bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The role of collaborative, multistakeholder partnerships in reshaping the health management of patients with noncommunicable diseases during and after the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Monaco Alessandro , Casteig Blanco Amaia , Cobain Mark , Costa Elisio , Guldemond Nick , Hancock Christine , Onder Graziano , Pecorelli Sergio , Silva Mitchell , Tournoy Jos , Trevisan Caterina , Votta Mariano , Yfantopoulos John , Yghemonos Stecy , Clay Vincent , Mondello Malvestiti Franco , De Schaetzen Karine , Sykara Georgia , Donde Shaantanu
Published: July 2021

Background

Policies to combat the COVID-19 pandemic have disrupted the screening, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of noncommunicable (NCD) patients while affecting NCD prevention and risk factor control.

Aims

To discuss how the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the health management of NCD patients, identify which aspects should be carried forward into future NCD management, and propose collaborative efforts among public–private institutions to effectively shape NCD care models.

Methods

The NCD Partnership, a collaboration between Upjohn and the European Innovation Partnership on Active and Healthy Ageing, held a virtual Advisory Board in July 2020 with multiple stakeholders; healthcare professionals (HCPs), policymakers, researchers, patient and informal carer advocacy groups, patient empowerment organizations, and industry experts.

Results

The Advisory Board identified barriers to NCD care during the COVID-19 pandemic in four areas: lack of NCD management guidelines; disruption to integrated care and shift from hospital-based NCD care to more community and primary level care; infodemics and a lack of reliable health information for patients and HCPs on how to manage NCDs; lack of availability, training, standardization, and regulation of digital health tools.

Conclusions

Multistakeholder partnerships can promote swift changes to NCD prevention and patient care. Intra- and inter-communication between all stakeholders should be facilitated involving all players in the development of clinical guidelines and digital health tools, health and social care restructuring, and patient support in the short-, medium- and long-term future. A comprehensive response to NCDs should be delivered to improve patient outcomes by providing strategic, scientific, and economic support.
Numerical analysis of three-dimensional thermo-elastic rolling contact under steady-state conditions
Authors: Yu Yonghun , Suh Junho
Published: July 2021

In this study, a three-dimensional thermo-elastic model that considers the interaction of mechanical and thermal deformation is developed using a semi-analytic method for steady-state rolling contact. Creepage types in all directions are considered in this model. For verification, the numerical analysis results of shear traction and temperature increase are compared separately with existing numerical results, and the consistency is confirmed. The analysis results include heat flux, temperature increase, contact pressure, and shear traction. Under severe rolling conditions, the thermal effect changes the behavior of the contact interface significantly. Furthermore, the effects of creepage, rolling speed, and conformity under different rolling and creep conditions are investigated.
A Self-Report Multidimensional Health Assessment Questionnaire (MDHAQ) for Face-To-Face or Telemedicine Encounters to Assess Clinical Severity (RAPID3) and Screen for Fibromyalgia (FAST) and Depression (DEP)
Authors: Gibson Kathryn A. , Pincus Theodore
Published: July 2021

Purpose of Review

To update the clinical value of a patient self-report multidimensional health assessment questionnaire (MDHAQ).

Recent Findings

The MDHAQ includes 10 individual quantitative scores for physical function, pain, patient global assessment, fatigue, sleep, anxiety, depression, morning stiffness, change in status, and exercise status, and 5 indices, RAPID3 (routine assessment of patient index data) to assess clinical status in all diseases studied, FAST3 (fibromyalgia assessment screening tool) and MDHAQ-Dep (depression) to screen for fibromyalgia and/or depression, RADAI self-report of specific painful joints and joint count, and a symptom checklist for review of systems, and recognition of flares and medication adverse events. The MDHAQ also uniquely queries traditional “medical” information concerning comorbidities, falls, trauma, new symptoms, illnesses, surgeries, hospitalizations, emergencies, medication changes, and medication side effects. Three MDHAQ versions include long for new patients, short for new and return patients, and telemedicine. An electronic MDHAQ (eMDHAQ) has been developed with software that can interface with any electronic medical record (EMR) through the HL7 FHIR standard. However, EMR collaboration and implementation have proven difficult.

An MDHAQ provides a quantitative overview of patient status with far more information and documentation than an interview, involving minimal extra work for the physician.
A federated approach for detecting the chest diseases using DenseNet for multi-label classification
Authors: Priya K. V. , Peter J. Dinesh
Published: July 2021

Multi-label disease classification algorithms help to predict various chronic diseases at an early stage. Diverse deep neural networks are applied for multi-label classification problems to foresee multiple mutually non-exclusive classes or diseases. We propose a federated approach for detecting the chest diseases using DenseNets for better accuracy in prediction of various diseases. Images of chest X-ray from the Kaggle repository is used as the dataset in the proposed model. This new model is tested with both sample and full dataset of chest X-ray, and it outperforms existing models in terms of various evaluation metrics. We adopted transfer learning approach along with the pre-trained network from scratch to improve performance. For this, we have integrated DenseNet121 to our framework. DenseNets have a few focal points as they help to overcome vanishing gradient issues, boost up the feature propagation and reuse and also to reduce the number of parameters. Furthermore, gradCAMS are used as visualization methods to visualize the affected parts on chest X-ray. Henceforth, the proposed architecture will help the prediction of various diseases from a single chest X-ray and furthermore direct the doctors and specialists for taking timely decisions.
Historic low stand of Great Salt Lake, Utah: I
Authors: Jewell Paul W.
Published: July 2021

