bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Preliminary Study on Up-regulation of Sexual Desire for a Long-term Partner
Authors: Langeslag Sandra J.E. , Davis Lauri L.
Published: March 2022

Background

Declining sexual desire over the course of a relationship may cause distress. Because sexual desire partly depends on who the (imagined) sexual partner is, this study focuses on increasing sexual desire for the long-term partner specifically.

Aim

This study examined 3 regulation strategies: (i) positive reappraisal of the partner, (ii) reappraisal of sexual desire decline, and (iii) sexual imagery about the partner. We tested whether these 3 strategies increased (i) sexual desire for the partner, (ii) motivated attention for the partner, as indicated by the late positive potential (LPP) amplitude, and (iii) infatuation, attachment, and relationship satisfaction.

Methods

Twenty-five young adults (6 men) who were in a long-term relationship performed the regulation strategies and no regulation before passively viewing a picture of their partner.

Outcomes

The LPP amplitude was measured during the partner picture. After each strategy, participants rated their sexual desire, infatuation, attachment, and relationship satisfaction.

Results

Participants felt more sexual desire for and more infatuated with their partner after sexual imagery about the partner than after no regulation. Participants also felt more attached to their partner after positive reappraisal of the partner than after no regulation. There was no evidence that any of the strategies influenced relationship satisfaction or motivated attention.

Clinical Implications

Sexual imagery about the partner is a simple strategy that people can use without involving the partner to increase sexual desire for (and infatuation with) their long-term partner.

Strengths & Limitations

One of the strengths of the current study is the experimental manipulation of strategy use within participants, which allows for conclusions of causality. The main limitation is the small, inclusive convenience sample. This study had good power to detect medium effects but was underpowered to detect small effects. Participants were mostly young adult women in relatively short long-term relationships. Gender differences in the effectiveness of the 3 strategies were not hypothesized or tested.

Conclusion

Sexual imagery about the partner increases sexual desire for (and infatuation with) the partner.
Public Willingness to Pay for Farmer Adoption of Best Management Practices
Authors: Lambert Lixia H. , Lambert Dayton M. , Ripberger Joseph T.
Published: March 2022

This paper analyzes public willingness to support farmer adoption of best management practices in Oklahoma’s Fort Cobb Watershed, a multiuse area for agriculture, residential water provision, and recreation. The study uses Oklahoma’s Meso-Scale Integrated Sociogeographic Network survey to conduct a contingent valuation analysis of a hypothetical, one-time tax that would support farmer adoption of pasture and riparian buffer management practices. Respondent heterogeneity is modeled using beta-binomial regression. Public support for the hypothetical program is stronger for the tandem implementation of riparian buffer establishment and pasture expansion (willingness to pay [WTP] = $290) and riparian buffer establishment (WTP = $317).
Atmospheric drivers of a winter-to-spring Lagrangian sea-ice drift in the Eastern Antarctic marginal ice zone
Authors: Womack Ashleigh , Vichi Marcello , Alberello Alberto , Toffoli Alessandro
Published: March 2022

Sea-ice drift in the Antarctic marginal ice zone (MIZ) is discussed using data from a 4-month-long drift of a buoy deployed on a pancake ice floe during the winter sea-ice expansion. We demonstrate increased meandering and drift speeds, and changes in the dynamical regimes of the absolute dispersion during cyclone activity, together with high correlations between drift velocities and wind from atmospheric reanalyses. This indicates a dominant physical control of wind forcing on ice drift and the persistence of free-drift conditions. These conditions occurred despite the buoy remaining largely in >80% ice concentrations and at distances >200 km from the estimated ice edge. The drift is additionally characterised by a strong inertial signature at 13.47 h, which appears initiated by passing cyclones. A wavelet analysis of the buoy's velocity confirms that the momentum transfer from winds at the multi-day frequencies is due to atmospheric forcing, while the initiation of inertial oscillations of sea ice has been identified as the secondary effect. Propagating storm-generated waves may initiate inertial oscillations by increasing the mobility of floes and enhance the drag of the inertial current. This analysis indicates that the Antarctic MIZ in the Indian Ocean sector remains much wider and mobile, during austral winter-to-spring, than defined by sea-ice concentration.
Can Muslims Drink? Rumi Vodka, Persianate Ideals, and the Anthropology of Islam
Authors: Tamimi Arab Pooyan
Published: March 2022

Shahab Ahmed’sWhat Is Islam? The Importance of Being Islamic(2016) challenges Islamic Studies scholars, (art) historians, and anthropologists to reconsider theoretical frameworks underpinning historical and ethnographic research. This article addresses Ahmed’s concerns that studies of Islam often conceptually privilege orthodoxy, by including drinking and intoxication as worthy of close attention in examining the history and the anthropology of Islam. The case of Wine Shop the Philosopher, run by a former Afghan refugee in The Hague and Amsterdam, is presented after establishing the comparative and interdisciplinary relevance of alcohol consumption in studies of Islam and Muslims. Ahmed’s conceptual framework is used and assessed in comparison with the wine shops’ contemporary pluralist reality by exploring the idealized boundaries of Persianate culture and Islam in dialogues between Persian-speaking interlocutors. It is argued that alcoholic drinks lend themselves to competing gastro-nationalisms and prompt ethnolinguistic tensions between and within groups with Turkish, Moroccan, Iranian, and Afghan backgrounds in the Netherlands. The focus on diverse, coexisting and clashing drink regimes, in conclusion, allows us to deconstruct dichotomies between sober Muslims and European drinkers, African and Asian believers and European unbelievers, and refugees and citizens.
Modelling growth in dairy heifers based on linear body measurements (withers height) using non-linear functions
Authors: Darmani Kuhi Hassan , Hossein-Zadeh Navid Ghavi , France James , López Secundino
Published: March 2022

