bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Biomimetic space debris removal: conceptual design of bio-inspired active debris removal scenarios
Authors: Banken E. , Schneider V. E. , Ben-Larbi M. K. , Pambaguian L. , Oeffner J.
Published: April 2022

The ever-increasing number of man-made space debris creates the need for new technologies to mitigate it. Therefore, within the ESA-funded project BIOINSPACED, biologically inspired solutions for active debris removal were investigated, conceptualized and integrated to innovative and comprehensive scenarios. In the following, the collection process of existing and new biomimetic concepts as well as the evaluation of ten concepts based on a feasibility analysis will be presented. Out of the ten, the three most promising scenarios, were chosen for further investigation and further elaborated in detail specifying the biological models incorporated as well as how the scenario could be implemented in a simple demonstrator. The first scenario (A) is a gecko kit canon and describes a system that fires deorbiting kits towards the target from a safe distance. The second scenario (B) involves a robotic arm with a gecko-adhesive end-effector and a bee-inspired harpoon to achieve a preliminary and subsequent rigid connection to the target. The last scenario (C) is mimicking a Venus Flytrap and its bi-stale mechanism to capture its prey. One of these scenarios will be manufactured and built into a demonstrator to showcase biology’s potential for the development, optimization and improvement of technologies, especially within the space industry.
Clustering analysis reveals different profiles associating long-term post-COVID symptoms, COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission and previous medical co-morbidities in previously hospitalized COVID-19 survivors
Authors: Fernández-de-las-Peñas César , Martín-Guerrero José D. , Florencio Lidiane L. , Navarro-Pardo Esperanza , Rodríguez-Jiménez Jorge , Torres-Macho Juan , Pellicer-Valero Oscar J.
Published: April 2022

Purpose

To identify subgroups of COVID-19 survivors exhibiting long-term post-COVID symptoms according to clinical/hospitalization data by using cluster analysis in order to foresee the illness progress and facilitate subsequent prognosis.

Methods

Age, gender, height, weight, pre-existing medical comorbidities, Internal Care Unit (ICU) admission, days at hospital, and presence of COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission were collected from hospital records in a sample of patients recovered from COVID-19 at five hospitals in Madrid (Spain). A predefined list of post-COVID symptoms was systematically assessed a mean of 8.4 months (SD 15.5) after hospital discharge. Anxiety/depressive levels and sleep quality were assessed with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, respectively. Cluster analysis was used to identify groupings of COVID-19 patients without introducing any previous assumptions, yielding three different clusters associating post-COVID symptoms with acute COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission.

Results

Cluster 2 grouped subjects with lower prevalence of medical co-morbidities, lower number of COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission, lower number of post-COVID symptoms, and almost no limitations with daily living activities when compared to the others. In contrast, individuals in cluster 0 and 1 exhibited higher number of pre-existing medical co-morbidities, higher number of COVID-19 symptoms at hospital admission, higher number of long-term post-COVID symptoms (particularly fatigue, dyspnea and pain), more limitations on daily living activities, higher anxiety and depressive levels, and worse sleep quality than those in cluster 2.

Conclusions

The identified subgrouping may reflect different mechanisms which should be considered in therapeutic interventions.
MSAt-GAN: a generative adversarial network based on multi-scale and deep attention mechanism for infrared and visible light image fusion
Authors: Li Junwu , Li Binhua , Jiang Yaoxi , Cai Weiwei
Published: April 2022

For the past few years, image fusion technology has made great progress, especially in infrared and visible light image infusion. However, the fusion methods, based on traditional or deep learning technology, have some disadvantages such as unobvious structure or texture detail loss. In this regard, a novel generative adversarial network named MSAt-GAN is proposed in this paper. It is based on multi-scale feature transfer and deep attention mechanism feature fusion, and used for infrared and visible image fusion. First, this paper employs three different receptive fields to extract the multi-scale and multi-level deep features of multi-modality images in three channels rather than artificially setting a single receptive field. In this way, the important features of the source image can be better obtained from different receptive fields and angles, and the extracted feature representation is also more flexible and diverse. Second, a multi-scale deep attention fusion mechanism is designed in this essay. It describes the important representation of multi-level receptive field extraction features through both spatial and channel attention and merges them according to the level of attention. Doing so can lay more emphasis on the attention feature map and extract significant features of multi-modality images, which eliminates noise to some extent. Third, the concatenate operation of the multi-level deep features in the encoder and the deep features in the decoder are cascaded to enhance the feature transmission while making better use of the previous features. Finally, this paper adopts a dual-discriminator generative adversarial network on the network structure, which can force the generated image to retain the intensity of the infrared image and the texture detail information of the visible image at the same time. Substantial qualitative and quantitative experimental analysis of infrared and visible image pairs on three public datasets show that compared with state-of-the-art fusion methods, the proposed MSAt-GAN network has comparable outstanding fusion performance in subjective perception and objective quantitative measurement.
Self-attention-guided scale-refined detector for pedestrian detection
Authors: Lin Xinchen , Zhao Chaoqiang , Zhang Chen , Qian Feng
Published: April 2022

Pedestrian detection has been researched for decades. Recently, an anchor-free method CSP is proposed to generate the pedestrian bounding box directly. When the predicted center deviates from the ground truth in the testing phase, the CSP model generates deviated pedestrian bounding box, which leads to false detection in occlusion situations. To handle this problem, we refine the scale regression branch of the CSP model to generate a more accurate prediction. The new scale regression branch outputs the distances between the center and the four edges of the pedestrian bounding box. Even if the predicted center deviates from the ground truth, an accurate bounding box can still be obtained. Moreover, we integrate a self-attention module into our model to take full advantage of the features in different depth layers. Our proposed model achieves better performance than the state-of-the-art detectors in comparison experiments on the two datasets, i.e., Citypersons and Caltech.
The Association Between Glycaemic Variability and Progression of Chronic Kidney Disease: a Systematic Review
Authors: Habte-Asres Hellena Hailu , Wheeler David C. , Forbes Angus
Published: April 2022

The study aims to evaluate the association between glycaemic variability and the risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) progression in patients with diabetes and comorbid kidney disease. A comprehensive search was conducted of three databases from their inception to March 2022: Medline, Embase, and CINHAL. Publications were screened for eligibility and the quality of studies included was appraised using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. Extracted data were tabulated and reported in a narrative synthesis. Fourteen studies were included in the review providing data on 62,498 participants. Eight studies reported that greater glycaemic variability was associated with an increased incidence of CKD. Three studies reported an increased likelihood of CKD progression in those with high glycaemic variability, although the rate and risk of progression varied across the studies. Three studies reported an increased risk of progression to end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) with higher glycaemic variability. One study found that high glycaemic variability was associated with a decreased risk of progression to ESKD. Greater glycaemic variability was associated with the onset and progression of CKD. More research is required to verify whether glycaemic variability increases the risk of progression to ESKD in patients with diabetes and mild/moderate comorbid CKD.
Obstetrical specificities of Ivorian adolescent mothers on a single-center hospital series of 1040 cases
Authors: Kacou Aka Edele , Horo Apollinaire , Fanny Mohamed , Olou Luc , Konan Perel , Koffi Abdoul , Toure-Ecra Ana , Kone Mamourou
Published: April 2022

Overview and aim

The precocity of sexual intercourse among adolescent girls is a prominent source of unwanted pregnancy. Here, we aim to survey the past issues relating to the pregnancy, childbirth, and materno-fetal prognosis of Ivorian adolescent women.

Methods

We conducted a retrospsective study with adolescent group (n ​= ​1040) versus young adult group aged 20 to 24 (n ​= ​736) over three years from1stJanuary 2016 to 31rdDecember 2018 ​at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Abidjan-Yopougon Hospital. Maternal and fetal outcomes of the two groups were analyzed and compared by using Pearson's Chi2tests and Fisher's exact tests, followed by multivariate analysis and logistic regression using Stata software version 20.

Results

The average age of adolescent girls in our study was 17.45 years (SD ​= ​1.39) and a minimum of 12 years. Adolescents consulted less (P ​< ​0.0001) and later (P ​< ​0.0001) versus young adults aged 20 to 24. The proportion of adolescent girls (47.6%) versus young adults (39.1%) who had underwent caesarean section was significantly higher (P ​= ​0.0004). These adolescents were 3.5-fold more likely to develop hypertension and its complications in the postpartum period and 2.5-fold more likely to contract a postpartum infection. Maternal mortality was not significantly associated with adolescence (OR ​= ​0.52 (95%CI: 0.22–1.19; P ​= ​0.0891). The risk of prematurity, early neonatal death, and neonatal admission were 2.02 (95%CI: 1.56–2.63;P ​< ​0.0001), 1.55 (95%CI: 1.14–2.13;P ​= ​0.0040), and 1.73 (95%CI:1.12–2.71;P ​= ​0.0097) in adolescence, respectively.

Conclusion

Adolescent childbirth remains associated with a poor prognosis.
Latency of Symptom Progression in Mild Daboia palaestinae Envenomation
Authors: Avni-Maskit Moran , Pomp Ronen , Chayen Gilad , Jacob Ron
Published: April 2022

Introduction

Daboia palestinae is the most common venomous snake in Israel. In most cases, snakebite does not develop into a systemic disease. Since the introduction of specific antivenom therapy, the mortality rate has declined sharply. Nevertheless, there is still no uniform therapeutic protocol in Israel for patients who have been envenomated, and there is no current data regarding latency of symptom development. We aimed to evaluate the latency of symptom development after D palaestinae snakebite in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with local reaction.

Methods

This was a retrospective single-center study of all patients who presented following a snakebite from 2015 to 2020. Patients with confirmed or suspected D palaestinae bite were included. Demographical and clinical data were extracted from each electronical medical record and subjected to descriptive and comparative analysis.

Results

Sixty-two patients met the inclusion criteria. Their median (IQR) age was 30 (17–48) y, and 75% were male. Forty-one percent presented with local reactions to the snakebite, 29% presented with advanced local reaction, and 29% presented with systemic symptoms. Antivenom was given to 22% of patients with advanced local reaction and 89% of patients with systemic reaction. The median (IQR) time from bite to antivenom and from ED arrival to antivenom were 2 (1.5–2.5) h and 1 (0.75–1.5) h, respectively. Antivenom was administered at the latest 3.5 h after presentation to the ED for progression of local symptoms.

Conclusions

Our study may support a 4- to 6-h observation period in the ED for patients with mild clinical presentation after D palaestinae bite. Further larger prospective studies are needed.
The Idea of Progress in Forensic Authorship Analysis
Authors: Grant Tim
Published: April 2022

This Element examines progress in research and practice in forensic authorship analysis. It describes the existing research base and examines what makes an authorship analysis more or less reliable. Further to this, the author describes the recent history of forensic science and the scientific revolution brought about by the invention of DNA evidence. They chart the rise of three major changes in forensic science – the recognition of contextual bias in analysts, the need for validation studies and shift in logic of providing identification evidence. This Element addresses the idea of progress in forensic authorship analysis in terms of these three issues with regard to new knowledge about the nature of authorship and methods in stylistics and stylometry. The author proposes that the focus needs to shift to validation of protocols for approaching case questions, rather than on validation of systems or general approaches. This title is also available as Open Access on Cambridge Core.
Imaging the southern sky at 159 MHz using spherical harmonics with the engineering development array 2
Authors: Kriele Michael A. , Wayth Randall B. , Bentum Mark J. , Juswardy Budi , Trott Cathryn M.
Published: April 2022

One of the major priorities of international radio astronomy is to study the early universe through the detection of the 21 cm HI line from the epoch of reionisation (EoR). Due to the weak nature of the 21 cm signal, an important part in the detection of the EoR is removing contaminating foregrounds from our observations as they are multiple orders of magnitude brighter. In order to achieve this, sky maps spanning a wide range of frequencies and angular scales are required for calibration and foreground subtraction. Complementing the existing low-frequency sky maps, we have constructed a Southern Sky map through spherical harmonic transit interferometry utilising the Engineering Development Array 2 (EDA2), a Square Kilometre Array (SKA) low-frequency array prototype system. We use them-mode formalism to create an all-sky map at 159 MHz with an angular resolution of 3 degrees, with data from the EDA2 providing information over +60 degrees to –90 degrees in declination. We also introduce a new method for visualising and quantifying how the baseline distribution of an interferometer maps to the spherical harmonics and discuss how prior information can be used to constrain spherical harmonic components that the interferometer is not sensitive to.
Experience, institutions, and candidate emergence: the political career returns to state legislative service
Authors: McCrain Joshua , O'Connell Stephen D.
Published: April 2022

More than half of the current members of the US Congress served in their state legislature prior to holding federal office. We quantify the relationship between state legislative service and career progression to Congress. Using close elections for exogenous assignment of political experience across otherwise similar candidates, we show that serving in the state legislature more than doubles an individual's probability of eventually contesting a Congressional seat relative to a similar candidate who lost in a comparable election; it also doubles the individual politician's probability of eventually winning a Congressional seat. State legislatures thus create national politicians out of otherwise marginal political entrants. We then show that the effect of state legislative service on career progression is larger in more professionalized legislatures, highlighting the role of institutions in facilitating political career progression. Our results hold important implications for representation and accountability, and confirm that prevailing institutions can affect political selection via career progression.
The development process of economic evaluation guidelines in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review
Authors: Daccache Caroline , Karam Rita , Rizk Rana , Evers Silvia M. A. A. , Hiligsmann Mickaël
Published: April 2022

Objectives

To review the development of economic evaluation guidelines (EEGs) in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), with the goal of assisting those developing EEGs in LMICs.

Methods

We conducted a systematic search in MEDLINE (Ovid), PubMed, EconLit, Embase (Ovid), the Cochrane Library, and the gray literature until March 2021. We extracted data on the methods used in the EEG development process, the responsible party engaged, and the development team’s composition. We conducted a quality assessment, using the Appraisal of Guidelines for Research and Evaluation-Health Systems tool, and then carried out a relative comparison.

Results

Fourteen EEGs and nine studies were identified. In ten countries, the Ministry of Health was responsible for handling the development process. The majority of LMICs who developed EEGs did not explicitly report the discipline of those involved in the process. The developers of EEGs followed four main steps: conducting a review on national guidelines, organizing workshops, and getting support from international experts or from organizations. One-third of the identified EEGs failed to engage multisectoral or multidisciplinary developers, and approximately 14 percent did not follow or report any recommended step.

Conclusions

This study identified a scarcity of published information related to the development process and the suboptimal quality of included studies. It provides relevant material to support international organizations and developers of guidelines in LMICs in developing EEGs that fit their national context. In addition, this paper recommends a transparent approach to the design of guidelines and to reporting on the methods for developing them.
Serra do Divisor National Park: a protected area under threat in the south-western Brazilian Amazon
Authors: Koga Diogo Mitsuru , Brown Irving Foster , Fearnside Philip M , Salisbury David S , Silva Sonaira Souza da
Published: April 2022

Protected areas have numerous roles (such as biodiversity preservation, the development of scientific research and the sustainable use of natural resources), but they are under threat from political and economic forces. The 837 000-ha Serra do Divisor National Park (SDNP) in the south-western Brazilian Amazon combines the conservation of natural resources and the maintenance of the productive activities ofc. 400 resident families. The Brazilian and Peruvian governments have proposed a road linking Acre (Brazil) to Ucayali (Peru) that would bisect the SDNP. Another threat to the SDNP is a bill proposing its downgrading to an ‘environmental protection area’. This study aims to map the land cover of the SDNP and its surroundings from 1988 to 2018 and to analyse the dynamics of land-use change. Analysis of Landsat satellite images with supervised classification using the MaxVer algorithm show that, during the 30-year period, pasture showed the highest absolute land-cover gain, with 1986 ha in the interior and 7661 ha along the periphery of the SDNP. Only 1% of the park’s primary forest was lost by 2018, but the proposed road and potential downgrading may result in accelerated deforestation and forest degradation in the near future.
Oral feeding dysfunction in post-operative infants with CHDs: a scoping review
Authors: Jacobwitz Marin , Dean Durning Jennifer , Moriarty Helene , James Richard , Irving Sharon Y. , Licht Daniel J. , Yost Jennifer
Published: April 2022

Post-operative oral feeding difficulties in neonates and infants with CHD is common. While pre-operative oral feeding may be normal, oral feeding challenges manifest in the post-operative period without a clearly defined aetiology. The objective of this scoping review was to examine post-operative oral feeding in full-term neonates and infants with a CHD. Electronic databases query (1 January 1975–31 May 2021), hand-search of the reference lists of included studies, contact with experts, and review of relevant conferences were performed to identify quantitative studies evaluating post-operative oral feeding in full-term neonates and infants with a CHD. Associations with additional quantitative variables in these studies were also examined. Twenty-five studies met inclusion criteria. Eighty per cent were cohort studies that utilised retrospective chart review from a single institution. The primary variable of interest in all studies was oral feeding status upon discharge from neonatal hospitalisation. The most common risk factors evaluated with poor feeding at time of discharge were birth weight (36% of included studies), gestational age (44%), duration of post-operative intubation (48%), cardiac diagnosis (40%), and presence of genetic syndrome or chromosomal anomaly (36%). The most common health-related outcomes evaluated were length of hospital stay (40%) and length of ICU stay (16%). Only the health-related outcomes of length of hospital stay and length of ICU stay were consistently significantly associated with poor post-operative oral feeding across studies in this review. A clear aetiology of poor post-operative oral feeding remains unknown.
A survey of methods for revealing and overcoming weaknesses of data-driven Natural Language Understanding
Authors: Schlegel Viktor , Nenadic Goran , Batista-Navarro Riza
Published: April 2022

Recent years have seen a growing number of publications that analyse Natural Language Understanding (NLU) datasets for superficial cues, whether they undermine the complexity of the tasks underlying those datasets and how they impact those models that are optimised and evaluated on this data. This structured survey provides an overview of the evolving research area by categorising reported weaknesses in models and datasets and the methods proposed to reveal and alleviate those weaknesses for the English language. We summarise and discuss the findings and conclude with a set of recommendations for possible future research directions. We hope that it will be a useful resource for researchers who propose new datasets to assess the suitability and quality of their data to evaluate various phenomena of interest, as well as those who propose novel NLU approaches, to further understand the implications of their improvements with respect to their model’s acquired capabilities.
3D cell morphology detection by association for embryo heart morphogenesis
Authors: Sarkar Rituparna , Darby Daniel , Meilhac Sigolène , Olivo-Marin Jean-Christophe
Published: April 2022

Advances in tissue engineering for cardiac regenerative medicine require cellular-level understanding of the mechanism of cardiac muscle growth during embryonic developmental stage. Computational methods to automatize cell segmentation in 3D and deliver accurate, quantitative morphology of cardiomyocytes, are imperative to provide insight into cell behavior underlying cardiac tissue growth. Detecting individual cells from volumetric images of dense tissue, poised with low signal-to-noise ratio and severe intensity in homogeneity, is a challenging task. In this article, we develop a robust segmentation tool capable of extracting cellular morphological parameters from 3D multifluorescence images of murine heart, captured via light-sheet microscopy. The proposed pipeline incorporates a neural network for 2D detection of nuclei and cell membranes. A graph-based global association employs the 2D nuclei detections to reconstruct 3D nuclei. A novel optimization embedding the network flow algorithm in an alternating direction method of multipliers is proposed to solve the global object association problem. The associated 3D nuclei serve as the initialization of an active mesh model to obtain the 3D segmentation of individual myocardial cells. The efficiency of our method over the state-of-the-art methods is observed via various qualitative and quantitative evaluation.
Numerical Insight Into Energy Partitioning During Stick‐Slip Events Based on the Framework of Rate‐and‐State Friction Law
Authors: Bai Qingsheng , Konietzky Heinz
Published: April 2022

