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An organism tree of life (organism ToL) is a conceptual and metaphorical tree to capture a simplified narrative of the evolutionary course and kinship among the extant organisms. Such a tree cannot be experimentally validated but may be reconstructed based on characteristics associated with the organisms. Since the whole-genome sequence of an organism is, at present, the most comprehensive descriptor of the organism, a whole-genome sequence-based ToL can be an empirically derivable surrogate for the organism ToL. However, experimentally determining the whole-genome sequences of many diverse organisms was practically impossible until recently. We have constructed three types of ToLs for diversely sampled organisms using the sequences of whole genome, of whole transcriptome, and of whole proteome. Of the three, whole-proteome sequence-based ToL (whole-proteome ToL), constructed by applying information theory-based feature frequency profile method, an "alignment-free" method, gave the most topologically stable ToL. Here, we describe the main features of a whole-proteome ToL for 4,023 species with known complete or almost complete genome sequences on grouping and kinship among the groups at deep evolutionary levels. The ToL reveals 1) all extant organisms of this study can be grouped into 2 "Supergroups," 6 "Major Groups," or 35+ "Groups"; 2) the order of emergence of the "founders" of all of the groups may be assigned on an evolutionary progression scale; 3) all of the founders of the groups have emerged in a "deep burst" at the very beginning period near the root of the ToL-an explosive birth of life's diversity.

BACKGROUND Studying the association between blood pressure (BP) trajectories during young adulthood and subsequent cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk can provide insights into how long-term BP patterns in early-life influence the development of CVD later in life. METHODS We pooled data from 2 US cohorts (Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults, Framingham Heart Study). We used latent growth curve models to identify distinct BP trajectory groups between ages 18 and 39 years. We then used Cox proportional hazards models to assess the associations between BP trajectories and CVD events (composite of coronary heart disease [CHD], stroke, and heart failure [HF]) after age 40 years. RESULTS We included 6,579 participants and identified 4 distinct systolic BP (SBP) trajectory groups during young adulthood. During a median follow-up of 18.2 years after age 40 years, 213 CHD, 139 stroke, 120 HF, and 400 composite CVD events occurred. Individuals in an elevated-increasing vs. low-stable SBP trajectory during young adulthood were associated with a higher risk of CVD after adjusting for traditional CVD risk factors, with hazard ratios (95% confidence interval) of 3.25 (1.63, 6.46) for CHD, 3.92 (1.63, 9.43) for stroke, 8.30 (2.97, 23.17) for HF, and 3.91 (2.38, 6.41) for composite CVD outcomes. Adding BP trajectory to BP at baseline improved model discrimination for all outcomes (changes in Harrell's C -index 0.0084–0.0192). CONCLUSIONS An elevated-increasing BP trajectory during young adulthood is associated with a higher risk of CVD later in life, highlighting the importance of maintaining a low-stable BP trajectory throughout the young adulthood period for prevention of CVD in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the big data era, data are created in huge volume. This leads to the development of storage devices. Many technologies are proposed for the next generation of storage fields. However, among them, holographic data storage (HDS) has attracted much attention and has been introduced as the promising candidate to meet the increasing demand for capacity and speed. For signal processing, HDS faces two major challenges: inter-page interference (IPI) and two-dimensional (2D) interference. To access the IPI problem, we can use balanced coding, which converts user data into an intensity level with uniformly distributed values for each page. For 2D interference, we can use the equalizer and detection to mitigate the 2D interference. However, the often-used equalizer and detection are methods in wireless communication and only handle the one-dimensional (1D) signal. Thus, we can combine the equalizer, detection, and estimator to reduce 2D interference into 1D interference. In this paper, we proposed a combined model using serial maximum a posteriori (MAP) detection and estimator to improve the detection of HDS systems. In our proposed model, instead of using an estimator with the Viterbi algorithm to predict the upper–lower interference (UPI) or left–right interference (LRI) and converting the received signal into 1D ISI, we used the estimator to predict the extrinsic information for serial MAP detection. This preserves the 2D information in the received signal in serial MAP detection and improves the detection of serial MAP detection by extrinsic information. The simulation results demonstrate that our proposed model significantly improves the bit-error rate (BER) performance compared to previous studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Thermogalvanic cells (TGCs) convert heat into electricity through thermoelectrochemical reactions of redox couples, generating a millivolt‐scale Seebeck coefficient. However, TGCs based on liquid electrolytes are prone to leakage, whereas quasi‐solid‐state TGCs (QTCs) using gel‐based electrolytes typically have low power outputs due to slow ion diffusion and limited reaction rates. Herein, we present novel strategies for developing high‐performance all‐flexible QTCs using both metallized fibril‐based textile electrodes with extremely large surface area, (specifically Ni textiles), and structure‐breaking salts for hydrogel electrolytes. The electrodes are oxidized to create Ni and Ni oxide heterostructures, forming numerous O vacancy defects that enhance redox reactions. Meanwhile, the structure‐breaking salts facilitate redox reactions and improve ion diffusion by disrupting water structures in the hydrogel electrolyte. These advancements significantly enhance the performance of the QTCs without the need for precious‐metal electrodes, achieving a remarkable maximum power density of 4.05 mW m−2 K−2 and a record‐high effective cell conductivity of 17.3 S m−1, compared to previously reported QTCs. Finally, the proposed QTCs can generate a stable open‐circuit voltage and output power for wearable applications owing to the flexibility of the electrodes and electrolyte, achieving successful electronic device operation using body heat from the forearm (ΔT ≈ 2 K). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With its high area density, bit-patterned media recording (BPMR) is emerging as a leading technology for next-generation storage systems. However, as area density increases, magnetic islands are positioned closer together, causing significant two-dimensional (2D) interference. To address this, detection methods are used to interpret the received signal and mitigate 2D interference. Recently, the maximum a posteriori (MAP) detection algorithm has shown promise in improving BPMR performance, though it requires extrinsic information to effectively reduce interference. In this paper, to solve the 2D interference and improve the performance of BPMR systems, a model using low-density parity-check (LDPC) coding was introduced to supply the MAP detector with the needed extrinsic information, enhancing detection in a joint decoding model we call MAP–LDPC. Additionally, leveraging similarities between LDPC codes and graph neural networks (GNNs), we replace the traditional sum–product algorithm in LDPC decoding with a GNN, creating a new model, MAP–GNN. The simulation results demonstrate that MAP–GNN achieves superior performance, particularly when using the deep learning-based GNN approach over conventional techniques. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We investigate the climatology of Neutral Density Disturbances (NDDs) collocated with Equatorial Plasma Irregularities (EPIs) at altitudes above 450 km by using 20 years of data from the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE) and GRACE‐FO satellites. Electron density data are used to detect EPIs, and thermospheric neutral density measured onboard the same spacecraft serves to identify EPI‐related NDDs. A detailed analysis focused on the morphological similarity between electron and neutral densities. To examine the relationship between EPI and NDD, statistical dependences of EPIs and NDDs on season/longitude (S/L), Magnetic Latitude (MLAT), Magnetic Local Time (MLT), and solar activity have been checked. As a first step, we confirmed that the EPI climatology in GRACE satellite data is consistent with previous reports. Then, it is found that the lower the neutral density in the background upper thermosphere, the higher the probability that EPI can accompany NDDs. We suggest that the vertical plasma advection surrounding EPI can result in neutral density disturbance, of which the efficiency depends on the background neutral scale height or temperature. The colder the thermosphere, the shorter its vertical scale height (or the lower the background neutral density), which can make the plasma advection leave measurable imprints on the neutral density. Plain Language Summary: In this paper, we analyze the association between Equatorial Plasma Irregularities (EPIs) and Neutral Density Disturbances (NDDs) at altitudes above 450 km, which has been seldom investigated before. EPIs are electron density irregularities in the nightside equatorial and low‐latitude ionosphere, and they are known to disturb the surrounding thermospheric neutral density, causing the NDD. The relationship between EPI and NDD has been analyzed previously, but very few investigations were based on simultaneous measurements of electron and neutral densities. In this study, with GRACE/GRACE‐FO satellites measuring electron and neutral density from the same platform, we investigate the relationship between the two phenomena more quantitatively. The statistical dependences of EPIs and NDDs on season/longitude (S/L), Magnetic Latitude (MLAT), Magnetic Local Time (MLT), and solar activity are studied. One interesting finding is that the lower the background neutral density in the upper thermosphere, the higher the probability of EPI accompanying measurable NDDs. Key Points: Neutral density disturbances (NDDs) associated with equatorial plasma irregularities (EPIs) are investigated at altitudes above 450 kmNDDs are conservatively identified by correlating neutral and plasma density profiles measured onboard the same spacecraftThe lower the background neutral density, the higher the probability of EPI accompanying measurable NDD [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]