bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ecological drivers of CRISPR immune systems
Authors: Xiao Wei , Weissman JL , Johnson Philip L.F.
Published: May 2024

1

CRISPR-Cas is the only known adaptive immune system of prokaryotes. It is a powerful defense system against mobile genetic elements such as bacteriophages. While CRISPR-Cas systems can be found throughout the prokaryotic tree of life, they are distributed unevenly across taxa and environments. Since adaptive immunity is more useful in environments where pathogens persist or reoccur, the density and/or diversity of the host/pathogen community may drive the uneven distribution of CRISPR system. We directly tested hypotheses connecting CRISPR incidence with prokaryotic density/diversity by analyzing 16S rRNA and metagenomic data from publicly available environmental sequencing projects. In terms of density, we found that CRISPR systems are significantly favored in lower abundance (less dense) taxa and disfavored in higher abundance taxa, at least in marine environments. When we extended this work to compare taxonomic diversity between samples, we found CRISPR system incidence strongly correlated with diversity in human oral environments. Together, these observations confirm that, at least in certain types of environments, the prokaryotic ecological context indeed plays a key role in selecting for CRISPR immunity.

2

Importance

Microbes must constantly defend themselves against viral pathogens, and a large proportion of prokaryotes do so using the highly effective CRISPR-Cas adaptive immune system. However, many prokaryotes do not. We investigated the ecological factors behind this uneven distribution of CRISPR-Cas immune systems in natural microbial populations. We found strong patterns linking CRISPR-Cas systems to prokaryotic density within ocean environments and to prokaryotic diversity within human oral environments. Our study validates previous within-lab experimental results that suggested these factors might be important and confirms that local environment and ecological context interact to select for CRISPR immunity.
Alternative splicing across theC. elegansnervous system
Authors: Weinreb Alexis , Varol Erdem , Barrett Alec , McWhirter Rebecca M. , Taylor Seth R. , Courtney Isabel , Basavaraju Manasa , Poff Abigail , Tipps John A. , Collings Becca ,   The CeNGEN Consortium, Krishnaswamy Smita , Miller David M. , Hammarlund Marc
Published: May 2024

Alternative splicing is a key mechanism that shapes neuronal transcriptomes, helping to define neuronal identity and modulate function. Here, we present an atlas of alternative splicing across the nervous system ofCaenorhabditis elegans. Our analysis identifies novel alternative splicing in key neuronal genes such asunc-40/DCC andsax-3/ROBO. Globally, we delineate patterns of differential alternative splicing in almost 2,000 genes, and estimate that a quarter of neuronal genes undergo differential splicing. We introduce a web interface for examination of splicing patterns across neuron types. We explore the relationship between neuron type and splicing patterns, and between splicing patterns and differential gene expression. We identify RNA features that correlate with differential alternative splicing, and describe the enrichment of microexons. Finally, we compute a splicing regulatory network that can be used to generate hypotheses on the regulation and targets of alternative splicing in neurons.
Flawed machine-learning confounds coding sequence annotation
Authors: Champion DJ , Chen Ting-Hsuan , Thomson Susan , Black Michael A. , Gardner Paul P.
Published: May 2024

Background

Detecting protein coding genes in genomic sequences is a significant challenge for understanding genome functionality, yet the reliability of bioinformatic tools for this task remains largely unverified. This is despite some of these tools having been available for several decades, and being widely used for genome and transcriptome annotation.

Results

We perform an assessment of nucleotide sequence and alignment-basedde novoprotein-coding detection tools. The controls we use exclude any previous training dataset and include coding exons as a positive set and length-matched intergenic and shuffled sequences as negative sets.

Our work demonstrates that several widely used tools are neither accurate nor computationally efficient for the protein-coding sequence detection problem. In fact, just three of nine tools significantly outperformed a naive scoring scheme. Furthermore, we note a high discrepancy between self-reported accuracies and the accuracy achieved in our study. Our results show that the extra dimension from conserved and variable nucleotides in alignments have a significant advantage over single sequence approaches.

Conclusions

These results highlight significant limitations in existing protein-coding annotation tools that are widely used for lncRNA annotation. This shows a need for more robust and efficient approaches to training and assessing the performance of tools for identifying protein-coding sequences. Our study paves the way for future advancements in comparative genomic approaches and we hope will popularise more robust approaches to genome and transcriptome annotation.
Stable, chronic in-vivo recordings from a fully wireless subdural-contained 65,536-electrode brain-computer interface device
Authors: Jung Taesung , Zeng Nanyu , Fabbri Jason D. , Eichler Guy , Li Zhe , Willeke Konstantin , Wingel Katie E. , Dubey Agrita , Huq Rizwan , Sharma Mohit , Hu Yaoxing , Ramakrishnan Girish , Tien Kevin , Mantovani Paolo , Parihar Abhinav , Yin Heyu , Oswalt Denise , Misdorp Alexander , Uguz Ilke , Shinn Tori , Rodriguez Gabrielle J. , Nealley Cate , Gonzales Ian , Roukes Michael , Knecht Jeffrey , Yoshor Daniel , Canoll Peter , Spinazzi Eleonora , Carloni Luca P. , Pesaran Bijan , Patel Saumil , Youngerman Brett , Cotton R. James , Tolias Andreas , Shepard Kenneth L.
Published: May 2024

