bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identifying the structure patterns to govern the performance of localization in regulating innovation diffusion
Authors: Xue Leyang , Cui Peng-Bi , Di Zengru
Published: April 2023

The macro social influence is recognized as a non-negligible ingredient in innovation propagation: more adopters in the network lead to a higher adoption tendency for the rest individuals. A recent study to incorporate such a crucial mechanism shows that sufficient intensity of macro-level social influence can cause a change from a continuous to discontinuous transition, further indicating the existence of a tricritical point. Although network localization strength determines the tricritical point, it remains unclear what network quantities govern the performance of localization in regulating innovation diffusion. To address this issue, we herein consider the model incorporating both the micro- and macro-levels social influence. We present a dynamic message-passing method to analytically treat both the outbreak threshold and recovered population, and validate the predictions through agent-based simulations. Extensive analysis on the classical synthetic networks shows that sparsely available connections, and relatively heterogeneous degree distribution, either assortative or extremely disassortative configurations are favorable for continuous transition. In such cases, the employed network can yield a strong localization effect so that the innovation is trapped in the configurations composed of the hubs with high non-backtracking centrality. We further explore the dependence of both tricritical point and localization strength on three structural quantities: network density, heterogeneity, and assortativity, which gives a clear physical picture of the joint effects of the three structure quantities on the localization strength. Finally, we conclude that the core-periphery structure, being sensitive to the change of the three structure quantities, essentially determines localization strength, and further regulates the phase transition.
Coherent manipulation of a tunable hybrid qubit via microwave control
Authors: Gu Si-Si , Wang Bao-Chuan , Li Hai-Ou , Cao Gang , Guo Guo-Ping
Published: April 2023

Hybrid qubits enable the hybridization of charge and spin degrees of freedom, which provides a way to realize both a relatively long coherence time and rapid qubit manipulation. Here, we use microwave driving to demonstrate the coherent operation of a tunable hybrid qubit, including X-rotation, Z-rotation, and rotation around an arbitrary axis in the X–Y panel of the Bloch sphere. Moreover, the coherence properties of the qubit and its tunability are studied. The measured coherence time of the X-rotation reaches ∼14.3 ns. While for the Z-rotation, the maximum decoherence time is ∼5.8 ns due to the larger sensitivity to noise. By employing the Hahn echo sequence to mitigate the influence of the low-frequency noise, we have improved the qubit coherence time from ∼5.8 ns to ∼15.0 ns. Our results contribute to a further understanding of the hybrid qubit and a step towards achieving high-fidelity qubit gates in the hybrid qubit.
The Depletion of the Red Supergiant Envelope Radiative Zone During Common Envelope Evolution
Authors: Cohen Tamar , Soker Noam
Published: April 2023

We conduct one-dimensional stellar evolution simulations of red supergiant (RSG) stars that mimic common envelope evolution (CEE) and find that the inner boundary of the envelope convective zone moves into the initial envelope radiative zone. The envelope convection practically disappears only when the RSG radius decreases by about an order of magnitude or more. The implication is that one cannot split the CEE into one stage during which the companion spirals-in inside the envelope convective zone and removes it, and a second slower phase when the companion orbits the initial envelope radiative zone and a stable mass transfer takes place. At best, this might take place when the orbital separation is about several solar radii. However, by that time other processes become important. We conclude that as of yet, the commonly used alpha-formalism that is based on energy considerations is the best phenomenological formalism.
Map Reconstruction of Radio Observations with Conditional Invertible Neural Networks
Authors: Zhang Haolin , Zuo Shifan , Zhang Le
Published: April 2023

In radio astronomy, the challenge of reconstructing a sky map from time ordered data is known as an inverse problem. Standard map-making techniques and gridding algorithms are commonly employed to address this problem, each offering its own benefits such as producing minimum-variance maps. However, these approaches also carry limitations such as computational inefficiency and numerical instability in map-making and the inability to remove beam effects in grid-based methods. To overcome these challenges, this study proposes a novel solution through the use of the conditional invertible neural network (cINN) for efficient sky map reconstruction. With the aid of forward modeling, where the simulated time-ordered data (TODs) are generated from a given sky model with a specific observation, the trained neural network can produce accurate reconstructed sky maps. Using the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope as an example, cINN demonstrates remarkable performance in map reconstruction from simulated TODs, achieving a mean squared error of 2.29 ± 2.14 × 10−4 K2, a structural similarity index of 0.968 ± 0.002, and a peak signal-to-noise ratio of 26.13 ± 5.22 at the 1σ level. Furthermore, by sampling in the latent space of cINN, the reconstruction errors for each pixel can be accurately quantified.
Pinning control of social fairness in the ultimatum game
Authors: Zheng Guozhong , Zhang Jiqiang , Ding Zhenwei , Ma Lin , Chen Li
Published: April 2023

