bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Objective measures of reward sensitivity and motivation in people with high v. low anhedonia
Authors: Slaney Chloe , Perkins Adam M. , Davis Robert , Penton-Voak Ian , Munafò Marcus R. , Houghton Conor J. , Robinson Emma S. J.
Published: May 2022

Background

Anhedonia – a diminished interest or pleasure in activities – is a core self-reported symptom of depression which is poorly understood and often resistant to conventional antidepressants. This symptom may occur due to dysfunction in one or more sub-components of reward processing: motivation, consummatory experience and/or learning. However, the precise impairments remain elusive. Dissociating these components (ideally, using cross-species measures) and relating them to the subjective experience of anhedonia is critical as it may benefit fundamental biology research and novel drug development.

Methods

Using a battery of behavioural tasks based on rodent assays, we examined reward motivation (Joystick-Operated Runway Task, JORT; and Effort-Expenditure for Rewards Task, EEfRT) and reward sensitivity (Sweet Taste Test) in a non-clinical population who scored high (N = 32) or low (N = 34) on an anhedonia questionnaire (Snaith–Hamilton Pleasure Scale).

Results

Compared to the low anhedonia group, the high anhedonia group displayed marginal impairments in effort-based decision-making (EEfRT) and reduced reward sensitivity (Sweet Taste Test). However, we found no evidence of a difference between groups in physical effort exerted for reward (JORT). Interestingly, whilst the EEfRT and Sweet Taste Test correlated with anhedonia measures, they did not correlate with each other. This poses the question of whether there are subgroups within anhedonia; however, further work is required to directly test this hypothesis.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that anhedonia is a heterogeneous symptom associated with impairments in reward sensitivity and effort-based decision-making.
‘Excited Delirium’, acute behavioural disturbance, death and diagnosis
Authors: McGuinness Terry , Lipsedge Maurice
Published: May 2022

In the 1980s the traditional Hippocratic term excited delirium was transplanted from the bedsides of febrile, agitated and disoriented patients to the streets of Miami. Deaths in custody of young men who were intoxicated with cocaine and who were restrained by the police because of their erratic or violent behaviour were attributed to excited delirium. The blood concentrations of cocaine in these subjects were approximately ten times lower than the lethal level and other factors which might have contributed to the fatal outcome, such as the police use of neck-holds, choke-holds or ‘hog-tying’, were relegated to a minor role compared with the reframed ‘diagnosis’ of excited delirium. Over the course of the next few decades ‘excited delirium’ might be applied to virtually any highly agitated person behaving violently in a public place and who subsequently died in custody while being restrained or shortly afterwards. Expert witnesses, mainly forensic pathologists, testified that the deceased's death was probably inevitable given the perilous nature of excited delirium, even though this diagnostic entity lacked any consistent neuropathological basis and depended entirely on observed behaviour. This history of the rise and fall of this disputed diagnosis is a partial response to the sociologist Phil Brown's 1995 paper asking who benefits, or at least avoids trouble, by the identification and use of a diagnosis.
Robust stereo visual odometry: A comparison of random sample consensus algorithms based on three major hypothesis generators
Authors: Guo Guangzhi , Dai Zuoxiao , Dai Yuanfeng
Published: May 2022

Almost all robust stereo visual odometry work uses the random sample consensus (RANSAC) algorithm for model estimation with the existence of noise and outliers. To date, there have been few comparative studies to evaluate the performance of RANSAC algorithms based on different hypothesis generators. In this work, we analyse and compare three popular and efficient RANSAC schemes. They mainly differ in using the two-dimensional (2-D) data points measured directly and the three-dimensional (3-D) data points inferred through triangulation. This comparison presents several quantitative experiments intended for comparing the accuracy, robustness and efficiency of each scheme under varying levels of noise and different percentages of outlier conditions. The results suggest that in the presence of noise and outliers, the perspective-three-point RANSAC provides more accurate and robust pose estimates. However, in the absence of noise, the iterative closest point RANSAC obtains better results regardless of the percentage of outliers. Efficiency, in terms of the number of RANSAC iterations, is found in that the relative speed of the perspective-three-point RANSAC becomes superior under low noise levels and low percentages of outlier conditions. Otherwise, the iterative closest-point RANSAC may be computationally more efficient.
The Terra Nullius of Intellectual Property
Authors: Hilberg Eva
Published: May 2022

The current debate over the global distribution of COVID-19 vaccines once again highlights the many shortcomings of the modern intellectual property (IP) system, especially when it comes to equitable access to medicines. This essay argues that the (unspoken) conceptual center of struggles over access to new pharmaceuticals rests in the IP system's colonial legacy, which perceives the world as uncharted territory that is ripe for discovery and ownership. This vision of the world as a blank canvas, or terra nullius, sets aside any other models of ownership and devalues other traditional modes of relating to territory and nature. Several examples show the long-lasting exclusionary effects of this hidden legacy of colonial conquest in the field of public health, ranging from the spiraling price of insulin to the distribution of COVID-19 vaccines to the negotiation of sharing mechanisms for virus samples. In all of these cases, the continuing marginalization of other interests by the IP system can lead to exploitation, without either the “sources” of materials, such as those from whom the samples were taken, or the recipients of the eventual product having any say in matters of price and access. This legacy of fundamental exclusion needs to be recognized and addressed in order to arrive at more equitable solutions to public health emergencies such as the current pandemic.
Dialect levelling and Cockney diphthong shift reversal in South East England: the case of the Debden Estate
Authors: COLE AMANDA , STRYCHARCZUK PATRYCJA
Published: May 2022

