bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intriguing electric field effect on magnetic spin couplings in dielectron clathrate hydrates
Authors: Luo Qi , Bu Yuxiang
Published: February 2019

Clathrate hydrates have appeared as promising icy materials as the radical, high‐spin molecule, and even electron clathrate hydrates are found. In particular, dielectron clathrate hydrates are expected to develop as structural units for a novel class of icy magnetic materials because of not only possible spin coupling interaction, but also very sensitive response to electric field of the loosely bound electrons. However, electric field responses concerning the magnetic properties of such hydrates have not been reported so far. In this work, three representative dielectron clathrate hydrate model clusters (e2@4668BB, e2@51262BB, and e2@4668AB) were considered for the exploration of their magnetic spin coupling properties, electron distributions, and energy responses to applied electric field. The results calculated at the density functional theory level show that the energies and electron spin coupling properties of these dielectron clathrate hydrate clusters are quite sensitive to applied electric field, presenting intriguing variations. Most importantly, applied electric field can regulate the strength of spin coupling between two trapped electrons, and even could realize the magnetic interconversion of such dielectron cluster structures between antiferromagnetic and paramagnetic or diamagnetic characteristics. Clearly, the intriguing variations should be attributed to the diffuse character, special mobility and polarizable properties of such trapped electrons, and especially the susceptible redistributions of two electrons (including the electron cloud shape and distance between two electron centers) to the electric field. This work opens up the possibility of designing novel icy magnetic materials with sensitive electric field responses of the magnetic properties.
Stable isotope measurements to differentiate sources of monofluoroacetate in a blackmail case
Authors: Van Hale Robert , Schofield Matthew , Connor Mark , Barker Richard , Frew Russell
Published: February 2019

Rationale

Stable isotope ratios can provide a ‘fingerprint’ to enable differentiation of sources of monofluoroacetate (MFA), hence providing a means to eliminate potential sources of MFA in a blackmail case involving the contamination of milk.

Methods

The stable isotopic compositions (δ2H, δ13C and δ18O values) of a library of 43 samples of MFA were determined and multivariate models constructed to differentiate samples of different composition. The data from the MFA library were compared with those obtained from MFA extracted from contaminated milk powder (the case samples). The isotopic composition of the extracted samples was measured on dichloroaniline derivatives.

Results

A wide range of values was found for δ2H, δ13C and δ18O of the MFA samples, much greater than the analytical repeatability between subsamples. Stable isotope data, therefore, provide a means of distinguishing samples of MFA. Of the 43 MFA samples tested, all but 6 could be eliminated as potential sources of the contamination, i.e. they had a distinctly different isotopic composition such that they must have had different histories and/or origins.

Conclusions

Stable isotope measurements of bulk and derivatized MFA provide an effective means of discriminating MFA samples. Three of the library samples that could not be differentiated from the case samples were directly connected to the suspect, and this evidence contributed to the suspect's admission of guilt.
Feasibility of artificial intelligence for predicting live birth without aneuploidy from a blastocyst image
Authors: Miyagi Yasunari , Habara Toshihiro , Hirata Rei , Hayashi Nobuyoshi
Published: February 2019

Purpose

To make the artificial intelligence (AI) classifiers of the image of the blastocyst implanted later in order to predict the probability of achieving live birth.

Methods

A system for using the machine learning approaches, which are logistic regression, naive Bayes, nearest neighbors, random forest, neural network, and support vector machine, of artificial intelligence to predict the probability of live birth from a blastocyst image was developed. Eighty images of blastocysts that led to live births and 80 images of blastocysts that led to aneuploid miscarriages were used to create an AI‐based method with 5‐fold cross‐validation retrospectively for classifying embryos.

Results

The logistic regression method showed the best results. The accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value were 0.65, 0.60, 0.70, 0.67, and 0.64, respectively. Area under the curve was 0.65 ± 0.04 (mean ± SE). Estimated probability of belonging to the live birth category was found significantly related to the probability of live birth (P < 0.005).

Conclusions

Classifiers using artificial intelligence applied toward a blastocyst image have a potential to show the probability of live birth being the outcome.
Synthesis of Nano‐Particle Dispersed Highly Substructured Strong and Ductile Low Carbon Steel Possessing Structural Hierarchy
Authors: Subhani Amir Raza , Mondal Dipak Kumar , Mondal Chandan , Maity Joydeep
Published: February 2019

In this research work intercritical thermal cycling is adopted on a cost‐effective material (AISI 1010 steel) so as to attain a hierarchical structure at multiple length scales, from nanometer scale onwards. As a consequence, a considerably high strength (UTS = 1 GPa) along with a significant ductility (% Elongation = 15) is achieved. This is attributed to a novel microstructure that consists of nano‐sized cementite particle dispersed α‐ferrite islands in a matrix of nano‐sized cementite particle dispersed highly sub‐structured martensite (containing both “lath” and “plate” morphology). The substructure appears in the form of dislocations in lath martensite and nanoscale twins in plate martensite. The α‐ferrite islands provide intrinsic ductilization through microvoid coalescence; while extrinsic ductilization is attributed to crack arrest at dimples and crack deflection at hard plate martensite matrix. Such a high strength is obtained by virtue of martensitic strengthening (through generation of highly substructured martensite) and nano‐dispersion strengthening (due to presence of dispersed nano‐sized cementite particles).
Induced Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Are Functionally and Genetically Different From Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Authors: Xu Maojia , Shaw Georgina , Murphy Mary , Barry Frank
Published: February 2019

There has been considerable interest in the generation of functional mesenchymal stromal cell (MSC) preparations from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and this is now regarded as a potential source of unlimited, standardized, high-quality cells for therapeutic applications in regenerative medicine. Although iMSCs meet minimal criteria for defining MSCs in terms of marker expression, there are substantial differences in terms of trilineage potential, specifically a marked reduction in chondrogenic and adipogenic propensity in iMSCs compared with bone marrow-derived (BM) MSCs. To reveal the cellular basis underlying these differences, we conducted phenotypic, functional, and genetic comparisons between iMSCs and BM-MSCs. We found that iMSCs express very high levels of both KDR and MSX2 compared with BM-MSCs. In addition, BM-MSCs had significantly higher levels of PDGFRα. These distinct gene expression profiles were maintained during culture expansion, suggesting that prepared iMSCs are more closely related to vascular progenitor cells (VPCs). Although VPCs can differentiate along the chondrogenic, osteogenic, and adipogenic pathways, they require different inductive conditions compared with BM-MSCs. These observations suggest to us that iMSCs, based on current widely used preparation protocols, do not represent a true alternative to primary MSCs isolated from BM. Furthermore, this study highlights the fact that high levels of expression of typical MSC markers such as CD73, CD90, and CD105 are insufficient to distinguish MSCs from other mesodermal progenitors in differentiated induced pluripotent stem cell cultures. Stem Cells  2019;37:754–765
Molecular support for a basal grade of morphologically distinct, monotypic genera in the species‐rich Vanguerieae alliance (Rubiaceae, Ixoroideae): Its systematic and conservation implications
Authors: Razafimandimbison Sylvain G. , Kainulainen Kent , Wong Khoon M. , Beaver Katy , Bremer Birgitta
Published: February 2019

Many monotypic genera with unique apomorphic characters have been difficult to place in the morphology‐based classifications of the coffee family (Rubiaceae). We rigorously assessed the subfamilial phylogenetic position and generic status of three enigmatic genera, the Seychellois Glionnetia, the Southeast Asian Jackiopsis, and the Chinese Trailliaedoxa within Rubiaceae, using sequence data of four plastid markers (ndhF, rbcL, rps16, trnT‐F). The present study provides molecular phylogenetic support for positions of these genera in the subfamily Ixoroideae, and reveals the presence of a basal grade of morphologically distinct, monotypic genera (Crossopteryx, Jackiopsis, Scyphiphora, Trailliaedoxa, and Glionnetia, respectively) in the species‐rich Vanguerieae alliance. These five genera may represent sole representatives of their respective lineages and therefore may carry unique genetic information. Their conservation status was assessed, applying the criteria set in IUCN Red List Categories. We consider Glionnetia and Jackiopsis Endangered. Scyphiphora is recognized as Near Threatened despite its extensive range and Crossopteryx as Least Concern. Trailliaedoxa is poorly known (Data Deficient). Finally, the generic status of Glionnetia, Jackiopsis, and Trailliaedoxa and the monogeneric tribe Jackieae as defined by Ridsdale are supported.
The disjointed distribution ofAnacamptis longicornuin the West‐Mediterranean: The role of vicariance versus long‐distance seed dispersal
Authors: Zitari Anis , Tranchida-Lombardo Valentina , Cafasso Donata , Helal Ahmed Noureddine , Scopece Giovanni , Cozzolino Salvatore
Published: February 2019

Tertiary geological processes and Quaternary climatic oscillations significantly contributed in determining plant species ranges in the Mediterranean basin, making it difficult to distinguish between relative influence of habitat fragmentation and long‐distance dispersal in shaping actual species distribution across disjointed regions. We studied the phylogeographic structure ofAnacamptis longicornu, a Western Mediterranean orchid species spanning over the main continental islands (Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Balearic Islands) and North Africa. We aimed to answer the question whether the highly disjointed distribution of this orchid was determined by: (1) recent over‐sea dispersion after the last glacial phase; (2) range fragmentation after the refilling of Mediterranean basin at the end of the Messinian Salinity Crisis (MSC); (3) ancient dispersal events linked to the insurgence of favourable bioclimatic conditions in the basin. Haplotype differentiation, haplotype network, and mismatch analysis support the hypothesis that the current distribution ofA. longicornuis more likely explained by allopatric separation and restricted gene flow in connection with fragmentation of a continuous range or a series of ancient dispersal events, after the MSC but before the most recent glaciations. Recent over‐sea dispersion, if occurring, must have played a marginal role.
Redefinition of Adiantopsis Fée (Pteridaceae): Systematics, diversification, and biogeography
Authors: Link-Pérez Melanie A. , Watson Linda E. , Hickey R. James
Published: February 2019

