bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emission accounting and drivers in Central Asian countries
Authors: Zhao Congyu , Liu Binyuan , Wang Jieyu , Xue Rui , Shan Yuli , Cui Can , Dong Xiucheng , Dong Kangyin
Published: September 2023

Emerging countries are at the frontier of climate change actions, and carbon emissions accounting provides a quantifiable measure of the environmental impact of economic activities, which allows for comparisons of emissions across different entities. However, currently there is no study covering detailed emissions inventories for emerging countries in Central Asian. This paper compiles detailed and accurate carbon emissions inventories in several Central Asian countries (i.e., Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Pakistan, Palestine, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan) during the period 2010–2020. Using the IPCC administrative territorial approach, we for the first time compile their emissions inventories in 47 economic sectors and five energy categories. Moreover, we also investigate decoupling status based on Tapio decoupling model and examine emissions driving factors based on the index decomposition analysis method. The primary results illustrate that carbon emissions in Central Asian countries are increasing with huge differences. Decoupling results highlight that most of the sample countries still need more effort to decouple the economy and emissions except that Pakistan achieves an ideal strong decoupling state. The results of the decomposition indicate that the economy and population both raise emissions, while energy intensity and carbon intensity are negative drivers in some countries. We propose practical policy implications for decarbonization and energy transition roadmap in Central Asian countries.
Canonical systems whose Weyl coefficients have dominating real part
Authors: Langer Matthias , Pruckner Raphael , Woracek Harald
Published: September 2023

For a two-dimensional canonical system y′ (t) = zJH(t)y(t) on the half-line (0, ∞) whose Hamiltonian H is a.e. positive semi-definite, denote by qH its Weyl coefficient. De Branges’ inverse spectral theorem states that the assignment H ↦ qH is a bijection between Hamiltonians (suitably normalised) and Nevanlinna functions.

The main result of the paper is a criterion when the singular integral of the spectral measure, i.e. Re qH(iy), dominates its Poisson integral Im qH(iy) for y → +∞. Two equivalent conditions characterising this situation are provided. The first one is analytic in nature, very simple, and explicit in terms of the primitive M of H. It merely depends on the relative size of the off-diagonal entries of M compared with the diagonal entries. The second condition is of geometric nature and technically more complicated. It involves the relative size of the off-diagonal entries of H, a measurement for oscillations of the diagonal of H, and a condition on the speed and smoothness of the rotation of H.
Uniqueness theorems for weighted harmonic functions in the upper half-plane
Authors: Olofsson Anders , Wittsten Jens
Published: September 2023

We consider a class of weighted harmonic functions in the open upper half-plane known as α-harmonic functions. Of particular interest is the uniqueness problem for such functions subject to a vanishing Dirichlet boundary value on the real line and an appropriate vanishing condition at infinity. We find that the non-classical case (α ≠ 0) allows for a considerably more relaxed vanishing condition at infinity compared to the classical case (α = 0) of usual harmonic functions in the upper half-plane. The reason behind this dichotomy is different geometry of zero sets of certain polynomials naturally derived from the classical binomial series. These findings shed new light on the theory of harmonic functions, for which we provide sharp uniqueness results under vanishing conditions at infinity along geodesics or along rays emanating from the origin.
Exploring Challenges and Lessons for Monitoring Forest Landscape Restoration
Authors: Mansourian Stephanie , Stephenson P. J.
Published: September 2023

Purpose of Review

Forest landscape restoration (FLR) is an approach to restoring forest ecosystems first defined in 2000 that has gained prominence since the launch of the Bonn Challenge in 2011. FLR aims to enhance ecological integrity and improve human well-being within (forested) landscapes. The monitoring of FLR is essential to ensure effective implementation and to learn from practice. Yet to this day, monitoring remains a major challenge for FLR. Monitoring FLR requires measures at a landscape scale and across social and natural sciences. We explore some of the monitoring challenges raised by these dimensions of FLR. We assess the current theory and practice behind FLR monitoring and how it relates to practices in related environmental disciplines.

Recent Findings

We highlight the challenges raised by the recent attempts at monitoring FLR and explore lessons from other related fields and conclude by proposing a framework of the basic issues to consider when monitoring FLR.
Computational methods for collisional stellar systems
Authors: Spurzem Rainer , Kamlah Albrecht
Published: September 2023

Dense star clusters are spectacular self-gravitating stellar systems in our Galaxy and across the Universe—in many respects. They populate disks and spheroids of galaxies as well as almost every galactic center. In massive elliptical galaxies nuclear clusters harbor supermassive black holes, which might influence the evolution of their host galaxies as a whole. The evolution of dense star clusters is not only governed by the aging of their stellar populations and simple Newtonian dynamics. For increasing particle number, unique gravitational effects of collisional many-body systems begin to dominate the early cluster evolution. As a result, stellar densities become so high that stars can interact and collide, stellar evolution and binary stars change the dynamical evolution, black holes can accumulate in their centers and merge with relativistic effects becoming important. Recent high-resolution imaging has revealed even more complex structural properties with respect to stellar populations, binary fractions and compact objects as well as—the still controversial—existence of intermediate mass black holes in clusters of intermediate mass. Dense star clusters therefore are the ideal laboratory for the concomitant study of stellar evolution and Newtonian as well as relativistic dynamics. Not only the formation and disruption of dense star clusters has to be considered but also their galactic environments in terms of initial conditions as well as their impact on galactic evolution. This review deals with the specific computational challenges for modelling dense, gravothermal star clusters.
Clinical Ethics Consultation in Japan: What does it Mean to have a Functioning Ethics Consultation?
Authors: Nagao Noriko , Takimoto Yoshiyuki
Published: September 2023

