Impact of Coupled Resonator Geometry on Silicon-on Insulator Wavelength Filter Characteristics

We have analyzed and discussed the issues arising in the design of Silicon - on - Insulator (SOI) wavelength filters with different types of device geometry. Microring and microdisk geometries have been chosen as the device configurations and in order to demonstrate the device performance and potential, Free Spectral Range (FSR), and Q-factor values are computed. Studies of the transmittance characteristics are carried out using Finite- Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) methods by RSOFT Software. Results show that the microring-based wavelength filter has a FSR of 1.4 THz and a Q-factor value of 486. On the other hand,the microdisk based filter has a broader FSR with slightly smaller Q-factor

Girls\u27 internalizing symptoms and white matter tracts in Cortico-Limbic circuitry

© 2019 The Authors Dysfunction in cortico-limbic circuitry is implicated in internalizing disorders (i.e., depressive and anxious disorders), but less is known about whether structural variations precede frank disorder and thus potentially mark risk. We therefore examined associations between white matter (WM) tract microstructure in cortico-limbic circuitry at age 7 and concurrent and longitudinal patterns of internalizing symptoms in 42 typically developing girls using Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). Girls\u27 internalizing symptoms were concurrently associated with reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) in segments of the cingulum bundle (CB) and the uncinate fasciculus (UF), bilaterally. Moreover, latent profile analysis showed that girls with increasing internalizing symptoms, based on assessments at ages 3, 6, 7, and 8, had reduced FA in these segments compared to girls with stably low symptoms. These results point to a putative neural mechanism underlying the course of childhood internalizing symptoms

Metagenomic covariation along densely sampled environmental gradients in the Red Sea

Oceanic microbial diversity covaries with physicochemical parameters. Temperature, for example, explains approximately half of global variation in surface taxonomic abundance. It is unknown, however, whether covariation patterns hold over narrower parameter gradients and spatial scales, and extending to mesopelagic depths. We collected and sequenced 45 epipelagic and mesopelagic microbial metagenomes on a meridional transect through the eastern Red Sea. We asked which environmental parameters explain the most variation in relative abundances of taxonomic groups, gene ortholog groups, and pathways—at a spatial scale of <2000 km, along narrow but well-defined latitudinal and depth-dependent gradients. We also asked how microbes are adapted to gradients and extremes in irradiance, temperature, salinity, and nutrients, examining the responses of individual gene ortholog groups to these parameters. Functional and taxonomic metrics were equally well explained (75–79%) by environmental parameters. However, only functional and not taxonomic covariation patterns were conserved when comparing with an intruding water mass with different physicochemical properties. Temperature explained the most variation in each metric, followed by nitrate, chlorophyll, phosphate, and salinity. That nitrate explained more variation than phosphate suggested nitrogen limitation, consistent with low surface N:P ratios. Covariation of gene ortholog groups with environmental parameters revealed patterns of functional adaptation to the challenging Red Sea environment: high irradiance, temperature, salinity, and low nutrients. Nutrient-acquisition gene ortholog groups were anti-correlated with concentrations of their respective nutrient species, recapturing trends previously observed across much larger distances and environmental gradients. This dataset of metagenomic covariation along densely sampled environmental gradients includes online data exploration supplements, serving as a community resource for marine microbial ecology

Red Sea SAR11 and Prochlorococcus Single-cell Genomes Reflect Globally Distributed Pangenomes

Evidence suggests many marine bacteria are cosmopolitan, with widespread but sparse strains poised to seed abundant populations under conducive growth conditions. However, studies supporting this "microbial seed bank" hypothesis have analyzed taxonomic marker genes rather than whole genomes/metagenomes, leaving open the possibility that disparate ocean regions harbor endemic gene content. The Red Sea is isolated geographically from the rest of the ocean and has a combination of high irradiance, high temperature, and high salinity that is unique among the oceans; we therefore asked whether it harbors endemic gene content. We sequenced and assembled single-cell genomes of 21 SAR11 (subclades Ia, Ib, Id, and II) and 5 Prochlorococcus (ecotype HLII) samples from the Red Sea and combined them with globally sourced reference genomes to cluster genes into ortholog groups (OGs). Ordination of OG composition could distinguish clades, including phylogenetically cryptic Prochlorococcus ecotypes LLII and LLIII. Compared with reference genomes, 1% of Prochlorococcus and 17% of SAR11 OGs were unique to the Red Sea genomes (RS-OGs). Most (83%) RS-OGs had no annotated function, but 65% of RS-OGs were expressed in diel Red Sea metatranscriptomes, suggesting they are functional. Searching Tara Oceans metagenomes, RS-OGs were as likely to be found as non-RS-OGs; nevertheless, Red Sea and other warm samples could be distinguished from cooler samples using the relative abundances of OGs. The results suggest that the prevalence of OGs in these surface ocean bacteria is largely cosmopolitan, with differences in population metagenomes manifested by differences in relative abundance rather than complete presence/absence of OGs.IMPORTANCE Studies have shown that as we sequence seawater from a selected environment deeper and deeper, we approach finding every bacterial taxon known for the ocean as a whole. However, such studies have focused on taxonomic marker genes rather than on whole genomes, raising the possibility that the lack of endemism results from the method of investigation. We took a geographically isolated water body, the Red Sea, and sequenced single cells from it. We compared those single-cell genomes to available genomes from around the ocean and to ocean-spanning metagenomes. We showed that gene ortholog groups found in Red Sea genomes but not in other genomes are nevertheless common across global ocean metagenomes. These results suggest that Baas Becking's hypothesis "everything is everywhere, but the environment selects" also applies to gene ortholog groups. This widely dispersed functional diversity may give oceanic microbial communities the functional capacity to respond rapidly to changing conditions

A Communal Catalogue Reveals Earth\u27s Multiscale Microbial Diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world\u27s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth\u27s microbial diversity

Measuring routine childhood vaccination coverage in 204 countries and territories, 1980-2019 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2020, Release 1

Background Measuring routine childhood vaccination is crucial to inform global vaccine policies and programme implementation, and to track progress towards targets set by the Global Vaccine Action Plan (GVAP) and Immunization Agenda 2030. Robust estimates of routine vaccine coverage are needed to identify past successes and persistent vulnerabilities. Drawing from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2020, Release 1, we did a systematic analysis of global, regional, and national vaccine coverage trends using a statistical framework, by vaccine and over time. Methods For this analysis we collated 55 326 country-specific, cohort-specific, year-specific, vaccine-specific, and dosespecific observations of routine childhood vaccination coverage between 1980 and 2019. Using spatiotemporal Gaussian process regression, we produced location-specific and year-specific estimates of 11 routine childhood vaccine coverage indicators for 204 countries and territories from 1980 to 2019, adjusting for biases in countryreported data and reflecting reported stockouts and supply disruptions. We analysed global and regional trends in coverage and numbers of zero-dose children (defined as those who never received a diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis [DTP] vaccine dose), progress towards GVAP targets, and the relationship between vaccine coverage and sociodemographic development. Findings By 2019, global coverage of third-dose DTP (DTP3; 81.6% [95% uncertainty interval 80.4-82 .7]) more than doubled from levels estimated in 1980 (39.9% [37.5-42.1]), as did global coverage of the first-dose measles-containing vaccine (MCV1; from 38.5% [35.4-41.3] in 1980 to 83.6% [82.3-84.8] in 2019). Third- dose polio vaccine (Pol3) coverage also increased, from 42.6% (41.4-44.1) in 1980 to 79.8% (78.4-81.1) in 2019, and global coverage of newer vaccines increased rapidly between 2000 and 2019. The global number of zero-dose children fell by nearly 75% between 1980 and 2019, from 56.8 million (52.6-60. 9) to 14.5 million (13.4-15.9). However, over the past decade, global vaccine coverage broadly plateaued; 94 countries and territories recorded decreasing DTP3 coverage since 2010. Only 11 countries and territories were estimated to have reached the national GVAP target of at least 90% coverage for all assessed vaccines in 2019. Interpretation After achieving large gains in childhood vaccine coverage worldwide, in much of the world this progress was stalled or reversed from 2010 to 2019. These findings underscore the importance of revisiting routine immunisation strategies and programmatic approaches, recentring service delivery around equity and underserved populations. Strengthening vaccine data and monitoring systems is crucial to these pursuits, now and through to 2030, to ensure that all children have access to, and can benefit from, lifesaving vaccines. Copyright (C) 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world's importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth's microbial diversity.Peer reviewe

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity

Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity