bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inhibition of tooth demineralization caused by Streptococcus mutans biofilm via antimicrobial treatment using hydrogen peroxide photolysis
Authors: Shirato Midori , Nakamura Keisuke , Tenkumo Taichi , Niwano Yoshimi , Kanno Taro , Sasaki Keiichi , Lingström Peter , Örtengren Ulf
Published: December 2022

Objectives

An antimicrobial technique utilizing hydroxyl radicals generated by the photolysis of 3% H2O2 has been developed recently. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of H2O2 photolysis treatment on tooth demineralization caused by Streptococcus mutans biofilm.

Materials and methods

To induce tooth demineralization, S. mutans biofilm was allowed to form on the maxillary first molars collected from Wistar rats via 24-h culturing. The samples were immersed in 3% H2O2 and irradiated with 365-nm LED (H2O2 photolysis treatment). Viable bacterial counts in the biofilm were evaluated immediately after treatment and after an additional 30-h culturing by colony counting. The acidogenicity of the biofilm, re-established 30 h after treatment, was assessed by measuring the pH. The effect of H2O2 photolysis treatment on tooth demineralization was assessed by measuring the depth of the radiolucent layer in micro-CT images.

Results

H2O2 photolysis significantly reduced viable bacterial counts in the biofilm to 3.7 log colony forming units (CFU)/sample, while the untreated group had 7.9 log CFU/sample. The pH of the biofilm re-established after treatment (6.6) was higher than that of the untreated group (5.3). In line with the pH measurement, the treatment group had a significantly lower depth of radiolucent layer in dentin than the untreated group.

Conclusions

H2O2 photolysis treatment was effective not only in killing the biofilm-forming S. mutans but also in lowering the acidogenicity of the biofilm. Thus, this technique could inhibit tooth demineralization.

Clinical relevance

H2O2 photolysis can be applicable as a new dental caries treatment.
A parametric method to estimate environmental energy efficiency with non-radial adjustment: an application to China
Authors: Li Hongzhou , Appolloni Andrea , Dou Yijie , Basile Vincenzo , Kopsakangas-Savolainen Maria
Published: December 2022

To estimate the performance of China in terms of energy use efficiency during the first two decades of the twenty-first century while also taking into consideration pollutant emission, this study uses a panel data set covering 30 provincial administrative regions in mainland China for the period 2000–2016. To overcome problems with the DEA-based method, this study proposes an SFA-based model that can estimate environmental energy efficiency while maintaining the regularity constraints imposed on undesirable output, by using Bayesian technique. Our empirical results show that the average value of environmental energy efficiency during the whole sample period changed from 0.7858 in 2000 to 0.7726 in 2016, with an average value of 0.7812 over the whole period. This result is in sharp contrast with findings based on the often-used GDP/energy and GDP/undesirable output indexes, both of which show an improving trend over same sample period. This study suggests that more sophisticated indexes should be used to evaluate meaningful energy efficiency and environmental protection-related performance.
Visual Fire Power: An Algorithm for Measuring Heat Release Rate of Visible Flames in Camera Footage, with Applications in Facade Fire Experiments
Authors: Bonner Matthew , Węgrzyński Wojciech , Rein Guillermo
Published: December 2022

This paper presents a novel algorithm, called Visual Fire Power, for measuring the heat release rate of a turbulent flame using video footage taken from two cameras, located at an approximate right angle to each other and at a known distance from the fire. By measuring the time-averaged volume of the fire, Visual Fire Power can measure heat release rate in situations where traditional calorimetry may be impractical (such as experiments outdoors), as well as uniquely providing a method for comparing the heat release rates of different flames in the same experiment, e.g. externally venting flames from different windows of the same compartment. The algorithm was benchmarked against synthetic data and calculated the volume of common solids with approximately 30% uncertainty. The relationship between volume and heat release rate was then calibrated from videos of burners at known heat release rates. These experiments were used to calculate the Orloff-DeRis constant $$\gamma$$
γ
, which linearly relates flame volume and heat release rate. The value for $$\gamma$$
γ
was found to be $$1505\pm 183$$

1505
±
183

kW/m3. The algorithm was demonstrated on recordings of a standard Polish facade fire test. Improving the range of data measured in both fire testing and fire experiments could help to increase our knowledge of fire dynamics and provide better data for researchers and engineers in the future.
Using the social vulnerability index to assess COVID-19 vaccine uptake in Louisiana
Authors: Bhuiyan Mohammad Alfrad Nobel , Davis Terry C , Arnold Connie L , Motayar Nasim , Bhuiyan Md. Shenuarin , Smith Deborah G , Murnane Kevin S , Densmore Kenneth , van Diest Maarten , Bailey Steven R , Kevil Christopher G
Published: December 2022

