bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intraoral Swallow Pressure Profiles: General Features and Aids to Categorization
Authors: Casey Vincent , Perry Alison , Conway Richard
Published: February 2022

Purpose

The primary goal of this study was to establish a normative data set representing intraoral time series swallow pressure profiles for healthy adults using a novel wearable intraoral pressure sensing system, OroPress, developed to help with dysphagia (swallow disorder) clinical screening.

Methods

Swallow intraoral pressure-time profiles for 35 healthy adults (17 male, 18 female) swallowing water ($$3 \times 5\, {\text{cm}^3}$$

3
×
5

cm
3

; $$3 \times 10\, {\text{cm}^3}$$

3
×
10

cm
3

) and custard ($$3 \times 5\, {\text{cm}^3}$$

3
×
5

cm
3

) boluses ($$N=9 \times 35 = 315$$

N
=
9
×
35
=
315

) were recorded using OroPress.

Results

General swallow profile traits are identified to characterise an effective, efficient swallow. A profile-specific swallow envelope function is devised which in combination with profile metrics, provides a simple means of categorizing swallows as effective or impaired.

Conclusion

The swallow profile data trace with superimposed and colour coded peaks, envelope function and related swallow metrics provides a simple human readable graphic to aid the real-time instrumented identification of subjects warranting more in-depth clinical assessment. It may also prove useful in the selection of training set profiles for machine learning and other analysis tools which could improve the discriminatory capabilities of intraoral pressure measurement in dysphagia diagnostics.
Optimization of hydraulic fracturing with rod-shaped proppants for improved recovery in tight gas reservoirs
Authors: Mehmood Faisal , Liao Jianxing , Hou Michael Z. , Zahoor Muhammad Khurram , Xiong Ying
Published: February 2022

Due to the increasing demand and importance of natural gas in the global energy mix, its expeditious recovery is crucial, especially from large-scale unconventional geo-resources. Hydraulic stimulation is an established means of productivity increase especially from tight gas reservoirs. The fracture conductivity generally depends on proppant properties, particularly the shape. Therefore, in this research, the effect of using rod-shaped proppants was investigated. Using rod-shaped proppants instead of conventional spherically shaped proppants, can make a significant difference. Due to the cylindrical shape, higher porosity and permeability are generated, resulting in better conductivity fractures. Thus, to analyze the effect of different proppant shapes on post-fracture performance, a production model was implemented in the FLAC3Dplus-TMVOC framework. Later, an in-depth sensitivity analysis was performed to investigate the effects of the proppant shape, size, strength, and effective stress on the fracture aperture reduction and conductivity due to proppant deformation and embedment. The application to a generic model revealed that recovery can be increased by about 7% using aspect ratio 1 rod-shaped proppant with the same diameter as the spherical proppant. Then, increasing the rod-shaped proppant size from an aspect ratio of 1–10 can significantly increase the gas recovery by 13% but results in higher proppant deformation. Finally, the application of rod-shaped proppants to fracturing proposals in well x in a tight gas reservoir of Germany showed that the recovery could be significantly improved if spherical proppants are replaced with rod-shaped proppants.
Bamboo biochar greater enhanced Cd/Zn accumulation in Salix psammophila under non-flooded soil compared with flooded
Authors: Li Xiaogang , Cao Yini , Xiao Jiang , Salam Mir Md Abdus , Chen Guangcai
Published: February 2022

As a metal immobilizer, biochar can be used to remediate contaminated soil. Biochar’s effect on the phytoremediation process in flooded conditions under a scenario of increasing flooding frequency as global climate change is not well understood. This study investigated bamboo biochar (BBC) effects on growth and metal accumulation ofSalixin multi-metal contaminated soil under non-flooded versus flooded conditions.Salixcuttings were cultivated in pots with severely contaminated soil by Cd and Zn, for 120 days, with four treatments including non-flooded treatment, flooded treatment, non-flooded with 3% BBC application (BBC/soil,w/w), and flooded with 3% BBC addition. BBC, flooding, and BBC× flooding significantly decreased the bioavailability of metals in soils (P < 0.05). The BBC addition markedly stimulated Cd concentration in leaves under non-flooded (94.20%) and flooded conditions (32.73%) but showed little effect on roots. The BBC significantly boosted Cd and Zn transport from roots to aboveground parts by 68.85% and 102.27% compared with no BBC amendment under non-flooded treatment, while showing insignificant changes under flooded treatment. Although the plant biomass was little affected, BBC significantly increased Cd and Zn accumulation in the whole plant by 52.53% and 28.52% under non-flooded while showing an insignificant impact under flooded conditions. Taken together, BBC enhanced the phytoremediation efficiency ofSalixto Cd and Zn in severely polluted non-flooded soil, while flooding offset this effect. The results indicated the effects of BBC varied under different soil moisture, which should be considered in the biochar-assisted phytoremediation to variable and complex environments.

