bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No matter how you mark the points on the fever curve – threatening shapes do not add to threat of climate change
Authors: Katsarava Mariam , Landmann Helen , Gaschler Robert
Published: December 2021

Graphs have become an increasingly important means of representing data, for instance, when communicating data on climate change. However, graph characteristics might significantly affect graph comprehension. The goal of the present work was to test whether the marking forms usually depicted on line-graphs, can have an impact on graph evaluation. As past work suggests that triangular forms might be related to threat, we compared the effect of triangular marking forms with other symbols (triangles, circles, squares, rhombi, and asterisks) on subjective assessments. Participants in Study 1 (N = 314) received 5 different line-graphs about climate change, each of them using one out of 5 marking forms. In Study 1, the threat and arousal ratings of the graphs with triangular marking shapes were not higher than those with the other marking symbols. Participants in Study 2 (N = 279) received the same graphs, yet without labels and indeed rated the graphs with triangle point markers as more threatening. Testing whether local rather than global spatial attention would lead to an impact of marker shape in climate graphs, Study 3 (N = 307) documented that a task demanding to process a specific data-point on the graph (rather than just the line graph as a whole) did not lead to an effect either. These results suggest that marking symbols can principally affect threat and arousal ratings but not in the context of climate change. Hence, in graphs on climate change, choice of point markers does not have to take potential side-effects on threat and arousal into account. These seem to be restricted to the processing of graphs where form aspects face less competition from the content domain on judgments.
Targeted therapy of irritable bowel syndrome with anti-inflammatory cytokines
Authors: Kumar Sunil , Singh Priyanka , Kumar Awanish
Published: December 2021

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a multifactorial disease of which infection, as well as inflammation, has recently been considered as an important cause. Inflammation works as a potential pathway for the pathogenesis of IBS. In this review, we have discussed the targeted therapy of IBS. We used the search term “inflammation in IBS” and “proinflammatory” and “antiinflammatory cytokines and IBS” using PubMed, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar. The literature search included only articles written in the English language. We have also reviewed currently available anti-inflammatory treatment and future perspectives. Cytokine imbalance in the systematic circulation and the intestinal mucosa may also characterize IBS presentation. Imbalances of pro-and anti-inflammatory cytokines and polymorphisms in cytokine genes have been reported in IBS. The story of targeted therapy of IBS with anti-inflammatory cytokines is far from complete and it seems that it has only just begun. This review describes the key issues related to pro-inflammatory cytokines associated with IBS, molecular regulation of immune response in IBS, inhibitors of pro-inflammatory cytokines in IBS, and clinical perspectives of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines in IBS.
A new desorption-induced permeability dynamic model and its application in primary coalbed methane recovery
Authors: Zhang Xianmin , Zhang Bin , Zhang Jiyuan , Deng Ze , Guo Dan
Published: December 2021

In the process of dewatering and recovery of coalbed methane, coal permeability exhibits a quite unique feature due to the interference of matrix shrinkage and stress effects. A new theoretical dynamic model was proposed for coal permeability based on the assumptions of matchstick geometry of the coal and uniaxial strain condition. Distinct from previous models such as P&M and S&D models, our model relates the gas-sorption-reduced strain to the change of surface energy of coal solids. One of the advantages of this model is that it does not require the sorption-reduced strain as an essential input, and therefore eliminates the related laborious and expensive laboratory measurement. The model was validated by fitting it to two sets of public data and shows an excellent match with the observed data. The results also indicate that our model has a better performance in predicting the permeability dynamics than P&M and S&D models. Additionally, a sensitivity analysis of the effect of input parameters on permeability dynamics was conducted by gray-relation theory, and the initial porosity and reservoir temperature are demonstrated to exert a most distinguished effect on the permeability dynamics. Finally, the proposed model was incorporated into a numerical simulator and successfully applied to conduct a history match of the gas and water production rate in a developed territory.
Experimental investigation of hybrid laminar flow control by a modular flat plate model in the DNW-NWB
Authors: Lüdeke Heinrich , Breitenstein Christian
Published: December 2021

To determine the characteristics of new suction concepts for hybrid laminar flow control (HLFC) a modular flat plate wind tunnel model is investigated in the DNW-NWB wind tunnel facility. This approach allows detailed examination of suction characteristics in consideration of realistic boundary layer flow conditions. The following evaluation reveals the effects of joining methods between successive panels and other surface disturbances of porous materials and underlying chambers on HLFC techniques. After successful measurements with and without suction panels, this paper compares experimental results with theoretical and numerical approaches and draws conclusions from N-factor results and boundary layer (BL) measurements.
Carried away by a moonlight shadow: activity of wild boar in relation to nocturnal light intensity
Authors: Gordigiani Lorenzo , Viviano Andrea , Brivio Francesca , Grignolio Stefano , Lazzeri Lorenzo , Marcon Andrea , Mori Emiliano
Published: December 2021

