bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical characteristics and outcome of hydrocephalus in neurosarcoidosis: a retrospective cohort study and review of the literature
Authors: ten Dam Leroy , van de Beek Diederik , Brouwer Matthijs C.
Published: November 2021

Hydrocephalus is reported in approximately one-tenth of neurosarcoidosis patients. However, data on clinical characteristics and outcome are lacking. In this retrospective study, we present 11 patients with neurosarcoidosis and hydrocephalus on neuroimaging. Median age was 52 years and seven were female (64%). Presenting symptoms consisted of headache in 8 out of 11 (73%), vertigo in 5 (46%), gait abnormalities in 4 (36%), diplopia in 2 (18%) and decreased visual acuity in 1 (9%). Cranial imaging showed obstructive hydrocephalus in 10 (91%) and non-obstructive hydrocephalus in 1 (9%) out of 11, obstruction occurred at the level of the fourth ventricle in 6 out of 10 (60%). Treatment consisted of glucocorticoids in all the patients with additional methotrexate or azathioprine in 6 (55%) and infliximab in 1 (9%) patient. Neurosurgical intervention was performed in 10 out of 11 (91%) patients. Treatment led to remission, improvement or stabilization of disease in 9 out of 10 (90%) of patients. One patient died due to cerebral herniation despite neurosurgical decompression and CSF shunting. Median modified Rankin scale score at last follow-up was 2 (range 0–6). A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies on hydrocephalus due to neurosarcoidosis identified 36 patients that compared to our patients had a lower median age at onset and a higher mortality. Acute obstructive hydrocephalus due to neurosarcoidosis is a potentially fatal medical emergency requiring neurosurgical intervention and initiation of immunosuppressive therapy. If patients survive the initial phase, the outcome is generally favorable.
Pesticide exposure of workers in apple growing in France
Authors: Bureau Mathilde , Béziat Béatrix , Duporté Geoffroy , Bouchart Valérie , Lecluse Yannick , Barron Emmanuelle , Garrigou Alain , Dévier Marie-Hélène , Budzinski Hélène , Lebailly Pierre , Baldi Isabelle
Published: November 2021

Objective

Although apple trees are heavily sprayed, few studies have assessed the pesticide exposure of operators and workers in apple orchards. However, these data are crucial for assessing the health impact of such exposures. The aim of this study was to measure pesticide exposure in apple growing according to tasks and body parts.

Methods

A non-controlled field study was conducted in apple orchards in 4 regions of France during the 2016 and 2017 treatment seasons. Workers’ external contamination and their determinants were assessed over 156 working days corresponding to 30 treatment days, 68 re-entry days and 58 harvesting days. We measured pesticide dermal contamination during each task and made detailed observations of work characteristics throughout the day. Captan and dithianon were used as markers of exposure.

Results

The median dermal contamination per day was 5.50 mg of captan and 3.33 mg of dithianon for operators, 24.39 mg of captan and 1.84 mg of dithianon for re-entry workers, and 5.82 mg of captan and 0.74 mg of dithianon for harvesters. Thus, workers performing re-entry tasks, especially thinning and anti-hail net opening, presented higher contamination, either equal to or higher than in operators. For these last ones, mixing/loading and equipment cleaning were the most contaminating tasks. Most of the contamination was observed on workers’ hands in all tasks, except for net-opening in which their heads accounted for the most daily contamination.

Conclusions

This study highlights the importance of taking indirect exposures into account during re-entry work in apple growing.
Neurointensive care of traumatic brain injury in the elderly—age-specific secondary insult levels and optimal physiological levels to target need to be defined
Authors: Lenell Samuel , Lewén Anders , Howells Timothy , Enblad Per
Published: November 2021

Background

Elderly patients with traumatic brain injury increase. Current targets and secondary insult definitions during neurointensive care (NIC) are mostly based on younger patients. The aim was therefore to study the occurrence of predefined secondary insults and the impact on outcome in different ages with particular focus on elderly.

Methods

Patients admitted to Uppsala 2008–2014 were included. Patient characteristics, NIC management, monitoring data, and outcome were analyzed. The percentage of monitoring time for ICP, CPP, MAP, and SBP above-/below-predefined thresholds was calculated.

Results

Five hundred seventy patients were included, 151 elderly ≥ 65 years and 419 younger 16–64 years. Age ≥ 65 had significantly higher percentage of CPP > 100, MAP > 120, and SBP > 180 and age 16–64 had higher percentage of ICP ≥ 20, CPP ≤ 60, and MAP ≤ 80. Age ≥ 65 contributed independently to the different secondary insult patterens. When patients in all ages were analyzed, low percentage of CPP > 100 and SBP > 180, respectively, was significant predictors of favorable outcome and high percentage of ICP ≥ 20, CPP > 100, SBP ≤ 100, and SBP > 180, respectively, was predictors of death. Analysis of age interaction showed that patients ≥ 65 differed and had a higher odds for favorable outcome with large proportion of good monitoring time with SBP > 180.