Graphical abstract
Overcoming barriers to COVID-19 vaccination of pregnant women
Authors: Lamptey Emmanuel
Published: February 2022

COVID-19 in pregnancy is associated with an increased risk of severe maternal illness, ICU admissions, mechanical ventilation and deaths. Vaccination is the best way to protect pregnant women against these known risks of infection in pregnancy. There is an urgent need to prioritize strategic responses to optimize vaccination among expectant mothers. In this paper, we reviewed potential patient and healthcare provider barriers to COVID-19 immunization and propose effective strategies for overcoming them.
Kant and the French Revolution
Authors: Maliks Reidar
Published: February 2022

To Kant, the French revolution's central events were the transfer of sovereignty to the people in 1789 and the trial and execution of the monarch in 1792-1793. Through a contextual study, this Element argues that while both events manifested the principle of popular sovereignty, the first did so in lawful ways, whereas the latter was a perversion of the principle. Kant was convinced that historical examples can help us understand political philosophy, and this Element seeks to show this in practice.
Antibiotic prescribing knowledge: A brief survey of providers and staff at an ambulatory cancer center during Antibiotic Awareness Week 2019
Authors: Gulleen Elizabeth A. , Krantz Elizabeth M. , Zier Jacqlynn , Bhattacharyya Pooja , Kates Olivia , So Lisa , Sweet Ania , Yoke Leah H. , Pergam Steven A. , Liu Catherine
Published: February 2022

We surveyed healthcare professionals at a cancer center regarding their knowledge and perceptions of antibiotic use. Most knew the term “antimicrobial stewardship.” Nurses and other staff were less likely than pharmacists or providers to answer knowledge-based questions correctly. Opportunities exist to improve antibiotic knowledge among cancer center staff.
Probabilities of ion scattering at the shock front
Authors: Gedalin Michael , Pogorelov Nikolai V. , Roytershteyn Vadim
Published: February 2022

Collisionless shocks efficiently convert the energy of the directed ion flow into their thermal energy. Ion distributions change drastically at the magnetized shock crossing. Even in the absence of collisions, ion dynamics within the shock front is non-integrable and gyrophase dependent. The downstream distributions just behind the shock are not gyrotropic but become so quickly due to the kinematic gyrophase mixing even in laminar shocks. During the gyrotropization all information about gyrophases is lost. Here we develop a mapping of upstream and downstream gyrotropic distributions in terms of scattering probabilities at the shock front. An analytical expression for the probability is derived for directly transmitted ions in the narrow shock approximation. The dependence of the probability on the magnetic compression and the cross-shock potential is demonstrated.
An optimal visual servo trajectory planning method for manipulators based on system nondeterministic model
Authors: Qi Ruolong , Tang Yuangui , Zhang Ke
Published: February 2022

When a manipulator captures its target by a visual servo system, uncertainties can arise because of mechanical system and visual sensors exist error. This paper proposes an intelligent method to predict the successful rate for a manipulator to capture its target with motion and sensor errors. Because the mapping between the joint space of the manipulator and the Cartesian space at the end of the manipulator is nonlinear, when there is a bounded error of the manipulator’s joint, the error range of the end motion is constantly changing with the different joint positions. And at the same time, the visual servo camera will also measure the target from different positions and postures, so as to produce measurement results with different error ranges. The unknown time-varying error property not only greatly affects the stability of the closed-loop control but also causes the capture failure. The purpose of this paper is to estimate the success probability of different capture trajectories by establishing the nondeterministic model of manipulator control system. First, a system model including motion subsystem and feedback subsystem was established with system error described by Gaussian probability. And then Bayesian estimation was introduced into the system model to estimate the executing state of the predefined trajectory. Linear least quadratic regulators (LQR) control is used to simulate the input correction in the closed-loop control between motion subsystem and feedback subsystem. At last, the successful probability of capturing the target is established by the Gaussian distribution at the end point of the trajectory with geometric relationship calculation between tolerance range and error distribution. The effectiveness and practicability of the proposed method are proved by simulation and experiment.
Autonomous aerial flight path inspection using advanced manufacturing techniques
Authors: Rizia Mousumi , Reyes-Munoz Julio A. , Ortega Angel G. , Choudhuri Ahsan , Flores-Abad Angel
Published: February 2022

Robotic systems have shown capabilities to perform inspection tasks in dangerous and difficult-to-access environments, such as those found in different components of power plants. However, most of the current robotic inspection technology is designed for specific components. Aerial robots, commonly termed as Drones, have raised an option to inspect a wider range of structural components. Nevertheless, current aerial inspecting technology still relies on a human pilot with limited line of sight, field of view and a reduced perception as the drone flies away, which prevents performing close-quarter inspection in intricate, structurally complex and GPS-denied environments. This work introduces offline inspection path generation methods based on robotics-integrated to manufacturing techniques. One method uses computer-aided manufacturing (CAM) techniques and the other an additive manufacturing (AM) approach to generate the flight path. That is to say, the drone would fly along the path described by a 3D (Three Dimensional) printer’s extruder or a CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machining tool, enabling to fly very close the structure even in physical structures with a complex geometry. Once the trajectories are generated, they are introduced for its validation in the Gazebo robotics simulator. Simulation results demonstrate the proper performance of the method and confirm that this approach can be used for close inspection of structuralcomponents.
SoundexGR: An algorithm for phonetic matching for the Greek language
Authors: Kavros Antrei , Tzitzikas Yannis
Published: February 2022

Text usually suffers from typos which can negatively affect various Information Retrieval and Natural Language Processing tasks. Although there is a wide variety of choices for tackling this issue in the English language, this is not the case for other languages. For the Greek language, most of the existing phonetic algorithms provide rather insufficient support. For this reason, in this paper, we introduce an algorithm for phonetic matching designed for the Greek language: we start from the original Soundex and we redesign and extend it for accommodating the Greek language’s phonetic rules, ending up to a family of algorithms, that we call
${\tt Soundex}_{GR}$
. Then, we report various experimental results showcasing how the algorithm behaves in different scenarios, and we provide comparative results for various parameters of the algorithm for revealing the trade-off between precision and recall in datasets with different kinds of errors. We also provide comparative results with matching using stemming, full phonemic transcription, and edit distance, that demonstrate that
${\tt Soundex}_{GR}$
performs better (indicatively, it achieves F-Score over 95% in collections of similar-sounded words). The simplicity, efficiency, and effectiveness of the proposed algorithm make it applicable and adaptable to a wide range of tasks.
The great lockdown: information, noise, and macroeconomic fluctuations
Authors: Brzoza-Brzezina Michał , Wesołowski Grzegorz
Published: February 2022

This paper argues that not only actual lockdowns can affect economies but also noisy information about them. We construct a New Keynesian model with imperfect information about how long the lockdown would last. On the one hand, a false signal about the lockdown lowers consumption, investment, employment, and output, and this effect can be quantitatively sizable. On the other hand, a true information about a lockdown being introduced can also be misinterpreted and hence cause an impact on agents’ decisions being quantitatively different from the one desired by the authorities. To the extent that the latter have less noisy information about future lockdowns than the private sector, they can reduce these undesired fluctuations by precisely communicating the lockdown policy. Importantly, under some circumstances only radical improvements in information precision are successful.
Origins of the Intraseasonal Variability of East Asian Summer Precipitation
Authors: Ren Qiaoling , Liu Fei , Wang Bin , Yang Song , Wang Hui , Dong Wenjie
Published: February 2022

Accurate subseasonal prediction of East Asian summer precipitation (EASP) requires a deep understanding of the origins of its intraseasonal variability (ISV). However, the relative contributions to the EASP ISV from local processes, tropical intraseasonal oscillation (ISO), and extratropical influence remain unknown. We conducted a set of numerical experiments with a grid nudging method to confirm the roles of external forcing from mid‐to‐high latitude wave trains and tropical ISO and quantify their relative contributions. The Community Earth System Model can reproduce realistic EASP ISV and associated preceding signals. The tropical and mid‐to‐high latitude forcings account for, respectively, 53% and 40% of the total variance for the two leading ISV modes of EASP. The tropical forcing contributes more significantly to the two leading modes (31% and 40%, respectively) compared to the extratropical forcing (24% and 15%). These external forcings mainly affect EASP regional averages rather than the values of local (grid) scale.
A Broadband View of the Sea Surface Height Wavenumber Spectrum
Authors: Villas Bôas Ana B. , Lenain Luc , Cornuelle Bruce D. , Gille Sarah T. , Mazloff Matthew R.
Published: February 2022

Airborne lidar altimetry can measure the sea surface height (SSH) over scales ranging from hundreds of kilometers to a few meters. Here, we analyze the spectrum of SSH observations collected during an airborne lidar campaign conducted off the California coast. We show that the variance in the surface wave band can be over 20 times larger than the variance at submesoscales and that the observed SSH variability is sensitive to the directionality of surface waves. Our results support the hypothesis that there is a spectral gap between meso‐to‐submesoscale motions and small‐scale surface waves and also indicate that aliasing of surface waves into lower wavenumbers may complicate the interpretation of SSH spectra. These results highlight the importance of better understanding the contributions of different physics to the SSH variability and considering the SSH spectrum as a continuum in the context of future satellite altimetry missions.
Heat Wave Trends in Southeast Asia: Comparison of Results From Observation and Reanalysis Data
Authors: Li Xian‐Xiang , Yuan Chao , Hang Jian
Published: February 2022

Southeast Asia (SEA), a region climatologically important but limited by data availability, is suffering from serious scarceness of heat wave (HW) research. Using the observational and reanalysis data, we find that in most parts of SEA, HWs are becoming more frequent, longer‐lasting, and stronger, and affect more land areas. The increasing trends of HW characteristics defined by minimum temperatures are larger than those by maximum temperatures, alarming a situation of anomalously warm night. Magnitude of yearly hottest HW event increases faster, and duration of yearly longest HW shows significant trends in more areas than their average counterparts. ERA5 reproduces well the HW trends defined by daily minimum temperatures, but underestimate those by maximum temperature. The data set CHIRTS improves on daily maximum temperature and associated HW trends, but deteriorates on daily minimum temperature. This study highlights the importance of high‐quality data, either observational or reanalysis, on the HW study in SEA.
A Model of C4 Photosynthetic Acclimation Based on Least‐Cost Optimality Theory Suitable for Earth System Model Incorporation
Authors: Scott Helen G. , Smith Nicholas G.
Published: February 2022

