bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Neoadjuvant Therapy for Non-melanoma Skin Cancer: Updated Therapeutic Approaches for Basal, Squamous, and Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Zelin Enrico , Zalaudek Iris , Agozzino Marina , Dianzani Caterina , Dri Arianna , Di Meo Nicola , Giuffrida Roberta , Marangi Giovanni Francesco , Neagu Nicoleta , Persichetti Paolo , Toffoli Ludovica , Conforti Claudio
Published: March 2021

Opinion statement

Recently introduced systemic therapies for locally advanced and metastatic non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs) are paving the way for neoadjuvant approach. Although none of the therapeutic options has currently gained indication in this setting, neoadjuvant approach for NMSCs is an open field and we are likely to see huge developments in the near future. Targeted therapy with sonic hedgehog pathway inhibitors is very effective in locally advanced or multiple basal cell carcinomas while immunotherapy with immune checkpoint inhibitors appears to be promising for advanced cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma and Merkel cell carcinoma. To date, targeted therapy and immunotherapy represent the frontiers in NMSC therapeutic management and, according to recent studies, good results can be achieved.
Human-Robot Handshaking: A Review
Authors: Prasad Vignesh , Stock-Homburg Ruth , Peters Jan
Published: March 2021

For some years now, the use of social, anthropomorphic robots in various situations has been on the rise. These are robots developed to interact with humans and are equipped with corresponding extremities. They already support human users in various industries, such as retail, gastronomy, hotels, education and healthcare. During such Human-Robot Interaction (HRI) scenarios, physical touch plays a central role in the various applications of social robots as interactive non-verbal behaviour is a key factor in making the interaction more natural. Shaking hands is a simple, natural interaction used commonly in many social contexts and is seen as a symbol of greeting, farewell and congratulations. In this paper, we take a look at the existing state of Human-Robot Handshaking research, categorise the works based on their focus areas, draw out the major findings of these areas while analysing their pitfalls. We mainly see that some form of synchronisation exists during the different phases of the interaction. In addition to this, we also find that additional factors like gaze, voice facial expressions etc. can affect the perception of a robotic handshake and that internal factors like personality and mood can affect the way in which handshaking behaviours are executed by humans. Based on the findings and insights, we finally discuss possible ways forward for research on such physically interactive behaviours.
Short stump and high anastomosis pull-through (SHiP) procedure for delayed coloanal anastomosis with no protective stoma for low rectal cancer
Authors: Bianco Francesco , Incollingo Paola , Falato Armando , De Franciscis Silvia , Belli Andrea , Carbone Fabio , Gallo Gaetano , Fusco Mario , Romano Giovanni Maria
Published: March 2021

Despite advances in coloanal anastomosis techniques, satisfactory procedures completed without complications remain lacking. We investigated the effectiveness of our recently developed ‘Short stump and High anastomosis Pull-through’ (SHiP) procedure for delayed coloanal anastomosis without a stoma. In this retrospective study, we analysed functional outcomes, morbidity, and mortality rates and local recurrence of 37 patients treated using SHiP procedure, out of the 282 patients affected by rectal cancer treated in our institution between 2012 and 2020. The inclusion criterion was that the rectal cancer be located within 4 cm from the anal margin. One patient died of local and pulmonary recurrence after 6 years, one developed lung and liver metastases after 2 years, and one experienced local recurrence 2.5 years after surgery. No major leak, retraction, or ischaemia of the colonic stump occurred; the perioperative mortality rate was zero. Five patients (13.51%) had early complications. Stenosis of the anastomosis, which occurred in nine patients (24.3%), was the only long-term complication; only three (8.1%) were symptomatic and were treated with endoscopic dilation. The mean Wexner scores at 24 and 36 months were 8.3 and 8.1 points, respectively. At the 36-month check-up, six patients (24%) had major LARS, ten (40%) had minor LARS, and nine (36%) had no LARS. The functional results in terms of LARS were similar to those previously reported after immediate coloanal anastomosis with protective stoma. The SHiP procedure resulted in a drastic reduction in major complications, and none of the patients had a stoma.
Wrestling with (in)authenticity
Authors: Veen Mario
Published: March 2021

None
A remark on stability and restrictions of vector bundles to hypersurfaces
Authors: Mistretta Ernesto C.
Published: March 2021

We prove that a vector bundle on a smooth projective variety is (semi)stable if the restriction on a fixed ample smooth subvariety is (semi)stable.
A generalized Anderson–Darling test for the goodness-of-fit evaluation of the fracture strain distribution of acrylic glass
Authors: Berlinger Marcel , Kolling Stefan , Schneider Jens
Published: March 2021

Acrylic glasses, as well as mineral glasses, exhibit a high variability in tensile strength. To cope with this uncertainty factor for the dimensioning of structural parts, modeling of the stress-strain behavior and a proper characterization of the varying fracture stress or strain are required. For the latter, this work presents an experimental and mathematical methodology. Fracture strains from 50 quasi-static tensile tests, locally analyzed using digital image correlation, form the sample. For the assignment of an occurrence probability to each experiment, an evaluation of existing probability estimators is conducted, concerning their ability to fit selected probability distribution functions. Important goodness-of-fit tests are introduced and assessed critically. Based on the popular Anderson-Darling test, a generalized form is proposed that allows a free, hitherto not possible, choice of the probability estimator. To approach the fracture strains population, the combination of probability estimator and distribution function that best reproduces the experimental data is determined, and its characteristic progression is discussed with the aid of fractographic analyses.
When the Police Break the Law: The Investigation, Prosecution and Sentencing of Ontario Police Officers
Authors: Puddister Kate , McNabb Danielle
Published: March 2021

