In-depth Profile Research Articles

Reconstruction of the in-depth profile of line gratings with critical dimension grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering on laboratory equipment

We present a reconstruction of the in-depth profile of line gratings using critical-dimension grazing incidence small angle x-ray scattering with a compact Cu-Kα x-ray source mounted on a laboratory small angle x-ray scattering (SAXS). By taking advantage of the grazing-incidence configuration and with a rotation of the gratings under the x-ray beam, several orders of the Bragg rods were probed and led to the extraction of the in-depth profile of the lines. The extracted in-depth profile is compared with 3D atomic force microscopy results. The methodology developed mimics the one of critical dimension SAXS measurements, in transmission, to enable future comparison between the two approaches as well as building complementary modeling. These results open new perspectives for in-line x-ray metrology since the Cu-Kα x-ray source is widely spread and used by the x-ray community.

Lumnitzera racemosa, White Flowered Black Mangrove

This publication provides an in-depth profile of Lumnitzera racemosa for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences.

Lilioceris egena (Weise) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Criocerinae) - Biological Control Agent of Air Potato Vine

This publication provides an in-depth profile of the air potato bulbil beetle (suggested common name), a new biological control agent of the air potato vine. It is intended for the use of interested laypersons with some knowledge of biology as well as academic audiences.

Depth profile analysis of 100 keV Ni ions in Si 〈100〉 substrate

Nickel implanted silicon substrate shows potential applications for the fabrication of infrared detectors, solar cells, spintronic devices as well as for the synthesis of an embedded nickel silicide layer inside Si substrates. Emerging applications of the transition metal implanted silicon structures for the fabrication of intermediate band materials motivated us to study the in-depth distribution profile of Ni ions as well as the structural changes that occur at the top of silicon substrate surface before and after annealing process. In the present work, we have carried out detailed study on the crystalline silicon substrates, implanted with Ni− ions comprising ion dose value of 5 × 1016 ions/cm2 at 100 keV implantation energy followed with the post implantation annealing at 800 °C temperature for a time duration of 2 h. The distribution profile of nickel ions inside the silicon substrate was estimated using the non-destructive simultaneous XRR-GIXRF measurements and were also compared with results obtained from the RBS and SIMS measurements. The in-depth concentration profile of Ni ions inside Si substrate derived from XRR-GIXRF measurements was found to be in close agreement with that of obtained from the RBS measurements. Furthermore, our investigations clearly showed that the annealing process causes the inward and outward diffusion of the Ni atoms inside the Si substrate, thus significantly changing the in-depth concentration profile of Ni ions in the Si matrix. The XANES and EXAFS results also demonstrate the formation of NiSi2 phase around Ni atoms in the implanted region of Si 〈100〉 substrate.

Asymmetry of sleep electrophysiological markers in patients with focal epilepsy.

Sleep can modulate epileptic activities, but our knowledge of sleep perturbation by epilepsy remains sparse. Interestingly, epilepsy and sleep both present with defining electrophysiological features in the form of specific graphoelements on EEG. This raises the possibility to identify, within ongoing EEG activity, how epilepsy impacts and disrupts sleep. Here, we asked whether the presence of a lateralized epileptic focus interferes with the expression of the dominant electrophysiological hallmarks of sleep: slow oscillations, slow waves and spindles. To this aim, we conducted a cross-sectional study and analysed sleep recordings with surface EEG from 69 patients with focal epilepsy (age range at EEG: 17-61 years, 29 females, 34 left focal epilepsy). Comparing patients with left and right focal epilepsy, we assessed inter-hemispheric asymmetry of sleep slow oscillations power (delta range, 0.5-4 Hz); sleep slow wave density; amplitude, duration and slope; and spindle density, amplitude, duration as well as locking to slow oscillations. We found significantly different asymmetries in slow oscillation power (P < 0.01); slow wave amplitude (P < 0.05) and slope (P < 0.01); and spindle density (P < 0.0001) and amplitude (P < 0.05). To confirm that these population-based differences reflect actual patient-by-patient differences, we then tested whether asymmetry of sleep features can classify laterality of the epileptic focus using a decision tree and a 5-fold cross-validation. We show that classification accuracy is above chance level (accuracy of 65%, standard deviation: 5%) and significantly outperforms a classification based on a randomization of epileptic lateralization (randomization data accuracy: 50%, standard deviation 7%, unpaired t-test, P < 0.0001). Importantly, we show that classification of epileptic lateralization by the canonical epileptic biomarker, i.e. interictal epileptiform discharges, improves slightly but significantly when combined with electrophysiological hallmarks of physiological sleep (from 75% to 77%, P < 0.0001, one-way ANOVA + Sidak's multiple comparisons test). Together, we establish that epilepsy is associated with inter-hemispheric perturbation of sleep-related activities and provide an in-depth multi-dimensional profile of the main sleep electrophysiological signatures in a large cohort of patients with focal epilepsy. We provide converging evidence that the underlying epileptic process interacts with the expression of sleep markers, in addition to triggering well-known pathological activities, such as interictal epileptiform discharges.

