bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Fibroblast growth factor-2 promotes in vitro activation of cat primordial follicles
Authors: Müller M.C. , Monte A.P.O. , Lins T.L.B.G. , Macedo T.J.S. , Barros V.R.P. , Ferreira V.C. , Baraúna D. , Santos C.R.O. , Silva A.R. , Matos M.H.T. 
Published: April 2022

SummaryThis study evaluated the effect of fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2) on the morphology, primordial follicle activation and growth after in vitro culture of domestic cat ovarian tissue. Ovaries (n = 12) from prepubertal domestic cats were collected and fragmented. One fragment was ﬁxed for histological analysis (fresh control). The remaining fragments were incubated in control medium alone or with 10, 50 or 100 ng/ml FGF-2 for 7 days. After in vitro culture, the following endpoints were analyzed: morphology, activation by counting primordial and developing follicles, and growth (follicle and oocyte diameters). Treatment with 100 ng/ml FGF-2 maintained (P > 0.05) the percentage of normal follicles similar to fresh control. Follicle survival was greater (P < 0.05) after culture in 100 ng/ml FGF-2 than in 50 ng/ml FGF-2. The percentage of primordial follicles decreased (P < 0.05) and the percentage of developing follicles increased (P < 0.05) in all treatments compared with fresh tissue. The proportion of developing follicles increased (P < 0.05) in tissues incubated with 100 ng/ml FGF-2 compared with control medium and other FGF-2 concentrations. Furthermore, culture in 10 or 100 ng/ml FGF-2 resulted in increased (P < 0.05) follicle and oocyte diameters compared with fresh tissues and MEM+. In conclusion, FGF-2 at 100 ng/ml maintains follicle survival and promotes the in vitro activation and growth of cat primordial follicles.
Health Care Implications of Terrorist Attacks in South Asia
Authors: Tin Derrick , Abelanes Sally-Mae , Bin Adnan Mohd Syafwan , Kole Tamorish , Ciottone Gregory R. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractBackground:The recent United States (US) troop withdrawal out of Afghanistan under a February 2020 US-Taliban agreement and the rapid concurrent collapse of the Afghan military, followed by the ascendance of the Taliban, has placed an international spotlight around the future of South Asian countries. Security threats, in particular, will likely escalate within the region and beyond, with significant concerns around the resurgence of terrorism and violence in the region. This study aims to provide an epidemiological description of all terrorism-related attacks in South Asia sustained from 1970 – 2019. These data will be useful in the development of education programs in Counter-Terrorism Medicine and provide an insight into potential attacks in the future.Methods:Data collection was performed using a retrospective database search through the Global Terrorism Database (GTD). The GTD was searched using the internal database search functions for all events which occurred in Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Mauritius, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka (collectively referred to as South Asia) from January 1, 1970 - December 31, 2019. Primary weapon type, primary target type, country where the incident occurred, and number of deaths and injuries were collated and exported for analysis.Results:In total, 23.69% of all terrorist attacks from 1970-2019 occurred in the South Asia region, causing 96,092 deaths and 141,333 non-fatal injuries. Of those, 50.1% of attacks in South Asia used explosives, 31.9% used firearms, 9.4% used unknown weapons, 5.9% used incendiary attacks, 2.3% were melee attacks, and <0.5% used chemical, biological, and other weapon types.Conclusion:Over 88% of the attacks occurred in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and India combined. While there has been a decline in attacks since a peak in 2014, there are concerns of a significant increase in terrorism activity in recent months which could impact an already fragmented health care system. The use of explosives and firearms as attack modalities accounted for 82.0 % of all weapon types used, but the impact of terrorism and conflict expands beyond simple death and casualty tolls.
Exploring the association of dietary patterns with the risk of hypertension using principal balances analysis and principal component analysis
Authors: Zhao Junkang , Guo Wenjing , Wang Juping , Wang Tong 
Published: April 2022

AbstractObjective:In the field of nutritional epidemiology, principal component analysis (PCA) has been used extensively in identifying dietary patterns. Recently, compositional data analysis (CoDA) has emerged as an alternative approach for obtaining dietary patterns. We aimed to directly compare and evaluate the ability of PCA and principal balances analysis (PBA), a data-driven method in CoDA, in identifying dietary patterns and their associations with the risk of hypertension.Design:Cohort study. A 24-h dietary recall questionnaire was used to collect dietary data. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to analyse the association between dietary patterns and hypertension.Setting:2004 and 2009 China Health and Nutrition Survey.Participants:A total of 3892 study participants aged 18–60 years were included as the subjects.Results:PCA and PBA identified five patterns each. PCA patterns comprised a linear combination of all food groups, whereas PBA patterns included several food groups with zero loadings. The coarse cereals pattern identified by PBA was inversely associated with hypertension risk (highest quintile: OR = 0·74 (95 % CI 0·57, 0·95); Pfor trend = 0·037). None of the five PCA patterns was associated with hypertension. Compared with the PCA patterns, the PBA patterns were clearly interpretable and accounted for a higher percentage of variance in food intake.Conclusions:Findings showed that PBA might be an appropriate and promising approach in dietary pattern analysis. Higher adherence to the coarse cereals dietary pattern was associated with a lower risk of hypertension. Nevertheless, the advantages of PBA over PCA should be confirmed in future studies.
Design of dual band-notched UWB hexagonal printed microstrip antenna
Authors: Mukherjee Surajit , Roy Avisankar , Maity Smarajit , Tewary Tapas , Sarkar Partha Pratim , Bhunia Sunandan 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis article presents the design and performance analysis of a printed microstrip ultra-wideband (UWB) antenna consisting of the slots in the ground plane and radiating patch. A meandered S-shaped slot has been introduced on the patch and an inverted U-shaped slot has been incorporated in the ground plane to realize the band-notch effect for WiMAX (3.2–3.8 GHz) and WLAN (5.1–5.8 GHz) bands respectively. The total dimension of the proposed design is 44 × 44 mm2. The fabricated antenna exhibits wide impedance bandwidth of 10 GHz (2.4–12.4 GHz), i.e., 135% of center frequency. The design prototype is fabricated, and the measured results have good agreement with simulated values. The effects of the slots have been analyzed by simulated surface current distribution. The designed antenna shows almost omnidirectional radiation patter and stable gain. The proposed hexagonal antenna may be suitable for UWB applications removing WiMAX and WLAN bands.
Seed germination ecology of leucaena (Leucaena leucocephala) as influenced by various environmental parameters
Authors: Dhanda Sachin , Chauhan Bhagirath Singh 
Published: April 2022

AbstractLeucaena [Leucaena leucocephala (Lam.) de Wit] is a perennial weed in more than 25 countries, including Australia. Knowledge regarding the seed biology of L. leucocephala could help in making weed management decisions. Experiments were conducted to study the effect of hot water (scarification), alternating temperatures, heat stress, salt stress, water stress, and burial depth on seed germination of two populations of L. leucocephala collected from Toowoomba and Gatton, Australia. The optimum duration of hot water treatment to break the hard seed coat dormancy was 2 min for both populations. The highest germination (92% to 98%) was recorded at 35/25 C for both populations, and similar germination occurred at 30/20 C. The Toowoomba population recorded greater germination at low temperature (15/5 to 25/15 C) than the Gatton population. Additionally, the Gatton population had higher germination than the Toowoomba population after 5 min of exposure to temperatures of up to 100 C, suggesting that the Gatton population may be more tolerant to heat stress. Germination was completely inhibited at pretreatment (5 min) temperatures of 150 to 250 C. The Toowoomba population recorded 17% greater germination than the Gatton population at a high salt concentration (160 mM NaCl), indicating its greater salt tolerance. At low moisture stress (−0.1 and −0.2 MPa), higher germination was observed in the Toowoomba population than in the Gatton population, whereas germination was similar for both populations at higher water stress levels (−0.4 MPa or lower). Germination was similar for both populations at shallow depths (0 and 1 cm) but higher emergence was recorded for the Toowoomba population at 2 to 8 cm than the Gatton population. Differential germination behaviors of both populations suggest that they adapted differently in their respective local environments. Knowledge gained from this study will help in formulating integrated management practices for L. leucocephala.
Examining Relationships Between Groundwater Nitrate Concentrations in Drinking Water and Landscape Characteristics to Understand Health Risks
Authors: Hamlin Q. F. , Martin S. L. , Kendall A. D. , Hyndman D. W. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractNitrate ingested from drinking water has been linked to adverse health outcomes (e.g., cancer, birth defects) at levels as low as ∼2 mg/L NO3‐N, far below the regulatory limits of 10 mg/L. In many areas, groundwater is a common drinking water source and may contain elevated nitrate, but limited data on the patterns and concentrations are available. Using an extensive regulatory data set of over 100,000 nitrate drinking water well samples, we developed new maps of groundwater nitrate concentrations from 76,724 wells in Michigan's Lower Peninsula, USA for the 2006–2015 period. Kriging, a geostatistical method, was used to interpolate concentrations and quantify probability of exceeding relevant thresholds (>0.4 [common detection limit], >2 mg/L NO3‐N). We summarized this probability in small watersheds (∼80 km2) to identify correlated variables using the machine learning method classification and regression trees (CARTs). We found 79% of wells had concentrations below the detection limit in this analysis (<0.4 mg/L NO3‐N). In the shallow aquifer (focus of study), 13% of wells exceeded 2 mg/L NO3‐N and 2% exceeded the EPA maximum contaminant level of 10 mg/L. CART explained 40%–45% of variation in each model and identified three categories of critical correlated variables: source (high agricultural nitrogen inputs), vulnerable soil conditions (low soil organic carbon and high hydraulic conductivity), and transport mechanisms (high aquifer recharge). These findings add to the body of literature seeking to identify communities at risk of elevated nitrate and study associated adverse health outcomes.
Rate and State Friction as a Spatially Regularized Transient Viscous Flow Law
Authors: Pranger Casper , Sanan Patrick , May Dave A. , Le Pourhiet Laetitia , Gabriel Alice‐Agnes 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe theory of rate and state friction unifies field, laboratory, and theoretical analysis of the evolution of slip on natural faults. While the observational study of earthquakes and aseismic fault slip is hampered by its strong multi‐scale character in space and time, numerical simulations are well‐positioned to link the laboratory study of grain‐scale processes to the scale at which rock masses move. However, challenges remain in accurately representing the complex and permanently evolving sub‐surface fault networks that exist in nature. Additionally, the common representation of faults as interfaces may miss important physical aspects governing volumetric fault system behavior. In response, we propose a transient viscous rheology that produces shear bands that closely mimic the rate‐ and state‐dependent sliding behavior of equivalent fault interfaces. Critically, we show that the expected tendency of the continuum rheology for runaway localization and mesh dependence can be halted by including an artificial diffusion‐type regularization of anelastic strain rate in the softening law. We demonstrate analytically and numerically using a simplified fault transect that important aspects of the frictional behavior are not significantly affected by the introduced regularization. Any discrepancies with respect to the interfacial description of fault behavior are critically evaluated using one dimensional numerical velocity stepping and spring‐slider experiments. Since no new physical parameters are introduced, our model may be straightforwardly used to extend the existing modeling techniques. The model predicts the emergence of complex patterns of shear localization and delocalization that may inform the interpretation of complex damage distributions observed around faults in nature.
Biogeochemical Equilibrium Responses to Maximal Productivity in High Nutrient Low Chlorophyll Regions
Authors: Fu Weiwei , Wang Wei‐Lei 
Published: April 2022

AbstractWhether ocean iron fertilization in high nutrient low chlorophyll (HNLC) regions is a practical geoengineering strategy to combat climate warming has been debated because the fate of absorbed carbon by the ocean remains unclear. We use an optimized oceanic biogeochemical inverse model to explore the equilibrium responses to increased productivity in major HNLC regions. We find that an overall downward shift of nutrients and carbon from the surface and intermediate to the deep waters with maximal productivity in the HNLC Southern Ocean (SO), North Pacific (NP) and eastern equatorial Pacific (EP). The efficiency of soft tissue pump is increased by 37.8%, 2.7% and 5.4% in the SO, EP and NP simulation while atmospheric CO2 concentration is drawn down by 45.1, 3.4 and 6.7 ppm, respectively. Meanwhile, global mean oxygen is decreased by 21.1%, 1.3% and 2.4% in the SO, EP and NP simulation, accompanied by an expansion of oxygen minimum zones by 400%, 26% and 63%, respectively. Our study indicates that iron fertilization has the potential to be an effective geoengineering approach to mitigate climate warming but also has a strong impact on the development of ocean hypoxia.
Remote Sensing of Mid‐Latitude Ionospheric Magnetic Field Fluctuations Using Cosmic Radio Sources
Authors: Helmboldt J. F. , Clarke T. E. , Kassim N. E. 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis paper describes a new method for remote sensing of magnetic field fluctuations at ionospheric altitudes using a relatively long‐baseline interferometer and exceptionally bright cosmic radio sources at 35 MHz. The technique uses sensitive measurements of the difference in phase between two phased array telescopes separated by about 75 km and between the right and left circular polarizations to measure the amount of differential Faraday rotation. Combined with estimates of the background magnetic field and total electron content, these can be converted to measurements of fluctuations in the differential magnetic field parallel to the line of sight, ΔB‖. The temporal gradient in ΔB‖ roughly follows the diurnal pattern expected for B‖ due to the vertical gradient in the background electric field, but at roughly 25% the magnitude and offset by ∼50 nT hr−1. This suggests that the diurnal variation in the electric fields observed by the two telescopes are similar but slightly different (|ΔE| ≲ 0.1 mV m−1). Fluctuations in ΔB‖ were typically ∼10–30 nT with wavelike fluctuations often apparent. These typically have oscillation periods of about 10–30 min, similar to traveling ionospheric disturbances (TIDs). Simultaneous observations toward two sources separated by 25.4° on the sky (∼140 km in the F‐region) show a few detections of wavelike disturbances with lags of ±10–30 min between them. These imply speeds on the order of 100–200 m s−1, also similar to TIDs. We estimate that gravity waves with amplitudes within the dynamo region of ∼10 m s−1 could generate the observed fluctuations in ΔB‖.
Thank You to Our 2021 Peer Reviewers
Authors: Trumbore Susan , Barros Ana P. , Becker Thorsten W. , Davidson Eric A. , Ehlmann Bethany L. , Gruber Nicolas , Hofmann Eileen E. , Hudson Mary K. , Illangasekare Tissa H. , Kang Sarah , Montanari Alberto , Nimmo Francis , Parsons Tom , Salters Vincent J. M. , Schimel David , Stevens Bjorn , Wuebbles Donald J. , Zeitler Peter , Zhu Tong 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThe editorial board of AGU Advances thanks the individuals who reviewed for the journal in 2021.
Intensification of Pacific Trade Wind and Related Changes in the Relationship Between Sea Surface Temperature and Sea Level Pressure
Authors: Yang Fan , Zhang Lujun , Long Mengyuan 
Published: April 2022

AbstractThis study applies a quantitative method to analyze variation in Pacific trade winds in 1950–2020. It's found that the southeast and northeast trade winds enter an acceleration period since the mid to late 1990s while the wind are enhanced in each month of the year. The enhancement of southeast trade wind is less intense than that of northeast trade wind. Further analysis shows that after the acceleration, the correlation between sea level pressure/sea surface temperature (SST) and the trade wind speed in the Pacific subtropical high area are obviously strengthened. The negative correlation between sea level pressure and SST in this area is also enhanced, which may be due to the enhancement of trade wind that have caused a decrease in SST. The reduction further enhanced and maintained a higher sea level pressure, thus forming a configuration which is conducive to the intensification of trade wind.
High-performance polarization management devices based on thin-film lithium niobate
Authors: Lin Zhongjin , Lin Yanmei , Li Hao , Xu Mengyue , He Mingbo , Ke Wei , Tan Heyun , Han Ya , Li Zhaohui , Wang Dawei , Yao X. Steve , Fu Songnian , Yu Siyuan , Cai Xinlun 
Published: April 2022

AbstractHigh-speed polarization management is highly desirable for many applications, such as remote sensing, telecommunication, and medical diagnosis. However, most of the approaches for polarization management rely on bulky optical components that are slow to respond, cumbersome to use, and sometimes with high drive voltages. Here, we overcome these limitations by harnessing photonic integrated circuits based on thin-film lithium niobate platform. We successfully realize a portfolio of thin-film lithium niobate devices for essential polarization management functionalities, including arbitrary polarization generation, fast polarization measurement, polarization scrambling, and automatic polarization control. The present devices feature ultra-fast control speeds, low drive voltages, low optical losses and compact footprints. Using these devices, we achieve high fidelity polarization generation with a polarization extinction ratio up to 41.9 dB and fast polarization scrambling with a scrambling rate up to 65 Mrad s−1, both of which are best results in integrated optics. We also demonstrate the endless polarization state tracking operation in our devices. The demonstrated devices unlock a drastically new level of performance and scales in polarization management devices, leading to a paradigm shift in polarization management.
Primary CD33-targeting CAR-NK cells for the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia
Authors: Albinger Nawid , Pfeifer Rita , Nitsche Marcus , Mertlitz Sarah , Campe Julia , Stein Katja , Kreyenberg Hermann , Schubert Ralf , Quadflieg Melissa , Schneider Dina , Kühn Michael W. M. , Penack Olaf , Zhang Congcong , Möker Nina , Ullrich Evelyn 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAcute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a malignant disorder derived from neoplastic myeloid progenitor cells characterized by abnormal proliferation and differentiation. Although novel therapeutics have recently been introduced, AML remains a therapeutic challenge with insufficient cure rates. In the last years, immune-directed therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cells were introduced, which showed outstanding clinical activity against B-cell malignancies including acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). However, the application of CAR-T cells appears to be challenging due to the enormous molecular heterogeneity of the disease and potential long-term suppression of hematopoiesis. Here we report on the generation of CD33-targeted CAR-modified natural killer (NK) cells by transduction of blood-derived primary NK cells using baboon envelope pseudotyped lentiviral vectors (BaEV-LVs). Transduced cells displayed stable CAR-expression, unimpeded proliferation, and increased cytotoxic activity against CD33-positive OCI-AML2 and primary AML cells in vitro. Furthermore, CD33-CAR-NK cells strongly reduced leukemic burden and prevented bone marrow engraftment of leukemic cells in OCI-AML2 xenograft mouse models without observable side effects.
Downregulation of REST in the cochlea contributes to age-related hearing loss via the p53 apoptosis pathway
Authors: Li Hongchen , Lu Mingshun , Zhang Haiwei , Wang Shengnan , Wang Fei , Ma Xueya , Liu Jiaxi , Li Xinyu , Yang Haichao , Shen Haitao , Lv Ping 
Published: April 2022

AbstractAge-related hearing loss (AHL) is the most common sensory disorder amongst the elderly population. Although the degeneration of spiral ganglion neurons (SGNs) and hair cells (HCs) is considered to play a critical role in AHL, the mechanism has not been fully outlined. The repressor element 1-silencing transcription factor (REST) has recently been associated with mediating cell death in neurodegenerative diseases. However, whether REST induces degeneration of cochlear HCs and SGNs to contribute to AHL remains unknown. Here, we report that REST expression was decreased in HCs and SGNs in AHL mice. Conditional deletion ofRestin HCs and SGNs of 2-month-old mice resulted in hearing loss accompanied by the upregulation of p53, TNFR1(tumor necrosis factor receptor-1), and cleaved caspase-3. The p53 inhibitor pifithrin-α significantly attenuated SGN and HC damage and rescued hearing impairment inRestcKO mice. Furthermore, downregulation of REST by H2O2treatment induced apoptosis in the House Ear Institute Organ of Corti 1 cell, through the upregulation of p53. In contrast, overexpression of REST reversed the changes in p53 expression. In addition, REST was further shown to bind directly to the p53 promoter site, thereby inhibiting the effect of p53. Finally, in aged mice, the p53 inhibitor significantly reduced loss of HCs and SGNs, and subsequently improved hearing. In summary, our findings indicate that REST has a protective role in AHL, and that its deficiency upregulates p53 and induces cochlear cell apoptosis, which that leads to deafness.