bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coverage and Acceptability of Mobile Phone Messages for Cancer Prevention: a Population-Based Study in a Latin American Country
Authors: Murillo Raúl , Ordóñez-Reyes Camila , Caicedo-Martínez María , Vargas Sandra Paola , Ariza Elsa , Schüz Joachim , Espina Carolina
Published: November 2020

Mobile health (m-health) has shown positive effects on disease prevention; however, several factors might influence its effectiveness, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Randomized trials provide data with high internal validity but no major information on population impact. We conducted a pilot population-based study to assess the feasibility of cancer prevention through m-health in a Latin American population. A sample of affiliates to a health insurance company in Colombia was randomly selected and assigned to receive a short message service (SMS) or voice messages (VMS) during 4 weeks; weekly frequencies 2 and 7. Baseline and post-intervention surveys were conducted. Overall, 797 affiliates were contacted (SMS 393, VMS 404) but only 15.3% and 24.8% enrolled, respectively. Over 80% acceptability was observed among participants for all items evaluated (usefulness, understandability, timing, and frequency); however, 2-VMS per week was the only frequency consistent with the declared number of messages received and listened. Other frequencies resulted in high reception recall but low willingness to read/listen the messages. The willingness to be part of future programs was 20.0%. The gap between declared acceptability and practice, low participation rates, and low willingness to read/listen messages indicate m-health should be part of multicomponent interventions and should not be conceived as the sole intervention.
COVID-19 and Ecosyndemic Vulnerability: Implications for El Niño-Sensitive Countries in Latin America
Authors: Ramírez Ivan J. , Lee Jieun
Published: November 2020

Latin America has emerged as an epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic. Brazil, Peru, and Ecuador report some of the highest COVID-19 rates of incidence and deaths in the region. These countries also face synergistic threats from multiple infectious diseases (that is, ecosyndemic) and quasi-periodic El Niño-related hazards every few years. For example, Peru, which is highly sensitive to El Niño, already copes with an ecosyndemic health burden that heightens during and following weather and climate extreme events. Using an ecosyndemic lens, which draws on a multi-disease hazard context of place, this commentary highlights the importance of El Niño as a major factor that not only may aggravate COVID-19 incidence in the future, but also the broader health problem of ecosyndemic vulnerability in Latin America.
Recent advances in anthocyanin dyes extracted from plants for dye sensitized solar cell
Authors: Amogne Negese Yazie , Ayele Delele Worku , Tsigie Yeshitila Asteraye
Published: November 2020

Dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are under extensive research works due to their appealing features such as low production costs. The production costs and energy conversion efficiency of DSSCs is strongly influenced by the types of dyes used to harvest photons. Natural dyes extracted from different sources are emerged as a potential candidates to synthetic photosensitizers due to their merit properties including low cost, complete biodegradability, availability and less environmental concern. In order to improve the energy conversion efficiency of natural photosensitizers, blending of different dyes, co-pigmentation of dyes, acidifying of dyes and other approaches have been conducted by researchers, resulting in appreciable performance. This paper reviews the factors affecting the stability of anthocyanin pigments and also the solvents needed for efficient extraction of anthocyanins. Moreover, the potential application of anthocyanin dyes as photosensitizers for DSSC along with the work done over the years is covered.
Effect of interaction between cementite and pearlite on two-body abrasive wear behaviors in white cast iron
Authors: Zheng Baochao , Li Wei , Tu Xiaohui , Xing Jiandong , Song Suocheng
Published: November 2020

The wear interaction of cementite and pearlite in the white cast iron (WCI) was investigated using the two-body abrasive wear test under contact loads of 20, 35, and 50 N. The wear behavior, wear surface morphology, sub-surface structure, and wear resistance were evaluated using X-ray diffraction, microhardness testing, and nano-indentation. The results indicated that when the Cr content was increased from 0 to 4 wt%, there was a significant increase in the microhardness (H) and elasticity modulus (E) of the cementite. This yielded a 15.91%- and 23.6%-reduction in the degree of wear resistance and surface roughness, respectively. Moreover, no spalling and breaking of cementite was observed with increasing Cr content during the wear process, indicating improved wear resistance of the bulk cementite. In addition, the hard phase (cementite) and tough matrix (pearlite) composite structure exhibited a good protective and supporting effect. Thus, it was concluded that the interaction mechanism of the wear phase contributed to the reduction of the wear weight loss of the composite during the wear process. The contribution of the interaction between the hard wear-resistant phase and the tough phase in WCI to the wear resistance decreased with increasing hardness of the pearlite matrix.
Generalized dice similarity measures for complex q-Rung Orthopair fuzzy sets and its application
Authors: Garg Harish , Ali Zeeshan , Mahmood Tahir
Published: November 2020

