bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bivalve Feeding Responses to Microalgal Bloom Species in the Indian River Lagoon: the Potential for Top-Down Control
Authors: Galimany Eve , Lunt Jessica , Freeman Christopher J. , Houk Jay , Sauvage Thomas , Santos Larissa , Lunt Jillian , Kolmakova Maria , Mossop Malcolm , Domingos Arthur , Phlips Edward J. , Paul Valerie J.
Published: April 2020

In 2011, the Indian River Lagoon, a biodiverse estuary in eastern Florida (USA), experienced an intense microalgal bloom with disastrous ecological consequences. The bloom included a mix of microalgae with unresolved taxonomy and lasted for 7 months with a maximum concentration of 130 μg chlorophylla L−1. In 2012, brown tideAureoumbra lagunensisalso bloomed in portions of this estuary, with reoccurrences in 2016 and 2018. To identify and understand the role of grazer pressure (top-down control) on bloom formation, we coupled DNA sequencing with bivalve feeding assays using three microalgae isolated from the 2011 bloom and maintained in culture. Feeding experiments were conducted on widely distributed bivalve species in the lagoon, including eastern oysters (Crassostrea virginica), hooked mussels (Ischadium recurvum), charru mussels (Mytella charruana), green mussels (Perna viridis), Atlantic rangia (Rangia cuneata), and hard clams (Mercenaria mercenaria), which were exposed to 3 × 104cells mL−1of five species of microalgae consisting ofA. lagunensisand the three species clarified herein, the picocyanobacteriaCrocosphaerasp. and ‘Synechococcus’ sp., and the picochlorophytePicochlorumsp., as well asNannochloropsis oculataused as a control. To ensure clearance rates were indicative of consumption and assimilation, the microalgae were isotopically (15N) labeled prior to feeding experiments. Clearance rates differed among bivalve and microalgal species, but enriched15N values in bivalve tissue suggest that algal bloom species were assimilated by the bivalves. These results expand our understanding of the important ecosystem services that healthy, biodiverse filter feeder communities provide.
Geohydraulic study of aquifer characteristics in parts of Enugu North Local Government Area of Enugu State using electrical resistivity soundings
Authors: Oguama Bethrand Ekwundu , Ibuot Johnson Cletus , Obiora Daniel Nnaemeka
Published: April 2020

Geophysical survey employing vertical electrical sounding (VES) was achieved in Enugu State College of Education (Technical). Schlumberger electrode configuration was used in acquiring the data which were interpreted using the WinResist software. Four to five geoelectric layers were delineated from the interpreted results. The hydraulic parameters (hydraulic conductivity, porosity, formation factor, tortuosity and transmissivity) were estimated from the values of resistivity and thickness which are primary geoelectric parameters. The result shows the hydraulic conductivity varying from 2.71 to 70.45 m/day, transmissivity: 49.2288–1127.944 m2/day, porosity: 33.71–49.44%, formation factor: 0.0014–0.0026 and tortuosity: 0.2667–0.2935. The zones with high and low values of these parameters were delineated. The potentiality of the aquifer units show moderate to high a reflection of the heterogeneity of the subsurface which is affected by the composition and geometry of the formation. The result from this study provides some important conclusions for future groundwater exploration and management.
The Long-Term Costs of Family Trajectories: Women’s Later-Life Employment and Earnings Across Europe
Authors: Muller Joanne S. , Hiekel Nicole , Liefbroer Aart C.
Published: April 2020

The “motherhood earnings penalty” is a well-established finding in many Western countries. However, a divide between mothers and nonmothers might oversimplify reality given that the family life course has diversified over the last decades. In addition, whether family choices have consequences for women’s employment and earnings in later life is not well known, particularly in a comparative perspective. Using data on 50- to 59-year-old women from the Generations and Gender Programme, the British Household Panel Survey, and SHARELIFE for 22 European countries, we derive a typology of women’s family trajectories and estimate its association with women’s later-life employment and earnings. Whereas family trajectory–related differences with regard to employment were relatively small, our findings reveal a clear, long-lasting family trajectory gradient in earnings. Childless women (with or without a partner) as well as single mothers had higher personal earnings than women whose family trajectories combined parenthood and partnership. Moreover, in societies in which reconciliation of work and family during midlife is less burdensome, labor market outcomes of women following different family trajectories converge. Our findings show that women’s fertility and partnership behavior are inevitably interrelated and jointly influence employment and earning patterns until later in life. The results imply that promoting equal employment opportunities could have long-lasting effects on women’s economic independence.
Progress Toward Implementing the Sendai Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the Sustainable Development Goals: Policy from Aotearoa New Zealand
Authors: Saunders Wendy S. A. , Kelly Scott , Paisley Suzanne , Clarke Larissa B.
Published: April 2020