This article explores an instance of dialect levelling in South East England, the reversal of Cockney diphthong shift. We trace this reversal through an apparent-time analysis of 52 speakers from Debden, a community in Essex with East London heritage. Dynamic vowel analyses of word-list and passage data suggests a reversal of the diphthong shift towards SSBE targets which has occurred most abruptly in those born after 1992 potentially as a result of increased social mobility in this generation. We compare the results in Debden to previous findings in the south-eastern towns of Milton Keynes and Reading where apparent-time change was also observed away from a shifted vowel system and towards SSBE targets (Kerswill & Williams 2000, 2005). In diverse areas of South East England, a common process of levelling towards the pan-regional standard is present which is not occurring exclusively as a result of dialect contact or face-to-face interaction. Nonetheless, each community exhibits a distinct trajectory and timing of language change which can be attributed to different patterns of movement and resettlement and, in particular, access to social mobility and the retention of community networks.
Evaluation of a Suicide Prevention Program Encompassing Both Student and Teacher Training Components
Authors: Bockhoff Katharina , Ellermeier Wolfgang , Bruder Simone
Published: May 2022

Abstract. Background: Although suicide prevention programs have been shown to change suicide-related knowledge and attitudes, relatively little is known about their effects on actual behavior. Aims: Therefore, the focus of the present study was on improving participating school staff’s practical and communication skills. Method: Suicide prevention workshops for students in grades 8–10 ( N = 200) and a gatekeeper training program for school staff ( N = 150) were conducted in 12 secondary schools in Germany. Schools were alternately assigned to one of three interventions (staff, students, or both trained) or to a waitlist control group. Results: School staff undergoing the training showed increased action-related knowledge, greater self-efficacy when counseling students in need and augmented counseling skills, and also had more conversations with students in need. Although students participating in the workshops did not seek help more frequently, they provided help to their peers more often in the conditions in which both students and school staff or only the latter had been trained. Limitations: The generalizability of the results is constrained by high dropout rates due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the relatively small sample size. Conclusion: A combination of suicide prevention programs for school staff and students appears to be most effective.
Soil Amended With Organic Matter Increases Fluvial Erosion Resistance of Cohesive Streambank Soil
Authors: Smith D. J. , Snead M. , Thompson T. M.
Published: May 2022

Fluvial erosion of cohesive soil is mediated by interactions between soil physical, biological, and chemical characteristics such as soil aggregate stability and extracellular polymeric substances (EPS). While labile organic matter (OM) stimulates microbial EPS production and significantly improves soil aggregate stability in agricultural soils, these interactions remain unexplored in streambank soils. The study goal was to quantify the impact of OM on aggregate stability, EPS, and fluvial erosion rates of cohesive streambank soil. Increasing amounts of 1‐mm sieved dry grass were incorporated at rates of 0, 1, and 4 g per 100 g of 2‐mm sieved silt‐loam soil (treatments T0, T1, and T4, respectively). Samples (eight replicates per treatment) were matured in a greenhouse for 50 days prior to flume erosion testing. EPS carbohydrates were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in T1 (324 ± 63 μg/g) compared to T0 (388 ± 37 μg/g) and T4 (376 ± 44 μg/g). EPS proteins were significantly higher in T1 (194 ± 15 μg/g) and T4 (223 ± 61 μg/g) compared to T0 (101 ± 20 μg/g) and positively correlated with mean weight diameter (MWD), a measure of soil stability against slaking. MWD was 16% and over 100% higher for T1 and T4, respectively, than for T0. Similarly, the average soil erodibility coefficient of T1 and T4 was 25% and 61% lower than the erodibility of T0; however, only the reduction for T4 was significant. The data presented here underscore the important role labile OM plays in improving soil physical stability and increasing the resistance of cohesive soil to fluvial erosion of streambanks.
A Compact Broadband Circularly Polarized Stacked Microstrip Antenna With Parasitic Elements
Authors: Wang Lei , Fang Laiwang , Zhang Xiaolong , Chi Yuan
Published: May 2022

A compact broadband circularly polarized (CP) stacked microstrip antenna (SMPA) is proposed in this study. The CP SMPA is composed with a square‐loop sequential phasing feeding structure, two pairs of rectangular patches with different sizes, and two square patches as parasitic elements. For obtaining more CP resonant points, rectangular and square patches are etched on the upper and lower layers of two different substrates through a capacitively coupled connection. Utilizing CP resonant points produced by these parasitic elements, the bandwidth of CP SMPA is broadened. The designed CP SMPA has a wide 10‐dB return loss bandwidth of 19.6% (5.06–6.16 GHz, centered at 5.61 GHz), and a broad 3‐dB axial ratio bandwidth of 18% (5.05–6.05 GHz, centered at 5.55 GHz). The designed antenna features a circularly polarized bandwidth which could cover wireless local‐area network (5.725–5.85 GHz), intelligent transportation systems (5.8 GHz) and (5.85–5.925 GHz) band.
Ionospheric Scintillation Monitoring With ROTI From Geodetic Receiver: Limitations and Performance Evaluation
Authors: Li Wei , Song Shuli , Jin Xulei
Published: May 2022

By comparing amplitude scintillation index S4 from scintillation receivers and Rate of change of Total electron content Index (ROTI) from nearby geodetic receivers in low latitude region of China during year 2015, this work summarized the limitations of ROTI in indicating ionospheric scintillation and quantitatively evaluated the performance/reliability of ROTI in monitoring ionospheric scintillation in low latitude region. The results indicate that the correlation between ROTI and S4 is lower (higher) when scintillation occurs at lower (higher) satellite elevation angle. Erroneous cycle slips and longer ROTI calculation time interval degrade the integrity of ROTI calculated from 30‐s sampling interval data (abbreviated as 30s‐ROTI). ROTI calculated from 1‐s sampling interval data (abbreviated as 1s‐ROTI) has better integrity (90%) than that of 30s‐ROTI (60%). In addition, we propose a reasonable threshold of 0.25 m for cycle slip detection for the 30‐s cadence observation data to avoid misjudging a large ionospheric variation as a cycle slip and further improve on the integrity of 30s‐ROTI. The deviation of ROTI from S4 decreases the reliability of ROTI in indicating the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation as well as the correlation between ROTI and S4. The reliability of ROTI in indicating the occurrence of scintillation can reach 80% and 88% for 30s ROTI and 1s‐ROTI, respectively. The deviation causes 60% of the correlations between 30s‐ROTI and S4 drop by 0.15 ∼ 0.2 and causes more than 66% of the correlations between 1s‐ROTI and S4 drop by 0.15 ∼ 0.2. These results establish an important reference concerning the reliability of ROTI in indicating the occurrence of ionospheric scintillation.
Properties of Storm‐Time Magnetic Flux Transport
Authors: Beyene F. , Angelopoulos V. , Runov A. , Artemyev A.
Published: May 2022

Magnetospheric convection, the transport of magnetic flux, along with mass, and energy, plays a vital role in magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling and ring‐current energization. It is particularly intense during magnetic storms, a mode of circulation driven by prolonged and strong solar wind driving. A large body of work has quantified the evolution of flux circulation during nonstorm times, in particular during substorms and steady magnetospheric convection events (SMCs). However, transport during storms has not been duly characterized. Using magnetotail flux observations we explore storm‐time modes of convection and compare them to their nonstorm‐time counterparts. We find that storm‐time convection often encompasses loading‐unloading periods (akin to substorms) and SMCs (akin to those during nonstorm times). However, loading‐unloading events and SMCs are present during only 25% and 21% (respectively) of the (95) storms examined. We also investigate the solar wind conditions during these modes for storm versus nonstorm times. We find that these modes have characteristic profiles in AE, solar wind driving, and open flux content during storms that are similar to their nonstorm‐time counterparts, but larger in magnitude. Therefore, these convection modes occur during storm and nonstorm periods alike, and in particular they are not required for a storm to progress. Thus, what makes storms special, their intense ring current, is likely not attributable to the (un)steadiness of flux circulation, but to the prolonged and intense background flux circulation within which these modes are embedded, and hence to the ultimate strength of the solar wind driver.
Wind Effects on Near‐ and Midfield Mixing in Tidally Pulsed River Plumes
Authors: Spicer Preston , Cole Kelly L. , Huguenard Kimberly , MacDonald Daniel G. , Whitney Michael M.
Published: May 2022

River plumes transport and mix land‐based tracers into the ocean. In tidally pulsed river plumes, wind effects have long been considered negligible in modulating interfacial mixing in the energetic nearfield region. This research tests the influence of variable, realistic winds on mixing in the interior plume. A numerical model of the Merrimack River plume‐shelf system is utilized, with an application of the salinity variance approach employed to identify spatial and temporal variation in advection, straining, and dissipation (mixing) of vertical salinity variance (stratification). Results indicate that moderate wind stresses (∼0.5 Pa) with a northward component countering the downcoast rotation of the plume are most effective at decreasing stratification in the domain relative to other wind conditions. Northward winds advect plume and ambient shelf stratification offshore, allowing shelf water salinity to increase in the nearshore, which strengthens the density gradient at the plume base. Straining in the plume increases with winds enhancing offshore‐directed surface velocities, leading to increased shear at the plume base. Increased straining and larger density gradients at the plume base enhance variance dissipation in the near‐ and midfield plume, and dissipation remains enhanced if the shelf is clear of residual stratification. The smaller spatial and temporal scales of the Merrimack plume allow the mechanisms to occur at tidal time scales in direct response to instantaneous winds. This is the first study to show tidal time scale wind‐induced straining and advection as controlling factors on near‐ and midfield mixing rates in river plumes under realistic winds.
The optimized core peptide derived from CABIN1 efficiently inhibits calcineurin-mediated T-cell activation
Authors: Lee Sangho , Lee Han-Teo , Kim Young Ah , Lee Il-Hwan , Kang Seong-Jun , Sim Kyeongpyo , Park Chung-Gyu , Choi Kyungho , Youn Hong-Duk
Published: May 2022