Decent social fairness is highly desired both for socio-economic activities and individuals, as it is one of the cornerstones of our social welfare and sustainability. How to effectively promote the level of fairness thus becomes a significant issue to be addressed. Here, by adopting a pinning control procedure, we find that when a very small fraction of individuals are pinned to be fair players in the ultimatum game, the whole population unexpectedly evolves into the full fairness level. The basic observations are quite robust in homogeneous networks, but the converging time as a function of the pinning number shows different laws for different underlying topologies. For heterogeneous networks, this leverage effect is even more pronounced that one hub node is sufficient for the aim, and a periodic on-off control procedure can be applied to further save the control cost. Intermittent failures are seen when the pinning control is marginally strong, our statistical analysis indicates some sort of criticality. Our work suggests that the pinning control procedure could potentially be a good strategy to promote the social fairness for some real scenarios when necessary.
Missing nitrogen source during ecosystem succession within retrogressive thaw slumps in Alaska
Authors: Buckeridge Kate M , McLaren Jennie R , Mack Michelle C , Schuur Edward A G , Schimel Joshua
Published: April 2023

Retrogressive thaw slumps (RTS)—thermal erosion of soil and vegetation after ground ice thaw—are increasing. Recovery of plant biomass after RTS is important for maintaining Arctic carbon (C) stocks and is regulated by nutrient availability for new plant growth. Many RTS are characterized by verdant shrub growth mid-succession, atypical of the surrounding nutrient-limited tundra. Here, we investigated the potential for internal and external sources of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) to support mid-successional shrub growth at three Alaskan RTS chronosequences. We assessed patterns of soil and microbial CNP, soil NP cycling rates and stocks, N inputs via biological N2-fixation, and thaw leachate over time after disturbance. We found a clear transfer of P stocks from mineral to organic soils with increasing site age, yet insufficient N from any one source to support observed shrub growth. Instead, multiple mechanisms may have contributed to mid-successional shrub growth, including sustained N-cycling with reduced plant biomass, N leaching from undisturbed tundra, uninvestigated sources of N2-fixation, and most promising given the large resource, deep mineral soil N stocks. These potential mechanisms of N supply are critical for the regulation of the Arctic C cycle in response to an increasingly common climate-driven disturbance.
Surface hazards in North-west Europe following sudden stratospheric warming events
Authors: Hall Richard J , Mitchell Dann M , Seviour William J M , Wright Corwin J
Published: April 2023

Sudden stratospheric warmings (SSWs) have been linked to surface temperature anomalies, but how these connect to changes in the likelihood of specific weather extremes and their associated weather patterns remains uncertain. While, on average, it is true that cold surface temperatures follow SSW events, particularly in Northern Europe, there is considerable event-to-event variability. Over the British Isles and Central Europe, only around 45% of SSWs are followed by a colder than average period and a negative phase of the North Atlantic Oscillation, cautioning against an over-generalised approach to surface anomalies associated with SSWs. Focussing on more hazardous weather, which in winter is associated with cold extremes, we use reanalysis data to consider how SSWs impact temperature-related hazards; namely the frequency of snowy days, frost days and spells of extreme cold weather in 12 major European cities. In general, SSWs are associated with an increased risk of snow across most of western Europe, and that this is particularly significant in milder, more maritime locations such as London where in reanalysis, snowfall days are 40% more likely after an SSW. However, there is considerable variation in surface temperature anomalies between SSW events; the third of SSWs with the warmest surface anomalies are statistically more likely to have a decreased risk of snow, frost and persistent cold spells compared with non-SSW time periods. These warmer events are associated with a different temperature anomaly pattern, which is consistent in both reanalysis data and large ensemble CMIP6 models. We further show that these warm surface temperature anomaly SSWs are becoming more frequent, a trend which is consistent with background global warming. The varied surface anomalies associated with SSWs highlights the need to study their impacts in a probabilistic sense, and motivates further work to enable better prediction of the impacts of a given event.
Tribological behaviour of multi-shape photochemical textured surfaces
Authors: Basir Amirah , Liza Shahira , Fukuda Kanao , Mat Tahir Noor Ayuma
Published: April 2023

The purpose of this paper is to investigate the effect of multi-shape photochemical textured (PCT) steel surfaces on tribological performance. The textured surface with specific arrangement was fabricated by photochemical texturing, a common technique implemented in the microelectronic mechanical systems (MEMS) industry. It involves photolithography and chemical etching processes. The multi-shape studied were circle with line (CL) and circle with wavy (CW). Fabricated samples’ surfaces were characterized by using a 3D optical profiler to check the produced texture’s dimension. The effect of six different etching times on the texture’s dimension was observed. Then, only two sizes of both multi-shape textures were considered for tribological characterization. It was conducted by using ball-on-disk tribo-tester under lubricated conditions. The results obtained are compared with the reference untextured (UT) surface. From the results, it is found that appropriate size and shape of texture could lead to good friction reduction and anti-wear behaviour. The smaller size, size A, of CL multi-shape presented a lower friction coefficient compared to size B. However, different size of CW multi-shape has no effect on the friction behaviour. This is believed due to higher area density of CW compared to CL resulting in detrimental effect on friction for both CW’s size. Additionally, CL(size A) textured surface shows improved tribological behaviour compared to UT surface as lower friction coefficient and better wear resistance is obtained. This is maybe due to effective lubricating layer formation, good debris trapping effect and lower contact stress of the CL(size A) textured surface. These beneficial effects were achieved under lubricating condition through an increase in applied load.
Sustainable woodfuel systems: a theory of change for sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Njenga Mary , Sears Robin R , Mendum Ruth
Published: April 2023

