bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No Signs of Long-term Greening Trend in Western Mongolian Grasslands
Authors: Hauck Markus , Klinge Michael , Erasmi Stefan , Dulamsuren Choimaa
Published: February 2023

Trends for increased vegetation greenness based on satellite-derived data have been repeatedly published for the temperate grassland biome (including forest steppes) of eastern Inner Asia since 1982. Although this greening trend has been attenuated or partially reversed by drought in the early twenty-first century, linear increases in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) or other parameters of vegetation greenness are nevertheless evident when the period since 1982 is regarded. However, the question arises whether these trends are part of a long-term trend driven by climate change, as simultaneously forests in the region show widespread drought-induced growth reductions and mortality outbreaks. Therefore, we hypothesized that the post-1982 greening trend was neither part of a long-term trend nor unprecedented. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed monthly maximum NDVI data from AVHRR time series and correlated these data with standardized tree-ring data ofLarix sibiricafrom two regions of western Mongolia. We used linear regression to model the NDVI from tree-ring anomalies and to reconstruct the NDVI since 1940. These reconstructions show that the availability of satellite-based NDVI data coincidentally began during a dry period of low vegetation greenness in the early 1980s and was followed by a wet phase in the 1990s, producing the linear greening trend. No positive long-term trend in the reconstructed NDVI was observed from 1940 to 2010. This result rules out a recent climate change-driven greening trend for the grasslands and forest steppes of western Mongolia and calls into question its existence for all of eastern Inner Asia.
Signal Processing Techniques for 6G
Authors: Mucchi Lorenzo , Shahabuddin Shahriar , Albreem Mahmoud A. M. , Abdallah Saeed , Caputo Stefano , Panayirci Erdal , Juntti Markku
Published: February 2023

6G networks have the burden to provide not only higher performance compared to 5G, but also to enable new service domains as well as to open the door over a new paradigm of mobile communication. This paper presents an overview on the role and key challenges of signal processing (SP) in future 6G systems and networks from the conditioning of the signal at transmission to MIMO precoding and detection, from channel coding to channel estimation, from multicarrier and non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) to optical wireless communications and physical layer security (PLS). We describe also the core future research challenges on technologies including machine learning based 6G design, integrated communications and sensing (ISAC), and the internet of bio-nano-things.
Influence of land cover indices and surface temperature on the metals bioaccumulation by three Macrophytes in Lake Burullus, Egypt
Authors: El-Alfy Muhammad A. , Serag Mamdouh S. , Basiony Afifi I. , Fathi Mohamed , Darwish Dina H.
Published: February 2023

Nowadays, the importance of using macrophytes in accumulation of heavy metals has gained great concerns. So, this study aimed at extracting the land use/cover types of three indices and surface temperatures in the habitats inside 100 m buffers from recent satellite images around three highly economic macrophytes namely;Phragmites australis, Typha domingensisandPotamogeton pectinatusspecies. In addition to land surface temperature (LST), three important indices expressing the land cover of habitats namely; normalized different vegetation index (NDVI), normalized different water index (NDWI), and normalized different moisture index (NDMI) were extracted to find out there influence on the efficiency of macrophytes in the accumulation of these metal ions; Fe, Cu, Zn, Cd and Pb. The Polynomial regression models were calculated to predict the accumulation factors of plants within the remotely sensed indices and LST. Results showed different accumulation values for individual or more metals in the below-ground and above-ground parts of macrophytes within different habitats. This study considers as an innovative approach using remote sensing technique and satellite images for the selecting of species that can accumulate more metals within different habitats. The obtained results will be useful for the optimal management of these macrophytes in Lake Burullus, a Ramsar site.
Dietary Management of Metabolic Liver Disease
Authors: Kaenkumchorn Tanyaporn K. , Patel Shreena , Berenhaut Esther , Kohli Rohit
Published: February 2023

Purpose of Review

Metabolic liver diseases encompass several different inherited conditions that affect metabolism and can lead to hepatic dysfunction. Understanding the role of dietary interventions is critical, as nutrition continues to play a large role in management of these diseases and at times can even be lifesaving.

Recent Findings

Despite novel genetic and enzymatic therapies, dietary management remains fundamental in inherited metabolic diseases of the liver. Appropriate restriction, supplementation, and overall nutrition must be taken into consideration for optimal growth and hepatoprotection.

Understanding the pathophysiology of diseases, as well as how nutritional approaches fit into treatment paradigms, allows for optimal care of patients with metabolic liver disease. Treatment should be multidisciplinary and include a dietician with expertise in metabolic disease.
Geometric Invariance of the Semi-classical Calculus on Nilpotent Graded Lie Groups
Authors: Kammerer Clotilde Fermanian , Fischer Véronique , Flynn Steven
Published: February 2023

In this paper, we consider the semi-classical setting constructed on nilpotent graded Lie groups by means of representation theory. Our aim is to analyze the effects of the pull-back by diffeomorphisms on pseudodifferential operators. We restrict to diffeomorphisms that preserve the filtration and prove that they are uniformly Pansu differentiable. We show that the pull-back of a semi-classical pseudodifferential operator by such a diffeomorphism has a semi-classical symbol that is expressed at leading order in terms of the Pansu differential. Finally, we interpret the geometric meaning of this invariance in the setting of filtered manifolds.
Local weld geometry-based characterization of fatigue strength in laser-MAG hybrid welded joints
Authors: Niraula Abinab , Remes Heikki , Lehto Pauli
Published: February 2023

This
research studies the influence of local weld notch parameters on fatigue crack initiation sites in laser-hybrid butt welds, utilizing high-resolution 3D scans and fatigue tests to failure. The suitability of different local geometric weld notch parameters for fatigue strength characterization is investigated, and the current challenges associated with their measurements are highlighted. The weld notch shapes were found to fluctuate significantly, resulting in considerable variation in notch parameters over short intervals. Undercut depth was found to determine the critical location for crack initiation. There were several instances where the fatigue crack initiated from notches with large radii despite the presence of sharper notches, contrary to what is expected on the basis of previous investigations. The results of the present study indicate that the undercut depth is a suitable fatigue strength indicator for high-quality laser-MAG hybrid welds, overcoming the practical limitations of notch radius measurement.
Mean Oscillation Gradient Estimates for Elliptic Systems in Divergence Form with VMO Coefficients
Authors: Nguyen Luc
Published: February 2023

We consider gradient estimates for H1 solutions of linear elliptic systems in divergence form $\partial _{\alpha }(A_{ij}^{\alpha \beta } \partial _{\beta } u^{j}) = 0$

∂

α

(

A

i
j

α
β

∂

β

u

j

)
=
0
. It is known that the Dini continuity of coefficient matrix $A = (A_{ij}^{\alpha \beta }) $
A
=
(

A

i
j

α
β

)
is essential for the differentiability of solutions. We prove the following results:

(a) If A satisfies a condition slightly weaker than Dini continuity but stronger than belonging to VMO, namely that the L2 mean oscillation ωA,2 of A satisfies
$ X_{A,2} := \limsup\limits_{r\rightarrow 0} r {{\int \limits }_{r}^{2}} \frac {\omega _{A,2}(t)}{t^{2}} \exp \left (C_{*} {{\int \limits }_{t}^{R}} \frac {\omega _{A,2}(s)}{s} ds\right ) dt < \infty , $

X

A
,
2

:
=

lim sup

r
→
0

r

∫

r

2

ω

A
,
2

(
t
)

t

2

exp

C

∗

∫

t

R

ω

A
,
2

(
s
)

s

d
s

d
t
<
∞
,
where C∗ is a positive constant depending only on the dimensions and the ellipticity, then ∇u ∈ BMO.

(b) If XA,2 = 0, then ∇u ∈ VMO.

(c) Finally, examples satisfying XA,2 = 0 are given showing that it is not possible to prove the boundedness of ∇u in statement (b), nor the continuity of ∇u when $\nabla u \in L^{\infty } \cap VMO$
∇
u
∈

L

∞

∩
V
M
O
.
Flexibility Characterization, Aggregation, and Market Design Trends with a High Share of Renewables: a Review
Authors: Granado Pedro Crespo del , Rajasekharan Jayaprakash , Pandiyan Surya Venkatesh , Tomasgard Asgeir , Kara Güray , Farahmand Hossein , Jaehnert Stefan
Published: February 2023

Purpose of Review

Balancing a large share of solar and wind power generation in the power system will require a well synchronized coordination of all possible flexibility sources. This entails developing market designs that incentivize flexibility providers, and define new flexibility products. To this end, the paper reviews latest trends in the characterization of flexibility by understanding its dimensions in terms of time, spatiality, resource type, and associated risks. Also, as aggregators have emerged as important actors to deliver, and to reward end-user flexibility, the paper reviews latest trends in the topic.

Recent Findings

The review reports latest trends and discussions on power system flexibility and their relations to market design. The current academic literature indicates that there are open question and limited research on how to reward short-term flexibility while considering its long-term economic viability. Demand-side flexibility through aggregation holds great potential to integrate renewables.

Research in power system flexibility has to put effort on analysing new time-structures of electricity markets and define new marketplaces that consider the integration of new flexibility products, actors (e.g. aggregators, end-users), and mechanisms (e.g. TSO-DSO coordination).
Osteoporosi premenopausale
Authors: Minisola Salvatore , De Martino Viviana , Occhiuto Marco
Published: February 2023

Sommario

L’osteoporosi premenopausale viene definita come un’osteoporosi a insorgenza prima della fisiologica cessazione della funzione gonadica, in assenza di qualsiasi causa identificabile che possa sottendere la riduzione della densità minerale ossea. Vi sono infatti numerose malattie, condizioni oppure farmaci che sono in grado di determinare una riduzione della densità minerale ossea non solo nella donna in premenopausa ma anche nella donna in postmenopausa e nel soggetto di sesso maschile. La reale prevalenza dell’osteoporosi premenopausale non è chiara, principalmente perché non vi è accordo unanime sui criteri diagnostici. Il percorso diagnostico non differisce da quello che viene utilizzato nelle altre malattie metaboliche dello scheletro. Per ciò che concerne la terapia, è necessario fornire ai pazienti un adeguato apporto di calcio e vitamina D, suggerire una dieta bilanciata soprattutto per quanto riguarda l’apporto proteico e consigliare, infine, un’adeguata attività fisica. Nei casi in cui è opportuno impostare una terapia farmacologica, occorre dare la preferenza ai farmaci a emivita breve in considerazione della fertilità delle pazienti. Infine, è necessario un coordinamento con specialisti di numerose branche della medicina per la migliore gestione di queste giovani malate.
Wildlife Population Assessment: Changing Priorities Driven by Technological Advances
Authors: Buckland S. T. , Borchers D. L. , Marques T. A. , Fewster R. M.
Published: February 2023

Advances in technology are having a large effect on the priorities for innovation in statistical ecology. Collaborations between statisticians and ecologists have always been important in driving methodological development, but increasingly, expertise from computer scientists and engineers is also needed. We discuss changes that are occurring and that may occur in the future in surveys for estimating animal abundance. As technology advances, we expect classical distance sampling and capture-recapture to decrease in importance, as camera (still and video) survey, acoustic survey, spatial capture-recapture and genetic methods continue to develop and find new applications. We explore how these changes are impacting the work of the statistical ecologist.
Combining Case Study Designs for Theory Building
Authors: Nair Lakshmi Balachandran , Gibbert Michael , Hoorani Bareerah Hafeez
Published: February 2023

Case study research is a versatile approach that allows for different data sources to be combined, with its main purpose being theory development. This book goes a step further by combining different case study research designs, informed by the authors' extensive teaching and research experience. It provides an accessible introduction to case study research, familiarizes readers with different archetypical and sequenced designs, and describes these designs and their components using both real and fictional examples. It provides thought-provoking exercises, and in doing so, prepares the reader to design their own case study in a way that suits the research objective. Written for an academic audience, this book is useful for students, their supervisors and professors, and ultimately any researcher who intends to use, or is already using, the case study approach.
Language Policy and the New Speaker Challenge
Authors: Williams Colin H.
Published: February 2023

'New speakers' is a term used to describe those who have learnt a minority language not within their home or community settings, but through bilingual education, immersion or migration. Looking specifically at the impact of new speakers on language policy, this book provides an authoritative and detailed examination of minority language policy in Wales, Scotland, Ireland, the Basque Autonomous Community, Navarre, Catalonia and Galicia. Based on interviews with politicians, senior civil servants, academics and civil society activists, it assesses the extent to which interventions derived from a new speakers' perspective has been incorporated into official language practice. It describes several challenges faced by new speakers, before proposing specific recommendations on how to integrate them into established minority language communities. Shedding new light on the deeper issues faced by minority language communities, it is essential reading for students and researchers in sociolinguistics, language policy and planning, language education, bi- and multilingualism.
American Patent Law
Authors: Merges Robert P.
Published: February 2023

Students and established scholars of intellectual property law often look for historical context when trying to understand the development and present-day contours of IP rules and systems. American Patent Law supplies this context, offering readers a comprehensive account of the evolution of the US patent system and patent doctrine beginning in 1790. From the technologies for harvesting wood and shoemaking in the earliest periods to computer software and biotechnology of the present, each chapter of the book covers the characteristic technologies of each historical era. The book also describes how businesspeople in each era acquired and enforced patents and used patents as the foundation of various business arrangements. This book is a landmark in the history of technologies, the US patent system, and the way private actors have deployed patents across American history.
The World Crisis and International Law
Authors: Stephan Paul B.
Published: February 2023

The knowledge economy, a seeming wonder for the world, has caused unintended harms that threaten peace and prosperity and undo international cooperation and the international rule of law. The world faces threats of war, pandemics, growing domestic political discord, climate change, disruption of international trade and investment, immigration, and the pollution of cyberspace, just as international law increasingly falls short as a tool for managing these challenges. Prosperity dependent on meritocracy, open borders, international economic freedom, and a wide-open Internet has met its limits, with international law one of the first casualties. Any effective response to these threats must reflect the pathway by which these perils arrive. Part of the answer to these challenges, Paul B. Stephan argues, must include a re-conception of international law as arising out of pragmatic and limited experiments by states, rather than as grand projects to remake and redeem the world.
Rotation Sensing with Large Ring Lasers
Authors: Schreiber Ulrich , Wells Jon-Paul
Published: February 2023

Ring lasers are commonly used as gyroscopes for aircraft navigation and attitude control. The largest ring lasers are sensitive enough that they can be used for high resolution inertial rotation sensing of the Earth in order to detect tiny perturbations to the Earth's rotation caused by earthquakes or global mass transport. This book describes the latest advances in the development of large ring lasers for applications in geodesy and geophysics using the most sensitive and stable devices available. Chapters cover our current knowledge of the physics of the laser gyroscope, how to acquire and analyse data from ring lasers, and what the potential applications are in the geosciences. It is a valuable reference for those working with ring lasers or using the data for applications in geodesy and geophysics; as well as researchers in laser physics, photonics and navigation.
Seeing the Forest for the Trees
Authors: Bonan Gordon
Published: February 2023

For centuries, people have understood that forests, and our utilisation of them, influence the climate. With modern environmental concerns, there is now scientific, governmental, and popular interest in planting trees for climate protection. This book examines the historical origins of the idea that forests influence climate, the bitter controversy that ended the science, and its modern rebirth. Spanning the 1500s to the present, it provides a broad perspective across the physical and biological sciences, as well as the humanities, to explain the many ways forests influence climate. It describes their use in climate-smart forestry and as a natural climate solution, and demonstrates that in the forest–climate question, human and sylvan fates are linked. Accessibly written with minimal mathematics, it is ideal for students in environmental and related sciences, as well as anyone with an interest in understanding the environmental workings of forests and their interactions with climate.
Diet Impacts on Brain and Mind
Authors: Stevenson Richard J. , Francis Heather
Published: February 2023

Everybody eats, and what we eat – or do not – affects the brain and mind. There is significant general, applied, academic, and industry interest about nutrition and the brain, yet there is much misinformation and no single reliable guide. Diet Impacts on Brain and Mind provides a comprehensive account of this emerging multi-disciplinary science, exploring the acute and chronic impacts of human diet on the brain and mind. It has a primarily human focus and is broad in scope, covering wide-ranging topics like brain development, whole diets, specific nutrients, research methodology, and food as a drug. It is written in an accessible format and is of interest to undergraduate and graduate students studying nutritional neuroscience and related disciplines, healthcare professionals with an applied interest, industry researchers seeking topic overviews, and interested general readers.
The Development of the Law of the Sea by UNCLOS Dispute Settlement Bodies
Authors: Nguyen Lan Ngoc
Published: February 2023

This is the first study to provide both a systematic assessment of the ways by which the dispute settlement bodies of the United Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) contribute to the development of the law of the sea and an exposition of the factors that explain such contribution. The book analyses UNCLOS dispute settlement bodies' decisions and the legal reasoning in key areas of the law of the sea. It further examines the factors that impact the decision-making process of UNCLOS tribunals to explain the parameters within which UNCLOS tribunals operate and how this impacts their ability and willingness to develop the law. The book provides a unique reference point for lecturers, researchers and students of international law, particularly law of the sea, as well as practitioners and government advisors who wish to gain comprehensive insights into the functioning and the role of the UNCLOS dispute settlement system.
Evaluation of a real-time simulation environment for helicopter air-to-air refuelling investigations
Authors: Schmidt S.O. , Jones M. , Löchert P.
Published: February 2023

The ability to perform air-to-air refuelling (AAR) can dramatically extend the utility of helicopters, through effectively providing unlimited range. For helicopters, AAR is typically performed utilising the probe-and-drogue aerial refuelling method. This is a complex manoeuver, where normally both the helicopter and tanker aircraft are operating at the limits of their flight envelopes. In addition, the wake flow from the tanker aircraft can cause a significant disturbance on the refuelling helicopter. This paper presents the initial evaluation of an AAR scenario constructed within DLR’s flight simulator, the Air Vehicle Simulator (AVES), based on current procedures and pilot interviews. A mission task was defined to assess the scenario in AVES and results are subsequently discussed. For pilots unfamiliar to formation flight or HAAR, the results show the difficulty of the flying task itself at the given cueing. Measures for improvement in future investigations are suggested.
Respiratory culture nudge improves antibiotic prescribing for Moraxella catarrhalis and Haemophilus influenzae lower respiratory tract infections
Authors: Arena Christen J. , Kenney Rachel M. , Kendall Ronald E. , Tibbetts Robert J. , Veve Michael P.
Published: February 2023

We compared optimal antibiotic prescribing before and after implementing an interpretive β-lactamase microbiology comment for Haemophilus influenzae and Moraxella catarrhalis in lower respiratory-tract infections. The postintervention group was associated with 5-fold increased odds of optimal de-escalation (adjusted odds ratio, 5.03; 95% confidence interval, 2.57–9.87).
Examining livestock depredation and the determinants of people's attitudes towards snow leopards in the Himalayas of Nepal
Authors: Shahi Kabindra , Aryal Siddhartha , Blon Rupak Kumar , Khanal Gopal
Published: February 2023

