Post-translational acetylation of lysine residues has emerged as a key regulatory mechanism in all eukaryotic organisms. Originally discovered in 1963 as a unique modification of histones, ...acetylation marks are now found on thousands of nonhistone proteins located in virtually every cellular compartment. Here we summarize key findings in the field of protein acetylation over the past 20 years with a focus on recent discoveries in nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitochondrial compartments. Collectively, these findings have elevated protein acetylation as a major post-translational modification, underscoring its physiological relevance in gene regulation, cell signaling, metabolism, and disease.
We review some of the recent efforts in devising and engineering bosonic qubits for superconducting devices, with emphasis on the Gottesman-Kitaev-Preskill (GKP) qubit. We present some new results on ...decoding repeated GKP error correction using finitely-squeezed GKP ancilla qubits, exhibiting differences with previously studied stochastic error models. We discuss circuit-QED ways to realize CZ gates between GKP qubits and we discuss different scenarios for using GKP and regular qubits as building blocks in a scalable superconducting surface code architecture.
The field of dark matter detection is a highly visible and highly competitive one. In this paper, we propose recommendations for presenting dark matter direct detection results particularly suited ...for weak-scale dark matter searches, although we believe the spirit of the recommendations can apply more broadly to searches for other dark matter candidates, such as very light dark matter or axions. To translate experimental data into a final published result, direct detection collaborations must make a series of choices in their analysis, ranging from how to model astrophysical parameters to how to make statistical inferences based on observed data. While many collaborations follow a standard set of recommendations in some areas, for example the expected flux of dark matter particles (to a large degree based on a paper from Lewin and Smith in 1995), in other areas, particularly in statistical inference, they have taken different approaches, often from result to result by the same collaboration. We set out a number of recommendations on how to apply the now commonly used Profile Likelihood Ratio method to direct detection data. In addition, updated recommendations for the Standard Halo Model astrophysical parameters and relevant neutrino fluxes are provided. The authors of this note include members of the DAMIC, DarkSide, DARWIN, DEAP, LZ, NEWS-G, PandaX, PICO, SBC, SENSEI, SuperCDMS, and XENON collaborations, and these collaborations provided input to the recommendations laid out here. Wide-spread adoption of these recommendations will make it easier to compare and combine future dark matter results.
Background Despite progress in reducing youth smoking, adolescents remain highly susceptible to tobacco use. Of concern is whether youth perceive electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) as a preferable ...alternative to conventional cigarettes. Purpose To describe cigarette harm perception patterns among youth based on the frequency and intensity of cigarette smoking, and examine the relative harm perceptions of conventional versus e-cigarettes, using data from a large, nationally representative sample of U.S. youth. Methods Data from the 2012 National Youth Tobacco Survey (N=24,658) were analyzed in 2013 to identify patterns of cigarette harm perceptions. Multinomial logistic regression was conducted to identify associations between demographic and tobacco use characteristics and cigarette harm perception patterns. Logistic regression was conducted to examine the relationship between cigarette harm perceptions and the perception of e-cigarettes as less harmful than cigarettes for current, ever, and never cigarette smokers. Results The majority of youth (64.2%) perceived the harmfulness of cigarettes as dose-dependent. Approximately one in three students perceived e-cigarettes as less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Regardless of cigarette smoking status, ever users of e-cigarettes and those with “dose-dependent” cigarette harm perceptions consistently were more likely to perceive e-cigarettes as less harmful than conventional cigarettes. Conclusions Many youth perceive tobacco use on a continuum of harm. Youth who perceive gradations in harm—both by frequency and intensity of cigarette use and by type of product—may be particularly susceptible to e-cigarette use.
