bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dissolution behaviour and imageability of ternary borate glasses for use in geniculate artery embolization
Authors: Manchester R. A. , Todorova T. Z. , Tonkopi E. , Kelly B. , Gosse J. , Davis C. , Brewer K. , Shymka M. , Boyd D.
Published: September 2021

Sixteen borate glass compositions comprising K2O and SrO were screened, using a design of mixtures approach, to model compositional effects on dissolution, CT imageability, and MRI relaxivity (R2). Based on the characteristics of each network, together with dose determination and toxicological risk, the composition identified as BKSA16 was selected as a preferred composition for pre-clinical evaluations related to geniculate artery embolization (GAE). Accordingly, BKSA16 particles were subjected to a flame spheroidization process and recharacterized, including the evaluation of residual mass at 72 h in physiologically representative media along with clinical determinations of suspension time (ease of use). For both the irregular particles and microspheres residual mass was present at 72 h in physiologically representative media. Additionally, both the microspheres and irregular particles achieved suspension times deemed to be acceptable for clinical use. The collective data confirms that BKSA16 microspheres have a range of beneficial features (specifically both degradable and imageable) suited to GAE.
Expansions and Neostability in Model Theory
Authors: d’Elbée Christian
Published: September 2021

This thesis is concerned with the expansions of algebraic structures and their fit in Shelah’s classification landscape.

The first part deals with the expansion of a theory by a random predicate for a substructure model of a reduct of the theory. Let T be a theory in a language
$\mathcal {L}$
. Let
$T_0$
be a reduct of T. Let
$\mathcal {L}_S = \mathcal {L}\cup \{S\}$
, for S a new unary predicate symbol, and
$T_S$
be the
$\mathcal {L}_S$
-theory that axiomatises the following structures:
$(\mathscr {M},\mathscr {M}_0)$
consist of a model
$\mathscr {M}$
of T and S is a predicate for a model
$\mathscr {M}_0$
of
$T_0$
which is a substructure of
$\mathscr {M}$
. We present a setting for the existence of a model-companion
$TS$
of
$T_S$
. As a consequence, we obtain the existence of the model-companion of the following theories, for
$p>0$
a prime number:

•

$\mathrm {ACF}_p$
,
$\mathrm {SCF}_{e,p}$
,
$\mathrm {Psf}_p$
,
$\mathrm {ACFA}_p$
,
$\mathrm {ACVF}_{p,p}$
in appropriate languages expanded by arbitrarily many predicates for additive subgroups;

•

$\mathrm {ACF}_p$
,
$\mathrm {ACF}_0$
in the language of rings expanded by a single predicate for a multiplicative subgroup;

•

$\mathrm {PAC}_p$
-fields, in an appropriate language expanded by arbitrarily many predicates for additive subgroups.

From an independence relation in T, we define independence relations in
$TS$
and identify which properties of are transferred to those new independence relations in
$TS$
, and under which conditions. This allows us to exhibit hypotheses under which the expansion from T to
$TS$
preserves
$\mathrm {NSOP}_{1}$
, simplicity, or stability. In particular, under some technical hypothesis on T, we may draw the following picture (the left column implies the right column):
Configuration
$T_0\subseteq T$
Generic expansion
$TS$

$T_0 = T$
Preserves stability
$T_0\subseteq T$
Preserves
$\mathrm {NSOP}_{1}$

$T_0 = \emptyset $
Preserves simplicity

In particular, this construction produces new examples of
$\mathrm {NSOP}_{1}$
not simple theories, and we study in depth a particular example: the expansion of an algebraically closed field of positive characteristic by a generic additive subgroup. We give a full description of imaginaries, forking, and Kim-forking in this example.

The second part studies expansions of the group of integers by p-adic valuations. We prove quantifier elimination in a natural language and compute the dp-rank of these expansions: it equals the number of independent p-adic valuations considered. Thus, the expansion of the integers by one p-adic valuation is a new dp-minimal expansion of the group of integers. Finally, we prove that the latter expansion does not admit intermediate structures: any definable set in the expansion is either definable in the group structure or is able to “reconstruct” the valuation using only the group operation.

Abstract prepared by Christian d’Elbée.

E-mail: delbee@math.univ-lyon1.fr

URL: https://choum.net/~chris/page_perso
From Generative Linguistics to Categorial Grammars: Overt Subjects in Control Infinitives
Authors: Corbalán María Inés
Published: September 2021

The present thesis lies at the interface of logic and linguistics; its object of study are control sentences with overt pronouns in Romance languages (European and Brazilian Portuguese, Italian and Spanish). This is a topic that has received considerably more attention on the part of linguists, especially in recent years, than from logicians. Perhaps for this reason, much remains to be understood about these linguistic structures and their underlying logical properties. This thesis seeks to fill the lacunas in the literature or at least take steps in this direction by way of addressing a number of issues that have so far been under-explored. To this end, we put forward two key questions, one linguistic and the other logical. These are, respectively, (1) What is the syntactic status of the surface pronoun? and (2) What are the available mechanisms to reuse semantic resources in a contraction-free logical grammar? Accordingly, the thesis is divided into two parts: generative linguistics and categorial grammar. Part I starts by reviewing the recent discussion within the generative literature on infinitive clauses with overt subjects, paying detailed attention to the main accounts in the field. Part II does the same on the logical grammar front, addressing in particular the issues of control and of anaphoric pronouns. Ultimately, the leading accounts from both camps will be found wanting. The closing chapter of each of Part I and Part II will thus put forward alternative candidates, that we contend are more successful than their predecessors. More specifically, in Part I, we offer a linguistic account along the lines of Landau’s T/Agr theory of control. In Part II, we present two alternative categorial accounts: one based on Combinatory Categorial Grammar, the other on Type-Logical Grammar. Each of these accounts offers an improved, more fine-grained perspective on control infinitives featuring overt pronominal subjects. Finally, we include an Appendix in which our type-logical proposal is implemented in a categorial parser/theorem-prover.