This research communication reports a study to model the growth curves for withers height (WH) and body weight (BW) to withers height ratio (BW:WH) using monthly records (from 1 to 24 months of age) for three breeds of dairy heifer (Holstein, Jersey and Brown Swiss). The data sets used were those reported by the Dairy Heifer Evaluation Project of Penn State Extension (USA) between 1991 and 1992. Four growth functions (monomolecular and Michaelis-Menten, both with diminishing returns behaviour, and Schumacher and López, both with asymptotic sigmoidal behaviour) were fitted using the non-linear regression procedure of the SigmaPlot software and the parameters estimated. The models were judged for goodness of fit using adjusted coefficient of determination ($R_{{\rm adj}}^2 $), root mean square error (RMSE), Akaike's information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC). Assessing the goodness of fit by $R_{{\rm adj}}^2 $ (>0.99 in all cases) reveals the generally appropriate fit of the models to the data. The non-sigmoidal functions (i.e. Michaelis–Menten and monomolecular) provided the best fits giving the lowest values of RMSE, AIC and BIC. Based on the chosen statistical criteria, the Schumacher and López equations provided acceptable fits to the WH and BW:WH growth curves, but showed points of inflexion at times before birth, indicating that these growth curves are not sigmoidal. In conclusion, evaluation of the different non-linear growth functions used in this study indicated their potential for modelling growth patterns in dairy heifers.
Qaqet
Authors: Tabain Marija , Hellwig Birgit
Published: March 2022

Qaqet (Glottocode qaqe1238; ISO 639-3: byx) is a Papuan (i.e. non-Austronesian) Baining language that is spoken by an estimated 15,000 people in Papua New Guinea’s East New Britain Province. Figure 1 shows a map of where Qaqet and the four other known Baining languages (Mali, Kairak (also spelt Qairaq – see map), Simbali and Ura) are spoken (see Stebbins, Evans & Terrill 2017 for an overview of Baining; for phonological descriptions, see Stanton 2007 on Ura, and Stebbins 2011 on Mali). The wider affiliations of the Baining languages are unknown. They share typological features with other East Papuan languages (i.e. the non-Austronesian languages of Island Melanesia), but there is no historical-comparative evidence to establish genealogical relationships.1 In terms of phonology, there are no structures shared across all of East Papuan, but Baining languages have similarities to the East Papuan language Kuot spoken on neighbouring New Ireland (i.e. the intervocalic lenition of voiceless plosives; pitch movements at the right edge of intonation units).2 Furthermore, language contact is known to have taken place across the entire region, and Baining languages share typological features with Oceanic languages. This includes phonemic contrasts between voiceless and voiced plosives and between /r/ and /l/; as well as a number of morphosyntactic structures (e.g. a large inventory of definite and indefinite articles, AVO/SV constituent order, prepositions).
NONPARAMETRIC BAYES ANALYSIS OF THE SHARP AND FUZZY REGRESSION DISCONTINUITY DESIGNS
Authors: Chib Siddhartha , Greenberg Edward , Simoni Anna
Published: March 2022

We develop a nonparametric Bayesian analysis of regression discontinuity (RD) designs, allowing for covariates, in which we model and estimate the unknown functions of the forcing variable by basis expansion methods. In a departure from current methods, we use the entire data on the forcing variable, but we emphasize the data near the threshold by placing some knots at and near the threshold, a technique we refer to as soft-windowing. To handle the nonequally spaced knots that emerge from soft-windowing, we construct a prior on the spline coefficients, from a second-order Ornstein–Uhlenbeck process, which is hyperparameter light, and satisfies the Kullback–Leibler support property. In the fuzzy RD design, we explain the divergence between the treatment implied by the forcing variable, and the actual intake, by a discrete confounder variable, taking three values, complier, never-taker, and always-taker, and a model with four potential outcomes. Choice of the soft-window, and the number of knots, is determined by marginal likelihoods, computed by the method of Chib [Journal of the American Statistical Association, 1995, 90, 1313–1321] as a by-product of the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)-based estimation. Importantly, in each case, we allow for covariates, incorporated nonparametrically by additive natural cubic splines. The potential outcome error distributions are modeled as student-t, with an extension to Dirichlet process mixtures. We derive the large sample posterior consistency, and posterior contraction rate, of the RD average treatment effect (ATE) (in the sharp case) and RD ATE for compliers (in the fuzzy case), as the number of basis parameters increases with sample size. The excellent performance of the methods is documented in simulation experiments, and in an application to educational attainment of women from Meyersson [Econometrica, 2014, 82, 229–269].
The past, present: The Parthenon Sculptures dispute as an example of the ICPRCP’s role on claims barred by the non-retroactivity of the 1970 UNESCO Convention
Authors: Machado Haertel Letícia
Published: March 2022

