bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental Constraints on Magma Storage Conditions of Two Caldera‐Forming Eruptions at Towada Volcano, Japan
Authors: Nakatani Takayuki , Kudo Takashi , Suzuki Toshihiro
Published: May 2022

Towada volcano is an active volcano in northeast Japan, that caused two large caldera‐forming eruptions at 36 ka (episode N) and 15.5 ka (episode L). Petrological analyses and phase equilibrium experiments were performed on silicic endmember rhyolitic pumices from these two eruptions to constrain the pre‐eruptive magma storage conditions. A common mineral assemblage of plagioclase + orthopyroxene + clinopyroxene + magnetite + ilmenite was observed in both eruptions, whereas amphibole (hornblende) was observed only in the episode L pumice. Mineral thermometers presented temperatures of 832–883°C and 802–870°C for the episode N and L pumices, respectively, with an oxygen fugacity of ∼nickel–nickel oxide (NNO) + 1 in log units. The water‐saturation pressures evaluated using the plagioclase‐melt hygrometer were in the range of ∼100–200 MPa. Experiments at 100–350 MPa and 825–900°C under water‐saturated and NNO‐buffered conditions successfully reproduced the mineral assemblages in both pumices, except for magnetite. Further constraints by phase compositions and phase proportions resulted in the preferred storage conditions of 840–850°C and 150–170 MPa for both eruptions. The emergence of hornblende in the episode L magma was likely caused by the higher CaO content compared to the episode N magma and not by the difference in the storage conditions. The storage depths at ∼5–7 km coincide with the depth of the low seismic velocity beneath the present Towada volcano, suggesting possible magma accumulation at the same depths as in the past caldera‐forming eruptions.
Oxidized and Reduced Sulfur Observed by the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) Instrument Suite on the Curiosity Rover Within the Glen Torridon Region at Gale Crater, Mars
Authors: Wong Gregory M. , Franz Heather B. , Clark Joanna V. , McAdam Amy C. , Lewis James M. T. , Millan Maëva , Ming Douglas W. , Gomez Felipe , Clark Benton , Eigenbrode Jennifer L. , Navarro‐González Rafael , House Christopher H.
Published: May 2022

The Mars Science Laboratory (MSL) Curiosity rover has been assessing the habitability and geologic history of Gale crater, Mars since landing in 2012. One of the primary objectives of the mission was to investigate a clay‐bearing unit identified using orbital spectral data, designated the Glen Torridon (GT) region. This region was of particular interest because of its elevated abundance of clay minerals that may have preserved geochemical evidence of ancient habitable environments. The Curiosity rover explored the GT region for ∼750 sols and analyzed eight drilled samples with the Sample Analysis at Mars (SAM) instrument suite using evolved gas analysis‐mass spectrometry. Evolved sulfur‐bearing gases provided insight about the composition of sulfur‐containing compounds in Martian samples. Evolved gases were analyzed by three methods to understand the oxidation state of sulfur in the samples: (a) SO2 evolution temperature, (b) quadratic discriminant analysis comparing SAM data to SAM‐like laboratory investigations, and (c) sulfur isotope values from evolved 34SO2/32SO2. The results of these three methods were consistent with the majority of sulfur in the GT region being in an oxidized state, but two of the eight samples analyzed by SAM were consistent with the presence of small amounts of reduced sulfur. The oxidized and reduced sulfur could have a variety of sources and represents a nonequilibrium assemblage that could have supported putative ancient chemolithotrophic metabolisms.
Magnetic Field Above Stratified Earth in Magnetic Loop Through‐the‐Earth Wireless Communications
Authors: Yan Lincan , Reyes Miguel
Published: May 2022

Evaluation of the very‐low frequency, ultralow frequency, or extremely low frequency magnetic field (H‐field) due to a buried or on‐surface magnetic dipole or antenna is important for applications such as geophysical exploration and through‐the‐Earth (TTE) wireless communications. In this study, we develop an explicit form of magnetic field over multi‐layer Earth medium (N > 3). The generalized solution is derived for operating frequency, mine depth, and Earth conductivity that would be typically related to TTE applications.
Inter‐Basin Transfers Extend the Benefits of Water From Forests to Population Centers Across the Conterminous U.S.
Authors: Liu Ning , Dobbs G. Rebecca , Caldwell Peter V. , Miniat Chelcy Ford , Sun Ge , Duan Kai , Nelson Stacy A. C. , Bolstad Paul V. , Carlson Christopher P.
Published: May 2022

Clean water from forests is commonly used to supply drinking water to communities both within and outside basin boundaries through inter‐basin transfers (IBTs). Here, we modified the Water Supply Stress Index (WaSSI) model to provide estimates of mean water yield and the proportion of mean flow originating on forested lands at the 12‐Digit Hydrologic Unit Code scale across the conterminous United States (CONUS). We accounted for the benefits of forests for drinking water supply and receiving populations through IBTs by incorporating a new IBT database, surface intake location information for public drinking water systems, and modeled water yield from forests. We compiled the new database of 594 IBTs ranging from 0.01 million m3 yr−1 to 8,900 million m3 yr−1, for a total transferred volume of 116,894 million m3 yr−1. According to our results, forested lands comprised 28.7% of the total land area across CONUS, but contributed 46% of the total surface water yield. Approximately 125.5 million people derived more than 10% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands, and 83.1 million people received more than 50% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands. Of those 83.1 million people receiving more than 50% of their surface drinking water supply from forested lands, 19.4 million people obtained some (≥0.01%) of that water through IBTs. We conclude that accounting for IBTs is critical to accurately assess the contribution of forested watersheds for surface drinking water supply. Hydrologic models for assessment and decision making must include IBTs to fully account for the effects of climate change and human population dynamics on water resource availability at watershed to regional scales. Results from this study can aid water resource and forest managers in developing integrated watershed management plans at a time when climate change, population growth, and land use change threaten water supplies.
Short Chorus Wave Packets: Generation Within Chorus Elements, Statistics, and Consequences on Energetic Electron Precipitation
Authors: Mourenas D. , Zhang X.‐J. , Nunn D. , Artemyev A. V. , Angelopoulos V. , Tsai E. , Wilkins C.
Published: May 2022

