bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Slope stability of increasing height and expanding capacity of south dumping site of Hesgoula coal mine: a case study
Authors: Pan Weidong , Pan Weiliang , Luo Jianyang , Fan Long , Li Shaocheng , Erdenebileg Ulziikhutag
Published: June 2020

This paper is devoted to improve the containment capacity of the Hesgoula south dumping site. The general geology of the dumping site was obtained through geological surveys. Physico-mechanical properties of silty clay and bedrock layers that have a large impact on the stability of the dump were measured by direct shear tests and triaxial tests in laboratory. Then ultimate bearing capacity of the substrate were analyzed and calculated. This paper proposed three capacity expansion and increase plans and used GeoStudio software for comparison. Through computation of the stability of the dump site slope after capacity expansion and increase for each plan, the capacity expansion plan was determined. The capacity expansion and increase plan will solve the problem of the current insufficient containment capacity of the Hesgoula south dumping site, which is of great significance for saving mine transportation costs, improving work efficiency, and reducing grassland occupation.
Global citizenship education through global children's literature: An analysis of the NCSS Notable Trade Books
Authors: Kenyon Elizabeth , Christoff Andrea
Published: June 2020

This research analyzes global children's literature from the National Council for Social Studies Notable Trade book lists from the past three years. The authors studied primary level texts that were either written by or about people and cultures from outside the United States. Using critical content analysis, the authors identified what aspects of global citizenship these books promote. The authors also analyzed the texts for dangers of representation as presented through various stereotypes or problematic tropes. This research critiques the NCSS Notable Trade book lists to provide social studies educators with guidance in selecting and using international and global children's literature. Findings suggest NCSS recommended trade books promote a Cosmopolitan discourse (Gaudelli, 2009) and a soft approach (Andreotti, 2006) to Global Citizenship Education. We offer both nuanced critiques of specific books as well as guidance for teachers, librarians and organizations for selecting texts.
Teachers’ organization of world history in South Korea: Challenges and opportunities for curriculum and practice
Authors: Lee Mimi , Harris Lauren McArthur
Published: June 2020

Once focused primarily on European and Chinese history, South Korea's world history courses are moving toward a global approach that spans multiple regions. In the midst of this curricular shift, we examined how Korean teachers conceptualize world history for themselves and for their instruction. We interviewed eight Korean teachers using card-sorting tasks and a think aloud methodology. Findings revealed that all participants sorted the cards differently when considering instruction compared to when they sorted cards for their own understanding, suggesting the role of teachers as instructional gatekeepers even in a country with a centralized National Curriculum. The Korean teachers discussed three instructional challenges in making these changes: connecting world historical events to students’ present lives, unpacking for students events that spanned across large amounts of time and space, and managing students’ preconceived notions or attitudes about different cultures. The ways in which participants dealt with these challenges differed. Additionally, in-service teachers made more complex connections between events and focused less on regions than did pre-service teachers. We discuss the cultural tools that Korean participants used in making instructional decisions as well as implications for curriculum development and teacher education for world history in South Korea and beyond.
Enhanced materials enable Pentair to increase the active membrane area of an element without changing its dimensions
Authors: Atkinson Simon
Published: June 2020

Global water treatment company Pentair is developing a compact ultrafiltration membrane element for its X-Flow product line. This new membrane element will bring a cost-effective solution to new projects and enhance performance of existing systems within the same footprint. Whilst its outer dimensions are the same as those of its existing modules with membrane areas of 55 m2 and 64 m2, the company has redesigned the internal workings and used enhanced materials to create an element with extra membrane surface area. As this brief article shows, the result is an extension to 75 m2 of active membrane surface area – delivering a boost in performance.
Future research directions in children and hoarding
Authors: Guzick Andrew G. , Schneider Sophie C. , Storch Eric A.
Published: June 2020

Despite a rapidly growing understanding of hoarding disorder (HD), there
has been relatively limited systematic research into the impact of hoarding
on children and adolescents. The goal of this paper is to suggest future
research directions, both for children with hoarding behaviours and children
living in a cluttered home. Key areas reviewed in this paper include (1) the
need for prospective studies of children with hoarding behaviours and those
who grow up with a parent with HD; (2) downward extensions of
cognitive-behavioural models of adult HD that emphasise different
information processing and behavioural biases in youth HD; (3) developmental
research into the presentation of emerging HD in childhood compared with
adulthood presentations of the disorder, with consideration of typical
childhood development and unique motivators for childhood saving behaviours;
(4) developmentally sensitive screening and assessment; and (5) the
development of evidence-based treatments for this population. The paper
concludes with a discussion of methodological suggestions to meet these
aims.
Exploring Papuan medical students' learning experiences whilst studying in Indonesia
Authors: Sulelino Renny , Chen Yan , Henning Marcus
Published: June 2020

