bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Homing in on a Moving Target: Androgen Receptor Cistromic Plasticity in Prostate Cancer
Authors: Eickhoff Nils , Bergman Andries M , Zwart Wilbert
Published: September 2022

The androgen receptor (AR) is the critical driver in prostate cancer and exerts its function mainly through transcriptional control. Recent advances in clinical studies and cell line models have illustrated that AR chromatin binding features are not static; rather they are highly variable yet reproducibly altered between clinical stages. Extensive genomic analyses of AR chromatin binding features in different disease stages have revealed a high degree of plasticity of AR chromatin interactions in clinical samples. Mechanistically, AR chromatin binding patterns are associated with specific somatic mutations on AR and other permutations, including mutations of AR-interacting proteins. Here we summarize the most recent studies on how the AR cistrome is dynamically altered in prostate cancer models and patient samples, and what implications this has for the identification of therapeutic targets to avoid the emergence of treatment resistance.
Laminin-α4 Negatively Regulates Adipocyte Beiging Through the Suppression of AMPKα in Male Mice
Authors: Goddi Anna , Carmona Alanis , Park Soo-Young , Dalgin Gokhan , Gonzalez Porras Maria A , Brey Eric M , Cohen Ronald N
Published: September 2022

Laminin-α4 (LAMA4) is an extracellular matrix protein implicated in the regulation of adipocyte differentiation and function. Prior research describes a role for LAMA4 in modulating adipocyte thermogenesis and uncoupling protein-1 (UCP1) expression in white adipose; however, the mechanisms involved are poorly understood. Here, we describe that Lama4 knockout mice (Lama4−/−) exhibit heightened mitochondrial biogenesis and peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1 (PGC-1) expression in subcutaneous white adipose tissue (sWAT). Furthermore, the acute silencing of LAMA4 with small interfering RNA in primary murine adipocytes was sufficient to upregulate the expression of thermogenic markers UCP1 and PR domain containing 16 (PRDM16). Silencing also resulted in an upregulation of PGC1-α and adenosine 5′-monophosphate–activated protein kinase (AMPK)-α expression. Subsequently, we show that integrin-linked kinase (ILK) is downregulated in the sWAT of Lama4−/− mice, and its silencing in adipocytes similarly resulted in elevated expression of UCP1 and AMPKα. Last, we demonstrate that treatment of human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived thermogenic adipocytes with LAMA4 (LN411) inhibited the expression of thermogenic markers and AMPKα. Overall, our results indicate that LAMA4 negatively regulates a thermogenic phenotype and pathways involving mitochondrial biogenesis in adipocytes through the suppression of AMPKα.
Racial Disparities in Mortality During the 1918 Influenza Pandemic in United States Cities
Authors: Eiermann Martin , Wrigley-Field Elizabeth , Feigenbaum James J. , Helgertz Jonas , Hernandez Elaine , Boen Courtney E.
Published: September 2022

Against a backdrop of extreme racial health inequality, the 1918 influenza pandemic resulted in a striking reduction of non-White to White influenza and pneumonia mortality disparities in United States cities. We provide the most complete account to date of these reduced racial disparities, showing that they were unexpectedly uniform across cities. Linking data from multiple sources, we then examine potential explanations for this finding, including city-level sociodemographic factors such as segregation, implementation of nonpharmaceutical interventions, racial differences in exposure to the milder spring 1918 “herald wave,” and racial differences in early-life influenza exposures, resulting in differential immunological vulnerability to the 1918 flu. While we find little evidence for the first three explanations, we offer suggestive evidence that racial variation in childhood exposure to the 1889–1892 influenza pandemic may have shrunk racial disparities in 1918. We also highlight the possibility that differential behavioral responses to the herald wave may have protected non-White urban populations. By providing a comprehensive description and examination of racial inequality in mortality during the 1918 pandemic, we offer a framework for understanding disparities in infectious disease mortality that considers interactions between the natural histories of particular microbial agents and the social histories of those they infect.
Multiple functions of phospholipase Cβ1 at a glance
Authors: Rennie Madison , Lin Guanyu , Scarlata Suzanne
Published: September 2022

Phospholipase Cβ (PLCβ) is the main effector of the Gq family of heterotrimeric G proteins that transduces signals from hormones and neurotransmitters into Ca2+ signals. While PLCβ is critical for Ca2+ responses, recent studies have suggested that PLCβ has additional roles independent of its lipase activity. These novel functions are carried out by a cytosolic population of PLCβ that binds and inhibits the component 3 promoter of RNA-induced silencing complex (C3PO) to impact cytosolic RNA populations. Additionally, cytosolic PLCβ binds to stress granule proteins, keeping them dispersed and thus inhibiting stress granule formation. Upon activation of the Gα subunit of Gq (Gαq), cytosolic PLCβ relocalizes to the membrane, releasing C3PO and stress granule proteins, which in turn promotes activation of C3PO and RNA processing, as well as sequestration of specific transcripts into newly formed stress granules. As highlighted in this Cell Science at a Glance and the accompanying poster, the link between Gαq signaling, increased intracellular Ca2+ and changes in RNA processing impacts neuronal cell differentiation and may also affect neuronal development and dysfunction.
Temperature independence of haemoglobin–oxygen affinity in smalleye Pacific opah (Lampris incognitus) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius)
Authors: Morrison Phillip R. , Bernal Diego , Sepulveda Chugey A. , Wegner Nicholas C. , Brauner Colin J.
Published: September 2022

