Physical Linkage Research Articles

Evaluation of Children after Caregiver Intimate Partner Violence: A Qualitative Study of Barriers, Facilitators, and Trauma- and Violence-Informed Care

To identify barriers and facilitators of evaluating children exposed to caregiver intimate partner violence (IPV) and develop a strategy to optimize the evaluation. Using the EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, and Sustainment) framework, we conducted qualitative interviews of 49 stakeholders, including emergency department clinicians (n=18), child abuse pediatricians (n=15), child protective services staff (n=12), and caregivers who experienced IPV (n=4), and reviewed meeting minutes of a family violence community advisory board (CAB). Researchers coded and analyzed interviews and CAB minutes using the constant comparative method of grounded theory. Codes were expanded and revised until a final structure emerged. Four themes emerged: (1) benefits of evaluation, including the opportunity to assess children for physical abuse and to engage caregivers; (2) barriers, including limited evidence about the risk of abuse in these children, burdening a resource-limited system, and the complexity of IPV; (3) facilitators, including collaboration between medical and IPV providers; and (4) recommendations for trauma- and violence-informed care (TVIC) in which a child's evaluation is leveraged to link caregivers with an IPV advocate to address the caregiver's needs. Routine evaluation of IPV-exposed children may lead to the detection of physical abuse and linkage to services for the child and the caregiver. Collaboration, improved data on the risk of child physical abuse in the context of IPV and implementation of TVIC may improve outcomes for families experiencing IPV.

MHC architecture in amphibians - ancestral reconstruction, gene rearrangements and duplication patterns.

The hypervariable major histocompatibility complex (MHC) is a crucial component of vertebrate adaptive immunity, but large-scale studies on MHC macroevolution in non-model vertebrates have long been constrained by methodological limitations. Here, we used rapidly accumulating genomic data to reconstruct macroevolution of the MHC region in amphibians. We retrieved contigs containing the MHC region from genome assemblies of 32 amphibian species and examined major structural rearrangements, duplication patterns and gene structure across the amphibian phylogeny. Based on the few available caecilian and urodele genomes we showed that the structure of ancestral MHC region in amphibians was probably relatively simple and compact, with a close physical linkage between MHC-I and MHC-II regions. This ancestral MHC architecture was generally conserved in anurans, although the evolution of class I subregion proceeded towards more extensive duplication and rapid expansion of gene copy number, providing evidence for dynamic evolutionary trajectories. Although in anurans we recorded tandems of duplicated MHC-I genes outside the core subregion, our phylogenetic analyses of MHC-I sequences provided little support for an expansion of nonclassical MHC-Ib genes across amphibian families. Finally, we found that intronic regions of amphibian classical MHC genes were much longer when compared to other tetrapod lineages (birds and mammals), which could partly be driven by the expansion of genome size. Our study reveals novel evolutionary patterns of the MHC region in amphibians and provides a comprehensive framework for further studies on the MHC macroevolution across vertebrates.

Intrinsic B cell TLR-BCR linked coengagement induces class-switched, hypermutated, neutralizing antibody responses in absence of T cells

Abstract Maturation of an antibody response entails somatic hypermutation (SHM), class-switch DNA recombination (CSR), plasma cell differentiation and generation of memory B cells, and is thought to be generally dependent on T cell help. We show here that B cell TLR4-BCR (B cell receptor for antigen) coengagement by NP-LPS (from E. coli) or TLR5-BCR coengagement by Salmonella flagellin induced specific, mature antibody responses in Tcrβ −/−Tcrδ −/−mice and in NSG/B mice (B cells only). Such coengagement requires physical linkage of TLR and BCR ligands, “linked coengagement”, which induced germinal center-like differentiation, clonal expansion, CSR/SHM, intraclonal diversification, plasma cell differentiation, TLR expression, production of specific antibodies and generation of memory B cells supporting anamnestic antibody responses, overall indicating an affinity maturation process. In Tcrβ −/−Tcrδ −/−mice, linked coengagement of TLR4 and cognate BCR by LPS (Lipid A and polysaccharidic O-antigen) or TLR5 and cognate BCR by flagellin induced neutralizing and protective antibodies to E. coli or S. Typhimurium, limiting infection and pathology. Intrinsic B cell TLR-BCR linked coengagement likely plays an important role in inducting mature and neutralizing antibody responses in the absence of T cells. It would also play an important role in early stages of T-dependent anti-microbial responses when T cell help is not yet available, as well as potentiate the late-stage response when T help is available. Finally, it may inform the development of B cell TLR-based vaccines to microbial pathogens, particularly for subjects with an immature T cell compartment, such as the infant, or declining T cell function and clonality, such as the elderly. Supported by NIH grants AI 079705, AI 105813/105813S1, AI138944, AI 167416 and Lupus Research Alliance grant LRA 641363 to PC and PHS grant K12 GM111726.

