bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GRAHAM’S THEORY OF INTERNATIONAL VALUES REVISITED: A RICARDIAN TRADE MODEL WITH LINK COMMODITIES
Authors: Sato Hideo
Published: June 2021

Frank D. Graham (1890–1949) presented an innovative multi-country, multi-commodity trade model that attached great importance to link commodities and quantity adjustments, not perfect specializations and price adjustments as emphasized by John Stuart Mill and Alfred Marshall. However, due to some shortcomings, this model was not sufficiently understood and has been forgotten. This study reconstructs Graham’s theory of international values by rectifying the shortcomings. Through this reconstruction, the following is clarified. First, in multi-country, multi-commodity trade models, the existence of link commodities is general and perfect specializations seldom appear; therefore, quantity adjustments are normally performed in the face of demand shifts. Second, notwithstanding unchanging sectoral productivity at a national level, national wage rates can vary greatly according to the patterns of the international division of labor. Third, while the domestic relative wage rate increases with an increase in a home country’s productivity of link commodities, it does not increase with an increase in the productivity of commodities produced only in the home country.
THE EMERGENCE OF GEOGRAPHICAL ECONOMICS: AT THE CONTESTED BOUNDARIES OF ECONOMICS, GEOGRAPHY, AND REGIONAL SCIENCE
Authors: Rahman Jasmeen , Dimand Robert W.
Published: June 2021

We explore disciplinary boundary-making in geographical economics or “the new economic geography” with attention to the approaches taken by, and attempts at communication among, scholars with primary affiliations in economics, geography, and regional science. The Dixit-Stiglitz general equilibrium approach to monopolistic competition and increasing returns was applied to agglomeration and location by Paul Krugman, who had previously pioneered the “new trade theory” building on the Dixit-Stiglitz model, and, independently and slightly earlier, by Masahisa Fujita and his student Heshem Abdel-Rahman, starting from regional science, a tradition with its own departments, doctorates, conferences, and journals distinct from economics and geography. Economic geography, as studied by geographers, had already taken a quantitative and theoretical turn in the 1960s, reviving an earlier tradition of German location theory overshadowed within geography after World War II by areal differentiation. Another strand of economic geography pursued by geographers was influenced by economic theory but by non-neoclassical Marxian and Sraffian economics. Debates between these scholars raised questions whether these analyses were multidisciplinary, drawing on distinct disciplines, or crossed disciplinary boundaries (as when geographical economics in the style of economists is undertaken in geography departments) or transcends disciplinary boundaries, or involved the emergence of a new discipline.
Frühe Peerbeziehungen und Kindergruppen
Authors: Schneider-Andrich Petra
Published: June 2021

Zusammenfassung. Die Peer- und Gruppenforschung steckt noch in ihren Kinderschuhen. Sie zeigt uns aber mittlerweile, wie Kinder eigentlich von Geburt an miteinander interagieren und dabei spezifische Interessen, Themen, Aktivitäten und Handlungen miteinander teilen. Sie belegt weiterhin, dass Peerbeziehungen und Kindergruppen für die Entwicklung von Kindern von Bedeutung sind. Nach wie vor wird die Rolle der Erwachsenen im Rahmen der Peergruppenbeziehungen kontrovers diskutiert. Der Beitrag schließt mit Thesen und Ableitungen für Forschung und Praxis.
Global Coordination in Plant Physiological and Rooting Strategies in Response to Water Stress
Authors: Liu Yaling , Konings Alexandra G. , Kennedy Daniel , Gentine Pierre
Published: June 2021

Plants employ a range of strategies to modulate the impact of water stress, including changes to rooting depth and hydraulic conductance (e.g., xylem conductance). However, it is still poorly understood how these strategies vary in relation to climate and land cover types and how they could coordinate globally. Based on daily microwave vegetation optical depth (VOD) from AMSR‐E and AMSR2 over 2002–2011, we estimate two proxies for stress regulation: (a) an effective plant rooting depth and (b) the effective plant hydraulic conductance to delineate two strategies: deep rooting and strong physiological regulation. We find that plants with deeper (e.g., evergreen/deciduous broadleaf forest) are mostly distributed in warm or wet regions, and maintain a relatively steady nighttime VOD because of access to deeper water. Taller plants exhibit greater drop in daytime VOD due to their greater physiological vulnerability. While physiological regulation appears to be the dominant water stress regulation strategy at Northern high latitudes where open shrubland and (woody) savannas are distributed, this physiological regulation is coupled with deep rooting in forest and (woody) savanna areas in the tropics, Eastern US, and Southeastern China. Meanwhile, grasslands in the Western US, Central Asia, Northeastern China, and Mongolia Plateau may be the regions most susceptible to water stress impact because neither water stress mitigation strategy is present. This new framework paves the road for a better understanding of plant water stress strategies at the global scale, and for enhancing large‐scale drought prediction and drought impact assessment in Earth system models by improving plant water stress response.
Crustal and Upper‐Mantle Structure Below Central and Southern Mexico
Authors: Espindola‐Carmona A. , Peter Daniel , Ortiz‐Aleman C.
Published: June 2021