Short and intense lower‐band chorus wave packets are ubiquitous in the Earth's outer radiation belt. In this article, we perform various Vlasov hybrid simulations, with one or two triggering waves, to study the generation of short chorus packets/subpackets inside long rising tone elements. We show that the length of the generated short wave packets is consistent with a criterion of resonance non‐overlap for two independent superposed waves, and that these chorus packets have similar characteristics as in Van Allen Probes observations. We find that short wave packets are mainly formed near the middle/end of long rising tones for moderate linear growth rates, and everywhere for stronger linear growth rates. Finally, we analyze an event characterized by Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms spacecraft measurements of chorus rising tones near the equator and simultaneous measurements by low altitude ELFIN CubeSats of precipitating and trapped electron fluxes in the same sector. The measured precipitating electron fluxes are well recovered by test particle simulations performed using measured plasma and wave properties. We show that short chorus wave packets of moderate amplitudes (160–250 pT) essentially lead to a more diffusive‐like transport of 50–200 keV electrons toward the loss cone than long packets. In contrast, long chorus packets are found to produce important nonlinear effects via anomalous trapping, which significantly reduces electron precipitation below 150 keV, especially for higher wave amplitudes.
Water Vapor on Mars: A Refined Climatology and Constraints on the Near‐Surface Concentration Enabled by Synergistic Retrievals
Authors: Knutsen Elise W. , Montmessin Franck , Verdier Loïc , Lacombe Gaétan , Lefèvre Franck , Ferron Stéphane , Giuranna Marco , Wolkenberg Paulina , Fedorova Anna , Trokhimovskiy Alexander , Korablev Oleg
Published: May 2022

With the utilization of a novel synergistic approach, we constrain the vertical distribution of water vapor on Mars with measurements from nadir‐pointing instruments. Water vapor column abundances were retrieved simultaneously with PFS (sensing the thermal infrared range) and SPICAM (sensing the near‐infrared range) on Mars Express, yielding distinct yet complementary sensitivity to different parts of the atmospheric column. We show that by exploiting a spectral synergy retrieval approach, we obtain more accurate water vapor column abundances compared to when only one instrument is used, providing a new and highly robust reference climatology from Mars Express. We present a composite global data set covering all seasons and latitudes, assembled from colocated observations sampled from seven Martian years. The synergy also offers a way to study the vertical partitioning of water, which has remained out of the scope of nadir observations made by single instruments covering a single spectral interval. Special attention is given to the north polar region, with extra focus on the sublimation of the seasonal polar cap during the late spring and summer seasons. Column abundances from the Mars Climate Database were found to be significantly higher than synergistically retrieved values, especially in the summer Northern Hemisphere. Deviations between synergy and model in both magnitude and meridional variation of the vertical confinement were also discovered, suggesting that certain aspects of the transport and dynamics of water vapor are not fully captured by current models.
The Impact of Freeze‐Thaw History on Soil Carbon Response to Experimental Freeze‐Thaw Cycles
Authors: Rooney Erin C. , Bailey Vanessa L. , Patel Kaizad F. , Possinger Angela R. , Gallo Adrian C. , Bergmann Maya , SanClements Michael , Lybrand Rebecca A.
Published: May 2022

Freeze‐thaw is a disturbance process in cold regions where permafrost soils are becoming vulnerable to temperature fluctuations above 0°C. Freeze‐thaw alters soil physical and biogeochemical properties with implications for carbon persistence and emissions in Arctic landscapes. We examined whether different freeze‐thaw histories in two soil systems led to contrasting biogeochemical responses under a laboratory‐controlled freeze‐thaw incubation. We investigated controls on carbon composition through Fourier‐transform ion cyclotron resonance mass spectrometry (FT‐ICR‐MS) to identify nominal carbon oxidation states and relative abundances of aliphatic‐type carbon molecules in both surface and subsurface soils. Soil cores (∼60 cm‐depth) were sampled from two sites in Alaskan permafrost landscapes with different in situ freeze‐thaw characteristics: Healy (>40 freeze‐thaw cycles annually) and Toolik (<15 freeze‐thaw cycles annually). FT‐ICR‐MS was coupled with in situ temperature data and soil properties (i.e., soil texture, mineralogy) to assess (a) differences in soil organic matter composition associated with previous freeze‐thaw history and (b) sensitivity to experimental freeze‐thaw in the extracted cores. Control (freeze‐only) samples showed greater carbon oxidation in Healy soils compared with Toolik, even in lower mineral horizons where freeze‐thaw history was comparable across both sites. Healy showed the most loss of carbon compounds following experimental freeze‐thaw in the lower mineral depths, including a decrease in aliphatics. Toolik soils responded more slowly to freeze‐thaw as shown by intermediary carbon oxidation distributed across multiple carbon compound classes. Variations in the response of permafrost carbon chemistry to freeze‐thaw is an important factor for predicting changes in soil function as permafrost thaws in high northern latitudes.
Pancharatnam–Berry phase reversal via opposite-chirality-coexisted superstructures
Authors: Zhu Lin , Xu Chun-Ting , Chen Peng , Zhang Yi-Heng , Liu Si-Jia , Chen Quan-Ming , Ge Shi-Jun , Hu Wei , Lu Yan-Qing
Published: May 2022

