bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Archived Attributes: An Internet-Text Approach to Measuring Legislator Attitudes and Behavior
Authors: Gade Emily Kalah , Dreier Sarah , Wilkerson John , Washington Anne
Published: December 2020

The Internet Archive curated a 90-terabyte sub-collection of captures from the US government's public website domain (‘.gov’). Such archives provide largely untapped resources for measuring attributes, behaviors and outcomes relevant to political science research. This study leverages this archive to measure a novel dimension of federal legislators' religiosity: their proportional use of religious rhetoric on official congressional websites (2006–2012). This scalable, time-variant measure improves upon more costly, time-invariant conventional approaches to measuring legislator attributes. The authors demonstrate the validity of this method for measuring legislators' public-facing religiosity and discuss the contributions and limitations of using archived Internet data for scientific analysis. This research makes three applied methodological contributions: (1) it develops a new measure for legislator religiosity, (2) it models an improved, more comprehensive approach to analyzing congressional communications and (3) it demonstrates the unprecedented potential that archived Internet data offer to researchers seeking to develop meaningful, cost-effective approaches to analyzing political phenomena.
TIP for Tat: Political Bias in Human Trafficking Reporting
Authors: Harmon Rachel , Arnon Daniel , Park Baekkwan
Published: December 2020

Human trafficking affects millions of people globally, disproportionately harming women, girls and marginalized groups. Yet one of the main sources of data on global trafficking, the annual Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Reports, is susceptible to biases because report rankings are tied to political outcomes. The literature on human rights measurements has established two potential sources of bias. The first is the changing standards of accountability, where more information and increased budgets change the standard to which countries are held over time. The second is political biases in reports, which are amended to comply with the interests of the reporting agency. This letter examines whether either of these biases influence the TIP Reports. In contrast to other country-level human rights indicators, the State Department issues both narratives and rankings, which incentivizes attempts to influence the rankings based on political interests. The study uses a supervised machine-learning algorithm to examine how narratives are translated into rankings, to determine whether rankings are biased, and to disentangle whether bias stems from changing standards or political interests. The authors find that the TIP Report rankings are more influenced by political biases than changing standards.
SPECIAL TILTING MODULES FOR ALGEBRAS WITH POSITIVE DOMINANT DIMENSION
Authors: PRESSLAND MATTHEW , SAUTER JULIA
Published: December 2020

We study certain special tilting and cotilting modules for an algebra with positive dominant dimension, each of which is generated or cogenerated (and usually both) by projective-injectives. These modules have various interesting properties, for example, that their endomorphism algebras always have global dimension less than or equal to that of the original algebra. We characterise minimald-Auslander–Gorenstein algebras andd-Auslander algebras via the property that these special tilting and cotilting modules coincide. By the Morita–Tachikawa correspondence, any algebra of dominant dimension at least 2 may be expressed (essentially uniquely) as the endomorphism algebra of a generator-cogenerator for another algebra, and we also study our special tilting and cotilting modules from this point of view, via the theory of recollements and intermediate extension functors.
Time to Rt < 1 for COVID-19 public health lockdown measures
Authors: Yung C. F. , Saffari E. , Liew C.
Published: December 2020

The epidemiological target of lockdowns is to drive down the effective reproduction number (Rt) to less than 1. A key unknown is the duration that lockdowns need to be in place to achieve this and which lockdown measures are effective. Daily number of laboratory confirmed community coronavirus 2019 cases were extracted from regular reports from the Ministry of Health Singapore from 20 March 2020 to 4 May 2020. We generated daily Rt to estimate the time needed for these public health lockdown measures to control the spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 as demonstrated by Rt < 1. It took about 14 days of nationwide lockdown for the Rt trend to change and start falling. The upper limit of the 95% confidence interval for time to Rt < 1 was day 15 of lockdown. We have shown that it is possible to start ‘bending the Rt curve’ about 2 weeks after implementation of specific lockdown measures with strict compliance.
Consonant co-occurrence classes and the feature-economy principle
Authors: Nikolaev Dmitry , Grossman Eitan
Published: December 2020

The feature-economy principle is one of the key theoretical notions which have been postulated to account for the structure of phoneme inventories in the world's languages. In this paper, we test the explanatory power of this principle by conducting a study of the co-occurrence of consonant segments in phonological inventories, based on a sample of 2761 languages. We show that the feature-economy principle is able to account for many important patterns in the structure of the world's phonological inventories; however, there are particular classes of sounds, such as what we term the ‘basic consonant inventory’ (the core cluster of segments found in the majority of the world's languages), as well as several more peripheral clusters whose organisation follows different principles.
Competing Ways of Hearing Nature in Berg's Wozzeck
Authors: Brooks Marc
Published: December 2020

Musicologists have tended to assume that Berg's ‘translation’ of Büchner's play was an unproblematic affair and have felt free to set about uncovering how the music articulates the drama and the themes as if the meanings of play and opera were identical. In this article I listen to Wozzeck as a dialogue between Büchner's original fragment and Berg's operatic translation in a manner that acknowledges the differences between them. In particular I propose an alternative way of hearing nature in the opera that accords with Büchner's and Berg's own valorisation of the creative power of Life, rather than focusing on the political power of the idealist subject like many earlier appraisals of the opera. I first argue that, with Woyzeck, Büchner was opening up an exploratory space in which he asked his audience: ‘If the autonomous self-identical subject is indeed illusory, what is the mechanism through which social progress can take place?’ Second, I challenge the assumption that Berg managed to set the text in a neutral way, arguing that he imposed upon the fragments an alien set of aesthetic values and inadvertently dismantled the mechanism Büchner had designed to provoke audiences into thinking about volition and creativity. In the final two sections of the article, I argue that, despite the violence Berg did to Büchner's plan, the music in the opera's nature scenes can be heard to generate the philosophy of potential that Büchner was searching for in the original fragments.
Gain Weight, Have Fun, Discover the Motherland: The German–Polish Children's Summer Camp Exchange and Interwar Era Revisionism
Authors: Polak-Springer Peter
Published: December 2020

This article examines a previously un-researched aspect of nationalist politics, borderland contestation, national indifference and the politicisation of youth and cultural diplomacy in interwar Central Europe: the German–Polish ‘summer vacation exchange for children’ (Ferienkinderaustausch). The Versailles territorial settlement, which left nationalists in both countries in discontent about territories and minority groups remaining in the hands of the neighbour, formed the basis for this venture in cultural diplomacy. Each party gave the other the right to rally ‘its youth’ living on the other side of the border to travel to its ‘motherland’ for summer camp. Focusing on the case study of the heatedly contested industrial borderland of Upper Silesia, this article examines the German–Polish children's exchange on two levels. On the local level it examines how youth were rallied and transported to their ‘motherland’ for the summer and what treatment and experience they received. On the international level it explores the paradox of German–Polish cooperation and the conflict that was an inherent aspect of this venture.
Psychosocial intervention models and outcomes after a terror disaster
Authors: Weisæth Lars
Published: December 2020

On July 22, 2011, a car bomb blast in the government quarter in Oslo killed 8, injured 209 of the 350 employees who were at work, and destroyed 1700 of the 3500 work places in the ministries. Shortly afterward, the terrorist killed 69 adolescents and young adults and injured another 110 of the 495 survivors at a summer camp on an island outside Oslo, organized by the Youth League of the ruling Labor Party. The paper describes the two disaster models that were applied in providing the preventive and therapeutic psychosocial interventions: the company/organization model for the governmental employees and a combined community and organization model for the victims of the massacre and their families. Some of the findings from the longitudinal research and outreach programs that were conducted are reported.
Exploring the role of serum lipid profile and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio in violent suicide attempters: a cross sectional study
Authors: Capuzzi Enrico , Caldiroli Alice , Capellazzi Martina , Tagliabue Ilaria , Auxilia Annamaria , Ghilardi Giulia , Buoli Massimiliano , Clerici Massimo
Published: December 2020

Background

Suicidality is one of the most common complications of mental disorders, so that the identification of potential biomarkers may be relevant in clinical practice. To date, the role of serum lipids and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) has been explored albeit with conflicting results. To the best of our knowledge, no study has explored lipid levels concomitantly with NLR in relation to violent suicide attempts. Therefore, we aimed to investigate whether serum lipid levels and NLR might be associated with the violent method of suicide attempts.

Methods

The study group consisted of 163 inpatients who attempted suicide. Blood samples were collected at the beginning of hospitalization to measure total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), high-density lipoprotein, very-low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), triglycerides, and NLR. Descriptive analyses of the total sample were performed. The included patients were divided into two groups according to violent/nonviolent method. Groups were compared in terms of lipid (MANCOVAs).

Results

Plasma levels of total cholesterol (F = 5.66; P = .02), LDL (F = 4.94; P = .03), VLDL (F = 5.66; P = .02), and NLR (F = 8.17; P < .01) resulted to be significantly lower in patients that used a violent method compared to patients who attempted suicide with a nonviolent method.

Conclusions

Low cholesterol, LDL, and VLDL levels as well as low NLR value were associated with a violent method of suicide attempt in patients with mental disorders. Further studies are needed to confirm these results.
The (Mis)Representation of Reality: ‘Knowledge’ and Image-Making in Glass Lantern Slides of China
Authors: MATHEWSON AMY
Published: December 2020

The Royal Asiatic Society in London houses a collection of magic lantern slides of China dating from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. By investigating a selection of lantern slides, this article explores their epistemological nature and their wider relations to socio-cultural and political systems of power. These lantern slides highlight the complexity of our ways of seeing and representing that are embedded into particular historical and ideological systems in which meaning is both shaped and negotiated. This article argues that images are powerful conduits in disseminating and, if unchallenged, maintaining particular notions and ideas.
Building a Library: The Arabic and Persian Manuscript Collection of Sir William Jones
Authors: LAWRENCE JONATHAN
Published: December 2020