Minimally invasive, high-bandwidth brain-computer-interface (BCI) devices can revolutionize human applications. With orders-of-magnitude improvements in volumetric efficiency over other BCI technologies, we developed a 50-μm-thick, mechanically flexible micro-electrocorticography (μECoG) BCI, integrating 256×256 electrodes, signal processing, data telemetry, and wireless powering on a single complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) substrate containing 65,536 recording and 16,384 stimulation channels, from which we can simultaneously record up to 1024 channels at a given time. Fully implanted below the dura, our chip is wirelessly powered, communicating bi-directionally with an external relay station outside the body. We demonstrated chronic, reliable recordings for up to two weeks in pigs and up to two months in behaving non-human primates from somatosensory, motor, and visual cortices, decoding brain signals at high spatiotemporal resolution.
Deep-tissue spatial omics: imaging whole-embryo transcriptomics and subcellular structures at high spatial resolution
Authors: Gandin Valentina , Kim Jun , Yang Liang-Zhong , Lian Yumin , Kawase Takashi , Hu Amy , Rokicki Konrad , Fleishman Greg , Tillberg Paul , Castrejon Alejandro Aguilera , Stringer Carsen , Preibisch Stephan , Liu Zhe J.
Published: May 2024

The inherent limitations of fluorescence microscopy, notably the restricted number of color channels, have long constrained comprehensive spatial analysis in biological specimens. Here, we introduce cycleHCR technology that leverages multicycle DNA barcoding and Hybridization Chain Reaction (HCR) to surpass the conventional color barrier. cycleHCR facilitates high-specificity, single-shot imaging per target for RNA and protein species within thick specimens, mitigating the molecular crowding issues encountered with other imaging-based spatial omics techniques. We demonstrate whole-mount transcriptomics imaging of 254 genes within an E6.5∼7.0 mouse embryo, achieving precise three-dimensional gene expression and cell fate mapping across a specimen depth of ∼ 310 µm. Utilizing expansion microscopy alongside protein cycleHCR, we unveil the complex network of 10 subcellular structures in primary mouse embryonic fibroblasts. Furthermore, in mouse hippocampal slice, we image 8 protein targets and profile the transcriptome of 120 genes, uncovering complex gene expression gradients and cell-type specific nuclear structural variances. cycleHCR provides a unifying framework for multiplex RNA and protein imaging, offering a quantitative solution for elucidating spatial regulations in deep tissue contexts for research and potentially diagnostic applications.
Global meta-analysis reveals urban-associated behavioral differences among wild populations
Authors: Burkhard Tracy T. , Dochtermann Ned A. , Charmantier Anne
Published: May 2024

Urbanization is causing fundamental changes to natural environments, effecting rapid and substantial adaptive phenotypic change in wild populations. While a large body of work has investigated how urbanization may shapeinterspecificvariation in behavioral traits, such as via urban environmental filtering, no study has yet quantitatively assessed global patterns of urban-associatedintraspecificbehavioral variation. Here, we conducted a phylogenetic meta-analysis to assess urban-associated behavioral differences in wild populations of birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, and insects. We focused on four commonly measured behaviors (boldness, aggression, activity, and exploration) and extracted paired urban-nonurban effect size estimates for phenotypic means and variances (k= 278), behavioral repeatability (k= 13), and behavioral correlations (k= 14) from 80 studies. We found clear evidence that urban populations exhibit heightened average boldness, aggression, exploration, and activity compared to nonurban conspecifics, a result that was robust among species, geographic region, and ecological niche. Further, our results suggested that “generalist” species have the strongest behavioral responses. Conversely, we did not find strong evidence linking urbanization to changes in phenotypic variation, behavioral repeatability, or behavioral correlations. Our results summarize data from a rapidly evolving field in urban ecology and demonstrate geographically and taxonomically widespread differences in behavior between urban and nonurban populations, suggesting parallel natural selection across urban species and populations.
Sufficient Condition for Universal Quantum Computation Using Bosonic Circuits
Authors: Calcluth Cameron , Reichel Nicolas , Ferraro Alessandro , Ferrini Giulia
Published: May 2024

Continuous-variable bosonic systems stand as prominent candidates for implementing quantum computational tasks. While various necessary criteria have been established to assess their resourcefulness, sufficient conditions have remained elusive. We address this gap by focusing on promoting circuits that are otherwise simulatable to computational universality. The class of simulatable, albeit non-Gaussian, circuits that we consider is composed of Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) states, Gaussian operations, and homodyne measurements. Based on these circuits, we first introduce a general framework for mapping a continuous-variable state into a qubit state. Subsequently, we cast existing maps into this framework, including the modular and stabilizer subsystem decompositions. By combining these findings with established results for discrete-variable systems, we formulate a sufficient condition for achieving universal quantum computation. Leveraging this, we evaluate the computational resourcefulness of a variety of states, including Gaussian states, finite-squeezing GKP states, and cat states. Furthermore, our framework reveals that both the stabilizer subsystem decomposition and the modular subsystem decomposition (of position-symmetric states) can be constructed in terms of simulatable operations. This establishes a robust resource-theoretical foundation for employing these techniques to evaluate the logical content of a generic continuous-variable state, which can be of independent interest.

Published by the American Physical Society
2024
Employee learning and skilling in AI embedded organizations – predictors and outcomes
Authors: Kumar Shubham , Mittal Shashank
Published: May 2024

Purpose

In this research article we aim to answer two research questions: - With ever increasing AI based integrations in organizations, it is imperative to understand how employees learn and adapt to these newer technologies? What is the impact of this learning and adaptation on AI-based employee productivity?

Design/methodology/approach

A survey-based research design has been conducted among the employees working in technology companies. Questionnaires were administered by the researchers physically using snowball based purposive sampling to reach the participants who are working in the AI driven technology companies. The data was analyzed using Structural Equation Modelling and numerous studies have previously used this approach for model fit and testing.

Findings

it was found that employee learning has significant positive mediational impact on the relationship between AI trust, knowledge sharing and AI skills and AI-employee collaboration. SEM results indicate that data fits the proposed model well.

Practical implications

findings indicate that as the trust in AI develops, employees are more interested in learning and increasing their understanding of AI driven work and increase their AI skills such as Machine learning and data analytics. To increase AI-employee collaborations and upskilling: organizations will need to foster AI training opportunities; make employees work on projects having AI based sociotechnical systems; create environment of knowledge sharing among employees on AI themes.

Originality/value

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is ubiquitous, and more and more organizations are adopting AI in their operations which lead to massive scale changes in the functioning of organizations. These large-scale massive transformations are posing challenges and opportunities at the same time. At the same time, it created immense challenges for employees’ adjustment to the new learning and skilling requirements posed by AI (Sengupta et al., 2022). It is therefore expected that employees embrace the associated new technologies of AI such as big data analytics, Machine learning and Robotics.
Does employee engagement mediate the nexus of job resource and employee turnover intentions?
Authors: Otoo Frank Nana Kweku
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Engaged employees assure organizational competitiveness and sustainability. The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between job resources and employee turnover intentions, with employee engagement as a mediating variable.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from 934 employees of eight wholly-owned pharmaceutical industries. The proposed model and hypotheses were evaluated using structural equation modeling. Construct reliability and validity was established through confirmatory factor analysis.

Findings

Data supported the hypothesized relationship. The results show that job autonomy and employee engagement were significantly associated. Supervisory support and employee engagement were significantly associated. However, performance feedback and employee engagement were nonsignificantly associated. Employee engagement had a significant influence on employee turnover intentions. The results further show that employee engagement mediates the association between job resources and employee turnover intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The generalizability of the findings will be constrained due to the research’s pharmaceutical industry focus and cross-sectional data.

Practical implications

The study’s findings will serve as valuable pointers for stakeholders and decision-makers in the pharmacuetical industry to develop a proactive and well-articulated employee engagement intervention to ensure organizational effectiveness, innovativeness and competitiveness.

Originality/value

By empirically demonstrating that employee engagement mediates the nexus of job resources and employee turnover intentions, the study adds to the corpus of literature.
If it is adequate, it is not affordable: stakeholder perceptions on opportunities and constraints for pension reform in Indonesia
Authors: Bakroh David Syam Budi , Hiilamo Heikki
Published: May 2024

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to emphasise the urgent need for pension policy reform within Indonesia’s social security system.

Design/methodology/approach

The methodology employed in this research includes qualitative techniques such as in-depth interviews and thematic content analysis.

Findings

The findings suggest various measures for pension reform, including revising eligibility criteria, adjusting benefit designs to cover housing and transportation costs, promoting Defined Benefit Plans, enforcing compliance, addressing insufficient contributions, advocating for transparency, and aligning social assistance programs with pension system enhancements. However, there is a trade-off between the adequacy of pension benefits and the amount of resources required.

Research limitations/implications

This study is limited by the need for more individuals knowledgeable about pension issues in Indonesia, primarily due to their high-ranking positions, making access challenging and potentially compromising the small sample size in research.

Practical implications

The research underscores the importance of maintaining policy consistency. It proposes a gradual increase in pension contributions as a pivotal strategy to ensure sustained financial security for retirees, particularly in the face of fiscal constraints. Also, the government should undertake comprehensive reforms, encompassing the revision of eligibility criteria, adjustment of minimum benefit designs, encouragement of employer contributions and effective management of compliance issues.

Social implications

Social implications emphasise the importance of enhancing the financial security of retirees within Indonesia’s ageing population.

Originality/value

The originality and value of the research lie in guiding pension reform from the viewpoint of key policymakers involved in Indonesia’s pension system.
Audience analytics and tensions in digital news work: evidence from Swiss news media
Authors: Omidi Afshin , Dal Zotto Cinzia , Picard Robert G.
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Tracing audience preferences via audience analytics software has become a vital strategy for many news organizations to ensure their competitiveness in media markets. Extant research also confirms the growing presence of these tools in digital news work in recent years across many local and international news media. However, little is understood about the analytics-driven tensions emerging among journalists and media managers. This paper aims to address this gap by drawing on the labor process theory, which critically analyzes labor and workplace transformations under capitalism.