Recently discovered reflective Pancharatnam–Berry phase (PB phase) from chiral anisotropic media (e.g., cholesteric liquid crystal, CLC) has aroused great interest in the emerging frontier of planar optics. However, the single chirality of common CLCs results in the intrinsic limitation of the same spin-selective PB phase manipulation, which means the reversal of the input spin cannot realize the conjugated PB phase. In this work, an innovative scheme based on opposite-chirality-coexisted superstructures is proposed to simultaneously modulate orthogonal circular polarization and get PB phase reversal. Through refilling CLC into a washed-out polymer network with opposite chirality and delicate photo-patterned structures, reflective optical vortex (OV) with opposite topological charges and vector beams with conjugated spiral PB phases are efficiently generated depending on the incident polarization. Furthermore, OV holograms are encoded to reconstruct polarization-selective OV arrays, indicating the strong capability of such opposite-chirality-coexisted anisotropic media. This work provides a new compact platform for planar optics, and sheds light on the architectures and functionalities of chiral superstructures.
Genome-wide tandem repeat expansions contribute to schizophrenia risk
Authors: Mojarad Bahareh A. , Engchuan Worrawat , Trost Brett , Backstrom Ian , Yin Yue , Thiruvahindrapuram Bhooma , Pallotto Linda , Mitina Aleksandra , Khan Mahreen , Pellecchia Giovanna , Haque Bushra , Guo Keyi , Heung Tracy , Costain Gregory , Scherer Stephen W. , Marshall Christian R. , Pearson Christopher E. , Bassett Anne S. , Yuen Ryan K. C.
Published: May 2022

Tandem repeat expansions (TREs) can cause neurological diseases but their impact in schizophrenia is unclear. Here we analyzed genome sequences of adults with schizophrenia and found that they have a higher burden of TREs that are near exons and rare in the general population, compared with non-psychiatric controls. These TREs are disproportionately found at loci known to be associated with schizophrenia from genome-wide association studies, in individuals with clinically-relevant genetic variants at other schizophrenia loci, and in families where multiple individuals have schizophrenia. We showed that rare TREs in schizophrenia may impact synaptic functions by disrupting the splicing process of their associated genes in a loss-of-function manner. Our findings support the involvement of genome-wide rare TREs in the polygenic nature of schizophrenia.
Large differences in carbohydrate degradation and transport potential among lichen fungal symbionts
Authors: Resl Philipp , Bujold Adina R. , Tagirdzhanova Gulnara , Meidl Peter , Freire Rallo Sandra , Kono Mieko , Fernández-Brime Samantha , Guðmundsson Hörður , Andrésson Ólafur Sigmar , Muggia Lucia , Mayrhofer Helmut , McCutcheon John P. , Wedin Mats , Werth Silke , Willis Lisa M. , Spribille Toby
Published: May 2022

Lichen symbioses are thought to be stabilized by the transfer of fixed carbon from a photosynthesizing symbiont to a fungus. In other fungal symbioses, carbohydrate subsidies correlate with reductions in plant cell wall-degrading enzymes, but whether this is true of lichen fungal symbionts (LFSs) is unknown. Here, we predict genes encoding carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZymes) and sugar transporters in 46 genomes from the Lecanoromycetes, the largest extant clade of LFSs. All LFSs possess a robust CAZyme arsenal including enzymes acting on cellulose and hemicellulose, confirmed by experimental assays. However, the number of genes and predicted functions of CAZymes vary widely, with some fungal symbionts possessing arsenals on par with well-known saprotrophic fungi. These results suggest that stable fungal association with a phototroph does not in itself result in fungal CAZyme loss, and lends support to long-standing hypotheses that some lichens may augment fixed CO2 with carbon from external sources.
Chiral self-assembly of cellulose nanocrystals is driven by crystallite bundles
Authors: Parton Thomas G. , Parker Richard M. , van de Kerkhof Gea T. , Narkevicius Aurimas , Haataja Johannes S. , Frka-Petesic Bruno , Vignolini Silvia
Published: May 2022

The transfer of chirality across length-scales is an intriguing and universal natural phenomenon. However, connecting the properties of individual building blocks to the emergent features of their resulting large-scale structure remains a challenge. In this work, we investigate the origins of mesophase chirality in cellulose nanocrystal suspensions, whose self-assembly into chiral photonic films has attracted significant interest. By correlating the ensemble behaviour in suspensions and films with a quantitative morphological analysis of the individual nanoparticles, we reveal an inverse relationship between the cholesteric pitch and the abundance of laterally-bound composite particles. These ‘bundles’ thus act as colloidal chiral dopants, analogous to those used in molecular liquid crystals, providing the missing link in the hierarchical transfer of chirality from the molecular to the colloidal scale.
Molecular insights into biogenesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor proteins
Authors: Xu Yidan , Jia Guowen , Li Tingting , Zhou Zixuan , Luo Yitian , Chao Yulin , Bao Juan , Su Zhaoming , Qu Qianhui , Li Dianfan
Published: May 2022

