bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Certifying Health: The Unequal Legal Geographies of COVID-19 Certificates
Authors: ALEMANNO Alberto , BIALASIEWICZ Luiza
Published: July 2021

This article discusses some of the challenges posed by the introduction of COVID-19 certificates as a privileged tool for opening up mobility and access in order to restore a semblance of normality to social life. While at present there is no international consensus either on how – or why – such certificates should be used or on how they should be designed and applied, a growing number of countries have already introduced COVID-19 certificates in one form or another. Yet the scientific community as well as the World Health Organisation (WHO) have expressed caution, noting that such certificates might disproportionately discriminate against people on the basis of race, religion and socioeconomic background, as well as on the basis of age due to the sequencing of the vaccine rollout. Indeed, while the new COVID-19 certificates may appear to promise a magical solution enabling us to free up global mobility and reopen economies, they actually risk creating new borders and new forms of inequality through an exclusionary sorting and profiling mechanism that delimits “safe” from “unsafe” bodies, based on differential access to “immuno-privilege” – but also differential forms of “bio-securitisation”. They also provide an illusion of pandemic safety – assuring citizens that through the “fetish” of the certificate “safe travel” can magically be reinstated. Securing territories and populations has always been, in Foucauldian terms, a matter of “making a division between good and bad circulation and maximizing the good circulation by diminishing the bad”. We can therefore reasonably expect growing contestation, including before courts, around COVID-19 certificates in their different national and international iterations, as their inherently discriminatory nature and other unintended consequences such as those stemming from the use of persuasive – as opposed to the more traditional coercive – governmental power begin to unfold in their performative trajectory.
Classification of backward filtrations and factor filtrations: examples from cellular automata
Authors: LANTHIER PAUL , DE LA RUE THIERRY
Published: July 2021

We consider backward filtrations generated by processes coming from deterministic and probabilistic cellular automata. We prove that these filtrations are standard in the classical sense of Vershik’s theory, but we also study them from another point of view that takes into account the measure-preserving action of the shift map, for which each sigma-algebra in the filtrations is invariant. This initiates what we call the dynamical classification of factor filtrations, and the examples we study show that this classification leads to different results.
Views Adopted by the Committee Under Article 5(4) of the Optional Protocol, Concerning A.S., D.I., O.I., and G.D. v. Italy, Communication No. 3042/2017 (U.N. Hum. Rts. Comm.)
Authors: Vella De Fremeaux (Mallia) Patricia , Attard Felicity G.
Published: July 2021

On January 27, 2021, the United Nations Human Rights Committee (HRC or Committee) published two separate decisions in response to communications brought against Malta and Italy. Both decisions concerned the same incident, which occurred on October 11, 2013, where over 200 migrants drowned in a shipwreck in the Mediterranean. The first complaint brought against Malta was dismissed by the Committee on procedural grounds. In the second case, A.S., D.I., O.I. and G.D. v. Italy, the HRC found that Italy had failed to protect the right to life of the migrants under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This introductory note discusses the significance of the Committee's findings in this decision and its ramifications with respect to the protection of human rights at sea.
PROFESSOR CHARLES ROGERS DOERING 7 January 1956–15 May 2021
Authors: Caulfield Colm-cille P.
Published: July 2021

We recently lost valuable colleague and friend, Charlie Doering. The following tribute provides an overview of his life.
On the role of roughness valleys in turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection
Authors: Belkadi Mebarek , Sergent Anne , Fraigneau Yann , Podvin Bérengère
Published: July 2021

Three-dimensional direct numerical simulations are used to characterize turbulent buoyant convection in a box-shaped Rayleigh–Bénard cavity with a rough bottom plate made of a series of square based blocks separated by valleys. The cavity is filled with water. The Rayleigh number varies over five decades up to

$10^{10}$

. As mentioned in the literature, three successive heat transfer regimes are identified: from inactive roughness (I) to a regime (III) where the heat transfer increase is larger than that expected from only surface increase due to roughness. The heat transfers of the transitional regime II are particularly intense. After validation against experimental and numerical data from the literature, we highlight the role of the fluid retained within valleys (the inner fluid). It is shown that only the heat transfer across the fluid interface between the cavity bulk and the inner fluid is responsible for changes in the overall heat transfer at the rough plate, with an exponent of the heat transfer scaling law close to

$1/2$

in regime II. The valley flow typifies the limits of this regime: the blocks protrude from the thermal boundary layer while remaining within the kinetic boundary layer. As compared with regimes I and III, regime II is characterized by larger temperature fluctuations, especially near the rough plate, and a larger friction coefficient. A fluctuating rough fluid layer overlaying both blocks and valleys appears in regime III, in addition to the classic boundary layers formed along the plate geometry.
How government-controlled media shifts policy attitudes through framing
Authors: Pan Jennifer , Shao Zijie , Xu Yiqing
Published: July 2021

Research shows that government-controlled media is an effective tool for authoritarian regimes to shape public opinion. Does government-controlled media remain effective when it is required to support changes in positions that autocrats take on issues? Existing theories do not provide a clear answer to this question, but we often observe authoritarian governments using government media to frame policies in new ways when significant changes in policy positions are required. By conducting an experiment that exposes respondents to government-controlled media—in the form of TV news segments—on issues where the regime substantially changed its policy positions, we find that by framing the same issue differently, government-controlled media moves respondents to adopt policy positions closer to the ones espoused by the regime regardless of individual predisposition. This result holds for domestic and foreign policy issues, for direct and composite measures of attitudes, and persists up to 48 hours after exposure.
Hypothesis testing with error correction models
Authors: Kraft Patrick W. , Key Ellen M. , Lebo Matthew J.
Published: July 2021