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to explore the learning challenges of a group of first-year Papuan medical students. Perspectives were obtained from a group of Papuan medical students (attaining high and low grades) and Faculty staff (Papuan and Non-Papuan) at the University of Cenderawasih, Indonesia. This qualitative case study research employed semi-structured interviews conducted online via Skype. Data were analysed using a general inductive method and classified into themes to reflect Papuan students' learning challenges. We identified three main themes, namely the individual, the university and the outside environment. We found that these Papuan students were affected by their individual challenges, such as self-perception and the level of their learning and social skills. At the university level, students faced difficulties in adjusting their learning and felt that they were lacking a quiet supportive learning environment. They were also influenced by outside environment factors, such as family and financial concern. Given the wide range of challenges faced by Papuan medical students, Faculty development initiatives incorporating cultural responsiveness into the curriculum and wider government support are crucial for the successful educational advancement of Papuan medical students, which ultimately leads to better health outcomes for the Indigenous people of Papua.
Exploring the front fricative contrast in Greek: A study of acoustic variability based on cepstral coefficients
Authors: Lilley Jason , Spinu Laura , Athanasopoulou Angeliki
Published: June 2020

In the current study, we explore the factors underlying the well-known difficulty in acoustic classification of front nonsibilant fricatives (Maniwa, Jongman & Wade 2009, McMurray & Jongman 2011) by applying a novel classification method to the production of Greek speakers. The Greek fricative inventory [f v θ ð s z ç ʝ x ɣ] includes voiced and voiceless segments from five distinct places of articulation. Our corpus contains all of the Greek fricatives produced by 29 monolingual speakers, but our focus is on the distinction between the front nonsibilant fricatives [f v θ ð]. For comparison, we also discuss the other places of articulation where relevant. We apply a relatively novel classification method based on cepstral coefficients, previously successful in categorizing English obstruent bursts (Bunnell, Polikoff & McNicholas 2004), English vowels (Ferragne & Pellegrino 2010), Romanian fricatives (Spinu & Lilley 2016), and Russian fricatives (Spinu, Kochetov & Lilley 2018). For this study, fricative boundaries were automatically aligned using Hidden Markov Models (HMMs) and then manually checked. Six Bark-frequency cepstral coefficients (c0–c5) were extracted from 20-millisecond Hann windows. HMMs were used to divide the fricatives and adjacent vowels into three regions of internally minimized variance. A multinomial logistic regression analysis then used the mean cepstral coefficients from each region as predictors for classification by consonant identity. Our method yields highly successful classification rates, exceeding the performance of previous methods. We discuss these results in light of the differences of the phonemic distributions of fricatives between English and Greek.
Kalasha (Bumburet variety)
Authors: Kochetov Alexei , Arsenault Paul , Petersen Jan Heegård , Kalas Sikandar , Kalash Taj Khan
Published: June 2020

Kalasha (ISO 639-3: kls), also known as Kalashamon, is a Northwestern Indo-Aryan language spoken in Chitral District of Khyber Pakhtunkwa Province in northern Pakistan, primarily in the valleys of Bumburet, Rumbur, Urtsun, and Birir, as shown in Figure 1. The number of speakers is estimated between 3000 and 5000. TheEthnologueclassifies the language status as ‘vigorous’ (Eberhard, Simons & Fennig 2019) but some researchers consider it ‘threatened’ (Rahman 2006, Khan & Mela-Athanasopoulou 2011). Kalasha has been in close contact with Nuristani and other Northwestern Indo-Aryan languages. Among the latter, the influence of Khowar has been particularly strong because it functions as alingua francaof Chitral District (Liljegren & Khan 2017). The Kalasha lexicon includes many loanwords from Khowar, as well as from Persian, Arabic, and Urdu (Trail & Cooper 1999). Early efforts to put the language in writing employed Arabic script but a Latin-based script was adopted in 2000 (Cooper 2005, Kalash & Heegård 2016).
Mitochondrial DNA dataset suggest that the genus Sphaerirostris Golvan, 1956 is a synonym of the genus Centrorhynchus Lühe, 1911
Authors: Muhammad Nehaz , Suleman  , Ahmad Munawar Saleem , Li Liang , Zhao Qing , Ullah Hanif , Zhu Xing-Quan , Ma Jun
Published: June 2020

Our present genetic data of Acanthocephala, especially the mitochondrial (mt) genomes, remains very limited. In the present study, the nearly complete mt genome sequences of Sphaerirostris lanceoides (Petrochenko, 1949) was sequenced and determined for the first time based on specimens collected from the Indian pond heron Ardeola grayii (Sykes) (Ciconiiformes: Ardeidae) in Pakistan. The mt genome of S. lanceoides is 13 478 bp in size and contains 36 genes, including 12 protein-coding genes (PCGs), 22 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs) and two ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs). Moreover, in order to clarify the phylogenetic relationship of the genera Centrorhynchus and Sphaerirostris, and to test the systematic position of S. lanceoides in the Centrorhynchidae, the phylogenetic analyses were performed using Bayesian inference and maximum likelihood methods, based on concatenated nucleotide sequences of 12 PCGs, rRNAs and tRNAs. The phylogenetic results further confirmed the monophyly of the order Polymorphida and the paraphyly of the order Echinorhynchida in the class Palaeacanthocephala. Our results also challenged the validity of the genus Sphaerirostris (Polymorphida: Centrorhynchidae) and showed a sister relationship between S. lanceoides and S. picae (Rudolphi, 1819).
The co-constitution of ageing and technology – a model and agenda
Authors: Peine Alexander , Neven Louis
Published: June 2020