Abstract prepared by María Inés Corbalán.

E-mail: inescorbalan@yahoo.com.ar

URL: http://repositorio.unicamp.br/jspui/handle/REPOSIP/331697
Categorising ultra-processed foods in large-scale cohort studies: evidence from the Nurses’ Health Studies, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, and the Growing Up Today Study
Authors: Khandpur Neha , Rossato Sinara , Drouin-Chartier Jean-Philippe , Du Mengxi , Steele Euridice M. , Sampson Laura , Monteiro Carlos , Zhang Fang F. , Willett Walter , Fung Teresa T. , Sun Qi
Published: September 2021

This manuscript details the strategy employed for categorising food items based on their processing levels into the four NOVA groups. Semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires (FFQs) from the Nurses’ Health Studies (NHS) I and II, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) and the Growing Up Today Studies (GUTS) I and II cohorts were used. The four-stage approach included: (i) the creation of a complete food list from the FFQs; (ii) assignment of food items to a NOVA group by three researchers; (iii) checking for consensus in categorisation and shortlisting discordant food items; (iv) discussions with experts and use of additional resources (research dieticians, cohort-specific documents, online grocery store scans) to guide the final categorisation of the short-listed items. At stage 1, 205 and 315 food items were compiled from the NHS and HPFS, and the GUTS FFQs, respectively. Over 70 % of food items from all cohorts were assigned to a NOVA group after stage 2. The remainder were shortlisted for further discussion (stage 3). After two rounds of reviews at stage 4, 95⋅6 % of food items (NHS + HPFS) and 90⋅7 % items (GUTS) were categorised. The remaining products were assigned to a non-ultra-processed food group (primary categorisation) and flagged for sensitivity analyses at which point they would be categorised as ultra-processed. Of all items in the food lists, 36⋅1 % in the NHS and HPFS cohorts and 43⋅5 % in the GUTS cohorts were identified as ultra-processed. Future work is needed to validate this approach. Documentation and discussions of alternative approaches for categorisation are encouraged.
Long range dependence of heavy-tailed random functions
Authors: Kulik Rafal , Spodarev Evgeny
Published: September 2021

We introduce a definition of long range dependence of random processes and fields on an (unbounded) index space$T\subseteq \mathbb{R}^d$in terms of integrability of the covariance of indicators that a random function exceeds any given level. This definition is specifically designed to cover the case of random functions with infinite variance. We show the value of this new definition and its connection to limit theorems via some examples including subordinated Gaussian as well as random volatility fields and time series.
Variations of the elephant random walk
Authors: Gut Allan , Stadtmüller Ulrich
Published: September 2021

In the classical simple random walk the steps are independent, that is, the walker has no memory. In contrast, in the elephant random walk, which was introduced by Schütz and Trimper [19] in 2004, the next step always depends on the whole path so far. Our main aim is to prove analogous results when the elephant has only a restricted memory, for example remembering only the most remote step(s), the most recent step(s), or both. We also extend the models to cover more general step sizes.
Lawfare and Security Labor: Subjectification and Subjugation of Police Workers in India
Authors: Jauregui Beatrice
Published: September 2021

What labor rights do police workers have? How are they legally delimited? This article addresses these questions through a case study of government responses to attempts by police constables in post/colonial South Asia to express job-related grievances and establish employee unions. Drawing on ethnographic observations, interviews, and archival documents collected in India over fifteen years, the analysis demonstrates that, for more than a century, class warfare within police organizations has manifested in counter-insurgency “lawfare” between senior officials and subordinate personnel regarding whether and how the latter may collectively organize to transform their living and working conditions. It further shows how in this context law as a social field has worked to subjectify rank-and-file police as an ironically exploitable and expendable class of laborers who are always already suspect of rebelling against the state that they have sworn to serve. Through revelations of a long history of structural servitude compelling subaltern police in South Asia to do questionably legal types of labor, this study raises challenging questions about how police work has been conceived and practiced globally as “security labor” and how, moving forward, we must work to reimagine what police work is, what it can be, and what it ought to be.
Tonsil surgery in children under two years of age
Authors: Madej O , Kubba H
Published: September 2021

Background

More young children are undergoing tonsillectomy, driven by sleep-disordered breathing concerns. Their specific risks are not well described.

Method

A retrospective review was conducted of children aged 1–23 months undergoing tonsillectomy at one institution between 2014 and 2018.

Results

A total of 157 children were identified (3.9 per cent of all tonsillectomies in those aged 0–16 years). Sixty-seven per cent were male. The youngest child was six months old; the smallest weighed 6.9 kg. Sixty-eight (43.3 per cent) had co-morbidities. The indication for tonsillectomy was sleep-disordered breathing in 94 per cent; 29.9 per cent had co-existing airway lesions, mostly laryngomalacia and tracheobronchomalacia. Of the children, 83.4 per cent were managed post-operatively on the surgical ward, and 63.7 per cent stayed 1 night. Emergency paediatric intensive care unit admission occurred in 3.8 per cent. Early respiratory complications and emergency paediatric intensive care unit admission were more common if the patient was medically complex, aged less than 18 months or weighed less than 12 kg. Re-operation for bleeding occurred in 1.9 per cent.

Conclusion

Most children stay 1 night on a general ward, with an uneventful course. Complications are occasionally severe, mostly in the very young and medically complex.
Between the utopian imaginaries of literature and international law: The question of the insurgent child in international legal discourse and Kris Montañez’s Youth
Authors: Bagulaya José Duke S.
Published: September 2021

This article argues that international law and the literature of civil war, specifically the narratives from the Philippine communist insurgency, present two visions of the child. On the one hand, international law constructs a child that is individual and vulnerable, a victim of violence trapped between the contending parties. Hence, the child is a person who needs to be insulated from the brutality of the civil war. On the other hand, the article reads Filipino writer Kris Montañez’s stories as revolutionary tales that present a rational child, a literary resolution of the dilemmas of a minor’s participation in the world’s longest-running communist insurgency. Indeed, the short narratives collected in Kabanbanuagan (Youth) reveal a tension between a minor’s right to resist in the context of the people’s war and the juridical right to be insulated from the violence. As their youthful bodies are thrown into the world of the state of exception, violence forces children to make the choice of active participation in the hostilities by symbolically and literally assuming the roles played by their elders in the narrative. The article concludes that while this narrative resolution appears to offer a realistic representation and closure, what it proffers is actually a utopian vision that is in tension with international law’s own utopian vision of children. Thus, international law and the stories of youth in Kabanbanuagan provide a powerful critique of each other’s utopian visions.
Neonatal Marfan syndrome with missense variant of c.3706T>C undergoing bilateral atrioventricular valve replacement
Authors: Kawamura Junpei , Ueno Kentaro , Kawano Yoshifumi
Published: September 2021

Neonatal Marfan syndrome is a rare condition with poor prognosis because of severe mitral and/or tricuspid valve insufficiency. Mitral valve replacement is sometimes required in early infancy, while tricuspid valve replacement is rarely done. We report the first infant neonatal Marfan syndrome case with a missense variant of c.3706T>C in the fibrillin-1 gene that was successfully managed by mitral and tricuspid valve replacement. Early multiple-valve replacement may sometimes be required during infant age in this genetic syndrome.
Bringing the World to the Classroom: Teaching Statistics and Programming in a Project-Based Setting
Authors: Meyer Cosima
Published: September 2021

This article introduces how to teach an interactive, one-semester-long statistics and programming class. The setting also can be applied to shorter and longer classes as well as introductory and advanced courses. I propose a project-based seminar that also encompasses elements of an inverted classroom. As a result of this combination, the seminar supports students’ learning progress and also creates engaging virtual classes. To demonstrate how to apply a project-based seminar setting to teaching statistics and programming classes, I use an introductory class to data wrangling and management with the statistical software program R. Students are guided through a typical data science workflow that requires data management and data wrangling and concludes with visualizing and presenting first research results during a simulated mini-conference.
Assessing response, remission, and treatment resistance in patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder with and without tic disorders: results from a multicenter study
Authors: Benatti Beatrice , Girone Nicolaja , Conti Dario , Cafaro Rita , Viganò Caterina , Briguglio Matteo , Marazziti Donatella , Mucci Federico , Gambini Orsola , Demartini Benedetta , Tundo Antonio , Necci Roberta , De Berardis Domenico , Galentino Roberta , De Michele Sara , Balestrino Roberta , Albert Umberto , Rigardetto Sylvia , Maina Giuseppe , Grassi Giacomo , Pallanti Stefano , Amerio Andrea , Aguglia Andrea , Prestia Davide , Amore Mario , Priori Alberto , Servello Domenico , Porta Mauro , Dell’Osso Bernardo
Published: September 2021

Background

Highlighting the relationship between obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and tic disorder (TD), two highly disabling, comorbid, and difficult-to-treat conditions, Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5) acknowledged a new “tic-related” specifier for OCD, ie, obsessive–compulsive tic-related disorder (OCTD). As patients with OCTD may frequently show poor treatment response, the aim of this multicenter study was to investigate rates and clinical correlates of response, remission, and treatment resistance in a large multicenter sample of OCD patients with versus without tics.

Methods

A sample of 398 patients with a DSM-5 diagnosis of OCD with and without comorbid TD was assessed from 10 different psychiatric departments across Italy. For the purpose of the study, treatment response profiles in the whole sample were analyzed comparing the rates of response, remission, and treatment-resistance as well as related clinical features. Multivariate logistic regressions were performed to identify possible factors associated with treatment response.

Results

The remission group was associated with later ages of onset of TD and OCD. Moreover, significantly higher rates of psychiatric comorbidities, TD, and lifetime suicidal ideation and attempts emerged in the treatment-resistant group, with larger degrees of perceived worsened quality of life and family involvement.

Conclusions

Although remission was associated with later ages of OCD and TD onset, specific clinical factors, such as early onset and presence of psychiatric comorbidities and concomitant TD, predicted a worse treatment response with a significant impairment in quality of life for both patients and their caregivers, suggesting a worse profile of treatment response for patients with OCTD.
How can the Japanese anomaly be explained? A review essay of Atul Kohli'sImperialism and the Developing World- Atul Kohli,Imperialism and the Developing World: How Britain and the United States Shaped the Global Periphery, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2020.
Authors: Yamada Makio
Published: September 2021

The impact of imperialism on long-term development in the non-Western world was once a popular agenda of inquiry. After the modernization paradigm turned into despair for postcolonial economies, the notions of informal empire (Gallagher and Robinson, 1953) and dependency (Prebisch, 1950; Frank, 1967; Cardoso and Faletto, 1979) marked economists' discussions on underdevelopment in the non-Western world. The agenda, however, lost its momentum after the 1970s, when some Latin American and East Asian economies began growing and research interests and policy agendas shifted from blaming external constraints to identifying internal enablers (Haggard, 1990, 2018). The externalist scholarship became almost moribund thereafter, although its leitmotif was taken over by some Marxian scholarship such as the world-systems theory (Wallerstein, 1974) and its structuralist and anti-globalization offshoots – also partly reincarnated in the literature on the resource curse (Auty, 1993; Karl, 1997).
Interspecific hybridization as a way of resistance transfer against viruses in okra: Hindrances and way forward
Authors: Patel Bhumika N. , Hegde Gopal Krishna , Manu T. G.
Published: September 2021

Okra (Abelmoschus esculentus L. Moench) is considered as a treasure house of nutrients and it is one of the major vegetables widely spread all over tropical, subtropical and warm temperate regions of the world. Yellow vein mosaic virus (YVMV) and enation leaf curl virus are the most destructive diseases of okra as they affect both crop growth and yield. Due to the frequent breakdown of resistance and lack of a stable source of resistance in the cultivated species, interspecific hybridization is considered as a reliable approach for durable resistance. Cultivated species from The United States Department of Agriculture and wild accessions from The National Bureau of Plant Genetic Resources were screened at YVMV hotspot (Guntur, Andhra Pradesh) to identify the potential donors for disease resistance. Accessions IC141032 and IC141012 were found to be free from both viruses and categorized as resistant lines. Interspecific hybridization between A. tetraphyllus and A. esculentus revealed a high crossability index of around 80% when A. esculentus was utilized as a female parent. The bottleneck of hybrid sterility was partially overcome by the colchicine treatment of interspecific F1 hybrids. Good seed set was observed when raw colchiploids were backcrossed to the recurrent parent.
Predicting Alcohol Dependence Symptoms by Young Adulthood: A Co-Twin Comparisons Study
Authors: Stephenson Mallory , Barr Peter , Aliev Fazil , Ksinan Albert , Latvala Antti , Vuoksimaa Eero , Viken Richard , Rose Richard J. , Kaprio Jaakko , Dick Danielle , Salvatore Jessica E.
Published: September 2021

Co-twin comparisons address familial confounding by controlling for genetic and environmental influences that twin siblings share. We applied the co-twin comparison design to investigate associations of adolescent factors with alcohol dependence (AD) symptoms. Participants were 1286 individuals (581 complete twin pairs; 42% monozygotic; and 54% female) from the FinnTwin12 study. Predictors included adolescent academic achievement, substance use, externalizing problems, internalizing problems, executive functioning, peer environment, physical health, relationship with parents, alcohol expectancies, life events, and pubertal development. The outcome was lifetime AD clinical criterion count, as measured in young adulthood. We examined associations of each adolescent domain with AD symptoms in individual-level and co-twin comparison analyses. In individual-level analyses, adolescents with higher levels of substance use, teacher-reported externalizing problems at age 12, externalizing problems at age 14, self- and co-twin-reported internalizing problems, peer deviance, and perceived difficulty of life events reported more symptoms of AD in young adulthood (ps < .044). Conversely, individuals with higher academic achievement, social adjustment, self-rated health, and parent–child relationship quality met fewer AD clinical criteria (ps < .024). Associations between adolescent substance use, teacher-reported externalizing problems, co-twin-reported internalizing problems, peer deviance, self-rated health, and AD symptoms were of a similar magnitude in co-twin comparisons. We replicated many well-known adolescent correlates of later alcohol problems, including academic achievement, substance use, externalizing and internalizing problems, self-rated health, and features of the peer environment and parent–child relationship. Furthermore, we demonstrate the utility of co-twin comparisons for understanding pathways to AD. Effect sizes corresponding to the associations between adolescent substance use, teacher-reported externalizing problems, co-twin-reported internalizing problems, peer deviance, and self-rated health were not significantly attenuated (p value threshold = .05) after controlling for genetic and environmental influences that twin siblings share, highlighting these factors as candidates for further research.
Genesis Locations of the Costliest Atmospheric Rivers Impacting the Western United States
Authors: Prince Hamish D. , Gibson Peter B. , DeFlorio Michael J. , Corringham Thomas W. , Cobb Alison , Guan Bin , Ralph F. Martin , Waliser Duane E.
Published: September 2021