Charcoal and firewood, together comprising woodfuel, are key in the cooking energy mix in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Charcoal is made by burning wood under controlled oxygen to arrive at a product high in carbon. Firewood is wood burned directly to provide energy. Wood energy, which is gaining in popularity as a sustainable fuel in developed countries, is characterized as a driver of land degradation on the African continent. Instead of wishing for the demise of woodfuel due to its associated negative health and environmental impacts, a systems thinking approach argues that improving technologies and efficiency in wood production, charcoal and firewood processing, transport and trade, and utilization in a circular bioenergy economy meets a range of needs while conserving the environment. This article outlines a sustainable woodfuel theory of change (ToC) that describes how woodfuel can be made sustainable rather than being dismissed as a transitional fuel on its way out. The ToC is based on the knowledge that no energy system is without flaws and that technologies exist for real quantifiable improvements in woodfuel systems while filling the energy-poverty gap. A bold rational decision must be made in rethinking woodfuel in SSA, as failure to advance woodfuel technologies undermines global efforts directed towards land restoration and climate change mitigation. We recommend that an improved and sustainable woodfuel system should be considered as an acceptable modern energy source under SDG 7.
Prediction model and demonstration of regional agricultural carbon emissions based on PCA-GS-KNN: a case study of Zhejiang province, China
Authors: Qi Yanwei , Liu Huailiang , Zhao Jianbo , Xia Xinghua
Published: April 2023

The paper proposes a prediction algorithm that is composed with principal component analysis (PCA), grid search (GS) and K-nearest neighbours (KNN). Firstly, in order to solve the problem of multicollinearity in multiple regression, principal component analysis is used to select the principal components of the regression variables; then, the K-nearest neighbour regression prediction model is used to train the data and the grid search is used to obtain better prediction model parameters in order to solve the problem of difficult parameter selection in the traditional K-nearest neighbour regression prediction model; finally, taking Zhejiang Province, China, as an example, the optimised prediction model is used to conduct regional agricultural carbon emission. The results show that the algorithm outperforms other prediction models in terms of prediction accuracy and it can accurately predict regional agricultural carbon emissions.
Bayesian optimization of ESG (Environmental Social Governance) financial investments
Authors: Garrido-Merchán Eduardo C , González Piris Gabriel , Coronado Vaca María
Published: April 2023

Financial experts seek to predict the variability of financial markets to ensure investors’ successful investments. However, there has been a big trend in finance in the last few years, which are the ESG (Economic, Social and Governance) criteria, due to the growing importance of investments being socially responsible, and because of the financial impact companies suffer when not complying with them. Consequently, creating a stock portfolio should consider not only its financial performance but compliance with ESG criteria. Portfolio optimization (PO) techniques previously applied to ESG portfolios, are all closed-form analytical ones. But the real world is rather a black box with unknown analytical expressions. Thus, in this paper we use Bayesian optimization (BO), a sequential state-of-the-art design strategy to optimize black-boxes with unknown analytical and costly-to-compute expressions, to maximize the performance of a stock portfolio under the presence of ESG criteria soft constraints incorporated into the objective function. And we compare it to two other black-box techniques widely applied for the optimization of ‘conventional portfolios’ (non-ESG ones): the metaheuristics Genetic algorithm (GA) and Simulated Annealing (SA). Although BO has many theoretical advantages over GA and SA, it has never been applied to PO. Thus, this paper investigates whether BO can be used in the ESG PO framework as an alternative and compares it with GA and SA. This is the research gap to which this paper responds. To show the empirical performance of BO, we carry out four illustrative experiments and find evidence of BO outperforming the baselines. Thus we add another different optimization approach to the world of ESG investing: a black-box non-heuristic optimization approach through BO. Our study is the first paper that leverages BO and ESG scores into a PO technique. This paper opens the door to many new research lines in (ESG) portfolio optimization.
‘NowyouareRobin Hood: Prince of Thieves™’: Intermedial Medievalism
Authors: Watterson Tess
Published: April 2023

