bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A comparison between growth of direct and pulse current electrodeposited crystalline SnO2 films; electrochemical properties for application in lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Hessam Ramtin , Najafisayar Pooria , Rasouli Seyedeh Sepideh
Published: December 2022

Tin oxide (SnO2) films were electrodeposited on graphite substrates using direct and pulse current electrodeposition techniques. The influence of applied current density on the morphological properties, crystal structure, and electrochemical behavior of the resulting films were studied by scanning electron microscope, X-ray diffraction spectroscopy, Mott–Schottky analysis, cyclic voltammetry, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy techniques. The results showed that pulse electrodeposited films have porous flower-like morphology with smaller crystallite size and high donor density in comparison with direct current electrodeposited films that include equiaxed particles in their morphologies, such characteristics give them better electrochemical performance (higher degree of reversibility, higher specific capacitance, and faster lithium-ion diffusion) than those films that were synthesized by conventional direct current electrodeposition method. Furthermore, using higher applied current densities leads to the improvement of SnO2 films’ electrochemical performance due to the formation of the films with finer morphology that include more porosity and oxygen vacancies in their respective crystal structure.
From exceptional to common presence: Italian women in twentieth-century life sciences
Authors: Dröscher Ariane
Published: December 2022

This essay surveys the situation of Italian women life scientists from the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. It follows the path that took women from being an exceptional presence to becoming a common, yet not equal, presence in the Italian science departments. Very different proportions of women occupied the three ranks in the academic hierarchy—students, research staff and professors. From the late nineteenth century onwards, women started to enrol in Italian universities. Initially, the second most popular department among female students—outdone only by the humanities—was that of mathematics, physics and natural sciences. Concerning women among research staff, a brief statistical analysis reveals the growing proportion of the female workforce in academic institutions and brings into view poorly known female assistants and technicians. The most difficult career step for women was to gain a tenured university position. A comparison between bacteriologist Giuseppina Cattani’s ‘failure’ to gain such a position and the ultimately successful strategy of zoologist and limnologist Rina Monti, who became one of the very first female university professors in Europe, illustrates the opportunities as well as the obstacles women naturalists encountered on the way into the academia. These experiences and those of others show that well into the twentieth century the support of powerful male mentors continued to be indispensable for women scientists. Positions in peripheral institutes or specializations in emerging research fields, in particular hydrobiology, entomology and cytogenetics, provided opportunities for Italian women to work their way up to professorships.
Tree Communication: the Effects of “Wired” and “Wireless” Channels on Interactions with Herbivores
Authors: Rasheed Muhammad Usman , Brosset Agnès , Blande James D.
Published: December 2022

Purpose of Review

Approximately
40 years ago, key papers indicating that volatile chemicals released by damaged plants elicited defense-related changes in their neighbors, brought prominence to the idea of plant communication. These studies were conducted with several tree species and the phenomenon observed was dubbed “talking trees.” Today there is a wealth of evidence supporting the idea that plants can send and receive information both above and belowground. However, while early reports of plant-plant communication concerned trees, the literature is now heavily biased towards herbaceous plants. The purpose of this review is to highlight recent research on tree-tree communication with an emphasis on synthesizing knowledge on the ecological relevance of the process.

Recent Findings

Aboveground, information is often provided in the form of biogenic volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are released by both undamaged and damaged plants. The blends of VOCs released by plants provide information on their physiological condition. Belowground, information is conveyed through mycorrhizal networks and via VOCs and chemical exudates released into the rhizosphere. Recent findings have indicated a sophistication to tree communication with more effective VOC-mediated interactions between trees of the same versus a different genotype, kin-group, or chemotype. Moreover, common mycorrhizal networks have been shown to convey stress-related signals in intra- and interspecific associations. Together these two forms of communication represent “wireless” and “wired” channels with significance to facilitating plant resistance to herbivores.

In this review, we examine tree-tree communication with a focus on research in natural forest ecosystems. We particularly address the effects of tree-tree communication on interactions with herbivorous insects. Aboveground and belowground interactions are both reviewed and suggested implications for forest management and future research are presented.
Didaktische Formatierungen ‚selbständiger‘ Lernprozesse im ‚individualisierten‘ Unterricht. Zur Vereindeutigung und Stabilisierung schulischen Wissens
Authors: Tyagunova Tanya , Raggl Andrea
Published: December 2022

Im Fokus dieses Beitrags steht die unterrichtliche Handhabung eines für ‚selbständiges‘ Lernen im Rahmen individualisierten Grundschulunterrichts konzipierten didaktischen Materials. In der exemplarischen Analyse der konkreten Bearbeitung dieses Materials durch eine Schülerin der ersten Schulstufe und deren Lehrerin werden verschiedene Handlungslogiken rekonstruiert und es wird gezeigt, wie sie miteinander und mit der in die Struktur des Materials eingelassenen Aufgabenlogik korrespondieren. Der Beitrag fragt dabei grundlegend danach, was die rekonstruierten Handlungslogiken für die Konstitution schulischen Wissens im Kontext individualisierten Grundschulunterrichts bedeuten. Durch die den laufenden Bearbeitungsprozess der Schülerin begleitenden und anleitenden Anweisungen der Lehrperson, die zum einen gegen den eigensinnigen Arbeitsmodus der Schülerin und zum anderen gegen die potenzielle Vieldeutigkeit des Bildmaterials arbeiten, werden das zu erwerbende fachbezogene Wissen und der Arbeitsprozess der Schülerin auf eine bestimmte Weise formatiert. Diese didaktischen Formatierungen tragen zur Stabilisierung schulischen Wissens bei und richten sich auf die Kultivierung einer disziplinierten Arbeitshaltung, die insbesondere für den Grundschulunterricht von entscheidender Bedeutung zu sein scheint.
Improved Multi-layer Analysis of Pavement Response Using Neural Networks to Optimize Numerical Integration
Authors: Abed Ahmed , Thom Nick , Campos-Guereta Ivan , Airey Gordon
Published: December 2022

This paper presents a new accurate method to compute the mechanical response of pavement structures using an Artificial Neural Network (ANN) model coupled with Multi-Layer Elastic Analysis (MLEA). The ANN model is used to improve the numerical integration of the response function used in the MLEA method. It requires four inputs: total pavement thickness, the diameter of the contact area, radial distance, and depth of the response point; and it was trained on one million hypothetical pavement structures. The developed method has been validated by a comparative analysis against boundary conditions, finite element analysis, and available MLEA solutions using various hypothetical pavement structures. The results demonstrate that the developed solution gives excellent response in the vicinity of the pavement surface together with a significant improvement in computational efficiency.
Species evenness affects algae driven co-metabolism with aquatic plant residues
Authors: Deng Yang , Wu Yiting , Liu Gan , Xu Xiaoguang , Ma Jie , Yan Yan , Wang Guoxiang
Published: December 2022

Understanding the mixed decomposition processes of aquatic plant residues is crucial for evaluating the carbon cycle of lakes. However, the complex effect of species evenness, and especially the algae driving co-metabolism effect in eutrophic lakes are still far from clear. In this study, three dominant aquatic plants (Phragmites australis, Nymphoides peltatum, and Potamogeton malaianus) and algae from the typical eutrophic and shallow Lake Taihu, China, were selected to simulate their mixed decomposition process. The addition of algae accelerated the mass loss of cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin of aquatic plant residues and increased the total mass loss by 2.29~6.32% in mixed decomposition. The positive co-metabolism effect, with the intensity ranging from 10% to 17%, occurred during the mixed decomposition process. In addition, the positive co-metabolism effect was also found among plant residues during mixed decomposition and the co-metabolism intensity of species evenness mixed decomposition was more than twice as high as that of non-evenness mixed decomposition. The addition of algae during the decomposition of aquatic plant residues altered the stoichiometry of available nutrients and affected the microbial decomposition activity. The abundance of decomposition bacteria, especially Bacteroidetes, was increased and the community structure also changed, as evidenced by a 71% increase in the number of bacteria phylum. As a result, these biogeochemistry processes accelerated the decomposition rates of aquatic plant residues and thus produced the positive co-metabolism effect. Therefore, the co-metabolism effects of mixed decomposition described in this study are prevalent in eutrophication lakes and have important effects on the lake carbon cycle, which need to be considered in future lake management.

Graphical Abstract
Revisiting the Rule of Law
Authors: Rundle Kristen
Published: December 2022

This Element offers an accessible introduction to theoretical writing on the rule of law for anyone who wants to understand more about how we think and write about this central idea of legal and political thought. Part 1, 'Approaching the Rule of Law', examines the methods through which the idea of the rule of law is typically approached by those who set out to theorise it. Part 2, 'Untangling the Rule of Law', asks whether it is possible to untangle the rule of law from the various contributions, companions, connections, conflations and controversies with which it tends to be associated. Part 3, 'Revisiting the Rule of Law', signals to new frontiers of rule of law thought by addressing the assumptions about legal form that shape its theoretical treatment, and by investigating what we know about the people who carry its burdens and benefit from its offerings.
Mathematical Anti-Realism and Modal Nothingism
Authors: Balaguer Mark
Published: December 2022

This Element defends mathematical anti-realism against an underappreciated problem with that view-a problem having to do with modal truthmaking. Part I develops mathematical anti-realism, it defends that view against a number of well-known objections, and it raises a less widely discussed objection to anti-realism-an objection based on the fact that (a) mathematical anti-realists need to commit to the truth of certain kinds of modal claims, and (b) it's not clear that the truth of these modal claims is compatible with mathematical anti-realism. Part II considers various strategies that anti-realists might pursue in trying to solve this modal-truth problem with their view, it argues that there's only one viable view that anti-realists can endorse in order to solve the modal-truth problem, and it argues that the view in question-which is here called modal nothingism-is true.
Reduction Theory and Arithmetic Groups
Authors: Schwermer Joachim
Published: December 2022

Arithmetic groups are generalisations, to the setting of algebraic groups over a global field, of the subgroups of finite index in the general linear group with entries in the ring of integers of an algebraic number field. They are rich, diverse structures and they arise in many areas of study. This text enables you to build a solid, rigorous foundation in the subject. It first develops essential geometric and number theoretical components to the investigations of arithmetic groups, and then examines a number of different themes, including reduction theory, (semi)-stable lattices, arithmetic groups in forms of the special linear group, unipotent groups and tori, and reduction theory for adelic coset spaces. Also included is a thorough treatment of the construction of geometric cycles in arithmetically defined locally symmetric spaces, and some associated cohomological questions. Written by a renowned expert, this book is a valuable reference for researchers and graduate students.
Assaulting ‘diversity as such’: The ontology of dehumanisation in mass violence
Authors: Michel Torsten
Published: December 2022

Dehumanisation is one of the most invoked factors in analyses of mass atrocities with many scholars focusing on its crucial role in enabling perpetrators to inflict violence on their victims. However, while its application is widespread, its relevance is often assumed a priori, with claims regarding its empirical relevance often asserted rather than argued for. Not only does its meaning, nature, and function remain amorphous, current scholarship also lacks a general conceptualisation of the basic features that bind the manifold appearances of dehumanisation together. It is this paucity of sustained reflection and particularly the lack of conceptual clarity that the present article seeks to address. Drawing on the work of Hannah Arendt, it aims to deliver a more thoroughgoing appraisal of the nature of dehumanisation as a fundamental violation of plurality to conceptually consolidate and ground its meaning and bind together its diverse manifestations across cases of mass violence.
Social Media Platforms within Internal Market Construction: Patterns of Reproduction in EU Platform Law
Authors: Hiltunen Miikka
Published: December 2022

The European Union’s new regulatory agenda targeting online platforms such as social media has been presented as a progressive watershed moment after a long period of regulatory restraint. The attempt to construct an internal market lends legal competence to the two centerpieces of this agenda—the Digital Services Act (DSA) and the Digital Markets Act (DMA). This Article analyzes the Union’s attempts to govern online platforms as a part of internal market construction. After examining the underlying aims of the internal market, the Article proceeds to analyze how those aims have been operationalized in existing EU electronic commerce law and more recently in the DSA and DMA proposals. The Article argues that the Union regulatory agenda is not particularly transformative. While the DSA and DMA introduce many novel regulatory mechanisms with an equalizing potential, they also remain faithfully committed to the aims and pre-existing mechanisms of internal market construction that have enabled the rise of platform corporations in the first place. Thus, the proposals risk reproducing and legitimizing various inequalities in the European digital economy. The article seeks to connect alternative visions of platforms with the re-imagination of internal market construction.
Dynamics of Polarization: Affective Partisanship and Policy Divergence
Authors: Diermeier Daniel , Li Christopher
Published: December 2022

We explore the dynamics of affective partisanship and policy divergence in a behavioral voting model. Voters are adaptive and influenced by partisan affect, while political parties are rational and office motivated. We show that the affective partisanship of the electorate and the divergence of party platforms can be mutually reinforcing, thus providing an explanation for the observed co-movement of affective and elite polarization in recent decades. Whether the induced behavioral path exhibits low polarization or high polarization depends on the salience of group identity and the number of moderate voters. Thus, shocks to those factors, perhaps due to such events as economic crises or war, can lead to the polarization or depolarization of the electorate and of the elite.
Spheres of Life and Scales of Action among Gujarati and Omani Merchants in the African Great Lakes Region, 1920s–1930s
Authors: Castryck Geert
Published: December 2022

Based on bankruptcy and inheritance files and on population and business registers from Ruanda-Urundi, this paper reconstructs the local and long-distance professional and affective relations of Indian and Arab merchants operating in and around Bujumbura in the two decades before and after the Great Depression (1920s–1930s). The story complements the historiography on Asian diasporas in East Africa by going beyond the Indian Ocean coast, beyond the precolonial period, and beyond British-governed territories. Looking at different spheres of life and scales of action and assessing both commercial success and failure, this article makes a case for the importance of local dynamics and the relevance of cross-community relations within the relatively small foreign trade sector in the region. The reliance on “home” and kin remained important as mutual insurance at times of arrival and misfortune: firmly established first-comers assisted their relatives upon arrival, while at times of bankruptcy, death, or old age, long-distance family ties proved vital as well. However, facing discriminatory colonial measures, the Arab and Indian merchants were gradually relegated to the role of intermediaries in long-distance trade. Consequently, day-to-day business relations were increasingly a local, cross-community, and above all, precarious affair.
Traces of disappearing heritage: upcycling of wooden vessels preserved in the vernacular architecture of a large river valley in Central Europe
Authors: Brykała Dariusz , Pogodziński Paweł Marek , Piotrowski Robert
Published: December 2022

The article presents a trend in rural and small-town architecture, in central Poland, consisting in the reuse of material from river-going vessels. As part of the research, twenty objects (existing and non-extant) were identified that had been constructed using material from wooden vessels that had navigated the Vistula River in the past (nineteenth and twentieth centuries). There was also a reinterpretation of the origin of construction material from a farm building that had been moved in the 1980s from near the Vistula to one of Polish open-air museums. The results indicate that these are probably the last material traces of a boat mill that operated on the Vistula in the late nineteenth century. Also, many preserved millstones embedded in buildings located near the Vistula seem to confirm this conclusion.
New Directions for Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists
Authors: Wysession Michael
Published: December 2022

The AGU journal Perspectives of Earth and Space Scientists is changing its aims and scope, removing its by-invitation requirement and adding several new community-serving article formats.
MAVEN Proton Observations Near the Martian Moon Phobos: Does Phobos Backscatter Solar Wind Protons?
Authors: Deniau A. , Nénon Q. , André N. , Mazelle C. , Rahmati A. , Fowler C. M. , Poppe A. R. , McFadden J. P. , Halekas J. S. , Penou E.
Published: December 2022

ESA's Mars Express (MEX) may have observed twice solar wind protons backscattered by Phobos. However, these detections remain uncertain and call for an independent confirmation. Here, we analyze the proton measurements collected by the Suprathermal And Thermal Ion Composition experiment onboard NASA's Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN mission (MAVEN) during the 15 closest encounters of MAVEN with Phobos (closest approach between 80 and 370 km). We use a model of magnetic connectivity to the Martian bow shock and an exospheric pickup ion model to identify the origin of the protons observed close to the Martian moon. We find no evidence of protons backscattered by Phobos. Instead, foreshock‐shock foot protons and Martian exospheric pickup protons are often observed near Phobos. These results put into new context not only the past MEX detections, but also the future observation attempts of the upcoming JAXA Martian Moons Exploration mission.
On a Guiding of Whistler‐Mode Waves by Density Gradients
Authors: Streltsov Anatoly V.
Published: December 2022

Observations from satellites demonstrate that in the magnetosphere, VLF whistler‐mode waves are frequently detected in the narrow transition regions, where the plasma density changes its magnitude over a short distance across the ambient magnetic field. These observations suggest that the small‐scale, isolated density gradients can guide the VLF whistler‐mode waves along the field. We investigate the guiding of the whistler‐mode waves by the transverse density gradients with a size much less than the characteristic perpendicular size of the wave. We found analytical solutions describing these waves in the plasma with a sharp density discontinuity between two homogeneous regions, and confirm with time‐dependent, two‐dimensional simulations that these waves are indeed guided by the discontinuity. Simulations also reveal that the parameters of the guided waves (the frequency and parallel wavelength) relate to the parameters of the plasma.
Winds at the Mars 2020 Landing Site: 1. Near‐Surface Wind Patterns at Jezero Crater
Authors: Viúdez‐Moreiras D. , Lemmon M. , Newman C. E. , Guzewich S. , Mischna M. , Gómez‐Elvira J. , Herkenhoff K. , Sánchez‐Lavega A. , de la Torre M. , Rodríguez‐Manfredi J. A. , Lorenz R. D. , Pla‐García J. , Hueso R. , Richardson M. , Tamppari L. , Smith M. , Apéstigue V. , Toledo D. , Bell J.
Published: December 2022

This is the first part of a two‐part paper. NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover measured winds on the Jezero crater floor close to the delta of an ancient river. A mostly repeatable diurnal cycle was observed and presented two regimes: (a) a convective regime, from dawn to sunset, with average easterly to southeasterly winds, during which maximum wind speeds were measured, and (b) a nighttime regime with westerly‐northwesterly winds followed by a relatively calm period with highly variable wind directions as a function of sol and time of night. The timing and magnitude of the observed regimes are consistent with primary control by regional and local slope flows. Data suggest that the surface circulation at Jezero region in northern spring and summer is highly unaffected by large‐scale circulation except during particular periods in the diurnal cycle or generally during dust storms, which is supported by MarsWRF model simulations. Consequently, the observed seasonal variability was weak. However, sol‐to‐sol and seasonal variability were measured, most of it during certain nighttime periods. Traveling waves consistent with baroclinic instability were clearly observed in surface winds at Ls ∼ 75°. The early MY36/2022A regional dust storm at Ls ∼ 153° disturbed the wind patterns with changes suggesting enhanced tidal flows. After sunset, the dust storm also produced detectable gravity wave activity, increasing the mixing in the nighttime planetary boundary layer during storm conditions. Inferred wind directions from dust devil movies strongly suggest that prevailing winds continued to be slope‐driven during the late summer, fall and early winter seasons.
Characterization of Subsurface Hydrogeological Structures With Convolutional Conditional Neural Processes on Limited Training Data
Authors: Cui Zhesi , Chen Qiyu , Liu Gang
Published: December 2022

One of the main issues in the application of statistical‐learning‐based methods to the characterization of hydrological phenomena is the complex parameterization of the high‐quality reconstruction. The difficulty of obtaining enough training data and generating multiple‐scale structures hinder the applications of deep‐learning‐based methods in hydrogeological modeling. Hydrogeological modeling problems can be regarded as stochastic processes, and we propose a novel hydrogeological modeling approach based on convolutional conditional neural processes (GM‐ConvCNPs), a meta‐learning approach for dealing with stochastic processes. In this work, GM‐ConvCNP is used to reconstruct the entire spatial structures of subsurface hydrological attributes and channels from a limited amount of conditioning data. To achieve 3‐D characterization of subsurface structures, 3‐D GM‐ConvCNP is proposed according to the spatial distribution characteristics of 3‐D conditioning data. Compared to other deep‐learning‐based methods, we use a small amount of training data and obtain positive model generalization capabilities. Four data sets of categorical and continuous hydrogeological structures are exploited in the experiments. Various validation tests including variograms, connectivity functions, and multi‐dimensional scaling (MDS) map are used to evaluate the quality of generated realizations. The proposed approach is able to significantly reduce training consumption and improve the performance of realizations compared to a set of different benchmark tests. The experiments confirm that the GM‐ConvCNP model can extract heterogeneous patterns by using meta‐learning from limited training data and reconstruct multiple‐scale hydrogeological structures. A case study demonstrates that our method can be applied to characterize multiple‐source hydrological variables.
First week of life respiratory management and pulmonary ventilation/perfusion matching in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Kjellberg Malin , Sanchez-Crespo Alejandro , Jonsson Baldvin
Published: December 2022

Objective

To investigate the association between early neonatal respiratory management in infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and the degree of pulmonary ventilation perfusion-matching (V/Q) at term.

Methods

30 preterm infants with a diagnosis of BPD who were initially treated with either controlled mechanical ventilation/continuous positive airway pressure (CMV/CPAP) (n = 14) or high-frequency oscillatory ventilation (HFOV) using a high lung-volume strategy (n = 16) were retrospectively included in this study. All infants underwent pulmonary V/Q single photon emission computed tomography at a median postmenstrual age of 37 weeks.

Results

Infants treated with HFOV had significantly larger proportion of the lung with matched V/Q as compared to infants treated with CMV/CPAP, median (interquartile range) 60.4% (55.5–66.0%) and 45.8% (37.8–53.1%) respectively (p = 0.01).

Conclusions

In infants who needed mechanical ventilation the first week of life and later developed BPD an association was observed between treatment with a HFOV and better pulmonary V/Q matching at near-term age.
Glutamatergic dysfunction leads to a hyper-dopaminergic phenotype through deficits in short-term habituation: a mechanism for aberrant salience
Authors: Panayi Marios C. , Boerner Thomas , Jahans-Price Thomas , Huber Anna , Sprengel Rolf , Gilmour Gary , Sanderson David J. , Harrison Paul J. , Walton Mark E. , Bannerman David M.
Published: December 2022

Psychosis in disorders like schizophrenia is commonly associated with aberrant salience and elevated striatal dopamine. However, the underlying cause(s) of this hyper-dopaminergic state remain elusive. Various lines of evidence point to glutamatergic dysfunction and impairments in synaptic plasticity in the etiology of schizophrenia, including deficits associated with the GluA1 AMPAR subunit. GluA1 knockout (Gria1−/−) mice provide a model of impaired synaptic plasticity in schizophrenia and exhibit a selective deficit in a form of short-term memory which underlies short-term habituation. As such, these mice are unable to reduce attention to recently presented stimuli. In this study we used fast-scan cyclic voltammetry to measure phasic dopamine responses in the nucleus accumbens of Gria1−/− mice to determine whether this behavioral phenotype might be a key driver of a hyper-dopaminergic state. There was no effect of GluA1 deletion on electrically-evoked dopamine responses in anaesthetized mice, demonstrating normal endogenous release properties of dopamine neurons in Gria1−/− mice. Furthermore, dopamine signals were initially similar in Gria1−/− mice compared to controls in response to both sucrose rewards and neutral light stimuli. They were also equally sensitive to changes in the magnitude of delivered rewards. In contrast, however, these stimulus-evoked dopamine signals failed to habituate with repeated presentations in Gria1−/− mice, resulting in a task-relevant, hyper-dopaminergic phenotype. Thus, here we show that GluA1 dysfunction, resulting in impaired short-term habituation, is a key driver of enhanced striatal dopamine responses, which may be an important contributor to aberrant salience and psychosis in psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia.
Frequency dependent emotion differentiation and directional coupling in amygdala, orbitofrontal and medial prefrontal cortex network with intracranial recordings
Authors: Sonkusare Saurabh , Qiong Ding , Zhao Yijie , Liu Wei , Yang Ruoqi , Mandali Alekhya , Manssuer Luis , Zhang Chencheng , Cao Chunyan , Sun Bomin , Zhan Shikun , Voon Valerie
Published: December 2022

