bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Investigation of pallet stacking pattern on unit load bridging
Authors: Molina Eduardo , Horvath Laszlo , White Marshall S.
Published: July 2018

Considering the effect of packages during pallet design will reduce costs and improve the sustainability of supply chains. Currently, many mechanical interactions between the pallet and the package product are not being considered during the pallet design process. This study investigates the effect of the magnitude and type of interlocking between layers of packaged products.

The bending of the pallet supporting a unit load of corrugated boxes was measured under four common support conditions, warehouse rack storage spanning the pallet width and length, fork tine support across the pallet width, and floor stacking. Five different pallet stacking patterns were analyzed from column stacking to fully interlocked stacking.

It was determined that interlocking packages reduces pallet deflection up to 53%. This is more significant for lower stiffness pallets and when the payload carried by the pallet is greater than the rated load capacity of the pallet. Increasing the magnitude of the interlocking reduces the deflection of the pallet by 11.6%.

These results provide a guideline on improving pallet design and help further the understanding of the interaction between pallets and the orientation of packaged products placed on the pallet.
Fast and facile preparation of nanostructured silicon surfaces for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry of small compounds
Authors: Hamdi Abderrahmane , Enjalbal Christine , Drobecq Hervé , Boukherroub Rabah , Melnyk Oleg , Ezzaouia Hatem , Coffinier Yannick
Published: July 2018

Rationale

Many important biological processes rely on specific biomarkers (such as metabolites, drugs, proteins or peptides, carbohydrates, lipids, ...) that need to be monitored in various fluids (blood, plasma, urine, cell cultures, tissue homogenates, …). Although mass spectrometry (MS) hyphenated to liquid chromatography (LC) is widely accepted as a ‘gold‐standard’ method for identifying such synthetic chemicals or biological products, their robust fast sensitive detection from complex matrices still constitutes a highly challenging matter.

Methods

In order to circumvent the constraints intrinsic to LC/MS technology in terms of prior sample treatment, analysis time and overall method development to optimize ionization efficiency affecting the detection threshold, we investigated laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI‐MS) by directly depositing the sample under study onto cheap inert nanostructures made of silicon to perform straightforward sensitive and rapid screening of targeted low mass biomarkers on a conventional MALDI platform.

Results

The investigated silicon nanostructures were found to act as very efficient ion‐promoting surfaces exhibiting high performance for the detection of different classes of organic compounds, including glutathione, glucose, peptides and antibiotics. Achieving such broad detection was compulsory to develop a SALDI‐MS‐based pre‐screening tool.

Conclusions

The key contribution of the described analytical strategy consists of designing inert surfaces that are fast (minute preparation) and cheap to produce, easy to handle and able to detect small organic compounds in matrix‐free LDI‐MS prerequisite for biomarkers pre‐screening from body fluids without the recourse of any separation step.
Phase composition of the buried silicon interlayers in the amorphous multilayer nanostructures [(Co45Fe45Zr10)/a‐Si:H]41 and [(Co45Fe45Zr10)35(Al2O3)65/a‐Si:H]41
Authors: Domashevskaya Evelina P. , Peshkov Yaroslav A. , Terekhov Vladimir A. , Yurakov Yury A. , Barkov Konstantin A.
Published: July 2018

We consider two amorphous multilayer nanostructures (MLNS) [(Co45Fe45Zr10)/a‐Si:H]41–I and [(Co45Fe45Zr10)35(Al2O3)65/a‐Si:H]41–II that were obtained by ion‐beam sputtering. For determination of the phase composition of the buried amorphous silicon interlayers in these MLNS, we used nondestructive ultrasoft X‐ray emission spectroscopy technique (USXES). The use of the USXES enables to register the silicon Si L2,3–spectra providing the information about the local partial densities of Si s and d occupied states of silicon valence band in silicon‐contained materials. According to the simulation and fitting procedure to the experimental data, Fe3Si and a small amount of oxide (SiO2:H) were found in the interlayer of MLNS‐I. At the same time, the content of silicon dioxides (SiO2) decrease from surface layers to the deep ones. On the other hand, simulation of the phase composition of MLNS‐II reveals the presence of the silicides Fe3Si and Co2Si, oxides SiO2 and SiO1.3, and a small amount of a‐Si:H. The percentage of cobalt silicide Co2Si and suboxide SiO1.3 increased in the deep layers of the MLNS‐II.
Randomization: The forgotten component of the randomized clinical trial
Authors: Rosenberger William F. , Uschner Diane , Wang Yanying
Published: July 2018

“…The customary test for an observed difference…is based on an enumeration of the probabilities, on the initial hypothesis that two treatments do not differ in their effects,…of all the various results which would occur if the trial were repeated indefinitely with different random samples of the same size as those actually used.” –Peter Armitage (“Sequential tests in prophylactic and therapeutic trials” in Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 1954;23(91):255‐274). Randomization has been the hallmark of the clinical trial since Sir Bradford Hill adopted it in the 1946 streptomycin trial. An exploration of the early literature yields three rationales, ie, (i) the incorporation of randomization provides unpredictability in treatment assignments, thereby mitigating selection bias; (ii) randomization tends to ensure similarity in the treatment groups on known and unknown confounders (at least asymptotically); and (iii) the act of randomization itself provides a basis for inference when random sampling is not conducted from a population model. Of these three, rationale (iii) is often forgotten, ignored, or left untaught. Today, randomization is a rote exercise, scarcely considered in protocols or medical journal articles. Yet, the literature of the last century is rich with statistical articles on randomization methods and their consequences, authored by some of the pioneers of the biostatistics and statistics world. In this paper, we review some of this literature and describe very simple methods to rectify some of the oversight. We describe how randomization‐based inference can be used for virtually any outcome of interest in a clinical trial. Special mention is made of nonstandard clinical trials situations.
Quantifying the totality of treatment effect with multiple event‐time observations in the presence of a terminal event from a comparative clinical study
Authors: Claggett Brian , Tian Lu , Fu Haoda , Solomon Scott D. , Wei Lee‐Jen
Published: July 2018