Using data from the Louisiana Department of Public Health, we explored the spatial relationships between the Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and COVID-19-related vaccination and mortality rates. Publicly available COVID-19 vaccination and mortality data accrued from December 2020 to October 2021 was downloaded from the Louisiana Department of Health website and merged with the SVI data; geospatial analysis was then performed to identify the spatial association between the SVI and vaccine uptake and mortality rate. Bivariate Moran’s I analysis revealed significant clustering of high SVI ranking with low COVID-19 vaccination rates (1.00, p < 0.001) and high smoothed mortality rates (0.61, p < 0.001). Regression revealed that for each 10% increase in SVI ranking, COVID-19 vaccination rates decreased by 3.02-fold (95% CI = 3.73–2.30), and mortality rates increased by a factor of 1.19 (95% CI = 0.99–1.43). SVI values are spatially linked and significantly associated with Louisiana’s COVID-19-related vaccination and mortality rates. We also found that vaccination uptake was higher in whites than in blacks. These findings can help identify regions with low vaccination rates and high mortality, enabling the necessary steps to increase vaccination rates in disadvantaged neighborhoods.
The Archaeology of Reindeer Domestication and Herding Practices in Northern Fennoscandia
Authors: Salmi Anna-Kaisa
Published: December 2022

Animal domestication is a profound change for human societies, economies, and worldviews. The shifting definitions of animal domestication reflect its varying and process-like nature. Reindeer is one of the species whose domestication is not easily pinned down using standard definitions and research methodologies of animal domestication. In recent years, advances in archaeological methodology and the conceptual understanding of animal domestication have opened new avenues for research on this topic. This review summarizes recent research on the archaeology of reindeer domestication among the Indigenous Sámi of northern Fennoscandia. It compiles a chronological framework of reindeer domestication with an emphasis on the development of reindeer-herding practices and human–reindeer relationships. I argue that while a major transition to reindeer herding occurred among the Sámi from the 15th century onward, small-scale reindeer herding characterized by interspecies sociality, cooperation, and care developed earlier during the Late Iron Age, with regional variations in the timing and details of the events. By focusing on reindeer-herding practices and the human–reindeer relationships embedded in them, I also argue that reindeer domestication, and animal domestication in general, is a relationship constructed and constantly renegotiated in everyday interactions with the animals.
3D scaffolds of caprolactone/chitosan/polyvinyl alcohol/hydroxyapatite stabilized by physical bonds seeded with swine dental pulp stem cell for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Reyna-Urrutia V. A. , Estevez Miriam , González-González A. M. , Rosales-Ibáñez R.
Published: December 2022

Bone Regeneration represents a clinical need, related to bone defects such as congenital anomalies, trauma with bone loss, and/or some pathologies such as cysts or tumors This is why a polymeric biomaterial that mimics the osteogenic composition and structure represents a high potential to face this problem. The method of obtaining these materials was first to prepare a stabilized hydrogel by means of physical bonds and then to make use of the lyophilization technique to obtain the 3D porous scaffolds with temperature conditions of −58 °C and pressure of 1 Pa for 16 h. The physicochemical and bioactive properties of the scaffolds were studied. FTIR and TGA results confirm the presence of the initial components in the 3d matrix of the scaffold. The scaffolds exhibited a morphology with pore size and interconnectivity that promote good cell viability. Together, the cell viability and proliferation test, Alamar BlueTM and the differentiation test: alizarin staining, showed the ability of physically stabilized scaffolds to proliferate and differentiate swine dental pulp stem cell (DPSCs) followed by mineralization. Therefore, the Cs-PCL-PVA-HA scaffold stabilized by physical bonds has characteristics that suggest great utility for future complementary in vitro tests and in vivo studies on bone defects. Likewise, this biomaterial was enhanced with the addition of HA, providing a scaffold with osteoconductive properties necessary for good regeneration of bone tissue.
Comparative efficacy of advanced treatments in biologic-naïve or biologic-experienced patients with ulcerative colitis: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
Authors: Lu Xiaoyan , Jarrett James , Sadler Susannah , Tan Min , Dennis James , Jairath Vipul
Published: December 2022

Background

Only one head-to-head comparison of advanced treatments in moderately to severely active ulcerative colitis (UC) has been published; therefore, there remains a need for further comparisons.

Aim

The relative treatment effects of filgotinib and adalimumab, golimumab, infliximab, tofacitinib, ustekinumab and vedolizumab were estimated using a network meta-analysis (NMA).

Method

Systematically identified studies (MEDLINE, Embase and Cochrane Library; searched: inception–May 2019, updated November 2020) investigating treatments for moderately to severely active UC were re-evaluated for inclusion in a Bayesian NMA (fixed-effects model). Relative treatment effects were estimated using different permutations of patient population (biologic-naïve or biologic-experienced), treatment phase (induction or maintenance) and outcomes (MCS response/remission or endoscopic mucosal healing).

Results

Seventeen trials (13 induction; 9 maintenance) were included in the NMA; 8 treatment networks were constructed. Most targeted therapies were superior to placebo in terms of MCS response/remission and endoscopic mucosal healing; filgotinib 200 mg was similar to most other treatments. Infliximab 5 mg/kg was superior to filgotinib 200 mg (biologic-naïve; induction) for MCS response/remission (mean relative effect, 0.34 [95% credible interval: 0.05, 0.62]). Filgotinib 200 mg was superior to adalimumab 160/80/40 mg for MCS response/remission (biologic-experienced; induction; – 0.75 [– 1.16, – 0.35]), and endoscopic mucosal healing (biologic-naïve; maintenance; – 0.90 [– 1.89, – 0.01]); and to golimumab 50 mg every 4 weeks (biologic-naïve; maintenance; – 0.46 [– 0.94, 0]) for MCS response/remission.