Grant and Lebo (2016) and Keeleet al.(2016) clarify the conditions under which the popular general error correction model (GECM) can be used and interpreted easily: In a bivariate GECM the data must be integrated in order to rely on the error correction coefficient,$\alpha _1^\ast$, to test cointegration and measure the rate of error correction between a single exogenousxand a dependent variable,y. Here we demonstrate that even if the data are all integrated, the test on$\alpha _1^\ast$is misunderstood when there is more than a single independent variable. The null hypothesis is that there is no cointegration betweenyand anyxbut the correct alternative hypothesis is thatyis cointegrated with at least one—but not necessarily more than one—of thex's. A significant$\alpha _1^\ast$can occur when someI(1) regressors are not cointegrated and the equation is not balanced. Thus, the correct limiting distributions of the right-hand-side long-run coefficients may be unknown. We use simulations to demonstrate the problem and then discuss implications for applied examples.
Implementation strategies for improving vitamin D status and increasing vitamin D intake in the UK: current controversies and future perspectives: proceedings of the 2nd Rank Prize Funds Forum on vitamin D
Authors: Buttriss Judy L. , Lanham-New Susan A. , Steenson Simon , Levy Louis , Swan Gillian E. , Darling Andrea L. , Cashman Kevin D. , Allen Rachel E. , Durrant Louise R. , Smith Colin P. , Magee Pamela , Hill Tom R. , Uday Suma , Kiely Mairead , Delamare Gael , Hoyland Alexa E. , Larsen Lise , Street Laura N. , Mathers John C. , Prentice Ann
Published: July 2021

A multi-disciplinary expert group met to discuss vitamin D deficiency in the UK and strategies for improving population intakes and status. Changes to UK Government advice since the 1st Rank Forum on Vitamin D (2009) were discussed, including rationale for setting a reference nutrient intake (10 µg/d; 400 IU/d) for adults and children (4+ years). Current UK data show inadequate intakes among all age groups and high prevalence of low vitamin D status among specific groups (e.g. pregnant women and adolescent males/females). Evidence of widespread deficiency within some minority ethnic groups, resulting in nutritional rickets (particularly among Black and South Asian infants), raised particular concern. Latest data indicate that UK population vitamin D intakes and status reamain relatively unchanged since Government recommendations changed in 2016. Vitamin D food fortification was discussed as a potential strategy to increase population intakes. Data from dose–response and dietary modelling studies indicate dairy products, bread, hens’ eggs and some meats as potential fortification vehicles. Vitamin D3appears more effective than vitamin D2for raising serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentration, which has implications for choice of fortificant. Other considerations for successful fortification strategies include: (i) need for ‘real-world’ cost information for use in modelling work; (ii) supportive food legislation; (iii) improved consumer and health professional understanding of vitamin D’s importance; (iv) clinical consequences of inadequate vitamin D status and (v) consistent communication of Government advice across health/social care professions, and via the food industry. These areas urgently require further research to enable universal improvement in vitamin D intakes and status in the UK population.
Sleep duration and eating behaviours are associated with body composition in 5-year-old children: findings from the ROLO longitudinal birth cohort study
Authors: Delahunt Anna , Conway Marie C. , McDonnell Ciara , O Reilly Sharleen L. , O Keeffe Linda M. , Kearney Patricia M. , Mehegan John , McAuliffe Fionnuala M.
Published: July 2021

Inadequate sleep and poor eating behaviours are associated with higher risk of childhood overweight and obesity. Less is known about the influence sleep has on eating behaviours and consequently body composition. Furthermore, whether associations differ in boys and girls has not been investigated extensively. We investigate associations between sleep, eating behaviours and body composition in cross-sectional analysis of 5-year-old children. Weight, height, BMI, mid upper arm circumference (MUAC), abdominal circumference (AC) and skinfold measurements were obtained. Maternal reported information on child’s eating behaviour and sleep habits were collected using validated questionnaires. Multiple linear regression examined associations between sleep, eating behaviours and body composition. Sleep duration was negatively associated with BMI, with 1-h greater sleep duration associated with 0·24 kg/m2 (B = 0·24, CI −0·42, −0·03, P = 0·026) lower BMI and 0·21 cm lower (B = –0·21, CI −0·41, −0·02, P = 0·035) MUAC. When stratified by sex, girls showed stronger inverse associations between sleep duration (h) and BMI (kg/m2) (B = –0·32; CI −0·60, −0·04, P = 0·024), MUAC (cm) (B = –0·29; CI −0·58, 0·000, P = 0·05) and AC (cm) (B = –1·10; CI −1·85, −0·21, P = 0·014) than boys. Positive associations for ‘Enjoys Food’ and ‘Food Responsiveness’ with BMI, MUAC and AC were observed in girls only. Inverse associations between sleep duration and ‘Emotional Undereating’ and ‘Food Fussiness’ were observed in both sexes, although stronger in boys. Sleep duration did not mediate the relationship between eating behaviours and BMI. Further exploration is required to understand how sleep impacts eating behaviours and consequently body composition and how sex influences this relationship.
Early-life exposure to the Chinese famine and risk of hyperuricaemia in adult females in Qingdao
Authors: Shao Yuhan , Liu Li , Li Xiaojing , Sun Jianping , Huang Xiaomei
Published: July 2021

Two population-based cross-sectional surveys involving randomly selected Chinese adults aged 35–74 years were conducted in Qingdao, China in 2006 and 2009. Nine thousand fifty-five subjects from the two surveys were grouped into four birth groups of fetal/infant exposed (born between 1 January 1959 and 31 December 1962), childhood exposed (born between 1 January 1950 and 31 December 1958), adolescence exposed (born between 1 January 1942 and 31 December 1949) and the unexposed (born before 1941 and after 1963). Multivariate logistic regression models were used to calculate the OR and 95 % CI of hyperuricaemia in different exposed groups. Overall, famine exposure in the fetal/infant period, childhood and adolescence was not associated with adulthood hyperuricaemia (all P > 0·05). In females, childhood exposed group (OR = 1·59, 95 % CI 1·25, 2·02) and adolescence exposed group (OR = 1·74, 95 % CI 1·30, 2·33) both had higher risks to have hyperuricaemia in adult. However, this difference was not found in fetal/infant exposed group. In males, no significant relation was observed in any famine exposed group (all P > 0·05). Exposure to famine in childhood and adolescence is associated with an increased risk of hyperuricaemia for adulthood of females, but not in males. Adequate nutrition during early life appears to be beneficial to prevent hyperuricaemia of adult females.
A NEW SOLUTION CONCERNING CHOICE-OF-LAW FOR THE ASSIGNMENT OF DEBTS
Authors: Xu Alison
Published: July 2021

This article explores a solution to the choice-of-law issues concerning both voluntary and involuntary assignments arising in a domestic forum. The focus is on English private international law rules relating to cross-border assignments. A distinction is made between primary and extended parties as the foundation for choice-of-law analysis. Drawing on insights from the distinction of the use value and exchange value of debts found in economics, this article proposes a new analytical framework for choice-of-law based on a modified choice-of-law theory of interest-analysis.
PORT CLOSURES AND PERSONS AT SEA IN INTERNATIONAL LAW
Authors: Galani Sofia
Published: July 2021

The systematic protection of persons at sea remains flawed. This problem has become even more acute during the Covid-19 pandemic when port closures have caused an unprecedented humanitarian crisis at sea. This article looks at the impact of port closures on the rights of persons at sea and considers how international law can protect those rights. While persons at sea are afforded significant rights protections in international law, the rights and duties of States often clash, with the result that persons at sea can find themselves in something of a legal vacuum. In order to address this problem, this article argues that the various rights and duties of States must be interpreted and applied in a way that fully recognises the rights of persons at sea.
Right to Development Governance in the Advent of the African Continental Free Trade Area
Authors: Ngang Carol Chi
Published: July 2021

In this article, I explore the question of whether the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) could provide the framework mechanism for actualizing the right to development in Africa. The imperative for socio-economic and cultural development suggests rethinking the manner in which Africa is governed and, importantly, also the necessity of putting into place functional mechanisms in view of enacting the future that is envisaged for the continent. Article 22(2) of the African Charter enjoins state parties to individually or collectively undertake measures to give effect to the right to development. After several futile endeavours aimed at finding an appropriate mechanism for development, Africa eventually takes a giant stride in establishing the AfCFTA. From a decolonial perspective, I examine the prospects of the AfCFTA, particularly with regard to competing interests that dominate the African development space. At face value, the AfCFTA appears to provide an enabling framework for the nurturing of productive capabilities, the flourishing of local initiatives, the eradication of poverty and expanded opportunities for development. Notwithstanding, I contend that the inherently neoliberal nature of the AfCFTA leaves a further question of whether the free trade area is likely to deliver socio-economic and cultural development benefits to the peoples of Africa.
Re-evaluating the Admiralty Jurisdiction of Nigeria's Federal High Court in the Age of Combined Transport Shipping
Authors: Ukwueze Festus O , Umezuruike Herbert A , Ibegbulem Dike J
Published: July 2021

This article critically examines the admiralty jurisdiction of the Federal High Court of Nigeria in relation to claims arising from combined transport shipping. It questions the rationale for the continued circumscription of the court's admiralty jurisdiction to activities on navigable waters based on English law pedigree. It argues that, in the present era of containerization and combined transport shipping, it has become imperative to unshackle Nigerian courts from English antecedents that limit the admiralty jurisdiction of the court to activities on the high seas. The article identifies extant national legislation, a continental instrument and recent judicial authorities that provide the basis for expanding the Federal High Court's admiralty jurisdiction to accommodate the adjudication of claims derived from combined transport shipping beyond the locale of the high seas.
Do aspermic (parthenogenetic) Fasciola forms have the ability to reproduce their progeny via parthenogenesis?
Authors: Ohari Y. , Hayashi K. , Takashima Y. , Itagaki T.
Published: July 2021

Across Far East Asia, aspermic Fasciola forms are found endemically. They have abnormal spermatogenesis and oogenesis, and it is presumed that their progeny are produced parthenogenetically and clonally. Because of this, they are also termed parthenogenic Fasciola forms. Currently, there is no evidence that they do indeed reproduce parthenogenetically and clonally. In this study, the multilocus genetic type (MLG) in 12 microsatellite markers of adult flukes and their subsequent progeny larvae were analysed using two laboratory aspermic Fasciola triploid strains. The MLGs of adults and their larvae were identical for all markers evaluated, suggesting that these strains reproduce their progeny clonally. The deviation between theoretical and actual frequency within the larvae genotype of the Fh_6 locus resulted in the inability for self-fertilization within individual adult flukes. These findings strongly suggested that aspermic Fasciola forms reproduce their progeny by means of parthenogenesis, possibly gynogenesis.
A Reconsideration of the Chronology of a Decree of Abdera (Syll.3656) and the Introduction of the concept of Roman Patronage to the Greeks in the Second Century BC
Authors: Ito Masayuki
Published: July 2021

Roman patronage was known to the Greeks in various contexts even in the period of the Third Macedonian War. The reference to it in an Abderan decree (Syll.3656) can be dated to the 160s BC as part of this process. Although this date is chronologically isolated from the other instances of the term πάτρων in Greek inscriptions, in the light of our historical sources as a whole it is reasonable to treatSyll.3656 as evidence of how the Greeks were gradually trying to respond to Roman culture and institutions through changes in their own language and terminology even before the period when Rome ruled them directly. Supplementary material is available online and comprises two appendices (https://doi.org/10.1017/S0075426921000033).
Policing, Profits, and the Rise of Immigration Detention in New York's “Chinese Jails”
Authors: Nofil Brianna
Published: July 2021

“Policing, Profits, and the Rise of Immigration Detention in New York's ‘Chinese Jails’” explains how Chinese exclusion law created a “detention economy” in upstate New York. From 1900–1909, Northern New York jails held thousands of Chinese migrants who had been apprehended by immigration authorities crossing the U.S.-Canada border, and had filed habeas corpus claims in district courts. While scholarship on Chinese Exclusion has addressed the legal battles around due process, it has overlooked the detention infrastructure that these claims produced. Because the federal immigration service had no detention facilities in the region, they “boarded out” Chinese detainees at local jails, paying counties a nightly rate for each migrant held. These contracts transformed Chinese migrants into a commodity for rural communities looking to secure federal cash, with four Northern New York counties constructing separate “Chinese Jails” in order to increase the number of Chinese migrants they could incarcerate. This article challenges the scholarship that has presented immigration detention as a Cold War era development, instead showing how communities profited off jailing migrants at the turn of the century. Through the case of U.S. v. Sing Tuck, I argue that immigration officials eventually turned to the courts to streamline deportations and reduce their need for jail space.
Stochastic model for COVID-19 in slums: interaction between biology and public policies
Authors: Solari H. G. , Natiello M. A.
Published: July 2021

We present a mathematical model for the simulation of the development of an outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a slum area under different interventions. Instead of representing interventions as modulations of the parameters of a free-running epidemic, we introduce a model structure that accounts for the actions but does not assume the results. The disease is modelled in terms of the progression of viraemia reported in scientific studies. The emergence of symptoms in the model reflects the statistics of a nation-wide highly detailed database consisting of more than 62 000 cases (about a half of them confirmed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests) with recorded symptoms in Argentina. The stochastic model displays several of the characteristics of COVID-19 such as a high variability in the evolution of the outbreaks, including long periods in which they run undetected, spontaneous extinction followed by a late outbreak and unimodal as well as bimodal progressions of daily counts of cases (second waves without ad-hoc hypothesis). We show how the relation between undetected cases (including the ‘asymptomatic’ cases) and detected cases changes as a function of the public policies, the efficiency of the implementation and the timing with respect to the development of the outbreak. We show also that the relation between detected cases and total cases strongly depends on the implemented policies and that detected cases cannot be regarded as a measure of the outbreak, being the dependency between total cases and detected cases in general not monotonic as a function of the efficiency in the intervention method. According to the model, it is possible to control an outbreak with interventions based on the detection of symptoms only in the case when the presence of just one symptom prompts isolation and the detection efficiency reaches about 80% of the cases. Requesting two symptoms to trigger intervention can be enough to fail in the goals.
THE DEITY AS A MOSAIC: IMAGES OF THE GOD XIPE TOTEC IN DIVINATORY CODICES FROM CENTRAL MESOAMERICA
Authors: Mikulska Katarzyna
Published: July 2021

In this article I argue that the graphic images of the gods in the divinatory codices are composed of signs of different semantic values which encode particular properties. All of them contribute to creating the identity of the god. However, these graphic elements are not only shared by different deities, but even differ between representations of the same god. Analyzing the graphic images of Xipe Totec, one of the best-studied deities and one of the oldest in Mesoamerica, I elaborate a hypothesis that the images of the gods in the divinatory codices were perceived by their authors as a mosaic of different properties, which at the same time were dynamic. Consequently, there was not even one “prototypical” representation of a single god, since possibly the identity of a god was defined precisely when composing his/her image with particular graphic signs, thus crystallizing some of his/her multiple properties, important at this precise moment.
PETERZIL–STEINHORN SUBGROUPS AND -STABILIZERS IN ACF
Authors: Kamensky Moshe , Starchenko Sergei , Ye Jinhe
Published: July 2021

