bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biochar for Wastewater Treatment and Soil Improvement in Irrigated Urban Agriculture: Single and Combined Effects on Crop Yields and Soil Fertility
Authors: Asirifi Isaac , Kaetzl Korbinian , Werner Steffen , Heinze Stefanie , Abagale Felix Kofi , Wichern Marc , Lübken Manfred , Marschner Bernd 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis work evaluated the agronomic and soil fertility effects of using municipal wastewater or anaerobically treated wastewater for irrigation and applying biochar to a soil from the Guinea savanna agroecological zone of Ghana. For this purpose, untreated municipal wastewater (WW), the effluent of an anaerobic wastewater filtration system (TWW), and clean water (CW) were used as irrigation water in a pot trial. Additionally, rice-husk biochar in the form of raw biochar (RB), water-washed biochar (WB), and biochar used as wastewater filter material (FB) were added to the soil, testing the influence on soil fertility and crop yield. Lettuce and carrot were selected for the pot study, grown on soil mixed with the biochar types at 20 t ha−1 and irrigated with either WW, TWW, or CW. Our results indicated higher crop growth morphology and yields (up to 90% increase) by WW and TWW than CW. The average yield of carrot (34.1 g pot−1) and lettuce (29.3 g pot−1) with TWW irrigation were the highest, followed by 31.2 and 27 g pot−1 with WW, then the lowest yields of 21.7 and 19.5 g pot−1 of carrot and lettuce irrigated with CW respectively. Compared to WW, TWW was more beneficial to plant development, causing an up to 10% increase in crop yields. Soils with FB and WB produced similar agronomic effects and plant nutrient concentrations but were lower than pots amended with RB. Nevertheless, combining RB with TWW showed increasing effects on pH, CEC, and P availability in the highly weathered acidic soil. The results suggest a beneficial effect of biochar-filtered wastewater on soil fertility and crop growth, offering the potential to enhance resource use efficiency in irrigated urban agroecosystems.
Fashion Companies Pioneering with Eco-Innovations in the Swedish Fashion Industry: Motivations, Resources, and Cooperation
Authors: Le Feber Naomi , Smit Martijn J. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractEco-innovations are required to solve the environmental issues in the fashion industry, but their widespread implementation and diffusion is still limited. Both literature and practice indicate that multi-stakeholder cooperation can provide necessary knowledge, scale, and resources that single actors lack. This qualitative research employed an explorative case-study approach to develop an understanding of how and why certain fashion companies in Sweden innovate and what role cooperation has in their eco-innovative activities. The findings suggest the importance of environmental motivations, market opportunities, and cluster effects. These findings contribute to the development of strategies for a sustainable transition of the fashion industry.
Farm Animal Welfare and Food Information for European Union Consumers: Harmonising the Regulatory Framework for More Policy Coherence
Authors: Di Concetto Alice 
Published: January 2023

AbstractToday, there are a dozen labelling schemes pertaining to farm animal welfare in at least seven Member States. Despite the proliferation of animal welfare labels, European Union rules on food information to consumers concerning the treatment of farmed animals used in animal-source food production remain fragmented and incomplete. On the one hand, the rules contained in agricultural regulations primarily aim to harmonise marketing standards, but only for some products. On the other hand, consumer protection rules aim to protect consumers from misleading commercial claims but not misleading claims about animal treatment specifically. After examining the situation that has led to the proliferation of animal welfare food labels in the European Union, this article analyses the animal welfare food labelling landscape and presents different regulatory pathways to best harmonise consumer information on farm animal welfare.
The nature of property in cryptoassets
Authors: Chan Timothy 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDisputes relating to cryptoassets have proliferated in recent years, along with the rise of the cryptoasset market. Some of these can be resolved using traditional principles of contract, tort or trust law, but proprietary issues raise particular conundrums. While cryptoassets have generally been accepted to be property, that is merely the starting point. To properly resolve proprietary disputes, it is necessary to provide a reasoned and robust explanation for why particular rules of title originally developed in the context of tangible property should apply. In turn, two foundational questions must be answered. First, what is the subject-matter of the property right in cryptoassets? And secondly, what is the proprietary effect of a blockchain transaction? These issues have received relatively little attention in the literature, which has focused on whether cryptoassets are property at all, and existing contributions (including the Law Commission's recent Consultation Paper on Digital Assets) which do engage these issues are far from reaching consensus. This paper critically examines those views and puts forward its own reasoned approach for the application of traditional rules of title to cryptoassets.
