bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Low-frequency nonreciprocal flexural wave propagation via compact cascaded time-modulated resonators
Authors: Wan Sheng , Cao Liyun , Zeng Yi , Guo Tong , Oudich Mourad , Assouar Badreddine
Published: June 2022

Nonreciprocal mechanical devices are of great interest for directional elastic wave manipulation. In this Letter, we introduce a design of a compact low-frequency nonreciprocal metamaterial for flexural waves, whose dimension is less than 1/3 of the operating wavelength. This structure is made of two well-placed coil-cantilever-magnet resonators, where the electromagnetic forces can be temporally modulated, which enables time varying of the effective stiffness of the resonators. A phase shift is introduced between the stiffness modulations of these two resonators, which breaks the time-reversal symmetry and enables nonreciprocal wave propagation at the resonance frequency of the structure. A semi-analytical method based on harmonic wave decomposition is developed to describe the system, leading to results that match well with numerical predictions from a finite element method. We also experimentally demonstrate nonreciprocal flexural wave propagation with good agreement with the predictions made. Our system could inspire the design of compact nonreciprocal devices for flexural waves.
Recent drug discovery success signals renaissance in biophysics
Authors: Connelly Patrick R.
Published: June 2022

With a scope that spans the hierarchy of biological organization from molecules and cells to organisms and populations, the discipline of biophysics has been proven to be particularly well suited for connecting the molecular embodiments of human diseases to the medical conditions experienced by patients. Recently, fundamental biophysical research on aberrant proteins involved in maintaining salt and water balance in our lungs, oxygen transport from our lungs to the rest of the body, and the pumping of blood by our hearts have been successfully translated to the creation of transformational new medicines that are radically changing the lives of patients. With these and other emerging discoveries, the field of applied biophysics is experiencing the beginnings of a veritable renaissance era.
Exploring the ancient chemistry of mercury
Authors: Marchini Marianna , Gandolfi Massimo , Maini Lucia , Raggetti Lucia , Martelli Matteo
Published: June 2022

This paper explores the chemistry of mercury as described in ancient alchemical literature. Alchemy’s focus on the knowledge and manipulation of natural substances is not so different from modern chemistry’s purposes. The great divide between the two is marked by the way of conceptualizing and recording their practices. Our interdisciplinary research group, composed of chemists and historians of science, has set off to explore the cold and hot extraction of mercury from cinnabar. The ancient written records have been perused in order to devise laboratory experiments that could shed light on the material reality behind the alchemical narratives and interpret textual details in a unique perspective. In this way, it became possible to translate the technical lore of ancient alchemy into the modern language of chemistry. Thanks to the replication of alchemical practices, chemistry can regain its centuries-long history that has fallen into oblivion.
How can a fine-grained analysis of spelling errors inform our understanding of the development of spelling in
EFL?
Authors: Russak Susie
Published: June 2022

Becoming a proficient speller in English is a challenging task requiring integration of knowledge from multiple
linguistic and cognitive sources. Spelling in English as a foreign language (EFL) is more complex when the distance between the
different languages of the speller is great. Whereas binary scoring practices are prevalent, they are not as informative as
analyses of errors based on linguistic characteristics. The present longitudinal study examined the development of spelling in
EFL among speakers of Semitic L1, Arabic and Hebrew (N = 354). A dictation task on a
one-word level assessed spelling from 4th–6th grades. Spellings were first scored for accuracy and then analyzed based primarily
on phonological and orthographic characteristics. Errors were then grouped according to four predominant developmental trends.
While similarities with L1 spelling development were noted, some of the error types could be attributed to unique characteristics
of linguistic distance between Semitic languages and English. Both theoretical and practical implications are considered.
On the microstructure and mechanical behaviour of the Cr2Fe2NiCo0.67Cu0.67Ti0.33 alloy during homogenisation
Authors: Rezaee Ahad , Ketabchi Mostafa , Arsalan Shams Seyed Amir , Jafarian Hamid Reza
Published: June 2022

The present study investigates the microstructure and mechanical properties of the Cr2Fe2NiCo0.67Cu0.67Ti0.33 high-entropy alloy after homogenisation. The results show that the as-cast microstructure consisted mainly of a dual-phase FCC + σ structure. By heat-treating, the microstructure changed from the FCC + σ to the mixed FCC + BCC solid solutions. The EDS and XRD analysis show that despite different crystal structures of the σ and BCC phases, their chemical composition is the same. In addition, two kinds of precipitations, enriched by Ti and Cu, are found in the microstructure. Formation of these precipitates beside hard σ-phase resulted in an increase in hardness. Additionally, higher elongation and strain hardening ability achieved in the specimen that σ → BCC transformation occurred.
Testing superconducting pairing symmetry in multiterminal junctions
Authors: Kokkeler T H , Golubov A A , Geurts B J
Published: June 2022

