bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A New American University Model for Training the Future MCH Workforce Through a Translational Research Team
Authors: Whisner Corrie M. , Brown Jean C. , Larson David M. , Rodriguez Lizeth Alonso , Peter Beate , Reifsnider Elizabeth , Bever Jennie , Liu Li , Raczynski Erin , Chavez Jose-Benito Rosales , Ojinnaka Chinedum , Berkel Cady , Bruening Meg
Published: January 2022

Objectives

To describe the process of developing and implementing experiential learning through translational research teams that engage diverse undergraduate and graduate students.

Methods

After a college redesign, translational research teams were developed to foster multidisciplinary research and better integrate students with faculty research, community, and clinical activities. Three primary approaches were used to engage undergraduate and graduate students in the maternal and child health translational research team (MCH TrT). These included an undergraduate experiential learning course; participation in translational research team meetings and events; and mentorship activities including graduate student theses and supplementary projects.

Results

Since 2019, a total of 56 students have engaged with the MCH translational research team. The majority (64%) of students engaging in translational research were undergraduates. Racial and ethnic diversity was evident with 16% Latinx, 14% Black/African American, 12% Asian, 10% two or more races, and 4% Native American or Native Hawaiian. A large proportion (42%) of students indicated that they were first-generation college students, while 24% indicated they had a disability. Five themes emerged from student feedback about their involvement in the experiential learning course: the value of translational research, development of research skills, collaboration, practice development, and value for community partners.

Conclusions for Practice

Through an MCH translational research team, we have established a pathway to enhance diversity among the MCH workforce which will increase recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups, and ultimately improve MCH research and practice.
Anchoring in truncation: A typological analysis
Authors: Alber Birgit , Arndt-Lappe Sabine
Published: January 2022

Analyses of truncation patterns (e.g. Rob, from Robert) have traditionally focused on the templatic shape of such forms, while less attention has been paid to the question of which parts of the base word may survive in the truncatum. This feature of truncation, usually referred to as ‘anchoring,’ is investigated in the present paper. On the empirical basis of the generalizations emerging from an extensive database of truncation patterns in the world’s languages, a formal typology of anchoring in the framework of Optimality Theory is constructed and its defining ranking conditions (its ‘typological properties’) are extracted. The typological properties reveal the grammatical forces shaping the various classes of truncation patterns. They show that anchoring constraints must indeed form an integral part of any model of morphological truncation since—in interaction with templatic size-restrictor constraints—they determine whether truncation occurs at all and whether output forms vary in size or are of a fixed templatic shape. A thorough analysis of anchoring thus also provides evidence for templatic shapes emerging from constraint interaction and against an approach in terms of fixed, language-specific templates.
Unrestricted quantification and ranges of significance
Authors: Schindler Thomas
Published: January 2022

Call a quantifier ‘unrestricted’ if it ranges over absolutely all objects. Arguably, unrestricted quantification is often presupposed in philosophical inquiry. However, developing a semantic theory that vindicates unrestricted quantification proves rather difficult, at least as long as we formulate our semantic theory within a classical first-order language. It has been argued that using a type theory as framework for our semantic theory provides a resolution of this problem, at least if a broadly Fregean interpretation of type theory is assumed. However, the intelligibility of this interpretation has been questioned. In this paper I introduce a type-free theory of properties that can also be used to vindicate unrestricted quantification. This alternative emerges very naturally by reflecting on the features on which the type-theoretic solution of the problem of unrestricted quantification relies. Although this alternative theory is formulated in a non-classical logic, it preserves the deductive strength of classical strict type theory in a natural way. The ideas developed in this paper make crucial use of Russell’s notion of range of significance.
Fields with no recent legume cultivation have sufficient nitrogen-fixing rhizobia for crops of faba bean (Vicia faba L.)
Authors: Maluk Marta , Ferrando-Molina Francesc , Lopez del Egido Laura , Langarica-Fuentes Adrian , Yohannes Genet Gebre , Young Mark W. , Martin Peter , Gantlett Richard , Kenicer Greg , Hawes Cathy , Begg Graham S. , Quilliam Richard S. , Squire Geoffrey R. , Young J. Peter W. , Iannetta Pietro P. M. , James Euan K.
Published: January 2022

Purpose

(1) To assess the biological N fixation (BNF) potential of varieties of faba bean (Vicia faba L.) cropped with or without compost in an experimental field-scale rotation with no recent history of legumes, (2) to enumerate soil populations of Rhizobium leguminosarum sv. viciae (Rlv), and to genetically characterize the nodulating Rlv strains, (3) compare BNF with other sites in Britain.

Methods

BNF was evaluated from 2012 to 2015 using 15 N natural abundance. Treatments were either PK fertilizer or compost. Soil rhizobial populations were determined using qPCR, the symbiotic rhizobia genotyped (16 S rRNA, nodA and nodD genes), and their BNF capacity assessed ex situ. The reliance of legumes on BNF at other British sites was estimated in a single season, and their nodulating symbionts examined.