To evaluate the totality of one treatment's benefit/risk profile relative to an alternative treatment via a longitudinal comparative clinical study, the timing and occurrence of multiple clinical events are typically collected during the patient's follow‐up. These multiple observations reflect the patient's disease progression/burden over time. The standard practice is to create a composite endpoint from the multiple outcomes, the timing of the occurrence of the first clinical event, to evaluate the treatment via the standard survival analysis techniques. By ignoring all events after the composite outcome, this type of assessment may not be ideal. Various parametric or semiparametric procedures have been extensively discussed in the literature for the purposes of analyzing multiple event‐time data. Many existing methods were developed based on extensive model assumptions. When the model assumptions are not plausible, the resulting inferences for the treatment effect may be misleading. In this article, we propose a simple, nonparametric inference procedure to quantify the treatment effect, which has an intuitive clinically meaningful interpretation. We use the data from a cardiovascular clinical trial for heart failure to illustrate the procedure. A simulation study is also conducted to evaluate the performance of the new proposal.
Domino Oxidative Esterification of 2‐Oxo Alcohol Using 2‐Iodoxybenzoic Acid/I2: A Route to Synthesize α‐Ketoester
Authors: Sundaravelu Nallappan , Chakraborty Ankush , Sekar Govindasamy
Published: July 2018

An efficient metal‐free methodology for the synthesis of α‐ketoesters has been developed using α‐hydroxy ketones and alcohols which follows domino alcohol oxidation and esterification reaction sequence. This methodology shows wide range of substrate scopes to bestow the products in excellent yield. A gram scale synthesis has been carried out to show the practical utility of the protocol.
RhIII‐Catalyzed Directed Selective C7‐Hydroxylation and Acetoxylation of Indolines
Authors: Zhai Wenchao , Li Bin , Wang Baiquan
Published: July 2018

Cp*RhIII‐catalyzed selective C7‐hydroxylation and acetoxylation reactions of indolines under mild conditions have been developed. The reactions are directed by a removable pyrimidyl group and have high functional group tolerance. It provides a mild access to hydroxylated and acetoxylated indolines in moderate to excellent yields.
Slowing the Kinetics of Alumina Sol–Gel Chemistry for Controlled Catalyst Overcoating and Improved Catalyst Stability and Selectivity
Authors: Du Yuan‐Peng , Héroguel Florent , Luterbacher Jeremy S.
Published: July 2018

Catalyst overcoating is an emerging approach to engineer surface functionalities on supported metal catalyst and improve catalyst selectivity and durability. Alumina deposition on high surface area material by sol–gel chemistry is traditionally difficult to control due to the fast hydrolysis kinetics of aluminum‐alkoxide precursors. Here, sol–gel chemistry methods are adapted to slow down these kinetics and deposit nanometer‐scale alumina overcoats. The alumina overcoats are comparable in conformality and thickness control to overcoats prepared by atomic layer deposition even on high surface area substrates. The strategy relies on regulating the hydrolysis/condensation kinetics of Al(sBuO)3 by either adding a chelating agent or using nonhydrolytic sol–gel chemistry. These two approaches produce overcoats with similar chemical properties but distinct physical textures. With chelation chemistry, a mild method compatible with supported base metal catalysts, a conformal yet porous overcoat leads to a highly sintering‐resistant Cu catalyst for liquid‐phase furfural hydrogenation. With the nonhydrolytic sol–gel route, a denser Al2O3 overcoat can be deposited to create a high density of Lewis acid–metal interface sites over Pt on mesoporous silica. The resulting material has a substantially increased hydrodeoxygenation activity for the conversion of lignin‐derived 4‐propylguaiacol into propylcyclohexane with up to 87% selectivity.
Electron‐Transport Materials in Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Lian Jiarong , Lu Bing , Niu Fangfang , Zeng Pengju , Zhan Xiaowei
Published: July 2018

Perovskite solar cells (PSCs) based on organic–inorganic hybrid materials are a rising technology offering an alternative to silicon‐based solar cells. Electron‐transport materials (ETMs) are important for PSCs and have received much attention. Here, first, the development of the structure of PSCs, from which the ETM requirements would be derived, is briefly discussed. Second, the progress of ETMs in mesoscopic PSCs, as well as regular (n–i–p) and inverted (p–i–n) planar PSCs is surveyed and analyzed, in terms of the material requirements, inorganic ETMs, organic ETMs, and interfacial materials. Third, the advancement of PSCs without ETMs is discussed. Finally, a summary and outlook on the current challenges and future development of ETMs in PSCs is given.
The non-perturbative phase diagram of the BMN matrix model
Authors: Asano Yuhma , Filev Veselin G. , Kováčik Samuel , O’Connor Denjoe
Published: July 2018

Abstract

We study the maximally supersymmetric plane wave matrix model (the BMN model) at finite temperature, T, and locate the high temperature phase boundary in the (μ, T) plane, where μ is the mass parameter. We find the first transition, as the system is cooled from high temperatures, is from an approximately SO(9) symmetric phase to one where three matrices expand to form fuzzy spheres. For μ > 3.0 there is a second distinct transition at a lower temperature. The two transitions approach one another at smaller μ and merge in the vicinity of μ = 3.0. The resulting single transition curve then approaches the gauge/gravity prediction as μ is further decreased. We find a rough estimate of the transition, for all μ, is given by a Padé resummation of the large-μ, three-loop perturbative predictions. We find evidence that the transition at small μ is to an M5-brane phase of the theory.
A minimalistic pure spinor sigma-model in AdS
Authors: Mikhailov Andrei
Published: July 2018

Abstract

The b-ghost of the pure spinor formalism in a general curved background is not holomorphic. For such theories, the construction of the string measure requires the knowledge of the action of diffeomorphisms on the BV phase space. We construct such an action for the pure spinor sigma-model in AdS
5 × S
5. From the point of view of the BV formalism, this sigma-model belongs to the class of theories where the expansion of the Master Action in antifields terminates at the quadratic order. We show that it can be reduced to a simpler degenerate sigma-model, preserving the AdS symmetries. We construct the action of the algebra of worldsheet vector fields on the BV phase space of this minimalistic sigma-model, and explain how to lift it to the original model.
Flat holography and Carrollian fluids
Authors: Ciambelli Luca , Marteau Charles , Petkou Anastasios C. , Petropoulos P. Marios , Siampos Konstantinos
Published: July 2018

Abstract

We show that a holographic description of four-dimensional asymptotically locally flat spacetimes is reached smoothly from the zero-cosmological-constant limit of anti-de Sitter holography. To this end, we use the derivative expansion of fluid/gravity correspondence. From the boundary perspective, the vanishing of the bulk cosmological constant appears as the zero velocity of light limit. This sets how Carrollian geometry emerges in flat holography. The new boundary data are a two-dimensional spatial surface, identified with the null infinity of the bulk Ricci-flat spacetime, accompanied with a Carrollian time and equipped with a Carrollian structure, plus the dynamical observables of a conformal Carrollian fluid. These are the energy, the viscous stress tensors and the heat currents, whereas the Carrollian geometry is gathered by a two-dimensional spatial metric, a frame connection and a scale factor. The reconstruction of Ricci-flat spacetimes from Carrollian boundary data is conducted with a flat derivative expansion, resummed in a closed form in Eddington-Finkelstein gauge under further integrability conditions inherited from the ancestor anti-de Sitter set-up. These conditions are hinged on a duality relationship among fluid friction tensors and Cotton-like geometric data. We illustrate these results in the case of conformal Carrollian perfect fluids and Robinson-Trautman viscous hydrodynamics. The former are dual to the asymptotically flat Kerr-Taub-NUT family, while the latter leads to the homonymous class of algebraically special Ricci-flat spacetimes.
Biodegradation of lignin by Pseudomonas sp. Q18 and the characterization of a novel bacterial DyP-type peroxidase
Authors: Yang Chenxian , Yue Fangfang , Cui Yanlong , Xu Yuanmei , Shan Yuanyuan , Liu Bianfang , Zhou Yuan , Lü Xin
Published: July 2018

Lignin valorization can be obtained through cleavage of selected bonds by microbial enzymes, in which lignin is segregated from cellulose and hemicellulose and abundant phenolic compounds can be provided. In this study, Pseudomonas sp. Q18, previously isolated from rotten wood in China, was used to degrade alkali lignin and raw lignocellulosic material. Gel-permeation chromatography, field-emission scanning electron microscope, and GC–MS were combined to investigate the degradation process. The GC–MS results revealed that the quantities of aromatic compounds with phenol ring from lignin increased significantly after incubation with Pseudomonas sp. Q18, which indicated the degradation of lignin. According to the lignin-derived metabolite analysis, it was proposed that a DyP-type peroxidase (PmDyP) might exist in strain Q18. Thereafter, the gene of PmDyP was cloned and expressed, after which the recombinant PmDyP was purified and the enzymatic kinetics of PmDyP were assayed. According to results, PmDyP showed promising characteristics for lignocellulosic biodegradation in biorefinery.
Leadership, the American Academy of Management, and President Trump’s Travel Ban: A Case Study in Moral Imagination
Authors: Tsoukas Haridimos
Published: July 2018

In this essay, I focus on the initial reaction of the then leadership of the Academy of Management (AOM) to President Trump’s travel ban issued in January 2017. By viewing the travel ban in purely administrative terms, AOM leadership framed it as an example of “political speech”, on which they were organizationally barred to take a public stand. I subject this view to critical assessment, arguing that the travel ban had a distinct moral character, which was antithetical to scholarly values. Τhe travel ban, I suggest, should be viewed as a non-prototypical case of political speech, which required AOM leadership to flexibly adapt existing rules in situ: to imaginatively frame the travel ban in order to undertake responsible action. Accordingly, the early 2017 AOM rules about political speech should be seen not as recipes-for-action but as reminders-for-action, thus allowing an imaginative reframing. Finally, exploring the notion of moral imagination, I distinguish between “disclosive” and “incremental” moral imagination and responsibility, and suggest that AOM leadership engaged mainly in the latter.
Regularity of solutions to scalar conservation laws with a force
Authors: Lamy Xavier , Gess Benjamin
Published: July 2018

We prove regularity estimates for entropy solutions to scalar conservation laws with a force. Based on the kinetic form of a scalar conservation law, a new decomposition of entropy solutions is introduced, by means of a decomposition in the velocity variable, adapted to the non-degeneracy properties of the flux function. This allows a finer control of the degeneracy behavior of the flux. In addition, this decomposition allows to make use of the fact that the entropy dissipation measure has locally finite singular moments. Based on these observations, improved regularity estimates for entropy solutions to (forced) scalar conservation laws are obtained.
Conceptualising Engagement in a Consumer-to-Consumer Context
Authors: Abdul-Ghani Eathar , Hyde Kenneth F. , Marshall Roger
Published: July 2018

Consumer-to-consumer (C2C) interactions continue to grow in volume in the marketplace. Consumers interact on online platforms to socialise, exchange digital content and information, and trade. Yet, conceptualisations of engagement in marketing contexts are dominated by models based on consumer-brand or consumer-firm interactions, often conceptualised from the perspective of S-D Logic. Alternative frameworks are required to understand engagement in C2C contexts. This paper reports the results of a qualitative investigation of consumer engagement in one C2C context, the online C2C auction, reflecting an experiential view of the consumer. The research sought to conceptualise engagement in a C2C context, explore the relationship between consumer value and consumer engagement in this context, and the role that consumer engagement might play in encouraging ongoing participation in the consumption activity. In-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 17 users of online C2C auctions. Three contrasting approaches to analysis were applied to the qualitative dataset – phenomenological analysis of stories of consumption, thematic analysis of interview transcripts, and content analysis to identify words and phrases expressing engagement. A conceptualisation of consumer engagement as a motivational construct in C2C contexts is developed. A cycle of engagement is identified: consumer engagement is seen to arise from consumption experiences that provide value to the consumer; engagement prompts ongoing consumption activity; the cycle of engagement continues as long as value is derived from the consumption experiences. Applications of this conceptualisation of consumer engagement are explored.
Correlations of MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 gene polymorphisms with the risk of hepatopulmonary syndrome in cirrhotic patients: A case‐control study
Authors: Liu Jian‐Wei , Chen Dong‐Qiong
Published: July 2018

Hepatopulmonary syndrome (HPS) increases the mortality of patients who suffered from liver cirrhosis, especially patients plagued by severe hypoxemia. Gene polymorphisms are reported to be related to the risk of HPS in cirrhotic patients. Thus, our study aims to elucidate the correlation between MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 gene polymorphisms and HPS in cirrhotic patients. A total of 152 cirrhotic patients suffering from HPS as well as another 152 cirrhotic patients without HPS were recruited. Polymerase chain reaction‐restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR‐RFLP) was performed for MMP‐2 and MMP‐9 gene polymorphisms and logistic regression analysis for the relationship between clinicopathological features and HPS occurrence in cirrhotic patients. There were significant differences in genotype and allele frequency of MMP‐2 rs243865 and MMP‐9 rs3918242 polymorphisms between the HPS and control groups. CC/CT genotype and C allele of MMP‐2 rs243865 polymorphism as well as CC/TT genotype and T allele of MMP‐9 rs3918242 polymorphism increased the risk of HPS in cirrhotic patients. Genotypes of rs243865 and rs3918242 polymorphisms had remarkable correlations with spider nevi, clubbed fingers (toes), transaminase elevation, portal vein width, esophageal varices, Child‐Pugh classification and partial pressure of arterial oxygen (PaO2). Logistic regression analysis showed that rs243865 and rs3918242 polymorphisms, spider nevi, clubbed fingers (toes), esophageal varices, and Child‐Pugh classification were closely associated with the occurrence of HPS in cirrhotic patients. Our findings demonstrate that MMP‐2 rs243865 polymorphism and MMP‐9 rs3918242 polymorphism can increase the risk of HPS occurrence in cirrhotic patients, which provides a potential target for prevention of HPS in cirrhotic patients.
Jante's law process
Authors: Kennerberg Philip , Volkov Stanislav
Published: July 2018

Consider the process which starts with N ≥ 3 distinct points on ℝd, and fix a positive integer K < N. Of the total N points keep those N - K which minimize the energy amongst all the possible subsets of size N - K, and then replace the removed points by K independent and identically distributed points sampled according to some fixed distribution ζ. Repeat this process ad infinitum. We obtain various quite nonrestrictive conditions under which the set of points converges to a certain limit. This is a very substantial generalization of the `Keynesian beauty contest process' introduced in Grinfeld et al. (2015), where K = 1 and the distribution ζ was uniform on the unit cube.
Surface and subsurface contributions to the build-up of forces on bed particles
Authors: Leonardi Alessandro , Pokrajac D. , Roman F. , Zanello F. , Armenio V.
Published: July 2018

In nature and in many industrial applications, the boundary of a channel flow is made of solid particles which form a porous wall, so that there is a mutual influence between the free flow and the subsurface flow developing inside the pores. While the influence of the porous wall on the free flow has been well studied, less well characterized is the subsurface flow, due to the practical difficulties in gathering information in the small spaces given by the pores. It is also not clear whether the subsurface flow can host turbulent events able to contribute significantly to the build-up of forces on the particles, potentially leading to their dislodgement. Through large eddy simulations, we investigate the interface between a free flow and a bed composed of spherical particles in a cubic arrangement. The communication between surface and subsurface flow is in this case enhanced, with relatively strong turbulent events happening also inside the pores. After comparing the simulation results with a previous experimental work from a similar setting, the forces experienced by the boundary particles are analysed. While it remains true that the lift forces are largely dependent on the structure of the free flow, turbulence inside the pores can also give a significant contribution. Pressure inside the pores is weakly correlated to the pressure in the free flow, and strong peaks above and below a particle can happen independently. Ignoring the porous layer below the particle from the computations leads then in this case to an underestimation of the lift forces.
Exact moderate and large deviations for linear random fields
Authors: Sang Hailin , Xiao Yimin
Published: July 2018

By extending the methods of Peligrad et al. (2014), we establish exact moderate and large deviation asymptotics for linear random fields with independent innovations. These results are useful for studying nonparametric regression with random field errors and strong limit theorems.
Stochastic comparisons of coherent systems under different random environments
Authors: Amini-Seresht Ebrahim , Zhang Yiying , Balakrishnan Narayanaswamy
Published: July 2018

For many practical situations in reliability engineering, components in the system are usually dependent since they generally work in a collaborative environment. In this paper we build sufficient conditions for comparing two coherent systems under different random environments in the sense of the usual stochastic, hazard rate, reversed hazard rate, and likelihood ratio orders. Applications and numerical examples are provided to illustrate all the theoretical results established here.
A general approach to the integral functionals of epidemic processes
Authors: Lefèvre Claude , Picard Philippe
Published: July 2018

In this paper we consider the integral functionals of the general epidemic model up to its extinction. We develop a new approach to determine the exact Laplace transform of such integrals. In particular, we obtain the Laplace transform of the duration of the epidemic T, the final susceptible size ST, the area under the trajectory of the infectives AT, and the area under the trajectory of the susceptibles BT. The method relies on the construction of a family of martingales and allows us to solve simple recursive relations for the involved parameters. The Laplace transforms are then expanded in terms of a special class of polynomials. The analysis is generalized in part to Markovian epidemic processes with arbitrary state-dependent rates.
Overprinting of taphonomic and paleoecological signals across the forest–prairie environmental gradient, mid-continent of North America
Authors: Milideo Lauren E. , Graham Russell W. , Falk Carl R. , Semken Holmes A. , Christie Max L.
Published: July 2018

Taphonomic factors may significantly alter faunal assemblages at varying scales. An exceptional record of late Holocene (<4000 yr old) mammal faunas establishes a firm baseline to investigate the effects of scale on taphonomy. Our sample contains 73 sites within four contiguous states (North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Illinois, USA) that transect a strong modern and late Holocene environmental gradient, the prairie–forest ecotone. We performed detrended correspondence (DCA) and non-metric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) analyses. Both DCA and NMDS analyses of the data sets produced virtually the same results, and both failed to reveal the known ecological gradient within each state. However, both DCA and NMDS analyses of the unfiltered multistate data set across the entire gradient clearly reflect an environmental, rather than taphonomic, signal. DCA tended to provide better separation of some clusters than did NMDS in most of the analyses. We conclude that a robust mammal data set collected across a strong environmental gradient will document species turnover without the removal of taphonomic factors. In other words, taphonomy exhibits varying scale-dependent effects.
Seasonal variations in the 14C Content of Tree Rings: Influences on Radiocarbon Calibration and Single-Year Curve Construction
Authors: McDonald Liam , Chivall David , Miles Daniel , Bronk Ramsey Christopher
Published: July 2018

To examine the implications of seasonality for the construction of a single-year calibration curve we obtained separate dates on earlywood and latewood fractions of tree rings originating from England and dendrochronologically dated between AD 1352 and AD 1442. These demonstrated that an average difference of 26±15 yr exists between earlywood and latewood and that this difference can be as high as 33±19 yr during periods of high radiocarbon (14C) production. It is argued that this difference is due to both changes in atmospheric 14C and the incorporation of stored carbohydrates into earlywood. Based on this, it was possible to separate an atmospheric and physiological contribution to this difference. Our modeling indicates that storage can produce a difference of up to 10 years between earlywood and latewood. This suggests that full-year tree rings from deciduous trees may be less appropriate for the construction of a single-year calibration curve and that specific atmospheric events can be more easily detected by measuring only latewood.
Global burden of hearing impairment and ear disease
Authors: Graydon K , Waterworth C , Miller H , Gunasekera H
Published: July 2018

Background

Hearing loss can present at birth or be acquired as a result of illness, middle-ear disease, injury, age, overuse of certain medications, and/or induced by exposure to damaging noise levels. There are serious short-term consequences for people living with hearing impairment, including the effects on language acquisition, education, employment and overall wellbeing. There are also complex long-term implications.

Objectives

This review aimed to present some of the leading causes of ear disease and hearing loss globally, and to identify their impact at both an individual and societal level.
Assembly and division of the South and South-East Asian flora in relation to tectonics and climate change
Authors: Morley Robert J.
Published: July 2018

The main phases of plant dispersal into, and out of the South-East Asian region are discussed in relation to plate tectonics and changing climates. The South-East Asian area was a backwater of angiosperm evolution until the collision of the Indian Plate with Asia during the early Cenozoic. The Late Cretaceous remains poorly understood, but the Paleocene topography was mountainous, and the climate was probably seasonally dry, with the result that frost-tolerant conifers were common in upland areas and a low-diversity East Asian aspect flora occurred at low altitudes. India's drift into the perhumid low latitudes during the Eocene brought opportunities for the dispersal into South-East Asia of diverse groups of megathermal angiosperms which originated in West Gondwana. They successfully dispersed and became established across the South-East Asian region, initially carried by wind or birds, beginning at about 49 Ma, and with a terrestrial connection after about 41 Ma. Many Paleocene lineages probably went extinct, but a few dispersed in the opposite direction into India. The Oligocene was a time of seasonally dry climates except along the eastern and southern seaboard of Sundaland, but with the collision of the Australian Plate with Sunda at the end of the Oligocene widespread perhumid conditions became established across the region. The uplift of the Himalaya, coinciding with the middle Miocene thermal maximum, created opportunities for South-East Asian evergreen taxa to disperse into north India, and then with the late Miocene strengthening of the Indian monsoon, seasonally dry conditions expanded across India and Indochina, resulting eventually in the disappearance of closed forest over much of the Indian peninsula. This drying affected Sunda, but it is thought unlikely that a ‘savanna’ corridor was present across Sunda during the Pleistocene. Some dispersals from Australasia occurred following its collision with Sunda and following the uplift of New Guinea and the islands of Wallacea, Gondwanan montane taxa also found their way into the region. Phases of uplift across the Sunda region created opportunities for allopatric speciation and further dispersal opportunities. There is abundant evidence to suggest that the Pleistocene refuge theory applies to the South-East Asian region.
Temporal dynamics in the effectiveness of seed dispersal by birds visiting a tropical tree
Authors: Pizo Marco A. , Camargo Paulo H. S. A.
Published: July 2018

Seed dispersal effectiveness (SDE) is related to the role of seed dispersal agents in realizing the reproductive potential of plants through seed dispersal and subsequent plant recruitment. The SDE of a given seed disperser may vary spatially and temporally, with important implications for our understanding of the mutualistic relationships involving plants and frugivores. Here we observed 22 frugivorous bird species visiting an individual tree (Cabralea canjerana) over a 9-y period in a fragment of Atlantic forest in south-eastern Brazil to document the temporal variation in SDE. The quantitative (that takes into account the frequency of feeding visits to the focal plant and the number of fruits removed per visit) and qualitative (that considers the probability of seed deposition on a suitable site for plant recruitment) components of SDE varied in two and one order of magnitude both among bird species and among years within bird species, respectively. As a result, the SDE of bird species fluctuates over the years, especially for a migratory species that is the main seed disperser ofC. canjerana(Chivi vireoVireo chivi) whose quantitative component (i.e. the product of visit and fruit intake rates) varied from 3.0 to 7.1. This study illustrates the dynamic nature of the seed-dispersal environment to which a plant is subjected to over the course of its life, which has important consequences for the plant's individual fitness.
Capsular type K54, clonal group 29 and virulence plasmids: an analysis of K54 and non-K54 closely related isolates ofKlebsiella pneumoniae
Authors: Turton J. F. , Payne Z. , Micah K. , Turton J. A.
Published: July 2018

Capsular type K54 ofKlebsiella pneumoniaeis associated with hypervirulence and we sought to discover the basis for this among isolates submitted to the UK reference laboratory between 2012 and 2017. Isolates were typed by variable number tandem repeat analysis, and capsular type and virulence elements sought by PCR. The most prevalent type found (15/31 isolates) corresponded to clonal group (CG) 29 and included five representatives carryingrmpA,rmpA2(regulators of mucoid phenotype),iutAandiroD(from the aerobactin and salmochelin siderophore clusters) associated with virulence plasmids. These included isolate KpvK54, recovered from pus. The remaining isolates did not carry a virulence plasmid. We also noted 11 further related isolates, including NCTC 9159, not of capsular type K54, but nevertheless sometimes associated with sepsis and abscesses. Whole-genome sequencing showed that KpvK54 carried a large virulence plasmid and an ICEKp3-like structure carrying the yersiniabactin cluster, absent in NCTC 9159. Comparative chromosomal analysis with an additional four genomes showed that KpvK54 shared further genes with K1-ST23 hypervirulent isolates, and with LS358, a K54-ST29 isolate from liver abscess puncture fluid. While CG29 isolates displayed varying degrees of virulence, some, especially those with the virulence plasmid (all K54), were clearly associated with hypervirulence.
Interactive effects of age and respiratory virus on severe lower respiratory infection
Authors: Prasad N. , Trenholme A. A. , Huang Q. S. , Thompson M. G. , Pierse N. , Widdowson M. A. , Wood T. , Seeds R. , Taylor S. , Grant C.C. , Newbern E. C. ,   SHIVERS team
Published: July 2018

