bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Kinetics of serum antibodies in response to infection with Yersinia enterocolitica
Authors: Vaitkeviciute I. , Teunis P.F.M. , van Pelt W. , Krogfelt K.A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractInformation on the kinetics of the serum antibody response to infection with Yersinia enterocolitica is essential to allow the estimation and comparison of seroconversion rates in a diversity of pools of cross-sectional serum antibody measurements. Data from 94 patients with acute enteritis caused by Yersinia infection were used. The follow-up period for the longitudinal study was 36 months, addressed by questionnaire. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay method was adapted to determine the concentration of antibodies against Y. enterocolitica in human sera. A mathematical within-host model was used to describe the interaction between pathogen and immune system and the waning of immunity after clearing of the pathogen. All observed antibodies (IgG, IgM, IgA) reached peak levels shortly after infection and then decayed slowly indicating that the median levels decreased only little during the observation period. Estimated maximum peak antibody levels were highest in IgG. Seroresponse curves of all antibodies showed large individual variation between patients. There was no apparent pattern of variation with age, nor any notable difference between genders. Estimated half-times were very long for all antibodies, and their posterior distributions were highly skewed. IgA appeared to have the most persistent antibody response, compared with IgG and IgM. Median peak levels of all three antibodies were similar. There was no significance found between peak antibody levels and severity of symptoms of gastrointestinal infection and severity of joint pain. Our findings allow the use of cross-sectional serum antibody measurements as biomarkers, to estimate seroconversion rates. Such seroincidence estimates include asymptomatic seroconversions, thereby avoiding under-reporting, and allows the comparison of infection pressures among countries, independent of their healthcare and surveillance systems.
Longitudinal investigation of carriage rates and genotypes of toxigenicClostridium difficilein hepatic cirrhosis patients
Authors: Chen Yunbo , Gu Hongqin , lv Tao , Yan Dong , Xu Qiaomai , Gu Silan , Shen Ping , Quan Jiazheng , Fang Yunhui , Chen Lifeng , Ye Guangyong , Li Lanjuan 
Published: March 2019

AbstractToxigenicClostridium difficile(C. difficile) carriers represent an important source in the transmission ofC. difficileinfection (CDI) during hospitalisation, but its prevalence and mode in patients with hepatic cirrhosis are not well established. We investigated longitudinal changes in carriage rates and strain types of toxigenicC. difficilefrom admission to discharge among hepatic cirrhosis patients. ToxigenicC. difficilewas detected in 104 (19.8%) of 526 hepatic cirrhosis patients on admission, and the carriage status changed in a portion of patients during hospitalisation. Approximately 56% (58/104) of patients lost the colonisation during their hospital stay. Among the remaining 48 patients who remained positive for toxigenicC. difficile, the numbers of patients who were positive at one, two, three and four isolations were 10 (55.6%), three (16.7%), two (11.1%) and three (16.7%), respectively. Twenty-eight patients retained a particular monophyletic strain at multiple isolations. The genotype most frequently identified was the same as that frequently identified in symptomatic CDI patients. A total of 25% (26/104) of patients were diagnosed with CDI during their hospital stay.Conclusions:Colonisation with toxigenicC. difficilestrains occurs frequently in cirrhosis patients and is a risk factor for CDI.
In Situ AFM Imaging of Adsorption Kinetics of DPPG Liposomes: A Quantitative Analysis of Surface Roughness
Authors: Duarte Andreia A. , Marquês Joaquim T. , Brasil Francisco , Viana Ana S. , Tavares Pedro , Raposo Maria 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThe adsorption of intact liposomes on surfaces is of great importance for the development of sensors and drug delivery systems and, also, strongly dependent on the surface roughness where the liposomes are adsorbed. In this paper, we analyzed, by using atomic force microscopy in liquid, the evolution of the morphology of gold surfaces and of poly(allylamine hydrochloride) (PAH) surfaces with different roughness during the adsorption of liposomes prepared with the synthetic phospholipid 1,2-dipalmitoyl-sn-glycero-3-[phospho-rac-(1-glycerol)]. Our results reveal the following. On smooth surfaces of Au only and Au with PAH, the liposomes open and deploy on the substrate, creating a supported-lipid bilayer, with the opening process being faster on the Au/PAH surface. On rough substrates of Au coated with polyelectrolyte multilayers, the liposomes were adsorbed intact on the surface. This was corroborated by power spectral density analysis that demonstrates the presence of superstructures with an average lateral size of 43 and 87 nm, in accordance with two and four times the mean liposome hydrodynamic diameter of about 21 nm. In addition, this work presents an adequate and effective methodology for analysis of adsorption phenomena of liposomes on rough surfaces.
