bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Functioning and recovery during stroke rehabilitation: a comparison between pre-stroke frail and non-frail patients
Authors: Mennema Åsa , Vliet Vlieland Thea P. M. , Achterberg Wilco P. , Oosterveer Daniëlla M. ,   the SCORE-study group
Published: November 2023

Purpose

Pre-stroke frailty in older adults is associated with adverse outcomes after stroke in community-based and hospital-based populations. The aim of our study was to investigate the prevalence of pre-stroke frailty among older stroke survivors receiving medical specialistic rehabilitation and its association with outcomes and recovery.

Methods

Pre-stroke frailty was measured by the Groningen Frailty Indicator (GFI, score ≥ 4 indicates frailty) in patients ≥ 65 years receiving stroke medical specialistic rehabilitation. Baseline, follow-up and change (i.e. recovery) scores of the Barthel index (BI), Stroke Impact Scale (SIS) ‘mobility’, ‘communication’, and ‘memory and thinking’, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the EuroQoL-5 dimensions (EQ-5D) were compared between frail and non-frail patients with a multivariable regression model adjusting for confounders.

Results

Of 322 included patients (34.2% females, median age 70 years), 43 (13.4%) patients reported pre-stroke frailty. There were no differences in BI or in destination of discharge between pre-stroke frail and non-frail stroke survivors receiving inpatient rehabilitation. However, pre-stroke frailty was associated with worse follow-up scores for all other measures. Recovery in pre-stroke frail patients was less favorable compared to non-frail patients for SIS mobility, HADS subscales and EQ-5D index and visual analogue scale.

Conclusion

Pre-stroke frailty was present in a minority of older stroke survivors receiving medical specialistic rehabilitation. BI and destination of discharge did not differ. Nevertheless, pre-stroke frailty was associated with worse functioning at follow-up for most measures of health status and with smaller improvements in mobility, mood and quality of life.
Biochar potentially enhances maize tolerance to arsenic toxicity by improving physiological and biochemical responses to excessive arsenate
Authors: Rahman Md. Mezanur , Das Ashim Kumar , Sultana Sharmin , Ghosh Protik Kumar , Islam Md. Robyul , Keya Sanjida Sultana , Ahmed Minhaz , Nihad Sheikh Arafat Islam , Khan Md. Arifur Rahman , Lovell Mylea C. , Rahman Md. Abiar , Ahsan S. M. , Anik Touhidur Rahman , Fnu Pallavi , Tran Lam-Son Phan , Mostofa Mohammad Golam
Published: November 2023

Metalloid pollution, including arsenic poisoning, is a serious environmental issue, plaguing plant productivity and quality of life worldwide. Biochar, a carbon-rich material, has been known to alleviate the negative effects of environmental pollutants on plants. However, the specific role of biochar in mitigating arsenic stress in maize remains relatively unexplored. Here, we elucidated the functions of biochar in improving maize growth  under the elevated level of sodium arsenate (Na2AsO4, AsV). Maize plants were grown in pot-soils amended with two doses of biochar (2.5% (B1) and 5.0% (B2) biochar Kg−1 of soil) for 5 days, followed by exposure to Na2AsO4 ('B1 + AsV'and 'B2 + AsV') for 9 days. Maize plants exposed to AsV only accumulated substantial amount of arsenic in both roots and leaves, triggering severe phytotoxic effects, including stunted growth, leaf-yellowing, chlorosis, reduced photosynthesis, and nutritional imbalance, when compared with control plants. Contrariwise, biochar addition improved the phenotype and growth of AsV-stressed maize plants by reducing root-to-leaf AsV translocation (by 46.56 and 57.46% in ‘B1 + AsV’ and ‘B2 + AsV’ plants), improving gas-exchange attributes, and elevating chlorophylls and mineral levels beyond AsV-stressed plants. Biochar pretreatment also substantially counteracted AsV-induced oxidative stress by lowering reactive oxygen species accumulation, lipoxygenase activity, malondialdehyde level, and electrolyte leakage. Less oxidative stress in ‘B1 + AsV’ and ‘B2 + AsV’ plants likely supported by a strong antioxidant system powered by biochar-mediated increased activities of superoxide dismutase (by 25.12 and 46.55%), catalase (51.78 and 82.82%), and glutathione S-transferase (61.48 and 153.83%), and improved flavonoid levels (41.48 and 75.37%, respectively). Furthermore, increased levels of soluble sugars and free amino acids also correlated with improved leaf relative water content, suggesting a better osmotic acclimatization mechanism in biochar-pretreated AsV-exposed plants. Overall, our findings provided mechanistic insight into how biochar facilitates maize’s active recovery from AsV-stress, implying that biochar application may be a viable technique for mitigating negative effects of arsenic in maize, and perhaps, in other important cereal crops.