Factors influencing nodal yield in neck dissections for head and neck malignancies
Authors: Hintze J , Lang B , Subramaniam T , Kruseman N , O'Regan E , Brennan S , Lennon P 
Published: January 2023

AbstractObjectiveA standard lateral neck dissection should yield at least 18 lymph nodes. The goal of the present study was to examine what factors might influence the number of lymph nodes retrieved during a neck dissection.MethodsThis was a retrospective cohort study in a tertiary academic referral centre for head and neck oncology. Two hundred and nineteen consecutive neck dissections were examined. Age of the patient and primary site were recorded, along with tumour histology, previous radiotherapy and final nodal count.ResultsThe mean age was 62.2 ± 13.0 years. The most common primary site was the oral cavity (38.8 per cent). The mean number of lymph nodes was 30.63 ± 13.9. In total, 17.8 per cent had undergone previous radiotherapy. The mean number of lymph nodes was 33.26 ± 13.27 in patients with no previous radiation exposure and 18.47 ± 9.46 in those with previous radiation treatment.ConclusionLymph node yield from a neck dissection is likely multi-factorial in nature. Previous radiotherapy, the only significant contributor, led to a mean reduction of lymph node yield from 33.3 to 18.5.
Observed Opposite Fall‐to‐Winter Variations in the Air‐Sea Latent Heat Flux Between the Western Boundary Currents and Coastal Seas
Authors: Song Xiangzhou 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThis study presents observations of opposite fall‐to‐winter variations in the air‐sea latent heat fluxes (LHs) between the western boundary currents (WBCs) and coastal seas obtained using eight air–sea buoys in the Northern Hemisphere. Different from the WBCs, the wintertime LH along the coast is strangely reduced by approximately 60 Wm−2 compared to that in fall. The reduced sea–air humidity differences account for these opposite seasonal variations, although the sea–air temperature differences are enhanced, while the roles played by winds and the nonlinear effects are minor. The boundary layer stability also varies in terms of the air‐sea parameters from fall to winter. However, the conditions of the WBCs meet the traditional expectation: that is, the LH in winter is 60 Wm−2 higher than that in fall with near‐neutral/unstable boundary layer stability. Enhanced winds in winter determine the seasonal enhancement of the LH over the WBCs, indicating a specialized regional character.
Resonant Diurnal Internal Tides in the North Atlantic: 2. Modeling
Authors: Dushaw B. D. , Menemenlis D. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractAn unconstrained global ocean simulation for 2020 supports past observations of diurnal internal tides by acoustic tomography during the 1991–1992 Acoustic Mid‐Ocean Dynamics Experiment in the Western North Atlantic. Explicitly representing the tides, the simulation reproduces the functional form and resonant state of K1 and O1 internal‐tide standing waves, while providing a more realistic physical picture of them. The tomographic data were used to predict the tides in 2020. Not surprisingly, the characteristics of the barotropic and internal tides of the unconstrained simulation deviate from observations. The simulated barotropic tidal currents have excessive, irregular amplitude and lead the acoustic tidal predictions by about 2 hr. While internal‐tide phase coherence is apparent, the simulated internal‐tide variations were irregular in amplitude and phase, unlike the observations. The tomographic tidal measurements therefore provide a quantitative benchmark for improved model representation of tides, internal tides, and dissipation.
A Physics‐Based Empirical Model for the Seasonal Prediction of the Central China July Precipitation
Authors: Li Gen , Chen Lin , Lu Bo 
Published: January 2023

AbstractJuly is the rainy peak month of central China, with a large interannual variation of local precipitation often causing serious droughts and floods. The seasonal prediction of the central China July precipitation (CCJP) is an important but still challenging task. Here, we suggest several robust seasonal predictors for the CCJP, including the preceding winter intensity of El Niño‐South Oscillation (ENSO), the winter‐to‐spring decaying rate of ENSO signals in the central Pacific, as well as the spring tropical and subpolar North Atlantic sea surface temperature anomalies. A physics‐based empirical model is then developed to predict the CCJP by using the principal component regression of the aforementioned seasonal predictors. In our statistical model, the seasonal prediction skill of the CCJP is high, with the cross‐validated reforecast skill at 0.81 during 1993–2021. This suggests a skillful seasonal prediction of the CCJP, with potentially enormous benefits for the local society and economy.
