bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laser Welding of Nitinol Thin Foils: Mechanical Properties and Microstructure Depending on Process Parameters
Authors: Katrakova-Krüger D. , Pegoraro L. , Salmaso L. , Hartl C. , Schulz I. , Weichert S. , Steffen R.
Published: January 2023

Ni–Ti alloys are used as functional materials in numerous sectors such as aerospace, automotive engineering, medical technology, and consumer goods. Their properties in terms of shape memory effect and superelasticity offer a great potential for innovative smart products. However, forming and machining of these alloys into concrete products is challenging. Assembling plain structures by laser welding to complex product shapes offers an economical alternative in many cases, but can be associated with negative effects, such as reduction of strength, development of brittle intermetallic compounds, alteration of transformation temperatures, and modification of shape memory effects and superelastic behavior. Against this background, investigations on laser welding of Ni55/Ti45 foil with a thickness of 125 µm by a fiber laser were conducted. Supported by methods of design of experiments, optimal parameters were determined with respect to laser power, welding speed, focus position, and beam oscillation, and the welding results were analyzed concerning the microstructure and mechanical characteristics of the welded joints. The effect of laser beam oscillation was investigated for the first time for the welding of this alloy. Due to the very low thickness, the preparation of the foils for the microstructure characterization is quite demanding. Best results were obtained by ion milling. Fracture surfaces and the influence of the welding were also investigated.
Olov Oscarsson’s Description of Afferent Pathways to the Cerebellum: Excellent Physiology, Base for Anatomy, and Road Toward Understanding Function
Authors: Ruigrok Tom J. H.
Published: January 2023

Olov Oscarsson’s review on the functional organization of spinocerebellar paths is a prime demonstration of the great skills and huge knowledge base of the electrophysiologists of his era working on communication systems in the brain. Oscarsson describes and characterizes in detail no less than ten different communication lines between the spinal cord and the cerebellum. As such, his work proved to be a highly fertile basis for ongoing physiological and anatomical research. However, even after 50 years of continuing cerebellar research, many questions are still open and even care must be taken that the differentiation in spinocerebellar paths, so carefully demonstrated by Oscarsson, is not lost in present-day research.
From Prevention to Promotion in Women’s Sexual Self-Perceptions of Efficacy: The Sexual Self-Efficacy Questionnaire
Authors: Ogallar-Blanco Adelaida I. , Lara-Moreno Raquel , Godoy-Izquierdo Débora
Published: January 2023

Introduction

Available sexual self-efficacy (SSE) measures are mostly focused on self-perceptions of efficacy regarding engaging in specific preventive sexual behaviors, and do not include beliefs and expectations regarding behaviors aimed at achieving a more agentic and pleasurable sexual health in positive terms, nor do they consider the varied sexual orientations or relationship options.

Methods

This self-report-based, cross-sectional study sought to validate a new instrument to assess SSE for both preventive and health promotion sexual behaviors: the Sexual Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (SSEQ), among a non-probabilistic sample of 1080 women aged 18–50 years old. Data were gathered from January 2015 to December 2021. For validation purposes, reliability, factorial structure, and convergent construct validity with other well-known instruments measuring SSE were analyzed.

Results

Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a bifactorial structure of the SSEQ, with 10 items in the factor SSE for health-promotive actions and 10 items in the factor SSE for preventive actions. Furthermore, the SSEQ showed good reliability and convergent validity.

Conclusions

Our findings support the use of the SSEQ as an alternative tool with appropriate psychometric characteristics that assesses cognitions related to achieving a healthier sexuality through the performance of preventive behaviors aimed at avoiding potentially negative outcomes and those promotive actions leading to more gratifying consequences for women.

Policy Implications

The SSEQ can be used in research, educative, and clinical contexts to develop interventions to improve women’s behavioral competences and perceived confidence in their skills to achieve a healthier and more pleasurable and agentic sexuality.
Knee positioning systems for X-ray environment: a literature review
Authors: Lopes Catarina , Vilaca Adelio , Rocha Cláudia , Mendes Joaquim
Published: January 2023

The knee is one of the most stressed joints of the human body, being susceptible to ligament injuries and degenerative diseases. Due to the rising incidence of knee pathologies, the number of knee X-rays acquired is also increasing. Such X-rays are obtained for the diagnosis of knee injuries, the evaluation of the knee before and after surgery, and the monitoring of the knee joint’s stability. These types of diagnosis and monitoring of the knee usually involve radiography under physical stress. This widely used medical tool provides a more objective analysis of the measurement of the knee laxity than a physical examination does, involving knee stress tests, such as valgus, varus, and Lachman. Despite being an improvement to physical examination regarding the physician’s bias, stress radiography is still performed manually in a lot of healthcare facilities. To avoid exposing the physician to radiation and to decrease the number of X-ray images rejected due to inadequate positioning of the patient or the presence of artefacts, positioning systems for stress radiography of the knee have been developed. This review analyses knee positioning systems for X-ray environment, concluding that they have improved the objectivity and reproducibility during stress radiographs, but have failed to either be radiolucent or versatile with a simple ergonomic set-up.
Modeling adaptation of sorghum in Ethiopia with APSIM—opportunities with G×E×M
Authors: Tirfessa Alemu , Getachew Fikadu , McLean Greg , van Oosterom Erik , Jordan David , Hammer Graeme
Published: January 2023

Sorghum is an important food and feed crop in the dry lowland areas of Ethiopia. Farmers grow both early-sown long-duration landraces and late-sown short-duration improved varieties. Because timing and intensity of drought stress can vary in space and time, an understanding of major traits (G), environments (E), management (M), and their interactions (G×E×M) is needed to optimize grain and forage yield given the limited available resources. Crop simulation modeling can provide insights into these complex G×E×M interactions and be used to identify possible avenues for adaptation to prevalent drought patterns in Ethiopia. In a previous study predictive phenology models were developed for a range of Ethiopian germplasm. In this study, the aims were to (1) further parameterize and validate the APSIM-sorghum model for crop growth and yield of Ethiopian germplasm, and (2) quantify by simulation the productivity-risk trade-offs associated with early vs late sowing strategies in the dry lowlands of Ethiopia. Field experiments involving Ethiopian germplasm with contrasting phenology and height were conducted under well-watered (Melkassa) and water-limited (Miesso) conditions and crop development, growth and yield measured. Soil characterization and weather records at the experimental sites, combined with model parameterization, enabled testing of the APSIM-sorghum model, which showed good correspondence between simulated and observed data. The simulated productivity for the Ethiopian dry lowlands environments showed trade-offs between biomass and grain yield for early and late sowing strategies. The late sowing strategy tended to produce less biomass except in poor seasons, whereas it tended to produce greater grain yield except in very good seasons. This study exemplified the systems approach to identifying traits and management options needed to quantify the production-risk trade-offs associated with crop adaptation in the Ethiopian dry lowlands and further exemplifies the general robustness of the sorghum model in APSIM for this task.
Old perturbative methods for a new problem in Celestial Mechanics: the space debris dynamics
Authors: Celletti Alessandra , Vartolomei Tudor
Published: January 2023

Perturbative methods have been developed and widely used in the XVIII and XIX century to study the behavior of N-body problems in Celestial Mechanics. Such methods apply to nearly-integrable Hamiltonian systems and they have the remarkable property to be constructive. A well-known application of perturbative techniques is represented by the construction of the so-called proper elements, which are quasi-invariants of the dynamics, obtained by removing the perturbing function to higher orders. They have been used to identify families of asteroids; more recently, they have been used in the context of space debris, which is the main core of this work. We describe the dynamics of space debris, considering a model including the Earth’s gravitational attraction, the influence of Sun and Moon, and the Solar radiation pressure. We construct a Lie series normalization procedure and we compute the proper elements associated to the orbital elements. To provide a concrete example, we analyze three different break-up events with nearby initial orbital elements. We use the information coming from proper elements to successfully group the fragments; the clusterization is supported by statistical data analysis and by machine learning methods. These results show that perturbative methods still play an important role in the study of the dynamics of space objects.
Oral Health Workforce and American Indian and Alaska Native Communities: a Systematic Review
Authors: Llaneza Amanda J. , Seward Julie , Holt Alex , Stephens Lancer D.
Published: January 2023

Objective

Understanding the oral health workforce representing and serving American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) communities is vital to improving community dental health outcomes. No systematic review of recent published literature on the oral health workforce among this population has been completed.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of published literature examining the oral health workforce representing and serving AI/AN communities in the USA. We analyzed 12 articles according to the PRISMA Statement.

Results

The studies suggested that AI/AN identity is an important aspect of routine and accessible oral healthcare. There are unique barriers and motivations that personnel in the oral health workforce face, let alone the distinctiveness of serving AI/AN communities.

Conclusions

This review provides evidence that expanded oral health positions aid in community members receiving more routine and preventative care and is an upstream public health approach that has diversified the dental workforce.
Sources of bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seed in northwest Ethiopia
Authors: Yitayew Yekoye Abebaw , Sisay Dawit Tsegaye , Ayalew Dereje
Published: January 2023

Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia are involved in multiple seed sources to access bread wheat seed. The present study was conducted in Baso Liben district, northwest Ethiopia, with the objectives of identifying the existing seed sources, factors affecting the use of improved bread wheat seed, and assessing practitioners’ (farmers and experts) suggestions to improve the existing bread wheat seed sources. Both quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 108 farmers and five local experts using semi-structured questionnaires and focus group discussions. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a line-by-line examination of the transcripts of the FGDs. Results revealed that both formal and informal seed sources are available in the study area where farmers can access bread wheat seed. 41.5% of farmers utilized farm-saved seeds from the previous cropping season. The rest was accessed from neighboring farmers (11.4%), relatives (7.5%), and formal seed suppliers (39.6%). Yield advantage, disease tolerance, market value, and food quality were found to be the most common criteria in making the decision to use improved bread wheat varieties. The study confirms that both formal and informal seed sources are important in improving seed access to farmers. Hence, the importance of informal seed sources should be well-considered in policy development. Moreover, the government and development partners need to develop a mechanism to integrate both the formal and informal seed systems to improve seed availability.
Theorizing Access to Civil Justice
Authors: Dylag Matthew
Published: January 2023

Despite more than half a century of reform efforts, access to civil justice is still understood to be in a state of crisis. Part of the reason for this is because there is no consensus among the legal community on the meaning of justice in this context. This paper seeks to provide a much-needed theoretical underpinning to the access-to-civil-justice movement. It advances ‘justice as fairness,’ as articulated by the American philosopher John Rawls, in conjunction with Lesley Jacobs’ model of equal opportunities, as a suitable theory in which to frame the access-to-civil-justice movement. I explain why this framework is appropriate for pluralistic democracies like Canada and how it can be used to define measures of justice. This exercise is thus not simply a theoretical discussion, but rather is intended to be used as a practical framework to assess current and proposed policy initiatives.
Public Perceptions Regarding the Preparedness of Government to Combat the Third Wave of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) Infection Across Various States of India
Authors: Panda Dibya Sundar , Giri Ranjan Kumar , Khandai Madhusmruti , Naguib Ibrahim A. , Abourehab Mohammad A. S.
Published: January 2023

India has already passed through 2 waves of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic losing many lives. The reason for losing lives may be due to the unpreparedness of the health care system of India for this unprecedented pandemic. To assess the government’s preparedness, an institutional-based cross-sectional prospective survey was conducted among the adult population of selected states in India. A self-administered 30-item questionnaire divided into 5 sections (demography of the participants, steps to create awareness, prevent spread of infection, handle the emergency, and prognosis) was distributed online through Google Forms. The responses were collected in an Excel file. SPSS software was used to perform the descriptive statistics and analysis of variance (ANOVA). Nearly a quarter of the participants “strongly disagree”/“disagree” about the government’s preparedness for the third wave. Considering their perception, it cannot be assured that the government is well prepared to handle the emergency. So, the government must maintain emergency funding and develop a health infrastructure. The government should take steps to reduce social stigma, prevent spreading of unscientific propagation, and make people aware of the World Health Organization (WHO) as the reliable source of information for health emergencies to avoid a human crisis in the future.
Distribution of nutrients across the edible components of a modelled typical Australian lamb: A case study
Authors: Wingett Kate , Alders Robyn
Published: January 2023

Achieving sustainable development is one of the greatest challenges for humanity. This includes producing food in a way that enhances ecosystem, animal and human health, at the farm level and more broadly. To measure the enhancement brought about by animal production systems, producers, livestock industries and governments need a deeper understanding of the nutrient distribution across the edible parts of the animal. This case study examined the nutrient distribution across food products (carcase and co-products (edible offal and slaughter fat)) derived from a typical Australian lamb, using modelling with secondary data. Due to data gaps, some edible offal products were not able to be incorporated into the model (blood, trachea, omasum, abomasum, intestines, feet/tendons and head meat). Co-products accounted for approximately 24% of total edible product (i.e., carcase and co-product) by weight, 18% of the total protein and 37% of the total fat. With regards to micronutrients, the co-products contained 42% of the total iron content and the liver had more vitamin A, folate and vitamin B12 than the carcase and other co-products combined. This case study highlighted the nutritional value of co-products, especially liver, in the context of the whole animal and, the importance of including co-products in assessments of animal production systems.
From genetic variation to precision medicine
Authors: Sergouniotis Panagiotis I. , Fitzgerald Tomas , Birney Ewan
Published: January 2023

Genetics has been an important tool for discovering new aspects of biology across life. In humans, there is growing momentum behind the application of this knowledge to drive innovation in clinical care, most notably through developments in precision medicine. Nowhere has the impact of genetics on clinical practice been more striking than in the field of rare disorders. For most of these conditions, individual disease susceptibility is influenced by DNA sequence variation in a single or a small number of genes. In contrast, most common disorders are multifactorial and are caused by a complex interplay of multiple genetic, environmental and stochastic factors. The longstanding division of human disease genetics into rare and common components has obscured the continuum of human traits and echoes aspects of the century-old debate between the Mendelian and biometric views of human genetics. In this article, we discuss the differences in data and concepts between rare and common disease genetics. Opportunities to unify these two areas are noted and the importance of adopting a holistic perspective that integrates diverse genetic and environmental factors is discussed.
Hobbes and Hats
Authors: BEJAN TERESA M.
Published: January 2023

There is no more analyzed image in the history of political thought than the frontispiece of Hobbes’s Leviathan (1651), yet the tiny figures making up the giant have largely escaped scholarly attention. So, too, have their hats. This article recovers what men’s failure to “doff and don” their hats in the frontispiece might have conveyed to readers about their relationship to the Sovereign and each other. Sometimes big ideas—about the nature of representation, for example, or how to “acknowledge” equality—are conveyed by small gestures. When situated textually and contextually, Hobbes’s hats shed important light on the micropolitics of everyday interaction for those who, like Hobbes himself, hope to securely constitute a society of equals.
Depth distribution of the bigeye hound sharkIago omanensisand other deep-sea species observed by baited-camera in the Red Sea
Authors: Pearce Jessica R. , Linley Thomas D. , Bond Todd , Jamieson Alan J.
Published: January 2023

The Red Sea is a largely homogeneous water column beyond the top 300 m, unique in exhibiting warm bottom water (~21.5 °C) at depths down to ~2900 m. The unusual conditions coupled with barriers to colonization by primary deep-sea species has resulted in an impoverished but distinct deep fauna. This study presents a rare investigation of the deep Red Sea. The bigeye hound sharkIago omanensisis a known deep-sea shark in the Red Sea. However, its full depth distribution has never been conclusively studied. Here, we confirm with videographic evidence the presence ofI. omanensisat depths to 2522 m in the Red Sea, along with observations of other deep-sea species.Iago omanensiswas the only species of scavenging fish observed and only in moderate numbers. The additional six species were mostly crustacea in low abundance. The lack of scavenging species present in the deep Red Sea is likely explained by the low productivity of the overlying surface waters and unusually warm water temperature resulting in low energetic input but high metabolic demands in deep communities.
Development of competence in cognitive behavioural therapy and the role of metacognition among clinical psychology and psychotherapy students
Authors: Bergvall Hillevi , Ghaderi Ata , Andersson Joakim , Lundgren Tobias , Andersson Gerhard , Bohman Benjamin
Published: January 2023

Background:

There is a paucity of research on therapist competence development following extensive training in cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT). In addition, metacognitive ability (the knowledge and regulation of one’s cognitive processes) has been associated with learning in various domains but its role in learning CBT is unknown.

Aims:

To investigate to what extent psychology and psychotherapy students acquired competence in CBT following extensive training, and the role of metacognition.

Method:

CBT competence and metacognitive activity were assessed in 73 psychology and psychotherapy students before and after 1.5 years of CBT training, using role-plays with a standardised patient.

Results:

Using linear mixed modelling, we found large improvements of CBT competence from pre- to post-assessment. At post-assessment, 72% performed above the competence threshold (36 points on the Cognitive Therapy Scale-Revised). Higher competence was correlated with lower accuracy in self-assessment, a measure of metacognitive ability. The more competent therapists tended to under-estimate their performance, while less competent therapists made more accurate self-assessments. Metacognitive activity did not predict CBT competence development. Participant characteristics (e.g. age, clinical experience) did not moderate competence development.

Conclusions:

Competence improved over time and most students performed over the threshold post-assessment. The more competent therapists tended to under-rate their competence. In contrast to what has been found in other learning domains, metacognitive ability was not associated with competence development in our study. Hence, metacognition and competence may be unrelated in CBT or perhaps other methods are required to measure metacognition.
Perilous Pedagogy: Teaching Gender and Politics of the Middle East and North Africa
Authors: Allam Nermin , Shalaby Marwa , Ahmed Zaki Hind
Published: January 2023

Teaching gender politics has been an increasingly contentious topic in established democracies, with instructors encountering a myriad of pedagogical, institutional, and ideological challenges (Butler 2021; Evans 2019).1 Challenges to teaching gender politics are exacerbated in nondemocratic contexts, where academic institutions operate under close regime scrutiny and surveillance, and where patterns of autocratic power structures are prevalent in society and often reproduced in the classroom. While extant studies have shed important light on some of the trends and issues associated with teaching gender politics in established democracies (Bayes 2012; Han and Heldman 2019; Lyle-Gonga 2013), our knowledge remains limited when it comes to teaching gender and politics of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) in Western institutions as well as within the MENA region. Understanding these challenges is particularly relevant given that the MENA region is diverse and has long been “othered,” “racialized,” and “orientalized” in Western discourse (Ahmed 1992; Said 1978), with direct implications for teaching gender and politics of the Middle East in local academic institutions as well as in the West.
Feminist Pedagogy: Teaching Gender Politics in Egypt
Authors: Abouelnaga Shereen
Published: January 2023

Teaching gender politics in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is often marked by pedagogical, sociocultural, and political challenges. In the MENA context, the effects of authoritarian politics, conservative cultural understanding of gender relations, and neoliberal policies intersect in the classroom. Amid such a charged setting, applying a feminist pedagogy that subverts paradigms of power and preexisting socioeconomic realities in the classroom is increasingly contentious, yet even more necessary.
Associations of different isomeric forms of serum lycopene with cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality
Authors: Zhang Yanan , Zhai Xiaobing , Chai Honglin , Liu Keyang , Ma Wenzhi , Li Shiyang , Zeng Jing , Yang Mei , Zhou Feng , Zheng Surui , Wu Xia , Xiang Bing , Cao Jinhong , Eshak Ehab S. , Jiang Can
Published: January 2023

Abstract: Background: The effect of serum lycopene on the progression of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and their longevity remains a controversial topic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of different isomeric forms of serum lycopene with CVD and all-cause mortality in the American population. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a large population survey to investigate public health in the US. We analyzed data from 2003–2006 linked with mortality data obtained in 2015. Cox proportional hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated to assess the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality caused by serum lycopene. Results: Among 7452 participants (aged 20–85 years, 46.7% male), 298 died from CVDs among the total 1213 deaths during a median follow-up of 10.7 years. Serum lycopene is a protective factor for all-cause and CVD mortality. In multivariable-adjusted models, the hazard ratio (with 95% confidence intervals) associated with Q4 compared to Q1 of serum total-lycopene, trans-lycopene and cis-lycopene was 0.49 (0.38,0.63), 0.49 (0.39,0.63) and 0.55 (0.43,0.70) for all-cause mortality (Ptrend<0.05), and was 0.53 (0.32,0.96), 0.48 (0.32,0.72) and 0.63 (0.41,0.97) for CVD mortality (Ptrend<0.05). The subgroup analyses showed that different isomeric forms of lycopene showed varied associations with CVD and all-cause mortality based on age, drinking status, history of hypertension and diabetes. Conclusions: Serum lycopene concentration was significantly associated with the risk of CVD and all-cause mortality. Cis-lycopene had a U-shaped relationship with mortality, while trans-lycopene had an inverse relationship with it.
Historical and Projected Changes in Temperature Extremes Over China and the Inconsistency Between Multimodel Ensembles and Individual Models From CMIP5 and CMIP6
Authors: Yang Yunfan , Zhang Yuanjie , Gao Zhiqiu , Pan Zaitao , Zhang Xuefen
Published: January 2023

Historical changes and possible future projections of temperature extremes in China, in terms of return values of annual extreme temperatures, are examined based on daily maximum and minimum temperatures from station observations and multiple models of the fifth and sixth phases of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP). The observations suggest that increases in temperature extremes are largely attributable to the changing mean climate, while the varying natural variability also has an important impact, which depends on the index of the variability. The models simulate warm extremes reasonably well but underestimate the spatial heterogeneity and temporal trend of cold extremes in China. In comparison, Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) models have higher skill in simulating temperature extremes in China, showing smaller biases and intermodel variability. MRI‐ESM2‐0 and NorESM2‐LM from CMIP6 and GFDL‐ESM2M and NorESM1‐M from CMIP5 are selected as reference models based on the better performance in reproducing observed temperature extremes in China. In the future, projections from CMIP6 multimodel ensemble (MME, represented as the multimodel median) and reference models all show a continued uptick in temperature extremes, with statistically significant increases in warm extremes mainly in the north and increases in cold extremes prominent in most parts of China. Different individual models, which have similar historical simulations, yield divergent future trends of temperature extremes, which may be associated with different climate sensitivities of models. In addition, MME usage should be treated with caution since its smoothing on spatial heterogeneity and possible information from poor models.
Fluvial Flood Losses in the Contiguous United States Under Climate Change
Authors: Rashid M. M. , Wahl T. , Villarini G. , Sharma A.
Published: January 2023

Flooding is one of the most devastating natural disasters causing significant economic losses. One of the dominant drivers of flood losses is heavy precipitation, with other contributing factors such as built environments and socio‐economic conditions superimposed to it. To better understand the risk profile associated with this hazard, we develop probabilistic models to quantify the future likelihood of fluvial flood‐related property damage exceeding a critical threshold (i.e., high property damage) at the state level across the conterminous United States. The model is conditioned on indicators representing heavy precipitation amount and frequency derived from observed and downscaled precipitation. The likelihood of high property damage is estimated from the conditional probability distribution of annual total property damage, which is derived from the joint probability of the property damage and heavy precipitation indicators. Our results indicate an increase in the probability of high property damage (i.e., exceedance of 70th percentile of observed annual property damage for each state) in the future. Higher probability of high property damage is projected to be clustered in the states across the western and south‐western United States, and parts of the U.S. Northwest and the northern Rockies and Plains. Depending on the state, the mean annual probability of high property damage in these regions could range from 38% to 80% and from 46% to 95% at the end of the century (2090s) under RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 scenarios, respectively. This is equivalent to 20%–40% increase in the probability compared to the historical period 1996–2005. Results show that uncertainty in the projected probability of high property damage ranges from 14% to 35% across the states. The spatio‐temporal variability of the uncertainty across the states and three future decades (i.e., 2050s, 2070s, and 2090s) exhibits nonstationarity, which is driven by the uncertainty associated with the probabilistic prediction models and climate change scenarios.
Immediate and Long‐Lasting Impacts of the Mt. Pinatubo Eruption on Ocean Oxygen and Carbon Inventories
Authors: Fay Amanda R. , McKinley Galen A. , Lovenduski Nicole S. , Eddebbar Yassir , Levy Michael N. , Long Matthew C. , Olivarez Holly C. , Rustagi Rea R.
Published: January 2023

Large volcanic eruptions drive significant climate perturbations through major anomalies in radiative fluxes and the resulting widespread cooling of the surface and upper ocean. Recent studies suggest that these eruptions also drive important variability in air‐sea carbon and oxygen fluxes. By simulating the Earth system using two initial‐condition large ensembles, with and without the aerosol forcing associated with the Mt. Pinatubo eruption in June 1991, we isolate the impact of this volcanic event on physical and biogeochemical properties of the ocean. The Mt. Pinatubo eruption forced significant anomalies in surface fluxes and the ocean interior inventories of heat, oxygen, and carbon. Pinatubo‐driven changes persist for multiple years in the upper ocean and permanently modify the ocean's heat, oxygen, and carbon inventories. Positive anomalies in oxygen concentrations emerge immediately post‐eruption and penetrate into the deep ocean. In contrast, carbon anomalies intensify in the upper ocean over several years post‐eruption, and are largely confined to the upper 150 m. In the tropics and northern high latitudes, the change in oxygen is dominated by surface cooling and subsequent ventilation to mid‐depths, while the carbon anomaly is associated with solubility changes and eruption‐generated El Niño—Southern Oscillation variability. We do not find significant impact of Pinatubo on oxygen or carbon fluxes in the Southern Ocean; but this may be due to Southern Hemisphere aerosol forcing being underestimated in Community Earth System Model 1 simulations.
Geographical Distribution and Social Justice of the COVID‐19 Pandemic: The Case of Palma (Balearic Islands)
Authors: Ruiz‐Pérez Maurici , Moragues Alexandre , Seguí‐Pons Joana Maria , Muncunill Josep , Pou Goyanes Albert , Colom Fernández Antoni
Published: January 2023

The spatial distribution of the COVID‐19 infection rate in the city of Palma (Balearic Islands) is analyzed from the geolocation of positive cases by census tract and its relationship with socioeconomic variables is evaluated. Data on infections have been provided by the Health Service of the Ministry of Health and Consumption of the Government of the Balearic Islands. The study combines several methods of analysis: spatial autocorrelation, calculation of the Gini index and least squares regression, and weighted geographical regression. The results show that the pandemic comprised five waves in the March 2020–March 2022 period, corresponding to the months of April 2020, August 2020, December 2020, July 2021, and January 2022. Each wave shows a particular geographical distribution pattern, however, the second and third waves show higher levels of spatial concentration. In this sense, the second wave, affecting the peripheral neighborhoods of the eastern part of the city. The Gini index confirms geographical imbalances in the distribution of infections in the first waves of the pandemic. In addition, the regression models indicate that the most significant socioeconomic variables in the prediction of COVID‐19 infection are average income, percentage of children under 18 years of age, average size of the household, and percentage of single‐person households. The study shows that economic imbalances in the city have had a clear influence on the spatial pattern of pandemic distribution. It shows the need to implement spatial justice policies in income distribution to balance the effects of the pandemic.
Improved MJO Forecasts Using the Experimental Global‐Nested GFDL SHiELD Model
Authors: Zavadoff Breanna L. , Gao Kun , Lopez Hosmay , Lee Sang‐Ki , Kim Dongmin , Harris Lucas M.
Published: January 2023

Sitting at the crossroads of weather and climate, the Madden‐Julian Oscillation (MJO) is considered a primary source of subseasonal predictability. Despite its importance, numerical models struggle with MJO prediction as its convection moves through the complex Maritime Continent (MC) environment. Motivated by the ongoing effort to improve MJO prediction, we use the System for High‐resolution prediction on Earth‐to‐Local Domains (SHiELD) model to run two sets of forecasts, one with and one without a nested grid over the MC. By efficiently leveraging high‐resolution grid spacing, the nested grid reduces amplitude and phase errors and extends the model's predictive skill by about 10 days. These enhancements are tied to improvements in predicted zonal wind from the Indian Ocean to the Pacific, facilitated by westerly wind bias reduction in the nested grid. Results from this study suggest that minimizing circulation biases over the MC can lead to substantial advancements in skillful MJO prediction.
Elastic Properties of Thermally Treated Diabase and Peridotite: Implications Toward the Elastic Properties of Oceanic Lithosphere
Authors: Jayawickrama E. G. , Katayama I.
Published: January 2023

Supported by laboratory experimental results, the reduction in elastic thickness () and flexural rigidity () at trench outer rise, which enables bending, is attributed to damage. A series of laboratory experiments were performed on intact and thermally treated diabase and peridotite (400°C–800°C) under increasing confining pressures (3–200 MPa) at room temperature. Simultaneous porosity and elastic wave velocity (P and S) measurements were obtained under dry and fluid saturated conditions. The velocity and porosity inversions indicated a significant variation in crack properties (crack density, aspect ratio) and reduction in Young's modulus, of thermally treated samples in comparison to the intact samples. Hence the experimental results suggested weakening in elastic properties of a damaged oceanic lithosphere. Subsequently created lithospheric strength profiles showed a strength reduction in wet models in comparison to dry models. Under the assumption of different cooling models, the aging of the plate resulted in an increase in strength with deeper neutral zones. The outcome of the strength profiles was utilized to estimate and , which are also dependent on the elasticity of the lithosphere. The results showed a reduction in with increasing damage and suggest that the bending at the subduction zone is facilitated by weakened elastic properties of a damaged lithosphere. While most of the geophysical observations of were able to be constrained by the proposed damaged models, some shallow observations indicated enhanced damage triggered either by increased depth to brittle‐ductile transition or by large bending related faulting events.
Toward Eliminating the Decades‐Old “Too Zonal and Too Equatorward” Storm‐Track Bias in Climate Models
Authors: Schemm Sebastian
Published: January 2023

Generations of climate models exhibit biases in their representation of North Atlantic storm tracks, which tend to be too far near the equator and too zonal. Additionally, models have difficulties simulating explosive cyclone growth. These biases are one of the reasons for the uncertainties in projections of future climate over Europe, and the underlying causes have yet to be determined. All three biases are shown to be related, and diabatic processes are pointed to as a likely cause. To demonstrate this, two hemispherically symmetric storm tracks forming downstream of an idealized sea surface temperature (SST) front on an aquaplanet are examined using the seamless ICOsahedral Non‐hydrostatic weather and climate model (ICON) and its grid refinement capabilities. The analyzed perpetual boreal winter has a global grid spacing of 20 km, two bi‐directionally interacting grid nests over the Northern Hemisphere that refine the grid to 10‐km spacing over much of the stormtrack and further to 5‐km spacing near the SST front. In contrast, no grid refinement is performed for the Southern Hemisphere. Feature‐based cyclone tracking shows that the poleward propagation in the NH is enhanced, so the high‐resolution storm track is less equatorward and less zonal; explosive deepening rates are more frequent and precipitation rates are amplified. The implication is that resolving diabatic processes on the storm scale improves all three intersecting biases in the representation of storm tracks. While new challenges arise at cloud resolving scales, much improvement for the representation of storm tracks will be gained once climate models resolve the meso‐γ scale.
Experiments and Simulations on Plume Spreading by Engineered Injection and Extraction in Refractive Index Matched Porous Media
Authors: Sather Lauren J. , Roth Eric J. , Neupauer Roseanna M. , Crimaldi John P. , Mays David C.
Published: January 2023

Engineered injection and extraction (EIE) is an in situ groundwater remediation strategy that imposes an engineered spatially and temporally varying velocity field to spread an amendment into the contaminant plume to promote mixing and contaminant degradation through reaction. Here we present a coordinated suite of laboratory experiments and numerical simulations that apply EIE using two pumping sequences: A folding sequence that manipulates plume geometry by stretching and folding, and an oscillating sequence that imposes velocity perpendicular to the plume interface in accordance with previously‐reported active spreading theory. Laboratory experiments investigated spreading and mixing of a non‐reactive tracer using refractive index matched porous media and laser‐induced fluorescence, with remarkable reproducibility between replicates. Numerical simulations matched the experimental results and simulated reactive transport by post‐processing sequentially injected non‐reactive tracer plumes representing the contaminant and the amendment assuming rapid reaction (i.e., high Damköhler number). This study provides the first experimental verification of EIE using Darcy‐scale imaging, demonstrates a novel experimental method to mimic reactive transport at the high‐Damköhler number limit, and confirms active spreading theory.
Comprehensive overview of microRNA function in rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Peng Xiaole , Wang Qing , Li Wenming , Ge Gaoran , Peng Jiachen , Xu Yaozeng , Yang Huilin , Bai Jiaxiang , Geng Dechun
Published: January 2023

MicroRNAs (miRNAs), a class of endogenous single-stranded short noncoding RNAs, have emerged as vital epigenetic regulators of both pathological and physiological processes in animals. They direct fundamental cellular pathways and processes by fine-tuning the expression of multiple genes at the posttranscriptional level. Growing evidence suggests that miRNAs are implicated in the onset and development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is a chronic inflammatory disease that mainly affects synovial joints. This common autoimmune disorder is characterized by a complex and multifaceted pathogenesis, and its morbidity, disability and mortality rates remain consistently high. More in-depth insights into the underlying mechanisms of RA are required to address unmet clinical needs and optimize treatment. Herein, we comprehensively review the deregulated miRNAs and impaired cellular functions in RA to shed light on several aspects of RA pathogenesis, with a focus on excessive inflammation, synovial hyperplasia and progressive joint damage. This review also provides promising targets for innovative therapies of RA. In addition, we discuss the regulatory roles and clinical potential of extracellular miRNAs in RA, highlighting their prospective applications as diagnostic and predictive biomarkers.
Determinants of associations between codon and amino acid usage patterns of microbial communities and the environment inferred based on a cross-biome metagenomic analysis
Authors: Panda Arup , Tuller Tamir
Published: January 2023

Codon and amino acid usage were associated with almost every aspect of microbial life. However, how the environment may impact the codon and amino acid choice of microbial communities at the habitat level is not clearly understood. Therefore, in this study, we analyzed codon and amino acid usage patterns of a large number of environmental samples collected from diverse ecological niches. Our results suggested that samples derived from similar environmental niches, in general, show overall similar codon and amino acid distribution as compared to samples from other habitats. To substantiate the relative impact of the environment, we considered several factors, such as their similarity in GC content, or in functional or taxonomic abundance. Our analysis demonstrated that none of these factors can fully explain the trends that we observed at the codon or amino acid level implying a direct environmental influence on them. Further, our analysis demonstrated different levels of selection on codon bias in different microbial communities with the highest bias in host-associated environments such as the digestive system or oral samples and the lowest level of selection in soil and water samples. Considering a large number of metagenomic samples here we showed that microorganisms collected from similar environmental backgrounds exhibit similar patterns of codon and amino acid usage irrespective of the location or time from where the samples were collected. Thus our study suggested a direct impact of the environment on codon and amino usage of microorganisms that cannot be explained considering the influence of other factors.
Steady-state Peierls transition in nanotube quantum simulator
Authors: Zhang Lin , Bhattacharya Utso , Bachtold Adrian , Forstner Stefan , Lewenstein Maciej , Pistolesi Fabio , Grass Tobias
Published: January 2023

Quantum dots placed along a vibrating nanotube provide a quantum simulation platform that can directly address the electron-phonon interaction. This offers promising prospects for the search of new quantum materials and the study of strong correlation effects. As this platform is naturally operated by coupling the dots to an electronic reservoir, state preparation is straightforwardly achieved by driving into the steady state. Here we show that for intermediate electron-phonon coupling strength, the system with spin-polarized quantum dots undergoes a Peierls transition into an insulating regime which exhibits charge-density wave order in the steady state as a consequence of the competition between electronic Coulomb repulsive interactions and phonon-induced attractive interactions. The transport phenomena can be directly observed as fingerprints of electronic correlations. We also present powerful methods to numerically capture the physics of such an open electron-phonon system at large numbers of phonons. Our work paves the way to study and detect correlated electron-phonon physics in the nanotube quantum simulator with current experimentally accessible techniques.
A database of synthetic inelastic neutron scattering spectra from molecules and crystals
Authors: Cheng Yongqiang , Stone Matthew B. , Ramirez-Cuesta Anibal J.
Published: January 2023

Inelastic neutron scattering (INS) is a powerful tool to study the vibrational dynamics in a material. The analysis and interpretation of the INS spectra, however, are often nontrivial. Unlike diffraction, for which one can quickly calculate the scattering pattern from the structure, the calculation of INS spectra from the structure involves multiple steps requiring significant experience and computational resources. To overcome this barrier, a database of INS spectra consisting of commonly seen materials will be a valuable reference, and it will also lay the foundation of advanced data-driven analysis and interpretation of INS spectra. Here we report such a database compiled for over 20,000 organic molecules and over 10,000 inorganic crystals. The INS spectra are obtained from a streamlined workflow, and the synthetic INS spectra are also verified by available experimental data. The database is expected to greatly facilitate INS data analysis, and it can also enable the utilization of advanced analytics such as data mining and machine learning.

Notice: This manuscript has been authored by UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the U.S. Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a non-exclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, world-wide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for United States Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan (http://energy.gov/downloads/doe-public-access-plan).