An approach to distinguish p-wave from s-wave superconducting pairing symmetry and thus to select potential platforms for Majorana fermions is proposed in terms of electronic transport differences in a four terminal junction consisting of superconducting (S) and normal (N) terminals in the diffusive regime. The Keldysh Green’s function equations are derived in the θ-parametrisation, incorporating terms previously neglected in the literature. A stable procedure to solve these equations is presented. The supercurrent and differential conductance between two superconducting electrodes were calculated in the Keldysh–Usadel approximation. The N-terminals can be used to manipulate the energy distribution functions of electrons in the junction in order to control the overall charge transport. Our results provide a new experimental test to detect potential p-wave superconductivity. In fact, we show that the differential conductance of junctions containing p-wave superconductors is distinctly different from the differential conductance in junctions with s-wave superconductors, whereas the supercurrent through the junction is qualitatively similar. This is of importance for the search for Majorana fermions since it may help to design experiments to detect signatures of p-wave symmetry, which may lead to potential platforms for Majorana fermions.
Lepton and quark mixing patterns with generalized CP transformations
Authors: Ganguly Joy , Hundi Raghavendra Srikanth
Published: June 2022

In this study, we modify a scenario, originally proposed by Grimus and Lavoura, in order to obtain maximal values for the atmospheric mixing angle and

, violating the Dirac phase of the lepton sector. To achieve this, we employ

and some discrete symmetries in a type II seesaw model. To make predictions about the neutrino mass ordering and smallness of the reactor angle, we establish some conditions on the elements of the neutrino mass matrix of our model. Finally, we study the quark masses and mixing pattern within the framework of our model.
Timepix3 detector for measuring radon decay products
Authors: Tamburrino A. , Claps G. , Cordella F. , Murtas F. , Pacella D.
Published: June 2022

The present work is focused on the characterization of a
Timepix3 (TPX3) based test system for the identification of
particles produced by the complex decay chain of 222Rn. The
detector used is composed of a pixelated Cadmium Telluride (CdTe)
semiconductor (500 μm thick) bump-bonded on an ASIC TPX3
chip. Measurements were carried out at the NIXT Laboratory (ENEA
Frascati) using radioactive sources and exploiting the presence of
natural radon gas by collecting its decay products on the sensor
surface. Estimation of the radon gas risk is one of the most
important problems in radiation protection and has stimulated
further development of new advanced methods suitable for detecting
this gas in confined environments. A study of the spatial uniformity
and high energy calibration is also presented and an improved
cluster analysis is introduced. The performance highlighted in this
study will allow a detailed and faster analysis of the radon
products and may have an important impact on the environmental
radioprotection applications. This paper describes the application
and use of this test system to identify the different decay
signatures and follow the temporal evolution of the Radon decay
chain.
Arctic sea ice modulation of summertime heatwaves over western North America in recent decades
Authors: Wang Houwen , Gao Yang , Wang Yuhang , Sheng Lifang
Published: June 2022

A catastrophic heatwave struck North America (NA) in the summer of 2021, the underlying cause of which currently remains unclear. The reanalysis data (1980–2021) is analyzed to elucidate the mechanism modulating the summer heatwaves. We find the heatwaves over western NA tend to occur concurrently with quasi-barotropic ridges (QBTRs). The 2021 record-breaking heatwave, in particular, coincides with an extended eight-day QBTR event. The frequency of QBTRs is modulated by large-scale forcing. During the period of 1980–2000, it is correlated with the Arctic Oscillation. After 2000, however, the QBTR frequency is highly associated with sea ice variations. Specifically, the negative sea ice anomalies in the Chukchi Sea are usually associated with stronger net surface shortwave radiation and low cloud cover, triggering upward motion and a low-pressure center in the low- and mid-troposphere. The low pressure strengthens a stationary wave response, concomitant with two alternately high- and low-pressure centers, inducing more frequent QBTRs over western NA. These findings indicate that further Arctic sea ice loss under a warming climate will likely lead to more devastating heatwaves over western NA.
Regulation of thermoregulatory behavior by commensal bacteria in Drosophila
Authors: Suito Takuto , Nagao Kohjiro , Juni Naoto , Hara Yuji , Sokabe Takaaki , Atomi Haruyuki , Umeda Masato
Published: June 2022

Commensal bacteria affect many aspects of host physiology. In this study, we focused on the role of commensal bacteria in the thermoregulatory behavior of Drosophila melanogaster. We demonstrated that the elimination of commensal bacteria caused an increase in the preferred temperature of Drosophila third-instar larvae without affecting the activity of transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1)-expressing thermosensitive neurons. We isolated eight bacterial strains from the gut and culture medium of conventionally reared larvae and found that the preferred temperature of the larvae was decreased by mono-association with Lactobacillus plantarum or Corynebacterium nuruki. Mono-association with these bacteria did not affect the indices of energy metabolism such as ATP and glucose levels of larvae, which are closely linked to thermoregulation in animals. Thus, we show a novel role for commensal bacteria in host thermoregulation and identify two bacterial species that affect thermoregulatory behavior in Drosophila.
Statistical learning in patients in the minimally conscious state
Authors: Xu Chuan , Li Hangcheng , Gao Jiaxin , Li Lingling , He Fangping , Yu Jie , Ling Yi , Gao Jian , Li Jingqi , Melloni Lucia , Luo Benyan , Ding Nai
Published: June 2022

