bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Analysis of prehistoric brown earth paleosols under the podzol soils of Exmoor, UK
Authors: Carey Christopher , White Hayley , Macphail Richard , Bray Lee , Scaife Rob , Coyle McClung Lisa , Macleod Alison 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe deforestation of the upland landscapes in southwest Britain during prehistory is an established archaeological narrative, documenting human impacts on the environment and questioning the relationship of prehistoric societies to the upland landscapes they inhabited. Allied to the paleoenvironmental analyses of pollen sequences, which have provided the evidence of this change, there has been some investigation of prehistoric paleosols fossilized under principally Bronze Age archaeological monuments. These analyses identified brown earth soils that were originally associated with temperate deciduous woodland, on occasion showing evidence of human impacts such as tilling. However, the number of analyses of these paleosols has been limited. This study presents the first analysis of a series of pre‐podzol brown earth paleosols on Exmoor, UK, two of which are associated with colluvial soil erosion sediments before the formation of peat. This study indicates these paleosols are spatially extensive and have considerable potential to inform a more nuanced understanding of prehistoric human impacts on the upland environments of the early‐mid Holocene and assess human agency in driving ecosystem change.
Landslide impact on the archaeological site of Mitla, Oaxaca
Authors: Garduño‐Monroy Victor Hugo , Macías José Luis , Morelli Stefano , Figueroa‐Soto Angel , Ruiz‐Figueroa Alejandro , Robles‐Camacho Jasinto , Veronica Pazzi 
Published: April 2020

AbstractSome large landslide deposits are recognized within and around the Mitla archaeological site, which is located in a very seismically active region cut by the Tehuacan‐Oaxaca fault system. Previous studies have shown that this fault system has produced coseismic ruptures and associated earthquakes in the past. Our work on the Mitla landslide deposits clearly demonstrates that their morphology and nature are typical of dry‐rock avalanches. Thus, collapses of rock already weakened by alteration and/or weathering, and unstably mobilized by intense rainfall, are discarded as possible triggers of the avalanche events. We instead propose that the landslides were triggered by earthquake activity. Moreover, our data indicate that part of the original Mitla settlement lies buried under a large rock‐avalanche deposit produced sometime during the post‐Classic period (900–1520 AD). At that time, the city of Mitla was inhabited by over 10,000 people as estimated from archaeological reconstructions. This devastating landslide almost entirely obliterated Mitla, which at the time of the Spanish arrival still existed as a city, but much reduced in area and populations.
Inkjet‐Printed TiO2/Fullerene Composite Films for Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Huckaba Aron J. , Garcia‐Benito Inés , Kanda Hiroyuki , Shibayama Naoyuki , Oveisi Emad , Kinge Sachin , Nazeeruddin Mohammad K. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractPerovskite solar cells have garnered and held international research interest, due to ever‐climbing power conversion efficiency values, now >25 %. Some high efficiency configurations utilize a compact TiO2 layer underneath a mesoporous TiO2 layer, both of which require high temperature annealing steps that could hinder perovskite commercialization. To address the high thermal budget, we chose to use inkjet‐printing to combine the two layers into a single TiO2 film, which incorporates both nanoparticle and molecular precursor as well as organic fullerene additives. We printed the ink on fluorine‐doped tin oxide, and after annealing at various temperatures, we found that 400 °C was the optimum annealing temperature for the inkjet‐printed electron transport layers, which is significantly lower than the 500 °C required to anneal typical mesoporous TiO2 films.
Efficiency and effectiveness enhancement of an intercooler of two‐stage air compressor by low‐cost Al2O3/water nanofluids
Authors: Chintala Venkateswarlu , S. Vikesh , Karn Ashish 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe present study was aimed to utilize low‐cost alumina (Al2O3) nanoparticles for improving the heat transfer behavior in an intercooler of two‐stage air compressor. Experimental investigation was carried out with three different volume concentrations of 0.5%, 0.75%, and 1.0% Al2O3/water nanofluids to assess the performance of the intercooler, that is, counterflow heat exchanger at different loads. Thermal properties such as thermal conductivity and overall heat transfer coefficient of nanofluid increased substantially with increasing concentration of Al2O3 nanoparticles. Specific heat capacity of nanofluids were lower than base water. The intercooler performance parameters such as effectiveness and efficiency improved appreciably with the employment of nanofluid. The efficiency increased by about 6.1% with maximum concentration of nanofluid, that is, 1% at 3‐bar compressor load. It is concluded from the study that high concentration of Al2O3 nanoparticles dispersion in water would offer better heat transfer performance of the intercooler.
Scrutiny of heat transfer and nanoparticle migration within a channel filled with nanofluid
Authors: Mishra Manoj K. , Seth Gauri Shanker , Sharma Rohit 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this research article, we have examined the temperature and nanoparticle distribution within a channel filled with nanofluid. The flow is induced by walls of the channel stretching with a velocity proportional to the distance from origin. The analysis is carried out by assuming the presence of Navier's velocity slip. Buongiorno's modified nanofluid model that accounts the effects of nanoparticle migration due to thermophoresis and Brownian diffusion is used as model to analyze flow. We obtained similar solution of the problem numerically by the finite element method and validated it with the solution obtained by the optimal homotopy analysis method.
Effects of sand‐mulch thickness on soil evaporation during the freeze–thaw period
Authors: Chen Junfeng , Xie Xue , Zheng Xiuqing , Xue Jing , Miao Chunyan , Du Qi , Xu Yongxin 
Published: April 2020

AbstractControl of evaporation from seasonally frozen soil is an important method for alleviating water shortages in arid and semi‐arid areas. To investigate the inhibition of soil evaporation by sand and the major factors that influence soil evaporation, a series of field experiments with five sand‐mulch thicknesses (0 cm, bare soil [BS], 1 cm [T1], 2 cm [T2], 3 cm [T3] and 4 cm [T4], with an average diameter of 1 mm) were conducted during the freeze–thaw period in Northern China. Soil evaporation characteristics in the three freeze–thaw stages were revealed and the major factors influencing soil evaporation were analysed using grey correlation analysis. The results showed that the cumulative soil evaporation decreased with increasing sand‐mulch thickness during the freeze–thaw period, and only small differences in soil evaporation were observed between the T3 and T4 treatments. The reduction in soil evaporation under different sand‐mulch thicknesses was 19.2–62.6% in the unstable freezing stage (P1), 2.0–28.3% in the stable freezing stage (P2) and 4.8–20.4% in the thawing stage (P3). In P1, solar radiation was a major factor influencing soil evaporation in all treatments and vapour pressure was a major factor in the sand‐mulch treatments, and the influence of relative humidity on soil evaporation decreased in the T4 treatment. During the coldest P2, solar radiation was lowest so that relative humidity and wind speed became the more dominant influence factors on soil evaporation in all treatments, and surface soil water content was a major factor in the sand‐mulch treatments. In P3, average air temperature and solar radiation were major factor influencing soil evaporation in all treatments and vapour pressure was a major factor in the BS and T1 treatments, whereas water surface evaporation was the major factor in the T2, T3 and T4 treatments. The results suggest that the addition of sand mulch in agricultural fields may be a beneficial practice to reduce water stress in arid and semi‐arid areas.
Towards the representation of groundwater in the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator
Authors: Batelis Stamatis‐Christos , Rahman Mostaquimur , Kollet Stefan , Woods Ross , Rosolem Rafael 
Published: April 2020

AbstractGroundwater is an important component of the hydrological cycle with significant interactions with soil hydrological processes. Recent studies have demonstrated that incorporating groundwater hydrology in land surface models (LSMs) considerably improves the prediction of the partitioning of water components (e.g., runoff and evapotranspiration) at the land surface. However, the Joint UK Land Environment Simulator (JULES), an LSM developed in the United Kingdom, does not yet have an explicit representation of groundwater. We propose an implementation of a simplified groundwater flow boundary parameterization (JULES‐GFB), which replaces the original free drainage assumption in the default model (JULES‐FD). We tested the two approaches under a controlled environment for various soil types using two synthetic experiments: (1) single‐column and (2) tilted‐V catchment, using a three‐dimensional (3‐D) hydrological model (ParFlow) as a benchmark for JULES’ performance. In addition, we applied our new JULES‐GFB model to a regional domain in the UK, where groundwater is the key element for runoff generation. In the single‐column infiltration experiment, JULES‐GFB showed improved soil moisture dynamics in comparison with JULES‐FD, for almost all soil types (except coarse soils) under a variety of initial water table depths. In the tilted‐V catchment experiment, JULES‐GFB successfully represented the dynamics and the magnitude of saturated and unsaturated storage against the benchmark. The lateral water flow produced by JULES‐GFB was about 50% of what was produced by the benchmark, while JULES‐FD completely ignores this process. In the regional domain application, the Kling‐Gupta efficiency (KGE) for the total runoff simulation showed an average improvement from 0.25 for JULES‐FD to 0.75 for JULES‐GFB. The mean bias of actual evapotranspiration relative to the Global Land Evaporation Amsterdam Model (GLEAM) product was improved from −0.22 to −0.01 mm day−1. Our new JULES‐GFB implementation provides an opportunity to better understand the interactions between the subsurface and land surface processes that are dominated by groundwater hydrology.
Development of flexible Li‐ion batteries for flexible electronics
Authors: Zhao Yifan , Guo Juchen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractWe provide a critical review on the recent development of flexible lithium‐ion batteries (FLIBs) for flexible electronic devices. The innovative designs of cell configuration for bendable and stretchable FLIBs, selection of active materials, and evaluation methods for FLIBs are discussed. The grand challenges for FLIBs are energy density and scale‐up fabrication as demonstrated in the review. Furthermore, the lack of quantitative evaluation methods for FLIBs' performance and nondestructive tools to probe the mechanical degradation may significantly hinder the development of FLIB technologies. Perspectives for future research directions, based on the current state of progress, are discussed.image
Mu opioid receptor in microglia contributes to morphine analgesic tolerance, hyperalgesia, and withdrawal in mice
Authors: Reiss David , Maduna Tando , Maurin Hervé , Audouard Emilie , Gaveriaux‐Ruff Claire 
Published: April 2020

AbstractA major challenge in medicine is developing potent pain therapies without the adverse effects of opiates. Neuroinflammation and in particular microglial activation have been shown to contribute to these effects. However, the implication of the microglial mu opioid receptor (MOR) is not known. We developed a novel conditional knockout (cKO) mouse line, wherein MOR is deleted in microglia. Morphine analgesic tolerance was delayed in both sexes in cKO mice in the hot plate assay. Opioid‐induced hyperalgesia (OIH) as measured in the tail immersion assay was abolished in male cKO mice, and physical dependence to morphine as assessed by naloxone‐induced withdrawal was attenuated in female cKO mice. Our results show a sex‐dependent contribution of microglial MOR in morphine analgesic tolerance, OIH, and physical dependence. In conclusion, our data suggest that blockade of microglial MOR could represent a therapeutic target for opiate analgesia without the opiate adverse effects.
Degenerative IVD conditioned media and acidic pH sensitize sensory neurons to cyclic tensile strain
Authors: Stover Joshua D. , Lawrence Brandon , Bowles Robby D. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractLow back pain is among the leading causes of disability worldwide. The degenerative intervertebral disc (IVD) environment contains pathologically high levels of inflammatory cytokines and acidic pH hypothesized to contribute to back pain by sensitizing nociceptive neurons to stimuli that would not be painful in healthy patients. We hypothesized that the degenerative IVD environment drives discogenic pain by sensitizing nociceptive neurons to mechanical loading. To test this hypothesis, we developed an in vitro model that facilitated the investigation of interactions between the degenerative IVD environment, nociceptive neurons innervating the IVD and mechanical loading of the disc; and, the identification of the underlying mechanism of degenerative IVD induced nociceptive neuron sensitization. In our model, rat dorsal root ganglia (DRG) neurons were seeding onto bovine annulus fibrosus tissue, exposed to degenerative IVD conditioned media and/or acidic pH, and subjected to cyclic tensile strain (1 Hz; 1%‐6% strain) during measurement of DRG sensory neuron activity via calcium imaging. Using this model, we demonstrated that both degenerative IVD conditioned media and degenerative IVD acidic pH levels induced elevated nociceptive neuron activation in response to physiologic levels of mechanical strain. In addition, interleukin 6 (IL‐6) was demonstrated to mediate degenerative IVD conditioned media induced elevated nociceptive neuron activation. These results demonstrate IL‐6 mediates degenerative IVD induced neuron sensitization to mechanical loading and further establishes IL‐6 as a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of discogenic pain. Data further suggests the degenerative IVD environment contains multiple neuron sensitization pathways (IL‐6, pH) that may contribute to discogenic pain.
