bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Algorithmic Leviathan: Arbitrariness, Fairness, and Opportunity in Algorithmic Decision-Making Systems
Authors: Creel Kathleen , Hellman Deborah
Published: March 2022

This article examines the complaint that arbitrary algorithmic decisions wrong those whom they affect. It makes three contributions. First, it provides an analysis of whatarbitrarinessmeans in this context. Second, it argues that arbitrariness is not of moral concern except when special circumstances apply. However, when the same algorithm or different algorithms based on the same data are used in multiple contexts, a person may be arbitrarily excluded from a broad range of opportunities. The third contribution is to explain why this systemic exclusion is of moral concern and to offer a solution to address it.
What Makes Personal Data Processing by Social Networking Services Permissible?
Authors: Wolmarans Lichelle , Voorhoeve Alex
Published: March 2022

Social networking services provide services in return for rights to commercialize users’ personal data. We argue that what makes this transaction permissible is not users’ autonomous consent but the provision of sufficiently valuable opportunities to exchange data for services. We argue that the value of these opportunities should be assessed for both (a) a range of users with different decision-making abilities and (b) third parties. We conclude that regulation should shift from aiming to ensure autonomous consent towards ensuring that users face options that they will use to advance individual and common interests.
Transport Safety Concerning a Patient Infected With SARS-CoV-2 and Emergency Service Officers in an Ambulance Accident—A Case Study
Authors: Mikos Marcin , Dymura Krzysztof , Gałązkowski Robert , Rzońca Patryk , Żurowska-Wolak Magdalena
Published: March 2022

The manifestation of a new pathogen, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), constitutes a new problem for modern health care systems. Developing updated standards for all emergency services working at an accident site during the pandemic has been a continuous challenge. The principal method of preventing the transmission of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the use of personal protective equipment, such as protective suits, masks and goggles, or face shields. The study aims to present the recommended on-site procedures during the coronavirus pandemic based on the description of an accident of an ambulance transporting a patient with confirmed SARS-CoV-2 infection, emphasizing the actions taken by the emergency services sent to the accident site.
Factors Influencing Wearing Face Mask in Public During COVID-19 Outbreak: A Qualitative Study
Authors: He Wei , Cai Duanying , Geng Guiling , Klug David
Published: March 2022

Objective:

Wearing face masks is believed to mitigate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) virus transmission by filtering respiratory droplets. This study was to explore the factors influencing wearing face masks in public in China during COVID-19 outbreak.

Methods:

This study was a qualitative semi-structured interview research design and was guided by the Protection Motivation Theory. Participants from Jiangxi Province China were interviewed by means of WeChat video call. Thematic analysis was used to analyze the data.

Results:

Recruitment efforts were suspended when 21 participants (aged 23 to 72 y) were successfully enrolled and the data reached thematic saturation. Four themes were identified when participants described factors influencing them to wear face masks: knowledge of disease (subthemes were severity of disease, and individual vulnerability to disease), environmental facilitators and constraints (subthemes were government recommendations, public opinion, and affordability and availability of face masks), understanding of protection effectiveness (subthemes were protection effectiveness of wearing face masks, and selection of protective measures), and past experiences.

Conclusions:

Individuals’ decision to wear face masks was influenced by the combination of factors identified. Identification of these factors provides guidance for explaining wearing face masks in public and helps policy-makers develop feasible recommendations for wearing face masks during COVID-19 outbreak.
Prevention and Control Measures for Imported SARS-CoV-2 Transmission During the Postpandemic Period in Shenzhen, China
Authors: He Xuru , Gong Fangfang , Sun Xizhuo , Hu Guangyu , Lin Jinchun
Published: March 2022

In China, most cities have gradually controlled the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and brought coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) under control locally. This means that crucial work has shifted from internal management of the pandemic to external prevention and control, especially management of international travelers and imported goods. There is much uncertainty about variants of concern for SARS-CoV-2, which pose challenges to the steady resumption of social and economic life once the mutant strains begin to spread. The sporadic outbreaks of COVID-19 in different provinces of China caused by these mutant strains emphasizes the need for both prevention and control measures. Therefore, we introduce China’s experience with preventing and controlling COVID-19 in the postpandemic period, which may serve as a reference in various settings.
Preparation Work and On-Site Management of Large-Scale COVID-19 Nucleic Acid Testing: Report From the Field
Authors: Zhao Han , Junhui Yan , Xiuming Zhang , Lisha Huang , Xiaoping Lei , Xiaowei Wei , Hui Xing , Xiaoli Ye
Published: March 2022

Routine coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening found 1 asymptomatic COVID-19 patient. An emergency sampling team was organized consisting of 1200 health-care workers, and a total of 3.2228 million COVID-19 samples had been collected and detected. This study summarizes the on-site management experience in large-scale COVID-19 nucleic acid testing from various aspects: staff preparation, materials preparation, site layout, logistics support, and information system support. Suggestions are put forward for the deficiencies and parts needing improvement. Such deficiencies included some sampling sites were not properly chosen, different areas were unclearly marked off from each other, and some site moving lines were confounding; how to communicate with the street service workers who had little professional knowledge on the epidemic spread or the working principles of the workflow and site layout; and the way to resolve conflicts on site.
Training of Medical Responders to Nuclear Disaster: Hybrid Program in the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tomisawa Toshiko , In Naoya , Ota Kazuki , Tsujiguchi Takakiyo , Kudo Hiromi , Osanai Minoru , Mikami Kasumi , Hosokawa Shota , Terashima Shingo , Kitajima Maiko , Saga Ryo , Yamaguchi Masaru , Tsuchiya Ryoko , Urushizaka Mayumi , Hosokawa Yoichiro , Hanada Hiroyuki
Published: March 2022

Objective:

The spread of COVID-19 has made it difficult to provide training in medical treatment in a radiation disaster. In this study, we will examine the effects and challenges of using a hybrid approach that combines online and face-to-face components.

Methods:

A total of 5 face-to face and 25 online medical staff participated in the training program. This program was conducted by using multiple cameras for live coverage, while protective clothing and decontamination kits had been sent in advance to the participants so that they could experience face-to-face and online learning at the same time.

Results:

Participants reported a high level of satisfaction and achievement with the style of delivery. They also experienced problems such as fatigue due to long hours, and dissatisfaction with the debriefing.

Conclusions:

In designing new online training, it is necessary to consider the quantity and content of the program, and to take participant fatigue into consideration.
Chow groups andL-derivatives of automorphic motives for unitary groups, II.
Authors: Li Chao , Liu Yifeng
Published: March 2022

In this article, we improve our main results from [LL21] in two directions: First, we allow ramified places in the CM extension$E/F$at which we consider representations that are spherical with respect to a certain special maximal compact subgroup, by formulating and proving an analogue of the Kudla–Rapoport conjecture for exotic smooth Rapoport–Zink spaces. Second, we lift the restriction on the components at split places of the automorphic representation, by proving a more general vanishing result on certain cohomology of integral models of unitary Shimura varieties with Drinfeld level structures.
Anti-Selection is Only the Beginning
Authors: Blake Valarie K. , Roberts Jessica L.
Published: March 2022

This commentary proposes the need for greater normative debate about when, if ever, it is appropriate for insurers to access genetic information of insureds to combat anti-selection.
Raqeeb, Haastrup, and Evans: Seeking Consistency through a Distributive Justice-Based Approach to Limitation of Treatment in the Context of Dispute
Authors: Cameron James , Savulescu Julian , Wilkinson Dominic
Published: March 2022

When is life-sustaining treatment not in the best interests of a minimally conscious child? This is an extremely difficult question that incites seemingly intractable debate. And yet, it is the question courts in England and Wales have set out to answer in disputes about appropriate medical treatment for children.
INTRODUCTION Health Law and Anti-Racism: Reckoning and Response
Authors: Goodwin Michele , Lynch Holly Fernandez
Published: March 2022

Law and racism are intertwined, with legal tools bearing the potential to serve as instruments of oppression or equity. This Special Issue explores this dual nature of health law, with attention to policing in the context of mental health, schools, and substance use disorders; industry and the environment in the context of food advertising, tobacco regulation, worker safety, and environmental racism; health care and research in the context of infant mortality, bias in medical applications of AI, and diverse inclusion in research; and anti-racist teaching and practice in the context of building an interprofessional curriculum and medical-legal partnerships.
Double trouble: untangling mixed sequence signals in bird samples with avian haemosporidian co-infections
Authors: Yeo Huiqing , Harjoko Denise Nastaya , Rheindt Frank E.
Published: March 2022

Blood parasites comprise some of the most prevalent pathogens in nature, and their detection and identification are major objectives in varied fields such as ecology and biomedicine. Two approaches were compared, one based on Sanger sequencing and the other next-generation sequencing (NGS) based, in terms of their performance in detecting avian blood parasites across tropical Southeast Asian birds. Across a panel of 528 bird individuals, 43 birds were ascertained to be infected with avian haemosporidians using a polymerase chain reaction-based detection method. Among these samples, NGS-based barcoding confirmed co-infections by multiple blood parasites in all eight cases where Sanger sequencing produced double peaks. Importantly however, the NGS-based method produced another five diagnoses of co-infections (62.5%) in which Sanger-based barcoding remained equivocal. In contrast to Sanger sequencing, the NGS-based method was able to identify co-infecting haemosporidian lineages via their barcodes. The accuracy of avian haemosporidian lineage identification was not compromised by the shorter length of NGS sequences, with ~94% of NGS barcodes producing matches identical to those of the Sanger barcodes. The application of NGS-based barcoding methods promises to enhance parasite identification and reduce erroneous inferences based on artefacts.
Predicting eating disorder and anxiety symptoms using disorder-specific and transdiagnostic polygenic scores for anorexia nervosa and obsessive-compulsive disorder
Authors: Yilmaz Zeynep , Schaumberg Katherine , Halvorsen Matthew , Goodman Erica L. , Brosof Leigh C. , Crowley James J. ,   Anorexia Nervosa Genetics Initiative,   Eating Disorders Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium,   Tourette Syndrome/Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Working Group of the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, Mathews Carol A. , Mattheisen Manuel , Breen Gerome , Bulik Cynthia M. , Micali Nadia , Zerwas Stephanie C.
Published: March 2022

Background

Clinical, epidemiological, and genetic findings support an overlap between eating disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and anxiety symptoms. However, little research has examined the role of genetics in the expression of underlying phenotypes. We investigated whether the anorexia nervosa (AN), OCD, or AN/OCD transdiagnostic polygenic scores (PGS) predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms in a large developmental cohort in a sex-specific manner.