When listening to speech, cortical activity can track mentally constructed linguistic units such as words, phrases, and sentences. Recent studies have also shown that the neural responses to mentally constructed linguistic units can predict the outcome of patients with disorders of consciousness (DoC). In healthy individuals, cortical tracking of linguistic units can be driven by both long-term linguistic knowledge and online learning of the transitional probability between syllables. Here, we investigated whether statistical learning could occur in patients in the minimally conscious state (MCS) and patients emerged from the MCS (EMCS) using electroencephalography (EEG). In Experiment 1, we presented to participants an isochronous sequence of syllables, which were composed of either 4 real disyllabic words or 4 reversed disyllabic words. An inter-trial phase coherence analysis revealed that the patient groups showed similar word tracking responses to real and reversed words. In Experiment 2, we presented trisyllabic artificial words that were defined by the transitional probability between words, and a significant word-rate EEG response was observed for MCS patients. These results suggested that statistical learning can occur with a minimal conscious level. The residual statistical learning ability in MCS patients could potentially be harnessed to induce neural plasticity.
Creation and evaluation of full-text literature-derived, feature-weighted disease models of genetically determined developmental disorders
Authors: Yates T.M , Lain A , Campbell J , FitzPatrick D R , Simpson T I
Published: June 2022

There are >2500 different genetically determined developmental disorders (DD), which, as a group, show very high levels of both locus and allelic heterogeneity. This has led to the wide-spread use of evidence-based filtering of genome-wide sequence data as a diagnostic tool in DD. Determining whether the association of a filtered variant at a specific locus is a plausible explanation of the phenotype in the proband is crucial and commonly requires extensive manual literature review by both clinical scientists and clinicians. Access to a database of weighted clinical features extracted from rigorously curated literature would increase the efficiency of this process and facilitate the development of robust phenotypic similarity metrics. However, given the large and rapidly increasing volume of published information, conventional biocuration approaches are becoming impractical. Here, we present a scalable, automated method for the extraction of categorical phenotypic descriptors from the full-text literature. Papers identified through literature review were downloaded and parsed using the Cadmus custom retrieval package. Human Phenotype Ontology terms were extracted using MetaMap, with 76–84% precision and 65–73% recall. Mean terms per paper increased from 9 in title + abstract, to 68 using full text. We demonstrate that these literature-derived disease models plausibly reflect true disease expressivity more accurately than widely used manually curated models, through comparison with prospectively gathered data from the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study. The area under the curve for receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves increased by 5–10% through the use of literature-derived models. This work shows that scalable automated literature curation increases performance and adds weight to the need for this strategy to be integrated into informatic variant analysis pipelines.

Database URL: https://doi.org/10.1093/database/baac038
SilkBase: an integrated transcriptomic and genomic database for Bombyx mori and related species
Authors: Kawamoto Munetaka , Kiuchi Takashi , Katsuma Susumu
Published: June 2022

We introduce SilkBase as an integrated database for transcriptomic and genomic resources of the domesticated silkworm Bombyx mori and related species. SilkBase is the oldest B. mori database that was originally established as the expressed sequence tag database since 1999. Here, we upgraded the database by including the datasets of the newly assembled B. mori complete genome sequence, predicted gene models, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC)-end and fosmid-end sequences, complementary DNA (cDNA) reads from 69 libraries, RNA-seq data from 10 libraries, PIWI-interacting RNAs (piRNAs) from 13 libraries, ChIP-seq data of 9 histone modifications and HP1 proteins and transcriptome and/or genome data of four B. mori-related species, i.e. Bombyx mandarina, Trilocha varians, Ernolatia moorei and Samia ricini. Our new integrated genome browser easily provides a snapshot of tissue- and stage-specific gene expression, alternative splicing, production of piRNAs and histone modifications at the gene locus of interest. Moreover, SilkBase is useful for performing comparative studies among five closely related lepidopteran insects.

Database URL: https://silkbase.ab.a.u-tokyo.ac.jp
Contemporary family screening in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: the role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance
Authors: Huurman Roy , van der Velde Nikki , Schinkel Arend F L , Hassing H Carlijne , Budde Ricardo P J , van Slegtenhorst Marjon A , Verhagen Judith M A , Hirsch Alexander , Michels Michelle
Published: June 2022

Aims

Genetic testing in relatives of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) patients leads to early identification of pathogenic DNA variant carriers (G+), before the onset of left ventricular hypertrophy. Routine phenotyping consists of electrocardiography (ECG) and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE). Cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has become valuable in the work-up of HCM. In this study, we investigated the value of CMR in phenotyping of G+ family members.

