bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Experimental investigation on salt frost scaling of textile‐reinforced concrete
Authors: Konzilia Julian , Egger Matthias , Feix Jürgen
Published: February 2022

With the aim of reducing life cycle costs and dead weight, there are various concepts for replacing bridge pavements and sealants with high‐performance concrete. The corrosion resistance of textile reinforcements allows the realization of thin reinforcement layers that fulfill this objective. However, the textile‐reinforced concrete used as a road surface must meet the particular requirements relating to frost resistance and, specifically, scaling. An investigation on an existing structure indicated the influence of textile reinforcements on frost resistance. Therefore, the present investigations focus on the frost scaling of different combinations of a carbon reinforcement and fine‐grained concrete. For this purpose, a multistage research design is used. First, the influence of the reinforcement and the concrete mix on the capillary porosity is investigated. The capillary porosity of concrete is directly related to its resistance to freeze–thaw scaling. This resistance is examined using the slab‐test method. Finally, the influence of the frost exposure on the pull‐off strength, which is crucial for the strengthening of structures, is determined.
The effect of a ban on the use of lead ammunition for waterfowl hunting on duck and goose crippling rates in Illinois
Authors: Ellis Matthew B. , Miller Craig A.
Published: February 2022

Globally, there is increasing effort to transition away from the use of lead ammunition to mitigate its known risks to wildlife and human health. Whenever this transition is stated hunters frequently cite concerns about the effectiveness of non‐lead ammunition, how it will result in greater crippling rates, and associated animal welfare costs. This area has been little studied, but recent studies have found no differences in crippling rates using lead and steel ammunition. Using segmented linear regression we evaluated 37 years of waterfowl harvest data in Illinois, United States, overlapping the transition to non‐lead shot for waterfowl hunting in order to assess how crippling rates changed following the ban. The average crippling rate prior to the lead shot ban was 23% for both ducks and geese and reduced to an average of 15% and 11% for ducks and geese (respectively) following the ban. In addition, the annual trend in the proportion of ducks and geese crippled reversed following the ban, from a significant annually increasing to a significant annually decreasing trend. We offer hypotheses on behavioural and technological changes which may explain these changes and predict that crippling losses will not increase in Europe following a ban on the use of lead ammunition over wetlands in 2023.
An accurate hyperelasticity‐based plate theory and nonlinear energy‐based micromechanics for impact and shock analyses of compliant particle‐reinforced FG hyperelastic plates
Authors: Shariyat Mohammad , Abedi Soudabeh
Published: February 2022

The current article is devoted to the nonlinear dynamic and impact response analyses of rectangular incompressible neo‐Hookean hyperelastic plates with uniform/nonuniform transverse distributions of stiff elastic reinforcing particles. The nonlinear finite element governing equations are derived by using the principle of minimum total potential energy and solved by an updating scheme that uses the Runge‐Kutta time integration and penalty methods. The impact energy expressions are written for the integrated plate‐indenter system. The novelties of the article are: (i) realistic modeling the energy absorption of a particle‐reinforced nonlinear hyperelastic matrix based on the volume fractions of the constituent phases instead of using wrong Voigt‐type models or impractical predefined gradation coefficients, (ii) considering non‐uniform distributions of the reinforcing particles, (iii) using a highly accurate asymmetric (all the available theories are symmetric) infinite‐order plate theory, (iv) including the inherent hyperelastic nature of the material in the definition of the parameters of the plate theory, (v) considering the thickness changes of the plate, (vi) including von Karman's kinematic nonlinearity, (vii) analyzing both the dynamic and impact behaviors, (viii) proposing an adaptive algorithm to match the description of the displacement field with the load/stress variations, (ix) updating not only the stiffness but also the mass matrix within the time steps, (x) incorporation of the nonlinear boundary conditions by the penalty method, and (xi) performing time‐dependent analyses instead of the natural frequency analyses. Results reveal the drastic effects of the volume fraction of the reinforcing particles on the dynamic responses and report the impact responses of the FG hyperelastic plates, for the first time.
No differences in histopathological degenerative changes found in acute, trauma-related rotator cuff tears compared with chronic, nontraumatic tears
Authors: Aagaard Knut E. , Björnsson Hallgren Hanna Cecilia , Lunsjö Karl , Frobell Richard
Published: February 2022

Purpose

Acute trauma-related rotator cuff tears are
believed to have better healing potential than chronic tears due to less degenerative changes of the tendons. However, the histopathological condition of tendons from trauma-related tears is not well investigated. The purpose of this study was to explore specific histopathological features in tendons from acute trauma-related full-thickness rotator cuff tears and to compare them to findings in tendons from nontraumatic, chronic tears.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study, 62 previously asymptomatic patients [14 women, median age 61 years (range 42–75)] with trauma-related full-thickness rotator cuff tears were consecutively included. Arthroscopic repair was performed within 30 (median, IQR 25–37) days after the injury. During surgery, tissue biopsies were harvested from the supraspinatus tendons in 53 (86%) of the patients. In addition, similar biopsies were harvested from 10 patients undergoing surgery for chronic tears without history of trauma. All tissue samples were examined by a well-experienced pathologist under light microscope. Tendon degeneration was determined using the Bonar score whereas immunostaining was used for proliferation (Ki67), inflammation (CD45), apoptosis (p53) and haemosiderin staining to study traces of bleeding.

Results

The median (IQR) Bonar score for the acute trauma-related biopsies was 10.5 (7.5–14.5) compared to 11 (5–12.8) for the control group with no statistically significant difference between the groups. No statistically significant between-group difference was found for the inflammatory index whereas tendons from patients with trauma-related full-thickness rotator cuff tears had statistically significantly higher apoptosis [3.1 (0.5–8.9) vs. 0.1 (0–1.5), p = 0.003] and proliferation [4.0 (1.8–6.9) vs. 0.4 (0–2.0), p = 0.001) indices than those undergoing surgery for chronic tears. Positive haemosiderin staining was found in 34% of tissue samples from patients with trauma-related tears compared to 10% in the control group (n.s).

Conclusion

This study suggests that there is no difference with regard to degenerative changes between supraspinatus tendons harvested from patients with acute, trauma-related rotator cuff tears and patients with nontraumatic, chronic tears.

Level of evidence

II.
Outcomes after primary and repeat thermal ablation of hepatocellular carcinoma with or without liver transplantation
Authors: Serbanescu-Kele Apor de Zalán Christiaan M. C. , Ruiter Simeon J. S. , van den Berg Aad P. , Pennings Jan Pieter , de Jong Koert P.
Published: February 2022

Objectives

Thermal ablation (TA) is an established treatment for early HCC. There is a lack of data on the efficacy of repeated TA for recurrent HCC, resulting in uncertainty whether good oncologic outcomes can be obtained without performing orthotopic liver transplantation (OLTx). This study analyses outcomes after TA, with a special focus on repeat TA for recurrent HCC, either as a stand-alone therapy, or in relationship with OLTx.

Methods

Data from a prospectively registered database on interventions for HCC in a tertiary hepatobiliary centre was completed with follow-up until December 2020. Outcomes studied were rate of recurrence after primary TA and after its repeat interventions, the occurrence of untreatable recurrence, OS and DSS after primary and repeat TA, and complications after TA. In cohorts matched for confounders, OSS and DSS were compared after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx.

Results

After TA, 100 patients (56·8%) developed recurrent HCC, of whom 76 (76·0%) underwent up to four repeat interventions. During follow-up, 76·7% of patients never developed a recurrence unamenable to repeat TA or OLTx. OS was comparable after primary TA and repeat TA. In matched cohorts, OS and DSS were comparable after TA with and without the intention to perform OLTx.

Conclusions

We found TA to be an effective and repeatable therapy for primary and recurrent HCC. Most recurrences can be treated with curative intent. There are patients who do well with TA alone without ever undergoing OLTx.

Key Points

• Recurrent HCC after primary TA can often be treated effectively with repeat TA. Survival after repeat TA is comparable to primary TA.

• In matched cohorts, outcomes after TA with and without subsequent waitlisting for OLTx are comparable.

• There are patients who do well for many years with primary and repeat TA alone; some despite multiple recurrences.
Broaching-to prevention in real-time using momentary state feedback control focusing on the saddle point in the system
Authors: Maniyappan Sreenath , Umeda Naoya
Published: February 2022

For realizing real-time broaching-to prevention in regular waves, the momentary state feedback control in the vicinity of the saddle point of the dynamical system is newly proposed, based on the previous work (Maniyappan in J Mar Sci Technol, 2020, https://doi.org/10.1007/s00773-020-00743-4). This is an extension of the concept of OGY (Ott, Grebogi, and Yorke) (Ott in Phys Rev Lett 64:1196–1199, 1990) algorithm by applying momentary state feedback using the linear-quadratic regulator (LQR) only when the ship approaches a saddle point. It was numerically confirmed in regular waves that controlling the surging in a wave downslope during broaching-to enables to change the broaching to a periodic motion at lower Froude number. At higher Froude numbers, broaching-to prevention is achieved by undergoing stable surf-riding near the wave trough in lower heading angles. The robustness of the controller towards modeling uncertainties and limitation of the observed variables are also confirmed by using a controller model that ignores the nonlinear terms in the calm-water manoeuvring forces and the longitudinal position of the ship to waves.
Water status in the Canary Islands related to energy requirements
Authors: Santamarta Juan C. , Rubiales Ignacio Calvo , Rodríguez-Martín Jesica , Cruz-Pérez Noelia
Published: February 2022

A review of the methods of obtaining water in the Canary Islands (Spain) is presented, dividing the islands into two groups: the eastern islands and the western islands. This division is due to the different origins of water resources, with western islands using mainly underground sources, while the eastern ones main source is seawater desalination. Water sources define the way in which water is obtained, as well as the energy expenditure to obtain it. In this review, the energy consumption of different methods of drinking water collection is studied, as well as the resources that make up the energy mix in the Canary Islands. In addition, a projection is made for drinking water consumption and energy consumption related to water use in the archipelago up till the year 2035, in order to observe the expected trends in these sectors.
Evaluation of immature granulocyte parameters in myeloid neoplasms assayed by Sysmex XN hematology analyzer
Authors: Lu Qifeng , Li Ying , Li Tian , Hou Tingting , Zhao Yajuan , Feng Shu , Yang Xixian , Zhu Mengyu , Shen Yajuan
Published: February 2022

Immature granulocytes (IGs) have significance for the diagnosis of myeloid neoplasms (MNs). The current study aims to use a hematology analyzer to evaluate the accuracy of IG parameters in MNs. Blood specimens from 388 patients with MN, 524 with non-hematological neoplasms (non-HNs), including 109 patients with inflammation and 68 undergoing G-CSF administration, and 500 healthy control subjects were analyzed. IG parameters was assayed by Sysmex XN-9000 (XN) and compared with manual assessments. A high level of agreement between IG% derived from XN and manual measurements for MN patients (r = 0.828, p < 0.0001) was revealed but only a moderate correlation for acute myeloid leukemia patients (AML; r = 0.597; p < 0.0001). Bland–Altman bias analysis was conducted, and the results showed that differences in IG% from XN and manual analysis for MN patients were considered clinically insignificant. ROC analysis demonstrated a good performance of IG# (AUC = 0.842) and IG% (AUC = 0.885) assessed by XN for MN patients with cut-off values of 0.200 × 109/L and 1.95%, respectively. IG parameters from Sysmex XN analyzer are helpful for screening of MNs even though granulocyte morphological abnormalities may interfere with IG parameter accuracy.
Harold S. Shapiro at KTH: some personal memories
Authors: Gustafsson Björn
Published: February 2022

The author, who was a student and colleague of Harold S. Shapiro, gives some personal memories from Shapiro’s time as a professor at KTH, Stockholm, 1972-2021.
Enhancing Coordination for Effective Management of Oil Spill Pollution in South Africa
Authors: Sabela-Rikhotso Phindile Tiyiselani Zanele , van Niekerk Dewald , Nemakonde Livhuwani David
Published: February 2022

Although multi-sectoral coordination in disaster risk management has been progressing in South Africa for over two decades, there has been limited commitment to an integrated regime in managing marine oil spill incidents. Poor incident management persists despite the availability of data, protocols, legislation, and resources housed in different government and private sector entities. This study identified practices that enhance a coordination process for the effective management of oil spill pollution. A grounded theory approach is applied to the coordination issue, which is characterized by an interactive process of simultaneously considering theoretical grounding during our empirical research. Empirical evidence includes observations of 47 meetings and three oil spill exercises with 79 delegates from 32 different organizations, which supports the coordination process of instituting a national Incident Management System for marine oil spills in South Africa. An additional 44 individual open-ended questionnaires supplement this earlier body of evidence for data triangulation and validation. Analysis of development of the Incident Management System process revealed that, when designing a novel long-term project that is reliant on a shared vision from multiple organizations, enhanced coordination and collaboration for successful implementation is dependent on the following practices: (1) obtaining political commitment, (2) bridging knowledge gaps, and (3) sharing resources.
Neural network for modeling the capture of lead and cadmium ions from wastewater using date palm stones
Authors: Faisal A. A. H. , Nassir Z. S. , Rashid H. M. , Al-Hashimi O. A. , Shubbar A. , Saleh B.
Published: February 2022

The current theoretical and experimental study was to thoroughly examine the capability of date stones for scavenging cadmium and lead ions from simulated wastewater. Three layers-artificial neural network (ANN) with 115 batch tests proved that the best conditions achieved the highest sorption efficiency (>63% for Cd(II) and > 91% for Pb(II)) where time 1 h, pH 5–6, dosage 5 g/100 mL, speed 100 rpm and temperature 25 °C. A satisfactory matching between the measurements and the ANN outputs was recognized with coefficient of determination greater than 99%. The ANN has also revealed throughout the sensitivity analysis that the initial pH and contact time with importance of 25 and 39% for cadmium and lead ions respectively were considered to be the most influential parameters in the removal process. Among Langmuir, Freundlich, and ANN models, the latter one was well fitted the sorption data. This model was substituted in solute transport equation to describe the spatial and temporal distribution of metal ions through the packed column. From the breakthrough curves, the well agreement between the theoretical and measurements (Willmott’s index almost greater less than 0.97), the date stones sorbent have had greater tendency to sorb lead ions than that of cadmium ones.
The Composition and Growth Mechanism of Coexisting 4M2 and 4A8 Biotite Polytypes from Rhyolite of Long Valley Caldera, California
Authors: Xi Jiaxin , Yang Yiping , Ma Lingya , He Hongping , Xu Huifang , Zhu Jianxi , Wei Jingming
Published: February 2022

