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- Feng, Zhuo, et al.
(author)
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Nurse logs: A common seedling strategy in the Permian Cathaysian flora
- 2022
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In: iScience. - Cambridge, Massachusetts : Elsevier BV. - 2589-0042. ; 25, s. 1-11
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Nurse logs are common in modern forests from boreal to temperate and tropical ecosystems. However, the evolution of the nurse-log strategy remains elusive because of their rare occurrence in the fossil record. We report seven coniferous nurse logs from lowermost to uppermost Permian strata of northern China that have been colonized by conifer and sphenophyllalean roots. These roots are associated with two types of arthropod coprolites and fungal remains. Our study provides the first glimpse into plant—plant facilitative relationships between late Paleozoic gymnosperms and sphenopsids. Detritivorous arthropods and fungi appear to have been crucial for the utilization of nurse logs in Permian forests. The phylogenetically distant roots demonstrate that nurse-log interaction wasa sophisticated seedling strategy in late Paleozoic humid tropical forests, and this approach may have been adopted and developed by a succession of plant groups leading to its wide representation in modern forest ecosystems.
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- Mahajan, Anubha, et al.
(author)
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Multi-ancestry genetic study of type 2 diabetes highlights the power of diverse populations for discovery and translation
- 2022
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In: Nature Genetics. - : Springer Nature. - 1061-4036 .- 1546-1718. ; 54:5, s. 560-572
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We assembled an ancestrally diverse collection of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in 180,834 affected individuals and 1,159,055 controls (48.9% non-European descent) through the Diabetes Meta-Analysis of Trans-Ethnic association studies (DIAMANTE) Consortium. Multi-ancestry GWAS meta-analysis identified 237 loci attaining stringent genome-wide significance (P < 5 x 10(-9)), which were delineated to 338 distinct association signals. Fine-mapping of these signals was enhanced by the increased sample size and expanded population diversity of the multi-ancestry meta-analysis, which localized 54.4% of T2D associations to a single variant with >50% posterior probability. This improved fine-mapping enabled systematic assessment of candidate causal genes and molecular mechanisms through which T2D associations are mediated, laying the foundations for functional investigations. Multi-ancestry genetic risk scores enhanced transferability of T2D prediction across diverse populations. Our study provides a step toward more effective clinical translation of T2D GWAS to improve global health for all, irrespective of genetic background. Genome-wide association and fine-mapping analyses in ancestrally diverse populations implicate candidate causal genes and mechanisms underlying type 2 diabetes. Trans-ancestry genetic risk scores enhance transferability across populations.
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- Zhang, Zhuo-Zhi, et al.
(author)
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A suspended silicon single-hole transistor as an extremely scaled gigahertz nanoelectromechanical beam resonator
- 2020
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In: Advanced Materials. - : Wiley. - 0935-9648 .- 1521-4095. ; 32:52
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Suspended single-hole transistors (SHTs) can also serve as nanoelectromechanical resonators, providing an ideal platform for investigating interactions between mechanical vibrations and charge carriers. Demonstrating such a device in silicon (Si) is of particular interest, due to the strong piezoresistive effect of Si and potential applications in Si-based quantum computation. Here, a suspended Si SHT also acting as a nanoelectromechanical beam resonator is demonstrated. The resonant frequency and zero-point motion of the device are approximate to 3 GHz and 0.2 pm, respectively, reaching the best level among similar devices demonstrated with Si-containing materials. The mechanical vibration is transduced to electrical readout by the SHT. The signal transduction mechanism is dominated by the piezoresistive effect. A giant apparent effective piezoresistive gauge factor with strong correlation to single-hole tunneling is extracted in this device. The results show the great potential of the device in interfacing charge carriers with mechanical vibrations, as well as investigating potential quantum behavior of the vibration phonon mode.
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- Docherty, Anna R, et al.
(author)
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GWAS Meta-Analysis of Suicide Attempt: Identification of 12 Genome-Wide Significant Loci and Implication of Genetic Risks for Specific Health Factors.
- 2023
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In: The American journal of psychiatry. - : American Psychiatric Association Publishing. - 1535-7228 .- 0002-953X. ; 180:10, s. 723-738
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Suicidal behavior is heritable and is a major cause of death worldwide. Two large-scale genome-wide association studies (GWASs) recently discovered and cross-validated genome-wide significant (GWS) loci for suicide attempt (SA). The present study leveraged the genetic cohorts from both studies to conduct the largest GWAS meta-analysis of SA to date. Multi-ancestry and admixture-specific meta-analyses were conducted within groups of significant African, East Asian, and European ancestry admixtures.This study comprised 22 cohorts, including 43,871 SA cases and 915,025 ancestry-matched controls. Analytical methods across multi-ancestry and individual ancestry admixtures included inverse variance-weighted fixed-effects meta-analyses, followed by gene, gene-set, tissue-set, and drug-target enrichment, as well as summary-data-based Mendelian randomization with brain expression quantitative trait loci data, phenome-wide genetic correlation, and genetic causal proportion analyses.Multi-ancestry and European ancestry admixture GWAS meta-analyses identified 12 risk loci at p values <5×10-8. These loci were mostly intergenic and implicated DRD2, SLC6A9, FURIN, NLGN1, SOX5, PDE4B, and CACNG2. The multi-ancestry SNP-based heritability estimate of SA was 5.7% on the liability scale (SE=0.003, p=5.7×10-80). Significant brain tissue gene expression and drug set enrichment were observed. There was shared genetic variation of SA with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, smoking, and risk tolerance after conditioning SA on both major depressive disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder. Genetic causal proportion analyses implicated shared genetic risk for specific health factors.This multi-ancestry analysis of suicide attempt identified several loci contributing to risk and establishes significant shared genetic covariation with clinical phenotypes. These findings provide insight into genetic factors associated with suicide attempt across ancestry admixture populations, in veteran and civilian populations, and in attempt versus death.
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- Guo, Peng Fei, et al.
(author)
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Iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes on bismuth titanate nanosheets for metal affinity separation of phosphoproteins
- 2020
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In: Colloids and Surfaces B: Biointerfaces. - : Elsevier BV. - 0927-7765. ; 196
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Separation of phosphoproteins plays an important role for identification of biomarkers in life science. In this work, bismuth titanate supported, iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were prepared for selective separation of phosphoproteins. The iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes were synthesized by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and glycidyl methacrylate, followed by a ring opening reaction of epoxy group, and chelation of the obtained cis-diols with Fe3+ ions. The composite material was characterized to determine the size and thickness, the content of the organic polymer and the metal loading. The bismuth titanate supported, iron-chelated thermoresponsive polymer brushes showed selective binding for phosphoproteins in the presence of abundant interfering proteins, and a high binding capacity for phosphoproteins by virtue of the metal affinity between the metal ions on the polymer brushes and the phosphate groups in the phosphoproteins (664 mg β-Casein per g sorbent). The thermoresponsive property of the polymer brushes made it possible to adjust phosphoprotein binding by changing temperature. Finally, separation of phosphoproteins from a complex biological sample (i.e. milk) was demonstrated using the nanosheet-supported thermoresponsive polymer brushes.
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- Ji, Zhong-Hai, et al.
(author)
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High-throughput screening and machine learning for the efficient growth of high-quality single-wall carbon nanotubes
- 2021
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In: Nano Reseach. - : Tsinghua University Press. - 1998-0124 .- 1998-0000. ; 14, s. 4610-4615
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- It has been a great challenge to optimize the growth conditions toward structure-controlled growth of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs). Here, a high-throughput method combined with machine learning is reported that efficiently screens the growth conditions for the synthesis of high-quality SWCNTs. Patterned cobalt (Co) nanoparticles were deposited on a numerically marked silicon wafer as catalysts, and parameters of temperature, reduction time and carbon precursor were optimized. The crystallinity of the SWCNTs was characterized by Raman spectroscopy where the featured G/D peak intensity (IG/ID) was extracted automatically and mapped to the growth parameters to build a database. 1,280 data were collected to train machine learning models. Random forest regression (RFR) showed high precision in predicting the growth conditions for high-quality SWCNTs, as validated by further chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth. This method shows great potential in structure-controlled growth of SWCNTs. [Figure not available: see fulltext.].
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- Morawska, Lidia, et al.
(author)
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The state of science on severe air pollution episodes : Quantitative and qualitative analysis
- 2021
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In: Environment International. - : Elsevier BV. - 1873-6750 .- 0160-4120. ; 156, s. 106732-106732
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Severe episodic air pollution blankets entire cities and regions and have a profound impact on humans and their activities. We compiled daily fine particle (PM2.5) data from 100 cities in five continents, investigated the trends of number, frequency, and duration of pollution episodes, and compared these with the baseline trend in air pollution. We showed that the factors contributing to these events are complex; however, long-term measures to abate emissions from all anthropogenic sources at all times is also the most efficient way to reduce the occurrence of severe air pollution events. In the short term, accurate forecasting systems of such events based on the meteorological conditions favouring their occurrence, together with effective emergency mitigation of anthropogenic sources, may lessen their magnitude and/or duration. However, there is no clear way of preventing events caused by natural sources affected by climate change, such as wildfires and desert dust outbreaks.
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- Mullins, Niamh, et al.
(author)
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Dissecting the Shared Genetic Architecture of Suicide Attempt, Psychiatric Disorders, and Known Risk Factors
- 2022
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In: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 91:3, s. 313-327
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Suicide is a leading cause of death worldwide, and nonfatal suicide attempts, which occur far more frequently, are a major source of disability and social and economic burden. Both have substantial genetic etiology, which is partially shared and partially distinct from that of related psychiatric disorders.METHODS: We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 29,782 suicide attempt (SA) cases and 519,961 controls in the International Suicide Genetics Consortium (ISGC). The GWAS of SA was conditioned on psychiatric disorders using GWAS summary statistics via multitrait-based conditional and joint analysis, to remove genetic effects on SA mediated by psychiatric disorders. We investigated the shared and divergent genetic architectures of SA, psychiatric disorders, and other known risk factors.RESULTS: Two loci reached genome-wide significance for SA: the major histocompatibility complex and an intergenic locus on chromosome 7, the latter of which remained associated with SA after conditioning on psychiatric disorders and replicated in an independent cohort from the Million Veteran Program. This locus has been implicated in risk-taking behavior, smoking, and insomnia. SA showed strong genetic correlation with psychiatric disorders, particularly major depression, and also with smoking, pain, risk-taking behavior, sleep disturbances, lower educational attainment, reproductive traits, lower socioeconomic status, and poorer general health. After conditioning on psychiatric disorders, the genetic correlations between SA and psychiatric disorders decreased, whereas those with nonpsychiatric traits remained largely unchanged.CONCLUSIONS: Our results identify a risk locus that contributes more strongly to SA than other phenotypes and suggest a shared underlying biology between SA and known risk factors that is not mediated by psychiatric disorders.
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