bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Equitable buyouts? Learning from state, county, and local floodplain management programs
Authors: Shi Linda , Fisher Anjali , Brenner Rebecca M. , Greiner-Safi Amelia , Shepard Christine , Vanucchi Jamie
Published: October 2022

Climate change-exacerbated flooding has renewed interest in property buyouts as a pillar of managed retreat from coastal zones and floodplains in the United States. However, federal buyout programs are widely critiqued for being inaccessible and inequitable. To learn whether and how subnational buyout programs overcome these limitations, we examined five leading US state, county, and local buyout programs to see what they teach us about redesigning future federal policies. Our mixed-methods research used interviews and document analysis to develop case studies, juxtaposed subnational strategies against a review of critiques of federal buyouts, and focus group discussions with subnational buyout managers and experts to identify limitations of their programs. We find that subnational programs can be more inclusive and better respond to resident needs as compared to existing federal programs due to their access to dedicated, non-federal funding and their standing institutional status, which allows them to learn and evolve over time. Nevertheless, these programs lack coordination with and control over agencies that permit development and produce affordable housing. This gives buyout programs limited power in shaping the overall equity of who lives in floodplains and who has access to affordable, resilient housing after a buyout. Their experiences suggest federal programs can support managed retreat nationwide by increasing support for institutional and staff capacity at state and county levels, encouraging efforts to bridge institutional silos at subnational levels, and holistically mainstream climate considerations into regional floodplain development, affordable housing production, and flood risk mitigation.
A Sacred Tree in the Boreal forest: A Narrative About a Sámi Shaman, her Tree, and the Forest Landscape
Authors: Bergman Ingela , Östlund Lars
Published: October 2022

Since the early nineteenth century, forest landscapes and socio-economic contexts have significantly changed in northernmost Sweden. These processes include agrarian colonisation, the Christianisation of the indigenous Sámi people, and the transfer of land tenure. We aim to analyse how Sámi religious practice manifested itself in a time of dramatic social transition in northern Sweden by focussing on the life and religious practice of a Sámi woman known as the shaman Guoksik-gummo, 'the Lady of the Siberian Jay.' We analyse a range of historical records and one specific sacred tree related to her to understand this period better and illuminate the changes in land-use religious practice and landscape transformation between the early nineteenth century and the early twenty-first century. We conclude that better documentation, more vital protection by law of Sámi cultural traces in northern landscapes, and better consultation with Sámi are needed in the future.
Spatio-temporal variation of surface soil hydraulic properties under different tillage and maize-based crop sequences in a Mediterranean area
Authors: Talukder Rasendra , Plaza-Bonilla Daniel , Cantero-Martínez Carlos , Di Prima Simone , Lampurlanés Jorge
Published: October 2022

Aims

The surface crust formed by the drop impact of rainfall and/or irrigation is a prevalent characteristic in many Mediterranean soils. However, the temporal variation of soil hydraulic properties induced by surface crust during the high-frequency irrigation has rarely been investigated.

Methods

Beerkan infiltration tests in conjunction with the BEST method were used to investigate the effects of surface crusting on the spatio-temporal variation of saturated soil hydraulic conductivity (Ks, mm s−1), sorptivity (S, mm s−0.5), mean pore size (r, mm), number of effective pores per unit area (N, m−2) in Agramunt, NE Spain.

Results

In response to autumn tillage, intensive tillage (IT) increased Ks and S due to higher r and N, but both declined after 60 days. Reduced tillage (RT), maintained comparable Ks and S values, despite having a lower N value. After the spring tillage, both IT and RT developed crusted layers, resulting in decreased Ks, S and N. Long-term no-tillage (NT) showed an increasing trend of Ks and S over time, except for the last sampling. Spatial variation (i.e., between the rows, B-row vs. within the row of crops, W-row) of Ks and S was found, and non-crusted soils (W-row) had consistently higher Ks and S than crusted soils (B-row).

Conclusions

Conservation tillage i.e., RT and NT improve the surface soil structure and reduce the risk of crust development. Surface cover by crops may help to prevent crust formation within the row of crops, improving soil hydraulic conductivity.
Remediation of soils on municipal rendering plant territories using Miscanthus × giganteus
Authors: Grzegórska Anna , Czaplicka Natalia , Antonkiewicz Jacek , Rybarczyk Piotr , Baran Agnieszka , Dobrzyński Krzysztof , Zabrocki Dawid , Rogala Andrzej
Published: October 2022

Phytoremediation, as a cost-effective, highly efficient, environmentally friendly, and green approach, gained attention to the removal of metals, including heavy metals, from contaminated soils. The toxic nature of heavy metals can have an adverse effect on human health and the ecosystem, and their removal remains a worldwide problem. Therefore, in this study, a field experiment was carried out to evaluate the potential of Miscanthus × giganteus for the removal of ten microelements and heavy metals (Al, Zn, Fe, Pb, Cd, Co, Cr, Cu, Mn, Ni) from contaminated soil in the territory of a Municipal Waste Rendering Plant. Moreover, the effect of the incorporation of soil improver obtained upon composting biodegradable waste as well as the addition of highly contaminated post-industrial soil on the efficiency of phytoremediation and plant growth was described. The soil improver (SK-8) was applied to the soil at a rate of 200 Mg ha−1 and 400 Mg‧ha−1. Meanwhile, in the last object, 100 Mg‧ha−1 of highly contaminated post-industrial soil was added. Herein, the research was aimed at assessing the possibility of phytoextraction of heavy metals from soils with different physicochemical properties. The results showed that plants cultivated in soil with 400 Mg‧ha−1 of soil improver exhibited the highest yield (approximately 85% mass increase compared to the soil without additives). Furthermore, the application of a single dose of SK-8 (200 Mg ha−1) increased the uptake of Al, Fe, Co, Pb, Mn, Ni, and Cd by Miscanthus × giganteus compared to the soil without additives. Additionally, the performed biotests demonstrated no or low toxicity of the investigated soils affecting the test organisms. However, in all experiments, the phytorecovery of the elements did not exceed 1% of the amount introduced to the soil, which may result from a short cultivation period and large doses of SK-8 or highly contaminated post-industrial soil.
Collective gradient perception with a flying robot swarm
Authors: Karagüzel Tugay Alperen , Turgut Ali Emre , Eiben A. E. , Ferrante Eliseo
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we study the problem of collective and emergent sensing with a flying robot swarm in which social interactions among individuals lead to following the gradient of a scalar field in the environment without the need of any gradient sensing capability. We proposed two methods—desired distance modulation and speed modulation—with and without alignment control. In the former, individuals modulate their desired distance to their neighbors and in the latter, they modulate their speed depending on the social interactions with their neighbors and measurements from the environment. Methods are systematically tested using two metrics with different scalar field models, swarm sizes and swarm densities. Experiments are conducted using: (1) a kinematic simulator, (2) a physics-based simulator, and (3) real nano-drone swarm. Results show that using the proposed methods, a swarm—composed of individuals lacking gradient sensing ability—is able to follow the gradient in a scalar field successfully. Results show that when individuals modulate their desired distances, alignment control is not needed but it still increases the performance. However, when individuals modulate their speed, alignment control is needed for collective motion. Real nano-drone experiments reveal that the proposed methods are applicable in real-life scenarios.
Observation on the therapeutic efficacy of Tuina plus “three-bridge” exercise for non-specific low back pain
Authors: Li Jinhu
Published: October 2022

Objective

To investigate the efficacy of Tuina (Chinese therapeutic massage) plus “three-bridge” exercise for non-specific low back pain (NSLBP).

Methods

A total of 80 patients with NSLBP were randomly divided into a control group and an observation group according to the random number table method, with 40 cases in each group. The two groups received Tuina treatment, and the observation group received an additional “three-bridge” exercise. The treatment lasted 4 weeks, and a follow-up evaluation was carried out 6 months after treatment. The visual analog scale (VAS), Oswestry disability index (ODI), and the Japanese Orthopaedic Association (JOA) scores for low back pain were used to evaluate patients’ conditions before treatment, after 4-week treatment, and at the 6-month follow-up.

Results

The total effective rate was 92.5% and 85.0% in the observation group, respectively, after 4-week treatment and at the 6-month follow-up, significantly different from the control group (P<0.05). After 4-week treatment and at the 6-month follow-up, the VAS, ODI, and JOA scores of the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment (P<0.05), and all the indicators in the observation group were significantly better than those in the control group (P<0.05). At the 6-month follow-up, the VAS, ODI, and JOA scores in the two groups were improved compared with those before treatment (P<0.05).

Conclusion

Tuina plus “three-bridge” exercise can effectively alleviate pain, improve function, and have relatively sound long-term effects in treating patients with NSLBP.
Joint Interaction and Mutual Understanding in Social Robotics
Authors: Schleidgen Sebastian , Friedrich Orsolya
Published: October 2022

Social robotics aims at designing robots capable of joint interaction with humans. On a conceptual level, sufficient mutual understanding is usually said to be a necessary condition for joint interaction. Against this background, the following questions remain open: in which sense is it legitimate to speak of human–robot joint interaction? What exactly does it mean to speak of humans and robots sufficiently understanding each other to account for human–robot joint interaction? Is such joint interaction effectively possible by reference, e.g., to the mere ascription or simulation of understanding? To answer these questions, we first discuss technical approaches which aim at the implementation of certain aspects of human–human communication and interaction in social robots in order to make robots accessible and understandable to humans and, hence, human–robot joint interaction possible. Second, we examine the human tendency to anthropomorphize in this context, with a view to human understanding of and joint interaction with social robots. Third, we analyze the most prominent concepts of mutual understanding and their implications for human–robot joint interaction. We conclude that it is—at least for the time being—not legitimate to speak of human–robot joint interaction, which has relevant implications both morally and ethically.
A moderated-mediation analysis of abusive supervision, fear of negative evaluation and psychological distress among Egyptian hotel employees
Authors: Selem Kareem M. , Boğan Erhan , Shehata Ali Elsayed , Mohamed Hanan Ahmed
Published: October 2022

By integrating cognitive appraisal and social exchange theories, this paper examines the linkage of supervisors’ abusive reactions with psychological distress through their subordinates’ fear of negative evaluation. This paper also investigates the moderating role of negative reciprocity. Data were gathered from 412 employees at 15 five-star hotels in Egypt and analyzed using PROCESS 4.0 macro in SPSS (Model 5). The findings revealed that abusive supervision was strongly positively connected with psychological distress caused by FNE. Furthermore, negative reciprocity may reduce the abusive supervision-psychological distress relationship. The positive effect of abusive supervision on psychological distress was weaker among hotel employees who held high levels of negative reciprocity. The PROCESS and narratological results highlight the need of taking negative reciprocity into account while investigating undesirable workplace behavior (i.e., abusive acts of supervisors) in the hospitality context by providing fruitful theoretical and practical contributions.
Development of antibacterial carboxymethyl cellulose/quaternized starch bionanocomposites based on cinnamon essential oil nanoemulsion for wound healing applications
Authors: Moustafa Hesham , Nasr Hanaa E. , Youssef Ahmed M.
Published: October 2022

Infectious diseases of skin wound–based bacteria are a considerable issue that often hinders the wound closure, thereby delaying the healing process. The use of wound dressing based-renewable polymers with natural essential oil could overcome the deficiencies of skin wounds. In this work, wound dressings from carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC)/quaternized starch (MS-Q188) in presence antimicrobial cinnamon essential oil (CIEO) nanoemulsion were prepared. Three variable ratios of CIEO (i.e., 1, 3, and 5 wt.%) in nanoemulsion forms were used to fabricate CMC/MS-Q188 bionanocomposites. The resulting bionanocomposites were investigated by XRD, FT-IR, and SEM. The mechanical, hydrophilicity, and barrier properties were evaluated, the outcomes of which demonstrated the tensile properties were achieved. However, the hydrophilicity, water vapor, and oxygen barrier properties were affected when the CIEO nanoemulsion added to the matrix. The migration of polymer components to the skin tissue and cytotoxic effect were investigated by cytotoxicity assays. The outcomes showed that the cell viability was located in the range of ~ 92–100% even at all studied concentrations, indicating there was no cytotoxicity to the cells. The inhibitory effects of CIEO nanoemulsion ratios on different pathogenic microbes were also verified. The developed bionanocomposites open opportunities for their use in smart skin wound dressings and biomedical applications.
Fixed point approximation for a class of generalized nonexpansive multi-valued mappings in Banach spaces
Authors: Hussain Nawab , Alamri Hind , Alsulami Saud
Published: October 2022

In this paper, we propose a new iteration process, called multi-valued F-iteration process, for the approximation of fixed points. We introduce a new class of multi-valued generalized nonexpansive mappings satisfying a $$B_{\gamma ,\mu }$$

B

γ
,
μ

property. Moreover, we establish certain weak and strong convergence theorems in uniformly convex Banach spaces. We also discuss the stability of the modified F-iteration process. Furthermore, a numerical example is presented to illustrate the superiority of our results.
Attribute dependency graphs: modelling cause and effect in systems design
Authors: Rötzer Sebastian , Schweigert-Recksiek Sebastian , Thoma Dominik , Zimmermann Markus
Published: October 2022

Complexity in product design increases with little understanding of cause and effect. As a consequence, the impact of design decisions (or changes) on the product is difficult to predict and control. This article presents a model of cause and effect for design decisions that avoid circular dependencies: the so-called attribute dependency graph (ADG) models complex system behaviour and properties, and increases transparency by carefully distinguishing between what is realised and what is required. An ADG is a polyhierarchy, with design variables (directly controllable) at the bottom, quantities of interest (not directly controllable) on the top, and intermediate attributes. The dependencies represent causality in a simple sense: assigning values to design variables, representing the cause, will determine the values of the dependent attributes, representing the effect. ADGs do not account for what is required, but for what effects emerge by design activity. A set of rules makes them independent of designers’ views. They provide the structure for so-called INUS conditions, that is, insufficient but necessary parts of unnecessary but sufficient conditions that can be used for requirement development. The modelling approach is applied to one simple synthetic and then to two real-world design problems, the design of a water hose box and a passenger vehicle.
Banking on Women: The Shanghai Women’s Commercial and Savings Bank, 1924–1955
Authors: Wang Jackie
Published: October 2022

The formation of the Shanghai Women’s Commercial and Savings Bank (1924–1955) uncovers the legacy of an institution founded by a group of elite women. Although the women’s bank had limited capital and a small business scope, it reflected the contributions of enterprising women to the financial field when Chinese women’s roles were evolving and feminist rhetoric appealed to women’s economic independence. This article brings the achievements of such Chinese women to the forefront, as key figures in the development and direction of the Shanghai Women’s Bank. By exploring the anxieties and endeavors of the Shanghai Women’s Bank and shifting the focus to the female figures involved in shaping the bank, this article argues that they, alongside their elite social network, contributed to the bank’s longevity and portrayal in the media landscape. Although emphasizing gender in its initial creation, the bank ultimately pursued similar business strategies to other banks with both men and women working behind-the-scenes to uphold the institution. Moreover, this article contributes to a more inclusive history of women and finance in order to illuminate the endeavors of Chinese women in Shanghai banking amongst its global counterparts.
J. R. Seeley in Japan, 1880s–1940s
Authors: Furuta Takuya
Published: October 2022

This article explores how the late nineteenth-century British historian J. R. Seeley was ‘used’ in Japan. The focal points are three translations of his The expansion of England, published in 1899, 1918, and 1942. By placing each translation in context, I attempt to clarify the ideological moves made by those who produced the translations. In the context of the first translation, Seeley was a historian who offered a vision of Japan's future. In the second context, however, he became a lens through which present-day British policy could be understood. In the third context, he became an unintentional detractor of Britain's past colonial policies in India. Through a comparative examination of these three translations, this article uncovers both the ‘potential’ of Seeley's imperial history, which anglophone reception of his work had not exhausted, and the ‘creative’ aspect of translation, thus contributing to intellectual history on both the local and global levels.
James Moore Hickson's 1923 Western Australian Mission: Media Reception of a Globe-Trotting Anglican Healer
Authors: ELLIOTT PETER
Published: October 2022

In the wake of World War I and the Spanish flu epidemic, the Anglican layman James Moore Hickson embarked on a five- year international healing ministry. What circumstances contributed to his positive reception by the public and the press, and how did he gain episcopal support and private audiences with the archbishop of Canterbury? Hickson's ministry in Western Australia near the end of his global tour sheds light on some of the reasons why his ministry was so widely accepted.
Comparative study of the isothermal solid-state reaction systems of kaolinite–Na2CO3 and kaolinite–quartz–Na2CO3 for coal gangue activation
Authors: Yan Kezhou , Guo Yaru , Zhang Yuanyuan , Guo Yanxia , Cheng Fangqin
Published: October 2022

A clear understanding of the solid-state reaction of kaolinite (Kln), quartz (Qtz), and sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) is of great significance for the process optimization of coal gangue calcined with Na2CO3. In this work, a comparative study of the isothermal solid-state reaction systems of Kln–Na2CO3 and Kln–Qtz–Na2CO3 was performed by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscope, and energy dispersion spectroscopy (SEM-EDS). The results showed that the calcined products both for these reaction systems mainly contain different kinds of sodium aluminum silicates (e.g., NaAlSiO4, Na1.55Al1.55Si0.45O4, and Na1.95Al1.95Si0.05O4) and various kinds of sodium silicates (e.g., Na2Si3O7, Na2SiO3, and Na6Si2O7). The mass percentage of Na2CO3 played a key role in the phase transformation, determining the Na/Al/Si molar ratio of the formed sodium aluminum silicates. Compared with the reaction system of Kln–Na2CO3, the existence of Qtz inhibited the formation of sodium aluminum silicates in the reaction system of Kln–Qtz–Na2CO3. It should be noted that the formed phases both for these reaction systems were slightly different from that of the thermodynamical calculated results of Na2O–SiO2–Al2O3 using FactSage™ software. According to both the experimental and calculated results, a reasonable batching area for coal gangue activation was proposed that the addition of Na2CO3 should be in the range of 20–50% of the total mass of Kln, Qtz, and Na2CO3.
Machine learning in requirements elicitation: a literature review
Authors: Cheligeer Cheligeer , Huang Jingwei , Wu Guosong , Bhuiyan Nadia , Xu Yuan , Zeng Yong
Published: October 2022

A growing trend in requirements elicitation is the use of machine learning (ML) techniques to automate the cumbersome requirement handling process. This literature review summarizes and analyzes studies that incorporate ML and natural language processing (NLP) into demand elicitation. We answer the following research questions: (1) What requirement elicitation activities are supported by ML? (2) What data sources are used to build ML-based requirement solutions? (3) What technologies, algorithms, and tools are used to build ML-based requirement elicitation? (4) How to construct an ML-based requirements elicitation method? (5) What are the available tools to support ML-based requirements elicitation methodology? Keywords derived from these research questions led to 975 records initially retrieved from 7 scientific search engines. Finally, 86 articles were selected for inclusion in the review. As the primary research finding, we identified 15 ML-based requirement elicitation tasks and classified them into four categories. Twelve different data sources for building a data-driven model are identified and classified in this literature review. In addition, we categorized the techniques for constructing ML-based requirement elicitation methods into five parts, which are Data Cleansing and Preprocessing, Textual Feature Extraction, Learning, Evaluation, and Tools. More specifically, 3 categories of preprocessing methods, 3 different feature extraction strategies, 12 different families of learning methods, 2 different evaluation strategies, and various off-the-shelf publicly available tools were identified. Furthermore, we discussed the limitations of the current studies and proposed eight potential directions for future research.
Adequacy of sexual care information given to prostate cancer patients receiving radical external beam radiotherapy
Authors: Greenwood-Wilson Sam , Bridge Pete
Published: October 2022

Background:

Despite the acknowledged value of providing prostate radiotherapy patients with sexual dysfunction (SD) information, there is little evidence related to patient perceptions of this or the extent to which information is provided to them. This study aimed to critically evaluate the quality and format of SD information given to patients before, during and after radical EBRT to treat prostate cancer.

Method:

Members of UK prostate cancer support groups were asked to complete an anonymous online survey tool seeking opinions of the SD information they were given before, during and after external beam radiotherapy (EBRT).

Results:

There were 56 responses to the survey with over 42% of respondents reporting that they had not received any SD information. Of those who did, 78·1% (25/32) received information before the start of EBRT. Physicians were the most involved in the provision of SD information, with nurses and therapeutic radiographers being underutilised. Responses were mostly negative, or neutral regarding the quality of SD information and the information received about impact on relationships, psychological and emotional health. Many participants wanted more information and support.

Conclusion:

This study demonstrates that prostate cancer patients who have undergone radical EBRT have not received adequate information relating to potential sexual function side effects and the psychological and emotional effects of SD. This information should be included in verbal and written information provided at all stages of the radiotherapy pathway.
CME: Notfallmanagement der thrombotischen Mikroangiopathie
Authors: Sutter Tabea , Fehr Thomas , Venzin Reto
Published: October 2022

Zusammenfassung. Thrombotische Mikroangiopathien (TMA) sind eine Gruppe von Erkrankungen mit Endothelschaden in kleinen Gefässen und konsekutiven Organthrombosen. Sie präsentieren sich mit einer Thrombozytopenie, hämolytischen Anämie und dem Nachweis von Fragmentozyten. Im Fall einer zugrundeliegenden Erkrankung muss primär die Grunderkrankung behandelt werden. Die häufigsten primären TMA-Syndrome werden in thrombotische thrombozytopene Purpura, hämolytisches urämisches Syndrom und atypisches hämolytisches urämisches Syndrom eingeteilt. Eine Unterscheidung ist essenziell, da eine empirische Therapie bei hoher Mortalität ohne Verzögerung eingeleitet werden muss und bei adäquater Diagnostik krankheitsgerichtete Therapien verfügbar sind.
A Complex Mantle Plume Head Below East Africa‐Arabia Shaped by the Lithosphere‐Asthenosphere Boundary Topography
Authors: Civiero Chiara , Lebedev Sergei , Celli Nicolas L.
Published: October 2022

Hot plumes rising from Earth's deep mantle are thought to cause uplift, rifting and large igneous province (LIP) emplacement. LIP volcanism in continents often spans tens of Ma and scatters unevenly over broad areas. This has been attributed to lateral flow of hot plume material, but observational evidence on such flow is scarce. New waveform tomography with massive data sets reveals detailed seismic velocity structure beneath the East Africa‐Arabia region, where these processes occur at present. It shows interconnected sub‐lithospheric corridors of hot, partially molten rock, fed by three mantle upwellings beneath Kenya, Afar, and Levant. The spatio‐temporal distribution of the volcanism suggests that we are witnessing an integral plume head, which morphed into a three‐pointed star by ponding and channeling within thin‐lithosphere corridors. Plate reconstructions indicate that it spread south‐to‐north since ∼45 Ma. These results suggest that complex‐shape plume heads can explain the enigmatic, scattered LIP volcanism and are, probably, an inherent feature of plume‐continent interaction.
Eikonal Tomography With Physics‐Informed Neural Networks: Rayleigh Wave Phase Velocity in the Northeastern Margin of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Chen Yunpeng , de Ridder Sjoerd A. L. , Rost Sebastian , Guo Zhen , Wu Xiaoyang , Chen Yongshun
Published: October 2022

We present a novel eikonal tomography approach using physics‐informed neural networks (PINNs) for Rayleigh wave phase velocities based on the eikonal equation. The PINN eikonal tomography (pinnET) neural network utilizes deep neural networks as universal function approximators and extracts traveltimes and velocities of the medium during the optimization process. Whereas classical eikonal tomography uses a generic non‐physics based interpolation and regularization step to reconstruct traveltime surfaces, optimizing the network parameters in pinnET means solving a physics constrained traveltime surface reconstruction inversion tackling measurement noise and satisfying physics. We demonstrate this approach by applying it to 25 s surface wave data from ChinArray II sampling the northeastern Tibetan plateau. We validate our results by comparing them to results from conventional eikonal tomography in the same area and find good agreement.
The Impact of Plate Motions on Long‐Wavelength InSAR‐Derived Velocity Fields
Authors: Stephenson Oliver L. , Liu Yuan‐Kai , Yunjun Zhang , Simons Mark , Rosen Paul , Xu Xiaohua
Published: October 2022

Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) measurements are increasingly being used to measure small amplitude tectonic deformations over large spatial scales. Residual signals are often present at these scales and are interpreted to be noise of indeterminate origin, limiting studies of long‐wavelength deformation. Here, we demonstrate the impact of rigid motion by the Earth's tectonic plates on velocity fields derived from InSAR. The range‐dependent incidence angle of the InSAR observations, coupled with plate velocities of centimeters per year, can induce long‐wavelength spatial gradients of millimeters per year over hundreds of kilometers in InSAR velocity fields. We show that, after applying corrections, including for the ionosphere and troposphere, plate motion represents the dominant source of long‐wavelength secular velocity gradients in multi‐year time series for several study areas. This signal can be accounted for using plate motion models, allowing improved detection of regional tectonic strain at continental scales.
Spatiotemporal Graph Convolutional Networks for Earthquake Source Characterization
Authors: Zhang Xitong , Reichard‐Flynn Will , Zhang Miao , Hirn Matthew , Lin Youzuo
Published: October 2022

Accurate earthquake location and magnitude estimation play critical roles in seismology. Recent deep learning frameworks have produced encouraging results on various seismological tasks (e.g., earthquake detection, phase picking, seismic classification, and earthquake early warning). Many existing machine learning earthquake location methods utilize waveform information from a single station. However, multiple stations contain more complete information for earthquake source characterization. Inspired by recent successes in applying graph neural networks (GNNs) in graph‐structured data, we develop a Spatiotemporal Graph Neural Network (STGNN) for estimating earthquake locations and magnitudes. Our graph neural network leverages geographical and waveform information from multiple stations to construct graphs automatically and dynamically by adaptive message passing based on graphs' edges. Using a recent graph neural network and a fully convolutional neural network as baselines, we apply STGNN to earthquakes recorded by the Southern California Seismic Network from 2000 to 2019 and earthquakes collected in Oklahoma from 2014 to 2015. STGNN yields more accurate earthquake locations than those obtained by the baseline models and performs comparably in terms of depth and magnitude prediction, though the ability to predict depth and magnitude remains weak for all tested models. Our work demonstrates the potential of using GNNs and multiple stations for better automatic estimation of earthquake epicenters.
The oncoprotein MUC1 facilitates breast cancer progression by promoting Pink1-dependent mitophagy via ATAD3A destabilization
Authors: Li Quanfu , Chu Yunkai , Li Shengze , Yu Liping , Deng Huayun , Liao Chunhua , Liao Xiaodong , Yang Chihyu , Qi Min , Cheng Jinke , Chen Guoqiang , Huang Lei
Published: October 2022

Mitophagy is a vital process that controls mitochondria quality, dysregulation of which can promote cancer. Oncoprotein mucin 1 (MUC1) targets mitochondria to attenuate drug-induced apoptosis. However, little is known about whether and how MUC1 contributes to mitochondrial homeostasis in cancer cells. We identified a novel role of MUC1 in promoting mitophagy. Increased mitophagy is coupled with the translocation of MUC1 to mitochondria, where MUC1 interacts with and induces degradation of ATPase family AAA domain-containing 3A (ATAD3A), resulting in protection of PTEN-induced kinase 1 (Pink1) from ATAD3A-mediated cleavage. Interestingly, MUC1-induced mitophagy is associated with increased oncogenicity of cancer cells. Similarly, inhibition of mitophagy significantly suppresses MUC1-induced cancer cell activity in vitro and in vivo. Consistently, MUC1 and ATAD3A protein levels present an inverse relationship in tumor tissues of breast cancer patients. Our data validate that MUC1/ATAD3A/Pink1 axis-mediated mitophagy constitutes a novel mechanism for maintaining the malignancy of cancer cells, providing a novel therapeutic approach for MUC1-positive cancers.
Drivers of global mangrove loss and gain in social-ecological systems
Authors: Hagger Valerie , Worthington Thomas A. , Lovelock Catherine E. , Adame Maria Fernanda , Amano Tatsuya , Brown Benjamin M. , Friess Daniel A. , Landis Emily , Mumby Peter J. , Morrison Tiffany H. , O’Brien Katherine R. , Wilson Kerrie A. , Zganjar Chris , Saunders Megan I.
Published: October 2022

Mangrove forests store high amounts of carbon, protect communities from storms, and support fisheries. Mangroves exist in complex social-ecological systems, hence identifying socioeconomic conditions associated with decreasing losses and increasing gains remains challenging albeit important. The impact of national governance and conservation policies on mangrove conservation at the landscape-scale has not been assessed to date, nor have the interactions with local economic pressures and biophysical drivers. Here, we assess the relationship between socioeconomic and biophysical variables and mangrove change across coastal geomorphic units worldwide from 1996 to 2016. Globally, we find that drivers of loss can also be drivers of gain, and that drivers have changed over 20 years. The association with economic growth appears to have reversed, shifting from negatively impacting mangroves in the first decade to enabling mangrove expansion in the second decade. Importantly, we find that community forestry is promoting mangrove expansion, whereas conversion to agriculture and aquaculture, often occurring in protected areas, results in high loss. Sustainable development, community forestry, and co-management of protected areas are promising strategies to reverse mangrove losses, increasing the capacity of mangroves to support human-livelihoods and combat climate change.
Feature-based volumetric defect classification in metal additive manufacturing
Authors: Poudel Arun , Yasin Mohammad Salman , Ye Jiafeng , Liu Jia , Vinel Aleksandr , Shao Shuai , Shamsaei Nima
Published: October 2022

Volumetric defect types commonly observed in the additively manufactured parts differ in their morphologies ascribed to their formation mechanisms. Using high-resolution X-ray computed tomography, this study analyzes the morphological features of volumetric defects, and their statistical distribution, in laser powder bed fused Ti-6Al-4V. The geometries of three common types of volumetric defects; i.e., lack of fusions, gas-entrapped pores, and keyholes, are quantified by nine parameters including maximum dimension, roundness, sparseness, aspect ratio, and more. It is shown that the three defect types share overlaps of different degrees in the ranges of their morphological parameters; thus, employing only one or two parameters cannot uniquely determine a defect’s type. To overcome this challenge, a defect classification methodology incorporating multiple morphological parameters has been proposed. In this work, by employing the most discriminating parameters, this methodology has been shown effective when implemented into decision tree (>98% accuracy) and artificial neural network (>99% accuracy).
A robot-assisted acoustofluidic end effector
Authors: Durrer Jan , Agrawal Prajwal , Ozgul Ali , Neuhauss Stephan C. F. , Nama Nitesh , Ahmed Daniel
Published: October 2022

Liquid manipulation is the foundation of most laboratory processes. For macroscale liquid handling, both do-it-yourself and commercial robotic systems are available; however, for microscale, reagents are expensive and sample preparation is difficult. Over the last decade, lab-on-a-chip (LOC) systems have come to serve for microscale liquid manipulation; however, lacking automation and multi-functionality. Despite their potential synergies, each has grown separately and no suitable interface yet exists to link macro-level robotics with micro-level LOC or microfluidic devices. Here, we present a robot-assisted acoustofluidic end effector (RAEE) system, comprising a robotic arm and an acoustofluidic end effector, that combines robotics and microfluidic functionalities. We further carried out fluid pumping, particle and zebrafish embryo trapping, and mobile mixing of complex viscous liquids. Finally, we pre-programmed the RAEE to perform automated mixing of viscous liquids in well plates, illustrating its versatility for the automatic execution of chemical processes.
The co-evolution of the genome and epigenome in colorectal cancer
Authors: Heide Timon , Househam Jacob , Cresswell George D. , Spiteri Inmaculada , Lynn Claire , Mossner Maximilian , Kimberley Chris , Fernandez-Mateos Javier , Chen Bingjie , Zapata Luis , James Chela , Barozzi Iros , Chkhaidze Ketevan , Nichol Daniel , Gunasri Vinaya , Berner Alison , Schmidt Melissa , Lakatos Eszter , Baker Ann-Marie , Costa Helena , Mitchinson Miriam , Piazza Rocco , Jansen Marnix , Caravagna Giulio , Ramazzotti Daniele , Shibata Darryl , Bridgewater John , Rodriguez-Justo Manuel , Magnani Luca , Graham Trevor A. , Sottoriva Andrea
Published: October 2022

Colorectal malignancies are a leading cause of cancer-related death1 and have undergone extensive genomic study2,3. However, DNA mutations alone do not fully explain malignant transformation4–7. Here we investigate the co-evolution of the genome and epigenome of colorectal tumours at single-clone resolution using spatial multi-omic profiling of individual glands. We collected 1,370 samples from 30 primary cancers and 8 concomitant adenomas and generated 1,207 chromatin accessibility profiles, 527 whole genomes and 297 whole transcriptomes. We found positive selection for DNA mutations in chromatin modifier genes and recurrent somatic chromatin accessibility alterations, including in regulatory regions of cancer driver genes that were otherwise devoid of genetic mutations. Genome-wide alterations in accessibility for transcription factor binding involved CTCF, downregulation of interferon and increased accessibility for SOX and HOX transcription factor families, suggesting the involvement of developmental genes during tumourigenesis. Somatic chromatin accessibility alterations were heritable and distinguished adenomas from cancers. Mutational signature analysis showed that the epigenome in turn influences the accumulation of DNA mutations. This study provides a map of genetic and epigenetic tumour heterogeneity, with fundamental implications for understanding colorectal cancer biology.
Neoadjuvant relatlimab and nivolumab in resectable melanoma
Authors: Amaria Rodabe N. , Postow Michael , Burton Elizabeth M. , Tetzlaff Michael T. , Ross Merrick I. , Torres-Cabala Carlos , Glitza Isabella C. , Duan Fei , Milton Denái R. , Busam Klaus , Simpson Lauren , McQuade Jennifer L. , Wong Michael K. , Gershenwald Jeffrey E. , Lee Jeffrey E. , Goepfert Ryan P. , Keung Emily Z. , Fisher Sarah B. , Betof-Warner Allison , Shoushtari Alexander N. , Callahan Margaret , Coit Daniel , Bartlett Edmund K. , Bello Danielle , Momtaz Parisa , Nicholas Courtney , Gu Aidi , Zhang Xuejun , Korivi Brinda Rao , Patnana Madhavi , Patel Sapna P. , Diab Adi , Lucci Anthony , Prieto Victor G. , Davies Michael A. , Allison James P. , Sharma Padmanee , Wargo Jennifer A. , Ariyan Charlotte , Tawbi Hussein A.
Published: October 2022

Relatlimab and nivolumab combination immunotherapy improves progression-free survival over nivolumab monotherapy in patients with unresectable advanced melanoma1. We investigated this regimen in patients with resectable clinical stage III or oligometastatic stage IV melanoma (NCT02519322). Patients received two neoadjuvant doses (nivolumab 480 mg and relatlimab 160 mg intravenously every 4 weeks) followed by surgery, and then ten doses of adjuvant combination therapy. The primary end point was pathologic complete response (pCR) rate2. The combination resulted in 57% pCR rate and 70% overall pathologic response rate among 30 patients treated. The radiographic response rate using Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors 1.1 was 57%. No grade 3–4 immune-related adverse events were observed in the neoadjuvant setting. The 1- and 2-year recurrence-free survival rate was 100% and 92% for patients with any pathologic response, compared to 88% and 55% for patients who did not have a pathologic response (P = 0.005). Increased immune cell infiltration at baseline, and decrease in M2 macrophages during treatment, were associated with pathologic response. Our results indicate that neoadjuvant relatlimab and nivolumab induces a high pCR rate. Safety during neoadjuvant therapy is favourable compared to other combination immunotherapy regimens. These data, in combination with the results of the RELATIVITY-047 trial1, provide further confirmation of the efficacy and safety of this new immunotherapy regimen.
Computerised prediction of healing for venous leg ulcers
Authors: Ngo Quoc Cuong , Ogrin Rajna , Kumar Dinesh Kant
Published: October 2022

Early prediction of delayed healing for venous leg ulcers could improve management outcomes by enabling earlier initiation of adjuvant therapies. In this paper, we propose a framework for computerised prediction of healing for venous leg ulcers assessed in home settings using thermal images of the 0 week. Wound data of 56 older participants over 12 weeks were used for the study. Thermal images of the wounds were collected in their homes and labelled as healed or unhealed at the 12th week follow up. Textural information of the thermal images at week 0 was extracted. Thermal images of unhealed wounds had a higher variation of grey tones distribution. We demonstrated that the first three principal components of the textural features from one timepoint can be used as an input to a Bayesian neural network to discriminate between healed and unhealed wounds. Using the optimal Bayesian neural network, the classification results showed 78.57% sensitivity and 60.00% specificity. This non-contact method, incorporating machine learning, can provide a computerised prediction of this delay in the first assessment (week 0) in participants’ homes compared to the current method that is able to do this in 3rd week and requires contact digital planimetry.
Thermal acclimation and metabolic scaling of a groundwater asellid in the climate change scenario
Authors: Di Lorenzo Tiziana , Reboleira Ana Sofia P. S.
Published: October 2022

Metabolic rate has long been used in animal adaptation and performance studies, and individual oxygen consumption is used as proxy of metabolic rate. Stygofauna are organisms adapted to groundwater with presumably lower metabolic rates than their surface relatives. How stygofauna will cope with global temperature increase remains unpredictable. We studied the thermal acclimation and metabolic scaling with body mass of a stygobitic crustacean,Proasellus lusitanicus, in the climate change scenario. We measured oxygen consumption rates in a thermal ramp-up experiment over four assay temperatures and tested two hypotheses: (i)P. lusitanicusexhibits narrow thermal plasticity, inadequate for coping with a fast-increasing thermal regime; and (ii) oxygen consumption rates scale with the body mass by a factor close to 0.75, as commonly observed in other animals. Our results show thatP. lusitanicushas low thermal plasticity in a fast-increasing thermal regime. Our data also suggest that oxygen consumption rates of this species do not follow mass-dependent scaling, potentially representing a new trait of metabolic optimization in groundwater habitats, which are often limited in food and oxygen. Species with limited dispersal capacities and rigid metabolic guilds face extinction risk due to climate change and omitting groundwater ecosystems from climate change agendas emphasizes the unprotected status of stygofauna.
Greater central airway luminal area in people with COVID-19: a case–control series
Authors: Jeltema Jeffrey L. , Gorman Ellen K. , Ovrom Erik A. , Ripoll Juan G. , Dominelli Paolo B. , Joyner Michael J. , Welch Brian T. , Senefeld Jonathon W. , Wiggins Chad C.
Published: October 2022

Respiratory epithelium in the conducting airways of the human body is one of the primary targets of SARS-CoV-2 infection, however, there is a paucity of studies describing the association between COVID-19 and physical characteristics of the conducting airways. To better understand the pathophysiology of COVID-19 on the size of larger conducting airways, we determined the luminal area of the central airways in patients with a history of COVID-19 compared to a height-matched cohort of controls using a case–control study design. Using three-dimensional reconstruction from low-dose high-resolution computed tomography, we retrospectively assessed airway luminal cross-sectional area in 114 patients with COVID-19 (66 females, 48 males) and 114 healthy, sex- and height-matched controls (66 females, 48 males). People with a history of smoking, cardiopulmonary disease, or a body mass index greater than 40 kg·m−2 were excluded. Luminal areas of seven conducting airways were analyzed, including trachea, left and right main bronchus, intermediate bronchus, left and right upper lobe, and left lower lobe. For the central conducting airways, luminal area was ~ 15% greater patients with COVID-19 compared to matched controls (p < 0.05). Among patients with COVID-19, there were generally no differences in the luminal areas of the conducting airways between hospitalized patients compared to patients who did not require COVID-19-related hospitalization. Our findings suggest that males and females with COVID-19 have pathologically larger conducting airway luminal areas than healthy, sex- and height-matched controls.