web and through mobile applications. This article analyzes the extent to which practices of RTB are compatible with the requirements regarding a legal basis for processing, transparency, and security in European data protection law.

We first introduce the technologies at play through explaining and analyzing the systems deployed online today. Following that, we turn to the law. Rather than analyze RTB against every provision of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we consider RTB in the context of the GDPR’s requirement of a legal basis for processing and the GDPR’s transparency and security requirements. We show, first, that the GDPR requires prior consent of the internet user for RTB, as other legal bases are not appropriate. Second, we show that it is difficult—and perhaps impossible—for website publishers and RTB companies to meet the GDPR’s transparency requirements. Third, RTB incentivizes insecure data processing. We conclude that, in concept and in practice, RTB is structurally difficult to reconcile with European data protection law. Therefore, intervention by regulators is necessary.
Internal shear layers in librating spherical shells: the case of periodic characteristic paths
Authors: He Jiyang , Favier Benjamin , Rieutord Michel , Le Dizès Stéphane
Published: March 2022

Internal shear layers generated by the longitudinal libration of the inner core in a spherical shell rotating at a rate

$\varOmega ^*$

are analysed asymptotically and numerically. The forcing frequency is chosen as

$\sqrt {2}\varOmega ^*$

such that the layers issued from the inner core at the critical latitude in the form of concentrated conical beams draw a simple rectangular pattern in meridional cross-sections. The asymptotic structure of the internal shear layers is described by extending the self-similar solution known for open domains to closed domains where reflections on the boundaries occur. The periodic ray path ensures that the beams remain localised around it. Asymptotic solutions for both the main beam along the critical line and the weaker secondary beam perpendicular to it are obtained. The asymptotic predictions are compared with direct numerical results obtained for Ekman numbers as low as

$E=10^{-10}$

. The agreement between the asymptotic predictions and numerical results improves as the Ekman number decreases. The asymptotic scalings in

$E^{1/12}$

and

$E^{1/4}$

for the amplitudes of the main and secondary beams, respectively, are recovered numerically. Since the self-similar solution is singular on the axis, a new local asymptotic solution is derived close to the axis and is also validated numerically. This study demonstrates that, in the limit of vanishing Ekman numbers and for particular frequencies, the main features of the flow generated by a librating inner core are obtained by propagating through the spherical shell the self-similar solution generated by the singularity at the critical latitude on the inner core.
A tale of two epicentres: Lombardy and New York City at the outbreak of the Coronavirus pandemic
Authors: Storti Luca , Torpey John , Dagnes Joselle , Filandri Marianna , Lyons Justine
Published: March 2022

The paper explores the tale of two 'epicentres’ – metropolitan New York and Lombardy – and seeks to depict the socio-demographic patterns that characterise the worst cases of infection, hospitalisation, and death during the first six months of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020. By drawing upon secondary data concerning sub-territorial units within the two regions – ZIP-code level and counties in New York and municipalities in Italy – the paper compares the characteristics of the two areas in an effort to understand bothhowthey became the original major epicentres andhowtheir experiences of the pandemic differed. We suspected initially that the pandemic in Lombardy was a function of a complex constellation of variables, such as the age of the population, the unexpected emergence of the virus, and features of the local health system. In New York, the pattern seemed to fit a more familiar dynamic, the kind one would expect from the course that most pandemics take: the poor suffer the worst. The paper tries to extend the understanding of the complex and not univocal mix of social variables that can facilitate the spread of a pandemic and make its effects extreme.
Late-onset swallowing outcomes post-treatment for head and neck cancer in a UK-based population
Authors: Tengku S , Lohi I , Connelly A , Slaven E , Sloane K , Herity K , McBlain L , Douglas C M , Montgomery J
Published: March 2022

Background

Adverse swallowing outcomes following head and neck squamous cell carcinoma treatment in the context of late-onset post-radiotherapy changes can occur more than five years post-treatment.

Methods

A retrospective study was conducted utilising patient records from March 2013 to April 2015. Patients were categorised into ‘swallow dysfunction’ and ‘normal swallow’ groups. Quality of life was investigated using the MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory and EuroQol questionnaires.