We present the first multi‐gene phylogeny of taxa potentially allied to the fern genus Adiantopsis, one of about 20 genera in the large group of cheilanthoid ferns. Our goals were to clarify natural relationships, examine generic boundaries, and interpret character evolution within a phylogenetic framework. Phylogenetic analysis of combined plastid rbcL and atpA DNA sequences has led to an expansion of generic boundaries in Adiantopsis, a recircumscription that is clearly defensible with morphological data. Biogeographic analyses suggest an origin for the genus in South America, with a minimum of three migrations into the Caribbean. We include a synopsis of the genus and two new combinations.
Canary grasses (Phalaris, Poaceae): Molecular phylogenetics, polyploidy and floret evolution
Authors: Voshell Stephanie M. , Baldini Riccardo M. , Kumar Rohit , Tatalovich Nicholas , Hilu Khidir W.
Published: February 2019

The 21 wild species of Phalaris L. (Poaceae) are distributed in temperate areas of both hemispheres and in the mountains of tropical Africa and South America. The genus contains annual and perennial diploids based on x = 6 and 7 and polyploids based on x = 7, with the x = 6 cytotypes displaying less species diversification. Phalaris presents a potentially valuable case study for speciation in conjunction with chromosomal evolution and biogeography in Poaceae due to its global distribution, notable variation in morphological traits, and the key role of polyploidy in its evolution. We reconstructed the first phylogenetic tree for the genus using nuclear ITS and plastid trnT‐F sequences to assess species relationships and map trends in floret differentiation and patterns of polyploid evolution. The study demonstrated a single origin of the x = 6 chromosome number and revealed the sister relationship of this lineage to the monophyletic x = 7 lineage. The clades recovered in the analyses display geographic affiliations and demonstrate diploid‐polyploid associations. A trend in sterile lemma reduction is evident, with members of the early diverging x = 6 lineage displaying relatively large and lanceolate sterile lemmas, followed by gradual reduction in size, culminating in almost obsolete sterile lemmas in one of the terminal x = 7 clades.
Phylogeny of the subtribe Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae tribe Ocimeae) as inferred from nuclear and plastid DNA
Authors: Pastore José Floriano Barêa , Harley Raymond M. , Forest Félix , Paton Alan , van den Berg Cássio
Published: February 2019

Phylogenetic analyses of the subtribe Hyptidinae (Lamiaceae) based on nuclear ITS and ETS, and plastid trnL‐F, trnS‐G, trnD‐T, and matK are presented. The analysis of the ITS dataset included 218 specimens representing 180 species of Hyptidinae. This analysis was used to select a smaller representative sample of 69 species of Hyptidinae for further analysis based on all above regions. The monophyly of Hyptidinae and almost all genera is well‐supported, with noticeable paraphyly of Hyptis which is ancestor of all remaining genera of Hyptidinae. Eriope is monophyletic with the exclusion of E. simplex, while Hypenia represents a monophyletic group excluding H. vitifolia. Hyptis eximia was shown to be associated with Hyptidendron, and Peltodon is embedded within the Hyptis s.str. clade. Internal relationships within Hyptis s.str. were not completely resolved; a preliminary discussion on the taxonomy treatment of the complex and the subdivision of Hyptis are presented.
Conserving Acacia Mill. with a conserved type: What happened in Melbourne?
Authors: Smith Gideon F. , Figueiredo Estrela
Published: February 2019

We here document what happened in Melbourne, Australia, in July 2011, regarding the confirmation of the inclusion of Acacia Mill. with A. penninervis as its conserved type in the Vienna Code. The procedures followed by the Nomenclature Section of the XVIII International Botanical Congress (IBC) are outlined and briefly described as far as they pertain to Acacia. The 2005 outcome of the controversial proposal to retypify Acacia Mill. from an African to an Australian type was confirmed by the Nomenclature Section following the ratification of the 2006, Vienna, International Code of Botanical Nomenclature (ICBN or Code) including the entry for Acacia. This, and other, decisions of the Nomenclature Section were in turn ratified by the final closing plenary session of the IBC held on 30 July 2011. The now‐effective Code (incidentally in the future the International Code of Nomenclature for algae, fungi, and plants) emanating from the XVIII IBC, will therefore include Acacia, with a conserved type, in the Appendix dealing with "Nomina generica conservanda et rejicienda". If the traditional classification system is followed that applies the name Acacia in a broad sense to an assemblage of legume species comprising a number of subgenera, this decision holds no implications at generic rank. However, should the alternative classification which segregates a broadly defined Acacia into a number of genera be followed, then the name Acacia would apply in a strict sense to the mainly Australian wattles (formerly Acacia subg. Phyllodineae, now Acacia subg. Acacia).
Ceramium Roth (Ceramiales, Rhodophyta) from Venice lagoon (Adriatic Sea, Italy): Comparative studies of Mediterranean and Atlantic taxa
Authors: Wolf Marion A. , Sciuto Katia , Maggs Christine A. , de Barros-Barreto Maria Beatriz B. , Andreoli Carlo , Moro Isabella
Published: February 2019

The cosmopolitan genus Ceramium (Ceramiaceae, Rhodophyta) is a large and systematically complex group. The taxonomy of this genus remains in a chaotic state due to the high degree of morphological variation. Culture studies, suggesting a strong influence of environment on phenotype, and the use of molecular tools have recently questioned the validity of morphological features used in species recognition. Here we compare three Ceramium taxa from Venice lagoon with samples from northwest Europe using the plastid ribulose–1,5–bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase gene (rbcL) and the rbcL–rbcS intergenic spacer combined with morphological observations. A strongly banded species, previously identified as member of a poorly understood and misnamed group, the Ceramium diaphanum complex sensu Feldmann–Mazoyer, is probably conspecific with British samples of Ceramium diaphanum sensu Harvey, for which no valid name has been identified up to now. We show that Ceramium polyceras (Kützing) Zanardini is a valid name for this species. A fully corticated Ceramium species morphologically resembling C. secundatum differs at the species level from Atlantic C. secundatum; a valid name for this entity is Ceramium derbesii Solier ex Kützing, described from Mediterranean France. A third species characterized by cortical spines, previously listed as Ceramium ciliatum var. robustum (J. Agardh) Mazoyer, is shown to be Ceramium nudiusculum (Kützing) Rabenhorst, originally described from Venice.
Molecular data challenge traditional subgeneric divisions in the leafy liverwort Radula
Authors: Devos Nicolas , Renner Matt A.M , Gradstein S. Robbert , Shaw Jon , Vanderpoorten Alain
Published: February 2019

With approximately 200 species, the genus Radula is one of the most speciose genera of leafy liverworts. Although the genus is well delimited, its subdivision into subgenera and sections has been controversial. None of the subgeneric subdivisions have been the subject of an explicit test of internal consistency or monophyly based on molecular data and a comprehensive view of evolutionary relationships within the genus is thus still lacking. In the present paper we propose, based on a molecular phylogeny of the genus, a new subgeneric classification for Radula, and create three new subgenera. While the reconstructions of ancestral gametophytic characters allow for a morphological description of each of the seven lineages identified in our phylogeny, synapomorphies for these lineages are mostly lacking. Uncertainty of morphological state reconstructions at the deepest nodes of the phylogeny, which point to a rapid morphological diversification of the genus in its early history, do not allow for pinpointing when morphological changes occurred. The classification scheme proposed here is therefore mostly based on molecular features.
Age and diversity in Old World succulent species of Euphorbia (Euphorbiaceae)
Authors: Bruyns Peter V. , Klak Cornelia , Hanáček Pavel
Published: February 2019

We use a relatively densely sampled phylogeny to obtain preliminary estimates for the ages of the major clades identified in Euphorbia, with which we show that the succulent species of Euphorbia have diversified over the last 36 million years into many of the semi–arid, tropical parts of the world. Many major clades have subclades from widely separated regions, often on different continents. Our results imply that these distributions arose by long–distance dispersal after the break–up of Gondwana. In the case of Indian/South–east Asian succulents there appears to have been a single, relatively recent dispersal event from Africa. We have included many species from the Arabian Peninsula and Socotra and we show that these are nested within other, mainly African clades. In some cases Arabian and Socotran taxa have their closest relatives in adjacent parts of North–east Africa and most often this is true in recent clades, while in more ancient clades their closest relatives may be in Macaronesia or in the Namib Desert of Southern Africa so that these are typical 'Rand Flora' elements. In one case, closest known relatives are in North America. We find that Socotran taxa vary between 16 and 3 Ma old. The major diversifications of succulents in temperate Southern Africa (the crown clades in subg. Rhizanthium and more minor clades in subg. Chamaesyce) and in tropical East Africa (the crown clades in subg. Euphorbia) occurred in the last 20–3 Ma. In the Greater Cape Flora of the western part of Southern Africa the diversity in Euphorbia is mainly derived from one lineage in subg. Rhizanthium and one in subg.Chamaesyce. In contrast the diversity of Euphorbia in the Arabian Peninsula is derived from the invasion (mainly from Africa) of many separate lineages. We show that large, succulent trees are only found in subg. Euphorbia and only occur in the Old World. Most of them fall within a single clade and have evolved relatively recently.
Gravitational scattering in the high-energy limit
Authors: Liu Zhengwen
Published: February 2019

Abstract

Any gravitational scattering amplitude takes a remarkably simple factorized form at tree level in multi-Regge kinematics (MRK), where the produced particles are strongly ordered in rapidity. Very recently, it was shown that the scattering equations also have a very simple structure in MRK. In this paper we study Einstein gravity amplitudes in MRK in the framework of the scattering equations. We present a new derivation of the multi-Regge factorization of tree-level amplitudes with any number of external gravitons and any helicity configuration.
Analysis of Three-dimensional Atom-probe Data by the Proximity
Histogram
Authors: Hellman Olof C. , Vandenbroucke Justin A. , Rüsing Järg , Isheim Dieter , Seidman David N.
Published: February 2019

The three-dimensional (3D) atom-probe technique produces a
reconstruction of the elemental chemical identities and three-dimensional
positions of atoms field evaporated from a sharply pointed metal specimen,
with a local radius of curvature of less than 50 nm. The number of atoms
collected can be on the order of one million, representing an analysis
volume of approximately 20 nm × 20 nm × 200 nm (80,000
nm3). This large amount of data allows for the
identification of microstructural features in a sample, such as grain or
heterophase boundaries, if the feature density is large enough. Correlation
of the measured atomic positions with these identified features results in
an atom-by-atom description of the chemical environment of crystallographic
defects. This article outlines a data compilation technique for the
generation of composition profiles in the vicinity of interfaces in a
geometrically independent way. This approach is applied to quantitative
determination of interfacial segregation of silver at a MgO/Cu(Ag)
heterophase interface.
Limiting logical pluralism
Authors: Finn Suki
Published: February 2019

In this paper I argue that pluralism at the level of logical systems requires a certain monism at the meta-logical level, and so, in a sense, there cannot be pluralism all the way down. The adequate alternative logical systems bottom out in a shared basic meta-logic, and as such, logical pluralism is limited. I argue that the content of this basic meta-logic must include the analogue of logical rules Modus Ponens (MP) and Universal Instantiation (UI). I show this through a detailed analysis of the ‘adoption problem’, which manifests something special about MP and UI. It appears that MP and UI underwrite the very nature of a logical rule of inference, due to all rules of inference being conditional and universal in their structure. As such, all logical rules presuppose MP and UI, making MP and UI self-governing, basic, unadoptable, and (most relevantly to logical pluralism) required in the meta-logic for the adequacy of any logical system.
Some ‘Apparent’ Space-Time Mismatches (Puzzles) over the Indian Subcontinent and ‘Channeling’
Authors: Raval U. , Veeraswamy K.
Published: February 2019

Since the Mesozoic the Indian lithosphere has been subjected to significantly large number of high intensity geodynamical events. This gave rise to a few ‘apparent’ space-time mismatches between the observed effects and their causes (or sources). For example, the Rajahmundry basaltic traps near the eastern margin (Baksi and Brahmam, 1985) and the Salma dyke in the Raniganj basin (Paul, 2005); both have almost the same age as that of the Deccan volcanism which is presumed to have been caused by the outburst of the Reunion mantle plume near the west coast; but both these formations are located nearly 1000-1400 km away from the epicenter of the plume outburst. Another issue arises from the fact that a ~90 my old volcanism which exists all along the eastern margin of the Madagascar (Mahoney et al., 1991) and is attributed to the Marion plume (Storey, 1995a); but around the same time (~88-90 Ma) the causative Marion plume was situated near the southern end of Madagascar that is ~ 1500 km away from its northern end.

These long separations between the cause and effects seem mismatch or puzzle. Present study suggests that a deep seated ‘channeling’ of thermomagmatic flux – from a mantle plume head – along facilitating corridors could: (a) resolve the issue of large separation, (b) reconcile differing views about the origin of the Rajahmundry traps, and (c) explain a number of midplate geophysical, tectonic and geological observations. The ‘Channeling process’ thus appears an important unifying concept.
Analytical Protocol for U-Th-Pb Chemical Dating of Monazite using CAMECA SXFive EPMA Installed at the Mantle Petrology Laboratory, Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, India
Authors: Pandey Mayuri , Pandit Dinesh , Arora Devsamridhi , Rao N. V. Chalapathi , Pant N. C.
Published: February 2019

Chemical Th-U-total Pb method of dating monazite by an Electron Probe Micro Analyzer (EPMA) is a well-known technique for constraining chronology of geological events. In this communication, the analytical conditions of monazite dating using SXFive EPMA recently installed at the Department of Geology, Banaras Hindu University is reported. Consistency in the geochronological data of the monazites from the geochronologically well-constrained high grade metamorphic terrain of Bundelkhand craton, north central India, confirms the reliability of the BHU-EPMA facility for the U-Th-Pb geochemical dating of monazite.
Implication from Chemical study of Magnetic Spherules from a Thin Ferruginous Layer Located in Fatehgarh Formation of Barmer Basin, India
Authors: Mathur Sonal , Tripathi R. P. , Mathur S. C. , Mathur Saurabh , Gaur S. D.
Published: February 2019

A unique thin ferruginous layer exist in late Maastrichtian sedimentary sequence of Fatehgarh Formation in Barmer basin, India. Magnetic separation of this layer yielded presence of magnetic glassy spherules of millimetre size. In the present study, XRF, EDXA, INNA are employed to understand the possible origin of these magnetic spherules obtained from this layer. Chemical composition of these spherules strongly favour their volcanic origin.
Terrain Characteristics and their Influence on the Temporal Behaviour of Hydraulic Heads in Kallada River Basin, Kerala
Authors: Aju C. D. , Reghunath Rajesh , Prasannakumar V. , Chandran Subeesh
Published: February 2019

The terrain characteristics of an area play vital role in the spatial and temporal behaviour of the hydraulic heads of groundwater body. The present study was carried out to understand the influence of major terrain parameters such as slope, drainage, geology and soil characteristics on the seasonal variations of the hydraulic head in the Kallada river basin, South Kerala, India. Water table was measured at 166 open wells in the study area during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon periods to accomplish the objectives. Hydraulic heads in the study area varied seasonally from 0 to 4.33m during the study period. Wells with very less change in hydraulic head fall in the midland area, where the drainage frequency is very low to low. Areas with very high slope are characterized by less recharge and the wells at such areas show highest change in hydraulic head. Also, the wells with higher variation in hydraulic heads are associated with Kodumon, Mynagapally and Ummannur soil series.
Application of Geochemical Mapping in Unraveling Paleoweathering and Provenance of Karewa Deposits of South Kashmir, NW Himalaya, India
Authors: Bhat Nadeem A. , Singh B. P. , Bhat Aijaz A. , Nath Som , Guha D. B.
Published: February 2019

Ninety Six composite stream sediment samples of Karewa deposits from parts of Pulwama and Budgam districts of south Kashmir were analysed for major, trace and rare earth elements to understand the nature of weathering and provenance. A-CN-K and A-CNK-FM plots of the samples indicate almost similar contents in Al2O3, CaO, Na2O, K2O and MgO as those of upper crust, reflecting very poor to moderate weathering history. Similarly, the low to moderate chemical index of alteration (CIA) values (33.97 to 68.87), chemical index of weathering (CIW) values (57.68 to 84.80) and plagioclase index of weathering (PIA) values (31.49 to 75.67) suggest a low to moderate intensity of weathering in source area. The discriminant function diagrams revealed quartzose sedimentary provenance, with some of the samples falling in intermediate igneous source, probably reflecting recycled orogen provenance. The sample data show fractionated REE patterns with (La/Yb)cn varying from 7.42 to 9.52 and a negative Eu anomaly 0.64 – 0.71, is regarded as evidence for a differentiated source. In La–Th–Sc diagram, sediments fall in a region of mixed source rocks with two samples falling in basic source rock area. The samples fall close to the values of UCC, PAAS and NASC, indicating large provenance with variable geographical and geological setting. On La/Th plot, the sediment data fall into the range of UCC, indicating that the sediments did not have a uniform provenance.
A GIS-based Approach in Drainage and Morphometric Analysis of Ken River Basin and Sub-basins, Central India
Authors: Panda Balakrushna , Venkatesh Madavi , Kumar Bijendra , Anshumali
Published: February 2019

Morphometric characterization of the Ken River basin (KRB) in Central India was carried out by analyzing SRTM DEM and topographical maps using geographic information system (GIS). The Ken river basin and sub-basins comprise a dendritic drainage pattern with highest stream order varying from third order to sixth order, and the mean bifurcation ratio (2.09) showed that the drainage pattern was not affected by structural disturbances. Coarse texture, low relief, elongated shape of the basin and gentle terrain condition were found to be dominant morphometric parameters. These results could be utilized in restoration and conservation of natural resources in Ken river basin.
Studies on Deformation Characteristics of Conglomerate along Jonk River, Sonakhan, Balodabazaar District, Chhattisgarh
Authors: Chourasia Ketan , Diwan Prabhat
Published: February 2019

Jonk river conglomerate occurs along the river Jonk of the late Archean-Paleoproterozoic Sonakhan greenstone belt in the northern-eastern part of the central India craton (CIC)/Bastar block of Central India. To quantify finite strain, the Rf/ϕ and Fry techniques were used. For the 3D strain analysis, conventional Flinn diagram was computed, on which variation of finite strain as computed from harmonic mean for the different localities, that most of the pebble shapes designates at the oblate field and have nearly plain strain ellipsoid.
Provenance Studies of Ilmenite from Red Sediments, Bhimunipatnam Coast, East Coast of India
Authors: Rao P. Ganapati , Reddy K. S. N. , Sekhar Ch. Ravi , Naidu K. Bangaku , Krishna K. N. Murali , Reddy G. V. R.
Published: February 2019

Mineral chemistry of the ilmenites, drawn from the red sediments along the Bhimunipatnam coast, Andhra Pradesh, India was determined by EPMA technique. The major constituents are TiO2 and FeO, and the value of Ti/(Ti + Fe) < 0.5 of these ilmenites indicate that they are relatively fresh ‘ferrian ilmenites’ and were contributed recently to the red sediments in the study area. Using the mineral chemical data, the end-member composition of the analyzed ilmenites was calculated, which reveals that they are of ‘ilmenite - hematite’ and ‘ilmenite - geikielite - hematite’ composition, derived from calc-alkaline magma-sourced charnockites and metapelitic khondalite suite of rocks respectively of the Eastern Ghats granulite belt. The TiO2 content and Mn/Mg ratio of the study ilmenites indicate that these rocks constitute their provenance in the Gosthani river basin. Their back scattered electron (BSE) and scanning electron (SEM) images show their prominent sub-angular to sub-rounded shape, corroborating the study under microscope, with some preserving signatures of exsolution intergrowth, earlier deformation and rounded shape, all of which are attributed to their transportation by the Gosthani river, after their liberation from their provenance rocks.
In-situ Observation and Nitrate-N Load Assessment in Madhubani District, Bihar, India
Authors: Kumari Binita , Gupta Pankaj Kumar , Kumar Deepak
Published: February 2019

