Stability of the gauge equivalent classes in stationary transport

For anisotropic attenuating media, the albedo operator determines the scattering and the attenuation coefficients up to a gauge transformation. We show that such a determination is stable

Formulas and equations for finding scattering data from the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map with nonzero background potential

For the Schrodinger equation at fixed energy with a potential supported in a bounded domain we give formulas and equations for finding scattering data from the Dirichlet-to-Neumann map with nonzero background potential. For the case of zero background potential these results were obtained in [R.G.Novikov, Multidimensional inverse spectral problem for the equation -\Delta\psi+(v(x)-Eu(x))\psi=0, Funkt. Anal. i Ego Prilozhen 22(4), pp.11-22, (1988)]

Зоны концентрированной деформации (структуры цветка): натурные наблюдения и данные моделирования

Our study was focused on narrow linear zones that penetrate to different depths the crust and have complex infrastructure. Rocks in such zones are more intensively tectonically altered in comparison with the background. ‘Flower structures’ and ‘zones of concentrated deformation’ (ZCD) are the terms to describe these zones. The field study results combined with the data of tectonophysical and computational modeling data and supplemented by the literature analysis gave grounds for the following conclusions. In the experiments, as well as in nature, ZCDs show similar and, in some cases, identical morphological and infrastructural features and have similar stages of their evolution. A ZCD is mainly a reflection of the transpression setting. Its formation is accompanied by 3D plastic shear flow of matter and dilatancy of the deformed volume. A ZCD may be associated with the development of the ‘basement – cover’ system. It may also occur due to the intra-cover tectogenesis that does not influence the basement. Locations of ZCDs are spatially regular and predetermine the tectonic divisibility of the crust and lithosphere.В настоящее время большое внимание уделяется изучению узких линейных зон, которые, пронизывая земную кору на разную глубину, характеризуются сложной инфраструктурой и интенсивной в сравнении с фоновой тектонической переработкой горных масс. Такие структуры получили название «структуры цветка» или «зоны концентрированной деформации». Изучение натурных объектов вкупе с данными тектонофизического и расчетного моделирования, дополненное анализом литературного материала, позволило сделать следующие выводы: ЗКД в эксперименте и в природных объектах обнаруживают сходство, иногда тождество, по морфологии, инфраструктуре, этапности эволюции; ЗКД отражают преимущественно обстановки транспрессии, и их формирование сопровождается 3D пластическим сдвиговым течением вещества и дилатансией деформируемого объема; возникновение ЗКД может быть связано с развитием системы «фундамент – чехол», но может определяться и внутричехольным тектогенезом, не затрагивающим фундамент; ЗКД обладают пространственно-регулярным расположением и определяют тектоническую делимость земной коры и литосферы.

Integrated quantum information science with photons

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The genetic study of three population microisolates in South Tyrol (MICROS): study design and epidemiological perspectives

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>There is increasing evidence of the important role that small, isolated populations could play in finding genes involved in the etiology of diseases. For historical and political reasons, South Tyrol, the northern most Italian region, includes several villages of small dimensions which remained isolated over the centuries.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The MICROS study is a population-based survey on three small, isolated villages, characterized by: old settlement; small number of founders; high endogamy rates; slow/null population expansion. During the stage-1 (2002/03) genealogical data, screening questionnaires, clinical measurements, blood and urine samples, and DNA were collected for 1175 adult volunteers. Stage-2, concerning trait diagnoses, linkage analysis and association studies, is ongoing. The selection of the traits is being driven by expert clinicians. Preliminary, descriptive statistics were obtained. Power simulations for finding linkage on a quantitative trait locus (QTL) were undertaken.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Starting from participants, genealogies were reconstructed for 50,037 subjects, going back to the early 1600s. Within the last five generations, subjects were clustered in one pedigree of 7049 subjects plus 178 smaller pedigrees (3 to 85 subjects each). A significant probability of familial clustering was assessed for many traits, especially among the cardiovascular, neurological and respiratory traits. Simulations showed that the MICROS pedigree has a substantial power to detect a LOD score ≥ 3 when the QTL specific heritability is ≥ 20%.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The MICROS study is an extensive, ongoing, two-stage survey aimed at characterizing the genetic epidemiology of Mendelian and complex diseases. Our approach, involving different scientific disciplines, is an advantageous strategy to define and to study population isolates. The isolation of the Alpine populations, together with the extensive data collected so far, make the MICROS study a powerful resource for the study of diseases in many fields of medicine. Recent successes and simulation studies give us confidence that our pedigrees can be valuable both in finding new candidates loci and to confirm existing candidate genes.</p

The evolving SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in Africa: Insights from rapidly expanding genomic surveillance

INTRODUCTION Investment in Africa over the past year with regard to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) sequencing has led to a massive increase in the number of sequences, which, to date, exceeds 100,000 sequences generated to track the pandemic on the continent. These sequences have profoundly affected how public health officials in Africa have navigated the COVID-19 pandemic. RATIONALE We demonstrate how the first 100,000 SARS-CoV-2 sequences from Africa have helped monitor the epidemic on the continent, how genomic surveillance expanded over the course of the pandemic, and how we adapted our sequencing methods to deal with an evolving virus. Finally, we also examine how viral lineages have spread across the continent in a phylogeographic framework to gain insights into the underlying temporal and spatial transmission dynamics for several variants of concern (VOCs). RESULTS Our results indicate that the number of countries in Africa that can sequence the virus within their own borders is growing and that this is coupled with a shorter turnaround time from the time of sampling to sequence submission. Ongoing evolution necessitated the continual updating of primer sets, and, as a result, eight primer sets were designed in tandem with viral evolution and used to ensure effective sequencing of the virus. The pandemic unfolded through multiple waves of infection that were each driven by distinct genetic lineages, with B.1-like ancestral strains associated with the first pandemic wave of infections in 2020. Successive waves on the continent were fueled by different VOCs, with Alpha and Beta cocirculating in distinct spatial patterns during the second wave and Delta and Omicron affecting the whole continent during the third and fourth waves, respectively. Phylogeographic reconstruction points toward distinct differences in viral importation and exportation patterns associated with the Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Omicron variants and subvariants, when considering both Africa versus the rest of the world and viral dissemination within the continent. Our epidemiological and phylogenetic inferences therefore underscore the heterogeneous nature of the pandemic on the continent and highlight key insights and challenges, for instance, recognizing the limitations of low testing proportions. We also highlight the early warning capacity that genomic surveillance in Africa has had for the rest of the world with the detection of new lineages and variants, the most recent being the characterization of various Omicron subvariants. CONCLUSION Sustained investment for diagnostics and genomic surveillance in Africa is needed as the virus continues to evolve. This is important not only to help combat SARS-CoV-2 on the continent but also because it can be used as a platform to help address the many emerging and reemerging infectious disease threats in Africa. In particular, capacity building for local sequencing within countries or within the continent should be prioritized because this is generally associated with shorter turnaround times, providing the most benefit to local public health authorities tasked with pandemic response and mitigation and allowing for the fastest reaction to localized outbreaks. These investments are crucial for pandemic preparedness and response and will serve the health of the continent well into the 21st century