bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrated expression analysis revealed RUNX2 upregulation in lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues
Authors: Yang Da‐Ping , Lu Hui‐Ping , Chen Gang , Yang Jie , Gao Li , Song Jian‐Hua , Chen Shang‐Wei , Mo Jun‐Xian , Kong Jin‐Liang , Tang Zhong‐Qing , Li Chang‐Bo , Zhou Hua‐Fu , Yang Lin‐Jie
Published: September 2020

This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathological significance and prospective molecular mechanism of RUNX family transcription factor 2 (RUNX2) in lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC). The authors used immunohistochemistry (IHC), RNA‐seq, and microarray data from multi‐platforms to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the clinicopathological significance and molecular mechanism of RUNX2 in the occurrence and development of LUSC. RUNX2 expression was significantly higher in 16 LUSC tissues than in paired non‐cancerous tissues detected by IHC (P  < 0.05). RNA‐seq data from the combination of TCGA and genotype‐tissue expression (GTEx) revealed significantly higher expression of RUNX2 in 502 LUSC samples than in 476 non‐cancer samples. The expression of RUNX2 protein was also significantly higher in pathologic T3‐T4 than in T1‐T2 samples (P  = 0.031). The pooled standardised mean difference (SMD) for RUNX2 was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.58–1.16), including 29 microarrays from GEO and one from ArrayExpress. The co‐expression network of RUNX2 revealed complicated connections between RUNX2 and 45 co‐expressed genes, which were significantly clustered in pathways including ECM‐receptor interaction, focal adhesion, protein digestion and absorption, human papillomavirus infection and PI3K‐Akt signalling pathway. Overexpression of RUNX2 plays an essential role in the clinical progression of LUSC.
ClG 0217+70: A massive merging galaxy cluster with a large radio halo and relics
Authors: Zhang X. , Simionescu A. , Kaastra J. S. , Akamatsu H. , Hoang D. N. , Stuardi C. , van Weeren R. J. , Rudnick L. , Kraft R. P. , Brown S.
Published: September 2020

We present an analysis of archival Chandra data of the merging galaxy cluster ClG 0217+70. The Fe XXV Heα X-ray emission line is clearly visible in the 25 ks observation, allowing a precise determination of the redshift of the cluster as z = 0.180 ± 0.006. We measure kT500 = 8.3  ±  0.4 keV and estimate M500 = (1.06 ± 0.11) × 1015 M⊙ based on existing scaling relations. Correcting both the radio and X-ray luminosities with the revised redshift reported here, which is much larger than previously inferred based on sparse optical data, this object is no longer an X-ray underluminous outlier in the LX − Pradio scaling relation. The new redshift also means that, in terms of physical scale, ClG 0217+70 hosts one of the largest radio halos and one of the largest radio relics known to date. Most of the relic candidates lie in projection beyond r200. The X-ray morphological parameters suggest that the intracluster medium is still dynamically disturbed. Two X-ray surface brightness discontinuities are confirmed in the northern and southern parts of the cluster, with density jumps of 1.40 ± 0.16 and 3.0 ± 0.6, respectively. We also find a 700 × 200 kpc X-ray faint channel in the western part of the cluster, which may correspond to compressed heated gas or increased non-thermal pressure due to turbulence or magnetic fields.
Punica granatum Leaf Ethanolic Extract and Ellagic Acid as Inhibitors of Zika Virus Infection
Authors: Acquadro Stefano , Civra Andrea , Cagliero Cecilia , Marengo Arianna , Rittà Massimo , Francese Rachele , Sanna Cinzia , Bertea Cinzia , Sgorbini Barbara , Lembo David , Donalisio Manuela , Rubiolo Patrizia
Published: September 2020

Zika virus, an arthropod-borne flavivirus, is an emerging healthcare threat worldwide. Zika virus is responsible for severe neurological effects, such as paralytic Guillain-Barrè syndrome, in adults, and also congenital malformations, especially microcephaly. No specific antiviral drugs and vaccines are currently available, and treatments are palliative, but medicinal plants show great potential as natural sources of anti-Zika phytochemicals. This study deals with the investigation of the composition, cytotoxicity, and anti-Zika activity of Punica granatum leaf ethanolic extract, fractions, and phytoconstituents. P. granatum leaves were collected from different areas in Italy and Greece in different seasons. Crude extracts were analyzed and fractionated, and the pure compounds were isolated. The phytochemical and biomolecular fingerprint of the pomegranate leaves was determined. The antiviral activities of the leaf extract, fractions, and compounds were investigated against the MR766 and HPF2013 Zika virus strains in vitro. Both the extract and its fractions were found to be active against Zika virus infection. Of the compounds isolated, ellagic acid showed particular anti-Zika activities, with EC50 values of 30.86 µM for MR766 and 46.23 µM for HPF2013. The mechanism of action was investigated using specific antiviral assays, and it was demonstrated that ellagic acid was primarily active as it prevented Zika virus infection and was able to significantly reduce Zika virus progeny production. Our data demonstrate the anti-Zika activity of pomegranate leaf extract and ellagic acid for the first time. These findings identify ellagic acid as a possible anti-Zika candidate compound that can be used for preventive and therapeutic interventions.
Krebstherapie – 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT beim rezidivierten Prostatakarzinom richtungweisend und kosteneffektiv
Authors: Krome Susanne
Published: September 2020