This article contributes to the established scholarship on Sir William Jones (d.1794) by providing a detailed overview and analysis of the Arabic and Persian manuscript collection that Jones acquired both before arriving in India in 1784, and during his time living in Kolkata. 118 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian and Urdu and 69 Sanskrit manuscripts, as well as nine Chinese manuscripts, were transferred to the Royal Society library by Jones in 1792. These were then transferred to the India Office Library in 1876 and are currently housed in the British Library. As well as an in-depth survey of these manuscripts, this article provides important information on the manuscripts which remained in the Jones's possession after 1792 and which were sold, along with the rest of Lady Jones's (d.1829) library, at auction in 1831 after her death. Within this overview of the Arabic and Persian manuscript collections, there will be a sustained focus on the methods of acquiring manuscripts and Jones's curatorial management of his library.
Comparative Features of the Upper Alimentary Tract in the Domestic Fowl (Gallus gallus domesticus) and Kestrel (Falco tinnunculus): A Morphological, Histochemical, and Scanning Electron Microscopic Study
Authors: Alsanosy Abdallah A. , Noreldin Ahmed E. , Elewa Yaser H. A. , Mahmoud Sahar F. , Elnasharty Mohamed A. , Aboelnour Asmaa
Published: December 2020

The avian alimentary tract has evolved into different histologic structures to accommodate the physical and chemical features of several food types and flight requirements. We compared the esophagus, proventriculus, and gizzard of the domestic fowl,Gallus gallus domesticus(GGD) and kestrels,Falco tinnunculus(FT) using immunohistochemistry and scanning electron microscopy with various stains and lectins [Dolichos biflorusagglutinin (DBA) andRicinus communisagglutinin I (RCA120)], andα-smooth muscle actin (α-SMA). The esophagus of GGD demonstrated thickened epithelium, muscularis mucosae, and inner circular longitudinal tunica muscularis layers; moderate outer longitudinal tunica muscularis layers; and a true crop. In contrast, the esophagus of FT showed a thin epithelium, no muscularis mucosae, moderate inner longitudinal and thick outer circular tunica muscularis layers, and no true crop. In the proventriculus, the nature of the secretion in GGD was neutral, but that of FT was acidic and neutral. In the gizzard, the muscle coat of GGD byα-SMA had no muscularis mucosae, unlike FT, which had muscularis mucosae. In summary, there are many histologic differences between GGD and FT to meet their different physiologic needs, such as feeding.
Dosimetric evaluation of SBRT treatment plans of non-central lung tumours: clinical experience
Authors: Osei Ernest , Darko Johnson , Swanson Steph , Fleming Katrina , Snelgrove Ronald , Bhangu Anmol , Gopaul Darin
Published: December 2020

Objectives:

Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada and the leading cause of cancer-related mortality in both men and women in North America. Surgery is usually the primary treatment option for early-stage non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, for patients who may not be suitable candidates for surgery, stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) is an alternative method of treatment. SBRT has proven to be an effective technique for treating NSCLC patients by focally administering high radiation dose to the tumour with acceptable risk of toxicity to surrounding healthy tissues. The goal of this comprehensive retrospective dosimetric study is to compare the dosimetric parameters between three-dimensional conformal radiation therapy (3DCRT) and volumetric-modulated arc therapy (VMAT) lung SBRT treatment plans for two prescription doses.

Methods:

We retrospectively analysed and compared lung SBRT treatment plans of 263 patients treated with either a 3DCRT non-coplanar or with 2–3 VMAT arcs technique at 48 Gy in 4 fractions (48 Gy/4) or 50 Gy in 5 fractions (50 Gy/5) prescribed to the planning target volume (PTV), typically encompassing the 80% isodose volume. All patients were treated on either a Varian 21EX or TrueBeam linear accelerator using 6-MV or 10-MV photon beams.

Results:

The mean PTV V95% and V100% for treatment plans at 48 Gy/4 are 99·4 ± 0·6% and 96·0 ± 1·0%, respectively, for 3DCRT and 99·7 ± 0·4% and 96·4 ± 3·4%, respectively, for VMAT. The corresponding mean PTV V95% and V100% at 50 Gy/5 are 99·0 ± 1·4% and 95·5 ± 2·5% for 3DCRT and 99·5 ± 0·8% and 96·1 ± 1·6% for VMAT. The CIRI and HI5/95 for the PTV at 48 Gy/4 are 1·1 ± 0·1 and 1·2 ± 0·0 for 3DCRT and 1·0 ± 0·1 and 1·2 ± 0·0 for VMAT. The corresponding CIRI and HI5/95 at 50 Gy/5 are 1·1 ± 0·1 and 1·3 ± 0·1 for 3DCRT and 1·0 ± 0·1 and 1·2 ± 0·0 for VMAT. The mean R50% and D2cm at 48 Gy/4 are 5·0 ± 0·8 and 61·2 ± 7·0% for 3DCRT and 4·9 ± 0·8 and 57·8 ± 7·9% for VMAT. The corresponding R50% and D2cm at 50 Gy/5 are 4·7 ± 0·5 and 65·5 ± 9·4% for 3DCRT and 4·7 ± 0·7 and 60·0 ± 7·2% for VMAT.

Conclusion:

The use of 3DCRT or VMAT technique for lung SBRT is an efficient and reliable method for achieving dose conformity, rapid dose fall-off and minimising doses to the organs at risk. The VMAT technique resulted in improved dose conformity, rapid dose fall-off from the PTV compared to 3DCRT, although the magnitude may not be clinically significant.
Coins in the Classroom – Teaching Group Work with Roman Coins
Authors: McIntyre Gwynaeth , Dunn Charlotte , Richardson William P.
Published: December 2020

It can be challenging to bring material culture to life in the classroom when the cultures that produced those materials are separated from the students by time and space. Students learning about Roman history and culture often find it difficult to work with and critically analyse non-literary sources as they rarely have the opportunity to engage with the material objects themselves. Depending on the size of the class, or materials available, it may be impossible to introduce such sources for the ancient world into classroom teaching.
The Coronavirus Pandemic, Exams Crisis and Classics in Scottish Schools
Authors: Imrie Alex
Published: December 2020

On 19th March 2020, the Deputy First Minister of Scotland and Cabinet Secretary for Education John Swinney reported to the Scottish Parliament that, in light of the global coronavirus pandemic, schools across Scotland would close from 20th March, mirroring the policy of the UK government announced by the Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson the previous day. As part of this closure, Swinney announced that there would be no examinations set for the 2019-20 session, and that the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) would instead enact a certification model employing coursework, teacher estimates of grades and evidence of prior achievement. In outlining the Scottish Government's plan to Holyrood, the Deputy First Minister declared: ‘It is a measure of the gravity of the challenge we now face that the exams will not go ahead this year. With the support of the wider education system, a credible certification model can be put in place that can command confidence in the absence of the exam diet – to ensure that young people in our schools and colleges who through no fault of their own are unable to sit exams, are not disadvantaged.’ (Scottish Government, 2020).
Classics for All North. The view from Liverpool
Authors: Case Alice , Haley Maria
Published: December 2020

In June 2019 the Classics for All Hubs in the North of England (Blackpool, Liverpool, Durham/North-East England and Manchester/Leeds) met together in Leeds and agreed to combine our forces, rebranding ourselves as Classics for All North. The intention was to create a stronger presence in the North for schools and teachers of classical subjects and to share events and planning. We now have a combined Classics for All North website (https://classicsforallnorth.org.uk/) and social media presence (Twitter handle @ClassicsNorth, Instagram @CfANorth), we produce a combined quarterly newsletter and, where practical, share events and planning. It also means that schools that fall between our hubs or outside our metropolitan centres can feel more included. As we have set up our hubs and got to know teachers, a common difficulty has been raised: a feeling that so much that happens in the Classics world happens in London and the South. We are trying hard to change that. As individual hubs it can be difficult to make an impact. Individual numbers of schools in one area may be too small to run a Teach Meet event, but by combining them and running them across the whole region, we are able to accomplish more and our local schools are noticing more what we have to offer. Of course, our individual hubs are still busy in their own areas, recruiting new schools and training teachers.
Can rotations improve management of herbicide-resistant annual sowthistle (Sonchus oleraceus) and prickly lettuce (Lactuca serriola) in lentil production systems of southern Australia?
Authors: Merriam Alicia B. , Malone Jenna , Gill Gurjeet , Preston Christopher
Published: December 2020

In southern Australia, annual sowthistle and prickly lettuce have become more prevalent following the adoption of reduced tillage cropping systems. They are especially problematic in lentil and other pulse crops, which are weakly competitive and have few herbicide options available for POST control of broadleaf weeds. This study aimed to evaluate the influence of management in a previous cereal crop on weed densities in a subsequent crop. At two field sites, crop seeding density and POST herbicide treatments (a conventional choice that included metsulfuron-methyl and MCPA; and a proactive choice that included bromoxynil, picolinafen, and MCPA) were applied to a wheat crop, and weed density was assessed at the beginning of the following season to measure for a legacy effect of the treatments. Study site populations were also screened for herbicide resistance and were found to have high (≥90% survival) ALS inhibitor resistance. Crop competition treatments had no effect on weed populations, and effects of herbicide treatment were significant at only one of the sites. At this site, both herbicide treatments had lower weed densities than the nontreated in the first year, but the legacy effect was only significant for annual sowthistle density in the proactive treatment. At both sites, even where weeds were extremely sparse or completely controlled following herbicide treatment in the first year, moderate densities were observed the following year, indicating that colonization from the seedbank or adjacent areas could be contributing to weed numbers. Weed density assessments and accurate knowledge of the herbicide resistance status of target weeds should guide herbicide selection to maximize control.
Influence of hard water on 2,4-D formulations for the control of dandelion
Authors: Schortgen Geoffrey P. , Patton Aaron J.
Published: December 2020

The herbicide 2,4-D is used in a variety of cropping systems, especially in grasses because it is a selective postemergence broadleaf herbicide. However, the most common formulation (2,4-D dimethylamine) is antagonized when mixed in hard water. The objective of this research was to determine which formulations of 2,4-D or premixes of various formulations of synthetic auxin herbicides are subject to hard water antagonism. Formulations surveyed for hard water antagonism in the first experiment included 2,4-D dimethylamine, 2,4-D diethanolamine, 2,4-D monomethylamine, 2,4-D isopropylamine salt, 2,4-D choline salt, 2,4-D isooctyl ester, and 2,4-D ethylhexyl ester. Synthetic auxin formulation types in the second experiment included water-soluble, emulsifiable concentrates and emulsion-in-water. All formulations were mixed with both soft and hard water (600 mg CaCO3 L−1) and applied to dandelions to determine whether antagonism occurred in hard water. Water-soluble (amine and choline) 2,4-D formulations were antagonized by hard water, but water-insoluble (ester) 2,4-D formulations were not antagonized. Similar results were found by formulation type with water-soluble synthetic auxin premixes antagonized but emulsifiable concentrates not antagonized. Furthermore, water-soluble salt formulations were not antagonized when formulated in premixes with other synthetic auxin herbicides as an emulsion-in-water. This research demonstrates that all 2,4-D water-soluble formulations and water-soluble premixes with phenoxycarboxylic acid herbicides are subject to hard water antagonism. Formulations of 2,4-D containing emulsifying agents protect against antagonism by the water-insoluble nature of ingredients in their formulation.
Will Rising Temperatures Make Rice Too Toxic?
Authors: Ogasa Nikk
Published: December 2020

Greenhouse experiments reveal how higher temperatures act to elevate arsenic levels in rice and may help focus efforts to solve a crisis threatening food systems around the world.
Global Soil Gross Nitrogen Transformation Under Increasing Nitrogen Deposition
Authors: Song Lei , Li Zhaolei , Niu Shuli
Published: December 2020

Soil nitrogen (N) transformations, which regulate soil N availability, are important for ecosystem productivity and other functions. Nitrogen deposition influences soil N transformations, but it remains unclear how soil N transformations, especially microbial N immobilization, change with different N deposition rates. In this study, we compiled a global data set of gross N mineralization, nitrification, and microbial mineral N immobilization rates with different N addition treatments across terrestrial ecosystems to reveal their responses to different N deposition rates. The results showed that gross N mineralization and gross nitrification rates were stimulated by both low and high N additions, but the increments slightly decreased with increasing N addition rate. However, microbial ammonium (NH4+) and nitrate (NO3−) immobilization rates responded differently under low versus high N additions. They changed from being inhibited (NH4+ immobilization) or not affected (NO3− immobilization) under low N addition to being stimulated under high N addition (>55 kg N ha−1 yr−1), performing a linear increase along with the increasing N addition rate. This challenges the traditional perception that N enrichment limits microbial N utilization. Our results suggest that the effects of N deposition on gross N transformations are highly dependent on N deposition rate. These findings indicate that biogeochemical models should take into account the differential responses of gross N transformations to different N addition rates to better predict ecosystem N cycling in the context of increasing N deposition.
Relationship Between C4Biomass and C4Agriculture During the Holocene and its Implications for Millet Domestication in Northeast China
Authors: Wang Jian , Zhou Xinying , Xu Hai , Liu Junchi , Yang Qingjiang , Zhao Chao , Gao Qiang , Zhao Keliang , Behling Hermann , Li Xiaoqiang
Published: December 2020

The origin of C4agriculture in China, foxtail millet (Setaria italica) and common millet (Panicum miliaceum), remains unclear. Here we conducted a comprehensive geochemical study of the archeological site of Chahai in Northeastern (NE) China and deduced that higher C4biomass in the cultural layers was mainly caused by agricultural practices and other human activities. To evaluate the anthropogenic factors involved in millet domestication, we produced a time series of contour maps of C4biomass for North China since 14 ka and integrated archaeological data. Results show that the origin and development of millet agriculture was nearly synchronous with the increase in C4biomass in the early‐mid Holocene, but the synchrony was decoupled at ∼4 ka when millet cultivation was established in NE China. Our findings suggest that both human management (possibly cultivation) of C4plants, and an environmental background of high C4biomass drove the origin of millet agriculture.
Increase in Compound Drought and Heatwaves in a Warming World
Authors: Mukherjee Sourav , Mishra Ashok Kumar
Published: December 2020

Compound drought and heatwaves can cause significant damage to the environment, economy, and society. In this study, we quantify the spatio‐temporal changes in compound drought and heatwave (CDHW) events by integrating weekly self‐calibrated Palmer Drought Severity Index (sc_PDSI) and daily maximum temperatures during the period 1983 to 2016. Multiple data products are used to examine the robustness of sc_PDSI in the compound event analysis. The results consistently suggest significant increases in drought‐related heatwaves and affected global land area in recent (warmer) periods. Several regions across the globe witnessed rise in CDHW frequency (one to three events/year), duration (2–10 days/year), and severity. This increasing pattern is spatially asymmetric, and greater amplification is observed across the Northern hemisphere due to recent warming. Furthermore, the background aridity influences the spatiotemporal evolution of CDHW events. The results can be applied to minimize the impacts of extreme CDHWs in critical geographical regions.
Jet Stream‐Surface Tracer Relationships: Mechanism and Sensitivity to Source Region
Authors: Kerr Gaige Hunter , Waugh Darryn W. , Miller Scot M.
Published: December 2020

The upper‐level jet stream impacts surface‐level trace gas variability, yet the cause of this relationship remains unclear. We investigate the mechanism(s) responsible for the relationship using idealized tracers with different source regions within a chemical transport model. All tracers' daily variabilities are correlated with the meridional position of the jet in the mid‐latitudes, but tracers emitted south (north) of the jet increase (decrease) in the mid‐latitudes when the jet is shifted poleward. The jet stream regulates the near‐surface meridional wind, and this coupling together with the meridional tracer gradient robustly predicts where the jet stream and tracers are in and out of phase. Our study elucidates a major driver of trace gas variability and links it to the location of the jet stream and emissions. These results are useful for understanding changes in trace gas variability if the jet stream's position or major emission source regions change in the future.
Three Western Pacific Typhoons Strengthened Fire Weather in the Recent Northwest U.S. Conflagration
Authors: Stuivenvolt Allen Jacob , Simon Wang S.‐Y. , LaPlante Matthew D. , Yoon Jin‐Ho
Published: December 2020

Strong winds that accentuated a fire outbreak in the western United States in early September of 2020 resulted from an atmospheric wave train that spanned the Pacific Ocean. Days before the atmospheric waves developed in the United States, three western Pacific tropical cyclones (typhoons) underwent an extratropical transition over Korea within an unprecedentedly short span of 12 days. Using a climate diagnostic approach and historical forecast data, it was found that the amplitude of the atmospheric waves accompanying the western U.S. fire weather would not have been so profound if not for the influence of these typhoons. Together, the recurving typhoons provided a significant source of wave activity flux directed toward North America – amplifying the ridge over the U.S. west coast while deepening the trough in central Canada. This anomalous circulation produced the severe frontal system that caused extreme winds in western Oregon, Washington and California – rapidly spreading fire.
Heterogeneous Nucleation of Midlevel Cloud Layer Influenced by Transported Asian Dust Over Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E), China
Authors: He Yun , Yi Fan , Yi Yang , Liu Fuchao , Zhang Yunpeng
Published: December 2020

Midlevel cloud layers (2–7 km) pertinent to transported Asian dust layers were observed on 26 occasions from the polarization lidar measurements during the period from December 2012 to December 2013 over Wuhan (30.5°N, 114.4°E), China. The events mainly occurred in winter. Cloud layers were mostly detected (19 out of 26) on top of the aloft Asian dust layers. The boundary between cloud layer and dust layer appeared at altitudes of 4–7 km. The observed events are classified into three categories: (1) category A (6 cases), supercooled liquid cloud layers persistently existed without an evident sign of freezing; (2) category B (9 cases), supercooled liquid cloud appeared initially and then ice crystals formed on the boundary between the cloud layer and dust layer; (3) category C (11 cases), only a cloud containing ice crystals was present throughout while the pure liquid stage did not present previously, indicating that deposition nucleation might take place. Cloud top temperatures (CTTs) for heterogeneous ice formation ranged from −38.5°C to −18.3°C; no ice formation occurred with CTT warmer than −15°C. After thousands of kilometers transport, ice nucleation efficiency of Asian dust over Wuhan substantially did not present a distinct change compared with that of pure dust.
Gain Enhancement of Wideband Circularly Polarized UWB Antenna Using FSS
Authors: Adibi Shima , Honarvar M. Amin , Lalbakhsh Ali
Published: December 2020

This paper presents a new ultra‐wideband (UWB) antenna system with circular polarization (CP). The antenna is a coplanar waveguide (CPW) feed structure with a modified inverted L‐shaped radiating patch. A single‐layer non‐uniform frequency selective surface (FSS) composed of rectangular conductive patches is designed and used with the CP antenna to improve the CP characteristics and the gain of the antenna. According to the measured results, the 10 dB return‐loss bandwidth of the antenna with the FSS extends from 3.7 to 11.1 GHz. The 3‐dB measured axial ratio (AR) bandwidth is 58.15%, covering 5 to 9.1 GHz, and the measured peak gain is 4–9.4 dBi, showing an increase of about 3 dBi compared to the antenna without the FSS.
EMTome: a resource for pan-cancer analysis of epithelial-mesenchymal transition genes and signatures
Authors: Vasaikar Suhas V. , Deshmukh Abhijeet P. , den Hollander Petra , Addanki Sridevi , Kuburich Nick Allen , Kudaravalli Sriya , Joseph Robiya , Chang Jeffrey T. , Soundararajan Rama , Mani Sendurai A.
Published: December 2020

Background

The epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) enables dissociation of tumour cells from the primary tumour mass, invasion through the extracellular matrix, intravasation into blood vessels and colonisation of distant organs. Cells that revert to the epithelial state via the mesenchymal-epithelial transition cause metastases, the primary cause of death in cancer patients. EMT also empowers cancer cells with stem-cell properties and induces resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs. Understanding the driving factors of EMT is critical for the development of effective therapeutic interventions.

Methods

This manuscript describes the generation of a database containing EMT gene signatures derived from cell lines, patient-derived xenografts and patient studies across cancer types and multiomics data and the creation of a web-based portal to provide a comprehensive analysis resource.

Results

EMTome incorporates (i) EMT gene signatures; (ii) EMT-related genes with multiomics features across different cancer types; (iii) interactomes of EMT-related genes (miRNAs, transcription factors, and proteins); (iv) immune profiles identified from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) cohorts by exploring transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics, and drug sensitivity and (iv) clinical outcomes of cancer cohorts linked to EMT gene signatures.

Conclusion

The web-based EMTome portal is a resource for primary and metastatic tumour research publicly available at www.emtome.org.
Fusobacterium nucleatum confers chemoresistance by modulating autophagy in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Liu Yang , Baba Yoshifumi , Ishimoto Takatsugu , Tsutsuki Hiroyasu , Zhang Tianli , Nomoto Daichi , Okadome Kazuo , Yamamura Kensuke , Harada Kazuto , Eto Kojiro , Hiyoshi Yukiharu , Iwatsuki Masaaki , Nagai Yohei , Iwagami Shiro , Miyamoto Yuji , Yoshida Naoya , Komohara Yoshihiro , Ohmuraya Masaki , Wang Xiaoming , Ajani Jaffer A. , Sawa Tomohiro , Baba Hideo
Published: December 2020

Background

Fusobacterium nucleatum (F. nucleatum) is a gut microbe implicated in gastrointestinal tumorigenesis. Predicting the chemotherapeutic response is critical to developing personalised therapeutic strategies for oesophageal cancer patients. The present study investigated the relationship between F. nucleatum and chemotherapeutic resistance in oesophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC).

Methods

We examined the relationship between F. nucleatum and chemotherapy response in 120 ESCC resected specimens and 30 pre-treatment biopsy specimens. In vitro studies using ESCC cell lines and co-culture assays further uncovered the mechanism underlying chemotherapeutic resistance.

Results

ESCC patients with F. nucleatum infection displayed lesser chemotherapeutic response. The infiltration and subsistence of F. nucleatum in the ESCC cells were observed by transmission electron microscopy and laser scanning confocal microscopy. We also observed that F. nucleatum modulates the endogenous LC3 and ATG7 expression, as well as autophagosome formation to induce chemoresistance against 5-FU, CDDP, and Docetaxel. ATG7 knockdown resulted in reversal of F. nucleatum-induced chemoresistance. In addition, immunohistochemical studies confirmed the correlation between F. nucleatum infection and ATG7 expression in 284 ESCC specimens.

Conclusions

F. nucleatum confers chemoresistance to ESCC cells by modulating autophagy. These findings suggest that targeting F. nucleatum, during chemotherapy, could result in variable therapeutic outcomes for ESCC patients.
Kdm6a suppresses the alternative activation of macrophages and impairs energy expenditure in obesity
Authors: Chen Jun , Xu Xing , Li Yan , Li Fan , Zhang Jianjun , Xu Qin , Chen Wantao , Wei Yan , Wang Xu
Published: December 2020

Histone lysine demethylase 6a (Kdm6a) mediates the removal of repressive trimethylation from histone H3 lysine 27 (H3K27me3) to activate target gene expression. Obesity is associated with metabolic inflammation, and adipose tissue macrophages (ATMs) are key players orchestrating metabolic inflammation. However, it is still unclear whether the Kdm6a pathway in ATMs regulates energy homeostasis. Here, we identified Kdm6a as a critical epigenetic switch that modulates macrophage polarisation and further disrupts energy balance. Myeloid-specific Kdm6a knockout in Kdm6aF/Y;Lyz2-Cre mice significantly reversed the high-fat diet (HFD)-induced M1–M2 imbalance in white adipose tissue (WAT) and blocked HFD-induced obesity. The brown adipose tissue (BAT) activity, WAT browning and energy expenditure were significantly increased in Kdm6aF/Y;Lyz2-Cre mice. Furthermore, Kdm6a regulated the Ire1α expression in a demethylase activity-dependent manner and augmented the M2 polarisation of macrophages. Macrophage with higher Kdm6a significantly promotes adipogenesis in white adipocyte and inhibits thermogenesis in beige adipocytes. These results suggest that the Kdm6a in macrophages drives obesity and metabolic syndrome by impairing BAT activity and WAT differentiation.
Pupillary light reflex in ethambutol-induced optic neuropathy
Authors: Yoo Yung-Ju , Hwang Jeong-Min , Yang Hee Kyung
Published: December 2020

We evaluated changes in the pupillary light reflex (PLR) of ethambutol (EMB)-induced optic neuropathy and analyzed the correlations between PLR parameters and other structural changes in EMB-induced optic neuropathy. This retrospective, observational, case–control study involved thirty-two eyes of 17 patients with EMB-induced optic neuropathy (EON group), sixty eyes of 60 patients without EMB-induced optic neuropathy (non-EON group) while taking ethambutol, and forty-five eyes of 45 normal controls. PLR was measured by digital pupillometry. The clinical characteristics, optical coherence tomography measurements and PLR parameters including pupil diameter, constriction latency, constriction ratio/velocity, and dilation velocity were noted. The differences in PLR measurements were compared among the three groups. Correlations between PLR parameters and other structural parameters in EMB-induced optic neuropathy were evaluated. The pupillary constriction ratio, constriction and dilation velocities were significantly reduced in the EON group compared to the non-EON group and controls (all P < 0.05). In EMB-induced optic neuropathy, average outer macular ganglion cell layer (mGCL) thickness showed a significant correlation with the pupillary constriction ratio (ß = 4.14, P = 0.003) and maximal constriction velocity (ß = 1.08, P < 0.001). This study confirmed that pupillary constriction and dilation velocities were significantly decreased in patients with EMB-induced optic neuropathy, compared to normal controls. Digital pupillometry may be a useful tool in the evaluation of EMB-induced optic neuropathy.
Effectiveness of selective area growth using van der Waals h-BN layer for crack-free transfer of large-size III-N devices onto arbitrary substrates
Authors: Karrakchou Soufiane , Sundaram Suresh , Ayari Taha , Mballo Adama , Vuong Phuong , Srivastava Ashutosh , Gujrati Rajat , Ahaitouf Ali , Patriarche Gilles , Leichlé Thierry , Gautier Simon , Moudakir Tarik , Voss Paul L. , Salvestrini Jean Paul , Ougazzaden Abdallah
Published: December 2020

Selective Area van der Waals Epitaxy (SAVWE) of III-Nitride device has been proposed recently by our group as an enabling solution for h-BN-based device transfer. By using a patterned dielectric mask with openings slightly larger than device sizes, pick-and-place of discrete LEDs onto flexible substrates was achieved. A more detailed study is needed to understand the effect of this selective area growth on material quality, device performance and device transfer. Here we present a study performed on two types of LEDs (those grown on h-BN on patterned and unpatterned sapphire) from the epitaxial growth to device performance and thermal dissipation measurements before and after transfer. Millimeter-size LEDs were transferred to aluminum tape and to silicon substrates by van der Waals liquid capillary bonding. It is shown that patterned samples lead to a better material quality as well as improved electrical and optical device performances. In addition, patterned structures allowed for a much better transfer yield to silicon substrates than unpatterned structures. We demonstrate that SAVWE, combined with either transfer processes to soft or rigid substrates, offers an efficient, robust and low-cost heterogenous integration capability of large-size devices to silicon for photonic and electronic applications.
Uric acid level and kidney function: a cross-sectional study of the Korean national health and nutrition examination survey (2016–2017)
Authors: Joo Hye Jin , Kim Gyu Ri , Choi Dong-Woo , Joo Jae Hong , Park Eun-Cheol
Published: December 2020

Kidney disease is expected to become the fifth leading cause of premature death globally by 2040. Uric acid level is a risk factor for kidney disease. The current study aims to investigate the association between uric acid levels and kidney function in the Korean population. The data of 11,042 participants of the 2016–2017 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey were analysed. The estimated glomerular filtration rate was calculated using the modification of diet in renal disease formula for Koreans. For each sex, uric acid levels were divided into five subsequent categories of increasing levels (Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4, and hyperuricemia). The association between uric acid level and kidney function was investigated using multiple logistic regression. The results showed that the higher the uric acid levels, the greater the odds of reduced kidney function in both sexes. In men, the adjusted odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for reduced eGFR comparing the hyperuricemia group to the lowest serum uric acid quartile was 5.55 (3.27–9.44), and in women, the odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) was 7.52 (4.39–12.87). Normal weight or underweight in men and overweight in women, as well as diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and physical inactivity were highly associated with reduced kidney function. Our study revealed a dose–response relationship between uric acid levels and kidney function. Therefore, high uric acid level should be considered as a factor that is potentially related to kidney dysfunction in the Korean population.
Skin wound closure delay in metabolic syndrome correlates with SCF deficiency in keratinocytes
Authors: Wang Zhenping , Wang Yanhan , Bradbury Nicholas , Gonzales Bravo Carolina , Schnabl Bernd , Di Nardo Anna
Published: December 2020

Poor wound closure due to diabetes, aging, stress, obesity, alcoholism, and chronic disease affects millions of people worldwide. Reasons wounds will not close are still unclear, and current therapies are limited. Although stem cell factor (SCF), a cytokine, is known to be important for wound repair, the cellular and molecular mechanisms of SCF in wound closure remain poorly understood. Here, we found that SCF expression in the epidermis is decreased in mouse models of delayed wound closure intended to mimic old age, obesity, and alcoholism. By using SCF conditionally knocked out mice, we demonstrated that keratinocytes’ autocrine production of SCF activates a transient c-kit receptor in keratinocytes. Transient activation of the c-kit receptor induces the expression of growth factors and chemokines to promote wound re-epithelialization by increasing migration of skin cells (keratinocytes and fibroblasts) and immune cells (neutrophils) to the wound bed 24–48 h post-wounding. Our results demonstrate that keratinocyte-produced SCF is essential to wound closure due to the increased recruitment of a unique combination of skin cells and immune cells in the early phase after wounding. This discovery is imperative for developing clinical strategies that might improve the body’s natural repair mechanisms for treating patients with wound-closure pathologies.
A computational model of language functions in flexible goal-directed behaviour
Authors: Granato Giovanni , Borghi Anna M. , Baldassarre Gianluca
Published: December 2020

The function of language in high-order goal-directed human cognition is an important topic at the centre of current debates. Experimental evidence shows that inner speech, representing a self-directed form of language, empowers cognitive processes such as working memory, perception, categorization, and executive functions. Here we study the relations between inner speech and processes like feedback processing and cognitive flexibility. To this aim we propose a computational model that controls an artificial agent who uses inner speech to internally manipulate its representations. The agent is able to reproduce human behavioural data collected during the solution of the Wisconsin Card Sorting test, a neuropsychological test measuring cognitive flexibility, both in the basic condition and when a verbal shadowing protocol is used. The components of the model were systematically lesioned to clarify the specific impact of inner speech on the agent’s behaviour. The results indicate that inner speech improves the efficiency of internal representation manipulation. Specifically, it makes the representations linked to specific visual features more disentangled, thus improving the agent’s capacity to engage/disengage attention on stimulus features after positive/negative action outcomes. Overall, the model shows how inner speech could improve goal-directed internal manipulation of representations and enhance behavioural flexibility.