bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sex and Selling: Agent Gender and Bargaining Power in the Resale Housing Market
Authors: Pham Duong T. , Turnbull Geoffrey K. , Waller Bennie D.
Published: February 2021

This paper uses a search model with Nash bargaining to identify various channels through which agent gender affects selling price and selling time in the resale market for houses. The theory is used in conjunction with the empirical model to infer agent bargaining power when dealing with the same or opposite sex agents on the other side of the transaction. The results reveal that sellers set higher listing prices when working with male agents, a pattern consistent with sellers’ ex ante beliefs that male agents enjoy greater expected bargaining power. Ex post agent bargaining power varies by sex and their role in the transaction. Female agents assisting buyers have stronger bargaining power when facing male listing agents than when facing female agents in rising or falling markets. The ex post bargaining power of male selling agents assisting buyers appears to be generally weaker than that of female listing agents.
Estimating Pollution Loads in Snow Removed from a Port Facility: Snow Pile Sampling Strategies
Authors: Vijayan Arya , Österlund Heléne , Marsalek Jiri , Viklander Maria
Published: February 2021

Choosing the appropriate sampling strategy is significant while estimating the pollutant loads in a snow pile and assessing environmental impacts of dumping snow into water bodies. This paper compares different snow pile sampling strategies, looking for the most efficient way to estimate the pollutant loads in a snow pile. For this purpose, 177 snow samples were collected from nine snow piles (average pile area − 30 m2, height − 2 m) during four sampling occasions at Frihamnen, Ports of Stockholm’s port area. The measured concentrations of TSS, LOI, pH, conductivity, and heavy metals (Zn, Cu, Cd, Cr, Pb, and V) in the collected samples indicated that pollutants are not uniformly distributed in the snow piles. Pollutant loads calculated from different sampling strategies were compared against the load calculated using all samples collected for each pile (best estimate of mass load, BEML). The results/study showed that systematic grid sampling is the best choice when the objective of sampling is to estimate the pollutant loads accurately. Estimating pollutant loads from single snow column samples (collected at a point from the snow pile through the entire depth of the pile) produced up to 400% variation from BEML, whereas samples composed by mixing volume-proportional subsamples from all samples (horizontal composite samples) produced only up to 50% variation. Around nine samples were required to estimate the pollutant loads within 50% deviation from BEML for the studied snow piles. Converting pollutant concentrations in snow to equivalent concentrations in snowmelt and comparing it with available guideline values for receiving water, Zn was identified as the critical pollutant.
Higher baseline TSH levels predict early hypothyroidism during cancer immunotherapy
Authors: Luongo C. , Morra R. , Gambale C. , Porcelli T. , Sessa F. , Matano E. , Damiano V. , Klain M. , Schlumberger M. , Salvatore D.
Published: February 2021

Background and purpose

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) are monoclonal antibodies that enhance the immune response against cancer cells. ICIs are generally well tolerated, although endocrine immune-related adverse events (irAEs) are common. We investigated the risk factors for thyroid irAEs in patients treated with ICIs. Moreover, we evaluated the clinical outcome of subjects who became hypothyroid compared to euthyroid patients.

Patients and methods

We retrospectively analyzed a series of 195 consecutively subjects treated with ICIs for metastatic tumors at the University of Naples “Federico II” between January 2014 and March 2020. Only subjects tested for thyroid function before and during the treatment with ICIs were included.

Results

In the 96 patients treated with ICIs who were included [66 males, median age: 62 years (27–87)], thyroid irAEs occurred in 36 (37.5%), 16 (16.7%) a transient thyrotoxicosis, and 20 (20.8%) an hypothyroidism (in nine subjects hypothyroidism was preceded by a transient thyrotoxicosis). Only baseline TSH levels above 1.67 mIU/L and positive anti-thyroid antibodies (Ab-T) were associated with a higher risk of hypothyroidism. Patients with hypothyroidism during ICI treatment showed an improved 2-year PFS (HR = 0.82 CI 0.47–1.43;p = 0.0132) and OS (HR = 0.38 CI 95% 0.17–0.80;p = 0.011) compared to euthyroid patients.

Conclusions

Baseline TSH levels above 1.67 mIU/L and presence of Ab-T are risk factors for the development of thyroid irAEs. Patients affected by thyroid irAEs showed a longer survival than patients who remained euthyroid.
Related substances method development and validation of an LCMS/MS method for quantification of selexipag and its related impurities in rat plasma and its application to pharmacokinetic studies
Authors: Rao Koya Prabhakara , babu Namburi LAAmara , Koganti Kalyani , Palakeeti Babji , Srinivas Koduri S. V.
Published: February 2021