The Mexican subduction zone is a complex convergent margin characterized by a slab with an unusual morphology, an abnormal location of the volcanic arc, and the existence of slow earthquakes (slow slip events and tectonic tremors). The number of seismic imaging studies of the Mexican subduction zone has increased over the past decade. These studies have revealed the seismic wave velocity structure beneath Central and Southern Mexico. However, the existing tomographic models are either confined to specific areas or have coarse resolution. As a consequence, they do not capture the lateral and finer‐scale variations in the mantle and the crust structure. Here, we fit frequency‐dependent traveltime differences between observed and synthetic seismograms in a three‐dimensional model of Central and Southern Mexico to constrain crustal and upper mantle seismic velocity structures jointly. We use ∼3,300 seismic records, filtered between 5 and 50 s, from 74 regional earthquakes. We perform point spread function tests to assess the resolution and trade‐offs between model parameters. Our tomographic model reveals several seismic wave velocity features. These features include the geometry of the Cocos slab, the partial melting zone beneath the Trans‐Mexican Volcanic Belt, and the Yucatan slab diving below Los Tuxtlas Volcanic Field that are consistent with previous studies. We also identify horizontal structures in the lower crust and the shallow upper mantle that were not previously identified. These structures include slow seismic wave velocity anomalies that may be correlated with ultraslow seismic velocity zones and high conductivity regions, where slow earthquakes have been identified.
Reaction Mechanism and Water/Rock Ratios Involved in Epidosite Alteration of the Oceanic Crust
Authors: Weber Samuel , Diamond Larryn W. , Alt‐Epping Peter , Brett‐Adams Alannah C.
Published: June 2021

Epidosites are a prominent type of subseafloor hydrothermal alteration of basalts in ophiolites and greenstone belts, showing an end‐member mineral assemblage of epidote + quartz + titanite + Fe‐oxide. Epidosites are known to form within crustal‐scale upflow zones and their fluids have been proposed as deep equivalents of black‐smoker seafloor vent fluids. Proposals of the mass of fluid per mass of rock (W/R ratio) needed to form epidosites are contradictory, varying from 20 (Sr isotopes) to > 1,000 (Mg mobility). To test these proposals we have conducted a petrographic, geochemical and reactive‐transport numerical simulation study of the chemical reaction that generates km3‐size epidosite zones within the lavas and sheeted dike complex of the Samail ophiolite, Oman. At 250–400°C the modeled epidosite‐forming fluid has near‐neutral pH (∼ 5.2), high fO2, low sulfur and very low Fe (10−6 mol/kg) contents. These features argue against a genetic link with black‐smoker fluids. Chemical buffering by the epidosite fluid enriches the precursor spilites in Ca and depletes them in Na and Mg. Completion of the spilite‐to‐epidosite reaction requires enormous W/R ratios of 700–∼40,000, depending on initial Mg content and temperature. Collectively, the variably altered rocks in the Samail epidosite zones record flow of ∼1015 kg of fluid through each km3 of precursor spilite rock. This fluid imposed on the epidosite an Sr‐isotope signature inherited from the previous rock‐buffered chemical evolution of the fluid through the oceanic crust, thereby explaining the apparently contradictory low W/R ratios based on Sr isotopes.
Drought Risk of Global Terrestrial Gross Primary Productivity Over the Last 40 Years Detected by a Remote Sensing‐Driven Process Model
Authors: He Qiaoning , Ju Weimin , Dai Shengpei , He Wei , Song Lian , Wang Songhan , Li Xinchuan , Mao Guangxiong
Published: June 2021

Gross primary productivity (GPP) is the largest flux in the global terrestrial carbon cycle. Drought has significantly impacted global terrestrial GPP in recent decades, and has been projected to occur with increasing frequency and intensity. However, the drought risk of global terrestrial GPP has not been well investigated. In this study, global terrestrial GPP during 1981–2016 was simulated with the process‐based Boreal Ecosystem Productivity Simulator model. Then, the drought risk of GPP was quantified as the product of drought probability and reduction of GPP caused by drought, which was determined using the standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index. During the study period, the drought risk of GPP was high in the southeastern United States, most of South America, southern Europe, central and eastern Africa, eastern and southeastern Asia, and eastern Australia. It was low at some high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere and in part of tropical South America, where terrestrial GPP increased slightly in drought years. The drought risk of terrestrial GPP was greater during 2000–2016 than during 1981–1999 in 21 out of 24 climatic zones. The global mean drought risk of GPP increased from 13.6 g C m−2 yr−1 during 1981–1999 to 19.3 g C m−2 yr−1 during 2000–2016. The increase in drought risk of GPP was mainly caused by the increase in drought vulnerability. Simulation experiments indicated that the drought vulnerability of GPP was mainly induced by climatic variability. This study advances our understanding on the impact of drought on GPP over the globe.
Exploring the Boundaries of Microbial Habitability in Soil
Authors: Dragone Nicholas B. , Diaz Melisa A. , Hogg Ian D. , Lyons W. Berry , Jackson W. Andrew , Wall Diana H. , Adams Byron J. , Fierer Noah
Published: June 2021

Microbes are widely assumed to be capable of colonizing even the most challenging terrestrial surface environments on Earth given enough time. We would not expect to find surface soils uninhabited by microbes as soils typically harbor diverse microbial communities and viable microbes have been detected in soils exposed to even the most inhospitable conditions. However, if uninhabited soils do exist, we might expect to find them in Antarctica. We analyzed 204 ice‐free soils collected from across a remote valley in the Transantarctic Mountains (84–85°S, 174–177°W) and were able to identify a potential limit of microbial habitability. While most of the soils we tested contained diverse microbial communities, with fungi being particularly ubiquitous, microbes could not be detected in many of the driest, higher elevation soils—results that were confirmed using cultivation‐dependent, cultivation‐independent, and metabolic assays. While we cannot confirm that this subset of soils is completely sterile and devoid of microbial life, our results suggest that microbial life is severely restricted in the coldest, driest, and saltiest Antarctic soils. Constant exposure to these conditions for thousands of years has limited microbial communities so that their presence and activity is below detectable limits using a variety of standard methods. Such soils are unlikely to be unique to the studied region with this work supporting previous hypotheses that microbial habitability is constrained by near‐continuous exposure to cold, dry, and salty conditions, establishing the environmental conditions that limit microbial life in terrestrial surface soils.
The Implementation of Framework for Improvement by Vertical Enhancement Into Energy Exascale Earth System Model
Authors: Lee Hsiang‐He , Bogenschutz Peter , Yamaguchi Takanobu
Published: June 2021

The low cloud bias in global climate models (GCMs) remains an unsolved problem. Coarse vertical resolution in GCMs has been suggested to be a significant cause of low cloud bias because planetary boundary layer parameterizations cannot resolve sharp temperature and moisture gradients often found at the top of subtropical stratocumulus layers. This work aims to ameliorate the low cloud problem by implementing a new computational method, the Framework for Improvement by Vertical Enhancement (FIVE), into the Energy Exascale Earth System Model (E3SM). Three physics schemes representing microphysics, radiation, and turbulence as well as vertical advection are interfaced to vertically enhanced physics (VEP), which allows for these processes to be computed on a higher vertical resolution grid compared to the rest of the E3SM model. We demonstrate the better representation of subtropical boundary layer clouds with FIVE while limiting additional computational cost from the increased number of levels. When the vertical resolution approaches the large eddy simulation‐like vertical resolution in VEP, the climatological low cloud amount shows a significant increase of more than 30% in the southeastern Pacific Ocean. Using FIVE to improve the representation of low‐level clouds does not come with any negative side effects associated with the simulation of mid‐ and high‐level cloud and precipitation, that can occur when running the full model at higher vertical resolution.
Porosity‐Permeability Evolution During Simultaneous Mineral Dissolution and Precipitation
Authors: Sabo Mollie S. , Beckingham Lauren E.
Published: June 2021

Permeability in reactive porous media evolves in complex ways that are hard to predict. Macroscopic empirical equations are often used to estimate permeability evolution but fail to reflect the impact of pore scale reactions on permeability. This work aims to understand the evolution of permeability in systems where mineral dissolution and precipitation occur simultaneously. Pore network models are used for permeability simulation of a Paluxy sandstone using pore and pore‐throat size distributions from the analysis of X‐ray CT images. Pore and pore‐throat radii are increased and decreased to reflect the effects of dissolution and precipitation reactions. Varying spatial distributions of reactions are simulated and the resulting porosity and permeability values compared with commonly used macroscopic equations. It is observed that when dissolution occurs at the inlet and precipitation at the outlet, porosity increases while permeability decreases. Similar results are also observed in the respective opposite scenario where precipitation occurs at the inlet and dissolution at the outlet. When dissolution and precipitation reactions are randomly distributed throughout the network, porosity increases with little change in permeability that is not captured by the empirical equations. When reactions are controlled by pore and pore‐throat sizes, such as dissolution occurring in pores and pore‐throats of small size and precipitation in pores and pore‐throats of larger size, porosity and permeability decrease. When precipitation occurs in pores and pore‐throats of smaller size and dissolution in pores and pore‐throats of larger size, porosity and permeability increase and is described relatively well by the Verma‐Pruess porosity‐permeability equation.
Exploring GPS Observations of Postseismic Deformation Following the 2012 MW7.8 Haida Gwaii and 2013 MW7.5 Craig, Alaska Earthquakes: Implications for Viscoelastic Earth Structure
Authors: Guns K. A. , Pollitz F. F. , Lay T. , Yue H.
Published: June 2021

The Queen Charlotte‐Fairweather Fault (QC‐FF) system off the coast of British Columbia and southeast Alaska is a highly active dextral strike‐slip plate boundary that accommodates ∼50 mm/yr of relative motion between the Pacific and North America plates. Nine MW ≥ 6.7 earthquakes have occurred along the QC‐FF system since 1910, including a MS(G‐R)8.1 event in 1949. Two recent earthquakes, the October 28, 2012 Haida Gwaii (MW7.8) and January 5, 2013 Craig, Alaska (MW7.5) events, produced postseismic transient deformation that was recorded in the motions of 25 nearby continuous Global Positioning System (cGPS) stations. Here, we use 5+ yr of cGPS measurements to characterize the underlying mechanisms of postseismic deformation and to constrain the viscosity structure of the upper mantle surrounding the QC‐FF. We construct forward models of viscoelastic deformation driven by coseismic stress changes from these two earthquakes and explore a large set of laterally heterogeneous viscosity structures that incorporate a relatively weak back‐arc domain; we then evaluate each model based on its fit to the postseismic signals in our cGPS data. In determining best‐fit model structures, we additionally incorporate the effects of afterslip following the 2012 event. Our results indicate the occurrence of a combination of temporally decaying afterslip and vigorous viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle asthenosphere. In addition, our best‐fit viscosity structure (transient viscosity of 1.4–2.0 × 1018 Pa s; steady‐state viscosity of 1019 Pa s) is consistent with the range of upper mantle viscosities determined in previous studies of glacial isostatic rebound and postseismic deformation.
Changing Spatial Patterns of Deep Convection in the Subpolar North Atlantic
Authors: Rühs Siren , Oliver Eric C. J. , Biastoch Arne , Böning Claus W. , Dowd Michael , Getzlaff Klaus , Martin Torge , Myers Paul G.
Published: June 2021

Deep convection and associated deep water formation are key processes for climate variability, since they impact the oceanic uptake of heat and trace gases and alter the structure and strength of the global overturning circulation. For long, deep convection in the subpolar North Atlantic was thought to be confined to the central Labrador Sea in the western subpolar gyre (SPG). However, there is increasing observational evidence that deep convection also has occurred in the eastern SPG south of Cape Farewell and in the Irminger Sea, in particular, in 2015–2018. Here we assess this recent event in the context of the temporal evolution of spatial deep convection patterns in the SPG since the mid‐twentieth century, using realistic eddy‐rich ocean model simulations. These reveal a large interannual variability with changing contributions of the eastern SPG to the total deep convection volume. Notably, in the late 1980s to early 1990s, the period with highest deep convection intensity in the Labrador Sea related to a persistent positive phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, the relative contribution of the eastern SPG was small. In contrast, in 2015–2018, deep convection occurred with an unprecedented large relative contribution of the eastern SPG. This is partly linked to a smaller north‐westward extent of deep convection in the Labrador Sea compared to previous periods of intensified deep convection, and may be a first fingerprint of freshening trends in the Labrador Sea potentially associated with enhanced Greenland melting and the oceanic advection of the 2012–2016 eastern North Atlantic fresh anomaly.
A Discrete‐Domain Approach to Three‐Phase Hysteresis in Porous Media
Authors: Helland Johan Olav , Jettestuen Espen , Friis Helmer André
Published: June 2021

We present a discrete‐domain approach to three‐phase displacements and hysteresis in porous media. In this method, constrained energy minimization leads to evolution equations for local saturations that describe a wide range of three‐phase displacements, including pressure‐ and saturation‐controlled displacement with or without preservation of one of the defending phases. Under action of global saturation constraints, irreversible displacements lead to significant fluid redistribution, as well as abrupt fluctuations of both the three‐phase saturation paths and the corresponding capillary pressures. These features are a consequence of Haines jumps with cooperative behavior that occur at pore scale in three‐phase systems. The method is a fast and convenient way to investigate hysteresis behavior of three‐phase displacement in porous media. As free energy is an extensive property, the framework links pore and core scales and provide a means to achieve upscaled three‐phase displacements for higher‐order hysteresis loops, which rarely is obtained in time‐consuming three‐phase measurements or pore‐scale simulations.
Extended-release naltrexone/bupropion is safe and effective among subjects with type 2 diabetes already taking incretin agents: a post-hoc analysis of the LIGHT trial
Authors: Wharton Sean , Yin Peter , Burrows Melonie , Gould Errol , Blavignac Jessica , Christensen Rebecca A. G. , Kamran Elham , Camacho Fernando , Barakat Maxime
Published: June 2021

Background

Extended-release naltrexone/bupropion (NB) is indicated for chronic weight management. Incretin agents are recommended for patients with type 2 diabetes. This analysis looked at the add-on of NB to incretins to see if weight loss could occur in patients already stabilized on incretin agents.

Methods

This was a post-hoc analysis of NB vs. placebo (PL) among subjects with type 2 diabetes stable on an incretin agent prior to randomization in a double-blind, PL-controlled cardiovascular outcome trial (N = 1317).

Results

Over 1 year, mean weight loss was significantly greater among NB patients vs. PL among those taking DPP-4i (mean absolute difference 4.6% [p < 0.0001]) and those taking GLP-1RAs (mean absolute difference 5.2%, p < 0.0001). Proportions of subjects achieving 5% weight loss were significantly greater for NB vs. PL at weeks 26 and 52 among those taking DPP-4is or GLP-1RAs. There were no significant differences in effectiveness observed between NB + DPP-4i and NB + GLP-1RA or between PL + DPP-4i and PL + GLP-1RA in any of the analyses. Serious adverse events were reported by 9.1% and 11.1% for PL + DPP-4i and PL + GLP-1RA, respectively, and 13.3% and 12.4% of NB + DPP-4i and NB + GLP-1RA, respectively.

Conclusion

NB appears to be effective in reducing weight in patients with T2DM and obesity/overweight who are taking DPP-4ihibitors or GLP-1RA. The SAE rates in all arms of this analysis were lower than have been reported in other cardiovascular outcome trials in type 2 diabetes.
Top-emitting thermally activated delayed fluorescence organic light-emitting devices with weak light-matter coupling
Authors: Zang Chunxiu , Liu Shihao , Xu Mengxin , Wang Ruifang , Cao Chen , Zhu Zelin , Zhang Jiaming , Wang Hui , Zhang Letian , Xie Wenfa , Lee Chun-Sing
Published: June 2021

Resonance interaction between a molecular transition and a confined electromagnetic field can lead to weak or strong light-matter coupling. Considering the substantial exciton–phonon coupling in thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials, it is thus interesting to explore whether weak light-matter coupling can be used to redistribute optical density of states and to change the rate of radiative decay. Here, we demonstrate that the emission distribution of TADF emitters can be reshaped and narrowed in a top-emitting organic light-emitting device (OLED) with a weakly coupled microcavity. The Purcell effect of weak microcavity is found to be different for TADF emitters with different molecular orientations. We demonstrate that radiative rates of the TADF emitters with vertical orientation can be substantial increased in weakly coupled organic microcavity. These observations can enhance external quantum efficiencies, reduce efficiency roll-off, and improve color-purities of TADF OLEDs, especially for emitters without highly horizontal orientation.
Genetic risk of clozapine-induced leukopenia and neutropenia: a genome-wide association study
Authors: Chen Jianhua , Yang Ping , Zhang Qian , Chen Ruirui , Wang Peng , Liu Benxiu , Sun Wensheng , Jian Xuemin , Xiang Siying , Zhou Juan , Li Ningning , Wang Ke , Gao Chengwen , Wen Yanqin , Wu Chuanhong , Zhang Jinmai , Zhao Yalin , Yang Qiangzhen , Li Meihang , Stewart Robert , Sun Yuanchao , Pan Dun , Niu Yujuan , Wang Zhuo , Xu Yifeng , Li Xingwang , He Lin , Li Zhiqiang , Shi Yongyong
Published: June 2021

Background

Clozapine is considered to be the most effective antipsychotic medication for schizophrenia. However, it is associated with several adverse effects such as leukopenia, and the underlying mechanism has not yet been fully elucidated. The authors performed a genome-wide association study (GWAS) in a Chinese population to identify genetic markers for clozapine-induced leukopenia (CIL) and clozapine-induced neutropenia (CIN).

Methods

A total of 1879 patients (225 CIL cases, including 43 CIN cases, and 1,654 controls) of Chinese descent were included. Data from common and rare single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were tested for association. The authors also performed a trans-ancestry meta-analysis with GWAS results of European individuals from the Clozapine-Induced Agranulocytosis Consortium (CIAC).

Results

The authors identified several novel loci reaching the threshold of genome-wide significance level (P < 5 × 10−8). Three novel loci were associated with CIL while six were associated with CIN, and two T cell related genes (TRAC and TRAT1) were implicated. The authors also observed that one locus with evidence close to genome-wide significance (P = 5.08 × 10−8) was near the HLA-B gene in the major histocompatibility complex region in the trans-ancestry meta-analysis.

Conclusions

The associations provide novel and valuable understanding of the genetic and immune causes of CIL and CIN, which is useful for improving clinical management of clozapine related treatment for schizophrenia. Causal variants and related underlying molecular mechanisms need to be understood in future developments.
IL-37b alleviates endothelial cell apoptosis and inflammation in Kawasaki disease through IL-1R8 pathway
Authors: Jia Chang , Zhuge Yingzhi , Zhang Shuchi , Ni Chao , Wang Linlin , Wu Rongzhou , Niu Chao , Wen Zhengwang , Rong Xing , Qiu Huixian , Chu Maoping
Published: June 2021

Kawasaki disease (KD) is an acute vasculitis of pediatric populations that may develop coronary artery aneurysms if untreated. It has been regarded as the principal cause of acquired heart disease in children of the developed countries. Interleukin (IL)-37, as one of the IL-1 family members, is a natural suppressor of inflammation that is caused by activation of innate and adaptive immunity. However, detailed roles of IL-37 in KD are largely unclear. Sera from patients with KD displayed that IL-37 level was significantly decreased compared with healthy controls (HCs). QRT-PCR and western blot analyses showed that the expression level of IL-37 variant, IL-37b, was remarkably downregulated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) exposed to KD sera-treated THP1 cells. Therefore, we researched the role of IL-37b in the context of KD and hypothesized that IL-37b may have a powerful protective effect in KD patients. We first observed and substantiated the protective role of IL-37b in a mouse model of KD induced by Candida albicans cell wall extracts (CAWS). In vitro experiments demonstrated that IL-37b alleviated endothelial cell apoptosis and inflammation via IL-1R8 receptor by inhibiting ERK and NFκB activation, which were also recapitulated in the KD mouse model. Together, our findings suggest that IL-37b play an effective protective role in coronary endothelial damage in KD, providing new evidence that IL-37b is a potential candidate drug to treat KD.
Wise reasoning, intergroup positivity, and attitude polarization across contexts
Authors: Brienza Justin P. , Kung Franki Y. H. , Chao Melody M.
Published: June 2021

We hypothesized that a wisdom-based reasoning process comprised of epistemic humility, accounting for context, and integrating different perspectives and interests, would be helpful in overcoming intergroup bias and attitude polarization in societal conflicts. Here we test the hypothesis using both the Situated Wise Reasoning Scale and experimental induction. In each study, we recruited participants who self-identified as members of a group implicated in an ongoing intergroup situation. In five correlational studies (Studies 1-5) we examined the relations between measured wise reasoning and intergroup positivity and attitude polarization. In two experiments, we tested the effects of a brief online wise-reasoning thought exercise on intergroup positivity and polarization (Studies 6-7), and charitable behaviors to an outgroup (Study 6). We found that wise reasoning relates to more positivity toward outgroups and less attitude polarization across different groups and conflicts. The results have implications for theory and may also have implications for future research on interventions to improve intergroup relations.
Atomic scale symmetry and polar nanoclusters in the paraelectric phase of ferroelectric materials
Authors: Bencan Andreja , Oveisi Emad , Hashemizadeh Sina , Veerapandiyan Vignaswaran K. , Hoshina Takuya , Rojac Tadej , Deluca Marco , Drazic Goran , Damjanovic Dragan
Published: June 2021

The nature of the “forbidden” local- and long-range polar order in nominally non-polar paraelectric phases of ferroelectric materials has been an open question since the discovery of ferroelectricity in oxide perovskites, ABO3. A currently considered model suggests locally correlated displacements of B-site atoms along a subset of <111> cubic directions. Such off-site displacements have been confirmed experimentally; however, being essentially dynamic in nature they cannot account for the static nature of the symmetry-forbidden polarization implied by the macroscopic experiments. Here, in an atomically resolved study by aberration-corrected scanning transmission electron microscopy complemented by Raman spectroscopy, we reveal, directly visualize and quantitatively describe static, 2–4 nm large polar nanoclusters in the nominally non-polar cubic phases of (Ba,Sr)TiO3 and BaTiO3. These results have implications on understanding of the atomic-scale structure of disordered materials, the origin of precursor states in ferroelectrics, and may help answering ambiguities on the dynamic-versus-static nature of nano-sized clusters.
Digital electronics in fibres enable fabric-based machine-learning inference
Authors: Loke Gabriel , Khudiyev Tural , Wang Brian , Fu Stephanie , Payra Syamantak , Shaoul Yorai , Fung Johnny , Chatziveroglou Ioannis , Chou Pin-Wen , Chinn Itamar , Yan Wei , Gitelson-Kahn Anna , Joannopoulos John , Fink Yoel
Published: June 2021

Digital devices are the essential building blocks of any modern electronic system. Fibres containing digital devices could enable fabrics with digital system capabilities for applications in physiological monitoring, human-computer interfaces, and on-body machine-learning. Here, a scalable preform-to-fibre approach is used to produce tens of metres of flexible fibre containing hundreds of interspersed, digital temperature sensors and memory devices with a memory density of ~7.6 × 105 bits per metre. The entire ensemble of devices are individually addressable and independently operated through a single connection at the fibre edge, overcoming the perennial single-fibre single-device limitation and increasing system reliability. The digital fibre, when incorporated within a shirt, collects and stores body temperature data over multiple days, and enables real-time inference of wearer activity with an accuracy of 96% through a trained neural network with 1650 neuronal connections stored within the fibre. The ability to realise digital devices within a fibre strand which can not only measure and store physiological parameters, but also harbour the neural networks required to infer sensory data, presents intriguing opportunities for worn fabrics that sense, memorise, learn, and infer situational context.
A functional motif of long noncoding RNA Nron against osteoporosis
Authors: Jin Fujun , Li Junhui , Zhang Yong-Biao , Liu Xiangning , Cai Mingxiang , Liu Meijing , Li Mengyao , Ma Cui , Yue Rui , Zhu Yexuan , Lai Renfa , Wang Zuolin , Ji Xunming , Wei Huawei , Dong Jun , Liu Zhiduo , Wang Yifei , Sun Yao , Wang Xiaogang
Published: June 2021

Long noncoding RNAs are widely implicated in diverse disease processes. Nonetheless, their regulatory roles in bone resorption are undefined. Here, we identify lncRNA Nron as a critical suppressor of bone resorption. We demonstrate that osteoclastic Nron knockout mice exhibit an osteopenia phenotype with elevated bone resorption activity. Conversely, osteoclastic Nron transgenic mice exhibit lower bone resorption and higher bone mass. Furthermore, the pharmacological overexpression of Nron inhibits bone resorption, while caused apparent side effects in mice. To minimize the side effects, we further identify a functional motif of Nron. The delivery of Nron functional motif to osteoclasts effectively reverses bone loss without obvious side effects. Mechanistically, the functional motif of Nron interacts with E3 ubiquitin ligase CUL4B to regulate ERα stability. These results indicate that Nron is a key bone resorption suppressor, and the lncRNA functional motif could potentially be utilized to treat diseases with less risk of side effects.
Dating Alphaproteobacteria evolution with eukaryotic fossils
Authors: Wang Sishuo , Luo Haiwei
Published: June 2021

Elucidating the timescale of the evolution of Alphaproteobacteria, one of the most prevalent microbial lineages in marine and terrestrial ecosystems, is key to testing hypotheses on their co-evolution with eukaryotic hosts and Earth’s systems, which, however, is largely limited by the scarcity of bacterial fossils. Here, we incorporate eukaryotic fossils to date the divergence times of Alphaproteobacteria, based on the mitochondrial endosymbiosis that mitochondria evolved from an alphaproteobacterial lineage. We estimate that Alphaproteobacteria arose ~1900 million years (Ma) ago, followed by rapid divergence of their major clades. We show that the origin of Rickettsiales, an order of obligate intracellular bacteria whose hosts are mostly animals, predates the emergence of animals for ~700 Ma but coincides with that of eukaryotes. This, together with reconstruction of ancestral hosts, strongly suggests that early Rickettsiales lineages had established previously underappreciated interactions with unicellular eukaryotes. Moreover, the mitochondria-based approach displays higher robustness to uncertainties in calibrations compared with the traditional strategy using cyanobacterial fossils. Further, our analyses imply the potential of dating the (bacterial) tree of life based on endosymbiosis events, and suggest that previous applications using divergence times of the modern hosts of symbiotic bacteria to date bacterial evolution might need to be revisited.
Coherent control of a donor-molecule electron spin qubit in silicon
Authors: Fricke Lukas , Hile Samuel J. , Kranz Ludwik , Chung Yousun , He Yu , Pakkiam Prasanna , House Matthew G. , Keizer Joris G. , Simmons Michelle Y.
Published: June 2021

Donor spins in silicon provide a promising material platform for large scale quantum computing. Excellent electron spin coherence times of $${T}_{2}^{* }=268$$

T

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=
268
 μs with fidelities of 99.9% have been demonstrated for isolated phosphorus donors in isotopically pure 28Si, where donors are local-area-implanted in a nanoscale MOS device. Despite robust single qubit gates, realising two-qubit exchange gates using this technique is challenging due to the statistical nature of the dopant implant and placement process. In parallel a precision scanning probe lithography route has been developed to place single donors and donor molecules on one atomic plane of silicon with high accuracy aligned to heavily phosphorus doped silicon in-plane gates. Recent results using this technique have demonstrated a fast (0.8 ns) two-qubit gate with two P donor molecules placed 13 nm apart in natSi. In this paper we demonstrate a single qubit gate with coherent oscillations of the electron spin on a P donor molecule in natSi patterned by scanning tunneling microscope (STM) lithography. The electron spin exhibits excellent coherence properties, with a $${T}_{2}$$

T

2

decoherence time of 298 ± 30 μs, and $${T}_{2}^{* }$$

T

2

*

dephasing time of 295 ± 23 ns.
Lateral advection supports nitrogen export in the oligotrophic open-ocean Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Kelly Thomas B. , Knapp Angela N. , Landry Michael R. , Selph Karen E. , Shropshire Taylor A. , Thomas Rachel K. , Stukel Michael R.
Published: June 2021

In contrast to its productive coastal margins, the open-ocean Gulf of Mexico (GoM) is notable for highly stratified surface waters with extremely low nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations. Field campaigns in 2017 and 2018 identified low rates of turbulent mixing, which combined with oligotrophic nutrient conditions, give very low estimates for diffusive flux of nitrate into the euphotic zone (< 1 µmol N m−2 d−1). Estimates of local N2-fixation are similarly low. In comparison, measured export rates of sinking particulate organic nitrogen (PON) from the euphotic zone are 2 – 3 orders of magnitude higher (i.e. 462 – 1144 µmol N m−2 d−1). We reconcile these disparate findings with regional scale dynamics inferred independently from remote-sensing products and a regional biogeochemical model and find that laterally-sourced organic matter is sufficient to support >90% of open-ocean nitrogen export in the GoM. Results show that lateral transport needs to be closely considered in studies of biogeochemical balances, particularly for basins enclosed by productive coasts.
A predictive score for progression of COVID-19 in hospitalized persons: a cohort study
Authors: Xu Jingbo , Wang Weida , Ye Honghui , Pang Wenzheng , Pang Pengfei , Tang Meiwen , Xie Feng , Li Zhitao , Li Bixiang , Liang Anqi , Zhuang Juan , Yang Jing , Zhang Chunyu , Ren Jiangnan , Tian Lin , Li Zhonghe , Xia Jinyu , Gale Robert P. , Shan Hong , Liang Yang
Published: June 2021

Accurate prediction of the risk of progression of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is needed at the time of hospitalization. Logistic regression analyses are used to interrogate clinical and laboratory co-variates from every hospital admission from an area of 2 million people with sporadic cases. From a total of 98 subjects, 3 were severe COVID-19 on admission. From the remaining subjects, 24 developed severe/critical symptoms. The predictive model includes four co-variates: age (>60 years; odds ratio [OR] = 12 [2.3, 62]); blood oxygen saturation (<97%; OR = 10.4 [2.04, 53]); C-reactive protein (>5.75 mg/L; OR = 9.3 [1.5, 58]); and prothrombin time (>12.3 s; OR = 6.7 [1.1, 41]). Cutoff value is two factors, and the sensitivity and specificity are 96% and 78% respectively. The area under the receiver-operator characteristic curve is 0.937. This model is suitable in predicting which unselected newly hospitalized persons are at-risk to develop severe/critical COVID-19.
A variational toolbox for quantum multi-parameter estimation
Authors: Meyer Johannes Jakob , Borregaard Johannes , Eisert Jens
Published: June 2021

With an ever-expanding ecosystem of noisy and intermediate-scale quantum devices, exploring their possible applications is a rapidly growing field of quantum information science. In this work, we demonstrate that variational quantum algorithms feasible on such devices address a challenge central to the field of quantum metrology: The identification of near-optimal probes and measurement operators for noisy multi-parameter estimation problems. We first introduce a general framework that allows for sequential updates of variational parameters to improve probe states and measurements and is widely applicable to both discrete and continuous-variable settings. We then demonstrate the practical functioning of the approach through numerical simulations, showcasing how tailored probes and measurements improve over standard methods in the noisy regime. Along the way, we prove the validity of a general parameter-shift rule for noisy evolutions, expected to be of general interest in variational quantum algorithms. In our approach, we advocate the mindset of quantum-aided design, exploiting quantum technology to learn close to optimal, experimentally feasible quantum metrology protocols.
Non-invasive and high-throughput interrogation of exon-specific isoform expression
Authors: Truong Dong-Jiunn Jeffery , Phlairaharn Teeradon , Eßwein Bianca , Gruber Christoph , Tümen Deniz , Baligács Enikő , Armbrust Niklas , Vaccaro Francesco Leandro , Lederer Eva-Maria , Beck Eva Magdalena , Geilenkeuser Julian , Göppert Simone , Krumwiede Luisa , Grätz Christian , Raffl Gerald , Schwarz Dominic , Zirngibl Martin , Živanić Milica , Beyer Maren , Körner Johann Dietmar , Santl Tobias , Evsyukov Valentin , Strauß Tabea , Schwarz Sigrid C. , Höglinger Günter U. , Heutink Peter , Doll Sebastian , Conrad Marcus , Giesert Florian , Wurst Wolfgang , Westmeyer Gil Gregor
Published: June 2021

Expression of exon-specific isoforms from alternatively spliced mRNA is a fundamental mechanism that substantially expands the proteome of a cell. However, conventional methods to assess alternative splicing are either consumptive and work-intensive or do not quantify isoform expression longitudinally at the protein level. Here, we therefore developed an exon-specific isoform expression reporter system (EXSISERS), which non-invasively reports the translation of exon-containing isoforms of endogenous genes by scarlessly excising reporter proteins from the nascent polypeptide chain through highly efficient, intein-mediated protein splicing. We applied EXSISERS to quantify the inclusion of the disease-associated exon 10 in microtubule-associated protein tau (MAPT) in patient-derived induced pluripotent stem cells and screened Cas13-based RNA-targeting effectors for isoform specificity. We also coupled cell survival to the inclusion of exon 18b of FOXP1, which is involved in maintaining pluripotency of embryonic stem cells, and confirmed that MBNL1 is a dominant factor for exon 18b exclusion. EXSISERS enables non-disruptive and multimodal monitoring of exon-specific isoform expression with high sensitivity and cellular resolution, and empowers high-throughput screening of exon-specific therapeutic interventions.
Risk factors for rapid axial length elongation with low concentration atropine for myopia control
Authors: Fu Aicun , Stapleton Fiona , Wei Li , Wang Weiqun , Zhao Bingxin , Watt Kathleen , Yu Shiao , Cui Can , Lyu Yong
Published: June 2021

Three hundred and twenty-eight myopic children, randomized to use either 0.01% (N = 166) or 0.02% (N = 162) atropine were enrolled in this study. Gender, age, body mass index(BMI), parental myopia status, atropine concentration used, pupil diameter, amplitude of accommodation, spherical equivalent refractive error (SER), anterior chamber depth (ACD) and axial length (AL) were collected at baseline and 1 year after using atropine. Rapid AL elongation was defined as > 0.36 mm growth per year. Univariate analyses showed that children with rapid AL elongation tend to be younger, have a smaller BMI, use of 0.01% atropine, narrow ACD, lower SER, shorter AL, smaller change in pupil diameter between 1 year and baseline (all P < 0.05). Multivariate logistic regression analyses confirmed that rapid AL elongation was associated with children that were younger at baseline (P < 0.0001), use of 0.01% atropine (P = 0.04), a shorter baseline AL (P = 0.03) and a smaller change in pupil diameter between 1 year and baseline (P = 0.04). Younger children with shorter AL at baseline, less change in their pupil diameter with atropine treatment and using the lower of the two atropine concentrations may undergo rapid AL elongation over a 12 months myopia control treatment period.
Exploring the role of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in flattening the Greek COVID-19 epidemic curve
Authors: Mavragani Amaryllis , Gkillas Konstantinos
Published: June 2021

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic originating in China in December 2019, apart from the grave concerns on the exponentially increasing casualties, the affected countries are called to deal with severe repercussions in all aspects of everyday life, from economic recession to national and international movement restrictions. Several regions managed to handle the pandemic more successfully than others in terms of life loss, while ongoing heated debates as to the right course of action for battling COVID-19 have divided the academic community as well as public opinion. To this direction, in this paper, an autoregressive COVID-19 prediction model with heterogeneous explanatory variables for Greece is proposed, taking past COVID-19 data, non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs), and Google query data as independent variables, from the day of the first confirmed case—February 26th—to the day before the announcement for the quarantine measures’ softening—April 24th. The analysis indicates that the early measures taken by the Greek officials positively affected the flattening of the epidemic curve, with Greece having recorded significantly decreased COVID-19 casualties per million population and managing to stay on the low side of the deaths over cases spectrum. In specific, the prediction model identifies the 7-day lag that is needed in order for the measures’ results to actually show, i.e., the optimal time-intervention framework for managing the disease’s spread, while our analysis also indicates an appropriate point during the disease spread where restrictive measures should be applied. Present results have significant implications for effective policy making and in the designing of the NPIs, as the second wave of COVID-19 is expected in fall 2020, and such multidisciplinary analyses are crucial in order to understand the evolution of the Daily Deaths to Daily Cases ratio along with its determinants as soon as possible, for the assessment of the respective domestic health authorities’ policy interventions as well as for the timely health resources allocation.