bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Shallow-marine serpentinization-derived fluid seepage in the Upper Cretaceous Qahlah Formation, United Arab Emirates
Authors: Eickmann Benjamin , Little Crispin T. S. , Peckmann Jörn , Taylor Paul D. , Boyce Adrian J. , Morgan Daniel J. , Bach Wolfgang
Published: March 2021

Serpentinization of ultramafic rocks in the sea and on land leads to the generation of alkaline fluids rich in molecular hydrogen (H2) and methane (CH4) that favour the formation of carbonate mineralization, such as veins in the sub-seafloor, seafloor carbonate chimneys and terrestrial hyperalkaline spring deposits. Examples of this type of seawater–rock interaction and the formation of serpentinization-derived carbonates in a shallow-marine environment are scarce, and almost entirely lacking in the geological record. Here we present evidence for serpentinization-induced fluid seepage in shallow-marine sedimentary rocks from the Upper Cretaceous (upper Campanian to lower Maastrichtian) Qahlah Formation at Jebel Huwayyah, United Arab Emirates. The research object is a metre-scale structure (the Jebel Huwayyah Mound) formed of calcite-cemented sand grains, which formed a positive seafloor feature. The Jebel Huwayyah Mound contains numerous vertically orientated fluid conduits containing two main phases of calcite cement. We use C and O stable isotopes and elemental composition to reconstruct the fluids from which these cements precipitated and infer that the fluids consisted of variable mixtures of seawater and fluids derived from serpentinization of the underlying Semail Ophiolite. Based on their negative δ13C values, hardgrounds in the same section as the Jebel Huwayyah Mound may also have had a similar origin. The Jebel Huwayyah Mound shows that serpentinization of the Semail Ophiolite by seawater occurred very soon after obduction and marine transgression, a process that continued through to the Miocene, and, with interaction of meteoric water, up to the present day.
Improving the work of the Arctic Council: challenges and recommendations
Authors: Rottem Svein Vigeland
Published: March 2021

The Arctic Contaminants Action Programme (ACAP), originally intended to follow up the work of AMAP (the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme) on identifying the sources of pollution, became an official working group under the Arctic Council in 2006. ACAP has focussed on pollution from Russian sources, the main objective being to accelerate the reduction of national emissions of various environmental pollutants and climate forcers. Basically, ACAP initiates projects with a scientific basis in AMAP assessments of the health of the Arctic. The idea behind the creation of ACAP was to channel the work of the Arctic Council in a more practical direction and to improve the use of the knowledge produced by AMAP. ACAP is one of only two Council working groups not to have been specifically evaluated and analysed by external bodies and academics. This article undertakes a critical analysis of ACAP and argues that there are great potentials for improving its work. ACAP has established a forum where it has been possible to facilitate pilot projects aimed at limiting harmful emissions; this work should be strengthened.
The Director’s Process
Authors: Schechner Richard
Published: March 2021

In her conversation with TDR, Hadestown director Rachel Chavkin discusses the development, casting, music, and choreography of the Broadway hit musical—a retelling of the ancient Greek myth of Eurydice and Orpheus.
Hacking humanitarians: Defining the cyber perimeter and developing a cyber security strategy for international humanitarian organizations in digital transformation
Authors: Marelli Massimo
Published: March 2021

Digitalization and new technologies have an increasingly important role in today's humanitarian activities. As humanitarian organizations become more active in and reliant on new and digital technologies, they evolve from being simple bystanders to being fully fledged stakeholders in cyberspace, vulnerable to adverse cyber operations that could impact on their capacity to protect and assist people affected by armed conflict or other situations of violence.

This shift makes it essential for humanitarian organizations to understand and properly map their resulting cyber perimeter. Humanitarian organizations can protect themselves and their activities by devising appropriate cyber strategies for the digital environment. Clearly defining the digital boundaries within which they carry out operations lays the groundwork for humanitarian organizations to develop a strategy to support and protect humanitarian action in the digital environment, channel available resources to where they are most needed, and understand the areas in which their operational dialogue and working modalities need to be adapted for cyberspace.

The purpose of this article is to identify the unique problems facing international humanitarian organizations operating in cyberspace and to suggest ways to address them. More specifically, the article identifies the key elements that an international humanitarian organization should consider in developing a cyber security strategy. Throughout, the International Committee of the Red Cross and its specificities are used as an example to illustrate the problems identified and the possible ways to address them.
A Multi-Method Approach to Understand Parent Behaviors During Child Acute Pain
Authors: Constantin Kaytlin L. , Moline Rachel L. , Labonte Lindsay , McMurtry C. Meghan
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Parent behaviors strongly predict child responses to acute pain; less studied are the factors shaping parent behaviors. Heart rate variability (HRV) is considered a physiological correlate of emotional responding. Resting or “trait” HRV is indicative of the capacity for emotion regulation, while momentary changes or “state” HRV is reflective of current emotion regulatory efforts. This study aimed to examine: (1) parent state HRV as a contributor to parent verbal behaviors before and during child pain and (2) parent trait HRV as a moderator between parent emotional states (anxiety, catastrophizing) and parent behaviors. Children 7–12 years of age completed the cold pressor task (CPT) in the presence of a primary caregiver. Parents rated their state anxiety and catastrophizing about child pain. Parent HRV was examined at 30-second epochs at rest (“trait HRV”), before (“state HRV-warm”), and during their child’s CPT (“state HRV-cold”). Parent behaviors were video recorded and coded as coping-promoting or distress-promoting. Thirty-one parents had complete cardiac, observational, and self-report data. A small to moderate negative correlation emerged between state HRV-cold and CP behaviors during CPT. Trait HRV moderated the association between parent state catastrophizing and distress-promoting behaviors. Parents experiencing state catastrophizing were more likely to engage in distress-promoting behavior if they had low trait HRV. This novel work suggests parents who generally have a low (vs. high) HRV, reflective of low capacity for emotion regulation, may be at risk of engaging in behaviors that increase child distress when catastrophizing about their child’s pain.
How Reliably Can Examiners Make Form Quality (FQ) Judgments in the Absence of the Form Quality (FQ) Tables?
Authors: Pignolo Claudia , Viglione Donald J. , Giromini Luciano
Published: March 2021

Abstract. Form Quality (FQ) scores are well-validated measures of the accuracy of perceptive processes, of reality testing, and of the severity of psychological disturbance. Research studies reveal that inter-rater reliability of FQ scoring is good when visualized objects are available in the FQ tables. However, many visualized objects are not found in the FQ tables so that scoring must rely on one’s individual judgment. Thus, a major question remains unsolved: How reliably can examiners make FQ judgments in the absence of the FQ tables? To address this question, we used the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS) method. We asked 21 graduate students from our research labs to rate Form Accuracy (FA) and FQ for 86 objects from a subset of four Rorschach card (I, III, VI, and VIII). The results clearly reveal that FQ judgments made by individual examiners without using the FQ tables are not reliable. When scoring FQ, one should carefully scrutinize the empirically supported FQ tables and base the FQ score on these rather than personal judgments.
The Development of the Rorschach Test in China
Authors: Yanhua Jiang , Hutagalung Fonny Dameaty
Published: March 2021

Abstract. This article summarizes the development and research status of the Rorschach Test in China as comprehensively as possible. The development of the Rorschach Test in China can be divided into two stages: the initial stage and the developing stage. At the initial stage the research mainly includes: introduction and localization of the Rorschach Test, studies on schizophrenia, and the measurement of intelligence and personality. In the developing stage the research mainly includes: spreading and localization of the Rorschach Test, the variables, indices, and derivative scales, clinical psychology, talent assessment, combination with eye movement techniques, the Group Rorschach Inkblot Test, and reviews. Based on the domestic development and research status of the Rorschach Test, the article also summarizes the achievements and issues present in existing studies and puts forward the prospect of researching the Rorschach Test in China.
An In‐Depth Analysis of Lightning Trends in Hurricane Harvey Using Satellite and Ground‐Based Measurements
Authors: Ringhausen Jacquelyn S. , Bitzer Phillip M.
Published: March 2021

Satellite lightning measurements from the Geostationary Lightning Mapper (GLM) and ground‐based measurements from Earth Networks Total Lightning Network (ENTLN) for Hurricane Harvey (2017) are combined to obtain a better representation of intra‐cloud and cloud‐to‐ground lightning and their relationship to intensification and weakening of the hurricane. Through this combination, detection efficiencies of ENTLN and GLM are calculated for the rainband and eyewall of Harvey. In addition, the combined data set is used to derive the cloud flash fraction (CFF) and cloud pulse fraction (CPF) throughout the study period. The results show that flash and pulse rates increase in both the eyewall and rainband prior to rapid intensification in Harvey. The rainband lightning has the highest correlation to Harvey's intensification, where increases in lightning correspond to the largest periods of wind‐speed intensification. The eyewall CFF is also highly correlated to intensification, with minima in eyewall CFF and CPF coinciding with slower intensification periods in Harvey, while increasing CFF and CPF corresponds to more rapidly intensifying periods. Further, GLM flash characteristics including the events per flash, groups per flash, maximum group area, maximum number of events per group, flash footprint, flash energy, and flash duration are tracked and compared to Harvey's wind‐speeds. Nearly all seven flash characteristics show an increase prior to rapid intensification, with the strongest correlation to intensification found with the rainband lightning spatial characteristics. This research represents a step forward in the application of lightning data that can be used in future studies of tropical cyclone intensification and weakening.
GPM‐DPR Observations on TGFs Producing Storms
Authors: Tiberia A. , Porcú F. , Marisaldi M. , Tavani M. , Lapierre J. , Ursi A. , Fuschino F. , D'Adderio L. P. , Dietrich S.
Published: March 2021

