bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Improving snow water equivalent simulations in an alpine basin by blending precipitation gauge and snow pillow measurements
Authors: Pelak Norman , Sohrabi Mohammad , Safeeq Mohammad , Conklin Martha 
Published: December 2022

AbstractMountain snowpack is a critical freshwater reservoir that sustains ecosystems and provides water for hydropower, agriculture, and urban uses. Accurate basin‐scale snowpack estimates are essential for ecosystem and water resources management. Our ability to predict snowpack evolution is hampered by the low density of precipitation gauges in high mountain regions, as most precipitation gauges are installed in easily accessible areas, which are often below the snowline. These measurements are typically spatially interpolated to fill data gaps in high mountain areas, resulting in a range of gridded products with considerable differences. On the other hand, natural resources agencies rely on a few strategically placed snow pillows and snow courses to infer basin‐scale snow water equivalent (SWE). In the Kings River Basin, California, there is an opportunity to combine precipitation and snow pillow measurements to improve basin‐scale snowpack estimates. In this study, we blend precipitation gauge observations with snowpack measurements to force a spatially distributed, process‐based snowpack evolution model in order to improve basin‐scale precipitation and snowpack predictions. We test the blended precipitation (Blended scenario) against other gridded precipitation products, which are derived from precipitation gauges only (Gauge scenario) and the PRISM precipitation product (PRISM scenario). Our results show that the Blended scenario had improved snowpack predictions (NSE = 0.85) over the Gauge and PRISM scenarios (NSE = 0.37 and 0.81) when compared to observed SWE, which can be attributed to better representation of precipitation at high elevations. The Blended scenario was also the only scenario to produce sufficient surface water input (SWI) to account for the combined estimates of full natural flow and evapotranspiration in the basin. We also examine the model sensitivity to warming and discuss the impact of warming on SWE and SWI and implications for water management. The results underscore the need for improved snow observation networks at high elevations that can be used to improve the representation of precipitation patterns, which is critical for the hydrologic modelling of mountainous basins.
Comparing water use patterns of sand‐binding species in an alpine semi‐arid desert
Authors: Tian Lihui , Wu Huawu , Wang Haijiao , Zhang Dengshan , He Xiaofan , Wang Qiaoyu 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe processes of species obtaining water resources are crucial to evaluate the adaptability of plantations, which can affect the establishment and survival of restored ecosystems and functions of water‐limited ecosystems. However, there are still limitations in understanding water use patterns of different four plantations (Populus sylvestris, Salix cheliophe, Hippophae rhamnoides and Artemisia ordosica) in the Qinghai Lake basin. Stable isotopes of xylem water of four individual species were analysed at different dunes located at the eastern shore of Qinghai Lake in 2018 and 2019. The purpose of this study was to explore potential water sources used by different life form plants, to identify whether the soil moisture content and root distribution determined the plants water use patterns. Results from the Bayesian mixing model MixSIAR showed that all species mainly uses three levels of soil water, but they extracted soil water from different layers in different growing seasons among species. All species primarily depended on water from upper soil layers at the early growing stage, but P. sylvestris and S. cheliophe also absorbed much proportion middle and deep soil layers' water in dry year of 2019. All four species shift to use middle or deep soil layer water rather than shallow water in July with the most rainfall and soil water content (SWC). However, it was only used by P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides in 2018. In all, seasonal water use pattern of different species was affected by SWC, soil texture and root distribution. Compared with moratorium plantations such as S. cheliophe, mixed afforestation of P. sylvestris and H. rhamnoides maximized of soil water sources absorbed by the plants. The study can shed light on plant–water relationships to facilitate the woody species for afforestation and desertification restoration management in the semi‐arid desert ecosystem.
Nanoparticles based composite coatings with tunable vascular endothelial growth factor and bone morphogenetic protein‐2 release for bone regeneration
Authors: Chen Mingcong , Chen Yang , Wei Cheng 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBone healing is a complex cascade involving precisely coordinated spatiotemporal presentation of multiple growth factors (GFs), including osteogenic and angiogenic GFs, and each stage of bone healing requires varying types and content of GFs. In this study, we fabricated a composite nanocoating with tunable vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and bone morphogenetic protein‐2 (BMP‐2) that was coated on the surface of a polydopamine (PDA)‐decorated tertiary calcium phosphate (TCP) scaffold using VEGF‐loaded chitosan/bovine serum albumin nanoparticles (CS/BSA‐NPs) and BMP‐2‐loaded poly‐L‐lysine/oxidized alginate nanoparticles (PLL/OALG‐NPs). It was found that VEGF could be efficiently released to promote vascularization in early bone repair stages due to the rapid biodegradation of CS/BSA‐NPs, while bone formation can be promoted by a sustained release of BMP‐2 from the slowly degrading PLL/OALG‐NPs. The composite coating and TCP scaffold can be conjugated due to the excellent adhesive property of PDA. The composite coating can achieve the rapid release of VEGF and sustained release of BMP‐2, which can activate GFs for accelerating bone healing.
How statin drugs affect exosomes?
Authors: Sekhavati Niloofar , Noori Elmira , Abbasifard Mitra , Butler Alexandra E. , Sahebkar Amirhossein 
Published: December 2022

AbstractStatins reduce serum cholesterol and isoprenoids by the inhibition of cholesterol synthesis in the mevalonate pathway. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles (30–200 nm) released by all cells that regulate cell‐to‐cell communication in health and disease by transferring functional proteins, metabolites and nucleic acids to recipient cells. There are many reports that show an effect of statins on exosomes, from their production and release to their content and performance. In this review, we have summarized existing data on the impact of statins on the biosynthesis, secretion, content, uptake and function of exosomes.
UnderstandingRamachandranplot for dipeptide: A density functional theory and information‐theoreticapproach study
Authors: An Xiaoyan , Zhang Wenbiao , Rong Chunying , Liu Shubin 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe Ramachandran plot in biochemistry visualizes the propensity of amino acid residues to assume different secondary structures. It can be obtained by different approaches such as bioinformatics and molecular dynamics. In this work, we systematically scan the two single bonds around the α‐carbon of a peptide to generate the three‐dimensional potential energy surface and then project it onto the coordinate plane to generate the Ramachandran plot. Using the two schemes of the total energy partition and information‐theoretic approach in density functional theory, we analyze the plot and find out that the dominant contributor to determine the local minima of secondary structures, especially β‐sheets, in the Ramachandran plot is the electrostatic interaction, whereas steric and exchange‐correlation contributions play minor yet indispensable roles, especially for determining α‐helixes. As the generalization of our prior studies for systems with one rotatable bond, our current results confirm what we yielded before from the viewpoint of energetic contributions, and at meanwhile provide an in‐depth understanding about the nature and origin of secondary structure propensities from the Ramachandran plot.
Predictive validity of current sarcopenia definitions (EWGSOP2, SDOC, and AWGS2) for clinical outcomes: A scoping review
Authors: Stuck Anna K. , Basile Giacomo , Freystaetter Gregor , de Godoi Rezende Costa Molino Caroline , Lang Wei , Bischoff‐Ferrari Heike A. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractOver the last 3 years new definitions of sarcopenia by the Sarcopenia Definition and Outcome Consortium (2020, SDOC), European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People (2019, EWGSOP2) and Asian Working Group on Sarcopenia (2019, AWGS2) have been proposed. The objective of this scoping review was to explore predictive validity of these current sarcopenia definitions for clinical outcomes. We followed the PRISMA checklist for scoping reviews. Based on a systematic search performed by two independent reviewers of databases (Pubmed and Embase) articles comparing predictive validity of two or more sarcopenia definitions on prospective clinical outcomes published since January 2019 (the year these definitions were introduced) were included. Data were extracted and results collated by clinical outcomes and by sarcopenia definitions, respectively. Of 4493 articles screened, 11 studies (mean age of participants 77.6 (SD 5.7) years and 50.0% female) comprising 82 validity tests were included. Overall, validity tests on the following categories of clinical outcomes were performed: fracture (n = 40, assessed in one study), mortality (n = 18), function (n = 11), institutionalization (n = 7), falls (n = 4), and hospitalization (n = 2). Thereby, EWGSOP2 was investigated in 15 validity tests (18.3%) on all categories of clinical outcomes, whereas SDOC was investigated in four validity tests (4.9%) in one study on fractures in men only, and none of the validity tests investigated predictive validity by the AWGS2. However, we were not able to pool the data using a meta‐analytic approach due to important methodological heterogeneity between the studies. We identified various definitions of clinical outcomes that were used to test predictive validity of sarcopenia definitions suggesting that an agreement on an operational definition of a clinical outcome is key to advance in the field of sarcopenia. Moreover, data on predictive validity using the sarcopenia definitions by the SDOC and AWGS2 are still scarce and lacking, respectively. In a next step, prospective studies including both women and men are needed to compare predictive validity of current sarcopenia definitions on defined key clinical outcomes.
Waist circumference and end‐stage renal disease based on glycaemic status: National Health Insurance Service data 2009–2018
Authors: Cho Yun Kyung , Huh Ji Hye , Moon Shinje , Kim Yoon Jung , Kim Yang‐Hyun , Han Kyung‐do , Kang Jun Goo , Lee Seong Jin , Ihm Sung‐Hee 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackgroundObesity is associated with an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and end‐stage renal disease (ESRD). This study aimed to examine the effect of waist circumference (WC) on the risk for ESRD based on glycaemic status in a Korean population‐based sample.MethodsThis cohort study with a 9.2‐year follow‐up period used a population‐based National Health Insurance Service health checkup database with approximately 10 585 852 participants who were followed up from 2009 to the time of ESRD diagnosis. WC was categorized into seven levels in 5‐cm increments, with Level 4 as the reference group. Glycaemic status was categorized into the following groups: normal fasting glucose (NFG), impaired fasting glucose (IFG), newly diagnosed T2DM, T2DM treated with ≤2 oral hypoglycaemic agents (OHAs) and diabetes treated with ≥3 OHAs or insulin. We calculated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for ESRD according to WC values and glycaemic status of the participants.ResultsThe study finally included 10 177 245 patients with a mean age of 47.1 (13.8) years. The study population included 5 604 446 men (55.1%) and 4 572 799 women (45.9%). In total, 8.3% (n = 877 143) of the study population had diabetes. During the mean follow‐up of 9.2 (1.0) years (93 554 951 person‐years of follow‐up), 23 031 individuals were newly diagnosed with ESRD. The ESRD risk increased in parallel with an increase in WC in participants without T2DM, that is, the NFG and IFG groups (adjusted HRs [95% CIs] of WC Levels 4, 5 and 6: 1.17 [1.09–1.26], 1.37 [1.25–1.51] and 1.84 [1.63–2.07] in the NFG group and 1.06 [0.97–1.16], 1.23 [1.10–1.38] and 1.80 [1.57–2.06] in the IFG group, respectively). In patients with T2DM, the risk for ESRD was significantly increased in those with a low WC (adjusted HRs [95% CIs] of WC Level 1: 2.23 [1.77–2.80], 3.18 [2.70–3.74] and 10.31 [9.18–11.59] in patients with newly diagnosed diabetes, patients on ≤2 OHAs and those on ≥3 OHAs or insulin, respectively). The association between WC and ESRD thus showed a J‐shaped pattern in patients with newly diagnosed T2DM and a U‐shaped pattern in those on ≤2 OHAs and on ≥3 OHAs or insulin.ConclusionsCentral obesity substantially increases the risk of developing ESRD regardless of glycaemic status. The harmful effects of low WC only become significant with the progression of T2DM.
Influence of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the vitamin D status of children: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Li Tiewei , Li Xiaojuan , Chen Nan , Yang Jianli , Yang Junmei , Bi Lijun 
Published: December 2022

AbstractCoronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), as well as its prevention and control measures, seriously affected people's livehood, which may have affected the body's level of vitamin D (VD). This study aimed to investigate the effect of the COVID‐19 pandemic on the VD status of children in Zhengzhou, China. In this study, we included 12 272 children in 2019 (before the COVID‐19 pandemic) and 16 495 children in 2020 (during the COVID‐19 pandemic) to examine the changes in VD levels and deficiency rates among children before and during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Total VD levels in 2020 were significantly higher than those in 2019 (26.56 [18.15, 41.40] vs. 25.98 [17.92, 40.09] ng/ml, p  < 0.001). Further analysis revealed that during the COVID‐19 pandemic control period in 2020, the VD levels in February, March, and April were lower than those in the same months of 2019, while the VD deficiency rates were significantly higher. Additionally, our data revealed that VD levels decreased significantly with age. Among children older than 6 years, the VD deficiency rate exceeded 50%. These results indicate that we should pay close attention to VD supplementation during the COVID‐19 pandemic control period and in children older than 6 years of age.
A comparison of seasonal rainfall forecasts over Central America using dynamic and hybrid approaches from Copernicus Climate Change Service seasonal forecasting system and the North American Multimodel Ensemble
Authors: Kowal Katherine M. , Slater Louise J. , García López Alan , Van Loon Anne F. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractSeasonal rainfall forecasts provide information several months ahead to support decision making. These forecasts may use dynamic, statistical, or hybrid approaches, but their comparative value is not well understood over Central America. This study conducts a regional evaluation of seasonal rainfall forecasts focusing on two of the leading dynamic climate ensembles: the Copernicus Climate Change Service seasonal forecasting system (C3S) and the North American Multimodel Ensemble (NMME). We compare the multimodel ensemble mean and individual model predictions of seasonal rainfall over key wet season periods in Central America to better understand their relative forecast skill at the seasonal scale. Three types of rainfall forecasts are compared: direct dynamic rainfall predictions from the C3S and NMME ensembles, a statistical approach using the lagged observed sea surface temperature (SST), and an indirect hybrid approach, driving a statistical model with dynamic ensemble SST predictions. Results show that C3S and NMME exhibit similar regional variability with strong performance in the northern Pacific part of Central America and weaker skill primarily in eastern Nicaragua. In the northern Pacific part of the region, the models have high skill across the wet season. Indirect forecasts can outperform the direct rainfall forecasts in specific cases where the direct forecasts have lower predictive power (e.g., eastern Nicaragua during the early wet season). The indirect skill generally reflects the strength of SST associations with rainfall. The indirect forecasts based on Tropical North Atlantic SSTs are best in the early wet season and the indirect forecasts based on Niño3.4 SSTs are best in the late wet season when each SST zone has a stronger association with rainfall. Statistical predictions are competitive with the indirect and direct forecasts in multiple cases, especially in the late wet season, demonstrating how a variety of forecasting approaches can enhance seasonal forecasting.
Long‐term changes in the frequency of exceptionally cold and warm months in Europe (1831–2020)
Authors: Skrzyńska Magdalena , Twardosz Robert 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe onset of periods with very high or low air temperatures has aroused general interest for a long time, which is understandable since it has many dangerous effects directly affecting humans. Such perilous climatic phenomena include exceptionally cold and exceptionally warm months, which this study investigates for all Europe and for its five physico‐geographic regions over the 190‐year period of 1831–2020. Therefore, the research in this paper includes two periods characteristic of the history of climate – the late Little Ice Age (LIA) and present‐day warming. The studies are based on average monthly air temperature values from 40 weather stations in Europe. In this paper, exceptionally cold months (ECMs) or exceptionally warm months (EWMs) are considered to have occurred when the average air temperature at a station differed from the respective long‐term average by at least two standard deviations. The highlights of the study include the identification of a drop in the number of ECMs by 20 over the entire 190‐year period, and a highly statistically significant increase in EWMs by 44 between 1980 and 2020. These changes proceeded with different intensities from one physico‐geographic region of Europe to another.
The double‐ITCZ problem in CMIP6 and the influences of deep convection and model resolution
Authors: Ma Xinyu , Zhao Shuyun , Zhang Hua , Wang Wuke 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe double Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) bias is an outstanding bias in many climate models. This work assesses the annual‐mean double‐ITCZ problem in the models participating in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) based on several quantitative indices. Within the 46 CMIP6 models, 9 models from mainland China are evaluated as a group to verify the effort of model development from one perspective. The double‐ITCZ bias and its large intermodel spread still exist in CMIP6 models. The overall performance of the models from Chinese mainland is similar with all CMIP6 models. It is found that the top‐five models with relatively low double‐ITCZ biases can effectively restrain the frequency of deep convection and related sea surface temperature (SST) bias in the southeastern Pacific dry subsidence region, which highlights the necessity of improving convective physics in climate models. Impacts of model resolution on the double‐ITCZ problem are examined by comparing the high‐ and low‐resolution groups in CMIP6 and High Resolution Model Intercomparison Project (HighResMIP) historical experiments, respectively. Increased resolution in atmospheric models is found to be able to reduce the positive precipitation bias over the tropical southern Atlantic and improve the simulation of deep convection frequency and convective precipitation ratio there. However, the double‐ITCZ bias over the Pacific is not improved significantly by increased resolution.
The preparation of soy glycinin/sugar beet pectin complex network gels catalyzed by laccase under weakly acidic conditions
Authors: Wu Liang , Hu Jing , Nie Peng , Yin Qi , Shao Dongliang , Wang Chuyan , Luo Shuizhong , Zhao Yanyan , Zhong Xiyang , Zheng Zhi 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBACKGROUNDTraditional soy protein gel products such as tofu, formed from calcium sulfate or magnesium chloride, have poor textural properties and water retention capacity. Soy glycinin (SG) is the main component affecting the gelation of soy protein and can be cross‐linked with polysaccharides, such as sugar beet pectin (SBP), and can be modified by changing system factors (e.g., pH) to improve the gel's properties. Soy glycinin/sugar beet pectin (SG/SBP) complex double network gels were prepared under weakly acidic conditions using laccase cross‐linking and heat treatment. The structural changes in SG and the properties of complex gels were investigated.RESULTSSoy glycinin exposed more hydrophobic groups and free sulfhydryl groups at pH 5.0. Under the action of laccase cross‐linking, SBP could promote the unfolding of SG tertiary structures. The SG/SBP complex gels contained 46.77% β‐fold content and had good gelling properties in terms of hardness 290.86 g, adhesiveness 26.87, and springiness 96.70 mm at pH 5.0. The T22 relaxation time had the highest peak, and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) showed that the gel had even water distribution. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and confocal scanning laser microscopy (CLSM) indicated that the SG/SBP complex network structure was uniform, and the pore walls were thicker and contained filamentous structures.CONCLUSIONSoy glycinin/ sugar beet pectin complex network gels have good water‐holding, rheological, and textural properties at pH 5.0. The properties of soy protein gels can be improved by binding to polysaccharides, with laccase cross‐linked, and adjusting the pH of the solution. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.
Therapeutic effect of Lactobacillus plantarum JS19 on mice with dextran sulfate sodium induced acute and chronic ulcerative colitis
Authors: Ren Rong , Zhao Ai‐Qing , Chen Li , Wu Shan , Hung Wei‐Lun , Wang Bini 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackgroundUlcerative colitis is associated with intestinal inflammation and dysbiosis. Previous studies have shown that probiotics are potential agents for treatment of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Jiang‐shui is a traditional fermented vegetable that is rich in lactic acid bacteria (LABs), but the preventive effect of LABs in jiang‐shui on IBD is not yet fully understood.ResultsWe isolated 38 LAB strains from jiang‐shui, and Lactobacillus plantarum JS19 exhibited the strongest antioxidant activity among them. Our data indicate that oral administration of L. plantarum JS19 significantly inhibited body weight loss, colon shortening and damage, and reduced the disease activity index score in the mice with dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)‐induced colitis. In addition, L. plantarum JS19 also alleviated inflammatory responses and oxidative stress through reducing lipid peroxidation, tumor necrosis factor‐α expression, and myeloperoxidase activity and enhancing the antioxidant enzyme activity. Importantly, L. plantarum JS19 significantly rebalanced DSS‐induced dysbiosis of gut microbiota.ConclusionL. plantarum JS19 may be used as a potential probiotic to prevent IBD, particularly ulcerative colitis. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry.