bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Determinants of dental treatment avoidance: findings from a nationally representative study
Authors: Spinler Kristin , Aarabi Ghazal , Walther Carolin , Valdez Richelle , Heydecke Guido , Buczak-Stec Elzbieta , König Hans-Helmut , Hajek André
Published: August 2020

Background

Oral health care of older adults is of rising importance due to ongoing demographic changes. There is a lack of studies examining the determinants of dental treatment avoidance in this age group. Therefore, the objective of this study was to identify those determinants.

Methods

Cross-sectional data were drawn from the second wave (year 2002) of the German Ageing Survey which is a population-based sample of community-dwelling individuals ≥ 40 years in Germany (n = 3398). Dental treatment avoidance was quantified using the question “Did you need dental treatments in the past twelve months, but did not go to the dentist?” [no; yes, once; yes, several times]. Socioeconomic and health-related determinants were adjusted for in the analysis. Multiple logistic regressions were performed.

Results

In terms of need, 6.7% of individuals avoided dental treatment in the preceding twelve months. Multiple logistic regressions revealed that dental treatment avoidance was associated with younger age (total sample [OR 0.978; 95% CI 0.958–0.998] and men [OR 0.970; 95% CI 0.942–0.999]), unemployment (total sample [OR 1.544; 95% CI 1.035–2.302] and men [OR 2.004; 95% CI 1.085–3.702]), lower social strata (women [OR 0.814; 95% CI 0.678–0.977]), increased depressive symptoms (men [OR 1.031; 95% CI 1.001–1.062]), and increased physical illnesses (total sample [OR 1.091; 95% CI 1.006–1.183] and men [OR 1.165; 95% CI 1.048–1.295]). The outcome measure was not associated with income poverty, marital status and physical functioning.

Conclusions

The present study highlights the association between dental treatment avoidance and different socioeconomic and health-related factors. These results suggest that it is necessary to promote the importance of dental visits.
Image-Based Inertial Impact (IBII) Tests for Measuring the Interlaminar Shear Moduli of Composites
Authors: Van Blitterswyk J. , Fletcher L. , Pierron F.
Published: August 2020

The image-based inertial impact test has previously shown that inertial effects generated with high-strain-rate loading can be used to measure the dynamic constitutive properties of composites at strain rates on the order of $$1600\,{\rm s}^{-1}$$

1600

s

-
1

. This work represents an important next step in exploring the potential of this concept with two tests presented where loading heterogeneity is exploited to measure the interlaminar shear modulus and stress–strain behaviour at high strain rates. The first test configuration used a short-beam with asymmetric loading to activate the shear behaviour. The virtual fields method was used to directly identify the interlaminar shear modulus from heterogeneous full-field maps of strain and acceleration. Simulated experiments were used to optimise the test configuration, select optimal smoothing parameters, and quantify uncertainty from grid rotation on the shear modulus identifications. The test was validated experimentally with three different virtual fields identifying an average shear modulus ranging from 5.7 to 5.9 GPa measured at $$1600\,{\rm s}^{-1}$$

1600

s

-
1

, representing a 16–19% increase compared to quasi-static measurements. The shear modulus could also be identified from shear introduced into specimens tested in the standard, end-on interlaminar IBII configuration from slight in-plane misalignments of the impactor. The identified value of 5.6 GPa validates measurements from the first configuration and also demonstrates the capability to identify multiple interlaminar stiffness parameters from a single test.
The unfinished business of defining competences for 21st century curricula—a systematic research review
Authors: Tahirsylaj Armend , Sundberg Daniel
Published: August 2020

Eighty-four articles are examined in this systematic research review, to provide a synthesis of the state of art with regard to educational research that focused on competence-based education (CBE) and curricula covering a period of 20 years from 1997 to 2017. Relying on PRISMA methodology and framed by discursive institutionalism, and curriculum and Didaktik traditions theoretically, the review was guided by two overarching research questions, focusing first on how much and what educational research on CBE approaches is available, and secondly, primarily in the present article, on the definitions that are reported in CBE research in terms of explicit and systematic versus implicit and tacit references, main educational perspectives/paradigms and academic versus applied orientation. Findings show Spain and New Zealand with most articles related to educational research on CBE, and identify four sources of competence definitions: OECD/DeSeCo, European Commission, national policy documents and the academic literature. It is concluded that there is still unfinished business for educational researchers in critically engaging with framing and defining competences for the twenty-first century, their causes, impact and consequences for schooling and learning internationally, as well as how CBE is recontextualised into specific national contexts.
In Vitro Maturation of Fully Grown Mouse Antral Follicles in the Presence of 1 nM 2-Hydroxyestradiol Improves Oocytes’ Developmental Competence
Authors: Merico Valeria , Zanoni Mario , Parada-Bustamante Alexis , Garagna Silvia , Zuccotti Maurizio
Published: August 2020

Cathecolestrogens are estradiol metabolites produced during folliculogenesis in the mammalian ovary. 2-Hydroxyestradiol (2-OHE2) is one of the most abundant although its role remains unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the presence of 2-OHE2 during the germinal vesicle-to-metaphase II transition affects oocyte meiotic and preimplantation developmental competence. Mouse cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs), isolated from fully grown antral follicles, were in vitro–matured (IVM) in the presence of 2-OHE2 (0.1, 1, 10 or 100 nM) for 6 or 15 h; then, their meiotic and developmental competence was evaluated using a number of cytological quality markers. With the exception of the highest dose (100 nM), the addition of 2-OHE2 to the IVM medium, did not alter, compared with untreated control, the frequency of oocytes that reached the MII stage. Instead, IVM in the presence of 1 nM 2-OHE2 highly increased the rate of preimplantation development and blastocyst quality. To understand whether this positive effect could be attributed to the events occurring during meiosis resumption, we analysed a number of specific cytological quality markers of the asymmetric division, such as PB-I volume and position, presence and extension of the cortical F-actin cap, meiotic spindle shape and area, and microtubule organisation centre localisation. The results highlighted how the presence of 1 nM 2-OHE2 significantly improved the overall cytological organisation required for a correct asymmetric division. Our results contribute a first step to acknowledge a potential role of this estradiol metabolite during the GV-to-MII transition, contributing to the acquisition of oocytes developmental competence.
Premium private label: how product value, trust and category involvement influence consumers willingness to buy
Authors: Bertoli Giuseppe , Busacca Bruno , Imperato Marta
Published: August 2020

Premium private labels (PPLs) are applied to products with distinctive features with prices equal, and sometimes even higher, than those of the category leaders. The objective of the retailers is to obtain, in the minds of consumers, the same positioning of national brands. So, PPLs are becoming more and more crucial for competitive advantage and store loyalty. Starting from this evidence, this paper aims to contribute to the advancement of knowledge on the subject, analyzing the impact of consumer trust in retailer, consumer involvement and product value on consumer willingness to buy PPLs. Data for hypotheses testing were collected through a 2 × 2 × 2 experiment between subjects, in which different groups of consumers were randomly exposed to different experimental conditions. Results show that: (a) consumer trust in retailer positively influences consumer’s willingness to buy in case of products with hedonic value; (b) consumer involvement has a significant main effect and there is a significant two-way interactions between trust and involvement; (c) when consumer trust in retailer is low, non-involved consumers show a greater willingness to buy the PPL for products with utilitarian rather than hedonic value.
Wet cupping therapy ameliorates pain in patients with hyperlipidemia, hypertension, and diabetes: A controlled clinical study
Authors: Rahman Heshu Sulaiman , Ahmad Govand Ali , Mustapha Baram , Al-Rawi Hisham Arif , Hussein Ridha Hassan , Amin Kawa , Othman Hemn Hassan , Abdullah Rasedee
Published: August 2020

ABSTRACT

Background:

Cupping therapy has long been practiced in several cultures for the treatment of ailments and improvement of general well-being. Thus, the aim of this current study is to observe the clinical efficacy and safety of wet cupping treatments in relieving headache, chest pain and muscle ache in patients recently have diagnosed with hyperlipidemia, diabetes and high blood pressure.

Materials and methods:

This study determines the effects of wet cupping on some blood parameters and pressure in 50 males and 50 female patients aged between 35 and 55 years undergoing wet cupping therapy at the Sheefa Cupping and Acupuncture Private Center after they have been diagnosed clinically to have hyperglycemia, diabetes and high blood pressure by a specialist at Department of Chronic Diseases, Sulaimani Teaching Hospital. Venous blood was obtained, and blood pressure taken from patients immediately before and 72 h after cupping therapy. The hematological parameters and serum lipid profile, fasting blood sugar, ferritin, urea, and creatinine concentrations were determined.

Results:

Wet cupping significantly reduced the cholesterol, triglyceride, low-density lipoprotein, fasting blood sugar, ferritin, urea, and creatinine, lowered blood pressure but did not significantly affect the erythrocyte parameters, leukocyte or platelet counts in the patients. The normal hematological parameters in patients after wet cupping therapy showed that the treatment is not detrimental to health. The treated patients showed significantly reduced headache, chest pain and muscle ache verbally.

Conclusion:

Wet cupping therapy is beneficial as a prophylactic and/or complementary treatment for hyperlipidemia, hyperglycemia, and hypertension and in prevention and control of diabetes mellitus and kidney disease, hence reducing the headache, chest pain and muscle ache.

Highlights:
From topic to object: Grammaticalization of differential object marking in Romanian
Authors: Onea Edgar , Mardale Alexandru
Published: August 2020

In this paper, we provide new evidence for the hypothesis that in some languages, differential object marking (DOM) may have evolved from marking of the information structural category of topicality. While Iemmolo (2010) suggested that topic left-dislocation might have facilitated the evolution of DOM, and Dalrymple and Nikolaeva (2011) argued for systematic marking of secondary topics as the source of DOM, we suggest a third possible grammaticalization source within the topical domain: the prepositional marking ofembedded topics. In particular, we show that the Romanian DO (Direct Object) markerpehad a function as marker of embedded topics in Old Romanian. Moreover, we show how DOM in Old Romanian may additionally have been facilitated by the re-analysis of embedded topics asthemes in certain constructions.
Verifiability of genus-level classification under quantification and parsimony theories: a case study of follicucullid radiolarians
Authors: Xiao Yifan , Suzuki Noritoshi , He Weihong , Benton Michael J. , Yang Tinglu , Cai Chenyang
Published: August 2020

The classical taxonomy of fossil invertebrates is based on subjective judgments of morphology, which can cause confusion, because there are no codified standards for the classification of genera. Here, we explore the validity of the genus taxonomy of 75 species and morphospecies of the Follicucullidae, a late Paleozoic family of radiolarians, using a new method, Hayashi's quantification theory II (HQT-II), a general multivariate statistical method for categorical datasets relevant to discriminant analysis. We identify a scheme of 10 genera rather than the currently accepted 3 genera (Follicucullus,Ishigaconus, andParafollicucullus). As HQT-II cannot incorporate stratigraphic data, a phylogenetic tree of Follicucullidae was reconstructed for 38 species using maximum parsimony. Six lineages emerged, roughly in concordance with the results of HQT-II. Combined with parsimony ancestral state reconstruction, the ancestral group of this family isHaplodiacanthus. Five other groups were discriminated, theParafollicucullus,Curvalbaillella,Pseudoalbaillella,Longtanella, andFollicucullus–Cariverlineages. The morphological evolution of these lineages comprises a minimum essential list of eight states of four traits. HQT-II is a novel discriminant analytical multivariate method that may be of value in other taxonomic problems of paleobiology.
‘SARSEN STONES IN WESSEX’: A SOCIETY OF ANTIQUARIES PROJECT CONTEXTUALISED AND RENEWED
Authors: Whitaker Katy A
Published: August 2020

This paper reviews the Society of Antiquaries’ Evolution of the Landscape project, which started in 1974, and the project’s Sarsen Stones in Wessex survey. The survey was an ambitious public archaeology undertaking, involving c 100 volunteers led by Fellows of the Society during the 1970s. Its aims, objectives and outcomes are described in this article. The survey’s unique dataset, produced for the counties of Wiltshire, Hampshire and Dorset, has now been digitised. Drawing on the dataset, the paper situates the Evolution of the Landscape project in the context of later twentieth-century British archaeology. It demonstrates the importance not only of individual Fellows, but also contemporary movements in academic and development-led archaeology, to the direction of the Society’s activities in this formative period for the discipline today, and shows how the Society’s research was engaged with some of archaeology’s most pressing cultural resource management issues.
Who Benefits? How Local Ethnic Demography Shapes Political Favoritism in Africa
Authors: Beiser-McGrath Janina , Müller-Crepon Carl , Pengl Yannick I.
Published: August 2020

Empirical studies show that many governments gear the provision of goods and services towards their ethnic peers. This article investigates governments’ strategies to provide ethnic favors in Africa. Recent studies of ethnic favoritism find that presidents' ethnic peers and home regions enjoy advantages, yet cannot disentangle whether goods are provided to entire regions or co-ethnic individuals. This article argues that local ethnic demography determines whether governments provide non-excludable public goods or more narrowly targeted handouts. Where government co-ethnics are in the majority, public goods benefit all locals regardless of their ethnic identity. Outside of these strongholds, incumbents pursue discriminatory strategies and only their co-ethnics gain from favoritism. Using fine-grained geographic data on ethnic demographics, the study finds support for the argument's implications in the local incidence of infant mortality. These findings have important implications for theories of distributive politics and conflict in multi-ethnic societies.
Factors driving the discovery and utilization of a newly available area by African elephants
Authors: Pandraud Anne , Shrader Adrian M. , Sholto-Douglas Craig , Chamaillé-Jammes Simon
Published: August 2020

For large mammals, area expansion is a key conservation measure to prevent species’ decline and extinction. Yet, its success depends on whether animals discover and later use these areas. Here, using GPS data, we investigated how herds of elephants detected and used an area made available to them after the removal of a fence. We studied the elephants’ behaviour before and after the fence removal, accounting for seasonal changes in movement patterns. In contrast to previous studies, herds visited the newly available area within a month of the fence removal, and the maximum distance they moved into the new area was reached between 5 and 9 months after the fence removal. Yet, elephants did not preferentially visit the new area at night. By the second year, all herds had shifted their seasonal home ranges and incorporated the new area, in contrast to a previous range expansion event. Our analyses show that the regular proximity of elephants to the original fence, and the fact that the new area was generally composed of preferred habitats of the elephants, probably explained the rapid discovery and use of the area. Our study improves our understanding of animal exploration and the role of habitat quality, and thus may improve range expansion and corridor programmes.
Is Nigeria really on top of COVID-19? Message from effective reproduction number
Authors: Adekunle A. I. , Adegboye O. A. , Gayawan E. , McBryde E. S.
Published: August 2020

Following the importation of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) into Nigeria on 27 February 2020 and then the outbreak, the question is: How do we anticipate the progression of the ongoing epidemic following all the intervention measures put in place? This kind of question is appropriate for public health responses and it will depend on the early estimates of the key epidemiological parameters of the virus in a defined population.

In this study, we combined a likelihood-based method using a Bayesian framework and compartmental model of the epidemic of COVID-19 in Nigeria to estimate the effective reproduction number (R(t)) and basic reproduction number (R0) – this also enables us to estimate the initial daily transmission rate (β0). We further estimate the reported fraction of symptomatic cases. The models are applied to the NCDC data on COVID-19 symptomatic and death cases from 27 February 2020 and 7 May 2020.

In this period, the effective reproduction number is estimated with a minimum value of 0.18 and a maximum value of 2.29. Most importantly, the R(t) is strictly greater than one from 13 April till 7 May 2020. The R0 is estimated to be 2.42 with credible interval: (2.37–2.47). Comparing this with the R(t) shows that control measures are working but not effective enough to keep R(t) below 1. Also, the estimated fraction of reported symptomatic cases is between 10 and 50%.

Our analysis has shown evidence that the existing control measures are not enough to end the epidemic and more stringent measures are needed.
Disembodied Vocal Innocence: John Addington Symonds, the Victorian Chorister, and Queer Musical Consumption
Authors: Riddell Fraser
Published: August 2020

In the early 1890s, both John Addington Symonds and Arthur Symons were fascinated by Paul Verlaine's sonnet “Parsifal” (1886)—in particular, by its final line, which dwells on the voices of singing children. Symonds enthused to Symons that it was “a line [to] treasure forever,” while, nevertheless, noting his reservations to Horatio Forbes Brown that “fine as it is, [it] looks like it […] must be rather of the sickly school.” In an article on Verlaine, Symons praised the poem as a “triumph [of] amazing virtuosity,” echoing the sentiments of his friend George Moore, who inConfessions of a Young Man(1886) exclaimed that he “kn[ew] of no more perfect thing than this sonnet.” With its repetition of assonant vowel sounds, Verlaine's closing line captures the gentle rise heavenward of the ethereal voices of Richard Wagner's offstage choristers, resounding above the stage at the conclusion of the opera. The hiatus with which the line opens functions as a sigh of renunciation, as the listeners abandon themselves to the inexpressible force of the transcendent. In Verlaine's sonnet, these children's voices become the epitome of the “disembodied voice” that Symons sees as so characteristic of Decadent poetics. They sing of the delicate immateriality of spiritual experience, the transient fragility of existence.
On the recent history of low vowels in English
Authors: HICKEY RAYMOND
Published: August 2020

The development of low vowels in the history of English is one which shows continuous movement, usually upwards along earlier back and later front trajectories. In addition, low vowels have been subject to lengthening processes which have compensated for the loss of earlier instances of long low vowels. Shifts along a horizontal axis, from low front to low back, can also be discerned throughout the history of English. The present study begins by examining the situation in late eighteenth-century English, using theEighteenth-Century English Phonology Databaseand the works of various prescriptivist writers, to determine the outset for later developments in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. It also scrutinises realisations of low vowels in these varieties in order to offer a possible chronology for the overall development of low vowels in the past two centuries.
Development of predictive models for nutritional assessment in the elderly
Authors: Muñoz Díaz Belén , Martínez De La Iglesia Jorge , Romero-Saldaña Manuel , Molina-Luque Rafael , Arenas de Larriva Antonio P , Molina-Recio Guillermo
Published: August 2020

Objective:

To propose malnutrition screening methods for the elderly population using predictive multivariate models. Due to the greater risk of nutrition deficiencies in ageing populations, nutritional assessment of the elderly is necessary in primary health care.

Design:

This was a cross-sectional study. Multivariate models were obtained by means of discriminant analysis and binary logistic regression. The diagnostic accuracy of each multivariate model was determined and compared with the Chang method based on receiver operating characteristic curves. The optimal cut-point, sensitivity, specificity and Youden index were estimated for each of the models.

Setting:

The province of Cordoba, Spain.

Participants:

Two hundred fifty-five patients over the age of 65 years from three health centres and three nursing homes.

Results:

Fourteen models for predicting risk of malnutrition were obtained, six by discriminant multivariate analysis and eight by binary logistic regression. Sensitivity ranged from 55·6 to 93·1 % and specificity from 64·9 to 94 %. The maximum and minimum Youden indexes were 0·77 and 0·49, respectively. We finally selected a model which does not require a blood test.

Conclusions:

The proposed models simplify nutritional assessment in the elderly and, except for number 2 of those calculated by binary logistic regression, have better diagnostic accuracy than the Spanish version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment screening tool. The selected model, whose validation is necessary for the future with other different samples, provides good diagnostic accuracy, and it can be performed by non-medical personnel, making it an accessible, easy and rapid tool in daily clinical practice.
(In)Compatible Visions of Justice? Personal Culpability and Gender Justice at the ICC
Authors: Minkova Liana Georgieva
Published: August 2020

Although the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been heralded as a success story for gender justice, in practice prosecutions of sexual and gender-based crimes (SGBC) have often ended with acquittal at the court. Gender studies in international relations explain the lack of successful SGBC prosecutions by looking to the influence of older gender biases in international law, which preclude the successful implementation of the novel Rome Statute provisions criminalizing SGBC. This article suggests that “forgetting” the gender justice norm insufficiently explains the outcome of the ICC's SGBC prosecutions. The article argues that ICC judges “remembered” another norm of criminal justice, long forgotten in international trials – strict compliance with the personal culpability principle – which has resulted in tension between different visions of justice in the court's practice: delivering substantive justice for SGBC victims v. safeguarding the defendant's rights by upholding criminal law principles.
A machine-learning history of English caselaw and legal ideas prior to the Industrial Revolution I: generating and interpreting the estimates
Authors: Grajzl Peter , Murrell Peter
Published: August 2020

The history of England's institutions has long informed research on comparative economic development. Yet to date, there exists no quantitative evidence on a core aspect of England's institutional evolution, that embodied in the accumulated decisions of English courts. Focusing on the two centuries before the Industrial Revolution, we generate and analyze the first quantitative estimates of the development of English caselaw and its associated legal ideas. We achieve this in two companion papers. In this, the first of the pair, we build a comprehensive corpus of 52,949 reports of cases heard in England's high courts before 1765. Estimating a 100-topic structural topic model, we name and interpret all topics, each of which reflects a distinctive aspect of English legal thought. We produce time series of the estimated topic prevalences. To interpret the topic timelines, we develop a tractable model of the evolution of legal-cultural ideas and their prominence in case reports. In the companion paper, we will illustrate with multiple applications the usefulness of the large amount of new information generated by our approach.
Septic Shock: A Genomewide Association Study and Polygenic Risk Score Analysis
Authors: D’Urso Shannon , Rajbhandari Dorrilyn , Peach Elizabeth , de Guzman Erika , Li Qiang , Medland Sarah E. , Gordon Scott D. , Martin Nicholas G. ,   CHARGE Inflammation Working Group, Ligthart Symen , Brown Matthew A. , Powell Joseph , McArthur Colin , Rhodes Andrew , Meyer Jason , Finfer Simon , Myburgh John , Blumenthal Antje , Cohen Jeremy , Venkatesh Balasubramanian , Cuellar-Partida Gabriel , Evans David M.
Published: August 2020

Previous genetic association studies have failed to identify loci robustly associated with sepsis, and there have been no published genetic association studies or polygenic risk score analyses of patients with septic shock, despite evidence suggesting genetic factors may be involved. We systematically collected genotype and clinical outcome data in the context of a randomized controlled trial from patients with septic shock to enrich the presence of disease-associated genetic variants. We performed genomewide association studies of susceptibility and mortality in septic shock using 493 patients with septic shock and 2442 population controls, and polygenic risk score analysis to assess genetic overlap between septic shock risk/mortality with clinically relevant traits. One variant, rs9489328, located in AL589740.1 noncoding RNA, was significantly associated with septic shock (p = 1.05 × 10–10); however, it is likely a false-positive. We were unable to replicate variants previously reported to be associated (p < 1.00 × 10–6 in previous scans) with susceptibility to and mortality from sepsis. Polygenic risk scores for hematocrit and granulocyte count were negatively associated with 28-day mortality (p = 3.04 × 10–3; p = 2.29 × 10–3), and scores for C-reactive protein levels were positively associated with susceptibility to septic shock (p = 1.44 × 10–3). Results suggest that common variants of large effect do not influence septic shock susceptibility, mortality and resolution; however, genetic predispositions to clinically relevant traits are significantly associated with increased susceptibility and mortality in septic individuals.
CME: Primäre und sekundäre Hypercholesterinämie
Authors: Hofbauer Susanna , Wiesli Peter
Published: August 2020

Zusammenfassung. Bei einer Hypercholesterinämie mit einem LDL-Cholesterin von >5 mmol/l sollte an das Vorliegen einer familiären Hypercholesterinämie (primäre Hypercholesterinämie) gedacht werden, da bei dieser genetisch vererbbaren Erkrankung eine frühzeitige Behandlung der Patientin/des Patienten und das Screening der Angehörigen sehr wichtig ist. Neben der Höhe der Cholesterinwerte können auch Familienanamnese und klinische Befunde auf das Vorliegen einer familiären Hypercholesterinämie hinweisen. Die Wahrscheinlichkeit für das Vorliegen einer familiären Hypercholesterinämie kann mit dem Dutch Lipid Clinic Network Score abgeschätzt werden. Es gibt allerdings auch eine Reihe exogener Faktoren, die den Lipoproteinstoffwechsel beeinflussen und zu einer sekundären Hypercholesterinämie führen können. Mögliche Ursachen einer sekundären Hypercholesterinämie sind u.a. Hypothyreose, Cholestase, nephrotisches Syndrom und verschiedene Medikamente. Diese sekundären Ursachen einer Hypercholesterinämie müssen vor Beginn einer Behandlung der Hypercholesterinämie beziehungsweise Diagnose einer familiären Hypercholesterinämie ausgeschlossen werden.
Comparison of Performance of the IRI 2016, IRI‐Plas 2017, and NeQuick 2 Models During Different Solar Activity (2013–2018) Years Over South American Sector
Authors: Tariku Yekoye Asmare
Published: August 2020

This study mainly focuses on the prediction of the variability of the vertical total electron content (VTEC) and validation of the new versions of the International Reference Ionosphere (IRI 2016), IRI extended to the plasmasphere (IRI‐Plas 2017), and NeQuick 2 models over the equatorial anomaly region during 2013–2018. The Global Positioning System (GPS)‐derived VTEC data inferred from the South American equatorial region during the relatively high (2013–2014), descending (2015–2016), and low (2017–2018) solar activity years have been considered as measurements to validate the models. The modeled (IRI 2016, IRI‐Plas 2017, and NeQuick 2) VTEC values are generally larger than the GPS‐derived VTEC values, with the highest overestimation being illustrated by the IRI‐Plas 2017 model. Small underestimations are also observed in employing the IRI 2016 and NeQuick 2 models, especially when the solar activity increases. The highest root‐mean‐square Deviations (RMSDs) reaching up to 10 TEC units (TECU) is observed in some hours while using the IRI‐Plas 2017 model during the high solar activity years. RMSDs less than 5 TECU are also observed on most of the hours while utilizing the model during all solar activity years. However, RMSD values less than 2 TECU (while using the NeQuick 2 model) and less than 1 TECU (while using the IRI 2016 model) are seen on most of the hours during 2013–2018. This shows that the performance of the IRI 2016 and NeQuick 2 is better than the IRI‐Plas 2017 with the IRI 2016 model consistently revealing the best in all solar activity years.
Time‐Invariant Late Quaternary Slip Rates Along the Agua Blanca Fault, Northern Baja California, Mexico
Authors: Gold P. O. , Behr W. M. , Fletcher J. M. , Rockwell T. K. , Figueiredo P. M.
Published: August 2020

Fault slip rates inform models of strain accumulation and release, which over geologic time may vary or remain constant depending on factors like structural complexity, fault strength, deformation rates, and proximity to other faults. In this study, we present a Late Pleistocene–Holocene slip history based on four new geologic slip rates for the Agua Blanca Fault (ABF), which transfers Pacific‐North American dextral plate boundary motion across the Peninsular Ranges of northern Baja California. Time‐averaged slip rates from three sites are 2.8 + 0.8/−0.6 mm/a since ~65.1 ka, 3.0 + 1.4/−0.8 mm/a since ~21.8 ka, 3.2 + 1.0/−0.6 mm/a since ~12.5 ka, and 3.5 + 5.1/−2.0 mm/a since ~1.4 ka; however, the actual slip rate may be closer to 4 mm/a when off‐fault slip and age interpretation uncertainties are considered. Significantly, although the ABF has more in common in terms of length, net offset, and slip rate with known variable slip rate faults, the most straightforward age and offset interpretations for the ABF suggest constant slip rates over ~10 kyr time scales. As with other constant slip rate faults, comparable neighboring faults that might modulate the ABF slip rate are absent, suggesting that fault interaction, or lack thereof, may be a more significant factor controlling fault behavior on this and potentially other faults. The new rates indicate that the ABF accommodates at least half of total slip across the Peninsular Ranges, clarifying strain partitioning for seismic forecasting models that previously lacked modern geologic slip rate constraints for this domain of the plate boundary.
Thank You to Our 2019 Reviewers
Authors: Raymond Peter , Matsumoto Katsumi , Mikaloff‐Fletcher Sara , Houlton Benjamin
Published: August 2020

Members of the editorial board of Global Biochemical Cycles express their appreciation to those who served as peer reviewers for the journal in its inaugural year.
Laramide Orogenesis Driven by Late Cretaceous Weakening of the North American Lithosphere
Authors: Saylor Joel E. , Rudolph Kurt W. , Sundell Kurt E. , van Wijk Jolante
Published: August 2020

This paper investigates the causes of the Late Cretaceous transition from “Sevier” to “Laramide” orogenesis and the spatial and temporal evolution of effective elastic thickness (EET) of the North American lithosphere. We use a Monte Carlo flexural model applied to 34 stratigraphic profiles in the Laramide province and five profiles from the Western Canadian Basin to estimate model parameters which produce flexural profiles that match observed sedimentary thicknesses. Sediment thicknesses come from basins from New Mexico to Canada of Cenomanian–Eocene age that are related to both Sevier and Laramide crustal loads. Flexural models reveal an east‐to‐west spatial decrease in EET in all time intervals analyzed. This spatial decrease in EET may have been associated with either bending stresses associated with the Sevier thrust belt, or increased proximity to attenuated continental crust at the paleocontinental margin. In the Laramide province (i.e., south of ~48°N) there was a coeval, regional decrease in EET between the Cenomanian–Santonian (~98–84 Ma) and the Campanian–Maastrichtian (~77–66 Ma), followed by a minor decrease between the Maastrichtian and Paleogene. However, there was no decrease in EET in the Western Canada Basin (north of ~48°N), which is consistent with a lack of Laramide‐style deformation or flat subduction. We conclude that the regional lithospheric weakening in the late Santonian–Campanian is best explained by hydration of the North American lithosphere thinned by bulldozing by a shallowly subducting Farallon plate. The weakening of the lithosphere facilitated Laramide contractional deformation by focusing end‐loading stresses associated with flat subduction. Laramide deformation in turn may have further reduced EET by weakening the upper crust. Finally, estimates of Campanian–Maastrichtian and Paleogene EET are comparable to current estimates indicating that the modern distribution of lithospheric strength was achieved by the Campanian in response to flat subduction.
Storms and the Depletion of Ammonia in Jupiter: I. Microphysics of “Mushballs”
Authors: Guillot Tristan , Stevenson David J. , Atreya Sushil K. , Bolton Scott J. , Becker Heidi N.
Published: August 2020

Microwave observations by the Juno spacecraft have shown that, contrary to expectations, the concentration of ammonia is still variable down to pressures of tens of bars in Jupiter. We show that during strong storms able to loft water ice into a region located at pressures between 1.1 and 1.5 bar and temperatures between 173 and 188 K, ammonia vapor can dissolve into water ice to form a low‐temperature liquid phase containing about one‐third ammonia and two‐third water. We estimate that, following the process creating hailstorms on Earth, this liquid phase enhances the growth of hail‐like particles that we call mushballs. We develop a simple model to estimate the growth of these mushballs, their fall into Jupiter's deep atmosphere, and their evaporation. We show that they evaporate deeper than the expected water cloud base level, between 5 and 27 bar depending on the assumed abundance of water ice lofted by thunderstorms and on the assumed ventilation coefficient governing heat transport between the atmosphere and the mushball. Because the ammonia is located mostly in the core of the mushballs, it tends to be delivered deeper than water, increasing the efficiency of the process. Further sinking of the condensates is expected due to cold temperature and ammonia‐ and water‐rich downdrafts formed by the evaporation of mushballs. This process can thus potentially account for the measurements of ammonia depletion in Jupiter's deep atmosphere.
Exosomes: key players in cancer and potential therapeutic strategy
Authors: Dai Jie , Su Yangzhou , Zhong Suye , Cong Li , Liu Bang , Yang Junjun , Tao Yongguang , He Zuping , Chen Chao , Jiang Yiqun
Published: August 2020

Exosomes are extracellular vesicles secreted by most eukaryotic cells and participate in intercellular communication. The components of exosomes, including proteins, DNA, mRNA, microRNA, long noncoding RNA, circular RNA, etc., which play a crucial role in regulating tumor growth, metastasis, and angiogenesis in the process of cancer development, and can be used as a prognostic marker and/or grading basis for tumor patients. Hereby, we mainly summarized as followed: the role of exosome contents in cancer, focusing on proteins and noncoding RNA; the interaction between exosomes and tumor microenvironment; the mechanisms that epithelial-mesenchymal transition, invasion and migration of tumor affected by exosomes; and tumor suppression strategies based on exosomes. Finally, the application potential of exosomes in clinical tumor diagnosis and therapy is prospected, which providing theoretical supports for using exosomes to serve precise tumor treatment in the clinic.
Intrinsic connectomes underlying response to trauma-focused psychotherapy in post-traumatic stress disorder
Authors: Korgaonkar Mayuresh S. , Chakouch Cassandra , Breukelaar Isabella A. , Erlinger May , Felmingham Kim L. , Forbes David , Williams Leanne M. , Bryant Richard A.
Published: August 2020

Although trauma-focused cognitive behavior therapy (TF-CBT) is the frontline treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), up to one-half of patients are treatment nonresponders. To understand treatment nonresponse, it is important to understand the neural mechanisms of TF-CBT. Here, we used whole-brain intrinsic functional connectivity analysis to identify neural connectomic signatures of treatment outcome. In total, 36 PTSD patients and 36 healthy individuals underwent functional MRI at pre-treatment baseline. Patients then underwent nine sessions of TF-CBT and completed clinical and follow-up MRIs. We used an established large-scale brain network atlas to parcellate the brain into 343 brain regions. Pairwise intrinsic task-free functional connectivity was calculated and used to identify pre-treatment connectomic features that were correlated with reduction of PTSD severity from pretreatment to post treatment. We formed a composite metric of intrinsic connections associated with therapeutic outcome, and then interrogated this composite metric to determine if it distinguished PTSD treatment responders and nonresponders from healthy control status and changed post treatment. Lower pre-treatment connectivity for the cingulo-opercular, salience, default mode, dorsal attention, and frontoparietal executive control brain networks was associated with treatment improvement. Treatment responders had lower while nonresponders had significantly greater connectivity than controls at pretreatment. With therapy, connectivity significantly increased for responders and decreased for nonresponders, while controls remain unchanged over this time period. We provide evidence that the intrinsic functional architecture of the brain, specifically connectivity within and between brain networks associated with external vigilance, self-awareness, and cognitive control, may characterize a positive response to TF-CBT for PTSD.
Embracing the positive: an examination of how well resilience factors at age 14 can predict distress at age 17
Authors: Fritz J. , Stochl J. , Goodyer I. M. , van Harmelen A.-L. , Wilkinson P. O.
Published: August 2020

One-in-two people suffering from mental health problems develop such distress before or during adolescence. Research has shown that distress can predict itself well over time. Yet, little is known about how well resilience factors (RFs), i.e. those factors that decrease mental health problems, predict subsequent distress. Therefore, we investigated which RFs are the best indicators for subsequent distress and with what accuracy RFs predict subsequent distress. We examined three interpersonal (e.g. friendships) and seven intrapersonal RFs (e.g. self-esteem) and distress in 1130 adolescents, at age 14 and 17. We estimated the RFs and a continuous distress-index using factor analyses, and ordinal distress-classes using factor mixture models. We then examined how well age-14 RFs and age-14 distress predict age-17 distress, using stepwise linear regressions, relative importance analyses, as well as ordinal and linear prediction models. Low brooding, low negative and high positive self-esteem RFs were the most important indicators for age-17 distress. RFs and age-14 distress predicted age-17 distress similarly. The accuracy was acceptable for ordinal (low/moderate/high age-17 distress-classes: 62–64%), but low for linear models (37–41%). Crucially, the accuracy remained similar when only self-esteem and brooding RFs were used instead of all ten RFs (ordinal = 62%; linear = 37%); correctly predicting for about two-in-three adolescents whether they have low, moderate or high distress 3 years later. RFs, and particularly brooding and self-esteem, seem to predict subsequent distress similarly well as distress can predict itself. As assessing brooding and self-esteem can be strength-focussed and is time-efficient, those RFs may be promising for risk-detection and translational intervention research.
BECN1 promotes radiation-induced G2/M arrest through regulation CDK1 activity: a potential role for autophagy in G2/M checkpoint
Authors: Huang Ruixue , Gao Shanshan , Han Yanqin , Ning Huacheng , Zhou Yao , Guan Hua , Liu Xiaodan , Yan Shuang , Zhou Ping-Kun
Published: August 2020

Authophagy and G2/M arrest are two important mechanistic responses of cells to ionizing radiation (IR), in particular the IR-induced fibrosis. However, what interplayer and how it links the autophagy and the G2/M arrest remains elusive. Here, we demonstrate that the autophagy-related protein BECN1 plays a critical role in ionizing radiation-induced G2/M arrest. The treatment of cells with autophagy inhibitor 3-methyladenine (3-MA) at 0–12 h but not 12 h postirradiation significantly sensitized them to IR, indicating a radio-protective role of autophagy in the early response of cells to radiation. 3-MA and BECN1 disruption inactivated the G2/M checkpoint following IR by abrogating the IR-induced phosphorylation of phosphatase CDC25C and its target CDK1, a key mediator of the G2/M transition in coordination with CCNB1. Irradiation increased the nuclear translocation of BECN1, and this process was inhibited by 3-MA. We confirmed that BECN1 interacts with CDC25C and CHK2, and which is mediated the amino acids 89–155 and 151–224 of BECN1, respectively. Importantly, BECN1 deficiency disrupted the interaction of CHK2 with CDC25C and the dissociation of CDC25C from CDK1 in response to irradiation, resulting in the dephosphorylation of CDK1 and overexpression of CDK1. In summary, IR induces the translocation of BECN1 to the nucleus, where it mediates the interaction between CDC25C and CHK2, resulting in the phosphorylation of CDC25C and its dissociation from CDK1. Consequently, the mitosis-promoting complex CDK1/CCNB1 is inactivated, resulting in the arrest of cells at the G2/M transition. Our findings demonstrated that BECN1 plays a role in promotion of radiation-induced G2/M arrest through regulation of CDK1 activity. Whether such functions of BECN1 in G2/M arrest is dependent or independent on its autophagy-related roles is necessary to further identify.
A virus-induced conformational switch of STAT1-STAT2 dimers boosts antiviral defenses
Authors: Wang Yuxin , Song Qiaoling , Huang Wei , Lin Yuxi , Wang Xin , Wang Chenyao , Willard Belinda , Zhao Chenyang , Nan Jing , Holvey-Bates Elise , Wang Zhuoya , Taylor Derek , Yang Jinbo , Stark George R.
Published: August 2020

Type I interferons (IFN-I) protect us from viral infections. Signal transducer and activator of transcription 2 (STAT2) is a key component of interferon-stimulated gene factor 3 (ISGF3), which drives gene expression in response to IFN-I. Using electron microscopy, we found that, in naive cells, U-STAT2, lacking the activating tyrosine phosphorylation, forms a heterodimer with U-STAT1 in an inactive, anti-parallel conformation. A novel phosphorylation of STAT2 on T404 promotes IFN-I signaling by disrupting the U-STAT1-U-STAT2 dimer, facilitating the tyrosine phosphorylation of STATs 1 and 2 and enhancing the DNA-binding ability of ISGF3. IKK-ε, activated by virus infection, phosphorylates T404 directly. Mice with a T-A mutation at the corresponding residue (T403) are highly susceptible to virus infections. We conclude that T404 phosphorylation drives a critical conformational switch that, by boosting the response to IFN-I in infected cells, enables a swift and efficient antiviral defense.
Daylight space debris laser ranging
Authors: Steindorfer Michael A. , Kirchner Georg , Koidl Franz , Wang Peiyuan , Jilete Beatriz , Flohrer Tim
Published: August 2020

Satellite laser ranging allows to measure distances to satellites equipped with retroreflectors in orbits up to 36000 km. Utilizing a higher powered laser, space debris laser ranging detects diffuse reflections from defunct satellites or rocket bodies up to a distance of 3000 km. So far space debris laser ranging was only possible within a few hours around twilight while it is dark at the satellite laser ranging station and space debris is illuminated by the sun. Here we present space debris laser ranging results during daylight. Space debris objects are visualized against the blue sky background and biases corrected in real-time. The results are a starting point for all space debris laser ranging stations to drastically increase their output in the near future. A network of a few stations worldwide will be able to improve orbital predictions significantly as necessary for removal missions, conjunction warnings, avoidance maneuvers or attitude determination.
Mechanical–chemical coupling phase-field modeling for inhomogeneous oxidation of zirconium induced by stress–oxidation interaction
Authors: Lin Chen , Ruan Haihui , Shi San-Qiang
Published: August 2020

A phase-field model is proposed to study the inhomogeneous growth of zirconia induced by the stress–oxidation interaction, which captures the complex interplay among diffusion, oxidation kinetics, interfacial morphology evolution, and stress variation in an oxidation process. Through this numerical model, many experimentally observed but insufficiently understood phenomena can be well explained. Specifically, the numerical simulations reveal quantitatively the causes of interface roughening or smoothening during the inward oxide growth, the roughness-dependent oxide growth rate, and the nucleation sites of premature cracking. These numerical findings can be used as the theoretical references for the improving the durability of oxide scale and prolonging the service life of zirconium-based alloy cladding used in the nuclear power plant.