This research examines the current status of clinical ethics consultation (CEC) in Japan through a nationwide study conducted with chairs of ethics committees and clinical ethics committees among 1028 post-graduate clinical teaching hospitals. We also qualitatively analyzed their viewpoints of the CEC’s benefits and problems related to hospital consultation services to identify the critical points for CEC and inform the development of a correctly functioning system. The questionnaire included structured questions about hospital CEC organization and service purpose and operation and open-ended questions about the benefits and problems of initiating CEC. The questionnaire comprised the presence/absence of an ethics committee, CEC services and membership when services were implemented, users, and the number of cases handled since inception. In addition, the respondents also provided their impressions of the CEC system’s impact on their hospital by describing (a) the benefits of CEC services and (b) the ineffectual or harmful aspects of the CEC system. Qualitative data were examined using qualitative content analysis to determine the impact of establishing a CEC and the difficulties of practice. One hundred twenty-five questionnaires were returned from either the chair of the ethics committee or clinical ethics committee in teaching hospitals. Of these, 90 (72%) reported they provided CEC services. Additionally, 36 respondents (34.6%) reported that their existing research and clinical ethics committees had conducted CEC services, and 35 (33.7%) reported having a newly established clinical ethics committee conducting CEC services. Three positive effects of establishing and four challenges in managing CEC were also identified.
Quantitative assessment of the impact of standard agreement templates on multisite clinical trial start up time
Authors: Lawrence Colleen E. , Bruce Virginia (Nickie) M. , Salberg Libby D. , Edwards Terri , Morales Casi , Palm Marisha , Bernard Gordon R.
Published: September 2023

Contracting delays remain a challenge to the successful initiation of multisite clinical research in the US. The Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Contracts Processing Study showed average contract negotiation duration of > 100 days for industry-sponsored or investigator-initiated contracts. Such delays create enormous costs to sponsors and to patients waiting to use new evidence-based treatments. With support from the National Institutes of Health’s National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences, the Accelerated Clinical Trial Agreement (ACTA) was developed by 25 major academic institutions and medical centers engaged in clinical research in collaboration with the University-Industry Demonstration Partnership and with input from pharmaceutical companies. The ACTA also informed the development of subsequent agreements, including the Federal Demonstration Partnership Clinical Trial Subaward Agreement (FDP-CTSA); both ACTA and the FDP-CTSA are largely non-negotiable agreements that represent pre-negotiated compromises in contract terms agreed upon by industry and/or medical center stakeholders. When the involved parties agree to use the CTSA-developed and supported standard agreement templates as a starting point for negotiations, there can be significant time savings for trials. Use of the ACTA resulted in an average savings of 48 days and use of the FDP-CTSA saved an average of 57 days of negotiation duration.
Hodge classes and the Jacquet–Langlands correspondence
Authors: Ichino Atsushi , Prasanna Kartik
Published: September 2023

We prove that the Jacquet–Langlands correspondence for cohomological automorphic forms on quaternionic Shimura varieties is realized by a Hodge class. Conditional on Kottwitz’s conjecture for Shimura varieties attached to unitary similitude groups, we also show that the image of this Hodge class in

$\ell $

-adic cohomology is Galois invariant for all

$\ell $

.
Shear dispersion of multispecies electrolyte solutions in the channel domain
Authors: Ding Lingyun
Published: September 2023

In multispecies electrolyte solutions, even in the absence of an external electric field, differences in ion diffusivities induce an electric potential and generate additional fluxes for each species. This electro-diffusion process is well-described by the advection Nernst–Planck equation. This study aims to analyse the long-time behaviour of the governing equation under electroneutrality and zero current conditions, and to investigate how the diffusion-induced electric potential and shear flow enhance the effective diffusion coefficients of each species in channel domains. The exact solutions of the effective equation with certain special parameters, as well as the asymptotic analyses for ions with large diffusivity discrepancies, are presented. Furthermore, there are several interesting properties of the effective equation. First, it is a generalization of the Taylor dispersion, with a nonlinear diffusion tensor replacing the scalar diffusion coefficient. Second, the effective equation exhibits a scaling relation, revealing that the system with a weak flow is equivalent to the system with a strong flow under scaled physical parameters. Third, in the case of injecting an electrolyte solution into a channel containing well-mixed buffer solutions or electrolyte solutions with the same ion species, if the concentration of the injected solution is lower than that of the pre-existing solution, then the effective equation simplifies to a multi-dimensional diffusion equation. However, when introducing the electrolyte solution into a channel filled with deionized water, the ion–electric interaction results in several phenomena not present in the advection–diffusion equation, including upstream migration of some species, spontaneous separation of ions, and non-monotonic dependence of the effective diffusivity on Péclet numbers. Finally, the dependence of effective diffusivity on concentration and ion diffusivity suggests a method to infer the concentration ratio of each component and ion diffusivity by measuring the effective diffusivity.
THE MACROECONOMIC EFFECTS OF RE-APPLYING THE EU FISCAL RULES: RETURNING TO THE STATUS QUO ANTE OR MOVING TO EXPENDITURE RULES?
Authors: Paetz Christoph , Watzka Sebastian
Published: September 2023

