bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Source analysis of the March 7, 2019 $$\mathbf {M_L=4.0}$$ Somogyszob, Hungary earthquake sequence
Authors: Wéber Zoltán , Czecze Barbara , Süle Bálint , Bondár István ,   AlpArray Working Group
Published: August 2020

Between February 16 and April 5, 2019, a series of earthquakes took place around the village of Somogyszob, Somogy county, Hungary. The mainshock occurred on March 7 with a local magnitude$$M_L=4.0$$ML=4.0and epicentral intensity of 5 on the EMS scale. The main event was preceded by four foreshocks and followed by four aftershocks. The largest foreshock ($$M_L=2.6$$ML=2.6) was also felt with maximum intensity of 4 EMS. This earthquake sequence is the first remarkable one in the region that was recorded by a significant number of high-quality broadband digital seismographs. We have estimated the hypocenters of the 9 earthquakes using the hypoDD multiple-event location algorithm. The events occurred in a tight region around the mainshock at around 13–14 km depth. For the main event, we obtained an average moment magnitude of$$M_w=3.75$$Mw=3.75, source radii of$$r^P=509$$rP=509 m and$$r^S=400$$rS=400 m, and static stress drops of$$\varDelta \sigma ^P=1.19\times 10^6$$ΔσP=1.19×106 Pa and$$\varDelta \sigma ^S=4.00\times 10^6$$ΔσS=4.00×106 Pa from the analysis of displacement P- and S-wave spectra, respectively. The resulting spectral source parameters for the investigated events agree well with the results of earlier research. We have also shown that our recently developed probabilistic waveform inversion techniques applied in this study are suitable to retrieve the source mechanism for weak local earthquakes. We have successfully estimated the focal mechanism for the mainshock, a foreshock and an aftershock. Each earthquake was a thrust faulting event with a sub-horizontal P-axis pointing towards N-NE, coinciding with the general trend of the compressional stress field in the epicentral region.
Mussel-Inspired Redox-Active and Hydrophilic Conductive Polymer Nanoparticles for Adhesive Hydrogel Bioelectronics
Authors: Gan Donglin , Shuai Tao , Wang Xiao , Huang Ziqiang , Ren Fuzeng , Fang Liming , Wang Kefeng , Xie Chaoming , Lu Xiong
Published: August 2020

Conductive polymers (CPs) are generally insoluble, and developing hydrophilic CPs is significant to broaden the applications of CPs. In this work, a mussel-inspired strategy was proposed to construct hydrophilic CP nanoparticles (CP NPs), while endowing the CP NPs with redox activity and biocompatibility. This is a universal strategy applicable for a series of CPs, including polyaniline, polypyrrole, and poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene). The catechol/quinone contained sulfonated lignin (LS) was doped into various CPs to form CP/LS NPs with hydrophilicity, conductivity, and redox activity. These CP/LS NPs were used as versatile nanofillers to prepare the conductive hydrogels with long-term adhesiveness. The CP/LS NPs-incorporated hydrogels have a good conductivity because of the uniform distribution of the hydrophilic NPs in the hydrogel network, forming a well-connected electric path. The hydrogel exhibits long-term adhesiveness, which is attributed to the mussel-inspired dynamic redox balance of catechol/quinone groups on the CP/LS NPs. This conductive and adhesive hydrogel shows good electroactivity and biocompatibility and therefore has broad applications in electrostimulation of tissue regeneration and implantable bioelectronics.
Niobium Tungsten Oxide in a Green Water-in-Salt Electrolyte Enables Ultra-Stable Aqueous Lithium-Ion Capacitors
Authors: Dong Shengyang , Wang Yi , Chen Chenglong , Shen Laifa , Zhang Xiaogang
Published: August 2020

Aqueous hybrid supercapacitors are attracting increasing attention due to their potential low cost, high safety and eco-friendliness. However, the narrow operating potential window of aqueous electrolyte and the lack of suitable negative electrode materials seriously hinder its future applications. Here, we explore high concentrated lithium acetate with high ionic conductivity of 65.5 mS cm−1 as a green “water-in-salt” electrolyte, providing wide voltage window up to 2.8 V. It facilitates the reversible function of niobium tungsten oxide, Nb18W16O93, that otherwise only operations in organic electrolytes previously. The Nb18W16O93 with lithium-ion intercalation pseudocapacitive behavior exhibits excellent rate performance, high areal capacity, and ultra-long cycling stability. An aqueous lithium-ion hybrid capacitor is developed by using Nb18W16O93 as negative electrode combined with graphene as positive electrode in lithium acetate-based “water-in-salt” electrolyte, delivering a high energy density of 41.9 W kg−1, high power density of 20,000 W kg−1 and unexceptionable stability of 50,000 cycles.
Once a quality-food consumer, always a quality-food consumer? Consumption patterns of organic, label rouge, and geographical indications in French scanner data
Authors: Lambotte Mathieu , De Cara Stephane , Bellassen Valentin
Published: August 2020

