Nearby Regions Research Articles

Deep Citywide Multisource Data Fusion-Based Air Quality Estimation.

With the increasingly serious air pollution, people are paying more and more attention to air quality. However, air quality information is not available for all regions, as the number of air quality monitoring stations in a city is limited. Existing air quality estimation methods only consider the multisource data of partial regions and separately estimate the air qualities of all regions. In this article, we propose a deep citywide multisource data fusion-based air quality estimation (FAIRY) method. FAIRY considers the citywide multisource data and estimates the air qualities of all regions at a time. Specifically, FAIRY constructs images from the citywide multisource data (i.e., meteorology, traffic, factory air pollutant emission, point of interest, and air quality) and uses SegNet to learn the multiresolution features from these images. The features with the same resolution are fused by the self-attention mechanism to provide multisource feature interactions. To get a complete air quality image with high resolution, FAIRY refines low-resolution fused features by employing high-resolution fused features through residual connections. In addition, the Tobler's first law of geography is used to constrain the air qualities of adjacent regions, which can fully use the air quality relevance of nearby regions. Extensive experimental results demonstrate that FAIRY achieves the state-of-the-art performance on the Hangzhou city dataset, outperforming the best baseline by 15.7% on MAE.

Liquid Chromatography-High-Resolution Mass Spectrometry (LC-HRMS) Fingerprinting and Chemometrics for Coffee Classification and Authentication.

Nowadays, the quality of natural products is an issue of great interest in our society due to the increase in adulteration cases in recent decades. Coffee, one of the most popular beverages worldwide, is a food product that is easily adulterated. To prevent fraudulent practices, it is necessary to develop feasible methodologies to authenticate and guarantee not only the coffee's origin but also its variety, as well as its roasting degree. In the present study, a C18 reversed-phase liquid chromatography (LC) technique coupled to high-resolution mass spectrometry (HRMS) was applied to address the characterization and classification of Arabica and Robusta coffee samples from different production regions using chemometrics. The proposed non-targeted LC-HRMS method using electrospray ionization in negative mode was applied to the analysis of 306 coffee samples belonging to different groups depending on the variety (Arabica and Robusta), the growing region (e.g., Ethiopia, Colombia, Nicaragua, Indonesia, India, Uganda, Brazil, Cambodia and Vietnam), and the roasting degree. Analytes were recovered with hot water as the extracting solvent (coffee brewing). The data obtained were considered the source of potential descriptors to be exploited for the characterization and classification of the samples using principal component analysis (PCA) and partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA). In addition, different adulteration cases, involving nearby production regions and different varieties, were evaluated by pairs (e.g., Vietnam Arabica-Vietnam Robusta, Vietnam Arabica-Cambodia and Vietnam Robusta-Cambodia). The coffee adulteration studies carried out with partial least squares (PLS) regression demonstrated the good capability of the proposed methodology to quantify adulterant levels down to 15%, accomplishing calibration and prediction errors below 2.7% and 11.6%, respectively.

Identification of the NOD-like receptor family of golden pompano and expression in response to bacterial and parasitic exposure reveal its key role in innate immunity

This study presents a genome-wide identification of NOD-like receptors (NLRs) in the golden pompano, key to its innate immunity. We identified 30 ToNLRs, analyzing their chromosomal positions, characteristics, evolutionary relationships, evidence of positive selection, and synteny with the yellowtail kingfish. Our findings categorize these NLRs into three main subgroups: NLRA, NLRC, and the distinct ToNLRX1. Post-exposure to Streptococcus agalactiae, most ToNLRs increased expression in the spleen, whereas NLRC3like13, NLRC3like16, and NLRC3like19 so in the kidneys. Upon Cryptocaryon irritans exposure, we categorized our groups based on the site of infection into the control group (BFS), the trophont-attached skin (TAS), and the nearby region skin (NRS). ToAPAF1 and ToNOD1 expressions rose in the NRS, in contrast to decreased expressions of ToNLRC5, ToNWD1 and ToCIITA. Other ToNLRs showed variable expressions in the TAS. Overall, this research lays the groundwork for further exploration of innate immunity in the golden pompano.

