bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Wer profitiert von der Digitalisierung? Deutschlandweite Follow-up-Studie zu Entwicklungsverläufen und Unterschiedseffekten bei Beschäftigten verschiedener Industriebranchen und Tätigkeitsfelder
Authors: Härtwig Christian , Sapronova Anna , Sigmund Nils-Levin
Published: November 2023

Bei der Digitalisierung werden oft verschiedene Szenarien diskutiert wie eine mögliche Substitution, eine Polarisierung zwischen verschiedenen Qualifikationsniveaus oder ein allgemeines Upgrading von Arbeit; eine breite empirische Datenbasis fehlt jedoch zumeist. Mit dem „Monitor Digitalisierung“ liegt eine der größten deutschlandweiten Follow-up-Studien in verschiedenen Industriebranchen vor. In der Ersterhebung 2019 zeigte sich, dass die Digitalisierung noch am Anfang stand und geprägt war durch IKT. Bedeutsame Unterschiede lagen eher zwischen Blue- und White-Collar-Tätigkeitsfeldern als zwischen einzelnen Branchen. Bei der Zweitbefragung 2022 mit 11.316 Befragten aus 1559 Betrieben zeigte sich als allgemeiner Trend eine zunehmende IKT-Nutzung und digitale Unterstützung sowie stabil-positive Veränderungsbereitschaft und Digitale Selbstwirksamkeit, aber auch höhere Belastung, mäßige betriebliche Unterstützungsformen und zunehmende Kognitive Irritation. Digitalisierungsspezifische Unterschiede zwischen White- und Blue-Collar-Tätigkeitsfeldern verfestigten bzw. verstärkten sich: Meist profitierten von der Digitalisierung eher Beschäftigte aus IT, Leitung, Verwaltung oder Forschung und Entwicklung, während Beschäftigte aus Produktion, Technik, Logistik, Service und Labor ungünstigere Werte und Veränderungen berichteten. Für die Diskussion der Entwicklungsszenarien zeigte sich, dass allgemeine Substitutionsvermutungen derzeit eher zu verwerfen sind, die Entwicklungen vielmehr eher als zunehmende digitale Durchdringung und Diversifizierung angesehen werden kann.

Praktische Relevanz: Es werden Disparitäten zwischen verschiedenen Beschäftigtengruppen aufgezeigt. Bei der Einführung digitaler Systeme sollten sowohl allgemein wirksame Effekte, als auch Belange spezifischer Tätigkeitsgruppen v. a. aus dem Blue-Collar-Bereich in den Blick genommen werden.
Zur Rechtslage in Deutschland bei Behandlungen des Genitales Minderjähriger
Authors: Plett Konstanze
Published: November 2023

Im Mai 2021 wurde mit dem Gesetz zum Schutz von Kindern mit Varianten der Geschlechtsentwicklung ein neuer Paragraf in das Bürgerliche Gesetzbuch eingeführt, dessen Ziel es ist, das Selbstbestimmungsrecht auch von Kindern in Bezug auf ihre geschlechtliche Identität zu schützen. Medizinische Behandlungen, die „das körperliche Erscheinungsbild des Kindes an das des männlichen oder des weiblichen Geschlechts anzupassen“ zur einzigen Folge haben, sollen ohne Einwilligung des Kindes nur dann vorgenommen werden dürfen, wenn die Behandlung nicht bis zur Einwilligungsfähigkeit des Kindes aufgeschoben werden kann. Die komplizierten Ausnahmeregelungen werden im Kontext der Entstehungsgeschichte dieses Gesetzes näher dargestellt. Dabei wird das Augenmerk auch darauf gerichtet, was von Mediziner_innen zu beachten ist.
Navigating the multiple dimensions of the creativity-mental disorder link: a Convergence Mental Health perspective
Authors: Angeler David G. , Smith Erin , Berk Michael , Ibáñez Agustín , Eyre Harris A.
Published: November 2023

Background

This paper discusses a paradox in mental health. It manifests as a relationship between adverse “bad” effects (suffering, clinical costs, loss of productivity) in individuals and populations and advantageous “good” aspects of mental disorders. These beneficial aspects (scientific, artistic and political accomplishments) emanate at the societal level through the frequently unprecedented creativity of people suffering from mental disorders and their relatives. Such gains can contribute to societal innovation and problem-solving. Especially in times of accelerated social-ecological change, approaches are needed that facilitate best-possible mental health care but also recognize creative ideas conducive to beneficial clinical and social-ecological innovations as soon as possible.

Discussion

This paper emphasizes the need to account for creativity as a crucial component in evolving mental health systems and societies. It highlights the need for wide-ranging approaches and discusses how research targeting multiple facets (e.g., brain level, cognitive neuroscience, psychiatry, neurology, socio-cultural, economic and other factors) might further our understanding of the creativity-mental disorder link and its importance for innovating mental health systems and societies.

Conclusion

Our discussion clarifies that considerable research will be needed to obtain a better understanding of how creativity associated with mental disorders may help to create more sustainable societies on a fast-changing planet through innovative ideas. Given the current-state-of-the-art of research and healthcare management, our discussion is currently speculative. However, it provides a basis for how pros and cons might be studied in the future through transdisciplinary research and collaborations across sectors of society.
Land reclamation increased organic P fractions and phosphatase activities, and strengthened the co-occurrence networks of phoD community in calcareous soils
Authors: Zhang Licun , Zhang Guoqiao , Hu Baowei , Chu Guixin
Published: November 2023

Organic phosphorus (Po) is an important constituent of P pool. Soil phoD community is primarily involved Po transformation. However, influences of agriculturally-driven land-use change on different Po fractions, phosphatase activities and phoD community are largely unknown. Here, an investigation was carried out containing three treatments: vegetable field (VF), cropland (CF) and uncultivated land (UL). Various Po fractions were measured by Hedley’s sequential extraction and 31P-NMR methods. The activities of alkaline phosphomonoesterase (ALP), acid phosphomonoesterase (ACP), phosphodiesterase activity (PD) and phytase were assayed; the abundance, and diversity of phoD community and its co-occurrence networks were analyzed. Compared with the UL treatment, soil total organic P (total-Po) in the VF and CF treatments significantly increased by 75.9% and 53.0%, respectively, mainly attributed to the increases in NaHCO3-Po, NaOH-Po and C.HCl-Po. 31P-NMR spectra showed that, when land was reclaimed from uncultivated land into agriculture fields (i.e., VF and CF), myo-inositol hexaphosphate (myo-IHP), α-glycerophosphate (α-glyc) and β-glycerophosphate (β-glyc) were increased by 9.5, 3.9 and 2.0 times, respectively. The activities of ACP, ALP and PD in the VF and CF treatments were higher than in the UL treatment. The α-diversity of phoD community was also significantly increased by land reclamation. Moreover, the linkage between soil Po and Po-cycling-related biological parameters (ACP, ALP and PD and phoD community) was more pronounced by NaHCO3-Po and NaOH-Po than the Po fractions measured by 31P-NMR method. Topological parameters (edges, node degree, and betweenness centrality) of phoD community’s network in the VF and CF networks were higher than in the UL network, implying that land reclamation favored to construct a more cooperative network of phoD community. Collectively, our findings demonstrated that when uncultivated land was converted to cropland, soil Po was notably increased, and phoD community’s co-occurrence network was also strengthened. The outcomes of this study emphasize that when land was reclaimed from nature (uncultivated land) into agriculture fields, the fertilization strategy of organic combined with chemical fertilizers application was beneficial for improving P fertility and assembling organic P-cycling related community.
Slavery, Resistance, and Identity in Early Modern West Africa
Authors: Traoré Makhroufi Ousmane
Published: November 2023

Between the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, more than fifteen million people were uprooted from West Africa and enslaved in the Trans-Saharan and Transatlantic slave systems The state of Gajaage, located on the West African hinterland, offered a doorway to the Atlantic Ocean and played a central role in the wide-scale trade system that connected the histories of Africa, the Americas, and Europe. Focussing on the Soninke of Gajaaga, Makhroufi Ousmane Traoré demonstrates how their resistance to the slave trades led to the formation of a united community bound by an awareness of identity. This original study expands our understanding of the various modes of resistance West Africans employed to stem the encroaching tide of Arab imperializing efforts, European mercantile capitalism, and the Atlantic slave trade, whilst also highlighting how ethnic and religious identities were constructed and mobilized in the region.
A Colonial Book Market
Authors: Gehbald Agnes
Published: November 2023

This volume provides a wholly original social history of books in late colonial Peru. From the second half of the eighteenth century onward, workshops in Lima and transoceanic imports supplied the market with unprecedented quantities of print publications. By tracing the variety of printed commodities that were circulating in the urban sphere, as well as analysing the spatiality of the trade and the materiality of the books themselves, Agnes Gehbald assesses the meaning of print culture in the everyday lives of the viceroyalty. She reveals how books permeated late colonial society on a broad scale and how they figured as objects in the inventories of diverse individuals, both women and men, who, in previous centuries, had been far less likely to possess them. Deeply researched and profound, A Colonial Book Market uncovers how people in Peruvian cities gained access to reading material and participated in the global Enlightenment project.
Risk in the Roman World
Authors: Toner Jerry
Published: November 2023

Modern risk studies have viewed the inhabitants of the ancient world as being both dominated by fate and exposed to fewer risks, but this very readable and groundbreaking new book challenges these views. It shows that the Romans inhabited a world full of danger and also that they not only understood uncertainty but employed a variety of ways to help to affect future outcomes. The first section focuses on the range of cultural attitudes and traditional practices that served to help control risk, particularly among the non-elite population. The book also examines the increasingly sophisticated areas of expertise, such as the law, logistics and maritime loans, which served to limit uncertainty in a systematic manner. Religious expertise in the form of dream interpretation and oracles also developed new ways of dealing with the future and the implicit biases of these sources can reveal much about ancient attitudes to risk.
European Union Regulation of Water Stress Risks
Authors: Stupazzini Riccardo
Published: November 2023

Water stress is a growing concern in Europe, partly due to the changing climate context. Despite the cross-cutting impacts that water availability has on different areas under the competence of the European Union (EU), there is not currently a comprehensive and systematic legal framework addressing this issue. The purpose of this article is therefore to examine the EU legislation that concerns the measures aimed at mitigating these risks. To this purpose, it is first examined how droughts and water scarcity are framed within EU legal acts. Based on such an overview, the analysis is directed to the mechanisms developed at the EU level for monitoring, identifying and forecasting water stress risks, as well as the legal provisions relating to the planning tools. The remainder of the article is devoted to the regulation of preventative measures for water scarcity and drought risk reduction, following the water hierarchy resulting from COM(2007) 414.
Wall mode dynamics and transition to chaos in magnetoconvection with a vertical magnetic field
Authors: McCormack Matthew , Teimurazov Andrei , Shishkina Olga , Linkmann Moritz
Published: November 2023