Methods and results

This study included 91 G+ subjects who underwent ECG, TTE and CMR, with a maximal wall thickness (MWT) <15 mm on TTE. The relative performance of TTE and CMR regarding wall thickness measurements and HCM diagnoses was assessed. HCM was defined as MWT of ≥13 mm. Logistic regression was performed to assess whether ECG and TTE parameters can predict CMR results. Most subjects (75%) had an MWT <13 mm on TTE, of which 23 (34%) were diagnosed with HCM based on CMR. MWT differences (range 1–10 mm) were often caused by an anterobasal hook-shaped thickening of the myocardium not visible on TTE. Two of 23 (9%) subjects with HCM on TTE were reclassified as no HCM on CMR. Normal ECG and TTE results almost excluded reclassifications by CMR. The prevalence of other HCM-related abnormalities on CMR was low.

Conclusion

CMR reclassified 27% of subjects. Subjects with normal ECG/TTE results were reclassified in a low number of cases, justifying screening with ECG and TTE in G+ relatives. In subjects with abnormal ECGs and/or poor TTE image quality, CMR is indicated.
Associations Between Everyday ICT Usage and (Self-)Ageism: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Köttl Hanna , Allen Laura D , Mannheim Ittay , Ayalon Liat
Published: June 2022

Background and Objectives

Both rapid technological changes and (self-)ageism are pervasive challenges of the 21st century, potentially affecting older adults’ everyday functioning, health, and well-being. This systematic literature review aimed to synthesize scholarly evidence to determine the associations between everyday information and communication technology (EICT) usage and (self-)ageism as well as potential moderators.

Research Design and Methods

A systematic search was performed in 8 academic databases, covering the time frame from January 1995 to January 2021. Following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, a total of 15 articles met the inclusion criteria and were involved in the analysis. The standardized National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute’s quality assessment tools were used for risk bias.

Results

Several studies demonstrated significant associations between EICT usage and stereotype embodiment (n = 8), stereotype threat (n = 2), and age discrimination (n = 3). Age (group), gender, and motivation were examined as potential moderators.

Discussion and Implications

This review provides initial evidence on the associations between (self-)ageism and EICT usage. It highlights the importance of positive subjective aging perceptions for active EICT usage in older adults, but also emphasizes the detrimental consequences of ageism in EICT learning settings and technology design on older persons’ willingness and ability to use EICT. Further ecologically valid and methodologically sound research is needed to better understand both the nature and direction of the association between EICT usage and (self-)ageism.
Feasibility of a Clinical Decision Support Tool for Ustekinumab to Predict Clinical Remission and Relapse in Patients With Crohn’s Disease: A Multicenter Observational Study
Authors: Park Jihye , Chun Jaeyoung , Yoon Hyuk , Cheon Jae Hee
Published: June 2022

Background

Ustekinumab was recently approved for the treatment of moderate to severe Crohn’s disease (CD). Although the ustekinumab Clinical Decision Support Tool (UST-CDST) was able to predict ustekinumab responsiveness in a clinical trial, it is not clear whether UST-CDST can also predict a future clinical relapse following ustekinumab therapy in the real-life setting.

Methods

We enrolled patients with moderate to severe CD who were refractory to conventional therapies and who showed a clinical response after induction therapy with ustekinumab and monitored them until the relapse. We performed a Cox proportional hazard analysis to investigate the predictive capability of UST-CDST for a clinical disease relapse.

Results

Clinical remission rates at week 20 were 25.0% for low-probability responders, 66.7% for intermediate-probability responders, and 75.0% for high-probability responders. The high-probability responders were more likely to achieve clinical remission at week 20 compared with the low-probability responders. Among 99 patients with moderate to severe CD, 37 (37.4%) experienced a clinical relapse during the median follow-up period of 18.0 months of ustekinumab treatment. The cumulative relapse rates were 70.0% in the low-probability responders, 35.9% in the intermediate-probability responders, and 22.5% in the high-probability responders (P = .001). In a multivariable Cox proportional hazard analysis, the high-probability responders and intermediate-probability responders had a lower risk of clinical relapse than the low-probability responders. Receiver operating characteristic analysis using UST-CDST to predict relapse revealed an area under the curve of 0.698.

Conclusions

The UST-CDST can predict clinical relapse in patients with moderate to severe CD subjected to ustekinumab therapy.
Strategies of Invertebrate Osmoregulation: An Evolutionary Blueprint for Transmuting into Fresh Water from the Sea
Authors: McNamara John Campbell , Freire Carolina Arruda
Published: June 2022

Synopsis

Early marine invertebrates like the Branchiopoda began their sojourn into dilute media some 500 million years ago in the Middle Cambrian. Others like the Mollusca, Annelida, and many crustacean taxa have followed, accompanying major marine transgressions and regressions, shifting landmasses, orogenies, and glaciations. In adapting to these events and new habitats, such invertebrates acquired novel physiological abilities that attenuate the ion loss and water gain that constitute severe challenges to life in dilute media. Among these taxon-specific adaptations, selected from the subcellular to organismal levels of organization, and constituting a feasible evolutionary blueprint for invading freshwater, are reduced body permeability and surface (S) to volume (V) ratios, lowered osmotic concentrations, increased osmotic gradients, increased surface areas of interface epithelia, relocation of membrane proteins in ion-transporting cells, and augmented transport enzyme abundance, activity, and affinity. We examine these adaptations in taxa that have penetrated into freshwater, revealing diversified modifications, a consequence of distinct body plans, morpho-physiological resources, and occupation routes. Contingent on life history and reproductive strategy, numerous patterns of osmotic regulation have emerged, including intracellular isosmotic regulation in weak hyper-regulators and well-developed anisosmotic extracellular regulation in strong hyper-regulators, likely reflecting inertial adaptations to early life in an estuarine environment. In this review, we address osmoregulation in those freshwater invertebrate lineages that have successfully invaded this biotope. Our analyses show that across 66 freshwater invertebrate species from six phyla/classes that have transmuted into freshwater from the sea, hemolymph osmolalities decrease logarithmically with increasing S:V ratios. The arthropods have the highest osmolalities, from 300 to 650 mOsmoles/kg H2O in the Decapoda with 220–320 mOsmoles/kg H2O in the Insecta; osmolalities in the Annelida range from 150 to 200 mOsmoles/kg H2O, and the Mollusca showing the lowest osmolalities at 40–120 mOsmoles/kg H2O. Overall, osmolalities reach a cut-off at ∼200 mOsmoles/kg H2O, independently of increasing S:V ratio. The ability of species with small S:V ratios to maintain large osmotic gradients is mirrored in their putatively higher Na+/K+-ATPase activities that drive ion uptake processes. Selection pressures on these morpho-physiological characteristics have led to differential osmoregulatory abilities, rendering possible the conquest of freshwater while retaining some tolerance of the ancestral medium.
Developing clinical care programs: Experience from a Colombian clinical center
Authors: De la torre Alejandro , Ayola Carolina , Franco Astolfo , GONZÁLEZ MOLINA Rafael
Published: June 2022

Nowadays, continuous improvement in health organizations is a key determinant for enhancing the quality of care and clinical outcomes. In this article, we describe step by step the development of clinical care centers in accordance with international medical guidelines and safety standards in a Latin American country. We believe that the implementation of clinical care centers benefits the pursuit of promoting the quadruple aim: patient care, population health, cost-effectiveness and value in the provider experience.
Surgical management of a congenital arteriovenous fistula of the forearm
Authors: El Youbi Samir , Boulman Salma , Naouli Hamza , Jiber Hamid , Bouarhroum Abdellatif
Published: June 2022

Congenital arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is a rare vascular disease, which may occur anywhere in the body. The forearm is a very rare location. Clinical manifestations are not very specific and can vary from an asymptomatic fistula to a life-threatening congestive heart failure. Although embolization can be an alternative treatment for AVF of the forearm, surgery is still considered as the standard treatment. Herein, we report the case of a 7-year-old boy with a congenital AVF between the radial artery and the superficial cephalic vein in the forearm without any dysmorphic features treated surgically.
Jasmonate action and crosstalk in flower development and fertility
Authors: Huang Huang , Chen Yuan , Wang Shaohui , Qi Tiancong , Song Susheng
Published: June 2022

Flower development and fertility are coordinately regulated by endogenous developmental signals, including the phytohormones jasmonates (JAs), auxin, and gibberellin, and environmental cues. JAs regulate stamen development and fertility under basal conditions, affect root growth and trichome formation under stress conditions, and control defense responses against insect herbivores and pathogens. Since the 1990s, an increasing number of studies have revealed the essential roles of JA biosynthesis, signaling, and crosstalk in regulation of flower development and fertility. Here, we summarize and present an updated overview of the JA pathway and its crosstalk in modulating flower/sexual organ development and fertility in Arabidopsis, tomato, rice, maize, and sorghum.
A geostatistical analysis of multiscale metallicity variations in galaxies – II. Predicting the metallicities of H iiand diffuse ionized gas regions via universal kriging
Authors: Metha Benjamin , Trenti Michele , Chu Tingjin , Battisti Andrew
Published: June 2022

The metallicity of diffuse ionized gas (DIG) cannot be determined using strong emission line diagnostics, which are calibrated to calculate the metallicity of H ii regions. Because of this, resolved metallicity maps from integral field spectroscopy (IFS) data remain largely incomplete. In this paper (the second of a series), we introduce the geostatistical technique of universal kriging, which allows the complete 2D metallicity distribution of a galaxy to be reconstructed from metallicities measured at H ii regions, accounting for spatial correlations between nearby data points. We apply this method to construct high-fidelity metallicity maps of the local spiral galaxy NGC 5236 using data from the TYPHOON/PrISM survey. We find significant correlation in the metallicity of H ii regions separated by up to 0.4–1.2 kpc. Predictions constructed using this method were tested using cross-validation in H ii regions, and we show that they outperform significantly interpolation based on metallicity gradients. Furthermore, we apply kriging to predict the metallicities in regions dominated by DIG emission, considering seven additional spiral galaxies with high resolution (≲100 pc) metallicity maps. We compare kriging maps to DIG metallicities computed with novel ionization corrections, and find that such corrections introduce a systematic offset of up to ±0.1 dex for any individual galaxy, with a scatter of 0.02–0.07 dex for the sample. Overall we recommend universal kriging, together with a calibrated geostatistical model, as the superior method for inferring the metallicities of DIG-dominated regions in local spiral galaxies, demonstrating further the potential of applying geostatistical methods to spatially resolved galaxy observations.
PASSAGES: the Large Millimeter Telescope and ALMA observations of extremely luminous high-redshift galaxies identified by the Planck
Authors: Berman Derek A , Yun Min S , Harrington K C , Kamieneski P , Lowenthal J , Frye B L , Wang Q D , Wilson G W , Aretxaga I , Chavez M , Cybulski R , De la Luz V , Erickson N , Ferrusca D , Hughes D H , Montaña A , Narayanan G , Sánchez-Argüelles D , Schloerb F P , Souccar K , Terlevich E , Terlevich R , Zavala J A
Published: June 2022

