bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of online platform transparency of information on consumers’ choices
Authors: VELTRI GIUSEPPE A. , LUPIÁÑEZ-VILLANUEVA FRANCISCO , FOLKVORD FRANS , THEBEN ALEXANDRA , GASKELL GEORGE
Published: June 2020

Millions of Europeans use online platforms with almost blind trust that the platforms operate in the interests of the consumer. However, the presentation of search results, transparency about contractual parties and the publication of user reviews that contribute to the value of online platforms in Europe's Single Digital Market also pose significant risks regarding consumer protection and market competition. The current study investigates how enhanced information transparency in online platforms might affect consumers’ trust in online activities and choice behaviour. Following an exploratory qualitative study, three online discrete-choice experiments were conducted with representative samples of 1200 respondents in each of four countries: Germany, Poland, Spain and the UK. The objective of the experiments was to test whether increased transparency in the presentation of online search information, details of contractual entities and the implications for consumer protection and user reviews and ratings would affect consumers’ choices. The results show that increased online transparency increases the probability of product selection. A comparison across the four countries found that the similarities in responses to online transparency were far greater than the differences. The findings are discussed in relation to the biases and heuristics identified in behavioural science. In conclusion, recommendations are made to increase online transparency, which the empirical evidence of this study shows would benefit both users and platform operators.
The Partisan Logic of City Mobilization: Evidence from State Lobbying Disclosures
Authors: PAYSON JULIA A.
Published: June 2020

Why do local governments sometimes hire lobbyists to represent them in other levels of government? I argue that such mobilization efforts depend in part on the policy congruence between localities and their elected delegates in the legislature. I provide evidence consistent with this theory by examining how municipal governments in the United States respond to partisan and ideological mismatches with their state legislators—a common representational challenge. Using almost a decade of original panel data on municipal lobbying in all 50 states, I employ difference-in-differences and a regression discontinuity design to demonstrate that cities are significantly more likely to hire lobbyists when their districts elect non-co-partisan state representatives. The results are broadly consistent with a model of intergovernmental mobilization in which local officials purchase advocacy to compensate for the preference gaps that sometimes emerge in multilevel government.
Sarcopenic obesity in ageing: cardiovascular outcomes and mortality
Authors: Atkins Janice L. , Wannamathee S. Goya
Published: June 2020

Obesity is a major public health issue with prevalence increasing worldwide. Obesity is a well-established risk factor for CVD and mortality in adult populations. However, the impact of being overweight or obese in the elderly on CVD and mortality is controversial. Some studies even suggest that overweight and obesity, measured by BMI, are apparently associated with a decreased mortality risk (known as the obesity paradox). Ageing is associated with an increase in visceral fat and a progressive loss of muscle mass. Fat mass is positively associated and lean mass is negatively associated with risk of mortality. Therefore, in older adults BMI is not a good indicator of obesity. Sarcopenia has been defined as the degenerative loss of muscle mass, quality and strength with age and is of major concern in ageing populations. Sarcopenia has previously been associated with increased risks of metabolic impairment, cardiovascular risk factors, physical disability and mortality. It is possible for sarcopenia to co-exist with obesity, and sarcopenic obesity is a new class of obesity in older adults who have high adiposity levels together with low muscle mass, quality or strength. Therefore, sarcopenia with obesity may act together to increase their effect on metabolic disorders, CVD and mortality. This review will discuss the available evidence for the health implications of sarcopenic obesity on CVD and mortality in older adults.
‘Converse racialization’ and ‘un/marking’ language: The making of a bilingual university in a neoliberal world
Authors: Mena Mike , García Ofelia
Published: June 2020

The discourse on the opening of a bilingual university along the Texas-Mexico border leads us to propose a theory of ‘converse racialization’ through which the local Spanish is being progressively ‘unmarked’ and disassociated from the language practice of Mexican Americans. Converse racialization, as the equal and opposite co-constituting underside of racialization, shifts the directionality of semiotic indexes away from a particular ‘race’ or ‘ethnicity’ (including whiteness) and produces an apparent state of ‘unmarkedness’. We argue that the process of ‘unmarking’ Spanish has social, economic, and racializing consequences. Specifically, the language-as-resource discourse obscures and rearticulates the ‘deficiency perspective’ that continues to perpetuate structural inequalities that Latinxs in the border face. (Racialization, higher education, critical race theory, bilingualism, neoliberalism)*
Mechanical Twinning of Titanium Single Crystals
Authors: Fujishiro S. , Edington J. W.
Published: June 2020

Compression tests were performed on titanium single crystals at room temperature and at −196°C, and the twinning mode was investigated using metallographic, electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. Four crystallographic orientations, each different with respect to the compression axis, were selected in order to make the prospective twinning system planes, , , and , subject to a maximum resolved shear stress, i.e., Schmid factor = 0. 5. type twins were the most frequently observed in all the crystals tested and type twins were the second most frequent.
Electron Microscopical Study of Indurated Quartz Gouges
Authors: Engelder J. T. , McKee T. R.
Published: June 2020

The frictional properties of sandstone depend, in part, on the nature of the quartz gouge between the sliding surfaces. Gouge consisting of crushed quartz grains forms between sliding surfaces of fractured sandstone. Generally gouge is an unindurated but compacted aggregate of particles whose median diameter is about 25 μm,an order of magnitude less than the initial diameter of the sandstone quartz grains. In recent experiments on the frictional properties of quartz gouge between sandstone a 40 μm layer of indurated gouge has been generated at 1.0-kb normal stress. The purpose of this investigation is to characterize this unusually fine-grained indurated gouge and to suggest its influence on the frictional properties of sandstone.
Fine Structural and Biochemical Investigations of Pheochromocytomas in Bulls with C-Cell (Ultimobranchial) Neoplasms of the Thyroid (UBT)
Authors: Yarrington J. T. , Capen C. C.
Published: June 2020

Pheochromocytomas have been reported to occur concomitantly in 147, of bulls with C-cell tumors of the thyroid (Wilke and Krook, Path. Vet. 7:126, 1970). The objective of this study was to investigate the ultrastructural and biochemical alterations in the adrenal medulla of 6 bulls (5 of which had C-cell tumors of the thyroid) and compare these findings to those of the normal adrenal medulla in 12 control bulls.

The adrenal medulla from control bulls was characterized by the close apposition of secretory cells to numerous capillaries. The background cytoplasmic density of parenchymal cells varied from dark to light and the majority appeared to be in a storage phase. Secretory granules were present in nearly all cells but were more numerous in those with a greater cytoplasmic density. The parenchymal cells could be divided into 2 types on the basis of the structure of their secretory granules.
Microstructure of quartz in partially inverted coesite from high-pressure metamorphic rocks
Authors: Wirth R.
Published: June 2020

Coesite, a high-pressure polymorph of SiO2, was firstly synthesized by Coes. Naturally occurring coesite has been found in shock metamorphosed rocks, xenoliths in kimberlites, eclogites and metasediments. Coesite in metasediments indicates subduction of slabs of continental crust to depths of at least 90 km. Coesite can only survive obduction (decrease of P,T) as an inclusion in a high strength mineral like garnet (pyrope). Depending on the elastic behavior of the coesite-includmg garnets, coesite is always partially inverted into quartz. Stress associated with the volume increase due to the coesite inversion causes a radiating crack pattern around the including mineral. Complete failure of the pressure vessel results in a replacement of coesite by pseudomorphs of quartz after coesite. The present study intends to find characteristic microstructural features as reliable indicators for quartz pseudomorphs having been pseudomorphs after coesite. Four different types of quartz can be distinguished with respect to the fabric, due to the coesite inversion:
Numerical Insights Into the Effects of Model Geometric Distortion in Laboratory Experiments of Urban Flooding
Authors: Li Xuefang , Erpicum Sébastien , Mignot Emmanuel , Archambeau Pierre , Rivière Nicolas , Pirotton Michel , Dewals Benjamin
Published: June 2020

Geometrically distorted scale models have been a valuable tool for physical modeling of urban flooding in a network of streets. However, little is known so far about the bias induced in such cases by the model geometric distortion. Here, we use 2‐D computational modeling to provide a first systematic quantification of this bias in the case of a synthetic urban layout. The bias is found to be generally small, with the maximum deviations of the upscaled flow depth and discharge partition from the corresponding values of the undistorted model being around 10% in the case of relatively rapid and shallow flow conditions. When the geometric distortion is increased, the computations reveal a nonmonotonous pattern of the flow variables (depth, discharge partition, and size of flow separation zones), which results from a competition between declining frictional losses and growing local losses in the model. These findings may guide the design of distorted scale models of urban flooding and assist the interpretation of laboratory observations for assessing flood protection measures, for process understanding or for validating computational modeling.
Beach Slopes From Satellite‐Derived Shorelines
Authors: Vos Kilian , Harley Mitchell D. , Splinter Kristen D. , Walker Andrew , Turner Ian L.
Published: June 2020

The steepness of the beach face is a fundamental parameter for coastal morphodynamic research. Despite its importance, it remains extremely difficult to obtain reliable estimates of the beach‐face slope over large spatial scales (thousands of km of coastline). In this letter, a novel approach to estimate this slope from time series of satellite‐derived shoreline positions is presented. This new technique uses a frequency domain analysis to find the optimum slope that minimizes high‐frequency tidal fluctuations relative to lower‐frequency erosion/accretion signals. A detailed assessment of this new approach at eight locations spanning a range of tidal regimes, wave climates, and sediment grain sizes shows strong agreement (R2 = 0.93) with field measurements. The automated technique is then applied across thousands of beaches in eastern Australia and California, USA, revealing similar regional‐scale distributions along these two contrasting coastlines and highlights the potential for new global‐scale insight to beach‐face slope spatial distribution, variability, and trends.
Knudsen pumps: a review
Authors: Wang Xiaowei , Su Tianyi , Zhang Wenqing , Zhang Zhijun , Zhang Shiwei
Published: June 2020

The Knudsen pump (KP) is a kind of micro-pump that can form thermally induced flows induced by temperature fields in rarefied gas environments. It has the advantages of having no moving parts, simple structure, easy construction and extension, a wide range of energy sources, and low energy consumption. With the development of Micro/Nano Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS/NEMS), extensive studies have been conducted on KPs, and the applications of KPs have widened. In order to obtain efficient flow fields in KPs, it is necessary to adopt modern computational methods for simulation and analysis. In many circumstances, the simulation and experimental results have good agreement. However, there seems to be no comprehensive review on KPs at present. In this paper, KPs are first defined and classified according to the flow mechanisms of the thermally induced flows. Then, the three aspects of configurations, performance, and applications of KPs in the current state of research are reviewed and analyzed. Finally, the current problems of KP are discussed, and some suggestions are provided for future research and applications.
NORAD orchestrates endometrial cancer progression by sequestering FUBP1 nuclear localization to promote cell apoptosis
Authors: Han Tong , Wu Yukang , Hu Xiang , Chen Yaqi , Jia Wenwen , He Qizhi , Bian Yiding , Wang Mengfei , Guo Xudong , Kang Jiuhong , Wan Xiaoping
Published: June 2020

Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) are emerging as critical regulators in tumor initiation and progression. However, the biological mechanisms and potential clinical application of lncRNA NORAD in endometrial cancer (EC) remain unknown. Herein, we identified NORAD underwent promoter hypermethylation-associated downregulation in EC. Epigenetic inactivation of NORAD was correlated with EC progression (FIGO stage) and poor outcome. Overexpression of NORAD significantly inhibited cell growth and promoted apoptosis in EC cells. Mechanistic studies revealed that multiple regions of NORAD served as a platform for binding with the central domain of anti-apoptotic factor FUBP1. Our findings further indicated that the NORAD/FUBP1 interaction attenuated FUBP1 nuclear localization and thus impaired the occupancies of FUBP1 on its target pro-apoptotic gene promoters, resulting in apoptosis induction in EC. Moreover, knockdown of NORAD promoted tumor growth in the xenograft mice model. While, introduction of NORAD-4 fragment, which bound with FUBP1, successfully reversed tumor growth and apoptosis inhibition mediated by NORAD knockdown in vivo. Our findings provide mechanistic insight into the critical roles of NORAD as a tumor suppressor in EC progression. NORAD could possibly serve as a novel prognostic biomarker and provide the rationale for EC therapy.
Associations of sense of coherence and self-efficacy with health status and disease severity in COPD
Authors: Tsiligianni Ioanna , Sifaki-Pistolla Dimitra , Gergianaki Irini , Kampouraki Maria , Papadokostakis Polyvios , Poulonirakis Ioannis , Gialamas Ioannis , Bempi Vasiliki , Ierodiakonou Despo
Published: June 2020

Sense of coherence and self-efficacy has been found to affect health-related quality of life in chronic diseases. However, research on respiratory diseases is limited. Here we report findings on quality of life (QoL) of COPD patients and the associations with coherence and self-efficacy. This study consists of the Greek national branch of the UNLOCK study, with a sample of 257 COPD patients. Coherence and self-efficacy are positively inter-correlated (Pearson rho = 0.590, p < 0.001). They are negatively correlated with the quality of life (CAT) [Pearson rho: coherence = −0.29, p < 0.001; self-efficacy = −0.29, p < 0.001) and mMRC (coherence = −0.37, p < 0.001; self-efficacy rho = −0.32, p < 0.001)]. Coherence is inversely associated with (Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease) GOLD 2018—CAT and GOLD 2018—mMRC classification and “having at least one exacerbation in the past year”. Findings are stressing the need for their incorporation in primary health care and COPD guidance as it maybe that enhancing coherence and self-efficacy will improve QoL.
Draft genome of the European medicinal leech Hirudo medicinalis (Annelida, Clitellata, Hirudiniformes) with emphasis on anticoagulants
Authors: Kvist Sebastian , Manzano-Marín Alejandro , de Carle Danielle , Trontelj Peter , Siddall Mark E.
Published: June 2020

The European medicinal leech has been used for medicinal purposes for millennia, and continues to be used today in modern hospital settings. Its utility is granted by the extremely potent anticoagulation factors that the leech secretes into the incision wound during feeding and, although a handful of studies have targeted certain anticoagulants, the full range of anticoagulation factors expressed by this species remains unknown. Here, we present the first draft genome of the European medicinal leech, Hirudo medicinalis, and estimate that we have sequenced between 79–94% of the full genome. Leveraging these data, we searched for anticoagulation factors across the genome of H. medicinalis. Following orthology determination through a series of BLAST searches, as well as phylogenetic analyses, we estimate that fully 15 different known anticoagulation factors are utilized by the species, and that 17 other proteins that have been linked to antihemostasis are also present in the genome. We underscore the utility of the draft genome for comparative studies of leeches and discuss our results in an evolutionary context.
SLC25A11 serves as a novel prognostic biomarker in liver cancer
Authors: Pan Guoqiang , Wang Ruobing , Jia Shengnan , Li Yanqing , Jiao Yan , Liu Nan
Published: June 2020

Liver cancer is a disease with high mortality; it is often diagnosed at intermediate and advanced stages and has a high recurrence rate. ROS restriction and adequate energy supply play significant roles in liver cancer. SLC25A11, a member of the malate-aspartate shuttle (MAS), regulates electroneutral exchange between 2-oxoglutarate and other dicarboxylates. It transports glutathione (GSH) from the cytoplasm into mitochondria to maintain GSH levels to limit ROS production. Moreover, SLC25A11 is essential for ATP generation in cancers as it regulates NADH transportation from the cytoplasm to mitochondria. The purpose of this research was to investigate the prognostic value of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. The Cancer Genome Atlas database was used to analyze the levels of SLC25A11 in liver cancer. Fisher’s exact and chi-square tests were used to evaluate the relationship between SLC25A11 expression and clinical characteristics. Finally, we explored the value of SLC25A11 in prognosis by Cox analysis and Kaplan-Meier curves. Our results revealed that SLC25A11 was downregulated in liver cancer compared to normal controls. Low expression of SLC25A11 was associated with clinical stage, vital status, histologic grade, overall survival (OS) and relapse-free survival (RFS). Liver cancer patients with low SLC25A11 expression had shorter OS and RFS than patients with high SLC25A11 expression. Multivariate analysis showed that the expression of SLC25A11 was an independent predictor of RFS and OS. In conclusion, this study identified that SLC25A11 serves as a new prognostic marker for liver cancer.
Unsuspected Paraganglioma—Infratemporal Fossa
Authors: Sultana J Nikhat , Gurrala Shekhar R. , Kommula Lakshman K. , Boola Gnana R.
Published: June 2020

Paraganglioma of the infratemporal fossa is exceedingly rare, with no more than a handful of documented cases. Undiagnosed paraganglioma poses a great challenge. We present a 39-year-old hypertensive female, who presented with giddiness and headache for 3 months and four episodes of syncope over 3 months. CT and MRI revealed an enhancing infratemporal region space-occupying mass close proximity to petrous carotid artery. Intraoperatively, the patient had hemodynamic instability (tachycardia and hypertension) when the mass was surgically manipulated. Diagnosis of paraganglioma was suspected, based on hemodynamic instability, which was later confirmed by histopathology. Undiagnosed paraganglioma pose a great challenge to the anesthetic management. Low-threshold of suspicion has to be there to avoid significant morbidity and mortality.
The synoptic-dynamics of summertime heatwaves in the Sydney area (Australia)
Authors: Parker Tess , Quinting Julian , Reeder Michael
Published: June 2020

Motivated by the record-breaking heatwaves of early 2017, the synoptic structure and evolution of summer (December–February) heatwaves in the Sydney area is investigated through composite and trajectory analyses. In the upper troposphere, the main features of the composite structure are an isolated upper-tropospheric anticyclonic potential vorticity (PV) anomaly to the south-east of Australia and cyclonic anomalies to the east and south. Back trajectories starting from within the upper-tropospheric anticyclonic PV anomaly on the first day of the heatwave fall into two groups: those that are diabatically cooled in the final 72 h and those that are diabatically heated. Those that are cooled come predominantly from the upstreammiddle troposphere over the Indian Ocean. The change in the potential temperature of these parcels is less than 3K, and so their motion is effectively adiabatic. In contrast, those parcels that are heated in the final 72 h are drawn predominantly from the lower half of the troposphere over the south-western part of the continent. As they ascended, their potential temperature increases by 10K in the mean due to latent heating. At low-levels, the main features of the composite are an anticyclone centred in the Tasman Sea, a broad low over the Southern Ocean and associated anomalous warm northwesterlies over the Sydney area. Five days prior to the heatwave, air parcels that become part of the near surface air mass are located predominantly offshore to the east and south of the continent. The anomalously high surface temperatures can be explained by adiabatic compression and surface sensible heating. For the next 48 h, the air parcels subside and their potential temperature changes little, whereas their temperature increases by around 15Kthrough adiabatic compression. In the final 72 h, as the parcels approach the surface and are entrained into the boundary layer, the potential temperature and temperature both increase by 5K, presumably through surface sensible heating. The record-breaking heatwaves of January and February 2017 are found to be very representative of previous heatwaves in the Sydney area, and in the mean they are synoptically very similar to heatwaves in Victoria, although dynamically there are differences.
Variation in growing season water balance in central Victoria, Australia, in relation to large-scale climate drivers
Authors: Marshall Adam John
Published: June 2020

The precipitation and evaporation records from 1972 to 2013 were analysed at five stations in central Victoria, Australia. The stations formed a north-south transect of sites across a distinct climatic gradient spanning the dry inland plains, the Great Dividing Range and the southern coastal zone. The focus was on the March–November ‘Growing Season’ when typically higher available moisture is critical for a variety of agricultural practices and water management across the region. Growing season rainfall trends were fairly consistent across all stations with ongoing declines generally observed in all months with the exception of November, with the most notable declines in April, May and October. Pan evaporation recorded display greater variation between stations with both significant positive and negative trends evident within the season across the station network. The influence of El Niño–Southern Oscillation and Indian Ocean Dipole on rainfall and pan evaporation was statistically significant, increasing through winter and peaking in spring at all stations. The Southern Annular Mode displayed marked intraseasonal influence which appeared to be highly location dependent. Interestingly, the tropical climate drivers displayed a stronger relationship with pan evaporation than rainfall over the analysis period. This highlighted the potential benefits of taking a broader terrestrial water balance (TWB) perspective of both pan evaporation and rainfall, a concept previously termed ‘Effective Rainfall’. Critically, this study shows the importance of understanding regional variation in TWB elements with respect to local topography and geographic location, as well as intraseasonal variations within the overall growing season.
The sensitivity of fire activity to interannual climate variability in Victoria, Australia
Authors: Harris Sarah , Nicholls Neville , Tapper Nigel , Mills Graham
Published: June 2020

Climate change is expected to have an impact on fire activity in many regions around the globe.The extent of this can only be determined by first establishing the relationship between climate and fire activity. This study relates observed changes in fire activity in Victoria to observed changes in antecedent and concurrent climate parameters – maximum temperature, rainfall and vapour pressure, using data for 1972–2014. A first-difference approach was adopted to estimate the amount by which the observed changes in the climate parameters would have altered the fire activity in the absence of other confounding effects. This study provides a method for examining the sensitivity of fire activity to changes in climate parameters without the need to consider the complex response of fuel dynamics to future climates and changes in fire regime or fire management. We used stepwise multiple-regression to determine the months whose climate parameters explained much of the variance in the total number of fires (TNF) and area burned in a fire season. The best performing fire–climate models explained almost two-thirds of the variation in year-to-year variability of fire activity. The significant explanatory ability of the fire–climate models established in this study reveals the combination of climate parameters that closely relates to the observed year-to-year changes in fire activity, and this may provide an additional valuable resource for fire management planning. Further, we explored the role changes in climate have had on the trend in fire activity. Natural logarithm of area burned and mean fire size have not significantly increased over the study period, but the TNF has significantly increased. We find that the observed increase in maximum temperatures and decrease in rainfall account for 26% of the observed increase in TNF for the 1972–2014 period. Therefore, most of the upward trend found in fire numbers must be due to factors other than climate (i.e. changes in fire occurrence, reporting/recording, land and fire-management changes). Additionally, this study concludes that total area burned should have also increased significantly due to the observed changes in climate and that improved fire-management practicesmay be offsetting this expected increase in the area burned. Finally, using the relationship established in this study between fire numbers and climate parameters, we estimate that a 2°C increase in mean monthly maximum temperatures could be expected to lead to a 38% increase in fire numbers.
Seasonal climate summary for the southern hemisphere (winter 2017): exceptionally warm days for Australia
Authors: Martin David J. , Tobin Skie
Published: June 2020

This is a summary of the southern hemisphere atmospheric circulation patterns and meteorological indices for austral winter 2017; an account of seasonal rainfall and temperature for the Australian region is also provided. The El Niño–Southern Oscillation was neutral during winter 2017, as was the Indian Ocean Dipole. A positive Southern Annular Mode influenced the climates of southern hemisphere countries at times during winter. Despite the lack of large-scale ocean influences, mean temperatures for the season were very much above average across large areas of Australia, New Zealand, southern Africa and South America. Precipitation during the season was below average across much of Australia, South Africa and western areas of Chile and Argentina, but above average in some southern and eastern areas of South America.
Seasonal climate summary for the southern hemisphere (spring 2016): strong negative Indian Ocean Dipole ends, bringing second wettest September to Australia
Authors: Trewin Blair , Ganter Catherine
Published: June 2020

This summary looks at the southern hemisphere and equatorial climate patterns for spring 2016, with particular attention given to the Australasian and equatorial regions of the Pacific and Indian Ocean basins. Spring 2016 was marked by the later part of a strong negative phase of the Indian Ocean Dipole, alongside cool neutral El Niño–Southern Oscillation conditions. September was exceptionally wet over much of Australia, contributing to a wet spring with near-average temperatures. The spring was one of the warmest on record over the southern hemisphere as a whole, with Antarctic Sea ice extent dropping to record low levels for the season.
Sensitivity of the orographic precipitation across the Australian Snowy Mountains to regional climate indices
Authors: Sarmadi Fahimeh , Huang Yi , Siems Steven T. , Manton Michael J.
Published: June 2020

The wintertime (May–October) precipitation across south-eastern Australia, and the Snowy Mountains, was studied for 22 years (1995–2016) to explore the sensitivity of the relationships between six established climate indices and the precipitation to the orography, both regionally and locally in high-elevation areas. The high-elevation (above 1100 m) precipitation records were provided by an independent network of rain gauges maintained by Snowy Hydro Ltd. These observations were compared with the Australian Water Availability Project (AWAP) precipitation analysis, a commonly used gridded nationwide product. As the AWAP analysis does not incorporate any high-elevation sites, it is unable to capture local orographic precipitation processes. The analysis demonstrates that the alpine precipitation over the Snowy Mountains responds differently to the indices than the AWAP precipitation. In particular, the alpine precipitation is found to be most sensitive to the position of the subtropical ridge and less sensitive to a number of other climate indices tested. This sensitivity is less evident in the AWAP representation of the high-elevation precipitation. Regionally, the analysis demonstrates that the precipitation to the east of the Snowy Mountains (the downwind precipitation) is weakly correlated with the upwind and peak precipitation. This is consistent with previous works that found that the precipitation in this downwind region commonly occurs from mechanisms other than storm systems passing over the mountains.
The Antarctic ozone hole during 2017
Authors: Klekociuk Andrew R. , Tully Matthew B. , Krummel Paul B. , Evtushevsky Oleksandr , Kravchenko Volodymyr , Henderson Stuart I. , Alexander Simon P. , Querel Richard R. , Nichol Sylvia , Smale Dan , Milinevsky Gennadi P. , Grytsai Asen , Fraser Paul J. , Xiangdong Zheng , Gies H. Peter , Schofield Robyn , Shanklin Jonathan D.
Published: June 2020

We review the 2017 Antarctic ozone hole, making use of various meteorological reanalyses, and in-situ, satellite and ground-based measurements of ozone and related trace gases, and ground-based measurements of ultraviolet radiation. The 2017 ozone hole was associated with relatively high-ozone concentrations over the Antarctic region compared to other years, and our analysis ranked it in the smallest 25% of observed ozone holes in terms of size. The severity of stratospheric ozone loss was comparable with that which occurred in 2002 (when the stratospheric vortex exhibited an unprecedented major warming) and most years prior to 1989 (which were early in the development of the ozone hole). Disturbances to the polar vortex in August and September that were associated with intervals of anomalous planetary wave activity resulted in significant erosion of the polar vortex and the mitigation of the overall level of ozone depletion. The enhanced wave activity was favoured by below-average westerly winds at high southern latitudes during winter, and the prevailing easterly phase of the quasi-biennial oscillation (QBO). Using proxy information on the chemical make-up of the polar vortex based on the analysis of nitrous oxide and the likely influence of the QBO, we suggest that the concentration of inorganic chlorine, which plays a key role in ozone loss, was likely similar to that in 2014 and 2016, when the ozone hole was larger than that in 2017. Finally, we found that the overall severity of Antarctic ozone loss in 2017 was largely dictated by the timing of the disturbances to the polar vortex rather than interannual variability in the level of inorganic chlorine.
Trends in Antarctic ozone hole metrics 2001–17
Authors: Tully Matthew B. , Krummel Paul B. , Klekociuk Andrew R.
Published: June 2020

Linear trends over the years 2001–17 are reported of a number of standard metrics used to describe the severity of the Antarctic ozone hole, both with and without a simple adjustment to account for meteorological variability. The trends were compared to those from the years 1979–2001. All metrics considered showed a trend towards reduced ozone depletion since 2001, at significance levels ranging from 2.4 to 3.9 standard errors of the trend after the adjustment was performed. The adjustment for meteorological variability had little effect on the values of the trends but did substantially reduce the scatter and, therefore, uncertainty of the trends.
The Antarctic ozone hole during 2015 and 2016
Authors: Tully Matthew B. , Klekociuk Andrew R. , Krummel Paul B. , Gies H. Peter , Alexander Simon P. , Fraser Paul J. , Henderson Stuart I. , Schofield Robyn , Shanklin Jonathon D. , Stone Kane A.
Published: June 2020

We reviewed the 2015 and 2016 Antarctic ozone holes, making use of a variety of ground-based and spacebased measurements of ozone and ultraviolet radiation, supplemented by meteorological reanalyses. The ozone hole of 2015 was one of the most severe on record with respect to maximum area and integrated deficit and was notably longlasting, with many values above previous extremes in October, November and December. In contrast, all assessed metrics for the 2016 ozone hole were at or below their median values for the 37 ozone holes since 1979 for which adequate satellite observations exist. The 2015 ozone hole was influenced both by very cold conditions and enhanced ozone depletion caused by stratospheric aerosol resulting from the April 2015 volcanic eruption of Calbuco (Chile).
The Antarctic ozone hole during 2014
Authors: Krummel Paul B. , Klekociuk Andrew R. , Tully Matthew B. , Gies H. Peter , Alexander Simon P. , Fraser Paul J. , Henderson Stuart I. , Schofield Robyn , Shanklin Jonathan D. , Stone Kane A.
Published: June 2020

We review the 2014 Antarctic ozone hole, making use of a variety of ground-based and space-based measurements of ozone and ultra-violet radiation, supplemented by meteorological reanalyses. Although the polar vortex was relatively stable in 2014 and persisted some weeks longer into November than was the case in 2012 or 2013, the vortex temperature was close to the long-term mean in September and October with modest warming events occurring in both months, preventing severe depletion from taking place. Of the seven metrics reported here, all were close to their respective median values of the 1979–2014 record, being ranked between 16th and 21st of the 35 years for which adequate satellite observations exist.
Developing impact-based thresholds for coastal inundation from tide gauge observations
Authors: Hague Ben S. , Murphy Bradley F. , Jones David A. , Taylor Andy J.
Published: June 2020

This study presents the first assessment of the observed frequency of the impacts of high sea levels at locations along Australia’s northern coastline. We used a new methodology to systematically define impact-based thresholds for coastal tide gauges, utilising reports of coastal inundation from diverse sources. This method permitted a holistic consideration of impact-producing relative sea-level extremes without attributing physical causes. Impact-based thresholds may also provide a basis for the development of meaningful coastal flood warnings, forecasts and monitoring in the future. These services will become increasingly important as sea-level rise continues.The frequency of high sea-level events leading to coastal flooding increased at all 21 locations where impact-based thresholds were defined. Although we did not undertake a formal attribution, this increase was consistent with the well-documented rise in global sea levels. Notably, tide gauges from the south coast of Queensland showed that frequent coastal inundation was already occurring. At Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, impact-based thresholds were being exceeded on average 21.6 and 24.3 h per year respectively. In the case of Brisbane, the number of hours of inundation annually has increased fourfold since 1977.
Variation in cell wall structure and composition of wheat grain based on geography and regulatory effect of cell wall on water mobility
Authors: Gao Xiaoquan , Ying Ruifeng , Zhao Dan , Zhu Jiewei
Published: June 2020

Wheat grain from 12 different regions in China was used to study variations in the cell wall structure and chemical composition based on geography. The mobility and migration rate of water in wheat grain during moisture absorption and drying were determined under different relative humidity conditions. Depending on the geography, variations were noted in the thickness and component content of the wheat grain cell wall. Cell wall thickness was positively correlated with the total arabinoxylan (TAX) content. Cell wall thickness and TAX content of the aleurone layer were positively correlated with altitude and negatively correlated with longitude. The water migration rate decreased with the increase of cell wall thickness and TAX content. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) results revealed that grains with thick aleurone cell wall showed increased molecular mobility of water. These findings lay the foundation for further study of water regulation in wheat cell wall.
Hybrid breeding in wheat: how shaping floral biology can offer new perspectives
Authors: Selva Caterina , Riboni Matteo , Baumann Ute , Würschum Tobias , Whitford Ryan , Tucker Matthew R.
Published: June 2020

Hybrid breeding in wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) has the potential to deliver major yield increases. This is a requisite to guarantee food security for increasing population demands and to counterbalance the effects of extreme environmental conditions. Successful hybrid breeding in wheat relies on forced outcrossing while preventing self-pollination. To achieve this, research has been directed towards identifying and improving fertility control systems. To maximise cross-pollination and seed set, however, fertility control systems need to be complemented by breeding phenotypically distinct male and female lines. This review summarises existing and novel male sterility systems for wheat hybridisation. We also consider the genetic resources that can be used to alter wheat’s floral development and spike morphology, with a focus on the genetic variation already available. Exploiting these resources can lead to enhanced outcrossing, a key requirement in the progress towards hybrid wheat breeding.
Role of Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin signalling in insulin-like growth factor 1-mediated cell proliferation in porcine Sertoli cells
Authors: Johnson Chinju , Kastelic John , Thundathil Jacob
Published: June 2020

The critical role of insulin-like growth factor (IGF) 1 in promoting Sertoli cell proliferation invivo and invitro has been established, but its downstream signalling mechanisms remain unknown. In addition to mitogenic effects, a role for IGF1 in mediating cholesterol biosynthesis within testes has been implied. The aims of this study were to investigate the roles of: (1) phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt/mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signalling in IGF1-mediated Sertoli cell proliferation; and (2) IGF1 in mediating cholesterol biosynthesis in Sertoli cells. Primary cultures of Sertoli cells were prepared from 1-week-old porcine testes. On Day 3 of culture, Sertoli cells were treated with 300ng mL−1 IGF1, alone or in combination with inhibitors of IGF1 receptor (2μM picropodophyllotoxin), Akt (1μM wortmannin) or mTOR (200nM rapamycin). Cells were cultured for 30min and phosphorylation levels of Akt, mTOR and p70 ribosomal protein S6 kinase (p70S6K) were determined by immunoblotting. Cell proliferation and quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays were conducted using cells cultured for 24h. IGF1 increased phosphorylation of Akt, mTOR and p70S6K and cell proliferation, and these effects were inhibited by inhibitors of IGF1R, Akt and mTOR. Furthermore, IGF1 upregulated the expression of cholesterol biosynthetic genes (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA reductase (HMGCR), 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-CoA synthase (HMGCS1) and cytochrome P450, family 5, subfamily A, polypeptide 1 (CYP5A1)), but not sterol regulatory element-binding transcription factor 1 (SREBF1). Increased phosphorylation of p70S6K, a major downstream target of mTOR, and upregulated expression of genes involved in cholesterol biosynthesis are indicative of the key role played by IGF1 in regulating the synthesis of cholesterol, the precursor for steroid hormones.
Test the Best: Classification Accuracies of Four Cognitive Rating Scales for Parkinson’s Disease Mild Cognitive Impairment
Authors: Mazancova Adela Fendrych , Růžička Evžen , Jech Robert , Bezdicek Ondrej
Published: June 2020

Objective

A progressive cognitive impairment is one of the frequent non-motor symptoms during Parkinson’s disease (PD) course. A short and valid screening tool is needed to detect an incipient cognitive deficit at the mild cognitive impairment stage in Parkinson’s disease (PD–MCI).

Method

The present study aims to evaluate the classification accuracies of four cognitive screenings: Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), Mattis Dementia Rating Scale second edition (DRS–2), Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB) in a cohort of PD patients (PD–MCI, n = 46; and Parkinson’s disease with normal cognition, PD-NC, n = 95) and Controls (n = 66). All subjects underwent a standard neuropsychological battery as recommended by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society and underwent all four screening tools.

Results

In the detection of PD-MCI versus PD-NC, the MoCA showed a sensitivity of 84% and a specificity of 66% with a screening cutoff score at ≤25 points. The MoCA’s AUC was 86% (95% CI 78.7–93.1). In the detection of PD-MCI versus Controls, the FAB displayed 84% sensitivity and 79% specificity with a cutoff ≤16 points, to screen. The FAB’s AUC was 87% (79.0–95.0).

Conclusions

Our results show that the MoCA is the most discriminative tool for screening MCI in the PD population.
ProbeRating: a recommender system to infer binding profiles for nucleic acid-binding proteins
Authors: Yang Shu , Liu Xiaoxi , Ng Raymond T
Published: June 2020

Motivation

The interaction between proteins and nucleic acids plays a crucial role in gene regulation and cell function. Determining the binding preferences of nucleic acid-binding proteins (NBPs), namely RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) and transcription factors (TFs), is the key to decipher the protein–nucleic acids interaction code. Today, available NBP binding data from in vivo or in vitro experiments are still limited, which leaves a large portion of NBPs uncovered. Unfortunately, existing computational methods that model the NBP binding preferences are mostly protein specific: they need the experimental data for a specific protein in interest, and thus only focus on experimentally characterized NBPs. The binding preferences of experimentally unexplored NBPs remain largely unknown.

Results

Here, we introduce ProbeRating, a nucleic acid recommender system that utilizes techniques from deep learning and word embeddings of natural language processing. ProbeRating is developed to predict binding profiles for unexplored or poorly studied NBPs by exploiting their homologs NBPs which currently have available binding data. Requiring only sequence information as input, ProbeRating adapts FastText from Facebook AI Research to extract biological features. It then builds a neural network-based recommender system. We evaluate the performance of ProbeRating on two different tasks: one for RBP and one for TF. As a result, ProbeRating outperforms previous methods on both tasks. The results show that ProbeRating can be a useful tool to study the binding mechanism for the many NBPs that lack direct experimental evidence. and implementation

Availability and implementation

The source code is freely available at .

Supplementary information

Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Allografts and xenografts for right ventricular outflow tract reconstruction in Ross patients
Authors: Sharifulin Ravil , Bogachev-Prokophiev Alexander , Demin Igor , Afanasyev Alexander , Ovcharov Mikhail , Pivkin Alexey , Sapegin Andrey , Zhuravleva Irina , Karaskov Alexander
Published: June 2020

OBJECTIVES

Pulmonary allografts (AG) are the gold standard for right ventricular outflow tract (RVOT) reconstruction during the Ross procedure. However, there is limited availability of AG in some countries, and the use of alternative grafts for RVOT reconstruction remains controversial. This study aimed to compare the rates of freedom from RVOT graft dysfunction for AG and diepoxide-treated pericardial xenografts (DPXG).

METHODS

Between 1998 and 2015, 793 adult patients underwent the Ross procedure in our centre. Using propensity score matching, the clinical outcomes and echocardiographic results of AG and DPXG were compared.

RESULTS

Propensity score matching resulted in 2 groups (AG and DPXG) of 122 patients each. No difference was found in early mortality (2.5%) in both groups. The freedom from RVOT graft dysfunction curves were comparable between the AG and DPXG groups (P = 0.186) and the 8-year rates of freedom from graft dysfunction were 91.8% and 82.2%, respectively. The survival rates at 8 years were 90.5% and 90.1%, and the rates of freedom from RVOT reintervention at 8 years were 100% and 96.8% for the AG and DPXG groups, respectively. At discharge and follow-up, transprosthetic gradients were significantly higher in the DPXG group. The rate of the RVOT gradient progression was also higher in the DPXG group than in the AG group (1.80 ± 0.06 vs 1.39 ± 0.04 mmHg/year, P < 0.001).

CONCLUSIONS

There was no difference in freedom from RVOT graft dysfunction by 8 years when using AG and DPXG in adult Ross patients, nor in survival and freedom from RVOT conduit reintervention. Long-term results need further evaluation.