Against the background of the European Commission’s reform plans of the Stability and Growth Pact, this paper uses NiGEM to simulate the macroeconomic implications of re-applying the fiscal rules in 2024. Next to returning to the unreformed rules, the most prominent options include an expenditure rule. Our results indicate that re-applying the unreformed rules leads to severe cuts in public spending. An expenditure rule would, however, not necessarily alleviate the fiscal adjustment burden. Instead, our simulations show that great care must be taken to specify the expenditure rule, such that fiscal consolidation is achieved in a growth-friendly way.
English Travel Writers’ Representations of Freedom in the United Provinces, c. 1670–1795
Authors: Mitchell William H. F.
Published: September 2023

From the Second Anglo-Dutch War to the fall of the United Provinces (c. 1670–1795), dozens of English writers published accounts of their travels across the North Sea. The English and the Dutch were bound by centuries of intellectual, political, and cultural interaction. Factors like a shared confession and similar economic structures meant that Anglo-Dutch relations were uniquely intimate, and this close relationship allowed a nuanced and complex exploration of political ideas. This article recreates one of those ideas that was repeated so often in English travel writing: that the Dutch Republic was free. This freedom was presented as a Faustian pact. In practice, the Dutch state guaranteed many freedoms that the English lauded, such as the right to property, to government accountability, and to efficient justice. However, English writers disdained the theories that underpinned these freedoms, which were viewed as egalitarian and republican. It was argued that these suspect doctrines led the United Provinces down the path to licentiousness, luxury, and decline. Paradoxically, therefore, the nature of Dutch freedom determined both the country’s rise and its fall.
The Italian versions of the This Is ME Questionnaire and the Patient Dignity Question: Understanding personhood and supporting dignity in patients with terminal cancer
Authors: Bovero Andrea , Cotardo Francesca , Cito Alessandra Loreta , Pidinchedda Alexa Victoria , Pesce Sara , Chochinov Harvey Max , Carletto Sara
Published: September 2023

Objectives

Patients with cancer at the end of life may suffer from high psychological distress, a sense of demoralization, and a lack of dignity related to their medical condition. The This Is ME (TIME) Questionnaire and the Patient Dignity Question (PDQ) are clinical tools developed to achieve comprehensive and personalized patient care and to deepen our understanding of personhood. The objective of this study was to translate and validate the TIME Questionnaire, which contains the PDQ, into Italian to evaluate patient satisfaction of the Italian version of these tools and to identify essential themes elicited by the tools.

Methods

The validation process consisted of a forward and back translation stage, data collection from a sample of 60 patients with terminal cancer, and a final consultation with a panel of experts to identify patient themes using the results of the tool.

Results

Overall, participants felt that the PDQ/TIME questionnaire captured their essence as a person, allowed them to express their values and beliefs, and helped the health care professionals (HCP) to take better care of them. Content analysis identified “family relationships,” “global pain,” and “family roles and accomplishments” as being of most importance to patients.

Significance of results

The Italian versions of the PDQ/TIME Questionnaire are clear, precise, understandable, and focused on understanding personhood in patients with advanced cancer. These tools should be used to proactively enhance patient–caregiver and patient–HCP relationships and to develop new perspectives of patient care focused on the critical dimension of personhood.
Efficacy of stumble recovery assistance in a knee exoskeleton for individuals with simulated mobility impairment: A pilot study
Authors: Eveld Maura E. , King Shane T. , Zelik Karl E. , Goldfarb Michael
Published: September 2023

Falls due to stumbles are a major cause of injury for many populations, and as such interventions to reduce fall risk have been a key focus of rehabilitation research. However, dedicated stumble recovery assistance in a powered lower-limb exoskeleton has yet to be explored as a fall mitigation intervention. Thus young, healthy adults (

$ N=3 $

) were recruited for a stumble recovery experiment to test the efficacy of knee exoskeleton stumble recovery assistance in improving an impaired stumble recovery response (i.e., the elevating strategy response). Leg weights were attached unilaterally to each participant’s shank to simulate walking and stumble recovery impairment, and a unilateral powered knee exoskeleton was worn on the same leg for walking and stumble recovery assistance. Ultimately, knee exoskeleton stumble recovery assistance served to improve participants’ elevating limb kinematics (i.e., increase thigh and knee motion) and reduce overall fall risk (i.e., reduce trunk motion and improve foot placement) during responses relative to their impaired response (i.e., with the leg weights and no assistance), and relative to their response while receiving only walking assistance. This initial exploration provides a first indication that knee exoskeleton stumble recovery assistance is a viable approach to improving an impaired stumble recovery response, which could serve two important use cases: (1) a safety mechanism for existing exoskeleton wearers, who may be less capable of recovering from stumbles due to the added weight or joint impedance of the device; (2) an external stumble recovery aid for fall-prone populations, such as the elderly or stroke survivors.
A supervisory controller intended to arrest dynamic falls with a wearable cold-gas thruster
Authors: Baimyshev Almaskhan , Finn-Henry Michael , Goldfarb Michael
Published: September 2023

