bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optimisation‐based training of evolutionary convolution neural network for visual classification applications
Authors: Tu Shanshan , ur Rehman Sadaqat , Waqas Muhammad , Rehman Obaid ur , Yang Zhongliang , Ahmad Basharat , Halim Zahid , Zhao Wei
Published: March 2020

Training of the convolution neural network (CNN) is a problem of global optimisation. This study proposed a hybrid modified particle swarm optimisation (MPSO) and conjugate gradient (CG) algorithm for efficient training of CNN. The training involves MPSO–CG to avoid trapping in local minima. Particularly, improvements in the MPSO by introducing a novel approach for control parameters, improved parameters updating criteria, a novel parameter in the velocity update equation, and fusion of the CG allows handling the issues in training CNN. In this study, the authors validate the proposed MPSO algorithm on three benchmark mathematical test functions and also compared with three different variants of the baseline particle swarm optimisation algorithm. Furthermore, the performance of the proposed MPSO–CG is also compared with other training algorithms focusing on the analysis of computational cost, convergence, and accuracy based on a standard problem specific to classification applications on CIFAR‐10 dataset and face and skin detection dataset.
Very‐short‐term multi‐energy management system for a district heating plant enabling ancillary service provision
Authors: Corsetti Edoardo , Del Corno Ada , Riello Marco
Published: March 2020

The study proposes the simulation study of a district‐heating (DH) plant, located in the north of Italy, to provide automatic Frequency Regulation Reserve (aFRR). This work was carried out in the MAGNITUDE European project and consisted to model and simulate the plant. In particular, the plant devices were designed by grey‐box models to replicate the behaviours. Also, the DH‐network and the heat demand were modelled as functionality coupled to the device models. A multi‐energy system (MES) plant manager coordinates the DH devices in a very short‐term time interval while approaching and providing ancillary services. The designed models were simulated to replicate the basic behaviours of the plant. The outcomes were compared against the real plant time‐series data set, showing a very good fitting. Afterwards, the plant provision of the aFRR market service was simulated. The results obtained showed how the coordinated devices satisfy the strict aFRR real‐time constraints while supplying the DH‐demand. The gained results go beyond the simulation case performed and suggest a two‐fold perspective: the regulation has to pay greater attention to the amount of reliable regulating reserve arising from DH‐MES and the DH‐operators can increase the available resources to operate the plants.
Grid forming control scheme for power systems with up to 100% power electronic interfaced generation: a case study on Great Britain test system
Authors: Ndreko Mario , Rüberg Sven , Winter Wilhelm
Published: March 2020

The penetration of power electronic interfaced generation (PEIG) is expected to reach up to 65% in some parts of the European power system by 2030 (at least during some hours of the year). Under such grid conditions, system security challenges are observed with frequency stability, voltage stability and undamped converter control interactions being among the most important issues. This study presents a short‐term voltage stability assessment of the Great Britain synchronous area under EMT modelling assumptions. The study provides a mapping of system stability and identifies the critical penetration level of PEIG that instabilities are observed. In addition, an application of a grid forming control scheme (namely the enhanced direct power control) is proposed as a mitigation option which is applied here on full‐converter interfaced wind power plants (type‐4). The simulation results reveal that the application of the grid forming control to a part of the total wind power generation fleet can mitigate the instabilities observed, while enabling the system operation with 100% PEIG.
Evolutionary roads leading to low effective spins, high black hole masses, and O1/O2 rates for LIGO/Virgo binary black holes
Authors: Belczynski K. , Klencki J. , Fields C. E. , Olejak A. , Berti E. , Meynet G. , Fryer C. L. , Holz D. E. , O’Shaughnessy R. , Brown D. A. , Bulik T. , Leung S. C. , Nomoto K. , Madau P. , Hirschi R. , Kaiser E. , Jones S. , Mondal S. , Chruslinska M. , Drozda P. , Gerosa D. , Doctor Z. , Giersz M. , Ekstrom S. , Georgy C. , Askar A. , Baibhav V. , Wysocki D. , Natan T. , Farr W. M. , Wiktorowicz G. , Coleman Miller M. , Farr B. , Lasota J.-P.
Published: March 2020

All ten LIGO/Virgo binary black hole (BH-BH) coalescences reported following the O1/O2 runs have near-zero effective spins. There are only three potential explanations for this. If the BH spin magnitudes are large, then: (i) either both BH spin vectors must be nearly in the orbital plane or (ii) the spin angular momenta of the BHs must be oppositely directed and similar in magnitude. Then there is also the possibility that (iii) the BH spin magnitudes are small. We consider the third hypothesis within the framework of the classical isolated binary evolution scenario of the BH-BH merger formation. We test three models of angular momentum transport in massive stars: a mildly efficient transport by meridional currents (as employed in the Geneva code), an efficient transport by the Tayler-Spruit magnetic dynamo (as implemented in the MESA code), and a very-efficient transport (as proposed by Fuller et al.) to calculate natal BH spins. We allow for binary evolution to increase the BH spins through accretion and account for the potential spin-up of stars through tidal interactions. Additionally, we update the calculations of the stellar-origin BH masses, including revisions to the history of star formation and to the chemical evolution across cosmic time. We find that we can simultaneously match the observed BH-BH merger rate density and BH masses and BH-BH effective spins. Models with efficient angular momentum transport are favored. The updated stellar-mass weighted gas-phase metallicity evolution now used in our models appears to be key for obtaining an improved reproduction of the LIGO/Virgo merger rate estimate. Mass losses during the pair-instability pulsation supernova phase are likely to be overestimated if the merger GW170729 hosts a BH more massive than 50 M⊙. We also estimate rates of black hole-neutron star (BH-NS) mergers from recent LIGO/Virgo observations. If, in fact. angular momentum transport in massive stars is efficient, then any (electromagnetic or gravitational wave) observation of a rapidly spinning BH would indicate either a very effective tidal spin up of the progenitor star (homogeneous evolution, high-mass X-ray binary formation through case A mass transfer, or a spin- up of a Wolf-Rayet star in a close binary by a close companion), significant mass accretion by the hole, or a BH formation through the merger of two or more BHs (in a dense stellar cluster).
The CARMENES search for exoplanets around M dwarfs
Authors: Lafarga M. , Ribas I. , Lovis C. , Perger M. , Zechmeister M. , Bauer F. F. , Kürster M. , Cortés-Contreras M. , Morales J. C. , Herrero E. , Rosich A. , Baroch D. , Reiners A. , Caballero J. A. , Quirrenbach A. , Amado P. J. , Alacid J. M. , Béjar V. J. S. , Dreizler S. , Hatzes A. P. , Henning T. , Jeffers S. V. , Kaminski A. , Montes D. , Pedraz S. , Rodríguez-López C. , Schmitt J. H. M. M.
Published: March 2020

Context. For years, the standard procedure to measure radial velocities (RVs) of spectral observations consisted in cross-correlating the spectra with a binary mask, that is, a simple stellar template that contains information on the position and strength of stellar absorption lines. The cross-correlation function (CCF) profiles also provide several indicators of stellar activity.

Aims. We present a methodology to first build weighted binary masks and, second, to compute the CCF of spectral observations with these masks from which we derive radial velocities and activity indicators. These methods are implemented in a python code that is publicly available.

Methods. To build the masks, we selected a large number of sharp absorption lines based on the profile of the minima present in high signal-to-noise ratio (S/N) spectrum templates built from observations of reference stars. We computed the CCFs of observed spectra and derived RVs and the following three standard activity indicators: full-width-at-half-maximum as well as contrast and bisector inverse slope.

Results. We applied our methodology to CARMENES high-resolution spectra and obtain RV and activity indicator time series of more than 300 M dwarf stars observed for the main CARMENES survey. Compared with the standard CARMENES template matching pipeline, in general we obtain more precise RVs in the cases where the template used in the standard pipeline did not have enough S/N. We also show the behaviour of the three activity indicators for the active star YZ CMi and estimate the absolute RV of the M dwarfs analysed using the CCF RVs.
Identification and Validation of Requirements for a Registry System of Children's Developmental Motor Disorders in Iran
Authors: Gozali Elahe , Safdari Reza , Ghazisaeedi Marjan , Rahimi Bahlol , Eslamlou Hamidreza Farrokh , Mehraeen Esmaeil
Published: March 2020

Background Despite recent advances in the field of medical sciences, children's developmental motor disorders (DMDs) are considered as one of the challenges in this area. Establishment of electronic systems for recording and monitoring children's DMDs can play an effective role in identifying patients and reducing the costs and consequences of the disease management. The aim of this study was to identify and validate the requirements for a registry system of children's DMDs in Iran.

Methods The present descriptive–analytical study was performed in three main stages. In the first step, the literature was reviewed to identify the requirements. In the second stage, the information obtained from the literature review was used to develop a questionnaire for validating and selecting the requirements for an electronic system of recording DMDs in infants. In the final stage, the requirements were validated by selected experts (22 specialists). Data were analyzed using SPSS 20 software (IBM Corporation, New York, United States).

Results According to findings, the requirements of a registry system for children's DMDs were identified in three areas of demographic (24 data elements), clinical data (87 data elements), and technical (28 capabilities). In the demographic section, data elements of “family history of motor disorders” (mean = 1.18) and “drug allergy” (mean = 2.9) gained an average score of < 2.5 and therefore were not selected as data elements necessary for the registry system of data recording and monitoring children's DMDs.

Conclusion In such developing countries as Iran, standard information recording and management is not properly done due to a large amount of information and the lack of comprehensive information registry systems. The findings of this study can help to design and establish information registry systems in the field of children's DMDs. Based on the findings of this research, it is recommended that future research be done to explore infrastructures necessary for providing a suitable platform to design and implement information registry systems in the field of children's DMDs.
Effective Factors in Adoption of Mobile Health Applications between Medical Sciences Students Using the UTAUT Model
Authors: Garavand Ali , Samadbeik Mahnaz , Nadri Hamed , Rahimi Bahlol , Asadi Heshmatollah
Published: March 2020

Background Students with complex health care services process face constant challenges with regard to health education. The mobile devices are an important tool that can install various applications for using information such as clinical guidelines, drug resources, clinical calculations, and the latest scientific evidence without any time and place limitations. And this happens only when students accept and use it.