Quasistatic magnetoconvection of a fluid with low Prandtl number (${\textit {Pr}}=0.025$) with a vertical magnetic field is considered in a unit-aspect-ratio box with no-slip boundaries. At high relative magnetic field strengths, given by the Hartmann number${\textit {Ha}}$, the onset of convection is known to result from a sidewall instability giving rise to the wall-mode regime. Here, we carry out three-dimensional direct numerical simulations of unprecedented length to map out the parameter space at${\textit {Ha}} = 200, 500, 1000$, varying the Rayleigh number (${\textit {Ra}}$) over the range$6\times 10^5 \lesssim {\textit {Ra}} \lesssim 5\times 10^8$. We track the development of stable equilibria produced by this primary instability, identifying bifurcations leading to limit cycles and eventually to chaotic dynamics. At${\textit {Ha}}=200$, the steady wall-mode solution undergoes a symmetry-breaking bifurcation producing a state that features a coexistence between wall modes and a large-scale roll in the centre of the domain, which persists to higher${\textit {Ra}}$. However, under a stronger magnetic field at${\textit {Ha}}=1000$, the steady wall-mode solution undergoes a Hopf bifurcation producing a limit cycle which further develops to solutions that shadow an orbit homoclinic to a saddle point. Upon a further increase in${\textit {Ra}}$, the system undergoes a subsequent symmetry break producing a coexistence between wall modes and a large-scale roll, although the large-scale roll exists only for a small range of${\textit {Ra}}$, and chaotic dynamics primarily arise from a mixture of chaotic wall-mode dynamics and arrays of cellular structures.
Running from depression: the antidepressant-like potential of prenatal and pre-pubertal exercise in adolescent FSL rats exposed to an early-life stressor
Authors: Whitney Ashleigh J. , Lindeque Zander , Kruger Ruan , Steyn Stephan F.
Published: November 2023

Objective:

We aimed to answer the questions of whether early-life (perinatal and/or juvenile) exercise can induce antidepressant-like effects in a validated rodent model of depression, and whether such early-life intervention could prevent or reverse the adverse effects of early-life stress in their offspring.

Methods:

Male and female Flinders sensitive line rats born to a dam that exercised during gestation, or not, were either maternally separated between PND02 and 16 and weaned on PND17 or not. Half of these animals then underwent a fourteen-day low-intensity exercise regimen from PND22. Baseline depressive-like behaviour was assessed on PND21 and then reassessed on PND36, whereafter hippocampal monoamine levels, redox state markers and metabolic markers relevant to mitochondrial function were measured.

Results:

Pre-pubertal exercise was identified as the largest contributing factor to the observed effects, where it decreased immobility time in the FST by 6%, increased time spent in the open arms of the EPM by 9%. Hippocampal serotonin and norepinephrine levels were also increased by 35% and 26%, respectively, whilst nicotinic acid was significantly decreased.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest that pre-pubertal low-intensity exercise induces beneficial biological alterations that could translate into antidepressant behaviour in genetically susceptible individuals.
What Politicians Do Not Know Can Hurt You: The Effects of Information on Politicians’ Spending Decisions
Authors: JABLONSKI RYAN , SEIM BRIGITTE
Published: November 2023

Do well-informed politicians make more effective spending decisions? In experiments with 70% of all elected politicians in Malawi ($ N=460 $), we tested the effects of information on public spending. Specifically, we randomly provided information about school needs, foreign aid, and voting patterns prior to officials making real decisions about the allocation of spending. We show that these information interventions reduced inequalities in spending: treatment group politicians were more likely to spend in schools neglected by donors and in schools with greater need. Some information treatment effects were strongest in remote and less populated communities. These results suggest that information gaps partially explain inequalities in spending allocation and imply social welfare benefits from improving politicians’ access to information about community needs.
Tensions on the Railway: West Indians, Colonial Hierarchies, and the Language of Racial Unity in West Africa
Authors: Janzen Philip
Published: November 2023

Beginning in 1900, colonial railway departments in Sierra Leone, the Gold Coast, and Nigeria began turning to the Caribbean for skilled labor instead of hiring African workers. When West Indian railway workers began to arrive in West Africa, Africans were indignant, and they voiced their objections in newspapers. West Indians sometimes responded to these grievances with calls for racial unity, yet their appeals were inflected with colonial hierarchies. Such exchanges were centered on railway jobs, but they were also embedded in larger discussions about empire, race, and the legacies of the transatlantic slave trade. I argue that these exchanges reveal the significance of colonial hierarchies and diasporic tensions in the intellectual history of pan-Africanism in early twentieth-century West Africa. The article draws on newspapers and archival research from West Africa, the Caribbean, and the UK.
Byssoloma orientale (Pilocarpaceae, Ascomycota), a new species from East Asia
Authors: Miyazawa Kento , Ohmura Yoshihito
Published: November 2023

A new species, Byssoloma orientale K. Miyaz. & Y. Ohmura, is described from East Asia. It is characterized by a minutely farinose light green thallus, apothecia with a well-developed byssoid margin that spreads laterally over the thallus surface, a pure black apothecial disc caused by the presence of an aeruginous pigment in the epithecium, (7–)9–12(–17)-septate cylindrical colourless ascospores, and oblong conidia. This species grows on living leaves as well as on tree bark. The molecular phylogenetic position of B. orientale within this genus was inferred based on mtSSU sequences, and the species was shown to be closely related to B. vanderystii, which has up to 7-septate ascospores and an absence of aeruginous pigment in the epithecium.
The optimal frozen embryo transfer strategy for the recurrent implantation failure patient without blastocyst freezing: thawing day 3 embryos and culturing to day 5 blastocysts
Authors: Li Xiang , Zeng Youman , He Juan , Luo Bowen , Lu Xiongcai , Zhu Lingling , Yang Zengyu , Cai Fuman , Chen Sheng-ao , Luo Yudi
Published: November 2023

This study aimed to investigate the optimal frozen embryo transfer (FET) strategy for recurrent implantation failure (RIF) patients with three consecutive failed cleaved embryo implantations and no blastocyst preservation. This retrospective analysis was divided into three groups based on the FET strategy: thawed day 3 embryo transfer (D3 FET group); and extended culture of frozen–thawed day 3 embryos to day 5 blastocysts transfer (D3–D5 FET group); thawed blastocyst transfer (D5 FET group). Transplant cycle data were compared between the three groups. In total, 43.8% of vitrified–thawed cleavage embryos developed into blastocysts. Analysis of the three transplantation strategies showed that, compared with the D3 FET group, D3–D5 had a significantly better hCG-positivity rate and live-birth rate (P < 0.05). Pregnancy outcomes in the D3–D5 FET group and D5 FET group were similar regarding hCG-positivity rate, implantation rate, clinical pregnancy rate, and live-birth rate. Our findings propose two potentially valuable transfer strategies for patients experiencing repeated implantation failures. The D3–D5 FET approach presents a greater potential for selecting promising embryos in cases without blastocyst preservation; however, this strategy does entail the risk of cycle cancellation. Conversely, in instances where blastocyst preservation is an option, prioritizing consideration of the D5 FET strategy is recommended.
Even Treated Sewage Harms Freshwater Ecosystems
Authors: Martin-Jones Erin
Published: November 2023

In a controlled experiment, researchers diverted wastewater from an advanced treatment facility into a healthy stream and monitored the unfolding ecological effects.
Magnetic seizure therapy and electroconvulsive therapy increase aperiodic activity
Authors: Smith Sydney E. , Kosik Eena L. , van Engen Quirine , Kohn Jordan , Hill Aron T. , Zomorrodi Reza , Blumberger Daniel M. , Daskalakis Zafiris J. , Hadas Itay , Voytek Bradley
Published: November 2023

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading cause of disability worldwide. One of the most efficacious treatments for treatment-resistant MDD is electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Recently, magnetic seizure therapy (MST) was developed as an alternative to ECT due to its more favorable side effect profile. While these approaches have been very successful clinically, the neural mechanisms underlying their therapeutic effects are unknown. For example, clinical “slowing” of the electroencephalogram beginning in the postictal state and extending days to weeks post-treatment has been observed in both treatment modalities. However, a recent longitudinal study of a small cohort of ECT patients revealed that, rather than delta oscillations, clinical slowing was better explained by increases in aperiodic activity, an emerging EEG signal linked to neural inhibition. Here we investigate the role of aperiodic activity in a cohort of patients who received ECT and a cohort of patients who received MST treatment. We find that aperiodic neural activity increases significantly in patients receiving either ECT or MST. Although not directly related to clinical efficacy in this dataset, increased aperiodic activity is linked to greater amounts of neural inhibition, which is suggestive of a potential shared neural mechanism of action across ECT and MST.
Soliton confinement in a quantum circuit
Authors: Roy Ananda , Lukyanov Sergei L.
Published: November 2023

Confinement of topological excitations into particle-like states - typically associated with theories of elementary particles - are known to occur in condensed matter systems, arising as domain-wall confinement in quantum spin chains. However, investigation of confinement in the condensed matter setting has rarely ventured beyond lattice spin systems. Here we analyze the confinement of sine-Gordon solitons into mesonic bound states in a perturbed quantum sine-Gordon model. The latter describes the scaling limit of a one-dimensional, quantum electronic circuit (QEC) array, constructed using experimentally-demonstrated QEC elements. The scaling limit is reached faster for the QEC array compared to spin chains, allowing investigation of the strong-coupling regime of this model. We compute the string tension of confinement of sine-Gordon solitons and the changes in the low-lying energy spectrum. These results, obtained using the density matrix renormalization group method, could be verified in a quench experiment using state-of-the-art QEC technologies.
ProRefiner: an entropy-based refining strategy for inverse protein folding with global graph attention
Authors: Zhou Xinyi , Chen Guangyong , Ye Junjie , Wang Ercheng , Zhang Jun , Mao Cong , Li Zhanwei , Hao Jianye , Huang Xingxu , Tang Jin , Heng Pheng Ann
Published: November 2023

Inverse Protein Folding (IPF) is an important task of protein design, which aims to design sequences compatible with a given backbone structure. Despite the prosperous development of algorithms for this task, existing methods tend to rely on noisy predicted residues located in the local neighborhood when generating sequences. To address this limitation, we propose an entropy-based residue selection method to remove noise in the input residue context. Additionally, we introduce ProRefiner, a memory-efficient global graph attention model to fully utilize the denoised context. Our proposed method achieves state-of-the-art performance on multiple sequence design benchmarks in different design settings. Furthermore, we demonstrate the applicability of ProRefiner in redesigning Transposon-associated transposase B, where six out of the 20 variants we propose exhibit improved gene editing activity.
Kondo screening in a Majorana metal
Authors: Lee S. , Choi Y. S. , Do S.-H. , Lee W. , Lee C. H. , Lee M. , Vojta M. , Wang C. N. , Luetkens H. , Guguchia Z. , Choi K.-Y.
Published: November 2023

Kondo impurities provide a nontrivial probe to unravel the character of the excitations of a quantum spin liquid. In the S = 1/2 Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice, Kondo impurities embedded in the spin-liquid host can be screened by itinerant Majorana fermions via gauge-flux binding. Here, we report experimental signatures of metallic-like Kondo screening at intermediate temperatures in the Kitaev honeycomb material α-RuCl3 with dilute Cr3+ (S = 3/2) impurities. The static magnetic susceptibility, the muon Knight shift, and the muon spin-relaxation rate all feature logarithmic divergences, a hallmark of a metallic Kondo effect. Concurrently, the linear coefficient of the magnetic specific heat is large in the same temperature regime, indicating the presence of a host Majorana metal. This observation opens new avenues for exploring uncharted Kondo physics in insulating quantum magnets.
On-chip silicon electro-optical modulator with ultra-high extinction ratio for fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing
Authors: Cheng Zhuo , Shu Xiaoqian , Ma Lingmei , Chen Bigeng , Li Caiyun , Sun Chunlei , Wei Maoliang , Yu Shaoliang , Li Lan , Lin Hongtao , Rao Yunjiang
Published: November 2023

Ultra-high extinction ratio (ER) optical modulation is crucial for achieving high-performance fiber-optic distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) for various applications. Bulky acousto-optical modulators (AOM) as one of the key devices in DAS have been used for many years, but their relatively large volume and high power consumption are becoming the bottlenecks to hinder the development of ultra-compact and energy-efficient DAS systems that are highly demanded in practice. Here, an on-chip silicon electro-optical modulator (EOM) based on multiple coupled microrings is demonstrated with ultra-high ER of up to 68 dB while the device size and power consumption are only 260 × 185 μm2and 3.6 mW, respectively, which are at least two orders of magnitude lower than those of a typical AOM. Such an on-chip EOM is successfully applied to DAS with an ultra-high sensitivity of −71.2 dB rad2/Hz (4 pε/√Hz) and a low spatial crosstalk noise of −68.1 dB rad2/Hz, which are very similar to those using an AOM. This work may pave the way for realization of next-generation ultra-compact DAS systems by integration of on-chip opto-electronic devices and modules with the capability of mass-production.
Infant microbiome cultivation and metagenomic analysis reveal Bifidobacterium 2’-fucosyllactose utilization can be facilitated by coexisting species
Authors: Lou Yue Clare , Rubin Benjamin E. , Schoelmerich Marie C. , DiMarco Kaden S. , Borges Adair L. , Rovinsky Rachel , Song Leo , Doudna Jennifer A. , Banfield Jillian F.
Published: November 2023

The early-life gut microbiome development has long-term health impacts and can be influenced by factors such as infant diet. Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), an essential component of breast milk that can only be metabolized by some beneficial gut microorganisms, ensure proper gut microbiome establishment and infant development. However, how HMOs are metabolized by gut microbiomes is not fully elucidated. Isolate studies have revealed the genetic basis for HMO metabolism, but they exclude the possibility of HMO assimilation via synergistic interactions involving multiple organisms. Here, we investigate microbiome responses to 2’-fucosyllactose (2’FL), a prevalent HMO and a common infant formula additive, by establishing individualized microbiomes using fecal samples from three infants as the inocula. Bifidobacterium breve, a prominent member of infant microbiomes, typically cannot metabolize 2’FL. Using metagenomic data, we predict that extracellular fucosidases encoded by co-existing members such as Ruminococcus gnavus initiate 2’FL breakdown, thus critical for B. breve’s growth. Using both targeted co-cultures and by supplementation of R. gnavus into one microbiome, we show that R. gnavus can promote extensive growth of B. breve through the release of lactose from 2’FL. Overall, microbiome cultivation combined with genome-resolved metagenomics demonstrates that HMO utilization can vary with an individual’s microbiome.
An oocyte meiotic midbody cap is required for developmental competence in mice
Authors: Jung Gyu Ik , Londoño-Vásquez Daniela , Park Sungjin , Skop Ahna R. , Balboula Ahmed Z. , Schindler Karen
Published: November 2023

Embryo development depends upon maternally derived materials. Mammalian oocytes undergo extreme asymmetric cytokinesis events, producing one large egg and two small polar bodies. During cytokinesis in somatic cells, the midbody and subsequent assembly of the midbody remnant, a signaling organelle containing RNAs, transcription factors and translation machinery, is thought to influence cellular function or fate. The role of the midbody and midbody remnant in gametes, in particular, oocytes, remains unclear. Here, we examined the formation and function of meiotic midbodies (mMB) and mMB remnants using mouse oocytes and demonstrate that mMBs have a specialized cap structure that is orientated toward polar bodies. We show that that mMBs are translationally active, and that mMB caps are required to retain nascent proteins in eggs. We propose that this specialized mMB cap maintains genetic factors in eggs allowing for full developmental competency.
Masked alkynes for synthesis of threaded carbon chains
Authors: Patrick Connor W. , Gao Yueze , Gupta Prakhar , Thompson Amber L. , Parker Anthony W. , Anderson Harry L.
Published: November 2023

Polyynes are chains of sp1 carbon atoms with alternating single and triple bonds. As they become longer, they evolve towards carbyne, the 1D allotrope of carbon, and they become increasingly unstable. It has been anticipated that long polyynes could be stabilized by supramolecular encapsulation, by threading them through macrocycles to form polyrotaxanes—but, until now, polyyne polyrotaxanes with many threaded macrocycles have been synthetically inaccessible. Here we show that masked alkynes, in which the C≡C triple bond is temporarily coordinated to cobalt, can be used to synthesize polyrotaxanes, up to the C68 [5]rotaxane with 34 contiguous triple bonds and four threaded macrocycles. This is the length regime at which the electronic properties of polyynes converge to those of carbyne. Cyclocarbons constitute a related family of molecular carbon allotropes, and cobalt-masked alkynes also provide a route to [3]catenanes and [5]catenanes built around cobalt complexes of cyclo[40]carbon and cyclo[80]carbon, respectively.
Clonal selection of hematopoietic stem cells after gene therapy for sickle cell disease
Authors: Spencer Chapman Michael , Cull Alyssa H. , Ciuculescu Marioara F. , Esrick Erica B. , Mitchell Emily , Jung Hyunchul , O’Neill Laura , Roberts Kirsty , Fabre Margarete A. , Williams Nicholas , Nangalia Jyoti , Quinton Joanne , Fox James M. , Pellin Danilo , Makani Julie , Armant Myriam , Williams David A. , Campbell Peter J. , Kent David G.
Published: November 2023

Gene therapy (GT) provides a potentially curative treatment option for patients with sickle cell disease (SCD); however, the occurrence of myeloid malignancies in GT clinical trials has prompted concern, with several postulated mechanisms. Here, we used whole-genome sequencing to track hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) from six patients with SCD at pre- and post-GT time points to map the somatic mutation and clonal landscape of gene-modified and unmodified HSCs. Pre-GT, phylogenetic trees were highly polyclonal and mutation burdens per cell were elevated in some, but not all, patients. Post-GT, no clonal expansions were identified among gene-modified or unmodified cells; however, an increased frequency of potential driver mutations associated with myeloid neoplasms or clonal hematopoiesis (DNMT3A- and EZH2-mutated clones in particular) was observed in both genetically modified and unmodified cells, suggesting positive selection of mutant clones during GT. This work sheds light on HSC clonal dynamics and the mutational landscape after GT in SCD, highlighting the enhanced fitness of some HSCs harboring pre-existing driver mutations. Future studies should define the long-term fate of mutant clones, including any contribution to expansions associated with myeloid neoplasms.
Study of the strongest dust storm occurred in Uzbekistan in November 2021
Authors: Nishonov Bakhriddin E. , Kholmatjanov Bakhtiyar M. , Labzovskii Lev D. , Rakhmatova Natella , Shardakova Lyudmila , Abdulakhatov Erkin I. , Yarashev Darkhon U. , Toderich Kristina N. , Khujanazarov Temur , Belikov Dmitry A.
Published: November 2023

We studied and reconstructed a severe Central Asian dust storm of November 4, 2021, through high-resolution TROPOMI UVAI spaceborne observations, ground-based aerosol measurements, and Lagrangian particle modeling. The dust storm was caused by the front part of a cold polar anticyclone front from the Ural-Volga regions, which struck the central and eastern parts of Uzbekistan under favorable atmospheric conditions. Two plumes spread out, causing a thick haze to blanket the region. The most severe dust storm effects hit the capital of Uzbekistan (Tashkent) and the Fergana Valley, where the thick atmospheric dust layer dropped the visibility to 200 m. PM10 concentrations reached 18,000 µg/m3 (260-fold exceedance of the local long-term average). The PM2.5 concentrations remained above 300 µg/m3 for nearly ten days, indicating an extremely long-lasting event. The dust storm was caused by an extremely strong summer heatwave of 2021 in Kazakhstan with unprecedentedly high temperatures reaching 46.5 °C. The long-lasting drought dried up the soil down to 50 cm depth, triggering the soil cover denudation due to drying out vegetation and losing its moisture. This event was the worst since 1871 and considering the increasing aridity of Central Asia, the onset of potentially recurring severe dust storms is alarming.
Simulation examining the factors influencing capillary wick transport in a refrigerant direct cooling system for power battery packs
Authors: Hu Yun , Shan Fengwu , Zeng Jianbang , Liu Shaohuan , Xing Zhengyuan , Fu Wenxiang , Luo Yufeng
Published: November 2023

The effectiveness of power battery refrigerant direct cooling systems of electric vehicles incorporating capillary wicks is directly determined by these wicks’ transport performance. The Fries–Dreyer equation describes wicking behavior, but there is a significant gap between its predictions and the experimental results as reported in the literature. This work examines the factors influencing transport performance in an unconsolidated capillary wick with spherical particles. A mathematical and physical model is developed, the latter using the COMSOL software platform. Both the developed mathematical form and the numerically simulated results of this model are closer to the experimental results than those obtained using the Fries–Dreyer equation. The simulation results enable optimizing the equilibrium height and capillary time numbers providing a fitted Fries–Dreyer equation that is then used to analyze the influence of saturation, inclination angle, wick particle diameter, and tortuosity on the liquid rise mass and velocity and the equilibrium height, and the effects are in close but not perfect accord with experimental data. To narrow the gap, the Fries–Dreyer equation is further optimized using the numerically simulated results, substantially improving the accord with the experimental results.
Investigation of EDF evolution and charged particle transport in E × B plasma based negative ion sources using kinetic simulations
Authors: Shah Miral , Chaudhury Bhaskar , Bandyopadhyay Mainak
Published: November 2023

A spatially varying transverse magnetic filter field (TMF) is present in an E $$\times$$
×
 B plasma-based negative ion source to improve negative ion yield. The TMF strength ranges from 1 to 10 mT, causing the plasma electrons to become magnetized while leaving the ions either unmagnetized or partially magnetized. As a consequence, plasma drift, particle trapping, double layer (DL), and instabilities are observed in a negative ion source. The transport of plasma through the TMF is influenced by these phenomena, subsequently affecting the energy distribution functions (EDFs) of both electrons and ions in the plasma. Measurement of EDFs in such systems is a challenging task due to the presence of a strong magnetic field. To address this, a 2D-3V Particle-in-Cell Monte Carlo Collision (PIC MCC) model is employed to study the spatio-temporal evolution of the EDFs separately for electrons and ions. The electron EDF (EEDF) remains Maxwellian, while ion EDF (IEDF) gradually transitions to non-Maxwellian as measurements are taken closer to the TMF region. The present study reveals that the IEDF is more sensitive to the operational conditions compared to the EEDF, as evidenced by the changes observed in both EDFs under different plasma operational conditions.
MANet: a multi-attention network for automatic liver tumor segmentation in computed tomography (CT) imaging
Authors: Hettihewa Kasun , Kobchaisawat Thananop , Tanpowpong Natthaporn , Chalidabhongse Thanarat H.
Published: November 2023

Automatic liver tumor segmentation is a paramount important application for liver tumor diagnosis and treatment planning. However, it has become a highly challenging task due to the heterogeneity of the tumor shape and intensity variation. Automatic liver tumor segmentation is capable to establish the diagnostic standard to provide relevant radiological information to all levels of expertise. Recently, deep convolutional neural networks have demonstrated superiority in feature extraction and learning in medical image segmentation. However, multi-layer dense feature stacks make the model quite inconsistent in imitating visual attention and awareness of radiological expertise for tumor recognition and segmentation task. To bridge that visual attention capability, attention mechanisms have developed for better feature selection. In this paper, we propose a novel network named Multi Attention Network (MANet) as a fusion of attention mechanisms to learn highlighting important features while suppressing irrelevant features for the tumor segmentation task. The proposed deep learning network has followed U-Net as the basic architecture. Moreover, residual mechanism is implemented in the encoder. Convolutional block attention module has split into channel attention and spatial attention modules to implement in encoder and decoder of the proposed architecture. The attention mechanism in Attention U-Net is integrated to extract low-level features to combine with high-level ones. The developed deep learning architecture is trained and evaluated on the publicly available MICCAI 2017 Liver Tumor Segmentation dataset and 3DIRCADb dataset under various evaluation metrics. MANet demonstrated promising results compared to state-of-the-art methods with comparatively small parameter overhead.
Anticancer activity, phytochemical investigation and molecular docking insights of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) fruits
Authors: Mandour Yasmine M. , Refaat Esraa , Hassanein Heba D.
Published: November 2023

Cancer disease is regarded as one of the most significant public health issues, regardless of economic standards. Medicinal plants are now regarded as a natural source of anticancer medicines due to their antioxidant and anti-mutagenic actions. Cucurbitaceae is considered to be one of the most economically significant families. One family species is Citrullus colocynthis (L.), which has a high concentration of many active secondary chemical metabolites. Various C. colocynthis plant extracts showed cytotoxicity against some cancer cells. This study aims to identify the C. colocynthis fruit components and determine whether they have anticancer action against MIA PaCa-2 and A431 cells. High-Performance Liquid Chromatography/Quadrupole Time of Flight/Mass Spectrometry (HPLC/QTOF/MS); the technique was accustomed to investigate the compounds of the ethyl acetate (EtOAc) fruit extract. Anticancer activity was investigated on both MIAPaCa-2 and A-431 cell lines. DPPH assay for antioxidant activity was carried out. Molecular modelling was employed to help understand the molecular basis for the observed anticancer activity. 24 compounds were tentatively identified by comparing the extract’s fragmentation pattern in positive mode against reference compounds spectra and literature. The EtOAc extract of C. colocynthis had effective positive results on cancer cells (MIAPaCa-2 and A-431) and was characterized by slight or no harmful effect on normal (healthy) cells. For the DPPH assay, EtOAc and BuOH extracts exhibited high antioxidant activity (86 and 76%, respectively) compared with the oxidative potential of the standard compound (Caffeic acid, 98%). One of the major cucurbitacin derivatives that LC/MS tentatively identified in the EtOAc extract was Cucurbita-5(10),6,23-triene-3β,25-diol. During this study, docking experiments and MD simulations were carried out, which suggested the anti-pancreatic cancer activity of C. colocynthis extract to be attributed to EGFR inhibition by Cucurbita-5(10),6,23-triene-3β,25-diol. Therefore, expansion of this type of research should be encouraged in the hope of obtaining natural therapeutics for cancerous tumors in the future, having the advantage of being cheaper, safer, and with fewer side effects.
Establishing the normal range of sperm DNA fragmentation index (% DFI) for rhesus macaques
Authors: Burch Fernanda C. , Leung Philberta Y. , McDonald Eric , Jensen Jared , Mishler Emily , Piekarski Nadine , Mendes Camilla M. , Sylwester Andrew , Hanna Carol B.
Published: November 2023

The Sperm Chromatin Structure Assay (SCSA) is a robust test with high repeatability and precision. It is a clinically accepted assay that defines risk for infertility in men by measuring the degree of DNA fragmentation (% DFI) in sperm. The objective of this study was to adapt and validate the SCSA for rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta) and establish a range for % DFI in fertile males. Sperm samples from two different males were used to produce a % DFI validation curve before establishing a range using additional samples from n = 11 males. Sperm labeled with acridine orange were analyzed by flow cytometry to measure green fluorescence (native or intact DNA) and red fluorescence (fragmented DNA). Data were exported to FlowJo software to determine the % DFI for each sample. DNA fragmentation ranged from 0.1 to 2.4% DFI, with a mean ± SD = 1.1 ± 0.7% DFI (validation curve optimized to R2 > 0.95). In conclusion, we were able to successfully validate the SCSA in our institution and establish the first normal range for sperm DNA fragmentation in rhesus macaques. Our study provides a quantitative baseline for future evaluations to assess macaque fertility through the SCSA test.
Lactic acid enhances vaginal epithelial barrier integrity and ameliorates inflammatory effects of dysbiotic short chain fatty acids and HIV-1
Authors: Schwecht Ingrid , Nazli Aisha , Gill Biban , Kaushic Charu
Published: November 2023

The vaginal microenvironment is key in mediating susceptibility to sexually transmitted infections. A polymicrobial environment with reduced Lactobacilllus spp. is characteristic of vaginal dysbiosis, associated with increased production of several short chain fatty acids (SCFAs), vaginal inflammation and an increased risk of HIV-1 acquisition. In contrast, a eubiotic vaginal microbiome (VMB), dominated by Lactobacillus spp. correlates with increased production of lactic acid (LA), an acidic milieu and protection against HIV-1. Vaginal metabolites, specifically LA and SCFAs including butyric, succinic and acetic acids are associated with modulation of HIV-1 risk. We assessed the impact of combined and individual SCFAs and LA on vaginal epithelial cells (VK2) grown in air–liquid interface cultures. Treatment of VK2 cells with eubiotic SCFA + LA mixture showed increased epithelial barrier integrity, reduced FITC dextran leakage and enhanced expression of cell–cell adhesion proteins. Treatment with dysbiotic SCFA + LA mixture diminished epithelial barrier integrity, increased NFκB activation and inflammatory mediators: TNF-α, IL-6, IL-8 and RANTES. LA was found to be the primary contributor of the beneficial effects. Eubiotic SCFA + LA mixture ameliorated HIV-1 mediated barrier disruption and HIV-1 leakage, whereas dysbiotic SCFA + LA treatment exacerbated HIV-1 effects. These findings indicate a key role for LA in future prophylactic strategies.
Distribution and co-occurrence patterns of charophytes and angiosperms in the northern Baltic Sea
Authors: Herkül Kristjan , Torn Kaire , Möller-Raid Tiia , Martin Georg
Published: November 2023

The distribution data of 11 soft substrate charophyte and angiosperm species were analyzed. Our study aimed to elucidate the co-occurrence patterns among these sympatric macrophyte species and quantify their distribution areas. The central hypothesis of this study proposed that the observed co-occurrence patterns among the studied species deviate from what would be expected by random chance. Macrophyte occurrence data was derived from an extensive field sampling database. Environmental variables available as georeferenced raster layers including topographical, hydrodynamic, geological, physical, chemical, and biological variables were used as predictor variables in the random forest models to predict the spatial distribution of the species. Permutation tests revealed statistically significant deviations from random co-occurrence patterns. The analysis demonstrated that species tended to co-occur more frequently within their taxonomic groups (i.e., within charophytes and within angiosperms) than between these groups. The most extensive distribution overlap was observed betweenChara asperaWilld. andChara canescensLoisel., whileZostera marinaL. exhibited the least overlap with the other species. The mean number of co-occurring species was the highest inChara baltica(Hartman) Bruzelius whileZ. marinahad the largest share of single-species occurrences. Based on the distribution models,Stuckenia pectinata(L.) Börner had the largest distribution area.