bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indirekte Effekte von Abrufübungen – Intuitiv und doch häufig unterschätzt
Authors: Endres Tino , Renkl Alexander
Published: December 2021

Aufgaben, die den Abruf von kürzlich gelernten Inhalten erfordern, können das Erinnern dieser Inhalte erleichtern („Testing Effekt“). Abrufaufgaben können aber auch metakognitive, motivationale und kognitive Auswirkungen haben, die die Effizienz des weiteren Lernens nach dem Abruf beeinflussen. Diese Einflüsse werden als indirekte Effekte der Abrufübungen bezeichnet. Auch wenn diese indirekten Abrufeffekte selten isoliert untersucht wurden, gibt es bereits eine Vielzahl an Erkenntnissen aus verschiedenen Forschungstraditionen, die uns erlauben Rückschlüsse darauf zu ziehen, wie sich Abrufübungen auf das nachfolgende Lernen auswirken und welche Lernziele wie erreicht werden können. In diesem Artikel werden metakognitive, motivationale und lernzielspezifische Effekte zusammengestellt und erläutert, wie diese im Unterricht genutzt werden können. Dabei legen wir besonderes Augenmerk auf bedeutungshaltiges Lernen, das auf Verständnis des Lernstoffes abzielt. In unserer Zusammenstellung wird deutlich, dass es keine ideale Art gibt, indirekte Effekte von Abrufübungen zu nutzen. Je nach Lernzielen und den Eigenschaften der Lernenden sind unterschiedliche Arten der indirekten Abrufübungen zu empfehlen, da unterschiedliche Abrufarten jeweils Schwächen und Stärken in Bezug auf bestimmte Ziele haben. Sowohl Lehrende als auch Lernende sollten um die spezifischen Wirkmechanismen der indirekten Effekte der Abrufübungen wissen, um das eigene Lernverhalten oder das anderer Lernender gezielt optimieren zu können.
Suppression of molten salt corrosion by plasma sprayed Ni3Al coatings
Authors: Yasir Sarah , Endrino Jose Luis , Guillén Elena , Aria Adrianus Indrat
Published: December 2021

Corrosion behaviour of stainless steel 347 was investigated in a molten nitrate salt (60 wt% NaNO3 + 40 wt% KNO3) immersion at 565 °C for up to 3000 h. A growth of stratified oxide layers consisting of NaFeO2, Fe2O3 and Fe3O4 was observed on the stainless steel surface with a constant gravimetric corrosion rate of ~ 0.4 µm/year. The feasibility of using Ni3Al coatings deposited by means of air plasma spray for suppression of corrosion was investigated. Ni3Al coatings were observed to undergo a fast oxidation with a corrosion rate of ~ 2.7 µm/year in the first 500 h, and subsequently stabilise between 500 and 3000 h with no observable changes in microstructure, composition and weight at a corrosion rate of ~ 0.02 µm/year. The results presented in this study strongly suggest that Ni3Al coating suppresses the formation of oxide layers on the surface of stainless steel substrates and can be used as protection against corrosion in the presence of molten nitrate salts, which is of relevance to thermal energy storage applications.
Second-Order Invariant Domain Preserving ALE Approximation of Euler Equations
Authors: Guermond Jean-Luc , Popov Bojan , Saavedra Laura
Published: December 2021

An invariant domain preserving arbitrary Lagrangian-Eulerian method for solving non-linear hyperbolic systems is developed. The numerical scheme is explicit in time and the approximation in space is done with continuous finite elements. The method is made invariant domain preserving for the Euler equations using convex limiting and is tested on various benchmarks.
Generalised Pattern Search with Restarting Fitness Landscape Analysis
Authors: Neri Ferrante
Published: December 2021

Fitness landscape analysis for optimisation is a technique that involves analysing black-box optimisation problems to extract pieces of information about the problem, which can beneficially inform the design of the optimiser. Thus, the design of the algorithm aims to address the specific features detected during the analysis of the problem. Similarly, the designer aims to understand the behaviour of the algorithm, even though the problem is unknown and the optimisation is performed via a metaheuristic method. Thus, the algorithmic design made using fitness landscape analysis can be seen as an example of explainable AI in the optimisation domain. The present paper proposes a framework that performs fitness landscape analysis and designs a Pattern Search (PS) algorithm on the basis of the results of the analysis. The algorithm is implemented in a restarting fashion: at each restart, the fitness landscape analysis refines the analysis of the problem and updates the pattern matrix used by PS. A computationally efficient implementation is also presented in this study. Numerical results show that the proposed framework clearly outperforms standard PS and another PS implementation based on fitness landscape analysis. Furthermore, the two instances of the proposed framework considered in this study are competitive with popular algorithms present in the literature.
Improving antimicrobial prescribing for upper respiratory infections in the emergency department: Implementation of peer comparison with behavioral feedback
Authors: Jones George F. , Fabre Valeria , Hinson Jeremiah , Levin Scott , Toerper Matthew , Townsend Jennifer , Cosgrove Sara E. , Saheed Mustapha , Klein Eili Y.
Published: December 2021

Objective:

To reduce inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for acute respiratory infections (ARIs) by employing peer comparison with behavioral feedback in the emergency department (ED).