In 2015, Aotearoa New Zealand became a signatory to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (Sendai Framework), the Paris Climate Change Agreement (Paris Agreement), and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Since 2017 Aotearoa New Zealand has been undergoing governance reform to realign priorities and to improve the management of natural hazards and climate change. The aim of this article is to provide a review of how Aotearoa New Zealand is taking steps to improve consistency of planning across the legislative environment, thereby implementing its commitments to the Sendai Framework, the SDGs, and the Paris Agreement. It provides an overview of the national governance arrangements, with a focus on the key legislative tools; identifies how key terms are defined nationally; and provides an overview of the governance arrangements that contribute to the country’s international obligations. The discussion describes how obligations are applied, and considers two “disruptive and proactive” action examples. Four recommended actions are provided to further implement these international aspirations: (1) take into account these international agreements during the development and implementation of all legislation; (2) build awareness, capability, and capacity within central, regional, and local governments to support implementation; (3) actively evaluate the progress of implementing initiatives designed to reduce vulnerability and strengthen resilience; and (4) ensure that more weight and value are given to indigenous planning documents.
Existence of solutions for a higher-order semilinear parabolic equation with singular initial data
Authors: Okabe Shinya , Ishige Kazuhiro , Kawakami Tatsuki
Published: April 2020

We establish the existence of solutions of the Cauchy problem for a higher-order semilinear parabolic equation by introducing a new majorizing kernel. We also study necessary conditions on the initial data for the existence of local-in-time solutions and identify the strongest singularity of the initial data for the solvability of the Cauchy problem.
Cochlear implantation in patients with Meniere's disease: A systematic review
Authors: Desiato Vincent M. , Patel Jaimin J. , Nguyen Shaun A. , Meyer Ted A. , Lambert Paul R.
Published: April 2020

Background

Meniere's disease (MD) is an idiopathic disorder of the inner ear, which manifests as cochleo‐vestibular dysfunction. Hearing loss will progress to a profound levelin a subset of patients with MD, and vestibular interventions can independently cause loss of hearing. The aim of this study was to systematically review the published literature describing the safety and efficacy of CI in patients with MD.

Materials and methods

A systematic literature review was conducted in accordance PRISMA guidelines to identify articles that assessed at least one functional outcome in patients with MD who underwent CI. Demographic information, disease history, MD symptoms, outcomes measures, and complications related to CI were extracted from included studies.

Results

In total, 17 studies were included, and 182 patients with MD underwent CI. The weighted‐mean age was 61.9 years (range 27–85). Study objective and methodology varied, and there was significant heterogeneity in CI outcome measures reported. In total, 179 (98.3%) of 182 patients reported objective improvements in at least one hearing metric after CI. A total of 69 patients (37.9%) reported vertigo or severe dizziness prior to CI, compared to 22 patients (15.4%) postoperatively. Two studies reported significant reductions in postoperative Tinnitus Handicap Inventory score (THI). Quality of life assessments varied between studies. Complications rates were low with only nine patients (4.9%) reporting a serious CI‐related complication.

Conclusions

This systematic review evaluated 17 studies describing the safety and efficacy of CI in patients with MD and encountered many challenges due to small sample sizes, and heterogeneity in study design and outcomes measured. Despite these limitations, this study of 182 patients is to the best of our knowledge the largest systematic review evaluating the safety and efficacy of CI in MD. The results of this study support the need for a standardized approach to evaluating outcomes of CI in patients with MD in future studies.
The 2017 Solar Eclipse: Implementing Enhanced Syndromic Surveillance on the Path of Totality in Kentucky
Authors: Heitzinger Kristen , Thoroughman Douglas A. , Johnson Blake D. , Chandler Andrew , Prather John W. , Walls Heather M. , Robeson Sara D. , Porter Kimberly A.
Published: April 2020

Objective:

The 2017 solar eclipse was associated with mass gatherings in many of the 14 states along the path of totality. The Kentucky Department for Public Health implemented an enhanced syndromic surveillance system to detect increases in emergency department (ED) visits and other health care needs near Hopkinsville, Kentucky, where the point of greatest eclipse occurred.

Methods:

EDs flagged visits of patients who participated in eclipse events from August 17–22. Data from 14 area emergency medical services and 26 first-aid stations were also monitored to detect health-related events occurring during the eclipse period.

Results:

Forty-four potential eclipse event-related visits were identified, primarily injuries, gastrointestinal illness, and heat-related illness. First-aid stations and emergency medical services commonly attended to patients with pain and heat-related illness.

Conclusions:

Kentucky’s experience during the eclipse demonstrated the value of patient visit flagging to describe the disease burden during a mass gathering and to investigate epidemiological links between cases. A close collaboration between public health authorities within and across jurisdictions, health information exchanges, hospitals, and other first-response care providers will optimize health surveillance activities before, during, and after mass gatherings.
THE LIPMAN–ZARISKI CONJECTURE IN GENUS ONE HIGHER
Authors: BERGNER HANNAH , GRAF PATRICK
Published: April 2020

We prove the Lipman–Zariski conjecture for complex surface singularities with$p_{g}-g-b\leqslant 2$. Here$p_{g}$is the geometric genus,$g$is the sum of the genera of exceptional curves and$b$is the first Betti number of the dual graph. This improves on a previous result of the second author. As an application, we show that a compact complex surface with a locally free tangent sheaf is smooth as soon as it admits two generically linearly independent twisted vector fields and its canonical sheaf has at most two global sections.
The Red Rock ice cliff revisited – six decades of frontal, mass and area changes in the Nunatarssuaq area, Northwest Greenland
Authors: Abermann Jakob , Steiner Jakob F , Prinz Rainer , Wecht Matthias , Lisager Peter
Published: April 2020