Results

Faba bean obtained most of its N through BNF (>80%) regardless of variety or year. N-accumulation by cvs Babylon and Boxer increased with compost treatment in 2014/2015. Rhizobial populations were c. 105-106Rlv cells g−1 soil regardless of field or treatment. 157 Rlv microsymbionts grouped into two large nodAD clades; one mainly from V. faba, and the other from various legumes. All isolates nodulated, and some performed better than commercial inoculant strains.

Conclusions

Faba bean can provide most of its nitrogen through BNF and leave economically valuable residual N for subsequent crops. Recent legume cropping in northern Europe is not essential for effective nodulation: rhizobia may persist in a range of farmland locations. Nevertheless, there is the potential to apply elite rhizobial strains as inoculants in some soils.
Immobilization of Eversa Lipases on Hydrophobic Supports for Ethanolysis of Sunflower Oil Solvent-Free
Authors: Remonatto Daniela , Oliveira J. Vladimir , Guisan J. Manuel , Oliveira Débora , Ninow Jorge , Fernandez-Lorente Gloria
Published: January 2022

Lipases are an important group of biocatalysts for many industrial applications. Two new commercial low-cost lipases Eversa® Transform and Eversa® Transform 2.0 was immobilized on four different hydrophobic supports: Lewatit-DVB, Purolite-DVB, Sepabeads-C18, and Purolite-C18. The performance of immobilized lipases was investigated in the transesterification of sunflower oil solvent-free in an anhydrous medium. Interesting results were obtained for both lipases and the four supports, but with Sepabeads support the lipases Eversa showed high catalytic activity. However, the more stable and efficient derivative was Eversa® Transform immobilized on Sepabeads C-18. A 98 wt% of ethyl ester of fatty acid (FAEE) was obtained, in 3 h at 40ºC, ethanol/sunflower oil molar ratio of 3:1 and a 10 wt% of the immobilized biocatalyst. After 6 reaction cycles, the immobilized biocatalyst preserved 70 wt% of activity. Both lipases immobilized in Sepabeads C-18 were highly active and stable in the presence of ethanol. The immobilization of Eversa Transform and Eversa Transform 2.0 in hydrophobic supports described in this study appears to be a promising alternative to the immobilization and application of these news lipases still unexplored.
Genotyping-by-sequencing based SNP discovery in a non-model rodent, the endangered hazel dormouse
Authors: Leyhausen Johanna , Cocchiararo Berardino , Nowak Carsten , Ansorge Hermann , Bertolino Sandro , Büchner Sven , Fietz Joanna , Foppen Ruud , Juškaitis Rimvydas , La Haye Maurice , Lang Johannes , Michaux Johan , Verbeylen Goedele , von Thaden Alina , Mueller Sarah A.
Published: January 2022

The hazel dormouse Muscardinus avellanarius presents an exemplary non-model species that is both locally threatened and whose genetic status is not fully understood owing to insufficient resolution of the currently available molecular tools. We performed normalized Genotyping-by-Sequencing (nGBS) on 48 hazel dormouse samples collected across the species European distribution, aiming at discovering useful single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers for the assessment of population structure and genomic diversity. The analyses of > 24,000 SNPs showed a high divergence between the Eastern and Western lineage of the species with high rates of SNP allele fixation, consistent with previous studies suggesting the divergence of lineages occurred over 2 mya. These results indicate that investigating inter-lineage as well as within-lineage genetic composition will be a conclusive approach for identifying conservation strategies in the future. Results presented here indicate the highest genetic divergence in the Italian and Lithuanian populations. We document how nGBS allows the discovery of SNPs that can characterize patterns of genetic variation at multiple spatial scales in a non-model organism. We document how nGBS allows the discovery of SNPs that can characterize patterns of genetic variation at multiple spatial scales in a non-model organism, potentially informing monitoring and conservation strategies.
Emerging Synergies in Innovation Systems: Creative Industries in Central Europe
Authors: Szakálné Kanó Izabella , Vas Zsófia , Klasová Slávka
Published: January 2022

The window of opportunity has opened for the creative industries in Central Europe in the decades following the fall of the communist regime and the transition to a decentralised market economy. Creative industries with symbolic knowledge base are crucial for regional resilience, and regional synergies established by these economic activities highly influence the long-term ability of innovation systems to develop. The question is whether creative industries have started to grow and can contribute to the development of post-socialist knowledge-based economies in Central Europe, if so, at what territorial level. By distinguishing three dimensions (geography, technology, organisation) that operate in innovation systems and by measuring their interactions using entropy statistics in two post-socialist countries, Slovakia and Hungary, the paper reveals that the most significant part of the synergy in creative industries emerges at the local level of innovation systems. However, benefits are realised not only locally but also globally due to the deterritorialised nature of the end-products and their integration into other industrial products on the global market.
Genetic identifications challenge our assumptions of physical development and mother–calf associations and separation times: a case study of the North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis)
Authors: Hamilton Philip K. , Frasier Brenna A. , Conger Lisa A. , George R. Clay , Jackson Katharine A. , Frasier Timothy R.
Published: January 2022

While photo-identification is an effective tool to monitor individuals in wild populations, it has limitations. Specifically, it cannot be applied to very young animals before their identifying features have stabilized or to dead, decomposed animals. These shortfalls leave gaps in our understanding of survival, parentage, age structure, physical development, and behavioral variability. Here we report on 13 case studies of North Atlantic right whale, Eubalaena glacialis, calves that required genetics to track their life history data. These case studies revealed unexpected variations in mother–calf associations and separation times, as well as calf physical development. Prior to this study, calves were assumed to have died if their mothers were always alone on the feeding ground in the calf’s birth year. Using genetics and photo-identification, four such calves were discovered to be alive; two of the four possibly weaned earlier than expected at 7.5–8.0 months. To put these early separations in context, photo-identification data were queried and revealed that mothers and calves are seen apart from each other on the feeding grounds in 10–40% of all spring/summer sightings; previously, there were no published data on how often pairs are seen apart in the calf’s birth year. Two dead whales initially logged as calves of the year were discovered to be juveniles, thus allowing skewed survival estimates for calves of the year to be corrected. Genetically sampling animals early in their lives before they disperse or separate from their mothers provides an important means of individual identification at a time when photo-identification is not reliable.
Institutional quality and resource-based economic sustainability: the mediation effects of resource governance
Authors: Kansheba Jonathan Mukiza Peter , Marobhe Mutaju Isack
Published: January 2022

The discovery of extractive resources is associated with multiple opportunities and unbridled optimism on achieving socio-economic development for many countries. However, the question how the host governments meet expectations of indigenous people by ensuring an ideal resource-based economic sustainability (RES) has been receiving less research attention. Using the global panel dataset of 80 resource-endowed economies from 2010 to 2017, we postulate and empirically examine the mediating effect of the resource governance (RESOGV) on the relationship between institutional quality (IQ) and RES. The ANOVA and post hoc ANOVA results revealed significant disparities in terms of IQ, RESOGV, and RES among countries with different levels of economic development, regions, and sector (mining or petroleum). Moreover, the fixed effects (FE) and ordinary least square (OLS) results confirmed that IQ marginally influenced RES. However, the influence was more pronounced when it was partially (but complementarily) mediated by the RESOGV. The paper, therefore, stresses the importance of host governments in improving the quality of their institutions. This will ultimately help enhancing their RESOGV capabilities for attaining economic, social and environmental sustainability.
The European Parliament as an Accountability Forum
Authors: Akbik Adina
Published: January 2022

This book provides the first in-depth empirical study of the European Parliament's powers of scrutiny of the executive in the European Union (EU) political system, focusing on the politically salient field of the Economic and Monetary Union. The expansion of executive decision-making during the euro crisis was accompanied by an empowerment of the European Parliament through legislative oversight. This book examines how the European Parliament exercises that oversight on a day-to-day basis and thus contributes to political accountability at the EU level. Building on an innovative analytical framework for the study of parliamentary questions and answers, Adina Akbik sheds light on the European Parliament's possibilities and limitations to hold EU executive bodies accountable more generally. Case studies cover the period 2012 to 2019 and include the European Central Bank in banking supervision, the European Commission, the Eurogroup, and the Economic and Financial Affairs Council. This title is Open Access.
Race in Post-Fascist Italy
Authors: Patriarca Silvana
Published: January 2022

Focusing on the experiences and representations of the 'brown babies' born at the end of World War Two from the encounters between Black Allied soldiers and Italian women, this book explores the persistence of racial thinking and racism in post-fascist and postcolonial Italy. Through the use of a large variety of historical sources, including personal testimonies and the cinema, Silvana Patriarca illustrates Italian – and also American – responses to what many considered a 'problem'. She sensitively analyses the perceptions of race/color among different actors, such as state and local authorities, Catholic clerics, filmmakers, geneticists, psychologists, and ordinary people, and her book is rich in detail about their impact on the lives of the children. Uncovering the pervasiveness of anti-Black prejudice in the early democratic republic, as well as the presence and limitations of anti-racist sensibilities, Race in Post-Fascist Italy allows us to better understand Italy's conflicted reaction to its growing diversity.
‘Not birth, marriage or death, but gastrulation’: the life of a quotation in biology
Authors: Hopwood Nick
Published: January 2022

This history of a statement attributed to the developmental biologist Lewis Wolpert exemplifies the making and uses of quotations in recent science. Wolpert's dictum, ‘It is not birth, marriage or death, but gastrulation which is truly the most important time in your life’, was produced in a series of international shifts of medium and scale. It originated in his vivid declaration in conversation with a non-specialist at a workshop dinner, gained its canonical form in a colleague's monograph, and was amplified as a quotation on a poster derived from an undergraduate project. Although it drew on Wolpert's authority and he accepted his authorship, it thus represents a collective sifting of earlier claims for the significance of prenatal existence through the values of 1980s developmental biology. Juxtaposing a technical term with major life events has let teachers engage students, and researchers entice journalists, while sharing an in-joke that came to mark community identity. Serious applications include arguing for an extension of the fourteen-day limit on human-embryo research. On this evidence, quotations have been kept busy addressing every audience of specialized knowledge.
Experiencing Time in the Early English East India Company
Authors: Williams Mark R. F.
Published: January 2022

The structuring of time in the early modern period has traditionally been associated with a broad, European-led shift towards ‘accuracy’, and with it connotations of ‘modernity’. Yet, a fuller examination of the temporal world of early modern merchants challenges such a teleology. Taking as its focus the English East India Company (EIC), this article situates concerns for accuracy in the management of time (and with it profit) within a broader spectrum of temporal influences, including seasonal, indigenous, and embodied time. It draws upon the experiences of the merchant Isaac Lawrence (1639–79), whose trade began around the Mediterranean Sea but ended in the service of the EIC in Persia. Like many of his contemporaries in the Company, Lawrence died relatively young and in obscure circumstances; however, the survival of his personal papers through his brother William Lawrence affords vital insights into how time was observed, measured, and felt within mobile early modern lives. Read alongside Company records, Lawrence's experience makes clear the necessity of reading subjective temporalities into historical understandings of time within global frameworks.
Exploring the use of games in palliative care: A scoping review
Authors: Fernandes Carla Sílvia , Vale Maria Belém , Lourenço Marisa
Published: January 2022

Objective

There has been increasing recognition of the potential of games in health; however, knowledge of their application in palliative care is lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to identify and map the available evidence on the use of games in palliative care, analyzing how research has been conducted on this topic and identifying gaps in knowledge.

Method

A scoping review was carried out. The literature search was conducted using the respective descriptors and search syntax appropriate to each of the databases searched. The review included all study types with no time limits.

Results

Of the 685 articles initially identified, 53 were included for final analysis. Several different game types were identified, with the majority of studies using role-play (n= 29) and card games (n= 17). The games analyzed were essentially aimed at empowering patients (n= 14), and in some cases, extended to families or caregivers, as well as to medical and nursing students. The analysis of the articles in this review resulted in two major themes: Role-playing for training in palliative care and card games to discuss end-of-life care.

Significance of results

Games allow space for the expression of emotions and promote creativity. They can be applied both in a training context, to enable health professionals to develop essential skills in palliative care, and for patients, families, and caregivers, allowing them to talk about serious things while playing.
The social and spiritual dimensions of parental experiences on end-of-life care of their child with cancer: A narrative review
Authors: Job Maria Katharina , Schumacher Petra , Müller Gerhard , Kreyer Christiane
Published: January 2022

Objective

Having a child with cancer is a burdensome experience for parents. Nurses need to better understand beliefs, hopes, and values of parents to holistically support them, which may have an impact on grief and depression. Thus, the aim of this paper was to highlight the social and spiritual dimensions of parental experiences on end-of-life care of their child with cancer.

Method

A narrative literature review was conducted by systematically searching databases (CINAHL Complete, Academic Search Elite, MEDLINE) for relevant literature. The contents of included studies were critically appraised regarding their methodological quality.

Results

Eleven studies were included. In terms of the social dimension, three categories emerged that are important for parents: Being a Parent, Being in Relationship with the Child, and Being in Relationship with Health Professionals. Parents tried to maintain normality and joy for their child, but also kept control over the situation. They wanted to protect their child from suffering but also felt the need to talk to them about dying. Parents had ambivalent experiences with helpful but also burdensome staff. The spiritual dimension comprised two main categories, Hope and Faith and a Unique Bond. Hope was found to be an important source of strength, while Faith was only mentioned by some parents. For parents the emotional connection with their child constituted a source of meaning as well as a foundation, on which they based their decisions on.

Significance of results

A therapeutic relationship and a supportive environment can be established by healthcare professionals by noticing, encouraging the unique bond between parents and their children, as well as by reflecting and addressing the parents’ challenging situation.
Modeling the Economic and Environmental Impacts of Land Scarcity Under Deep Uncertainty
Authors: Dolan Flannery , Lamontagne Jonathan , Calvin Katherine , Snyder Abigail , Narayan Kanishka B. , Di Vittorio Alan V. , Vernon Chris R.
Published: January 2022

Land scarcity is increasing over time, driven by complex multisector dynamics. The impacts of land scarcity on the economy and environment are multi‐faceted and regional, so any action to convert land will contain inherent tradeoffs. These impacts are complicated by the deeply uncertain evolution of the various sectors influencing land scarcity. A need therefore exists to provide multi‐metric and multi‐sector assessments that are robust to myriad uncertainties. Land conservation effectively limits the supply of productive land, while biofuel consumption increases the demand and competition for that land, and how these dynamics individually and jointly propagate to economic and environmental impacts is an important open question. To address this, we adopt the Global Change Analysis Model (GCAM) that has representations of various important systems including the climate, macroeconomic, energy, agriculture and land, and water resources systems. Various scenarios of increased land demand (from biofuels) and decreased land supply (from conservation) under various socioeconomic scenarios drawn from the SSPs were simulated using GCAM. We find that while biofuel consumption and land conservation reduce carbon emissions, this comes at the cost of higher food prices, reduced crop production, and increased water withdrawals. Additionally, some regions experience these tradeoffs more severely than others and are more heavily impacted from the same biofuel mandate or by an additional percent of protected land. These and other findings highlight the importance of multisector modeling frameworks that capture many cross‐sector linkages, and acknowledge the important uncertainties confronting the human‐Earth system when making any analysis of land scarcity impacts.
Diurnal Variations in Contraction of the Radius of Maximum Tangential Wind in Tropical Cyclones
Authors: Wu Qiaoyan , Hong Jiacheng
Published: January 2022