Methods

Using summary statistics from Psychiatric Genomics Consortium AN and OCD genome-wide association studies, we conducted an AN/OCD transdiagnostic genome-wide association meta-analysis. We then calculated AN, OCD, and AN/OCD PGS in participants from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children to predict eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety symptoms, stratified by sex (combined N = 3212–5369 per phenotype).

Results

The PGS prediction of eating disorder, OCD, and anxiety phenotypes differed between sexes, although effect sizes were small. AN and AN/OCD PGS played a more prominent role in predicting eating disorder and anxiety risk than OCD PGS, especially in girls. AN/OCD PGS provided a small boost over AN PGS in the prediction of some anxiety symptoms. All three PGS predicted higher compulsive exercise across different developmental timepoints [β = 0.03 (s.e. = 0.01) for AN and AN/OCD PGS at age 14; β = 0.05 (s.e. = 0.02) for OCD PGS at age 16] in girls.

Conclusions

Compulsive exercise may have a transdiagnostic genetic etiology, and AN genetic risk may play a role in the presence of anxiety symptoms. Converging with prior twin literature, our results also suggest that some of the contribution of genetic risk may be sex-specific.
Factional Model-making in China: Party Elites’ Open Political Contention in the Policy Process
Authors: Cheung Olivia
Published: March 2022

This article introduces the analytical framework of “factional model-making” to describe and explain the open political contention of Chinese Communist Party elites in the policy process. Party elites undertake factional model-making to express policy disagreements and to signal their power to the regime: by flouting the Party line publicly without punishment, they show that they can influence the Party line and therefore pressurize the regime into acknowledging their position in the opaque power structure. This article chronicles the history of factional model-making from the 1960s to 2012 and examines in detail the making of Henan's Nanjie Village into a re-collectivization model by the Party's left. The process began in the 1990s and ended soon after Xi Jinping came to power in 2012, which prompted Nanjie's patrons to recast the village as a Party model trumpeting Xi's line. The suppression of factional model-making under Xi is discussed in the conclusion.
Another Defense of Common Morality
Authors: Macklin Ruth
Published: March 2022

Robert Baker and Rosamond Rhodes each argue against the universality “common morality,” the approach to ethics that comprises four fundamental principles and their application in various settings. Baker contends that common morality cannot account for cultural diversity in the world and claims that a human rights approach is superior in the context of global health. Rhodes maintains that bioethics is not reducible to common morality because medical professionals have special privileges and responsibilities that people lack in everyday life. Baker fails to demonstrate how the human rights approach to global ethics is more sensitive to culture than the use of bioethics principles that comprise common morality. Rhodes has a narrow interpretation of “common morality,” which when understood more broadly, accounts for the special privileges and obligation of medical professionals.
How to Deal with Counter-Examples to Common Morality Theory: A Surprising Result
Authors: Herissone-Kelly Peter
Published: March 2022

Tom Beauchamp and James Childress are confident that their four principles—respect for autonomy, beneficence, non-maleficence, and justice—are globally applicable to the sorts of issues that arise in biomedical ethics, in part because those principles form part of the common morality (a set of general norms to which all morally committed persons subscribe). Inevitably, however, the question arises of how the principlist ought to respond when presented with apparent counter-examples to this thesis. I examine a number of strategies the principlist might adopt in order to retain common morality theory in the face of supposed counter-examples. I conclude that only a strategy that takes a non-realist view of the common morality’s principles is viable. Unfortunately, such a view is likely not to appeal to the principlist.
Reference centiles for left ventricular longitudinal global and regional systolic strain by automated functional imaging in healthy Egyptian children
Authors: Kotby Alyaa A. , Ebrahim Sahar O.S. , Al-Fahham Marwa M.
Published: March 2022

Background:

Two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography-derived left ventricular longitudinal systolic strain is an important myocardial deformation parameter for assessing the systolic function of the left ventricle. Strain values differ according to the vendor machine and software. This study aimed to provide normal reference values for global and regional left ventricular longitudinal systolic strain in Egyptian children using automated functional imaging software integrated into the General Electric healthcare machine and to study the correlation between the global longitudinal left ventricular systolic strain and age, body size, vital data, and some echocardiographic parameters.

Methods:

Healthy children (250) aged from 1 to 16 years were included. Conventional echocardiography was done to measure the left ventricular dimensions and function. Automated functional imaging was performed to measure the global and regional peak longitudinal systolic strain.

Results:

The global longitudinal strain was −21.224 ± 1.862%. The regional strain was −20.68 ± 2.11%, −21.06 ± 1.84%, and −21.86 ± 2.71% at the basal, mid, and apical segments, respectively. The mean values of the systolic longitudinal strain become significantly more negative from base to apex. Age differences were found as regard to global and regional longitudinal strain parameters but no gender differences. The global peak longitudinal systolic strain correlated positively with age. No correlations were found with either the anthropometric parameters or the vital data.