Conclusions

Elderly ≥ 65 have different patterns of secondary insults/physiological variables, which is independently associated to age. The finding that SBP > 180 increased the odds of favorable outcome in the elderly but decreased the odds in younger patients may indicate that blood pressure should be treated differently depending on age.
Drug use disorder and risk of incident and fatal prostate cancer among Swedish men: a nationwide epidemiological study
Authors: Dahlman Disa , Li Xinjun , Crump Casey , Sundquist Jan , Sundquist Kristina
Published: November 2021

Purpose

Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer in men and a leading cause of cancer mortality worldwide. Men with drug use disorders (DUD) may potentially be at high risk for prostate cancer mortality because of delayed diagnosis and/or undertreatment. In this study, we aimed to investigate prostate cancer incidence, mortality, and stage at time of diagnosis among men with DUD compared to the general male population in Sweden.

Methods

We performed a follow-up study based on Swedish national register data for the period January 1997–December 2016. The study was based on 1,361,532 men aged 50–75 years at inclusion, of whom 9,259 were registered with DUD. Cox regression analysis was used to compute adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for incident and fatal prostate cancer, and cancer stage at time of diagnosis, associated with DUD.

Results

DUD was associated with a slightly increased risk of incident prostate cancer (HR: 1.07, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.00–1.14, p = 0.048) and substantially higher risk of fatal prostate cancer (HR: 1.59, 95% CI 1.40–1.82, p < 0.001), adjusted for age, socioeconomic factors, and comorbidities related to tobacco smoking and alcohol use disorder. No association was found between DUD and prostate cancer stage at diagnosis.

Conclusions

Men with DUD have an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, possibly related to undertreatment in this patient population. Our findings should raise attention among medical staff and decision-makers towards a disadvantaged group of men in need of easily accessible prostate cancer evaluation and treatment.
Market power and journalistic quality
Authors: Leroch Martin
Published: November 2021

The political news media play an important role in the successful working of democratic societies. In order to fulfill this role, a sufficient level of journalistic quality is required. Most Western societies rely on the market as means to assure this level of quality. This implies regulation of the media sector by competition law, which may take different attitudes towards market power. While it is undisputed that some aspects of competition between political news media firms yield beneficial social outcomes, empirical findings regarding the impact of changes in market power are less straightforward. In the present analysis, I aim to understand whether an increase in market power may lead to an increase in journalistic quality. To this end,I formally model a demand function for media outlets based on the empirically justified assumption that preferences for journalistic quality systematically differ among consumers according to their education. I refer to this finding as consumption capital in a wide sense. Using a model of monopolistic competition, I find that, if consumption capital is sufficiently high, an increase in market power is associated with an increase in journalistic quality.
The perception problem: a comparison of teachers’ self-perceptions and students’ perceptions of instructional quality
Authors: Wisniewski Benedikt , Röhl Sebastian , Fauth Benjamin
Published: November 2021

Teachers’ self-perceptions and their students’ perceptions of the three basic dimensions of instructional quality were compared based on a sample of 171 classes and their teachers in German secondary education. Low to moderate correlations (r= .35 to .50) were found between the two perspectives. Differences in perceptions vary across teachers based on favorable and less favorable students’ assessments. Results from latent profile analyses based on perception combinations of teachers and their classes hint at four differential profiles, reflecting to a large extent patterns of under- and overestimation of people’s own competence identified in previous research. Significant differences in gender among individuals assigned to the four profiles could be found. Implications of identifying the divergence between teachers’ and students’ perceptions of instructional quality for reflective practice are discussed.
Stochastic satellite tracking with constrained budget via structured-chromosome genetic algorithms
Authors: Gentile Lorenzo , Greco Cristian , Minisci Edmondo , Bartz-Beielstein Thomas , Vasile Massimiliano
Published: November 2021

This paper focuses on the scheduling under uncertainty of satellite tracking from a heterogeneous network of ground stations taking into account allocated resources. An optimisation-based approach is employed to efficiently select the optimal tracking schedule that minimises the final estimation uncertainty. Specifically, the scheduling is formulated as a variable-size problem, and a Structured-Chromosome Genetic Algorithm is developed to tackle the mixed-discrete global optimisation. The search algorithm employs genetic operators specifically revised to handle hierarchical search spaces. An orbit determination routine is run within each call to the fitness function to quantify the estimation uncertainty resulting from each candidate tracking schedule. The developed scheduler is tested on the tracking optimisation of a satellite in low Earth orbit, a highly perturbed dynamical regime. The obtained results show that the variable-size variants of Genetic Algorithms always outperform the fixed-size counterparts employed for comparison. In particular, Structured-Chromosome Genetic Algorithm is shown to find significantly better schedules under severely limited budgets.
Crowdlending: mapping the core literature and research frontiers
Authors: Ribeiro-Navarrete Samuel , Piñeiro-Chousa Juan , López-Cabarcos M. Ángeles , Palacios-Marqués Daniel
Published: November 2021

Peer-to-peer (P2P) lending uses two-sided platforms to link borrowers with a crowd of lenders. Despite considerable diversity in crowdlending research, studies in this area typically focus on several common research topics, including information asymmetries, social capital, communication channels, and rating-based models. This young research field is still expanding. However, its importance has increased considerably since 2018. This rise in importance suggests that P2P lending may offer a promising new scientific research field. This paper presents a bibliometric study based on keyword co-occurrence, author and reference co-citations, and bibliographic coupling. The paper thus maps the key features of P2P lending research. Although many of the most cited papers are purely financial, some focus on behavioral finance. The trend in this field is toward innovative finance based on new technologies. The conclusions of this study provide valuable insight for researchers, managers, and policymakers to understand the current and future status of this field. The variables that affect new financial contexts and the strategies that promote technology-based financial environments must be investigated in the future.
Hypoglycemic Effect of Electroacupuncture at ST25 Through Neural Regulation of the Pancreatic Intrinsic Nervous System
Authors: Xu Tiancheng , Yu Zhi , Liu Yun , Lu Mengjiang , Gong Meirong , Li Qian , Xia Youbing , Xu Bin
Published: November 2021

Electroacupuncture (EA) is considered to have potential antidiabetic effects; however, the role of the pancreatic intrinsic nervous system (PINS) in EA-induced amelioration of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) remains unclear. Therefore, we investigated whether EA at ST25 exerts any beneficial effects on insulin resistance (IR), inflammation severity, and pancreaticβcell function via the PINS in a rat model of a high-fat diet-streptozotocin (HFD/STZ)-induced diabetes. To this end, Sprague Dawley rats were fed with HFD to induce IR, followed by STZ (35 mg/kg, i.p.) injection to establish the T2DM model. After hyperglycemia was confirmed as fasting glucose level > 16.7 mmol/L, the rats were treated with EA (2 mA, 2/15 Hz) for the next 28 days. Model rats showed increased serum glucose, insulin, IR, and TNF-αlevels with a concomitant decrease inβcell function. Microscopy examination of the pancreas revealed pathological changes in islets, which reverted to near-normal levels after EA at ST25. EA improved islet cell morphology by increasing islet area and reducing vacuolation. EA at ST25 decreased transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) and increased substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) expression. Subsequently, insulin secretion decreased and impaired pancreatic endocrine function was restored through the TRPV1 channel (SP/CGRP)-insulin circuit. EA increased choline acetyltransferase and neuropeptide Y expression and controlled inflammation. It also enhanced the cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript prepropeptide expression and promoted glucagon-like peptide-1 secretion. Additionally, the electrophysiological activity of PINS during acupuncture (2.71 ± 1.72 Hz) was significantly increased compared to the pre-acupuncture frequency (0.32 ± 0.37 Hz,P< 0.05). Thus, our study demonstrated the beneficial effect of EA onβcell dysfunction via the PINS in rat models of HFD-STZ-induced T2DM.
Experimental study of standing and walking at work — What is compatible with physiological characteristics and human needs?
Authors: Rücker Lisa , Brombach Johannes , Bengler Klaus
Published: November 2021

An experimental study with two scenarios S1 and S2 was conducted, in which the standing and walking proportions as well as movement dynamics were varied. Eleven participants have taken part in the study for 2.5 h each (cycle time: 90 s). By means of surface electromyography, the static and dynamic components of muscle strain as well as the muscle fatigue were recorded and compared with the results of water plethysmography and a structured subjective rating survey. The results of the EMG study showed significantly higher dynamic components of the EA at S2 compared to S1, while the static components for the same activities did not show any significant difference, as expected. S1 and S2 always led to an increase in volume of the lower leg. Standing with less walking (S1) resulted in a significantly higher increase than standing with a higher proportion of walking and stronger dynamic movements (S2). In scenario S2, compared to scenario S1, the participants reported weaker subjective complaints which were also reported later in time. The results on muscular fatigue indicated only partially significant differences between S1 and S2. The results make clear that the dynamics of movement are a decisive criterion for assessing standing activities.

Practical Relevance: To relieve strain during standing work, “real” walking movement must be integrated into the workflow. It could be shown that only a small step to the side or a few “shuffling” steps are not sufficient. In contrast, it is compatible with human physiological characteristics to make correct steps and dynamically activate the leg muscles.
Roboethics principles and policies in Europe and North America
Authors: Langman Sofya , Capicotto Nicole , Maddahi Yaser , Zareinia Kourosh
Published: November 2021

Robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are revolutionizing all spheres of human life. From industrial processes to graphic design, the implementation of automated intelligent systems is changing how industries work. The spread of robots and AI systems has triggered academic institutions to closely examine how these technologies may affect the humanity—this is how the fields of roboethics and AI ethics have been born. The identification of ethical issues for robotics and AI and creation of ethical frameworks were the first steps to creating a regulatory environment for these technologies. In this paper, we focus on regulatory efforts in Europe and North America to create enforceable regulation for AI and robotics. We describe and compare ethical principles, policies, and regulations that have been proposed by government organizations for the design and use of robots and AI. We also discuss proposed international regulation for robotics and AI. This paper tries to highlight the need for a comprehensive, enforceable, and agile policy to ethically regulate technology today and in the future. Through reviewing existing policies, we conclude that the European Unition currently leads the way in defining roboethics and AI ethical principles and implementing them into policy. Our findings suggest that governments in Europe and North America are aware of the ethical risks that robotics and AI pose, and are engaged in policymaking to create regulatory policies for these new technologies.
Impact of precoding on reimbursement in diagnosis-related group systems: Randomized controlled trial
Authors: Tarantino Ignazio , Widmann Bernhard , Warschkow Rene , Weitzendorfer Michael , Bock Susanne , Roeske Sandra , Abbassi Fariba , Sortino Rosita , Schmied Bruno M. , Steffen Thomas
Published: November 2021

Abstract

Background

Complete and correct documentation of diagnosis and procedures is essential for adequate health provider reimbursement in diagnosis-related group (DRG) systems. The objective of this study was to investigate whether daily monitoring and semiautomated proposal optimization of DRG coding (precoding) is associated with higher reimbursement per hospitalization day.

Materials and methods

This parallel-group, unblinded, randomized clinical trial randomized patients 1:1 into intervention (precoding) and control groups. Between June 12 and December 6, 2019 all hospitalized patients (1566 cases) undergoing elective or emergency surgery at the department of surgery in a Swiss hospital were eligible for this study. By random sample selection, cases were assigned to the intervention (precoding) and control groups. The primary outcome was the total reimbursement, divided by the length of stay.

Results

Of the 1205 randomized cases, 1200 (precoding group: 602) remained for intention-to-treat, and 1131 (precoding group: 564) for per-protocol analysis. Precoding increased reimbursement per hospitalization day by 6.5% (160 US dollars; 95% confidence interval 31 to 289; P = 0.015). In a regression analysis patients hospitalized 7 days or longer, precoding increased reimbursement per day by 10.0% (246 US dollars; 95% confidence interval −12 to 504; P = 0.021). More secondary diagnoses (mean [SD]: 5.16 [5.60] vs 4.39 [5.34]; 0.77; 95% confidence interval 0.15 to 1.39; P = 0.015) and nonsurgical postoperative complications (mean [SD]: 0.68 [1.45] vs 0.45 [1.12]; 0.23; 95% confidence interval 0.08 to 0.38; P = 0.002) were documented by precoding. No associated was observed regarding the length of stay, total reimbursement, or case mix index. The mean (SD) precoding time effort was 37 (27) minutes per case.

Conclusion

Physician-led precoding increases DRG-based reimbursement. Precoding is time consuming and should be focused on cases with a longer hospital stay to increase efficiency.

Highlights
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening system utilizing daily symptom attestation helps identify hospital employees who should be tested to protect patients and coworkers
Authors: Kim Ellen , Morris Charles A. , Klompas Michael , Zhang Haipeng , Landman Adam B. , Eappen Sunil , Hopcia Karen , Hashimoto Dean M. , Salmasian Hojjat
Published: November 2021

Objective:

To investigate the effectiveness of a daily attestation system used by employees of a multi-institutional academic medical center, which comprised of symptom-screening, self-referrals to the Occupational Health Services team, and/or a severe acute respiratory coronavirus virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) test.

Design:

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all employee attestations and SARS-CoV-2 tests performed between March and June 2020.

Setting:

A large multi-institutional academic medical center, including both inpatient and ambulatory settings.

Participants:

All employees who worked at the study site.

Methods:

Data were combined from the attestation system (COVIDPass), the employee database, and the electronic health records and were analyzed using descriptive statistics including χ2, Wilcoxon, and Kruskal-Wallis tests. We investigated whether an association existed between symptomatic attestations by the employees and the employee testing positive for SARS-CoV-2.

Results:

After data linkage and cleaning, there were 2,117,298 attestations submitted by 65,422 employees between March and June 2020. Most attestations were asymptomatic (99.9%). The most commonly reported symptoms were sore throat (n = 910), runny nose (n = 637), and cough (n = 570). Among the 2,026 employees who ever attested that they were symptomatic, 905 employees were tested within 14 days of a symptomatic attestation, and 114 (13%) of these tests were positive. The most common symptoms associated with a positive SARS-CoV-2 test were anosmia (23% vs 4%) and fever (46% vs 19%).

Conclusions:

Daily symptom attestations among healthcare workers identified a handful of employees with COVID-19. Although the number of positive tests was low, attestations may help keep unwell employees off campus to prevent transmissions.
Resilience: Directions for an Uncertain Future Following the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Galaitsi Stephanie , Kurth Margaret , Linkov Igor
Published: November 2021

The concept of resilience is multi‐faceted. This commentary builds upon the analytical distinctions of resilience provided by Urquiza et al. (2021, https://doi.org/10.1029/2020EF001508). In response to this article, we emphasize several distinctions between resilience and other systems concepts. These include distinctions between resilience, risk, and vulnerability, the tradeoff between resilience and efficiency, resilience contrasted with robustness, the relationship between resilience and sustainability, and finally methods for building resilience‐by‐design or resilience‐by‐intervention. Improving understanding of these concepts will enable planners to select resilience strategies that best support their system goals. We use examples from the 2020–2021 coronavirus pandemic to illustrate the concepts and the juxtapositions between them.
The Oceanic Barrier Layer in the Eastern Indian Ocean as a Predictor for Rainfall Over Indonesia and Australia
Authors: Ivanova Detelina P. , McClean Julie L. , Sprintall Janet , Chen Ru
Published: November 2021

Barrier layers in the tropics trap heat in a shallow and stable near‐surface layer and limit entrainment of cooler water from below. Both processes act to increase sea surface temperature and enhance atmospheric convection. The high resolution fully coupled pre‐industrial Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 0 (E3SMv0) is used to investigate the relationship between barrier layers in the eastern Indian Ocean during the wet season with local atmospheric convection and remote rainfall. A partial least squares regression reveals a significant relationship between Australasian rainfall and the barrier layer thickness (BLT) west of Sumatra, occurring one month earlier. The largest positive regression coefficients are over northern Australia. The region west of Sumatra is strategically located where the East‐Asian monsoon moisture flows toward northern Australia. Thickening of the west Sumatra BLT intensifies evaporation and local convection and amplifies the moisture transported to Australia acting to increase the terrestrial rainfall.
Uncertainties in Kelvin Waves in ECMWF Analyses and Forecasts: Insights From Aeolus Observing System Experiments
Authors: Žagar N. , Rennie M. , Isaksen L.
Published: November 2021

The European Space Agency Earth Explorer mission Aeolus with the first spaceborne Doppler Wind Lidar onboard provides global coverage of wind profiles twice per day. This paper discusses the impact of assimilating Aeolus winds on the quality of tropical analyses and forecasts using the observing system experiments of the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather (ECMWF). Presented examples show that Aeolus wind profiles bring changes to the Kelvin wave structure in the layers with a significant vertical shear during the easterly phase of the quasi‐biennial oscillation in the period May to September 2020. Comparing Kelvin waves in analyses and forecasts with and without Aeolus winds, it is argued that improved ECMWF forecasts in the tropical tropopause layer are due to vertically propagating Kelvin waves.
Earthquake Rupture and Tsunami Generation of the 2015 Mw 5.9 Bonin Event Revealed by In Situ Pressure Gauge Array Observations and Integrated Seismic and Tsunami Wave Simulation
Authors: Kubota Tatsuya , Saito Tatsuhiko , Fukao Yoshio , Sugioka Hiroko , Ito Aki , Tonegawa Takashi , Shiobara Hajime , Yamashita Mikiya
Published: November 2021

On September 1, 2015, an Mw 5.9 interplate earthquake occurred near the Bonin Trench. An array of in situ ocean‐bottom absolute pressure gauges (APGs) observed its tsunami generation field consisting of static and dynamic pressure changes due to tsunami and crustal deformation and due to seismic motion, respectively, under much higher station density than ever reported. We propose an approach to synthesize the pressure change inside the focal area, which reproduces the APG waveforms well. We further successfully estimate the finite fault model of the earthquake and constrain the rupture duration only from the APG data. The relatively low stress drop and seismic wave radiation from the fault model may suggest the nature of a tsunami earthquake. The in situ APGs have a large potential to reveal the broadband source process of the earthquake, which is essential to understand the seismotectonics in the subduction zone.
Quantifying the Lobe Reconnection Rate During Dominant IMF By Periods and Different Dipole Tilt Orientations
Authors: Reistad J. P. , Laundal K. M. , Østgaard N. , Ohma A. , Burrell A. G. , Hatch S. M. , Haaland S. , Thomas E. G.
Published: November 2021

Lobe reconnection is usually thought to play an important role in geospace dynamics only when the Interplanetary Magnetic Field (IMF) is mainly northward. This is because the most common and unambiguous signature of lobe reconnection is the strong sunward convection in the polar cap ionosphere observed during these conditions. During more typical conditions, when the IMF is mainly oriented in a dawn‐dusk direction, plasma flows initiated by dayside and lobe reconnection both map to high‐latitude ionospheric locations in close proximity to each other on the dayside. This makes the distinction of the source of the observed dayside polar cap convection ambiguous, as the flow magnitude and direction are similar from the two topologically different source regions. We here overcome this challenge by normalizing the ionospheric convection observed by the Super Dual Aurora Radar Network (SuperDARN) to the polar cap boundary, inferred from simultaneous observations from the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment (AMPERE). This new method enable us to separate and quantify the relative contribution of both lobe reconnection and dayside/nightside (Dungey cycle) reconnection during periods of dominating IMF By. Our main findings are twofold. First, the lobe reconnection rate can typically account for 20% of the Dungey cycle flux transport during local summer when IMF By is dominating and IMF Bz ≥ 0. Second, the dayside convection relative to the open/closed boundary is vastly different in local summer versus local winter, as defined by the dipole tilt angle.
Electron Lifetimes and Diffusion Rates Inferred From ELFIN Measurements at Low Altitude: First Results
Authors: Mourenas D. , Artemyev A. V. , Zhang X. ‐J. , Angelopoulos V. , Tsai E. , Wilkins C.
Published: November 2021