Results

Swallow dysfunction was seen in 77 (51 per cent) of 152 patients. Twenty-eight patients (36 per cent) in the swallow dysfunction group reported symptoms in year five. Swallow dysfunction was associated with stage IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (p< 0.001) and radiotherapy (p< 0.001). MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory global scores showed significant differences between swallow dysfunction and normal swallow groups (p= 0.01), and radiotherapy and surgery groups (p= 0.03), but there were no significant differences between these groups in terms of MD Anderson Dysphagia Inventory composite or EuroQol five-dimensions instrument scores.

Conclusion

One-third of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma survivors with swallow dysfunction still show symptoms at more than five years post-surgery, a point at which they are typically discharged.
Establishment of four head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines: importance of reference DNA for accurate genomic characterisation
Authors: Patel K B , Prokopec S , Barrett J W , Mymryk J S , Boutros P C , Nichols A C
Published: March 2022

Objective

There is significant interest in developing early passage cell lines with matched normal reference DNA to facilitate a precision medicine approach in assessing drug response. This study aimed to establish early passage cell lines, and perform whole exome sequencing and short tandem repeat profiling on matched normal reference DNA, primary tumour and corresponding cell lines.

Methods

A cell culture based, in vitro study was conducted of patients with primary human papillomavirus positive and human papillomavirus negative tumours.

Results

Four early passage cell lines were established. Two cell lines were human papillomavirus positive, confirmed by sequencing and p16 immunoblotting. Short tandem repeat profiling confirmed that all cell lines were established from their index tumours. Whole exome sequencing revealed that the matched normal reference DNA was critical for accurate mutational analysis: a high rate of false positive mutation calls were excluded (87.6 per cent).

Conclusion

Early passage cell lines were successfully established. Patient-matched reference DNA is important for accurate cell line mutational calls.
An Integral Advaitic theodicy of spiritual evolution:karma, rebirth, universal salvation, and mystical panentheism
Authors: Medhananda Swami
Published: March 2022

This article outlines and defends an ‘Integral Advaitic’ theodicy that takes its bearings from the thought of three modern Indian mystics: Sri Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, and Sri Aurobindo. Their Integral Advaitic theodicy has two key dimensions: a doctrine of spiritual evolution and a panentheistic metaphysics. God has created this world as an arena for our moral and spiritual evolution in which evil and suffering are as necessary as good. The doctrine of spiritual evolution presupposeskarma, rebirth, and universal salvation. The doctrines ofkarmaand rebirth shift moral responsibility for evil from God to His creatures by explaining all instances of evil and suffering as the karmic consequence of their own past deeds, either in this life or in a previous life. The doctrine of universal salvation also has important theodical implications: the various finite evils of this life are outweighed by the infinite good of salvation that awaits us all. After outlining this Integral Advaitic theodicy, I address some of the main objections to it and then argue that it has a number of comparative advantages over John Hick's well-known ‘soul-making’ theodicy.
Encapsulation and subjectivity from the standpoint of viewpoint theory
Authors: Morsella Ezequiel , Velasquez Anthony G. , Yankulova Jessica K. , Li Yanming , Gazzaley Adam
Published: March 2022

The groundbreaking, viewpoint theory of Merker et al. explains several properties of the conscious field, including why the observer cannot directly apprehend itself. We propose that viewpoint theory might also provide a progressive, constitutive marker of consciousness and shed light on why most of the contents of consciousness are encapsulated.
Computation, perception, and mind
Authors: Feldman Jerome A.
Published: March 2022

Advances in behavioral and brain sciences have engendered wide ranging efforts to help understand consciousness. The target article suggests that abstract computational models (such as integrated information theory [IIT]) are ill-advised. This commentary broadens the discussion to include mysteries of subjective experience that are inconsistent with current neuroscience. It also discusses progress being made through demystifying specific cases and pursuing evolutionary considerations.
Meta-criteria to formulate criteria of consciousness
Authors: Kotchoubey Boris
Published: March 2022

Any neurobiological model claiming explanation of a complex human phenomenon should start with an explicit definition of the explanandum. If a classical intensional definition is impossible, we can use a descriptive definition by listing necessary criteria (e.g., of consciousness). This commentary suggests four meta-criteria that different proposed criteria of consciousness should fulfill: phenomenological consensus, empirical evidence, domain specificity, and non-circularity.
Consciousness generates agent action
Authors: Delafield-Butt Jonathan , Trevarthen Colwyn
Published: March 2022

Consciousness directs the actions of the agent for its own purposive gains. It re-organises a stimulus-response linear causality to deliver generative, creative agent action that evaluates the subsequent experience prospectively. This inversion of causality affords special properties of control that are not accounted for in integrated information theory (IIT), which is predicated on a linear, deterministic cause-effect model. IIT remains an incomplete, abstract, and disembodied theory without explanation of the psychobiology of consciousness that serves the vital agency the organism.
Do L1 tone language speakers enjoy a perceptual advantage in processing English contrastive prosody?*
Authors: Hwang Jiwon , Takahashi Chikako , Baek Hyunah , Yeung Alex Hong-Lun , Broselow Ellen
Published: March 2022

This study compared the ability of English monolinguals and Mandarin–English bilinguals to make use of English contrastive prosody not only in natural speech but also in masked speech, in which the only available information was prosodic. In contrast to earlier studies (Choi et al., 2019; Choi, 2021; Tong et al., 2015) which found that L1 tone language speakers outperformed native speakers in tasks involving the use of pitch to identify stress position in English, we did not find a similar advantage for Mandarin–English bilinguals in the interpretation of English contrastive prosody, even under conditions that enforced reliance on pitch contours. These findings are consistent with other studies suggesting that the integration of prosodic information into discourse is an area of particular difficulty for L2 speakers.
Relationship between sarcopenia and cardiovascular disease risk among Taiwanese older adults
Authors: Chen Yuan-Yuei , Chen Wei-Liang , Peng Tao-Chun , Liaw Fang-Yih , Chao Yuan-Ping , Kao Tung-Wei
Published: March 2022

Objective:

Increasing evidence supports sarcopenia as an important parameter for predicting cardiometabolic risks. The objective of this study was to investigate the relationship between muscle mass, muscle strength, and physical performance, and cardiovascular risk among older community-dwelling adults.

Design:

The associations between dynapenia, sarcopenia, and Framingham risk score (FRS) were estimated by multivariate regression models.

Setting:

Muscle mass is estimated by skeletal muscle mass index using a bioelectrical impedance analysis. Muscle strength is measured by handgrip strength using an analogue isometric dynamometer. Physical performance is measured by gait speed using a 6-m walking distance. Dynapenia was defined as low muscle strength and/or slow gait speed presents with normal muscle mass. The diagnosis of presarcopenia and sarcopenia was based on criteria proposed by the Asian Working Group for Sarcopenia in 2014. The FRS was used for evaluating 10-year coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Participants:

Adults aged 65 years and older who attended health examinations from 2015 to 2017 were recruited.

Results:

There were totally 709 subjects enrolled in this study. Dynapenic men (n 47) had 17·70 ± 5·08 % FRS and sarcopenic women (n 74) had 7·74 ± 6·06 % FRS. Participants with presarcopenia had the lowest FRS (men: 15·41 ± 5·35 %; women: 5·25 ± 3·70 %). Men with dynapenia had higher FRS than the presarcopenia group with odds ratio (OR) of 2·52 (95 % confidence interval (CI): 1·03, 6·14). Women with sarcopenia had significantly higher FRS than the presarcopenia group with OR of 2·81 (95 % CI: 1·09, 7·27).

Conclusion:

Older dynapenic men and older sarcopenic women had higher risks of 10-year CHD. Presarcopenic older adults had the lowest CHD risk in both genders.
Individual and interpersonal factors affecting dietary intake of community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ellis Amy , Jung Seung Eun , Palmer Frankie , Shahan Mackinsey
Published: March 2022

Objective:

As older adults are at higher risk for severe illness and mortality from SARS-CoV-2 infection, social distancing has been a primary means of mitigating risk. However, this lifestyle change may impact eating habits and food choices. The aim of this study was to explore individual and interpersonal factors affecting the eating behaviours and dietary intake of community-dwelling older adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Design:

Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. All interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Qualitative data were analysed using a deductive content analysis approach to identify themes.

Setting:

Southeastern United States

Participants:

Twenty-three men and women, 60 years of age and older (mean age 71·9 ± 7·7, 22 % male), completed both the interview and questionnaire.

