bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Leaf morphology, genetic analysis and low temperature requirement for flowering of Verbascum blattaria
Authors: Kim Hyun Min , Roh Mark S. , Yoo Yong Kwon , Yoo Kil Sun , Joung Young Hee 
Published: July 2023

AbstractVerbascum blattaria L., commonly known as moth mullein, naturalized in the USA that produces white or yellow flowers could be considered as a potential ornamental plant. However, genetic characterization using molecular markers and leaf morphology, colourimetric analysis and flowering of V. blattaria influenced by low temperature treatments was not investigated to evaluate as a potential horticultural and landscape plant use. The basal leaves developed during the rosette-growth stage were oblanceolate with an obtuse leaf apex and incisions at the margin. Leaves produced on the stem during the reproductive development were ovate or lanceolate with an obtuse or acute leaf apex. Regardless of the colour of the petiole and leaf blade during the rosette-growth stage, there were no differences in the sequences of nuclear ribosomal ITS and chloroplast interspacer. All plants produced creamy white flowers with a purplish base corolla. All leaves formed during the vegetative and reproductive development were glabrous. Numerous stalked glandular trichomes were observed in the sepal, pedicel and bracts. Seeds started to germinate in 10 days at 25°C and reached the plateau in 30 days after sowing. The earliest flowering occurred in 131 days when the plants received 20 days of low temperature treatment (CD) (20 CD), producing 76 flowers, the highest number compared to the number of flowers produced by plants that received 0, 40 and 60 CD. Plants that received 20 CD exhibited early flowering, probably because of the early transition from vegetative growth to reproductive development, as judged by the short stem to the first flower.
Weakened Sea‐Land Breeze in a Coastal Megacity Driven by Urbanization and Ocean Warming
Authors: Xiao Yunting , Yang Jianbo , Cui Lehui , Deng Junjun , Fu Pingqing , Zhu Jialei 
Published: July 2023

AbstractThe sea‐land breeze (SLB) occurs regularly in coastal areas and influences the local climate and atmospheric environment. Fifteen‐year observations (2005–2019) from urban, coastal, and marine stations were collected to examine the trend in the number of SLB days (SLBD) in Tianjin, a coastal megacity in China. The number of SLBD in Tianjin generally showed a decreasing trend with an annual average decline rate of 3.89%. The average land breeze speed decreased by 0.20 m·s−1 and sea breeze speed decreased by 0.69 m·s−1 in the examined 15 years. Simultaneously, the distance of influence of SLB in summer was reduced by ∼30 km. The Weather Research and Forecasting model developed with high‐resolution land use data and variations in the sea surface temperature (SST) was applied to investigate the mechanisms leading to the weakening of SLB. The increasing SST led to a reduction in the temperature difference between sea and land, which was found to be the dominant factor driving the weakening of SLB in summer. The changes in the density and height of buildings due to urbanization altered the wind direction in the coastal areas, which in turn drive the reduction of the sea breeze during fall, while increased surface temperature at night in urban areas led to the reduction of the land breeze. With projections indicating ocean warming and increasing urbanization, the SLB will become weaker and occur less frequently in the future, probably leading to more frequent air pollution due to poor ventilation in coastal cities.
QBO Phase Synchronization in CMIP6 Historical Simulations Attributed to Ozone Forcing
Authors: Butchart Neal , Andrews Martin B. , Jones Chris D. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractTropical stratospheric variability is investigated in ensembles of historical simulations performed by nine models for the sixth phase of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP6). Realizations from all the models feature a reasonable quasi‐biennial oscillation (QBO). Variability in the zonal mean zonal winds at the equator is found to be coherent among realizations when a model prescribes the CMIP6 ozone forcing. No such coherence is found when a model simulates ozone. The coherence results in an ensemble mean QBO signal with amplitude, depending on the model, 50%–80% of the mean QBO amplitude from a single realization from the same model. The ensemble mean signal is due to synchronization of QBO phases, attributed to the CMIP6 protocol including a QBO signal in the ozone forcing. Coherence in models using the CMIP6 ozone is, therefore, artificial and individual realizations from these models are not completely independent.
Dynamics of Thermospheric Traveling Atmospheric Disturbance During a Geomagnetic Storm
Authors: Liu Bowei , Liu Jing , Liu Xuanqing , Zhong Jiahao , Li Shuhan , Li Qiaoling 
Published: July 2023

