bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nineteenth-Century Contextualization of “Race-Religion”
Authors: Steinberg Oded Y.
Published: May 2024

In her wide-ranging article, “An Imperial History of Race-Religion in International Law,” Rabiat Akande delves into the realms of history illustrating how the “race-religion” constellation became formative in current international law, specifically in Western discrimination toward minorities. As Akande writes, “the legacy of that past survives in the continuing interplay of the racial and religious othering of the non-Euro-Christian other.”1 This racialized-religious heritage, for instance, is evident in Western debates on the Hijab, Jewish circumcision (Brit Milah), and various other rituals practiced by religious minorities in the West. As a historian of the nineteenth century, in this essay I mainly focus on Akande's reconstruction of the historical aspect of the “race-religion” nexus. I begin by partially validating Akande's argument concerning the emergence of race-religion during the end of the nineteenth century, and by emphasizing Western racial discrimination against Islam and Judaism—the two “sister Semitic” religions. I then add what I see as important nuances that must be considered in the historical analysis of race-religion. Primarily, I illustrate how race-religion was “fluid” at times, allowing specific groups to “enter” Western civilization, while in other cases, race-religion was rigid, barring the inclusion of groups. Akande argues that the nineteenth century colonial expansion (in Africa, the Middle East, and India) dramatically contributed to the rise of the shared European categories of whiteness and Christianity. This emerging Western identity was antagonistic to the alleged “barbarism” of the non-whites and non-Christians. Nevertheless, further nineteenth-century inner-European contextualization is needed since the exclusion through race-religion also targeted, exactly at the time of this European imperial expansion, other “fellow Christian whites,” such as the Catholic Irish and Poles. It is not only “whiteness” per se that became prevalent, but a specific form of “whiteness” (e.g., Anglo-Saxon, Teutonic, Aryan) that was constantly reimagined and redefined.
From One Paradigm to Another: The Jewish History of Race and Religion in International Law
Authors: Moyn Samuel
Published: May 2024

Rabiat Akande's article, “An Imperial History of Race-Religion in International Law,” draws attention to the gap in frameworks of protection from religious discrimination, on the compelling rationale that much contemporary discrimination continues to work through racialization. And she provides a genealogy to show that this gap is not there by accident—it presupposes a specific set of histories that excluded the racialization of religion from protection, because such protection was devised to respond to some kinds of wrongs (especially those of concern to white Christians) rather than others. In this essay, I would like to draw out much more explicitly than she does Akande's momentous point that Jews—racialized by white Christian Europeans—once experienced and fought this very same protection gap. This story is of great historical interest in its own right, but it also redoubles the familiar lesson that colonialism never just ends. Instead, it endures in complex ways and facilitates ongoing cycles of suffering and unfreedom.
South Africa and the “Othering” of the “Non-Euro-Christian” Religions
Authors: Dyani-Mhango Ntombizozuko
Published: May 2024

At the heart of Rabiat Akande's inspiring article, “An Imperial History of Race-Religion in International Law,” is the problematization of international law as an enabler of the othering of “non-Euro-Christian” religions.1 Akande employs “the imperial history of international law” to demonstrate that “racial and religious othering were mutually co-constitutive in the colonial encounter.”2 She rightly points out that “the legacy of that past survives in the continuing interplay of the racial and religious of the non-Euro-Christian other.”3 The focus of my essay is the post-colonial/settler colony4 and post-apartheid state that is South Africa. I argue that despite its highly acclaimed Constitution,5 which values international law and human rights, colonial and apartheid legacies still exist in South Africa, and come in the form of subjugating minority religions in favor of Christianity. In particular, I focus on the failure of the South African government in 2024 to pass legislation that would legally recognize Muslim marriages despite a constitutional obligation to do so.6 I argue that the government's non-recognition of Muslim marriages for almost three decades is a result of South Africa's colonial and apartheid legacies. South Africa's international and constitutional obligations law should be at the heart of the South African government's realization of fundamental rights when dealing with matters pertaining to religious freedom, especially as they relate to Muslim marriages.
Added mass of oscillating bodies in stratified fluids
Authors: Voisin Bruno
Published: May 2024

The concept of added mass is generalized to stratified fluids, accounting for the presence of internal waves. Once the added mass of a moving body is known, so is the hydrodynamic force exerted on it by the fluid, and the energy imparted by it to the fluid. As a function of frequency, added mass is complex. Its real part is associated with inertia and its imaginary part, only present in the frequency range of propagating waves, with wave damping. Owing to causality, these two parts satisfy Kramers–Kronig relations. The added masses of an elliptic cylinder of horizontal axis, typical of two-dimensional bodies, and a spheroid of vertical axis, typical of three-dimensional bodies, are deduced from their dipole strengths, themselves deduced from their representations as single layers. The wave power is shown to be a maximum, for fixed oscillation amplitude, at approximately

$0.8$

times the buoyancy frequency. In the temporal domain, added mass appears as a new memory force taking the form of a convolution integral. The kernel of this integral combines algebraically decaying oscillations at the buoyancy frequency on the one hand; and an exponentially damped oscillation for the horizontal motion of the spheroid, implying short-term memory, an aperiodic algebraic decay for its vertical motion, implying long-term memory, and a constant for the motion of the cylinder, implying everlasting memory, on the other hand. A limitation of the study is its restriction to translational motion.
A global higher regularity result for the static relaxed micromorphic model on smooth domains
Authors: Knees Dorothee , Owczarek Sebastian , Neff Patrizio
Published: May 2024

We derive a global higher regularity result for weak solutions of the linear relaxed micromorphic model on smooth domains. The governing equations consist of a linear elliptic system of partial differential equations that is coupled with a system of Maxwell-type. The result is obtained by combining a Helmholtz decomposition argument with regularity results for linear elliptic systems and the classical embedding of

$H(\operatorname {div};\Omega )\cap H_0(\operatorname {curl};\Omega )$

into

$H^1(\Omega )$

.
ON THE SET OF BETTI ELEMENTS OF A PUISEUX MONOID
Authors: CHAPMAN SCOTT T. , JANG JOSHUA , MAO JASON , MAO SKYLER
Published: May 2024

Let M be a Puiseux monoid, that is, a monoid consisting of nonnegative rationals (under standard addition). In this paper, we study factorisations in atomic Puiseux monoids through the lens of their associated Betti graphs. The Betti graph of
$b \in M$
is the graph whose vertices are the factorisations of b with edges between factorisations that share at least one atom. If the Betti graph associated to b is disconnected, then we call b a Betti element of M. We explicitly compute the set of Betti elements for a large class of Puiseux monoids (the atomisations of certain infinite sequences of rationals). The process of atomisation is quite useful in studying the arithmetic of Puiseux monoids, and it has been actively considered in recent literature. This leads to an argument that for every positive integer n, there exists an atomic Puiseux monoid with exactly n Betti elements.
REAL ANALYTIC DISCRETE CHOICE MODELS OF DEMAND: THEORY AND IMPLICATIONS
Authors: Iaria Alessandro , Wang Ao
Published: May 2024

We demonstrate that a large class of discrete choice models of demand can be approximated by real analytic demand models. We obtain this result by combining (i) a novel real analytic property of the mixed logit and the mixed probit models with any distribution of random coefficients and (ii) an approximation property of finite mixtures of Gumbel and Gaussian distributions. To illustrate some of the implications of this result, we discuss how real analyticity facilitates nonparametric and semi-nonparametric identification, extrapolation to hypothetical counterfactuals, numerical implementation of demand inverses, and numerical implementation of the maximum likelihood estimator.
A methodological proposal for conlang evaluation
Authors: Peterson David , Peterson Jessie
Published: May 2024

Intentional language creation is a mainstay of the modern world, having gained widespread notoriety in popular television shows and films, and even finding a home in academia in the form of undergraduate courses on invented languages. In this paper, we argue that constructed languages deserve more careful consideration than they currently receive either inside or outside academia. We provide guidelines for developing evaluative criteria to be used with constructed languages of various types and ask readers, whether academics or not, to consider the role they play as audience and critics in the unfolding of a new art form: the art of language invention.
The long-term spatio-temporal trends in burden and attributable risk factors of major depressive disorder at global, regional and national levels during 1990–2019: a systematic analysis for GBD 2019
Authors: Mo Zhi-Yang , Qin Ze-Zhen , Ye Jun-Jie , Hu Xin-Xuan , Wang Rui , Zhao Ya-Ye , Zheng Ping , Lu Qiao-Shan , Li Qiao , Tang Xian-Yan
Published: May 2024

Aims

Caused by multiple risk factors, heavy burden of major depressive disorder (MDD) poses serious challenges to public health worldwide over the past 30 years. Yet the burden and attributable risk factors of MDD were not systematically known. We aimed to reveal the long-term spatio-temporal trends in the burden and attributable risk factors of MDD at global, regional and national levels during 1990–2019.

Methods

We obtained MDD and attributable risk factors data from Global Burden of Disease Study 2019. We used joinpoint regression model to assess the temporal trend in MDD burden, and age–period–cohort model to measure the effects of age, period and birth cohort on MDD incidence rate. We utilized population attributable fractions (PAFs) to estimate the specific proportions of MDD burden attributed to given risk factors.

Results

During 1990–2019, the global number of MDD incident cases, prevalent cases and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) increased by 59.10%, 59.57% and 58.57%, respectively. Whereas the global age-standardized incidence rate (ASIR), age-standardized prevalence rate (ASPR) and age-standardized DALYs rate (ASDR) of MDD decreased during 1990–2019. The ASIR, ASPR and ASDR in women were 1.62, 1.62 and 1.60 times as that in men in 2019, respectively. The highest age-specific incidence, prevalence and DALYs rate occurred at the age of 60–64 in women, and at the age of 75–84 in men, but the maximum increasing trends in these age-specific rates occurred at the age of 5–9. Population living during 2000–2004 had higher risk of MDD. MDD burden varied by socio-demographic index (SDI), regions and nations. In 2019, low-SDI region, Central sub-Saharan Africa and Uganda had the highest ASIR, ASPR and ASDR. The global PAFs of intimate partner violence (IPV), childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and bullying victimization (BV) were 8.43%, 5.46% and 4.86% in 2019, respectively.