Great Salt Lake of Utah is among the largest and most ecologically important water bodies in North America. Since the late 1950s, the lake has been divided into two hydrologically distinct water bodies by a rock-fill railroad causeway. Flux through the causeway is driven by two forces: differential surface elevation and differential density between the north and south arms. The south arm features episodic vertical stratification due to the influx of deep, dense brine from the north arm. The source of this brine (a breach, two culverts, or subsurface flow) has been investigated over the past 50 years. Quantification of subsurface water flux through the causeway has been problematic due to the heterogeneous and slowly compacting nature of the causeway fill over time. Between 2008 and 2015, enhanced gauging of various surface inflows and outflows and density measurements made throughout the lake permitted detailed water volume calculations of both lake arms. Results show that during high precipitation years, density-driven, north-to-south flow through the causeway predominates due to freshening of water in the south arm. At other times, south-to-north head gradient driven flow and north-to-south density-driven flow are approximately equal. The model suggests subsurface flux through the causeway is one important driver of the ecologically important deep brine layer in the south arm of the lake over the past 20 years.
Controlled urban sprawl in Auckland, New Zealand and its impacts on the natural environment and housing affordability
Authors: Xu Tingting , Gao Jay
Published: July 2021

Auckland experienced phenomenal expansion since 1841. This study assesses the pace of urban sprawl and its control over the natural environment and housing affordability. After the urban built-up area was mapped, its change over time was detected, and correlated with population. From 1842 to 2014 built-up area in Auckland grew from 48 ha to 50,531 ha. The pace of growth was 151 ha/year during 1842–1945 but jumped to 989 ha per annum during 1975–2001. It dropped to only 249 ha per annum in this century. This unchecked sprawl is a direct response to population growth and facilitated by improved transportation. Since the late 1990s urban built-up areas experienced a subdued expansion despite continued population growth. This curtailed sprawl is attributed to the contentious planning regulations implemented to curtail sprawl. Consequently, population density rose to 28 persons/ha, the highest since a century ago. Urban growth has reduced biomass and green fields with mean vegetation index dropped from 129.5 to 118.7 during 2002–2014 with a smaller standard deviation, suggesting the landscape is increasingly homogenized. House prices rose slowly when the growth potential decreased slowly and vice versa (r = − 0.925) while the number of vacant sections suitable for single dwellings declined. Thus, controlled urban sprawl is largely responsible for the skyrocketed price of sections and declined housing affordability.
OPTIMAL CONTROL OF THE DECUMULATION OF A RETIREMENT PORTFOLIO WITH VARIABLE SPENDING AND DYNAMIC ASSET ALLOCATION
Authors: Forsyth Peter A. , Vetzal Kenneth R. , Westmacott Graham
Published: July 2021

We extend the Annually Recalculated Virtual Annuity (ARVA) spending rule for retirement savings decumulation (Waring and Siegel (2015) Financial Analysts Journal, 71(1), 91–107) to include a cap and a floor on withdrawals. With a minimum withdrawal constraint, the ARVA strategy runs the risk of depleting the investment portfolio. We determine the dynamic asset allocation strategy which maximizes a weighted combination of expected total withdrawals (EW) and expected shortfall (ES), defined as the average of the worst 5% of the outcomes of real terminal wealth. We compare the performance of our dynamic strategy to simpler alternatives which maintain constant asset allocation weights over time accompanied by either our same modified ARVA spending rule or withdrawals that are constant over time in real terms. Tests are carried out using both a parametric model of historical asset returns as well as bootstrap resampling of historical data. Consistent with previous literature that has used different measures of reward and risk than EW and ES, we find that allowing some variability in withdrawals leads to large improvements in efficiency. However, unlike the prior literature, we also demonstrate that further significant enhancements are possible through incorporating a dynamic asset allocation strategy rather than simply keeping asset allocation weights constant throughout retirement.
Large-scale structures of wall-bounded turbulence in single- and two-phase flows: advancing understanding of the atmospheric surface layer during sandstorms
Authors: Liu Hongyou , Zheng Xiaojing
Published: July 2021

Graphical Abstract
First report ofAcanthochaetetes(Porifera: Demospongiae) from the Cretaceous Khalsi Formation, Ladakh Himalaya, India
Authors: Barman Prasenjit , Sánchez-Beristain Francisco , Mishra Shruti Ranjan , Ibrahim Mohd , Swami Narendra Kumar , Bamniya Mukesh , Singh Shailendra
Published: July 2021

The Cretaceous chaetetid spongeAcanthochaetetes huauclillensisSánchez-Beristain and García-Barrera is reported for the first time from the Aptian–Cenomanian Khalsi Formation, Ladakh Himalaya, India. Its low- to high-domical growth form could suggest an adaptation to either an environment with constant sedimentation rates, or to an irregular substrate. However, these growth forms also may indicate an absence of important environmental/sedimentological changes during the lifespan of the sponges. In addition, the growth form of this species suggests a calm, non-turbulent, reef-like microenvironment. Along with the other faunal assemblages, such as the rudists, corals, and the gastropodNerinea,A.huauclillensisindicates a tropical to subtropical shallow marine carbonate platform setting. This new finding extends its stratigraphic range from the upper Hauterivian to the Aptian–Cenomanian interval in the eastern Tethyan realm.
Divisive jobs: three facets of risk, precarity, and redistribution
Authors: Pahontu Raluca L.
Published: July 2021

A central challenge in understanding public opinion shifts is identifying whose opinions change. Political economists try to uncover this by exploring voters’ economic vulnerability, particularly the relationship between labor-market risk and redistribution preferences. Predominantly, however, such work imputes risk from occupational or sectoral characteristics. Due to within-occupational inequality in exposure to risk, considerable variation remains unexplored. I propose an individual-level, dynamic account of risk inferred from job tenure, contract type, and expectations of job security. These aspects, importantly, account for individual variation in risk and the possibility that one's experience of risk may change across time. The results indicate the usefulness of this approach to risk in understanding changes in social spending preferences.
From Property Rights to Liberty Rights: We the Corporations, A Review Essay
Authors: Phillips Sawyer Laura
Published: July 2021

A long-standing, and deeply controversial, question in constitutional law is whether or not the Constitution's protections for “persons” and “people” extend to corporations. Law professor Adam Winkler's We the Corporations chronicles the most important legal battles launched by corporations to “win their constitutional rights,” by which he means both civil rights against discriminatory state action and civil liberties enshrined in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution (p. xvii). Today, we think of the former as the right to be free from unequal treatment, often protected by statutory laws, and the latter as liberties that affect the ability to live one's life fully, such as the freedom of religion, speech, or association. The vim in Winkler's argument is that the court blurred this distinction when it applied liberty rights to nonprofit corporations and then, through a series of twentieth-century rulings, corporations were able to advance greater claims to liberty rights. Ultimately, those liberty rights have been employed to strike down significant bipartisan regulations, such as campaign finance laws, which were intended to advance democratic participation in the political process. At its core, this book asks, to what extent do “we the people” rule corporations and to what extent do they rule us?
Dinaric up-thrusts in the Pliocene evolution of the Central Apennines thrust belt of Italy: the Montagna dei Fiori structure
Authors: Calamita Fernando , Pace Paolo , Scisciani Vittorio , Properzi Fabiana , Francioni Mirko
Published: July 2021

Several orogenic belts exhibit regional-scale anticlines characterized by prominent faults in their crestal/forelimb zone. These faults are also a common feature in the Neogene fold-and-thrust belt of the Apennines, where they have been contrastingly interpreted as younger-on-older thrust faults, large-scale strike-slip faults, and pre- or syn-thrusting normal faults. In this study, we analysed a NW–SE-trending fault (Montagna dei Fiori Fault) that affects the hinge-zone/forelimb of the Montagna dei Fiori Anticline. This fold is the outermost exposed contractional structure within the Pliocene–Quaternary antiformal stack of the outer Central Apennines. The integration of stratigraphic and structural data collected during a field geological survey enabled us to reconstruct a multiphase reactivation and deformation along the Montagna dei Fiori Fault. From the novel field data, a different interpretation for the evolution of the Montagna dei Fiori Fault is proposed. The fault originated as a Late Cretaceous – middle Miocene, NE-dipping, Dinaric up-thrust and was later reactivated, displaced and rotated during Pliocene Apennine thrusting and related folding, until assuming a present-day SW-dipping attitude with an apparent normal fault character. This newly proposed Dinaric origin of the Montagna dei Fiori structure is compared with an analogous subsurface example of a Palaeogene–Quaternary structure imaged by seismic reflection profile in the Adriatic foreland. The outcome of this combined field and subsurface investigation provides new elements to unravel the complex evolution of the Apennine thrust belt that developed at the expense of a previously deformed foreland, ahead of the advancing Dinaric chain.
The impact of radical parotidectomy with immediate facial nerve reconstruction: a quality-of-life measure
Authors: Subramaniam N , Luu E , Asher R , Oates J , Clark J R , Low T-H
Published: July 2021

Objective

Immediate facial nerve reconstruction is the standard of care following radical parotidectomy; however, quality of life comparisons with those undergoing limited superficial parotidectomy without facial nerve sacrifice is lacking.

Method

Patients who underwent parotidectomy were contacted to determine quality of life using the University of Washington Quality of Life and Parotidectomy Specific Quality of Life questionnaires. A total of 29 patients (15 in the radical parotidectomy and 14 in the limited superficial parotidectomy groups) completed and returned questionnaires.

Results

Using the University of Washington Quality of Life Questionnaire, similar quality of life was noted in both groups, with the radical parotidectomy group having significantly worse speech and taste scores. Using the Parotidectomy Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire, the radical parotidectomy group reported significantly worse speech, eye symptoms and eating issues.

Conclusion

Those undergoing radical parotidectomy with reconstruction had comparable overall quality of life with the limited superficial parotidectomy group. The Parotidectomy Specific Quality of Life Questionnaire better identified subtle quality of life complaints. Eye and oral symptoms remain problematic, necessitating better rehabilitation and more focused reconstructive efforts.
Is the Anthropause a useful symbol and metaphor for raising environmental awareness and promoting reform?
Authors: Young Nathan , Kadykalo Andrew N , Beaudoin Christine , Hackenburg Diana M , Cooke Steven J
Published: July 2021

Lockdowns associated with the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily restricted human activity and removed people from many places of work and recreation. The resulting ‘Anthropause’ generated much media and research interest and has become an important storyline in the public history of the pandemic. As an ecological event, the Anthropause is fleeting and unlikely to alter the long-term human impact on the planet. But the Anthropause is also a cultural symbol whose effects may be more enduring. Will the Anthropause inspire people and governments to mobilize for meaningful reform, or does it present a misleading and too-comforting portrayal of resilient nature and wildlife that could ultimately discourage action? While it is too early to gauge the impact of the Anthropause on human behaviour and politics, we use existing research on environmental symbols and metaphors to identify factors that may influence long-term behavioural and political responses to this globally significant period of time.
Rapid growth of the Bar-headed Goose Anser indicus wintering population in Tibet, China: 1991–2017
Authors: BISHOP MARY ANNE , LIU DONGPING , ZHANG GUOGANG , TSAMCHU DROLMA , YANG LE , QIAN FAWEN , LI FENGSHAN
Published: July 2021

Four of China’s six wintering populations of “grey” geese Anser spp. declined during the last decade. In contrast, the Bar-headed Goose A. indicus wintering population in China’s Tibet Autonomous Region more than doubled. During six surveys in Tibet over a 27-year period (1991/92 to 2017/18 winters) we documented an annual growth rate of 6.8% in the Bar-headed Goose population – an increase from approximately 10,100 to 68,100 birds. We propose that in addition to the cessation of hunting, the population growth of Bar-headed Goose is being driven by changes in agricultural land use patterns in Tibet, the establishment of protected areas on the wintering and breeding grounds, and the impacts of climate change across the Tibetan Plateau. Consistent with this hypothesis, the sown area of winter wheat in Tibet has increased and geese have shifted from primarily feeding in crop stubble to planted winter wheat fields. We also found that the most rapid population growth coincided with a 1998 climate regime shift across the Tibetan Plateau resulting in warmer temperatures, an increase in net precipitation, the appearance of new lakes and changes in the water levels and surface area of historical lakes. We suggest that warmer temperatures and high-quality forage on the south-central Tibet wintering grounds may be enhancing over-winter survival, while on the breeding grounds the expansion of lakes and wet meadows is augmenting breeding and brood-rearing habitat.
Microstructure and Catalytic Activity of Al13Fe4 and Al13Co4 Melt-Spun Alloys
Authors: Zięba Amelia , Stan-Głowińska Katarzyna , Czaja Paweł , Rogal Łukasz , Przewoźnik Janusz , Duraczyńska Dorota , Serwicka Ewa M. , Lityńska-Dobrzyńska Lidia
Published: July 2021

Rapidly solidified alloys with a nominal composition of Al76.5Fe23.5 and Al75.8Co24.2 (in at%), corresponding to the Al13Fe4 and Al13Co4 phases, were produced by a melt spinning technique. The microstructure and phase composition of the as-spun and heat-treated ribbons were examined by X-ray diffraction, scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The as-spun ribbons consisted of columnar grains with an average size of 1–2 μm, which increased by a factor of 2 after applied heat treatment. The Al13Fe4 as-spun ribbon comprised of two phases: grains of the Al13Fe4 phase surrounded by solid solution of Al, transformed into a single monoclinic Al13Fe4 phase after annealing. The as-spun Al13Co4 ribbons had a multiphase structure. A decagonal quasicrystalline D-phase, the monoclinic M-Al13Co4 phase, and the Al9Co2 phase were identified in their microstructure. After the heat treatment, the mixture of the orthorhombic O-Al13Co4 phase and grains of monoclinic Y-Al13Co4 were observed. The investigations of catalytic properties were performed for the phenylacetylene hydrogenation reaction using pulverized ribbons in the initial state and after annealing. The degree of conversion was in the range of 8–27% and increased with the increasing reaction temperature. The highest selectivity to styrene was obtained for the Al13Fe4 alloy in the as-spun state.
‘Two Roads Diverged in [Soft]wood’ Targeted Dumping, Differential Pricing Methodology, and Zeroing: US – Canada Anti-Dumping in Softwood Lumber
Authors: Beaulieu Eugene , Whittaker Janet
Published: July 2021

The United States and Canada have a long-standing series of disputes over softwood lumber that until now have focused on alleged subsidies and countervailing duties (CVDs). The United States changed things up this time around and the US Department of Commerce (USDOC) found dumping after applying the Differential Pricing Methodology to softwood lumber from Canada. The panel found that the USDOC erroneously aggregated export price differences when applying the differential pricing methodology (DPM), but departed from the WTO Appellate Body's previous ruling in US–Washing Machines regarding the use of zeroing and the inclusion of differential prices under Article 2.4.2 of the Anti-Dumping Agreement. To date, the United States and Canada have not been able to resolve the long-standing softwood lumber dispute, and this time the focus shifts from subsidies and countervailing duties to anti-dumping duties. It remains to be seen what happens in this specific dispute on appeal – if, and when, the WTO Appellate Body starts to function again. It will also be interesting to see whether this panel decision encourages parties to argue for, and future panels to permit departures from, Appellate Body rulings with which they disagree.
Who Uses the EU's Free Trade Agreements? A Transaction-Level Analysis of the EU–South Korea FTA
Authors: Kasteng Jonas , Kokko Ari , Tingvall Patrik
Published: July 2021

The tariff preferences in FTAs do not apply automatically to all imports. Instead, importers can request to use the tariff preferences, but must then show that the imported goods fulfil the formal requirements (e.g. rules of origin) of the FTA. This is costly, which is a likely reason why tariff preferences are not always used. This research note examines preference utilization under the FTA between the EU and South Korea, which was formally ratified in 2015 (but had been provisionally applied from 2011). We use firm and transaction level data for Swedish imports from South Korea during November 2016 to answer the question ‘Who uses the EU's FTAs?’ With information on firm size, product category, import mode (direct imports or customs warehousing), preference margin, potential duty savings, and transaction size, we provide a detailed picture of when firms choose to utilize the tariff preferences. The results suggest that the differences across importers are not primarily related to firm size, as is sometimes suggested in extant literature. We also find that it is the size of the import transaction rather than the size of the preference margin that determines preference utilization.
Comparison of Self-Differentiation and Identity Statuses in Twins and Nontwins
Authors: Amani Malahat , Shariatipour Arefeh
Published: July 2021

Formation of identity and differentiation is crucial in the development process of adolescents and young people. Despite many studies on identity status and self-differentiation in adolescence and early adulthood stages, this issue has been less examined among twins. This study was conducted to compare self-differentiation and identity statuses in twins and nontwins. The sample of the study consisted of 128 identical twins, 176 nonidentical twins and 170 nontwins aged from 13 to 30 years and living in Mashhad in Iran, who completed the Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status and Self-Differentiation questionnaires. The results showed that the self-differentiation of identical and nonidentical twins was significantly higher than nontwins. The results also showed that level of Foreclosure identity, Moratorium identity and Achieved identity was similar among identical twins, nonidentical twins and nontwins, but significantly different in terms of Diffusion identity. Further, the results showed that twins younger than 18 years had scores higher than nontwins and twins over 18 years in terms of Diffusion identity. Findings revealed that females were significantly lower than males for Moratorium identity. The adolescence period and co-twins may be the reason for the high levels of Diffusion identity and self-differentiation. Also, it seems that identity development and differentiation are related to emotional and cognitive development.
Ratgeber Soziale Phobie
Authors: von Consbruch Katrin , Stangier Ulrich
Published: July 2021

Menschen mit einer sozialen Phobie haben häufig einen enormen Leidensdruck und sind im Alltag teilweise stark durch ihre Ängste eingeschränkt. Die Neubearbeitung des Ratgebers informiert über das Krankheitsbild, die Ursachen sowie die Behandlungsmöglichkeiten. Schritt für Schritt wird das Vorgehen in der kognitiven Verhaltenstherapie erläutert, dem derzeit effektivsten Behandlungsansatz. Menschen mit ausgeprägten sozialen Ängsten finden in diesem Ratgeber zahlreiche Anregungen zur Selbsthilfe. Eine Vielzahl von Fallbeispielen, Übungen und Arbeitsblättern ermöglichen, das Gelesene im Alltag selbst anzuwenden und so neues, selbstbewusstes Verhalten in sozialen Situationen zu erlernen. Ein neues Kapitel zum Thema Achtsamkeit und Akzeptanz geht darauf ein, welche Haltung Betroffene ihren Ängsten gegenüber einnehmen können. Zudem wird nun auch beschrieben, wie soziale Ängste, die mit belastenden Situationen aus der Vergangenheit zu tun haben, bewältigt werden können. Ein abschließendes Kapitel fasst die wichtigsten Hinweise für Angehörige im Umgang mit sozial ängstlichen Menschen zusammen.
Shelf Seas Baroclinic Energy Loss: Pycnocline Mixing and Bottom Boundary Layer Dissipation
Authors: Inall Mark E. , Toberman Matthew , Polton Jeff A. , Palmer Matthew R. , Green J. A. Mattias , Rippeth Tom P.
Published: July 2021

Observations of turbulent kinetic energy dissipation rate () from a range of historical shelf seas data sets are viewed from the perspective of their forcing and dissipation mechanisms: barotropic to baroclinic tidal energy conversion, and pycnocline and bottom boundary layer (BBL) dissipation. The observations are placed in their geographical context using a high resolution numerical model (NEMO AMM60) in order to compute relevant maps of the forcing (conversion). We analyze, in total, 18 shear microstructure surveys undertaken over a 17 year period from 1996 to 2013 on the North West European shelf, consisting of 3,717 vertical profiles of shear microstructure: 2,013 from free falling profilers and 1,704 from underwater gliders. A robust positive relationship is found between model‐derived barotropic to baroclinic conversion, and observed pycnocline integrated . A fitted power law relationship of approximately one‐third is found, giving a simple new parameterization. We discuss reasons for this apparent power law and where the “missing” dissipation may be occurring. We conclude that internal wave related dissipation in the bottom boundary layer provides a robust explanation and is consistent with a commonly used fine‐scale pycnocline dissipation parameterization.
Interannual Variability in Summertime Sea Fog Over the Northern Yellow Sea and Its Association With the Local Sea Surface Temperature
Authors: Liu Jing‐Wu , Sun Yue , Yang Liu
Published: July 2021

The Yellow Sea (YS) experiences heavy advection fog during boreal summer, which seriously affects marine transport and harbor activities. Using a set of long‐term observations, the present study reveals the interannual variability in the YS fog during its core season (May‐June‐July, MJJ). The spaceborne lidar supports that a station‐based index represents the fog over the northern YS in a seasonal mean sense. The composite soundings according to the YS fog index show that the temperature difference is evident within the boundary layer and becomes indistinguishable in the free atmosphere. This implies that the driver of the MJJ YS fog originates from the bottom boundary of the fog layer. Regression analyses of sea surface temperature (SST) and air‐sea fluxes show that the local SST strongly modulates the northern YS fog at interannual scale. The fog during foggier years features a significant decrease in specific humidity, suggesting that the colder sea surface facilitates fog occurrence through strong turbulent cooling. This study identifies the local SST as a key driver of the interannual variation in the northern YS fog during the core season and provides predictive values by linking the YS fog to the preceding SST.
Contrasting Responses of Local Climate to the Perturbation of Atmospheric Boundary Layer Winds Linked to Land‐Atmosphere Interactions
Authors: Wei Jiangfeng , Liu Yimeng , Chen Haishan
Published: July 2021

The atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) is an interface through which the land surface influences the atmosphere and is crucial to land‐atmosphere (L‐A) interactions. Winds are an important element of the ABL, but their role in L‐A interactions is still partly unclear. Here, we use regional climate model experiments to investigate the impact of ABL winds on intraseasonal climate variabilities in East Asia. Two ensemble experiments were performed: one is a control ensemble, and the other is a perturbed ensemble, in which the ABL winds are shuffled from corresponding ensemble members of the control ensemble to produce a random perturbation of ABL winds. We found that the climates of the ensemble members become less similar in humid southern China, but generally more similar in semiarid northern China/Mongolia (NCM), especially for the mean values of several variables. The weather in southern China strongly responds to ABL winds and becomes less similar after perturbation. In NCM, however, the strong L‐A positive feedbacks, which involve wind field change in response to land surface changes and tend to cause large weather and climate anomalies, are weakened by the ABL wind perturbations. Thus, the inter‐member divergences of related variables, including surface temperature, sensible heat flux, soil moisture, and to some extent precipitation, are smaller and their time series are more similar. Clearly, the different L‐A interactions in these two regions are the main reason for the contrasting responses of local climate to the ABL wind perturbations.
SST Changes in the Indian Sector of the Southern Ocean and Their Teleconnection With the Indian Monsoon During the Last Glacial Period
Authors: Kumar Vikash , Tiwari Manish , Prakash Prince , Mohan Rahul , Thamban Meloth
Published: July 2021

The last glacial period was marked by interhemispheric coupling of abrupt climate changes in the northern and the southern high latitude regions through the “bipolar seesaw” mechanism. However, the spatial footprint of the bipolar seesaw in the mid‐latitude Indian sector of the Southern Ocean and its likely transmission into the tropical region is not well understood. Here, we have reconstructed the first multi‐centennial record of past SST variability in the Indian sector of the Southern Ocean spanning parts of MIS‐3, the last deglaciation, and the early to mid‐Holocene period using Mg/Ca of G. bulloides. We find that SST increased by around 4°C between the last glacial period and the early Holocene at the study site. Using this paleotemperature reconstruction and an independently available paleo‐simulation, we show that the mid‐latitude climate evolution in the Indian sector had signatures of both local‐scale changes and those emanating from the coupled bipolar influence. We further show that most of the millennial variance in Indian monsoon records during the period was linked to mid‐latitude SST variability in the Indian sector.
Constraining the Spatial Distribution of Tritium in Groundwater Across South Africa
Authors: van Rooyen J. D. , Watson A. P. , Palcsu L. , Miller J. A.
Published: July 2021

Tritium (3H) has become synonymous with modern groundwater and is used in a myriad of applications, ranging from sustainability investigations to contaminant transport and groundwater vulnerability. This study uses measured 3H groundwater activities from 722 sample locations across South Africa to construct a 3H groundwater distribution surface. Environmental covariables are tested using geostatistical analysis to constrain external controls on 3H variability, namely: (a) depth to groundwater, (b) distance from the ocean, and (c) summer versus winter rainfall proportion. The inclusion of covariables in the “fit” of residual variograms improved prediction variance significantly yet does not mitigate issues with sample density. The distribution of 3H in groundwater agrees well to expected controls, with proximal (<100 km) coastal regions, winter rainfall zones, and greater depth to groundwater predicted to have lower 3H activities. Conversely, inland localities with shallower depth to groundwater and/or summer rainfall are predicted to have elevated 3H activities. Some 3H high and low anomalies cannot be explained by known phenomena and may simply be regions of variable recharge and/or longer isolated groundwater flow paths. Regions that receive modern groundwater recharge are more vulnerable to climate change as well as modern pollution. Less actively recharged groundwater may be more resilient to climate change yet represents a potentially nonrenewable resource for abstraction in South Africa. The application of 3H distributions in the assessment of hydrological resilience is pertinent to effective groundwater management studies.
Significant Seismic Risk Potential From Buried Faults Beneath Almaty City, Kazakhstan, Revealed From High‐Resolution Satellite DEMs
Authors: Amey Ruth M. J. , Elliott John R. , Hussain Ekbal , Walker Richard , Pagani Marco , Silva Vitor , Abdrakhmatov Kanatbek E. , Watson C. Scott
Published: July 2021

Major faults of the Tien Shan, Central Asia, have long repeat times, but fail in large (7+) earthquakes. In addition, there may be smaller, buried faults off the major faults which are not properly characterized or even recognized as active. These all pose hazard to cities along the mountain range front such as Almaty, Kazakhstan. Here, we explore the seismic hazard and risk for Almaty from specific earthquake scenarios. We run three historical‐based earthquake scenarios (1887 Verny7.3, 1889 Chilik8.0 and 1911 Chon‐Kemin8.0) on the current population and four hypothetical scenarios for near‐field faulting. By making high‐resolution Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) from SPOT and Pleiades stereo optical satellite imagery, we identify fault splays near and under Almaty. We assess the feasibility of using DEMs to estimate city building heights, aiming to better constrain future exposure datasets. Both Pleiades and SPOT‐derived DEMs find accurate building heights of the majority of sampled buildings within error; Pleiades tri‐stereo estimates 80% of 15 building heights within one sigma and has the smallest average percentage difference to field‐measured heights (14%). A moderately sized6.5 earthquake rupture occurring on a blind thrust fault, under folding north of Almaty is the most damaging scenario explored here due to the modeled fault stretching under Almaty, with estimated 12,3005,000 completely damaged buildings, 4,1003,500 fatalities and an economic cost of 4,7002,700 Million US dollars (one sigma uncertainty). This highlights the importance of characterizing location, extent, geometry, and activity of small faults beneath cities.
On the Pre‐Magnetic Storm Signatures in NmF2 in Some Equatorial, Low‐ and Mid‐Latitude Stations
Authors: Joshua B. W. , Adeniyi J. O. , Amory‐Mazaudier C. , Adebiyi S. J.
Published: July 2021

In this paper, the ionospheric quiet‐time disturbances otherwise known as Pre‐Magnetic Storm Signatures (PMS) have been studied using the F2‐layer peak electron density (NmF2) data obtained from 12 Digisonde/ionosonde stations distributed across equatorial, low and mid‐latitudes. The datasets used spans the years 2010–2012. Results from this study reveals strong PMS in NmF2 with percentage deviations (ΔNmF2) ranging from −91% to 500% at the equatorial, low and mid‐latitudes, with maxima occurring at the equatorial region. Significant effects on the peak height of the F2‐layer (hmF2) were also observed, and they are correlated with the variations in NmF2 particularly at the equatorial station during the PMS. The duration of a PMS is found to be 12–48 h. Although, it was difficult to state clearly the connection between the PMS and the geomagnetic storm that usually follows within 24–48 h; but the NmF2 and hmF2 responses during the PMS were quite similar to those observed during geomagnetic storms. A slight increase in the Solar‐wind‐plasma speed (>20 km/s) was also observed during PMS. The PMS occur under a southward IMF‐Bz, moderate aurora activity (AE ranging from 114 to 560 nT) and quiet ring current (Dst >−10 nT). Therefore, it is pertinent to consider a certain threshold of the aurora indices (AE, AL, and AU) in addition to the Dst, ap, and Kp in the definition of a geomagnetically quiet day. This may eliminate the ambiguity in explaining the ionospheric variability that occurs few days before Sudden Storm Commencement (SSC).
Single‐Column Validation of a Snow Subgrid Parameterization in the Rapid Update Cycle Land‐Surface Model (RUC LSM)
Authors: He Siwei , Smirnova Tatiana G. , Benjamin Stanley G.
Published: July 2021

Subgrid variability of snow is important in studying surface‐atmosphere interactions as it affects grid‐scale processes. However, this dynamic variability is currently not well‐represented in most land‐surface models (LSMs). A stochastic snow model using the Fokker‐Planck Equation (FPE) has been developed specifically for representing subgrid variability of snow. In this study, the FPE snow model was coupled into the Rapid Update Cycle (RUC) LSM, which provides lower boundary conditions for the operational NOAA Rapid Refresh and High‐Resolution Rapid Refresh weather prediction systems. This coupled land‐surface model with subgrid snow processes is named the RUC‐Stochastic Snow (SS) LSM. The performance of RUC‐SS LSM and RUC LSM is analyzed in detail in initial offline single‐column testing over two 13‐km 13‐km grid cells. The results show that RUC‐SS LSM has a much better capability in estimating snow cover fraction than RUC LSM, especially during the late part of the snow‐melting season. The simulated duration of the partially snow‐covered period at the snow‐melting stage is extended from a few days with RUC LSM to about one month with the RUC‐SS LSM, thus improving prediction of surface energy budget components. For example, the latent and sensible heat fluxes and skin temperature increase gradually in the RUC‐SS LSM during the transition from full coverage to snow‐free conditions. In contrast, this transition happens too quickly in RUC LSM, and the energy‐budget components change too abruptly. The results of RUC‐SS demonstrate its capability to account for subgrid variability of snow cover and show that considering subgrid variability of snow in LSMs is important for simulating surface‐atmosphere interactions.
Plasma extracellular vesicle delivery of miR-210-3p by targeting ATG7 to promote sepsis-induced acute lung injury by regulating autophagy and activating inflammation
Authors: Li Guang , Wang Bo , Ding Xiangchao , Zhang Xinghua , Tang Jian , Lin Huiqing
Published: July 2021