Surveillance, Capitalism, Leisure, and Data: Being Watched, Giving, Becoming

This conceptual paper aims to serve two purposes: 1) introduce theories of surveillance to aid leisure scholars in exploring surveillance in its many forms; and, 2) add to the discussion on surveillance by layering “the leisure body” onto existing theory. We begin by introducing three groupings of “surveillance” theory: panoptic surveillance (think Bentham and Foucault), post-panoptical surveillance (think Deleuze), and contemporary surveillance (Galič et al., 2017). Panoptic surveillance is a physical surveillance (reliant on a fleshy body and physical space) where, like in Bentham’s and Foucault’s panopticons, the individual polices personal presentation and action under the presumption of being watched. We theorize this as surveillance on the body; it is body-to-body even as it is mediated through technology. Post-panoptical surveillance is less dependent on distinct, physical spaces, and particularly those of enclosure. We theorize this as the digital merging with the physical, where surveillance comes from the interaction of the technological with the fleshy body. Although this surveillance is less reliant on specific times and spaces—occurring within or through the body—it is nonetheless conditioned by our physical connections to technological devices. This is technology-to-body surveillance that is dependent on a physical interaction between the two. Contemporary surveillance is not dependent upon a physical linkage between technology and the body or a space of enclosure; it both marks an individual and simultaneously dissolves them into an ocean of big data. It is an inescapable surveillance as existence in the modern world. We call this technobody surveillance where the need for the interaction between technologies and fleshy bodies is subsumed by the gaseous and pervasive nature of apparatuses of surveillance. With each, we provide an exemplar from leisure practice, time, and/or space to illustrate how each operates within leisure phenomena.

Quantification of the mobility potential of antibiotic resistance genes through multiplexed ddPCR linkage analysis.

There is a clear need for global monitoring initiatives to evaluate the risks of antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) towards human health. Therefore, not only ARG abundances within a given environment, but also their potential mobility, hence their ability to spread to human pathogenic bacteria needs to be quantified. We developed a novel, sequencing-independent method for assessing the linkage of an ARG to a mobile genetic element by statistical analysis of multiplexed droplet digital PCR (ddPCR) carried out on environmental DNA sheared into defined, short fragments. This allows quantifying the physical linkage between specific ARGs and mobile genetic elements, here demonstrated for the sulfonamide ARG sul1 and the Class 1 integron integrase gene intI1. The method's efficiency is demonstrated using mixtures of model DNA fragments with either linked and unlinked target genes: Linkage of the two target genes can be accurately quantified based on high correlation coefficients between observed and expected values (R2) as well as low mean absolute errors (MAE) for both target genes, sul1 (R2 = 0.9997, MAE = 0.71%, n = 24) and intI1 (R2 = 0.9991, MAE = 1.14%, n = 24). Furthermore, we demonstrate that adjusting the fragmentation length of DNA during shearing allows controlling rates of false positives and false negative detection of linkage. The presented method allows rapidly obtaining reliable results in a labor- and cost-efficient manner.

Part II model support on a new mechanism for North Pacific Oscillation influence on ENSO

Owing to the significant influence of El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO) on global climate, how ENSO events are initiated is an intriguing issue. The North Pacific Oscillation (NPO), a primary atmospheric variability over the midlatitude, is a well-known trigger for ENSO events, but the physical linkage is not yet fully understood. Based on observational analyses, in Part I, we proposed a new mechanism that the NPO-related wave activity flux (WAF) could directly induce the equatorial wind anomalies in both upper and lower levels. In this study, we substantiate the impacts of the WAF on tropical circulations using climate models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phases 5 and 6 (CMIP5/6). We found that the intensity of the southward WAF over the central Pacific is a paramount factor resulting in intermodel diversity in simulating the NPO–ENSO linkage. By classifying the models into two groups of strong and weak meridional WAF (MWAF), we reveal that the strong MWAF models simulate stronger upper- and lower-level equatorial winds and precipitation anomalies that facilitate the ENSO in subsequent winter. We also reveal that the magnitude of the MWAF is closely related to the model’s climatological meridional wind and meridional shear of climatological zonal wind, emphasizing the role of systematic bias on the ENSO simulation. A comparison of the MWAF impact and seasonal footprinting mechanism demonstrates the dominant influence of the MWAF in determining the diversity of NPO–ENSO relationships.