The aim of this study is to analyze the behavior of French consumers with respect to food products under various quality labels (organic,label rouge,and geographical indications). In particular, we investigate if consumers who purchase once a product under a given label tend to purchase a large fraction of this product (and other products) under the same label. Using a large scanner database, the regularity of quality-food consumption is analyzed through the relative frequency of conventional and quality purchases. The respective roles in regular consumption of product attributes, availability, and household characteristics are then examined using a random utility model. Regular organic consumers purchase around 28% of the organic market value, with variations depending on products. We find that product attributes are more related to regular organic behavior than household characteristics. In particular, product availability and product family (vegetables, eggs, milk, etc.) play a key role whereas low-price organic products are not associated with more regular consumption. Acknowledging the existence of regularity in organic consumption and understanding its variation between product categories should lead public policies to more often target specific products in order to develop quality-food consumption.
Tracking Police Arrests of Intimate Partner Domestic Abuse Suspects in London: a Situational Factors Analysis
Authors: Richards Owain , Harinam Vincent
Published: August 2020

Research Question

What were the odds of named suspects being arrested for a reported crime of intimate partner abuse over one 12-month period in one area of London (UK), and how did those odds vary across twelve predictive situational characteristics, including the presence or absence of the suspect?

Data

This study analyses 1000 intimate partner domestic abuse (DA) crimes recorded in the South West Basic Command Unit of the London Metropolitan Police Service in the 12 months between 1 February 2018 and 31 January 2019.

Methods

Twelve factors present at the time of police recording an intimate partner abuse crime were analysed in an odds ratio analysis predicting whether a named suspect would be arrested for the crime. Separate analyses were conducted for cases in which the suspect was present at the time police arrived to interview the victim and in cases in which the suspect was absent. Analyses were also conducted by crime type and crime severity scores, with a descriptive analysis of reasons police gave for not making arrests.

Findings

Police arrested the suspect in 90% of the 287 cases in which suspects were present when police arrived, and in 47% of the 713 cases in which the suspect was absent on arrival. There was no difference in crime severity scores between cases in which arrests were made vs. not. After suspect absence, victim unwillingness to press charges was the second strongest predictor of no arrest being made, with 21% reported unwilling to cooperate when suspects were present and 29% unwilling when suspects were absent. Arrests were more likely when suspects were male than female and less likely with male victims than female victims.

Conclusions

These data show that in an area housing about 12% of London’s population, police make arrests in 90% of intimate partner crimes when the suspect is still present at the scene, and almost half of those in which suspects leave before police arrive. The primary predictor of non-arrest, controlling for offender absence, is victim unwillingness to support prosecution. Various policy options can be considered in light of these findings.
A deep dive into Avivore
Authors: Fay Oliver
Published: August 2020

Until now, most prominent supply chain intrusions have been vertical attacks, with the initial victims typically managed service providers (MSPs) or vendors targeted as a way of getting into and moving up or down the supply chain. However, incidents earlier this year targeting large multi-national firms in the aerospace and defence sectors can best be described as horizontal. Advanced attackers have been leveraging relationships and connectivity between suppliers and partners to get a foothold in each other's value chains.

However, recent incidents targeting large multi-national firms in aerospace and defence can best be described as horizontal. Attackers have leveraged connectivity between suppliers and partners to get a foothold in each other's value chains. Oliver Fay of Context Information Security details a new threat group, codenamed Avivore, that has been compromising collaborative working solutions to bypass well-defended perimeters.
Facing ransomware: an approach with private cloud and sentinel software
Authors: Martínez-García Holzen A
Published: August 2020

Data and information are assets that carry a high value for organisations – and cyber criminals know this. They try to take advantage of this fact and have adopted various hacking techniques. One of the most current and dangerous is the infection of devices with cryptographic ransomware. Currently there are many approaches to countering this threat focused on the detection and mitigation of risks, but only a few of them consider an imminent infection and take on proactive data recovery techniques.
In situ effective snow grain size mapping using a compact hyperspectral imager
Authors: Donahue Christopher , Skiles S. McKenzie , Hammonds Kevin
Published: August 2020

Effective snow grain radius (re) is mapped at high resolution using near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI). The NIR-HSI method can be used to quantify re spatial variability, change in re due to metamorphism, and visualize water percolation in the snowpack. Results are presented for three different laboratory-prepared snow samples (homogeneous, ice lens, fine grains over coarse grains), the sidewalls of which were imaged before and after melt induced by a solar lamp. The spectral reflectance in each ~3 mm pixel was inverted for re using the scaled band area of the ice absorption feature centered at 1030 nm, producing re maps consisting of 54 740 pixels. All snow samples exhibited grain coarsening post-melt as the result of wet snow metamorphism, which is quantified by the change in re distributions from pre- and post-melt images. The NIR-HSI method was compared to re retrievals from a field spectrometer and X-ray computed microtomography (micro-CT), resulting in the spectrometer having the same mean re and micro-CT having 23.9% higher mean re than the hyperspectral imager. As compact hyperspectral imagers become more widely available, this method may be a valuable tool for assessing re spatial variability and snow metamorphism in field and laboratory settings.
Volume-area scaling for debris-covered glaciers
Authors: Banerjee Argha
Published: August 2020

