bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The smart morphing winglet driven by the piezoelectric Macro Fiber Composite actuator
Authors: Chen X. , Liu J. , Li Q.
Published: January 2022

A smart morphing winglet driven by piezoelectric Macro Fiber Composite (MFC) is designed to adjust cant angle autonomously for various flight conditions. The smart morphing winglet is composed of the MFC actuator, DC-DC converter, power supply, winglet part and wing part. A hinge is designed to transfer the bending deformation of intelligent MFC bending actuator to rotation of the winglet structure so as to achieve the adaptive cant angle. Experimental and numerical work are conducted to evaluate the performance of smart morphing winglet. It is demonstrated that the proposed intelligent MFC bending actuator has an excellent bending performance and load resistance. This smart morphing winglet exhibits the excellent characteristic of flexibility on large deformation and lightweight. Moreover, a series of wind tunnel tests are performed, which demonstrate that the winglet driven by intelligent MFC bending actuator produces sufficient deformation in various wind speed. At high wind speed, the cant angle of the winglet can reach 16 degrees, which is still considered to be very useful for improving the aerodynamic performance of the aircraft. The aerodynamic characteristics are investigated by wind tunnel tests with various attack angles. As a result, when the morphing winglet is actuated, the lift-to-drag ratio could vary up to 11.9% and 6.4%, respectively, under wind speeds of 5.4 and 8.5m/s. Meanwhile, different flight phases such as take-off, cruise and landing are considered to improve aerodynamic performance by adjusting the cant angle of winglet. The smart morphing winglet varies the aerofoil autonomously by controlling the low winglet device input voltage to remain optimal aerodynamic performance during the flight process. It demonstrates the feasibility of piezoelectric composites driving intelligent aircraft.
Implementation of a consensus protocol for antibiotic use for bone and joint infection to reduce unnecessary outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy: A quality improvement initiative
Authors: Suzuki Hiroyuki , Mosher Hilary J. , Heintz Brett H. , Livorsi Daniel J.
Published: January 2022

Objective:

We aimed to decrease the use of outpatient parenteral antimicrobial therapy (OPAT) for patients admitted for bone and joint infections (BJIs) by applying a consensus protocol to suggest oral antibiotics for BJI.

Design:

A quasi-experimental before-and-after study.

Setting:

Inpatient setting at a single medical center.

Patients:

All inpatients admitted with a BJI.

Methods:

We developed a consensus table of oral antibiotics for BJI among infectious diseases (ID) specialists. Using the consensus table, we implemented a protocol consisting of a weekly reminder e-mail and case-based discussion with the consulting ID physician. Outcomes of patients during the implementation period (November 1, 2020, to May 31, 2021) were compared with those during the preimplementation period (January 1, 2019, to October 31, 2020). Our primary outcome was the proportion of patients treated with OPAT. Secondary outcomes included length of hospital stay (LOS) and recurrence or death within 6 months.

Results:

In total, 77 patients during the preimplementation period and 22 patients during the implementation period were identified to have a BJI. During the preimplementation period, 70.1% of patients received OPAT, whereas only 31.8% of patients had OPAT during the implementation period (P = .003). The median LOS after final ID recommendation was significantly shorter during the implementation period (median 3 days versus 1 day; P < .001). We detected no significant difference in the 6-month rate of recurrence (24.7% vs 31.8%; P = .46) or mortality (9.1% vs 9.1%; P = 1.00).

Conclusions:

More patients admitted with BJIs were treated with oral antibiotics during the implementation phase of our quality improvement initiative.
The value of network data confirmed by the Covid-19 epidemic and its expanded usages
Authors: Chambreuil Pascal , Jeon Ju Y. , Barba Thierry
Published: January 2022

Data driven analysis is proven to create a competitive advantage to business. Governments and nonprofit organizations also turn to Big Data to harness its benefits and use it for social good. Among different types of data sources, location data collected from mobile networks is especially valuable for its representativeness, real-time observation, and versatility. There is a distinction between mobile positioning data (MPD) generated by the exchanges between mobile devices and the core network; versus over-the-top or system-level location data collecting individual GPS location. MPD is composed of all mobile network events regardless of the mobile phone brand, operating system, app usage, frequency bands or mobile generation; it is uniform and ubiquitous. Getting the best out of MPD relies on the knowledge of how to create an advanced algorithm for homogeneously processing this massive, complex data into insightful indicators. Anonymized and aggregated MPD enables the testing of multiple combinations with other data sources, fully abiding by GDPR, to arrive at innovative solutions. These unique insights can help tackle societal challenges (the state of mobile data for social good June 2017 GSMA, UN Global pulse). It can help to establish accurate statistics about population movements, density, location, social patterns, finances, and ambient environmental conditions. This article demonstrates how MPD has been used to help combat Covid-19 in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Furthermore, depending on the future direction, MPD and data analysis can serve powering economic development as well as working toward the Sustainable Development Goals, whilst respecting data privacy.
Climate Change and the German Law of Torts
Authors: Semmelmayer Philipp
Published: January 2022