Empirical studies have shown that plant photosynthetic responses to environmental change can vary over time due to acclimation, but acclimation responses are often not included in Earth System Models. Photosynthetic least cost theory can be used to develop models of photosynthetic acclimation that are simple and testable. The theory is based on the idea that plants will acclimate to minimize the ratio of carbon costs to photosynthetic assimilation rate (Prentice et al., 2014, https://doi.org/10.1111/ele.12211). Formulations of this theory have been developed for C3 plants, but not C4 plants, which account for over 20% of global photosynthesis and are over‐represented among widely grown crops. Here, we use photosynthetic least cost theory to derive a model for C4 photosynthetic acclimation to above‐ground abiotic conditions. We then compare our model's responses to a similar model of C3 photosynthetic acclimation and find that C4 photosynthesis has the highest simulated advantage over C3 photosynthesis in hot, dry, and low CO2 environments. We find that this advantage predicts C4 abundance globally, but that the shallower CO2 response of C4 as compared to C3 photosynthesis will reduce C4 plant competitiveness under future conditions, despite higher temperatures. We also show that an acclimated model predicts similar or faster rates of C4 under all conditions than a model that does not consider acclimation, suggesting that Earth System Models (ESMs) are underestimating future C4 carbon uptake by not including acclimation. Our model is designed for easy incorporation into such ESMs.
Tropical Peatland Hydrology Simulated With a Global Land Surface Model
Authors: Apers S. , De Lannoy G. J. M. , Baird A. J. , Cobb A. R. , Dargie G. C. , del Aguila Pasquel J. , Gruber A. , Hastie A. , Hidayat H. , Hirano T. , Hoyt A. M. , Jovani‐Sancho A. J. , Katimon A. , Kurnain A. , Koster R. D. , Lampela M. , Mahanama S. P. P. , Melling L. , Page S. E. , Reichle R. H. , Taufik M. , Vanderborght J. , Bechtold M.
Published: February 2022

Tropical peatlands are among the most carbon‐dense ecosystems on Earth, and their water storage dynamics strongly control these carbon stocks. The hydrological functioning of tropical peatlands differs from that of northern peatlands, which has not yet been accounted for in global land surface models (LSMs). Here, we integrated tropical peat‐specific hydrology modules into a global LSM for the first time, by utilizing the peatland‐specific model structure adaptation (PEATCLSM) of the NASA Catchment Land Surface Model (CLSM). We developed literature‐based parameter sets for natural (PEATCLSMTrop,Nat) and drained (PEATCLSMTrop,Drain) tropical peatlands. Simulations with PEATCLSMTrop,Nat were compared against those with the default CLSM version and the northern version of PEATCLSM (PEATCLSMNorth,Nat) with tropical vegetation input. All simulations were forced with global meteorological reanalysis input data for the major tropical peatland regions in Central and South America, the Congo Basin, and Southeast Asia. The evaluation against a unique and extensive data set of in situ water level and eddy covariance‐derived evapotranspiration showed an overall improvement in bias and correlation compared to the default CLSM version. Over Southeast Asia, an additional simulation with PEATCLSMTrop,Drain was run to address the large fraction of drained tropical peatlands in this region. PEATCLSMTrop,Drain outperformed CLSM, PEATCLSMNorth,Nat, and PEATCLSMTrop,Nat over drained sites. Despite the overall improvements of PEATCLSMTrop,Nat over CLSM, there are strong differences in performance between the three study regions. We attribute these performance differences to regional differences in accuracy of meteorological forcing data, and differences in peatland hydrologic response that are not yet captured by our model.
Multiphase Topographic and Thermal Histories of the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains, Blue Mountains Province, Oregon, USA
Authors: Schoettle‐Greene P. , Duvall A. R. , Crowley P. D.
Published: February 2022

The Mesozoic and Cenozoic history of Western North America is characterized by terrane accretion, volcanism, and orogenesis. This history complicates the interpretation of paleogeography in northeastern Oregon and adjacent Idaho, where the age of mountainous topography in the Blue Mountains Province is important for validating hypothesized Miocene to present geodynamics. In this study, we analyze the distribution of Columbia River Basalt and low‐temperature apatite and zircon (U‐Th)/He thermochronometry collected from the Wallowa and Bald Mountain Batholiths to refine regional landscape history. These batholiths underly the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains respectively, two of the most prominent mountain ranges within the Blue Mountains Province. We find that low‐temperature thermochronometry data from the Bald Mountain and Wallowa Batholiths record distinct thermal histories associated with unroofing and magmatism from the Cretaceous to present. We propose that reheating during intrusion of the Chief Joseph dike swarm led to partial resetting of thermochronometers but did not completely overprint recorded Mesozoic to present thermal histories in the Wallowa Batholith. Using modeled thermal histories and the present‐day distribution of Columbia River Basalt, we conclude that the Wallowa and Elkhorn Mountains have distinct topographic histories. We propose that the Elkhorn Mountains began to form in the Eocene and that the Wallowa Mountains are geologically young, forming as a result of relief generation after the Miocene eruption of Columbia River Basalt.
Western U.S. “Megafloods” Might Not Have Been So Mega
Authors: Dzombak Rebecca
Published: February 2022

The flooding that carved eastern Washington State 20,000 to 12,000 years ago could have been 80% smaller than the canyons’ volume today.
Angular engineering strategy of an additional periodic phase for widely tunable phase-matched deep-ultraviolet second harmonic generation
Authors: Shao Mingchuan , Liang Fei , Yu Haohai , Zhang Huaijin
Published: February 2022