Conclusions:

Age-specific normal values for two-dimensional speckle tracking-derived left ventricular longitudinal regional and global systolic strain are established using automated functional imaging.
Specifying and Reasoning about CPS through the Lens of the NIST CPS Framework
Authors: NGUYEN THANH HAI , BUNDAS MATTHEW , SON TRAN CAO , BALDUCCINI MARCELLO , GARWOOD KATHLEEN CAMPBELL , GRIFFOR EDWARD R.
Published: March 2022

This paper introduces a formal definition of a Cyber-Physical System (CPS) in the spirit of the CPS Framework proposed by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). It shows that using this definition, various problems related to concerns in a CPS can be precisely formalized and implemented using Answer Set Programming (ASP). These include problems related to the dependency or conflicts between concerns, how to mitigate an issue, and what the most suitable mitigation strategy for a given issue would be. It then shows how ASP can be used to develop an implementation that addresses the aforementioned problems. The paper concludes with a discussion of the potentials of the proposed methodologies.
Disability and Regulatory Approaches to Employer Engagement: Cross-National Challenges in Bridging the Gap between Motivation and Hiring Practice
Authors: Østerud Kaja Larsen , Vedeler Janikke Solstad
Published: March 2022

This article examines why employers struggle to include disability as part of their active diversity approach. Drawing on cross-national interview data from Norway and the USA, we point to the common finding of employers – who are the target of regulatory disability employment policies – typically falling into the passive employer category of employer engagement, with positive attitudes but negative hiring behaviour. As a partial explanation, we demonstrate the difficulty of identifying and demographically monitoring disabled people among job seekers and employees. We argue that these problems are linked to unique aspects of disability as a diversity category, and tie these to the significance of disability heterogeneity, lack of disclosure and the difficulty of acquiring information related to health. We conclude that organisations need to go beyond mere legislative compliance and be more proactive towards disability as a distinct diversity category.
Geomagnetic and Solar Dependencies of Midlatitude E‐Region Irregularity Occurrence Rate: A Climatology Based on Wuhan VHF Radar Observations
Authors: Liu Yi , Zhou Chen , Xu Tong , Deng Zhongxin , Du Zhitao , Lan Ting , Tang Qiong , Zhu Yunzhou , Wang Zhuangkai , Zhao Zhengyu
Published: March 2022

By using Wuhan VHF radar, we show the morphological features of E‐region field‐aligned irregularity (FAI) occurrence at Wuhan during 2015–2020. Statistical results present that E‐region FAI occurrence reaches a maximum after sunset in summer season. According to Doppler spectrum features, type‐2 irregularity is predominantly observed at Wuhan. In addition, we observed a remarkable correlation between E‐region FAI occurrence and geomagnetic activity, which includes periods of positive correlation and negative correlation depending on different geomagnetic conditions. The strong negative correlation also exists between E‐region FAI occurrence and solar activity. In our observed results, we find that E‐region FAI occurrence shows a strong linkage with local sporadic E (ES) layer. A quantitative analysis of linear theory of plasma instability in the E‐region at midlatitudes is also presented in our study. The calculated results of linear growth rate indicate the importance of plasma density gradient of local ES layer and field‐line‐integrated Pedersen conductivity on the generation of E‐region FAI. The geomagnetic and solar variations of E‐region FAI occurrence are also discussed in this study, which show a dependence on the geomagnetic and solar variations of both meteor rate and medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbance occurrence.
Ionizing radiation-induced long noncoding RNA CRYBG3 regulates YAP/TAZ through mechanotransduction
Authors: Zheng Lijun , Luo Chenyu , Yang Nan , Pei Hailong , Ji Mintao , Shu Yinyin , Zhang Zhisen , Dong Shuai , Wang Xiuxiu , Li Xuemei , Zhang Wensheng , Wang Yan , Li Bingyan , Hei Tom K. , Zhou Guangming , Chang Lei
Published: March 2022

Mechanotransduction sensing of tissue architecture and cellular microenvironment is a fundamental regulator of cell fate, including cancer. Meanwhile, long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play multifunctions during cancer development and treatment. However, the link between lncRNAs and cellular mechanotransduction in the context of cancer progression has not yet been elucidated. In this study, using atomic force microscopy (AFM), we find that ionizing radiation reduces tumor stiffness. Ionizing radiation-induced lncRNA CRYBG3 can blunt YAP/TAZ activity through interference with mechanotransduction, resulting in the inhibition of cell proliferation, invasion, and metastasis of lung cancer cells. In vivo, we found that loss of lncRNA CRYBG3 could power the tumor initiation and metastasis ability, but this was abolished by concomitant deplete TAZ. At the molecular level, lncRNA CRYBG3 that in turn dysregulates F-actin organization, activates the LATS1/2 kinase, all in all resulting in YAP/TAZ nuclear exclusion. Our research proposes that lncRNA CRYBG3 is a mediator of radiotherapy through its control of cancer-tissue mechanotransduction and wiring YAP/TAZ activity to control tumor growth and metastasis.
Osteopontin aggravates acute lung injury in influenza virus infection by promoting macrophages necroptosis
Authors: Wang Jinping , Li Xuehui , Wang Yuchong , Li Yuyu , Shi Fan , Diao Hongyan
Published: March 2022