Conclusions

Over the past 30 years, the global ASIR, ASPR and ASDR of MDD had decreased trends, while the burden of MDD was still serious, and multiple disparities in MDD burden remarkably existed. Women, elderly and populations living during 2000–2004 and in low-SDI regions, had more severe burden of MDD. Children were more susceptible to MDD. Up to 18.75% of global MDD burden would be eliminated through early preventing against IPV, CSA and BV. Tailored strategies-and-measures in different regions and demographic groups based on findings in this studywould be urgently needed to eliminate the impacts of modifiable risk factors on MDD, and then mitigate the burden of MDD.
Provision of Telepsychological Care Via Email during COVID–19 Confinement: An Exploratory Study
Authors: Miguel-Álvaro Alejandro , Estupiñá Puig Francisco J. , Larroy Cristina
Published: May 2024

Within teletherapy, email interventions have been studied scarcely. For this reason, this exploratory study aims to characterize the assistance provided by email in a university telepsychology service and to compare the data with the assistance provided by telephone in the same service and period. For this purpose, the records of 81 users assisted via email during the COVID–19 pandemic lockdown in Spain were analyzed. The data were compared with those of the 338 users assisted by telephone in the same period. Despite its many limitations, results indicate high satisfaction with the email modality. Users express that they prefer a preference for using email when they do not feel safe in other ways. We found a lot of variation between the number of emails exchanged and the days that each case was active. Additionally, differences were found with telephone users in aspects such as age (email users being younger) and in a depression screening (email users scoring more positively). This study concludes on the high potential of this channel for the application of certain techniques (e.g., psychoeducation) or for people with certain characteristics.
Responses of Mesosphere Temperature to the Geomagnetic Storms on 8 and 15 September 2003
Authors: Sun Meng , Lu Jianyong , Li Jingyuan , Tang Fen , Wei Guanchun , Li Zheng , Yue Fulu , Xiong Shiping , Huang Ningtao
Published: May 2024

The impact of geomagnetic storms on the mesosphere temperature has been controversial and lacks direct observational evidence. The intricate chemical and physical processes in the mesosphere, combined with the scarcity of observations, pose challenges to achieving a thorough comprehension of storm‐induced turbulences in this region. Currently, some investigations have characterized temperature responses during geomagnetic storms and the focus has largely been on changes above mesopause (∼90 km). In this work, the responses of temperature in the mesosphere (75–95 km) to the storms on September 8 and 15, 2003 and its causes are studied using observations from the Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry (SABER) instrument onboard the Thermosphere Ionosphere Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics (TIMED) satellite. It is found that (a) temperature responses for the moderate storm on September 15 manifest as increases within the latitude range of 80°S to 65°S, with peak values decreasing from approximately 15 K to around 7 K as latitude decreases, while for the minor strom of September 8 temperature changes only occur at ∼80°S with peaks of 7 K and −10 K, (b) the temperature responses can be transmitted down to 76–81 km, depending on the latitude and storm magnitude, and (c) there are significant fluctuations in both ozone (exceed 45%) and atomic oxygen (exceed 90%) after storm onset, highly correlated with temperature temporal and spatial variations. We suggest that the increases in ozone caused by the increases in atomic oxygen concentrations are the major contributor to rising temperature.
Impact of Microphysics Parameterization Schemes on the Assimilation of GOES‐16 ABI All‐Sky Infrared Radiances for a Bow Echo Analysis and Prediction
Authors: Kim Yu‐Shin , Wang Xuguang , Johnson Aaron
Published: May 2024

This study aims to investigate how assimilating GOES‐16 ABI infrared brightness temperature (BT) with different microphysics schemes affects the convection‐allowing analysis and prediction of the 3 May 2020 bow echo case. The Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation‐based Ensemble Kalman Filter (GSI‐EnKF) system and Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model are utilized to conduct data assimilation (DA) experiments using Thompson, WDM6, NSSL, and Morrison microphysics schemes. Correlation structures between BT and model state variables indicate that assimilating infrared BT can adjust bowing MCS dynamics via latent cooling and the rear inflow jet. Such corrections during DA cycling enhance the rear inflow jet and bow echo size, primarily for microphysics schemes featuring faster hydrometeor fall velocity and stronger latent cooling. The improved analyses lead to better forecasts of the bow echo's shape, size, timing of the bowing process, and wind speeds. Substituting a larger microphysics‐dependent effective radius for a constant default value increases prior BT, the magnitude of BT innovations, and accumulated impact on the rear inflow jet, especially for the WDM6 and Morrison schemes. In the subsequent forecasts, incorporating microphysics‐dependent effective radius further improves the experiment using the Morrison scheme but degrades it when using the WDM6 scheme.
The Monsoon's Influence on Central Asia's Subsequent Periods of Drought and Flooding
Authors: Nzabarinda Vincent , Bao Anming , Tie Liu , Ochege Friday Uchenna , Uwamahoro Solange , Kayiranga Alphonse , Bao Jiayu , Sindikubwabo Celestin , Li Tao
Published: May 2024

Central Asia and its southern neighbors are being ravaged by more frequent and intense droughts and floods. While research on droughts is abundant, their interaction with floods and monsoons, especially when originating in the south, has been understudied. This study employed temperature, precipitation, standardized precipitation evapotranspiration index (SPEI), and agricultural drought indices such as water deficit index (WDI), cumulative water deficit (CWD), and Palmer drought severity index (PDSI) to investigate the role of monsoons in increasing drought and flooding in the southern part of central Asia, including Afghanistan and Pakistan, over a 31‐year period. Findings revealed increasing severity and intensity of droughts over time, along with their duration and peaks, contrasting with irregular fluctuations in flood intensity. Rising regional temperatures coincide with declining precipitation. During summer monsoon (SM), average precipitation ranged from 0.03 mm/day (2004) to 0.05 mm/day (2010), with variations across the region. The temperature varied between −14.35°C (2009) and 37.05°C (1991), with a sharp increase up to 0.114°C in Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan, as well as in northern Pakistan, Afghanistan, and western Tajikistan. A temperature drop during SM was revealed on the Mountains range of Himalaya, Hindu Kush, Karakoram, Parmir, Kunlun Shan and Tian Shan, and in Pakistan, down to −0.054°C. WDI showed a strong positive connection (0.71 and 0.64) with temperature (Tmax and Tmin) and a weak negative correlation (−0.5) with precipitation during normal time. However, during the monsoon season, it demonstrated a negative correlation with both within a no significant (−0.08) range for maximum temperature.
Hydrometeorological Drivers of the 2023 Louisiana Water Crisis
Authors: Miller P. W. , Hiatt M.
Published: May 2024

During summer and fall 2023, Louisiana experienced a historic local drought while dry conditions elsewhere in the central US withheld vital runoff from the Mississippi River, leading to below‐normal discharge into the Gulf of Mexico. Thus, by late October 2023, Louisiana was gripped by two super‐imposed water crises: a severe local drought and saltwater contamination in the Mississippi River channel. This study frames the development of the water emergency through the lens of flash drought using the Evaporative Demand Drought Index (EDDI). The EDDI shows south Louisiana experience a flash drought during June 2023, while the Mississippi River basin was subsequently characterized by large expanses of high‐percentile EDDI in August‐September 2023 shortly before the saltwater intrusion episode along the lower Mississippi River. Over the last 15 years, MRB‐wide EDDI percentile has oscillated between years‐long elevated and depressed states, accounting for 23.7% of the monthly discharge anomaly near New Orleans.
An E3 ligase TRIM1 promotes colorectal cancer progression via K63-linked ubiquitination and activation of HIF1α
Authors: Shi Liuliu , Fang Xianglan , Du Lijie , Yang Jin , Xue Juan , Yue Xiaokai , Xie Duoshuang , Hui Yuanjian , Meng Kun
Published: May 2024

Accumulating studies have shown that E3 ligases play crucial roles in regulating cellular biological processes and signaling pathways during carcinogenesis via ubiquitination. Tripartite-motif (TRIM) ubiquitin E3 ligases consist of over 70 members. However, the clinical significance and their contributions to tumorigenesis remain largely unknown. In this study, we analyzed the RNA-sequencing expression of TRIM E3 ligases in colorectal cancer (CRC) and identified 10 differentially expressed genes, among which TRIM1 expression predicted poor prognosis of CRC patients. We demonstrated that TRIM1 expression is positively associated with CRC pathological stages, and higher expression is positively correlated with infiltrating levels of immune cells and immunotherapy biomarkers. TRIM1 expression promotes the proliferation and migration of colorectal cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. Transcriptional analysis showed that TRIM1 is responsible for metabolism promotion and immune suppression. Mechanistically, we found that TRIM1 binds HIF1α and mediates its K63-linked ubiquitination, which is required for HIF1α nuclear translocation and subsequent activation. Ubiquitination occurs at Lys214 in the loop between the two PAS domains of HIF1α, and mutation of Lys214 severely disturbs the function of HIF1α. Besides, HIF1α ubiquitination enhances its binding with proteins involved in cellular trafficking and nucleocytoplasmic transport pathway. Collectively, our results indicate TRIM1’s role in predicting prognosis and reveal how TRIM1 functions to upregulate HIF1α expression and promote tumor cell proliferation.
Causal effect of blood osteocalcin on the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and the mediating role of energy metabolism
Authors: Guo Xingzhi , Yang Yu-ying , Zhou Rong , Tian Ge , Shan Chang , Liu Jian-min , Li Rui
Published: May 2024

Growing evidence suggests an association between osteocalcin (OCN), a peptide derived from bone and involved in regulating glucose and lipid metabolism, and the risk of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). However, the causality of these associations and the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. We utilized a Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate the causal effects of blood OCN levels on AD and to assess the potential involvement of glucose and lipid metabolism. Independent instrumental variables strongly associated (P < 5E-08) with blood OCN levels were obtained from three independent genome-wide association studies (GWAS) on the human blood proteome (N = 3301 to 35,892). Two distinct summary statistics datasets on AD from the International Genomics of Alzheimer’s Project (IGAP, N = 63,926) and a recent study including familial-proxy AD patients (FPAD, N = 472,868) were used. Summary-level data for fasting glucose (FG), 2h-glucose post-challenge, fasting insulin, HbA1c, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol (TC), and triglycerides were incorporated to evaluate the potential role of glucose and lipid metabolism in mediating the impact of OCN on AD risk. Our findings consistently demonstrate a significantly negative correlation between genetically determined blood OCN levels and the risk of AD (IGAP: odds ratio [OR, 95%CI] = 0.83[0.72–0.96], P = 0.013; FPAD: OR = 0.81 [0.70–0.93], P = 0.002). Similar estimates with the same trend direction were obtained using other statistical approaches. Furthermore, employing multivariable MR analysis, we found that the causal relationship between OCN levels and AD was disappeared after adjustment of FG and TC (IGAP: OR = 0.97[0.80–1.17], P = 0.753; FPAD: OR = 0.98 [0.84–1.15], P = 0.831). There were no apparent instances of horizontal pleiotropy, and leave-one-out analysis showed good stability of the estimates. Our study provides evidence supporting a protective effect of blood OCN levels on AD, which is primarily mediated through regulating FG and TC levels. Further studies are warranted to elucidate the underlying physio-pathological mechanisms.
An antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome for effective intracellular delivery in vivo
Authors: Kong Huimin , Zheng Chunxiong , Yi Ke , Mintz Rachel L. , Lao Yeh-Hsing , Tao Yu , Li Mingqiang
Published: May 2024