A volume-area scaling relation is commonly used to estimate glacier volume or its future changes on a global scale. The presence of an insulating supraglacial debris cover alters the mass-balance profile of a glacier, potentially modifying the scaling relation. Here, the nature of scaling relations for extensively debris-covered glaciers is investigated. Theoretical arguments suggest that the volume-area scaling exponent for these glaciers is ~7% smaller than that for clean glaciers. This is consistent with the results from flowline-model simulations of idealised glaciers, and the available data from the Himalaya. The best-fit scale factor for debris-covered Himalayan glaciers is ~60% larger compared to that for the clean ones, implying a significantly larger stored ice volume in a debris-covered glacier compared to a clean one having the same area. These results may help improve scaling-based estimates of glacier volume and future glacier changes in regions where debris-covered glaciers are abundant.
Investigation on the mass transferring near-contact binary TT Cet
Authors: Tian Xiao-Man , Chang Lin-Feng
Published: August 2020

First multi-colour complete light curves and low-resolution spectra of short-period eclipsing binary TT Cet are presented. The stellar atmospheric parameters of the primary star were derived through spectra fitting as:$T_{eff}=7\,091\pm124\,{\text{K}}$,$\log g = 4.15\pm0.33\,{\text{cm}}/\text{s}^2$, and$[Fe/H]=-0.23\pm0.04\,\text{dex}$. The light curves were analysed using the Wilson–Devinney code. The photometric solution suggests that this target should be a near-contact binary with the primary component filling its critical Roche lobe (i.e. SD1-type NCB). The luminosity enhancement around the primary light maximum (phase 0.10–0.40) on the light curve was detected like other SD1-type NCBs, which could be caused by a hot spot near the facing surface of the secondary component due to mass transfer. Long-term decrease of the orbital period at a rate of$dP/dt=-5.01\,({\pm}0.06)\times 10^{-8}\,{{\text{d}} \cdot{yr}}^{-1}$was detected by the O–C analysis, which supports the mass transfer from the primary to the secondary and is consistent with its primary filling configuration. No third body was found through the light curve and O–C analysis. TT Cet may locate in the broken contact stage predicted by the thermal relaxation oscillation theory (TRO) and will evolve to the contact stage eventually. It is another good observational example supporting the TRO theory. We have collected all known SD1-type NCBs with absolute parameters from the literatures. The relations of these parameters are summarised for these rare systems.
CAN THE14C PRODUCTION IN 1055 CE BE AFFECTED BY SN1054?
Authors: Terrasi F , Marzaioli F , Buompane R , Passariello I , Porzio G , Capano M , Helama S , Oinonen M , Nöjd P , Uusitalo J , Jull A J T , Panyushkina I P , Baisan C , Molnar M , Varga T , Kovaltsov G , Poluianov S , Usoskin I
Published: August 2020

Annually resolved radiocarbon (14C) measurements on tree rings led to the discovery of abrupt variations in14C production attributed to large solar flares. We present new results of annual and subannual14C fluctuations in tree rings from a middle-latitude sequoia (California) and a high-latitude pine (Finland), analyzed for the period 1030–1080 CE, to trace a possible impact of the Crab supernova explosion, occurring during the Oort minimum of solar activity. Our results indicate an increase of Δ14C around 1054/55 CE, which we estimate is higher in magnitude than the cyclic variability due to solar activity at a 2σ significance level. The net signal appears to be synchronized in the studied locations. Several sources of this event are possible including γ-rays from the Crab supernova, an unusually weak solar minimum or a solar energetic particle incident. More data are needed to provide more insight into the origin of this14C event.
Relative validity of FFQ to assess food items, energy, macronutrient and micronutrient intake in children and adolescents: a systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Saravia Luisa , Miguel-Berges Maria L. , Iglesia Iris , Nascimento-Ferreira Marcus V. , Perdomo Guillermo , Bove Isabel , Slater Betzabeth , Moreno Luis A.
Published: August 2020

FFQ are one of the most widely used tools of research into nutritional epidemiology, and many studies have been conducted in several countries using this dietary assessment method. The present study aimed to evaluate the relative validity of FFQ, in comparison with other methods, in assessing dietary intake of children and adolescents, through a systematic review. Four electronic databases (Embase, PubMed, Scopus and Web of Science) found sixty-seven articles, which met the inclusion criteria (healthy children and adolescents from 3 to 18 years of age; journal articles written in English, Spanish and Portuguese between 1988 and March 2019; results showing the comparison between the FFQ with other methods of assessment of dietary intake). The articles were analysed by two independent reviewers. A meta-analysis was conducted using correlation coefficients as estimate effects between the FFQ and the reference standard method. Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed to identify the probable source of heterogeneity. In fifty-five of the sixty-seven studies, a single dietary assessment method was used to evaluate the FFQ; nine combined the two methods and three used three reference methods. The most widely used reference method was the 24-h recall, followed by the food record. The overall relative validity of the FFQ to estimate energy, macronutrient, certain micronutrient and certain food item intakes in children and adolescents may be considered weak. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO under number CRD42016038706.
CHRYSIPPUS ON IMAGINATION IN AETIUS 4.12
Authors: Stojanović Pavle
Published: August 2020