Design:

A controlled before-and-after study.

Setting:

The study was conducted in 5 adult EDs at teaching and community hospitals in a health system.

Patients:

Adults presenting to the ED with a respiratory condition diagnosis code. Hospitalized patients and those with a diagnosis code for a non-respiratory condition for which antibiotics are or may be warranted were excluded.

Interventions:

After a baseline period from January 2016 to March 2018, 3 EDs implemented a feedback intervention with peer comparison between April 2018 and December 2019 for attending physicians. Also, 2 EDs in the health system served as controls. Using interrupted time series analysis, the inappropriate ARI prescribing rate was calculated as the proportion of antibiotic-inappropriate ARI encounters with a prescription. Prescribing rates were also evaluated for all ARIs. Attending physicians at intervention sites received biannual e-mails with their inappropriate prescribing rate and had access to a dashboard that was updated daily showing their performance relative to their peers.

Results:

Among 28,544 ARI encounters, the inappropriate prescribing rate remained stable at the control EDs between the 2 periods (23.0% and 23.8%). At the intervention sites, the inappropriate prescribing rate decreased significantly from 22.0% to 15.2%. Between periods, the overall ARI prescribing rate was 38.1% and 40.6% in the control group and 35.9% and 30.6% in the intervention group.

Conclusions:

Behavioral feedback with peer comparison can be implemented effectively in the ED to reduce inappropriate prescribing for ARIs.
Predicting drag on rough surfaces by transfer learning of empirical correlations
Authors: Lee Sangseung , Yang Jiasheng , Forooghi Pourya , Stroh Alexander , Bagheri Shervin
Published: December 2021

Recent developments in neural networks have shown the potential of estimating drag on irregular rough surfaces. Nevertheless, the difficulty of obtaining a large high-fidelity dataset to train neural networks is deterring their use in practical applications. In this study, we propose a transfer learning framework to model the drag on irregular rough surfaces even with a limited amount of direct numerical simulations. We show that transfer learning of empirical correlations, reported in the literature, can significantly improve the performance of neural networks for drag prediction. This is because empirical correlations include ‘approximate knowledge’ of the drag dependency in high-fidelity physics. The ‘approximate knowledge’ allows neural networks to learn the surface statistics known to affect drag more efficiently. The developed framework can be applied to applications where acquiring a large dataset is difficult but empirical correlations have been reported.
Oblique instability of a stratified oscillatory boundary layer
Authors: Yalim Jason , Welfert Bruno D. , Lopez Juan M.
Published: December 2021

The instability and dynamics of a vertical oscillatory boundary layer in a container filled with a stratified fluid are addressed. Past experiments have shown that when the boundary oscillation frequency is of the same order as the buoyancy frequency, the system is unstable to a herringbone pattern of oblique waves. Prior studies assuming the basic state to be a unidirectional oscillatory shear flow were unable to account for the oblique waves. By accounting for confinement effects present in the experiments, and the ensuing three-dimensional structure of the basic state, we are able to numerically reproduce the experimental observations, opening the door to fully analysing the impacts of stratification on such boundary layers.
Ways of Seeing Advertising: Law and the Making of Visual Commercial Culture
Authors: Rosenberg Anat
Published: December 2021

This article examines the role of law in shaping visual commercial culture by telling the story of the hoarding—the outdoor advertising surface for posters—in the formative decades of mass advertising in Britain, from roughly 1840 to 1914. The hoarding emerged in this period as a distinct property and a focal point of contestation over ways of seeing. Its meaning as a visual environment hinged on questions, which are still resonant today, about the interaction between economic and aesthetic categories: advertising and art, capital and beauty, commerce and culture. Historical actors—among them the organized billposting trade, the National Society for Checking the Abuses of Public Advertising, a civil society organization that took up the cause of protecting public spaces from advertising, governmental and local lawmakers, and citizens—enlisted private and public legal means to respond to these questions. This analysis draws on an expansive interdisciplinary archive to trace them. As it shows, legal means were engaged in cultural demarcation or what Thomas Gieryn has aptly termed boundary work. In establishing cultural boundaries, law defined the terms on which advertising became an integral element of daily visual experience, at once omnipresent and derided. The legal history of advertising thus offers deep insights for visual legal studies.
Adiposity and insulin resistance mediate the inverse association between legume intake and blood pressure: a cross-sectional analysis in secondary cardiovascular prevention
Authors: de Almeida Alinne Paula , Juvanhol Leidjaira Lopes , Bersch-Ferreira Ângela Cristine , Torreglosa Camila Ragne , Marcadenti Aline , Weber Bernardete , Bressan Josefina , Hermsdorff Helen Hermana Miranda
Published: December 2021

This study aimed to evaluate the association between legume intake and blood pressure, as well as the mediating role of cardiometabolic risk factors in patients in secondary cardiovascular prevention. Socio-demographic, anthropometric, clinical and food intake data were collected from the baseline of the multicentre study Brazilian Cardioprotective Nutritional Program Trial – BALANCE (RCT: NCT01620398). The relationships between variables were explored through path analysis. In total, 2247 individuals with a median age of 63·0 (45–91) years, 58·8 % (n1321) male and 96·5 % (n2168) with diagnosis of hypertension were included. Negative associations were observed between histidine intake and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (standardised coefficient (SC) = −0·057;P= 0·012) and between legume intake and BMI (SC = −0·061;P= 0·006). BMI was positively associated with triglycerides–glucose (TyG) index (SC = 0·173;P< 0·001), SBP (SC = 0·144;P< 0·001) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) (SC = 0·177;P< 0·001), and TyG index was positively associated with DBP (SC = 0·079;P= 0·001). A negative indirect effect was observed between the intake of legumes, SBP and DBP, mediated by BMI (SC = −0·009;P= 0·011; SC = −0·011;P= 0·010, respectively). In addition, an indirect negative effect was found between the intake of legumes and the DBP, mediated simultaneously by BMI and TyG index (SC = −0·001;P= 0·037). In conclusion, legume intake presented a negative indirect association with blood pressure, mediated by insulin resistance (TyG) and adiposity (BMI) in individuals of secondary care in cardiology.
AVERAGE DENSITY ESTIMATORS: EFFICIENCY AND BOOTSTRAP CONSISTENCY
Authors: Cattaneo Matias D. , Jansson Michael
Published: December 2021

This paper highlights a tension between semiparametric efficiency and bootstrap consistency in the context of a canonical semiparametric estimation problem, namely the problem of estimating the average density. It is shown that although simple plug-in estimators suffer from bias problems preventing them from achieving semiparametric efficiency under minimal smoothness conditions, the nonparametric bootstrap automatically corrects for this bias and that, as a result, these seemingly inferior estimators achieve bootstrap consistency under minimal smoothness conditions. In contrast, several “debiased” estimators that achieve semiparametric efficiency under minimal smoothness conditions do not achieve bootstrap consistency under those same conditions.
Articulatory coordination distinguishes complex segments from segment sequences
Authors: Shaw Jason A. , Oh Sejin , Durvasula Karthik , Kochetov Alexei
Published: December 2021

Phonological patterning motivates a distinction between complex segments and segment sequences, although it has also been suggested that there might be reliable phonetic differences. We develop the hypothesis that, in addition to their distinct phonological patterning, complex segments differ from segment sequences in how constituent articulatory gestures are coordinated in time. Through computational simulation, we illustrate predictions that follow from hypothesised coordination differences, showing as well how coordination is conceptually independent of temporal duration. We test predictions with kinematic data collected using electromagnetic articulography. Electromagnetic articulography data comparing labial-palatal gestures in Russian, which we argue on the basis of phonological facts to constitute complex segments, and similar labial-palatal gestures in English, which we argue constitute segment sequences, show distinct patterns of coordination, providing robust support for our main hypothesis. At least in this case, gestural coordination conditions patterns of kinematic variation that clearly distinguish complex segments from segment sequences.
Penn State Summer Schools
Authors: Babu Gutti Jogesh
Published: December 2021

Intensive week-long Summer Schools in Statistics for Astronomers were initiated at Penn State in 2005 and have been continued annually. Due to their popularity and high demand, additional full summer schools have been organized in India, Brazil, Space Telescope Science Institute.

The Summer Schools seek to give a broad exposure to fundamental concepts and a wide range of resulting methods across many fields of statistics. The Summer Schools in statistics and data analysis for young astronomers present concepts and methodologies with hands on tutorials using the data from astronomical surveys.
The AstroCamp Project
Authors: Martins Carlos J. A. P.
Published: December 2021

This contribution describes the concept, main structure and goals, and some highlighted outcomes, of the AstroCamp—an international academic excellence program in the field of astronomy and physics created in 2012 and organized by Centro de Astrofsica da Universidade do Porto (CAUP) together with the Paredes de Coura municipality and several national and international partners.
Astronomy, an Amazing First Contact with Science for High School Students
Authors: Oliveira Vinicius de A.
Published: December 2021

The contact with science is very important to the development of a conscious citizen, even if he, or she, never work with. Astronomy is an excellent way to do this approximation, simply because everyone can see the sky and has questions about it. This project aims to use observational night to discuss the classroom situations. We have made interventions in a rural local school in Caçapava do Sul (Brazil) during five years which we explain what we will see and, after that, we observe it. Since 2018, we have used the Caçapava do Sul Meteorite, that available a direct contact with a real space rock, when everyone can test the resistance and the weight of this meteorite. During this time it was almost 2 000 people has been attending by us and we noted that the students had increased their notion and comprehension about science in general.
Archaeoastronomy in the Big Data Age: Origin and Peculiarities of Obtaining Data on Objects and Artifacts
Authors: Spasova Mina , Stoeva P. , Stoev A.
Published: December 2021