Results:

Themes that emerged at the individual level included changes in eating habits and foods eaten, with most participants reporting healthier food choices during the pandemic. Participants also reported more frequent cooking, improved cooking skills and cooking as a form of stress relief. Although some older adults described increased snacking and consumption of ‘comfort foods’, others noted no influence of mood on food choices. At the interpersonal level, an increased use of technology for social interaction and the importance of social support were identified as influencing factors.

Conclusions:

Findings provide insight on how to help older adults maintain good nutrition amidst lifestyle changes imposed by social distancing. Nutrition educators may capitalise on positive behaviour changes that occurred during the pandemic such as increased cooking and increased use of technology for social interaction.
Thickness of Fluvial Deposits Records Climate Oscillations
Authors: Yuan X. P. , Guerit L. , Braun J. , Rouby D. , Shobe C. M.
Published: March 2022

Fluvial deposits offer Earth’s best‐preserved geomorphic record of past climate change over geological timescales. However, quantitatively extracting this information remains challenging in part due to the complexity of erosion, sediment transport and deposition processes and how each of them responds to climate. Furthermore, sedimentary basins have the potential to temporarily store sediments, and rivers subsequently rework those sediments. This may introduce time lags into sedimentary signals and obscure any direct correlation with climate forcing. Here, using a numerical model that combines all three processes—and a new analytical solution—we show that the thickness of fluvial deposits at the outlet of a mountain river can be linked to the amplitude and period of rainfall oscillations but is modulated by the mountain uplift rate. For typical uplift rates of a few mm/yr, climate oscillations at Milankovitch periods lead to alluvial sediment thickness of tens of meters as observed in nature. We also explain the time lag of the order of 20%–25% of the forcing period that is commonly observed between the timing of maximum rainfall and erosion. By comparing to field datasets, our predictions for the thickness and time lag of fluvial deposits are broadly consistent with observations despite the simplicity of our modeling approach. These findings provide a new theoretical framework for quantitatively extracting information on past rainfall variations from fluvial deposits.
Biogeochemical Timescales of Climate Change Onset and Recovery in the North Atlantic Interior Under Rapid Atmospheric CO2 Forcing
Authors: Bertini Leonardo , Tjiputra Jerry
Published: March 2022

Anthropogenic climate change footprints in the ocean go beyond the mixed layer depth, with considerable impacts throughout mesopelagic and deep‐ocean ecosystems. Yet, little is known about the timing of these environmental changes, their spatial extent, and the associated timescales of recovery in the ocean interior when strong mitigation strategies are involved. Here, we simulate idealized rapid climate change and mitigation scenarios using the Norwegian Earth System Model to investigate timescales of climate change onset and recovery and the extent of change in the North Atlantic (NAtl) interior relative to Pre‐industrial (PI) variability across a suite of environmental drivers (Temperature—Temp; pH; Dissolved Oxygen—DO; Apparent Oxygen Utilization—AOU; Export Production—EP; and Calcite saturation state—Ωc). We show that, below the subsurface domains, responses of these drivers are asymmetric and detached from the anthropogenic forcing with large spatial variations. Vast regions of the interior NAtl experience detectable anthropogenic signals significantly earlier and over a longer period than those projected for the near‐surface. In contrast to surface domains, the NAtl interior remains largely warmer relative to PI (up to +50%) following the mitigation scenario, with anomalously lower EP, pH, and Ωc (up to −20%) south of 30°N. Oxygen overshoot in the upper mesopelagic of up to +20% is simulated, mainly driven by a decrease in consumption during remineralization. Our study highlights the need for long‐term commitment focused on pelagic and deep‐water ecosystem monitoring to fully understand the impact of anthropogenic climate change on the North Atlantic biogeochemistry.
Adiabatic Processes Contribute to the Rapid Warming of Subpolar North Atlantic During 1993–2010
Authors: Wang Hanshi , Li Ziguang , Lin Xiaopei , Zhao Jian , Wu Dexing
Published: March 2022

