The projected size and spatial distribution of the future population are important drivers of global change and key determinants of exposure and vulnerability to hazards. Spatial demographic ...projections are widely used as inputs to spatial projections of land use, energy use, and emissions, as well as to assessments of the impacts of extreme events, sea level rise, and other climate-related outcomes. To date, however, there are very few global-scale, spatially explicit population projections, and those that do exist are often based on simple scaling or trend extrapolation. Here we present a new set of global, spatially explicit population scenarios that are consistent with the new Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs) developed to facilitate global change research. We use a parameterized gravity-based downscaling model to produce projections of spatial population change that are quantitatively consistent with national population and urbanization projections for the SSPs and qualitatively consistent with assumptions in the SSP narratives regarding spatial development patterns. We show that the five SSPs lead to substantially different spatial population outcomes at the continental, national, and sub-national scale. In general, grid cell-level outcomes are most influenced by national-level population change, second by urbanization rate, and third by assumptions about the spatial style of development. However, the relative importance of these factors is a function of the magnitude of the projected change in total population and urbanization for each country and across SSPs. We also demonstrate variation in outcomes considering the example of population existing in a low-elevation coastal zone under alternative scenarios.
Immune checkpoint blockade with Programmed cell death 1 (PD-1)/PD-L1 inhibitors has been effective in various malignancies and is considered as a standard treatment modality for patients with ...non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, emerging evidence show that PD-1/PD-L1 blockade can lead to hyperprogressive disease (HPD), a flair-up of tumor growth linked to dismal prognosis. This study aimed to evaluate the incidence of HPD and identify the determinants associated with HPD in patients with NSCLC treated with PD-1/PD-L1 blockade.
We enrolled patients with recurrent and/or metastatic NSCLC treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors between April 2014 and November 2018. Clinicopathologic variables, dynamics of tumor growth, and treatment outcomes were analyzed in patients with NSCLC who received PD-1/PD-L1 blockade. HPD was defined according to tumor growth kinetics (TGK), tumor growth rate (TGR), and time to treatment failure (TTF). Immunophenotyping of peripheral blood CD8+ T lymphocytes was conducted to explore the potential predictive biomarkers of HPD.
A total of 263 patients were analyzed. HPD was observed in 55 (20.9%), 54 (20.5%), and 98 (37.3%) patients according to the TGK, TGR, and TTF. HPD meeting both TGK and TGR criteria was associated with worse progression-free survival hazard ratio (HR) 4.619; 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.868–7.440 and overall survival (HR, 5.079; 95% CI, 3.136–8.226) than progressive disease without HPD. There were no clinicopathologic variables specific for HPD. In the exploratory biomarker analysis with peripheral blood CD8+ T lymphocytes, a lower frequency of effector/memory subsets (CCR7−CD45RA− T cells among the total CD8+ T cells) and a higher frequency of severely exhausted populations (TIGIT+ T cells among PD-1+CD8+ T cells) were associated with HPD and inferior survival rate.
HPD is common in NSCLC patients treated with PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitors. Biomarkers derived from rationally designed analysis may successfully predict HPD and worse outcomes, meriting further investigation of HPD.
Even though the impact of COVID-19 in metropolitan areas has been extensively studied, the geographic spread to smaller cities is also of great concern. We conducted an ecological study aimed at ...identifying predictors of early introduction, incidence rates of COVID-19 and mortality (up to 8 May 2020) among 604 municipalities in inner São Paulo State, Brazil. Socio-demographic indexes, road distance to the state capital and a classification of regional relevance were included in predictive models for time to COVID-19 introduction (Cox regression), incidence and mortality rates (zero-inflated binomial negative regression). In multivariable analyses, greater demographic density and higher classification of regional relevance were associated with both early introduction and increased rates of COVID-19 incidence and mortality. Other predictive factors varied, but distance from the State Capital (São Paulo City) was negatively associated with time-to-introduction and with incidence rates of COVID-19. Our results reinforce the hypothesis of two patterns of geographical spread of SARS-Cov-2 infection: one that is spatial (from the metropolitan area into the inner state) and another which is hierarchical (from urban centres of regional relevance to smaller and less connected municipalities). Those findings may apply to other settings, especially in developing and highly heterogeneous countries, and point to a potential benefit from strengthening non-pharmaceutical control strategies in areas of greater risk.