Notre-Dame de Paris as a validation case to improve fire safety modelling in historic buildings

The analysis of the thermal damages in Notre-Dame de Paris is necessary to estimate the impact of the dramatic 2019 fire on the remaining structure prior to reconstruction. In doing so, the large amount of data being generated creates a benchmark environment to test the relevance of numerical fire models in the unconventional configuration of a medieval roof. While being an uncontrolled and complex configuration, it can provide insights regarding the relevance of numerical tools for fire risk assessment in historic buildings. Analysing the thermal degradation of the Lutetian limestone in a vault of the choir, experimental techniques are developed to track the in-depth maximum temperature profile reached during the fire. Numerical simulations of the fire development in the roof space then aim at replicating the observations through the evaluation of the heat flux impinging the vaults during the fire. These simulations are carried out using Fire Dynamic Simulator, which requires a large range of assumptions prior to any simulation regarding materials, geometry, meshing and scale. These assumptions are described and pave the way to a future sensitivity analysis to confront the upcoming outcomes of the simulations with the experimental observations.

Preparation and performance of graphene oxide-polyacrylamide based nanoscale microsphere emulsion for profile control

A new kind of in-depth profile control and displacement graphene oxide-polyacrylamide (GO-PAM) based nanoscale microsphere emulsion for enhancing oil recovery was designed by the inverse microemulsion polymerization technology, which simultaneously plays the multifunction roles of plugging pore throat, reducing water-oil interfacial tension and oil viscosity benefiting from the synergistic effect of nanoscale microsphere and GO sheets. The emulsion shows superior suspension properties, thermal stability, hydration swelling, and the excellent emulsifying ability for crude oil. The average particle size of PAM microspheres is about 40 nm, and the size of GO sheets is about 1–10 µm. Only 0.1% dispersion of GO-PAM emulsion reduces the water-oil interfacial tension by 63%, and reduces the viscosity of thick oil by 10%. And with increasing emulsion dosage to 5%, the viscosity can be reduced by more than 50%. For low permeability simulated cores, the plugging efficiency of the GO-PAM emulsion system increases from 80% to 88% compared with PAM emulsion. The microscopic oil displacement experiment shows that our designed emulsion enhanced oil recovery by 6–7%. The GO-PAM composite microsphere emulsion is expected to be a competitive candidate for in-depth profile control and heavy crude recovery.

Estimating the impact of NABE member characteristics on compensation.

Since 1964, NABE has provided members with an in-depth profile of its members' salary, compensation, and characteristics through its biannual Salary Survey. Since 2006, several econometric estimates of the relationship between member characteristics and compensation have been developed using the Salary Survey data. Aside from the informational value of those studies, the model results have formed the basis for the online Salary Calculator, designed to offer members a way to predict the impact of their professional attributes and job characteristics on average expected salary and compensation. This paper presents the results of this year's model estimation based on the 2022 Salary Survey, published in August 2022 and available to members on the NABE website.

In-depth peptidomic profile and molecular simulation studies on ACE-inhibitory peptides derived from probiotic fermented milk of different farm animals

Investigations into ACE inhibitory properties of probiotic fermented bovine, camel, goat, and sheep milk were performed and studied for two weeks of refrigerated storage. Results from the degree of proteolysis suggested higher susceptibility of goat milk proteins, followed by sheep and camel milk proteins, to the probiotic-mediated proteolysis. ACE-inhibitory properties displayed continuous decline in ACE-IC50 values for two weeks of refrigerated storage. Overall, goat milk fermented with Pediococcus pentosaceus caused maximum ACE inhibition (IC50: 262.7 µg/mL protein equivalent), followed by camel milk (IC50: 290.9 µg/mL protein equivalent). Studies related to peptide identification and in silico analysis using HPEPDOCK score revealed presence of 11, 13, 9 and 9 peptides in fermented bovine, goat, sheep, and camel milk, respectively, with potent antihypertensive potential. The results obtained suggest that the goat and camel milk proteins demonstrated higher potential for generating antihypertensive peptides via fermentation when compared to bovine and sheep milk.

Phytocompound inhibitors of caspase 3 as beta-cell apoptosis treatment development option: An In-silico approach

The prevalence of Diabetes mellitus (DM) is continuously rising worldwide. Among its types, type I is characterized by the destruction of beta cells triggered by various mechanisms, including the activation of Caspase 3. Studies have demonstrated the crucial role of Caspase 3 in initiating the apoptosis of beta cells in DM. Our research aims to identify possible phytocompounds inhibitors of Caspase 3 using computational approach. We obtained 3D structures of Caspase 3 and 6511 phytocompounds from the Protein Data Bank and the African Natural Products Database, respectively. The phytocompounds were assessed for druglikeness properties, topological polar surface area, and preliminary toxicity using DataWarrior. The phytocompounds were subjected to molecular docking simulation (MDS) at Caspase 3 active site using AutoDock-Vina. The frontrunner phytocompounds obtained from the MDS were subjected to protease inhibition prediction on Molinspiration. The pharmacokinetics of the phytocompounds were assessed on SwissADME. The in-depth computational toxicity profile of the phytocompounds was evaluated on the pkCSM web. The binding interactions of the phytocompounds with Caspase 3 were assessed with Discovery Studio Visualizer and Maestro. Seventeen phytocompounds were found to have no violation of Lipinski's rule and had no toxicity based on the preliminary assessment, have better binding affinity and protease inhibitory prediction scores than the references, have optimistic bioactivity radar prediction and similar amino acids interaction, in comparison with the references. Further studies, which include in-vitro and in-vivo studies, will be carried out to validate the results of this study.

Acoustoelectric Effect of Rayleigh and Sezawa Waves in ZnO/Fused Silica Produced by an Inhomogeneous In-Depth Electrical Conductivity Profile

The acousto-electric (AE) effect associated with the propagation of Rayleigh and Sezawa surface acoustic waves (SAWs) in ZnO/fused silica was theoretically investigated under the hypothesis that the electrical conductivity of the piezoelectric layer has an exponentially decaying profile akin to the photoconductivity effect induced by ultra-violet illumination in wide-band-gap photoconducting ZnO. The calculated waves' velocity and attenuation shift vs. ZnO conductivity curves have the form of a double-relaxation response, as opposed to a single-relaxation response which characterizes the AE effect due to surface conductivity changes. Two configurations were studied which reproduced the effect of UV light illumination from the top or from the bottom side of the ZnO/fused silica substrate: 1. the ZnO conductivity inhomogeneity starts from the free surface of the layer and decreases exponentially in depth; 2. the conductivity inhomogeneity starts from the lower surface of the ZnO layer contacting the fused silica substrate. To the author's knowledge, this is the first time the double-relaxation AE effect has been theoretically studied in bi-layered structures.

Seeing Jesus in the Eyes of the Oppressed: A History of Franciscans Working for Peace and Justice by Paul T. Murray (review)

