bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Persistent homology analysis of deconfinement transition in effective Polyakov-line model
Authors: Hirakida Takehiro , Kashiwa Kouji , Sugano Junpei , Takahashi Junichi , Kouno Hiroaki , Yahiro Masanobu
Published: April 2020

The persistent homology analysis is applied to the effective Polyakov-line model on a rectangular lattice to investigate the confinement–deconfinement nature. The lattice data are mapped onto the complex Polyakov-line plane without taking the spatial average and then the plane is divided into three domains. This study is based on previous studies for the clusters and the percolation properties in lattice QCD, but the mathematical method of the analyses are different. The spatial distribution of the data in the individual domain is analyzed by using the persistent homology to obtain information of the multiscale structure of center clusters. In the confined phase, the data in the three domains show the same topological tendency characterized by the birth and death times of the holes which are estimated via the filtration of the alpha complexes in the data space, but do not in the deconfined phase. By considering the configuration averaged ratio of the birth and death times of holes, we can construct the nonlocal order parameter of the confinement–deconfinement transition from the multiscale topological properties of center clusters.
Statistical Methods in Genome-Wide Association Studies
Authors: Sun Ning , Zhao Hongyu
Published: April 2020

Since the initial success of genome-wide association studies (GWAS) in 2005, tens of thousands of genetic variants have been identified for hundreds of human diseases and traits. In a GWAS, genotype information at up to millions of genetic markers is collected from up to hundreds of thousands of individuals, together with their phenotype information. Several scientific goals can be accomplished through the analysis of GWAS data, including the identification of variants, genes, and pathways associated with diseases and traits of interest; the inference of the genetic architecture of these traits; and the development of genetic risk prediction models. In this review, we provide an overview of the statistical challenges in achieving these goals and recent progress in statistical methodology to address these challenges.
Genomic Data Sharing for Novel Mendelian Disease Gene Discovery: The Matchmaker Exchange
Authors: Azzariti Danielle R. , Hamosh Ada
Published: April 2020

In the last decade, exome and/or genome sequencing has become a common test in the diagnosis of individuals with features of a rare Mendelian disorder. Despite its success, this test leaves the majority of tested individuals undiagnosed. This review describes the Matchmaker Exchange (MME), a federated network established to facilitate the solving of undiagnosed rare-disease cases through data sharing. MME supports genomic matchmaking, the act of connecting two or more parties looking for cases with similar phenotypes and variants in the same candidate genes. An application programming interface currently connects six matchmaker nodes—the Database of Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources (DECIPHER), GeneMatcher, PhenomeCentral, seqr, MyGene2, and the Initiative on Rare and Undiagnosed Diseases (IRUD) Exchange—resulting in a collective data set spanning more than 150,000 cases from more than 11,000 contributors in 88 countries. Here, we describe the successes and challenges of MME, its individual matchmaking nodes, plans for growing the network, and considerations for future directions.
Genetic background and diet affect brown adipose gene coexpression networks associated with metabolic phenotypes
Authors: Carson Caryn , Lawson Heather A.
Published: April 2020

Adipose is a dynamic endocrine organ that is critical for regulating metabolism and is highly responsive to nutritional environment. Brown adipose tissue is an exciting potential therapeutic target; however, there are no systematic studies of gene-by-environment interactions affecting function of this organ. We leveraged a weighted gene coexpression network analysis to identify transcriptional networks in brown adipose tissue from LG/J and SM/J inbred mice fed high- or low-fat diets and correlate these networks with metabolic phenotypes. We identified eight primary gene network modules associated with variation in obesity and diabetes-related traits. Four modules were enriched for metabolically relevant processes such as immune and cytokine response, cell division, peroxisome functions, and organic molecule metabolic processes. The relative expression of genes in these modules is highly dependent on both genetic background and dietary environment. Genes in the immune/cytokine response and cell division modules are particularly highly expressed in high fat-fed SM/J mice, which show unique brown adipose-dependent remission of diabetes. The interconnectivity of genes in these modules is also heavily dependent on diet and strain, with most genes showing both higher expression and coexpression under the same context. We highlight several genes of interest, Col28a1, Cyp26b1, Bmp8b, and Ngef, that have distinct expression patterns among strain-by-diet contexts and fall under metabolic quantitative trait loci previously mapped in an F16generation of an advanced intercross between LG/J and SM/J. Each of these genes have some connection to obesity and diabetes-related traits, but have not been studied in brown adipose tissue. Our results provide important insights into the relationship between brown adipose and systemic metabolism by being the first gene-by-environment study of brown adipose transcriptional networks.
The Validity of the Danish Version of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure
Authors: Enemark Larsen Anette , Wehberg Sonja , Christensen Jeanette Reffstrup
Published: April 2020

Purpose. To establish the construct validity of the Danish version of the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM). Methods. A cross-sectional study was performed in two settings, a regional hospital and a rehabilitation centre in a community. Including adult clients with a variety of diagnoses, we assessed construct validity by correlating the COPM to the Occupational Self-Assessment (OSA), the five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5), and the EuroQol-five domain-five level questionnaire (EQ-5D-5L). Further examination of the comparability of the OSA and the COPM was performed in two ways. First, an interrater agreement of the theoretical correlation of the 21 OSA items and the three areas of the COPM was conducted. Secondly, we examined the compliance between the prioritized occupational performance issues (OPIs) and items of the OSA prioritized for change. Results. The study included a total sample of 112 participants with more than half of the participants (56%) recruited from the hospital. 109 participants had measurements for both COPM and OSA (44% males) with a mean age of 64.7 years (range 16-96 years). All correlations, between the COPM and the OSA, the WHO-5, and the EQ-5D-5L, were low or negligible (r<0.50). Manual examination confirmed a difference in the constructs of the OSA and the COPM. This was demonstrated by a negligible interrater agreement between the items of the OSA and the areas of the COPM, and differences in the prioritized OPIs and OSA items, even if there were some resemblances, were found. Conclusions. This study suggests that the construct of the COPM provides data different to those obtained with the standardized measurements included for comparison. The present study supports the assumption that the COPM can detect unique OPIs that clients want to do, need to do, must do, or are not satisfied with the way they do.
Changes in Corneal Volume at Different Areas and Its Correlation with Corneal Biomechanics after SMILE and FS-LASIK Surgery
Authors: Wei Pinghui , Cheng George PM , Zhang Jiamei , Ng Alex LK , Chan Tommy CY , Jhanji Vishal , Wang Yan
Published: April 2020

Purpose. To investigate the variations of corneal volume (CV) after small incision lenticule extraction (SMILE) and femtosecond laser-assisted laser in situ keratomileusis (FS-LASIK) and analyze the influences of biomechanical properties on the changes of refraction and CV.Methods. Ninety-seven eyes of 97 patients undergoing SMILE and FS-LASIK were included in this retrospective study. CV was measured with Scheimpflug-based corneal topography at preoperatively and at day 1, week 1, and months 1 and 3 postoperatively. CV measured within 5 mm diameter was defined as central region volume (CV5) and between 5 mm and 10 mm diameter was defined as peripheral region volume (CV5-10). An Ocular Response Analyzer (ORA) was used to assess corneal biomechanical properties including corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistant factor (CRF). The reduction of study parameters (△) were calculated by subtracting the preoperative value at various time points from the postoperative values.Results. CV had significant reduction after the SMILE and FS-LASIK procedure (P<0.05). CV5 increased significantly from postoperative day 1 to month 3 (P<0.001) in SMILE, while both CV5 and CV5-10 increased significantly in FS-LASIK (P<0.001). The increase in CV5 after SMILE was 0.11 ± 0.16 mm3，which was significantly different from FS-LASIK (0.20 ± 0.13 mm3,P=0.004). In the SMILE group, △CV5 correlated with △CRF (r = 0.498,P<0.001) and △CH (r = 0.374,P=0.007). In the FS-LASIK group, △CV5 and △CRF had a significant correlation (r = 0.363,P=0.012), but not with △CH.Conclusions. Dynamic changes in corneal volume were found after SMILE and FS-LASIK surgery. The central region significantly increased after SMILE, while both central and peripheral regions increased following FS-LASIK in the early postoperative period. SMILE was associated with less change in biomechanical properties per unit of reduction in CV compared with FS-LASIK.
An Evaluation of Deep Learning Methods for Small Object Detection
Authors: Nguyen Nhat-Duy , Do Tien , Ngo Thanh Duc , Le Duy-Dinh
Published: April 2020

Small object detection is an interesting topic in computer vision. With the rapid development in deep learning, it has drawn attention of several researchers with innovations in approaches to join a race. These innovations proposed comprise region proposals, divided grid cell, multiscale feature maps, and new loss function. As a result, performance of object detection has recently had significant improvements. However, most of the state-of-the-art detectors, both in one-stage and two-stage approaches, have struggled with detecting small objects. In this study, we evaluate current state-of-the-art models based on deep learning in both approaches such as Fast RCNN, Faster RCNN, RetinaNet, and YOLOv3. We provide a profound assessment of the advantages and limitations of models. Specifically, we run models with different backbones on different datasets with multiscale objects to find out what types of objects are suitable for each model along with backbones. Extensive empirical evaluation was conducted on 2 standard datasets, namely, a small object dataset and a filtered dataset from PASCAL VOC 2007. Finally, comparative results and analyses are then presented.
Malaria Parasite Density as a Predictor of Hematological Parameter Changes among HIV Infected Adults Attending Two Antiretroviral Treatment Clinics in Kano, Northwest Nigeria
Authors: Jegede Feyisayo E. , Oyeyi Tinuade I. , Abdulrahman Surajudeen A. , Mbah Henry A.
Published: April 2020

Background. Despite public health significance of dual infections of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and malaria in developing countries like Nigeria, information on the association between malaria parasite density count (MPDC) and hematological parameter changes among HIV-infected individuals is rarely available. Objectives. To evaluate burden of HIV and malaria dual infections and assess the predictive association of MPDC with hematological parameter changes among HIV infected adults attending two antiretroviral treatment clinics in Kano, Nigeria. Methodology. This was a cross-sectional study consisting of 1521 consented participants randomly selected between June 2015 and May 2016. Participants’ basic characteristics and clinical details were collected using a pretested and validated standardized questionnaire. Collected venous blood was analyzed for malaria by rapid testing and microscopy including malaria parasite density; hematological parameters were estimated using a Sysmex XP-300 autoanalyzer. Data was reviewed, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS software version 23.0. Mean hematological parameters and HIV/malaria status were compared using the independent t-test; hematological parameters and MPDC relationship was tested by simple linear regression analysis. Statistically significant difference at probability of <0.05 was considered for all variables. Results. The majority (70.6%) of the participants were females. Mean (SD) age was 37.30 ± (10.41) years and ranged from 18 to 78 years. 25.4% of participants had dual infection, 99% due to Plasmodium falciparum species. Mean MPDC was 265 ± 31.8 (SD) cells/μl and ranged from 20 to 2500 cells/μl. Dual infection was highest (37.5%) among respondents in the age group ≥60 years. Prevalence was similar among other age groups (p=0.165) and gender (p=0.942). Of the 16 hematological parameters evaluated, 11 showed significant difference between HIV mono-infected and dual infected participants. Of the 11 parameters, only 7 (Hb, MCHC, red cells count, neutrophil and lymphocyte percentage, absolute lymphocyte count, and red cell distribution width) were significantly predictive of changes with respect to MPDC. Conclusions. MPDC was significantly predictive of changes in 7 hematological parameters among dual infected participants in these settings. In routine malaria diagnosis, MPDC determination with respect to changes in some hematological parameters should be considered in ART programs for improved patient management.
Critical Assessment of Single-Use Ureteroscopes in an In Vivo Porcine Model
Authors: Ceballos Brian , Nottingham Charles U. , Bechis Seth K. , Sur Roger L. , Matlaga Brian R. , Krambeck Amy E.
Published: April 2020

Introduction and Objectives. In recent years, there has been increasing utilization of single-use ureteroscopes albeit with few studies comparing the performance characteristics between these devices. We compared two commonly utilized single-use ureteroscopes in a porcine model. Methods. A female pig was placed under general anesthesia and positioned supine, and retrograde access to the renal collecting system was obtained. The LithoVue (Boston Scientific) and Uscope (Pusen Medical) were evaluated by three experienced surgeons, and each surgeon started with a new scope. The following parameters were compared between each ureteroscope: time for navigation to upper and lower pole calyces with and without implements (1.9 F basket, 200 μm laser fiber, and 365 μm laser fiber for upper only) in the working channel and subjective evaluations of maneuverability, irrigant flow through the scope, lever force, ergonomics, and scope optics. Results. Navigation to the lower pole calyx was significantly faster with LithoVue compared to Uscope when the working channel was empty (24.3 vs. 49.4 seconds, p<0.01) and with a 200 μm fiber (63.6 vs. 94.4 seconds, p=0.04), but not with the 1.9 F basket. Navigation to the upper pole calyx was similar for all categories except faster with LithoVue containing the 365 μm fiber (67.1 vs. 99.7 seconds, p=0.02). Subjective assessments of scope maneuverability to upper and lower pole calyces when the scope was empty and with implements favored LithoVue in all categories, as did assessments of irrigant flow, illumination, image quality, and field of view. Both scopes had similar scores of lever force and ergonomics. Conclusions. In an in vivo porcine model, the type of single-use ureteroscope employed affected the navigation times and subjective assessments of maneuverability and visualization. In all cases, LithoVue provided either equivalent or superior metrics than Uscope. Further clinical studies are necessary to determine the implications of these findings.
From Topic Networks to Distributed Cognitive Maps: Zipfian Topic Universes in the Area of Volunteered Geographic Information
Authors: Mehler Alexander , Gleim Rüdiger , Gaitsch Regina , Hemati Wahed , Uslu Tolga
Published: April 2020

Are nearby places (e.g., cities) described by related words? In this article, we transfer this research question in the field of lexical encoding of geographic information onto the level of intertextuality. To this end, we explore Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) to model texts addressing places at the level of cities or regions with the help of so-called topic networks. This is done to examine how language encodes and networks geographic information on the aboutness level of texts. Our hypothesis is that the networked thematizations of places are similar, regardless of their distances and the underlying communities of authors. To investigate this, we introduce Multiplex Topic Networks (MTN), which we automatically derive from Linguistic Multilayer Networks (LMN) as a novel model, especially of thematic networking in text corpora. Our study shows a Zipfian organization of the thematic universe in which geographical places (especially cities) are located in online communication. We interpret this finding in the context of cognitive maps, a notion which we extend by so-called thematic maps. According to our interpretation of this finding, the organization of thematic maps as part of cognitive maps results from a tendency of authors to generate shareable content that ensures the continued existence of the underlying media. We test our hypothesis by example of special wikis and extracts of Wikipedia. In this way, we come to the conclusion that geographical places, whether close to each other or not, are located in neighboring semantic places that span similar subnetworks in the topic universe.
Evaluation of Changes in Macular Perfusion Detected by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography following 3 Intravitreal Monthly Bevacizumab Injections for Diabetic Macular Edema in the IMPACT Study
Authors: Elnahry Ayman G. , Abdel-Kader Ahmed A. , Raafat Karim A. , Elrakhawy Khaled
Published: April 2020