Mapping the New Frontier of International IP Law: Introducing a TRIPs-plus Dataset
Authors: Morin Jean-Frédéric , Surbeck Jenny 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis article introduces a new dataset on the intellectual property (IP) provisions included in preferential trade agreements (PTAs) and makes it available for research and policy communities alike. Several PTAs include IP commitments that go well beyond the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). A sound knowledge of these TRIPs-plus commitments is essential in order to improve our understanding of what drives them and of their legal, social, and economic consequences. Yet, until now, these provisions have not been mapped in a comprehensive and systematic way. The T + PTA dataset fills this gap by documenting the existence of 90 types of IP provisions in 126 agreements signed between 1991 and 2016. We show that, even for like-minded countries, significant variations exist in their reliance on TRIPs-plus provisions, their degree of consistency across PTAs, and their preferences for some IP rights. We also find that strong TRIPs-Plus provisions are correlated with the depth of PTAs, the asymmetry between trade partners, and the strength of their domestic IP law. By making the T + PTA dataset available, we hope to create the opportunity for a new generation of research on TRIPs-plus agreements.
On the Propagation Path of Magma‐Filled Dikes and Hydrofractures: The Competition Between External Stress, Internal Pressure, and Crack Length
Authors: Maccaferri F. , Smittarello D. , Pinel V. , Cayol V. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractMixed‐mode fluid‐filled cracks represent a common means of fluid transport within the Earth's crust. They often show complex propagation paths which may be due to interaction with crustal heterogeneities or heterogeneous crustal stress. Previous experimental and numerical studies focus on the interplay between fluid overpressure and external stress but neglect the effect of other crack parameters. In this study, we address the role of crack length on the propagation paths in the presence of an external heterogeneous stress field. We make use of numerical simulations of magmatic dike and hydrofracture propagation, carried out using a two‐dimensional boundary element model, and analogue experiments of air‐filled crack propagation into a transparent gelatin block. We use a 3‐D finite element model to compute the stress field acting within the gelatin block and perform a quantitative comparison between 2‐D numerical simulations and experiments. We show that, given the same ratio between external stress and fluid pressure, longer fluid‐filled cracks are less sensitive to the background stress, and we quantify this effect on fluid‐filled crack paths. Combining the magnitude of the external stress, the fluid pressure, and the crack length, we define a new parameter, which characterizes two end member scenarios for the propagation path of a fluid‐filled fracture. Our results have important implications for volcanological studies which aim to address the problem of complex trajectories of magmatic dikes (i.e., to forecast scenarios of new vents opening at volcanoes) but also have implications for studies that address the growth and propagation of natural and induced hydrofractures.
Time‐Dependent Hybrid Plasma Simulations of Lunar Electromagnetic Induction in the Solar Wind
Authors: Fuqua Haviland H. , Poppe A. R. , Fatemi S. , Delory G. T. , de Pater I. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractUnderstanding the structure and composition of the lunar interior is fundamental to furthering our knowledge of the formation and subsequent evolution of the Earth‐Moon system. Among various methods, electromagnetic sounding is a valuable approach to constraining lunar interior structure. While Apollo‐era electromagnetic sounding analyses of lunar magnetometer observations reported constraints on the lunar interior structure, the presence of perturbing plasma currents and magnetic fields was often regarded as a second‐order correction. Here, we use AMITIS, a three‐dimensional, time‐dependent hybrid plasma model with a conducting lunar interior to demonstrate that electromagnetic fields from the lunar wake and from the lunar interior interact and thereby alter geophysically induced electromagnetic fields. Our results indicate that electromagnetic sounding of airless bodies interacting with a conductive plasma and exposed to a time‐varying magnetic field must be interpreted via plasma models in order to untangle plasma and induced field contributions.