Unique spaceborne measurements of the three‐dimensional structure of convective clouds producing terrestrial gamma ray flashes (TGFs) were performed using both active and passive microwave sensors on board the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM)‐Core Observatory satellite, finding coherent features for nine TGF‐producing storms. The delineation of cloud structure using the radar reflectivity factor shows convective cells with significant vertical development and thick layers with high ice content. Compared to other cumulonimbus clouds in the tropics, the TGFs counterparts have higher reflectivity values above 3 and 8 km altitude showing in all cases a cumulonimbus tower and the TGFs locations are very close, or coincident, to these high Z columns, where reflectivity exceeds 50 dBz. Using the GPM Microwave Imager radiometer, most thunderstorms show a very strong depression of polarization corrected temperature (PCT) at channel 89 GHz, indicating a strong scattering signal by ice in the upper cloud layers. At channel 166 GHZ, the difference between vertical and horizontal brightness temperature signal always returns positive values, from 0.2 up to 13.7 K indicating a complex structure with randomly/vertically oriented ice particles. The PCT was used to characterize the analyzed storms in terms of hydrometeor types, confirming in 7/9 cases a high likelihood of hail/graupel presence. To perform analysis on the TGFs parent flashes, radio atmospherics data from the Earth Networks Total Lightning Network lightning network were used. Waveform data indicate that all cases are intra‐cloud events and TGFs typically take place during the peak of flash rate production. Finally, the analysis of the most intense event is shown.
Seismic Wave Attenuation and Dispersion Due to Partial Fluid Saturation: Direct Measurements and Numerical Simulations Based on X‐Ray CT
Authors: Chapman Samuel , Borgomano Jan V. M. , Quintal Beatriz , Benson Sally M. , Fortin Jérôme
Published: March 2021

Quantitatively assessing seismic attenuation caused by fluid pressure diffusion (FPD) in partially saturated rocks is challenging because of its sensitivity to the spatial fluid distribution. To address this challenge we performed depressurization experiments to induce the exsolution of carbon dioxide from water in a Berea sandstone sample. In a first set of experiments we used medical X‐ray computed tomography (CT) to characterize the fluid distribution. At an equilibrium pressure of approximately 1 MPa and applying a fluid pressure decline rate of approximately 0.6 MPa per minute, we allowed a change in saturation of less than 1%. The gas was heterogeneously distributed along the length of the sample, with most of the gas exsolving near the sample outlet. In a second set of experiments, at the same pressure and temperature, following a very similar exsolution protocol, we measured the frequency dependent attenuation and modulus dispersion between 0.1 and 1,000 Hz using the forced oscillation method. We observed significant attenuation and dispersion in the extensional and bulk deformation modes, however, not in the shear mode. Lastly, we use the fluid distribution derived from the X‐ray CT as an input for numerical simulations of FPD to compute the attenuation and modulus dispersion. The numerical solutions are in close agreement with the attenuation and modulus dispersion measured in the laboratory. Our approach allows for accurately relating attenuation and dispersion to the fluid distribution, which can be applied to improving the seismic monitoring of the subsurface.
Thank You to Our 2020 Reviewers
Authors: Salous Sana , Kobayashi Kazuya
Published: March 2021

Key Point

The editors thank the 2020 peer reviewers
Diverse metabolic response of cancer cells treated with a 213Bi-anti-EGFR-immunoconjugate
Authors: Feuerecker Benedikt , Biechl Philipp , Seidl Christof , Bruchertseifer Frank , Morgenstern Alfred , Schwaiger Markus , Eisenreich Wolfgang
Published: March 2021

Evaluation of treatment response is among the major challenges in modern oncology. We herein used a monoclonal antibody targeting the EGF receptor (EGFR) labelled with the alpha emitter 213Bi (213Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb). EJ28Luc (bladder) and LN18 (glioma) cancer cells, both overexpressing EGFR, were incubated for 3 h with the radioimmunoconjugate. To assess the responses in the core carbon metabolism upon this treatment, these cancer cell lines were subsequently cultivated for 18 h in the presence of [U-13C6]glucose. 13C-enrichment and isotopologue profiles of key amino acids were monitored by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS), in order to monitor the impacts of the radionuclide-treatment upon glucose metabolism. In comparison to untreated controls, treatment of EJ28Luc cells with 213Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb resulted in a significantly decreased incorporation of 13C from [U-13C6]glucose into alanine, aspartate, glutamate, glycine, proline and serine. In sharp contrast, the same amino acids did not display less 13C-enrichments during treatment of the LN18 cells. The data indicate early treatment response of the bladder cancer cells, but not of the glioma cells though cell lines were killed following 213Bi-anti-EGFR-MAb treatment. The pilot study shows that the 13C-labelling approach is a valid tool to assess the responsiveness of cancer cells upon radionuclide-treatment in considerable metabolic detail.
Prognostic plasma exosomal microRNA biomarkers in patients with substance use disorders presenting comorbid with anxiety and depression
Authors: Chen Fengrong , Zou Lei , Dai Yicong , Sun Jiaxue , Chen Cheng , Zhang Yongjin , Peng Qingyan , Zhang Zunyue , Xie Zhenrong , Wu Hongjin , Tian Weiwei , Yu Xu , Yu Juehua , Wang Kunhua
Published: March 2021

Psychiatric disorders such as anxiety and depression precipitated by substance use occurred during both use and withdrawal. Exosomes play significant roles in biological functions and regulate numerous physiological and pathological processes in various diseases, in particular substance use disorders (SUDs) and other psychiatric disorders. To better understand the role of exosomal miRNAs in the pathology of symptoms of anxiety and depression in patients with SUDs, we first isolated circulating exosomes from heroin-dependent patients (HDPs) and methamphetamine-dependent patients (MDPs) and identified exosomal miRNAs that were differentially expressed between patients and healthy controls (HCs). Furthermore, the correlations between exosomal DE-miRNAs and symptoms of anxiety and depression which were measured using Hamilton-Anxiety (HAM-A)/Hamilton-Depression (HAM-D) Rating Scales in the participants. Notably, the expression level of exosomal hsa-miR-16-5p, hsa-miR-129-5p, hsa-miR-363-3p, and hsa-miR-92a-3p showed significantly negative correlations with HAM-A scores in both HDPs and MDPs. But all of the 4 DE-miRNAs lost significant correlations with HAM-D scores in HDPs. Functional annotation analyses showed that the target genes of the DE-miRNAs were mainly enriched for “synapse”, “cell adhesion”, “focal adhesion” and “MHC class II protein complex”. Our study suggests that a set of circulating exosomal miRNAs were associated with anxiety and depression in SUD patients and may have clinical utility as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers.
Toward robust N-glycomics of various tissue samples that may contain glycans with unknown or unexpected structures
Authors: Suzuki Noriko , Abe Tatsuya , Hanzawa Ken , Natsuka Shunji
Published: March 2021

Glycans in tissues are structurally diverse and usually include a large number of isomers that cannot be easily distinguished by mass spectrometry (MS). To address this issue, we developed a combined method that can efficiently separate and identify glycan isomers. First, we separated 2-aminopyridine (PA)-derivatized N-glycans from chicken colon by reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) and directly analyzed them by electrospray ionization (ESI)-MS and MS/MS to obtain an overview of the structural features of tissue glycans. Next, we deduced the structures of isomers based on their elution positions, full MS, and MS/MS data, before or after digestions with several exoglycosidases. In this method, the elution position differed greatly depending on the core structure and branching pattern, allowing multiantennary N-glycan structures to be easily distinguished. To further determine linkages of branch sequences, we modified PA-N-glycans with sialic acid linkage-specific alkylamidation and/or permethylation, and analyzed the products by LC–MS and multistage MS. We determined the relative abundances of core structures, branching patterns, and branch sequences of N-glycans from chicken colon, and confirmed presence of characteristic branch sequences such as Lex, sialyl Lex, sulfated LacNAc, LacNAc repeat, and LacdiNAc. The results demonstrated that our method is useful for comparing N-glycomes among various tissue samples.
Anti-CD321 antibody immunotherapy protects liver against ischemia and reperfusion-induced injury
Authors: Yin Enzhi , Fukuhara Takeshi , Takeda Kazuyoshi , Kojima Yuko , Fukuhara Kyoko , Ikejima Kenichi , Bashuda Hisashi , Kitaura Jiro , Yagita Hideo , Okumura Ko , Uchida Koichiro
Published: March 2021

The prognosis of the liver transplant patients was frequently deteriorated by ischemia and reperfusion injury (IRI) in the liver. Infiltration of inflammatory cells is reported to play critical roles in the pathogenesis of hepatic IRI. Although T lymphocytes, neutrophils and monocytes infiltrated into the liver underwent IRI, we found that neutrophil depletion significantly attenuated the injury and serum liver enzyme levels in a murine model. Interestingly, the expression of CD321/JAM-A/F11R, one of essential molecules for transmigration of circulating leukocytes into inflammatory tissues, was significantly augmented on hepatic sinusoid endothelium at 1 h after ischemia and maintained until 45 min after reperfusion. The intraportal administration of anti-CD321 monoclonal antibody (90G4) significantly inhibited the leukocytes infiltration after reperfusion and diminished the damage responses by hepatic IRI (serum liver enzymes, inflammatory cytokines and hepatocyte cell death). Taken together, presented results demonstrated that blockade of CD321 by 90G4 antibody significantly attenuated hepatic IRI accompanied with substantial inhibition of leukocytes infiltration, particularly inhibition of neutrophil infiltration in the early phase of reperfusion. Thus, our work offers a potent therapeutic target, CD321, for preventing liver IRI.
Whole body potassium as a biomarker for potassium uptake using a mouse model
Authors: Tabbassum Sana , Cheng Pinjing , Yanko Frank M. , Balachandran Rekha , Aschner Michael , Bowman Aaron B. , Nie Linda H.
Published: March 2021

Potassium is known for its effect on modifiable chronic diseases like hypertension, cardiac disease, diabetes (type-2), and bone health. In this study, a new method, neutron generator based neutron activation analysis (NAA), was utilized to measure potassium (K) in mouse carcasses. A DD110 neutron generator based NAA assembly was used for irradiation.Thirty-two postmortem mice (n= 16 males and 16 females, average weight $$22.02\pm 1.3$$

22.02
±
1.3

and $$17.9\pm 1.1$$

17.9
±
1.1

g) were employed for this study. Soft-tissue equivalent mouse phantoms were prepared for the calibration. All mice were irradiated for 10 minutes, and the gamma spectrum with 42K was collected using a high efficiency, high purity germanium (HPGe) detector. A lead shielding assembly was designed and developed around the HPGe detector to obtain an improved detection limit. Each mouse sample was irradiated and measured twice to reduce uncertainty. The average potassium concentration was found to be significantly higher in males $$(2846 \pm 525 \upmu g/g)$$

(
2846
±
525
μ
g
/
g
)

compared to females $$(2116.2 \pm 432 \upmu g/g)$$

(
2116.2
±
432
μ
g
/
g
)

. We also observed a significant correlation between potassium concentration and the weight of the mice. The detection limit for potassium quantification with the NAA system was 46 ppm. The radiation dose to the mouse was approximately 56 $${ \pm 1.6 }$$

±
1.6

mSv for 10-min irradiation. In conclusion, this method is suitable for estimating individual potassium concentration in small animals. The direct evaluation of total body potassium in small animals provides a new way to estimate potassium uptake in animal models. This method can be adapted later to quantify potassium in the human hand and small animals in vivo. When used in vivo, it is also expected to be a valuable tool for longitudinal assessment, kinetics, and health outcomes.
Model-based projections for COVID-19 outbreak size and student-days lost to closure in Ontario childcare centres and primary schools
Authors: Phillips Brendon , Browne Dillon T. , Anand Madhur , Bauch Chris T.
Published: March 2021

There is a pressing need for evidence-based scrutiny of plans to re-open childcare centres during the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we developed an agent-based model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission within a childcare centre and households. Scenarios varied the student-to-educator ratio (15:2, 8:2, 7:3), family clustering (siblings together versus random assignment) and time spent in class. We also evaluated a primary school setting (with student-educator ratios 30:1, 15:1 and 8:1), including cohorts that alternate weekly. In the childcare centre setting, grouping siblings significantly reduced outbreak size and student-days lost. We identify an intensification cascade specific to classroom outbreaks of respiratory viruses with presymptomatic infection. In both childcare and primary school settings, each doubling of class size from 8 to 15 to 30 more than doubled the outbreak size and student-days lost (increases by factors of 2–5, depending on the scenario. Proposals for childcare and primary school reopening could be enhanced for safety by switching to smaller class sizes and grouping siblings.
Characterizing the Qatar advanced-phase SARS-CoV-2 epidemic
Authors: Abu-Raddad Laith J. , Chemaitelly Hiam , Ayoub Houssein H. , Al Kanaani Zaina , Al Khal Abdullatif , Al Kuwari Einas , Butt Adeel A. , Coyle Peter , Jeremijenko Andrew , Kaleeckal Anvar Hassan , Latif Ali Nizar , Owen Robert C. , Rahim Hanan F. Abdul , Al Abdulla Samya A. , Al Kuwari Mohamed G. , Kandy Mujeeb C. , Saeb Hatoun , Ahmed Shazia Nadeem N. , Al Romaihi Hamad Eid , Bansal Devendra , Dalton Louise , Al-Thani Mohamed H. , Bertollini Roberto
Published: March 2021

The overarching objective of this study was to provide the descriptive epidemiology of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) epidemic in Qatar by addressing specific research questions through a series of national epidemiologic studies. Sources of data were the centralized and standardized national databases for SARS-CoV-2 infection. By July 10, 2020, 397,577 individuals had been tested for SARS-CoV-2 using polymerase-chain-reaction (PCR), of whom 110,986 were positive, a positivity cumulative rate of 27.9% (95% CI 27.8–28.1%). As of July 5, case severity rate, based on World Health Organization (WHO) severity classification, was 3.4% and case fatality rate was 1.4 per 1,000 persons. Age was by far the strongest predictor of severe, critical, or fatal infection. PCR positivity of nasopharyngeal/oropharyngeal swabs in a national community survey (May 6–7) including 1,307 participants was 14.9% (95% CI 11.5–19.0%); 58.5% of those testing positive were asymptomatic. Across 448 ad-hoc testing campaigns in workplaces and residential areas including 26,715 individuals, pooled mean PCR positivity was 15.6% (95% CI 13.7–17.7%). SARS-CoV-2 antibody prevalence was 24.0% (95% CI 23.3–24.6%) in 32,970 residual clinical blood specimens. Antibody prevalence was only 47.3% (95% CI 46.2–48.5%) in those who had at least one PCR positive result, but 91.3% (95% CI 89.5–92.9%) among those who were PCR positive > 3 weeks before serology testing. Qatar has experienced a large SARS-CoV-2 epidemic that is rapidly declining, apparently due to growing immunity levels in the population.
A divide-and-conquer algorithm for quantum state preparation
Authors: Araujo Israel F. , Park Daniel K. , Petruccione Francesco , da Silva Adenilton J.
Published: March 2021

Advantages in several fields of research and industry are expected with the rise of quantum computers. However, the computational cost to load classical data in quantum computers can impose restrictions on possible quantum speedups. Known algorithms to create arbitrary quantum states require quantum circuits with depth O(N) to load an N-dimensional vector. Here, we show that it is possible to load an N-dimensional vector with exponential time advantage using a quantum circuit with polylogarithmic depth and entangled information in ancillary qubits. Results show that we can efficiently load data in quantum devices using a divide-and-conquer strategy to exchange computational time for space. We demonstrate a proof of concept on a real quantum device and present two applications for quantum machine learning. We expect that this new loading strategy allows the quantum speedup of tasks that require to load a significant volume of information to quantum devices.
Exodontia associated bacteremia in horses characterized by next generation sequencing
Authors: Townsend Kile S. , Johnson Philip J. , LaCarrubba Alison M. , Martin Lynn M. , Ericsson Aaron C.
Published: March 2021

