bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effects of air-conditioning systems in the public areas of hospitals: A scoping review
Authors: Ting Wu Han , Shuang Li Qiu , Chen Dai Rong , Liu Shan , Wu Li , Mao Wei , Hua Ji Cong 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
Almost all hospitals are equipped with air-conditioning systems to provide a comfortable environment for patients and staff. However, the accumulation of dust and moisture within these systems increases the risk of transmission of microbes and have on occasion been associated with outbreaks of infection. Nevertheless, the impact of air-conditioning on the transmission of microorganisms leading to infection remains largely uncertain. We conducted a scoping review to screen systematically the evidence for such an association in the face of the coronavirus disease 2019 epidemic. PubMed, Embase and Web of Science databases were explored for relevant studies addressing microbial contamination of the air, their transmission and association with infectious diseases. The review process yielded 21 publications, 17 of which were cross-sectional studies, three were cohort studies and one case−control study. Our analysis showed that, compared with naturally ventilated areas, microbial loads were significantly lower in air-conditioned areas, but the incidence of infections increased if not properly managed. The use of high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filtration not only decreased transmission of airborne bioaerosols and various microorganisms, but also reduced the risk of infections. By contrast, contaminated air-conditioning systems in hospital rooms were associated with a higher risk of patient infection. Cleaning and maintenance of such systems to recommended standards should be performed regularly and where appropriate, the installation of HEPA filters can effectively mitigate microbial contamination in the public areas of hospitals.
Mumps outbreak among fully vaccinated school-age children and young adults, Portugal 2019/2020
Authors: Perez Duque Mariana , San-Bento Ana , Léon Lourdes , Custódio Paula , Esperança Maria Anjos , Albuquerque Maria João , Nascimento Marina , Balasegaram Sooria , Sá Machado Rita 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
On 16–17 January 2020, four suspected mumps cases were reported to the local Public Health Authorities with an epidemiological link to a local school and football club. Of 18 suspected cases identified, 14 were included in this study. Laboratory results confirmed mumps virus as the cause and further sequencing identified genotype G. Our findings highlight that even with a high MMR vaccine coverage, mumps outbreaks in children and young adults can occur. Since most of the cases had documented immunity for mumps, we hypothesise that waning immunity or discordant mumps virus strains are likely explanations for this outbreak.
Sensitivity of Carbonaceous Aerosol Properties to the Implementation of a Dynamic Aging Parameterization in the Regional Climate Model RegCM
Authors: Ghosh Sudipta , Riemer Nicole , Giuliani Graziano , Giorgi Filippo , Ganguly Dilip , Dey Sagnik 
Published: August 2021

AbstractFreshly emitted soot is hydrophobic, but condensation of secondary aerosols and coagulation with other particles modify its hygroscopic optical properties. This conversion is referred to as “aerosol aging.” Many climate models represent this aging process with a fixed aging time scale, whereas in reality, it is a dynamic process that depends on environmental conditions. Here, we implement a dynamic aging parameterization scheme in the regional climate model RegCM4 in place of the fixed aging timescale of 1.15 days (∼27.6 h) and examine its impact on the aerosol life cycle over the Indian subcontinent. The conversion from hydrophobic to hydrophilic aerosol is usually lower than 27.6 h over the entire landmass and lower than 10 h over the polluted Indo‐Gangetic Basin (IGB), with seasonal variability. Due to the implementation of the dynamic aging scheme, the column burden and surface mass concentration of carbonaceous aerosols increase during the drier season (December–February) when washout is negligible. The burden is reduced during the wet season (June–September) due to a more efficient washout except over the IGB, where a reduction in precipitation as a result of radiative feedbacks increases the aerosol concentrations. Over the polluted IGB, surface dimming increases due to the dynamic aging scheme, with the top of the atmosphere forcing remaining mostly unchanged. As a result, atmospheric heating increases by at least 1.2 W/m2. Our results suggest that climate models should incorporate dynamic aging for a more realistic representation of aerosol simulations, especially in highly polluted regions.
