United States Department of Energy

About: United States Department of Energy is a government organization based out in Washington D.C., District of Columbia, United States. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Coal & Catalysis. The organization has 13656 authors who have published 14177 publications receiving 556962 citations. The organization is also known as: DOE & Department of Energy.

Case Series of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Adults Associated with SARS-CoV-2 Infection - United Kingdom and United States, March-August 2020.

Abstract: During the course of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, reports of a new multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) have been increasing in Europe and the United States (1-3). Clinical features in children have varied but predominantly include shock, cardiac dysfunction, abdominal pain, and elevated inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein (CRP), ferritin, D-dimer, and interleukin-6 (1). Since June 2020, several case reports have described a similar syndrome in adults; this review describes in detail nine patients reported to CDC, seven from published case reports, and summarizes the findings in 11 patients described in three case series in peer-reviewed journals (4-6). These 27 patients had cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, dermatologic, and neurologic symptoms without severe respiratory illness and concurrently received positive test results for SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) or antibody assays indicating recent infection. Reports of these patients highlight the recognition of an illness referred to here as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A), the heterogeneity of clinical signs and symptoms, and the role for antibody testing in identifying similar cases among adults. Clinicians and health departments should consider MIS-A in adults with compatible signs and symptoms. These patients might not have positive SARS-CoV-2 PCR or antigen test results, and antibody testing might be needed to confirm previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Because of the temporal association between MIS-A and SARS-CoV-2 infections, interventions that prevent COVID-19 might prevent MIS-A. Further research is needed to understand the pathogenesis and long-term effects of this newly described condition.

The Capsella rubella genome and the genomic consequences of rapid mating system evolution

Abstract: The shift from outcrossing to selfing is common in flowering plants(1,2), but the genomic consequences and the speed at which they emerge remain poorly understood. An excellent model for understanding the evolution of self fertilization is provided by Capsella rubella, which became self compatible <200,000 years ago. We report a C. rubella reference genome sequence and compare RNA expression and polymorphism patterns between C. rubella and its outcrossing progenitor Capsella grandiflora. We found a clear shift in the expression of genes associated with flowering phenotypes, similar to that seen in Arabidopsis, in which self fertilization evolved about 1 million years ago. Comparisons of the two Capsella species showed evidence of rapid genome-wide relaxation of purifying selection in C. rubella without a concomitant change in transposable element abundance. Overall we document that the transition to selfing may be typified by parallel shifts in gene expression, along with a measurable reduction of purifying selection.

Multi-omics of permafrost, active layer and thermokarst bog soil microbiomes

Abstract: A multi-omics approach, integrating metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics, determines the phylogenetic composition of the microbial community and assesses its functional potential and activity along a thaw transition from intact permafrost to thermokast bog. The application of the various individual 'omics' tools to the study of microbial ecosystems has dramatically altered our view of their constituents and ecology over the past decade. Here Janet Jansson and colleagues develop an multi-omics approach, integrating metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and metaproteomics to analyse microbial gene expression in frozen soils that form part of the Alaska Peatland Experiment. The results show that the community shifts along a natural thaw gradient from permafrost to seasonally thawed active layer to thermokarst bog and the authors find that there is a transition in the potential for several biogeochemical cycles with thaw, including those for denitrification, nitrate reduction, iron reduction and methane oxidation. Over 20% of Earth’s terrestrial surface is underlain by permafrost with vast stores of carbon that, once thawed, may represent the largest future transfer of carbon from the biosphere to the atmosphere1. This process is largely dependent on microbial responses, but we know little about microbial activity in intact, let alone in thawing, permafrost. Molecular approaches have recently revealed the identities and functional gene composition of microorganisms in some permafrost soils2,3,4 and a rapid shift in functional gene composition during short-term thaw experiments3. However, the fate of permafrost carbon depends on climatic, hydrological and microbial responses to thaw at decadal scales5,6. Here we use the combination of several molecular ‘omics’ approaches to determine the phylogenetic composition of the microbial communities, including several draft genomes of novel species, their functional potential and activity in soils representing different states of thaw: intact permafrost, seasonally thawed active layer and thermokarst bog. The multi-omics strategy reveals a good correlation of process rates to omics data for dominant processes, such as methanogenesis in the bog, as well as novel survival strategies for potentially active microbes in permafrost.

In-Situ Infrared Study of CO2 Adsorption on SBA-15 Grafted with γ-(Aminopropyl)triethoxysilane

Abstract: CO2 adsorption/desorption on SBA-15 grafted with γ-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane (APTS) has been studied by infrared spectroscopy coupled with temperature-programmed desorption. SBA-15, a mesoporous silica material with a uniform pore size of 21 nm and a surface area of 200−230 m2/g, provides an OH functional group for grafting of γ-(aminopropyl)triethoxysilane. The amine-grafted SBA-15 adsorbed CO2 as carbonates and bicarbonates with a total capacity of 200−400 μmol/g. The heat of CO2 desorption was determined to be 3.2−4.5 kJ/mol in the presence of H2O and 6.6−11.0 kJ/mol in the absence of H2O during temperature-programmed desorption. Repeated CO2 adsorption/desorption CO2 cycles shifted the desorption peak temperature downward and decreased the heat of CO2 adsorption.