Manipulation of the light phase lies at the heart of the investigation of light-matter interactions, especially for efficient nonlinear optical processes. Here, we originally propose the angular engineering strategy of the additional periodic phase (APP) for realization of tunable phase matching and experimentally demonstrate the widely tunable phase-matched second harmonic generation (SHG) which is expected for dozens of years. With an APP quartz crystal, the phase difference between the fundamental and frequency-doubled light is continuously angularly compensated under this strategy, which results the unprecedented and efficient frequency doubling at wavelengths almost covering the deep-UV spectral range from 221 to 332 nm. What’s more, all the possible phase-matching types are originally realized simultaneously under the angular engineering phase-matching conditions. This work should not only provide a novel and practical nonlinear photonic device for tunable deep-UV radiation but also be helpful for further study of the light-matter interaction process.
Kidney growth following preterm birth: evaluation with renal parenchyma ultrasonography
Authors: Brennan Sonja , Watson David L. , Rudd Donna M. , Kandasamy Yogavijayan
Published: February 2022

Background

Preterm birth impairs nephrogenesis, leading to a reduced nephron endowment which is inextricably linked to hypertension and chronic kidney disease in adults. The aim of this study was to compare nephron endowment between preterm infants to that of intrauterine fetuses at the same gestational age (GA) using a novel indirect ultrasound measurement of the renal parenchymal thickness. We hypothesized that extrauterine and intrauterine renal parenchymal thickness would differ based on altered renal growth environments.

Methods

In this observational study, appropriately grown preterm infants (birth weight of between the 5th and 95th percentile) born <32 weeks, admitted to the neonatal department were eligible to participate. Renal parenchymal thickness of the infants was measured at 32- and 37-weeks postmenstrual age (PMA). These measurements were compared to the intrauterine renal parenchymal thickness of appropriately grown fetuses (control).

Results

At 32-weeks PMA, the preterm infants had a significantly thinner renal parenchyma compared to fetuses at 32-weeks GA suggesting they had less nephrons, however by 37-weeks there was no significant difference in renal parenchymal thickness.

Conclusions

We propose that the differences in the extrauterine growth of the renal parenchyma in preterm infants may be due to a reduced number of nephrons and compensatory hyperfiltration.

Impact

This article provides insight into the effects of prematurity on nephrogenesis by comparing extrauterine renal parenchymal growth of born preterm infants to the ideal intrauterine fetal growth.

Renal parenchyma thickness measurement using ultrasonography is a novel non-invasive measurement of renal development for the determination of nephron endowment.

Differences in the renal parenchymal thickness of the preterm infants may be due to a deficit in nephron number and compensatory hyperfiltration.
Intracellular CYTL1, a novel tumor suppressor, stabilizes NDUFV1 to inhibit metabolic reprogramming in breast cancer
Authors: Xue Wenwen , Li Xin , Li Wuhao , Wang Yixuan , Jiang Chengfei , Zhou Lin , Gao Jian , Yu Ying , Shen Yan , Xu Qiang
Published: February 2022

Loss-of-function mutations frequently occur in tumor suppressor genes, i.e., p53, during the malignant progression of various cancers. Whether any intrinsic suppressor carries a rare mutation is largely unknown. Here, we demonstrate that intracellular cytokine-like protein 1 (CYTL1) plays a key role in preventing the robust glycolytic switching characteristic of breast cancer. A low intracellular CYTL1 level, not its mutation, is required for metabolic reprogramming. Breast cancer cells expressing an intracellular form of CYTL1 lacking a 1-22 aa signal peptide, ΔCYTL1, show significantly attenuated glucose uptake and lactate production, which is linked to the inhibition of cell growth and metastasis in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, CYTL1 competitively binds the N-terminal sequence of NDUFV1 to block MDM2-mediated degradation by the proteasome, leading to the stability of the NDUFV1 protein. In addition to inducing increased NAD+ levels, NDUFV1 interacts with Src to attenuate LDHA phosphorylation at tyrosine 10 and reduce lactate production. Our results reveal, for the first time, that CYTL1 is a novel tumor suppressor. Its function in reversing metabolic reprogramming toward glycolysis may be very important for the development of novel antitumor strategies.
Visualizing rotation and reversal of the Néel vector through antiferromagnetic trichroism
Authors: Kimura Kenta , Otake Yutaro , Kimura Tsuyoshi
Published: February 2022

Conventional magnetic memories rely on bistable magnetic states, such as the up and down magnetization states in ferromagnets. Increasing the number of stable magnetic states in each cell, preferably composed of antiferromagnets without stray fields, promises to achieve higher-capacity memories. Thus far, such multi-stable antiferromagnetic states have been extensively studied in conducting systems. Here, we report on a striking optical response in the magnetoelectric collinear antiferromagnet Bi2CuO4, which is an insulating version of the representative spintronic material, CuMnAs, with four stable Néel vector orientations. We find that, due to a magnetoelectric effect in a visible range, which is enhanced by a peculiar local environment of Cu ions, absorption coefficient takes three discrete values depending on an angle between the propagation vector of light and the Néel vector—a phenomenon that we term antiferromagnetic trichroism. Furthermore, using this antiferromagnetic trichroism, we successfully visualize field-driven reversal and rotation of the Néel vector.
Somatic PMK-1/p38 signaling links environmental stress to germ cell apoptosis and heritable euploidy
Authors: Soltanmohammadi Najmeh , Wang Siyao , Schumacher Björn
Published: February 2022

Inheritance of stable and euploid genomes is a prerequisite for species maintenance. The DNA damage response in germ cells controls the integrity of heritable genomes. Whether and how somatic stress responses impact the quality control of germline genomes has remained unclear. Here, we show that PMK-1/p38-mediated stress signaling in intestinal cells is required for germ cell apoptosis amid ionizing radiation (IR)-induced or meiotic DNA double strand breaks (DSBs) inC. elegans. We demonstrate that intestinal PMK-1/p38 signaling regulates the germ cell death in response to environmental stress. The PMK-1/p38 target SYSM-1 is secreted from the intestine into the germline to trigger apoptosis of meiotic pachytene cells. Compromised PMK-1/p38 signaling in intestinal cells leads to stress-induced aneuploidy in the consequent generation. Our data suggest that somatic stress surveillance controls heritable genome integrity and euploidy.
Population-level deficit of homozygosity unveils CPSF3 as an intellectual disability syndrome gene
Authors: Arnadottir Gudny A. , Oddsson Asmundur , Jensson Brynjar O. , Gisladottir Svanborg , Simon Mariella T. , Arnthorsson Asgeir O. , Katrinardottir Hildigunnur , Fridriksdottir Run , Ivarsdottir Erna V. , Jonasdottir Adalbjorg , Jonasdottir Aslaug , Barrick Rebekah , Saemundsdottir Jona , le Roux Louise , Oskarsson Gudjon R. , Asmundsson Jurate , Steffensen Thora , Gudmundsson Kjartan R. , Ludvigsson Petur , Jonsson Jon J. , Masson Gisli , Jonsdottir Ingileif , Holm Hilma , Jonasson Jon G. , Magnusson Olafur Th. , Thorarensen Olafur , Abdenur Jose , Norddahl Gudmundur L. , Gudbjartsson Daniel F. , Bjornsson Hans T. , Thorsteinsdottir Unnur , Sulem Patrick , Stefansson Kari
Published: February 2022

Predicting the pathogenicity of biallelic missense variants can be challenging. Here, we use a deficit of observed homozygous carriers of missense variants, versus an expected number in a set of 153,054 chip-genotyped Icelanders, to identify potentially pathogenic genotypes. We follow three missense variants with a complete deficit of homozygosity and find that their pathogenic effect in homozygous state ranges from severe childhood disease to early embryonic lethality. One of these variants is in CPSF3, a gene not previously linked to disease. From a set of clinically sequenced Icelanders, and by sequencing archival samples targeted through the Icelandic genealogy, we find four homozygous carriers. Additionally, we find two homozygous carriers of Mexican descent of another missense variant in CPSF3. All six homozygous carriers of missense variants in CPSF3 show severe intellectual disability, seizures, microcephaly, and abnormal muscle tone. Here, we show how the absence of certain homozygous genotypes from a large population set can elucidate causes of previously unexplained recessive diseases and early miscarriage.
Placental genomics mediates genetic associations with complex health traits and disease
Authors: Bhattacharya Arjun , Freedman Anastasia N. , Avula Vennela , Harris Rebeca , Liu Weifang , Pan Calvin , Lusis Aldons J. , Joseph Robert M. , Smeester Lisa , Hartwell Hadley J. , Kuban Karl C. K. , Marsit Carmen J. , Li Yun , O’Shea T. Michael , Fry Rebecca C. , Santos Hudson P.
Published: February 2022

As the master regulatorin utero, the placenta is core to the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis but is historically understudied. To identify placental gene-trait associations (GTAs) across the life course, we perform distal mediator-enriched transcriptome-wide association studies (TWAS) for 40 traits, integrating placental multi-omics from the Extremely Low Gestational Age Newborn Study. At$$P \; < \; 2.5\times {10}^{-6}$$P<2.5×10−6, we detect 248 GTAs, mostly for neonatal and metabolic traits, across 176 genes, enriched for cell growth and immunological pathways. In aggregate, genetic effects mediated by placental expression significantly explain 4 early-life traits but no later-in-life traits. 89 GTAs show significant mediation through distal genetic variants, identifying hypotheses for distal regulation of GTAs. Investigation of one hypothesis in human placenta-derived choriocarcinoma cells reveal that knockdown of mediator geneEPS15upregulates predicted targetsSPATA13andFAM214A, both associated with waist-hip ratio in TWAS, and multiple genes involved in metabolic pathways. These results suggest profound health impacts of placental genomic regulation in developmental programming across the life course.
Consistent cooling benefits of silvopasture in the tropics
Authors: Zeppetello Lucas R. Vargas , Cook-Patton Susan C. , Parsons Luke A. , Wolff Nicholas H. , Kroeger Timm , Battisti David S. , Bettles Joseph , Spector June T. , Balakumar Arjun , Masuda Yuta J.
Published: February 2022

Agroforestry systems have the potential to sequester carbon and offer numerous benefits to rural communities, but their capacity to offer valuable cooling services has not been quantified on continental scales. Here, we find that trees in pasturelands (“silvopasture”) across Latin America and Africa can offer substantial cooling benefits. These cooling benefits increase linearly by −0.32 °C to −2.4 °C per 10 metric tons of woody carbon per hectare, and importantly do not depend on the spatial extent of the silvopasture systems. Thus, even smallholders can reap important cooling services from intensifying their silvopasture practices. We then map where realistic (but ambitious) silvopasture expansion could counteract a substantial fraction of the local projected warming in 2050 due to climate change. Our findings indicate where and to what extent silvopasture systems can counteract local temperature increases from global climate change and help vulnerable communities adapt to a warming world.
Hair-cortisol and hair-BDNF as biomarkers of tinnitus loudness and distress in chronic tinnitus
Authors: Basso Laura , Boecking Benjamin , Neff Patrick , Brueggemann Petra , Peters Eva M. J. , Mazurek Birgit
Published: February 2022

The role of stress and its neuroendocrine mediators in tinnitus is unclear. In this study, we measure cortisol as an indicator of hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis alterations and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) as a marker of adaptive neuroplasticity in hair of chronic tinnitus patients to investigate relationships with tinnitus-related and psychological factors. Cross-sectional data from chronic tinnitus inpatients were analyzed. Data collection included hair sampling, pure tone audiometry, tinnitus pitch and loudness matching, and psychometric questionnaires. Elastic net regressions with n-fold cross-validation were performed for cortisol (N = 91) and BDNF (N = 87). For hair-cortisol (R2 = 0.10), the strongest effects were sampling in autumn and body-mass index (BMI) (positive), followed by tinnitus loudness (positive) and smoking (negative). For hair-BDNF (R2 = 0.28), the strongest effects were hearing aid use, shift work (positive), and tinnitus loudness (negative), followed by smoking, tinnitus-related distress (Tinnitus Questionnaire), number of experienced traumatic events (negative), and physical health-related quality of life (Short Form-12 Health Survey) (positive). These findings suggest that in chronic tinnitus patients, higher perceived tinnitus loudness is associated with higher hair-cortisol and lower hair-BDNF, and higher tinnitus-related distress with lower hair-BDNF. Regarding hair-BDNF, traumatic experiences appear to have additional stress-related effects, whereas hearing aid use and high physical health-related quality of life appear beneficial. Implications include the potential use of hair-cortisol and hair-BDNF as biomarkers of tinnitus loudness or distress and the need for intensive future research into chronic stress-related HPA axis and neuroplasticity alterations in chronic tinnitus.
Impact of housing conditions on changes in youth’s mental health following the initial national COVID-19 lockdown: a cohort study
Authors: Groot Jonathan , Keller Amélie , Joensen Andrea , Nguyen Tri-Long , Nybo Andersen Anne-Marie , Strandberg-Larsen Katrine
Published: February 2022

We aimed to investigate if declines in youth’s mental health during lockdown were dependent on housing condition among 7445 youth (median age ~ 20 years) from the Danish National Birth Cohort (DNBC), with data collected at 18 years of age and again three weeks into the first national lockdown (April 2020). We examined associations between housing conditions (access to outdoor spaces, urbanicity, household density, and household composition) and changes in mental health (mental well-being, Quality of Life (QoL) and loneliness). We report results from multivariate linear and logistic regression models. Youth without access to outdoor spaces experienced greater declines in mental well-being (vs. garden; mean difference: − 0·75 (95% CI − 1·14, − 0·36)), and correspondingly greater odds of onset of low mental well-being (vs. garden; OR: 1·72 (95% CI 1·20, 2·48)). Youth in higher density households vs. below median or living alone vs. with parents only also had greater odds of onset of low mental well-being (OR: 1·26 (95% CI 1·08, 1·46) and OR: 1·62 (95% CI 1·17, 2·23), respectively). Living in denser households (vs. below median; OR: 1·18 (95% CI 1·06, 1·33), as well as living alone (vs. with parents; OR: 1·38 (95% CI 1·04, 1·82) was associated with onset of low QoL. Living alone more than doubled odds of onset of loneliness compared to living with parents, OR: 2·12 (95% CI 1·59, 2·82). Youth living alone, in denser households, and without direct access to outdoor spaces may be especially vulnerable to mental health declines.
Fluctuations in behavior and affect in college students measured using deep phenotyping
Authors: Vidal Bustamante Constanza M. , Coombs Garth , Rahimi-Eichi Habiballah , Mair Patrick , Onnela Jukka-Pekka , Baker Justin T. , Buckner Randy L.
Published: February 2022

College students commonly experience psychological distress when faced with intensified academic demands and changes in the social environment. Examining the nature and dynamics of students’ affective and behavioral experiences can help us better characterize the correlates of psychological distress. Here, we leveraged wearables and smartphones to study 49 first-year college students continuously throughout the academic year. Affect and sleep, academic, and social behavior showed substantial changes from school semesters to school breaks and from weekdays to weekends. Three student clusters were identified with behavioral and affective dissociations and varying levels of distress throughout the year. While academics were a common stressor for all, the cluster with highest distress stood out by frequent report of social stress. Moreover, the frequency of reporting social, but not academic, stress predicted subsequent clinical symptoms. Two years later, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the first-year cluster with highest distress again stood out by frequent social stress and elevated clinical symptoms. Focus on sustained interpersonal stress, relative to academic stress, might be especially helpful to identify students at heightened risk for psychopathology.
Fractional 2′-O-methylation in the ribosomal RNA of Dictyostelium discoideum supports ribosome heterogeneity in Amoebozoa
Authors: Diesend Jan , Birkedal Ulf , Kjellin Jonas , Zhang Jingwen , Jablonski Kim Philipp , Söderbom Fredrik , Nielsen Henrik , Hammann Christian
Published: February 2022