Complex q-rung orthopair fuzzy set (Cq-ROFS) is an extension of Complex fuzzy set, intuitionistic fuzzy set, Pythagorean fuzzy set, to cope with complicated and inconsistence information in the environment of fuzzy set theory with a wider domain. In Cq-ROFS, each attribute is characterized by the degree of membership and non-membership degree over the unit-disc of the complex plan. Keeping the advantages of Cq-ROFSs, in this manuscript, we present a concept of the dice similarity and generalized dice similarity measures between the pairs of the sets. The basic axioms and properties are also stated. Further, we extend the proposed measures to weighted dice similarity measures and investigated their properties. The certain properties and the special cases of the proposed work are also derived. The applicability of the proposed measures is demonstrated with some numerical examples related to medical diagnoses and pattern recognition. The superiority and advantages of the measures over the existing ones are also illustrated with certain numerical examples.
Estimation of Forest Canopy Cover and Forest Fragmentation Mapping Using Landsat Satellite Data of Silabati River Basin (India)
Authors: Bera Biswajit , Saha Soumik , Bhattacharjee Sumana
Published: November 2020

Forest is an imperative part of environment but in the recent years, forest areas are being transformed due to population expansion, unscientific urbanization and a rising trend of industrialization in some countries. Dense forests habitats have been fragmented into patch forest region. This paper attempts to find out the forest canopy or crown density and forest fragmentation areas as well as to identify the spatiotemporal changing paradigms of forest within the Silabati river basin. Forest Canopy Density and fragmentation models are an important craftsmanship to examine the health of the forest or vegetation in a given area. Various indices such as Normalize Difference Vegetation Index, Advanced Vegetation Index, Shadow Index, Bareness Index and ultimately weightage overlay analysis methods have been adopted to determine forest health or anthropogenic stress on forest habitats. Higher weight has been assigned to dense forest areas and open forest area has been given lower weight. The result shows that forest canopy or crown cover as well as forest density are radically reduced in between the time period 1998 and 2009. It is also stated that the total 116.549 km2 areas have been degraded during 11 years period (1998–2009) with a rate of 10.59 km2/year. Meanwhile, 180.02 km2 forest areas have been regained in between 2019 and 2009 with a rate of 18 km2/year that is possible only due to implementation of forest policies exclusively execution of participatory or joint forest management techniques.
Traumatic brain injury in mice induces changes in the expression of the XCL1/XCR1 and XCL1/ITGA9 axes
Authors: Ciechanowska Agata , Popiolek-Barczyk Katarzyna , Ciapała Katarzyna , Pawlik Katarzyna , Oggioni Marco , Mercurio Domenico , de Simoni Maria-Grazia , Mika Joanna
Published: November 2020

Background

Every year, millions of people suffer from various forms of traumatic brain injury (TBI), and new approaches with therapeutic potential are required. Although chemokines are known to be involved in brain injury, the importance of X-C motif chemokine ligand 1 (XCL1) and its receptors, X-C motif chemokine receptor 1 (XCR1) and alpha-9 integrin (ITGA9), in the progression of TBI remain unknown.

Methods

Using RT-qPCR/Western blot/ELISA techniques, changes in the mRNA/protein levels of XCL1 and its two receptors, in brain areas at different time points were measured in a mouse model of TBI. Moreover, their cellular origin and possible changes in expression were evaluated in primary glial cell cultures.

Results

Studies revealed the spatiotemporal upregulation of the mRNA expression of XCL1, XCR1 and ITGA9 in all the examined brain areas (cortex, thalamus, and hippocampus) and at most of the evaluated stages after brain injury (24 h; 4, 7 days; 2, 5 weeks), except for ITGA9 in the thalamus. Moreover, changes in XCL1 protein levels occurred in all the studied brain structures; the strongest upregulation was observed 24 h after trauma. Our in vitro experiments proved that primary murine microglial and astroglial cells expressed XCR1 and ITGA9, however they seemed not to be a main source of XCL1.

Conclusions

These findings indicate that the XCL1/XCR1 and XCL1/ITGA9 axes may participate in the development of TBI. The XCL1 can be considered as one of the triggers of secondary injury, therefore XCR1 and ITGA9 may be important targets for pharmacological intervention after traumatic brain injury.

Graphic abstract
Gevrey regularity for the Vlasov-Poisson system
Authors: Velozo Ruiz Renato
Published: November 2020

We prove propagation of

\frac{1}{s}

-Gevrey regularity

(s \in (0,1])

for the Vlasov-Poisson system on

\mathbb{T}^{d} \times \mathbb{R}^{d}

using a Fourier space method in analogy to the results proved for the 2D-Euler system in [20] and [23]. More precisely, we give quantitative estimates for the growth of the

\frac{1}{s}

-Gevrey norm and decay of the regularity radius for the solution of the system in terms of the force field and the volume of the support in the velocity variable of the distribution of matter. As an application, we show global existence of

\frac{1}{s}

-Gevrey solutions (

s \in (0,1)

) for the Vlasov-Poisson system in

\mathbb{T}^{3} \times \mathbb{R}^{3}

. Furthermore, the propagation of Gevrey regularity can be easily modified to obtain the same result in

\mathbb{R}^{d} \times \mathbb{R}^{d}

. In particular, this implies global existence of analytic

(s = 1)

and

\frac{1}{s}

-Gevrey solutions (

s \in (0,1)

) for the Vlasov-Poisson system in

\mathbb{R}^{3} \times \mathbb{R}^{3}

.
Homogenization of a stochastically forced Hamilton-Jacobi equation
Authors: Seeger Benjamin
Published: November 2020