Graphical Abstract
Interaction of hallucinogenic rapid-acting antidepressants with mGlu2/3 receptor ligands as a window for more effective therapies
Authors: Chruścicka-Smaga Barbara , Machaczka Agata , Szewczyk Bernadeta , Pilc Andrzej
Published: November 2023

The desire to find a gold-standard therapy for depression is still ongoing. Developing one universal and effective pharmacotherapy remains troublesome due to the high complexity and variety of symptoms. Over the last decades, the understanding of the mechanism of pathophysiology of depression and its key consequences for brain functioning have undergone significant changes, referring to the monoaminergic theory of the disease. After the breakthrough discovery of ketamine, research began to focus on the modulation of glutamatergic transmission as a new pharmacological target. Glutamate is a crucial player in mechanisms of a novel class of antidepressants, including hallucinogens such as ketamine. The role of glutamatergic transmission is also suggested in the antidepressant (AD) action of scopolamine and psilocybin. Despite fast, robust, and sustained AD action hallucinogens belonging to a group of rapid-acting antidepressants (RAA) exert significant undesired effects, which hamper their use in the clinic. Thus, the synergistic action of more than one substance in lower doses instead of monotherapy may alleviate the likelihood of adverse effects while improving therapeutic outcomes. In this review, we explore AD-like behavioral, synaptic, and molecular action of RAAs such as ketamine, scopolamine, and psilocybin, in combination with mGlu2/3 receptor antagonists.
Adversarial Distillation Adaptation Model with Sentiment Contrastive Learning for Zero-Shot Stance Detection
Authors: Zhang Yu , Wang Chunling , Wang Jia
Published: November 2023

Zero-shot stance detection is both crucial and challenging because it demands detecting the stances of previously unseen targets in the inference stage. Learning transferable target invariant features effectively from training data is crucial for zero-shot stance detection. This paper proposes an adversarial adaptation approach for zero-shot stance detection, which applies an adversarial discriminative domain adaptation network to transfer knowledge efficiently. Specifically, the proposed model applies knowledge distillation to prevent overfitting the destination data and forgetting the learned source knowledge. Moreover, stance contrastive learning is applied to enhance the quality of feature representation for superior generalization, and sentiment information is extracted to assist with stance detection. The experimental results indicate that our model performs competitively on two benchmark datasets.
The Militarization of Mexico's Border and its Impacts on Human Rights
Authors: Ash Alesia
Published: November 2023

Between 800,000 and one million people are estimated to traverse Mexico from Central America each year, endeavoring to reach the United States. These migrants, asylum seekers, and refugees are forced north for a myriad of deeply personal reasons, but most commonly a combination of rampant crime and violence, economic insecurity, government failures, environmental forces, impacts from the global coronavirus pandemic, and, of course, a hope for a better life. Government policies that militarize migration control make the already daunting journey more dangerous. To that end, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has repeatedly voiced concern about policies that aim to militarize borders and their direct negative impact on human rights. But despite the corrosive effects on human rights, the militarization of national borders is increasing throughout the globe, and it is especially stark between “first world” and developing countries.
Spatial pattern of glacier mass balance sensitivity to atmospheric forcing in High Mountain Asia
Authors: Arndt Anselm , Schneider Christoph
Published: November 2023

The complex topography and size of High Mountain Asia (HMA) result in large differences in glacier mass-balance variability and climate sensitivity. Current understanding of these sensitivities is limited by simplifications in past studies’ model structure. This study overcomes this limitation by using a mass-balance model to investigate the climatic mass-balance variability and climate sensitivity of 16 glaciers covering major mountain ranges in HMA. Generally, glaciers in the southeast have higher mass turnover while glaciers at the margins of HMA show higher interannual mass-balance variability. All glaciers are most sensitive to temperature perturbations in summer. The climatic mass balance of 15 glaciers is most sensitive to precipitation perturbations in summer or spring and summer, even if the seasonal accumulation peak is not in summer. Only one glacier's mass balance (Chhota Shigri Glacier) is most sensitive to precipitation perturbations in winter. Glaciers with high mass turnover and high summer-precipitation ratio are more sensitive to temperature perturbations. Sensitivity experiments reveal that besides the non-linearity of mass-balance temperature sensitivity, mass-balance precipitation sensitivity is non-linear as well. Furthermore, resolving the diurnal cycle of albedo, (re)freezing and the differentiation between liquid and solid precipitation are important to assess climate sensitivity of glaciers in HMA.
To vote or not to vote in the homeland elections? Insights into voting abstention in Italy's constituency abroad
Authors: Battiston Simone , Luconi Stefano , Valbruzzi Marco
Published: November 2023

Since its introduction in the early 2000s, legislation relating to the voting rights of Italians abroad has enabled millions of residents of voting age outside of Italy to engage in homeland elections and elect their own MPs. The inclusion of Italian citizens abroad in the Italian polity has nevertheless translated into a patchy electoral engagement. This article does not intend to provide an analysis of the voting choices in Italy's overseas constituency. Instead, it delves into external vote dynamics to provide insights into overseas Italians’ abstention in parliamentary elections and referenda. After summarising the history of the introduction of Italy's peculiar model of external voting, drawing on the results of an online survey of Italians abroad, the article examines the factors influencing turnout, with specific attention to the eligible voters’ personal characteristics. It also focuses on the attitude of Italians abroad towards possible reforms aiming at increasing electoral participation. It concludes that country of birth and Italian language skills are among the most relevant variables not only to assess what fosters or inhibits external voting, but also to gauge the opinion of voters residing outside Italy about proposals to reform the procedures regulating the exercise of suffrage from abroad.
Dual-tunable phononic waveguides for manipulation of guided Lamb waves
Authors: Guo Wei , Ma Yu-Ke , Wang Yan-Feng , Laude Vincent , Wang Yue-Sheng
Published: November 2023

In this paper, we design and fabricate dual-tunable waveguides in a two-dimensional periodic plate with threaded holes. Dual tunability is realized by using rods held with nuts as well as assembly prestress of the nuts. A straight waveguide, a bent waveguide, and a wave splitter are designed by changing the distribution of rods and nuts in different circuits. The experimental and numerical results show that the frequencies of guided waves can be tuned by the assembly prestress. By increasing the amount of prestress, the frequency range of the passing band can be shifted upward. Confinements, guiding, and splitting of Lamb waves are clearly observed in both experimental measurements and numerical simulations. This work is essential for the practical design of reconfigurable phononic devices.
Concepts of Political Obedience in Late Tudor England: Conflicting Perspectives
Authors: Greaves Richard L.
Published: November 2023

Primarily because of the Reformation, political obedience became an increasingly significant issue in Tudor England. The success of Henry VIII's break with Rome resulted partly because the state could use the established church to inculcate in the populace the notion of loyalty to the civil government as a Christian duty. Despite the vacillations of Henrician ecclesiastical policy and the more radical reforming spirit of the Edwardian years, Protestant views on political obedience remained fundamentally stable. The accession of Mary, however, created a critical dilemma for men who had been stressing the duty of obedience to one's ruler. Exile was only a partial solution, though among the exiles a handful of leaders worked out a theory of tyrannicide. Of those who took this course, John Knox in particular confused the issue by simultaneously raising the thorny problem of gynecocracy. Written while Mary Tudor was queen, The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstrous Regiment of Women appeared after Elizabeth's accession, when it was an embarrassment to Protestants. It was left, then, to the Elizabethans to rethink the entire question of political obedience.
The English Palatinates and Edward I
Authors: Alexander James W.
Published: November 2023

The origin and original nature of medieval English palatinates has been a hardy theme of medieval English constitutional history at least since the seventeenth century. Earlier work on the topic by this author was essentially negative, dealing with what palatinates were not rather than with what they were; it is now time to offer the thoughts which follow. This article presents no conclusions based on evidence unexamined by other scholars, but looks at familiar material in new ways.
From Amateur to Professional: The Case of the Oxbridge Historians
Authors: Jann Rosemary
Published: November 2023

“What was wrong with the historical reaction at the end of Victoria's reign, was not the positive stress it laid on the need for scientific method in weighing evidence, but its negative repudiation of the literary art, which was declared to have nothing whatever to do with the historian's task.” Writing in 1945, G.M. Trevelyan was overly pessimistic in assuming that this “negative repudiation” had completely destroyed “literary” history in an age of professionalization; John Osborne uses Trevelyan's own success to convince us of the continued vigor of the belletristic tradition in the twentieth century. Both Trevelyan's anxieties and the fact that they proved unfounded are significant, however, for they help us to focus on important issues in the emergence of professional historiography in England.
The Limits of Preclearance
Authors: Zhang Iris H.
Published: November 2023

On June 25, 2013, the Supreme Court ended enforcement of Section 5 of the 1965 Voting Rights Act inShelby County v. Holder.As a result, over 3500 municipalities were released from the preclearance requirement to seek federal approval prior to enacting changes to elections. Despite the Court’s majority opinion that Section 5 was no longer needed, practices like enforcing strict voter ID requirements and last-minute polling place changes increased dramatically afterShelby County.However, one underexamined election change is changing municipal boundaries through annexations. Municipal annexations can weaken minority political representation in municipal elections if minority population shares decrease after annexation. Using difference-in-differences models, I analyze annexations for over 15,000 municipalities from 2007–2020 across all forty U.S. states with annexable land. I find no evidence that municipalities previously covered by Section 5 increased annexation activity or that they conducted more annexations that dilute Black and minority resident shares afterShelby County.Patterns of annexations pre-Shelby Countysuggest that the null finding can be explained by the limited effectiveness of Section 5 in preventing minority dilution through annexations when it was in place. This study underscores how municipal boundaries can be manipulated to perpetuate inequality and the limitations of federal legislation in preventing this practice.
Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for post-stroke adjustment difficulties via telerehabilitation in a working-age man
Authors: Ooi Jinnie , Steverson Tom
Published: November 2023

Adjustment difficulties following a stroke are common and associated with poorer outcomes. Current systematic reviews suggest insufficient evidence for the efficacy of psychological interventions for post-stroke anxiety and/or depression. However, a recent randomised controlled trial (Majumdar and Morris, 2019) of group-based acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) showed promise in reducing depression and increasing hopefulness and perceived health status in stroke survivors. The present case study describes the assessment, formulation, treatment and outcomes of post-stroke adjustment difficulties in a working-aged man using ACT delivered via telerehabilitation. At the end of treatment (six sessions over 2 months), the client no longer met clinical cut-off for psychological distress and depression. Furthermore, reported levels of psychological flexibility were comparable to non-clinical norms. These gains were maintained at 3- and 6-month follow-up. Outcomes from this case study support emerging evidence indicating that ACT may be an efficacious intervention for post-stroke adjustment difficulties, even when delivered via telerehabilitation. Further research investigating the mediating and moderating effects of different cognitive behavioural processes such as values and acceptance on psychological adjustment to stroke is recommended.

Key learning aims

(1)

Current evidence on the efficacy of psychological interventions for stroke survivors is limited.

(2)

This case study describes the assessment, treatment and outcomes of post-stroke adjustment difficulties in a working-aged man using an ACT approach.

(3)

Following six sessions of ACT delivered via telerehabilitation, the client no longer met clinical cut-off for psychological distress and depression. Moreover, his levels of psychological flexibility were comparable to non-clinical norms.

(4)

Further exploration of psychological processes that facilitate post-stroke adjustment difficulties is recommended.
Enhanced Nitrate Fraction: Enabling Urban Aerosol Particles to Remain in a Liquid State at Reduced Relative Humidity
Authors: Liu Y. C. , Wu Z. J. , Qiu Y. T. , Tian P. , Liu Q. , Chen Y. , Song M. , Hu M.
Published: November 2023

Nitrate has become the primary inorganic compound in urban aerosol particles, but its effects on particle phase state, which is crucial in multiphase chemistry, remains largely unknown. Herein, particle rebound measurements were conducted to explore the relationship between the liquid–phase–transition threshold relative humidity (RHthreshold) and the inorganic compounds mass fraction in dry particles (Finorg). Results revealed negative correlations between RHthreshold and Finorg, with more nitrate leading to lower RHthreshold. Even with RH < 20%, particles with ∼50% nitrate mass fraction remained in non‐solid state. Taking Beijing as an example, decreases were observed in RHthreshold from 64% in 2015 to below 53% nowadays during the moderate‐pollution periods (PM2.5 = 35–75 μg/m3) due to an enhanced nitrate fraction. This allowed urban aerosol particles to exist in liquid state at lower RH, and consequently, kinetic limitation by bulk diffusion in nitrate‐dominated particles might be negligible, making them key seeds for secondary aerosol formation through multiphase reactions.
Impact of a New Bias Correction Predictor for FY‐4A AGRI All‐Sky Data Assimilation on Typhoon Forecast
Authors: Shi Bingying , Yang Chun , Min Jinzhong , Sha Lina
Published: November 2023

The all‐sky assimilation module for Advanced Geostationary Radiation Imager (AGRI) onboard the Chinese new generation of geostationary meteorological satellites Fengyun‐4A (FY‐4A) is constructed for the first time in Weather Research and Forecasting Model Data Assimilation (WRFDA) model with Radiative Transfer for the TIROS Operational Vertical Sounder (RTTOV). Based on the characteristics of bias distribution, the cloud effect average is selected as a new bias correction (BC) predictor to remove cloud‐related biases in all‐sky conditions. The impact of the modified BC scheme and AGRI all‐sky assimilation on typhoon Lekima (2019) forecast is evaluated through a set of cycle assimilation experiments with WRFDA 3DVAR component. The result shows that, compared with other BC schemes, the modified BC scheme can effectively reduce the mean standard deviation, root mean square error, and absolute mean of observation departure in all‐sky conditions. Meanwhile, the AGRI all‐sky assimilation with the modified BC scheme obtains significant improvements in track prediction. Substantial error reductions in model variables, such as wind, temperature, and humidity, are also produced.
Predictors of medication adherence in a large 1-year prospective cohort of individuals with schizophrenia: insights from the multicentric FACE-SZ dataset
Authors: Misdrahi David , Dupuy Maud , Dansou Yecodji , Boyer Laurent , Berna Fabrice , Capdevielle Delphine , Chereau Isabelle , Coulon Nathalie , D’Amato Thierry , Dubertret Caroline , Leignier Sylvain , Llorca Pierre Michel , Lançon Christophe , Mallet Jasmina , Passerieux Christine , Pignon Baptiste , Rey Romain , Schürhoff Franck , Swendsen Joel , Urbach Mathieu , Szöke Andrei , Godin Ophélia , Fond Guillaume ,   the FACE-SZ (FondaMental Academic Centers of Expertise for Schizophrenia) Group, Andre M. , Andrieu-Haller C. , Aouizerate B. , Berna F. , Blanc O. , Bourguignon E. , Capdevielle D. , Chereau-Boudet I. , Clauss-Kobayashi J. , Coulon N. , Dassing R. , Dorey J. M. , Dubertret C. , Esselin A. , Fond G. , Gabayet F. , Jarroir M. , Lacelle D. , Leboyer M. , Leignier S. , Llorca P. M. , Mallet J. , Metairie E. , Michel T. , Misdrahi D. , Passerieux C. , Petrucci J. , Pignon B. , Peri P. , Portalier C. , Rey R. , Roman C. , Schorr B. , Schürhoff F. , Szöke A. , Tessier A. , Urbach M. , Wachiche G. , Zinetti-Bertschy A.
Published: November 2023

Schizophrenia is characterized by the most salient medication adherence problems among severe mental disorders, but limited prospective data are available to predict and improve adherence in this population. This investigation aims to identify predictors of medication adherence over a 1-year period in a large national cohort using clustering analysis. Outpatients were recruited from ten Schizophrenia Expert Centers and were evaluated with a day-long standardized battery including clinician and patient-rated medication adherence measures. A two-step cluster analysis and multivariate logistic regression were conducted to identify medication adherence profiles based on the Medication Adherence rating Scale (MARS) and baseline predictors. A total of 485 participants were included in the study and medication adherence was significantly improved at the 1-year follow-up. Higher depressive scores, lower insight, history of suicide attempt, younger age and alcohol use disorder were all associated with poorer adherence at 1 year. Among the 203 patients with initially poor adherence, 86 (42%) switched to good adherence at the 1-year follow-up, whereas 117 patients (58%) remained poorly adherent. Targeting younger patients with low insight, history of suicide, alcohol use disorder and depressive disorders should be prioritized through literacy and educational therapy programs. Adherence is a construct that can vary considerably from year to year in schizophrenia, and therefore may be amenable to interventions for its improvement. However, caution is also warranted as nearly one in five patients with initially good adherence experienced worsened adherence 1 year later.
Pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase 1 protects against neuronal injury and memory loss in mouse models of diabetes
Authors: Yao Yuan , Shi Jiaming , Zhang Chunlai , Gao Wei , Huang Ning , Liu Yaobei , Yan Weiwen , Han Yingguang , Zhou Wenjuan , Kong Liang
Published: November 2023

Hyperglycemia-induced aberrant glucose metabolism is a causative factor of neurodegeneration and cognitive impairment in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients. The pyruvate dehydrogenase kinase (PDK)–lactic acid axis is regarded as a critical link between metabolic reprogramming and the pathogenic process of neurological disorders. However, its role in diabetic neuropathy remains unclear. Here, we found that PDK1 and phosphorylation of pyruvate dehydrogenase (PDH) were obviously increased in high glucose (HG)-stimulated primary neurons and Neuro-2a cell line. Acetyl-coA, a central metabolic intermediate, might enhance PDK1 expression via histone H3K9 acetylation modification in HG condition. The epigenetic regulation of PDK1 expression provided an available negative feedback pattern in response to HG environment-triggered mitochondrial metabolic overload. However, neuronal PDK1 was decreased in the hippocampus of streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic mice. Our data showed that the expression of PDK1 also depended on the hypoxia-inducible factor-1 (HIF-1) transcriptional activation under the HG condition. However, HIF-1 was significantly reduced in the hippocampus of diabetic mice, which might explain the opposite expression of PDK1 in vivo. Importantly, overexpression of PDK1 reduced HG-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and neuronal apoptosis. Enhancing PDK1 expression in the hippocampus ameliorated STZ-induced cognitive impairment and neuronal degeneration in mice. Together, our study demonstrated that both acetyl-coA-induced histone acetylation and HIF-1 are necessary to direct PDK1 expression, and enhancing PDK1 may have a protective effect on cognitive recovery in diabetic mice.
Regulated cell death and inflammasome activation in gut injury following traumatic surgery in vitro and in vivo: implication for postoperative death due to multiorgan dysfunction
Authors: Wu Lingzhi , Zhao Hailin , Zhang Mengxu , Sun Qizhe , Chang Enqiang , Li Xinyi , Ouyang Wen , Le Yuan , Ma Daqing
Published: November 2023

Postoperative multi-organ dysfunction (MOD) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity. Necroptosis has been implicated in different types of solid organ injury; however, the mechanisms linking necroptosis to inflammation require further elucidation. The present study examines the involvement of necroptosis and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) inflammasome in small intestine injury following traumatic surgery. Kidney transplantation in rats and renal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) in mice were used as traumatic and laparotomic surgery models to study necroptosis and inflammasome activation in the small intestinal post-surgery; additional groups also received receptor-interacting protein kinase 1 (RIPK1) inhibitor necrostatin-1s (Nec-1s). To investigate whether necroptosis regulates inflammasome activity in vitro, necroptosis was induced in human colonic epithelial cancer cells (Caco-2) by a combination of tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNFα), SMAC mimetic LCL-161 and pan-caspase inhibitor Q-VD-Oph (together, TLQ), and necroptosis was blocked by Nec-1s or mixed lineage kinase-domain like (MLKL) inhibitor necrosulfonamide (NSA). Renal transplantation and renal ischaemia-reperfusion (I/R) upregulated the expression of necroptosis mediators (RIPK1; RIPK3; phosphorylated-MLKL) and inflammasome components (P2X purinoceptor subfamily 7, P2X7R; NLRP3; caspase-1) in the small intestines at 24 h, and Nec-1s suppressed the expression of inflammasome components. TLQ treatment induced NLRP3 inflammasome, promoted cleavage of caspase-1 and interleukin-1 beta (IL-1β), and stimulated extracellular ATP release from Caco-2 cells, and MLKL inhibitor NSA prevented TLQ-induced inflammasome activity and ATP release from Caco-2 cells. Our work suggested that necroptosis and inflammasome interactively promote remote postoperative small intestinal injury, at least in part, through ATP purinergic signalling. Necroptosis-inflammasome axis may be considered as novel therapeutic target for tackling postoperative MOD in the critical care settings.
Ecophysiological adaptations shape distributions of closely related trees along a climatic moisture gradient
Authors: Smith Duncan D. , Adams Mark A. , Salvi Amanda M. , Krieg Christopher P. , Ané Cécile , McCulloh Katherine A. , Givnish Thomas J.
Published: November 2023

Tradeoffs between the energetic benefits and costs of traits can shape species and trait distributions along environmental gradients. Here we test predictions based on such tradeoffs using survival, growth, and 50 photosynthetic, hydraulic, and allocational traits of tenEucalyptusspecies grown in four common gardens along an 8-fold gradient in precipitation/pan evaporation (P/Ep) in Victoria, Australia. Phylogenetically structured tests show that most trait-environment relationships accord qualitatively with theory. Most traits appear adaptive across species within gardens (indicating fixed genetic differences) and within species across gardens (indicating plasticity). However, species from moister climates have lower stomatal conductance than others grown under the same conditions. Responses in stomatal conductance and five related traits appear to reflect greater mesophyll photosynthetic sensitivity of mesic species to lower leaf water potential. Our data support adaptive cross-over, with realized height growth of most species exceeding that of others in climates they dominate. Our findings show that pervasive physiological, hydraulic, and allocational adaptations shape the distributions of dominantEucalyptusspecies along a subcontinental climatic moisture gradient, driven by rapid divergence in speciesP/Epand associated adaptations.
Near-surface magma flow instability drives cyclic lava fountaining at Fagradalsfjall, Iceland
Authors: Scott Samuel , Pfeffer Melissa , Oppenheimer Clive , Bali Enikö , Lamb Oliver D. , Barnie Talfan , Woods Andrew W. , Kjartansdóttir Rikey , Stefánsson Andri
Published: November 2023

Lava fountains are a common manifestation of basaltic volcanism. While magma degassing plays a clear key role in their generation, the controls on their duration and intermittency are only partially understood, not least due to the challenges of measuring the most abundant gases, H2O and CO2. The 2021 Fagradalsfjall eruption in Iceland included a six-week episode of uncommonly periodic lava fountaining, featuring ~ 100–400 m high fountains lasting a few minutes followed by repose intervals of comparable duration. Exceptional conditions on 5 May 2021 permitted close-range (~300 m), highly time-resolved (every ~ 2 s) spectroscopic measurement of emitted gases during 16 fountain-repose cycles. The observed proportions of major and minor gas molecular species (including H2O, CO2, SO2, HCl, HF and CO) reveal a stage of CO2 degassing in the upper crust during magma ascent, followed by further gas-liquid separation at very shallow depths (~100 m). We explain the pulsatory lava fountaining as the result of pressure cycles within a shallow magma-filled cavity. The degassing at Fagradalsfjall and our explanatory model throw light on the wide spectrum of terrestrial lava fountaining and the subsurface cavities associated with basaltic vents.
Unzipped chromosome-level genomes reveal allopolyploid nematode origin pattern as unreduced gamete hybridization
Authors: Dai Dadong , Xie Chuanshuai , Zhou Yayi , Bo Dexin , Zhang Shurong , Mao Shengqiang , Liao Yucheng , Cui Simeng , Zhu Zhaolu , Wang Xueyu , Li Fanling , Peng Donghai , Zheng Jinshui , Sun Ming
Published: November 2023

The formation and consequences of polyploidization in animals with clonal reproduction remain largely unknown. Clade I root-knot nematodes (RKNs), characterized by parthenogenesis and allopolyploidy, show a widespread geographical distribution and extensive agricultural destruction. Here, we generated 4 unzipped polyploid RKN genomes and identified a putative novel alternative telomeric element. Then we reconstructed 4 chromosome-level assemblies and resolved their genome structures as AAB for triploid and AABB for tetraploid. The phylogeny of subgenomes revealed polyploid RKN origin patterns as hybridization between haploid and unreduced gametes. We also observed extensive chromosomal fusions and homologous gene expression decrease after polyploidization, which might offset the disadvantages of clonal reproduction and increase fitness in polyploid RKNs. Our results reveal a rare pathway of polyploidization in parthenogenic polyploid animals and provide a large number of high-precision genetic resources that could be used for RKN prevention and control.
HOP1 and HAP2 are conserved components of the meiosis-related machinery required for successful mating in Leishmania
Authors: Catta-Preta Carolina Moura Costa , Ferreira Tiago Rodrigues , Ghosh Kashinath , Paun Andrea , Sacks David
Published: November 2023

Whole genome analysis of Leishmania hybrids generated experimentally in sand flies supports a meiotic mechanism of genetic exchange, with Mendelian segregation of the nuclear genome. Here, we perform functional analyses through the generation of double drug-resistant hybrids in vitro and in vivo (during sand fly infections) to assess the importance of conserved meiosis-related genes in recombination and plasmogamy. We report that HOP1 and a HAP2-paralog (HAP2-2) are essential components of the Leishmania meiosis machinery and cell-to-cell fusion mechanism, respectively, since deletion of either gene in one or both parents significantly reduces or completely abrogates mating competence. These findings significantly advance our understanding of sexual reproduction in Leishmania, with likely relevance to other trypanosomatids, by formally demonstrating the involvement of a meiotic protein homolog and a distinct fusogen that mediates non-canonical, bilateral fusion in the hybridizing cells.
MePMe-seq: antibody-free simultaneous m6A and m5C mapping in mRNA by metabolic propargyl labeling and sequencing
Authors: Hartstock Katja , Kueck Nadine A. , Spacek Petr , Ovcharenko Anna , Hüwel Sabine , Cornelissen Nicolas V. , Bollu Amarnath , Dieterich Christoph , Rentmeister Andrea
Published: November 2023