This article analyzes the role played by the Intergovernmental Committee for Promoting the Return of Cultural Property to Its Countries of Origin or Its Restitution in Case of Illicit Appropriation (ICPRCP) in promoting the settlement of disputes barred by the non-retroactivity of the 1970 UNESCO Convention through an assessment of its impact on the dispute between Greece and the United Kingdom over the Parthenon Sculptures. The analysis first focuses on the ICPRCP’s regular mandate, followed by an evaluation of some “collateral effects” that it might have had on the dispute. Through the examination of all reports, recommendations, and decisions issued by the ICPRCP and the performance of a wider interdisciplinary case study, it is argued that the ICPRCP has had an impact on the dispute, both directly and indirectly. The value of these conclusions is to shed light on the complex factors in interplay in voluntary and non-binding dispute settlement mechanisms such as the ones performed by the ICPRCP and to represent a framework for further studies on the ICPRCP’s work and alternative dispute resolution methods in general.
The Messenger Matters: Religious Leaders and Overcoming COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy
Authors: Viskupič Filip , Wiltse David L.
Published: March 2022

Experts agree that vaccination is the most effective way to bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control. Nevertheless, vaccination rates have slowed nationwide and substantial segments of the population report an unwillingness to get vaccinated. We conducted an online survey experiment to investigate whether endorsement messages from various types of leaders can encourage the unvaccinated population to receive the vaccine. We surveyed 709 unvaccinated registered voters in South Dakota in April 2021 and presented them with identical messages endorsing vaccination from a political, religious, or medical leader. Our results show that messaging from a religious leader had a positive and statistically significant effect on interest in getting vaccinated, whereas messages from a political or medical leader had no statistically significant effect. These results strongly suggest that religious leaders are more effective messengers than other potential messengers and that public health officials would be well served to coordinate their efforts with leaders in faith communities.
When using glyphosate plus dicamba, 2,4-D, halauxifen or pyraflufen/2,4-D for glyphosate-resistant horseweed (Erigeron canadensis) control in soybean, which third mix partner is better, saflufenacil or metribuzin?
Authors: Dilliott Meghan , Soltani Nader , Hooker David C. , Robinson Darren E. , Sikkema Peter H.
Published: March 2022

Glyphosate-resistant (GR) horseweed interference in soybean can reduce soybean yield up to 93%. Glyphosate plus dicamba, 2,4-D ester, halauxifen-methyl or pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D applied preplant (PP) provide variable GR horseweed control in soybean. The objective of this study was to determine if the addition of saflufenacil or metribuzin to glyphosate plus dicamba, 2,4-D ester, halauxifen-methyl, or pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D will improve the level and consistency of GR horseweed control. Four trials were conducted over the 2020 and 2021 field seasons in fields with GR horseweed populations. Glyphosate plus dicamba, 2,4-D ester, halauxifen-methyl, or pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D controlled GR horseweed 96%, 77%, 71%, and 52%, respectively, at 8 wk after application (WAA). When saflufenacil or metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus dicamba or 2,4-D ester, GR horseweed control was not improved at 8 WAA. When saflufenacil or metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus halauxifen-methyl, GR horseweed control improved by 27% and 25%, respectively, at 8 WAA. When saflufenacil or metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D, GR horseweed control was improved by 47% and 37%, respectively, at 8 WAA. The consistency of GR horseweed control was improved when saflufenacil or metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus dicamba, 2,4-D ester, halauxifen-methyl, or pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D compared to each herbicide applied alone. Synergism was observed when metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus halauxifen-methyl and when saflufenacil or metribuzin was added to glyphosate plus pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D at 8 WAA. Though GR horseweed control was improved with the addition of saflufenacil or metribuzin to glyphosate plus halauxifen-methyl or pyraflufen-ethyl/2,4-D, all treatments including saflufenacil resulted in the highest level and most consistent control.
Performance of different herbicides on pondweed (Potamogeton nodosus) in rice
Authors: Yaghoubi Bijan , Aminpanah Hashem , Chauhan Bhagirath Singh
Published: March 2022

Pondweed is a rhizomatous perennial weed of aquatic habitats that recently adapted to rice ecosystems in northern Iran. Two field experiments were conducted at the Rice Research Institute of Iran to determine the impact of pondweed on rice yield and identify effective herbicides for pondweed control. The focus of the first study was to evaluate the herbicides commonly used in Iranian rice, including butachlor, pretilachlor, oxadiargyl, pendimethalin, thiobencarb, and bensulfuron-methyl. None of these herbicides effectively controlled pondweed, except bensulfuron, which reduced pondweed biomass by ≥95% and produced 26% higher rough rice grain yield than the nontreated plots. The second experiment evaluated the performance of acetolactate synthase–inhibiting herbicides on pondweed control, rough rice yield, and pondweed regrowth. Herbicide efficacy on pondweed varied from 36% to 100%. Five preemergence herbicides, bensulfuron at 45 g ai ha−1, flucetosulfuron at 30 g ai ha−1, triafamone plus ethoxysulfuron at 40 g ai ha−1, and metsulfuron-methyl at 15 g ai ha−1, provided ≥98% control of pondweed. Use of postemergence herbicides penoxsulam at 35 g ai ha−1, bispyribac-sodium at 30 g ai ha−1, and pyribenzoxim at 35 g ai ha−1provided 36%, 89%, and 93% pondweed control, respectively. Rough rice yields ranged from 107% to 124% in herbicide-treated plots compared with the nontreated plots. Soil-applied herbicide treatments produced higher (≥119%) yield than the hand-weeded control or foliar-applied herbicides. Pondweed regrowth was affected by herbicides and was variable. Soil-applied residual herbicides metazosulfuron, flucetosulfuron, and metsulfuron provided complete control of pondweed and prevented regrowth. In contrast, pondweed regrowth in other soil- and foliar-applied herbicide treatments occurred, indicating their lesser translocation to underground vegetative rhizomes. This study shows that although most sulfonylurea herbicides can control pondweed effectively to achieve high rough rice yield, only a few soil-applied herbicides were able to prevent pondweed regrowth.
Unique Relationship Between Rate and Cumulative Flow: A Property of Infiltration and Evaporation in Soils
Authors: Assouline Shmuel , Kamai Tamir
Published: March 2022

Infiltration and evaporation are key components of the Earth hydrological cycle that depend on soil properties and climatic conditions. Here we show that, for both infiltration and evaporation, the water flow rate is a unique function of the cumulative flow in the soil. Hence, for a given soil, infiltration and evaporation curves corresponding to different wetting and drying rates are represented by one curve characterizing the capacity of the system for the relevant process. This insight reveals a natural and powerful property that shapes water interactions between soil and atmosphere. A quantitative expression of the evaporation capacity curve is proposed. A dimensionless representation of this model offers a simple tool to predict evaporation under natural soil and climatic conditions that vary in space and time. The infiltration and evaporation capacity models can be easily embedded in Earth System Models to estimate the hydrological response at various spatial and temporal scales.
0.2 Ma or 1.2 Ma? Timing of the Linking of the Middle and Lower Reaches of the Yellow River Inferred From Loess‐Palaeosol Sequences
Authors: Chen Qu , Liu Xiuming , Zhao Guoyong , Jia Jia , Ye Wei , LÜ Bin , Meadows Michael , Guan Jueqi
Published: March 2022

Variations in susceptibility, grain size or accumulation rates of eolian sequences in the Sanmen Gorge entry and exit points and on the Loess Plateau were compared at different time scales. Synchronous changes in multiple proxies occurred during the formation of S14/L14 at different locality. However, the accumulation rates and magnetic properties were different between the sections in S2 or above, implying that there was significant difference in the proximate source for the gorge entry and exit points. It is suggested that the linking of the middle and lower reaches of the Yellow River occurred at around 1.2 Ma (million years ago) after progressively incising the gorge, while the acceleration in loess accumulation at 0.2 Ma can be attributed to its strong incision in the middle reaches and further channelization in the study area. The entrenchment and terrace formation of the river may be associated with tectonic forcing.
Global Map of Chorus Wave Sizes in the Inner Magnetosphere
Authors: Aryan Homayon , Bortnik Jacob , Sibeck David G. , Hospodarsky George
Published: March 2022

The dynamics of the radiation belts are largely affected by the resonant interactions of energetic particles with plasma waves, such as whistler mode chorus waves. These waves play a direct and crucial role in the acceleration and loss of radiation belt electrons. The properties of these waves have been investigated thoroughly using various missions that carried wave instruments within the inner magnetosphere. One of the most conspicuous properties of chorus waves is the size of the wave packets. Past studies have estimated the size of chorus wave packets as a function of radial distance, magnetic latitude, and geomagnetic activity. This study takes advantage of the comprehensive wave data from the Van Allen Probes mission to draw a global map of the size of chorus wave packets in the inner magnetosphere. Results show that the size of lower band chorus wave packets varies between ∼1,000 and2,000 km depending on the intensity and activity of chorus waves in the inner magnetosphere. In general, the largest chorus wave packets are observed on the dawn‐dayside where chorus wave activity is also high. The results will help us better understand the interaction region and the generation mechanism of the chorus waves.
Influences of IMF By Polarity on Dayside Electron Precipitation in Terms of Energy Channels
Authors: Shen Han‐Wen , Shue Jih‐Hong , Dombeck John , Han De‐Sheng
Published: March 2022

The By component of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) has long been suggested to play a crucial role in modulating precipitating electrons that create the dayside aurora. However, the effects of the By polarity on dayside precipitating electrons have never been examined in terms of energy channels. The present study statistically analyzes these effects using number fluxes of four energy channels. Our results show that the flux response of the dayside electron precipitation to the By polarity is not fixed in different energy channels. We infer that the response in the energy range of 688–1,000 eV is associated with interhemispheric field‐aligned currents, while the response in the energy range of 154–224 eV is likely related to the direct entry of magnetosheath electrons via antiparallel reconnection. In addition, local time distributions of precipitating electrons reveal two types of preexisting hemispheric asymmetry regardless of the By polarities. The first (second) type, which appears in the 06–12 magnetic local time (MLT) (12–18 MLT) sector, indicates higher (lower) flux in the Southern Hemisphere than in the Northern Hemisphere. All of the present results improve our understanding at the dayside aurora and the IMF By effects on it, which would not have been retrieved without the use of individual energy channels.
The Origins of Long‐Term Variability in Martian Upper Atmospheric Densities
Authors: Fang Xiaohua , Forbes Jeffrey M. , Benna Mehdi , Montabone Luca , Curry Shannon , Jakosky Bruce
Published: March 2022

We quantify and interpret the long‐term variability of dayside Martian upper thermosphere and lower exosphere densities within 180–275 km altitudes. Atmospheric CO2, N2, O, and Ar densities are from NASA Mars Atmosphere and Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) observations during the time period of 2015–2020 near solar minimum. These neutral measurements, together with contemporaneous solar irradiance measurements at Mars, enable disentanglement of the orbital effect (due to the annual Sun‐Mars distance change with solar longitude) and the solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) effect in atmospheric density variations. The relative importance of these two effects, which is obtained using a statistical method of Dominance Analysis, reveals the competition between the indirect effect of solar infrared (via the upward coupling from the middle atmosphere) and the direct effect of solar EUV (due to local heating). Our results show that, unlike the orbital effect which is relatively constant at low altitudes and then decreases with increasing altitude, the solar EUV effect nearly monotonically increases. These two effects are comparable at high altitudes (about 240/270/205 km for CO2/N2/O). This analysis is extended to include long‐term exospheric mass density estimates near 400 km from Mars Global Surveyor and Mars Odyssey data, with a focus on representative solar cycle phases of solar minimum and maximum. It is found that near 400 km, the orbital effect is always a key driver regardless of the solar cycle phase, while the solar EUV effect plays a minor role during solar minimum and is greatly enhanced and slightly exceeds the orbital effect during solar maximum.
An End‐To‐End Earthquake Detection Method for Joint Phase Picking and Association Using Deep Learning
Authors: Zhu Weiqiang , Tai Kai Sheng , Mousavi S. Mostafa , Bailis Peter , Beroza Gregory C.
Published: March 2022

Earthquake monitoring by seismic networks typically involves a workflow consisting of phase detection/picking, association, and location tasks. In recent years, the accuracy of these individual stages has been improved through the use of machine learning techniques. In this study, we introduce a new end‐to‐end approach that improves overall earthquake detection accuracy by jointly optimizing each stage of the detection pipeline. We propose a neural network architecture for the task of multi‐station processing of seismic waveforms recorded over a seismic network. This end‐to‐end architecture consists of three sub‐networks: a backbone network that extracts features from raw waveforms, a phase picking sub‐network that picks P‐ and S‐wave arrivals based on these features, and an event detection sub‐network that aggregates the features from multiple stations to associate and detect earthquakes across a seismic network. We use these sub‐networks together with a shift‐and‐stack module based on back‐projection that introduces kinematic constraints on arrival times, allowing the neural network model to generalize to different velocity models and to variable station geometry in seismic networks. We evaluate our proposed method on the STanford EArthquake Dataset (STEAD) and on the 2019 Ridgecrest, CA earthquake sequence. The results demonstrate that our end‐to‐end approach can effectively pick P‐ and S‐wave arrivals and achieve earthquake detection accuracy rivaling that of other state‐of‐the‐art approaches. Because our approach preserves information across tasks in the detection pipeline, it has the potential to outperform approaches that do not.
Spatial Variability of Radon Production Rates in an Alluvial Aquifer Affects Travel Time Estimates of Groundwater Originating From a Losing Stream
Authors: Schaper Jonas L. , Zarfl Christiane , Meinikmann Karin , Banks Eddie W. , Baron Sandra , Cirpka Olaf A. , Lewandowski Joerg
Published: March 2022

Assessing water travel times in hyporheic and adjacent alluvial sediments is important to quantify exchange rates, biogeochemical turnover, and pollution dynamics across groundwater‐surface water interfaces and in floodplain aquifers. Heat and 222Rn are useful natural tracers for this purpose. While heat transport is commonly simulated via the convection‐conduction equation, the transport of 222Rn is often simulated assuming purely advective transport and a homogenous distribution of 222Rn production rates across the model domain. In the present study, we explicitly model the production, transport, and radioactive decay of 222Rn after surface water infiltration into an alluvial aquifer with the numerical models MODFLOW‐NWT and MT3D‐USGS. Using field observations, numerical modeling, and laboratory experiments, we show that 222Rn production rates vary substantially in the alluvial aquifer of a lowland river. Distributions of mean river‐to‐groundwater travel time in the alluvial aquifer, estimated via a Bayesian approach, shifted considerably depending on whether 222Rn and time series of groundwater heads and temperature were jointly inverted and whether 222Rn production rates were allowed to vary spatially. With distance to the river, differences between the median river‐to‐groundwater travel time and apparent 222Rn ages increased by factors ranging from 1.4 at 4 m to 11.9 at 59 m, a finding that highlights the need to simulate 222Rn transport explicitly. The joint inversion of 222Rn, groundwater heads, and temperature reduced uncertainty associated with mean travel times, suggesting that the uncertainty introduced by spatially varying 222Rn production rates can at least partly be compensated by using a combination of natural tracers.
Advanced Testing of Low, Medium, and High ECS CMIP6 GCM Simulations Versus ERA5‐T2m
Authors: Scafetta Nicola
Published: March 2022

The equilibrium climate sensitivity (ECS) of the CMIP6 global circulation models (GCMs) varies from 1.83°C to 5.67°C. Herein, 38 GCMs are grouped into three ECS classes (low, 1.80–3.00°C; medium, 3.01–4.50°C; high, 4.51–6.00°C) and compared against the ERA5‐T2m records from 1980–1990 to 2011–2021. We found that all models with ECS > 3.0°C overestimate the observed global surface warming and that spatial t‐statistics rejects the data‐model agreement over 60% (using low‐ECS GCMs) to 81% (using high‐ECS GCMs) of the Earth's surface. Thus, the high and medium‐ECS GCMs are unfit for prediction purposes. The low‐ECS GCMs are not fully satisfactory yet, but they are also found unalarming because by 2050 they predict a moderate warming (ΔTpreindustrial→2050 ≲ 2°C).
The Cooling Over Northeast Asia in June Over the Most Recent Decade: A Possible Response to Declining Bering Sea Sea Ice in March
Authors: Ma Shuangmei , Zhu Congwen
Published: March 2022

In sharp contrast to rapid global warming, the surface air temperature (SAT) in Northeast Asia (NEA) has exhibited strong cooling in June since 2010. Our results show that this cooling is a possible response to declining Bering Sea sea ice concentrations (BSICs) in March. A physical process analysis shows that decreasing BSICs provoke a south‐eastward‐propagating Rossby wave train and induce a strong anomalous anticyclone over the midlatitude Northwest Atlantic, resulting in tripolar anomalous sea surface temperature (SST) pattern with warm anomalies in the midlatitude Northwest Atlantic. These persistent tripolar SST anomalies generate a new Rossby wave across Eurasia in June, which enhances the cyclonic atmosphere circulation anomaly over NEA and leads to the cold SAT anomalies observed in this area. Correspondingly, in response to the sharp decline in BSIC in March, the NEA has exhibited an unprecedented cooling trend in June over the most recent decade.
Sub‐Structures of the Separatrix Region During Magnetic Reconnection
Authors: Jiang K. , Huang S. Y. , Yuan Z. G. , Deng X. H. , Wei Y. Y. , Xiong Q. Y. , Xu S. B. , Zhang J. , Zhang Z. H. , Lin R. T. , Yu L.
Published: March 2022

Utilizing data from the Magnetospheric Multiscale mission, the sub‐structures of the separatrix region during reconnection are investigated. A small current system in the separatrix region is embedded in the large Hall current system, which appears as a quadrupole current. This small current system has an opposite direction to the Hall current and cancels part of the Hall magnetic field. The formation of the quadrupole current is possibly related to the patchy parallel electric field. The electric field in the separatrix region can be divided into three sub‐layers according to the electron frozen‐in condition. En enhances in two outside sub‐layers, where the strong En is supported by the Hall term and electron pressure gradient term, and the nearly zero En, separating the enhanced electric fields, is caused by a small flow and electron density gradient. Our observations imply complex dynamics in the separatrix region during magnetic reconnection.
Supershear Rupture During the 2021 MW 7.4 Maduo, China, Earthquake
Authors: Zhang Xu , Feng Wanpeng , Du Hailin , Samsonov Sergey , Yi Lei
Published: March 2022

Combined with the multi‐array back‐projection and finite‐fault joint inversion methods, we investigate the detailed spatiotemporal rupture complexity of the 2021 MW 7.4 Maduo earthquake using seismic and geodetic data. Our results reveal that this earthquake ruptured bilaterally 170 km long fault segments with a duration of 38 s. The obtained back‐projection results, specific aftershock signature of the supershear earthquake, and observations of far‐field Love Mach waves consistently validate that this earthquake is a supershear event. Furthermore, by analyzing global large strike‐slip earthquakes, we find that the moment‐scaled radiated energies of previously well confirmed supershear earthquakes with relatively simple fault geometries are similar to that of the 2021 MW 7.4 Maduo earthquake, which are significantly smaller than those of subshear strike‐slip events. This new finding provides additional supporting evidence to validate the supershear rupture during the 2021 MW 7.4 Maduo earthquake.
Scalable and automated CRISPR-based strain engineering using droplet microfluidics
Authors: Iwai Kosuke , Wehrs Maren , Garber Megan , Sustarich Jess , Washburn Lauren , Costello Zachary , Kim Peter W. , Ando David , Gaillard William R. , Hillson Nathan J. , Adams Paul D. , Mukhopadhyay Aindrila , Garcia Martin Hector , Singh Anup K.
Published: March 2022

We present a droplet-based microfluidic system that enables CRISPR-based gene editing and high-throughput screening on a chip. The microfluidic device contains a 10 × 10 element array, and each element contains sets of electrodes for two electric field-actuated operations: electrowetting for merging droplets to mix reagents and electroporation for transformation. This device can perform up to 100 genetic modification reactions in parallel, providing a scalable platform for generating the large number of engineered strains required for the combinatorial optimization of genetic pathways and predictable bioengineering. We demonstrate the system’s capabilities through the CRISPR-based engineering of two test cases: (1) disruption of the function of the enzyme galactokinase (galK) in E. coli and (2) targeted engineering of the glutamine synthetase gene (glnA) and the blue-pigment synthetase gene (bpsA) to improve indigoidine production in E. coli.
Effects of the age of vaccination on the humoral responses to a human papillomavirus vaccine
Authors: Nicoli Francesco , Mantelli Barbara , Gallerani Eleonora , Telatin Valentina , Squarzon Laura , Masiero Serena , Gavioli Riccardo , Palù Giorgio , Barzon Luisa , Caputo Antonella
Published: March 2022

Adult vaccination programs are receiving increasing attention however, little is known regarding the impact of age on the maintenance of the immune response. We investigated this issue in the context of a human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program collecting real-world data on the durability of humoral immunity in 315 female subjects stratified according to vaccination age (adolescents and adults) and sampled at early or late time points after the last vaccine dose. HPV-specific IgGs, but not memory B cells, were induced and maintained at higher levels in subjects vaccinated during adolescence. Nonetheless, antibody functions waned over time to a similar degree in adolescents and adults. To shed light on this phenomena, we analyzed quantitative and qualitative properties of lymphocytes. Similar biochemical features were observed between B-cell subsets from individuals belonging to the two age groups. Long term humoral responses toward vaccines administered at an earlier age were comparably maintained between adolescents and adults. The percentages of naïve B and CD4+T cells were significantly higher in adolescents, and the latter directly correlated with IgG titers against 3 out of 4 HPV types. Our results indicate that age-specific HPV vaccine responsiveness is mostly due to quantitative differences of immune cell precursors rather than qualitative defects in B cells. In addition, our results indicate that adults also have a good humoral immunogenic profile, suggesting that their inclusion in catch-up programmes is desirable.
Advances in purification of SARS-CoV-2 spike ectodomain protein using high-throughput screening and non-affinity methods
Authors: Cibelli Nicole , Arias Gabriel , Figur McKenzie , Khayat Shireen S. , Leach Kristin , Loukinov Ivan , Shadrick William , Chuenchor Watchalee , Tsybovsky Yaroslav ,   Vaccine Production Program Analytical Development, Patel Aakash , Mai Misa , Wang Xin , Vickery Karen , Khin Tina , Skubutyte Renata , Vejzagic Farah , Bastani Niutish , Vinitsky Alison , Lei Q. Paula , Gulla Krishana , Gowetski Daniel B.
Published: March 2022

The spike (S) glycoprotein of the pandemic virus, SARS-CoV-2, is a critically important target of vaccine design and therapeutic development. A high-yield, scalable, cGMP-compliant downstream process for the stabilized, soluble, native-like S protein ectodomain is necessary to meet the extensive material requirements for ongoing research and development. As of June 2021, S proteins have exclusively been purified using difficult-to-scale, low-yield methodologies such as affinity and size-exclusion chromatography. Herein we present the first known non-affinity purification method for two S constructs, S_dF_2P and HexaPro, expressed in the mammalian cell line, CHO-DG44. A high-throughput resin screen on the Tecan Freedom EVO200 automated bioprocess workstation led to identification of ion exchange resins as viable purification steps. The chromatographic unit operations along with industry-standard methodologies for viral clearances, low pH treatment and 20 nm filtration, were assessed for feasibility. The developed process was applied to purify HexaPro from a CHO-DG44 stable pool harvest and yielded the highest yet reported amount of pure S protein. Our results demonstrate that commercially available chromatography resins are suitable for cGMP manufacturing of SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein constructs. We anticipate our results will provide a blueprint for worldwide biopharmaceutical production laboratories, as well as a starting point for process intensification.
Analysis of gut microbiome profiles in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) in health and intestinal disease
Authors: Sheh Alexander , Artim Stephen C. , Burns Monika A. , Molina-Mora Jose Arturo , Lee Mary Anne , Dzink-Fox JoAnn , Muthupalani Sureshkumar , Fox James G.
Published: March 2022

Chronic gastrointestinal (GI) diseases are the most common diseases in captive common marmosets. To understand the role of the microbiome in GI diseases, we characterized the gut microbiome of 91 healthy marmosets (303 samples) and 59 marmosets diagnosed with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) (200 samples). Healthy marmosets exhibited “humanized,”Bacteroidetes-dominant microbiomes. After up to 2 years of standardized diet, housing and husbandry, marmoset microbiomes could be classified into four distinct marmoset sources based onPrevotellaandBacteroideslevels. Using a random forest (RF) model, marmosets were classified by source with an accuracy of 93% with 100% sensitivity and 95% specificity using abundance data from 4Prevotellaceaeamplicon sequence variants (ASVs), as well as single ASVs fromCoprobacter, Parabacteroides, Paraprevotella, Phascolarctobacterium, OribacteriumandFusobacterium.A single dysbiotic IBD state was not found across all marmoset sources, but IBD was associated with lower alpha diversity and a lowerBacteroides:Prevotella copriratio within each source. IBD was highest in aPrevotella-dominant cohort, and consistent withPrevotella-linked diseases, pro-inflammatory genes in the jejunum were upregulated. RF analysis of serum biomarkers identified serum calcium, hemoglobin and red blood cell (RBC) counts as potential biomarkers for marmoset IBD. This study characterizes the microbiome of healthy captive common marmosets and demonstrates that source-specific microbiomes can be retained despite standardized diets and husbandry practices. Marmosets with IBD had decreased alpha diversity and a shift in the ratio ofBacteroides:Prevotella copricompared to healthy marmosets.
Cardiovascular imaging following perioperative myocardial infarction/injury
Authors: Arslani Ketina , Gualandro Danielle M. , Puelacher Christian , Lurati Buse Giovanna , Lampart Andreas , Bolliger Daniel , Schulthess David , Glarner Noemi , Hidvegi Reka , Kindler Christoph , Blum Steffen , Cardozo Francisco A. M. , Caramelli Bruno , Gürke Lorenz , Wolff Thomas , Mujagic Edin , Schaeren Stefan , Rikli Daniel , Campos Carlos A. , Fahrni Gregor , Kaufmann Beat A. , Haaf Philip , Zellweger Michael J. , Kaiser Christoph , Osswald Stefan , Steiner Luzius A. , Mueller Christian ,   BASEL-PMI Investigators, Gueckel Johanna , Liffert Marcel , Kanhouche Gabriel , Sazgary Lorraine , Yu Pai C. , Prepoudis Alexandra , Shrestha Samyut , Lopez-Ayala Pedro , Freese Michael , Mitrovic Sandra , Rentsch Katharina , Hammerer-Lerchner Angelika
Published: March 2022