Objective The purpose of this article is to identify the factors influencing students in their intention to use mobile health (mHealth) by using Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model.

Methods A standard questionnaire was used to collect the data from nearly 302 Lorestan University of medical science students including nutrition and public health, paramedicine, nursing and midwifery, pharmacy, dentistry, and medical schools. The data were processed using LISREL (Scientific Software International, Inc., Lincolnwood, Illinois) and SPSS (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York) softwares and the statistical analysis technique was based on structural equation modeling (SEM).

Result A total of 300 questionnaires including valid responses were used in this study. The results showed that mediator of age did not affect the predictors of intention to use mHealth, and the level of education and gender directly affected the intention to use. In addition, effort expectancy, facilitating condition, and behavioral intention directly and indirectly have effect on use, whereas the result revealed no significant relationship between two important processes of performance expectancy and social influence with students' behavioral intention to use the mHealth.

Conclusions The present study provides valuable information on mobile health acceptance factors for widespread use of this device among students of universities of medical sciences as a base infrastructure for a variety of information about health services and learning. Review and comparison of results with other studies showed that mHealth acceptance factors were different from other end users (elderly, patients, and health professionals).
Airway Adventures of Airtraq: Use of Airtraq Optical Laryngoscope with Adaptor in Infants with Obstructive Hydrocephalus Posted for Endoscopic Third Ventriculostomy
Authors: Ali Shahna , Rashid Hassan , Siddiqui Obaid A. , Athar Manazir
Published: March 2020

The pediatric airway is a challenge for the anesthetist due to difficulty in adequate assessment, scarcity of management algorithms, lack of precise knowledge regarding incidence, as well as limitations of the various devices, instruments, and video laryngoscopes. We present a case series of infants with obstructive hydrocephalus with anticipated difficult intubation posted for endoscopic third ventriculostomy (ETV) in whom the airway wtas successfully secured using Airtraq optical laryngoscope with adaptor. Although this device has not been widely studied in pediatrics age group, there are different sizes available for use among children. The ease of use, short learning curve, low cost, single use, and successful approach to difficult airway have made it to being the main rescue technique when the initial approach has failed.
Evaluating Manual Mappings of Russian Proprietary Formats and Terminologies to FHIR
Authors: Lenivtceva Iuliia D. , Kopanitsa Georgy
Published: March 2020

Background Evaluating potential data losses from mapping proprietary medical data formats to standards is essential for decision making. The article implements a method to evaluate the preliminary content overlap of proprietary medical formats, including national terminologies and Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR)—international medical standard.

Methods Three types of mappings were evaluated in the article: proprietary format matched to FHIR, national terminologies matched to the FHIR mappings, and concepts from national terminologies matched to Systematized Nomenclature of Medicine–Clinical Terms (SNOMED CT). We matched attributes of the formats with FHIR definitions and calculated content overlap.

Results The article reports the results of a manual mapping between a proprietary medical format and the FHIR standard. The following results were obtained: 81% of content overlap for the proprietary format to FHIR mapping, 88% of content overlap for the national terminologies to FHIR mapping, and 98.6% of concepts matching can be reached from national terminologies to SNOMED CT mapping. Twenty tables from the proprietary format and 20 dictionaries were matched with FHIR resources; nine dictionaries were matched with SNOMED CT concepts.

Conclusion Mapping medical formats is a challenge. The obtained overlaps are promising in comparison with the investigated results. The study showed that standardization of data exchange between proprietary formats and FHIR is possible in Russia, and national terminologies can be used in FHIR-based information systems.
Modified IMPROVE VTE Risk Score and Elevated D-Dimer Identify a High Venous Thromboembolism Risk in Acutely Ill Medical Population for Extended Thromboprophylaxis
Authors: Spyropoulos Alex C. , Lipardi Concetta , Xu Jianfeng , Peluso Colleen , Spiro Theodore E. , De Sanctis Yoriko , Barnathan Elliot S. , Raskob Gary E.
Published: March 2020

An individualized approach to identify acutely ill medical patients at increased risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) and a low risk of bleeding to optimize the benefit and risk of extended thromboprophylaxis (ET) is needed. The International Medical Prevention Registry on Venous Thromboembolism (IMPROVE) VTE risk score has undergone extensive external validation in medically ill patients for in-hospital use and a modified model was used in the MARINER trial of ET also incorporating an elevated D-dimer. The MAGELLAN study demonstrated efficacy with rivaroxaban but had excess bleeding. This retrospective analysis investigated whether the modified IMPROVE VTE model with an elevated D-dimer could identify a high VTE risk subgroup of patients for ET from a subpopulation of the MAGELLAN study, which was previously identified as having a lower risk of bleeding. We incorporated the modified IMPROVE VTE score using a cutoff score of 4 or more or 2 and 3 with an elevated D-dimer (>2 times the upper limit of normal) to the MAGELLAN subpopulation. In total, 56% of the patients met the high-risk criteria. In the placebo group, the total VTE event rate at Day 35 was 7.94% in the high-risk group and 2.83% for patients in the lower-risk group. A reduction in VTE was observed with rivaroxaban in the high-risk group (relative risk [RR]: 0.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.51–0.91, p = 0.008) and in the lower-risk group (RR: 0.69, 95% CI: 0.40 -1.20, p = 0.187). The modified IMPROVE VTE score with an elevated D-dimer identified a nearly threefold higher VTE risk subpopulation of patients where a significant benefit exists for ET using rivaroxaban.
Parental Attitudes toward Vaccination in Turkey: A Face-to-Face Survey
Authors: Çağ Yakup
Published: March 2020

Objective Vaccination is the most effective and safest approach to protect public health and to prevent infectious diseases. Despite its great benefits, there has been a growing sense of distrust in the safety of vaccines and vaccination programs, leading to unwillingness to vaccinate or even refusal of vaccines altogether. The aim of this study was to determine parental attitudes toward vaccination and to derive information that would help develop appropriate strategies to tackle vaccine hesitancy and refusal (V-HR).

Methods A 15-item questionnaire was administered during a face-to-face interview with 1,440 parents (88.1% women, median age: 32 years) whose children were followed up and treated in pediatric outpatient and/or inpatient clinics between July and September 2019. The influential factors on parental V-HR were statistically analyzed.

Results The majority of the parents were in favor of vaccination without doubt (n = 1,184, 82.2%). The overall V-HR rate was 17.8%, with 16% of the parents (n = 230) expressing hesitancy and 1.8% (n = 26) completely refusing vaccination. Educational status significantly affected V-HR (p = 0.001), with a higher proportion of V-HR parents having a higher educational level (high school–university) than those having a lower educational status. The prevalence of V-HR was significantly higher among parents who drew vaccination-related information from written, visual, and social media (p < 0.001). Among the 256 parents, parental V-HR most commonly arose from perceived risk and safety concerns, with the feeling that vaccines might lead to another disease such as autism (57%), and the fear that vaccines might cause side effects (33%).

Conclusion Parental V-HR has transformed into an alarming global health problem. Of particular importance is monitoring and assessing parental V-HR in every aspect, particularly the media sources that continuously disseminate misinformation about vaccination. Besides nationwide projects to encourage vaccination, appropriate utilization of the same media sources is needed to counteract V-HR and enhance awareness about the necessity and lifesaving benefits of vaccination.
Imaging local genetic influences on cortical folding
Authors: Alexander-Bloch Aaron F. , Raznahan Armin , Vandekar Simon N. , Seidlitz Jakob , Lu Zhixin , Mathias Samuel R. , Knowles Emma , Mollon Josephine , Rodrigue Amanda , Curran Joanne E. , Görring Harald H. H. , Satterthwaite Theodore D. , Gur Raquel E. , Bassett Danielle S. , Hoftman Gil D. , Pearlson Godfrey , Shinohara Russell T. , Liu Siyuan , Fox Peter T. , Almasy Laura , Blangero John , Glahn David C.
Published: March 2020

Significance

Major gaps remain in our understanding of mechanisms that underlie the folding of the human cerebral cortex. Stereotyped folding in specific cortical locations could be explained by a corresponding anatomical pattern of genetic influences on cortical development, but no direct evidence supports this explanation. Here, we use high-resolution brain MRI to show the existence of the predicted pattern of genetic influences on the thickness of the cerebral cortex, leveraging the prediction that shared genetic influences during development create covariability of cortical thickness in adult neuroanatomy. Anatomically local covariability in cortical thickness has a genetic basis, is symmetric between cortical hemispheres, shows consistency across independent datasets, and may influence patterns of surface folding on the human brain.
Vibrational exciton nanoimaging of phases and domains in porphyrin nanocrystals
Authors: Muller Eric A. , Gray Thomas P. , Zhou Zhou , Cheng Xinbin , Khatib Omar , Bechtel Hans A. , Raschke Markus B.
Published: March 2020

Much of the electronic transport, photophysical, or biological functions of molecular materials emerge from intermolecular interactions and associated nanoscale structure and morphology. However, competing phases, defects, and disorder give rise to confinement and many-body localization of the associated wavefunction, disturbing the performance of the material. Here, we employ vibrational excitons as a sensitive local probe of intermolecular coupling in hyperspectral infrared scattering scanning near-field optical microscopy (IR
s
-SNOM) with complementary small-angle X-ray scattering to map multiscale structure from molecular coupling to long-range order. In the model organic electronic material octaethyl porphyrin ruthenium(II) carbonyl (RuOEP), we observe the evolution of competing ordered and disordered phases, in nucleation, growth, and ripening of porphyrin nanocrystals. From measurement of vibrational exciton delocalization, we identify coexistence of ordered and disordered phases in RuOEP that extend down to the molecular scale. Even when reaching a high degree of macroscopic crystallinity, identify significant local disorder with correlation lengths of only a few nanometers. This minimally invasive approach of vibrational exciton nanospectroscopy and -imaging is generally applicable to provide the molecular-level insight into photoresponse and energy transport in organic photovoltaics, electronics, or proteins.
Laminarin is a major molecule in the marine carbon cycle
Authors: Becker Stefan , Tebben Jan , Coffinet Sarah , Wiltshire Karen , Iversen Morten Hvitfeldt , Harder Tilmann , Hinrichs Kai-Uwe , Hehemann Jan-Hendrik
Published: March 2020

Marine microalgae sequester as much CO
2
into carbohydrates as terrestrial plants. Polymeric carbohydrates (i.e., glycans) provide carbon for heterotrophic organisms and constitute a carbon sink in the global oceans. The quantitative contributions of different algal glycans to cycling and sequestration of carbon remain unknown, partly because of the analytical challenge to quantify glycans in complex biological matrices. Here, we quantified a glycan structural type using a recently developed biocatalytic strategy, which involves laminarinase enzymes that specifically cleave the algal glycan laminarin into readily analyzable fragments. We measured laminarin along transects in the Arctic, Atlantic, and Pacific oceans and during three time series in the North Sea. These data revealed a median of 26 ± 17% laminarin within the particulate organic carbon pool. The observed correlation between chlorophyll and laminarin suggests an annual production of algal laminarin of 12 ± 8 gigatons: that is, approximately three times the annual atmospheric carbon dioxide increase by fossil fuel burning. Moreover, our data revealed that laminarin accounted for up to 50% of organic carbon in sinking diatom-containing particles, thus substantially contributing to carbon export from surface waters. Spatially and temporally variable laminarin concentrations in the sunlit ocean are driven by light availability. Collectively, these observations highlight the prominent ecological role and biogeochemical function of laminarin in oceanic carbon export and energy flow to higher trophic levels.
Rbm24 controls poly(A) tail length and translation efficiency of
crystallin
mRNAs in the lens via cytoplasmic polyadenylation
Authors: Shao Ming , Lu Tong , Zhang Chong , Zhang Yi-Zhuang , Kong Shu-Hui , Shi De-Li
Published: March 2020

Lens transparency is established by abundant accumulation of crystallin proteins and loss of organelles in the fiber cells. It requires an efficient translation of lens messenger RNAs (mRNAs) to overcome the progressively reduced transcriptional activity that results from denucleation. Inappropriate regulation of this process impairs lens differentiation and causes cataract formation. However, the regulatory mechanism promoting protein synthesis from lens-expressed mRNAs remains unclear. Here we show that in zebrafish, the RNA-binding protein Rbm24 is critically required for the accumulation of crystallin proteins and terminal differentiation of lens fiber cells. In the developing lens, Rbm24 binds to a wide spectrum of lens-specific mRNAs through the RNA recognition motif and interacts with cytoplasmic polyadenylation element-binding protein (Cpeb1b) and cytoplasmic poly(A)-binding protein (Pabpc1l) through the C-terminal region. Loss of Rbm24 reduces the stability of a subset of lens mRNAs encoding heat shock proteins and shortens the poly(A) tail length of
crystallin
mRNAs encoding lens structural components, thereby preventing their translation into functional proteins. This severely impairs lens transparency and results in blindness. Consistent with its highly conserved expression in differentiating lens fiber cells, the findings suggest that vertebrate Rbm24 represents a key regulator of cytoplasmic polyadenylation and plays an essential role in the posttranscriptional control of lens development.
EHD2-mediated restriction of caveolar dynamics regulates cellular fatty acid uptake
Authors: Matthaeus Claudia , Lahmann Ines , Kunz Séverine , Jonas Wenke , Melo Arthur Alves , Lehmann Martin , Larsson Elin , Lundmark Richard , Kern Matthias , Blüher Matthias , Olschowski Hannah , Kompa Julian , Brügger Britta , Müller Dominik N. , Haucke Volker , Schürmann Annette , Birchmeier Carmen , Daumke Oliver
Published: March 2020

Significance

Caveolae are small plasma membrane invaginations that are particularly abundant in adipocytes. Caveolae are implicated in lipid uptake, but the exact mechanism is not clear. Here, we characterized the physiological function of EHD2, a protein that is found at the neck of caveolae. We established a link between higher caveolar mobility induced by EHD2 loss and increased cellular fatty acid uptake. Concurrently, lipid droplets were enlarged in various tissues of EHD2-lacking mice. Our data suggest that EHD2 controls a cell-autonomous, caveolae-dependent fatty acid uptake pathway. Notably, obese patients express only low levels of EHD2, implicating a role of EHD2-controlled caveolar dynamics in obesity.
COST1 regulates autophagy to control plant drought tolerance
Authors: Bao Yan , Song Wei-Meng , Wang Peipei , Yu Xiang , Li Bei , Jiang Chunmei , Shiu Shin-Han , Zhang Hongxia , Bassham Diane C.
Published: March 2020

Plants balance their competing requirements for growth and stress tolerance via a sophisticated regulatory circuitry that controls responses to the external environments. We have identified a plant-specific gene,
COST1
(
constitutively stressed 1
), that is required for normal plant growth but negatively regulates drought resistance by influencing the autophagy pathway. An
Arabidopsis thaliana cost1
mutant has decreased growth and increased drought tolerance, together with constitutive autophagy and increased expression of drought-response genes, while overexpression of
COST1
confers drought hypersensitivity and reduced autophagy. The COST1 protein is degraded upon plant dehydration, and this degradation is reduced upon treatment with inhibitors of the 26S proteasome or autophagy pathways. The drought resistance of a
cost1
mutant is dependent on an active autophagy pathway, but independent of other known drought signaling pathways, indicating that COST1 acts through regulation of autophagy. In addition, COST1 colocalizes to autophagosomes with the autophagosome marker ATG8e and the autophagy adaptor NBR1, and affects the level of ATG8e protein through physical interaction with ATG8e, indicating a pivotal role in direct regulation of autophagy. We propose a model in which COST1 represses autophagy under optimal conditions, thus allowing plant growth. Under drought, COST1 is degraded, enabling activation of autophagy and suppression of growth to enhance drought tolerance. Our research places COST1 as an important regulator controlling the balance between growth and stress responses via the direct regulation of autophagy.
Hox
genes maintain critical roles in the adult skeleton
Authors: Song Jane Y. , Pineault Kyriel M. , Dones Jesús M. , Raines Ronald T. , Wellik Deneen M.
Published: March 2020

Significance

Mammalian
Hox
genes are absolutely critical for proper development of skeletal morphology during embryogenesis, and
Hox11
genes are essential for proper zeugopod (radius/ulna, tibia/fibula) development. While the expression of
Hox
genes continues through postnatal and adult stages, whether
Hox
genes continue to function in the skeleton after the establishment of skeletal morphology has not been determined due to lack of genetic tools. To address this issue, we generated a conditional
Hoxd11
allele that allows for temporal deletion of
Hox11
function at adult stages following normal zeugopod development and growth of the skeleton. Here, we show that
Hox
genes function in the adult skeleton by regulating the differentiation of skeletal stem cells into the osteolineage.
A little history goes a long way toward understanding why we study consciousness the way we do today
Authors: LeDoux Joseph E. , Michel Matthias , Lau Hakwan
Published: March 2020

Consciousness is currently a thriving area of research in psychology and neuroscience. While this is often attributed to events that took place in the early 1990s, consciousness studies today are a continuation of research that started in the late 19th century and that continued throughout the 20th century. From the beginning, the effort built on studies of animals to reveal basic principles of brain organization and function, and of human patients to gain clues about consciousness itself. Particularly important and our focus here is research in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s involving three groups of patients—amnesia, split brain, and blindsight. Across all three groups, a similar pattern of results was found—the patients could respond appropriately to stimuli that they denied seeing (or in the case of amnesiacs, having seen before). These studies paved the way for the current wave of research on consciousness. The field is, in fact, still grappling with the implications of the findings showing that the ability to consciously know and report the identity of a visual stimulus can be dissociated in the brain from the mechanisms that underlie the ability to behave in a meaningful way to the same stimulus.
ATP- and voltage-dependent electro-metabolic signaling regulates blood flow in heart
Authors: Zhao Guiling , Joca Humberto C. , Nelson Mark T. , Lederer W. Jonathan
Published: March 2020

Significance

The ATP-sensitive K
+
channel (K
ATP
) is a metabolite sensor that transduces the myocyte metabolic state into an electrical signal. Our studies show that this electro-metabolic signaling mechanism underlies the regulation of local blood flow in the heart through its actions on the contractile elements of the microvasculature. In addition, the efflux of K
+
supports this mechanism by its action on the capillary endothelial inward rectifier K
+
(Kir2.1). These findings establish a conceptually new framework for understanding the hugely reliable and incredibly robust local electro-metabolic microvascular regulation of blood flow in the heart.
Impact of international travel and border control measures on the global spread of the novel 2019 coronavirus outbreak
Authors: Wells Chad R. , Sah Pratha , Moghadas Seyed M. , Pandey Abhishek , Shoukat Affan , Wang Yaning , Wang Zheng , Meyers Lauren A. , Singer Burton H. , Galvani Alison P.
Published: March 2020

The novel coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19) in mainland China has rapidly spread across the globe. Within 2 mo since the outbreak was first reported on December 31, 2019, a total of 566 Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS CoV-2) cases have been confirmed in 26 other countries. Travel restrictions and border control measures have been enforced in China and other countries to limit the spread of the outbreak. We estimate the impact of these control measures and investigate the role of the airport travel network on the global spread of the COVID-19 outbreak. Our results show that the daily risk of exporting at least a single SARS CoV-2 case from mainland China via international travel exceeded 95% on January 13, 2020. We found that 779 cases (95% CI: 632 to 967) would have been exported by February 15, 2020 without any border or travel restrictions and that the travel lockdowns enforced by the Chinese government averted 70.5% (95% CI: 68.8 to 72.0%) of these cases. In addition, during the first three and a half weeks of implementation, the travel restrictions decreased the daily rate of exportation by 81.3% (95% CI: 80.5 to 82.1%), on average. At this early stage of the epidemic, reduction in the rate of exportation could delay the importation of cases into cities unaffected by the COVID-19 outbreak, buying time to coordinate an appropriate public health response.
Advances in Iranian linguistics
Authors: Moradi Sedigheh
Published: March 2020

The diffusion of Iranian languages throughout a large part of the world, their deep recorded history, the remarkably intricate typological variation they show, and their extensive contact with languages belonging to different linguistic families make Iranian linguistics a fascinating and highly promising area for research in linguistic theory. Despite this remarkable scientific potential, however, and unlike the situation with nearly every other major language family, there are few collections of works focusing exclusively on languages of the Iranian family. The present volume is part of a current ongoing effort to address this gap, providing a theoretically informative and constructive venue for scholars working in Iranian linguistics. The twelve chapters of the current volume are selected from over 40 papers presented at the first North American Conference in Iranian Linguistics (NACIL1) held at Stony Brook University, April 28–30, 2017.
A multi-dimensional approach to classification of Iran’s languages
Authors: Anonby Erik , Hayes Amos , Oikle Robert
Published: March 2020

The enterprise of classification is central to the construction of a language atlas, particularly in the Iranian context. While existing two-dimensional models of language classification are useful as a starting point, they are ultimately incapable of handling some of the important complexities found in Iran’s language situation. To address these issues, we propose a multi-dimensional “language relation web”, based on a force-directed multigraph visualization, as an alternative model for expressing connections between language varieties. This architecture allows for differentiation and representation of multiple types of linkages, each of which constitutes a dimension of classification, in a single visualization: shared genealogical inheritance, structural similarity through contact, and association through ethnic identification. The resulting model provides new insights into the classification of Iran’s languages and raises questions and prospects for the broader classification process.
The additive particle in Persian
Authors: Ghomeshi Jila
Published: March 2020

This chapter discusses the syntactic and semantic properties of the additive marker -am in Persian. I show that -am exhibits positional variability, is polysemous in meaning, and does not always contribute meaning that affects the truth conditions of the sentence. On the basis of this I classify -am as a pragmatic particle. Noting that -am is homophonous with both the first person singular agreement suffix and the first person pronominal enclitic, I propose that it is precisely because additive -am is a pragmatic particle that it is distinguished from the inflectional morphemes it resembles in form. Thus the chapter argues for three levels at which morphemes can be classified: derivation, inflection, pragmatic, and suggests that cross-level homophony is not accidental. Rather, frequency of use at one level predisposes a particular form to be used at another level. This ultimately gives a language its morphological ‘flavour’.
The suffix that makes Persian nouns unique
Authors: Jasbi Masoud
Published: March 2020

Although it is widely acknowledged that Tehrani Persian (often broadly labeled as Persian) has no dedicated marker of definiteness, the nominal suffix -e has been analyzed as a colloquial definiteness marker. Here I show that -e can mark bare nominals to ensure a definite interpretation, but it can also appear on indefinites marked by the indefinite determiner ye. I show that indefinites marked by -e are scopally inert. To unify the effect of -e on definites and indefinites, I propose that -e introduces a uniqueness implication on the nominal it modifies. More specifically, N-e denotes a singleton set of objects. On a bare nominal, this uniqueness implication ensures a definite interpretation. On an indefinite, it restricts the domain of quantification to a singleton, making the indefinite scopally inert. I present a compositional account of definite and indefinite constructions with -e in Tehrani Persian.
Topic agreement, experiencer constructions, and the weight of clitics
Authors: Jügel Thomas , Samvelian Pollet
Published: March 2020

It has been claimed that in some Iranian languages like Sorani Kurdish enclitic pronouns shifted to verbal agreement markers via topic agreement, i.e. hanging topics resumed by enclitic pronouns are reanalysed as subjects cross-indexed by agreement markers. In this study, we suggest a bridging context for the reanalysis of topic agreement as verbal agreement by assuming that verbal endings (the inherited agreement markers) and enclitic pronouns represent the same degree or weight of encoding. We further compare the historical findings with the cross-reference patterns found in New Persian experiencer constructions. These constructions show a similar development, and we provide evidence that the relation of experiencer and cross-indexing enclitic pronoun qualifies as agreement.
Another look at Persian rā
Authors: Karimi Simin , Smith Ryan Walter
Published: March 2020

The morpheme -rā has typically been analyzed as an instance of differential object marking, appearing on direct objects that are definite or in some sense specific. In this chapter, we discuss several cases in which -rā may appear on DPs that are not direct objects. Building on insights from dependent case theory (Marantz 1991; Baker & Vinokurova 2010, Preminger 2011, 2014, Kornfilt & Preminger 2014), we develop an analysis of -rā, according to which it is the realization of accusative case, treated as a dependent case assigned in syntax, and a specificity feature. In addition to accounting for the facts discussed in the context of Modern Persian, we show how an extension of our analysis can account for the distribution of -rā in Classical Modern Persian.
Oblique marking and adpositional constructions in Tat
Authors: Suleymanov Murad
Published: March 2020

Tat, an Iranian language spoken in the Caucasus, has been exposed to heavy contact with neighbouring genetically unrelated languages, resulting in widespread bilingualism and causing contact-induced innovations. At the same time, a long period of low contact among the dialects of Tat has contributed to them displaying an abundance of phonological, lexical, morphological, and syntactic differences, as well as preserving otherwise extinct lexical elements and grammatical constructions. This article explores the various functions (inherited and introduced later on) of the Tat oblique clitic, with a focus on its role in forming new types of adpositional constructions.
Code-switching in online academic discourse
Authors: Lising Loy , Peters Pam , Smith Adam
Published: March 2020

World Englishes are the product of contact between English and other languages in multilingual habitats through
the nativization phase. Yet the actual contexts of code-switching that contribute to the emerging regional variety have scarcely
been described. This research focuses on code-switching among bilingual Filipino students, to illuminate this dynamic phase in
varietal evolution. Using data from an online academic forum, it analyses the code-switching patterns within and between turns in
the discussion, to see how they facilitate or inhibit the mobilization of Tagalog elements into code-mixed English. The data show
intense levels of code-switching especially within individual turns. At the change of turns, the sequentiality principle is often
set aside, and code-switching often involves Tagalog discourse markers and other function words. These include some elements noted
two decades earlier (Bautista 1998) as potential features of evolving Philippine
English, which have never been codified. The new data provide empirical evidence of how non-English elements are progressively
taken up into World Englishes, in interactive use of English among bi-/multilingual speakers.
The inconspicuous substratum
Authors: Mailhammer Robert , Sherwood Stacey , Stoakes Hywel
Published: March 2020

Descriptions of Australian Aboriginal English list the neutralisation of the Standard English contrast between so-called voiced and voiceless stops as one characteristic feature. This paper reports on the results of an acoustic analysis of data collected in a production task by monolingual speakers of Standard Australian English in Sydney, of Aboriginal English on Croker Island, Northern Territory, and bilingual speakers of Iwaidja/Aboriginal English and Kunwinjku/Aboriginal English on Croker Island. The results show that average values for Voice Onset Time, the main correlate of the “stop voicing contrast” in English, and Closure Duration collected from Aboriginal speakers of English do not significantly differ from that of speakers of Standard Australian English, irrespective of language background. This result proves that the stop contrast is not neutralised by these Aboriginal speakers of English. However, it can be shown that phonetic voicing manifesting itself in Voice Termination Time is a prevalent and characteristic feature of Aboriginal English on Croker Island. This feature aligns Aboriginal English on Croker Island with local Aboriginal languages and differentiates it from Standard Australian English.
Crystallography, orientation relationships and growth behaviour of TiC in wear-resistant steel
Authors: Du Gang
Published: March 2020

Morphology, growth behaviour and formation mechanism of TiC and its heterogeneous nucleation effect on ferrite in TiC-reinforced wear-resistant steel were theoretically and experimentally investigated. The dimensionless entropy of fusion (Δ Sm/ R) of TiC is calculated to be 2.9, suggesting that TiC exhibits faceted morphology. The size of TiC is about 0.9 μm after solidification according to the kinetic calculations of TiC particle growth, which is consistent with the size of the TiC observed in the experimental steel. Combined with the calculated planar disregistry between TiC and ferrite using the Bramfitt mode and their actual Kurdjumov–Sachs orientation relationship examined by using an EBSD (electron backscatter diffraction) technique, it indicates that TiC can serve as a preferred heterogeneous site for ferrite during solidification.

GRAPHICAL ABSTRACT
Basketball performance is affected by the schedule congestion: NBA back‐to‐backs under the microscope
Authors: Esteves Pedro T. , Mikolajec Kazimierz , Schelling Xavier , Sampaio Jaime
Published: March 2020

Teams experiencing highly competitive densities may be particularly exposed to performance breakdown and injury risk. The aim of this study was to analyse the association between fixture congestion cycles (playing back‐to‐back games, playing on one day's rest, playing on two day's rest, playing on three or more day's rest) and performance of NBA basketball teams. A total of 82 games from all teams participating in NBA 2016/2017 regular season were considered. Game‐related statistics by fixture congestion cycles and game outcome were examined using the Pearson's Chi‐Square test, Discriminant Analysis and Binary logistic regression. The results revealed that the likelihood of winning a game increased significantly from playing back‐to‐back games to having one day rest in between. Shooting efficacy‐related statistics presented a considerable discriminatory power of the different fixture congestion cycles. In conclusion, fixture congestion cycles showed a significant impact on the game outcome and team performance. The findings may add value in the re‐design of game schedules in the NBA as well as inform coaches to critically manage training load in order to enhance performance and reduce the risk of injury.