The C-terminal fragment of CABIN1 interacts with calcineurin and represses the transcriptional activity of the nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT). However, the specific sequences and mechanisms through which it binds to calcineurin are unclear. This study determined that decameric peptide (CABIN1 residues 2146–2155) is minimally required for binding to calcineurin. This peptide contains a unique “PPTP” C-terminal sequence and a “PxIxIT” N-terminal motif. Furthermore, p38MAPK phosphorylated the threonine residue of the “PPTP” sequence under physiological conditions, dramatically enhancing the peptide’s binding affinity to calcineurin. Therefore, the CABIN1 peptide inhibited the calcineurin-NFAT pathway and the activation of T cells more efficiently than the VIVIT peptide without affecting calcineurin’s phosphatase activity. The CABIN1 peptide could thus be a more potent calcineurin inhibitor and provide therapeutic opportunities for various diseases caused by the calcineurin-NFAT pathway.
Ideal nodal rings of one-dimensional photonic crystals in the visible region
Authors: Deng Wei-Min , Chen Ze-Ming , Li Meng-Yu , Guo Chao-Heng , Tian Zhong-Tao , Sun Ke-Xin , Chen Xiao-Dong , Chen Wen-Jie , Dong Jian-Wen
Published: May 2022

Three-dimensional (3D) artificial metacrystals host rich topological phases, such as Weyl points, nodal rings, and 3D photonic topological insulators. These topological states enable a wide range of applications, including 3D robust waveguides, one-way fiber, and negative refraction of the surface wave. However, these carefully designed metacrystals are usually very complex, hindering their extension to nanoscale photonic systems. Here, we theoretically proposed and experimentally realized an ideal nodal ring in the visible region using a simple 1D photonic crystal. The π-Berry phase around the ring is manifested by a 2π reflection phase’s winding and the resultant drumhead surface states. By breaking the inversion symmetry, the nodal ring can be gapped and the π-Berry phase would diffuse into a toroidal-shaped Berry flux, resulting in photonic ridge states (the 3D extension of quantum valley Hall states). Our results provide a simple and feasible platform for exploring 3D topological physics and its potential applications in nanophotonics.
Distributed implantation of a flexible microelectrode array for neural recording
Authors: Wei Chunrong , Wang Yang , Pei Weihua , Han Xinyong , Lin Longnian , Liu Zhiduo , Ming Gege , Chen Ruru , Wu Pingping , Yang Xiaowei , Zheng Li , Wang Yijun
Published: May 2022

Flexible multichannel electrode arrays (fMEAs) with multiple filaments can be flexibly implanted in various patterns. It is necessary to develop a method for implanting the fMEA in different locations and at various depths based on the recording demands. This study proposed a strategy for reducing the microelectrode volume with integrated packaging. An implantation system was developed specifically for semiautomatic distributed implantation. The feasibility and convenience of the fMEA and implantation platform were verified in rodents. The acute and chronic recording results provied the effectiveness of the packaging and implantation methods. These methods could provide a novel strategy for developing fMEAs with more filaments and recording sites to measure functional interactions across multiple brain regions.
Examining the variability of neurocognitive functioning in individuals at clinical high risk for psychosis: a meta-analysis
Authors: Catalan Ana , Radua Joaquim , McCutcheon Robert , Aymerich Claudia , Pedruzo Borja , González-Torres Miguel Ángel , Baldwin Helen , Stone William S. , Giuliano Anthony J. , McGuire Philip , Fusar-Poli Paolo
Published: May 2022

This study aims to meta-analytically characterize the presence and magnitude of within-group variability across neurocognitive functioning in young people at Clinical High-Risk for psychosis (CHR-P) and comparison groups. Multistep, PRISMA/MOOSE-compliant systematic review (PROSPERO-CRD42020192826) of the Web of Science database, Cochrane Central Register of Reviews and Ovid/PsycINFO and trial registries up to July 1, 2020. The risk of bias was assessed using a modified version of the NOS for cohort and cross-sectional studies. Original studies reporting neurocognitive functioning in individuals at CHR-P compared to healthy controls (HC) or first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients were included. The primary outcome was the random-effect meta-analytic variability ratios (VR). Secondary outcomes included the coefficient of variation ratios (CVR). Seventy-eight studies were included, relating to 5162 CHR-P individuals, 2865 HC and 486 FEP. The CHR-P group demonstrated higher variability compared to HC (in descending order of magnitude) in visual memory (VR: 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–1.94), executive functioning (VR: 1.31, 95% CI 1.18–1.45), verbal learning (VR: 1.29, 95% CI 1.15–1.45), premorbid IQ (VR: 1.27, 95% CI 1.09–1.49), processing speed (VR: 1.26, 95% CI 1.07–1.48), visual learning (VR: 1.20, 95% CI 1.07–1.34), and reasoning and problem solving (VR: 1.17, 95% CI 1.03–1.34). In the CVR analyses the variability in CHR-P population remains in the previous neurocognitive domains and emerged in attention/vigilance, working memory, social cognition, and visuospatial ability. The CHR-P group transitioning to psychosis showed greater VR in executive functioning compared to those not developing psychosis and compared to FEP groups. Clinical high risk for psychosis subjects shows increased variability in neurocognitive performance compared to HC. The main limitation of this study is the validity of the VR and CVR as an index of variability which has received debate. This finding should be explored by further individual-participant data research and support precision medicine approaches.
snoRNAs: functions and mechanisms in biological processes, and roles in tumor pathophysiology
Authors: Huang Zheng-hao , Du Yu-ping , Wen Jing-tao , Lu Bing-feng , Zhao Yang
Published: May 2022

