bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of willingness to participate in COVID-19 clinical trials among Black and Latino adults
Authors: Weston Christine M. , Andrade Elizabeth L. , Olawole Wuraola , Guerrero Vazquez Monica , Miller Hailey , Stevens Sarah C. , Lacanienta Cyd , Perrin Nancy , Edberg Mark C. , Mellman Thomas A. , Bronner Yvonne , Clark Roger , Dennison Himmelfarb Cheryl R.
Published: November 2024

Introduction:

Black and Latino individuals are underrepresented in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials, calling for an examination of factors that may predict willingness to participate in trials.

Methods:

We administered the Common Survey 2.0 developed by the Community Engagement Alliance (CEAL) Against COVID-19 Disparities to 600 Black and Latino adults in Baltimore City, Prince George’s County, Maryland, Montgomery County, Maryland, and Washington, DC, between October and December 2021. We examined the relationship between awareness of clinical trials, social determinants of health challenges, trust in COVID-19 clinical trial information sources, and willingness to participate in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine trials using multinomial regression analysis.

Results:

Approximately half of Black and Latino respondents were unwilling to participate in COVID-19 treatment or vaccine clinical trials. Results showed that increased trust in COVID-19 clinical trial information sources and trial awareness were associated with greater willingness to participate in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine trials among Black and Latino individuals. For Latino respondents, having recently experienced more challenges related to social determinants of health was associated with a decreased likelihood of willingness to participate in COVID-19 vaccine trials.

Conclusions:

The willingness of Black and Latino adults to participate in COVID-19 treatment and vaccine clinical trials is influenced by trial awareness and trust in trial information sources. Ensuring the inclusion of these communities in clinical trials will require approaches that build greater awareness and trust.
Should we communicate with the dead to assuage our grief? An Ubuntu perspective on using griefbots
Authors: Wright Connor
Published: November 2024

During the 20th century, dealing with grief through an ongoing involvement with the deceased (such as speaking to their grave) was seen as pathological by Western authors such as Sigmund Freud. Nowadays, we are presented with the opportunity to continue interacting with digital representations of the deceased. As a result, the paper adopts an Ubuntu perspective, i.e., a sub-Saharan African philosophy focussed on community and relationship to provide a toolkit for using this emerging technology. I will argue that the Ubuntu framework I propose contributes to the use of griefbots in two ways. The first is that it shows that it is morally permissible to use griefbots to assuage our grief. The second is that it delineates how we can ethically use the technology. To do so, I split my analysis into four sections. In the first section, I show that meaningful relationships can occur between the bereaved and griefbots. This will be done by exploring the Western theory of continuing bonds proposed by Dennis Klass, Phyllis Silverman and Steven Nickman. In my second, I flesh out my Ubuntu framework according to Thaddeus Metz’s accounts on Ubuntu as a modal-relational theory. In my third section, I apply my Ubuntu framework to the case of Roman Mazurenko. Furthermore, I consider some counterarguments to the Ubuntu framework regarding privacy, commercialisation and people replacement. Finally, I conclude that, despite these limitations, the Ubuntu framework positively contributes to determining whether we should communicate with the dead through griefbots to assuage our grief.
A high-accuracy ionospheric foF2 critical frequency forecast using long short-term memory LSTM
Authors: Denisenko-Floyd Alexandra , Yucel Meric , Ustundag Burak Berk
Published: November 2024

Due to the F2 ionospheric layer’s ability to reflect radio waves, the foF2 critical frequency is essential since sudden irregularities can disrupt communication and navigation systems, affecting the weather forecast’s accuracy. This paper aims to develop accurate foF2 critical frequency prediction up to 24 hours ahead, focusing on mid and high latitudes, using the long short-term memory (LSTM) model covering the 24th solar cycle from 2008 to 2019. To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a comparative analysis is conducted with commonly referenced machine learning techniques, including linear regression, decision tree algorithms, and multilayer perceptron (MLP) using the Taylor diagram and error plots. The study involved five monitoring stations, different years with minimum and maximum solar activity, and prediction timeframes. Through extensive experimentation, a comprehensive set of outcomes is evaluated across diverse metrics. The findings conclusively established that the LSTM model has demonstrated superior performance compared to the other models across all stations and years. On average, LSTM is 1.2 times better than the second-best model (DT), 1.6 times as effective as the multilayer perceptron MLP, and three times more accurate than linear regression. The results of this research hold promise for increasing the precision of foF2-prediction, with potential implications for enhancing communication systems and weather forecasting capabilities.
Asking the right questions on Rayleigh–Bénard turbulence
Authors: Lohse Detlef
Published: November 2024

The paper by Castaing et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 204, 1989, pp. 1–30) on turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection has been one of the most impactful papers on the subject – not by giving the right and complete answers but by developing versatile concepts and by asking the right questions, namely: (i) What is the overall flow organization? (ii) What is the dependence of the Nusselt number

${\textit {Nu}}$

(the dimensionless heat transport) on the Rayleigh number

${\textit {Ra}}$

(the thermal driving strength)? (iii) What is the ultimate state of turbulence for extremely large

${\textit {Ra}}$

? Thanks to Castaing et al. having asked the right questions, the field has made tremendous progress over the last 35 years.
Ultra-fast imaging reveals
Authors: Juel Anne
Published: November 2024

The nanoscale is the new frontier of fluid dynamics and its phenomenology can echo at the macroscale as in the canonical example of drop impact on a planar substrate. Unprecedented advances in measurement technology have recently equipped fluid dynamicists with the ability to probe nanoscale effects. The paper by Li et al. (J. Fluid Mech., vol. 785, 2015, R2) uses ultrafast imaging at the hundreds of nanoseconds scale to resolve the first contact between the drop and the substrate and thereby reveal the effect of prescribed nano-roughness on contact line motion.
Butyrate attenuates high-fat diet-induced glomerulopathy through GPR43-Sirt3 pathway
Authors: Shi Ying , Xing Lin , Zheng Ruoyi , Luo Xin , Yue Fangzhi , Xiang Xingwei , Qiu Anqi , Xie Junyan , Russell Ryan , Zhang Dongmei
Published: November 2024

The incidence of obesity-related glomerulopathy (ORG) is rising worldwide with very limited treatment methods. Paralleled with the gut–kidney axis theory, the beneficial effects of butyrate, one of the short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) produced by gut microbiota, on metabolism and certain kidney diseases have gained growing attention. However, the effects of butyrate on ORG and its underlying mechanism are largely unexplored. In this study, a mice model of ORG was established with a high-fat diet feeding for 16 weeks, and sodium butyrate treatment was initiated at the 8th week. Podocyte injury, oxidative stress and mitochondria function were evaluated in mice kidney and validated in vitro in palmitic acid-treated-mouse podocyte cell lines. Further, the molecular mechanisms of butyrate on podocytes were explored. Compared with controls, sodium butyrate treatment alleviated kidney injuries and renal oxidative stress in high-fat diet-fed mice. In mouse podocyte cell lines, butyrate ameliorated palmitic acid-induced podocyte damage and helped maintain the structure and function of the mitochondria. Moreover, the effects of butyrate on podocytes were mediated via the GPR43-Sirt3 signal pathway, as evidenced by the diminished effects of butyrate with the intervention of GPR43 or Sirt3 inhibitors. In summary, we conclude that butyrate has therapeutic potential for the treatment of ORG. It attenuates high-fat diet-induced ORG and podocyte injuries through the activation of the GPR43-Sirt3 signalling pathway.
Existence and non-existence results for a class of systems under concave-convex nonlinearities
Authors: Pinheiro Da Silva João Pablo
Published: November 2024

In this work, we are interested in studying the following class of problems:
(𝒫λμ)\begin{align}
\left\{
\begin{array}{ll}
-\Delta u=f_\lambda(x,u,v)& \text{in}~~\Omega\\
-\Delta v=g_\mu(x,u,v) & \text{in}~~\Omega\\
0\not\equiv u\geq 0,\,\,0\not\equiv v\geq 0& \text{in}~~\Omega\\
u=v=0&\text{on}~~\partial\Omega
\end{array}
\right.
\end{align} where Ω is a bounded domain in $\mathbb{R}^N$, λ > 0, µ > 0, $t\mapsto f_\lambda(x,t,t)$ and $t\mapsto g_\mu(x,t,t)$ have concave-convex type nonlinearities. We present results related to the existence and non-existence of solutions for problem $(\mathcal{P}_{\lambda\mu})$.
Defect relation for holomorphic maps from complex discs into projective varieties and hypersurfaces
Authors: Duc Quang Si
Published: November 2024

In this paper, we establish a second main theorem for holomorphic maps with finite growth index on complex discs intersecting arbitrary families of hypersurfaces (fixed and moving) in projective varieties, which gives an above bound of the sum of truncated defects. Our result also generalizes and improves many previous second main theorems for holomorphic maps from ${\mathbb{C}}$ intersecting hypersurfaces (moving and fixed) in projective varieties.
“A False Picture of Negro Progress”: John Hope Franklin, Racial Liberalism, and the Political (Mis)uses of Black History during the 1963 Emancipation Centennial
Authors: CRYER THOMAS
Published: November 2024

This article scrutinizes public contestations over Black history during 1963's Emancipation Centennial. Specifically, it investigates how the Kennedy administration censored the historian John Hope Franklin's drafts for the chief commemorative effort Freedom to the Free, a history of civil rights since 1863. Reflecting the hubris of mid-twentieth-century racial liberalism, these edits excised white supremacy from American history, instead celebrating a confining definition of racial progress that prioritized Black equalization, adjustment, and incorporation into a deracialized liberal nationhood. The censoring of Franklin's dissident Americanism therefore highlights how racial liberalism simultaneously promoted and suppressed Black history, historians, and public figures more generally.
Continuing the momentum of developmental psychopathology: Lessons learned from the seminal contributions of Dante Cicchetti
Authors: Pollak Seth D.
Published: November 2024

