bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Extended‐release tacrolimus dosing and outcomes in pediatric and young adult transplant recipients – A single‐center experience
Authors: Huang Xinyi , Hapgood Katherine , Allan Kari , Pruette Cozumel , Goswami Elizabeth
Published: September 2023

Background

Published data on LCP‐tacrolimus (LCPT) in the pediatric population are limited.

Methods

This single‐center, retrospective, observational study describes LCPT doses needed to reach therapeutic ranges in pediatric and young adult kidney and liver transplant recipients in both de novo usage and conversion from immediate‐release tacrolimus (IR‐Tac). Adverse outcomes up to 12 months after LCPT initiation were also evaluated.

Results

Forty‐one transplant recipients (30 kidney, 11 liver) were included. The median initial doses of LCPT were 0.034 mg/kg (IQR 0.019) de novo and 0.09 mg/kg (IQR = 0.076) converted. The median doses at first therapeutic level were 0.086 mg/kg (IQR 0.028) de novo and 0.1 mg/kg (IQR 0.066) converted. The median LCPT:IR‐Tac conversion ratio initially was 0.7 and 0.75 at therapeutic levels. The rate of AKI per 100 days of exposure to IR‐Tac was 0.546 and 0.439 on LCPT. The percentage of patients with rejection was not different before and after conversion (clinical rejection 8.6% [n = 3] vs 11.4% [n = 4], p = .6; biopsy‐proven rejection 2.9% [n = 1] vs 11.4% [n = 4], p = .11). One patient had graft loss unrelated to rejection, and the graft was explanted.

Conclusion

In this study, pediatric and young adult abdominal transplant recipients had therapeutic tacrolimus levels at LCPT doses below the adult‐labeled dose; the conversion ratio from IR‐Tac to LCPT at therapeutic level was similar. There were no identified safety concerns in de novo or converted LCPT use in pediatric and young adult patients.
Ralstonia solanacearum effector RipAK suppresses homodimerization of the host transcription factor ERF098 to enhance susceptibility and the sensitivity of pepper plants to dehydration
Authors: Liu Kaisheng , Shi Lanping , Luo Hongli , Zhang Kan , Liu Jianxin , Qiu Shanshan , Li Xia , He Shuilin , Liu Zhiqin
Published: September 2023

Plants have evolved a sophisticated immune system to defend against invasion by pathogens. In response, pathogens deploy copious effectors to evade the immune responses. However, the molecular mechanisms used by pathogen effectors to suppress plant immunity remain unclear. Herein, we report that an effector secreted by Ralstonia solanacearum, RipAK, modulates the transcriptional activity of the ethylene‐responsive factor ERF098 to suppress immunity and dehydration tolerance, which causes bacterial wilt in pepper (Capsicum annuum L.) plants. Silencing ERF098 enhances the resistance of pepper plants to R. solanacearum infection not only by inhibiting the host colonization of R. solanacearum but also by increasing the immunity and tolerance of pepper plants to dehydration and including the closure of stomata to reduce the loss of water in an abscisic acid signal‐dependent manner. In contrast, the ectopic expression of ERF098 in Nicotiana benthamiana enhances wilt disease. We also show that RipAK targets and inhibits the ERF098 homodimerization to repress the expression of salicylic acid‐dependent PR1 and dehydration tolerance‐related OSR1 and OSM1 by cis‐elements in their promoters. Taken together, our study reveals a regulatory mechanism used by the R. solanacearum effector RipAK to increase virulence by specifically inhibiting the homodimerization of ERF098 and reprogramming the transcription of PR1, OSR1, and OSM1 to boost susceptibility and dehydration sensitivity. Thus, our study sheds light on a previously unidentified strategy by which a pathogen simultaneously suppresses plant immunity and tolerance to dehydration by secreting an effector to interfere with the activity of a transcription factor and manipulate plant transcriptional programs.
Data-Based On-Board Diagnostics for Diesel Engine NOx-Reduction Aftertreatment Systems
Authors: Tandale Atharva , Jain Kaushal , Meckl Peter
Published: September 2023

The NOx conversion efficiency of a combined selective catalytic reduction and ammonia slip catalyst (SCR-ASC) in a diesel aftertreatment (AT) system degrades with time. A novel model-informed data-driven on-board diagnostic (OBD) binary classification strategy is proposed in this paper to distinguish an end of useful life (EUL) SCR-ASC catalyst from degreened (DG) ones. An optimized, supervised machine learning model was used for the classification with a calibrated single-cell three-state continuous stirred tank reactor (CSTR) observer used for state estimation. Percentage of samples classified as EUL (%EUL), with respect to classification boundary of 50%, was used as an objective criterion of classification. The method resulted in 87.5% classification accuracy when tested on eight day-files from four trucks (2 day-files per truck; 1 DG and 1 EUL) operating in real-world on-road conditions. Each day-file had ∼86,000 samples of data. Mileage of the same truck was used as ground truth for classification. However, mileage across different trucks cannot be used for classification since the operating conditions would vary across trucks.
Experimentally Validated Nonlinear Delayed Differential Approach to Model Borehole Propagation for Directional Drilling
Authors: Xu Jiamin , Keller Alexander Mathew , Demirer Nazli , Zhang He , Tian Kaixiao , Bhaidasna Ketan , Darbe Robert , Chen Dongmei
Published: September 2023