Aligning Exposure Limits for Contact Currents with Exposure Limits for Electric Fields.

The Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) and the International Commission on Non-ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) have established limits for exposures to electromagnetic fields across the 0-300 GHz (non-ionizing) spectrum, including limits on contact currents ( CC ) specified by IEEE for 0-110 MHz (ICNIRP issued a CC "guidance level"). Both sets of limits seek to protect against potentially adverse effects, including aversive electrostimulation at frequencies <100 kHz and excessive heating of tissue at frequencies >100 kHz. For the most part, CC is linked to electric field ( E -field) exposures for an ungrounded person contacting a grounded object, with the short-circuit current ( I SC ) through the contact point (usually the hand) equivalent to the current through the grounded feet of a free-standing person exposed to a vertically polarized E -field. The physical linkage between these two quantities dictates that their respective exposure limits align with one another, which is presently not the case, especially with respect to frequencies from100 kHz to 110 MHz. Here we focus specifically on recommendations for revisions to the IEEE standard, IEEE Std C95.1™-2019 ("IEEE C95.1"), in which the E -field exposure limit ( E -field exposure reference levels, ERL s) >100 kHz induces substantially greater currents than the CC ERL s currently prescribed. The most important scenario deserving of attention concerns finger contact through a 1-cm 2 cross-sectional interface between the skin and a grounded conductor in which the rate of temperature rise in the presence of an E -field ERL can be rapid enough to cause a burn injury. This rate is highly dependent on the moistness/dryness of the skin at the contact point (i.e., its impedance)-a highly variable value-with temperature increasing more rapidly with increasing dryness (greater contact impedance). The two main remedies to alleviate the possibility of injury in this "touch" scenario are to (a) limit the time of finger contact to 1 s in all cases and (b) revise the E -field ERL between 100 kHz and 30 MHz from a "hockey-stick-shaped" curve vs. frequency to a "ramp" across this frequency range. These measures factored in with the real-world prevalence of potentially hazardous scenarios should afford greater protection against adverse outcomes than is presently the case. IEEE C95.1 also specifies limits for grasp contact (15 cm 2 in the palm) and associated wrist heating, plus heating in the ankles from free-standing induction. However, these scenarios are more manageable compared to finger touch due mainly to the comparatively lower rates of tissue heating attributable to the wrist's and ankle's relatively greater cross-sectional area. Recommendations for grasp can thus be dealt with separately. Two identified but unaddressed issues in IEEE C95.1 deserving of further attention are first, the circumstance in which a grounded person contacts an ungrounded object situated in an electric field for which there are countless numbers of scenarios that are not amenable to a single ERL . Second, arcing between an extended limb and E -field-exposed object is perhaps the most hazardous of all scenarios. Both of these scenarios cannot be stereotyped and must be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. Future revisions of IEEE Std C95.1-2019 (and the ICNIRP guidelines) will benefit from improved insight into strategies of affording protection from potentially adverse effects in these circumstances.

Association Mapping of Amylose Content in Maize RIL Population Using SSR and SNP Markers.

The ratio of amylose to amylopectin in maize kernel starch is important for the appearance, structure, and quality of food products and processing. This study aimed to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) controlling amylose content in maize through association mapping with simple sequence repeat (SSR) and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers. The average value of amylose content for an 80-recombinant-inbred-line (RIL) population was 8.8 ± 0.7%, ranging from 2.1 to 15.9%. We used two different analyses-Q + K and PCA + K mixed linear models (MLMs)-and found 38 (35 SNP and 3 SSR) and 32 (29 SNP and 3 SSR) marker-trait associations (MTAs) associated with amylose content. A total of 34 (31 SNP and 3 SSR) and 28 (25 SNP and 3 SSR) MTAs were confirmed in the Q + K and PCA + K MLMs, respectively. This study detected some candidate genes for amylose content, such as GRMZM2G118690-encoding BBR/BPC transcription factor, which is used for the control of seed development and is associated with the amylose content of rice. GRMZM5G830776-encoding SNARE-interacting protein (KEULE) and the uncharacterized marker PUT-163a-18172151-1376 were significant with higher R2 value in two difference methods. GRMZM2G092296 were also significantly associated with amylose content in this study. This study focused on amylose content using a RIL population derived from dent and waxy inbred lines using molecular markers. Future studies would be of benefit for investigating the physical linkage between starch synthesis genes using SNP and SSR markers, which would help to build a more detailed genetic map and provide new insights into gene regulation of agriculturally important traits.

Streptavidin-Coated Solid-Phase Extraction (SPE) Tips for Antibody Phage Display Biopanning.

Phage display is a technique that allows the presentation of unique proteins on the surface of bacteriophages. The phage particles are usually screened via repetitive rounds of antigen-guided selection and phage amplification. The main advantage of this approach lies in the physical linkage between phenotype and genotype. This feature allows the isolation of single unique clones from a panning campaign consisting of a highly diverse population of clones. Due to the high-throughput nature of this technique, different approaches have been developed to assist phage display selections. One of which involves utilizing a streptavidin-coated solid-phase extraction (SPE) tip that is mounted to an electronically controlled motorized multichannel pipette. In this chapter, we will entail the procedures involved in the adaptation of a commercial SPE tip (MSIA™ streptavidin D.A.R.T's®) as the solid phase. This protocol is an updated version of a previous protocol with some minor refinements.

Unwinding during stressful times: Mechanisms of helicases in meiotic recombination.

Successful meiosis I requires that homologous chromosomes be correctly linked before they are segregated. In most organisms this physical linkage is achieved through the generation of crossovers between the homologs. Meiotic recombination co-opts and modifies the canonical homologous recombination pathway to successfully generate crossovers One of the central components of this pathway are a number of conserved DNA helicases. Helicases couple nucleic acid binding to nucleotide hydrolysis and use this activity to modify DNA or protein-DNA substrates. During meiosis I it is necessary for the cell to modulate the canonical DNA repair pathways in order to facilitate the generation of interhomolog crossovers. Many of these meiotic modulations take place in pathways involving DNA helicases, or with a meiosis specific helicase. This short review explores what is currently understood about these helicases, their interaction partners, and the role of regulatory modifications during meiosis I. We focus in particular on the molecular structure and mechanisms of these helicases.

Homologous chromosomes are stably conjoined for Drosophila male meiosis I by SUM, a multimerized protein assembly with modules for DNA-binding and for separase-mediated dissociation co-opted from cohesin.

For meiosis I, homologous chromosomes must be paired into bivalents. Maintenance of homolog conjunction in bivalents until anaphase I depends on crossovers in canonical meiosis. However, instead of crossovers, an alternative system achieves homolog conjunction during the achiasmate male meiosis of Drosophila melanogaster. The proteins SNM, UNO and MNM are likely constituents of a physical linkage that conjoins homologs in D. melanogaster spermatocytes. Here, we report that SNM binds tightly to the C-terminal region of UNO. This interaction is homologous to that of the cohesin subunits stromalin/Scc3/STAG and α-kleisin, as revealed by sequence similarities, structure modeling and cross-link mass spectrometry. Importantly, purified SU_C, the heterodimeric complex of SNM and the C-terminal region of UNO, displayed DNA-binding in vitro. DNA-binding was severely impaired by mutational elimination of positively charged residues from the C-terminal helix of UNO. Phenotypic analyses in flies fully confirmed the physiological relevance of this basic helix for chromosome-binding and homolog conjunction during male meiosis. Beyond DNA, SU_C also bound MNM, one of many isoforms expressed from the complex mod(mdg4) locus. This binding of MNM to SU_C was mediated by the MNM-specific C-terminal region, while the purified N-terminal part common to all Mod(mdg4) isoforms multimerized into hexamers in vitro. Similarly, the UNO N-terminal domain formed tetramers in vitro. Thus, we suggest that multimerization confers to SUM, the assemblies composed of SNM, UNO and MNM, the capacity to conjoin homologous chromosomes stably by the resultant multivalent DNA-binding. Moreover, to permit homolog separation during anaphase I, SUM is dissociated by separase, since UNO, the α-kleisin-related protein, includes a separase cleavage site. In support of this proposal, we demonstrate that UNO cleavage by tobacco etch virus protease is sufficient to release homolog conjunction in vivo after mutational exchange of the separase cleavage site with that of the bio-orthogonal protease.