This article examines the feasibility of employing a cold-gas thruster (CGT), intended as a backpack-wearable device, for purposes of arresting backward falls, and in particular describes a supervisory controller that, for some motion described by an arbitrary combination of center-of-mass angle and angular velocity, both detects an impending fall and determines when to initiate thrust in the CGT in order to arrest the impending fall. The CGT prototype and the supervisory controller are described and experimentally assessed using a rocking block apparatus intended to approximate a backward-falling human. In these experiments, the CGT and supervisory controller restored upright stability to the rocking block in all experiment cases that would have otherwise resulted in a fall without the CGT assistance. Since the controller and experiments employ a reduced-order model of a falling human, the authors also conducted a series of simulations intended to examine the extent to which the controller might remain effective in the case of a multi-segment human. The results of these simulations suggest that the CGT controller would be nearly as effective on a multi-segment falling human as on the reduced-order model.
Upscaling Wetland Methane Emissions From the FLUXNET‐CH4 Eddy Covariance Network (UpCH4 v1.0): Model Development, Network Assessment, and Budget Comparison
Authors: McNicol Gavin , Fluet‐Chouinard Etienne , Ouyang Zutao , Knox Sara , Zhang Zhen , Aalto Tuula , Bansal Sheel , Chang Kuang‐Yu , Chen Min , Delwiche Kyle , Feron Sarah , Goeckede Mathias , Liu Jinxun , Malhotra Avni , Melton Joe R. , Riley William , Vargas Rodrigo , Yuan Kunxiaojia , Ying Qing , Zhu Qing , Alekseychik Pavel , Aurela Mika , Billesbach David P. , Campbell David I. , Chen Jiquan , Chu Housen , Desai Ankur R. , Euskirchen Eugenie , Goodrich Jordan , Griffis Timothy , Helbig Manuel , Hirano Takashi , Iwata Hiroki , Jurasinski Gerald , King John , Koebsch Franziska , Kolka Randall , Krauss Ken , Lohila Annalea , Mammarella Ivan , Nilson Mats , Noormets Asko , Oechel Walter , Peichl Matthias , Sachs Torsten , Sakabe Ayaka , Schulze Christopher , Sonnentag Oliver , Sullivan Ryan C. , Tuittila Eeva‐Stiina , Ueyama Masahito , Vesala Timo , Ward Eric , Wille Christian , Wong Guan Xhuan , Zona Donatella , Windham‐Myers Lisamarie , Poulter Benjamin , Jackson Robert B.
Published: September 2023

Wetlands are responsible for 20%–31% of global methane (CH4) emissions and account for a large source of uncertainty in the global CH4 budget. Data‐driven upscaling of CH4 fluxes from eddy covariance measurements can provide new and independent bottom‐up estimates of wetland CH4 emissions. Here, we develop a six‐predictor random forest upscaling model (UpCH4), trained on 119 site‐years of eddy covariance CH4 flux data from 43 freshwater wetland sites in the FLUXNET‐CH4 Community Product. Network patterns in site‐level annual means and mean seasonal cycles of CH4 fluxes were reproduced accurately in tundra, boreal, and temperate regions (Nash‐Sutcliffe Efficiency ∼0.52–0.63 and 0.53). UpCH4 estimated annual global wetland CH4 emissions of 146 ± 43 TgCH4 y−1 for 2001–2018 which agrees closely with current bottom‐up land surface models (102–181 TgCH4 y−1) and overlaps with top‐down atmospheric inversion models (155–200 TgCH4 y−1). However, UpCH4 diverged from both types of models in the spatial pattern and seasonal dynamics of tropical wetland emissions. We conclude that upscaling of eddy covariance CH4 fluxes has the potential to produce realistic extra‐tropical wetland CH4 emissions estimates which will improve with more flux data. To reduce uncertainty in upscaled estimates, researchers could prioritize new wetland flux sites along humid‐to‐arid tropical climate gradients, from major rainforest basins (Congo, Amazon, and SE Asia), into monsoon (Bangladesh and India) and savannah regions (African Sahel) and be paired with improved knowledge of wetland extent seasonal dynamics in these regions. The monthly wetland methane products gridded at 0.25° from UpCH4 are available via ORNL DAAC (https://doi.org/10.3334/ORNLDAAC/2253).
Ridge Subduction: Unraveling the Consequences Linked to a Slab Window Development Beneath South America at the Chile Triple Junction
Authors: Sanhueza Jorge , Yáñez Gonzalo , Buck W. Roger , Araya Vargas Jaime , Veloso Eugenio
Published: September 2023

The subduction of an active spreading center generates a clear signature in the temporal evolution of subduction zones. It disrupts the typical arc‐type magmatism and intraplate seismicity, enhances the emplacement of backarc plateau lava and profoundly change the tectonics and topographic relief. These distinct observations are commonly linked to a slab window opening and mantle upwelling. The Chile Triple Junction provides the ideal setup to study the mid‐ocean ridge subduction process where both sides of the spreading center continue to subduct. Here, we use 2‐D numerical petrological‐thermomechanical modeling to focus on transient geodynamic processes caused by mid‐ocean ridge subduction. Model results show slab separation along the ridge axis with the opening of a slab window. During the opening, partial melts from the spreading center migrate toward the subcontinental mantle and high temperatures in the forearc are predicted. The temporal evolution of the modeled temperature is consistent with observed heat flow data, and with magmatism and high‐temperature metamorphism recorded in Chilean forearc rocks. Such migrated partial melts might explain the low viscosity inferred and low seismic velocity anomalies imaged in the slab window beneath South America, and the common geochemical signature of the Chile Ridge, the Taitao Ophiolite and the backarc magmatism. Following slab separation, our models suggest forearc uplift and changes in the stress regime, processes which are consistent with deformation records. Summarizing, our model of the geodynamic evolution of the Chile Ridge subduction provides a consistent framework that explains diverse records of magmatism, metamorphism, deformation and mantle physical properties.
A small molecule 20C from Gastrodia elata inhibits α-synuclein aggregation and prevents progression of Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Peng Ye , Ye Jun-rui , Wang Sha-sha , He Wen-bin , Feng Zhong-ping , Sun Hong-shuo , Chu Shi-feng , Zhang Zhao , Chen Nai-hong
Published: September 2023

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is pathologically manifested by the aggregation of α-synuclein, which has been envisioned as a promising disease-modifying target for PD. Here, we identified 20C, a bibenzyl compound derived from Gastrodia elata, able to inhibit the aggregation of A53T variants of α-synuclein directly in vitro. Computational analysis revealed that 20C binds to cavities in mature α-synuclein fibrils, and it indeed displays a strong interaction with α-synuclein and reduced their β-sheet structure by microscale thermophoresis and circular dichroism, respectively. Moreover, incubating neural cells with 20C reduced the amounts of α-synuclein inclusions significantly. The treatment of A53T α-Syn transgenic mice with 20C significantly reduces the toxic α-synuclein levels, improves behavioral performance, rescues dopaminergic neuron, and enhances functional connections between SNc and PD associated brain areas. The transcriptome analysis of SNc demonstrated that 20C improves mitochondrial dynamics, which protects mitochondrial morphology and function against α-synuclein induced degeneration. Overall, 20C appears to be a promising candidate for the treatment of PD.
A fungal sesquiterpene biosynthesis gene cluster critical for mutualist-pathogen transition in Colletotrichum tofieldiae
Authors: Hiruma Kei , Aoki Seishiro , Takino Junya , Higa Takeshi , Utami Yuniar Devi , Shiina Akito , Okamoto Masanori , Nakamura Masami , Kawamura Nanami , Ohmori Yoshihiro , Sugita Ryohei , Tanoi Keitaro , Sato Toyozo , Oikawa Hideaki , Minami Atsushi , Iwasaki Wataru , Saijo Yusuke
Published: September 2023

Plant-associated fungi show diverse lifestyles from pathogenic to mutualistic to the host; however, the principles and mechanisms through which they shift the lifestyles require elucidation. The root fungus Colletotrichum tofieldiae (Ct) promotes Arabidopsis thaliana growth under phosphate limiting conditions. Here we describe a Ct strain, designated Ct3, that severely inhibits plant growth. Ct3 pathogenesis occurs through activation of host abscisic acid pathways via a fungal secondary metabolism gene cluster related to the biosynthesis of sesquiterpene metabolites, including botrydial. Cluster activation during root infection suppresses host nutrient uptake-related genes and changes mineral contents, suggesting a role in manipulating host nutrition state. Conversely, disruption or environmental suppression of the cluster renders Ct3 beneficial for plant growth, in a manner dependent on host phosphate starvation response regulators. Our findings indicate that a fungal metabolism cluster provides a means by which infectious fungi modulate lifestyles along the parasitic–mutualistic continuum in fluctuating environments.
Subjective socioeconomic status and income inequality are
associated with self-reported morality across 67 countries
Authors: Elbæk Christian T. , Mitkidis Panagiotis , Aarøe Lene , Otterbring Tobias
Published: September 2023

Individuals can experience a lack of economic resources compared to
others, which we refer to as subjective experiences of economic scarcity. While such
experiences have been shown to shift cognitive focus, attention, and
decision-making, their association with human morality remains debated. We conduct a
comprehensive investigation of the relationship between subjective experiences of
economic scarcity, as indexed by low subjective socioeconomic status at the
individual level, and income inequality at the national level, and various
self-reported measures linked to morality. In a pre-registered study, we analyze
data from a large, cross-national survey (N = 50,396 across 67 countries) allowing us to address limitations
related to cross-cultural generalizability and measurement validity in prior
research. Our findings demonstrate that low subjective socioeconomic status at the
individual level, and income inequality at the national level, are associated with
higher levels of moral identity, higher morality-as-cooperation, a larger moral
circle, and increased prosocial intentions. These results appear robust to several
advanced control analyses. Finally, exploratory analyses indicate that observed
income inequality at the national level is not a statistically significant moderator
of the associations between subjective socioeconomic status and the included
measures of morality. These findings have theoretical and practical implications for
understanding human morality under experiences of resource scarcity.
Projecting the future incidence and burden of dengue in Southeast Asia
Authors: Colón-González Felipe J. , Gibb Rory , Khan Kamran , Watts Alexander , Lowe Rachel , Brady Oliver J.
Published: September 2023

The recent global expansion of dengue has been facilitated by changes in urbanisation, mobility, and climate. In this work, we project future changes in dengue incidence and case burden to 2099 under the latest climate change scenarios. We fit a statistical model to province-level monthly dengue case counts from eight countries across Southeast Asia, one of the worst affected regions. We project that dengue incidence will peak this century before declining to lower levels with large variations between and within countries. Our findings reveal that northern Thailand and Cambodia will show the biggest decreases and equatorial areas will show the biggest increases. The impact of climate change will be counterbalanced by income growth, with population growth having the biggest influence on increasing burden. These findings can be used for formulating mitigation and adaptation interventions to reduce the immediate growing impact of dengue virus in the region.
Magnetic quasi-atomic electrons driven reversible structural and magnetic transitions between electride and its hydrides
Authors: Lee Seung Yong , Lim Dong Cheol , Khan Md Salman , Hwang Jeong Yun , Kim Hyung Sub , Lee Kyu Hyung , Kim Sung Wng
Published: September 2023

In electrides, interstitial anionic electrons (IAEs) in the quantized energy levels at cavities of positively charged lattice framework possess their own magnetic moment and interact with each or surrounding cations, behaving as quasi-atoms and inducing diverse magnetism. Here, we report the reversible structural and magnetic transitions by the substitution of the quasi-atomic IAEs in the ferromagnetic two-dimensional [Gd2C]2+·2e− electride with hydrogens and subsequent dehydrogenation of the canted antiferromagnetic Gd2CHy (y > 2.0). It is demonstrated that structural and magnetic transitions are strongly coupled by the presence or absence of the magnetic quasi-atomic IAEs and non-magnetic hydrogen anions in the interlayer space, which dominate exchange interactions between out-of-plane Gd−Gd atoms. Furthermore, the magnetic quasi-atomic IAEs are inherently conserved by the hydrogen desorption from the P$$\bar{3}$$

3

¯

 1m structured Gd2CHy, restoring the original ferromagnetic state of the R$$\bar{3}$$

3

¯

m structured [Gd2C]2+·2e− electride. This variable density of magnetic quasi-atomic IAEs enables the quantum manipulation of floating electron phases on the electride surface.
Magnetic Janus origami robot for cross-scale droplet omni-manipulation
Authors: Jiang Shaojun , Li Bo , Zhao Jun , Wu Dong , Zhang Yiyuan , Zhao Zhipeng , Zhang Yiyuan , Yu Hao , Shao Kexiang , Zhang Cong , Li Rui , Chen Chao , Shen Zuojun , Hu Jie , Dong Bin , Zhu Ling , Li Jiawen , Wang Liqiu , Chu Jiaru , Hu Yanlei
Published: September 2023

The versatile manipulation of cross-scale droplets is essential in many fields. Magnetic excitation is widely used for droplet manipulation due to its distinguishing merits. However, facile magnetic actuation strategies are still lacked to realize versatile multiscale droplet manipulation. Here, a type of magnetically actuated Janus origami robot is readily fabricated for versatile cross-scale droplet manipulation including three-dimensional transport, merging, splitting, dispensing and release of daughter droplets, stirring and remote heating. The robot allows untethered droplet manipulation from ~3.2 nL to ~51.14 μL. It enables splitting of droplet, precise dispensing (minimum of ~3.2 nL) and release (minimum of ~30.2 nL) of daughter droplets. The combination of magnetically controlled rotation and photothermal properties further endows the robot with the ability to stir and heat droplets remotely. Finally, the application of the robot in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is explored. The extraction and purification of nucleic acids can be successfully achieved.
Quantifying thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration
Authors: Alster Charlotte J. , van de Laar Allycia , Goodrich Jordan P. , Arcus Vickery L. , Deslippe Julie R. , Marshall Alexis J. , Schipper Louis A.
Published: September 2023

Quantifying the rate of thermal adaptation of soil microbial respiration is essential in determining potential for carbon cycle feedbacks under a warming climate. Uncertainty surrounding this topic stems in part from persistent methodological issues and difficulties isolating the interacting effects of changes in microbial community responses from changes in soil carbon availability. Here, we constructed a series of temperature response curves of microbial respiration (given unlimited substrate) using soils sampled from around New Zealand, including from a natural geothermal gradient, as a proxy for global warming. We estimated the temperature optima ($${T}_{{opt}}$$

T

o
p
t

) and inflection point ($${T}_{\inf }$$

T

inf

) of each curve and found that adaptation of microbial respiration occurred at a rate of 0.29 °C ± 0.04 1SE for $${T}_{{opt}}$$

T

o
p
t

and 0.27 °C ± 0.05 1SE for $${T}_{\inf }$$

T

inf

per degree of warming. Our results bolster previous findings indicating thermal adaptation is demonstrably offset from warming, and may help quantifying the potential for both limitation and acceleration of soil C losses depending on specific soil temperatures.
Exosomal circEZH2_005, an intestinal injury biomarker, alleviates intestinal ischemia/reperfusion injury by mediating Gprc5a signaling
Authors: Zhang Wenjuan , Zhou Bowei , Yang Xiao , Zhao Jin , Hu Jingjuan , Ding Yuqi , Zhan Shuteng , Yang Yifeng , Chen Jun , Zhang Fu , Zhao Bingcheng , Deng Fan , Lin Zebin , Sun Qishun , Zhang Fangling , Yao Zhiwen , Liu Weifeng , Li Cai , Liu Ke-Xuan
Published: September 2023

Intestinal ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury is a severe clinical condition without optimal diagnostic markers nor clear molecular etiological insights. Plasma exosomal circular RNAs (circRNAs) are valuable biomarkers and therapeutic targets for various diseases, but their role in intestinal I/R injury remains unknown. Here we screen the expression profile of circRNAs in intestinal tissue exosomes collected from intestinal I/R mice and identify circEZH2_005 as a significantly downregulated exosomal circRNA. In parallel, circEZH2_005 is also reduced in the plasma of clinical cardiac surgery patients who developed postoperative intestinal I/R injury. Exosomal circEZH2_005 displays a significant diagnostic value for intestinal injury induced by I/R. Mechanistically, circEZH2_005 is highly expressed in intestinal crypt cells. CircEZH2_005 upregulation promotes the proliferation of Lgr5+ stem cells by direct interaction with hnRNPA1, and enhanced Gprc5a stability, thereby alleviating I/R-induced intestinal mucosal damage. Hence, exosomal circEZH2_005 may serve as a biomarker for intestinal I/R injury and targeting the circEZH2_005/hnRNPA1/Gprc5a axis may be a potential therapeutic strategy for intestinal I/R injury.
Optogenetic engineering of STING signaling allows remote immunomodulation to enhance cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Dou Yaling , Chen Rui , Liu Siyao , Lee Yi-Tsang , Jing Ji , Liu Xiaoxuan , Ke Yuepeng , Wang Rui , Zhou Yubin , Huang Yun
Published: September 2023

The cGAS-STING signaling pathway has emerged as a promising target for immunotherapy development. Here, we introduce a light-sensitive optogenetic device for control of the cGAS/STING signaling to conditionally modulate innate immunity, called ‘light-inducible SMOC-like repeats’ (LiSmore). We demonstrate that photo-activated LiSmore boosts dendritic cell (DC) maturation and antigen presentation with high spatiotemporal precision. This non-invasive approach photo-sensitizes cytotoxic T lymphocytes to engage tumor antigens, leading to a sustained antitumor immune response. When combined with an immune checkpoint blocker (ICB), LiSmore improves antitumor efficacy in an immunosuppressive lung cancer model that is otherwise unresponsive to conventional ICB treatment. Additionally, LiSmore exhibits an abscopal effect by effectively suppressing tumor growth in a distal site in a bilateral mouse model of melanoma. Collectively, our findings establish the potential of targeted optogenetic activation of the STING signaling pathway for remote immunomodulation in mice.
Tailored photoenzymatic systems for selective reduction of aliphatic and aromatic nitro compounds fueled by light
Authors: Luján Alejandro Prats , Bhat Mohammad Faizan , Tsaturyan Sona , van Merkerk Ronald , Fu Haigen , Poelarends Gerrit J.
Published: September 2023

The selective enzymatic reduction of nitroaliphatic and nitroaromatic compounds to aliphatic amines and amino-, azoxy- and azo-aromatics, respectively, remains a persisting challenge for biocatalysis. Here we demonstrate the light-powered, selective photoenzymatic synthesis of aliphatic amines and amino-, azoxy- and azo-aromatics from the corresponding nitro compounds. The nitroreductase from Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, in synergy with a photocatalytic system based on chlorophyll, promotes selective conversions of electronically-diverse nitroarenes into a series of aromatic amino, azoxy and azo products with excellent yield (up to 97%). The exploitation of an alternative nitroreductase from Enterobacter cloacae enables the tailoring of a photoenzymatic system for the challenging synthesis of aliphatic amines from nitroalkenes and nitroalkanes (up to 90% yield). This photoenzymatic reduction overcomes the competing bio-Nef reaction, typically hindering the complete enzymatic reduction of nitroaliphatics. The results highlight the usefulness of nitroreductases to create selective photoenzymatic systems for the synthesis of precious chemicals, and the effectiveness of chlorophyll as an innocuous photocatalyst, enabling the use of sunlight to drive the photobiocatalytic reactions.
Xanomeline displays concomitant orthosteric and allosteric binding modes at the M4 mAChR
Authors: Burger Wessel A. C. , Pham Vi , Vuckovic Ziva , Powers Alexander S. , Mobbs Jesse I. , Laloudakis Yianni , Glukhova Alisa , Wootten Denise , Tobin Andrew B. , Sexton Patrick M. , Paul Steven M. , Felder Christian C. , Danev Radostin , Dror Ron O. , Christopoulos Arthur , Valant Celine , Thal David M.
Published: September 2023

The M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (M4 mAChR) has emerged as a drug target of high therapeutic interest due to its expression in regions of the brain involved in the regulation of psychosis, cognition, and addiction. The mAChR agonist, xanomeline, has provided significant improvement in the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) scores in a Phase II clinical trial for the treatment of patients suffering from schizophrenia. Here we report the active state cryo-EM structure of xanomeline bound to the human M4 mAChR in complex with the heterotrimeric Gi1 transducer protein. Unexpectedly, two molecules of xanomeline were found to concomitantly bind to the monomeric M4 mAChR, with one molecule bound in the orthosteric (acetylcholine-binding) site and a second molecule in an extracellular vestibular allosteric site. Molecular dynamic simulations supports the structural findings, and pharmacological validation confirmed that xanomeline acts as a dual orthosteric and allosteric ligand at the human M4 mAChR. These findings provide a basis for further understanding xanomeline’s complex pharmacology and highlight the myriad of ways through which clinically relevant ligands can bind to and regulate GPCRs.
Evolutionary selection of proteins with two folds
Authors: Schafer Joseph W. , Porter Lauren L.
Published: September 2023

