bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Emergence of norms in interactions with complex rewards
Authors: Abeywickrama Dhaminda B. , Griffiths Nathan , Xu Zhou , Mouzakitis Alex
Published: October 2022

Autonomous agents are becoming increasingly ubiquitous and are playing an increasing role in wide range of safety-critical systems, such as driverless cars, exploration robots and unmanned aerial vehicles. These agents operate in highly dynamic and heterogeneous environments, resulting in complex behaviour and interactions. Therefore, the need arises to model and understand more complex and nuanced agent interactions than have previously been studied. In this paper, we propose a novel agent-based modelling approach to investigating norm emergence, in which such interactions can be investigated. To this end, while there may be an ideal set of optimally compatible actions there are also combinations that have positive rewards and are also compatible. Our approach provides a step towards identifying the conditions under which globally compatible norms are likely to emerge in the context of complex rewards. Our model is illustrated using the motivating example of self-driving cars, and we present the scenario of an autonomous vehicle performing a left-turn at a T-intersection.
“It’s making me think outside the box at times”: a qualitative study of dynamic capabilities in surgical training
Authors: Shah Adarsh P. , Walker Kim A. , Walker Kenneth G. , Hawick Lorraine , Cleland Jennifer
Published: October 2022

Craft specialties such as surgery endured widespread disruption to postgraduate education and training during the pandemic. Despite the expansive literature on rapid adaptations and innovations, generalisability of these descriptions is limited by scarce use of theory-driven methods. In this research, we explored UK surgical trainees’ (n = 46) and consultant surgeons’ (trainers, n = 25) perceptions of how learning in clinical environments changed during a time of extreme uncertainty (2020/2021). Our ultimate goal was to identify new ideas that could shape post-pandemic surgical training. We conducted semi-structured virtual interviews with participants from a range of working/training environments across thirteen Health Boards in Scotland. Initial analysis of interview transcripts was inductive. Dynamic capabilities theory (how effectively an organisation uses its resources to respond to environmental changes) and its micro-foundations (sensing, seizing, reconfiguring) were used for subsequent theory-driven analysis. Findings demonstrate that surgical training responded dynamically and adapted to external and internal environmental uncertainty. Sensing threats and opportunities in the clinical environment prompted trainers’ institutions to seize new ways of working. Learners gained from reconfigured training opportunities (e.g., splitting operative cases between trainees), pan-surgical working (e.g., broader surgical exposure), redeployment (e.g., to medical specialties), collaborative working (working with new colleagues and in new ways) and supervision (shifting to online supervision). Our data foreground the human resource and structural reconfigurations, and technological innovations that effectively maintained surgical training during the pandemic, albeit in different ways. These adaptations and innovations could provide the foundations for enhancing surgical education and training in the post-pandemic era.
Visual evoked potentials as a method for the prospective assessment of tacrolimus neurotoxicity in patients after kidney transplantation
Authors: Sirek Sebastian , Kolonko Aureliusz , Pojda-Wilczek Dorota
Published: October 2022

Introduction

Neurotoxicity, including optic nerve injury, is one of the most common adverse effects of tacrolimus, the principal calcineurin inhibitor used after kidney transplantation (KTx). The electrophysiologic measurements of both pattern visual evoked potentials (PVEP) and flash visual evoked potentials (FVEP) are valuable when drug-induced optic neuropathy is suspected.

Objectives

To determine whether VEP measurement is a sensitive and repeatable method for monitoring tacrolimus neurotoxicity.

Material and methods

This prospective study focused on 35 patients (20 M, 15F, 69 eyes, mean age 43 ± 11 years) who were at a median of 3.0 (IQR, 2.2–3.7) months after KTx at the time of the initial VEP evaluation and were treated with tacrolimus since KTx. The follow-up VEP examination was done after a median of 24 (22–27) months (both VEP measurements followed the ISCEV standards). The P100 wave latency and amplitude for the 1° and 15’ PVEP simulations, and the P2 wave latency and amplitude for the FVEP were analyzed.

Results

For the 1° checks, the P100 wave latency and amplitude values were significantly worse in the follow-up examination compared to the early post-transplant time-point. Independent associations between FVEP parameters and the tacrolimus blood trough level were observed in the follow-up examination but not at the early post-transplant period. The P2 wave latency correlated with the tacrolimus trough level only in patients treated with the twice-daily, but not the once-daily, tacrolimus formulation. The brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) level correlated with the P100 (15’) latency (R = 0.499; p = 0.005) and the P2 latency (R = 0.409; p = 0.025) only in patients treated with the once-daily, but not the twice-daily, tacrolimus formulation.

