bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recursive encoder network for the automatic analysis of STEP files
Authors: Miles Victoria , Giani Stefano , Vogt Oliver
Published: August 2022

Automated tools which can understand and interface with CAD (computer-aided design) models are of significant research interest due to the potential for improving efficiency in manufacturing processes. At present, most research into the use of artificial intelligence to interpret three-dimensional data takes input in the form of multiple two-dimensional images of the object or in the form of three-dimensional grids of voxels. The transformation of the input data necessary for these approaches inevitably leads to some loss of information and limitations of resolution. Existing research into the direct analysis of model files in STEP (standard for the exchange of product data) format tends to follow a rules-based approach to analyse models of a certain type, resulting in algorithms without the benefits of flexibility and complex understanding which artificial intelligence can provide. In this paper, a novel recursive encoder network for the automatic analysis of STEP files is presented. The encoder network is a flexible model with the potential for adaptation to a wide range of tasks and finetuning for specific CAD model datasets. Performance is evaluated using a machining feature classification task, with results showing accuracy approaching 100% and training time comparable to that of existing multi-view and voxel-based solutions without the need for a GPU.
Screening for PTSD and functional impairment in trauma-exposed young children: evaluation of alternative CBCL-PTSD subscales
Authors: Bartels Lasse , Haag Ann-Christin , Keller Fabia , Storch Eric A. , De Young Alexandra , Salloum Alison , Landolt Markus A.
Published: August 2022

The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL 1.5–5 years) posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) subscale by Dehon & Scheeringa (2006) as a screener for PTSD in trauma-exposed young children has yielded inconsistent results so far. Therefore, the aim of this study was to create and examine the validity of alternative CBCL-PTSD subscales and compare them to the existing CBCL-PTSD subscale based on the DSM-5 PTSD diagnostic criteria for children 6 years and younger. Further, the CBCL-PTSD subscales were examined regarding their usefulness in screening for posttraumatic stress-related functional impairment. The sample comprised 116 trauma-exposed young children (Mage = 3.42 years, SDage = 1.21 years, female = 49.1%). The psychometric properties of the existing CBCL-PTSD subscale as well as the alternative subscales based on expert rating (CBCL-PTSD-17) and based on variable importance (CBCL-PTSD-6) were evaluated by means of receiver operating characteristic curves, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive values, and negative predictive values. Area under the curves for all three investigated CBCL-PTSD subscales were good to excellent for PTSD and functional impairment. Further, all three CBCL-PTSD subscales showed high sensitivity for PTSD and functional impairment. Considering the length and the performance of the three investigated subscales, the CBCL-PTSD-6 appears to be a promising and clinically useful CBCL-PTSD subscale as a screener for PTSD and functional impairment due to the easiest and most practicable application. For purposes of discriminant validation of the CBCL-PTSD-6, young children without a history of trauma should be compared to young children with trauma history.
Opening Pandora’s Loot Box: Weak Links Between Gambling and Loot Box Expenditure in China, and Player Opinions on Probability Disclosures and Pity-Timers
Authors: Xiao Leon Y. , Fraser Tullia C. , Newall Philip W. S.
Published: August 2022

Loot boxes are quasi-gambling virtual products in video games that provide randomised rewards of varying value. Previous studies in Western contexts have identified a positive correlation between loot box purchasing and problem gambling severity. A preregistered survey of People’s Republic of China (PRC) video game players (N = 879) failed to replicate this correlation. We observed statistically significant but weak positive correlations between loot box expenditure and past-year gambling participation, and between loot box expenditure and impulsiveness. This study cannot prove that loot boxes are not disproportionately purchased by people with problem gambling symptomatology in the PRC or that PRC players are not potentially at risk of loot box-related harms. Instead, the evidence suggests that the relationship between loot boxes and gambling might be weaker in the PRC than in Western countries. We identified multiple unique factors about the PRC that might be affecting this relationship. For example, the lotteries are the only legally permitted form of gambling. More gamified electronic gambling products are unavailable. The limited availability of gambling meant that a low level of gambling participation (n = 87) was observed, which is a limitation of this study. Additionally, the PRC is presently the only country to legally require loot box probability disclosures as a consumer protection measure. Most loot box purchasers (84.6%) reported seeing loot box probability disclosures, but only 19.3% of this group reported consequently spending less money. Most loot box purchasers (86.9%) thought that pity-timers, which increase the winning probabilities of obtaining rarer rewards, are appropriate for implementation. Future loot box research should give greater consideration to differing cultural contexts and novel consumer protection measures.
DB-CMT: A New Concurrent Multi-path Stream Control Transport Protocol
Authors: Verma Lal Pratap , Sharma Varun Kumar , Kumar Mahesh , Kanellopoulos Dimitris , Mahanti Aniket
Published: August 2022

Stream Control Transmission Protocol (SCTP) exploits multiple network interfaces to provide multi-streaming and data chunk ordering in a stream. An extended feature of SCTP, i.e., Concurrent Multi-path Transfer (CMT), bids concurrent data transmission in a multi-path data transfer environment and guarantees bandwidth aggregation, load sharing, robustness, and reliability. In such an environment, the paths usually have distinct characteristics (i.e., delay, Packet Loss Rate (PLR), and bandwidth). Thus, data chunks are received out-of-ordered at the destination. As a result, CMT causes excessive receiver buffer blocking and unnecessary congestion window (cwnd) reductions. Also, during the selection of the retransmission destination path (to resend a lost data chunk), CMT does not take into account vital Quality of Service (QoS) parameters such as the PLR of a path under consideration. This paper introduces a new Delay-Based Concurrent Multi-path Transfer (DB-CMT) approach that transmits data on multiple paths according to their delay. In this scheme, we present a Delay-Based Data chunk Scheduling Policy (DB-DSP), a Retransmission Path Selection Policy (RTX-CL), and a new Delay-Based Fast Retransmission Policy (DB-FRP). The simulation results show that the DB-CMT’s RTX-CL policy performs better than the well-known RTX-CWND and RTX-LOSSRATE retransmission schemes. Also, the overall performance of DB-CMT witnesses improved throughput, fewer timeouts, and reduced File Transfer Time (FTT) performances.
Corporate governance and financial distress: lessons learned from an unconventional approach
Authors: Tron Alberto , Dallocchio Maurizio , Ferri Salvatore , Colantoni Federico
Published: August 2022

Using a and a unique set of Italian non-listed Unlikely to Pay (UTP) positions, that consist in the phase that precedes the insolvency but where it is still possible for the company to succeed in restructuring, this paper aims to analyze the relationships between corporate governance characteristics and financial distress status. We compare the performance of corporate governance variables in predicting corporate defaults, using both the Logit and Random Forest models, which previous researchers have deemed to be the most efficient machine learning techniques. Our results show that the use of corporate governance variables – especially with regards to CEO renewal and stability in the composition of the board of directors – increases the accuracy of the Random Forest technique and influences the success of the turnaround process. This paper also confirms the Random Forest technique’s ability to significantly outperform the Logit model in terms of accuracy.
Assessing the efficacy of a Tier 2 early intervention for transcription skills in Spanish elementary school students
Authors: Jiménez Juan E. , de León Sara C. , García Eduardo , Seoane Rocío C.
Published: August 2022

The main objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a Tier 2 intervention within the context of the Response to Intervention (RtI) model implemented by Spanish first- to second-grade primary school teachers to improve at-risk students’ transcription skills. Teachers were instructed in the administration of a writing curriculum-based measure composed of 5 isolates measures (allographs, dictated words with arbitrary spelling or non-ruled, dictated words with rule-based spelling, dictated nonsense words, and dictated sentences) to identify at-risk students and to monitor their progress; and in the implementation of a systematic and explicit instructional program to improve transcription skills in at-risk students. A total of 164 at-risk students from 12 schools from the Canary Islands participated in the study. Teachers were provided with a support system that included a web-based training program for writing. Implementation fidelity was analyzed using direct observations and self-reports. All students were assessed three times during the academic year. In a hierarchical linear growth modeling procedure, differences in growth rates of transcription skills were compared between students who received the intervention, those who did not, and their typically achieving peers. Additionally, the effects of the intervention in the experimental at-risk group were also analyzed, differentiating between those who left the risk status and those who remained at-risk. Children at-risk in the intervention condition appeared to benefit more in handwriting skills than at-risk children in the control condition, but to a lesser extent in spelling accuracy. Nevertheless, improvements in both transcription skills had only been made in the experimental risk group that had left the risk situation.
Reading the biomineralized book of life: expanding otolith biogeochemical research and applications for fisheries and ecosystem-based management
Authors: Reis-Santos Patrick , Gillanders Bronwyn M. , Sturrock Anna M. , Izzo Christopher , Oxman Dion S. , Lueders-Dumont Jessica A. , Hüssy Karin , Tanner Susanne E. , Rogers Troy , Doubleday Zoë A. , Andrews Allen H. , Trueman Clive , Brophy Deirdre , Thiem Jason D. , Baumgartner Lee J. , Willmes Malte , Chung Ming-Tsung , Charapata Patrick , Johnson Rachel C. , Trumble Stephen , Heimbrand Yvette , Limburg Karin E. , Walther Benjamin D.
Published: August 2022

Chemical analysis of calcified structures continues to flourish, as analytical and technological advances enable researchers to tap into trace elements and isotopes taken up in otoliths and other archival tissues at ever greater resolution. Increasingly, these tracers are applied to refine age estimation and interpretation, and to chronicle responses to environmental stressors, linking these to ecological, physiological, and life-history processes. Here, we review emerging approaches and innovative research directions in otolith chemistry, as well as in the chemistry of other archival tissues, outlining their value for fisheries and ecosystem-based management, turning the spotlight on areas where such biomarkers can support decision making. We summarise recent milestones and the challenges that lie ahead to using otoliths and archival tissues as biomarkers, grouped into seven, rapidly expanding and application-oriented research areas that apply chemical analysis in a variety of contexts, namely: (1) supporting fish age estimation; (2) evaluating environmental stress, ecophysiology and individual performance; (3) confirming seafood provenance; (4) resolving connectivity and movement pathways; (5) characterising food webs and trophic interactions; (6) reconstructing reproductive life histories; and (7) tracing stock enhancement efforts. Emerging research directions that apply hard part chemistry to combat seafood fraud, quantify past food webs, as well as to reconcile growth, movement, thermal, metabolic, stress and reproductive life-histories provide opportunities to examine how harvesting and global change impact fish health and fisheries productivity. Ultimately, improved appreciation of the many practical benefits of archival tissue chemistry to fisheries and ecosystem-based management will support their increased implementation into routine monitoring.