Can Ultrasound Measures of Muscle and Adipose Tissue Thickness Predict Body Composition of Premature Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit?
Authors: Nagel Emily , Hickey Marie , Teigen Levi , Kuchnia Adam , Holm Tara , Earthman Carrie , Demerath Ellen , Ramel Sara 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundPremature infants are at risk for adverse metabolic and neurodevelopmental outcomes due to growth alterations in early infancy. Monitoring body composition by tracking gains in fat mass (FM) and fat‐free mass (FFM) may assist clinicians in preventing obesity and metabolic disease while promoting optimal growth and development. A prospective, observational study was conducted to determine the ability of ultrasound (US) measurements of muscle and adipose tissue thickness to predict whole‐body composition (FFM, FM, percent body fat [%BF]).MethodsSixty‐three healthy premature infants were recruited from the University of Minnesota's Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Anthropometric measurements, air displacement plethysmography, and US measurements of abdomen, biceps, and quadriceps muscle and of adipose tissue thickness were conducted when infants were medically stable. The relationship between US measurements and body composition was assessed using stepwise linear regression analysis.ResultsIn linear regression analyses, biceps adipose and the sum of adipose thickness measurements were significant predictors of %BF, but prediction models had low R2 (0.17 and 0.16, respectively) and high root‐mean‐square error. US measurements of muscle thickness were not predictive of whole‐body FFM.ConclusionUS measurements of muscle and adipose tissue thickness at the examined sites are not adequate surrogates for whole‐body composition in preterm infants. Exploration of alternate measurement sites may improve predictive ability.
Quantitative electroencephalogram analysis of frontal cortex functional changes in patients with migraine
Authors: Ouyang Chen‐Sen , Chiang Ching‐Tai , Yang Rei‐Cheng , Wu Rong‐Ching , Lin Lung‐Chang 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe functional abnormality of brain areas accounting for the migraine remains to be elucidated. Most related studies have used functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate brain areas involved in migraine. However, the results are heterogeneous. In this study, we used a convenient tool to explore the brain regions involved in migraine. In this study, 40 children with migraine and 40 sex‐ and age‐matched health controls were enrolled, and electroencephalogram was used to explore the functional abnormal areas of migraine through electroencephalogram bands and low‐resolution electromagnetic tomography analysis. The results revealed that spectrum edge frequency 50 in all electroencephalogram channels in patients with migraine were lower than those in controls. Significant differences were discovered over frontal areas. In addition, significantly higher current density over the frontopolar prefrontal cortex and orbitofrontal cortex and higher connectivity over the left prefrontal cortex were observed in patients with migraine. We suggest that functional disturbance of the prefrontal cortex may play a potential role in children with migraine, and that low‐resolution electromagnetic tomography is a reliable and convenient tool for studying the functional disturbance of migraine.
Novel frameshift mutations of ANKUB1, GLI3, and TAS2R3 associated with polysyndactyly in a Chinese family
Authors: Zhang Lishan , Chen Xiaobin , Xu Lanwei , Guan Shibing , Wang Dehua , Lin Yanliang , Wang Zengtao 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundPolysyndactyly (PSD) is an autosomal dominant genetic limb malformation caused by mutations.MethodsWhole exome sequencing and Sanger sequencing were used to determine the mutations in PSD patients. Luciferase reporter assay was performed to determine the effect of GLI3 mutation on its transcriptional activity.ResultsIn this study, we investigated the gene mutations of three affected individuals across three generations. The frameshift mutations of GLI3 (NM_000168:c.4659del, NP_000159.3: p.Ser1553del), ANKUB1 (NM_001144960:c.1385del, NP_001138432.1: p.Pro462del), and TAS2R3 (NM_016943:c.128_131del, NP_058639.1: p.Leu43del) were identified in the three affected individuals, but not in three unaffected members by whole exome sequencing and sanger sequencing. Luciferase reporter assay demonstrated that GLI3 mutation reduced the transcriptional activity of GLI3. The results from SMART analysis showed that the frameshift mutation of TAS2R3 altered most protein sequence, which probably destroyed protein function. Although the frameshift mutation of ANKUB1 did not locate in ankyrin repeat domain and ubiquitin domain, it might influence the interaction between ANKUB1 and other proteins, and further affected the ubiquitinylation.ConclusionThese results indicated that the frameshift mutations of GLI3, ANKUB1, and TAS2R3 might alter the functions of these proteins, and accelerated PSD progression.
Genetic and molecular biology of bladder cancer among Iranian patients
Authors: Mojarrad Majid , Moghbeli Meysam 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundBladder cancer (BC) is the sixth common cancer among Iranians. Various risk factors such as smoking, body mass index, chronic infection, age, and genetic factors are associated with BC progression.MethodsIt has been shown that a significant ratio of patients have tumors with muscle bladder layer invasion and poor prognosis at the time of diagnosis. Therefore, the early detection of tumors is required to reduce the mortality rate of BC cases. Since there is a wide geographical incidence variation in BC in Iran, it seems that the ethnic and genetic factors can be the main risk factors among Iranian BC patients.ResultsFor the first time, in present review we have summarized all of the reported genes among Iranian BC patients until now which were significantly associated with tumorigenesis. Moreover, we categorized all of the reported genes based on their cell and molecular functions to clarify the genetic and molecular biology of BC among Iranian population.ConclusionThis review paves the way of determination of a population‐based genetic panel markers for the early detection of BC in this population.
A novel compound heterozygous missense mutation in ASNS broadens the spectrum of asparagine synthetase deficiency
Authors: Wang Chun , He Guiyuan , Ge Yusong , Li Runjie , Li Zhenguo , Lin Yongzhong 
Published: April 2020

AbstractBackgroundAsparagine synthetase deficiency (ASNSD) is a rare pediatric congenital disorder that clinically manifests into severe progressive microcephaly, global developmental delay, spastic quadriplegia, and refractory seizures. ASNSD is caused by inheritable autosomal recessive mutations in the asparagine synthetase (ASNS) gene.MethodsWe performed whole‐exome sequencing using the patient's peripheral blood, and newly discovered mutations were subsequently verified in the patient's parents via Sanger sequencing. Software‐based bioinformatics analyses (protein sequence conservation analysis, prediction of protein phosphorylation sites, protein structure modeling, and protein stability prediction) were performed to investigate and deduce their downstream effects.ResultsIn this article, we summarized all the previously reported cases of ASNSD and that of a Chinese girl who was clinically diagnosed with ASNSD, which was later confirmed via genetic testing. Whole‐exome sequencing revealed two compound heterozygous missense mutations within the ASNS (c.368T > C, p.F123S and c.1649G > A, p.R550H). The origin of the two mutations was also verified in the patient's parents via Sanger sequencing. The mutation c.368T > C (p.F123S) was discovered and confirmed to be novel and previously unreported. Using software‐based bioinformatics analyses, we deduced that the two mutation sites are highly conserved across a wide range of species, with the ability to alter different phosphorylation sites and destabilize the ASNS protein structure. The newly identified p.F123S mutation was predicted to be the most significantly destabilizing and detrimental mutation to the ASNS protein structure, compared to all other previously reported mutations.ConclusionEvidently, the presence of these compound heterozygous mutations could lead to severe clinical phenotypes and serve as a potential indicator for considerably higher risk with less optimistic prognosis in ASNSD patients.