Atmospheric rivers (ARs) are responsible for the vast majority (∼88%) of flood damage in the Western U.S., an annual average of USD$1.1 billion. Here, using historical flood insurance data, we investigate the genesis characteristics of damaging ARs in the Western U.S.. ARs exceeding USD$20 million in damage (90th percentile), are shown to travel further across the Pacific Ocean, with median genesis locations 8°–27° further westward compared to typical ARs. Identifying regions of preferential genesis of damaging ARs elicit important implications for AR observation campaigns, highlighting distant regions not currently considered for AR reconnaissance. The genesis of damaging ARs is associated with elevated upper‐level zonal wind speeds along with deeper cyclonic anomalies, most pronounced for Washington and Oregon ARs. Linking AR dynamics and lifecycle characteristics to economic damage provides an opportunity for impact‐based forecasting of ARs prior to landfall, supporting efforts to mitigate extreme flood damages.
Global Frequency and Geographical Distribution of Nighttime Streamer Corona Discharges (BLUEs) in Thunderclouds
Authors: Soler S. , Gordillo‐Vázquez F. J. , Pérez‐Invernón F. J. , Luque A. , Li D. , Neubert T. , Chanrion O. , Reglero V. , Navarro‐González J. , Østgaard N.
Published: September 2021

Blue LUminous Events (BLUEs) are transient corona discharges occurring in thunderclouds and characterized by strong 337.0 nm light flashes with absent (or weak) 777.4 nm component. We present the first nighttime climatology of BLUEs as detected by the Modular Multispectral Imaging Array of the Atmosphere‐Space Interaction Monitor showing their worldwide geographical and seasonal distribution. A total (land and ocean) of 11 BLUEs occur around the globe every second at local midnight and the average BLUE land/sea ratio is 7:4. The northwest region of Colombia shows an annual nighttime peak. Globally, BLUEs are maximized during the boreal summer‐autumn, contrary to lightning which is maximed in the boreal summer. The geographical distribution of nighttime BLUEs shows three main regions in, by order of importance, the Americas, Europe/Africa and Asia/Australia.
The Influence of Interdecadal Changes in Boreal Winter Teleconnections Around the 1980s on Planetary Waves and Stratospheric Sudden Warmings
Authors: Li Yuanpu , Wen Zhiping
Published: September 2021

This study investigated the influence of the interdecadal changes in the Pacific‐North America (PNA) and Western Pacific (WP) teleconnections on the planetary waves and stratospheric sudden warmings (SSWs), based on the National Center for Environmental Prediction reanalysis and Japanese 55‐year reanalysis. Before the 1980s, there were more negative PNA & negative WP combinations (−PNA&−WP), and after the 1980s, there were more +PNA&+WP. +PNA&−WP and −PNA&+WP had no significant interdecadal changes before and after the 1980s. The interdecadal changes in the teleconnection combinations may be related to the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO). During +PNA&+WP (−PNA&−WP), the planetary waves with wavenumber 1 have the maximum (minimum) wave energy and propagating more (less) to the stratosphere, causing a greater (lesser) frequency of SSWs. Thus, the interdecadal changes in the teleconnection combinations are one of the important factors which could contribute to the possible increase in SSWs after the 1980s. Since there are no satellite observations on the stratosphere before 1979, there are still many uncertainties in the interdecadal changes in SSWs.
Substantial Stem Methane Emissions From Rainforest and Cacao Agroforest Partly Negate Soil Uptake in the Congo Basin
Authors: Iddris Najeeb A. , Corre Marife D. , van Straaten Oliver , Tchiofo Lontsi Rodine , Veldkamp Edzo
Published: September 2021

Most stem CH4 emission investigations were conducted in wetland forests, and it remains unknown whether trees in tropical rainforests on heavily weathered soils are substantial contributors to ecosystem CH4 fluxes. Additionally, Africa remains the continent with the lowest numbers of published field studies on soil greenhouse gas fluxes. Over one year, we measured monthly stem and soil CH4 fluxes with forest conversion to traditional cacao agroforestry in the Congo Basin, Cameroon. All the measured trees emitted CH4 throughout the year. The annual total (soil + stem) CH4 fluxes were −2.62 ± 0.37 kg C ha−1 yr−1 from the forest and −3.23 ± 0.45 kg C ha−1 yr−1 for the cacao agroforestry, with stem CH4 emissions equating to 4%–21% of the soil sink in the forest, and 3%–27% of the soil sink in cacao agroforestry. 2% of our measured trees were “hot spots” of CH4 emission, with two orders of magnitude larger emissions than the remaining trees in our sites. Correlations of stem CH4 emissions and soil drivers suggest a potential belowground source of stem CH4 emissions, although this pathway may be working simultaneously with a within‐tree microbial CH4 source. Overall, forest conversion to traditional, mature cacao agroforestry did not affect stem and soil CH4 fluxes. Our results demonstrate that tropical trees on well‐drained, highly weathered soils represent potential CH4 emission pathways that have largely been ignored, and provides evidence that upland ecosystems may be weaker sinks of atmospheric CH4 than previously estimated.
Performance Characterization of ESA's Tropospheric Delay Calibration System for Advanced Radio Science Experiments
Authors: Lasagni Manghi Riccardo , Zannoni Marco , Tortora Paolo , Martellucci Antonio , De Vicente Javier , Villalvilla Jose , Mercolino Mattia , Maschwitz Gerrit , Rose Thomas
Published: September 2021

Media propagation noises are amongst the main error sources of radiometric observables for deep space missions, with fluctuations of the tropospheric excess path length representing a relevant contributor to the Doppler noise budget. Microwave radiometers currently represent the most accurate instruments for the estimation of the tropospheric delay and delay rate along a slant direction. A prototype of a tropospheric delay calibration system (TDCS), using a 14 channel Ka/V band microwave radiometer, has been developed under a European Space Agency contract and installed at the deep space ground station in Malargüe, Argentina, in February 2019. After its commissioning, the TDCS has been involved in an extensive testbed campaign by recording a total of 44 tracking passes of the Gaia spacecraft, which were used to perform an orbit determination analysis. This work presents the first statistical characterization of the end‐to‐end performance of the TDCS prototype in an operational scenario. The results show that using TDCS‐based calibrations instead of the standard GNSS‐based calibrations leads to a significant reduction of the residual Doppler noise and instability.
Increased BUB1B/BUBR1 expression contributes to aberrant DNA repair activity leading to resistance to DNA-damaging agents
Authors: Komura Kazumasa , Inamoto Teruo , Tsujino Takuya , Matsui Yusuke , Konuma Tsuyoshi , Nishimura Kazuki , Uchimoto Taizo , Tsutsumi Takeshi , Matsunaga Tomohisa , Maenosono Ryoichi , Yoshikawa Yuki , Taniguchi Kohei , Tanaka Tomohito , Uehara Hirofumi , Hirata Koichi , Hirano Hajime , Nomi Hayahito , Hirose Yoshinobu , Ono Fumihito , Azuma Haruhito
Published: September 2021

There has been accumulating evidence for the clinical benefit of chemoradiation therapy (CRT), whereas mechanisms in CRT-recurrent clones derived from the primary tumor are still elusive. Herein, we identified an aberrant BUB1B/BUBR1 expression in CRT-recurrent clones in bladder cancer (BC) by comprehensive proteomic analysis. CRT-recurrent BC cells exhibited a cell-cycle-independent upregulation of BUB1B/BUBR1 expression rendering an enhanced DNA repair activity in response to DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs). With DNA repair analyses employing the CRISPR/cas9 system, we revealed that cells with aberrant BUB1B/BUBR1 expression dominantly exploit mutagenic nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ). We further found that phosphorylated ATM interacts with BUB1B/BUBR1 after ionizing radiation (IR) treatment, and the resistance to DSBs by increased BUB1B/BUBR1 depends on the functional ATM. In vivo, tumor growth of CRT-resistant T24R cells was abrogated by ATM inhibition using AZD0156. A dataset analysis identified FOXM1 as a putative BUB1B/BUBR1-targeting transcription factor causing its increased expression. These data collectively suggest a redundant role of BUB1B/BUBR1 underlying mutagenic NHEJ in an ATM-dependent manner, aside from the canonical activity of BUB1B/BUBR1 on the G2/M checkpoint, and offer novel clues to overcome CRT resistance.
First tracks of newborn straight-tusked elephants (Palaeoloxodon antiquus)
Authors: Neto de Carvalho Carlos , Belaústegui Zain , Toscano Antonio , Muñiz Fernando , Belo João , Galán Jose María , Gómez Paula , Cáceres Luis M. , Rodríguez-Vidal Joaquín , Cunha Pedro Proença , Cachão Mario , Ruiz Francisco , Ramirez-Cruzado Samuel , Giles-Guzmán Francisco , Finlayson Geraldine , Finlayson Stewart , Finlayson Clive
Published: September 2021

Tracks and trackways of newborns, calves and juveniles attributed to straight-tusked elephants were found in the MIS 5 site (Upper Pleistocene) known as the Matalascañas Trampled Surface (MTS) at Huelva, SW Spain. Evidence of a snapshot of social behaviour, especially parental care, can be determined from the concentration of elephant tracks and trackways, and especially from apparently contemporaneous converging trackways, of small juvenile and larger, presumably young adult female tracks. The size frequency of the tracks enabled us to infer body mass and age distribution of the animals that crossed the MTS. Comparisons of the MTS demographic frequency with the morphology of the fore- and hind limbs of extant and fossil proboscideans shed light into the reproductive ecology of the straight-tusked elephant, Palaeloxodon antiquus. The interdune pond habitat appeared to have been an important water and food resource for matriarchal herds of straight-tusked elephants and likely functioned as a reproductive habitat, with only the rare presence of adult and older males in the MTS. The preservation of this track record in across a paleosol surface, although heavily trampled by different animals, including Neanderthals, over a short time frame, permitted an exceptional view into short-term intraspecific trophic interactions occurring in the Last Interglacial coastal habitat. Therefore, it is hypothesized that Neanderthals visited MTS for hunting or scavenging on weakened or dead elephants, and more likely calves.
A bioluminescent and homogeneous SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD and hACE2 interaction assay for antiviral screening and monitoring patient neutralizing antibody levels
Authors: Alves Juliano , Engel Laurie , de Vasconcelos Cabral Renata , Rodrigues Eduardo L. , de Jesus Ribeiro Liane , Higa Luiza M. , da Costa Ferreira Júnior Orlando , Castiñeiras Terezinha Marta P. P. , de Carvalho Leitão Isabela , Tanuri Amilcar , Goueli Said A. , Zegzouti Hicham
Published: September 2021

Here we describe a homogeneous bioluminescent immunoassay based on the interaction between Fc-tagged SARS-CoV-2 Spike RBD and human ACE2, and its detection by secondary antibodies labeled with NanoLuc luciferase fragments LgBit and SmBit. The assay utility for the discovery of novel inhibitors was demonstrated with a panel of anti-RBD antibodies, ACE2-derived miniproteins and soluble ACE2. Studying the effect of RBD mutations on ACE2 binding showed that the N501Y mutation increased RBD apparent affinity toward ACE2 tenfold that resulted in escaping inhibition by some anti-RBD antibodies. In contrast, while E484K mutation did not highly change the binding affinity, it still escaped antibody inhibition likely due to changes in the epitope recognized by the antibody. Also, neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) from COVID-19 positive samples from two distinct regions (USA and Brazil) were successfully detected and the results further suggest the persistence of NAbs for at least 6 months post symptom onset. Finally, sera from vaccinated individuals were tested for NAbs and showed varying neutralizing activity after first and second doses, suggesting the assay can be used to assess immunity of vaccinated populations. Our results demonstrate the broad utility and ease of use of this methodology both for drug discovery and clinical research applications.
Modified wavelet analysis of ECoG-pattern as promising tool for detection of the blood–brain barrier leakage
Authors: Runnova Anastasiya , Zhuravlev Maksim , Ukolov Rodion , Blokhina Inna , Dubrovski Alexander , Lezhnev Nikita , Sitnikova Evgeniya , Saranceva Elena , Kiselev Anton , Karavaev Anatoly , Selskii Anton , Semyachkina-Glushkovskaya Oxana , Penzel Thomas , Kurths Jurgen
Published: September 2021

A new approach for detection oscillatory patterns and estimation of their dynamics based by a modified CWT skeleton method is presented. The method opens up additional perspectives for the analysis of subtle changes in the oscillatory activity of complex nonstationary signals. The method was applied to analyze unique experimental signals obtained in usual conditions and after the non-invasive increase in the blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability in 10 male Wistar rats. The results of the wavelet-analysis of electrocorticography (ECoG) recorded in a normal physiological state and after an increase in the BBB permeability of animals demonstrate significant changes between these states during wakefulness of animals and an essential smoothing of these differences during sleep. Sleep is closely related to the processes of observed changes in the BBB permeability.
Oncogenic signaling inhibits c-FLIPL expression and its non-apoptotic function during ECM-detachment
Authors: Tsegaye Matyas Abel , He Jianping , McGeehan Kyle , Murphy Ireland M. , Nemera Mati , Schafer Zachary T.
Published: September 2021

Inhibition of programmed cell death pathways is frequently observed in cancer cells where it functions to facilitate tumor progression. However, some proteins involved in the regulation of cell death function dichotomously to both promote and inhibit cell death depending on the cellular context. As such, understanding how cell death proteins are regulated in a context-dependent fashion in cancer cells is of utmost importance. We have uncovered evidence that cellular FLICE-like Inhibitory Protein (c-FLIP), a well-known anti-apoptotic protein, is often downregulated in tumor tissue when compared to adjacent normal tissue. These data argue that c-FLIP may have activity distinct from its canonical role in antagonizing cell death. Interestingly, we have discovered that detachment from extracellular matrix (ECM) serves as a signal to elevate c-FLIP transcription and that oncogenic signaling blocks ECM-detachment-induced c-FLIP elevation. In addition, our data reveal that downregulation of c-FLIP promotes luminal filling in mammary acini and that c-FLIP overexpression in cancer cells inhibits colony formation in cells exposed to ECM-detachment. Taken together, our study reveals an unexpected, non-apoptotic role for c-FLIP during ECM-detachment and raises the possibility that c-FLIP may have context-dependent roles during tumorigenesis.
A Tunguska sized airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam a Middle Bronze Age city in the Jordan Valley near the Dead Sea
Authors: Bunch Ted E. , LeCompte Malcolm A. , Adedeji A. Victor , Wittke James H. , Burleigh T. David , Hermes Robert E. , Mooney Charles , Batchelor Dale , Wolbach Wendy S. , Kathan Joel , Kletetschka Gunther , Patterson Mark C. L. , Swindel Edward C. , Witwer Timothy , Howard George A. , Mitra Siddhartha , Moore Christopher R. , Langworthy Kurt , Kennett James P. , West Allen , Silvia Phillip J.
Published: September 2021

We present evidence that in ~ 1650 BCE (~ 3600 years ago), a cosmic airburst destroyed Tall el-Hammam, a Middle-Bronze-Age city in the southern Jordan Valley northeast of the Dead Sea. The proposed airburst was larger than the 1908 explosion over Tunguska, Russia, where a ~ 50-m-wide bolide detonated with ~ 1000× more energy than the Hiroshima atomic bomb. A city-wide ~ 1.5-m-thick carbon-and-ash-rich destruction layer contains peak concentrations of shocked quartz (~ 5–10 GPa); melted pottery and mudbricks; diamond-like carbon; soot; Fe- and Si-rich spherules; CaCO3 spherules from melted plaster; and melted platinum, iridium, nickel, gold, silver, zircon, chromite, and quartz. Heating experiments indicate temperatures exceeded 2000 °C. Amid city-side devastation, the airburst demolished 12+ m of the 4-to-5-story palace complex and the massive 4-m-thick mudbrick rampart, while causing extreme disarticulation and skeletal fragmentation in nearby humans. An airburst-related influx of salt (~ 4 wt.%) produced hypersalinity, inhibited agriculture, and caused a ~ 300–600-year-long abandonment of ~ 120 regional settlements within a > 25-km radius. Tall el-Hammam may be the second oldest city/town destroyed by a cosmic airburst/impact, after Abu Hureyra, Syria, and possibly the earliest site with an oral tradition that was written down (Genesis). Tunguska-scale airbursts can devastate entire cities/regions and thus, pose a severe modern-day hazard.
Effects of increasing axial load on cervical motor control
Authors: Rafique David , Heggli Ursula , Bron Denis , Colameo David , Schweinhardt Petra , Swanenburg Jaap
Published: September 2021

To investigate the effects of increasing axial load on cervical motor control. Surrogates of cervical motor control were active cervical range of motion (C-ROM) and joint position error (JPE) assessed in flexion, extension, lateroflexion and rotation directions in 49 healthy young men (mean age: 20.2 years). All measurements were executed with 0-, 1-, 2-, and 3-kg axial loads. Linear mixed models were used to assess the effects of axial loading and cervical movement-direction on C-ROM and JPE. Post-hoc analysis was performed to compare load levels. Axial loading (p = 0.045) and movement direction (p < 0.001) showed significant main effects on C-ROM as well as an interaction (p < 0.001). C-ROM significantly changed with 3-kg axial load by decreaseing extension (− 13.6%) and increasing lateroflexion (+ 9.9%). No significant main effect was observed of axial loading on JPE (p = 0.139). Cervical motor control is influenced by axial loading, which results in decreased C-ROM in extension and increased C-ROM lateroflexion direction.
Characterization of two β-galactosidases LacZ and WspA1 from Nostoc flagelliforme with focus on the latter’s central active region
Authors: Gao Xiang , Liu Litao , Cui Lijuan , Zheng Tao , Ji Boyang , Liu Ke
Published: September 2021

The identification and characterization of new β-galactosidases will provide diverse candidate enzymes for use in food processing industry. In this study, two β-galactosidases, Nf-LacZ and WspA1, from the terrestrial cyanobacteriumNostoc flagelliformewere heterologously expressed inEscherichia coli, followed by purification and biochemical characterization. Nf-LacZ was characterized to have an optimum activity at 40 °C and pH 6.5, different from that (45 °C and pH 8.0) of WspA1. Two enzymes had a similar Michaelis constant (Km = 0.5 mmol/liter) against the substrate o-nitrophenyl-β-D-galactopyranoside. Their activities could be inhibited by galactostatin bisulfite, with IC50 values of 0.59 µM for Nf-LacZ and 1.18 µM for WspA1, respectively. Gel filtration analysis suggested that the active form of WspA1 was a dimer, while Nf-LacZ was functional as a larger multimer. WspA1 was further characterized by the truncation test, and its minimum central region was found to be from residues 188 to 301, having both the glycosyl hydrolytic and transgalactosylation activities. Finally, transgenic analysis with the GFP reporter protein found that the N-terminus of WspA1 (35 aa) might play a special role in the export of WspA1 from cells. In summary, this study characterized two cyanobacterial β-galactosidases for potential applications in food industry.
“Indirect development” increases reproductive plasticity and contributes to the success of scyphozoan jellyfish in the oceans
Authors: D’Ambra Isabella , Merquiol Louise , Graham William M. , Costello John H.
Published: September 2021

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists have been looking for the key(s) to the success of scyphomedusae through their long evolutionary history in multiple habitats. Their ability to generate young medusae (ephyrae) via two distinct reproductive strategies, strobilation or direct development from planula into ephyra without a polyp stage, has been a potential explanation. In addition to these reproductive modes, here we provide evidence of a third ephyral production which has been rarely observed and often confused with direct development from planula into ephyra. Planulae of Aurelia relicta Scorrano et al. 2017 and Cotylorhiza tuberculata (Macri 1778) settled and formed fully-grown polyps which transformed into ephyrae within several days. In distinction to monodisk strobilation, the basal polyp of indirect development was merely a non-tentaculate stalk that dissolved shortly after detachment of the ephyra. We provide a fully detailed description of this variant that increases reproductive plasticity within scyphozoan life cycles and is different than either true direct development or the monodisk strobilation. Our observations of this pattern in co-occurrence with mono- and polydisk strobilation in Aurelia spp. suggest that this reproductive mode may be crucial for the survival of some scyphozoan populations within the frame of a bet-hedging strategy and contribute to their long evolutionary success throughout the varied conditions of past and future oceans.
Non-invasive diagnostic tool for Parkinson’s disease by sebum RNA profile with machine learning
Authors: Uehara Yuya , Ueno Shin-Ichi , Amano-Takeshige Haruka , Suzuki Shuji , Imamichi Yoko , Fujimaki Motoki , Ota Noriyasu , Murase Takatoshi , Inoue Takayoshi , Saiki Shinji , Hattori Nobutaka
Published: September 2021

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease presenting with motor and non-motor symptoms, including skin disorders (seborrheic dermatitis, bullous pemphigoid, and rosacea), skin pathological changes (decreased nerve endings and alpha-synuclein deposition), and metabolic changes of sebum. Recently, a transcriptome method using RNA in skin surface lipids (SSL-RNAs) which can be obtained non-invasively with an oil-blotting film was reported as a novel analytic method of sebum. Here we report transcriptome analyses using SSL-RNAs and the potential of these expression profiles with machine learning as diagnostic biomarkers for PD in double cohorts (PD [n = 15, 50], controls [n = 15, 50]). Differential expression analysis between the patients with PD and healthy controls identified more than 100 differentially expressed genes in the two cohorts. In each cohort, several genes related to oxidative phosphorylation were upregulated, and gene ontology analysis using differentially expressed genes revealed functional processes associated with PD. Furthermore, machine learning using the expression information obtained from the SSL-RNAs was able to efficiently discriminate patients with PD from healthy controls, with an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.806. This non-invasive gene expression profile of SSL-RNAs may contribute to early PD diagnosis based on the neurodegeneration background.