The Impact of Measurement Scale on the Univariate Statistics of K, Th, and U in the Earth Crust
Authors: Baratoux D. , Fall M. , Meslin P.‐Y. , Jessell M. W. , Vanderhaeghe O. , Moyen J.‐F. , Ndiaye P. M. , Boamah K. , Baratoux L. , André‐Mayer A.‐S. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe univariate statistics of Potassium (K), thorium (Th), and uranium (U) concentrations, in the Earth’s oceanic and continental crust are examined by different techniques. The frequency distributions of the concentrations of these elements in the oceanic crust are derived from a global catalog of mid‐ocean ridge basalts. Their frequency distributions of concentrations in the continental crust are illustrated by the North Pilbara Craton, and the West Africa Craton. For these two cratons, the distributions of K, Th, and U derived from geochemical analyses of several thousand whole rock samples differ significantly from those derived from airborne radiometric surveys. The distributions from airborne surveys tends to be more symmetric with smaller standard deviations than the right‐skewed distributions inferred from whole rock geochemical analyses. Hypothetic causes of these differences include (a) bias in rock sampling or in airborne surveys, (b) the differences between the chemistry of superficial material and rocks, and (c) the differences in scales of measurements. The scale factor, viewed as consequence of the central limit theorem applied to K, Th, and U concentrations, appears to account for most of the observed differences in the distributions of K, Th, and U. It suggests that the three scales of auto‐correlation of K, Th, and U concentrations are of the same order of magnitude as the resolution of the airborne radiometric surveys (50–200 m). Concentrations of K, Th, and U are therefore generally heterogenous at smaller scales.
Using CloudSat‐Derived Snow Accumulation Estimates to Constrain Gridded Snow Water Equivalent Products
Authors: King Fraser , Fletcher Christopher G. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractChanges in the quantity of terrestrial Arctic snow have far‐reaching implications for the global water‐energy budget, ecosystem development, and cold region flooding. Snow water equivalent (SWE) is a useful metric for monitoring these changes, however only a sparse observing network is available in the Arctic. Space‐based remote sensing offers the potential to fill these measurement gaps, and the CloudSat cloud profiling radar (CPR) has been shown to provide high‐quality estimates of surface snowfall rates across the Arctic. We propose a novel method to leverage monthly information from CloudSat to identify data quality issues in the Blended‐4 (B4) gridded SWE product. A regression of estimated monthly mean snow accumulation between CloudSat and B4 provides a confidence interval to objectively flag individual months in B4 with data quality issues. Applying this method to a case study in the Canadian high Arctic identifies an unphysical January melt event in B4 which is traced back to a measurement error in the assimilated station observations. We generalize this technique to a one‐degree grid and find a total of 4,885 cases in B4 with low data quality. We find that the low‐quality SWE product values are not random errors, and that they introduce a systematic bias of −3.1 mm on B4's estimates of mean Arctic SWE. CloudSat is uniquely positioned as one of the only observational data sets for observing snowfall at high latitudes, and when combined with the methodology developed here, its estimates can be used to further enhance the accuracy of current gridded SWE products.
Drought Resilience Debt Drives NPP Decline in the Amazon Forest
Authors: Machado‐Silva Fausto , Peres Leonardo F. , Gouveia Celia M. , Enrich‐Prast Alex , Peixoto Roberta B. , Pereira José M. C. , Marotta Humberto , Fernandes Pedro J. F. , Libonati Renata 
Published: August 2021

AbstractClimate change has substantially increased the frequency of extreme droughts in the Amazon basin, generating concern about impacts on the world's largest tropical forest, which contributes about one‐seventh of the global vegetation carbon sink. Most research to understand drought impacts has focused on the immediate influences of such events, neglecting post‐drought effects on ecosystems recovery. Since ecological processes are influenced by antecedent conditions, we analyzed whether extreme droughts affect vegetation growth (i.e., net primary productivity, NPP) recovery. Here, we evaluated the NPP in the Amazon basin from 2003 to 2020, a period in which drought frequency was almost double the decadal incidence of the last century. We show that NPP does respond to the coupled impacts of individual droughts and the post‐drought impacts during ecosystem recovery. In particular, our results reveal that the ecosystems undergoing recovery show NPP about 13% lower than reference values based on the pre‐drought state or in areas undisturbed by drought. NPP deficits have consistently increased with the extreme droughts of 2005, 2010, and 2015 due to the combined effects of disturbances magnitude and the length of recovery. If the expected increase in drought frequency and intensity does occur, reduced recovery may lead the Amazon Forest to an alternative ecosystem state with lower carbon uptake, contributing to a warming global climate.
Constraints From Exhumed Rocks on the Seismic Signature of the Deep Subduction Interface
Authors: Tewksbury‐Christle C. M. , Behr W. M. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractLow Velocity Zones (LVZs) with anomalously high Vp‐Vs ratios occur along the downdip extents of subduction megathrusts in most modern subduction zones and are collocated with complex seismic and transient deformation patterns. LVZs are attributed to high pore fluid pressures, but the spatial correlation between the LVZ and the subduction interface, as well as the rock types that define them, remain unclear. We characterize the seismic signature of a fossil subduction interface shear zone in northern California that is sourced from the same depth range as modern LVZs. Deformation was distributed across 3 km of dominantly metasedimentary rocks, with periodic strain localization to km‐scale ultramafic lenses. We estimate seismic velocities accounting for mineral and fracture anisotropy, constrained by microstructural observations and field measurements, resulting in a Vp/Vs of 2.0. Comparable thicknesses and velocities suggest that LVZs represent, at least in part, the subduction interface shear zone.
A Connection of Winter Eurasian Cold Anomaly to the Modulation of Ural Blocking by ENSO
Authors: Luo Binhe , Luo Dehai , Dai Aiguo , Simmonds Ian , Wu Lixin 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis study investigates how El Niño‐Southern Oscillation (ENSO) modulates winter cold anomalies over central Eurasia (CE) using reanalysis data during 1950–2019. It is found that ENSO can significantly influence winter air temperature over CE mainly through modulating the strength and location of the cyclonic anomaly of Ural blocking (UB) or long‐lived UB events. A strong (weak) cyclonic anomaly of UB on the southeastern (eastern) side of the Ural Mountains tends to occur over midlatitude (high‐latitude) Eurasia during La Niña (El Niño) winters. Such anomalous circulation leads to a strong (weak) cold anomaly over CE, especially over East Asia, due to enhanced (weakened) cold air advection toward the CE during La Niña (El Niño). The UB‐related cyclonic anomaly in the midlatitude (high latitude) side of Eurasia is shown to be related to weakened (enhanced) eastward extension of strong westerly winds over midlatitude Eurasia during La Niña (El Niño) winters.
Advanced Bulk Optical Models Linking the Backscattering and Microphysical Properties of Mineral Dust Aerosol
Authors: Saito Masanori , Yang Ping 
Published: August 2021

AbstractSensitivities of the backscattering properties to the microphysical properties (in particular, size and shape) of mineral dust aerosols are examined based on TAMUdust2020, a comprehensive single‐scattering property database of irregular aerosol particles. We develop the bulk mineral dust particle models based on size‐resolved particle ensembles with randomly distorted shapes and spectrally resolved complex refractive indices, which are constrained by using in situ observations reported in the literature. The light detection and ranging (lidar) ratio is more sensitive to particle shape than particle size, while the depolarization ratio depends strongly on particle size. The simulated bulk backscattering properties (i.e., the lidar ratio and the depolarization ratio) of typical mineral dust particles with effective radii of 0.5–3 µm are reasonably consistent with lidar observations made during several field campaigns. The present dust bulk optical property models are applicable to lidar‐based remote sensing of dust aerosol properties.
Projected Land Evaporation and Its Response to Vegetation Greening Over China Under Multiple Scenarios in the CMIP6 Models
Authors: Lu Jiao , Wang Guojie , Li Shijie , Feng Aiqing , Zhan Mingyue , Jiang Tong , Su Buda , Wang Yanjun 
Published: August 2021

AbstractLand evaporation (ET) is of great significance in climate change research, water resource management, and numerical weather forecasting. In this study, Ridge Regression Method and Sensitivity Analysis Methods have been used to study the projected land evaporation changes over China, and its response to vegetation greening under low (Shared Socioeconomic Pathway [SSP]1‐2.6), medium (SSP2‐4.5), and high (SSP5‐8.5) forcing scenarios during 2020–2099, based on 16 of the latest generation of Earth System Models (ESMs) taking part in the Coupled Models Intercomparison Project Phase 6. Land evaporation is projected to significantly increase under all climate change scenarios, especially in the southern China where there is a humid climate. The influencing factors, including precipitation, air temperature, solar radiation, and leaf area index (LAI), are analyzed; LAI is indicated to dominate the interannual variations of land ET, contributing over 40% of the interannual variance in the warming climates. However, the sensitivity of land ET to vegetation greening is found to generally reduce along with the increasing radiation forcing levels. Such a reduced sensitivity is particularly true when making intermodel comparisons, possibly due to the uncertainties of vegetation parameterizations in different models. This study reveals the response of land ET to vegetation greening under multiple climate change scenarios, which may help to understand the essential role of vegetation in water cycle and provide support for future water resource management.