Although most globular proteins fold into a single stable structure, an increasing number have been shown to remodel their secondary and tertiary structures in response to cellular stimuli. State-of-the-art algorithms predict that these fold-switching proteins adopt only one stable structure, missing their functionally critical alternative folds. Why these algorithms predict a single fold is unclear, but all of them infer protein structure from coevolved amino acid pairs. Here, we hypothesize that coevolutionary signatures are being missed. Suspecting that single-fold variants could be masking these signatures, we developed an approach, called Alternative Contact Enhancement (ACE), to search both highly diverse protein superfamilies–composed of single-fold and fold-switching variants–and protein subfamilies with more fold-switching variants. ACE successfully revealed coevolution of amino acid pairs uniquely corresponding to both conformations of 56/56 fold-switching proteins from distinct families. Then, we used ACE-derived contacts to (1) predict two experimentally consistent conformations of a candidate protein with unsolved structure and (2) develop a blind prediction pipeline for fold-switching proteins. The discovery of widespread dual-fold coevolution indicates that fold-switching sequences have been preserved by natural selection, implying that their functionalities provide evolutionary advantage and paving the way for predictions of diverse protein structures from single sequences.
A systematic discrepancy between the short circuit current and the integrated quantum efficiency in perovskite solar cells
Authors: Saliba Michael , Unger Eva , Etgar Lioz , Luo Jingshan , Jacobsson T. Jesper
Published: September 2023

Halide perovskites solar cells are now approaching commercialisation. In this transition from academic research towards industrialisation, standardized testing protocols and reliable dissemination of performance metrics are crucial. In this study, we analyze data from over 16,000 publications in the Perovskite Database to investigate the assumed equality between the integrated external quantum efficiency and the short circuit current from JV measurements. We find a systematic discrepancy with the JV-values being on average 4% larger. This discrepancy persists across time, perovskite composition, and device architecture, indicating the need to explore new perovskite physics and update reporting protocols and assumptions in the field.
Bacteroides Fragilis in the gut microbiomes of Alzheimer’s disease activates microglia and triggers pathogenesis in neuronal C/EBPβ transgenic mice
Authors: Xia Yiyuan , Xiao Yifan , Wang Zhi-Hao , Liu Xia , Alam Ashfaqul M. , Haran John P. , McCormick Beth A. , Shu Xiji , Wang Xiaochuan , Ye Keqiang
Published: September 2023

Gut dysbiosis contributes to Alzheimer’s disease (AD) pathogenesis, and Bacteroides strains are selectively elevated in AD gut microbiota. However, it remains unknown which Bacteroides species and how their metabolites trigger AD pathologies. Here we show that Bacteroides fragilis and their metabolites 12-hydroxy-heptadecatrienoic acid (12-HHTrE) and Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) activate microglia and induce AD pathogenesis in neuronal C/EBPβ transgenic mice. Recolonization of antibiotics cocktail-pretreated Thy1-C/EBPβ transgenic mice with AD patient fecal samples elicits AD pathologies, associated with C/EBPβ/Asparaginyl endopeptidase (AEP) pathway upregulation, microglia activation, and cognitive disorders compared to mice receiving healthy donors’ fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). Microbial 16S rRNA sequencing analysis shows higher abundance of proinflammatory Bacteroides fragilis in AD-FMT mice. Active components characterization from the sera and brains of the transplanted mice revealed that both 12-HHTrE and PGE2 activate primary microglia, fitting with poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) metabolites enrichment identified by metabolomics. Strikingly, recolonization with live but not dead Bacteroides fragilis elicited AD pathologies in Thy1-C/EBPβ transgenic mice, so did 12-HHTrE or PGE2 treatment alone. Collectively, our findings support a causal role for Bacteroides fragilis and the PUFA metabolites in activating microglia and inducing AD pathologies in Thy1- C/EBPβ transgenic mice.
Doubling of surface oceanic meridional heat transport by non-symmetry of mesoscale eddies
Authors: Wang Hailin , Qiu Bo , Liu Hanrui , Zhang Zhengguang
Published: September 2023

Oceanic transport of heat by ubiquitous mesoscale eddies plays a critical role in regulating climate variability and redistributing excess heat absorbed by ocean under global warming. Eddies have long been simplified as axisymmetric vortices and their influence on heat transport remains unclear. Here, we combine satellite and drifter data and show that oceanic mesoscale eddies are asymmetric and directionally-dependent, and are controlled by their self-sustaining nature and their dynamical environment. Both the direction and amplitude of eddy-induced heat fluxes are significantly influenced by eddy’s asymmetry and directional dependence. When the eddy velocity field is decomposed into asymmetric and symmetric components, the eddy kinetic energy exhibits a nearly equal partition between these two components. The total eddy-induced meridional heat flux similarly doubles the heat flux induced by the symmetric components, highlighting the crucial contribution of eddy asymmetry on the magnitude of eddy-induced oceanic heat transport.