This paper presents the development and validation of a nonlinear delay differential equation (DDE) model for borehole propagation in the inclination plane. Most importantly, built upon a quasi-linear model, the nonlinear approach incorporates information pertaining to the floating stabilizers and bit tilt saturation by formulating a linear complementarity problem. As a result, the outputs of the nonlinear model were in better agreement with the field data when compared with the quasi-linear model. The maximum modeling error of the nonlinear DDE is less than 1 deg over a drilled depth of 600 feet.
Prediction of Short-Term Non-Linear Response Using Screening Combined With Multi-Fidelity Gaussian Process Regression
Authors: van Essen Sanne , Scholcz Thomas , Seyffert Harleigh
Published: September 2023

Predicting wave impact design loads is crucial for ensuring safety and performance of maritime structures, but it is challenging due to the complexity and rarity of these events. Existing methods are mainly suitable for prediction of weakly non-linear responses, or are very computationally expensive. Highly nonlinear responses require a fidelity level that can only be achieved with expensive CFD or experiments, leading to sparsely populated exceedance distributions. A new event-based multi-fidelity method called ‘adaptive screening’ therefore combines elements of screening, multi-fidelity Gaussian Process Regression and adaptive sampling, to more efficiently predict highly non-linear loads. It is applied at the level of the response peak exceedance probability distributions. A simplified case study using second-order wave data validates the effectiveness of the method in accurately predicting short-term design loads. The new method predicts more accurate MPM results than the conventional method recommended by class societies and the ITTC, while also significantly reducing the required HF simulation time. The new method has a deviation of only 0.3–3.5% from the true 1-hour MPM over all test cases, compared to the conventional method’s deviation of 5.2–6.7%. The HF simulation time required to do this is 91 times shorter with the new method (0.033 versus 3 hours per sea state). The new method is not very sensitive to input noise as long as HF samples are selected properly, and the application of the method to the exceedance distributions works.
Uncertainty of Virtually Sensed Stress Ranges in Offshore Wind Support Structures
Authors: Toftekær Johan F. , Vestermark Jonas T. , Jepsen Michael Sandholm
Published: September 2023

The offshore wind industry is growing rapidly meanwhile the first offshore wind projects approaches the end of their design lifetime. This currently increases the enticement to develop new innovative methods that enable the offshore wind industry to explore and realize the lifetime extension potential of ageing and even future windfarms.

In this context the present paper proposes a novel virtual sensing scheme that constitute a highly accurate and robust method for indirect measurement of the stress state in any point of a monopile supported wind turbine structure. The virtual sensing method relies on expansion of double integrated accelerations and inclinations measured in 3 locations of the tower structure, which by a linear combination with Ritz-vectors and mode shapes at low and high frequencies, enables the evaluation of stresses in the wind turbine support structure.

The validity of the proposed virtual sensing method is assessed on a 25-days dataset from an offshore wind turbine (Vattenfall Test Center), equipped with accelerometers in the tower and strain gauges as reference measurements in the foundation. It is demonstrated that the virtual sensing method provides stress range uncertainties below 3% when compared to stress ranges based on the strain gauge measurements.
A Novel Conceptual Design of Modularised Offshore Green Hydrogen System
Authors: Zhang Ming , Yuan Zhi-Ming , Tao Longbin , Shi Weichao
Published: September 2023

As a signatory to the Paris Agreement, the UK is committed to contribute efforts to prevent global temperature increase. The UK set its policies and proposals to meet zero net strategy by 2050. Offshore green hydrogen is one promising approach to transfer offshore wind energy to onshore demand areas due to its clean and high-power density. The UK is accelerating towards offshore green hydrogen and has made the price of green hydrogen competitive in the marketplace. The bottleneck of offshore green hydrogen system (OGHS) is the cost of scaling up hydrogen production in the current stage. Innovate designs of hydrogen production system may bring breakthrough to the cost when scaling up the OGHS. This study proposed a centralised OGHS which integrates with modularised production, storage, and offloading units using electricity coming from offshore wind farms. The paper offers an overview of the current situation and development of hydrogen platform and offshore wind farm for supporting the design of offshore platform as well as highlights the key features of technologies used by the different components of the OGHS, through a thorough literature review, including state-of-the-art technical reports and journal papers. A conceptual design of the proposed modularised OGHS is illustrated with a recommendation of site selection. Equipment layout of the OGHS distributed on a floating supporting structure is designed based on a case study of a 200-MW floating wind farm. Stability of the OGHS floating platform is analysed to verify safety of the in the case study, and linear hydrodynamics analysis is simulated based on linear potential theory.
Extreme Wave and Vertical Bending Moment Predictions by Higher Order Spectrum Method and Form
Authors: Takami Tomoki , Fujimoto Wataru , Houtani Hidetaka , Matsui Sadaoki
Published: September 2023

In this study, a method to predict the extreme value distribution of the vertical bending moment (VBM) of a ship in the nonlinear wave field is proposed. The method is based on a combination of the Higher Order Spectrum Method (HOSM) and First Order Reliability Method (FORM), by which the most probable wave episodes (MPWEs) associated with extreme waves and responses can be efficiently calculated. A probabilistic aspect of the nonlinear wave crests is first discussed, by comparing to the Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS) results using HOSM. Following this, to estimate the wave-induced VBM in the nonlinear waves, the HOSM-based wave profiles are approximated by the linear combination of sinusoidal waves in a short-time window, and then the wave-induced VBM time histories are generated by introducing the transfer function of VBM. An effect of the nonlinearity in waves on the profiles of MPWEs and reliability indices for extreme wave-induced VBMs is discussed. It turned out that if the transfer function of VBM is sensitive to high frequency waves, the effect of the nonlinearity in waves is found to be significant in the reliability index distribution.
Barriers for Decarbonization in the Norwegian Coastal Fishing Fleet: A Background Study Focusing on Safety and Environmental Performance
Authors: Hüllein Anna Sophia , Bouwer Utne Ingrid , Rokseth Børge , Bachmann Mehammer Eirill
Published: September 2023

Norwegian fisheries play an important role nationally and internationally as a provider of healthy and protein-rich food to many people. Further, they not only contribute to the Norwegian economy but also the countries CO2 emissions and there is a need for decarbonization in this industry sector.

In this paper the focus is on the Norwegian coastal fishing fleet and the objective is to provide an overview of the barriers preventing decarbonization in this fleet. An example is given on how a diesel-electric propulsion system can be implemented on board a small-scale fishing vessel. The concerns and perspectives of the fishers and other involved stakeholders are presented based on semi-structured interviews, literature search, and statistics. The main findings in the paper are that incomplete knowledge and experience about the safety, reliability, efficiency, and environmental performance of the new propulsion systems are important barriers for reducing CO2 emissions in this sector. Academic research in form of better analysis and evaluation of these factors is needed to overcome these barriers. Therefore, the paper also discusses how methods, such as the System Theoretic Process Analysis (STPA) and Life Cycle Analysis (LCA), can be used to provide additional knowledge and trust in the hybrid system.

By pointing out the main barriers and giving indications about future research needed, this paper provides a solid background for further work on the topic of decarbonization in the Norwegian coastal fishing fleet.
CFD Simulation of Vortex-Induced Vibration of a Flexible Riser With Buoyancy Module Under Uniform Flow Using a Two-Way Coupled Model
Authors: S. Karthikeyan , S. Nallayarasu
Published: September 2023

The buoyancy modules are generally used as an attachment to the risers to increase the axial tension, such as top tensioned drilling risers. Consequently, these modules change the fluid-structure interaction, leading to a change in the response characteristics. Literature indicates limited information on the VIV response characterization of the flexible riser with the buoyancy module. An investigation into the VIV characteristics of flexible risers with buoyancy modules has been carried out and presented in this article. The buoyancy module geometry is one of the important parameters influencing the VIV response of the flexible riser. The study was conducted using a two-way coupled fluid-structure interaction model including the influence of buoyancy module length on the VIV response of flexible riser for L/D = 100, m* = 2.55, and EI = 2.95 at various reduced Velocity (Vr) in uniform current using CFD simulation. The time domain results obtained from CFD simulation such as force coefficients and VIV responses are converted into frequency domain responses using Fast Fourier Transform (FFT). It was observed that the inline and crossflow displacement responses showed double peak frequency responses. It is observed that the lower frequency corresponds to the riser with a buoyancy module and the higher frequency corresponds to the bare riser. The buoyancy module acts as a response controller in the crossflow direction, and the buoyancy module dominates the VIV response at a lower reduced velocity (Vr). The excitation of the lower frequency component is diminished as the Vr increases, and it shows that the bare riser dominates the riser VIV. However, the inline RMS response of the flexible riser with a buoyancy module is higher than the bare riser.
Study on Crashworthiness Performance of an Airbag Anti-Collision Device for Vessel-Bridge Collision
Authors: Pan Jin , Peng Hao , Gan Jianqiang , Zhang Wenzhe , Li Xiaobin
Published: September 2023

Collisions between ships and bridges are a developing common occurrence. The design of suitable bridge anti-ship collision devices is essential to reduce economic losses and casualties in ship-bridge collisions. Existing bridge anti-collision devices mainly rely on the deformation of devices and ships to absorb energy to reduce the collision force on the bridge, the structural damage to the ship is often large. Therefore, in this paper, an airbag-type flexible anti-ship collision device is designed, and the collision prevention performance of the anti-collision is studied and verified using scaled tests and numerical simulations.

The anti-collision airbag is capsule in appearance and consists of a layer of polyurethane and two layers of ultra-high polymer polyethylene silk. In this paper, material property tests of airbag component materials were carried out to obtain relevant mechanical property parameters, and LS-DYNA was used to simulate the process of collision. Subsequently, a scaled model test of collision with this kind of airbag was designed, and test data such as collision force histories, acceleration histories, and airbag internal pressure were obtained. The test data were compared with the simulation results. The crash time, peak pressure change in the airbag and the extreme value of the crash force were similar, but there were some differences in the acceleration of the ship. The reasons for those differences were analyzed. Subsequently, the finite element simulation method was used to compare the magnitude of collision time and collision force extremes with or without airbags. The crashworthiness of airbags was investigated. The results of the study can provide ideas for the design of flexible bridge anti-collision devices.
The Hydroelastic Slamming in Oblique Seas
Authors: Tavakoli Sasan , Hirdaris Spyros
Published: September 2023

Oblique slamming of elastic wedge sections is numerically modeled using a computational tool. The aim is to improve our understanding of hydroelastic response of bodies entering water. Flexible fluid structure interactions (FFSI) are idealised by using momentum conservation theories. Three sets of conservation equations are assumed to hold the motion of the air-water mixture, and one conservation equation is assumed to hold the motion of the solid phase. The Finite Volume Method (FVM) is used to solve the differential equations. Throughout simulations, it is demonstrated that the peak pressure, the maximum stress, and deflection of the side facing the oblique flow regime are higher, which is a piece of evidence confirming that the code and the setup reconstruct an asymmetric fluid field around a section obliquely entering water. The effects of impact speed on different properties of the slamming process are studied, and it is demonstrated that dimensionless peak pressures and stresses vary under the increase of impact speed. The latter suggests that nonlinear fluid motions may evolve during the oblique slamming process and linear models may not be suitable choices for simulating the FFSI oblique slamming problem for the case that impact speed is relatively high.
The Sealing Behavior of Bismuth-Based Metal Plugs
Authors: Hmadeh Lewaa , Elahifar Behzad , Sangesland Sigbjørn
Published: September 2023

Bismuth-based alloy plugs are currently potential alternative to cement plugs. These metal alloy plugs demonstrated several distinctive properties, such as expanding after cooling, corrosion resistance, and being non-porous. In a previous study, several small-scale experiments were conducted on bismuth-tin (BiSn) plugs and were compared against cement plugs. Both bismuth and cement samples were subjected to extensive physical, hydraulic, and mechanical push-out tests after curing. Leakage tests using nitrogen gas were also carried out on both plug samples. Preliminary results demonstrated that bismuth-tin plugs possess much higher resistance to pressure and gas migration in the micro-annulus between the plug and the casing, thus providing better sealability in comparison to cement plugs.

In this study, more light is shed on the behavior of bismuthtin metal alloy as a sealing plug where its hydraulic bond strength is further investigated with restricted axial expansion. The test setup replicates real-life well conditions where the effect of elevated temperatures and pressures is addressed. Preliminary findings indicate that with a restricted axial expansion, the bismuth plug shows elevated hydraulic bond strength since it was forced to expand radially and thus provide a perfect seal.

The aim behind the conducted laboratory experiments is to understand the sealing ability of bismuth to a steel pipe and how it will change at different representative wellbore pressures and temperatures. This paper is a part of an extensive research study that at advanced stages will be addressing the sealing performance of a bismuth plug in the annulus and its interaction with the surrounding formation.
Machine Learning Regression-CFD Models for Predicting Hydrogen Dispersion in a Naturally Ventilated Area
Authors: Patel Parth , Garaniya Vikram , Baalisampang Til , Arzaghi Ehsan , Mohammadpour Javad , Abbassi Rouzbeh , Salehi Fatemeh
Published: September 2023

Hydrogen can diversify the primary energy supply as it offers several benefits in terms of reduced emissions and greenhouse gases. Although hydrogen can be a great option for energy generation at higher efficiency and minimal environmental impacts, leakage and dispersion are the challenges to establishing safe and sustainable hydrogen infrastructure. A comprehensive analysis consisting of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and machine learning algorithms (MLAs) is conducted to study the leakage of hydrogen in a cuboid room with two vents located on the side wall (door vent) and roof. This study aims to identify the optimum dimensional relationship between leakage and ventilation position that can efficiently extract hydrogen from semi-confined spaces. Three MLAs, including eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGBoost), Multilayer Perceptron (MLP), and k-Nearest Neighbours (k-NN), are adopted here. The results confirmed that the lower distance between the door vent to the ceiling and the roof vent to the leakage and the larger distance between the leakage and the door vent are found to be the most dominant factors to keep hydrogen volumetric concentration lower. XGBoosting outperforms all other regression models in the prediction of the flammable hydrogen cloud size, while k-NN and MLP performed well in the prediction of the critical time. The outcome of this study can be used to develop appropriate control measures and risk mitigation strategies.
A Site Selection Decision Framework for Offshore Wind-Powered Hydrogen Production Infrastructure
Authors: Kumar Sumit , Arzaghi Ehsan , Baalisampang Til , Garaniya Vikram , Abbassi Rouzbeh
Published: September 2023