Conclusion

The observations in this study may support the rationale for the use of VEP measurements as non-invasive monitoring of subclinical tacrolimus neurotoxicity.
Reconstruction of age distributions from differentially private census data
Authors: Dyrting Sigurd , Flaxman Abraham , Sharygin Ethan
Published: October 2022

The age distribution of a population is important for understanding the demand and provision of labor and services, and as a denominator for calculating key age-specific rates such as fertility and mortality. In the US, the most important source of information on age distributions is the decennial census, but a new disclosure avoidance system (DAS) based on differential privacy will inject noise into the data, potentially compromising its utility for small areas and minority populations. In this paper, we explore the question whether there are statistical methods that can be applied to noisy age distributions to enhance the research uses of census data without compromising privacy. We apply a non-parametric method for smoothing with naive or informative priors to age distributions from the 2010 Census via demonstration data which have had the US Census Bureau’s implementation of differential privacy applied. We find that smoothing age distributions can increase the fidelity of the demonstration data to previously published population counts by age. We discuss implications for uses of data from the 2020 US Census and potential consequences for the measurement of population dynamics, health, and disparities.
Youth Empowered Advocating for Health (YEAH): Facilitating Partnerships Between Prevention Scientists and Black Youth to Promote Health Equity
Authors: Woods-Jaeger Briana , Jahangir Tasfia , Lucas Devin , Freeman Marjorie , Renfro Tiffaney L. , Knutzen Kristin E. , Cave Nkosi , Jackson Melvin , Chandler Caroline , Riggins Christa , Lightfoot Alexandra F.
Published: October 2022

Structural racism inflicts a disproportionate burden of stress and trauma within Black communities, resulting in physical and mental health inequities that impact Black youth. Yet few multilevel interventions exist to address these deeply rooted inequities from a preventive standpoint, and even fewer are informed by the participatory input of the impacted communities. To bridge these gaps, we developed a community-based prevention strategy that promotes agency and active resistance to structural racism, Youth Empowered Advocating for Health (YEAH), and implemented it across various settings. We outline the development, implementation, and expansion of YEAH as a tool for promoting optimal health among Black communities. Lastly, we discuss lessons learned and offer a framework outlining key principles for prevention scientists to partner with Black youth and engage them in translational science to address structural racism. This framework is aimed at driving policies, practices, and procedures that promote equitable and sustainable change for and with Black communities.
Geoffrey Brennan: scholar and gentleman
Authors: Dowding Keith
Published: October 2022

This in memoriam article celebrates the life and work of Geoffrey Brennan.
A Statistical Comparison of EUV Brightenings Observed by SO/EUI with Simulated Brightenings in Nonpotential Simulations
Authors: Barczynski Krzysztof , Meyer Karen A. , Harra Louise K. , Mackay Duncan H. , Auchère Frédéric , Berghmans David
Published: October 2022

The High Resolution Imager (HRIEUV) telescope of the Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI) instrument onboard Solar Orbiter has observed EUV brightenings, so-called campfires, as fine-scale structures at coronal temperatures. The goal of this paper is to compare the basic geometrical (size, orientation) and physical (intensity, lifetime) properties of the EUV brightenings with regions of energy dissipation in a nonpotential coronal magnetic-field simulation. In the simulation, HMI line-of-sight magnetograms are used as input to drive the evolution of solar coronal magnetic fields and energy dissipation. We applied an automatic EUV-brightening detection method to EUV images obtained on 30 May 2020 by the HRIEUV telescope. We applied the same detection method to the simulated energy dissipation maps from the nonpotential simulation to detect simulated brightenings. We detected EUV brightenings with a density of $1.41 \times 10^{-3}$
1.41
×

10

−
3

brightenings/Mm2 in the EUI observations and simulated brightenings between $2.76\times 10^{-2}$
2.76
×

10

−
2

– $4.14\times 10^{-2}$
4.14
×

10

−
2

brightenings/Mm2 in the simulation, for the same time range. Although significantly more brightenings were produced in the simulations, the results show similar distributions of the key geometrical and physical properties of the observed and simulated brightenings. We conclude that the nonpotential simulation can successfully reproduce statistically the characteristic properties of the EUV brightenings (typically with more than 85% similarity); only the duration of the events is significantly different between observations and simulation. Further investigations based on high-cadence and high-resolution magnetograms from Solar Orbiter are under consideration to improve the agreement between observation and simulation.
Zur Kriminologie als forensischer Disziplin
Authors: Brettel Hauke
Published: October 2022

Obwohl die Kriminologie als „Lehre vom Verbrechen“ für die Aufarbeitung von Straftaten prädestiniert scheint, ist ihr Engagement in der Forensik keineswegs selbstverständlich. Dies hängt mit Unklarheiten, die bereits im Hinblick auf Grundeigenschaften der Kriminologie bestehen, zusammen. Was mit „Kriminologie“ gemeint ist und wofür sie zuständig ist bzw. zuständig sein könnte, ist nicht offenkundig. Ebenso existiert Klärungsbedarf dazu, wer die Kriminologie vertritt, und ob es sich bei der Kriminologie überhaupt um eine eigenständige Wissenschaft handelt, was Voraussetzung für eine Einordnung als „forensische Disziplin“ wäre. Auch lohnt ein Blick auf die Verbindlichkeit von Erkenntnissen, die als „kriminologisch“ eingeordnet werden. Mit einem Hauptaugenmerk auf diesen Aspekten widmet sich folgender Beitrag der Rolle der Kriminologie in der Forensik. Dabei bezieht sich „forensisch“ hier auf die Einzelfallbeurteilung in der Praxis der Rechtspflege. Dies schließt insbesondere die Anwendung von Fachwissen im Rahmen der Einschätzung, Begutachtung und Behandlung von Straftätern ein.
Grain growth and precipitation behaviour of AISI 430 ferritic stainless steel subjected to pulsed laser beam welding using free-form pulse shaping
Authors: Sommer N. , Stredak F. , Wiegand M. , Böhm S.
Published: October 2022

