Past Events Research Articles

Analysis of pericentromere composition and structure elucidated the history of the Hieracium alpinum L. genome, revealing waves of transposable elements insertions.

The centromere is one of the key regions of the eukaryotic chromosome. While maintaining its function, centromeric DNA may differ among closely related species. Here, we explored the composition and structure of the pericentromeres (a chromosomal region including a functional centromere) of Hieracium alpinum (Asteraceae), a member of one of the most diverse genera in the plant kingdom. Previously, we identified a pericentromere-specific tandem repeat that made it possible to distinguish reads within the Oxford Nanopore library attributed to the pericentromeres, separating them into a discrete subset and allowing comparison of the repeatome composition of this subset with the remaining genome. We found that the main satellite DNA (satDNA) monomer forms long arrays of linear and block types in the pericentromeric heterochromatin of H. alpinum, and very often, single reads contain forward and reverse arrays and mirror each other. Beside the major, two new minor satDNA families were discovered. In addition to satDNAs, high amounts of LTR retrotransposons (TEs) with dominant of Tekay lineage, were detected in the pericentromeres. We were able to reconstruct four main TEs of the Ty3-gypsy and Ty1-copia superfamilies and compare their relative positions with satDNAs. The latter showed that the conserved domains (CDs) of the TE proteins are located between the newly discovered satDNAs, which appear to be parts of ancient Tekay LTRs that we were able to reconstruct. The dominant satDNA monomer shows a certain similarity to the GAG CD of the Angela retrotransposon. The species-specific pericentromeric arrays of the H. alpinum genome are heterogeneous, exhibiting both linear and block type structures. High amounts of forward and reverse arrays of the main satDNA monomer point to multiple microinversions that could be the main mechanism for rapid structural evolution stochastically creating the uniqueness of an individual pericentromeric structure. The traces of TEs insertion waves remain in pericentromeres for a long time, thus "keeping memories" of past genomic events. We counted at least four waves of TEs insertions. In pericentromeres, TEs particles can be transformed into satDNA, which constitutes a background pool of minor families that, under certain conditions, can replace the dominant one(s).

Maternal illnesses during pregnancy and the risk of childhood cancer: A medical-record based analysis (UKCCS).

Often relying on mother's recollections of past events, the possible relationship between maternal illness in pregnancy and risk of malignancy in their offspring has long been a focus of research. Free from recall bias, this study of childhood cancer (0-14 years) examined these associations using data abstracted from mothers' primary-care (1623 cases, 2521 controls) and obstetric (2721 cases, 5169 controls) records. Maternal infections and other illnesses in pregnancy were examined for any possible associations with childhood leukaemia, lymphoma, CNS or embryonal tumours using pooled information from the two medical record sources (2885 cases and 5499 controls), accounting for potential confounders. Maternal anaemia was associated with childhood acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) (odds ratio, OR = 2.07, 95%CI [1.40-3.08]). Anaemia during pregnancy was also recorded more frequently in the notes of mothers of children with medulloblastoma, retinoblastoma and embryonal rhabdomyosarcoma: ORs 2.36 [1.36-4.11], 1.83 [1.01-3.33] and 2.91 [1.64-5.16] respectively. Other associations included urinary tract infections (UTIs) and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL); preeclampsia and NHL; and polyhydramnios with both AML and NHL. No evidence was found to suggest that influenza during pregnancy impacted on childhood leukaemia risk. In conclusion, our findings are supportive of an association between maternal anaemia in pregnancy and childhood AML, and maternal anaemia and embryonal tumours; underscoring the need for further research exploring the potential causes and roles of iron and vitamin deficiencies. Due to small numbers and lack of corroborative evidence, the associations observed for UTIs, preeclampsia, and polyhydramnios must be treated cautiously.

The relationship between cause of death and skeletal markers of physiological stress in the Hamann-Todd collection.