Bacteremia resulting from dental surgery is increasingly recognized as a health risk, especially in older and immunocompromised patients. Dentistry-associated bacteremia can lead to remote infections, as exemplified by valvular endocarditis. Emerging evidence points to a novel role played by oral cavity commensals in the pathogenesis of diabetes, respiratory disease, cardiovascular disease, and adverse pregnancy outcomes. Whether dental extraction, a commonly undertaken procedure in old horses, causes bacteremia has not been reported extensively. In a prospective clinical study using next generation sequencing (based on bacterial 16S rRNA), the circulating blood microbiome was characterized before and at 1 h following extraction of incisor, canine or cheek teeth from 29 adult horses with dental disease. 16S rRNA gene sequencing results from the blood microbiome were compared with those from gingival swab samples obtained prior to extraction at the location of the diseased tooth. Bacteremia associated with translocated gingival commensals was demonstrated in horses undergoing exodontia and was, in some cases, still evident one hour post-operatively.
Input-selective adenosine A1 receptor-mediated synaptic depression of excitatory transmission in dorsal striatum
Authors: Fritz Brandon M. , Yin Fuqin , Atwood Brady K.
Published: March 2021

The medial (DMS) and lateral (DLS) dorsal striatum differentially drive goal-directed and habitual/compulsive behaviors, respectively, and are implicated in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. These subregions receive distinct inputs from cortical and thalamic regions which uniquely determine dorsal striatal activity and function. Adenosine A1 receptors (A1Rs) are prolific within striatum and regulate excitatory glutamate transmission. Thus, A1Rs may have regionally-specific effects on neuroadaptive processes which may ultimately influence striatally-mediated behaviors. The occurrence of A1R-driven plasticity at specific excitatory inputs to dorsal striatum is currently unknown. To better understand how A1Rs may influence these behaviors, we first sought to understand how A1Rs modulate these distinct inputs. We evaluated A1R-mediated inhibition of cortico- and thalamostriatal transmission using in vitro whole-cell, patch clamp slice electrophysiology recordings in medium spiny neurons from both the DLS and DMS of C57BL/6J mice in conjunction with optogenetic approaches. In addition, conditional A1R KO mice lacking A1Rs at specific striatal inputs to DMS and DLS were generated to directly determine the role of these presynaptic A1Rs on the measured electrophysiological responses. Activation of presynaptic A1Rs produced significant and prolonged synaptic depression (A1R-SD) of excitatory transmission in the both the DLS and DMS of male and female animals. Our findings indicate that A1R-SD at corticostriatal and thalamostriatal inputs to DLS can be additive and that A1R-SD in DMS occurs primarily at thalamostriatal inputs. These findings advance the field’s understanding of the functional roles of A1Rs in striatum and implicate their potential contribution to neuropsychiatric diseases.
Optimizing the plasma oxidation of aluminum gate electrodes for ultrathin gate oxides in organic transistors
Authors: Geiger Michael , Hagel Marion , Reindl Thomas , Weis Jürgen , Weitz R. Thomas , Solodenko Helena , Schmitz Guido , Zschieschang Ute , Klauk Hagen , Acharya Rachana
Published: March 2021

A critical requirement for the application of organic thin-film transistors (TFTs) in mobile or wearable applications is low-voltage operation, which can be achieved by employing ultrathin, high-capacitance gate dielectrics. One option is a hybrid dielectric composed of a thin film of aluminum oxide and a molecular self-assembled monolayer in which the aluminum oxide is formed by exposure of the surface of the aluminum gate electrode to a radio-frequency-generated oxygen plasma. This work investigates how the properties of such dielectrics are affected by the plasma power and the duration of the plasma exposure. For various combinations of plasma power and duration, the thickness and the capacitance of the dielectrics, the leakage-current density through the dielectrics, and the current–voltage characteristics of organic TFTs in which these dielectrics serve as the gate insulator have been evaluated. The influence of the plasma parameters on the surface properties of the dielectrics, the thin-film morphology of the vacuum-deposited organic-semiconductor films, and the resulting TFT characteristics has also been investigated.
Physical simulation for water invasion and water control optimization in water drive gas reservoirs
Authors: Xu Xuan , Li Xizhe , Hu Yong , Mei Qingyan , Shi Yu , Jiao Chunyan
Published: March 2021

The development of water drive gas reservoirs (WDGRs) with fractures or strong heterogeneity is severely influenced by water invasion. Accurately simulating the rules of water invasion and drainage gas recovery countermeasures in fractured WDGRs, thereby revealing the mechanism of water invasion and an appropriate development strategy, is important for formulating water management measures and enhancing the recovery of gas reservoirs. In this work, physical simulation methods were proposed to gain a better understanding of water invasion and to optimize the water control of fractured WDGRs. Five groups of experiments were designed and conducted to probe the impacts of the distance between the fractures and the gas well, the drainage position, the drainage timing and the aquifer size on the water invasion and production performance of a gas reservoir. The gas and water production and the internal pressure drop were monitored in real time during the experiments. Based on the above experimental works, a theoretical analysis was conducted to quantitatively evaluate the performance of the gas reservoir recovery via the gas well production performance, water invasion, dynamic pressure drop and residual gas and water distribution analysis. The results show that when the fracture scale was appropriate, a gas well drilled close to a fracture (Experiment 1-3) or a high-permeability formation could also produce gas and achieve drainage efficiently. The recovery factor of Experiment 1-3 reached 62.5%, which was 24.6% and 21.1% higher than those of Experiments 1-1 and 1-2, respectively, which had wells drilled in low-permeability areas. Draining water near an aquifer can effectively inhibit water invasion during the early stage of gas recovery. The setup in Experiment 2-1 effectively inhibited water invasion and avoided the formation of water-sealed volumes of gas to recover 30% more gas than recovered with that of Experiment 1-1 without drainage wells. A shorter distance between the drainage well and the aquifer increased the drainage capacity and decreased the gas production capacity, respectively (Well 2 at Point A vs Point B). A larger aquifer had a lower gas recovery, which reduced the economic benefit. For example, due to an infinitely large aquifer, the reserves in Experiment 4-1 were developed by a single well, the gas recovery was only 33.4%. These research results are expected to be beneficial for the preparation of development plans and the optimization of water control measures for WDGRs.
Differential role of SIRT1/MAPK pathway during cerebral ischemia in rats and humans
Authors: Teertam Sireesh Kumar , Prakash Babu Phanithi
Published: March 2021

Cerebral ischemia (CI) is a severe cause of neurological dysfunction and mortality. Sirtuin-1 (Silent information regulator family protein 1, SIRT1), an oxidized nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD+)-dependent protein deacetylase, plays an important role in protection against several neurodegenerative disorders. The present study aims to investigate the protective role of SIRT1 after CI in experimental young and aged rats and humans. Also, the study examines the possible regulatory mechanisms of neuronal death in CI settings. Immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry were used to evaluate changes in the expression of SIRT1, JNK/ERK/MAPK/AKT signaling, and pro-apoptotic caspase-3 in experimental rats and CI patients. The study findings demonstrated that, in aged experimental rats, SIRT1 activation positively influenced JNK and ERK phosphorylation and modulated neuronal survival in AKT-dependent manner. Further, the protection conferred by SIRT1 was effectively reversed by JNK inhibition and increased pro-apoptotic caspase-3 expression. In young experimental rats, SIRT1 activation decreased the phosphorylation of stress-induced JNK, ERK, caspase-3, and increased the phosphorylation of AKT after CI. Inhibition of SIRT1 reversed the protective effect of resveratrol. More importantly, in human patients, SIRT1 expression, phosphorylation of JNK/ERK/MAPK/AKT signaling and caspase-3 were up-regulated. In conclusion, SIRT1 could possibly be involved in the modulation of JNK/ERK/MAPK/AKT signaling pathway in experimental rats and humans after CI.
Tillage and irrigation increase wheat root systems at deep soil layer and grain yields in lime concretion black soil
Authors: Wang Jinfeng , Wang Zhuangzhuang , Gu Fengxu , Liu Huan , Kang Guozhang , Feng Wei , Wang Yonghua , Guo Tiancai
Published: March 2021

In lime concretion black soil, a two-factor (tillage and irrigation) split block experiment from 2015 to 2017 was conducted to identify whether their combination is suitable for the improvement of winter wheat yield and water use efficiency. The main treatments were subsoiling (SS) and rotary tillage (RT), with secondary treatments of three irrigation regimes: no irrigation during the whole growth period (W0), irrigation at jointing stage (W1), and irrigation at both jointing and anthesis stages (W2). In combination with a soil column experiment, the contribution of the root system in different soil layers to yield was clarified. The results indicated that both tillage and irrigation significantly influenced the spatiotemporal distributions of the root systems and yield components, while tillage produced the strongest effect. Compared with RT, SS significantly promoted the root penetration and delayed root senescence in deep soil layers. With increasing soil depth, each root configuration parameter (dry root weight density, DRWD; root length density, RLD; root surface area per unit area, RSA; root volume per unit area, RV) gradually decreased, and the peak appearance times of each root parameter in RT and three parameters (RLD, RSA and RV) in SS were postponed from heading to anthesis and from anthesis to filling stage, respectively. The average post-peak attenuation values at soil layers from 60 to 100 cm in W1 were less than those in W0 and W2. SSW1 generated the highest grain yields, with an average increase of 31.88% compared with the yield in RTW0. Root systems at three soil layers (0–40 cm, 40–80 cm and below 80 cm) differentially contributed to grain yields with 78.32%, 12.09% and 9.59%, respectively. The growth peak of the deep root system in SSW1 was postponed to the filling stage, and the post-peak attenuation declining rates were also slowed. Therefore, SSW1 is an effective cultivation method improving grain yields and water use efficiency in lime concretion black soil.
Death agonist antibody against TRAILR2/DR5/TNFRSF10B enhances birinapant anti-tumor activity in HPV-positive head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: An Yi , Jeon Jun , Sun Lillian , Derakhshan Adeeb , Chen Jianhong , Carlson Sophie , Cheng Hui , Silvin Christopher , Yang Xinping , Van Waes Carter , Chen Zhong
Published: March 2021