The impressive transition from an era of scientific data scarcity to an era of overproduction has become particularly noticeable in archaeoastronomy. The collection of astronomical information about prehistoric societies allows the accumulation of global data on: – the oldest traces of astronomical activity on Earth, emotional and rational display of celestial phenomena in astronomical folklore, “folk astronomy” and timekeeping, in fine arts and architecture, in everyday life; – the most ancient applied “astronomy” – counting the time by lunar phases, accumulation and storage of ancient databases in drawings and pictographic compositions in caves and artificially constructed objects; – “horizon” astronomy as an initial form of observational cult astronomy, preserved only in characteristic material monuments (the oldest cult observatories) with indisputable astronomical orientations. The report shows the importance of collecting the maximum number of artifacts and monuments from prehistory associated with the early emergence of interest in celestial phenomena. Spiritual, emotional and rational (including practical) needs that have aroused interest in Heaven are discussed. The huge variety of activities in realizing the regularity (cyclicity) of celestial phenomena as a stimulus for their use for orientation in space and time is shown.
Written on stone: Engraved European medieval solar eclipses
Authors: Martínez María J. , Marco Francisco J.
Published: December 2021

In the context of the European Middle Ages as the period roughly covering from the 5th to the 15th centuries, the astronomical records are rarery found in scientific treatises. At least, not until the 15th century. A few surprinsing examples in which the observations were recorded in a particularly original way on stone are found. In this poster we will shortly review the only four cases in which this occurred in Europe.
The first scientific role-playing game
Authors: Maffione Nicolás P.
Published: December 2021

We present here an edutainment strategy to communicate science and technology which is strongly based on personal motivation of the learner candidate: participants/players learn because they find it useful/interesting in order to achieve their own goals in some unique game. Our own goal is to capture young people’s attention in an immersive and collective storytelling experience within the framework of a role-playing game specifically designed for scientific literacy. The first experiences in public high schools of Argentina are reported here.
Construction of correspondences between the sky we see and the heliocentric model: problem-based learning in 7th grade of elementary school
Authors: Karaseur Fernando Ariel , Gangui Alejandro
Published: December 2021

We present the results of the implementation of a didactic sequence based on the formulation and resolution of astronomical problems by seventh grade elementary school students from the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires, Argentina. Its objective is to generate a meaningful understanding of the heliocentric model of the Solar System from the systematization of topocentric observations of the sky, either direct or mediated by resources such as diagrams, Stellarium software and tables, which we correlate with the parallel globe, other models with specific material and the Solar System Scope software. Throughout the sequence we address topics such as the diurnal and annual movement of the Sun, the night sky, astronomical ephemeris, Moon phases and eclipses. These are developed in parallel to the sphericity of the Earth and the concept of motion in science. For each of these topics we start from its recognition. We then implement strategies to guide students towards a possible description from the local point of view, and then extend it to other locations on the surface of the Earth. We encourage them to explain their ideas about the possible links between these topocentric observations and the corresponding relative positions of the celestial objects as seen from an external point of view to the Earth. These ideas are then contrasted with geocentric and heliocentric models. Here we highlight the integrative instances in which the students formulated problems in small groups and shared them for their resolution. Thus, motivated and challenged by the collaboration between peers, they became the protagonists of their learning.
Using Hadoop Distributed and Deduplicated File System (HD2FS) in Astronomy
Authors: Bartus Paul
Published: December 2021

During the last years, the amount of data has skyrocketed. As a consequence, the data has become more expensive to store than to generate. The storage needs for astronomical data are also following this trend. Storage systems in Astronomy contain redundant copies of data such as identical files or within sub-file regions. We propose the use of the Hadoop Distributed and Deduplicated File System (HD2FS) in Astronomy. HD2FS is a deduplication storage system that was created to improve data storage capacity and efficiency in distributed file systems without compromising Input/Output performance. HD2FS can be developed by modifying existing storage system environments such as the Hadoop Distributed File System. By taking advantage of deduplication technology, we can better manage the underlying redundancy of data in astronomy and reduce the space needed to store these files in the file systems, thus allowing for more capacity per volume.
Women in Astronomy and in Science: cracking the code with a third culture
Authors: Curir Anna
Published: December 2021

Girls’ under-representation in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education is deep rooted and puts a detrimental brake on progress towards sustainable development. Both education and gender equality are an integral part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015, as distinct Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The UNESCO Report: Cracking the code: Girls’ and women’s education in STEM provides a global snapshot of this underrepresentation and the factors behind it. The fight against stereotypes to ‘crack the code’, or to decipher the factors that hinder or facilitate girls’ and women’s participation in STEM (and particularly in Astronomy) education must take into account the persisting dichotomy between the so called two cultures.
Considerations on the importance of building a national astronomical glossary
Authors: Agata Hidehiko
Published: December 2021

Children in elementary and middle school learn fundamental concepts of science in their local language. There seems to be some discrepancies between what they learn in school and up-to-date terminologies because academic terminologies are usually updated and shared only in English by each specific academic society. We introduce the online dictionary called as “The Internet Encyclopedia of Astronomy” compiled and provided by the Astronomical Society of Japan as an efficient solution for such terminology problem.
Making sciences with smartphones: The universe in your pocket
Authors: Monteiro Martin , Marti Arturo C.
Published: December 2021

We propose a set of modern and stimulating activities related to the teaching of Astronomy orientated to high school or university students using smartphones. The activities are: a) the experimental simulation of asteroid light curves including the determination of the period of rotation of asteroids, b) the experimental simulation of exoplanet detection by transit method, c) the experimental simulation of stellar distances using parallax and d) the use of virtual and augmented reality.
Women in science: the need for a global cultural change
Authors: Hallberg Karen
Published: December 2021

This paper summarizes the talk given at this conference in which the cultural aspect of the low participation of women in science, mainly in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) areas, is emphazised. A few personal recollections will be presented and some some striking numbers to illustrate the current situation will be given. In addition, some thought provoking ideas on what is known as “neurosexism” are explicited and a tribute is made to three women that overcame the challenges posed to them in different times in history (including current times) and helped paved the way to the new generation. However, there is still a long way to go. The inclusion of women and of other relegated sectors of society in scientific and technological activities is an important pending issue which will be achieved when our society as a whole reaches the necessary cultural maturity.
Development of astronomy research and education in Africa and Ethiopia
Authors: Pović Mirjana
Published: December 2021

Africa has amazing potential due to natural (such as dark sky) and human resources for scientific research in astronomy and space science. At the same time, the continent is still facing many difficulties, and its countries are now recognising the importance of astronomy, space science and satellite technologies for improving some of their principal socio-economic challenges. The development of astronomy in Africa (including Ethiopia) has grown significantly over the past few years, and never before it was more possible to use astronomy for education, outreach, and development as it is now. However, much still remains to be done. This paper will summarise the recent developments in astronomy research and education in Africa and Ethiopia and will focus on how working together on the development of science and education can we fight poverty in the long term and increase our possibilities of attaining the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals in future for benefit of all.
Cultural Astronomy: A scientific frame to understand academic astronomy as part of the Social World
Authors: López Alejandro M.
Published: December 2021

In the past, Western academic astronomy has conceived in a very specific way its interests. However, in recent decades there has been a promising openness to the rest of the society, in the context of areas such as education, heritage and outreach. Despite this, there has not been an adequate scientific approach to do it, which would imply taking into account the social sciences and a truly interdisciplinary perspective. Here we want to develop the idea that this interdisciplinary approach already exists and it is called: Cultural Astronomy. Unfortunately, in the context of academic astronomy it has been only seen as a study of the “astronomies of others”, intended as previous stages or failed attempts of Western academic astronomy. We will seek to show that Cultural Astronomy, as a critical reflection on the social character of the astronomical knowledge, is key to the success of these opening efforts.
Engaging young people with STEAM: Destinazione Luna
Authors: Ricciardi Sara
Published: December 2021

On the occasion of celebration of moon landing (2019) we designed a set of educational activities for the youngest, based on the moon. We wanted to talk, play and engage young people reflecting and enjoying different points of view and demystifying the idea of science and scientists in a personal and meaningful journey. After this year of experimentation we also engaged with public schools co-designing and tailoring those activities despite the current sanitarian crisis. We will describe a physical artifact called ‘Lunatario’ and its 3d printable version together with cross-disciplinary educational activities and our tentative documentation. We will also describe how, with the help of a very diverse team, we embedded other media in our moon exploration working in particular with picture books and animation. We believe this is a great way to deeply engage young people with STEAM in a democratic way.
IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030 and Division C Education, Outreach and Heritage
Authors: Deustua Susana
Published: December 2021

The IAU Strategic Plan 2020–2030 identifies five goals to guide the Union’s activities through this decade: to lead the global coordination of professional astronomy, to promote inclusive advancement of astronomy, to promote astronomy as a tool for development, to promote public engagement in astronomy, and, to stimulate using astronomy for primary and secondary education. Education permeates through all these goals – professional development, informal education and formal education for the very young through to the PhD level. For the IAU’s Division C, Education, Outreach and Heritage, the plan provides the foundation for supporting teachers worldwide who use astronomy as a tool for teaching science, the humanities and the arts, to promote astronomy education research, to engage life-long learners, and to engage everyone with our collective history and heritage to understand the Universe. I describe Division C’s remit, where we are now in this 3rd decade of the 21st century.
Turn on the Night! Science and Education on Dark Skies Issues
Authors: Walker Constance E. , Green Richard , Sanhueza Pedro , Metaxa Margarita
Published: December 2021

The “Turn on the Night” associated event had presentations on the latest dark skies protection issues considered by the IAU’s Dark and Quiet Skies working groups. Presentations were also made on dark skies education programs and cultural/scientific heritage.
Planetary Dunes Tell of Otherworldly Winds
Authors: Titus Timothy , Diniega Serina , Fenton Lori , Neakrase Lynn , Zimbelman James
Published: December 2021

On Earth and throughout our solar system, ripples and dunes in sand and dust offer insights into how winds blow, liquid currents flow, and solid particles fly and bounce over the terrain.
Modeling Mulch to Understand Agricultural Soil
Authors: Rehnberg Morgan
Published: December 2021

A new model helps shed light on residue mulch, an important regulator of surface soil conditions.
The Effect of Fault Architecture on Slip Behavior in Shale Revealed by Distributed Fiber Optic Strain Sensing
Authors: Hopp Chet , Guglielmi Yves , Rinaldi Antonio Pio , Soom Florian , Wenning Quinn , Cook Paul , Robertson Michelle , Kakurina Maria , Zappone Alba
Published: December 2021

We use Distributed Strain Sensing (DSS) through Brillouin scattering measurements to characterize the reactivation of a fault zone in shale (Opalinus clay), caused by the excavation of a gallery at ∼400 m depth in the Mont Terri Underground Laboratory (Switzerland). DSS fibers are cemented behind casing in six boreholes cross‐cutting the fault zone. We compare the DSS data with co‐located measurements of displacement from a chain potentiometer and a three‐dimensional displacement sensor (SIMFIP). DSS proves to be able to detect in‐ and off‐fault strain variations induced by the gallery excavated 30–50 m away. The total permanent displacement of the fault is ∼200 microns at rates up to 1.5 nm/s. DSS is sensitive to longitudinal and shear strain with measurements showing that fault shear is concentrated at the top and bottom interfaces of the fault zone with little deformation within the fault zone itself. Such a localized pattern of strain relates to the architecture of the fault that is characterized by a thick “layer” including an anastomosing network of polished surfaces where clay‐rich rock splits into progressively smaller flakes conferring the entire zone very little cohesion and friction (weak zone), and favoring slipping at the edges of the “layer”. Overall, DSS shows that slow slip may activate everywhere there is a weak fault within a shale series. Thus, our work demonstrates the importance of shear strain on faults caused by remote loading, highlighting the utility of DSS systems to detect and quantify these effects at large reservoir scales.
Go Extra Miles: An Additional Error Correction Procedure Aimed to Further Improve Phase Unwrapping Accuracy and Reduce Creep Model Uncertainty
Authors: Ma Zhangfeng , Liu Jihong , Liu Xiaojie , Zhou Cheng , Hu Jia , Cui Yan , Qin Shuhong , Huang Teng , Li Zhen
Published: December 2021

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) phase unwrapping error is a major limiting factor on the InSAR‐derived tectonic deformation velocity. This is particularly the case when atmospheric turbulence, large deformation gradient and strong phase noise exist. To address limitations of existing phase unwrapping error correction methods, here we present a new algorithm that integrates decorrelation phase correction, triplet phase closure (TPC) test and integer linear programming (ILP) to overcome this limit. The rationale behind is that we mitigate the phase inconsistency using decorrelation correction and then detect the phase unwrapping error magnitude using TPC. Next we borrow the ILP from Compressed Sensing that converts the phase unwrapping error correction to a sparse signal recovery problem. We demonstrated the validity of our method by using synthetic data and 5‐year Sentinel‐1 real data covering the Central San Andreas Fault creeping section, where exists obvious tectonic deformation, strong atmospheric disturbance and decorrelated scatterers, and the inverted long‐term creep model constrained by InSAR velocity after correction shows a lower uncertainty than that constrained by the uncorrected one.
Evolution of Tropical Cyclone Properties Across the Development Cycle of the GISS‐E3 Global Climate Model
Authors: Russotto Rick D. , Strong Jeffrey D. O. , Camargo Suzana J. , Sobel Adam , Elsaesser Gregory S. , Kelley Maxwell , Del Genio Anthony , Moon Yumin , Kim Daehyun
Published: December 2021

The next‐generation global climate model from the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies, GISS‐E3, contains many improvements to resolution and physics that allow for improved representation of tropical cyclones (TCs) in the model. This study examines the properties of TCs in two different versions of E3 at different points in its development cycle, run for 20 years at 0.5° resolution, and compares these TCs with observations, the previous generation GISS model, E2, and other climate models. E3 shares many TC biases common to global climate models, such as having too few tropical cyclones, but is much improved from E2. E3 produces strong enough TCs that observation‐based wind speed thresholds can now be used to detect and track them, and some storms now reach hurricane intensity; neither of these was true of E2. Model development between the first and second versions of E3 further increased the number and intensity of TCs and reduced TC count biases globally and in most regions. One‐year sensitivity tests to changes in various microphysical and dynamical tuning parameters are also examined. Increasing the entrainment rate for the more strongly entraining plume in the convection scheme increases the number of TCs (though also affecting other climate variables, and in some cases increasing biases). Variations in divergence damping did not have a strong effect on simulated TC properties, contrary to expectations based on previous studies. Overall, the improvements in E3 make it more credible for studies of TC activity and its relationship to climate.
Novel open reading frames in human accelerated regions and transposable elements reveal new leads to understand schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
Authors: Erady Chaitanya , Amin Krishna , Onilogbo Temiloluwa O. A. E. , Tomasik Jakub , Jukes-Jones Rebekah , Umrania Yagnesh , Bahn Sabine , Prabakaran Sudhakaran
Published: December 2021

Schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder are debilitating neuropsychiatric disorders arising from a combination of environmental and genetic factors. Novel open reading frames (nORFs) are genomic loci that give rise to previously uncharacterized transcripts and protein products. In our previous work, we have shown that nORFs can be biologically regulated and that they may play a role in cancer and rare diseases. More importantly, we have shown that nORFs may emerge in accelerated regions of the genome giving rise to species-specific functions. We hypothesize that nORFs represent a potentially important group of biological factors that may contribute to SCZ and bipolar disorder pathophysiology. Human accelerated regions (HARs) are genomic features showing human-lineage-specific rapid evolution that may be involved in biological regulation and have additionally been found to associate with SCZ genes. Transposable elements (TEs) are another set of genomic features that have been shown to regulate gene expression. As with HARs, their relevance to SCZ has also been suggested. Here, nORFs are investigated in the context of HARs and TEs. This work shows that nORFs whose expression is disrupted in SCZ and bipolar disorder are in close proximity to HARs and TEs and that some of them are significantly associated with SCZ and bipolar disorder genomic hotspots. We also show that nORF encoded proteins can form structures and potentially constitute novel drug targets.
Spatial patterns of tumour growth impact clonal diversification in a computational model and the TRACERx Renal study
Authors: Fu Xiao , Zhao Yue , Lopez Jose I. , Rowan Andrew , Au Lewis , Fendler Annika , Hazell Steve , Xu Hang , Horswell Stuart , Shepherd Scott T. C. , Spencer Charlotte E. , Spain Lavinia , Byrne Fiona , Stamp Gordon , O’Brien Tim , Nicol David , Augustine Marcellus , Chandra Ashish , Rudman Sarah , Toncheva Antonia , Furness Andrew J. S. , Pickering Lisa , Kumar Santosh , Koh Dow-Mu , Messiou Christina , Dafydd Derfel ap , Orton Matthew R. , Doran Simon J. , Larkin James , Swanton Charles , Sahai Erik , Litchfield Kevin , Turajlic Samra ,   on behalf of the TRACERx Renal Consortium, Ben Challacombe  , Chowdhury Simon , Drake William , Fernando Archana , Fotiadis Nicos , Hatipoglu Emine , Harrison-Phipps Karen , Hill Peter , Horsfield Catherine , Marafioti Teresa , Olsburgh Jonathon , Polson Alexander , Quezada Sergio , Varia Mary , Verma Hema , Bates Paul A.
Published: December 2021

Genetic intra-tumour heterogeneity fuels clonal evolution, but our understanding of clinically relevant clonal dynamics remain limited. We investigated spatial and temporal features of clonal diversification in clear cell renal cell carcinoma through a combination of modelling and real tumour analysis. We observe that the mode of tumour growth, surface or volume, impacts the extent of subclonal diversification, enabling interpretation of clonal diversity in patient tumours. Specific patterns of proliferation and necrosis explain clonal expansion and emergence of parallel evolution and microdiversity in tumours. In silico time-course studies reveal the appearance of budding structures before detectable subclonal diversification. Intriguingly, we observe radiological evidence of budding structures in early-stage clear cell renal cell carcinoma, indicating that future clonal evolution may be predictable from imaging. Our findings offer a window into the temporal and spatial features of clinically relevant clonal evolution.
Evolution of enhanced innate immune evasion by SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Thorne Lucy G. , Bouhaddou Mehdi , Reuschl Ann-Kathrin , Zuliani-Alvarez Lorena , Polacco Ben , Pelin Adrian , Batra Jyoti , Whelan Matthew V. X. , Hosmillo Myra , Fossati Andrea , Ragazzini Roberta , Jungreis Irwin , Ummadi Manisha , Rojc Ajda , Turner Jane , Bischof Marie L. , Obernier Kirsten , Braberg Hannes , Soucheray Margaret , Richards Alicia , Chen Kuei-Ho , Harjai Bhavya , Memon Danish , Hiatt Joseph , Rosales Romel , McGovern Briana L. , Jahun Aminu , Fabius Jacqueline M. , White Kris , Goodfellow Ian G. , Takeuchi Yasu , Bonfanti Paola , Shokat Kevan , Jura Natalia , Verba Klim , Noursadeghi Mahdad , Beltrao Pedro , Kellis Manolis , Swaney Danielle L. , García-Sastre Adolfo , Jolly Clare , Towers Greg J. , Krogan Nevan J.
Published: December 2021

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern suggests viral adaptation to enhance human-to-human transmission1,2. Although much effort has focused on the characterization of changes in the spike protein in variants of concern, mutations outside of spike are likely to contribute to adaptation. Here, using unbiased abundance proteomics, phosphoproteomics, RNA sequencing and viral replication assays, we show that isolates of the Alpha (B.1.1.7) variant3suppress innate immune responses in airway epithelial cells more effectively than first-wave isolates. We found that the Alpha variant has markedly increased subgenomic RNA and protein levels of the nucleocapsid protein (N), Orf9b and Orf6—all known innate immune antagonists. Expression of Orf9b alone suppressed the innate immune response through interaction with TOM70, a mitochondrial protein that is required for activation of the RNA-sensing adaptor MAVS. Moreover, the activity of Orf9b and its association with TOM70 was regulated by phosphorylation. We propose that more effective innate immune suppression, through enhanced expression of specific viral antagonist proteins, increases the likelihood of successful transmission of the Alpha variant, and may increase in vivo replication and duration of infection4. The importance of mutations outside the spike coding region in the adaptation of SARS-CoV-2 to humans is underscored by the observation that similar mutations exist in the N and Orf9b regulatory regions of the Delta and Omicron variants.
Pan-AMPK activator O304 prevents gene expression changes and remobilisation of histone marks in islets of diet-induced obese mice
Authors: López-Pérez Ana , Norlin Stefan , Steneberg Pär , Remeseiro Silvia , Edlund Helena , Hörnblad Andreas
Published: December 2021

AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) has an important role in cellular energy homeostasis and has emerged as a promising target for treatment of Type 2 Diabetes (T2D) due to its beneficial effects on insulin sensitivity and glucose homeostasis. O304 is a pan-AMPK activator that has been shown to improve glucose homeostasis in both mouse models of diabetes and in human T2D subjects. Here, we describe the genome-wide transcriptional profile and chromatin landscape of pancreatic islets following O304 treatment of mice fed high-fat diet (HFD). O304 largely prevented genome-wide gene expression changes associated with HFD feeding in CBA mice and these changes were associated with remodelling of active and repressive chromatin marks. In particular, the increased expression of the β-cell stress marker Aldh1a3 in islets from HFD-mice is completely abrogated following O304 treatment, which is accompanied by loss of active chromatin marks in the promoter as well as distant non-coding regions upstream of the Aldh1a3 gene. Moreover, O304 treatment restored dysfunctional glucose homeostasis as well as expression of key markers associated with β-cell function in mice with already established obesity. Our findings provide preclinical evidence that O304 is a promising therapeutic compound not only for T2D remission but also for restoration of β-cell function following remission of T2D diabetes.
Fabrication and characterization of 3D printing scaffold technology by extract oils from plant and its applications in the cardiovascular blood
Authors: Naderi Soheila , Esmaeili Akbar
Published: December 2021

Extract oils from plants used in 3D polysaccharides modified with natural protein polymer modified polymer scaffolds can help to reduce blood pressure. This study aimed to use extract oils from plant (EOP)as blood pressure-reducing, bind them to magnetic iron nanoparticles (Fe3O4@NPs), then bind them to polymeric 3D print scaffolds [chitosan, polylactic acid, and polyurethane (CS/PLA/PU), modified with natural protein and finally separate them. This method made it possible to investigate different variables for nanoparticles. In this project, synthesis polymer, modified gelatin (Mo-Ge), PEGylation, extract oils from plant loading and release process in nanocarrier with different concentrations were examined and cell proliferation was optimized. The results show that 75% of the extract oils from plant loaded on iron magnetic nanoparticles containing PEGylated polymer scaffolds was released. Cell proliferation was performed for the sample. In this process, modification of scaffolding with polysaccharides modified with natural protein and extract oils from plant increased the efficiency of nanoparticles among the studied Allium sativum and Zingiber officinale. The size of A. sativum and Z. officinale were 29.833 nm and 150.02 nm size, respectively. These behaved very similarly to each other and A. sativum had the biggest effect in lowering blood pressure. The application of extract oils from plant in 3D mode scaffolding has not been studied before and this is the first analysis to do so, using nanoparticles.
Global maps of cropland extent and change show accelerated cropland expansion in the twenty-first century
Authors: Potapov Peter , Turubanova Svetlana , Hansen Matthew C. , Tyukavina Alexandra , Zalles Viviana , Khan Ahmad , Song Xiao-Peng , Pickens Amy , Shen Quan , Cortez Jocelyn
Published: December 2021

Spatiotemporally consistent data on global cropland extent is essential for tracking progress towards sustainable food production. In the present study, we present an analysis of global cropland area change for the first two decades of the twenty-first century derived from satellite data time-series. We estimate that, in 2019, the cropland area was 1,244 Mha with a corresponding total annual net primary production (NPP) of 5.5 Pg C year−1. From 2003 to 2019, cropland area increased by 9% and cropland NPP by 25%, primarily due to agricultural expansion in Africa and South America. Global cropland expansion accelerated over the past two decades, with a near doubling of the annual expansion rate, most notably in Africa. Half of the new cropland area (49%) replaced natural vegetation and tree cover, indicating a conflict with the sustainability goal of protecting terrestrial ecosystems. From 2003 to 2019, global per-capita cropland area decreased by 10% due to population growth. However, the per-capita annual cropland NPP increased by 3.5% as a result of intensified agricultural land use. The presented global, high-resolution, cropland map time-series supports monitoring of natural land appropriation at the local, national and international levels.