The field of developmental psychopathology has grown broadly. Here, I draw upon lessons learned from Dante Cicchetti to highlight areas that show promise for continued disciplinary advancement. These include attention to equifinality and multifinality in the conceptualization of initial study designs, and more emphasis on specificity in accounting for developmental change. A shift from reliance on external events and towards greater diversity of research approaches will allow researchers to devote attention to the variety of ways that individuals come to understand and then respond to their own life experiences. The field of developmental psychopathology holds tremendous promise for advancing basic science about human development that can be applied to create interventions that improve the well-being of individuals and address significant societal issues.
Early dehiscence of a tricuspid valve annuloplasty ring in an adolescent with hypoplastic left heart syndrome presenting with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia
Authors: Kielmayer David , Sames-Dolzer Eva , Tulzer Gerald
Published: November 2024

We report a unique case of an adolescent patient with Fontan physiology presenting with unconjugated hyperbilirubinemia due to dehiscence of a tricuspid valve annuloplasty ring.
Elevating diversity, inclusion, and health equity in Pediatric Heart Network Scholars grant funding: unique opportunities and lessons learned
Authors: Wallace Michelle C. , Minich L. LuAnn , Shekerdemian Lara S. , Bauser-Heaton Holly , Chowdhury Shahryar M. , Czosek Richard J. , Freud Lindsay R. , Goldberg David J. , Gurvitz Michelle , Lopez Leo , Schumacher Kurt R. , Scott Jane , Slayton Beverly , Lopez Keila N.
Published: November 2024

There is a growing awareness that diversity, health equity, and inclusion play a significant role in improving patient outcomes and advancing knowledge. The Pediatric Heart Network launched an initiative to incorporate diversity, health equity, and inclusion into its 2021 Scholar Award Funding Opportunity Announcement. This manuscript describes the process of incorporating diversity, health equity, and inclusion into the Pediatric Heart Network Scholar Award and the lessons learned. Recommendations for future Pediatric Heart Network grant application cycles are made which could be replicated by other funding agencies.
Anatomic and non-anatomic substrates in infants with two ventricles undergoing aortic arch repair
Authors: Murtuza Bari , Lehoux Juan , Medina Mario Castro , da Fonseca Da Silva Luciana , Viegas Melita , McCracken Courtney E. , John Jon Blaine , Suh Elsa , Ringewald Jeremy , Morell Victor O.
Published: November 2024

Objectives:

We sought to examine the relative importance of surgical lesion complexity versus the presence of genetic/syndromic/extracardiac anomalies (GSAs) in determining survival, morbidity or need for reinterventions following repair for aortic arch hypoplasia.

Methods:

A single-centre, retrospective cohort study of infants undergoing biventricular aortic arch repair via sternotomy from 2010 to 2021 was conducted. Survival analysis was performed using Kaplan–Meier methods, with additional Bayesian survival modelling for subgroups. Composite morbidity comprised respiratory, renal, neurologic, or sepsis-related complications.

Results:

Of 83 included infants, n = 13/83 (15.7%) had complex repairs; 27/83 (32.5%) were GSA+. Operative mortality was significantly higher in GSA+ versus GSA− patients (18.5% vs. 1.8%; p = 0.01), though not for complex versus non-complex repairs. Overall 10-year Kaplan–Meier survival was 86.7%. Bayesian modelling suggested equivalent post-discharge attrition in non-complex/GSA+ and complex/GSA− patients, with the poorest outcomes in complex/GSA+ patients; non-complex/GSA− patients had 100% survival. GSA+ patients exhibited higher composite morbidity (44.4% vs. 7.1% in GSA− p < 0.001), with their mode of death seemingly related to a high incidence of respiratory and neurological morbidity, notably in Dandy–Walker syndrome. The 10-year freedom from arch reinterventions was 87.7%; neither complexity, GSA status, nor post-repair peak arch velocity predicted the need for arch reinterventions.

Conclusions:

Whilst anatomic complexity may have been somewhat neutralised as a risk factor for operative mortality, in contrast to GSA+ status, there is further post-discharge attrition attributable to complexity or GSA+ status, with additive risk effects. Morbidity directly related to certain syndromes underlies some of this risk. Non-anatomic substrates represent a persistent limitation to outcomes of surgical aortic arch repair in infants.
A comparison between community and treatment-seeking samples of hoarding disorder
Authors: Stumpf Bárbara Perdigão , Rocha Fábio Lopes , Fontenelle Leonardo F. , Barbosa Izabela Guimarães
Published: November 2024

Objective

Hoarding disorder studies are primarily based on persons who seek treatment and demonstrate good insight. The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether there are differences between community and treatment-seeking samples of individuals with hoarding disorder (HD).

Methods

Fourteen people with HD from the community and twenty treatment-seeking people with HD were assessed by a battery of instruments to evaluate HD features and other associated characteristics.

Results

Compared to the treatment-seeking sample, the HD community sample was older, had poorer insight, and had a lower prevalence of comorbid obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). There were no differences in gender, education, presence of psychiatric comorbidities, quality of life, and hoarding behavior characteristics between the samples. The final logistic regression model with the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) as the single predictor of treatment-seeking status was statistically significant, indicating that it was able to distinguish between the two samples. The model explained between 20.7% and 27.9% of the variance of subjects, and correctly classified 67.6% of cases.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that there appear to be few differences between the treatment-seeking and community samples of individuals with HD. The presence of comorbid OCD in treatment-seeking groups seems to be more frequent than in HD community samples.
Human brain evolution in a Malthusian economy
Authors: Chu Angus C.
Published: November 2024

Why did the human brain evolve? This study develops a Malthusian growth model with heterogeneous agents and natural selection to explore the evolution of human brain size. We find that if the cognitive advantage of a larger brain dominates its higher metabolic costs, then the average brain size increases over time, which is consistent with the rising trend in human brain size that started over 2 million years ago. Furthermore, an improvement in hunting-gathering productivity (e.g., the discovery of using stone tools and fire in hunting animals and cooking food) helps to trigger this human brain size evolution. As the average brain size increases, the average level of hunting-gathering productivity also rises over time. Quantitatively, our model is able to replicate the trend in hominin brain evolution over the last 10 million years.
Secular trends in dietary energy, carbohydrate, protein and fat intake among Korean children and adolescents
Authors: Sung Da-In , Kwon Yu-Jin , Heo Seok-Jae , Lee Ji-Won
Published: November 2024

Objective:

We aimed to analyse the evolving trends in macronutrient intake and dietary composition among Korean children and adolescents over a 10-year period.

Design:

We utilised cross-sectional data from the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES) spanning the years 2010–2020. Overall, the study included 11 861 participants aged 6–18 years who completed the 24-h dietary recall survey. Subsequently, we assessed trends in energy consumption and macronutrient intake across population subgroups, including age, sex and obesity status. Survey-weighted linear regression was employed to determine the β coefficient and P-value for trends in dietary nutrient consumption, treating the survey year as a continuous variable.

Setting:

KNHANES from 2010 to 2020.

Participants:

11 861 children and adolescents aged 6–18 years.

Results:

Total energy intake significantly decreased across the 10-year survey period, with a corresponding decline in the percentage of energy intake from carbohydrates. Conversely, the proportion of energy intake from fat increased during the same period. Subgroup analysis revealed changes in the composition of energy intake across age, sex and obesity status, with a consistent increase in total fat intake observed across all subgroups. Upon analysing data on dietary fibres, total sugars and fat subtypes intake, we found insufficient dietary fibre intake and increased intake of all fat subtypes.

Conclusions:

This study underscores the gradually changing dietary intake patterns among Korean children and adolescents. Our findings revealed that these transitions in dietary nutrient consumption may pose potential risks of diet-related diseases in the future.
The impact of a water promotion and access intervention on elementary school students in the presence of food insecurity
Authors: Gerstenfeld Leslie , Blacker Lauren , McCulloch Charles E , Ritchie Lorrene D , Ordonez Valeria M , Schmidt Laura , Patel Anisha I
Published: November 2024

Objective:

School-based interventions encouraging children to replace sugar-sweetened beverages with water show promise for reducing child overweight. However, students with child food insecurity (CFI) may not respond to nutrition interventions like children who are food-secure.

Design:

The Water First cluster-randomised trial found that school water access and promotion prevented child overweight and increased water intake. This secondary analysis used mixed-effects regression to evaluate the interaction between the Water First intervention and food insecurity, measured using the Child Food Security Assessment, on child weight status (anthropometric measurements) and dietary intake (student 24-h recalls, beverage intake surveys).

Setting:

Eighteen elementary schools (serving ≥ 50 % children from low-income households), in which drinking water had not been previously promoted, in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Participants:

Students in fourth-grade classes (n 1056).

Results:

Food insecurity interacted with the intervention. Among students with no CFI, the intervention group had a lower prevalence of obesity from baseline to 7 months (–0·04, CI –0·08, 0·01) compared with no CFI controls (0·01, CI –0·01, 0·04) (P = 0·04). Among students with high CFI, the intervention group had a pronounced increase in the volume of water consumed between baseline and 7 months (86·2 %, CI 21·7, 185·0 %) compared with high CFI controls (–13·6 %, CI –45·3, 36·6 %) (P = 0·02).

Conclusions:

Addressing food insecurity in the design of water promotion interventions may enhance the benefit to children, reducing the prevalence of obesity.
Child undernutrition and its association with household environmental conditions in Bangladesh
Authors: Khan Md Mostaured Ali , Billah Md Arif , Fatima Kaniz , Islam M Mofizul , Sarker Bidhan Krishna , Khanam Shimlin Jahan , Banke-Thomas Aduragbemi , Khan Md Nuruzzaman
Published: November 2024

Objective:

Undernutrition among children under the age of five years is a prevalent global issue, especially in Bangladesh. This study aimed to explore the relationships of household environmental conditions (HECs) with child undernutrition in Bangladesh, with a specific focus on rural–urban variations.

Design:

We analysed children’s data from the 2017/18 Bangladesh Demographic Health Survey. The outcome variable considered were measures of child undernutrition, including stunting, wasting and underweight. The primary exposure variables considered were indicators of HEC. We used a hierarchical multilevel mixed-effect generalized linear models (GLM) modified with a Poisson regression to explore the association between outcomes and exposures, adjusting for potential confounders.

Setting:

Nationally representative cross-sectional survey.

Participants:

8,057 under-5 children.

Results:

The prevalence of stunting, wasting and underweight in Bangladesh was 31%, 8%, and 22%, respectively, with notable urban–rural variations. Under-5 children who lived in houses constructed with unimproved materials (aRR: 1·17), exposed to household air pollution (aPR: 1·37), had unimproved drinking water sources (aPR: 1·28) or had poor handwashing facilities (aPR: 1·24) had a greater likelihood of stunting compared to their counterparts. Similar associations were observed for underweight. The likelihood of stunting and underweight increased with increasing scores of poor HECs, with variations in the effect size across urban–rural areas.

Conclusion:

The high prevalence of stunting and underweight in Bangladesh is linked to poor HECs, therefore, integrated approaches should be adopted to address these environmental factors collectively. Policies and programmes should prioritse enhancing housing quality to achieve sustainable improvements in child nutritional outcomes.
Does food insecurity compromise diet quality among Finnish private sector service workers?
Authors: Joutsi Roosa , Walsh Hanna M. , Lehto Elviira , Saari Tiina , Rahkonen Ossi , Nevalainen Jaakko , Erkkola Maijaliisa , Meinilä Jelena
Published: November 2024

Objective:

To investigate the association between food insecurity (FI) and diet quality in private sector service workers.

Design:

Data were collected via electronic questionnaires (2019) and the national register data (2018–2019). FI was measured using the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale (HFIAS) and diet quality using an FFQ and a modified Healthy Food Intake Index (mHFII). The associations between HFIAS and mHFII were studied using ANOVA and ordinal regression analysis.

Setting:

Cross-sectional survey and register data for all municipalities in Finland in 2018–2019.

Participants:

Individuals (n 6435) belonging to the Finnish Service Union United. The members are predominantly women and work mainly in retail trade, tourism, restaurant and leisure services, property maintenance and security services.

Results:

Overall diet quality, measured by mHFII, was significantly lower in those experiencing severe FI than in those who were food secure (8·0 v. 9·1). Additionally, those with severe FI were less likely to have higher (more optimal) scores in sugar-sweetened beverages (OR: 0·67), fibre-rich grains (OR: 0·79), vegetables (OR: 0·54), fruits and berries (OR: 0·61), vegetable oil (OR: 0·80), fish (OR: 0·65), milk (OR: 0·89) and nuts and seeds (OR: 0·66) than food-secure participants. Severe FI was associated with higher odds for less frequent consumption of red and processed meat (OR: 1·15, a higher score represents less frequent consumption).

Conclusions:

Severe FI was linked to both lower overall diet quality and suboptimal consumption of several food groups. Individuals experiencing severe FI may be predisposed to accumulating dietary risk factors for chronic diseases.
The utility of discrimination: religious discrimination and governmental legitimacy in Christian-majority countries
Authors: Fox Jonathan , Zellman Ariel
Published: November 2024

This study uses a rational choice approach to argue that an under-theorized and rarely tested cause of governmental discrimination against religious minorities is its popularity. Specifically, we argue that self-interested politicians are more likely to enact discriminatory policies when they believe said discrimination will be popular. These policies, in turn, have payoffs via increased public perceptions of governmental legitimacy. Using the Religion and State project, round 3 and World Values Survey data for members of the majority religion between 1990 and 2014 in 58 Christian-majority countries, we demonstrate that prejudice against members of other religions predicts increased governmental religious discrimination, which is, in turn, associated with higher confidence in government, legislatures, and political parties. While our results are specific to discrimination against religious minorities, this suggests that when discrimination against minorities in general is popular, politicians are likely to oblige.
A dual-frequency measurement setup with fully integrated SiGe-based radar sensors for the size estimation of particulate matter
Authors: Braasch Kennet , Teplyuk Alexander , Bruhn Daniel , Durdaut Phillip , Freiwald Leve , Vogelsang Florian , Pohl Nils , Höft Michael
Published: November 2024

This paperpresents the measurement procedure as well as the calculations and theoretical background for the estimation of particle sizes with the help of a dual-frequency measurement setup. For the measurement, two fully integrated radar sensors are implemented which offer advantages over typically used technologies at high frequencies. The first sensor has a constant transmitting frequency of 90 GHz while the second sensor offers a possibility to vary the transmitting frequency over the entire D-band with frequencies between 110 and 180 GHz. With these frequencies, different sizes can be determined. The presented approach makes use of the different transitions between the linear increasing Rayleigh scattering regime and the Mie regime. With a fitting indoor measurement setup that resembles an industrial duct, the approach is verified for spheroid glass particles with a diameter of 0.875 mm. The results show a slight deviation from the expected value of particle sizes overall.
Making the Grade: Policy Design and Effects of Information about Government Performance
Authors: Henderson Michael , Davis Belinda C.
Published: November 2024

Increasingly, governments report on public service quality, which has the potential to inform evaluations of performance that underlie voters’ opinions and behaviors. We argue these policies have important effects that go beyond informing voters. Specifically, we contend that the format in which policymakers choose to report information will steer the direction of opinion by exacerbating or mitigating biases in information processing. Using the case of school accountability systems in the United States and a variety of experimental and observational approaches, we find that letter grade systems for rating public school performance, as opposed to other reporting formats, exacerbate negativity bias. Public opinion proves more responsive to negative information than to positive information in letter grade systems than in alternate formats. Policymakers, then, do not simply inform public opinion; rather, their decisions about how to present information shape the interpretations that voters ultimately draw from the information provided.
Strong sustainability and the environmental dimension of the Sustainable Development Goals
Authors: Usubiaga-Liaño Arkaitz , Fairbrass Alison , Ekins Paul
Published: November 2024

Non-technical summary

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are at the core of the development agenda. Despite their wide adoption, it is still unclear the extent to which they can provide insights on environmental sustainability. The paper presents an assessment of the potential of the indicators used in the SDGs to track environmental sustainability. The results show that only a few SDG indicators describe the state of the environment, and those that do so, do not, generally, have science-based targets that describe whether environmental sustainability conditions are met. The latter aspect should be reinforced in framework that will replace the SDGs after 2030.

Technical summary

The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) are at the core of the development agenda. Despite their wide adoption, it is still unclear whether they can be used to monitor environmental sustainability, if this is to be understood from a strong sustainability perspective. The paper presents an assessment of the adequacy of the indicator sets used by United Nations, Eurostat, OECD, and the Sustainable Development Solutions Network for strong sustainability monitoring. The results show that most environmental indicators do not have science-based environmental standards that reflect whether natural capital meets environmental sustainability conditions, thereby preventing their use as strong sustainability indicators. While meeting the SDGs would likely contribute to improving environmental performance, on their own they are not adequate to monitor progress toward it. Complementary scientifically grounded metrics are needed to track the underlying state of natural capital that provides non-substitutable functions. The strong sustainability dimension within the SDGs will need to be strengthened in post-2030 sustainable development monitoring framework.

Social media summary

The Sustainable Development Goals are insufficient to monitor environmental sustainability.
Listening Comprehension Tests of Elementary School Students’ First Language Proficiency in Russian and Turkish
Authors: Schotte Kristin , Taraszow Tatjana , Heppt Birgit , Gesner Kris , Stanat Petra
Published: November 2024

Abstract: Immigrants’ first language proficiency (L1) is increasingly seen as a resource. However, empirical findings on the role of L1 proficiency in immigrant students’ school success are ambiguous, and more reliable evidence on this issue is needed. We therefore developed L1 proficiency tests for second graders within the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), a large-scale study conducted in Germany. The tests assess listening comprehension in Russian and Turkish, the L1s of Germany’s two largest immigrant groups. The present paper describes the NEPS-L1 tests and investigates their validity in two studies (Study 1: N1Russian = 105/ N1Turkish = 145, Study 2: N2Russian = 217/ N2Turkish = 152). Findings on the factorial validity suggest that the tests are global measures of L1 listening comprehension proficiency. Correlations with convergent (e.g., L1 vocabulary) and discriminant (e.g., nonverbal reasoning ability) validation criteria yielded the expected patterns. DIF analyses further revealed that the majority of test items were of similar difficulty for both language groups. We thus conclude that the NEPS-L1 tests are valid measures of second graders’ listening comprehension in Russian and Turkish and can provide important data for research on L1 proficiency.
A First Step in the Co‐Production of a Climate Resilience Research Agenda for the Philadelphia Region
Authors: Kavathekar A. , Tangtrakul K. , Pearl N. , Bader D. , Britton J. , Chapman S. , Graff R. , Granieri M. , Johnson H. , Johnson R. , Linn C. , Owen M. , Rockwell J. , Schulman A. , Wall R. , Payab A. H. , Montalto F. A.
Published: November 2024

The Philadelphia Region is threatened by anthropogenic climate change, with frontline communities facing disproportionate adverse impacts. To be effective, regional plans for climate resilience need to respond to diverse stakeholder needs, with research and information gathering critical to governance and decision‐making. The Climate Resilience Research Agenda (CRRA) is a co‐produced preliminary list of research activities that, if undertaken, could help to make the Philadelphia region more resilient to climate change. The CRRA process engaged over 100 individuals from over 60 organizations and entities across the region, collaboratively producing key research topics across four working groups: 1. Regional Climate Change and Cascading Hazards, 2. Health and Environmental Vulnerability, 3. Built Environment and Infrastructure System Resilience, and Decarbonization/Electrification of the Energy Sector, and 4. Regional Climate Governance and Adaptive Management. Research topics spanned working groups, and connections between topics highlighted the interconnectedness of climate challenges facing the Philadelphia region. In future project phases, the planning team will iterate and improve the recommendations with feedback from the participants from this process to continue important conversations regarding climate resilience within the region.
Combining a Multi‐Lake Model Ensemble and a Multi‐Domain CORDEX Climate Data Ensemble for Assessing Climate Change Impacts on Lake Sevan
Authors: Shikhani Muhammed , Feldbauer Johannes , Ladwig Robert , Mercado‐Bettín Daniel , Moore Tadhg N. , Gevorgyan Artur , Misakyan Amalya , Mi Chenxi , Schultze Martin , Boehrer Bertram , Shatwell Tom , Barfus Klemens , Rinke Karsten
Published: November 2024

Global warming is shifting the thermal dynamics of lakes, with resulting climatic variability heavily affecting their mixing dynamics. We present a dual ensemble workflow coupling climate models with lake models. We used a large set of simulations across multiple domains, multi‐scenario, and multi GCM‐ RCM combinations from CORDEX data. We forced a set of multiple hydrodynamic lake models by these multiple climate simulations to explore climate change impacts on lakes. We also quantified the contributions from the different models to the overall uncertainty. We employed this workflow to investigate the effects of climate change on Lake Sevan (Armenia). We predicted for the end of the 21st century, under RCP 8.5, a sharp increase in surface temperature and substantial bottom warming , longer stratification periods (+55 days) and disappearance of ice cover leading to a shift in mixing regime. Increased insufficient cooling during warmer winters points to the vulnerability of Lake Sevan to climate change. Our workflow leverages the strengths of multiple models at several levels of the model chain to provide a more robust projection and at the same time a better uncertainty estimate that accounts for the contributions of the different model levels to overall uncertainty. Although for specific variables, for example, summer bottom temperature, single lake models may perform better, the full ensemble provides a robust estimate of thermal dynamics that has a high transferability so that our workflow can be a blueprint for climate impact studies in other systems.
Bridging the Gap Between Top‐Down and Bottom‐Up Climate Vulnerability Assessments: Process Informed Exploratory Scenarios Identify System‐Based Water Resource Vulnerabilities
Authors: Kucharski J. , Steinschneider S. , Herman J. , Olszewski J. , Arnold W. , Rahat S. , Maendly R. , Ray P.
Published: November 2024

The threat that climate change poses to water resource systems has led to a substantial and growing number of impact studies. These studies follow two approaches: (a) top‐down studies are driven by projections of future climate change provided by downscaled general circulation models (GCMs); and (b) bottom‐up studies are driven by the systematic evaluation of exploratory scenarios. Top‐down approaches produce realistic scenarios rooted in the simulation of thermodynamic and dynamic processes represented in GCMs, but the internal resolution of these processes make it difficult to link vulnerabilities to discrete components of change. Bottom‐up approaches link vulnerabilities to discrete components of change through the structured evaluation of exploratory scenarios, but the lack of insight rooted in climate change processes can lead to the development of implausible scenarios. This paper evaluates exploratory scenarios developed through thermodynamic and dynamical guided perturbations motivated by GCM‐bound insights. The result is a hybrid approach that bridges a gap between top‐down and bottom‐up approaches. This yields several advantages. First, emerging vulnerabilities are linked to distinct thermodynamic and dynamic processes that are modeled in GCMs with differential likelihoods and plausible ranges of change. Second, the structured evaluation of process‐informed exploratory scenarios link system vulnerabilities to distinct components of climate change. An illustrative case study demonstrates perturbations linked to thermodynamic and dynamical processes have a large impact on stakeholder‐defined flood and drought performance, and the structured evaluation of process‐informed exploratory scenarios find nuanced infrastructure‐specific vulnerabilities that would be difficult to identify using an alternative approach.
Earth‐Based Transmitters Trigger Precipitation of Inner Radiation Belt Electrons: Unveiling Observations and Modeling Results
Authors: Xiang Zheng , Li Xinlin , Baker Daniel N. , Mei Yang , O'Brien Declan , Hogan Benjamin , Zhao Hong , Brennan David , Ni Binbin , Sarris Theodore , Temerin Michael A.
Published: November 2024

Human activity influence Earth's environment, including the space environment hundreds to thousands of kilometers above the Earth. One direct evidence is that the 19.8 kHz electromagnetic signals launched by the North West Cape (NWC) transmitter station in Australia produce a wisp‐like energy distribution of precipitating energetic electrons in Earth's inner radiation belt, observed by many Low Earth Orbiting satellites. Typically, satellites observe a single wisp with energy that decreases with increasing L (approximately the radial distance in the equatorial plane), which is produced by a first‐order cyclotron resonance of transmitter signals with energetic electrons. Here we report, for the first time, multiple wisps observed by the Relativistic Electron and Proton Telescope integrated little experiment‐2 (REPTile‐2) on board the recently launched Colorado Inner Radiation Belt Experiment (CIRBE) CubeSat. Based on simulation results, we demonstrate that harmonic cyclotron resonances including the 1, −1, and 2 orders by highly oblique NWC transmitter signals produce these multiple wisps. The discovery of multiple‐order cyclotron resonances simultaneously occurring in space sheds new light on wave‐particle interactions in near‐Earth space. It also has implications for developing artificial radiation belt remediation techniques and understanding the propagation and scattering of plasma waves in planetary magnetospheres.
Controls on Erosion and Cyclic Step‐Formation Upstream of Waterfalls
Authors: Inoue T. , Hiramatsu Y. , Scheingross J. S. , Yamaguchi S. , Takahashi K.
Published: November 2024

Waterfall retreat transmits base‐level perturbations upstream, thereby providing markers of changing climate and tectonics. In homogeneous rock, waterfalls often retreat either by direct waterfall‐face erosion or incision from repeating (‘cyclic’) steps formed above waterfalls. We lack knowledge on the conditions driving these different erosion styles, limiting our ability to predict waterfall retreat. We address this knowledge gap through flume experiments assessing how changing flow hydraulics modulates bedrock erosion. We show that, under large discharges, changes in flow hydraulics cause spatial variability in particle impact velocity, leading to cyclic step formation. As discharge decreases, both the magnitude and spatial variability of particle impact velocity decreases, causing more uniform erosion, limiting cyclic step development and potentially allowing direct erosion of the waterfall face to become the dominant retreat mechanism. These results suggest climate change and water‐resource management can alter the rate and style of waterfall retreat.
Dominating Remote Source and Its Potential Contribution of Airborne Dust Over the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Tang Jingyi , Wang Tianhe , Han Ying , Zhang Xinyi , Tan Ruiqi , Dong Yuanzhu , He Shanjuan , Abdullaev Sabur F. , Amonov Mansur O.
Published: November 2024

Dust particles, transported over long‐distances and driven by westerly winds, dominate high‐altitude (>4 km) snow darkening and melting over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A systematic assessment of their remote sources and potential contributions remains limited. In this paper, we present a novel algorithm for source‐tracing of airborne dust designed to tackle the aforementioned challenges. The algorithm effectively constrains dust activity and guarantees precise tracking through using satellite and reanalysis‐based estimates. The high‐altitude airborne dust over the TP shows considerable spatial variation and primarily comes from the desert clusters in Central Asia, West Asia, and South Asia. The Karakum, Taklimakan, and Thar deserts are significant sources of high‐altitude airborne dust in the northwest, northeast, and southwest regions of TP, with average mass loadings (mg m−2) contributing rates of 42.2% (32.9), 49.6% (48.3), and 16.4% (32.1), respectively. The results demonstrate significant differences in how adjacent deserts affect high‐altitude snowmelt in the TP.
GOES‐R Series X‐Ray Sensor (XRS): 1. Design and Pre‐Flight Calibration
Authors: Woods Thomas N. , Eden Thomas , Eparvier Francis G. , Jones Andrew R. , Woodraska Donald L. , Chamberlin Phillip C. , Machol Janet L.
Published: November 2024

The X‐Ray Sensor (XRS) has been making full‐disk observations of the solar soft X‐ray irradiance onboard National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites since 1975. Critical information about solar activity for space weather operations is provided by XRS measurements, such as the classification of solar flare magnitude based on X‐ray irradiance level. The GOES‐R series of XRS sensors, with the first in the series launched in November 2016, has a completely different instrument design compared to its predecessors, GOES‐1 through GOES‐15. To provide continuity, the two GOES‐R XRS spectral bands remain unchanged providing the solar X‐ray irradiance in the 0.05–0.4 nm and 0.1–0.8 nm bands. The changes for the GOES‐R XRS instrument included using Si photodiodes instead of ionization cells to improve performance, using multiple channels per X‐ray band to allow for a wider dynamic range, and providing accurate radiometric calibrations using the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Synchrotron Ultraviolet Radiation Facility in Gaithersburg, Maryland. In addition to the standard XRS data product of solar irradiances in the two X‐ray bands, a new real‐time flare location data product is also available from the GOES‐R XRS instruments because two channels are quadrant photodiodes for position detection. The design and pre‐flight calibration results for this next‐generation XRS instrument are presented here in this XRS Paper‐1, and in‐flight solar X‐ray measurements from GOES‐16, GOES‐17, and GOES‐18 are provided in the XRS Paper‐2.
A Century of Deformation and Stress Change on Kīlauea's Décollement
Authors: Yong Lauren Ward , Foster James H. , Smith‐Konter Bridget R. , Frazer L. Neil
Published: November 2024

Kīlauea Volcano on Hawai'i Island is host to a complex volcanic and interwoven fault system. Over the last ∼120 years, a range of seismic events, including large earthquakes such as the 1975 7.7 Kalapana earthquake, creep, and slow slip events, have occurred along the décollement underlying Kilauea's south flank. We explore both the deformation and stress changes of Kīlauea from 1896 to 2018 by collating six geodetic data sets and creating an analytical model to determine the dominant deformation sources (i.e., fault planes, rifts, magma chambers) driving this system at different times. The 1975 Kalapana earthquake significantly altered the region's state of stress and deformation; we find the average slip along the décollement was reduced from 10 cm/yr prior, to 4 cm/yr after the rupture. Prior to 1975 no slip is resolved along the décollement where the earthquake nucleated, suggesting that this portion may have been locked leading up to the rupture. After 1975, décollement slip overall is smaller and more irregular, suggesting increased control by spatial variation of mechanical properties. We find increases in shear stress along the Kīlauea décollement and a decrease in normal compressive stress within the East Rift Zone prior to the Kalapana earthquake, creating favorable conditions for failure of the décollement and subsequent magmatic intrusion.