We present changes of the ice margin in Northwest Greenland at the Eastern part of the Nunatarssuaq Ice Cap (NIC) over six decades. The ice margin in this area terminates as a near-vertical ice cliff of between 9 and 33 m thickness. During the years 1954–1957 and in 1965 multi-disciplinary studies were performed. We digitise and orthorectify material, that is often difficult to access, in order to use the historical data as an absolute starting point of our change assessment. We compare the cliff morphology of the mid-1950s and the mid-1960s with various time-steps between 1985 and 2017. The studied ice margin remained remarkably constant with very subtle changes of changing sign: rather slow advance rates are reported from the 1950s and 1960s that accelerated until 1985 and were followed by a general retreat until 2012 and a subsequent advance until 2017. Thickness changes are negative throughout the entire time-period, however, different rates of thinning are shown and there is a positive relationship with air temperature anomalies. Compared to similar elevations on the adjacent Greenland ice sheet, we find significantly weaker thinning rates at the NIC.
First articulated stalked crinoids from the Mesozoic of South America: two new species from the Lower Cretaceous of the Neuquén Basin, west-central Argentina
Authors: Lazo Darío G. , Bressan Graciela S. , Schwarz Ernesto , Veiga Gonzalo D.
Published: April 2020

Two new isocrinids are described from the Lower Cretaceous Agrio Formation of the Neuquén Basin, west-central Argentina.Isocrinus(Chladocrinus)covuncoensisnew species is based on several beautifully preserved specimens from Valanginian beds of the Pilmatué Member. It is characterized by a small size, multiramose crown with six arm divisions, 240 arm tips, mostly isotomous branching, seven (or rarely eight) secundibrachials, smooth and stout column, short noditaxis, and pentalobate columnals. The species occurs in a 30 m thick interval of cross-bedded sandstones and mixed clastic-carbonate sediments that represent the migration of large, tidally influenced, subaqueous dunes developed in the offshore. Sudden burial of crinoids that dwelled on the dune toes and interdunes, possibly by the acceleration of the lee face migration, provided the exceptional preservation of specimens and thus this finding can be considered as a local crinoid Konservat Lagerstätte.Isocrinus(Chladocrinus)pehuenchensisnew species is described from a single articulated specimen preserved in a silty calcareous concretion collected from a late Hauterivian concretion level of the Agua de la Mula Member. It is characterized by isotomous branching, eight or nine secundibrachials (IIBr), slender column ornamented with medial ridge of fine tubercles, interradius acuminated with fine tubercles on its tip, short noditaxis, and pentastellate columnals. It is associated with low-energy fall-out deposits in the offshore. The excellent state of preservation was due to an early cementation process by carbonate that enhanced lithification around the specimen.

UUID:http://zoobank.org/4763ae70-9d0a-4015-b1c9-6a7ceeedfb1a
Shared interests foster interethnic cooperation among politicians
Authors: Butler Daniel , Tavits Margit
Published: April 2020

Ethnic relations play an important political role in many countries and can have serious consequences for policy and stability, with many conflicts occurring along ethnic lines. While most studies on ethnic relations focus on the behavior of the general public, ethnic bias among political elites may be equally consequential but remains understudied. This study explores tools that improve interethnic cooperation among politicians in governance (rather than electoral competition). We argue that shared interests incentivize elites to overcome ethnic bias. We conduct two experiments (one survey and one lab-in-the-field) with local politicians in Bosnia and Herzegovina and find support for this expectation, i.e., concrete information about shared policy priorities and goals foster interethnic cooperation.
Democracy in America? Partisanship, Polarization, and the Robustness of Support for Democracy in the United States
Authors: GRAHAM MATTHEW H. , SVOLIK MILAN W.
Published: April 2020

Is support for democracy in the United States robust enough to deter undemocratic behavior by elected politicians? We develop a model of the public as a democratic check and evaluate it using two empirical strategies: an original, nationally representative candidate-choice experiment in which some politicians take positions that violate key democratic principles, and a natural experiment that occurred during Montana’s 2017 special election for the U.S. House. Our research design allows us to infer Americans’ willingness to trade-off democratic principles for other valid but potentially conflicting considerations such as political ideology, partisan loyalty, and policy preferences. We find the U.S. public’s viability as a democratic check to be strikingly limited: only a small fraction of Americans prioritize democratic principles in their electoral choices, and their tendency to do so is decreasing in several measures of polarization, including the strength of partisanship, policy extremism, and candidate platform divergence. Our findings echo classic arguments about the importance of political moderation and cross-cutting cleavages for democratic stability and highlight the dangers that polarization represents for democracy.
DEFORMING A STARSHAPED CURVE INTO A CIRCLE BY AN AREA-PRESERVING FLOW
Authors: FANG JIANBO
Published: April 2020

We show that a class of area-preserving flows can deform every starshaped curve into a circle.
Beyond Regions and Ideology: Using Cultural Theory to Explain Risk Perception in Canada
Authors: Kiss Simon J. , Montpetit Éric , Lachapelle Erick
Published: April 2020