Presentation and Evaluation of the IPSL‐CM6A‐LR Ensemble of Extended Historical Simulations
Authors: Bonnet Rémy , Boucher Olivier , Deshayes Julie , Gastineau Guillaume , Hourdin Frédéric , Mignot Juliette , Servonnat Jérôme , Swingedouw Didier 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe Institut Pierre‐Simon Laplace Climate Modeling Center has produced an ensemble of extended historical simulations using the IPSL‐CM6A‐LR climate model. This ensemble (referred to as IPSL‐EHS) is composed of 32 members over the 1850–2059 period that share the same external forcings but differ in their initial conditions. In this study, we assess the simulated decadal to multidecadal climate variability in the IPSL‐EHS. In particular, we examine the global temperature evolution and recent warming trends, and their consistency with ocean heat content and sea ice cover. The model exhibits a large low‐frequency internal climate variability. In particular, a quasi‐bicentennial mode of internal climate variability is present in the model and is associated with the Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation. Such variability modulates the global mean surface air temperature changes over the historical period by about 0.1K. This modulation is found to be linked to the phase present in the initial condition state of each member. This variability appears to decrease during the 1850–2018 period in response to external forcings. The analysis of the ocean heat content reveals furthermore an overestimation of the ocean stratification, which likely leads to an overestimation of the recent warming rate on average.
CXCL12/CXCR4 axis as a key mediator in atrial fibrillation via bioinformatics analysis and functional identification
Authors: Liu Peng , Sun Hongke , Zhou Xin , Wang Qiaozhu , Gao Feng , Fu Yuping , Li Tong , Wang Yixin , Li Yingqi , Fan Boyuan , Li Xiaoli , Jiang Tiannan , Qin Xinghua , Zheng Qiangsun 
Published: August 2021

AbstractAtrial fibrillation (AF) is an increasingly prevalent arrhythmia with significant health and socioeconomic impact. The underlying mechanism of AF is still not well understood. In this study, we sought to identify hub genes involved in AF, and explored their functions and underlying mechanisms based on bioinformatics analysis. Five microarray datasets in GEO were used to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) by Robust Rank Aggregation (RRA), and hub genes were screened out using protein–protein interaction (PPI) network. AF model was established using a mixture of acetylcholine and calcium chloride (Ach-CaCl2) by tail vein injection. We totally got 35 robust DEGs that mainly involve in extracellular matrix formation, leukocyte transendothelial migration, and chemokine signaling pathway. Among these DEGs, we identified three hub genes involved in AF, of which CXCL12/CXCR4 axis significantly upregulated in AF patients stands out as one of the most potent targets for AF prevention, and its effect on AF pathogenesis and underlying mechanisms were investigated in vivo subsequently with the specific CXCR4 antagonist AMD3100 (6 mg/kg). Our results demonstrated an elevated transcription and translation of CXCL12/CXCR4 axis in AF patients and mice, accompanied with the anabatic atrial inflammation and fibrosis, thereby providing the substrate for AF maintenance. Blocking its signaling via AMD3100 administration in AF model mice reduced AF inducibility and duration, partly ascribed to decreased atrial inflammation and structural remodeling. Mechanistically, these effects were achieved by reducing the recruitment of CD3+ T lymphocytes and F4/80+ macrophages, and suppressing the hyperactivation of ERK1/2 and AKT/mTOR signaling in atria of AF model mice. In conclusion, this study provides new evidence that antagonizing CXCR4 prevents the development of AF, and suggests that CXCL12/CXCR4 axis may be a potential therapeutic target for AF.
