bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mobility as Memory: Refiguring Temporal and Spatial Mobility in Tan Twan Eng’s The Gift of Rain
Authors: Ang Ann
Published: February 2022

This article discusses the operation of memory as an effect of narrative structure in The Gift of Rain, with a particular focus on the spatial and temporal mobility of narratorial perspective. Tan’s novel is situated within Malaysian writing in English, a body of minor literature in a minority language amid the country’s promotion of Bahasa as the linguistic medium for a national literature, alongside the attendant racialization of language. However, the status of The Gift of Rain as a world Anglophone novel, which circulates transnationally while depicting trans-temporal and cross-spatial trajectories, imaginatively inscribes Malaysia with a more multifarious assemblage of its cultural origins through the hybridity and queer temporality of its protagonist. Further temporal and spatial mobilities emerge in the dynamic relationship between the novel’s frame and inner narratives, where the reading experience is akin to memory processes. The veracity of fiction as memory intervenes into historical inscription and so resists the pervasive ethno-nationalism that limits cultural discourse in Malaysia.
Breaking free
Authors: McDermott Rose
Published: February 2022

Abstract

Pre-registration has become an increasingly popular proposal to address concerns regarding questionable research practices. Yet preregistration does not necessarily solve these problems. It also causes additional problems, including raising costs for more junior and less resourced scholars. In addition, pre-registration restricts creativity and diminishes the broader scientific enterprise. In this way, pre-registration neither solves the problems it is intended to address, nor does it come without costs. Pre-registration is neither necessary nor sufficient for producing novel or ethical work. In short, pre-registration represents a form of virtue signaling that is more performative than actual.
Numerical model of late Pleistocene and Holocene ice-sheet and shoreline dynamics in the southern Baltic Sea, Poland
Authors: Frydel Jerzy Jan
Published: February 2022

This paper reveals deglaciation palaeodynamics (Marine Oxygen Isotope Stage 2 [MIS 2]) in Poland and the southern Baltic Sea (SBS) development during marine transgression/regression phases (MIS 1) determined by a numerical modelling method. The introduced approach uses a high-level polynomial regression followed by the integral calculus of successive functions and an application of formulae. As a result, palaeogeographic relations from primary matrix transform instantly into palaeodynamics within a nested matrix. Accordingly, within 9 ka of the late Pleistocene, glacial recession dynamics increased by two orders of magnitude, from −8.5 m/yr between Leszno (L, 24 ka BP) and Poznań (Poz, 20–19 ka BP) phases, through several dozen (−37.2 m/yr, −60.6 m/yr, −90.7 m/yr) to the maximum average equalling −427.3 m/yr (max. −861.4 m/yr) between the Pomeranian (Pom, 17–16 ka BP) and the Gardno (G, 16.8–16.6 ka BP) phases. In turn, SBS coastline transgression and regression dynamics varied by three orders of magnitude. Since the Baltic Ice Lake (BIL, 10.5–10.3 ka BP) up to the Yoldia Sea (YS, 10–9.9 ka BP) regression was intense and equalled −56.8 m/yr (max. −128.7 m/yr), followed by marine transgression towards the Ancylus Lake (AL, 8.7–8.5 ka BP) at 21.43 m/yr through 9.30–2.20 m/yr during the Littorina Sea 1 and Littorina Sea 2 stages (LS1 and LS2, since 7.7 ka BP), eventually 0.51 m/yr in the last 6.05 ka. The 2 m sea-level rise scenario projections indicate approx. 3400 km2 of land and 684,000 inhabitants face flood risk around 2150–2240 CE, with marine transgression dynamics expected to range from 23.9–38.2 m/yr.
The petrogenesis of Early–Middle Jurassic magmatism in southern and central Mexico and its role during the break-up of Western Pangaea
Authors: Parolari Mattia , Martini Michelangelo , Gómez-Tuena Arturo , Ortega-Gutiérrez Fernando , Errázuriz-Henao Carlos , Cavazos-Tovar José G.
Published: February 2022

Central and southern Mexico represents a strategic place to understand the dynamics of Pangaea break-up and its influences on the evolution of the Pacific margin of North America. Lower–Middle Jurassic volcano-sedimentary successions, and scarce magmatic rocks, crop out discontinuously across this region and have been interpreted either as a vestige of a continental arc or as several deposits of syn-rift magmatism. At present, their origin is controversial. Available geochemical data on these igneous rocks suggest that they represent almost pure crustal melts produced in a rift environment rather than in an arc. In fact, the studied rocks exhibit the high silica contents and moderate to strong peraluminous character typical of sediment melts. The enriched isotopic composition (high86Sr/87Sr and low143Nd/144Nd) and the age distributions of inherited zircon grains readily identify the widespread Upper Triassic metasedimentary sequences presently exposed in southwestern and central Mexico as the most likely crustal source of these Jurassic igneous rocks. Accordingly, we argue that these Early–Middle Jurassic magmas originated in a syn-rift igneous province associated with extensional-driven crustal attenuation in the context of Pangaea fragmentation. Our findings also constrain post-Pangaea subduction initiation to be younger than Middle Jurassic time in central and southern Mexico.
The optimal path of robot end effector based on hierarchical clustering and Bézier curve with three shape parameters
Authors: Bulut Vahide
Published: February 2022

Recent improvements in robotic arms have increased their interest in many areas such as the industry and biomedical sectors. Path planning is an essential part of the robotic arm, since most automated factories seek to move things from one place to another with obstacles providing the shortest route. This paper presents a novel optimal path planning algorithm based on the 3D cubic Bézier curve with three shape parameters and its geometric properties and hierarchical clustering. The proposed method utilizes a feature vector which is obtained from curvature, torsion, and path length of candidate curves. A hierarchical clustering is applied to determine curve pairs. Then, a multi-objective function is used to determine the best curve pair, which gives the best curve for the robotic arm. Besides forming the optimal 3D cubic Bézier path, the optimal ruled and developable path surfaces are obtained. In addition to presenting theoretical results, this work also demonstrates the proposed method on several Kinova Gen3 robotic arm cases.
What happens to epiphytic bromeliads in a windy spot?
Authors: Einzmann Helena Julia Regina , Zotz Gerhard , Tay Jessica Ying Ling
Published: February 2022

Several studies of hurricane damage on epiphyte communities implied that epiphytes might be in danger of being blown off their host when subjected to strong wind. There is very limited knowledge about the mechanical impact that wind may have on epiphytes. Using a wind-triggered camera set-up, we observed how epiphytic tank bromeliads are affected by wind. Despite offering a relatively large area of ‘attack’ to the airflow, bromeliads moved relatively little themselves. Rather than being directly moved by wind, the bromeliads in the upper crown of tall trees moved with the sway of the branches. Only when the substrate did not move, bromeliads with long broad leaves showed considerable disturbance due to wind. Our observations underline the complexity of the system and emphasise that our current understanding of the mechanical aspects of the epiphyte–host system is still very limited.
Greening the road: China’s low-carbon energy transition and international trade regulation
Authors: Fang Mandy Meng , Zhou Weihuan
Published: February 2022

This article offers one of the first comprehensive analyses of China’s emerging practice in subsidizing the low carbon energy (LCE) transition by using the new energy vehicles (NEVs) industry as a case study. It puts forward a fresh framework for this analysis by dividing the NEV value chain into three segments: upstream, midstream, and downstream. Based on this framework, it expounds a strategic shift of China’s subsidization strategy across the NEV value chain, that is, from disproportionately subsidizing the midstream segment that produces NEVs and parts to increasingly subsidizing the upstream and downstream segments to promote research and development (R&D) and expansion of NEV infrastructure and consumption throughout the economy. It argues that this shift mainly comes out of the evolution of China’s industrial policies and economic priorities, which will continue to play a decisive role in the future restructuring and transformation of the NEVs sector. This shift may also reflect China’s intention to reduce potential trade conflicts and maximize WTO-compliance but only to the extent that doing so would not unduly constrain its capacity to pursue its economic goals and industrial policies. In addition, while the WTO rules and jurisprudence may accommodate some of these subsidies (e.g., NEV infrastructure subsidies), the relevant rules will need to be further developed to provide more policy space for other types of subsidies used worldwide (e.g., R&D subsidies). Until then, it remains debatable as to whether the WTO provides sufficient room for countries to facilitate a green recovery in the post-pandemic era.
COVID-19 seroprevalence amongst healthcare workers: potential biases in estimating infection prevalence
Authors: Cordioli Maddalena , Mirandola Massimo , Gios Lorenzo , Gaspari Sebastiano , Carelli Maria , Lotti Virginia , Sandri Angela , Vicentini Caterina , Gibellini Davide , Carrara Elena , Tacconelli Evelina ,   the ENACT Working Group
Published: February 2022

SARS-CoV-2 serological tests are used to assess the infection seroprevalence within a population. This study aims at assessing potential biases in estimating infection prevalence amongst healthcare workers (HCWs) when different diagnostic criteria are considered. A multi-site cross-sectional study was carried out in April–September 2020 amongst 1.367 Italian HCWs. SARS-CoV-2 prevalence was assessed using three diagnostic criteria: RT-PCR on nasopharyngeal swab, point-of-care fingerprick serological test (POCT) result and COVID-19 clinical pathognomonic presentation. A logistic regression model was used to estimate the probability of POCT-positive result in relation to the time since infection (RT-PCR positivity). Among 1.367 HCWs, 69.2% were working in COVID-19 units. Statistically significant differences in age, role and gender were observed between COVID-19/non-COVID-19 units. Prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 infection varied according to the criterion considered: 6.7% for POCT, 8.1% for RT-PCR, 10.0% for either POCT or RT-PCR, 9.6% for infection pathognomonic clinical presentation and 17.6% when at least one of the previous criteria was present. The probability of POCT-positive result decreased by 1.1% every 10 days from the infection. This study highlights potential biases in estimating SARS-CoV-2 point-prevalence data according to the criteria used. Although informative on infection susceptibility and herd immunity level, POCT serological tests are not the best predictors of previous COVID-19 infections for public health monitoring programmes.
Community interactions and phonemic inventories in emerging sign languages
Authors: Brentari Diane , Ergin Rabia , Senghas Ann , Cho Pyeong Whan , Owens Eli , Coppola Marie
Published: February 2022

