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Molecular understanding of serological immunity to influenza has been confounded by the complexity of the polyclonal antibody response in humans. Here we used high-resolution proteomics analysis of immunoglobulin (referred to as Ig-seq) coupled with high-throughput sequencing of transcripts encoding B cell receptors (BCR-seq) to quantitatively determine the antibody repertoire at the individual clonotype level in the sera of young adults before and after vaccination with trivalent seasonal influenza vaccine. The serum repertoire comprised between 40 and 147 clonotypes that were specific to each of the three monovalent components of the trivalent influenza vaccine, with boosted pre-existing clonotypes accounting for ∼60% of the response. An unexpectedly high fraction of serum antibodies recognized both the H1 and H3 monovalent vaccines. Recombinant versions of these H1 + H3 cross-reactive antibodies showed broad binding to hemagglutinins (HAs) from previously circulating virus strains; several of these antibodies, which were prevalent in the serum of multiple donors, recognized the same conserved epitope in the HA head domain. Although the HA-head-specific H1 + H3 antibodies did not show neutralization activity in vitro, they protected mice against infection with the H1N1 and H3N2 virus strains when administered before or after challenge. Collectively, our data reveal unanticipated insights regarding the serological response to influenza vaccination and raise questions about the added benefits of using a quadrivalent vaccine instead of a trivalent vaccine.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between cellphone use and achievement goals in junior high school students. The participants were 282 students randomly selected from a secondary school in Xi'an, China. The Frequency of Cellphone Use Questionnaire and the Achievement Goal Questionnaire were used as measurement tools. The results showed that cellphone use at Time 1 (T1) was significantly associated with performance goals orientation and with mastery goals orientation at both times; cellphone use at Time 2 (T2) was not correlated with performance goals orientation or mastery goals orientation at T1. The cross-lagged analysis showed a negative causal relationship between the frequency of cellphone use and mastery goals but no causal relationship between the frequency of cellphone use and performance goals. These results may be helpful for guiding adolescents to reduce cellphone use, pay attention to the mastery of knowledge, and establish mastery goals.

Perfluoroalkyl acids (PFAAs) are widely distributed persistent organic pollutants and their monitoring in environmental media has received extensive attention. The soil matrix is complex, and efficient and simple extraction of PFAAs remains a challenge for analysts. In this work, a simple and rapid method has been developed for the determination of 21 PFAAs in soil by chelating resin-assisted extraction combined with high-performance liquid chromatography - mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS). Treatment with chelating resins effectively released PFAAs bound to metal ions, thereby greatly improving the extraction efficiency of PFAAs in soil. The complete extraction procedure only required 30 min. Under the optimized conditions, the quantification limits of the 21 PFAAs were from 0.03 to 0.49 ng/mL. Single PFAAs were detected in soil samples with concentrations ranging from 0.10 to 2.60 ng/g and recoveries between 70 and 126%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationships among aging self-stereotype, sense of coherence (SOC), and social isolation, as well as further explore the moderating role of cellphone use in older adults. The 817 Chinese older adults were assessed with regard to aging self-stereotypes, social isolation, SOC and cellphone use. Results from mediation analyses revealed that the negative effect of aging self-stereotype on social isolation was mediated by SOC. Moderated mediation analyses further indicated that the path from SOC to social isolation was stronger and the path from aging self-stereotype to social isolation was weaker for older adults with a higher level of cellphone use. These findings indicated that negative stereotypes were related to weaker SOC and are associated with more severe social isolation. Frequent use of cellphones can alleviate the negative effect of aging self-stereotype on social isolation and enhance the positive effect of SOC on social isolation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aims of this study were to explore the predictive relationship between sleep quality and sense of coherence (SOC) and to examine a possible moderating role of mastery in this relationship. A three‐wave longitudinal design was employed using a sample of 304 older adults aged 55–87 years old. Cross‐lagged panel analyses and moderating effect analyses showed that sleep quality can predict the levels of SOC 6 months later, whereas SOC cannot predict sleep quality 6 months later. In addition, mastery can moderate the effect of sleep quality on SOC. Specifically, the lagged effects of sleep quality on SOC in older adults who had low levels of mastery were stronger than in those who had high levels of mastery. Overall, these findings provide valuable insights for understanding the predictive relationship between sleep quality and SOC and emphasise the moderating role of mastery. Also, our results offer important implications for enhancing the SOC in older adults by improving sleep quality and mastery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the SARS-CoV-2 spike is a primary target of neutralizing antibodies and a key component of licensed vaccines. Substantial mutations in RBD, however, enable current variants to escape immunogenicity generated by vaccination with the ancestral (WA1) strain. Here, we produce and assess self-assembling nanoparticles displaying RBDs from WA1 and BA.5 strains by using the SpyTag:SpyCatcher system for coupling. We observed both WA1- and BA.5-RBD nanoparticles to degrade substantially after a few days at 37 °C. Incorporation of nine RBD-stabilizing mutations, however, increased yield ~five-fold and stability such that more than 50% of either the WA1- or BA.5-RBD nanoparticle was retained after one week at 37 °C. Murine immunizations revealed that the stabilized RBD-nanoparticles induced ~100-fold higher autologous neutralization titers than the prefusion-stabilized (S2P) spike at a 2 μg dose. Even at a 25-fold lower dose where S2P-induced neutralization titers were below the detection limit, the stabilized BA.5-RBD nanoparticle induced homologous titers of 12,795 ID50 and heterologous titers against WA1 of 1767 ID50. Assessment against a panel of β-coronavirus variants revealed both the stabilized BA.5-RBD nanoparticle and the stabilized WA1-BA.5-(mosaic)-RBD nanoparticle to elicit much higher neutralization breadth than the stabilized WA1-RBD nanoparticle. The extraordinary titer and high neutralization breadth elicited by stabilized RBD nanoparticles from strain BA.5 make them strong candidates for next-generation COVID-19 vaccines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High-contrast gratings (HCGs) based spoof surface plasmon polaritons (SSPPs), as a new kind of SSPPs, have been proposed recently. Here, we study their particular mechanism and characteristics by comparing them with traditional metal-type SSPPs. The different fundamental dielectric resonator modes decided by the height–length ratio R of the dielectric element are found to be the key factor of the mechanism, leading to new characteristics and providing more working modes. In low R mode, HCG-based SSPPs can work under deep-subwavelength thickness and can be easily excited by free space wave and, thus, are considered to be applied to all-dielectric metamaterial absorbers (ADMMAs). Simulations and analysis confirm the microwave absorption effect of HCG-based SSPPs as a new mechanism of ADMMAs. Based on this, a carbon black based ADMMA is designed and the simulation and experimental results verify the important role of HCG-based SSPPs in broadband absorption. It is expected that this work can give rise to further and wider studies on the characteristics and applications of HCG-based SSPPs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]