bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Arctic Snow Depth and Sea Ice Thickness From ICESat‐2 and CryoSat‐2 Freeboards: A First Examination
Authors: Kwok R. , Kacimi S. , Webster M.A. , Kurtz N.T. , Petty A.A. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWe present a first examination of Arctic sea ice snow depth estimates from differencing satellite lidar (ICESat‐2) and radar (CryoSat‐2) freeboards. These estimates cover the period between 14 October 2018 and the end of April 2019. Snow depth is related to freeboard differences by the refractive index/bulk density of the snow layer—the only free parameter in the approach. Area‐averaged snow depth ranges from 9 cm (on first‐year ice: 5 cm, multiyear ice: 14 cm) in late October to 19 cm (first‐year ice: 17 cm, multiyear ice: 27 cm) in April; on average, this snow is thinner over FYI. Spatial patterns and gradients of snow depth estimates compare well with reconstructions using snowfall from ERA‐Interim and ERA5, although snowfall from ERA5 is systematically higher. For all months, the results suggest that ~50% of the total freeboard is comprised of snow. Retrievals are within a few centimeters of snow depth data acquired by Operation IceBridge in April 2019. Sources of uncertainties associated with this freeboard‐differencing approach are discussed. Further, sea ice thicknesses calculated using the retrieved snow depth and a modified climatology are contrasted. Comparatively, the snow depth and calculated ice thickness using a modified climatology are higher by ~5 cm and 0.33 m, although these differences are not uniform throughout the season. Snow accumulation was slower between October and December but increased between December and January, unlike the modified climatology, which exhibited a monotonic accumulation for all months. Future opportunities for assessment and improvement of these estimates are discussed.
Topographic Influence on the African Easterly Jet and African Easterly Wave Energetics
Authors: Hamilton H. L. , Núñez Ocasio K. M. , Evans J. L. , Young G. S. , Fuentes J. D. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe topography of eastern Africa, namely, the Ethiopian Highlands and Marrah Mountains have been shown to play a key role in the genesis of African Easterly Waves (AEWs) through convective initiation in that region. Topographic influences on the African Easterly Jet, evolution and energetics of AEWs, and rainfall production across northern tropical Africa are examined here. The Weather Research and Forecasting model is employed to simulate the climate over a 60‐day period for three years (2004, 2005, and 2006) for three cases with varying topography: realistic, half‐height, and no topography. An energetics analysis for the resulting AEWs reveals that wave development by barotropic and baroclinic processes weakens when topography is flattened. These results show that topography in Africa plays a significant role in the wave development as they propagate westward, not only in their initiation over East Africa.
Orbit‐Spin Coupling and the Triggering of the Martian Planet‐Encircling Dust Storm of 2018
Authors: Shirley James H. , McKim Richard J. , Battalio J. Michael , Kass David M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe Martian global dust storm (GDS) of 2018 began soon after the southern spring equinox, which is quite early in the dust storm season. The origins of early‐season GDS, including those of 1977, 2001, and now 2018, have been mysterious, as atmospheric dynamical investigations and numerical modeling experiments have been unable to explain or reproduce the timing of these events. We employ a newly expanded catalog of historic Martian GDS for our investigation, which includes 2018 and the telescopically observed equinoctial dust storms of 1877 and 1909. All of the GDS of this catalog took place either (1) when orbit‐spin coupling torques on the Martian atmosphere were near peak values or (2) near times when the orbit‐spin coupling torques were changing most rapidly. The second category, here termed “Mode 2,” includes all six of the equinoctial GDS of the historic record, including 2018. Recognition of the existence of two triggering modes for GDS occurrence leads to a significant improvement in temporal resolution for both hindcasting and forecasting. Orbit‐spin coupling now provides explanations for the late‐season inception dates of the 1924 and 1973 storms, as well as for the equinoctial events. We provide conditional forecasts, with sub‐seasonal time resolution, for GDS occurrence and non‐occurrence in Mars years 35 through 40. We introduce a detailed working hypothesis for the genesis of equinoctial GDS that may be validated through numerical modeling. The characteristic timescale for frictional damping of an intensified Martian Hadley circulation is estimated to be O(10) sols.