In this work, we address structural, iconic and social dimensions of the emergence of phonological systems in two emerging sign languages. A comparative analysis is conducted of data from a village sign language (Central Taurus Sign Language; CTSL) and a community sign language (Nicaraguan Sign Language; NSL). Both languages are approximately 50 years old, but the sizes and social structures of their respective communities are quite different. We find important differences between the two languages’ handshape inventories. CTSL's handshape inventory has changed more slowly than NSL's across the same time period. In addition, while the inventories of the two languages are of similar size, handshape complexity is higher in NSL than in CTSL. This work provides an example of the unique and important perspective that emerging sign languages offer regarding longstanding questions about how phonological systems emerge.
Dominance is non-representational: evidence from A'ingae verbal stress
Authors: Dąbkowski Maksymilian
Published: February 2022

A'ingae (or Cofán) is a language isolate spoken in the Ecuadorian and Colombian Amazon. This study presents a description and analysis of the language's morphologically conditioned verbal stress assignment. Specifically, I show that A'ingae verbal morphemes can be classified with two binary parameters: the presence or absence of prestressing and the presence or absence of stress deletion (i.e. dominance), which vary independently. I formalise my analysis in Cophonology Theory, a non-representational theory of the phonology–morphology interface, which captures morpheme-specific phonology with constraint rankings particularised to morphological constructions. I argue that while non-representational approaches such as Cophonology Theory can handle the facts of A'ingae stress deletion straightforwardly, representational approaches lack the expressive power necessary to capture the stress facts of the language.
Perspectives on final laryngeal neutralisation: new evidence from Polish
Authors: Schwartz Geoffrey , Kaźmierski Kamil , Wojtkowiak Ewelina
Published: February 2022

An acoustic experiment on final devoicing in Polish, aimed at providing new data on incomplete neutralisation, is described. The experiment was modelled on a study of German by Roettger et al. (2014), who mitigated possible effects of orthography by employing a word-formation task based on auditory stimuli, eliciting stop-final nonce words with underlying final voiced or voiceless stops. Our results provide some evidence for incomplete neutralisation in Polish, with an effect on closure duration, but not on preceding vowel duration, as well as interspeaker variation in the reliability of contrast maintenance. Considered against the background of studies from other languages, the results point to implementational differences in incomplete neutralisation effects as a function of laryngeal typology, which are accounted for in the Onset Prominence representational model.
A variationist analysis of first-person-singular subject expression in Louisiana French
Authors: Gudmestad Aarnes , Carmichael Katie
Published: February 2022

In this study, we investigate first-person-singular subject expression in Louisiana French. This variety is undergoing language death and features extreme variation, with twelve first-person-singular subject forms identified within our corpus. We demonstrate that variationist methods are robust for examining such variation in obsolescing languages, and we provide a model for undertaking such analyses. Examining different aspects of our data, we fit two mixed-effects models, one that analyzes the four most frequent phonological variants of the atonic pronounje‘I’ and the other that focuses on the tonic pronounmon‘me.’ Several linguistic and social factors predict the use of these subject forms, supporting the claim that variability in declining languages is systematic, just as variation in healthy languages is. We argue that variationist methodologies have contributions to make to research on obsolescing languages and that variationist examinations of endangered and minority languages can provide methodological and theoretical contributions to the study of language variation and change more broadly.
Affirmation and Action: A Posthumanist Feminist Agenda for Archaeology
Authors: Cobb Hannah , Crellin Rachel J.
Published: February 2022

This paper explores the potential of posthumanist feminism in archaeology. We find ourselves exhausted in the face of the continuing inequalities in our discipline and the volatile political times we live in, where discrimination and xenophobia, entangled with the patriarchy, create a toxic mix. In the face of this, we draw inspiration from ongoing activism within archaeology and the emergence of posthumanist feminism beyond archaeology. We consider the juxtaposition between activism in the discipline and the lack of engagement with the same issues in our theory. Posthumanist feminism is explored as a way to unite theory and activism. It connects to and builds on existing feminisms but is argued to differ in three ways: first, posthumanist feminism widens the scope of those for whom we should be working to achieve equality; second, it suggests radical shifts in our ontology are necessary to bring about equality; third, it develops an alternative approach to difference. We explore the potential for posthumanist feminism to reshape narratives about the past, the way we do archaeology, and archaeological activism. In each, the aim is to turn away from the majoritarian subject and to make space for multiple alternative voices to emerge and thrive in archaeology.
GROUNDING UNLAWFUL DISCRIMINATION
Authors: Foran Michael P.
Published: February 2022

This article explores the necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for the recognition of a ground of unlawful discrimination. It is important not only to have a coherent understanding of the currently enumerated grounds, but also to have a theoretical framework that can assist in enumerating new grounds through the open-ended “other status” aspect of many legal frameworks. To that end, this article argues that personal characteristics that are generally morally irrelevant, and that are socially salient in that they carry with them a prevalence of inequality-laden attitudes, amount to necessary and jointly sufficient conditions for recognizing a ground of unlawful discrimination. Other conditions, such as immutability and the presence of relative group disadvantage, will be assessed and dismissed as contingent but not necessary conditions.
Foreign travel writings in Republican China
Authors: Galambos Imre
Published: February 2022

This article examines a collection of manuscripts of travel writings kept in the National Library of China. Many of the texts are copies of articles and travel accounts published in magazines, papers, or books during the first decade of the Republican period. Although the majority of texts are by Chinese authors, nine of them can be verified as translations from other languages, even though almost no information is available regarding their source texts and original authors. Identifying the sources of the translations permits a better understanding of how this group of writings ended up as a collection. More importantly, we can consider how their content and function changed when they became adopted into an entirely different environment.
Kant’s Wolffianism: Comments on Karin de Boer’s Kant’s Reform of Metaphysics
Authors: Buchenau Stefanie
Published: February 2022

