bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instability of SRPT, SERPT and SJF multiclass queueing networks
Authors: Kruk Łukasz , Chojecki Tymoteusz
Published: January 2022

We provide two examples of strictly subcritical multiclass queueing networks which are unstable under the shortest remaining processing time (SRPT) service protocol. Both of them are reentrant lines with two servers and eight customer classes. The customer service times in our first system are deterministic, yielding an example of an unstable shortest remaining expected processing time (SERPT) network. In the second one, the service times in one customer class are randomized. Both our examples show also system instability under the shortest job first (SJF) discipline. A simulation study of robustness of our results with respect to changes in the customer interarrival and service times is also provided. Our results indicate that size-based service policies may not use the available resources efficiently in a multiserver network setting and in fact cause instability effects. This is in sharp contrast with their satisfactory performance for single-server queues.
Tight upper and lower bounds for the reciprocal sum of Proth primes
Authors: Borsos Bertalan , Kovács Attila , Tihanyi Norbert
Published: January 2022

Computing the reciprocal sum of sparse integer sequences with tight upper and lower bounds is far from trivial. In the case of Carmichael numbers or twin primes even the first decimal digit is unknown. For accurate bounds the exact structure of the sequences needs to be unfolded. In this paper we present explicit bounds for the sum of reciprocals of Proth primes with nine decimal digit precision. We show closed formulae for calculating the nth Proth number $$F_n$$

F
n

, the number of Proth numbers up to n, and the sum of the first n Proth numbers. We give an efficiently computable analytic expression with linear order of convergence for the sum of the reciprocals of the Proth numbers involving the $$\Psi $$
Ψ
function (the logarithmic derivative of the gamma function). We disprove two conjectures of Zhi-Wei Sun regarding the distribution of Proth primes.
Comparison of structural changes in the agriculture and fisheries industries before and after the Great East Japan Earthquake: a case study of Iwate Prefecture’s coastal area
Authors: Nakamura Momoka , Hattori Toshihiro , Kariya Miku
Published: January 2022

This study categorised the fishery districts in Iwate Prefecture, which were severely damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake, using data on agriculture and fishery. Subsequently, changes in the industrial structure of coastal rural areas before and after the earthquake were clarified through an examination of both agriculture and fisheries at the same time. Using cluster analysis, district categories were classified into three cluster types (small-scale primary industry, large-scale primary industry and fishery-dominated clusters) before the earthquake and a fourth cluster (the three aforementioned clusters plus high population density clusters) after the earthquake. The industrial structure’s most significant change was in fishery-dominated clusters before the earthquake. After the earthquake, clusters with the characteristics of a high population density and small industries emerged. The change in the degree of population decline indicates that the loss of population has not accelerated in the districts where agriculture and fishery have been rebuilt in a balanced manner, although the scale may be either small or large. This finding suggests that both agriculture and fishery are important in coastal rural areas, just as the two were before the earthquake.
What is Community in Early Childhood Education and Care for Sustainability? Exploring Communities of Learners in Swedish Preschool Provision
Authors: Lecusay Robert , Mrak Lina , Nilsson Monica
Published: January 2022

In UNESCO’s recent publicationEducation for Sustainable Development: A Roadmapthe idea of community is described as playing an important role in the organization of education for sustainable development as a means of supporting transformations towards sustainability. In the present study we examine the relationship between community and the organization of Early Childhood Education and Care for Sustainability (ECECfS). This examination is based on case studies of Swedish preschool teachers’ perspectives and practices in relation to ECECfS. Drawing on Cultural Historical Activity Theory and the concept of ontological Communities of Learners, we describe ways in which community-based characteristics of the preschools shape and are shaped by cultural tools used to pursue ECECfS. Themed-Project Work (TPW), a common means in Swedish preschools of organizing day-today activities, emerged as an important practice through which to examine questions of community within and across preschools. We describe organizational tensions concerning how pedagogical practices like TPW change from being tools to support a preschool’s activities, to being objects toward which these activities are oriented. Such changes can enable or constrain a preschool’s possibilities for building pluralistic and democratic ECEC environments. We also discuss how the said organizational tensions are rooted in how community is conceived of in preschool provision. Community is constituted not only through the relationships among members of individual preschools but also through the relationships that preschools have with other preschools in their administrative networks. We discuss contradictions that emerge in this matrix of relationships that shape how preschools enact good governance in the pursuit of ECECfS.
Contribution of gas adsorption–desorption in Marcellus shale for different fractured well configurations
Authors: Muther Temoor , Syed Fahad Iqbal , Dahaghi Amirmasoud Kalantari , Negahban Shahin
Published: January 2022

Gas adsorption onto the shale system carries significant importance in accurately forecasting gas production and estimating underground reserves. For the Marcellus shale system, the adsorption of gas also plays a critical role in ultimate recovery and overall reserves quantification. Yet, the effect of different adsorption characteristics in different Marcellus shale regions is not systematically analyzed together. In this study, the contribution of different gas adsorption phenomena in Marcellus shale for different fractured well configurations is investigated. The objective is to understand the reservoir production responses under various adsorption characteristics and well design. For this analysis, a mechanistic Marcellus shale model under confining stresses is numerically simulated with the available literature data. After that, six samples containing adsorption characteristics of different Marcellus shale regions are taken from the literature and specified in the model for accurately defining the adsorption physics in the shale system. In the end, two different well configurations including the fractured vertical and horizontal well are specified in the model separately to analyze the impact of gas desorption on production response. The analysis indicates that the gas desorption improves the overall gas production by a maximum of 5% in a single-stage multi-clustered fractured horizontal well. In addition, the effect of desorption is found to be minimal during initial flow periods, and considerable at longer flow periods. Additionally, the gas desorption is found to be more responsive towards high surface area and large fracture networks. Finally, it is determined that a fractured horizontal well is a viable option that allows high gas desorption in Marcellus shale. This study, hence, aids widely in deciding better production strategies based on adsorption characteristics for producing Marcellus shale.
Towards industrial application of fungal pretreatment in 2G biorefinery: scale-up of solid-state fermentation of wheat straw
Authors: Pallín Miguel Álvarez , González-Rodríguez Sandra , Eibes Gemma , López-Abelairas María , Moreira María Teresa , Lema Juan M. , Lú-Chau Thelmo A.
Published: January 2022

Fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass for bioethanol production is an environmental-friendly alternative to steam explosion. However, this biological pretreatment has been tested on a small scale, where most of the typical problems of solid-state fermentations (SSF), such as limited aeration or temperature control, are not observed. The main objective of this study was to assess the feasibility of the fungal pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass (wheat straw) at a demonstration scale using the white-rot fungus Irpex lacteus to improve straw digestibility. Different configurations were evaluated for the design of a 22 L SSF reactor, but a versatile vertical design that can operate as a packed-bed and as a tray reactor was selected. The wheat straw digestibility obtained in the SSF bioreactor after 21 days of pretreatment (60.6%) was similar to that achieved on a small scale (57.9%). In addition, the most common online monitoring variables (temperature and CO2 production) correlate with the fungal action on wheat straw. As well as the weight loss, obtaining comparable results at flask and reactor scale (30 and 34.5%, respectively).

Graphical abstract
CrabNet for Explainable Deep Learning in Materials Science: Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry
Authors: Wang Anthony Yu-Tung , Mahmoud Mahamad Salah , Czasny Mathias , Gurlo Aleksander
Published: January 2022

Despite recent breakthroughs in deep learning for materials informatics, there exists a disparity between their popularity in academic research and their limited adoption in the industry. A significant contributor to this “interpretability-adoption gap” is the prevalence of black-box models and the lack of built-in methods for model interpretation. While established methods for evaluating model performance exist, an intuitive understanding of the modeling and decision-making processes in models is nonetheless desired in many cases. In this work, we demonstrate several ways of incorporating model interpretability to the structure-agnostic Compositionally Restricted Attention-Based network, CrabNet. We show that CrabNet learns meaningful, material property-specific element representations based solely on the data with no additional supervision. These element representations can then be used to explore element identity, similarity, behavior, and interactions within different chemical environments. Chemical compounds can also be uniquely represented and examined to reveal clear structures and trends within the chemical space. Additionally, visualizations of the attention mechanism can be used in conjunction to further understand the modeling process, identify potential modeling or dataset errors, and hint at further chemical insights leading to a better understanding of the phenomena governing material properties. We feel confident that the interpretability methods introduced in this work for CrabNet will be of keen interest to materials informatics researchers as well as industrial practitioners alike.
Mindreading and Social Cognition
Authors: Lavelle Jane Suilin
Published: January 2022

The cognitive ability to think about other people's psychological states is known as `mindreading'. This Element critiques assumptions that have been formative in shaping philosophical theories of mindreading: that mindreading is ubiquitous, underpinning the vast majority of our social interactions; and that its primary goal is to provide predictions and explanations of other people's behaviour. It begins with an overview of key positions and empirical literature in the debate. It then introduces and motivates the pluralist turn in this literature, which challenges the core assumptions of the traditional views. The second part of the Element uses case studies to further motivate the pluralist framework, and to advocate the pluralist approach as the best way to progress our understanding of social cognitive phenomena.
Cooperative guidance law for intercepting a hypersonic target with impact angle constraint
Authors: Liu S. , Yan B. , Liu R. , Dai P. , Yan J. , Xin G.
Published: January 2022

The cooperative guidance problem of multiple inferior missiles intercepting a hypersonic target with the specific impact angle constraint in the two-dimensional plane is addressed in this paper, taking into consideration variations in a missile’s speed. The guidance law is designed with two subsystems: the direction of line-of-sight (LOS) and the direction of normal to LOS. In the direction of LOS, by applying the algebraic graph theory and the consensus theory, the guidance command is designed to make the system convergent in a finite time to satisfy the goal of cooperative interception. In the direction of normal to LOS, the impact angle is constrained to transform into the LOS angle at the time of interception. In view of the difficulty of measuring unknown target acceleration information in real scenarios, the guidance command is designed by utilising a super-twisting algorithm based on a nonsingular fast-terminal sliding mode (NFTSM) surface. Numerical simulation results manifest that the proposed guidance law performs efficiently and the guidance commands are free of chattering. In addition, the overall performance of this guidance law is assessed with Monte Carlo runs in the presence of measurement errors. The simulation results demonstrate that the robustness can be guaranteed, and that overall efficiency and accuracy in intercepting the hypersonic target are achieved.
Queerly Troubling International Law's Vision of “Peace”
Authors: Otto Dianne
Published: January 2022

Queering international law involves dreaming. It requires stepping outside the framing presumptions of “normal” law to reveal and challenge the heteronormative underpinnings of the hierarchies of power and value that the law sustains. Reclaiming the nomenclature of queer from its history as a term of insult and dehumanization, queer theory interrogates the normative framework that naturalizes and privileges heterosexuality and its binary regime of gender. In its reclamation, “queer” gestures toward affirmative assemblages of new meanings and emancipatory imaginaries. In international law, queer theory has been used in many different ways. For some, queerly troubling the normative involves expanding the existing normal to be more inclusive of queer lives, as can often be seen in the field of international human rights law. As life-giving as inclusion is to those barely existing on the margins, without changing the terms of inclusion this approach risks leaving heteronormativity intact and may even buttress it, as with the legal recognition of same-sex marriage. For others, queering international law involves a more fundamental critique of its regimes of the normal that, together, regulate our relations with each other and the planet. The objects of queer theory's structural critique are the conceptual foundations of international law, which rely on heteronormativity as a fundamental organizing principle that helps to normalize inequality, poverty, exploitation, and violence. One example is the “civilizing mission” which justified colonialism and continues to animate present legal norms. As Teemu Ruskola argues in his seminal queer critique, international legal rhetoric attributed normative masculinity to (Western) sovereign states and cast the “deficient” sovereignty of non-Western states in terms of variously deviant masculinities which, together with their civilizational and racial attributes, justified their “penetration.” My “troubling” of international law's account of peace takes a queer structural approach and then outlines some alternative imaginaries suggested by queer theory and activism.
The Political Conception of Human Rights and Its Rule(s) of Recognition
Authors: Campos Andre Santos
Published: January 2022

The political conception makes sense of human rights strictly in light of their role in international human rights practice, more specifically by describing how they justify interventions against states that engage in or fail to prevent human rights violations. This conception is, therefore, normative and fact-dependent. Beyond this, it does not seem to have much to say about the actual nature of international human rights practice. The argument sustained here reinterprets the political conception by resorting to a heuristic device that explains how normativity can be fact-dependent: the Hartian model. The characteristics of H.L.A. Hart’s rule of recognition are useful to determine the characteristics of human rights practice from the viewpoint of the political conception. Also, they help to overcome some of the problems typically faced by the political conception, such as whether there is only one practice or many, whether the notion of human rights becomes too contingent on the way the world is currently organised, how agents can violate content-changing practices, or how reliance on current states of affairs leaves room for criticism of those states of affairs.
Konservat-Lagerstätten from the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestone of the Causse Méjean (Lozère, southern France): palaeontological and palaeoenvironmental synthesis
Authors: Moreau Jean-David , Vullo Romain , Charbonnier Sylvain , Jattiot Romain , Trincal Vincent , Néraudeau Didier , Fara Emmanuel , Baret Louis , Garassino Alessandro , Gand Georges , Lafaurie Gérard
Published: January 2022

Since the 1980s, the Upper Jurassic lithographic limestone of the Causse Méjean (southern France) has been known by local naturalists to yield fossils. However, until the beginning of the 21st century, this plattenkalk remained largely undersampled and scientifically underestimated. Here, we present the results of two decades of prospection and sampling in the Drigas and the Nivoliers quarries. We provide the first palaeontological inventory of the fossil flora, the fauna and the ichnofauna for these localities. The fossil assemblages show the co-occurrence of marine and terrestrial organisms. Marine organisms include algae, bivalves, brachiopods, cephalopods (ammonites, belemnites and coleoids such as Trachyteuthis), echinoderms, decapod crustaceans (ghost shrimps, penaeoid shrimps and glypheoid lobsters) and fishes (including several actinopterygians and a coelacanth). Terrestrial organisms consist of plant remains (conifers, bennettitaleans, pteridosperms) and a single rhynchocephalian (Kallimodon cerinensis). Ichnofossils comprise traces of marine invertebrates (e.g. limulid trackways, ammonite touch mark) as well as coprolites and regurgitalites. Given the exquisite preservation of these fossils, the two quarries can be considered as Konservat-Lagerstätten. Both lithological features and fossil content suggest a calm, protected and shallow-marine environment such as a lagoon partially or occasionally open to the sea. Most fossils are allochthonous to parautochthonous and document diverse ecological habitats. Similarly to other famous Upper Jurassic plattenkalks of western Europe such as Solnhofen, Cerin or Canjuers, the Causse Méjean is a key landmark for our understanding of coastal/lagoonal palaeoecosystems during the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian interval.
The Pluri-Extractivist State: Regional Autonomy and the Limits of Indigenous Representation in Bolivia's Gran Chaco Province
Authors: Anthias Penelope
Published: January 2022

On 20 November 2016, residents of Gran Chaco Province in south-east Bolivia voted by popular referendum to approve a statute that established Gran Chaco as Bolivia's first autonomous region. This article examines regional autonomy in the Chaco as an example of how identities, territory and political power are being remapped at the intersection of an extractivist development model and competing visions of a plurinational state. I chart how regional autonomy, an elite-led project centred on demands for a fixed share of departmental gas royalties, has been institutionalised under the framework of plurinationalism and used to bolster central state power in this gas-rich region. The article considers the historical evolution of this regionalist project, its intersection with broader processes of state formation under the Movimiento al Socialismo (Movement towards Socialism, MAS) government and its implications for the Chaco's Indigenous peoples, who have achieved significant representation within the regional assembly while seeing their own visions of territorial autonomy sidelined by an extractivist development agenda.
SLC-VIO: a stereo visual-inertial odometry based on structural lines and points belonging to lines
Authors: Wei Chenchen , Tang Yanfeng , Yang Lingfang , Huang Zhi
Published: January 2022

To improve mobile robot positioning accuracy in building environments and construct structural three-dimensional (3D) maps, this paper proposes a stereo visual-inertial odometry (VIO) system based on structural lines and points belonging to lines. The 2-degree-of-freedom (DoF) spatial structural lines based on the Manhattan world assumption are used to establish visual measurement constraints. The property of point belonging to a line (PPBL) is used to initialize the structural lines and establish spatial distance-residual constraints between point and line landmarks in the reconstructed 3D map. Compared with the 4-DoF spatial straight line, the 2-DoF structural line reduces the variables to be estimated and introduces the orientation information of scenes to the VIO system. The utilization of PPBL makes the proposed system fully exploit the prior geometric information of environments and then achieves better performance. Tests on public data sets and real-world experiments show that the proposed system can achieve higher positioning accuracy and construct 3D maps that better reflect the structure of scenes than existing VIO approaches.
Identification and description of patients with multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection using the Premier Healthcare Database
Authors: DeCuir Jennifer , Baggs James , Melgar Michael , Patel Pragna , Wong Karen K. , Schwartz Noah G. , Morris Sapna Bamrah , Godfred-Cato Shana , Belay Ermias D.
Published: January 2022

Multisystem inflammatory syndrome in adults (MIS-A) is a hyperinflammatory illness related to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. The characteristics of patients with this syndrome and the frequency with which it occurs among patients hospitalised after SARS-CoV-2 infection are unclear. Using the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention case definition for MIS-A, we created ICD-10-CM code and laboratory criteria to identify potential MIS-A patients in the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release, a database containing patient-level information on hospital discharges across the United States. Modified MIS-A criteria were applied to hospitalisations with discharge from March to December 2020. The proportion of hospitalisations meeting electronic health record criteria for MIS-A and descriptive statistics for patients in the potential MIS-A cohort were calculated. Of 34 515 SARS-CoV-2-related hospitalisations with complete clinical and laboratory data, 53 met modified criteria for MIS-A (0.15%). The median age was 62 years (IQR 52–74). Most patients met the severe cardiac illness criterion through either myocarditis (66.0%) or new-onset heart failure (35.8%). A total of 79.2% of patients required ICU admission, while 43.4% of patients in the cohort died. MIS-A appears to be a rare but severe outcome of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Additional studies are needed to investigate how this syndrome differs from severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in adults.
Within-dyad bidirectional relations among maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems from infancy through preschool
Authors: Curci Sarah G. , Somers Jennifer A. , Winstone Laura K. , Luecken Linda J.
Published: January 2022

Although dyadic theory focuses on the impact of a mother’s mental health on her own child and the impact of a child’s mental health on their own mother, commonly used statistical approaches are incapable of distinguishing the desired within-dyad processes from between-dyad effects. Using autoregressive latent trajectory modeling with structured residuals, the current study evaluated within-dyad, bidirectional associations between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems from child age 1–4.5 years among a sample of low-income, Mexican American women (N = 322, Mage = 27.8) and their children. Women reported on maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems during laboratory visits at child age 1, 1.5, 2, 3, and 4.5 years. Results provide novel evidence of child-driven bidirectional association between maternal depressive symptoms and child behavior problems at the within-dyad level as early as child age 1 year and within-person stability in child behavior problems emerging early in life.
Greenhouse Gas Exchange of a NW German Peatland, 18 Years After Rewetting
Authors: Schaller Carsten , Hofer Bernd , Klemm Otto
Published: January 2022

Undisturbed peatlands are usually a sink of greenhouse gases (GHG), but turn to a GHG source when drained. While rewetting and restoration of drained peatlands play an important role in efforts to mitigate global warming, high uncertainties exist concerning the time period it takes after the start of rewetting until the point when the peatland becomes a GHG net sink. We investigated a site within the “Uchter Moor”, NW Germany. It is an oligotrophic raised bog, which was never used for agriculture, but was drained in 1950 for peat mining. In 1999, restoration began; now the ecosystem is in transition back to a typical raised bog vegetation with Eriophorum vaginatum, Molinia caerulea and Eriophorum angustifolium being the dominant species. Sphagnum cuspidatum appears in patches. From June 2016 to January 2018, an eddy covariance (EC) tower measured the fluxes of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O). The flux of ozone (O3) was also measured for 6 months by EC and modeled for the remaining experimental period. Using the sustained global warming potential for a 100‐year time horizon, the balance of CO2, CH4, and N2O in 2017 was +500 ± 120 g CO2‐equiv m−2 a−1. The plus sign indicates a net emission of GHG into the atmosphere. Methane contributed 78% to this flux. The inclusion of O3 into the balance yielded a somewhat smaller total flux of +430 ± 120 g CO2‐equiv m−2 a−1. Overall, the peatland is still a source of GHG, 18 years after re‐wetting.
Influence of Seasonal Variability in Flux Attenuation on Global Organic Carbon Fluxes and Nutrient Distributions
Authors: de Melo Viríssimo Francisco , Martin Adrian P. , Henson Stephanie A.
Published: January 2022

The biological carbon pump is a key component of the marine carbon cycle. This surface‐to‐deep flux of carbon is usually assumed to follow a simple power law function, which imposes that the surface export flux is attenuated throughout subsurface waters at a rate dictated by the parameterization exponent. This flux attenuation exponent is widely assumed as constant. However, there is increasing evidence that the flux attenuation varies both spatially and seasonally. While the former has received some attention, the consequences of the latter have not been explored. Here we aim to fill the gap with a theoretical study of how seasonal changes in both flux attenuation and sinking speed affect nutrient distributions and carbon fluxes. Using a global ocean‐biogeochemical model that represents detritus explicitly, we look at different scenarios for how these varies seasonally, particularly the relative “phase” with respect to solar radiation and the “strength” of seasonality. We show that the sole presence of seasonality in the model‐imposed flux attenuation and sinking speed leads to a greater transfer efficiency compared to the non‐seasonal flux attenuation scenario, resulting in an increase of over 140% in some cases when the amplitude of the seasonality imposed is 60% of the non‐seasonal base value. This work highlights the importance of the feedback taking place between the seasonally varying flux attenuation, sinking speed and other processes, suggesting that the assumption of constant‐in‐time flux attenuation and sinking speed might underestimate how much carbon is sequestered by the biological carbon pump.
Characterizing Satellite Path Through Kelvin‐Helmholtz Instability Using a Mixing Parameter
Authors: Settino A. , Khotyaintsev Yu V. , Graham D. B. , Perrone D. , Valentini F.
Published: January 2022

We introduce the mixing parameter to analyze the in situ measurements of a Kelvin‐Helmholtz event observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission. We define the mixing parameter, for both ions and electrons, using the well distinct particle energies which characterize the magnetosphere and magnetosheath plasmas. This parameter nicely identifies the different populations which are interacting at the Earth's magnetopause and the boundaries of Kelvin‐Helmholtz vortices. Thus, we analyze the crossing of each structure into a parameter space defined as the space of the electron mixing versus the ion mixing, where specific shapes occur according to the evolutionary phase of the Kelvin‐Helmholtz instability. All along the event, we observe three different types of shapes, namely a straight line, a simple loop, and a complex loop, which likely corresponds to linear waves, steepened waves, and rolled‐up vortices, respectively. The most complex shape (rolled‐up vortex) is observed mostly at the end of the interval, owing to fast growth of the instability which is connected to variations of the solar wind magnetic field orientation.
Increases in Benthic Particulate Export and Sedimentary Denitrification in the Northern Chukchi Sea Tied to Under‐Ice Primary Production
Authors: Payne C. M. , Arrigo K. R.
Published: January 2022

Changing sea ice conditions have led to increases in net primary production (NPP) in the northern Chukchi Sea, driven in part by massive under‐ice phytoplankton blooms. These blooms increase particle export to the sediments and could affect the rate of sedimentary denitrification. We use a 1‐D coupled ecosystem model forced with satellite‐derived sea ice conditions to quantify changes in particle export, nitrification, and denitrification on the northern Chukchi shelf. Between 1988 and 2018, increases in annual NPP drove secular increases in particle export to the benthos (1.8 ± 0.8 mmol m−2 yr−1), water‐column and sedimentary nitrification (1.2 ± 0.4 and 1.1 ± 0.4 mmol m−2 yr−1, respectively), and sedimentary denitrification rates (1.3 ± 0.5 mmol m−2 yr−1). Increased annual export to the benthos and denitrification were driven by higher rates early in the year (from January to June) and are highest in years where under‐ice blooms (UIBs) dominate. Greater denitrification rates in the northern Chukchi Sea would likely reduce NPP in downstream regions such as the Greenland Sea and promote greater N2 fixation in the North Atlantic. Furthermore, sea ice loss and a change in advection of nitrogen (N)‐replete waters through the Bering Strait will likely increase winter N concentrations in the northern Chukchi Sea. Through N sensitivity experiments, we found that 30% of all added N was lost through denitrification, diminishing the N supply available downstream of the Chukchi Sea. Thus, increased particle export associated with UIBs has the potential to markedly alter the N cycle both in the northern Chukchi Sea and in adjacent waters.
Low‐Level Jets and the Convergence of Mars Data Assimilation Algorithms
Authors: Mooring Todd A. , Davis Gabrielle E. , Greybush Steven J.
Published: January 2022

Data assimilation is an increasingly popular technique in Mars atmospheric science, but its effect on the mean states of the underlying atmosphere models has not been thoroughly examined. The robustness of results to the choice of model and assimilation algorithm also warrants further study. We investigate these issues using two Mars general circulation models (MGCMs), with particular emphasis on zonal wind and temperature fields. When temperature retrievals from the Mars Global Surveyor Thermal Emission Spectrometer (TES) are assimilated into the U.K.‐Laboratoire de Météorologie Dynamique MGCM to create the Mars Analysis Correction Data Assimilation (MACDA) reanalysis, low‐level zonal jets in the winter northern hemisphere shift equatorward and weaken relative to a free‐running control simulation from the same MGCM. The Ensemble Mars Atmosphere Reanalysis System (EMARS) reanalysis, which is also based on TES temperature retrievals, also shows jet weakening (but less if any shifting) relative to a control simulation performed with the underlying Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory MGCM. Examining higher levels of the atmosphere, monthly mean three‐dimensional temperature and zonal wind fields are in generally better agreement between the two reanalyses than between the two control simulations. In conjunction with information about the MGCMs' physical parameterizations, intercomparisons between the various reanalyses and control simulations suggest that overall the EMARS control run is plausibly less biased (relative to the true state of the Martian atmosphere) than the MACDA control run. Implications for future observational studies are discussed.
Association of mitochondrial DNA haplogroup and hearing impairment with aging in Japanese general population of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project
Authors: Miura Shiori , Sasaki Akira , Kasai Shuya , Sugawara Takayuki , Maeda Yasunori , Goto Shinichi , Kasai Takashi , Shimizume Nami , Jung Songee , Iwane Takuro , Itoh Ken , Matsubara Atsushi
Published: January 2022

Age-related hearing loss (ARHL) is a complex multifactorial disorder. Studies in animals, including mitochondria-mutator mice, and in human suggest that oxidative stress and mitochondrial disturbance play an important role in the pathoetiology of ARHL. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) haplogroups are populations with genetically similar traits, and they have been reported to affect the mitochondrial function of oxidative phosphorylation. To gain further insights into the relationships between mitochondrial haplotypes and the susceptibility to cochlear aging, in this study, we aimed to elucidate how the differences in mtDNA haplogroups may affect ARHL development in Japanese general population. We focused on early onset ARHL, as the same mtDNA haplogroup can show either a negative or positive effect on systemic co-morbidities of ARHL that appear later in life. A total of 1167 participants of the Iwaki Health Promotion Project were surveyed in 2014, and 12 major haplotype groups (D4a, D4b, D5, G1, G2, M7a, M7b, A, B4, B5, N9, and F) were selected for the analysis. A total of 698 subjects aged 30 to 65 years were included in the statistical analysis, and the hearing loss group consisted of 112 males (40.3%) and 111 females (26.4%). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that the male subjects belonging to haplogroup A had a significantly increased risk of hearing loss, whereas the female subjects belonging to haplogroup N9 had a significantly decreased risk of hearing loss. These results suggested that the mtDNA haplogroup may be an indicator for future risk of morbidity associated with ARHL.
Model based prediction of age-specific soil and dust ingestion rates for children
Authors: Özkaynak Haluk , Glen Graham , Cohen Jonathan , Hubbard Heidi , Thomas Kent , Phillips Linda , Tulve Nicolle
Published: January 2022

Background

Soil and dust ingestion can be a primary route of environmental exposures. Studies have shown that young children are more vulnerable to incidental soil and dust ingestion. However, available data to develop soil and dust ingestion rates for some child-specific age groups are either lacking or uncertain.

Objective

Our objective was to use the Stochastic Human Exposure and Dose Simulation Soil and Dust (SHEDS-Soil/Dust) model to estimate distributions of soil and dust ingestion rates for ten age ranges from infancy to late adolescents (birth to 21 years).

Methods

We developed approaches for modeling age groups previously not studied, including a new exposure scenario for infants to capture exposures to indoor dust via pacifier use and accounting for use of blankets that act as a barrier to soil and dust exposure.

Results

Overall mean soil and dust ingestion rates ranged from ~35 mg/day (infants, 0–<6 m) to ~60 mg/day (toddlers and young children, 6m–<11 yr) and were considerably lower (about 20 mg/day) for teenagers and late adolescents (16–<21 y). The pacifier use scenario contributed about 20 mg/day to the median dust ingestion rate for young infants. Except for the infant age groups, seasonal analysis showed that the modeled estimates of average summer mean daily total soil plus dust ingestion rates were about 50% higher than the values predicted for the winter months. Pacifier use factors and carpet dust loading values were drivers of exposure for infants and younger children. For older children, influential variables included carpet dust loading, soil adherence, and factors that capture the frequency and intensity of hand-to-mouth behaviors.

Significance

These results provide modeled estimates of children’s soil and dust ingestion rates for use in decision making using real-world exposure considerations.

Impact statement

The parameterization of scenarios to capture infant soil and dust ingestion and the application of SHEDS-Soil/Dust to a broader age range of children provides additional estimates of soil and dust ingestion rates that are useful in refining population-based risk assessments. These data illuminate drivers of exposure that are useful to both risk management applications and for designing future studies that improve upon existing tracer methodologies.
EDDM3A drives gastric cancer progression by promoting HIF-1α-dependent aerobic glycolysis
Authors: Wu Tao , Yang Ying , Zhang Bo , Zhang Zhan-sheng , Zhou Shuai , Jia Guo-zhan , Liu Shi-qi , He Xian-li , He Jia-xing , Wang Nan
Published: January 2022

Epididymal protein 3A (EDDM3A) is a protein involved in sperm maturation. It has been demonstrated that EDDM3A expression is upregulated and promotes cell proliferation in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, the role of EDDM3A in other types of human cancers, including gastric cancer (GC), is still unexplored. Here, we show that the expression of EDDM3A is significantly upregulated in gastric cancer (GC) tissues and its upregulation correlates with poorer survival in patients with gastric cancer. Knockdown of EDDM3A inhibited growth and metastasis of GC cells, whereas overexpression of EDDM3A exhibited the opposite effect. Mechanistically, enhanced aerobic glycolysis mediated by upregulation of HIF-1α and subsequently increased target glycolytic genes and decreased mitochondrial biogenesis was found to contribute to the promotion of tumor growth and metastasis by EDDM3A in GC cells. Additionally, upregulation of EDDM3A in GC is at least partially mediated by downregulation of miR-618. In conclusion, elevated EDDM3A plays a pivotal oncogenic role in gastric carcinogenesis, suggesting it as a potential therapeutic target for treatment of GC.
POLE2 facilitates the malignant phenotypes of glioblastoma through promoting AURKA-mediated stabilization of FOXM1
Authors: Zhang Peng , Chen Xu , Zhang LingYun , Cao Dan , Chen Yong , Guo ZhengQian , Chen Jian
Published: January 2022

Glioblastoma (GBM) is a type of brain cancer with high morbidity and mortality worldwide. The clinical significance, biological roles, and underlying molecular mechanisms of DNA poly ε-B subunit (POLE2) in GBM were investigated in the study. Firstly, the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database found that POLE2 was highly expressed in GBM. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) results further confirmed that POLE2 was abnormally elevated in GBM. In addition, loss-of-function assays revealed that POLE2 knockdown could inhibit the malignant behaviors of GBM, especially reduce cell viability, weaken cell clone formation, enhance the sensitivity of apoptosis, restrain migration and inhibit epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) in vitro. In vivo experiments further clarified the suppressive effects of reduced POLE2 expression on tumors. Mechanically, POLE2 knockdown promoted the ubiquitination as well as reduced the stability of Forkhead transcription factor (FOXM1), which is a known tumor promotor in GBM, through Aurora kinase A (AURKA). Moreover, the knockdown of FOXM1 could weaken the promoting effects of POLE2 on malignant behaviors of GBM. In conclusion, our study revealed crucial roles and a novel mechanism of POLE2 involved in GBM through AURKA-mediated stability of FOXM1 and may provide the theoretical basis of molecular therapy for GBM.
Pathological and therapeutic roles of bioactive peptide trefoil factor 3 in diverse diseases: recent progress and perspective
Authors: Yang Yiqi , Lin Ziyang , Lin Quanyou , Bei Weijian , Guo Jiao
Published: January 2022

Trefoil factor 3 (TFF3) is the last small-molecule peptide found in the trefoil factor family, which is mainly secreted by intestinal goblet cells and exerts mucosal repair effect in the gastrointestinal tract. Emerging evidence indicated that the TFF3 expression profile and biological effects changed significantly in pathological states such as cancer, colitis, gastric ulcer, diabetes mellitus, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and nervous system disease. More importantly, mucosal protection would no longer be the only effect of TFF3, it gradually exhibits carcinogenic activity and potential regulatory effect of nervous and endocrine systems, but the inner mechanisms remain unclear. Understanding the molecular function of TFF3 in specific diseases might provide a new insight for the clinical development of novel therapeutic strategies. This review provides an up-to-date overview of the pathological effects of TFF3 in different disease and discusses the binding proteins, signaling pathways, and clinical application.
Cathelicidin hCAP18/LL-37 promotes cell proliferation and suppresses antitumor activity of 1,25(OH)2D3 in hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Huidan , Zhen Junai , Zhang Rong , Wanyan Yangke , Liu Kehang , Yuan Xueli , Tao Liping , Chen Yuqing
Published: January 2022

Cathelicidin hCAP18/LL-37 can resist infection from various pathogens and is an essential component of the human immune system. Accumulating evidence has indicated that hCAP18/LL-37 plays a tissue-specific role in human cancer. However, its function in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is poorly understood. The present study investigated the effects of hCAP18/LL-37 on HCC in vitro and in vivo. Results showed that hCAP18/LL-37 overexpression significantly promoted the proliferation of cultured HCC cells and the growth of PLC/PRF-5 xenograft tumor. Transcriptome sequencing analyses revealed that the PI3K/Akt pathway was the most significant upregulated pathway induced by LL-37 overexpression. Further analysis demonstrated that hCAP18/LL-37 stimulated the phosphorylation of EGFR/HER2 and activated the PI3K/Akt pathway in HCC cells. Furthermore, stronger EGFR/HER2/Akt signals were observed in the PLC/PRF-5LL-37 xenograft tumor. Interestingly, even though the expression of hCAP18/LL-37 was significantly downregulated in HCC cells and tumors, 1,25(OH)2D3 treatment significantly upregulated the hCAP18/LL-37 level both in HCC cells and xenograft tumors. Moreover, 1,25(OH)2D3 together with si-LL-37 significantly enhanced the antitumor activity of 1,25(OH)2D3 in the PLC/PRF-5 xenograft tumor. Collectively, these data suggest that hCAP18/LL-37 promotes HCC cells proliferation through stimulation of the EGFR/HER2/Akt signals and appears to suppress the antitumor activity of 1,25(OH)2D3 in HCC xenograft tumor. This implies that hCAP18/LL-37 may be an important target when aiming to improve the antitumor activity of 1,25(OH)2D3 supplementation therapy in HCC.
Idebenone improves motor dysfunction, learning and memory by regulating mitophagy in MPTP-treated mice
Authors: Yan Junqiang , Sun Wenjie , Shen Mengmeng , Zhang Yongjiang , Jiang Menghan , Liu Anran , Ma Hongxia , Lai Xiaoyi , Wu Jiannan
Published: January 2022

The progression of Parkinson’s disease (PD) is often accompanied by the loss of substantia nigra dopaminergic neurons, mitophagy damage, learning, and memory impairment. Idebenone is a therapeutic drug that targets the mitochondria of neurodegenerative diseases, but its role in Parkinson’s disease and its pathological mechanism are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether idebenone could improve behavioral disorders, especially motor, learning, and memory disorders, in mouse PD models and to explore its molecular mechanism. In the present study, C57BL-6 mice underwent intraperitoneal injection of MPTP (30 mg/kg) once a day for five consecutive days. Then, a 200 mg/kg dose was given as a single daily gavage of idebenone dissolved in water for 21 days after the successful establishment of the subacute MPTP model. Motor, learning, and memory were measured by a water maze and a rotarod test. Our results showed that idebenone could reduce MPTP-induced dopaminergic neuron damage and improve movement disorders, memory, and learning ability, which may be associated with upregulating mitochondrial autophagy-related outer membrane proteins VDAC1 and BNIP3 and activating the Parkin/PINK1 mitochondrial autophagy pathway. To confirm whether idebenone promotes the smooth progression of autophagy, we used eGFP-mCherry-LC3 mice to construct a subacute model of Parkinson’s disease and found that idebenone can increase autophagy in dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease. In summary, our results confirm that idebenone can regulate the expression of the mitochondrial outer membrane proteins VDAC1 and BNIP3, activate Parkin/PINK1 mitophagy, promote the degradation of damaged mitochondria, reduce dopaminergic neuron damage, and improve behavioral disorders in Parkinson’s disease mice.
Neutrophils in chronic inflammatory diseases
Authors: Herrero-Cervera Andrea , Soehnlein Oliver , Kenne Ellinor
Published: January 2022

Chronic inflammation is a component of many disease conditions that affect a large group of individuals worldwide. Chronic inflammation is characterized by persistent, low-grade inflammation and is increased in the aging population. Neutrophils are normally the first responders to acute inflammation and contribute to the resolution of inflammation. However, in chronic inflammation, the role of neutrophils is less well understood and has been described as either beneficial or detrimental, causing tissue damage and enhancing the immune response. Emerging evidence suggests that neutrophils are important players in several chronic diseases, such as atherosclerosis, diabetes mellitus, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and autoimmune disorders. This review will highlight the interaction of neutrophils with other cells in the context of chronic inflammation, the contribution of neutrophils to selected chronic inflammatory diseases, and possible future therapeutic strategies.
Microenvironmental influences on T cell immunity in cancer and inflammation
Authors: Heintzman Darren R. , Fisher Emilie L. , Rathmell Jeffrey C.
Published: January 2022

T cell metabolism is dynamic and highly regulated. While the intrinsic metabolic programs of T cell subsets are integral to their distinct differentiation and functional patterns, the ability of cells to acquire nutrients and cope with hostile microenvironments can limit these pathways. T cells must function in a wide variety of tissue settings, and how T cells interpret these signals to maintain an appropriate metabolic program for their demands or if metabolic mechanisms of immune suppression restrain immunity is an area of growing importance. Both in inflamed and cancer tissues, a wide range of changes in physical conditions and nutrient availability are now acknowledged to shape immunity. These include fever and increased temperatures, depletion of critical micro and macro-nutrients, and accumulation of inhibitory waste products. Here we review several of these factors and how the tissue microenvironment both shapes and constrains immunity.