Multi‐Event Analysis of Magnetosphere‐Ionosphere Coupling of Nighttime Medium‐Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances From the Ground and the Arase Satellite
Authors: Kawai K. , Shiokawa K. , Otsuka Y. , Oyama S. , Connors M. G. , Kasahara Y. , Kasaba Y. , Nakamura S. , Tsuchiya F. , Kumamoto A. , Shinbori A. , Matsuoka A. , Shinohara I. , Miyoshi Y. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractKawai et al. (2021) reported the first ground‐satellite conjugate observation of nighttime medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs), by analyzing measurements from an airglow imager at Gakona (geographic latitude: 62.39°N, geographic longitude: 214.78°E, magnetic latitude: 63.60°N) and the Arase satellite in the magnetosphere on 3 November 2018. The Arase satellite observed variations in both the polarization electric field and the electron density as the Arase footprint passed through the MSTID structures in the ionosphere. In this study, we investigated whether these electric field and density variations associated with MSTIDs at subauroral latitudes are always observed by Arase in the magnetosphere. We used three airglow imagers installed at Gakona, Athabasca (geographic latitude: 54.60°N, geographic longitude: 246.36°E, magnetic latitude: 61.10°N), and Kapuskasing (geographic latitude: 49.39°N, geographic longitude: 277.81°E, magnetic latitude: 58.70°N) and the Arase satellite. We found eight observations of MSTIDs conjugate with Arase. They indicate that electric field and density variations associated with MSTIDs are not always observed in the magnetosphere. These variations tend to be observed in the magnetosphere during geomagnetically quiet times and when the amplitude of the MSTID is large. We categorized the MSTIDs into those caused by plasma instabilities and gravity waves and found that the electric field and density variations can be observed in the magnetosphere for both types of MSTIDs.
Trend and Multi‐Frequency Analysis Through Empirical Mode Decomposition: An Application to a 20‐Year Record of Atmospheric Carbonyl Sulfide Measurements
Authors: Serio C. , Montzka S. A. , Masiello G. , Carbone V. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe Empirical Mode Decomposition (EMD) is a fully non‐parametric analysis of frequency modes and trends in a given series that is based on the data alone. We have devised an improved strategy based on a series of best practices to use EMD successfully in the analysis of the monthly time series of carbonyl sulfide (OCS) atmospheric mole fractions measured at NOAA network stations (2000–2020). Long‐term trends and intra‐ and inter‐annual variability has been assessed. After a phase of generally increasing mole fractions up to 2015, with a temporary decline around 2009, we found that the OCS atmospheric mole fraction subsequently decreased at all stations, reflecting a recent imbalance in its total sources and losses. Our analysis has revealed a characteristic time scale for variation of 8–10 years. The variance associated with this long‐term behavior ranges from 15% to 40% of the total strength of the signal, depending on location. Apart from this complex long‐term behavior, the OCS time series show a strong annual cycle, which primarily results from the well‐known OCS uptake by vegetation. In addition, we have also found one more frequency of minor variance intensity in the measured mole fraction time‐history, which corresponds to periods in the range of 2–3 years. This inter‐annual variability of OCS may be linked to the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation.
RGS2 promotes estradiol biosynthesis by trophoblasts during human pregnancy
Authors: Tang Chao , Jin Meiyuan , Ma Bingbing , Cao Bin , Lin Chao , Xu Shouying , Li Jiayong , Xu Qiang 
Published: January 2023

AbstractProduction of estradiol (E2) by the placenta during human pregnancy ensures successful maintenance of placental development and fetal growth by stimulating trophoblast proliferation and the differentiation of cytotrophoblasts into syncytiotrophoblasts. Decreased levels of E2 are closely associated with obstetrical diseases such as preeclampsia (PE) in the clinic. However, the mechanisms underlying the inhibition of placental E2 biosynthesis remain poorly understood. Here, we report that regulator of G-protein signaling 2 (RGS2) affects E2 levels by regulating aromatase, a rate-limiting enzyme for E2 biosynthesis, by using human trophoblast-derived JEG-3 cells and human placental villus tissues. RGS2 enhanced the protein degradation of the transcription factor heart and neural crest derivatives expressed 1 (HAND1) by suppressing ubiquitin-specific protease 14 (USP14)-mediated deubiquitination of HAND1, resulting in the restoration of HAND1-induced trans-inactivation of the aromatase gene and subsequent increases in E2 levels. However, aromatase bound to RGS2 and repressed RGS2 GTPase activating protein (GAP) activity. Moreover, we observed a positive correlation between RGS2 and aromatase expression in clinical normal and preeclamptic placental tissues. Our results uncover a hitherto uncharacterized role of the RGS2-aromatase axis in the regulation of E2 production by human placental trophoblasts, which may pinpoint the molecular pathogenesis and highlight potential biomarkers for related obstetrical diseases.
Human lung carcinomas synthesize immunoregulatory glucocorticoids
Authors: Merk Verena M. , Grob Leonie , Fleischmann Achim , Brunner Thomas 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe need for new options in lung cancer treatment inevitably leads back to basic research. The tumor itself and the tumor environment especially the interaction with the immune system need to be better understood to develop targeted therapies. In the context of lung cancer glucocorticoids (GC) are mainly known as a combination drug to attenuate side-effects of chemotherapies. However, endogenous extra-adrenal GC have been shown to substantially regulate local immune responses within various tissues, including the lung. In this study we investigated whether primary lung tumors have maintained the capacity to synthesize GC and may thereby regulate anti-tumor immune responses. We show that several non-small cell lung carcinoma (NSCLC) and small cell lung carcinoma (SCLC) cell lines express key steroidogenic enzymes and synthesize bioactive GC under steady state conditions. We also show that tumor-derived GC can inhibit splenic T cell activation, thus demonstrating their immunoregulatory potential. Moreover, steroidogenic enzymes were detected by quantitative RT-PCR and immunohistochemistry in tissue sections of different human lung tumors, further strengthening the idea that human lung carcinomas regulate their microenvironment by releasing immunoregulatory GC, which potentially contributes to immune evasion and treatment resistance.
Genome-wide screen of otosclerosis in population biobanks: 27 loci and shared associations with skeletal structure
Authors: Rämö Joel T. , Kiiskinen Tuomo , Seist Richard , Krebs Kristi , Kanai Masahiro , Karjalainen Juha , Kurki Mitja , Hämäläinen Eija , Häppölä Paavo , Havulinna Aki S. , Hautakangas Heidi ,   FinnGen, Mägi Reedik , Palta Priit , Esko Tõnu , Metspalu Andres , Pirinen Matti , Karczewski Konrad J. , Ripatti Samuli , Milani Lili , Stankovic Konstantina M. , Mäkitie Antti , Daly Mark J. , Palotie Aarno 
Published: January 2023

AbstractOtosclerosis is one of the most common causes of conductive hearing loss, affecting 0.3% of the population. It typically presents in adulthood and half of the patients have a positive family history. The pathophysiology of otosclerosis is poorly understood. A previous genome-wide association study (GWAS) identified a single association locus in an intronic region of RELN. Here, we report a meta-analysis of GWAS studies of otosclerosis in three population-based biobanks comprising 3504 cases and 861,198 controls. We identify 23 novel risk loci (p < 5 × 10−8) and report an association in RELN and three previously reported candidate gene or linkage regions (TGFB1, MEPE, and OTSC7). We demonstrate developmental stage-dependent immunostaining patterns of MEPE and RUNX2 in mouse otic capsules. In most association loci, the nearest protein-coding genes are implicated in bone remodelling, mineralization or severe skeletal disorders. We highlight multiple genes involved in transforming growth factor beta signalling for follow-up studies.
Inflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases associate with 41 genomic loci and type 2 inflammation
Authors: Saarentaus Elmo C. , Karjalainen Juha , Rämö Joel T. , Kiiskinen Tuomo , Havulinna Aki S. , Mehtonen Juha , Hautakangas Heidi , Ruotsalainen Sanni , Tamlander Max , Mars Nina ,   FINNGEN, Toppila-Salmi Sanna , Pirinen Matti , Kurki Mitja , Ripatti Samuli , Daly Mark , Palotie Tuula , Mäkitie Antti , Palotie Aarno 
Published: January 2023

AbstractInflammatory and infectious upper respiratory diseases (ICD-10: J30-J39), such as diseases of the sinonasal tract, pharynx and larynx, are growing health problems yet their genomic similarity is not known. We analyze genome-wide association to eight upper respiratory diseases (61,195 cases) among 260,405 FinnGen participants, meta-analyzing diseases in four groups based on an underlying genetic correlation structure. Aiming to understand which genetic loci contribute to susceptibility to upper respiratory diseases in general and its subtypes, we detect 41 independent genome-wide significant loci, distinguishing impact on sinonasal or pharyngeal diseases, or both. Fine-mapping implicated non-synonymous variants in nine genes, including three linked to immune-related diseases. Phenome-wide analysis implicated asthma and atopic dermatitis at sinonasal disease loci, and inflammatory bowel diseases and other immune-mediated disorders at pharyngeal disease loci. Upper respiratory diseases also genetically correlated with autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, autoimmune hypothyroidism, and psoriasis. Finally, we associated separate gene pathways in sinonasal and pharyngeal diseases that both contribute to type 2 immunological reaction. We show shared heritability among upper respiratory diseases that extends to several immune-mediated diseases with diverse mechanisms, such as type 2 high inflammation.
Cleavage of non-polar C(sp2)‒C(sp2) bonds in cycloparaphenylenes via electric field-catalyzed electrophilic aromatic substitution
Authors: Lin Junfeng , Lv Yaxin , Song Kai , Song Xuwei , Zang Hongjun , Du Pingwu , Zang Yaping , Zhu Daoben 
Published: January 2023

AbstractElectrophilic aromatic substitution (EAS) is one of the most fundamental reactions in organic chemistry. Using an oriented external electric field (OEEF) instead of traditional reagents to tune the EAS reactivity can offer an environmentally friendly method to synthesize aromatic compounds and hold the promise of broadening its scope. Despite these advantages, OEEF catalysis of EAS is difficult to realize, due to the challenge of microscopically orienting OEEF along the direction of electron reorganizations. In this work, we demonstrate OEEF-catalyzed EAS reactions in a series of cycloparaphenylenes (CPPs) using the scanning tunneling microscope break junction (STM-BJ) technique. Crucially, the unique radial π-conjugation of CPPs enables a desired alignment for the OEEF to catalyze the EAS with Au STM tip (or substrate) acting as an electrophile. Under mild conditions, the OEEF-catalyzed EAS reactions can cleave the inherently inert C(sp2)-C(sp2) bond, leading to high-yield (~97%) formation of linear oligophenylenes terminated with covalent Au-C bonds. These results not only demonstrate the feasibility of OEEF catalysis of EAS, but also offer a way of exploring new mechanistic principles of classic organic reactions aided by OEEF.
Isolated Fe-Co heteronuclear diatomic sites as efficient bifunctional catalysts for high-performance lithium-sulfur batteries
Authors: Sun Xun , Qiu Yue , Jiang Bo , Chen Zhaoyu , Zhao Chenghao , Zhou Hao , Yang Li , Fan Lishuang , Zhang Yu , Zhang Naiqing 
Published: January 2023

AbstractThe slow redox kinetics of polysulfides and the difficulties in decomposition of Li2S during the charge and discharge processes are two serious obstacles to the practical application of lithium-sulfur batteries. Herein, we construct the Fe-Co diatomic catalytic materials supported by hollow carbon spheres to achieve high-efficiency catalysis for the conversion of polysulfides and the decomposition of Li2S simultaneously. The Fe atom center is beneficial to accelerate the discharge reaction process, and the Co atom center is favorable for charging process. Theoretical calculations combined with experiments reveal that this excellent bifunctional catalytic activity originates from the diatomic synergy between Fe and Co atom. As a result, the assembled cells exhibit the high rate performance (the discharge specific capacity achieves 688 mAh g−1 at 5 C) and the excellent cycle stability (the capacity decay rate is 0.018% for 1000 cycles at 1 C).