Community trust in law enforcement and confidence in the administration of justice is put to the ultimate test when police officers act outside the limits prescribed by the criminal law. External and civilian oversight of the police can be essential to investigate and respond to allegations of police criminality and impropriety. However, little is known about the investigations completed by civilian oversight agencies and the prosecution of police officers. In this paper, we analyze 159 investigations by the Ontario Special Investigations Unit over a fifteen-year period. We examine each case from the laying of charges to prosecution through to sentencing. We provide an empirical analysis of how the justice system responds to police officers charged with a criminal offence. We situate these findings within the context of the broader justice system and police oversight. At the same time, we observe certain differences between the Canadian and American approaches to dealing with police offenders accused and convicted of criminal offences.
The classification of symmetry protected topological phases of one-dimensional fermion systems
Authors: Bourne Chris , Ogata Yoshiko
Published: March 2021

We introduce an index for symmetry-protected topological (SPT) phases of infinite fermionic chains with an on-site symmetry given by a finite group G. This index takes values in

$\mathbb {Z}_2 \times H^1(G,\mathbb {Z}_2) \times H^2(G, U(1)_{\mathfrak {p}})$

with a generalised Wall group law under stacking. We show that this index is an invariant of the classification of SPT phases. When the ground state is translation invariant and has reduced density matrices with uniformly bounded rank on finite intervals, we derive a fermionic matrix product representative of this state with on-site symmetry.
Chinese Elites and U.S. Gatekeeping: Racial Discrimination and Class Privilege in Boston's 1905 King Incident
Authors: Teng Emma J.
Published: March 2021

In 1905, Boston immigration officials detained four Chinese students of the King family, inciting protest from Euro-American elites and sparking an international controversy that gave momentum to the American Boycott movement in Shanghai. A prominent family, the Kings successfully rallied business leaders to take their cause to President Theodore Roosevelt and effectively used the press to articulate Chinese grievances. Bringing to a head the tension between race-based and class-based interpretations of exclusion that troubled the legislation from its inception, the case prompted key reforms in the administration of Chinese exclusion and helped promote a pivot away from the movement for a wholesale “Chinese ban.” An examination of this incident and its role in struggles over immigration law illuminates the conflicted position of Chinese elites—disempowered by race yet empowered by class status—under exclusion. It also provides insights into the agency of Chinese elites in mobilizing resources to combat immigration abuses.
THE REGIONAL CONSEQUENCES OF NEW DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE: CAN WELSH SMES GAIN AN EDGE FROM ACCESS AND ADOPTION OF SUPERFAST BROADBAND?
Authors: Henderson Dylan , Munday Max , Roberts Annette
Published: March 2021

Across the United Kingdom public (and private) resources have been targeted on improving broadband infrastructure. While this has served to provide new opportunities for households and firms, there has been some debate around the ability of firms to take full advantage of the opportunities that arise through this evolving infrastructure. In this respect, there has been particular debate on how far small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have taken up the challenge of effectively engaging with the resource. Drawing on the case of Wales, this paper explores the digital maturity of a sample of Welsh SMEs. The paper provides evidence of how far SMEs are successfully engaging with the new opportunities available through broadband, and develops a typology of firms according to their engagement. The paper then explores how these differences produce policy implications.
MONETARY POLICY AND GOVERNMENT DEBT MANAGEMENT DURING THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC
Authors: Allen William A.
Published: March 2021

This paper describes how the large budget deficits of 2020 in the United States and the United Kingdom were financed, how central banks are in practice managed not just short-term interest rates but also yields on government bonds, and how their ability to resist a post-coronavirus surge in inflation has been compromised.
Comparative Nationalisms and Bibliographic Black Holes: The Case of the Turkmen of the North Caucasus
Authors: Condill Kit
Published: March 2021

The centuries-old Turkmen community of Stavropol’ Krai in southern Russia, while currently numbering only about 15,000 people, is an integral part of the famously diverse ethnolinguistic landscape of the North Caucasus. To the extent that Euro-Atlantic scholars have noted the existence of this community at all, their comments have been rather cursory and dismissive, and it has been claimed that the North Caucasus Turkmen (virtually alone among the dozens of similarly small ethnic groups of the region) have never published anything in their own language. Intensive investigations in the bibliographic record (and in secondary sources in Russian, Turkish, and Turkmen) show that this is not actually the case, and that the North Caucasus Turkmen do have a modest record of Turkmen-language publishing stretching back a century or more. What are the implications of these published works for our understanding of Turkmen identity, the Turkmen diaspora, and the complicated multiethnic and multilingual environment of the North Caucasus? What does it mean when groups like the North Caucasus Turkmen are made all but invisible in Euro-Atlantic scholarship and Euro-Atlantic library collections?
The Logic and Legitimacy of Bank Supervision: The Case of the Bank Holiday of 1933
Authors: Conti-Brown Peter , Vanatta Sean H.
Published: March 2021

The U.S. banking holiday of March 1933 was a pivotal event in twentieth-century political and economic history. After closing the nation's banks for nine days, the administration of newly inaugurated president Franklin D. Roosevelt restarted the banking system as the first step toward national recovery from the global Great Depression. In the conventional narrative, the holiday succeeded because Roosevelt used his political talents to restore public confidence in the nation's banks. However, such accounts say virtually nothing about what happened during the holiday itself. We reinterpret the banking crises of the 1930s and the 1933 holiday through the lens of bank supervision, the continuous oversight of commercial banks by government officials. Through the 1930s banking crises, federal supervisors identified troubled banks but could not act to close them. Roosevelt empowered supervisors to act decisively during the holiday. By closing some banks, supervisors made credible Roosevelt's claims that banks that reopened were sound. Thus, the union of FDR's political skills with the technical judgment of bank supervisors was the key to solving the banking crisis. Neither could stand alone, and both together were the vital precondition for further economic reforms—including devaluing the dollar—and, with them, Roosevelt's New Deal.
Regaining Control? The Political Impact of Policy Responses to Refugee Crises
Authors: Solodoch Omer
Published: March 2021

In response to the political turmoil surrounding the recent refugee crisis, destination countries swiftly implemented new immigration and asylum policies. Are such countercrisis policies effective in mitigating political instability by reducing anti-immigrant backlash and support for radical-right parties? The present study exploits two surveys that were coincidentally fielded during significant policy changes, sampling respondents right before and immediately after the change. I employ a regression discontinuity design to identify the short-term causal effect of the policy change on public opinion within a narrow window of the sampling period. The findings show that both Swedish border controls and the EU–Turkey agreement significantly reduced public opposition to immigration in Sweden and Germany, respectively. In Germany, support for the AfD party also decreased following the new policy. Public opinion time trends suggest that the policy effects were short lived in Sweden but durable in Germany. These effects are similar across different levels of proximity to the border and are accompanied by increasing political trust and a sense of government control over the situation. The findings have implications for understanding the impact of border controls on international public opinion, as well as for assessing the electoral effect of policy responses to global refugee crises.
Regular and compositional aspects of NPN constructions
Authors: KINN TORODD
Published: March 2021

The article proposes a novel analysis of NPN constructions, exemplified by English expressions likeback to backandyear after year.An NPN is typically composed of two identical bare singular count nouns with a preposition between them. Previous research tends to treat NPNs as highly idiosyncratic. While acknowledging some idiosyncrasies, the present contribution shows that NPNs exhibit a considerable degree of regularity and compositionality. A widespread view that bare singulars normally do not function as arguments is shown to rest on weak foundations. As a consequence, the present approach is able to show that NPNs are, at the core, NPs with PP modifiers. Nominal NPNs have this basic structure, while adverbial NPNs involve an extra layer of semantics and are exocentric constructions. A distinction between nominal types and instances is employed to account for the semantics of bare singulars. NPNs exhibit two kinds of emergent meanings, leading to chain NPNs and twin NPNs. The different semantic structures of these NPN subtypes explain why some NPNs can have nominal in addition to adverbial functions. The data comes mostly from Norwegian. Details differ between languages, but central parts of the analyses can be assumed to hold for other languages as well.
The implications of vehicle collisions for the Endangered endemic Zanzibar red colobusPiliocolobus kirkii
Authors: Olgun Harry , Mohammed Mzee Khamis , Mzee Abbas Juma , Green M. E. Landry , Davenport Tim R. B. , Georgiev Alexander V.
Published: March 2021

Roads affect wildlife in a variety of negative ways. Road ecology studies have mostly concentrated on areas in the northern hemisphere despite the potentially greater impact of roads on biodiversity in tropical habitats. Here, we examine 4 years (January 2016–December 2019) of opportunistic observations of mammalian roadkill along a road intersecting Jozani-Chwaka Bay National Park, Unguja, Zanzibar. In particular, we assess the impact of collisions on the population of an endemic primate, the Endangered Zanzibar red colobusPiliocolobus kirkii. Primates accounted for the majority of roadkill in this dataset. Monthly rainfall was not associated with roadkill frequency for mammals generally, nor for the Zanzibar red colobus. No single age–sex class of colobus was found dead more often than expected given their occurrence in the local population. The overall effect of roadkill on colobus populations in habitats fragmented by roads is unknown given the lack of accurate, long-term life history data for this species. Our findings suggest that mortality from collisions with vehicles in some groups of colobus is within the range of mortality rates other primates experience under natural predation. Unlike natural predators, however, vehicles do not kill selectively, so their impact on populations may differ. Although a comparison with historical accounts suggests that the installation of speedbumps along the road near the Park's entrance has led to a significant decrease in colobus roadkill, further actions to mitigate the impact of the road could bring substantial conservation benefits.
Prevalence of muscle dysmorphia in adolescents: findings from the EveryBODY study
Authors: Mitchison Deborah , Mond Jonathan , Griffiths Scott , Hay Phillipa , Nagata Jason M. , Bussey Kay , Trompeter Nora , Lonergan Alexandra , Murray Stuart B.
Published: March 2021

Background

We sought to provide the first point prevalence estimates of muscle dysmorphia (MD), a form of body dysmorphic disorder characterized by a preoccupation with perceived insufficient muscularity, in adolescents.

Methods

Data were taken from a survey of 3618 Australian adolescents (11.172–19.76 years; 49.3% girls). Measures captured demographic characteristics, symptoms of MD and eating disorders, psychological distress and functional impairment. Diagnostic criteria for MD developed by Pope et al. (1997, Psychosomatics, 38(6), 548–557) were applied, entailing preoccupation with insufficient muscularity causing significant levels of distress or disability that cannot be better accounted for by an eating disorder.

Results

The point prevalence of MD was 2.2% [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.6–3.0%] among boys and 1.4% (95% CI 0.9–2.0%) among girls. Prevalence was not associated with gender (V = 0.031) or socioeconomic status (SES) (partial η2< 0.001), but was marginally associated with older age (partial η2 = 0.001). Boys with MD were more likely than girls with MD to report severe preoccupation with muscularity (V = 0.259) and a weight-lifting regime that interfered with their life (V = 0.286), whereas girls with MD were more likely to report discomfort with body exposure (V = 0.380).

Conclusions

While future epidemiological research using diagnostic interviews is needed to verify these estimates, the findings suggest that MD is relatively common from early to late adolescence. Gender differences in MD prevalence may be minimal; however, the symptom profile appears to diverge between boys and girls. These findings provide a platform for future, analytical research designed to inform clinical and public health interventions.
Coronavirus conspiracy beliefs in the German-speaking general population: endorsement rates and links to reasoning biases and paranoia
Authors: Kuhn Sarah Anne Kezia , Lieb Roselind , Freeman Daniel , Andreou Christina , Zander-Schellenberg Thea
Published: March 2021

Background

Coronavirus-related conspiracy theories (CT) have been found to be associated with fewer pandemic containment-focused behaviors. It is therefore important to evaluate associated cognitive factors. We aimed to obtain first endorsement rate estimates of coronavirus-related conspiracy beliefs in a German-speaking general population sample and investigate whether delusion-related reasoning biases and paranoid ideation are associated with such beliefs.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional non-probability online study, quota-sampled for age and gender, with 1684 adults from Germany and German-speaking Switzerland. We assessed general and specific coronavirus conspiracy beliefs, reasoning biases [jumping-to-conclusions bias (JTC), liberal acceptance bias (LA), bias against disconfirmatory evidence (BADE), possibility of being mistaken (PM)], and paranoid ideation, using established experimental paradigms and self-report questionnaires.

Results

Around 10% of our sample endorsed coronavirus-related CT beliefs at least strongly, and another 20% to some degree. Overall endorsement was similar to levels observed in a UK-based study (Freeman et al., 2020b). Higher levels of conspiracy belief endorsement were associated with greater JTC, greater LA, greater BADE, higher PM, and greater paranoid ideation. Associations were mostly small to moderate and best described by non-linear relationships.

Conclusions

A noticeable proportion of our sample recruited in Germany and German-speaking Switzerland endorsed coronavirus conspiracy beliefs strongly or to some degree. These beliefs are associated with reasoning biases studied in delusion research. The non-probability sampling approach limits the generalizability of findings. Future longitudinal and experimental studies investigating conspiracy beliefs along the lines of reasoning are encouraged to validate reasoning aberrations as risk factors.
A quantitative model of a cooperative two-state equilibrium in DNA: experimental tests, insights, and predictions
Authors: Schurr J. Michael
Published: March 2021

Quantitative parameters for a two-state cooperative transition in duplex DNAs were finally obtained during the last 5 years. After a brief discussion of observations pertaining to the existence of the two-state equilibrium per se, the lengths, torsion, and bending elastic constants of the two states involved and the cooperativity parameter of the model are simply stated. Experimental tests of model predictions for the responses of DNA to small applied stretching, twisting, and bending stresses, and changes in temperature, ionic conditions, and sequence are described. The mechanism and significance of the large cooperativity, which enables significant DNA responses to such small perturbations, are also noted. The capacity of the model to resolve a number of long-standing and sometimes interconnected puzzles in the extant literature, including the origin of the broad pre-melting transition studied by numerous workers in the 1960s and 1970s, is demonstrated. Under certain conditions, the model predicts significant long-range attractive or repulsive interactions between hypothetical proteins with strong preferences for one or the other state that are bound to well-separated sites on the same DNA. A scenario is proposed for the activation of the ilvPG promoter on a supercoiled DNA by integration host factor.
‘We don't talk about age’: a study of human resources retirement narratives
Authors: Arman Rebecka , Kadefors Roland , Wikström Ewa
Published: March 2021

At the societal and policy level, delaying retirement is generally agreed upon to solve the problem of the increasing proportion of older workers in Sweden, as in many other countries. At the same time, two co-existing narratives that create legitimacy for earlyversusdelayed retirement were found in our study, among both societal- and organisational-level actors. Older workers are viewed as either representatives of productive ageing and a solution to labour shortage problems, or as a barrier to recruiting younger, more promising employees with new skills. Through inductive qualitative analysis, this study shows in what way human resources departments are taking part in the institutional work of maintaining retirement-timing narratives in Swedish workplaces. The existing general organisational narrative of ‘the business case’ is used to mute discussion about delaying the retirement age, except for a select few. Their maintenance of this narrative is supported by the way in which the societal-level narratives target the individual, often backgrounding the role of employers.
Tree-based models for variable annuity valuation: parameter tuning and empirical analysis
Authors: Quan Zhiyu , Gan Guojun , Valdez Emiliano
Published: March 2021

Variable annuities have become popular retirement and investment vehicles due to their attractive guarantee features. Nonetheless, managing the financial risks associated with the guarantees poses great challenges for insurers. One challenge is risk quantification, which involves frequent valuation of the guarantees. Insurers rely on the use of Monte Carlo simulation for valuation as the guarantees are too complicated to be valued by closed-form formulas. However, Monte Carlo simulation is computationally intensive. In this paper, we empirically explore the use of tree-based models for constructing metamodels for the valuation of the guarantees. In particular, we consider traditional regression trees, tree ensembles, and trees based on unbiased recursive partitioning. We compare the performance of tree-based models to that of existing models such as ordinary kriging and generalised beta of the second kind (GB2) regression. Our results show that tree-based models are efficient in producing accurate predictions and the gradient boosting method is considered the most superior in terms of prediction accuracy.
Plasma concentrations of glucagon-like peptide-1 and cholecystokinin in sheep are altered by the amount of dry matter intake and the addition of fat to the diet
Authors: Relling A. E. , Lengacher B. J. , Loerch S. C. , Reynolds C. K.
Published: March 2021

Dry matter intake (DMI) regulation is important in ruminants as DMI is a major determinant of milk and meat production. It is known that the gut peptides glucagon-like peptide-17, 36 amide (GLP-1) and cholecystokinin-8 (CCK) can reduce DMI in nonruminants (Walsh, 1994). In ruminants, there is little information on the function or effects of diet on plasma concentrations of these peptides. Previous studies have shown that supplemental dietary fat (Relling and Reynolds, 2007b) increases plasma concentrations of GLP-1 and CCK and decreases DMI. In contrast, increased metabolizable energy intake (MEI) in early lactation also increases GLP-1 and CCK concentration in dairy cows (Relling and Reynolds, 2007a). Therefore, our objective was to determine if plasma concentrations of GLP-1 and CCK are affected by supplemental fat, and if the response differs for ad libitum versus restricted DMI.
Selbstmanagement im Job
Authors: Grauwiler Denise
Published: March 2021

Arbeit ist einer der größten Glücksfaktoren - im positiven Fall. Im negativen Fall einer der größten Unglücksfaktoren. Unsere Arbeitskultur befindet sich in einem kontinuierlichen Wandel und benötigt neue Kompetenzen: Kreativität, Selbstverantwortung und Veränderungsbereitschaft. Nur wer bereit ist, sich mit zu wandeln, dem bietet die Veränderung der Arbeitskultur neue, zutiefst befriedigende Lebensoptionen. Der erfahrene Laufbahncoach Denise Grauwiler liefert mit diesem Ratgeber eine gut verständliche Möglichkeit, diffusem Unbehagen bei der Arbeit nachzugehen. Anhand der fünf Themengebiete •Angst vor dem Verlust finanzieller Sicherheit •Verlust von Leidenschaft für die Arbeit •Bedrohung oder Verlust der beruflichen Identität •Konflikte mit Vorgesetzten und Arbeitskollegen •Burn-out-Anzeichen zeigt sie insbesondere anhand des Zürcher Ressourcen -Modells (ZRM®) und der Persönlichkeits-System-Interaktionen (PSI), wie Arbeitnehmende Situationen mit Handlungsbedarf frühzeitig erkennen und so gestalten können, dass sie weiterhin Wohlbefinden bei der Arbeit erfahren.
Using Video Recognition to Identify Tropical Cyclone Positions
Authors: Smith Mohan , Toumi Ralf
Published: March 2021

Tropical cyclone (TC) center fixing is a challenge for improving forecasting and establishing TC climatologies. We propose a novel objective solution through the use of video recognition algorithms. The videos of tropical cyclones in the Western North Pacific are of sequential, hourly, geostationary satellite infrared (IR) images. A variety of convolutional neural network architectures are tested. The best performing network implements convolutional layers, a convolutional long short‐term memory layer, and fully connected layers. Cloud features rotating around a center are effectively captured in this video‐based technique. Networks trained with long‐wave IR channels outperform a water vapor channel‐based network. The average position across the two IR networks has a 19.3 km median error across all intensities. This equates to a 42% lower error over a baseline technique. This video‐based method combined with the high geostationary satellite sampling rate can provide rapid and accurate automated updates of TC centers.
Vegetation Type and Decomposition Priming Mediate Brackish Marsh Carbon Accumulation Under Interacting Facets of Global Change
Authors: Rietl Anthony J. , Megonigal J. Patrick , Herbert Ellen R. , Kirwan Matthew L.
Published: March 2021

Coastal wetland carbon pools are globally important, but their response to interacting facets of global change remain unclear. Numerical models neglect species‐specific vegetation responses to sea level rise (SLR) and elevated CO2 (eCO2) that are observed in field experiments, while field experiments cannot address the long‐term feedbacks between flooding and soil growth that models show are important. Here, we present a novel numerical model of marsh carbon accumulation parameterized with empirical observations from a long‐running eCO2 experiment in an organic rich, brackish marsh. Model results indicate that eCO2 and SLR interact synergistically to increase soil carbon burial, driven by shifts in plant community composition and soil volume expansion. However, newly parameterized interactions between plant biomass and decomposition (i.e. soil priming) reduce the impact of eCO2 on marsh survival, and by inference, the impact of eCO2 on soil carbon accumulation.
Uncertainty in East Antarctic Firn Thickness Constrained Using a Model Ensemble Approach
Authors: Verjans V. , Leeson A. A. , McMillan M. , Stevens C. M. , van Wessem J. M. , van de Berg W. J. , van den Broeke M. R. , Kittel C. , Amory C. , Fettweis X. , Hansen N. , Boberg F. , Mottram R.
Published: March 2021