The membrane-fusion-based internalization without lysosomal entrapment is advantageous for intracellular delivery over endocytosis. However, protein corona formed on the membrane-fusogenic liposome surface converts its membrane-fusion performance to lysosome-dependent endocytosis, causing poorer delivery efficiency in biological conditions. Herein, we develop an antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome for effective intracellular delivery in vivo. Leveraging specific lipid composition at an optimized ratio, such antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome facilitates fusion capacity even in protein-rich conditions, attributed to the copious zwitterionic phosphorylcholine groups for protein-adsorption resistance. Consequently, the antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposome demonstrates robust membrane-fusion-mediated delivery in the medium with up to 38% fetal bovine serum, outclassing two traditional membrane-fusogenic liposomes effective at 4% and 6% concentrations. When injected into mice, antifouling membrane-fusogenic liposomes can keep their membrane-fusion-transportation behaviors, thereby achieving efficient luciferase transfection and enhancing gene-editing-mediated viral inhibition. This study provides a promising tool for effective intracellular delivery under complex physiological environments, enlightening future nanomedicine design.
Non-coplanar helimagnetism in the layered van-der-Waals metal DyTe3
Authors: Akatsuka Shun , Esser Sebastian , Okumura Shun , Yambe Ryota , Yamada Rinsuke , Hirschmann Moritz M. , Aji Seno , White Jonathan S. , Gao Shang , Onuki Yoshichika , Arima Taka-hisa , Nakajima Taro , Hirschberger Max
Published: May 2024

Van-der-Waals magnetic materials can be exfoliated to realize ultrathin sheets or interfaces with highly controllable optical or spintronics responses. In majority, these are collinear ferro-, ferri-, or antiferromagnets, with a particular scarcity of lattice-incommensurate helimagnets of defined left- or right-handed rotation sense, or helicity. Here, we report polarized neutron scattering experiments on DyTe3, whose layered structure has highly metallic tellurium layers separated by double-slabs of dysprosium square nets. We reveal cycloidal (conical) magnetic textures, with coupled commensurate and incommensurate order parameters, and probe the evolution of this ground state in a magnetic field. The observations are well explained by a one-dimensional spin model, with an off-diagonal on-site term that is spatially modulated by DyTe3’s unconventional charge density wave (CDW) order. The CDW-driven term couples to antiferromagnetism, or to the net magnetization in an applied magnetic field, and creates a complex magnetic phase diagram indicative of competing interactions in this easily cleavable van-der-Waals helimagnet.
Emergent ribozyme behaviors in oxychlorine brines indicate a unique niche for molecular evolution on Mars
Authors: Hoog Tanner G. , Pawlak Matthew R. , Gaut Nathaniel J. , Baxter Gloria C. , Bethel Thomas A. , Adamala Katarzyna P. , Engelhart Aaron E.
Published: May 2024

Mars is a particularly attractive candidate among known astronomical objects to potentially host life. Results from space exploration missions have provided insights into Martian geochemistry that indicate oxychlorine species, particularly perchlorate, are ubiquitous features of the Martian geochemical landscape. Perchlorate presents potential obstacles for known forms of life due to its toxicity. However, it can also provide potential benefits, such as producing brines by deliquescence, like those thought to exist on present-day Mars. Here we show perchlorate brines support folding and catalysis of functional RNAs, while inactivating representative protein enzymes. Additionally, we show perchlorate and other oxychlorine species enable ribozyme functions, including homeostasis-like regulatory behavior and ribozyme-catalyzed chlorination of organic molecules. We suggest nucleic acids are uniquely well-suited to hypersaline Martian environments. Furthermore, Martian near- or subsurface oxychlorine brines, and brines found in potential lifeforms, could provide a unique niche for biomolecular evolution.
Designing meaningful continuous representations of T cell receptor sequences with deep generative models
Authors: Leary Allen Y. , Scott Darius , Gupta Namita T. , Waite Janelle C. , Skokos Dimitris , Atwal Gurinder S. , Hawkins Peter G.
Published: May 2024