In her new book, Karin de Boer attempts to read Kant’s first Critique as a reform of a Wolffian project. My contribution contains several comments and questions that aim to further develop this stimulating approach to Kant. They concern (1) the affinities and disagreements between Kant and Wolff, regarding metaphysics, epistemology and method; (2) the place of Wolff’s students (in particular Mendelssohn) in De Boer’s narrative; and (3) the development of the dialogue between Wolff and Kant in the latter’s later writings.
Comments on Karin de Boer’s Kant’s Reform of Metaphysics
Authors: Watkins Eric
Published: February 2022

In my comments on Karin de Boer’s Kant’s Reform of Metaphysics, I pose five questions. First, I ask how the fundamental principle of practical philosophy that Kant identifies and claims is fundamentally different from Wolff’s is consistent with the claim that Kant is reforming Wolff’s metaphysics. Second, I ask whether De Boer thinks that Kant, as a reformer of Wolff, continues to accept the Principle of Sufficient Reason (or some variant thereof). Third, I ask whether De Boer accepts Wolff’s conception of analytic judgements, especially as applied to the fundamental principles of metaphysics, and if she does not, how Kant can be reforming rather than rejecting Wolff’s metaphysics. Fourth, I ask what De Boer’s argument is for thinking that Kant is not begging the question against Wolff in thinking that a priori cognition needs schemata. Fifth, I ask how De Boer understands the division of labour between the Transcendental Analytic and the Transcendental Dialectic in establishing the claims of metaphysics.
Automated ExEm-spFRET Microscope
Authors: Sun Han , Zhang Chenshuang , Yuan Ye , Gao Lu , Zhai Shixian , Chen Hongce , Tang Qilin , Zhuang Zhengfei , Chen Tongsheng
Published: February 2022

Excitation–emission-spectral unmixing-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer (ExEm-spFRET) microscopy exhibits excellent robustness in living cells. We here develop an automatic ExEm-spFRET microscope with 3.04 s of time resolution for a quantitative FRET imaging. The user-friendly interface software has been designed to operate in two modes: administrator and user. Automatic background recognition, subtraction, and cell segmentation were integrated into the software, which enables FRET calibration or measurement in a one-click operation manner. In administrator mode, both correction factors and spectral fingerprints are only calibrated periodically for a stable system. In user mode, quantitative ExEm-spFRET imaging is directly implemented for FRET samples. We implemented quantitative ExEm-spFRET imaging for living cells expressing different tandem constructs (C80Y, C40Y, C10Y, and C4Y, respectively) and obtained consistent results for at least 3 months, demonstrating the stability of our microscope. Next, we investigated Bcl-xL-Bad interaction by using ExEm-spFRET imaging and FRET two-hybrid assay and found that the Bcl-xL-Bad complexes exist mainly in Bad-Bcl-xL trimers in healthy cells and Bad-Bcl-xL2 trimers in apoptotic cells. We also performed time-lapse FRET imaging on our system for living cells expressing Yellow Cameleon 3.6 (YC3.6) to monitor ionomycin-induced rapid extracellular Ca2+ influx with a time interval of 5 s for total 250 s.
A genealogy of tiger nationalism in Korea: post-colonial discourse, Ch'oe Namsŏn and the Seoul Olympics
Authors: Kim Hyosook , Clements Rebekah , Rhyu Mina
Published: February 2022

This study applies a genealogical mode of enquiry to the history of tigers as a symbol of Korea and the Korean people. The zoomorphic idea of Korea as a tiger is conventionally traced to the writings of the intellectual, Ch'oe Namsŏn (1890–1957). However, we argue that while Ch'oe was the first to link tigers with modern Korean nationalism, low levels of literacy and Ch'oe's later ambiguous status as a Japanese “collaborator” meant his promotion of the tiger symbol failed to gain traction. Instead, we locate the making of the modern Korean tiger metaphor in multiple post-colonial sites of cultural inscription, including national newspapers, zoos and museums, which generate and diffuse narratives about the ancient and continuous origins of the Korean people. In particular, it was during the 1980s that the successful Seoul Olympic bid and the Chŏn dictatorship's cultural policy converged to facilitate the “rediscovery” of the tiger as a national symbol with a supposedly ancient heritage, and with Ch'oe and his problematic legacy effaced. We also observe a continuing resistance to Japanese hegemony and a post-colonial construction of Korean identity through the recasting of the tiger – originally a Japanese symbol of Korea – in a new light.
Alan Richardson’s Biblical Theology, ‘Faith Principle’ and Attempts to Protect Public Faith
Authors: Root Terry
Published: February 2022

Nineteenth-century liberalism within the Church of England together with the opposition of Anglo-Catholic and Evangelical wings of the church created a confusing and volatile religious environment for many of its adherents. In the twentieth-century English modernism, adding scientific naturalism to the mix, rejected Christian creedal assertions which were seen as mere dogmatism. As the century progressed many Anglican scholar-clerics began the struggle to find a theological via media which accepted liberalism’s use of the historico-critical approach to the Bible but not the rejection of Anglican creedal affirmations. Alan Richardson was one of these and this article will examine his neo-orthodox development of a faith principal which rejected the modernist dichotomy between theology, science and history that he believed was undermining public faith.
Police Violence in Black and White
Authors: Roychoudhury Debanjan
Published: February 2022