Small nucleolar RNAs (snoRNAs), a type of non-coding RNA, are widely present in the nucleoli of eukaryotic cells and play an important role in rRNA modification. With the recent increase in research on snoRNAs, new evidence has emerged indicating that snoRNAs also participate in tRNA and mRNA modification. Studies suggest that numerous snoRNAs, including tumor-promoting and tumor-suppressing snoRNAs, are not only dysregulated in tumors but also show associations with clinical prognosis. In this review, we summarize the reported functions of snoRNAs and the possible mechanisms underlying their role in tumorigenesis and cancer development to guide the snoRNA-based clinical diagnosis and treatment of cancer in the future.
Benchmarking of analysis strategies for data-independent acquisition proteomics using a large-scale dataset comprising inter-patient heterogeneity
Authors: Fröhlich Klemens , Brombacher Eva , Fahrner Matthias , Vogele Daniel , Kook Lucas , Pinter Niko , Bronsert Peter , Timme-Bronsert Sylvia , Schmidt Alexander , Bärenfaller Katja , Kreutz Clemens , Schilling Oliver
Published: May 2022

Numerous software tools exist for data-independent acquisition (DIA) analysis of clinical samples, necessitating their comprehensive benchmarking. We present a benchmark dataset comprising real-world inter-patient heterogeneity, which we use for in-depth benchmarking of DIA data analysis workflows for clinical settings. Combining spectral libraries, DIA software, sparsity reduction, normalization, and statistical tests results in 1428 distinct data analysis workflows, which we evaluate based on their ability to correctly identify differentially abundant proteins. From our dataset, we derive bootstrap datasets of varying sample sizes and use the whole range of bootstrap datasets to robustly evaluate each workflow. We find that all DIA software suites benefit from using a gas-phase fractionated spectral library, irrespective of the library refinement used. Gas-phase fractionation-based libraries perform best against two out of three reference protein lists. Among all investigated statistical tests non-parametric permutation-based statistical tests consistently perform best.
Mechanical loading of intraluminal pressure mediates wound angiogenesis by regulating the TOCA family of F-BAR proteins
Authors: Yuge Shinya , Nishiyama Koichi , Arima Yuichiro , Hanada Yasuyuki , Oguri-Nakamura Eri , Hanada Sanshiro , Ishii Tomohiro , Wakayama Yuki , Hasegawa Urara , Tsujita Kazuya , Yokokawa Ryuji , Miura Takashi , Itoh Toshiki , Tsujita Kenichi , Mochizuki Naoki , Fukuhara Shigetomo
Published: May 2022

Angiogenesis is regulated in coordinated fashion by chemical and mechanical cues acting on endothelial cells (ECs). However, the mechanobiological mechanisms of angiogenesis remain unknown. Herein, we demonstrate a crucial role of blood flow-driven intraluminal pressure (IP) in regulating wound angiogenesis. During wound angiogenesis, blood flow-driven IP loading inhibits elongation of injured blood vessels located at sites upstream from blood flow, while downstream injured vessels actively elongate. In downstream injured vessels, F-BAR proteins, TOCA1 and CIP4, localize at leading edge of ECs to promote N-WASP-dependent Arp2/3 complex-mediated actin polymerization and front-rear polarization for vessel elongation. In contrast, IP loading expands upstream injured vessels and stretches ECs, preventing leading edge localization of TOCA1 and CIP4 to inhibit directed EC migration and vessel elongation. These data indicate that the TOCA family of F-BAR proteins are key actin regulatory proteins required for directed EC migration and sense mechanical cell stretching to regulate wound angiogenesis.
Diurnal changes in the efficiency of information transmission at a sensory synapse
Authors: Moya-Díaz José , James Ben , Esposti Federico , Johnston Jamie , Lagnado Leon
Published: May 2022

Neuromodulators adapt sensory circuits to changes in the external world or the animal’s internal state and synapses are key control sites for such plasticity. Less clear is how neuromodulation alters the amount of information transmitted through the circuit. We investigated this question in the context of the diurnal regulation of visual processing in the retina of zebrafish, focusing on ribbon synapses of bipolar cells. We demonstrate that contrast-sensitivity peaks in the afternoon accompanied by a four-fold increase in the average Shannon information transmitted from an active zone. This increase reflects higher synaptic gain, lower spontaneous “noise” and reduced variability of evoked responses. Simultaneously, an increase in the probability of multivesicular events with larger information content increases the efficiency of transmission (bits per vesicle) by factors of 1.5-2.7. This study demonstrates the multiplicity of mechanisms by which a neuromodulator can adjust the synaptic transfer of sensory information.
Dual-resolving of positional and geometric isomers of C=C bonds via bifunctional photocycloaddition-photoisomerization reaction system
Authors: Feng Guifang , Gao Ming , Wang Liwei , Chen Jiayi , Hou Menglu , Wan Qiongqiong , Lin Yun , Xu Guoyong , Qi Xiaotian , Chen Suming
Published: May 2022

The biological functions of lipids largely depend on their chemical structures. The position and configuration of C=C bonds are two of the essential attributes that determine the structures of unsaturated lipids. However, simultaneous identification of both attributes remains challenging. Here, we develop a bifunctional visible-light-activated photocycloaddition-photoisomerization reaction system, which enables the dual-resolving of the positional and geometric isomerism of C=C bonds in lipids when combines with liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The dual-pathway reaction mechanism is demonstrated by experiments and density functional theory calculations. Based on this bifunctional reaction system, a workflow of deep structural lipidomics is established, and allows the revealing of unique patterns of cis-trans-isomers in bacteria, as well as the tracking of C=C positional isomers changes in mouse brain ischemia. This study not only offers a powerful tool for deep lipid structural biology, but also provides a paradigm for developing the multifunctional visible-light-induced reaction.
Understanding the complementarities of surface-enhanced infrared and Raman spectroscopies in CO adsorption and electrochemical reduction
Authors: Chang Xiaoxia , Vijay Sudarshan , Zhao Yaran , Oliveira Nicholas J. , Chan Karen , Xu Bingjun
Published: May 2022