We investigated risk factors for severe acute lower respiratory infections (ALRI) among hospitalised children <2 years, with a focus on the interactions between virus and age. Statistical interactions between age and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), influenza, adenovirus (ADV) and rhinovirus on the risk of ALRI outcomes were investigated. Of 1780 hospitalisations, 228 (12.8%) were admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU). The median (range) length of stay (LOS) in hospital was 3 (1–27) days. An increase of 1 month of age was associated with a decreased risk of ICU admission (rate ratio (RR) 0.94; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.91–0.98) and with a decrease in LOS (RR 0.96; 95% CI 0.95–0.97). Associations between RSV, influenza, ADV positivity and ICU admission and LOS were significantly modified by age. Children <5 months old were at the highest risk from RSV-associated severe outcomes, while children >8 months were at greater risk from influenza-associated ICU admissions and long hospital stay. Children with ADV had increased LOS across all ages. In the first 2 years of life, the effects of different viruses on ALRI severity varies with age. Our findings help to identify specific ages that would most benefit from virus-specific interventions such as vaccines and antivirals.
Compact circularly polarized antenna with wide axial ratio bandwidth using modified quasi-self-complementary structure
Authors: Srivastava Gunjan
Published: July 2018

A compact circularly polarized antenna with wide axial ratio bandwidth (ARBW) using quasi-self-complementary (QSC) structure is presented. A 3-dB ARBW is achieved by shortening the ground plane of the QSC structure. Furthermore, the wide ARBW is obtained by the introduction of a stepped stub in the extended ground plane of the QSC structure. The antenna is fabricated on a FR4 substrate with the overall dimensions of 25 mm × 22 mm × 0.8 mm. The proposed antenna has an impedance bandwidth of 5.9 GHz (2.4–8.3 GHz, 110%) and 3 dB ARBW of 1.6 GHz (2.4–4 GHz, 50%). A peak gain of 1–3 dBi is observed within the 3 dB ARBW.
Tradeoffs in the feed point selection of a cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna
Authors: Ojha Anuj Kumar , Kumar A. V. Praveen
Published: July 2018

This paper aims at investigating the dependence of the impedance and the radiation characteristics of a cylindrical dielectric resonator antenna (DRA), on the feed point of the DRA. It is demonstrated that the resonant frequency, bandwidth, radiation pattern symmetry, and cross-polarized radiation levels depend highly on the feed point. Three standard single-ended feed mechanisms such as the microstrip line, the microstrip slot, and the coaxial probe are taken as examples, to demonstrate the feed-point dependence of the DRA performance. Standard commercial EM simulation tools (ANSYS HFSS and CST Microwave Studio) are used for generating insightful results to help the discussion. This analysis also provides a functional comparison among the above said three feed mechanisms with respect to the feed-point dependence, which is further verified through measurements of DRA prototypes employing the three feeds.
Possible Spatial Distribution of the Mesozoic Volcanic Arc in the Present‐Day South China Sea Continental Margin and Its Tectonic Implications
Authors: Li Fucheng , Sun Zhen , Yang Hongfeng
Published: July 2018

The distribution of the Late Mesozoic volcanic arc in the South China Sea (SCS) continental margin has long been a controversial topic due to its significance in understanding the transition mechanism of a margin from subduction to extension. Here a comprehensive analysis was conducted in the margin using reprocessed magnetic data, newly collected drilling/dredging samples, depositional environment, and deformation style inferred from multichannel seismic profiles to jointly constrain the possible distribution of the Mesozoic volcanic arc. From the map of reduced‐to‐the‐pole magnetic anomaly, several high‐positive magnetic anomaly belts can be discriminated, which cross the central Pearl River Mouth Basin, extend southwestward to the Zhongsha (Macclesfield Bank) and Xisha Islands (Paracel Islands), and distribute discontinuously around the southwest subbasin. Geophysical analysis shows that these belts have similar amplitudes and magnetic depths to known volcanic arcs, such as the Luzon, Cagayan, and Sulu arcs. Furthermore, the high‐amplitude positive magnetic anomaly belts coincide with the distribution of Late Mesozoic arc‐like granites, intermediate rocks, and agglomerates, suggesting that the belts possibly originated from the existence of Late Mesozoic volcanic arc. Accretion and compression environment located in front of the inferred arc provides independent supports to our interpretation. Results indicate that the southwest part of the arc is distributed on both sides of the southwest SCS subbasin, whereas the northeast part remains nearly in its original location, further suggesting that the breakup locations for the SCS margin might be the volcanic front/forearc in the northeast and the arc in the southwest during the opening of the SCS basin.
Flyover Crustal Structures Beneath the Qinling Orogenic Belt and Its Tectonic Implications
Authors: Song Penghan , Teng Jiwen , Zhang Xuemei , Liu Youshan , Si Xiang , Ma Xueying , Qiao Yonghu , Dong Xingpeng
Published: July 2018

Determining high‐resolution three‐dimensional (3‐D) crustal structures of the Qinling Orogenic Belt (QOB) can reveal significant evidences to enhance our understanding of its tectonic evolution. By jointly inverting group and phase velocity dispersion curves, we obtain a high‐resolution 3‐D shear wave velocity model for the QOB. According to the obviously layered features, which include an E‐W trending high‐velocity structure in the upper crust (0–10 km), a transitional zone in the middle crust (10–30 km), and an approximately N‐S trending low‐velocity zone in the middle‐lower crust (20–40 km), we elucidate the crustal structure as a flyover model to explain how the crust beneath the QOB was deformed under the perpendicular force systems from the NE‐SW and E‐W directions during the Meso‐Cenozoic. First, the apparent NE‐SW trending low‐velocity zone in the middle‐lower crust indicates that the low‐viscosity crustal materials beneath the northeastern Tibetan Plateau did not flow eastward into the eastern Qinling terrane during the Cenozoic. Second, the extension in the northern Qinling Mountains and Weihe Basin was not largely affected by the lateral crustal growth of the NE Tibetan Plateau, which might be the result of deep mantle upwelling and/or residual effects from the subduction of the western Pacific plate. Third, during the Mesozoic, the high‐velocity structures beneath the Hannan‐Micang and Shennongjia‐Huangling domes served as anchors resisting the northward subduction, rotation, and continuous collision of the Yangtze Block. The eastward extruding Hannan‐Micang dome served as an indenter that eventually shaped the present‐day asymmetric style of the Dabashan Orocline during the Cenozoic.
Drones Swoop in to Measure Gas Belched from Volcanoes
Authors: D’Arcy Fiona , Stix John , de Moor J. , R�diger Julian , Diaz Jorge , Alan Alfred , Corrales Ernesto
Published: July 2018

A team of volcanologists, chemists, physicists, and engineers from around the world test novel techniques at Central America’s two largest degassing volcanoes.
Decadal Sedimentation in China's Largest Freshwater Lake, Poyang Lake
Authors: Mei Xuefei , Du Juan , Dai Zhijun , Du Jinzhou , Gao Jinjuan , Wang Jie
Published: July 2018

Lakes, as key recorders of sedimentation regime variations, have undergone dramatic erosion/deposition worldwide in response to global warming and increasing anthropogenic interference. Poyang Lake, China's largest freshwater lake, has not escaped these variations. Herein, we show that the sedimentation in Poyang Lake has likely undergone a unique phase shift from sediment sink (annually storing 421 × 104 t) during 1960–1999 to sediment source (yearly losing 782 × 104 t) during 2000–2012, with respect to the Changjiang (Yangtze) River. In comparison with sedimentation during 1960–1999, Poyang Lake sedimentation during the period 2000–2012 is characterized by no deposition during the flood season and enhanced erosion during the dry season. Furthermore, Poyang Lake's largest delta, the Ganjiang Delta, prograded at a rate of 32.7 m/a from 1983 to 1996, which increased to 52.8 m/a from 1996 to 2005 but dropped significantly to 1.7 m/a from 2005 to 2015. A sediment core collected in the shallow‐water shoal of the central lake indicates a stable increase in sedimentation flux from 1960 to 2002, with a mean value of 0.27 g/(cm2·a), followed by a decline in sedimentation flux after 2002. Our findings show that the tributary sediment input from the lake catchment dominated the sedimentation of Poyang Lake prior to 2000, when it was significantly larger than the sediment output to the Changjiang River. However, thereafter, the contribution of tributary sediment to the output dropped by 50%, and the rest has been provided by the lake itself. Namely, channels along Poyang Lake's waterway became the additional source of the lake's sediment output in the 2000s.
Lithospheric Architecture and Mantle Metasomatism Linked to Iron Oxide Cu‐Au Ore Formation: Multidisciplinary Evidence from the Olympic Dam Region, South Australia
Authors: Skirrow R. G. , van der Wielen S. E. , Champion D. C. , Czarnota K. , Thiel S.
Published: July 2018

The role of lithospheric architecture and the mantle in the genesis of iron oxide copper‐gold (IOCG) deposits is controversial. Using the example of the Precambrian Gawler Craton (South Australia), which hosts the giant Olympic Dam IOCG deposit, we integrate geophysical data (seismic tomography and magnetotellurics) with geological and geochemical data to develop a new interpretation of the lithospheric setting of these deposits. Spatially, IOCG deposits are located above the margin of a mantle lithospheric zone with anomalously high electrical conductivities (resistivity <10 ohm.m, top at ~100–150 km depth), low seismic shear‐wave velocities (horizontal component, Vsh < 4.6 km/s), and unusually high ratios of compressional‐ to shear‐wave velocities (Vp/Vsh > 1.80). The high conductivity cannot be explained by water‐bearing olivine‐rich rock alone. Relatively fertile and metasomatized peridotitic mantle with additional high‐Vp/Vs phases, for example, clinohumite, hydrous garnet, and/or phlogopite, could explain the anomalous velocity and conductivity. The top of this high‐Vp/Vsh zone marks a midlithospheric discontinuity at ~100–130 km depth that is interpreted to reflect locally orthopyroxene‐rich mantle. A sub‐Moho zone with high Vp/Vsh at ~40–80 km depth correlates spatially with primitive Nd isotope signatures and arc‐related ~1,620–1,610 Ma magmatism and is interpreted as the eclogitic root of a magmatic arc. Mafic volcanics contemporaneous with ~1,590 Ma IOCG mineralization have geochemistry suggesting derivation from subduction‐modified lithospheric mantle. We suggest that Olympic Dam formed inboard of a continental margin in a postsubduction setting, related to foundering of previously refertilized and metasomatized lithospheric mantle. Deposits formed during the switch from compression to extension, following delamination‐related uplift and exhumation.