Reviewed by: Seeing Jesus in the Eyes of the Oppressed: A History of Franciscans Working for Peace and Justice by Paul T. Murray Anne Klejment Seeing Jesus in the Eyes of the Oppressed: A History of Franciscans Working for Peace and Justice. By Paul T. Murray. [United States Franciscan History Project.] (Oceanside, CA: The Academy of American Franciscan History, 2021. Pp. vii, 283. $20.00. ISBN 978-0-8838-2274-6. Seeing Jesus in the Eyes of the Oppressed focuses on the activism of eight Franciscans: four priests, three sisters, and one brother, who addressed social issues in the era since 1945. They drew inspiration from core Franciscan charisms, such as the respect for the dignity of the poor and marginalized, official Catholic social teaching, and ecumenical and global sources. In these profiles, Franciscan activists have supplemented charity with creative justice initiatives as a path to address the root causes of social and economic ills. The author of this engaging volume, Paul T. Murray, came to this project with a deep connection to Franciscans as teachers and colleagues and to the struggle for Black civil rights. Half of this volume features racial justice activists. The story of Father Nathaniel Machesky details his path toward outright confrontation with white supremacy. Participation in the Selma campaign for voting rights launched Sister Antona Ebo into leadership roles. The first Black Capuchin, Brother Booker Ashe, promoted interracial awareness and Black pride through a variety of programs in Milwaukee, including establishment of the House of Peace and a summer enrichment and recreation program for children. The chapter on Sister Thea Bowman unfortunately relegates her to a secondary position by highlighting the works of the Holy Child Jesus Mission, where she was educated and baptized into the Catholic church. Profiles of Father Alan McCoy and Sister Patricia Drydyk focus on support for the farm workers' movement. Influenced by Cesar Chavez, McCoy prioritized tackling inadequate wages to supplement providing relief. Additionally, he addressed such international concerns as the war in Vietnam. An inspiring and energetic picketer, organizer, and publicist, Drydyk dedicated herself to the farm workers' cause. Father Joseph Nangle's profile considers how his experiences as a [End Page 428] missionary in Latin America and familiarity with liberation theology shaped his prophetic role upon his recall to the United States. Involved in protesting overseas sales of infant formula and arms, and supporting the Sanctuary Movement, he helped create an intentional community dedicated to simple living and acts of social justice. Before joining the Franciscans, Father Louie Vítale, an Air Force intercept officer, nearly shot down a U.S. passenger plane that was mistaken for a Soviet bomber. Shaken by the experience, Vitale pledged himself to protesting militarism and war, which resulted in his hundreds of arrests. As Murray makes clear, these prophetic activists lived in Franciscan communities that represented a range of opinion on how sisters and friars could best effect social change—or if they should even try. They would enlarge Catholic teaching and practice as they confronted the moral challenges of the outside world. Yet like the larger American Catholic community, Franciscan houses struggled with the activism of vowed members and racism, an indication of the limits of "made in the image and likeness of God" belief. This book is an exciting example of the possibilities of researching the histories of religious orders. Each portrait contains a wealth of details on the interplay between Franciscans and social and economic realities. Oral interviews add insight and broaden historical context. Surprisingly, despite the growth of lay associate groups in the post-Vatican Council II era, this volume does not include an indepth profile of a lay Franciscan activist. Overall, readers can expect an absorbing and well researched visit into living Franciscan values nearly nine centuries after Francis of Assisi. Anne Klejment University of St. Thomas Anne Klejment University of St. Thomas Copyright © 2023 The Catholic University of America Press

Connecting foreign language enjoyment and English proficiency levels: The mediating role of L2 motivation.

To further understand the connections between positive emotions, in particular foreign language enjoyment, second language (L2) motivation, and English achievement, the present study investigated how foreign language enjoyment and L2 motivation contribute to learners' English achievement and the mediating role of motivation in the pathway. A questionnaire was employed to collect quantitative data from 512 university students learning English as a foreign language (EFL) in China. The results showed that the higher the language proficiency level, the higher the foreign language enjoyment level and the stronger the L2 motivation. Participants reported a significant difference in the private factor of foreign language enjoyment, the ideal L2 self, and the L2 learning experience among different language proficiency groups. Overall, foreign language enjoyment has a positive predictive effect on L2 motivation; however, the influence of different dimensions varies among language proficiency groups. Foreign language enjoyment is a positive predictor of English achievement, and motivation partially mediates this pathway. These findings provided an in-depth profile of foreign language enjoyment and L2 motivation of Chinese EFL learners at different language proficiency levels, highlighting the connections between positive emotion, motivation, and English achievement, and the contribution of foreign language enjoyment and L2 motivation in English learning. Based on these findings, pedagogical implications are suggested for English teaching and learning in Chinese tertiary education.

Acoustoelectric Effect for Rayleigh Wave in ZnO Produced by an Inhomogeneous In-Depth Electrical Conductivity Profile.

The acousto-electric (AE) effect associated with the propagation of the Rayleigh wave in ZnO half-space was theoretically investigated by studying the changes in wave velocity and propagation loss induced by in-depth inhomogeneous changes in the ZnO electrical conductivity. An exponentially decaying profile for the electrical conductivity was attributed to the ZnO half-space, for some values of the exponential decay constant (from 100 to 500 nm), in order to simulate the photoconductivity effect induced by ultra-violet illumination. The calculated Rayleigh wave velocity and attenuation vs. ZnO conductivity curves have the form of a double-relaxation response as opposed to the single-relaxation response which characterizes the well-known AE effect due to surface conductivity changes onto piezoelectric media. As to the author's knowledge, this is the first time the double-relaxation AE effect has been theoretically predicted.

Numerical simulation of in-depth profile control for dispersed particle gel in heterogeneous reservoirs

Introduction: As a new agent of enhancing oil recovery, the dispersed particle gel (DPG) has been gradually used for in-depth profile control in mature oilfields. Many researchers investigated the preparation, profile control mechanism and application of DPG based on a series of laboratory experiments. However, few numerical studies have been carried out on profile control mechanism of DPG.Methods: This paper proposes a novel mathematical model to proceed numerical simulation of profile control for DPG, considering DPG particles adsorption and weak shear thinning effects. The numerical codes are verified by the UTCHEM simulator.Results and discussion: The effects of the DPG viscosity, the DPG concentration, the water saturation of high permeable regions and the permeability ratio between high and low permeable regions on decreasing the water-cut of producing well are studied. Simultaneously, this paper also investigates the influence of different mobility ratios between high and low permeable regions on water shutoff of DPG. The numerical simulation results show that the effects of DPG profile control become better as the DPG solution viscosity, the suspension concentration and the permeability ratio increase. But the increased water saturation of high permeable regions is not helpful to improve oil recovery. Water plugging effect of DPG becomes worse with increasing mobility ratio between different regions. According to comparison results between DPG profile control and polymer flooding, it is found that DPG profile control is more suitable for heterogeneous reservoirs. These findings are of benefit to guide the efficient field application of DPG profile control in heterogeneous reservoirs.

Experimental investigation on migration and retention mechanisms of elastic gel particles (EGPs) in pore-throats using multidimensional visualized models

Knowledge of migration and retention mechanisms of elastic gel particles (EGPs) in pore-throats is essential for the effective application of EGPs as a smart sweep improvement and profile control agent for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The matching coefficient (defined as the ratio of particle size to pore-throat size) is used to investigate its influence on migration, retention and profile control performance of EGPs. A 1-D continuous pore-throat visualization model (PTVM), a 2-D heterogeneous PTVM and a 3-D heterogeneous core model were constructed and used to investigate pore-scale migration, retention and controlling mechanism of migration and retention characteristics on EGPs profile control. The results of the 1-D continuous PTVM indicated that while the matching coefficient was in the optimal range (i.e., 0.20–0.32), the EGPs could not only smoothly migrate to the deeper pore-throats, but also form stable retention in the pores to resist the erosion of injected water, which was conducive to the effective in-depth profile control. The results of the 2-D heterogeneous PTVM verified that the sweep efficiency in low-permeability regions could be significantly improved by in-depth migration and stable retention of EGPs in the pore-throats with an optimal matching coefficient (0.29), which was much better than that in cases with a smaller matching coefficient (0.17) or an excessive matching coefficient (0.39). Moreover, the NMR displacement experiments of 3-D heterogeneous cores were carried out to simulate the EGPs profile control in actual reservoir porous media. Saturation images and T2 spectrum curves of crude oil showed that EOR in the low-permeability layer was highest (56.1%) using EGPs profile control with an optimal matching coefficient, attributing to the in-depth migration and stable retention of EGPs.

Compatibility Evaluation of In-Depth Profile Control Agents for Low-Permeability Fractured Reservoirs.

Under the background that the in-depth profile control technology is gradually applied in low-permeability fractured reservoirs, this paper regards block H of Changqing Oilfield as the research object, referring to the range of its physical parameters and field application data. Three common in-depth profile control agents (PCAs), nanosphere suspension, poly(ethylene glycol) single-phase gel particle (PEG) and cross-linked bulk gel and swelling particle (CBG-SP), are selected to investigate the compatibility between the fractured channels and the PCAs through a series of experiments. The experimental results show that the nanospheres with particle sizes of 100 nm and 300 nm have good injectivity and deep migration ability, which remains the overall core plugging rate at a high level. The residual resistance coefficient of 800 nm nanospheres decreases in a “cliff” manner along the injection direction due to the formation of blockage in the front section, resulting in a very low plugging rate in the rear section. The injection rate is an important parameter that affects the effect of PEG in the fractured channels. When the injection rate is lower than 0.1 mL/min, the plugging ability will be weakened, and if the injection rate is higher than 0.2 mL/min, the core plugging will occur. The appropriate injection rate will promote the better effect of PEG with the plugging rate > 90%. The average plugging rate of CBG-SP in fractured rock core is about 80%, and the overall control and displacement effect is good. Based on the experimental data of PCAs, the optimization criteria of slug configuration and pro-duction parameters are proposed. According to the principle “blocking, controlling and displacing”, references are provided for PCAs screening and parameters selection of field implementation.

Mitochondrial dysfunction is a key pathological driver of early stage Parkinson’s

BackgroundThe molecular drivers of early sporadic Parkinson’s disease (PD) remain unclear, and the presence of widespread end stage pathology in late disease masks the distinction between primary or causal disease-specific events and late secondary consequences in stressed or dying cells. However, early and mid-stage Parkinson’s brains (Braak stages 3 and 4) exhibit alpha-synuclein inclusions and neuronal loss along a regional gradient of severity, from unaffected-mild-moderate-severe. Here, we exploited this spatial pathological gradient to investigate the molecular drivers of sporadic PD.MethodsWe combined high precision tissue sampling with unbiased large-scale profiling of protein expression across 9 brain regions in Braak stage 3 and 4 PD brains, and controls, and verified these results using targeted proteomic and functional analyses.ResultsWe demonstrate that the spatio-temporal pathology gradient in early-mid PD brains is mirrored by a biochemical gradient of a changing proteome. Importantly, we identify two key events that occur early in the disease, prior to the occurrence of alpha-synuclein inclusions and neuronal loss: (i) a metabolic switch in the utilisation of energy substrates and energy production in the brain, and (ii) perturbation of the mitochondrial redox state. These changes may contribute to the regional vulnerability of developing alpha-synuclein pathology. Later in the disease, mitochondrial function is affected more severely, whilst mitochondrial metabolism, fatty acid oxidation, and mitochondrial respiration are affected across all brain regions.ConclusionsOur study provides an in-depth regional profile of the proteome at different stages of PD, and highlights that mitochondrial dysfunction is detectable prior to neuronal loss, and alpha-synuclein fibril deposition, suggesting that mitochondrial dysfunction is one of the key drivers of early disease.

Mid-infrared complex permittivity in Bi2-Sb Te3-Se thin films synthesized using a combinatorial method

• A combinatorial material library of Bi 2- x Sb x Te 3- y Se y thin films was synthesized. • λ c shifts from 5.346 μm for Bi 2 Se 3 to 9.232 μm for Sb 2 Te 3 . • The compositionally adjustable mid-infrared plasmonic property was carried out. Successful employment of plasmonics-inspired solutions in the mid-infrared frequency range would benefit a number of highly important technologies. As a plasmonic material beyond gold and silver, Bi-based chalcogenide semiconductor alloys exhibit a wide tunability in the spectral dispersion of relative permittivity by varying the composition of their ternary and quaternary compounds. In our investigation, a combinatorial materials library of Bi 2- x Sb x Te 3- y Se y thin films were synthesized. The complete solid solubility and the in-depth chemical composition profile of thin film pixels in the library were confirmed using micro-area X-ray diffraction and secondary ion mass spectroscopy, respectively. The stoichiometries of thin film pixels were acquired using the energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The mid-infrared spectral transmittance was measured using a Fourier-transform infrared spectrometer. The complex permittivity ε ( ω ) in the spectral range from 2.5 to 15 μm was derived by fitting spectral transmittance to the Drude–Lorentz equation. It can be demonstrated that the negative values of real part of permittivity, ε r , emerge at the shorter wavelengths. The crossover wavelength, at which ε r crosses zero from negative to positive, can shift from 5.346 μm for Bi 2 Se 3 to 9.232 μm for Sb 2 Te 3 with the increasing of x and the deceasing of y . Therefore, an exceptionally wide and potentially interesting mid-infrared plasmonic property, which is compositionally adjustable, can be carried out for evaporation-deposited Bi 2- x Sb x Te 3- y Se y solid-solution thin films.