Flat epitaxial quasi-1D phosphorene chains
Authors: Zhang Wei , Enriquez Hanna , Tong Yongfeng , Mayne Andrew J. , Bendounan Azzedine , Smogunov Alex , Dappe Yannick J. , Kara Abdelkader , Dujardin Gérald , Oughaddou Hamid 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThe emergence of peculiar phenomena in 1D phosphorene chains (P chains) has been proposed in theoretical studies, notably the Stark and Seebeck effects, room temperature magnetism, and topological phase transitions. Attempts so far to fabricate P chains, using the top-down approach starting from a few layers of bulk black phosphorus, have failed to produce reliably precise control of P chains. We show that molecular beam epitaxy gives a controllable bottom-up approach to grow atomically thin, crystalline 1D flat P chains on a Ag(111) substrate. Scanning tunneling microscopy, angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, and density functional theory calculations reveal that the armchair-shaped chains are semiconducting with an intrinsic 1.80 ± 0.20 eV band gap. This could make these P chains an ideal material for opto-electronic devices.
Simultaneous bicolor interrogation in thulium optical clock providing very low systematic frequency shifts
Authors: Golovizin Artem A. , Tregubov Dmitry O. , Fedorova Elena S. , Mishin Denis A. , Provorchenko Daniil I. , Khabarova Ksenia Yu. , Sorokin Vadim N. , Kolachevsky Nikolai N. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractOptical atomic clocks have already overcome the eighteenth decimal digit of instability and uncertainty, demonstrating incredible control over external perturbations of the clock transition frequency. At the same time, there is an increasing demand for atomic (ionic) transitions and new interrogation and readout protocols providing minimal sensitivity to external fields and possessing practical operational wavelengths. One of the goals is to simplify the clock operation while maintaining the relative uncertainty at a low 10−18 level achieved at the shortest averaging time. This is especially important for transportable and envisioned space-based optical clocks. Here, we demonstrate implementation of a synthetic frequency approach for a thulium optical clock with simultaneous optical interrogation of two clock transitions. Our experiment shows suppression of the quadratic Zeeman shift by at least three orders of magnitude. The effect of the tensor lattice Stark shift in thulium can also be reduced to below 10−18 in fractional frequency units. This makes the thulium optical clock almost free from hard-to-control systematic shifts. The “simultaneous” protocol demonstrates very low sensitivity to the cross-talks between individual clock transitions during interrogation and readout.
CTCF and transcription influence chromatin structure re-configuration after mitosis
Authors: Zhang Haoyue , Lam Jessica , Zhang Di , Lan Yemin , Vermunt Marit W. , Keller Cheryl A. , Giardine Belinda , Hardison Ross C. , Blobel Gerd A. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractDuring mitosis, transcription is globally attenuated and chromatin architecture is dramatically reconfigured. We exploited the M- to G1-phase progression to interrogate the contributions of the architectural factor CTCF and the process of transcription to genome re-sculpting in newborn nuclei. Depletion of CTCF during the M- to G1-phase transition alters short-range compartmentalization after mitosis. Chromatin domain boundary re-formation is impaired upon CTCF loss, but a subset of boundaries, characterized by transitions in chromatin states, is established normally. Without CTCF, structural loops fail to form, leading to illegitimate contacts between cis-regulatory elements (CREs). Transient CRE contacts that are normally resolved after telophase persist deeply into G1-phase in CTCF-depleted cells. CTCF loss-associated gains in transcription are often linked to increased, normally illegitimate enhancer-promoter contacts. In contrast, at genes whose expression declines upon CTCF loss, CTCF seems to function as a conventional transcription activator, independent of its architectural role. CTCF-anchored structural loops facilitate formation of CRE loops nested within them, especially those involving weak CREs. Transcription inhibition does not significantly affect global architecture or transcription start site-associated boundaries. However, ongoing transcription contributes considerably to the formation of gene domains, regions of enriched contacts along gene bodies. Notably, gene domains emerge in ana/telophase prior to completion of the first round of transcription, suggesting that epigenetic features in gene bodies contribute to genome reconfiguration prior to transcription. The focus on the de novo formation of nuclear architecture during G1 entry yields insights into the contributions of CTCF and transcription to chromatin architecture dynamics during the mitosis to G1-phase progression.