Socioeconomic status, past stress events, and other factors may contribute to the cumulative burden of physiological stress, which influences an individual's susceptibility to mortality and cause of death (COD). Here, we explore the association between skeletal evidence of stress and COD in the Hamann-Todd Osteological Collection (HTOC), a predominantly low socioeconomic status sample from the late 19th and early 20th century. Skeletal markers of stress including linear enamel hypoplasia (LEH), stature, and antemortem tooth loss (AMTL) were analyzed in 298 individuals in the HTOC. Recorded CODs were grouped into six broad categories and contrasted with stress indicators, ages-at-death, and demographic variables, using various parametric and non-parametric statistical tests. COD varied by socially ascribed race and sex within the sample. Overall, infectious diseases were more prevalent than degenerative diseases. Individuals that died of infectious diseases had significantly lower ages-at-death compared to degenerative diseases (p < 0.001). There was no association between LEH and COD (χ2 = 4.449, p = 0.487). Stature varied significantly across COD categories for males (F = 2.534, p = 0.032), but not females (F = 1.733, p = 0.132). Controlling for age-at-death, AMTL prevalence was associated with COD (H = 18.53, p = 0.002), with cardiovascular disease being associated with higher prevalence of AMTL. These findings show that some skeletal stress indicators are associated with COD in the HTOC, but the causal pathways of these relationships are not clear. This study adds to growing bodies of literature exploring relationships between past stress events and susceptibility to mortality and long-term consequences of poor living conditions for past individuals.

Evidence of repeated zoonotic pathogen spillover events at ecological boundaries

Anthropogenic modifications to the landscape have altered several ecological processes worldwide, creating new ecological boundaries at the human/wildlife interface. Outbreaks of zoonotic pathogens often occur at these ecological boundaries, but the mechanisms behind new emergences remain drastically understudied. Here, we test for the influence of two types of ecosystem boundaries on spillover risk: (1) biotic transition zones such as species range edges and transitions between ecoregions and (2) land use transition zones where wild landscapes occur in close proximity to heavily impacted areas of high human population density. Using ebolavirus as a model system and an ensemble machine learning modeling framework, we investigated the role of likely reservoir (bats) and accidental host (primates) range edges and patterns of land use (defined using SEDAC categories) on past spillover events. Our results show that overlapping species range edges and heightened habitat diversity increase ebolavirus outbreaks risk. Moreover, we show that gradual transition zones, represent by high proportion of rangelands, acts as a buffer to reduces outbreak risks. With increasing landscape changes worldwide, we provide novel ecological and evolutionary insights into our understanding of zoonotic pathogen emergence and highlight the risk of aggressively developing ecological boundaries.

Convolutional neural networks uncover the dynamics of human visual memory representations over time.

The ability to accurately retrieve visual details of past events is a fundamental cognitive function relevant for daily life. While a visual stimulus contains an abundance of information, only some of it is later encoded into long-term memory representations. However, an ongoing challenge has been to isolate memory representations that integrate various visual features and uncover their dynamics over time. To address this question, we leveraged a novel combination of empirical and computational frameworks based on the hierarchal structure of convolutional neural networks and their correspondence to human visual processing. This enabled to reveal the contribution of different levels of visual representations to memory strength and their dynamics over time. Visual memory strength was measured with distractors selected based on their shared similarity to the target memory along low or high layers of the convolutional neural network hierarchy. The results show that visual working memory relies similarly on low and high-level visual representations. However, already after a few minutes and on to the next day, visual memory relies more strongly on high-level visual representations. These findings suggest that visual representations transform from a distributed to a stronger high-level conceptual representation, providing novel insights into the dynamics of visual memory over time.

Time, Materiality, and History in UK-Based Interfaith Solidarity Work

In this paper, building upon ethnographic fieldwork conducted among members of one initiative of Jewish-Muslim dialogue in the UK, I discuss how my interlocutors thematize the temporal dimension of anti-minority discrimination and perceive remaining historical material heritage associated with it. Using the example of problematic artifacts pertaining to mediaeval Lincoln, such as the so-called “shrine of Little Hugh,” I discuss how in engaging the memory of traumatic past events in Jewish history activists of inter-faith dialogue reflect on their current conditions of minoritization and attempt a projection of their communities’ lives in the UK in the future. I also borrow insight from the presentist theoretical framework in anthropology of time to highlight the impact my interlocutors’ life histories have had on the way they relate to and conceptualize their own and other minoritized groups’ histories and imagine their personal and collective futures based on their experiences in the present. I suggest that in these reflections, narratives of positive historical trajectories in the minority experience sit alongside an anticipation of multiple possible futures, some inflected with anxiety about a repetition of difficult pasts, others imbued with a vision connecting the past, present and future of minoritized communities into a common presence.

Ionospheric changes immediately before the 2023 February Kahramanmaras earthquakes, Turkey

The East Anatolian Fault in southern Turkey ruptured on 6 February 2023, causing a Mw 7.8 earthquake. Another large earthquake of Mw 7.5 occurred to the north of the first event ∼9 hours later. Here we look for ionospheric precursors immediately before these earthquakes, like those found ∼40 minutes before the 2011 Tohoku-oki earthquake, Japan, by using the total electron content data obtained by global navigation satellite system receivers. Considering that the changes are small, we first inferred the leading times and the intensities of the anomalies using their empirical relationship with Mw from ∼20 past large earthquakes. For the first earthquake, we found that a positive change of TEC trends started ∼23 minutes before the rupture and that the anomaly reached ∼2% of the background. These values were consistent with past events. On the other hand, medium-scale traveling ionospheric disturbance activity hampered convincing detection of changes immediately before the second earthquake.

Resilience to major life events: Advancing trajectory modeling and resilience factor identification by controlling for background stressor exposure.

Resilience has been defined as the maintenance or quick recovery of mental health during and after stressor exposure. One popular operationalization of this concept is to model prototypical trajectories of mental health in response to an adverse event, where trajectories of undisturbed low or rapidly recovering symptoms both comply with the resilience definition. However, mental health responses are likely also influenced by other stressors occurring before or during the observation time window. These "background" stressors may affect a person's assignment to a trajectory class. When using these classes as dependent variables to identify resilience-predictive factors, this may lead to false estimates. A new method to build exposure-controlled trajectories based on time courses of stressor reactivity (SR), rather than pure mental health scores, is demonstrated on a data set of 707 initially healthy participants living in Germany (67.33% female; Mage = 29.20, SD = 8.27). SR scores express individual deviations from the sample's normative mental health reaction to observed real-life stressors during the observation time window, thus accounting for individual differences in exposure to background stressors. The resulting trajectory models are plausible. In analyses additionally controlling for background stressors occurring before the observation time window (past life events), low SR trajectories are predicted by the well-documented resilience factor sense of coherence, suggesting construct validity. Further, they are associated with lower odds of developing categorical mental health conditions, suggesting predictive validity. Our study provides the first proof of principle for a refined method to identify predictors of resilience to major stressor events. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Drastic change in estuarine ostracod assemblages after the 2020 Kyushu floods, Japan: a fundamental approach with application to past flood events

Drastic change in estuarine ostracod assemblages after the 2020 Kyushu floods, Japan: a fundamental approach with application to past flood events

Past and future events and projects for BALEAP assessment and testing

Past and future events and projects for BALEAP assessment and testing

A machine learning approach to map the potential agroecological complexity in an indigenous community of Colombia

Agroecological systems are potential solutions to the environmental challenges of intensive agriculture. Indigenous communities, such as the Kamëntšá Biyá and Kamëntšá Inga from the Sibundoy Valley (SV) in Colombia, have their own ancient agroecological systems called chagras. However, they are threatened by population growth and expansion of intensive agriculture. Establishing new chagras or enhancing existing ones faces impediments such as the necessity for continuous monitoring and mapping of agroecological potential. However, this method is often costly and time consuming. To address this limitation, we created a digital map of the Biodiversity Management Coefficient (BMC) (as a proxy of agroecological potential) using Machine Learning. We utilized 15 environmental predictors and in-situ BMC data from 800 chagras to train an XGBoost model capable of predicting a multiclass BMC structure with 70% accuracy. This model was deployed across the study area to map the extent and spatial distribution of BMC classes, providing detailed information on potential areas for new agroecological chagras as well as areas unsuitable for this purpose. This map captured footprints of past and present disturbance events in the SV, revealing its usefulness for agroecological planning. We highlight the most significant predictors and their optimal values that trigger higher BMC status.

Exploring the Development of Past and Future Episodic Memory in Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Preliminary Longitudinal Study

Adolescence is a critical period where individuals build their identity and consolidate how they interact with others. However, for adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the development of identity and social bounds is at stake. These challenges with the development of identity and social bonds could be linked to difficulties in autobiographical memory (AM), whether recalling past events (past episodic memory; past EM) or imagining future scenarios (episodic future thinking; EFT). To date, developmental patterns of AM over time remain poorly understood in ASD. Eleven adolescents with ASD or typical development (TD) completed an assessment of past EM and EFT once per year for three years. Preliminary results show that past EM becomes more detailed over the years for adolescents with ASD, while there is no change for TD adolescents. Interestingly, only the content elements of the narrated events are increasing, not the context elements. Furthermore, EFT evolves in the TD group but remains stable in the ASD group. This first multi-case longitudinal study of AM needs to be replicated with more participants, but it seems to indicate a heterogeneous evolution of AM in ASD. For future studies, these results will lead us to explore the hypothesis of developmental delay and the factors influencing AM development in ASD. Finally, understanding these developmental pathways highlights the importance of personalized therapeutic approaches to support social integration, identity construction, and future projects for adolescents with ASD.

Political or Religious Policy? Indigenous Christian Education in the Dutch East Indies Era

This study is a textual analysis discussing the existence of Christian educational institutions for indigenous students under the Dutch colonial administration in the Dutch East Indies. The primary objective of this research is to examine the underlying motives behind the Dutch colonial government’s policies on Christian education for indigenous communities, specifically to determine whether these policies were politically or religiously motivated. Focusing on historical contexts, this research employs historical methods to reconstruct past events. The central question addressed is the Dutch colonial government’s main focus in shaping policies for Christian education through mission institutions for indigenous communities: whether these were driven by political interests or religious considerations. Data sources were obtained from literature and historical documents archived in data storage centers and libraries. The findings, using a structuration methodology, reveal a pragmatic dualism underlying the colonial government’s policies, which shifted according to the socio-political context.

Accurate and efficient AI-assisted paradigm for adding granularity to ERA5 precipitation reanalysis

Scientific inquiry has long relied on deterministic algorithms for systematic problem-solving and predictability. However, the rise of artificial intelligence (AI) has revolutionized data analysis, allowing us to uncover complex patterns in large datasets. In this study, we combine these two approaches by using AI to improve the reconstruction of past precipitation events, which is crucial for understanding climate change. Our objective is to leverage AI to map large-scale atmospheric proxies from the ERA5 climate reanalysis and multi-satellite historical precipitation data from the NASA-IMERG GPM constellation to observed precipitation, enhancing the accuracy and the resolution of climate reanalysis. Accurate climate reanalyses are essential, as they provide the most realistic representations of past atmospheric conditions, serving as benchmarks against which climate models are validated. Our AI-enhanced method offers a more accurate and computationally efficient solution compared to deterministic high-resolution precipitation downscaling methods. Additionally, it shows the capability to generalize predictions to new, previously unobserved locations, making it applicable across various regions. By integrating AI with traditional reanalysis techniques, we open up new opportunities for climate science and geosciences, with the potential to improve the accuracy and reliability of climate data, contributing to a better understanding of climate dynamics.

Twentieth century extreme precipitation detected in a high-resolution, coastal lake-sediment record from California

AbstractCalifornia faces increasing economic and societal risks from extreme precipitation and flooding associated with atmospheric rivers (ARs) under projected twenty-first century climate warming. Lake sediments can retain signals of past extreme precipitation events, allowing reconstructions beyond the period of instrumental records. Here, we calibrate AR-related extreme precipitation from the last century to proxy data from lake sediments collected in the latitudinal zone of the highest frequency landfall for modern ARs in California. Excursions in erosional proxy data (Ti/Al) are positively and significantly correlated (rmedian = 0.45, pmedian = 0.04) with modern records of integrated vapor transport (IVT, kg m−1 s−1), a key metric of AR intensity, using correlations that incorporate age-model uncertainty. Despite the land-use change near the study site, the data suggest intense and long-lasting AR storms are identifiable in this sedimentary record. These results allow conservative inferences concerning past extreme hydrology at this site.

How Long Does a Memory Last? Bayesian Chronological Modelling and the Temporal Scope of Commemorative Practices at Aeneolithic Monjukli Depe, Turkmenistan

In this paper the history of one house and a human burial in the prehistoric settlement of Monjukli Depe, Turkmenistan, serves as a case study for the use of Bayesian chronological modelling to approach the reach of past memories. The method combines relative and absolute chronological data and aims not only at a more precise and robust chronology of past events, but also allows estimations of duration of particular processes. However, chronological models must be constructed with care, since the prior archaeological information significantly affects the output. The comparison of three alternative models for the Aeneolithic settlement of Monjukli Depe shows that prior information in modelling has a considerable impact on duration estimates for periods of the settlement history. The modelling chronology for Monjukli Depe allows the tracing of commemorative practices at a generational scale—the memory of Monjukli Depe House 14 was transmitted over several generations of inhabitants long after the house destruction. It is clear that houses possessed a great value in the social life of the settlement since local building histories were remembered over a long time.

MODELING FLOOD SUSCEPTIBILITY IN HYDROLOGICAL DATA-SCARCE STUDY AREAS

Hydrological information is essential for estimating the magnitude of floods, thus helping reduce losses and damage. However, when this data is scarce, it challenges flood modeling and risk assessment. In Brazil's west of Rio Grande do Sul, we used the Santa Maria hydrographic basin as a case study to estimate the river flow for different RP based on the statistical distribution of rainfall and river flow data and to simulate flood scenarios using a 2D IBER hydrological model.River flow estimates for 5, 10, 20, 30, and 50-year RP were obtained using the Giandotti equation. The results showed a high correlation between the river flows calculated from rainfall and the fluviometric data, using GEV and GumbelMax distribution. The areas susceptible to flooding are consistent with past flood events, validated with fieldwork and Sentinel imagery. River flows estimated from rainfall data can promote hydrological studies where fluviometric data is absent. Keywords: River Flow Estimation; Generalized Extreme Values; Flood Susceptibility; Rosário Do Sul; Brazil.

Venous thrombo-embolic events as the probable cause of arterial ischemic event in patients with patent foramen ovale

Abstract Introduction The origin of the emboli involved in patent foramen ovale (PFO)-related embolic events remains mostly unknown. Purpose To evaluate the venous thrombo-embolic (VTE) origin of patients with PFO-related embolic event. Methods Patients planned for PFO closure for secondary prevention of PFO-related arterial embolic event had a systematic venous thrombo-embolic (VTE) risk evaluation that included : an extensive questionnaire on past history of VTE events, clinical situations at high risk of VTE including complicated hemorrhoids, prior saphenectomy or venous sclerosis, varicocele, intrapelvic tumor, pregnancy, surgery or prolonged travel or presence of hyperthrombotic state (i.e., thrombophilia, active cancer or covid) and an abdominopelvic magnetic resonance venography (MRV) evaluation to identify any intrapelvic venous disease. Results From July 2020 to May 2023, 366 consecutive patients (Median age 51 [42-58] years, 42.9% female) were prospectively included. A past medical VTE events, a high risk VTE situation, a hyperthrombotic state and a pelvic venous abnormality on MRV were present in 8.5% (95%CI 6.0-11.8), 22.7% (95%CI 18.7-27.2), 7.1% (95%CI 4.9-10.2), and 36.3% (95%CI 31.6-41.4), respectively, and 58.5% (95%CI 53.4-63.4) of the patients presented at least one of the previous conditions. MRV identified various undiagnosed pelvic venous abnormalities with 20.0% of pelvic varices, 9.8% of May-Thurner-Cockett and 7.4% of Nutcracker phenomenons (Figure 1). Imaging abnormalities were more frequent among younger patients (aOR 1.02 95%CI:1.00-1.04) and women (aOR 1.94 ; 95%CI:1.25-3.02). Conclusion A majority of patients undergoing PFO closure for secondary prevention have a potential VTE source of paradoxical emboli suggesting that VTE events is the probable cause of arterial ischemic event in these patients.

Metaphors of Colonial Trauma in Abdulrazak Gurnah's By the Sea

By the Sea is one of the masterpieces of Tanzanian writer Abdulrazak Gurnah, winner of the 2021 Nobel Prize for Literature. Gurnah tells the story of past events from the standpoint of Saleh Omar and Latif Mahmud respectively, methodically advancing the story as if it were a jigsaw puzzle gradually assembling a complete truth. The novel uses a large number of metaphors in its implicit narrative, and through the dialectical tension between characters, events and objects with symbolic metaphorical meanings, it accurately grasps the destructive impact of colonialism on the colonized people and the plight of the refugee community after fleeing from their own country, triggering thoughts on post-colonialism, and calling attention to the colonial issue as well as to the colonial trauma of the alienated community.

‘Update Bias’: Manipulating past information based on the existing circumstances

Many panel surveys elicit information about past events multiple times. It is, however, unclear whether respondents manipulate their past information and update it according to their current circumstances in the later rounds of the panel. We term such a systematic bias in reporting past information as “update bias” in this study. We systematically test the presence of update bias in panel data by comparing teenage religiosity obtained from adults first in 2019 and later in 2022 in the Netherlands. Respondents who become more (less) religious in 2022 than 2019 are likelier to report a higher (lower) teenage religiosity in 2022. Even when we use data with a narrower gap (2019 and 2020 survey waves), we still obtain similar results. Overall, the analysis provides strong evidence for update bias. We suggest that the theory of cognitive dissonance best explains our findings; individuals manipulate their teenage religiosity to minimize dissonance between the past and current religious state and to obtain a higher satisfaction. Unlike predominant existing literature that argues people modify their current beliefs according to previous anchors, we provide contrary evidence where people manipulate their past beliefs following their current circumstances.