Objective. To evaluate macular perfusion changes following intravitreal bevacizumab injections for diabetic macular edema (DME) using spectral domain optical coherence tomography angiography (SD-OCTA). Methods. This study was a prospective noncomparative interventional case series. Treatment naïve patients with DME underwent full ophthalmological examination and SD-OCTA scanning at baseline and after 3 intravitreal bevacizumab injections. Both the 6 × 6 and 3 × 3 mm macular scan protocols were used. Pretreatment and posttreatment OCTA images were automatically aligned using a commercially available retina alignment software (i2k Align Retina software); then the fractal dimension (FD), vascular density (VD), and skeleton VD changes were obtained at the full retinal thickness (Full) and superficial (SCP) and deep (DCP) capillary plexuses after processing images using a semiautomated program. The foveal avascular zone (FAZ) was manually measured and FD was calculated using the FracLac plugin of ImageJ. Results. Forty eyes of 26 patients were included. Following injections, there were an 8.1% increase in FAZ, 1.3% decrease in FD-Full and FD-SCP, 1.9% decrease in FD-DCP, 8% decrease in VD-Full, 9.1% decrease in VD-SCP, 10.6% decrease in VD-DCP, 13.3% decrease in skeleton VD-Full, 12.5% decrease in skeleton VD-SCP, and 16.3% decrease in skeleton VD-DCP in the 6 × 6 mm macular area and a 2.6% decrease in FD-Full, 3.4% decrease in FD-SCP, 11.5% decrease in VD-Full, 14.3% decrease in VD-SCP, and 25.1% decrease in skeleton VD-SCP in the 3 × 3 mm macular area which were all statistically significant p<0.05. Using univariate and multivariate analysis, the pretreatment FD, VD, and skeleton VD at each capillary layer significantly negatively correlated with the change in FD, VD, and skeleton VD at the corresponding capillary layer, respectively p<0.05. Conclusion. OCTA is a useful noninvasive tool for quantitative evaluation of macular perfusion changes following DME treatment. This trial is registered with NCT03246152.
Soil Loss Assessment in Western High Atlas of Morocco: Beni Mohand Watershed Study Case
Authors: Bou-imajjane Latifa , Belfoul Mhamed Alaeddine
Published: April 2020

Soil loss triggered by water erosion constitutes a major issue that causes several environmental and socioeconomic concerns. The Moroccan Western High Atlas is the most vulnerable area in the High Atlas Mountains, due to the existence of different forms of landslides, and evidences of erosion are widely observed. This study aims at estimating and quantifying the amount of soil loss as well as highlighting potential areas to erosion risk, using the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) combined with GIS and remote sensing. The RUSLE model provides a possibility of computing erosion susceptibility for each pixel on the basis of the controlling factors which are rainfall aggressivity, topography, vegetation cover, soil erodibility, and support practices. In this study, results show that the erosion rate varies between 0 and 227.67 t/ha/year, with an average annual soil loss of 40.38 t/ha/year, and the Beni Mohand River basin is subject to very high rates of erosion which can be irreversible since it exceeds the tolerable standard rate which is 1 t/ha/year. These findings will provide land use planners baseline for land use and risk management and will provide data within the Moroccan Western High Atlas Mountains.
Reduced-Dimensional Capture of High-Dynamic Range Images with Compressive Sensing
Authors: Xie Shundao , Wu Wenfang , Chen Rongjun , Tan Hong-Zhou
Published: April 2020

The range of light illumination in real scenes is very large, and ordinary cameras can only record a small part of this range, which is far lower than the range of human eyes’ perception of light. High-dynamic range (HDR) imaging technology that has appeared in recent years can record a wider range of illumination than the perceptual range of the human eye. However, the current mainstream HDR imaging technology is to capture multiple low-dynamic range (LDR) images of the same scene with different exposures and then merge them into one HDR image, which greatly increases the amount of data captured. The advent of single-pixel cameras (compressive imaging system) has proved the feasibility of obtaining and restoring image data based on compressive sensing. Therefore, this paper proposes a method for reduced-dimensional capture of high dynamic range images with compressive sensing, which includes algorithms for front end (capturing) and back end (processing). At the front end, the K-SVD dictionary is used to compressive sensing the input multiple-exposure image sequence, thereby reducing the amount of data transmitted to the back end. At the back end, the Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (OMP) algorithm is used to reconstruct the input multiple-exposure image sequence. A low-rank PatchMatch algorithm is proposed to merge the reconstructed image sequence to obtain an HDR image. Simulation results show that, under the premise of reducing the complexity of the front-end equipment and the amount of communication data between the front end and the back end, the overall system achieves a good balance between the amount of calculation and the quality of the HDR image obtained.
Metabolite Profile Changes in Different Regions of Rat Brain Affected by Ephedra sinica
Authors: Liao Zhou , Li Shanshan , Huang Yun , Luo Xiaoquan , Zhong Youbao , Ji Yanhua , Su Dan , Ai Zhifu
Published: April 2020