Conclusion

The current treatment landscape benefits patients with moderately to severely active UC, improving key outcomes; filgotinib 200 mg was similar to current standard of care in most outcomes.
Load-Bearing Capacities and Fracture Modes of Self-Piercing-Riveted, Adhesive-Bonded and Riv-Bonded Aluminum Joints at Quasi-Static and Cyclic Loadings
Authors: Domitner Josef , Silvayeh Zahra , Predan Jožef , Auer Peter , Stippich Jennifer , Sommitsch Christof , Gubeljak Nenad
Published: December 2022

The load-bearing capacities of (i) self-piercing-riveted, (ii) adhesive-bonded and (iii) hybrid riv-bonded lap joints of commercial 1.5-mm-thick EN AW-6016-T4 sheets were compared under both quasi-static and cyclic shear-tensile loads. The joints were heat-treated to cure the adhesive and to peak-age the aluminum alloy. The joint quality/integrity was assessed based on characteristic cross-sectional features and hardness maps. Riveted joints showed notably lower static strength and fatigue performance than riv-bonded joints. Hence, the adhesive layer provided the main contribution to both the static and the cyclic load-bearing capacities of riv-bonded joints, whereas rivets contributed only little. However, if bonding was insufficient the potential capacity of the joints could not be exploited. Under quasi-static loading fracture occurred at the joint; therefore, joints of high quality/integrity were important. Even under cyclic loading at high load amplitudes fracture occurred at the joint, but at comparatively low load amplitudes fracture rather occurred at the sheets next to the joint. Hence, the joint quality/integrity mainly determines the static fracture and the low-cycle fatigue fracture, whereas the sheet properties mainly determine the high-cycle fatigue fracture.
Kreativressource, sozialer Kitt oder (selbst-)kritische Kulturproduktion?
Authors: Menrath Stefanie Kiwi
Published: December 2022

Im Beitrag wird Kulturarbeit als Aufgabenbereich der Sozialen Arbeit mit unterschiedlichen Ansatzpunkten von Subjekt- bis Gesellschaftsbezug vorgestellt. Politisch wurde das Praxisfeld „Kulturelle Bildung“ – zwischen Sozialer Arbeit, Kunst, Kultur und Bildung – seit den 2000er Jahren mit der Kompensation von Bildungs- und Integrationsdefiziten beauftragt. Um sich von diesem kompensatorischen Blick zu lösen, wird im Beitrag ein Rückbezug auf das (selbst-)kritisch-emanzipatorische Theorieprojekt der Cultural Studies vorgeschlagen, das eine aktivistisch-kritische Auseinandersetzung mit Kultur theoretisch fundiert und deren Eigenwert betont.
History of Protein Data Bank Japan: standing at the beginning of the age of structural genomics
Authors: Kurisu Genji , Bekker Gert-Jan , Nakagawa Atsushi
Published: December 2022

Prof. Haruki Nakamura, who is the former head of Protein Data Bank Japan (PDBj) and an expert in computational biology, retired from Osaka University at the end of March 2018. He founded PDBj at the Institute for Protein Research, together with other faculty members, researchers, engineers, and annotators in 2000, and subsequently established the worldwide Protein Data Bank (wwPDB) in 2003 to manage the core archive of the Protein Data Bank (PDB), collaborating with RCSB-PDB in the USA and PDBe in Europe. As the former head of PDBj and also an expert in structural bioinformatics, he has grown PDBj to become a well-known data center within the structural biology community and developed several related databases, tools and integrated with new technologies, such as the semantic web, as primary services offered by PDBj.
Translational Molecular Imaging Tool of Vulnerable Carotid Plaque: Evaluate Effects of Statin Therapy on Plaque Inflammation and American Heart Association–Defined Risk Levels in Cuff-Implanted Apolipoprotein E–Deficient Mice
Authors: Chan Joyce M. S. , Park Sung-Jin , Ng Michael , Chen Way Cherng , Chan Wan Ying , Bhakoo Kishore , Chong Tze Tec
Published: December 2022

Identification of high-risk carotid plaques in asymptomatic patients remains a challenging but crucial step in stroke prevention. The challenge is to accurately monitor the development of high-risk carotid plaques and promptly identify patients, who are unresponsive to best medical therapy, and hence targeted for carotid surgical interventions to prevent stroke. Inflammation is a key operator in destabilisation of plaques prior to clinical sequelae. Currently, there is a lack of imaging tool in routine clinical practice, which allows assessment of inflammatory activity within the atherosclerotic plaque. Herein, we have used a periarterial cuff to generate a progressive carotid atherosclerosis model in apolipoprotein E–deficient mice. This model produced clinically relevant plaques with different levels of risk, fulfilling American Heart Association (AHA) classification, at specific timepoints and locations, along the same carotid artery. Exploiting this platform, we have developed smart molecular magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) probes consisting of dual-targeted microparticles of iron oxide (DT-MPIO) against VCAM-1 and P-selectin, to evaluate the anti-inflammatory effect of statin therapy on progressive carotid atherosclerosis. We demonstrated that in vivo DT-MPIO-enhanced MRI can (i) quantitatively track plaque inflammation from early to advanced stage; (ii) identify and characterise high-risk inflamed, vulnerable plaques; and (iii) monitor the response to statin therapy longitudinally. Moreover, this molecular imaging–defined therapeutic response was validated using AHA classification of human plaques, a clinically relevant parameter, approximating the clinical translation of this tool. Further development and translation of this molecular imaging tool into the clinical arena may potentially facilitate more accurate risk stratification, permitting timely identification of the high-risk patients for prophylactic carotid intervention, affording early opportunities for stroke prevention in the future.
Israel's Declaration of Independence
Authors: Rogachevsky Neil , Zigler Dov
Published: December 2022

