bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term results of large common iliac artery aneurysms caused by Kawasaki disease in four patients
Authors: Tsuda Etsuko
Published: October 2022

Among Kawasaki disease patients with systemic artery aneurysms, the brachial and internal iliac arteries are the most commonly affected, and occlusions of both arteries are often found. However, the long-term fate of large common iliac artery aneurysms remains unknown, because their prevalence is very low. The long-term outcomes of common iliac artery aneurysms caused by Kawasaki disease in four patients (three females, one male) were investigated retrospectively based on their medical records and angiograms. Their ages ranged from 30 to 36 years-old. The onset age of Kawasaki disease ranged from 4 to 8 months, and the interval from the onset of Kawasaki disease to the latest angiogram ranged from 17 to 21 years. All patients had bilateral large coronary aneurysms and common iliac artery aneurysms with maximal diameters greater than 10 mm. Although all patients had multi-vessel coronary artery stenotic lesions and systemic artery aneurysms, they were asymptomatic. The three female patients underwent coronary artery bypass grafting, and the male patient underwent replacement of artificial vessels for large bilateral common iliac artery aneurysms at 3 years old of age. Over the long-term, common iliac artery aneurysms greater than 10 mm persisted as calcified aneurysms. However, they had no symptoms due to their common iliac artery aneurysms, and their ankle brachial pressure index was preserved, even if the stenosis of the common iliac artery developed as a late outcome, because the collateral arteries were well developed. The progression of stenosis of the common iliac artery after Kawasaki disease was slower.
Pandemics and Other Health Crises: A Special Report from a European Parliament Workshop
Authors: Quaglio Gianluca , Ragazzoni Luca , De la Mata Isabel , Arafat Raed , De Muynck Sabine , Vlieghe Erika , Claes Petra
Published: October 2022

Once an emergency has passed, general attention typically returns to dealing with day-to-day system management, and the opportunity to learn from the crisis and improve is missed. Lessons from the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis must be learned, and the necessary changes made at all levels, both in terms of improving collaboration and strengthening health systems. This special report provides the conclusion of a workshop held in the European Parliament (EP) in Brussels, Belgium. The event explored the modalities of response and preparation to the COVID-19 pandemic, and to health crises in general. The workshop considered actions at different levels: international organizations (global level), European Union (EU) Member States ([MS] national level), and health services (local level). It provided an opportunity to look back at several initiatives taken during the pandemic, and to draw inspiration from them.
Making the “Citizen Constitution”: Popular Participation in the Brazilian Transition to Democracy, 1985–1988
Authors: McDonald Daniel
Published: October 2022

This article examines popular participation in the making of Brazil's 1988 post-authoritarian “Citizen Constitution.” In 1987, Brazilians submitted 122 popular amendments (emendas populares) supported by over 12 million signatures to the National Constituent Assembly (1987–88). As this article contends, this extraordinary experiment in popular constitution-making problematizes notions of Brazil's transition from authoritarian to democratic rule as the most conservative of those that swept Latin America at the end of the Cold War. The popular amendments emerged amid a nationwide campaign for popular participation that saw millions of Brazilians participate in letter-writing campaigns, protests, and debates over the constitution that carried over into the halls of the Constituent Assembly itself. I argue that the popular amendments countered the arbitrary authoritarianism of the Brazilian civil-military dictatorship (1964–85) with a constitutionalism in which everyday Brazilians would safeguard democracy through popular participation in government. While only partially consolidated, this vision offered diverse marginalized groups an opportunity to claim full citizenship in Brazil's nascent democracy, especially in ways that more overtly addressed issues of race, ethnicity, gender, and disability. This article thus shows that far from being the exclusive province of political elites, everyday people meaningfully shaped the constitutional restorations in late twentieth-century Latin America.
Educational Attainment Polygenic Scores: Examining Evidence for Gene–Environment Interplay with Adolescent Alcohol, Tobacco and Cannabis Use
Authors: Davis Christal N. , Gizer Ian R. , Colodro-Conde Lucía , Statham Dixie J. , Martin Nicholas G. , Slutske Wendy S.
Published: October 2022

Genes associated with educational attainment may be related to or interact with adolescent alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use. Potential gene–environment interplay between educational attainment polygenic scores (EA-PGS) and adolescent alcohol, tobacco, and cannabis use was evaluated with a series of regression models fitted to data from a sample of 1871 adult Australian twins. All models controlled for age, age2, cohort, sex and genetic ancestry as fixed effects, and a genetic relatedness matrix was included as a random effect. Although there was no evidence that adolescent alcohol, tobacco or cannabis use interacted with EA-PGS to influence educational attainment, there was a significant, positive gene–environment correlation with adolescent alcohol use at all PGS thresholds (ps <.02). Higher EA-PGS were associated with an increased likelihood of using alcohol as an adolescent (ΔR2 ranged from 0.5% to 1.1%). The positive gene–environment correlation suggests a complex relationship between educational attainment and alcohol use that is due to common genetic factors.
HPPD-resistant cotton response and weed management systems using isoxaflutole
Authors: Foster Delaney C. , Dotray Peter A. , Thompson Corey N. , Baldwin Gregory B. , Moore Frederick T.
Published: October 2022

The southern United States produces 90% of the nation’s cotton, and the Texas High Plains is the largest contiguous cotton producing region. Since 2011, glyphosate-resistant Palmer amaranth has complicated cotton production, and alternatives to glyphosate are needed. Integrating soil residual herbicides into a weed management program is a crucial step to control glyphosate resistant weeds before emergence. The recent development of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD)-resistant cotton by BASF Corporation may allow growers to use isoxaflutole in future weed management programs. In 2019 and 2020, field experiments were conducted in New Deal, Lubbock, and Halfway, Texas, to evaluate HPPD-resistant cotton response to isoxaflutole applied preemergence (PRE) or early postemergence (EPOST) and to determine the efficacy of isoxaflutole when used as part of a season-long weed management program. At the New Deal location, cotton response was observed following the EPOST application, but it never exceeded 10%. Cotton response was greatest following the PRE application in Lubbock in 2019 but did not exceed 14%. In 2020 in Lubbock, cotton was replanted due to severe weather. There was <1% cotton response following the PRE application, and maximum cotton response observed was 9% following EPOST and mid-postemergence (MPOST) applications. Cotton lint yields were not different from those of the nontreated, weed-free control at either location. In non-crop weed control studies in Halfway, all treatments controlled Palmer amaranth ≥94% 21 d after the EPOST application. Twenty-one days after the MPOST treatment, systems with isoxaflutole applied EPOST controlled Palmer amaranth by 88% to 93%, while systems with isoxaflutole PRE controlled Palmer amaranth by 94% to 98%. End-of-season Palmer amaranth control was lowest in the system without isoxaflutole (88%) and when isoxaflutole was used EPOST (88% to 91%). These studies suggest that the use of isoxaflutole in cotton weed management systems may improve season-long control of several troublesome weeds with no adverse effects on cotton yield and quality.
A Technique for the Array Partitioning
Authors: Capozzoli Amedeo , Curcio Claudio , D’Elia Giuseppe , Liseno Angelo
Published: October 2022

A first stage of a sub‐array synthesis method is presented. The approach refers to a continuous aperture radiating multiple beams thanks to a phase‐only control and its aim is to determine the optimal partitioning of an aperture into sub‐apertures fed with a constant phase. The technique is based on a multi‐stage approach. Several synthesis tools are used in cascade to perform the multiple beam synthesis of a prefixed aperture. To improve the effectiveness of the method, an interleaved use of global and local optimizers is adopted and the number of the unknowns is progressively increased from stage to stage. A numerical analysis is reported to show the effectiveness of the method.
Characterizing Groundwater Chemistry and Recharge in the Critical Zone of an Agricultural Claypan Watershed
Authors: Hofmeister Kathryn , Lerch Robert , Baffaut Claire , Yang John , Liu Fengjing
Published: October 2022

Soils with low permeability horizons (e.g., claypans) are vulnerable to loss of nutrients through surface runoff along with preferential flow paths through the restrictive horizon to deeper aquifers. Partitioning between these hydrologic pathways is important to determine transport processes and develop strategies that mitigate stream contamination. Our objective was to investigate controls on groundwater chemistry and recharge pathways using natural geochemical tracers in the Goodwater Creek Experimental Watershed in Missouri, U.S. Groundwater samples were collected during 2011–2017 from 32 piezometers ranging from 0.13 to 16 m deep along with stream water and precipitation. Diagnostic tools of mixing models indicated that chemistry of perched water directly above the claypan and shallow groundwater immediately below was controlled primarily by chemical equilibrium. Five solutes behaved conservatively in most deep piezometers (>5 m), reflecting mixing of two end members and the lack of significant denitrification processes. End member mixing analysis showed that the deeper groundwater originated primarily from groundwater at similar depths, often upslope or from strata directly above, with small contributions from perched water, highlighting the importance of both horizontal and vertical preferential recharge pathways. Vertical pathways are likely dictated by soil heterogeneity throughout the critical zone and do not occur synchronously with precipitation events or simultaneously over all piezometer locations. The complex recharge pathways provide stochastic conduits for nitrate transport to deeper aquifers where legacy stores accumulate, presenting a significant challenge for water quality management in watersheds with restrictive soil horizons and spatially and temporally heterogeneous preferential flow pathways, including the Mississippi River Basin.
Mapping the Lithosphere and Asthenosphere Beneath Alaska With Sp Converted Waves
Authors: Gama Isabella , Fischer Karen M. , Hua Junlin
Published: October 2022

We obtained a 3D image of crust and mantle seismic velocity gradients beneath the state of Alaska using common‐conversion point (CCP) stacking of S‐to‐p converted body waves recorded by hundreds of stations from the NSF EarthScope Transportable Array and other portable arrays and permanent networks. Moho depths delineate the thick crust of the underthrust Yakutat terrane and the crustal root beneath the Brooks Range. The North American lithosphere is particularly thin close to the subducting lithosphere in the Alaska subduction zone, consistent with thinning of the upper plate by subduction zone flow and melt rising from the mantle wedge. The lithosphere remains relatively thin far to the northwest and north, including the Seward Peninsula and regions to the south of the Brooks Range where lithospheric extension and foundering may have played a role. The lithosphere dramatically thickens beneath the Brooks Range and northern Arctic Alaska terrane where it appears to be both cold and highly viscous. The CCP stack also revealed a pronounced positive velocity gradient at depths of 130–230 km that represents the base of a layer within the asthenosphere whose low velocities are best explained by the presence of partial melt. Although this gradient is present close to the subducting lithosphere, where partial melting is enabled by slab‐derived fluids, it is strongest beneath the Seward Peninsula and northeast of the Wrangell volcanic field, suggesting the presence of partial melt in the asthenosphere hundreds of kilometers away from the slab, likely due to decompression melting in upwelling asthenosphere.
On the Spatial Variability of the Mesoscale Sea Surface Height Wavenumber Spectra in the Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Xu Xiaobiao , Chassignet Eric P. , Wallcraft Alan J. , Arbic Brian K. , Buijsman Maarten C. , Solano Miguel
Published: October 2022

The wavenumber spectral slope of sea surface height (SSH) computed within the mesoscale range (70–250 km) from satellite altimetry exhibits a large spatial variability which, until now, has not been reproduced in numerical ocean models. This study documents the impacts of including internal tides, high‐resolution bathymetry, and high‐frequency atmospheric variability on the SSH wavenumber spectra in the Atlantic Ocean, using a series of 1/50° North and equatorial Atlantic simulations with a realistic representation of barotropic/baroclinic tides and mesoscale‐to‐submesoscale variability. The results show that the inclusion of internal tides does increase high frequency SSH variability (with clear peaks near 120 and 70 km) and flattens the spectra slope in the mesoscale range in a good agreement with observations. The surface signature of internal tides, mostly in the equatorial Atlantic but also in subtropical regions in the eastern North Atlantic, is the primary reason behind the observed large spatial variability of the spectral slope in the Atlantic. Internal tides are stronger in the tropical regions when compared to higher latitudes because of the stronger barotropic tides and stronger stratification in the upper layer of the water column. High‐resolution bathymetry does play an important role in the internal tide generation on a local scale, but its impact on the modeled large‐scale SSH variability and SSH wavenumber spectra is quite small. High‐frequency wind variability plays only a minor role on the generation of the simulated high‐frequency SSH variability. Impact of altimetry sampling on the computation of the SSH wavenumber spectra is also discussed.
Meteorological Controls on Reversible Resonance Changes in Natural Rock Arches
Authors: Geimer Paul R. , Finnegan Riley , Moore Jeffrey R.
Published: October 2022

Continuous ambient seismic monitoring is becoming common for structural health assessment of geologic features. However, the ability to detect or predict permanent mechanical change associated with damage requires detailed understanding of reversible drifts in resonance attributes associated with changing meteorological conditions. Here, we analyze the response of 17 sandstone rock arches to changing meteorological conditions during extended vibration‐based monitoring, with a focus on 1 arch in Utah which was continuously monitored for 15 months. Our results show that variations in resonance are correlated with temperature on daily and yearly time scales, but that the temperature sensitivity of frequency changes are variable at different sites and resonance modes, generally ranging from 0.5% to 6% per 10°C. Numerical modeling suggests the primary mechanism governing these frequency drifts is stress stiffening, where confined thermal dilation induces bulk stress changes in the low‐stress, nonlinear elastic regime via fracture closure. Secondary mechanisms affecting resonance attributes are driven by moisture, including formation of shallow pore ice, which can generate sharp frequency changes of up to 17% per −10°C, and moisture‐induced softening. Daily lag times of several hours between temperature and frequency extrema provide constraints on the rock volumes affected by these mechanisms, indicating modal attributes are sensitive to thermally driven changes occurring in the outermost centimeters of the structure. Through improved understanding of the reversible variations of rock mass resonance, our results aid future assessment of irreversible frequency changes associated with damage, and thus structural health monitoring of fragile geologic features.
North American Glaciations and Pacific Inputs in the Nd and Sr Isotope Pleistocene Record From the Western Arctic Ocean
Authors: Muratli Jesse M. , Polyak Leonid , Haley Brian A. , Kuznetsov Anton
Published: October 2022

Enduring questions remain regarding the transition from relatively warm and stable pre‐ and early‐Pleistocene climate to that of the high amplitude glacial‐interglacial cycles later in the Quaternary. The main shift in glacial intensity and periodicity around 1 Ma is known as the Mid‐Pleistocene Transition (MPT). Here we analyze detrital strontium (Sr) and neodymium (Nd) isotopes in a western Arctic sediment core P23 previously investigated using several litho/biostratigraphic proxies. Based on an improved age framework combining lithostratigraphic cyclicity and Sr isotope stratigraphy, the P23 record extends to ∼3.3 Ma, thus providing a rare insight into the Quaternary Arctic climate change. The distinct pre‐MPT P23 record is dominated by Pacific‐sourced sediment inputs, with little to no intra‐Arctic glacial inputs, except for a sandy interval around ∼2.5 Ma. A consistent decrease of Nd isotopic values toward North American continental signatures started in both the Arctic and Bering Sea at ∼1.5 Ma and led to a major threshold shift in P23 proxies at ∼0.9 Ma. We argue that this threshold was associated with the first prolonged closure of the Bering Strait for an entire obliquity cycle. This shift marked the expansion of the North American ice sheets to the Arctic margin, with dramatic impacts on depositional and hydrographic environments in the Arctic Ocean. These impacts intensified in the subsequent glacial intervals indicating further ice‐sheet growth, probably fed back by continuing prolonged Bering Strait closures.
An Integrated Structural and Magnetic Fabric Study to Constrain the Progressive Extensional Tectonics of the Rio do Peixe Basin, Brazil
Authors: Nicchio M. A. , Balsamo F. , Cifelli F. , Nogueira F. C. C. , Aldega L. , Bezerra F. H. R. , Vasconcelos D. L. , Souza J. A. B.
Published: October 2022