Smalleye Pacific opah and swordfish can conserve metabolic heat and maintain specific body regions warmer than ambient water temperature (i.e. regional heterothermy). Consequently, blood O2 uptake at the gills occurs at the environmental temperature at which the individual is found, but O2 offloading will occur at different temperatures in different tissues. While several regionally heterothermic fishes (e.g. billfishes, tunas and sharks) show a reduced temperature effect on haemoglobin (Hb)–O2 affinity, the temperature dependence of Hb–O2 affinity in opah and swordfish is unknown. We hypothesized that the Hb of opah and swordfish would also show a reduced temperature dependence. Opah whole-blood–O2 affinity exhibited a reverse temperature dependence above 50% Hb–O2 saturation (10–20°C, pH 7.2–8.0), while the temperature dependence of swordfish blood–O2 affinity (10–25°C) was saturation and pH dependent, becoming temperature independent below 50% Hb–O2 saturation and pH 7.4. Experiments on stripped haemolysates showed that adding ATP ([ATP]/[Hb]=30) decreased the temperature sensitivity of Hb–O2 affinity, changing the overall oxygenation enthalpy (ΔH′) values of opah (10–20°C) and swordfish (10–25°C) Hbs at pH 7.4 from −15 and −42 kJ mol−1 O2, respectively, to +84 and −9 kJ mol−1 O2. Swordfish blood–O2 affinity was high compared with that of other large, pelagic, marine teleosts, which may be the result of unusually low ATP/Hb levels, but might also enable swordfish to forage in the potentially low-oxygenated water of the upper reaches of the oxygen minimum layer. The existence of Hbs with reduced temperature sensitivity in regionally heterothermic fishes may prevent marked changes in Hb–O2 affinity between the cold and warm tissues.
The effects of physical and temporal certainty on human locomotion with discrete underfoot perturbations
Authors: Kreter Nicholas , Lybbert Carter , Gordon Keith E. , Fino Peter C.
Published: September 2022

Foot placement can be selected to anticipate upcoming perturbations, but it is unclear how this anticipatory strategy is influenced by available response time or precise knowledge of the perturbation's characteristics. This study investigates anticipatory and reactive locomotor strategies for repeated underfoot perturbations with varying levels of temporal certainty, physical certainty, and available response time. Thirteen healthy adults walked with random underfoot perturbations from a mechanized shoe. Temporal certainty was challenged by presenting the perturbations with or without warning. Available response time was challenged by adjusting the timing of the warning before the perturbation. Physical certainty was challenged by making perturbation direction (inversion or eversion) unpredictable for certain conditions. Linear-mixed effects models assessed the effect of each condition on the percentage change of margin of stability and step width. For perturbations with one stride or less of response time, we observed few changes to step width or margin of stability. As response time increased to two strides, participants adopted wider steps in anticipation of the perturbation (P=0.001). Physical certainty had little effect on gait for the step of the perturbation, but participants recovered normal gait sooner when the physical nature of the perturbation was predictable (P<0.001). Despite having information about the timing and direction of upcoming perturbations, individuals do not develop perturbation-specific feedforward strategies. Instead, they use feedback control to recover normal gait after a perturbation. However, physical certainty appears to make the feedback controller more efficient and allows individuals to recover normal gait sooner.
Reporting and management of incidental lung findings on computed tomography: beyond lung nodules
Authors: Horst Carolyn , Patel Shivani , Nair Arjun
Published: September 2022

Non-nodular incidental lung findings can broadly be categorised as airway- or airspace-related abnormalities and diffuse parenchymal abnormalities. Airway-related abnormalities include bronchial dilatation and thickening, foci of low attenuation, emphysema, and congenital variants. Diffuse parenchymal abnormalities relate to the spectrum of diffuse parenchymal lung diseases cover a spectrum from interstitial lung abnormalities (ILAs) and pulmonary cysts to established diffuse parenchymal lung abnormalities such as the idiopathic interstitial pneumonias and cystic lung diseases. In this review, we discuss the main manifestations of these incidental findings, paying attention to their prevalence and importance, descriptors to use when reporting, the limits of what can be considered “normal”, and conclude each section with some pragmatic reporting recommendations. We also highlight technical and patient factors which can lead to spurious abnormalities.
The diagnostic value of magnetic resonance imaging compared to computed tomography in the evaluation of fat-containing thoracic lesions
Authors: Hochhegger Bruno , Zanon Matheus , Patel Pratik P , Verma Nupur , Eifer Diego André , Torres Pedro Paulo Teixeira e Silva , Souza Arthur S , Souza Luciana Volpon Soares , Mohammed Tan-Lucien , Marchiori Edson , Ackman Jeanne B
Published: September 2022

Intrathoracic fat-containing lesions may arise in the mediastinum, lungs, pleura, or chest wall. While CT can be helpful in the detection and diagnosis of these lesions, it can only do so if the lesions contain macroscopic fat. Furthermore, because CT cannot demonstrate microscopic or intravoxel fat, it can fail to identify and diagnose microscopic fat-containing lesions. MRI, employing spectral and chemical shift fat suppression techniques, can identify both macroscopic and microscopic fat, with resultant enhanced capability to diagnose these intrathoracic lesions non-invasively and without ionizing radiation. This paper aims to review the CT and MRI findings of fat-containing lesions of the chest and describes the fat-suppression techniques utilized in their assessment.
Bias due to statistical handling of death and reirradiation in the assessment of duration of response after palliative radiotherapy: a scoping review and analysis of clinical data
Authors: Saito Tetsuo , Murotani Kenta , Ito Kei , Nakamura Naoki , Oya Natsuo
Published: September 2022

Objectives

We investigated the influence of handling death and reirradiation on the estimation of duration of response (DOR).