Nutrient content and physical characteristics linkage of palm kernel meal and coconut meal after wet separation using molecular weight approac

The use of palm kernel meal and coconut meal is restriction in broiler feed due to the high crude fiber content, caused by the mixture of shells. This study aims to analyze the nutrient content, i.e., crude protein and crude fiber of palm kernel meal and coconut meal before and after using wet separation and molecular weight approach. The wet separation process for palm kernel meal and coconut meal was carried out for 6 hours to obtain a precipitate. The palm kernel meal and coconut meal that have been separated is divided into 3 fractions, i.e., upper, middle and lower. Each fraction was analyzed for crude fiber and crude protein content for chemical characteristics, and bulk density (g l-1), compacted bulk density (g l-1), specific gravity (kg l-1), angle of purpose (o). Crude protein and crude fiber content of palm kernel meal before being separated by wet separation were 11.72% and 13.11%, for coconut meal were 12.65% and 8.67%. The fraction of palm kernel meal has the highest crude protein content of 22.21% with the lowest crude fiber content 9.68%. Coconut meal in the middle fraction had the highest crude protein content 18.92% and the lowest crude fiber content of 11.95% in the upper fraction. The physical characteristics of the upper fraction of palm kernel meal and coconut meal had the lowest values (P0.05) of specific gravity (kg l-1), bulk density (g l-1) and compacted bulk density (g l-1). It can be concluded that the wet separation process with the molecular weight approach is able to increase the nutrient content especially of each fraction and can minimize the mixture of shells in palm kernel meal and coconut meal

Inter‐Model Spread of the Simulated Winter Surface Air Temperature Over the Eurasian Continent and the Physical Linkage to the Jet Streams From the CMIP6 Models

AbstractThe model uncertainty, one of the major sources of projection uncertainty, is still a challenge in the climate simulation. In this study, we investigated the inter‐model spread of the simulated winter surface air temperature (SAT) over the Eurasian continent and the physical link to the upper‐level jet streams from the Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project Phase 6 models. Extracted by the inter‐model empirical orthogonal function analysis, the leading inter‐model spread of SAT over the Eurasian continent is characterized by a cold pattern, particularly over high latitudes, which is closely associated with the out‐of‐phase variation in the intensity of the East Asian polar front jet (EAPJ) and East Asian subtropical jet (EASJ). The weakened‐EAPJ‐enhanced‐EASJ pattern is linked to the intensified Siberian high, the strengthened Aleutian low, and the deepened East Asian trough. All the variations would benefit the cold air invasion, resulting in the leading inter‐model spread of the SAT. The possible mechanism for the inter‐model uncertainty in the out‐of‐phase variation in the intensity of the two jets would be traced to the cooling over the Northwest Pacific oceans, which has reduced (enhanced) the meridional temperature gradient over high (low) latitudes and thereby contributed to the out of phase variation in the two jets. Our findings would help provide a potential metric for understanding the winter SAT change over the Eurasian continent.

The role of bivalent ions in the regulation of D-loop extension mediated by DMC1 during meiotic recombination

During meiosis, programmed DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) are repaired by homologous recombination. DMC1, a conserved recombinase, plays a central role in this process. DMC1 promotes DNA strand exchange between homologous chromosomes, thus creating the physical linkage between them. Its function is regulated not only by several accessory proteins but also by bivalent ions. Here, we show that whereas calcium ions in the presence of ATP cause a conformational change within DMC1, stimulating its DNA binding and D-loop formation, they inhibit the extension of the invading strand within the D-loop. Based on structural studies, we have generated mutants of two highly conserved amino acids- E162 and D317- in human DMC1, which are deficient in calcium regulation. Invivo studies of their yeast homologues further showed that they exhibit severe defects in meiosis, thus emphasizing the importance of calcium ions in the regulation of DMC1 function and meiotic recombination.