We constrained the tectonic evolution of the intracratonic Cretaceous Rio do Peixe Basin (RPB) in NE Brazil, combining structural and Anisotropy of Magnetic Susceptibility (AMS) data. We analyzed the structural features of four sites along two major faults bordering the basin, the NE‐striking Portalegre Fault and the E‐W‐striking Malta Fault. AMS data from 42 sites in the syn‐rift sandstone suggest two stretching directions driving the opening of the RPB. The early syn‐rift phase I resulted from N‐S to NNE‐SSW stretching direction with vertical σ1, producing normal fault displacement along the E‐W‐striking Malta Fault and right‐lateral transtension along the NE‐striking Portalegre Fault, Sítio Saguí and Lagoa do Forno faults. The syn‐rift phase II resulted from NW‐SE stretching direction with vertical σ1, causing normal displacement on NE‐striking major faults and left‐lateral transtension on E‐W‐striking major faults. Additionally, the NW‐SE extension was responsible for forming NE‐striking extensional faults and deformation bands in sedimentary units. The RPB developed due to the intraplate deformation of the Borborema Province during the early stage of the Pangea Breakup and recorded two stretching directions that gradually shifted from NNE‐SSW to NW‐SE as a consequence of the South America clockwise rotation. The extensional stress orthogonal to the main E‐W‐striking and NE‐striking Precambrian shear zones facilitated the opening and evolution of the RPB.
Shared brain and genetic architectures between mental health and physical activity
Authors: Zhang Wei , Paul Sarah E. , Winkler Anderson , Bogdan Ryan , Bijsterbosch Janine D.
Published: October 2022

Physical activity is correlated with, and effectively treats various forms of psychopathology. However, whether biological correlates of physical activity and psychopathology are shared remains unclear. Here, we examined the extent to which the neural and genetic architecture of physical activity and mental health are shared. Using data from the UK Biobank (N = 6389), we applied canonical correlation analysis to estimate associations between the amplitude and connectivity strength of subnetworks of three major neurocognitive networks (default mode, DMN; salience, SN; central executive networks, CEN) with accelerometer-derived measures of physical activity and self-reported mental health measures (primarily of depression, anxiety disorders, neuroticism, subjective well-being, and risk-taking behaviors). We estimated the genetic correlation between mental health and physical activity measures, as well as putative causal relationships by applying linkage disequilibrium score regression, genomic structural equational modeling, and latent causal variable analysis to genome-wide association summary statistics (GWAS N = 91,105–500,199). Physical activity and mental health were associated with connectivity strength and amplitude of the DMN, SN, and CEN (r’s ≥ 0.12, p’s < 0.048). These neural correlates exhibited highly similar loading patterns across mental health and physical activity models even when accounting for their shared variance. This suggests a largely shared brain network architecture between mental health and physical activity. Mental health and physical activity (including sleep) were also genetically correlated (|rg| = 0.085–0.121), but we found no evidence for causal relationships between them. Collectively, our findings provide empirical evidence that mental health and physical activity have shared brain and genetic architectures and suggest potential candidate subnetworks for future studies on brain mechanisms underlying beneficial effects of physical activity on mental health.
PD-L1 induction via the MEK-JNK-AP1 axis by a neddylation inhibitor promotes cancer-associated immunosuppression
Authors: Zhang Shizhen , You Xiahong , Xu Tiantian , Chen Qian , Li Hua , Dou Longyu , Sun Yilun , Xiong Xiufang , Meredith Morgan A. , Sun Yi
Published: October 2022

MLN4924 is a first-in-class small molecule inhibitor of NEDD8-activating enzyme (NAE), which is currently in several clinical trials for anti-cancer applications. However, MLN4924 also showed some off-target effects with potential to promote the growth of cancer cells which counteracts its anticancer activity. In this study, we found that MLN4924 increases the levels of PD-L1 mRNA and protein in dose- and time-dependent manners. Mechanistic study showed that this MLN4924 effect is largely independent of neddylation inactivation, but is due to activation of both ERK and JNK signals, leading to AP-1 activation, which is blocked by the small molecule inhibitors of MEK and JNK, respectively. Biologically, MLN4924 attenuates T cell killing in a co-culture model due to PD-L1 upregulation, which can be, at least in part, abrogated by either MEK inhibitor or anti-PD-L1 antibody. In an in vivo BALB/c mouse xenograft tumor model, while MLN4924 alone had no effect, combination with either MEK inhibitor or anti-PD-L1 antibody enhanced the suppression of tumor growth. Taken together, our study provides a sound rationale for effective anticancer therapy in combination of anti-PD-L1 antibody or MEK inhibitor with MLN4924 to overcome the side-effect of immunosuppression by MLN4924 via PD-L1 induction.
IgG-like bispecific antibodies with potent and synergistic neutralization against circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Authors: Chang Matthew R. , Tomasovic Luke , Kuzmina Natalia A. , Ronk Adam J. , Byrne Patrick O. , Johnson Rebecca , Storm Nadia , Olmedillas Eduardo , Hou Yixuan J. , Schäfer Alexandra , Leist Sarah R. , Tse Longping V. , Ke Hanzhong , Coherd Christian , Nguyen Katrina , Kamkaew Maliwan , Honko Anna , Zhu Quan , Alter Galit , Saphire Erica Ollmann , McLellan Jason S. , Griffiths Anthony , Baric Ralph S. , Bukreyev Alexander , Marasco Wayne A.
Published: October 2022

Monoclonal antibodies are a promising approach to treat COVID-19, however the emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants has challenged the efficacy and future of these therapies. Antibody cocktails are being employed to mitigate these challenges, but neutralization escape remains a major challenge and alternative strategies are needed. Here we present two anti-SARS-CoV-2 spike binding antibodies, one Class 1 and one Class 4, selected from our non-immune human single-chain variable fragment (scFv) phage library, that are engineered into four, fully-human IgG-like bispecific antibodies (BsAb). Prophylaxis of hACE2 mice and post-infection treatment of golden hamsters demonstrates the efficacy of the monospecific antibodies against the original Wuhan strain, while promising in vitro results with the BsAbs demonstrate enhanced binding and distinct synergistic effects on neutralizing activity against circulating variants of concern. In particular, one BsAb engineered in a tandem scFv-Fc configuration shows synergistic neutralization activity against several variants of concern including B.1.617.2. This work provides evidence that synergistic neutralization can be achieved using a BsAb scaffold, and serves as a foundation for the future development of broadly reactive BsAbs against emerging variants of concern.
Immunogenicity decay and case incidence six months post Sinovac-CoronaVac vaccine in autoimmune rheumatic diseases patients
Authors: Silva Clovis A. , Medeiros-Ribeiro Ana C. , Kupa Leonard V. K. , Yuki Emily F. N. , Pasoto Sandra G. , Saad Carla G. S. , Fusco Solange R. G. , Pereira Rosa M. R. , Shinjo Samuel K. , Halpern Ari S. R. , Borba Eduardo F. , Souza Fernando H. C. , Guedes Lissiane K. N. , Miossi Renata , Bonfiglioli Karina R. , Domiciano Diogo S. , Shimabuco Andrea Y. , Andrade Danieli C. O. , Seguro Luciana P. C. , Fuller Ricardo , Sampaio-Barros Percival D. , Assad Ana P. L. , Moraes Julio C. B. , Goldenstein-Schainberg Claudia , Giardini Henrique A. M. , Silva Henrique C. , Martins Victor A. O. , Villamarin Lorena E. B. , Novellino Renata S. , Sales Lucas P. , Araújo Carlo S. R. , Silva Matheus S. R. , Filho Dilson M. N. , Lopes Marta H. , Duarte Alberto J. S. , Kallas Esper G. , Aikawa Nadia E. , Bonfa Eloisa
Published: October 2022

The determination of durability and vaccine-associated protection is essential for booster doses strategies, however data on the stability of SARS-CoV-2 immunity are scarce. Here we assess anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunogenicity decay and incident cases six months after the 2nd dose of Sinovac-CoronaVac inactivated vaccine (D210) in 828 autoimmune rheumatic diseases patients compared with 207 age/sex-balanced control individuals. The primary outcome is the presence of anti-S1/S2 SARS-CoV-2 IgG at 6 months compared to 6 weeks after 2nd vaccine dose for decay evaluation. Secondary outcomes are presence of neutralizing antibodies, percent inhibition by neutralizing, geometric mean titers and cumulative incident cases at 6 months after 2nd dose. Anti-S1/S2 IgG positivity and titers reduce to 23.8% and 38% in patients (p < 0.001) during the six-month follow up and 20% and 51% in controls (p < 0.001), respectively. Neutralizing antibodies positivity and percent inhibition declines 41% and 54% in patients (p < 0.001) and 39.7% and 47% in controls (p < 0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis show males (OR = 0.56;95% CI0.40-0.79), prednisone (OR = 0.56; 95% CI0.41-0.76), anti-TNF (OR = 0.66;95% CI0.45-0.96), abatacept (OR = 0.29; 95% CI0.15-0.56) and rituximab (OR = 0.32;95% CI0.11-0.90) associate with a substantial reduction in IgG response at day 210 in patients. Although cellular immunity was not assessed, a decrease of COVID-19 cases (from 27.5 to 8.1/100 person-years; p < 0.001) is observed despite the concomitant emergence and spread of the Delta variant. Altogether we show a reduction in immunity 6-months of Sinovac-CoronaVac 2nd dose, particularly in males and those under immunosuppressives therapies, without a concomitant rise in COVID-19 cases. (CoronavRheum clinicaltrials.gov:NCT04754698).
Linking the scaling of tremor and slow slip near Parkfield, CA
Authors: Huang Hui , Hawthorne Jessica C.
Published: October 2022

There has been much debate about the fault zone processes that generate slow earthquakes, including tremor and slow slip. Indeed, we still debate whether tremor and slow slip are generated by the same process operating at different scales or by two distinct processes. Here we investigate tremor scaling near Parkfield, California; we examine how rupture duration scales with moment. We thoroughly search for and detect the low frequency earthquakes (LFEs) that constitute tremor and robustly estimate their durations. Our results show varying durations (0.1–0.6 s) and spectra for LFEs at the same location. These variations confirm a common assumption, that LFEs’ observed low frequency contents are due to source processes, not path effects. The LFEs’ amplitude and spectra variations are consistent with a linear moment-duration scaling: the same scaling observed among slow slip events. The similar scaling suggests that tremor and slow slip events are governed by the same fault zone process and that when we attempt to identify the process creating slow earthquakes, we should focus on processes which allow higher slip rates on smaller faults.
Complex spatio-temporal structure of the Holocene Thermal Maximum
Authors: Cartapanis Olivier , Jonkers Lukas , Moffa-Sanchez Paola , Jaccard Samuel L. , de Vernal Anne
Published: October 2022

Inconsistencies between Holocene climate reconstructions and numerical model simulations question the robustness of climate models and proxy temperature records. Climate reconstructions suggest an early-middle Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) followed by gradual cooling, whereas climate models indicate continuous warming. This discrepancy either implies seasonal biases in proxy-based climate reconstructions, or that the climate model sensitivity to forcings and feedbacks needs to be reevaluated. Here, we analyze a global database of Holocene paleotemperature records to investigate the spatiotemporal structure of the HTM. Continental proxy records at mid and high latitudes of the Northern Hemisphere portray a “classic” HTM (8–4 ka). In contrast, marine proxy records from the same latitudes reveal an earlier HTM (11–7ka), while a clear temperature anomaly is missing in the tropics. The results indicate a heterogeneous response to climate forcing and highlight the lack of globally synchronous HTM.
Ultrathin crystalline-silicon-based strain gauges with deep learning algorithms for silent speech interfaces
Authors: Kim Taemin , Shin Yejee , Kang Kyowon , Kim Kiho , Kim Gwanho , Byeon Yunsu , Kim Hwayeon , Gao Yuyan , Lee Jeong Ryong , Son Geonhui , Kim Taeseong , Jun Yohan , Kim Jihyun , Lee Jinyoung , Um Seyun , Kwon Yoohwan , Son Byung Gwan , Cho Myeongki , Sang Mingyu , Shin Jongwoon , Kim Kyubeen , Suh Jungmin , Choi Heekyeong , Hong Seokjun , Cheng Huanyu , Kang Hong-Goo , Hwang Dosik , Yu Ki Jun
Published: October 2022

A wearable silent speech interface (SSI) is a promising platform that enables verbal communication without vocalization. The most widely studied methodology for SSI focuses on surface electromyography (sEMG). However, sEMG suffers from low scalability because of signal quality-related issues, including signal-to-noise ratio and interelectrode interference. Hence, here, we present a novel SSI by utilizing crystalline-silicon-based strain sensors combined with a 3D convolutional deep learning algorithm. Two perpendicularly placed strain gauges with minimized cell dimension (<0.1 mm2) could effectively capture the biaxial strain information with high reliability. We attached four strain sensors near the subject’s mouths and collected strain data of unprecedently large wordsets (100 words), which our SSI can classify at a high accuracy rate (87.53%). Several analysis methods were demonstrated to verify the system’s reliability, as well as the performance comparison with another SSI using sEMG electrodes with the same dimension, which exhibited a relatively low accuracy rate (42.60%).
Molecular asymmetry of a photosynthetic supercomplex from green sulfur bacteria
Authors: Puskar Ryan , Du Truong Chloe , Swain Kyle , Chowdhury Saborni , Chan Ka-Yi , Li Shan , Cheng Kai-Wen , Wang Ting Yu , Poh Yu-Ping , Mazor Yuval , Liu Haijun , Chou Tsui-Fen , Nannenga Brent L. , Chiu Po-Lin
Published: October 2022

The photochemical reaction center (RC) features a dimeric architecture for charge separation across the membrane. In green sulfur bacteria (GSB), the trimeric Fenna-Matthews-Olson (FMO) complex mediates the transfer of light energy from the chlorosome antenna complex to the RC. Here we determine the structure of the photosynthetic supercomplex from the GSB Chlorobaculum tepidum using single-particle cryogenic electron microscopy (cryo-EM) and identify the cytochrome c subunit (PscC), two accessory protein subunits (PscE and PscF), a second FMO trimeric complex, and a linker pigment between FMO and the RC core. The protein subunits that are assembled with the symmetric RC core generate an asymmetric photosynthetic supercomplex. One linker bacteriochlorophyll (BChl) is located in one of the two FMO-PscA interfaces, leading to differential efficiencies of the two energy transfer branches. The two FMO trimeric complexes establish two different binding interfaces with the RC cytoplasmic surface, driven by the associated accessory subunits. This structure of the GSB photosynthetic supercomplex provides mechanistic insight into the light excitation energy transfer routes and a possible evolutionary transition intermediate of the bacterial photosynthetic supercomplex from the primitive homodimeric RC.
Tissue-specific impacts of aging and genetics on gene expression patterns in humans
Authors: Yamamoto Ryo , Chung Ryan , Vazquez Juan Manuel , Sheng Huanjie , Steinberg Philippa L. , Ioannidis Nilah M. , Sudmant Peter H.
Published: October 2022

Age is the primary risk factor for many common human diseases. Here, we quantify the relative contributions of genetics and aging to gene expression patterns across 27 tissues from 948 humans. We show that the predictive power of expression quantitative trait loci is impacted by age in many tissues. Jointly modelling the contributions of age and genetics to transcript level variation we find expression heritability (h2) is consistent among tissues while the contribution of aging varies by >20-fold with $${R}_{{{{{{{{\rm{age}}}}}}}}}^{2} \; > \;{h}^{2}$$

R

age

2

>

h

2

in 5 tissues. We find that while the force of purifying selection is stronger on genes expressed early versus late in life (Medawar’s hypothesis), several highly proliferative tissues exhibit the opposite pattern. These non-Medawarian tissues exhibit high rates of cancer and age-of-expression-associated somatic mutations. In contrast, genes under genetic control are under relaxed constraint. Together, we demonstrate the distinct roles of aging and genetics on expression phenotypes.
Coupling of nanocrystal hexagonal array and two-dimensional metastable substrate boosts H2-production
Authors: Fan Zhenglong , Liao Fan , Ji Yujin , Liu Yang , Huang Hui , Wang Dan , Yin Kui , Yang Haiwei , Ma Mengjie , Zhu Wenxiang , Wang Meng , Kang Zhenhui , Li Youyong , Shao Mingwang , Hu Zhiwei , Shao Qi
Published: October 2022

Designing well-ordered nanocrystal arrays with subnanometre distances can provide promising materials for future nanoscale applications. However, the fabrication of aligned arrays with controllable accuracy in the subnanometre range with conventional lithography, template or self-assembly strategies faces many challenges. Here, we report a two-dimensional layered metastable oxide, trigonal phase rhodium oxide (space group, P-3m1 (164)), which provides a platform from which to construct well-ordered face-centred cubic rhodium nanocrystal arrays in a hexagonal pattern with an intersurface distance of only 0.5 nm. The coupling of the well-ordered rhodium array and metastable substrate in this catalyst triggers and improves hydrogen spillover, enhancing the acidic hydrogen evolution for H2 production, which is essential for various clean energy-related devices. The catalyst achieves a low overpotential of only 9.8 mV at a current density of −10 mA cm−2, a low Tafel slope of 24.0 mV dec−1, and high stability under a high potential (vs. RHE) of −0.4 V (current density of ~750 mA cm−2). This work highlights the important role of metastable materials in the design of advanced materials to achieve high-performance catalysis.
The mitochondrial calcium uniporter of pulmonary type 2 cells determines severity of acute lung injury
Authors: Islam Mohammad Naimul , Gusarova Galina A. , Das Shonit R. , Li Li , Monma Eiji , Anjaneyulu Murari , Mthunzi Liberty , Quadri Sadiqa K. , Owusu-Ansah Edward , Bhattacharya Sunita , Bhattacharya Jahar
Published: October 2022

Acute Lung Injury (ALI) due to inhaled pathogens causes high mortality. Underlying mechanisms are inadequately understood. Here, by optical imaging of live mouse lungs we show that a key mechanism is the viability of cytosolic Ca2+ buffering by the mitochondrial Ca2+ uniporter (MCU) in the lung’s surfactant-secreting, alveolar type 2 cells (AT2). The buffering increased mitochondrial Ca2+ and induced surfactant secretion in wild-type mice, but not in mice with AT2-specific MCU knockout. In the knockout mice, ALI due to intranasal LPS instillation caused severe pulmonary edema and mortality, which were mitigated by surfactant replenishment prior to LPS instillation, indicating surfactant’s protective effect against alveolar edema. In wild-type mice, intranasal LPS, or Pseudomonas aeruginosa decreased AT2 MCU. Loss of MCU abrogated buffering. The resulting mortality was reduced by spontaneous recovery of MCU expression, or by MCU replenishment. Enhancement of AT2 mitochondrial buffering, hence endogenous surfactant secretion, through MCU replenishment might be a therapy against ALI.
Uniformly aligned flexible magnetic films from bacterial nanocelluloses for fast actuating optical materials
Authors: Zhang Xiaofang , Kang Saewon , Adstedt Katarina , Kim Minkyu , Xiong Rui , Yu Juan , Chen Xinran , Zhao Xulin , Ye Chunhong , Tsukruk Vladimir V.
Published: October 2022

Naturally derived biopolymers have attracted great interest to construct photonic materials with multi-scale ordering, adaptive birefringence, chiral organization, actuation and robustness. Nevertheless, traditional processing commonly results in non-uniform organization across large-scale areas. Here, we report magnetically steerable uniform biophotonic organization of cellulose nanocrystals decorated with superparamagnetic nanoparticles with strong magnetic susceptibility, enabling transformation from helicoidal cholesteric (chiral nematic) to uniaxial nematic phase with near-perfect orientation order parameter of 0.98 across large areas. We demonstrate that magnetically triggered high shearing rate of circular flow exceeds those for conventional evaporation-based assembly by two orders of magnitude. This high rate shearing facilitates unconventional unidirectional orientation of nanocrystals along gradient magnetic field and untwisting helical organization. These translucent magnetic films are flexible, robust, and possess anisotropic birefringence and light scattering combined with relatively high optical transparency reaching 75%. Enhanced mechanical robustness and uniform organization facilitate fast, multimodal, and repeatable actuation in response to magnetic field, humidity variation, and light illumination.
Unraveling the electrocatalytic reduction mechanism of enols on copper in aqueous media
Authors: Cui Zhihao , Dong Xing’an , Cho Sung Gu , Tegomoh Modeste N. , Dai Weidong , Dong Fan , Co Anne C.
Published: October 2022

Deoxygenation of aldehydes and their tautomers to alkenes and alkanes has implications in refining biomass-derived fuels for use as transportation fuel. Electrochemical deoxygenation in ambient, aqueous solution is also a potential green synthesis strategy for terminal olefins. In this manuscript, direct electrochemical conversion of vinyl alcohol and acetaldehyde on polycrystalline Cu to ethanol, ethylene and ethane; and propenol and propionaldehyde to propanol, propene and propane is reported. Sensitive detection was achieved using a rotating disk electrode coupled with gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. In-situ attenuated total reflection surface-enhanced infrared absorption spectroscopy, and in-situ Raman spectroscopy confirmed the adsorption of the vinyl alcohol. Calculations using canonical and grand-canonical density functional theory and experimental findings suggest that the rate-determining step for ethylene and ethane formation is an electron transfer step to the adsorbed vinyl alcohol. Finally, we extend our conclusions to the enol reaction from higher-order soluble aldehyde and ketone. The products observed from the reduction reaction also sheds insights into plausible reaction pathways of CO2 to C2 and C3 products.
Sub-wavelength patterned pulse laser lithography for efficient fabrication of large-area metasurfaces
Authors: Huang Lingyu , Xu Kang , Yuan Dandan , Hu Jin , Wang Xinwei , Xu Shaolin
Published: October 2022