An increase of nocturnal activity of ungulate species may represent a compensatory opportunity for energy intake, when activity in daylight is hindered by some disturbance events (e.g. hunting or predation). Therefore, mostly-diurnal and crepuscular species may be active in bright moonlight nights whereas others may shift their diurnal activity towards darkest nights to limit their exposure to predators. In natural and undisturbed conditions, the wild boar may be active both during the day and the night, with alternating periods of activity and resting. In this work, we tested whether activity patterns of wild boar, a species with poor visive abilities, were dependent on moon phases and environmental lightening. We aimed to assess if nocturnal activity could be better explained by variations of the lunar cycle or by the variations of environmental lightening conditions, evaluated by means of different measures of night brightness. Data were collected through camera-trapping in Central Italy in 2019–2020. Despite the poor visive abilities of the wild boar, we observed that this ungulate significantly reduced their activity by avoiding the brightest nights. In our study area, the wild boar has to cope with both human pressure (i.e. mostly hunters and poachers) and predation by the grey wolf. Furthermore, the nocturnal activity of wild boar peaked in mid-Autumn, i.e. when hunting pressure is the highest and when leaf fall may bring wild boar to range for long distances to find suitable resting sites for diurnal hours.
Primary specialisations in Australia: graduates’ perceptions of outcome and impact
Authors: Main S. , Byrne M. , Scott J. J. , Sullivan K. , Paolino A. , Slater E. V. , Boron J.
Published: December 2021

In 2014, the Australian Government established the Teacher Education Ministerial Advisory Group (TEMAG) to advise on how teacher education programmes could ensure new teachers were adequately prepared for the classroom. Following this, the Australian Government endorsed a key recommendation of the TEMAG Action Now: Classroom Ready Teachers report, the inclusion of specialisations in primary Initial Teacher Education (ITE). This research was conducted at an Australian public university that, in 2016, had embedded specialisations in a revised primary teacher programme structure and was one of the first ITE institutions in Australia to graduate primary teachers with a specialisation. Using a mixed-methods case study design with convenience sampling, this study sought to investigate these primary graduates’ perceptions of undertaking a specialisation in relation to the development of content knowledge and pedagogical knowledge in the specialist area, as well as perceived employment advantages. This research took place over 4 years with participants having completed a Bachelor of Education (Primary) at least three months prior to participating. The participants reported benefits to having completed a primary specialisation but expressed concerns about their preparedness to teach their specialisation and whether it would result in any advantages for employment. Recommendations from the participants included teaching practice in their area of specialisation, consideration of specialist skills and changing the timetabling of the specialisation in the programme. Ultimately, there is a need for ongoing research in this area to determine the extent to which primary specialisations deliver the intended outcomes and impacts at both the policy driver level and the university level.
Improving recent side-channel attacks against the DES key schedule
Authors: Wiemers Andreas , Mittmann Johannes
Published: December 2021

Recent publications consider side-channel attacks against the key schedule of the Data Encryption Standard (DES). These publications identify a leakage model depending on the XOR of register values in the DES key schedule. Building on this leakage model, we first revisit a discrete model which assumes that the Hamming distances between subsequent round keys leak without error. We analyze this model formally and provide theoretical explanations for observations made in previous works. Next we examine a continuous model which considers more points of interest and also takes noise into account. The model gives rise to an evaluation function for key candidates and an associated notion of key ranking. We develop an algorithm for enumerating key candidates up to a desired rank which is based on the Fincke–Pohst lattice point enumeration algorithm. We derive information-theoretic bounds and estimates for the remaining entropy and compare them with our experimental results. We apply our attack to side-channel measurements of a security controller. Using our enumeration algorithm we are able to significantly improve the results reported previously for the same measurement data.
Prognostic evaluation models for primary thyroid lymphoma, based on the SEER database and an external validation cohort
Authors: Zhu Yunshu , Yang Sheng , He Xiaohui
Published: December 2021

Purpose

Primary thyroid lymphoma (PTL) is a rare malignancy, and the literature is limited to small case series and case reports. This study aimed to assess the epidemiologic characteristics, survival, and prognostic factors of patients with PTL.

Methods

We analyzed 2215 PTL patients from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database medical records, between 1983 and 2015, as the training cohort. We enrolled 105 patients from the Cancer Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, for the external validation cohort. The nomograms for predicting the 1-, 5-, and 10-year overall survival (OS) and lymphoma-specific survival (LSS) were constructed.

Results

PTL incidence steadily increased from 1977 to 1994, with an annual percentage change of 3.2% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.2–5.2, P < 0.05). The 1-, 5-, and 10-year OS and LSS rates were 84.66%, 71.61%, and 55.95%; and 90.5%, 85.7%, and 82.2%, respectively. Multivariate Cox regression analysis revealed that shorter OS association with age ≥ 60 years (hazard ratio [HR], 3.94; 95% CI 3.31–4.69; P < 0.001), unmarried status (HR, 1.55; 95% CI 1.37–1.75; P < 0.001), Ann Arbor stage III-IV (HR, 1.55; 95% CI 1.37–1.75; P = 0.020), diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (HR, 2.60; 95% CI 1.15–5.87; P = 0.022), and T cell non–Hodgkin lymphoma (HR, 3.53; 95% CI 1.12–11.10; P = 0.031). In the multivariate competing-risk analyzes, age, stages III-IV, year of diagnosis, surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and histology were strongly predictive of PTL-specific risk of death. To estimate the 1-, 5-, and 10-year LSS and OS rates, respectively, nomograms were built. In the validation cohort, the results also confirmed the utility.

Conclusions

This study presents the first prognostic model with an external validation that could help clinicians identify patients with high-risk PTL to improve their prognosis.
Comparing interactive evolutionary multiobjective optimization methods with an artificial decision maker
Authors: Afsar Bekir , Ruiz Ana B. , Miettinen Kaisa
Published: December 2021

Solving multiobjective optimization problems with interactive methods enables a decision maker with domain expertise to direct the search for the most preferred trade-offs with preference information and learn about the problem. There are different interactive methods, and it is important to compare them and find the best-suited one for solving the problem in question. Comparisons with real decision makers are expensive, and artificial decision makers (ADMs) have been proposed to simulate humans in basic testing before involving real decision makers. Existing ADMs only consider one type of preference information. In this paper, we propose ADM-II, which is tailored to assess several interactive evolutionary methods and is able to handle different types of preference information. We consider two phases of interactive solution processes, i.e., learning and decision phases separately, so that the proposed ADM-II generates preference information in different ways in each of them to reflect the nature of the phases. We demonstrate how ADM-II can be applied with different methods and problems. We also propose an indicator to assess and compare the performance of interactive evolutionary methods.
Biomass-Derived Carbon Heterostructures Enable Environmentally Adaptive Wideband Electromagnetic Wave Absorbers
Authors: Lou Zhichao , Wang Qiuyi , Kara Ufuoma I. , Mamtani Rajdeep S. , Zhou Xiaodi , Bian Huiyang , Yang Zhihong , Li Yanjun , Lv Hualiang , Adera Solomon , Wang Xiaoguang
Published: December 2021

Although advances in wireless technologies such as miniature and wearable electronics have improved the quality of our lives, the ubiquitous use of electronics comes at the expense of increased exposure to electromagnetic (EM) radiation. Up to date, extensive efforts have been made to develop high-performance EM absorbers based on synthetic materials. However, the design of an EM absorber with both exceptional EM dissipation ability and good environmental adaptability remains a substantial challenge. Here, we report the design of a class of carbon heterostructures via hierarchical assembly of graphitized lignocellulose derived from bamboo. Specifically, the assemblies of nanofibers and nanosheets behave as a nanometer-sized antenna, which results in an enhancement of the conductive loss. In addition, we show that the composition of cellulose and lignin in the precursor significantly influences the shape of the assembly and the formation of covalent bonds, which affect the dielectric response-ability and the surface hydrophobicity (the apparent contact angle of water can reach 135°). Finally, we demonstrate that the obtained carbon heterostructure maintains its wideband EM absorption with an effective absorption frequency ranging from 12.5 to 16.7 GHz under conditions that simulate the real-world environment, including exposure to rainwater with slightly acidic/alkaline pH values. Overall, the advances reported in this work provide new design principles for the synthesis of high-performance EM absorbers that can find practical applications in real-world environments.
Precise Thermoplastic Processing of Graphene Oxide Layered Solid by Polymer Intercalation
Authors: Li Zeshen , Guo Fan , Pang Kai , Lin Jiahao , Gao Qiang , Chen Yance , Chang Dan , Wang Ya , Liu Senping , Han Yi , Liu Yingjun , Xu Zhen , Gao Chao
Published: December 2021

The processing capability is vital for the wide applications of materials to forge structures as-demand. Graphene-based macroscopic materials have shown excellent mechanical and functional properties. However, different from usual polymers and metals, graphene solids exhibit limited deformability and processibility for precise forming. Here, we present a precise thermoplastic forming of graphene materials by polymer intercalation from graphene oxide (GO) precursor. The intercalated polymer enables the thermoplasticity of GO solids by thermally activated motion of polymer chains. We detect a critical minimum containing of intercalated polymer that can expand the interlayer spacing exceeding 1.4 nm to activate thermoplasticity, which becomes the criteria for thermal plastic forming of GO solids. By thermoplastic forming, the flat GO-composite films are forged to Gaussian curved shapes and imprinted to have surface relief patterns with size precision down to 360 nm. The plastic-formed structures maintain the structural integration with outstanding electrical (3.07 × 105 S m−1) and thermal conductivity (745.65 W m−1 K−1) after removal of polymers. The thermoplastic strategy greatly extends the forming capability of GO materials and other layered materials and promises versatile structural designs for more broad applications.