A hallmark of ribosomal RNA (rRNA) are 2′-O-methyl groups that are introduced sequence specifically by box C/D small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs) in ribonucleoprotein particles. Most data on this chemical modification and its impact on RNA folding and stability are derived from organisms of the Opisthokonta supergroup. Using bioinformatics and RNA-seq data, we identify 30 novel box C/D snoRNAs in Dictyostelium discoideum, many of which are differentially expressed during the multicellular development of the amoeba. By applying RiboMeth-seq, we find 49 positions in the 17S and 26S rRNA 2′-O-methylated. Several of these nucleotides are substoichiometrically modified, with one displaying dynamic modification levels during development. Using homology-based models for the D. discoideum rRNA secondary structures, we localize many modified nucleotides in the vicinity of the ribosomal A, P and E sites. For most modified positions, a guiding box C/D snoRNA could be identified, allowing to determine idiosyncratic features of the snoRNA/rRNA interactions in the amoeba. Our data from D. discoideum represents the first evidence for ribosome heterogeneity in the Amoebozoa supergroup, allowing to suggest that it is a common feature of all eukaryotes.
A behavioural correlate of the synaptic eligibility trace in the nucleus accumbens
Authors: Yamaguchi Kenji , Maeda Yoshitomo , Sawada Takeshi , Iino Yusuke , Tajiri Mio , Nakazato Ryosuke , Ishii Shin , Kasai Haruo , Yagishita Sho
Published: February 2022

Reward reinforces the association between a preceding sensorimotor event and its outcome. Reinforcement learning (RL) theory and recent brain slice studies explain the delayed reward action such that synaptic activities triggered by sensorimotor events leave a synaptic eligibility trace for 1 s. The trace produces a sensitive period for reward-related dopamine to induce synaptic plasticity in the nucleus accumbens (NAc). However, the contribution of the synaptic eligibility trace to behaviour remains unclear. Here we examined a reward-sensitive period to brief pure tones with an accurate measurement of an effective timing of water reward in head-fixed Pavlovian conditioning, which depended on the plasticity-related signaling in the NAc. We found that the reward-sensitive period was within 1 s after the pure tone presentation and optogenetically-induced presynaptic activities at the NAc, showing that the short reward-sensitive period was in conformity with the synaptic eligibility trace in the NAc. These findings support the application of the synaptic eligibility trace to construct biologically plausible RL models.
A quantum walk simulation of extra dimensions with warped geometry
Authors: Anglés-Castillo Andreu , Pérez Armando
Published: February 2022

We investigate the properties of a quantum walk which can simulate the behavior of a spin 1/2 particle in a model with an ordinary spatial dimension, and one extra dimension with warped geometry between two branes. Such a setup constitutes a$$1+1$$1+1dimensional version of the Randall–Sundrum model, which plays an important role in high energy physics. In the continuum spacetime limit, the quantum walk reproduces the Dirac equation corresponding to the model, which allows to anticipate some of the properties that can be reproduced by the quantum walk. In particular, we observe that the probability distribution becomes, at large time steps, concentrated near the “low energy” brane, and can be approximated as the lowest eigenstate of the continuum Hamiltonian that is compatible with the symmetries of the model. In this way, we obtain a localization effect whose strength is controlled by a warp coefficient. In other words, here localization arises from the geometry of the model, at variance with the usual effect that is originated from random irregularities, as in Anderson localization. In summary, we establish an interesting correspondence between a high energy physics model and localization in quantum walks.
Real-world data from selective laser trabeculoplasty in Brazil
Authors: Abe Ricardo Y. , Maestrini Heloísa A. , Guedes Guilherme B. , Nascimento Marcelo M. , Iguma Camila I. , de Miranda Santos Hérika Danielle , Nasr Muna Georges , Lucena-Junior Ricarte P. , Prata Tiago S.
Published: February 2022

Evaluate real-world data of outcomes from selective laser trabeculoplasty (SLT) performed in different regions of Brazil and investigate potential predictors of success associated with treatment. Multicenter retrospective case series with patients who underwent a primary SLT procedure. A total of 835 eyes from 835 patients were included. The mean follow-up was 916.8 ± 563.0 days. The mean age was 64.5 ± 14.9 years and 56.6% were women. We observed an intraocular pressure reduction comparing baseline to post-SLT measurements (18.4 ± 3.8 mmHg versus 14.8 ± 3.5 mmHg; P < 0.001) and mean number of glaucoma medications (1.8 ± 1.3 versus 1.4 ± 1.4; P < 0.001). We observed visual acuity loss over time (0.1 ± 0.3 versus 0.2 ± 0.3 logMAR, baseline and post-SLT, respectively, P = 0.009) and decrease in visual field mean deviation values (− 5.4 ± 5.9 versus − 5.7 ± 6.0 dB; P = 0.054) The Kaplan–Meier survival analysis showed an estimated probability of treatment success of 88% at 12 months, declining to 70% at 24 months and 54% at 36 months post-SLT. In the multivariable model, we found that a denser angle pigmentation (HR 0.69; 95% CI 0.57–0.85, P = 0.001) and corticosteroid treatment following SLT (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.39–0.91, P = 0.018) were significantly associated with a lower risk for failure. Primary SLT achieved relatively high success rates without sight-threating complications in this real-world study with a large sample of Brazilian patients. These findings corroborate previous studies regarding SLT outcomes and may help clinicians to identify the best candidates for laser treatment.