Graphical abstract
Research performance and scholarly communication profile of competitive research funding: the case of Academy of Finland
Authors: Pölönen Janne , Auranen Otto
Published: August 2022

The Academy of Finland (AKA), Finland’s major public research funding agency, uses a Web of Science (WoS) based bibliometric indicator to assess the performance of research it has funded. We use an alternative methodology to compare (1) the research performance and (2) the scholarly communication profile of AKA-funded research to the Finnish universities’ entire output across the major fields of arts and sciences. Our data consists of 142,742 publications (years 2015–2018) registered in the national information service, which integrates Current Research Information System (CRIS) data of 13 Finnish universities. Research performance is analyzed using the Finnish community-curated expert-based rating of publication channels (so-called JUFO). Our results show that compared to the Finnish universities’ entire output a larger share of AKA-funded research is published in leading JUFO rated journals and book publishers. JUFO and WoS-based indicators produced consonant results regarding the performance of AKA-funded research. Analysis of publication profiles shows that AKA-funded research is more focused than the universities’ output on using peer-reviewed publications, articles published in journals, English language, foreign publishers and open access publishing. We conclude that the CRIS-based publication data can support multidimensional assessments of research performance and scholarly communication profiles, potentially also in other countries and institutions. CRIS development and maintenance require multi-stakeholder commitment, resources and incentives to ensure data quality and coverage. To fully recognize diverse open science practices and to enable international comparisons, CRISs need further development and integration as data sources.
Coopetition between frenemies–interrelations and effects of seven collaboration problems in research clusters
Authors: Hückstädt Malte
Published: August 2022

Principal Investigators in research clusters find themselves in a Janus-faced situation: if they want to achieve their common research goals, fulfil their overarching function of integrative knowledge production and thus secure the continuity of their collaboration, they are required to cooperate closely. At the same time, they compete with each other for scientific recognition or third-party funding. Taking this as a background, the article explores the effects and interrelationships of seven collaboration problems that arise in the context of the tension between cooperation and competition. Based on the state of research, a club-theoretical heuristic is developed that captures the effects and interrelationships of seven collaboration problems. The specified hypothesis model is tested with the help of a structural equation model using data from a large-scale online survey of PIs and spokespeople involved in research collaborations. The data analysis confirms the assumption that especially conflictual personal relationships between the partners in a research collaboration (relationship problems) form a central node in the network of collaboration problems: A lack of reciprocity of costs and benefits (fairness problems) as well as the self-interested behaviour of the spokesperson of a research cluster (management problems) promote relationship problems between the partners in a research team. Likewise, relationship problems in turn promote an erosion of communication between collaboration partners (communication problems), of goal progress evaluation (certainty problems), of cross-disciplinary exchange (difference problems) and of partners’ commitment to the common goals of the research collaboration (goal commitment problems). The structural equation model thus supports the widely held, but by no means trivial view in cooperation research that trusting and fair interaction between cooperating PIs in a research cluster is a necessary, if not sufficient, condition for their joint success.
Leptin mutation and mycobacterial infection lead non-synergistically to a similar metabolic syndrome
Authors: Ding Yi , Haks Mariëlle C. , van den Eeden Susan J. F. , Ottenhoff Tom H. M. , Harms Amy C. , Hankemeier Thomas , Eeza Muhamed N. H. , Matysik Jörg , Alia A. , Spaink Herman P.
Published: August 2022

Introduction

The leptin signaling pathway plays an important role as a key regulator of glucose homeostasis, metabolism control and systemic inflammatory responses. However, the metabolic effects of leptin on infectious diseases, for example tuberculosis (TB), are still little known.

Objectives

In this study, we aim to investigate the role of leptin on metabolism in the absence and presence of mycobacterial infection in zebrafish larvae and mice.

Methods

Metabolites in entire zebrafish larvae and the blood of mice were studied using high-resolution magic-angle-spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (HR-MAS NMR) spectroscopy and mass spectrometry, respectively. For transcriptome studies of zebrafish larvae, deep RNA sequencing was used.

Results

The results show that leptin mutation leads to a similar metabolic syndrome as caused by mycobacterial infection in the two species, characterized by the decrease of 11 amine metabolites. In both species, this metabolic syndrome was not aggravated further when the leptin mutant was infected by mycobacteria. Therefore, we conclude that leptin and mycobacterial infection are both impacting metabolism non-synergistically. In addition, we studied the transcriptomes of lepbibl54 mutant zebrafish larvae and wild type (WT) siblings after mycobacterial infection. These studies showed that mycobacteria induced a very distinct transcriptome signature in the lepbibl54 mutant zebrafish compared to WT sibling control larvae. Furthermore, lepbibl55 Tg (pck1:luc1) zebrafish line was constructed and confirmed this difference in transcriptional responses.

Conclusions

Leptin mutation and TB lead non-synergistically to a similar metabolic syndrome. Moreover, different transcriptomic responses in the lepbibl54  mutant and TB can lead to the similar metabolic end states.
Fixed and Distributed Gene Expression Time Delays in Reaction–Diffusion Systems
Authors: Sargood Alec , Gaffney Eamonn A. , Krause Andrew L.
Published: August 2022

Time delays, modelling the process of intracellular gene expression, have been shown to have important impacts on the dynamics of pattern formation in reaction–diffusion systems. In particular, past work has shown that such time delays can shrink the Turing space, thereby inhibiting patterns from forming across large ranges of parameters. Such delays can also increase the time taken for pattern formation even when Turing instabilities occur. Here, we consider reaction–diffusion models incorporating fixed or distributed time delays, modelling the underlying stochastic nature of gene expression dynamics, and analyse these through a systematic linear instability analysis and numerical simulations for several sets of different reaction kinetics. We find that even complicated distribution kernels (skewed Gaussian probability density functions) have little impact on the reaction–diffusion dynamics compared to fixed delays with the same mean delay. We show that the location of the delay terms in the model can lead to changes in the size of the Turing space (increasing or decreasing) as the mean time delay, $$\tau $$
τ
, is increased. We show that the time to pattern formation from a perturbation of the homogeneous steady state scales linearly with $$\tau $$
τ
, and conjecture that this is a general impact of time delay on reaction–diffusion dynamics, independent of the form of the kinetics or location of the delayed terms. Finally, we show that while initial and boundary conditions can influence these dynamics, particularly the time-to-pattern, the effects of delay appear robust under variations of initial and boundary data. Overall, our results help clarify the role of gene expression time delays in reaction–diffusion patterning, and suggest clear directions for further work in studying more realistic models of pattern formation.
Value-assessment of computer-assisted navigation strategies during percutaneous needle placement
Authors: Boekestijn Imke , Azargoshasb Samaneh , van Oosterom Matthias N. , Slof Leon J. , Dibbets-Schneider Petra , Dankelman Jenny , van Erkel Arian R. , Rietbergen Daphne D. D. , van Leeuwen Fijs W. B.
Published: August 2022

Purpose

Navigational strategies create a scenario whereby percutaneous needle-based interventions of the liver can be guided using both pre-interventional 3D imaging datasets and dynamic interventional ultrasound (US). To score how such technologies impact the needle placement process, we performed kinematic analysis on different user groups.

Methods

Using a custom biopsy phantom, three consecutive exercises were performed by both novices and experts (n = 26). The exercise came in three options: (1) US-guidance, (2) US-guidance with pre-interventional image-registration (US + Reg) and (3) US-guidance with pre-interventional image-registration and needle-navigation (US + Reg + Nav). The traveled paths of the needle were digitized in 3D. Using custom software algorithms, kinematic metrics were extracted and related to dexterity, decision making indices to obtain overall performance scores (PS).

Results

Kinematic analysis helped quantifying the visual assessment of the needle trajectories. Compared to US-guidance, novices yielded most improvements using Reg (PSavg(US) = 0.43 vs. PSavg(US+Reg) = 0.57 vs. PSavg(US+Reg+Nav) = 0.51). Interestingly, the expert group yielded a reversed trend (PSavg(US) = 0.71 vs PSavg(US+Reg) = 0.58 vs PSavg(US+Reg+Nav) = 0.59).

Conclusion

Digitizing the movement trajectory allowed us to objectively assess the impact of needle-navigation strategies on percutaneous procedures. In particular, our findings suggest that these advanced technologies have a positive impact on the kinematics derived performance of novices.
Graph theory and combinatorial calculus: an early approach to enhance robust understanding
Authors: Ferrarello Daniela , Gionfriddo Mario , Grasso Federico , Mammana Maria Flavia
Published: August 2022

The objective of this work is to show an educational path for combinatorics and graph theory that has the aim, on one hand, of helping students understand some discrete mathematics properties, and on the other, of developing modelling skills through a robust understanding. In particular, for the path proposed to middle-school students, we used a connection betweenk-permutations and colourings of graphs: we indicated a way to solve problems related to counting all the possible arrangements of given objects in ak-tuple under given constraints. We solve this kind of problem by associating a graph with the constraints related to thek-tuple and by using graphs’ colourings, in which every colour is associated with one of the objects. The number of arrangements is given by finding the number of colourings through an algorithm called the Connection-Contraction Algorithm. The educational path is set within the Teaching for Robust Understanding framework and the goal, from the mathematical skills perspective, is to enhance modelling, passing from real situations (the fish problem in our experiment) to mathematical problems (the graph’s colouring in our experiment) and vice versa through the use of technology (the Connection-Contraction Algorithm with yEd editor, in our experiment), by using an extended modelling cycle. The meetings with students were videotaped and some results of the experimentation are given.
The role of insulin and incretin-based drugs in biliary tract cancer: epidemiological and experimental evidence
Authors: Sun Hua , Qi Xiaohui
Published: August 2022

Insulin and incretin-based drugs are important antidiabetic agents with complex effects on cell growth and metabolism. Emerging evidence shows that insulin and incretin-based drugs are associated with altered risk of biliary tract cancer (BTC). Observational study reveals that insulin is associated with an increased risk of extrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ECC), but not intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (ICC) or gallbladder cancer (GBC). This type-specific effect can be partly explained by the cell of origin and heterogeneous genome landscape of the three subtypes of BTC. Similar to insulin, incretin-based drugs also exhibit very interesting contradictions and inconsistencies in response to different cancer phenotypes, including BTC. Both epidemiological and experimental evidence suggests that incretin-based drugs can be a promoter of some cancers and an inhibitor of others. It is now more apparent that this type of drugs has a broader range of physiological effects on the body, including regulation of endoplasmic reticulum stress, autophagy, metabolic reprogramming, and gene expression. In particular, dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors (DPP-4i) have a more complex effect on cancer due to the multi-functional nature of DPP-4. DPP-4 exerts both catalytic and non-enzymatic functions to regulate metabolic homeostasis, immune reaction, cell migration, and proliferation. In this review, we collate the epidemiological and experimental evidence regarding the effect of these two classes of drugs on BTC to provide valuable information.
Closed linear spaces consisting of strongly norm attaining Lipschitz functionals
Authors: Kadets Vladimir , Roldán Óscar
Published: August 2022

Given a pointed metric space M, we study when there exist n-dimensional linear subspaces of $$\mathrm {Lip}_0(M)$$

Lip
0

(
M
)

consisting of strongly norm-attaining Lipschitz functionals, for $$n\in {\mathbb {N}}$$

n
∈
N

. We show that this is always the case for infinite metric spaces, providing a definitive answer to the question. We also study the possible sizes of such infinite-dimensional closed linear subspaces Y, as well as the inverse question, that is, the possible sizes for a metric space M in order to such a subspace Y exist. We also show that if the metric space M is $$\sigma $$
σ
-precompact, then the aforementioned subspaces Y need to be always separable and isomorphically polyhedral, and we show that for spaces containing [0, 1] isometrically, they can be infinite-dimensional.
Reasonable location of stopping line in close-distance underlying coal seam and partition support of large cross-section roadway
Authors: Chen Dongdong , Wu Yiyi , Xie Shengrong , Guo Fangfang , He Fulian , Liu Ruipeng
Published: August 2022

Close-distance coal seams are widely distributed over China, and the coal pillars left by the overlying coal seams affect the retracement channel of the underlying coal seam in the stopping stage. Based on the engineering background of close-distance seam mining in a coal mine, the reasonable position of the underlying coal seam's stopping line and the support method of the large section roadway during stopping are investigated using field measurements, similar simulation experiments, and numerical simulations. There are three types of location relationships between the stopping line of the underlying coal seam and the stopping line of the overlying coal seam: "externally staggered with the upper stopping line" (ESUL, stops mining under the overlying goaf), "overlapped with upper stopping line" (OUL), and "internally staggered with the upper stopping line" (ISUL, ISUL-SD for shorter internal staggered distances, ISUL-LD for longer ones). There are different stress arch structures in the overlying strata of the above three positions, and the stress arch evolution process exists in the process of ESUL → OUL → ISUL-SD → ISUL-LD: a front and rear double stress arch structure → the front arch gradually decreases → the front arch dies out, and the double arch synthesizes the single arch → the single-arch range expands → the nested double arch. The relationship between the stress arch structure and the position of the stopping line is evaluated as follows: (1) ESUL: the stress concentration in the roof plate of the retracement channel of the underlying coal seam is the highest, because the overburden block of the extensive collapse zone acts directly on the roof plate of the retracement channel, resulting in relative difficulties in roof support. (2) OUL: although the retracement channel roof pressure is minimal, the overlying rock structure has the potential for rotation or slippage instability. (3) ISUL-SD: the pressure on the roof of the retracement channel is small and the overburden structure is stable, which is conducive to the safe retraction of the support and not limited by the width of the end-mining coal pillar. (4) ISUL-LD: it is basically the same as the condition of stopping under the non-goaf; however, it has a limitation on the width of the end-mining coal pillar. The location of the stopping line is selected as ISUL-SD, and the retraction process of the self-excavating retraction channel was adopted. A partition asymmetric support scheme which is proven by field practice is proposed, through a comprehensive analysis of the pre-stress field simulation of the support scheme, based on the different control requirements of the roof above the support and the roof of the retracement channel in the stopping area. This method realizes safe and smooth withdrawal of the support.
Predicting Lumbar Vertebral Osteopenia Using LvOPI Scores and Logistic Regression Models in an Exploratory Study of Premenopausal Taiwanese Women
Authors: Chen Chun-Wen , Liu Yi-Jui , Lin Shao-Chieh , Wang Chien-Yuan , Shen Wu-Chung , Cho Der-Yang , Lee Tung-Yang , Juan Cheng-Hsuan , Juan Cheng-En , Cheng Kai-Yuan , Juan Chun-Jung
Published: August 2022

Purpose

To propose hybrid predicting models integrating clinical and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) features to diagnose lumbar vertebral osteopenia (LvOPI) in premenopausal women.

Methods

This prospective study enrolled 101 Taiwanese women, including 53 before and 48 women after menopause. Clinical information, including age, body height, body weight and body mass index (BMI), were recorded. Bone mineral density (BMD) was measured by the dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry. Lumbar vertebral fat fraction (LvFF) was measured by MRI. LvOPI scores (LvOPISs) comprising different clinical features and LvFF were constructed to diagnose LvOPI. Statistical analyses included normality tests, linear regression analyses, logistic regression analyses, group comparisons, and diagnostic performance. A P value less than 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results

The post-menopausal women had higher age, body weight, BMI, LvFF and lower BMD than the pre-menopausal women (all P < 0.05). The lumbar vertebral osteoporosis group had significantly higher age, longer MMI, and higher LvFF than the LvOPI group (all P < 0.05) and normal group (all P < 0.005). LvOPISs (AUC, 0.843 to 0.864) outperformed body weight (0.747; P = 0.0566), BMI (0.737; P < 0.05), age (0.649; P < 0.05), and body height (0.5; P < 0.05) in diagnosing LvOPI in the premenopausal women. Hybrid predicting models using logistic regression analysis (0.894 to 0.9) further outperformed all single predictors in diagnosing LvOPI in the premenopausal women (P < 0.05).

Conclusion

The diagnostic accuracy of the LvOPI can be improved by using our proposed hybrid predicting models in Taiwanese premenopausal women.
Comparison of Lower Stratosphere Wind Observations From the USTC's Rayleigh Doppler Lidar and the ESA's Satellite Mission Aeolus
Authors: Chen Chong , Xue Xianghui , Sun Dongsong , Zhao Ruocan , Han Yuli , Chen Tingdi , Liu Hengjia , Zhao Yiming
Published: August 2022

Since the first spaceborne Doppler wind lidar, Aeolus, was launched, global wind field observations from space have been possible. Several ground‐ and air‐based validations followed, although most of these comparisons remained below 10 km in the troposphere, with rare validation work for the stratosphere. The Rayleigh Doppler lidar developed by the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) was deployed in Xinjiang, China, in 2017. It can observe wind speed and temperature in the stratosphere and mesosphere. By setting two geographical ranges centered on the USTC lidar, the Aeolus Rayleigh winds within these ranges can be compared with ground‐based lidar wind data. Furthermore, after eliminating the effect of particulate backscatter on the USTC lidar, the lower limit of the detection range was extended to 10 km to obtain more samples. The mean biases between the Aeolus winds and the USTC lidar winds were 1.05 ± 5.98 (−0.35 ± 4.78) m/s, 1.80 ± 6.30 (−1.88 ± 4.97) m/s, and 0.17 ± 5.45 (0.51 ± 4.44) m/s for all data, ascending orbits, and descending orbits, respectively, in a large (small) geographical range. The geographical distance between the USTC lidar and the Aeolus observation swaths has a significant effect on the wind bias, the farther the distance between Aeolus observation swaths and the USTC lidar, the greater the bias. Whereas, the wind biases have no significant dependency on the time difference of the USTC lidar observation to Aeolus overflight time. Overall, the Aeolus winds are consistent with the USTC lidar winds in the stratosphere.
A Method for Clear‐Sky Identification and Long‐Term Trends Assessment Using Daily Surface Solar Radiation Records
Authors: Correa Lucas Ferreira , Folini Doris , Chtirkova Boriana , Wild Martin
Published: August 2022

Time series of clear‐sky irradiance are fundamental for the understanding of changes in the Earth Radiation budget, since they allow to examine radiative processes in the cloud‐free atmosphere. Clear‐sky data is usually derived from all‐sky irradiances using one of several clear‐sky methods proposed in the literature. However, most of the available clear‐sky methods require additional in situ measurements and/or high temporal resolution (sub‐daily), which restricts the derivation of clear‐sky time series to a few well equipped stations. Here we propose a new clear‐sky identification method that aims to overcome this problem, with the ultimate goal of deriving multidecadal clear‐sky trends for many sites globally. The method uses site specific monthly transmittance thresholds to derive long term clear‐sky time series for any station worldwide that has daily mean irradiance data. We exemplify the method for 24 stations. Transmittance thresholds are derived by combining 29 years (1990–2018) of satellite cloud cover data with in situ irradiance measurements. The thresholds are then applied to the whole time series (independent of satellite data availability) to screen out cloudy days. Comparison of our results with reference data derived using Long and Ackerman's (2000, https://doi.org/10.1029/2000jd900077) method shows good agreement after bias correction, especially for decadal trends. While limitations of the method, such as anomalies representation, are highlighted and discussed, validation results encourage its use to derive long term clear‐sky time series and associated decadal‐scale trends around the globe.
Characterization of Viscous Dissipative Heating in the Earth's Mantle Caused by Surface Forces
Authors: Devin E. , Zhong S.
Published: August 2022

Viscous dissipative heating has long been discussed as a heat source in solid celestial bodies experiencing exogenic forces such as tidal forcing or surface loading. We examine the characteristics of viscous dissipative heating in a Newtonian, Maxwell viscoelastic solid in a 2D Cartesian box subjected to a surface load. The solutions are analyzed to understand the general controls on the energetics of planetary mantle that are associated with exogenic forcing. We find that work done at the surface is partitioned between dissipative and elastic terms depending on mantle viscosity, loading period, and loading wavelength. For viscosity structures with a weak upper mantle layer, dissipation is spatially concentrated in the upper mantle for short loading periods, implying that exogenic forces may play a role in the generation of weak upper mantle layers. The results are also scaled to estimate how much energy is dissipated in Earth's mantle, both present and past, during surface mass movement processes and tidal forcing. We find that the dissipation from glacial loading cycles since Mid‐Pleistocene at a period of 100,000 years might contribute ∼3 mW/m2 heat flux in the formerly glaciated regions, but for glacial cycles with a period of 40,000 years during the Early Pleistocene, the heat flux may have been 3 times larger at ∼9 mW/m2. We find that tidal forcing for the early Earth at 4 Ga may have contributed ∼30 TW of heat to the upper mantle, suggesting that exogenic forces have the capacity to contribute significantly to early Earth's energy budget.
Spontaneously Exsolved Free Gas During Major Storms as an Ephemeral Gas Source for Pockmark Formation
Authors: Gupta S. , Schmidt C. , Böttner C. , Rüpke L. , Hartz E. H.
Published: August 2022

Abrupt fluid emissions from shallow marine sediments pose a threat to seafloor installations like wind farms and offshore cables. Quantifying such fluid emissions and linking pockmarks, the seafloor manifestations of fluid escape, to flow in the sub‐seafloor remains notoriously difficult due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying physical processes. Here, using a compositional multi‐phase flow model, we test plausible gas sources for pockmarks in the south‐eastern North Sea, which recent observations suggest have formed in response to major storms. We find that the mobilization of pre‐existing gas pockets is unlikely because free gas, due to its high compressibility, damps the propagation of storm‐induced pressure changes deeper into the subsurface. Rather, our results point to spontaneous appearance of a free gas phase via storm‐induced gas exsolution from pore fluids. This mechanism is primarily driven by the pressure‐sensitivity of gas solubility, and the appearance of free gas is largely confined to sediments in the vicinity of the seafloor. We show that in highly permeable sediments containing gas‐rich pore fluids, wave‐induced pressure changes result in the appearance of a persistent gas phase. This suggests that seafloor fluid escape structures are not always proxies for overpressured shallow gas and that periodic seafloor pressure changes can induce persistent free gas phase to spontaneously appear.
Numerical Modeling of Structurally Controlled Ore Formation in Magmatic‐Hydrothermal Systems
Authors: Codeço Marta S. , Weis Philipp , Andersen Christine
Published: August 2022

Faults and fractures can be permeable pathways for focused fluid flow in structurally controlled ore‐forming hydrothermal systems. However, quantifying their role in fluid flow on the scale of several kilometers with numerical models typically requires high‐resolution meshes. This study introduces a modified numerical representation of m‐scale fault zones using lower‐dimensional elements (here, one‐dimensional [1D] elements in a 2D domain) to resolve structurally controlled fluid flow with coarser mesh resolutions and apply the method to magmatic‐hydrothermal ore‐forming systems. We modeled horizontal and vertical structure‐controlled magmatic‐hydrothermal deposits to understand the role of permeability and structure connectivity on ore deposition. The simulation results of vertically extended porphyry copper systems show that ore deposition can occur along permeable vertical structures where ascending, overpressured magmatic fluids are cooled by downflowing ambient fluids. Structure permeability and fault location control the distribution of ore grades. In highly permeable structures, the mineralization can span up to 3 km vertically, resulting in heat‐pipe mechanisms that promote the ascent of a magmatic vapor phase to an overlying structurally controlled epithermal system. Simulations for the formation of subhorizontal vein‐type deposits suggest that the major control on fluid flow and metal deposition along horizontal structures is the absence of vertical structures above the injection location but their presence at greater distances. Using a dynamic permeability model mimicking crack‐seal mechanisms within the structures leads to a pulsating behavior of fracture‐controlled hydrothermal systems and prevents the inflow of ambient fluids under overpressured conditions.
Hurricane Laura (2020): A Comparison of Drop Size Distribution Moments Using Ground and Radar Remote Sensing Retrieval Methods
Authors: Brauer Noah S. , Alford A. Addison , Waugh Sean M. , Biggerstaff Michael I. , Carrie Gordon D. , Kirstetter Pierre E. , Basara Jeffrey B. , Dawson Daniel T. , Elmore Kimberly L. , Stevenson Jeffrey , Moore Robert W.
Published: August 2022

Hurricane Laura was the strongest hurricane to make landfall in Louisiana since 1969 with maximum sustained winds of 130 knots. One University of Oklahoma Shared Atmospheric Mobile and Teaching Polarmetric Radar (SR1‐P), and four portable in situ precipitation stations (PIPSs) equipped with parsivel disdrometers were spatially and temporally collocated with two NASA Global Precipitation Measurement Mission Dual‐frequency Precipitation Radar overpasses. The combined retrieval methods were able to quantify and compare drop size distribution moments and radar‐inferred precipitation processes before, during, and after the storm center made landfall. It was found that the magnitude of collision‐coalescence dominant precipitation decreased from before to after landfall. Further, the presence of a bright‐band becomes more evident across all percentiles in the post‐landfall overpass, indicating an increase in stratiform precipitation compared to convective precipitation after Laura moved inland. The PIPS showed an increase in mean drop size from 1.0 mm before landfall to as high as 4.0 mm in the eyewall, while decreasing to below 1.0 mm as Laura continued to move inland with a decrease in maximum echo top height of 0.5–1.0 km. Last, the Dual‐frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) algorithm overestimated the normalized intercept parameter by 0.5–1.0 m−3 mm−1 compared to the PIPS implying differences in measured drop number concentration, potentially due to differences in measurement footprint or assumptions in the DPR retrieval algorithm. These findings can potentially be used to improve the DPR particle size distribution algorithm in tropical cyclones.
Effect of Interdecadal Variation in Southern Indian Ocean SST on the Relationship Between ENSO and Summer Precipitation in the Asian‐Pacific Monsoon Region
Authors: Gao Ya , Chen Dong , Wang Huijun , Ma Jiehua , Wang Tao
Published: August 2022

The relationships between the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO), Asian‐Pacific region summer precipitation and its corresponding atmospheric circulations exhibit interdecadal changes. From the early 1990s to the early 2000s, these relationships were significant. Therefore, we divided this time frame into three periods for analysis: 1979–1991 (P1), 1992–2005 (P2), and 2006–2019 (P3). The possible mechanism underlying these relationships is as follows: the southern Indian Ocean sea surface temperature (SST) over the east of Madagascar exhibits interdecadal variation. During P2, the SST was relatively cold, which induced an anomalously high mascarene high (MH). The strengthened MH enhanced the Somali jet and Indian monsoon westerlies, which intensified the strong center of the Indian Ocean Walker circulation. Therefore, owing to the strength and location changes of the Indian Walker circulation and the Walker circulation, the connection between the ENSO and the western Pacific vertical motions strengthened, resulting in the close relationship of the ENSO with the atmospheric circulation over the Asian‐Pacific region. Hence, ENSO can influence a north‐south tripole pattern of precipitation over the Asian‐Pacific monsoon region through local vertical activities and meridional Hadley circulation over western Pacific. Numerical experiments using an atmospheric general circulation model, with prescribed three times southern Indian Ocean SST anomalies of 1995–2005 relative to 1979–2019, also lend support to the southern Indian Ocean SST's contribution to modulating the relationship between ENSO and summer precipitation over the Asian‐Pacific monsoon region.
Experimental Determination of the Relationship Between Organic Aerosol Viscosity and Ice Nucleation at Upper Free Tropospheric Conditions
Authors: Kasparoglu Sabin , Perkins Russell , Ziemann Paul J. , DeMott Paul J. , Kreidenweis Sonia M. , Finewax Zachary , Deming Benjamin L. , DeVault Marla P. , Petters Markus D.
Published: August 2022

This work presents measurements of the ice nucleating ability of secondary organic material recorded between −40 and −70°C and relative humidity with respect to ice (RHice) between 150% and 220%. For a subset of systems, temperature and humidity dependence of particle viscosity as well as dry glass transition temperature were characterized using the dual tandem differential mobility analyzer method. Eleven unique monoterpene, sesquiterpene and aromatic precursors were used to generate secondary organic material (SOM) using either an oxidation flow reactor (OFR) or an environmental chamber (EC). For the SOM for which viscosity was measured, the particle glass transition temperatures varied between 6 and 23°C (n = 8). Measurements were performed to verify that increased relative humidity did not plasticize the particles below −10°C at residence times similar to those in the ice nucleation instrument. No heterogeneous ice nucleation was observed at the ∼0.5% onset threshold for any of the materials generated. The ice nucleation occurs by the freezing of SOM solution droplets consistent with homogeneous freezing indicating that they form an aqueous solution, or the SOM particles required water saturation to freeze, indicating that they were hydrophobic. Experiments exploring the influence of functional groups and mass loading did not reveal any obvious influence of particle chemistry or generation conditions on the results. Close structural matches between known organic ice nucleating particles as precursor or formed products did not yield materials that promoted freezing. These experiments suggest that heterogeneous ice formation of glassy secondary organic materials is likely uncommon under upper free tropospheric conditions.