Eukaryotic cells are coated with an abundance of glycosylphosphatidylinositol anchor proteins (GPI-APs) that play crucial roles in fertilization, neurogenesis, and immunity. The removal of a hydrophobic signal peptide and covalent attachment of GPI at the new carboxyl terminus are catalyzed by an endoplasmic reticulum membrane GPI transamidase complex (GPI-T) conserved among all eukaryotes. Here, we report the cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of the human GPI-T at a global 2.53-Å resolution, revealing an equimolar heteropentameric assembly. Structure-based mutagenesis suggests a legumain-like mechanism for the recognition and cleavage of proprotein substrates, and an endogenous GPI in the structure defines a composite cavity for the lipid substrate. This elongated active site, stemming from the membrane and spanning an additional ~22-Å space toward the catalytic dyad, is structurally suited for both substrates which feature an amphipathic pattern that matches this geometry. Our work presents an important step towards the mechanistic understanding of GPI-AP biosynthesis.
Signal transduction in light-oxygen-voltage receptors lacking the active-site glutamine
Authors: Dietler Julia , Gelfert Renate , Kaiser Jennifer , Borin Veniamin , Renzl Christian , Pilsl Sebastian , Ranzani Américo Tavares , García de Fuentes Andrés , Gleichmann Tobias , Diensthuber Ralph P. , Weyand Michael , Mayer Günter , Schapiro Igor , Möglich Andreas
Published: May 2022

In nature as in biotechnology, light-oxygen-voltage photoreceptors perceive blue light to elicit spatiotemporally defined cellular responses. Photon absorption drives thioadduct formation between a conserved cysteine and the flavin chromophore. An equally conserved, proximal glutamine processes the resultant flavin protonation into downstream hydrogen-bond rearrangements. Here, we report that this glutamine, long deemed essential, is generally dispensable. In its absence, several light-oxygen-voltage receptors invariably retained productive, if often attenuated, signaling responses. Structures of a light-oxygen-voltage paradigm at around 1 Å resolution revealed highly similar light-induced conformational changes, irrespective of whether the glutamine is present. Naturally occurring, glutamine-deficient light-oxygen-voltage receptors likely serve as bona fide photoreceptors, as we showcase for a diguanylate cyclase. We propose that without the glutamine, water molecules transiently approach the chromophore and thus propagate flavin protonation downstream. Signaling without glutamine appears intrinsic to light-oxygen-voltage receptors, which pertains to biotechnological applications and suggests evolutionary descendance from redox-active flavoproteins.
Electromagnetic wave-based extreme deep learning with nonlinear time-Floquet entanglement
Authors: Momeni Ali , Fleury Romain
Published: May 2022

Wave-based analog signal processing holds the promise of extremely fast, on-the-fly, power-efficient data processing, occurring as a wave propagates through an artificially engineered medium. Yet, due to the fundamentally weak non-linearities of traditional electromagnetic materials, such analog processors have been so far largely confined to simple linear projections such as image edge detection or matrix multiplications. Complex neuromorphic computing tasks, which inherently require strong non-linearities, have so far remained out-of-reach of wave-based solutions, with a few attempts that implemented non-linearities on the digital front, or used weak and inflexible non-linear sensors, restraining the learning performance. Here, we tackle this issue by demonstrating the relevance of time-Floquet physics to induce a strong non-linear entanglement between signal inputs at different frequencies, enabling a power-efficient and versatile wave platform for analog extreme deep learning involving a single, uniformly modulated dielectric layer and a scattering medium. We prove the efficiency of the method for extreme learning machines and reservoir computing to solve a range of challenging learning tasks, from forecasting chaotic time series to the simultaneous classification of distinct datasets. Our results open the way for optical wave-based machine learning with high energy efficiency, speed and scalability.
Medial packing and elastic asymmetry stabilize the double-gyroid in block copolymers
Authors: Reddy Abhiram , Dimitriyev Michael S. , Grason Gregory M.
Published: May 2022

Triply-periodic networks are among the most complex and functionally valuable self-assembled morphologies, yet they form in nearly every class of biological and synthetic soft matter building blocks. In contrast to simpler assembly motifs – spheres, cylinders, layers – networks require molecules to occupy variable local environments, confounding attempts to understand their formation. Here, we examine the double-gyroid network phase by using a geometric formulation of the strong stretching theory of block copolymer melts, a prototypical soft self-assembly system. The theory establishes the direct link between molecular packing, assembly thermodynamics and the medial map, a generic measure of the geometric center of complex shapes. We show that “medial packing” is essential for stability of double-gyroid in strongly-segregated melts, reconciling a long-standing contradiction between infinite- and finite-segregation theories. Additionally, we find a previously unrecognized non-monotonic dependence of network stability on the relative entropic elastic stiffness of matrix-forming to tubular-network forming blocks. The composition window of stable double-gyroid widens for both large and small elastic asymmetry, contradicting intuitive notions that packing frustration is localized to the tubular domains. This study demonstrates the utility of optimized medial tessellations for understanding soft-molecular assembly and packing frustration via an approach that is readily generalizable far beyond gyroids in neat block copolymers.
Pathologic complete response and survival after neoadjuvant chemotherapy in cT1-T2/N0 HER2+ breast cancer
Authors: An Selena J. , Duchesneau Emilie D. , Strassle Paula D. , Reeder-Hayes Katherine , Gallagher Kristalyn K. , Ollila David W. , Downs-Canner Stephanie M. , Spanheimer Philip M.
Published: May 2022

Women with small HER2+ breast cancers may have excellent prognosis with adjuvant single-agent chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy. The role of de-escalated therapy in the neoadjuvant setting, however, remains uncertain. We conducted a cohort study of adult women with T1-2/cN0 HER2+ breast cancer diagnosed 2013–2016 in the National Cancer Database treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NAC) and HER2-targeted therapy. Factors associated with pathologic complete response (pCR) and overall survival were examined. In total, 6994 patients were included, 32% cT1 and 68% cT2. Multi-agent NAC was given to 90% of women while single-agent NAC was given to 10% of women. pCR was achieved in 46% of cT2 patients and 43% of cT1, and in 46% of patients treated with multi-agent versus 38% single agent. Patients receiving multi-agent chemotherapy were younger, had fewer comorbidities, and had higher cT stage and grade. In all patients, pCR was associated with improved survival (p < 0.01). Multi-agent chemotherapy (OR 1.3, p = 0.003), hormone receptor negative (OR 2.6, p < 0.001), higher grade (OR 2.2, p < 0.001), younger age (OR 1.4, p = 0.011), and later year of diagnosis (OR 1.3, p = 0.005) were associated with achieving pCR. Multi-agent chemotherapy was associated with higher likelihood of pCR, but this effect was modest compared to other factors. Single-agent NAC with HER2-directed therapy in selected patients may provide excellent outcome with reduced toxicity, while allowing escalated therapy in the adjuvant setting for patients with residual disease. Prospective studies are needed to determine effects of de-escalation in the neoadjuvant setting on survival and optimal selection strategies.
Mechanisms of the epitaxial growth of two-dimensional polycrystals
Authors: Dong Jichen , Liu Yunqi , Ding Feng
Published: May 2022

In the epitaxial growth of two-dimensional (2D) materials on substrates, 2D polycrystals with various shapes have been broadly observed, but their formation mechanisms are still highly elusive. Here we present a complete study on the formation mechanisms of various 2D polycrystals. The structures of the 2D polycrystals are dependent on the symmetries of both the 2D material and the substrate. We build four complete libraries of 2D polycrystals for (i) threefold symmetric 2D materials on two- or six-fold symmetric substrates (i.e., family-III/II or -III/VI), (ii) threefold symmetric 2D materials on fourfold symmetric substrates (i.e. family-III/IV), (iii) fourfold symmetric 2D materials on three- or six-fold symmetric substrates (i.e., family-IV/III or -IV/VI), and (iv) sixfold symmetric 2D materials on fourfold symmetric substrates (i.e., family-VI/IV), respectively. The four libraries of 2D polycrystals are consistent with many existing experimental observations and can be used to guide the experimental synthesis of various 2D polycrystals.
Antimicrobial enhancement via Cerium (II)/Lanthanum (III)‐doped TiO2 for emergency leak sealing polyurea coating system
Authors: Li Yuanzhe , Fang Cong , Zhuang Wei-Qin , Wang Haojing , Wang Xueli
Published: May 2022

Industrial piping structures often suffer from corrosion caused by biofouling or chemical etching, which can cause immediate structural failure. Polyurea coatings, which are fabricated for emergency leak sealing, are able to form high mechanical strength coating surfaces within seconds. After its further modification via Ce/La-doped TiO2, the polyurea coating will indicate an increment in mechanical strength, chemical durability, and reduction of microbial attachment. Due to the adsorption by the Ce/La-doped TiO2 and generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), E. coli and Pseudomonas may lose their living conditions during the progress, and planktonic bacteria cells are prevented from enriching on the surface. The Ce/La‐dopants can also improve the original photocatalytic response of nano-TiO2 to UV light and environmental temperature. These Ce/La-doped TiO2 polyurea coatings illustrate an immediate application for emergency leak sealing purposes without any production interruption and it may prolong the time intervals for the maintenance service as well.
Neuropathology of Parkinson’s disease after focused ultrasound thalamotomy
Authors: Koga Shunsuke , Ishaque Mariam , Jeffrey Elias W. , Shah Binit B. , Murakami Aya , Dickson Dennis W.
Published: May 2022

Focused ultrasound (FUS) thalamotomy is an emerging treatment for tremor-dominant Parkinson’s disease (PD). We report the first postmortem neuropathologic study of FUS thalamotomy in a 68-year-old man with tremor-dominant PD, which was performed seven months before he died. Although the peak voxel temperature at the target was <54 °C, his tremor improved on intraoperative and postoperative assessments. Additionally, postoperative MRI demonstrated a thalamic lesion. Lewy body-related pathology consistent with PD was detected. There was also a 5-mm lesion in the ventral lateral thalamus characterized by demyelination and neuropil loss, with many lipid-laden macrophages, but no lymphocytic infiltrates and relatively preserved neurons and axons. Additional pathological assessments after FUS thalamotomy are needed to determine if the observed brain changes are typical of this procedure.
Quantum Fisher information measurement and verification of the quantum Cramér–Rao bound in a solid-state qubit
Authors: Yu Min , Liu Yu , Yang Pengcheng , Gong Musang , Cao Qingyun , Zhang Shaoliang , Liu Haibin , Heyl Markus , Ozawa Tomoki , Goldman Nathan , Cai Jianming
Published: May 2022

The quantum Cramér–Rao bound sets a fundamental limit on the accuracy of unbiased parameter estimation in quantum systems, relating the uncertainty in determining a parameter to the inverse of the quantum Fisher information. We experimentally demonstrate near saturation of the quantum Cramér–Rao bound in the phase estimation of a solid-state spin system, provided by a nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond. This is achieved by comparing the experimental uncertainty in phase estimation with an independent measurement of the related quantum Fisher information. The latter is independently extracted from coherent dynamical responses of the system under weak parametric modulations, without performing any quantum-state tomography. While optimal parameter estimation has already been observed for quantum devices involving a limited number of degrees of freedom, our method offers a versatile and powerful experimental tool to explore the Cramér–Rao bound and the quantum Fisher information in systems of higher complexity, as relevant for quantum technologies.
Reconfigurable continuously-coupled 3D photonic circuit for Boson Sampling experiments
Authors: Hoch Francesco , Piacentini Simone , Giordani Taira , Tian Zhen-Nan , Iuliano Mariagrazia , Esposito Chiara , Camillini Anita , Carvacho Gonzalo , Ceccarelli Francesco , Spagnolo Nicolò , Crespi Andrea , Sciarrino Fabio , Osellame Roberto
Published: May 2022

Boson Sampling is a computational paradigm representing one of the most viable and pursued approaches to demonstrate the regime of quantum advantage. Recent results have shown significant technological leaps in single-photon generation and detection, leading to progressively larger instances of Boson Sampling experiments in different photonic systems. However, a crucial requirement for a fully-fledged platform solving this problem is the capability of implementing large-scale interferometers, that must simultaneously exhibit low losses, high degree of reconfigurability and the realization of arbitrary transformations. In this work, we move a step forward in this direction by demonstrating the adoption of a compact and reconfigurable 3D-integrated platform for photonic Boson Sampling. We perform 3- and 4-photon experiments by using such platform, showing the possibility of programming the circuit to implement a large number of unitary transformations. These results show that such compact and highly-reconfigurable layout can be scaled up to experiments with larger number of photons and modes, and can provide a viable direction for hybrid computing with photonic processors.
Intrinsic epigenetic control of angiogenesis in induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelium regulates vascular regeneration
Authors: Macklin Bria L. , Lin Ying-Yu , Emmerich Kevin , Wisniewski Emily , Polster Brian M. , Konstantopoulos Konstantinos , Mumm Jeff S. , Gerecht Sharon
Published: May 2022

Human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived endothelial cells (iECs) provide opportunities to study vascular development and regeneration, develop cardiovascular therapeutics, and engineer model systems for drug screening. The differentiation and characterization of iECs are well established; however, the mechanisms governing their angiogenic phenotype remain unknown. Here, we aimed to determine the angiogenic phenotype of iECs and the regulatory mechanism controlling their regenerative capacity. In a comparative study with HUVECs, we show that iECs increased expression of vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (VEGFR2) mediates their highly angiogenic phenotype via regulation of glycolysis enzymes, filopodia formation, VEGF mediated migration, and robust sprouting. We find that the elevated expression of VEGFR2 is epigenetically regulated via intrinsic acetylation of histone 3 at lysine 27 by histone acetyltransferase P300. Utilizing a zebrafish xenograft model, we demonstrate that the ability of iECs to promote the regeneration of the amputated fin can be modulated by P300 activity. These findings demonstrate how the innate epigenetic status of iECs regulates their phenotype with implications for their therapeutic potential.
Assembly-defective Tembusu virus ectopically expressing capsid protein is an approach for live-attenuated flavivirus vaccine development
Authors: He Yu , Guo Jiaqi , Wang Xiaoli , Zhang Senzhao , Mao Li , Hu Tao , Wang Mingshu , Jia Renyong , Zhu Dekang , Liu Mafeng , Zhao Xinxin , Yang Qiao , Wu Ying , Zhang Shaqiu , Huang Juan , Mao Sai , Ou Xumin , Gao Qun , Sun Di , Cheng Anchun , Chen Shun
Published: May 2022

Live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs) represent a promising approach for flavivirus vaccine development. In the present study, we demonstrated a method for generating flavivirus LAVs based on breaking spatially and temporally regulated C-prM cleavage to disturb the viral assembly process, using an avian flavivirus (Tembusu virus) as the model. Using reverse genetics technology, we successfully generated two recombinant viruses (CQW1-IRES-mC and CQW1-MINI-mC) with bicistronic genomic RNA in which native capsid genes were deleted and instead expressed in the 3’UTR under the control of an internal ribosome entry site (IRES) or minimum IRES. Both viruses showed a significantly attenuated phenotype in vitro due to impaired viral assembly, and the engineered mutations were genetically stable in vitro within ten passages. Importantly, their virulence was also highly attenuated in ducklings and suckling mice and did not cause any overt clinical symptoms or mortality. In addition, a single dose of immunization with any of these mutant viruses could completely protect ducklings from a lethal challenge, and no viremia was detected after immunization and challenge, even though the viruses induced a relatively moderate immune response in terms of the T-lymphocytes proliferative response and the level of neutralization antibodies compared with that obtained with the wild-type virus. Besides, a recombinant virus ectopically expressing the prM-E protein was also generated in the present study, but this virus was too attenuated with severely decreased proliferation. Our results indicated that the use of a recombinant flavivirus that ectopically expresses structural proteins could be an effective and universal method for flavivirus LAVs development.
Allorecognition genes drive reproductive isolation in Podospora anserina
Authors: Ament-Velásquez S. Lorena , Vogan Aaron A. , Granger-Farbos Alexandra , Bastiaans Eric , Martinossi-Allibert Ivain , Saupe Sven J. , de Groot Suzette , Lascoux Martin , Debets Alfons J. M. , Clavé Corinne , Johannesson Hanna
Published: May 2022

