bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Habits and Narrative Agency
Authors: Wagner Nils-Frederic
Published: February 2020

Some habits are vital to who we are in that they shape both our self-perception and how we are seen by others. This is so, I argue, because there is a constitutive link between what I shall call ‘identity-shaping habits’ and narrative agency. Identity-shaping habits are paradigmatically acquired and performed by persons. The ontology of personhood involves both synchronic and diachronic dimensions which are structurally analogous to the synchronic acquisition and the diachronic performance of habits, and makes persons distinctly suitable to being shaped by habits. Since habits differ vastly in their scope, I develop a conceptualization that carves out defining features of identity-shaping habits. Such habits, I venture, fundamentally alter a person’s embodiment such that the alterations to their psychological and physiological make-up vitally inform their persistence—if not metaphysically (as in constituting necessary and jointly sufficient conditions of personal identity over time), then at least practically by crucially shaping one’s narrative agency.
“Ethics When You Least Expect It”: A Modular Approach to Short Course Data Ethics Instruction
Authors: Bezuidenhout Louise , Quick Robert , Shanahan Hugh
Published: February 2020

Data science skills are rapidly becoming a necessity in modern science. In response to this need, institutions and organizations around the world are developing research data science curricula to teach the programming and computational skills that are needed to build and maintain data infrastructures and maximize the use of available data. To date, however, few of these courses have included an explicit ethics component, and developing such components can be challenging. This paper describes a novel approach to teaching data ethics on short courses developed for the CODATA-RDA Schools for Research Data Science. The ethics content of these schools is centred on the concept of open and responsible (data) science citizenship that draws on virtue ethics to promote ethics of practice. Despite having little formal teaching time, this concept of citizenship is made central to the course by distributing ethics content across technical modules. Ethics instruction consists of a wide range of techniques, including stand-alone lectures, group discussions and mini-exercises linked to technical modules. This multi-level approach enables students to develop an understanding both of “responsible and open (data) science citizenship”, and of how such responsibilities are implemented in daily research practices within their home environment. This approach successfully locates ethics within daily data science practice, and allows students to see how small actions build into larger ethical concerns. This emphasises that ethics are not something “removed from daily research” or the remit of data generators/end users, but rather are a vital concern for all data scientists.
A prototype filter design based on channel estimation for OQAM/OFDM systems
Authors: Liu Yongjin , Chen Xihong
Published: February 2020

A prototype filter design for offset quadrature amplitude–modulation based orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OQAM/OFDM) systems is proposed in this study. The influence of channel estimation is considered, with the object to minimize stop-band energy. An efficient preamble structure is proposed to improve the channel estimation and save the frequency spectral efficiency. The reciprocal of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio (RSINR) is derived to measure the influence of the prototype for channel estimation. After that, the problem of prototype filter design is formulated as an optimization problem with constraints on the RSINR. To accelerate the convergence and obtain a global optimal solution, the box-based branch and bound algorithm is utilized to solve the optimization problem. Simulation results demonstrate the validity and efficiency of the prototype filter designed in this study.
New perennial grains in African smallholder agriculture from a farming systems perspective. A review
Authors: Isgren Ellinor , Andersson Elina , Carton Wim
Published: February 2020

Perennial grain crops are gaining increased attention from researchers as one possible solution to agriculture’s many sustainability challenges. In the Sub-Saharan African context, perennial varieties of crops such as sorghum, rice, and pigeon pea have potential to provide numerous benefits for smallholder farmers. The introduction and adoption of new crops and practices is however a complex process that needs to be approached from an interdisciplinary and participatory perspective. We here review the small but growing body of knowledge about on-farm adoption and the use of perennial grains around the world, as well as the more extensive literature of farming systems research. We conclude that a farming systems approach offers a fruitful entry point for informing the emerging research agenda around perennial grains in African smallholder agriculture. Yet, a comprehensive understanding of the potentials and challenges of perennial grains also requires cross-scalar analysis capable of looking beyond the farming system. We thus outline five key considerations for developing and studying new perennial grains in smallholder contexts, i.e., (1) smallholder farming systems are complex, diverse, and locally adapted; (2) decision-making is shaped by various resource constraints; (3) farming is often “semi-subsistence” and forms part of broader livelihood strategies, wherein risk is an important factor; (4) gender relations and roles influence many aspects of smallholder farming systems; and (5) analyses of farmers’ production systems, decision-making, and livelihood strategies must be embedded within a broader political-economic context. Based on these considerations, we suggest directions and examples of key questions for future research and derive methodological implications for how such research could be approached.
Surrogate Measures to Assess Mobility of People as a Resilience Indicator in Disaster Management: An Exploratory Study in Southeastern Sri Lanka
Authors: Saja A. M. Aslam , Teo Melissa , Goonetilleke Ashantha , Ziyath Abdul M. , Nianthi K. W. G. Rekha
Published: February 2020

Understanding social resilience can assist in the formulation of disaster management policies to help communities better prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters. However, direct social resilience measurement methods such as household surveys are not always a practical option as they are a time- and resource-exhaustive process. Existing measures mainly utilize publicly available census data, which often provide a poor and outdated assessment of current social resilience status. Another limitation includes a failure to capture multiple facets of indicators that are process-oriented and dynamic in nature such as mobility of people. These challenges can be addressed by employing a surrogate approach. Surrogates are alternative measures to depict the target indicator. The surrogate approach can capture key facets of a target indicator, which can be used as potential measures for the target indicator. A framework to conceptualize the surrogate approach is presented, and operationalized using a case study approach on the southeastern coast of Sri Lanka to identify surrogates to measure mobility of people as a resilience indicator. Six higher-order themes were identified as potential surrogates to measure mobility of people in a disaster context. The approach proposed to methodically identify potential surrogates and their measurement protocols can help to improve the current knowledge base and understanding of complex interrelationships of social resilience.
On a Differential Inclusion Involving Dirichlet–Laplace Operators of Fractional Orders
Authors: Kamocki Rafał
Published: February 2020

In this paper, we investigate a nonlinear differential inclusion with Dirichlet boundary conditions containing a weak Laplace operator of fractional orders (defined via the spectral decomposition of the Laplace operator $$-{\varDelta }$$

-
Δ

under Dirichlet boundary conditions). Using variational methods, we characterize solutions of such a problem. Our approach is based on tools from convex analysis (properties of a Legendre–Fenchel transform).
Schreibapparate
Authors: Ayaß Ruth
Published: February 2020

Der Beitrag diskutiert die Rolle von Tastaturen für Schreiben und Schrift und behandelt die Tasten und die Tastatur als übersehene Kulturtechnik. Während der Digitalisierung des Schreibens große Aufmerksamkeit gewidmet wurde, blieb das zentrale Mittel dieser Veränderung unbemerkt: die Tastatur. Sie ist das zentrale Bindeglied zwischen Gutenbergs Erfindung der beweglichen Type und den modernen mobilen Schreibgeräten wie Smartphones und Tablets. Der Beitrag zeigt, wie Schreibapparate und Tastaturen entstanden sind, wie sie sich in das Berufsleben und den Alltag ausgebreitet haben und wie sie zur Mechanisierung und Rationalisierung des Schreibens geführt haben. Durch den Auszug der Tastaturen aus den Büros und ihrer heutigen Allgegenwart auf mobilen Schreibgeräten sind Tastaturen ein fester Bestandteil alltäglichen Lebens geworden.
Relevanz schulischer Medienkonzepte als Orientierung für die Schule im Zuge der fortschreitenden Digitalisierung
Authors: Heldt Melanie , Lorenz Ramona , Eickelmann Birgit
Published: February 2020

Für Schulen sind Orientierungen in der digitalen Welt angesichts neuer Herausforderungen durch die Digitalisierung von steigender Relevanz. Ein zentrales Instrument stellen dabei schulische Medienkonzepte dar, die gemeinsam vereinbarte Orientierungen für die schulische Arbeit und Schulentwicklungsprozesse enthalten. Zudem stellt die Medienkonzeptentwicklung einen Bestandteil theoretischer Modelle zur Erfassung und Beschreibung von Qualitätsdimensionen schulischer Medienbildung dar. Vor diesem Hintergrund untersucht der vorliegende Beitrag (1) die Relevanz von Medienkonzepten aus der Sicht von Schulleitungen und Schulträgern. Außerdem wird beleuchtet, (2) welche Personengruppen an den Schulen für Aufgaben im Kontext des Medienkonzeptes zuständig sind und (3) ob signifikante Unterschiede der schulischen Rahmenbedingungen, des Schulleitungshandelns und des Support je nach Vorhandensein eines Medienkonzeptes vorzufinden sind. Die Fragestellungen werden explorativ auf Grundlage der triangulativ angelegtenUntersuchung des technischen und pädagogischen Supports an Schulenbearbeitet, in deren RahmenN = 601 Lehrkräfte der Sekundarstufe I befragt wurden. Zudem wurden Interviews mitN = 8 Schulleitungen sowieN = 14 Schulträgern, die jeweils möglichst weit im Digitalisierungsprozess vorangeschritten sind, geführt und inhaltsanalytisch ausgewertet. Im Ergebnis zeigt sich, dass die Relevanz von Medienkonzepten für eine gelingende Schulentwicklung mit digitalen Medien als hoch eingeschätzt wird. Des Weiteren wird ersichtlich, dass die in den Einzelschulen für Belange der Medienkonzeptentwicklung zuständigen Akteursgruppen vielfältig zusammengesetzt sind. Ferner können bedeutsame Unterschiede im Hinblick auf die untersuchten Indikatoren je nach Vorhandensein eines Medienkonzeptes aufgezeigt werden. Die Arbeit mit Medienkonzepten kann somit das Herzstück der Schulentwicklung im Kontext der Digitalisierung darstellen.
Porous chitosan by crosslinking with tricarboxylic acid and tuneable release
Authors: Yang Yonghong , Chen Guanhong , Murray Patricia , Zhang Haifei
Published: February 2020

Chitosan hydrogels crosslinked with 1,3,5-benzene tricarboxylic acid (BTC) are readily prepared at room temperature by adding aqueous chitosan solution dropwise into BTC-ethanol solution. Highly interconnected porous chitosan materials are subsequently prepared by freeze-drying the chitosan hydrogels. These chitosan materials show porous structures with smaller pores than conventionally prepared chitosan hydrogels via crosslinking with NaOH, genipin or sodium triphosphate. This method of forming chitosan hydrogels with BTC provides the advantage of facile encapsulation of both hydrophobic and hydrophilic compounds, as demonstrated with the model dyes (Oil Red O and Rhodamine B). The release of the hydrophilic dye from the chitosan hydrogels is demonstrated and can be tuned by BTC/chitosan concentrations and the hydrogel drying methods. However, the release of encapsulated hydrophobic dye is negligible.
Hesperidin: synthesis and characterization of bioflavonoid complex
Authors: Binkowska Iwona
Published: February 2020

Flavonoids are widely recognized for their beneficial effects in the cosmetic industry, possessing many biological activities, such as antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties. The study presented an efficient and simple solution to improve the preparations of antioxidant complexes based on hesperidin. Obtained products are characterized by thermogravimetric, spectrophotometric method, electron scanning microscopy, color analysis and zeta potential. Lightness value (L*) of hesperidin-silica complexes was found to be inversely correlated with the antioxidant activity values.
Numerical continuation for a fast-reaction system and its cross-diffusion limit
Authors: Kuehn Christian , Soresina Cinzia
Published: February 2020

In this paper we investigate the bifurcation structure of the cross-diffusion Shigesada–Kawasaki–Teramoto model (SKT) in the triangular form and in the weak competition regime, and of a corresponding fast-reaction system in 1D and 2D domains via numerical continuation methods. We show that the software can be exploited to treat cross-diffusion systems, reproducing the already computed bifurcation diagrams on 1D domains. We show the convergence of the bifurcation structure obtained selecting the growth rate as bifurcation parameter. Then, we compute the bifurcation diagram on a 2D rectangular domain providing the shape of the solutions along the branches and linking the results with the linearized analysis. In 1D and 2D, we pay particular attention to the fast-reaction limit by always computing sequences of bifurcation diagrams as the time-scale separation parameter tends to zero. We show that the bifurcation diagram undergoes major deformations once the fast-reaction systems limits onto the cross-diffusion singular limit. Furthermore, we find evidence for time-periodic solutions by detecting Hopf bifurcations, we characterize several regions of multi-stability, and improve our understanding of the shape of patterns in 2D for the SKT model.
Is social media use associated with children's well‐being? Results from the UK Household Longitudinal Study
Authors: Twigg Liz , Duncan Craig , Weich Scott
Published: February 2020

Introduction

There are concerns about young people's increasing use of social media and the effects this has on overall life satisfaction. Establishing the significance of social media use requires researchers to take simultaneous account of other factors that might be influential and it is essential to adopt a longitudinal perspective to investigate temporal patterns.

Method

Measures of happiness for children aged 10–15 from 7 waves of the UK Household Longitudinal Study were examined (n = 7596). Multilevel models were used to assess the relative association between these measures, children's social media use and individual, household and community characteristics.

Results

High use of social media was found to be significantly associated with change in happiness scores but was not associated with worsening life satisfaction trajectories. The most consistent factor was gender, with girls experiencing the largest decline in happiness between two time points (0.18 points) and being more likely to have a worsening trajectory over time (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.36–2.32). Parental mental health, household support and household income were also important.

Conclusion

Moderate use of social media does not play an important role in shaping children's life satisfaction. Higher levels of use is associated with lower levels of happiness, especially for girls but more research is needed to understand how this technology is being used. As well as focusing on high levels of social media use, policy makers should also concentrate on particular demographic groupings and factors affecting the social fabric of the households in which children grow up.
Measuring battery discharge characteristics for accurate UAV endurance estimation
Authors: Mariga L. , Silva Tiburcio I. , Martins C.A. , Almeida Prado A.N. , Nascimento C.
Published: February 2020

The increasing use of unmanned aerial vehicles in areas such as rescue, mapping, and transportation have made it necessary to study more accurate techniques for calculating flight time estimates. Such calculations require knowing the battery discharge profile. Simplified flight time calculation methods provide data with uncertainties as they are based solely on manufacturer datasheet information. This study presents a setup to measure the battery discharge curve using a LabVIEW interface with a low-cost acquisition system. The acquired data passes through a nonlinear optimisation algorithm to find the battery coefficients, which enables the more precise estimation of its range and endurance. The great advantage of this model is that it makes it possible to predict how the battery will discharge at different rates using just one experimental curve. The methodology was applied to three different batteries and the model was validated with different discharge rates in a controlled environment, which resulted in endurance lower than 3.0% for most conditions and voltage estimation error lower than 3.0% in operational voltage. The work also presented a methodology for estimating cruise time based on the current used during each flight stage.
Reasonable Accommodation for Age
Authors: Kaya Refia
Published: February 2020

Ensuring equal liberties requires neutral, i.e. impartial, settings where nobody would be deprived of freedom because of their personal characteristics. Religion and disability appear as characteristics which may clash with the existing social and physical environments. Therefore, the necessity of adjusting the existing environment, i.e., reasonable accommodation, is mostly discussed in reference to religion and disability. I aim to discuss reasonable accommodation from a different perspective and ask whether reasonable accommodation should be extended to age issues. I propose that age can lead to differences in conscience or culture like religion. Age can also be a source of dis/ability so it can be compared to accustomed disabilities. Eventually, age may also clash with the existing social and physical environments. I further propose that age is not only similar to but also different from religion and disability when it comes to reasonable accommodation. Therefore, I defend, reasonable accommodation should be extended to age in a special way. The next question then is how age could be accommodated under the European Union (EU) law, especially when we consider that reasonable accommodation law does not have a wide scope in the EU, unlike in Canada.
The Proportionality Puzzle in Contract Law: A Challenge for Private Law Theory?
Authors: Tan Zhong Xing
Published: February 2020

This article explores the emerging use of the proportionality concept in the contract law of the Anglo-common law world, first to understand its internal logic, and secondly, to situate its invocation within private law theory. What are judges doing when they appeal to “proportionality”?, and what does this say about the ideology of adjudication? I draw insights from the use of proportionality in other domains, in particular public law, to uncover its internal rationality as a means-ends rationality review coupled with a process of balancing competing considerations, which I illustrate with reference to the illegality, penalty, and cost of cure doctrines. I argue that proportionality reflects a method of pragmatic justification, expressing an aspiration towards a structured and transparent mode of argumentation that is anti-formal and anti-ideological, focusing from the bottom-up on contextual considerations, and occupying a distinct space against existing theories in private law driven, for instance, by “top-down”? rights-based ideologies or critical and communitarian perspectives.
The Priority of the Epistemic
Authors: Scheall Scott , Crutchfield Parker
Published: February 2020

Epistemic burdens – the nature and extent of our ignorance (that and how) with respect to various courses of action – serve to determine our incentive structures. Courses of action that seem to bear impossibly heavy epistemic burdens are typically not counted as options in an actor's menu, while courses of action that seem to bear comparatively heavy epistemic burdens are systematically discounted in an actor's menu relative to options that appear less epistemically burdensome. That ignorance serves to determine what counts as an option means that epistemic considerations are logically prior to moral, prudential, and economic considerations: in order to have moral, prudential, or economic obligations, one must have options, and epistemic burdens serve to determine our options. One cannot have obligations without doing some epistemic work. We defend this claim on introspective grounds. We also consider how epistemic burdens distort surrogate decision-making. The unique epistemology of surrogate cases makes the priority of the epistemic readily apparent. We then argue that anyone who accepts a principle similar to ought implies can is committed to the logical priority of the epistemic. We also consider and reject several possible counterarguments.
How Intellectual Communities Progress
Authors: Ross Lewis D.
Published: February 2020

Recent work takes both philosophical and scientific progress to consist in acquiring factive epistemic states such as knowledge. However, much of this work leaves unclear what entity is thesubjectof these epistemic states. Furthermore, by focusing only on states like knowledge, we overlook progress inintermediatecases between ignorance and knowledge – for example, many now celebrated theories were initially so controversial that they were not known. This paper develops an improved framework for thinking about intellectual progress. Firstly, I argue that we should think of progress relative to the epistemic position of an intellectual community rather than individual inquirers. Secondly, I show how focusing on the extended process of inquiry (rather than the mere presence or absence of states like knowledge) provides a better evaluation of different types of progress. This includes progress through formulating worthwhile questions, acquiring new evidence, and increasing credence on the right answers to these questions. I close by considering the ramifications for philosophical progress, suggesting that my account supports rejecting the most negative views while allowing us to articulate different varieties of optimism and pessimism.
Polycentric Limited Epistocracy: Political Expertise and the Wiki-Model
Authors: Manor Aylon
Published: February 2020

Democracy has recently been criticized by several philosophers on grounds of poor epistemic performance. The proposed alternative – epistocracy – faces criticism for failing to uphold and express the core democratic values of civic equality and individual autonomy. In response, proposals have been offered that try to achieve epistocratic performance while retaining democratic inclusion. This paper raises two problems for such proposals, relating to the selection of experts and the incentive-compatibility of the system. Given these failures, I sketch what I call the Wiki-Model. I argue that the Wiki-Model (i) has desirable epistemic properties; (ii) realizes our democratic ideals; while also (iii) avoiding the two problems that other hybrid models face.
Temperature-dependent development, survival and reproduction ofApanteles hemara(Nixon) (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) onSpoladea recurvalis(F.) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
Authors: Agbodzavu M. K. , Osiemo-Lagat Z. , Gikungu M. , Ekesi S. , Fiaboe K. K. M.
Published: February 2020

The temperature-dependent development ofApanteles hemara(Nixon), a larval endoparasitoid of the devastating amaranth pestSpoladea recurvalis(F.) was studied in the laboratory at six constant temperatures (10, 15, 20, 25, 30 and 35 °C), a photoperiod of 12L:12D and a relative humidity of 60–70%. Developmental time decreased significantly with increasing temperature within the range of 15–30 °C. The parasitoid's pupal mortality, successful parasitism rate, adult emergence rate and longevity, sex ratio and fecundity were affected by temperature. The population ofA. hemarafailed to develop at 10 and 35 °C. The development threshold (Tmin) and the thermal constant (K) were calculated by the linear model while the lethal temperature (Tmax) was determined by the Lactin-1 model. The estimated values ofTmin,TmaxandKby the two models were 10.3 °C, 35.0 °C and 185.18 DD respectively for the total immature development. The estimated value of the optimum temperature using the Taylor model was 30.8 °C. This is the first study to report on the effect of temperature on the developmental parameters ofA. hemaragiving an insight into its biology. The implications of these findings for the use ofA. hemarain biological control are discussed.
Bank Geographic Diversification and Corporate Innovation: Evidence from the Lending Channel
Authors: Deng Saiying , Mao Connie X. , Xia Cong
Published: February 2020

By integrating staggered interstate banking deregulation into a gravity model following Goetz, Laeven, and Levine (2013), (2016), we construct a time-varying, bank-specific instrument for geographic diversification and investigate its causal effect on corporate innovation via the lending channel. We find that bank geographic diversification spurs corporate innovation and enhances the economic value of innovation. We identify relaxing debt covenants and alleviating borrowers’ financial constraints as the two underlying mechanisms explaining the documented effects. Moreover, by offering lenient covenants, geographically diversified banks provide greater financial and operational flexibility to borrowing firms, enabling them to engage in future mergers and acquisitions.
Narratives of Crisis in the Periphery of São Paulo: Place and Political Articulation during Brazil's Rightward Turn
Authors: Richmond Matthew Aaron
Published: February 2020

Between 2014 and 2018, a period marked by major political and economic upheaval, Brazilian politics shifted sharply to the Right. Presenting qualitative research conducted over 2016–17, this article examines this process from the perspectives of residents of a peripheral São Paulo neighbourhood. Analysis is presented of three broad groups of respondents, each of which mobilised a distinct narrative framework for interpreting the crisis. Based on this, I argue that the rightward turn in urban peripheries embodies not a significant ideological shift, but rather long-term transformations of place and the largely contingent ways these articulate with electoral politics.
Do Religious Justifications Distort Policy Debates? Some Empirics on the Case for Public Reason
Authors: Kettell Steven , Djupe Paul A.
Published: February 2020

Scholars engaged in debates about the use of public reason often view religious arguments as being out of bounds. Yet the real-world impact of religious discourse remains under-explored. This study contributes to research in this area with an empirical test looking at the impact of religious arguments on a particular policy debate. A survey experiment explored the effects of religious and secular cues with varied policy directions on the issue of assisted dying. The findings showed that secular arguments were considerably more likely to elicit a positive response, and that, while religious arguments were not a conversation stopper, they produced significant distortions in political perceptions among participants, though not necessarily along the identity lines critical to the public reason debate.
Inverting Topography for Landscape Evolution Model Process Representation: 1. Conceptualization and Sensitivity Analysis
Authors: Barnhart Katherine R. , Tucker Gregory E. , Doty Sandra G. , Shobe Charles M. , Glade Rachel C. , Rossi Matthew W. , Hill Mary C.
Published: February 2020

Despite considerable community effort, there is no general set of equations to model long‐term landscape evolution. In order to determine a suitable set of landscape evolution process laws for a site where postglacial erosion has incised valleys up to 50 m deep, we generate a set of alternative models and perform a multimodel analysis. The most basic model we consider includes stream power channel incision, uniform lithology, hillslope transport by linear diffusion, and surface‐water discharge proportional to drainage area. We systematically add one, two, or three elements of complexity to this model from one of four categories: hillslope processes, channel processes, surface hydrology, and representation of geologic materials. We apply methods of formal model analysis to the 37 alternative models. The global Method of Morris sensitivity analysis method is used to identify model input parameters that most and least strongly influence model outputs. Only a few parameters are identified as important, and this finding is consistent across two alternative model outputs: one based on a collection of topographic metrics and one that uses an objective function based on a topographic difference. Parameters that control channel erosion are consistently important, while hillslope diffusivity is important for only select model outputs. Uncertainty in initial and boundary conditions is associated with low sensitivity. Sensitivity analysis provides insight to model dynamics and is a critical step in using model analysis for mechanistic hypothesis testing in landscape evolution theory.
Implications of Organic Mass to Carbon Ratios Increasing Over Time in the Rural United States
Authors: Malm W. C. , Schichtel B. A. , Hand J. L. , Prenni A. J.
Published: February 2020

The thermal evolution procedure used by most monitoring programs in the United States to determine carbonaceous aerosol concentrations is referred to as the thermal‐optical reflectance method, where an aerosol sample that has been collected on a quartz filter is heated and evolved carbon is characterized as either organic (OC) or light absorbing carbon (LAC). Evolved carbon assigned to OC is multiplied by a factor, Roc, to achieve an estimate of organic mass. Over the last 10–15 years, Roc, estimated through multiple linear regression analysis of data collected in the Interagency Monitoring of Protected Visual Environments (IMPROVE) program, has increased at about a rate of about 0.02 per year, reaching values above 2.0 in many regions of the United States. Analysis of evolved carbon concentration temporal trends suggests that thermal‐optical reflectance analysis, on the average, inaccurately bifurcates particulate carbon into the OC and LAC fractions with some LAC being inadvertently and wrongly assigned to the OC fraction. It is shown that misapportioned LAC assigned to OC is decreasing faster than true OC, resulting in a compensating increase in the Roc assigned to reported OC over time. A first‐order model is proposed to correct for the misapportioned carbon.
Tailoring WRF and Noah‐MP to Improve Process Representation of Sierra Nevada Runoff: Diagnostic Evaluation and Applications
Authors: Holtzman Nataniel M. , Pavelsky Tamlin M. , Cohen Jonathan S. , Wrzesien Melissa L. , Herman Jonathan D.
Published: February 2020

Watersheds at the western margin of the Sierra Nevada mountains in California are regulated by large dams providing crucial water supply, flood control, and electricity generation. Runoff in these basins is snowmelt dominated and therefore vulnerable to alteration due to climate change. Regional climate models coupled to land surface models can be used to study the hydrologic impacts of climate change, but there is little evidence that they accurately simulate watershed‐scale runoff in complex terrain. This study evaluates capabilities of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) regional climate model, coupled to the Noah‐multiparameterization (MP) land surface model, to simulate runoff into nine Sierra Nevada reservoirs over the period 2007–2017. Default parameterizations lead to substantial inaccuracy in results, including median bias of 61%. Errors can be traced to process representations; specifically, we modify the representation of snowflake formation in the Thompson microphysics scheme and subsurface runoff generation in the Noah‐MP land surface model, including a correction representing effects of groundwater storage. The resulting parameterization improves Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency to above 0.7 across all basins and reduces median bias to 21%. To assess capabilities of the modified WRF/Noah‐MP system in supporting analysis of human‐altered hydrology, we use its streamflow projections to force a reservoir operations model, results of which maintain high accuracy in predicting reservoir storage and releases (mean Nash‐Sutcliffe efficiency > 0.41). This diagnostic analysis indicates that coupled climate and land surface models can be used to study climate change effects on reservoir systems in mountain regions via dynamical downscaling, when adequate physical parameterizations are used.
Targeted overexpression of the long noncoding RNA ODSM can regulate osteoblast function in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Wang Yixuan , Wang Ke , Zhang Lijun , Tan Yingjun , Hu Zebing , Dang Lei , Zhou Hua , Li Gaozhi , Wang Han , Zhang Shu , Shi Fei , Cao Xinsheng , Zhang Ge
Published: February 2020

Ameliorating bone loss caused by mechanical unloading is a substantial clinical challenge, and the role of noncoding RNAs in this process has attracted increasing attention. In this study, we found that the long noncoding RNA osteoblast differentiation-related lncRNA under simulated microgravity (lncRNA ODSM) could inhibit osteoblast apoptosis and promote osteoblast mineralization in vitro. The increased expression level of the lncRNA ODSM partially reduced apoptosis and promoted differentiation in MC3T3-E1 cells under microgravity unloading conditions, and the effect was partially dependent on miR-139-3p. LncRNA ODSM supplementation in hindlimb-unloaded mice caused a decrease in the number of apoptotic cells in bone tissue and an increase in osteoblast activity. Furthermore, targeted overexpression of the lncRNA ODSM in osteoblasts partially reversed bone loss induced by mechanical unloading at the microstructural and biomechanical levels. These findings are the first to suggest the potential value of the lncRNA ODSM in osteoporosis therapy and the treatment of pathological osteopenia.
Nucleolar localization of the Notch4 intracellular domain underpins its regulation of the cellular response to genotoxic stressors
Authors: Saini Neetu , Sarin Apurva
Published: February 2020

Cell survival is one of the many cellular processes regulated by Notch family of proteins. A comparison of human breast cancer cell lines, which differ in the levels of endogenous Notch4, implicated the protein in regulating susceptibility to apoptosis triggered by genomic damage. In agreement with this observation, increased susceptibility to genotoxic damage was observed following siRNA ablations of Notch4 in two breast cancer cell lines. Further, overexpressing Notch4 intracellular domain (NIC4) tagged to GFP (NIC4-GFP), protected cells from apoptosis triggered by genotoxic drugs. In cells immune-stained for endogenous Notch4, protein was detected in the nucleolus and nucleoplasm, which was also confirmed by the co-localization of NIC4-GFP with RFP-tagged nucleolar proteins in breast cancer cells or the unrelated HEK cell line. Linking functional outcomes to nucleolar localization, NIC4-GFP protection from apoptosis, required the nucleolar proteins Nucleolin and Fibrillarin. Consistently, immunoprecipitation analysis revealed associations between nucleolar proteins—Nucleolin and Nucleophosmin—and Notch4. Microscopy-based biophysical analysis of live cells showed that nucleolar and nucleoplasmic pools of NIC4-GFP are mobile, with some sequestration of nucleolar NIC4-GFP pools. A nucleolar excluded form, NIC4_3RA-GFP, generated by site-directed mutagenesis of the nucleolar localization sequence in NIC4, could not protect from apoptosis triggered by genotoxic stressors. However, transcriptional activity or protection from apoptosis triggered by endoplasmic stress was comparable in cells expressing NIC4_3RA-GFP or NIC4-GFP. Together, the data show that nucleolar localization of NIC4 is critical for the regulation of genomic damage and may be uncoupled from its activities in the nucleoplasm. This study identifies intrinsic features of NIC4 that regulate signaling outcomes activated by the receptor by controlling its spatial localization.
Structural and functional insight into the effect of AFF4 dimerization on activation of HIV-1 proviral transcription
Authors: Tang Dan , Chen Chunjing , Liao Ga , Liu Jiaming , Liao Banghua , Huang QingQing , Chen Qianqian , Zhao Jiahui , Jiang Hui , Duan Jinsong , Huang Jin , Wang Kunjie , Wang Jiawei , Zhou Cuiyan , Chu Wendan , Li Wenqi , Sun Bo , Li Zhonghan , Dai Lunzhi , Fu Xianghui , Cheng Wei , Xue Yuhua , Qi Shiqian
Published: February 2020

Super elongation complex (SEC) is a positive regulator of RNA polymerase II, which is required for HIV-1 proviral transcription. AFF1/4 is the scaffold protein that recruits other components of SEC and forms dimer depending on its THD domain (TPRL with Handle Region Dimerization Domain). Here we report the crystal structure of the human AFF4-THD at the resolution of 2.4 Å. The α4, α5, and α6 of one AFF4-THD mediate the formation of a dimer and pack tightly against the equivalent part of the second molecule in the dimer of AFF-THD. Mutagenesis analysis revealed that single mutations of either Phe1014 or Tyr1096 of AFF4 to alanine impair the formation of the AFF4 dimer. In addition, transactivation assay also indicated that Phe1014 and Tyr1096 of AFF4 are critical to the transactivation activity of AFF4. Interestingly, the corresponding residues Phe1063 and Tyr1145 in AFF1 have an effect on the transactivation of HIV-1 provirus. However, such mutations of AFF1/4 have no effect on the interaction of AFF1/4 with other subunits of the SEC. Together, our data demonstrated that the dimerization of AFF1/4 is essential to transactivation of HIV-1 provirus.
Dynamic unidirectional anisotropy in cubic FeGe with antisymmetric spin-spin-coupling
Authors: Josten Nicolas , Feggeler Thomas , Meckenstock Ralf , Spoddig Detlef , Spasova Marina , Chai Ke , Radulov Iliya , Li Zi-An , Gutfleisch Oliver , Farle Michael , Zingsem Benjamin
Published: February 2020

Strong unidirectional anisotropy in bulk polycrystalline B20 FeGe has been measured by ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy. Such anisotropy is not present in static magnetometry measurements. B20 FeGe exhibits inherent Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, resulting in a nonreciprocal spin-wave dispersion. Bulk and micron sized samples were produced and characterized. By X-band ferromagnetic resonance spectroscopy at 276 K ± 1 K, near the Curie temperature, a distribution of resonance modes was observed in accordance with the cubic anisotropy of FeGe. This distribution exhibits a unidirectional anisotropy, i.e. shift of the resonance field under field inversion, of KUD = 960 J/m3 ± 10 J/m3, previously unknown in bulk ferromagnets. Additionally, more than 25 small amplitude standing spin wave modes were observed inside a micron sized FeGe wedge, measured at 293 K ± 2 K. These modes also exhibit unidirectional anisotropy. This effect, only dynamically measurable and not detectable in static magnetometry measurements, may open new possibilities for directed spin transport in chiral magnetic systems.
Transient Cell Membrane Disruptions induce Calcium Waves in Corneal Keratocytes
Authors: Chen Zhong , Lu Xiaowen , McGee-Lawrence Meghan E. , Watsky Mitchell A.
Published: February 2020

The purpose of this study was to determine if transient cell membrane disruptions (TPMDs) in single keratocytes can trigger signaling events in neighboring keratocytes. Stromal cells were cultured from human corneas (HCSC) and mouse corneas (MCSC). TPMDs were produced using a multiphoton microscope in Cal-520-AM loaded cells. TPMD-induced calcium increases (Ca++i) were measured in Ca++-containing and Ca++-free solutions containing thapsigargin, ryanodine, BAPTA-AM, 18-α-glycyrrhetinic acid (18α-GA), apyrase, BCTC, AMG 9810, or AMTB. Fluorescence intensity was recorded as the number of cells responding and the area under the fluorescence versus time curve. The maximum distance of responding neighboring cells in ex vivo human corneas was measured. Connexin 43 protein in HCSC and MCSC was examined using immunofluorescence staining, and corneal rubbing was applied to confirm whether TPMDs occur following mechanical manipulation. Our results demonstrate that single cell TPMDs result in Ca++ waves in neighboring keratocytes both in culture and within ex vivo corneas. The source of Ca++ is both intra-and extra-cellular, and the signal can be mediated by ATP and/or gap junctions, and is species dependent. Stromal rubbing confirmed that TPMDs do occur following mechanical manipulation. Keratocyte TPMDs and their associated signaling events are likely common occurrences following minor or major corneal trauma.
A cluster-randomized trial of the effectiveness of a triple-faceted intervention promoting adherence to primary care physician visits by diabetes patients: J-DOIT2 large-scale trial (J-DOIT2-LT)
Authors: Noda Mitsuhiko , Hayashino Yasuaki , Yamazaki Katsuya , Suzuki Hikari , Goto Atsushi , Kato Masayuki , Izumi Kazuo , Kobayashi Masashi
Published: February 2020

We aimed to assess whether a triple-faceted intervention program administered in the primary care setting could decrease the risk of insufficient adherence to primary care physician (PCP) appointments among this patient population. We conducted a cluster-randomized controlled study to assess the effects of a 1-year intervention. The primary outcome was insufficient adherence to regular PCP attendance for diabetes treatment, defined as failure to visit a PCP within 2 months of an original appointment date. The intervention consisted of mailing patient reminders of their PCP appointments, providing patients with health education aimed at lifestyle modification and benchmarking PCP procedures. Eleven municipal level district medical associations employing 192 PCPs were divided into two subregions for assignment to intervention and control clusters, with 971 and 1,265 patients assigned to the intervention and control groups, respectively. Primary outcome data were available for 2,200 patients. The intervention reduced insufficient adherence to regular PCP appointments by 63% (hazard ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.23–0.58). In conclusion, a triple-faceted intervention program consisting of health education, appointment reminders, and physician benchmarking may decrease the risk of incomplete adherence to regular PCP appointments by diabetes patients.
Subwavelength plasmonic nanoantenna as a Plasmonic Induced Polarization Rotator (PI-PR)
Authors: Hayat Qaisar , Geng Junping , Liang Xianling , Jin Ronghong , Hayat Khizar , He Chong
Published: February 2020

This article reports the finding of the plasmonic induced polarization rotation and propagation rotation when the plane EM wave radiates the adjacent active coated nano particle and large dielectric sphere at resonant frequency. The results investigate that the incident electromagnetic planewave excites the TM21 mode in the large size dielectric sphere at first, which affects the TM11 mode field from the coated nano particle. Consequently, when the combined active coated nano particle and large dielectric sphere are in resonant, the main E–field polarization direction becomes parallel to the propagation direction of the original planewave and main beam of the pattern becomes omnidirectional i.e. both rotates by 90°. Furthermore, the polarization and propagation rotation angle varies with different size of the dielectric sphere. Likewise, the structure of dielectric sphere clamped by two active nanoparticles is also showing plasmonic induced polarization and propagation rotation along with TM11 mode from each coated nano particle (CNP) having 180° phase difference. In addition to this, the induced polarization rotation was also verified by the Electric Hertzian Dipole (EHD). The integration of this simpler geometry with other optical devices has possible applications in polarization manipulation, nano-sensors and detectors on nanoscale.
Development of a fast and efficient root transgenic system for functional genomics and genetic engineering in peach
Authors: Xu Shengli , Lai Enhui , Zhao Lei , Cai Yaming , Ogutu Collins , Cherono Sylvia , Han Yuepeng , Zheng Beibei
Published: February 2020

Peach is an economically import fruit crop worldwide, and serves as a model species of the Rosaceae family as well. However, peach functional genomics studies are severely hampered due to its recalcitrance to regeneration and stable transformation. Here, we report a fast and efficient Agrobacterium rhizogenes-mediated transformation system in peach. Various explants, including leaf, hypocotyl and shoot, were all able to induce transgenic hairy roots, with a transformation efficiency of over 50% for hypocotyl. Composite plants were generated by infecting shoots with A. rhizogenes to induce transgenic adventitious hairy roots. The composite plant system was successfully used to validate function of an anthocyanin-related regulatory gene PpMYB10.1 in transgenic hairy roots, and two downstream genes, PpUFGT and PpGST, were strongly activated. Our stable and reproductive A. rhizogenes-mediated transformation system provides an avenue for gene function assay, genetic engineering, and investigation of root-rhizosphere microorganism interaction in peach.
Nucleotide lipid-based hydrogel as a new biomaterial ink for biofabrication
Authors: Dessane Bérangère , Smirani Rawen , Bouguéon Guillaume , Kauss Tina , Ribot Emeline , Devillard Raphaël , Barthélémy Philippe , Naveau Adrien , Crauste-Manciet Sylvie
Published: February 2020

One of the greatest challenges in the field of biofabrication remains the discovery of suitable bioinks that satisfy physicochemical and biological requirements. Despite recent advances in tissue engineering and biofabrication, progress has been limited to the development of technologies using polymer-based materials. Here, we show that a nucleotide lipid-based hydrogel resulting from the self-assembly of nucleotide lipids can be used as a bioink for soft tissue reconstruction using injection or extrusion-based systems. To the best of our knowledge, the use of a low molecular weight hydrogel as an alternative to polymeric bioinks is a novel concept in biofabrication and 3D bioprinting. Rheological studies revealed that nucleotide lipid-based hydrogels exhibit suitable mechanical properties for biofabrication and 3D bioprinting, including i) fast gelation kinetics in a cell culture medium and ii) shear moduli and thixotropy compatible with extruded oral cell survival (human gingival fibroblasts and stem cells from the apical papilla). This polymer-free soft material is a promising candidate for a new bioink design.