This study develops a novel and robust multi-criteria decision-making (MCDM) framework to determine the optimal offshore location for producing green hydrogen and a series of infrastructure planning measures. A range of factors, including technical, economic, environmental and safety, that govern the life cycle of offshore hydrogen facilities are incorporated into the model. An offshore wind-powered hydrogen system in the Bass Strait region of Australia has been considered as a case study to show the application of the developed framework along with the synergic benefits to nearby offshore industries. A GIS spatial analysis tool is utilized to rule out the unfeasible/constrained areas in compliance with national and international guidelines. TOPSIS MCDM technique is applied to weigh the criteria and rank the alternative locations. Based on hydrogen production capacity, cost and availability, various locations are ranked, illustrating their suitability. The developed framework demonstrated its high effectiveness in terms of extensive applicability and ease of usage. The outcomes of this investigation will assist the researchers and infrastructure developers in establishing and executing effective planning for offshore site selection in the largely uncertain and harsh ocean environment.
Experimental Study on Flow-Induced Pitch, Roll, and Heave Motions of a Semi-Submersible Floater With Long Pontoons
Authors: Naito Yuki , Hirabayashi Shinichiro , Suzuki Hideyuki , Gonçalves Rodolfo
Published: September 2023

In this research, an experimental study was carried out in the towing tank to measure the FIM of a semi-submersible with long cylindrical pontoons. Motions mainly in the vertical plane (heave, roll, and pitch) were observed due to FIM excited by the flow around the pontoons. The frequency-based analysis reveals that motion has several stages of lock-in, resulting from the coupling effect of motions in each degree of freedom. It is also noted that the wake interference effect was significant, and the FIM results presented behavior for different current incidence angles tested.
Dynamic Torque and Drag Model Coupled With Transient Hydraulic
Authors: Cayeux Eric , Jettestuen Espen , Ambrus Adrian
Published: September 2023

A drill-string is an extremely slender mechanical structure and consequently it can oscillate very easily. Drill-string vibrations during drilling operations is the source of many drilling dysfunctions such as decreased drilling performance, damage to downhole equipment, or formation instabilities. Several dynamic torque and drag models have been developed in the recent years. But most of them do not incorporate the tight relationship that exists with transient hydraulically induced forces and torques. This paper presents a dynamic hydro-mechanical approach to the estimation of the dynamic drill-string movement. The force and torque balance equations are expressed including several nonlinear effects such as the transition between static and kinetic frictions, but also the impact of hydraulically induced forces and torques. The model considers both axial and transverse forces, yet with the simplification that the drill-string direction remains parallel to the wellbore at the contact points. Pressure intervenes in these equations through two gradients, one that is oriented vertically and another that is oriented axially. The vertical pressure gradient is related solely to the fluid density and influences torque and drag results through the actual distribution of the buoyancy forces along the drill-string. The fluid velocity fields inside the pipe and in the borehole are modelled using the lattice Boltzmann method to obtain precise estimates of the shear stress at the wall of the pipe under dynamic conditions of flow and pipe movement. These simulations show that hydraulically induced forces and torques are non-linearly and non-obviously related to fluid flow and pipe movement.
Numerical Simulation of an Aluminium Panel Subject to Ice Impact Load Using a Rate and Pressure Dependent Elastoplastic Material Model for Ice
Authors: Mokhtari Mojtaba , Kim Ekaterina , Amdahl Jørgen
Published: September 2023

This study presents an elastoplastic material model with a pressure and rate dependent yield criterion for freshwater polycrystalline ice, implemented to simulate the structural damage in a full-scale AA5083-H116 aluminium panel subject to ice impact load in a drop test. The proposed ice material model is validated against physical ice-crushing tests with a good correlation between the experimental and numerical results. The material model is based on the Tsai-Wu yield surface, which is defined to evolve differently in the ductile and brittle regimes of ice to account for the ‘ductile-to-brittle transition’. The relationships between ice strength and strain rate in the constitutive laws are obtained from the literature. The constitutive laws are written in Fortran as vectorised user material (VUMAT) for the Abaqus Explicit solver. The mechanical behaviour of AA5083-H116 alloy is simulated using the Johnson-Cook plasticity model. The numerical simulation of the ice drop test on the stiffened aluminium panel produced excellent agreements with the experimental data using the proposed material model for ice and the Johnson-Cook model for AA5083-H116 alloy.
Anticorrosive coatings made from polydopamine modified graphitic C3N4 composites with synergistic anticorrosion effects
Authors: Li Lijuan , Yao Hongrui , Bi Wenya , Fu Wanlu , Wang Na
Published: September 2023

Since uniform dispersion and robust interfacial compatibility of nanofiller with epoxy resin are the most critical parameters to improve the corrosion protection property, a new effective anticorrosion nanofiller [polydopamine (PDA)@g-C3N4-CeO2] is designed by stacking PDA modified g-C3N4 and nano-CeO2 with the help of a silane coupling agent. The structure and morphology of PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2 are characterized by FTIR, XRD, XPS, SEM, and TEM. Furthermore, the PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2 nanofiller is loaded within waterborne epoxy coating (WEC) and the corrosion resistance of the prepared nanocomposite coating is studied. It can be inferred from the dispersion test that g-C3N4 modified by PDA and nano-CeO2 exhibits excellent dispersion and compatibility in de-ionized water. The Electrochemical impedance spectroscope (EIS) results indicate that nanocomposite coating with PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2 exhibits the best corrosion resistance, and its low-frequency impedance (Zf=0.01Hz) is 1.78 × 109 Ω cm2, which is two orders of magnitude higher than that of pure WEC (4.27 × 107 Ω cm2). In the salt spray test, PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2/WEC also showed excellent long-term corrosion resistance with few corrosion products even after 600 h, which was consistent with the results of the EIS test. In addition, PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2/WEC also reflects the most fantastic adhesion strength (14.22 MPa), which is improved by 45.40% than that of pure WEC (9.78 MPa). Generally, the excellent protection properties of PDA@g-C3N4-CeO2/WEC are attributed to the presence of PDA and KH-550 modified nano-CeO2 on the surface of g-C3N4, which increase the compatibility and surface interactions between nanofillers and epoxy resin.
Unexpected vaginal bleeding and COVID-19 vaccination in nonmenstruating women
Authors: Blix Kristine , Laake Ida , Juvet Lene , Robertson Anna Hayman , Caspersen Ida Henriette , Mjaaland Siri , Skodvin Siri N. , Magnus Per , Feiring Berit , Trogstad Lill
Published: September 2023

The association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and vaginal bleeding among nonmenstruating women is not well studied. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health followed several cohorts throughout the pandemic and early performed a systematic data collection of self-reported unexpected vaginal bleeding in nonmenstruating women. Among 7725 postmenopausal women, 7148 perimenopausal women, and 7052 premenopausal women, 3.3, 14.1, and 13.1% experienced unexpected vaginal bleeding during a period of 8 to 9 months, respectively. In postmenopausal women, the risk of unexpected vaginal bleeding (i.e., postmenopausal bleeding) in the 4 weeks after COVID-19 vaccination was increased two- to threefold, compared to a prevaccination period. The corresponding risk of unexpected vaginal bleeding after vaccination was increased three- to fivefold in both nonmenstruating peri- and premenopausal women. In the premenopausal women, Spikevax was associated with at 32% increased risk as compared to Comirnaty. Our results must be confirmed in future studies.
Genetically determined thymic function affects strength and duration of immune response in COVID patients with pneumonia
Authors: Roux Hélène M. , Marouf Amira , Dutrieux Jacques , Charmeteau-De Muylder Bénédicte , Figueiredo-Morgado Suzanne , Avettand-Fenoel Véronique , Cuvelier Pelagia , Naudin Cécile , Bouaziz Fatma , Geri Guillaume , Couëdel-Courteille Anne , Squara Pierre , Marullo Stefano , Cheynier Rémi
Published: September 2023

Thymic activation improves the outcome of COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia. The
rs2204985
genetic polymorphism within the
TCRA-TCRD
locus, which affects thymic output in healthy individuals, was found here to modify SARS-CoV-2–specific immunity and disease severity in COVID-19 patients with severe pneumonia. Forty patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia were investigated. The GG genotype at the
rs2204985
locus was associated, independently of age and sex, with stronger and long-lasting anti–SARS-CoV-2 helper and cytotoxic T cell responses 6 months after recovery. The GG genotype was also associated with less severe lung involvement, higher thymic production, and higher counts of blood naïve T lymphocytes, including recent thymic emigrants, and a larger population of activated stem cell memory CD4
+
T cells. Overall, GG patients developed a more robust and sustained immunity to SARS-CoV-2. Polymorphism at
rs2204985
locus should be considered as an additional predictive marker of anti–SARS-CoV-2 immune response.
Climate amelioration, abrupt vegetation recovery, and the dispersal of
Homo sapiens
in Baikal Siberia
Authors: Shichi Koji , Goebel Ted , Izuho Masami , Kashiwaya Kenji
Published: September 2023

The dispersal of
Homo sapiens
in Siberia and Mongolia occurred by 45 to 40 thousand years (ka) ago; however, the climatic and environmental context of this event remains poorly understood. We reconstruct a detailed vegetation history for the Last Glacial period based on pollen spectra from Lake Baikal. While herb and shrub taxa including
Artemisia
and
Alnus
dominated throughout most of this period, coniferous forests rapidly expanded during Dansgaard-Oeschger (D-O) events 14 (55 ka ago) and 12 to 10 (48 to 41 ka ago), with the latter presenting the strongest signal for coniferous forest expansion and
Picea
trees, indicating remarkably humid conditions. These abrupt forestation events are consistent with obliquity maxima, so that we interpret last glacial vegetation changes in southern Siberia as being driven by obliquity change. Likewise, we posit that major climate amelioration and pronounced forestation precipitated
H. sapiens
dispersal into Baikal Siberia 45 ka ago, as chronicled by the appearance of the Initial Upper Paleolithic.
Micropterus salmoides
rhabdovirus enters cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathway in a pH-, dynamin-, microtubule-, rab5-, and rab7-dependent manner
Authors: Lu Jian-Fei , Luo Sheng , Tang Hao , Liang Jia-Hui , Zhao Yi-Fan , Hu Yang , Yang Guan-Jun , Chen Jiong
Published: September 2023

Micropterus salmoides
rhabdovirus (MSRV) is an important fish pathogen that infects largemouth bass. To date, the entry process for MSRV remains obscure. Here, the dynamic process of MSRV entry and internalization was analyzed using biochemical inhibitors, RNA interference, and single-virus tracking technology. Accordingly, DiD was used as a fluorescent label for sensitive, long-term tracking of MSRV entry in living cells. The motion analysis suggested that MSRV initially experiences slow movement in the cell periphery, while it undergoes relatively faster and directed motion toward the cell interior, dependent on the microtubule. Besides, our data demonstrated that the MSRV enters epithelioma
papulosum cyprinid
(EPC) cells via clathrin-mediated endocytosis in a low pH-, dynamin-, and clathrin-dependent manner. Furthermore, after endocytosing into EPC cells, MSRV moves along the classical endosome/lysosome trajectory. This study reveals the entry pathway and intracellular dynamics of MSRV in EPC cells, providing new insights into the infection mechanism of rhabdoviruses.

IMPORTANCE

Although
Micropterus salmoides
rhabdovirus (MSRV) causes serious fish epidemics worldwide, the detailed mechanism of MSRV entry into host cells remains unknown. Here, we comprehensively investigated the mechanism of MSRV entry into epithelioma
papulosum cyprinid
(EPC) cells. This study demonstrated that MSRV enters EPC cells via a low pH, dynamin-dependent, microtubule-dependent, and clathrin-mediated endocytosis. Subsequently, MSRV transports from early endosomes to late endosomes and further into lysosomes in a microtubule-dependent manner. The characterization of MSRV entry will further advance the understanding of rhabdovirus cellular entry pathways and provide novel targets for antiviral drug against MSRV infection.
Characterization of integrated Marek’s disease virus genomes supports a model of integration by homology-directed recombination and telomere-loop-driven excision
Authors: Wood Michael L. , Neumann Rita , Roy Poornima , Nair Venugopal , Royle Nicola J.
Published: September 2023

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a lymphotropic alphaherpesvirus that readily infects chickens and some other poultry, triggering complex disease phenotypes, including paralysis, immunosuppression, and lymphoma leading to death. MDV infection is partially controlled by extensive global vaccination programs but nevertheless, it imposes a significant financial burden on commercial poultry farming. Following infection, the MDV genome integrates into host telomeres, which is associated with the virus entering a latent state. The mechanism of integration remains poorly understood but it is contemporaneous with cellular transformation and lymphoma formation and therefore requires investigation. Here we have developed droplet digital PCR assays to quantify different regions of the MDV genome. We have also used long-range PCR and single telomere amplification to establish the organization and relative orientation of MDV genome regions in integrated MDV (iMDV). These analyses show that following integration, the MDV genome is oriented with the unique short region (U
S
) internal to the unique long region (U
L
) and that an iMDV-associated telomere forms at the variable repeat array (mTMR) in a terminal a-like sequence. The data also reveal a very wide range of MDV copy numbers in cell lines, including unexpectedly, additional copies of specific MDV genome regions.

IMPORTANCE

Marek’s disease virus (MDV) is a ubiquitous chicken pathogen that inflicts a large economic burden on the poultry industry, despite worldwide vaccination programs. MDV is only partially controlled by available vaccines, and the virus retains the ability to replicate and spread between vaccinated birds. Following an initial infection, MDV enters a latent state and integrates into host telomeres and this may be a prerequisite for malignant transformation, which is usually fatal. To understand the mechanism that underlies the dynamic relationship between integrated-latent and reactivated MDV, we have characterized integrated MDV (iMDV) genomes and their associated telomeres. This revealed a single orientation among iMDV genomes and the loss of some terminal sequences that is consistent with integration by homology-directed recombination and excision via a telomere-loop-mediated process.
Constitutive proteins of lumpy skin disease virion assessed by next-generation proteomics
Authors: Schlosser-Perrin Léo , Holzmuller Philippe , Fernandez Bernard , Miotello Guylaine , Dahmani Noureddine , Neyret Aymeric , Bertagnoli Stéphane , Armengaud Jean , Caufour Philippe
Published: September 2023

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) virus, a ruminant poxvirus of the
Capripoxvirus
genus, is the etiologic agent of an economically important cattle disease categorized as a notifiable disease by the World Organisation for Animal Health. The large and complex enveloped LSD virus (LSDV) particle encloses a double-stranded linear DNA genome of 151 kbp, comprising 156 predicted ORFs, together with a variety of proteins that are not yet identified. In parallel with a recent widespread expansion of LSD, many LSDV whole genomes have been sequenced, but knowledge on protein composition of the LSDV particle remains missing. In this study, LSD mature virions (MV) from strain KSGP-0240 were purified through a multistep ultracentrifugation process. The protein composition of LSD virions was then analyzed using label-free shotgun proteomics, based upon nano-liquid chromatography (LC) and tandem mass spectrometry. This procedure resulted in the identification of a total of 111 LSDV proteins. Considering that this first MV proteome extended beyond packaged proteins into the field of contaminants, an analytical methodology was developed and made it possible to select 66 viral proteins as candidates for packaging into MV. These viral proteins were analyzed comparatively with proteins previously demonstrated to be constitutive of the vaccinia virus MV particle. Offering for the first time a comprehensive proteomic analysis of an LSDV strain, this study contributes to our understanding of the structural features of infectious LSDV MV particles and paves the way for further systematic proteomic characterization of other LSDV strains.

IMPORTANCE

Lumpy skin disease virus
(LSDV) is the causative agent of an economically important cattle disease which is notifiable to the World Organisation for Animal Health. Over the past decades, the disease has spread at an alarming rate throughout the African continent, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, the Russian Federation, and many Asian countries. While multiple LDSV whole genomes have made further genetic comparative analyses possible, knowledge on the protein composition of the LSDV particle remains lacking. This study provides for the first time a comprehensive proteomic analysis of an infectious LSDV particle, prompting new efforts toward further proteomic LSDV strain characterization. Furthermore, this first incursion within the capripoxvirus proteome represents one of very few proteomic studies beyond the sole
Orthopoxvirus
genus, for which most of the proteomics studies have been performed. Providing new information about other chordopoxviruses may contribute to shedding new light on protein composition within the
Poxviridae
family.
The
Candida albicans
reference strain SC5314 contains a rare, dominant allele of the transcription factor Rob1 that modulates filamentation, biofilm formation, and oral commensalism
Authors: Glazier Virginia E. , Kramara Juraj , Ollinger Tomye , Solis Norma V. , Zarnowski Robert , Wakade Rohan S. , Kim Min-Ju , Weigel Gabriel J. , Liang Shen-Huan , Bennett Richard J. , Wellington Melanie , Andes David R. , Stamnes Mark A. , Filler Scott G. , Krysan Damian J.
Published: September 2023

Candida albicans
is a diploid human fungal pathogen that displays significant genomic and phenotypic heterogeneity over a range of virulence traits and in the context of a variety of environmental niches. Here, we show that the effect of Rob1 on biofilm and filamentation virulence traits is dependent on both the specific environmental condition and the clinical strain of
C. albicans
. The
C. albicans
reference strain SC5314 is a
ROB1
heterozygote with two alleles that differ by a single nucleotide polymorphism at position 946, resulting in a serine- or proline-containing isoform. An analysis of 224 sequenced
C. albicans
genomes indicates that SC5314 is the only
ROB1
heterozygote documented to date and that the dominant allele contains a proline at position 946. Remarkably, the
ROB1
alleles are functionally distinct, and the rare

ROB1
946S

allele supports increased filamentation
in vitro
and increased biofilm formation
in vitro
and
in vivo
, suggesting it is a phenotypic gain-of-function allele. SC5314 is among the most highly filamentous and invasive strains characterized to date. Introduction of the

ROB1
946S

allele into a poorly filamenting clinical isolate increases filamentation, and conversion of an SC5314 laboratory strain to a

ROB1
946S

homozygote increases
in vitro
filamentation and biofilm formation. In a mouse model of oropharyngeal infection, the predominant

ROB1
946P

allele establishes a commensal state while the

ROB1
946S

phenocopies the parent strain and invades into the mucosae. These observations provide an explanation for the distinct phenotypes of SC5314 and highlight the role of heterozygosity as a driver of
C. albicans
phenotypic heterogeneity.

IMPORTANCE

Candida albicans
is a commensal fungus that colonizes the human oral cavity and gastrointestinal tract but also causes mucosal as well as invasive disease. The expression of virulence traits in
C. albicans
clinical isolates is heterogeneous and the genetic basis of this heterogeneity is of high interest. The
C. albicans
reference strain SC5314 is highly invasive and expresses robust filamentation and biofilm formation relative to many other clinical isolates. Here, we show that SC5314 derivatives are heterozygous for the transcription factor Rob1 and contain an allele with a rare gain-of-function SNP that drives filamentation, biofilm formation, and virulence in a model of oropharyngeal candidiasis. These findings explain, in part, the outlier phenotype of the reference strain and highlight the role heterozygosity plays in the strain-to-strain variation of diploid fungal pathogens.
Genome sequence of bacteriophage Aoka, a cluster FO phage isolated using
Arthrobacter globiformis
Authors: Sasaoka Aidan , Arellano Olivia , Hatch Xavier R. , Garcia Costas Amaya M.
Published: September 2023

We report the discovery and genome sequence of bacteriophage Aoka, an actinobacteriophage isolated from a soil sample in Pueblo, Colorado using
Arthrobacter globiformis
, B2880-SEA. Its genome length is 36,744 base pairs with 54 protein-coding genes. Based on gene content similarity to other actinobacteriophages, Aoka is assigned to cluster FO.