bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Growing up with Radicalized Parents: The Experiences of Dutch Children of NSB and SS members During and After World War II
Authors: van der Molen Mattie , Jansen Brenda , Doosje Bertjan , Brake Hans te , van Doorn Conny , van der Zee Marjan , van Emmerik Arnold
Published: September 2024

The primary aim of this study was to investigate the experiences of Dutch children whose parents joined the SS or NSB (a political party that collaborated with Nazi Germany) during World War II, linked to their childhood, adulthood or both. As a secondary aim, it explored the recommendations of these –now elderly- children of NSB and SS members for the (re)integration of minor returnees from the caliphate, who also grew up in a war situation with radicalized parents and have to deal with considerable prejudice and different norms and values upon their (re)integration into Dutch society. The first three research questions are related to the primary aim of this study and focus on 1) the participants' experiences throughout childhood and adulthood, 2) the implications of these experiences for their well-being throughout childhood and adulthood, and 3) their coping responses in response to these experiences throughout childhood and adulthood. The fourth research question is related to the secondary aim of this study and concerns 4) participants' recommendations for the succesful (re)integration of current minor returnees. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 Dutch -now elderly- children of NSB or SS members during World War II. Interview questions were based on recurring topics in the literature, a codebook was generated, and the verbatim transcribed interviews were scored using Atlas.ti 8. Frequently reported codes are described and discussed in relation to each other. Participants reported social exclusion, being separated from their parents, and family secrecy as frequent experiences, which had severe implications for their identity development, self-esteem, and family relationships. Their coping responses included reappraisal, active (e.g., searching information) and avoidant (e.g., merel socially desirable) coping behaviour. Participants’ main recommendations for minor returnees from the caliphate included transparency within families about the past, a focus on social (re)integration, and respecting minor returnees’ loyalty to their parents. The participants' childhood experiences had serious effects on their well-being, starting in childhood and often lasting well into adulthood. Many participants sought professional support throughout their lives, but eventually found recognition only after sharing their experiences in a self-help group for Dutch children of NSB and SS members. We conclude that the insights gained from participants’experiences and their recommendations for the (re)integration of minor returnees are valuable, especially since there is still little research available on the development and experiences of minor returnees.
Impact of synthetic method and metal type on the efficiency of metal-based nanoparticles against pathogens and chemical pollutants
Authors: Karume Ibrahim , Kigozi Moses , Nabatanzi Alice , Nsamba Hussein K. , Adia Madina M. , Bbumba Simon
Published: September 2024

Metal-based nanoparticles offer a one-pot solution for pollution mitigation due to the wide range of pollutants removed using multiple mechanisms such as catalytic oxidation, reduction, photothermal degradation/transformation and magnetic adsorption. Herein, we give an insight into the effect of key factors such as synthetic method, electronic properties of metals and nature of the pollutants and their dispersion media, on the efficiency of metal-based nanoparticles in pollution mitigation. Silver nanoparticles are mostly biosynthesized and applied in the removal of pathogenic bacteria, where the removal efficiency is enhanced by the closeness in the chemical resemblance between the biological corona of extracts used in the synthesis of the nanoparticles and that of the bacteria colony biofilm or cell membrane/wall makeup. On the other hand, chemical and physical methods are used to synthesize most transition metal-based nanoparticles for versatile applications in curbing various biological and chemical pollutants. In general, pollutant removal efficiency increases with an increase in the concentration of the metal nanoparticles and the use of multiple metals, the availability of ligand hetero atoms and the stability of products formed by the degradation or transformation of chemical pollutants.
Effect of radius ratio on the sheared annular centrifugal turbulent convection
Authors: Zhong Jun , Li Junyi , Sun Chao
Published: September 2024

We perform linear stability analysis and direct numerical simulations to study the effect of the radius ratio on the instability and flow characteristics of the sheared annular centrifugal Rayleigh–Bénard convection, where the cold inner cylinder and the hot outer cylinder rotate with a small angular velocity difference. With the shear enhancement, the thermal convection is suppressed and finally becomes stable for different radius ratios

$\{\eta \in \mathbb {R}|0.2\leqslant \eta \le 0.95\}$

. Considering the inhomogeneous distribution of shear stresses in the base flow, a new global Richardson number

$Ri_g$

is defined and the marginal-state curves for different radius ratios are successfully unified in the parameter domain of

$Ri_g$

and the Rayleigh number

$Ra$

. The results are consistent with the marginal-state curve of the wall-sheared classical Rayleigh–Bénard convection in the streamwise direction, demonstrating that the basic stabilization mechanisms are identical. Moreover, systems with small radius ratios exhibit greater geometric asymmetry. On the one hand, this results in a smaller equivalent aspect ratio for the system, accommodating fewer convection roll pairs; fewer roll pairs are more likely to cause a transition in the flow structure during shear enhancement. On the other hand, the shear distribution is more inhomogeneous, allowing for an outward shift of the convection region and the elevation of bulk temperature under strong shear.
Heat transport in liquid metal convection from onset to turbulence: the effect of small aspect ratio
Authors: Ren Lei , Tao Xin , Zhang Lu , Xia Ke-Qing , Xie Yi-Chao
Published: September 2024

We present a systematic study on the effects of small aspect ratios

$\varGamma$

on heat transport in liquid metal convection with a Prandtl number of

$Pr=0.029$

. The study covers

$1/20\le \varGamma \le 1$

experimentally and

$1/50\le \varGamma \le 1$

numerically, and a Rayleigh number

$Ra$

range of

$4\times 10^3 \le Ra \le 7\times 10^{9}$

. It is found experimentally that the local effective heat transport scaling exponent

$\gamma$

changes with both

$Ra$

and

$\varGamma$

, attaining a

$\varGamma$

-dependent maximum value before transition-to-turbulence and approaches

$\gamma =0.25$

in the turbulence state as

$Ra$

increases. Just above the onset of convection, Shishkina (Phys. Rev. Fluids, vol 6, 2021, 090502) derived a length scale

$\ell =H/(1+1.49\varGamma ^{-2})^{1/3}$

. Our numerical study shows

$Ra_{\ell }$

, i.e.

$Ra$

based on

$\ell$

, serves as a proper control parameter for heat transport above the onset with

$Nu-1=0.018(1+0.34/\varGamma ^2)(Ra/Ra_{c,\varGamma }-1)$

. Here

$Ra_{c,\varGamma }$

represents the

$\varGamma$

-dependent critical

$Ra$

for the onset of convection and

$Nu$

is the Nusselt number. In the turbulent state, for a general scaling law of

$Nu-1\sim Ra^\alpha$

, we propose a length scale

$\ell = H/(1+1.49\varGamma ^{-2})^{1/[3(1-\alpha )]}$

. In the case of turbulent liquid metal convection with

$\alpha =1/4$

, our measurement shows that the heat transport will become weakly dependent on

$\varGamma$

with

$Ra_{\ell }\equiv Ra/(1+1.49\varGamma ^{-2})^{4/3} \ge 7\times 10^5$

. Finally, once the flow becomes time-dependent, the growth rate of

$Nu$

with

$Ra$

declines compared with the linear growth rate in the convection state. A hysteresis is observed in a

$\varGamma =1/3$

cell when the flow becomes time-dependent. Measurements of the large-scale circulation suggest the hysteresis is caused by the system switching from a single-roll-mode to a double-roll-mode in an oscillation state.
RADIAL ASYMPTOTICS OF GENERATING FUNCTIONS OF k-REGULAR SEQUENCES
Authors: COONS MICHAEL , LIND JOHN
Published: September 2024

We give a new proof of a theorem of Bell and Coons [‘Transcendence tests for Mahler functions’, Proc. Amer. Math. Soc.145(3) (2017), 1061–1070] on the leading order radial asymptotics of Mahler functions that are the generating functions of regular sequences. Our method allows us to provide a description of the oscillations whose existence was shown by Bell and Coons. This extends very recent results of Poulet and Rivoal [‘Radial behavior of Mahler functions’, Int. J. Number Theory, to appear].
EXTREMAL GRAPHS FOR DEGREE SUMS AND DOMINATING CYCLES
Authors: CHEN LU , WU YUEYU
Published: September 2024

A cycle C of a graph G is dominating if

$V(C)$

is a dominating set and

$V(G)\backslash V(C)$

is an independent set. Wu et al. [‘Degree sums and dominating cycles’, Discrete Mathematics344 (2021), Article no. 112224] proved that every longest cycle of a k-connected graph G on

$n\geq 3$

vertices with

$k\geq 2$

is dominating if the degree sum is more than

$(k+1)(n+1)/3$

for any

$k+1$

pairwise nonadjacent vertices. They also showed that this bound is sharp. In this paper, we show that the extremal graphs G for this condition satisfy

$(n-2)/3K_1\vee (n+1)/3K_2 \subseteq G \subseteq K_{(n-2)/3}\vee (n+1)/3K_2$

or

$2K_1\vee 3K_{(n-2)/3}\subseteq G \subseteq K_2\vee 3K_{(n-2)/3}.$
ON A CONJECTURE ON SHIFTED PRIMES WITH LARGE PRIME FACTORS, II
Authors: DING YUCHEN
Published: September 2024

Let
$\mathcal {P}$
be the set of primes and
$\pi (x)$
the number of primes not exceeding x. Let
$P^+(n)$
be the largest prime factor of n, with the convention
$P^+(1)=1$
, and
$ T_c(x)=\#\{p\le x:p\in \mathcal {P},P^+(p-1)\ge p^c\}. $
Motivated by a conjecture of Chen and Chen [‘On the largest prime factor of shifted primes’, Acta Math. Sin. (Engl. Ser.)33 (2017), 377–382], we show that for any c with
$8/9\le c<1$
,
$$ \begin{align*} \limsup_{x\rightarrow\infty}T_c(x)/\pi(x)\le 8(1/c-1), \end{align*} $$

which clearly means that
$$ \begin{align*} \limsup_{x\rightarrow\infty}T_c(x)/\pi(x)\rightarrow 0 \quad \text{as } c\rightarrow 1. \end{align*} $$
Problems Of The Pacifist: Notes For A Talk On Peace
Authors: Day Dorothy
Published: September 2024

In the fortieth annual social week held in Pau, France, this year the subject under discussion was ‘Peace'. There was a brief note in the Denver Register calling attention to a letter of Monsignor Montini, pro-Secretary of State, which said that this examination of the problems of peace by men of faith, thought and action is most timely today when men's souls are more troubled than ever before. Never in human history has greater discord been known. This world-wide dissension invades the daily lives of the people. It feeds and maintains social conflict. Its origins are of an ideological as much as of an economic nature. It eats into the very hearts of families and institutions. Its psychological effects sap the will-power and cloud judgment. Even the flag of peace, unfurled for partisan ends, frequently divides mankind.
‘In Me You Have Peace'
Authors: Aquinas St Thomas
Published: September 2024

Our Lord unfolds to his disciples the hidden depths of his teaching, and by these words shows how important and helpful it will be to them.