We consider G, a linear algebraic group defined over
$\Bbbk $
, an algebraically closed field (ACF). By considering
$\Bbbk $
as an embedded residue field of an algebraically closed valued field K, we can associate to it a compact G-space
$S^\mu _G(\Bbbk )$
consisting of
$\mu $
-types on G. We show that for each
$p_\mu \in S^\mu _G(\Bbbk )$
,
$\mathrm {Stab}^\mu (p)=\mathrm {Stab}\left (p_\mu \right )$
is a solvable infinite algebraic group when
$p_\mu $
is centered at infinity and residually algebraic. Moreover, we give a description of the dimension of
$\mathrm {Stab}\left (p_\mu \right )$
in terms of the dimension of p.
Integrating variable risk preferences, trust, and transaction cost economics – 25 years on: reflections in memory of Oliver Williamson
Authors: McMackin John F. , Chiles Todd H. , Lam Long W.
Published: July 2021

In this essay, we honour the memory of Oliver Williamson by reflecting on Chiles and McMackin's 1996Academy of Management Reviewarticle ‘Integrating variable risk preferences, trust, and transaction cost economics’. The article, which built on Williamson's work in transaction cost economics (TCE), went on to attract attention not only from the authors’ home discipline of management and organisation studies, but also from other business disciplines, the professions and the social sciences. After revisiting the article's origins and core arguments, we turn to selectively (re)view TCE's development since 1996 through the lens of this article, focusing on trust, risk and subjective costs. We cover conceptual and empirical developments in each of these areas and reflect on how our review contributes to previous debates concerning trade-offs implicit in relaxing TCE's behavioural assumptions. We conclude by reflecting on key points of learning from our review and possible implications for future research.
Expanded graphite monopole antenna printed on flexible paper substrate for 2.4 GHz wireless systems
Authors: Abdel Aziz Ahmed A. , Abdel-Motagaly Ali T. , Ibrahim Ahmed A. , Rouby Waleed M. A. El , Abdalla Mahmoud A.
Published: July 2021

In this work, a printed coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed single band antenna based on expanded graphite material is introduced. The proposed antenna is based on a CPW-monopole antenna with a U-shape conductor strip connected with the ground. Expanded graphite, a grade of graphene, is used as a conductor to design the uniplanar antenna over a flexible paper substrate. The antenna is designed for 2.4 GHz applications. The antenna design procedures are discussed. The material preparation and analysis are illustrated. Finally, the antenna fabrication and measurements of the reflection coefficient are discussed. The measured antenna reflection coefficient agrees with the simulated one, ensuring the antenna validity for serving the required applications. The radiation antenna parameters are discussed and simulated results from two-simulation software are included for comparison. The antenna has a simulated gain of 4 dBi and simulated efficiency of around 90% at 2.4 GHz.
Steps Towards a Legal Ontological Turn: Proposals for Law's Place beyond the Human
Authors: Boulot Emille , Sterlin Joshua
Published: July 2021

Environmental law remains grounded in a ‘one-world world’ paradigm. This ontological structure asserts that, regardless of variation in world-construing, all beings occupy one ‘real’ world of discrete entities. The resulting legal system is viewed as an independent set of norms and procedures regulating the ‘human’ use of the ‘environment’ by specifying allowable harm rather than adjudicating on mutually enhancing relations. This legal form fails to fulfil its purpose of prevention and remediation, and constitutes a significant barrier to overcoming world(s)-destroying conditions. As such, we take up the injunction for a ‘legal ontological turn’ so as to lay bare these assumptions, and to be able to move beyond their constraints into a renewed exploration at the intersection of vastly differing legalities. In dialogue with systems-grounded ecological jurisprudence(s), Indigenous legal thinking, and anthropological insight, we seek to ground future discussions towards building a truly earth-sustaining form of environmental law for all beings.
Modeling Meteorological Effects on Cosmic Ray Muons Utilizing Multivariate Analysis
Authors: Savić M. , Maletić D. , Dragić A. , Veselinović N. , Joković D. , Banjanac R. , Udovičić V. , Knežević D.
Published: July 2021

Correction of meteorological effects on muon component of secondary cosmic rays significantly extends the usability of muon monitors. We propose a new data driven empirical method for correction of meteorological effects on muon component of secondary cosmic rays, based on multivariate analysis. Several multivariate algorithms implemented in Toolkit for Multivariate Data Analysis with ROOT framework are trained and then applied to correct muon count rate for barometric and temperature effects. The effect of corrections on periodic and aperiodic cosmic ray variations is analyzed and compared with integral correction method, as well as with neutron monitor data. The best results are achieved by the application of linear discriminant method, which increases sensitivity of our muon detector to cosmic ray variations beyond other commonly used methods.
Shifting Contribution of Climatic Constraints on Evapotranspiration in the Boreal Forest
Authors: Wang Tongxin , Zhang Hongyan , Zhao Jianjun , Guo Xiaoyi , Xiong Tao , Wu Rihan
Published: July 2021

The global evapotranspiration (ET) shows an increasing trend with global warming in recent decades, while ET variation in different regions is still uncertain. Boreal forest ecosystem, as one of the most sensitive regions to climate change, are still poorly understood due to the sparse observation and the changing of ET in the boreal forest has been covered up for lower values compared to lower‐latitude regions. Based on the PT‐JPL model, we estimated the ET in the boreal forest during 1982–2015. The annual ET showed an increasing trend (0.5073 mm year−1). Seventy percentage of the boreal forest area is increasing which mainly occurred in Central Canada, Alaska, Central Siberia and Northern Europe, while 24% is decreasing, which occurred in the southern Siberia, Northern Mongolia and Northern Canada. The quantification of basic climatic factors shows that atmospheric demand is the main factor with an increasing trend which is accordance with the (a) increasing temperature; (b) annual precipitation is increasing providing increasing water supply for boreal forest. Factorial experiments were also conducted and showed that the climatic constraints that contribute mainly to ET have gradually shifted from net radiation to moisture restriction in the boreal forest. The moisture control tendency indicated that ET in the boreal forest was gradually controlled by humidity rather than energy, suggesting a limited water supply and an intensifying water cycle in the boreal forest.
Glacial‐Interglacial Shifts Dominate Tropical Indo‐Pacific Hydroclimate During the Late Pleistocene
Authors: Windler Grace , Tierney Jessica E. , Anchukaitis Kevin J.
Published: July 2021

The climatic drivers of tropical rainfall and atmospheric circulation in the late Pleistocene are still debated. Some studies suggest that tropical precipitation primarily responded to precession (23–19 ky cycle), whereas others propose that glacial‐interglacial (100 ky) changes in ice sheets and sea level dominate. Here, we reexamine orbital influences on tropical‐to‐subtropical precipitation isotopes using singular spectrum analysis to isolate leading oscillatory modes from proxy records across the Indo‐Pacific Warm Pool (IPWP) and Asian monsoon domain. We find that the IPWP, Bay of Bengal, and South China Sea are dominated by the 100 ky glacial‐interglacial mode of variability, whereas eastern China clearly follows precession, suggesting that precipitation isotopes over the mid‐latitude Asian continent respond to different mechanisms than those in the IPWP or Indian and East Asian monsoon regions. This study demonstrates that glacial cycles, rather than changes in local insolation, are the dominant drivers of Pleistocene IPWP hydroclimate.
Variation of Internal Solitary Wave Propagation Induced by the Typical Oceanic Circulation Patterns in the Northern South China Sea Deep Basin
Authors: Xie Jieshuo , Fang Wendong , He Yinghui , Chen Zhiwu , Liu Guangping , Gong Yankun , Cai Shuqun
Published: July 2021

Large‐scale circulations are quite typical processes in the northern South China Sea (SCS) deep basin, yet their impacts on the variation of internal solitary waves (ISWs) remains poorly understood. We, here, focus on impacts of the upstream SCS western boundary current (SCSwbc) and three typical circulation patterns associated with different Kuroshio intruding paths on ISW propagation in this region. We show that the ISW modulated by the upstream SCSwbc gets a speedup, which is comparable to that induced by Coriolis effect, while the ISW amplitude shows an obvious reduction. Statistically, there is approximately one‐third time of 23 years (1993–2015) when circulation‐induced changes of wave speed exceed Coriolis‐induced changes. Specifically, the looping circulation pattern has the highest impact on significant speedup and amplitude reduction among the three patterns, while the leaping pattern has the lowest impact. These differences in wave characteristics caused by different circulation patterns result from the wave scattering, focusing and Doppler effects.
Replenishment of Near‐Surface Water Ice by Impacts Into Ceres' Volatile‐Rich Crust: Observations by Dawn's Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector
Authors: Prettyman T. H. , Yamashita N. , Landis M. E. , Castillo‐Rogez J. C. , Schörghofer N. , Pieters C. M. , Sizemore H. G. , Hiesinger H. , Marchi S. , McSween H. Y. , Park R. S. , Toplis M. J. , Raymond C. A. , Russell C. T.
Published: July 2021

Ceres' regolith contains water ice that has receded in response to insolation‐driven sublimation. Specially targeted, high spatial‐resolution measurements of hydrogen by Dawn's Gamma Ray and Neutron Detector (GRaND) reveal elevated hydrogen concentrations in and around Occator, a young, 90 km diameter, complex crater located at 19.82°N where near‐surface ice is not expected. The excess hydrogen can be explained by impact excavation of water‐rich outer crustal materials and their emplacement in the crater floor and ejecta blanket. This is supported by thermophysical models that show water ice could survive at sub‐meter depths, given Occator's relatively young age (∼20 Myr). We hypothesize that the regolith can be replenished with ice from large impacts and that this process partially controls the distribution and depth of near surface ice. This is supported by results from Occator and similarities in the global distribution of hydrogen and the pattern of large craters (20–100 km diameter).
Observation of Periodic Rising and Falling Tone ECH Waves at Saturn
Authors: Teng S. , Wu Y. , Guo R. , Yao Z. , Tao X.
Published: July 2021