Rigorously designed sub-micrometer structure arrays are widely used in metasurfaces for light modulation. One of the glaring restrictions is the unavailability of easily accessible fabrication methods to efficiently produce large-area and freely designed structure arrays with nanoscale resolution. We develop a patterned pulse laser lithography (PPLL) approach to create structure arrays with sub-wavelength feature resolution and periods from less than 1 μm to over 15 μm on large-area thin films with substrates under ambient conditions. Separated ultrafast laser pulses with patterned wavefront by quasi-binary phase masks rapidly create periodic ablated/modified structures by high-speed scanning. The gradient intensity boundary and circular polarization of the wavefront weaken diffraction and polarization-dependent asymmetricity effects during light propagation for high uniformity. Structural units of metasurfaces are obtained on metal and inorganic photoresist films, such as antennas, catenaries, and nanogratings. We demonstrate a large-area metasurface (10 × 10 mm2) revealing excellent infrared absorption (3–7 μm), which comprises 250,000 concentric rings and takes only 5 minutes to produce.
From anticipation to impulsivity in Parkinson’s disease
Authors: Degos Bertrand , Pouget Pierre , Missal Marcus
Published: October 2022

Anticipatory actions require to keep track of elapsed time and inhibitory control. These cognitive functions could be impacted in Parkinson’s disease (iPD). To test this hypothesis, a saccadic reaction time task was used where a visual warning stimulus (WS) predicted the occurrence of an imperative one (IS) appearing after a short delay. In the implicit condition, subjects were not informed about the duration of the delay, disfavoring anticipatory behavior but leaving inhibitory control unaltered. In the explicit condition, delay duration was cued. This should favor anticipatory behavior and perhaps alter inhibitory control. This hypothesis was tested in controls (N = 18) and age-matched iPD patients (N = 20; ON and OFF L-DOPA). We found that the latency distribution of saccades before the IS was bimodal. The 1stmode weakly depended on temporal information and was more prominent in iPD. Saccades in this mode were premature and could result of a lack of inhibition. The 2ndmode covaried with cued duration suggesting that these movements were genuine anticipatory saccades. The explicit condition increased the probability of anticipatory saccades before the IS in controls and iPDONbut not iPDOFFpatients. Furthermore, in iPD patients the probability of sequences of 1stmode premature responses increased. In conclusion, the triggering of a premature saccade or the initiation of a controlled anticipatory one could be conceptualized as the output of two independent stochastic processes. Altered time perception and increased motor impulsivity could alter the balance between these two processes in favor of the latter in iPD, particularly OFF L-Dopa.
Computational systems biology in disease modeling and control, review and perspectives
Authors: Yue Rongting , Dutta Abhishek
Published: October 2022

Omics-based approaches have become increasingly influential in identifying disease mechanisms and drug responses. Considering that diseases and drug responses are co-expressed and regulated in the relevant omics data interactions, the traditional way of grabbing omics data from single isolated layers cannot always obtain valuable inference. Also, drugs have adverse effects that may impair patients, and launching new medicines for diseases is costly. To resolve the above difficulties, systems biology is applied to predict potential molecular interactions by integrating omics data from genomic, proteomic, transcriptional, and metabolic layers. Combined with known drug reactions, the resulting models improve medicines’ therapeutical performance by re-purposing the existing drugs and combining drug molecules without off-target effects. Based on the identified computational models, drug administration control laws are designed to balance toxicity and efficacy. This review introduces biomedical applications and analyses of interactions among gene, protein and drug molecules for modeling disease mechanisms and drug responses. The therapeutical performance can be improved by combining the predictive and computational models with drug administration designed by control laws. The challenges are also discussed for its clinical uses in this work.
Long-range predictability of extratropical climate and the length of day
Authors: Scaife A. A. , Hermanson L. , van Niekerk A. , Andrews M. , Baldwin M. P. , Belcher S. , Bett P. , Comer R. E. , Dunstone N. J. , Geen R. , Hardiman S. C. , Ineson S. , Knight J. , Nie Y. , Ren H.-L. , Smith D.
Published: October 2022

Angular momentum is fundamental to the structure and variability of the atmosphere and therefore has an important influence on regional weather and climate. Total atmospheric angular momentum is also directly related to the rotation rate of the Earth and, hence, the length of day. However, the long-range predictability of fluctuations in the length of the day and atmospheric angular momentum is unknown. Here we show that fluctuations in atmospheric angular momentum and the length of day are predictable out to more than a year ahead and that this provides an atmospheric source of long-range predictability for surface climate. Using ensemble forecasts from a dynamical climate model, we demonstrate long-range predictability of signals in the atmospheric angular momentum field that propagate slowly and coherently polewards due to wave–mean flow interaction within the atmosphere. These predictable signals are also shown to precede changes in extratropical climate via the North Atlantic Oscillation and the extratropical jet stream. These results extend the lead time for length-of-day predictions, provide a source of long-range predictability from within the atmosphere and provide a link between geodesy and climate prediction.