Schwenck J et al. Intention-to-Treat Analysis of 68Ga-PSMA and 11C-Choline PET/CT Versus CT for Prostate Cancer Recurrence After Surgery. J Nucl Med 2019; 60: 1359–1365

15–40 % der Patienten mit einem Prostatakarzinom erleiden postoperativ ein biochemisches Rezidiv. In der retrospektiven Analyse beeinflussten die Bildgebungsverfahren die Häufigkeit einer richtigen Therapiewahl. Die Autoren empfehlen die 68Ga-PSMA-PET/CT, die die höchste Genauigkeit aufwies. Unter Berücksichtigung der Kosten für inadäquate Behandlungen entstünden keine ökonomischen Nachteile.
Bessere Vereinbarkeit von Pflege, Familie und Beruf – Jedes 5. Krankenhaus nutzt Förderprogramm der gesetzlichen Kassen
Authors:   GKV-Spitzenverbands
Published: September 2020

Rund 7,8 Millionen Euro stellte die gesetzliche Krankenversicherung (GKV) für neue Förderungsmaßnahmen zur Vereinbarkeit von Pflege, Familie und Beruf in Krankenhäusern zur Verfügung. Im ersten Förderjahr haben von den 1031 förderfähigen Kliniken mit Budgetabschluss 213 Kliniken das Programm genutzt. Also gut 21 Prozent, wie der erste Förderbericht des GKV-Spitzenverbandes für das Jahr 2019 zeigt.
Rheumatologie – Fallpauschalen gefährden medizinische Versorgung von Menschen mit Rheuma
Authors:   DGRh
Published: September 2020

Vier bis sechs Wochen – länger sollte es nicht dauern, bis ein Patient mit Anzeichen für eine entzündlich-rheumatische Erkrankung einem Facharzt vorgestellt wird und die richtige Diagnose erhält. Dieses Ziel wird in Deutschland jedoch weit verfehlt. Ein Grund hierfür ist der ausgeprägte Mangel an rheumatologischen Fachärzten. Nach Ansicht der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Rheumatologie e. V. (DGRh) hat dieser inzwischen ein Ausmaß erreicht, welches die medizinische Versorgung der Bevölkerung gefährdet.
Fachärzte bevorzugen Privatpatienten – Gesetzlich Versicherte warten mehr als doppelt so lange auf Termine wie Privatpatienten
Authors:   RWI – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung
Published: September 2020

Werbeck A, Wübker A, Ziebarth NR. Cream Skimming by Health Care Providers and Inequality in Health Care Access: Evidence From a Randomized Field Experiment. Ruhr Economic Papers #846. DOI: 10.4419/86788981

Immer wieder heißt es, dass Privatpatientinnen und Privatpatienten in Deutschland schneller einen Arzttermin bekämen als gesetzlich Versicherte. Wissenschaftliche Erkenntnisse gab es dazu bislang jedoch kaum. Eine Studie des RWI – Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung und der Cornell University bestätigt nun den Verdacht.
Can the Wall Shear Stress Values of Left Internal Mammary Artery Grafts during the Perioperative Period Reflect the One-Year Patency?
Authors: Zhu Lan , Pan Zilai , Li Zehang , Chang Yunxiao , Zhu Yunpeng , Yan Fuhua , Tu Shengxian , Yang Wenjie
Published: September 2020

Purpose The left internal mammary artery (LIMA) is the preferred graft for coronary artery bypass grafting, but the reasoning for LIMA occlusion is unclear. We sought to examine whether the wall shear stress (WSS) values of LIMA grafts during the perioperative period reflected the 1-year patency by using combining computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) images.

Methods CCTA was performed in 233 patients with LIMA graft perioperatively and 1 year later from October 2014 to May 2017. LIMA occlusion was detected in six patients at the 1-year follow-up CCTA. Two patients were excluded due to poor imaging quality. The remaining four patients were enrolled as occlusive (OCC) group, and eight patients with patent LIMA were recruited as patent (PAT) group. The WSS values of LIMA during perioperative period were calculated. LIMA graft was artificially divided into three even segments, proximal (pLIMA), middle (mLIMA) and distal (dLIMA) segments. The independent samples t-test and the Student–Newman–Keuls test were used.

Results The WSS values of dLIMA were significantly higher in the PAT group than in the OCC group (4.43 vs. 2.56, p < 0.05). The WSS values of dLIMA in the PAT group were significantly higher than pLIMA, which was absent in the OCC group.

Conclusions A higher WSS value of the distal segment of LIMA and a higher WSS value of the distal segment compared with the proximal segment of LIMA in the PAT were observed; this tendency might be helpful in predicting the 1-year patency of LIMA.
The Intestinal Perspective of COVID-19: NOS2 and AOC1 Genes as Epidemiological Factors, and a Homeopathic Approach to their Functional Improvement
Authors: Macías Á. Millán
Published: September 2020