Fertilizers may leach through the vadose zone and eventually reach groundwater in agriculturally intensive areas. Thus, the main focus of this study was to investigate Nitrate-N load and vulnerability of groundwater resources using in-situ observed hydrogeological data. Soil water flow and contaminant transport equation was numerically simulated using HYDRUS 1D for constant head and atmospheric top boundary conditions. Sub-surface materials were distributed based on the lithologs of the target area. Observed water table locations were considered as bottom boundary condition to respective numerical domain. The time taken by Nitrate-N to reach groundwater table was considered to estimate vulnerability index. The results show that Nitrate-N load is higher in constant head boundary conditions than atmospheric boundary conditions. The eastern part of the study area shows high vulnerability than northern part followed by western part. In-situ observed nitrate concentrations were well matched with simulated results. The high vulnerability in eastern and northern part is due to alluvial sandy lithologs and very shallow groundwater table. These findings are in line with the observed low water table depths, less runoff, and higher hydraulic conductivity of the vadose zone material in these area. In western part, forest cover dominated land use causes low pollution vulnerabilities to groundwater resources. This study may help to frame agricultural and soil-water conservation practices with more sustainable remedial techniques.
Production and dissemination of corporate information in social media: A review
Authors: Lei Lijun (Gillian) , Li Yutao , Luo Yan
Published: February 2019

The emergence of social media as a corporate disclosure channel has caused significant changes in the production and dissemination of corporate information. This review identifies important themes in recent research on the impact of social media on the corporate information environment and provides suggestions for further explorations of this new but fast-growing area of research. Specifically, we first review the evolution of Internet-based corporate disclosure and related regulations, and then focus on three recent streams of research: 1) companies’ use of social media; 2) information produced by non-corporate users and its impact on capital markets; and 3) the credibility of corporate information on social media platforms.
Low-cost Fe-bearing powder metallurgy Ti alloys
Authors: Bolzoni L.
Published: February 2019

Low-cost titanium alloys could find their way into cost-sensitive sectors such as the automotive bringing significant environmental benefits and potentially leading to the stabilization of the titanium market, with an associated further reduction in costs. This work presents an overview of the advancements made on the understanding of the design, manufacturing and properties of low-cost Fe-bearing Ti alloys manufactured via powder metallurgy. Maximization of the reduction in the alloy and manufacturing costs derives from the joint contribution of the selected starting materials, alloying elements, and combination of processing steps used to produce the alloy. Specifically, low-cost commercially available powders (pure Ti and ferrous powders) are elementally blended and processed via press and sinter. The low-cost Fe-bearing powder metallurgy Ti alloys are designed to prevent embrittlement and commonly reach the properties typical of alpha + beta titanium alloys; they are therefore suitable alternative to manufacture non-critical engineering components. The overview is finalized by proposing areas of scientific interest needing further basic research which will help to tackle the challenge of moving forward the production of these new low-cost Fe-bearing powder metallurgy Ti alloys for industrial implementation.
The politics of recognition of Crimean Tatar collective rights in the post-Soviet period: With special attention to the Russian annexation of Crimea
Authors: Aydin Filiz Tutku , Sahin Fethi Kurtiy
Published: February 2019

This paper examines the process of how Crimean Tatars strived to attain group-differentiated rights since they have returned to their homeland in the early 1990s. Whereas the politics of minority rights were viewed through security lens in earlier literature, we emphasize the significance of cultural constructs in influencing the minority policies, based on qualitative content analysis of “speech acts” of elites, and movement and policy documents. Focusing on the interaction of the framing processes of Crimean Tatars with the Crimean regional government, Ukraine, and Russia, we argue that the “neo-Stalinist frame” has played a major role in denying the rights of Crimean Tatars for self-determination and preservation of their ethnic identity in both pre and post annexation Crimea. The Crimean Tatars counter-framed against neo-Stalinist frame both in the pre and post-annexation period by demanding their rights as “indigenous people”. Ukraine experienced a frame transformation after the Euromaidan protests, by shifting from a neo-Stalinist frame into a “multiculturalist frame”, which became evident in recognition of the Crimean Tatar status as indigenous people of Crimea.
On the probabilities of branch durations and stratigraphic gaps in phylogenies of fossil taxa when rates of diversification and sampling vary over time
Authors: Wagner Peter J.
Published: February 2019

The time separating the first appearances of species from their divergences from related taxa affects assessments of macroevolutionary hypotheses about rates of anatomical or ecological change. Branch durations necessarily posit stratigraphic gaps in sampling within a clade over which we have failed to sample predecessors (ancestors) and over which there are no divergences leading to sampled relatives (sister taxa). The former reflects only sampling rates, whereas the latter reflects sampling, origination, and extinction rates. Because all three rates vary over time, the probability of a branch duration of any particular length will differ depending on when in the Phanerozoic that branch duration spans. Here, I present a birth–death-sampling model allowing interval-to-interval variation in diversification and sampling rates. Increasing either origination or sampling rates increases the probability of finding sister taxa that diverge both during and before intervals of high sampling/origination. Conversely, elevated extinction reduces the probability of divergences from sampled sister taxa before and during intervals of elevated extinction. In the case of total extinction, a Signor-Lipps will reduce expected sister taxa leading up to the extinction, with the possible effect stretching back many millions of years when sampling is low. Simulations indicate that this approach provides reasonable estimates of branch duration probabilities under a variety of circumstances. Because current probability models for describing morphological evolution are less advanced than methods for inferring diversification and sampling rates, branch duration priors allowing for time-varying diversification could be a potent tool for phylogenetic inference with fossil data.
Improving Supreme Court Forecasting Using Boosted Decision Trees
Authors: Kaufman Aaron Russell , Kraft Peter , Sen Maya
Published: February 2019

Though used frequently in machine learning, boosted decision trees are largely unused in political science, despite many useful properties. We explain how to use one variant of boosted decision trees, AdaBoosted decision trees (ADTs), for social science predictions. We illustrate their use by examining a well-known political prediction problem, predicting U.S. Supreme Court rulings. We find that our ADT approach outperforms existing predictive models. We also provide two additional examples of the approach, one predicting the onset of civil wars and the other predicting county-level vote shares in U.S. presidential elections.
Democratization and the Conditional Dynamics of Income Distribution
Authors: DORSCH MICHAEL T. , MAAREK PAUL
Published: February 2019

Despite strong theoretical reasons to expect that democratization equalizes income distributions, existing empirical studies do not find a statistically significant effect of democratization on measures of income inequality. This paper starts from the simple observation that autocracies are heterogeneous and govern quite extreme distributional outcomes (also egalitarian). Democratization may drive extreme income distributions to a “middle ground.” We thus examine the extent to which initial inequality levels determine the path of distributional dynamics following democratization. Using fixed-effects and instrumental variable regressions, we demonstrate that egalitarian autocracies become more unequal following democratization, whereas democratization has an equalizing effect in highly unequal autocracies. The effect appears to be driven by changes in gross (market) inequality, suggesting that democratization has led, on average, to redistribution of market opportunities, rather than to direct fiscal redistribution. We then investigate which kinds of (heterogeneous) reforms are at work following democratizations that may rationalize our findings.
“Two Suns in One Firmament”: John Cotton, Thomas Hooker, and the 1655 New Haven Sodomy Statute
Authors: Slater Sandra
Published: February 2019

This piece explores the origins of the anomalous 1655 New Haven statute against sodomy that broke with legal traditions and codes both in England and New England. A lengthy and extraordinarily specific piece of legislation, the New Haven law stands in stark contrast to the minimalist language favored by the English in the early seventeenth century. When viewed within the larger context of clerical animosities, particularly between Thomas Hooker and John Cotton, there is a strong circumstantial case to make for its implementation as an extension of John Cotton's rejected Massachusetts Bay legal code,Moses His Judicials, applied by his friend and admirer John Davenport in New Haven. A devout disciple of John Cotton, John Davenport's New Haven colony relied on Cotton's influence and stood as a rebuke to Thomas Hooker's Connecticut settlements, often criticized as too spiritually lax by those in Massachusetts Bay and New Haven. While seeking to demonstrate greater piety and rigidity, John Cotton and Thomas Hooker sought to exert dominance over the other, with Cotton employing Davenport's colony as an effective castigation of Hooker's perceived liberality. This piece is reflective of trends in studies of sexuality which suggest that ideas and identities related to sexuality do not operate in isolation, but often mirror anxieties not necessarily connected to the regulation of sexual activities. This article situates the 1655 Sodomy Statue within a broader context in order to understand its origins and animosities that potentially motivated its inclusion into the New Haven legal statutes.
“All Our Children May be Taught of God”: Sunday Schools and the Roles of Childhood and Youth in Creating Evangelical Benevolence
Authors: Leal K. Elise
Published: February 2019

Merging religious history with childhood studies, this article analyzes the rise of the Sunday school movement to show how concepts of childhood, and young people themselves, helped shape early American religious culture. Religious disestablishment, republican concerns about virtue, and romanticized reconstructions of childhood led to a heightened focus on young people within late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-century Protestant reform movements. The resulting dissemination of Sunday schools across the country established physical and imagined communities of faith dedicated exclusively to young people. They also fostered unprecedented levels of youth religious leadership by allowing adolescents to serve as teachers, challenging inherited patterns of social and cultural authority. Sunday schools thereby became transformative and transactional spaces where young people could both shape and be shaped by the growing Protestant community. This article describes this synergistic relationship between childhood, youth, and Protestant benevolence by examining the two related educational models that emerged within the Sunday school movement in the early national period. The first, exemplified by republican-humanitarian Sunday schools founded in the late eighteenth century, emphasized literacy instruction for the purpose of creating a virtuous citizenry. The second model also aspired to create virtuous citizens, but it envisioned using Sunday schools primarily to evangelize and sanctify the nation. The increasing emphasis on evangelism produced an even more significant structural shift: the transformation of Sunday schools into child-centric institutions that facilitated youth religious leadership. This in turn helped inaugurate a period within American Christianity when institutions and ministries were designed specifically for children on mass scale, permanently altering the religious landscape and redistributing spiritual authority to more marginalized groups, including young people themselves. By revealing how age became an increasingly crucial factor in determining the shape and substance of religious experiences, this article demonstrates that ideals and anxieties about childhood helped create volunteerism, which in turn reshaped the structure of American Protestantism while simultaneously contributing to the formation of a broader child-centric culture that persists in the modern day.