AbstractTraveling atmospheric disturbance (TAD) plays an important role in the energy and momentum transfer from the lower atmosphere to the upper atmosphere, and from high‐ to low‐latitudes. It is common to observe TADs propagating toward low latitudes because of enhanced Joule heating and/or the Lorentz force at the high‐latitude ionosphere during storm time. However, energy or momentum variation associated with their equatorward propagation remains unclear. Two geomagnetic storms occurred on 7–8 September 2017 and upper atmospheric disturbances are observed by the Swarm satellites and the Global Navigation Satellite System Total Electron Content network. We conduct a model simulation and term analysis of the energy equation to investigate the dominant terms of TAD. Adiabatic heating, conduction heating, and advection heating dominate the energy budget of TAD. Adiabatic heating plays an important role in the energy budget by transferring the most energy of TAD. An anti‐phase relationship between adiabatic and conduction heating is found in the propagation of these TADs. An in‐phase relationship between adiabatic and advection heating is also found. Physical processes behind these anti‐phase and in‐phase relationships are illustrated with a schematic. Finally, based on the dominant terms and the relationships between them, the whole process of generation, propagation, and dissipation of TAD is given.
Separation of an Upwelling Current Bounding the Juan de Fuca Eddy
Authors: Klymak Jody M. , Allen Susan E. , Waterman Stephanie 
Published: July 2023

AbstractObservations of temperature, salinity, and oxygen on the southern Vancouver Island shelf show a large‐scale exchange of shelf water with offshore water, just offshore of a semi‐permanent recirculation, often termed the Juan de Fuca Eddy. The Eddy occupies a region where the shelf widens abruptly in the lee of a bank. The water in this Eddy is a mixture of offshore water and water from a buoyant coastal current. This water is well‐mixed along a mixing line in temperature‐salinity space, though it retains stratification, and is either rapidly mixed or has a long residence time. There is a less than 1 km wide temperature‐salinity front on the offshore side of this well‐mixed water that has no sign of instabilities. The clearest evidence of cross‐front transport is found during a tidally resolved survey over a bank. The transport is due to flows in the cross‐bank direction that also drive 50 m tall hydraulic jumps. Upstream of the Eddy, there is an along‐shelf current flowing equatorward. However, the whole current separates from the shelf before reaching the Eddy, in the lee of a bank, and is replaced by water from offshore. The separation event was also seen in sea‐surface temperatures from satellite images as a tongue of cool coastal water that is ejected offshore.
Local and Remote Storm Surge Contributions to Total Water Levels in the Gulf of St. Lawrence During Hurricane Fiona
Authors: Mulligan R. P. , Swatridge L. , Cantelon J. A. , Kurylyk B. L. , George E. , Houser C. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractPost‐tropical Hurricane Fiona generated a large storm surge that resulted in pronounced flooding and coastal erosion in Atlantic Canada in September 2022. In this study we apply a regional barotropic storm surge model in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, a semi‐enclosed sea, to demonstrate a method of evaluating different contributions to the total water levels. These include the surge generated over the ocean, the surge generated by the cyclonic winds over the gulf, and the tides. The results indicate that the highest storm surge occurred in the southeastern region, a combination of locally and remotely generated components. The surge that entered from the ocean was greater than the surge generated over the gulf; however, these were not in phase. To investigate the case where the local and remote surges are coincident, we shift the wind field relative to the timing of the boundary conditions and find the near “perfect storm” with significantly higher storm surge elevations. These findings highlight the importance of basin morphology and storm conditions in controlling the interactions of surge components, and this approach can be applied to simulate a range of storm‐driven hazard outcomes for future extreme events.
Optimizing and extending ion dielectric polarizability database for microwave frequencies using machine learning methods
Authors: Qin Jincheng , Liu Zhifu , Ma Mingsheng , Li Yongxiang 
Published: July 2023

AbstractPermittivity at microwave frequencies determines the practical applications of microwave dielectric ceramics. The accuracy and universality of the permittivity prediction by Clausius–Mossotti equation depends on the dielectric polarizability (αD) database. The most influential αDdatabase put forward by Shannon is facing three challenges in the 5 G era: (1) Few data, (2) Simplistic relation and (3) Low frequency (kHz–MHz) oriented. Here, we optimized and extended the Shannon’s database for microwave frequencies by the four-stage multiple linear regression and support vector machine model. In comparison with the conventional database, the optimized and extended databases achieved higher accuracy and expanded the amount of data from 60 to more than 900. Besides, we analyzed the relationships between αDand ion characteristics, including ionic radius (IR), atomic number (N), valence state (V) and coordination number (CN). We found that the positive cubic law of “αD ~ IR3” discussed in Shannon’s work was valid for the IR changed by the N, but invalid for the change caused by the CN.
Molecular modeling study of micro and nanocurcumin with in vitro and in vivo antibacterial validation
Authors: Othman Amal S. , Shamekh Israa M. , Abdalla Mohnad , Eltayb Wafa A. , Ahmed Nashwa A. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractRepurposing natural compounds as inhibitory targets to combat bacterial virulence is an important potential strategy to overcome resistance to traditional antibiotics, in the present study, the antibacterial activity of micro-curcumin and nano-sized curcumin was investigated against four predominant bacterial pathogens, namely,Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus,andBacillus subtilis.Curcumin bactericidal susceptibility could be summarized as the order,P. aeruginosa > B. subtilis > S. aureus > E. coli. Molecular docking analysis was conducted to confirm the impact of curcumin on the most vital and positively identified quorum-sensing pathway signaling proteins SecA-SecY, LsrR, PqsR (MvfR), AgrA which act as key players in the bacterial communication systems. The in silico physicochemical properties revealed that curcumin as a nutraceutical can be classified as a drug-like compound. An in vivo infected wound model was employed in four groups of albino rats. Topical application of nano-curcumin lotion showed a marked reduction in wound area (98.8%) as well as nearly 100% reduction in total bacterial viable count compared to the control group, on the fifteenth day post-treatment post-injury. The obtained data suggested that curcumin nanoparticles exhibited superior antibacterial activity and may possess clinical utility as a novel topical antimicrobial and wound healing agent.
Quantum computing for transport network design problems
Authors: Dixit Vinayak V. , Niu Chence 
Published: July 2023

AbstractTransport network design problem (TNDP) is a well-studied problem for planning and operations of transportation systems. They are widely used to determine links for capacity enhancement, link closures to schedule maintenance, identify new road or transit links and more generally network enhancements under resource constraints. As changes in network capacities result in a redistribution of demand on the network, resulting in changes in the congestion patterns, TNDP is generally modelled as a bi-level problem, which is known to be NP-hard. Meta-heuristic methods, such as Tabu Search Method are relied upon to solve these problems, which have been demonstrated to achieve near optimality in reasonable time. The advent of quantum computing has afforded an opportunity to solve these problems faster. We formulate the TNDP problem as a bi-level problem, with the upper level formulated as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem that is solved using quantum annealing on a D-Wave quantum computer. We compare the results with Tabu Search. We find that quantum annealing provides significant computational benefit. The proposed solution has implications for networks across different contexts including communications, traffic, industrial operations, electricity, water, broader supply chains and epidemiology.
Examining changes in vascular function, arterial stiffness and systemic inflammation during hospitalization and recovery from an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Fuhr Desi P. , Brotto Andrew R. , Rowe Brian H. , Bhutani Mohit , Rosychuk Rhonda J. , Stickland Michael K. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractAn acute exacerbation of COPD (AECOPD) is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular (CV) events. The elevated risk during an AECOPD may be related to changes in vascular function, arterial stiffness, and systemic inflammation; the time course of these measures and their corresponding recovery are poorly understood. Further, physical activity is reduced during an AECOPD, and physical activity may influence the cardiovascular responses to an AECOPD. The purpose of the study was to examine the acute impact of an AECOPD requiring hospitalization on vascular function, arterial stiffness, and systemic inflammation and examine whether physical activity modulates these variables during recovery. Patients hospitalized for an AECOPD were prospectively recruited and compared to control patients with stable COPD. Vascular function, arterial stiffness, and systemic inflammation (CRP, IL-6) were measured at hospital admission, hospital discharge and within 14 days of discharge. Physical activity was electronically tracked daily while in hospital and for 7 days following discharge using a Fitbit. One hundred and twenty-one patients with an AECOPD requiring hospitalization and 33 control patients with stable COPD were enrolled in the study. Vascular function was significantly lower, and systemic inflammation higher at hospital admission in patients with an AECOPD compared to stable COPD. Significant improvements in vascular function and inflammation were observed within 14 days of hospital discharge; however, vascular function remained lower than stable COPD. Physical activity was low at admission and increased following discharge; however, physical activity was unrelated to measures of vascular function or inflammation at any time point. An AECOPD requiring hospitalization is associated with impaired vascular function that persists during recovery. These findings provide a mechanistic link to help explain the enduring increase in CV risk and mortality following a severe AECOPD event.Clinical trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT01949727; Registered: 09/20/2013.
Examining factors for the adoption of silvopastoral agroforestry in the Colombian Amazon
Authors: Alvarado Sandino C. O. , Barnes A. P. , Sepúlveda I. , Garratt M. P. D. , Thompson J. , Escobar-Tello M. P. 
Published: July 2023

AbstractCurrent land use systems in the Amazon largely consist of extensive conventional productivist livestock operations that drive deforestation. Silvopastoral systems (SPS) support a transition to low carbon production if they intensify in sympathy with the needs of biophysical and socio-economic contexts. SPS have been promoted for decades as an alternative livestock production system but widespread uptake has yet to be seen. We provide a schema of associating factors for adoption of SPS based on past literature in tropical agriculture and apply this to a bespoke survey of 172 farms in the Caquetá region of the Colombian Amazon. We find a number of factors which do not apply to this region and argue for a context specific approach. The impact of managing increased market access and opportunities for SPS producers are crucial to avoiding additional deforestation. Further understanding of the underlying antecedents of common factors, such as perceptions of silvopastoral systems, would reduce the risk of perverse policy outcomes.
Final results of the real-life observational VICTOR-6 study on metronomic chemotherapy in elderly metastatic breast cancer (MBC) patients
Authors: Trevisan B. , Pepe F. F. , Vallini I. , Montagna E. , Amoroso D. , Berardi R. , Butera A. , Cagossi K. , Cavanna L. , Ciccarese M. , Cinieri S. , Cretella E. , De Conciliis E. , Febbraro A. , Ferraù F. , Ferzi A. , Baldelli A. , Fontana A. , Gambaro A. R. , Garrone O. , Gebbia V. , Generali D. , Gianni L. , Giovanardi F. , Grassadonia A. , Leonardi V. , Sarti S. , Musolino A. , Nicolini M. , Putzu C. , Riccardi F. , Santini D. , Sarobba M. G. , Schintu M. G. , Scognamiglio G. , Spadaro P. , Taverniti C. , Toniolo D. , Tralongo P. , Turletti A. , Valenza R. , Valerio M. R. , Vici P. , Clivio L. , Torri V. , Cazzaniga M. E. ,   The VICTOR Study Group
Published: July 2023

AbstractNowadays, treatment of metastatic breast cancer (MBC) has been enriched with novel therapeutical strategies. Metronomic chemotherapy (mCHT) is a continuous and frequent administration of chemotherapy at a lower dose and so whit less toxicity. Thus, this strategy could be attractive for elderly MBC patients. Aim of this analysis is to provide insights into mCHT’s activity in a real-life setting of elderly MBC patients. Data of patients ≥ 75 years old included in VICTOR-6 study were analyzed. VICTOR-6 is a multicentre, Italian, retrospective study, which collected data on mCHT in MBC patients treated between 2011 and 2016. A total of 112 patients were included. At the beginning of mCHT, median age was 81 years (75–98) and in 33% of the patients mCHT was the first line choice. Overall Response Rate (ORR) and Disease Control Rate (DCR) were 27.9% and 79.3%, respectively. Median PFS ranged between 7.6 and 9.1 months, OS between 14.1 and 18.5 months. The most relevant toxicity was the hematological one (24.1%); severe toxicity (grade 3–4) ranged from 0.9% for skin toxicity up to 8% for hematologic one. This is a large study about mCHT in elderly MBC patients, providing insights to be further investigated in this subgroup of frail patients.
A portable geometry-independent tomographic system for gamma-ray, a next generation of nuclear waste characterization
Authors: Tortajada Salvador , Albiol Francisco , Caballero Luis , Albiol Alberto , Leganés-Nieto José Luis 
Published: July 2023

AbstractOne of the main activities of the nuclear industry is the characterisation of radioactive waste based on the detection of gamma radiation. Large volumes of radioactive waste are classified according to their average activity, but often the radioactivity exceeds the maximum allowed by regulators in specific parts of the bulk. In addition, the detection of the radiation is currently based on static detection systems where the geometry of the bulk is fixed and well known. Furthermore, these systems are not portable and depend on the transport of waste to the places where the detection systems are located. However, there are situations where the geometry varies and where moving waste is complex. This is especially true in compromised situations.We present a new model for nuclear waste management based on a portable and geometry-independent tomographic system for three-dimensional image reconstruction for gamma radiation detection. The system relies on a combination of a gamma radiation camera and a visible camera that allows to visualise radioactivity using augmented reality and artificial computer vision techniques. This novel tomographic system has the potential to be a disruptive innovation in the nuclear industry for nuclear waste management.
Genetic polymorphisms in interleukin-1β (rs1143634) and interleukin-8 (rs4073) are associated with survival after resection of intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma
Authors: Lurje Isabella , Gaisa Nadine Therese , Dahl Edgar , Knüchel Ruth , Strnad Pavel , Trautwein Christian , Tacke Frank , Neumann Ulf Peter , Czigany Zoltan , Lurje Georg 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIntrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma (iCCA) is a rare, understudied primary hepatic malignancy with dismal outcomes. Aiming to identify prognostically relevant single-nucleotide polymorphisms, we analyzed 11 genetic variants with a role in tumor-promoting inflammation (VEGF, EGF, EGFR, IL-1B, IL-6, CXCL8 (IL-8), IL-10, CXCR1, HIF1A and PTGS2 (COX-2) genes) and their association with disease-free (DFS) and overall survival (OS) in patients undergoing curative-intent surgery for iCCA. Genomic DNA was isolated from 112 patients (64 female, 48 male) with iCCA. Germline polymorphisms were analyzed with polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism protocols. The IL-1B +3954 C/C (73/112, hazard ratio (HR) = 1.735, p = 0.012) and the IL-8 -251 T/A or A/A (53/112 and 16/112, HR = 2.001 and 1.1777, p = 0.026) genotypes were associated with shorter OS in univariable and multivariable analysis. The IL-1B +3954 polymorphism was also associated with shorter DFS (HR = 1.983, p = 0.012), but this effect was not sustained in the multivariable model. A genetic risk model of 0, 1 and 2 unfavorable alleles was established and confirmed in multivariable analysis. This study supports the prognostic role of the IL-1B C+3954T and the IL-8 T-251A variant as outcome markers in iCCA patients, identifying patient subgroups at higher risk for dismal clinical outcomes.
A novel method intersecting three-dimensional motion capture and medial elbow strength dynamometry to assess elbow injury risk in baseball pitchers
Authors: Yanai Toshimasa , Onuma Kengo , Crotin Ryan L. , Monda Daisuke 
Published: July 2023

AbstractIn baseball pitching, resultant elbow varus torque reaches the peak value of 50–120 N m, exceeding the joint failure limit that risks damage to the ulnar collateral ligament (UCL). In-vivo methodology is lacking to assess whether pitchers have sufficient muscular strength to shield UCL and how strongly the elbow musculature must contract to minimize valgus loading on UCL. This study introduces a method to assess relative percentages of muscular varus strength required to unload the UCL. The maximum voluntary isometric varus strength (MVIVS) produced by the medial elbow musculature and the maximum resultant varus torques at elbow in pitching fastballs and other types were measured for two professional pitchers. Simulation was conducted to determine the relative percentages of MVIVS required to unload the UCL to varying degrees and the impact of athletes’ previous UCL reconstruction on the relative percentages was examined. The maximum resultant varus torque in pitching was found to range 72–97%MVIVS depending on the type of pitch. The elbow musculature had to produce 21–49%MVIVS to avoid acute failure of intact UCL whereas the corresponding requirements were 39–63%MVIVS for UCL reconstructed joint. The method offers new insight into baseball pitcher’s training/rehabilitation and physical assessment to reduce the risk of UCL injury.