Monitoring urban heat island intensity based on GNSS tomography technique

Monitoring urban heat island (UHI) effect is critical because it causes health problems and excessive energy consumption more energy when cooling buildings. In this study, we propose an approach for UHI monitoring by fusing data from ground-based global navigation satellite system (GNSS), space-based GNSS radio occultation (RO), and radiosonde. The idea of the approach is as follows: First, the first and second grid tops are defined based on historical RO and radiosonde observations. Next, the wet refractivities between the first and second grid tops are fitted to higher-order spherical harmonics and they are used as the inputs of GNSS tomography. Then, the temperature and water vapor partial pressure are estimated by using best search method based on the tomography-derived wet refractivity. In the end, the UHI intensity is evaluated by calculating the temperature difference between the urban regions and nearby rural regions. Feasibility of the UHI intensity monitoring approach was evaluated with GNSS RO and radiosonde data in 2010–2019, as well as ground-based GNSS data in 2020 in Hong Kong, China, by taking synoptic temperature data as reference. The result shows that the proposed approach achieved an accuracy of 1.2 K at a 95% confidence level.

Material Removal Mechanism and Evolution of Subsurface Defects during Nanocutting of Monocrystalline Cu

Multigroup large-scalenanocutting models of monocrystalline Cu were established by molecular dynamics simulations to investigate the influence of cutting parameters on the material removal mechanism. The formation and distribution of subsurface defect structures were revealed, and the evolution behavior of the complete prismatic dislocation loop was analyzed in depth. It was demonstrated that the chips and machined surface of monocrystalline Cu were mainly formed under the coupling effect of shearing and extrusion forces. A diamond tool with a larger edge radius or a negative rake angle could produce a noticeable suppression on the chip formation. The corresponding relationship between the location of defect atoms and the distribution of von Mises stress was studied, which indicated that the shear stress would become larger at the subgrain boundaries, dislocation lines, and the amorphous atoms than that in their nearby regions. The complete prismatic dislocation loop was formed by cross-slip between two sets of stacking faults; meanwhile, the generated multiple Lomer–Cottrell locks hindered its movement and promoted the work-hardening phenomenon. These research results are of great theoretical value to enrich the nanocutting mechanism and technology of plastic materials.

Constitutive Modeling for Flow Stress and Processing Maps of a 0.2C–2.0Mn–0.5Cr Microalloyed Steel

Low‐carbon microalloyed steel with the microstructure of bainite is frequently utilized to produce automotive parts. The systematic investigation of the hot deformation behavior can serve as a reference for the optimization of deformation process parameters. The hot deformation of 0.2C–2.0Mn–0.5Cr microalloyed steel is studied. Based on the stress–strain curve, an Arrhenius model with strain compensation is established. The correlation coefficient R2 and the average absolute relative error calculated according to this model are 0.962 and 4.871%. The microstructure evolution at the strain of 0.90 is studied. In the stable region with substantial power dissipation, the microstructure is uniformly fine. The strain rate is high in the stable region with low‐power dissipation, and the room‐temperature microstructure after deformation retains a large amount of deformation storage energy and fine substructures. During deformation, the banded structures are formed in the instable region. The difference in dislocation density between the band structure and the nearby regions promotes the formation of necklace microstructures. Therefore, the 0.2C–2.0Mn–0.5Cr microalloyed steel has an ideal deformation process window in the range of a hot deformation temperature of 880–920 °C and a strain rate of 0.1–0.3 s−1.

Laser speckle contrast imaging for intraoperative assessment of intestinal microcirculation in normo- and hypovolemic circulation in a porcine model

Introduction: Healing is essential for successful colorectal surgery. Optimal microcirculation is needed to ensure this; however, this is only subjectively assessed by the surgeon. Laser Speckle Contrast Imaging (LSCI) is an objective non-contact, image-based method to quantify microcirculation in bowel ends. This study aimed to evaluate the application of LSCI in an open surgery porcine model, determine differences between normal and impaired microcirculation, and test the LSCI applicability to repeated measurements. Method: A midline laparotomy was made in ten healthy female pigs to expose the colon and small intestine. Subsequently, baseline measurements were conducted. A local arteria supplying the colonic or small intestine mesentery was clamped for 5 min. and LSCI measures were made again. After an hour’s rest, LSCI measurements were done in two unaffected areas on the colon and the small intestine, and baseline values were recorded. Hypotension was induced with rapid bleeding and LSCI measurements were done. After the mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) dropped to 50-60 mmHg, norepinephrine infusion was started. At a stable MAP of 85-100 mmHg, LSCI measurements were repeated at 0 min. and 30 min. during continuous norepinephrine infusion. Results: Cross-clamping caused LSCI levels to drop equally in both the colon and small intestine by 60% in the entire the clamped zone. Compared to baseline, the microcirculation measured by LSCI in the unclamped adjacent transition zone was diminished by 33% and 40%, colon and small intestines, respectively. During hypotension due to bleeding, LSCI decreased as expected. When MAP was stabilized by norepinephrine infusion, LSCI values dropped further: compared to baseline, measurements decreased with 24% and 20% in colon and small intestines, respectively. Conclusion: LSCI can be used as a quantitative, real-time, non-contact method to detect changes in the microcirculation during open intestinal surgery with large changes in microcirculation due to e.g., hypovolemic and norepinephrine infusion. It is simple to use and in contrast to the existing intraoperative microcirculation assessment techniques, LSCI stands out primarily for its elimination of the requirement for a dye. As our study has shown, this feature allows us to perform time-independent measurements and repeat them indefinitely in nearby regions without compromising the effectiveness of the method.

Radiocarbon dates from the Netherlands and Doggerland as a proxy for vegetation and faunal biomass between 55 and 5 ka cal bp

ABSTRACTThree hundred forty‐one radiocarbon dates from the Groningen radiocarbon database are compiled in this study. They show for the first time that organic sediment samples from the eastern Netherlands and mammal bones from Doggerland reflect shifts in the presence and the density of vegetation (food for herbivores) and mammal biomass during the last ice age (Weichselian Stage, ~119–14.7 ka cal bp). Comparison with oxygen isotope curves of Greenland ice cores and geomorphological data shows that cold climate, in particular during the younger part of the Weichselian Middle Pleniglacial and during the Late Pleniglacial, and related scarcity or even absence of vegetation, were limiting factors for the carrying capacity of the landscape and thus for the population density of large herbivores during the period covered by 14C dating (last ca. 55 000 years). A ‘fossil gap’ during the Late Pleniglacial lasted ca. 13 000 years from ca. 28 to 15 ka cal bp. Previous research from the nearby Eifel region in Germany shows that environmental conditions were less extreme (‘refugium conditions’) than in the Netherlands, taking into account the continuous presence of spores of coprophilous fungi in the Eifel, indicating uninterrupted food supply for herbivores.

Hiding in plain sight: Surge pricing and strategic providers

Many on‐demand service platforms employ surge pricing policies, charging higher prices and raising provider compensation when customer demand exceeds provider supply. There is increasing evidence that service providers understand these pricing policies and strategically collude to induce artificial supply shortages by reducing the number of providers showing as available online. We study a stylized mathematical model of a setting in which an on‐demand service platform determines its pricing and provider compensation policies, anticipating their impact on customer demand and the participation of strategic providers, who might collectively decide to limit the number of providers showing online as available. We find that collusion can substantially harm the platform and customers, especially when the potential demand is large, and the supply of providers in nearby regions is limited. We explore two pricing policies that a platform could employ in the presence of (potential) provider collusion: a bonus pricing policy that offers additional provider payments on top of the regular compensation and the optimal pricing policy that maximizes the platform's expected profit while taking strategic provider behavior fully into consideration. Both policies feature a compensation structure that ensures that total provider earnings increase in the number of providers available, thereby encouraging all providers to offer their service. We show that both policies can effectively mitigate the impact of potential provider collusion, with the bonus pricing policy often performing near‐optimally. As it might be difficult for a platform to accurately estimate the propensity of providers to collude, we numerically evaluate how platform profits are affected if the pricing policy is designed based on possibly incorrect estimates of the providers' propensity to collude. Our observations suggest that a platform should design its pricing policy under the assumption that all providers are strategic and consider collusion, as the losses associated with implementing such a policy in settings with minor risk of collusion are limited, while the potential losses from failing to consider rampant collusion can be significant.

Developing Iran's empirical zenith wet delay model (IR-ZWD)

The presence of water vapor in the lower atmosphere can introduce errors in satellite-based geodetic observations. Accurate modeling of this part of atmospheric delay is particularly challenging due to the considerable variations of water vapor. Therefore, constructing a reasonable model to predict Zenith Wet Delay (ZWD) can improve the accuracy of geodetic observations and positioning techniques. In this study, we aim at constructing a regional ZWD model for Iran and nearby regions (called the IR-ZWD model) using base functions with local support. The mode is based on the five-year outputs of the Empirical Reanalysis Fifth generation (ERA5) data with the spatial resolution of about 0.25° from 2017 to 2021. The B-spline base functions are used to effectively represent local spatial changes in the spectral domain and to decrease the number of unknown parameters. A B-spline model with the order and surface resolution of about 3 and 5 (scalar values) is found to be efficient, which has an equivalent spatial resolution of ∼0.5°. Temporal variations are accounted for by applying a constant term, along with periodic components with annual, semi-annual, 3-, and 4-monthly periods. Our results demonstrate that the proposed model has a mean Root Mean Squared Error (RMSE) of about 0.035 m within Iran, which represents an improvement of approximately 12.5% compared to the commonly used global empirical models such as GPT3w, GTrop, and HGPT2. The correlation coefficient value of 0.55 is found between IR-ZWD and ERA5 data, which is about 10% higher than that of, e.g., GPT3w and GTrop. The IR-ZWD model is also evaluated against five radiosonde stations and ZWD from the Jason-3 satellite mission. In both cases, the results indicate that IR-ZWD can reduce the RMSE and MAE values of about 10%, and it improves the correlation coefficient value about 9%.

Access to Chimeric Antigen T-Cell Receptor (CAR-T) Therapies for Patients with Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL) in the Catchment Area of Oregon

Background: NHL is the 8 th most common cancer in the U.S. and exhibits poor survival, particularly among patients with disease resistant to chemotherapy. While CAR-T therapies are now available for patients with advanced disease, access to these therapies has been reported to be inequitable across varied sociodemographic populations. The Knight Cancer Institute is the only academic medical center and facility offering CART therapy in Oregon and nearby region, with the next closest center located 200 miles away. In this retrospective study, we identified baseline demographic and socioeconomic factors of NHL patients treated with CAR-T therapies at our institution, and factors associated with commercial versus investigational product used and overall survival. Methods: Adult patients with relapsed/refractory B-cell NHL referred to the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute for CAR-T therapy between Jan 2016 and May 2023 were included. Data collected included age, gender, race/ethnicity, zip-code, insurance type, disease type and status at time of treatment, and clinical trial participation. Zip-codes were used to estimate poverty level as defined by American Community Survey, rural-urban continuum codes and distance to the treatment center. Results: A total of 154 patients with median age of 62.7 years (range, 23.5-81.6) underwent CAR-T therapy for relapsed/refractory B-cell NHL with 4 commercial (86%) and 6 investigational products (14%). Of these, 43% were older than 65 years, 68% male and 14% self-identified as non-White (including Hispanic). Approximately 66% of those younger than 65 years were privately insured, while 82% of those over 65 years had Medicare. The majority of patients were from Oregon (85%), 12% from neighboring states of Southwest Washington and Idaho, and 2.6% from states outside of the Pacific Northwest region. About 29% of patients came from areas with poverty before the national level, 18% from non-Metropolitan areas (1.3% from remote rural areas). About 52% lived more than 30 miles away and 29% lived > 120 miles from the treatment center. Of the 22 patients receiving investigational products, 59% were males, 27% were older than 65, 18% were Non-white (including Hispanic), 46% had public insurance, 29% lived in areas below the national poverty level, 36% lived in non-Metropolitan areas (9% in remote rural areas), 55% were from areas > 60 miles away and 27% from areas > 120 miles from the treatment center. There were no statistical differences in utilization of commercial vs. research products for patients from racial/ethnic minorities or those living in areas > 30 miles, 60 or 120 miles from the transplant center, as compared to their counterparts. The proportion of patients receiving commercial products (vs. investigational product) was lower for patients from nonmetropolitan areas compared to metropolitan areas (71% vs. 88%, p=0.031) and for those living in areas below the national poverty level (76% vs. 90%, p=0.039), Table 1. With a median follow-up of 303 days (range, 30-1861) for survivors, the overall survival (OS) for the entire cohort is 65.8% (95 thCI, 62.6-68.9%). There were no statistically significant differences in overall survival for patients from racial/ethnic minorities, those living in non-metropolitan areas, living > 30 miles, 60 or 120 miles from the transplant center or in areas below the national poverty level, as compared to their counterparts. Conclusions: Although CAR-T access may vary by region, we have been able to offer this therapy to patients from socioeconomically diverse backgrounds in Oregon and nearby region. Our study highlights the importance of accounting for social determinants of health when implementing CAR-T therapy programs to optimize access to all patients. Participation in clinical trials may expand access to CART therapies, especially for those for which commercial products are less available.

Spatio-temporal analysis of seismic potential in the Himalayas and its nearby region: an insight from seismicity and earthquake susceptibility index

Spatio-temporal analysis of seismic potential in the Himalayas and its nearby region: an insight from seismicity and earthquake susceptibility index

Littoral meiofauna community structure in San Julián bay, Santa Cruz province, Argentina

For the first time, standing stocks and community structure have been reported in San Julián Bay, located in the Santa Cruz province, toward the southern tip of South America, within the sub-Antarctic region. The mean density of the meiofauna found was 6724 individuals/10 cm2, with a high dominance of nematodes (97.69%). Multivariate studies (PERMANOVA) revealed two distinct meiofauna assemblages: one, in an upper littoral salt marsh habitat and other, in a medium to low soft bare sediment. In the middle of the bay —in front of San Julián city— salt marsh habitats had the highest meiofaunal density, while bare sediments (medium-low levels) were the lowest. The mean average in the salt marsh area was 12246 individuals/10 cm2, with nematodes being dominant followed by oligochaetes as the subdominant taxa. The mean average in bare sediments (medium to low levels) was 3962 individuals/10 cm2, with nematodes as dominant and turbellarians, mastigophorans and maxillopodos (harpacticoid copepods) as subdominant taxa. Bare sediments related to Patagonian mussel’s populations presented the lowest meiofauna densities. Diversity showed an opposite trend, with a maximum in medium-low levels and a minimum in salt-marshes habitat. Richness in number of taxa ranged from 8 to 12, with a total number of 18 taxa. Despite dominance of nematodes in meiofauna assemblages is known, maximum density found in San Julián bay is much higher than previously found for estuaries from north and mid-latitudes littoral sandy beaches and in the nearby region of the Straits of Magellan and Beagle Channel and other sub-Antarctic and Antarctic sites. On the other hand, the number of meiofauna taxa (no nematodes) is low, and its community structure differs from what has been reported in previous studies. The meiofauna taxa assemblages provide evidence that, in salt-marsh habitats, they have the highest densities, but the lowest diversity when compared with lower levels. This is likely due to adaptation problems of meiofauna communities to a semi-terrestrial habitat.

A new α-amylase inhibitory peptide from Gynura medica extract

In this study, we discovered a novel peptide, Gymepeptide A, with α-amylase inhibitory activity in the water extract of Gynura medica. The structure of Gymepeptide A was determined as CGDREETR using HR-MS, 1H NMR, 13C NMR, and 2D-NMR techniques. Notably, Gymepeptide A possesses a rare double arginine residue structure and exhibits strong α-amylase inhibitory activity. Enzyme dynamic assays, molecular docking experiments, and isothermal titration calorimetry indicated that the double arginine residue structure of Gymepeptide A interacts with amino acid residues in the nearby active site region of α-amylase through hydrogen bonds and van der Waals forces. This interaction effectively inhibits the hydrolysis activity of α-amylase. Furthermore, in vitro starch digestion tests revealed that Gymepeptide A significantly reduced the digestion rate of starch and the concentration of glucose produced after starch digestion. These findings highlight the great potential of Gymepeptide A in decreasing postprandial blood glucose levels.

Side-by-side regions in dorsolateral prefrontal cortex estimated within the individual respond differentially to domain-specific and domain-flexible processes.

A recurring debate concerns whether regions of primate prefrontal cortex (PFC) support domain-flexible or domain-specific processes. Here we tested the hypothesis with functional MRI (fMRI) that side-by-side PFC regions, within distinct parallel association networks, differentially support domain-flexible and domain-specialized processing. Individuals (N = 9) were intensively sampled, and all effects were estimated within their own idiosyncratic anatomy. Within each individual, we identified PFC regions linked to distinct networks, including a dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) region coupled to the medial temporal lobe (MTL) and an extended region associated with the canonical multiple-demand network. We further identified an inferior PFC region coupled to the language network. Exploration in separate task data, collected within the same individuals, revealed a robust functional triple dissociation. The DLPFC region linked to the MTL was recruited during remembering and imagining the future, distinct from juxtaposed regions that were modulated in a domain-flexible manner during working memory. The inferior PFC region linked to the language network was recruited during sentence processing. Detailed analysis of the trial-level responses further revealed that the DLPFC region linked to the MTL specifically tracked processes associated with scene construction. These results suggest that the DLPFC possesses a domain-specialized region that is small and easily confused with nearby (larger) regions associated with cognitive control. The newly described region is domain specialized for functions traditionally associated with the MTL. We discuss the implications of these findings in relation to convergent anatomical analysis in the monkey.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Competing hypotheses link regions of prefrontal cortex (PFC) to domain-flexible or domain-specific processes. Here, using a precision neuroimaging approach, we identify a domain-specialized region in dorsolateral PFC, coupled to the medial temporal lobe and recruited for scene construction. This region is juxtaposed to, but distinct from, broader PFC regions recruited flexibly for cognitive control. Region distinctions align with broader network differences, suggesting that PFC regions gain dissociable processing properties via segregated anatomical projections.

High-Speed Railway Network, City Heterogeneity, and City Innovation

The emergence of the time–space contraction effect from the high-speed railway (HSR) network in China has been beneficial in breaking down regional divisions, thus facilitating the circulation of resources and optimizing resource distribution and production efficiency. However, research has not adequately addressed the city disparities of the HSR network and their effects on city innovation. Through the heterogeneity perspective of ‘New’ new economic geography, this study employs the 2008–2019 panel data at the city level in China and builds a spatial Durbin model based on continuous spatial difference in differences to investigate the mechanism of the HSR network on city innovation and to analyze its agglomeration and diffusion effect of innovative factors under different city sizes and spatial perspectives. This study revealed that the HSR network could significantly increase the innovation of local cities and neighboring cities, yet there is a certain threshold of city size that affects city innovation. Large cities covered by HSRs can take advantage of gathering talent, financial capital, and industry from nearby regions, thus constructing a new spatial pattern of innovative development. This study also found that the innovation accelerative effect gradually decreases as the distance from the city covered by HSRs increases and completely disappears at the distance of 400 km. Therefore, it is necessary to optimize the HSR network and increase the mobility and agglomeration of innovative elements between cities, thus deepening the collaboration between cities through differentiated strategies. This will enhance the spatial spillover effect of innovation, thus ultimately achieving a balanced spatial pattern of city innovation.

The 2021–2022 Genoa seismic sequences reveal distributed strike-slip deformation in the Alps-Apennines transition zone, NW Italy

The complex tectonic evolution of the Alps-Apennines transition zone in NW Italy is still a matter of debate. In this work, we analyze the 2021–2022 seismic sequences around Genoa to understand how convergence between Africa and Europe is presently accommodated across the Alps-Apennines transition zone. The map-view distribution of HypoDD-relocated seismic events reveals a NE-SW alignment for the Savignone seismic sequence, and NNW-SSE alignments for the Borzonasca and Bargagli sequences. The Borzonasca seismic sequence plots in correspondence of the Villalvernia-Varzi-Ottone Fault, which is often considered as the boundary between the Alps and the Apennines, whereas no seismicity is documented along the Sestri-Voltaggio Fault. The main-shock focal solutions are invariably strike-slip, with near-vertical NNW-SSE and NE-SW to ENE-WSW nodal planes. The evident earthquake alignments in the study area mark active, km-scale fault planes in the upper crust, pointing to a scenario of distributed strike-slip deformation in the transition zone between the Alps and the Apennines. The NE-SW faults are inherited structures that underwent major Neogene rotations and are no longer suitably oriented to accommodate the northward motion of Adria relative to Europe. The Bargagli seismic sequence may reflect the formation of new NNW-SSE strike-slip faults in the upper crust that are more suitably oriented to accommodate the present-day stress field, consistent with the seismotectonic framework outlined by recent works in the nearby regions of the Adria-Europe plate-boundary zone. Our results highlight the important role of strike-slip faulting in the Adria-Europe plate boundary zone not only in the past, but also during its present-day evolution.

Standing on the shoulder of a giant landslide: A six-year long InSAR look at a slow-moving hillslope in the western Karakoram

In this work, we investigate a slow-moving, large landslide (∼20 km2) in the Chitral district in Northern Pakistan, near several villages. The slow-moving landslide was reported more than four decades ago but has never been examined afterward. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) analyses, using Sentinel-1 data that span a period of six years, allowed us to retrieve the spatio-temporal pattern of hillslope deformation. We combined both ascending and descending orbits to identify vertical and horizontal deformations. Our results showed that the crown is moving relatively fast in comparison to the nearby regions; 30 mm/year and 40 mm/year in downward and eastward directions, respectively. Also, step-like deformations observed over the crown reflect a deep-seated landslide. At the footslope, on the other hand, we captured relatively high deformations but in an upward direction; specifically 30 mm/year and 30 mm/year in upward and eastward directions, respectively. We have discussed the possible roles of meteorologic and anthropogenic factors causing hillslope deformation occurred during the six-year period under consideration. We observed a seasonal deformation patterns that might be mainly interpreted to be governed by the influence of snowmelt due to increasing temperatures during the start of spring. Overall, the same mechanism might be present in many other hillslopes across the whole Hindukush-Himalayan-Karakoram range, where seasonal snowmelt is an active agent. In this context, this research provides a case study shedding a light on the hillslope deformation mechanism at the western edge of the Himalayan range.

To let go or not to let go: how ParA can impact the release of the chromosomal anchoring in Caulobacter crescentus.

Chromosomal maintenance is vital for the survival of bacteria. In Caulobacter crescentus, chromosome replication initiates at ori and segregation is delayed until the nearby centromere-like region parS is replicated. Our understanding of how this sequence of events is regulated remains limited. The segregation of parS has been shown to involve multiple steps including polar release from anchoring protein PopZ, slow movementand fast ParA-dependent movement to theopposite cell pole. In this study, we demonstrate that ParA's competing attractions from PopZ and from DNA are critical for segregation of parS. Interfering with this balance of attractions-by expressing a variant ParA-R195E unable to bind DNA and thus favoring interactions exclusively between ParA-PopZ-results in cell death. Our data revealed that ParA-R195E's sole interactions with PopZ obstruct PopZ's ability to release the polar anchoring of parS, resulting in cells with multiple parS loci fixed at one cell pole. We show that the inability to separate and segregate multiple parS loci from the pole is specifically dependent on the interaction between ParA and PopZ. Collectively, our results reveal that the initial steps in chromosome segregation are highly regulated.

Quantifying the Consistency and Characterizing the Confidence of Coronal Holes Detected by Active Contours Without Edges (ACWE)

Coronal Holes (CHs) are regions of open magnetic-field lines, resulting in high-speed solar wind. Accurate detection of CHs is vital for space-weather prediction. This paper presents an intramethod ensemble for coronal-hole detection based on the Active Contours Without Edges (ACWE) segmentation algorithm. The purpose of this ensemble is to develop a confidence map that defines, for all ondisk regions of a solar extreme ultraviolet (EUV) image, the likelihood that each region belongs to a CH based on that region’s proximity to, and homogeneity with, the core of identified CH regions. By relying on region homogeneity, and not intensity (which can vary due to various factors, including line-of-sight changes and stray light from nearby bright regions), to define the final confidence of any given region, this ensemble is able to provide robust, consistent delineations of the CH regions. Using the metrics of global consistency error (GCE), local consistency error (LCE), intersection over union (IOU), and the structural similarity index measure (SSIM), the method is shown to be robust to different spatial resolutions maintaining a median IOU >0.75\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$>0.75$\\end{document} and minimum SSIM >0.93\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$>0.93$\\end{document} even when the segmentation process was performed on an EUV image decimated from 4096×4096\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$4096\ imes 4096$\\end{document} pixels down to 512×512\\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \\usepackage{amsmath} \\usepackage{wasysym} \\usepackage{amsfonts} \\usepackage{amssymb} \\usepackage{amsbsy} \\usepackage{mathrsfs} \\usepackage{upgreek} \\setlength{\\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \\begin{document}$512\ imes 512$\\end{document} pixels. Furthermore, using the same metrics, the method is shown to be robust across short timescales, producing segmentation with a mean IOU of 0.826 from EUV images taken at a 1-h cadence, and showing a smooth decay in similarity across all metrics as a function of time, indicating self-consistent segmentations even when corrections for exposure time have not been applied to the data. Finally, the accuracy of the segmentations and confidence maps are validated by considering the skewness (i.e., unipolarity) of the underlying magnetic field.