The 1991 Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves console video game constitutes a significantly different vision of the Middle Ages than the blockbuster film upon which it was based. Prince of Thieves is one among a prolific tradition of Robin Hood-themed digital games, which produce anew a legend that has thrived across intermedial networks of representation since the Middle Ages. The game represents a desire to transform popular medievalist narratives into play formats, but also the entwined and invested relationship between Hollywood and the game industry over the last half-century. This article will analyse how three core thematic elements of the game are inherently shifted in the adaptation process: the range of perspectives reduced by a first-person game, the modes of violence, and the role of familial relationships. The game is more than just a remediated version of the same story, as its adaptation process is a result of not only the medievalist tradition of Robin Hood and a connection to this film but also of the history of the action-adventure game genre and movie-adaptation games. This article will argue that the context of video game adaptation and genre conventions shape the way this text operates as a piece of franchise media, and that these constraints or choices in the game’s design in turn shape the production of vastly different historical meanings.
CNV-ClinViewer: enhancing the clinical interpretation of large copy-number variants online
Authors: Macnee Marie , Pérez-Palma Eduardo , Brünger Tobias , Klöckner Chiara , Platzer Konrad , Stefanski Arthur , Montanucci Ludovica , Bayat Allan , Radtke Maximilian , Collins Ryan L , Talkowski Michael , Blankenberg Daniel , Møller Rikke S , Lemke Johannes R , Nothnagel Michael , May Patrick , Lal Dennis
Published: April 2023

Motivation

Pathogenic copy-number variants (CNVs) can cause a heterogeneous spectrum of rare and severe disorders. However, most CNVs are benign and are part of natural variation in human genomes. CNV pathogenicity classification, genotype–phenotype analyses, and therapeutic target identification are challenging and time-consuming tasks that require the integration and analysis of information from multiple scattered sources by experts.

Results

Here, we introduce the CNV-ClinViewer, an open-source web application for clinical evaluation and visual exploration of CNVs. The application enables real-time interactive exploration of large CNV datasets in a user-friendly designed interface and facilitates semi-automated clinical CNV interpretation following the ACMG guidelines by integrating the ClassifCNV tool. In combination with clinical judgment, the application enables clinicians and researchers to formulate novel hypotheses and guide their decision-making process. Subsequently, the CNV-ClinViewer enhances for clinical investigators’ patient care and for basic scientists’ translational genomic research.

Availability and implementation

The web application is freely available at https://cnv-ClinViewer.broadinstitute.org and the open-source code can be found at https://github.com/LalResearchGroup/CNV-clinviewer.
A maximum kernel-based association test to detect the pleiotropic genetic effects on multiple phenotypes
Authors: Wang Jinjuan , Long Mingya , Li Qizhai
Published: April 2023

Motivation

Testing the association between multiple phenotypes with a set of genetic variants simultaneously, rather than analyzing one trait at a time, is receiving increasing attention for its high statistical power and easy explanation on pleiotropic effects. The kernel-based association test (KAT), being free of data dimensions and structures, has proven to be a good alternative method for genetic association analysis with multiple phenotypes. However, KAT suffers from substantial power loss when multiple phenotypes have moderate to strong correlations. To handle this issue, we propose a maximum KAT (MaxKAT) and suggest using the generalized extreme value distribution to calculate its statistical significance under the null hypothesis.

Results

We show that MaxKAT reduces computational intensity greatly while maintaining high accuracy. Extensive simulations demonstrate that MaxKAT can properly control type I error rates and obtain remarkably higher power than KAT under most of the considered scenarios. Application to a porcine dataset used in biomedical experiments of human disease further illustrates its practical utility.

Availability and implementation

The R package MaxKAT that implements the proposed method is available on Github https://github.com/WangJJ-xrk/MaxKAT.
The environmental carcinogen benzo[a]pyrene regulates epigenetic reprogramming and metabolic rewiring in a two-stage mouse skin carcinogenesis model
Authors: Sarwar Md. Shahid , Ramirez Christina N , Dina Kuo Hsiao-Chen , Chou Pochung , Wu Renyi , Sargsyan Davit , Yang Yuqing , Shannar Ahmad , Mary Peter Rebecca , Yin Ran , Wang Yujue , Su Xiaoyang , Kong Ah-Ng
Published: April 2023