The value of his teaching lies in the peace that it brings to man. In this context, it is as if our Lord were saying: I know well that very soon you will all leave me; but I know that if you really understand my doctrine you will not harden your hearts in desertion. The reason for every thing I have spoken about in my sermon, all that I have taught you throughout the Gospel, is this: that if you do return to me In me you may have peace. For the whole purpose of the Gospel is that we should find peace in Christ alone. ‘Much peace have they that love thy law’ (Ps. 118, 165).
After Ten Years
Authors: Carpenter Hilary J.
Published: September 2024

Knowing his end to be drawing near—it was in fact the day before his death—Fr Vincent McNabb was concerned to make certain provisions for his funeral. Calling one of the younger brethren to him, he said to him: ‘Dear Father, I may well be dead tomorrow and there is a service I would ask of your charity. I don't want a shaped and polished coffin such as they usually pro vide , nor should I like to have a brass factory-made cross on it nor be labelled with a brass label. I want an ordinary box made of the same sort of wood as this floor'—and he pointed with a smile to the common deal floor, uneven and knotted, which he had swept day by day with his bare hand, a floor such as had been his only bed for forty years and more.
The Angels And Prayer
Authors: Stopp Elizabeth
Published: September 2024

It is the business of the angels to mediate between God and mankind, to make his wishes known to us by enlightening our intelligence so that we may see more clearly what God wants of us, and thus may run more freely in the way of his holy will. It is their office to draw us ever closer to that love and praise of God which is their very existence; but whatever they are doing to help us, their gaze remains fixed upon the eternal Godhead, the Blessed Trinity. We are told in the scriptures that the angels have eyes at the back of their head as well as the front; in fact, in Ezechiel's vision the cherubim and the very wheels upon which they move are studded with eyes: ‘And their whole body and their necks and their hands and their wings and the circles were full of eyes, round about the four wheels.’
The Friends Of Angels
Authors: Jeeves Mary Angela
Published: September 2024

St Thomas reminds us of the following words of St Bernard: ‘The first and chiefest contemplation is the marvelling of God's majesty'. We learn from St Ambrose that ‘Glory is the shining Fact praised', and that the splendour of the Holy Trinity is the glory of God in himself. It therefore follows that man's end of life, which is the rendering of glory to God, is at once the most bene- ficial mode of ministering to his own happiness—and that of all others, since his relationship to God involves his relationship with all other men—and the greatest act of friendship ship he can render to his Creator. ‘Charity', says St Thomas, ‘inspires the soul with a sovereign love of him, who is supremely the object of love.’
To The Heights Of Freedom
Authors: Pepler Conrad
Published: September 2024

Three books have emerged from France-one already courageously translated into English, the second in process of translation, and the third inviting such a process-which between them mark the path of man from the depths of automatism to the heights of freedom.1 The flash title of the Etudes Carmélitaines—'du Robot au Martyr'— gives a fair indication of the theme treated in diverse ways by all the many contributors to the three volumes.

We live in a Robot age in so many directions that the modern moralist is confronted with a vast set of problems of conditioned, mechanical human actions with which he has hardly begun to grapple. How is he to judge of the culpability or the praiseworthiness of actions that are largely conditioned by interior, psychological or external, social compulsion? The widespread, unnatural and solitary vice among the young may be judged objectively as a serious sin.
Blessed Emily Bicchieri, 1238-1314
Authors: Frances Mary
Published: September 2024

From the earliest history of monasticism in Europe religious houses, both of men and women, received children for education. Anglo-Saxon girls were not only sent to the monasteries of their own country but also to famous centres of learning abroad such as the great monastery founded by St Cesarius of Arles where the holy bishop wished his nuns to devote themselves not only to the study of the Scriptures and the Fathers but to all learning-omnes litora. St Gertrude of Nivelles, desirous of securing the best teachers for her monastic school, sent for them to Ireland, then the great home of learning. The love of learning was not contined to the daughters of nobles. Thomas of Cantempré, O.P. tells of a Brabant peasant girl who was welcomed by her richer sisters when she longed to learn to read her psalter.
A critical examination of safety culture in the superyacht industry
Authors: Zhang Pengfei , Chen Qiong , Macdonald Tobias , Wang Xinjian
Published: September 2024

Accidents are a prevalent feature of working in the maritime industry. While studies have shown to what extent accidents and fatalities have occurred, the current research has generally been limited to commercial shipping. There is nearly no academic research focusing on the safety issues in the superyacht industry. This paper analyses the importance of promoting safety culture in the superyacht industry, the role of maritime legislation in maintaining safety and the role of Port State Control in ensuring all legislation is implemented. It aims to provide a critical examination of safety culture in the superyacht industry and evaluate the appropriateness for further measures to ensure safe working practices. It found out that while some superyachts do maintain an effective safety system, there remains almost 50% of the investigated fleet that do not promote the desired safety culture. It becomes evident that complacency and poor education contribute to the reduced and limited safety culture. The lack of education and awareness is demonstrated when the study shows individuals believing they maintain good safety practices but still admitting to taking various life-threatening risks.
Why Not Phase Out Animal Experimentation? Considering Objections from Freedom of Inquiry and Cross-Border Displacement
Authors: Müller Nico D.
Published: September 2024

Animal experimentation raises value conflicts between animal protection and other goods, such as freedom of inquiry or health and safety. If governments can phase out the practice by non-prohibitive incentive-setting, the pro tanto moral rationale for doing so is obvious. So why should they not? This article first sketches a fictional scenario in which a government adopts a phase-out plan for animal experimentation. It then considers two moral objections to this plan: First, the plan unduly restricts freedom of inquiry, and second, it merely displaces animal experimentation across borders and thus fails to reduce animal suffering. Both arguments are refined premise by premise to articulate their strongest versions. The two objections can help to narrow down desiderata for good phase-out plans. However, they do not provide a compelling case against phase-out planning as such because they miss its incremental and constructive nature. Unless better arguments can be provided, it appears that government inaction on phasing out animal experimentation lacks moral justification.
‘When intuitions (don't) fail’: combining syntax and sociolinguistics in the analysis of Scots
Authors: JAMIESON E , SMITH JENNIFER , ADGER DAVID , HEYCOCK CAROLINE , THOMS GARY
Published: September 2024

A perennial problem for sociolinguists interested in morphosyntactic variation is that such forms are often low frequency, making quantitative analysis difficult or impossible. However, sociolinguists have been generally reluctant to adopt methodologies from syntax, such as acceptability data gleaned from speaker intuition, due to the belief that these judgments are not necessarily reliable. In this article we present data from the Scots Syntax Atlas, which employs sociolinguistic methodologies in spoken data alongside the results of acceptability judgments. We target three morphosyntactic variables and compare and contrast these across the two data types in order to assess the reliability of the judgment data at community level. The results show that reliability is variable-dependent. For some variables, there is clear correlation; with others, it appears that, as Labov (1996) phrased it, ‘intuitions fail’. We discuss how factors such as salience, social stigma and local identity combine to govern the reliability of judgment data.
Fault Lines in the Rule of Law: Europe’s Present and the Presence of its Past
Authors: Skinner Stephen
Published: September 2024

This article critically examines the significance of the relationship between past and present for understanding liberal democratic values in the European context. The article starts by reflecting on the terms used to evaluate the apparent decline in the rule of law in Europe, including ‘backsliding’. It argues that these terms are indicative of a conceptual framework of analysis that includes a temporal dimension but is only partly historical, demonstrating a presentist focus and a perception of the past as a separate period. The article links this perception with the conceptual construction of the rule of law itself, as well as national and transnational narratives about it, which evoke Europe’s non-democratic past as a definitional point of reference that is distinct from the present. Using examples of the legacies of Europe’s dark legal past, the article highlights the artificial nature of this distinction for a range of systems with differing historical experiences. The article argues that interpreting the past in terms of segmented and sequential temporal periods is conceptually contestable and it draws on the philosophy of history to show how the past can instead be understood to have ‘sedimentary’ layers and to endure over time. Ultimately, the article argues that the relationship between law’s past and law’s present needs to be reconceptualised in terms of metaphorical ‘fault lines’ in the rule of law, to acknowledge the potentially disruptive effects of history and to facilitate a critical reimagining of the rule of law’s theoretical and factual foundations.
The Role of Judicial Associations in Resisting Rule of Law Backsliding: Hidden Pathways of Protecting Judicial Independence Amidst Rule of Law Decay
Authors: Gyöngyi Petra
Published: September 2024

Both Hungary and Poland have been in the spotlight regarding their democratic backsliding, with Executives exerting control over supposedly independent pillars of democracy, such as courts or the media. While the concerns about these countries also voiced by leaders of European institutions were similar, the resistance against the systematic erosion of judicial independence comes in different forms. Using comparative longitudinal case study methodology, this article shows that a defining characteristic in the potential, visibility and feasibility of what judges did or could do under the current threats depends on the role judicial associations, understood as representative collegial judicial bodies. More precisely, the format, organisation and operative tools of judicial associations contribute to their influence on prior judicial reforms and their capacity to withstand ongoing efforts in curtailing their independence from political actors. Empirically, the article reviews multiple judicial changes in the 1992–2015 period in both countries and assesses how judicial associations then shaped the divergent responses to recent attempts at limiting judicial independence. The differences in the legal framework, organisation and network reliance explains variance in resistance. Overall, the article broadens the theoretical and empirical framework for studying the role of courts and judges with considerations regarding professional association organisation and co-ordination, as a potential layer of studying judicial resistance.
Fluid Drainage Leads to Thermal Decomposition of Wet Gouge During Experimental Seismic Slip
Authors: Nguyen Thi Trinh , Kuo Li‐Wei , Kong Qing‐En , Kuo Chia‐Wei , Dong Jia‐Jyun , Brown Dennis , Wang Huan , Kuo Szu‐Ting , Li Haibing , Si Jialiang
Published: September 2024

Several borehole cores intersecting faults related to coseismic slip display high‐temperature features, including thermal decomposition of fault gouge. We present evidence that these features may be related to fluid drainage of the slip zone during seismic slip. We sheared water‐saturated kaolinite powders under both fluid drained and undrained conditions, expected for seismic slip at shallow crustal depths. Our results show typical dynamic weakening behavior regardless of conditions. Under fluid drained condition, restrengthening accompanied by the thermal decomposition of kaolinite occurs. In addition, thermal decomposition of kaolinite tends to be initiated at high normal stresses (>5 MPa) with short displacement (<5 m). We propose that thermal pressurization acts as a weakening mechanism but ceases because of fluid drainage, triggering kaolinite thermal decomposition. This finding explains seismic‐slip‐related clay anomalies at depth rather than at the surface, as observed in the borehole after the 1999 Mw 7.6 Chi‐Chi earthquake, Taiwan.
Lost City’s Plumbing Exposed by the Longest Mantle Core Ever Drilled
Authors: Scharping Nathaniel
Published: September 2024