T Cell Receptor (TCR) antigen binding underlies a key mechanism of the adaptive immune response yet the vast diversity of TCRs and the complexity of protein interactions limits our ability to build useful low dimensional representations of TCRs. To address the current limitations in TCR analysis we develop a capacity-controlled disentangling variational autoencoder trained using a dataset of approximately 100 million TCR sequences, that we name TCR-VALID. We design TCR-VALID such that the model representations are low-dimensional, continuous, disentangled, and sufficiently informative to provide high-quality TCR sequence de novo generation. We thoroughly quantify these properties of the representations, providing a framework for future protein representation learning in low dimensions. The continuity of TCR-VALID representations allows fast and accurate TCR clustering and is benchmarked against other state-of-the-art TCR clustering tools and pre-trained language models.
Targeting SOX13 inhibits assembly of respiratory chain supercomplexes to overcome ferroptosis resistance in gastric cancer
Authors: Yang Hui , Li Qingqing , Chen Xingxing , Weng Mingzhe , Huang Yakai , Chen Qiwen , Liu Xiaocen , Huang Haoyu , Feng Yanhuizhi , Zhou Hanyu , Zhang Mengying , Pei Weiya , Li Xueqin , Fu Qingsheng , Zhu Liangyu , Wang Yingying , Kong Xiang , Lv Kun , Zhang Yan , Sun Yangbai , Ma Mingzhe
Published: May 2024

Therapeutic resistance represents a bottleneck to treatment in advanced gastric cancer (GC). Ferroptosis is an iron-dependent form of non-apoptotic cell death and is associated with anti-cancer therapeutic efficacy. Further investigations are required to clarify the underlying mechanisms. Ferroptosis-resistant GC cell lines are constructed. Dysregulated mRNAs between ferroptosis-resistant and parental cell lines are identified. The expression of SOX13/SCAF1 is manipulated in GC cell lines where relevant biological and molecular analyses are performed. Molecular docking and computational screening are performed to screen potential inhibitors of SOX13. We show that SOX13 boosts protein remodeling of electron transport chain (ETC) complexes by directly transactivating SCAF1. This leads to increased supercomplexes (SCs) assembly, mitochondrial respiration, mitochondrial energetics and chemo- and immune-resistance. Zanamivir, reverts the ferroptosis-resistant phenotype via directly targeting SOX13 and promoting TRIM25-mediated ubiquitination and degradation of SOX13. Here we show, SOX13/SCAF1 are important in ferroptosis-resistance, and targeting SOX13 with zanamivir has therapeutic potential.
Antiferromagnetic magnonic charge current generation via ultrafast optical excitation
Authors: Huang Lin , Liao Liyang , Qiu Hongsong , Chen Xianzhe , Bai Hua , Han Lei , Zhou Yongjian , Su Yichen , Zhou Zhiyuan , Pan Feng , Jin Biaobing , Song Cheng
Published: May 2024

Néel spin-orbit torque allows a charge current pulse to efficiently manipulate the Néel vector in antiferromagnets, which offers a unique opportunity for ultrahigh density information storage with high speed. However, the reciprocal process of Néel spin-orbit torque, the generation of ultrafast charge current in antiferromagnets has not been demonstrated. Here, we show the experimental observation of charge current generation in antiferromagnetic metallic Mn2Au thin films using ultrafast optical excitation. The ultrafast laser pulse excites antiferromagnetic magnons, resulting in instantaneous non-equilibrium spin polarization at the antiferromagnetic spin sublattices with broken spatial symmetry. Then the charge current is generated directly via spin-orbit fields at the two sublattices, which is termed as the reciprocal phenomenon of Néel spin-orbit torque, and the associated THz emission can be detected at room temperature. Besides the fundamental significance on the Onsager reciprocity, the observed magnonic charge current generation in antiferromagnet would advance the development of antiferromagnetic THz emitter.
The role of microstructure in the thermal fatigue of solder joints
Authors: Xian J. W. , Xu Y. L. , Stoyanov S. , Coyle R. J. , Dunne F. P. E. , Gourlay C. M.
Published: May 2024

Thermal fatigue is a common failure mode in electronic solder joints, yet the role of microstructure is incompletely understood. Here, we quantify the evolution of microstructure and damage in Sn-3Ag-0.5Cu joints throughout a ball grid array (BGA) package using EBSD mapping of localised subgrains, recrystallisation and heavily coarsened Ag3Sn. We then interpret the results with a multi-scale modelling approach that links from a continuum model at the package/board scale through to a crystal plasticity finite element model at the microstructure scale. We measure and explain the dependence of damage evolution on (i) the β-Sn crystal orientation(s) in single and multigrain joints, and (ii) the coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) mismatch between tin grains in cyclic twinned multigrain joints. We further explore the relative importance of the solder microstructure versus the joint location in the array. The results provide a basis for designing optimum solder joint microstructures for thermal fatigue resistance.
“Ion-imprinting” strategy towards metal sulfide scavenger enables the highly selective capture of radiocesium
Authors: Tang Jun-Hao , Jia Shao-Qing , Liu Jia-Ting , Yang Lu , Sun Hai-Yan , Feng Mei-Ling , Huang Xiao-Ying
Published: May 2024