Experimental long-distance haplotyping of OCA2-HERC2 variants

The regulatory HERC2 SNP, rs12913832, is strongly associated with blue and brown eye colour. However, eye colour in heterozygous rs12913832 individuals is observed to vary greatly. Missense mutations in OCA2, such as rs1800407 and rs74653330, are associated with lighter eye colour in some but not all heterozygous rs12913832 individuals. Determining the physical linkage of these variants might help to further explain eye colour variation. So far, experimental haplotyping of these variants has been challenging because the genomic distance between them (∼ 135 kb) exceeds the fragment lengths produced by commonly used DNA isolation kits. The aim for this study was to explore novel methods for long distance haplotyping to assess associations between OCA2-HERC2 haplotypes and eye colour. DNA was isolated from frozen blood samples collected from Norwegians that are known to be heterozygous for both HERC2 rs12913832 and OCA2 SNPs, either rs1800407 (n = 23) or rs74653330 (n = 17), using the newly commercially available Monarch® HMW (heigh molecular weight) DNA Extraction Kit (New England BioLabsinc). We successfully isolated DNA fragments up to 210 kb, which were long enough to haplotype OCA2-HERC2 loci by droplet digital PCR (ddPCR). Three haplotypes were observed in the study population: rs12913832:A-rs1800407:T in 22/23 individuals, rs12913832:A-rs1800407:C in 1/23 individuals and rs12913832:A-rs74653330:T in 16/16 individuals. As expected, all individuals with the rs12913832:A-rs74653330:T haplotype had intermediate to blue eye colour. However, the rs12913832:A-rs1800407:T haplotype was observed in both blue and brown-eyed individuals, suggesting more research is needed.

Teflon promotes chromosomal recruitment of homolog conjunction proteins during Drosophila male meiosis.

Meiosis in males of higher dipterans is achiasmate. In their spermatocytes, pairing of homologs into bivalent chromosomes does not include synaptonemal complex and crossover formation. While crossovers preserve homolog conjunction until anaphase I during canonical meiosis, an alternative system is used in dipteran males. Mutant screening in Drosophila melanogaster has identified teflon (tef) as being required specifically for alternative homolog conjunction (AHC) of autosomal bivalents. The additional known AHC genes, snm, uno and mnm, are needed for the conjunction of autosomal homologs and of sex chromosomes. Here, we have analyzed the pattern of TEF protein expression. TEF is present in early spermatocytes but cannot be detected on bivalents at the onset of the first meiotic division, in contrast to SNM, UNO and MNM (SUM). TEF binds to polytene chromosomes in larval salivary glands, recruits MNM by direct interaction and thereby, indirectly, also SNM and UNO. However, chromosomal SUM association is not entirely dependent on TEF, and residual autosome conjunction occurs in tef null mutant spermatocytes. The higher tef requirement for autosomal conjunction is likely linked to the quantitative difference in the amount of SUM protein that provides conjunction of autosomes and sex chromosomes, respectively. During normal meiosis, SUM proteins are far more abundant on sex chromosomes compared to autosomes. Beyond promoting SUM recruitment, TEF has a stabilizing effect on SUM proteins. Increased SUM causes excess conjunction and consequential chromosome missegregation during meiosis I after co-overexpression. Similarly, expression of SUM without TEF, and even more potently with TEF, interferes with chromosome segregation during anaphase of mitotic divisions in somatic cells, suggesting that the known AHC proteins are sufficient for establishment of ectopic chromosome conjunction. Overall, our findings suggest that TEF promotes alternative homolog conjunction during male meiosis without being part of the final physical linkage between chromosomes.

Inter‐Model Spread of the Simulated East Asian Summer Monsoon Rainfall and the Associated Atmospheric Circulations From the CMIP6 Models

AbstractThe model uncertainty, one of the major sources of projection uncertainty, is still a challenge in the climate change projection. In this study, the model uncertainty in simulating the East Asian summer monsoon rainfall and its physical link to the upper‐level jet streams and the western North Pacific subtropical high (WNPSH) are investigated from the Coupled Model Inter‐comparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models. The results show that extracted by the inter‐model Empirical Orthogonal Function method, the leading inter‐model mode of the rainfall is characterized as a meridional pattern. The positive mode (a continent‐wet‐ocean‐dry pattern) is closely associated with a northward shift of the oceanic branch of the East Asian subtropical jet and a northward movement of the WNPSH, while the negative mode (a continent‐dry‐ocean‐wet pattern) is highly correlated with an enhanced East Asian polar‐front jet combined with a weakened land branch of the East Asian subtropical jet as well as a weakened and eastward recess of the WNPSH. This systematic link among the atmospheric circulations and the leading inter‐model mode is maintained by the negative phase of the Victoria Mode in the North Pacific and warming over the Atlantic Ocean in the positive mode, and the cooling over the Indian Ocean, Atlantic Ocean and the warming over the central Pacific in the negative mode. Our findings suggest that the physical linkage between the atmospheric circulations and monsoon rainfall is useful to understand the model uncertainty, which would be helpful in providing potential indicators of the East Asia summer monsoon change.

Evolution of physical linkage between loci controlling ecological traits and mating preferences.

Coupling of multiple barriers to gene-flow, such as divergent local adaptation and reproductive isolation, facilitates speciation. However, alleles at loci that contribute to barrier effects can be dissociated by recombination. Models of linkage between diverging alleles often consider elements that reduce recombination, such as chromosomal inversions and alleles that modify recombination rate between existing loci. In contrast, here, we consider the evolution of linkage due to the close proximity of loci on the same chromosome. Examples of such physical linkage exist in several species, but in other cases, strong associations are maintained without physical linkage. We use an individual-based model to study the conditions under which the physical linkage between loci controlling ecological traits and mating preferences might be expected to evolve. We modelled a single locus controlling an ecological trait that acts also as a mating cue. Mating preferences are controlled by multiple loci, formed by mutations that are randomly placed in the "genome", within varying distances from the ecological trait locus, allowing us to examine which genomic architectures spread across the population. Our model reveals that stronger physical linkage is favoured when mating preferences and selection are weaker. Under such conditions mating among divergent phenotypes is more frequent, and matching ecological trait and mating preference alleles are more likely to become dissociated by recombination, favouring the evolution of genetic linkage. While most theoretical studies on clustering of divergent loci focus on how physical linkage influences speciation, we show how physical linkage itself can arise, establishing conditions that can favour speciation.

Intense atmospheric frontogenesis by air–sea coupling processes during the passage of Typhoon Lingling captured at Ieodo Ocean Research Station

The Ieodo Ocean Research Station (Ieodo ORS) is a fixed marine observation platform at the boundary of the Yellow and East China Seas. In 2019, a Category 4 Typhoon Lingling passed by the Ieodo ORS very closely. At that time, the Ieodo ORS observed Sea Surface Temperature (SST) cooling of 4.5 °C by vertical mixing and negative turbulent heat flux (i.e., the sum of sensible and latent heat fluxes) due to the SST cooling. In this study, uncoupled and coupled simulations were conducted to examine the role of air-sea interactions in changes in atmospheric frontogenesis around the typhoon passage. In the coupled simulation, SST cooling up to 6 °C occurred over the dangerous semicircle due to vertical mixing induced by wind stress. Strong wind stress also enhanced the SST gradient and, therefore, contributed to the formation of a steeper atmospheric frontal zone. Moreover, the comparison with reliable datasets supports the physical linkage between SST cooling and atmospheric frontogenesis by utilizing the meridional theta-e gradient and moisture convergence zone. Therefore, from the simulation results, we hope to improve our understanding of atmospheric frontogenesis by air–sea coupling processes in the future development of a coupled atmosphere–ocean modeling system.

A sustained release of alendronate from an injectable tetra-PEG hydrogel for efficient bone repair.

Significant efforts on construction of smart drug delivery for developing minimally invasive gelling system to prolong local delivery of bisphosphonates are considered as promising perspectives for the bone-related diseases, which provide the hydrogels with unique bioactivities for bone repair in clinic. Herein, we have constructed an alendronate (ALN)-conjoined injectable tetra-PEG hydrogel with excellent biocompatibility, uniform network, and favorable mechanical properties in one-pot strategy. In views of the quick ammonolysis reaction between N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS)-ester of tetra-PEG-SG and amine groups of tetra-PEG-NH2 polymer and ALN molecules, the uniform networks were formed within seconds along with the easy injection, favorable biocompatibility and mechanical properties for hydrogel scaffolds. On account of the simultaneous physical encapsulation and chemical linkage of the ALN within the hydrogels, the ALN-conjoined tetra-PEG hydrogel exhibited a sustained drug release delivery that could persistently and effectively facilitate viability, growth, proliferation, and osteogenesis differentiation of stem cells, thereby allowing the consequent adaptation of hydrogels into the bone defects with irregular shapes, which endowed the ALN-conjoined tetra-PEG hydrogel with depot formulation capacity for governing the on-demand release of ALN drugs. Consequently, the findings imply that these drug-based tetra-PEG hydrogels mediate optimal release of therapeutic cargoes and effective promotion of in situ bone regeneration, which will be broadly utilized as therapeutic scaffolds in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine.