bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The CO2/CO32−chemistry of the NaOH(aq) model system applicable to cellulose solutions
Authors: Gunnarsson Maria , Bernin Diana , Hasani Merima
Published: November 2019

Molecular interactions governing the recently reported CO2/CO32−chemistry of cellulose/NaOH(aq) solutions are investigated using a cellulose analogue methyl-β-D-glucopyranoside in NaOH(aq) solutions under conditions feasible with cellulose dissolution.1H,13C and steady-state heteronuclear Overhauser effect NMR spectroscopy complemented by pH measurements reveal carbohydrate–CO32−interactions as an important component of this chemistry. However, depending on in which order carbohydrate and CO32−are brought together in NaOH(aq) this interaction is different with different implications on stability of the CO32−in the solution.
Female Labor Market Participation Across Cohorts: Evidence from the Netherlands
Authors: Nientker Wouter , Alessie Rob
Published: November 2019

This study investigates female labor force participation in the Netherlands between 1985 and 2014 and proposes a new approach to address the age–period–cohort identification problem. The prime working age model assumes a constant effect of age on female labor force participation for women who are at least 45 years old but younger than 50. This model generates plausible predictions of the age-, period- and cohort profiles of female labor participation. Those predictions are very similar to the ones obtained by using the intrinsic estimator approach of Yang et al. (Sociol Methodol 34(1):75–110, 2004).
Children with Behavioural Problems Misinterpret the Emotions and Intentions of Others
Authors: Wells Amy E. , Hunnikin Laura M. , Ash Daniel P. , van Goozen Stephanie H. M.
Published: November 2019

Research indicates that the misinterpretation of other’s emotions or intentions may lead to antisocial behaviour. This study investigated emotion and intention recognition in children with behavioural problems and examined their relationship and relations with behaviour problem severity. Participants were 7–11 year old children with behavioural problems (n = 93, mean age: 8.78, 82.8% male) who were taking part in an early intervention program and typically developing controls (n = 44, mean age: 9.82, 79.5% male). Participants completed emotion recognition and Theory of Mind tasks. Teachers and parents rated children’s emotional and behavioural problems. Children with behavioural problems showed impaired emotion and intention recognition. Emotion recognition and intention recognition were positively related and inversely associated with behavioural problem severity and, independently of one another, predicted behavioural problems. This study is the first to show that children with behavioural problems are impaired in identifying others’ emotions as well as intentions. These social cognitive processes were found to be related and inversely associated with severity of behavioural problems. This has important implications for intervention and prevention programmes for children with behavioural difficulties.
Effects of humidity and phosphor on silicone/phosphor composite in white light-emitting diode package
Authors: Hoque Md Ashraful , Bradley Robert Kelley , Fan Jiajie , Fan Xuejun
Published: November 2019

Silicone/phosphor composite, which serve as mechanical protection and light conversion material, is an integral part of white light-emitting diode (LED) package. In this paper, a comprehensive study is conducted to investigate the effect of humidity and phosphor on moisture absorption, hygroscopic swelling, mechanical behavior, as well as thermal properties of silicone/phosphor composite in comparison with the pure silicone. SEM/EDAX and FTIR were performed to identify the phosphor and silicone compositions. Through moisture sorption test, it has been observed that the addition of phosphor significantly lowers the capacity of moisture absorption, but accelerates the diffusivity of moisture absorption. The hygroscopic swelling test showed that the phosphor has little effect on the swelling compared to the pure silicone sample. Both moisture absorption/desorption and hygroscopic swelling/de-swelling are reversible. Strain ramp test revealed that the phosphor enhances the stiffness of the composite. The moisture absorption, however, has negligible impact on mechanical stiffness for both pure and composite samples. Finally, thermal expansion test showed that the coefficient of thermal expansion does not change with the addition of phosphor into pure silicone.
Concentrations of iodine-129 in coastal surface sediments around spent nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Rokkasho, Japan, during and after its test operation
Authors: Satoh Yuhi , Ueda Shinji , Kakiuchi Hideki , Ohtsuka Yoshihito , Hisamatsu Shun’ichi
Published: November 2019

Concentrations of 129I in coastal surface sediment samples from the east coast of Aomori, Japan, 2–65 km away from the wastewater outlet of the nuclear fuel reprocessing plant at Rokkasho, Japan, were measured from 2006 to 2010. No clear effect on 129I/127I atom ratios in marine sediments was observed, although 129I was discharged from the plant, during its test operation using actual spent fuel, mainly between 2006 and 2008. The ratio in sediments collected at a fishing port at the mouth of a brackish lake increased in 2007, showing that the 129I migrated from the lake to the port.
How to tell a happy person: Accuracy of subjective well-being perception from texts
Authors: Stavrova Olga , Haarmann Lena
Published: November 2019

Although perceptions of subjective well-being (SWB) in unacquainted others have been shown to play a major role in impression formation, little is known about how accurate such perceptions are. In two original studies and one pre-registered replication, we explored the accuracy of life satisfaction and happiness judgments from texts and its underlying mechanisms (use of linguistic cues). Participants filled in life satisfaction and happiness measures and completed a brief writing task. Another sample of participants judged the targets’ life satisfaction and happiness from the obtained texts. All three studies demonstrated a small to moderate self-other agreement. A linguistic analysis showed that targets with higher (vs. lower) scores on SWB were less likely to use negation words in their texts, which allowed observers to make accurate judgment of their SWB level. Two studies pointed at negative emotion words as valid and positive emotion words as invalid (but often used) cues to happiness, yet these effects did not replicate in Study 3.
Ambiguity and price competition
Authors: Routledge R. R. , Edwards R. A.
Published: November 2019

There are few models of price competition in a homogeneous-good market which permit general asymmetries of information amongst the sellers. This work studies a price game with discontinuous payoffs in which both costs and market demand are ex ante uncertain. The sellers evaluate uncertain profits with maximin expected utilities exhibiting ambiguity aversion. The buyers in the market are permitted to split between sellers tieing at the minimum price in arbitrary ways which may be deterministic or random. The role of the primitives in determining equilibrium prices in the market is analyzed in detail.
Effects of soil amendment with PCB-contaminated sediment on the growth of two cucurbit species
Authors: Urbaniak Magdalena , Lee Sunmi , Takazawa Mari , Mierzejewska Elżbieta , Baran Agnieszka , Kannan Kurunthachalam
Published: November 2019

The aim of the study was to evaluate the influence of the application of increasing proportions (0%, 10%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100%) of an admixture of PCB-contaminated Hudson River sediment collected from the Upper Hudson River, near Waterford, Saratoga county (New York, USA) on soil properties, phytotoxicity, and biometric and physiological responses of cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv ‘Wisconsin SMR 58’) and zucchini (Cucurbita pepo L. cv ‘Black Beauty’) grown as potential phyto- and rhizoremediators. The experiment was performed for 4 weeks in a growth chamber under controlled conditions. Amendment of Hudson River sediment to soil led to a gradual increase in PCB content of the substratum from 13.7 μg/kg (with 10% sediment) to 255 μg/kg (with 100% sediment). Sediment amendment showed no phytotoxic effects during the initial stages, even Lepidium sativum root growth was stimulated; however, this positive response diminished following a 4-week growth period, with the greatest inhibition observed in unplanted soil and zucchini-planted soil. The stimulatory effect remained high for cucumber treatments. The sediment admixture also increased cucurbit fresh biomass as compared to control samples, especially at lower doses of sediment admixture, even though PCB content of the soil amended with sediment increased. Cucurbits’ leaf surface area, in turn, demonstrated an increase for zucchini, however only for 50% and 75% sediment admixture, while cucumber showed no changes when lower doses were applied and decrease for 75% and 100% sediment admixture. Chlorophyll a + b decreased significantly in sediment-amended soils, with greater inhibition observed for cucumber than zucchini. Our results suggest that admixture of riverine sediment from relatively less-contaminated locations may be used as soil amendments under controlled conditions; however, further detailed investigation on the fate of pollutants is required, especially in terms of the bioaccumulation and biomagnification properties of PCBs, before contaminated sediment can be applied in an open environment.
Correction to: Neuroendocrine characteristics of induced pluripotent stem cells from polycystic ovary syndrome women
Authors: Min Zheying , Zhao Yue , Hang Jing , Ren Yun , Tan Tao , Fan Yong , Yu Yang
Published: November 2019

In the original publication the Fig. 2 and the Supplementary Material 1 was incorrect. The correct version of Fig. 2 and the Supplementary Material are provided in this correction article. NESTIN should be corrected to PAX6 in Fig. 2C legend and at page 528 and Supplementary Material 1. NANOG should be corrected to PAX6 in Fig. 2C picture. Fig. 2. Differentiation and identification of NSCs from PCOS-derived iPSCs. (A) Schematic procedure of NSCs differentiation from iPSCs. NSC: Neural stem cell; EB: embryoid body. (B) The phenotype of specific differentiated NSCs. Scale bars = 100 µm. (C) Immunofluorescence images of the NSC markers SOX2 and PAX6. Scale bars = 50 µm. ZOOM, scale bars = 25 μm. (D) The mitochondrial respiration function of PCOS- and non-PCOS-derived iPSCs and NSCs. (E) Quantitative analysis of basal oxygen consumption, ATP production, maximal respiration, and proton leak. (F) Proposed neuroendocrine state in normal and PCOS patients. In normal patients, the GnRH pulsatile frequency is critical for steroidogenesis and follicular development. Low frequency pulses prefer FSH, and high frequency pulses favour LH. In PCOS, the increased GnRH release led to a high level of LH pulsatility, impairing the preferential release of FSH and follicular maturation, thus leading to polycystic ovaries. Red: increased; Blue: decreased. Solid arrow: up regulated; Dotted arrow: down regulated.
Visiting Religious Places for Prayer in Japan: How Does Religious Identity Affect Religious Behavior?
Authors: Uemura Ryotaro
Published: November 2019

This paper examines how religious identity is associated with religious behavior in Japan. Prior research suggests that ritual practices rather than doctrines and theology are more important for Japanese religiousness. While many studies discuss various ritual behaviors in Japan, few researchers adopted statistical analysis to explore the Japanese practice of visiting religious places for prayer. Moreover, although prior United States-based research has demonstrated that religious identity is associated with religious behavior, little is known about whether such an association exists in Japan. In this study, I analyze a nationally representative sample of Japanese adults and examine whether the subjective importance of religious identity is associated with the frequency of visiting places such as temples, shrines, or churches for prayer. The results show that there is a bivariate relationship between religious identity importance and the frequency of visiting for prayer. Multivariate analyses reveal that religious identity importance is positively associated with visiting even when controlling for religious affiliation and other demographic attributes. Moreover, the results indicate that religious affiliations (Buddhism, other religions) are positively associated with visiting. However, the effect of other religions is much stronger than that of Buddhism. Given the existing scholarship on Japanese religiousness, the findings suggest that the behavioral implication of religious identity could differ by religious affiliation. Overall, this study extends prior research by empirically demonstrating the substantial role of religious identity for religious ritual behavior in Japan and further advances our theoretical understanding of Japanese religiousness.
Price and Condition Parity Clauses in Contracts Between Hotel Booking Platforms and Hotels
Authors: Mackenrodt Mark-Oliver
Published: November 2019

Price parity clauses on digital platforms, such as hotel booking platforms, have been the subject of divergent decisions under Art. 101 TFEU by courts and competition authorities in many EU Member States. These decisions have revealed significant differences between and even within single Member States with regard to the dogmatic treatment of price parity clauses, the factual assessment and the legal outcome. Some countries have even introduced special legislation with regard to price parity clauses. The Swedish Patent and Market Court of Appeals in May 2019 declared narrow price parity clauses to be consistent with Art. 101 TFEU. Only a few weeks later the German Düsseldorf Court of Appeals (Oberlandesgericht, OLG) overturned a decision by the German Competition Authority (Bundeskartellamt) and also held that narrow price parity clauses are valid. This case is on appeal to the German Supreme Court (Bundesgerichtshof). However, the judgments by the two courts of appeals are at odds with regard to their dogmatic approach to Art. 101 TFEU and to the factual findings. Against this background, the Swedish court of appeals’ judgment casts light on several aspects that might be of relevance for similar cases in other jurisdictions or that require clarification by a referral to the ECJ or by the lawmakers.
Leveraging Domain Context for Question Answering Over Knowledge Graph
Authors: Tong Peihao , Zhang Qifan , Yao Junjie
Published: November 2019

With the growing availability of different knowledge graphs in a variety of domains, question answering over knowledge graph (KG-QA) becomes a prevalent information retrieval approach. Current KG-QA methods usually resort to semantic parsing, search or neural matching models. However, they cannot well tackle increasingly long input questions and complex information needs. In this work, we propose a new KG-QA approach, leveraging the rich domain context in the knowledge graph. We incorporate the new approach with question and answer domain context descriptions. Specifically, for questions, we enrich them with users’ subsequent input questions within a session and expand the input question representation. For the candidate answers, we equip them with surrounding context structures, i.e., meta-paths within the targeting knowledge graph. On top of these, we design a cross-attention mechanism to improve the question and answer matching performance. An experimental study on real datasets verifies these improvements. The new approach is especially beneficial for specific knowledge graphs with complex questions.
Optimal shattering of complex networks
Authors: Balashov Nicole , Cohen Reuven , Haber Avieli , Krivelevich Michael , Haber Simi
Published: November 2019

We consider optimal attacks or immunization schemes on different models of random graphs. We derive bounds for the minimum number of nodes needed to be removed from a network such that all remaining components are fragments of negligible size.We obtain bounds for different regimes of random regular graphs, Erdős-Rényi random graphs, and scale free networks, some of which are tight. We show that the performance of attacks by degree is bounded away from optimality.Finally we present a polynomial time attack algorithm and prove its optimal performance in certain cases.
Einflussfaktoren und Folgen des Ausfalls gesetzlicher Ruhepausen bei Pflegekräften in Deutschland
Authors: Lohmann-Haislah Andrea , Wendsche Johannes , Schulz Anika , Schöllgen Ina , Pinzon Luis Carlos Escobar
Published: November 2019

Der Pflegeberuf ist mit hoher körperlicher und psychischer Belastung verbunden. Infolgedessen finden sich in der Kranken- und Altenpflege erhöhte Risiken für körperliche und psychische Beschwerden. Dabei dürfte sich die Belastungssituation in den letzten Jahren aufgrund struktureller und organisationaler Veränderungen im Pflegebereich, gestiegenem Pflegeaufwand und Problemen mit einer ausreichenden Fachkräftesicherung verstärkt haben. Insofern ist es wichtig, solche Arbeitsmerkmale zu stärken, die beeinträchtigende Beanspruchungsfolgen zu mindern vermögen und damit eine gesunde und sichere Arbeit ermöglichen. Arbeitspausen stellen eine solche Arbeitsressource dar. In Deutschland sind Mindestpausenzeiten gesetzlich verpflichtend. Verschiedene Studien zeigten allerdings, dass Pausen bei Pflegetätigkeiten überdurchschnittlich häufig ausfallen, verkürzt werden oder zeitlich nicht wie geplant genommen werden können. Über Treiber und Folgen des Ausfalls von gesetzlichen Ruhepausen ist allerdings wenig bekannt. Dies motivierte zu der nachfolgenden Untersuchung. Grundlage der Auswertungen waren für Deutschland repräsentative Befragungsdaten von Erwerbstätigen, darunter Beschäftigte aus dem Bereich Kranken- und Altenpflege (N = 1003; Krankenpflegen = 685, Altenpflegen = 318), die im Rahmen der im Querschnitt angelegten 6. Welle der BIBB/BAuA-Erwerbstätigenbefragung 2012 gewonnen wurden. Es zeigte sich, dass Pausen signifikant häufiger im Alten- und Krankenpflegebereich ausfallen als bei sonstigen Beschäftigten. Als Hauptgründe für den Pausenausfall werden sowohl in der Kranken- als auch in der Altenpflege hohe Arbeitsmengen angegeben. Weitere Analysen zeigen, dass fehlende Informationen, Merkmale hoher Arbeitsintensität, Schichtarbeit, das Innehaben einer Führungsposition, mangelnde Selbstbestimmung beim Pausenzeitpunkt und Wochenendarbeit mit erhöhtem Pausenausfall einhergehen. Zudem lassen Beschäftigte mit einem unbefristeten Vertrag häufiger die Pause ausfallen, als die mit einem befristeten Vertrag. Bei Betrachtung psychosomatischer Beschwerden zeigt sich, dass die Beschäftigten in der Pflege mit Pausenausfall häufiger psychosomatische Beschwerden angeben als die ohne Pausenausfall, ebensolches gilt für die Muskel-Skelett-Beschwerden. Es wird aber auch deutlich, dass Pausen selbst unter hohen Arbeitsanforderungen diese negativen Beanspruchungsfolgen reduzieren können.

Praktische Relevanz:Zur Sicherung der Versorgung im Gesundheitswesen sowie der Gesundheit und Beschäftigungsfähigkeit der dort arbeitenden Pflegekräfte sollte dem Ausfall von gesetzlichen Ruhepausen in Zukunft besser vorgebeugt werden.
Estimation, diagnostics, and extensions of nonparametric Hawkes processes with kernel functions
Authors: Zhuang Jiancang
Published: November 2019

The Hawkes self-exciting model has become one of the most popular point-process models in many research areas in the natural and social sciences because of its capacity for investigating the clustering effect and positive interactions among individual events/particles. This article discusses a general nonparametric framework for the estimation, extensions, and post-estimation diagnostics of Hawkes models, in which we use the kernel functions as the basic smoothing tool.
PSR-based research of feature extraction from one-second EEG signals: a neural network study
Authors: Dawid Aleksander
Published: November 2019

The speed and accuracy of signal classification are the most valuable parameters to create real-time systems for interaction between the brain and the computer system. In this work, we propose a schema of the extraction of features from one-second electroencephalographic (EEG) signals generated by facial muscle stress. We have tested here three sorts of EEG signals. The signals originate from different facial expressions. The phase-space reconstruction (PSR) method has been used to convert EEG signals from these three classes of facial muscle tension. For further processing, the data has been converted into a two-dimensional (2D) matrix and saved in the form of color images. The 2D convolutional neural network (CNN) served to determine the accuracy of the classifications of the previously unknown PSR generated images from the EEG signals. We have witnessed an improvement in the accuracy of the signal classification in the phase-space representation. We have found that the CNN network better classifies colored trajectories in the 2D phase-space graph. At the end of this work, we compared our results with the results obtained by a one-dimensional convolution neural network.
Diffusion Approximation Model of TCP NewReno Congestion Control Mechanism
Authors: Domański Adam , Domańska Joanna , Czachórski Tadeusz , Klamka Jerzy , Szyguła Jakub , Marek Dariusz
Published: November 2019

The aim of the article is to contribute to the modeling and evaluation of TCP/IP traffic control in case of active queue management mechanisms implemented in congestion router. We consider mechanisms based on RED and fractional-order $$PI^\alpha$$

P

I
α

controller. A new model based on diffusion approximation is developed and its results are compared with the results of an existing fluid flow model. Both models are used to investigate the influence of AQM control parameters on the flow control. Their numerical results concerning dynamics of congestion widow, loss probability, and traffic changes are quite similar. The advantage of the new model lies in giving more detailed information: the distribution of router queue and the distribution of introduced delay, not only their mean values as it is in case of fluid flow model. The variability of transmission time (jitter) is a factor of transmission quality, and therefore, the proposed model may be useful in further studies on TCP/IP quality of service.
The diagnostic performance of neurofilament light chain in CSF and blood for Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal dementia, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Forgrave Lauren M. , Ma Matthew , Best John R. , DeMarco Mari L.
Published: November 2019

Introduction

A systematic review and meta‐analysis was performed regarding the diagnostic performance of neurofilament light chain (NfL) in CSF and blood.

Methods

A database search was conducted for NfL biomarker studies in the context of Alzheimer's disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) compared with controls (i.e., cognitively unimpaired, mild cognitive impairment, or disease mimics).

Results

In groups with a sufficient number of studies, the performance of NfL in blood and CSF was similar. Compared with disease mimics, we observed that CSF NfL had strong discriminatory power for ALS, modest discriminatory power for FTD, and no discriminatory power for AD. NfL provided the greatest separation between ALS and cognitively unimpaired controls in both the blood and CSF, followed by FTD (CSF and blood), then AD (blood and CSF).

Discussion

Comparable performance of CSF and blood NfL in many groups demonstrates the promise of NfL as a noninvasive biomarker of neurodegeneration; however, its utility in clinically meaningful scenarios requires greater scrutiny. Toward clinical implementation, a more comprehensive understanding of NfL concentrations in disease subtypes with overlapping phenotypes and at defined stages of disease, and the development of a harmonization program, are warranted.
Fixation free inguinal hernia repair with the 3D dynamic responsive prosthesis ProFlor: Features, procedural steps and long-term results
Authors: Amato G. , Romano G. , Goetze T. , Cicero L. , Gulotta E. , Calò P.G. , Agrusa A.
Published: November 2019

ABSTRACT

Background:

Static and fixated meshes to repair mobile structures like the groin may seem a procedural incongruence. Inguinal hernia is described as a degenerative disease. Therefore, the objective of disease treatment should be the regeneration of wasted tissue. The fibrotic scar plate, a typical biologic response of conventional static meshes, does not represent tissue regeneration but rather a foreign body reaction. These contrasting aspects seem to be related to high complication rates of inguinal herniorrhaphy. Recent studies concerning the pathophysiology of the groin have led to the development of new concepts for repairing inguinal protrusions. A proprietary designed 3D dynamic responsive implant showing regenerative biologic response is the result of this studies.

Materials and methods:

A cohort of 389 individuals underwent open inguinal hernia repair with the 3D dynamic responsive implant following a specific surgical technique. Thanks to the inherent dynamic properties, all procedures were performed without need for fixation of the 3D prosthesis.

Results:

The outcomes of the dynamic hernia repair procedure were reduced postoperative pain and minimized overall complication rates, also long term. Moreover, no patient discomfort or chronic pain was reported.

Conclusions:

Inguinal hernia repair with the 3D dynamic responsive implant ProFlor seems to represent an effective concept change for the treatment of this widespread degenerative disease. Moving in synchrony with the groin, implanted without need of fixation and acting as a regenerative scaffold, ProFlor™ appears to possess all that is needed for a physiologic and pathogenetical consequent treatment of inguinal protrusions leading to a dramatic lessening of intra- and postoperative complications.

Highlights:
Partnerships that Last
Authors: Getha-Taylor Heather
Published: November 2019

Communities across the United States face a variety of vexing and intractable problems that are not easily – or quickly - solved by any one organization or sector. Rather, partners must work together over time to address these shared priorities. It also requires an individual and collective ability to overcome the challenges and setbacks that arise along the way, a key question emerges: what keeps community partnerships strong over time? This Element compares and contrasts a sample of enduring voluntary partnerships with those that have ended to identify the features that contribute to collaborative resilience, or the ability of partnerships to respond productively to shocks and change over time.
The Uses and Abuses of Constitutional Pluralism: Undermining the Rule of Law in the Name of Constitutional Identity in Hungary and Poland
Authors: KELEMEN R Daniel , PECH Laurent
Published: November 2019

This article explains why autocrats love constitutional pluralism and constitutional identity. Though these concepts were developed by scholars and jurists with the best of intentions in mind, we explain why they are also attractive to and inherently prone to abuse by autocrats. We then describe how the regimes in Hungary and Poland have made use of these concepts in their drive to consolidate autocracy. We conclude that given the dangers inherent in constitutional pluralism and its susceptibility to abuse, it should be replaced with a more traditional understanding of the primacy of EU law.
Non-triviality of the Poisson boundary of random walks on the group of Monod
Authors: STANKOV BOGDAN
Published: November 2019

We give sufficient conditions for the non-triviality of the Poisson boundary of random walks on $H(\mathbb{Z})$ and its subgroups. The group $H(\mathbb{Z})$ is the group of piecewise projective homeomorphisms over the integers defined by Monod [Groups of piecewise projective homeomorphisms. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA110(12) (2013), 4524–4527]. For a finitely generated subgroup $H$ of $H(\mathbb{Z})$, we prove that either $H$ is solvable or every measure on $H$ with finite first moment that generates it as a semigroup has non-trivial Poisson boundary. In particular, we prove the non-triviality of the Poisson boundary of measures on Thompson’s group $F$ that generate it as a semigroup and have finite first moment, which answers a question by Kaimanovich [Thompson’s group $F$ is not Liouville. Groups, Graphs and Random Walks (London Mathematical Society Lecture Note Series). Eds. T. Ceccherini-Silberstein, M. Salvatori and E. Sava-Huss. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 2017, pp. 300–342, 7.A].
Modeling and Experimental Validation of the Chaotic Behavior of a Robot Whip
Authors: Kwok Thomas M. , Li Zheng , Du Ruxu , Chen Guanrong
Published: November 2019

Although the whip is a common tool that has been used for thousands of years, there have been very few studies on its dynamic behavior. With the advance of modern technology, designing and building soft- body robot whips has become feasible. This paper presents a study on the modeling and experimental testing of a robot whip. The robot whip is modeled using a Pseudo-Rigid-Body Model (PRBM). The PRBM consists of a number of pseudo-rigid-links and pseudo-revolute-joints just like a multi-linkage pendulum. Because of its large number of degrees of freedom (DOF) and inherited underactuation, the robot whip exhibits prominent transient chaotic behavior. In particular, depending on the initial driving force, the chaos may start sooner or later, but will die down because of the gravity and air damping. The dynamic model is validated by experiments. It is interesting to note that with the same amount of force, the robot whip can generate a velocity more than 3 times and an acceleration up to 43 times faster than that of its rigid counterpart. This gives the robot whip some potential applications, such as whipping, wrapping and grabbing. This study also helps to develop other soft-body robots that involve nonlinear dynamics.
The Dietary Inflammatory Index® and Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 in relation to leucocyte telomere length in postmenopausal women: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mickle A. T. , Brenner D. R. , Beattie T. , Williamson T. , Courneya K. S. , Friedenreich C. M.
Published: November 2019

Telomeres are nucleoprotein complexes that form the ends of eukaryotic chromosomes where they protect DNA from genomic instability, prevent end-to-end fusion and limit cellular replicative capabilities. Increased telomere attrition rates, and relatively shorter telomere length, is associated with genomic instability and has been linked with several chronic diseases, malignancies and reduced longevity. Telomeric DNA is highly susceptible to oxidative damage and dietary habits may make an impact on telomere attrition rates through the mediation of oxidative stress and chronic inflammation. The aim of this study was to examine the association between leucocyte telomere length (LTL) with both the Dietary Inflammatory Index® 2014 (DII®) and the Alternative Healthy Eating Index 2010 (AHEI-2010). This is a cross-sectional analysis using baseline data from 263 postmenopausal women from the Alberta Physical Activity and Breast Cancer Prevention (ALPHA) Trial, in Calgary and Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. No statistically significant association was detected between LTL z-score and the AHEI-2010 (P = 0·20) or DII® (P = 0·91) in multivariable adjusted models. An exploratory analysis of AHEI-2010 and DII® parameters and LTL revealed anthocyanidin intake was associated with LTL (P < 0·01); however, this association was non-significant after a Bonferroni correction was applied (P = 0·27). No effect modification by age, smoking history, or recreational physical activity was detected for either relationship. Increased dietary antioxidant and decreased oxidant intake were not associated with LTL in this analysis.
Modeling present and future ice covers in two Antarctic lakes
Authors: Echeverría Sebastián , Hausner Mark B. , Bambach Nicolás , Vicuña Sebastián , Suárez Francisco
Published: November 2019

Antarctic lakes with perennial ice covers provide the opportunity to investigate in-lake processes without direct atmospheric interaction, and to study their ice-cover sensitivity to climate conditions. In this study, a numerical model – driven by radiative, atmospheric and turbulent heat fluxes from the water body beneath the ice cover – was implemented to investigate the impact of climate change on the ice covers from two Antarctic lakes: west lobe of Lake Bonney (WLB) and Crooked Lake. Model results agreed well with measured ice thicknesses of both lakes (WLB – RMSE= 0.11 m over 16 years of data; Crooked Lake – RMSE= 0.07 m over 1 year of data), and had acceptable results with measured ablation data at WLB (RMSE= 0.28 m over 6 years). The differences between measured and modeled ablation occurred because the model does not consider interannual variability of the ice optical properties and seasonal changes of the lake's thermal structure. Results indicate that projected summer air temperatures will increase the ice-cover annual melting in WLB by 2050, but that the ice cover will remain perennial through the end of this century. Contrarily, at Crooked Lake the ice cover becomes ephemeral most likely due to the increase in air temperatures.
FACTORIALS OF INFINITE CARDINALS IN ZF PART II: CONSISTENCY RESULTS
Authors: SHEN GUOZHEN , YUAN JIACHEN
Published: November 2019

For a set x, let ${\cal S}\left( x \right)$ be the set of all permutations of x. We prove by the method of permutation models that the following statements are consistent with ZF:

(1) There is an infinite set x such that $|\wp \left( x \right)| < |{\cal S}\left( x \right)| < |se{q^{1 - 1}}\left( x \right)| < |seq\left( x \right)|$, where $\wp \left( x \right)$ is the power set of x, seq (x) is the set of all finite sequences of elements of x, and seq1-1 (x) is the set of all finite sequences of elements of x without repetition.

(2) There is a Dedekind infinite set x such that $|{\cal S}\left( x \right)| < |{[x]^3}|$ and such that there exists a surjection from x onto ${\cal S}\left( x \right)$.

(3) There is an infinite set x such that there is a finite-to-one function from ${\cal S}\left( x \right)$ into x.
ASYMPTOTIC EXPANSION OF THE DENSITY FOR HYPOELLIPTIC ROUGH DIFFERENTIAL EQUATION
Authors: INAHAMA YUZURU , NAGANUMA NOBUAKI
Published: November 2019

We study a rough differential equation driven by fractional Brownian motion with Hurst parameter $H$$(1/4<H\leqslant 1/2)$. Under Hörmander’s condition on the coefficient vector fields, the solution has a smooth density for each fixed time. Using Watanabe’s distributional Malliavin calculus, we obtain a short time full asymptotic expansion of the density under quite natural assumptions. Our main result can be regarded as a “fractional version” of Ben Arous’ famous work on the off-diagonal asymptotics.
The embeddedness of social capital in personal networks
Authors: Molina José Luis , García-Macías Alejandro , Lubbers Miranda J. , Valenzuela-Garcia Hugo
Published: November 2019

Name generators (NGs) and position generators (PGs) have been used to measure resources embedded in personal relationships, namely social support and social capital, respectively. Comparisons of these measures adopted NGs that only elicit a small number of alters (max. 5). In this paper we explore whether the measurement of social capital with NGs eliciting larger personal networks (say 15 to 20 alters) gives more comparable results to the PG in terms of occupational prestige. To address this issue, we designed a personal network questionnaire that combined a multiple name generator (MNG) and a PG and enquired about alter characteristics and alter-alter ties for the two sets of nominations simultaneously, allowing their integrated analysis. The questionnaire was implemented in the software EgoNet to collect data from social/environmental entrepreneurs in Spain (N = 30) and Mexico (N = 30. The analysis shows that the two approaches capture mostly non-overlapping sets of personal network members, suggesting that the PG measured in this case available, but not accessed social capital. Remarkably the NG led to a higher average prestige for this occupational group than the PG, but also a lower heterogeneity in prestige. The consequences of using one or another approach and their interpretations are discussed.
Two’s company, three’s a crowd: SALT reveals the likely triple nature of the nucleus of the extreme abundance discrepancy factor planetary nebula Sp 3
Authors: Miszalski Brent , Manick Rajeev , Rauch Thomas , Iłkiewicz Krystian , Van Winckel Hans , Mikołajewska Joanna
Published: November 2019

The substantial number of binary central stars of planetary nebulae (CSPNe) now known (

$\sim 50$

) has revealed a strong connection between binarity and some morphological features including jets and low-ionisation structures. However, some morphological features and asymmetries might be too complex or subtle to ascribe to binary interactions alone. In these cases, a tertiary component, that is, a triple nucleus, could be the missing ingredient required to produce these features. The only proven triple, NGC 246, is alone insufficient to investigate the shaping role of triple nuclei, but one straightforward way to identify more triples is to search for binaries in nuclei with known visual companions. Here we demonstrate this approach with the SALT HRS (High Resolution Spectrograph on the Southern African Large Telescope) discovery of a 4.81-d orbital period in the CSPN of Sp 3 which has a visual companion 0.31 arcsec away. The spectroscopic distance of the visual companion is in agreement with distance estimates to the nebula, the Gaia DR2 parallax of the central star, and the gravity distance of the central star. This supports a physical association between the visual companion and the inner 4.81 d binary, making the nucleus of Sp 3 a likely triple. We determine

$T_\mathrm{eff}=68^{+12}_{-6}\ \text{kK},\ \log g=4.6\pm0.2\ \text{cm s}^{-2}$

, and

$v_\mathrm{rot}=80\pm20\ \text{km s}^{-1}$

for the primary from non-local thermodynamic equilibrium model atmosphere analysis. The peculiar nebula presents an apparent bipolar morphology, jets, and an unexpected ‘extreme’ oxygen abundance discrepancy factor (adf) of

$24.6^{+4.1}_{-3.4}$

. The adf is inconsistent with the purported trend for longer orbital period post-common-envelope (CE) PNe to exhibit normal adfs, further highlighting the dominant influence of selection effects in post-CE PNe. Lastly, the Type I nebular abundances of Sp 3, whose origin is often attributed to more massive progenitors, are incongruous with the likely Galactic Thick Disk membership of Sp 3, possibly suggesting that rotation and binarity may play an important role in influencing the AGB nucleosynthesis of PNe.
Periodic pattern formation in the coupled chemotaxis-(Navier–)Stokes system with mixed nonhomogeneous boundary conditions
Authors: Jin Chunhua
Published: November 2019

We consider the coupled chemotaxis-fluid model for periodic pattern formation on two- and three-dimensional domains with mixed nonhomogeneous boundary value conditions, and prove the existence of nontrivial time periodic solutions. It is worth noticing that this system admits more than one periodic solution. In fact, it is not difficult to verify that (0, c, 0, 0) is a time periodic solution. Our purpose is to obtain a time periodic solution with nonconstant bacterial density.
Noisy Retrospection: The Effect of Party Control on Policy Outcomes
Authors: M. DYNES ADAM , HOLBEIN JOHN B.
Published: November 2019

Retrospective voting is vital for democracy. But, are the objective performance metrics widely thought to be relevant for retrospection—such as the performance of the economy, criminal justice system, and schools, to name a few—valid criteria for evaluating government performance? That is, do political coalitions actually have the power to influence the performance metrics used for retrospection on the timeline introduced by elections? Using difference-in-difference and regression discontinuity techniques, we find that US states governed by Democrats and those by Republicans perform equally well on economic, education, crime, family, social, environmental, and health outcomes on the timeline introduced by elections (2–4 years downstream). Our results suggest that voters may struggle to truly hold government coalitions accountable, as objective performance metrics appear to be largely out of the immediate control of political coalitions.
Reconceiving Immigration Politics: Walter Benjamin, Violence, and Labor
Authors: VALDEZ INÉS
Published: November 2019

This article theorizes the circulation of violence in the realms of immigration and labor. Through Walter Benjamin, I conceptualize the relationship between racial violence and law, and note that although violence can support the authority of law, excessive violence makes law vulnerable to decay. This tension between authority and excess is eased by humanitarianism. I find clues for disrupting this circulation in Benjamin’s twin notions of the real state of exception and the general strike, introduced two decades apart and invested in theorizing how labor and other marginalized groups threaten the stability of law supported by violence. This reconstruction proceeds alongside an examination of the contemporary US regime of immigration enforcement, which combines the excessive violence of detention and deportation with marginal humanitarian adjustments, which ultimately legitimate violence. On the disruptive side, a Benjaminian reading of labor activism by the Coalition of Immokalee Workers offers three dimensions of emancipatory politics: (a) practices of refusal (to engage on the terms of the immigration debate), (b) the establishment of historical constellations (of racial regulation of labor constitutive of law), and (c) divine violence (through exposure of lawful violence in the food production chain).
A systematic review and meta-analysis of canine, feline and humanToxocarainfections in sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Omonijo A.O. , Kalinda C. , Mukaratirwa S.
Published: November 2019

Toxocariasis is an emerging zoonotic disease caused byToxocara canisandT.cati. Toxocariasis and its etiological agents are of global public health importance, whose burden appears underestimated, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The diversity in the transmission routes of these parasites contributes to disease prevalence and often hinders disease control measures. This study aimed to review the epidemiological distribution ofToxocarainfections in SSA region. A systematic review and meta-analysis were performed using PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis). We identified 94 relevant, peer-reviewed articles, out of which, 75 articles were found eligible based onToxocarainfections in dogs, cats and humans. Overall, 27,102 samples were examined forT. canisin dogs,T. catiin cats andToxocaraserology in humans, out of which 6142 were positive forToxocarainfection: 3717 (13.7%) in dogs (faecal, 3487; necropsy, 180; hair, 50); 266 (1%) in cats (faecal, 101; necropsy, 165); and 2159 (8%) in humans (serology). Overall mean prevalences of 19% (95% confidence interval (CI): 14–23%), 9% (95% CI: 0–28%) and 36% (95% CI: 24–49%) were recorded in dogs, cats and humans, respectively. Substantial heterogeneity was observed between studies and subgroups (I2= 99%,P< 0.01). Findings from the review showed that studies on the epidemiology ofToxocarainfections in the SSA region are limited. We strongly recommend focused, collaborative and coordinated studies to determineToxocaraspp. prevalence in various hosts, including food animals and the environment, through a ‘One Health’ approach across SSA countries.
Development and evaluation of a colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay based on recombinant protein CatL1D for serodiagnosis of sheep fasciolosis
Authors: Xifeng W. , Mengfan Q. , Kai Z. , Guowu Z. , Jing L. , Lixia W. , Jun Q. , Qingling M. , Shasha G. , Yunfu H. , Xuepeng C.
Published: November 2019

Fasciolosis is a zoonotic parasitic disease that seriously endangers the development of animal husbandry and human health. In order to develop a rapid serological diagnostic method for fasciolosis in ruminants, the CatL1D and CatB4 genes ofFasciola hepaticawere amplified by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and cloned, respectively, and then the CatL-B fusion gene (MeCatL-B) was constructed by gene splicing by overlap extension PCR technique. The recombinant rCatL1D, rCatB4 and rMeCatL-B proteins were then prepared by prokaryotic expression, respectively, and the recombinant protein with high specificity and sensitivity was screened via indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Using the selected recombinant protein rCatL1D as a diagnostic antigen, we developed a colloidal gold immunochromatographic assay (CGIA) for detectingF. hepatica-specific antibodies, and 426 serum samples of slaughtered sheep were used to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity ofF. hepaticaCGIA assay. The results showed that the sensitivity and specificity of rCatL1D protein (100%, 96.67%) were higher than those of rCatB4 (94.29%, 80%) and rMeCatL-B (91.43%, 90%). Compared with the gold standard post-mortem inspection, the specificity and sensitivity of the CGIA method was 100% and 97%, respectively, and the consistency rate between these two methods was 99.3%. These results confirmed that the CGIA method based on rCatL1D protein could be a promising approach for rapid diagnosis of sheep fasciolosis because of its high sensitivity and specificity.
Gender parity and the symbolic representation of women in Senegal
Authors: Tøraasen Marianne
Published: November 2019

Following the adoption of the Senegalese Law on Parity and the subsequent influx of women to the National Assembly, we saw a strong gendered polarisation of attitudes towards women as political leaders among the Senegalese population. This study explores whether similar attitudinal changes are found among political elites in the Senegalese National Assembly. Theory suggests that an increase in the number of women elected to legislatures (‘descriptive representation’) will challenge people's perceptions of politics as a male domain and strengthen belief in women's ability to govern (‘symbolic representation’). Although the effects of gender quotas on women's representation has received considerable scholarly attention, the field of symbolic representation remains under-studied. A case study of the effects of the Senegalese parity law addresses this knowledge gap, contributing with new empirical insights. This study also develops indicators that can help measure potential developments in the symbolic representation of women. Parity appears to have contributed to slightly more acceptance towards women as political leaders within the National Assembly. The findings are discussed in the last section.