Composition, Stratigraphy, and Geological History of the Noachian Basement Surrounding the Isidis Impact Basin
Authors: Scheller Eva L. , Ehlmann Bethany L. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe western part of the Isidis basin structure hosts a well‐characterized Early Noachian to Amazonian stratigraphy. The Noachian Basement comprises its oldest exposed rocks (Early to Mid‐Noachian) and was previously considered a single low‐Ca pyroxenes (LCP)‐ and Fe/Mg‐smectite‐bearing unit. Here, we divide the Noachian Basement Group into five distinct geological units (Stratified Basement Unit, Blue Fractured Unit, Mixed Lithology Plains Unit, LCP‐bearing Plateaus Unit, and Fe/Mg‐smectite‐bearing Mounds Unit), two geomorphological features (megabreccia and ridges), and a mineral deposit (kaolinite‐bearing bright materials), based on geomorphology, spectral characteristics, and stratigraphic relationships. Megabreccia contain four different pre‐Isidis lithologies, possibly including deeper crust or mantle materials, formed through mass wasting associated with transient crater collapse during Isidis basin formation. The Fe/Mg‐smectite‐bearing Stratified Basement Unit and LCP‐bearing Blue Fractured Unit likewise represent pre‐Isidis units within the Noachian Basement Group. Multiple Fe/Mg‐smectite‐bearing geological units with different stratigraphic positions and younger kaolinite‐bearing bright materials indicate several aqueous alteration episodes of different ages and styles. Units with slight changes in pyroxene spectral properties suggest a transition from low‐Ca pyroxene‐containing materials to those with higher proportions of pyroxenes higher in Ca and/or glass that could be related to different impact and/or igneous processes, or provenance. This long history of Noachian and potentially Pre‐Noachian geological processes, including impact basin formation, aqueous alteration, and multiple igneous and sedimentary petrogeneses, records changing ancient Mars environmental conditions. All units defined by this study are available 20 km outside of Jezero crater for in situ analysis and sampling during a potential extended mission scenario for the Mars 2020 rover.
An Environment‐Dependent Probabilistic Tropical Cyclone Model
Authors: Jing Renzhi , Lin Ning 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe Princeton environment‐dependent probabilistic tropical cyclone (PepC) model is developed for generating synthetic tropical cyclones (TCs) to support TC risk assessment. PepC consists of three components: a hierarchical Poisson genesis model, an analog‐wind track model, and a Markov intensity model. The three model components are dependent on environmental variables that vary with the climate, including potential intensity, advection flow, vertical wind shear, relative humidity, and ocean‐cooling parameters. The present model is developed for the North Atlantic Basin. The three model components and the integrated model are verified against observations using out‐of‐sample testing. The model can generally capture the TC climatology and reproduce statistics of TC genesis, movement, rapid intensification, and lifetime maximum intensity, as well as local landfall frequency and intensity. It can be coupled with climate models and TC hazard models to quantify TC‐related wind, surge, and rainfall risks under various climate conditions. The modeling framework can be further improved when more relevant environmental variables are identified and become available in climate model outputs.
Tectonic Evolution of the Western High Atlas of Morocco: Oblique Convergence, Reactivation, and Transpression
Authors: Lanari R. , Faccenna C. , Fellin M. G. , Essaifi A. , Nahid A. , Medina F. , Youbi N. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe High Atlas of Morocco is a double‐vergent mountain belt developed by Cenozoic shortening and inversion of a Triassic‐Jurassic rift. The structural setting, the morphometric features, and the patterns of exhumation through time and space change remarkably both along and across the strike. Here we combine structural data with revised thermochronological data to unravel the kinematic and evolution of the western High Atlas. Our results show that the structural grain of the western High Atlas is defined by two main groups of faults, namely, thrust and oblique‐slip faults, which mainly strike subparallel from W‐E to NE‐SW. The slip direction of the thrust structures is NNW‐SSE to NW‐SE oriented, and the slip direction of the oblique‐slip faults is WSW‐ENE to NW‐SE oriented. Pieces of thermochronological and geological evidence indicate that in the last ~10 Ma the exhumation rate increased during the activity thrusts and oblique‐slip faults. The coexistence of these two fault systems also suggests partitioning of deformation under a transpressive regime. In the western High Atlas, we estimate a displacement of ~12 km on the frontal thrusts and of at least ~22 km on the axial oblique‐slip structures. Thrusts and oblique‐slip structures together result in a total cumulative displacement of ~25 km, which represents about half of the Africa‐Eurasia convergence.
TGF-β1 induces VEGF expression in human granulosa-lutein cells: a potential mechanism for the pathogenesis of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome
Authors: Fang Lanlan , Li Yiran , Wang Sijia , Li Yuxi , Chang Hsun-Ming , Yi Yuyin , Yan Yang , Thakur Avinash , Leung Peter C. K. , Cheng Jung-Chien , Sun Ying-Pu 
Published: March 2020

AbstractOvarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) is one of the most serious and iatrogenic complications that can occur during in vitro fertilization treatment. Although the pathogenesis of OHSS is not fully understood, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) has been recognized as an important mediator of the development of OHSS. Transforming growth factor-beta-1 (TGF-β1) is known to regulate various ovarian functions. However, whether VEGF can be regulated by TGF-β1 in human granulosa cells has not been determined. In addition, the role of TGF-β1 in the pathogenesis of OHSS remains unknown. In the present study, we demonstrate that TGF-β1 stimulates VEGF expression in and secretion from both immortalized human granulosa-lutein (hGL) cells and primary hGL cells. Our results demonstrate that the SMAD2/3, ERK1/2, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways are involved in TGF-β1-induced VEGF expression and secretion. Using a mouse OHSS model, we show that the expression levels of TGF-β1 and VEGF are increased in the ovaries of OHSS mice. Blocking TGF-β1 signaling inhibits the development of OHSS by attenuating VEGF expression. Moreover, clinical results reveal that the protein levels of TGF-β1 and VEGF are increased in the follicular fluid of patients with OHSS, and that the levels of these two proteins in the follicular fluid are positively correlated. The results of this study help to elucidate the mechanisms by which VEGF expression is regulated in hGL cells, which could lead to the development of alternative therapeutic approaches for treating OHSS.
Multilevel social factors and NICU quality of care in California
Authors: Padula Amy M. , Shariff-Marco Salma , Yang Juan , Jain Jennifer , Liu Jessica , Conroy Shannon M. , Carmichael Suzan L. , Gomez Scarlett L. , Phibbs Ciaran , Oehlert John , Gould Jeffrey B. , Profit Jochen 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Objective
Our objective was to incorporate social and built environment factors into a compendium of multilevel factors among a cohort of very low birth weight infants to understand their contributions to inequities in NICU quality of care and support providers and NICUs in addressing these inequities via development of a health equity dashboard.

Study design
We examined bivariate associations between NICU patient pool and NICU catchment area characteristics and NICU quality of care with data from a cohort of 15,901 infants from 119 NICUs in California, born 2008–2011.

Result
NICUs with higher proportion of minority racial/ethnic patients and lower SES patients had lower quality scores. NICUs with catchment areas of lower SES, higher composition of minority residents, and more household crowding had lower quality scores.

Conclusion
Multilevel social factors impact quality of care in the NICU. Their incorporation into a health equity dashboard can inform providers of their patients’ potential resource needs.
ADAR1-mediated RNA editing is a novel oncogenic process in thyroid cancer and regulates miR-200 activity
Authors: Ramírez-Moya Julia , Baker Allison R. , Slack Frank J. , Santisteban Pilar 
Published: March 2020

AbstractAdenosine deaminases acting on RNA (ADARs) convert adenosine to inosine in double-stranded RNA. A-to-I editing of RNA is a widespread posttranscriptional process that has recently emerged as an important mechanism in cancer biology. A-to-I editing levels are high in several human cancers, including thyroid cancer, but ADAR1 editase-dependent mechanisms governing thyroid cancer progression are unexplored. To address the importance of RNA A-to-I editing in thyroid cancer, we examined the role of ADAR1. Loss-of-function analysis showed that ADAR1 suppression profoundly repressed proliferation, invasion, and migration in thyroid tumor cell models. These observations were validated in an in vivo xenograft model, which showed that ADAR1-silenced cells had a diminished ability to form tumors. RNA editing of miRNAs has the potential to markedly alter target recognition. According to TCGA data, the tumor suppressor miR-200b is overedited in thyroid tumors, and its levels of editing correlate with a worse progression-free survival and disease stage. We confirmed miR-200b overediting in thyroid tumors and we showed that edited miR-200b has weakened activity against its target gene ZEB1 in thyroid cancer cells, likely explaining the reduced aggressiveness of ADAR1-silenced cells. We also found that RAS, but not BRAF, modulates ADAR1 levels, an effect mediated predominantly by PI3K and in part by MAPK. Lastly, pharmacological inhibition of ADAR1 activity with the editing inhibitor 8-azaadenosine reduced cancer cell aggressiveness. Overall, our data implicate ADAR1-mediated A-to-I editing as an important pathway in thyroid cancer progression, and highlight RNA editing as a potential therapeutic target in thyroid cancer.
Radiation resistance in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma: dire need for an appropriate sensitizer
Authors: Hutchinson Marsha-Kay N. D. , Mierzwa Michelle , D’Silva Nisha J. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractRadiation is a significant treatment for patients with head and neck cancer. Despite advances to improve treatment, many tumors acquire radiation resistance resulting in poor survival. Radiation kills cancer cells by inducing DNA double-strand breaks. Therefore, radiation resistance is enhanced by efficient repair of damaged DNA. Head and neck cancers overexpress EGFR and have a high frequency of p53 mutations, both of which enhance DNA repair. This review discusses the clinical criteria for radiation resistance in patients with head and neck cancer and summarizes how cancer cells evade radiation-mediated apoptosis by p53- and epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)-mediated DNA repair. In addition, we explore the role of cancer stem cells in promoting radiation resistance, and how the abscopal effect provides rationale for combination strategies with immunotherapy.
A genome-wide approach for identification and characterisation of metabolite-inducible systems
Authors: Hanko Erik K. R. , Paiva Ana C. , Jonczyk Magdalena , Abbott Matthew , Minton Nigel P. , Malys Naglis 
Published: March 2020

AbstractInducible gene expression systems are vital tools for the advancement of synthetic biology. Their application as genetically encoded biosensors has the potential to contribute to diagnostics and to revolutionise the field of microbial cell factory development. Currently, the number of compounds of biological interest by far exceeds the number of available biosensors. Here, we address this limitation by developing a generic genome-wide approach to identify transcription factor-based inducible gene expression systems. We construct and validate 15 functional biosensors, provide a characterisation workflow to facilitate forward engineering efforts, exemplify their broad-host-range applicability, and demonstrate their utility in enzyme screening. Previously uncharacterised interactions between sensors and compounds of biological relevance are identified by employing the largest reported library of metabolite-responsive biosensors in an automated high-throughput screen. With the rapidly growing genomic data these innovative capabilities offer a platform to vastly increase the number of biologically detectable molecules.