P1352: THE INTRA-POPULATION HLA DIVERSITY IN CRETE AND THE IMPORTANCE OF THE REGIONAL PUBLIC UMBILICAL CORD BLOOD BANK IN HLA-BASED DONOR SELECTION FOR ALLOGENEIC HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION

Background: Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is the elective treatment for several life-threatening hematologic diseases. The high genetic diversity of HLA across populations, combined with the complexity of its molecular variation and the limitations of traditional HLA typing, confines the effectiveness of matched unrelated donor registries and public umbilical cord blood banks (UCBB), particularly in populations with ethnic minorities. Aims: Prompted by our recent study describing a considerable HLA diversity between a representative Cretan cohort and the donors of DKMS, we set out to unravel the effect of potential intra-population diversity on HLA distribution. We used samples stratified by a specific Prefecture of origin aiming to signify the possible existence of a severe shortage of genetically HLA compatible samples and to justify the importance of the regional UCBB for an HLA-based donor selection in Crete. Methods: A combined cohort of 1,744 representative samples from the four Prefectures of Crete (Heraklion, Lasithi, Rethymno, Chania) were typed for HLA Class I (-A, -C, -B) and Class II (-DRB1, -DQB1) loci using 2nd field NGS. Fisher’s exact test was used for the comparison of g-grouped alleles with frequencies corrected by Bonferroni and of haplotypes estimated by Hapl-o-Mat with frequencies f≥1/2n. The average probability of finding a >6/10 compatible donor within and across the four Prefectures was also estimated using custom scripts in R. Results: In the combined cohort, HLA-B exhibited the highest allelic variability (n=74) and number of unique alleles (n=21/39). While the diversity of all loci, except for HLA-C, was attributed to the largest Prefecture, Heraklion, the high number of unique HLA-C alleles in Chania (n=4/8) contributed to both intra- and inter-population diversity. While the distribution of the most frequent common alleles across the 5 loci were similar between all Prefectures, significant differences (n=27 alleles) were revealed when each Prefecture was compared to the remaining pooled Cretan cohort. Such analyses substantiated the diversity of Chania (37.04%) mostly versus the geographically and genetically isolated Prefectures of Lasithi and Rethymno. Significant diversity was also observed among the 1,406 inferred haplotypes, with 80.2% being unique. The distribution of the top 10 out of the 21 common haplotypes in the combined cohort was 0.63%-1.38%. However, the most common haplotypes A*24:02~B*35:02~C*04:01~DRB1*11:04~DQB1*03:01 (1.38%) and A*33:01g~B*14:02g ~C*08:02g~DRB1*01:02g~DQB1*05:01g (1.38%) were mainly attributed to Rethymno with frequencies of 3.35% and 1.96%, respectively. The low frequency of A*24:02~B*35:02~C*04:01 ~DRB1*11:04~DQB1*03:01 in Heraklion (0.97%) and Chania (0.73%) resulted in a significant difference (p=5.8e-05) when both were compared to Rethymno. The diversity of Chania may underlie the higher probability of not finding a compatible donor in Lasithi and Rethymno (i.e. >30%) or Heraklion (i.e. >20%). Besides the lower distribution of the most common haplotypes, Heraklion seems a good pool for finding potential donors since 46.8-49.1% of common HLA haplotype needs are met between the former and each Prefecture. Summary/Conclusion: The in-depth immunogenetic profile of the Cretan population justifies the reported HLA diversity compared to the European populations of DKMS. The significant differences in the estimated haplotype frequencies between the Cretan Prefectures substantiates the importance of geographically or genetically isolated population clusters in the regional UCB banking and donor selection.