Patients developing perioperative myocardial infarction/injury (PMI) have a high mortality. PMI work-up and therapy remain poorly defined. This prospective multicenter study included high-risk patients undergoing major non-cardiac surgery within a systematic PMI screening and clinical response program. The frequency of cardiovascular imaging during PMI work-up and its yield for possible type 1 myocardial infarction (T1MI) was assessed. Automated PMI detection triggered evaluation by the treating physician/cardiologist, who determined selection/timing of cardiovascular imaging. T1M1 was considered with the presence of a new wall motion abnormality within 30 days in transthoracic echocardiography (TTE), a new scar or ischemia within 90 days in myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI), and Ambrose-Type II or complex lesions within 7 days of PMI in coronary angiography (CA). In patients with PMI, 21% (268/1269) underwent at least one cardiac imaging modality. TTE was used in 13% (163/1269), MPI in 3% (37/1269), and CA in 5% (68/1269). Cardiology consultation was associated with higher use of cardiovascular imaging (27% versus 13%). Signs indicative of T1MI were found in 8% of TTE, 46% of MPI, and 63% of CA. Most patients with PMI did not undergo any cardiovascular imaging within their PMI work-up. If performed, MPI and CA showed high yield for signs indicative of T1MI.

Trial registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02573532.
Radiomics analysis based on CT’s greater omental caking for predicting pathological grading of pseudomyxoma peritonei
Authors: Zhou Nan , Dou Ruixue , Zhai Xichao , Fang Jingyang , Wang Jiajun , Ma Ruiqing , Xu Jingxu , Cui Bin , Liang Lei
Published: March 2022

The objective of this study was to predict the preoperative pathological grading and survival period of Pseudomyxoma peritonei (PMP) by establishing models, including a radiomics model with greater omental caking as the imaging observation index, a clinical model including clinical indexes, and a combined model of these two. A total of 88 PMP patients were selected. Clinical data of patients, including age, sex, preoperative serum tumor markers [CEA, CA125, and CA199], survival time, and preoperative computed tomography (CT) images were analyzed. Three models (clinical model, radiomics model and combined model) were used to predict PMP pathological grading. The models’ diagnostic efficiency was compared and analyzed by building the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve. Simultaneously, the impact of PMP’s different pathological grades was evaluated. The results showed that the radiomics model based on the CT’s greater omental caking, an area under the ROC curve ([AUC] = 0.878), and the combined model (AUC = 0.899) had diagnostic power for determining PMP pathological grading. The imaging radiomics model based on CT greater omental caking can be used to predict PMP pathological grading, which is important in the treatment selection method and prognosis assessment.
Association between urine and serum estradiol levels in in vitro fertilization cycles
Authors: Chotboon Chokchai , Salang Lingling , Buppasiri Pranom , Amnatbuddee Siriruthai , Eamudomkarn Nuntasiri
Published: March 2022

To study the correlation between urine and serum estradiol (E2) controlled ovarian hyperstimulation (COH). This is a cross-sectional analytical study that was conducted in a tertiary care hospital. Seventy-seven urine and blood samplings were collected from infertile women who were treated with COH. An electrochemiluminescent immunoassay was performed to evaluate E2 levels between urine and serum samples on the 6th day and the day of ovarian trigger. In addition, the correlations were evaluated between urine E2 level and number of follicles, retrieved, metaphase II oocytes, and fertilization rate. A sub-analysis was performed for age, responding status and BMI. Seventy-seven infertile women were recruited. The medians of serum and urine E2 level levels on the day 6th of ovarian stimulation were 833.20 pg/ml (IQR; 516.90–1371.00) and 3.67 (IQR; 2.84–4.81), respectively. On the day of ovarian trigger, the median of serum E2 level was 2113.00 pg/ml (IQR; 1382.00–3885.00) and urine E2 level (E2/creatinine) was 6.84 (IQR; 5.34–8.70). The correlation between serum and urine E2 level on day 6th was 0.53 and the day of ovarian trigger was 0.59, p < 0.001. Moreover, the correlations of urine E2 level on the day of ovarian trigger to number of follicles, number of oocytes retrieved, metaphase II oocytes and fertilization rate were 0.57, 0.58, 0.61, and 0.64 (p < 0.001). The urine E2 level was moderately correlated to serum E2, number of follicles growth, oocytes retrieved and fertilization rate.
Cell segmentation for immunofluorescence multiplexed images using two-stage domain adaptation and weakly labeled data for pre-training
Authors: Han Wenchao , Cheung Alison M. , Yaffe Martin J. , Martel Anne L.
Published: March 2022

Cellular profiling with multiplexed immunofluorescence (MxIF) images can contribute to a more accurate patient stratification for immunotherapy. Accurate cell segmentation of the MxIF images is an essential step. We propose a deep learning pipeline to train a Mask R-CNN model (deep network) for cell segmentation using nuclear (DAPI) and membrane (Na+K+ATPase) stained images. We used two-stage domain adaptation by first using a weakly labeled dataset followed by fine-tuning with a manually annotated dataset. We validated our method against manual annotations on three different datasets. Our method yields comparable results to the multi-observer agreement on an ovarian cancer dataset and improves on state-of-the-art performance on a publicly available dataset of mouse pancreatic tissues. Our proposed method, using a weakly labeled dataset for pre-training, showed superior performance in all of our experiments. When using smaller training sample sizes for fine-tuning, the proposed method provided comparable performance to that obtained using much larger training sample sizes. Our results demonstrate that using two-stage domain adaptation with a weakly labeled dataset can effectively boost system performance, especially when using a small training sample size. We deployed the model as a plug-in to CellProfiler, a widely used software platform for cellular image analysis.