The amygdala, orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) form a crucial part of the emotion circuit, yet their emotion induced responses and interactions have been poorly investigated with direct intracranial recordings. Such high-fidelity signals can uncover precise spectral dynamics and frequency differences in valence processing allowing novel insights on neuromodulation. Here, leveraging the unique spatio-temporal advantages of intracranial electroencephalography (iEEG) from a cohort of 35 patients with intractable epilepsy (with 71 contacts in amygdala, 31 in OFC and 43 in mPFC), we assessed the spectral dynamics and interactions between the amygdala, OFC and mPFC during an emotional picture viewing task. Task induced activity showed greater broadband gamma activity in the negative condition compared to positive condition in all the three regions. Similarly, beta activity was increased in the negative condition in the amygdala and OFC while decreased in mPFC. Furthermore, beta activity of amygdala showed significant negative association with valence ratings. Critically, model-based computational analyses revealed unidirectional connectivity from mPFC to the amygdala and bidirectional communication between OFC-amygdala and OFC-mPFC. Our findings provide direct neurophysiological evidence for a much-posited model of top-down influence of mPFC over amygdala and a bidirectional influence between OFC and the amygdala. Altogether, in a relatively large sample size with human intracranial neuronal recordings, we highlight valence-dependent spectral dynamics and dyadic coupling within the amygdala-mPFC-OFC network with implications for potential targeted neuromodulation in emotion processing.
Body shape phenotypes of multiple anthropometric traits and cancer risk: a multi-national cohort study
Authors: Sedlmeier Anja M. , Viallon Vivian , Ferrari Pietro , Peruchet-Noray Laia , Fontvieille Emma , Amadou Amina , Seyed Khoei Nazlisadat , Weber Andrea , Baurecht Hansjörg , Heath Alicia K. , Tsilidis Kostas , Kaaks Rudolf , Katzke Verena , Inan-Eroglu Elif , Schulze Matthias B. , Overvad Kim , Bonet Catalina , Ubago-Guisado Esther , Chirlaque María-Dolores , Ardanaz Eva , Perez-Cornago Aurora , Pala Valeria , Tumino Rosario , Sacerdote Carlotta , Pasanisi Fabrizio , Borch Kristin B. , Rylander Charlotta , Weiderpass Elisabete , Gunter Marc J. , Fervers Béatrice , Leitzmann Michael F. , Freisling Heinz
Published: December 2022

Background

Classical anthropometric traits may fail to fully represent the relationship of weight, adiposity, and height with cancer risk. We investigated the associations of body shape phenotypes with the risk of overall and site-specific cancers.

Methods

We derived four distinct body shape phenotypes from principal component (PC) analysis on height, weight, body mass index (BMI), waist (WC) and hip circumferences (HC), and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). The study included 340,152 men and women from 9 European countries, aged mostly 35–65 years at recruitment (1990–2000) in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to estimate multivariable-adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs).

Results

After a median follow-up of 15.3 years, 47,110 incident cancer cases were recorded. PC1 (overall adiposity) was positively associated with the risk of overall cancer, with a HR per 1 standard deviation (SD) increment equal to 1.07 (95% confidence interval 1.05 to 1.08). Positive associations were observed with 10 cancer types, with HRs (per 1 SD) ranging from 1.36 (1.30–1.42) for endometrial cancer to 1.08 (1.03–1.13) for rectal cancer. PC2 (tall stature with low WHR) was positively associated with the risk of overall cancer (1.03; 1.02–1.04) and five cancer types which were not associated with PC1. PC3 (tall stature with high WHR) was positively associated with the risk of overall cancer (1.04; 1.03–1.05) and 12 cancer types. PC4 (high BMI and weight with low WC and HC) was not associated with overall risk of cancer (1.00; 0.99–1.01).

Conclusions

In this multi-national study, distinct body shape phenotypes were positively associated with the incidence of 17 different cancers and overall cancer.
Dual wavelength retinal vessel oximetry – influence of fundus pigmentation
Authors: Hirsch Katrin , Cubbidge Robert P. , Heitmar Rebekka
Published: December 2022

Background

Clinical methods examining oxygenation parameters in humans have been used in many different care settings, but concerns have been raised regarding their clinical utility when assessing people with darker skin pigmentation. While saturation values can be crucial in emergency medicine, they are equally valuable in assessing disease mechanisms and monitoring change in disease progression. Retinal pigmentation varies across individuals and hence, can impact on retinal oxygen parameters. The objective of this study was to quantify and eliminate the impact of retinal pigmentation on retinal vessel oxygen saturation parameters measured in the superficial retinal arterioles and venules.

Methods

105 healthy individuals of varying skin colour, iris colour and heritage were included. Following a full eye exam to exclude any ocular abnormality, all participants underwent intraocular pressure, systemic blood pressure measurements and dilated dual wavelength retinal photography. Rotation matrices were employed to minimise the dependency of retinal pigmentation on arterial and venous oxygen saturation measurements determined in a concentric measurement annulus.

Results

Retinal oxygen saturation in venules showed a linear correlation with retinal pigmentation (y = 0.34 × x + 38.598), whereas arterial saturation followed a polynomial pattern (y = 0.0089 × x2 + 0.7499 × x + 85.073). Both arterial and venous saturation values were corrected using local fundus pigmentation. Pre-correction retinal arterial and venous oxygen saturation were 89.0% (±13.1) and 43.7% (±11.5), respectively, and post- correction values were 94.8% (±8.7) for arteries and 56.3% (±7.0) veins.

Conclusions

When assessing multi-ethnic cohorts, it is important to consider the impact of pigmentation on imaging parameters and to account for it prior to clinical interpretation.
Efficient synthesis of primary and secondary amides via reacting esters with alkali metal amidoboranes
Authors: Guo Yu , Wang Ruo-Ya , Kang Jia-Xin , Ma Yan-Na , Xu Cong-Qiao , Li Jun , Chen Xuenian
Published: December 2022

Amides are one of the most important organic compounds that are widely applied in medicine, biochemistry, and materials science. To find an efficient synthetic method of amides is a challenge for organic chemistry. We report here a facile synthesis method of primary and secondary amides through a direct amidation of esters with sodium amidoboranes (NaNHRBH3, R = H, Me), at room temperature without using catalysts and other reagents. This process is rapid and chemoselective, and features quantitative conversion and wide applicability for esters tolerating different functional groups. The experimental and theoretical studies reveal a reaction mechanism with nucleophilic addition followed by a swift proton transfer-induced elimination reaction.
Cancer gene mutation frequencies for the U.S. population
Authors: Mendiratta Gaurav , Ke Eugene , Aziz Meraj , Liarakos David , Tong Melinda , Stites Edward C.
Published: December 2022

Mutations play a fundamental role in the development of cancer, and many create targetable vulnerabilities. There are both public health and basic science benefits from the determination of the proportion of all cancer cases within a population that include a mutant form of a gene. Here, we provide the first such estimates by combining genomic and epidemiological data. We estimate KRAS is mutated in only 11% of all cancers, which is less than PIK3CA (13%) and marginally higher than BRAF (8%). TP53 is the most commonly mutated gene (35%), and KMT2C, KMT2D, and ARID1A are among the ten most commonly mutated driver genes, highlighting the role of epigenetic dysregulation in cancer. Analysis of major cancer subclassifications highlighted varying dependencies upon individual cancer drivers. Overall, we find that cancer genetics is less dominated by high-frequency, high-profile cancer driver genes than studies limited to a subset of cancer types have suggested.
Structures of the eukaryotic ribosome and its translational states in situ
Authors: Hoffmann Patrick C. , Kreysing Jan Philipp , Khusainov Iskander , Tuijtel Maarten W. , Welsch Sonja , Beck Martin
Published: December 2022

Ribosomes translate genetic information into primary structure. During translation, various cofactors transiently bind to the ribosome that undergoes prominent conformational and structural changes. Different translational states of ribosomes have been well characterized in vitro. However, to which extent the known translational states are representative of the native situation inside cells has thus far only been addressed in prokaryotes. Here, we apply cryo-electron tomography to cryo-FIB milled Dictyostelium discoideum cells combined with subtomogram averaging and classification. We obtain an in situ structure that is locally resolved up to 3 Angstrom, the distribution of eukaryotic ribosome translational states, and unique arrangement of rRNA expansion segments. Our work demonstrates the use of in situ structural biology techniques for identifying distinct ribosome states within the cellular environment.
Anterograde signaling controls plastid transcription via sigma factors separately from nuclear photosynthesis genes
Authors: Hwang Youra , Han Soeun , Yoo Chan Yul , Hong Liu , You Chenjiang , Le Brandon H. , Shi Hui , Zhong Shangwei , Hoecker Ute , Chen Xuemei , Chen Meng
Published: December 2022

Light initiates chloroplast biogenesis in Arabidopsis by eliminating PHYTOCHROME-INTERACTING transcription FACTORs (PIFs), which in turn de-represses nuclear photosynthesis genes, and synchronously, generates a nucleus-to-plastid (anterograde) signal that activates the plastid-encoded bacterial-type RNA polymerase (PEP) to transcribe plastid photosynthesis genes. However, the identity of the anterograde signal remains frustratingly elusive. The main challenge has been the difficulty to distinguish regulators from the plethora of necessary components for plastid transcription and other essential chloroplast functions, such as photosynthesis. Here, we show that the genome-wide induction of nuclear photosynthesis genes is insufficient to activate the PEP. PEP inhibition is imposed redundantly by multiple PIFs and requires PIF3’s activator activity. Among the nuclear-encoded components of the PEP holoenzyme, we identify four light-inducible, PIF-repressed sigma factors as anterograde signals. Together, our results elucidate that light-dependent inhibition of PIFs activates plastid photosynthesis genes via sigma factors as anterograde signals in parallel with the induction of nuclear photosynthesis genes.
Quantum physics in connected worlds
Authors: Tindall Joseph , Searle Amy , Alhajri Abdulla , Jaksch Dieter
Published: December 2022