Highly selective capture of radiocesium is an urgent need for environmental radioactive contamination remediation and spent fuel disposal. Herein, a strategy is proposed for construction of “inorganic ion-imprinted adsorbents” with ion recognition-separation capabilities, and a metal sulfide Cs2.33Ga2.33Sn1.67S8·H2O (FJSM-CGTS) with “imprinting effect” on Cs+ is prepared. We show that the K+ activation product of FJSM-CGTS, Cs0.51K1.82Ga2.33Sn1.67S8·H2O (FJMS-KCGTS), can reach adsorption equilibrium for Cs+ within 5 min, with a maximum adsorption capacity of 246.65 mg·g−1. FJMS-KCGTS overcomes the hindrance of Cs+ adsorption by competing ions and realizes highly selective capture of Cs+ in complex environments. It shows successful cleanup for actual 137Cs-liquid-wastes generated during industrial production with removal rates of over 99%. Ion-exchange column filled with FJMS-KCGTS can efficiently treat 540 mL Cs+-containing solutions (31.995 mg·L−1) and generates only 0.12 mL of solid waste, which enables waste solution volume reduction. Single-crystal structural analysis and density functional theory calculations are used to visualize the “ion-imprinting” process and confirm that the “imprinting effect” originates from the spatially confined effect of the framework. This work clearly reveals radiocesium capture mechanism and structure-function relationships that could inspire the development of efficient inorganic adsorbents for selective recognition and separation of key radionuclides.
SOS1 tonoplast neo-localization and the RGG protein SALTY are important in the extreme salinity tolerance of Salicornia bigelovii
Authors: Salazar Octavio R. , Chen Ke , Melino Vanessa J. , Reddy Muppala P. , Hřibová Eva , Čížková Jana , Beránková Denisa , Arciniegas Vega Juan Pablo , Cáceres Leal Lina María , Aranda Manuel , Jaremko Lukasz , Jaremko Mariusz , Fedoroff Nina V. , Tester Mark , Schmöckel Sandra M.
Published: May 2024

The identification of genes involved in salinity tolerance has primarily focused on model plants and crops. However, plants naturally adapted to highly saline environments offer valuable insights into tolerance to extreme salinity. Salicornia plants grow in coastal salt marshes, stimulated by NaCl. To understand this tolerance, we generated genome sequences of two Salicornia species and analyzed the transcriptomic and proteomic responses of Salicornia bigelovii to NaCl. Subcellular membrane proteomes reveal that SbiSOS1, a homolog of the well-known SALT-OVERLY-SENSITIVE 1 (SOS1) protein, appears to localize to the tonoplast, consistent with subcellular localization assays in tobacco. This neo-localized protein can pump Na+ into the vacuole, preventing toxicity in the cytosol. We further identify 11 proteins of interest, of which SbiSALTY, substantially improves yeast growth on saline media. Structural characterization using NMR identified it as an intrinsically disordered protein, localizing to the endoplasmic reticulum in planta, where it can interact with ribosomes and RNA, stabilizing or protecting them during salt stress.
Predictive modeling of molds effective elimination by external inactivation sources
Authors: Demo Pavel , Přeučil Filip , Tichá Petra , Domonkos Mária
Published: May 2024

Presented paper deals with a novel application of the (nonlinear) logistic equation to model an elimination of microscopic filaments types of fungi-molds from affected materials via different external inactivation techniques. It is shown that if the inactivation rate of the external source is greater than the maximum natural growth rate of mycelium, the mold colony becomes destroyed after a finite time. Otherwise, the mycelium may survive the external attack only at a sufficiently large initial concentration of the inoculum. Theoretically determined growth curves are compared with the experimental data for Aspergillus brasiliensis mold inactivated by using both cold atmospheric plasma (CAP) and UV-germicidal lamp. Model presented in the article may be applied also to other classes of microorganisms (e.g. bacteria).
Evaluating human landing catches as a measure of mosquito biting and the importance of considering additional modes of action
Authors: Fairbanks Emma L , Tambwe Mgeni M. , Moore Jason , Mpelepele Ahmed , Lobo Neil F. , Mashauri Rajabu , Chitnis Nakul , Moore Sarah J.
Published: May 2024

Entomological evaluations of vector control tools often use human landing catches (HLCs) as a standard measure of a direct human-vector contact. However, some tools have additional characteristics, such as mortality, and HLCS are not sensitive for measuring other effects beyond landing inhibition. Therefore, additional measures may need to be considered when evaluating these tools for public health use. This study has two main aims (1) the evaluate the accuracy of HLCs as a proxy for feeding and (2) to compare the predicted reduction in vectorial capacity when we do and do not consider these additional characteristics. To achieve this, we analyse previously published semi-field data from an experiment which used HLCs and another where mosquitoes were allowed to feed in the presence of different dosages of the volatile pyrethroid spatial repellent, transfluthrin. We compare results for two mathematical models: one which only considers the reduction in feeding effect and one which also considers mortality before and after feeding (using data gathered by the aspiration of mosquitoes after the semi-field feeding/landing period and 24 h survival monitoring). These Bayesian hierarchical models are parameterised using Bayesian inference. We observe that, for susceptible mosquitoes, reduction in landing is underestimated by HLCs. For knockdown resistant mosquitoes the relationship is less clear; with HLCs sometimes appearing to overestimate this characteristic. We find HLCs tend to under-predict the relative reduction in vectorial capacity in susceptible mosquitoes while over-predicting this impact in knockdown-resistant mosquitoes. Models without secondary effects have lower predicted relative reductions in vectorial capacities. Overall, this study highlights the importance of considering additional characteristics to reduction in biting of volatile pyrethroid spatial repellents. We recommend that these are considered when evaluating novel vector control tools.
Salzburg Intensive Care database (SICdb): a detailed exploration and comparative analysis with MIMIC-IV
Authors: Sadeghi Sina , Hempel Lars , Rodemund Niklas , Kirsten Toralf
Published: May 2024

The utilization of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare is on the rise, demanding increased accessibility to (public) medical data for benchmarking. The digitization of healthcare in recent years has facilitated medical data scientists’ access to extensive hospital data, fostering AI-based research. A notable addition to this trend is the Salzburg Intensive Care database (SICdb), made publicly available in early 2023. Covering over 27 thousand intensive care admissions at the University Hospital Salzburg from 2013 to 2021, this dataset presents a valuable resource for AI-driven investigations. This article explores the SICdb and conducts a comparative analysis with the widely recognized Medical Information Mart for Intensive Care - version IV (MIMIC-IV) database. The comparison focuses on key aspects, emphasizing the availability and granularity of data provided by the SICdb, particularly vital signs and laboratory measurements. The analysis demonstrates that the SICdb offers more detailed information with higher data availability and temporal resolution for signal data, especially for vital signs, compared to the MIMIC-IV. This is advantageous for longitudinal studies of patients’ health conditions in the intensive care unit. The SICdb provides a valuable resource for medical data scientists and researchers. The database offers comprehensive and diverse healthcare data in a European country, making it well suited for benchmarking and enhancing AI-based healthcare research. The importance of ongoing efforts to expand and make public datasets available for advancing AI applications in the healthcare domain is emphasized by the findings.
Validity and reliability of the Persian version of food preferences questionnaire (Persian-FPQ) in Iranian adolescents
Authors: Heidari Zahra , Feizi Awat , Haghighatdoost Fahimeh
Published: May 2024

The assessment of dietary intakes and habits using reliable and youth-specific measurement tools during adolescence is essential. The aim of the present study was to culturally adapt and investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the food preferences questionnaire (Persian-FPQ) among Iranian adolescents. This methodological cross-sectional study was conducted among 452 Persian-speaking adolescents, living in Isfahan, Iran. Translation of the FPQ was performed using forward–backward method. Intra Class Correlation (ICC) and Cronbach’s α were used to assess test–retest reliability and internal consistency, respectively. Construct validity was investigated by using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Divergent validity was determined using correlation analysis with Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K-10). Known-group validity was assessed based on differences in mean food preference score between boys and girls and different categories of body mass index (BMI). The internal and external reliabilities for the Persian-FPQ were in the range of good to excellent in all domains (Cronbach’s α: 0.76–0.96 and ICCs: 0.982–0.998). Boys had higher scores of food preferences than girls, indicating good known-group validity. Construct validity evaluated by EFA led to extraction of seven factors (“Vegetables”, “Fruit”, “Dairy”, “Snacks”, “Meat/Fish”, “Starches” and “Miscellaneous foods”), explaining 37.8% of the variance. Divergent validity revealed significant negative correlations between five sub-scales of the Persian-FPQ and psychological distress. The Persian version of the FPQ is a reliable and valid instrument with applicability in a broad range of the population of Persian-speaking adolescents for assessing food preferences in community-based research projects.
Synthetic CT generation based on CBCT using improved vision transformer CycleGAN
Authors: Hu Yuxin , Zhou Han , Cao Ning , Li Can , Hu Can
Published: May 2024

Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) is a crucial component of adaptive radiation therapy; however, it frequently encounters challenges such as artifacts and noise, significantly constraining its clinical utility. While CycleGAN is a widely employed method for CT image synthesis, it has notable limitations regarding the inadequate capture of global features. To tackle these challenges, we introduce a refined unsupervised learning model called improved vision transformer CycleGAN (IViT-CycleGAN). Firstly, we integrate a U-net framework that builds upon ViT. Next, we augment the feed-forward neural network by incorporating deep convolutional networks. Lastly, we enhance the stability of the model training process by introducing gradient penalty and integrating an additional loss term into the generator loss. The experiment demonstrates from multiple perspectives that our model-generated synthesizing CT(sCT) has significant advantages compared to other unsupervised learning models, thereby validating the clinical applicability and robustness of our model. In future clinical practice, our model has the potential to assist clinical practitioners in formulating precise radiotherapy plans.
Cloning of the Arabidopsis SMAP2 promoter and analysis of its expression activity
Authors: Bao Anar , Jiao Tongtong , Hu Ting , Cui Kai , Yue Weijie , Liu Yanxi , Zeng Hua , Zhang Jinhong , Han Shining , Wu Ming
Published: May 2024

The SMALL ACIDIC PROTEIN (SMAP) gene is evolutionarily indispensable for organisms. There are two copies of the SMAP gene in the Arabidopsis thaliana genome, namely, SMAP1 and SMAP2. The function of SMAP2 is similar to that of SMAP1, and both can mediate 2,4-D responses in the root of Arabidopsis. This study cloned the AtSMAP2 genetic promoter sequence. Two promoter fragments of different lengths were designed according to the distribution of their cis-acting elements, and the corresponding β- glucuronidase (GUS) expression vector was constructed. The expression activity of promoters of two lengths, 1993 bp and 997 bp, was studied by the genetic transformation in Arabidopsis. The prediction results of cis-acting elements in the promoter show that there are many hormone response elements in 997 bp, such as three abscisic acid response elements ABRE, gibberellin response elements P-box and GARE-motif and auxin response element AuxRR-core. Through GUS histochemical staining and qRT‒PCR analysis, it was found that the higher promoter activity of PAtSMAP2-997, compared to PAtSMAP2-1993, drove the expression of GUS genes at higher levels in Arabidopsis, especially in the root system. The results provide an important basis for subsequent studies on the regulation of AtSMAP2 gene expression and biological functions.