Drawing on articles fromThe New York Timesand theNew York Amsterdam News, this study analyzes reporting on the police killings of ten-year-old Clifford Glover in 1973, and twenty-three-year-old Sean Bell in 2006, in both instances by New York City Police Department (NYPD) 103rdPrecinct officers in Jamaica, Queens. Using critical discourse analysis to study the differences in newspaper representations of police killings, this analysis follows Ida B. Wells-Barnett’s classic 1892 studySouthern Horrors: Lynch Law in All its Phases.Wells-Barnett’s framework of Black Press and White Press is applied to this contemporary comparison of news coverage, asking how Black Press and White Press challenge or accept official police accounts of encounters where police kill Black youth and adults, as well as how they engage community members in their account of events leading to fatal police contact. The study historically contextualizes the localized relationship between police violence, media, and protest by focusing on depictions of two separate, publicized police killings and subsequent officer acquittals in the same neighborhood and precinct, thirty-three years apart. Studying the history of policing and rebellion in one neighborhood provides critical insight into representations of localized police violence by Black Press and White Press over time. The findings of this study function together to explain racialized discourse on police, victims, and communities in the wake of historic police violence and officer acquittals.
Production and use of homemade dry manure-based tea in fertigation systems in North Africa
Authors: Leauthaud Crystele , Ameur Fatah , Richa Amina , Ben Yahmed Jihène , Tadjer Nouredine , Bakouchi Sahbi , Akakpo Koladé , Djezzar Miliani , Amichi Hichem
Published: February 2022

Organic matter water extract, or so-called ‘tea’, may be used to correct nutrient deficiencies in crops or enhance their defense systems. Such tea mixtures are prepared locally by Mediterranean farmers to offset a multitude of constraints, particularly a scarcity of organic manure or high synthetic input costs. However, the diverse range of tea production and usage practices and farmers' underlying rationales have yet to be thoroughly studied. Yet locally they constitute real alternatives that allow farmers to maintain their income levels while reducing reliance on chemical inputs. The main objective of this study was to gain insight into farmers' rationale and practices regarding the production of homemade dry manure tea (HMT) in North Africa, while also highlighting the benefits perceived by farmers. Nearly 50 interviews with farmers were thus conducted in three irrigated cropping areas in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Our results showed that HMT is widely used in intensified family horticultural cropping systems that usually rely on drip irrigation and chemical fertilization. The analysis of farmers' practices revealed that HMT was generally made from aged manure that was pure or consisted of a mixture of sheep, cow or poultry dung. The production protocol varied in terms of drenching techniques, maceration time, container volume and type, and filtration techniques. Farmers applied the derived tea via the drip irrigation system, regularly or with a limited number of applications. The analysis of farmers' rationales and perceptions regarding HMT clearly highlighted that they felt that these practices played a positive role. HMT was considered to improve vegetative growth, yield and, to a lesser extent, soil properties. These benefits could in turn lead to decreased use of synthetic fertilizers by farmers, while boosting their income. The increased understanding of HMT and the underlying rationales showcased in this study could help scientists better analyze and assess these practices in the future. The findings could also facilitate improvement and wider dissemination of these practices to achieve more sustainable irrigation systems in the intensified irrigated cropping areas that abound in North Africa.
Dynamic importance allocated nested simulation for variable annuity risk measurement
Authors: Dang Ou , Feng Mingbin , Hardy Mary R.
Published: February 2022

Estimating tail risk measures for portfolios of complex variable annuities is an important enterprise risk management task which usually requires nested simulation. In the nested simulation, the outer simulation stage involves projecting scenarios of key risk factors under the real-world measure, while the inner simulations are used to value pay-offs under guarantees of varying complexity, under a risk-neutral measure. In this paper, we propose and analyse an efficient simulation approach that dynamically allocates the inner simulations to the specific outer scenarios that are most likely to generate larger losses. These scenarios are identified using a proxy calculation that is used only to rank the outer scenarios, not to estimate the tail risk measure directly. As the proxy ranking will not generally provide a perfect match to the true ranking of outer scenarios, we calculate a measure based on the concomitant of order statistics to test whether further tail scenarios are required to ensure, with given confidence, that the true tail scenarios are captured. This procedure, which we call the dynamic importance allocated nested simulation approach, automatically adjusts for the relationship between the proxy calculations and the true valuations and also signals when the proxy is not sufficiently accurate.
Real-time measurement of portfolio mortality levels in the presence of shocks and reporting delays
Authors: Richards Stephen J.
Published: February 2022

The COVID-19 pandemic requires that actuaries track short-term mortality fluctuations in the portfolios they manage. This demands methods that not only operate over much shorter time periods than a year but that also deal with reporting delays. In this paper, we consider a semi-parametric approach for tracking portfolio mortality levels in continuous time. We identify both seasonal patterns and mortality shocks, thus providing a comparison benchmark for the impact of COVID-19 in terms of a portfolio’s own past experience. A parametric model is presented to allow for the average impact of seasonal variation and also reporting delays. We find that an estimate of mortality reporting delays can be made from a single extract of experience data. This can be used to forecast unreported deaths and improve estimates of recent mortality levels. Results are given for annuity portfolios in France, the UK and the USA.
Assessing the Effect of Media Tone on Attitudes Toward Muslims: Evidence From an Online Experiment
Authors: Bleich Erik , Carpenter Jeffrey , van der Veen A. Maurits
Published: February 2022

Media coverage of Muslims has been repeatedly shown to be negative, and attitudes toward Muslims in American society are typically more negative than attitudes toward other social groups. Does the tone of media coverage directly affect public attitudes? This relationship is not well established with respect to Muslims, nor as a proposition about social groups in general. We use an online between-subjects experiment to examine whether exposure to articles of quantifiably different valences about Muslims or Catholics affects reported attitudes toward each of those groups. We find clear support for this proposition. Our additional tests demonstrate that this effect persists but is attenuated when money is at stake. We also identify anxiety as a key mediator between exposure to articles of different valences and attitudes about each group. Our findings suggest that articles of a particular tone can influence views of social groups.
Natural and Anthropogenic Driving Forces of Carbonate Weathering and the Related Carbon Sink Flux: A Model Comparison Study at Global Scale
Authors: Zeng Sibo , Kaufmann Georg , Liu Zaihua
Published: February 2022

The continental weathering process is driven by environmental factors such as changes in temperature, moisture, and CO2 concentration, which can have natural (climate) or anthropogenic (land‐use) origins. In this paper, we attempt to evaluate the global applicability of different environmental drivers, which can be used to estimate the global carbonate dissolution intensity (bicarbonate concentration, (HCO3−), as a proxy) and the related carbon sink flux (CCSF). We employ three ecological models and a series of satellite‐based databases, which provide estimates on soil CO2‐concentrations (pCO2). By using the three parameterized pCO2, global temperature (T) and runoff (N), we obtain similar global averages for (HCO3−) and CCSF, ranging from 2.73 to 2.81 mmol L−1 and 4.52–5.36 t C km−2 yr−1. We compare our calculated (HCO3−) to observed carbonate spring records. The results indicate that the net primary production based pCO2 (NPP‐pCO2) model is more accurate for simulating (HCO3−) in most boreal and temperate ecosystems, while the soil‐water content based pCO2 (SWC‐pCO2) model may perform better in forests. According to the findings in this study, we stress that natural and anthropogenic factors are strongly intertwined in shaping global (HCO3−) and CCSF patterns. Due to the crucial role of human land‐uses in pCO2 and water yield, future human land‐use changes may be as significant as natural climatic changes for carbonate weathering and thus the relevant carbon sink.
Electron‐Only Reconnection as a Transition Phase From Quiet Magnetotail Current Sheets to Traditional Magnetotail Reconnection
Authors: Hubbert M. , Russell C. T. , Qi Yi , Lu S. , Burch J. L. , Giles B. L. , Moore T. E.
Published: February 2022

In Earth's magnetotail, we report three types of current sheets: Quiet current sheets supported by antiparallel lobe fields, “electron‐only” reconnecting current sheets, and traditionally reconnecting current sheets. We survey Earth's magnetotail for each current sheet type and perform event studies on one of each. One quiet current sheet, three electron‐only reconnecting current sheets, and one traditionally reconnecting current sheet are placed in order to showcase the possible time‐evolution of reconnection onset. Over time, electron‐only reconnecting current sheets increase in thickness, electron and ion outflow exhaust, perpendicular ion temperature, parallel electron temperature, and Hall electric field. These features support a transition phase from a quiet current sheet to traditional reconnection. Statistics of each current sheet type show that, during electron‐only reconnection, electrons are heated and evacuate the reconnection region while ions retain the properties of a quiet current sheet. In addition, statistics of solar wind properties indicate that electron‐only and traditional reconnection do not have unique solar wind drivers. Guide field statistics of electron‐only reconnection imply that aspects of the driving mechanism of electron‐only reconnection remain unclear.
Azimuthally Anisotropic Structure in the Crust and Uppermost Mantle in Central East China and Its Significance to Regional Deformation Around the Tan‐Lu Fault Zone
Authors: Bem Terhemba Shadrach , Liu Chuanming , Yao Huajian , Luo Song , Yang Yuan , Liu Bin
Published: February 2022

Seismic anisotropy can be linked to different mechanisms, structures, and sources. We constrained the 3‐D depth‐dependent shear wave speed isotropic and azimuthally anisotropic structures with Rayleigh wave phase velocity from ambient noise in central Eastern China. We compared the results with other models and found that in the upper crust, the maximum horizontal stress direction differs mainly from the anisotropy that coincides with the strikes of major faults and geologic structures. We inferred that the anisotropy within proximity of faults might be related to fault fabrics, including fractures that strike parallel to the fast axes. The Tan‐Lu Fault controls the anisotropy in the crust to the uppermost mantle. The direction of fast axes in the fault zone is NNE‐SSW to N‐S, coinciding with the fault strike and trend that matches the fault shape on the surface. Southeastern North China craton has a weak anisotropy in the crust and uppermost mantle. The sources are possibly connected to the thrusting, tight trending folds, and dipping thrusts observed to be sub‐parallel to the Dabie Orogenic Belt (DOB). We propose that the NNE‐SSW Zhangbaling uplift group comes from the extension and ductile shearing in the Tan‐Lu Fault zone and the dragging of the northeastern South China Craton in the crust and the uppermost mantle. The N‐S polarized fast axes in the lower crust and uppermost mantle across the Sulu orogen and Xuzhou thrust‐and‐fold belt are the products of the resultant effect of subduction and deep Tan‐Lu faulting.
PM2.5‐Bound Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs), Nitrated PAHs (NPAHs) and Oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) in Typical Traffic‐Related Receptor Environments
Authors: Wang T. , Zhao J. , Liu Y. , Peng J. , Wu L. , Mao H.
Published: February 2022

PM2.5‐bound polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nitrated PAHs (NPAHs) and oxygenated PAHs (OPAHs) around roadside, port and airport areas were investigated to evaluate the impacts of vehicle, ship and aviation emissions on PAHs and their derivatives in relevant receptor environments. The PAHs concentrations in fuels increased in the following order: jet fuel < heavy fuel oil for vessel < automobile diesel fuel. However, the average mass ratio concentrations of PM2.5‐bound PAHs in roadside, port and airport areas were 42.9, 158.7 and 260.4 μg/g, respectively. The low PAHs concentrations in fuel were relevant to the high PAHs emissions. The composition of the molecular species showed that 5‐ and 6‐rings PAHs were dominated in roadside area, while 3‐ and 4‐rings PAHs were major proportions in port and airport areas. The average mass ratio concentrations of PM2.5‐bound NPAHs and OPAHs concentrations in roadside, port and airport areas were 23.5 and 115.2, 4.8 and 39.9, and 26.4 and 284.2 μg/g, respectively. The different variation tendencies between PAHs and their derivates, dominant individual NPAHs, diagnostic ratios of NPAH isomers and principal component analysis revealed that primary emission was the major contributor to NPAHs and OPAHs in three receptor environments, and secondary formation played non‐negligible roles in NPAHs formation in roadside and airport areas. In addition, 9‐nitroanthracene (9‐NAnt) and anthraquinone (ATQ) were found to be the indicatory compounds for traffic emission. Taken together, these results may provide a basic information for assessing the impact of traffic emission sources on PAC emissions to the related receptor environment.
Approaches of stem cell mobilization in a large cohort of metastatic germ cell cancer patients
Authors: Madanchi Ramin , Engel Nils W. , Alsdorf Winfried , Oing Christoph , Frenzel Christian , Paulsen Finn-Ole , Bokemeyer Carsten , Seidel Christoph
Published: February 2022

High-dose chemotherapy (HD-Cx) in refractory germ cell cancer (GCC) is effective but limited data are available concerning the optimal approach for stem cell mobilization (SCM) in these patients. In this analysis 102 patients undergoing SCM during first (n = 25) or subsequent treatment lines (n = 77) were analyzed. Subcutaneous injections of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (G-CSF) were given once daily (group 1) in 52 patients (51%), twice daily (group 2) in 39 patients (38%) or one injection Pegylated-G-CSF (PegG-CSF) (group 3) in eleven patients (11%) after one cycle of mobilization chemotherapy. Plerixafor was administered 13 times in group 1, seven times in group 2 and once in group 3. Overall, 77 (75%) patients achieved successful SCM defined as ≥8*106CD34+ cells/kg body weight for three consecutive HD-Cx plus one backup dose. In group 1, 40 of 52 patients (77%) achieved successful SCM with a median of 11 G-CSF injections, in group 2, 27 of 39 patients (69%) with a median of 14 G-CSF injections and in group 3, 10 of 11 patients (91%) with one injection of PegG-CSF. SCM was more successful if conducted during first-line chemotherapy (p = 0.016) and associated with a beneficial outcome concerning overall survival (p = 0.02) if performed satisfactorily.
Wnt signaling is boosted during intestinal regeneration by a CD44-positive feedback loop
Authors: Walter Romina J. , Sonnentag Steffen J. , Munoz-Sagredo Leonel , Merkel Melanie , Richert Ludovic , Bunert Felix , Heneka Yvonne M. , Loustau Thomas , Hodder Michael , Ridgway Rachel A. , Sansom Owen J. , Mely Yves , Rothbauer Ulrich , Schmitt Mark , Orian-Rousseau Véronique
Published: February 2022

Enhancement of Wnt signaling is fundamental for stem cell function during intestinal regeneration. Molecular modules control Wnt activity by regulating signal transduction. CD44 is such a positive regulator and a Wnt target gene. While highly expressed in intestinal crypts and used as a stem cell marker, its role during intestinal homeostasis and regeneration remains unknown. Here we propose a CD44 positive-feedback loop that boosts Wnt signal transduction, thus impacting intestinal regeneration. Excision of Cd44 in Cd44fl/fl;VillinCreERT2 mice reduced Wnt target gene expression in intestinal crypts and affected stem cell functionality in organoids. Although the integrity of the intestinal epithelium was conserved in mice lacking CD44, they were hypersensitive to dextran sulfate sodium, and showed more severe inflammation and delayed regeneration. We localized the molecular function of CD44 at the Wnt signalosome, and identified novel DVL/CD44 and AXIN/CD44 complexes. CD44 thus promotes optimal Wnt signaling during intestinal regeneration.
Blocking iASPP/Nrf2/M-CSF axis improves anti-cancer effect of chemotherapy-induced senescence by attenuating M2 polarization
Authors: Liu Hao , Zhao Dong , Li Huayi , Zhang Wenxin , Lin Qingyu , Wang Xingwen , Zheng Shanliang , Zhang Lei , Li Li , Hu Shaoshan , Hu Ying
Published: February 2022

The complex interaction between cancer cells and the immune microenvironment is a central regulator of tumor growth and the treatment response. Chemotherapy-induced senescence is accompanied by the senescence-associated secretion phenotype (SASP). However, the mechanisms underlying the regulation of the SASP remain the most poorly understood element of senescence. Here, we show that nuclear erythroid factor 2-like factor 2 (Nrf2), a master antioxidative transcription factor, accumulates upon doxorubicin-induced senescence. This is due to the increased cytoplasmic Inhibitor of Apoptosis Stimulating Protein of P53, iASPP, which binds with Keap1, interrupting Keap1/Nrf2 interaction and promoting Nrf2 stabilization and activation. Activated Nrf2 transactivates a novel target gene of SASP factor, macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF), which subsequently acts on macrophages and induces polarization from M1 to M2 via a paracrine mechanism. Genetic inhibition of iASPP-Nrf2 suppresses the growth of apoptosis-resistant xenografts, with further analysis revealing that M-CSF/M-CSFR-regulated macrophage polarization is critical for the functional outcomes delineated above. Overall, our data uncover a novel function of iASPP-Nrf2 in skewing the immune microenvironment under treatment-induced senescence. Targeting the iASPP-Nrf2 axis could be a powerful strategy for the implementation of new chemotherapy-based therapeutic opportunities.
Induction of apoptosis and autosis in cardiomyocytes by the combination of homocysteine and copper via NOX-mediated p62 expression
Authors: Yin Ran , Wang Huan , Li Chun , Wang Lulu , Lai Songqing , Yang Xianhe , Hong Daojun , Zhang Wan
Published: February 2022

High levels of homocysteine (Hcy) associated with cardiovascular events are accompanied by increased copper (Cu) concentrations in the blood. Hcy has been shown to promote endothelial dysfunction, whereas the effect of Hcy on cardiomyocytes and the role of Cu in the pathogenesis remain less understood. In the present study, it is demonstrated that the combination of Hcy and Cu2+-induced apoptosis and autosis of cardiomyocytes simultaneously, and thus led to cardiac dysfunction in hyperhomocysteinemic rats. These effects were associated with p22phoxactivation and NADPH oxidase (NOX)-mediated p62 upregulation. Inhibition of the expression of p22phoxor p62 in cardiomyocytes significantly attenuated Hcy and Cu2+-mediated reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and cell death. Furthermore, interrupting the NOX–p62 axis prevented diastolic dysfunction in hyperhomocysteinemic rats (HcyR). These findings establish that the induction of apoptosis and autosis of cardiomyocytes through stimulating the NOX–p62-signaling pathway constitutes a novel mechanism of Hcy and Cu-induced cardiac dysfunction.
Realizing topological edge states with Rydberg-atom synthetic dimensions
Authors: Kanungo S. K. , Whalen J. D. , Lu Y. , Yuan M. , Dasgupta S. , Dunning F. B. , Hazzard K. R. A. , Killian T. C.
Published: February 2022

A discrete degree of freedom can be engineered to match the Hamiltonian of particles moving in a real-space lattice potential. Such synthetic dimensions are powerful tools for quantum simulation because of the control they offer and the ability to create configurations difficult to access in real space. Here, in an ultracold 84Sr atom, we demonstrate a synthetic-dimension based on Rydberg levels coupled with millimeter waves. Tunneling amplitudes between synthetic lattice sites and on-site potentials are set by the millimeter-wave amplitudes and detunings respectively. Alternating weak and strong tunneling in a one-dimensional configuration realizes the single-particle Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) Hamiltonian, a paradigmatic model of topological matter. Band structure is probed through optical excitation from the ground state to Rydberg levels, revealing symmetry-protected topological edge states at zero energy. Edge-state energies are robust to perturbations of tunneling-rates that preserve chiral symmetry, but can be shifted by the introduction of on-site potentials.
Specific length and structure rather than high thermodynamic stability enable regulatory mRNA stem-loops to pause translation
Authors: Bao Chen , Zhu Mingyi , Nykonchuk Inna , Wakabayashi Hironao , Mathews David H. , Ermolenko Dmitri N.
Published: February 2022

Translating ribosomes unwind mRNA secondary structures by three basepairs each elongation cycle. Despite the ribosome helicase, certain mRNA stem-loops stimulate programmed ribosomal frameshift by inhibiting translation elongation. Here, using mutagenesis, biochemical and single-molecule experiments, we examine whether high stability of three basepairs, which are unwound by the translating ribosome, is critical for inducing ribosome pauses. We find that encountering frameshift-inducing mRNA stem-loops from the E. coli dnaX mRNA and the gag-pol transcript of Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) hinders A-site tRNA binding and slows down ribosome translocation by 15-20 folds. By contrast, unwinding of first three basepairs adjacent to the mRNA entry channel slows down the translating ribosome by only 2-3 folds. Rather than high thermodynamic stability, specific length and structure enable regulatory mRNA stem-loops to stall translation by forming inhibitory interactions with the ribosome. Our data provide the basis for rationalizing transcriptome-wide studies of translation and searching for novel regulatory mRNA stem-loops.