According to Diogenes Laertius (7.49–51), the concept of ‘appearance’ (φαντασία) played a central role in Stoic philosophy. As staunch corporealists, the Stoics believed that appearances are physical structures in our corporeal soul which provide the foundation for all our thoughts (Sext. Emp. Math. 7.228–41). One of the crucial features of appearance is that it is a representational mental state that has the ability to provide us with accurate awareness of the world through causal interaction between our senses and external objects, and thus supply the means for acquiring knowledge about the reality. However, the Stoics recognized that we can also be aware and think of objects that are real but are not presently affecting our senses, as well as objects that are altogether fictional and thus incapable of ever interacting with our senses. Because of this, it was important for them to distinguish between representational mental states which are and those which are not caused by external objects at the moment in which they are formed. Chrysippus was one of the Stoics who paid special attention to this distinction; in a key text, Aet. 4.12, he is reported as reserving the name ‘appearance’ (φαντασία) only for the former states, while for the latter he used a different term, ‘imagination’ (φανταστικόν).
Prevalence of harm in mindfulness-based stress reduction
Authors: Hirshberg Matthew J. , Goldberg Simon B. , Rosenkranz Melissa , Davidson Richard J.
Published: August 2020

Background

Mindfulness meditation has become a common method for reducing stress, stress-related psychopathology and some physical symptoms. As mindfulness programs become ubiquitous, concerns have been raised about their unknown potential for harm. We estimate multiple indices of harm following Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) on two primary outcomes: global psychological and physical symptoms. In secondary analyses, we estimate multiple indices of harm on anxiety and depressive symptoms, discomfort in interpersonal relations, paranoid ideation and psychoticism.

Methods

Intent-to-treat analyses with multiple imputations for missing data were used on pre- and post-test data from a large, observational dataset (n = 2155) of community health clinic MBSR classes and from MBSR (n = 156) and waitlist control (n = 118) participants from three randomized controlled trials conducted contemporaneous to community classes in the same city by the same health clinic MBSR teachers. We estimate the change in symptoms, proportion of participants with increased symptoms, proportion of participants reporting greater than a 35% increase in symptoms, and for global psychological symptoms, clinically significant harm.

Results

We find no evidence that MBSR leads to higher rates of harm relative to waitlist control on any primary or secondary outcome. On many indices of harm across multiple outcomes, community MBSR was significantly preventative of harm.

Conclusions

Engagement in MBSR is not predictive of increased rates of harm relative to no treatment. Rather, MBSR may be protective against multiple indices of harm. Research characterizing the relatively small proportion of MBSR participants that experience harm remains important.
Forecasting the incidence of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Chongqing: a time series analysis
Authors: Qiu Hongfang , Zeng Dewei , Yi Jing , Zhu Hua , Hu Ling , Jing Dan , Ye Mengliang
Published: August 2020

Acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis is a highly contagious eye disease, the prediction of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis is very important to prevent and grasp its development trend. We use the exponential smoothing model and the seasonal autoregressive integrated moving average (SARIMA) model to analyse and predict. The monthly incidence data from 2004 to 2017 were used to fit two models, the actual incidence of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in 2018 was used to validate the model. Finally, the prediction effect of exponential smoothing is best, the mean square error and the mean absolute percentage error were 0.0152 and 0.1871, respectively. In addition, the incidence of acute haemorrhagic conjunctivitis in Chongqing had a seasonal trend characteristic, with the peak period from June to September each year.
Gene expression prior to post-zygotic endosperm collapse in tetraploid bahiagrass
Authors: Pozzi Florencia I. , Acuña Carlos A. , Depetris Mara B. , Quarin Camilo L. , Felitti Silvina A.
Published: August 2020

The endosperm is the storage tissue of seeds and is an important source of nutrients for humans and animals. In the previous work, the gene expression was characterized at 3 and 24 h after pollination (AP). The results suggested that eATP would act as a signalling molecule at the beginning of endosperm development and that sucrose metabolism could be related to EBN insensitivity. In addition, differentially expressed transcripts derived fragments (DETDFs) were related to the failure of fusion of the polar nuclei and the accumulation of storage products in seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana. The objective of the present study was to identify genes related to endosperm development in apomictic and sexual ovaries of Paspalum notatum 48 h AP, a stage at which development is prior to post-zygotic collapse. The cDNA-AFLP analysis was carried out to analyse different crosses and DETDFs categorized according to their function. The main cellular functions at 48 h AP were metabolism and signal transduction. Fourteen out of 39 DETDFs with relevant functional information were found in crosses for which normal endosperm development was expected. Three DETDFs were found in crosses where viable and unviable seeds were predicted and presented similarity with a casein kinase II (CK2), an enzyme that governs the accumulation of storage proteins in seeds of A. thaliana and Zea mays. The results obtained at 3, 24 and 48 h AP suggest that CK2 is involved in early endosperm development in P. notatum.
Breaking bivariate records
Authors: Fill James Allen
Published: August 2020

We establish a fundamental property of bivariate Pareto records for independent observations uniformly distributed in the unit square. We prove that the asymptotic conditional distribution of the number of records broken by an observation given that the observation sets a record is Geometric with parameter 1/2.
Successful treatment by stent implantation for systemic-to-pulmonary shunt obstruction due to a Staphylococcus aureus abscess: a case report
Authors: Homma Yukako , Hayabuchi Yasunobu
Published: August 2020