Electron cyclotron harmonic (ECH) waves are effective in precipitating electrons into the loss cone to form diffuse aurora. Recent observations have shown that ECH waves at Earth could exhibit frequency chirping, which is an interesting feature of various plasma waves and whose mechanism is under intensive research. Whether chirping of ECH waves is also present in other planetary magnetospheres, however, is unknown. In this paper, we report the first observation of quasi‐periodic ECH waves with frequency chirping at Saturn using Cassini data. The identified six falling tone and one rising tone ECH wave events occur at near the magnetic equator. The duration of ECH wave chirping elements lasts from seconds to minutes. Our findings suggest that frequency chirping of ECH waves could be observed at other planetary magnetosphere, and are useful to understand the fundamental mechanisms of frequency chirping of various plasma waves.
Deubiquitinating enzyme USP30 negatively regulates mitophagy and accelerates myocardial cell senescence through antagonism of Parkin
Authors: Pan Wei , Wang Yaowen , Bai Xinyu , Yin Yuehui , Dai Limeng , Zhou Hong , Wu Qin , Wang Yan
Published: July 2021

Cell senescence is associated with age-related pathological changes. Increasing evidence has revealed that mitophagy can selectively remove dysfunctional mitochondria. Overexpression of ubiquitin-specific protease 30 (USP30) has been documented to influence mitophagy and deubiquitination of mitochondrial Parkin substrates. This study was conducted to evaluate the roles of USP30 and Parkin in myocardial cell senescence and mitophagy. Initially, myocardial cells were isolated from neonatal SD rats and subjected to d-gal treatment to induce cell senescence, after which the effects of d-gal on mitochondria damage, ROS production, cell senescence, and mitophagy were assessed. The myocardial cells were infected with lentiviruses bearing overexpression plasmids or shRNA targeting Parkin or USP30 to elucidate the effects of Parkin and USP30 on d-gal-induced mitophagy damage and cell senescence. Finally, aging was induced in rats by subcutaneous injection of d-gal to determine the role of Parkin and USP30 on cell senescence in vivo. d-gal was found to trigger mitochondria damage, ROS production, and cell senescence in myocardial cells. The overexpression of Parkin or silencing of USP30 reduced d-gal-induced mitochondrial damage and relieved d-gal-induced myocardial cell senescence. Moreover, the in vivo experiments validated that either elevation of Parkin or silencing USP30 could alleviate d-gal-induced myocardial cell senescence in rats. Silencing USP30 alleviates d-gal-induced mitochondrial damage and consequently suppresses myocardial cell senescence by activating Parkin. Our study highlights the potential of USP30 as a novel target against myocardial cell senescence.
Tracking single particles for hours via continuous DNA-mediated fluorophore exchange
Authors: Stehr Florian , Stein Johannes , Bauer Julian , Niederauer Christian , Jungmann Ralf , Ganzinger Kristina , Schwille Petra
Published: July 2021

Monitoring biomolecules in single-particle tracking experiments is typically achieved by employing fixed organic dyes or fluorescent fusion proteins linked to a target of interest. However, photobleaching typically limits observation times to merely a few seconds, restricting downstream statistical analysis and observation of rare biological events. Here, we overcome this inherent limitation via continuous fluorophore exchange using DNA-PAINT, where fluorescently-labeled oligonucleotides reversibly bind to a single-stranded DNA handle attached to the target molecule. Such versatile and facile labeling allows uninterrupted monitoring of single molecules for extended durations. We demonstrate the power of our approach by observing DNA origami on membranes for tens of minutes, providing perspectives for investigating cellular processes on physiologically relevant timescales.
Massively parallel in vivo CRISPR screening identifies RNF20/40 as epigenetic regulators of cardiomyocyte maturation
Authors: VanDusen Nathan J. , Lee Julianna Y. , Gu Weiliang , Butler Catalina E. , Sethi Isha , Zheng Yanjiang , King Justin S. , Zhou Pingzhu , Suo Shengbao , Guo Yuxuan , Ma Qing , Yuan Guo-Cheng , Pu William T.
Published: July 2021

The forward genetic screen is a powerful, unbiased method to gain insights into biological processes, yet this approach has infrequently been used in vivo in mammals because of high resource demands. Here, we use in vivo somatic Cas9 mutagenesis to perform an in vivo forward genetic screen in mice to identify regulators of cardiomyocyte (CM) maturation, the coordinated changes in phenotype and gene expression that occur in neonatal CMs. We discover and validate a number of transcriptional regulators of this process. Among these are RNF20 and RNF40, which form a complex that monoubiquitinates H2B on lysine 120. Mechanistic studies indicate that this epigenetic mark controls dynamic changes in gene expression required for CM maturation. These insights into CM maturation will inform efforts in cardiac regenerative medicine. More broadly, our approach will enable unbiased forward genetics across mammalian organ systems.
A nature-based solution to a landfill-leachate contamination of a confined aquifer
Authors: Abiriga Daniel , Jenkins Andrew , Vestgarden Live S. , Klempe Harald
Published: July 2021

Remediation of groundwater from landfill contamination presents a serious challenge due to the complex mixture of contaminants discharged from landfills. Here, we show the significance of a nature-based solution to a landfill-contaminated aquifer in southeast Norway. Groundwater physicochemical parameters monitored for twenty-eight years were used as a proxy to infer natural remediation. Results show that concentrations of the major chemical variables decreased with time and distance until they tailed off. An exception to this was sulphate, which showed an increase, but apparently, exhibits a stationary phase. The water types were found to be most similar between samples from active landfill and post-closure stages, while samples from the stabilised stage showed a different water type. All the chemical parameters of samples from the stabilised stage were found to be within the Norwegian drinking water standards, except iron and manganese, which were only marginally above the limits, an indication of a possible recovery of this aquifer. The findings highlight the significance of natural attenuation processes in remediating contaminated aquifers and have significant consequences for future contamination management, where natural remediation can be viewed as an alternative worth exploring. This is promising in the wake of calls for sustainable remediation management strategies.
Effect of androgen deprivation therapy on serum levels of sclerostin, Dickkopf-1, and osteoprotegerin: a cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis
Authors: Wang Alice , Karunasinghe Nishi , Plank Lindsay D. , Zhu Shuotun , Osborne Sue , Brown Charis , Bishop Karen , Schwass Tiffany , Tijono Sofian , Holmes Michael , Masters Jonathan , Huang Roger , Keven Christine , Ferguson Lynnette R. , Lawrenson Ross
Published: July 2021

Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) for men with prostate cancer (PCa) results in accelerated bone loss and increased risk of bone fracture. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum bone markers—sclerostin, Dickkopf-1 (DKK-1) and osteoprotegerin (OPG), in a cohort of 88 PCa patients without known bone metastases, managed with and without ADT, and to analyse their relationship with bone mineral density (BMD) and sex steroids. The cross-sectional analysis between acute-, chronic- and former-ADT groups and PCa controls showed that sclerostin and OPG levels significantly differed between them (p = 0.029 andp = 0.032). Groups contributing to these significant changes were recorded. There were no significant differences in serum DKK-1 levels across the four groups (p = 0.683). In the longitudinal analysis, significant % decreases within groups were seen for DKK-1 [chronic-ADT (− 10.06%,p = 0.0057), former-ADT (− 12.77%,p = 0.0239), and in PCa controls group (− 16.73,p = 0.0022); and OPG levels in chronic ADT (− 8.28%,p = 0.003) and PCa controls group (− 12.82%,p = 0.017)]. However, % changes in sclerostin, DKK-1, and OPG did not differ significantly over 6-months across the evaluated groups. Sclerostin levels showed significant positive correlations with BMD at baseline in the ADT group, while in PCa controls this correlation existed at both baseline and 6-month time points. Sclerostin correlated negatively with testosterone in former ADT users and in PCa controls. Possible prognostic features denoted by parallel increases in sclerostin and BMD are discussed.
MicroRNA-513b-5p targets COL1A1 and COL1A2 associated with the formation and rupture of intracranial aneurysm
Authors: Zheng Zheng , Chen Yan , Wang Yinzhou , Li Yongkun , Cheng Qiong
Published: July 2021

Collagen-type I alpha 1 chain (COL1A1) and COL1A2 are abnormally expressed in intracranial aneurysm (IA), but their mechanism of action remains unclear. This study was performed to investigate the mechanism of COL1A1 and COL1A2 affecting the occurrence and rupture of IA. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to measure the expression of hsa-miR-513b-5p, COL1A1, COL1A2, TNF-α, IL-6, MMP2, MMP3, MMP9 and TIMP4 in patients with ruptured IA (RA) (n = 100), patients with un-ruptured IA (UA) (n = 100), and controls (n = 100). Then, human vascular smooth muscle cells (HASMCs) were cultured, and dual luciferase reporter assay was performed to analyse the targeting relationship between miR-513b-5p and COL1A1 or COL1A2. The effects of the miR-513b-5p mimic and inhibitor on the proliferation, apoptosis, and death of HASMC and the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL and matrix metalloproteinase pathways were also explored. The effect of silencing and over-expression of COL1A1 and COL1A2 on the role of miR-513b-5p were also evaluated. Finally, the effects of TNF-α on miR-513b-5p targeting COL1A1 and COL1A2 were tested. Compared with those in the control group, the serum mRNA levels of miR-513b-5p, IL-6 and TIMP4 were significantly decreased in the RA and UA groups, but COL1A1, COL1A2, TNF-α, IL-1β, MMP2, MMP3 and MMP9 were significantly increased (p < 0.05). Compared with those in the UA group, the expression of COL1A1, COL1A2, TNF-α, IL-1β and MMP9 was significantly up-regulated in the RA group (p < 0.05). Results from the luciferase reporter assay showed that COL1A1 and COL1A were the direct targets of miR-513b-5p. Further studies demonstrated that miR-513b-5p targeted COL1A1/2 to regulate the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL and MMP pathways, thereby enhancing cell death and apoptosis. Over-expression of COL1A1 or COL1A2, rather than silencing COL1A1/2, could improve the inhibitory effect of miR-513b-5p on cell activity by regulating the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL and MMP pathways. Furthermore, over-expression of miR-513b-5p and/or silencing COL1A1/2 inhibited the TNF-α-induced cell proliferation and enhanced the TNF-α-induced cell death and apoptosis. The mechanism may be related to the inhibition of collagen I and TIMP4 expression and promotion of the expression of RIP1, p-RIP1, p-RIP3, p-MLKL, MMP2 and MMP9. MiR-513b-5p targeted the inhibition of COL1A1/2 expression and affected HASMC viability and extracellular mechanism remodelling by regulating the RIP1-RIP3-MLKL and MMP pathways. This process might be involved in the formation and rupture of IA.