One of Venus' most enigmatic landforms is Baltis Vallis, the longest channel on the surface (∼7,000 km long). We identify a possible mid‐channel island that implies a south to north flow direction ...during formation. However, since the flow direction of Baltis Vallis is otherwise not well constrained, we analyze topographic conformity in both flow directions. In either case, topography appears to be altered across most analyzed wavelengths after the formation of Baltis Vallis. Fourier analysis shows two ranges of prominent wavelengths, 225 ± 15 km and ∼3,500 ± 1,200 km. The shorter wavelengths correspond to deformation belts that cross Venus' low plains. The longest is plausibly associated with the dynamic uplift wavelength of the crust by mantle plumes, but is less robustly detected. Higher resolution observations provided by the VERITAS and EnVision missions can help resolve the source location of Baltis Vallis and constrain if the longest wavelength postdated the canale's formation.
Plain Language Summary
Venus' surface is covered in a plethora of strange landforms, at least from the perspective of Earth. One of the longest is an about 7,000 km channel named Baltis Vallis, comparable to the Amazon and Nile rivers, but instead likely formed by volcanic processes. Baltis Vallis serves as a unique opportunity on Venus due to its length. The channel recorded surface altering processes in its topography, but we first check if the channel retained topographic information from when it initially formed. Our test shows that the topography has been altered by later processes and those processes should dominate the signal in analysis of the current topography. That analysis shows 2 length‐scales are overrepresented in the topography. The shorter length‐scale correspond to thin mountain range‐like features that cross Venus' low plains. The longest wavelength is plausibly associated with uplift of the crust by mantle plumes and this value will be useful when creating models of Venus' interior.
Key Points
A possible mid‐channel island in the longest channel on Venus implies a south to north flow direction
We show that the topography and morphology of this channel was modified along most of its length
Fourier analysis of the channel's topography shows a group of prominent wavelengths at ∼210–240 km, that we link to deformation belts
Background Unstructured text, including medical records, patient feedback, and social media comments, can be a rich source of data for clinical research. Natural language processing (NLP) describes a ...set of techniques used to convert passages of written text into interpretable datasets that can be analysed by statistical and machine learning (ML) models. The purpose of this paper is to provide a practical introduction to contemporary techniques for the analysis of text-data, using freely-available software. Methods We performed three NLP experiments using publicly-available data obtained from medicine review websites. First, we conducted lexicon-based sentiment analysis on open-text patient reviews of four drugs: Levothyroxine, Viagra, Oseltamivir and Apixaban. Next, we used unsupervised ML (latent Dirichlet allocation, LDA) to identify similar drugs in the dataset, based solely on their reviews. Finally, we developed three supervised ML algorithms to predict whether a drug review was associated with a positive or negative rating. These algorithms were: a regularised logistic regression, a support vector machine (SVM), and an artificial neural network (ANN). We compared the performance of these algorithms in terms of classification accuracy, area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), sensitivity and specificity. Results Levothyroxine and Viagra were reviewed with a higher proportion of positive sentiments than Oseltamivir and Apixaban. One of the three LDA clusters clearly represented drugs used to treat mental health problems. A common theme suggested by this cluster was drugs taking weeks or months to work. Another cluster clearly represented drugs used as contraceptives. Supervised machine learning algorithms predicted positive or negative drug ratings with classification accuracies ranging from 0.664, 95% CI 0.608, 0.716 for the regularised regression to 0.720, 95% CI 0.664,0.776 for the SVM. Conclusions In this paper, we present a conceptual overview of common techniques used to analyse large volumes of text, and provide reproducible code that can be readily applied to other research studies using open-source software.