Polytypism is common in micas, and the frequency of polytype occurrence is believed to be related closely to the crystallization conditions and chemical compositions of the corresponding fluids and melts. Coexisting multiple standard and complex/disordered polytypes in igneous rocks generally reflect a complicated magma evolution history. The purpose of the current study was to clarify the origin of coexisting biotite polytypes and their growth mechanism. Micro-X-ray diffraction (μXRD) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) were used to investigate Fe-rich biotite phenocrysts in rhyolite from the Long Valley Caldera, California, USA. The μXRD analyses characterized various polytypes, and TEM observations revealed that common polytypes (e.g. 1M, 2M1, and 3T) and rare polytypes (e.g. 4M2 and 4A8) coexist within biotite monocrystals. The two 4-layer polytypes of Fe-rich biotite, 4M2 and 4A8, were identified via selected-area electron diffraction (SAED) and high-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy (HRSTEM) at the atomic resolution, with unique stacking sequences ([0222] for 4M2 and [002<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:c="http://cambridge.org/core/content" xmlns:core="http://cambridge.org/core" xmlns:m="http://cambridge.org/core/metadata" xmlns:cup="http://contentservices.cambridge.org" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:mnf="http://cambridge.org/core/manifest">2¯] for 4A8). Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS) results showed differences in their chemical compositions, especially Fe and K. The 4A8 polytype is reported for the first time. The present study suggested that environmental changes, such as rapid cooling and inhomogeneous compositional distribution, led to chemical and structural oscillations and complex nucleation of the two 4-layer polytypes. Screw dislocations producing spiral growth enhance polytype stability and form ordered long-period/complex polytypes. These results are useful to understand the origin of long-period/complex polytypes and the intergrowths of diverse polytypes formed in non-equilibrium crystallization environments.
Political Rights Regulation by Deferral: Obstacles to External Voting in Uruguay
Authors: Margheritis Ana
Published: February 2022

Why hasn’t Uruguay enfranchised emigrants yet? This study examines an underresearched case of nonenfranchisement and engages with debates on external voting, diaspora politics, and citizenship beyond borders. Building on qualitative and participatory methods, the analysis unveils the obstacles to franchise reform despite significant progress from 2004 to 2019. Although external voting was not enacted legally, emigrants’ voting rights were debated, formally acknowledged, and encouraged. It is not the lack of norm entrepreneurs but the cumulative effect of indecisive actions that perpetuates a counterproductive dynamic and de facto uneven access to this right. An unresolved debate simultaneously advances conversations but precludes compromises, turning resolution deferral into an implicit form of regulating emigrants’ political inclusion or exclusion. Presenting original evidence, this study expands existing accounts, highlights the interaction between institutional and social drivers of change, and invites further research on the role of policy diffusion, domestic politics, and timing.
Γ-convergence and stochastic homogenization of degenerate integral functionals in weighted Sobolev spaces
Authors: D'Onofrio Chiara , Zeppieri Caterina Ida
Published: February 2022

We study the$\Gamma$-convergence of nonconvex vectorial integral functionals whose integrands satisfy possibly degenerate growth and coercivity conditions. The latter involve suitable scale-dependent weight functions. We prove that under appropriate uniform integrability conditions on the weight functions, which shall belong to a Muckenhoupt class, the corresponding functionals$\Gamma$-converge, up to subsequences, to a degenerate integral functional defined on a limit weighted Sobolev space. The general analysis is then applied to the case of random stationary integrands and weights to prove a stochastic homogenization result for the corresponding functionals.
Caldwell's Dravidians: Knowledge production and the representational strategies of missionary scholars in colonial South India
Authors: Solomon John
Published: February 2022

This article examines British Protestant missionary scholars' representations of Tamil culture and history, analysing how this form of knowledge evolved in relation to missionary concerns and the intellectual trends of nineteenth-century India. I focus on the work of Robert Caldwell, whose scholarship had a profound influence on the identity discourses of twentieth-century Tamil nationalism. I situate Caldwell's work in ethnography and philology within the broader field of colonial knowledge produced about Tamils in nineteenth-century India and within a broader study of British missionary concerns in South India. I examine two of Caldwell's publications to argue that his later work, far from being driven by mere scholarly interests, was also shaped by his concerns as a missionary, and that his evolving scholarship mirrored the development of anti-Brahmanism in British Protestant missionary circles of the time. Missionary anti-Brahmanism arose as a response to the caste system, which missionary groups came to regard as the biggest obstacle to Christian conversions. Departing from some of his earlier ideas, Caldwell strategically positioned his later work to challenge Brahman influence, which he saw as being intrinsically tied to the strength of caste sentiment in Indian society. Caldwell's construction of a discursive framework for understanding Tamil linguistic identity was informed by public reactions to his first publication and his subsequent understanding of the dynamic relationship between European scholarship and Indian social relations. More broadly, this article demonstrates the close relationships between Protestant Christian missionary activity, Indian social politics, and the field of knowledge production in colonial South India.
SIMU/Triple star sensors integrated navigation method of HALE UAV based on atmospheric refraction correction
Authors: Gao Ziqian , Wang Haiyong , Wang Weihong , Xu Yuan
Published: February 2022

To achieve autonomous all-day flight by high-altitude long-endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (HALE UAV), a new navigation method with deep integration of strapdown inertial measurement unit (SIMU) and triple star sensors based on atmospheric refraction correction is proposed. By analysing the atmospheric refraction model, the stellar azimuth coordinate system is introduced and the coupling relationship between attitude and position is established. Based on the geometric relationship whereby all the stellar azimuth planes intersect on the common zenith direction, the sole celestial navigation system (CNS) method by stellar refraction with triple narrow fields of view (FOVs) is studied and a loss function is built to evaluate the navigation accuracy. Finally, the new SIMU/triple star sensors deep integrated navigation method with refraction correction upgraded from the traditional inertial navigation system (INS)/CNS integrated method can be established. The results of simulations show that the proposed method can effectively restrain navigation error of a HALE UAV in 24 h steady-state cruising in the stratosphere.
Trust in the scientific research community predicts intent to comply with COVID-19 prevention measures: An analysis of a large-scale international survey dataset
Authors: Han Hyemin
Published: February 2022

In the present study, I explored the relationship between people's trust in different agents related to the prevention of the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and their compliance with pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical preventive measures. The COVIDiSTRESSII Global Survey dataset, which was collected from international samples, was analysed to examine the aforementioned relationship across different countries. For data-driven exploration, network analysis and Bayesian generalised linear model (GLM) analysis were performed. The result from network analysis demonstrated that trust in the scientific research community was most central in the network of trust and compliance. In addition, the outcome from Bayesian GLM analysis indicated that the same factor, trust in the scientific research community, was most fundamental in predicting participants' intent to comply with both pharmaceutical and non-pharmaceutical preventive measures. I briefly discussed the implications of the findings, the importance of trust in the scientific research community in explaining people's compliance with a measure to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Normative Resilience
Authors: Andersson Henrik , Werkmäster Jakob
Published: February 2022

This article discusses the phenomenon of normative resilience, with a focus on evaluative resilience. An object can become more or less valuable. In addition to this change in an object's value, the object's value can become more or less resilient. If it is less resilient, it cannot withstand as much evaluative change without its degree of value changing, as compared to an object with more resilient value. The article consists of three parts. First, examples of resilience are presented to give the reader an intuitive understanding of the phenomenon, Second, the Fitting Attitudes Analysis of value is invoked to provide a formal account of evaluative resilience. Third, the theoretical and practical advantages of acknowledging the existence of evaluative resilience are brought to light.
Emerging Trends: SOTA-Chasing
Authors: Church Kenneth Ward , Kordoni Valia
Published: February 2022

Many papers are chasing state-of-the-art (SOTA) numbers, and more will do so in the future. SOTA-chasing comes with many costs. SOTA-chasing squeezes out more promising opportunities such as coopetition and interdisciplinary collaboration. In addition, there is a risk that too much SOTA-chasing could lead to claims of superhuman performance, unrealistic expectations, and the next AI winter. Two root causes for SOTA-chasing will be discussed: (1) lack of leadership and (2) iffy reviewing processes. SOTA-chasing may be similar to the replication crisis in the scientific literature. The replication crisis is yet another example, like evaluation, of over-confidence in accepted practices and the scientific method, even when such practices lead to absurd consequences.
Basal Melting, Roughness and Structural Integrity of Ice Shelves
Authors: Larter Robert D.
Published: February 2022

Ice shelves restrict outflow from many of the largest glaciers in Antarctica, thus limiting the Antarctic contribution to sea‐level rise. However, past ice‐shelf collapse events show they are highly vulnerable to surface and basal melting. Collapse of ice shelves in front of glaciers flowing on retrograde slopes could initiate runaway retreat processes. Difficulty in projecting how quickly these could play out makes dynamic ice loss from Antarctica the largest uncertainty in predicting future sea‐level rise. Basal melting can impact structural integrity of ice shelves in several ways. Results from analyses of variations in ice‐shelf roughness by Watkins et al. (2021; https://doi.org/10.1029/2021GL094743) raise the tantalizing prospect that this may provide a simple quantitative measure of how the structural integrity of an ice shelf has been impacted by basal melting. Applying the method to additional ice shelves would be useful to examine how other factors may contribute to roughness.
Coastal Hazards of Tropical‐Like Cyclones Over the Mediterranean Sea
Authors: Toomey Tim , Amores Angel , Marcos Marta , Orfila Alejandro , Romero Romualdo
Published: February 2022