Allorecognition, the capacity to discriminate self from conspecific non-self, is a ubiquitous organismal feature typically governed by genes evolving under balancing selection. Here, we show that in the fungus Podospora anserina, allorecognition loci controlling vegetative incompatibility (het genes), define two reproductively isolated groups through pleiotropic effects on sexual compatibility. These two groups emerge from the antagonistic interactions of the unlinked loci het-r (encoding a NOD-like receptor) and het-v (encoding a methyltransferase and an MLKL/HeLo domain protein). Using a combination of genetic and ecological data, supported by simulations, we provide a concrete and molecularly defined example whereby the origin and coexistence of reproductively isolated groups in sympatry is driven by pleiotropic genes under balancing selection.
Light-induced activation of boron doping in hydrogenated amorphous silicon for over 25% efficiency silicon solar cells
Authors: Liu Wenzhu , Shi Jianhua , Zhang Liping , Han Anjun , Huang Shenglei , Li Xiaodong , Peng Jun , Yang Yuhao , Gao Yajun , Yu Jian , Jiang Kai , Yang Xinbo , Li Zhenfei , Zhao Wenjie , Du Junlin , Song Xin , Yin Jun , Wang Jie , Yu Youlin , Shi Qiang , Ma Zhixin , Zhang Haichuan , Ling Jiajia , Xu Lujia , Kang Jingxuan , Xu Fuzong , Liu Jiang , Liu Hanyuan , Xie Yi , Meng Fanying , De Wolf Stefaan , Laquai Frédéric , Di Zengfeng , Liu Zhengxin
Published: May 2022

Recent achievements in amorphous/crystalline silicon heterojunction (SHJ) solar cells and perovskite/SHJ tandem solar cells place hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) at the forefront of photovoltaics. Due to the extremely low effective doping efficiency of trivalent boron in amorphous tetravalent silicon, light harvesting of aforementioned devices is limited by their fill factors (FFs), a direct metric of the charge carrier transport. It is challenging but crucial to develop highly conductive doped a-Si:H with minimal FF losses. Here we report that light soaking can efficiently boost the dark conductance of boron-doped a-Si:H thin films. Light induces diffusion and hopping of weakly bound hydrogen atoms, which activates boron doping. The effect is reversible and the dark conductivity decreases over time when the solar cell is no longer illuminated. By implementing this effect to SHJ solar cells, we achieved a certified total-area power conversion efficiency of 25.18% with a FF of 85.42% on a 244.63 cm2 wafer.
Mobile phone data reveal the effects of violence on internal displacement in Afghanistan
Authors: Tai Xiao Hui , Mehra Shikhar , Blumenstock Joshua E.
Published: May 2022

Nearly 50 million people globally have been internally displaced due to conflict, persecution and human rights violations. However, the study of internally displaced persons—and the design of policies to assist them—is complicated by the fact that these people are often underrepresented in surveys and official statistics. We develop an approach to measure the impact of violence on internal displacement using anonymized high-frequency mobile phone data. We use this approach to quantify the short- and long-term impacts of violence on internal displacement in Afghanistan, a country that has experienced decades of conflict. Our results highlight how displacement depends on the nature of violence. High-casualty events, and violence involving the Islamic State, cause the most displacement. Provincial capitals act as magnets for people fleeing violence in outlying areas. Our work illustrates the potential for non-traditional data sources to facilitate research and policymaking in conflict settings.
Habitat Protection Indexes - new monitoring measures for the conservation of coastal and marine habitats
Authors: Kumagai Joy A. , Favoretto Fabio , Pruckner Sara , Rogers Alex D. , Weatherdon Lauren V. , Aburto-Oropeza Octavio , Niamir Aidin
Published: May 2022

A worldwide call to implement habitat protection aims to halt biodiversity loss. We constructed an open-source, standardized, and reproducible workflow that calculates two indexes to monitor the extent of coastal and marine habitats within protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures. The Local Proportion of Habitats Protected Index (LPHPI) pinpoints the jurisdictions with the greatest opportunity to expand their protected or conserved areas, while the Global Proportion of Habitats Protected Index (GPHPI) showcases which jurisdictions contribute the most area to the protection of these habitats globally. We also evaluated which jurisdictions have the highest opportunity to contribute globally to protecting habitats by meeting a target of 30% coverage. We found that Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) have the greatest potential to do so. Our workflow can also be easily extended to terrestrial and freshwater habitats. These indexes are helpful to monitor aspects of the Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the emerging post-2020 global biodiversity framework, to understand the current status of international cooperation on coastal and marine habitats conservation.
Global 1 km × 1 km gridded revised real gross domestic product and electricity consumption during 1992–2019 based on calibrated nighttime light data
Authors: Chen Jiandong , Gao Ming , Cheng Shulei , Hou Wenxuan , Song Malin , Liu Xin , Liu Yu
Published: May 2022

As fundamental data, gross domestic product (GDP) and electricity consumption can be used to effectively evaluate economic status and living standards of residents. Some scholars have estimated gridded GDP and electricity consumption. However, such gridded data have shortcomings, including overestimating real GDP growth, ignoring the heterogeneity of the spatiotemporal dynamics of the grid, and limited time-span. Simultaneously, the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program’s Operational Linescan System (DMSP/OLS) and National Polar-orbiting Partnership’s Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer (NPP/VIIRS) nighttime light data, adopted in these studies as a proxy tool, still facing shortcomings, such as imperfect matching results, discontinuity in temporal and spatial changes. In this study, we employed a series of methods, such as a particle swarm optimization-back propagation (PSO-BP) algorithm, to unify the scales of DMSP/OLS and NPP/VIIRS images and obtain continuous 1 km × 1 km gridded nighttime light data during 1992–2019. Subsequently, from a revised real growth perspective, we employed a top-down method to calculate global 1 km × 1 km gridded revised real GDP and electricity consumption during 1992–2019 based on our calibrated nighttime light data.
Reduced helping intentions are better explained by the attribution of antisocial emotions than by ‘infrahumanization’
Authors: Enock Florence E. , Over Harriet
Published: May 2022

We challenge the explanatory value of one of the most prominent psychological models of dehumanization—infrahumanization theory—which holds that outgroup members are subtly dehumanized by being denied human emotions. Of central importance to this theory is the claim that, to the extent that other people are ‘infrahumanized’, they are less likely to be helped. We examine this hypothesised relationship across four pre-registered and well powered studies. We do not find that attributing all uniquely human emotions to others is positively associated with helping intentions towards them. Instead, we find that attributing prosocial emotions is positively associated with helping intentions and attributing antisocial emotions is negatively associated with helping intentions, regardless of emotion humanness. In our data, what previously appeared to be an association between subtle dehumanization and reduced helping is better explained by the tendency to avoid helping others when we view them negatively.
Machine learning-based optimization of pre-symptomatic COVID-19 detection through smartwatch
Authors: Cho Hyeong Rae , Kim Jin Hyun , Yoon Hye Rin , Han Yong Seop , Kang Tae Seen , Choi Hyunju , Lee Seunghwan
Published: May 2022

Patients with weak or no symptoms accelerate the spread of COVID-19 through various mutations and require more aggressive and active means of validating the COVID-19 infection. More than 30% of patients are reported as asymptomatic infection after the delta mutation spread in Korea. It means that there is a need for a means to more actively and accurately validate the infection of the epidemic via pre-symptomatic detection, besides confirming the infection via the symptoms. Mishara et al. (Nat Biomed Eng 4, 1208–1220, 2020) reported that physiological data collected from smartwatches could be an indicator to suspect COVID-19 infection. It shows that it is possible to identify an abnormal state suspected of COVID-19 by applying an anomaly detection method for the smartwatch’s physiological data and identifying the subject’s abnormal state to be observed. This paper proposes to apply the One Class-Support Vector Machine (OC-SVM) for pre-symptomatic COVID-19 detection. We show that OC-SVM can provide better performance than the Mahalanobis distance-based method used by Mishara et al. (Nat Biomed Eng 4, 1208–1220, 2020) in three aspects: earlier (23.5–40% earlier) and more detection (13.2–19.1% relative better) and fewer false positives. As a result, we could conclude that OC-SVM using Resting Heart Rate (RHR) with 350 and 300 moving average size is the most recommended technique for COVID-19 pre-symptomatic detection based on physiological data from the smartwatch.
Meteorological and climatic variables predict the phenology of Ixodes ricinus nymph activity in France, accounting for habitat heterogeneity
Authors: Wongnak Phrutsamon , Bord Séverine , Jacquot Maude , Agoulon Albert , Beugnet Frédéric , Bournez Laure , Cèbe Nicolas , Chevalier Adélie , Cosson Jean-François , Dambrine Naïma , Hoch Thierry , Huard Frédéric , Korboulewsky Nathalie , Lebert Isabelle , Madouasse Aurélien , Mårell Anders , Moutailler Sara , Plantard Olivier , Pollet Thomas , Poux Valérie , René-Martellet Magalie , Vayssier-Taussat Muriel , Verheyden Hélène , Vourc’h Gwenaël , Chalvet-Monfray Karine
Published: May 2022

Ixodes ricinus ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are the most important vector for Lyme borreliosis in Europe. As climate change might affect their distributions and activities, this study aimed to determine the effects of environmental factors, i.e., meteorological, bioclimatic, and habitat characteristics on host-seeking (questing) activity of I. ricinus nymphs, an important stage in disease transmissions, across diverse climatic types in France over 8 years. Questing activity was observed using a repeated removal sampling with a cloth-dragging technique in 11 sampling sites from 7 tick observatories from 2014 to 2021 at approximately 1-month intervals, involving 631 sampling campaigns. Three phenological patterns were observed, potentially following a climatic gradient. The mixed-effects negative binomial regression revealed that observed nymph counts were driven by different interval-average meteorological variables, including 1-month moving average temperature, previous 3-to-6-month moving average temperature, and 6-month moving average minimum relative humidity. The interaction effects indicated that the phenology in colder climates peaked differently from that of warmer climates. Also, land cover characteristics that support the highest baseline abundance were moderate forest fragmentation with transition borders with agricultural areas. Finally, our model could potentially be used to predict seasonal human-tick exposure risks in France that could contribute to mitigating Lyme borreliosis risk.