bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Influence of thawed soil depth on rainfall erosion of frozen bare meadow soil in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau
Authors: Gao Xiaofeng , Shi Xiaonan , Lei Tingwu 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThe Qinghai–Tibet Plateau has a vast area of approximately 70×104 km2 of alpine meadow under the impacts of soil freezing and thawing, thereby inducing intensive water erosion. Quantifying the rainfall erosion process of partially thawed soil provides the basis for model simulation of soil erosion on cold‐region hillslopes. In this study, we conducted a laboratory experiment on rainfall‐induced erosion of partially thawed soil slope under four slope gradients (5, 10, 15, and 20°), three rainfall intensities (30, 60, and 90 mm h−1), and three thawed soil depths (1, 2, and 10 cm). The results indicated that shallow thawed soil depth aggravated soil erosion of partially thawed soil slopes under low hydrodynamic conditions (rainfall intensity of 30 mm h−1 and slope gradient ≤ 15°), whereas it inhibited erosion under high hydrodynamic conditions (rainfall intensity ≥ 60 mm h−1 or slope gradient > 15°). Soil erosion was controlled by the thawed soil depth and runoff hydrodynamic conditions. When the sediment supply was sufficient, the shallow thawed soil depth had a higher erosion potential and a larger sediment concentration. On the contrary, when the sediment supply was insufficient, the shallow thawed soil depth resulted in lower sediment erosion and a smaller sediment concentration. The hydrodynamic runoff conditions determined whether the sediment supply was sufficient. We propose a model to predict sediment delivery under different slope gradients, rainfall intensities, and thawed soil depths. The model, with a Nash–Sutcliffe efficiency of 0.95, accurately predicted the sediment delivery under different conditions, which was helpful for quantification of the complex feedback of sediment delivery to the factors influencing rainfall erosion of partially thawed soil. This study provides valuable insights into the rainfall erosion mechanism of partially thawed soil slopes in the Qinghai–Tibet Plateau and provides a basis for further studies on soil erosion under different hydrodynamic conditions.
In This Together: Navigating Ethical Challenges Posed by Family Clustering during the Covid‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Van Buren Nicole R. , Weber Elijah , Bliton Mark J. , Cunningham Thomas V. 
Published: April 2021

AbstractHarrowing stories reported in the media describe Covid‐19 ravaging through families. This essay reports professional experiences of this phenomenon, family clustering, as encountered during the pandemic's spread across Southern California. We identify three ethical challenges following from it: Family clustering impedes shared decision‐making by reducing available surrogate decision‐makers for incapacitated patients, increases the emotional burdens of surrogate decision‐makers, and exacerbates health disparities for and the suffering of people of color at increased likelihood of experiencing family clustering. We propose that, in response to these challenges, efforts in advance care planning be expanded, emotional support offered to surrogates and family members be increased, more robust state guidance be issued on ethical decision‐making for unrepresented patients, ethics consultation be increased in the setting of conflict following from family clustering dynamics, and health care professionals pay more attention to systemic and personal racial biases and inequities that affect patient care and the surrogate experience.
The presence of care homes and excess deaths during the COVID‐19 pandemic: Evidence from Italy
Authors: Alacevich Caterina , Cavalli Nicolò , Giuntella Osea , Lagravinese Raffaele , Moscone Francesco , Nicodemo Catia 
Published: April 2021

AbstractThis paper explores the relationship between the spatial distribution of excess deaths and the presence of care home facilities during the first wave of the COVID‐19 outbreak in Italy. Using registry‐based mortality data for Lombardy, one of the areas most severely hit by the pandemic we show that the presence of a care home in a municipality is associated with significantly higher excess death rates in the population. This effect appears to be driven by excess mortality in the elderly population of 70 years old and older. Our results are robust to controlling for the number of residents in each care home, suggesting that the presence of such facilities may have acted as one of factors contributing to the diffusion of COVID‐19 at the local level.
Ethics, big social data, data sharing, and attitude among the millennial generation: A case of Thailand
Authors: Jantavongso Suttisak , Fusiripong Prashaya 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBig social data and digital technologies create tremendous opportunities but raise questions and concerns on ethical data usage and sharing. Moreover, big social data plays a vital role in Thailand's 20‐year national strategy to turn Thailand into a developed nation by 2037, especially on security and human capital development strategies. Nonetheless, the progress in big social data must go hand‐in‐hand with ethical standards. To date, there are no universal ethical criteria for big social data sharing and governance. This study investigates the ethical issues of big data in social media. It maps big social data to workable ethical theories. The model of big social data sharing factors was proposed. Using Thailand as a case study, the exploratory study examined the digital behaviors and moral perceptions of the millennials' big social data sharing through 71 in‐depth interviews. The results revealed a strong pattern toward “ethical consequentialism” among the Thai millennials. Examining these findings fosters the formation of big social data ethics from the views of the data generators. This study has attempted to contribute to scholarship in the growing body of work on appropriate ethical guidelines for big social data sharing and help Thailand achieve its national strategy.
The study and comparison of elastic modulus of pineapple fruit in macroscopic and microscopic modes
Authors: Khodabakhshian Rasool , Hassani Mahshid 
Published: April 2021

AbstractAccording to bibliography, elastic modulus studies of agricultural produce at the macro‐scale using a resistance measuring (as Magness‐Taylor penetration test or compression test) by an Instron Universal Mechanical Testing Machine is often used to express this characteristic. However, the determination of the elastic properties of agricultural produce at the macro‐scale result widely varying values for a particular agricultural produce. So in this study, to decrease the variability which now exists in the elastic modulus results of agricultural produce measured at the macro‐scale, measuring and comparison of the elastic modulus of agricultural produce, pineapple fruit as case study, in macroscopic (by Hook's theory on the cylindrical specimen and Hertz theory in the mode of spherical indenter contact on the whole specimen) and microscopic (by atomic force microscopy) modes was investigate. There is concluded that with changing the type of theory, the behavior of the elastic modulus changes significantly at a 1% level. In microscopic mode studies, the lowest elastic modulus (0.135 MPa) was obtained by using Hertz theory in the mode of spherical indenter contact on the whole specimen while the highest elastic modulus value (0.779 MPa) was seen by using Hook's theory on the cylindrical specimen. In microscopic mode studies, the Sneddon model had the lowest elastic modulus while Hertzian model showed the highest elastic modulus value. Consequently, due to some reasons such as complex shape of most agricultural produce, assumptions required for three elastic theories of contacting bodies in macroscopic mode, complex structure and viscoelastic behavior of agricultural produce, it is found that the variability of the information can be reduced at micro‐scale, or, to a lesser extent.
Projected evolution of drought characteristics in Vietnam based on CORDEX‐SEA downscaled CMIP5 data
Authors: Nguyen‐Ngoc‐Bich Phuong , Phan‐Van Tan , Ngo‐Duc Thanh , Vu‐Minh Tue , Trinh‐Tuan Long , Tangang Fredolin T. , Juneng Liew , Cruz Faye , Santisirisomboon Jerasorn , Narisma Gemma , Aldrian Edvin 
Published: April 2021

AbstractIn this study, the projected drought characteristics over Vietnam for the future periods of the middle (2046–2065) and end of the 21st century (2080–2099) were investigated under the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios RCP4.5 and RCP8.5. The drought characteristics (duration, severity, intensity, inter‐arrival time, and geographic extent) were estimated based on the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI). The PDSI was calculated using temperature and precipitation data from six regional climate downscaling experiments and their ensemble conducted by the Coordinated Regional Climate Downscaling Experiment‐Southeast Asia (CORDEX‐SEA) project. Projected changes of drought characteristics in the future periods were determined with respect to those in the baseline period 1986–2005. Results show biases in the regional climate model (RCM) outputs, namely an underestimation of temperature and an overestimation of precipitation, which also affect the representation of drought characteristics by overestimating the PDSI. In terms of projections, substantial increases of drought duration, severity and intensity, and decreases in the inter‐arrival time are found over the Red River Delta, northern parts of the North Central sub‐region, parts of the Central Highlands and over southern Vietnam. The droughts are projected to be more widespread under scenario RCP8.5 than RCP4.5, especially in southern Vietnam. With the increasing likelihood of droughts in Vietnam as a result of climate change, sustainable water resources management should be taken into account for agriculture, natural ecosystems and social development.
Semiquantitative Assessment of Amniotic Fluid Among Individuals With and Without Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Bicocca Matthew J. , Qureshey Emma J. , Chauhan Suneet P. , Hernandez‐Andrade Edgar , Sibai Baha M. , Nowlen Carol , Stafford Irene 
Published: April 2021

ObjectiveTo compare the rate and severity of abnormal amniotic fluid volumes (oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios), as well as the distribution of amniotic fluid levels, in pregnancies with and without diabetes.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study of singleton nonanomalous pregnancies receiving an ultrasound examination (USE) in the third trimester. Pregnancies were categorized into those with and without diabetes and subcategorized by diabetes type. The primary outcomes were oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios. Polyhydramnios was also examined by severity. The association between maternal diabetes status and oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios was assessed using logistic regression. In addition, we computed gestational age‐specific amniotic fluid index (AFI) and deepest vertical pocket (DVP) centiles for pregnancies with and without diabetes.ResultsThere were 60,226 USEs from 26,651 pregnancies that met inclusion criteria. There were 3992 (15.0%) pregnancies with diabetes and 22,659 (85.0%) without diabetes. Using AFI, the rate of polyhydramnios was 10.5 versus 3.8% (odds ratio [OR] 2.95; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.62–3.32) for pregnancies with versus without diabetes, respectively; using DVP, the rate of polyhydramnios was 13.9 versus 5.4% (OR 2.84; 95% CI 2.56–3.15). Rates of oligohydramnios were also increased in pregnancies with diabetes (3.3 versus 2.6%; OR 1.26; 95% CI 1.04–1.52). The AFI and DVP were significantly higher in the cohort with diabetes between 28 and 36 weeks.ConclusionWithin our study population, pregnancies with diabetes had increased rates of oligohydramnios and polyhydramnios as well as increased gestational age‐specific amniotic fluid volumes between 28 and 36 weeks. A higher prevalence of polyhydramnios was observed using DVP as compared to AFI; nevertheless, associations were similar using either method.
Anesthetic Management for Awake Tubeless Suspension Microlaryngoscopy
Authors: Selim Jean , Maquet Charles , Djerada Zoubir , Besnier Emmanuel , Compère Vincent , Crampon Frédéric , Clavier Thomas , Marie Jean‐Paul 
Published: April 2021

Objectives/HypothesisPatients' eligibility for bilateral selective laryngeal reinnervation surgery is evaluated by suspension microlaryngoscopy (SML) examination with laryngeal electromyography (LEMG). Maintaining spontaneous ventilation, with remifentanil sedation/analgesia without endotracheal tube, to allow the patient to phonate with the surgeon during awake, LEMG is a major challenge for the anesthesiologist and the otorhinololaryngologist. The objective of this study was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of a novel anesthesia protocol to manage airway access during awake tubeless SML.Study DesignRetrospective study.MethodsAnesthesia records of patients undergoing awake SML with LEMG were retrospectively analyzed. Procedures were performed with remifentanil sedation/analgesia with targeted controlled infusion (TCI) in combination with local anesthesia. The main outcome was the failure rate of the anesthesia protocol during the procedure. Secondary outcomes were as follows: rate of apnea requiring ventilation, airway bleeding, regurgitation, hemodynamic data as well as vasopressor use, complications, and surgeon satisfaction with the procedure.ResultsData were obtained for 39 patients between November 2017 and September 2019, the mean age was 52 years and 29 (74%) were female. All procedures were completed without complications (0% [0–9]). Three patients (8% [1.6–20.8]) had an intraoperative episode of hypoxemia requiring mask reventilation. There was no airway bleeding, no regurgitation, and no hypotensive episode. Three patients (8% [1.6–20.8]) had noninvasive ventilation for respiratory distress after the end of the procedure.ConclusionsOur results show that awake tubeless SML allowing phonation during LEMG can be realized under sedation and local anesthesia. However, further data are needed concerning the intraoperative and postoperative safety of the procedure.Level of Evidence4 Laryngoscope, 131:E2669–E2675, 2021
Drivers of forest cover transitions in the Selva Maya, Mexico: Integrating regional and community scales for landscape assessment
Authors: Ellis Edward A. , Navarro‐Martínez Angélica , García‐Ortega Martha 
Published: April 2021

AbstractTropical forest disturbance contributes to global climate change from increased carbon emissions, and causes loss of biodiversity. Thus, identifying its direct causes and underlying drivers are necessary for effective land use, climate change control and conservation strategies. We integrated remote sensing forest cover data from 2000 to 2018 with georeferenced national socioeconomic and field‐collected household data to determine underlying drivers behind forest cover transitions (e.g., deforestation, degradation, and recovery) in the Selva Maya (‘Mayan Forest’) of southeast Mexico. Spatial and statistical models (multinomial logistic regression, log‐linear regression, and analysis of variance) and social science methods (household surveys and qualitative comparative analysis) were applied to evaluate and identify socioeconomic, institutional, and environmental drivers intervening at landscape and community scales. Forest cover transitions varied geographically, and associated drivers differed by scale of analysis. Using multiple methods improved the understanding of drivers. Population growth, poverty, and roads are major drivers influencing forest cover transitions (e.g., deforestation, degradation, and recovery) in the landscape. Community scale analysis identified more drivers and offered greater detail of causal relationships. Besides population and poverty, less off‐farm employment, agriculture and cattle production, immigrant population, and private property were related to deforestation and degradation. Indigenous populations, forest dependence, off‐farm employment, and common property were associated with forest conservation. Sustainable rural development should include poverty alleviation through diversification of economic activities and increased off‐farm employment opportunities. Conservation measures should pursue the enhancement of forest value for local subsistence and economic benefits by strengthening community forest management and enterprises.
MOVAS Cells: A Versatile Cell Line for Studying Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Cholesterol Metabolism
Authors: Esobi Ikechukwu Collins , Barksdale Christian , Heard‐Tate Caterra , Reigers Powell Rhonda , Bruce Terri F. , Stamatikos Alexis 
Published: April 2021

AbstractCholesterol metabolism is paramount to cells. Aberrations to cholesterol metabolism affects cholesterol homeostasis, which may impact the risk of several diseases. Recent evidence has suggested that vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) cholesterol metabolism may play a role in atherosclerosis. However, there is scant in vitro mechanistic data involving primary VSMC that directly tests how VSMC cholesterol metabolism may impact atherosclerosis. One reason for this lack of data is due to the impracticality of gene manipulation studies in primary VSMC, as cultured primary VSMC become senescent and lose their morphology rapidly. However, there are no immortalized VSMC lines known to be suitable for studying VSMC cholesterol metabolism. The purpose of this study was to determine whether MOVAS cells, a commercially available VSMC line, are suitable to use for studying VSMC cholesterol metabolism. Using immunoblotting and immunofluorescence, we showed that MOVAS cells express ABCA1, ABCG1, and SREBP‐2. We also determined that MOVAS cells efflux cholesterol to apoAI and HDL, which indicates functionality of ABCA1/ABCG1. In serum‐starved MOVAS cells, SREBP‐2 target gene expression was increased, confirming SREBP‐2 functionality. We detected miR‐33a expression in MOVAS cells and determined this microRNA can silence ABCA1 and ABCG1 via identifying conserved miR‐33a binding sites within ABCA1/ABCG1 3′UTR in MOVAS cells. We showed that cholesterol‐loading MOVAS cells results in this cell line to transdifferentiate into a macrophage‐like cell, which also occurs when VSMC accumulate cholesterol. Our characterization of MOVAS cells sufficiently demonstrates that they are suitable to use for studying VSMC cholesterol metabolism in the context of atherosclerosis.
Transfer of Lauric and Myristic Acid from Black Soldier Fly Larval Lipids to Egg Yolk Lipids of Hens Is Low
Authors: Heuel Maike , Kreuzer Michael , Sandrock Christoph , Leiber Florian , Mathys Alexander , Gold Moritz , Zurbrügg Christian , Gangnat Isabelle D. M. , Terranova Melissa 
Published: April 2021

AbstractImplementing insects, such as the black soldier fly larvae (BSFL), as animal feed commonly includes the previous removal of substantial amounts of fat. This fat may represent an as yet underutilized energy source for livestock. However, transfer of lauric and myristic acid, prevalent in BSFL fat and undesired in human nutrition, into animal‐source foods like eggs may limit its implementation. To quantify this, a laying hen experiment was performed comprising five different diets (10 hens/diet). These were a control diet with soybean oil and meal and a second diet with soybean oil but with partially defatted BSFL meal as protein source. The other three diets were based on different combinations of partially defatted BSFL meal and fat obtained by two different production methods. Lauric acid made up half of the BSFL fat from both origins. Both BSFL fats also contained substantial amounts of myristic and palmitic acid. However, in the insect‐based diets, the net transfer from diet to egg yolk was less than 1% for lauric acid, whereas the net transfer for myristic and palmitic acid was about 30% and 100%, respectively. The net transfer did not vary between BSFL originating from production on different larval feeding substrates. The results illustrate that hens are able to metabolize or elongate very large proportions of ingested lauric acid and myristic acid, which are predominant in the BSFL lipids (together accounting for as much as 37 mol%), such that they collectively account for less than 3.5 mol% of egg yolk fatty acids.
Genetic Modifiers of Age at Onset for Parkinson's Disease in Asians: A Genome‐Wide Association Study
Authors: Li Chunyu , Ou Ruwei , Chen Yongping , Gu Xiaojing , Wei Qianqian , Cao Bei , Zhang Lingyu , Hou Yanbing , Liu Kuncheng , Chen Xueping , Song Wei , Zhao Bi , Wu Ying , Li Tao , Dong Xianjun , Shang Huifang 
Published: April 2021

AbstractBackgroundAge at onset (AAO) is an essential feature of Parkinson's disease (PD) and can help predict disease progression and mortality. Identification of genetic variants influencing AAO of PD could lead to a better understanding of the disease's biological mechanism and provide clinical guidance. However, genetic determinants for AAO of PD remain mostly unknown, especially in the Asian population.ObjectivesTo identify genetic determinants for AAO of PD in the Asian population.MethodsWe performed a genome‐wide association meta‐analysis on AAO of PD in 5166 Chinese patients with PD (Ndiscovery = 3628, Nreplication = 1538). We then conducted a further cross‐ethnic meta‐analysis using our results and summary statistics for the AAO of PD from the European population.ResultsThe total heritability of AAO of PD was around 0.10 ~ 0.14, similar to that (~0.11) estimated in populations of European ancestry. One novel significant intergenic locus rs9783733 (NDN; PWRN4) was identified (P = 3.14E‐09, beta = 2.30, SE = 0.39). Remarkably, this variant could delay AAO of PD by ~2.43 years, with a more considerable effect on males (~3.18 years) than females (~1.45 years). The variant was suggestively significant in the cross‐ethnic meta‐analysis and suggested a positive selection in the East Asian population. Additionally, cross‐ethnic meta‐analysis identified a significant locus rs356203 in SNCA (P = 2.35E‐11, beta = −0.71, SE = 0.01).ConclusionsThese findings improve the current understanding of the genetic etiology of AAO of PD in different ethnic groups, and provide a new target for further research on PD pathogenesis and potential therapeutic options. © 2021 International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society