We study the homogenization of a Hamilton-Jacobi equation forced by rapidly oscillating noise that is colored in space and white in time. It is shown that the homogenized equation is deterministic, and, in general, the noise has an enhancement effect, for which we provide a quantitative estimate. As an application, we perform a noise sensitivity analysis for Hamilton-Jacobi equations forced by a noise term with small amplitude, and identify the scaling at which the macroscopic enhancement effect is felt. The results depend on new, probabilistic estimates for the large scale Hölder regularity of the solutions, which are of independent interest.
Association Between the Economic Environment and the Living Organ Donation Rate: Evidence and Implications
Authors: Lee Sean S. , Sielski Michael W. , Charpentier Kevin P.
Published: November 2020

BACKGROUND:

We studied the contribution of the economic environment to an individual's decision to donate an organ by examining the relationship between the unemployment rate and the living donation rate.

STUDY DESIGN:

We obtained living organ donation data from the Organ Procurement and Transplant Network (OPTN) containing 134,138 organ donation events from 1990 through 2016. We obtained monthly unemployment rates from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) from 1990 through 2016, and obtained quarterly real gross domestic product (real GDP) by state from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) from 2005 through 2016. We conducted graphical and statistical analysis with regression modeling using state and time fixed effects.

RESULTS:

Descriptive graphical plots suggest that unlike the unemployment rate, the donation rate is non-cyclical over time, implying little association between the two factors. This is conferred by a linear regression model using state and calendar month fixed effects, where we found no significant association between the unemployment and donation rates (95% CI [-0.004, 0.008], interpreted as the change in number of donations per 100,000 people associated with 1% change in the unemployment rate). We also did not find any significant association between the real GDP and the donation rates. Subgroup analysis by sex, race, and age also revealed no significant associations.

CONCLUSIONS:

The unemployment rate and the real GDP do not appear to be associated with the living organ donation rate, suggesting that the economic environment may not play a major role in the decision to donate an organ.
Patterns of Human Growth
Authors: Bogin Barry
Published: November 2020

This completely revised edition provides a synthesis of the forces that shaped the evolution of the human growth pattern, the biocultural factors that direct its expression, the intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate individual development, and the biomathematical approaches needed to analyze and interpret human growth. After covering the history, philosophy and biological principles of human development, the book turns to the evolution of the human life cycle. Later chapters explore the physiological, environmental and cultural reasons for population variation in growth, and the genetic and endocrine factors that regulate individual development. Using numerous historical and cultural examples, social-economic-political-economic forces are also discussed. A new chapter introduces controversial concepts of community effects and strategic growth adjustments, and the author then integrates all this information into a truly interactive biocultural model of human development. This remains the primary text for students of human growth in anthropology, psychology, public health and education.
Global Spacetime Structure
Authors: Manchak JB
Published: November 2020

This exploration of the global structure of spacetime within the context of general relativity examines the causal and singular structures of spacetime, revealing some of the curious possibilities that are compatible with the theory, such as 'time travel' and 'holes' of various types. Investigations into the epistemic and modal structures of spacetime highlight the difficulties in ruling out such possibilities, unlikely as they may seem at first. The upshot seems to be that what counts as a 'physically reasonable' spacetime structure in modern physics is far from clear.
Synergising International Public Health Law and International Disaster Law
Authors: DIXIT Pratik
Published: November 2020

There is no time more opportune to review the workings of the International Health Regulations (IHR) than the present COVID-19 crisis. This article analyses the theoretical and practical aspects of international public health law (IPHL), particularly the IHR, to argue that it is woefully unprepared to protect human rights in times of a global public health crisis. To rectify this, the article argues that the IHR should design effective risk reduction and response strategies by incorporating concepts from international disaster law (IDL). Along similar lines, this article suggests that IDL also has a lot to learn from IPHL in terms of greater internationalisation and institutionalisation. Institutionalisation of IDL on par with IPHL will provide it with greater legitimacy, transparency and accountability. This article argues that greater cross-pollination of ideas between IDL and IPHL is necessary in order to make these disciplines more relevant for the future.
Self-Consciousness as a Living Kind: On the Fourth Chapter of Hegel's Phenomenology
Authors: Ionel Lucian
Published: November 2020

This paper discusses Hegel's conception of self-consciousness in the fourth chapter of the Phenomenology of Spirit. It argues that Hegel articulates self-consciousness as a living being's capacity to conceive of itself in light of the life-form it instantiates. I start by critically reassessing the prevalent readings of the Self-Consciousness chapter, each of which focuses on one of three constitutive aspects of self-consciousness: sociality, corporeality or practicality. Second, I reconstruct how the opening of the chapter aims to reveal that the initial rift between the sensory and the conceptual capacities of consciousness is resolved by the unity of consciousness as a life-form. Third, I discuss the specification of this life-form as Geist and argue that, by introducing the notion of Geist, Hegel indicates that the generic capacity of the human being to conceive of itself in light of its life-form always particularizes itself in a conception of human life that determines a historic and social form of life. Fourth, I outline how the master-slave dialectic illustrates the interdependency between sensory and conceptual capacities. Hegel's tale undermines the assumption of a self-contained capacity for reason by displaying how conceptual capacities, actualized by a living being, rely from the outset on objective constraints. I conclude by contending that the Self-Consciousness chapter paves the way for the central role that the idea of life plays in the Logic in exemplifying the objectivity of the concept.
Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene aeolian deposits of Tasmania and their climatic implications
Authors: McIntosh Peter D. , Neudorf Christina , Lian Olav B. , Slee Adrian J. , Walker Brianna , Eberhard Rolan , Doyle Richard , Dixon Grant
Published: November 2020

Late Pleistocene and Early Holocene aeolian deposits in Tasmania are extensive in the present subhumid climate zone but also occur in areas receiving >1000 mm of rain annually. Thermoluminescence, optically stimulated luminescence, and radiocarbon ages indicate that most of the deposits formed during periods of cold climate. Some dunes are remnants of longitudinal desert dunes sourced from now-inundated continental shelves which were previously semi-arid. Others formed near source, often in the form of lunettes east of seasonally-dry lagoons in the previously semi-arid Midlands and southeast of Tasmania, or as accumulations close to floodplains of major rivers, or as sandsheets in exposed areas. Burning of vegetation by the Aboriginal population after 40 ka is likely to have influenced sediment supply. A key site for determining climate variability in southern Tasmania is Maynes Junction which records three periods of aeolian deposition (at ca. 90, 32 and 20 ka), interspersed with periods of hillslope instability. Whether wind speeds were higher than at present during the last glacial period is uncertain, but shells in the Mary Ann Bay sandsheet near Hobart and particle size analysis of the Ainslie dunes in northeast Tasmania suggest stronger winds during the last glacial period than at present.
The Examiner and the Evangelist: Authorities of Music and Empire,c.1894
Authors: JOHNSON-WILLIAMS ERIN
Published: November 2020

In the 1890s, two musicians travelled between Britain and South Africa. One was the first examiner to travel abroad to examine for the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, Franklin Taylor. At the same time as Taylor’s arrival in the Cape in 1894, a black South African composer, John Knox Bokwe, prepared to republish a tonic sol-fa hymnal containing many hymns that eventually became popular in Britain, to which Bokwe travelled multiple times. Although these narratives might appear to reflect highly divergent contexts for musical experience, the fluctuating constructions of imperial authority encountered in the careers of both these men link their stories together more deeply than their geographical and cultural disparities set them apart. The synchronous presentation of their stories in this article thus raises questions of how music emerged as a metaphor for constructions of imperial knowledge across shifting cultural boundaries.
A Global Macroeconomic Risk Model for Value, Momentum, and Other Asset Classes
Authors: Cooper Ilan , Mitrache Andreea , Priestley Richard
Published: November 2020

Value and momentum returns and combinations of them across both countries and asset classes are explained by their loadings on global macroeconomic risk factors. These loadings describe why value and momentum have positive return premia, although being negatively correlated. The global macroeconomic risk factors also perform well in capturing the returns on other characteristic-based portfolios. The findings identify a global macroeconomic source of the common variation in returns across countries and asset classes.
Spontaneous formation of coherent structures by an intense laser pulse interacting with overdense plasma
Authors: Mandal Devshree , Vashistha Ayushi , Das Amita
Published: November 2020

The formation and the dynamics of coherent magnetic field structures in the context of laser plasma interaction has attracted considerable attention. In the literature the formation of these structures has, however, mostly been reported in the wake of a laser pulse propagating in an underdense plasma medium (Bulanov et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 76, 1996, pp. 3562–3565; Nakamura & Mima Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 100, 2008, 205006; Bulanov et al., Plasma Phys. Rep., vol. 31, no. 5, 2005, pp. 369–381; Naumova et al., Phys. Plasmas, vol. 8, no. 9, 2001, pp. 4149–4155; Nakamura et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 105, no. 13, 2010, 135002). The study here focuses on the formation of coherent structures by an intense laser pulse when it interacts with an overdense plasma medium. The laser in this case gets reflected and partially dumps its energy to the lighter electrons species. Particle-in-cell simulation studies have been carried out in two dimensions to show that the energetic electrons (generated at the critical layer and having relativistic energies), together with the background plasma electrons often self-organize to form distinct electron current vortices. These electron vortices have associated magnetic fields with monopolar or dipolar symmetries depending on the rotation profile of the electron current. The formation, stability and dynamics of these structures in the context of overdense plasma is of special importance as they provide a possibility of energy transport into those regions of plasma which are inaccessible to lasers. For such applications, higher energy content (involvement of relativistic electrons in their formation) of these structures is desirable. It is shown that their salient propagation characteristics even at relativistic energies follow the rules of electron magnetohydrodynamics (EMHD) (Isichenko & Marnachev, Sov. Phys. JETP, vol. 66, 1987, p. 702; Biskamp et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., vol. 76, 1996, p. 1264) (Generalized - EMHD Yadav et al., Phys. Plasmas, vol. 15, no. 6, 2008, 062308; Yadav et al., Phys. Plasmas, vol. 16, no. 4, 2009, 040701) for homogeneous (inhomogeneous) plasma medium, respectively.
Dietary protein and bone health: towards a synthesised view
Authors: Darling Andrea L. , Millward D. Joe , Lanham-New Susan A.
Published: November 2020

The present paper reviews published literature on the relationship between dietary protein and bone health. It will include arguments both for and against the anabolic and catabolic effects of dietary protein on bone health. Adequate protein intake provides the amino acids used in building and maintaining bone tissue, as well as stimulating the action of insulin-like growth factor 1, which in turn promotes bone growth and increases calcium absorption. However, the metabolism of dietary sulphur amino acids, mainly from animal protein, can lead to increased physiological acidity, which may be detrimental for bone health in the long term. Similarly, cereal foods contain dietary phytate, which in turn contains phosphate. It is known that phosphate consumption can also lead to increased physiological acidity. Therefore, cereal products may produce as much acid as do animal proteins that contain sulphur amino acids. The overall effect of dietary protein on physiological acidity, and its consequent impact on bone health, is extremely complex and somewhat controversial. The consensus is now moving towards a synthesised approach. Particularly, how anabolic and catabolic mechanisms interact; as well as how the context of the whole diet and the type of protein consumed is important.
Effects of parasites upon non-host predator avoidance behaviour in native and invasive gammarids
Authors: Farahani Sajad , Palsbøll Per J. , Pen Ido , Komdeur Jan
Published: November 2020

The acanthocephalan parasite, Polymorphus minutus, manipulates its intermediate hosts' (gammarids) behaviour, presumably to facilitate its transmission to the definitive hosts. A fundamental question is whether this capability has evolved to target gammarids in general, or specifically sympatric gammarids. We assessed the responses to chemical cues from a non-host predator (the three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus) in infected and non-infected gammarids; two native (Gammarus pulex and Gammarus fossarum), and one invasive (Echinogammarus berilloni) species, all sampled in the Paderborn Plateau (Germany). The level of predator avoidance was assessed by subjecting gammarids to choice experiments with the presence or absence of predator chemical cues. We did not detect any behavioural differences between uninfected and infected G. pulex and E. berilloni, but an elevated degree of predator avoidance in infected G. fossarum. Avoiding non-host predators may ultimately increase the probability of P. minutus' of predation by the definitive host. Our results suggested that P. minutus' ability to alter the host's behaviour may have evolved to specifically target sympatric gammarid host species. Uninfected gammarids did not appear to avoid the non-host predator chemical cues. Overall the results also opened the possibility that parasites may play a critical role in the success or failure of invasive species.
A MEAN FIELD GAME ANALYSIS OF SIR DYNAMICS WITH VACCINATION
Authors: Doncel Josu , Gast Nicolas , Gaujal Bruno
Published: November 2020

We analyze a mean field game model of SIR dynamics (Susceptible, Infected, and Recovered) where players choose when to vaccinate. We show that this game admits a unique mean field equilibrium (MFE) that consists in vaccinating at a maximal rate until a given time and then not vaccinating. The vaccination strategy that minimizes the total cost has the same structure as the MFE. We prove that the vaccination period of the MFE is always smaller than the one minimizing the total cost. This implies that, to encourage optimal vaccination behavior, vaccination should always be subsidized. Finally, we provide numerical experiments to study the convergence of the equilibrium when the system is composed by a finite number of agents ($N$) to the MFE. These experiments show that the convergence rate of the cost is$1/N$and the convergence of the switching curve is monotone.
Nutrition and packaging characteristics of toddler foods and milks in Australia
Authors: McCann Jennifer R , Russell Georgina C , Campbell Karen J , Woods Julie L
Published: November 2020

Objective:

To analyse nutritional and packaging characteristics of toddler-specific foods and milks in the Australian retail food environment to identify how such products fit within the Australian Dietary Guidelines (ADG) and the NOVA classification.

Design:

Cross-sectional retail audit of toddler foods and milks. On-pack product attributes were recorded. Products were categorised as (1) food or milk; (2) snack food or meal and (3) snacks sub-categorised depending on main ingredients. Products were classified as a discretionary or core food as per the ADG and level of processing according to NOVA classification.

Setting:

Supermarkets and pharmacies in Australia.

Results:

A total of 154 foods and thirty-two milks were identified. Eighty percentage of foods were snacks, and 60 % of foods were classified as core foods, while 85 % were ultraprocessed (UP). Per 100 g, discretionary foods provided significantly more energy, protein, total and saturated fat, carbohydrate, total sugar and Na (P < 0·001) than core foods. Total sugars were significantly higher (P < 0·001) and Na significantly lower (P < 0·001) in minimally processed foods than in UP foods. All toddler milks (n 32) were found to have higher energy, carbohydrate and total sugar levels than full-fat cow’s milk per 100 ml. Claims and messages were present on 99 % of foods and all milks.

Conclusions:

The majority of toddler foods available in Australia are UP snack foods and do not align with the ADG. Toddler milks, despite being UP, do align with the ADG. A strengthened regulatory approach may address this issue.
Impact of smoking and fetal gender on preterm delivery
Authors: Günther Veronika , Alkatout Ibrahim , Stein Alexandra , Maass Nicolai , Strauss Alexander , Voigt Manfred
Published: November 2020

According to the World Health Organization, smoking is the most important risk factor for adverse pregnancy outcomes in industrialized nations. We aimed to establish how fetal gender and smoking interact with regard to perinatal outcomes, especially preterm delivery. Data from 220,339 singleton pregnancies, obtained from the German Perinatal Survey in Schleswig-Holstein and registered between 2004 and 2017 were analyzed in regard to smoking behavior, fetal gender, and preterm delivery. The rate of preterm births was directly proportional to the women’s consumption of nicotine. The rate of preterm deliveries was 6.8% among nonsmokers, and 13.2% in women who were very heavy smokers (≥22 cigarettes/day). Very heavy smoking (≥22 cigarettes/day) had a marked impact on extremely preterm births (<28 weeks of gestation) and very preterm births (28–31 weeks of gestation). Preterm births increased by 1.2% from heavy smokers to very heavy smokers; the differences between the other groups ranged between 0.1% and 0.4%. Fetal gender also had an impact on preterm birth: male infants were predominant in nearly all groups of women who delivered preterm infants. Smoking during pregnancy and male gender are both risk factors for preterm delivery. Fetal gender should be given greater attention as one of the several risk factors of preterm birth. Due to the high rate of morbidity among preterm infants and enormous costs for the healthcare system, women should be encouraged to cease or at least reduce smoking during pregnancy.
Dissolved Organic Nitrogen Cycling in the South China Sea From an Isotopic Perspective
Authors: Zhang Run , Wang Xingchen T. , Ren Haojia , Huang Jie , Chen Min , Sigman Daniel M.
Published: November 2020

Dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) is the dominant form of fixed nitrogen in most low and middle latitude ocean surface waters. Here, we report measurements of DON isotopic composition (δ15N) from the west South China Sea (SCS), with the goal of providing new insight into DON cycling. The concentration of DON in the surface ocean is correlated (r = 0.70, p < 0.0001) with chlorophyll a concentration, indicating DON production in these surface waters. The concentration and δ15N of DON fall in a relatively narrow range in the surface ocean (4.6 ± 0.1 μM and 4.3 ± 0.2‰ vs. air, respectively; ±SD), similar to other ocean regions. The mean DON δ15N above 50 m (4.5 ± 0.3‰) is similar to the δ15N of nitrate in the “shallow subsurface” (i.e., immediately below the euphotic zone; 4.6 ± 0.2‰) but is higher than the δ15N of suspended particles in the surface ocean (~2.3‰). This set of isotopic relationships has been observed previously (e.g., in the oligotrophic North Atlantic and North Pacific) and can be explained by the cycling of N between particulate organic nitrogen (PON), DON, and ammonium, in which an isotope effect associated with DON degradation preferentially concentrates 15N in DON. Consistent with this view, a negative correlation (r = 0.70) between the concentration and the δ15N of DON is observed in the upper 75 m, suggesting an isotope effect of ~4.9 ± 0.4‰ for DON degradation. Comparing the DON δ15N data from the SCS with other regions, we find that the δ15N difference between euphotic zone DON and shallow subsurface nitrate δ15N (Δδ15N(DON‐NO3)) rises from ocean regions of inferred net DON production to regions of net DON consumption, with the SCS representing an intermediate case.
Isopycnal Transport and Scavenging of 230Th and 231Pa in the Pacific Southern Ocean
Authors: Pavia Frank J. , Anderson Robert F. , Pinedo‐Gonzalez Paulina , Fleisher Martin Q. , Brzezinski Mark A. , Robinson Rebecca S.
Published: November 2020

The Southern Ocean hosts complex connections between ocean physics, chemistry, and biology. Changes in these connections are hypothesized to be responsible for significant alterations of ocean biogeochemistry and carbon storage both on glacial‐interglacial timescales and in the future due to anthropogenic forcing. Isotopes of thorium (230Th and 232Th) and protactinium (231Pa) have been widely applied as tools to study paleoceanographic conditions in the Southern Ocean. However, understanding of the chemical behavior of these isotopes in the modern Southern Ocean has been limited by a paucity of high‐resolution observations. In this study, we present measurements of dissolved 230Th, 231Pa, and 232Th on a meridional transect along 170°W from 67°S to 54°S in the Pacific sector of the Southern Ocean, with high vertical and meridional sampling resolution. We find Th/Pa fractionation factors below 1, highlighting the preferential removal of Pa relative to Th in a region with low lithogenic inputs where the particle flux is dominated by biogenic opal. We also find steep gradients in all three of these isotopes along neutral density surfaces from north to south, demonstrating the importance of isopycnal mixing in transporting these nuclides to the Southern Ocean. Our results suggest that 231Pa and 230Th in the Southern Ocean are highly sensitive tracers of physical transport that may find use in studies of Southern Ocean biogeochemical‐physical connections in the past, present, and future.
The Dynamics of Nonlinear Atmospheric Acoustic‐Gravity Waves Generated by Tsunamis Over Realistic Bathymetry
Authors: Inchin P. A. , Heale C. J. , Snively J. B. , Zettergren M. D.
Published: November 2020

The investigation of atmospheric tsunamigenic acoustic and gravity wave (TAGW) dynamics, from the ocean surface to the thermosphere, is performed through the numerical computations of the 3D compressible nonlinear Navier‐Stokes equations. Tsunami propagation is first simulated using a nonlinear shallow water model, which incorporates instantaneous or temporal evolutions of initial tsunami distributions (ITD). Ocean surface dynamics are then imposed as a boundary condition to excite TAGWs into the atmosphere from the ground level. We perform a case study of a large tsunami associated with the 2011 M9.1 Tohuku‐Oki earthquake and parametric studies with simplified and demonstrative bathymetry and ITD. Our results demonstrate that TAGW propagation, controlled by the atmospheric state, can evolve nonlinearly and lead to wave self‐acceleration effects and instabilities, followed by the excitation of secondary acoustic and gravity waves (SAGWs), spanning a broad frequency range. The variations of the ocean depth result in a change of tsunami characteristics and subsequent tilt of the TAGW packet, as the wave's intrinsic frequency spectrum is varied. In addition, focusing of tsunamis and their interactions with seamounts and islands may result in localized enhancements of TAGWs, which further indicates the crucial role of bathymetry variations. Along with SAGWs, leading long‐period phases of the TAGW packet propagate ahead of the tsunami wavefront and thus can be observed prior to the tsunami arrival. Our modeling results suggest that TAGWs from large tsunamis can drive detectable and quantifiable perturbations in the upper atmosphere under a wide range of scenarios and uncover new challenges and opportunities for their observations.
Wind Tunnel‐Based Comparison of PM10 Emission Rates for Volcanic Ash and Glaciogenic Aerosol Sources Within Iceland
Authors: Richards‐Thomas Tamar , McKenna‐Neuman Cheryl
Published: November 2020

Iceland contributes 30–40 million tons of mineral dust to the atmosphere each year. Emission events are linked to exceedingly high concentrations of PM10, poor air quality, and respiratory disease, particularly in Reykjavík. Volcaniclastic aerosols have unique microphysical properties, and usually are porous and highly angular, with large surface areas bearing ultrafine, nanoscale dustcoats. The large internal void space contributes to low particle density, believed to affect emission and deposition rates in the atmospheric boundary layer, as well as the range of transport. However, the aerodynamic and sedimentological factors that govern dust entrainment in these high‐latitude settings are not well constrained empirically, providing little guidance for the parameterization of aerosol dispersion models. A series of laboratory wind tunnel simulations were carried out under full climate control to evaluate these effects for Icelandic samples collected from five active dust sources, inclusive of volcanic ash and glaciofluvial sediments. PM10 emission rates measured in this study are similar in magnitude to those obtained in a small number of field studies within selected high‐latitude regions, and for volcanic ash using a PI‐SWERL. The scaling with friction velocity is well described by the 1988 dust emission model of Gillette and Passi, while the parameterization appears to be strongly dependent on the median particle size. Sediments from the coarsest Icelandic dust sources were found to be most emissive, owing to the importance of particle impact, while the proportionate amount of PM10 within the test bed was not found to correlate with the emission rate.
Updated Perspectives and Hypotheses on the Mineralogy of Lower Mt. Sharp, Mars, as Seen From Orbit
Authors: Sheppard Rachel Y. , Milliken Ralph E. , Parente Mario , Itoh Yuki
Published: November 2020

Previous studies have shown that Mt. Sharp has stratigraphic variation in mineralogy that may record a global transition from a climate more conducive to clay mineral formation to one marked by increased sulfate production. To better understand how small‐scale observations along the traverse path of NASA's Curiosity rover might be linked to such large‐scale processes, it is necessary to understand the extent to which mineral signatures observed from orbit vary laterally and vertically. This study uses newly processed visible‐shortwave infrared Compact Reconnaissance Imaging Spectrometer for Mars data and corresponding visible images to reexamine the mineralogy of lower Mt. Sharp, map mineral distribution, and evaluate stratigraphic relationships. We demonstrate the presence of darker‐toned strata that appears to be throughgoing with spectral signatures of monohydrated sulfate. Strata above and below this zone are lighter‐toned and contain polyhydrated sulfate and variable distribution of Fe/Mg clay minerals. Clay minerals are observed at multiple stratigraphic positions; unlike the kieserite zone these units cannot be traced laterally across Mt. Sharp. The kieserite zone appears to be stratigraphically confined, but in most locations the orbital data do not provide sufficient detail to determine whether mineral signatures conform to or cut across stratigraphic boundaries, leaving open the question as to whether the clay minerals and sulfates occur as detrital, primary chemical precipitates, and/or diagenetic phases. Future observations along Curiosity's traverse will help distinguish between these possibilities. Rover observations of clay‐bearing strata in northwest Mt. Sharp may be more reflective of local conditions that could be distinct from those associated with other clay‐bearing strata.
Experimental Insights Into the Threshold of Motion in Alluvial Channels: Sediment Supply and Streambed State
Authors: Hassan Marwan A. , Saletti Matteo , Johnson Joel P. L. , Ferrer‐Boix Carles , Venditti Jeremy G. , Church Michael
Published: November 2020

Flume experiments were conducted to understand the role of episodic sediment supply on the threshold of motion, streambed state, and stability in gravel bed channels. We demonstrate the importance of bed surface evolution on grain entrainment and hence channel stability. The grain‐size distribution (GSD) of the bed surface coarsened quickly under no feed conditions to develop an armored surface. Armor continued to experience particle exchange but remained intact throughout the experiment, and was relatively insensitive to subsequent sediment supply pulses. Bed surface structures (coarse‐grain clusters, stone cells, and imbrication) developed during the experiments and continued to respond dynamically to sediment pulses. Thresholds of motion estimated by various methods increased during the experiment and fluctuated in response to changes in sediment supply, though they were poorly predicted either by surface grain‐size changes or by surface structure. This reinforces the idea that the threshold for motion is not constant in poorly sorted gravel‐bed streams, and it confirms that the critical Shields number in transport models represents a bed state parameter, not a grain mobility number. Changes are controlled by a variety of factors including sediment supply regime, the degree of bed structuring, and the history of bed evolution. Our results highlight the importance of sediment supply regime as a control on bed surface evolution and the channel stabilizing function played by surface structures.
Falsification‐Oriented Signature‐Based Evaluation for Guiding the Development of Land Surface Models and the Enhancement of Observations
Authors: Zheng Hui , Yang Zong‐Liang , Lin Peirong , Wu Wen‐Ying , Li Lingcheng , Xu Zhongfeng , Wei Jiangfeng , Zhao Long , Bian Qingyun , Wang Shu
Published: November 2020

We develop a novel framework for rigorously evaluating land surface models (LSMs) against observations by recognizing the asymmetry between verification‐ and falsification‐oriented approaches. The former approach cannot completely verify LSMs even though it exhausts every case of consistency between the model predictions and observations, whereas the latter only requires a single case of inconsistency to reveal that there must be something wrong. We argue that it is such an inconsistency that stimulates further development of the models and enhancement of the observations. We therefore propose a falsification‐oriented signature‐based evaluation framework to identify cases of inconsistency between model predictions and observations by extracting signatures based on a set of key assumptions. We apply this framework to evaluate an ensemble of simulations from the Noah‐MP LSM against observations over the continental United States under the three assumptions of water mass conservation, no lateral water flow, and a sufficiently long period of time. Regions showing inconsistencies between the Noah‐MP ensemble simulations and the observations are located in the western mountainous areas, the Yellowstone river basin, the lower Floridan aquifer, the Niobrara river basin at the north tip of the Ogallala aquifer, and the basins downstream of the Balcones fault zones in Texas. These regions coincide with the sites where both advances in theoretical modeling and new observational data (e.g., from the Critical Zone Observatories) have emerged.
Plant part and a steep environmental gradient predict plant microbial composition in a tropical watershed
Authors: Bernard Jared , Wall Christopher B , Costantini Maria S , Rollins Randi L , Atkins Melissa L , Cabrera Feresa P , Cetraro Nicolas D , Feliciano Christian K J , Greene Austin L , Kitamura Philip K , Olmedo-Velarde Alejandro , Sirimalwatta Vithanage N S , Sung Helen W , Thompson Leah P M , Vu Huong T , Wilhite Chad J , Amend Anthony S
Published: November 2020

Plant microbiomes are shaped by forces working at different spatial scales. Environmental factors determine a pool of potential symbionts while host physiochemical factors influence how those microbes associate with distinct plant tissues. These scales are seldom considered simultaneously, despite their potential to interact. Here, we analyze epiphytic microbes from nine Hibiscus tiliaceus trees across a steep, but short, environmental gradient within a single Hawaiian watershed. At each location, we sampled eight microhabitats: leaves, petioles, axils, stems, roots, and litter from the plant, as well as surrounding air and soil. The composition of bacterial communities is better explained by microhabitat, while location better predicted compositional variance for fungi. Fungal community compositional dissimilarity increased more rapidly along the gradient than did bacterial composition. Additionally, the rates of fungal community compositional dissimilarity along the gradient differed among plant parts, and these differences influenced the distribution patterns and range size of individual taxa. Within plants, microbes were compositionally nested such that aboveground communities contained a subset of the diversity found belowground. Our findings indicate that both environmental context and microhabitat contribute to microbial compositional variance in our study, but that these contributions are influenced by the domain of microbe and the specific microhabitat in question, suggesting a complicated and potentially interacting dynamic.
YTHDC1 mitigates ischemic stroke by promoting Akt phosphorylation through destabilizing PTEN mRNA
Authors: Zhang Zhaolong , Wang Qiuhan , Zhao Xiaolong , Shao Liming , Liu Guoping , Zheng Xuan , Xie Lingling , Zhang Yan , Sun Chengjian , Xu Rui
Published: November 2020

YTH Domain Containing 1 (YTHDC1) is one of the m6A readers that is essential for oocyte development and tumor progression. The role of YTHDC1 in neuronal survival and ischemic stroke is unknown. Here, we found that YTHDC1 was unregulated in the early phase of ischemic stroke. Knockdown of YTHDC1 exacerbated ischemic brain injury and overexpression of YTHDC1 protected rats against brain injury. Mechanistically, YTHDC1 promoted PTEN mRNA degradation to increase Akt phosphorylation, thus facilitating neuronal survival in particular after ischemia. These data identify YTHDC1 as a novel regulator of neuronal survival and modulating m6A reader YTHDC1 may provide a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke.