Diversity and Ecophysiology of the Genus OLB8 and Other Abundant Uncultured Saprospiraceae Genera in Global Wastewater Treatment Systems

The Saprospiraceae family within the phylum Bacteroidota is commonly present and highly abundant in wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) worldwide, but little is known about its role. In this study, we used MiDAS 4 global survey with samples from 30 countries to analyze the abundance and distribution of members of Saprospiraceae. Phylogenomics were used to delineate five new genera from a set of 31 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes from Danish WWTPs. Newly designed probes for fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) revealed rod-shaped morphologies for all genera analyzed, including OLB8, present mostly inside the activated sludge flocs. The genomes revealed potential metabolic capabilities for the degradation of polysaccharides, proteins, and other complex molecules; partial denitrification; and storage of intracellular polymers (glycogen, polyphosphate, and polyhydroxyalkanoates). FISH in combination with Raman microspectroscopy confirmed the presence of intracellular glycogen in Candidatus Brachybacter, Candidatus Parvibacillus calidus (both from the former genus OLB8), and Candidatus Opimibacter, and the presence of polyhydroxyalkanoates in Candidatus Defluviibacterium haderslevense and Candidatus Vicinibacter. These results provide the first overview of the most abundant novel Saprospiraceae genera present in WWTPs across the world and their potential involvement in nutrient removal and the degradation of macromolecules

Electronic Collective Modes and Superconductivity in Layered Conductors

A distinctive feature of layered conductors is the presence of low-energy electronic collective modes of the conduction electrons. This affects the dynamic screening properties of the Coulomb interaction in a layered material. We study the consequences of the existence of these collective modes for superconductivity. General equations for the superconducting order parameter are derived within the strong-coupling phonon-plasmon scheme that account for the screened Coulomb interaction. Specifically, we calculate the superconducting critical temperature Tc taking into account the full temperature, frequency and wave-vector dependence of the dielectric function. We show that low-energy plasmons may contribute constructively to superconductivity. Three classes of layered superconductors are discussed within our model: metal-intercalated halide nitrides, layered organic materials and high-Tc oxides. In particular, we demonstrate that the plasmon contribution (electronic mechanism) is dominant in the first class of layered materials. The theory shows that the description of so-called ``quasi-two-dimensional superconductors'' cannot be reduced to a purely 2D model, as commonly assumed. While the transport properties are strongly anisotropic, it remains essential to take into account the screened interlayer Coulomb interaction to describe the superconducting state of layered materials.Comment: Final version (minor changes) 14 pages, 6 figure

Influence of orbital pair breaking on paramagnetically limited states in clean superconductors

Paramagnetic pair breaking is believed to be of increasing importance in many layered superconducting materials such as cuprates and organic compounds. Recently, strong evidence for a phase transition to the Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov(FFLO) state has been obtained for the first time. We present a new theory of competing spin and orbital pair breaking in clean superconducting films or layers. As a general result, we find that the influence of orbital pair breaking on the paramagnetically limited phase boundary is rather strong, and its neglect seldom justified. This is particularly true for the FFLO state which can be destroyed by a very small orbital contribution. We discuss the situation in YBa_2Cu_3O_7 which has two coupled conducting Cu-O layers per unit cell. As a consequence, an intrinsic orbital pair breaking component might exist even for applied field exactly parallel to the layers.Comment: 19 pages, 5 figures, submitted to PR

Characteristics of the Moveable Middle: Opportunities Among Adults Open to COVID-19 Vaccination

Introduction: Focusing on subpopulations that express the intention to receive a COVID-19 vaccination but are unvaccinated may improve the yield of COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 789,658 U.S. adults aged ≥18 years participated in the National Immunization Survey Adult COVID Module from May 2021 to April 2022. The survey assessed respondents’ COVID-19 vaccination status and intent by demographic characteristics (age, urbanicity, educational attainment, region, insurance, income, and race/ethnicity). This study compared composition and within-group estimates of those who responded that they definitely or probably will get vaccinated or are unsure (moveable middle) from the first and last month of data collection. Results: Because vaccination uptake increased over the study period, the moveable middle declined among persons aged ≥18 years. Adults aged 18–39 years and suburban residents comprised most of the moveable middle in April 2022. Groups with the largest moveable middles in April 2022 included persons with no insurance (10%), those aged 18–29 years (8%), and those with incomes below poverty (8%), followed by non-Hispanic Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (7%), non-Hispanic multiple or other race (6%), non-Hispanic American Indian or Alaska Native persons (6%), non-Hispanic Black or African American persons (6%), those with below high school education (6%), those with high school education (5%), and those aged 30–39 years (5%). Conclusions: A sizable percentage of adults open to receiving COVID-19 vaccination remain in several demographic groups. Emphasizing engagement of persons who are unvaccinated in some racial/ethnic groups, aged 18–39 years, without health insurance, or with lower income may reach more persons open to vaccination

Genome-Wide Meta-Analyses of Smoking Behaviors in African Americans

The identification and exploration of genetic loci that influence smoking behaviors have been conducted primarily in populations of the European ancestry. Here we report results of the first genome-wide association study meta-analysis of smoking behavior in African Americans in the Study of Tobacco in Minority Populations Genetics Consortium (n=32 389). We identified one non-coding single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP; rs2036527[A]) on chromosome 15q25.1 associated with smoking quantity (cigarettes per day), which exceeded genome-wide significance ($\beta$=0.040, s.e.=0.007, P=1.84 × 10$^{−8}$). This variant is present in the 5′-distal enhancer region of the CHRNA5 gene and defines the primary index signal reported in studies of the European ancestry. No other SNP reached genome-wide significance for smoking initiation (SI, ever vs never smoking), age of SI, or smoking cessation (SC, former vs current smoking). Informative associations that approached genome-wide significance included three modestly correlated variants, at 15q25.1 within PSMA4, CHRNA5 and CHRNA3 for smoking quantity, which are associated with a second signal previously reported in studies in European ancestry populations, and a signal represented by three SNPs in the SPOCK2 gene on chr10q22.1. The association at 15q25.1 confirms this region as an important susceptibility locus for smoking quantity in men and women of African ancestry. Larger studies will be needed to validate the suggestive loci that did not reach genome-wide significance and further elucidate the contribution of genetic variation to disparities in cigarette consumption, SC and smoking-attributable disease between African Americans and European Americans

Discovery and functional prioritization of Parkinson's disease candidate genes from large-scale whole exome sequencing.

BACKGROUND: Whole-exome sequencing (WES) has been successful in identifying genes that cause familial Parkinson's disease (PD). However, until now this approach has not been deployed to study large cohorts of unrelated participants. To discover rare PD susceptibility variants, we performed WES in 1148 unrelated cases and 503 control participants. Candidate genes were subsequently validated for functions relevant to PD based on parallel RNA-interference (RNAi) screens in human cell culture and Drosophila and C. elegans models. RESULTS: Assuming autosomal recessive inheritance, we identify 27 genes that have homozygous or compound heterozygous loss-of-function variants in PD cases. Definitive replication and confirmation of these findings were hindered by potential heterogeneity and by the rarity of the implicated alleles. We therefore looked for potential genetic interactions with established PD mechanisms. Following RNAi-mediated knockdown, 15 of the genes modulated mitochondrial dynamics in human neuronal cultures and four candidates enhanced α-synuclein-induced neurodegeneration in Drosophila. Based on complementary analyses in independent human datasets, five functionally validated genes-GPATCH2L, UHRF1BP1L, PTPRH, ARSB, and VPS13C-also showed evidence consistent with genetic replication. CONCLUSIONS: By integrating human genetic and functional evidence, we identify several PD susceptibility gene candidates for further investigation. Our approach highlights a powerful experimental strategy with broad applicability for future studies of disorders with complex genetic etiologies

Magnetic properties of rapidly quenched and annealed Fe\u3csub\u3e10\u3c/sub\u3eRTi and related alloys

Magnetic measurements are reported for iron-rich ternary alloys with the following compositions: Fe10NdxDy1-xTi (0≤x≤1), Fe10SmM (M=Ti, V, and Mo), and Fe10RV (R=Y, Gd, and Dy). The samples were prepared by splat cooling or melt spinning and selected samples were heat treated. The results of x-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, and thermomagnetic measurements on the Fe10NdxDy1-xTi series are presented and indicate that the rapidly quenched alloys are nearly single phase and become multiphase upon heating. Magnetic measurements on the other two series show that the substitution of V for Ti increases the saturation magnetization. Journal of Applied Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics