bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Volney: ‘The Ruins' and ‘Catechism of Natural Law'
Authors: Volney Constantin
Published: February 2024

Volney was once as influential as Tom Paine, and the author of one of the most popular works of the French Revolutionary era. The Ruins of Empires makes an argument for popular sovereignty, couched in the alluring and accessible form of an Oriental dream-tale. A favourite of both Thomas Jefferson, who translated it, and the young Abraham Lincoln, the Ruins advances a scheme of radical, utopian politics premised upon the deconstruction of all the world's religions. It was widely celebrated by radicals in Britain and America, and exercised an enormous influence on poets from Percy Bysshe Shelley to Walt Whitman for its indictments of tyranny and priestcraft. Volney instead advocates a return to natural precepts shorn of superstition, set out in his sequel, the Catechism of Natural Law. These days Volney enjoys a high profile in African-American Studies as a proponent of Black Egyptianism.
Autonomous predictive maintenance of quadrotor UAV with multi-actuator degradation
Authors: Shen F.-y. , Li W. , Jiang D.-n. , Mao H.-j.
Published: February 2024

With the wide application of quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), the requirements for their safety and reliability are becoming increasingly stringent. In this paper, based on the feedback of airframe performance health perception information and the predictive function control strategy, the autonomous maintenance of a quadrotor UAV with multi-actuator degradation is realised. Autonomous maintenance architecture is constructed by the predictive maintenance (PdM) idea and the Laguerre function model predictive pontrol (LF-MPC) strategy. Using the two-stage Kalman filter (TSKF) method, based on the established UAV degradation model, the aircraft state and actuator degradation state are predicted simultaneously. For the predictive perception of system health, on the one hand, the system health degree (HD) based on Mahalanobis distance is defined by the degree of airframe state deviation from the expected state, and then the failure threshold of the UAV is obtained. On the other hand, according to the degradation state of each actuator, a comprehensive degradation variable fused with different weight coefficients of multiple actuators degradation is used to obtain the probability density function (PDF) of remaining useful life (RUL) prediction. For the autonomous maintenance of system health, the LF-MPC weight matrixes are adjusted adaptively in real-time based on the HD evaluation, to achieve a compromise balance between UAV performance and control effect, and greatly extend the working time of UAV. Simulation results verified the effectiveness of the proposed method.
An asymptotic approach to centrally planned portfolio selection
Authors: Liang Zongxia , Liu Yang
Published: February 2024

We formulate a centrally planned portfolio selection problem with the investor and the manager having S-shaped utilities under a recently popular first-loss contract. We solve for the closed-form optimal portfolio, which shows that a first-loss contract can sometimes behave like an option contract. We propose an asymptotic approach to investigate the portfolio. This approach can be adopted to illustrate economic insights, including the fact that the portfolio under a convex contract becomes more conservative when the market state is better. Furthermore, we discover a means of Pareto improvement by simultaneously considering the investor’s utility and increasing the manager’s incentive rate. This is achieved by establishing the collection of Pareto points of a single contract, proving that it is a strictly decreasing and strictly concave frontier, and comparing the Pareto frontiers of different contracts. These results may be helpful for the illustration of risk choices and the design of Pareto-optimal contracts.
Zonal statistics datasets of climate indicators for Brazilian municipalities
Authors: Saldanha Raphael , Akbarinia Reza , Pedroso Marcel , Ribeiro Victor , Cardoso Carlos , Pena Eduardo H. M. , Valduriez Patrick , Porto Fabio
Published: February 2024

Climate trends and weather indicators are used in several research fields due to their importance in statistical modeling, frequently used as covariates. Usually, climate indicators are available as grid files with different spatial and time resolutions. The availability of a time series of climate indicators compatible with administrative boundaries is scattered in Brazil, not fully available for several years, and produced with diverse methodologies. In this paper, we propose time series of climate indicators for the Brazilian municipalities produced using zonal statistics derived from the ERA5-Land reanalysis indicators. As a result, we present datasets with zonal statistics of climate indicators with daily data, covering the period from 1950 to 2022.
Post-nuclear worldmaking and counter-hegemony: Against catastrophic failures of imagination
Authors: Vaughan Tom
Published: February 2024

Studies of nuclear politics and IR more widely have failed to seriously engage with what future nuclear-disarmed worlds would or should look like. I respond to this failure of imagination by advocating for a project of ‘post-nuclear worldmaking’. Counter-hegemonic political efforts around the 2017 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) are a useful first step to ‘connecting’ our nuclear-armed present to a disarmed future. However, they do not tell us much about the broader characteristics of this future. Moreover, they often fail to transcend conservative assumptions of plausibility and probability, which unnecessarily exclude what might be called ‘utopian’ visions of alternative futures. In the context of mounting uncertainty generated by threats to planetary security, post-nuclear worldmaking can assist in drawing strong connections between the present and radically different future worlds, which should not be discounted as improbable or impossible. This project enables a widening of the scope of nuclear futures and policy options which are considered thinkable, as well as contributing a future-facing, prefigurative element of politics which complements existing counter-hegemonic strategy. It highlights the unavoidable obligation for nuclear scholars to think in utopian terms.
Turbulent transition in a channel with superhydrophobic walls: anisotropic slip and shear misalignment effects
Authors: Jouin A. , Cherubini S. , Robinet J.C.
Published: February 2024

Superhydrophobic surfaces dramatically reduce skin friction of overlying liquid flows. These surfaces are complex and numerical simulations usually rely on models to reduce this complexity. One of the simplest consists of finding an equivalent boundary condition through a homogenisation procedure, which in the case of channel flow over oriented riblets, leads to the presence of a small spanwise component in the homogenised base flow velocity. This work aims at investigating the influence of such a three-dimensionality of the base flow on stability and transition in a channel with walls covered by oriented riblets. Linear stability for this base flow is investigated: a new instability region, linked to cross-flow effects, is observed. Tollmien–Schlichting waves are also retrieved but the most unstable are three-dimensional. Transient growth is also affected as oblique streaks with non-zero streamwise wavenumber become the most amplified perturbations. When transition is induced by Tollmien–Schlichting waves, after an initial exponential growth regime, streaky structures with large spanwise wavenumber rapidly arise. Modal mechanisms appear to play a leading role in the development of these structures and a secondary stability analysis is performed to retrieve successfully some of their characteristics. The second scenario, initiated with cross-flow vortices, displays a strong influence of nonlinearities. The flow develops into large quasi-spanwise-invariant structures before breaking down to turbulence. Secondary stability on the saturated cross-flow vortices sheds light on this stage of transition. In both cases, cross-flow effects dominate the flow dynamics, suggesting the need to consider the anisotropicity of the wall condition when modelling superhydrophobic surfaces.
Statutory interpretation and the administrative state: refocusing the purposivist/intentionalist debate
Authors: Sayer Tim
Published: February 2024

Questions of statutory interpretation form a significant portion of administrative law cases. Accordingly, judicial methodology in this area requires careful consideration by public law commentators. The core aim of this paper is to question the general orthodoxy that statutory interpretation is invariably a question for judges. In recent times, one prominent argument has been that between jurists arguing that interpretation should be the realisation of Parliament's intention (‘intentionalist’), and those who prefer the closely related but subtly distinct focus on its objective purpose (‘purposivist’). I contend that this argument, framed as a question over the inter-institutional relationship between Parliament and the courts, focuses on how interpretation is carried out without considering who is best placed to do the interpreting. Given, as I demonstrate with a series of case studies, that in hard cases the distinction between interpretation and discretion/policymaking can become obscure to the point of nullity, the debate fails to consider institutional arguments for judicial deference on questions of law. Moreover, and counterintuitively, the arguments of the intentionalists/purposivists can be used to bolster an argument for deference. My conclusion adopts a wider lens, setting out a broader constitutional argument for, and addressing objections against, cautious and context-sensitive deference.
In Other Theories: Colonial Reason, Language, And Literature in Ankhi Mukherjee’s Unseen City
Authors: Greedharry Mrinalini
Published: February 2024

The colonial reason at the heart of psychoanalysis is increasingly acknowledged, but literature scholars still work with it as an instrument for decolonizing. This essay examines thepossibilities of postcolonial literature itself as a source of epistemological intervention into psychoanalysis.
What is the Replication Crisis a Crisis Of?
Authors: Feest Uljana
Published: February 2024

In recent debates about the replication crisis, two positions have been dominant: one that focuses on methodological reforms and one that focuses on theory building. This paper takes up the suggestion that there might be a deeper difference in play, concerning the ways the very subject matter of psychology is construed by opposing camps, i.e., in terms of stable effects versus in terms of complexity. I argue that each gets something right, but neither is sufficient. My analysis suggests that the context sensitivity of the psychological subject matter needs to be front and center of methodological and theoretical efforts.
Visual stimulus brightness influences the efficiency of attractant-baited traps for catching Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae)
Authors: Cruz-Esteban Samuel , Garay-Serrano Edith , González Francisco J. , Rojas Julio C.
Published: February 2024

Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is an exotic pest of economic importance that affects several soft-skinned fruits in Mexico. Previously, we found that yellow or yellow-green rectangular cards inside a transparent trap baited with attractants improved D. suzukii capture. In this study, we evaluated the influence of rectangular cards with different yellow shades inside a transparent multi-hole trap baited with apple cider vinegar (ACV) on D. suzukii capture in the field. Second, we tested whether ACV-baited traps with cards of other geometric shapes affected D. suzukii catches compared to traps with rectangular cards. Third, we evaluated the effects of commercial lures combined with a more efficient visual stimulus from previous experiments on trapping D. suzukii flies. We found that ACV-baited traps plus a yellow-shaded rectangle card with 67% reflectance at a 549.74 nm dominant wavelength captured more flies than ACV-baited traps with yellow rectangle cards with a higher reflectance. Overall, ACV-baited traps with rectangles and squares caught more flies than did ACV-baited traps without visual stimuli. The traps baited with SuzukiiLURE-Max, ACV and Z-Kinol plus yellow rectangles caught 57, 70 and 101% more flies, respectively, than the traps baited with the lure but without a visual stimulus.
Molecular mechanism of Serratia marcescens Bizio infection in Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder based on full-length SMRT transcriptome sequencing
Authors: Zhang Ling , Tang Fang
Published: February 2024

Reticulitermes chinensis Snyder is an important pest in forestry and construction and is widely distributed in China. We found that Serratia marcescens Bizio strain SM1 has insecticidal activity to R. chinensis, but the pathogenic mechanism of SM1 to R. chinensis is not clear. Therefore, full-length transcriptome sequencing was performed on R. chinensis infected with SM1 and the control group. A total of 230 differentially expressed genes were identified by comparing SM1 infection group and the control group, among which 103 were downregulated and 127 were upregulated. We found downregulated genes in nine metabolic pathway categories, among which carbohydrate metabolism had the most downregulated genes, followed by energy metabolism and amino acid metabolism. We also found that some downregulated genes were related to pattern recognition receptors, cellular immunity, and humoral immunity, indicating that R. chinensis immunity was negatively affected by SM1 infection. In addition, some genes in signal transduction and genetic information processing pathways were downregulated. In this study, high-throughput full-length transcriptome analysis was used to analyse the pathogenic mechanism of SM1 to R. chinensis. The results of this study provide useful information for exploring the relationship between SM1 and R. chinensis, and provide theoretical support for the future application of SM1 and the prevention and treatment of R. chinensis.
Cocaine-associated Eustachian tube stenosis causing chronic ‘glue ear’: a rare cocaine-induced destructive lesion
Authors: Dar Talib , Abou-Abdallah Michel , Michaels Joshua , Talwar Rishi
Published: February 2024

Background

Cocaine is one of the most used recreational drugs. Whilst medical uses exist, chronic recreational nasal use of cocaine is associated with progressive destruction of the osseocartilaginous structures of the nose, sinuses and palate – termed cocaine-induced midline destructive lesions.

Case report

A 43-year-old male with a history of chronic cocaine use, presented with conductive hearing loss and unilateral middle-ear effusion. Examination under anaesthesia revealed a completely stenosed left Eustachian tube orifice with intra-nasal adhesions. The adhesions were divided and the hearing loss was treated conservatively with hearing aids. Whilst intra-nasal cocaine-induced midline destructive lesions are a well-described condition, this is the first known report of Eustachian tube stenosis associated with cocaine use.

Conclusion

This unique report highlights the importance of thorough history-taking, rhinological and otological examination, and audiometric testing when assessing patients with a history of chronic cocaine use. This paper demonstrates the complexity of managing hearing loss in such cases, with multiple conservative and surgical options available.
Placopsis craterifera (Trapeliaceae, Lecanoromycetes), a new lichen species from alpine habitats on Mount Meru, Tanzania
Authors: Boluda Carlos G. , Kitara Nuru N.
Published: February 2024

During a field trip to the highlands of Mount Meru in Tanzania, two Placopsis specimens were collected. Morphological analyses showed a unique combination of characters not observed in any other published taxa within the genus. The specimens are characterized by their circular soralia, not confluent, crater-shaped, with a prominent white margin and coarse granular pinkish central soredia. Considering the morphological, geographical and genetic data, we propose the designation of a new species, Placopsis craterifera Boluda sp. nov.
IFE-net: improved feature enhancement network for weak feature target recognition in autonomous underwater vehicles
Authors: Cai Lei , Zhang Bingyuan , Li Yuejun , Chai Haojie
Published: February 2024

The recognizing underwater targets is a crucial component of autonomous underwater vehicle patrols and detection efforts. In the process of visual image recognition in real underwater environment, the spatial and semantic features of the target often appear to different degrees of loss, and the scarcity of specific types of underwater samples leads to unbalanced data on categories. This kind of problem makes the target features appear weak and seriously affects the accuracy of underwater target recognition. Traditional deep learning methods based on data and feature enhancement cannot achieve ideal recognition effect. Based on the above difficulties, this paper proposes an improved feature enhancement network for weak feature target recognition. Firstly, a multi-scale spatial and semantic feature enhancement module is constructed to extract the feature information of the extraction target accurately. Secondly, this paper solves the influence of target feature distortion on classification through multi-scale feature comparison of positive and negative samples. Finally, the Rank & Sort Loss function was used to train the depth target detection to solve the problem of recognition accuracy under highly unbalanced sample data. Experimental results show that the recognition accuracy of the proposed method is 2.28% and 3.84% higher than that of the existing algorithms in the recognition of underwater fuzzy and distorted target images, which demonstrates the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed method.
Mean Length of Utterance: A study of early language development in four Southern Bantu languages
Authors: BROOKES Heather , MAKAURE Patricia , YALALA Sefela , DANVERS Hannah , MÖSSMER Martin , LITTLE Francesca , NDHAMBI Mikateko , SOUTHWOOD Frenette , LUDIDI Babalwa ,   The South African CDI Team
Published: February 2024

Mean Length of Utterance (MLU) has been widely used to measure children’s early language development in a variety of languages. This study investigates the utility of MLU to measure language development in four agglutinative and morphologically complex Southern Bantu languages. Using a variant of MLU, MLU3, based on the three longest sentences children produced, we analysed the utterances of 448 toddlers (16-32 months) collected using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory, a parent-report tool. MLU3, measured in words (MLU3-w) and morphemes (MLU3-m), significantly correlated with age and other indices of language growth (e.g., grammar and vocabulary). MLU3 measures also accounted for significant variance in language development particular morphosyntactic development. Our results suggest that MLU3-m is a more sensitive measure than MLU3-w. We conclude that MLU measured in morphemes provides a useful addition to other indices of language development in these kinds of morphologically complex languages.
Same name, different representational levels? Misalignment of indirect parent-reported and direct alternative forced choice measures of emotion word comprehension in preschool children
Authors: ROEPSTORFF Ida Torp , MAYOR Julien , HAVIGHURST Sophie S. , KARTUSHINA Natalia
Published: February 2024

This study assessed the relationship between preschoolers’ directly and indirectly assessed emotion word comprehension. Forty-nine two-to-five-year-old Norwegian children were assessed in a tablet-based 4-alternative forced choice (AFC) task on their comprehension of six basic and six complex emotions using facial expression photographs. Parents reported emotion word comprehension and production of the same words. Parent-reported emotion word production interacted with age to predict preschoolers’ performance, with a parent-child alignment only observed for older children. Parent-reported word comprehension did not significantly predict accuracy. The results suggest that, in preschoolers, direct and indirect assessments might address distinct representational levels of emotion word comprehension.
Near-source passive sampling for monitoring viral outbreaks within a university residential setting
Authors: Farkas Kata , Kevill Jessica L. , Adwan Latifah , Garcia-Delgado Alvaro , Dzay Rande , Grimsley Jasmine M. S. , Lambert-Slosarska Kathryn , Wade Matthew J. , Williams Rachel C. , Martin Javier , Drakesmith Mark , Song Jiao , McClure Victoria , Jones Davey L.
Published: February 2024

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has proven to be a powerful tool for the population-level monitoring of pathogens, particularly severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). For assessment, several wastewater sampling regimes and methods of viral concentration have been investigated, mainly targeting SARS-CoV-2. However, the use of passive samplers in near-source environments for a range of viruses in wastewater is still under-investigated. To address this, near-source passive samples were taken at four locations targeting student hall of residence. These were chosen as an exemplar due to their high population density and perceived risk of disease transmission. Viruses investigated were SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern (VOCs), influenza viruses, and enteroviruses. Sampling was conducted either in the morning, where passive samplers were in place overnight (17 h) and during the day, with exposure of 7 h. We demonstrated the usefulness of near-source passive sampling for the detection of VOCs using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and next-generation sequencing (NGS). Furthermore, several outbreaks of influenza A and sporadic outbreaks of enteroviruses (some associated with enterovirus D68 and coxsackieviruses) were identified among the resident student population, providing evidence of the usefulness of near-source, in-sewer sampling for monitoring the health of high population density communities.
Polygenic risk and hostile environments: Links to stable and dynamic antisocial behaviors across adolescence
Authors: Acland E. L. , Pocuca N. , Paquin S. , Boivin M. , Ouellet-Morin I. , Andlauer T. F. M. , Gouin J. P. , Côté S. M. , Tremblay R. E. , Geoffroy M. , Castellanos-Ryan N.
Published: February 2024

Adverse environments are linked to elevated youth antisocial behavior. However, this relation is thought to depend, in part, on genetic susceptibility. The present study investigated whether polygenic risk for antisociality moderates relations between hostile environments and stable as well as dynamic antisocial behaviors across adolescence. We derived two antisocial-linked polygenic risk scores (PRS) (N = 721) based on previous genome-wide association studies. Forms of antisocial behavior (nonaggressive conduct problems, physical aggression, social aggression) and environmental hostility (harsh parenting and school violence) were assessed at age 13, 15, and 17 years. Relations to individual differences stable across adolescence (latent stability) vs. time-specific states (timepoint residual variance) of antisocial behavior were assessed via structural equation models. Higher antisocial PRS, harsh parenting, and school violence were linked to stable elevations in antisocial behaviors across adolescence. We identified a consistent polygenic-environment interaction suggestive of differential susceptibility in late adolescence. At age 17, harsher parenting was linked to higher social aggression in those with higher antisocial PRS, and lower social aggression in those with lower antisocial PRS. This suggests that genetics and environmental hostility relate to stable youth antisocial behaviors, and that genetic susceptibility moderates home environment-antisocial associations specifically in late adolescence.
Affective polarization in Europe
Authors: Wagner Markus
Published: February 2024

Affective polarization, a concept that originated in the USA, has increasingly been studied in Europe’s multi-party systems. This form of polarization refers to the extent to which party supporters dislike one another – or, more technically, to the difference between the positive feelings towards the supporters of one’s own political party and the negative feelings towards the supporters of other parties. Measuring this gap in Europe’s multi-party systems requires researchers to make various important decisions relating to conceptualization and measurement. Often, our focus could instead lie on assessing partisan hostility or negative party affect, which is easier to measure. While recent research on affective polarization in Europe has already taught USA lot, both about affective polarization and about political conflict in Europe, I nevertheless suggest that research in this field faces four challenges, namely developing better measures, more sophisticated theories, clearer accounts of affective polarization’s importance and successful ways of reducing negative party affect, if this is indeed desirable.
Polarization insensitive passive loaded wideband metamaterial absorber
Authors: Naik K. H. Murali , Singh Amit K. , Rama Krishna D.
Published: February 2024

This paper proposes a lightweight frequency selective surface polarization-insensitive wideband metamaterial absorber in C band and X band that employs only a few resistive elements. The proposed absorber is embodied with four quadrature slotted inner circular patch, which is horizontally and vertically bisected, and outer concentric copper rings of 0.035 mm thickness are attached with four lumped resistors placed at 90° apart. A slotted inner circular patch provides significant inductive and capacitive loading. The absorption bandwidth of 8.02 GHz with more than 90% absorption is observed from 5.69 to 13.71 GHz under normal incidence and maintains almost same absorptivity range under oblique incidence up to 45° in both transverse electric mode and transverse magnetic mode. The designed metamaterial absorber is fabricated and measured using free space measurement technique. The actual experiments and the simulated ones are in good agreement.
Maternal prenatal and postnatal psychological distress trajectories and impact on cognitive development in 4-year-old children: the Japan Environment and Children’s Study
Authors: Nishigori Hidekazu , Nishigori Toshie , Suzuki Taeko , Mori Miyuki , Yamada Mika , Isogami Hirotaka , Murata Tsuyoshi , Kyozuka Hyo , Ogata Yuka , Sato Akiko , Metoki Hirohito , Shinoki Kosei , Yasumura Seiji , Hosoya Mitsuaki , Hashimoto Koichi , Fujimori Keiya ,   the Japan Environment and Children’s Study Group
Published: February 2024

Maternal prenatal and postnatal psychological distress, including depression and anxiety, may affect children’s cognitive development. However, the findings have been inconsistent. We aimed to use the dataset from the Japan Environment and Children’s Study, a nationwide prospective birth cohort study, to examine this association. We evaluated the relationship between the maternal six-item version of the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6) scores and cognitive development among children aged 4 years. K6 was administered twice during pregnancy (M-T1; first half of pregnancy, M-T2; second half of pregnancy) and 1 year postpartum (C-1y). Cognitive development was assessed by trained testers, using the Kyoto Scale of Psychological Development 2001. Multiple regression analysis was performed with the group with a K6 score ≤ 4 for both M-T1 and M-T2 and C-1y as a reference. Records from 1,630 boys and 1,657 girls were analyzed. In the group with K6 scores ≥ 5 in both M-T1 and M-T2 and C-1Y groups, boys had significantly lower developmental quotients (DQ) in the language-social developmental (L-S) area (partial regression coefficient: −4.09, 95% confidence interval: −6.88 – −1.31), while girls did not differ significantly in DQ for the L-S area. Among boys and girls, those with K6 scores ≤ 4 at any one or two periods during M-T1, M-T2, or C-1y did not have significantly lower DQ for the L-S area. Persistent maternal psychological distress from the first half of pregnancy to 1 year postpartum had a disadvantageous association with verbal cognitive development in boys, but not in girls aged 4 years.
Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the Portuguese	Version of the Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale	(BASES)
Authors: Marques Cristiana C. , Macedo António , Castilho Paula , Goss Kenneth , Castelo-Branco Miguel , Pereira Ana T.
Published: February 2024

Abstract: The Body and Appearance Self-Conscious Emotions Scale (BASES; Castonguay et al., 2014 ) measures the individual’s shame, guilt, authentic and hubristic pride related to their body and appearance. The purpose of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Portuguese version of the BASES in a sample of adult individuals and the measurement invariance across gender. A sample of 506 participants completed the BASES and additional measures related to perfectionism and negative/positive affect. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the originally proposed four-factor structure of the BASES, with the best-fitted model dropping one item from the guilt factor. BASES showed adequate internal consistency, composite reliability, convergent validity and expected associations with perfectionism and affect measures. Scalar invariance was obtained across gender, with women showing significantly higher shame and guilt related to body and appearance than men. Our results support the use of the Portuguese BASES as a valid and reliable instrument to assess self-conscious emotions related to body and appearance.
Southern Ocean High‐Resolution (SOhi) Modeling Along the Antarctic Ice Sheet Periphery
Authors: Dinh Andy , Rignot Eric , Mazloff Matthew , Fenty Ian
Published: February 2024

The Southern Ocean plays a major role in controlling the evolution of Antarctic glaciers and in turn their impact on sea level rise. We present the Southern Ocean high‐resolution (SOhi) simulation of the MITgcm ocean model to reproduce ice‐ocean interaction at 1/24° around Antarctica, including all ice shelf cavities and oceanic tides. We evaluate the model accuracy on the continental shelf using Marine Mammals Exploring the Oceans Pole to Pole data and compare the results with three other MITgcm ocean models (ECCO4, SOSE, and LLC4320) and the ISMIP6 temperature reconstruction. Below 400 m, all the models exhibit a warm bias on the continental shelf, but the bias is reduced in the high‐resolution simulations. We hypothesize some of the bias is due to an overestimation of sea ice cover, which reduces heat loss to the atmosphere. Both high‐resolution and accurate bathymetry are required to improve model accuracy around Antarctica.
Dayside Pc2 Waves Associated With Flux Transfer Events in a 3D Hybrid‐Vlasov Simulation
Authors: Tesema F. , Palmroth M. , Turc L. , Zhou H. , Cozzani G. , Alho M. , Pfau‐Kempf Y. , Horaites K. , Zaitsev I. , Grandin M. , Battarbee M. , Ganse U. , Workayehu A. , Suni J. , Papadakis K. , Dubart M. , Tarvus V.
Published: February 2024