Diurnal variations in contraction of the radius of maximum tangential wind (RMW) of tropical cyclones (TCs) were assessed using best‐track data for 2001–2018. For RMW contractions before TC intensification, the largest RMW contraction rate in 6 hr at 0300–0900 local solar time (LST) was associated with the maximum coverage of very deep convective clouds with infrared brightness temperatures <208 K at 0300–0600 LST, which were found mostly outside the mean RMW. The maximum RMW contraction rate and maximum intensification rate occurred simultaneously in 6 hr at 0300–0900 LST for rapidly intensifying storms associated with the greatest coverage of very deep convective cloud at 0300–0600 LST at storm center. This was not the case for nonrapidly intensifying storms. The time‐dependence of RMW contraction indicates the importance of radiative forcing on TC structure.
Efficient Production of Carbonyl Sulfide in the Low‐NOx Oxidation of Dimethyl Sulfide
Authors: Jernigan Christopher M. , Fite Charles H. , Vereecken Luc , Berkelhammer Max B. , Rollins Andrew W. , Rickly Pamela S. , Novelli Anna , Taraborrelli Domenico , Holmes Christopher D. , Bertram Timothy H.
Published: January 2022

The oxidation of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) is the primary, continuous source of stratospheric sulfate aerosol particles, which can scatter shortwave radiation and catalyze heterogeneous reactions in the stratosphere. While it has been estimated that the oxidation of dimethyl sulfide (DMS), emitted from the surface ocean accounts for 8%–20% of the global OCS source, there is no existing DMS oxidation mechanism relevant to the marine atmosphere that is consistent with an OCS source of this magnitude. We describe new laboratory measurements and theoretical analyses of DMS oxidation that provide a mechanistic description for OCS production from hydroperoxymethyl thioformate, a ubiquitous, soluble DMS oxidation product. We incorporate this chemical mechanism into a global chemical transport model, showing that OCS production from DMS is a factor of 3 smaller than current estimates, displays a maximum in the tropics consistent with field observations and is sensitive to multiphase cloud chemistry.
Decreases in Mean Annual Streamflow and Interannual Streamflow Variability Across Snow‐Affected Catchments Under a Warming Climate
Authors: Liu Ziwei , Wang Taihua , Han Juntai , Yang Wencong , Yang Hanbo
Published: January 2022

It has been found that a decreased fraction of precipitation falling as snow in a warmer climate significantly affects streamflow. Here, based on observations from 631 catchments over the contiguous United States, we proposed a framework to investigate the first‐order and second‐order hydro‐climatic relationships between annual streamflow and snowfall fraction. Results show that in addition to the mean annual streamflow, the interannual streamflow variability will also decrease with lower snowfall fraction in the context of warming. The positive relationship between streamflow variability and snowfall fraction may result from the asymmetric hydrological effects of snowfall in the wet and dry years. To our knowledge, it is the first attempt to detect the role of snowfall on the streamflow variability. This study provides new understandings of the second‐order hydro‐climatic effects, and these findings will facilitate decisions for water resource management in a changing climate.
Estimation of Atmospheric Dry and Wet Deposition of Particulate Elements at Four Monitoring Sites in the Canadian Athabasca Oil Sands Region
Authors: Mamun Abdulla Al , Cheng Irene , Zhang Leiming , Celo Valbona , Dabek‐Zlotorzynska Ewa , Charland Jean‐Pierre
Published: January 2022

This study develops a framework for estimating atmospheric dry deposition using the inferential approach, and wet deposition using the scavenging ratio approach for particulate elements monitored in the Athabasca oil sands region (AOSR) of Canada. The framework was applied to four monitoring sites (AMS01, AMS04, AMS17, and AMS18) in the AOSR where ambient concentrations of particulate elements were collected in 2016–2017 to estimate atmospheric dry and wet deposition fluxes of 35 elements, including eight USEPA priority elements. Annual total (dry + wet) deposition of the individual elements in PM10 varied by about five orders of magnitudes, ranging from 3 (μg/m2/year) for Yb to 172,000 (μg/m2/year) for Si. Total deposition of the elements that are typically associated with bitumen (e.g., Mo, Ni, and V) did not show any statistically significant spatial variations (p < 0.05). However, S, which is significantly enriched in bitumen and its byproducts, had up to 38% higher fluxes at AMS01 and AMS17 (closer to the oil sands facilities) than at AMS18 (background site). Wet deposition fluxes dominated over the dry deposition fluxes for almost all elements due to efficient snow scavenging and prolonged winter season. Dry deposition fluxes of the crustal elements were higher in the summer season due to their elevated concentrations in PM2.5–10 during the warmer months, whereas most anthropogenic elements did not show any significant seasonal variations. The total deposition of the individual priority toxic elements considered in this study ranged from 6 (μg/m2/year) (Cd; AMS18) to 2,290 (µg/m2/year) (Zn; AMS04), and ranked as follows: Zn > Cu > Ni > Cr > Sb > As > Pb > Cd.
Neuroimaging-derived brain age is associated with life satisfaction in cognitively unimpaired elderly: A community-based study
Authors: Sone Daichi , Beheshti Iman , Shinagawa Shunichiro , Niimura Hidehito , Kobayashi Nobuyuki , Kida Hisashi , Shikimoto Ryo , Noda Yoshihiro , Nakajima Shinichiro , Bun Shogyoku , Mimura Masaru , Shigeta Masahiro
Published: January 2022

With the widespread increase in elderly populations, the quality of life and mental health in old age are issues of great interest. The human brain changes with age, and the brain aging process is biologically complex and varies widely among individuals. In this cross-sectional study, to clarify the effects of mental health, as well as common metabolic factors (e.g., diabetes) on healthy brain aging in late life, we analyzed structural brain MRI findings to examine the relationship between predicted brain age and life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, resilience, and lifestyle-related factors in elderly community-living individuals with unimpaired cognitive function. We extracted data from a community-based cohort study in Arakawa Ward, Tokyo. T1-weighted images of 773 elderly participants aged ≥65 years were analyzed, and the predicted brain age of each subject was calculated by machine learning from anatomically standardized gray-matter images. Specifically, we examined the relationships between the brain-predicted age difference (Brain-PAD: real age subtracted from predicted age) and life satisfaction, depressive symptoms, resilience, alcohol consumption, smoking, diabetes, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. Brain-PAD showed significant negative correlations with life satisfaction (Spearman’s rs= −0.102, p = 0.005) and resilience (rs= −0.105, p = 0.004). In a multiple regression analysis, life satisfaction (p = 0.038), alcohol use (p = 0.040), and diabetes (p = 0.002) were independently correlated with Brain-PAD. Thus, in the cognitively unimpaired elderly, higher life satisfaction was associated with a ‘younger’ brain, whereas diabetes and alcohol use had negative impacts on life satisfaction. Subjective life satisfaction, as well as the prevention of diabetes and alcohol use, may protect the brain from accelerated aging.
Comparison of colour contrast sensitivity in eyes at high risk of neovascular age‐related macular degeneration with and without subsequent choroidal neovascular membrane development
Authors: Calcagni Antonio , Howells Olivia , Bartlett Hannah , Denniston Alastair K. O. , Gibson Jonathan M. , Hogg Christopher R. , Matthews Timothy D. , Eperjesi Frank
Published: January 2022

Background

Neovascular age‐related macular degeneration (nAMD) is a leading cause of blind registrations in the elderly. Unfortunately, it is difficult to detect the early stage of the disease, when treatment is more likely to be successful. Subjects with very early disease are likely to have abnormal macular function, even in the pre‐symptomatic stage. In this study, colour vision was evaluated to establish if subjects at high risk of developing nAMD can be identified, thus allowing earlier diagnosis and possible treatment.

Methods

Colour contrast sensitivity (CCS) was evaluated over time in the fellow unaffected eye of subjects with unilateral nAMD. Participants were divided into Group 1 (182 participants) or Group 2 (15 participants) according to whether nAMD did not or did develop in the study period respectively and the two groups were compared.

Results

CCS was increased (i.e. worse colour vision) compared with the age-matched reference range in a high proportion of fellow eyes in both Groups 1 and 2. Global mean CCS values did not show statistically significant differences between the two groups. However, there was a statistically significant difference between mean Group 1 CCS values and the last CCS value prior to nAMD diagnosis from Group 2 subjects.

Conclusion

This study shows that in patients with unilateral nAMD, colour vision is frequently abnormal in the fellow unaffected eye. Abnormal CCS does not predict the development of nAMD within the 12 month period of the study and therefore it is not a viable screening tool for this pathology.
Observation and rationalization of nitrogen oxidation enabled only by coupled plasma and catalyst
Authors: Ma Hanyu , Sharma Rakesh K. , Welzel Stefan , van de Sanden Mauritius C. M. , Tsampas Mihalis N. , Schneider William F.
Published: January 2022

Heterogeneous catalysts coupled with non-thermal plasmas (NTP) are known to achieve reaction yields that exceed the contributions of the individual components. Rationalization of the enhancing potential of catalysts, however, remains challenging because the background contributions from NTP or catalysts are often non-negligible. Here, we first demonstrate platinum (Pt)-catalyzed nitrogen (N2) oxidation in a radio frequency plasma afterglow at conditions at which neither catalyst nor plasma alone produces significant concentrations of nitric oxide (NO). We then develop reactor models based on reduced NTP- and surface-microkinetic mechanisms to identify the features of each that lead to the synergy between NTP and Pt. At experimental conditions, NTP and thermal catalytic NO production are suppressed by radical reactions and high N2 dissociation barrier, respectively. Pt catalyzes NTP-generated radicals and vibrationally excited molecules to produce NO. The model construction further illustrates that the optimization of productivity and energy efficiency involves tuning of plasma species, catalysts properties, and the reactor configurations to couple plasma and catalysts. These results provide unambiguous evidence of synergism between plasma and catalyst, the origins of that synergy for N2 oxidation, and a modeling approach to guide material selection and system optimization.
Two-dimensional charge order stabilized in clean polytype heterostructures
Authors: Sung Suk Hyun , Schnitzer Noah , Novakov Steve , El Baggari Ismail , Luo Xiangpeng , Gim Jiseok , Vu Nguyen M. , Li Zidong , Brintlinger Todd H. , Liu Yu , Lu Wenjian , Sun Yuping , Deotare Parag B. , Sun Kai , Zhao Liuyan , Kourkoutis Lena F. , Heron John T. , Hovden Robert
Published: January 2022

Compelling evidence suggests distinct correlated electron behavior may exist only in clean 2D materials such as 1T-TaS2. Unfortunately, experiment and theory suggest that extrinsic disorder in free standing 2D layers disrupts correlation-driven quantum behavior. Here we demonstrate a route to realizing fragile 2D quantum states through endotaxial polytype engineering of van der Waals materials. The true isolation of 2D charge density waves (CDWs) between metallic layers stabilizes commensurate long-range order and lifts the coupling between neighboring CDW layers to restore mirror symmetries via interlayer CDW twinning. The twinned-commensurate charge density wave (tC-CDW) reported herein has a single metal–insulator phase transition at ~350 K as measured structurally and electronically. Fast in-situ transmission electron microscopy and scanned nanobeam diffraction map the formation of tC-CDWs. This work introduces endotaxial polytype engineering of van der Waals materials to access latent 2D ground states distinct from conventional 2D fabrication.
The immunoregulatory landscape of human tuberculosis granulomas
Authors: McCaffrey Erin F. , Donato Michele , Keren Leeat , Chen Zhenghao , Delmastro Alea , Fitzpatrick Megan B. , Gupta Sanjana , Greenwald Noah F. , Baranski Alex , Graf William , Kumar Rashmi , Bosse Marc , Fullaway Christine Camacho , Ramdial Pratista K. , Forgó Erna , Jojic Vladimir , Van Valen David , Mehra Smriti , Khader Shabaana A. , Bendall Sean C. , van de Rijn Matt , Kalman Daniel , Kaushal Deepak , Hunter Robert L. , Banaei Niaz , Steyn Adrie J. C. , Khatri Purvesh , Angelo Michael
Published: January 2022

Tuberculosis (TB) in humans is characterized by formation of immune-rich granulomas in infected tissues, the architecture and composition of which are thought to affect disease outcome. However, our understanding of the spatial relationships that control human granulomas is limited. Here, we used multiplexed ion beam imaging by time of flight (MIBI-TOF) to image 37 proteins in tissues from patients with active TB. We constructed a comprehensive atlas that maps 19 cell subsets across 8 spatial microenvironments. This atlas shows an IFN-γ-depleted microenvironment enriched for TGF-β, regulatory T cells and IDO1+ PD-L1+ myeloid cells. In a further transcriptomic meta-analysis of peripheral blood from patients with TB, immunoregulatory trends mirror those identified by granuloma imaging. Notably, PD-L1 expression is associated with progression to active TB and treatment response. These data indicate that in TB granulomas, there are local spatially coordinated immunoregulatory programs with systemic manifestations that define active TB.
Neutralizing antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron variants following heterologous CoronaVac plus BNT162b2 booster vaccination
Authors: Pérez-Then Eddy , Lucas Carolina , Monteiro Valter Silva , Miric Marija , Brache Vivian , Cochon Leila , Vogels Chantal B. F. , Malik Amyn A. , De la Cruz Elena , Jorge Aidelis , De los Santos Margarita , Leon Patricia , Breban Mallery I. , Billig Kendall , Yildirim Inci , Pearson Claire , Downing Randy , Gagnon Emily , Muyombwe Anthony , Razeq Jafar , Campbell Melissa , Ko Albert I. , Omer Saad B. , Grubaugh Nathan D. , Vermund Sten H. , Iwasaki Akiko
Published: January 2022

The recent emergence of the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant is raising concerns because of its increased transmissibility and its numerous spike mutations, which have the potential to evade neutralizing antibodies elicited by COVID-19 vaccines. Here we evaluated the effects of a heterologous BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine booster on the humoral immunity of participants who had received a two-dose regimen of CoronaVac, an inactivated vaccine used globally. We found that a heterologous CoronaVac prime vaccination of two doses followed by a BNT162b2 booster induces elevated virus-specific antibody levels and potent neutralization activity against the ancestral virus and the Delta variant, resembling the titers obtained after two doses of mRNA vaccines. Although neutralization of Omicron was undetectable in participants who had received a two-dose regimen of CoronaVac, the BNT162b2 booster resulted in a 1.4-fold increase in neutralization activity against Omicron compared with the two-dose mRNA vaccine. Despite this increase, neutralizing antibody titers were reduced by 7.1-fold and 3.6-fold for Omicron compared with the ancestral strain and the Delta variant, respectively. These findings have immediate implications for multiple countries that previously used a CoronaVac regimen and reinforce the idea that the Omicron variant is associated with immune escape from vaccines or infection-induced immunity, highlighting the global need for vaccine boosters to combat the impact of emerging variants.
A hydrological simulation dataset of the Upper Colorado River Basin from 1983 to 2019
Authors: Tran Hoang , Zhang Jun , O’Neill Mary Michael , Ryken Anna , Condon Laura E. , Maxwell Reed M.
Published: January 2022

This article presents a hydrological reconstruction of the Upper Colorado River Basin with an hourly temporal resolution, and 1-km spatial resolution from October 1982 to September 2019. The validated dataset includes a suite of hydrologic variables including streamflow, water table depth, snow water equivalent (SWE) and evapotranspiration (ET) simulated by an integrated hydrological model, ParFlow-CLM. The dataset was validated over the period with a combination of point observations and remotely sensed products. These datasets provide a long-term, natural-flow, simulation for one of the most over-allocated basins in the world.
Cryptic population structure and transmission dynamics uncovered for Schistosoma mansoni populations by genetic analyses
Authors: Long Jeffrey C. , Taylor Sarah E. , Barbosa Lucio M. , Silva Luciano K. , Reis Mitermayer G. , Blanton Ronald E.
Published: January 2022

Patterns of diversity in pathogen genomes provide a window into the spatiotemporal spread of disease. In this study, we tested the hypothesis thatSchistosoma mansoniparasites form genetic clusters that coincide with the communities of their human hosts. We also looked for genetic clustering of parasites at the sub-community level. Our data consists of 14 microsatellite DNA markers, typed from pooled DNA samples from$$N=254$$N=254infected individuals living in three Brazilian communities. We found a one-to-one correspondence between genetic clusters found by K-means cluster analysis and communities when$$K = 3$$K=3. These clusters are also easily identified in a neighbor-joining tree and principal coordinates plots. K-means analysis with$$K > 3$$K>3also reveals genetic clusters of parasites at the sub-community level. These sub-clusters also appear on the neighbor-joining tree and principal coordinates plots. A surprising finding is a genetic relationship between subgroups in widely separated human communities. This connection suggests the existence of common transmission sites that have wide influence. In summary, the genetic structure ofS. mansoniin Brazil juxtaposes local isolation that is occasionally broken by long-range migration. Permanent eradication of schistosomes will require both local efforts and the identification of regional infection reservoirs.
Integration of a miniaturized DMMB assay with high-throughput screening for identifying regulators of proteoglycan metabolism
Authors: Sun Yi , Tsui Yuen-kee , Yu Mengqi , Lyu Minmin , Cheung Kenneth , Kao Richard , Leung Victor
Published: January 2022

Defective biosynthesis or function of proteoglycans causes pathological conditions in a variety of tissue systems. Osteoarthritis (OA) is a prevalent degenerative joint disorder characterized by progressive cartilage destruction caused by imbalanced proteoglycan synthesis and degradation. Identifying agents that regulate proteoglycan metabolism may benefit the development of OA-modifying therapeutics. High-throughput screening (HTS) of chemical libraries has paved the way for achieving this goal. However, the implementation and adaptation of HTS assays based on proteoglycan measurement remain underexploited. Using primary porcine chondrocytes as a model, we report a miniaturized dimethyl-methylene blue (DMMB) assay, which is commonly used to quantitatively evaluate sulfated glycosaminoglycan (GAG) content, with an optimized detection range and reproducibility and its integration with HTS. Treatment with TGF-β1 and IL1-α, known as positive and negative proteoglycan regulators, respectively, supported the assay specificity. A pre-test of chemical screening of 960 compounds identified both stimulators (4.48%) and inhibitors (6.04%) of GAG production. Fluorophore-assisted carbohydrate electrophoresis validated the activity of selected hits on chondroitin sulfate expression in an alginate culture system. Our findings support the implementation of this simple colorimetric assay in HTS to discover modifiers of OA or other diseases related to dysregulated proteoglycan metabolism.
Molecular dynamics investigation of charging process in polyelectrolyte-based supercapacitors
Authors: Eyvazi Nasrin , Biagooi Morad , Nedaaee Oskoee SeyedEhsan
Published: January 2022

Supercapacitors are one of the technologically impressive types of energy storage devices that are supposed to fill the gap between chemical batteries and dielectric capacitors in terms of power and energy density. Many kinds of materials have been investigated to be used as supercapacitors’ electrolytes to overcome the known limitations of them. The properties of polymer-based electrolytes show a promising way to defeat some of these limitations. In this paper, a simplified model of polymer-based electrolytes between two electrodes is numerically investigated using the Molecular Dynamics simulation. The simulations are conducted for three different Bjerrum lengths and a typical range of applied voltages. The results showed a higher differential capacitance compared to the cases using ionic-liquid electrolytes. Our investigations indicate a rich domain in molecular behaviors of polymer-based electrolytes that should be considered in future supercapacitors.