Scaling Invariance in Spectra of Complex Networks: A Diffusion Factorial Moment Approach

A new method called diffusion factorial moment (DFM) is used to obtain scaling features embedded in spectra of complex networks. For an Erdos-Renyi network with connecting probability $p_{ER} < \frac{1}{N}$, the scaling parameter is $\delta = 0.51$, while for $p_{ER} \ge \frac{1}{N}$ the scaling parameter deviates from it significantly. For WS small-world networks, in the special region $p_r \in [0.05,0.2]$, typical scale invariance is found. For GRN networks, in the range of $\theta\in[0.33,049]$, we have $\delta=0.6\pm 0.1$. And the value of $\delta$ oscillates around $\delta=0.6$ abruptly. In the range of $\theta\in[0.54,1]$, we have basically $\delta>0.7$. Scale invariance is one of the common features of the three kinds of networks, which can be employed as a global measurement of complex networks in a unified way.Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures. to appear in Physical Review

Episodic subduction patches in the western North Pacific identified from BGC-Argo float data

© The Author(s), 2021. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License. The definitive version was published in Chen, S., Wells, M. L., Huang, R. X., Xue, H., Xi, J., & Chai, F. Episodic subduction patches in the western North Pacific identified from BGC-Argo float data. Biogeosciences, 18(19), (2021): 5539–5554, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-18-5539-2021.Subduction associated with mesoscale eddies is an important but difficult-to-observe process that can efficiently export carbon and oxygen to the mesopelagic zone (100–1000 dbar). Using a novel BGC-Argo dataset covering the western North Pacific (20–50∘ N, 120–180∘ E), we identified imprints of episodic subduction using anomalies in dissolved oxygen and spicity, a water mass marker. These subduction patches were present in 4.0 % (288) of the total profiles (7120) between 2008 and 2019, situated mainly in the Kuroshio Extension region between March and August (70.6 %). Roughly 31 % and 42 % of the subduction patches were identified below the annual permanent pycnocline depth (300 m vs. 450 m) in the subpolar and subtropical regions, respectively. Around half (52 %) of these episodic events injected oxygen-enriched waters below the maximum annual permanent thermocline depth (450 dbar), with >20 % occurring deeper than 600 dbar. Subduction patches were detected during winter and spring when mixed layers are deep. The oxygen inventory within these subductions is estimated to be on the order of 64 to 152 g O2/m2. These mesoscale events would markedly increase oxygen ventilation as well as carbon removal in the region, both processes helping to support the nutritional and metabolic demands of mesopelagic organisms. Climate-driven patterns of increasing eddy kinetic energies in this region imply that the magnitude of these processes will grow in the future, meaning that these unexpectedly effective small-scale subduction processes need to be better constrained in global climate and biogeochemical models.This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) projects (grant nos. 41906159, 42030708, and 41730536), the Scientific Research Fund of the Second Institute of Oceanography MNR (grant no. 14283), and the Marine S&T Fund of Shandong Province for the Pilot National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology (Qingdao) (grant no. 2018SDKJ0206)

Temporal Series Analysis Approach to Spectra of Complex Networks

The spacing of nearest levels of the spectrum of a complex network can be regarded as a time series. Joint use of Multi-fractal Detrended Fluctuation Approach (MF-DFA) and Diffusion Entropy (DE) is employed to extract characteristics from this time series. For the WS (Watts and Strogatz) small-world model, there exist a critical point at rewiring probability . For a network generated in the range, the correlation exponent is in the range of . Above this critical point, all the networks behave similar with that at . For the ER model, the time series behaves like FBM (fractional Brownian motion) noise at . For the GRN (growing random network) model, the values of the long-range correlation exponent are in the range of . For most of the GRN networks the PDF of a constructed time series obeys a Gaussian form. In the joint use of MF-DFA and DE, the shuffling procedure in DE is essential to obtain a reliable result. PACS number(s): 89.75.-k, 05.45.-a, 02.60.-xComment: 10 pages, 9 figures, to appear in PR

The NIH public access policy did not harm biomedical journals

The United States National Institutes of Health (NIH) imposed a public access policy on all publications for which the research was supported by their grants; the policy was drafted in 2004 and took effect in 2008. The policy is now 11 years old, yet no analysis has been presented to assess whether in fact this largest-scale US-based public access policy affected the vitality of the scholarly publishing enterprise, as manifested in changed mortality or natality rates of biomedical journals. We show here that implementation of the NIH policy was associated with slightly elevated mortality rates and mildly depressed natality rates of biomedical journals, but that birth rates so exceeded death rates that numbers of biomedical journals continued to rise, even in the face of the implementation of such a sweeping public access policy.HQ received the fundings from the National Key Research and Development Project of China (2017YFC120060

The Role of the Mindoro-Sibutu Pathway on the South China Sea Multi–layer Circulation

The role of the Mindoro Strait–Sibutu Passage pathway in influencing the Luzon Strait inflow to the South China Sea (SCS) and the SCS multilayer circulation is investigated with a high-resolution (0.1830.18) regional ocean model. Significant changes are evident in the SCS upper-layer circulation (250–900 m) by closing the Mindoro–Sibutu pathway in sensitivity experiments, as Luzon Strait transport is reduced by 75%, from 24.4 to 21.2 Sv (1 Sv [ 106m3 s21). Because of the vertical coupling between the upper and middle layers, closing the Mindoro–Sibutu pathway also weakens clockwise circulation in the middle layer (900–2150 m), but there is no significant change in the deep layer (below 2150 m). The Mindoro–Sibutu pathway is an important branch of the SCS throughflow into the Indonesian Seas. It is also the gateway for oceanic waves propagating clockwise around the Philippines Archipelago from the western Pacific Ocean into the eastern SCS, projecting El Niño–Southern Oscillation sea level signals to the SCS, impacting its interannual variations and multilayer circulation. The results provide insights into the dynamics of how upstream and downstream passage throughflows are coupled to affect the general circulation in marginal seas

A laminin 511 matrix is regulated by TAZ and functions as the ligand for the alpha6Bbeta1 integrin to sustain breast cancer stem cells

Understanding how the extracellular matrix impacts the function of cancer stem cells (CSCs) is a significant but poorly understood problem. We report that breast CSCs produce a laminin (LM) 511 matrix that promotes self-renewal and tumor initiation by engaging the alpha6Bbeta1 integrin and activating the Hippo transducer TAZ. Although TAZ is important for the function of breast CSCs, the mechanism is unknown. We observed that TAZ regulates the transcription of the alpha5 subunit of LM511 and the formation of a LM511 matrix. These data establish a positive feedback loop involving TAZ and LM511 that contributes to stemness in breast cancer

The histone H3K9M mutation synergizes with H3K14 ubiquitylation to selectively sequester histone H3K9 methyltransferase Clr4 at heterochromatin

International audienceOncogenic histone lysine-to-methionine mutations block the methylation of their corresponding lysine residues on wild-type histones. One attractive model is that these mutations sequester histone methyltransferases, but genome-wide studies show that mutant histones and histone methyltransferases often do not colocalize. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation sequencing (ChIP-seq), here, we show that, in fission yeast, even though H3K9M-containing nucleosomes are broadly distributed across the genome, the histone H3K9 methyltransferase Clr4 is mainly sequestered at pericentric repeats. This selective sequestration of Clr4 depends not only on H3K9M but also on H3K14 ubiquitylation (H3K14ub), a modification deposited by a Clr4-associated E3 ubiquitin ligase complex. In vitro, H3K14ub synergizes with H3K9M to interact with Clr4 and potentiates the inhibitory effects of H3K9M on Clr4 enzymatic activity. Moreover, binding kinetics show that H3K14ub overcomes the Clr4 aversion to H3K9M and reduces its dissociation. The selective sequestration model reconciles previous discrepancies and demonstrates the importance of protein-interaction kinetics in regulating biological processes

Guinea Pig Model for Evaluating the Potential Public Health Risk of Swine and Avian Influenza Viruses

BACKGROUND: The influenza viruses circulating in animals sporadically transmit to humans and pose pandemic threats. Animal models to evaluate the potential public health risk potential of these viruses are needed. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We investigated the guinea pig as a mammalian model for the study of the replication and transmission characteristics of selected swine H1N1, H1N2, H3N2 and avian H9N2 influenza viruses, compared to those of pandemic (H1N1) 2009 and seasonal human H1N1, H3N2 influenza viruses. The swine and avian influenza viruses investigated were restricted to the respiratory system of guinea pigs and shed at high titers in nasal tracts without prior adaptation, similar to human strains. None of the swine and avian influenza viruses showed transmissibility among guinea pigs; in contrast, pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus transmitted from infected guinea pigs to all animals and seasonal human influenza viruses could also horizontally transmit in guinea pigs. The analysis of the receptor distribution in the guinea pig respiratory tissues by lectin histochemistry indicated that both SAα2,3-Gal and SAα2,6-Gal receptors widely presented in the nasal tract and the trachea, while SAα2,3-Gal receptor was the main receptor in the lung. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: We propose that the guinea pig could serve as a useful mammalian model to evaluate the potential public health threat of swine and avian influenza viruses