Ferritic stainless steels are prone to grain coarsening and precipitation of chromium-rich grain boundary phases during fusion welding, which increase intergranular corrosion susceptibility. State-of-the-art techniques to overcome these challenges mainly feature heterogeneous nucleating agents with regard to grain coarsening or alternating alloy concepts as well as post-weld heat treatments as for restoration of intergranular corrosion resistance. The present investigation seeks to depart from these traditional approaches through the use of a tailored heat input during pulsed laser beam welding by means of free-form pulse shaping. Grain size analysis using electron backscatter diffraction shows a substantial reduction of grain size as compared to continuous-wave lasers due to a distinctive columnar to equiaxed transition. Moreover, phase analyses reveal the overcoming of chromium carbide precipitation within the heat-affected zone. As corrosion tests demonstrate, intergranular attack is therefore concentrated on the weld metal. In comparison to continuous-wave laser beam welding, intergranular corrosion susceptibility is substantially reduced for very short pulse durations. From these results, it can be derived that pulsed laser beam welding using free-form pulse shaping enables direct control of heat input and, thus, tailored grain growth and precipitation formation properties.
CuO-based materials for thermochemical redox cycles: the influence of the formation of a CuO percolation network on oxygen release and oxidation kinetics
Authors: Imtiaz Qasim , Armutlulu Andac , Donat Felix , Müller Christoph
Published: October 2022

Thermochemical redox cycles such as chemical looping combustion (CLC) are an economically promising CO2 capture technology that rely on the combustion of a hydrocarbon fuel with lattice oxygen that is derived from a solid oxygen carrier. The oxygen carrier is typically regenerated with air. To increase the agglomeration resistance and redox stability of the oxygen carriers, the active phase is often stabilized with high Tammann temperature ceramics, resulting in the formation of so-called cermet structures. It has been hypothesized that the redox performance of the cermets depends critically on the conduction pathways for solid-state ionic diffusion and the activation energy for charge transport. Here, we investigate the influence of the formation of a percolation network on the electrical conductivity and the rate of oxidation for CeO2-stabilized Cu. We found that for oxygen carriers that contained 60 wt. % CuO, the charge transport occurred predominately via Cu/CuO conduction pathways. Below the percolation threshold of CuO, the conduction of charge carriers took place via CeO2 grains, which formed a continuous network. The measurements of charge transport and redox characteristics confirmed that the activation energy for charge transport through the cermet increased with decreasing Cu content. This indicates that the solid-state diffusion of charge carriers plays an important role during re-oxidation.
Developing Archaeology and Museology in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and Greece: Théodore Macridy, an Ottoman Greek ‘Liminal Scientist’
Authors: Grigoriadis Ioannis N.
Published: October 2022

This article concerns the development of archaeology and museology, in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and Greece, through the life and career of Théodore Macridy. Macridy participated in knowledge transfer in more than one discipline and more than one country. Through his links with Western academic circles in archaeology and museology, he made a significant contribution to their development in the Ottoman Empire, Turkey, and Greece. Living between the Ottoman and Greek epistemic communities as an Ottoman citizen of Greek origin, he excavated numerous sites of the Ottoman Empire, worked at the Ottoman Imperial Museum, and contributed to the foundation of the Benaki Museum in Athens at the end of his career. This makes him a good example of an Ottoman Greek scholar whose liminal identity led to his relative neglect in both Greek and Turkish archaeology and museology.
The iconic motivation for the morphophonological distinction between noun–verb pairs in American Sign Language does not reflect common human construals of objects and actions
Authors: Pyers Jennie E. , Emmorey Karen
Published: October 2022

Across sign languages, nouns can be derived from verbs through morphophonological changes in movement by (1) movement reduplication and size reduction or (2) size reduction alone. We asked whether these cross-linguistic similarities arise from cognitive biases in how humans construe objects and actions. We tested nonsigners’ sensitivity to differences in noun–verb pairs in American Sign Language (ASL) by asking MTurk workers to match images of actions and objects to videos of ASL noun–verb pairs. Experiment 1a’s match-to-sample paradigm revealed that nonsigners interpreted all signs, regardless of lexical class, as actions. The remaining experiments used a forced-matching procedure to avoid this bias. Counter our predictions, nonsigners associated reduplicated movement with actions not objects (inversing the sign language pattern) and exhibited a minimal bias to associate large movements with actions (as found in sign languages). Whether signs had pantomimic iconicity did not alter nonsigners’ judgments. We speculate that the morphophonological distinctions in noun–verb pairs observed in sign languages did not emerge as a result of cognitive biases, but rather as a result of the linguistic pressures of a growing lexicon and the use of space for verbal morphology. Such pressures may override an initial bias to map reduplicated movement to actions, but nevertheless reflect new iconic mappings shaped by linguistic and cognitive experiences.
Age-incidence and prevalence of HIV among intact and circumcised men: an analysis of PHIA surveys in Southern Africa
Authors: Garenne Michel
Published: October 2022

The study investigates the statistical relationship between male circumcision and HIV prevalence in Africa, in the context of the Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC) campaigns in place since 2008. Data from the Population-based HIV Impact Assessment (PHIA) surveys conducted in African countries in 2017-2018 were utilized. Six countries with high HIV prevalence, low traditional circumcision and large VMMC programs were selected: Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe. The statistical analysis investigated the relative risk (RR) of HIV prevalence by circumcision status (circumcised vs intact) among men age 20-59, and the age-incidence of HIV in the two groups among men age 20-49, defined as the linear-logistic slope of the relationship between prevalence and age. Results show that the standardized RR was not different from 1 at older ages (50-59): RR = 0.923, 95% CI = 0.769-1.108, P = 0.390. Furthermore, the age-incidence was at least as high or higher among the circumcised groups than among the intact groups. The standardized RR was lower than 1 at younger ages, and this could be explained by selection biases. HIV prevalence at age 40-59 (27.3%) was also the same in the four groups of circumcision status (intact, traditional, medical, unknown). Results matched earlier observations made in South Africa that circumcised and intact men had similar levels of HIV infection. The study questions the current strategy of large scale VMMC campaigns to control the HIV epidemic. These campaigns also raise a number of ethical issues.
Towards universal methods for fake news detection
Authors: Pszona Maria , Janicka Maria , Wojdyga Grzegorz , Wawer Aleksander
Published: October 2022

Fake news detection is an emerging topic that has attracted a lot of attention among researchers and in the industry. This paper focuses on fake news detection as a text classification problem: on the basis of five publicly available corpora with documents labeled as true or fake, the task was to automatically distinguish both classes without relying on fact-checking. The aim of our research was to test the feasibility of a universal model: one that produces satisfactory results on all data sets tested in our article. We attempted to do so by training a set of classification models on one collection and testing them on another. As it turned out, this resulted in a sharp performance degradation. Therefore, this paper focuses on finding the most effective approach to utilizing information in a transferable manner. We examined a variety of methods: feature selection, machine learning approaches to data set shift (instance re-weighting and projection-based), and deep learning approaches based on domain transfer. These methods were applied to various feature spaces: linguistic and psycholinguistic, embeddings obtained from the Universal Sentence Encoder, and GloVe embeddings. A detailed analysis showed that some combinations of these methods and selected feature spaces bring significant improvements. When using linguistic data, feature selection yielded the best overall mean improvement (across all train-test pairs) of 4%. Among the domain adaptation methods, the greatest improvement of 3% was achieved by subspace alignment.
A five-country study of front- and back-of-package nutrition label awareness and use: patterns and correlates from the 2018 International Food Policy Study
Authors: Bhawra Jasmin , Kirkpatrick Sharon I , Hall Marissa G , Vanderlee Lana , Thrasher James F , Jáuregui de la Mota Alejandra , Hammond David
Published: October 2022

Objective:

This study aimed to identify correlates of nutrition label awareness and use, particularly subgroup differences among consumers. Two label types were assessed: (1) nutrition facts tables (NFt) in Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK, and USA and (2) front-of-package (FOP) labels, including mandatory Guideline Daily Amounts (Mexico), voluntary Health Star Ratings (Australia) and voluntary Traffic Lights (UK).

Design:

Respondents were recruited using Nielsen Consumer Insights Global Panel (n21 586) and completed online surveys in November–December 2018. Linear regression and generalised linear mixed models examined differences in label use and awareness between countries and label type based on sociodemographic, knowledge-related and dietary characteristics.

Setting:

Australia, Canada, Mexico, UK and USA.

Participants:

Adults (≥18 years).

Results:

Respondents from the USA, Canada and Australia reported significantly higher NFt use and awareness than those in Mexico and the UK. Mexican respondents reported the highest level of FOP label awareness, whereas UK respondents reported the highest FOP label use. NFt use was higher among females, ‘minority’ ethnic groups, those with higher nutrition knowledge and respondents with ‘adequate literacy’ compared with those with ‘high likelihood of limited literacy’. FOP label use was higher among those with a ‘high likelihood of limited literacy’ compared with ‘adequate literacy’ across countries.

Conclusions:

Lower use of mandatory Guideline Daily Amount labels compared with voluntary FOP labelling systems provides support for Mexico’s decision to switch to mandatory ‘high-in’ warning symbols. The patterns of consumer label use and awareness across sociodemographic and knowledge-related characteristics suggest that simple FOP labels may encourage broader use across countries.
Dielectric frequency filtering lens antennas for radar measurements at 240 GHz
Authors: Thomas Sven , Shoykhetbrod Alex , Pohl Nils
Published: October 2022

Modern radar sensors are gaining more and more relevance for several industrial measurement applications. To achieve the required range resolution and measurement accuracy, the use of higher frequencies beyond 100 GHz is beneficiary. A commonly used signal generation concept in fully integrated radar transceivers is to use a fundamental oscillator with subsequent frequency multiplication. Depending on the overall system concept, this type of signal generation suffers from a fundamental feed-through signal which generates false targets in frequency modulated continuous wave operation. Additionally, those unwanted signal components radiated by the sensors might be problematic for legal conformity or electromagnetic (EM) interference compliance. This paper presents a novel concept for frequency filtering dielectric lens antennas, to suppress unwanted signal components at harmonic frequencies based on interference filtering effects. Besides the EM simulations to theoretically prove this concept, multiple prototypes of filtering lens antennas were fabricated by conventional mechanical and additive manufacturing. Using a self-developed, ultra-compact radar sensor, measurements were taken to compare the lens antenna prototypes in terms of filtering performance and how the material characteristics affect the filtering performance. Within these measurements, the successful suppression of false targets caused by fundamental feed-through signals is demonstrated.
Das «Mickey-Mouse-Herz»
Authors: Meyer Judith , Haegeli Laurent M. , Brinkert Miriam
Published: October 2022

Zusammenfassung. Das sogenannte «Mickey-Mouse-Herz» beschreibt Patientinnen und Patienten mit HFpEF, einer massiven biatrialen Dilatation und Anulusdilatation, Vorhofflimmern und schweren AV-Klappeninsuffizienzen. Typischerweise betrifft die Erkrankung ältere Menschen, die sich mit einer fortgeschrittenen HFpEF präsentieren. Die molekularbiologischen Grundlagen und Risikofaktoren für die charakteristische Vorhofdilatation sind kaum bekannt. Neben der wichtigen Guideline-konformen HFpEF-Therapie ist eine frühzeitige Rhythmuskontrolle bei Vorhofflimmern wie auch die Behandlung schwerer symptomatischer AV-Klappeninsuffizienzen zu evaluieren.
CME: Neuroborreliose CME-Fragen
Authors: Iven-Assmann Laura , Szajek Katarzyna , Sturzenegger Rolf , Cusini Alexia , Fehr Thomas
Published: October 2022

Zusammenfassung. Die Borreliose ist die häufigste durch Zecken übertragene Infektionskrankheit in Europa. Bakterien aus dem Borrelia-burgdorferi-Komplex werden hier durch Zecken auf den Menschen übertragen. Initial kommt es häufig an der Einstichstelle zu einem lokalen Befund (Erythema migrans). Wird dieser Lokalbefund nicht antimikrobiell behandelt, kann es zu einer disseminierten Erkrankung kommen, welche sich als Lyme-Neuroborreliose, als Lyme-Karditis, als Lyme-Arthritis oder als Acrodermatitis chronica atrophicans äussert. Eine Neuroborreliose kommt bei 3–15% der Fälle vor. Die mit Abstand häufigste Form der Neuroborreliose ist die Meningoradikuloneuritis der Hirnnerven. Weitere mögliche Manifestationen sind die Polyradikulitis, die Meningitis und selten die Enzephalomyelitis. Die Antibiotikabehandlung der Neuroborreliose kann mit Doxycyclin, Ceftriaxon oder Penicillin G erfolgen. Die Prophylaxe der Erkrankung besteht derzeit aus der Expositionsprophylaxe. Eine polyvalente OspA-Impfung ist für Europa zurzeit in Entwicklung.
The History of Cenozoic Carbonate Flux in the Atlantic Ocean Constrained by Multiple Regional Carbonate Compensation Depth Reconstructions
Authors: Dutkiewicz Adriana , Müller R. Dietmar
Published: October 2022

The Atlantic is the only ocean basin almost entirely surrounded by passive margins, and a major global long‐term sink of carbonate carbon that has evaded subduction. Quantifying the history of carbonate accumulation in the Atlantic has been limited by the absence of well‐defined regional carbonate compensation depth (CCD) models. We determine the CCD for the northern North Atlantic, central North Atlantic, and South Atlantic, and use these reconstructions to compute the carbonate carbon mass and carbonate carbon flux in a tectonic framework at 0.5 m.y. intervals since 66 Ma. We find that the total carbonate carbon mass of the Atlantic has grown 2.5‐fold from ∼1,500 Mt at 66 Ma to ∼3,800 Mt at present day. The overall Cenozoic increase in carbonate carbon flux toward the present day is punctuated by “carbonate crash” phases in the mid‐Eocene at ∼44–38 Ma and in the mid‐late Miocene at ∼19–8 Ma. During these times the flux decreases from ∼45 to ∼25 Mt C/yr, likely caused by carbonate dissolution and reductions in productivity. Reduced carbonate carbon flux in the mid‐Eocene also coincides with reduced calcification rates of small coccolithophores previously observed offshore Africa. After ∼8 Ma the carbonate carbon flux rises to a Cenozoic maximum of ∼75 Mt C/yr at ∼3 Ma, possibly driven by enhanced flux of nutrients into the ocean. Our CCD curves and the resulting carbonate accumulation history are useful for calibrating ocean chemistry models, and constraining global terrestrial weathering rates, climate perturbations, and carbon cycle models.
δ18O of O2 in a Tibetan Ice Core Constrains Its Chronology to the Holocene
Authors: Hu Huanting , Li Qiuyu , Zhang Wangbin , Wu Shuang‐ye , Song Jing , Liu Ke , Zou Xiang , Pang Hongxi , Yan Maojun , Hou Shugui
Published: October 2022

Dating of the Tibetan ice cores is often challenging with great uncertainties. The significant age difference between the Guliya ice core (∼760 ka [thousand years]) and other Tibetan ice cores (Holocene origin) necessitates new approaches to resolve the inconsistency. Here, we present the atmospheric O2 δ18O (δ18Oatm) profile of the 216.6 m Chongce ice core. Our data suggest that post depositional alterations significantly changed δ18Oatm. We reject samples with melt layers, and reconstruct the δ18Oatm values with two extreme correction approaches: a minimum isotopic correction based on gas loss fractionation, and a maximum isotopic correction based on respiration fractionation. We consequently estimate the age range of the Chongce ice core to be 2.763–7.192 ka at the depth of 215.14 m, and ∼3–9.799 ka at the depth of 215.61 m. Our work provides an independent line of evidence for the Holocene origin of the Chongce ice core.
Deducing Lunar Regolith Porosity From Energetic Neutral Atom Emission
Authors: Szabo P. S. , Poppe A. R. , Biber H. , Mutzke A. , Pichler J. , Jäggi N. , Galli A. , Wurz P. , Aumayr F.
Published: October 2022

The porosity of the upper layers of regolith is key to the interaction of an airless planetary body with precipitating radiation, but it remains difficult to characterize. One of the effects that is governed by regolith properties is Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) emission in the form of reflected and neutralized solar wind protons. We simulate this process for the surface of the Moon by implementing a regolith grain stacking in the ion‐solid‐interaction software SDTrimSP‐3D, finding that proton reflection significantly depends on the regolith porosity. Via comparison with ENA measurements by Chandrayaan‐1, we derive a globally averaged porosity of the uppermost regolith layers of . These results indicate a highly porous, fairy‐castle‐like nature of the upper lunar regolith, as well as its importance for the interaction with impacting ions. Our simulations further outline the possibility of future regolith studies with ENA measurements, for example, by the BepiColombo mission to Mercury.
Statistics and Empirical Models of the Plasmasphere Boundaries From the Van Allen Probes for Radiation Belt Physics
Authors: Ripoll J.‐F. , Thaller S. A. , Hartley D. P. , Cunningham G. S. , Pierrard V. , Kurth W. S. , Kletzing C. A. , Wygant J. R.
Published: October 2022

We deduce the electron plasma density from the NASA Van Allen Probes Electric Field and Waves and Electric and Magnetic Field Instrument Suite and Integrated Science measurements and extract the plasmasphere boundaries throughout 2012–2019. We use the gradient method for locating the plasmapause at Lpp and the 100 cm−3 density threshold for the plasmasphere outer edge at L100. We show how, where, and when both Lpp and L100 coincide when the plasmapause gradient exists. L100 is demonstrated to bound the plasmasphere at large L‐shell in the dusk. The plasmasphere expands farther out than predicted from the Carpenter and Anderson (1992, https://doi.org/10.1029/91JA01548) model. We generate statistics of the plasmasphere boundaries binned by L‐shell, magnetic local time (MLT), and geomagnetic indices, leading to new models for radiation belt codes. The L100 boundary commonly varies by ∼±0.5 L, increasing with activity up to ∼±1 L, becomes MLT‐dependent for Kp > ∼2, and is preferentially steep on the night side for non‐quiet times and a wider region in the afternoon sector.
Detection of Spatial and Temporal Stress Changes During the 2016 Central Italy Seismic Sequence by Monitoring the Evolution of the Energy Index
Authors: Picozzi Matteo , Spallarossa Daniele , Bindi Dino , Iaccarino Antonio Giovanni , Rivalta Eleonora
Published: October 2022

We consider approximately 23,000 microearthquakes that occurred between 2005 and 2016 in central Italy to investigate the crustal strength before and after the three largest earthquakes of the 2016 seismic sequence (i.e., the Mw 6.2, 24 August 2016 Amatrice, the Mw 6.1, 26 October 2016 Visso, and the Mw 6.5, 30 October 2016 Norcia earthquakes). We monitor the spatiotemporal deviations of observed radiated energy, ES, with respect to theoretical values, ESt, derived from a scaling model between ES and M0 calibrated for background seismicity in central Italy. These deviations, defined here as Energy Index (EI), allow us to identify in the years following the Mw 6.1, 2009 L’Aquila earthquake a progressive evolution of the dynamic properties of microearthquakes and the existence of high EI patches close to the Amatrice earthquake hypocenter. We show the existence of a crustal volume with high EI even before the Mw 6.5 Norcia earthquake. Our results agree with the previously suggested hypothesis that the Norcia earthquake nucleated at the boundary of a large patch, highly stressed by the two previous mainshocks of the sequence. We highlight the mainshocks interaction both in terms of EI and of the mean loading shear stress associated to microearthquakes occurring within the crustal volumes comprising the mainshock hypocenters. Our study shows that the dynamic characteristics of microearthquakes can be exploited as beacons of stress change in the crust and thus be exploited to monitor the seismic hazard of a region and help to intercept the preparation phase of large earthquakes.
Wind‐Induced Variability of Warm Water on the Southern Bellingshausen Sea Continental Shelf
Authors: Oelerich Ria , Heywood Karen J. , Damerell Gillian M. , Thompson Andrew F.
Published: October 2022

The Bellingshausen Sea hosts heat transport onto the continental shelf, potentially enhancing ice shelf basal melt. Here, we use the GLORYS12V1 1993–2018 reanalysis to identify physical processes that set seasonal and interannual variability of water mass properties in the Eltanin and Latady Bays on the southern Bellingshausen Sea continental shelf. Annual means of potential temperature from 300 m to the seabed reveal interannual variability and allow separation into warm and cold regimes. The Amundsen Sea Low (ASL) is more intense and extends further east during the warm regime than the cold regime. In the warm regime, a wind‐induced reduction of sea ice concentration near the coast increases surface heat loss, convection, and formation of cold dense water in winter, associated with a decrease in heat content of the southern Bellingshausen Sea over time and a net northward heat transport. In contrast, in the cold regime, increased sea ice concentration reduces surface heat loss and thus formation of cold, dense water. Combined with an increase in heat content over time and a net southward heat transport, this results in a warming of the southern Bellingshausen Sea. This suggests that variability in the deep water temperature in the southern Bellingshausen Sea is primarily due to local surface heat fluxes above the shelf. The variability of surface heat fluxes is related to the variability of the ASL and its influence on sea ice extent and local formation of cold, dense water in winter.
Gasdermin D mediates endoplasmic reticulum stress via FAM134B to regulate cardiomyocyte autophagy and apoptosis in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity
Authors: Qu Ya’nan , Gao Rifeng , Wei Xiang , Sun Xiaolei , Yang Kun , Shi Huairui , Gao Yang , Hu Shiyu , Wang Yiwen , Yang Ji’e , Sun Aijun , Zhang Feng , Ge Junbo
Published: October 2022

Cardiomyocyte pyroptosis and apoptosis play a vital role in the pathophysiology of several cardiovascular diseases. Our recent study revealed that gasdermin D (GSDMD) can promote myocardial I/R injury via the caspase-11/GSDMD pathway. We also found that GSDMD deletion attenuated myocardial I/R and MI injury by reducing cardiomyocyte apoptosis and pyroptosis. However, how GSDMD mediates cardiomyocyte apoptosis and protects myocardial function remains unclear. Here, we found that doxorubicin (DOX) treatment resulted in increased apoptosis and pyroptosis in cardiomyocytes and that caspase-11/GSDMD could mediate DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (DIC) injury. Interestingly, GSDMD overexpression promoted cardiomyocyte apoptosis, which was attenuated by GSDMD knockdown. Notably, GSDMD overexpression exacerbated DIC injury, impaired cardiac function in vitro and in vivo, and enhanced DOX-induced cardiomyocyte autophagy. Mechanistically, GSDMD regulated the activity of FAM134B, an endoplasmic reticulum autophagy receptor, by pore formation on the endoplasmic reticulum membrane via its N-terminus, thus activating endoplasmic reticulum stress. In turn, FAM134B interacted with autophagic protein LC3, thus inducing cardiac autophagy, promoting cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and aggravating DIC. These results suggest that GSDMD promotes autophagy and induces cardiomyocyte apoptosis by modulating the reaction of FAM134B and LC3, thereby promoting DIC injury. Targeted regulation of GSDMD may be a new target for the prevention and treatment of DIC.
Loss of thyroid gland circadian PER2 rhythmicity in aged mice and its potential association with thyroid cancer development
Authors: Lee Junguee , Sul Hae Joung , Choi Hyunsu , Oh Dong Hyun , Shong Minho
Published: October 2022

Molecular clocks operate in peripheral tissues, including endocrine glands, and play important regulatory roles in this context. However, potential age-related changes in the expression rhythmicity of clock genes and the effects of these changes on the thyroid gland remain unknown. In the present study, we evaluated the expression rhythmicity of peripheral thyroid clock genes in aged mice using RNA-seq transcriptomic analysis in young (3.5-month) versus aged (20-month) mice. In addition, we determined the cellular effects of silencing of PER2, a major clock gene regulator, in human thyroid cell lines. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment analysis revealed that differentially expressed genes (DEGs) in the thyroid glands of aged mice were involved in mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) signaling, chemokine signaling, circadian entrainment, PI3K/AKT signaling, and Apelin signaling. The expression of circadian clock genes Arntl/Bmal1 was significantly downregulated in thyroid glands of aged mice, whereas the expression of genes involved in regulation of cell proliferation, migration, and tumorigenesis was upregulated. Peripheral thyroid clock genes, particularly Per mRNA and PER2 protein, were downregulated in the thyroid glands of aged mice, and circadian oscillation of these genes was declined. Knockdown of the circadian clock gene PER2 in human thyroid follicular cells induced AP-1 activity via JNK MAPK signaling activation, which increased cell proliferation. Furthermore, the aging-related loss of PER2 circadian oscillation activated the AP-1 transcription factor via the JNK MAPK pathway, which could contribute to thyroid hyperplasia, a common age-related condition.
Fibroblast A20 governs fibrosis susceptibility and its repression by DREAM promotes fibrosis in multiple organs
Authors: Wang Wenxia , Bale Swarna , Wei Jun , Yalavarthi Bharath , Bhattacharyya Dibyendu , Yan Jing Jing , Abdala-Valencia Hiam , Xu Dan , Sun Hanshi , Marangoni Roberta G. , Herzog Erica , Berdnikovs Sergejs , Miller Stephen D. , Sawalha Amr H. , Tsou Pei-Suen , Awaji Kentaro , Yamashita Takashi , Sato Shinichi , Asano Yoshihide , Tiruppathi Chinnaswamy , Yeldandi Anjana , Schock Bettina C. , Bhattacharyya Swati , Varga John
Published: October 2022

In addition to autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, variants of the TNFAIP3 gene encoding the ubiquitin-editing enzyme A20 are also associated with fibrosis in systemic sclerosis (SSc). However, it remains unclear how genetic factors contribute to SSc pathogenesis, and which cell types drive the disease due to SSc-specific genetic alterations. We therefore characterize the expression, function, and role of A20, and its negative transcriptional regulator DREAM, in patients with SSc and disease models. Levels of A20 are significantly reduced in SSc skin and lungs, while DREAM is elevated. In isolated fibroblasts, A20 mitigates ex vivo profibrotic responses. Mice haploinsufficient for A20, or harboring fibroblasts-specific A20 deletion, recapitulate major pathological features of SSc, whereas DREAM-null mice with elevated A20 expression are protected. In DREAM-null fibroblasts, TGF-β induces the expression of A20, compared to wild-type fibroblasts. An anti-fibrotic small molecule targeting cellular adiponectin receptors stimulates A20 expression in vitro in wild-type but not A20-deficient fibroblasts and in bleomycin-treated mice. Thus, A20 has a novel cell-intrinsic function in restraining fibroblast activation, and together with DREAM, constitutes a critical regulatory network governing the fibrotic process in SSc. A20 and DREAM represent novel druggable targets for fibrosis therapy.
V1-bypassing suppression leads to direction-specific microsaccade modulation in visual coding and perception
Authors: Wu Yujie , Wang Tian , Zhou Tingting , Li Yang , Yang Yi , Dai Weifeng , Zhang Yange , Han Chuanliang , Xing Dajun
Published: October 2022

Microsaccades play a critical role in refreshing visual information and have been shown to have direction-specific influences on human perception. However, the neural mechanisms underlying such direction-specific effects remains unknown. Here, we report the emergence of direction-specific microsaccade modulation in the middle layer of V2 but not in V1: responses of V2 neurons after microsaccades moved toward their receptive fields were stronger than those when microsaccades moved away. The decreased responses from V1 to V2, which are correlated with the amplitude of microsaccades away from receptive fields, suggest topographically location-specific suppression from an oculomotor source. Consistent with directional effects in V2, microsaccades function as a guide for monkeys’ behavior in a peripheral detection task; both can be explained by a dynamic neural network. Our findings suggest a V1-bypassing suppressive circuit for direction-specific microsaccade modulation in V2 and its functional influence on visual sensitivity, which highlights the optimal sampling nature of microsaccades.
The type 1 diabetes gene TYK2 regulates β-cell development and its responses to interferon-α
Authors: Chandra Vikash , Ibrahim Hazem , Halliez Clémentine , Prasad Rashmi B. , Vecchio Federica , Dwivedi Om Prakash , Kvist Jouni , Balboa Diego , Saarimäki-Vire Jonna , Montaser Hossam , Barsby Tom , Lithovius Väinö , Artner Isabella , Gopalakrishnan Swetha , Groop Leif , Mallone Roberto , Eizirik Decio L. , Otonkoski Timo
Published: October 2022

Type 1 diabetes (T1D) is an autoimmune disease that results in the destruction of insulin producing pancreatic β-cells. One of the genes associated with T1D is TYK2, which encodes a Janus kinase with critical roles in type-Ι interferon (IFN-Ι) mediated intracellular signalling. To study the role of TYK2 in β-cell development and response to IFNα, we generated TYK2 knockout human iPSCs and directed them into the pancreatic endocrine lineage. Here we show that loss of TYK2 compromises the emergence of endocrine precursors by regulating KRAS expression, while mature stem cell-islets (SC-islets) function is not affected. In the SC-islets, the loss or inhibition of TYK2 prevents IFNα-induced antigen processing and presentation, including MHC Class Ι and Class ΙΙ expression, enhancing their survival against CD8+ T-cell cytotoxicity. These results identify an unsuspected role for TYK2 in β-cell development and support TYK2 inhibition in adult β-cells as a potent therapeutic target to halt T1D progression.
Ultrafast one-minute electronic detection of SARS-CoV-2 infection by 3CLpro enzymatic activity in untreated saliva samples
Authors: Borberg Ella , Granot Eran , Patolsky Fernando
Published: October 2022

Since its onset in December 2019, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2, SARS-CoV-2, has caused over 6.5 million deaths worldwide as of October 2022. Attempts to curb viral transmission rely heavily on reliable testing to detect infections since a large number of transmissions are carried through asymptomatic individuals. Many available detection methods fall short in terms of reliability or point-of-care applicability. Here, we report an electrochemical approach targeting a viral proteolytic enzyme, 3CLpro, as a marker of active infection. We detect proteolytic activity directly from untreated saliva within one minute of sample incubation using a reduction-oxidation pH indicator. Importantly, clinical tests of saliva samples from 50 subjects show accurate detection of SARS-CoV-2, with high sensitivity and specificity, validated by PCR testing. These, coupled with our platform’s ultrafast detection, simplicity, low cost and point-of-care compatibility, make it a promising method for the real-world SARS-CoV-2 mass-screening.
Optoelectronic properties and ultrafast carrier dynamics of copper iodide thin films
Authors: Li Zhan Hua , He Jia Xing , Lv Xiao Hu , Chi Ling Fei , Egbo Kingsley O. , Li Ming-De , Tanaka Tooru , Guo Qi Xin , Yu Kin Man , Liu Chao Ping
Published: October 2022

As a promising high mobility p-type wide bandgap semiconductor, copper iodide has received increasing attention in recent years. However, the defect physics/evolution are still controversial, and particularly the ultrafast carrier and exciton dynamics in copper iodide has rarely been investigated. Here, we study these fundamental properties for copper iodide thin films by a synergistic approach employing a combination of analytical techniques. Steady-state photoluminescence spectra reveal that the emission at ~420 nm arises from the recombination of electrons with neutral copper vacancies. The photogenerated carrier density dependent ultrafast physical processes are elucidated with using the femtosecond transient absorption spectroscopy. Both the effects of hot-phonon bottleneck and the Auger heating significantly slow down the cooling rate of hot-carriers in the case of high excitation density. The effect of defects on the carrier recombination and the two-photon induced ultrafast carrier dynamics are also investigated. These findings are crucial to the optoelectronic applications of copper iodide.