Cultural theory (CT) has been widely used to explain variations in risk perception but has rarely been tested in Canada. This contribution represents the most thorough attempt to adapt CT to the Canadian context. Study results suggest that respondents’ commitment to egalitarianism was strongly correlated with risks from technology, while respondents’ commitment to hierarchism was strongly correlated with risks from criminal or unsafe behaviours. Respondents’ commitment to individualism was also correlated with risks from criminal and unsafe behaviours but differed from hierarchism in that individualism was not correlated with risk perceptions from prostitution and marijuana use. Respondents’ commitments to fatalism were strongly correlated with risk perception of vaccines. These conclusions are reinforced by results from a survey question that tests the extent to which such cultural predispositions map onto the myths of nature hypothesized by CT and by a survey experiment that tests how cultural commitments predict perceived risks from a controversial pipeline.
THE BRITISH WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT AND THE PRACTICE OF PETITIONING, 1890–1914
Authors: MILLER HENRY
Published: April 2020

Through an examination of the women's suffrage movement, this article reassesses the place of petitioning within late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century British political culture. While critical of their Victorian predecessors’ reliance on petitions, the Edwardian women's suffrage movement did not abandon petitioning, but reinvented it. Rather than presenting a polarized view of relations between suffragettes and suffragists, the article shows how both operated on a spectrum of direct action politics through petitioning. Militants and constitutionalists pioneered new, although different, modes of petitioning that underpinned broader repertoires of popular politics, adapting this venerable practice to a nascent mass democracy. The article then situates suffrage campaigners’ reinvention of petitioning within a broader political context. The apparent decline of petitioning, long noted by scholars, is reframed as the waning of the classic model of mass petitioning parliament associated with Victorian pressure groups. The early twentieth century was a crucial period for the reshaping of petitioning as a tool for political participation and expression through myriad subscriptional forms, rather than primarily through the medium of parliamentary petitions.
REPUBLICANISM AND CIVIC VIRTUE IN TREATYITE POLITICAL THOUGHT, 1921–3
Authors: DONNELLY SEÁN
Published: April 2020

Republicanism has been one of the most influential political ideologies in modern Irish history; however, it remains conspicuously undertheorized by historians of the revolutionary period. While recent historiography has challenged representations of anti-Treaty Sinn Féin as a mindlessly destructive, anti-democratic force, the extent of ideological and rhetorical continuity linking the Provisional Government formed to assume control of the Free State on 7 January 1922 with the pre-Treaty republican tradition has not been understood. This article rejects the historiographical thesis that the Provisional Government abandoned republican ideas. Drawing from the Cambridge School's contextualist account of republicanism as a polysemic and contingent political language, it highlights the vigorously contested nature of republican thought in the intellectual firmament of revolutionary Sinn Féin and argues that the Free State leadership articulated its vision of politics and society through classical republican concepts of ‘civic virtue’ and the ‘common good’. It is suggested additionally that the colonial dynamics of the Anglo-Irish relationship helped to shape the vision of republican citizenship promoted by an administration possessed of a deep-seated determination to refute historical perceptions of the Irish people as congenitally ‘unfit’ for sovereignty.
Suicidal ideation and suicide attempts: associations with sleep duration, insomnia, and inflammation
Authors: Dolsen Emily A. , Prather Aric A. , Lamers Femke , Penninx Brenda W. J. H.
Published: April 2020

Background

Sleep disturbance has been consistently identified as an independent contributor to suicide risk. Inflammation has emerged as a potential mechanism linked to both sleep disturbance and suicide risk. This study tested associations between sleep duration, insomnia, and inflammation on suicidal ideation (SI) and history of a suicide attempt (SA).

Methods

Participants included 2329 adults with current or remitted depression and/or anxiety enrolled in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety. Sleep duration, insomnia, past week SI, and SA were assessed with self-report measures. Plasma levels of C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and tumor necrosis factor-α were obtained.

Results

Short sleep duration (⩽6 h) compared to normal sleep duration (7–9 h) was associated with reporting a prior SA, adjusting for covariates [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) 1.68, 95% CI 1.13–2.51]. A higher likelihood of SI during the past week was observed for participants with long sleep duration (⩾10 h) compared to normal sleep duration (AOR 2.22, 95% CI 1.02–4.82), more insomnia symptoms (AOR 1.44, 95% CI 1.14–1.83), and higher IL-6 (AOR 1.31, 95% CI 1.02–1.68). Mediation analyses indicated that the association between long sleep duration and SI was partially explained by IL-6 (AOR 1.02, 95% CI 1.00–1.05).

Conclusions

These findings from a large sample of adults with depression and/or anxiety provide evidence that both short and long sleep duration, insomnia symptoms, and IL-6 are associated with the indicators of suicide risk. Furthermore, the association between long sleep duration and SI may operate through IL-6.
Reciprocal effects between daily situational perceptions and borderline personality symptoms in young adulthood: the role of childhood parenting experiences
Authors: Vanwoerden Salome , Hofmans Joeri , De Clercq Barbara
Published: April 2020

Background

Recent research has emphasized the importance of within-person transactions between situational perceptions and borderline symptomatology. The current study extends current evidence by evaluating a broad range of situational perceptions and their transactions with borderline symptomatology across both private and professional contexts. Additionally, it explores whether early experiences of parental harsh punishment and emotional support during childhood, two well-established etiological factors in developmental theories of borderline symptomatology, influence the effect of daily situation perception in adulthood on borderline symptom presentation.

Methods

N = 131 young adults (Mage = 20.97, s.d.age = 1.64) completed end-of-day diaries of their borderline symptoms and perceptions of the home and school or work environment for 14 days. During their mid-childhood, reports of maternal strategies of harsh punishment and emotional support were collected.

Results

Findings revealed that on the same day, borderline symptoms were associated with more negative and stressful, and less positive perceptions of both the private and professional context. Additionally, borderline symptoms predicted more negative and stressful perceptions of school/work on subsequent days. Finally, while early harsh punishment predicted overall increases in daily borderline symptoms 10 years later, emotionally supportive parenting in childhood predicted decreases in borderline symptom expression in less positive and more stressful contexts.

Conclusions

The current study points to the importance of managing BPD symptoms to reduce subsequent negative perceptions of the environment, and also indicates the relevance of exploring adult person-situation processes based on early parenting experiences.
On top or underneath: where does the general factor of psychopathology fit within a dimensional model of psychopathology?
Authors: Hyland Philip , Murphy Jamie , Shevlin Mark , Bentall Richard P. , Karatzias Thanos , Ho Grace W.K. , Boduszek Daniel , McElroy Eoin
Published: April 2020

Background

Dimensional models of psychopathology are increasingly common and there is evidence for the existence of a general dimension of psychopathology (‘p’). The existing literature presents two ways to model p: as a bifactor or as a higher-order dimension. Bifactor models typically fit sample data better than higher-order models, and are often selected as better fitting alternatives but there are reasons to be cautious of such an approach to model selection. In this study the bifactor and higher-order models of p were compared in relation to associations with established risk variables for mental illness.

Methods

A trauma exposed community sample from the United Kingdom (N = 1051) completed self-report measures of 49 symptoms of psychopathology.

Results

A higher-order model with four first-order dimensions (Fear, Distress, Externalising and Thought Disorder) and a higher-order p dimension provided satisfactory model fit, and a bifactor representation provided superior model fit. Bifactor p and higher-order p were highly correlated (r = 0.97) indicating that both parametrisations produce near equivalent general dimensions of psychopathology. Latent variable models including predictor variables showed that the risk variables explained more variance in higher-order p than bifactor p. The higher-order model produced more interpretable associations for the first-order/specific dimensions compared to the bifactor model.

Conclusions

The higher-order representation of p, as described in the Hierarchical Taxonomy of Psychopathology, appears to be a more appropriate way to conceptualise the general dimension of psychopathology than the bifactor approach. The research and clinical implications of these discrepant ways of modelling p are discussed.
Mnemonic Populism: The Polish Holocaust Law and its Afterlife
Authors: Kończal Kornelia
Published: April 2020

In early 2018, the Polish parliament adopted controversial legislation criminalising assertions regarding the complicity of the ‘Polish Nation’ and the ‘Polish State’ in the Holocaust. The so-called Polish Holocaust Law provoked not only a heated debate in Poland, but also serious international tensions. As a result, it was amended only five months after its adoption. The reason why it is worth taking a closer look at the socio-cultural foundations and political functions of the short-lived legislation is twofold. Empirically, the short history of the Law reveals a great deal about the long-term role of Jews in the Polish collective memory as an unmatched Significant Other. Conceptually, the short life of the Law, along with its afterlife, helps capture poll-driven, manifestly moralistic and anti-pluralist imaginings of the past, which I refer to as ‘mnemonic populism’. By exploring the relationship between popular and political images of the past in contemporary Poland, this article argues for joining memory and populism studies in order to better understand what can happen to history in illiberal surroundings.
Trust and R&D investments: evidence from OECD countries
Authors: Ndubuisi Gideon
Published: April 2020

This paper examines two potential mechanisms – access to credit and reduction in relational risks – through which social trust can affect R&D investments. Social trust can increase R&D investments by expanding firms' access to external finance with which they can use to fund promising R&D projects. It can also increase R&D investments by reducing relational risks that expose firms to ex-ante and ex-post holdups or expropriation risks. Using industry-level data on R&D investment intensities in 20 OECD countries, I test these mechanisms by evaluating whether more external finance dependent and relational risk vulnerable industries exhibit disproportional higher R&D investment intensities in trust intensive countries. The results indicate that external finance dependent industries and relational risks vulnerable industries experience relatively higher R&D investment intensities in trust-intensive countries. Therefore, the results underline access to external finance and reduction in relational risks as causal pathways linking social trust and R&D investments.
Will Coral Reefs in the North Atlantic Ocean Bleach During the Next Season? A Probabilistic Answer
Authors: Lisboa D. S. , Kikuchi R. K. P.
Published: April 2020

Coral bleaching in the North Atlantic Ocean was modeled based on the historical relationship between reef observations (1987–2011), El Niño indicators and thermal seawater anomalies. The model components were hierarchically organized into a Bayesian network structure according to their level of influence on coral bleaching to generate seasonal predictions to be confirmed (or not) by the near‐real‐time forecast at ~5 km scale. Validations and score steps, used as a criterion for comparison between competing models, proved the viability of the Bayesian approach to perform seasonal forecasts of the bleaching occurrence, achieving an overall hit rate of 84%. Custom models with databases restricted to specific situations are presented as an alternative to improve the accuracy levels but at the cost of the loss of predictive ability. The models were developed to be conceptually simple and useful tools to assist environmental management through an early warning system for coral bleaching.
Enhanced, Climate‐Driven Sedimentation on Salt Marshes
Authors: FitzGerald D. M. , Hughes Z. J. , Georgiou I. Y. , Black S. , Novak A.
Published: April 2020

With Arctic amplification (enhanced polar warming) possibly increasing periods of intense winter freezing and global warming producing more powerful extratropical storms, winter sedimentation on northern salt marshes may likely increase in the future. Here, we show that a large ice‐rafting event in northern Massachusetts delivered the equivalent of 15 years of mineral deposition to the marsh surface in a single storm. During an intense extratropical cyclone in January 2018, sediment‐laden ice was rafted onto the Great Marsh, Massachusetts, by an ~1‐m storm surge coinciding with high astronomical tides. The muddy sand content combined with abundant shells indicates that the sediment originated from proximal bays and tidal flats. Sediment layers delivered by individual ice rafts averaged 3.19 cm in thickness, 12 times the combined organic and inorganic yearly vertical accretion rate on high marshes. This previously underappreciated vector for sediment deposition is likely to help marsh resiliency to sea‐level rise.
Dynamics of the Gibraltar Arc System: A Complex Interaction Between Plate Convergence, Slab Pull, and Mantle Flow
Authors: Civiero Chiara , Custódio Susana , Duarte João C. , Mendes Virgilio B. , Faccenna Claudio
Published: April 2020

In typical subduction systems, plate convergence is subperpendicular to the trench. The Gibraltar Arc System is exceptional, with its narrow subduction arc oriented N‐S and laterally “squeezed” by the NNW‐SSE tectonic convergence between Nubia and Iberia. The extent to which the slab is still coupled to the surface and how it interacts actively with the surrounding mantle is a matter of ongoing debate. Here, we analyze new densely spaced GPS data, together with crustal and mantle observations, to better understand the slab kinematics, plate dynamics, and mantle flow. In light of previous and current research, we find that subduction below the Gibraltar Arc is currently in the middle of a disruption process, with parts of it already detached and others yet coupled to the surface. In particular, the slab seems to be detached to the north of the Gibraltar Strait, with a small portion still attached to the surface or in the process of detaching below the western Betics. South of Gibraltar, the slab is still coupled to the overriding plate, although the subduction seems to be very slow or stopped. Flow of mantle material around the detached portions of the slab causes most of the surface uplift and a positive residual topography anomaly. Our findings show that the interplay between slab dynamics, mantle flow, and plate convergence explains much of the observed residual topography, surface motion, seismicity, and mantle structure.
Challenges in Applying Machine Learning Models for Hydrological Inference: A Case Study for Flooding Events Across Germany
Authors: Schmidt Lennart , Heße Falk , Attinger Sabine , Kumar Rohini
Published: April 2020

Machine learning (ML) algorithms are being increasingly used in Earth and Environmental modeling studies owing to the ever‐increasing availability of diverse data sets and computational resources as well as advancement in ML algorithms. Despite advances in their predictive accuracy, the usefulness of ML algorithms for inference remains elusive. In this study, we employ two popular ML algorithms, artificial neural networks and random forest, to analyze a large data set of flood events across Germany with the goals to analyze their predictive accuracy and their usability to provide insights to hydrologic system functioning. The results of the ML algorithms are contrasted against a parametric approach based on multiple linear regression. For analysis, we employ a model‐agnostic framework named Permuted Feature Importance to derive the influence of models' predictors. This allows us to compare the results of different algorithms for the first time in the context of hydrology. Our main findings are that (1) the ML models achieve higher prediction accuracy than linear regression, (2) the results reflect basic hydrological principles, but (3) further inference is hindered by the heterogeneity of results across algorithms. Thus, we conclude that the problem of equifinality as known from classical hydrological modeling also exists for ML and severely hampers its potential for inference. To account for the observed problems, we propose that when employing ML for inference, this should be made by using multiple algorithms and multiple methods, of which the latter should be embedded in a cross‐validation routine.
A New Unsupervised Learning Method to Assess Clusters of Temporal Distribution of Rainfall and Their Coherence with Flood Types
Authors: Oppel Henning , Fischer Svenja
Published: April 2020

Several factors have an impact on the generation of floods, for example, antecedent moisture conditions and the shape of the catchment. A very important factor is the event rainfall, especially its temporal distribution. However, the categorization of temporal distributions is riddled with uncertainty, due to a priori assumptions on distribution types. Here, we propose a new clustering approach based on unsupervised learning, using dimensionless mass curves to describe the temporal distributions. The purpose of the proposed method is the identification of reoccurring temporal distributions of precipitation events. Additionally, the correlation of the resulting clusters of temporal distribution with rainfall‐induced flood types is investigated. The application to several catchments in Germany showed the existence of spatial patterns of six different clusters for the temporal distribution and a significant coherence with the flood types. It was found that the temporal distribution of rainfall intensities shifts from early peaked to more uniformly distributed when shifting the flood type from short floods with high peaks to long‐duration floods, often with several peaks.
Time‐Lapse Imaging of Coseismic Ruptures for the 2019 Ridgecrest Earthquakes Using Multiazimuth Backprojection With Regional Seismic Data and a 3‐D Crustal Velocity Model
Authors: Yang Jidong , Zhu Hejun , Lumley David
Published: April 2020

Using regional seismic data and a 3‐D crustal velocity model, we develop a novel multiazimuth backprojection approach and apply it to image time‐lapse coseismic ruptures for the 2019 Ridgecrest earthquakes. The time‐integrated images for theMw6.4 foreshock andMw7.1 mainshock agree with the fault geometry delineated by the aftershock distributions. Backprojection images at different times illustrate the detailed rupture processes for these two events. For instance, theMw6.4 foreshock initialized close to the hypocenter, then the rupture propagated along a northwest trending fault with an average velocity of 1.0 km/s, and finally jumped to a southwest trending fault and propagated about 20 km with a velocity about 1.5 km/s. In contrast, theMw7.1 mainshock initialized near the hypocenter, then propagated to the northwest upon reaching the Coso volcanic field with an average velocity of 1.4 km/s, and later turned to the southeast and propagated along the main fault zone with a complex bilateral process and a velocity about 0.6 km/s.
Monitoring of Dust Devil Tracks Around the InSight Landing Site, Mars, and Comparison With In Situ Atmospheric Data
Authors: Perrin C. , Rodriguez S. , Jacob A. , Lucas A. , Spiga A. , Murdoch N. , Lorenz R. , Daubar I. J. , Pan L. , Kawamura T. , Lognonné P. , Banfield D. , Banks M. E. , Garcia R. F. , Newman C. E. , Ohja L. , Widmer-Schnidrig R. , McEwen A. S. , Banerdt W. B.
Published: April 2020

The NASA InSight mission on Mars is a unique opportunity to study atmospheric processes both from orbit and in situ observations. We use post‐landing high‐resolution satellite images to monitor dust devil activity during the first 8 months of the mission. We perform mapping and semiautomatic detection of newly formed dust devil tracks and analyze their characteristics (sizes, azimuths, distances, and directions of motion). We find a large number of tracks appearing shortly after landing, followed by a significant decrease of activity during late winter, then a progressive increase during early spring. New tracks are characterized by dark linear, to slightly curvilinear, traces ranging from a few to more than 10 m wide. Tracks are oriented in the ambient wind direction, according to measurements made by InSight's meteorological sensors. The systematic analysis of dust devil tracks is useful to have a better understanding of atmospheric and aeolian activity around InSight.
Nitric Oxide Abundance in the Martian Thermosphere and Its Diurnal Variation
Authors: Cui J. , Fu M.‐H. , Ren Z.‐P. , Gu H. , Guo J.‐H. , Wu X.‐S. , Wu Z.‐P. , Lai H.‐R. , Wei Y.
Published: April 2020

As an important species of the Martian thermosphere, NO is chemically and radiatively active. However, its abundance is poorly constrained due to difficulties in both remote sensing and in situ measurements. In this study, we use the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer measurements made onboard the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution to derive the N(4S), N(2D), and NO abundances in the Martian thermosphere based on time‐dependent odd N chemistry. At a reference altitude of 160 km, our calculations suggest that the NO abundance is maximized in the afternoon whereas the N(4S) and N(2D) abundances maximized in the morning, both driven by the variation of the ambient N2 mixing ratio. The difference in chemical loss time scale implies a strong diurnal variation for NO and N(2D) but a weak variation for N(4S).
Reprogramming of lipid metabolism in cancer-associated fibroblasts potentiates migration of colorectal cancer cells
Authors: Gong Jin , Lin Yiyun , Zhang Huaqin , Liu Chunqi , Cheng Zhong , Yang Xiaowei , Zhang Jiamei , Xiao Yuanyuan , Sang Na , Qian Xinying , Wang Liang , Cen Xiaobo , Du Xiao , Zhao Yinglan
Published: April 2020

Metabolic interaction between cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) and colorectal cancer (CRC) cells plays a major role in CRC progression. However, little is known about lipid alternations in CAFs and how these metabolic reprogramming affect CRC cells metastasis. Here, we uncover CAFs conditioned medium (CM) promote the migration of CRC cells compared with normal fibroblasts CM. CAFs undergo a lipidomic reprogramming, and accumulate more fatty acids and phospholipids. CAFs CM after protein deprivation still increase the CRC cells migration, which suggests small molecular metabolites in CAFs CM are responsible for CRC cells migration. Then, we confirm that CRC cells take up the lipids metabolites that are secreted from CAFs. Fatty acids synthase (FASN), a crucial enzyme in fatty acids synthesis, is significantly increased in CAFs. CAF-induced CRC cell migration is abolished by knockdown of FASN by siRNA or reducing the uptake of fatty acids by CRC cells by sulfo-N-succinimidyloleate sodium in vitro and CD36 monoclonal antibody in vivo. To conclude, our results provide a new insight into the mechanism of CRC metastasis and suggest FASN of CAFs or CD36 of CRC cells may be potential targets for anti-metastasis treatment in the future.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: Circ_0002770, acting as a competitive endogenous RNA, promotes proliferation and invasion by targeting miR-331-3p in melanoma
Authors: Qian Peng , Linbo Liu , Xiaomei Zhai , Hui Pei
Published: April 2020

Melanoma is a kind of tumor that originates from melanocytes and is characterized by chemoresistance and distant metastasis. Although the complete pathogenesis of melanoma remains unclear, increasing evidence suggests that circular RNAs (circRNAs) may be involved. In the present study, we identified a circular RNA, circ_0002770, which is produced from the well-known oncogene MDM2, and was sharply increased in melanoma and correlated with a poor prognosis. Knockdown of circ_0002770 suppressed melanoma cell invasion, migration and proliferation. Mechanistically, circ_0002770 acted as a sponge of miR-331-3p and could indirectly regulate DUSP5 and TGFBR1. Inhibition of miR-331-3p reversed the inhibitory effect of si-circ_0002770 on melanoma cell proliferation and invasion. In vivo evidence further confirmed that silencing circ_0002770 inhibited melanoma tumor formation. In conclusion, circ_0002770 facilitated melanoma cell proliferation, invasion and migration by sponging miR-331-3p and modulating DUSP5 and TGFBR1.
RETRACTED ARTICLE: ERK1/2-Nanog signaling pathway enhances CD44(+) cancer stem-like cell phenotypes and epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas
Authors: Huang Chuang , Yoon Changhwan , Zhou Xiao-Hong , Zhou Ying-Chun , Zhou Wen-Wen , Liu Hong , Yang Xin , Lu Jun , Lee Sei Young , Huang Kun
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs) harbor a subset of cells that are CD44(+) and present with malignancy and radiotherapy resistance. As a key regulator of self-renewal, Nanog expression not only determines cell fate in pluripotent cells but also mediates tumorigenesis in cancer cells; thus, we examined the role of Nanog in CD44(+) HNSCC. Three HNSCC cell lines, tumor xenografts, and patient tumors were examined. Nanog levels were significantly higher in CD44(+) HNSCC spheroids than in CD44(−) spheroids, and further increased when grown as spheroids to enrich for CSCs. CD44(+) spheroids showed a 3.4–7.5-fold increase in migration and invasion compared with CD44(−) spheroids and were resistant to radiation therapy, which was reversed by inhibiting Nanog. Nanog knockdown also decreased spheroid formation by 66.5–68.8%. Moreover, a phosphokinase array identified upregulated ERK1/2 signaling in CD44(+) HNSCC cells compared with that in CD44(−) cells. ERK1/2 signaling was found to regulate Nanog expression, aiding tumor progression, metastasis, and radiotherapy resistance. In xenograft models, the combination of radiation and Nanog or ERK1/2 inhibition inhibited tumor growth by 75.6% and 79.1%, respectively. In lung metastasis models, CD44(+) cells injected into the tail vein of mice led to significantly more lung metastases and higher Nanog expression level compared with that by ERK1/2-knockdown CD44(+) cells. Finally, in tumor tissues, CD44 and Nanog expression levels were correlated with tumorigenesis in HNSCC patients. Thus, targeting Nanog and the ERK1/2 signaling pathway may prevent or reverse CSC phenotypes and epithelial–mesenchymal transition that drive tumor progression, metastasis, and radiotherapy resistance in HNSCC.
Robust autoactivation for apoptosis by BAK but not BAX highlights BAK as an important therapeutic target
Authors: Iyer Sweta , Uren Rachel T. , Dengler Michael A. , Shi Melissa X. , Uno Etsuko , Adams Jerry M. , Dewson Grant , Kluck Ruth M.
Published: April 2020

BAK and BAX, which drive commitment to apoptosis, are activated principally by certain BH3-only proteins that bind them and trigger major rearrangements. One crucial conformation change is exposure of their BH3 domain which allows BAK or BAX to form homodimers, and potentially to autoactivate other BAK and BAX molecules to ensure robust pore formation and cell death. Here, we test whether full-length BAK or mitochondrial BAX that are specifically activated by antibodies can then activate other BAK or BAX molecules. We found that antibody-activated BAK efficiently activated BAK as well as mitochondrial or cytosolic BAX, but antibody-activated BAX unexpectedly proved a poor activator. Notably, autoactivation by BAK involved transient interactions, as BAK and BAX molecules it activated could dissociate and homodimerize. The results suggest that BAK-driven autoactivation may play a substantial role in apoptosis, including recruitment of BAX to the mitochondria. Hence, directly targeting BAK rather than BAX may prove particularly effective in inhibiting unwanted apoptosis, or alternatively, inducing apoptosis in cancer cells.