The core, which is 71% complete, reveals millions of years of geologic history and the plumbing underlying hydrothermal vents.
The Shortwave Cloud‐SST Feedback Amplifies Multi‐Decadal Pacific Sea Surface Temperature Trends: Implications for Observed Cooling
Authors: Espinosa Zachary I. , Zelinka Mark D.
Published: September 2024

Climate models struggle to produce sea surface temperature (SST) gradient trends in the tropical Pacific comparable to those seen recently in nature. Here, we find that the magnitude of the cloud‐SST feedback in the subtropical Southeast Pacific is correlated across models with the magnitude of Eastern Pacific multi‐decadal SST variability. A heat‐budget analysis reveals coupling between cloud‐radiative effects, circulation, and SST gradients in driving multi‐decadal variability in the Eastern Pacific. Using this relationship and observed feedback estimates, we find that internal Eastern Pacific SST variability is underestimated in most models. Adjusting for model bias increases the likelihood of generating a cooling trend at least as large as observations in preindustrial control simulations by 56% on average. If models underestimate climate “noise,” as our results suggest, this bias should be accounted for when attributing the relative importance of forced versus unforced changes in the climate.
Tropical Aviation Turbulence Induced by the Interaction Between a Jet Stream and Deep Convection
Authors: Chen Haoming , Shi Xiaoming , Nie Xiuwen , Wang Yueya , Leung Christy Yan Yu , Cheung Ping , Chan Pak Wai
Published: September 2024

On 18 December 2022, Hawaiian Airlines flight HA35 encountered severe turbulence without warning in a cloud‐free height. We reproduced this incident using the Weather Research and Forecasting Model (WRF) at a convection‐permitting resolution. We found that this case of tropical upper‐level turbulence occurred primarily due to the fast‐growing convective tower in the unstable layer created by gravity wave breaking. At lower altitudes, a mesoscale convective system (MCS) caused a decrease in wind speed in both upstream and downstream regions. At upper levels, a large‐scale jet descended and accelerated after flowing over the top of the MCS, which acted like a barrier and produced a situation similar to a downslope windstorm due to mountain terrain. Upper‐level turbulence is 2–3 km higher than the top of the MCS. The critical level above the jet and the locally self‐induced critical level created the locally enhanced descending jet stream, which destabilized the flow through Kelvin–Helmholtz instabilities. The convective tower existed near the flight route and played an important role in triggering turbulence in the unstable environment through its convective gravity waves.
Vertical Profile Climatology of Polarimetric Radar Variables and Retrieved Microphysical Parameters in Synoptic and Lake Effect Snowstorms
Authors: Hu Jiaxi , Ryzhkov Alexander , Dunnavan Edwin L.
Published: September 2024

This study derives polarimetric radar vertical profiles and microphysical retrievals for 25 Synoptic Snow (SS) and 23 Lake Effect Snow (LES) cases using the Range‐Defined Quasi‐Vertical Profiles (RD‐QVP), Columnar Vertical Profiles (CVP), and Process‐oriented Vertical Profiles (POVP) methods. For all vertical profile techniques, SS cases exhibit a near‐linear increase in reflectivity from −30 to 0°C whereas ZDR and Kdp locally peak in the dendritic growth layer. LES cases universally exhibit negative ZDR, rather high Z, negligible Kdp, and near‐unity ρhv. Ground measurements from the past OWLeS campaign provide direct evidence that conical graupel may strongly affect these polarimetric measurements in LES bands. Aggregation efficiencies for SS cases are estimated by optimizing the theoretical number concentration (Nt) and mean volume diameter (Dm) steady‐state vertical profiles against radar‐retrieved profiles derived from 20 of the 25 synoptic storm RD‐QVPs. The median estimated aggregation efficiency is approximately 0.15 with a relatively narrow interquartile range that spans from 0.1 to just over 0.2. Values of optimized aggregation efficiencies are nearly independent of the assumed gamma distribution shape parameter. These results are used to derive temperature‐dependent, climatological steady‐state relations for vertical profiles of Nt, Dm, and liquid‐equivalent snowfall rates. These results can be used in numerical weather prediction model aggregation parameterizations and can also provide climatologically representative vertical profiles of radar and microphysical quantities.
Transcriptomic profiles in major depressive disorder: the role of immunometabolic and cell-cycle-related pathways in depression with different levels of inflammation
Authors: Sforzini Luca , Marizzoni Moira , Bottanelli Chiara , Kunšteková Veronika , Zonca Valentina , Saleri Samantha , Kose Melisa , Lombardo Giulia , Mariani Nicole , Nettis Maria A. , Nikkheslat Naghmeh , Worrell Courtney , Zajkowska Zuzanna , Pointon Linda , Cowen Philip J. , Cavanagh Jonathan , Harrison Neil A. , Riva Marco A. , Mondelli Valeria , Bullmore Edward T. ,   the Neuroimmunology of Mood Disorders and Alzheimer’s Disease (NIMA) Consortium, Cattaneo Annamaria , Pariante Carmine M.
Published: September 2024