The new pandemic disease COVID-19 has wreaked havoc worldwide. Its infectious agent, SARS-CoV-2, uses two key human enzymes called angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) and transmembrane serine protease 2 (TMPRSS2) to invade body cells. The first one is encoded by the ACE2 gene and the second by the TMPRSS2 gene. Both have an outstanding expression of RNA and proteins in the small intestine compared with other tissues. This prominent location may be related to the main entry route of SARS-CoV-2 into the organism. In the process of infection, two other genes can play a fundamental role: NOS2, which expresses inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and AOC1, which encodes diamine oxidase (DAO). Both also highlight in the small intestine and are involved in polyamine metabolism. These biogenic amines are important for viral replication, being enhanced when NOS2 and AOC1 genes are downregulated. In addition, NOS2 shows a negative correlation with ACE2 and TMPRSS2, while nondegraded histamine by DAO can lead to an upregulation of both genes on which the virus depends. Taken together, these data suggest that inhibition or underexpression of NOS2 and AOC1 determines the susceptibility to get sick, increasing the risk of infection. On the other hand, a therapeutic approach to the disease could be made with homeopathic medicines. Experiments show the remedies' ability to stimulate gene and protein expression, but a correlation between the symptoms of each drug and these expressions has not yet been established. Here an analysis of the pathogenesis of Silicea terra and Arsenicum album supported on the scientific literature is done. The objective is to propose a theory about their relationship with key genes whose protein expressed in deficiency can give rise to the chain of events that imbalance the internal environment (homeostasis) and allow the development of symptoms. Silicea seems to be related to NOS2 (gene)/iNOS (protein) and Arsenicum with AOC1 (gene)/DAO (protein), being necessary to carry out studies to corroborate these links. Therefore, the aim of this article is to show the importance of NOS2 and AOC1 genes in the development of COVID-19 and to propose a line of investigation to evaluate if homeopathy can improve their protein expression.
A Web Application for Adrenal Incidentaloma Identification, Tracking, and Management Using Machine Learning
Authors: Bala Wasif , Steinkamp Jackson , Feeney Timothy , Gupta Avneesh , Sharma Abhinav , Kantrowitz Jake , Cordella Nicholas , Moses James , Drake Frederick Thurston
Published: September 2020

Background Incidental radiographic findings, such as adrenal nodules, are commonly identified in imaging studies and documented in radiology reports. However, patients with such findings frequently do not receive appropriate follow-up, partially due to the lack of tools for the management of such findings and the time required to maintain up-to-date lists. Natural language processing (NLP) is capable of extracting information from free-text clinical documents and could provide the basis for software solutions that do not require changes to clinical workflows.

Objectives In this manuscript we present (1) a machine learning algorithm we trained to identify radiology reports documenting the presence of a newly discovered adrenal incidentaloma, and (2) the web application and results database we developed to manage these clinical findings.

Methods We manually annotated a training corpus of 4,090 radiology reports from across our institution with a binary label indicating whether or not a report contains a newly discovered adrenal incidentaloma. We trained a convolutional neural network to perform this text classification task. Over the NLP backbone we built a web application that allows users to coordinate clinical management of adrenal incidentalomas in real time.

Results The annotated dataset included 404 positive (9.9%) and 3,686 (90.1%) negative reports. Our model achieved a sensitivity of 92.9% (95% confidence interval: 80.9–97.5%), a positive predictive value of 83.0% (69.9–91.1)%, a specificity of 97.8% (95.8–98.9)%, and an F1 score of 87.6%. We developed a front-end web application based on the model's output.

Conclusion Developing an NLP-enabled custom web application for tracking and management of high-risk adrenal incidentalomas is feasible in a resource constrained, safety net hospital. Such applications can be used by an institution's quality department or its primary care providers and can easily be generalized to other types of clinical findings.
Over-Representation of Recessive Osteogenesis Imperfecta in Asian Indian Children
Authors: Panigrahi Inusha , Qureshi Yousaf , Kornak Uwe
Published: September 2020

Several genes are implicated in the etiology of early onset osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). The various genes causing severe OI include WNT1, SERPINF1, P3H1, CREB3L1, and CRTAP, although glycine substitutions in COL1A1chains have also been predicted to cause perinatal lethal OI . Patients with early onset OI present decreased mobility, recurrent rib fractures, bony deformities, and chest infections that lead to an early death. We reported our experience in children with OI in Asian Indian families, which includes two patients with SERPINF1 pathogenic variants; and another two patients with severe OI and antenatal fractures caused by pathogenic variants in the CRTAP gene, identified by next generation sequencing (NGS). For one affected fetus, medical termination of pregnancy was done. The other baby was started on zoledronate therapy just after birth and is now 3 years old. Prenatal diagnosis was subsequently done on chorionic villus sample in the latter family.
Social markers of a pandemic: modeling the association between cultural norms and COVID-19 spread data
Authors: Kapitány-Fövény Máté , Sulyok Mihály
Published: September 2020

While cross-national differences of the epidemic curves of COVID-19 become evident, social markers of such variability are still unexplored. In order to investigate how certain social norms may underlie the heterogeneity of the spread of infections, global social data (including cultural values, indices of prosperity, and government effectiveness) and covariates (such as climate zone, economic indicator, and healthcare access and quality) of early transmission dynamics of COVID-19 were collected. Model-based clustering and random forest regression analysis were applied to identify distinct groups of societies and explore predictors of COVID-19 doubling time. Clustering revealed four groups: (1) reserved; (2) drifting; (3) assertive; and (4) compliant societies. Compliant societies from dry climate zones showed the highest doubling times in spite of increased population densities. Most relevant predictors of doubling time were population density, freedom of assembly and association, and agency, underlining the importance of social factors in the hetereogeneity of COVID-19 transmission rates. Our cluster typology might contribute to the explanation of cross-national variability in early transmission dynamics of highly infectious diseases.
ISOKANN: Invariant subspaces of Koopman operators learned by a neural network
Authors: Rabben Robert Julian , Ray Sourav , Weber Marcus
Published: September 2020

The problem of determining the rate of rare events in dynamical systems is quite well-known but still difficult to solve. Recent attempts to overcome this problem exploit the fact that dynamic systems can be represented by a linear operator, such as the Koopman operator. Mathematically, the rare event problem comes down to the difficulty in finding invariant subspaces of these Koopman operators K. In this article, we describe a method to learn basis functions of invariant subspaces using an artificial neural network.
Prediction of large magnetic anisotropy for non-rare-earth based permanent magnet of Fe16 − xMnxN2 alloys
Authors: Islam Riyajul , Borah J. P.
Published: September 2020

Exploring the metastable magnetic nanostructures of Mn substituted α″-Fe16N2 with large saturation magnetization μ0MS, high Curie temperature TC and giant magnetic anisotropy are of technological merit as promising candidates for non-rare-earth based permanent magnets. Here, we present in-depth analysis for the structural and magnetic properties of Fe16 − xMnxN2 using first-principles calculations. We predict a large magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy (MAE) constant of K1 = 2.02 MJ/m3 for the Fe14Mn2N2 alloy, which is more than twice that of pristine Fe16N2. The underlying mechanism associated with boosting K1 is attributed to the local distortion of orbitals induced by Mn substitution. The MAE is also carefully analyzed in terms of reciprocal space analysis by employing the magnetic force theorem, revealing the regions in the Brillouin zone that are prominent for giving rise to MAE.
Statistical mechanics of polarizable force fields based on classical Drude oscillators with dynamical propagation by the dual-thermostat extended Lagrangian
Authors: Rupakheti Chetan , Lamoureux Guillaume , MacKerell Alexander D. , Roux Benoît
Published: September 2020

Polarizable force fields based on classical Drude oscillators offer a practical and computationally efficient avenue to carry out molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of large biomolecular systems. To treat the polarizable electronic degrees of freedom, the Drude model introduces a virtual charged particle that is attached to its parent nucleus via a harmonic spring. Traditionally, the need to relax the electronic degrees of freedom for each fixed set of nuclear coordinates is achieved by performing an iterative self-consistent field (SCF) calculation to satisfy a selected tolerance. This is a computationally demanding procedure that can increase the computational cost of MD simulations by nearly one order of magnitude. To avoid the costly SCF procedure, a small mass is assigned to the Drude particles, which are then propagated as dynamic variables during the simulations via a dual-thermostat extended Lagrangian algorithm. To help clarify the significance of the dual-thermostat extended Lagrangian propagation in the context of the polarizable force field based on classical Drude oscillators, the statistical mechanics of a dual-temperature canonical ensemble is formulated. The conditions for dynamically maintaining the dual-temperature properties in the case of the classical Drude oscillator are analyzed using the generalized Langevin equation.
Effects of temperature and strain on the resistance to high-rate deformation of copper in shock waves
Authors: Kanel G. I. , Savinykh A. S. , Garkushin G. V. , Razorenov S. V.
Published: September 2020

Elastic–plastic shock compression, unloading, and the stepwise shock compression of copper were investigated at room temperature, 710 °C, and 850 °C to expand the measurement range of high-rate deformations. The dependences of the dynamic yield stress on the temperature and pressure of shock compression were determined from an analysis of the free-surface velocity histories. Although the initial resistance to high-rate deformation increases anomalously with increasing temperature, even a small strain in the shock wave can change the sign of the temperature dependence of the flow stress. Using these data, the dependence of the plastic strain rate on the shear stress in shock waves and temperature was obtained in the range 105–107 s−1. It was found that at room temperature, the ratio between the shear stress and the plastic shear strain rate in a shock wave practically does not depend on the loading history, whereas at 850 °C, the parameters of the plastic flow in the second shock wave deviates significantly from the initial dependence for lower stresses and higher strain rates.
Giant thermal magnetoresistance driven by graphene magnetoplasmon
Authors: He Ming-Jian , Qi Hong , Su Yan-Xiong , Ren Ya-Tao , Zhao Yi-Jun , Antezza Mauro
Published: September 2020

In this work, we have predicted a giant thermal magnetoresistance for the thermal photon transport based on the tunable magnetoplasmon of graphene. By applying an external magnetic field, we find that the heat flux can be modulated by approximately three orders of magnitude. Accordingly, both negative and giant relative thermal magnetoresistance ratios are achieved for magnetic fields with a maximum strength of 4 Tesla. This effect is mainly caused by the suppression and enhancement of scattering interactions mediated by a graphene magnetoplasmon. Specifically, it has never been achieved before for nanoparticles, which have no response to magnetic fields. The effect is remarkable at these reasonable strengths of fields and, thus, has considerable significance for real-life applications. It is also expected to enable technological advances for thermal measurement-based magnetic sensors and magnetically thermal management.
Quantum effects and 1H NMR chemical shifts of a bifurcated short hydrogen bond
Authors: Zhou Shengmin , Wang Lu
Published: September 2020

The monoprotonated compound N,N′,N′′-tris(p-tolyl)azacalix[3](2,6)pyridine (TAPH) contains an intramolecular hydrogen bond that is formed from three N atoms in its cavity. Constrained by the macrocyclic molecular structure, the separations between the N atoms in this bifurcated hydrogen bond are about 2.6 Å, considerably shorter than those typically observed for hydrogen bonded systems in the condensed phases. As such, TAPH exhibits significantly elongated N–H lengths in its hydrogen bond and a downfield 1H NMR chemical shift of 22.1 ppm. In this work, we carry out ab initio molecular dynamics and ab initio path integral molecular dynamics simulations of TAPH in the acetonitrile solution to reveal the geometry and proton sharing conditions of the bifurcated short hydrogen bond and uncover how the interplay of electronic and nuclear quantum effects gives rise to its far downfield 1H chemical shift. Taking a linear short hydrogen bond as a reference, we demonstrate the distinct features of competing quantum effects and electronic shielding effects in the bifurcated hydrogen bond of TAPH. We further use the degree of deshielding on the proton as a measure of the hydrogen bonding interactions and evaluate the strength of the bifurcated short hydrogen bond as compared to its linear counterpart.
Potential connections between atmospheric rivers in China and Australia
Authors: Xu Lin , Zhang Huqiang , He Weiwei , Ye Chengzhi , Moise Aurel , Rodríguez José M.
Published: September 2020

Results from a collaborative project between the Australian Bureau of Meteorology and China Meteorological Administration found that atmospheric rivers (ARs) can occur simultaneously in East Asia and Australia. Furthermore, ARs and the Northwest Cloud Band in the Australia region tend to reach their peaks during austral cool season (May–August). At the same time that the Asian summer monsoon develops and its meridional moisture transport and AR activities intensify. This has prompted us to explore potential connections of ARs in the two regions. In this study, we firstly analysed two ARs and their mechanism that occurred in China and Australia in June 2016, which caused significant rainfall in both countries. We then explored the atmospheric circulation background for such AR connections. From this case study, we show that ARs originating from the tropical Indian and Pacific oceans can become bifurcated through Indo-Pacific inter-basin interactions. The position of the bifurcation appears to depend on the location and intensity of Western Pacific Subtropical High (WPSH), the subtropical high in the Australian region and the middle-latitude storm track migration in the southern hemisphere. Moreover, by analysing bifurcated AR events from the past two decades, we show that they are more likely to occur during boreal summer months. Most of the bifurcations occurred in the boreal summer following the decaying phase of an El Niño in its preceding winter, due to a delayed El Niño Southern Oscillation influence on the WPSH and a subtropical high in the Australian region. Our research further demonstrates the value of applying AR analysis in improving our understanding of the weather and climate in the Australia–Asian monsoon region.
Atmospheric rivers impacting mainland China and Australia: climatology and interannual variations
Authors: Wu Xian-Yun , Ye Chengzhi , He Weiwei , Chen Jingjing , Xu Lin , Zhang Huqiang
Published: September 2020

In this study we have built two atmospheric river (AR) databases for mainland China and Australia using Japanese 55-year Reanalysis data with manual detections. By manually checking the magnitude, shape and orientation of vertically integrated vapour transport fields calculated from the reanalysis data and analysing its embedded synoptic patterns and other meteorological information, we detected 625 AR events over mainland China during 1986–2016 and 576 AR events over the Australian continent during 1977–2016. This manuscript documents the mean climatology, spatial distributions, seasonality and interannual variations of ARs occurring in these two regions. We also assessed possible underlying drivers influencing AR activities. Our results showed that: (i) most ARs over mainland China occured in its lower latitudes, including southern, eastern and central China, but ARs also reached its far north and northeast regions. In Australia, most ARs occurred in the states of Western Australia, South Australia and part of New South Wales and Victoria. These regions of high AR frequencies also frequently experienced Northwest Cloud Bands during the cool season; (ii) ARs in China reached their peak during the East Asian summer monsoon season (May–September). This was also the period when AR frequency in the Australian region tended to be higher, but its seasonal variation was weaker than in China; (iii) ARs exhibited large interannual variations in both regions and a declining trend in central and eastern China; (iv) there was a notable influence of tropical sea surface temperatures (SSTs) on the AR activities in the region, with the ARs in Australia being particularly affected by Indian Ocean SSTs and El-Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the tropical Pacific. ARs in China appear to be affected by ENSO in its decaying phase, with more ARs likely occurring in boreal summer following a peak El Nino during its preceding winter; (v) the Western Pacific Subtropical High plays a dominant role in forming major moisture transport channels for ARs in China, and South China Sea appears to be a key moisture source. In the Australian region, warm and moist air from the eastern part of the tropical Indian Ocean plays a significant role for ARs in the western part of the continent. In addition, moisture transport from the Coral Sea region was an important moisture source for ARs in its east. Results from this study have demonstrated the value of using AR diagnosis to better understand processes governing climate variations in the A–A region.
Climate sensitivity revisited
Authors: Ayers G. P.
Published: September 2020

The commonly used energy balance model from Gregory et al. (2002) that underlies many published estimates of Equilibrium Climate Sensitivity (ECS) and Transient Climate Response (TCR) to anthropogenic forcing requires only four parameters for calculation of ECS and three for TCR. Both estimates require a value for the increase in global mean surface air temperature (ΔT) over a period of time, the increment in forcing driving the temperature change over that period (ΔF), and knowledge of the radiative forcing resulting from a doubling in CO2 concentration (F2×CO2). For ECS a value for the associated global heating rate (ΔQ) is also required. Each of these parameters has a best estimate available from the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report, but the authors did not provide best estimates for ECS and TCR within the broad uncertainty ranges quoted, 1.5–4.5 K for ECS and 1.0–2.5 K for TCR. Best estimates for ECS and TCR consistent with AR5 best estimates for ΔF and F2×CO2 are provided here. A well-known heuristic model was modified and applied to seven observation-based global temperature datasets to isolate temperature trend due to anthropogenic forcing from confounding effects of variability due to volcanism, cycles in solar irradiance and internal climate variability. The seven estimates of ECS and TCR were remarkably similar despite very large differences in time-base of the datasets analysed, yielding best estimates of 2.36 ± 0.13 K and 1.58 ± 0.09 K respectively at 95% confidence based on the AR5 best estimates for ΔF, F2×CO2 and ΔQ from Wijffels et al. (2016). The ECS and TCR best estimates here are tied to those AR5 and ΔQ best estimates, but can be simply scaled were those best estimate values to be refined in the future.
Seasonal climate summary for the southern hemisphere (spring 2017): equal-fifth warmest spring on record, with rainfall mixed
Authors: Tobin Skie
Published: September 2020

This is a summary of the southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns and meteorological indices for spring 2017; an account of seasonal rainfall and temperature for the Australian region and the broader southern hemisphere is also provided. The tropical Pacific Ocean cooled from mid-winter, with an unusually late La Niña becoming established by the end of spring. Spring was the equal-fifth warmest on record, in terms of area-averaged national mean temperature, and was characterised by exceptional September warmth over eastern Australia, while rainfall was mixed geographically and from month-to-month, but below average overall.
Seasonal climate summary for the southern hemisphere (winter 2018): fifteenth-warmest and fourteenth-driest
Authors: Chua Zhi-Weng
Published: September 2020

This is a summary of the southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns and meteorological indices for winter 2018; an account of seasonal rainfall and temperature for the Australian region and the broader southern hemisphere is also provided. The climate influences from the El Niño–Southern Oscillation and the Indian Ocean Dipole were weak, with both demonstrating neutral conditions over the season. It was a dry and warm winter for Australia, being the fourteenth-driest and fifteenth-warmest (in terms of mean temperature) in a record of 119 and 109 years respectively. The warm and dry conditions were particularly pronounced over eastern Australia during July. Maximum temperatures were above average while minimum temperatures were below average.
Unilateral knee effusion in an elderly patient: an unusual presentation of rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Khodaee Morteza , Ogle Lindsay , Piggott Cleveland
Published: September 2020

ABSTRACT
Unilateral atraumatic knee effusion is a relatively common presenting complaint among geriatric patients in primary care and musculoskeletal speciality clinics. Gout, pseudogout, degenerative joint diseases and reactive arthritis are the most common causes of the atraumatic knee effusions. Rheumatoid arthritis very rarely presents as arthritis of one or two large joints. Arthrocentesis, plain radiography and screening blood tests should be performed to help narrow the differential diagnosis. In some cases, advanced imaging modalities such as MRI may be indicated. This study reports a case of rheumatoid arthritis in a 75-year-old gentleman with oligoarthropathy of two large joints as the presenting symptoms.
Linking social and biophysical systems to inform long-term, strategic management of coral reefs
Authors: Costa Micheli D. P. , Gorddard Russell , Fidelman Pedro , Helmstedt Kate J. , Anthony Kenneth R. N. , Wilson Kerrie A. , Beyer Hawthorne L.
Published: September 2020

Coral reefs are one of the ecosystems most sensitive to climate change. The recent loss and degradation of coral reef ecosystems is expected to continue even if global warming is limited to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels. There is therefore an urgent need to develop new technologies and management approaches to coral reef conservation. Emerging technologies, however, bring new challenges for decision making as they are associated with novel risks and impacts on the reef system. We argue that accounting for multiple biophysical thresholds and identifying key decisions in the planning process are crucial to avoid perverse outcomes in coral reef conservation. We identify opportunities to apply an Adaptation Pathways (AP) framework combined with a ‘values, rules and knowledge’ approach to facilitate long-term and large-scale coral reef conservation by explicitly considering uncertainty with climate change impacts in the decision-making process. The AP process can be used to reconcile the diverse values of stakeholders, scientific and cultural knowledge about the system, and the policy and regulatory context within which management must occur, in order to achieve robust long-term management.
Successful sperm cryopreservation in Egyptian spiny mice Acomys cahirinus
Authors: McKenna Jarrod , Catt Sally , Pangestu Mulyoto , Temple-Smith Peter
Published: September 2020

The menstruating Egyptian spiny mouse has recently been proposed as a new animal model for reproductive health research. Unfortunately, little is known about reproduction in males. This study compared several characteristics of sperm function before and after cryopreservation. Epididymal spermatozoa were cryopreserved in different concentrations of raffinose and skim milk and tested for motility and membrane integrity (Experiment 1). Further evaluations of motility, plasma membrane and acrosome integrity, mitochondrial membrane potential and DNA integrity were conducted with the addition of l-glutamine to the extender (Experiment 2). The results show that, following cryopreservation, motility and membrane integrity were reduced, but were better maintained in the presence of l-glutamine (P<0.05). Moreover, although all sperm parameters were significantly reduced following cryopreservation (P<0.05), most cryopreserved spermatozoa retained acrosome, membrane and DNA integrity while also maintaining motility and mitochondrial membrane potential. This study provides a new step towards the development of assisted reproductive techniques and archiving the important genetics of the world’s only known menstruating rodent.
Goat movement patterns inform management of feral goat populations in semiarid rangelands
Authors: Moseby K. E. , Read J. L. , Andersen G. E.
Published: September 2020

Abstract
ContextFeral goats (Capra hircus) are a significant pest species throughout southern Australia. They threaten rare plants, contribute to soil erosion, compete with domestic stock, and are implicated in the decline of several native herbivores. Feral goats are a declared pest and control is often implemented.
AimsWe fitted feral goats with GPS collars in semiarid South Australia to determine whether they could provide valuable information for regional management.
MethodsNineteen feral goats (6 males and 13 females) were fitted with GPS collars between 2009 and 2018. Kernel-density estimates (KDE) were used to estimate annual and seasonal home range and core areas and habitat selection. The effect of monthly rainfall, daily maximum temperatures, and watering points on movement patterns was investigated.
Key resultsStock watering points and rock holes were used by some radio-tracked goats intermittently when available; however, goats survived and reproduced without the use of these water sources. The use of the radio-collared goats as Judas goats helped facilitate the removal of 9725 goats from a 50000-ha area over 8 years. There was no significant difference between male and female annual or seasonal home ranges, with 95% MCP annual ranges of 11533ha and 15996ha for males and females respectively. Summer ranges were smaller than winter ranges. There was no difference in daily distance moved between sexes (average 3.4km), but goats moved further in low-rainfall periods. Goats spent most of their time in mallee woodlands, the dominant habitat type available, but preferred shrubland of >1-m height and used less mallee woodland and shrubland of <1-m height than was expected from availability. During hotter periods, these habitat preferences became more distinct.
ConclusionsTo reduce goat abundance on a property, active control and waterpoint closure need to extend more than 15km from property boundaries, and shrubland habitat of >1-m height should be targeted for control after rainfall events when goats move less. Radio-collared goats provided important habitat-preference information to inform priority areas for goat control remote from water sources.
ImplicationsClosing artificial watering point and regular trapping and mustering at remaining waters is insufficient to remove residual goat herds without additional targeted control in preferred habitat.
Shear-assisted grain coarsening in colloidal polycrystals
Authors: Li Wei , Peng Yi , Zhang Yongjun , Still Tim , Yodh A. G. , Han Yilong
Published: September 2020

Significance

Grain growth and grain-boundary motions during shear play key roles in polycrystal annealing. Notably, complex interactions between neighboring grains give rise to nontrivial grain-boundary kinetics that are not well understood, in part because electron microscopy cannot dynamically track atoms. Here, we observe grain-growth behaviors and elucidate kinetics from experiments with colloidal polycrystals that resolve single-particle motions; the observations reveal shear-coupled grain-boundary migration, grain rotation via emission of dislocations across the grain, melting-point shifts for different lattice orientations, and melting–recrystallization phenomena, which provide a mechanism for unexplained dynamic abnormal grain growth. These fundamental findings are critical results for understanding and processing polycrystalline materials.
Ethnic labeling among pupils with migration backgrounds
Authors: van de Weerd Pomme
Published: September 2020

This paper analyzes ethnic self-labeling among pupils of a secondary school in Venlo, the Netherlands.
Pupils with migration backgrounds, born in the Netherlands, referred to themselves as ‘Moroccan’, ‘Turk’ or ‘foreigner’,
and to others as ‘Dutch’. Ascription to these ethnic categories is often understood as an expression of national
(un)belonging. Based on nine months of linguistic ethnographic fieldwork, I argue that ethnic labels functioned to
manage everyday interpersonal social relations and did not necessarily express feelings of (un)belonging to the nation.
Rather, pupils used ethnic labels to associate social personae with particular styles and behaviors and to construct
local social hierarchies. The paper contributes to the investigation of ethnic labels as signs with locally contingent
meanings, which nevertheless retain indexical links with wider discourses about social categories and belonging. It
furthermore emphasizes the necessity of investigating the local meanings of ethnic categories.
Exhaustivity and bare numeral phrases in Mandarin
Authors: Tsai Cheng-Yu Edwin
Published: September 2020

A well-known generalization about bare numeral phrases (BNPs) in Mandarin is that they tend to require the existential verbyou‘have’ when in subject position, but there are some notable exceptions. This paper concentrates on the data cited byLi (1998)and proposes anExhaustivity Conditionaccording to which a subject BNP is felicitous if and only if it is interpreted exhaustively. It is shown how this condition generalizes to all the constructions under discussion, while at the same time they each belong to a particular type of quantificational construction or another (cumulativity, scalar focus, sufficiency, or conditional). I argue that the close relation between Mandarin subject BNPs and exhaustivity not only explains the restricted distribution of the former but also enables us to account for their so-called quantity readings in terms of exhaustive interpretation. Comparisons of the proposal with previous approaches will also be discussed.
Agency and communion in sexual abuse survivors’ narratives
Authors: Wilinsky Charlotte L. , McCabe Allyssa
Published: September 2020

This study uses a form of narrative analysis to examine a sample of sexual abuse survivors’ impact statements
(n = 117) given in court at the sentencing of the former USA Gymnastics Olympic team doctor, Larry Nassar.
Narrative analysis allows for prioritization of the victim’s perspective. Statements are analyzed using themes of agency and
communion (McAdams et al., 1996) and ineffectiveness and alienation (McCabe & Dinh, 2016). Inclusion of ineffectiveness and alienation extends the work of
McAdams, which began in the 1990s. Findings show that ineffectiveness and communion are positively correlated, as are
ineffectiveness and alienation. Age and agency are also positively correlated such that older victims readily express themes of
personal power and achievement. Agency and alienation are significantly more common in the statements than ineffectiveness. These
findings suggest that participants’ sense of communion is particularly harmed by their victimization, and that impact statements
have agentic-based and communion-based functions.
Investigation on the mechanical properties and frictional performance of Ni–Cu–Si alloy
Authors: Wang Shihang , Jie Jinchuan , Dong Bowen , Liu Shichao , Wang Tongmin , Li Tingju
Published: September 2020

The microstructure evolution, mechanical properties and dry sliding behaviour of Ni–30Cu– xSi alloy have been investigated systematically. As the volume fraction of microscale second-phase particles and nanoscale precipitates increases, the hardness, yield strength and ultimate tensile strength of alloy are improved significantly but elongation is reduced. Through confocal laser scanning microscope and atomic force microscope, it is suggested that the wear mode changes from the mixture of abrasive and adhesive wear to single abrasive wear. Owing to the existence of netlike microscale second-phase particles which are more likely to split the matrix, the Ni–30Cu–5.5Si alloy exhibits an abnormal higher wear rate even with the highest hardness. The netlike structure which deteriorates the friction performance should be avoided in wear-resistant materials.
An antibody toolbox to track complex I assembly defines AIF’s mitochondrial function
Authors: Murari Anjaneyulu , Rhooms Shauna-Kay , Goparaju Naga Sri , Villanueva Maximino , Owusu-Ansah Edward
Published: September 2020

An ability to comprehensively track the assembly intermediates (AIs) of complex I (CI) biogenesis in Drosophila will enable the characterization of the precise mechanism(s) by which various CI regulators modulate CI assembly. Accordingly, we generated 21 novel antibodies to various mitochondrial proteins and used this resource to characterize the mechanism by which apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) regulates CI biogenesis by tracking the AI profile observed when AIF expression is impaired. We find that when the AIF–Mia40 translocation complex is disrupted, the part of CI that transfers electrons to ubiquinone is synthesized but fails to progress in the CI biosynthetic pathway. This is associated with a reduction in intramitochondrial accumulation of the Mia40 substrate, MIC19. Importantly, knockdown of either MIC19 or MIC60, components of the mitochondrial contact site and cristae organizing system (MICOS), fully recapitulates the AI profile observed when AIF is inhibited. Thus, AIF’s effect on CI assembly is principally due to compromised intramitochondrial transport of the MICOS complex.
Semiclassical p-branes in hyperbolic space
Authors: de León Ardón Rodrigo
Published: September 2020

The one-loop effects to the Dirac action of p-branes in a hyperbolic background from the path integral and the solution of the Wheeler–DeWitt equation are analysed. The objective of comparing the equivalent quantization procedures is to study in detail the validity of the semiclassical approximation and divergences associated to one-loop corrections. This is in line with a bottom-up approach to holographic Wilson loops. We employ the heat kernel regularization method for both quantization procedures and we study in great detail one-loop corrections to geodesics in a two-dimensional hyperbolic space and semi-spheres in a three-dimensional hyperbolic space. We show that the divergences, given by the high energy expansion of the heat kernel, can be classified by their compatibility with the semiclassical approximation and geometric nature.
Using a ‘vector rotation’ technique and ‘parallel geometry’ utility to calculate the equivalent dose rate from a patient undergoing nuclear medicine procedures
Authors: Phuong Thao Nguyen Thi , Dubois Pedro Arce , Trung Nguyen Thien , Duy Nguyen Khanh , Son Nguyen Dong
Published: September 2020

A dose calculation for a person who has been in contact with a patient undergoing Nuclear medicine procedures can be performed by using Merged Phantom Tool (MPT). In this study, we are upgrading the MPT to help users easily merge phantoms at any axis and with any angle using the “vector rotation” technique. The segmented structure information of the contact’s phantom is also included in the calculation using the GEANT4 “parallel geometry” utility. The calculation is applied to a case of a male cancer patient lying on a bed who has used I-131, and a caregiver standing beside the patient. The equivalent dose to the thyroid of the caregiver is calculated at 0.3, 0.5, 0.8 and 1m away from the patient, as the caregiver is standing near the patient’s abdomen, chest and neck area. The results show that the dose to the thyroid of the contact greatly depends on his standing position and that there are clear differences between the results calculated with the point source and those calculated with the patient source. In summary, using activity distributions in the patient’s body as well as the right communication circumstance helps to calculate the optimal dose for people who have been in contact with patients.