bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Models and methods to characterise levonorgestrel release from intradermally administered contraceptives
Authors: Al Dalaty Adnan , Gualeni Benedetta , Coulman Sion A. , Birchall James C.
Published: December 2021

Microneedle (MN)-based technologies have been proposed as a means to facilitate minimally invasive sustained delivery of long-acting hormonal contraceptives into the skin. Intradermal administration is a new route of delivery for these contraceptives and therefore no established laboratory methods or experimental models are available to predict dermal drug release and pharmacokinetics from candidate MN formulations. This study evaluates an in vitro release (IVR) medium and a medium supplemented with ex vivo human skin homogenate (SH) as potential laboratory models to investigate the dermal release characteristics of one such hormonal contraceptive that is being tested for MN delivery, levonorgestrel (LNG), and provides details of an accompanying novel two-step liquid–liquid drug extraction procedure and sensitive reversed-phase HPLC–UV assay. The extraction efficiency of LNG was 91.7 ± 3.06% from IVR medium and 84.6 ± 1.6% from the medium supplemented with SH. The HPLC–UV methodology had a limit of quantification of 0.005 µg/mL and linearity between 0.005 and 25 µg/mL. Extraction and detection methods for LNG were exemplified in both models using the well-characterised, commercially available sustained-release implant (Jadelle®). Sustained LNG release from the implant was detected in both media over 28 days. This study reports for the first time the use of biologically relevant release models and a rapid, reliable and sensitive methodology to determine release characteristics of LNG from intradermally administered long-acting drug delivery systems.

Graphical abstract
Effect of Media News on Radicalization of Attitudes to Immigration
Authors: Agovino Massimiliano , Carillo Maria Rosaria , Spagnolo Nicola
Published: December 2021

Recent years have witnessed a growing aversion to immigration worldwide and, at the same time, radicalization of public opinion on the issue. This paper explores the relationship between media news and individual attitudes to immigration. We run an empirical analysis whereby an index capturing individuals’ pro-immigration attitude, measured in 19 countries, is regressed over indexes capturing the coverage and tone of media news about immigration. We find that pro-immigration attitudes are negatively correlated with media coverage and the negative tone of news. However, this correlation is significant only for those with high trust in the media. In the case of low trust, higher coverage of immigration and a negative news slant make previous preferences and beliefsvis-à-visimmigration more extreme, yielding a lower pro-immigration index for those politically on the right, while the opposite applies to those on the left. The pro-immigration index is constructed by means of fuzzy methods to account for the many aspects defining attitudes to immigration.
The Chemistry and Physics of Aerogels
Authors: Ratke Lorenz , Gurikov Pavel
Published: December 2021

Discover a rigorous treatment of aerogels processing and techniques for characterization with this easy-to-use reference. Presents the basics of aerogel synthesis and gelation to open porous nanostructures, and the processing of wet gels like ambient and supercritical drying leading to aerogels. Describes their essential properties with their measurement techniques and theoretical models used to analyse relations to their nanostructure. Linking the fundamentals and with practical applications, this is a useful toolkit for advanced undergraduates, and graduate students doing research in material and polymer science, physical chemistry, and chemical and environmental engineering.
New Asian Regionalism in International Economic Law
Authors: Hsieh Pasha L.
Published: December 2021

This book provides the first systematic analysis of new Asian regionalism as a paradigm shift in international economic law. It argues that new Asian regionalism has emerged amid the Third Regionalism and contributed to the New Regional Economic Order, which reinvigorates the role of developing countries in shaping international trade norms. To substantiate the claims, the book introduces theoretical debates and evaluates major regional economic initiatives and institutions, including the ASEAN+6 framework, APEC, the CPTPP and the RCEP. It also sheds light on legal issues involving the US-China trade war and the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as trade policies of Asian powers, the European Union and the United States. Hence, the legal analysis and case studies offer a fresh perspective of Asian integration and bridge the gap between academia and practice.
POINT AND INTERVAL FORECASTS OF DEATH RATES USING NEURAL NETWORKS
Authors: Schnürch Simon , Korn Ralf
Published: December 2021

The Lee–Carter model has become a benchmark in stochastic mortality modeling. However, its forecasting performance can be significantly improved upon by modern machine learning techniques. We propose a convolutional neural network (NN) architecture for mortality rate forecasting, empirically compare this model as well as other NN models to the Lee–Carter model and find that lower forecast errors are achievable for many countries in the Human Mortality Database. We provide details on the errors and forecasts of our model to make it more understandable and, thus, more trustworthy. As NN by default only yield point estimates, previous works applying them to mortality modeling have not investigated prediction uncertainty. We address this gap in the literature by implementing a bootstrapping-based technique and demonstrate that it yields highly reliable prediction intervals for our NN model.
Fashion, Industry and Diplomacy: Reframing Couture–Textile Relations in France, 1950s–1960s
Authors: Dubé-Senécal Vincent
Published: December 2021

This article investigates the change in relations between Parisian haute couture and the French textile industry in the 1950s and 1960s. This study is grounded in the multiple changes that occurred between the two decades with the end of a state-sponsored and textile-backed aid to couture plan in 1960, the dematerialization of fashion in the 1960s and the advent of brands and licenses, and the waning of couture’s influence throughout the period. It cross-references archives from multi-stakeholder meetings between the state, couture, and textile representatives with the couturiers’ trade association archives and diplomatic archives to show how the changing fashion landscape impacted their interactions. This study shows that while the couture and textile industries drifted apart, the government’s interest in couture grew. This reframes the narrative on couture’s alleged influence as the spearhead of the textile industry while illustrating its wider prestige influence and its relevance to the state.
The Politics of Interdependent Independence in Black Religion: The Case of the Reverend George Freeman Bragg Jr., a Black Episcopal Priest
Authors: Turner Nicole Myers
Published: December 2021

In the Reconstruction period, Black religion and politics intersected and fostered ideas about black interdependent independence in predominantly white churches. We see this form of black religious politics exemplified in the experiences and ideas of the Reverend George Freeman Bragg Jr., a Black Episcopal priest who was educated at the Branch Theological School (BTS) in Petersburg, Virginia. It was upon the foundation of Bragg's experiences at the BTS, established as a racially segregated alternative to the Protestant Episcopal Theological Seminary (in Alexandria, Virginia), and in the Readjuster Movement (a biracial political coalition that controlled Virginia's legislature from 1879–1885), that he wrote histories of Black people in the Episcopal Church, histories that extolled black leadership, the need for (white) economic support for but also autonomous action of black churches and black leaders, and the efficacy of the Episcopal Church as a political training ground for black church members. Bragg's case both demonstrates how broadening the definitions of black religion reconfigures studies of religion, reconstruction, and Blackness, and expands our notions of Black political critique as deriving from more than the familiar binaries of protest and accommodation.
Why subtitle speed matters: Evidence from word skipping and rereading
Authors: Kruger Jan-Louis , Wisniewska Natalia , Liao Sixin
Published: December 2021

High subtitle speed undoubtedly impacts the viewer experience. However, little is known about how fast subtitles might impact the reading of individual words. This article presents new findings on the effect of subtitle speed on viewers’ reading behavior using word-based eye-tracking measures with specific attention to word skipping and rereading. In multimodal reading situations such as reading subtitles in video, rereading allows people to correct for oculomotor error or comprehension failure during linguistic processing or integrate words with elements of the image to build a situation model of the video. However, the opportunity to reread words, to read the majority of the words in the subtitle and to read subtitles to completion, is likely to be compromised when subtitles are too fast. Participants watched videos with subtitles at 12, 20, and 28 characters per second (cps) while their eye movements were recorded. It was found that comprehension declined as speed increased. Eye movement records also showed that faster subtitles resulted in more incomplete reading of subtitles. Furthermore, increased speed also caused fewer words to be reread following both horizontal eye movements (likely resulting in reduced lexical processing) and vertical eye movements (which would likely reduce higher-level comprehension and integration).
OP196 Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) For Antibiotic Management: Factors Limiting Sustainable Digital Transformation
Authors: Laka Mah , Milazzo Adriana , Carter Drew , Merlin Tracy
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Clinical decision support systems (CDSS) are being developed to support evidence-based antibiotic prescribing and reduce the risk of inappropriate or over-prescribing; however, adoption of CDSS into the health system is rarely sustained. We aimed to understand the implementation challenges at a macro (policymakers), meso (organizational) and micro-level (individual practices) to identify the drivers of CDSS non-adoption.

Methods

We have adopted a mixed-method study design which comprised of: (i) systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the impact of CDSS on appropriate antibiotic prescribing, (ii) Online survey of clinicians in Australia from hospitals and primary care to identify drivers of CDSS adoption and (iii) in-depth interviews with policymakers to evaluate policy-level challenges and opportunities to CDSS implementation.

Results

CDSS implementation can improve compliance with antibiotic prescribing guidelines, with a relative decrease in mortality, volume of antibiotic use and length of hospital stay. However, CDSS provision alone is not enough to achieve these benefits. Important predictors of clinicians’ perception regarding CDSS adoption include the seniority of clinical end-users (years), use of CDSS, and the care setting. Clinicians in primary care and those with significant clinical experience are less likely to use CDSS due to a lack of trust in the system, fear of comprising professional autonomy, and patients’ expectations. Lack of important policy considerations for CDSS integration into a multi-stakeholder healthcare system has limited the organizational capacity to foster change and align processes to support the innovation.

Conclusions

These results using multiple lines of evidence highlight the importance of a holistic approach when undertaking health technology management. There needs to be system-wide guidance that integrates individual, organizational and system-level factors when implementing CDSS so that effective antibiotic stewardship can be facilitated.
PP90 Effectiveness Of Music Therapy For Autism Spectrum Disorder, Dementia, Depression, Insomnia, And Schizophrenia
Authors: Gassner Lucia , Mayer-Ferbas Julia
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Music therapy (MT) is a complementary creative arts treatment aimed at maintaining, restoring, and furthering physical, emotional, and mental health. This systematic review aimed to assess the effectiveness of MT for the treatment of autism spectrum disorder, dementia, depression, insomnia, and schizophrenia. In addition, the MT methods used for these indications were analyzed.

Methods

For this update of five Cochrane reviews, four databases (Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO) were systematically searched for studies published from 2013 to 2020. Two review authors independently performed the study selection and data extraction. The methodological quality of the included trials was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions (ROBINS-I) tool and the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool for randomized controlled trials.

Results

Ten RCTs (1,248 patients) met the inclusion criteria. For schizophrenia, no study could be included. MT improved the following: behavior, social communication, and the parent-child relationship in patients with autism; mood for patients with depression; and sleep quality for patients with insomnia. In patients with dementia, MT enhanced mood, behavior (severe disease stage), and cognitive function, whereas cognition was unchanged. Memory was improved only in the mild disease stage. None of the studies observed any significant long-term effects of MT in these patient groups. Both active (playing music) and receptive (listening to music) methods were used for dementia, whereas active methods were applied for autism spectrum disorder and depression. For insomnia, only receptive methods were used.

Conclusions

The findings of this update of reviews provides evidence that MT may help patients diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, dementia, depression, insomnia, or schizophrenia. It is crucial to focus on patient-related evidence-based health care. MT improves physical, psychological, and social aspects, but more research investigating the long-term effects of MT in these patient groups is needed as it is crucial to know how long the effects of MT last.
PP228 Strategy For Including Information On The Research Priorities Of Patients And Experts In Health Technology Assessment Reports
Authors: León-Salas Beatriz , Toledo-Chávarri Ana , Ramallo-Fariña Yolanda , Morales-Manrique Claudia , Rivas-Ruiz Francisco , Trujillo-Martín María M.
Published: December 2021

Introduction

The process of health technology assessment (HTA) is an opportunity to identify gaps in the existing knowledge on the technology assessed. In January 2020, the Evaluation Unit of the Canary Islands Health Service, belonging to the Spanish Network of Agencies for Assessing National Health System Technologies and Performance, started a structured strategy to include in its HTA reports information on research priorities for the assessed technologies from the perspective of patients, clinicians, and researchers. The aim of this poster is to explain the methodology behind this strategy.

Methods

The following three-step process was proposed:

(i)

Identify the knowledge gaps regarding the technology from systematic reviews on effectiveness, safety, and cost effectiveness, in addition to ethical, patient, social, legal, and organizational aspects analyzed for the HTA report;

(ii)

Search for specific studies on research needs regarding the technology on the websites of specialized initiatives such as the Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) and the James Lind Alliance; and

(iiii)

If no needs are identified in the previous two steps, consult a group of clinicians or researchers and patients related to the technology being assessed with two online survey rounds using the Delphi method. The first round identifies the research needs and the second round prioritizes the identified needs.

Results

Since the methodology to identify future research needs during a HTA process was designed, it has been used in three HTA reports during 2020 with satisfactory results. Only one of the three reports required a Delphi study.

Conclusions

The proposed strategy provides a comprehensive list of knowledge gaps on health technologies that need to be addressed in the near future from the point of view of patients, clinicians, and researchers.
PP261 Development Of A Mapping Algorithm To Predict SF-6D Values In People With Drug-Resistant Focal Onset Seizures
Authors: Flint India , Medjedovic Jasmina , O'Flaherty Ewa Drogon , Alvarez-Baron Elena , Thangavelu Karthinathan , Meunier Aurelie , Longworth Louise , Savic Natasa
Published: December 2021

Introduction

Focal-onset-seizures (FOS) are commonly experienced by individuals with epilepsy and have a significant impact on quality of life (QoL). This study aimed to develop a mapping algorithm to predict the 6 dimension short form questionnaire (SF-6D) values in adults with FOS for use in economic evaluations of a new treatment, cenobamate.

Methods

An online survey, including questions on sociodemographic, disease history, the short form (SF) 36, and an epilepsy-specific measure (quality of life in epilepsy problems questionnaire, QOLIE-31-P) was administered to individuals with drug-resistant FOS in the top 5 EU countries (UK, Spain, Germany, Italy and France). A range of regression models were fitted to SF-6D scores including direct and response mapping approaches.

Results

The analysis included 361 people. In the previous 28 days, the mean number of FOS experienced was three, (range: 0–43) and longest seizure-free period was 14 days (range: 1–28). Mean responses on all SF-36 dimensions were lower than general population norms. Mean SF-6D and QOLIE-31-P scores were 0.584 and 45.72, respectively. The best performing model was the ordinary least squares (OLS), with root mean squared error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) values of 0.0977 and 0.0742, respectively. Explanatory variables which best predicted SF-6D included seizure frequency, seizure severity, seizure freedom, and age.

