bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Art in Spain and Portugal from the Romans to the Early Middle Ages
Authors: Walker Rose
Published: February 2021

In this colorfully illustrated book, Rose Walker surveys Spanish and Portuguese art and architecture from the time of the Roman conquest to the early twelfth century. For generations, scholarly discussions of such art have been complicated by a focus on maps of the pilgrimage roads and images of the Reconquista. Walker contextualizes these aspects by bringing together an exceptionally diverse range of academic studies, including work previously familiar only to Hispanophone audiences. By breaking down chronological, regional, and disciplinary divides that have limited scholarship on the subject for decades, this book enriches the wider English-language literature on early medieval art.
Foreign Cultural Policy in the Interbellum
Authors: van Kessel Tamara
Published: February 2021

This book considers the growing awareness in the wake of World War I that culture could play an effective political role in international relations. Tamara van Kessel shows how the British created the British Council in support of those cultural aims, which took on particular urgency in light of the rise of fascist dictatorships in Europe. Van Kessel focuses in particular on the activities of the British Council and the Italian Dante Alighieri Society in the Mediterranean area, where their respective country's strategic and ideological interests most evidently clashed.
Beyond Bali
Authors: Dragojlovic Ana
Published: February 2021

This ethnography explores how Balinese citizens produce postcolonial intimacy-a complex interaction of claims to proximity and mutuality between themselves and the Dutch under colonialism that continues today. Such claims, Ana Dragojlovic explains, are crucial for the diasporic reconfiguration of kebalian, or Balinese-ness, a concept that encompasses the personal, social, and cultural complexities involved in Balinese identity in Dutch postcolonial society. This identity enables Balinese migrants to see themselves as carriers of unique cultural traditions both promoted by and in disagreement with Dutch cultural values.
A capabilities approach to best interests assessments
Authors: Thomson Michael
Published: February 2021

It is an accepted principle of domestic and international law and policy that the welfare or best interests of the child must be the primary or paramount consideration in any decision made with regard to that child's upbringing. While this ‘best interests standard’ has become a core principle of welfare law, what might constitute a child or young person's best interests is given very little formal shape or content. This has provoked sustained criticism from practitioners, academics and the judiciary. In response, this paper argues that the capabilities approach can give best interests assessments much needed normative content, thereby addressing many of the criticisms directed towards the standard. The approach provides a theoretically nuanced framework for theorising about basic social justice and for evaluation, deliberation, and policy development across social welfare sectors. In arguing for a capabilities approach to best interests assessments, the paper sets out an agenda for change. It addresses the conceptual and methodological justifications for this change, and explores the empirical work that would be required. It identifies the steps and underlying principles necessary for a best interests process aligned with the capabilities approach, providing the necessary foundations for a radical reconceptualisation of best interests processes.
LEARNING GREEK IN LATE ANTIQUE GAUL
Authors: JOHN ALISON
Published: February 2021

Greek had held an important place in Roman society and culture since the Late Republican period, and educated Romans were expected to be bilingual and well versed in both Greek and Latin literature. The Roman school ‘curriculum’ was based on Hellenistic educational culture, and in theDe grammaticis et rhetoribusSuetonius says that the earliest teachers in Rome, Livius and Ennius, were ‘poets and half Greeks’ (poetae et semigraeci), who taught both Latin and Greek ‘publicly and privately’ (domi forisque docuisse) and ‘merely clarified the meaning of Greek authors or gave exemplary readings from their own Latin compositions’ (nihil amplius quam Graecos interpretabantur aut si quid ipsi Latine composuissent praelegebant,Gram. et rhet.1–2). Cicero, the Latin neoteric poets and Horace are obvious examples of bilingual educated Roman aristocrats, but also throughout the Imperial period a properly educated Roman would be learned inutraque lingua. The place of Greek in Quintilian'sInstitutio Oratoriareveals the importance and prevalence of Greek in Roman education and literature in the late first centurya.d.Quintilian argues that children should learn both Greek and Latin but that it is best to begin with Greek. Famously, in the second centurya.d.the Roman author Apuleius gave speeches in Greek to audiences in Carthage, and in hisApologiamocked his accusers for their ignorance of Greek.
Figures of merit for stellarators near the magnetic axis
Authors: Landreman Matt
Published: February 2021

A new paradigm for rapid stellarator configuration design has been recently demonstrated, in which the shapes of quasisymmetric or omnigenous flux surfaces are computed directly using an expansion in small distance from the magnetic axis. To further develop this approach, here we derive several other quantities of interest that can be rapidly computed from this near-axis expansion. First, the

$\boldsymbol {\nabla }\boldsymbol {B}$

and

$\boldsymbol {\nabla }\boldsymbol {\nabla }\boldsymbol {B}$

tensors are computed, which can be used for direct derivative-based optimization of electromagnetic coil shapes to achieve the desired magnetic configuration. Moreover, if the norm of these tensors is large compared with the field strength for a given magnetic field, the field must have a short length scale, suggesting it may be hard to produce with coils that are suitably far away. Second, we evaluate the minor radius at which the flux surface shapes would become singular, providing a lower bound on the achievable aspect ratio. This bound is also shown to be related to an equilibrium beta limit. Finally, for configurations that are constructed to achieve a desired magnetic field strength to first order in the expansion, we compute the error field that arises due to second-order terms.
Tales from the Supplementary Information: Ancestry Change in Chalcolithic–Early Bronze Age Britain Was Gradual with Varied Kinship Organization
Authors: Booth Thomas J. , Brück Joanna , Brace Selina , Barnes Ian
Published: February 2021

Large-scale archaeogenetic studies of people from prehistoric Europe tend to be broad in scope and difficult to resolve with local archaeologies. However, accompanying supplementary information often contains useful finer-scale information that is comprehensible without specific genetics expertise. Here, we show how undiscussed details provided in supplementary information of aDNA papers can provide crucial insight into patterns of ancestry change and genetic relatedness in the past by examining details relating to a >90 per cent shift in the genetic ancestry of populations who inhabited Chalcolithic and Early Bronze Age Britain (c. 2450–1600bc). While this outcome was certainly influenced by movements of communities carrying novel ancestries into Britain from continental Europe, it was unlikely to have been a simple, rapid process, potentially taking up to 16 generations, during which time there is evidence for the synchronous persistence of groups largely descended from the Neolithic populations. Insofar as genetic relationships can be assumed to have had social meaning, identification of genetic relatives in cemeteries suggests paternal relationships were important, but there is substantial variability in how genetic ties were referenced and little evidence for strict patrilocality or female exogamy.
The vowesses, the anchoresses and the aldermen's wives: Lady Margaret Beaufort and the devout society of late medieval Stamford
Authors: Delman Rachel M.
Published: February 2021

This article investigates a devout society centring on the household of Margaret Beaufort (d. 1509) at Collyweston in Northamptonshire and St Katherine's guild in the neighbouring market town of Stamford in Lincolnshire. The discussion unveils Margaret Beaufort's place at the heart of a vibrant devotional community, whose members, among them a core group of lay and religious townswomen, were united by their geography and shared devotional interests. Ultimately, this article sheds new light on the overlapping spiritual networks of an important market town and the household of a highly influential noblewoman, whilst also demonstrating how Margaret's sponsorship of the society informed her self-fashioning as a pious matriarch of the house of Tudor.
Alcohol, coffee and tea intake and the risk of cognitive deficits: a dose–response meta-analysis
Authors: Ran L. S. , Liu W. H. , Fang Y. Y. , Xu S. B. , Li J. , Luo X. , Pan D. J. , Wang M. H. , Wang W.
Published: February 2021

Aims

Lifestyle interventions are an important and viable approach for preventing cognitive deficits. However, the results of studies on alcohol, coffee and tea consumption in relation to cognitive decline have been divergent, likely due to confounds from dose–response effects. This meta-analysis aimed to find the dose–response relationship between alcohol, coffee or tea consumption and cognitive deficits.

Methods

Prospective cohort studies or nested case-control studies in a cohort investigating the risk factors of cognitive deficits were searched in PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane and Web of Science up to 4th June 2020. Two authors searched the databases and extracted the data independently. We also assessed the quality of the studies with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. Stata 15.0 software was used to perform model estimation and plot the linear or nonlinear dose–response relationship graphs.

Results

The search identified 29 prospective studies from America, Japan, China and some European countries. The dose–response relationships showed that compared to non-drinkers, low consumption (<11 g/day) of alcohol could reduce the risk of cognitive deficits or only dementias, but there was no significant effect of heavier drinking (>11 g/day). Low consumption of coffee reduced the risk of any cognitive deficit (<2.8 cups/day) or dementia (<2.3 cups/day). Green tea consumption was a significant protective factor for cognitive health (relative risk, 0.94; 95% confidence intervals, 0.92–0.97), with one cup of tea per day brings a 6% reduction in risk of cognitive deficits.

Conclusions

Light consumption of alcohol (<11 g/day) and coffee (<2.8 cups/day) was associated with reduced risk of cognitive deficits. Cognitive benefits of green tea consumption increased with the daily consumption.
The German Version of the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM)
Authors: Stöven Lynne Marie , Herzberg Philipp Yorck
Published: February 2021

Abstract. This study examined the structure, reliability, and validity of a German version of the State Adult Attachment Measure (SAAM) by Gillath and colleagues ( Gillath et al., 2009 ). A satisfactory fit was found for the hypothesized three-factor model (comparative fit index = .840; RMSEA = .071 with 95% CI = .063, .079). The German SAAM subscales showed high internal consistency. Convergent and discriminant validity supported the state interpretation of the subscale scores. Furthermore, German SAAM scores explained variance in outcomes of mental health and well-being over and beyond trait attachment with the Security subscale accounting for most of the variance. One-week test–retest reliability did not differ from a trait attachment measure (Experiences in Close Relationship Scale). The DE-SAAM could capture fluctuations in Security scores induced by a security prime ( p = .007, d = 0.49). No effect of the prime condition (security vs. neutral) was found on Anxiety and Avoidance. Further research is needed to examine the validity of the state interpretation of all DE-SAAM subscale scores.
Early Warning of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation Phase Transition Using Complex Network Analysis
Authors: Lu Zhenghui , Yuan Naiming , Yang Qing , Ma Zhuguo , Kurths Jürgen
Published: February 2021

