bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pass the buck or the buck stops here? The public costs of claiming and deflecting blame in managing crises
Authors: Miller David , Reeves Andrew
Published: May 2021

When things go wrong, and the government may be to blame, the public support enjoyed by elected executives is vulnerable. Because attribution of responsibility is often not straightforward, elected executives can influence citizens’ evaluations of their performance through presentational strategies, or explanatory frames which describe their roles in the management of the crisis. We examine the effectiveness of two ubiquitous presentational strategies: blame claiming, where the executive accepts responsibility, and blame deflecting, where the executive shifts blame to others. Using survey experiments incorporating stylised and real-world stimuli, we find that blame claiming is more effective than blame deflecting at managing public support in the aftermath of crises. In investigating the underlying mechanism, we find that blame claiming creates more favourable views of an executive’s leadership valence. While elected executives are better off avoiding crises, we find that when they occur, “stopping the buck” is a superior strategy to deflecting blame.
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts, culture, and heritage sectors in the African Union member states
Authors: Martins Angela , Shule Vicensia
Published: May 2021

Africa as a continent has been hit by the coronavirus – the COVID-19 pandemic – as have many parts of the world. Many African Union (AU) member states were badly hit by the virus, while others were only mildly impacted. The arts, culture, and heritage sectors have been severely hit by the pandemic. Fortunately, in many countries in Africa, arts, culture, and heritage were placed at the heart of strategic priorities at the national, regional, and continental levels of combating COVID-19.
Percutaneous coarctation dilatation under transthoracic echocardiography guidance solely without fluoroscopy in neonate intensive care
Authors: Atmani Samir , Belmkaddem Said , Elkouach Moustapha
Published: May 2021

Introduction:

Neonatal coarctation has to be diagnosed and treated urgently. Actually, the surgical treatment is the main option. The coarctation dilatation is usually achieved under fluoroscopy guidance whenever indicated. Balloon angioplasty could be an alternative approach or transient measure in difficult cases with cardiogenic shock or severe cardiac insufficiency.

In the reported case, we prove and discuss the major role of transthoracic echocardiography, which is used solely to guide the coarctation dilatation in neonate environment.

Objective:

The reported case aims to assess the safety and the efficiency of two-dimensional TEE to guide the dilatation of aortic coarctation in neonate.

Case presentation:

We describe successful dilatation of neonatal coarctation done exclusively using echocardiography in neonatal ICU at the bed. The procedure duration was 40 minutes (from the puncture to sheath removal). The coarctation was diagnosed easily and well described using TTE with good image quality obtained from supra-sternal plane and upper and left lateral view. TayShak balloon measuring 6 and 8 mm were used with a 0.018 French guided exchange wire.

Complete relief of the coarctation was checked by TTE without recording any complication. The follow-up in the third month (the submission time of this manuscript) showed very good results without requiring any surgical intervention or additional restenosis.

Conclusion:

Our initial experience confirmed the safety and efficiency of coarctation dilatation using TTE as the only guidance tool at the bed in neonatal stage, especially in a case presenting severe metabolic and cardiac failure. This report suggests and encourages other potential applications in neonatology intensive care.
Percutaneous coronary intervention in a 4-month-old infant for stenosis of both coronary arteries after arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries
Authors: Kim Hanna , Song Jinyoung , Kang I-Seok
Published: May 2021

We present a case of percutaneous coronary intervention in a 4-month-old infant with both severe coronary stenosis and acute heart failure after arterial switch operation for transposition of the great arteries. Under extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, balloon angioplasty of the left coronary artery with a 2.0 × 15-mm balloon and stent implantation on the right coronary artery with a 2.25 × 26-mm stent were performed successfully. Echocardiography after the intervention showed recovered cardiac function and no complications.
Mathematical Model and microCT-Based Kinematic Analysis of the Rostrum Mouthparts in Cyrtotrachelus buqueti Guer (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)
Authors: Li Longhai , Guo Ce , Xu Shun , Guo Huafeng , Yu Ping , Liu Lei , Tian Jing
Published: May 2021

To uncover the chewing mechanism of Cyrtotrachelus buqueti Guer, a mathematical model was created and a kinematic analysis of its rostrum mouthparts was conducted for, to our knowledge, the first time. To reduce noise and improve the quality of scanning electron micrographs of the weevil's mouthparts, nonlocal means and integral nonlocal means algorithms were proposed. Additionally, based on a comparison and analysis of five classical edge detection algorithms, a multiscale edge detection algorithm based on the B-spline wavelet was used to obtain the boundaries of structural features. The least squares method was used to analyze the data of the mouthparts to fit the mathematical model and fitted curves were obtained using Gaussian equations. The results show that curvature and concave–convex variations of the weevil's mouthparts can highlight fluctuations in friction effects when it chews bamboo shoots, which is helpful in preventing debris from bamboo shoots or other debris from sticking to the mouthpart surfaces. Moreover, this paper highlights the utility of micro-computed tomography (microCT) for three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction and a flowchart is suggested. The reconstructed slices were 9.0 μm thick and an accurate 3D rendered model was obtained from a series of microCT slices. Finally, a real model of the rostrum mouthparts was analyzed using finite-element analysis. The results provide a biological template for the design of a novel bionic drilling mechanism.
Dr James Croll: a product of his environment? An exploration of the natural, social, personal and economic factors that influenced his extraordinary life
Authors: ROBINSON Mike
Published: May 2021

The quality and richness of Perthshire's natural environment were formative influences on a young James Croll (1821–1890), which left him with a life-long appreciation of nature, landscape and natural meditation. Although Croll himself declares to have had little interest in geology in his earlier years, it became a central theme of his scientific understanding, which implies the clear influence of both his local environment and of his father David, a stonemason. His family and friends also shaped him in other ways, not least his love of reading, his unconstrained thinking and intellectual acuity. He inherited his father's moral character, amiability and an excitement about intellectual inquiry, which drew friends to him who made great efforts to assist him in his work, both personally and professionally, and played a role in his being offered a position by James Geikie with the Geological Survey of Scotland. Croll's financial position was often precarious; he spent a good deal of his life in relative poverty. Whilst this affected his opportunities for formal learning, it may well have led to his ability to think creatively and to seek answers more broadly than he might have if he had been able to engage in a more formal education. Ill health, which affected him throughout his life, could be seen to both hamper his work – but also through circumstance lead him to pursue a more academic path, as other routes of work were shut off to him. Ultimately Whitefield, Wolfhill and the wider Perthshire countryside in which he grew up can clearly be seen to have influenced his life in many ways, even, perhaps, to the extent of his chosen surname.
On the Environmental Determinants of COVID‐19 Seasonality
Authors: Choi Yeon‐Woo , Tuel Alexandre , Eltahir Elfatih A. B.
Published: May 2021

Viral respiratory diseases (VRDs), such as influenza and COVID‐19, are thought to spread faster during winter than during summer. It has been previously argued that cold and dry conditions are more conducive to the transmission of VRDs than warm and humid climates, although this relationship appears restricted to temperate regions and the causal relationship is not well understood. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 causing COVID‐19 has emerged as a serious global public health problem after the first COVID‐19 reports in Wuhan, China, in late 2019. It is still unclear whether this novel respiratory disease will ultimately prove to be a seasonal endemic disease. Here, we suggest that air drying capacity (ADC; an atmospheric state variable that controls the fate/evolution of the virus‐laden droplets) and ultraviolet radiation (UV) are probable environmental determinants in shaping the transmission of COVID‐19 at the seasonal time scale. These variables, unlike temperature and humidity, provide a physically based framework consistent with the apparent seasonal variability in COVID‐19 and prevalent across a broad range of climates (e.g., Germany and India). Since this disease is known to be influenced by the compounding effect of social, biological, and environmental determinants, this study does not claim that these environmental determinants exclusively shape the seasonality of COVID‐19. However, we argue that ADC and UV play a significant role in COVID‐19 dynamics at the seasonal scale. These findings could help guide the development of a sound adaptation strategy against the pandemic over the coming seasons.
Safety and efficacy of meplazumab in healthy volunteers and COVID-19 patients: a randomized phase 1 and an exploratory phase 2 trial
Authors: Bian Huijie , Zheng Zhao-Hui , Wei Ding , Wen Aidong , Zhang Zheng , Lian Jian-Qi , Kang Wen-Zhen , Hao Chun-Qiu , Wang Jing , Xie Rong-Hua , Dong Ke , Xia Jie-Lai , Miao Jin-Lin , Kang Wen , Li Guoquan , Zhang Di , Zhang Mingru , Sun Xiu-Xuan , Ding Likun , Zhang Kui , Jia Junfeng , Ding Jin , Li Zhiqin , Jia Yanyan , Liu Lin-Na , Zhang Zhe , Gao Zhao-Wei , Du Hong , Yao Na , Wang Qing , Wang Ke , Geng Jie-Jie , Wang Bin , Guo Ting , Chen Ruo , Zhu Yu-Meng , Wang Li-Juan , He Qian , Yao Rui-Rui , Shi Ying , Yang Xiang-Min , Zhou Jian-Sheng , Ma Yi-Nan , Wang Ya-Tao , Liang Xue , Huo Fei , Wang Zhe , Zhang Yang , Yang Xu , Zhang Ye , Gao Lu-Hua , Wang Ling , Chen Xiao-Chun , Tang Hao , Liu Shuang-Shuang , Wang Qing-Yi , Chen Zhi-Nan , Zhu Ping
Published: May 2021

Abstracts

Recent evidence suggests that CD147 serves as a novel receptor for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. Blocking CD147 via anti-CD147 antibody could suppress the in vitro SARS-CoV-2 replication. Meplazumab is a humanized anti-CD147 IgG2 monoclonal antibody, which may effectively prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients. Here, we conducted a randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled phase 1 trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of meplazumab in healthy subjects, and an open-labeled, concurrent controlled add-on exploratory phase 2 study to determine the efficacy in COVID-19 patients. In phase 1 study, 59 subjects were enrolled and assigned to eight cohorts, and no serious treatment-emergent adverse event (TEAE) or TEAE grade ≥3 was observed. The serum and peripheral blood Cmax and area under the curve showed non-linear pharmacokinetic characteristics. No obvious relation between the incidence or titer of positive anti-drug antibody and dosage was observed in each cohort. The biodistribution study indicated that meplazumab reached lung tissue and maintained >14 days stable with the lung tissue/cardiac blood–pool ratio ranging from 0.41 to 0.32. In the exploratory phase 2 study, 17 COVID-19 patients were enrolled, and 11 hospitalized patients were involved as concurrent control. The meplazumab treatment significantly improved the discharged (P = 0.005) and case severity (P = 0.021), and reduced the time to virus negative (P = 0.045) in comparison to the control group. These results show a sound safety and tolerance of meplazumab in healthy volunteers and suggest that meplazumab could accelerate the recovery of patients from COVID-19 pneumonia with a favorable safety profile.
The nuclear receptor HNF4 drives a brush border gene program conserved across murine intestine, kidney, and embryonic yolk sac
Authors: Chen Lei , Luo Shirley , Dupre Abigail , Vasoya Roshan P. , Parthasarathy Aditya , Aita Rohit , Malhotra Raj , Hur Joseph , Toke Natalie H. , Chiles Eric , Yang Min , Cao Weihuan , Flores Juan , Ellison Christopher E. , Gao Nan , Sahota Amrik , Su Xiaoyang , Bonder Edward M. , Verzi Michael P.
Published: May 2021

The brush border is comprised of microvilli surface protrusions on the apical surface of epithelia. This specialized structure greatly increases absorptive surface area and plays crucial roles in human health. However, transcriptional regulatory networks controlling brush border genes are not fully understood. Here, we identify that hepatocyte nuclear factor 4 (HNF4) transcription factor is a conserved and important regulator of brush border gene program in multiple organs, such as intestine, kidney and yolk sac. Compromised brush border gene signatures and impaired transport were observed in these tissues upon HNF4 loss. By ChIP-seq, we find HNF4 binds and activates brush border genes in the intestine and kidney. H3K4me3 HiChIP-seq identifies that HNF4 loss results in impaired chromatin looping between enhancers and promoters at gene loci of brush border genes, and instead enhanced chromatin looping at gene loci of stress fiber genes in the intestine. This study provides comprehensive transcriptional regulatory mechanisms and a functional demonstration of a critical role for HNF4 in brush border gene regulation across multiple murine epithelial tissues.
Connectivity characterization of the mouse basolateral amygdalar complex
Authors: Hintiryan Houri , Bowman Ian , Johnson David L. , Korobkova Laura , Zhu Muye , Khanjani Neda , Gou Lin , Gao Lei , Yamashita Seita , Bienkowski Michael S. , Garcia Luis , Foster Nicholas N. , Benavidez Nora L. , Song Monica Y. , Lo Darrick , Cotter Kaelan R. , Becerra Marlene , Aquino Sarvia , Cao Chunru , Cabeen Ryan P. , Stanis Jim , Fayzullina Marina , Ustrell Sarah A. , Boesen Tyler , Tugangui Amanda J. , Zhang Zheng-Gang , Peng Bo , Fanselow Michael S. , Golshani Peyman , Hahn Joel D. , Wickersham Ian R. , Ascoli Giorgio A. , Zhang Li I. , Dong Hong-Wei
Published: May 2021

The basolateral amygdalar complex (BLA) is implicated in behaviors ranging from fear acquisition to addiction. Optogenetic methods have enabled the association of circuit-specific functions to uniquely connected BLA cell types. Thus, a systematic and detailed connectivity profile of BLA projection neurons to inform granular, cell type-specific interrogations is warranted. Here, we apply machine-learning based computational and informatics analysis techniques to the results of circuit-tracing experiments to create a foundational, comprehensive BLA connectivity map. The analyses identify three distinct domains within the anterior BLA (BLAa) that house target-specific projection neurons with distinguishable morphological features. We identify brain-wide targets of projection neurons in the three BLAa domains, as well as in the posterior BLA, ventral BLA, posterior basomedial, and lateral amygdalar nuclei. Inputs to each nucleus also are identified via retrograde tracing. The data suggests that connectionally unique, domain-specific BLAa neurons are associated with distinct behavior networks.
Early turbulence and pulsatile flows enhance diodicity of Tesla’s macrofluidic valve
Authors: Nguyen Quynh M. , Abouezzi Joanna , Ristroph Leif
Published: May 2021

Microfluidics has enabled a revolution in the manipulation of small volumes of fluids. Controlling flows at larger scales and faster rates, or macrofluidics, has broad applications but involves the unique complexities of inertial flow physics. We show how such effects are exploited in a device proposed by Nikola Tesla that acts as a diode or valve whose asymmetric internal geometry leads to direction-dependent fluidic resistance. Systematic tests for steady forcing conditions reveal that diodicity turns on abruptly at Reynolds number $${\rm{Re}}\approx 200$$
Re
≈
200
and is accompanied by nonlinear pressure-flux scaling and flow instabilities, suggesting a laminar-to-turbulent transition that is triggered at unusually low $${\rm{Re}}$$
Re
. To assess performance for unsteady forcing, we devise a circuit that functions as an AC-to-DC converter, rectifier, or pump in which diodes transform imposed oscillations into directed flow. Our results confirm Tesla’s conjecture that diodic performance is boosted for pulsatile flows. The connections between diodicity, early turbulence and pulsatility uncovered here can inform applications in fluidic mixing and pumping.
Femtosecond control of phonon dynamics near a magnetic order critical point
Authors: Gorobtsov O. Yu. , Ponet L. , Patel S. K. K. , Hua N. , Shabalin A. G. , Hrkac S. , Wingert J. , Cela D. , Glownia J. M. , Zhu D. , Medapalli R. , Chollet M. , Fullerton E. E. , Artyukhin S. , Shpyrko O. G. , Singer A.
Published: May 2021

The spin-phonon interaction in spin density wave (SDW) systems often determines the free energy landscape that drives the evolution of the system. When a passing energy flux, such as photoexcitation, drives a crystalline system far from equilibrium, the resulting lattice displacement generates transient vibrational states. Manipulating intermediate vibrational states in the vicinity of the critical point, where the SDW order parameter changes dramatically, would then allow dynamical control over functional properties. Here we combine double photoexcitation with an X-ray free-electron laser (XFEL) probe to control and detect the lifetime and magnitude of the intermediate vibrational state near the critical point of the SDW in chromium. We apply Landau theory to identify the mechanism of control as a repeated partial quench and sub picosecond recovery of the SDW. Our results showcase the capabilities to influence and monitor quantum states by combining multiple optical photoexcitations with an XFEL probe. They open new avenues for manipulating and researching the behaviour of photoexcited states in charge and spin order systems near the critical point.
Nucleosome plasticity is a critical element of chromatin liquid–liquid phase separation and multivalent nucleosome interactions
Authors: Farr Stephen E. , Woods Esmae J. , Joseph Jerelle A. , Garaizar Adiran , Collepardo-Guevara Rosana
Published: May 2021

Liquid–liquid phase separation (LLPS) is an important mechanism that helps explain the membraneless compartmentalization of the nucleus. Because chromatin compaction and LLPS are collective phenomena, linking their modulation to the physicochemical features of nucleosomes is challenging. Here, we develop an advanced multiscale chromatin model—integrating atomistic representations, a chemically-specific coarse-grained model, and a minimal model—to resolve individual nucleosomes within sub-Mb chromatin domains and phase-separated systems. To overcome the difficulty of sampling chromatin at high resolution, we devise a transferable enhanced-sampling Debye-length replica-exchange molecular dynamics approach. We find that nucleosome thermal fluctuations become significant at physiological salt concentrations and destabilize the 30-nm fiber. Our simulations show that nucleosome breathing favors stochastic folding of chromatin and promotes LLPS by simultaneously boosting the transient nature and heterogeneity of nucleosome–nucleosome contacts, and the effective nucleosome valency. Our work puts forward the intrinsic plasticity of nucleosomes as a key element in the liquid-like behavior of nucleosomes within chromatin, and the regulation of chromatin LLPS.
Device-independent quantum key distribution with random key basis
Authors: Schwonnek René , Goh Koon Tong , Primaatmaja Ignatius W. , Tan Ernest Y.-Z. , Wolf Ramona , Scarani Valerio , Lim Charles C.-W.
Published: May 2021

Device-independent quantum key distribution (DIQKD) is the art of using untrusted devices to distribute secret keys in an insecure network. It thus represents the ultimate form of cryptography, offering not only information-theoretic security against channel attacks, but also against attacks exploiting implementation loopholes. In recent years, much progress has been made towards realising the first DIQKD experiments, but current proposals are just out of reach of today’s loophole-free Bell experiments. Here, we significantly narrow the gap between the theory and practice of DIQKD with a simple variant of the original protocol based on the celebrated Clauser-Horne-Shimony-Holt (CHSH) Bell inequality. By using two randomly chosen key generating bases instead of one, we show that our protocol significantly improves over the original DIQKD protocol, enabling positive keys in the high noise regime for the first time. We also compute the finite-key security of the protocol for general attacks, showing that approximately 108–1010 measurement rounds are needed to achieve positive rates using state-of-the-art experimental parameters. Our proposed DIQKD protocol thus represents a highly promising path towards the first realisation of DIQKD in practice.
Heterologous vaccination regimens with self-amplifying RNA and adenoviral COVID vaccines induce robust immune responses in mice
Authors: Spencer Alexandra J. , McKay Paul F. , Belij-Rammerstorfer Sandra , Ulaszewska Marta , Bissett Cameron D. , Hu Kai , Samnuan Karnyart , Blakney Anna K. , Wright Daniel , Sharpe Hannah R. , Gilbride Ciaran , Truby Adam , Allen Elizabeth R. , Gilbert Sarah C. , Shattock Robin J. , Lambe Teresa
Published: May 2021

Several vaccines have demonstrated efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 mediated disease, yet there is limited data on the immune response induced by heterologous vaccination regimens using alternate vaccine modalities. Here, we present a detailed description of the immune response, in mice, following vaccination with a self-amplifying RNA (saRNA) vaccine and an adenoviral vectored vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19/AZD1222) against SARS-CoV-2. We demonstrate that antibody responses are higher in two-dose heterologous vaccination regimens than single-dose regimens. Neutralising titres after heterologous prime-boost were at least comparable or higher than the titres measured after homologous prime boost vaccination with viral vectors. Importantly, the cellular immune response after a heterologous regimen is dominated by cytotoxic T cells and Th1+ CD4 T cells, which is superior to the response induced in homologous vaccination regimens in mice. These results underpin the need for clinical trials to investigate the immunogenicity of heterologous regimens with alternate vaccine technologies.
Highly efficient, heat dissipating, stretchable organic light-emitting diodes based on a MoO3/Au/MoO3 electrode with encapsulation
Authors: Choi Dae Keun , Kim Dong Hyun , Lee Chang Min , Hafeez Hassan , Sarker Subrata , Yang Jun Su , Chae Hyung Ju , Jeong Geon-Woo , Choi Dong Hyun , Kim Tae Wook , Yoo Seunghyup , Song Jinouk , Ma Boo Soo , Kim Taek-Soo , Kim Chul Hoon , Lee Hyun Jae , Lee Jae Woo , Kim Donghyun , Bae Tae-Sung , Yu Seung Min , Kang Yong-Cheol , Park Juyun , Kim Kyoung-Ho , Sujak Muhammad , Song Myungkwan , Kim Chang-Su , Ryu Seung Yoon
Published: May 2021

Stretchable organic light-emitting diodes are ubiquitous in the rapidly developing wearable display technology. However, low efficiency and poor mechanical stability inhibit their commercial applications owing to the restrictions generated by strain. Here, we demonstrate the exceptional performance of a transparent (molybdenum-trioxide/gold/molybdenum-trioxide) electrode for buckled, twistable, and geometrically stretchable organic light-emitting diodes under 2-dimensional random area strain with invariant color coordinates. The devices are fabricated on a thin optical-adhesive/elastomer with a small mechanical bending strain and water-proofed by optical-adhesive encapsulation in a sandwiched structure. The heat dissipation mechanism of the thin optical-adhesive substrate, thin elastomer-based devices or silicon dioxide nanoparticles reduces triplet-triplet annihilation, providing consistent performance at high exciton density, compared with thick elastomer and a glass substrate. The performance is enhanced by the nanoparticles in the optical-adhesive for light out-coupling and improved heat dissipation. A high current efficiency of ~82.4 cd/A and an external quantum efficiency of ~22.3% are achieved with minimum efficiency roll-off.
Yap regulates skeletal muscle fatty acid oxidation and adiposity in metabolic disease
Authors: Watt K. I. , Henstridge D. C. , Ziemann M. , Sim C. B. , Montgomery M. K. , Samocha-Bonet D. , Parker B. L. , Dodd G. T. , Bond S. T. , Salmi T. M. , Lee R. S. , Thomson R. E. , Hagg A. , Davey J. R. , Qian H. , Koopman R. , El-Osta A. , Greenfield J. R. , Watt M. J. , Febbraio M. A. , Drew B. G. , Cox A. G. , Porrello E. R. , Harvey K. F. , Gregorevic P.
Published: May 2021

Obesity is a major risk factor underlying the development of metabolic disease and a growing public health concern globally. Strategies to promote skeletal muscle metabolism can be effective to limit the progression of metabolic disease. Here, we demonstrate that the levels of the Hippo pathway transcriptional co-activator YAP are decreased in muscle biopsies from obese, insulin-resistant humans and mice. Targeted disruption of Yap in adult skeletal muscle resulted in incomplete oxidation of fatty acids and lipotoxicity. Integrated ‘omics analysis from isolated adult muscle nuclei revealed that Yap regulates a transcriptional profile associated with metabolic substrate utilisation. In line with these findings, increasing Yap abundance in the striated muscle of obese (db/db) mice enhanced energy expenditure and attenuated adiposity. Our results demonstrate a vital role for Yap as a mediator of skeletal muscle metabolism. Strategies to enhance Yap activity in skeletal muscle warrant consideration as part of comprehensive approaches to treat metabolic disease.
Quantum transport in a single molecular transistor at finite temperature
Authors: Kalla Manasa , Chebrolu Narasimha Raju , Chatterjee Ashok
Published: May 2021

We study quantum transport in a single molecular transistor in which the central region consists of a single-level quantum dot and is connected to two metallic leads that act as a source and a drain respectively. The quantum dot is considered to be under the influence of electron–electron and electron–phonon interactions. The central region is placed on an insulating substrate that acts as a heat reservoir that interacts with the quantum dot phonon giving rise to a damping effect to the quantum dot. The electron–phonon interaction is decoupled by applying a canonical transformation and then the spectral density of the quantum dot is calculated from the resultant Hamiltonian by using Keldysh Green function technique. We also calculate the tunneling current density and differential conductance to study the effect of quantum dissipation, electron correlation and the lattice effects on quantum transport in a single molecular transistor at finite temperature.
A simple and rapid method for fish sex identification based on recombinase-aided amplification and its use in Cynoglossus semilaevis
Authors: Nie Zhichao , Lü Peng , Zhang Rusong , Tu Yishuai , Liu Zhenni , Li Yin , Tang Cong , Li Xiqing , Zhao Kun , Zhou Qiang , Li Feng , Wang Jun , Zeng Zhanzhuang , Tu Min , Zhang Hong
Published: May 2021

Fish sex identification is a basic technique of great importance for both fish genetic studies and fisheries. Due to the sexual reversal phenomenon in many fish species, a simple and rapid molecular identification method for fish genetic sex is urgently needed to suit versatile detection scenarios, such as point-of-need applications. In this study, we took Cynoglossus semilaevis as an example, established a recombinase-aided amplification (RAA)-based method for sex identification, and combined the RAA-detection with two result visualization approaches with distinct features, capillary electrophoresis (CE) and lateral flow dipstick (LFD). Specific primers and probe were designed to specifically detect the sex chromosome W of C. semilaevis in order to distinguish the genetic sex between males, pseudo-males and females. To evaluate the performance of our methods, the genetic sex for twenty-eight males, sixty-eight pseudo-males and fifty-four females were examined with the RAA-based method and classical PCR-based genotyping method, demonstrating the consistent results of sex identification between both methods. The RAA-LFD method is operationally simple, rapid (~ 30 min) and holds great potential for point-of-need applications of fish sex identification, including fishery fields. The method presented here could be effective for identifying fish gender with the ZW karyotype.
Artificial intelligence could alert for focal skeleton/bone marrow uptake in Hodgkin’s lymphoma patients staged with FDG-PET/CT
Authors: Sadik May , López-Urdaneta Jesús , Ulén Johannes , Enqvist Olof , Krupic Armin , Kumar Rajender , Andersson Per-Ola , Trägårdh Elin
Published: May 2021

To develop an artificial intelligence (AI)-based method for the detection of focal skeleton/bone marrow uptake (BMU) in patients with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL) undergoing staging with FDG-PET/CT. The results of the AI in a separate test group were compared to the interpretations of independent physicians. The skeleton and bone marrow were segmented using a convolutional neural network. The training of AI was based on 153 un-treated patients. Bone uptake significantly higher than the mean BMU was marked as abnormal, and an index, based on the total squared abnormal uptake, was computed to identify the focal uptake. Patients with an index above a predefined threshold were interpreted as having focal uptake. As the test group, 48 un-treated patients who had undergone a staging FDG-PET/CT between 2017–2018 with biopsy-proven HL were retrospectively included. Ten physicians classified the 48 cases regarding focal skeleton/BMU. The majority of the physicians agreed with the AI in 39/48 cases (81%) regarding focal skeleton/bone marrow involvement. Inter-observer agreement between the physicians was moderate, Kappa 0.51 (range 0.25–0.80). An AI-based method can be developed to highlight suspicious focal skeleton/BMU in HL patients staged with FDG-PET/CT. Inter-observer agreement regarding focal BMU is moderate among nuclear medicine physicians.
Alternative splicing acts as an independent prognosticator in ovarian carcinoma
Authors: Ouyang Yan , Xia Kaide , Yang Xue , Zhang Shichao , Wang Li , Ren Shan , Zhou Houming , Liu Yi , Tang Fuzhou
Published: May 2021

Alternative splicing (AS) events associated with oncogenic processes present anomalous perturbations in many cancers, including ovarian carcinoma. There are no reliable features to predict survival outcomes for ovarian cancer patients. In this study, comprehensive profiling of AS events was conducted by integrating AS data and clinical information of ovarian serous cystadenocarcinoma (OV). Survival-related AS events were identified by Univariate Cox regression analysis. Then, least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) and multivariate Cox regression analysis were used to construct the prognostic signatures within each AS type. Furthermore, we established a splicing-related network to reveal the potential regulatory mechanisms between splicing factors and candidate AS events. A total of 730 AS events were identified as survival-associated splicing events, and the final prognostic signature based on all seven types of AS events could serve as an independent prognostic indicator and had powerful efficiency in distinguishing patient outcomes. In addition, survival-related AS events might be involved in tumor-related pathways including base excision repair and pyrimidine metabolism pathways, and some splicing factors might be correlated with prognosis-related AS events, including SPEN, SF3B5, RNPC3, LUC7L3, SRSF11 and PRPF38B. Our study constructs an independent prognostic signature for predicting ovarian cancer patients’ survival outcome and contributes to elucidating the underlying mechanism of AS in tumor development.
Radiation inducible MafB gene is required for thymic regeneration
Authors: Hashimoto Daiki , Colet Jose Gabriel R. , Murashima Aki , Fujimoto Kota , Ueda Yuko , Suzuki Kentaro , Hyuga Taiju , Hemmi Hiroaki , Kaisho Tsuneyasu , Takahashi Satoru , Takahama Yousuke , Yamada Gen
Published: May 2021

The thymus facilitates mature T cell production by providing a suitable stromal microenvironment. This microenvironment is impaired by radiation and aging which lead to immune system disturbances known as thymic involution. Young adult thymus shows thymic recovery after such involution. Although various genes have been reported for thymocytes and thymic epithelial cells in such processes, the roles of stromal transcription factors in these remain incompletely understood. MafB (v-maf musculoaponeurotic fibrosarcoma oncogene homolog B) is a transcription factor expressed in thymic stroma and its expression was induced a day after radiation exposure. Hence, the roles of mesenchymal MafB in the process of thymic regeneration offers an intriguing research topic also for radiation biology. The current study investigated whether MafB plays roles in the adult thymus.MafB/green fluorescent protein knock-in mutant (MafB+/GFP) mice showed impaired thymic regeneration after the sublethal irradiation, judged by reduced thymus size, total thymocyte number and medullary complexity. Furthermore, IL4 was induced after irradiation and such induction was reduced in mutant mice. The mutants also displayed signs of accelerated age-related thymic involution. Altogether, these results suggest possible functions of MafB in the processes of thymic recovery after irradiation, and maintenance during aging.
A miR-375/YAP axis regulates neuroendocrine differentiation and tumorigenesis in lung carcinoid cells
Authors: Yang Xiaojing , Nanayakkara Jina , Claypool Duncan , Saghafinia Sadegh , Wong Justin J. M. , Xu Minqi , Wang Xiantao , Nicol Christopher J. B. , Michael Iacovos P. , Hafner Markus , Yang Xiaolong , Renwick Neil
Published: May 2021

Lung carcinoids are variably aggressive and mechanistically understudied neuroendocrine neoplasms (NENs). Here, we identified and elucidated the function of a miR-375/yes-associated protein (YAP) axis in lung carcinoid (H727) cells. miR-375 and YAP are respectively high and low expressed in wild-type H727 cells. Following lentiviral CRISPR/Cas9-mediated miR-375 depletion, we identified distinct transcriptomic changes including dramatic YAP upregulation. We also observed a significant decrease in neuroendocrine differentiation and substantial reductions in cell proliferation, transformation, and tumor growth in cell culture and xenograft mouse disease models. Similarly, YAP overexpression resulted in distinct and partially overlapping transcriptomic changes, phenocopying the effects of miR-375 depletion in the same models as above. Transient YAP knockdown in miR-375-depleted cells reversed the effects of miR-375 on neuroendocrine differentiation and cell proliferation. Pathways analysis and confirmatory real-time PCR studies of shared dysregulated target genes indicate that this axis controls neuroendocrine related functions such as neural differentiation, exocytosis, and secretion. Taken together, we provide compelling evidence that a miR-375/YAP axis is a critical mediator of neuroendocrine differentiation and tumorigenesis in lung carcinoid cells.
Increased hippocampal excitability in miR-324-null mice
Authors: Hayman Dan J. , Modebadze Tamara , Charlton Sarah , Cheung Kat , Soul Jamie , Lin Hua , Hao Yao , Miles Colin G. , Tsompani Dimitra , Jackson Robert M. , Briggs Michael D. , Piróg Katarzyna A. , Clark Ian M. , Barter Matt J. , Clowry Gavin J. , LeBeau Fiona E. N. , Young David A.
Published: May 2021

MicroRNAs are non-coding RNAs that act to downregulate the expression of target genes by translational repression and degradation of messenger RNA molecules. Individual microRNAs have the ability to specifically target a wide array of gene transcripts, therefore allowing each microRNA to play key roles in multiple biological pathways. miR-324 is a microRNA predicted to target thousands of RNA transcripts and is expressed far more highly in the brain than in any other tissue, suggesting that it may play a role in one or multiple neurological pathways. Here we present data from the first global miR-324-null mice, in which increased excitability and interictal discharges were identified in vitro in the hippocampus. RNA sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes in miR-324-null mice which may contribute to this increased hippocampal excitability, and 3′UTR luciferase assays and western blotting revealed that two of these, Suox and Cd300lf, are novel direct targets of miR-324. Characterisation of microRNAs that produce an effect on neurological activity, such as miR-324, and identification of the pathways they regulate will allow a better understanding of the processes involved in normal neurological function and in turn may present novel pharmaceutical targets in treating neurological disease.
Transient motion of the largest landslide on earth, modulated by hydrological forces
Authors: Aslan Gökhan , De Michele Marcello , Raucoules Daniel , Bernardie Severine , Cakir Ziyadin
Published: May 2021

Sea-level rise of the Caspian Sea (CS) during the early Khvalynian (approximately 40–25 ka BP) generated hundreds of giant landslides along the sea’s ancient coastlines in western Kazakhstan, which extended hundreds of kilometers. Although similar landslides have been observed along the present-day coastlines of the CS in the area of a prominent high escarpment, it remains unclear whether some of these ancient landslides are still active and whether the movement is slow or catastrophic, as previously suggested. The present study is the first to show evidence proving that the geomorphic responses to sea-level changes of the CS that were triggered in the Pleistocene are currently active. Using interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) data, we show that one of these giant landslides occurring along the western shore of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol (KBG) lagoon of the CS presents active transient motion, which makes it the world’s largest active landslide reported thus far. Extending more than 25 km along the eastern coast of the inundated KBG depression in a N–S direction with maximum landward expansion of 5 km from the shoreline to the flat Ustyurt Plateau, this landslide conveys ~ 10 × 109 m3 rocks toward the lagoon at a rate of ~ 2.5 cm/year. This event releases a nearly episodic aseismic moment of 6.0 × 1010 Nm annually, which is equivalent to the response of an Mw 5.1 earthquake. We analyze the present-day evolution of this giant coastal landslide at high temporal and spatial resolutions using Sentinel-1 radar images acquired on descending and ascending modes every 12 days between 2014 and 2020. Modelling with elastic dislocations suggests that the KBG landslide was accommodated mostly by a shallow basal décollement with a nearly horizontal listric slip plane. Moreover, our analysis reveals week-long accelerating slip events at changing amplitudes that occur seasonally with slow, lateral spreading rather than sudden catastrophic motion. A strong correlation between the episodic slip events and seasonal water-level changes in the KBG lagoon suggests a causative mechanism for the transient accelerating slip events. Although water-level changes are widely acknowledged to trigger transient motion on a land mass, such movement, which is similar to a silent earthquake, has not been observed thus far at this mega scale; on an extremely low-angle detachment planes at < 5° with modulation by sea-level changes. This study suggests that present-day sea-level changes can reactivate giant landslides that originated 40–25 ka.
Rapid and low-cost insect detection for analysing species trapped on yellow sticky traps
Authors: Böckmann Elias , Pfaff Alexander , Schirrmann Michael , Pflanz Michael
Published: May 2021

While insect monitoring is a prerequisite for precise decision-making regarding integrated pest management (IPM), it is time- and cost-intensive. Low-cost, time-saving and easy-to-operate tools for automated monitoring will therefore play a key role in increased acceptance and application of IPM in practice. In this study, we tested the differentiation of two whitefly species and their natural enemies trapped on yellow sticky traps (YSTs) via image processing approaches under practical conditions. Using the bag of visual words (BoVW) algorithm, accurate differentiation between both natural enemies and the Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia tabaci species was possible, whereas the procedure for B. tabaci could not be used to differentiate this species from T. vaporariorum. The decay of species was considered using fresh and aged catches of all the species on the YSTs, and different pooling scenarios were applied to enhance model performance. The best performance was reached when fresh and aged individuals were used together and the whitefly species were pooled into one category for model training. With an independent dataset consisting of photos from the YSTs that were placed in greenhouses and consequently with a naturally occurring species mixture as the background, a differentiation rate of more than 85% was reached for natural enemies and whiteflies.
Application of clove and dill oils as an alternative of salphos for chickpea food seed storage
Authors: Kumar Narendra , Khurana S. M. Paul , Pandey Vashist N.
Published: May 2021

Mycological investigations of 25 samples of stored chickpea food seeds (Cicer arietinum L.) from grocery stores of Gurgaon and Gorakhpur revealed occurrence of seventeen fungal species belonging to genus viz., Alternaria, Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Colletotrichum, Curvularia, Fusarium, Penicillium, Rhizopus, Rhizoctonia, and Sclerotium. In these Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium oxysporum had dominance in terms of per cent occurrence. Only one species of Bruchid (Callosobruchus chinensis L.) occurred in all the 25 samples. The biodeterioration of seeds inoculated with fungi: A. flavus, A. niger, F. oxysporum and the insect—C. chinensis, revealed their role in seed deterioration.
For chickpea food seed protection essential oils were extracted from edible commodity(clove(Lavang and dill(sowa) leaf). Clove(Lavang) oil registered highest antifungal activity inhibiting (100%) mycelial growth of fungi, viz. species Aspergillus flavus, A. niger, Fusarium oxysporum at 300 ppm but was fungicidal at 400 ppm. Dill (Sowa) oil showed complete inhibition at 400 ppm and was fungicidal at 500 ppm. While mixture of both the oils (clove and dill) showed complete inhibition (100%) and fungicidal action at 400 ppm against the dominant fungi. The oils showed 100% insect repellent activity and were found fungicidal at 0.02 ml dose and also insecticidal. The mixture of oils was cidal at 0.02 ml dose. The mixture of oils showed a broad antifungal spectrum at 500 ppm while only 70–93% inhibitory activity at 300 ppm. The oils' mixture's activity was not affected by temp, storage and autoclaving up to 150 days. Oils physico-chemical properties were studied. GC–MS analysis of clove(Lavang) oil depicted major components: 75.63%eugenol while dill(sowa) leaf oil had 25.14% apiole. Formulation of Mixture of oils was more effective showing complete seed protection i.e.no growth of fungi and insects upto 150 days storage than salphos (150 days). While salphos controlled only maximum three fungi (A. terreus, C. dematium, F. moniliforme). The formulated oils mixture did not have any adverse effect on the chickpea seeds and increased their shelf life.
Validity of the EOS-determined pelvic parameters and orientation with pelvic positional variation: a phantom study
Authors: Kim Jung-Taek , Lee Dong hoon , Lee Han-Dong , Shin Han-Bit , Park Bumhee , Park Sunghoon , Song Hyung Keun
Published: May 2021

The EOS is a medical imaging system that incorporates simultaneous orthogonal images, producing three-dimensional (3D) reconstructions of the whole skeletal system in various functional positions. Despite growing interest in the pelvic 3D position, the validity of the EOS has not yet been well studied. We investigated the trueness and precision of EOS imaging for pelvic parameters and orientation and assessed whether the measurement using the EOS was affected by the pelvic orientation itself. The orientation of the anterior pelvic plane and pelvic parameters of a custom-made pelvic phantom were measured by three raters using the EOS, and the measurements obtained were compared with the true values. The standard deviations of the measurement errors were 3.23°, 0.26°, 0.23°, 2.98°, 0.88°, and 3.22° for flexion, obliquity, rotation, pelvic incidence, spinopelvic tilt, and sacral slope, respectively. The root-mean square averages of the standard deviation of each measurement were 4.05°, 0.41°, 0.28°, 4.80°, 0.99°, and 5.13°, respectively. The measurement errors for sacral slope correlated significantly with geometric means of flexion, obliquity, and rotation (r = 0.364, p = 2.67 × 10–11). The EOS rendered accurate and reliable measurements regarding pelvic 3D position, even with positional variation, but positional variation could affect measurements of sacral slope.