The Planck All-Sky Survey to Analyze Gravitationally-lensed Extreme Starbursts project aims to identify a population of extremely luminous galaxies using the Planck all-sky survey and to explore the nature of their gas fuelling, induced starburst, and the resulting feedback that shape their evolution. Here, we report the identification of 22 high-redshift luminous dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) at z = 1.1–3.3 drawn from a candidate list constructed using the Planck Catalogue of Compact Sources and Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer all-sky survey. They are confirmed through follow-up dust continuum imaging and CO spectroscopy using AzTEC and the Redshift Search Receiver on the Large Millimeter Telescope Alfonso Serrano. Their apparent infrared luminosities span (0.1–3.1) × 1014 L⊙ (median of 1.2 × 1014 L⊙), making them some of the most luminous galaxies found so far. They are also some of the rarest objects in the sky with a source density of ≲0.01 deg−2. Our Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array 1.1 mm continuum observations with θ ≈ 0.4 arcsec resolution show clear ring or arc morphologies characteristic of strong lensing. Their lensing-corrected luminosity of LIR ≳ 1013 L⊙ (star-formation rate ≳ 103 M⊙ yr−1) indicates that they are the magnified versions of the most intrinsically luminous DSFGs found at these redshifts. Our spectral energy distribution analysis finds little detectable active galactic nucleus (AGN) activity despite their enormous luminosity, and any AGN activity present must be extremely heavily obscured.
LMT/AzTEC observations of Vega
Authors: Marshall J P , Chavez-Dagostino M , Sanchez-Arguelles D , Matrà L , del Burgo C , Kemper F , Bertone E , Dent W R F , Vega O , Wilson G , Gómez-Ruiz A , Montaña A
Published: June 2022

Vega is the prototypical debris disc system. Its architecture has been extensively studied at optical to millimetre wavelengths, revealing a near face-on, broad, and smooth disc with multiple distinct components. Recent millimetre-wavelength observations from ALMA spatially resolved the inner edge of the outer, cold planetesimal belt from the star for the first time. Here we present early science imaging observations of the Vega system with the AzTEC instrument on the 32-m LMT, tracing extended emission from the disc out to 150 au from the star. We compare the observations to three models of the planetesimal belt architecture to better determine the profile of the outer belt. A comparison of these potential architectures for the disc does not significantly differentiate between them with the modelling results being similar in many respects to the previous ALMA analysis, but differing in the slope of the outer region of the disc. The measured flux densities are consistent between the LMT (single dish) and ALMA (interferometric) observations after accounting for the differences in wavelength of observation. The LMT observations suggest the outer slope of the planetesimal belt is steeper than was suggested in the ALMA analysis. This would be consistent with the interferometric observations being mostly blind to structure at the disc outer edges, but the overall low signal to noise of the LMT observations does not definitively resolve the structure of the outer planetesimal belt.
The Fornax3D project: intrinsic correlations between orbital properties and the stellar initial mass function
Authors: Poci A , McDermid R M , Lyubenova M , Martín-Navarro I , van de Ven G , Coccato L , Corsini E M , Fahrion K , Falcón-Barroso J , Gadotti D A , Iodice E , Pinna F , Sarzi M , de Zeeuw P T , Zhu L
Published: June 2022

Variations of the stellar initial mass function (IMF) in external galaxies have been inferred from a variety of independent probes. Yet the physical conditions causing these variations remain largely unknown. In this work, we explore new spatially resolved measurements of the IMF for three edge-on lenticular galaxies in the Fornax cluster. We utilize existing orbit-based dynamical models in order to fit the new IMF maps within an orbital framework. We find that, within each galaxy, the high-angular momentum disc-like stars exhibit an IMF which is rich in dwarf stars. The centrally concentrated pressure-supported orbits exhibit similarly dwarf-rich IMF. Conversely, orbits at large radius which have intermediate angular momentum exhibit IMF which are markedly less dwarf-rich relative to the other regions of the same galaxy. Assuming that the stars which reside, in the present-day, on dynamically hot orbits at large radii are dominated by accreted populations, we interpret these findings as a correlation between the dwarf-richness of a population of stars, and the mass of the host in which it formed. Specifically, deeper gravitational potentials would produce more dwarf-rich populations, resulting in the relative deficiency of dwarf stars which originated in the lower mass accreted satellites. The central and high-angular momentum populations are likely dominated by in situ stars, which were formed in the more massive host itself. There are also global differences between the three galaxies studied here, of up to ∼0.3 dex in the IMF parameter ξ. We find no local dynamical or chemical property which alone can fully account for the IMF variations.
Are there any pristine comets? Constraints from pebble structure
Authors: Malamud Uri , Landeck Wolf A , Bischoff Dorothea , Kreuzig Christopher , Perets Hagai B , Gundlach Bastian , Blum Jürgen
Published: June 2022

We show that if comets (or any small icy planetesimals such as Kuiper belt objects) are composed of pebble piles, their internal radiogenic as well as geochemical heating results in considerably different evolutionary outcomes compared to similar past studies. We utilize a 1D thermophysical evolution code, modified to include state-of-the-art empirical measurements of pebble thermal conductivity and compression, the latter obtained through a new laboratory experiment presented here for the first time. Results indicate that due to the low pebble thermal conductivity, the peak temperatures attained during evolution are much higher than in any previous study given the same formation time. Assuming meteoritic radiogenic abundances, we find that only extremely small, sub-kilometre comets have the potential to retain the primordial, uniform, and thermally unprocessed composition from which they formed. Comets with radii in excess of about 20 km are typically swept by rapid and energetically powerful aqueous hydration reactions. Across the full range of comet sizes and formation times, evolutions result in the processing and differentiation of various volatile species, and a radially heterogeneous nucleus structure. Our computations however also indicate that the assumed fraction of radionuclides is a pivotal free parameter, because isotopic analyses of the only available cometary samples suggest that no 26Al was ever present in comet 81P/Wild 2. We show that if comets formed early in the protoplanetary disc (within 1–3 Myr), the radionuclide abundances indeed must be much smaller than those typically assumed based on meteoritic samples. We discuss the importance of our findings for the formation, present-day attributes and future research of comets.
CRISPRedict: a CRISPR-Cas9 web tool for interpretable efficiency predictions
Authors: Konstantakos Vasileios , Nentidis Anastasios , Krithara Anastasia , Paliouras Georgios
Published: June 2022

The development of the CRISPR-Cas9 technology has provided a simple yet powerful system for genome editing. Current gRNA design tools serve as an important platform for the efficient application of the CRISPR systems. However, most of the existing tools are black-box models that suffer from limitations, such as variable performance and unclear mechanism of decision making. Here, we introduce CRISPRedict, an interpretable gRNA efficiency prediction model for CRISPR-Cas9 gene editing. Its strength lies in the fact that it can accurately predict efficient guide RNAs—with equivalent performance to state-of-the-art tools—while being a simple linear model. Implemented as a user-friendly web server, CRISPRedict offers (i) quick and accurate predictions across various experimental conditions (e.g. U6/T7 transcription); (ii) regression and classification models for scoring gRNAs and (iii) multiple visualizations to explain the obtained results. Given its performance, interpretability, and versatility, we expect that it will assist researchers in the gRNA design process and facilitate genome editing research. CRISPRedict is available for use at http://www.crispredict.org/.
THO complex deficiency impairs DNA double-strand break repair via the RNA surveillance kinase SMG-1
Authors: Kamp Juliette A , Lemmens Bennie B L G , Romeijn Ron J , González-Prieto Román , Olsen Jesper V , Vertegaal Alfred C O , van Schendel Robin , Tijsterman Marcel
Published: June 2022

The integrity and proper expression of genomes are safeguarded by DNA and RNA surveillance pathways. While many RNA surveillance factors have additional functions in the nucleus, little is known about the incidence and physiological impact of converging RNA and DNA signals. Here, using genetic screens and genome-wide analyses, we identified unforeseen SMG-1-dependent crosstalk between RNA surveillance and DNA repair in living animals. Defects in RNA processing, due to viable THO complex or PNN-1 mutations, induce a shift in DNA repair in dividing and non-dividing tissues. Loss of SMG-1, an ATM/ATR-like kinase central to RNA surveillance by nonsense-mediated decay (NMD), restores DNA repair and radio-resistance in THO-deficient animals. Mechanistically, we find SMG-1 and its downstream target SMG-2/UPF1, but not NMD per se, to suppress DNA repair by non-homologous end-joining in favour of single strand annealing. We postulate that moonlighting proteins create short-circuits in vivo, allowing aberrant RNA to redirect DNA repair.
Optocoder: computational decoding of spatially indexed bead arrays
Authors: Senel Enes , Rajewsky Nikolaus , Karaiskos Nikos
Published: June 2022