The Subpolar North Atlantic (SPNA) is a region with complex dynamics, and governs the global heat transport by regulating the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. During 1993–2010, the upper ocean of SPNA has rapidly warmed. Most studies to date focused on the diabatic processes and meridional heat transport leading to this rapid warming, neglecting the role of adiabatic processes and associated heat redistribution. Here, we investigate the ability of adiabatic Rossby wave adjustment to produce this warming event by designed numerical experiments with a set of simple models, including one‐layer model, reduced‐gravity model and two‐layer model. The comparison between these numerical simulations with observations demonstrates that this rapid warming in the western SPNA is partly generated by the wind stress anomalies. The wind stress curl anomalies in the central and eastern of SPNA trigger the topographic and planetary Rossby waves, propagating the downwelling signals along their waveguides to redistribute heat in the upper ocean and warm the Labrador Sea and Irminger Sea with a 4‐ or 7‐year time lag. Hence, the baroclinic mode dominates the magnitude of the adiabatic warming in the SPNA and the topography shapes its spatial pattern. In addition, local and remote wind forcing jointly contributes to this warming.
Global Mapping of the Nonstationary Semidiurnal Internal Tide Using Argo Data
Authors: Geoffroy Gaspard , Nycander Jonas
Published: March 2022

Data from Argo floats equipped with Iridium communications are used to obtain a global map of the total amplitude (or variance) of the semidiurnal internal tide at 1,000 dbar. The results are confirmed by a comparison with data from an historical collection of moored instruments. The obtained amplitude is in turn compared with the High‐Resolution Empirical Tide (HRET) model, based on satellite altimetry. While HRET only contains the stationary component, with a fixed phase difference to the astronomical tide, the present results capture the total amplitude, including the nonstationary component. We estimate the global average ratio of total (Argo) to stationary (HRET) semidiurnal internal tide variance to be 6.5, and the amplitude ratio to be 3.6. Our estimate of the stationary fraction of the semidiurnal internal tide is subject to significant uncertainties. In particular, HRET is thought to mainly represent baroclinic mode‐1 waves, while Argo data contain contributions from all modes.
Impacts of Western Disturbances on Wintertime Precipitation Over the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Qiu Tianpei , Huang Wenyu , Wright Jonathon S. , Yang Zifan , Wang Bin
Published: March 2022

In this work, we examine the impacts of wintertime western disturbances (WDs) on precipitation over the southeastern Tibetan Plateau (SETP) during 1979–2017. Most WDs initially formed within the central Himalayas and dissipated over southeastern China and its neighboring seas. All extreme precipitation days over the SETP region during this period were linked to WDs, often when a WD center entered the region about 10° west of the SETP. Significant warm temperature anomalies over the SETP region preceding WD arrival favored moisture accumulation there. During the passage of WDs, both strong updrafts along the eastern edge of the WD and rapid decreases in temperature over the SETP (linked to WD‐associated cold anomalies below 300 hPa) favored the occurrence of wintertime precipitation over the SETP region. WD strength and moist static energy variations over the SETP region were key factors affecting the intensity of WD‐induced precipitation, while the size and latitudinal position of the WD played minor roles. The relatively strong WDs that produced extreme precipitation days over the SETP mainly originated above the eastern Mediterranean Sea, northern Arabian Peninsula, and Iranian Plateau. A distinct transition of the circumglobal teleconnection pattern modulated the generation of strong‐intensity WDs within these major genesis regions, as well as their eastward propagation and the generation of extreme precipitation over the SETP region.
Retracted: Memory Effects in Salinity Profiles From Black Sea Sediments
Authors: Boudreau Bernard P. , Calvert Stephen , Kienast Markus
Published: March 2022

The current saline state of the Black Sea is only the latest of a series of freshening‐salinization episodes that have affected that body of water during past glacial–interglacial cycles. Here, we model the salinity history of the basin and its sedimentary porewaters since the end of the penultimate saline period, variously thought to have occurred in the period between ∼128 and ∼65 Kyr BP. Our model results argue that the down‐core salinity profiles of Black Sea Holocene sediments have been affected by the diffusion of salt from the penultimate saline episode. Retrodiction of these porewater profiles also requires that the Black Sea bottom waters be either fresh, or very weakly brackish (S ≤ 1), between ∼50 and ∼10 Kyr BP. In addition, we find that the timing of the first deposition of the well‐known Holocene sapropel corresponds to the time when salty bottom waters first reached the surface waters, and we speculate that increased organic matter production could have been caused by the release of nutrients stored in the saline bottom water. Finally, using current salinity proxy data, we find that the porewater salinity profiles generated from these proxies do not match the observed interstitial profiles.
Remote Sensing of Visible Dye Concentrations During a Tracer Experiment on a Large, Turbid River
Authors: Legleiter Carl J. , Sansom Brandon J. , Jacobson Robert B.
Published: March 2022

Understanding dispersion in rivers is critical for numerous applications, such as characterizing larval drift for endangered fish species and responding to spills of hazardous materials. Injecting a visible dye into the river can yield insight on dispersion processes, but conventional field instrumentation yields limited data on variations in dye concentration over time at a few, fixed points. Remote sensing can provide more detailed, spatially distributed information on the dye's motion, but this approach has only been tested in clear‐flowing streams. The purpose of this study was to assess the potential of remote sensing to facilitate tracer studies in more turbid rivers. To pursue this objective, we injected Rhodamine WT dye into the Missouri River and collected field spectra from a boat, videos from a small unoccupied aircraft system (sUAS), and orthophotos from an airplane. Applying an optimal band ratio analysis (OBRA) algorithm to the field spectra revealed strong correlations (R2 = 0.936) between a spectrally based quantity and in situ concentration measurements. OBRA also performed well for broadband RGB (red, green, blue) images extracted from the sUAS‐based videos; the resulting concentration maps were used to produce animations that captured movement of the dye pulse. Spectral mixture analysis of repeat orthophoto coverage yielded relative concentration estimates that provided a synoptic perspective on dispersion of the dye throughout the entire 13.8 km reach over the full 2.5‐hr duration of the experiment. The results of this study demonstrate the potential to remotely sense tracer dye concentrations in large, highly turbid rivers.
New soliton dynamics revealed in the normal dispersion region
Authors: Shi Kebin
Published: March 2022

Birefringence-involved phase matching is demonstrated to be a novel mechanism to generate transform limited solitary pulses in an ultrafast mode-locking fiber laser cavity with normal dispersion.
Advances in COVID-19 mRNA vaccine development
Authors: Fang Enyue , Liu Xiaohui , Li Miao , Zhang Zelun , Song Lifang , Zhu Baiyu , Wu Xiaohong , Liu Jingjing , Zhao Danhua , Li Yuhua
Published: March 2022

To date, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has determined 399,600,607 cases and 5,757,562 deaths worldwide. COVID-19 is a serious threat to human health globally. The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared COVID-19 pandemic a major public health emergency. Vaccination is the most effective and economical intervention for controlling the spread of epidemics, and consequently saving lives and protecting the health of the population. Various techniques have been employed in the development of COVID-19 vaccines. Among these, the COVID-19 messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine has been drawing increasing attention owing to its great application prospects and advantages, which include short development cycle, easy industrialization, simple production process, flexibility to respond to new variants, and the capacity to induce better immune response. This review summarizes current knowledge on the structural characteristics, antigen design strategies, delivery systems, industrialization potential, quality control, latest clinical trials and real-world data of COVID-19 mRNA vaccines as well as mRNA technology. Current challenges and future directions in the development of preventive mRNA vaccines for major infectious diseases are also discussed.
YTHDF1 upregulation mediates hypoxia-dependent breast cancer growth and metastasis through regulating PKM2 to affect glycolysis
Authors: Yao Xuemei , Li Wei , Li Liqi , Li Menghuan , Zhao Youbo , Fang De , Zeng Xiaohua , Luo Zhong
Published: March 2022

N6-methyladenosine modification is the most common RNA modification mechanism in mammals. YTHDF1, a m6A reader, can recognize the m6A of mRNAs to facilitate the interaction with the mRNA ribosome assembly and recruitment of translation initiators to promote translation. From a clinical perspective, YTHDF1 upregulation is frequently observed in breast cancer, but its involvement in those cancer-related events is still unclear. Here we report that YTHDF1 is a cancer driver capable of facilitating the proliferation and invasion of breast cancer cells as well as enhancing tumorigenicity and metastasis through promoting glycolysis. We found that tumor hypoxia can transcriptionally induce HIF1α and post-transcriptionally inhibit the expression of miR-16-5p to promote YTHDF1 expression, which could sequentially enhance tumor glycolysis by upregulating PKM2 and eventually increase the tumorigenesis and metastasis potential of breast cancer cells. Inhibiting YTHDF1 via gene knockdown or miR-16-5p would significantly abolish YTHDF1-dependent tumor growth and metastasis. In summary, we identified the role of the YTHDF1-PKM2 signal axis in the occurrence and development of breast cancer, which can be used as a potential target for breast cancer treatment.
Epitaxial growth of an atom-thin layer on a LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode for stable Li-ion battery cycling
Authors: Zhu Xiaobo , Schülli Tobias U. , Yang Xiaowei , Lin Tongen , Hu Yuxiang , Cheng Ningyan , Fujii Hiroki , Ozawa Kiyoshi , Cowie Bruce , Gu Qinfen , Zhou Si , Cheng Zhenxiang , Du Yi , Wang Lianzhou
Published: March 2022