Conclusions

People with drug-resistant FOS have poor QoL. The mapping algorithm enables the prediction of SF-6D values from clinical outcomes in individuals with drug-resistant FOS. It can be applied to outcome data from clinical trials to facilitate cost-utility analysis.
PP424 Piloting A Comprehensive Search For eHealth Definitions In The Grey Literature: Preliminary Results From A Systematic Scoping Review
Authors: Zrubka Zsombor , Burrell Anita , Sharkawy Menna N , Pfeiffer Colin M , Janodia Manthan D , Saylan Mete , van Steen Cecile , Motahari-Nezhad Hossein , Redekop Ken
Published: December 2021

Introduction

The use of information technology within health systems has emerged over the years and the current pandemic has further catalyzed this development. As a result, various definitions of eHealth have emerged. Our objective was to provide an overview of definitions available on the internet to complement the traditional (“white”) literature search.

Methods

We adapted methodological guidelines from the Cochrane Handbook and management sciences to mirror the search in bibliographic databases. A comprehensive Google search was performed in July 2020 to retrieve uniform resource locators (URL's) of webpages containing terms for eHealth within four words of synonyms for the word “definition”. The DataScraper extension of the Google Chrome browser was used to collect all URL's. Webpages were eligible if they contained an original or adopted English-language definition of eHealth or contained a direct link to a definition or a document containing a definition. All document types were eligible. The analysis was performed 7 months after the data collection.

Results

Out of the 270 unique URL's, 37 (13.7%) were no longer accessible and 51 (18.9%) were links to academic publications (“white” literature). The language was not English for five webpages (1.9%) and 113 (41.9%) did not contain a definition of eHealth or other related terms. Other related terms were defined in 29 webpages (10.7%), among which “electronic health record” occurred most frequently (18/29, 62.1%). eHealth was defined in 35 (13.0%) webpages, out of which 45.7 percent (16/35) cited an existing source and 54.3 percent (19/35) provided an original definition.

Conclusions

The digital era raises both challenges and opportunities in conducting a grey literature search. We found that an augmented Google-based search can identify valuable references that traditional literature searches cannot detect. Term definitions (and their context) found in the grey versus bibliographic databases will be compared to assess their alignment with health economists perspectives.
Prologue to truth: Argentina’s National Commission on the Disappeared and the authority of international law
Authors: Vázquez Guevara Valeria
Published: December 2021

Argentina’s 1980s transition to democracy is globally admired for pioneering a state-led process addressing the 1976–1983 dictatorship’s state-violence. The role of international law in the transition is well documented, especially through human rights and crimes against humanity. Yet, the extent to which Argentina’s transition was intertwined with international law and subject to its jurisdictional force deserves greater attention. This article analyses how the Argentinian truth commission (TC) accounts for the dictatorship’s state-violence, and how international law is implicated in the making of this account. It argues that the TC’s account draws on the authority of international law to establish the unlawfulness of the dictatorship’s state-violence. In turn, the TC subjects the meaning and interpretation of the dictatorship’s state-violence to a Eurocentric/Anglo-American lawfulness embedded in, and mobilized by, international law in the late-Cold War. To examine this, the article re-reads the Prologue to the TC’s Report as a literary text that does international legal work, harnessing the authority of international law in a way that has enabled the TC to deploy an authoritative, internationally acceptable, account of the unlawfulness of the dictatorship’s state-violence. This reading is based on original archival research, on scholarship in the fields of ‘law and literature’ and the history and theory of international law.
LEIBNIZ ON BODIES AND INFINITIES:RERUM NATURAAND MATHEMATICAL FICTIONS
Authors: KATZ MIKHAIL G. , KUHLEMANN KARL , SHERRY DAVID , UGAGLIA MONICA
Published: December 2021

The way Leibniz applied his philosophy to mathematics has been the subject of longstanding debates. A key piece of evidence is his letter to Masson on bodies. We offer an interpretation of this often misunderstood text, dealing with the status of infinite divisibility innature, rather than inmathematics. In line with this distinction, we offer a reading of the fictionality of infinitesimals. The letter has been claimed to support a reading of infinitesimals according to which they are logical fictions, contradictory in their definition, and thus absolutely impossible. The advocates of such a reading have lumped infinitesimals with infinite wholes, which are rejected by Leibniz as contradicting the part–whole principle. Far from supporting this reading, the letter is arguably consistent with the view that infinitesimals, as inassignable quantities, arementis fictiones, i.e., (well-founded) fictions usable in mathematics, but possibly contrary to the Leibnizian principle of the harmony of things and not necessarily idealizing anything inrerum natura. Unlike infinite wholes, infinitesimals—as well as imaginary roots and other well-founded fictions—may involve accidental (as opposed to absolute) impossibilities, in accordance with the Leibnizian theories of knowledge and modality.
A safe and just space for urban mobility: a framework for sector-based sustainable consumption corridor development
Authors: Dillman Kevin Joseph , Czepkiewicz Michał , Heinonen Jukka , Davíðsdóttir Brynhildur
Published: December 2021

Non-technical summary

The exponential growth of humanity's resource consumption over the last half-century has led to ecological decline while people's basic needs have not been universally satisfied. The ‘doughnut economy’ and sustainable consumption corridor concepts have gained global attention, providing frameworks in which the maximum allowable environmental impacts and the minimum social levels acceptable to lead a good life establish a guiding pathway to meet human needs whilst remaining within the Earth's carrying capacity. We apply this thinking to the urban mobility sector in this article in an attempt to formulate a ‘safe and just space’ for urban mobility.

Technical summary

The theoretical and broad application of the ‘doughnut economy’ and sustainable consumption corridor concepts are lacking in implementation due to a limited understanding of sectoral thresholds. This study highlights the weakness of sustainable urban mobility indicator studies which often lack connections to ecological ceilings and social foundations and, thus, lack the ability to show if a mobility system is intergenerationally sustainable or not. Therefore, this study aims to bridge this knowledge gap and develop a mobility sector-focused sustainable consumption corridor. It does so by using a collection of concepts and associated indicators ranging from sustainable urban mobility, sustainable consumption corridors, ecological thresholds, needs theory and mobility social impacts to mobility poverty. The output of this study is an initial design of a mobility-focused sustainable consumption corridor with suggested themes and indicators to measure the relative performance of a region in relation to the material dimensions of the corridor accompanied by a discussion surrounding spatial, temporal and sectoral corridor-defining thresholds. This work provides a novel first step in the direction of sector-based sustainable consumption corridors which can aid in providing a transformational alternative to the status quo through the implementation of safe and just sectors.

Social media summary

This article applies the ‘doughnut economy’ and sustainable consumption corridors to the urban mobility sector. It provides a framework for evaluating urban mobility systems in terms of their ecological impacts (the ‘ecological ceiling’) and providing for human needs (the ‘social floor’), and for defining a ‘safe and just space for urban mobility’.
Gender Differences in Suicide Rates of Municipalities in South Korea
Authors: Jeong Kyu-Hyoung , Cho Seungjong
Published: December 2021

Abstract: Background: South Korea showed the highest suicide rate among the countries in the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Aims: This study aimed to discern the profiles of municipalities according to their suicide rates across the life cycle and gender, and then to identify the unique characteristics of each latent group. Method: This study applied a latent profile modeling to categorize the regions by life cycle suicide rates of their residents. The latent profile analysis (LPA) yielded four latent groups for males and three groups for females. This study explored the unique characteristics of 250 municipalities by latent groups with these groups. Results: The results suggested significant gender differences in the characteristics of localities. For the high adolescent suicide rates groups, there was a higher proportion of urban areas among males while there was a higher proportion of rural regions among females. Limitations: This study analyzed secondary data of municipalities, so the characteristics of each profile of suicide rate could only be identified within this existing data. Conclusions: This paper is one of the first studies to apply the LPA to different latent profiles by life cycle suicide rates.
Extreme Flooding and Nitrogen Dynamics of a Blackwater River
Authors: Neville J. A. , Emanuel R. E. , Nichols E. G. , Vose J.
Published: December 2021

Extreme floods, including those expected to become more frequent in a warming world, may impact nutrient metabolism in streams. However, flood impacts on spatial and temporal variability of nutrient dynamics on large rivers (e.g., fourth order and higher) have been understudied. In 2016, Hurricane Matthew provided a unique opportunity to evaluate nitrate retention and processing on the Lumbee River, a blackwater stream in southeastern North Carolina. The 3,000+ km2 watershed received as much as 400 mm of rain in 48 hr as the storm moved across the Atlantic Coastal Plain. Resulting floods in the watershed were the largest on record, based on more than 80 years of continuous streamflow measurements at the watershed outlet. We used a modified Lagrangian sampling method to collect water samples and supporting water quality data at multiple points along three reaches of the Lumbee River for several months before and after Hurricane Matthew. Samples were analyzed for nitrate‐nitrogen and used to estimate retention and areal uptake rates for multiple subsections within each reach. Although nitrate‐nitrogen concentrations did not change significantly after the flood, we found that the spatial variability of within‐reach retention and areal uptake increased substantially following the flood, evidenced by changes to within‐reach interquartile ranges. The spatial variability of areal uptake returned to pre‐flood levels approximately eight months after Hurricane Matthew, but retention variability remained elevated at the end of our field study. These results highlight the potential for extreme flooding to impact biogeochemical processes in large rivers long after flood waters subside.
Rock Magnetic Signature of Heterogeneities Across an Intraplate Basal Contact: An Example From the Northern Apennines
Authors: Robustelli Test Claudio , Zanella Elena
Published: December 2021

