bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Thermodynamic description and quasinormal modes of adS black holes in Born-lnfeld massive gravity with a non-abelian hair
Authors: Hendi Seyed Hossein , Momennia Mehrab
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We construct a new class of asymptotically (a)dS black hole solutions of Einstein-Yang-Mills massive gravity in the presence of Born-Infeld nonlinear electrody­ namics. The obtained solutions possess a Coulomb electric charge, massive term and a non-abelian hair as well. We calculate the conserved and thermodynamic quantities, and investigate the validity of the first law of thermodynamics. Also, we investigate thermal stability conditions by using the sign of heat capacity through canonical ensemble. Next, we consider the cosmological constant as a thermodynamical pressure and study the van der Waals like phase transition of black holes in the extended phase space thermodynamics. Our results indicate the existence of a phase transition which is affected by the parameters of theory. Finally, we consider a massless scalar perturbation in the background of asymptotically adS solutions and calculate the quasinormal modes by employing the pseu­ dospectral method. The imaginary part of quasinormal frequencies is the time scale of a thermal state (in the conformal field theory) for the approach to thermal equilibrium.
Renormalized AdS gravity and holographic entanglement entropy of even-dimensional CFTs
Authors: Anastasiou Giorgos , Araya Ignacio J. , Güijosa Alberto , Olea Rodrigo
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We derive a general formula for renormalized entanglement entropy in even- dimensional CFTs holographically dual to Einstein gravity in one dimension higher. In order to renormalize, we adapt the Kounterterm method to asymptotically locally AdS manifolds with conical singularities. On the gravity side, the computation considers extrin- sic counterterms and the use of the replica trickà laLewkowycz-Maldacena. The boundary countertermBdis shown to satisfy a key property, in direct analogy to the Euler density: when evaluated on a conically singular manifold, it decomposes into a regular part plus a codimension-2 version of itself located at the conical singularity. The renormalized entropy thus obtained is shown to correspond to the universal part of the holographic entangle- ment entropy, which for spherical entangling surfaces is proportional to the central chargeathat is the subject of thea-theorem. We also review and elucidate various aspects of the Kounterterm approach, including in particular its full compatibility with the Dirichlet condition for the metric at the conformal boundary, that is of standard use in holography.
Power-enhanced leading-logarithmic QED corrections to Bq→ μ+μ−
Authors: Beneke Martin , Bobeth Christoph , Szafron Robert
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We provide a systematic treatment of the previously discovered power- enhanced QED corrections to the leptonic decay Bq→ μ+μ− (q = d, s) in the frame- work of soft-collinear effective theory (SCET). Employing two-step matching on SCETI and SCETII, and the respective renormalization group equations, we sum the leading- logarithmic QED corrections and the mixed QED-QCD corrections to all orders in the couplings for the matrix element of the semileptonic weak effective operator Q9. We pro- pose a treatment of the B-meson decay constant and light-cone distribution amplitude in the presence of process-specific QED corrections. Finally we include ultrasoft photon radiation and provide updated values of the non-radiative and radiative branching fractions of Bq→ μ+μ− decay that include the double-logarithmic QED and QCD corrections.
Prospects for disentangling long- and short-distance effects in the decays B → K∗μ+μ−
Authors: Chrzaszcz Marcin , Mauri Andrea , Serra Nicola , Coutinho Rafael Silva , van Dyk Danny
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Theory uncertainties on non-local hadronic effects limit the New Physics discovery potential of the rare decays B → K

∗

μ
+
μ

−
. We investigate prospects to disentangle New Physics effects in the short-distance coefficients from these effects. Our approach makes use of an event-by-event amplitude analysis, and relies on a particular parametrisation of the non-local contributions. We find that non-standard effects in the short-distance coefficients can be successfully disentangled from non-local hadronic effects. The impact of the truncation on the parametrisation of non-local contributions to the Wilson coefficients are for the first time systematically examined and prospects for their precise determination are discussed. Theoretical inputs on the non-local matrix elements beyond the physically- accessible phase space are crucial to stabilise the determination of Wilson coefficients, while we find that physical observables are unaffected by these uncertainties. Compared to other methods, our approach provides for a more precise extraction of the angular observables from data.
The minimal stealth boson: models and benchmarks
Authors: Aguilar-Saavedra J.A. , Joaquim F.R.
Published: November 2019

Abstract

Stealth bosons are relatively light boosted particles with a cascade decay S → A1A2 → qq̄qq̄, reconstructed as a single fat jet. In this work, we establish mini- mal extensions of the Standard Model that allow for such processes. Namely, we consider models containing a new (leptophobic) neutral gauge boson Z

t
and two scalar singlets, plus extra matter required to cancel the U(1)
t
anomalies. Our analysis shows that, depending on the model and benchmark scenario, the expected statistical significance of stealth boson signals (yet uncovered by current searches at the Large Hadron Collider) is up to nine times larger than for the most sensitive of the standard leptophobic Z

t
signals such as dijets, tt
̄ pairs or dibosons. These results provide strong motivation for model-independent searches that cover these complex signals.
A note on the open string pair production of the D3/D1 system
Authors: Lu J.X.
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We here report a possibility of detecting the open string pair production from the system of a D3 brane, taken as our own (1 + 3)-dimensional world and carrying its worldvolume collinear electric and magnetic fluxes, and a nearby D-string, placed parallel at a separation in the directions transverse to both branes.
20′ five-point function from AdS5× S5 supergravity
Authors: Gonçalves Vasco , Pereira Raul , Zhou Xinan
Published: November 2019

Abstract

We develop new techniques to compute five-point correlation functions from IIB supergravity on AdS5 × S
5. Our methods rely entirely on symmetry and general con- sistency conditions, and eschew detailed knowledge of the supergravity effective action. We demonstrate our methods by computing the five-point function of the 20
′ operator, which is the superconformal primary of the stress tensor multiplet. We also develop systematic methods to compute the five-point conformal blocks in series expansions. Using the ex- plicit expressions of the conformal blocks, we perform a Euclidean OPE analysis of the 20
′ five-point function. We find expected agreement with non-renormalized quantities and also extract new CFT data at strong coupling.
Non-singular string cosmology via α′ corrections
Authors: Wang Peng , Wu Houwen , Yang Haitang , Ying Shuxuan
Published: November 2019

Abstract

In string theory, an important challenge is to show if the big-bang singularity could be resolved by the higher derivative α′ corrections. In this work, based on the Hohm-Zwiebach action, we construct a series of non-singular non-perturbative cosmological solutions with the complete α′ corrections, for the bosonic gravi-dilaton system. In the perturbative regime, these solutions exactly match the perturbative results given in literature. Our results show that the big-bang singularity indeed could be smoothed out by the higher derivative α′ corrections.
Effect of abiotic stress factors on polyphenolic content in the skin and flesh of pear by UPLC-PDA-Q/TOF-MS
Authors: Cebulak Tomasz , Oszmiański Jan , Kapusta Ireneusz , Lachowicz Sabina
Published: November 2019

Growing social interest in foods with high biological quality results in the need to look for possibilities of increasing the biological quality of food products. The aim of this research was an attempt to estimate the increase of polyphenolic compounds (by UPLC-PDA-MS/MS) in the flesh and skin of pear under the influence of stress elicitors such as UVC radiation, L-EMF, H-EMF and US with various exposure times. The applied stress factors differentiated the content of phenolic acids, flavan-3-ols and flavonols both in flesh and in skin. In all cases, pear skin demonstrated a decrease in the sum of polyphenolic compounds; however, when it comes to flavan-3-ols and procyanidins, the concentration of the compounds increased in two cases: after a 30-min exposure to L-EMF (+ 18%) and after a 5-min exposure to H-EMF (+ 20%). Following a 30-min flesh exposure to US, the determined sum of polyphenolic compounds was + 28% higher than in the control sample. It was observed that the level of flavan-3-ols and procyanidins in the flesh increased after a 60-min exposure to UVC radiation and low-frequency and high-frequency electromagnetic fields, and after a 20-min and 30-min exposure to ultrasounds. The presence of flavonols was only observed in pear skin. The research results show that it is possible to produce juice with a higher content of polyphenolic compounds, because juice is obtained mainly from the flesh; however, there is a need for further research to confirm the observed tendencies in the changes of polyphenolic compounds in fractions of pears.
Plant oil mixtures as a novel botanical pesticide to control gregarious locusts
Authors: Abdelatti Zainab Ali Saad , Hartbauer Manfred
Published: November 2019

For thousands of years, large locust swarms have caused severe problems in agriculture. People fight against current outbreaks by using chemical pesticides or an insect fungus known as Green Muscle™. While chemical pesticides may be harmful for humans and non-target species, the sporulation of the fungus takes a long period of time and requires conditions of high humidity that are not always found in the field. In this study, we tested the toxicity of a linseed oil/bicarbonate emulsion against gregarious desert locusts and screened for plant essential oils that enhance its toxicity. Finally, we combined three essential oils to develop a novel formulation that is effective against the desert and migratory locust species after single spray treatment. Within 24 h, this formulation caused a mean mortality rate of 80% and 100% of desert and migratory locusts, respectively. Its toxicity is based on a synergistic effect resulting from the combination of caraway, orange peel and wintergreen oils. In addition, we tested this botanical pesticide on two beetle species regarded either as alternative or beneficial non-target species. The first species, mealworm beetles, did not suffer from the spray treatment and behaved normally after 8 days. In contrast, 67.7% of ladybird adults died in the same time span. Interestingly, the growth of wheat seedlings was almost unaffected by spraying this botanical pesticide. These results suggest this botanical pesticide can be used as a strong agent against desert and migratory locusts, but needs to be used with care to minimize unwanted side effects on the ecosystem.
Corporate Social Responsibility as Obligated Internalisation of Social Costs
Authors: Johnston Andrew , Amaeshi Kenneth , Adegbite Emmanuel , Osuji Onyeka
Published: November 2019

We propose that corporations should be subject to a legal obligation to identify and internalise their social costs or negative externalities. Our proposal reframes corporate social responsibility (CSR) as obligated internalisation of social costs, and relies on reflexive governance through mandated hybrid fora. We argue that our approach advances theory, as well as practice and policy, by building on and going beyond prior attempts to address social costs, such as prescriptive government regulation, Coasian bargaining and political CSR.
Scientific complications and controversies noted in the field of CdS/CdTe thin film solar cells and the way forward for further development
Authors: Dharmadasa I. M. , Alam A. E. , Ojo A. A. , Echendu O. K.
Published: November 2019

Cadmium telluride-based solar cell is the most successfully commercialised thin film solar cell today. The laboratory-scale small devices have achieved ~ 22%, and commercial solar panels have reached ~ 18% conversion efficiencies. However, there are various technical complications and some notable scientific contradictions that appear in the scientific literature published since the early 1970s. This review paper discusses some of these major complications and controversies in order to focus future research on issues of material growth and characterisation, post-growth processing, device architectures and interpretation of the results. Although CdTe can be grown using more than 14 different growth techniques, successful commercialisation has been taken place using close-space sublimation and electrodeposition techniques only. The experimental results presented in this review are mainly based on electrodeposition. Historical trends of research and commercial successes have also been discussed compared to the timeline of novel breakthroughs in this field. Deeper understanding of these issues may lead to further increase in conversion efficiencies of this solar cell. Some novel ideas for further development of thin film solar cells are also discussed towards the end of this paper.
Government assistance and total factor productivity: firm-level evidence from China
Authors: Harris Richard , Li Shengyu
Published: November 2019

Industrial policy, particularly through the provision of large-scale assistance to industry in the form of ‘tax holidays’ and subsidies to firms, is very important in China. A major contribution of this paper is to introduce firm-level measures of assistance directly into industry-level production functions determining firm output using Chinese firm-level panel data for 1998–2007 and analysing the impact of government assistance on TFP at the firm-level. Our results indicate inverted U-shaped gains from assistance: across the 26 industries considered, firms receiving assistance rates of 1–10, 10–19, 20–49 and 50+% experienced on average 4.5, 9.4, 9.2 and −3% gains in TFP level, respectively. We then decompose the growth of TFP and relate it to assistance and formal political connections between firms and the government. We find in general firms receiving assistance contributed relatively more to TFP growth than non-assisted firms. However, this was largely through new firms being ‘encouraged’ to start-up rather than through firms open throughout 1998 to 2007 improving. There is also evidence that closure rates were truncated as a result of assistance. Moreover, the better results for assisted firms was very much ‘driven’ by a sub-group that received assistance but had no formal political connections and were not State-owned.
Methods for Classifying Nonprofit Organizations According to their Field of Activity: A Report on Semi-automated Methods Based on Text
Authors: Litofcenko Julia , Karner Dominik , Maier Florentine
Published: November 2019

There are various methods for classifying nonprofit organizations (NPOs) according to their field of activity. We report our experiences using two semi-automated methods based on textual data: rule-based classification and machine learning with curated keywords. We use those methods to classify Austrian nonprofit organizations based on the International Classification of Nonprofit Organizations. Those methods can provide a solution to the widespread research problem that quantitative data on the activities of NPOs are needed but not readily available from administrative data, long high-quality texts describing NPOs’ activities are mostly unavailable, and human labor resources are limited. We find that in such a setting, rule-based classification performs about as well as manual human coding in terms of precision and sensitivity, while being much more labor-saving. Hence, we share our insights on how to efficiently implement such a rule-based approach. To address scholars with a background in data analytics as well as those without, we provide non-technical explanations and open-source sample code that is free to use and adapt.
The transfer of specific mitochondrial lipids and proteins to lipid droplets contributes to proteostasis upon stress and aging in the eukaryotic model system Saccharomyces cerevisiae
Authors: Geltinger Florian , Tevini Julia , Briza Peter , Geiser Amrito , Bischof Johannes , Richter Klaus , Felder Thomas , Rinnerthaler Mark
Published: November 2019

Originally Lipid droplets (LDs) were considered as being droplets for lipid storage only. Increasing evidence, however, demonstrates that LDs fulfill a pleiotropy of additional functions. Among them is the modulation of protein as well as lipid homeostasis. Under unfavorable pro-oxidative conditions, proteins can form aggregates which may exceed the overall proteolytic capacity of the proteasome. After stress termination LDs can adjust and support the removal of these aggregates. Additionally, LDs interact with mitochondria, specifically take over certain proteins and thus prevent apoptosis. LDs, which are loaded with these harmful proteins, are subsequently eliminated via lipophagy. Recently it was demonstrated that this autophagic process is a modulator of longevity. LDs do not only eliminate potentially dangerous proteins, but they are also able to prevent lipotoxicity by storing specific lipids. In the present study we used the model organism Saccharomyces cerevisiae to compare the proteome as well as lipidome of mitochondria and LDs under different conditions: replicative aging, stress and apoptosis. In this context we found an accumulation of proteins at LDs, supporting the role of LDs in proteostasis. Additionally, the composition of main lipid classes such as phosphatidylcholines, phosphatidylethanolamines, phosphatidylinositols, phosphatidylglycerols, triacylglycerols, ceramides, phosphatidic acids and ergosterol of LDs and mitochondria changed during stress conditions and aging.
Definitions of Long-Term Weight Regain and Their Associations with Clinical Outcomes
Authors: Voorwinde Vera , Steenhuis Ingrid H. M. , Janssen Ignace M. C. , Monpellier Valerie M. , van Stralen Maartje M.
Published: November 2019

Introduction

The prevalence and clinical significance of weight regain after bariatric surgery remains largely unclear due to the lack of a standardized definition of significant weight regain. The development of a clinically relevant definition of weight regain requires a better understanding of its clinical significance.