Transcriptomic profiles are important indicators for molecular mechanisms and pathways involved in major depressive disorder (MDD) and its different phenotypes, such as immunometabolic depression. We performed whole-transcriptome and pathway analyses on 139 individuals from the observational, case-control, BIOmarkers in DEPression (BIODEP) study, 105 with MDD and 34 controls. We divided MDD participants based on levels of inflammation, as measured by serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), in n = 39 ‘not inflamed’ (CRP < 1 mg/L), n = 31 with ‘elevated CRP’ (1–3 mg/L), and n = 35 with ‘low-grade inflammation’ (>3 mg/L). We performed whole-blood RNA sequencing using Illumina NextSeq 550 and statistical analyses with the Deseq2 package for R statistics (RUV-corrected) and subsequent pathway analyses with Ingenuity Pathway Analysis. Immunometabolic pathways were activated in individuals with CRP > 1 mg/L, although surprisingly the CRP 1–3 group showed stronger immune activation than the CRP > 3 group. The main pathways identified in the comparison between CRP < 1 group and controls were cell-cycle-related, which may be protective against immunometabolic abnormalities in this ‘non-inflamed’ depressed group. We further divided MDD participants based on exposure and response to antidepressants (n = 47 non-responders, n = 37 responders, and n = 22 unmedicated), and identified specific immunomodulatory and neuroprotective pathways in responders (especially vs. non-responders), which could be relevant to treatment response. In further subgroup analyses, we found that the specific transcriptional profile of responders is independent of CRP levels, and that the inhibition of cell-cycle-related pathways in MDD with CRP < 1 mg/L is present only in those who are currently depressed, and not in the responders. The present study demonstrates immunometabolic and cell-cycle-related transcriptomic pathways associated with MDD and different (CRP-based and treatment-based) MDD phenotypes, while shedding light on potential molecular mechanisms that could prevent or facilitate an individual’s trajectory toward immunometabolic depression and/or treatment-non-responsive depression. The recognition and integration of these mechanisms will facilitate a precision-medicine approach in MDD.
Schizophrenia is associated with altered DNA methylation variance
Authors: Kiltschewskij Dylan J. , Reay William R. , Cairns Murray J.
Published: September 2024

Varying combinations of genetic and environmental risk factors are thought to underpin phenotypic heterogeneity between individuals in psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia. While epigenome-wide association studies in schizophrenia have identified extensive alteration of mean DNA methylation levels, less is known about the location and impact of DNA methylation variance, which could contribute to phenotypic and treatment response heterogeneity. To explore this question, we conducted the largest meta-analysis of blood DNA methylation variance in schizophrenia to date, leveraging three cohorts comprising 1036 individuals with schizophrenia and 954 non-psychiatric controls. Surprisingly, only a small proportion (0.1%) of the 213 variably methylated positions (VMPs) associated with schizophrenia (Benjamini-Hochberg FDR < 0.05) were shared with differentially methylated positions (DMPs; sites with mean changes between cases and controls). These blood-derived VMPs were found to be overrepresented in genes previously associated with schizophrenia and amongst brain-enriched genes, with evidence of concordant changes at VMPs in the cerebellum, hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, or striatum. Epigenetic covariance was also observed with respect to clinically significant metrics including age of onset, cognitive deficits, and symptom severity. We also uncovered a significant VMP in individuals with first-episode psychosis (n = 644) from additional cohorts and a non-psychiatric comparison group (n = 633). Collectively, these findings suggest schizophrenia is associated with significant changes in DNA methylation variance, which may contribute to individual-to-individual heterogeneity.
Metformin hydrolase is a recently evolved nickel-dependent heteromeric ureohydrolase
Authors: Sinn M. , Riede L. , Fleming J. R. , Funck D. , Lutz H. , Bachmann A. , Mayans O. , Hartig J. S.
Published: September 2024

The anti-diabetic drug metformin is one of the most widely prescribed medicines in the world. Together with its degradation product guanylurea, it is a major pharmaceutical pollutant in wastewater treatment plants and surface waters. An operon comprising two genes of the ureohydrolase family inPseudomonasandAminobacterspecies has recently been implicated in metformin degradation. However, the corresponding proteins have not been characterized. Here we show that these genes encode a Ni2+-dependent enzyme that efficiently and specifically hydrolyzes metformin to guanylurea and dimethylamine. The active enzyme is a heteromeric complex of α- and β- subunits in which only the α-subunits contain the conserved His and Asp residues for the coordination of two Ni2+ions in the active site. A crystal structure of metformin hydrolase reveals an α2β4stoichiometry of the hexameric complex, which is unprecedented in the ureohydrolase family. By studying a closely related but more widely distributed enzyme, we find that the putative predecessor specifically hydrolyzes dimethylguanidine instead of metformin. Our findings establish the molecular basis for metformin hydrolysis to guanylurea as the primary pathway for metformin biodegradation and provide insight into the recent evolution of ureohydrolase family proteins in response to an anthropogenic compound.
HIV-1 adapts to lost IP6 coordination through second-site mutations that restore conical capsid assembly
Authors: Kleinpeter Alex , Mallery Donna L. , Renner Nadine , Albecka Anna , Klarhof J. Ole , Freed Eric O. , James Leo C.
Published: September 2024

The HIV-1 capsid is composed of capsid (CA) protein hexamers and pentamers (capsomers) that contain a central pore hypothesised to regulate capsid assembly and facilitate nucleotide import early during post-infection. These pore functions are mediated by two positively charged rings created by CA Arg-18 (R18) and Lys-25 (K25). Here we describe the forced evolution of viruses containing mutations in R18 and K25. Whilst R18 mutants fail to replicate, K25A viruses acquire compensating mutations that restore nearly wild-type replication fitness. These compensating mutations, which rescue reverse transcription and infection without reintroducing lost pore charges, map to three adaptation hot-spots located within and between capsomers. The second-site suppressor mutations act by restoring the formation of pentamers lost upon K25 mutation, enabling closed conical capsid assembly both in vitro and inside virions. These results indicate that there is no intrinsic requirement for K25 in either nucleotide import or capsid assembly. We propose that whilst HIV-1 must maintain a precise hexamer:pentamer equilibrium for proper capsid assembly, compensatory mutations can tune this equilibrium to restore fitness lost by mutation of the central pore.
MASTER-NAADP: a membrane permeable precursor of the Ca2+ mobilizing second messenger NAADP
Authors: Krukenberg Sarah , Möckl Franziska , Weiß Mariella , Dekiert Patrick , Hofmann Melanie , Gerlach Fynn , Winterberg Kai J. , Kovacevic Dejan , Khansahib Imrankhan , Troost Berit , Hinrichs Macarena , Granato Viviana , Nawrocki Mikolaj , Hub Tobis , Tsvilovskyy Volodymyr , Medert Rebekka , Woelk Lena-Marie , Förster Fritz , Li Huan , Werner René , Altfeld Marcus , Huber Samuel , Clarke Oliver Biggs , Freichel Marc , Diercks Björn-Philipp , Meier Chris , Guse Andreas H.
Published: September 2024

Upon stimulation of membrane receptors, nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) is formed as second messenger within seconds and evokes Ca2+ signaling in many different cell types. Here, to directly stimulate NAADP signaling, MASTER-NAADP, a Membrane permeAble, STabilized, bio-rEversibly pRotected precursor of NAADP is synthesized and release of its active NAADP mimetic, benzoic acid C-nucleoside, 2’-phospho-3’F-adenosine-diphosphate, by esterase digestion is confirmed. In the presence of NAADP receptor HN1L/JPT2 (hematological and neurological expressed 1-like protein, HN1L, also known as Jupiter microtubule-associated homolog 2, JPT2), this active NAADP mimetic releases Ca2+ and increases the open probability of type 1 ryanodine receptor. When added to intact cells, MASTER-NAADP initially evokes single local Ca2+ signals of low amplitude. Subsequently, also global Ca2+ signaling is observed in T cells, natural killer cells, and Neuro2A cells. In contrast, control compound MASTER-NADP does not stimulate Ca2+ signaling. Likewise, in cells devoid of HN1L/JPT2, MASTER-NAADP does not affect Ca2+ signaling, confirming that the product released from MASTER-NAADP is a bona fide NAADP mimetic.
Impact and characterization of serial structural variations across humans and great apes
Authors: Höps Wolfram , Rausch Tobias , Jendrusch Michael ,   Human Genome Structural Variation Consortium (HGSVC), Ashraf Hufsah , Audano Peter A. , Austine Ola , Basile Anna O. , Beck Christine R. , Jan Bonder Marc , Byrska-Bishop Marta , Chaisson Mark J. P. , Chong Zechen , Corvelo André , Devine Scott E. , Ebert Peter , Ebler Jana , Eichler Evan E. , Gerstein Mark B. , Hallast Pille , Harvey William T. , Hasenfeld Patrick , Hastie Alex R. , Henglin Mir , Hoekzema Kendra , Hsieh PingHsun , Hunt Sarah , Konkel Miriam K. , Kordosky Jennifer , Lansdorp Peter M. , Lee Charles , Lee Wan-Ping , Lewis Alexandra P. , Li Chong , Lin Jiadong , Loftus Mark , Logsdon Glennis A. , Marschall Tobias , Mills Ryan E. , Mostovoy Yulia , Munson Katherine M. , Narzisi Giuseppe , Pang Andy , Porubsky David , Prodanov Timofey , Rodriguez-Martin Bernardo , Shi Xinghua , Surapaneni Likhitha , Talkowski Michael E. , Yilmaz Feyza , Yoo DongAhn , Zhou Weichen , Zody Michael C. , Korbel Jan O. , Sedlazeck Fritz J.
Published: September 2024

Modern sequencing technology enables the systematic detection of complex structural variation (SV) across genomes. However, extensive DNA rearrangements arising through a series of mutations, a phenomenon we refer to as serial SV (sSV), remain underexplored, posing a challenge for SV discovery. Here, we present NAHRwhals (https://github.com/WHops/NAHRwhals), a method to infer repeat-mediated series of SVs in long-read genomic assemblies. Applying NAHRwhals to haplotype-resolved human genomes from 28 individuals reveals 37 sSV loci of various length and complexity. These sSVs explain otherwise cryptic variation in medically relevant regions such as the TPSAB1 gene, 8p23.1, 22q11 and Sotos syndrome regions. Comparisons with great ape assemblies indicate that most human sSVs formed recently, after the human-ape split, and involved non-repeat-mediated processes in addition to non-allelic homologous recombination. NAHRwhals reliably discovers and characterizes sSVs at scale and independent of species, uncovering their genomic abundance and suggesting broader implications for disease.
Unipolar quantum optoelectronics for high speed direct modulation and transmission in 8–14 µm atmospheric window
Authors: Dely Hamza , Joharifar Mahdieh , Durupt Laureline , Ostrovskis Armands , Schatz Richard , Bonazzi Thomas , Maisons Gregory , Gacemi Djamal , Salgals Toms , Zhang Lu , Spolitis Sandis , Sun Yan-Ting , Bobrovs Vjačeslavs , Yu Xianbin , Sagnes Isabelle , Pantzas Konstantinos , Vasanelli Angela , Ozolins Oskars , Pang Xiaodan , Sirtori Carlo
Published: September 2024

The large mid-infrared (MIR) spectral region, ranging from 2.5 µm to 25 µm, has remained under-exploited in the electromagnetic spectrum, primarily due to the absence of viable transceiver technologies. Notably, the 8–14 µm long-wave infrared (LWIR) atmospheric transmission window is particularly suitable for free-space optical (FSO) communication, owing to its combination of low atmospheric propagation loss and relatively high resilience to turbulence and other atmospheric disturbances. Here, we demonstrate a direct modulation and direct detection LWIR FSO communication system at 9.1 µm wavelength based on unipolar quantum optoelectronic devices with a unprecedented net bitrate exceeding 55 Gbit s−1. A directly modulated distributed feedback quantum cascade laser (DFB-QCL) with high modulation efficiency and improved RF-design was used as a transmitter while two high speed detectors utilizing meta-materials to enhance their responsivity are employed as receivers; a quantum cascade detector (QCD) and a quantum-well infrared photodetector (QWIP). We investigate system tradeoffs and constraints, and indicate pathways forward for this technology beyond 100 Gbit s−1 communication.
Multistage lithospheric drips control active basin formation within an uplifting orogenic plateau
Authors: Andersen A. Julia , Göğüş Oguz Hakan , Pysklywec Russell N. , Şengül Uluocak Ebru , Santimano Tasca
Published: September 2024

According to GNSS/INSAR measurements, the Konya Basin in Central Anatolia is undergoing rapid subsidence within an uplifting orogenic plateau. Further, geophysical studies reveal thickened crust under the basin and a fast seismic wave speed anomaly in the underlying mantle, in addition to a localised depression in calculated residual topography (down to 280 m) over the Konya Basin, based on gravity-topography considerations. Using scaled laboratory (analogue) experiments we show that the active formation of the Konya Basin may be accounted for by the descent of a mantle lithospheric drip causing local circular-shaped surface subsidence. We interpret that the Konya Basin is developing through a secondary drip pulse that is contemporaneous with broad plateau uplift caused by a larger-scale lithospheric drip since the Miocene. The research reveals that basin evolution and plateau uplift may be linked in a multistage process of lithospheric removal during episodic development of orogenic systems.
Cylindrical compression of thin wires by irradiation with a Joule-class short-pulse laser
Authors: Laso Garcia Alejandro , Yang Long , Bouffetier Victorien , Appel Karen , Baehtz Carsten , Hagemann Johannes , Höppner Hauke , Humphries Oliver , Kluge Thomas , Mishchenko Mikhail , Nakatsutsumi Motoaki , Pelka Alexander , Preston Thomas R. , Randolph Lisa , Zastrau Ulf , Cowan Thomas E. , Huang Lingen , Toncian Toma
Published: September 2024

Equation of state measurements at Jovian or stellar conditions are currently conducted by dynamic shock compression driven by multi-kilojoule multi-beam nanosecond-duration lasers. These experiments require precise design of the target and specific tailoring of the spatial and temporal laser profiles to reach the highest pressures. At the same time, the studies are limited by the low repetition rate of the lasers. Here, we show that by the irradiation of a thin wire with single-beam Joule-class short-pulse laser, a converging cylindrical shock is generated compressing the wire material to conditions relevant to the above applications. The shockwave was observed using Phase Contrast Imaging employing a hard X-ray Free Electron Laser with unprecedented temporal and spatial sensitivity. The data collected for Cu wires is in agreement with hydrodynamic simulations of an ablative shock launched by highly impulsive and transient resistive heating of the wire surface. The subsequent cylindrical shockwave travels toward the wire axis and is predicted to reach a compression factor of 9 and pressures above 800 Mbar. Simulations for astrophysical relevant materials underline the potential of this compression technique as a new tool for high energy density studies at high repetition rates.
A sex-stratified analysis of the genetic architecture of human brain anatomy
Authors: Shafee Rebecca , Moraczewski Dustin , Liu Siyuan , Mallard Travis , Thomas Adam , Raznahan Armin
Published: September 2024

Large biobanks have dramatically advanced our understanding of genetic influences on human brain anatomy. However, most studies have combined rather than compared male and female participants. Here we screen for sex differences in the common genetic architecture of over 1000 neuroanatomical phenotypes in the UK Biobank and establish a general concordance between male and female participants in heritability estimates, genetic correlations, and variant-level effects. Notable exceptions include higher mean heritability in the female group for regional volume and surface area phenotypes; between-sex genetic correlations that are significantly below 1 in the insula and parietal cortex; and a common variant with stronger effect in male participants mapping to RBFOX1 - a gene linked to multiple neuropsychiatric disorders more common in men. This work suggests that common variant influences on human brain anatomy are largely consistent between males and females, with a few exceptions that will guide future research in growing datasets.