Even throughout a global pandemic, climate change continues to be a fiercely discussed topic—both politically and legally—the world over. Particularly in light of the many Covid-19 related financial aid programs (including transnational ones) and the associated economic stabilization and reconstruction plans, a sustainable climate policy and legal order should be expected to play a role for an economy that has fallen into a slump. Nevertheless, a lively discussion on how best to achieve climate protection continues to take place in already established systems such as the private law system. Here, as far as climate change is concerned, tort law appears to be the focus of these discussions. The extent to which tort law and the issue of climate change can be brought together is also increasingly being discussed in Germany. This article attempts to shed light on the questions of how tort law could contribute to the mitigation of climate change and how climate change could fit into the law of torts of the German civil law legal system.
The Difficulty of Defining Sensitive Data—The Concept of Sensitive Data in the EU Data Protection Framework
Authors: Quinn Paul , Malgieri Gianclaudio
Published: January 2022

The concept of sensitive data has been a mainstay of data protection for a number of decades. The concept itself is used to denote several categories of data for which processing is deemed to pose a higher risk for data subjects than other forms of data. Such risks are often perceived in terms of an elevated probability of discrimination, or related harms, to vulnerable groups in society. As a result, data protection frameworks have traditionally foreseen a higher burden for the processing of sensitive data than other forms of data. The sui generis protection of sensitive data—stronger than the protection of non-sensitive personal data—can also seemingly be a necessity from a fundamental rights-based perspective, as indicated by human rights jurisprudence. This Article seeks to analyze the continued relevance of sensitive data in both contemporary and potential future contexts. Such an exercise is important for two main reasons. First, the legal regime responsible for the regulation of the use of personal data has evolved considerably since the concept of sensitive data was first used. This has been exemplified by the creation of the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) in Europe. It has introduced a number of requirements relating to sensitive data that are likely to represent added burdens for controllers who want to process personal data. Second, the very nature of personal data is changing. Increases in computing power, more complex algorithms, and the availability of ever more potentially complimentary data online mean that more and more data can be considered of a sensitive nature. This creates various risks going forward, including an inflation effect whereby the concept loses its value, as well as the possibility that data controllers may increasingly seek to circumvent compliance with the requirements placed upon the use of sensitive data. This Article analyzes how such developments are likely to influence the concept of sensitive data and, in particular, its ability to protect vulnerable groups from harm. The authors propose a possible interpretative solution: A hybrid approach where a purpose-based definition acquires a bigger role in deciding whether data is sensitive, combined with a context-based ‘backstop’ based on reasonable foreseeability.
Recipe for Success?: Lessons for Strategic Climate Litigation from the Sharma, Neubauer, and Shell Cases
Authors: Peel Jacqueline , Markey-Towler Rebekkah
Published: January 2022

The urgency of the global climate problem has prompted an increasing turn to the courts to accelerate action. While still a relatively new phenomenon, “strategic” climate cases have been on the rise since 2015. Litigants in these cases aim to produce ambitious and systemic outcomes. However, with both time and resources limited, how might we best discern which cases have the greatest prospects of achieving cut through in the policy and public debate, and accelerating climate action? This Article contributes to developing literature evaluating the “recipe for success” in strategic climate claims. It provides a comparative analysis of three recent, high-profile wins in climate cases from Australia—Sharma—, Germany—Neubauer—, and the Netherlands—Shell—, examining their commonalities to give insight into the ingredients for successful strategic climate litigation. Our analysis shows how the three cases combine careful, strategic planning, with legal imagination and innovation to generate outcomes that heighten their capacity for broader impact. Evaluating the success of these types of prominent climate cases provides important guidance for future case design.
It's not all just tit-for-tat: the impact of relational identification on subordinate's attitudes and interpersonal citizenship behavior
Authors: Sluss David M. , Cooper Danielle , Morrell Daniel L. , Thompson Bryant S.
Published: January 2022

We explore how relational identification (RI) complements the influence of relational exchange within work role-relationships. In two temporally-lagged studies, we examine the contribution of RI, after accounting for relational exchange quality (REQ), in predicting organizationally-relevant behaviors and attitudes – namely, (1) interpersonal citizenship behaviors (ICBs; person-focused and task-focused), (2) job satisfaction, and (3) affective organizational commitment. Across samples of ‘non-professional’ (N = 152) and ‘professional’ (N = 197) employees, we found that RI (after accounting for REQ) significantly predicted outcomes. Indeed, we found RI to be the only predictor (after accounting for REQ) with affective commitment (‘non-professional’ sample only), person-focused ICBs (both samples), and task-focused ICBs (both samples). We discuss potential approaches for better specifying both identification and exchange as well as their unique and interactive effects within work role-relationships as well as managerial implications, limitations, and future research directions.
Density matters: ice compressibility and glacier mass estimation
Authors: Lipovsky Bradley Paul
Published: January 2022

Ice flow models typically assume that ice is incompressible, a reasonable assumption because ice density changes are indeed small and have a correspondingly small effect on the overall mass balance of glaciers and ice sheets. Given the immense volume of the ice sheets, however, even relatively small changes may influence global mean sea level to a degree that severely impacts humanity (Hauer and others, 2020). Here, we quantify the role of gravitational compression and thermal contraction in estimating ice sheet mass.
THE WRITING BEHIND THE WALL: TEXT AND IMAGE IN LATE MEDIEVAL CHURCH DECORATION
Authors: Gray Madeleine
Published: January 2022

The relationship between text and image in later medieval art is complex and has a growing literature. Wall paintings in two churches in South Wales suggest ways in which text could inspire sophisticated programmes of paintings. At Llandeilo Talybont, a sequence telling the story of the Crucifixion through the Instruments of the Passion relates to medieval devotions to the Instruments and to readings from the Holy Week liturgy. At Llancarfan, a medieval satirical poem on fashionable clothing and a verse translation of the life of St George suggest links between the wall paintings of Death and the Gallant, the Seven Deadly Sins and St George. Apparently random collections of wall paintings may therefore reflect a process of interaction between public art and public knowledge of texts.
Comparative globalizations: building and dismantling genetic laboratories in Lebanon
Authors: Burton Elise K.
Published: January 2022

This paper examines two moments in the globalization of human genetics, focusing on the American University of Beirut as a site of interaction between American, European and Middle Eastern scientific actors and research subjects. In the interwar period, the establishment of clinical laboratories at AUB's medical school enabled the development of an informal large-scale programme to study human heredity through anthropometry and sero-anthropology. AUB's Middle Eastern students were trained in these techniques, and research results were disseminated locally in Arabic as well as in international scientific journals. In the post-war period, new technologies transformed human genetics into an internationally coordinated science with specialized laboratories. However, an attempt to establish such a lab at AUB during the 1960s ended in failure: the Anthropological Blood Grouping Laboratory functioned for only four years before closing. The American and British personalities who promoted the ABGL in Lebanon aimed to collect blood samples from across the region without committing to long-term relationships with local scientists and research subjects. As an ‘outpost’ for Western scientists, the ABGL embodied the neo-colonial structure of post-war human population genetics, both in its unfulfilled aspirations to serve metropolitan research agendas and in its marginalization of Middle Eastern scientists.
The Slippages of Exemplary Action: The Case of Ataman Semenov
Authors: Humphrey Caroline
Published: January 2022

This article investigates exemplarity from the point of view of the subject, the person who leads an exemplary life. Asking how this differs from the case of someone who intends more simply to lead a morally good life, it argues that the former requires sharp prioritizing among the range of possible human virtues. While both kinds of actor should be understood in relational terms, namely relations to the self, direct interlocutors, and wider society, a subject becomes an exemplar by objectifying and conveying to others the chosen specific form of virtue. Taking the case of Ataman Semenov, a White general in the Russian Civil War, the article then examines the pitfalls of having to take a culturally particular exemplary position. Some of these relate to the problems that occur in general when moral exemplarity is demonstrated, the subject being unable to control misreading of the exemplary act, the hesitations of followers, or the leeway with which they attempt to emulate or imitate the act. Other problems concern the historical positioning of the exemplary subject, particularly in a time of war. By making overt certain specific virtues, and by the same token backgrounding or suppressing others, he or she has to “stand out” amid general confusion and uncertainty and therefore is certain to arouse animosity, as much as loyalty.
Characteristics, management and outcome of a large necrotising otitis externa case series: need for standardised case definition
Authors: Hodgson S H , Sinclair V J , Arwyn-Jones J , Oh K , Nucken K , Perenyei M , Sivapathasingam V , Martinez-Devesa P , Pendlebury S T , Ramsden J D , Matthews P C , Pretorius P , Andersson M I
Published: January 2022

Background

Necrotising otitis externa is a severe ear infection for which there are no established diagnostic or treatment guidelines.

Method

This study described clinical characteristics, management and outcomes for patients managed as necrotising otitis externa cases at a UK tertiary referral centre.

Results

A total of 58 (63 per cent) patients were classified as definite necrotising otitis externa cases, 31 (34 per cent) as probable cases and 3 (3 per cent) as possible cases. Median duration of intravenous and oral antimicrobial therapy was 6.0 weeks (0.49–44.9 weeks). Six per cent of patients relapsed a median of 16.4 weeks (interquartile range, 23–121) after stopping antimicrobials. Twenty-eight per cent of cases had complex disease. These patients were older (p = 0.042), had a longer duration of symptoms prior to imaging (p < 0.0001) and higher C-reactive protein at diagnosis (p = 0.005). Despite longer courses of intravenous antimicrobials (23 vs 14 days; p = 0.032), complex cases were more likely to relapse (p = 0.016).

Conclusion

A standardised case-definition of necrotising otitis externa is needed to optimise diagnosis, management and research.
Muslim pasts and presents: Displacement and city-making in a Delhi neighbourhood
Authors: Ahmad Saeed
Published: January 2022

Through an engagement with the histories of Muslim pasts, presences, and absences in the locality of Jangpura-Bhogal in the Indian capital city of Delhi, this article examines the constitutive relationship between displacements and city-making. It addresses Jangpura-Bhogal's post-colonial history (1947–present) through instances of the erasure of Muslim property, spaces, and histories, and the reoccupations, replacements, and redefinition of spaces, properties, and memories that they constituted. The article shows how protracted material displacements of Muslim property and spaces have contributed to the erasure of a Muslim historical presence from Jangpura-Bhogal. By tracing the afterlives of these material displacements, it tracks how narrative discourses draw on these Muslim absences and the sense of an abstract ‘diverse space’ to produce new sets of exclusions and practices of Othering in the present. The discussion focuses on the processual/everyday, ‘below the radar’, and, at times, invisible displacements, more than sudden eruptions of violence or overt ideological projects aimed at a deliberate Muslim erasure. Thus, Delhi's post-colonial history is not only about the well-rehearsed story of migrations and arrivals but equally about departures and displacements that have produced the neighbourhood and the city as particular kinds of majoritarian places and spaces. Current acts of Muslim displacement, that is, the Delhi ‘riots’ of February 2020 are enabled not only through visible and violent histories of Muslim marginalization, but also by longer histories of non-overt erasures, displacements, and replacements.
A Survey on Machine Reading Comprehension Systems
Authors: Baradaran Razieh , Ghiasi Razieh , Amirkhani Hossein
Published: January 2022

Machine Reading Comprehension (MRC) is a challenging task and hot topic in Natural Language Processing. The goal of this field is to develop systems for answering the questions regarding a given context. In this paper, we present a comprehensive survey on diverse aspects of MRC systems, including their approaches, structures, input/outputs, and research novelties. We illustrate the recent trends in this field based on a review of 241 papers published during 2016–2020. Our investigation demonstrated that the focus of research has changed in recent years from answer extraction to answer generation, from single- to multi-document reading comprehension, and from learning from scratch to using pre-trained word vectors. Moreover, we discuss the popular datasets and the evaluation metrics in this field. The paper ends with an investigation of the most-cited papers and their contributions.
UNLT: Urdu Natural Language Toolkit
Authors: Shafi Jawad , Iqbal Hafiz Rizwan , Nawab Rao Muhammad Adeel , Rayson Paul
Published: January 2022

This study describes a Natural Language Processing (NLP) toolkit, as the first contribution of a larger project, for an under-resourced language—Urdu. In previous studies, standard NLP toolkits have been developed for English and many other languages. There is also a dire need for standard text processing tools and methods for Urdu, despite it being widely spoken in different parts of the world with a large amount of digital text being readily available. This study presents the first version of theUNLT (Urdu Natural Language Toolkit)which contains three key text processing tools required for an Urdu NLP pipeline; word tokenizer, sentence tokenizer, and part-of-speech (POS) tagger. The UNLT word tokenizer employs a morpheme matching algorithm coupled with a state-of-the-art stochasticn-gram language model with back-off and smoothing characteristics for the space omission problem. The space insertion problem for compound words is tackled using a dictionary look-up technique. The UNLT sentence tokenizer is a combination of various machine learning, rule-based, regular-expressions, and dictionary look-up techniques. Finally, the UNLT POS taggers are based on Hidden Markov Model and Maximum Entropy-based stochastic techniques. In addition, we have developed large gold standard training and testing data sets to improve and evaluate the performance of new techniques for Urdu word tokenization, sentence tokenization, and POS tagging. For comparison purposes, we have compared the proposed approaches with several methods. Our proposed UNLT, the training and testing data sets, and supporting resources are all free and publicly available for academic use.
Economic Paradigm and Demand-Side Populist Policies in Thailand
Authors: Phumma Naphon , Vechsuruck Tanadej
Published: January 2022

In the last decades, demand-side populist policies (DSPPs) have played a significant yet controversial role in Thai politics. Most Thai economists disagree with DSPPs. They have argued that such policies are inefficient and have suggested the Thai government drop short-sighted DSPPs and replace them with supply-side policies that are more effective in the long run. However, Thai politicians have viewed DSPPs as unavoidable for political reasons and turned a deaf ear on economists’ suggestions to stop issuing them. In this paper, we argue that the domination of the neoclassical economics paradigm prevents Thai economists and politicians from understanding the role of DSPPs in shaping the demand and supply sides of the macroeconomy in both the short run and long run. Based on the theory of transformational growth, DSPPs are endogenous phenomena emerging from Thailand's uneven economic development. Therefore, Thailand could implement the policies to facilitate long-run economic growth. We propose three principles for future DSPPs that can positively impact the economy in the long run: boosting productivity, promoting innovation, and addressing income inequality.
Strength of Dry and Wet Quartz in the Low‐Temperature Plasticity Regime: Insights From Nanoindentation
Authors: Ceccato Alberto , Menegon Luca , Hansen Lars N.
Published: January 2022

At low‐temperature and high‐stress conditions, quartz deformation is controlled by the kinetics of dislocation glide, that is, low‐temperature plasticity (LTP). To investigate the relationship between intracrystalline H2O content and the yield strength of quartz LTP, we have integrated spherical and Berkovich nanoindentation tests at room temperature on natural quartz with electron backscatter diffraction and secondary‐ion mass spectrometry measurements of intracrystalline H2O content. Dry (<20 wt ppm H2O) and wet (20–100 wt ppm H2O) crystals exhibit comparable indentation hardness. Quartz yield strength, which is proportional to indentation hardness, seems to be unaffected by the intracrystalline H2O content when deformed under room temperature, high‐stress conditions. Pre‐indentation intracrystalline microstructure may have provided a high density of dislocation sources, influencing the first increments of low‐temperature plastic strains. Our results have implications for fault strength at the frictional‐viscous transition and during transient deformation by LTP, such as seismogenic loading and post‐seismic creep.
Springtime Stratospheric Volcanic Aerosol Impact on Midlatitude Cirrus Clouds
Authors: Sporre M. K. , Friberg J. , Svenhag C. , Sourdeval O. , Storelvmo T.
Published: January 2022

Explosive volcanic eruptions can reach the stratosphere and cause elevated concentrations of sulphate particles for months to years. When these particles descend into the troposphere, they can impact cirrus clouds though to what degree is unknown. In this study, we combine three satellite data sets to investigate the impact of downwelling sulphate aerosol on midlatitude cirrus clouds during springtime. The results show that cirrus clouds in the northern hemisphere (NH) have lower ice water content (IWC), ice crystal number concentrations, and cloud fraction (CF) when the aerosol load in the lowermost stratosphere is elevated by volcanism. These changes are largest for the coldest clouds at the highest altitudes. The cirrus clouds in the southern hemisphere on the other hand show no significant changes with downwelling aerosol levels. The reduction in cirrus IWC and CF in the NH implies that volcanic aerosol can cool the climate through reduced warming from cirrus clouds.
Seasonal Predictability of Lightning Over the Global Hotspot Regions
Authors: Mallick Chandrima , Hazra Anupam , Saha Subodh K. , Chaudhari Hemantkumar S. , Pokhrel Samir , Konwar Mahen , Dutta Ushnanshu , Mohan Greeshma M. , Vani K. Gayatri
Published: January 2022

Skillful seasonal prediction of lightning is crucial over several global hotspot regions, as it causes severe damages to infrastructures and losses of human life. While major emphasis has been given for predicting rainfall, prediction of lightning in one season advance remained uncommon, owing to the nature of problem, which is short‐lived local phenomenon. Here we show that on seasonal time scale, lightning over the major global hotspot regions is strongly tied with slowly varying global predictors (e.g., El Niño and Southern Oscillation). Moreover, the sub‐seasonal variance of lightning is highly correlated with global predictors, suggesting a seminal role played by the global climate modes in shaping the local land‐atmosphere interactions, which eventually affects seasonal lightning variability. It is shown that seasonal predictability of lightning over the hotspot is comparable to that of seasonal rainfall, opens up an avenue for reliable seasonal forecasting of lightning for special awareness and preventive measures.
Distinct Diurnal Cycle of Supercooled Water Cloud Fraction Dominated by Dust Extinction Coefficient
Authors: Wang Yang , Li Jiming , Zhao Yuxin , Li Yarong , Zhao Yang , Wu Xiaolin
Published: January 2022

Cloud phase (CP) partitioning (e.g., supercooled water cloud fraction, SCF) is often misrepresented in model simulations. One of the remarkable uncertainties involves the poor understanding of SCF diurnal cycle due to lack of observations. By using 33 months of lidar observations from Cloud‐Aerosol Transport System which provides cloud top phase at different local times for a given grid and isotherm, this study first characterizes the diurnal cycle of SCF between 51°S and 51°N. Distinct SCF diurnal variations have been found near‐global at different isotherms, especially for −22.5°C, where SCF diurnal ranges even reach 60%. Correlation analysis shows a robust dependence of SCF diurnal cycle on the variation of dust aerosol extinction coefficient instead of other dust load indicators and meteorological parameters. Given the important roles of SCF on the radiation budget, this study will help us better constrain aerosol‐cloud interaction and simulations of CP partitioning in models.
On the Air‐Sea Couplings Over Tropical Pacific: An Instantaneous Coupling Index Using Dynamical Systems Metrics
Authors: Huang Yu , Yuan Naiming , Shi Ming , Lu Zhenghui , Fu Zuntao
Published: January 2022

Sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies over the tropical Pacific, such as El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events, can cause intensified air‐sea couplings and different climate impacts. Although there are quite a few indices describing the event magnitude, little attention is paid to directly measuring air‐sea coupling strengths. Using Dynamical Systems Metrics, we introduce an index to quantify air‐sea coupling strengths over the tropical Pacific. This coupling index explains the relatively weak impact of the super El Niño in 2015/2016, and characterizes the ENSO diversity and asymmetry. Particularly, this index can identify several unusual neutral days with prolonged strong air‐sea couplings, where SST anomaly distributions are not as homogeneous as the ENSO events, but which have caused intense climate impacts. Our results demonstrate the close relationship among air‐sea coupling strengths, SST anomalies, and coupled feedbacks, which may promote better understandings on the events diversity related to SST anomalies over the tropical Pacific.
Regime‐Dependent Impacts of Aerosol Particles and Updrafts on the Cloud Condensation Nuclei and the Enhanced Warm Rain Suppression: Evidence From Synergistic Satellite and LiDAR Observations
Authors: Huang Tao , Zhu Yannian , Rosenfeld Daniel , Yang Yuanjian , Lam David H. Y. , Leung W. H. , Lee Harry F. , Cheng Jack C. H. , Yim Steve H. L.
Published: January 2022

The regime‐dependence of aerosol‐cloud interaction has recently been highlighted and explored using idealized cloud‐resolving models in previous studies. We further utilized synergistic observations from satellites and LiDARs to reinforce understandings of this interaction, and then examined and clarified the regime dependence of aerosol indirect effects. Results from regional satellite retrievals confirm that in clean conditions, the activation of cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) was limited by the particle numbers whereas in polluted regimes updraft velocities played a crucial role. Also, warm rain suppression was significantly enhanced especially over inland areas. Similar evidence was provided by a LiDAR network over a more limited spatial domain. In polluted environments with heterogeneous deep convective cloud events, turbulence‐induced updrafts not only acted as a dynamical condition for the increase of aerosol particles, but also altered the aerosol‐cloud interaction into updraft‐limited regime, making the activation of CCN more sensitive to the enhancement of updraft velocities.
Coordinated Observations of Rocket Exhaust Depletion: GOLD, Madrigal TEC, and Multiple Low‐Earth‐Orbit Satellites
Authors: Park Jaeheung , Rajesh P. K. , Ivarsen Magnus F. , Lin Charles C. H. , Eastes Richard W. , Chao Chi Kuang , Coster Anthea J. , Clausen Lasse , Burchill Johnathan K.
Published: January 2022

A plasma density hole was created in the ionosphere by a rocket launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida near local sunset on 30 August 2020, which is called rocket exhaust depletion (RED). The hole persisted for several hours into the night and was observed in total electron content (TEC) maps, the Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) imager, and multiple low‐earth‐orbit satellites. The RED created a nightglow pit in the GOLD 135.6 nm image. Swarm satellites found that the RED exhibited insignificant changes in electron/ion temperature and field‐aligned currents. On the other hand, magnetic field strength was enhanced inside the RED by a few tenths of a nanotesla. Assimilation data products of the Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere, and Climate 2 (COSMIC‐2) mission reveal that ionospheric slab thickness increased at the center of the RED, which is supported by combined analyses of the GOLD and TEC data. The RED did not host conspicuous substructures that are stronger and longer‐lasting than the ambient plasma did.
A Test of the Hypothesis That Syn‐Collisional Felsic Magmatism Contributes to Continental Crustal Growth Via Deep Learning Modeling and Principal Component Analysis of Big Geochemical Datasets
Authors: Lin Xin , Cicchella Domenico , Hong Jun , Meng Ganggang
Published: January 2022

The origin, way of growth, and compositional transition (from basaltic to andesitic) of continental crust remain enigmatic. To better understand the evolution of the Earth's crust, geoscientists have hypothesized two competing models, one is the widely accepted island‐arc model, the other is the newly proposed collision‐zone model that continental collision produces and preserves syn‐collisional Mantle‐derived Bulk‐continental‐crust‐like Granitoids (MBGs), and hence maintains net continental crust growth. Here, we tested the collision‐zone model by investigating the existence, temporal‐spatial distribution, geochemical signatures, and possible sources of the syn‐collisional MBGs. We applied deep learning (DL) algorithm and principal component analysis (PCA) to the database GEOROC and Tibetan Magmatism Database. DL successfully built a regression model of whole‐rock element compositional data and mean zircon εHf(t) data of igneous rocks. This can not only assign values to the missing Hf data, but statistically unveil the potential relations between the compositions (both isotopic and geochemical) and the possible sources of the igneous rocks. The DL and PCA enabled to recognize the MBGs and define their geochemical and isotopic fingerprints differing noticeably from arc magmas (e.g., Kohistan arc type and Tibetan adakite‐like type). Besides, our observations suggest that MBGs are common in collisional settings as a response to known collision events. Moreover, the MBGs' distinct geochemical and isotopic signatures indicate that they are likely sourced from subducted ocean crust. Our results therefore generally support evident contribution of syn‐collisional felsic magmatism to net continental crust growth. However, further refinement of the petrogenesis and estimation of the (relative) volume are critically needed.
A New Index for Snow/Ice/Ice‐Snow Discrimination Based on BRDF Characteristic Observation Data
Authors: Ji Wenzheng , Hao Xiaohua , Shao Donghang , Yang Qian , Wang Jian , Li Hongyi , Huang Guanghui
Published: January 2022

The field observation data of ice‐snow (the ice covered by snow) is scarce, causing a poor understanding of its characteristics and some uncertainty in ice process simulation. Using a multi‐angle observation instrument, we conducted a field investigation and measured the snow/ice/ice‐snow Bidirectional Reflectance Distribution Function. Both snow and ice have the typical feature of forwarding scattering, and the scattering intensity is governed by their properties (i.g., snow grain size, liquid water content, and transparency). The characteristics of ice‐snow are similar to snow when a small amount of fresh snow is deposited on the ice surface, but will change significantly when the surface snow is metamorphic (melt or refreezing). This change can affect the monitoring accuracy of snow and ice using remote sensing data. In this study, a Normalized Difference Ice‐Snow Index (NDISI) was developed using two bands (i.e., 1,080–1,120 nm and 1,760–1,800 nm). We applied spectra from different regions to verify the ability of NDISI and its application for distinguishing ice‐snow. This work should be helpful for the fine classification between snow, ice, and ice‐snow. It can support a more accurate simulation of ice phenology.
The Madden–Julian Oscillation in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model Version 1
Authors: Kim Daehyun , Kang Daehyun , Ahn Min‐Seop , DeMott Charlotte , Hsu Chia‐Wei , Yoo Changhyun , Leung L. Ruby , Hagos Samson , Rasch Philip J.
Published: January 2022

The present study examines the characteristics of the Madden–Julian Oscillation (MJO) events represented in the Energy Exascale Earth System Model version 1 (E3SMv1), DOE’s new Earth system model. The coupled E3SMv1 realistically simulates the eastward propagation of precipitation and moist static energy (MSE) anomalies associated with the MJO. As in observations, horizontal moisture advection and longwave radiative feedback are found to be the dominant processes in E3SMv1 that lead to the eastward movement and maintenance of the MJO MSE anomalies, respectively. Modulation of the diurnal cycle of precipitation in the Maritime Continent region by the MJO is also well represented in the model despite systematic biases in the magnitude and phase of the precipitation diurnal cycle. On the MJO impact over the midlatitude, E3SMv1 reasonably captures the pattern of the MJO teleconnections across the North Pacific and North America, with improvement in the performance in a high‐resolution version, despite the magnitude being a bit weaker than the observed. Regarding the interannual variability of the MJO, the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modulation of the zonal extent of MJO’s eastward propagation, as well as associated changes in the mean state moisture gradient in the tropical west Pacific, are well reproduced in the model. However, MJO in E3SMv1 exhibits no sensitivity to the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO), with the MJO propagation characteristics being almost identical between easterly QBO and westerly QBO years. Processes that have been suggested as critical to MJO simulation are also examined by utilizing recently developed process‐oriented diagnostics.
Toward a Robust, Impact‐Based, Predictive Drought Metric
Authors: Hobeichi Sanaa , Abramowitz Gab , Evans Jason P. , Ukkola Anna
Published: January 2022

This work presents a new approach to defining drought by establishing an empirical relationship between historical droughts (and wet spells) documented in impact reports, and a broad range of observed climate features using Random Forest (RF) models. The new drought indicator quantifies the conditional probability of drought, considering multiple drought‐related climate features and their interactive effects, and can be used for forecasting with up to 3‐month lead time. The approach was tested out‐of‐sample across several random selections of training and testing datasets, and demonstrated better predictive capabilities than commonly used drought indicators (e.g., Standardised Precipitation Index and Evaporative Demand Drought Index) in a range of performance metrics. Furthermore, it showed comparable performance to the (expert elicitation‐based) US Drought Monitor (USDM), the current state‐of‐the‐art record of historical drought in the USA. As well as providing an alternative historical drought indicator to USDM, the RF approach offers additional advantages by being automated, by providing drought information at the grid‐scale, and by having forecasting capacity. While traditional drought metrics define drought as extreme anomalies in drought‐related variables, the approach presented here reveals the full suite of circumstances that lead to impactful droughts. We highlight several combinations of climate features—such as precipitation, potential evapotranspiration, soil moisture and change in water storage—that led to drought events not detected by commonly used drought metrics. The new RF drought indicator combines meteorological, hydrological, agricultural, and socioeconomic drought, providing drought information for all impacted sectors. As a proof‐of‐concept, the RF drought indicator was trained on Texan climate data and droughts.
Sodium butyrate potentiates insulin secretion from rat islets at the expense of compromised expression of β cell identity genes
Authors: Wang Shushu , Yuan Miaomiao , Zhang Linlin , Zhu Kecheng , Sheng Chunxiang , Zhou Feiye , Xu Zhaoqian , Liu Qianqian , Liu Yun , Lu Jieli , Wang Xiao , Zhou Libin
Published: January 2022

Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) produced by the gut microbiota have been well demonstrated to improve metabolic homeostasis. However, the role of SCFAs in islet function remains controversial. In the present study, none of the sodium acetate, sodium propionate, and sodium butyrate (SB) displayed acute impacts on insulin secretion from rat islets, whereas long-term incubation of the three SCFAs significantly potentiated pancreatic β cell function. RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) revealed an unusual transcriptome change in SB-treated rat islets, with the downregulation of insulin secretion pathway and β cell identity genes, including Pdx1, MafA, NeuroD1, Gck, and Slc2a2. But these β cell identity genes were not governed by the pan-HDAC inhibitor trichostatin A. Overlapping analysis of H3K27Ac ChIP-seq and RNA-seq showed that the inhibitory effect of SB on the expression of multiple β cell identity genes was independent of H3K27Ac. SB treatment increased basal oxygen consumption rate (OCR), but attenuated glucose-stimulated OCR in rat islets, without altering the expressions of genes involved in glycolysis and tricarboxylic acid cycle. SB reduced the expression of Kcnj11 (encoding KATP channel) and elevated basal intracellular calcium concentration. On the other hand, SB elicited insulin gene expression in rat islets through increasing H3K18bu occupation in its promoter, without stimulating CREB phosphorylation. These findings indicate that SB potentiates islet function as a lipid molecule at the expense of compromised expression of islet β cell identity genes.
Generalised popularity-similarity optimisation model for growing hyperbolic networks beyond two dimensions
Authors: Kovács Bianka , Balogh Sámuel G. , Palla Gergely
Published: January 2022

Hyperbolic network models have gained considerable attention in recent years, mainly due to their capability of explaining many peculiar features of real-world networks. One of the most widely known models of this type is the popularity-similarity optimisation (PSO) model, working in the native disk representation of the two-dimensional hyperbolic space and generating networks with small-world property, scale-free degree distribution, high clustering and strong community structure at the same time. With the motivation of better understanding hyperbolic random graphs, we hereby introduce the dPSO model, a generalisation of the PSO model to any arbitrary integer dimension $$d>2$$

d
>
2

. The analysis of the obtained networks shows that their major structural properties can be affected by the dimension of the underlying hyperbolic space in a non-trivial way. Our extended framework is not only interesting from a theoretical point of view but can also serve as a starting point for the generalisation of already existing two-dimensional hyperbolic embedding techniques.
Easy computation of the Bayes factor to fully quantify Occam’s razor in least-squares fitting and to guide actions
Authors: Dunstan D. J. , Crowne J. , Drew A. J.
Published: January 2022

The Bayes factor is the gold-standard figure of merit for comparing fits of models to data, for hypothesis selection and parameter estimation. However, it is little-used because it has been considered to be subjective, and to be computationally very intensive. A simple computational method has been known for at least 30 years, but has been dismissed as an approximation. We show here that all three criticisms are misplaced. The method should be used to complement and augment all least-squares fitting, because it can give very different, and better outcomes than classical methods. It can discriminate between models with equal numbers of parameters and equally good fits to data. It quantifies the Occam’s Razor injunction against over-fitting, and it demands that physically-meaningful parameters rejected by classical significance testing be included in the fitting, to avoid spurious precision and incorrect values for the other parameters. It strongly discourages the use of physically-meaningless parameters, thereby satisfying the Occam’s Razor injunction to use existing entities for explanation rather than multiplying new ones. More generally, as a relative probability, the Bayes factor combines naturally with other quantitative information to guide action in the absence of certain knowledge.
Phenotype–genotype correlation in patients with typical and atypical branchio-oto-renal syndrome
Authors: Masuda Masatsugu , Kanno Ayako , Nara Kiyomitsu , Mutai Hideki , Morisada Naoya , Iijima Kazumoto , Morimoto Noriko , Nakano Atsuko , Sugiuchi Tomoko , Okamoto Yasuhide , Masuda Sawako , Katsunuma Sayaka , Ogawa Kaoru , Matsunaga Tatsuo
Published: January 2022

Some patients have an atypical form of branchio-oto-renal (BOR) syndrome, which does not satisfy the diagnostic criteria, despite carrying a pathogenic variant (P variant) or a likely pathogenic variant (LP variant) of a causative gene. P/LP variants phenotypic indices have yet to be determined in patients with typical and atypical BOR syndrome. We hypothesized that determining phenotypic and genetic differences between patients with typical and atypical BOR syndrome could inform such indices. Subjects were selected from among patients who underwent genetic testing to identify the cause of hearing loss. Patients were considered atypical when they had two major BOR diagnostic criteria, or two major criteria and one minor criterion; 22 typical and 16 atypical patients from 35 families were included. Genetic analysis of EYA1, SIX1, and SIX5 was conducted by direct sequencing and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. EYA1 P/LP variants were detected in 25% and 86% of atypical and typical patients, respectively. Four EYA1 P/LP variants were novel. Branchial anomaly, inner ear anomaly, and mixed hearing loss were correlated with P/LP variants. Development of refined diagnostic criteria and phenotypic indices for atypical BOR syndrome will assist in effective detection of patients with P/LP variants among those with suspected BOR syndrome.
Induction of CTH expression in response to amino acid starvation confers resistance to anti-LAT1 therapy in MDA-MB-231 cells
Authors: Yamaga Takashi , Suehiro Junichi , Wada Youichiro , Sakurai Hiroyuki
Published: January 2022

L type amino acid transporter 1 (LAT1) is an attractive molecular target for cancer therapy because of its overexpression in many cancer cells. JPH203, a selective LAT1 inhibitor, causes amino acid deprivation and suppresses cancer cell proliferation. However, several cancer cells showed resistance to amino acid deprivation. In this study, we aimed to elucidate the molecular mechanism of different sensitivity between 2 breast cancer cells to anti-LAT1 therapy. MDA-MB-231 cells were more resistant to growth suppression effect of JPH203 than T-47D cells (IC50 was 200 ± 12.5 μM for MDA-MB-231, and 5 ± 1.1 μM for T-47D cells; p < 0.05). Transcriptome and biochemical analysis were done in these cells in the presence/absence of JPH203. JPH203 induced intracellular amino acid deprivation stress in both cells, but it upregulated cystathionine γ lyase (CTH), an enzyme for synthesis of antioxidants, only in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, siRNA-mediated CTH knockdown induced oxidative stress in response to JPH203 leading to decreased cell viability in MDA-MB-231 cells. These results suggest that activation of anti-oxidation pathways in response to amino acid deprivation confers resistance to anti-LAT1 therapy.