Advancing technologies that quantify gene expression in space are transforming contemporary biology research. A class of spatial transcriptomics methods uses barcoded bead arrays that are optically decoded via microscopy and are later matched to sequenced data from the respective libraries. To obtain a detailed representation of the tissue in space, robust and efficient computational pipelines are required to process microscopy images and accurately basecall the bead barcodes. Optocoder is a computational framework that processes microscopy images to decode bead barcodes in space. It efficiently aligns images, detects beads, and corrects for confounding factors of the fluorescence signal, such as crosstalk and phasing. Furthermore, Optocoder employs supervised machine learning to strongly increase the number of matches between optically decoded and sequenced barcodes. We benchmark Optocoder using data from an in-house spatial transcriptomics platform, as well as from Slide-Seq(V2), and we show that it efficiently processes all datasets without modification. Optocoder is publicly available, open-source and provided as a stand-alone Python package on GitHub: https://github.com/rajewsky-lab/optocoder.
Revisiting the Concept of Minimal Detectable Change for Patient-Reported Outcome Measures
Authors: Seamon Bryant A , Kautz Steven A , Bowden Mark G , Velozo Craig A
Published: June 2022

Interpreting change is a requisite component of clinical decision making for physical therapists. Physical therapists often interpret change using minimal detectable change (MDC) values. Current MDC formulas are informed by classical test theory and calculated with group-level error data. This approach assumes that measurement error is the same across a measure’s scale and confines the MDC value to the sample characteristics of the study. Alternatively, an item response theory (IRT) approach calculates separate estimates of measurement error for different locations on a measure’s scale. This generates a conditional measurement error for someone with a low, middle, or high score. Error estimates at the measure-level can then be used to determine a conditional MDC (cMDC) value for individual patients based on their unique pre- and post-score combination. cMDC values can supply clinicians with a means for using individual score data to interpret change scores while providing a personalized approach that should lower the threshold for change compared with the MDC and enhance the precision of care decisions by preventing misclassification of patients. The purpose of this Perspective is to present how IRT can address the limitations of MDCs for informing clinical practice. This Perspective demonstrates how cMDC values can be generated from item-level psychometrics derived from an IRT model using the patient-reported Activities-specific Balance Scale (ABC) commonly used in stroke rehabilitation and also illustrates how the cMDC compares to the MDC when accounting for changes in measurement error across a scale. Theoretical patient examples highlight how reliance on the MDC value can result in misclassification of patient change and how cMDC values can help prevent this from occurring. This personalized approach for interpreting change can be used by physical therapists to enhance the precision of care decisions.
Inflammation, tau pathology, and synaptic integrity associated with sleep spindles and memory prior to β-amyloid positivity
Authors: Mander Bryce A , Dave Abhishek , Lui Kitty K , Sprecher Katherine E , Berisha Destiny , Chappel-Farley Miranda G , Chen Ivy Y , Riedner Brady A , Heston Margo , Suridjan Ivonne , Kollmorgen Gwendlyn , Zetterberg Henrik , Blennow Kaj , Carlsson Cynthia M , Okonkwo Ozioma C , Asthana Sanjay , Johnson Sterling C , Bendlin Barbara B , Benca Ruth M
Published: June 2022

Study Objectives

Fast frequency sleep spindles are reduced in aging and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), but the mechanisms and functional relevance of these deficits remain unclear. The study objective was to identify AD biomarkers associated with fast sleep spindle deficits in cognitively unimpaired older adults at risk for AD.

Methods

Fifty-eight cognitively unimpaired, β-amyloid-negative, older adults (mean ± SD; 61.4 ± 6.3 years, 38 female) enriched with parental history of AD (77.6%) and apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 positivity (25.9%) completed the study. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of central nervous system inflammation, β-amyloid and tau proteins, and neurodegeneration were combined with polysomnography (PSG) using high-density electroencephalography and assessment of overnight memory retention. Parallelized serial mediation models were used to assess indirect effects of age on fast frequency (13 to <16Hz) sleep spindle measures through these AD biomarkers.

Results

Glial activation was associated with prefrontal fast frequency sleep spindle expression deficits. While adjusting for sex, APOE ε4 genotype, apnea–hypopnea index, and time between CSF sampling and sleep study, serial mediation models detected indirect effects of age on fast sleep spindle expression through microglial activation markers and then tau phosphorylation and synaptic degeneration markers. Sleep spindle expression at these electrodes was also associated with overnight memory retention in multiple regression models adjusting for covariates.

Conclusions

These findings point toward microglia dysfunction as associated with tau phosphorylation, synaptic loss, sleep spindle deficits, and memory impairment even prior to β-amyloid positivity, thus offering a promising candidate therapeutic target to arrest cognitive decline associated with aging and AD.
Peanut Smut: A Diagnostic Guide
Authors: Ospina-Maldonado Susana , Castlebury Lisa A. , Bennett Rebecca S. , Salgado-Salazar Catalina
Published: June 2022

Thecaphora frezzii is a basidiomycete pathogen causing peanut smut, an economically important disease currently affecting and restricted to the commercial peanut industry in Argentina. This disease was first reported on wild peanuts in Brazil in 1962. The main objective for this diagnostic guide is to provide information about disease symptoms and signs, pathogen isolation, identification, storage, and pathogenicity testing, aimed at facilitating the detection and identification of this disease in the field and laboratory.