Objectives

To assess rates of weight regain 5 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG), applying six definitions and investigating their association with clinical outcomes.

Methods

Patients were followed up until 5 years after surgery and weight regain was calculated. Regression techniques were used to assess the association of weight regain with health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and the presence of comorbidities.

Results

A total of 868 patients participated in the study, with a mean age of 46.6 (± 10.4) years, of which 79% were female. The average preoperative BMI was 44.8 (± 5.9) kg/m2 and the total maximum weight loss was 32% (± 8%). Eighty-seven percent experienced any regain. Significant weight regain rates ranged from 16 to 37% depending on the definition. Three weight regain definitions were associated with deterioration in physical HRQoL (p < 0.05), while associations between definitions of weight regain and the presence of comorbidities 5 years after surgery were not significant.

Conclusion

These results indicate that identifying one single categorical definition of clinically significant weight regain is difficult. Additional research into the clinical significance of weight regain is needed to inform the development of a standardized definition that includes all dimensions of surgery success: weight, HRQoL, and comorbidity remission.
Mechanical impact stimulation platform tailored for high-resolution light microscopy
Authors: Halonen Heidi T. , Hyttinen Jari A.K. , Ihalainen Teemu O.
Published: November 2019

High frequency (HF) mechanical vibration has been used in vitro to study the cellular response to mechanical stimulation and induce stem cell differentiation. However, detailed understanding of the effect of the mechanical cues on cellular physiology is lacking. To meet this limitation, we have designed a system, which enables monitoring of living cells by high-resolution light microscopy during mechanical stimulation by HF vibration or mechanical impacts. The system consists of a commercial speaker, and a 3D printed sample vehicle and frame. The speaker moves the sample in the horizontal plane, allowing simultaneous microscopy. The HF vibration (30–200 Hz) performances of two vehicles made of polymer and aluminum were characterized with accelerometer. The mechanical impacts were characterized by measuring the acceleration of the aluminum vehicle and by time lapse imaging. The lighter polymer vehicle produced higher HF vibration magnitudes at 30–50 Hz frequencies than the aluminum vehicle. However, the aluminum vehicle performed better at higher frequencies (60–70 Hz, 90–100 Hz, 150 Hz). Compatibility of the system in live cell experiments was investigated with epithelial cells (MDCKII, expressing Emerald-Occludin) and HF (0.56Gpeak,30 Hz and 60 Hz) vibration. Our findings indicated that our system is compatible with high-resolution live cell microscopy. Furthermore, the epithelial cells were remarkable stable under mechanical vibration stimulation. To conclude, we have designed an inexpensive tool for the studies of cellular biophysics, which combines versatile in vivo like mechanical stimuli with live cell imaging, showing a great potential for several cellular applications.
Life and Death in the American City: Men’s Life Expectancy in 25 Major American Cities From 1990 to 2015
Authors: Fenelon Andrew , Boudreaux Michel
Published: November 2019

The past several decades have witnessed growing geographic disparities in life expectancy within the United States, yet the mortality experience of U.S. cities has received little attention. We examine changes in men’s life expectancy at birth for the 25 largest U.S. cities from 1990 to 2015, using mortality data with city of residence identifiers. We reveal remarkable increases in life expectancy for several U.S. cities. Men’s life expectancy increased by 13.7 years in San Francisco and Washington, DC, and by 11.8 years in New York between 1990 and 2015, during which overall U.S. life expectancy increased by just 4.8 years. A significant fraction of gains in the top-performing cities relative to the U.S. average is explained by reductions in HIV/AIDS and homicide during the 1990s and 2000s. Although black men tended to see larger life expectancy gains than white men in most cities, changes in socioeconomic and racial population composition also contributed to these trends.
Computing abelian varieties over finite fields isogenous to a power
Authors: Marseglia Stefano
Published: November 2019

In this paper we give a module-theoretic description of the isomorphism classes of abelian varieties A isogenous to $$B^r$$Br, where the characteristic polynomial g of Frobenius of B is an ordinary square-free q-Weil polynomial, for a power q of a prime p, or a square-free p-Weil polynomial with no real roots. Under some extra assumptions on the polynomial g we give an explicit description of all the isomorphism classes which can be computed in terms of fractional ideals of an order in a finite product of number fields. In the ordinary case, we also give a module-theoretic description of the polarizations of A.
Diagnosing Sample-Selection Bias in Historical Heights: A Reply to Komlos and A’Hearn
Authors: Bodenhorn Howard , Guinnane Timothy W. , Mroz Thomas A.
Published: November 2019

Our 2017 article in this Journal stresses the pitfalls of using choice-based samples in economic history. A prominent example is the literature addressing the so-called antebellum puzzle. Heights researchers claim that Americans grew shorter in the first half of the nineteenth century, a period of robust economic growth. We argue that this result relies on choice-based samples. Without knowing the process that led to inclusion in the sample, researchers cannot properly estimate conditional mean heights. We proposed a diagnostic that can detect, but not correct for, selection bias. Komlos and A’Hearn’s interpretation of our analysis confuses diagnosis with cure. We dispute their view that selection bias has been appreciated in the heights literature.
SALADIN'S ‘SPIN DOCTORS’
Authors: Hillenbrand Carole
Published: November 2019

We might flatter ourselves that the idea of a spin doctor is rather a modern one, but I wonder. Obviously enough, powerful rulers have always had their coterie of close advisers. But in the medieval Muslim world there is one outstanding example of something rather more than this: the team of three counsellors that Saladin assembled who watched over his interests and, crucially, his reputation, with unflagging devotion for decades. Two of them were, by any standard, intellectual stars who could have turned their multifarious talents in many directions but who chose rather to dedicate them to a man whom they not only admired but also loved. One of them, the poet ‘Imad al-Din al-Isfahani, was a Persian with a truly awesome command of Arabic, a gift which he delighted to exhibit in and out of season. His pyrotechnic performances, solid with metaphor, saturated with puns, wordplay, alliteration, assonance and verbal acrobatics, are such a nightmare to understand that generations of Western Orientalists – and indeed Arab scholars too, for that matter – have recoiled from the task of editing certain of his works. Sometimes in his writings manner eclipses matter, but he is also capable of reaching heights of solemn eloquence, as in his paean of triumph at the recapture of Jerusalem, or his threnody on the death of Saladin. The other, the Qadi al-Fadil – his title means ‘The Excellent Judge’ – though only a somewhat pedestrian poet, was an acknowledged master of the epistolary prose that was de rigueur in Islamic chanceries, and for centuries his letters were regarded as models of their genre. His appearance, hunchbacked and skeletal, made him the butt of the court's satirical poets, but his political skills were beyond reproach, and indeed in his master's absence he governed Egypt for a time. It has been said that biography adds an extra terror to death, but in that respect Saladin need not have worried. For Ibn Shaddad, the third member of this distinguished triumvirate, who joined the team after the fall of Jerusalem but thereafter never left Saladin's side and therefore saw him in good times and bad, was a plain man with a plain style. But he rose to the occasion and crafted a biography of his hero Saladin that lets the facts speak for themselves. He has no time for stale panegyric; instead, his admiration for Saladin shines through his account at every turn, and it is he who laid the foundations for his master's posthumous celebrity. The lecture will explore the impact of these three men on the Saladin legend, which transformed a minor Kurdish warlord into an emblem of chivalry, piety and military glory which captured the hearts and the imaginations of Muslims for centuries to come – and still does.
LOVE, CARE AND THE ILLEGITIMATE CHILD IN EIGHTEENTH-CENTURY SCOTLAND
Authors: Barclay Katie
Published: November 2019

This article uses a combination of court and Kirk (Church of Scotland) session records, and several sets of letters written by the mothers of illegitimate children to explore how such children were loved and cared for in eighteenth-century Scotland. It argues that legitimacy, as well as class and gender, mattered in the love and care that children received. Illegitimacy also had an impact on who mothered, fracturing the bond between the biological mother and child, for a mothering given by other mothers, including wet-nurses, grandparents and, later, employers. Its conclusion is that how a child was mothered, the love and care they received, were products of a child's positioning – gender, class, legitimacy, parentage – in the world. Love was a social product, framed and shaped by and through the social, economic and legal networks in which the child was positioned. Whilst the legitimate child, both in law and social practice, might have expected its care to be framed primarily through the nuclear family, the bastard child belonged, as the law suggested, to the community, requiring its mothering to be dispersed.
TIME AND DISTANCE: REFLECTIONS ON LOCAL AND GLOBAL HISTORY FROM EAST AFRICA
Authors: Reid Richard
Published: November 2019

This paper is concerned with East Africans’ perceptions of the intersection between their own, highly charged and contested, local histories, and the global past, as well as their place in it. The two case studies on which the paper is based – Eritrea and Uganda – have much in common in terms of recent history, not least in their experience of prolonged violence, and thus taken together they elucidate distinctive characteristics. Yet they also illustrate broader phenomena. On one level, particular interpretations of local history – both the deeper, precolonial past and the more recent, twentieth-century past – are utilised tocritiquethe flow of global history, as well as the impositions of globalisation, and to emphasise the bitter experience of marginality and lack of agency. At the same time, the global past – conceptualised as the evolution of an intrusive, imperialist, hypocritical global order imposed by foreigners, usually Western in provenance – is seen as omnipresent and pervasive, and thus the arguments made around marginality serve to remind us, paradoxically, howcentralthese communities are (or should be) to the framing of global history.
Sightseeing and Spectacle at the Jewish Temple
Authors: Gordon Benjamin D.
Published: November 2019

Jerusalem in the late Second Temple period (second century BCE–70 CE) was transformed into the largest pilgrimage city of the Hellenized East and the sole locus of sacrificial worship of the Jewish God in greater Judea. As argued in this paper, it also became a place for sightseeing and spectacle. By the early Roman era, movement to the city for pilgrimage was a significant component of Mediterranean and Near Eastern travel. The Jewish festival experience may have evolved to cater to the tastes of foreigners now regularly visiting the city from the Jewish Diaspora. The architecture of Herod's Temple complex and the distinctive religious customs practiced within its walls intrigued visitors, whether Jewish or non-Jewish. For those unable to witness the Temple or participate in one of its festivals firsthand, a virtual visit through a “walking-tour” description would have to suffice. Such descriptions, which are attested from the earliest days of the Second Temple, can charter in imaginative invention in order to foster a sense of awe and wonder for the audience.
Victorian Lyric in the Anthropocene
Authors: Garofalo Devin M.
Published: November 2019

When Charles Lyell chronicles humankind's rise to geologic power in thePrinciples of Geology, he talks out of both sides of his mouth. Detailing the human species’ seemingly unmatched force as a terrestrial “levelling agent,” he ruminates on an unsettling possibility that haunts the present: “it admits of reasonable doubt whether, upon the whole, we fertilize or impoverish the lands we occupy.” Already at the time of Lyell's writing, the human species had “displaced” or altogether extinguished “a number of beasts of prey, birds, and animals of every class” (2:148) through deforestation, hunting, and the “progress of colonization” (2:150–51). But elsewhere in thePrinciples, Lyell puts into question what this history of environmental degradation otherwise seems to assert: that to be human is to possess a singular capacity for mastery. Thus, Lyell declares, “we ought always, before we decide that any part of the influence of man is novel and anomalous, carefully to consider all the powers of other animate agents which may be limited or superseded by him” (2:206). Tracing how swarms of insects gave dramatic and lasting shape to the German arboreal landscape in ways that humans could never replicate, he concludes: “[I]t does not follow that this kind of innovation”—human innovation—“is unprecedented” (2:206). Even as Lyell imagines humankind as “superior” in its capacity to act as “a single species,” he persistently lingers with the very real possibility that humans donotpossess a “novel and anomalous” hold over the world (2:207, emphasis original). Instead, thePrinciplestraces how the world is shaped by “physical causes” and nonhuman agencies that elude control and unmask the relative “insignifican[ce]” of humankind's “aggregate force” (2:207). Inasmuch as humans comprise only one part of an agential assemblage whose shifting interactions elude anthropogenic mastery, thePrinciplesimagines humankind as interpenetrated by and profoundly susceptible to nonhuman life-forms and forces. According to Lyell, then, deep history speaks not only of the human species’ seemingly privileged capacity for action but also its nonintentionality, noninstrumentality, and vulnerability. That thePrinciplestells a story about the porous interfaces between human and nonhuman geologic agents is perhaps surprising, given that it emerged and participated in a moment which, for many, marks the zenith of imperial and anthropogenic power.
Kurzfristige Wirksamkeit des Präventionsprogramms JobFit-Training in unterschiedlichen Schulformen
Authors: Vasileva Mira , Nitkowski Dennis , Lammers Julia , Petermann Franz , Petermann Ulrike
Published: November 2019

Zusammenfassung. Das Jugendalter stellt eine kritische Entwicklungsphase dar, in der die Vorbereitung auf den Beruf an Bedeutung gewinnt. Ziel dieser Studie ist es, die Wirksamkeit des modifizierten JobFit-Trainings zu überprüfen. Das JobFit-Training wird als schulbasiertes Präventionsprogramm realisiert, das an der Übergangsphase von der Schule in den Beruf ansetzt. Die Evaluationsstudie basiert auf einer Stichprobe von N = 275 Schülerinnen und Schülern aus Realschulen, Berufsschulen und Förderschulen ( M = 15.71; SD = 1.38 Jahre). Anhand von Varianzanalysen mit Messwiederholung wurde die Veränderung des selbstberichteten Sozial- und Lernverhaltens sowie berufsbezogener Kompetenzen (Gelassenheit / Selbstwertgefühl und Zuverlässigkeit / Voraussicht) in der Trainingsgruppe im Vergleich zu einer Warteliste-Kontrollgruppe überprüft. Außerdem wurde die Veränderung der Lehrereinschätzung zum Sozial- und Lernverhalten von Schülerinnen und Schülern vor und drei Monate nach Abschluss des JobFit-Trainings analysiert. Die Effekte wurden nach Schulform und Geschlecht kontrolliert. Die Ergebnisse zeigten kleine signifikante Effekte bei der Verbesserung des selbstberichteten Sozial- und Lernverhaltens und der berufsbezogenen Kompetenzen im Vergleich zu der Warteliste-Kontrollgruppe. Die Lehrkräfte schätzten das Sozial- und Lernverhalten von Schülerinnen und Schülern als stärker ausgeprägt ein; und zwar drei Monate nach dem JobFit-Training im Vergleich zu Beginn des Trainings. Die Effekte, die anhand der Lehrereinschätzung berechnet wurden, waren mittelhoch und waren von der Schulform abhängig. Die Befunde weisen darauf hin, dass das JobFit-Training erfolgreich zur Förderung des Sozial- und Lernverhaltens sowie berufsbezogener Kompetenzen als wichtige Voraussetzungen für die Berufsvorbereitung in unterschiedlichen Schulformen eingesetzt werden kann.
Variations in the Ionospheric Peak Altitude at Mars in Response to Dust Storms: 13 Years of Observations From the Mars Express Radar Sounder
Authors: Girazian Z. , Luppen Z. , Morgan D. D. , Chu F. , Montabone L. , Thiemann E. M. B. , Gurnett D. A. , Halekas J. , Kopf A. J. , Němec F.
Published: November 2019

Previous observations have shown that, during Martian dust storms, the peak of the ionosphere rises in altitude. Observational studies of this type, however, have been extremely limited. Using 13 years of ionospheric peak altitude data from the Mars Advanced Radar for Subsurface and Ionosphere Sounding instrument on Mars Express, we study how the peak altitude responded to dust storms during six different Mars years (MY). The peak altitude increased ∼10–15 km during all six events, which include a local dust storm (MY 33), three regional dust storms (MYs 27, 29, and 32), and two global dust storms (MYs 28 and 34). The peak altitude's orbit‐to‐orbit variability was exceptionally large at the apexes of the MY 29 and MY 32 dust seasons and dramatically increased during the MY 28 and MY 34 global dust storms. We conclude that dust storms significantly increase upper atmospheric variability, which suggests that they enhance dynamical processes that couple the lower and upper atmospheres, such as upward propagating gravity waves or atmospheric tides.
Morphodynamic Analysis and Statistical Synthesis of Geomorphic Data: Application to a Flume Experiment
Authors: Hoffimann Júlio , Bufe Aaron , Caers Jef
Published: November 2019

Many Earth surface processes are studied using field, experimental, or numerical modeling data sets that represent a small subset of possible outcomes observed in nature. Based on these data, deterministic models can be built that describe the “average” evolution of a system. However, these models commonly cannot account for the complex variability of many processes or present a quantitative statement of uncertainty. To assess such uncertainty, stochastic models are needed that can mimic spatial as well as temporal variability. A common limitation for applying stochastic models to Earth surface processes is a lack of data and methods that allow constraining the full spatiotemporal variability of these models. In this paper, we propose a Bayesian framework for calibrating input parameters to stochastic models of morphodynamic systems using time series of image data from the field, or from numerical and laboratory experiments. The framework consists of generating synthetic time series of images using the stochastic model and rejecting those time series that do not reproduce key morphodynamic statistics of the available data sets. The calibrated stochastic model allows us to quantify both the spatial and temporal uncertainty about the evolution of the morphodynamic systems of interest. For demonstration purposes, we apply the framework to a single flume experiment of braided river channels evolving under steady water and sediment discharges, but it can be used more generally to quantify spatiotemporal uncertainty for any time series of morphodynamic data for which key statistics can be defined.
Controlled synthesis of a core-shell nanohybrid for effective multimodal image-guided combined photothermal/photodynamic therapy of tumors
Authors: Cheng Qian , Li Zi-Hao , Sun Yun-Xia , Zhang Xian-Zheng
Published: November 2019

In this paper, a simple strategy is proposed to prepare a core-shell nanohybrid (PB@PCN) by the controllable coating of zirconium-porphyrin (PCN) shells on Prussian blue (PB) nanoparticles. By adjusting the thickness of the PCN shell, the PB@PCN nanohybrid with the best comprehensive performance was obtained for tumor treatment and imaging. The integrated nanosystem as a tandem catalyst is able to convert H2O2 to O2 through the PB core, and then the O2 is directly injected into the PCN framework, leading to a high quantum yield of singlet oxygen to kill tumor cells and attack heat shock proteins (HSPs). The nanohybrid was further camouflaged by a tumor cell membrane (PB@PCN@MEM) with good immune evasion and active targeting ability. Upon accumulation at the tumor site, PN@PCN@MEM showed an enhanced photodynamic therapeutic effect against hypoxic tumor cells. Furthermore, coupled with the photothermal therapy of PB, photothermal/photodynamic synergistic therapy of tumors can be realized. In addition, due to its excellent imaging performance, this core-shell nanohybrid can be employed for the multimodal image-guided therapy of tumors.
Author Correction: Targeted NUDT5 inhibitors block hormone signaling in breast cancer cells
Authors: Page Brent D. G. , Valerie Nicholas C. K. , Wright Roni H. G. , Wallner Olov , Isaksson Rebecka , Carter Megan , Rudd Sean G. , Loseva Olga , Jemth Ann-Sofie , Almlöf Ingrid , Font-Mateu Jofre , Llona-Minguez Sabin , Baranczewski Pawel , Jeppsson Fredrik , Homan Evert , Almqvist Helena , Axelsson Hanna , Regmi Shruti , Gustavsson Anna-Lena , Lundbäck Thomas , Scobie Martin , Strömberg Kia , Stenmark Pål , Beato Miguel , Helleday Thomas
Published: November 2019

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Neratinib protects pancreatic beta cells in diabetes
Authors: Ardestani Amin , Li Sijia , Annamalai Karthika , Lupse Blaz , Geravandi Shirin , Dobrowolski Aleksandra , Yu Shan , Zhu Siying , Baguley Tyler D. , Surakattula Murali , Oetjen Janina , Hauberg-Lotte Lena , Herranz Raquel , Awal Sushil , Altenhofen Delsi , Nguyen-Tran Van , Joseph Sean , Schultz Peter G. , Chatterjee Arnab K. , Rogers Nikki , Tremblay Matthew S. , Shen Weijun , Maedler Kathrin
Published: November 2019

The loss of functional insulin-producing β-cells is a hallmark of diabetes. Mammalian sterile 20-like kinase 1 (MST1) is a key regulator of pancreatic β-cell death and dysfunction; its deficiency restores functional β-cells and normoglycemia. The identification of MST1 inhibitors represents a promising approach for a β-cell-protective diabetes therapy. Here, we identify neratinib, an FDA-approved drug targeting HER2/EGFR dual kinases, as a potent MST1 inhibitor, which improves β-cell survival under multiple diabetogenic conditions in human islets and INS-1E cells. In a pre-clinical study, neratinib attenuates hyperglycemia and improves β-cell function, survival and β-cell mass in type 1 (streptozotocin) and type 2 (obese Leprdb/db) diabetic mouse models. In summary, neratinib is a previously unrecognized inhibitor of MST1 and represents a potential β-cell-protective drug with proof-of-concept in vitro in human islets and in vivo in rodent models of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Rice production threatened by coupled stresses of climate and soil arsenic
Authors: Muehe E. Marie , Wang Tianmei , Kerl Carolin F. , Planer-Friedrich Britta , Fendorf Scott
Published: November 2019

Projections of global rice yields account for climate change. They do not, however, consider the coupled stresses of impending climate change and arsenic in paddy soils. Here, we show in a greenhouse study that future conditions cause a greater proportion of pore-water arsenite, the more toxic form of arsenic, in the rhizosphere of Californian Oryza sativa L. variety M206, grown on Californian paddy soil. As a result, grain yields decrease by 39% compared to yields at today’s arsenic soil concentrations. In addition, future climatic conditions cause a nearly twofold increase of grain inorganic arsenic concentrations. Our findings indicate that climate-induced changes in soil arsenic behaviour and plant response will lead to currently unforeseen losses in rice grain productivity and quality. Pursuing rice varieties and crop management practices that alleviate the coupled stresses of soil arsenic and change in climatic factors are needed to overcome the currently impending food crisis.
Rapid mechanochemical encapsulation of biocatalysts into robust metal–organic frameworks
Authors: Wei Tz-Han , Wu Shi-Hong , Huang Yi-Da , Lo Wei-Shang , Williams Benjamin P. , Chen Sheng-Yu , Yang Hsun-Chih , Hsu Yu-Shen , Lin Zih-Yin , Chen Xin-Hua , Kuo Pei-En , Chou Lien-Yang , Tsung Chia-Kuang , Shieh Fa-Kuen
Published: November 2019

Metal–organic frameworks (MOFs) have recently garnered consideration as an attractive solid substrate because the highly tunable MOF framework can not only serve as an inert host but also enhance the selectivity, stability, and/or activity of the enzymes. Herein, we demonstrate the advantages of using a mechanochemical strategy to encapsulate enzymes into robust MOFs. A range of enzymes, namely β-glucosidase, invertase, β-galactosidase, and catalase, are encapsulated in ZIF-8, UiO-66-NH2, or Zn-MOF-74 via a ball milling process. The solid-state mechanochemical strategy is rapid and minimizes the use of organic solvents and strong acids during synthesis, allowing the encapsulation of enzymes into three prototypical robust MOFs while maintaining enzymatic biological activity. The activity of encapsulated enzyme is demonstrated and shows increased resistance to proteases, even under acidic conditions. This work represents a step toward the creation of a suite of biomolecule-in-MOF composites for application in a variety of industrial processes.
Epithelial CD47 is critical for mucosal repair in the murine intestine in vivo
Authors: Reed Michelle , Luissint Anny-Claude , Azcutia Veronica , Fan Shuling , O’Leary Monique N. , Quiros Miguel , Brazil Jennifer , Nusrat Asma , Parkos Charles A.
Published: November 2019

CD47 is a ubiquitously expressed transmembrane glycoprotein that regulates inflammatory responses and tissue repair. Here, we show that normal mice treated with anti-CD47 antibodies, andCd47-null mice have impaired intestinal mucosal wound healing. Furthermore, intestinal epithelial cell (IEC)-specific loss of CD47 does not induce spontaneous immune-mediated intestinal barrier disruption but results in defective mucosal repair after biopsy-induced colonic wounding or Dextran Sulfate Sodium (DSS)-induced mucosal damage. In vitro analyses using primary cultures of CD47-deficient murine colonic IEC or human colonoid-derived IEC treated with CD47-blocking antibodies demonstrate impaired epithelial cell migration in wound healing assays. Defective wound repair after CD47 loss is linked to decreased epithelial β1 integrin and focal adhesion signaling, as well as reduced thrombospondin-1 and TGF-β1. These results demonstrate a critical role for IEC-expressed CD47 in regulating mucosal repair and raise important considerations for possible alterations in wound healing secondary to therapeutic targeting of CD47.
Seasonal dynamics of stem N2O exchange follow the physiological activity of boreal trees
Authors: Machacova Katerina , Vainio Elisa , Urban Otmar , Pihlatie Mari
Published: November 2019

The role of trees in the nitrous oxide (N2O) balance of boreal forests has been neglected despite evidence suggesting their substantial contribution. We measured seasonal changes in N2O fluxes from soil and stems of boreal trees in Finland, showing clear seasonality in stem N2O flux following tree physiological activity, particularly processes of CO2 uptake and release. Stem N2O emissions peak during the vegetation season, decrease rapidly in October, and remain low but significant to the annual totals during winter dormancy. Trees growing on dry soils even turn to consumption of N2O from the atmosphere during dormancy, thereby reducing their overall N2O emissions. At an annual scale, pine, spruce and birch are net N2O sources, with spruce being the strongest emitter. Boreal trees thus markedly contribute to the seasonal dynamics of ecosystem N2O exchange, and their species-specific contribution should be included into forest emission inventories.