bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A State of Charge Estimation Method for Lithium‐Ion Battery Using PID Compensator‐Based Adaptive Extended Kalman Filter
Authors: Liu Zheng , Qiu Yuan , Yang Chunshan , Ji Jianbo , Zhao Zhenhua
Published: February 2021

With the widespread application of electric vehicles, the study of the power lithium‐ion battery (LIB) has broad prospects and great academic significance. The state of charge (SOC) is one of the key parts in battery management system (BMS), which is used to provide guarantee for the safe and efficient operation of LIB. To obtain the reliable SOC estimation result under the influence of simple model and measurement noise, a novel estimation method with adaptive feedback compensator is presented in this paper. The simplified dynamic external electrical characteristic of LIB is represented by the one‐order Thevenin equivalent circuit model (ECM) and then the ECM parameters are identified by the forgetting factor recursive least squares method (FFRLS). Fully taking into account the feedback effect of terminal voltage innovation, the combination of adaptive extended Kalman filter (AEKF) and innovation vector‐based proportional‐integral‐derivative (PID) feedback is proposed to estimate the LIB SOC. The common single proportional feedback of Kalman filter (KF) is replaced by the innovation vector‐based PID feedback, which means that the multiple prior terminal voltage innovation is used in the measurement correction step of KF. The results reveal that the AEKF with PID feedback compensation strategy can improve the SOC estimation performance compared with the common AEKF, and it reveals good robust capability and rapid convergence speed for initial SOC errors. The maximum absolute error and average absolute error for SOC estimation are close to 4% and 2.6%, respectively.
Experimental Study of Electric Vehicle Yaw Rate Tracking Control Based on Differential Steering
Authors: Li Cong , Xie Yun-Feng , Wang Gang , Liu Su-Qi , Kuang Bing , Jing Hui
Published: February 2021

This paper investigates the experimental study of differential steering control of a four-wheel independently driven (FWID) electric vehicle (EV) based on the steer-by-wire (SBW) system. As each wheel of FWID vehicle can be independently driven, differential steering is realized by applying different driven torques to the front-two wheels. Firstly, the principle of the differential steering is analyzed based on the SBW system. When the differential steering is activated, the driver’s steering request is sent to the vehicle’s ECU. Then, the ECU gives different control signals to the front-left and front-right wheels, generating an external steering force on the steering components. The external steering force pushes the steering components to turn corresponding to the driver’s request. Secondly, to test the feasibility of differential steering, a FWID EV is assembled and the vehicle is equipped with four independently driven in-wheel motors. The corresponding control system is designed. Finally, the field test of the vehicle based on the proposed differential steering control strategy is performed. In the experiment, the fixed yaw rate tracking and varied yaw rate tracking maneuvers are employed. In the fixed yaw rate tracking, the vehicle can track the desired yaw rate well with differential steering. In addition, the vehicle can track the varied yaw rate with proposed differential steering. The test results confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the differential steering. By using the differential steering, a backup steering is established without additional components; thus, the costs can be reduced and the reliability of the vehicle steering system can be enhanced, significantly.
Ecoepidemiological Model and Analysis of Prey-Predator System
Authors: Bezabih Abayneh Fentie , Edessa Geremew Kenassa , Rao Koya Purnachandra
Published: February 2021

In this paper, the prey-predator model of five compartments is constructed with treatment given to infected prey and infected predator. We took predation incidence rates as functional response type II, and disease transmission incidence rates follow simple kinetic mass action function. The positivity, boundedness, and existence of the solution of the model are established and checked. Equilibrium points of the models are identified, and local stability analyses of trivial equilibrium, axial equilibrium, and disease-free equilibrium points are performed with the method of variation matrix and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion. It is found that the trivial equilibrium point

E

o

is always unstable, and axial equilibrium point

E

A

is locally asymptotically stable if

β
k
−

t

1

+

d

2

<
0
,
 
q

p

1

k
−

d

3

s
+
k

<
0

and

q

p

3

k
−

t

2

+

d

4

s
+
k

<
0

conditions hold true. Global stability analysis of an endemic equilibrium point of the model has been proven by considering the appropriate Lyapunov function. The basic reproduction number of infected prey and infected predators are obtained as

R

01

=

q

p

1

−

d

3

2

k
β

d

3

s

2

/

q

p

1

−

d

3

q

p

1

−

d

3

2

k
s

t

1

+

d

2

+
r
s
q

p

2

k
q

p

1

−
k

d

3

−

d

3

s

and

R

02

=

q

p

1

−

d

3

q

p

3

d

3

k
+
α
r
s
q

k
q

p

1

−
k

d

3

−

d

3

s

/

q

p

1

−

d

3

2

t

2

+

d

4

k

, respectively. If the basic reproduction number is greater than one, then the disease will persist in the prey-predator system. If the basic reproduction number is one, then the disease is stable, and if the basic reproduction number is less than one, then the disease dies out from the prey-predator system. Finally, simulations are done with the help of DEDiscover software to clarify results.
Depth and Width Changeable Network‐Based Deep Kernel Learning‐Based Hyperspectral Sensor Data Analysis
Authors: Liu Jing , Wang Tingting , Qiao Yulong
Published: February 2021

Sensor data analysis is used in many application areas, for example, Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT), with the rapid developing of the deep neural network learning that promotes its application area. In this work, we propose the Depth and Width Changeable Deep Kernel Learning‐based hyperspectral sensing data analysis algorithm. Compared with the traditional kernel learning‐based hyperspectral data classification, the proposed method has its advantages on the hyperspectral data classification. With the deep kernel learning, the feature is mapped through many times mapping and has the more discriminative ability. So, the deep kernel learning has the better performance compared with the multiple kernels learning. And it has the ability to adjust the network architecture for hyperspectral data space, with the optimization equation of the span bound. The experiments are implemented to testified the feasibility and performance of the algorithms on the hyperspectral data analysis, with the classification accuracy of hyperspectral data. The comprehensive analysis of the experiments shows that the proposed algorithm is feasible to hyperspectral sensor data analysis and its promising classification method in many areas data analysis.
Evaluation of Beneficial and Adverse Effects of a Diet Supplemented with Schisandrae Fructus Seed Ethanol Extract on Lipid and Glucose Metabolism in Normal and Hypercholesterolemic/Hyperglycemic Mice
Authors: Wang Xiao-Yan , Song Xue-Lan , Zhang Yi , Luo Gan , Tai Hai-Chuan , Lin Zhao-Heng , Zhu Pei-Li , Sun Nan , Chu Zhu-Sheng , Yu Zhi-Ling , Pan Si-Yuan , Tang Jin-Fa , Ko Kam-Ming
Published: February 2021

Schisandrae Fructus (SF), the fruit of Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baillon, has been used for the treatment of liver injury and metabolism-related disorders in China. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of supplementation with ethanol extract of SF seed (EtSF-S) on serum/hepatic lipid and glucose levels as well as fecal total cholesterol (TC) contents in mice fed a normal diet (ND) or high-fat/fructose diet (HFFD) containing 15% lard oil and 15% fructose. Female ICR mice (18–20 g in body weight) were fed with ND or HFFD for 3 months, and then EtSF-S was added to both chow diets at increasing concentrations of 1, 5, and 10% (w/w). Thirty days later, serum and hepatic lipids, including TC, triglyceride (TG), high-density lipoprotein (HDL), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and glucose, were measured. Dietary supplementation with EtSF-S reduced hepatic TC (36 and 18%) and TG levels (38 and 28%) and increased serum HDL/LDL ratio (16 and 26%) in both ND- and HFFD-fed mice, respectively. Moreover, supplementation with EtSF-S elevated serum HDL (31%) in HFFD-fed mice and reduced serum LDL (27%) in ND-fed mice. EtSF-S treatment reduced fat mass (40%) in ND-fed mice and increased fecal TC contents (33%) in HFFD-fed mice. EtSF-S supplementation decreased hepatic glucose contents (29%) in both ND- and HFFD-fed mice. However, diet supplemented with EtSF-S elevated serum TG levels (up to 123%) and hepatic size (28%), but more importantly, suppressed the body weight gain (approximately 130%) in mice fed with HFFD. These findings suggested that dietary supplementation with EtSF-S as natural herbal function food may be a useful strategy for the treatment of patients with fatty liver disease or overweight without a high intake of sugar and fat.
Partition of spaces based algorithm for reduction of real power loss
Authors: Lenin Kanagasabai
Published: February 2021

In this work partition of spaces algorithm is proposed to solve optimal reactive power problem. In this algorithm, for finding the finest outcome based on the concentration of elevated quality and capable points in specific area is considered. State space area are identified and divided into subspaces iteratively and search has been made more comprehensively. Performance of the proposed partition of spaces algorithm is evaluated in standard IEEE 118,300 bus systems and simulated outcome gives better results. Real power loss has been considerably reduced.
ANFIS-sliding mode control of a DFIG supplied by a two-level SVPWM technique for wind energy conversion system
Authors: Benbouhenni Habib
Published: February 2021

A modified adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system sliding mode control (ANFIS-SMC) by using two-level space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) for doubly fed induction generator (DFIG) is proposed in this article. ANFIS-SMC with SVPWM strategy improves the basic SMC performances, which features low stator active and reactive power and also minimize the total distortion harmonic (THD) of stator current. The computer simulation results, in Matlab, demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy which improves the performance of the DFIG.
Electron swarm parameters of SF6 under time varying electric fields
Authors: Settaouti A.
Published: February 2021

The electron swarm parameters in gases are necessary for the simulations of plasma processes. The sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) has enormous applications suitability, because of its excellent dielectric properties, it is a gas used extensively as an insulating gas in various electric devices. Consequently, we must dedicate a significant attention to studying the physical properties of this gas. An investigation has brought into effect on the electron swarms parameters in SF6 gas in time varying electric fields using a Monte Carlo simulation. Swarm parameters as a function of instantaneous E/N (E is the electric field and N the gas number density of background gas molecules) for different dE/dt are determined.
Role of heat source/sink on time dependent free convective flow in a coaxial cylinder filled with porous material: a semi analytical approach
Authors: Yusuf Taiwo S. , Dauda Gambo
Published: February 2021

In this article, the semi analytical solution for a fully developed time dependent free convective flow of a viscous incompressible fluid with heat source/sink in an infinite vertical coaxial cylinder saturated with porous material has been analyzed. The flow was induced by buoyancy forces due to temperature differences caused by the thermal insulation of the inner wall and constant heating of the outer wall. The Laplace transform technique was employed to transform the governing equation from time domain to the Laplace domain. Notwithstanding, a numerical inversing scheme known as Riemann-sum approximation (RSA), renowned for its precision has been utilized to transform the Laplace domain solution to time domain. The accuracy of the numerical technique employed was tested by presenting a comparison with the numerical values obtained using RSA, PDEPE, and steady state solution at large time. The effects of the various flow parameters on the flow formation are exhibited graphically. It is interesting to note that the fluid temperature and velocity increases as time passes. In addition, the velocity can be enhanced and minimized by gradually increasing Darcy number and the viscosity ratio respectively. However, the increase is seen to be more prominent when heat source is applied. The drag on both walls are seen to increase with increase in Darcy number, the reverse trend is observed with increase in the viscosity ratio.
Long-Term Association of Air Pollution and Hospital Admissions Among Medicare Participants Using a Doubly Robust Additive Model
Authors: Danesh Yazdi Mahdieh , Wang Yan , Di Qian , Wei Yaguang , Requia Weeberb J. , Shi Liuhua , Sabath Matthew Benjamin , Dominici Francesca , Coull Brent A. , Evans John S. , Koutrakis Petros , Schwartz Joel D.
Published: February 2021

Background:

Studies examining the nonfatal health outcomes of exposure to air pollution have been limited by the number of pollutants studied and focus on short-term exposures.

Methods:

We examined the relationship between long-term exposure to fine particulate matter with an aerodynamic diameter <2.5 micrometers (PM
2.5
), NO
2
, and tropospheric ozone and hospital admissions for 4 cardiovascular and respiratory outcomes (myocardial infarction, ischemic stroke, atrial fibrillation and flutter, and pneumonia) among the Medicare population of the United States. We used a doubly robust method for our statistical analysis, which relies on both inverse probability weighting and adjustment in the outcome model to account for confounding. The results from this regression are on an additive scale. We further looked at this relationship at lower pollutant concentrations, which are consistent with typical exposure levels in the United States, and among potentially susceptible subgroups.

Results:

Long-term exposure to fine PM
2.5
was associated with an increased risk of all outcomes with the highest effect seen for stroke with a 0.0091% (95% CI, 0.0086–0.0097) increase in the risk of stroke for each 1-µg/m
3
increase in annual levels. This translated to 2536 (95% CI, 2383–2691) cases of hospital admissions with ischemic stroke per year, which can be attributed to each 1-unit increase in fine particulate matter levels among the study population. NO
2
was associated with an increase in the risk of admission with stroke by 0.00059% (95% CI, 0.00039–0.00075) and atrial fibrillation by 0.00129% (95% CI, 0.00114–0.00148) per ppb and tropospheric ozone was associated with an increase in the risk of admission with pneumonia by 0.00413% (95% CI, 0.00376–0.00447) per parts per billion. At lower concentrations, all pollutants were consistently associated with an increased risk for all our studied outcomes.

Conclusions:

Long-term exposure to air pollutants poses a significant risk to cardiovascular and respiratory health among the elderly population in the United States, with the greatest increase in the association per unit of exposure occurring at lower concentrations.
Impacts of Ambient Fine Particulate Matter on Blood Pressure Pattern and Hypertensive Disorders of Pregnancy
Authors: Zhang Yu , Li Juxiao , Liao Jiaqiang , Hu Chen , Cao Zhongqiang , Xia Wei , Xu Shunqing , Li Yuanyuan
Published: February 2021

Ambient fine particulate matter (PM
2.5
) exposure during pregnancy was associated with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) in previous studies, however, the results were inconsistent. In addition, its effects on blood pressure (BP) pattern, which was different between normal pregnancy and pregnancy with HDP, remain unclear. In this study, we estimate daily PM
2.5
exposure levels of 7658 pregnant women from a prospective cohort study in Wuhan, China, using land use regression model. BP was repeatedly measured in each trimester. Linear mixed-effect model was used to examine associations of PM
2.5
exposure with BP patterns during pregnancy. The association between PM
2.5
exposure and HDP was estimated by modified Poisson regression. In the lowest quartile of PM
2.5
exposure, BP fell gradually during early pregnancy and increase subsequently after a nadir at mid-pregnancy. In higher quartiles of PM
2.5
exposure, a slower drop of BP was observed during early pregnancy, and the mid-pregnancy drop was less obvious compared with the lowest quartile. PM
2.5
exposure during the second trimester was positively associated with the risk of HDP (relative risk =1.42 [95% CI, 1.19–1.70]), especially among women with excessive gestational weight gain (relative risk =1.48 [95% CI, 1.16–1.90;
P
for interaction =0.03). Our study suggests that PM
2.5
exposure might play an important role in BP pattern during pregnancy and might increase the risk of HDP, especially among women with excessive gestational weight gain.
Promotion of Aerobic Exercise Induced Angiogenesis Is Associated With Decline in Blood Pressure in Hypertension
Authors: Liang Jianwen , Zhang Xiaoyu , Xia Wenhao , Tong Xinzhu , Qiu Yanxia , Qiu Yumin , He Jiang , Yu Bingbo , Huang Hui , Tao Jun
Published: February 2021

Microvascular rarefaction plays a key role in hypertension-induced microvascular organ damage. Aerobic exercise (AE) can reduce blood pressure and improve endothelial progenitor cell (EPC) function in hypertension. Here, we investigate the effect of AE on hypertensive microvascular rarefaction and its association with the improvement of EPCs angiogenic capacity and blood pressure decline. One hundred forty-one patients with essential hypertension without any antihypertension medication were randomized into AE group (n=75) and control group (n=66). AE was performed for 5 days a week and 12 weeks in total using cycle ergometer with moderate intensity. Hypertensive subjects displayed decreased skin capillary density, retinal capillary density, and increased retinal nonperfused area, which were related to blood pressure. AE markedly increased capillary density skin capillary density: (43.14±4.66)/mm
2
versus (39.86±4.92)/mm
2
,
P
<0.001; retinal capillary density: (54.51±2.35)% versus (52.85±2.9)%,
P
<0.001; and decreased the nonperfused area (0.09±0.07) mm
2
versus (0.12±0.07) mm
2
,
P
<0.01, which was accompanied with the increased angiogenic capacity of EPCs. Interestingly, AE significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (
P
<0.01), which was independently correlated with skin capillary density (β=−0.47,
t
=−3.06,
P
=0.004) and retinal capillary density (β=−0.46,
t
=−3.01,
P
=0.005). Furthermore, AE accelerated EPC angiogenic ability via inhibiting NOTCH 1 expression and elevating its downstream Akt/eNOS (endothelial nitric oxide synthase) signaling in hypertension. Blockage of NOTCH 1/Akt/eNOS signaling almost completely abolished the protective effect of AE on EPC function. The current study demonstrates for the first time that AE can lower blood pressure and reduce microvascular rarefaction in hypertension, which is partially due to restoration of angiogenesis capacity of EPCs via NOTCH 1/Akt/eNOS signaling pathway.
Cross‐Sectional Associations of Objectively Measured Sedentary Time, Physical Activity, and Fitness With Cardiac Structure and Function: Findings From the Dallas Heart Study
Authors: Thangada Neela D. , Patel Kershaw V. , Peden Bradley , Agusala Vijay , Kozlitina Julia , Garg Sonia , Drazner Mark H. , Ayers Colby , Berry Jarett D. , Pandey Ambarish
Published: February 2021

Background

Physical inactivity and low cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) are associated with higher risk of heart failure. However, the independent contributions of objectively measured sedentary time, physical activity, and CRF toward left ventricular (LV) structure and function are not well established.

Methods and Results

We included 1368 participants from the DHS (Dallas Heart Study) (age, 49 years; 40% men) free of cardiovascular disease who had physical activity and sedentary time measured by accelerometer, CRF estimated from submaximal treadmill test, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging performed using 3‐T magnetic resonance imaging. A series of linear regression models were constructed to evaluate the associations of sedentary time, moderate physical activity, vigorous physical activity, and CRF with LV parameters after adjustment for established cardiovascular risk factors. We observed a modest correlation between CRF levels and objectively measured moderate (correlation coefficient, 0.17;
P
<0.001) and vigorous physical activity (correlation coefficient, 0.25;
P
<0.001) levels. In contrast, sedentary time was not associated with CRF. In adjusted analysis, both vigorous physical activity and higher CRF were significantly associated with greater stroke volume, LV mass, LV end‐diastolic volume, and lower arterial elastance, independent of other confounders. Sedentary time and moderate physical activity levels were not associated with LV parameters.

Conclusions

Vigorous physical activity and CRF are significantly associated with cardiac structure and function parameters. Future studies are needed to determine if interventions aimed at improving CRF levels may favorably modify cardiac structure and function.
Intra-Arterial Adjunctive Medications for Acute Ischemic Stroke During Mechanical Thrombectomy
Authors: Chen Vanessa H.E. , Lee Grace K.H. , Tan Choon-Han , Leow Aloysius S.T. , Tan Ying-Kiat , Goh Claire , Gopinathan Anil , Yang Cunli , Chan Bernard P.L. , Sharma Vijay K. , Tan Benjamin Y.Q. , Yeo Leonard L.L.
Published: February 2021

Background and Purpose:

In patients with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion, the role of intra-arterial adjunctive medications (IAMs), such as urokinase, tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator), or glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors, during mechanical thrombectomy (MT) has not been clearly established. We aim to evaluate the efficacy and safety of concomitant or rescue IAM for acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion patients undergoing MT.

Methods:

We searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane Stroke Group Trials Register databases from inception until March 13, 2020. We analyzed all studies with patients diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion in the anterior or posterior circulation that provided data for the two treatment arms, (1) MT+IAM and (2) MT only, and also reported on at least one of the following efficacy outcomes, recanalization and 90-day modified Rankin Scale, or safety outcomes, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and 90-day mortality. Data were collated in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines.

Results:

Sixteen nonrandomized observational studies with a total of 4581 patients were analyzed. MT only was performed in 3233 (70.6%) patients, while 1348 (29.4%) patients were treated with both MT and IAM. As compared with patients treated with MT alone, patients treated with combination therapy (MT+IAM) had a higher likelihood of achieving good functional outcome (risk ratio, 1.13 [95% CI, 1.03–1.24]) and a lower risk of 90-day mortality (risk ratio, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.72–0.94]). There was no significant difference in successful recanalization (risk ratio, 1.02 [95% CI, 0.99–1.06]) and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage between the two groups (risk ratio, 1.13 [95% CI, 0.87–1.46]).

Conclusions:

In acute ischemic stroke with large vessel occlusion, the use of IAM together with MT may achieve better functional outcomes and lower mortality rates. Randomized controlled trials are warranted to establish the safety and efficacy of IAM as adjunctive treatment to MT.
Retinal Vasculature Fractal and Stroke Mortality
Authors: Liew Gerald , Gopinath Bamini , White Andrew J. , Burlutsky George , Yin Wong Tien , Mitchell Paul
Published: February 2021

Background and Purpose:

Fractal analysis is a method of quantifying the branching complexity and density of the retinal vessels. We hypothesized that reduced fractal dimension, signifying a sparser vascular network, is associated with long-term stroke mortality.

Methods:

We examined the relationship of fractal dimension and stroke mortality in a prospective, population-based cohort of 3143 participants aged 49 years or older. Fractal dimension was measured from digitized fundus photographs using a computer-automated method. Stroke mortality was documented from Australian National Death Index records. We defined reduced fractal dimension as values in the lowest quartile.

Results:

Over 12 years, there were 132 (4.2%) stroke-related deaths. Stroke-related mortality was higher in participants with reduced fractal dimension (lowest quartile) compared with the highest quartile (7.7% versus 1.3%,
P
<0.01). After controlling for age, gender, smoking, blood pressure, history of stroke, and other factors, participants with reduced fractal dimension had higher stroke mortality (hazard ratio, 2.42 [95% CI, 1.15–5.07], lowest versus highest quartile). When modeled as a continuous variable, reduced fractal dimension was associated with increased stroke mortality (multivariable-adjusted hazard ratio, 1.26 [95% CI, 1.06–1.51], per SD decrease).

Conclusions:

Reduced retinal vascular fractal dimension is independently associated with 12-year stroke mortality. Reduced fractal dimension may indicate cerebral tissue hypoxia and increased risk of stroke.
Molecular and morphological evidence of Onobrychis avanakensis, a new species from Iran

Authors: AMIRAHMADI ATEFE , KHOSHSOKHAN-MOZAFFAR MARYAM
Published: February 2021

Onobrychis avanakensis is described as a new species in sect. Onobrychis. The new species is restricted to the Alborz Mountains in the Qazvin province of Iran and distinguished from its closely related taxa in both morphological and molecular evidence based on nrDNA ITS sequences. O. avanakensis is well distinct from O. major and O. carduchorum by having different sizes of keel, wing and calyx. Based on the phylogenetic tree resulted from Bayesian inference, the new species is located in a separate branch. The distribution map and an illustration of the new species are provided.
Deep into darkness: the first stygobitic species of freshwater shrimp of the genus Caridina (Crustacea: Decapoda: Atyidae) from Northern Vietnam
Authors: TU DO VAN , THU CAO THI KIM , RINTELEN THOMAS VON
Published: February 2021

The first stygobitic species of atyid freshwater shrimps from Vietnam is described from Cuc Phuong National Park, Northern Vietnam. Caridina thachlam sp. nov. can be distinguished from its congeners by a suite of morphological characters such as strongly reduced eyes without eyestalk, short and almost unarmed rostrum and slender pereiopods. Molecular phylogenetic data from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and 16S ribosomal RNA genes also support the distinctiveness of the new species from all other species that we have examined.
Claxtonia goni, a new species of Tardigrada (Heterotardigrada, Echiniscidae) from the island of Maui (Hawaiian Islands, U.S.A., North Pacific Ocean), with notes to the genus Claxtonia Gąsiorek & Michalczyk, 2019
Authors: DEGMA PETER , MEYER HARRY A. , HINTON JULIANA G.
Published: February 2021

A new Tardigrada species, Claxtonia goni sp. nov. is described from specimens collected in the central area of the Haleakalā National Park, the island of Maui, Hawaii, U.S.A. The new species and Clx. pardalis (Degma & Schill, 2015) together with several examples of Clx. wendti (Richters, 1903) are the only known Claxtonia species with the plates having an intracuticular pattern resembling that on a leopard’s fur. Claxtonia goni sp. nov. differs from Clx. pardalis in the absence of pores on leg plates, in smaller and uniform pores on dorso-lateral plates, in very unequally spaced teeth in the dentate collar, in lesser ratio of internal cephalic cirrus and lateral cirrus A lengths, and in relatively shorter claws in fourth pair of legs. The differences between the new species and the other congeners as well as Echiniscus species with the same cirri composition and similar cuticular sculpture are also defined. The diagnosis of the genus Claxtonia is amended and three Echiniscus species are transferred into the genus with the proposed new combinations: Claxtonia aliquantilla (Grigarick, Schuster & Nelson, 1983) comb. nov., Clx. mosaica (Grigarick, Schuster & Nelson, 1983) comb. nov. and Clx. nigripustula (Horning, Schuster & Grigarick, 1978) comb. nov..
A new species of genus Hexacentrus Serville, 1831 from Taiwan (Orthoptera: Tettigoniidae: Hexacentrinae)
Authors: CHEN PO-WEI , XIE HUI-CONG , WU XUE , SHEN CHU-ZE , HE ZHU-QING
Published: February 2021

There are 29 species or subspecies in genus Hexacentrus occurring in Asia, Africa and Australia. Because of its similar appearance, it is not easy to distinguish them by traditional methods. In this study, we collected samples and sequenced COI genes from wide range. By reconstructing the gene tree, we found one new species, H. formosanus Chen et He sp. nov., from Taiwan. The new species is similar to H. expansus or H. inflatissimus, but differs from the former in male Cu2 vein of left tegmina curved and slender, and spectrum of male left tegmina slender and subsquare; differs from the later by body size smaller and female tegmina narrow and short. The type specimens are deposited in National Museum of Natural Science, Taichung, Taiwan (NMNS). H. japonicus hareyamai is treated as species level, H. hareyamai stat. nov.
A new species of Lyriothemis Brauer, 1868 from Vietnam and Thailand (Odonata: Libellulidae)
Authors: KOMPIER TOM , HOLDEN JAMES , MAKBUN NOPPADON
Published: February 2021

Lyriothemis pallidistigma sp. nov. (holotype male: Cat Tien National Park, Dong Nai Prov., southern Vietnam) is described. This species is reminiscent of L. defonsekai van der Poorten, 2009 and L. elegantissima Selys, 1883, but can be separated by the shape of its secondary genitalia and its patterning. Information on its biology and ecology is provided.
Consistency and Homogeneity of Atmospheric Energy, Moisture, and Mass Budgets in ERA5
Authors: Mayer Johannes , Mayer Michael , Haimberger Leopold
Published: February 2021

This study uses advanced numerical and diagnostic methods to evaluate the atmospheric energy budget with the fifth major global reanalysis produced by ECMWF (ERA5) in combination with observed and reconstructed top of the atmosphere (TOA) energy fluxes for the period 1985–2018. We assess the meridional as well as ocean–land energy transport and perform internal consistency checks using mass-balanced data. Furthermore, the moisture and mass budgets in ERA5 are examined and compared with previous budget evaluations using ERA-Interim as well as observation-based estimates. Results show that peak annual mean meridional atmospheric energy transports in ERA5 (4.58 ± 0.07 PW in the Northern Hemisphere) are weaker compared to ERA-Interim (4.74 ± 0.09 PW), where the higher spatial and temporal resolution of ERA5 can be excluded as a possible reason. The ocean–land energy transport in ERA5 is reliable at least from 2000 onward (~2.5 PW) such that the imbalance between net TOA fluxes and lateral energy fluxes over land are on the order of ~1 W m−2. Spinup and spindown effects as revealed from inconsistencies between analyses and forecasts are generally smaller and temporally less variable in ERA5 compared to ERA-Interim. Evaluation of the moisture budget shows that the ocean–land moisture transport and parameterized freshwater fluxes agree well in ERA5, while there are large inconsistencies in ERA-Interim. Overall, the quality of the budgets derived from ERA5 is demonstrably better than estimates from ERA-Interim. Still some particularly sensitive budget quantities (e.g., precipitation, evaporation, and ocean–land energy transport) show apparent inhomogeneities, especially in the late 1990s, which warrant further investigation and need to be considered in studies of interannual variability and trends.
Environmental Conditions Associated with Horizontal Convective Rolls, Cellular Convection, and No Organized Circulations
Authors: Santellanes Sean R. , Young George S. , Stensrud David J. , Kumjian Matthew R. , Pan Ying
Published: February 2021

Typical environmental conditions associated with horizontal convective rolls (HCRs) and cellular convection have been known for over 50 years. Yet our ability to predict whether HCRs, cellular convection, or no discernable organized (null) circulation will occur within a well-mixed convective boundary layer based upon easily observed environmental variables has been limited. Herein, a large database of 50 cases each of HCR, cellular convection, and null events is created that includes observations of mean boundary layer wind and wind shear, boundary layer depth; surface observations of wind, temperature, and relative humidity; and estimates of surface sensible heat flux. Results from a multiclass linear discriminant analysis applied to these data indicate that environmental conditions can be useful in predicting whether HCRs, cellular convection, or no circulation occurs, with the analysis identifying the correct circulation type on 72% of the case days. This result is slightly better than using a mean convective boundary layer (CBL) wind speed of 6 m s−1 to discriminate between HCRs and cells. However, the mean CBL wind speed has no ability to further separate out cases with no CBL circulation. The key environmental variables suggested by the discriminant analysis are mean sensible heat flux, friction velocity, and the Obukhov length.
Estimation of Bivariate Survival Function from Random Censored Data with Poisson Sample Size
Authors: Abdushukurov Abdurakhim Akhmedovich , Muradov Rustamjon Sobitkhonovich
Published: February 2021

At the present time there are several approaches to estimation of survival functions of vectors of lifetimes. However, some of these estimators either are inconsistent or not fully defined in range of joint survival functions and therefore not applicable in practice. In this article, we consider three types of estimates of exponential-hazard, product-limit, and relative-risk power structures for the bivariate survival function, when replacing the number of summands in empirical estimates with a sequence of Poisson random variables. It is shown that these estimates are asymptotically equivalent.

AMS 2000 subject classification: 62N01
Current State of the Evidence: Examining the Effects of Orton-Gillingham Reading Interventions for Students With or at Risk for Word-Level Reading Disabilities
Authors: Stevens Elizabeth A. , Austin Christy , Moore Clint , Scammacca Nancy , Boucher Alexis N. , Vaughn Sharon
Published: February 2021

Over the past decade, parent advocacy groups led a grassroots movement resulting in most states adopting dyslexia-specific legislation, with many states mandating the use of the Orton-Gillingham approach to reading instruction. Orton-Gillingham is a direct, explicit, multisensory, structured, sequential, diagnostic, and prescriptive approach to reading for students with or at risk for word-level reading disabilities (WLRD). Evidence from a prior synthesis and What Works Clearinghouse reports yielded findings lacking support for the effectiveness of Orton-Gillingham interventions. We conducted a meta-analysis to examine the effects of Orton-Gillingham reading interventions on the reading outcomes of students with or at risk for WLRD. Findings suggested Orton-Gillingham reading interventions do not statistically significantly improve foundational skill outcomes (i.e., phonological awareness, phonics, fluency, spelling; effect size [ES] = 0.22; p = .40), although the mean ES was positive in favor of Orton-Gillingham-based approaches. Similarly, there were not significant differences for vocabulary and comprehension outcomes (ES = 0.14; p = .59) for students with or at risk for WLRD. More high-quality, rigorous research with larger samples of students with WLRD is needed to fully understand the effects of Orton-Gillingham interventions on the reading outcomes for this population.
Idiom and innovation in the ‘Gupta Period’: Revisiting Eran and Sondhni
Authors: Cecil Elizabeth A. , Bisschop Peter C.
Published: February 2021

To show how kingship was enacted and materialised in specific contexts within the ‘Gupta Ecumene’, writ large, this article presents a detailed analysis of two sites that served as centres for political performance, devotional practice, and artistic production between the fourth and the sixth century CE: Eran and Sondhni in the Indian heartland of Madhya Pradesh. Eran is commonly held to be a key site for the study of Gupta art and architecture and holds several important inscriptions from the beginning to the end of the Gupta period, including one issued by Samudragupta. Sondhni is marked by two inscribed columns of Yaśodharman, a former Gupta subordinate who challenged the imperial rulers using metaphors borrowed from Samudragupta’s Allahabad Pillar Inscription. Examining these two sites in dialogue presents an opportunity to identify a shared cultural realm in which local polities participated and developed a transregional ‘Gupta’ political discourse. This study normalises a Gupta-centred imperial history and, in doing so, participates in a wider departure from dynastic history by emphasising the ways in which localised polities and rulers negotiated the political idioms of their day, challenged them, and created spaces for innovation.
Vietnam’s Containment of COVID-19: Why the Coronavirus Mortality has Been So Low
Authors: Schuftan Claudio
Published: February 2021

The successful experience of Vietnam, with a population of almost 100 million, in handling the COVID pandemic from March to November 2020 is presented as a case study. It is posited that lessons learned apply to every other country—even at this late stage of the epidemic. Detailed aspects of detection, containment, testing, contact tracing, quarantining, targeted lockdowns, public health messaging, and travel and mobility restriction policies are discussed.
The Editor’s Note: On ed tech, let’s meet in the middle
Authors: Heller Rafael
Published: February 2021

It’s easy to get swept up in the excitement of new technology that appears to have potential to transform everything, including education. But, as Rafael Heller explains, educators have a long history of being seduced by technologies that never really lived up to their promise. That’s no reason to ignore technology’s potential, but plenty of reason to be realistic about what it can achieve.
A Look Back: Computers in the classroom, as covered in Kappan
Authors: Preston Teresa
Published: February 2021

The potential of computers to transform schools has been a significant concern of educators since at least the 1960s. Teresa Preston explores how Kappan authors covered the computer age, beginning with explorations of computer-assisted instruction in the 1960s and continuing through the development of microcomputers in the 1980s. Although authors had great hopes for how computers could provide more engaging and individualized experiences, they also acknowledged that implementing technology would not be easy and that changes might be more gradual than technology advocates hoped.
Digital platforms aren’t mere tools —they’re complex environments
Authors: Garcia Antero , Nichols T. Philip
Published: February 2021

Antero Garcia and T. Philip Nichols explore how classrooms and schools must reframe their conceptions of technology from a focus on tools that serve specific purposes to a focus on platforms and their ecologies. In doing so, they argue, educational stakeholders should attend to three different dimensions of how technology is integrated in schools: the social uses of digital technologies, the design decisions that were made about these products, and the material resources that help make them operate. This approach requires educators to ask complicated questions about what technology does in schools and how to teach with and about it.
Mixed reality simulations for social-emotional learning
Authors: Murphy Kristin M. , Cook Amy L. , Fallon Lindsay M.
Published: February 2021

Although social-emotional learning is associated with long-term success in school and careers, it is often a missing link in U.S. public education. The COVID-19 pandemic has intensified the need for social-emotional supports for children. In this time of crisis, educators have also sought new ways to make connections and reimagined how students might actively learn with each other. Kristin Murphy, Amy Cook, & Lindsay Fallon discuss what they have learned about using mixed reality simulations to facilitate social-emotional learning with children and what makes this technology a promising active learning tool.
The misguided quest for a constitutional right to education
Authors: Tampio Nicholas
Published: February 2021

The Supreme Court ruled in San Antonio Independent School District v. Rodriguez (1973) that there is no constitutional right to education, but that has not stopped families and education activists from arguing that this right is implicit in the Fourteenth Amendment. Nicholas Tampio contends that, based upon the history of federal involvement in education, a constitutional right to education would likely lead to an increase in high-stakes testing. The way to prepare young people for citizenship is to raise them in communities, including communities of color, that govern the schools themselves without the oversight of federal judges.
On Leadership: Invest in long-term needs, not short-term gains
Authors: Starr Joshua P.
Published: February 2021

As school districts receive relief funds in response to COVID-19, they will face difficult decisions about how to use them. Joshua Starr encourages leaders to look toward long-term needs, instead of spending the money on high-profile programs that may receive a lot of attention but not contribute to the system’s overall health. He offers some suggestions for how to spread funds among different priorities and support the students who are most in need.
Career Confidential: Ambitious teacher suddenly has lost all motivation
Authors: Fagell Phyllis L.
Published: February 2021

In this advice column, Phyllis Fagell offers advice to educators about their professional dilemmas. This month, an ambitious teacher has lost the motivation to do anything more than the bare minimum. A male colleague’s inappropriate comments has put a teacher in doubt about what she wears when working from home.
Data quality in primary care, Scotland
Authors: Weatherburn Christopher J
Published: February 2021

Background and aims

This project explores primary care data quality (DQ) across Scotland.

Methods and results

A survey was sent to primary care staff in winter 2019. National data regarding Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) performance indicators and the GP software system used was obtained, analysed with T-tests and Chi-squared tests. Overall QOF performance with non-financial incentives from 918 practices was 77%. There was no significant difference with overall QOF performance against GP system ( p = 0.46) or if the practice had a coder ( p = 0.06). From the survey, search systems that make it hard to search for particular codes was the most important barrier to DQ; 61% of respondents ( n = 491) felt there was particular information GPs should code, 16% of respondents stated that hospital discharge letters generally include corresponding codes and 9% for outpatient correspondence; 43% stated their practice had undertaken steps to improve DQ, training was the most common initiative, followed by workflow optimisation, dedicated coder(s), audit, guidelines and using code lists; 80% ( n = 475) of respondents had received training in using their GP system, an average of eight years ago.

Conclusion

Obtaining improved GP systems, training, agreeing what GPs should code and improving transfer of data should be explored.
The Role of Trust in Mitigating Perceived Threat, Fear, and Travel Avoidance after a Pandemic Outbreak: A Multigroup Analysis
Authors: Zheng Danni , Luo Qiuju , Ritchie Brent W.
Published: February 2021

Public trust plays a vital role in a public health crisis. Drawing on trust and protection motivation theories, the study explores how people impose trust, fear and perceived threat in postpandemic travel decisions. Employing a quota sampling approach, the research collected from an online survey of 1208 respondents across regions in mainland China. Findings suggest that public trust in tourists significantly mitigates fear, perceived threat and postpandemic travel avoidance. Although trust in government can decrease travel fear, it inhibits travel intentions in a postpandemic era. The study also detects group differences by examining sociodemographic and pandemic region factors, providing practical implications on building tourists’ trust in postpandemic travel.
A Race of Devils: Race-Making, Frankenstein, and The Modern Prometheus
Authors: Brendese P. J.
Published: February 2021

This essay engages Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus as a salient intervention into modern political theory. I analyze the work as a cipher for the tensions inhabiting Euro-modernity’s stitched together fictions of racial determinism and racial dynamism legible in slavery, assimilationist projects and White fears reverberating throughout. Adapting the mythical ancient Prometheus as one who steals fire from the gods to create humans and civilization, Frankenstein dramatizes the risks and monstrous results of White imperial masculinity as a Euro-colonial Promethean project of subject formation and race-making. Viewed through the prism of the Modern Prometheus, modernity in general and liberal humanism in particular are recast as monster-making projects. The European “discovery” of Indigenous peoples amplified Promethean aspirations to create subjects through civilizational processes of religious conversion, the infusion of Enlightenment rationality, and assimilation into whiteness. Politically, the Promethean capacity to engineer humans and proto-humans using Native peoples as raw material allowed progressives to argue against outright extermination in favor of cultural genocide. Seeking to create a subserviant species, Victor Frankenstein confronts a revolting insurrection of his own making—a Creature who refuses slavery, claims mastery over his creator and demands a female companion. Yet Frankenstein’s fear of creating “a race of devils” betrays a terror of what Whites know, but refuse to acknowledge, about themselves and racial others.
A fast-moving horizon estimation method based on the symplectic pseudospectral algorithm
Authors: Wang Xinwei , Liu Jie , Peng Haijun , Zhao Xudong
Published: February 2021

In this paper, a fast-moving horizon state estimation algorithm for nonlinear continuous systems with measurement noises and model disturbances is developed. The optimization problem required to be solved at each sampling instant is formulated into a backward nonlinear optimal control problem over the finite past. Once prior knowledge of the observed system is available, constraints can be further imposed. The highly efficient and accurate symplectic pseudospectral algorithm is taken as the core solver, which leads to the symplectic pseudospectral moving horizon estimation (SP-MHE) method. The developed SP-MHE is first evaluated by numerical simulations for a hovercraft. Then the developed method is extended to parameter estimation and applied to a chaotic system with an unknown parameter. Simulation results show that the SP-MHE can generate accurate estimations even under large sampling periods or large noise where regular filters fail. In addition, the SP-MHE exhibits excellent online efficiency, suggesting it can be used for scenarios where the sampling period is relatively small.