Phosphorene, a elemental 2D material, which is the monolayer of black phosphorus, has been mechanically exfoliated recently. In its bulk form, black phosphorus shows high carrier mobility (∼10 000 ...cm2/V·s) and a ∼0.3 eV direct band gap. Well-behaved p-type field-effect transistors with mobilities of up to 1000 cm2/V·s, as well as phototransistors, have been demonstrated on few-layer black phosphorus, showing its promise for electronics and optoelectronics applications due to its high hole mobility and thickness-dependent direct band gap. However, p–n junctions, the basic building blocks of modern electronic and optoelectronic devices, have not yet been realized based on black phosphorus. In this paper, we demonstrate a gate-tunable p–n diode based on a p-type black phosphorus/n-type monolayer MoS2 van der Waals p–n heterojunction. Upon illumination, these ultrathin p–n diodes show a maximum photodetection responsivity of 418 mA/W at the wavelength of 633 nm and photovoltaic energy conversion with an external quantum efficiency of 0.3%. These p–n diodes show promise for broad-band photodetection and solar energy harvesting.
Summary Background Patients admitted to hospital can acquire multidrug-resistant organisms and Clostridium difficile from inadequately disinfected environmental surfaces. We determined the effect of ...three enhanced strategies for terminal room disinfection (disinfection of a room between occupying patients) on acquisition and infection due to meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , vancomycin-resistant enterococci, C difficile , and multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter. Methods We did a pragmatic, cluster-randomised, crossover trial at nine hospitals in the southeastern USA. Rooms from which a patient with infection or colonisation with a target organism was discharged were terminally disinfected with one of four strategies: reference (quaternary ammonium disinfectant except for C difficile , for which bleach was used); UV (quaternary ammonium disinfectant and disinfecting ultraviolet UV-C light except for C difficile , for which bleach and UV-C were used); bleach; and bleach and UV-C. The next patient admitted to the targeted room was considered exposed. Every strategy was used at each hospital in four consecutive 7-month periods. We randomly assigned the sequence of strategies for each hospital (1:1:1:1). The primary outcomes were the incidence of infection or colonisation with all target organisms among exposed patients and the incidence of C difficile infection among exposed patients in the intention-to-treat population. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov , NCT01579370. Findings 31 226 patients were exposed; 21 395 (69%) met all inclusion criteria, including 4916 in the reference group, 5178 in the UV group, 5438 in the bleach group, and 5863 in the bleach and UV group. 115 patients had the primary outcome during 22 426 exposure days in the reference group (51·3 per 10 000 exposure days). The incidence of target organisms among exposed patients was significantly lower after adding UV to standard cleaning strategies (n=76; 33·9 cases per 10 000 exposure days; relative risk RR 0·70, 95% CI 0·50–0·98; p=0·036). The primary outcome was not statistically lower with bleach (n=101; 41·6 cases per 10 000 exposure days; RR 0·85, 95% CI 0·69–1·04; p=0·116), or bleach and UV (n=131; 45·6 cases per 10 000 exposure days; RR 0·91, 95% CI 0·76–1·09; p=0·303) among exposed patients. Similarly, the incidence of C difficile infection among exposed patients was not changed after adding UV to cleaning with bleach (n=38 vs 36; 30·4 cases vs 31·6 cases per 10 000 exposure days; RR 1·0, 95% CI 0·57–1·75; p=0·997). Interpretation A contaminated health-care environment is an important source for acquisition of pathogens; enhanced terminal room disinfection decreases this risk. Funding US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A Framework for Resolving Cryptic Species Singhal, Sonal; Hoskin, Conrad J.; Couper, Patrick ...
Systematic biology,
11/2018, Letnik:
67, Številka:
6
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
As we collect range-wide genetic data for morphologically-defined species, we increasingly unearth evidence for cryptic diversity. Delimiting this cryptic diversity is challenging, both because the ...divergences span a continuum and because the lack of overt morphological differentiation suggests divergence has proceeded heterogeneously. Herein, we address these challenges as we diagnose and describe species in three co-occurring species groups of Australian lizards. By integrating genomic and morphological data with data on hybridization and introgression from contact zones, we explore several approaches—and their relative benefits and weaknesses—for testing the validity of cryptic lineages. More generally, we advocate that genetic delimitations of cryptic diversity must consider whether these lineages are likely to be durable and persistent through evolutionary time.
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