Theoretical research into many-body quantum systems has mostly focused on regular structures which have a small, simple unit cell and where a vanishingly small fraction of the pairs of the constituents directly interact. Motivated by advances in control over the pairwise interactions in many-body simulators, we determine the fate of spin systems on more general, arbitrary graphs. Placing the minimum possible constraints on the underlying graph, we prove how, with certainty in the thermodynamic limit, such systems behave like a single collective spin. We thus understand the emergence of complex many-body physics as dependent on ‘exceptional’, geometrically constrained structures such as the low-dimensional, regular ones found in nature. Within the space of dense graphs we identify hitherto unknown exceptions via their inhomogeneity and observe how complexity is heralded in these systems by entanglement and highly non-uniform correlation functions. Our work paves the way for the discovery and exploitation of a whole class of geometries which can host uniquely complex phases of matter.
Reference panel guided topological structure annotation of Hi-C data
Authors: Zhang Yanlin , Blanchette Mathieu
Published: December 2022

Accurately annotating topological structures (e.g., loops and topologically associating domains) from Hi-C data is critical for understanding the role of 3D genome organization in gene regulation. This is a challenging task, especially at high resolution, in part due to the limited sequencing coverage of Hi-C data. Current approaches focus on the analysis of individual Hi-C data sets of interest, without taking advantage of the facts that (i) several hundred Hi-C contact maps are publicly available, and (ii) the vast majority of topological structures are conserved across multiple cell types. Here, we present RefHiC, an attention-based deep learning framework that uses a reference panel of Hi-C datasets to facilitate topological structure annotation from a given study sample. We compare RefHiC against tools that do not use reference samples and find that RefHiC outperforms other programs at both topological associating domain and loop annotation across different cell types, species, and sequencing depths.
The PNUTS-PP1 complex acts as an intrinsic barrier to herpesvirus KSHV gene expression and replication
Authors: Devlin Anne M. , Shukla Ashutosh , Ruiz Julio C. , Barnes Spencer D. , Govindan Ashwin , Hunter Olga V. , Scarborough Anna M. , D’Orso Iván , Conrad Nicholas K.
Published: December 2022

Control of RNA Polymerase II (pol II) elongation is a critical component of gene expression in mammalian cells. The PNUTS-PP1 complex controls elongation rates, slowing pol II after polyadenylation sites to promote termination. The Kaposi’s sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) co-opts pol II to express its genes, but little is known about its regulation of pol II elongation. We identified PNUTS as a suppressor of a KSHV reporter gene in a genome-wide CRISPR screen. PNUTS depletion enhances global KSHV gene expression and overall viral replication. Mechanistically, PNUTS requires PP1 interaction, binds viral RNAs downstream of polyadenylation sites, and restricts transcription readthrough of viral genes. Surprisingly, PNUTS also represses productive elongation at the 5´ ends of the KSHV reporter and the KSHV T1.4 RNA. From these data, we conclude that PNUTS’ activity constitutes an intrinsic barrier to KSHV replication likely by suppressing pol II elongation at promoter-proximal regions.
Tuning the Fermi liquid crossover in Sr2RuO4 with uniaxial stress
Authors: Chronister A. , Zingl M. , Pustogow A. , Luo Yongkang , Sokolov D. A. , Jerzembeck F. , Kikugawa N. , Hicks C. W. , Mravlje J. , Bauer E. D. , Thompson J. D. , Mackenzie A. P. , Georges A. , Brown S. E.
Published: December 2022

We perform nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) measurements of the oxygen-17 Knight shifts for Sr2RuO4, while subjected to uniaxial stress applied along [100] direction. The resulting strain is associated with a strong variation of the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the inferred magnetic response. A quasiparticle description based on density-functional theory calculations, supplemented by many-body renormalizations, is found to reproduce our experimental results, and highlights the key role of a van-Hove singularity. The Fermi-liquid coherence scale is shown to be tunable by strain, and driven to low values as the associated Lifshitz transition is approached.
GPS data from 2019 and 2020 campaigns in the Chesapeake Bay region towards quantifying vertical land motions
Authors: Troia Gabrielle , Stamps D. Sarah , Lotspeich R. Russell , Duda James , McCoy Kurt J. , Moore William , Hensel Philippe , Hippenstiel Ryan , McKenna Thomas , Andreasen David , Geoghegan Charles , Ulizio Thomas P. , Kronebusch Madeline , Carr Joel , Walters David , Winn Neil
Published: December 2022

The Chesapeake Bay is a region along the eastern coast of the United States where sea-level rise is confounded with poorly resolved rates of land subsidence, thus new constraints on vertical land motions (VLM) in the region are warranted. In this paper, we provide a description of two campaign-style Global Positioning System (GPS) datasets, explain the methods used in data collection and validation, and present the experiment designed to quantify a new baseline of VLM in the Chesapeake Bay region of eastern North America. Data from GPS campaigns in 2019 and 2020 are presented as ASCII RINEX2.11 files and logsheets for each observation from the campaigns. Data were quality checked using the open-source program TEQC, resulting in average multipath 1 and 2 values of 0.68 and 0.57, respectively. All data are archived and publicly available for open access at the geodesy facility UNAVCO to abide by Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable (FAIR) data principles.