Israel's Declaration of Independence brings to life the debates and decisions at the founding of the state of Israel. Through a presentation of the drafts of Israel's Declaration of Independence in English for the first time, Neil Rogachevsky and Dov Zigler shed new light on the dilemmas of politics, diplomacy, and values faced by Israel's leaders as they charted the path to independence and composed what became modern Israel's most important political text. The stakes began with war, state-building, strategy, and great power politics, and ascended to matters of high principle: freedom, liberty, sovereignty, rights, and religion. Using fast-paced narration of the meetings of Israel's leadership in April and May 1948, this volume tells the astonishing story of the drafting of Israel's Declaration of Independence, enriching and reframing the understanding of Israel's founding and its ideas - and tracing its legacy.
Constructing the ‘theatre of power’: the performance of speeches of Emperor Leo VI the Wise
Authors: Gu Cao
Published: December 2022

Emperor Leo VI the Wise made speeches on various occasions, and the surviving texts have attracted numerous philological and historical studies. However, delivering a speech was never merely a monologue, especially in the court milieu where life was highly ritualized. It combined text-reading and multiple ceremonies and thus became a theatrical performance. In this ‘theatre’, the emperor's elegant appearance, the audience reaction to the orator's words following a set of conventions, and the venue decorated with torches, candles, and many other objects all played an indispensable role.
The European Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism and the path to Sustainable Trade Policies: From ‘Coexistence’ to ‘Cooperation’
Authors: LETURCQ Pierre
Published: December 2022

Long examined by the academic literature as a challenging technical-legal fiction with a strong geopolitical impact, border carbon adjustment is on its way to becoming a European reality. This Article provides an overview of the European legislative process with a comparison of the initial Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (‘CBAM’) project presented by the Commission in July 2021 with the positions formalised by the European Parliament and the Council in 2022. With a detour through the doctrine of international law and building upon the work of Professor Thomas Cottier on the concept of Common Concern of Humankind (‘CCH’) in international law, the Article examines the European CBAM, and more broadly, the recent multiplication of unilateral environmental initiatives with extraterritorial impacts, as a contextual transition from a logic of coexistence to a logic of cooperation in the field of environmental policies. It concludes on the necessity to design the European CBAM accordingly, by redistributing its direct revenues and developing open and inclusive cooperation frameworks, to accelerate this transition in the field of industrial decarbonisation.
The frequency and content of televised UK gambling advertising during the men’s 2020 Euro soccer tournament
Authors: Newall Philip W. S. , Ferreira Catia Alexandra , Sharman Steve
Published: December 2022

Gambling marketing is frequently visible in the United Kingdom, especially around the national sport, soccer. Previous research has documented the frequency with which gambling marketing logos can be seen in domestic club soccer, and also the frequency of television advertising around international tournaments. The present research investigates the frequency and content of television advertising during the men’s 2020 Euro soccer tournament, a high-profile tournament shown since the industry’s voluntary “whistle-to-whistle ban” on gambling advertising came into effect. Overall, 113 gambling adverts were recorded (4.5 adverts per relevant match). Financial inducements were the most frequently shown category (56.6%), followed by adverts raising awareness of a given operator’s brand (19.5%), adverts featuring the odds on specific complex bets (18.6%), and adverts promoting safer gambling (5.3%). Adverts featured a range of safer gambling messages, with the “when the fun stops, stop” message featuring in 56.6% of adverts. This research indicates that gambling advertising remains a frequent part of the experience of watching live televised soccer in the UK, and shows how the content of this advertising was comparable to what has been seen in the previous literature.
Making Use of the Land: The Political Ecology of China's First Empire
Authors: Lander Brian
Published: December 2022

This article uses a case study of the Qin Empire to explore the ecology of an agrarian political system, analysis that has become possible because of the archaeological excavation of Qin administrative documents. Qin's power derived from photosynthesis, and its empire mobilized this energy and used it to conquer territory and expand its productivity. The state's power was based on its ability to extract taxes in grain from its subjects, store it in granaries, and then use it to feed laborers working on state projects. Grain and most other taxable materials were too bulky to move very far, so the government relied on a subcontinent-wide system of information gathering and processing that allowed officials at the capital to make decisions about local resource use. Qin's centralized bureaucratic system became the standard model of political organization in China, so it offers clues into the effects subsequent empires would have on their environments.
Coupling of geographic range and provincialism in Cambrian marine invertebrates
Authors: Na Lin , Kocsis Ádám T. , Li Qijian , Kiessling Wolfgang
Published: December 2022

The Cambrian saw a dramatic increase in metazoan diversity and abundance. Between-assemblage diversity (beta diversity) soared in the first three Cambrian stages, suggesting a rapid increase in the geodisparity of marine animals during the Cambrian radiation. However, it remains unclear how these changes scale up to first-order biogeographic patterns. Here we outline time-traceable provinces for marine invertebrates across the Cambrian period using a compositional network based on species-level fossil occurrence data. Results confirm an increase in regional differences of faunal composition and a decrease in by-species geographic distribution during the first three stages. We also show that general biogeography tends to be reshaped after global extinction pulses. We suggest that the abrupt biogeographic differentiation during the Cambrian radiation was controlled by a combination of tectonics, paleoclimate, and dispersal capacity changes.
DIOGENES OF BABYLON ON WHO THE DEITY IS: AËTIUS 1.7.8 MANSFELD–RUNIA RECONSIDERED
Authors: Vassallo Christian
Published: December 2022

