bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Systems Methodology: Applications to Extension and Teaching
Authors: Koch A. Robert
Published: May 2019

Varying degrees of criticism have been leveled at the U.S. higher education system. The increasing money costs to obtain the bachelor's degree, and degree recipients who are noncommunicative, non-decision makers, and not exposed to the liberal arts have been voiced as deficiencies of the system. The Carnegie Commission has recently recommended reevaluation of our universities’ curricula and philosophies and U.S. Secretary of Education, William Bennett, has crusaded for education overhaul.
Discussion: Systems Approach to Agricultural Problems
Authors: Elterich J.
Published: May 2019

Since I have no quarrels with Dr. Koch's excellent and vivid synoptic view, my comments will address the workshop that Bob and I attended at Colorado State University from my vantage point and I will attempt to show parallelisms to Glenn Johnson's views on research methodology as presented in his 1986 book on “Research Methodology for Economists.”
Potential Water Use Conflicts Generated by Irrigated Agriculture in Rhode Island
Authors: Gold Arthur , Weaver Thomas , Porter Edwin , Opaluch James
Published: May 2019

This study constructs a simulation model to evaluate the potential for conflict among residential and agricultural users of water in southern Rhode Island. The model estimates the profitability of irrigation of turf farms and projects the total use and the economic value of irrigation water. The results indicate that the economic value of irrigation water compares favorably with current residential water prices in the area. In addition, substantial demand for irrigation water is projected. Given current rates of growth in turf acreage and residential water use, there appears to be a significant potential for conflict, particularly given the absence of well developed institutions for allocating water among users.
Recent Changes in the Regional Structure of U.S. Dairy Production
Authors: Huy Birgit , Elferich Joachim G. , Gempesaw Conrado M.
Published: May 2019

Gauging the impact of recent policy changes, this article analyzes production characteristics and the impact of the dairy assessment for northeastern dairy farmers as compared to other major production regions. Employing a restricted translog variable profit function, returns to size, shadow prices, supply elasticities for milk and livestock as well as demand elasticities for concentrate were estimated. Northeastern, just as midwestern farmers, were less responsive in milk supply and concentrate demand, more responsive in livestock production, and less efficient than their California and Texas counterparts. The dairy assessment affected profits of northeastern farmers later than those of other regions. Negative shadow prices indicated overinvestment into fixed factors.
The Effects of Alternative Seasonal Price Differentials on Milk Production in New York
Authors: Kaiser Harry M. , Oltenacu Pascal A. , Smith Terry R.
Published: May 2019

Uneven monthly milk production (seasonality) is a major problem to the New York dairy industry. This article estimates expected monthly milk production response to a set of hypothetical seasonal price differentials designed to reduce the degree of seasonality. The analysis is based on a random mail survey and farm record data. The results indicate that a seasonal price differential of $1.12 per cwt. (over three times the current differential) would be necessary to completely balance spring and fall production in New York, based on the perceptions of farmers surveyed. Also, producers with better managerial skills are shown to be able to reduce their seasonality at a significantly lower price differential than less skilled farm managers.
The Investment Potential of Warm-Season Grasses for Hill-Land Beef Producers
Authors: D’Souza Gerard E. , Romero Rafael F. , Smith Dennis K.
Published: May 2019

The investment potential of warm-season grasses is compared with that of cool-season grasses, with special emphasis on hill-land beef production. In addition to evaluating relative costs and returns for various grazing systems, a sensitivity analysis is conducted. The results are then illustrated for a representative hill-land farm in West Virginia, and both an optimal and a set of quasi-optimal solutions are generated within the linear programming framework. In general, warm-season grasses are found to be a superior investment alternative for hill-land beef producers.
Parent and Child Tutoring
Authors: Builder Philip
Published: May 2019

There have been some exciting changes in education during the late 70s and early 80s. Of particular significance has been the emphasis on the processes of learning rather than the lockstep, content-oriented curriculum. This has enabled special education teachers to develop a fresh view of children with learning difficulties, discarding notions of their deficits and instead monitoring their current development and learning strategies, and the personal and environmental constraints which operate to limit their learning potential. This approach concentrates on the whole child, establishing strengths, building confidence through success, developing risk-taking behaviours, teaching problemsolving strategies, and learning to become an independent learner.
Employment and Adjustment of Hearing-Impaired School Leavers in New Zealand
Authors: Saunders Joan , Wilton Keri , Tuck Bryan
Published: May 2019

The employment status and social adjustment of two groups of hearing-impaired young adults were compared with those of a group of normal hearing adults of comparable age. One of the hearing-impaired groups had graduated from units (special classes) in regular secondary schools. The rates of unemployment were similar for the hearing-impaired and normal hearing groups, but other intergroup differences in employment characteristics were apparent. In general, the social adjustment of the two groups of hearing-impaired groups was similar to that of the hearing group, although there were indications that the School for Deaf graduates had experienced more difficulty in coping following school graduation.
Review of Curriculum Content and Methods for Severely Handicapped Students
Authors: Marsh Carolyn
Published: May 2019

Developments in curriculum content and method for severely handicapped students are reviewed as they have appeared in published literature over the last ten years. Curriculum content is presented from a normalisation perspective, referring to selected domains, criterion of ultimate functioning, environment, functional and age appropriate skills. The review of curriculum method indicates effective instructional skills to be maximising of instructional time, task analysis, data collection, applying levels of assistance, management of consequences, trial distribution, and generalisation. The implications of these developments are greatest for educational administrators who face changes in location of instruction, management of classes and level of skills needed for teachers of severely handicapped students.
Pulmonary artery banding and venous bidirectional cava-pulmonary shunt for two-stage arterial switch procedure in late referral of patients with transposition of the great arteries and intact ventricular septum: midterm results
Authors: Cevik Ayhan , Karaci Ali Rıza , Polat Bulent , Erturk Murat , Yalcin Yalım , Yazicioglu Volkan , Salihoglu Ece
Published: May 2019

Objective:

Two-stage arterial switch operation and left ventricle retraining are necessary for the patients with left ventricle dysfunction and transposition of great vessels with intact ventricular septum (TGA-IVS) who are referred late.

Material and methods:

Forty-seven patients with the diagnosis of TGA-IVS and left ventricle dysfunction who underwent arterial switch operation in our centre between July 2013 and August 2017 were analysed retrospectively. The inclusion criteria for left ventricle retraining were patients older than 2 months of age at presentation, having an echocardiographic left ventricle mass index of less than 35 g/m², and having an echocardiographic “banana-shaped” left ventricle geometric appearance. The patients were divided into two groups: pulmonary artery banding and Blalock Taussig shunt were performed as the initial surgical procedure for later arterial switch operation in Group I (n = 19) and pulmonary artery banding and bidirectional cava-pulmonary shunt in Group 2 (n = 28).

Results:

The average age was found to be 122.3 ± 45.6 days in Group I and 145.9 ± 37.2 days in Group II. There was no statistically significant difference (p = 0.232 versus p = 0.373) between the average left ventricle mass index of the two groups neither before the first stage nor the second stage (26.6 ± 4.8 g/m² versus 25.0 ± 4.9 g/m² and 70.5 ± 12 g/m² versus 673.8 ± 12.0 g/m², respectively). The average time interval for the left ventricle to retrain was 97.7 ± 42.9 days for Group I and 117.3 ± 40.3 days for Group II, significantly lower in Group I (p = 0.027). The time spent in ICU, length of the period during which inotropic support was required, and the duration of hospital stay were significantly higher in Group I (p<0.001, p < 0.001, and p < 0.00, respectively).

Conclusion:

Pulmonary artery banding and bidirectional cava-pulmonary shunt can be performed as a safe and effective alternative to pulmonary artery banding and arterial Blalock Taussig shunt for patients with TGA-IVS in whom arterial switch operation is needed beyond the neonatal period. This approach involves a shorter hospital stay and fewer post-operative complications.
‘What and then a little robot brings it to you?’ The reactivewhat-xconstruction in spoken dialogue
Authors: PÕLDVERE NELE , PARADIS CARITA
Published: May 2019

In the process of compiling a new corpus of contemporary spoken British English, theLondon–Lund Corpus 2, we hit upon a construction used in the conversations recorded that had not previously been dealt with in the literature, namely the reactivewhat-xconstruction. Prompted by this discovery, we carried out a detailed analysis of its properties and constraints within the broad framework of Cognitive Linguistics, namely Construction Grammar, and found that the reactivewhat-xconstruction features the interrogativewhatdirectly followed by a phrasal or clausal complementx. Moreover,whatforms one tone unit with the complement and never carries a nuclear pitch accent. The core meaning is to signal an immediate reaction to something said by another speaker in the preceding turn, and the dialogic functions include questions proper as well as expressions of disagreement. The two contributions of this study are: (i) to provide a definition of the reactivewhat-xconstruction and (ii) to propose a crucial theoretical extension of Construction Grammar involving a broadening of the concept of construction to cover not only the lexical–semantic pairing but also prosodic properties and the role of the construction in the interactive dialogic space in speech.
Chronic disease self-management within the monthly benefit cycle of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
Authors: Kinsey Eliza Whiteman , Dupuis Roxanne , Oberle Megan , Cannuscio Carolyn C , Hillier Amy
Published: May 2019

Objective:

The present study explored chronic disease management over the monthly benefit cycle among primary food shoppers from households receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits in Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Design:

In-depth interviews, participant observation and surveys were conducted with the primary food shopper of SNAP households.

Setting:

Interviews and surveys were conducted in a clinical setting at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, at participants’ homes, and in food procurement settings including grocery stores, food pantries and soup kitchens.

Participants:

Eighteen adults who received SNAP; five with a diet-related chronic condition, five managing the chronic condition of a family member and thirteen with overweight or obesity.

Results:

All households had at least one member with a chronic disease or condition. Households reported that the dietary demands of managing chronic illnesses were expensive and mentally taxing. Food and financial shortfalls at the end of the benefit cycle, as well as reliance on charitable food assistance programmes, often had negative impacts on chronic disease self-management.

Conclusions:

Drawing from nearly 50 h of in-depth qualitative interviews with SNAP participants, the study highlights the dual cognitive burden of poverty and chronic disease and elucidates the particular challenges of food procurement and maintenance of diet quality throughout the benefit month faced by SNAP households with diet-related chronic diseases. Interventions targeted at reducing the cost of medically appropriate, healthy foods may help to improve chronic disease self-management within SNAP populations.
The Parity and Disparity between Inner and Outer Experience in Kant
Authors: Kraus Katharina
Published: May 2019

This article advocates a new interpretation ofinner experience– the experience that one has of one’s empirical-psychological features ‘from within’ – in Kant. It argues that for Kant inner experience is the empirical cognition of mental states, but not that of a persistent mental substance. The schema of persistence is thereby substituted with the regulative idea of the soul. This view is shown to be superior to two opposed interpretations: the parity view that regards inner experience as empirical cognition of a mental object on a par with outer experience and the disparity view that denies altogether that inner experience is empirical cognition.
Autonomy and the Idea of Freedom: Some Reflections onGroundworkIII
Authors: Reath Andrews
Published: May 2019

This article explores a set of questions about the ‘idea of freedom’ that Kant introduces in the fourth paragraph ofGroundworkIII. I develop a reading that supports treating it as a normative notion and brings out its normative content in some detail. I argue that we should understand the idea as follows: that it is a general feature of reasoning and judgement that it understands itself to be a correct or sound application of the normative standards of the relevant domain of cognition, not influenced by irrelevant or external factors. Reasoning and judgement are thus normatively committed to these standards of correctness. A second and related concern is to explore connections between the idea of freedom and Kant’s conception of autonomy and to identify different points at which autonomy plays a role in the argument ofGroundworkIII. In the final section, I mine the idea of freedom for a set of normative commitments specific to rational agency that play a foundational role in Kant’s moral conception.
Human Rights in a Kantian Key
Authors: Sangiovanni Andrea
Published: May 2019

This article discusses Luigi Caranti’s Kant’s Political Legacy, which argues, among other things, that a Kantian reconstruction of dignity can provide a foundation for human rights. Caranti’s book is one of the most powerful recent reconstructions of Kant’s political philosophy. Four main points are argued in response. First, to what extent can dignity understood as a value ground the essentially relational character of human rights claims? Second, does Caranti explain why our mere rational capacity to set moral ends has dignity rather than the realization of that capacity in a morally righteous will? Third, how can the argument provided avoid the conclusion that, because people’s capacities vary, their dignity varies too? Fourth, is Kant’s political philosophy incompatible with our modern understanding of human rights and, in particular, their function in international law and practice?
Thiamine deficiency in the bereaved after cancer-related spousal loss
Authors: Onishi Hideki , Uchida Nozomu , Takahashi Takao , Furuya Daisuke , Ebihara Yasuhiro , Sato Izumi , Ito Hiroshi , Ishida Mayumi
Published: May 2019

Objective

Thiamine deficiency (TD) is recognized in various kinds of disease with associated loss of appetite including cancer. However, it has not been recognized to date in bereaved partners after spousal loss from cancer.

Method

From a series of bereaved partners who lost a spouse to cancer, we report on those who developed TD after bereavement.

Result

Case 1 was a 57-year-old woman who sought consultation at our “bereavement clinic.” Her husband had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer one year earlier and had died one month previously. At the first visit, she was observed to suffer depression, anxiety, and decreased appetite. Neurological, blood, and biochemical examinations did not reveal any noteworthy findings. She was diagnosed with uncomplicated bereavement. Detailed examination revealed that her appetite had been markedly decreased for approximately five weeks. The diagnosis of TD was supported by her abnormally low serum thiamine level. Case 2 was a bereaved 73-year-old male who had lost his wife to hypopharyngeal cancer one month previously after a five-year illness. He had shown a lack of energy for the month preceding his wife's death, but because there was no improvement after her death, his family recommended he seek consultation at our “bereavement clinic.” He was suffering from major depressive disorder. Detailed examination revealed that his appetite had been decreased for more than two weeks. Again, the diagnosis of TD was supported by his abnormally low serum thiamine level.

Significance of results

These reports demonstrate that there is a possibility that bereaved could develop TD after the loss of a loved one. TD should be considered whenever there is a loss of appetite lasting for more than 2 weeks, and medical staff should pay careful attention to the physical condition of the bereaved to prevent complications because of TD.
SOME OBSERVATIONS ON TRUTH HIERARCHIES: A CORRECTION
Authors: WELCH PHILIP D.
Published: May 2019

A correction is needed to our paper: to the definition contained within the statement of Lemma 1.5 and thus arguments around it in §3.
Maternal pre-pregnancy weight and twins’ temperament
Authors: Tore Elena C. , Antoniou Evangelia E. , Reed Keith , Southwood Taunton R. , Smits Luc , McCleery Joseph P. , Zeegers Maurice P.
Published: May 2019

Maternal pre-pregnancy weight has been related with young singletons’ cognitive and behavioral development, but it is not clear if it has an effect on temperament. We used a twin cohort to evaluate the association between maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and infants’ temperament. The mothers of 834 twins answered questions regarding their pre-pregnancy BMI and their 0- to 18-month-old children’s temperament using the Revised Infant Behavior Questionnaire. Three temperamental dimensions were examined: activity level, distress to limitation and duration of orienting. The relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and each temperamental component was investigated by means of multilevel mixed-effects linear regression analysis. We found no clear evidence of an association of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI with twins’ temperament. The development of temperament is influenced by a large number of factors, probably different from those influencing children’s emotional and behavioral development.
Temporal Variations in Water Chemistry of the (Lower) Brahmaputra River: Implications to Seasonality in Mineral Weathering
Authors: Samanta Anupam , Tripathy Gyana Ranjan , Das Ritima
Published: May 2019

Dissolved major ions and Sr concentrations of the Brahmaputra River at Guwahati, India, have been investigated on weekly basis for one year to understand the seasonality in weathering pattern and relative contributions from possible solute sources. Comparison of major ion data sets from present and earlier studies for this location shows no appreciable change during last ~50 years. Elemental concentrations and Ca/Na* (Na* = Na − Cl) ratio of the Brahmaputra covary (inversely) with the water discharge; the degree of seasonality, however, is less pronounced compared to other Himalayan (e.g., Ganga and Salween) rivers. The monthly averaged Ca/Si ratios of the Brahmaputra (3.7 ± 0.2), which is lower by ~2 times than those reported earlier for the Ganga outflow (6 ± 1), show minimal (~6%) seasonal changes. Seasonal variability in Na*/K with higher ratios during non‐monsoon period has been attributed to proportionally higher Na supply from hot springs and/or alkaline salts. The silicate‐derived cations (Cats) and Sr (Srs) have been estimated using an inversion method. Although these estimated values broadly show seasonal changes, the average Cats and Srs values for the monsoon (26 ± 4% [Cats]; 26 ± 6% [Srs]) and non‐monsoon (27 ± 3% (Cats); 24 ± 4% (Srs)) seasons are statistically same. These estimates indicate a weak runoff‐weathering linkage for the Brahmaputra river. Outcomes from this study suggest that the chemical weathering intensity of this basin is more dominated by regional rapid weathering around the eastern syntaxis than the climatic (runoff) parameters.
Observation of Synchronization Between Instabilities of the Sporadic E Layer and Geomagnetic Field Line Connected F Region Medium‐Scale Traveling Ionospheric Disturbances
Authors: Ejiri Mitsumu K. , Nakamura Takuji , Tsuda Takuo T. , Nishiyama Takanori , Abo Makoto , She Chiao‐Yao , Nishioka Michi , Saito Akinori , Takahashi Toru , Tsuno Katsuhiko , Kawahara Takuya D. , Ogawa Takayo , Wada Satoshi
Published: May 2019

A frequency‐tunable resonance scattering lidar with high temporal/vertical resolutions (1 min/15 m) observed sporadic calcium ion (Ca+s) layers at ~100 km over Tachikawa (geographical/geomagnetic latitude: 35.7°N/27.1°N), Japan, on 21–22 August 2014. Simultaneously, sporadic E (Es) parameters and medium‐scale traveling ionospheric disturbances (MSTIDs) were observed by an ionosonde and Global Navigation Satellite System receiver network, GEONET, respectively. The maximum densities of the Ca+ and electrons in the Es layer had a strong positive correlation. As observation started ~23:30 LT, the Ca+s layer and the associated Es layer descended at ~2.8 km/hr with density irregularities including Kelvin‐Helmholtz billow‐like structures suggesting the presence of background neutral wind shear and instability. And the total electron content variations showed large amplitude associated with the MSTIDs at an altitude of 300 km in synchronization with the Ca+ column abundance surges at 100 km over Tachikawa; in their respective E and F region locations connected by geomagnetic field line these irregularities are found to vary in phase. At ~02:00 LT, the Ca+s layer stopped descending at ~100 km due to larger ion‐neutral collision frequency in the lower altitudes and resided there quietly until sunrise; both Ca+ column abundance enhancements and the large total electron content variation disappeared as the descent of the Ca+s layer stopped, implicating that the MSTID structure cannot be sustained without the density irregularities of the Es layer. This is the first synchronous observation of the coupling between the Es density irregularities and the MSTIDs in the F region along a common magnetic flux tube.
A Bootstrap‐Based Approach for Improving Measurements by Retarding Potential Analyzers
Authors: Debchoudhury Shantanab , Sengupta Srijan , Earle Gregory , Coley William
Published: May 2019

Retarding potential analyzers are frequently flown on small satellites as in situ ion probes, from which can be derived a number of ion plasma parameters from a current‐voltage relationship (I‐V curve). The traditional method of analyzing retarding potential analyzer data produces inaccuracies in derived estimates when there is significant noise present in the instrument measurements. In this study we investigate the dependencies between parameters that produce uncertainties in noisy I‐V curves. It is found that multiple combinations of ion velocity and spacecraft floating potential can produce I‐V curves that lie within the noise envelope, which renders it difficult for a traditional curve fitting technique to objectively and accurately estimate parameters from a noisy I‐V curve. In this paper we propose BATFORD—a bootstrap resampling‐based technique to improve the accuracies of parameter estimates. It is particularly useful when signal‐to‐noise ratios are low. The algorithm is tested against a traditional curve fitting method for a simulated data set comprising I‐V curves for the middle‐ and low‐latitude ionosphere at low Earth orbit altitudes around 450 km, where O+ is the predominant species. BATFORD is found to provide more robust and reliable estimates assuming generalized noise distribution characteristics. As further validation, the algorithm is applied to satellite data from an orbit with deep plasma bubbles and hence low signal levels.
Are the Moon's Nearside‐Farside Asymmetries the Result of a Giant Impact?
Authors: Zhu Meng‐Hua , Wünnemann Kai , Potter Ross W.K. , Kleine Thorsten , Morbidelli Alessandro
Published: May 2019

The Moon exhibits striking geological asymmetries in elevation, crustal thickness, and composition between its nearside and farside. Although several scenarios have been proposed to explain these asymmetries, their origin remains debated. Recent remote sensing observations suggest that (1) the crust on the farside highlands consists of two layers: a primary anorthositic layer with thickness of ~30‐50 km and on top a more mafic‐rich layer ~10 km thick and (2) the nearside exhibits a large area of low‐Ca pyroxene that has been interpreted to have an impact origin. These observations support the idea that the lunar nearside‐farside asymmetries may be the result of a giant impact. Here using quantitative numerical modeling, we test the hypothesis that a giant impact on the early Moon can explain the striking differences in elevation, crustal thickness, and composition between the nearside and farside of the Moon. We find that a large impactor, impacting the current nearside with a low velocity, can form a mega‐basin and reproduce the characteristics of the crustal asymmetry and structures comparable to those observed on the current Moon, including the nearside lowlands and the farside's mafic‐rich layer on top of a primordial anorthositic crust. Our model shows that the excavated deep‐seated KREEP (potassium, rare earth elements, and phosphorus) material, deposited close to the basin rim, slumps back into the basin and covers the entire basin floor; subsequent large impacts can transport the shallow KREEP material to the surface, resulting in its observed distribution. In addition, our model suggests that prior to the asymmetry‐forming impact, the Moon may have had an 182W anomaly compared to the immediate post‐giant impact Earth's mantle, as predicted if the Moon was created through a giant collision with the proto‐Earth.
Seismic Response to Injection Well Stimulation in a High‐Temperature, High‐Permeability Reservoir
Authors: Hopp Chet , Sewell Steven , Mroczek Stefan , Savage Martha , Townend John
Published: May 2019

Fluid injection into the Earth's crust can induce seismic events that cause damage to local infrastructure but also offer valuable insight into seismogenesis. The factors that influence the magnitude, location, and number of induced events remain poorly understood but include injection flow rate and pressure as well as reservoir temperature and permeability. The relationship between injection parameters and injection‐induced seismicity in high‐temperature, high‐permeability reservoirs has not been extensively studied. Here we focus on the Ngatamariki geothermal field in the central Taupō Volcanic Zone, New Zealand, where three stimulation/injection tests have occurred since 2012. We present a catalog of seismicity from 2012 to 2015 created using a matched‐filter detection technique. We analyze the stress state in the reservoir during the injection tests from first motion‐derived focal mechanisms, yielding an average direction of maximum horizontal compressive stress (SHmax) consistent with the regional NE‐SW trend. However, there is significant variation in the direction of maximum compressive stress (σ1), which may reflect geological differences between wells. We use the ratio of injection flow rate to overpressure, referred to as injectivity index, as a proxy for near‐well permeability and compare changes in injectivity index to spatiotemporal characteristics of seismicity accompanying each test. Observed increases in injectivity index are generally poorly correlated with seismicity, suggesting that the locations of microearthquakes are not coincident with the zone of stimulation (i.e., increased permeability). Our findings augment a growing body of work suggesting that aseismic opening or slip, rather than seismic shear, is the active process driving well stimulation in many environments.
The Efficacy of Frost Weathering Processes in Alpine Rockwalls
Authors: Draebing Daniel , Krautblatter Michael
Published: May 2019

Weathering processes prepare and trigger rockfall, which is a key agent of alpine landscape evolution and a hazardous process. The relative importance of different weathering processes is hard to decipher; nevertheless, current knowledge assumes a dominant role of frost cracking in eroding alpine rockwalls. This study uses a laboratory approach to simulate volumetric expansion and ice segregation in four alpine rock samples, monitors crack deformation, and quantifies frost weathering efficacy. Our results show that short‐term volumetric expansion in cracks provides stresses up to 10 MPa over hours, while long‐term ice segregation causes stresses of 1 MPa over days. While volumetric expansion in fall can reach critical fracture levels, volumetric expansion in early summer and ice segregation rather approaches subcritical fracture propagation levels. We conclude that subcritical crack propagation is the dominant antecedent process of rockfall initiation, which can be amplified by rare critical cracking due to volumetric expansion.
Two‐Dimensional gcPIC Simulation of Rising‐Tone Chorus Waves in a Dipole Magnetic Field
Authors: Lu Quanming , Ke Yangguang , Wang Xueyi , Liu Kaijun , Gao Xinliang , Chen Lunjin , Wang Shui
Published: May 2019

Rising‐tone chorus waves have already been successfully produced in a mirror magnetic field with the use of one‐ and two‐dimensional particle‐in‐cell (PIC) simulations. However, in reality, the background magnetic field in the inner Earth's magnetosphere is a dipole magnetic field, unlike symmetric mirror fields. In this paper, with the two‐dimensional (2‐D) general curvilinear PIC (gcPIC) code, we investigate the generation of rising‐tone chorus waves in the dipole magnetic field configuration. The plasma consists of three components: immobile ions, cold background, and hot electrons. In order to save computational resource, the topology of the magnetic field is roughly equal to that atL = 0.6 RE, although the plasma parameters corresponding to those atL = 6 RE(REis the Earth's radius) are used. Whistler mode waves are first excited around the magnetic equator by the hot electrons with a temperature anisotropy. The excited whistler mode waves propagate almost parallel and antiparallel to the background magnetic field in their source region, which is limited at∣λ ∣  ≤ 3°(whereλis the magnetic latitude). When the waves leave from the source region and propagate toward high latitudes, both their amplitude and wave normal angle become larger. However, the group velocity of the waves is directed toward high latitudes almost along the magnetic field. During such a process, the waves have a frequency chirping, as shown by a rising tone in the frequency‐time spectrogram. To our best knowledge, it is for the first time that rising‐tone chorus are generated in a dipole magnetic field with a PIC simulation.
Mechanically strengthened graphene-Cu composite with reduced thermal expansion towards interconnect applications
Authors: An Zhonglie , Li Jinhua , Kikuchi Akio , Wang Zhuqing , Jiang Yonggang , Ono Takahito
Published: May 2019

High-density integration technologies with copper (Cu) through-silicon via (TSV) have emerged as viable alternatives for achieving the requisite integration densities for the portable electronics and micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMSs) package. However, significant thermo-mechanical stresses can be introduced in integrated structures during the manufacturing process due to mismatches of thermal expansion and the mechanical properties between Cu and silicon (Si). The high-density integration demands an interconnection material with a strong mechanical strength and small thermal expansion mismatch. In this study, a novel electroplating method is developed for the synthesis of a graphene-copper (G-Cu) composite with electrochemically exfoliated graphenes. The fabrication and evaluation of the G-Cu composite microstructures, including the microcantilevers and micromirrors supported by the composite, are reported. We evaluated not only the micromechanical properties of the G-Cu composite based on in-situ mechanical resonant frequency measurements using a laser Doppler vibrometer but also the coefficients of thermal expansion (CTE) of the composite based on curvature radius measurements at a temperature range of 20–200 °C. The Young’s modulus and shear modulus of the composite are approximately 123 and 51 GPa, which are 1.25 times greater and 1.22 times greater, respectively, than those of pure Cu due to the reinforcement of graphene. The G-Cu composite exhibits a 23% lower CTE than Cu without sacrificing electrical conductivity. These results show that the mechanically strengthened G-Cu composite with reduced thermal expansion is an ideal and reliable interconnection material instead of Cu for complex integration structures.
Separation of spermatozoa from erythrocytes using their tumbling mechanism in a pinch flow fractionation device
Authors: Berendsen Johanna T. W. , Eijkel Jan C. T. , Wetzels Alex M. , Segerink Loes I.
Published: May 2019

Men suffering from azoospermia can father a child, by extracting spermatozoa from a testicular biopsy sample. The main complication in this procedure is the presence of an abundance of erythrocytes. Currently, the isolation of the few spermatozoa from the sample is manually performed due to ineffectiveness of filtering methods, making it time consuming and labor intensive. The spermatozoa are smaller in both width and height than any other cell type found in the sample, with a very small difference compared with the erythrocyte for the smallest, making this not the feature to base the extraction on. However, the length of the spermatozoon is 5× larger than the diameter of an erythrocyte and can be utilized. Here we propose a microfluidic chip, in which the tumbling behavior of spermatozoa in pinched flow fractionation is utilized to separate them from the erythrocytes. We show that we can extract 95% of the spermatozoa from a sample containing 2.5% spermatozoa, while removing around 90% of the erythrocytes. By adjusting the flow rates, we are able to increase the collection efficiency while slightly sacrificing the purity, tuning the solution for the available sample in the clinic.
Sunlight-induced photoreduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in wastewater by nitrogen-phosphorus-doped carbon dots
Authors: Bhati Anshu , Anand Satyesh Raj , Saini Deepika , Gunture  , Sonkar Sumit Kumar
Published: May 2019

Cr(VI) is a known toxic and non-biodegradable pollutant that results from multiple industrial processes, and can cause significant environmental damage if it is not removed from wastewater. However, it can be reduced to Cr(III), which is less toxic and can be readily precipitated out and removed. Here, a fast and facile single-step technique is reported for the synthesis of nitrogen–phosphorus doped fluorescent carbon dots (NP-CD) using a domestic microwave, as a potential photocatalytic material. Under natural sunlight, a simple photocatalytic experiment reveals that the NP-CD are highly efficient for the quantitative reduction of Cr(VI) to Cr(III) in synthetic contaminated water, in a linear range from 10 ppm (in approximately 10 min) to 2000 ppm (in approximately 320 min) by increasing the sunlight irradiation time followed by its removal by precipitation. NP-CD exhibit high recyclability of up to six cycles without any apparent loss in photocatalytic activity, demonstrating NP-CD as a potential photocatalyst material for Cr(VI) water treatment.
Author Correction: Specific microRNAs Regulate Heat Stress Responses in Caenorhabditis elegans
Authors: Nehammer Camilla , Podolska Agnieszka , Mackowiak Sebastian D. , Kagias Konstantinos , Pocock Roger
Published: May 2019

A correction has been published and is appended to both the HTML and PDF versions of this paper. The error has not been fixed in the paper.
Walking and finger tapping can be done with independent rhythms
Authors: Qi Weihuang , Nakajima Tsuyoshi , Sakamoto Masanori , Kato Kouki , Kawakami Yasuo , Kanosue Kazuyuki
Published: May 2019

Rhythmic movements occur in many aspects of daily life. Examples include clapping the hands and walking. The production of two independent rhythms with multiple limbs is considered to be extremely difficult. In the present study we evaluated whether two different, independent rhythms that involved finger tapping and walking could be produced. In Experiment I, twenty subjects that had no experience of musical instrument training performed rhythmic finger tapping with the right index finger and one of four different lower limb movements; (1) self-paced walking, (2) given-paced walking, (3) alternative bilateral heel tapping from a sitting position, and (4) unilateral heel tapping with the leg ipsilateral to the tapping finger from a sitting position. The target intervals of finger tapping and heel strikes for walking step/heel tapping were set at 375 ms and 600 ms, respectively. The even distribution of relative phases between instantaneous finger tapping and heel strike was taken as the criteria of independency for the two rhythms. In the self-paced walking and given-paced walking tasks, 16 out of 20 subjects successfully performed finger tapping and walking with independent rhythms without any special practice. On the other hand, in the bipedal heels striking and unipedal heel striking tasks 19 subjects failed to perform the two movements independently, falling into interrelated rhythms with the ratio mostly being 2:1. In Experiment II, a similar independency of finger tapping and walking at a given pace was observed for heel strike intervals of 400, 600, and 800 ms, as well as at the constant 375 ms for finger tapping. These results suggest that finger tapping and walking are controlled by separate neural control mechanisms, presumably with a supra-spinal locus for finger tapping, and a spinal location for walking.
Microstructural deformation process of shock-compressed polycrystalline aluminum
Authors: Ichiyanagi Kouhei , Takagi Sota , Kawai Nobuaki , Fukaya Ryo , Nozawa Shunsuke , Nakamura Kazutaka G. , Liss Klaus-Dieter , Kimura Masao , Adachi Shin-ichi
Published: May 2019

Plastic deformation of polycrystalline materials under shock wave loading is a critical characteristic in material science and engineering. However, owing to the nanosecond time scale of the shock-induced deformation process, we currently have a poor mechanistic understanding of the structural changes from atomic scale to mesoscale. Here, we observed the dynamic grain refinement of polycrystalline aluminum foil under laser-driven shock wave loading using time-resolved X-ray diffraction. Diffraction spots on the Debye-Scherrer ring from micrometer-sized aluminum grains appeared and disappeared irregularly, and were shifted and broadened as a result of laser-induced shock wave loading. Behind the front of shock wave, large grains in aluminum foil were deformed, and subsequently exhibited grain rotation and a reduction in size. The width distribution of the diffraction spots broadened because of shock-induced grain refinement and microstrain in each grain. We performed quantitative analysis of the inhomogeneous lattice strain and grain size in the shocked polycrysalline aluminum using the Williamson-Hall method and determined the dislocation density under shock wave loading.
Thalamus exhibits less sensory variability quenching than cortex
Authors: Poland Eva , Donner Tobias H. , Müller Kai-Markus , Leopold David A. , Wilke Melanie
Published: May 2019

Spiking activity exhibits a large degree of variability across identical trials, which has been shown to be significantly reduced by stimulus onset in a wide range of cortical areas. Whether similar dynamics apply to the thalamus and in particular to the pulvinar is largely unknown. Here, we examined electrophysiological recordings from two adult rhesus macaques performing a perceptual task and comparatively investigated trial-to-trial variability in higher-order thalamus (ventral and dorsal pulvinar), the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and visual cortex (area V4) prior to and following the presentation of a visual stimulus. We found spiking variability during stable fixation prior to stimulus onset to be considerably lower in both pulvinar and the LGN as compared to area V4. In contrast to the prominent variability reduction in V4 upon stimulus onset, variability in the thalamic nuclei was largely unaffected by visual stimulation. There was a small but significant variability decrease in the dorsal pulvinar, but not in the ventral portion of the pulvinar, which is closely connected to visual cortices and would thus have been expected to reflect cortical response properties. This dissociation did not stem from differences in response strength or mean firing rates and indicates fundamental differences in variability quenching between thalamus and cortex.
GREIN: An Interactive Web Platform for Re-analyzing GEO RNA-seq Data
Authors: Mahi Naim Al , Najafabadi Mehdi Fazel , Pilarczyk Marcin , Kouril Michal , Medvedovic Mario
Published: May 2019

The vast amount of RNA-seq data deposited in Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and Sequence Read Archive (SRA) is still a grossly underutilized resource for biomedical research. To remove technical roadblocks for reusing these data, we have developed a web-application GREIN (GEO RNA-seq Experiments Interactive Navigator) which provides user-friendly interfaces to manipulate and analyze GEO RNA-seq data. GREIN is powered by the back-end computational pipeline for uniform processing of RNA-seq data and the large number (>6,500) of already processed datasets. The front-end user interfaces provide a wealth of user-analytics options including sub-setting and downloading processed data, interactive visualization, statistical power analyses, construction of differential gene expression signatures and their comprehensive functional characterization, and connectivity analysis with LINCS L1000 data. The combination of the massive amount of back-end data and front-end analytics options driven by user-friendly interfaces makes GREIN a unique open-source resource for re-using GEO RNA-seq data. GREIN is accessible at:https://shiny.ilincs.org/grein, the source code at:https://github.com/uc-bd2k/grein, and the Docker container at:https://hub.docker.com/r/ucbd2k/grein.
A Pavlovian account for paradoxical effects of motivation on controlling response vigour
Authors: Oudiette Delphine , Vinckier Fabien , Bioud Emmanuelle , Pessiglione Mathias
Published: May 2019

In high stakes situations, people sometimes choke under pressure, performing below their abilities. Here, we suggest a novel mechanism to account for this paradoxical effect of motivation: the automatic adjustment of action vigour to potential reward. Although adaptive on average, this mechanism may impede fine motor control. Such detrimental effect was observed in three studies (n = 74 in total), using behavioural tasks where payoff depended on the precision of handgrip squeezing or golf putting. Participants produced more force for higher incentives, which aggravated their systematic overshooting of low-force targets. This reward bias was specific to action vigour, as reward did not alter action timing, direction or variability across trials. Although participants could report their reward bias, they somehow failed to limit their produced force. Such an automatic link between incentive and force level might correspond to a Pavlovian response that is counterproductive when action vigour is not instrumental for maximizing reward.
Common spatiotemporal processing of visual features shapes object representation
Authors: Papale Paolo , Betta Monica , Handjaras Giacomo , Malfatti Giulia , Cecchetti Luca , Rampinini Alessandra , Pietrini Pietro , Ricciardi Emiliano , Turella Luca , Leo Andrea
Published: May 2019

Biological vision relies on representations of the physical world at different levels of complexity. Relevant features span from simple low-level properties, as contrast and spatial frequencies, to object-based attributes, as shape and category. However, how these features are integrated into coherent percepts is still debated. Moreover, these dimensions often share common biases: for instance, stimuli from the same category (e.g., tools) may have similar shapes. Here, using magnetoencephalography, we revealed the temporal dynamics of feature processing in human subjects attending to objects from six semantic categories. By employing Relative Weights Analysis, we mitigated collinearity between model-based descriptions of stimuli and showed that low-level properties (contrast and spatial frequencies), shape (medial-axis) and category are represented within the same spatial locations early in time: 100–150 ms after stimulus onset. This fast and overlapping processing may result from independent parallel computations, with categorical representation emerging later than the onset of low-level feature processing, yet before shape coding. Categorical information is represented both before and after shape, suggesting a role for this feature in the refinement of categorical matching.
Enhanced photocatalytic performance of a Ti-based metal-organic framework for hydrogen production: Hybridization with ZnCr-LDH nanosheets
Authors: Sohail Muhammad , Kim Hyunuk , Kim Tae Woo
Published: May 2019

Novel hybrid composites of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and ZnCr-layered double hydroxide nanosheets (ZnCr-LDH NSs) are developed for use as visible-light-active photocatalysts for hydrogen production based on water photolysis. The hybrid composites are obtained by growing NH2-MIL-125(Ti) in the presence of exfoliated ZnCr-LDH NSs using a solvothermal reaction. Hybridization of NH2-MIL-125(Ti) with exfoliated ZnCr-LDH NSs leads to significant effects on the morphology and optical properties of NH2-MIL-125(Ti). To find the optimum photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production by the hybrid composite photocatalysts, the content of ZnCr-LDH in this work is controlled. Compared to that of pristine NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and ZnCr-LDH, the hybrid composites exhibit an improved photocatalytic activity for hydrogen production under visible-light irradiation. In addition, the hybrid composite photocatalyst shows excellent photo-chemical stability. The improved photocatalytic activity is believed to benefit from the synergy of strong electronic coupling between NH2-MIL-125(Ti) and ZnCr-LDH NSs, expanded light absorption and band alignment to enhance the lifetime of photo-induced electrons and holes.