Heterogeneities in the magnetic signature along intraplate shear zones complicate their correlation with the physical processes that are involved in the geodynamic evolution of megathrusts. Isolating the preferred orientation of different magnetic minerals may provide insights into faulting processes, tectonics, and strain partitioning. Studies of exhumed analogs are fundamental to constrain variations in the magnetic properties with respect to a geodynamic context of intraplate shear zones. This study uses a combined statistical and magnetic approach to separate the contribution of coexisting petrofabrics to better interpret the heterogeneities in the magnetic signature. The main results indicate that there is a strong dependency among the variation in the magnetic properties and their anisotropy with the distance from the thrust faults and strain localization within the shear zone. Close to the main thrust, we observed a shear‐related fabric, indicating a high degree of non‐coaxial strain. Away from the thrust faults, the degree of anisotropy and the ellipsoids' oblateness gradually diminishes and subfabrics related to previous tectonic events or less intense deformation become dominant. Our observations also indicate strain decoupling across the basal thrust with dominant vertical uniaxial strain within the footwall. In contrast characterization of the anisotropy of magnetic remanence provides significant information on the variable response of different subpopulations of ferromagnetic minerals to shearing, indicating different degree of reworking or independent deformation processes.
The Medial Offshore Record of Explosive Volcanism Along the Central to Eastern Aegean Volcanic Arc: 1. Tephrostratigraphic Correlations
Authors: Kutterolf S. , Freundt A. , Hansteen T. H. , Dettbarn R. , Hampel F. , Sievers C. , Wittig C. , Allen S. R. , Druitt T. H. , McPhie J. , Nomikou P. , Pank K. , Schindlbeck‐Belo J. C. , Wang K.‐L. , Lee H.‐Y. , Friedrichs B.
Published: December 2021

The Milos, Christiana‐Santorini‐Kolumbo (CSK) and Kos‐Yali‐Nisyros (KYN) volcanic complexes of the Aegean Volcanic Arc have repeatedly produced highly explosive eruptions from at least ∼360 ka into historic times and still show recent unrest. We present the marine tephra record from an array of 50, up to 7.4 m long, sediment cores along the arc collected in 2017 during RV Poseidon cruise POS513, which complements earlier work on distal to ultra‐distal eastern Mediterranean sediment cores. A unique set of glass‐shard trace element (LA‐ICPMS) compositions complements our major element (EMP) data on 220 primary ash layers and 40 terrestrial samples to support geochemical fingerprinting for correlations with 19 known tephras from all three volcanic complexes and with the 39 ka Campanian Ignimbrite from the Campi Flegrei, Italy. The correlations include 11 eruptions from CSK (Kameni, Kolumbo 1650, Minoan, Cape Riva, Cape Tripiti, Upper Scoriae 1 and 2, Middle Pumice, Cape Thera, Lower Pumice, Cape Therma 3). We identify a previously unknown widespread tephra from a plinian eruption on Milos (Firiplaka Tephra). Near the KYN we correlate marine tephras with the Kos Plateau Tuff, the Yali 1 and Yali 2 tephras, and the Upper and Lower Pumice on Nisyros. Between these two major tephras, we found two tephras from Nisyros not yet observed on land. The four Nisyros tephras form a systematic trend toward more evolved magma compositions. In the companion paper we use the tephrostratigraphic framework established here to constrain new eruption ages and magnitudes as a contribution to volcanic hazard assessment.
The Medial Offshore Record of Explosive Volcanism Along the Central to Eastern Aegean Volcanic Arc: 2. Tephra Ages and Volumes, Eruption Magnitudes and Marine Sedimentation Rate Variations
Authors: Kutterolf S. , Freundt A. , Druitt T. H. , McPhie J. , Nomikou P. , Pank K. , Schindlbeck‐Belo J. C. , Hansteen T. H. , Allen S. R.
Published: December 2021

We use the tephrostratigraphic framework along the Aegean Volcanic Arc established in Part 1 of this contribution to determine hemipelagic sedimentation rates, calculate new tephra ages, and constrain the minimum magnitudes of (sub)plinian eruptions of the last 200 kyrs. Hemipelagic sedimentation rates range from ∼0.5 cm/kyr up to ∼40 cm/kyr and vary laterally as well as over time. Interpolation between dated tephras yields an eruption age of ∼37 ka for the Firiplaka tephra, showing that explosive volcanism on Milos is ∼24 kyrs younger than previously thought. The four marine Nisyros tephras (N1 to N4) identified in Part 1 (including the Upper (N1) and Lower (N4) Pumice) have ages of ∼57 ka, ∼63 ka, ∼69 ka, and ∼76 ka, respectively. Eruption ages for the Yali‐1 and Yali‐2 tephras are ∼55 ka and ∼34 ka, respectively. The Yali‐2 tephra comprises two geochemically and laterally distinct marine facies. The southern facies is identical to the Yali‐2 fall deposit on land but the western facies has slightly less evolved glass compositions. Overall, erupted plinian and co‐ignimbrite fall tephra volumes range from <1 to 56 km3 (excluding possible caldera fillings and ignimbrite volumes), and 80% of the eruptions had magnitude 5.5 < M ≤ 7.2 (M = log(m)‐7; m = erupted magma mass in kg). Twenty percent of the tephras represent 3.2 < M < 5.5 eruptions. The long‐term average tephra magma mass flux through highly explosive eruptions of Santorini is estimated at ∼40 kg/s. The analogous data for the Kos‐Yali‐Nisyros volcanic complex is less‐well constrained but similar to Santorini.
Impact Angle Control of Local Intense dB/dt Variations During Shock‐Induced Substorms
Authors: Oliveira Denny M. , Weygand James M. , Zesta Eftyhia , Ngwira Chigomezyo M. , Hartinger Michael D. , Xu Zhonghua , Giles Barbara L. , Gershman Daniel J. , Silveira Marcos V. D. , Souza Vítor M.
Published: December 2021

The impact of interplanetary shocks on the magnetosphere can trigger magnetic substorms that intensify auroral electrojet currents. These currents enhance ground magnetic field perturbations (dB/dt), which in turn generate geomagnetically induced currents (GICs) that can be detrimental to power transmission infrastructure. We perform a comparative study of dB/dt variations in response to two similarly strong shocks, but with one being nearly frontal and the other highly inclined. Multi‐instrument analyses by the Time History of Events and Macroscale Interactions during Substorms (THEMIS) and Los Alamos National Laboratory spacecraft show that nightside substorm‐time energetic particle injections are more intense and occur faster in the case of the nearly head‐on impact. The same trend is observed in dB/dt variations recorded by THEMIS ground magnetometers. THEMIS all‐sky imager data show a fast and clear poleward auroral expansion in the first case, which does not clearly occur in the second case. Strong field‐aligned currents computed with the spherical elementary current system (SECS) technique occur in both cases, but the current variations resulting from the inclined shock impact are weaker and slower compared to the nearly frontal case. SECS analyses also reveal that geographic areas with dB/dt surpassing the thresholds 1.5 and 5 nT/s, usually linked to high‐risk GICs, are larger and occur earlier due to the symmetric compression caused by the nearly head‐on impact. These results, with profound space weather implications, suggest that shock impact angles affect the geospace driving conditions and the location and intensity of the subsequent dB/dt variations during substorm activity.
Spaceborne River Discharge From a Nonparametric Stochastic Quantile Mapping Function
Authors: Elmi Omid , Tourian Mohammad J. , Bárdossy András , Sneeuw Nico
Published: December 2021

The number of active gauges with open‐data policy for discharge monitoring along rivers has decreased over the last decades. Therefore, spaceborne measurements are investigated as alternatives. Among different techniques for estimating river discharge from space, developing a rating curve between the ground‐based discharge and spaceborne river water level or width is the most straightforward one. However, this does not always lead to successful results, since the river section morphology often cannot simply be modeled by a limited number of parameters. Moreover, such methods do not deliver a proper estimation of the discharge's uncertainty as a result of the mismodeling and also the coarse assumptions made for the uncertainty of inputs. Here, we propose a nonparametric model for estimating river discharge and its uncertainty from spaceborne river width measurements. The model employs a stochastic quantile mapping scheme by, iteratively: (a) generating realizations of river discharge and width time series using Monte Carlo simulation, (b) obtaining a collection of quantile mapping functions by matching all possible permutations of simulated river discharge and width quantile functions, and (c) adjusting the measurement uncertainties according to the point cloud scatter. We validate our method over 14 different river reaches along the Niger, Congo, Po Rivers, and several river reaches in the Mississippi river basin. Our results show that the proposed algorithm can mitigate the effect of measurement noise and also possible mismodeling. Moreover, the proposed algorithm delivers a meaningful uncertainty for the estimated discharge and allows us to calibrate the error bars of in situ discharge measurements.
Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Nitrous Oxide Emission Hotspots in Heterogeneous Riparian Sediments
Authors: Wallace Corey D. , Tonina Daniele , McGarr Jeffrey T. , de Barros Felipe P. J. , Soltanian Mohamad Reza
Published: December 2021

Nitrous oxide (N2O) is a potent ozone‐depleting greenhouse gas produced by incomplete denitrification. Recent works on riverine N2O emissions focus mainly on contributions from in‐channel, benthic, and fluvial hyporheic environments under assumptions of steady‐state conditions and homogeneous sediment hydraulic conductivity (K). However, riparian floodplains are also a potentially important N2O source characterized by complex sediment heterogeneity and dynamic surface and groundwater interactions. We use numerical flow and reactive transport models to investigate the influence of complex sedimentary architecture and high‐flow events (e.g., storms) on N2O production. We interpret the correlation between flow and solute fields with the flow topological Okubo‐Weiss metric (OW) and the scalar dissipation rate weighted by soil organic matter (OM) fraction and soil saturation. We model a heterogeneous riparian floodplain based on field observations from the Theis Environmental Monitoring and Modeling Site, Ohio, USA. N2O production is greatest within intermediate‐K sediments (e.g., sands) where denitrification rates are highest, and emissions increase by more than an order of magnitude during storms. Sensitivity analysis reveals that the denitrification rate is most influential for N2O flux, accounting for nearly 46% of the variance in production rates. Denitrification rates adapt to spatial changes in the flow topology (measured by OW) related to sediment heterogeneity and are strongly influenced by subsurface mixing dynamics. Mixing is greatest in shear strain‐dominated regions, while vorticity promotes OM dissolution and prolongs residence times. Accurate lithologic representation is imperative for characterizing subsurface N2O production dynamics, especially given growing concern regarding climate change driven hydrologic changes within watersheds worldwide.
Tracking Microplastics Across the Streambed Interface: Using Laser‐Induced‐Fluorescence to Quantitatively Analyze Microplastic Transport in an Experimental Flume
Authors: Boos Jan‐Pascal , Gilfedder Benjamin Silas , Frei Sven
Published: December 2021

Rivers and streams are a primary transport vector for microplastics (MPs), connecting terrestrial sources to marine environments. While previous studies indicated that pore‐scale MPs can accumulate in streambed sediments, the specific MPs transport and retention mechanisms in fluvial systems remain poorly understood. As part of this technical note, we present a novel method for a quantitative analysis of the spatiotemporal transport and retention of pore‐scale MPs in an experimental flume. A continuous mass balance for MPs in surface water was achieved using two online fluorometers, while a laser‐induced Fluorescence‐Imaging‐System was developed to track and quantify the spatial migration of MPs through the streambed sediments. The detection limit was <1 μg/L for 1 μm polystyrene microbeads with the fluorometers and 3 μg/L for the Fluorescence‐Imaging‐System. The system was able to quantitatively track the advective transfer of MPs into the streambed sediments: a process that has yet not been observed experimentally. Results showed that MPs infiltrated into the streambed sediments up to a depth twice the bedform amplitude. This work provides a novel experimental method to quantitatively monitor MP transport through porous media and advective exchange of MP across the streambed interface.
Transmissive-detected laser speckle contrast imaging for blood flow monitoring in thick tissue: from Monte Carlo simulation to experimental demonstration
Authors: Li Dong-Yu , Xia Qing , Yu Ting-Ting , Zhu Jing-Tan , Zhu Dan
Published: December 2021

Laser speckle contrast imaging (LSCI) is a powerful tool to monitor blood flow distribution and has been widely used in studies of microcirculation, both for animal and clinical applications. Conventionally, LSCI usually works on reflective-detected mode. However, it could provide promising temporal and spatial resolution for in vivo applications only with the assistance of various tissue windows, otherwise, the overlarge superficial static speckle would extremely limit its contrast and resolution. Here, we systematically investigated the capability of transmissive-detected LSCI (TR-LSCI) for blood flow monitoring in thick tissue. Using Monte Carlo simulation, we theoretically compared the performance of transmissive and reflective detection. It was found that the reflective-detected mode was better when the target layer was at the very surface, but the imaging quality would rapidly decrease with imaging depth, while the transmissive-detected mode could obtain a much stronger signal-to-background ratio (SBR) for thick tissue. We further proved by tissue phantom, animal, and human experiments that in a certain thickness of tissue, TR-LSCI showed remarkably better performance for thick-tissue imaging, and the imaging quality would be further improved if the use of longer wavelengths of near-infrared light. Therefore, both theoretical and experimental results demonstrate that TR-LSCI is capable of obtaining thick-tissue blood flow information and holds great potential in the field of microcirculation research.
Pharmacological inhibition of LSD1 triggers myeloid differentiation by targeting GSE1 oncogenic functions in AML
Authors: Nicosia Luciano , Boffo Francesca Ludovica , Ceccacci Elena , Conforti Fabio , Pallavicini Isabella , Bedin Fabio , Ravasio Roberto , Massignani Enrico , Somervaille Tim C. P. , Minucci Saverio , Bonaldi Tiziana
Published: December 2021

The histone demethylase LSD1 is over-expressed in hematological tumors and has emerged as a promising target for anticancer treatment, so that several LSD1 inhibitors are under development and testing, in preclinical and clinical settings. However, the complete understanding of their complex mechanism of action is still unreached. Here, we unraveled a novel mode of action of the LSD1 inhibitors MC2580 and DDP-38003, showing that they can induce differentiation of AML cells through the downregulation of the chromatin protein GSE1. Analysis of the phenotypic effects of GSE1 depletion in NB4 cells showed a strong decrease of cell viability in vitro and of tumor growth in vivo. Mechanistically, we found that a set of genes associated with immune response and cytokine-signaling pathways are upregulated by LSD1 inhibitors through GSE1-protein reduction and that LSD1 and GSE1 colocalize at promoters of a subset of these genes at the basal state, enforcing their transcriptional silencing. Moreover, we show that LSD1 inhibitors lead to the reduced binding of GSE1 to these promoters, activating transcriptional programs that trigger myeloid differentiation. Our study offers new insights into GSE1 as a novel therapeutic target for AML.