Internal modifications of mRNA have emerged as widespread and versatile regulatory mechanism to control gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. Most of these modifications are methyl groups, making S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAM) a central metabolic hub. Here we show that metabolic labeling with a clickable metabolic precursor of SAM, propargyl-selenohomocysteine (PSH), enables detection and identification of various methylation sites. Propargylated A, C, and G nucleosides form at detectable amounts via intracellular generation of the corresponding SAM analogue. Integration into next generation sequencing enables mapping of N6-methyladenosine (m6A) and 5-methylcytidine (m5C) sites in mRNA with single nucleotide precision (MePMe-seq). Analysis of the termination profiles can be used to distinguish m6A from 2′-O-methyladenosine (Am) and N1-methyladenosine (m1A) sites. MePMe-seq overcomes the problems of antibodies for enrichment and sequence-motifs for evaluation, which was limiting previous methodologies. Metabolic labeling via clickable SAM facilitates the joint evaluation of methylation sites in RNA and potentially DNA and proteins.
Structural insights into the modulation of coronavirus spike tilting and infectivity by hinge glycans
Authors: Chmielewski David , Wilson Eric A. , Pintilie Grigore , Zhao Peng , Chen Muyuan , Schmid Michael F. , Simmons Graham , Wells Lance , Jin Jing , Singharoy Abhishek , Chiu Wah
Published: November 2023

Coronavirus spike glycoproteins presented on the virion surface mediate receptor binding, and membrane fusion during virus entry and constitute the primary target for vaccine and drug development. How the structure dynamics of the full-length spikes incorporated in viral lipid envelope correlates with the virus infectivity remains poorly understood. Here we present structures and distributions of native spike conformations on vitrified human coronavirus NL63 (HCoV-NL63) virions without chemical fixation by cryogenic electron tomography (cryoET) and subtomogram averaging, along with site-specific glycan composition and occupancy determined by mass spectrometry. The higher oligomannose glycan shield on HCoV-NL63 spikes than on SARS-CoV-2 spikes correlates with stronger immune evasion of HCoV-NL63. Incorporation of cryoET-derived native spike conformations into all-atom molecular dynamic simulations elucidate the conformational landscape of the glycosylated, full-length spike that reveals a role of hinge glycans in modulating spike bending. We show that glycosylation at N1242 at the upper portion of the stalk is responsible for the extensive orientational freedom of the spike crown. Subsequent infectivity assays implicated involvement of N1242-glyan in virus entry. Our results suggest a potential therapeutic target site for HCoV-NL63.
NIPMAP: niche-phenotype mapping of multiplex histology data by community ecology
Authors: El Marrahi Anissa , Lipreri Fabio , Kang Ziqi , Gsell Louise , Eroglu Alper , Alber David , Hausser Jean
Published: November 2023

Advances in multiplex histology allow surveying millions of cells, dozens of cell types, and up to thousands of phenotypes within the spatial context of tissue sections. This leads to a combinatorial challenge in (a) summarizing the cellular and phenotypic architecture of tissues and (b) identifying phenotypes with interesting spatial architecture. To address this, we combine ideas from community ecology and machine learning into niche-phenotype mapping (NIPMAP). NIPMAP takes advantage of geometric constraints on local cellular composition imposed by the niche structure of tissues in order to automatically segment tissue sections into niches and their interfaces. Projecting phenotypes on niches and their interfaces identifies previously-reported and previously-unreported spatially-driven phenotypes, concisely summarizes the phenotypic architecture of tissues, and reveals fundamental properties of tissue architecture. NIPMAP is applicable to both protein and RNA multiplex histology of healthy and diseased tissue. An open-source R/Python package implements NIPMAP.
Single-cell analysis identifies genes facilitating rhizobium infection in Lotus japonicus
Authors: Frank Manuel , Fechete Lavinia Ioana , Tedeschi Francesca , Nadzieja Marcin , Nørgaard Malita Malou Malekzadeh , Montiel Jesus , Andersen Kasper Røjkjær , Schierup Mikkel H. , Reid Dugald , Andersen Stig Uggerhøj
Published: November 2023

Legume-rhizobium signaling during establishment of symbiotic nitrogen fixation restricts rhizobium colonization to specific cells. A limited number of root hair cells allow infection threads to form, and only a fraction of the epidermal infection threads progress to cortical layers to establish functional nodules. Here we use single-cell analysis to define the epidermal and cortical cell populations that respond to and facilitate rhizobium infection. We then identify high-confidence nodulation gene candidates based on their specific expression in these populations, pinpointing genes stably associated with infection across genotypes and time points. We show that one of these, which we name SYMRKL1, encodes a protein with an ectodomain predicted to be nearly identical to that of SYMRK and is required for normal infection thread formation. Our work disentangles cellular processes and transcriptional modules that were previously confounded due to lack of cellular resolution, providing a more detailed understanding of symbiotic interactions.
The asymmetric effects of climate risk on higher-moment connectedness among carbon, energy and metals markets
Authors: Zhou Yuqin , Wu Shan , Liu Zhenhua , Rognone Lavinia
Published: November 2023

Climate change affects price fluctuations in the carbon, energy and metals markets through physical and transition risks. Climate physical risk is mainly caused by extreme weather, natural disasters and other events caused by climate change, whereas climate transition risk mainly results from the gradual switchover to a low-carbon economy. Given that the connectedness between financial markets may be affected by various factors such as extreme events and economic transformation, understanding the different roles of climate physical risk and transition risk on the higher-moment connectedness across markets has important implications for investors to construct portfolios and regulators to establish regulation system. Here, using the GJRSK model, time-frequency connectedness framework and quantile-on-quantile method, we show asymmetric effects of climate risk on connectedness among carbon, energy and metals markets, with higher impacts of climate physical risk on upward risk spillovers, and greater effects of climate transition risk on the downside risk of kurtosis connectedness.
Domain-dependent strain and stacking in two-dimensional van der Waals ferroelectrics
Authors: Shi Chuqiao , Mao Nannan , Zhang Kena , Zhang Tianyi , Chiu Ming-Hui , Ashen Kenna , Wang Bo , Tang Xiuyu , Guo Galio , Lei Shiming , Chen Longqing , Cao Ye , Qian Xiaofeng , Kong Jing , Han Yimo
Published: November 2023