Many attempts have been made to investigate the energy budgets of stick‐slip events, however, the strain energy contribution is still poorly understood. We developed a discrete element method (DEM)‐based method to mimic stick‐slip events and the associated energy partitioning. We found that stress drop Δσ, breakdown energy EG, and strain energy release ΔU scale with slip δc as , , and , respectively, which is quantitatively consistent with data from manmade seismicity and natural earthquakes. We observed two different slip‐weakening behavior patterns: one without a postseismic phase (Type I) and one containing a postseismic phase (Type II). We show that ΔU contributes 20%∼90% (63% on average) and 10% ∼ 60% (38% on average) to the total energy budget for Type I and Type II events, respectively. Formations that store higher strain energy play a more vital role in the earthquake energy budget, regardless of the distance to the fault.
Mechanism for the Uplift of Gongga Shan in the Southeastern Tibetan Plateau Constrained by 3D Magnetotelluric Data
Authors: Jiang Feng , Chen Xiaobin , Unsworth Martyn J. , Cai Juntao , Han Bing , Wang Lifeng , Dong Zeyi , Cui Tengfa , Zhan Yan , Zhao Guoze , Tang Ji
Published: April 2022

Gongga Shan (GGS) is the highest mountain on the eastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau. However, the mechanism for the uplift of Gongga Shan is still unclear due to a lack of detailed geophysical studies. Inversion of an array of magnetotelluric data at 120 sites produced a 3D resistivity model that revealed that the GGS massif is characterized by a high resistivity upper crust underlain by a westward dipping resistor at middle crustal depths that is interpreted as the underthrust Yangtze Craton (YC). A thin conductive layer is sandwiched between these two zones of high resistivity. This resistivity model is inconsistent with previously published geodynamic models. Based on the new magnetotelluric results, we propose that the uplift of Gongga Shan occurs primarily by underthrusting of the YC. Additional uplift may be due to transpression on a restraining bend of the oblique‐slip Xianshuihe faults.
On the Relationship Between the Stratospheric Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation and Summer Precipitation in Northern China
Authors: Hu Jinggao , Gao Xiang , Ren Rongcai , Luo Jingjia , Deng Jiechun , Xu Haiming
Published: April 2022

This paper reports that there has been a significant relationship between the quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO) in zonal wind at 50 hPa in summer and precipitation in August in northern China since the late 1970s. The correlation coefficient between them reaches up to −0.61 during 1979–2018. Associated with the easterly (westerly) phase of the QBO, there is a meridional dipole pattern of zonal wind from the stratosphere to troposphere over the Northwest Pacific in August with the easterly (westerly) anomalies in 25–50°N and westerly (easterly) anomalies in 50–65°N. This meridional zonal‐wind dipole favors the strengthening (weakening) of the tropospheric Japan Sea high in the QBO easterly (westerly) phase, causing an increase (decrease) of the water vapor transportation from the Northwest Pacific to northern China and thus more (less) precipitation in these regions. The finding of this study has import implications for predicting the summer precipitation in northern China in the future.
The Effects of IMF By on the Middle Thermosphere During a Geomagnetically “Quiet” Period at Solar Minimum
Authors: Cai Xuguang , Wang Wenbin , Burns Alan , Qian Liying , Eastes Richard W.
Published: April 2022

Numerical simulations using the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR) thermosphere‐ionosphere‐electrodynamics general circulation model (TIE‐GCM) are performed to elucidate the effects of the interplanetary magnetic field (IMF) on the middle thermosphere composition during a “geomagnetically quiet” period from the day of year (DOY) 110–111 in 2019 (when the Auroral electrojet (AE) index never exceeded 300 nT and the Kp never exceeded 2). In particular, this paper aims to examine how the Global‐scale Observations of the Limb and Disk (GOLD) mission observed daytime thermospheric O and N2 column density ratio (∑O/N2) depletion at mid‐latitudes originated under such a “geomagnetically quiet” condition. A comparison of electric potential, Joule heating rate per unit mass, ion velocity, neutral temperature and winds in the middle thermosphere (∼160 km) between real IMF and without the IMF east‐west component (By) indicates that a By dominant condition can enhance their strengths under this “geomagnetically quiet” condition. Consequently, ∑O/N2 depletion with a stronger magnitude (30% compared with ∼8% without By) and larger disturbed area was introduced in the post‐midnight sector at high‐latitudes due to strong and localized upwelling associated with the enhanced Joule heating rate per unit mass. The ∑O/N2 depletion was transported equatorward and corotated from local post‐midnight to early morning, and was observed by GOLD at middle latitudes during daytime.
Wind‐Driven Freshwater Export at Cape Farewell
Authors: Duyck E. , Gelderloos R. , de Jong M. F.
Published: April 2022

Increased freshwater input to the Subpolar North Atlantic from Greenland ice melt and the Arctic could strengthen stratification in deep convection regions and impact the overturning circulation. However, freshwater pathways from the east Greenland shelf to deep convection regions are not fully understood. We investigate the role of strong wind events at Cape Farewell in driving surface freshwaters from the East Greenland Current to the Irminger Sea. Using a high‐resolution model and an atmospheric reanalysis, we identify strong wind events and investigate their impact on freshwater export. Westerly tip jets are associated with the strongest and deepest freshwater export across the shelfbreak, with a mean of 37.5 mSv of freshwater in the first 100 m (with reference salinity 34.9). These wind events tilt isohalines and extend the front offshore, especially over Eirik Ridge. Moderate westerly events are associated with weaker export across the shelfbreak (mean of 15.9 mSv) but overall contribute to more freshwater export throughout the year, including in summer, when the shelf is particularly fresh. Particle tracking shows that half of the surface waters crossing the shelfbreak during tip jet events are exported away from the shelf, either entering the Irminger Gyre, or being driven over Eirik Ridge. During strong westerly wind events, sea ice detaches from the coast and veers toward the Irminger Sea, but the contribution of sea ice to freshwater export at the shelfbreak is minimal compared to liquid freshwater export due to limited sea ice cover at Cape Farewell.
Landslide Processes Involved in Volcano Dismantling From Past to Present: The Remarkable Open‐Air Laboratory of the Cirque de Salazie (Reunion Island)
Authors: Rault C. , Thiery Y. , Chaput M. , Reninger P. A. , Dewez T. J. B. , Michon L. , Samyn K. , Aunay B.
Published: April 2022

The Cirque de Salazie is one of the large erosional depressions of Reunion Island. Composed of a thick accumulation of loose volcaniclastic materials derived from successive volcanic flank collapses and exposed to high precipitation rates, this large depression is particularly prone to landslides. Of the 133 km2 making up this large depression, at least 19% of slopes are affected by various types of landslides. The diversity and high density of landslides is one of the main issues for inhabited areas. We examine the landslides in this area with the goal of providing key elements for better hazard assessment and understanding their role in the landscape's evolution. For over 20 years, we have been acquiring multidisciplinary data on landslides. In this cirque, eight types of landslides are identified and described following an adapted landslide classification. Using a multidisciplinary approach, we characterize and interpret the surface morphology and internal structure of three large inhabited compound landslides with volumes of 0.1 km3 moving up to 1.15 myr−1. These complex landslides provide an opportunity to investigate the influence of past slope movements on current slope movements. Furthermore, using detailed mapping and volume calculation of the landslides triggered by the last major cyclonic rainstorm, we estimate that rainfall‐triggered landslides contribute up to 20% of the long‐term erosion rate. The Cirque de Salazie is a remarkable laboratory that offers new insights and challenges for future research on landslide hazard assessment and the role of landslides in the short‐ and long‐term dismantling of volcanoes.
Ionospheric Phase Scintillation Index Estimation Based on 1 Hz Geodetic GNSS Receiver Measurements by Using Continuous Wavelet Transform
Authors: Zhao Dongsheng , Li Wang , Li Chendong , Tang Xu , Wang Qianxin , Hancock Craig M. , Roberts Gethin Wyn , Zhang Kefei
Published: April 2022

The adverse effect of the ionospheric scintillation on Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) requires scintillation monitoring on a global scale. Ionospheric Scintillation Monitoring Receivers (ISMR) are usually adopted to monitor scintillation, while they are not suitable for global monitoring due to the 50 Hz data collecting rate, which restricts the distribution. This paper proposes a new method to extract the phase scintillation index from each GNSS carrier with 1s‐sampling‐interval, mainly based on the cycle slip detection, the geodetic detrending and the wavelet transform, in which the optimal symmetry parameter and the time‐bandwidth product are determined with trial calculation. Taken the index provided by ISMR as the reference, 1‐year observations are utilized to evaluate the scintillation monitoring performance of the extracted index regarding the correlation of the magnitude in each observation arc, the detected daily scintillation occurrence rate, the diurnal variation pattern of the ionospheric scintillation, the correlation between the scintillation occurrence rate and the space weather parameter, and the complementary cumulative distribution of the magnitudes. Compared to the performance of Rate of Total electron content Index, a higher consistency can be achieved between the extracted index and the index, indicating the rationality of applying the proposed method in monitoring scintillations. The extracted scintillation index can be expected to introduce geodetic receivers operating at 1s‐sampling‐interval into the field of ionospheric scintillation monitoring on a global scale.
Physics‐Informed Machine Learning Method for Large‐Scale Data Assimilation Problems
Authors: Yeung Yu‐Hong , Barajas‐Solano David A. , Tartakovsky Alexandre M.
Published: April 2022

We develop a physics‐informed machine learning approach for large‐scale data assimilation and parameter estimation and apply it for estimating transmissivity and hydraulic head in the two‐dimensional steady‐state subsurface flow model of the Hanford Site given synthetic measurements of said variables. In our approach, we extend the physics‐informed conditional Karhunen‐Loéve expansion (PICKLE) method to modeling subsurface flow with unknown flux (Neumann) and varying head (time‐dependent Dirichlet) boundary conditions. We demonstrate that the PICKLE method is comparable in accuracy with the standard maximum a posteriori (MAP) method, but is significantly faster than MAP for large‐scale problems. Both methods use a mesh to discretize the computational domain. In MAP, the parameters and states are discretized on the mesh; therefore, the size of the MAP parameter estimation problem directly depends on the mesh size. In PICKLE, the mesh is used to evaluate the residuals of the governing equation, while the parameters and states are approximated by the truncated conditional Karhunen‐Loéve expansions with the number of parameters controlled by the smoothness of the parameter and state fields, and not by the mesh size. For a considered example, we demonstrate that the computational cost of PICKLE increases near linearly (as N1.15) with the number of grid nodes N, while that of MAP increases much faster (as N3.28). We also show that once trained for one set of Dirichlet boundary conditions (i.e., one river stage), the PICKLE method provides accurate estimates of the hydraulic head for any value of the Dirichlet boundary conditions (i.e., for any river stage).
Solar Flux Influence on the In‐Situ Plasma Density at Topside Ionosphere Measured by Swarm Satellites
Authors: Xiong Chao , Jiang Haicheng , Yan Rui , Lühr Hermann , Stolle Claudia , Yin Fan , Smirnov Artem , Piersanti Mirko , Liu Yiwen , Wan Xin , Diego Piero , Zhima Zeren , Shen Xuhui , Förster Matthias , Buchert Stephan , Bilitza Dieter
Published: April 2022