A 13-year-old girl with a single ventricle and bilateral systemic-to-pulmonary shunts developed hypoxia due to shunt stenosis, which was caused by a methicillin-sensitive Staphylococcus aureus abscess. Stent implantation associated with appropriate antibiotic administration was crucial to dilate and maintain shunt patency.
A combined in vivo and in silico model shows specific predictors of individual trans-generational diabetic programming
Authors: Eberle Claudia , Ament Christoph
Published: August 2020

Diabetic pregnancies are cleary associated with maternal type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome as well as atherosclerotic diseases in the offspring. The global prevalence of hyperglycemia in pregnancy was estimated as 15.8% of live births to women in 2019, with an upward trend. Numerous parental risk factors as well as trans-generational mechanisms targeting the utero-placental system, leading to diabetes, dysmetabolic and atherosclerotic conditions in the next generation, seem to be involved within this pathophysiological context. To focus on the predictable impact of trans-generational diabetic programming, we studied age- and gender-matched offspring of diabetic and nondiabetic mothers. The offspring generation consists of three groups: C57BL/6-J-Ins2Akita (positive control group), wild-type C57BL/6-J-Ins2Akita (experimental group), and C57BL/6-J mice (negative control group). We undertook intraperitoneal glucose tolerance tests at 3 and 11 weeks of age. Moreover, this in vivo model was complemented by a corresponding in silico model. Although at 3 weeks of age, no significant effects could be observed, we could demonstrate at 11 weeks of age characteristic and significant differences in relation to maternal diabetic imprinting based on the in silico model-based predictors. These predictors allow the generation of a concise classification tree assigning maternal diabetic imprinting correctly in 91% of study cases. Our data show that hyperglycemic in utero milieu contributes to trans-generational diabetic programming leading to impaired glucose tolerance in the offspring of diabetic mothers early on. These observations can be clearly and early distinguished from genetically determined diabetes, for example, type 1 diabetes, in which basal glucose values are significantly raised.
Mental health impact on the unmet need for family planning and fertility rate in rural Ethiopia: a population-based cohort study
Authors: Catalao R. , Medhin G. , Alem A. , Dewey M. , Prince M. , Hanlon C.
Published: August 2020

Aims

Although much research has focused on socio-demographic determinants of uptake of contraception, few have studied the impact of poor mental health on women's reproductive behaviours. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of poor mental health on women's unmet need for contraception and fertility rate in a low-income country setting.

Methods

A population-based cohort of 1026 women recruited in their third trimester of pregnancy in the Butajira district in rural Ethiopia was assessed for symptoms of antenatal common mental disorders (CMDs; depression and anxiety) using Self-Reporting Questionnaire-20. Women were followed up regularly until 6.5 years postnatal (between 2005 and 2012). We calculated unmet need for contraception at 1 year (n = 999), 2.5 (n = 971) and 3.5 years (n = 951) post-delivery of index child and number of pregnancies during study period. We tested the association between CMD symptoms, unmet need for contraception and fertility rate.

Results

Less than one-third of women reported current use of contraception at each time point. Unmet need for birth spacing was higher at 1 year postnatal, with over half of women (53.8%) not using contraception wanting to wait 2 or more years before becoming pregnant. Higher CMD symptoms 1 year post-index pregnancy were associated with unmet need for contraception at 2.5 years postnatal in the unadjusted [odds ratio (OR) 1.09; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04–1.15] and fully adjusted model [OR 1.06; 95% CI 1.01–1.12]. During the 6.5 year cohort follow-up period, the mean number of pregnancies per woman was 2.4 (s.d. 0.98). There was no prospective association between maternal CMD and number of pregnancies in the follow-up period.

Conclusions

CMD symptoms are associated with increased unmet need for family planning in this cohort of women with high fertility and low contraceptive use in rural Ethiopia. There is a lack of models of care promoting integration of mental and physical health in the family planning setting and further research is necessary to study the burden of preconception mental health conditions and how these can be best addressed.
A holistic carrot production system for season-long weed management
Authors: Colquhoun Jed B. , Rittmeyer Richard A. , Heider Daniel J.
Published: August 2020

Weed management in carrot is challenging, given slow and inconsistent crop emergence and early-season growth and the lack of practical season-long management tools such as herbicides. We investigated holistic carrot production systems with a focus on minimizing inputs while optimizing resource use. In an overall sense, results of this work were consistent between years, and stark. The choice of carrot variety had a moderate influence on carrot foliar canopy development and, subsequently, weed density. For example, ‘Cupar’ carrot formed a complete crop canopy sooner than the other dicer-type ‘Canada’ variety. Likely as a result, density of weed species such as spotted ladysthumb and common lambsquarters was less where ‘Cupar’ was grown compared with where ‘Canada’ was grown. Gibberellic acid as a foliar application was not successful in these studies and, in a few cases, may have even increased weed-seed germination and establishment. Adding two carrot rows to the current regional industry-standard three-row bed system not only enhanced competitiveness with weeds but also improved carrot yield without additional fertilizer, water, or pest management inputs. By far, though, the most successful strategy to reduce weed density while maintaining or improving carrot yield was to delay seeding by 17 to 19 d. We anticipate more holistic production system research that integrates low-input alternatives in other crops as herbicide-resistant weeds proliferate while few new herbicides are developed. As was demonstrated in this research, such novel approaches can be successful without adding significant economic burden to the farmer or increasing risk of crop failure.
Spray solution pH and soybean injury as influenced by synthetic auxin formulation and spray additives
Authors: Striegel Sarah , Oliveira Maxwel C. , Arneson Nicholas , Conley Shawn P. , Stoltenberg David E. , Werle Rodrigo
Published: August 2020

Use of synthetic auxin herbicides has increased across the midwestern United States after adoption of synthetic auxin-resistant soybean traits, in addition to extensive use of these herbicides in corn. Off-target movement of synthetic auxin herbicides such as dicamba can lead to severe injury to sensitive plants nearby. Previous research has documented effects of glyphosate on spray-solution pH and volatility of several dicamba formulations, but our understanding of the relationships between glyphosate and dicamba formulations commonly used in corn and for 2,4-D remains limited. The objectives of this research were to (1) investigate the roles of synthetic auxin herbicide formulation, glyphosate, and spray additives on spray solution pH; (2) assess the impact of synthetic auxin herbicide rate on solution pH; and (3) assess the influence of glyphosate and application time of year on dicamba and 2,4-D volatility using soybean as bioindicators in low-tunnel field volatility experiments. Addition of glyphosate to a synthetic auxin herbicide decreased solution pH below 5.0 for four of the seven herbicides tested (range of initial pH of water source, 7.45–7.70). Solution pH of most treatments was lower at a higher application rate (4× the labeled POST rate) than the 1× rate. Among all treatment factors, inclusion of glyphosate was the most important affecting spray solution pH; however, the addition of glyphosate did not influence area under the injury over distance stairs (P = 0.366) in low-tunnel field volatility experiments. Greater soybean injury in field experiments was associated with high air temperatures (maximum, >29 C) and low wind speeds (mean, 0.3–1.5 m s−1) during the 48 h after treatment application. The two dicamba formulations (diglycolamine with VaporGrip® and sodium salts) resulted in similar levels of soybean injury for applications that occurred later in the growing season. Greater soybean injury was observed after dicamba than after 2,4-D treatments.
Phenology affects differentiation of crop and weed species using hyperspectral remote sensing
Authors: Basinger Nicholas T. , Jennings Katherine M. , Hestir Erin L. , Monks David W. , Jordan David L. , Everman Wesley J.
Published: August 2020

The effect of plant phenology and canopy structure of four crops and four weed species on reflectance spectra were evaluated in 2016 and 2017 using in situ spectroscopy. Leaf-level and canopy-level reflectance were collected at multiple phenologic time points in each growing season. Reflectance values at 2 wk after planting (WAP) in both years indicated strong spectral differences between species across the visible (VIS; 350–700 nm), near-infrared (NIR; 701–1,300 nm), shortwave-infrared I (SWIR1; 1,301–1,900 nm), and shortwave-infrared II (SWIR2; 1,901–2,500 nm) regions. Results from this study indicate that plant spectral reflectance changes with plant phenology and is influenced by plant biophysical characteristics. Canopy-level differences were detected in both years across all dates except for 1 WAP in 2017. Species with similar canopy types (e.g., broadleaf prostrate, broadleaf erect, or grass/sedge) were more readily discriminated from species with different canopy types. Asynchronous phenology between species also resulted in spectral differences between species. SWIR1 and SWIR2 wavelengths are often not included in multispectral sensors but should be considered for species differentiation. Results from this research indicate that wavelengths in SWIR1 and SWIR2 in conjunction with VIS and NIR reflectance can provide differentiation across plant phenologies and, therefore should be considered for use in future sensor technologies for species differentiation.
Long-term incidence of cancer after index treatment for symptomatic peripheral arterial disease – a health insurance claims data analysis
Authors: Kaschwich Mark , Peters Frederik , Hischke Sandra , Rieß Henrik C. , Gansel Max , Marschall Ursula , L’Hoest Helmut , Heidemann Franziska , Debus E. Sebastian , Acar Laura , Kreutzburg Thea , Behrendt Christian-Alexander
Published: August 2020

Summary: Background: Cancer as a concomitant condition in symptomatic peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients could have an impact on further therapy and the long-term prognosis of these patients. Aim of this study was to investigate whether there is an increased incidence of cancer in PAD patients and to quantify the corresponding effect size. Materials and methods: Between January 1st, 2008 and December 31st, 2017, we analysed health insurance claims data from Germany’s second-largest insurance fund, BARMER. Symptomatic PAD patients suffering from intermittent claudication (IC) or chronic limb-threatening ischaemia (CLTI) were stratified by gender at index treatment. PAD patients were then followed until an incident cancer diagnosis was recorded. To adjust for age and gender, standardized incidence ratios (SIR) were computed using the 2012 German standard population as reference. Results: 96,528 PAD patients (47% female, 44% IC, mean age 72 years) were included in the current study. When compared to the overall population, female and male PAD patients have a significantly increased risk of incident cancer of the lung (SIR 3.5 vs. 2.6), bladder (SIR 3.2 vs. 4.0), pancreas (SIR 1.4 vs. 1.6), and colon (SIR 1.3 vs. 1.3). During ten years of follow-up, some 7% of males and 4% of females developed lung cancer. For bladder, colon and pancreas cancer, the cumulative hazards were 1% vs. 3.2%, 2.2% vs. 2.8%, and 0.7% vs. 0.9%, respectively. Conclusions: Patients suffering from symptomatic PAD face a markedly higher risk for incident cancer in the long-term follow-up. The cancer risk increased continuously for certain types and PAD was strongly associated with cancer of the lung, bladder, pancreas, and colon. Taking these results into account, PAD patients could benefit from secondary and tertiary screening. These results also emphasize the impact of common risk factors such as tobacco smoke as target for health prevention.
Large Wildfires in the Western United States Exacerbated by Tropospheric Drying Linked to a Multi‐Decadal Trend in the Expansion of the Hadley Circulation
Authors: Zhang L. , Lau W. , Tao W. , Li Z.
Published: August 2020

Analyses of wildfire‐climate relationships in North America were conducted using diverse independent observation and reanalysis data sets for the period 1984–2014. Results show that the western United States (WUS) has experienced the most robust increase in burned area, even though Alaska and western‐central Canada have comparable warming trends. In addition to warming, the WUS has been under the influence of multi‐decadal trends in tropospheric relative humidity deficit, reduced cloudiness, increased surface net insolation, and enhanced adiabatic warming and drying from increased tropospheric subsidence, as well as drying from enhanced offshore low‐level flow. These trends are found to be associated with a widening of the descending branch of the Hadley circulation, consistent with climate model projections under greenhouse gases warming. Due to the relative short (~30 years) data record, the aforementioned trend signals are likely also be affected by phase changes of natural interdecadal variability during the data period.
Caveolin-1 suppresses tumor formation through the inhibition of the unfolded protein response
Authors: Díaz María I. , Díaz Paula , Bennett Jimena Castillo , Urra Hery , Ortiz Rina , Orellana Pamela Contreras , Hetz Claudio , Quest Andrew F. G.
Published: August 2020

Caveolin-1 (CAV1), is a broadly expressed, membrane-associated scaffolding protein that acts both, as a tumor suppressor and a promoter of metastasis, depending on the type of cancer and stage. CAV1 is downregulated in human tumors, tumor cell lines and oncogene-transformed cells. The tumor suppressor activity of CAV1 is generally associated with its presence at the plasma membrane, where it participates, together with cavins, in the formation of caveolae and also has been suggested to interact with and inhibit a wide variety of proteins through interactions mediated by the scaffolding domain. However, a pool of CAV1 is also located at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), modulating the secretory pathway in a manner dependent on serine-80 (S80) phosphorylation. In melanoma cells, CAV1 expression suppresses tumor formation, but the protein is largely absent from the plasma membrane and does not form caveolae. Perturbations to the function of the ER are emerging as a central driver of cancer, highlighting the activation of the unfolded protein response (UPR), a central pathway involved in stress mitigation. Here we provide evidence indicating that the expression of CAV1 represses the activation of the UPR in vitro and in solid tumors, reflected in the attenuation of PERK and IRE1α signaling. These effects correlated with increased susceptibility of cells to ER stress and hypoxia. Interestingly, the tumor suppressor activity of CAV1 was abrogated by site-directed mutagenesis of S80, correlating with a reduced ability to repress the UPR. We conclude that the tumor suppression by CAV1 involves the attenuation of the UPR, and identified S80 as essential in this context. This suggests that intracellular CAV1 regulates cancer through alternative signaling outputs.
Cisplatin inhibits SIRT3-deacetylation MTHFD2 to disturb cellular redox balance in colorectal cancer cell
Authors: Wan Xingyou , Wang Chao , Huang Zhenyu , Zhou Dejian , Xiang Sheng , Qi Qian , Chen Xinyuan , Arbely Eyal , Liu Chen-Ying , Du Peng , Yu Wei
Published: August 2020

The folate-coupled metabolic enzyme MTHFD2 (the mitochondrial methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase/cyclohydrolase) confers redox homeostasis and drives cancer cell proliferation and migration. Here, we show that MTHFD2 is hyperacetylated and lysine 88 is the critical acetylated site. SIRT3, the major deacetylase in mitochondria, is responsible for MTHFD2 deacetylation. Interestingly, chemotherapeutic agent cisplatin inhibits expression of SIRT3 to induce acetylation of MTHFD2 in colorectal cancer cells. Cisplatin-induced acetylated K88 MTHFD2 is sufficient to inhibit its enzymatic activity and downregulate NADPH levels in colorectal cancer cells. Ac-K88-MTHFD2 is significantly decreased in human colorectal cancer samples and is inversely correlated with the upregulated expression of SIRT3. Our findings reveal an unknown regulation axis of cisplatin-SIRT3-MTHFD2 in redox homeostasis and suggest a potential therapeutic strategy for cancer treatments by targeting MTHFD2.
The rs7911488-T allele promotes the growth and metastasis of colorectal cancer through modulating miR-1307/PRRX1
Authors: Yang Man , Liu Xinchang , Meng Fanyi , Zhang Yawen , Wang Mengmeng , Chen Yinshuang , Guo Xuqin , Chen Weichang , Wang Weipeng
Published: August 2020

We previously discovered that rs7911488T>C in pre-miR-1307 was closely correlated to the risk of colorectal cancer (CRC). However, the roles of rs7911488 in CRC are still largely unknown. Here we explored the roles of rs7911488 in the growth and metastasis of CRC. We firstly generated cell lines SW480-T and SW480-C for stable expression of rs7911488 T-allelic and C-allelic pre-miR-1307, respectively. We subcutaneously grafted the cells into nude mice. We found that SW480-T tumors with high expression of miR-1307 obviously grew faster than the SW480-C tumors. Moreover, liver metastases (5/8) were observed in the mice bearing SW480-T tumors but not the SW480-C tumor-bearing mice. The results from colony formation assays, transwell assays, and wound healing assays demonstrated that the proliferative and metastatic abilities of SW480-T cells were evidently more potent than the SW480-C cells. Then we utilized gene array, real-time PCR, western blotting, and dual-luciferase reporter assays to figure out that miR-1307 directly inhibited PPRX1 expression by binding to its 3′-UTR. Thereafter, we confirmed that the proliferative and metastatic abilities of SW480 and HCT-116 cells were markedly enhanced by miR-1307, but were suppressed by PRRX1. Moreover, the regulatory roles of miR-1307 in the proliferation and metastasis of CRC cells were reversed by PRRX1. Notably, we also found that PRRX1 repressed CRC tumor growth in nude mice. In summary, our current study revealed that rs7911488-T allele led to over-expression of miR-1307, which inhibited PRRX1 and consequently promoted the proliferation and migration of CRC cells. This might offer a novel insight into the progression of CRC.
An exponential build-up in seismic energy suggests a months-long nucleation of slow slip in Cascadia
Authors: Hulbert Claudia , Rouet-Leduc Bertrand , Jolivet Romain , Johnson Paul A.
Published: August 2020

Slow slip events result from the spontaneous weakening of the subduction megathrust and bear strong resemblance to earthquakes, only slower. This resemblance allows us to study fundamental aspects of nucleation that remain elusive for classic, fast earthquakes. We rely on machine learning algorithms to infer slow slip timing from statistics of seismic waveforms. We find that patterns in seismic power follow the 14-month slow slip cycle in Cascadia, arguing in favor of the predictability of slow slip rupture. Here, we show that seismic power exponentially increases as the slowly slipping portion of the subduction zone approaches failure, a behavior that shares a striking similarity with the increase in acoustic power observed prior to laboratory slow slip events. Our results suggest that the nucleation phase of Cascadia slow slip events may last from several weeks up to several months.
Structure and dynamics of the active Gs-coupled human secretin receptor
Authors: Dong Maoqing , Deganutti Giuseppe , Piper Sarah J. , Liang Yi-Lynn , Khoshouei Maryam , Belousoff Matthew J. , Harikumar Kaleeckal G. , Reynolds Christopher A. , Glukhova Alisa , Furness Sebastian G. B. , Christopoulos Arthur , Danev Radostin , Wootten Denise , Sexton Patrick M. , Miller Laurence J.
Published: August 2020

The class B secretin GPCR (SecR) has broad physiological effects, with target potential for treatment of metabolic and cardiovascular disease. Molecular understanding of SecR binding and activation is important for its therapeutic exploitation. We combined cryo-electron microscopy, molecular dynamics, and biochemical cross-linking to determine a 2.3 Å structure, and interrogate dynamics, of secretin bound to the SecR:Gs complex. SecR exhibited a unique organization of its extracellular domain (ECD) relative to its 7-transmembrane (TM) core, forming more extended interactions than other family members. Numerous polar interactions formed between secretin and the receptor extracellular loops (ECLs) and TM helices. Cysteine-cross-linking, cryo-electron microscopy multivariate analysis and molecular dynamics simulations revealed that interactions between peptide and receptor were dynamic, and suggested a model for initial peptide engagement where early interactions between the far N-terminus of the peptide and SecR ECL2 likely occur following initial binding of the peptide C-terminus to the ECD.
High concentrations of plastic hidden beneath the surface of the Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Pabortsava Katsiaryna , Lampitt Richard S.
Published: August 2020

Concern over plastic pollution of the marine environment is severe. The mass-imbalance between the plastic litter supplied to and observed in the ocean currently suggests a missing sink. However, here we show that the ocean interior conceals high loads of small-sized plastic debris which can balance and even exceed the estimated plastic inputs into the ocean since 1950. The combined mass of just the three most-littered plastics (polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene) of 32–651 µm size-class suspended in the top 200 m of the Atlantic Ocean is 11.6–21.1 Million Tonnes. Considering that plastics of other sizes and polymer types will be found in the deeper ocean and in the sediments, our results indicate that both inputs and stocks of ocean plastics are much higher than determined previously. It is thus critical to assess these terms across all size categories and polymer groups to determine the fate and danger of plastic contamination.