Two Hundred Fifty Years of Reconstructed South Asian Summer Monsoon Intensity and Decadal‐Scale Variability
Authors: Bryan Sean P. , Hughen Konrad A. , Karnauskas Kristopher B. , Farrar J. Thomas 
Published: March 2019

AbstractClimate model simulations of the summer South Asian monsoon predict increased rainfall in response to anthropogenic warming. However, instrumental data show a decline in Indian rainfall in recent decades, underscoring the critical need for additional, independent records of past monsoon variability. Here, we present new reconstructions of annual summer South Asian Monsoon circulation over the past 250 years, based on the geochemical barium‐calcium signature of dust present in Red Sea corals. These records reveal how monsoon circulation has evolved with warming climate and indicate a significant multi‐century long monsoon intensification, with decreased multidecadal variance. Stronger monsoon circulation would have increased the moisture transport from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal over the Indian subcontinent. If these trends continue, the monsoon circulation and associated moisture transport and precipitation will remain strong and stable for several decades.
Shrinkage of East Asia Winter Monsoon Associated With Increased ENSO Events Since the Mid‐Holocene
Authors: Wu J. , Liu Q. , Cui Q. Y. , Xu D. K. , Wang L. , Shen C. M. , Chu G. Q. , Liu J. Q. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractInstrumental records indicate a close relationship between the El Niño‐Southern Oscillation and the East Asian winter monsoon (EAWM) on interannual to decadal time scales. However, few studies have examined possible links between them on centennial/millennial time scales. In Northeast China, modern observations show that the immigration of temperate forest trees such as Pinus (pine) and Quercus (oak) into cold temperate boreal forest is sensitive to changes in winter temperature. Here we present a continuous high‐resolution pollen record from Lake Moon in the central part of the Great Khingan Mountain Range, Northeast China. The record reveals increasing contents of Pinus and Quercus pollen after ~6.0 ka cal. BP, which may indicate a gradual weakening of the EAWM. It is broadly coupled with an increasing El Niño frequency since the middle Holocene, and we observe a statistically significant correlation between the percentages of Pinus and Quercus and a time series of El Niño events. On the centennial to millennial time scale, the results of wavelet analysis and band‐pass filtering show that the occurrence and development of El Niño have also promoted a weaker EAWM after ~6.0 ka cal. BP, which is inversely correlated with the variation of the ca. 500‐year cycle originated from changes in solar output. These results imply that the climate transition in the mid‐Holocene is caused by the change of variations in solar activity and amplified by ocean circulation El Niño‐Southern Oscillation to influence the East Asian Monsoon system, especially the EAWM, and finally change the vegetation in Great Khingan Mountain Range.
Prescribing Zonally Asymmetric Ozone Climatologies in Climate Models: Performance Compared to a Chemistry‐Climate Model
Authors: Rae Cameron D. , Keeble James , Hitchcock Peter , Pyle John A. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThree different methods of specifying ozone in an atmosphere‐only version of the HadGEM3‐A global circulation model are compared to the coupled chemistry configuration of this model. These methods include a specified zonal‐mean ozone climatology, a specified 3‐D ozone climatology, and a calculated‐asymmetry scheme in which a specified zonal‐mean ozone field is adapted online to be consistent with dynamically produced zonal asymmetries. These simulations all use identical boundary conditions and, by construction, have the same climatological zonal‐mean ozone, that of the coupled chemistry configuration of the model. Prescribing ozone, regardless of scheme, results in a simulation which is 3–4 times faster than the coupled chemistry‐climate model (CCM). Prescribing climatological zonal asymmetries leads to a vortex which is the correct intensity but which is systematically displaced over regions with lower prescribed ozone. When zonal asymmetries in ozone are free to evolve interactively with model dynamics, the modeled wintertime stratospheric vortex shape and mean sea level pressure patterns closely resemble that produced by the full CCM in both hemispheres, in terms of statistically significant differences. Further, we separate out the two distinct pathways by which zonal ozone asymmetries influence modeled dynamics. We present this interactive‐ozone zonal‐asymmetry scheme as an inexpensive tool for accurately modeling the impacts of dynamically consistent ozone fields as seen in a CCM which ultimately influence mean sea level pressure and tropospheric circulation (particularly during wintertime in the Northern Hemisphere, when ozone asymmetries are generally largest), without the computational burden of simulating interactive chemistry.
An Artificial Neural Networks‐Based Tree Ring Width Proxy System Model for Paleoclimate Data Assimilation
Authors: Fang Miao , Li Xin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractConstructing suitable tree ring width (TRW) proxy system models (PSMs) is an emerging research focus in paleoclimate data assimilation (PDA). Currently, however, it is unknown as to which TRW PSMs are optimal for practical PDA applications. This study proposes an artificial neural networks (ANN)‐based TRW PSM and compares its performance with those of existing TRW PSMs, including linear univariate model, linear multivariate model, and physically based VS‐Lite model. The results show that ANN‐based TRW PSM is more suitable for practical PDA applications than other three TRW PSMs in terms of performance and universality. Overall, the performances of the four TRW PSMs in PDA can be ranked as follows (from best to worst): ANN, linear multivariate model, linear univariate model, and physically based VS‐Lite model. In addition, the results of our study not only indicate that the ANN model is a really effective tool for constructing TRW PSM in practical PDA applications but also imply that the ANN model has the potential to provide new insights into the construction of other types of PSMs (e.g., speleothem δ18O PSM) when physics of the climate‐proxy relationships cannot be described fully in advance.
Groundwater Flow Quantification in Fractured Rock Boreholes Using Active Distributed Temperature Sensing Under Natural Gradient Conditions
Authors: Maldaner Carlos H. , Munn Jonathan D. , Coleman Thomas I. , Molson John W. , Parker Beth L. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractDetection and quantification of groundwater flow in fractures is challenging due to its irregular distribution and fine scale, requiring intensive and depth‐discrete field data collection along boreholes. This study presents a new method using fiber optic active distributed temperature sensing (A‐DTS) in sealed boreholes to efficiently quantify depth‐discrete flow rates along the full length of a bedrock borehole. The method combines field data and numerical modeling to quantify groundwater flow rates under natural gradient conditions, which is important for assessing groundwater flow and contaminant transport. An empirical relationship between enhanced heat dissipation and groundwater flow rates is determined using a numerical model of groundwater flow and heat transport for a system of idealized parallel plate fractures in a homogeneous porous rock with negligible flow through the rock matrix. The empirical relationship is applied to a detailed profile of apparent thermal conductivity measured using A‐DTS that combines the effect of rock thermal properties and groundwater flow. In zones with no flow, the A‐DTS‐derived apparent thermal conductivity matches the laboratory effective rock thermal conductivity values measured independently. Local increases of A‐DTS apparent thermal conductivity relative to the rock matrix thermal conductivity can be used to estimate groundwater flow rates using the empirical relationship. The results are in reasonable agreement with straddle pacer tracer dilution tests in the same borehole, which helps to validate the approach. This new approach allows identification of active flow zones and quantification of flow rates and can be efficiently applied in single or multiple boreholes.
Advancing Opportunistic Sensing in Hydrology: A Novel Approach to Measuring Rainfall With Ordinary Surveillance Cameras
Authors: Jiang Shijie , Babovic Vladan , Zheng Yi , Xiong Jianzhi 
Published: March 2019

Abstract“Opportunistic sensing” represents an appealing idea for collecting unconventional data with broad spatial coverage and high resolution, but few studies have explored its feasibility in hydrology. This study develops a novel approach to measuring rainfall intensity in real‐world conditions based on videos acquired by ordinary surveillance cameras. The proposed approach employs a convex optimization algorithm to effectively decompose a rainy image into two layers: a pure rain‐streak layer and a rain‐free background layer, where the rain streaks represent the motion blur of falling raindrops. Then, it estimates the instantaneous rainfall intensity via geometrical optics and photographic analyses. We investigated the effectiveness and robustness of our approach through synthetic numerical experiments and field tests. The major findings are as follows. First, the decomposition‐based identification algorithm can effectively recognize rain streaks from complex backgrounds with many disturbances. Compared to existing algorithms that consider only the temporal changes in grayscale between frames, the new algorithm successfully prevents false identifications by considering the intrinsic visual properties of rain streaks. Second, the proposed approach demonstrates satisfactory estimation accuracy and is robust across a wide range of rainfall intensities. The proposed approach has a mean absolute percentage error of 21.8%, which is significantly lower than those of existing approaches reported in the literature even though our approach was applied to a more complicated scene acquired using a lower‐quality device. Overall, the proposed low‐cost, high‐accuracy approach to vision‐based rain gauging significantly enhances the possibility of using existing surveillance camera networks to perform opportunistic hydrology sensing.
Slow‐Growing and Extended‐Duration Seismicity Swarms: Reactivating Joints or Foliations in the Cahuilla Valley Pluton, Central Peninsular Ranges, Southern California
Authors: Hauksson Egill , Ross Zachary E. , Cochran Elizabeth 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThree prolific earthquake swarms and numerous smaller ones have occurred since 1980 in the Mesozoic igneous plutonic rocks of the Perris block of the Peninsular Ranges, Southern California. The major swarms occurred in 1980–1981, 1983–1984, and 2016–2018, with the latest swarm still ongoing. These swarms have no clear mainshock, with the largest events ofML3.6,ML3.7, andMw4.4. Each successive swarm had larger cumulative seismic moment release with about 314 and 411 events ofM ≥ 1.5, while the third swarm has produced about 451 events ofM ≥ 1.5 (as of September 2018). The concurrent strike‐slip faulting occurred on north to northwest striking planes but with no orthogonal northeast trending seismicity alignments. These shallow swarms are probably driven by intrablock Pacific‐North America plate boundary stress loading of the two bounding major late Quaternary strike‐slip faults, the Elsinore and San Jacinto faults. The state of stress within the Cahuilla Valley pluton has a ~40° angle between the maximum principal stress and the average trend of the swarms, suggesting that migrating pore fluid pressures aid in the formation and growth of zones of weakness. These swarms, which last more than 600 days each, exhibit clear bilateral spatial migration for distances of up to ~7–8 km and reach their full length in about 20 months. The slow spatial‐temporal development of the swarms corresponds to a fluid diffusivity of 0.006 to 0.01 m2/s, consistent with very low permeability rocks as expected for this block. There is no geodetic or other evidence for a slow slip event driving the swarms.
Has Nitrogen Supply to Coral Reefs in the South Pacific Ocean Changed Over the Past 50 Thousand Years?
Authors: Erler Dirk V. , Shepherd Benjamin O. , Linsley Braddock K. , Nothdurft Luke D. , Hua Quan , Lough Janice M. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractTropical islands can facilitate surface ocean biological productivity by enhancing the supply of nitrogen to the euphotic zone. Yet in the world's most oligotrophic oceanic region, the South Pacific Subtropical Gyre (SPSG), this “island mass effect” appears diminished. If this is the case, where did island coral reefs in the SPSG get their nitrogen from, and has this changed over time? Here we use coral skeleton isotopes (δ15N and δ18O) and element/Ca ratios to identify the sources of nitrogen to a late Pleistocene coral reef in the SPSG (Cook Islands); we then compare these results to modern corals in the same region. The supply of nitrogen to the late Pleistocene reef appears dominated by upwelling of subsurface nitrogen during cool dry events, supplemented with nitrogen from island‐induced N2 fixation (27 ± 3%) during warm wet periods. For the modern corals, N2 fixation supplies nitrogen to the island reefs during cool dry periods with groundwater providing nitrogen during wet periods. We propose that the subsurface supply of nitrogen to the modern reefs has declined as a result of reduced upwelling but this supply has been replaced with increasing nitrogen discharge from groundwater and an increase in island‐induced N2 fixation.
Author Correction: Single-cell profiling reveals heterogeneity and functional patterning of GPCR expression in the vascular system
Authors: Kaur H. , Carvalho J. , Looso M. , Singh P. , Chennupati R. , Preussner J. , Günther S. , Albarrán-Juárez J. , Tischner D. , Classen S. , Offermanns S. , Wettschureck N. 
Published: March 2019

The original version of this Article omitted the following from the Acknowledgements: ‘This project was supported by CRC128/Project A03 of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG).’This has not been corrected in either the PDF or HTML versions.