Ephedra sinica Stapf (EP) has a long medication history dating back centuries in the world. There were some reports of adverse effects in the central nervous system (CNS) resulting from administration of a drug containing EP or ephedrine. Compared with alkaloid monomer compounds, the effects of EP on the CNS are usually neglected. It is necessary to explore CNS affection which is helpful to use EP rationally. However, the affection and the changes of substances by EP in the brain are still unknown because the effects of drug on the brain also exhibit different tendency and distribution and usually lead to diversity of metabolite alteration in different regions. In this study, metabolomics based on different brain regions was used to investigate the affection mechanism of EP in the CNS. The metabolites in 6 brain regions from a rat that underwent oral administration with EP for 14 days were determined by UPLC/Q‐TOF‐MS. Brain histological examinations showed that there were no obvious lesions in EP administration groups. Partial least square‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) displayed that there were significant separations between control and EP administration groups. 7 CNS biomarkers were found and identified in different regions. 3 metabolic pathways were disturbed by EP, including amino acid metabolism, phospholipid metabolism, and amino sugar metabolism. Furthermore, all biomarkers were significantly changed in the cortex after administration. This study may be helpful to understand the affection mechanism of EP in the CNS and improve cognition of brain regional characteristics.
Radiofrequency Ablation of Prelemniscal Radiations for the Treatment of Non-Parkinsonian Tremor
Authors: Navarro-Olvera Jose Luis , Diaz-Martinez José Armando , Covaleda-Rodriguez Juan Camilo , Carrillo-Ruiz José Damián , Soto-Abraham Julián Eduardo , Aguado-Carrillo Gustavo , Velasco-Campos Francisco
Published: April 2020

Objective: Previous reports proposed prelemniscal radiations (Raprl) as a target to treat motor symptoms of Parkinson’s disease, and this was found particularly effective to control rest and postural tremor. However, tremor of other etiologies has been seldom treated with deep brain stimulation or ablation in this target. We present a series of such cases successfully treated by Raprl radiofrequency (RF) lesions. Material and Methods: Six patients with predominant unilateral tremor on the right arm: 4 intention, 1 cerebellar and 1 rubral tremor, incapacitating in spite of at least 2 regimes of medical treatment at maximal tolerated doses, were operated under local anesthesia. RF lesions were performed in Raprl contralateral to most prominent symptoms. Patients had monthly evaluation of tremor severity through the Fahn-Tolosa-Marin Tremor Rating Scale and disability through the Tremor Disability Scale along a 1-year follow-up. Results: In 4/6 patients tremor was stopped by the simple insertion of an RF electrode in Raprl; in the other 2 cases, stimulation through the RF electrode at 100 Hz, with 100 µs and 1.0–1.5 V, stopped the tremor without side effects. Tremor disappeared in all cases immediately after surgery and partially reappeared in 2 cases with an amplitude about 20% of the preoperative condition. RF lesions in postoperative MRI ranked from 1.8 to 2.6 mm in diameter. Conclusions: RF lesioning in Raprl is a simple, highly effective, inexpensive way to treat tremor of different etiologies.
When to Suspect a Diagnosis of Amyloidosis
Authors: Vaxman Iuliana , Gertz Morie
Published: April 2020

Amyloidosis is a group of complex diseases caused by extracellular deposition of pathological insoluble fibrillary protein in organs and tissues and may result in severe organ dysfunction. Despite the etiological heterogeneity of systemic amyloidosis, the clinical manifestations of the different forms of amyloidosis largely overlap and depend upon the effected organ. The signs and symptoms that should raise suspicion for the potential diagnosis of amyloidosis are usually nonspecific; therefore, establishing the diagnosis is difficult, and early diagnosis requires clinical suspicion. Light chain (AL) amyloidosis may present with highly specific signs such as macroglossia and periorbital purpura, but these signs are insensitive. Amyloidosis is still underdiagnosed, even though treatments are now available and are effective in improving patient’s survival and quality of life. Cardiac amyloidosis is the major determinant of survival, and the earlier it is detected the better the survival. All MGUS patients should be routinely screened for AL amyloidosis by a focused history and physical examination and routine assessment of urine albumin. The aim of this review is to provide clinicians with knowledge about the signs and symptoms that raise the suspicion of amyloidosis, bearing in mind the importance of early diagnosis of this disease.
The changing face of union action put to the test by neo-liberal reforms in France
Authors: Giraud Baptiste
Published: April 2020

This article reviews how French trade union are coping with the neo-liberal policies since the early 1980s. It shows their divergent reactions, and how these liberal reforms are implemented in a context of transformation of trade union action: the use of strikes is more difficult at the same time as the relationship between trade unions and collective bargaining is transformed in a logic of depoliticizing their strategies of action. These developments did not prevent a resurgence of strikes in the 2000s. It reveals the limits of the trade unions’ power of political influence, that implies the use of collective action. However, strikes have declined further in recent years, revealing the weakening of trade union mobilisation power.
The South African labour movement
Authors: Kenny Bridget
Published: April 2020

This paper reviews the state of the South African labour movement. It discusses trade unions within the context of national political dynamics, including the Tripartite Alliance and neoliberalism, as well as growing precarianization of work within South Africa. It examines splits within the major federation and explores debates around union renewal and new worker organizations. It argues that the political terrain is fragmented and shifting, but workers’ collective labour politics abides.
Greater Influence of Aerobic Fitness on Autonomic Support of Blood Pressure in Young Women Than in Older Women
Authors: Baker Sarah E. , Limberg Jacqueline K. , Scruggs Zachariah M. , Curry Timothy B. , Nicholson Wayne T. , Barnes Jill N. , Joyner Michael J.
Published: April 2020

Aging increases autonomic support of blood pressure; however, the impact of aerobic fitness on autonomic support of blood pressure has not been addressed in women. As such, we hypothesized that aerobic fitness would be related to the change in blood pressure during ganglionic blockade such that women with greater aerobic fitness would have a blunted fall in blood pressure during ganglionic blockade due to increased vagal tone. Thirteen young premenopausal and 13 older postmenopausal women completed a screening visit where aerobic fitness (maximal oxygen consumption, VO
2max
) was measured. On a separate study day, participants were instrumented for assessment of muscle sympathetic nerve activity, heart rate (electrocardiography), and beat by beat blood pressure (arterial catheter and pressure transducer) and underwent pharmacological blockade of the autonomic ganglia using trimethaphan camyslate. Heart rate, blood pressure, and muscle sympathetic nerve activity were analyzed before and during ganglionic blockade. In young women, there was a significant relationship between aerobic fitness and the change in blood pressure during ganglionic blockade (
r
=0.761,
P
=0.003). In older women, there was no relationship between aerobic fitness and the change in blood pressure during ganglionic blockade (
r
=−0.106,
P
=0.73). Measures of heart rate variability were related to fitness in young women, but not older women (root mean square of successive differences between normal heartbeats,
r
=0.713,
P
=0.006 versus
r
=−0.172,
P
=0.575). Our data suggest that in young women, autonomic support of blood pressure is attenuated in those that are highly fit; however, this relationship is not significant in older women.
Implications of  the U.S.–China Trade War  for  Taiwan
Authors: Hsieh Wen-jen
Published: April 2020

The ongoing U.S.-China trade war and ensuing high-tech conflicts are regarded as Taiwan's most crucial opportunity to slow down its progressively increasing economic dependence on China. The impact of the U.S.–China trade tensions on Taiwan are important to analyze because of Taiwan's relatively unique political and economic relationships with the United States and China, especially since the latter views Taiwan as its “breakaway province.” The regression results indicate that Taiwan's outward investment to China is significantly affected by Taiwan's lagged investment and exports to China, and the gap in the economic growth rates between Taiwan and China. Policy implications are provided for Taiwan to alleviate its economic dependency on the Chinese market and the negative impact from the U.S.-China trade war.
Market Design for Multilateral Trade of Electricity in ASEAN: A Survey of  the Key Components and Feasibility
Authors: Li Yanfei , Rakhmah Tsani Fauziah , Wada Junichi
Published: April 2020

The member states of ASEAN have together identified a need to develop the ASEAN Power Grid and enable the multilateral cross-border trade of electricity in a coordinated manner within ASEAN. This has been set out in the ASEAN Plan of Action for Energy Cooperation (APAEC) 2016–25. Moving forward from the current situation, this paper reviews the key components and feasibility of establishing an interconnected and competitive multilateral electricity market within the ASEAN countries. An indicative roadmap is developed based on an in-depth survey of experts to profile an appropriate market design for the multilateral trade of electricity in the ASEAN.
Understanding Skill of Seasonal Mean Precipitation Prediction over California during Boreal Winter and Role of Predictability Limits
Authors: Kumar Arun , Chen Mingyue
Published: April 2020

Using extensive hindcasts from seasonal prediction systems participating in the North American Multi-Model Ensemble (NMME), possible causes for low skill in predicting seasonal mean precipitation over California during December–February (DJF) are investigated. The analysis focuses on investigating two possibilities for low prediction skill: role model biases or inherent predictability limits. The motivation for the analysis was the seasonal prediction during DJF 2015/16 that called for enhanced probability for above normal precipitation over southern California (which was consistent with expected conditions during an extreme El Niño) while the observed precipitation was below normal. Based on various analysis approaches and using hindcast datasets from multiple seasonal prediction systems, we build up the evidence that low skill in predicting seasonal mean precipitation over California is likely to be due to inherent predictability associated with a low signal-to-noise (SNR) regime. For the same set of seasonal prediction systems, the precipitation variability over California is contrasted with that over the southeast United States where prediction skill, as well as the SNR, is higher. The discussion also notes that building a knowledge base that goes beyond the well-known response to ENSO (based on the linear regression or composite techniques) has proven to be difficult and a systematic approach to reaching resolution to some of the overarching questions is required, and toward that end, a pathway is suggested.
Reexamination of the Climatology and Variability of the Northwest Pacific Monsoon Trough Using a Daily Index
Authors: Feng Tao , Yang Xiu-Qun , Sun Xuguang , Yang Dejian , Chu Cuijiao
Published: April 2020

This study developed a daily index to represent the northwest Pacific monsoon trough using westerly related cyclonic vorticity after removing tropical cyclones (TCs) from the reanalysis dataset. This index sufficiently captures the spatial and temporal variations in the monsoon trough. The use of this daily index revealed new features in the monsoon trough, including daily statistical characteristics, the active period over a year, and the main periodicity. A monsoon trough can be identified as active when the daily index is greater than 2.0 × 10−4 s−1. Active monsoon troughs occur during half of the summertime, and these is no monsoon trough on one-third of days, with the remaining days categorized as inactive. The most active month is August, in which approximately 20 days exhibit an active monsoon trough. Using this index, an active monsoon trough period, which is related to vigorous TC activity, was determined by identifying the establishment and decay dates for each year from 1979 to 2016. During most years, the active monsoon trough is established in mid-July and decays in late October, persisting for 3–5 months during the boreal summer. Moreover, spectral and wavelet analyses demonstrated the presence of intraseasonal, interannual, and interdecadal variabilities in the monsoon trough. The dominant periodicity for the interannual variability varied from 1.5 to 4 years in different decades. The relationship between the monsoon trough and TCs is also revealed using this index, showing that approximately 60% of TC formations were related to an active monsoon trough.
Did the Climate Forecast System Anticipate the 2015 Caribbean Drought?
Authors: Miller Paul W. , Ramseyer Craig A.
Published: April 2020

In groundwater-limited settings, such as Puerto Rico and other Caribbean islands, societal, ecological, and agricultural water needs depend on regular rainfall. Though long-range numerical weather predication models explicitly predict precipitation, such quantitative precipitation forecasts (QPF) critically failed to detect the historic 2015 Caribbean drought. Consequently, this work examines the feasibility of developing a drought early warning tool using the Gálvez–Davison index (GDI), a tropical convective potential index, derived from the Climate Forecast System, version 2 (CFSv2). Drought forecasts are focused on Puerto Rico’s early rainfall season (ERS; April–July), which is susceptible to intrusions of strongly stable Saharan air and represents the largest source of hydroclimatic variability for the island. A fully coupled atmosphere–ocean–land model, the CFSv2 can plausibly detect the transatlantic advection of low-GDI Saharan air with multimonth lead times. The mean ERS GDI is calculated from semidaily CFSv2 forecasts beginning 1 January of each year between 2012 and 2018 and monitored as the initialization approaches 1 April. The CFSv2 demonstrates a broad region of statistically significant correlations with observed GDI across the eastern Caribbean up to 30 days prior to the ERS. During 2015, the CFSv2 forecast a low-GDI tongue extending across the Atlantic toward the Caribbean with 60–90 days lead time and placed Puerto Rico’s 2015 ERS beneath the 15th percentile of all 1982–2018 ERS forecasts with up to 30 days lead time. A preliminary GDI-based QPF tool tested herein is a statistically significant improvement over climatology for the driest years.
Ducting and Biases of GPS Radio Occultation Bending Angle and Refractivity in the Moist Lower Troposphere
Authors: Feng Xuelei , Xie Feiqin , Ao Chi O. , Anthes Richard A.
Published: April 2020

Radio occultation (RO) can provide high-vertical-resolution thermodynamic soundings of the planetary boundary layer (PBL). However, sharp moisture gradients and strong temperature inversion lead to large gradients in refractivity N and often cause ducting. Ducting results in systematically negative RO N biases resulting from a nonunique Abel inversion problem. Using 8 years (2006–13) of Constellation Observing System for Meteorology, Ionosphere and Climate (COSMIC) RO soundings and collocated European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts interim reanalysis (ERA-I) data, we confirm that the large lower-tropospheric negative N biases are mainly located in the subtropical eastern oceans and we quantify the contribution of ducting for the first time. The ducting-contributed N biases in the northeast Pacific Ocean (160°–110°W; 15°–45°N) are isolated from other sources of N biases using a two-step geometric-optics simulation. Negative bending angle biases in this region are also observed in COSMIC RO soundings. Both the negative refractivity and bending angle biases in COSMIC soundings mainly lie below ~2 km. Such bending angle biases introduce N biases that are in addition to those caused by ducting. Following the increasing PBL height from the southern California coast westward to Hawaii, centers of maxima bending angles and N biases tilt southwestward. In areas where ducting conditions prevail, ducting is the major cause of the RO N biases. Ducting-induced N biases with reference to ERA-I compose over 70% of the total negative N biases near the southern California coast, where strongest ducting conditions prevail, and decrease southwestward to less than 20% near Hawaii.
Forecasting Peak Wind Gusts Using Meteorologically Stratified Gust Factors and MOS Guidance
Authors: Kahl Jonathan D. W.
Published: April 2020

Gust prediction is an important element of weather forecasting services, yet reliable methods remain elusive. Peak wind gusts estimated by the meteorologically stratified gust factor (MSGF) model were evaluated at 15 locations across the United States during 2010–17. This model couples gust factors, site-specific climatological measures of “gustiness,” with wind speed and direction forecast guidance. The model was assessed using two forms of model output statistics (MOS) guidance at forecast projections ranging from 1 to 72 h. At 11 of 15 sites the MSGF model showed skill (improvement over climatology) in predicting peak gusts out to projections of 72 h. This has important implications for operational wind forecasting because the method can be utilized at any location for which the meteorologically stratified gust factors have been determined. During particularly windy conditions the MSGF model exhibited skill in predicting peak gusts at forecast projections ranging from 6 to 72 h at roughly half of the sites analyzed. Site characteristics and local wind climatologies were shown to exert impacts on gust factor model performance. The MSGF method represents a viable option for the operational prediction of peak wind gusts, although model performance will be sensitive to the quality of the necessary wind speed and direction forecasts.
Criminalized Liaisons: Soviet Women and Allied Sailors in Wartime Arkhangel’sk
Authors: Novikova Liudmila
Published: April 2020

From 1941 to 1945 thousands of British and American sailors came to the northern Soviet ports of Arkhangel’sk and Molotovsk with Lend-Lease convoys. On the shore they made many casual contacts with local residents, in particular with Soviet women. These contacts came under close scrutiny of the Soviet authorities who tried to limit the alleged subversive influence of foreign nationals on Soviet citizens. Local women who dated Allied personnel faced harassment and repression that ranged from administrative exile to imprisonment in the Gulag. Resentments against women who had intimate relationships with foreigners during the war were widespread throughout the European theater, and not limited to the USSR. Still the Soviet authorities’ treatment of Arkhangel’sk women who dated nationals of ‘friendly’ countries was particularly harsh. They faced not just moral condemnation, but legal prosecution and long prison terms. The severity of their repression is comparable to how the Soviet side treated civilian Nazi collaborators. Ultimately, Soviet reactions to such wartime contacts with Allied nationals shed light on the broader social history of the Soviet home front, inter-Allied relationships on a grassroots level, and Soviet wartime and postwar justice that was arbitrary in nature and largely defined by local initiatives.
Characteristics of Students Identified With Dyslexia Within the Context of State Legislation
Authors: Odegard Timothy N. , Farris Emily A. , Middleton Anna E. , Oslund Eric , Rimrodt-Frierson Sheryl
Published: April 2020

All but seven U.S. states have laws that govern some aspects of dyslexia screening, intervention, or teacher training in public schools. However, in the three states that mandate child-level reporting, data indicate lower than expected rates of dyslexia identification when compared with commonly accepted dyslexia prevalence rates. To better understand this apparent mismatch, this study explores factors that might predict the school-assigned identification of individuals with dyslexia. Deidentified data on 7,947 second-grade students in 126 schools from one U.S. state included a universal screening measure of literacy skills indicative of dyslexia (i.e., reading and spelling), school-assigned dyslexia classification, and demographic characteristics. As expected, behavioral characteristics of dyslexia from universal screening were associated with school-assigned dyslexia classification. However, dyslexia classification was less likely for minority students and individuals attending schools with a higher percentage of minority students. Students who showed behavioral characteristics of dyslexia and attended schools with a higher proportion of other students with similar poor literacy skills were more likely not to receive a school-assigned dyslexia classification. The findings suggest systematic demographic differences in whether a student is identified with dyslexia by schools even when using universal screening.
The Peaceful Resolution of Territorial Disputes dataset, 1945–2015
Authors: Wiegand Krista E , Powell Emilia Justyna , McDowell Steven
Published: April 2020

This article introduces the Peaceful Resolution of Territorial Disputes (PRTD) dataset, covering all interstate territorial disputes (1945–2015). Our dataset captures proposals for the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes made by states involved in territorial claims at the disputant-year level. These proposals provide a concrete measure of changing state preferences toward negotiations, non-binding, and binding third-party dispute resolution methods over time. In contrast to existing attempt-level data, the monadic panel design of the dataset captures not only actual attempts at peaceful resolution – the result of an agreement between disputants – but also proposals for methods that did not occur but were preferred at a particular time point. Our dataset allows for robust and generalizable quantitative analyses of the peaceful resolution of territorial disputes that are sensitive to temporal, regional, claim-based, and state-level trends. To demonstrate the utility of our dataset, we use hybrid logistic regression to examine the determinants of binding PRTD proposals. Over-time changes in characteristics such as regime type and treaty commitments influence attitudes toward binding settlement methods differently than disputant-level measurements. We also show that time has a distinctively non-linear effect.
Phonological Production in Young Speakers of Cantonese as a Heritage Language
Authors: Kan Rachel T. Y.
Published: April 2020

This study investigates the phonological production of 50 heritage speakers of Cantonese aged 5–11 in the USA. They were compared to 12 majority language speaker peers in Hong Kong via ratings from first language adult speakers. Overall, the heritage speakers were rated as less native-like and less comprehensible than the children in Hong Kong, although they received higher scores from raters speaking the same variety of Cantonese (i.e., Guangzhou Cantonese, vs. Hong Kong Cantonese). None of the tested language background factors, including age of testing, had a predictive effect on the heritage speakers’ scores. The results illustrate the divergence and heterogeneity of heritage phonology compared to homeland varieties.