bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relative Gains in the Shadow of a Trade War
Authors: Yeung Eddy S.F. , Quek Kai
Published: March 2022

When do people care about relative gains in trade? Much of the international relations scholarship—and much of the political rhetoric on trade—would lead us to expect support for a trade policy that benefits ourselves more than it benefits others. Yet, a large interdisciplinary literature also points to the prevalence and importance of other-regarding preferences, rendering the conventional wisdom contestable. We investigate whether and how relative gains influence trade preferences through an original survey experiment in the midst of the China–US trade war. We find that in a win-win scenario, relative gains shape trade opinion: if both sides are gaining, people want to gain more than their foreign trade partner. However, these considerations are offset in a win-lose scenario where the other side is losing out. Relative-gains considerations causally affect opinion on trade, but not in a “beggar-thy-neighbor” or even a “beggar-thy-rival” situation. These findings contribute to our understanding of the role of relative gains in international relations and provide the first experimental evidence that relative-gains considerations can be offset by other-regarding preferences in international trade.
Political Uncertainty and Household Stock Market Participation
Authors: Agarwal Vikas , Aslan Hadiye , Huang Lixin , Ren Honglin
Published: March 2022

Using microlevel panel data and a difference-in-differences identification strategy, we study the effect of political uncertainty on household stock market participation. We find that households significantly reduce their participation and reallocate funds to safer assets during periods of increased political uncertainty prior to gubernatorial elections. The decline in participation is related to households’ response to elevated asset risk and their incentive to hedge increased labor income risk. In situations where uncertainty remains high after elections, pre-election reduction in participation is only partially reversed.
Paul's Escape from Damascus (2 Cor 11.32–3) and the corona muralis
Authors: Pawlak Matthew
Published: March 2022

It has been often suggested that Paul's escape from Damascus (2 Cor 11.32–3) alludes to the corona muralis, a Roman military award originally given to the first soldier to surmount the enemy wall during a siege. This article evaluates this hypothesis, employing an extensive range of ancient references to the corona muralis to determine where relevant passages from Second Corinthians (10.3–5; 11.30–3) may signal an allusion to the corona muralis.
Robert Johnson and spectral timbre: what we hear, what we construct
Authors: Simon Julia
Published: March 2022

The myth of the deal with the devil at the crossroads frames the reception of Robert Johnson's corpus, particularly lyrics that directly or indirectly reference otherworldly forces. Setting aside the myth, I analyse the uncanny sonic qualities in his performances that evoke a spectral presence. A close examination of vocal and guitar timbre that considers harmonic resonance, chimera effect and other ‘eerie’ qualities of the music breaks down musical elements other than lyrics that evoke the myth of supernatural power. Humming, mumbling and talking, corner loading, falsetto, simultaneous rhythm and lead, among other acoustic effects, contribute to a complex soundscape with spectral resonances. Taking a lead from Johnson's mentor Ike Zimmerman and his fondness for practising in the cemetery, my analysis of timbral quality informed by Freud's concept of the uncanny seeks to explore what we hear, how it is produced and the origin that we construct for the sounds.
Is Pitcairnia halophila really a halophyte? Evidence from a germination and growth experiment
Authors: Zotz Gerhard , Rodriguez Quiel Calixto
Published: March 2022

Many bromeliads occur in habitats that are potentially affected by salt. Pitcairnia halophila is a particularly interesting case in this context due to its growing sites in the spray zone of coastal cliffs in Central America. We conducted an experimental/observational study that explored the physiological and ecological basis of the occurrence of this species. Germination of P. halophila was as affected by increasing salinity as that of congeneric species from other natural growing sites, but seedling growth was less impaired in comparison and remained positive even at exposure to half-strength seawater. Interestingly, in situ plant nutrient concentrations documented over an entire growing season suggest that this capacity to tolerate salt stress is not tested at the natural growing site – Na+ concentrations were consistently low in leaves and shoots and comparable to those of seedlings watered with distilled water in the laboratory. We conclude that P. halophila shows the physiological ability to deal with medium levels of salinity, but ecological conditions at the humid tropical growing site allow these plants to avoid salt stress entirely in spite of the close proximity to the sea.
New ways of analyzing complementizer drop in Montréal French: Exploration of cognitive factors
Authors: Liang Yiming , Amsili Pascal , Burnett Heather
Published: March 2022

In this paper, we return to the well-studied yet still puzzling phenomenon of complementizer omission in a large spoken corpus of Quebec French, with the help of modern computational methods for annotation and mixed effects logistic regression models. Supporting previous work, our study reveals that complementizerqueomission is conditioned by social factors and grammatical factors; however, we also find thatqueomission is conditioned by cognitive factors such as information density. Our paper thus illustrates an important way in which older variationist corpora can continue to be valuable resources for studying fine-grained patterns of variation, particularly in their cognitive aspects.
Mary Anne Warren and the Boundaries of the Moral Community
Authors: Furlan Timothy
Published: March 2022

In her important and well-known discussion “On the Moral and Legal Status of Abortion,” Mary Anne Warren regrets that “it is not possible to produce a satisfactory defense of a woman’s right to obtain an abortion without showing that the fetus is not a human being, in the morally relevant sense.” Unlike some more cautious philosophers, Warren thinks that we can definitively demonstrate that the fetus is not a person. In this paper, Warren’s argument is critically examined with a focus especially on the question of the foundation and the boundaries of the moral community. The fundamental thesis of the paper is that Warren’s approach is flawed for at least four reasons: (1) that being a person is not as obviously central to having full moral rights as Warren assumes, (2) that her exclusivism regarding moral status has dubious moral consequences independent of the abortion issue, (3) that it is not clear that a fetus is not a person, even on Warren’s own criteria, and (4) her criteria for personhood are themselves suspect.
The Uncommon Ethics of the Medical Profession: A Response to My Critics
Authors: Rhodes Rosamond
Published: March 2022

In responding to my critics, James Childress, Tom Beauchamp, Soren Holm, and Ruth Macklin, I reprise my arguments for medical ethics being an uncommon morality. I also elaborate on points that required further clarification. I explain the role of trust and trustworthiness in the creation of a profession. I also describe my views on the relationship of the medical profession to the society in which medicine is practiced. Finally, I defend my claim that medical ethics “is constructed by medical professionals for medical professionals” by describing the profession’s unique vantage point for regulating and policing the profession’s uncommon powers and privileges.
‘They must either be informed or they will be cominformed’: Covert propaganda, political literacy, and cold war knowledge production in the Loyal African Brothers series
Authors: LoBue Adam
Published: March 2022

This article analyzes and narrates the history of a clandestine propaganda project known as the Loyal African Brothers series. At the height of the Cold War, African leaders of public opinion received unsolicited leaflets from a group styled the Freedom for Africa Movement (FFAM). Addressed to ‘our Loyal African Brothers,’ the leaflets decried Communist penetration of Africa by connecting topical regional and global events with local histories meant to resonate with an African readership. Unknown to the recipients was that the leaflets were in reality a fabrication of the British Foreign Office’s clandestine propaganda arm, the Information Research Department. Examining the content and distribution of the series, this article uses newly declassified documents to situate Loyal African Brothers within a global ecosystem of Cold War propaganda, decolonization, and print culture. In doing so, it positions Africa as a key battleground in the cultural front of the Global Cold War.
Phosphorus Supply Increases Nitrogen Transformation Rates and Retention in Soil: A Global Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Wang Ruzhen , Bicharanloo Bahareh , Hou Enqing , Jiang Yong , Dijkstra Feike A.
Published: March 2022

Interactions between nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) are important for plant growth and ecosystem carbon (C) sequestration. While effects of N supply on P dynamics have been much studied, much less is known about the opposite (P‐effect on N). We conducted a meta‐analysis by compiling a total of 1,734 individual experimental observations from 116 peer‐reviewed publications to assess P‐addition effects on soil N dynamics. Globally, P additions increased the soil total nitrogen (TN) pool, potentially as a result of enhanced plant and microbial immobilization and reduced N losses, with a stronger effect detected under longer duration of P addition (≥5 yr). A coupled increase in soil organic C with TN signifies the fundamental role of exogenous P supply in enhancing soil C sequestration. Phosphorus addition accelerated some of the soil N cycling processes including gross N mineralization, gross nitrification, and denitrification, with the effect sizes varying among ecosystem types and increasing with P addition rates. Our results indicate the fundamental role of P in affecting soil N pools and processes, and highlight the efficacy of P supply in sequestering soil C and mitigating global C emission.
Mid‐Pleistocene to Recent Crustal Extension in the Inner Graben of the Northern Kenya Rift
Authors: Riedl S. , Melnick D. , Njue L. , Sudo M. , Strecker M. R.
Published: March 2022

Magmatic continental rifts often constitute nascent plate boundaries, yet long‐term extension rates and transient rate changes associated with these early stages of continental breakup remain difficult to determine. Here, we derive a time‐averaged minimum extension rate for the inner graben of the Northern Kenya Rift (NKR) of the East African Rift System for the last 0.5 m.y. We use the TanDEM‐X science digital elevation model to evaluate fault‐scarp geometries and determine fault throws across the volcano‐tectonic axis of the inner graben of the NKR. Along rift‐perpendicular profiles, amounts of cumulative extension are determined, and by integrating four new 40Ar/39Ar radiometric dates for the Silali volcano into the existing geochronology of the faulted volcanic units, time‐averaged extension rates are calculated. This study reveals that in the inner graben of the NKR, the long‐term extension rate based on mid‐Pleistocene to recent brittle deformation has minimum values of 1.0–1.6 mm yr−1, locally with values up to 2.0 mm yr−1. A comparison with the decadal, geodetically determined extension rate reveals that at least 65% of the extension must be accommodated within a narrow, 20‐km‐wide zone of the inner rift. In light of virtually inactive border faults of the NKR, we show that extension is focused in the region of the active volcano‐tectonic axis in the inner graben, thus highlighting the maturing of continental rifting in the NKR.
Performance of State‐of‐the‐Art C3S European Seasonal Climate Forecast Models for Mean and Extreme Precipitation Over Africa
Authors: Gebrechorkos S. H. , Pan M. , Beck H. E. , Sheffield J.
Published: March 2022

Seasonal hydrological forecasts at high spatial and temporal resolution can help manage water resources and mitigate impacts of extreme events but are dependent on skillful and operational seasonal forecasts from climate models. In this study, we evaluate precipitation forecasts from five operational climate models with a potential to drive hydrological forecasts: European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), UK Met Office (UK‐Met), Météo France, Deutscher Wetterdienst, and Centro Euro‐Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici. The Multi‐Source Weighted‐Ensemble Precipitation is used as a reference data set to evaluate the model skill. The performance of individual models is evaluated on daily, weekly, monthly, seasonal, and climatological periods, and for selected target months, lead‐times and drought events, and compared to unweighted and skill‐weighted multi‐model ensemble mean forecast. For all models, the lead 1‐month forecast can replicate the climatological mean, monthly mean, and monthly anomaly precipitation, although much of this skill originates from the first week of the forecast. The skill drops rapidly for lead 2‐month and longer and is highest in drier regions and seasons. The forecast skill of monthly meteorological drought events at lead 1‐month is modest. All models represent the monthly variation in the length of wet and dry spell days at lead 1‐month, but the skill is weak for heavy and very heavy precipitation days. ECMWF is found to be the most skillful model, followed by the UK‐Met, although the multi‐model weighted average provides the highest performance compared to individual models and the un‐weighted multi‐model mean.
Integrated multi-month dispensing of antihypertensive and antiretroviral therapy to sustain hypertension and HIV control
Authors: Kimera Isaac Derickk , Namugenyi Christabellah , Schwartz Jeremy I. , Musimbaggo Douglas Joseph , Ssenyonjo Rebecca , Atukunda Praise , Mutungi Gerald , Mugabe Frank , Ambangira Fortunate , Mbuliro Mary , Katwesigye Rodgers , Neupane Dinesh , Ssinabulya Isaac , Semitala Fred Collins , Delles Christian , Muddu Martin
Published: March 2022

Multi-month dispensing (MMD) is a patient-centered approach in which stable patients receive medicine refills of three months or more. In this pre-post longitudinal study, we determined hypertension and HIV treatment outcomes in a cohort of hypertensive PLHIV at baseline and 12 months of receiving integrated MMD. At each clinical encounter, one healthcare provider attended to both hypertension and HIV needs of each patient in an HIV clinic. Among the 1,082 patients who received MMD, the mean age was 51 (SD = 9) years and 677 (63%) were female. At the start of MMD, 1,071(98.9%) patients had achieved HIV viral suppression, and 767 (73.5%) had achieved hypertension control. Mean blood pressure reduced from 135/87 (SD = 15.6/15.2) mmHg at the start of MMD to 132/86 (SD = 15.2/10.5) mmHg at 12 months (p < 0.0001). Hypertension control improved from 73.5% to 78.5% (p = 0.01) without a significant difference in the proportion of patients with HIV viral suppression at baseline and at 12 months, 98.9% vs 99.0% (p = 0.65). Patients who received MMD with elevated systolic blood pressure at baseline were less likely to have controlled blood pressure at 12 months (OR-0.9, 95% CI, 0.90,0.92). Overall, 1,043 (96.4%) patients were retained at 12 months. Integrated MMD for stable hypertensive PLHIV improved hypertension control and sustained optimal HIV viral suppression and retention of patients in care. Therefore, it is feasible to provide integrated MMD for both hypertension and HIV treatment and achieve dual control in the setting of sub-Saharan Africa.
Zeb1-induced metabolic reprogramming of glycolysis is essential for macrophage polarization in breast cancer
Authors: Jiang Huimin , Wei Huimin , Wang Hang , Wang Zhaoyang , Li Jianjun , Ou Yang , Xiao Xuechun , Wang Wenhao , Chang Antao , Sun Wei , Zhao Li , Yang Shuang
Published: March 2022

Aerobic glycolysis (the Warburg effect) has been demonstrated to facilitate tumor progression by producing lactate, which has important roles as a proinflammatory and immunosuppressive mediator. However, how aerobic glycolysis is directly regulated is largely unknown. Here, we show that ectopic Zeb1 directly increases the transcriptional expression of HK2, PFKP, and PKM2, which are glycolytic rate-determining enzymes, thus promoting the Warburg effect and breast cancer proliferation, migration, and chemoresistance in vitro and in vivo. In addition, Zeb1 exerts its biological effects to induce glycolytic activity in response to hypoxia via the PI3K/Akt/HIF-1α signaling axis, which contributes to fostering an immunosuppressive tumor microenvironment (TME). Mechanistically, breast cancer cells with ectopic Zeb1 expression produce lactate in the acidic tumor milieu to induce the alternatively activated (M2) macrophage phenotype through stimulation of the PKA/CREB signaling pathway. Clinically, the expression of Zeb1 is positively correlated with dysregulation of aerobic glycolysis, accumulation of M2-like tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) and a poor prognosis in breast cancer patients. In conclusion, these findings identify a Zeb1-dependent mechanism as a driver of breast cancer progression that acts by stimulating tumor–macrophage interplay, which could be a viable therapeutic target for the treatment of advanced human cancers.
Enhanced pro-apoptosis gene signature following the activation of TAp63α in oocytes upon γ irradiation
Authors: Fester Niclas , Zielonka Elisabeth , Goldmann Jakob , Frombach Ann-Sophie , Müller-Kuller Uta , Gutfreund Niklas , Riegel Kristina , Smits Jos G. A. , Schleiff Enrico , Rajalingam Krishnaraj , Zhou Huiqing , Simm Stefan , Dötsch Volker
Published: March 2022

Specialized surveillance mechanisms are essential to maintain the genetic integrity of germ cells, which are not only the source of all somatic cells but also of the germ cells of the next generation. DNA damage and chromosomal aberrations are, therefore, not only detrimental for the individual but affect the entire species. In oocytes, the surveillance of the structural integrity of the DNA is maintained by the p53 family member TAp63α. The TAp63α protein is highly expressed in a closed and inactive state and gets activated to the open conformation upon the detection of DNA damage, in particular DNA double-strand breaks. To understand the cellular response to DNA damage that leads to the TAp63α triggered oocyte death we have investigated the RNA transcriptome of oocytes following irradiation at different time points. The analysis shows enhanced expression of pro-apoptotic and typical p53 target genes such as CDKn1a or Mdm2, concomitant with the activation of TAp63α. While DNA repair genes are not upregulated, inflammation-related genes become transcribed when apoptosis is initiated by activation of STAT transcription factors. Furthermore, comparison with the transcriptional profile of the ΔNp63α isoform from other studies shows only a minimal overlap, suggesting distinct regulatory programs of different p63 isoforms.
Chameleon-inspired multifunctional plasmonic nanoplatforms for biosensing applications
Authors: Ziai Yasamin , Petronella Francesca , Rinoldi Chiara , Nakielski Paweł , Zakrzewska Anna , Kowalewski Tomasz A. , Augustyniak Weronika , Li Xiaoran , Calogero Antonella , Sabała Izabela , Ding Bin , De Sio Luciano , Pierini Filippo
Published: March 2022

One of the most fascinating areas in the field of smart biopolymers is biomolecule sensing. Accordingly, multifunctional biomimetic, biocompatible, and stimuli-responsive materials based on hydrogels have attracted much interest. Within this framework, the design of nanostructured materials that do not require any external energy source is beneficial for developing a platform for sensing glucose in body fluids. In this article, we report the realization and application of an innovative platform consisting of two outer layers of a nanocomposite plasmonic hydrogel plus one inner layer of electrospun mat fabricated by electrospinning, where the outer layers exploit photoinitiated free radical polymerization, obtaining a compact and stable device. Inspired by the exceptional features of chameleon skin, plasmonic silver nanocubes are embedded into a poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)-based hydrogel network to obtain enhanced thermoresponsive and antibacterial properties. The introduction of an electrospun mat creates a compatible environment for the homogeneous hydrogel coating while imparting excellent mechanical and structural properties to the final system. Chemical, morphological, and optical characterizations were performed to investigate the structure of the layers and the multifunctional platform. The synergetic effect of the nanostructured system’s photothermal responsivity and antibacterial properties was evaluated. The sensing features associated with the optical properties of silver nanocubes revealed that the proposed multifunctional system is a promising candidate for glucose-sensing applications.
COVID-19, Green Deal and recovery plan permanently change emissions and prices in EU ETS Phase IV
Authors: Bruninx Kenneth , Ovaere Marten
Published: March 2022

The EU emissions trading system’s (ETS) invalidation rule implies that shocks and overlapping policies can change cumulative carbon emissions. This paper explains these mechanisms and simulates the effect of COVID-19, the European Green Deal, and the recovery stimulus package on cumulative EU ETS emissions and allowance prices. Our results indicate that the negative demand shock of the pandemic should have a limited effect on allowance prices and rather translates into lower cumulative carbon emissions. Aligning EU ETS with the 2030 reduction target of −55% might increase allowance prices to 45–94 €/ton CO2 today and reduce cumulative carbon emissions to 14.2–18.3 GtCO2 compared to 23.5–33.1 GtCO2 under a −40% 2030 reduction target. Our results crucially depend on when the waterbed will be sealed again, which is an endogenous market outcome, driven by the EU ETS design, shocks and overlapping climate policies such as the recovery plan.
Cytonemes coordinate asymmetric signaling and organization in the Drosophila muscle progenitor niche
Authors: Patel Akshay , Wu Yicong , Han Xiaofei , Su Yijun , Maugel Tim , Shroff Hari , Roy Sougata
Published: March 2022

Asymmetric signaling and organization in the stem-cell niche determine stem-cell fates. Here, we investigate the basis of asymmetric signaling and stem-cell organization using theDrosophilawing-disc that creates an adult muscle progenitor (AMP) niche. We show that AMPs extend polarized cytonemes to contact the disc epithelial junctions and adhere themselves to the disc/niche. Niche-adhering cytonemes localize FGF-receptor to selectively adhere to the FGF-producing disc and receive FGFs in a contact-dependent manner. Activation of FGF signaling in AMPs, in turn, reinforces disc-specific cytoneme polarity/adhesion, which maintains their disc-proximal positions. Loss of cytoneme-mediated adhesion promotes AMPs to lose niche occupancy and FGF signaling, occupy a disc-distal position, and acquire morphological hallmarks of differentiation. Niche-specific AMP organization and diversification patterns are determined by localized expression and presentation patterns of two different FGFs in the wing-disc and their polarized target-specific distribution through niche-adhering cytonemes. Thus, cytonemes are essential for asymmetric signaling and niche-specific AMP organization.
Whole-genome sequencing of 1,171 elderly admixed individuals from Brazil
Authors: Naslavsky Michel S. , Scliar Marilia O. , Yamamoto Guilherme L. , Wang Jaqueline Yu Ting , Zverinova Stepanka , Karp Tatiana , Nunes Kelly , Ceroni José Ricardo Magliocco , de Carvalho Diego Lima , da Silva Simões Carlos Eduardo , Bozoklian Daniel , Nonaka Ricardo , dos Santos Brito Silva Nayane , da Silva Souza Andreia , de Souza Andrade Heloísa , Passos Marília Rodrigues Silva , Castro Camila Ferreira Bannwart , Mendes-Junior Celso T. , Mercuri Rafael L. V. , Miller Thiago L. A. , Buzzo Jose Leonel , Rego Fernanda O. , Araújo Nathalia M. , Magalhães Wagner C. S. , Mingroni-Netto Regina Célia , Borda Victor , Guio Heinner , Rojas Carlos P. , Sanchez Cesar , Caceres Omar , Dean Michael , Barreto Mauricio L. , Lima-Costa Maria Fernanda , Horta Bernardo L. , Tarazona-Santos Eduardo , Meyer Diogo , Galante Pedro A. F. , Guryev Victor , Castelli Erick C. , Duarte Yeda A. O. , Passos-Bueno Maria Rita , Zatz Mayana
Published: March 2022

As whole-genome sequencing (WGS) becomes the gold standard tool for studying population genomics and medical applications, data on diverse non-European and admixed individuals are still scarce. Here, we present a high-coverage WGS dataset of 1,171 highly admixed elderly Brazilians from a census-based cohort, providing over 76 million variants, of which ~2 million are absent from large public databases. WGS enables identification of ~2,000 previously undescribed mobile element insertions without previous description, nearly 5 Mb of genomic segments absent from the human genome reference, and over 140 alleles from HLA genes absent from public resources. We reclassify and curate pathogenicity assertions for nearly four hundred variants in genes associated with dominantly-inherited Mendelian disorders and calculate the incidence for selected recessive disorders, demonstrating the clinical usefulness of the present study. Finally, we observe that whole-genome and HLA imputation could be significantly improved compared to available datasets since rare variation represents the largest proportion of input from WGS. These results demonstrate that even smaller sample sizes of underrepresented populations bring relevant data for genomic studies, especially when exploring analyses allowed only by WGS.
The molecular basis of FimT-mediated DNA uptake during bacterial natural transformation
Authors: Braus Sebastian A. G. , Short Francesca L. , Holz Stefanie , Stedman Matthew J. M. , Gossert Alvar D. , Hospenthal Manuela K.
Published: March 2022

Naturally competent bacteria encode sophisticated protein machinery for the uptake and translocation of exogenous DNA into the cell. If this DNA is integrated into the bacterial genome, the bacterium is said to be naturally transformed. Most competent bacterial species utilise type IV pili for the initial DNA uptake step. These proteinaceous cell-surface structures are composed of thousands of pilus subunits (pilins), designated as major or minor according to their relative abundance in the pilus. Here, we show that the minor pilin FimT plays an important role in the natural transformation of Legionella pneumophila. We use NMR spectroscopy, in vitro DNA binding assays and in vivo transformation assays to understand the molecular basis of FimT’s role in this process. FimT binds to DNA via an electropositive patch, rich in arginines, several of which are well-conserved and located in a conformationally flexible C-terminal tail. FimT orthologues from other Gammaproteobacteria share the ability to bind to DNA. Our results suggest that FimT plays an important role in DNA uptake in a wide range of competent species.
Evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in the human host
Authors: Wrobel Antoni G. , Benton Donald J. , Roustan Chloë , Borg Annabel , Hussain Saira , Martin Stephen R. , Rosenthal Peter B. , Skehel John J. , Gamblin Steven J.
Published: March 2022

Recently emerged variants of SARS-CoV-2 contain in their surface spike glycoproteins multiple substitutions associated with increased transmission and resistance to neutralising antibodies. We have examined the structure and receptor binding properties of spike proteins from the B.1.1.7 (Alpha) and B.1.351 (Beta) variants to better understand the evolution of the virus in humans. Spikes of both variants have the same mutation, N501Y, in the receptor-binding domains. This substitution confers tighter ACE2 binding, dependent on the common earlier substitution, D614G. Each variant spike has acquired other key changes in structure that likely impact virus pathogenesis. The spike from the Alpha variant is more stable against disruption upon binding ACE2 receptor than all other spikes studied. This feature is linked to the acquisition of a more basic substitution at the S1-S2 furin site (also observed for the variants of concern Delta, Kappa, and Omicron) which allows for near-complete cleavage. In the Beta variant spike, the presence of a new substitution, K417N (also observed in the Omicron variant), in combination with the D614G, stabilises a more open spike trimer, a conformation required for receptor binding. Our observations suggest ways these viruses have evolved to achieve greater transmissibility in humans.
Active label cleaning for improved dataset quality under resource constraints
Authors: Bernhardt Mélanie , Castro Daniel C. , Tanno Ryutaro , Schwaighofer Anton , Tezcan Kerem C. , Monteiro Miguel , Bannur Shruthi , Lungren Matthew P. , Nori Aditya , Glocker Ben , Alvarez-Valle Javier , Oktay Ozan
Published: March 2022

Imperfections in data annotation, known as label noise, are detrimental to the training of machine learning models and have a confounding effect on the assessment of model performance. Nevertheless, employing experts to remove label noise by fully re-annotating large datasets is infeasible in resource-constrained settings, such as healthcare. This work advocates for a data-driven approach to prioritising samples for re-annotation—which we term “active label cleaning". We propose to rank instances according to estimated label correctness and labelling difficulty of each sample, and introduce a simulation framework to evaluate relabelling efficacy. Our experiments on natural images and on a specifically-devised medical imaging benchmark show that cleaning noisy labels mitigates their negative impact on model training, evaluation, and selection. Crucially, the proposed approach enables correcting labels up to 4 × more effectively than typical random selection in realistic conditions, making better use of experts’ valuable time for improving dataset quality.
The indirect effect of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination on healthcare workers’ unvaccinated household members
Authors: Salo Jussipekka , Hägg Milla , Kortelainen Mika , Leino Tuija , Saxell Tanja , Siikanen Markku , Sääksvuori Lauri
Published: March 2022

Mass vaccination is effective in reducing SARS-CoV-2 infections among vaccinated individuals. However, it remains unclear how effectively COVID-19 vaccines prevent people from spreading the virus to their close contacts. Using nationwide administrative datasets on SARS-CoV-2 infections, vaccination records, demographics, and unique household IDs, we conducted an observational cohort study to estimate the direct and indirect effectiveness of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines in reducing infections among vaccinated healthcare workers and their unvaccinated household members. Our estimates for adults imply indirect effectiveness of 39.1% (95% CI: −7.1% to 65.3%) two weeks and 39.0% (95% CI: 18.9% to 54.0%) eight weeks after the second dose. We find that the indirect effect of mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines within households is smaller for unvaccinated children than for adults and statistically insignificant. Here, we show that mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines are associated with a reduction in SARS-CoV-2 infections not only among vaccinated individuals but also among unvaccinated adult household members in a real-world setting.
Oxygen-sensitive methylation of ULK1 is required for hypoxia-induced autophagy
Authors: Li Jingyi , Zhang Tao , Ren Tao , Liao Xiaoyu , Hao Yilong , Lim Je Sun , Lee Jong-Ho , Li Mi , Shao Jichun , Liu Rui
Published: March 2022

Hypoxia is a physiological stress that frequently occurs in solid tissues. Autophagy, a ubiquitous degradation/recycling system in eukaryotic cells, renders cells tolerant to multiple stressors. However, the mechanisms underlying autophagy initiation upon hypoxia remains unclear. Here we show that protein arginine methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) catalyzes symmetrical dimethylation of the autophagy initiation protein ULK1 at arginine 170 (R170me2s), a modification removed by lysine demethylase 5C (KDM5C). Despite unchanged PRMT5-mediated methylation, low oxygen levels decrease KDM5C activity and cause accumulation of ULK1 R170me2s. Dimethylation of ULK1 promotes autophosphorylation at T180, a prerequisite for ULK1 activation, subsequently causing phosphorylation of Atg13 and Beclin 1, autophagosome formation, mitochondrial clearance and reduced oxygen consumption. Further, expression of a ULK1 R170K mutant impaired cell proliferation under hypoxia. This study identifies an oxygen-sensitive methylation of ULK1 with an important role in hypoxic stress adaptation by promoting autophagy induction.
Landscape of adenosine-to-inosine RNA recoding across human tissues
Authors: Gabay Orshay , Shoshan Yoav , Kopel Eli , Ben-Zvi Udi , Mann Tomer D. , Bressler Noam , Cohen‐Fultheim Roni , Schaffer Amos A. , Roth Shalom Hillel , Tzur Ziv , Levanon Erez Y. , Eisenberg Eli
Published: March 2022

RNA editing by adenosine deaminases changes the information encoded in the mRNA from its genomic blueprint. Editing of protein-coding sequences can introduce novel, functionally distinct, protein isoforms and diversify the proteome. The functional importance of a few recoding sites has been appreciated for decades. However, systematic methods to uncover these sites perform poorly, and the full repertoire of recoding in human and other mammals is unknown. Here we present a new detection approach, and analyze 9125 GTEx RNA-seq samples, to produce a highly-accurate atlas of 1517 editing sites within the coding region and their editing levels across human tissues. Single-cell RNA-seq data shows protein recoding contributes to the variability across cell subpopulations. Most highly edited sites are evolutionary conserved in non-primate mammals, attesting for adaptation. This comprehensive set can facilitate understanding of the role of recoding in human physiology and diseases.
Macro- and atomic-scale observations of a one-dimensional heterojunction in a nickel and palladium nanowire complex
Authors: Wakizaka Masanori , Kumagai Shohei , Wu Hashen , Sonobe Takuya , Iguchi Hiroaki , Yoshida Takefumi , Yamashita Masahiro , Takaishi Shinya
Published: March 2022

The creation of low-dimensional heterostructures for intelligent devices is a challenging research topic; however, macro- and atomic-scale connections in one-dimensional (1D) electronic systems have not been achieved yet. Herein, we synthesize a heterostructure comprising a 1D Mott insulator [Ni(chxn)2Br]Br2 (1; chxn = 1R-2R-diaminocyclohexane) and a 1D Peierls or charge-density-wave insulator [Pd(chxn)2Br]Br2 (2) using stepwise electrochemical growth. It can be considered as the first example of electrochemical liquid-phase epitaxy applied to molecular-based heterostructures with a macroscopic scale. Moreover, atomic-resolution scanning tunneling microscopy images reveal a modulation of the electronic state in the heterojunction region with a length of five metal atoms (~ 2.5 nm), that is a direct evidence for the atomic-scale connection of 1 and 2. This is the first time that the heterojunction in the 1D chains has been shown and examined experimentally at macro- and atomic-scale. This study thus serves as proof of concept for heterojunctions in 1D electronic systems.
A top-down strategy for amorphization of hydroxyl compounds for electrocatalytic oxygen evolution
Authors: Liu Shangheng , Geng Shize , Li Ling , Zhang Ying , Ren Guomian , Huang Bolong , Hu Zhiwei , Lee Jyh-Fu , Lai Yu-Hong , Chu Ying-Hao , Xu Yong , Shao Qi , Huang Xiaoqing
Published: March 2022

Amorphous materials have attracted increasing attention in diverse fields due to their unique properties, yet their controllable fabrications still remain great challenges. Here, we demonstrate a top-down strategy for the fabrications of amorphous oxides through the amorphization of hydroxides. The versatility of this strategy has been validated by the amorphizations of unitary, binary and ternary hydroxides. Detailed characterizations indicate that the amorphization process is realized by the variation of coordination environment during thermal treatment, where the M–OH octahedral structure in hydroxides evolves to M–O tetrahedral structure in amorphous oxides with the disappearance of the M–M coordination. The optimal amorphous oxide (FeCoSn(OH)6-300) exhibits superior oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity in alkaline media, where the turnover frequency (TOF) value is 39.4 times higher than that of FeCoSn(OH)6. Moreover, the enhanced OER performance and the amorphization process are investigated with density functional theory (DFT) and molecule dynamics (MD) simulations. The reported top-down fabrication strategy for fabricating amorphous oxides, may further promote fundamental research into and practical applications of amorphous materials for catalysis.
Small symmetry-breaking triggering large chiroptical responses of Ag70 nanoclusters
Authors: Luo Xi-Ming , Gong Chun-Hua , Pan Fangfang , Si Yubing , Yuan Jia-Wang , Asad Muhammad , Dong Xi-Yan , Zang Shuang-Quan , Mak Thomas C. W.
Published: March 2022

The origins of the chiroptical activities of inorganic nanostructures have perplexed scientists, and deracemization of high-nuclearity metal nanoclusters (NCs) remains challenging. Here, we report a single-crystal structure of Rac-Ag70 that contains enantiomeric pairs of 70-nuclearity silver clusters with 20 free valence electrons (Ag70), and each of these clusters is a doubly truncated tetrahedron with pseudo-T symmetry. A deracemization method using a chiral metal precursor not only stabilizes Ag70 in solution but also enables monitoring of the gradual enlargement of the electronic circular dichroism (CD) responses and anisotropy factor gabs. The chiral crystals of R/S-Ag70 in space group P21 containing a pseudo-T-symmetric enantiomeric NC show significant kernel-based and shell-based CD responses. The small symmetry breaking of Td symmetry arising from local distortion of Ag−S motifs and rotation of the apical Ag3 trigons results in large chiroptical responses. This work opens an avenue to construct chiral medium/large-sized NCs and nanoparticles, which are promising for asymmetric catalysis, nonlinear optics, chiral sensing, and biomedicine.
Waning of SARS-CoV-2 booster viral-load reduction effectiveness
Authors: Levine-Tiefenbrun Matan , Yelin Idan , Alapi Hillel , Herzel Esma , Kuint Jacob , Chodick Gabriel , Gazit Sivan , Patalon Tal , Kishony Roy
Published: March 2022

The BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine has been shown to reduce viral load of breakthrough infections (BTIs), an important factor affecting infectiousness. This viral-load protective effect has been waning with time post the second vaccine and later restored with a booster shot. It is currently unclear though for how long this regained effectiveness lasts. Analyzing Ct values of SARS-CoV-2 qRT-PCR tests of over 22,000 infections during a Delta-variant-dominant period in Israel, we find that this viral-load reduction effectiveness significantly declines within months post the booster dose. Adjusting for age, sex and calendric date, Ct values of RdRp gene initially increases by 2.7 [CI: 2.3-3.0] relative to unvaccinated in the first month post the booster dose, yet then decays to a difference of 1.3 [CI: 0.7-1.9] in the second month and becomes small and insignificant in the third to fourth months. The rate and magnitude of this post-booster decline in viral-load reduction effectiveness mirror those observed post the second vaccine. These results suggest rapid waning of the booster’s effectiveness in reducing infectiousness, possibly affecting community-level spread of the virus.
Comparative treatments of a green tattoo ink with Ruby, Nd:YAG nano- and picosecond lasers in normal and array mode
Authors: Cecchetti Daniele , Bauer Elvira Maria , Guerriero Ettore , Sennato Simona , Tagliatesta Pietro , Tagliaferri Marco , Cerri Luca , Carbone Marilena
Published: March 2022

The tattoos removal has become an issue upon spread of the tattooing practice worldwide and hindsight regrets. Lasers are typically used for the purpose, though some colours such as green are considered “recalcitrant” to the treatment. In the current investigation, we aim at determining the efficacy of removal of a green ink water dispersion, using 5 laser treatments: Nd:YAG nano- and picosecond lasers in normal and array mode and Ruby nanosecond laser, keeping the total irradiated energy constant. The UV–Vis spectroscopy of the treated samples indicate that Nd:YAG picosecond laser is most effective, and the Ruby nanosecond laser is the least efficient. Fragment compounds generated from the pigment and siloxanes are common to all treatments, whereas hydrocarbon emerge by a larger amount upon Nd:YAG nanosecond treatment. Fibres are formed upon picosecond treatments and when operating in array mode, and lamellae are achieved by Ruby nanosecond laser treatment. Residual particles suspensions are very heterogeneous upon nanosecond treatments.
Non-local correlation dynamics in two-dimensional graphene
Authors: Mohamed Abdel-Baset A. , Abdel-Aty Abdel-Haleem , Qasymeh Montasir , Eleuch Hichem
Published: March 2022

We explore the non-local correlation dynamics in a Graphene sheet of disordered electrons in a two-dimensional honeycomb lattice, containing two sublattices, induced by the interaction range of impurity potentials of two Dirac points. The Bell function, uncertainty-induced non-locality, and concurrence are used to investigate the formation and robustness of the non-local correlation between the honeycomb lattice and the Dirac point. The generated lattice-point non-local correlations are explored when the lattice-point system is initially in the uncorrelated state. Due to the lattice-point interaction, the resulting Bell-function non-locality and entanglement concurrence satisfy the hierarchy principle. The generated uncertainty-induced non-locality correlation has a higher degree of stability and robustness than the Bell non-locality and concurrence. We analyze the robustness of the initial maximal non-local correlations under the effects of the band parameter, the intravalley scattering processes, the wave numbers, and the intrinsic decoherence. The formation and stability of lattice-point correlations are highly dependent on the honeycomb lattice and Dirac point characteristics.
An online cursive handwritten medical words recognition system for busy doctors in developing countries for ensuring efficient healthcare service delivery
Authors: Tabassum Shaira , Abedin Nuren , Rahman Md Mahmudur , Rahman Md Moshiur , Ahmed Mostafa Taufiq , Islam Rafiqul , Ahmed Ashir
Published: March 2022

Doctors in developing countries are too busy to write digital prescriptions. Ninety-seven percent of Bangladeshi doctors write handwritten prescriptions, the majority of which lack legibility. Prescriptions are harder to read as they contain multiple languages. This paper proposes a machine learning approach to recognize doctors’ handwriting to create digital prescriptions. A ‘Handwritten Medical Term Corpus’ dataset is developed containing 17,431 samples of 480 medical terms. In order to improve the recognition efficiency, this paper introduces a data augmentation technique to widen the variety and increase the sample size. A sequence of line data is extracted from the augmented images of 1,591,100 samples and fed to a Bidirectional Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM) network. Data augmentation includes pattern Rotating, Shifting, and Stretching (RSS). Eight different combinations are applied to evaluate the strength of the proposed method. The result shows 93.0% average accuracy (max: 94.5%, min: 92.1%) using Bidirectional LSTM and RSS data augmentation. This accuracy is 19.6% higher than the recognition result with no data expansion. The proposed handwritten recognition technology can be installed in a smartpen for busy doctors which will recognize the writings and digitize them in real-time. It is expected that the smartpen will contribute to reduce medical errors, save medical costs and ensure healthy living in developing countries.
A compact two elements MIMO antenna for 5G communication
Authors: Ahmad Ashfaq , Choi Dong-you , Ullah Sadiq
Published: March 2022

This study presents a simple, miniaturized, and low-profile multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antenna operating at 29 GHz with reduced mutual coupling between the antenna elements for futuristic 5G communication. The proposed design employs two radiating elements with slits in the radiators to produce high isolation among the antenna radiators. The MIMO antenna maintains a compact structure of 11.4 × 5.3 mm2, which is the smallest size compared to previous 5G antennas. Roger’s 4350B laminate was employed as a substrate material. At 29 GHz, low mutual coupling of − 36 dB, low envelope correlation coefficient (ECC < 0.001), and high diversity gain (DG > 9.8 dB) are achieved. The proposed design is examined in terms of the S-parameters, diversity gain, radiation pattern, and envelope correlation. Compared to the straight antenna element, an improvement of − 20 dB is observed in the isolation for both the simulated and measured results.
Deep learning based sarcopenia prediction from shear-wave ultrasonographic elastography and gray scale ultrasonography of rectus femoris muscle
Authors: Yi Jisook , Shin YiRang , Hahn Seok , Lee Young Han
Published: March 2022

We aim to evaluate the performance of a deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) in predicting the presence or absence of sarcopenia using shear-wave elastography (SWE) and gray-scale ultrasonography (GSU) of rectus femoris muscle as an imaging biomarker. This retrospective study included 160 pair sets of GSU and SWE images (n = 160) from December 2018 and July 2019. Two radiologists scored the echogenicity of muscle on GSU (4-point score). Among them, 141 patients underwent CT and their L3 skeletal muscle index (SMI) were measured to categorize the presence or absence of sarcopenia. For DCNN, we used three CNN architectures (VGG19, ResNet-50, DenseNet 121). The accuracies of DCNNs for sarcopenia classification were 70.0–80.0% (based on SWE) and 65.0–75.0% (based on GSU). The DCNN application to SWE images highlights the utility of deep-learning base SWE for sarcopenia prediction. DCNN application to SWE images might be a potentially useful biomarker to predict sarcopenic status.
Iron and manganese co-limit the growth of two phytoplankton groups dominant at two locations of the Drake Passage
Authors: Balaguer Jenna , Koch Florian , Hassler Christel , Trimborn Scarlett
Published: March 2022

While it has been recently demonstrated that both iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) control Southern Ocean (SO) plankton biomass, how in particular Mn governs phytoplankton species composition remains yet unclear. This study, for the first time, highlights the importance of Mn next to Fe for growth of two key SO phytoplankton groups at two locations in the Drake Passage (West and East). Even though the bulk parameter chlorophyll a indicated Fe availability as main driver of both phytoplankton assemblages, the flow cytometric and microscopic analysis revealed FeMn co-limitation of a key phytoplankton group at each location: at West the dominant diatom Fragilariopsis and one subgroup of picoeukaryotes, which numerically dominated the East community. Hence, the limitation by both Fe and Mn and their divergent requirements among phytoplankton species and groups can be a key factor for shaping SO phytoplankton community structure.
Zooming in on the initial steps of catalytic NO reduction using metal clusters
Authors: Bakker Joost M. , Mafuné Fumitaka
Published: March 2022

The study of reactions relevant to heterogeneous catalysis on metal clusters with full control over the number of constituent atoms and elemental composition can lead to a detailed insight into the interactions governing catalytic functionality.