Graphical abstract
Sorting Gold and Sand (Silica) Using Atomic Force Microscope-Based Dielectrophoresis
Authors: Kim Chungman , Hong Sunghoon , Shin Dongha , An Sangmin , Zhang Xingcai , Jhe Wonho
Published: December 2021

Additive manufacturing–also known as 3D printing–has attracted much attention in recent years as a powerful method for the simple and versatile fabrication of complicated three-dimensional structures. However, the current technology still exhibits a limitation in realizing the selective deposition and sorting of various materials contained in the same reservoir, which can contribute significantly to additive printing or manufacturing by enabling simultaneous sorting and deposition of different substances through a single nozzle. Here, we propose a dielectrophoresis (DEP)-based material-selective deposition and sorting technique using a pipette-based quartz tuning fork (QTF)-atomic force microscope (AFM) platform DEPQA and demonstrate multi-material sorting through a single nozzle in ambient conditions. We used Au and silica nanoparticles for sorting and obtained 95% accuracy for spatial separation, which confirmed the surface-enhanced Raman spectroscopy (SERS). To validate the scheme, we also performed a simulation for the system and found qualitative agreement with the experimental results. The method that combines DEP, pipette-based AFM, and SERS may widely expand the unique capabilities of 3D printing and nano-micro patterning for multi-material patterning, materials sorting, and diverse advanced applications. "Image missing"
Fear of COVID-19 changes economic preferences: evidence from a repeated cross-sectional MTurk survey
Authors: Alsharawy Abdelaziz , Ball Sheryl , Smith Alec , Spoon Ross
Published: December 2021

The personal experience of events such as financial crises and natural disasters can alter economic preferences. We administered a repeated cross-sectional preference survey during the early stages of the COVID-19 outbreak, collecting three bi-weekly samples from participants recruited through Amazon Mechanical Turk. The survey elicits economic preferences, self-reported fear of the pandemic, and beliefs about economic and health consequences. Preferences varied over time and across regions, and self-reported fear of the pandemic explains this variation. These findings suggest caution about the generalizability of some types of experimental work during times of heightened fear.
Pulsed power applications for agriculture and food processing
Authors: Takaki Koichi , Takahashi Katsuyuki , Hayashi Nobuya , Wang Douyan , Ohshima Takayuki
Published: December 2021

Recently, pulsed power technologies, including pulsed electric fields (PEFs) and time-modulated plasmas, are starting to be applied actively in agriculture and food processing. In the applications, compact pulsed power generators with moderate peak power and repetitive operation are developed for controlling discharge plasmas and electric field distribution. These applications are mainly based on the biological effects of a spatially distributed electric field and the chemically active species in the plasma. The PEFs are caused by applying pulse voltage between the electrodes and contribute to form pores on the cell membrane or to change conformation of protein. When the applied voltage exceeds the discharge onset criterion, plasmas are generated through the avalanche process of electron accelerated with intense electric field in a gas or liquids medium. The plasmas produce chemically active species, UV radiation, an intense electric field in the vicinity of discharge channel and shock waves, which also have different biological effects. The agricultural applications of pulsed power can be categorized as two phases: pre-harvest and post-harvest phases. The pre-harvest phase consists of seed germination, seedling growth, plant growth and growth mode change from vegetative to reproductive. Pulsed power technologies are used to promotion of seed germination, plant growth enhancement through direct stimulation or indirect effect such as inactivation of bacteria in soil and liquid hydroponic media, and promotion of mushroom fruit body formation. The post-harvest phase consists of harvesting the agricultural produce, storing the products, transporting the products to consumers and food processing such as drying, pasteurization (sterilization of bacteria), permeabilization and fermentation. The pulsed power technologies are also used to keep freshness of agricultural produce through decontaminating airborne, inactivating bacteria and decomposition of plant hormone in the storage containers. The poration of cell membrane by PEF contributes improvement of extraction of juice, nutritional agents, and antioxidant metabolites such as polyphenols from agricultural products. In this review, at first, a basis of pulsed power system for agricultural applications and bio-effect by high-electric field exposure is outlined. After that, pre-harvest and post-harvest agricultural applications are described. The utilization of pulsed power technologies to contribute efficient food processing and improve food safety and quality is also described.
Stakeholder-based conjoint analysis for branding wellness tourism in Kerala, India
Authors: Romão João , Seal Partho Pratim , Hansen Paul , Joseph Sindhu , Piramanayagam Senthilkumaran
Published: December 2021