Non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) is the most common cancer in the world. Environmental exposure to carcinogens is one of the major causes of NMSC initiation and progression. In the current study, we utilized a two-stage skin carcinogenesis mouse model generated by sequential exposure to cancer-initiating agent benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) and promoting agent 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), to study epigenetic, transcriptomic and metabolic changes at different stages during the development of NMSC. BaP/TPA caused significant alterations in DNA methylation and gene expression profiles in skin carcinogenesis, as evidenced by DNA-seq and RNA-seq analysis. Correlation analysis between differentially expressed genes and differentially methylated regions found that the mRNA expression of oncogenes leucine rich repeat LGI family member 2 (Lgi2), kallikrein-related peptidase 13 (Klk13) and SRY-Box transcription factor (Sox5) are correlated with the promoter CpG methylation status, indicating BaP/TPA regulates these oncogenes through regulating their promoter methylation at different stages of NMSC. Pathway analysis identified that the modulation of macrophage-stimulating protein-recepteur d’origine nantais and high-mobility group box 1 signaling pathways, superpathway of melatonin degradation, melatonin degradation 1, sirtuin signaling and actin cytoskeleton signaling pathways are associated with the development of NMSC. The metabolomic study showed BaP/TPA regulated cancer-associated metabolisms like pyrimidine and amino acid metabolisms/metabolites and epigenetic-associated metabolites, such as S-adenosylmethionine, methionine and 5-methylcytosine, indicating a critical role in carcinogen-mediated metabolic reprogramming and its consequences on cancer development. Altogether, this study provides novel insights integrating methylomic, transcriptomic and metabolic-signaling pathways that could benefit future skin cancer treatment and interception studies.
“You can’t tell this story without abortion”: television creators on narrative intention and development of abortion stories on their shows
Authors: Herold Stephanie , Sisson Gretchen
Published: April 2023

Scholars and advocates often cite media as a mechanism to change culture, especially related to contested issues in American politics such as abortion. While there is mixed evidence in support of this claim, it is not clear how media content creators conceptualize their abortion plotlines. We identified television shows available to U.S. audiences that included abortion plotlines and purposively recruited the creators who worked on them. Forty-six American creators completed in-depth interviews. Respondents’ primary reasons for including abortion plotlines were: (1) to normalize abortion; (2) to deploy abortion as source of character development; and (3) to respond to politics. Some respondents reported barriers to getting abortion content from page to screen, including stigmatizing attitudes towards abortion from colleagues and network executives. Respondents did not necessarily aspire to reflect the reality of abortion access in the US, instead seeking to destigmatize abortion by portraying televisual representations of compassionate, shame-free abortions.
Spotlight on the 2022 ESC guideline management of ventricular arrhythmias and prevention of sudden cardiac death: 10 novel key aspects
Authors: Könemann Hilke , Dagres Nikolaos , Merino José Luis , Sticherling Christian , Zeppenfeld Katja , Tfelt-Hansen Jacob , Eckardt Lars
Published: April 2023

Sudden cardiac death and ventricular arrhythmias are a global health issue. Recently, a new guideline for the management of ventricular arrhythmias and prevention of sudden cardiac death has been published by the European Society of Cardiology that serves as an update to the 2015 guideline on this topic. This review focuses on 10 novel key aspects of the current guideline: As new aspects, public basic life support and access to defibrillators are guideline topics. Recommendations for the diagnostic evaluation of patients with ventricular arrhythmias are structured according to frequently encountered clinical scenarios. Management of electrical storm has become a new focus. In addition, genetic testing and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging significantly gained relevance for both diagnostic evaluation and risk stratification. New algorithms for antiarrhythmic drug therapy aim at improving safe drug use. The new recommendations reflect increasing relevance of catheter ablation of ventricular arrhythmias, especially in patients without structural heart disease or stable coronary artery disease with only mildly impaired ejection fraction and haemodynamically tolerated ventricular tachycardias. Regarding sudden cardiac death risk stratification, risk calculators for laminopathies, and long QT syndrome are now considered besides the already established risk calculator for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Generally, ‘new’ risk markers beyond left ventricular ejection fraction are increasingly considered for recommendations on primary preventive implantable cardioverter defibrillator therapy. Furthermore, new recommendations for diagnosis of Brugada syndrome and management of primary electrical disease have been included. With many comprehensive flowcharts and practical algorithms, the new guideline takes a step towards a user-oriented reference book.
Impacts of Caregiving on Health of New Spousal Caregivers to Older Adults in the United States: A Coarsened Exact Matching Analysis
Authors: Liu Ruotong , Chi Iris , Wu Shinyi
Published: April 2023

Objectives

Spousal caregivers of older adults, especially new spousal caregivers, face increased risks of negative health outcomes due to the demands of caregiving and their own health decline. Estimating the impacts of caregiving on health without controlling for caregivers’ own aging-related health decline could exaggerate the negative health consequences of caregiving, while focusing solely on caregivers could result in selection bias where healthier individuals enter and/or remain in caregiving. This study aims to estimate the impacts of caregiving on health of new spousal caregivers while controlling for observable confounders.

Methods

We utilized coarsened exact matching analysis to compare health outcomes between new spousal caregivers and spousal noncaregivers using pooled panel data from 2006 to 2018 in the Health and Retirement Study. We analyzed 242,123 person-wave observations from 42,180 unique individuals, among whom 3,927 were new spousal caregivers. Variables used for matching were classified into 3 categories: care needs, willingness to provide care, and ability to provide care. Two-year outcomes assessed are spouse’s self-rated health, depressive symptoms, and cognitive functioning.

Results

A total of 3,417 (87.01%) new spousal caregivers were matched with 129,798 observations of spousal noncaregivers. Regression analysis indicated being a new spousal caregiver was associated with a 0.18- (standard error = 0.05) unit increase in number of depressive symptoms. No statistically significant results were identified for self-rated health and cognitive functioning.

Discussion

Our results highlighted the needs to address mental health among new spousal caregivers and emphasized the importance of addressing mental health in long-term care programs and policies.
Temporal variations of the ambient seismic field at the Sardinia candidate site of the Einstein Telescope
Authors: Di Giovanni M , Koley S , Ensing J X , Andric T , Harms J , D’Urso D , Naticchioni L , De Rosa R , Giunchi C , Allocca A , Cadoni M , Calloni E , Cardini A , Carpinelli M , Contu A , Errico L , Mangano V , Olivieri M , Punturo M , Rapagnani P , Ricci F , Rozza D , Saccorotti G , Trozzo L , Dell’aquila D , Pesenti L , Sipala V , Tosta e Melo I
Published: April 2023

Einstein Telescope (ET) is a proposed underground infrastructure in Europe to host future generations of gravitational-wave (GW) detectors. One of its design goals is to extend the observation band of terrestrial GW detectors from currently about 20 Hz down to 3 Hz. The coupling of a detector to its environment becomes stronger at lower frequencies, which makes it important to carefully analyse environmental disturbances at ET candidate sites. Seismic disturbances pose the greatest challenge since there are several important mechanisms for seismic vibrations to produce noise in ET, for example, through gravitational coupling, stray light, or through harmful constraints on the design of ET’s control system. In this paper, we present an analysis of the time-variant properties of the seismic field at the Sardinia candidate site of ET connected to anthropogenic as well as natural phenomena. We find that temporal variations of source distributions and of the noise spectra generally follow predictable trends in the form of diurnal, weekly, or seasonal cycles. Specific seismic sources were identified such as road bridges, which produce observable disturbances underground. This information can be used to adapt a detector’s seismic isolation and control system.
Physiological and pathological roles of locally expressed kisspeptin and KISS1R in the endometrium
Authors: Zhang Jieyu , Jin Lei , Kong Lingnan , Nie Li , Yuan Dongzhi
Published: April 2023

Kisspeptins, encoded by the KISS1 gene, are a family of polypeptides that bind the kisspeptin receptor (KISS1R) to perform biological functions. Produced mainly in the hypothalamus, these neuropeptides regulate the pulsatile secretion of GnRH and trigger the hypothalamus–pituitary–gonadal axis. Other peripheral organs also express kisspeptin, which inhibits metastasis. Kisspeptin and KISS1R are reportedly present in the endometrium and may play roles in limiting the migration and invasion of trophoblasts into the endometrium during pregnancy (decidua) to maintain endometrial homeostasis. A deficiency of kisspeptin and KISS1R in the endometrium can lead to pathological conditions such as endometriosis and endometrial carcinoma. Kisspeptin and KISS1R in the endometrium can also promote endometrial receptivity and decidualization. Overall, kisspeptin and KISS1R are important for maintaining the normal physiological functions of the endometrium. By summarizing the roles of kisspeptin and KISS1R in the endometrium, our review explores the regulatory roles in the peripheral reproductive system of this peptide family that plays broad and profound roles in many physiological processes.
Binding and Avidity Signatures of Polyclonal Sera From Individuals With Different Exposure Histories to Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection, Vaccination, and Omicron Breakthrough Infections
Authors: Singh Gagandeep , Abbad Anass , Tcheou Johnstone , Mendu Demodara Rao , Firpo-Betancourt Adolfo , Gleason Charles , Srivastava Komal , Cordon-Cardo Carlos , Simon Viviana , Krammer Florian , Carreño Juan Manuel
Published: April 2023

Background

The number of exposures to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and to vaccine antigens affect the magnitude and avidity of the polyclonal response.

Methods

We studied binding and avidity of different antibody isotypes to the spike, the receptor-binding domain (RBD), and the nucleoprotein (NP) of wild-type (WT) and BA.1 SARS-CoV-2 in convalescent, mRNA vaccinated and/or boosted, hybrid immune individuals and in individuals with breakthrough cases during the peak of the BA.1 wave.

Results

We found an increase in spike-binding antibodies and antibody avidity with increasing number of exposures to infection and/or vaccination. NP antibodies were detectible in convalescent individuals and a proportion of breakthrough cases, but they displayed low avidity. Omicron breakthrough infections elicited high levels of cross-reactive antibodies between WT and BA.1 antigens in vaccinated individuals without prior infection directed against the spike and RBD. The magnitude of the antibody response and avidity correlated with neutralizing activity against WT virus.

Conclusions

The magnitude and quality of the antibody response increased with the number of antigenic exposures, including breakthrough infections. However, cross-reactivity of the antibody response after BA.1 breakthroughs, was affected by the number of prior exposures.
Accelerated T-Cell Immunosenescence in Cytomegalovirus-Seropositive Individuals After Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infection
Authors: Álvarez-Heredia Pablo , Reina-Alfonso Irene , Domínguez-del-Castillo Jose Joaquín , Gutiérrez-González Carmen , Hassouneh Fakhri , Batista-Duharte Alexander , Pérez Ana-Belén , Tarazona Raquel , Solana Rafael , Pera Alejandra
Published: April 2023

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major driver of accelerated immunosenescence related to CD28null T cell expansion. CMV infection and these proatherogenic T cells have been independently associated with cardiovascular disease and coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severity. We investigated the potential contribution of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) to immunosenescence and its relationship with CMV. Innate and adaptive immune subpopulations from individuals with mild or asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection (mCOVID-19) and healthy donors were immunophenotyped. A significant increase in CD28nullCD57+CX3CR1+ T cell percentages (CD4+ [P ≤ .01], CD8+ [P ≤ .01], and TcRγδ (CD4−CD8−) [P ≤ .001]) was found in unnvaccinated CMV-seropositive mCOVID-19 individuals stable up to 12 months after infection. This expansion did not occur in CMV-seronegative mCOVID-19 individuals or in CMV-seropositive individuals infected after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. There were no significant differences between mCOVID-19 and aortic stenosis groups. Thus, individuals coinfected with SARS-CoV-2 and CMV have accelerated T cell senescence, which might lead to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease.
Contribution of efflux and mutations in fluoroquinolone susceptibility in MDR enterobacterial isolates: a quantitative and molecular study
Authors: Ferrand Aurélie , Vergalli Julia , Bosi Claude , Pantel Alix , Pagès Jean-Marie , Davin-Regli Anne
Published: April 2023

Objectives

The emergence of MDR strains is a public health problem in the management of associated infections. Several resistance mechanisms are present, and antibiotic efflux is often found at the same time as enzyme resistance and/or target mutations. However, in the laboratory routinely, only the latter two are identified and the prevalence of antibiotic expulsion is underestimated, causing a misinterpretation of the bacterial resistance phenotype. The development of a diagnostic system to quantify the efflux routinely would thus improve the management of patients.

Methods

A quantitative technique based on detection of clinically used fluoroquinolones was investigated in Enterobacteriaceae clinical strains with a high or basal efflux activity. The detail of efflux involvement was studied from MIC determination and antibiotic accumulation inside bacteria. WGS was carried out on selected strains to determine the genetic background associated with efflux expression.

Results

Only 1 Klebsiella pneumoniae isolate exhibited a lack of efflux whereas 13 isolates had a basal efflux and 8 presented efflux pump overexpression. The antibiotic accumulation evidenced the efficacy of the efflux mechanism in strains, and the contribution of dynamic expulsion versus target mutations in fluoroquinolone susceptibility.

Conclusions

We confirmed that phenylalanine arginine β-naphthylamide is not a reliable marker of efflux due to the affinity of the AcrB efflux pump for different substrates. We have developed an accumulation test that can be used efficiently on clinical isolates collected by the biological laboratory. The experimental conditions and protocols ensure a robust assay that with improvements in practice, expertise and equipment could be transferred to the hospital laboratory to diagnose the contribution of efflux in Gram-negative bacteria.
Emigration and External Imbalances in Sub-Saharan Africa: Do Migrants' Skills Matter?
Authors: Coulibaly Dramane , Gnimassoun Blaise
Published: April 2023

The external deficits in SSA countries are a major concern and may be connected to emigration from these countries to advanced economies. According to the life cycle theory, by decreasing labour force, emigration induces a fall in savings and a deterioration in the external balance in the countries of origin. Migrants' remittances may dampen or even counterbalance this effect, depending on migrants' skills that matter for their propensity to remit. Empirical investigation for SSA countries over the period 1990–2014 shows that low-skilled emigration improves the current account balance, whereas high-skilled emigration worsens it because highly skilled emigrants have higher saving potential but tend to remit less than low-skilled ones. Therefore, incentives for the financing of home economies by skilled migrants would be beneficial.
Empowering patients to address diabetes care gaps: formative usability testing of a novel patient portal intervention
Authors: Nelson Lyndsay A , Reale Carrie , Anders Shilo , Beebe Russ , Rosenbloom S Trent , Hackstadt Amber , Harper Kryseana J , Mayberry Lindsay S , Cobb Jared G , Peterson Neeraja , Elasy Tom , Yu Zhihong , Martinez William
Published: April 2023

Objective

The aim of this study was to design and assess the formative usability of a novel patient portal intervention designed to empower patients with diabetes to initiate orders for diabetes-related monitoring and preventive services.

Materials and Methods

We used a user-centered Design Sprint methodology to create our intervention prototype and assess its usability with 3 rounds of iterative testing. Participants (5/round) were presented with the prototype and asked to perform common, standardized tasks using think-aloud procedures. A facilitator rated task performance using a scale: (1) completed with ease, (2) completed with difficulty, and (3) failed. Participants completed the System Usability Scale (SUS) scored 0—worst to 100—best. All testing occurred remotely via Zoom.

Results

We identified 3 main categories of usability issues: distrust about the automated system, content concerns, and layout difficulties. Changes included improving clarity about the ordering process and simplifying language; however, design constraints inherent to the electronic health record system limited our ability to respond to all usability issues (eg, could not modify fixed elements in layout). Percent of tasks completed with ease across each round were 67%, 60%, and 80%, respectively. Average SUS scores were 87, 74, and 93, respectively. Across rounds, participants found the intervention valuable and appreciated the concept of patient-initiated ordering.

Conclusions

Through iterative user-centered design and testing, we improved the usability of the patient portal intervention. A tool that empowers patients to initiate orders for disease-specific services as part of their existing patient portal account has potential to enhance the completion of recommended health services and improve clinical outcomes.
Depletion of chop suppresses procedural apoptosis and enhances innate immunity in loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus under ammonia nitrogen stress
Authors: Lv Meiqi , Zhang Yunbang , Yang Lijuan , Cao Xiaojuan
Published: April 2023

Ammonia nitrogen is highly toxic to fish, and it can easily cause fish poisoning or even high mortality. So far, many studies have been conducted on the damages to fish under ammonia nitrogen stress. However, there are few studies of ammonia tolerance improvement in fish. In this study, the effects of ammonia nitrogen exposure on apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress, and immune cells in loach Misgurnus anguillicaudatus were investigated. Loaches (60 d post fertilization) were exposed to different concentrations of NH4Cl, and their survival rates were examined every 6 h. The results showed that high-concentration and long-time NH4Cl exposure (20 mM + 18 h; 15 mM + 36 h) induced apoptosis and gill tissue damages, finally causing a decline in survival. chop plays an important role in ER stress-induced apoptosis, and thus we constructed a model of chop-depleted loach by using CRISPR/Cas9 technology to investigate its response to ammonia nitrogen stress. The results showed that ammonia nitrogen stress down-regulated the expressions of apoptosis-related genes in chop+/− loach gills, while wildtype (WT) exhibited an opposite gene expression regulation pattern, suggesting that the depletion of chop suppressed apoptosis level. In addition, chop+/− loach showed a larger number of immunity-related cells and higher survival rate than WT under the NH4Cl exposure, indicating that the inhibition of chop function strengthened the innate immune barrier in general, thus increasing survival. Our findings provide the theoretical basis for developing high ammonia nitrogen-tolerant germplasm with aquaculture potential.
Sorghum tannin extract impedes in vitro digestibility and fermentability of nutrients in the simulated porcine gastrointestinal tract
Authors: Pan Long , Feng Shaoxuan , Li Wang , Zhu Weiyun
Published: April 2023

The site and extent of digestion of sorghum nutrients affected by tannins in the intestine are not clarified. Porcine small intestine digestion and large intestine fermentation were simulated in vitro to determine the effects of sorghum tannin extract on the digestion and fermentation characteristics of nutrients in the mimicked porcine gastrointestinal tract. In experiment 1, low-tannin sorghum grain without or with 30 mg/g sorghum tannin extract were digested by porcine pepsin and pancreatin to measure in vitro digestibility of nutrients. In experiment 2, the lyophilized porcine ileal digesta from 3 barrows (Duroc × Landrace × Yorkshire, 27.75 ± 1.46 kg) fed the low-tannin sorghum grain without or with 30 mg/g sorghum tannin extract and the undigested residues from experiment 1 were, individually, incubated with fresh pig cecal digesta as inoculums for 48 h to simulate the porcine hindgut fermentation. The results revealed that sorghum tannin extract decreased in vitro digestibility of nutrients both by pepsin hydrolysis or pepsin-pancreatin hydrolysis (P < 0.05). Although enzymatically unhydrolyzed residues provided more energy (P = 0.09) and nitrogen (P < 0.05) as fermentation substrates, the microbial degradation of nutrients from unhydrolyzed residues and porcine ileal digesta were both decreased by sorghum tannin extract (P < 0.05). Regardless of unhydrolyzed residues or ileal digesta as fermentation substrates, microbial metabolites including the accumulative gas production excluding the first 6 h, total short-chain fatty acid and microbial protein content in the fermented solutions were decreased (P < 0.05). The relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae AC2044 and NK4A136 and Ruminococcus_1 was decreased by sorghum tannin extract (P < 0.05). In conclusion, sorghum tannin extract not only directly decreased the chemical enzymatic digestion of nutrients in the simulated anterior intestine, but also directly inhibited the microbial fermentation including microbial diversities and metabolites in the simulated posterior intestine of pigs. The experiment implies that the decreased abundances of Lachnospiraceae and Ruminococcaceae by tannins in the hindgut may weaken the fermentation capacity of microflora and thus impair the nutrient digestion in the hindgut, and ultimately reduce the total tract digestibility of nutrients in pigs fed high tannin sorghum.