The present application wish to seem at the event of validation of bio analytical method and pharmacokinetic study of selexipag and its related impurities in rat plasma using LC–MS/MS. The optimized method contains gradient elution of selexipag with a flow rate of 1 ml/min and X-Bridge phenyl column (150 × 4.6 mm, 3.5 µ). A buffer of 1 mL formic acid in l liter water and acetonitrile mixture is used as mobile phase. 30 min run time was used for separation of selexipag and its related impurities with Ambrisentan as internal standard and impurity-D as active metabolite. The linearity curves are linear in between the percentages of 10 to 200% of rat plasma and R2 value of each analyte was observed as 0.999. This application denotes all the parameters like precision, accuracy, recovery and stability were got the results within the limit of USFDA guidelines. This method applies effectively for the investigation of pharmacokinetic studies using rat plasma.
Effect of the addition of pie-shaped ribs and parallelogram ribs in micro-channels on thermal performance using diamond-water nanofluid
Authors: Chadi Kamel , Belghar Nourredine , Guerira Belhi , Lachi Mohammed , Chikhi Mourad
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we numerically study the influence of the addition of parallelogram ribs and pie-shaped ribs in micro-channels on thermal exchange in three dimensions. We design four different silicon micro-channel heat sinks; the first and second cases without ribs, the third case with added pie-shaped ribs, and a fourth case containing parallelogram ribs. The main purpose of this research is to determine the best micro-channel heat sink in which the heat dissipation is sufficient to improve the heat exchange performance of the micro-channel, as well as to improve the cooling of the electronic components. A constant heat flux is applied to the bottom wall of the four micro-channels, and we use liquid diamond-water with a volume concentration of 5% diamond nanoparticles as a coolant, with a Reynolds number chosen between 200 and 600. The numerical results show that the Nusselt number (Nu) of the micro-channel that contains the parallelogram ribs is higher than that for the other cases, and it also yiels lower temperature values on the bottom wall of the substrate compared to the micro-channel containing pie ribs. When increasing the flow velocity, the thermal resistance of the micro-channel decreases in all cases, and we then find the largest value of the friction factor in the fourth case (with parallelogram ribs).
The coral conservation crisis: interacting local and global stressors reduce reef resiliency and create challenges for conservation solutions
Authors: Good Alexandra M. , Bahr Keisha D.
Published: February 2021

Coral reefs are one of the most productive and biodiverse ecosystems in the world. Humans rely on these coral reef ecosystems to provide significant ecological and economic resources; however, coral reefs are threatened by numerous local and global anthropogenic factors that cause significant environmental change. The interactions of these local and global human impacts may increase the rate of coral reef degradation. For example, there are many local influences (i.e., sedimentation and submarine groundwater discharge) that may exacerbate coral bleaching and mortality. Therefore, researchers and resource managers cannot limit their narratives and actions to mitigating a sole stressor. With the continued increase in greenhouse gas emissions, management strategies and restoration techniques need to account for the scale at which environmental change occurs. This review aims to outline the various local and global anthropogenic stressors threatening reef resiliency and address the recent disagreements surrounding present-day conservation practices. Unfortunately, there is no one solution to preserve and restore all coral reefs. Each coral reef region is challenged by numerous interactive stressors that affect its ecosystem response, recovery, and services in various ways. This review discusses, while global reef degradation occurs, local solutions should be implemented to efficiently protect the coral reef ecosystem services that are valuable to marine and terrestrial environments.
Structuring Formative Feedback in an Online Graphics Design Course in BME
Authors: Joshi Rucha , Ghosh Sujoy , Simileysky Alexander , Bhanot Mayank
Published: February 2021

With a motivation to immerse students in engineering design, graphics communication, and computer aided design (CAD) skills early-on in the biomedical engineering curriculum, we launched a new 2-unit laboratory course on “Graphics Design in BME” in the Spring 2020 quarter for UC Davis sophomores. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course met with the significant challenge of conversion to an online mode of teaching, instead of planned face-to-face instruction. Providing formative feedback was thought to be an important step to help students succeed in their final CAD project of the course. In the process of designing feedback, we found that the concept of feedback is still fragile in an online learning environment because online learning settings provide distinct pedagogical demands as compared to face-to-face settings. The situation is especially delicate in the context of contemporary higher education imparting engineering skills, where students attend large classes, with diminished opportunities to interact with the teaching staff. The challenge we faced was to provide meaningful dialogic feedback in an online environment, especially while teaching engineering graphics design to a large class. Here we addressed this challenge by focusing on the process of structuring meaningful feedback. We designed a project assignment to be submitted as multiple deliverables to be submitted in two-stages. Then, we characterized its feedback with multiple notions, such as dialogic iterative cycles, personalized, goal-directed, immediate, in written format, and having a peer assessment component. The process of providing formative feedback online through the structure mentioned in this paper resulted in students’ improved scores on the final project elements. It also helped us identify the common issues students are faltering in a graphics design class, and provide customized guidance, ideal examples of expected work, and more resources to motivate each student group to achieve mastery of course content.
Thomas Aquinas's Relics as Focus for Conflict and Cult in the Late Middle Ages
Authors: Räsänen Marika
Published: February 2021

This book offers a new way of looking at Saint Thomas Aquinas-not as a living man, but as a posthumous source of relics. Marika Räsänen delves deep into the strange relationship between Aquinas's physical remains and the devotional moments they enabled-in many cases in situations where the actual relics were not present, but were recreated verbally, pictorially, or allegorically. Both the actual relics and these extended manifestations of them, Räsänen shows, were equally real to the medieval spectator, though the question of the material presence of Aquinas's remains became increasingly important over time amid the political tumult of southern Italy.
Film Production and Consumption in Contemporary Taiwan
Authors: Mon Ya-Feng
Published: February 2021

This book uses the potent case study of contemporary Taiwanese queer romance films to address the question of how capitalism in Taiwan has privileged the film industry at the expense of the audience's freedom to choose and respond to culture on its own terms. Interweaving in-depth interviews with filmmakers, producers, marketers, and spectators, Ya-Fong Mon takes a biopolitical approach to the question, showing how the industry uses investments in techno-science, ancillary marketing, and media convergence to seduce and control the sensory experience of the audience-yet that control only extends so far: volatility remains a key component of the film-going experience.
The Displacement of Borders among Russian Koreans in Northeast Asia
Authors: Park Hyun-Gwi
Published: February 2021

Since the nineteenth century, ethnic Koreans have represented a small yet significant portion of the population of the Russian Far East, but until now, the phenomenon has been largely understudied. Based on extensive historical and ethnographic research, this is the first book in English to chart the contemporary social life of Koreans in the complex borderland region. Dispelling the commonly held notion that Koreans were completely removed from the region during the country's attempt to 'cleanse' its borders in 1937, Hyun Gwi Park reveals timely new insights into the historical and current experiences of Koreans living along the Eurasian frontier.
The Problem of Theatrical Autonomy
Authors: van den Hoogen Quirijn Lennert , Hansen Louise Ejgod , Edelman Joshua
Published: February 2021

As any devoted theatregoer will attest, watching a performance is a unique experience, as the social setting, rules, and standards of theatre often combine to create a feeling of liberation from the everyday world. This book explores the phenomenon of theatre as simultaneously distinct from and yet connected to society as a whole. Combining theoretical reflections with materials from European case studies, the authors offer intriguing new methods for the sociological study of theatre while contributing equally to theatre and performance studies.
Migrant Penalties in Educational Achievement
Authors: Borgna Camilla
Published: February 2021

The integration of second-generation immigrants has proved to be a major challenge for Europe in recent years. Though these people are born in their host nations, they often experience worse social and economic outcomes than other citizens. This volume focuses on one particular, important challenge: the less successful educational outcomes of second-generation migrants. Looking at data from seventeen European nations, Camilla Borgna shows that migrant penalties in educational achievement exist in each one-but that, unexpectedly, the penalties tend to be greater in countries in which socio-economic inequalities in education are generally more modest, a finding that should prompt reconsideration of a number of policy approaches.
A Dutch Republican Baroque
Authors: Korsten Frans-Willem
Published: February 2021

In the Dutch Republic, in its Baroque forms of art, two aesthetic formal modes, theatre and drama, were dynamically related to two political concepts, event and moment. The Dutch version of the Baroque is characterised by a fascination with this world regarded as one possibility out of a plurality of potential worlds. It is this fascination that explains the coincidence in the Dutch Republic, strange at first sight, of Baroque exuberance, irregularity, paradox, and vertigo with scientific rigor, regularity, mathematical logic, and rational distance. In giving a new historical perspective on the Baroque as a specifically Dutch republican one, this study also offers a new and systematic approach towards the interactions among the notions of theatricality, dramatisation, moment, and event: concepts that are currently at the centre of philosophical and political debates but the modern articulation of which can best be considered in the explorations of history and world in the Dutch Republic. Our idea of Dutch history will never recover from reading this book. As in Korsten's conception of the Baroque
The State, Ulama and Islam in Malaysia and Indonesia
Authors: Saat Norshahril
Published: February 2021

The Suharto (1966–98) government of Indonesia and the Mahathir (1981–2003) government of Malaysia both launched Islamisation programmes, upgrading and creating religious institutions. The author argues that, while generally ulamas, or religious teachers, had to support state ideologies, they sometimes succeeded in ŸcapturingŒ the state by influencing policies in their favour. The author builds his argument on strong fieldwork data, especially interviews, and he engages in critical discussion of comparative politics paradigms and the concept of capture.
New horseshoe crab fossil from Germany demonstrates post-Triassic extinction of Austrolimulidae
Authors: Bicknell Russell D. C. , Hecker Andreas , Heyng Alexander M.
Published: February 2021

Horseshoe crabs within Austrolimulidae represent the extreme limits to which the xiphosuridBauplancould be modified. Recent interest in this group has uncovered an unprecedented diversity of these odd-ball xiphosurids and led to suggestions that Austrolimulidae arose during the Permian Period and had become extinct by the end of the Triassic Period. Here, we extend the temporal record of Austrolimulidae by documenting a new horseshoe crab from the Lower Jurassic (Hettangian) Bayreuth Formation,Franconiolimulus pochankeigen. et sp. nov. The novel specimen displays hypertrophied genal spines, a key feature indicative of Austrolimulidae, but does not show as prominent accentuation or reduction of other exoskeletal sections. In considering the interesting family, we explore the possible origins and explanations for the bizarre morphologies exhibited by the Austrolimulidae and present hypotheses regarding the extinction of the group. Further examination of horseshoe crab fossils with unique features will undoubtedly continue to increase the diversity and disparity of these curious xiphosurids.
How were young Muslim minds shaped? A critical study of thekuttābin Medieval Islam
Authors: AYYAD ESSAM
Published: February 2021

In medieval Islamic times and afterwards, thekuttābwas a modest institution for elementary education, with most emphasis being placed on learning the Qurʾān by heart―hence a ‘Qurʾānic school’ in English. Thus far, the topic of thekuttābhas been addressed by only a few modern works, leaving inadequately researched a number of critical related issues. This article is an attempt to give insights into the intellectual development of Muslim pedagogy in such archetypal primary schools. It looks into the teaching programmes and methods adopted for that intellectual preparation as well as their assumptions, rationales, implications, and consequences. Thekuttāb's objectives are usually thought of as being universally identical, to help in the formation of a good Muslim. The picture, however, was more multifaceted, and the objectives, as well as means of their realisation, were moulded based on what a ‘good Muslim’ would mean according to those in command. Administrating thekatātībwas a source, and a symptom, of competitive rivalry between the different intellectual tendencies in medieval Islam, who jostled for control over these critically significant institutions. The article thus delves into the intellectual, cultural, and socio-economic contexts in which primary education materialised and was practiced in pre-modern Islam.
China's Race to the Top: Regional and Global Implications of China's Industrial Policy
Authors: Oh Seung-Youn
Published: February 2021

The paper examines the global and regional implications of China's revitalized state capitalism model through the sectoral lens of the Chinese automotive industry, which stands at the intersection of both traditional and green industrial policy. At the multinational level, China skillfully facilitates local policy implementation that creates excess capacity by propping up local and national champions through convenient compliance with the WTO. At the bilateral level, China closely links purchasing and coercive diplomacy with protections for Chinese players both at home and abroad. Key endeavors like the Belt and Road Initiative open up overseas markets to develop global champions and secure foreign footholds for Chinese champions. Additionally, China's increasing reliance on exclusionary diplomacy provides political justifications to discriminate against foreign competitors within the Chinese market while moving forward with industrial upgrading of domestic players. When linked together, these factors – all byproducts of China's approach to state-led capitalism – combine to explain China's efforts to create a race to the top.
The role of collaborative argumentation in future teachers' selection of online information
Authors: Zimmermann Maria , Mayweg-Paus Elisabeth
Published: February 2021

Abstract. (Future) teachers should acquire skills in sourcing science-related information online, so they can use evidence appropriately in their pedagogical practice. To successfully use such evidence, it is vital that teachers critically question their selection of online information. Based on findings from collaborative learning, we hypothesized that collaboration promotes teachers' critical elaboration of their selection of online educational information. Additionally, collaboration allows for social comparison and may thus impact teachers' self-efficacy in seeking information. In a 2 × 2 mixed-design study with the between-participants factor reasoning (individual vs. collaborative) and the within-participants factor self-reported information seeking self-efficacy (pre vs. post the reasoning task), each of N = 83 future teachers individually sought online information regarding the educational use of mobile phones in classrooms. This constituted a realistic search on the Internet, in a natural setting. Based on each participant's particular search, s/he was asked to select the online sources that s/he perceived relevant for reasoning whether mobile phones should be used in class. To foster reflection on how they selected information, participants were asked either to reason individually (individual group, n = 33) or to chat collaboratively (collaboration group, n = 50 in 25 dyads) about their selections. Participants in both groups reported higher information seeking self-efficacy after the reasoning task. Yet participants who collaboratively reflected on their selections more frequently showed elaborated reasoning behavior, than did participants in the individual group. Nonetheless, participants in both groups referred to certain criteria that guided their selection (i.e., criteria related to the information, the provider of information, or media) with the same frequency. Considering the potential benefits and challenges of collaboration, we discuss the findings in terms of how to promote future teachers' ability to critically reflect on their selection of online educational information.
AFRP20: New P‐Wavespeed Model for the African Mantle Reveals Two Whole‐Mantle Plumes Below East Africa and Neoproterozoic Modification of the Tanzania Craton
Authors: Boyce A. , Bastow I. D. , Cottaar S. , Kounoudis R. , Guilloud De Courbeville J. , Caunt E. , Desai S.
Published: February 2021

Africa's Cenozoic tectonism is often attributed to mantle plumes, particularly below East Africa, but their morphology, number, location, and impact on the African lithosphere are debated. The broad slow wavespeed African Superplume, ubiquitous in large‐scale tomographic models, originates below South Africa, reaching the surface somewhere below East Africa. However, whether the diverse East African mantle geochemistry is best reconciled with one heterogeneous upwelling, or current tomographic models lack the resolution to image multiple distinct plumes, remains enigmatic. S‐wavespeed tomographic images of Africa are legion, but higher frequency P‐wavespeed whole‐mantle models possessing complementary diagnostic capabilities are comparatively lacking. This hinders attempts to disentangle the effects of Cenozoic hotspot tectonism and Pan African (and older) tectonic events on the East African lithosphere. Here we develop a continental‐scale P‐wave tomographic model capable of resolving structure from upper‐to‐lower mantle depths using a recently developed technique to extract absolute arrival‐times from noisy, temporary African seismograph deployments. Shallow‐mantle wavespeeds are δVP ≈ −4% below Ethiopia, but less anomalous (δVP ≥–2%) below other volcanic provinces. The heterogeneous African Superplume reaches the upper mantle below the Kenyan plateau. Below Ethiopia/Afar we image a second sub‐vertical slow wavespeed anomaly rooted near the core‐mantle boundary outside the African LLVP, meaning multiple disparately sourced whole‐mantle plumes may influence East African magmatism. In contrast to other African cratons, wavespeeds below Tanzania are only fast to 90–135 km depth. When interpreted alongside Lower Eocene on‐craton kimberlites, our results support pervasive metasomatic lithospheric modification caused by subduction during the Neoproterozoic Pan‐African orogeny.
The Role of Nearshore Air‐Sea Interactions for Landfalling Atmospheric Rivers on the U.S. West Coast
Authors: Bartusek Samuel T. , Seo Hyodae , Ummenhofer Caroline C. , Steffen John
Published: February 2021

Research on Atmospheric Rivers (ARs) has focused primarily on AR (thermo)dynamics and hydrological impacts over land. However, the evolution and potential role of nearshore air‐sea fluxes during landfalling ARs are not well documented. Here, we examine synoptic evolutions of nearshore latent heat flux (LHF) during strong late‐winter landfalling ARs (1979–2017) using 138 overshelf buoys along the U. S. west coast. Composite evolutions show that ARs typically receive upward (absolute) LHF from the coastal ocean. LHF is small during landfall due to weak air‐sea humidity gradients but is strongest (30–50 W/m2along the coast) 1–3 days before/after landfall. During El Niño winters, southern‐coastal LHF strengthens, coincident with stronger ARs. A decomposition of LHF reveals that sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies modulated by the El Niño Southern Oscillation dominate interannual LHF variations under ARs, suggesting a potential role for nearshore SST and LHF influencing the intensity of landfalling ARs.
A Long‐Lived Planetesimal Dynamo Powered by Core Crystallization
Authors: Maurel Clara , Bryson James F. J. , Shah Jay , Chopdekar Rajesh V. , T. Elkins‐Tanton Linda , A. Raymond Carol , Weiss Benjamin P.
Published: February 2021

The existence of numerous iron meteorite groups indicates that some planetesimals underwent melting that led to metal‐silicate segregation, sometimes producing metallic cores. Meteorite paleomagnetic records suggest that crystallization of these cores generated dynamo magnetic fields. Here we describe the magnetic history of the partially differentiated IIE iron meteorite parent body. This is the first planetesimal for which we have a time‐resolved paleomagnetic record constrained by 40Ar/39Ar chronometry spanning several tens of million years (Ma). We find that the core of the IIE parent body generated a dynamo, likely powered by core crystallization, starting before 78 ± 13 Ma after solar system formation and lasting at least 80 Ma. Such extended core crystallization suggests that the core composed a substantial fraction of the body ( 13%–19% core‐to‐body radius ratio depending on the body’s radius), indicating efficient core formation within some partially differentiated planetesimals.
Implication of Tidal Forcing Effects on the Zonal Variation of Solstice Equatorial Plasma Bubbles
Authors: Chang Loren C. , Salinas Cornelius Csar Jude H. , Chiu Yi‐Chung , Jones McArthur , Rajesh P. K. , Chao Chi‐Kuang , Liu Jann‐Yenq , Lin Charles C. H. , Hsiao Tung‐Yuan
Published: February 2021

Equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) are plasma depletions that can occur in the nighttime ionospheric F region, causing scintillation in satellite navigation and communications signals. Past research has shown that EPB occurrence rates are higher during the equinoxes in most longitude zones. An exception is over the central Pacific and African sectors, where EPB activity has been found to maximize during solstice. Tsunoda et al. (2015) hypothesized that the solstice maxima in these two sectors could be driven by a zonal wavenumber 2 atmospheric tide in the lower thermosphere. In this study, we utilize satellite observations to examine evidence of such a wave‐2 feature preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates over these two regions. We find the postsunset total electron content (TEC) observed by FORMOSAT‐3/COSMIC (Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate) during boreal summer from 2007 to 2012 exhibits a wave‐2 zonal distribution, consistent with elevated vertical plasma gradients favorable for EPB formation. Numerical experiments are also carried out to determine whether such an ionospheric wave‐2 can be produced as a result of vertical coupling from atmospheric tides with zonal wavenumber 2 in the local time frame. We find that forcing from these tidal components produced increases in the Rayleigh‐Taylor growth rate over both sectors during solar maximum and minimum, as well as wave‐2 modulations on vertical ion drift, ion flux convergence, and nighttime TEC. Our results are consistent with the aforementioned hypothesis over both regions with vertical coupling effects from atmospheric tides preconditioning the nighttime ionosphere to favor higher EPB growth rates.
Temporal Evolution of Flux Rope/Tube Entanglement in 3‐D Hall MHD Simulations
Authors: Jia Ying‐Dong , Qi Yi , Lu San , Russell C. T.
Published: February 2021

At the Earth’s magnetopause, flux tubes observed by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) spacecraft in “entangled” pairs have been interpreted as a precursory stage to the formation of a new pair of flux tubes by magnetic reconnection, of which one reconnected tube joins the magnetosphere. Understanding the connectivity of these tubes before and after the entanglement is essential to understanding the transport of particles and energy between the magnetosphere and the solar wind. In this study, we use a three‐dimensional Hall Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) model to simulate the interaction of two entangled flux tubes in the ambient plasma. Four types of interactions are simulated: Two types of magnetic field geometry (flux tube‐flux tube and flux rope‐flux rope) are tested separately, each under two different boundary conditions. With the boundary condition that drives the interaction with ambient flow, magnetic reconnection transforms the two tubes/ropes into new pairs. The process is performed under plasma conditions comparable to those of such events identified in recent MMS observations. The detailed three‐dimensional evolution is shown at representative stages, with key parameters shown across the entanglement interface. The shape of the central current sheet and evolution of magnetic field curvature are also discussed. Our study supports the feasibility of reconnection between entangled flux tubes, recognizes the importance of ambient plasma conditions for the completion of such processes, and quantifies how such structures evolve to modify the solar wind‐geomagnetic field interaction. In addition, this model is applicable to flux rope interactions in the solar corona.
Kinetic Modeling of Langmuir Probes in Space and Application to the MAVEN Langmuir Probe and Waves Instrument
Authors: Ergun R. E. , Andersson L. A. , Fowler C. M. , Thaller S. A.
Published: February 2021

Self‐consistent kinetic solutions from test‐particle simulations are used to improve the derivation of electron temperature (Te) and density (ne) from Langmuir probes in space. While Langmuir probes are well understood, the non‐ideal characteristics of space‐flight instruments can influence the accuracy of Te and ne and how they are derived. In particular, when in an ionosphere, spacecraft motion often causes a sensor wake and exposes its surface to oxidation. This work has two primary goals. We present kinetic solutions of general interest then apply our findings to the Langmuir Probe and Waves (LPW) instrument on the MAVEN satellite. Of general interest, (1) kinetic solutions show that mechanical mounting of a Langmuir probe sensor and controlling the potential of nearby surfaces is critical for accuracy. (2) An ion wake generated by the sensor can greatly modify how ne must be derived. (3) Interestingly, small voltage variations on the surface of the sensor do not significantly diminish the accuracy of Te and ne. (4) On the other hand, surface resistance on the sensor can appreciably disturb the derivation of Te. The LPW instrument is recalibrated with the aid of kinetic solutions and published results from laboratory experiments. The systematic uncertainty (as opposed to random variations) in Te is improved to as low as ±0.005 eV (±60 K) when ne > ∼3 × 104 cm−3. This recalibration leads to some of the most accurate measurements of Te made in space and can result in improved modeling of Mars' ionosphere.
Inferring the Subsurface Geometry and Strength of Slow‐Moving Landslides Using 3‐D Velocity Measurements From the NASA/JPL UAVSAR
Authors: Handwerger Alexander L. , Booth Adam M. , Huang Mong‐Han , Fielding Eric J.
Published: February 2021

The hazardous impact and erosive potential of slow‐moving landslides depends on landslide properties including velocity, size, and frequency of occurrence. However, constraints on size, in particular, subsurface geometry, are lacking because these types of landslides rarely fully evacuate material to create measurable hillslope scars. Here, we use pixel offset tracking with data from the NASA/JPL Uninhabited Aerial Vehicle Synthetic Aperture Radar to measure the three‐dimensional surface deformation of 134 slow‐moving landslides in the northern California Coast Ranges. We apply volume conservation to infer the actively deforming thickness, volume, geometric scaling, and frictional strength of each landslide. These landslides move at average rates between ∼0.1–2 m/yr and have active areas of ∼6.10 × 103–2.35 × 106 m2, inferred mean thicknesses of ∼1.1–25 m, and volumes of ∼7.01 × 103–9.75 × 106 m3. The best fit volume‐area geometric scaling exponent is γ ∼ 1.2–1.5, indicating that these landslides fall between typical soil and bedrock landslide scaling. A rollover in the scaling relationship suggests that the largest landslide complexes in our data set become large primarily by increasing in area rather than thickness. In addition, the slow‐moving landslides display scale‐dependent frictional strength, such that large landslide tend to be weaker than small landslides. This decrease in frictional strength with landslide size is likely because larger landslides are composed of higher proportions of weak material. Our work shows how state of the art remote sensing techniques can be used to better understand landslide processes and quantify their contribution to landscape evolution and hazards to human safety.
Analytical, Experimental, and Numerical Investigation of Partially Penetrating Barriers for Expanding Island Freshwater Lenses
Authors: Yan Min , Lu Chunhui , Werner Adrian D. , Luo Jian
Published: February 2021

Freshwater lenses are of great importance in supporting both the vulnerable ecosystems of small‐to‐medium oceanic islands and the lives of local inhabitants. Recently, an engineering approach that embeds a low‐permeability, fully penetrating barrier along the shoreline was proposed and demonstrated under controlled conditions to be effective in enhancing island lens size. The current study extends that work by investigating the effect of partially penetrating barriers placed at the shoreline on both circular and strip island lenses, using: (1) sharp‐interface analytical solutions, (2) dispersive numerical modeling, and (3) sand tank experimentation. Analytical, experimental, and numerical results are in reasonable agreement in terms of the freshwater‐seawater interface. The findings indicate that partially penetrating barriers of sufficient depth (i.e., the freshwater depth in barrier from the fully penetrating barrier case) produce comparable results to fully penetrating barriers, and therefore, the former is more cost‐effectiveness. Moreover, the minimum barrier depth (i.e., the “critical depth”) required to obtain approximately the same lens as that achieved using the fully penetrating barrier is estimable from the analytical solution, as verified by laboratory experiments and numerical simulations. The sensitivity analysis based on the analytical solution indicates that a lower barrier permeability and a greater barrier thickness, which lead to a higher freshwater storage (as expected), require a larger critical depth. The guidance on the design of partially penetrating shoreline barriers arising from this research adds to existing engineering techniques for enhancing freshwater resources on circular and strip islands.
Ultrahigh-density spin-polarized hydrogen isotopes from the photodissociation of hydrogen halides: new applications for laser-ion acceleration, magnetometry, and polarized nuclear fusion
Authors: Spiliotis Alexandros K. , Xygkis Michalis , Koutrakis Michail E. , Tazes Konstantinos , Boulogiannis Gregoris K. , Kannis Chrysovalantis S. , Katsoprinakis Georgios E. , Sofikitis Dimitrios , Rakitzis T. Peter
Published: February 2021

Recently, our group produced spin-polarized hydrogen (SPH) atoms at densities of at least 1019 cm−3 from the photodissociation of hydrogen halide molecules with circularly polarized UV light and measured them via magnetization-quantum beats with a pickup coil. These densities are approximately 7 orders of magnitude higher than those produced using conventional methods, opening up new fields of application, such as ultrafast magnetometry, the production of polarized MeV and GeV particle beams, such as electron beams with intensities approximately 104 higher than current sources, and the study of polarized nuclear fusion, for which the reaction cross sections of D–T and D–3He reactions are expected to increase by 50% for fully polarized nuclear spins. We review the production, detection, depolarization mechanisms, and potential applications of high-density SPH.
CHBP induces stronger immunosuppressive CD127+ M-MDSC via erythropoietin receptor
Authors: Li Jiawei , Tu Guowei , Zhang Weitao , Zhang Yi , Zhang Xuepeng , Qiu Yue , Wang Jiyan , Sun Tianle , Zhu Tongyu , Yang Cheng , Rong Ruiming
Published: February 2021

Erythropoietin (EPO) is not only an erythropoiesis hormone but also an immune-regulatory cytokine. The receptors of EPO (EPOR)2 and tissue-protective receptor (TPR), mediate EPO’s immune regulation. Our group firstly reported a non-erythropoietic peptide derivant of EPO, cyclic helix B peptide (CHBP), which could inhibit macrophages inflammation and dendritic cells (DCs) maturation. As a kind of innate immune regulatory cell, myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) share a common myeloid progenitor with macrophages and DCs. In this study, we investigated the effects on MDSCs differentiation and immunosuppressive function via CHBP induction. CHBP promoted MDSCs differentiate toward M-MDSCs with enhanced immunosuppressive capability. Infusion of CHBP-induced M-MDSCs significantly prolonged murine skin allograft survival compared to its counterpart without CHBP stimulation. In addition, we found CHBP increased the proportion of CD11b+Ly6G−Ly6Chigh CD127+ M-MDSCs, which exerted a stronger immunosuppressive function compared to CD11b+Ly6G−Ly6Chigh CD127− M-MDSCs. In CHBP induced M-MDSCs, we found that EPOR downstream signal proteins Jak2 and STAT3 were upregulated, which had a strong relationship with MDSC function. In addition, CHBP upregulated GATA-binding protein 3 (GATA-3) protein translation level, which was an upstream signal of CD127 and regulator of STAT3. These effects of CHBP could be reversed if Epor was deficient. Our novel findings identified a new subset of M-MDSCs with better immunosuppressive capability, which was induced by the EPOR-mediated Jak2/GATA3/STAT3 pathway. These results are beneficial for CHBP clinical translation and MDSC cell therapy in the future.
Acute glucose influx-induced mitochondrial hyperpolarization inactivates myosin phosphatase as a novel mechanism of vascular smooth muscle contraction
Authors: Xu Jie , Yang Hongyan , Yang Lu , Wang Zhen , Qin Xinghua , Zhou Jiaheng , Dong Ling , Li Jia , Zhu Minsheng , Zhang Xing , Gao Feng
Published: February 2021

It is well-established that long-term exposure of the vasculature to metabolic disturbances leads to abnormal vascular tone, while the physiological regulation of vascular tone upon acute metabolic challenge remains unknown. Here, we found that acute glucose challenge induced transient increases in blood pressure and vascular constriction in humans and mice. Ex vivo study in isolated thoracic aortas from mice showed that glucose-induced vascular constriction is dependent on glucose oxidation in vascular smooth muscle cells. Specifically, mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm), an essential component in glucose oxidation, was increased along with glucose influx and positively regulated vascular smooth muscle tone. Mechanistically, mitochondrial hyperpolarization inhibited the activity of myosin light chain phosphatase (MLCP) in a Ca2+-independent manner through activation of Rho-associated kinase, leading to cell contraction. However, ΔΨm regulated smooth muscle tone independently of the small G protein RhoA, a major regulator of Rho-associated kinase signaling. Furthermore, myosin phosphatase target subunit 1 (MYPT1) was found to be a key molecule in mediating MLCP activity regulated by ΔΨm. ΔΨm positively phosphorylated MYPT1, and either knockdown or knockout of MYPT1 abolished the effects of glucose in stimulating smooth muscle contraction. In addition, smooth muscle-specific Mypt1 knockout mice displayed blunted response to glucose challenge in blood pressure and vascular constriction and impaired clearance rate of circulating metabolites. These results suggested that glucose influx stimulates vascular smooth muscle contraction via mitochondrial hyperpolarization-inactivated myosin phosphatase, which represents a novel mechanism underlying vascular constriction and circulating metabolite clearance.
Identification of a bacteria-produced benzisoxazole with antibiotic activity against multi-drug resistant Acinetobacter baumannii
Authors: Deering Robert W. , Whalen Kristen E. , Alvarez Ivan , Daffinee Kathryn , Beganovic Maya , LaPlante Kerry L. , Kishore Shreya , Zhao Sijing , Cezairliyan Brent , Yu Shen , Rosario Margaret , Mincer Tracy J. , Rowley David C.
Published: February 2021

The emergence of multi-drug resistant pathogenic bacteria represents a serious and growing threat to national healthcare systems. Most pressing is an immediate need for the development of novel antibacterial agents to treat Gram-negative multi-drug resistant infections, including the opportunistic, hospital-derived pathogen,Acinetobacter baumannii. Herein we report a naturally occurring 1,2-benzisoxazole with minimum inhibitory concentrations as low as 6.25 μg ml−1against clinical strains of multi-drug resistantA. baumanniiand investigate its possible mechanisms of action. This molecule represents a new chemotype for antibacterial agents againstA. baumanniiand is easily accessed in two steps via de novo synthesis. In vitro testing of structural analogs suggest that the natural compound may already be optimized for activity against this pathogen. Our results demonstrate that supplementation of 4-hydroxybenzoate in minimal media was able to reverse 1,2-benzisoxazole’s antibacterial effects inA. baumannii. A search of metabolic pathways involving 4-hydroxybenzoate coupled with molecular modeling studies implicates two enzymes, chorismate pyruvate-lyase and 4-hydroxybenzoate octaprenyltransferase, as promising leads for the target of 3,6-dihydroxy-1,2-benzisoxazole.
A complete hierarchy for the pure state marginal problem in quantum mechanics
Authors: Yu Xiao-Dong , Simnacher Timo , Wyderka Nikolai , Nguyen H. Chau , Gühne Otfried
Published: February 2021

Clarifying the relation between the whole and its parts is crucial for many problems in science. In quantum mechanics, this question manifests itself in the quantum marginal problem, which asks whether there is a global pure quantum state for some given marginals. This problem arises in many contexts, ranging from quantum chemistry to entanglement theory and quantum error correcting codes. In this paper, we prove a correspondence of the marginal problem to the separability problem. Based on this, we describe a sequence of semidefinite programs which can decide whether some given marginals are compatible with some pure global quantum state. As an application, we prove that the existence of multiparticle absolutely maximally entangled states for a given dimension is equivalent to the separability of an explicitly given two-party quantum state. Finally, we show that the existence of quantum codes with given parameters can also be interpreted as a marginal problem, hence, our complete hierarchy can also be used.
Dual targeting of polyamine synthesis and uptake in diffuse intrinsic pontine gliomas
Authors: Khan Aaminah , Gamble Laura D. , Upton Dannielle H. , Ung Caitlin , Yu Denise M. T. , Ehteda Anahid , Pandher Ruby , Mayoh Chelsea , Hébert Steven , Jabado Nada , Kleinman Claudia L. , Burns Mark R. , Norris Murray D. , Haber Michelle , Tsoli Maria , Ziegler David S.
Published: February 2021

Diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) is an incurable malignant childhood brain tumor, with no active systemic therapies and a 5-year survival of less than 1%. Polyamines are small organic polycations that are essential for DNA replication, translation and cell proliferation. Ornithine decarboxylase 1 (ODC1), the rate-limiting enzyme in polyamine synthesis, is irreversibly inhibited by difluoromethylornithine (DFMO). Herein we show that polyamine synthesis is upregulated in DIPG, leading to sensitivity to DFMO. DIPG cells compensate for ODC1 inhibition by upregulation of the polyamine transporter SLC3A2. Treatment with the polyamine transporter inhibitor AMXT 1501 reduces uptake of polyamines in DIPG cells, and co-administration of AMXT 1501 and DFMO leads to potent in vitro activity, and significant extension of survival in three aggressive DIPG orthotopic animal models. Collectively, these results demonstrate the potential of dual targeting of polyamine synthesis and uptake as a therapeutic strategy for incurable DIPG.
Efficacy in deceptive vocal exaggeration of human body size
Authors: Pisanski Katarzyna , Reby David
Published: February 2021

How can deceptive communication signals exist in an evolutionarily stable signalling system? To resolve this age-old honest signalling paradox, researchers must first establish whether deception benefits deceivers. However, while vocal exaggeration is widespread in the animal kingdom and assumably adaptive, its effectiveness in biasing listeners has not been established. Here, we show that human listeners can detect deceptive vocal signals produced by vocalisers who volitionally shift their voice frequencies to exaggerate or attenuate their perceived size. Listeners can also judge the relative heights of cheaters, whose deceptive signals retain reliable acoustic cues to interindividual height. Importantly, although vocal deception biases listeners’ absolute height judgments, listeners recalibrate their height assessments for vocalisers they correctly and concurrently identify as deceptive, particularly men judging men. Thus, while size exaggeration can fool listeners, benefiting the deceiver, its detection can reduce bias and mitigate costs for listeners, underscoring an unremitting arms-race between signallers and receivers in animal communication.