Van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectrics have attracted significant attention for their potential in next-generation nano-electronics. Two-dimensional (2D) group-IV monochalcogenides have emerged as a promising candidate due to their strong room temperature in-plane polarization down to a monolayer limit. However, their polarization is strongly coupled with the lattice strain and stacking orders, which impact their electronic properties. Here, we utilize four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) to simultaneously probe the in-plane strain and out-of-plane stacking in vdW SnSe. Specifically, we observe large lattice strain up to 4% with a gradient across ~50 nm to compensate lattice mismatch at domain walls, mitigating defects initiation. Additionally, we discover the unusual ferroelectric-to-antiferroelectric domain walls stabilized by vdW force and may lead to anisotropic nonlinear optical responses. Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of in-plane and out-of-plane structures affecting domain properties in vdW SnSe, laying the foundation for domain wall engineering in vdW ferroelectrics.
Selective plasticity of fast and slow excitatory synapses on somatostatin interneurons in adult visual cortex
Authors: Grier Bryce D. , Parkins Samuel , Omar Jarra , Lee Hey-Kyoung
Published: November 2023

Somatostatin-positive (SOM) interneurons are integral for shaping cortical processing and their dynamic recruitment is likely necessary for adaptation to sensory experience and contextual information. We found that excitatory synapses on SOMs in layer 2/3 (L2/3) of primary visual cortex (V1) of mice can be categorized into fast (F)- and slow (S)-Types based on the kinetics of the AMPA receptor-mediated current. Each SOM contains both types of synapses in varying proportions. The majority of local pyramidal neurons (PCs) make unitary connections with SOMs using both types, followed by those utilizing only S-Type, and a minority with only F-Type. Sensory experience differentially regulates synapses on SOMs, such that local F-Type synapses change with visual deprivation and S-Type synapses undergo plasticity with crossmodal auditory deprivation. Our results demonstrate that the two types of excitatory synapses add richness to the SOM circuit recruitment and undergo selective plasticity enabling dynamic adaptation of the adult V1.
Rotational symmetry breaking in superconducting nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 films
Authors: Ji Haoran , Liu Yi , Li Yanan , Ding Xiang , Xie Zheyuan , Ji Chengcheng , Qi Shichao , Gao Xiaoyue , Xu Minghui , Gao Peng , Qiao Liang , Yang Yi-feng , Zhang Guang-Ming , Wang Jian
Published: November 2023

The infinite-layer nickelates, isostructural to the high-Tc cuprate superconductors, have emerged as a promising platform to host unconventional superconductivity and stimulated growing interest in the condensed matter community. Despite considerable attention, the superconducting pairing symmetry of the nickelate superconductors, the fundamental characteristic of a superconducting state, is still under debate. Moreover, the strong electronic correlation in the nickelates may give rise to a rich phase diagram, where the underlying interplay between the superconductivity and other emerging quantum states with broken symmetry is awaiting exploration. Here, we study the angular dependence of the transport properties of the infinite-layer nickelate Nd0.8Sr0.2NiO2 superconducting films with Corbino-disk configuration. The azimuthal angular dependence of the magnetoresistance (R(φ)) manifests the rotational symmetry breaking from isotropy to four-fold (C4) anisotropy with increasing magnetic field, revealing a symmetry-breaking phase transition. Approaching the low-temperature and large-magnetic-field regime, an additional two-fold (C2) symmetric component in the R(φ) curves and an anomalous upturn of the temperature-dependent critical field are observed simultaneously, suggesting the emergence of an exotic electronic phase. Our work uncovers the evolution of the quantum states with different rotational symmetries in nickelate superconductors and provides deep insight into their global phase diagram.
Spontaneous p53 activation in middle-aged C57BL/6 mice mitigates the lifespan-extending adaptive response induced by low-dose ionizing radiation
Authors: Kohzaki Masaoki , Suzuki Keiji , Ootsuyama Akira , Okazaki Ryuji
Published: November 2023

Understanding the biological effects of low-dose (<100 mGy) ionizing radiation (LDR) is technically challenging. We investigated age-dependent LDR effects using adaptive response experiments in young (7-to 12-week-old) and middle-aged (40-to 62-week-old) C57BL/6 mice. Compared with 3 Gy irradiation, 0.02 Gy preirradiation followed by 3 Gy irradiation prolonged life in young mice but not middle-aged mice. Preirradiation also suppressed irradiation-induced 53BP1 repair foci in the small intestines, splenic apoptosis, and p53 activity in young mice but not middle-aged mice. Young p53+/− C57BL/6 mice did not show these adaptive responses, indicating that insufficient p53 function in young mice mitigated the adaptive responses. Interestingly, p53 activation in middle-aged mice spontaneously became approximately 4.5-fold greater than that in young mice, possibly masking LDR stresses. Furthermore, adaptive responses in young mice, but not in middle-aged mice, suppressed some senescence-associated secretory phenotype (SASP) factors (IL-6, CCL2, CCL5, CXCL1). Thus, LDR-induced adaptive responses associated with specific SASP factors may be attenuated by a combination of reduced DNA damage sensor/transducer function and chronic p53 activation in middle-aged mice.