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCC) induced by human papillomavirus (HPV) have increased recently in the US. However, the distinct alterations of molecules involved in the death pathways and drug effects targeting inhibitor of apoptosis proteins (IAPs) have not been extensively characterized in HPV(+) HNSCC cells. In this study, we observed the distinct genomic and expression alterations of nine genes involved in cell death in 55% HNSCC tissues, which were associated with HPV status, tumor staging, and anatomic locations. Expression of four genes was statistically correlated with copy number variation. A panel of HPV(+) HNSCC lines showed abundant TRAILR2 and IAP1 protein expression, but were not sensitive to IAP inhibitor birinapant alone, while combinatory treatment with TNFα or especially TRAIL enhanced this drug sensitivity. The death agonistic TRAILR2 antibody alone showed no cell inhibitory effects, whereas its combination with birinapant and/or TRAIL protein demonstrated additive or synergistic effects. We observed predominantly late apoptosis mode of cell death after combinatorial treatments, and pan-caspase (ZVAD) and caspase-8 (ZIETD) inhibitors attenuated treatment-induced cell death. Our genomic and expression data-driven study provides a framework for identifying relevant combinatorial therapies targeting death pathways in HPV(+) HNSCC and other squamous cancer types.
Regulation of cardiomyocyte DNA damage and cell death by the type 2A protein phosphatase regulatory protein alpha4
Authors: Cowan Jonathan , Longman Michael R. , Snabaitis Andrew K.
Published: March 2021

The type 2A protein phosphatase regulatory protein alpha4 (α4) constitutes an anti-apoptotic protein in non-cardiac tissue, however it’s anti-apoptotic properties in the heart are poorly defined. To this end, we knocked down α4 protein expression (α4 KD) using siRNA in cultured H9c2 cardiomyocytes and confirmed the lack of DNA damage/cell death by TUNEL staining and MTT assay. However, α4 KD did increase the phosphorylation of p53 and ATM/ATR substrates, decreased the expression of poly ADP-ribose polymerase and associated fragments. Expression of anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL was reduced, whereas expression of pro-apoptotic BAX protein did not change. Alpha4 KD reduced basal H2AX Ser139 phosphorylation, whereas adenoviral-mediated re-expression of α4 protein following α4 KD, restored basal H2AX phosphorylation at Ser139. The sensitivity of H9c2 cardiomyocytes to doxorubicin-induced DNA damage and cytotoxicity was augmented by α4 KD. Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of α4 protein in ARVM increased PP2AC expression and augmented H2AX Ser139 phosphorylation in response to doxorubicin. Furthermore, pressure overload-induced heart failure was associated with reduced α4 protein expression, increased ATM/ATR protein kinase activity, increased H2AX expression and Ser139 phosphorylation. Hence, this study describes the significance of altered α4 protein expression in the regulation of DNA damage, cardiomyocyte cell death and heart failure.
Strain-induced modulation of temperature characteristics in ferrimagnetic Tb–Fe films
Authors: Ota Shinya , Van Thach Pham , Awano Hiroyuki , Ando Akira , Toyoki Kentaro , Kotani Yoshinori , Nakamura Tetsuya , Koyama Tomohiro , Chiba Daichi
Published: March 2021

This study investigates the effect of strain on the compensation temperature of ferrimagnetic Tb–Fe films formed on a flexible substrate. The compensation temperature is determined by the anomalous Hall measurement, and an application of 1.2% tensile strain reduces the compensation temperature by 12 K. X-ray magnetic circular dichroism reveals that approximately 5% of Fe magnetic moment and approximately 1% of Tb magnetic moment are reduced by an application of 0.9% tensile strain at the room temperature. To understand the greater reduction in Fe magnetization compared with that in Tb and the compensation temperature reduction simultaneously, a model applying molecular field theory is analyzed. Changes in three types of exchange coupling between Fe and Tb atoms are speculated to be caused by the strain.
A multi-phase deep CNN based mitosis detection framework for breast cancer histopathological images
Authors: Sohail Anabia , Khan Asifullah , Wahab Noorul , Zameer Aneela , Khan Saranjam
Published: March 2021

The mitotic activity index is a key prognostic measure in tumour grading. Microscopy based detection of mitotic nuclei is a significant overhead and necessitates automation. This work proposes deep CNN based multi-phase mitosis detection framework “MP-MitDet” for mitotic nuclei identification in breast cancer histopathological images. The workflow constitutes: (1) label-refiner, (2) tissue-level mitotic region selection, (3) blob analysis, and (4) cell-level refinement. We developed an automatic label-refiner to represent weak labels with semi-sematic information for training of deep CNNs. A deep instance-based detection and segmentation model is used to explore probable mitotic regions on tissue patches. More probable regions are screened based on blob area and then analysed at cell-level by developing a custom CNN classifier “MitosRes-CNN” to filter false mitoses. The performance of the proposed “MitosRes-CNN” is compared with the state-of-the-art CNNs that are adapted to cell-level discrimination through cross-domain transfer learning and by adding task-specific layers. The performance of the proposed framework shows good discrimination ability in terms of F-score (0.75), recall (0.76), precision (0.71) and area under the precision-recall curve (0.78) on challenging TUPAC16 dataset. Promising results suggest good generalization of the proposed framework that can learn characteristic features from heterogenous mitotic nuclei.
Intranuclear birefringent inclusions in paraffin sections by polychromatic polarization microscopy
Authors: Vitkunaite Aiste , Laurinaviciene Aida , Plancoulaine Benoit , Rasmusson Allan , Levenson Richard , Shribak Michael , Laurinavicius Arvydas
Published: March 2021

Intranuclear birefringent inclusions (IBI) found in various cell types in paraffin-embedded tissue sections have long been considered to be a tissue processing artifact, although an association with biological processes has been suggested. We applied polychromatic polarization microscopy to image their spatial organization. Our study provides evidence that IBI are caused by liquid paraffin-macromolecular crystals formed during paraffin-embedding procedures within cells and potentially reflect an active transcriptional status.