Transition metal dissolution in cathode active material for Li-based batteries is a critical aspect that limits the cycle life of these devices. Although several approaches have been proposed to tackle this issue, this detrimental process is not yet overcome. Here, benefitting from the knowledge developed in the semiconductor research field, we apply an epitaxial method to construct an atomic wetting layer of LaTMO3 (TM = Ni, Mn) on a LiNi0.5Mn1.5O4 cathode material. Experimental measurements and theoretical analyses confirm a Stranski–Krastanov growth, where the strained wetting layer forms under thermodynamic equilibrium, and it is self-limited to monoatomic thickness due to the competition between the surface energy and the elastic energy. Being atomically thin and crystallographically connected to the spinel host lattices, the LaTMO3 wetting layer offers long-term suppression of the transition metal dissolution from the cathode without impacting its dynamics. As a result, the epitaxially-engineered cathode material enables improved cycling stability (a capacity retention of about 77% after 1000 cycles at 290 mA g−1) when tested in combination with a graphitic carbon anode and a LiPF6-based non-aqueous electrolyte solution.
Expanding biochemical knowledge and illuminating metabolic dark matter with ATLASx
Authors: MohammadiPeyhani Homa , Hafner Jasmin , Sveshnikova Anastasia , Viterbo Victor , Hatzimanikatis Vassily
Published: March 2022

Metabolic “dark matter” describes currently unknown metabolic processes, which form a blind spot in our general understanding of metabolism and slow down the development of biosynthetic cell factories and naturally derived pharmaceuticals. Mapping the dark matter of metabolism remains an open challenge that can be addressed globally and systematically by existing computational solutions. In this work, we use 489 generalized enzymatic reaction rules to map both known and unknown metabolic processes around a biochemical database of 1.5 million biological compounds. We predict over 5 million reactions and integrate nearly 2 million naturally and synthetically-derived compounds into the global network of biochemical knowledge, named ATLASx. ATLASx is available to researchers as a powerful online platform that supports the prediction and analysis of biochemical pathways and evaluates the biochemical vicinity of molecule classes (https://lcsb-databases.epfl.ch/Atlas2).
Paternal transmission of migration knowledge in a long-distance bird migrant
Authors: Byholm Patrik , Beal Martin , Isaksson Natalie , Lötberg Ulrik , Åkesson Susanne
Published: March 2022

While advances in biologging have revealed many spectacular animal migrations, it remains poorly understood how young animals learn to migrate. Even in social species, it is unclear how migratory skills are transmitted from one generation to another and what implications this may have. Here we show that in Caspian terns Hydroprogne caspia family groups, genetic and foster male parents carry the main responsibility for migrating with young. During migration, young birds stayed close to an adult at all times, with the bond dissipating on the wintering grounds. Solo-migrating adults migrated faster than did adults accompanying young. Four young that lost contact with their parent at an early stage of migration all died. During their first solo migration, subadult terns remained faithful to routes they took with their parents as young. Our results provide evidence for cultural inheritance of migration knowledge in a long-distance bird migrant and show that sex-biased (allo)parental care en route shapes migration through social learning.
Actinides and fission products in reactor graphite after loss-of-flow accident
Authors: Pavlyuk Alexander O. , Kotlyarevskii Sergei G. , Kan Roman I. , Volkova Anna G. , Yapaskurt Vasiliy O. , Zakharova Elena V. , Shiryaev Andrei A.
Published: March 2022

Samples of irradiated graphite from a uranium-graphite reactor contaminated with fuel debris from loss-of-flow accidents, are investigated. Peculiarities of spatial distribution, speciation, and kinetics of leaching by aqueous solution of actinides and fission products are studied at scales from the whole reactor stack down to sub-mm graphite fragments. The main fraction of fuel debris is associated with aluminosilicate-based phases decorating cracks and other defects of damaged graphite details. Elemental composition of actinides and fission products depends on both irradiation and leaching conditions. Significant differences are observed between leach kinetics of various radionuclides; integral leached fraction varies between ~5% for 244Сm to ~90% for 134,137Cs. For some radionuclides sudden massive release due to uneven dissolution of the carrier phases is observed. Disposal of irradiated graphite with significant fraction of fuel debris requires dedicated treatment aimed either at decontamination or at conversion of the radionuclides to insoluble well-fixed form.
Activation of lysosomal mediated cell death in the course of autophagy by mTORC1 inhibitor
Authors: Khan Sameer Ullah , Pathania Anup Singh , Wani Abubakar , Fatima Kaneez , Mintoo Mubashir Javed , Hamza Baseerat , Paddar Masroor Ahmad , Bhumika Wadhwa , Anand Loveleena Kour , Maqbool Mir Shahid , Mir Sameer Ahmad , Kour Jaspreet , Venkateswarlu Vunnam , Mondhe Dilip Manikrao , Sawant Sanghapal D. , Malik Fayaz
Published: March 2022

Lysosomal biogenesis plays a vital role in cell fate. Under certain conditions, excessive lysosomal biogenesis leads to susceptibility for lysosomal membrane permeabilization resulting in various pathological conditions including cell death. In cancer cells apoptosis machinery becomes dysregulated during the course of treatment, thus allows cancer cells to escape apoptosis. So it is therefore imperative to identify cytotoxic agents that exploit non-apoptotic mechanisms of cell death. Our study showed that pancreatic cancer cells treated with SDS-203 triggered an incomplete autophagic response and a nuclear translocation of transcriptional factor TFEB. This resulted in abundant biosynthesis and accumulation of autophagosomes and lysosomes into the cells leading to their death. It was observed that the silencing of autophagy genes didn’t alter the cell fate, whereas siRNA-mediated silencing of TFEB subdued SDS-203 mediated lysosomal biogenesis and associated cell death. Further mouse tumors treated with SDS-203 showed a significant reduction in tumor burden and increased expression of lysosomal markers. Taken together this study demonstrates that SDS-203 treatment triggers non-apoptotic cell death in pancreatic cancer cells through a mechanism of lysosome over accumulation.
Far-UVC (222 nm) efficiently inactivates an airborne pathogen in a room-sized chamber
Authors: Eadie Ewan , Hiwar Waseem , Fletcher Louise , Tidswell Emma , O’Mahoney Paul , Buonanno Manuela , Welch David , Adamson Catherine S. , Brenner David J. , Noakes Catherine , Wood Kenneth
Published: March 2022

Many infectious diseases, including COVID-19, are transmitted by airborne pathogens. There is a need for effective environmental control measures which, ideally, are not reliant on human behaviour. One potential solution is Krypton Chloride (KrCl) excimer lamps (often referred to as Far-UVC), which can efficiently inactivate pathogens, such as coronaviruses and influenza, in air. Research demonstrates that when KrCl lamps are filtered to remove longer-wavelength ultraviolet emissions they do not induce acute reactions in the skin or eyes, nor delayed effects such as skin cancer. While there is laboratory evidence for Far-UVC efficacy, there is limited evidence in full-sized rooms. For the first time, we show that Far-UVC deployed in a room-sized chamber effectively inactivates aerosolised Staphylococcus aureus. At a room ventilation rate of 3 air-changes-per-hour (ACH), with 5 filtered-sources the steady-state pathogen load was reduced by 98.4% providing an additional 184 equivalent air changes (eACH). This reduction was achieved using Far-UVC irradiances consistent with current American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists threshold limit values for skin for a continuous 8-h exposure. Our data indicate that Far-UVC is likely to be more effective against common airborne viruses, including SARS-CoV-2, than bacteria and should thus be an effective and “hands-off” technology to reduce airborne disease transmission. The findings provide room-scale data to support the design and development of effective Far-UVC systems.