Photobactericidal activity activated by thiolated gold nanoclusters at low flux levels of white light
Authors: Hwang Gi Byoung , Huang He , Wu Gaowei , Shin Juhun , Kafizas Andreas , Karu Kersti , Toit Hendrik Du , Alotaibi Abdullah M. , Mohammad-Hadi Layla , Allan Elaine , MacRobert Alexander J. , Gavriilidis Asterios , Parkin Ivan P. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe emergence of antibiotic resistant bacteria is a major threat to the practice of modern medicine. Photobactericidal agents have obtained significant attention as promising candidates to kill bacteria, and they have been extensively studied. However, to obtain photobactericidal activity, an intense white light source or UV-activation is usually required. Here we report a photobactericidal polymer containing crystal violet (CV) and thiolated gold nanocluster ([Au25(Cys)18]) activated at a low flux levels of white light. It was shown that the polymer encapsulated with CV do not have photobactericidal activity under white light illumination of an average 312 lux. However, encapsulation of [Au25(Cys)18] and CV into the polymer activates potent photobactericidal activity. The study of the photobactericidal mechanism shows that additional encapsulation of [Au25(Cys)18] into the CV treated polymer promotes redox reactions through generation of alternative electron transfer pathways, while it reduces photochemical reaction type-ІІ pathways resulting in promotion of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) production.
Polymicrobial periodontal disease triggers a wide radius of effect and unique virome
Authors: Gao Li , Kang Misun , Zhang Martin Jinye , Reza Sailani M. , Kuraji Ryutaro , Martinez April , Ye Changchang , Kamarajan Pachiyappan , Le Charles , Zhan Ling , Rangé Hélène , Ho Sunita P. , Kapila Yvonne L. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPeriodontal disease is a microbially-mediated inflammatory disease of tooth-supporting tissues that leads to bone and tissue loss around teeth. Although bacterially-mediated mechanisms of alveolar bone destruction have been widely studied, the effects of a polymicrobial infection on the periodontal ligament and microbiome/virome have not been well explored. Therefore, the current investigation introduced a new mouse model of periodontal disease to examine the effects of a polymicrobial infection on periodontal ligament (PDL) properties, changes in bone loss, the host immune response, and the microbiome/virome using shotgun sequencing. Periodontal pathogens, namelyPorphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, Tannerella forsythia, andFusobacterium nucleatumwere used as the polymicrobial oral inoculum in BALB/cByJ mice. The polymicrobial infection triggered significant alveolar bone loss, a heightened antibody response, an elevated cytokine immune response, a significant shift in viral diversity and virome composition, and a widening of the PDL space; the latter two findings have not been previously reported in periodontal disease models. Changes in the PDL space were present at sites far away from the site of insult, indicating that the polymicrobial radius of effect extends beyond the bone loss areas and site of initial infection and wider than previously appreciated. Associations were found between bone loss, specific viral and bacterial species, immune genes, and PDL space changes. These findings may have significant implications for the pathogenesis of periodontal disease and biomechanical properties of the periodontium. This new polymicrobial mouse model of periodontal disease in a common mouse strain is useful for evaluating the features of periodontal disease.
Shared transcriptional responses to con- and heterospecific behavioral antagonists in a wild songbird
Authors: Louder Matthew I. M. , Lafayette Michael , Louder Amber A. , Uy Floria M. K. , Balakrishnan Christopher N. , Yasukawa Ken , Hauber Mark E. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe recognition of and differential responses to salient stimuli are among the main drivers of behavioral plasticity, yet, how animals evolve and modulate functional responses to novel classes of antagonistic stimuli remain poorly understood. We studied free-living male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to test whether gene expression responses in blood are distinct or shared between patterns of aggressive behavioral responses directed at simulated conspecific versus heterospecific intruders. In this species, males defend territories against conspecific males and respond aggressively to female brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), a brood parasite that commonly lays eggs in blackbird nests. Both conspecific songs and parasitic calls elicited aggressive responses from focal subjects and caused a downregulation in genes associated with immune system response, relative to control calls of a second, harmless heterospecific species. In turn, only the conspecific song treatment elicited an increase in singing behavior and an upregulation of genes associated with metabolic processes relative to the two heterospecific calls. Our results suggest that aspects of antagonistic behaviors to both conspecifics and brood parasites can be mediated by similar physiological responses, suggestive of shared molecular and behavioral pathways involved in the recognition and reaction to both evolutionarily old and new enemies.