Design/methodology/approach

The present study employs an interview-based qualitative methodology to deeply understand the factors at the base of the emerging tensions between news workers and managers brought about by audience metrics tools.

Findings

Results show how some perceptions, activities and contextual triggers related to analytics could make relationships between workers and managers problematic. The pressures felt by some journalists stemmed from the way their media managers introduced, interpreted, communicated and applied analytics in the workplace, which were not tied to the quality and learning goals related to journalists’ aspirations. As our evidence suggests, the analytics-induced tensions among news workers were rather an outcome of managerial deficits than of systematic plans to exploit journalists.

Originality/value

By identifying the nature of fundamental analytics-driven tensions in newsrooms, this paper contributes to our understanding of how media managers can embrace more effective approaches toward audience analytics, workforce and organizational performance.
How female leadership and auditor affiliations shape audit fees: evidence from Egypt
Authors: El-Dyasty Mohamed M. , Elamer Ahmed A.
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This study aims to examine how female directors on corporate boards and audit committees, and auditor affiliations (Big 4 versus Egyptian firms affiliated with foreign auditors), influence audit fees. This examination is driven by the global call for increased female representation in leadership roles and its potential implications for audit quality and financial transparency.

Design/methodology/approach

A sample of non-financial companies listed on the Egyptian Stock Exchange is used for the period 2011–2020. The authors used multivariate regression models, the Heckman two-stage and tokenism to support the analysis.

Findings

The results are threefold. First, this analysis reveals that female directors, whether on corporate boards or audit committees, are more likely to choose higher-quality audits in the form of high audit fees. Second, both Big 4 firms and Egyptian audit firms affiliated with foreign auditors are positively associated with audit fees and earn significant audit fee premiums. Third, a minor difference in audit fee premiums could be attributed to the existence of female directors.

Research limitations/implications

Future research may expand the analysis performed in this study by investigating the characteristics related to female directors (e.g. education, experience and age) on audit fees.

Practical implications

This study suggests insights for regulatory bodies, corporate decision-makers, auditors and corporate governance researchers. For instance, this study reveals that the Big 4 are not homogenous and provide different audit quality levels along with significant audit fee premiums.

Originality/value

This study extends and contributes to the growing literature on female representation in corporate leadership. First, this study adds to the limited research in Egypt by examining the effect of female board representation on audit quality. Second, this study adds to the extant literature on the gender of financial experts by demonstrating that female financial expert is more likely to demand high-quality audits. Finally, the results have significant implications for policymakers. For instance, this study reveals that the Big 4 are not homogenous and provide different audit quality levels along with significant audit fee premiums.
On-site colorimetric determination of pH in brackish water aquaculture
Authors: Devarayan Kesavan , Anandakumar Muthurani Deepika , Kannusamy Geetha , Theivasigamani Anand , Palanisamy Yazhiniyan , Mohan Gangeswar , Sukumaran Monikandon , Siluvai John Evon Umesh , Marimuthu Ramar , Anjappan Hema
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This study aims to describe on-site determination of pH in aquaculture using a portable colorimeter.

Design/methodology/approach

A basic and inexpensive portable colorimeter having light sources of different wavelength has been optimized for the determination of pH. A chromic reagent is optimized to develop colors depending on different pHs. Then, the color is measured using portable colorimeter in terms of resistance. Using the resistance to absorbance relationship, the resistance values are converted to absorbance. The performance of the developed colorimetric system is compared with commercially available colorimeter and pH meter. Eighty brackish water aquaculture samples were tested using the developed colorimetric system to check its adaptability in aquaculture farms.

Findings

A chromic reagent optimized in this study exhibited linear relationship with the pH changes of pH standards. Portable colorimeter having three different light sources is optimized using this chromic agent for determination of pH. Colorimeter possessing yellow light revealed more linear results than the others. The developed colorimetric system determines the pH of aquaculture water with an accuracy of ±0.14 in comparison with commercial colorimeter at the pH range of 6.0−9.0.

Originality/value

pH plays a pivotal role in aquaculture, impacting not only productivity but also profitability. The colorimetric system introduced in this research is promising for pH measurement in the field of brackish water aquaculture. The on-site pH assessment facilitated by this colorimetric system holds significant potential for adoption within the aquaculture sector, owing to its precision, portability, simplicity of use and user-friendly nature.
Are the most attractive companies to work for more socially sustainable? The case of Spain
Authors: Cid-Bouzo Ana , Ferreiro-Seoane Francisco-Jesús , Ríos-Blanco Adrián
Published: May 2024

Purpose

The best workplaces have been left out from the literature of social sustainability. These companies may cause a significant impact on society given their excellent human resources practices and the employer brand reputation derived from them. This study aims to fill this gap by analysing the social sustainability for the best organisations to work for in Spain.

Design/methodology/approach

Using data from an annual ranking for the best workplaces in Spain during 2013–2021, it is proposed to analyse critical social sustainability indicators, comparing organisations within and outside the ranking. Therefore, the authors ask whether companies from the ranking have greater female presence in CEO positions, generate more employment, pay higher salaries and contribute more to the public sector. Methodology comprehends descriptive, exploratory and inference techniques.

Findings

Although companies within the ranking achieve a higher score on it when the CEO is female, it does not translate into a greater female CEO presence with respect to companies outside the ranking. On the other hand, best workplaces achieve higher employment rates and pay higher salaries, almost all the time. Also, these excellent companies to work for generate more contributions to the public sector.

Originality/value

This research covers the relation between best human resources practices and social sustainability development, because the former is a great opportunity for pursuing the innovative and long-term policies necessary for the latter. Therefore, findings are valuable for managers and policymakers.
Women's rights under the Small House Policy in Hong Kong
Authors: Lu Sheng‐Yen
Published: May 2024

This article investigates how the legislature and courts in Hong Kong have been struggling to tackle the sex discrimination created by the Small House Policy (SHP). Initially introduced in 1972, the SHP provides every male indigenous villager in the New Territories with a once‐in‐a‐lifetime housing grant, thereby excluding women from this benefit. Despite its discrimination against women, the SHP was still exempted from the New Territories Land (Exemption) Ordinance in 1994 and the Sex Discrimination Ordinance in 1995. In 2019, the judicial review of Kwok Cheuk Kin and Lui Chi Hang v The Director of Land declared that part of the SHP was unconstitutional. Still, this decision was overturned in the Court of Appeal and the Court of Final Appeal, which ruled that the SHP was constitutional in its entirety. This article examines the historical context of the SHP, discusses how the court has been interpreting and defining the SHP and, more importantly, investigates how British's indirect rule created a hostile legal environment for women and further relegated them to the groups of ‘double‐ colonised’ and ‘triple‐colonised’.
Age‐related and species‐specific methylation changes in the protein‐coding marmoset sperm epigenome
Authors: Dittrich Marcus , Bernhardt Laura , Penfold Christopher A. , Boroviak Thorsten E. , Drummer Charis , Behr Rüdiger , Müller Tobias , Haaf Thomas
Published: May 2024

The sperm epigenome is thought to affect the developmental programming of the resulting embryo, influencing health and disease in later life. Age‐related methylation changes in the sperm of old fathers may mediate the increased risks for reproductive and offspring medical problems. The impact of paternal age on sperm methylation has been extensively studied in humans and, to a lesser extent, in rodents and cattle. Here, we performed a comparative analysis of paternal age effects on protein‐coding genes in the human and marmoset sperm methylomes. The marmoset has gained growing importance as a non‐human primate model of aging and age‐related diseases. Using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing, we identified age‐related differentially methylated transcription start site (ageTSS) regions in 204 marmoset and 27 human genes. The direction of methylation changes was the opposite, increasing with age in marmosets and decreasing in humans. None of the identified ageTSS was differentially methylated in both species. Although the average methylation levels of all TSS regions were highly correlated between marmosets and humans, with the majority of TSS being hypomethylated in sperm, more than 300 protein‐coding genes were endowed with species‐specifically (hypo)methylated TSS. Several genes of the glycosphingolipid (GSL) biosynthesis pathway, which plays a role in embryonic stem cell differentiation and regulation of development, were hypomethylated (<5%) in human and fully methylated (>95%) in marmoset sperm. The expression levels and patterns of defined sets of GSL genes differed considerably between human and marmoset pre‐implantation embryo stages and blastocyst tissues, respectively.
Multilevel sociality in the spotted hyaena: How to live in large groups without falling prey to the infertility trap
Authors: Dunbar R. I. M.
Published: May 2024

Spotted hyaenas live in unusually large social groups for a carnivore. Since, all else equal, the ‘infertility trap’ (a negative relationship between fertility and the number of females in a group) limits social group sizes to ~5 reproductive females in mammals, hyaena must, like other very social species, have found a way to mitigate the stresses involved in order to do so. From a comparative analysis of data from 19 well‐studied Crocuta crocuta populations, I show (1) that the distribution of hyaena clan sizes is multimodal, with a fractal scaling ratio close to 3 and a base unit of 12–15 individuals (3–5 reproductive females), (2) that fertility is a negative function of number of females in the group and (3) that there is a trade‐off between the benefits of having more males in the group and the costs incurred by having more females. Although females do buffer themselves against the infertility trap by forming matrilineal alliances (thereby creating a primate‐like multilevel structure), males seem to play an important role, such that, in areas with a low density of males, clan sizes are much smaller.
Scandal at the Albrechtsburg: The Hoym–Lemaire affair and its impact on the early 18th‐century development of pigment technology at the Meissen Manufactory
Authors: Zumbulyadis Nicholas , Uffelman Erich S. , Fuchs Ron
Published: May 2024

We present portable X‐ray fluorescence data on the composition of body, glaze and enamels of several Meissen porcelain objects associated with the Hoym–Lemaire Affair (1728–1731). In 1728, the French merchant Rodolphe Lemaire convinced the Meissen Porcelain Manufactory into making copies of Japanese Kakiemon porcelain for sale as originals in Paris, a dubious enterprise that depended on the development of additional pigments closely emulating the Kakiemon palette. We shall illustrate how the color formulations for these objects, designed to imitate Japanese porcelain, differ from those on earlier porcelain from 1723–24, as well as later (mid‐18th century) objects. In all cases, the colorant chemistry can be related to special recipes introduced by Johann Gregorius Höroldt specifically for this purpose and preserved in the Meissen archives. A surprising observation is the absence of antimony or tin in the yellow colorant. As an ancillary finding, we have confirmed analytically for the first time that unmarked, undecorated Meissen porcelain in storage since prior to 1725 was decorated around 1730 and became part of the Hoym–Lemaire shipment.
Acceleration of Abramov Glacier (Pamir‐Alay) retreat since the Little Ice Age
Authors: Saks Tomas , Rinterknecht Vincent , Lavrentiev Ivan , Béra Gabriel , Mattea Enrico , Hoelzle Martin
Published: May 2024

The Koksu River valley is located in the Pamir‐Alay mountain range and contains 25 glaciers larger than 1 km2 and numerous smaller glaciers. The largest glacier in the catchment is Abramov Glacier with a current surface area of 22.55 km2 (in 2022), which was extensively monitored between 1965 and 1999, and resumed in 2011. The long and detailed mass balance time series provide, among other information, benchmark climate variables for the Pamir‐Alay range. We report 10 new cosmogenic 10Be exposure dates of glacial moraines directly deposited by Abramov Glacier to extend the glacial history of the valley. Six boulders indicate that the Local Last Glacial Maximum occurred at 17.1±1.0 ka. Four boulders suggest a Little Ice Age (LIA) glacial advance around AD 1750. Secular glacier mass balance reconstructions suggest a progressively negative mass balance since the LIA advance. The decrease in mass balance accelerated in the last quarter of the 20th century. Results from repeated ground penetrating radar (GPR) measurements suggest that Abramov Glacier lost about 403 million m3 of ice volume between 1986 and 2018. Based on the reconstruction of the glacier surface, the corresponding equilibrium line altitude, which is closely correlated with the mass balance, increased by about 70 to 80 m during this period. Our results also suggest that Abramov Glacier has become increasingly out of equilibrium with the climate over the last two decades. This is supported by repeated GPR measurements of the tongue area, which indicate a dramatic decrease in glacier area and ice volume over the period 1986–2018.
Low caveolin‐1 levels and symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage risk in large‐vessel occlusive stroke patients after endovascular thrombectomy
Authors: Xie Yi , Wu Min , Li Yun , Zhao Ying , Chen Shuaiyu , Yan E. , Huang Zhihang , Xie Mengdi , Yuan Kang , Qin Chunhua , Zhang Xiaohao
Published: May 2024

Background and purpose

Caveolin‐1 (Cav‐1) is reported to mediate blood–brain barrier integrity after ischaemic stroke. Our purpose was to assess the role of circulating Cav‐1 levels in predicting symptomatic intracranial haemorrhage (sICH) amongst ischaemic stroke patients after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT).

Methods

Patients with large‐vessel occlusive stroke after EVT from two stroke centres were prospectively included. Serum Cav‐1 level was tested after admission. sICH was diagnosed according to the Heidelberg Bleeding Classification.

Results

Of 325 patients (mean age 68.6 years; 207 men) included, 47 (14.5%) were diagnosed with sICH. Compared with patients without sICH, those with sICH had a lower concentration of Cav‐1. After adjusting for potential confounders, multivariate regression analysis demonstrated that the increased Cav‐1 level was associated with a lower sICH risk (odds ratio 0.055; 95% confidence interval 0.005–0.669; p = 0.038). Similar results were obtained when Cav‐1 levels were analysed as a categorical variable. Using a logistic regression model with restricted cubic splines, a linear and negative association of Cav‐1 concentration was found with sICH risk (p = 0.001 for linearity). Furthermore, the performance of the conventional risk factors model in predicting sICH was substantially improved after addition of the Cav‐1 levels (integrated discrimination index 2.7%, p = 0.002; net reclassification improvement 39.7%, p = 0.007).

Conclusions

Our data demonstrate that decreased Cav‐1 levels are related to sICH after EVT. Incorporation of Cav‐1 into clinical decision‐making may help to identify patients at a high risk of sICH and warrants further consideration.
Dose escalation of biologic treatment in patients with moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis in Japan
Authors: Tada Yayoi , Soliman Ahmed M. , Ishii Kanako , Sakuma Ryuta , Pinter Andreas , Davis Matthew , Nunag Dominic , Buessing Marric , Puig Luis , Imafuku Shinichi
Published: May 2024

Patients receiving interleukin (IL)‐inhibiting biologics for moderate‐to‐severe psoriasis (PsO) may be treated with escalated doses to optimize outcomes. This study evaluated escalation prevalence in a Japanese claims analysis of patients with PsO diagnosis preceding IL‐inhibiting biologic treatment and ≥1 post‐induction maintenance claim (index date) with sufficient data availability from January 2014 to May 2022. Patients with non‐persistence were excluded. Expected daily dose (EDD) was calculated as the recommended maintenance dose divided by the treatment interval. Dose escalation was defined as ≥2 claims showing a ≥20% increase in the observed average daily dose (ADD) over the EDD (with sensitivities requiring ≥1 claim and ≥30%). Significant differences were tested using multivariable regressions. The study included 982 unique patients treated with brodalumab (BRO; n = 104), guselkumab (GUS; n = 207), ixekizumab (IXE; n = 159), risankizumab (RIS; n = 135), secukinumab (SEC; n = 215) and ustekinumab (UST; n = 196). Within 12 months, dose escalation was observed for all IL‐inhibiting biologics other than GUS and RIS: 44.4% for UST, 37.2% for IXE, 3.4% for SEC and 1.4% for BRO. In multivariable‐adjusted analyses, odds of dose escalation were significantly lower for all products relative to UST. In sensitivities, escalation was observed for all products except RIS.
Dendritic cell–specific intercellular adhesion molecule‐3‐grabbing nonintegrin (DC‐SIGN) is a cellular receptor for delta inulin adjuvant
Authors: Stewart Erica L , Counoupas Claudio , Steain Megan , Ashley Caroline , Alca Sibel , Hartley‐Tassell Lauren , von Itzstein Mark , Britton Warwick J , Petrovsky Nikolai , Triccas James A
Published: May 2024

Delta inulin, or Advax, is a polysaccharide vaccine adjuvant that significantly enhances vaccine‐mediated immune responses against multiple pathogens and was recently licensed for use in the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) vaccine SpikoGen. Although Advax has proven effective as an immune adjuvant, its specific binding targets have not been characterized. In this report, we identify a cellular receptor for Advax recognition. In vitro uptake of Advax particles by macrophage cell lines was substantially greater than that of latex beads of comparable size, suggesting an active uptake mechanism by phagocytic cells. Using a lectin array, Advax particles were recognized by lectins specific for various carbohydrate structures including mannosyl, N‐acetylgalactosamine and galactose moieties. Expression in nonphagocytic cells of dendritic cell–specific intercellular adhesion molecule‐3‐grabbing nonintegrin (DC‐SIGN), a C‐type lectin receptor, resulted in enhanced uptake of fluorescent Advax particles compared with mock‐transfected cells. Advax uptake was reduced with the addition of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and mannan to cells, which are known inhibitors of DC‐SIGN function. Finally, a specific blockade of DC‐SIGN using a neutralizing antibody abrogated Advax uptake in DC‐SIGN–expressing cells. Together, these results identify DC‐SIGN as a putative receptor for Advax. Given the known immunomodulatory role of DC‐SIGN, the findings described here have implications for the use of Advax adjuvants in humans and inform future mechanistic studies.
A Survey of Monte Carlo Methods for Noisy and Costly Densities With Application to Reinforcement Learning and ABC
Authors: Llorente Fernando , Martino Luca , Read Jesse , Delgado‐Gómez David
Published: May 2024

This survey gives an overview of Monte Carlo methodologies using surrogate models, for dealing with densities that are intractable, costly, and/or noisy. This type of problem can be found in numerous real‐world scenarios, including stochastic optimisation and reinforcement learning, where each evaluation of a density function may incur some computationally‐expensive or even physical (real‐world activity) cost, likely to give different results each time. The surrogate model does not incur this cost, but there are important trade‐offs and considerations involved in the choice and design of such methodologies. We classify the different methodologies into three main classes and describe specific instances of algorithms under a unified notation. A modular scheme that encompasses the considered methods is also presented. A range of application scenarios is discussed, with special attention to the likelihood‐free setting and reinforcement learning. Several numerical comparisons are also provided.
Phase structure and electrical properties of (Ba1/2Sr1/2)2+ modified high Curie temperature CaBi2Nb2O9‐based ceramics
Authors: Quan Liming , Zhang Biao , Chen Kaiyuan , Meng Yingzhi , Li Wangxin , Long Changbai , Fang Liang , Peng Biaolin , Chen Xue , Wang Dingyuan , Bai Yisong , da Silva Lucas Lemos , Liu Laijun
Published: May 2024

High‐temperature piezoelectric sensing is usually used in the aerospace, automotive, and power plant fields. High temperature piezoelectric ceramics are considered the key materials in these fields. In this paper, Ca1−x(Ba1/2Sr1/2)xBi2Nb1.985(W3/4Mn1/4)0.015O9 (x = 0.05, 0.10, 0.15 and 0.20) (C1−xBSxBNWM) has been synthesized by a traditional solid state reaction method. The effects of substitution of calcium at the A‐site by barium and strontium on phase evolution and piezoelectric properties of the CaBi2Nb2O9 orthorhombic Aurivillius phases were investigated. The crystal structure of piezoelectric ceramics was characterized by XRD, Rietveld refinement, and Raman spectroscopy. Co‐substitution of barium/strontium (Ba2+/Sr2+) and tungsten/manganese (W6+/Mn4+) resulted in lattice distortion of C1−xBSxBNWM ceramics. The results induce that the tetragonal crystal structure increase with increasing the co‐substitution cations. Isothermal impedance spectroscopy confirmed intrinsic thermally activated conduction in the system. The C1−xBSxBNWM ceramics with x = 0.15 exhibit a very high Curie temperature (TC ∼ 923°C), a reasonable piezoelectric coefficient (d33 = 13.3 pC/N). Remarkably, even after thermal annealing at temperatures up to 800°C, it still retains a high d33 of 13 pC/N. In addition, the C0.85BS0.15BNWM ceramic had a relatively high resistivity (3.82 × 106 Ω·cm, 500°C). The Ca0.85(Ba1/2Sr1/2)0.15Bi2Nb1.985(W3/4Mn1/4)0.015O9 ceramics make possible their application in high‐temperature acceleration transducers.
Simultaneously realizing high energy density and high efficiency in NaNbO3–BaTiO3‐based ceramic capacitors
Authors: Lu Ye , Zhang Ji , Zhao Xinyi , Zhou Kedong , He Lei
Published: May 2024

Dielectric capacitors, which can achieve tremendous power density and ultrafast charge/discharge speed, are crucial components for high power equipment. Yet, the synchronous achievement in high recoverable energy density (Wrec) and high efficiency (η) is a long‐term difficulty for dielectric ceramics. Herein, the (0.85 − x)NaNbO3–0.15BaTiO3–xBi(Mg1/3Ta2/3)O3 (NN–BT–xBMT) relaxor ferroelectric ceramics were proposed and studied. The doping of BMT was conducive to promoting the microstructure and bandgap and improving the dielectric relaxation properties of NN–BT ceramics. Finally, the sample of x = 0.10 presented a high Wrec of 5.9 J/cm3 and a high η of 90% simultaneously. In addition, the sample also exhibited superb charge/discharge performances with large power density (PD = 137 MW/cm3) and fast charge/discharge speed (t0.9 = 39 ns). The above results reveal that the NaNbO3‐based ceramics could serve as potential alternatives for advanced dielectric capacitors.
ANGPTL2 knockdown induces autophagy to relieve alveolar macrophage pyroptosis by reducing LILRB2‐mediated inhibition of TREM2
Authors: Yang Fan , Chen Muhu , Liu Ying , Hu Yingchun , Chen Yangxi , Yu Youwei , Deng Lu
Published: May 2024

Acute lung injury (ALI) is featured with a robust inflammatory response. Angiopoietin‐like protein 2 (ANGPTL2), a pro‐inflammatory protein, is complicated with various disorders. However, the role of ANGPTL2 in ALI remains to be further explored. The mice and MH‐S cells were administrated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to evoke the lung injury in vivo and in vitro. The role and mechanism of ANGPTL was investigated by haematoxylin–eosin, measurement of wet/dry ratio, cell count, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase deoxyuridine triphosphate (dUTP) nick end labeling, reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction, immunofluorescence, enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, detection of autophagic flux and western blot assays. The level of ANGPTL2 was upregulated in lung injury. Knockout of ANGPTL2 alleviated LPS‐induced pathological symptoms, reduced pulmonary wet/dry weight ratio, the numbers of total cells and neutrophils in BALF, apoptosis rate and the release of pro‐inflammatory mediators, and modulated polarization of alveolar macrophages in mice. Knockdown of ANGPTL2 downregulated the level of pyroptosis indicators, and elevated the level of autophagy in LPS‐induced MH‐S cells. Besides, downregulation of ANGPTL2 reversed the LPS‐induced the expression of leukocyte immunoglobulin (Ig)‐like receptor B2 (LILRB2) and triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cells 2 (TREM2), which was reversed by the overexpression of LILRB2. Importantly, knockdown of TREM2 reversed the levels of autophagy‐ and pyroptosis‐involved proteins, and the contents of pro‐inflammatory factors in LPS‐induced MH‐S cells transfected with si ANGPTL2, which was further inverted with the treatment of rapamycin. Therefore, ANGPTL2 silencing enhanced autophagy to alleviate alveolar macrophage pyroptosis via reducing LILRB2‐mediated inhibition of TREM2.
Influence of temperature on hatching success of skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis): Implications for spawning availability of warm habitats
Authors: Fujioka Ko , Aoki Yoshinori , Tsuda Yuichi , Okamoto Kei , Tsuchida Hiroyuki , Sasaki Akira , Kiyofuji Hidetada
Published: May 2024

Exploring the effects of water temperature on egg development in skipjack tuna (Katsuwonus pelamis) has substantial implications for evaluations of wild spawning habitats. In the present study, we examined the hatching success and duration as a function of temperature from 21 to 33°C under captive environments. A high hatching rate of over 50% between 23 and 31°C was observed, with the shortest hatching duration at 31°C. Because the egg period is vulnerable to predators, a shortened hatching duration with warming water would be ecologically advantageous for K. pelamis, as its main spawning grounds are located in tropical areas.