bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
NNLO QCD corrections to three-photon production at the LHC
Authors: Chawdhry Herschel A. , Czakon Michal , Mitov Alexander , Poncelet Rene
Published: February 2020

Abstract

We compute the NNLO QCD corrections to three-photon production at the LHC. This is the first NNLO QCD calculation for a 2 → 3 process. Our calculation is exact, except for the scale-independent part of the two-loop finite remainder which is included in the leading color approximation. We estimate the size of the missing two-loop corrections and find them to be phenomenologically negligible. We compare our predictions with available 8 TeV measurement from the ATLAS collaboration. We find that the inclusion of the NNLO corrections eliminates the existing significant discrepancy with respect to NLO QCD predictions, paving the way for precision phenomenology in this process.
On-shell constructibility of Born amplitudes in spontaneously broken gauge theories
Authors: Franken Robert , Schwinn Christian
Published: February 2020

Abstract

We perform a comprehensive study of on-shell recursion relations for Born amplitudes in spontaneously broken gauge theories and identify the minimal shifts required to construct amplitudes with a given particle content and spin quantum numbers. We show that two-line or three-line shifts are sufficient to construct all amplitudes with five or more particles, apart from amplitudes involving longitudinal vector bosons or scalars, which may require at most five-line shifts. As an application, we revisit selection rules for multi-boson amplitudes using on-shell recursion and little-group transformations.
Complete prepotential for 5d $$ \mathcal{N} $$ = 1 superconformal field theories
Authors: Hayashi Hirotaka , Kim Sung-Soo , Lee Kimyeong , Yagi Futoshi
Published: February 2020

Abstract

For any 5d $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 1 superconformal field theory, we propose a “complete” prepotential which reduces to the perturbative prepotential for any of its possible gauge theory realizations, manifests its global symmetry when written in terms of the invariant Coulomb branch parameters, and is valid for the whole parameter region. As concrete examples, we consider SU(2) gauge theories with up to 7 flavors, Sp(2) gauge theories with up to 9 flavors, and Sp(2) gauge theories with 1 antisymmetric tensor and up to 7 flavors, as well as their dual gauge theories.
Modification of preoperative radiochemotherapy for esophageal cancer (CROSS protocol) is safe and efficient with no impact on surgical morbidity
Authors: Paireder Matthias , Jomrich Gerd , Kristo Ivan , Asari Reza , Rieder Erwin , Beer Andrea , Ilhan-Mutlu Aysegül , Preusser Matthias , Schmid Rainer , Schoppmann Sebastian F.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Neoadjuvant radiochemotherapy (RCTH) is proven to be highly effective in the treatment of esophageal cancer (EC). We investigated oncological outcome and morbidity in patients treated with a modified CROSS protocol followed by esophagectomy at our institution.

Methods

Patients with EC receiving neoadjuvant RCTH with paclitaxel and carboplatin and concurrent radiotherapy (46 Gy) followed by esophagectomy were included in this retrospective analysis. Histopathological response, overall survival (OS) and recurrence-free interval (RFI) as well as perioperative morbidity were investigated.

Results

Thirty-six patients (86.1% male, mean age 61.3 years, standard deviation 11.52) received neoadjuvant RCTH before surgery. Sixteen patients (44.4%) were treated for squamous cell cancer, whereas 20 patients (55.6%) had adenocarcinoma. The majority (75%) underwent abdominothoracic esophageal resection. Major complications occurred in 7 patients (19.5%) including anastomotic leakage in 4 patients (11.1%). A R0 resection was achieved in 97.2%. A complete pathological remission was seen in 13 patients (36.1%). Major response, classified as Mandard tumor regression grade 1 and 2, was found in 26 patients (72.2%). Median OS and RFI were not reached.

Conclusions

Neoadjuvant radiotherapy with 46 Gy and concomitant chemotherapy with paclitaxel and carboplatin for the treatment of locally advanced esophageal carcinoma is safe and effective. The results of this modified radiotherapy protocol are encouraging and should be considered in future patient treatment and study designs.
Educational attainment in offspring bereaved by sudden parental death from external causes: a national cohort study from birth and throughout adulthood
Authors: Burrell Lisa Victoria , Mehlum Lars , Qin Ping
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Previous research has linked loss of a parent during childhood to reduced educational aspirations, school performance, and educational attainment later in life. The potential effect of maternal and paternal bereavement on attainment at all educational levels is, however, unknown. The present study aimed to investigate the potential influence of parental death by external causes on completion of compulsory education, high school, vocational education, and University or College education.

Methods

The study was based on data from three national longitudinal registers in Norway. The study population comprised 373,104 individuals born between January 1st 1970 and December 31st 1994. Information concerning deceased parents’ cause and date of death and offspring’s education and sociodemographic data were retrieved. Data were analysed with Cox regression.

Results

Children who had experienced parental death by external causes had a significantly reduced hazard ratio (HR) of completing all educational levels compared to children who did not have such experiences. The largest effects were evident for completion of high school (HR 0.68, 95% CI 0.65–0.71) and University or College education (HR 0.75, 95% CI 0.70–0.80). No differences were evident for different causes of death, genders of deceased or ages at bereavement, and generally no significant interactions between gender of the bereaved offspring and predictor variables were evident for completion of all educational levels.

Conclusion

Parental death by external causes has vast and long-lasting impacts on offspring’s educational attainment at all levels. Health care interventions aimed at supporting bereaved children and adolescents should focus on challenges related to educational progress.
Simultaneous bi-pedicled DIEP and TUG flaps to enhance cosmetic outcome in unilateral delayed breast reconstruction: two flaps with three pedicles for one breast
Authors: Berner Juan Enrique , Magdum Ashish , Blackburn Adam
Published: February 2020

Autologous breast reconstruction using free tissue transfer allows ‘like-for-like’ restoration of skin and volume following a mastectomy. Even though the majority of patients will require only one flap to restore their anatomy, occasionally, more than one flap is needed to get the best possible cosmetic outcome. For reconstructing the breast of a slim 49-year-old female patient, a bi-pedicled deep inferior epigastric perforator flap was used to replace the missing skin envelope, in combination with a buried transverse upper gracilis flap for volume restoration. The internal mammary vessels between the second and fourth costal cartilages were used as sole vessel recipient site, by preserving their intercostal perforators. Postoperative recovery was uneventful, and the patient was discharged 2 days after her operation. This case shows how a bi-pedicled DIEP with a TUG flap can be used for the challenging scenario in which reconstructive and cosmetic goals are equally important.

Level of evidence: Level V, therapeutic study.
Functional expression and characterization of cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase from the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis in Physcomitrella patens
Authors: Wohl Julia , Petersen Maike
Published: February 2020

Key message

Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase from the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis (AaC4H) was functionally expressed in the moss Physcomitrella patens and characterized at biochemical and molecular levels.

Cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylase (C4H), a cytochrome P450-dependent hydroxylase, catalyzes the formation of 4-coumaric acid (=4-hydroxycinnamic acid) from trans-cinnamic acid. In the hornwort Anthoceros agrestis (Aa), this enzyme is supposed to be involved in the biosynthesis of rosmarinic acid (a caffeic acid ester of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)lactic acid) and other related compounds. The coding sequence of AaC4H (CYP73A260) was expressed in the moss Physcomitrella patens (Pp_AaC4H). Protein extracts from the transformed moss showed considerably increased C4H activity driven by NADPH:cytochrome P450 reductase of the moss. Since Physcomitrella has own putative cinnamic acid 4-hydroxylases, enzyme characterization was carried out in parallel with the untransformed Physcomitrella wild type (Pp_WT). Apparent Km-values for cinnamic acid and NADPH were determined to be at 17.3 µM and 88.0 µM for Pp_AaC4H and 25.1 µM and 92.3 µM for Pp_WT, respectively. Expression levels of AaC4H as well as two Physcomitrella patens C4H isoforms were analyzed by quantitative real-time PCR. While PpC4H_1 displayed constantly low levels of expression during the whole 21-day culture period, AaC4H and PpC4H_2 increased their expression during the first 6–8 days of the culture period and then decreased again. This work describes the biochemical in vitro characterization of a cytochrome P450-dependent enzyme, namely C4H, heterologously expressed in the haploid model plant Physcomitrella patens.
Current trends in canine dirofilariosis in Austria—do we face a pre-endemic status?
Authors: Sonnberger Karin , Duscher Georg G. , Fuehrer Hans-Peter , Leschnik Michael
Published: February 2020

A retrospective study based on cases of canine dirofilariosis presented to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna or diagnosed by private practitioners throughout Austria, from 1998 to 2018 was conducted to investigate the long-term development and current state of canine dirofilarial infections in Austria. Included in this study were 146 dogs which were tested positive for D. immitis and/or D. repens. The most commonly used diagnostic methods and the probable geographical origins of the infections were evaluated and the treatment protocols applied were compared with each other and with the literature. The results show that most infections were found due to screening for common travel infections using antigen-ELISA or PCR-testing, or by the incidental finding of microfilariae. Remarkably, only 24.3% of all cases presented showed clinical signs indicating canine dirofilariosis. Regarding the origin and travel history of the dogs, thirteen different countries could be identified. The three treatment protocols used showed a similar outcome after 8 months of treatment and minor side effects, which is consistent with the literature. An alarming increase in reported infections with both D. immitis and D. repens in Austria was noted since 2014. The number of documented cases had almost tripled by 2018, raising severe concerns about the threat of it becoming endemic in Austria. Therefore, the existing recommendations in current guidelines regarding canine dirofilariosis should be widely publicised and more strictly enforced. Prophylactic measures for dogs travelling abroad and diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for dogs imported from endemic countries should be obligatorily established throughout Europe, to reduce the risk of further spread of canine filarial infections to non-endemic regions.
Nitrogen rate impacts on tropical maize nitrogen use efficiency and soil nitrogen depletion in eastern and southern Africa
Authors: Pasley Heather R. , Camberato James J. , Cairns Jill E. , Zaman-Allah Mainassara , Das Biswanath , Vyn Tony J.
Published: February 2020

Sub-Saharan Africa is facing food security challenges due, in part, to decades of soil nitrogen (N) depletion. Applying N fertilizer could increase crop yields and replenish soil N pools. From 2010 to 2015, field experiments conducted in Embu and Kiboko, Kenya and Harare, Zimbabwe investigated yield and N uptake response of six maize (Zea maysL.) hybrids to four N fertilizer rates (0 to 160 kg N ha−1) in continuous maize production systems. The N recovery efficiency (NRE), cumulative N balance, and soil N content in the upper 0.9 m of soil following the final harvest were determined at each N rate. Plant and soil responses to N fertilizer applications did not differ amongst hybrids. Across locations and N rates, NRE ranged from 0.4 to 1.8 kg kg−1. Higher NRE values in Kiboko and Harare occurred at lower post-harvest soil inorganic N levels. The excessively high NRE value of 1.8 kg kg−1at 40 kg N ha−1in Harare suggested that maize hybrids deplete soil inorganic N most at low N rates. Still, negative cumulative N balances indicated that inorganic soil N depletion occurred at all N rates in Embu and Harare (up to − 193 and − 167 kg N ha−1, respectively) and at the 40 kg N ha−1rate in Kiboko (− 72 kg N ha−1). Overall, maize N uptake exceeded fertilizer N applied and so, while yields increased, soil N pools were not replenished, especially at low total soil N levels (< 10,000 kg N ha−1in top 0.9 m).
New heuristic algorithms for the Dubins traveling salesman problem
Authors: Babel Luitpold
Published: February 2020

The problem of finding a shortest curvature-constrained closed path through a set of targets in the plane is known as Dubins traveling salesman problem (DTSP). Applications of the DTSP include motion planning for kinematically constrained mobile robots and unmanned fixed-wing aerial vehicles. The difficulty of the DTSP is to simultaneously find an order of the targets and suitable headings (orientation angles) of the vehicle when passing the targets. Since the DTSP is known to be NP-hard there is a need for heuristic algorithms providing good quality solutions in reasonable time. Inspired by standard methods for the TSP we present a collection of such heuristics adapted to the DTSP. The algorithms are based on a technique that optimizes the headings of the targets of an open or closed subtour with given order. This is done by discretizing the headings, constructing an auxiliary network and computing a shortest path in the network. The first algorithm for the DTSP uses the order of the targets obtained from the solution of the Euclidean TSP. A second class of algorithms extends an open subtour by successively adding a new target and closes the tour if all targets have been added. A third class of algorithms starts with a closed subtour consisting of few targets and successively inserts a new target into the tour. The individual algorithms differ by the number of headings to be optimized in each iteration. Extensive simulation results show that the proposed methods are competitive with state-of-the-art methods for the DTSP concerning performance and superior concerning running time, which makes them applicable also to large-scale scenarios.
Intuitionism and the Modal Logic of Vagueness
Authors: Bobzien Susanne , Rumfitt Ian
Published: February 2020

Intuitionistic logic provides an elegant solution to theSoritesParadox. Its acceptance has been hampered by two factors. First, the lack of an accepted semantics for languages containing vague terms has led even philosophers sympathetic to intuitionism to complain that no explanation has been given ofwhyintuitionistic logic is the correct logic for such languages. Second, switching from classical to intuitionistic logic, while it may help with theSorites, does not appear to offer any advantages when dealing with the so-called paradoxes of higher-order vagueness. We offer a proposal that makes strides on both issues. We argue that the intuitionist’s characteristic rejection of any third alethic value alongsidetrueandfalseis best elaborated by taking the normal modal systemS4Mto be the sentential logic of the operator ‘it is clearly the case that’.S4Mopens the way to an account of higher-order vagueness which avoids the paradoxes that have been thought to infect the notion.S4Mis one of the modal counterparts of the intuitionistic sentential calculus (IPC) and we use this fact to explain whyIPCis the correct sentential logic to use when reasoning with vague statements. We also show that our key results go through in an intuitionistic version ofS4M. Finally, we deploy our analysis to reply to Timothy Williamson’s objections to intuitionistic treatments of vagueness.
On Smart City and Safe City Concepts
Authors: Ristvej Jozef , Lacinák Maroš , Ondrejka Roman
Published: February 2020

With current environmental and social challenges in mind, we can say, that Smart Cities are becoming the need of modern society. Many cities in the world are already transforming their ways to be more efficient, greener and also safer. According to our studies, field of safety receives less focus in development strategies than other fields of smart development. However, to create a real Smart City, it is needed to understand the city as a complex environment, with their smart and safe concepts as interconnected parts. This paper deals with interconnected Smart City and Safe City concepts and it presents systems, that are common to both, equal concepts. Systems are divided into layers and features, needed in every system, are further summarized. Number of studied and compared works, dealing with respective systems from various points of view, our own experiences and communication with executives, responsible for smart development of Tampere city resulted in definitions, describing both concepts and each of the system layers, that are presented. The big picture was visualised by a structure for concepts and their systems, where the reader can see their relationships. Overview, of how smartness can improve safety is presented within description of specific system Smart Safety and Smart Healthcare.
Biases at the Ballot Box: How Multiple Forms of Voter Discrimination Impede the Descriptive and Substantive Representation of Ethnic Minority Groups
Authors: Martin Nicole S. , Blinder Scott
Published: February 2020

Research shows that ethnic minority candidates often face an electoral penalty at the ballot box. In this study, we argue that this penalty depends on both candidate and voter characteristics, and that pro-minority policy positions incur a greater penalty than a candidate’s ethnic background itself. Using a conjoint experiment embedded in a panel study of British voters, we investigate the relative contributions of candidate ethnicity, policy positions, affirmative action, and voter attitudes to this electoral penalty. We find that although Pakistani (Muslim) candidates are penalized directly for their ethnicity, black Caribbean candidates receive on average the same levels of support as white British ones. However, black Caribbean candidates suffer conditional discrimination where they are penalized if they express support for pro-minority policies, and all candidates are penalized for having been selected through an affirmative action initiative. We also find that some white British voters are more inclined to support a black Caribbean candidate than a white British one, all else being equal. These voters (one quarter of our sample) have cosmopolitan views on immigration, and a strong commitment to anti-prejudice norms. However, despite efforts across parties to increase the ethnic diversity of candidates for office, many voters’ preferences continue to pose barriers toward descriptive and substantive representation of ethnic minority groups.
The Low Income Gap: A New Indicator Based on a Minimum Income Standard
Authors: Hirsch Donald , Padley Matt , Stone Juliet , Valadez-Martinez Laura
Published: February 2020

In many high-income countries, governments seek to ensure that households at least have sufficient incomes to afford basic essentials such as food and clothing, but also to help citizens reach socially acceptable living standards allowing full participation in society. Their success in doing so is commonly monitored in terms of how many citizens are below a poverty line set relative to median income, and by how far below it they fall (the ‘poverty gap’). Yet the threshold below which this gap starts to be measured is arbitrary, begging the question of what level of low income needs addressing. A more ambitious measure, presented in this paper, considers the extent to which people fall short of a benchmark representing a socially agreed minimum standard. This ‘low income gap’ can be used to represent the distance a society has to go to eliminate income that is undesirably low. The paper presents the indicator, its meaning and some recent trends in the United Kingdom, where the methodology behind the indicator has been pioneered. The results demonstrate that this empirically derived benchmark has the potential to be of value in other countries, in assessing whether they are making progress in reducing low income.
Studies of the Joining-Relevant Interfacial Properties in the Si-Ti/C and Si-Ti/SiC Systems
Authors: Giuranno Donatella , Sobczak Natalia , Bruzda Grzegorz , Nowak Rafal , Polkowski Wojciech , Polkowska Adelajda , Kudyba Artur , Novakovic Rada
Published: February 2020

Reactive melt infiltration of Si-based alloys into C preforms and SiC/C composites may be an affordable alternative route to fabricate highly performant lightweighting metal matrix and ceramic matrix composites (CMCs), as well as to obtain reliable and long-term stable joints. In order to optimize reactive infiltration process and to tailor the joint microstructures, the knowledge of interfacial phenomena including thermodynamics, kinetics and surface properties of involved phases (i.e., metals and ceramics) as well as wettability and reactivity occurring between dissimilar materials is of crucial importance. In the present work, the feasibility study of a novel brazing method using Si-Ti alloys as filler for SiCf/SiC is reported and supported by the analysis of microstructural evolution and interfacial phenomena observed during the joining process. Namely, the CMC joining was successfully obtained via the reactive infiltration approach. The results obtained were critically discussed and compared with the know-how coming from the previously carried out investigations on the wetting and reactivity of Si-Ti melts in contact with glassy-C and HIP-SiC substrates. In particular, the microstructural evolution of the Si-Ti/C and Si-Ti/SiC interfaces during wetting tests and at the joint of CMC parts was analyzed and related to the operating conditions.
Geochemical and Isotopic Composition of Gypsum Deposits from Sahastradhara Region of Lesser Himalaya, India
Authors: Maurya Sakshi , Rai Santosh K.
Published: February 2020

Major element chemistry of the gypsum mineralisation in the Himalayan region which represent the ancient seawater of the Tethys Sea. It provides the constraints on the change of global elemental and isotopic (87Sr/86Sr) variation over a geological time scale. Results indicate that these gypsum lenses, are formed by secondary process of leaching of host rocks and subsequent mineralization. These have close affinities with the seawaters and hence, may be a suitable proxy to represent the ancient seawater compositions. This information could be utilised to infer the paleooceanographic reconstruction of the Tethys Sea. As a part of this study, samples from Sahastradhara Lesser Himalaya were analysed for their geochemical and isotopic composition to infer about the chemical variation.
The fourth power mean of Dirichlet L-functions in $${\mathbb {F}}_q [T]$$
Authors: Andrade Julio Cesar , Yiasemides Michael
Published: February 2020

We prove results on moments of L-functions in the function field setting, where the moment averages are taken over primitive characters of modulus R, where R is a polynomial in $${\mathbb {F}}_{q}[T]$$

F
q

[
T
]

. We consider the behaviour as $${{\,\mathrm{deg}\,}}R \rightarrow \infty $$

deg

R
→
∞

and the cardinality of the finite field is fixed. Specifically, we obtain an exact formula for the second moment provided that R is square-full, an asymptotic formula for the second moment for any R, and an asymptotic formula for the fourth moment for any R. The fourth moment result is a function field analogue of Soundararajan’s result in the number field setting that improved upon a previous result by Heath-Brown. Both the second and fourth moment results extend work done by Tamam in the function field setting who focused on the case where R is prime. As a prerequisite for the fourth moment result, we obtain, for the special case of the divisor function, the function field analogue of Shiu’s generalised Brun–Titchmarsh theorem.
A study on the carbon dioxide injection into coal seam aiming at enhancing coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery
Authors: Talapatra Akash
Published: February 2020

Coal seams, particularly deep unmineable coal reservoirs, are the most important geological desirable formations to store CO2 for mitigating the emissions of greenhouse gas. An advantage of this process is that a huge quantity of CO2 can be sequestrated and stored at relatively low pressure, which will reduce the amount of storage cost required for creating additional platform to store it. The study on CO2 storage in coal seam to enhance coal bed methane (ECBM) recovery has drawn a lot of attention for its worldwide suitability and acceptability and has been conducted since two decades in many coalmines. This article focuses on the coal seam properties related to CO2 adsorption/desorption, coal swelling/shrinkage, diffusion, porosity and permeability changes, thermodynamic/thermochemical process, flue gas injection, etc. Here, the performance analysis of both CO2 storage and ECBM recovery process in coal matrixes is investigated based on the numerical simulation. In this study, a one-dimensional mathematical model of defining mass balances is used to interpret the gas flow and the gas sorption and describe a geomechanical relationship for determining the porosity and the permeability alteration at the time of gas injection. Vital insights are inspected by considering the relevant gas flow dynamics during the displacement and the influences of coal swelling and shrinkage on the ECBM operation. In particular, pure CO2 causes more displacement that is more efficient in terms of total CH4 recovery, whereas the addition of N2 to the mixture assists to make quicker way of the initial methane recovery. However, this study will support future research aspirants working on the same topic by providing a clear conception and limitation about this study.
Genetisch onderzoek bij prostaatkanker: nieuwe ontwikkelingen
Authors: Ausems Margreet G. E. M. , Kiemeney Lambertus A. L. M.
Published: February 2020

Samenvatting

Op dit moment wordt kiembaan genetisch onderzoek bij prostaatkanker zelden aangevraagd. Bij mannen met gemetastaseerd prostaatcarcinoom wordt echter relatief vaak een mutatie in een borstkankergen gevonden (met name in BRCA2). In dit artikel worden criteria voor genetisch onderzoek voorgesteld. De uitslag van genetisch onderzoek kan van belang zijn voor familieleden die preventieve maatregelen kunnen nemen om kanker te voorkomen of tijdig op te sporen. De uitslag kan daarnaast ook van belang zijn voor de behandeling van de ziekte. De tijd is rijp om multidisciplinair een werkwijze in te richten waarbij genetisch onderzoek door het behandelteam met de patiënt wordt besproken, de patiënt goed geïnformeerd een keuze kan maken, en de uitslagen in nauwe samenwerking met de klinische genetica worden teruggekoppeld. Voor deze nieuwe werkwijze (mainstreaming van genetisch onderzoek) is adequate scholing nodig van urologen, oncologen en verpleegkundig specialisten.
Role of motor function and lung function in pathways to ageing and decline
Authors: Finkel Deborah , Ernsth Bravell Marie , Pedersen Nancy L.
Published: February 2020

Background

Extensive research has investigated the association between age changes in various domains, including lung function and motor function. However, a few analyses have tested models that incorporate bidirectional longitudinal influences between lung and motor function to test the temporal chain of events in the disability process. Dual change score models (DCSM) assist with identification of leading indicators of change by leveraging longitudinal data to examine the extent to which changes in one variable influence subsequent changes in a second variable, and vice versa.

Aims

The purpose of the current-analysis study was to apply DCSM to data from the Swedish Adoption/Twin Study of ageing to examine the nature of the longitudinal relationship between motor functioning and lung function.

Methods

Three motor functioning factors were created from 20 performance measures, including measures of balance, flexibility, and fine motor skills. Peak expiratory flow measured lung function. Participants were 829 adults aged 50–88 at the first of 9 waves of testing covering a 27-year follow-up period; 80% participated in at least three waves.

Results

Model comparisons indicated that decline in lung function preceded and contributed to subsequent decline in motor function.

Discussion

Combined with previous results, these results suggest that declining lung function results in increasing difficulties in motor function, which contribute to subsequent declines in multiple domains.

Conclusion

Understanding the cascade of events that can lead to dependence can help in the development of interventions targeted early in the disablement process.
Integrated spatial and energy planning: a means to reach sustainable development goals
Authors: Stoeglehner Gernot
Published: February 2020

Climate protection targets call for a transition towards sustainable energy systems based on energy saving, more energy efficiency and renewable energy sources. The options for energy strategies are highly shaped by local and regional spatial contexts like urban, suburban or rural areas or small towns embedded in rural or suburban areas. Both energy efficiency and renewable energy potentials are determined by these spatial contexts, so taking them into consideration leads to more realistic energy strategies. Therefore, integrated spatial and energy planning is an important field of action in order to reach Sustainable Development Goal 7—clean and affordable energy. In this conceptual paper, the ideas and basic principles of integrated spatial and energy planning are introduced, and it is discussed, how this concept might help not only to reach the energy transition but might also support further sustainable development goals. The paper is based on research results gained from Austrian experiences.
Can unconfined ice shelves provide buttressing via hoop stresses?
Authors: Wearing Martin G. , Kingslake Jonathan , Worster M. Grae
Published: February 2020

The stress balance within an ice shelf is key to the resistance, or buttressing, it can provide and in part controls the rate of ice discharge from the upstream ice sheet. Unconfined ice shelves are widely assumed to provide no buttressing. However, theory and laboratory-scale analogue experiments have shown that unconfined, floating viscous flows generate buttressing via hoop stresses. Hoop stress results from the viscous resistance to spreading perpendicular to the flow direction in a diverging flow. We build on theoretical work to explore the controls on the magnitude of hoop-stress buttressing, deducing that buttressing increases with increasing effective viscosity and increasing divergence. We use an idealised model calibrated to unconfined sections of Antarctic ice shelves and find that many shelves have low effective viscosity, most likely due to extensive damage resulting from high extensional stresses. Therefore, they are unable to sustain the large hoop stresses required to resist flow. Some ice shelves that are surrounded by sea ice year-round have a greater effective viscosity and can provide buttressing, suggesting that sea ice reduces fracturing. However, we find that most unconfined ice shelves provide insignificant buttressing today, even when hoop stresses are considered in the stress balance.
Dynamite, Opium, and a Transnational Shadow Economy at Tonkinese Coal Mines
Authors: NGUYEN THUY LINH
Published: February 2020

The rise of the coal-mining industry in colonial Vietnam has often been associated with the French economic presence and their drastic methods of exploitation. But, beyond the confines of French mining enterprises, coal mining gave rise to transnational economic links, fuelled clandestine economic activities, and bound communities across the Chinese–Vietnamese borderland. Drawing from business and police records located at the Vietnamese national archives including those of the Société Francaise des Charbonnages du Tonkin (SFCT)—the largest French coal-mining company in Indochina, this article reveals a thriving, complex, and intersected world of criminal activities involving the theft and trafficking of explosives and opium at Tonkinese coal mines. An investigation into the patterns of these crimes and their perpetrators exposes a transnational shadow economy that managed to stay under the radar of both the French surveillance system and the Vietnamese nationalist movement. Breaking away from the metropole–colony paradigm in colonial historiography, this blended history of labour and crime provides a new lens through which to explore the dynamics of colonial rule and the interplay of the local and the global, as well as the creation of new and important inter-Asian networks.
Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant therapies for chagasic myocarditis: a systematic review
Authors: Freitas Dayanne S. , Silva Godinho Andressa S. , Mondêgo-Oliveira Renata , Cardoso Flávia de Oliveira , Abreu-Silva Ana Lucia , Silva Lucilene A.
Published: February 2020

The aim of this review was to identify anti-inflammatory and antioxidant therapeutic agents and their effects on patients with chagasic myocarditis. A systematic review of the MEDLINE, EMBASE, WEB OF SCIENCE, SCOPUS, LILACS and CENTRAL databases (Cochrane Library) was carried out without language restrictions. The descriptors used were: ‘Chagas cardiomyopathy’, ‘treatment’, ‘Chagas disease’, ‘anti-inflammatory agents’, ‘Trypanosoma cruzi’ and ‘antioxidants’. A total of 4,138 articles was identified, six of which were selected for data extraction. Of these, four were related to antioxidant therapy with vitamins C and E supplementation, and two using anti-inflammatory therapy. The studies were carried out in Brazil and were published between 2002 and 2017. Antioxidant therapy with vitamin C and E supplementation increases the activity of antioxidant enzymes and reduces the oxidative markers. There is no conclusive data to support the use of vitamin supplementation and anti-inflammatory therapy in the treatment of chagasic cardiomyopathy. However, the studies indicate the possibility of vitamin supplementation as a new approach to the treatment of Chagas disease. Antioxidant therapy was proven to be a viable alternative for attenuating the oxidative damage caused by chronic chagasic cardiopathy, leading to a better prognosis for patients.
The Trading with the Enemy Acts in the age of expropriation, 1914–49
Authors: Mulder Nicholas
Published: February 2020

This article examines one of the most consequential legal–political models for the confiscation of private property in the twentieth century: the Trading with the Enemy Acts (TEAs). Two laws with this name were passed in Britain (1914) and the United States (1917), enabling the large-scale expropriation of ‘enemies’ and ‘aliens’. The extra-territorial application of these laws during the era of total war led to the globalization of its paradigm of expropriation in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. The TEAs made the administrative process of dispossession effective and profitable for liberal states. The US law was repurposed for domestic use during the New Deal, while its British counterpart played an unforeseen role during decolonization and the great partitions of the late 1940s, as the nascent nation-states of India, Pakistan, and Israel used it to constitute themselves as territorial and economic units by taking land and property from ‘evacuees’ and ‘absentees’. The article provides a short history of these four national cases in their international context and argues that the history of the TEAs shows that state-driven mass expropriation was much more common throughout the mid twentieth century than usually supposed; the ‘age of extremes’ was also in part an ‘age of expropriation’.
Archeointensity of the Four Corners Region of the American Southwest
Authors: Jones S. A. , Tauxe L. , Blinman E. , Genevey A.
Published: February 2020

New paleointensity experiments were conducted using the IZZI protocol (a variation on the Thellier‐Thellier method) on 289 specimens from 54 baked pottery fragments collected from four archeological sites in the American Southwest. Anisotropy experiments were conducted to correct for anisotropy of remanence, a common problem in archeological material. Additionally, the effect of cooling rate was evaluated and the calculated paleointensity values were adjusted accordingly. Using the Thellier graphical user interface program, the specimen results were analyzed, averaged by sample (i.e., pottery fragment), filtered for the highest quality, and converted to Virtual Axial Dipole Moments (VADMs). Stylistic evidence, historical documentation, and dendrochronology analyses provide age constraints with up to decade resolution for the VADM results. We compared these new results with the highest quality previously published paleointensity values from the Four Corners region of the American Southwest—defined here as the four states of New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and Colorado. None of the previously published data were corrected for cooling rate and only some were corrected for anisotropy, resulting in a systematic bias between data sets. To accommodate this difference, an estimated cooling rate correction was applied to all the previously published data. No correction can be made for anisotropy as this is specimen specific. Our estimated cooling rate correction and the empirical correction applied to the new data both require an estimation of the historical cooling rate of the pottery. Experimental pottery firings using one ancient technique and outfitted with thermocouples were conducted to determine the historical cooling rate.
Observations of Greenhouse Gas Changes Across Summer Frontal Boundaries in the Eastern United States
Authors: Pal Sandip , Davis Kenneth J. , Lauvaux Thomas , Browell Edward V. , Gaudet Brian J. , Stauffer David R. , Obland Michael D. , Choi Yonghoon , DiGangi Josh P. , Feng Sha , Lin Bing , Miles Natasha L. , Pauly Rebecca M. , Richardson Scott J. , Zhang Fuqing
Published: February 2020

Our knowledge about synoptic‐scale variations of atmospheric‐CO2 produced by interactions between midlatitude cyclones and regional‐scale surface fluxes remains limited due to the scarcity of observations. We synthesized observations of greenhouse gases (GHGs) with respect to frontal passages to understand how GHG distributions change vertically and horizontally during a synoptic event. We use the airborne in situ measurements of GHGs collected during the Atmospheric Carbon and Transport‐America summer 2016 field campaign. Using these measurements, we defined three metrics, (1) the differences in the GHG mole fractions across frontal boundaries in the atmospheric boundary layer (BL) and free troposphere (FT), (2) differences in the vertical contrasts in GHGs in warm and cold sectors, and (3) the size and magnitude of enhanced CO2 in the vicinity of frontal boundary. We found that frontal structures are clearly associated with spatially coherent and significant changes in GHG composition. Warm sector CO2 mole fractions [CO2] are higher than those in the cold sector. The cross‐frontal [CO2] contrasts are largest in the BL (5–30 ppm) with smaller differences in the FT (3–5 ppm). We found higher [CH4] in the BL in the warm sector than in the cold sector for 5 out of 11 cases. Analyses of vertical profiles revealed higher [CO2] in the FT than in the BL in the cold sector while opposite pattern in the warm sector. Average BL‐to‐FT [CO2] differences are 12 and −6 ppm in the warm and cold sectors, respectively. The observational analyses presented define new metrics involving horizontal and vertical GHG contrasts across fronts during summer which will be used to evaluate simulations of GHG transport.
Pitch Angle Structures of Ring Current Ions Induced by Evolving Poloidal Ultra‐Low Frequency Waves
Authors: Liu Z.‐Y. , Zong Q.‐G. , Zhou X.‐Z. , Zhu Y.‐F. , Gu S.‐J.
Published: February 2020

Ultra‐low frequency (ULF) waves can effectively accelerate ring current ions through drift‐bounce resonance. Conventional theories have been developed to understand this resonance since the dawn of the space age, which usually assume ULF waves are quasi‐steady in time. However, ULF waves would experience growth and damping stages in the real magnetosphere, which requires an adjustment of the conventional theories. Here, we attempt to reveal how ions respond to evolving ULF waves. By analyzing an event observed by Van Allen Probe A and reproducing the observations via simulation, we find the phase shift of ion flux oscillation across resonant pitch angles varies with time, when wave growth and damping cannot be neglected. As a result, the inclination angle of stripes in pitch angle spectrogram varies with time, causing “fishbone‐like” pitch angle structures. One should take into account such ion behaviors when considering the role of drift‐bounce resonance in the real magnetosphere.
The EGFR-ZNF263 signaling axis silences SIX3 in glioblastoma epigenetically
Authors: Yu Zhibin , Feng Jianbo , Wang Wei , Deng Zhiyong , Zhang Yan , Xiao Lan , Wang Zeyou , Liu Changhong , Liu Qing , Chen Shuai , Wu Minghua
Published: February 2020

The homeotic protein SIX3 is a transcription factor vital for neurogenesis and has a bivalent promoter. We previously showed that SIX3 can be transcriptionally silenced by DNA hypermethylation, functions as a tumor suppressor gene, and inhibits human glioblastoma transcriptionally. Here, we show that the activation of epidermal growth factor (EGFR) induces DNA methylation of SIX3 promoter through the MAPK pathway. ERK, when activated, binds with ZNF263, consequently abrogating the ubiquitination of ZNF263 and leading to its stabilization. ZNF263 binds to the core promoter region of SIX3 and recruits the KAP1/HATS/DNMT corepressor complex to induce transcriptional silencing of SIX3 through H3K27me3 and methylation of SIX3 promoter. Activation of the EGFR-ZNF263 signaling axis in phenotypically normal astrocytes or glioblastoma cells triggers or enhances tumorigenic activities, while elevated expression of the EGFR-ZNF263 signaling components in glioblastoma tissues is associated with poor prognosis of the patients. Together, our findings demonstrate that epigenetic silencing of SIX3 is controlled by a sophisticated and highly ordered oncogenic signaling pathway and therefore provide new insights into initiation and progression of glioblastoma.
Transglutaminase-2 facilitates extracellular vesicle-mediated establishment of the metastatic niche
Authors: Shinde Aparna , Paez Juan Sebastian , Libring Sarah , Hopkins Kelsey , Solorio Luis , Wendt Michael K.
Published: February 2020

The ability of breast cancer cells to interconvert between epithelial and mesenchymal states contributes to their metastatic potential. As opposed to cell autonomous effects, the impact of epithelial–mesenchymal plasticity (EMP) on primary and metastatic tumor microenvironments remains poorly characterized. Herein we utilize global gene expression analyses to characterize a metastatic model of EMP as compared to their non-metastatic counterparts. Using this approach, we demonstrate that upregulation of the extracellular matrix crosslinking enzyme tissue transglutaminase-2 (TG2) is part of a novel gene signature that only emerges in metastatic cells that have undergone induction and reversion of epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT). Consistent with our model system, patient survival is diminished when primary tumors demonstrate enhanced levels of TG2 in conjunction with its substrate, fibronectin. Targeted depletion of TG2 inhibits metastasis, while overexpression of TG2 is sufficient to enhance this process. In addition to being present within cells, we demonstrate a robust increase in the amount of TG2 and crosslinked fibronectin present within extracellular vesicle (EV) fractions derived from metastatic breast cancer cells. Confocal microscopy of these EVs suggests that FN undergoes fibrillogenesis on their surface via a TG2 and Tensin1-dependent process. Upon in vivo administration, the ability of tumor-derived EVs to induce metastatic niche formation and enhance subsequent pulmonary tumor growth requires the presence and activity of TG2. Finally, we develop a novel 3D model of the metastatic niche to demonstrate that conditioning of pulmonary fibroblasts via pretreatment with tumor-derived EVs promotes subsequent growth of breast cancer cells in a TG2-dependent fashion. Overall, our studies illustrate a novel mechanism through which EMP contributes to metastatic niche development and distant metastasis via tumor-derived EVs containing aberrant levels of TG2 and fibrillar FN.
Autologous fibroblasts induce fibrosis of the nucleus pulposus to maintain the stability of degenerative intervertebral discs
Authors: Chen Chen , Zhou Tangjun , Sun Xiaojiang , Han Chen , Zhang Kai , Zhao Changqing , Li Xunlin , Tian Haijun , Yang Xiao , Zhou Yifan , Chen Zhiqian , Qin An , Zhao Jie
Published: February 2020

Lumbar degenerative disc diseases cause low back pain (LBP). The maintenance of the height and stability of the intervertebral disc (IVD) space is an effective treatment for LBP. The following study evaluated the effects of fibroblast injection on intervertebral disc degeneration (IDD) in a preclinical setting. Compared with the IDD group, the fibroblast treatment group demonstrated effective maintenance of IVD height, reduced endplate degeneration, and improved nuclear magnetic resonance signals and overall histological structure. In doing so, fibrotic IVDs maintained the stability and biomechanics of the vertebra. This finding is in agreement with clinical findings that human nucleus pulposus (NP) fibrosis is essential for the maintenance of IVD height and mechanical properties in patients following percutaneous endoscopic lumbar discectomy (PELD). Mechanistically, we demonstrated that injected fibroblasts not only proliferated but also induced NP cells to adopt a fibrotic phenotype via the secretion of TGF-β. Finally, to better mimic human conditions, the efficacy of autologous fibroblast injection in the treatment of IDD was further examined in a nonhuman primate cynomolgus monkey model due to their capacity for upright posture. We showed that the injection of fibroblasts could maintain the IVD height and rescue IVD signals in cynomolgus monkeys. Taken together, the results of our study reveal that autologous fibroblast injection can enhance the natural process of fibrosis during acute and subacute stages of stress-induced IDD. Fibrotic IVDs can maintain the stability, biological activity, and mechanical properties of the intervertebral space, thus providing a new direction for the treatment of intervertebral space-derived lumbar degenerative diseases.