Obtaining an efficient prediction of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) phase transition is a worldwide challenge. Here, we employed the climate network analysis to uncover early warning signals prior to a PDO phase transition. This way an examination of cooperative behavior in the PDO region revealed an enhanced signal that propagated from the western Pacific to the northwest coast of North America. The detection of this signal corresponds very well to the time when the upper ocean heat content in the off‐equatorial northwestern tropical Pacific reaches a threshold, in which case a PDO phase transition may be expected with the arising of the next El Ni o/La Ni a event. The objectively detected early warning signal successfully forewarned all the six PDO phase transitions from the 1890–2000, and also underpinned the possible PDO phase transition around 2015, which may be triggered by the strong El Nio event in 2015–2016.
The Application of a Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network on Completing Global TEC Maps
Authors: Chen Jie , Fang Hanxian , Liu Zhendi
Published: February 2021

Total electron content (TEC) map is one of the important ionospheric parameters. The International Global Navigation Satellite System Service (Ionosphere Working Group) provides the combined vertical TEC maps. However, the postprocessing of the IGS TEC maps may cost quite a long time, and it's not easy for the organization to collect the complete data. It is necessary for researchers to figure out a method to complete the global TEC maps efficiently with regard to the problems of lack of data or not available to the standard IGS TEC. With the rapid development of the deep learning methods, the Deep Convolutional Generative Adversarial Network exhibits the great potential in computer vision. In this paper, we propose a new method called Global and Local GAN (GLGAN) based on the DCGAN and apply it on completing the global TEC maps. Different from the traditional GAN, the GLGAN consists of a generator (or called completion network) and two discriminators. The completion network is powerful enough to Extract features of IGS TEC maps to complete the TEC maps. The design of two discriminators enhances the ability of judging the quality of output images, and improves the accuracy of the completion network. After analyzing the results, we find the GLGAN have a better performance in complicate structures during geomagnetic storm time. The success of the GLGAN in completing the TEC maps suggests that the deep learning methods are able to solve many problems regarding to data and images in ionospheric parameters' reconstruction or forecasting.
Bayesian Filtering in Incoherent Scatter Plasma Parameter Fits
Authors: Virtanen Ilkka I. , Tesfaw Habtamu W. , Roininen Lassi , Lasanen Sari , Aikio Anita
Published: February 2021

Incoherent scatter (IS) radars are invaluable instruments for ionospheric physics, since they observe altitude profiles of electron density (Ne), electron temperature (Te), ion temperature (Ti) and line‐of‐sight plasma velocity (Vi) from ground. However, the temperatures can be fitted to the observed IS spectra only when the ion composition is known, and resolutions of the fitted plasma parameters are often insufficient for auroral electron precipitation, which requires high resolutions in both range and time. The problem of unknown ion composition has been addressed by means of the full‐profile analysis, which assumes that the plasma parameter profiles are smooth in altitude, or follow some predefined shape. In a similar manner, one could assume smooth time variations, but this option has not been used in IS analysis. We propose a plasma parameter fit technique based on Bayesian filtering, which we have implemented as an additional Bayesian Filtering Module (BAFIM) in the Grand Unified Incoherent Scatter Design and Analysis Package (GUISDAP). BAFIM allows us to control gradients in both time and range directions for each plasma parameter separately. With BAFIM we can fit F1 region ion composition together with Ne, Te, Ti and Vi, and we have reached 4 s/900 m time/range steps in four‐parameter fits of Ne, Te, Ti and Vi in E region observations of auroral electron precipitation.
Airborne Geophysical Imaging of Weak Zones on Iliamna Volcano, Alaska: Implications for Slope Stability
Authors: Peterson Dana E. , Finn Carol A. , Bedrosian Paul A.
Published: February 2021

Water‐saturated, hydrothermally altered rocks reduce the strength of volcanic edifices and increase the potential for sector collapses and far‐traveled mass flows of unconsolidated debris. Iliamna Volcano is an andesitic stratovolcano located on the western side of the Cook Inlet, ∼225 km southwest of Anchorage and is a source of repeated avalanches. The widespread snow and ice cover on Iliamna Volcano make surface alteration difficult to identify. However, intense hydrothermal alteration significantly reduces both the electrical resistivity and magnetization of volcanic rock and can therefore be identified with airborne geophysical measurements. We use airborne electromagnetic and magnetic data to map snow and ice thickness and identify underlying alteration zones at Iliamna Volcano, Alaska. Resistivities were calculated to an average depth of >300 m, and a 3‐D susceptibility model extends from the surface to the base of the volcano, about 3,000 m below the summit. Geophysical models image low resistivity (<30 ohm‐m) and low susceptibilities near the summit of Iliamna and below its older vent complex, with the low susceptibilities indicating alteration up to ∼800 m in thickness. Thin conductors (∼50–100 m thick) on the edifice slopes coincide with recorded locations of repeated debris avalanches over the past ∼60 years and are attributed to saturated zones at high elevation. Three‐dimensional slope stability models based upon the geophysically constrained alteration distribution suggest the edifice of Iliamna is unstable and could lead to collapse scars ∼400 m deep near the current and former vent complexes.
Density of Fe‐Ni‐C Liquids at High Pressures and Implications for Liquid Cores of Earth and the Moon
Authors: Zhu Feng , Lai Xiaojing , Wang Jianwei , Amulele George , Kono Yoshio , Shen Guoyin , Jing Zhicheng , Manghnani Murli H. , Williams Quentin , Chen Bin
Published: February 2021

The presence of light elements in the metallic cores of the Earth, the Moon, and other rocky planetary bodies has been widely proposed. Carbon is among the top candidates in light of its high cosmic abundance, siderophile nature, and ubiquity in iron meteorites. It is, however, still controversial whether carbon‐rich core compositional models can account for the seismic velocity observations within the Earth and lunar cores. Here, we report the density and elasticity of Fe90Ni10‐3 wt.% C and Fe90Ni10‐5 wt.% C liquid alloys using synchrotron‐based X‐ray absorption experiments and first‐principles molecular dynamics simulations. Our results show that alloying of 3 wt.% and 5 wt.% C lowers the density of Fe90Ni10 liquid by ∼2.9–3.1% at 2 GPa, and ∼3.4–3.6% at 9 GPa. More intriguingly, our experiments and simulations both demonstrate that the bulk moduli of the Fe‐Ni‐C liquids are similar to or slightly higher than those of Fe‐Ni liquids. Thus, the calculated compressional velocities (vp) of Fe‐Ni‐C liquids are higher than that of pure Fe‐Ni alloy, promoting carbon as a possible candidate to explain the elevated vp in the Earth's outer core. However, the values and slopes of both density and vp of the studied two Fe‐Ni‐C liquids do not match the outer core seismic models, suggesting that carbon may not be the sole principal light element in Earth's outer core. The high vp of Fe‐Ni‐C liquids does not match the presumptive vp of the lunar outer core well, indicating that carbon is less likely to be its dominant light element.
Retrieval of Ocean Wave Heights From Spaceborne SAR in the Arctic Ocean With a Neural Network
Authors: Wu Ke , Li Xiao‐Ming , Huang Bingqing
Published: February 2021

The twin Sentinel‐1 (S1) satellites have been extensively acquiring synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data in the Arctic, providing the unique opportunity to obtain ocean dynamic parameters with both high spatial resolution and wide swath coverage in the Arctic Ocean. In this study, we proposed a method for retrieving the ocean significant wave height (SWH) from S1 SAR data in horizontal‐horizontal (HH) polarization based on a backpropagation neural network (BPNN). A total of 4,273 scenes from S1 extra‐wide swath mode data acquired in the Arctic were collocated with data from four radar altimeters (RA), yielding 126,128 collocated data pairs. These data were separated into training and testing data sets to develop the BPNN model for retrieving SWH. Comparing the S1 retrieved SWH using the testing data set with the RA SWH yielded a bias of 0.17 m, a root‐mean‐square error of 0.71 m and a scatter index (SI) of 23.05% for SWH less than 10 m. The S1 retrieved SWH was further compared with the CFOSAT/SWIM data acquired in the Arctic between August 2019 and May 2020, which suggests that the SWIM has different performances on wave measurements at different beams.
Influence of Thermodynamic State Changes on Surface Cloud Radiative Forcing in the Arctic: A Comparison of Two Approaches Using Data From AFLUX and SHEBA
Authors: Stapf Johannes , Ehrlich André , Wendisch Manfred
Published: February 2021

The cloud radiative forcing (CRF) quantifies the warming or cooling effects of clouds. To derive the CRF, reference values of net (downward minus upward) irradiances in cloud‐free conditions are required. There are two groups of techniques to estimate these reference values; one is based on radiative transfer modeling, and a second group uses measurements in cloud‐free situations. To compare both approaches, we first look at a case study from the airborne measurements of radiative and turbulent FLUXes of energy and momentum in the Arctic boundary layer (AFLUX) campaign, where a moving cloud field with a sharp edge separating a cloudy boundary layer from an adjacent evolving cloud‐free area was probed. These data enabled the quantification of the impact of changing atmospheric and surface properties relevant for the reference net irradiances in cloud‐free conditions. The systematically higher surface albedo below clouds compared to cloud‐free conditions, results in a 11 W·m−2 smaller shortwave cooling effect by clouds estimated from the radiative transfer approach compared to the measurement‐based one. Due to the transition of thermodynamic parameters between the cloudy and cloud‐free atmospheric states, a 20 W·m−2 stronger warming effect is estimated by the radiative transfer approach. In a second step, radiative transfer simulations based on radiosoundings from the Surface Heat Budget of the Arctic Ocean campaign are used to quantify the impact of the vertical profiles of thermodynamic properties on the CRF. The largest difference between the longwave CRF estimated by the two methods is found in autumn with up to 25 W·m−2.
Morphodynamic Equilibria in Short Tidal Basins Using a 2DH Exploratory Model
Authors: Boelens Thomas , Qi Tian , Schuttelaars Henk , De Mulder Tom
Published: February 2021

A depth‐averaged (2DH) exploratory model is developed to identify morphodynamic equilibria in short mesotidal inlet systems with arbitrary planform geometries. The water motion is forced by an M
2 tidal constituent at the seaward entrance and is described by the depth‐averaged shallow water equations, whereas the depth‐integrated suspended sediment concentration follows from a diffusion equation, taking into account local inertia, horizontal eddy diffusion and topographically induced diffusive effects, erosion, and deposition. Based on a scaling analysis, it follows that the fine sandy bed evolution is dominated by the depth‐integrated diffusive sediment transport. The depth‐integrated advective contributions are one order smaller and therefore neglected. This observation also allows for the neglect of the advective terms in the governing equations. The associated morphodynamic equilibria are directly identified based on a continuation approach. By means of the exploratory model, the morphodynamic equilibria are studied in basins with a planform geometry characterized by width variations as a function of the distance to the seaward boundary. The model results show that in the case of a sufficient degree of widening in the landward direction, the equilibrium bed level exhibits significant lateral structures, characterized by shallow zones and deeper channels. The first channel bifurcation, as observed in many short tidal inlet systems, is forced by the planform geometry of the basin, and the associated physical mechanisms are explained. Furthermore, two mechanisms inducing asymmetric morphodynamic equilibria are investigated, of which the effect of an asymmetric basin planform seems to be dominant over that of the Coriolis force.
Bright, high-repetition-rate water window soft X-ray source enabled by nonlinear pulse self-compression in an antiresonant hollow-core fibre
Authors: Gebhardt M. , Heuermann T. , Klas R. , Liu C. , Kirsche A. , Lenski M. , Wang Z. , Gaida C. , Antonio-Lopez J. E. , Schülzgen A. , Amezcua-Correa R. , Rothhardt J. , Limpert J.
Published: February 2021

Bright, coherent soft X-ray radiation is essential to a variety of applications in fundamental research and life sciences. To date, a high photon flux in this spectral region can only be delivered by synchrotrons, free-electron lasers or high-order harmonic generation sources, which are driven by kHz-class repetition rate lasers with very high peak powers. Here, we establish a novel route toward powerful and easy-to-use SXR sources by presenting a compact experiment in which nonlinear pulse self-compression to the few-cycle regime is combined with phase-matched high-order harmonic generation in a single, helium-filled antiresonant hollow-core fibre. This enables the first 100 kHz-class repetition rate, table-top soft X-ray source that delivers an application-relevant flux of 2.8 × 106 photon s−1 eV−1 around 300 eV. The fibre integration of temporal pulse self-compression (leading to the formation of the necessary strong-field waveforms) and pressure-controlled phase matching will allow compact, high-repetition-rate laser technology, including commercially available systems, to drive simple and cost-effective, coherent high-flux soft X-ray sources.
On the road to smart biomaterials for bone research: definitions, concepts, advances, and outlook
Authors: Montoya Carolina , Du Yu , Gianforcaro Anthony L. , Orrego Santiago , Yang Maobin , Lelkes Peter I.
Published: February 2021

The demand for biomaterials that promote the repair, replacement, or restoration of hard and soft tissues continues to grow as the population ages. Traditionally, smart biomaterials have been thought as those that respond to stimuli. However, the continuous evolution of the field warrants a fresh look at the concept of smartness of biomaterials. This review presents a redefinition of the term “Smart Biomaterial” and discusses recent advances in and applications of smart biomaterials for hard tissue restoration and regeneration. To clarify the use of the term “smart biomaterials”, we propose four degrees of smartness according to the level of interaction of the biomaterials with the bio-environment and the biological/cellular responses they elicit, defining these materials as inert, active, responsive, and autonomous. Then, we present an up-to-date survey of applications of smart biomaterials for hard tissues, based on the materials’ responses (external and internal stimuli) and their use as immune-modulatory biomaterials. Finally, we discuss the limitations and obstacles to the translation from basic research (bench) to clinical utilization that is required for the development of clinically relevant applications of these technologies.
The population genomics of adaptive loss of function
Authors: Monroe J. Grey , McKay John K. , Weigel Detlef , Flood Pádraic J.
Published: February 2021

Discoveries of adaptive gene knockouts and widespread losses of complete genes have in recent years led to a major rethink of the early view that loss-of-function alleles are almost always deleterious. Today, surveys of population genomic diversity are revealing extensive loss-of-function and gene content variation, yet the adaptive significance of much of this variation remains unknown. Here we examine the evolutionary dynamics of adaptive loss of function through the lens of population genomics and consider the challenges and opportunities of studying adaptive loss-of-function alleles using population genetics models. We discuss how the theoretically expected existence of allelic heterogeneity, defined as multiple functionally analogous mutations at the same locus, has proven consistent with empirical evidence and why this impedes both the detection of selection and causal relationships with phenotypes. We then review technical progress towards new functionally explicit population genomic tools and genotype-phenotype methods to overcome these limitations. More broadly, we discuss how the challenges of studying adaptive loss of function highlight the value of classifying genomic variation in a way consistent with the functional concept of an allele from classical population genetics.
Shape effect on MHD flow of time fractional Ferro-Brinkman type nanofluid with ramped heating
Authors: Saqib Muhammad , Khan Ilyas , Shafie Sharidan , Mohamad Ahmad Qushairi
Published: February 2021

The colloidal suspension of nanometer-sized particles of Fe3O4in traditional base fluids is referred to as Ferro-nanofluids. These fluids have many technological applications such as cell separation, drug delivery, magnetic resonance imaging, heat dissipation, damping, and dynamic sealing. Due to the massive applications of Ferro-nanofluids, the main objective of this study is to consider the MHD flow of water-based Ferro-nanofluid in the presence of thermal radiation, heat generation, and nanoparticle shape effect. The Caputo-Fabrizio time-fractional Brinkman type fluid model is utilized to demonstrate the proposed flow phenomenon with oscillating and ramped heating boundary conditions. The Laplace transform method is used to solve the model for both ramped and isothermal heating for exact solutions. The ramped and isothermal solutions are simultaneously plotted in the various figures to study the influence of pertinent flow parameters. The results revealed that the fractional parameter has a great impact on both temperature and velocity fields. In the case of ramped heating, both temperature and velocity fields decreasing with increasing fractional parameter. However, in the isothermal case, this trend reverses near the plate and gradually, ramped, and isothermal heating became alike away from the plate for the fractional parameter. Finally, the solutions for temperature and velocity fields are reduced to classical form and validated with already published results.
TRPM8 channel inhibitor-encapsulated hydrogel as a tunable surface for bone tissue engineering
Authors: Acharya Tusar Kanta , Kumar Satish , Tiwari Nikhil , Ghosh Arijit , Tiwari Ankit , Pal Subhashis , Majhi Rakesh Kumar , Kumar Ashutosh , Das Rashmita , Singh Abhishek , Maji Pradip K. , Chattopadhyay Naibedya , Goswami Luna , Goswami Chandan
Published: February 2021

A major limitation in the bio-medical sector is the availability of materials suitable for bone tissue engineering using stem cells and methodology converting the stochastic biological events towards definitive as well as efficient bio-mineralization. We show that osteoblasts and Bone Marrow-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Pools (BM-MSCP) express TRPM8, a Ca2+-ion channel critical for bone-mineralization. TRPM8 inhibition triggers up-regulation of key osteogenesis factors; and increases mineralization by osteoblasts. We utilized CMT:HEMA, a carbohydrate polymer-based hydrogel that has nanofiber-like structure suitable for optimum delivery of TRPM8-specific activators or inhibitors. This hydrogel is ideal for proper adhesion, growth, and differentiation of osteoblast cell lines, primary osteoblasts, and BM-MSCP. CMT:HEMA coated with AMTB (TRPM8 inhibitor) induces differentiation of BM-MSCP into osteoblasts and subsequent mineralization in a dose-dependent manner. Prolonged and optimum inhibition of TRPM8 by AMTB released from the gels results in upregulation of osteogenic markers. We propose that AMTB-coated CMT:HEMA can be used as a tunable surface for bone tissue engineering. These findings may have broad implications in different bio-medical sectors.
Glypican-3 targeted delivery of 89Zr and 90Y as a theranostic radionuclide platform for hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Labadie Kevin P. , Ludwig Andrew D. , Lehnert Adrienne L. , Hamlin Donald K. , Kenoyer Aimee L. , Sullivan Kevin M. , Daniel Sara K. , Mihailovic Tara N. , Sham Jonathan G. , Orozco Johnnie J. , Yeung Raymond S. , Chen Delphine L. , Wilbur D. Scott , Miyaoka Robert S. , Park James O.
Published: February 2021

Glypican-3 (GPC3) is a tumor associated antigen expressed by hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells. This preclinical study evaluated the efficacy of a theranostic platform using a GPC3-targeting antibody αGPC3 conjugated to zirconium-89 (89Zr) and yttrium-90 (90Y) to identify, treat, and assess treatment response in a murine model of HCC. A murine orthotopic xenograft model of HCC was generated. Animals were injected with 89Zr-labeled αGPC3 and imaged with a small-animal positron emission/computerized tomography (PET/CT) imaging system (immuno-PET) before and 30 days after radioimmunotherapy (RIT) with 90Y-labeled αGPC3. Serum alpha fetoprotein (AFP), a marker of tumor burden, was measured. Gross tumor volume (GTV) and SUVmax by immuno-PET was measured using fixed intensity threshold and manual segmentation methods. Immuno-PET GTV measurements reliably quantified tumor burden prior to RIT, strongly correlating with serum AFP (R2 = 0.90). Serum AFP was significantly lower 30 days after RIT in 90Y-αGPC3 treated animals compared to those untreated (p = 0.01) or treated with non-radiolabeled αGPC3 (p = 0.02). Immuno-PET GTV measurements strongly correlated with tumor burden after RIT (R2 = 0.87), and GTV of animals treated with 90Y-αGPC3 was lower than in animals who did not receive treatment or were treated with non-radiolabeled αGPC3, although this only trended toward statistical significance. A theranostic platform utilizing GPC3 targeted 89Zr and 90Y effectively imaged, treated, and assessed response after radioimmunotherapy in a GPC3-expressing HCC xenograft model.
Human visual motion perception shows hallmarks of Bayesian structural inference
Authors: Yang Sichao , Bill Johannes , Drugowitsch Jan , Gershman Samuel J.
Published: February 2021

Motion relations in visual scenes carry an abundance of behaviorally relevant information, but little is known about how humans identify the structure underlying a scene’s motion in the first place. We studied the computations governing human motion structure identification in two psychophysics experiments and found that perception of motion relations showed hallmarks of Bayesian structural inference. At the heart of our research lies a tractable task design that enabled us to reveal the signatures of probabilistic reasoning about latent structure. We found that a choice model based on the task’s Bayesian ideal observer accurately matched many facets of human structural inference, including task performance, perceptual error patterns, single-trial responses, participant-specific differences, and subjective decision confidence—especially, when motion scenes were ambiguous and when object motion was hierarchically nested within other moving reference frames. Our work can guide future neuroscience experiments to reveal the neural mechanisms underlying higher-level visual motion perception.
DFT, Monte Carlo and molecular dynamics simulations for the prediction of corrosion inhibition efficiency of novel pyrazolylnucleosides on Cu(111) surface in acidic media
Authors: Oukhrib Rachid , Abdellaoui Youness , Berisha Avni , Abou Oualid Hicham , Halili Jeton , Jusufi Kaltrina , Ait El Had Mustapha , Bourzi Hassan , El Issami Souad , Asmary Fatmah Ali , Parmar Virinder S. , Len Christophe
Published: February 2021

Five novel pyrazolylnucleosides have been evaluated theoretically for their corrosion inhibition efficiency on the Cu(111) surface in acidic media. DFT calculations were carried out to exhibit the intrinsic properties such as lowest unoccupied (ELUMO) and highest occupied (EHOMO) molecular orbital energies, as well as energy gap (∆E), chemical hardness (η), chemical softness (σ), electronegativity (χ), electrophilicity (ω) and nucleophilicity (ε). The theoretical FT-IR spectra were recorded to indicate the presence of the specific bonds in the studied molecules. The surface interactions between the inhibitor molecules and the metal surface were investigated using molecular dynamics simulations andMonte Carlo(MC) simulations. As a result, we have found that the inhibitor pyrazolylnucleosides5a–ehave strong interactions with Cu(111) surface, and therefore have excellent predictive inhibition power against copper corrosion.
Analysis of extracellular vesicle mRNA derived from plasma using the nCounter platform
Authors: Bracht Jillian W. P. , Gimenez-Capitan Ana , Huang Chung-Ying , Potie Nicolas , Pedraz-Valdunciel Carlos , Warren Sarah , Rosell Rafael , Molina-Vila Miguel A.
Published: February 2021

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are double-layered phospholipid membrane vesicles that are released by most cells and can mediate intercellular communication through their RNA cargo. In this study, we tested if the NanoString nCounter platform can be used for the analysis of EV-mRNA. We developed and optimized a methodology for EV enrichment, EV-RNA extraction and nCounter analysis. Then, we demonstrated the validity of our workflow by analyzing EV-RNA profiles from the plasma of 19 cancer patients and 10 controls and developing a gene signature to differentiate cancer versus control samples. TRI reagent outperformed automated RNA extraction and, although lower plasma input is feasible, 500 μL provided highest total counts and number of transcripts detected. A 10-cycle pre-amplification followed by DNase treatment yielded reproducible mRNA target detection. However, appropriate probe design to prevent genomic DNA binding is preferred. A gene signature, created using a bioinformatic algorithm, was able to distinguish between control and cancer EV-mRNA profiles with an area under the ROC curve of 0.99. Hence, the nCounter platform can be used to detect mRNA targets and develop gene signatures from plasma-derived EVs.
Spatio-temporal distribution characteristics and influencing factors of COVID-19 in China
Authors: Chen Youliang , Li Qun , Karimian Hamed , Chen Xunjun , Li Xiaoming
Published: February 2021

In December 2019, corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has broken out in China. Understanding the distribution of disease at the national level contributes to the formulation of public health policies. There are several studies that investigating the influencing factors on distribution of COVID-19 in China. However, more influencing factors need to be considered to improve our understanding about the current epidemic. Moreover, in the absence of effective medicine or vaccine, the Chinese government introduced a series of non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs). However, assessing and predicting the effectiveness of these interventions requires further study. In this paper, we used statistical techniques, correlation analysis and GIS mapping expression method to analyze the spatial and temporal distribution characteristics and the influencing factors of the COVID-19 in mainland China. The results showed that the spread of outbreaks in China’s non-Hubei provinces can be divided into five stages. Stage I is the initial phase of the COVID-19 outbreak; in stage II the new peak of the epidemic was observed; in stage III the outbreak was contained and new cases decreased; there was a rebound in stage IV, and stage V led to level off. Moreover, the cumulative confirmed cases were mainly concentrated in the southeastern part of China, and the epidemic in the cities with large population flows from Wuhan was more serious. In addition, statistically significant correlations were found between the prevalence of the epidemic and the temperature, rainfall and relative humidity. To evaluate the NPIs, we simulated the prevalence of the COVID-19 based on an improved SIR model and under different prevention intensity. It was found that our simulation results were compatible with the observed values and the parameter of the time function in the improved SIR model for China is a = − 0.0058. The findings and methods of this study can be effective for predicting and managing the epidemics and can be used as an aid for decision makers to control the current and future epidemics.
Differential expression of PD-L1 between primary and metastatic epithelial ovarian cancer and its clinico-pathological correlation
Authors: Parvathareddy Sandeep Kumar , Siraj Abdul K. , Al-Badawi Ismail A. , Tulbah Asma , Al-Dayel Fouad , Al-Kuraya Khawla S.
Published: February 2021

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most common gynecologic cancer, which has the worst prognosis and highest mortality rate. The lack of curative treatment and the high relapse rate, especially in advanced OC, continues to present a clinical challenge, highlighting the need for new therapeutic strategies. This study was performed to compare the expression of PD-L1 in primary epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) and their corresponding peritoneal metastases, as well as to evaluate its correlation with clinico-pathological parameters. In total, 194 treatment naïve paired EOC and peritoneal metastasis were analyzed by immunohistochemistry for PD-L1 expression. Clinico-pathological information was available for all patients. Significant differences in PD-L1 expression were found between primary EOC and peritoneal metastasis (p < 0.0001). We found discordant tumor cell PD-L1 expression between primary tumors and corresponding peritoneal metastasis in 34% (66/194) of cases. Furthermore, PD-L1 expression in peritoneal metastasis samples was significantly associated with adverse prognostic factors, such as high proliferative index (Ki67) (p = 0.0039) and high histologic grade (p = 0.0330). In conclusion, the discordance of PD-L1 expression between primary EOC and corresponding peritoneal metastases suggests that its assessment as a potential biomarker for predicting response to anti-PD-L1 therapy may require analysis of metastatic lesions.
The potential pathways underlying the association of propyl-paraben exposure with aeroallergen sensitization and EASI score using metabolomics analysis
Authors: Lee Yujin , Lee Eun , Yon Dong Keon , Jee Hye Mi , Baek Hey Sung , Lee Seung Won , Cho Joo-Youn , Han Man Yong
Published: February 2021

Propyl-paraben exposure is associated with aeroallergen sensitization, but its association with atopic dermatitis (AD) is inconclusive. No studies have been conducted on the metabolomic pathways underlying these associations. We investigated the associations between propyl-paraben exposure and aeroallergen sensitization, AD, and Eczema Area and Severity Index (EASI) score and identified the underlying pathways using untargeted metabolomics analysis. We enrolled 455 children in a general population study. Skin prick tests were performed with the assessment of EASI score. Urinary propyl-, butyl-, ethyl-, and methyl-paraben levels were measured. Untargeted metabolomics analysis was performed on the first and fifth urine propyl-paraben quintile groups. The highest urine propyl-paraben quintile group was associated with aeroallergen sensitization, but not with AD. Glycine, threonine, serine, ornithine, isoleucine, arabinofuranose, d-lyxofuranose, citrate, and picolinic acid levels were higher, whereas palmitic acid and 2-palmitoylglycerol levels were lower in the highest quintile propyl-paraben group, than in the lowest quintile group. The propyl-paraben-induced metabolic perturbations were associated with serine and glycine metabolisms, branched-chain amino acid metabolism, and ammonia recycling. Propyl-paraben exposure was associated with aeroallergen sensitization and EASI score, partially via metabolomic changes related with oxidative stress, mTOR, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors pathway, aryl hydrocarbon receptor signaling pathways, and tricarboxylic acid cycle.
Calmodulin regulates the olfactory performance in Drosophila melanogaster
Authors: Jain Kalpana , Lavista-Llanos Sofia , Grabe Veit , Hansson Bill S. , Wicher Dieter
Published: February 2021

Insect odorant receptors (ORs) detect volatile chemical cues with high sensitivity. These ORs operate as ligand-gated ion channels and are formed by heptahelical OrX and Orco (co-receptor) proteins. A highly conserved calmodulin (CaM) binding site (CBS) 336SAIKYWVER344 within the second intracellular loop of Drosophila melanogaster Orco constitutes a target for regulating OR performance. Here we asked how a point mutation K339N in this CBS affects the olfactory performance of Drosophila melanogaster. We first asked how this mutation would affect the odor responses of olfactory sensory neurons (OSNs). Using Ca2+ imaging in an ex-vivo antenna preparation, we activated all OR (OrX/Orco) expressing neurons using the synthetic agonist VUAA1. In a next attempt, we restricted the OR spectrum to Or22a expressing neurons (Or22a/Orco) and stimulated these OSNs with the ligand ethyl hexanoate. In both approaches, we found that flies carrying the K339N point mutation in Orco display a reduced olfactory response. We also found that the mutation abolishes the capability of OSNs to sensitize by repeated weak odor stimuli. Next, we asked whether OrcoK339N might affect the odor localization performance. Using a wind tunnel bioassay, we found that odor localization in flies carrying the OrcoK339N mutation was severely diminished.
Identifying subpopulations in multicellular systems by quantitative chemical imaging using label-free hyperspectral CARS microscopy
Authors: Pope Iestyn , Masia Francesco , Ewan Kenneth , Jimenez-Pascual Ana , Dale Trevor C. , Siebzehnrubl Florian A. , Borri Paola , Langbein Wolfgang
Published: February 2021

Quantitative hyperspectral coherent Raman scattering microscopy merges imaging with spectroscopy and utilises quantitative data analysis algorithms to extract chemical components, spectrally and spatially-resolved, with sub-cellular resolution.
The influence of linker substitution on the fluorescence responsive sensing of isostructural coordination polymers: visual turn-on, ratiometric, and turn-off sensing in water
Authors: Chuang Po-Min , Huang Yun-Wen , Liu Yu-Lin , Wu Jing-Yun
Published: February 2021

Linker substituents show great impacts on the luminescence properties and sensing performances of isostructural coordination polymers, causing turn-on or ratiometric sensing of Fe3+, Al3+, and Cr3+ and turn-off sensing of CrO42− and Cr2O72−.
Synergistic vacancy defects and mechanical strain for the modulation of the mechanical, electronic and optical properties of monolayer tungsten disulfide
Authors: Gao Chan , Yang Xiaoyong , Jiang Ming , Chen Lixin , Chen Zhiwen , Singh Chandra Veer
Published: February 2021

The combination of defect engineering and strain engineering for the modulation of the mechanical, electronic and optical properties of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs).
Theoretical study of the Coriolis effect in LiNa, LiK, and LiRb molecules
Authors: Bormotova E. A. , Kozlov S. V. , Pazyuk E. A. , Stolyarov A. V. , Majewska I. , Moszynski R.
Published: February 2021

The L-uncoupling matrix elements are calculated ab initio. The results are compared with experiments where available and their asymptotic behavior is investigated using two different methods.