In the radiation belts, energetic and relativistic electron precipitation into the atmosphere is expected to be mainly controlled over the long term by quasilinear pitch‐angle scattering by whistler‐mode and electromagnetic ion cyclotron waves. Accordingly, statistical electron lifetimes have been derived from quasilinear diffusion theory on the basis of multi‐year wave statistics. However, the full consistency of such statistical quasilinear models of electron lifetimes with both measured electron lifetimes, spectra of trapped and precipitated electron fluxes, and wave‐driven diffusion rates inferred from electron flux measurements, has not yet been verified in detail. In the present study, we use data from Electron Loss and Fields Investigation (ELFIN) mission CubeSats, launched in September 2018 in low Earth orbit, to carry out such comparisons between quasi‐linear diffusion theory and observed electron flux variations. We show that statistical theoretical lifetime models are in reasonable agreement with electron pitch‐angle diffusion rates inferred from the precipitated to trapped 100 keV electron flux ratio measured by ELFIN after correction for atmospheric backscatter, as well as with timescales of trapped electron flux decay independently measured over several days by ELFIN. The present results demonstrate for the first time a broad consistency between timescales of trapped electron flux decay, the pitch‐angle distribution of precipitated electrons, and quasilinear models of wave‐driven electron loss, showing the reliability of such statistical electron lifetime models parameterized by geomagnetic activity for evaluating electron precipitation into the atmosphere during not too disturbed periods.
Reconnection X‐Line Orientations at the Earth's Magnetopause
Authors: Fuselier S. A. , Webster J. M. , Trattner K. J. , Petrinec S. M. , Genestreti K. J. , Pritchard K. R. , LLera K. , Broll J. M. , Burch J. L. , Strangeway R. J.
Published: November 2021

Observations from the magnetospheric multiscale mission in or near electron diffusion regions (EDRs) at the Earth's magnetopause are used to determine the orientation of reconnection X‐lines. The results highlight cross‐scale coupling of magnetic reconnection and the differences between component and anti‐parallel reconnection. These observations are consistent with a model that has a continuous, component reconnection X‐line that extends many Earth Radii (RE) across the dayside magnetopause when the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) is southward and |BY| ∼ |BZ|. Encounters anywhere along the X‐line have similar cross‐section structure in the direction normal to the magnetopause, indicating that component reconnection is quasi‐two‐dimensional, at some scale larger than the electron scale. EDR encounters far from this primary component X‐line may be associated with transient or spatially limited reconnection structures. On the magnetopause flanks on either side of the component X‐line, there are regions where anti‐parallel reconnection occurs. These regions dominate the entire dayside magnetopause when the IMF is southward and |BY| << |BZ|. In parts of these regions, observations in or near EDRs are consistent with reconnection occurring at a series of short, anti‐parallel reconnection X‐lines. These X‐lines may be quasi‐stationary or propagating along an anti‐parallel ridge at the magnetopause. In other parts of these regions, X‐lines may be much longer.
Viscous Dissipation in the Fluid Core of the Moon
Authors: Zhang Jiarui , Dumberry Mathieu
Published: November 2021

The spin axes of the mantle, fluid core, and solid inner core of the Moon precess at frequency Ωp = 2π/18.6 years−1 though with different orientations, leading to viscous friction at the core‐mantle boundary (CMB) and inner core boundary (ICB). Here, we use a rotational model of the Moon and consider a range of inner core and outer core radii to investigate the relative importance of viscous dissipation at the CMB and ICB, and to show how this dissipation is connected to the phase lead angle (ϕp) of the mantle ahead of its Cassini state. We show that when the inner core radius is km and the free inner core nutation frequency Ωficn approaches Ωp, viscous dissipation at the ICB can be comparable to that at the CMB, and in the most extreme cases exceed it by as much as a factor of 10. If so, the viscous dissipation in the lunar core projected back in time depends on how Ωficn has evolved relative to Ωp. We further show that constraints on the CMB and ICB radii of the lunar core can in principle be extracted by matching the observed phase lead of ϕp = 0.27 arcsec; this requires an improved estimate of tidal dissipation and an accurate model of the turbulent viscous torque. Finally, when our rotational model is constrained to match ϕp = 0.27 arcsec, our results suggest that the viscous dissipation at the ICB is likely insufficient to have ever been above the threshold to power a thermally driven dynamo.
High‐Resolution Soil Moisture Evolution in Hyper‐Arid Regions: A Comparison of InSAR, SAR, Microwave, Optical, and Data Assimilation Systems in the Southern Arabian Peninsula
Authors: Bürgi P. M. , Lohman R. B.
Published: November 2021

We present an analysis of a 3‐year time series of Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) imagery covering the southern Arabian Peninsula, spanning two devastating typhoons that impacted the region in 2018. The limited vegetation and precipitation in the area allows for clear separation of soil moisture changes from other factors that typically also affect microwave imagery. We generate soil moisture proxies from Interferometric SAR (InSAR) coherence and compare them with a range of other soil moisture products. We estimate the decay timescale over which the surface returns to its pre‐storm state for each event and data type, and find that the radar coherence‐based timescales tend to be longer than those for the other products. We also find that the coherence‐based timescales of the two events differ from each other in a manner that is consistent with seasonal temperature fluctuations and the total rainfall that occurred each time. The higher spatial resolution of the InSAR coherence results and differing sensitivity to the vertical distribution of soil moisture complements the other more temporally dense products, particularly in regions of high heterogeneity along the edge of the storm and within regions where the surface properties change dramatically over small spatial scales. As the frequency and strength of tropical cyclones increase, and as already scarce water resources are utilized further in arid regions, InSAR coherence data constitutes another tool that researchers can use to expand our understanding of these challenges.
The majority of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies in COVID-19 patients with obesity are autoimmune and not neutralizing
Authors: Frasca Daniela , Reidy Lisa , Romero Maria , Diaz Alain , Cray Carolyn , Kahl Kristin , Blomberg Bonnie B.
Published: November 2021

Background/objectives

Obesity decreases the secretion of SARS-CoV-2-specific IgG antibodies in the blood of COVID-19 patients. How obesity impacts the quality of the antibodies secreted, however, is not understood. Therefore, the objective of this study is to evaluate the presence of neutralizing versus autoimmune antibodies in COVID-19 patients with obesity.

Subjects/methods

Thirty serum samples from individuals who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 infection by RT-PCR were collected from inpatient and outpatient settings. Of these, 15 were lean (BMI < 25) and 15 were obese (BMI ≥ 30). Control serum samples were from 30 uninfected individuals, age-, gender-, and BMI-matched, recruited before the current pandemic. Neutralizing and autoimmune antibodies were measured by ELISA. IgG autoimmune antibodies were specific for malondialdehyde (MDA), a marker of oxidative stress and lipid peroxidation, and for adipocyte-derived protein antigens (AD), markers of virus-induced cell death in the obese adipose tissue.

Results

SARS-CoV-2 infection induces neutralizing antibodies in all lean but only in few obese COVID-19 patients. SARS-CoV-2 infection also induces anti-MDA and anti-AD autoimmune antibodies more in lean than in obese patients as compared to uninfected controls. Serum levels of these autoimmune antibodies, however, are always higher in obese versus lean COVID-19 patients. Moreover, because the autoimmune antibodies found in serum samples of COVID-19 patients have been correlated with serum levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a general marker of inflammation, we also evaluated the association of anti-MDA and anti-AD antibodies with serum CRP and found a positive association between CRP and autoimmune antibodies.

Conclusions

Our results highlight the importance of evaluating the quality of the antibody response in COVID-19 patients with obesity, particularly the presence of autoimmune antibodies, and identify biomarkers of self-tolerance breakdown. This is crucial to protect this vulnerable population at higher risk of responding poorly to infection with SARS-CoV-2 than lean controls.
Indigenous sex-selective salmon harvesting demonstrates pre-contact marine resource management in Burrard Inlet, British Columbia, Canada
Authors: Morin Jesse , Royle Thomas C. A. , Zhang Hua , Speller Camilla , Alcaide Miguel , Morin Ryan , Ritchie Morgan , Cannon Aubrey , George Michael , George Michelle , Yang Dongya
Published: November 2021

To gain insight into pre-contact Coast Salish fishing practices, we used new palaeogenetic analytical techniques to assign sex identifications to salmonid bones from four archaeological sites in Burrard Inlet (Tsleil-Waut), British Columbia, Canada, dating between about 2300–1000 BP (ca. 400 BCE–CE 1200). Our results indicate that male chum salmon (Oncorhynchus keta) were preferentially targeted at two of the four sampled archaeological sites. Because a single male salmon can mate with several females, selectively harvesting male salmon can increase a fishery’s maximum sustainable harvest. We suggest such selective harvesting of visually distinctive male spawning chum salmon was a common practice, most effectively undertaken at wooden weirs spanning small salmon rivers and streams. We argue that this selective harvesting of males is indicative of an ancient and probably geographically widespread practice for ensuring sustainable salmon populations. The archaeological data presented here confirms earlier ethnographic accounts describing the selective harvest of male salmon.
Investigating patterns of student engagement during collaborative activities in undergraduate chemistry courses
Authors: Reid Joshua W. , Kirbulut Gunes Zubeyde Demet , Fateh Shaghayegh , Fatima Adan , Macrie-Shuck Michael , Nennig Hannah T. , Quintanilla Fabrizzio , States Nicole E. , Syed Ahmad , Cole Renee , Rushton Gregory T. , Shah Lisa , Talanquer Vicente
Published: November 2021

Several studies have highlighted the positive effects that active learning may have on student engagement and performance. However, the influence of active learning strategies is mediated by several factors, including the nature of the learning environment and the cognitive level of in-class tasks. These factors can affect different dimensions of student engagement such as the nature of social processing in student groups, how knowledge is used and elaborated upon by students during in-class tasks, and the amount of student participation in group activities. In this study involving four universities in the US, we explored the association between these different dimensions of student engagement and the cognitive level of assigned tasks in five distinct general chemistry learning environments where students were engaged in group activities in diverse ways. Our analysis revealed a significant association between task level and student engagement. Retrieval tasks often led to a significantly higher number of instances of no interaction between students and individualistic work, and a lower number of knowledge construction and collaborative episodes with full student participation. Analysis tasks, on the other hand, were significantly linked to more instances of knowledge construction and collaboration with full group participation. Tasks at the comprehension level were distinctive in their association with more instances of knowledge application and multiple types of social processing. The results of our study suggest that other factors such as the nature of the curriculum, task timing, and class setting may also affect student engagement during group work.
Active cytoskeletal composites display emergent tunable contractility and restructuring
Authors: Lee Gloria , Leech Gregor , Lwin Pancy , Michel Jonathan , Currie Christopher , Rust Michael J. , Ross Jennifer L. , McGorty Ryan J. , Das Moumita , Robertson-Anderson Rae M.
Published: November 2021

Differential dynamic microscopy, image autocorrelation, and mechanistic modeling show that actomyosin–microtubule composites exhibit tunable ballistic contraction and restructuring with microtubules enabling emergent sustained and controlled dynamics.
Harmonic contribution determination based on change‐point monitoring and shape context algorithm
Authors: Liu Hang , Ma Tiefeng , Zhang Yi , Liu Shuangzhe , Wang Youran , Guo Junyu
Published: November 2021

In the power system, the harmonic is one of the important concerns of power quality, which has a significant impact on the safe operation of power grids and the energy efficiency for users. When there are not enough special harmonic monitoring devices installed on public transport, it is important to identify the harmonic source and assess the harmonic contribution based on the load data of the user's electricity meter. This paper proposes a data selection and matching idea based on change‐point monitoring (CPM), canonical correlation analysis (CCA) and dynamic adjusted shape context (DASC) for determining the harmonic contributions of individual customers and utilities. In the proposed approach, the CPM is used to select the valuable data by detecting the violent fluctuation area of harmonic voltage and the DASC to determine the harmonic contribution of individual customers by matching the user load sequence and harmonic voltage sequence based on CCA, filtering the harmonic contribution from the utility side. Simulation data is used to evaluate the performance of the method and a real‐world case study is also conducted. It is found that the proposed technique can be used to reveal the harmonic impact of the loads if data is selected resonably.
To reduce the passivation layer of Cu substrate by the ultrasonic assisted electrochemical potential activation method
Authors: Zhao Zhong , Zhu Pengcheng
Published: November 2021

In the micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) area, micro metal devices fabricating by the electroplating process were used widely in biology, medicine and optics field. However, due to the oxide layer of the metal substrate surface, the electroplating layer suffers from the poor adhesion. In order to reduce the oxide layer of the metal substrate surface, effects of the ultrasonic assisted electrochemical potential activation method have been investigated originally. The electrochemical test was processed by an electrochemical station. The oxide content of the substrate surface was measured by the X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) method. The experimental results show that, comparing with the ultrasound free one, the ultrasonic assisted electrochemical potential activation method can improve the hydrogen evolution reaction and reduce the metal ion nucleation rate. Then the Cu substrate surface oxide content has been restored. Results of this paper can provide a new ultrasonic electrochemical potential activation method to activate the oxide layer of the substrate surface, as well as to improve the adhesion.
Radio data challenge the broadband modelling of GRB 160131A afterglow
Authors: Marongiu M. , Guidorzi C. , Stratta G. , Gomboc A. , Jordana-Mitjans N. , Dichiara S. , Kobayashi S. , Kopač D. , Mundell C. G.
Published: November 2021

Context. Gamma-ray burst (GRB) afterglows originate from the interaction between the relativistic ejecta and the surrounding medium. Consequently, their properties depend on several aspects: radiation mechanisms, relativistic shock micro-physics, circumburst environment, and the structure and geometry of the relativistic jet. While the standard afterglow model accounts for the overall spectral and temporal evolution for a number of GRBs, its validity limits emerge when the data set is particularly rich and constraining, especially in the radio band.

Aims. We aimed to model the afterglow of the long GRB 160131A (redshift z = 0.972), for which we collected a rich, broadband, and accurate data set, spanning from 6 × 108 Hz to 7 × 1017 Hz in frequency, and from 330 s to 160 days post-burst in time.

Methods. We modelled the spectral and temporal evolution of this GRB afterglow through two approaches: (1) the adoption of empirical functions to model an optical/X-ray data set, later assessing their compatibility with the radio domain; and (2) the inclusion of the entire multi-frequency data set simultaneously through the Python package named SAGA (Software for AfterGlow Analysis), to obtain an exhaustive and self-consistent description of the micro-physics, geometry, and dynamics of the afterglow.

Results. From deep broadband analysis (from radio to X-ray frequencies) of the afterglow light curves, GRB 160131A outflow shows evidence of jetted emission. Moreover, we observe dust extinction in the optical spectra, and energy injection in the optical/X-ray data. Finally, radio spectra are characterised by several peaks that could be due to either interstellar scintillation (ISS) effects or a multi-component structure.

Conclusions. The inclusion of radio data in the broadband set of GRB 160131A makes a self-consistent modelling barely attainable within the standard model of GRB afterglows.