In situ/operando surface enhanced infrared and Raman spectroscopies are widely employed in electrocatalysis research to extract mechanistic information and establish structure-activity relations. However, these two spectroscopic techniques are more frequently employed in isolation than in combination, owing to the assumption that they provide largely overlapping information regarding reaction intermediates. Here we show that surface enhanced infrared and Raman spectroscopies tend to probe different subpopulations of adsorbates on weakly adsorbing surfaces while providing similar information on strongly binding surfaces by conducting both techniques on the same electrode surfaces, i.e., platinum, palladium, gold and oxide-derived copper, in tandem. Complementary density functional theory computations confirm that the infrared and Raman intensities do not necessarily track each other when carbon monoxide is adsorbed on different sites, given the lack of scaling between the derivatives of the dipole moment and the polarizability. Through a comparison of adsorbed carbon monoxide and water adsorption energies, we suggest that differences in the infrared vs. Raman responses amongst metal surfaces could stem from the competitive adsorption of water on weak binding metals. We further determined that only copper sites capable of adsorbing carbon monoxide in an atop configuration visible to the surface enhanced infrared spectroscopy are active in the electrochemical carbon monoxide reduction reaction.
Monte Carlo study of the pseudogap and superconductivity emerging from quantum magnetic fluctuations
Authors: Jiang Weilun , Liu Yuzhi , Klein Avraham , Wang Yuxuan , Sun Kai , Chubukov Andrey V. , Meng Zi Yang
Published: May 2022

The origin of the pseudogap behavior, found in many high-Tc superconductors, remains one of the greatest puzzles in condensed matter physics. One possible mechanism is fermionic incoherence, which near a quantum critical point allows pair formation but suppresses superconductivity. Employing quantum Monte Carlo simulations of a model of itinerant fermions coupled to ferromagnetic spin fluctuations, represented by a quantum rotor, we report numerical evidence of pseudogap behavior, emerging from pairing fluctuations in a quantum-critical non-Fermi liquid. Specifically, we observe enhanced pairing fluctuations and a partial gap opening in the fermionic spectrum. However, the system remains non-superconducting until reaching a much lower temperature. In the pseudogap regime the system displays a “gap-filling" rather than “gap-closing" behavior, similar to the one observed in cuprate superconductors. Our results present direct evidence of the pseudogap state, driven by superconducting fluctuations.
Constructing chemical stable 4-carboxyl-quinoline linked covalent organic frameworks via Doebner reaction for nanofiltration
Authors: Yang Yongliang , Yu Ling , Chu Tiancheng , Niu Hongyun , Wang Jun , Cai Yaqi
Published: May 2022

Covalent linkages are the key component of covalent organic frameworks (COFs). The development of stable and functional linkages is essential to expand the COFs family and broaden their application prospects. In this work, we report the synthesis of crystalline and chemical stable 4-carboxyl-quinoline linked COFs (QL-COFs) via Doebner reactions in both one-pot (OP) and post-synthetic modification (PSM) methods. Both methods can be universally applied to most of the reported imine COFs family via bottom-up construction or linkage conversion. Owing to the contractive pore size, more hydrophilic structure and better chemical stability than the conventional imine COFs endowed by 4-carboxyl-quinoline linkage, QL-COFs are supposed to possess a wider application range. We further demonstrate the nanofiltration membrane (NFM) based on QL-COF exhibited a desirable separation capacity with high rejection for small dye molecules (> 90%), high water permeance (850 L m−2 h−1 MPa−1) and tolerance of extreme conditions (1 M HCl/NaOH), which were benefitted from the enhanced properties of QL-COFs. Additionally, efficient ion sieving properties were also achieved by QL-COF membrane. We anticipate that this work opens up a way for the construction of robust and functional COFs materials for practical applications.
Direct synthesis of highly stretchable ceramic nanofibrous aerogels via 3D reaction electrospinning
Authors: Cheng Xiaota , Liu Yi-Tao , Si Yang , Yu Jianyong , Ding Bin
Published: May 2022

Ceramic aerogels are attractive for many applications due to their ultralow density, high porosity, and multifunctionality but are limited by the typical trade-off relationship between mechanical properties and thermal stability when used in extreme environments. In this work, we design and synthesize ceramic nanofibrous aerogels with three-dimensional (3D) interwoven crimped-nanofibre structures that endow the aerogels with superior mechanical performances and high thermal stability. These ceramic aerogels are synthesized by a direct and facile route, 3D reaction electrospinning. They display robust structural stability with structure-derived mechanical ultra-stretchability up to 100% tensile strain and superior restoring capacity up to 40% tensile strain, 95% bending strain and 60% compressive strain, high thermal stability from −196 to 1400 °C, repeatable stretchability at working temperatures up to 1300 °C, and a low thermal conductivity of 0.0228 W m−1 K−1 in air. This work would enable the innovative design of high-performance ceramic aerogels for various applications.
Accelerated identification of equilibrium structures of multicomponent inorganic crystals using machine learning potentials
Authors: Kang Sungwoo , Jeong Wonseok , Hong Changho , Hwang Seungwoo , Yoon Youngchae , Han Seungwu
Published: May 2022

The discovery of multicomponent inorganic compounds can provide direct solutions to scientific and engineering challenges, yet the vast uncharted material space dwarfs synthesis throughput. While the crystal structure prediction (CSP) may mitigate this frustration, the exponential complexity of CSP and expensive density functional theory (DFT) calculations prohibit material exploration at scale. Herein, we introduce SPINNER, a structure-prediction framework based on random and evolutionary searches. Harnessing speed and accuracy of neural network potentials (NNPs), the program navigates configurational spaces 102–103 times faster than DFT-based methods. Furthermore, SPINNER incorporates algorithms tuned for NNPs, achieving performances exceeding conventional algorithms. In blind tests on 60 ternary compositions, SPINNER identifies experimental (or theoretically more stable) phases for ~80% of materials. When benchmarked against data-mining or DFT-based evolutionary predictions, SPINNER identifies more stable phases in many cases. By developing a reliable and fast structure-prediction framework, this work paves the way to large-scale, open exploration of undiscovered inorganic crystals.
A smart ball sensor fabricated by laser kirigami of graphene for personalized long-term grip strength monitoring
Authors: Zhang Huiqing , Ding Xin , Zhang Xiongwen , Xu Feng
Published: May 2022

Grip strength is an important indicator of health conditions and needs to be monitored for health management. However, different populations (e.g., babies and rehabilitation patients) have different hand sizes and different levels of grip strengths, requiring a personalized sensor to monitor grip strength. In this paper, we developed a smart ball sensor by laser kirigami of graphene for personalized grip strength monitoring. To realize the rational utilization of space, a transparent pill shell embedding all electronic accessories is installed in the center of the ball sensor with a spiral-sensing unit fabricated by laser kirigami of graphene on the surface. Furthermore, we assessed the influence of contact area between hand and ball on grip strength using finite-element analysis (FEA), which was then considered in our results readout. The grip strength can be continuously read by a mobile phone in a wireless manner. The smart ball sensor demonstrated a high performance in vitro against gold-standard method in diseased and healthy subjects. It would be a powerful tool for personalized long-term monitoring of grip strength, especially suitable for specific populations such as babies and sensitive enough for samll grip strength.
Parkinson’s disease clinical milestones and mortality
Authors: Gonzalez Maria Camila , Dalen Ingvild , Maple-Grødem Jodi , Tysnes Ole-Bjørn , Alves Guido
Published: May 2022

Identification of factors predicting and driving mortality in PD is important for patient information, disease management, and design of future clinical trials. This study included newly diagnosed PD patients and normal controls (NC) from a population-based study with repeated assessments over a 10-year period. We used the Kaplan–Meier method to estimate survival, Cox proportional hazards regression models to identify baseline risk factors of mortality, and Cox regression models with time-dependent covariates to evaluate the impact of four clinical milestones of advanced PD (visual hallucinations, recurrent falls, dementia, and nursing home placement) on mortality risk. During the 10-year study, 65 (34.2%) of 190 patients and 25 (12.3%) of 203 NC died, with an unadjusted hazard ratio (HR) of 2.85 (95% CI 1.80–4.52) and a HR of 2.48 (95% CI 1.55–3.95) when adjusted for confounders, including comorbidities. Higher age, more severe motor impairment, and postural instability-gait difficulty (PIGD) phenotype were independent baseline predictors of mortality. Each clinical milestone alone more than doubled the risk of death and had a cumulative effect on mortality, with a HR of 10.83 (95% CI 4.39–26.73) in those experiencing all four milestones. PD patients have an increased mortality risk that is disease-related and becomes evident early during the course of the disease. While motor severity and PIGD phenotype were early risk factors of mortality, clinical milestones signaled a substantially increased risk of death later during the disease course, highlighting their potential significance in clinical disease staging and prognosis.
Transcriptome analysis of clock disrupted cancer cells reveals differential alternative splicing of cancer hallmarks genes
Authors: Malhan Deeksha , Basti Alireza , Relógio Angela
Published: May 2022

Emerging evidence points towards a regulatory role of the circadian clock in alternative splicing (AS). Whether alterations in core-clock components may contribute to differential AS events is largely unknown. To address this, we carried out a computational analysis on recently generated time-series RNA-seq datasets from three core-clock knockout (KO) genes (ARNTL, NR1D1, PER2) and WT of a colorectal cancer (CRC) cell line, and time-series RNA-seq datasets for additional CRC and Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) cells, murine WT, Arntl KO, and Nr1d1/2 KO, and murine SCN WT tissue. The deletion of individual core-clock genes resulted in the loss of circadian expression in crucial spliceosome components such as SF3A1 (in ARNTLKO), SNW1 (in NR1D1KO), and HNRNPC (in PER2KO), which led to a differential pattern of KO-specific AS events. All HCT116KO cells showed a rhythmicity loss of a crucial spliceosome gene U2AF1, which was also not rhythmic in higher progression stage CRC and HL cancer cells. AS analysis revealed an increase in alternative first exon events specific to PER2 and NR1D1 KO in HCT116 cells, and a KO-specific change in expression and rhythmicity pattern of AS transcripts related to cancer hallmarks genes including FGFR2 in HCT116_ARNTLKO, CD44 in HCT116_NR1D1KO, and MET in HCT116_PER2KO. KO-specific changes in rhythmic properties of known spliced variants of these genes (e.g. FGFR2 IIIb/FGFR2 IIIc) correlated with epithelial-mesenchymal-transition signalling. Altogether, our bioinformatic analysis highlights a role for the circadian clock in the regulation of AS, and reveals a potential impact of clock disruption in aberrant splicing in cancer hallmark genes.
Migratory and anti-fibrotic programmes define the regenerative potential of human cardiac progenitors
Authors: Poch Christine M. , Foo Kylie S. , De Angelis Maria Teresa , Jennbacken Karin , Santamaria Gianluca , Bähr Andrea , Wang Qing-Dong , Reiter Franziska , Hornaschewitz Nadja , Zawada Dorota , Bozoglu Tarik , My Ilaria , Meier Anna , Dorn Tatjana , Hege Simon , Lehtinen Miia L. , Tsoi Yat Long , Hovdal Daniel , Hyllner Johan , Schwarz Sascha , Sudhop Stefanie , Jurisch Victoria , Sini Marcella , Fellows Mick D. , Cummings Matthew , Clarke Jonathan , Baptista Ricardo , Eroglu Elif , Wolf Eckhard , Klymiuk Nikolai , Lu Kun , Tomasi Roland , Dendorfer Andreas , Gaspari Marco , Parrotta Elvira , Cuda Giovanni , Krane Markus , Sinnecker Daniel , Hoppmann Petra , Kupatt Christian , Fritsche-Danielson Regina , Moretti Alessandra , Chien Kenneth R. , Laugwitz Karl-Ludwig
Published: May 2022

Heart regeneration is an unmet clinical need, hampered by limited renewal of adult cardiomyocytes and fibrotic scarring. Pluripotent stem cell-based strategies are emerging, but unravelling cellular dynamics of host–graft crosstalk remains elusive. Here, by combining lineage tracing and single-cell transcriptomics in injured non-human primate heart biomimics, we uncover the coordinated action modes of human progenitor-mediated muscle repair. Chemoattraction via CXCL12/CXCR4 directs cellular migration to injury sites. Activated fibroblast repulsion targets fibrosis by SLIT2/ROBO1 guidance in organizing cytoskeletal dynamics. Ultimately, differentiation and electromechanical integration lead to functional restoration of damaged heart muscle. In vivo transplantation into acutely and chronically injured porcine hearts illustrated CXCR4-dependent homing, de novo formation of heart muscle, scar-volume reduction and prevention of heart failure progression. Concurrent endothelial differentiation contributed to graft neovascularization. Our study demonstrates that inherent developmental programmes within cardiac progenitors are sequentially activated in disease, enabling the cells to sense and counteract acute and chronic injury.
Comprehensive microRNA-seq transcriptomic profiling across 11 organs, 4 ages, and 2 sexes of Fischer 344 rats
Authors: Yao Xintong , Sun Shanyue , Zi Yi , Liu Yaqing , Yang Jingcheng , Ren Luyao , Chen Guangchun , Cao Zehui , Hou Wanwan , Song Yueqiang , Shang Jun , Jiang He , Li Zhihui , Wang Haiyan , Zhang Peipei , Shi Leming , Li Quan-Zhen , Yu Ying , Zheng Yuanting
Published: May 2022

Rat is one of the most widely-used models in chemical safety evaluation and biomedical research. However, the knowledge about its microRNA (miRNA) expression patterns across multiple organs and various developmental stages is still limited. Here, we constructed a comprehensive rat miRNA expression BodyMap using a diverse collection of 320 RNA samples from 11 organs of both sexes of juvenile, adolescent, adult and aged Fischer 344 rats with four biological replicates per group. Following the Illumina TruSeq Small RNA protocol, an average of 5.1 million 50 bp single-end reads was generated per sample, yielding a total of 1.6 billion reads. The quality of the resulting miRNA-seq data was deemed to be high from raw sequences, mapped sequences, and biological reproducibility. Importantly, aliquots of the same RNA samples have previously been used to construct the mRNA BodyMap. The currently presented miRNA-seq dataset along with the existing mRNA-seq dataset from the same RNA samples provides a unique resource for studying the expression characteristics of existing and novel miRNAs, and for integrative analysis of miRNA-mRNA interactions, thereby facilitating better utilization of rats for biomarker discovery.
QUaternary fault strain INdicators database - QUIN 1.0 - first release from the Apennines of central Italy
Authors: Lavecchia Giusy , Bello Simone , Andrenacci Carlo , Cirillo Daniele , Ferrarini Federica , Vicentini Noemi , de Nardis Rita , Roberts Gerald , Brozzetti Francesco
Published: May 2022

We present QUIN, a “QUaternary fault strain INdicators database”, designed to integrate and unify published and unpublished local-scale geological information and derive strain parameters for structural and seismotectonic analyses. It provides data on 3339 Fault Striation Pairs (FSP; fault plane and slickenline), distributed within 455 survey sites. These are exposed along the intra-Apennine Quaternary extensional faults of Central Italy. The area covers an extent of ~550 km in a NW-SE direction. We give information on FSP location, attitude and kinematics, and deformation axes. We also provide an original shapefile of the faults hosting the FSP. A large amount of homogeneously distributed Quaternary fault/slip data help to clarify and implement the contemporary geometric and kinematic deformation pattern of Central Italy that appears scattered and incomplete whenever exclusively derived from earthquake data. The high-density of structural data can help investigate stress pattern heterogeneities at local scales, with relevance for new generations of hazard assessment evaluation and a better understanding of rupture propagation and related barriers.