Wellness tourism is a fast-growing tourism industry segment and major wellness tourism destinations are found in the Asia–Pacific region, including India. The region of Kerala in India has an abundant natural, cultural and entrepreneurial resources for the development of wellness tourism. These resources are centered on the unique and traditional Ayurveda treatment, complemented by impressive natural landscapes and rich cultures and history. Despite the abundance and quality of resources and services provided by a large number of stakeholders, Kerala lacks a branding strategy for differentiating Kerala as a wellness tourism destination to compete in international markets. A stakeholder-based participatory process was developed to co-create a branding strategy, involving a destination audit supported by an online conjoint analysis survey to discover the relative importance of ‘high-level’ attributes associated with Kerala’s wellness tourism resources. The most important attributes are ‘Fits with strategic priorities of the organisation’ and ‘Ability to integrate into wellness tourism packages’. The main resources complementing wellness services are natural features and cultural heritage. This research contributes to stakeholder-based participatory methods for destination branding.
Suitability of natural rocks as materials for cutting tools
Authors: Denkena Berend , Breidenstein Bernd , Krödel Alexander , Bergmann Benjamin , Picker Tobias , Wolters Philipp
Published: December 2021

This study presents an investigation of the usability and suitability of natural rocks as cutting tool materials. Therefore, indexable inserts are manufactured from eight different rocks and two mono minerals in this study and are used for turning of an aluminium alloy. Besides that, a characterization of the rock properties is performed. The wear of the rock tools and the surface roughness of the workpiece generated by the tools are used to evaluate their operational behaviour. Subsequently, the rock properties and the corresponding operational behaviour are used to assess the suitability of the rocks as cutting tool material. The results show that rock inserts can be used as cutting material for the turning of an aluminium alloy showing a width of wear marks between 83 and 1665 µm at the flank face after a cutting length of 500 m depending on the rock used. Furthermore, it is shown that rock tools are able to achieve surface roughness values which are comparable to those obtainable by using a conventional cemented carbide insert. The study shows that natural rocks can generally be used as alternative cutting material for the turning of aluminium. In addition a possible way for a systematic investigation and assessment of the suitability of natural rocks as cutting tool materials is presented, the relevance of the rock properties for the operational behaviour of the rock inserts is described and relevant future research topics concerning the use of rocks as cutting tool material are identified.

Article highlights

Demonstrating the possibility to use natural rocks as alternative environmentally friendly cutting tool
material.

Evaluation of operational behaviour and wear mechanisms of rock tools in turning aluminium.

Identification of rock properties relevant for the operational behaviour of rock inserts.
AnesthesiaGUIDE: a MATLAB tool to control the anesthesia
Authors: Coman Simona , Iosif Diana
Published: December 2021

The goals of this paper are: (a) to investigate adaptive and fractional-order adaptive control algorithms for an automatic anesthesia process, using a closed-loop system, and (b) to develop an easy-to-use tool for MATLAB/Simulink to facilitate simulations for users with less knowledge about anesthesia and adaptive control. A model reference adaptive control structure was chosen for the entire system. First of all, to control the patient’s state during the surgery process, the patient mathematical model is useful, or even required for simulation studies. The pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamics (PK/PD) model was determined using MATLAB’s SimBiology tool, starting from a previously available block diagram, and validated through simulation. Then, to achieve the desired control performances, two controllers are designed: a PI adaptive controller and a PIλ (PI-fractional) adaptive controller, using the MIT algorithm. The time response during anesthetic drug infusion for each patient can be plotted with the AnesthesiaGUIDE tool, which is also designed in MATLAB/Simulink. The tool was tested on data from 12 patients, subjected to general anesthesia, with successful results. Through this tool, the article provides a good opportunity for any user to experience with adaptive control for the anesthesia process.
Exploring temporal varying demographic and economic disparities in COVID-19 infections in four U.S. areas: based on OLS, GWR, and random forest models
Authors: Jiao Junfeng , Chen Yefu , Azimian Amin
Published: December 2021

Although studies have previously investigated the spatial factors of COVID-19, most of them were conducted at a low resolution and chose to limit their study areas to high-density urbanized regions. Hence, this study aims to investigate the economic-demographic disparities in COVID-19 infections and their spatial-temporal patterns in areas with different population densities in the United States. In particular, we examined the relationships between demographic and economic factors and COVID-19 density using ordinary least squares, geographically weighted regression analyses, and random forest based on zip code-level data of four regions in the United States. Our results indicated that the demographic and economic disparities are significant. Moreover, several areas with disadvantaged groups were found to be at high risk of COVID19 infection, and their infection risk changed at different pandemic periods. The findings of this study can contribute to the planning of public health services, such as the adoption of smarter and comprehensive policies for allocating economic recovery resources and vaccines during a public health crisis.
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Psychosexual Functions of Healthcare Workers
Authors: Eroglu Unsal , Balci Melih , Coser Seref , Basboga Serdar , Ozercan Ali Yasin , Kizilkan Yalcin , Guzel Ozer , Aslan Yilmaz , Tuncel Altug
Published: December 2021

Background

A novel infection, COVID-19, emerged in China and soon became a global pandemic. Pandemic conditions have resulted in stress in the workplace and led to anxiety among healthcare workers (HCWs), having negative impacts on different aspects of their lives, including their sexual function.

Aim

To evaluate the changes in the anxiety status of HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic and the impact of anxiety on their sexual functions.

Methods

This is a longitudinal study based on an online survey conducted from April 2020 to February 2021 in hospitals designated as pandemic healthcare centers. An online survey link was sent to HCWs that provided consent for participation in the study. The anxiety status of the participants was assessed using the State Anxiety Inventory, and sexual function was evaluated using the International Index of Erectile Function–15 for men and Female Sexual Function Index for women.

Outcomes

Scores obtained at the beginning of the pandemic were compared with those obtained at 6 months into the pandemic to determine the changes in the anxiety levels and sexual functions of the HCWs.

Results

A total of 399 HCWs participated in the survey, and the median age was 32 (20–60) years. Compared to the beginning of the pandemic, there was a significant increase in the State Anxiety Inventory score of the female and male HCWs at the sixth month of the pandemic. Among the women, the mean total Female Sexual Function Index score was 23.55 ± 8.69 at the beginning of the pandemic and 21.42 ± 8.91 at the sixth month, and there was a significant decrease in all parameters except pain. Among the men, the International Index of Erectile Function–15 total score was 62.75 ± 12.51 at the beginning of the pandemic and 55.1 ± 12.87 at the sixth month, indicating a significant decrease in all parameters.

Clinical implications

Considering that the pandemic will continue for a long time, more psychological support should be provided, and interventions should be made to protect the mental health of HCWs.

Strengths & Limitations

The strength of the study is that it had a fairly high number of participants across several institutions. However, being conducted in one country and the sample not being randomly selected and being based on voluntariness can be considered as limitations.

Conclusion

Our results show that the COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in the anxiety levels of both female and male HCWs, and this situation has negatively affected their sexual functions.
ThellierCoolPy: A Cooling‐Rate Correction Tool for Paleointensity Data
Authors: Muxworthy Adrian R. , Baker Evelyn B.
Published: December 2021

We report a new approach of implementing cooling‐rate corrections in absolute ancient magnetic field intensity (paleointensity) studies. Nearly all methods of determining paleointensity estimates rely on rocks having recorded a thermoremanent magnetization (TRM), on cooling from above the rock’s constituent minerals’ Curie temperature. Typically paleointensity estimates are made by comparing natural TRM, with a TRM induced in the laboratory; however, TRM intensity has long been reported to be dependent on cooling rate. Natural cooling rates are impractical in laboratories. We have developed a new cooling‐rate correction method and corresponding software (ThellierCoolPy), that directly corrects the unprocessed paleointensity data, using first‐order reversal curve data collected on a sister sample. This site tailored cooling‐rate correction has a unique correction for each temperature step within the paleointensity data set. This new method differs from previous approaches which apply a blanket cooling‐rate correction independent of the material properties of the sample. Paleointensity data from historical lavas from Parícutin, Mexico, are used to demonstrate the new software. For this data set, it is shown that cooling time of 1 million years yields a reduction of the paleointensity of ∼7%. The software is available for download.
The Average Shape of Sea Ice Ridge Keels
Authors: Metzger Andrew T. , Mahoney Andrew R. , Roberts Andrew F.
Published: December 2021

Through analysis of over 64,000 ridge profiles identified from moored upward‐looking sonars, we identify a well‐defined average shape of pressure ridge keels that is concave or cusped, not triangular as widely assumed in other literature. On the basis of this average shape, we put forward a new, dimensional‐definition, of a pressure ridge cross‐section that follows a negative exponential form and allows an average pressure ridge cross section to be constructed with knowledge or choice of a single parameter. The horizonal asymptote of the profile represents the draft of the “background” ice in which the ridge is embedded. The draft of this background ice scales with keel depth and is typically greater than can be accounted through thermodynamic growth, indicating that ridges tend to be embedded in fields of mechanically thickened rubble. Using a variational ridge model we simulated keel shapes for a range of ridge building conditions. The model results agree well with the observations and indicate the cusped shape of an average ridge profile arises from the varying angle of horizontal shear in the ice cover when ridges form. The modeling results also explain the elongated tail of the area draft distribution of the pack.
Shear‐Convection Interactions and Orientation of Tropical Squall Lines
Authors: Abramian Sophie , Muller Caroline , Risi Camille
Published: December 2021

Squall lines are known to be the consequence of the interaction of low‐level shear with cold pools associated with convective downdrafts. Also, as the magnitude of the shear increases beyond a critical shear, squall lines tend to orient themselves. The existing literature suggests that this orientation reduces incoming wind shear to the squall line, and maintains equilibrium between wind shear and cold pool spreading. Although this theory is widely accepted, very few quantitative studies have been conducted on supercritical regime especially. Here, we test this hypothesis with tropical squall lines obtained by imposing a vertical wind shear in cloud resolving simulations in radiative convective equilibrium. In the sub‐critical regime, squall lines are perpendicular to the shear. In the super‐critical regime, their orientation maintain the equilibrium, supporting existing theories. We also find that as shear increases, cold pools become more intense. However, this intensification has little impact on squall line orientation.
Energetic Electron Distributions Near the Magnetic Equator in the Jovian Plasma Sheet and Outer Radiation Belt Using Juno Observations
Authors: Ma Q. , Li W. , Zhang X.‐J. , Shen X.‐C. , Daly A. , Bortnik J. , Mauk B. H. , Kollmann P. , Paranicas C. , Becker H. N. , Allegrini F. , Kurth W. S. , Bolton S. J.
Published: December 2021

We present the average distribution of energetic electrons in Jupiter's plasma sheet and outer radiation belt near the magnetic equator during Juno's first 29 orbits. Juno observed a clear decrease of magnetic field amplitude and enhancement of energetic electron fluxes over 0.1–1,000 keV energies when traveling through the plasma sheet. In the radiation belts, Juno observed pancake‐shaped electron distributions with high fluxes at ∼90° pitch angle and whistler‐mode waves. Our survey indicates that the statistical electron flux at each energy tends to increase from to . The equatorial pitch angle distributions are isotropic or field‐aligned in the plasma sheet and gradually become pancake‐shaped at . The electron phase space density gradients at MeV/G are relatively small at and become positive over , suggesting the dominant role of adiabatic radial transport at higher shells, and the possible loss processes at lower shells.
On the Importance of Sea Surface Temperature for Aerosol‐Induced Brightening of Marine Clouds and Implications for Cloud Feedback in a Future Warmer Climate
Authors: Zhou Xiaoli , Zhang Jianhao , Feingold Graham
Published: December 2021

Marine low clouds are one of the greatest sources of uncertainty for climate projection. We present an observed climatology of cloud albedo susceptibility to cloud droplet number concentration perturbations (S0) with changing sea surface temperature (SST) and estimated inversion strength for single‐layer warm clouds over the North Atlantic Ocean, using eight years of satellite and reanalysis data. The key findings are that SST has a dominant control on S0 in the presence of co‐varying synoptic conditions and aerosol perturbations. Cloud brightening in regions with positive S0 weakens with increasing local SST. Higher SST significantly hastens cloud‐top evaporation with increasing aerosol loading, by accelerating entrainment and facilitating entrainment drying. In a global‐warming‐like scenario where aerosol loading is reduced, more cloud brightening is expected, mainly as a result of reduced entrainment drying. Our results imply a less positive low‐cloud liquid water path feedback in a warmer climate with decreasing aerosol loading.
Iron‐Phosphorus Feedbacks Drive Multidecadal Oscillations in Baltic Sea Hypoxia
Authors: Jilbert Tom , Gustafsson Bo G. , Veldhuijzen Simon , Reed Daniel C. , van Helmond Niels A. G. M. , Hermans Martijn , Slomp Caroline P.
Published: December 2021

Hypoxia has occurred intermittently in the Baltic Sea since the establishment of brackish‐water conditions at ∼8,000 years B.P., principally as recurrent hypoxic events during the Holocene Thermal Maximum (HTM) and the Medieval Climate Anomaly (MCA). Sedimentary phosphorus release has been implicated as a key driver of these events, but previous paleoenvironmental reconstructions have lacked the sampling resolution to investigate feedbacks in past iron‐phosphorus cycling on short timescales. Here we employ Laser Ablation (LA)‐ICP‐MS scanning of sediment cores to generate ultra‐high resolution geochemical records of past hypoxic events. We show that in‐phase multidecadal oscillations in hypoxia intensity and iron‐phosphorus cycling occurred throughout these events. Using a box model, we demonstrate that such oscillations were likely driven by instabilities in the dynamics of iron‐phosphorus cycling under preindustrial phosphorus loads, and modulated by external climate forcing. Oscillatory behavior could complicate the recovery from hypoxia during future trajectories of external loading reductions.
Subseasonal Predictability of South China Sea Summer Monsoon Onset With the ECMWF S2S Forecasting System
Authors: Yan Yuhan , Liu Boqi , Zhu Congwen
Published: December 2021

Accurate forecasting of the South China Sea summer monsoon (SCSSM) onset is critical for water resource management in the rainy season across East Asia. The present work evaluates the skill of the ECMWF subseasonal‐to‐seasonal (S2S) forecasting system in predicting SCSSM onset dates using a hindcast experiment. The model provides accurate predictions of the SCSSM onset date 10 days in advance. The predictability mainly arises from the sea surface temperature anomaly (SSTA) in the northern Indian Ocean and central‐eastern tropical Pacific, which usually coincides with moderate and extreme decaying El Niño, thus creating windows of opportunity for SCSSM onset forecasting. The model can reasonably reproduce the SCSSM‐related SSTA and its induced atmospheric teleconnections. However, when anomalous Ural blocking influences the mid‐high latitudes, the ECMWF model forecasts of the SCSSM onset are trapped in the synoptic timescale because of the limited ability of the model to consider blocking in forecasting.
Demagnetization Energy and Internal Stress in Magnetite From Temperature‐Dependent Hysteresis Measurements
Authors: Béguin Annemarieke , Fabian Karl
Published: December 2021

The magnetization state of magnetite controls acquisition and stability of remanent magnetization in Earth and planetary rocks. Although commonly interpreted in terms of grain size, also stress, grain shape, and magnetostatic interactions can substantially modify magnetic stability. Here, we show that scaled reversible work (SRW) in the approach‐to‐saturation (ATS) of hysteresis curves is temperature independent if anisotropy is due to demagnetizing energy. Stress anisotropy vanishes with increasing temperature. With a new measurement and evaluation procedure stress‐induced anisotropy is separated from demagnetization effects. We calibrated the new method using theoretical ATS curves for different stress and demagnetization regimes. Experimental results for synthetic magnetite samples underpin the validity of the method and provide insight into the relationship between magnetostatic, magnetocrystalline, and stress energies. The SRW method provides a new tool to study the reliability of paleomagnetic recording mechanisms, and enables quantitative investigation of stresses due to tectonics, meteorite impacts, oxidation, exsolution, or quenching.
How Does Pacific Decadal Oscillation Affect Tropical Cyclone Activity Over Far East Asia?
Authors: Lee Minkyu , Kim Taehyung , Cha Dong‐Hyun , Min Seung‐Ki , Park Doo‐Sun R. , Yeh Sang‐Wook , Chan Johnny C. L.
Published: December 2021

We investigated the relationship between tropical cyclones (TCs) and the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) over the western North Pacific (WNP) during 1982–2018, focusing on an area surrounding the Korean Peninsula and Japan. The frequency of TCs passing through this area (TCm) in the negative PDO phase was approximately 50% higher than that in the positive phase in September. Higher TC track density was observed around the Korean Peninsula and Japan in the negative PDO phase because the large‐scale environments were favorable for TC activity. However, TCm and PDO were not related in August because the location of WNP subtropical high was not significantly different. In addition, large‐scale environments, which were associated with TC activity, provided more favorable conditions in September than in August.
Experimental Verification of the Isotropic Onset of Percolation in 3D Crack Networks in Polycrystalline Materials With Implications for the Applicability of Percolation Theory to Crustal Rocks
Authors: Renshaw Carl E. , Murdza Andrii , Schulson Erland M.
Published: December 2021

Percolation theory is often proposed as a framework for understanding flow and transport through fractured rock, yet the applicability of percolation theory to natural systems remains uncertain. Experimental verification of the predictions of percolation theory are challenging because of the difficulty in systematically creating 3D crack networks in crystalline materials. Using ice as a model for rock, we experimentally test the prediction of percolation theory that for a sufficiently large sample, the onset of percolation is isotropic even when the crack network is anisotropic. Consistent with theory, experimentally we find that in strongly anisotropic crack networks induced by uniaxial loading at a sufficiently high strain rate, the onset of percolation is nearly isotropic in samples where the dimension of the sample is about an order of magnitude greater than the length of the largest crack. The onset of percolation is isotropic even though nearly 90% of the induced cracks are oriented within about 10° of the direction of applied compression. A similitude analysis indicates that for typical geotherms and geologic strain rates, crack networks consistent with the predictions of percolation theory are only possible within the upper several tens of km of a nonsubducting granite slab and to depths of several hundreds of km in subducting slabs of gabbro.
Sea Ice Dynamics in Hudson Strait and Its Impact on Winter Shipping Operations
Authors: Babb D. G. , Kirillov S. , Galley R. J. , Straneo F. , Ehn J. K. , Howell S. E. L. , Brady M. , Ridenour N. A. , Barber D. G.
Published: December 2021

Hudson Strait is seasonally ice covered and is the only part of the Canadian Arctic where winter shipping takes place. Yet, very little is known about the thickness and dynamics of this ice pack. During winter operations, icebreakers often face besetting events, which can slow or immobilize vessels for up to a few days. Using in situ observations of ice draft and drift collected by moored sonars at two sites in Hudson Strait from 2005 to 2009, we provide the first detailed analysis of sea ice dynamics within Hudson Strait and provide insights into the processes that dictate ice thickness and internal pressure along this unique winter shipping corridor. Prevailing northwesterly winds drive south‐southeastward ice motion within the Strait, maintaining polynyas along Baffin Island on the north side of the Strait, and compressing the ice pack against Nunavik on the southern side. As a result, ice on the northern side remains young and thin throughout winter ( = 1.25 m), whereas ice on the southern side is older, heavily deformed and ∼60% thicker by March ( = 2.01 m). Intermittent reversals to southeasterly winds decompress the ice pack on the southern side, increasing the presence of leads and easing navigation through the ice pack to the port in Deception Bay. The spatial variability in sea ice thickness elucidated by the moorings is corroborated at the regional scale using satellite observations from ICESat‐2 during winter 2019, 2020, and 2021, and complimented by high‐resolution fields of sea ice motion during winter 2021.