Infection with influenza A virus (IAV) can trigger pulmonary inflammation and lung damage. Osteopontin (OPN) is an essential regulator of cell death and immunity. However, the role and underlying mechanism of OPN in cell death in IAV-induced pulmonary injury remain poorly understood. Here, we demonstrated that OPN-deficient (OPN−/−) mice were insensitive to IAV, exhibiting decreased viral loads and attenuated lung injury after IAV infection compared to those in wild-type (WT) mice. Moreover, macrophage necroptosis was significantly reduced in OPN−/− mice infected with IAV compared to that in infected WT mice. OPN increased the expression of necroptosis-related genes and exacerbated macrophage necroptosis in IAV-infected THP1 cells. Notably, adoptive transfer of WT bone marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) or OPN−/− BMDMs into mice restored resistance to influenza infection, and the rescue effect of OPN−/− BMDMs was better than that of WT BMDMs. Collectively, these results suggest that OPN deficiency in macrophages reduces necroptosis, which leads to a decrease in viral titers and protects against IAV infection. Therefore, OPN is a potential target for the treatment of IAV infection.
Gendered genital modifications in critical anthropology: from discourses on FGM/C to new technologies in the sex/gender system
Authors: Fusaschi Michela
Published: March 2022

Since the late 19th century, genital modifications (female and male) have been an important research subject in anthropology. According to a comparative and constructivist perspective, they were first interpreted as rites of passage, then as rites of institutions. In a complex dialogue with feminist movements, 20th-century scholars recognised that the cultural meanings of these modifications are multiple and changing in time and space. Conversely, according to WHO, since the 1950s, Female Genital Mutilation or Cutting (FGM/C) has been considered a form of Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). Interpreted as VAWG, FGM/C has progressively been isolated from its complementary male rite, selected for special condemnation, and banned. An order of discourse has been built by WHO and other international organisations. This article provides a genealogic deconstruction of the order of discourse lexicon, highlighting dislocations between anthropology and the human rights agenda. Today, genital modifications encompass FGM/C, male circumcision, clitoral reconstruction after FGM/C, gender reassignment surgery, and intersex and ‘cosmetic’ genital surgery. I propose to call these procedures Gendered Genital Modifications (GGMo). GGMo implicates public health, well-being, potential harm, sexuality, moral and social norms, gender empowerment, gender violence, and prohibitive and permissive policies and laws. The selective production of knowledge on FGM/C has reinforced the social and political polarisation between practices labelled as barbaric and others considered modern, accessible, and empowering. I suggest an anthropological interpretation for the socio-cultural meanings of health, sexuality, purity and beauty. I propose future interdisciplinary studies of how consent, bodily integrity and personal autonomy bear on concepts of agency and subjectivity in the sex/gender system.
Mechanical control of nuclear import by Importin-7 is regulated by its dominant cargo YAP
Authors: García-García María , Sánchez-Perales Sara , Jarabo Patricia , Calvo Enrique , Huyton Trevor , Fu Liran , Ng Sheung Chun , Sotodosos-Alonso Laura , Vázquez Jesús , Casas-Tintó Sergio , Görlich Dirk , Echarri Asier , Del Pozo Miguel A.
Published: March 2022

Mechanical forces regulate multiple essential pathways in the cell. The nuclear translocation of mechanoresponsive transcriptional regulators is an essential step for mechanotransduction. However, how mechanical forces regulate the nuclear import process is not understood. Here, we identify a highly mechanoresponsive nuclear transport receptor (NTR), Importin-7 (Imp7), that drives the nuclear import of YAP, a key regulator of mechanotransduction pathways. Unexpectedly, YAP governs the mechanoresponse of Imp7 by forming a YAP/Imp7 complex that responds to mechanical cues through the Hippo kinases MST1/2. Furthermore, YAP behaves as a dominant cargo of Imp7, restricting the Imp7 binding and the nuclear translocation of other Imp7 cargoes such as Smad3 and Erk2. Thus, the nuclear import process is an additional regulatory layer indirectly regulated by mechanical cues, which activate a preferential Imp7 cargo, YAP, which competes out other cargoes, resulting in signaling crosstalk.
Keyhole fluctuation and pore formation mechanisms during laser powder bed fusion additive manufacturing
Authors: Huang Yuze , Fleming Tristan G. , Clark Samuel J. , Marussi Sebastian , Fezzaa Kamel , Thiyagalingam Jeyan , Leung Chu Lun Alex , Lee Peter D.
Published: March 2022

Keyhole porosity is a key concern in laser powder-bed fusion (LPBF), potentially impacting component fatigue life. However, some keyhole porosity formation mechanisms, e.g., keyhole fluctuation, collapse and bubble growth and shrinkage, remain unclear. Using synchrotron X-ray imaging we reveal keyhole and bubble behaviour, quantifying their formation dynamics. The findings support the hypotheses that: (i) keyhole porosity can initiate not only in unstable, but also in the transition keyhole regimes created by high laser power-velocity conditions, causing fast radial keyhole fluctuations (2.5–10 kHz); (ii) transition regime collapse tends to occur part way up the rear-wall; and (iii) immediately after keyhole collapse, bubbles undergo rapid growth due to pressure equilibration, then shrink due to metal-vapour condensation. Concurrent with condensation, hydrogen diffusion into the bubble slows the shrinkage and stabilises the bubble size. The keyhole fluctuation and bubble evolution mechanisms revealed here may guide the development of control systems for minimising porosity.
Hysteresis stabilizes dynamic control of self-assembled army ant constructions
Authors: McCreery Helen F. , Gemayel Georgina , Pais Ana Isabel , Garnier Simon , Nagpal Radhika
Published: March 2022

Biological systems must adjust to changing external conditions, and their resilience depends on their control mechanisms. How is dynamic control implemented in noisy, decentralized systems? Army ants’ self-assembled bridges are built on unstable features, like leaves, which frequently move. Using field experiments and simulations, we characterize the bridges’ response as the gaps they span change in size, identify the control mechanism, and explore how this emerges from individuals’ decisions. For a given gap size, bridges were larger after the gap increased rather than decreased. This hysteresis was best explained by an accumulator model, in which individual decisions to join or leave a bridge depend on the difference between its current and equilibrium state. This produces robust collective structures that adjust to lasting perturbations while ignoring small, momentary shifts. Our field data support separate joining and leaving cues; joining is prompted by high bridge performance and leaving by an excess of ants. This leads to stabilizing hysteresis, an important feature of many biological and engineered systems.
Neuronal activity in sensory cortex predicts the specificity of learning in mice
Authors: Wood Katherine C. , Angeloni Christopher F. , Oxman Karmi , Clopath Claudia , Geffen Maria N.
Published: March 2022

Learning to avoid dangerous signals while preserving normal responses to safe stimuli is essential for everyday behavior and survival. Following identical experiences, subjects exhibit fear specificity ranging from high (specializing fear to only the dangerous stimulus) to low (generalizing fear to safe stimuli), yet the neuronal basis of fear specificity remains unknown. Here, we identified the neuronal code that underlies inter-subject variability in fear specificity using longitudinal imaging of neuronal activity before and after differential fear conditioning in the auditory cortex of mice. Neuronal activity prior to, but not after learning predicted the level of specificity following fear conditioning across subjects. Stimulus representation in auditory cortex was reorganized following conditioning. However, the reorganized neuronal activity did not relate to the specificity of learning. These results present a novel neuronal code that determines individual patterns in learning.
Endothelial Unc5B controls blood-brain barrier integrity
Authors: Boyé Kevin , Geraldo Luiz Henrique , Furtado Jessica , Pibouin-Fragner Laurence , Poulet Mathilde , Kim Doyeun , Nelson Bryce , Xu Yunling , Jacob Laurent , Maissa Nawal , Agalliu Dritan , Claesson-Welsh Lena , Ackerman Susan L. , Eichmann Anne
Published: March 2022

Blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity is critical for proper function of the central nervous system (CNS). Here, we show that the endothelial Unc5B receptor controls BBB integrity by maintaining Wnt/β-catenin signaling. Inducible endothelial-specific deletion of Unc5B in adult mice leads to BBB leak from brain capillaries that convert to a barrier-incompetent state with reduced Claudin-5 and increased PLVAP expression. Loss of Unc5B decreases BBB Wnt/β-catenin signaling, and β-catenin overexpression rescues Unc5B mutant BBB defects. Mechanistically, the Unc5B ligand Netrin-1 enhances Unc5B interaction with the Wnt co-receptor LRP6, induces its phosphorylation and activates Wnt/β-catenin downstream signaling. Intravenous delivery of antibodies blocking Netrin-1 binding to Unc5B causes a transient BBB breakdown and disruption of Wnt signaling, followed by neurovascular barrier resealing. These data identify Netrin-1-Unc5B signaling as a ligand-receptor pathway that regulates BBB integrity, with implications for CNS diseases.
Hydrogen spillover in complex oxide multifunctional sites improves acidic hydrogen evolution electrocatalysis
Authors: Dai Jie , Zhu Yinlong , Chen Yu , Wen Xue , Long Mingce , Wu Xinhao , Hu Zhiwei , Guan Daqin , Wang Xixi , Zhou Chuan , Lin Qian , Sun Yifei , Weng Shih-Chang , Wang Huanting , Zhou Wei , Shao Zongping
Published: March 2022

Improving the catalytic efficiency of platinum for the hydrogen evolution reaction is valuable for water splitting technologies. Hydrogen spillover has emerged as a new strategy in designing binary-component Pt/support electrocatalysts. However, such binary catalysts often suffer from a long reaction pathway, undesirable interfacial barrier, and complicated synthetic processes. Here we report a single-phase complex oxide La2Sr2PtO7+δ as a high-performance hydrogen evolution electrocatalyst in acidic media utilizing an atomic-scale hydrogen spillover effect between multifunctional catalytic sites. With insights from comprehensive experiments and theoretical calculations, the overall hydrogen evolution pathway proceeds along three steps: fast proton adsorption on O site, facile hydrogen migration from O site to Pt site via thermoneutral La-Pt bridge site serving as the mediator, and favorable H2 desorption on Pt site. Benefiting from this catalytic process, the resulting La2Sr2PtO7+δ exhibits a low overpotential of 13 mV at 10 mA cm−2, a small Tafel slope of 22 mV dec−1, an enhanced intrinsic activity, and a greater durability than commercial Pt black catalyst.
Retrosynthetic reaction pathway prediction through neural machine translation of atomic environments
Authors: Ucak Umit V. , Ashyrmamatov Islambek , Ko Junsu , Lee Juyong
Published: March 2022

Designing efficient synthetic routes for a target molecule remains a major challenge in organic synthesis. Atom environments are ideal, stand-alone, chemically meaningful building blocks providing a high-resolution molecular representation. Our approach mimics chemical reasoning, and predicts reactant candidates by learning the changes of atom environments associated with the chemical reaction. Through careful inspection of reactant candidates, we demonstrate atom environments as promising descriptors for studying reaction route prediction and discovery. Here, we present a new single-step retrosynthesis prediction method, viz. RetroTRAE, being free from all SMILES-based translation issues, yields a top-1 accuracy of 58.3% on the USPTO test dataset, and top-1 accuracy reaches to 61.6% with the inclusion of highly similar analogs, outperforming other state-of-the-art neural machine translation-based methods. Our methodology introduces a novel scheme for fragmental and topological descriptors to be used as natural inputs for retrosynthetic prediction tasks.
Efficacy of platinum-based chemotherapy in metastatic breast cancer and HRD biomarkers: utility of exome sequencing
Authors: Galland Loïck , Ballot Elise , Mananet Hugo , Boidot Romain , Lecuelle Julie , Albuisson Juliette , Arnould Laurent , Desmoulins Isabelle , Mayeur Didier , Kaderbhai Courèche , Ilie Silvia , Hennequin Audrey , Bergeron Anthony , Derangère Valentin , Ghiringhelli François , Truntzer Caroline , Ladoire Sylvain
Published: March 2022

Metastatic breast cancer (MBC) is frequently managed by platinum-based chemotherapy during the disease course. The real benefit of these treatments is uncertain at advanced stages of the disease and in non-triple-negative subtypes. Since homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) could inform about tumor sensitivity to DNA-damaging agents, we aimed to determine biomarkers of genomic instability, and their link with platinum efficacy. In this single-center study, we report BRCA1/2 mutational status, HRD score and signature 3 levels, all obtained by tumor exome sequencing, in 86 patients with various subtypes of MBC and who received platinum-based chemotherapy. Overall response rate, disease control rate, PFS and PFS2/PFS1 ratio were evaluated to assess platinum-based chemotherapy efficacy. Among the 86 tumor samples analyzed, 7 harbored BRCA1/2 mutations. We found a subset of BRCA-proficient MBC with high HRD score or high S3 levels, comparable to BRCA-mutated tumors. However, these patients with high HRD score or high S3 tumor level do not seem to benefit more from platinum-based chemotherapy than the others, in terms of response rates and/or PFS, regardless of BC molecular subtype. By multivariate analysis, only the absence of liver metastases was independently associated with significantly better PFS on platinum-based chemotherapy. However, some of our exploratory analyses reveal that certain methods, when optimized, seem to associate with platinum benefit. Tumor exome sequencing methodology for quantifying HRD has to be approached systematically, and further validated and standardized prior to its clinical use. Further studies are warranted to confirm these results to guide platinum use in MBC.
Topological frequency shift of quantum oscillation in CaFeAsF
Authors: Terashima Taichi , Uji Shinya , Wang Teng , Mu Gang
Published: March 2022

Guo, Alexandradinata, et al. have recently proposed that quantum-oscillation frequencies from Dirac/Weyl fermions exhibit a negative shift proportional to T2 because of the energy dependence of the effective mass peculiar to a linear band-dispersion. We have measured Shubnikov–de Haas oscillation in CaFeAsF up to T = 9 K. The frequency of the α Dirac electron exhibits a negative shift with increasing T, while that of the β Schrödinger hole does not. For T ⩾ 5 K where β is negligible, the α-frequency shift is proportional to T2 and its rate agrees with the theoretical prediction within experimental accuracy. At lower temperatures, the shifts of α and β deviate from theoretical expectations, which we ascribe to the inaccuracy in the frequency determination due to unfavorable interference between frequencies. Our results confirm that the topological frequency shift can be utilized to identify Dirac/Weyl fermions when quantum-oscillation frequencies can be determined accurately.
fMRI-based validation of continuous-wave fNIRS of supplementary motor area activation during motor execution and motor imagery
Authors: Klein Franziska , Debener Stefan , Witt Karsten , Kranczioch Cornelia
Published: March 2022

Compared to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), functional near infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) has several advantages that make it particularly interesting for neurofeedback (NFB). A pre-requisite for NFB applications is that with fNIRS, signals from the brain region of interest can be measured. This study focused on the supplementary motor area (SMA). Healthy older participants (N = 16) completed separate continuous-wave (CW-) fNIRS and (f)MRI sessions. Data were collected for executed and imagined hand movements (motor imagery, MI), and for MI of whole body movements. Individual anatomical data were used to (i) define the regions of interest for fMRI analysis, to (ii) extract the fMRI BOLD response from the cortical regions corresponding to the fNIRS channels, and (iii) to select fNIRS channels. Concentration changes in oxygenated ($$\Delta [HbO]$$

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) and deoxygenated ($$\Delta [HbR]$$

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) hemoglobin were considered in the analyses. Results revealed subtle differences between the different MI tasks, indicating that for whole body MI movements as well as for MI of hand movements $$\Delta [HbR]$$

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is the more specific signal. Selection of the fNIRS channel set based on individual anatomy did not improve the results. Overall, the study indicates that in terms of spatial specificity and task sensitivity SMA activation can be reliably measured with CW-fNIRS.
Aluminous hydrous magnesium silicate as a lower-mantle hydrogen reservoir: a role as an agent for material transport
Authors: Nakatsuka Akihiko , Yoshiasa Akira , Ohkawa Makio , Ito Eiji
Published: March 2022

The potential for storage of a large quantity of water/hydrogen in the lower mantle has important implications for the dynamics and evolution of the Earth. A dense hydrous magnesium silicate called phase D is a potential candidate for such a hydrogen reservoir. Its MgO–SiO2–H2O form has been believed to be stable at lower-mantle pressures but only in low-temperature regimes such as subducting slabs because of decomposition below mantle geotherm. Meanwhile, the presence of Al was reported to be a key to enhancing the thermal stability of phase D; however, the detailed Al-incorporation effect on its stability remains unclear. Here we report on Al-bearing phase D (Al-phase D) synthesized from a bridgmanite composition, with Al content expected in bridgmanite formed from a representative mantle composition, under over-saturation of water. We find that the incorporation of Al, despite smaller amounts, into phase D increases its hydrogen content and moreover extends its stability field not only to higher temperatures but also presumably to higher pressures. This leads to that Al-phase D can be one of the most potential reservoirs for a large quantity of hydrogen in the lower mantle. Further, Al-phase D formed by reaction between bridgmanite and water could play an important role in material transport in the lower mantle.
The symptom discounting effect: what to do when negative genetic test results become risk factors for alcohol use disorder
Authors: Ahn Woo-kyoung , Perricone Annalise M.
Published: March 2022

Most consumers of genetic testing for health conditions test negative, yet the psychological perils of this are hardly known. In three experiments (N = 2103) participants discounted repercussions of alcohol use disorder (AUD), after learning or imagining that they were not genetically predisposed to AUD. Such discounting can lead people to avoid treatment and to feel safe to continue or even increase their drinking, ironically turning the negative genetic feedback into a risk factor for AUD. Concerningly, the debriefing currently used by a direct-to-consumer genetic testing company failed to counteract this discounting among those already engaging in problematic drinking in all three studies. It was hypothesized that this discounting derives from not understanding the Causal Markov condition; once AUD symptoms are present, their ramifications remain the same regardless of whether genes or environmental factors caused the symptoms. Educating participants about this principle successfully mitigated the irrational discounting of threats of AUD.
One-step electrodeposition of a polypyrrole/NiO nanocomposite as a supercapacitor electrode
Authors: El Nady Jehan , Shokry Azza , Khalil Marwa , Ebrahim S. , Elshaer A. M. , Anas M.
Published: March 2022

An electrochemical deposition technique was used to fabricate polypyrrole (Ppy)/NiO nanocomposite electrodes for supercapacitors. The nanocomposite electrodes were characterized and investigated by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), X-ray Diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), cyclic voltammetry (CV), galvanostatic charge–discharge (GCD) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). The performance of supercapacitor electrodes of Ppy/NiO nanocomposite was enhanced compared with pristine Ppy electrode. It was found that the Ppy/NiO electrode electrodeposited at 4 A/cm−2 demonstrated the highest specific capacitance of 679 Fg−1 at 1 Ag−1 with an energy density of 94.4 Wh kg−1 and power density of 500.74 W kg−1. Capacitance retention of 83.9% of its initial capacitance after 1000 cycles at 1 Ag−1 was obtained. The high electrochemical performance of Ppy/NiO was due to the synergistic effect of NiO and Ppy, where a rich pores network-like structure made the electrolyte ions more easily accessible for Faradic reactions. This work provided a simple approach for preparing organic–inorganic composite materials as high-performance electrode materials for electrochemical supercapacitors.
Hematobiochemical variability and predictors of new-onset and persistent postpartum preeclampsia
Authors: Fondjo Linda Ahenkorah , Amoah Beatrice , Annan John Jude , Adu-Gyamfi Enoch Appiah , Asamaoh Evans Adu
Published: March 2022

Preeclampsia (PE) can occur antepartum or postpartum. When it develops de novo after childbirth, it is termed new-onset postpartum PE (NOPPE). Often, antepartum PE disappears after childbirth; however, in some women it persists after childbirth. This form of PE is termed persistent PE (PPE). Thus, there are two forms of postpartum PE: NOPPE and PPE. The pathogenesis and pathophysiology of these diseases have not been fully characterized, and whether NOPPE and PPE are different or similar pathological conditions remains unexplored. Thus, we aimed to compare the haematological and biochemical characteristics of NOPPE and PPE, predict the occurrence of new-onset PE and identify lifestyles that predispose women to postpartum PE. A total of 130 women comprising 65 normotensive postpartum women, 33 NOPPE and 32 PPE women were recruited for this hospital-based case–control study. The socio-demographic and lifestyle characteristics of the participants were obtained through well-structured questionnaires. Haematological and biochemical indices were measured using automated analysers and ELISA. The prevalence of postpartum PE was 11.9%. Dyslipidaemia (p =  < 0.0001), hypomagnesaemia (p =  < 0.001), elevated serum levels of ALT, AST (p =  < 0.0001), sVCAM-1 (p =  < 0.0001) and sFlt-1 (p =  < 0.0001) were more prevalent and severe in the PPE than in the NOPPE. Sedentary lifestyle was common among both groups of hypertensive women. Elevated ALT and AST were significant predictors of NOPPE. These findings indicate that preeclampsia exists after childbirth in a high percentage of women. NOPPE and PPE are different pathological conditions that require different clinical management. Combined glucose, lipid and liver assessment could be useful in predicting postpartum PE.