Methods

First, we performed a scoping review on methods to assess DOR in palliative radiotherapy. Second, we performed three different analyses on a subgroup of patients from a previously published prospective study. The first analysis was a competing risks analysis considering relapse of pain as the event of interest and death and reirradiation as competing events (Analysis A). The second and third analyses were standard survival analyses where the event of interest was a composite outcome of relapse of pain, death, or reirradiation (Analysis B) and relapse of pain (Analysis C), respectively.

Results

Death was considered as an event of interest in less than half of the papers, while reirradiation was not considered in any of the studies. Competing risks analysis was not performed in any of the studies. In the analysis of clinical data, competing risks analysis showed that relapse of pain predominated as the cause of the end of response. Median DOR was correctly estimated to be 4.1 months in Analyses A and B, but was overestimated to be 8.1 months in Analysis C.

Conclusions

Death and reirradiation should be treated as the events of interest that mark the end of response (as in Analyses A and B) to avoid overestimation of treatment efficacy and an invalid assumption of independent censoring.

Advances in knowledge

The definition of end of response remains inconclusive in the assessment of DOR. We recommend competing risks analysis (Analysis A), by which we can estimate cumulative incidence of each event type and evaluate the necessity of reirradiation.
The simplicity of XGBoost algorithm versus the complexity of Random Forest, Support Vector Machine, and Neural Networks algorithms in urban forest classification
Authors: Ramdani Fatwa , Furqon Muhammad Tanzil
Published: September 2022

Background: The availability of urban forest is under serious threat, especially in developing countries where urbanization is taking place rapidly. Meanwhile, there are many classifier algorithms available to monitor the extent of the urban forest. However, we need to assess the performance of each classifier to understand its complexity and accuracy.

Methods: This study proposes a novel procedure using R language with RStudio software to assess four different classifiers based on different numbers of training datasets to classify the urban forest within the campus environment. The normalized difference vegetation indices (NDVI) were then employed to compare the accuracy of each classifier.

Results: This study found that the Extreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost) classifier outperformed the other three classifiers, with an RMSE value of 1.56. While the Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Random Forest (RF), and Support Vector Machine (SVM) were in second, third, and fourth place with RMSE values of 4.33, 6.81, and 7.45 respectively.

Conclusions: The XGBoost algorithm is the most suitable for urban forest classification with limited data training. This study is easy to reproduce since the code is available and open to the public.
Value-Based Clinical Trials: Selecting Recruitment Rates and Trial Lengths in Different Regulatory Contexts
Authors: Alban Andres , Chick Stephen E. , Forster Martin
Published: September 2022

Health systems are placing increasing emphasis on improving the design and operation of clinical trials with the aim of making the health technology adoption process more value-based. We present a model of a value-based, two-armed clinical trial in which both the recruitment rate and trial length are optimized. The model is value-based because it balances the cost of the trial with the expected benefit it generates for patients, valued by the relative health benefits and costs of the technologies. We consider a wide range of regulatory and practical contexts that address how patient health is valued (discount rate, time horizon, pragmatic trials). We present comparative statics and asymptotic analysis together with a retrospective application to a recent health technology assessment and an extension for adaptive trials. Results challenge traditional perceptions concerning the efficiency, length, and knowledge that may be gained from clinical research for trial managers or funders charged with delivering value efficiently: we highlight trade-offs between trial costs and population health benefits influenced by trial outcomes and the importance of optimizing both recruitment rate and trial duration rather than sample size alone.

This paper was accepted by Stefan Scholtes, health.

Funding: Alban and Chick acknowledge the support of the European Union through the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions European Sepsis Academy Initial Training Network (MSCA-ESA-ITN) project [Grant 676129]. Forster acknowledges funding from the Research Infrastructure Support Fund of the Department of Economics and Related Studies, University of York.

Supplemental Material: The online companion and data are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2022.4540 .
INTRODUCTION – “(Re)Framing the Beautiful Struggle: Black Student
& Black Youth Activism”
Authors: Benson Richard D.
Published: September 2022

The subtitle for this proposed special journal of
Zanj is largely inspired by the organizational activities of the Student Organization for Black Unity (SOBU 1969-1974) which was founded in Greensboro, NC during the shifting yet highly controversial era of Black Power. According to Black Power scholar Peniel Joseph, SOBU along with organizations such as Malcolm X Liberation University of Greensboro, and the Center for Black Education in Washington, DC were the “second wave” Black Power organizations. From its outset, Black student collectives such as SOBU initiated its organizational line as a Black Nationalist and Pan African student-led organization aimed at assuming the vanguard student leadership position occupied by SNCC but relinquished upon SNCC’s disbandment. As SOBU evolved to embrace a Marxist-Leninist ideological line, the organization experienced political shifts and ideological reconsiderations with respect to the Black student relationship with Black youth that may not have been in traditional school but were yet highly active in the Black struggle. Thus, SOBU evolved to become the Youth Organization for Black Unity (YOBU) by 1972 and YOBU re-directed its organizing objectives to align with Black youth and workers to build a vanguard organization aiming to lead the Black Freedom Movement into the 1970s.
A Black Thang: Black Nia F.O.R.C.E, Radical Student Reading Circles, and Intellectual Freedom
Authors: Myers Joshua
Published: September 2022

One of the central themes of Black student activism in the latter half of the twentieth century was re-education. Finding the curriculums confronted in their schooling to be inadequate, student activists fought for Black Studies. But they also built alternatives to formal schooling. These reading circles and study groups became incubators for radical thinking, places that were free from the authority of campus administrations. This essay explores the prominence of reading circles in the context of Black student struggles at Howard University in the 1980s, through a focus on the organization, Black Nia F.O.R.C.E. It seeks to demonstrate that the preface for radical action, for their radical orientation, was knowledge and that ultimately, it was within self-determined intellectual spaces, where we find the true roots of “Black Study.”
Super-resolution and segmentation deep learning for breast cancer histopathology image analysis
Authors: Juhong Aniwat , Li Bo , Yao Cheng-You , Yang Chia-Wei , Agnew Dalen W. , Lei Yu Leo , Huang Xuefei , Piyawattanametha Wibool , Qiu Zhen
Published: September 2022

Traditionally, a high-performance microscope with a large numerical aperture is required to acquire high-resolution images. However, the images’ size is typically tremendous. Therefore, they are not conveniently managed and transferred across a computer network or stored in a limited computer storage system. As a result, image compression is commonly used to reduce image size resulting in poor image resolution. Here, we demonstrate custom convolution neural networks (CNNs) for both super-resolution image enhancement from low-resolution images and characterization of both cells and nuclei from hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stained breast cancer histopathological images by using a combination of generator and discriminator networks so-called super-resolution generative adversarial network-based on aggregated residual transformation (SRGAN-ResNeXt) to facilitate cancer diagnosis in low resource settings. The results provide high enhancement in image quality where the peak signal-to-noise ratio and structural similarity of our network results are over 30 dB and 0.93, respectively. The derived performance is superior to the results obtained from both the bicubic interpolation and the well-known SRGAN deep-learning methods. In addition, another custom CNN is used to perform image segmentation from the generated high-resolution breast cancer images derived with our model with an average Intersection over Union of 0.869 and an average dice similarity coefficient of 0.893 for the H&E image segmentation results. Finally, we propose the jointly trained SRGAN-ResNeXt and Inception U-net Models, which applied the weights from the individually trained SRGAN-ResNeXt and inception U-net models as the pre-trained weights for transfer learning. The jointly trained model’s results are progressively improved and promising. We anticipate these custom CNNs can help resolve the inaccessibility of advanced microscopes or whole slide imaging (WSI) systems to acquire high-resolution images from low-performance microscopes located in remote-constraint settings.
Partially coherent spherical sources with spherical harmonic modes
Authors: de Sande J. C. G. , Korotkova O. , Martínez-Herrero R. , Santarsiero M. , Piquero G. , Failla A. V. , Gori F.
Published: September 2022

A class of partially coherent spherical sources is introduced whose
cross-spectral density across the surface has a modal expansion made
up of spherical harmonics. For such sources, the solution of the
propagation problem in all the outer spaces can be written through a
series of the propagated modes, which maintains the spherical harmonic
structure. The main features of this class of cross-spectral densities
are derived illustrating their coherence properties with examples.
Attention is paid to the properties of radial coherence. In
particular, it is clearly shown that sources with perfect radial
coherence exist with angular coherence that is only partial.
Tuning the persistent luminescence property of a Y3Al2Ga3O12:Ce3+,Yb3+ phosphor by controlling the intrinsic oxygen vacancy concentration
Authors: Yang Ting , Jiang Hongyi , Dong Ye , Liu Shuning , Gao Shuai
Published: September 2022

Oxygen vacancies (VO), acting as electron traps, have a significant impact on the persistent luminescence (PersL) property of persistent phosphors. However, the effect of VO on PersL remains still unclear enough to limit the development of PersL materials. In this study, the VO concentration of the Y2.978Ce0.018Yb0.004Al2Ga3O12 phosphor is accurately controlled by annealing in air and 10%H2/90%Ar atmospheres at various temperatures. The results show as the annealing temperature increases during the air annealing the VO concentration, the PersL durations, and the thermoluminescence (TL) intensity constantly decreases, and the three data coincide well with each other, indicating the PersL property of the Y2.978Ce0.018Yb0.004Al2Ga3O12 is successfully tuned. Besides, the trap structure of the Y2.978Ce0.018Yb0.004Al2Ga3O12 and the charge compensation effect of Yb ions on VO defects are also discussed. By deconvoluting the TL curves, the Yb trap with a depth of 0.58 eV has been distinctly separated from the VO traps with a quasi-continuous and broad distribution of depths ranging from 0.58 to 1.21 eV. Our work demonstrates a better understanding of the relationship between VO and PersL is of great significance to design a high-performance phosphor.
12.6 dB squeezed light at 1550 nm from a bow-tie cavity for long-term high duty cycle operation
Authors: Shajilal Biveen , Thearle Oliver , Tranter Aaron , Lu Yuerui , Huntington Elanor , Assad Syed , Lam Ping Koy , Janousek Jiri
Published: September 2022

Squeezed states are an interesting class of quantum states that have numerous applications. This work presents the design, characterization, and operation of a bow-tie optical parametric amplifier (OPA) for squeezed vacuum generation. We report the high duty cycle operation and long-term stability of the system that makes it suitable for post-selection based continuous-variable quantum information protocols, cluster-state quantum computing, quantum metrology, and potentially gravitational wave detectors. Over a 50 hour continuous operation, the measured squeezing levels were greater than 10 dB with a duty cycle of 96.6%. Alternatively, in a different mode of operation, the squeezer can also operate 10 dB below the quantum noise limit over a 12 hour period with no relocks, with an average squeezing of 11.9 dB. We also measured a maximum squeezing level of 12.6 dB at 1550 nm. This represents one of the best reported squeezing results at 1550 nm to date for a bow-tie cavity. We discuss the design aspects of the experiment that contribute to the overall stability, reliability, and longevity of the OPA, along with the automated locking schemes and different modes of operation.
Angular dispersion compensation for ultra-broadband pulses by using a cascaded prism and hollow-core fiber configuration
Authors: Hu Jiabing , Wang Xinliang , Liu Xingyan , Long Yingbin , Bai Peile , Wu Fenxiang , Zhang Zongxin , Chen Haidong , Yang Xihang , Yang Xiaojun , Qian Jiayi , Gui Jiayan , Xu Yi , Leng Yuxin
Published: September 2022

In this paper, we report that the angular dispersion of the output pulses in a nonlinear process can be efficiently compensated by using a cascaded prism(s) and short hollow-core fiber (HCF) configuration. Here, the prism(s) is used to suppress the angular dispersion and transform it into spatial chirp, while the HCF is used for removing this spatial chirp and the residual angular dispersion, which can also significantly improve the beam quality. The feasibility of this novel method is numerically and experimentally investigated with the ultra-broadband idler pulses centered at 1250 nm wavelength and generated by an LBO crystal based non-collinear optical parametric amplifier. The proof-of-principle experiment shows that the angular dispersion can be effectively removed and ultra-broadband idler pulses with good spectral quality and spatial profile can be obtained. The total transmission efficiency in the experiment is around 67% and the measured

M
x
2

and

M
y
2

can reach 1.12 and 1.04, respectively. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported ultra-broadband angular dispersion compensation scheme combining prism(s) and HCF, which can remarkably eliminate the angular dispersion while simultaneously possesses high efficiency, good spectral and beam spatial quality.
Extended depth-of-field infrared imaging with deeply learned wavefront coding
Authors: Li Yidan , Wang Junhua , Zhang Xintong , Hu Kai , Ye Lu , Gao Minge , Cao Yuxiang , Xu Min
Published: September 2022

Wavefront coding (WFC) techniques, including optical coding and digital image processing stages, enable significant capabilities for extending the depth of field of imaging systems. In this study, we demonstrated a deeply learned far-infrared WFC camera with an extended depth of field. We designed and optimized a high-order polynomial phase mask by a genetic algorithm, exhibiting a higher defocus consistency of the modulated transfer functions than works published previously. Additionally, we trained a generative adversarial network based on a synthesized WFC dataset for the digital processing part, which is more effective and robust than conventional decoding methods. Furthermore, we captured real-world infrared images using the WFC camera with far, middle, and near object distances. Their results after wavefront coding/decoding showed that the model of deeply learned networks improves the image quality and signal-to-noise ratio significantly and quickly. Therefore, we construct a novel artificial intelligent method of deeply learned WFC optical imaging by applying infrared wavelengths, but not limited to, and provide good potential for its practical application in “smart” imaging and large range target detection.
Maintenance method of signal coherence in lidar and experimental validation
Authors: Gao Jinghan , Li Daojing , Zhou Kai , Cui Anjing , Wu Jiang , Yao Yuan
Published: September 2022

According to the self-heterodyne signal obtained by lidar under different fiber delay times, the model of the local oscillator signal was established, and the maintenance method of signal coherence in lidar based on the digital delay was improved by using multiple sinusoidal frequency modulation components. An imaging detection experiment was carried out at a distance of 5.4 km. The coherence of the lidar signal was maintained by combining the transmitting reference channel correction method and the local oscillator reference channel compensation method, accompanied by the use of a phase spectrum to analyze the improvement effect. The processing results of the echo signal showed that the method could remove the high-order phase errors that cannot be compensated by the phase gradient autofocus algorithm and improve the signal coherence, which could be used for the detection and imaging of long-range targets.
Hundred-meter-scale, kilowatt peak-power, near-diffraction-limited, mid-infrared pulse delivery via the low-loss hollow-core fiber
Authors: Fu Qiang , Wu Yudi , Davidson Ian A. , Xu Lin , Jasion Gregory T. , Liang Sijing , Rikimi Shuichiro , Poletti Francesco , Wheeler Natalie V. , Richardson David J.
Published: September 2022

We report a high-power single-mode mid-infrared (MIR) pulse delivery system via anti-resonant hollow-core fiber (HCF) with a record delivery distance of 108 m. Near-diffraction-limited MIR light was transmitted by HCFs at wavelengths of 3.12–3.58 µm using a tunable optical parametric oscillator (OPO) as the light source. The HCFs were purged beforehand with argon in order to remove or reduce loss due to parasitic gas absorption (HCl, CO2, etc.). The minimum fiber loss values were 0.05 and 0.24 dB/m at 3.4–3.6 µm and 4.5–4.6 µm, respectively, with the 4.5–4.6 µm loss figure representing, to the best of our knowledge, a new low loss record for a HCF in this spectral region. At a coupling efficiency of ∼70%, average powers of 592 mW and 133 mW were delivered through 5 m and 108 m of HCF, respectively. Assuming the 120-ps duration of the MIR pulses remained constant over the low-dispersion HCF (theoretical maximum: 0.4 ps/nm/km), the corresponding calculated peak powers were 4.9 kW and 1.1 kW.
Directly drawing metamaterials on paper based on an automatic drawing machine
Authors: Zhu Kaiyue , Hao Shuyang , Chen Ke , Jiang Tian , Zhao Junming , Feng Yijun
Published: September 2022

Paper-based metamaterial is one kind of metamaterial based on the paper substrate, recently drawing a lot of attention due to its fascinating features. This paper proposes another fabrication solution to realize paper-based metamaterials by directly drawing instead of inkjet printing. The drawing tools we used included mechanical pencils, conductive ink pens, and a computer-controlled drawing machine. Three types of paper-based metamaterials—polarization converter, absorber, and conformal coding metasurface—have been fabricated by the drawing technique. The performances of these paper-based metamaterials have been validated through both simulations and measurements. The proposed drawing technique offers an economical, convenient, and flexible way to fabricate paper-based metamaterials with the advantages of thinness, lightness, and softness. It would be promising to apply in other regions of microwaves and electronics.
Forebrain nuclei linked to woodpecker territorial drum displays mirror those that enable vocal learning in songbirds
Authors: Schuppe Eric R. , Cantin Lindsey , Chakraborty Mukta , Biegler Matthew T. , Jarvis Electra R. , Chen Chun-Chun , Hara Erina , Bertelsen Mads F. , Witt Christopher C. , Jarvis Erich D. , Fuxjager Matthew J.
Published: September 2022

Vocal learning is thought to have evolved in 3 orders of birds (songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds), with each showing similar brain regions that have comparable gene expression specializations relative to the surrounding forebrain motor circuitry. Here, we searched for signatures of these same gene expression specializations in previously uncharacterized brains of 7 assumed vocal non-learning bird lineages across the early branches of the avian family tree. Our findings using a conserved marker for the song system found little evidence of specializations in these taxa, except for woodpeckers. Instead, woodpeckers possessed forebrain regions that were anatomically similar to the pallial song nuclei of vocal learning birds. Field studies of free-living downy woodpeckers revealed that these brain nuclei showed increased expression of immediate early genes (IEGs) when males produce their iconic drum displays, the elaborate bill-hammering behavior that individuals use to compete for territories, much like birdsong. However, these specialized areas did not show increased IEG expression with vocalization or flight. We further confirmed that other woodpecker species contain these brain nuclei, suggesting that these brain regions are a common feature of the woodpecker brain. We therefore hypothesize that ancient forebrain nuclei for refined motor control may have given rise to not only the song control systems of vocal learning birds, but also the drumming system of woodpeckers.
Photoacclimation of the polar diatom Chaetoceros neogracilis at low temperature
Authors: Lacour Thomas , Larivière Jade , Ferland Joannie , Morin Philippe-Israël , Grondin Pierre-Luc , Donaher Natalie , Cockshutt Amanda , Campbell Douglas A. , Babin Marcel
Published: September 2022

Polar microalgae face two major challenges: 1- growing at temperatures (-1.7 to 5°C) that limit enzyme kinetics; and 2- surviving and exploiting a wide range of irradiance. The objective of this study is to understand the adaptation of an Arctic diatom to its environment by studying its ability to acclimate to changes in light and temperature. We acclimated the polar diatomChaetoceros neogracilisto various light levels at two different temperatures and studied its growth and photosynthetic properties using semi-continuous cultures. Rubisco content was high, to compensate for low catalytic rates, but did not change detectably with growth temperature. Contrary to what is observed in temperate species, inC.neogracilis, carbon fixation rate (20 min14C incorporation) equaled net growth rate (μ) suggesting very low or very rapid (<20 min) re-oxidation of the newly fixed carbon. The comparison of saturation irradiances for electron transport, oxygen net production and carbon fixation revealed alternative electron pathways that could provide energy and reducing power to the cell without consuming organic carbon which is a very limiting product at low temperatures. High protein contents, low re-oxidation of newly fixed carbon and the use of electron pathways alternative to carbon fixation may be important characteristics allowing efficient growth under those extreme environmental conditions.
Clinical trial and detection of SARS-CoV-2 by a commercial breath analysis test based on Terahertz technology
Authors: De Almeida Meila Bastos , Aharonov-Nadborny Regina , Gabbai Eran , Palka Ana Paula , Schiavo Leticia , Esmanhoto Elis , Riediger Irina , Rocha Jaime , Margulis Ariel , Loureiro Marcelo , Pettan-Brewer Christina , Kmetiuk Louise Bach , De Barros-Filho Ivan Roque , Biondo Alexander Welker
Published: September 2022

Public health threats such as the current COVID-19 pandemics have required prompt action by the local, national, and international authorities. Rapid and noninvasive diagnostic methods may provide on-site detection and immediate social isolation, used as tools to rapidly control virus spreading. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to evaluate a commercial breath analysis test (TERA.Bio®) and deterministic algorithm for detecting the SARS-CoV-2 spectral signature of Volatile Organic Compounds present in exhaled air samples of suspicious persons from southern Brazil. A casuistic total of 70 infected and 500 non-infected patients were sampled, tested, and results later compared to RT-qPCR as gold standard. Overall, the test showed 92.6% sensitivity and 96.0% specificity. No statistical correlation was observed between SARS-CoV-2 positivity and infection by other respiratory diseases. Further studies should focus on infection monitoring among asymptomatic persons. In conclusion, the breath analysis test herein may be used as a fast, on-site, and easy-to-apply screening method for diagnosing COVID-19.
Interspecific forced copulations generate most hybrids in broadly sympatric ducks
Authors: Rohwer Sievert , Wood Christopher S. , Peters Jefferey L. , Miller Eliot Trimarchi , Cagley David , Butcher Bronwyn G. , Epperly Kevin L. , Campagna Leonardo
Published: September 2022

Although rare, hybrids are more common in broadly sympatric waterfowl than in any other avian family; yet, the behavioral ecology explaining their generation has remained controversial. Leading hypotheses are forced interspecific copulations, mis-imprinting caused by mixed broods, and scarcity of conspecific mates. Using a large sample of hybrid ducks solicited from North American hunters we evaluated these hypotheses by genetically determining the mother and father species of F1hybrids. Based on abundances in areas where their breeding ranges overlap, the frequency of hybrids varied greatly from expectations, with hybrids between species within recently derived clades being much more frequent than those between more divergent clades. Forced copulations, as measured by large phallus-length asymmetries between parentals, strongly predicted the father species of most F1hybrids. Thus, mostAnas acuta x A.platyrhynchos(Northern Pintail x Mallard) F1s were sired byA.acuta, and mostA.platyrhynchos x Mareca strepera(Mallard x Gadwall) F1s were sired byA.platyrhynchos. Siring asymmetries were consistent with phallus length asymmetries in five additional parental combinations, but none had samples large enough to be individually statistically significant. The exception to this trend was our sample of nineA.platyrhynchos x Mareca americana(Mallard x Gadwall) F1s, for which a large phallus asymmetry failed to predict the father species. Hybrids were rare in brood parasitic species, suggesting mis-imprinting to be an unlikely cause of most hybrids; however, our samples of hybrids from regular brood parasites were inadequate to strongly address this hypothesis. We could test the scarcity of mates hypothesis for only a single hybrid combination and it contradicted our prediction: most F1M.Penelope x M.americana(Eurasian x American Wigeon) were sired byM.penelope, strongly contradicting our prediction that femaleM.penelopewintering in enormous flocks ofM.americana(American Wigeon) on the west coast of North America would have difficulty finding conspecific mates. In general, our results support interspecific forced copulations as the predominant behavioral mechanism generating hybrids in North temperate waterfowl.
Investigation of canine extracellular vesicles in diffuse large B-cell lymphomas
Authors: Kulka Marek , Brennan Kieran , Mc Gee Margaret
Published: September 2022

Diffuse large B-cell lymphomas (DLBCLs) are the most common lymphoproliferative diseases in dogs. DLBCL diagnosis to date has relied on histopathological analysis; however liquid biopsies have gained attention in recent years as a source of diagnostic and prognostic information. Liquid biopsies can be a source of circulating DNA, miRNA, circulating tumour cells or extracellular vesicles (EVs). In this study EVs were isolated from the plasma of healthy dogs, and dogs with lymphoma, and adenocarcinoma by iodixanol density gradient centrifugation. These EVs were positive for the EV markers CD63 and TSG101 and the pan-B cell markers CD79a, CD21, CD45, CD20. NTA analysis revealed that the DLBCL and adenocarcinoma dogs had elevated plasma EVs relative to the healthy dogs. Furthermore, the modal size of lymphoma EVs had decreased relative to healthy dogs while adenocarcinoma EVs were unchanged. This study demonstrates that the plasma EV population is altered in canine lymphoma patients in a manner similar to previous studies on human lymphomas. The similar changes to the EV population in dogs, together with the similar pathological features and treatment protocols in canine and human non-Hodgkin lymphomas would make dogs a good comparative model for studying the role of EVs in DLBCL development and progression.
Does credit rating agency reputation matter in China’s local government bond market?
Authors: Xie Changqian , Ahmad Rubi , Koh Eric H. Y.
Published: September 2022

All issuers in China’s local government bond market, which is nascent but growing rapidly, have the same AAA ratings. However, we provide evidence that the credit rating agency’s reputation can certify differences in ratings’ reliability and further impact bond pricing. On the basis of a sample of 7941 local government bonds issued from 2015 to 2021, results show that risk premium is significantly low for bonds rated by prestigious credit rating agencies, which means that issuers can save borrowing costs. Moreover, local governments regarded as less transparent in fiscal information disclosure enjoy more cost savings for their bonds by hiring more reputable agencies. Regression results are affirmed with the Heckman two-stage model, difference-in-differences regression, and machine learning method to solve the potential endogeneity issue. This paper’s findings contribute to the debate on the credit rating agency’s reputation hypothesis and present three implications. First, investors can rely on the credit rating agency’s reputation to complement credit risk analysis. Second, local government policymakers should implement appropriate policies to reduce debt costs and improve public finance sustainability. Lastly, regulators should considerably focus on the supervision of credit rating agencies, given their substantial impact on bond pricing and the market’s information asymmetry.
Second Intermediate Period date for the Thera (Santorini) eruption and historical implications
Authors: Manning Sturt W.
Published: September 2022

The historical relevance of the Thera (Santorini) volcanic eruption is unclear because of major dating uncertainty. Long placed ~1500 BCE and during the Egyptian New Kingdom (starts ~1565–1540 BCE) by archaeologists,14C pointed to dates ≥50–100 years earlier during the preceding Second Intermediate Period. Several decades of debate have followed with no clear resolution of the problem—despite wide recognition that this uncertainty undermines an ability to synchronize the civilizations of the eastern Mediterranean in the mid-second millennium BCE and write wider history. Recent work permits substantial progress. Volcanic CO2was often blamed for the discrepancy. However, comparison of14C dates directly associated with the eruption from contemporary Aegean contexts—both on and remote from Thera—can now remove this caveat. In turn, using Bayesian analysis, a revised and substantially refined date range for the Thera eruption can be determined, both through the integration of the large14C dataset relevant to the Thera eruption with the local stratigraphic sequence on Thera immediately prior to the eruption, and in conjunction with the wider stratigraphically-defined Aegean archaeological sequence from before to after the eruption. This enables a robust high-resolution dating for the eruption ~1606–1589 BCE (68.3% probability), ~1609–1560 BCE (95.4% probability). This dating clarifies long-disputed synchronizations between Aegean and East Mediterranean cultures, placing the eruption during the earlier and very different Second Intermediate Period with its Canaanite-Levantine dominated world-system. This gives an importantly altered cultural and historical context for the New Palace Period on Crete and the contemporary Shaft Grave era in southern Greece. In addition, the revised dating, and a current absence of southern Aegean chronological data placed soon afterwards, highlights a period of likely devastating regional eruption impact in the earlier-mid 16thcentury BCE southern Aegean.
Socioeconomic inequalities in the risk factors of noncommunicable diseases (hypertension and diabetes) among Bangladeshi population: Evidence based on population level data analysis
Authors: Rahman Md. Ashfikur
Published: September 2022

Background

Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as hypertension and diabetes are among the most fatal disease and prevalent among the adult population worldwide, including Bangladesh, and pose a public health threat. Understanding the socioeconomic inequalities linked to NCD risk factors can aid in the development of effective strategies to reduce the disease’s recurrence. However, the literature on socioeconomic inequalities in hypertension and diabetes prevalence in Bangladesh is scant. Therefore, this study seeks to assess the inequality in hypertension and diabetes prevalence and to identify factors that may contribute to socioeconomic inequalities in Bangladesh.

Methods

The current study incorporated data from a recent round of Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS 2017–18). The age-standardized prevalence rates of hypertension and diabetes were reported, and the log-binomial regression technique was used to identify the relevant confounders. Additionally, socioeconomic inequalities were quantified using a regression-based decomposition technique in which the concentration index (CIX) and Concentration curve were produced to determine the socioeconomic factors contributing to inequality.

Results

Hypertension and diabetes were shown to have an age-standardized prevalence of (11.29% 95% CI: 11.13–11.69) and (36.98% 95% CI: 36.79–37.16), respectively. Both hypertension and diabetes were shown to be pointedly linked to the respondents’ age, wealth status, being overweight or obese, and a variety of respondents’ administrative divisions (p <0.001). In Bangladesh, household wealth status accounted for approximately 25.71% and 43.41% of total inequality in hypertension and diabetes, respectively. While BMI played a significant role in the emergence of inequality, the corresponding percentages for diabetes and hypertension are 4.95 and 83.38, respectively. In addition, urban areas contributed 4.56% inequality to increase diabetes among Bangladeshi inhabitants while administrative region contributed 4.76% of the inequality of hypertension.

Conclusion

A large proportion of Bangladesh’s adult population suffers from hypertension and diabetes. It is critical to recognize the value of equity-based initiatives in order to optimize the benefit-risk ratio and cost effectiveness of preventive health programmes. Integrating equity considerations into interventions is critical for policies and programmes to achieve their objectives. As a result, these findings can be taken into account when making existing and prospective policy decisions, as well as following its progression with economic development of Bangladesh.