Flux transfer events (FTEs) are transient magnetic flux ropes at Earth's dayside magnetopause formed due to magnetic reconnection. As they move across the magnetopause surface, they can generate disturbances in the ultralow frequency (ULF) range, which then propagate into the magnetosphere. This study provides evidence of ULF waves in the Pc2 wave frequency range (>0.1 Hz) caused by FTEs during dayside reconnection using a global 3D hybrid‐Vlasov simulation (Vlasiator). These waves resulted from FTE formation and propagation at the magnetopause are particularly associated with large, rapidly moving FTEs. The wave power is stronger in the morning than afternoon, showing local time asymmetry. In the pre and postnoon equatorial regions, significant poloidal and toroidal components are present alongside the compressional component. The noon sector, with fewer FTEs, has lower wave power and limited magnetospheric propagation.
The Impact of the South Atlantic Anomaly on the Aurora System
Authors: Liu Z.‐Y. , Zong Q.‐G. , Li L. , Feng Z.‐J. , Sun Y.‐X. , Yu X.‐Q. , Wang Y.‐F. , Liu J.‐J. , Hu Z.‐J.
Published: February 2024

The South Atlantic Anomaly (SAA) refers to a region where the strength of the magnetic field is notably weaker compared to a dipole field. While previous studies have primarily focused on its effects on the inner radiation belt, this study investigates its impact on the aurora system. By analyzing 2 years' worth of data obtained by the Fengyun‐3E/ACMag instrument, we discover that magnetic fluctuations within the auroral oval are significantly weaker in the longitude sector corresponding to the SAA, as compared to those outside this area. This characteristic remains permanent and independent of seasons and geomagnetic activities. Additional investigation using Defense Meteorological Satellite Program/Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (DMSP/SSUSI) observations reveals a similar phenomenon in the auroral intensity. Therefore, our results demonstrate that the SAA substantially weakens the aurora system, shedding new light on the effects of magnetic anomalies on planetary auroras and magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐thermosphere coupling.
Earth's “Missing” Chlorine May Be in the Core
Authors: Yuan Liang , Steinle‐Neumann Gerd
Published: February 2024

The budget of volatile halogens in the bulk silicate Earth, fluorine and chlorine, differs distinctly from that of chondritic meteorites. Arguably, the bulk silicate Earth shows a low abundance of Cl, while the F budget is in line with the expected volatility trend. One hypothesis for the missing Cl is its sequestration into Earth's core during planetary segregation, but experimental data on partitioning between silicate and metallic melts are limited in pressure and remain inconclusive. Here we use computational quantum mechanical methods to study F and Cl geochemistry during core–mantle differentiation over a wide pressure and temperature range. Our calculations reveal that with increasing pressure and temperature, chlorine shows an enhanced affinity for iron metal. The Cl metal–silicate partition coefficient increase from −1.89 ± 0.84 at 10 GPa and 3000 K to 1.62 ± 0.80 at 130 GPa and 5000 K, while corresponding calculations for F show minimal variations in metal–silicate partitioning across the pressure–temperature conditions investigated, yielding values between −3.61 ± 0.81 and −3.37 ± 0.80. The shift in shows a transition from lithophile to siderophile behavior. Further calculations on isotopic partitioning show negligible fractionation of Cl isotopes (37Cl/35Cl) between the mantle and core. Our results suggest that metallic iron within Earth's mantle and core may serve as an important Cl reservoir, potentially accounting for up to 40% of Earth's overall Cl inventory.
Fate of an Earth‐Like Water Inventory on Mars
Authors: Jakosky Bruce M. , Hallis Lydia J.
Published: February 2024

We have determined the global inventory of surface and near‐surface water on Mars by tracking the amounts of water lost to each of the significant sinks for water. The sinks include loss to space, formation of hydrated minerals, possible remnants of an ancient ocean, water present within the crust, and the present‐day polar caps and near‐surface ice deposits; we utilize both previous analyses and new analyses of the amount of water in the sinks. Summed up, they total 380–970 m H2O (as a global equivalent layer), and possibly up to 685–1,970 m if possible crustal liquid water or ice is included. For comparison, the Earth's surface and near‐surface inventory, scaled to Mars, would be 1,400 m. This value for an Earth‐like Mars falls within the range of possible values for Mars, suggesting that Mars had a similar surface inventory of surface and near‐surface water. This abundance of water on early Mars is able to produce the observed water‐related geological features and suggests the presence of an early habitable environment capable of supporting life.
Cell type-specific expression, regulation and compensation of CDKL5 activity in mouse brain
Authors: Silvestre Margaux , Dempster Kelvin , Mihaylov Simeon R. , Claxton Suzanne , Ultanir Sila K.
Published: February 2024

CDKL5 is a brain-enriched serine/threonine kinase, associated with a profound developmental and epileptic encephalopathy called CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD). To design targeted therapies for CDD, it is essential to determine where CDKL5 is expressed and is active in the brain and test if compensatory mechanisms exist at cellular level. We generated conditional Cdkl5 knockout mice in excitatory neurons, inhibitory neurons and astrocytes. To assess CDKL5 activity, we utilized a phosphospecific antibody for phosphorylated EB2, a well-known substrate of CDKL5. We found that CDKL5 and EB2 pS222 were prominent in excitatory and inhibitory neurons but were not detected in astrocytes. We observed that approximately 15–20% of EB2 pS222 remained in Cdkl5 knockout brains and primary neurons. Surprisingly, the remaining phosphorylation was modulated by NMDA and PP1/PP2A in neuronal CDKL5 knockout cultures, indicating the presence of a compensating kinase. Using a screen of candidate kinases with highest homology to the CDKL5 kinase domain, we found that CDKL2 and ICK can phosphorylate EB2 S222 in HEK293T cells and in primary neurons. We then generated Cdkl5/Cdkl2 dual knockout mice to directly test if CDKL2 phosphorylates EB2 in vivo and found that CDKL2 phosphorylates CDKL5 substrates in the brain. This study is the first indication that CDKL2 could potentially replace CDKL5 functions in the brain, alluding to novel therapeutic possibilities.
Enhancing osteoporosis treatment with engineered mesenchymal stem cell-derived extracellular vesicles: mechanisms and advances
Authors: Chen Yiman , Huang Yuling , Li Jia , Jiao Taiwei , Yang Lina
Published: February 2024

As societal aging intensifies, the incidence of osteoporosis (OP) continually rises. OP is a skeletal disorder characterized by reduced bone mass, deteriorated bone tissue microstructure, and consequently increased bone fragility and fracture susceptibility, typically evaluated using bone mineral density (BMD) and T-score. Not only does OP diminish patients’ quality of life, but it also imposes a substantial economic burden on society. Conventional pharmacological treatments yield limited efficacy and severe adverse reactions. In contemporary academic discourse, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) have surfaced as auspicious novel therapeutic modalities for OP. EVs can convey information through the cargo they carry and have been demonstrated to be a crucial medium for intercellular communication, playing a significant role in maintaining the homeostasis of the bone microenvironment. Furthermore, various research findings provide evidence that engineered strategies can enhance the therapeutic effects of EVs in OP treatment. While numerous reviews have explored the progress and potential of EVs in treating degenerative bone diseases, research on using EVs to address OP remains in the early stages of basic experimentation. This paper reviews advancements in utilizing MSCs and their derived EVs for OP treatment. It systematically examines the most extensively researched MSC-derived EVs for treating OP, delving not only into the molecular mechanisms of EV-based OP therapy but also conducting a comparative analysis of the strengths and limitations of EVs sourced from various cell origins. Additionally, the paper emphasizes the technical and engineering strategies necessary for leveraging EVs in OP treatment, offering insights and recommendations for future research endeavors.
Parallel developmental changes in children’s production and recognition of line drawings of visual concepts
Authors: Long Bria , Fan Judith E. , Huey Holly , Chai Zixian , Frank Michael C.
Published: February 2024

Childhood is marked by the rapid accumulation of knowledge and the prolific production of drawings. We conducted a systematic study of how children create and recognize line drawings of visual concepts. We recruited 2-10-year-olds to draw 48 categories via a kiosk at a children’s museum, resulting in >37K drawings. We analyze changes in the category-diagnostic information in these drawings using vision algorithms and annotations of object parts. We find developmental gains in children’s inclusion of category-diagnostic information that are not reducible to variation in visuomotor control or effort. Moreover, even unrecognizable drawings contain information about the animacy and size of the category children tried to draw. Using guessing games at the same kiosk, we find that children improve across childhood at recognizing each other’s line drawings. This work leverages vision algorithms to characterize developmental changes in children’s drawings and suggests that these changes reflect refinements in children’s internal representations.
Compromised transcription-mRNA export factor THOC2 causes R-loop accumulation, DNA damage and adverse neurodevelopment
Authors: Bhattacharjee Rudrarup , Jolly Lachlan A. , Corbett Mark A. , Wee Ing Chee , Rao Sushma R. , Gardner Alison E. , Ritchie Tarin , van Hugte Eline J. H. , Ciptasari Ummi , Piltz Sandra , Noll Jacqueline E. , Nazri Nazzmer , van Eyk Clare L. , White Melissa , Fornarino Dani , Poulton Cathryn , Baynam Gareth , Collins-Praino Lyndsey E. , Snel Marten F. , Nadif Kasri Nael , Hemsley Kim M. , Thomas Paul Q. , Kumar Raman , Gecz Jozef
Published: February 2024

We implicated the X-chromosome THOC2 gene, which encodes the largest subunit of the highly-conserved TREX (Transcription-Export) complex, in a clinically complex neurodevelopmental disorder with intellectual disability as the core phenotype. To study the molecular pathology of this essential eukaryotic gene, we generated a mouse model based on a hypomorphic Thoc2 exon 37–38 deletion variant of a patient with ID, speech delay, hypotonia, and microcephaly. The Thoc2 exon 37–38 deletion male (Thoc2Δ/Y) mice recapitulate the core phenotypes of THOC2 syndrome including smaller size and weight, and significant deficits in spatial learning, working memory and sensorimotor functions. The Thoc2Δ/Y mouse brain development is significantly impacted by compromised THOC2/TREX function resulting in R-loop accumulation, DNA damage and consequent cell death. Overall, we suggest that perturbed R-loop homeostasis, in stem cells and/or differentiated cells in mice and the patient, and DNA damage-associated functional alterations are at the root of THOC2 syndrome.
UPP1 promotes lung adenocarcinoma progression through the induction of an immunosuppressive microenvironment
Authors: Li Yin , Jiang Manling , Aye Ling , Luo Li , Zhang Yong , Xu Fengkai , Wei Yongqi , Peng Dan , He Xiang , Gu Jie , Yu Xiaofang , Li Guoping , Ge Di , Lu Chunlai
Published: February 2024

The complexity of the tumor microenvironment (TME) is a crucial factor in lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD) progression. To gain deeper insights into molecular mechanisms of LUAD, we perform an integrative single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) data analysis of 377,574 cells from 117 LUAD patient samples. By linking scRNA-seq data with bulk gene expression data, we identify a cluster of prognostic-related UPP1high tumor cells. These cells, primarily situated at the invasive front of tumors, display a stronger association with the immunosuppressive components in the TME. Our cytokine array analysis reveals that the upregulation of UPP1 in tumor cells leads to the increased release of various immunosuppressive cytokines, with TGF-β1 being particularly prominent. Furthermore, this UPP1 upregulation also elevates the expression of PD-L1 through the PI3K/AKT/mTOR pathway, which contributes to the suppression of CD8 + T cells. Cytometry by time-of-flight (CyTOF) analysis provides additional evidence of the role of UPP1 in shaping the immunosuppressive nature of the TME. Using patient-derived organoids (PDOs), we discover that UPP1high tumors exhibit relatively increased sensitivity to Bosutinib and Dasatinib. Collectively, our study highlights the immunosuppressive role of UPP1 in LUAD, and these findings may provide insights into the molecular features of LUAD and facilitate the development of personalized treatment strategies.
Unraveling the role of the mitochondrial one-carbon pathway in undifferentiated thyroid cancer by multi-omics analyses
Authors: Lee Seong Eun , Park Seongyeol , Yi Shinae , Choi Na Rae , Lim Mi Ae , Chang Jae Won , Won Ho-Ryun , Kim Je Ryong , Ko Hye Mi , Chung Eun-Jae , Park Young Joo , Cho Sun Wook , Yu Hyeong Won , Choi June Young , Yeo Min-Kyung , Yi Boram , Yi Kijong , Lim Joonoh , Koh Jun-Young , Lee Min Jeong , Heo Jun Young , Yoon Sang Jun , Kwon Sung Won , Park Jong-Lyul , Chu In Sun , Kim Jin Man , Kim Seon-Young , Shan Yujuan , Liu Lihua , Hong Sung-A , Choi Dong Wook , Park Junyoung O. , Ju Young Seok , Shong Minho , Kim Seon-Kyu , Koo Bon Seok , Kang Yea Eun
Published: February 2024

The role of the serine/glycine metabolic pathway (SGP) has recently been demonstrated in tumors; however, the pathological relevance of the SGP in thyroid cancer remains unexplored. Here, we perform metabolomic profiling of 17 tumor-normal pairs; bulk transcriptomics of 263 normal thyroid, 348 papillary, and 21 undifferentiated thyroid cancer samples; and single-cell transcriptomes from 15 cases, showing the impact of mitochondrial one-carbon metabolism in thyroid tumors. High expression of serine hydroxymethyltransferase-2 (SHMT2) and methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase 2 (MTHFD2) is associated with low thyroid differentiation scores and poor clinical features. A subpopulation of tumor cells with high mitochondrial one-carbon pathway activity is observed in the single-cell dataset. SHMT2 inhibition significantly compromises mitochondrial respiration and decreases cell proliferation and tumor size in vitro and in vivo. Collectively, our results highlight the importance of the mitochondrial one-carbon pathway in undifferentiated thyroid cancer and suggest that SHMT2 is a potent therapeutic target.
Therapeutic mitigation of measles-like immune amnesia and exacerbated disease after prior respiratory virus infections in ferrets
Authors: Cox Robert M. , Wolf Josef D. , Lieberman Nicole A. , Lieber Carolin M. , Kang Hae-Ji , Sticher Zachary M. , Yoon Jeong-Joong , Andrews Meghan K. , Govindarajan Mugunthan , Krueger Rebecca E. , Sobolik Elizabeth B. , Natchus Michael G. , Gewirtz Andrew T. , deSwart Rik L. , Kolykhalov Alexander A. , Hekmatyar Khan , Sakamoto Kaori , Greninger Alexander L. , Plemper Richard K.
Published: February 2024

Measles cases have surged pre-COVID-19 and the pandemic has aggravated the problem. Most measles-associated morbidity and mortality arises from destruction of pre-existing immune memory by measles virus (MeV), a paramyxovirus of the morbillivirus genus. Therapeutic measles vaccination lacks efficacy, but little is known about preserving immune memory through antivirals and the effect of respiratory disease history on measles severity. We use a canine distemper virus (CDV)-ferret model as surrogate for measles and employ an orally efficacious paramyxovirus polymerase inhibitor to address these questions. A receptor tropism-intact recombinant CDV with low lethality reveals an 8-day advantage of antiviral treatment versus therapeutic vaccination in maintaining immune memory. Infection of female ferrets with influenza A virus (IAV) A/CA/07/2009 (H1N1) or respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) four weeks pre-CDV causes fatal hemorrhagic pneumonia with lung onslaught by commensal bacteria. RNAseq identifies CDV-induced overexpression of trefoil factor (TFF) peptides in the respiratory tract, which is absent in animals pre-infected with IAV. Severe outcomes of consecutive IAV/CDV infections are mitigated by oral antivirals even when initiated late. These findings validate the morbillivirus immune amnesia hypothesis, define measles treatment paradigms, and identify priming of the TFF axis through prior respiratory infections as risk factor for exacerbated morbillivirus disease.