Medicanes, for Mediterranean hurricanes, are mesoscale cyclones with morphological and physical characteristics similar to tropical cyclones. Although less intense, smaller, and rarer than their Atlantic counterparts, medicanes are very hazardous events threatening islands and continental coasts within the Mediterranean Sea. The latest strong episode, Medicane Ianos (September 2020), resulted in severe damages in Greece and several casualties. This work investigates the oceanic response to these extreme events along the Mediterranean coasts under present‐day and future (late 21st century) climate conditions. To this end, a coupled hydrodynamic‐wave model is used to simulate both storm surges and wind‐waves generation and propagation in the Mediterranean Sea at high resolution (∼2 km) along the coastlines. A data set of thousands of medicanes synthetically generated from 20 global climate models and two atmospheric reanalyses is used to derive the atmospheric forcing fields. Regional coastal hazards assessment is performed for the present and future climates. For the first period, highest medicane‐induced waves are found in the central and the southwest part of the western Mediterranean, while greatest storm surges are found in the Adriatic Sea and regions characterized by wide and gently sloping continental shelves. Results obtained for future changes show amplitudes generally smaller than the associated uncertainty due to limited agreement among models (especially for coastal elevation). Though, model consensus is reached (60–75%) and relative intensity change is significant (10–20%) at some locations (e.g., 1 m increase of medicane‐induced significant wave height on average for south coasts of Sicilia).
Lake Michigan’s Salinity Is on the Rise
Authors: Donovan Robin
Published: February 2022

Road salt is primarily to blame for the shift, though the water remains within safe levels for now.
MST1 deletion protects β-cells in a mouse model of diabetes
Authors: Ardestani Amin , Maedler Kathrin
Published: February 2022

The pro-apoptotic kinase Mammalian Sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1), an integral component of the Hippo pathway, is a key regulator of organ size, stress response, and tissue homeostasis; its aberrant hyperactivation is linked to multiple pathological disorders including diabetes. Here we show that MST1 deletion in mice resulted in improved glucose tolerance and insulin secretion, and restored pancreatic β-cell mass as a result of improved β-cell survival and proliferation in the combined high fat/high sucrose and streptozotocin (HFS/STZ) model of β-cell destruction and diabetes. Importantly, the glucose-lowering effects in the MST1-knockout (KO) mice could be accounted to the enhanced β-cell mass and improved insulin secretion without changes in insulin sensitivity. Metabolic and morphological data suggest that normalization of blood glucose and insulin secretion, islet architecture, and β-cell mass by MST1 deletion in response to diabetes-induced injury occurs as a result of improved β-cell survival and proliferation establishing MST1 as potent regulator of physiological β-cell turnover.
A serum proteomic study of two case-control cohorts identifies novel biomarkers for bipolar disorder
Authors: Göteson Andreas , Isgren Anniella , Sparding Timea , Holmén-Larsson Jessica , Jakobsson Joel , Pålsson Erik , Landén Mikael
Published: February 2022

We set out to identify novel protein associations with potential as clinically viable biomarkers for bipolar disorder. To this end, we used proximity extension assay to analyze 201 unique proteins in blood serum from two independent cohorts comprising patients with bipolar disorder and healthy controls (totaln = 493). We identified 32 proteins significantly associated with bipolar disorder in both case-control cohorts after adjusting for relevant covariates. Twenty-two findings are novel to bipolar disorder, but 10 proteins have previously been associated with bipolar disorder: chitinase-3-like protein 1, C-C motif chemokine 3 (CCL3), CCL4, CCL20, CCL25, interleukin 10, growth/differentiation factor-15, matrilysin (MMP-7), pro-adrenomedullin, and TNF-R1. Next, we estimated the variance in serum protein concentrations explained by psychiatric drugs and found that some case-control associations may have been driven by psychiatric drugs. The highest variance explained was observed between lithium use and MMP-7, and in post-hoc analyses and found that the serum concentration of MMP-7 was positively associated with serum lithium concentration, duration of lithium therapy, and inversely associated with estimated glomerular filtration rate in an interaction with lithium. This is noteworthy given that MMP-7 has been suggested as a mediator of renal tubulointerstitial fibrosis, which is characteristic of lithium-induced nephropathy. Finally, we used machine learning to evaluate the classification performance of the studied biomarkers but the average performance in unseen data was fair to moderate (area under the receiver operating curve = 0.72). Taken together, our serum biomarker findings provide novel insight to the etiopathology of bipolar disorder, and we present a suggestive biomarker for lithium-induced nephropathy.
ATAD3B and SKIL polymorphisms associated with antipsychotic-induced QTc interval change in patients with schizophrenia: a genome-wide association study
Authors: Lu Zhe , Zhang Yuyanan , Yan Hao , Su Yi , Guo Liangkun , Liao Yundan , Lu Tianlan , Yu Hao , Wang Lifang , Li Jun , Li Wenqiang , Yang Yongfeng , Xiao Xiao , Lv Luxian , Tan Yunlong , Zhang Dai , Yue Weihua
Published: February 2022

QTc interval prolongation is one of the most common antipsychotic-induced side effects which could lead to ventricular tachycardia or Torsade de Pointes, even cardiac arrest. There is very limited understanding on the genetic factors that associated with antipsychotic-induced QTc interval change. We conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) of antipsychotic-induced QTc interval change among patients with schizophrenia. A total of 2040 patients with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to six groups (olanzapine, risperidone, quetiapine, aripiprazole, ziprasidone, and first-generation antipsychotics; first-generation antipsychotics including haloperidol or perphenazine were also assigned randomly) and received 6-week antipsychotic treatment. We identified two novel loci (rs200050752 in ATAD3B and rs186507741 in SKIL) that were associated with antipsychotic-induced QTc interval change at a genome-wide significance level. The combination of polygenic risk score (PRS), based the GWAS of myocardial infarction from BioBank Japan project, and clinical data (sex, heart rate and QTc interval at baseline) could be applied to predict whether patients with schizophrenia have QTc interval prolongation (10 ms was applied as threshold, P < 0.001, area under the curve [AUC] was 0.797), especially for the first episode patients (P < 0.001, AUC was 0.872). We identified two loci located within genes related to mitochondrial function and cell growth and differentiation, which were both associated with schizophrenia and heart function. The combination of PRS and clinical data could predict whether patients with schizophrenia have the side effect of QTc interval prolongation, which could fundamentally guide the choice of antipsychotic in patients with schizophrenia, especially for the first-episode patients.
Predicting the efficiency of oxygen-evolving electrolysis on the Moon and Mars
Authors: Lomax Bethany A. , Just Gunter H. , McHugh Patrick J. , Broadley Paul K. , Hutchings Gregory C. , Burke Paul A. , Roy Matthew J. , Smith Katharine L. , Symes Mark D.
Published: February 2022

Establishing a permanent human presence on the Moon or Mars requires a secure supply of oxygen for life support and refueling. The electrolysis of water has attracted significant attention in this regard as water-ice may exist on both the Moon and Mars. However, to date there has been no study examining how the lower gravitational fields on the Moon and Mars might affect gas-evolving electrolysis when compared to terrestrial conditions. Herein we provide experimental data on the effects of gravitational fields on water electrolysis from 0.166 g (lunar gravity) to 8 g (eight times the Earth’s gravity) and show that electrolytic oxygen production is reduced by around 11% under lunar gravity with our system compared to operation at 1 g. Moreover, our results indicate that electrolytic data collected using less resource-intensive ground-based experiments at elevated gravity (>1 g) may be extrapolated to gravitational levels below 1 g.
Double face of cytochrome c in cancers by Raman imaging
Authors: Abramczyk H. , Brozek-Pluska B. , Kopeć M.
Published: February 2022

Cytochrome c (Cyt c) is a key protein that is needed to maintain life (respiration) and cell death (apoptosis). The dual-function of Cyt c comes from its capability to act as mitochondrial redox carrier that transfers electrons between the membrane-embedded complexes III and IV and to serve as a cytoplasmic apoptosis-triggering agent, activating the caspase cascade. However, the precise roles of Cyt c in mitochondria, cytoplasm and extracellular matrix under normal and pathological conditions are not completely understood. To date, no pathway of Cyt c release that results in caspase activation has been compellingly demonstrated in any invertebrate. The significance of mitochondrial dysfunctionality has not been studied in ductal carcinoma to the best of our knowledge. We used Raman spectroscopy and imaging to monitor changes in the redox state of the mitochondrial cytochromes in ex vivo surgically resected specimens of human breast tissues, and in vitro human breast cells of normal cells (MCF 10A), slightly malignant cells (MCF7) and highly aggressive cells (MDA-MB-231). We showed that Raman imaging provides insight into the biology of human breast ductal cancer. Here we show that proper concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids, saturated fatty acids, cardiolipin and Cyt c is critical in the correct breast ductal functioning and constitutes an important parameter to assess breast epithelial cells integrity and homeostasis. We look inside human breast ducts by Raman imaging answering fundamental questions about location and distribution of various biochemical components inside the lumen, epithelial cells of the duct and the extracellular matrix around the cancer duct during cancer development in situ. Our results show that human breast cancers demonstrate a redox imbalance compared to normal tissue. The reduced cytochrome c is upregulated in all stages of cancers development. The results of the paper shed light on a largely non-investigated issues regarding cytochromes and mitochondrial function in electron transfer chain. We found in histopathologically controlled breast cancer duct that Cyt c, cardiolipin, and palmitic acid are the main components inside the lumen of cancerous duct in situ. The presented results show direct evidence that Cyt c is released to the lumen from the epithelial cells in cancerous duct. In contrast the lumen in normal duct is empty and free of Cyt c. Our results demonstrate how Cyt c is likely to function in cancer development. We anticipate our results to be a starting point for more sophisticated in vitro and in vivo animal models. For example, the correlation between concentration of Cyt c and cancer grade could be tested in various types of cancer. Furthermore, Cyt c is a target of anti-cancer drug development and a well-defined and quantitative Raman based assay for oxidative phosphorylation and apoptosis will be relevant for such developments.
Difference in spectral power density of sleep electroencephalography between individuals without insomnia and frequent hypnotic users with insomnia complaints
Authors: Kang Jae Myeong , Cho Seo-Eun , Moon Jong Youn , Kim Soo In , Kim Jong Won , Kang Seung-Gul
Published: February 2022

Previous spectral analysis studies on insomnia have shown inconsistent results due to their heterogeneity and small sample sizes. We compared the difference of electroencephalogram (EEG) spectral power during sleep among participants without insomnia, insomniacs with no hypnotic use, hypnotic users with no insomnia complaints, and hypnotic users with insomnia complaints using the Sleep Heart Health Study data, which is large sample size and has good quality control. The fast Fourier transformation was used to calculate the EEG power spectrum for total sleep duration within contiguous 30-s epochs of sleep. For 1985 participants, EEG spectral power was compared among the groups while adjusting for potential confounding factors that could affect sleep EEG. The power spectra during total sleep differed significantly among the groups in all frequency bands (pcorr < 0.001). We found that quantitative EEG spectral power in the beta and sigma bands of total sleep differed (pcorr < 0.001) between participants without insomnia and hypnotic users with insomnia complaints after controlling for potential confounders. The higher beta and sigma power were found in the hypnotic users with insomnia complaints than in the non-insomnia participants. This study suggests differences in the microstructures of polysomnography-derived sleep EEG between the two groups.
Modeling axonal regeneration by changing cytoskeletal dynamics in stem cell-derived motor nerve organoids
Authors: Seo Woo Min , Yoon Jiyoung , Lee Ju-Hyun , Lee Yunjeong , Lee Hojae , Geum Dongho , Sun Woong , Song Mi-Ryoung
Published: February 2022

Oxidative stress triggers axon degeneration and cell death, leading to the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Spinal motor nerves project very long axons, increasing the burden on axonal transport and metabolism. As such, spinal motor nerves are expected to be susceptible to oxidative stress, but model systems for visualizing and investigating acutely degenerating motor axons are limited. In this study, we establish motor nerve organoids from human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) with properties similar to those of neuromesodermal progenitors (NMPs), a population of progenitor cells that comprise the caudal spinal cord. Three-dimensional differentiation of organoids efficiently gave rise to mature motor neurons within 18 days. Adherent organoids showed robust axon fascicles and active growth cones under normal conditions. In addition, more homogenous and efficient generation of motor neurons were achieved when organoids were dissociated into individual cells. Hydrogen peroxide-induced oxidative stress resulted in a broad range of signs of axon degeneration including the disappearance of growth cones and neurites, axon retraction, axon fragmentation and bleb formation, and apoptotic cell death, whose severity can be reliably quantifiable in our culture system. Remarkably, cytoskeletal drugs modulating actin or microtubule turnover differentially facilitated axon dynamics and increased axon regenerative potential. Taken together, our motor nerve organoid model could be potentially useful for drug screens evaluating the rearrangement of cytoskeletons in regenerating motor axons.
Prevalence of cognitive impairment following chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Whittaker Alexandra L. , George Rebecca P. , O’Malley Lucy
Published: February 2022

Breast cancer survival rates have markedly improved. Consequently, survivorship issues have received increased attention. One common sequel of treatment is chemotherapy-induced cognitive impairment (CICI). CICI causes a range of impairments that can have a significant negative impact on quality of life. Knowledge of the prevalence of this condition is required to inform survivorship plans, and ensure adequate resource allocation and support is available for sufferers, hence a systematic review of prevalence data was performed. Medline, Scopus, CINAHL and PSYCHInfo were searched for eligible studies which included prevalence data on CICI, as ascertained though the use of self-report, or neuropsychological tests. Methodological quality of included studies was assessed. Findings were synthesised narratively, with meta-analyses being used to calculate pooled prevalence when impairment was assessed by neuropsychological tests. The review included 52 studies. Time-points considered ranged from the chemotherapy treatment period to greater than 10 years after treatment cessation. Summary prevalence figures (across time-points) using self-report, short cognitive screening tools and neuropsychological test batteries were 44%, 16% and 21–34% respectively (very low GRADE evidence). Synthesised findings demonstrate that 1 in 3 breast cancer survivors may have clinically significant cognitive impairment. Prevalence is higher when self-report based on patient experience is considered. This review highlights a number of study design issues that may have contributed to the low certainty rating of the evidence. Future studies should take a more consistent approach to the criteria used to assess impairment. Larger studies are urgently needed.
Class imbalance learning with Bayesian optimization applied in drug discovery
Authors: Guan Shenmin , Fu Ning
Published: February 2022

Machine intelligence (MI), including machine learning and deep learning, have been regarded as promising methods to reduce the prohibitively high cost of drug development. However, a dilemma within MI has limited its wide application: machine learning models are easier to interpret but yield worse predictive performance than deep learning models. Therefore, we propose a pipeline called Class Imbalance Learning with Bayesian Optimization (CILBO) to improve the performance of machine learning models in drug discovery. To demonstrate the efficacy of the CILBO pipeline, we developed an example model to predict antibacterial candidates. Comparison of the antibacterial prediction performance between our model and a well-known deep learning model published by Stokes et al. suggests that our model can perform as well as the deep learning model in drug activity prediction. The CILBO pipeline we propose provides a simple, alternative approach to accelerate preliminary screenings and decrease the cost of drug discovery.