In this study, we perform the first comprehensive comparison of ion density (Ni) in the topside ionosphere measured by the Langmuir probe (LP) and faceplate (FP) of the thermal ion imager on board Swarm satellites. Our results show a systematic difference between the LP and FP derived Ni values, and the systematic difference shows prominent dependences on solar flux, local time, and season. Although both Ni datasets show generally good linear regression with electron density (Ne) measurements from the incoherent scatter radar (ISR) located at Jicamarca, the Ni derived from LP shows an additional dependence on the solar flux, while such a dependence cannot be seen in the FP‐derived Ni. We suggest that the solar flux dependence of LP‐derived Ni is related to the ion compositions change at Swarm altitude, which has not been properly accounted for in the LP processing algorithm. More light ions (e.g., H+), diffusing down from the plasmasphere to the Swarm altitude, seem to cause the overestimation of Ni from LP during low solar activity. A linear relation between the Swarm LP‐derived Ni and ISR Ne is derived, and such a function is recommended to be implemented into further updates of the Swarm LP plasma density data.
Integrated clinical and genomic evaluation of guadecitabine (SGI-110) in peripheral T-cell lymphoma
Authors: Wong Jonathan , Gruber Emily , Maher Belinda , Waltham Mark , Sabouri-Thompson Zahra , Jong Ian , Luong Quinton , Levy Sidney , Kumar Beena , Brasacchio Daniella , Jia Wendy , So Joan , Skinner Hugh , Lewis Alexander , Hogg Simon J. , Vervoort Stephin , DiCorleto Carmen , Uhe Micheleine , Gamgee Jeanette , Opat Stephen , Gregory Gareth P. , Polekhina Galina , Reynolds John , Hawkes Eliza A. , Kailainathan Gajan , Gasiorowski Robin , Kats Lev M. , Shortt Jake
Published: April 2022

Peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) is a rare, heterogenous malignancy with dismal outcomes at relapse. Hypomethylating agents (HMA) have an emerging role in PTCL, supported by shared mutations with myelodysplasia (MDS). Response rates to azacitidine in PTCL of follicular helper cell origin are promising. Guadecitabine is a decitabine analogue with efficacy in MDS. In this phase II, single-arm trial, PTCL patients received guadecitabine on days 1–5 of 28-day cycles. Primary end points were overall response rate (ORR) and safety. Translational sub-studies included cell free plasma DNA sequencing and functional genomic screening using an epigenetically-targeted CRISPR/Cas9 library to identify response predictors. Among 20 predominantly relapsed/refractory patients, the ORR was 40% (10% complete responses). Most frequent grade 3-4 adverse events were neutropenia and thrombocytopenia. At 10 months median follow-up, median progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 2.9 and 10.4 months respectively. RHOAG17V mutations associated with improved PFS (median 5.47 vs. 1.35 months; Wilcoxon p = 0.02, Log-Rank p = 0.06). 4/7 patients with TP53 variants responded. Deletion of the histone methyltransferase SETD2 sensitised to HMA but TET2 deletion did not. Guadecitabine conveyed an acceptable ORR and toxicity profile; decitabine analogues may provide a backbone for future combinatorial regimens co-targeting histone methyltransferases.
TCRP1 activated by mutant p53 promotes NSCLC proliferation via inhibiting FOXO3a
Authors: Liu Hao , Jia Xiaoting , Luo Kai , Chen Xiangzhou , Zhang Zhijie , Chen Danyang , Gu Yixue , He Zhimin , Zheng Guopei
Published: April 2022

Previously, our lab explored that tongue cancer resistance-associated protein (TCRP1) plays a central role in cancer chemo-resistance and progression. Absolutely, TCRP1 was significantly increased in lung cancer. But the mechanism is far from elucidated. Here, we found that TCRP1 was increased in p53-mutant non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), comparing to that in NSCLC with wild type p53. Further study showed that mutant p53 couldn’t bind to the promoter of TCRP1 to inhibit its expression. While the wild type p53 did so. Next, loss-and gain-of-function assays demonstrated that TCRP1 promoted cell proliferation and tumor growth in NSCLC. Regarding the mechanism, TCRP1 encouraged AKT phosphorylation and blocked FOXO3a nuclear localization through favoring FOXO3a ubiquitination in cytoplasm, thus, promoted cell cycle progression. Conclusionly, TCRP1 was upregulated in NSCLC cells with mutant p53. TCRP1 promoted NSCLC progression via regulating cell cycle.
Fusion protein-driven IGF-IR/PI3K/AKT signals deregulate Hippo pathway promoting oncogenic cooperation of YAP1 and FUS-DDIT3 in myxoid liposarcoma
Authors: Berthold Ruth , Isfort Ilka , Erkut Cihan , Heinst Lorena , Grünewald Inga , Wardelmann Eva , Kindler Thomas , Åman Pierre , Grünewald Thomas G. P. , Cidre-Aranaz Florencia , Trautmann Marcel , Fröhling Stefan , Scholl Claudia , Hartmann Wolfgang
Published: April 2022

Myxoid liposarcoma (MLS) represents a common subtype of liposarcoma molecularly characterized by a recurrent chromosomal translocation that generates a chimeric FUS-DDIT3 fusion gene. The FUS-DDIT3 oncoprotein has been shown to be crucial in MLS pathogenesis. Acting as a transcriptional dysregulator, FUS-DDIT3 stimulates proliferation and interferes with adipogenic differentiation. As the fusion protein represents a therapeutically challenging target, a profound understanding of MLS biology is elementary to uncover FUS-DDIT3-dependent molecular vulnerabilities. Recently, a specific reliance on the Hippo pathway effector and transcriptional co-regulator YAP1 was detected in MLS; however, details on the molecular mechanism of FUS-DDIT3-dependent YAP1 activation, and YAP1´s precise mode of action remain unclear. In elaborate in vitro studies, employing RNA interference-based approaches, small-molecule inhibitors, and stimulation experiments with IGF-II, we show that FUS-DDIT3-driven IGF-IR/PI3K/AKT signaling promotes stability and nuclear accumulation of YAP1 via deregulation of the Hippo pathway. Co-immunoprecipitation and proximity ligation assays revealed nuclear co-localization of FUS-DDIT3 and YAP1/TEAD in FUS-DDIT3-expressing mesenchymal stem cells and MLS cell lines. Transcriptome sequencing of MLS cells demonstrated that FUS-DDIT3 and YAP1 co-regulate oncogenic gene signatures related to proliferation, cell cycle progression, apoptosis, and adipogenesis. In adipogenic differentiation assays, we show that YAP1 critically contributes to FUS-DDIT3-mediated adipogenic differentiation arrest. Taken together, our study provides mechanistic insights into a complex FUS-DDIT3-driven network involving IGF-IR/PI3K/AKT signals acting on Hippo/YAP1, and uncovers substantial cooperative effects of YAP1 and FUS-DDIT3 in the pathogenesis of MLS.
AAV-ie-K558R mediated cochlear gene therapy and hair cell regeneration
Authors: Tao Yong , Liu Xiaoyi , Yang Liu , Chu Cenfeng , Tan Fangzhi , Yu Zehua , Ke Junzi , Li Xiang , Zheng Xiaofei , Zhao Xingle , Qi Jieyu , Lin Chao-Po , Chai Renjie , Zhong Guisheng , Wu Hao
Published: April 2022

The cochlea consists of multiple types of cells, including hair cells, supporting cells and spiral ganglion neurons, and is responsible for converting mechanical forces into electric signals that enable hearing. Genetic and environmental factors can result in dysfunctions of cochlear and auditory systems. In recent years, gene therapy has emerged as a promising treatment in animal deafness models. One major challenge of the gene therapy for deafness is to effectively deliver genes to specific cells of cochleae. Here, we screened and identified an AAV-ie mutant, AAV-ie-K558R, that transduces hair cells and supporting cells in the cochleae of neonatal mice with high efficiency. AAV-ie-K558R is a safe vector with no obvious deficits in the hearing system. We found that AAV-ie-K558R can partially restore the hearing loss in Prestin KO mice and, importantly, deliver Atoh1 into cochlear supporting cells to generate hair cell-like cells. Our results demonstrate the clinical potential of AAV-ie-K558R for treating the hearing loss caused by hair cell death.
Financial toxicity in hematological malignancies: a systematic review
Authors: Ouchveridze Evguenia , Banerjee Rahul , Desai Aakash , Aziz Muhammad , Lee-Smith Wade , Mian Hira , Berger Katherine , McClune Brian , Sborov Douglas , Qazilbash Muzaffar , Kumar Shaji , Mohyuddin Ghulam Rehman
Published: April 2022

Hematologic malignancy outcomes have remarkably improved in the past decade with further advancement expected in future years. However, the detrimental effects of financial toxicity (FT) on patients with hematologic malignancies, because of both diagnoses and subsequent treatments, have not been studied comprehensively. We performed a systematic review of all studies reporting FT as a primary or secondary outcome among adult or pediatric patients with hematological malignancies. A total of 55 studies met the inclusion criteria for analysis. Across studies, 20–50% of patients reported some form of FT, including loss of work productivity, food and transportation costs, and depletion of savings. Younger age, lower-income level, unemployment, and rural residence were the most commonly identified risk factors for FT. Two studies looked at survival outcomes, with one reporting improvement in survival with a decrease in financial toxicity. However, significant heterogeneity in FT definitions was found between countries and payor systems. Only half of the studies (51%, n = 28) used validated survey instruments such as the COST assessment. The present systematic review identified that FT is common in patients with hematological malignancies and may be associated with poorer outcomes. However, studies of FT generally use non-standardized methods with cross-sectional analyses rather than longitudinal, prospective assessments. Further work is needed to standardize FT reporting and investigate measures to alleviate FT among patients with hematologic malignancies.