This paper presents a model for studying ageing and technology. It investigates the theoretical gains that can be made by combining insights from Age Studies and Science and Technology Studies (STS). Although technology has become a much more salient part in the everyday lives of older people and investments are high in technologies to deal with the alleged challenges of demographic change, theory development about ageing–technology relations has not kept up with these trends. Partly this is due to the poor connection between the social scientific understanding of ageing and the technically focused discipline of gerontechnology. This has led to an interventionist logic that underlies much of the current and implicit theorising about ageing and technology. We briefly analyse the problems of the interventionist logic and then present a model that conceptualises ageing and technology as co-constituted. We propose this model – which we call the CAT-model – to highlight a number of fundamental ideas about ageing–technology relations. At the centre are four different arenas (life-worlds of older people, design worlds, technological artefacts and images of ageing) in and across which these relations can and should be studied. To develop the model, we build on our own theoretical and empirical work over the last decade, and on examples from recent scholarship that straddle the disciplinary boundaries between STS and Age Studies.
Solving world problems: the Indian women’s movement, global governance, and ‘the crisis of empire’, 1933–46
Authors: Parr Rosalind
Published: June 2020

This article examines global processes of decolonization through an analysis of Indian women’s interactions with world governance during the interwar ‘crisis of empire’. This distinct form of activism asserted anti-colonial claims through engagements with transnational civil society networks and the social work of the League of Nations and the International Labour Office. In doing so, it undermined imperial legitimacy, shifted the terms of liberal internationalism, and prepared the ground for later developments at the United Nations.
Contrasting soil microbial abundance and diversity on and between pasture drill rows in the third growing season after sowing
Authors: Hayes Richard C. , Gupta Vadakattu V. S. R. , Li Guangdi D. , Peoples Mark B. , Rawnsley Richard P. , Pembleton Keith G.
Published: June 2020

Changed spatial configurations at sowing have been investigated as a strategy to minimize interspecific competition and improve the establishment and persistence of multi-species plantings in pastures, but the impact of this practice on the soil microbiome has received almost no previous research attention. Differences in populations of bacteria and fungi in the surface 10 cm of soil in the third year following pasture establishment were quantified using quantitative polymerase chain reaction and terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism methods. Populations were compared on, and between, drill rows sown to either the perennial grass phalaris (Phalaris aquatica L.), perennial legume lucerne (alfalfa; Medicago sativa L.) or the annual legume subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.). Results showed that soil microbial abundance and diversity were related to plant distribution across the field at the time of sampling and to soil chemical parameters including total carbon (C), mineral nitrogen (N), pH, and available phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulfur (S). Despite the 27-month lag since sowing, pasture species remained concentrated around the original drill row with very little colonization of the inter-row area. The abundance and diversity of bacterial and fungal populations were consistently greater under drill rows associated with higher total C concentrations in the surface soil compared with the inter-row areas. Our results showed that the pH and available nutrients were similar between the subterranean clover drill row and the inter-row, suggesting that soil microbial populations were not impacted directly by these soil fertility parameters, but rather were related to the presence or absence of plants. The abundance of bacteria and fungi were numerically lower under phalaris rows compared to rows sown to legumes. The richness and diversity of fungal populations were lowest between rows where lucerne was planted. Possible explanations for this observation include a lower C:N ratio of lucerne roots and/or a lack of fibrous roots at the soil surface compared to the other species, illustrating the influence of contrasting plant types on the soil microflora community. This study highlights the enduring legacy of the drill row on the spatial distribution of plants well into the pasture phase of a cropping rotation and discusses the opportunity to enhance the microbiome of cropping soils on a large scale during the pasture phase by increasing plant distribution across the landscape.
Assessing the potential impact on health of the UK's future relationship agreement with the EU: analysis of the negotiating positions
Authors: Fahy Nick , Hervey Tamara , Dayan Mark , Flear Mark , Galsworthy Mike , Greer Scott , Jarman Holly , McKee Martin
Published: June 2020

While policy attention is understandably diverted to COVID-19, the end of the UK's post-Brexit ‘transition period’ remains 31 December 2020. All forms of future EU−UK relationship are worse for health than EU membership, but analysis of the negotiating texts shows some forms are better than others. The likely outcomes involve major negative effects for NHS staffing, funding for health and social care, and capital financing for the NHS; and for UK global leadership and influence. We expect minor negative effects for cross border healthcare (except in Northern Ireland); research collaboration; and data sharing, such as the Early Warning and Response System for health threats. Despite political narratives, the legal texts show that the UK seeks de facto continuity in selected key areas for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and equipment [including personal protective equipment (PPE)], especially clinical trials, pharmacovigilance, and batch-testing. The UK will be excluded from economies of scale of EU membership, e.g. joint procurement programmes as used recently for PPE. Above all, there is a major risk of reaching an agreement with significant adverse effects for health, without meaningful oversight by or input from the UK Parliament, or other health policy stakeholders.
Neonatal glucocorticoid overexposure alters cardiovascular function in young adult horses in a sex-linked manner
Authors: Valenzuela Orlando A. , Jellyman Juanita K. , Allen Vanessa L. , Niu Youguo , Holdstock Nicola B. , Forhead Alison J. , Giussani Dino A. , Fowden Abigail L. , Herrera Emilio A.
Published: June 2020

Prenatal glucocorticoid overexposure has been shown to programme adult cardiovascular function in a range of species, but much less is known about the long-term effects of neonatal glucocorticoid overexposure. In horses, prenatal maturation of the hypothalamus–pituitary–adrenal axis and the normal prepartum surge in fetal cortisol occur late in gestation compared to other precocious species. Cortisol levels continue to rise in the hours after birth of full-term foals and increase further in the subsequent days in premature, dysmature and maladapted foals. Thus, this study examined the adult cardiovascular consequences of neonatal cortisol overexposure induced by adrenocorticotropic hormone administration to full-term male and female pony foals. After catheterisation at 2–3 years of age, basal arterial blood pressures (BP) and heart rate were measured together with the responses to phenylephrine (PE) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). These data were used to assess cardiac baroreflex sensitivity. Neonatal cortisol overexposure reduced both the pressor and bradycardic responses to PE in the young adult males, but not females. It also enhanced the initial hypotensive response to SNP, slowed recovery of BP after infusion and reduced the gain of the cardiac baroreflex in the females, but not males. Basal diastolic pressure and cardiac baroreflex sensitivity also differed with sex, irrespective of neonatal treatment. The results show that there is a window of susceptibility for glucocorticoid programming during the immediate neonatal period that alters cardiovascular function in young adult horses in a sex-linked manner.
Missbrauch von Opioiden und mögliche Auswege aus der Opioid-Krise
Authors: Matter Madlaina , Mühlebach Stefan , Puchkov Maxim , Huwyler Jörg
Published: June 2020

Zusammenfassung. Opioide zur Schmerztherapie werden zunehmend missbraucht. Dies hat in Anbetracht zahlreicher Todesfälle vor allem in den USA zu einer «Opioid-Krise» geführt. Wir zeigen im Folgenden das Ausmass dieses Problems auf und diskutieren aus der Perspektive der Schweiz geeignete Massnahmen im gesundheitspolitischen Bereich und bei der Entwicklung neuer oder alternativer analgetischer Medikamente. Ein Fokus liegt dabei auf missbrauchgeschützten Formulierungen («abuse-deterrent formulations»), die primär den parenteralen Abusus erschweren durch physikalische oder pharmakologische Veränderung der Produkte.
When Emotional Intelligence Backfires
Authors: Bayot Marie , Roskam Isabelle , Gallée Laura , Mikolajczak Moïra
Published: June 2020

Abstract. While emotional intelligence is generally associated with positive outcomes, little is known about the specific contribution of its intra- and interpersonal dimensions, even less about their interaction. By taking a variable that a priori involves both dimensions, that is, parenting, this study aimed to examine the possibility that intra- and interpersonal emotional competencies (EC) sometimes interact in such a way that the highest is not always the best. In this study, 842 parents (92% of mothers) completed self-reported measures of EC and parental burnout. Hierarchical multiple regression and moderation analyses showed that the level of intrapersonal EC mainly and negatively predicted parental burnout. On the other hand, the level of interpersonal EC positively predicted parental burnout and moderated the relation between intrapersonal EC and parental burnout. As interpersonal EC increased, the protective effect of intrapersonal EC on parental burnout decreased. Our findings therefore highlight the fact that intra- and interpersonal EC do not always work in a cumulative manner and emphasize the importance of studying intra- and interpersonal EC separately. As mothers were overrepresented in our sample, more data on fathers are needed to further generalize these findings.
Sadism as a Key Dark Trait in the Link Between Football Fandom and Criminal Attitudes
Authors: Međedović Janko , Kovačević Uroš
Published: June 2020

Abstract. Football (soccer) fans, particularly those with active involvement in supporting clubs, are especially prone to violence and criminal behavior. However, there is a gap in literature regarding individual characteristics which lead to criminal behavior in this group. In the present research, we examined the Dark Tetrad traits (narcissism, Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and sadism) and criminal attitudes (Violence, Entitlement, Antisocial intent, and Associates) in a group of active football fans ( N = 128) and a control group ( N = 118). We were led by a hypothesis that psychopathy and sadism as the dark traits with highest associations with violence are more pronounced in football supporters and key traits to predict criminal attitudes. The results showed that football fans had higher scores in all criminal attitude scales as well as in trait sadism. Furthermore, membership in a football supporters’ group was the most important predictor of all four measures of criminal attitudes. However, Dark Tetrad traits contributed to the prediction as well: sadism was the most important predictor of criminal attitudes, followed by psychopathy, and Machiavellianism, while narcissism had the fewest associations with the criteria measures. Finally, sadism was the only dark trait which significantly mediated the link between club supporting and criminal attitudes. Study findings help in understanding personality profiles of football supporters and provide new knowledge of the role that the Dark Tetrad traits (especially sadism) play in violence and criminal involvement in general.
Who Commands the Little Soldiers?
Authors: Körner Robert , Kammerhoff Jana , Schütz Astrid
Published: June 2020

Abstract. The popularity of miniature wargames (MWGs) has recently been on the rise. We aimed to identify the personality characteristics of people who play MWGs. Whereas the popular media have suspected that fantasy role-playing and war-related games cause antisocial behavior, past research on tabletop role-playing has shown that gamers are creative and empathetic individuals. Previous studies have investigated pen-and-paper tabletop games, which require imagination and cooperation between players. Tabletop MWGs are somewhat different because players compete against each other, and there is a strong focus on war-related actions. Thus, people have voiced the suspicion that players of this type of game may be rather aggressive. In the present study, 250 male MWG players completed questionnaires on the Big Five, authoritarianism, risk-orientation, and motives as well as an intelligence test. The same measures were administered to non-gamers, tabletop role-playing gamers, and first-person shooter gamers. Results indicated that according to self-reports, MWG players are more open, more extraverted, and have a higher need for affiliation than non-gamers. Further, high scores on reasoning and low scores on authoritarianism were typical of MWG players, and MWG players were similar to other gamers on these characteristics. All in all, our findings show that despite their penchant for (re)-enacting war scenes, MWG players seem to be open, nonauthoritarian individuals. Future research may add to these findings by using observer reports and longitudinal research to better understand whether intelligent and nontraditional people are attracted to MWGs or whether the setting of MWGs supports the development of such traits.
Improving Atmospheric Forecasts with Machine Learning
Authors: Wheeling Kate
Published: June 2020

An efficient, low-resolution machine learning model can usefully predict the global atmospheric state as much as 3 days out.
Identification of temporal condition patterns associated with pediatric obesity incidence using sequence mining and big data
Authors: Campbell Elizabeth A. , Qian Ting , Miller Jeffrey M. , Bass Ellen J. , Masino Aaron J.
Published: June 2020

Background

Electronic health records (EHRs) are potentially important components in addressing pediatric obesity in clinical settings and at the population level. This work aims to identify temporal condition patterns surrounding obesity incidence in a large pediatric population that may inform clinical care and childhood obesity policy and prevention efforts.

Methods

EHR data from healthcare visits with an initial record of obesity incidence (index visit) from 2009 through 2016 at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and visits immediately before (pre-index) and after (post-index), were compared with a matched control population of patients with a healthy weight to characterize the prevalence of common diagnoses and condition trajectories. The study population consisted of 49,694 patients with pediatric obesity and their corresponding matched controls. The SPADE algorithm was used to identify common temporal condition patterns in the case population. McNemar’s test was used to assess the statistical significance of pattern prevalence differences between the case and control populations.

Results

SPADE identified 163 condition patterns that were present in at least 1% of cases; 80 were significantly more common among cases and 45 were significantly more common among controls (p < 0.05). Asthma and allergic rhinitis were strongly associated with childhood obesity incidence, particularly during the pre-index and index visits. Seven conditions were commonly diagnosed for cases exclusively during pre-index visits, including ear, nose, and throat disorders and gastroenteritis.

Conclusions

The novel application of SPADE on a large retrospective dataset revealed temporally dependent condition associations with obesity incidence. Allergic rhinitis and asthma had a particularly high prevalence during pre-index visits. These conditions, along with those exclusively observed during pre-index visits, may represent signals of future obesity. While causation cannot be inferred from these associations, the temporal condition patterns identified here represent hypotheses that can be investigated to determine causal relationships in future obesity research.
Social subordination induced by early life adversity rewires inhibitory control of the prefrontal cortex via enhanced Npy1r signaling
Authors: Franco Lara O. , Carvalho Mário J. , Costa Jéssica , Ferreira Pedro A. , Guedes Joana R. , Sousa Renato , Edfawy Mohamed , Seabra Catarina M. , Cardoso Ana L. , Peça João
Published: June 2020

Social hierarchies are present in most mammalian species. In nature, hierarchies offer a tradeoff between reduction of in-group fighting between males, at the expense of an asymmetric sharing of resources. Early life experiences and stress are known to influence the rank an individual attains in adulthood, but the associated cellular and synaptic alterations are poorly understood. Using a maternal separation protocol, we show that care-deprived mice display a long-lasting submissive phenotype, increased social recognition, and enhanced explorative behavior. These alterations are consistent with an adaptation that favors exploration rather than confrontation within a group setting. At the neuronal level, these animals display dendritic atrophy and enhanced inhibitory synaptic inputs in medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) neurons. To determine what could underlie this synaptic modification, we first assessed global gene expression changes via RNAseq, and next focused on a smaller subset of putatively altered synaptic receptors that could explain the changes in synaptic inhibition. Using different cohorts of maternally deprived mice, we validated a significant increase in the expression of Npy1r, a receptor known to play a role in maternal care, anxiety, foraging, and regulation of group behavior. Using electrophysiological recordings in adult mice while blocking NPY1R signaling, we determined that this receptor plays a key role in enhancing GABAergic currents in mice that experience maternal deprivation. Taken together, our work highlights the potential of regulating NPY1R in social anxiety disorders and the alterations induced in brain circuitry as a consequence of early life stress and adversity.
Spin-phonon relaxation from a universal ab initio density-matrix approach
Authors: Xu Junqing , Habib Adela , Kumar Sushant , Wu Feng , Sundararaman Ravishankar , Ping Yuan
Published: June 2020

Designing new quantum materials with long-lived electron spin states urgently requires a general theoretical formalism and computational technique to reliably predict intrinsic spin relaxation times. We present a new, accurate and universal first-principles methodology based on Lindbladian dynamics of density matrices to calculate spin-phonon relaxation time of solids with arbitrary spin mixing and crystal symmetry. This method describes contributions of Elliott-Yafet and D’yakonov-Perel’ mechanisms to spin relaxation for systems with and without inversion symmetry on an equal footing. We show that intrinsic spin and momentum relaxation times both decrease with increasing temperature; however, for the D’yakonov-Perel’ mechanism, spin relaxation time varies inversely with extrinsic scattering time. We predict large anisotropy of spin lifetime in transition metal dichalcogenides. The excellent agreement with experiments for a broad range of materials underscores the predictive capability of our method for properties critical to quantum information science.
Independent regulation of age associated fat accumulation and longevity
Authors: Beas Anthony O. , Gordon Patricia B. , Prentiss Clara L. , Olsen Carissa Perez , Kukurugya Matthew A. , Bennett Bryson D. , Parkhurst Susan M. , Gottschling Daniel E.
Published: June 2020

Age-dependent changes in metabolism can manifest as cellular lipid accumulation, but how this accumulation is regulated or impacts longevity is poorly understood. We find that Saccharomyces cerevisiae accumulate lipid droplets (LDs) during aging. We also find that over-expressing BNA2, the first Biosynthesis of NAD+ (kynurenine) pathway gene, reduces LD accumulation during aging and extends lifespan. Mechanistically, this LD accumulation during aging is not linked to NAD+ levels, but is anti-correlated with metabolites of the shikimate and aromatic amino acid biosynthesis (SA) pathways (upstream of BNA2), which produce tryptophan (the Bna2p substrate). We provide evidence that over-expressed BNA2 skews glycolytic flux from LDs towards the SA-BNA pathways, effectively reducing LDs. Importantly, we find that accumulation of LDs does not shorten lifespan, but does protect aged cells against stress. Our findings reveal how lipid accumulation impacts longevity, and how aging cell metabolism can be rewired to modulate lipid accumulation independently from longevity.
A SAM-I riboswitch with the ability to sense and respond to uncharged initiator tRNA
Authors: Tang Dong-Jie , Du Xinyu , Shi Qiang , Zhang Jian-Ling , He Yuan-Ping , Chen Yan-Miao , Ming Zhenhua , Wang Dan , Zhong Wan-Ying , Liang Yu-Wei , Liu Jin-Yang , Huang Jian-Ming , Zhong Yun-Shi , An Shi-Qi , Gu Hongzhou , Tang Ji-Liang
Published: June 2020

All known riboswitches use their aptamer to senese one metabolite signal and their expression platform to regulate gene expression. Here, we characterize a SAM-I riboswitch (SAM-IXcc) from the Xanthomonas campestris that regulates methionine synthesis via the met operon. In vitro and in vivo experiments show that SAM-IXcc controls the met operon primarily at the translational level in response to cellular S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) levels. Biochemical and genetic data demonstrate that SAM-IXcc expression platform not only can repress gene expression in response to SAM binding to SAM-IXcc aptamer but also can sense and bind uncharged initiator Met tRNA, resulting in the sequestering of the anti-Shine-Dalgarno (SD) sequence and freeing the SD for translation initiation. These findings identify a SAM-I riboswitch with a dual functioning expression platform that regulates methionine synthesis through a previously unrecognized mechanism and discover a natural tRNA-sensing RNA element. This SAM-I riboswitch appears to be highly conserved in Xanthomonas species.
Single-cell transcriptomic analysis identifies the conversion of zebrafish Etv2-deficient vascular progenitors into skeletal muscle
Authors: Chestnut Brendan , Casie Chetty Satish , Koenig Andrew L. , Sumanas Saulius
Published: June 2020

Cell fate decisions involved in vascular and hematopoietic embryonic development are still poorly understood. An ETS transcription factor Etv2 functions as an evolutionarily conserved master regulator of vasculogenesis. Here we report a single-cell transcriptomic analysis of hematovascular development in wild-type and etv2 mutant zebrafish embryos. Distinct transcriptional signatures of different types of hematopoietic and vascular progenitors are identified using an etv2ci32Gt gene trap line, in which the Gal4 transcriptional activator is integrated into the etv2 gene locus. We observe a cell population with a skeletal muscle signature in etv2-deficient embryos. We demonstrate that multiple etv2ci32Gt; UAS:GFP cells differentiate as skeletal muscle cells instead of contributing to vasculature in etv2-deficient embryos. Wnt and FGF signaling promote the differentiation of these putative multipotent etv2 progenitor cells into skeletal muscle cells. We conclude that etv2 actively represses muscle differentiation in vascular progenitors, thus restricting these cells to a vascular endothelial fate.
Publisher Correction: MethCORR modelling of methylomes from formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded tissue enables characterization and prognostication of colorectal cancer
Authors: Mattesen Trine B. , Rasmussen Mads H. , Sandoval Juan , Ongen Halit , Árnadóttir Sigrid S. , Gladov Josephine , Martinez-Cardus Anna , de Moura Manuel Castro , Madsen Anders H. , Laurberg Søren , Dermitzakis Emmanouil T. , Esteller Manel , Andersen Claus L. , Bramsen Jesper B.
Published: June 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Traceless native chemical ligation of lipid-modified peptide surfactants by mixed micelle formation
Authors: Jin Shuaijiang , Brea Roberto J. , Rudd Andrew K. , Moon Stuart P. , Pratt Matthew R. , Devaraj Neal K.
Published: June 2020

Biology utilizes multiple strategies, including sequestration in lipid vesicles, to raise the rate and specificity of chemical reactions through increases in effective molarity of reactants. We show that micelle-assisted reaction can facilitate native chemical ligations (NCLs) between a peptide-thioester – in which the thioester leaving group contains a lipid-like alkyl chain – and a Cys-peptide modified by a lipid-like moiety. Hydrophobic lipid modification of each peptide segment promotes the formation of mixed micelles, bringing the reacting peptides into close proximity and increasing the reaction rate. The approach enables the rapid synthesis of polypeptides using low concentrations of reactants without the need for thiol catalysts. After NCL, the lipid moiety is removed to yield an unmodified ligation product. This micelle-based methodology facilitates the generation of natural peptides, like Magainin 2, and the derivatization of the protein Ubiquitin. Formation of mixed micelles from lipid-modified reactants shows promise for accelerating chemical reactions in a traceless manner.
The transcriptional repressor Blimp1/PRDM1 regulates the maternal decidual response in mice
Authors: Goolam Mubeen , Xypolita Maria-Eleni , Costello Ita , Lydon John P. , DeMayo Francesco J. , Bikoff Elizabeth K. , Robertson Elizabeth J. , Mould Arne W.
Published: June 2020

The transcriptional repressor Blimp1 controls cell fate decisions in the developing embryo and adult tissues. Here we describe Blimp1 expression and functional requirements within maternal uterine tissues during pregnancy. Expression is robustly up-regulated at early post-implantation stages in the primary decidual zone (PDZ) surrounding the embryo. Conditional inactivation results in defective formation of the PDZ barrier and abnormal trophectoderm invasion. RNA-Seq analysis demonstrates down-regulated expression of genes involved in cell adhesion and markers of decidualisation. In contrast, genes controlling immune responses including IFNγ are up-regulated. ChIP-Seq experiments identify candidate targets unique to the decidua as well as those shared across diverse cell types including a highly conserved peak at the Csf-1 gene promoter. Interestingly Blimp1 inactivation results in up-regulated Csf1 expression and macrophage recruitment into maternal decidual tissues. These results identify Blimp1 as a critical regulator of tissue remodelling and maternal tolerance during early stages of pregnancy.
The characterization of Mediator 12 and 13 as conditional positive gene regulators in Arabidopsis
Authors: Liu Qikun , Bischof Sylvain , Harris C. Jake , Zhong Zhenhui , Zhan Lingyu , Nguyen Calvin , Rashoff Andrew , Barshop William D. , Sun Fei , Feng Suhua , Potok Magdalena , Gallego-Bartolome Javier , Zhai Jixian , Wohlschlegel James A. , Carey Michael F. , Long Jeffrey A. , Jacobsen Steven E.
Published: June 2020

Mediator 12 (MED12) and MED13 are components of the Mediator multi-protein complex, that facilitates the initial steps of gene transcription. Here, in an Arabidopsis mutant screen, we identify MED12 and MED13 as positive gene regulators, both of which contribute broadly to morc1 de-repressed gene expression. Both MED12 and MED13 are preferentially required for the expression of genes depleted in active chromatin marks, a chromatin signature shared with morc1 re-activated loci. We further discover that MED12 tends to interact with genes that are responsive to environmental stimuli, including light and radiation. We demonstrate that light-induced transient gene expression depends on MED12, and is accompanied by a concomitant increase in MED12 enrichment during induction. In contrast, the steady-state expression level of these genes show little dependence on MED12, suggesting that MED12 is primarily required to aid the expression of genes in transition from less-active to more active states.
Vertical datum transformation grids for Mexico
Authors: Carrera-Hernández Jaime J.
Published: June 2020

Mexico has used two vertical datums—the U.S. National Geodetic Vertical Datum of 1929 (NGVD29) and the North American Vertical Datum of 1988 (NAVD88). Because Mexico started using the NAVD88 as its vertical datum in 2015, most of Mexico’s data is referenced to the NGVD29 and recent high resolution data are referenced to the NAVD88. Compounding this situation, satellite-derived Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are referenced to the Earth Gravimetric Model 96 (EGM96), and no tools are currently available in Mexico to transform elevation data between the aforementioned vertical datums. To overcome this problem, this work presents the development of two surfaces to transform orthometric heights between the NGVD29 and NAVD88 or between the NGVD29 and EGM96 in Mexico. These surfaces can be used by any interested user to transform orthometric heights referenced to the aforementioned datums.
Efficient Closed-loop Maximization of Carbon Nanotube Growth Rate using Bayesian Optimization
Authors: Chang Jorge , Nikolaev Pavel , Carpena-Núñez Jennifer , Rao Rahul , Decker Kevin , Islam Ahmad E. , Kim Jiseob , Pitt Mark A. , Myung Jay I. , Maruyama Benji
Published: June 2020

A major technological challenge in materials research is the large and complex parameter space, which hinders experimental throughput and ultimately slows down development and implementation. In single-walled carbon nanotube (CNT) synthesis, for instance, the poor yield obtained from conventional catalysts is a result of limited understanding of input-to-output correlations. Autonomous closed-loop experimentation combined with advances in machine learning (ML) is uniquely suited for high-throughput research. Among the ML algorithms available, Bayesian optimization (BO) is especially apt for exploration and optimization within such high-dimensional and complex parameter space. BO is an adaptive sequential design algorithm for finding the global optimum of a black-box objective function with the fewest possible measurements. Here, we demonstrate a promising application of BO in CNT synthesis as an efficient and robust algorithm which can (1) improve the growth rate of CNT in the BO-planner experiments over the seed experiments up to a factor 8; (2) rapidly improve its predictive power (or learning); (3) Consistently achieve good performance regardless of the number or origin of seed experiments; (4) exploit a high-dimensional, complex parameter space, and (5) achieve the former 4 tasks in just over 100 hundred experiments (~8 experimental hours) – a factor of 5× faster than our previously reported results.
Generalized Maxwell projections for multi-mode network Photonics
Authors: Makarenko M. , Burguete-Lopez A. , Getman F. , Fratalocchi A.
Published: June 2020

The design of optical resonant systems for controlling light at the nanoscale is an exciting field of research in nanophotonics. While describing the dynamics of few resonances is a relatively well understood problem, controlling the behavior of systems with many overlapping states is considerably more difficult. In this work, we use the theory of generalized operators to formulate an exact form of spatio-temporal coupled mode theory, which retains the simplicity of traditional coupled mode theory developed for optical waveguides. We developed a fast computational method that extracts all the characteristics of optical resonators, including the full density of states, the modes quality factors, and the mode resonances and linewidths, by employing a single first principle simulation. This approach can facilitate the analytical and numerical study of complex dynamics arising from the interactions of many overlapping resonances, defined in ensembles of resonators of any geometrical shape and in materials with arbitrary responses.
Human BDNF/TrkB variants impair hippocampal synaptogenesis and associate with neurobehavioural abnormalities
Authors: Sonoyama Takuhiro , Stadler Lukas K. J. , Zhu Mingyan , Keogh Julia M. , Henning Elana , Hisama Fuki , Kirwan Peter , Jura Magdalena , Blaszczyk Beata K. , DeWitt David C. , Brouwers Bas , Hyvönen Marko , Barroso Inês , Merkle Florian T. , Appleyard Suzanne M. , Wayman Gary A. , Farooqi I. Sadaf
Published: June 2020

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) signals through its high affinity receptor Tropomyosin receptor kinase-B (TrkB) to regulate neuronal development, synapse formation and plasticity. In rodents, genetic disruption of Bdnf and TrkB leads to weight gain and a spectrum of neurobehavioural phenotypes. Here, we functionally characterised a de novo missense variant in BDNF and seven rare variants in TrkB identified in a large cohort of people with severe, childhood-onset obesity. In cells, the E183K BDNF variant resulted in impaired processing and secretion of the mature peptide. Multiple variants in the kinase domain and one variant in the extracellular domain of TrkB led to a loss of function through multiple signalling pathways, impaired neurite outgrowth and dominantly inhibited glutamatergic synaptogenesis in hippocampal neurons. BDNF/TrkB variant carriers exhibited learning difficulties, impaired memory, hyperactivity, stereotyped and sometimes, maladaptive behaviours. In conclusion, human loss of function BDNF/TrkB variants that impair hippocampal synaptogenesis may contribute to a spectrum of neurobehavioural disorders.