Cytokine storm syndrome (CSS) is a critical clinical condition induced by a cascade of cytokine activation, characterized by overwhelming systemic inflammation, hyperferritinaemia, haemodynamic ...instability and multiple organ failure (MOF). At the end of 2019, the disease caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) emerged in Wuhan, China, and rapidly developed into a global pandemic. More and more evidence shows that there is a dramatic increase of inflammatory cytokines in patients with COVID‐19, suggesting the existence of cytokine storm in some critical illness patients. Here, we summarize the pathogenesis, clinical manifestation of CSS, and highlight the current understanding about the recognition and potential therapeutic options of CSS in COVID‐19.
Abstract
Quantitative trait loci (QTL) for rice grain weight identified using bi-parental populations in various environments were found inconsistent and have a modest role in marker assisted ...breeding and map-based cloning programs. Thus, the identification of a consistent consensus QTL region across populations is critical to deploy in marker aided breeding programs. Using the QTL meta-analysis technique, we collated rice grain weight QTL information from numerous studies done across populations and in diverse environments to find constitutive QTL for grain weight. Using information from 114 original QTL in meta-analysis, we discovered three significant Meta-QTL (MQTL) for grain weight on chromosome 3. According to gene ontology, these three MQTL have 179 genes, 25 of which have roles in developmental functions. Amino acid sequence BLAST of these genes indicated their orthologue conservation among core cereals with similar functions. MQTL3.1 includes the
OsAPX1
,
PDIL
,
SAUR
, and
OsASN1
genes, which are involved in grain development and have been discovered to play a key role in asparagine biosynthesis and metabolism, which is crucial for source-sink regulation. Five potential candidate genes were identified and their expression analysis indicated a significant role in early grain development. The gene sequence information retrieved from the 3 K rice genome project revealed the deletion of six bases coding for serine and alanine in the last exon of
OsASN1
led to an interruption in the synthesis of α-helix of the protein, which negatively affected the asparagine biosynthesis pathway in the low grain weight genotypes. Further, the MQTL3.1 was validated using linked marker RM7197 on a set of genotypes with extreme phenotypes. MQTL that have been identified and validated in our study have significant scope in MAS breeding and map-based cloning programs for improving rice grain weight.
Absorption by stringy black holes Xavier, Sérgio V. M. C. B.; Benone, Carolina L.; Crispino, Luís C. B.
The European physical journal. C, Particles and fields,
12/2021, Letnik:
81, Številka:
12
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
We investigate the absorption of planar massless scalar waves by a charged rotating stringy black hole, namely a Kerr–Sen black hole. We compute numerically the absorption cross section and compare ...our results with those of the Kerr–Newman black hole, a classical general relativity solution. In order to better compare both charged black holes, we define the ratio of the black hole charge to the extreme charge as
Q
. We conclude that Kerr–Sen and Kerr–Newman black holes have a similar absorption cross section, with the difference increasing for higher values of
Q
.
Although magnesium alloys, as the lightest structural alloys, offer significant potential for automotive applications, their applications remain limited due to their poor formability at room ...temperature. Since the strategies used for improving formability usually result in a degradation of strength, there are no high strength magnesium alloys showing good formability. Here we report an alloy design concept that can simultaneously provide high strength and good formability. Such designed alloy when subjected to an appropriate processing technique shows a combination of strength and formability that surpasses those of the existing magnesium alloys reported so far. The alloy design concept used in the present study is based on the utilization of alloying elements that can induce precipitation, as well as maximize the segregation of other texture-controlling alloying elements. Such developed alloy is expected to broaden the application of Mg alloy sheets, which are now starting to gain acceptance by automotive industries.
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