Mass balance assessments of the East Antarctic ice sheet (EAIS) are highly sensitive to changes in firn thickness, causing substantial disagreement in estimates of its contribution to sea‐level. To better constrain the uncertainty in recent firn thickness changes, we develop an ensemble of 54 model scenarios of firn evolution between 1992 and 2017. Using statistical emulation of firn‐densification models, we quantify the impact of firn compaction formulation, differing climatic forcing, and surface snow density on firn thickness evolution. At basin scales, the ensemble uncertainty in firn thickness change ranges between 0.2 and 1.0 cm yr−1 (15%–300% relative uncertainty), with the choice of climate forcing having the largest influence on the spread. Our results show the regions of the ice sheet where unexplained discrepancies exist between observed elevation changes and an extensive set of modeled firn thickness changes estimates, marking an important step toward more accurately constraining ice sheet mass balance.
A Unified Clumped Isotope Thermometer Calibration (0.5–1,100°C) Using Carbonate‐Based Standardization
Authors: Anderson N. T. , Kelson J. R. , Kele S. , Daëron M. , Bonifacie M. , Horita J. , Mackey T. J. , John C. M. , Kluge T. , Petschnig P. , Jost A. B. , Huntington K. W. , Bernasconi S. M. , Bergmann K. D.
Published: March 2021

The potential for carbonate clumped isotope thermometry to independently constrain both the formation temperature of carbonate minerals and fluid oxygen isotope composition allows insight into long‐standing questions in the Earth sciences, but remaining discrepancies between calibration schemes hamper interpretation of temperature measurements. To address discrepancies between calibrations, we designed and analyzed a sample suite (41 total samples) with broad applicability across the geosciences, with an exceptionally wide range of formation temperatures, precipitation methods, and mineralogies. We see no statistically significant offset between sample types, although the comparison of calcite and dolomite remains inconclusive. When data are reduced identically, the regression defined by this study is nearly identical to that defined by four previous calibration studies that used carbonate‐based standardization; we combine these data to present a composite carbonate‐standardized regression equation. Agreement across a wide range of temperature and sample types demonstrates a unified, broadly applicable clumped isotope thermometer calibration.
Generation of Realistic Short Chorus Wave Packets
Authors: Nunn D. , Zhang X.‐J. , Mourenas D. , Artemyev A. V.
Published: March 2021

Most lower‐band chorus waves observed in the inner magnetosphere propagate under the form of moderately intense short wave packets with fast frequency and phase variations. Therefore, understanding the formation mechanism of such short wave packets is crucial for accurately modeling electron nonlinear acceleration or precipitation into the atmosphere by these waves. We compare chorus wave statistics from the Van Allen Probes with predictions from a simple model of short wave packet generation by wave superposition with resonance nonoverlap, as well as with results from Vlasov Hybrid Simulations of chorus wave generation in an inhomogeneous magnetic field in the presence of one or two simultaneous triggering waves. We show that the observed moderate amplitude short chorus wave packets can be formed by a superposition of two or more waves generated near the magnetic equator with a sufficiently large frequency difference.
1I/‘Oumuamua as an N2 Ice Fragment of an exo‐Pluto Surface: I. Size and Compositional Constraints
Authors: Jackson Alan P. , Desch Steven J.
Published: March 2021

The origin of the interstellar object 1I/‘Oumuamua has defied explanation. We perform calculations of the non‐gravitational acceleration that would be experienced by bodies composed of a range of different ices and demonstrate that a body composed of N2 ice would satisfy the available constraints on the non‐gravitational acceleration, size, and albedo, and lack of detectable emission of CO or CO2 or dust. We find that ‘Oumuamua was small, with dimensions 45 m × 44 m × 7.5 m at the time of observation at 1.42 au from the Sun, with a high albedo of 0.64. This albedo is consistent with the N2 surfaces of bodies like Pluto and Triton. We estimate ‘Oumuamua was ejected about 0.4–0.5 Gyr ago from a young stellar system, possibly in the Perseus arm. Objects like ‘Oumuamua may directly probe the surface compositions of a hitherto‐unobserved type of exoplanet: “exo‐plutos”. In a companion paper (Desch & Jackson, 2021) we demonstrate that dynamical instabilities like the one experienced by the Kuiper belt, in other stellar systems, plausibly could generate and eject large numbers of N2 ice fragments. ‘Oumuamua may be the first sample of an exoplanet brought to us.
1I/‘Oumuamua as an N2 Ice Fragment of an Exo‐Pluto Surface II: Generation of N2 Ice Fragments and the Origin of ‘Oumuamua
Authors: Desch S. J. , Jackson A. P.
Published: March 2021

The origin of the interstellar object 1I/‘Oumuamua has defied explanation. In a companion paper (Jackson & Desch, 2021), we show that a body of N2 ice with axes 45 m × 44 m × 7.5 m at the time of observation would be consistent with its albedo, nongravitational acceleration, and lack of observed CO or CO2 or dust. Here we demonstrate that impacts on the surfaces of Pluto‐like Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) would have generated and ejected ∼1014 collisional fragments—roughly half of them H2O ice fragments and half of them N2 ice fragments—due to the dynamical instability that depleted the primordial Kuiper belt. We show consistency between these numbers and the frequency with which we would observe interstellar objects like 1I/‘Oumuamua, and more comet‐like objects like 2I/Borisov, if other stellar systems eject such objects with efficiency like that of the Sun; we infer that differentiated KBOs and dynamical instabilities that eject impact‐generated fragments may be near‐universal among extrasolar systems. Galactic cosmic rays would erode such fragments over 4.5 Gyr, so that fragments are a small fraction (∼0.1%) of long‐period Oort comets, but C/2016 R2 may be an example. We estimate ‘Oumuamua was ejected about 0.4–0.5 Gyr ago, from a young (∼108 yr) stellar system, which we speculate was in the Perseus arm. Objects like ‘Oumuamua may directly probe the surface compositions of a hitherto‐unobserved type of exoplanet: “exo‐Plutos.” ‘Oumuamua may be the first sample of an exoplanet brought to us.
Whistler Wings and Reflected Particles During Solar Wind Interaction of Lunar Magnetic Anomalies
Authors: Zhang Hui , Wei Yong , Zhong Jun , Zhang Tianxin , Liu Libo , Ni Binbin , Cao Jinbin , Fu Song , Chen Yiding , Fu Suiyan , Wan Weixing
Published: March 2021

The solar wind interaction of small‐scale lunar magnetic anomalies remains unsolved due to lack of in situ observations. A dedicated coordinate system is established here to reconstruct the distributions of two remotely sensed symptoms of this interaction: the low‐frequency whistlers and reflected protons. It is found that these whistlers form a pair of wings beside the Moon and they originate from the low‐altitude interaction region, instead of from the higher altitudes where the reflected protons arrive and the associated shocks possibly form. Electrons and protons may behave differently in the interaction region. The incident electrons remain in a fluid state and may be diverted by the anomalies, exciting the low‐frequency whistlers. The protons, however, become unmagnetized and are reflected specularly by the vertical electric fields. These electric fields may derive from the charge separation/different motions of the electrons and protons, although the presence of low‐altitude shocks cannot be ruled out completely.
MDM2-dependent Sirt1 degradation is a prerequisite for Sirt6-mediated cell death in head and neck cancers
Authors: Park Jung Je , Hah Young-Sool , Ryu Somi , Cheon So Young , Won Seong Jun , Lee Jong Sil , Hwa Jeong Seok , Seo Ji Hyun , Chang Hyo Won , Kim Seong Who , Kim Sang Yoon
Published: March 2021

Sirt6 is involved in multiple biological processes, including aging, metabolism, and tumor suppression. Sirt1, another member of the sirtuin family, functionally overlaps with Sirt6, but its role in tumorigenesis is controversial. In this study, we focused on cell death in association with Sirt6/Sirt1 and reactive oxygen species (ROS) in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas (HNSCCs). Sirt6 induced cell death, as widely reported, but Sirt1 contributed to cell death only when it was suppressed by Sirt6 via regulation of MDM2. Sirt6 and Sirt6-mediated suppression of Sirt1 upregulated ROS, which further led to HNSCC cell death. These results provide insight into the molecular roles of Sirt6 and Sirt1 in tumorigenesis and could therefore contribute to the development of novel strategies to treat HNSCC.
Autism-linked Cullin3 germline haploinsufficiency impacts cytoskeletal dynamics and cortical neurogenesis through RhoA signaling
Authors: Amar Megha , Pramod Akula Bala , Yu Nam-Kyung , Herrera Victor Munive , Qiu Lily R. , Moran-Losada Patricia , Zhang Pan , Trujillo Cleber A. , Ellegood Jacob , Urresti Jorge , Chau Kevin , Diedrich Jolene , Chen Jiaye , Gutierrez Jessica , Sebat Jonathan , Ramanathan Dhakshin , Lerch Jason P. , Yates John R. , Muotri Alysson R. , Iakoucheva Lilia M.
Published: March 2021

E3-ubiquitin ligase Cullin3 (Cul3) is a high confidence risk gene for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and developmental delay (DD). To investigate how Cul3 mutations impact brain development, we generated a haploinsufficient Cul3 mouse model using CRISPR/Cas9 genome engineering. Cul3 mutant mice exhibited social and cognitive deficits and hyperactive behavior. Brain MRI found decreased volume of cortical regions and changes in many other brain regions of Cul3 mutant mice starting from early postnatal development. Spatiotemporal transcriptomic and proteomic profiling of embryonic, early postnatal and adult brain implicated neurogenesis and cytoskeletal defects as key drivers of Cul3 functional impact. Specifically, dendritic growth, filamentous actin puncta, and spontaneous network activity were reduced in Cul3 mutant mice. Inhibition of small GTPase RhoA, a molecular substrate of Cul3 ligase, rescued dendrite length and network activity phenotypes. Our study identified defects in neuronal cytoskeleton and Rho signaling as the primary targets of Cul3 mutation during brain development.
A cold shock protein promotes high-temperature microbial growth through binding to diverse RNA species
Authors: Zhou Zikang , Tang Hongzhi , Wang Weiwei , Zhang Lige , Su Fei , Wu Yuanting , Bai Linquan , Li Sicong , Sun Yuhui , Tao Fei , Xu Ping
Published: March 2021

Endowing mesophilic microorganisms with high-temperature resistance is highly desirable for industrial microbial fermentation. Here, we report a cold-shock protein (CspL) that is an RNA chaperone protein from a lactate producing thermophile strain (Bacillus coagulans 2–6), which is able to recombinantly confer strong high-temperature resistance to other microorganisms. Transgenic cspL expression massively enhanced high-temperature growth of Escherichia coli (a 2.4-fold biomass increase at 45 °C) and eukaryote Saccharomyces cerevisiae (a 2.6-fold biomass increase at 36 °C). Importantly, we also found that CspL promotes growth rates at normal temperatures. Mechanistically, bio-layer interferometry characterized CspL’s nucleotide-binding functions in vitro, while in vivo we used RNA-Seq and RIP-Seq to reveal CspL’s global effects on mRNA accumulation and CspL’s direct RNA binding targets, respectively. Thus, beyond establishing how a cold-shock protein chaperone provides high-temperature resistance, our study introduces a strategy that may facilitate industrial thermal fermentation.
Natural human knockouts and Mendelian disorders: deep phenotyping in Italian isolates
Authors: Spedicati Beatrice , Cocca Massimiliano , Palmisano Roberto , Faletra Flavio , Barbieri Caterina , Francescatto Margherita , Mezzavilla Massimo , Morgan Anna , Pelliccione Giulia , Gasparini Paolo , Girotto Giorgia
Published: March 2021

Whole genome sequencing (WGS) allows the identification of human knockouts (HKOs), individuals in whom loss of function (LoF) variants disrupt both alleles of a given gene. HKOs are a valuable model for understanding the consequences of genes function loss. Naturally occurring biallelic LoF variants tend to be significantly enriched in “genetic isolates,” making these populations specifically suited for HKO studies. In this work, a meticulous WGS data analysis combined with an in-depth phenotypic assessment of 947 individuals from three Italian genetic isolates led to the identification of ten biallelic LoF variants in ten OMIM genes associated with known autosomal recessive diseases. Notably, only a minority of the identified HKOs (C7, F12, and GPR68 genes) displayed the expected phenotype. For most of the genes, instead, (ACADSB, FANCL, GRK1, LGI4, MPO, PGAM2, and RP1L1), the carriers showed none or few of the signs and symptoms typically associated with the related diseases. Of particular interest is a case presenting with a FANCL biallelic LoF variant and a positive diepoxybutane test but lacking a full Fanconi anemia phenotypic spectrum. Identifying KO subjects displaying expected phenotypes suggests that the lack of correct genetic diagnoses may lead to inappropriate and delayed treatment. In contrast, the presence of HKOs with phenotypes deviating from the expected patterns underlines how LoF variants may be responsible for broader phenotypic spectra. Overall, these results highlight the importance of in-depth phenotypical characterization to understand the role of LoF variants and the advantage of studying these variants in genetic isolates.
Ground deformation reveals the scale-invariant conduit dynamics driving explosive basaltic eruptions
Authors: Ripepe M. , Lacanna G. , Pistolesi M. , Silengo M. C. , Aiuppa A. , Laiolo M. , Massimetti F. , Innocenti L. , Della Schiava M. , Bitetto M. , La Monica F. P. , Nishimura T. , Rosi M. , Mangione D. , Ricciardi A. , Genco R. , Coppola D. , Marchetti E. , Delle Donne D.
Published: March 2021

The mild activity of basaltic volcanoes is punctuated by violent explosive eruptions that occur without obvious precursors. Modelling the source processes of these sudden blasts is challenging. Here, we use two decades of ground deformation (tilt) records from Stromboli volcano to shed light, with unprecedented detail, on the short-term (minute-scale) conduit processes that drive such violent volcanic eruptions. We find that explosive eruptions, with source parameters spanning seven orders of magnitude, all share a common pre-blast ground inflation trend. We explain this exponential inflation using a model in which pressure build-up is caused by the rapid expansion of volatile-rich magma rising from depth into a shallow (<400 m) resident magma conduit. We show that the duration and amplitude of this inflation trend scales with the eruption magnitude, indicating that the explosive dynamics obey the same (scale-invariant) conduit process. This scale-invariance of pre-explosion ground deformation may usher in a new era of short-term eruption forecasting.
The Hindu Kush slab break-off as revealed by deep structure and crustal deformation
Authors: Kufner Sofia-Katerina , Kakar Najibullah , Bezada Maximiliano , Bloch Wasja , Metzger Sabrina , Yuan Xiaohui , Mechie James , Ratschbacher Lothar , Murodkulov Shokhruhk , Deng Zhiguo , Schurr Bernd
Published: March 2021

Break-off of part of the down-going plate during continental collision occurs due to tensile stresses built-up between the deep and shallow slab, for which buoyancy is increased because of continental-crust subduction. Break-off governs the subsequent orogenic evolution but real-time observations are rare as it happens over geologically short times. Here we present a finite-frequency tomography, based on jointly inverted local and remote earthquakes, for the Hindu Kush in Afghanistan, where slab break-off is ongoing. We interpret our results as crustal subduction on top of a northwards-subducting Indian lithospheric slab, whose penetration depth increases along-strike while thinning and steepening. This implies that break-off is propagating laterally and that the highest lithospheric stretching rates occur during the final pinching-off. In the Hindu Kush crust, earthquakes and geodetic data show a transition from focused to distributed deformation, which we relate to a variable degree of crust-mantle coupling presumably associated with break-off at depth.