In Aëtius 1.7.8 Mansfeld–Runia, Diogenes, Cleanthes and Oenopides are said to have maintained that the deity is the world-soul. However, the identity of the Diogenes whom the doxographer mentions here has long been a matter of scholarly dispute. In response to attempts to ascribe the doxa to Diogenes of Apollonia, this paper reassesses old arguments and proposes new considerations to argue that a fundamental aspect of Diogenes of Babylon's theology is at stake here.
Bank Lines of Credit as a Source of Long-Term Finance
Authors: Chang Xin , Chen Yunling , Masulis Ronald W.
Published: December 2022

Hand-collecting credit line drawdowns that firms classify as long-term debt, we first document how long-term drawdowns rise with high investment needs or weak external capital market conditions. Nearly all drawdown proceeds finance long-term investment, including M&A activity. Unrated and lower-rated firms rely more on long-term drawdowns than high or very poorly rated firms. We further find that credit lines have tighter covenants than terms loans. Drawdowns are repaid fairly quickly and often refinanced with other long-term debt. Our findings support the monitored liquidity insurance theory of credit lines and highlight that long-term drawdowns act as a valuable bridge financing mechanism.
The ‘Dying’ Bourbon Dynasty: The Diplomatic Role of the Spanish Monarchy in the Long Nineteenth Century
Authors: San Narciso David
Published: December 2022

This article explores one of the main arenas in which change came over the role of the monarchy as part of Europe's transition to a modern political system: diplomacy. Traditionally, there had been a dual aspect to monarchy that merged dynastic and state interests. The creation of modern constitutional political systems in the nineteenth century forced European crowns to modify their prerogatives and effective power, sharing this with elected politicians. This included foreign policy, which thenceforward pursued national interests that did not always agree with dynastic ones. Focusing on the Spanish branch of the house of Bourbon, I examine this involved and controversial process. Firstly, I trace the breaking of the Bourbon alliance which had been dominant in the eighteenth century and its unsettled reconfiguration into the worldwide system created by the Congress of Vienna. I then discuss the complex imposition of the nation-state interest over the dynastic one in a time of deep ideological division – between constitutional and absolutist systems – and traumatic revolutions that overthrew Bourbon monarchs. From the mid-nineteenth century onwards, the liberal and nationalist wave forced transnational family ties to succumb to national interest.
“Your sister growes rich by her great trade”: Catherine Nicks's Intimate Economy
Authors: Laursen Brock Aske
Published: December 2022

“Catherine Nicks's Intimate Economy” introduces an intimate network that spanned Europe and Asia in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, underlining how women created opportunities for themselves and their extended network. Using the case study of Catherine Nicks, the article examines how a trading company's network, in spite of the company's desire for impermeable monopolies, lent itself to women and others who could form durable intimate networks underneath the larger corporate umbrella for personal and familial economic gains. It questions how the early modern maritime and global economy worked while also examining the nature of company monopolies.
Correlates of plant β-diversity in Atlantic Forest patches in the Pernambuco Endemism Centre, Northeastern Brazil
Authors: Guedes Isabel Cristina C. , de Moraes Bárbara L. C. , Hilário Renato R. , Souza-Alves João Pedro
Published: December 2022

Understanding how vegetation structure and floristic composition vary across landscapes is fundamental to understand ecological patterns and for designing conservation actions. In a patch-landscape approach, we assessed the β-diversity (q0 order – rare species, q1 order – common species, and q2 order – dominant species) of plants between forest patches and surveyed plots in Atlantic Forest patches located in the Pernambuco Endemism Centre, northeastern Brazil. Furthermore, we tested the influence of predictor variables linked to landscape (forest cover and edge density) and habitat (basal area), as well as the geographical distance between forest patches and plots on the β-diversity in each forest patch and plot. We measured and identified a total of 1,682 individuals (trees and lianas), corresponding to 248 species, 116 genera, and 56 families in 10 plots (50 × 2 m) from each forest patch. The β-diversity presented lower values for the Mata de Água Azul patch at a landscape scale (i.e., between forest patches) and Mata dos Macacos patch at a site scale (i.e., between plots) for all orders. Geographical distance positively influenced the β-diversity at the landscape scale, and higher turnover between plots (e.g., within forest patches) was positively associated with differences in geographical distance, edge density, forest cover, and basal area. Our results indicate the need to conserve forest patches distributed across a wide area (distant sites) that encompass different landscape contexts with different vegetation structures, in order to conserve greater floristic diversity.
Partial de-annuitization of public pensions vs. retirement age differentiation: Which is best to account for longevity differences?
Authors: Vandenberghe Vincent
Published: December 2022

Extensive research by demographers and economists has shown that longevity differs across socio-economic status (SES), with low-educated or low-income people living, on average, shorter lives than their better-endowed and wealthier peers. Therefore, a pension system with a unique retirement age is a priori problematic. The usual policy recommendation to address this problem is to differentiate the retirement age by SES. This paper explores the relative merits of partial de-annuitization of public pensions as a way of addressing the (imperfectly assessed) inequality of longevity.
A Bayesian Hierarchical Model Combination Framework for Real‐Time Daily Ensemble Streamflow Forecasting Across a Rainfed River Basin
Authors: Ossandón Álvaro , Rajagopalan Balaji , Tiwari Amar Deep , Thomas Thomas , Mishra Vimal
Published: December 2022

The frequent occurrence of floods during the rainy season is one of the threats in rainfed river basins, especially in river basins of India. This study implemented a Bayesian hierarchical model combination (BHMC) framework to generate skillful and reliable real‐time daily ensemble streamflow forecast and peak flow and demonstrates its utility in the Narmada River basin in Central India for the peak monsoon season (July–August). The framework incorporates information from multiple sources (e.g., deterministic hydrological forecast, meteorological forecast, and observed data) as predictors. The forecasts were validated with a leave‐1‐year‐out cross‐validation using accuracy metrics such as BIAS and Pearson correlation coefficient (R) and probabilistic metrics such as continuous ranked probability skill score, probability integral transform (PIT) plots, and the average width of the 95% confidence intervals (AWCI) plots. The results show that the BHMC framework can increase the forecast skill by 40% and reduce absolute bias by at least 28% compared to the raw deterministic forecast from a physical model, the Variable Infiltration Capacity model. In addition, PIT and AWCI show that the framework can provide sharp and reliable streamflow forecast ensembles for short lead times (1–3‐day lead time) and provide useful skills beyond up to 5‐day lead time. These will be of immense help in emergency and disaster preparedness.
Examination of Radiation Belt Dynamics During Substorm Clusters: Magnetic Local Time Variation and Intensity of Precipitating Fluxes
Authors: Rodger Craig J. , Clilverd Mark A. , Hendry Aaron T. , Forsyth Colin
Published: December 2022

Substorms are short‐lived but significant reconfigurations of the geomagnetic field during which energetic particles are injected into the inner magnetosphere close to magnetic midnight. There is currently a need to quantify substorm‐driven energetic electron precipitation (EEP) to better understand its role in radiation belt dynamics and to quantify its impact on the atmosphere. As substorm injections trigger chorus waves, which have strong MLT, AE, and L‐shell dependence, we investigate the dependence of EEP in terms of these variables. We utilize many decades of low Earth orbit satellite observations to examine the typical statistical variability around substorm events identified by the Substorm Onsets and Phases from Indices of the Electrojet (SOPHIE) algorithm. In contrast to trapped flux enhancements, enhanced EEP is found to occur even for the quietest AE range of those considered (AE ≤ 100 nT, 100 nT < AE ≤ 300 nT, AE ≥ 300 nT). The MLT‐dependent analysis for all AE‐ranges shows a well‐defined variation in >30 keV EEP magnitude, with a distinct and deep minimum in the late afternoon sector (15–18 MLT), and maxima in the mid to late morning sector (6–12 MLT). The patterns show similarities to previously published whistler‐mode lower band chorus distributions with MLT. Clusters of substorms reliably produce enhancements in electron precipitation for >30 keV and >300 keV, with steadily increasing peak precipitation magnitudes with increasing AE. The peak precipitation flux L‐shell also moves inwards with increasing AE, in a similar way for the two energy ranges.
On the Role of ULF Waves in the Spatial and Temporal Periodicity of Energetic Electron Precipitation
Authors: Shi Xiaofei , Zhang Xiao‐Jia , Artemyev Anton , Angelopoulos Vassilis , Hartinger Michael D. , Tsai Ethan , Wilkins Colin
Published: December 2022

Energetic electron precipitation to the Earth's atmosphere is a key process controlling radiation belt dynamics and magnetosphere‐ionosphere coupling. One of the main drivers of precipitation is electron resonant scattering by whistler‐mode waves. Low‐altitude observations of such precipitation often reveal quasi‐periodicity in the ultra‐low‐frequency (ULF) range associated with whistler‐mode waves, causally linked to ULF‐modulated equatorial electron flux and its anisotropy. Conjunctions between ground‐based instruments and equatorial spacecraft show that low‐altitude precipitation concurrent with equatorial whistler‐mode waves also exhibits a spatial periodicity as a function of latitude over a large spatial region. Whether this spatial periodicity might also be due to magnetospheric ULF waves spatially modulating electron fluxes and whistler‐mode chorus has not been previously addressed due to a lack of conjunctions between equatorial spacecraft, low earth orbit spacecraft, and ground‐based instruments. To examine this question, we combine ground‐based and equatorial observations magnetically conjugate to observations of precipitation at the low‐altitude, polar‐orbiting CubeSats Electron Losses and Fields Investigation‐A and ‐B. As they sequentially cross the outer radiation belt with a temporal separation of minutes to tens of minutes, they can easily reveal the spatial quasi‐periodicity of electron precipitation. Our combined data sets confirm that ULF waves may modulate whistler‐mode wave generation within a large magnetic local time and L‐shell domain in the equatorial magnetosphere, and thus lead to significant aggregate energetic electron precipitation exhibiting both temporal and spatial periodicity. Our results suggest that the coupling between ULF and whistler‐mode waves is important for outer radiation belt dynamics.
Impact of Wildfires on Mineral Dust Emissions in Europe
Authors: Menut Laurent , Siour Guillaume , Bessagnet Bertrand , Cholakian Arineh , Pennel Romain , Mailler Sylvain
Published: December 2022

Mineral dust emissions mainly depend on soil erodibility and near‐surface wind speeds. During biomass burning episodes, pyroconvection locally generates high surface wind speed and non‐desert surfaces (such as forest and shrubs) are partially replaced by barren soil. These effects may induce additional mineral dust emission. However, they are generally not taken into account in chemistry‐transport models since the biomass burning and mineral dust emissions are usually considered as independent processes. This may lead to an underestimation of the mineral dust emissions and therefore of the transported concentrations. In this study, this link is added in the CHIMERE chemistry‐transport model. The summer of 2021 is modeled over Europe using the coupled WRF‐CHIMERE system. Simulations with and without the link between emission processes are performed. Results are compared to observations such as surface measurements of ozone and particulate matter by EEA and aerosol optical depth by AERONET. With more emitted mineral dust, an effect is found on the whole meteorological and chemical system: wind, temperature, cloud, gas (such as ozone with a few ppb changes) and aerosol concentrations are changed. The effect does not appear to be very important but significant enough to have to be taken into account in future modeling.
Stretched Thin: Oligocene Extrusion and Ductile Thinning of the Basal Unit Along the Evia Shear Zone, NW Cyclades, Greece
Authors: Ducharme T. A. , Schneider D. A. , Grasemann B. , Klonowska I.
Published: December 2022

We present field‐based structural, geochronological, and petrological evidence for a major new Oligocene extensional shear zone, the Evia Shear Zone (ESZ), on the island of Evia in the NW Aegean Sea. Strain related to this structure occurs in a diffuse zone structurally underlying the nappe contact between the Cycladic Blueschist Unit and Basal Unit, within rock previously attributed to the Tsakei Unit or Basal Unit metaflysch. Structures within the ESZ record stretching in both the X and Y directions under ductile and brittle‐ductile conditions, indicative of a component of oblate coaxial strain during overall top‐to‐E general shear. New white mica 40Ar/39Ar geochronology from the ESZ shows that the structure was accommodating ductile deformation in the late Oligocene. Thermodynamic modeling shows that rock within the ESZ records greenschist facies retrogressive conditions of 310 ± 15°C and 7 ± 1 kbar. Zircon (U‐Th)/He thermochronology demonstrates that both the CBU and Basal Unit had exhumed into the brittle crust by the middle Miocene, slightly earlier than indicated by low‐temperature thermochronology for the HP‐LT units throughout the Aegean. We interpret these data as evidence that the Basal Unit underwent rapid exhumation via syn‐orogenic processes persisting until at least the early Miocene, facilitated in part by normal‐sense displacement along the ESZ. The occurrence of structures representative of coaxial deformation in the shear zone alludes to a major role for ductile thinning in controlling exhumation of HP rocks in the Cyclades, perhaps influencing the relative rates of exhumation observed across the region.
A Simple Analytical Method to Assess Multiple‐Priority Water Rights in Carryover Systems
Authors: Ren Peizhen , Stewardson Michael , Peel Murray
Published: December 2022

Simple analytical storage–reliability–yield relationships have traditionally only considered a single reliability for a single yield, yet many reservoirs supply water of different priorities. Simulation models may be used to handle such multiple‐priority water rights but these models are complex and usually system specific. Here we propose a simple analytical method based on Gould‐Dincer to estimate yields in dual and triple priority allocation systems from a carryover storage. This allows rapid assessment of changes in water resource availability for different water priorities, potentially over large spatial scales. We use a dam simulation model to assess this method at 15 sites across six continents and find that the “dual‐priority” and “triple‐priority” G‐D methods can reproduce the results of the dam simulation model. Thus, the method could be generalized for multiple priority allocation systems use. We demonstrate the potential utility of the “dual‐priority” G‐D method through an evaluation of the optimum yield between high and low‐priority water rights (HPWR and LPWR) from hypothetical (but realistic) carryover systems. It confirms the possibility that “dual‐priority” water allocation may be beneficial overall compared to a single‐priority water right. By balancing the yield of HPWR and LPWR, the optimum marginal value of available water (i.e., sum of high‐ and low‐priority water) can be achieved. Overall, the method provides a simple way for rapid assessment across multiple sites allowing insights into optimal allocation practices and the interacting driving factors that affect them at a regional‐to‐global scale.
An Efficient Approach for Automatic Complex Fractured Networks Parameter Inversion Based on Surrogate Model and Deep Reinforcement Learning
Authors: Chen Zhiming , Dong Peng , Li Dexuan
Published: December 2022

Complex fracture networks are commonly generated in subsurface reservoirs, and the first and primary task is to understand their transport characteristics and properties. Like pumping test interpretation, the well‐testing interpretation is an effective means for transport characteristics analysis and parameter estimations, this work attempts to propose a parameter inversion approach for complex fracture networks based on well‐testing interpretation. Given that non‐unique solutions and computational inefficiencies are obstacles to practical interpretation, especially when complex fractures are existing, a new deep reinforcement learning (DRL) based approach is proposed for automatic curve matching on complex fractured networks well‐testing interpretation. Based on twin delayed deep deterministic policy gradient (TD3) algorithm, the proposed DRL approach is successfully applied to automatic matching of complex fractured networks' well test curves. In addition, to improve the training efficiency, a surrogate model of the well test model based on bidirectional GRU (Bi‐GRU) neural network was established. After episodic training, the agent finally converged to an optimal curve matching policy through interaction with the surrogate model. The results show that the average relative error of the curve's parameter interpretation is 4.34%. Additionally, the results from the case studies show that the proposed DRL approach has a high calculation speed.
Quantifying Subsurface Flow and Solute Transport in a Snowmelt‐Recharged Hillslope With Multiyear Water Balance
Authors: Tokunaga Tetsu K. , Tran Anh Phuong , Wan Jiamin , Dong Wenming , Newman Alexander W. , Beutler Curtis A. , Brown Wendy , Henderson Amanda N. , Williams Kenneth H.
Published: December 2022

Quantifying flow and transport from hillslopes is vital for understanding water quantity and quality in rivers, but remains obscure because of limited subsurface measurements. Using measured hydraulic conductivity K profiles and water balance over a single year to calibrate a transmissivity feedback model for a hillslope in the East River watershed (Colorado) proved unsatisfactory for predicting flow over the subsequent years. Well‐constrained field‐scale K were obtained by optimizing subsurface flux predictions over years having large differences in recharge, and by including estimates of interannual transfer of excess snowmelt recharge. Water and solute exports during high snowmelt recharge occur predominantly via shallow groundwater flow through weathered rock and soil because of their enlarged transmissivities under saturated conditions. Conversely, these shallow pathways are less active in snow drought years when the water table remains deeper within the weathering zone. Hillslope soil water monitoring showed that rainfall does not infiltrate deeply during summer and fall months, and revealed water losses consistent with model ET predictions. By combining water table‐dependent fluxes with pore water chemistry in different zones, time‐dependent rates of solute exports become predictable. As an example, calibrated K were combined with dissolved nitrogen concentrations in pore waters to show the snowmelt‐dependence of reactive nitrogen exported from the hillslope, further supporting the recent finding that the weathering zone is the dominant source of reactive nitrogen at this site. Subsurface export predictions can now be obtained for wide ranges of recharge based on measurements of water table elevation and profiles of pore water chemistry.
SCON—a Short Conditional intrON for conditional knockout with one-step zygote injection
Authors: Wu Szu-Hsien Sam , Lee Heetak , Szép-Bakonyi Réka , Colozza Gabriele , Boese Ayse , Gert Krista R. , Hallay Natalia , Lee Ji-Hyun , Kim Jihoon , Zhu Yi , Linssen Margot M. , Pilat-Carotta Sandra , Hohenstein Peter , Theussl Hans-Christian , Pauli Andrea , Koo Bon-Kyoung
Published: December 2022

The generation of conditional alleles using CRISPR technology is still challenging. Here, we introduce a Short Conditional intrON (SCON, 189 bp) that enables the rapid generation of conditional alleles via one-step zygote injection. In this study, a total of 13 SCON mouse lines were successfully generated by 2 different laboratories. SCON has conditional intronic functions in various vertebrate species, and its target insertion is as simple as CRISPR/Cas9-mediated gene tagging.
Light People: Prof. John Bowers spoke about silicon photonics
Authors: Guo Chenzi , Wan Yating
Published: December 2022

Editorial

Silicon photonics is advancing rapidly with many scientific and engineering advances and many new applications for photonics. To highlight the topic, Light: Science & Applications invited John Bowers, director of the Institute for Energy Efficiency and distinguished professor from the University of California, Santa Barbara, to talk about the fundamentals and industries, and give a future perspective of silicon photonics. The below is summarized from the video interview of Prof. Bowers. The original interview can be accessed in Supplementary video.
Mechanistic target of rapamycin complex 1 orchestrates the interplay between hepatocytes and Kupffer cells to determine the outcome of immune-mediated hepatitis
Authors: Sun Xiaoli , Ni Yajie , Lu Qingmiao , Liang Yan , Gu Mengru , Xue Xian , Dai Chunsun
Published: December 2022

The cell-cell interaction between hepatocytes and Kupffer cells (KCs) is crucial for maintaining liver homeostasis, and the loss of KCs and hepatocytes is known to represent a common pathogenic phenomenon in autoimmune hepatitis. Until now, the mechanisms of cell-cell interaction between hepatocytes and KCs involved in immune-mediated hepatitis remains unclear. Here we dissected the impact of activated mTORC1 on the cell-cell interaction of KCs and hepatocyte in immune-mediated hepatitis. In the liver from patients with AIH and mice administrated with Con-A, mTORC1 was activated in both KCs and hepatocytes. The activated mTORC1 signal in hepatocytes with Con-A challenge caused a markedly production of miR-329-3p. Upregulated miR-329-3p inhibited SGMS1 expression in KCs through paracrine, resulting in the death of KCs. Most of maintained KCs were p-S6 positive and distributed in hepatocyte mTORC1 negative area. The activation of mTORC1 enabled KCs expressed complement factor B (CFB) to enhance the complement alternative system, which produced more complement factors to aggravate liver injury. Our findings remonstrate a heterogeneous role of mTORC1 in specific cell type for maintaining tolerogenic liver environment, and will form the basis for the development of new interventions against immune-mediated hepatitis.