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) can be used for intercellular communication by facilitating the transfer of miRNAs from one cell to a recipient cell. MicroRNA (miR)-210-3p is released into the blood during sepsis, inducing cytokine production and promoting leukocyte migration. Thus, the current study aimed to elucidate the role of plasma EVs in delivering miR-210-3p in sepsis-induced acute lung injury (ALI). Plasma EVs were isolated from septic patients, after which the expression of various inflammatory factors was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured via cell counting kit-8 and flow cytometry. Transendothelial resistance and fluorescein isothiocyanate fluorescence were used to measure endothelial cell permeability. Matrigel was used to examine the tubulogenesis of endothelial cells. The targeting relationship between miR-210-3p and ATG7 was assessed by dual-luciferase reporter assays. The expression of ATG7 and autophagy-related genes was determined to examine autophagic activation. A sepsis mouse model was established by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)-induced surgery. The level of miR-210-3p was highly enriched in septic EVs. MiR-210-3p enhanced THP-1 macrophage inflammation, BEAS-2B cell apoptosis, and HLMVEC permeability while inhibiting angiogenesis and cellular activity. MiR-210-3p overexpression reduced ATG7 and LC3II/LC3I expression and increased P62 expression. Improvements in vascular density and autophagosome formation, increased ATG7 expression, and changes in the ratio of LC3II/LC3I were detected, as well as reduced P62 expression, in adenovirus-anti-miR-210-3p treated mice after CLP injury. Taken together, the key findings of the current study demonstrate that plasma EVs carrying miR-210-3p target ATG7 to regulate autophagy and inflammatory activation in a sepsis-induced ALI model.
Novel KCNQ4 variants in different functional domains confer genotype- and mechanism-based therapeutics in patients with nonsyndromic hearing loss
Authors: Lee Sang-Yeon , Choi Hyun Been , Park Mina , Choi Il Soon , An Jieun , Kim Ami , Kim Eunku , Kim Nahyun , Han Jin Hee , Kim Min young , Lee Seung min , Oh Doo-Yi , Kim Bong Jik , Yi Nayoung , Kim Nayoung, K. D. , Lee Chung , Park Woong-Yang , Koh Young Ik , Gee Heon Yung , Cho Hyun Sung , Kang Tong Mook , Choi Byung Yoon
Published: July 2021

Loss-of-function variant in the gene encoding the KCNQ4 potassium channel causes autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss (DFNA2), and no effective pharmacotherapeutics have been developed to reverse channel activity impairment. Phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2), an obligatory phospholipid for maintaining KCNQ channel activity, confers differential pharmacological sensitivity of channels to KCNQ openers. Through whole-exome sequencing of DFNA2 families, we identified three novel KCNQ4 variants related to diverse auditory phenotypes in the proximal C-terminus (p.Arg331Gln), the C-terminus of the S6 segment (p.Gly319Asp), and the pore region (p.Ala271_Asp272del). Potassium currents in HEK293T cells expressing each KCNQ4 variant were recorded by patch-clamp, and functional recovery by PIP2 expression or KCNQ openers was examined. In the homomeric expression setting, the three novel KCNQ4 mutant proteins lost conductance and were unresponsive to KCNQ openers or PIP2 expression. Loss of p.Arg331Gln conductance was slightly restored by a tandem concatemer channel (WT-p.R331Q), and increased PIP2 expression further increased the concatemer current to the level of the WT channel. Strikingly, an impaired homomeric p.Gly319Asp channel exhibited hyperactivity when a concatemer (WT-p.G319D), with a negative shift in the voltage dependence of activation. Correspondingly, a KCNQ inhibitor and chelation of PIP2 effectively downregulated the hyperactive WT-p.G319D concatemer channel. Conversely, the pore-region variant (p.Ala271_Asp272del) was nonrescuable under any condition. Collectively, these novel KCNQ4 variants may constitute therapeutic targets that can be manipulated by the PIP2 level and KCNQ-regulating drugs under the physiological context of heterozygous expression. Our research contributes to the establishment of a genotype/mechanism-based therapeutic portfolio for DFNA2.
A longitudinal study of the antilipolytic effect of insulin in women following bariatric surgery
Authors: Kwok Kelvin Ho Man , Andersson Daniel P. , Rydén Mikael , Arner Peter
Published: July 2021

Insulin resistance of glucose utilization is fully restored following BMI normalization after bariatric surgery. We investigated if this also pertains to insulin-induced effects on fatty acid handling. Forty-three women with obesity (OB) were investigated before and 2 years after Roux-en-Y gastric by-pass when BMI was <30 kg/m2 (PO) and compared with 26 never obese women (NO). The Adipo-IR index was used as measure of insulin antilipolytic sensitivity. Changes (delta) in circulating glycerol and fatty acid levels during hyperinsulinemic euglycemic clamp represented the insulin maximum antilipolytic effect. Overall fatty acid utilization was reflected by delta fatty acids minus 3 × delta glycerol. Adipo-IR was higher in OB than in NO and PO (p < 0.0001), the latter two groups having similar values. Insulin lowered glycerol levels by about 70% in all groups, but delta glycerol was 30% larger in PO than in NO (p = 0.04). Delta adds and adds utilization were similar in all groups. We conclude that women with obesity, whose BMI is normalized after bariatric surgery, have improved maximum in vivo antilipolytic effect of insulin above expected in absolute but not relative terms as regards glycerol changes, while the handling of circulating fatty acids is changed to the normal state.