Livestock depredation by snow leopards Panthera uncia poses a significant threat to the livelihoods of pastoral communities and engenders negative attitudes towards the species, threatening its survival. We conducted 104 semi-structured interviews within local communities (livestock herders and owners) in the Nyesyang valley of Manang District, in the Annapurna Conservation Area, western Nepal, to assess the status of livestock depredation and community attitudes towards snow leopards. During February 2016–January 2018, respondents reportedly lost 279 livestock to snow leopards (mean loss of 1.3 livestock per household), comprising 3.7% of the total stockholding in 2018. This loss amounts to a monetary loss of USD 319 per annum for each household. Only half of the households who lost livestock to snow leopards in the previous 2 years received compensation from the Conservation Area. Almost an equal proportion of respondents held positive (42%) and negative (41%) attitudes towards snow leopards. An ordered logistic regression analysis revealed that being a woman, being illiterate, owning a high number of large-bodied livestock and relying primarily on agropastoralism were factors associated significantly with negative attitudes towards snow leopards. We recommend focusing conservation education on illiterate community members and engaging more women in conservation programmes, along with a community-based insurance scheme for large-sized livestock to mitigate losses and improve local community attitudes towards snow leopards.
How does news exposure shape citizens' perceptions of and behavioral responses toward corruption?: information acquisition, blame attribution, and behavioral response
Authors: Park Jeeyoung , Chang Kiyoung
Published: February 2023

This paper mainly deals with the relationship between citizens' levels of news exposure and their behaviors toward the president's corruption scandal in South Korea. In particular, we examine how an individual's level of news exposure affected his/her level of political information about the corruption scandal, perception of then President Park Geun-hye's responsibility for corruption, and participation in anti-Park protests or counter-protests. In this paper, we argue that more exposure to consistent news reports of the president's corruption increases the amount of information citizens with different political dispositions have in common. The more their sets of political information overlap, the closer their perceptions and behavioral choices regarding a corruption scandal are likely to be.
Tomographic Retrievals of Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai Volcanic Aerosol
Authors: Bourassa Adam E. , Zawada Daniel J. , Rieger Landon A. , Warnock Taran W. , Toohey Matthew , Degenstein Doug A.
Published: February 2023

The 2022 eruption of the Hunga Tonga‐Hunga Ha'apai volcano caused substantial impacts on the atmosphere, including a massive injection of water vapor, and the largest increase in stratospheric aerosol for 30 years. The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) Limb Profiler instrument has been critical in monitoring the amount and spread of the volcanic aerosol in the stratosphere. We show that the rapid imagery from the OMPS instrument enables a tomographic retrieval of the aerosol extinction that reduces a critical bias of up to a factor of two, and improves vertical structure and agreement with coincident lidar and occultation observations. Due to the vertically thin and heterogeneous nature of the volcanic aerosol, this impacts integrated values of aerosol across latitude, altitude, and time for several months. We also investigate the systematic impact of uncertainty in assumed particle size that result in an underestimation of the aerosol extinction at the peak of the volcanic aerosol layer.
Changes in Winter Temperature Extremes From Future Arctic Sea‐Ice Loss and Ocean Warming
Authors: Lo Y. T. Eunice , Mitchell Dann M. , Watson Peter A. G. , Screen James A.
Published: February 2023

Observed rapid Arctic warming and sea‐ice loss are likely to continue in the future, unless and after greenhouse gas emissions are reduced to net‐zero. Here, we examine the possible effects of future sea‐ice loss at 2°C global warming above pre‐industrial levels on winter temperature extremes across the Northern Hemisphere, using coordinated experiments from the Polar Amplification Model Intercomparison Project. 1‐in‐20‐year cold extremes are simulated to become less severe at high‐ and mid‐latitudes in response to Arctic sea‐ice loss. 1‐in‐20‐year winter warm extremes become warmer at northern high latitudes due to sea‐ice loss, but warm by less than cold extremes. We compare the response to sea‐ice loss to that from global sea surface temperature (SST) change also at 2°C global warming. SST change causes less severe cold extremes and more severe warm extremes globally. Except northern high latitudes, the response to SST change is of larger magnitude than that to Arctic sea‐ice loss.
Prevalence of Repeating Earthquakes in the Continental Crust and Subducting Slabs: Triggering of Earthquakes by Aseismic Slip
Authors: Nakajima Junichi , Hasegawa Akira
Published: February 2023

Repeating earthquakes, or repeaters, which repeatedly rupture the same location and release the strain energy, are interpreted as repeated ruptures of an isolated asperity patch surrounded by a stable sliding regime. While repeaters are frequently observed along plate‐boundary faults, the occurrence of repeater sequences are reported in various tectonic settings. Here we systematically investigate whether repeaters occur in the continental crust and subducting slabs beneath the Japanese Islands and show a prevalence of repeaters in both locations. The crustal and intraslab repeaters show the power‐law decay of seismicity rates that is identical to that along plate‐boundary faults and occur on well‐defined fault planes coincidentally with non‐repeating earthquakes. These observations suggest that repeaters share a common generation process independent of the tectonics regime and are not distinct from non‐repeaters in their source locations and occurrence times. We thus infer that repeaters and non‐repeaters are both generated by ruptures of locked asperities in response to stress loading by aseismic slip in the surrounding stable regime. Repeater sequences can be observed when aseismic slip is large enough to rupture an isolated asperity more than twice, while no repeaters are generated when the amount of aseismic slip is not sufficient to cause multiple ruptures at an isolated asperity. Since an earthquake cannot be triggered unless the amount of the aseismic stress loading exceeds the strength of asperities at the fault, hidden aseismic slip probably occurs repeatedly and frequently during an interseismic period.
The Variable Continuous Bimaterial Interface in the San Jacinto Fault Zone Revealed by Dense Seismic Array Analysis of Fault Zone Head Waves
Authors: Share P.‐E. , Vernon F. L. , Ben‐Zion Y.
Published: February 2023

Key factors controlling earthquake ruptures include fault geometry, continuity, and seismic velocity structure around the fault. We present a novel tool that better informs deep bimaterial fault geometry embedded in distributed damage and seismicity, associated velocity contrasts across the fault, and their correlations with surface complexities. The method employs fault zone head and direct body waves and is applied to recordings from five spatiotemporally different seismic arrays along the complex San Jacinto fault zone (SJFZ) in southern California. We detect and distinguish these signals based on instantaneous phase coherence and relative energy in a cascading manner from one scale array to another. The analysis reveals a >70‐km long continuous bimaterial interface within the SJFZ with several deep northeast dipping fault segments. The northern SJFZ, for instance, locates ∼7 km northeast of its surface expression at 18‐km depth. P‐wave velocity contrasts range from near 0% to >15%, consistent with other bimaterial faults, and differ by a few % depending on fault‐array azimuth, implying directional‐dependent velocity contrasts. S‐wave head waves and velocity contrasts are also imaged for the first time at the southern SJFZ, averaging to 2.9% in agreement with tomography results. The imaged geometry and continuity suggest the SJFZ initiated along remnant tectonic structures and translates to a rupture potential of M > 7.2, i.e., the sizes of its largest paleo‐earthquakes. The P and S contrasts, and their ratios, have important implications for earthquake rupture speed, mode, directivity, and frictional heating along the SJFZ and other major faults globally.
C20 and C30 Variations From SLR for GRACE/GRACE‐FO Science Applications
Authors: Cheng Minkang , Ries John
Published: February 2023

It is essential that the Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) estimates of C20 and C30 are as reliable as possible for GRACE and GRACE Follow‐on science applications. Experiments in combining SLR and GRACE data indicated that not accounting for the influence of the higher‐degree even zonal terms results in a lower trend for C20 and slightly overestimates the annual variation. The data are insufficient for separating C30 and C50 within a month from the five satellites used in GRACE Technical Note 11 (TN11) (Cheng & Ries, 2016, https://podaac‐tools.jpl.nasa.gov/drive/files/allData/grace/docs/TN‐11_C20_SLR.txt). LARES's eccentricity is extremely sensitive to the gravitational perturbations of C30 and plays an important role in the reliable determination of C30. Applying a time‐variable gravity (TVG) forward model (based on GRACE) for the higher‐degree coefficients improves the recovery of the lower‐degree coefficients, such as C30, C50, and C60 when a GRACE‐based empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis is also applied. A better time series of C20 and C30 (represented by TN11E as the updated TN11) was determined from seven satellites (including −1 and 2, Starlette, Ajisai, Stella, BEC, and LARES) and adjusting a degree and order 5 (5 × 5) field + C60, C61, and S61 based on the TVG model and an EOF analysis of GRACE. The estimated rate of the C20 is comparable with that from TN14 (Loomis et al., 2019, https://doi.org/10.1029/2019GL082929), but the seasonal variations appear to be better recovered from this study. The time series of C30 from this study is comparable with the GRACE RL06 solution for the period prior to March 2012 and appropriate for application to the GRACE‐FO mission.
A Spatially Integrated Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (SiDIC) Model for Aquatic Ecosystems Considering Submerged Vegetation
Authors: Nagatomo K. , Nakayama K. , Komai K. , Matsumoto H. , Watanabe K. , Kubo A. , Tada K. , Maruya Y. , Yano S. , Tsai J. W. , Lin H. C. , Vilas M. , Hipsey M. R.
Published: February 2023

Net ecosystem production (NEP) by submerged aquatic vegetation plays a substantial role in capturing atmospheric carbon dioxide into aquatic ecosystems. In lakes and estuaries, the net uptake of carbon dioxide by submerged aquatic vegetation is mediated by stratification of the water column which suppresses the vertical flux of carbon dioxide between the upper and lower layers. The presence of submerged aquatic vegetation can also affect the strength of stratification such that the interactions between vegetation, stratification, and NEP can moderate the carbon dioxide emissions. Since stratification can occur in lakes and estuaries, there is need for a new numerical approach able to consider the effect of submerged aquatic vegetation on stratification, NEP, and carbon dioxide. This study aims to develop a model to investigate how stratification, mediated by vegetation density and flexibility, affects the partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pCO2) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC). After initial parameterization of coefficients based on experimental work, horizontal and vertical variations in DIC were successfully modeled by a spatially (horizontally) integrated DIC (SiDIC) model, which was validated with field observations from an estuarine and freshwater lake case study. The SiDIC model was able to reproduce the pCO2 changes between daytime and nighttime throughout the water column. Sensitivity tests showed that the fluctuation of pCO2 was controlled by the suppression of stratification due to the density of submerged aquatic vegetation. The results highlight the importance of resolving vegetation‐induced stratification when modeling the carbon budget within freshwater lakes and coastal environments.
Distinct spatiotemporal subtypes of amyloid deposition are associated with diverging disease profiles in cognitively normal and mild cognitive impairment individuals
Authors: Sun Yuqing , Zhao Yuxin , Hu Ke , Wang Meng , Liu Yong , Liu Bing ,   for the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: February 2023

We aimed to investigate the relationship between spatiotemporal changes of amyloid deposition and Alzheimer’s disease (AD) profiles in cognitively normal (CN) and those with mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Using a data-driven method and amyloid-PET data, we identified and validated two subtypes in two independent datasets (discovery dataset: N = 548, age = 72.4 ± 6.78, 49% female; validation dataset: N = 348, age = 74.9 ± 8.16, 47% female) from the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative across a range of individuals who were CN or had MCI. The two subtypes showed distinct regional progression patterns and presented distinct genetic, clinical and biomarker characteristics. The cortex-priority subtype was more likely to show typical clinical syndromes of symptomatic AD and vice versa. Furthermore, the regional progression patterns were associated with clinical and biomarker profiles. In sum, our findings suggest that the spatiotemporal variants of amyloid depositions are in close association with disease trajectories; these findings may provide insight into the disease monitoring and enrollment of therapeutic trials in AD.
Altered distribution and localization of organellar Na+/H+ exchangers in postmortem schizophrenia dorsolateral prefrontal cortex
Authors: Pruett Brandon S. , Pinner Anita L. , Kim Pitna , Meador-Woodruff James H.
Published: February 2023

Schizophrenia is a complex and multifactorial disorder associated with altered neurotransmission as well as numerous signaling pathway and protein trafficking disruptions. The pH of intracellular organelles involved in protein trafficking is tightly regulated and impacts their functioning. The SLC9A family of Na+/H+ exchangers (NHEs) plays a fundamental role in cellular and intracellular pH homeostasis. Four organellar NHE isoforms (NHE6-NHE9) are targeted to intracellular organelles involved in protein trafficking. Increased interactions between organellar NHEs and receptor of activated protein C kinase 1 (RACK1) can lead to redistribution of NHEs to the plasma membrane and hyperacidification of target organelles. Given their role in organelle pH regulation, altered expression and/or localization of organellar NHEs could be an underlying cellular mechanism contributing to abnormal intracellular trafficking and disrupted neurotransmitter systems in schizophrenia. We thus characterized organellar NHE expression, co-immunoprecipitation with RACK1, and Triton X-114 (TX-114) phase partitioning in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex of 25 schizophrenia and 25 comparison subjects by Western blot analysis. In schizophrenia after controlling for subject age at time of death, postmortem interval, tissue pH, and sex, there was significantly decreased total expression of NHE8, decreased co-immunoprecipitation of NHE8 (64%) and NHE9 (56%) with RACK1, and increased TX-114 detergent phase partitioning of NHE6 (283%), NHE9 (75%), and RACK1 (367%). Importantly, none of these dependent measures was significantly impacted when comparing those in the schizophrenia group on antipsychotics to those off of antipsychotics for at least 6 weeks at their time of death and none of these same proteins were affected in rats chronically treated with haloperidol. In summary, we characterized organellar NHE expression and distribution in schizophrenia DLPFC and identified abnormalities that could represent a novel mechanism contributing to disruptions in protein trafficking and neurotransmission in schizophrenia.
Size distributions of intracellular condensates reflect competition between coalescence and nucleation
Authors: Lee Daniel S. W. , Choi Chang-Hyun , Sanders David W. , Beckers Lien , Riback Joshua A. , Brangwynne Clifford P. , Wingreen Ned S.
Published: February 2023

Phase separation of biomolecules into condensates has emerged as a mechanism for intracellular organization and affects many intracellular processes, including reaction pathways through the clustering of enzymes and pathway intermediates. Precise and rapid spatiotemporal control of reactions by condensates requires tuning of their sizes. However, the physical processes that govern the distribution of condensate sizes remain unclear. Here we show that both native and synthetic condensates display an exponential size distribution, which is captured by Monte Carlo simulations of fast nucleation followed by coalescence. In contrast, pathological aggregates exhibit a power-law size distribution. These distinct behaviours reflect the relative importance of nucleation and coalescence kinetics. We demonstrate this by utilizing a combination of synthetic and native condensates to probe the underlying physical mechanisms determining condensate size. The appearance of exponential distributions for abrupt nucleation versus power-law distributions under continuous nucleation may reflect a general principle that determines condensate size distributions.
New Dielis species and structural dichotomy of the mitochondrial cox2 gene in Scoliidae wasps
Authors: Szafranski Przemyslaw
Published: February 2023

Some mitochondrial protein-coding genes of protists and land plants have split over the course of evolution into complementary genes whose products can form heteromeric complexes that likely substitute for the undivided proteins. One of these genes, cox2, has also been found to have split in animals, specifically in Scoliidae wasps (Hymenoptera: Apocrita) of the genus Dielis (Campsomerini), while maintaining the conventional structure in related Scolia (Scoliini). Here, a hitherto unrecognized Nearctic species of Dielis, D. tejensis, is described based on its phenotype and mtDNA. The mitogenome of D. tejensis sp. nov. differs from that of the sympatric sibling species Dielis plumipes fossulana by the reduced size of the cox2-dividing insert, which, however, still constitutes the fifth part of the mtDNA; an enlarged nad2-trnW intergenic region; the presence of two trnKttt paralogues; and other features. Both species of Dielis have a unique insertion of a threonine in COXIIA, predicted to be involved in COXIIA-COXIIB docking, and substitutions of two hydrophobic residues with redox-active cysteines around the CuA centre in COXIIB. Importantly, the analysis of mtDNA from another Campsomerini genus, Megacampsomeris, shows that its cox2 gene is also split. The presented data highlight evolutionary processes taking place in hymenopteran mitogenomes that do not fall within the mainstream of animal mitochondrion evolution.
Leveraging space–time modulation for energy coupling control in electromagnetic coupled transmission lines structures
Authors: Baharian Mohammad , Rashed Mohassel Jalil A.
Published: February 2023

This article presents a technique for controlling energy coupling in a coupled transmission line system based on the space–time modulation concept. The per-unit-length mutual capacitance and mutual inductance of the structure are modulated in space and time. The main idea is based on the harmonic generation property of space–time modulated media. As the amplitude of harmonics is a function of modulation parameters it is demonstrated that by choosing an appropriate space–time modulation scheme energy of different harmonics can be engineered leading to crosstalk reduction. In the quest for designing an effective space–time modulation scheme, an analytical method is developed for the examination of the space–time modulated coupled transmission line. The proposed method which is based on the state space formulation and benefits from the coupled mode theory is fast and accurate making it feasible for design problems. To validate the proposed analytical method, a full-wave simulation method has been used. The time-varying nature of the problem makes the finite-difference-time-domain the most appropriate choice. The validity of the analytical method is rigorously verified against the developed finite-difference-time-domain technique. The interest in circuit design techniques in an IC-compatible fashion in microwave circuits and the introduction of tunable material such as graphene in the THz regime leads to a positive future for the proposed space–time modulation-based crosstalk reduction method.
Dose rate effect on mortality from ischemic heart disease in the cohort of Russian Mayak Production Association workers
Authors: Azizova Tamara V. , Grigoryeva Evgeniya S. , Hamada Nobuyuki
Published: February 2023

For improvement of the radiation protection system it is crucial to know the factors that modify the radiation dose–response relationship. One of such key factors is the ionizing radiation dose rate. There are, however, very few studies that examine the impact of the dose rate on radiogenic risks observed in human cohorts exposed to radiation at various dose rates. Here we investigated the impact of the dose rate (in terms of the recorded annual dose) on ischemic heart disease (IHD) mortality among Russian nuclear workers chronically exposed to radiation. We observed significantly increased excess relative risks (ERR) of IHD mortality per unit of external gamma-ray absorbed dose accumulated at higher dose rates (0.005–0.050 Gy/year). The present findings provide evidence for the association between radiation dose rate and ERRs of IHD mortality in occupationally chronically exposed workers per unit total dose. IHD mortality risk estimates considerably increased with increasing duration of uninterrupted radiation exposure at high rates. The present findings are consistent with other studies and can contribute to the scientific basis for recommendations on the radiation protection system.
Soil consolidation acoustic experiment and pore pressure prediction model establishment—taking the Yingqiong Basin as an example
Authors: Han Zhongying , Sun Bo , Cheng Yuanfang , Yan Chuanliang
Published: February 2023

To establish a pore pressure prediction model suitable for the Yingqiong Basin in the South China Sea. A new laboratory test method was designed to simulate the core consolidation process, and an acoustic experiment for soil consolidation was carried out to analyze various parameters and establish an abnormal pore pressure prediction model suitable for the target block. First, the cause of abnormally high pressure in the Yingqiong Basin is analyzed and identified, and a simulation experiment of stratum loading and unloading is performed. The soil consolidation, experimental equipment and experimental plan are designed. Several sets of experiments were carried out, the changes in various parameters during the experiment were analyzed and summarized, the pore pressure prediction model suitable for this area was standardized and established, and application verification and evaluation were carried out in some wells in this area. The results show that the prediction model is accurate and applicable, and the pore pressure can be predicted by the soil consolidation experiment method that the prediction accuracy is slightly better than the traditional prediction model. In this study, a feasible soil consolidation acoustic experiment method can be used to establish a rock mechanics experiment and a pore pressure prediction model without strict core rock. The experiments have proved the feasibility of this method and obtained two prediction models, including loading mechanism and unloading mechanism prediction models.