bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Promoting Scale-Up Across a Global Project Platform: Lessons from the Evidence to Action Project
Authors: Ghiron Laura , Ramirez-Ferrero Eric , Badiani Rita , Benevides Regina , Ntabona Alexis , Fajans Peter , Simmons Ruth
Published: May 2021

The USAID-funded flagship family planning service delivery project named Evidence to Action (E2A) worked from 2011 to 2021 to improve family planning and reproductive health for women and girls across seventeen nations in sub-Saharan Africa using a “scaling-up mindset.” The paper discusses three key lessons emerging from the project’s experience with applying ExpandNet’s systematic approach to scale up. The methodology uses ExpandNet/WHO’s scaling-up framework and guidance tools to design and implement pilot or demonstration projects in ways that look ahead to their future scale-up; develop a scaling-up strategy with local stakeholders; and then strategically manage the scaling-up process. The paper describes how a scaling-up mindset was engendered, first within the project’s technical team in Washington and then how they subsequently sought to build capacity at the country level to support scale-up work throughout E2A’s portfolio of activities. The project worked with local multi-stakeholder resource teams, often led by government officials, to equip them to lead the scale-up of family planning and health system strengthening interventions. Examples from project experience in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, and Uganda illustrating key concepts are discussed. E2A also established a community of practice on systematic approaches to scale up as a platform for sharing learning across a variety of technical agencies engaged in scale-up work and to create learning opportunities for interacting with thought leaders around critical scale-up issues.
Pandemic Innovation: The Private Sector and the Development of Contact-Tracing and Exposure Notification Apps
Authors: SCASSA Teresa
Published: May 2021

From the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, technology companies have participated in the search for solutions to new challenges. One of these has been the need for public health authorities to engage in contact-tracing to help curb the spread of the disease. Manual contact-tracing for public health purposes is a well-established component of the management of epidemics and pandemics. Public health authorities identify infected individuals, question them about close contacts, and then reach out to those contacts with the appropriate public health advice. From the outset of the pandemic, many believed that technology could play a role in supplementing manual contact-tracing. How it could do so quickly became tied to issues of how it should do so, engendering a normative discussion affecting the partnership between business and government in the large-scale design and deployment of technology for public health surveillance.
The value of data matching for public poverty initiatives: a local voucher program example
Authors: Giest Sarah , Miotto Jose M. , Kraaij Wessel
Published: May 2021

The recent surge of data-driven methods in social policy have created new opportunities to assess existing poverty programs. The expectation is that the combination of advanced methods and more data can calculate the effectiveness of public interventions more accurately and tailor local initiatives accordingly. Specifically, nonmonetary indicators are increasingly being measured at micro levels in order to target social exclusion in combination with poverty. However, the multidimensional character of poverty, local context, and data matching pose challenges to data-driven analyses. By linking Dutch household-level data with policy-initiative-specific data at local level, we present an explorative study on the uptake of a local poverty pass. The goal is to unravel pass usage in terms of household income and location as well as the age of users. We find that income and age play a role in whether the pass is used, and usage differs per neighborhood. With this, the paper feeds into the discourse on how to operationalize and design data matching work in the multidimensional space of poverty and nonmonetary government initiatives.
Reimagining data responsibility: 10 new approaches toward a culture of trust in re-using data to address critical public needs
Authors: Verhulst Stefaan G.
Published: May 2021

Data and data science offer tremendous potential to address some of our most intractable public problems (including the Covid-19 pandemic). At the same time, recent years have shown some of the risks of existing and emerging technologies. An updated framework is required to balance potential and risk, and to ensure that data is used responsibly. Data responsibility is not itself a new concept. However, amid a rapidly changing technology landscape, it has become increasingly clear that the concept may need updating, in order to keep up with new trends such as big data, open data, the Internet of things, and artificial intelligence, and machine learning. This paper seeks to outline 10 approaches and innovations for data responsibility in the 21st century. The 10 emerging concepts we have identified include:

End-to-end data responsibility

Decision provenance

Professionalizing data stewardship

From data science to question science

Contextual consent

Responsibility by design

Data asymmetries and data collaboratives

Personally identifiable inference

Group privacy

Data assemblies

Each of these is described at greater length in the paper, and illustrated with examples from around the world. Put together, they add up to a framework or outline for policy makers, scholars, and activists who seek to harness the potential of data to solve complex social problems and advance the public good. Needless to say, the 10 approaches outlined here represent just a start. We envision this paper more as an exercise in agenda-setting than a comprehensive survey.
Dead men tell no tales: the role of cultural transmission in demographic change
Authors: Zakharenko Roman
Published: May 2021

The paper explains long-term changes in birth, death rates, and in attitude to personal consumption by evolution of preferences by means of cultural transmission. When communities are culturally isolated, they are focused on population growth, which results in large fertility and welfare transfers to children, limited adult consumption, and lack of old-age support. With increasing cultural contact across communities, successful cultural traits induce their hosts to increase their social visibility by limiting fertility and increasing longevity via higher individual consumption. Empirical analysis confirms that social visibility, as measured by the number of language versions of Wikipedia biographical pages, is associated with fewer children and longer lifespan. The presence of notable individuals precedes reduced aggregate birth rates.
Idea Generation Through Hackathon Event in Emergencies and Disasters, with Emphasis on Managing Flash Flood Disaster
Authors: Monsef Sanaz , Haghjooy Javanmard Shaghayegh , Amini-Rarani Mostafa , Yarmohammadian Mohammad H. , Yazdi Youseph , Haghshenas Abbas
Published: May 2021

Objective:

This study was intended to demonstrate the applicability of the hackathon in idea generation for managing emergencies and disasters with a particular focus on flash floods.

Methods:

A 4-day hackathon event was held, having 60 students, 9 mentors and 6 judges gathered to explore different ideas, and to solve problems of Iran flooding from mid-March to April, 2019. Of these, 10 teams with 6 students were accordingly formed to brainstorm and discuss the idea, while 9 mentors offered advice and guided them to manage their ideas. Then, all teams focused on designing their business models. Finally, the hackathon teams finalized their lean canvas and presented their ideas to the judging panel and the other participants.

Results:

A total of 10 ideas were presented, and based on the knowledge and experience of the judges, 3 ideas that were more practical and useful were selected.

Conclusions:

As participants in a hackathon identify and present real-world problems, while ensuring that the prototype solutions address the end-user’s needs, it could be used to drive innovation, generate ideas, promote change in emergencies and disasters, and can increase our preparedness for future events. It helps us to develop tools and applications to better respond to these events.
Spatialising state practices through transnational repression
Authors: Furstenberg Saipira , Lemon Edward , Heathershaw John
Published: May 2021

This article theorises the repressive security practices of authoritarian states in the context of transnationalism and globalisation. While emerging research on transnational repression has identified a range of extraterritorial and exceptional security practices adopted by authoritarian states, it has not fully studied the implications of such practices on space and statecraft. Using data from the Central Asia Political Exile Database project (CAPE) and interviews conducted with exiled Tajik opposition groups based in Russia and Europe, we theorise the spatial connections between the territorial and extraterritorial security practices using the concept of assemblages. We further outline how these practices escalate in a three-stage model, in which exiles go on notice, are detained and then rendered or assassinated. Such an approach sheds light on the inherent links between the normalisation of security practices and the creation of transnational space with distinct forms of geographical state power that is embedded in non-national spaces and is manifested through spatially organised actors, networks, and technologies within assemblages.
Feminist-Pragmatist Reflections on the Filial Obligations of a Filipina American Daughter
Authors: Bardwell-Jones Celia T.
Published: May 2021

In this essay, I reflect on the contradictions that arise from a personal experience of conflict with my father and the clash of traditional Filipino gender norms in the context of the practice of name changes within the institution of marriage and intersecting feminist critiques of patriarchy. My understanding of the Tagalog amor propio is self-love or self-pride within Filipino culture and signifies one's authority, place, and meaning in the community. As a concept of authority, amor propio encourages practices of respect toward the authority figure. In the context of the home, amor propio is attributed to the father, and members of the family ought to respect his amor propio. This essay examines my own conflicted relationship with my father and my attempts to navigate the complex terrain of amor propio, as a Filipina, feminist/peminist, dutiful daughter. Filipino immigrant families face distinct challenges within family life owing to globalization, colonialism, and racism, so I find Jane Addams's social ethics of filial relations helpful in framing the tension between individual and social claims within the specific cultural values expected of Filipina women as dutiful daughters. Addams's feminist social sensibilities in her work at Hull House were attuned to the plight of daughters and the conflicting claims of the family emergent within the crowded immigrant neighborhoods in Chicago. She was able to articulate and sympathetically understand the generational divide within immigrant families at Hull House and sought to bridge these differences within the context of the family. I reflect on her work in my own experience as a dutiful Filipina daughter.
A plausible mechanism for longitudinal lock-in of the plant cortical microtubule array after light-induced reorientation
Authors: Saltini Marco , Mulder Bela M.
Published: May 2021

The light-induced reorientation of the cortical microtubule array in dark-grown Arabidopsis thaliana hypocotyl cells is a striking example of the dynamical plasticity of the microtubule cytoskeleton. A consensus model, based on katanin-mediated severing at microtubule crossovers, has been developed that successfully describes the onset of the observed switch between a transverse and longitudinal array orientation. However, we currently lack an understanding of why the newly populated longitudinal array direction remains stable for longer times and re-equilibration effects would tend to drive the system back to a mixed orientation state. Using both simulations and analytical calculations, we show that the assumption of a small orientation-dependent shift in microtubule dynamics is sufficient to explain the long-term lock-in of the longitudinal array orientation. Furthermore, we show that the natural alternative hypothesis that there is a selective advantage in severing longitudinal microtubules, is neither necessary nor sufficient to achieve cortical array reorientation, but is able to accelerate this process significantly.
INJECTIVE LINEAR TRANSFORMATIONS WITH EQUAL GAP AND DEFECT
Authors: MENDES ARAÚJO C. , MENDES-GONÇALVES S.
Published: May 2021

LetVbe an infinite-dimensional vector space over a fieldFand let$I(V)$be the inverse semigroup of all injective partial linear transformations onV. Given$\alpha \in I(V)$, we denote the domain and the range of$\alpha $by${\mathop {\textrm {dom}}}\,\alpha $and${\mathop {\textrm {im}}}\,\alpha $, and we call the cardinals$g(\alpha )={\mathop {\textrm {codim}}}\,{\mathop {\textrm {dom}}}\,\alpha $and$d(\alpha )={\mathop {\textrm {codim}}}\,{\mathop {\textrm {im}}}\,\alpha $the ‘gap’ and the ‘defect’ of$\alpha $. We study the semigroup$A(V)$of all injective partial linear transformations with equal gap and defect and characterise Green’s relations and ideals in$A(V)$. This is analogous to work by Sanwong and Sullivan [‘Injective transformations with equal gap and defect’,Bull. Aust. Math. Soc.79(2009), 327–336] on a similarly defined semigroup for the set case, but we show that these semigroups are never isomorphic.
Prevalence of intramammary antibiotic usage in dairy farming
Authors: Burke Niamh , Adley Catherine C.
Published: May 2021

This research communication describes the lactating intramammary (IMM) antibiotic formulation most used by Irish dairy farmers at farm level through interviewing 202 dairy farmers. The IMM antibiotic usage data is not easily available to the researcher and farming community. This study determined that three commercial formulations (Synulox ™, Tetra Delta™ and Terrexine) made up 81% of the products used at farm level. The formulation Synulox™ was the most used at 34% first preference and 32% second preference and contains amoxicillin/clavulanic, a standard broad spectrum antibiotic, for which mastitis pathogen resistance remains low. The aminoglycosides were used in four of the IMM formulations analysed, including Tetra Delta™ and Terrexine. Of the 12 antibiotics identified in the IMM formulations studied, three including cefalexin, benzylpenicillin and penethamate are classified as highly important antibiotics (HIA) by the World Health Organisation (WHO) whilst the other 8 (dihydrostreptomycin, streptomycin, neomycin, framycetin, kanamycin, amoxicillin/clavulanic acid, and cefquinome), are considered critically important (CIA) for use in human health. This study has generated knowledge of the preferences of lactating IMM formulations used at farm level.
Duality of control in gerundive complements of P
Authors: LANDAU IDAN
Published: May 2021

Sentences likeThey tricked him into believing themandThey charged him with abandoning themraise interesting issues for selection and control. We show that these two sentences exemplify two distinct classes, subsuming P-gerund constructions that are formed with seven distinct prepositions: implicative vs. nonimplicative constructions. The first class displays a cluster of restrictions, both syntactic and semantic, which are absent from the second class: It resists partial control or embedded lexical subjects, and it bans object drop and movement of the P-gerund phrase. The existence of these two classes, as well as their empirical profiles, follow from Landau’s (2015) theory of control and challenge alternative approaches.
A path model examination: maternal anxiety and parenting mediate the association between maternal adverse childhood experiences and children's internalizing behaviors
Authors: Shih Emily W. , Ahmad Shaikh I. , Bush Nicole R. , Roubinov Danielle , Tylavsky Fran , Graff Carolyn , Karr Catherine J. , Sathyanarayana Sheela , LeWinn Kaja Z.
Published: May 2021

Background

Children of mothers with adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are at increased risk for developmental problems. However, the mechanisms through which a mother's experience of ACEs are transmitted to her offspring are understudied. The current study investigates potential modifiable mediators (maternal psychopathology and parenting) of the association between maternal ACEs and children's behavioral problems.

Methods

We utilized data from a pregnancy cohort study (N = 1030; CANDLE study) to investigate longitudinal associations between maternal ACEs, postpartum anxiety, observed parenting behavior, and child internalizing behaviors (meanage = 4.31 years, s.d.age = 0.38) in a racially diverse (67% Black; 33% White/Other) sample. We used structural equation modeling to test for direct associations between maternal ACEs and children's internalizing behaviors, as well as indirect associations via two simple mediations (maternal anxiety and parenting), and one serial mediation (sequence of maternal anxiety to parenting).

Results

Simple mediation results indicated that maternal anxiety and cognitive growth fostering behaviors independently mediated the association between maternal ACEs and child internalizing. We observed no evidence of a serial mediation from ACEs to internalizing via the effects of maternal anxiety on parenting.

Conclusions

This study supports and refines extant literature by confirming the intergenerational association between maternal ACEs and child internalizing behaviors in a large, diverse sample, and identifies potential modifiable mediators: maternal anxiety and parenting behaviors related to fostering cognitive development. Findings may inform interventions targeting mothers who have experienced ACEs and suggest that providing support around specific parenting behaviors and addressing maternal anxiety may reduce internalizing behaviors in children.
Seroprevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the poorest region of Brazil: results from a population-based study
Authors: de Souza Araújo Adriano Antunes , Quintans-Júnior Lucindo José , Heimfarth Luana , Schimieguel Dulce Marta , Corrêa Cristiane Bani , de Moura Tatiana Rodrigues , Cavalcante Rafael Ciro Marques , Rodrigues Bomfim Rangel , Grespan Renata , Santana Rodrigues Lorranny , dos Santos Danillo Menezes , de Sá Resende Ayane , de Lima Silva Nathanielly , da Silva Santos Anna Clara Ramos , Dantas Araújo Jéssica Maria , de Souza Mércia Feitosa , de Oliveira Góes Marco Aurélio , Santana Santos Victor , Martins-Filho Paulo Ricardo
Published: May 2021

Population-based seroprevalence studies on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in low- and middle-income countries are lacking. We investigated the seroprevalence of severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) antibodies in Sergipe state, Northeast Brazil, using rapid IgM−IgG antibody test and fluorescence immunoassay. The seroprevalence was 9.3% (95% CI 8.5–10.1), 10.2% (95% CI 9.2–11.3) for women and 7.9% (IC 95% 6.8–9.1) for men (P = 0.004). We found a decline in the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies according to age, but the differences were not statistically significant: 0–19 years (9.9%; 95% CI 7.8–12.5), 20–59 years (9.3%; 95% CI 8.4–10.3) and ≥60 years (9.0%; 95% CI 7.5–10.8) (P = 0.517). The metropolitan area had a higher seroprevalence (11.7%, 95% CI 10.3–13.2) than outside municipalities (8.0%, 95% CI 7.2–8.9) (P < 0.001). These findings highlight the importance of serosurveillance to estimate the real impact of the COVID-19 outbreak and thereby provide data to better understand the spread of the virus, as well as providing information to guide stay-at-home measures and other policies. In addition, these results may be useful as basic data to follow the progress of COVID-19 outbreak as social restriction initiatives start to be relaxed in Brazil.
Explainable dynamic programming
Authors: ERWIG MARTIN , KUMAR PRASHANT
Published: May 2021

In this paper, we present a method for explaining the results produced by dynamic programming (DP) algorithms. Our approach is based on retaining a granular representation of values that are aggregated during program execution. The explanations that are created from the granular representations can answer questions of why one result was obtained instead of another and therefore can increase the confidence in the correctness of program results.

Our focus on dynamic programming is motivated by the fact that dynamic programming offers a systematic approach to implementing a large class of optimization algorithms which produce decisions based on aggregated value comparisons. It is those decisions that the granular representation can help explain. Moreover, the fact that dynamic programming can be formalized using semirings supports the creation of a Haskell library for dynamic programming that has two important features. First, it allows programmers to specify programs by recurrence relationships from which efficient implementations are derived automatically. Second, the dynamic programs can be formulated generically (as type classes), which supports the smooth transition from programs that only produce result to programs that can run with granular representation and also produce explanations. Finally, we also demonstrate how to anticipate user questions about program results and how to produce corresponding explanations automatically in advance.
Technology, Use and Reuse of Gold during the Middle Period: The Case of Casa Parroquial, Atacama Desert, Chile
Authors: Plaza María Teresa , Martinón-Torres Marcos
Published: May 2021

The life-histories of gold artefacts can provide rich insight into technology and culture, but so far the potential of this research approach has not been exploited in the south central Andes. Here we present the analysis of 34 gold and silver objects from the Middle Period cemetery of Casa Parroquial (San Pedro de Atacama, northern Chile), using pXRF, SEM-EDS, PIXE and digital microscopy. Chemical analyses detected variable compositions (2.4–73.1 per cent Ag and 0.2–3.4 per cent Cu) suggesting that artisans used both native gold and artificial gold-silver-copper alloys. Based on their manufacturing techniques, quality and designs, we identify two working styles, one technically more ‘careful’ than the other. Given their elemental and technological variety, together with the lack of local production evidence, we propose that these artefacts were imported as finished objects from Tiwanaku or Cochabamba and northwest Argentina. However, we identify a series of objects that were modified or reshaped as they entered a new cultural context, revealing complex life-histories. Modifications used relatively simple mechanical means: punching, cutting and folding, most likely made in multi-craft contexts by non-metallurgists from San Pedro.
The Predicament of Ontology
Authors: Preucel Robert W.
Published: May 2021

The ‘ontological turn’ is currently being touted in anthropology and other social sciences as a way of providing new insights into the global ecological crisis. This move encompasses a variety of posthumanist and New Materialist approaches including assemblage theory, vibrant matter, perspectivism and object-oriented ontology. Although distinctive, these approaches share an interest in animating things. Not surprisingly, archaeologists have taken notice of this new-found fascination with things and are participating in the ontological debates on our own terms. One can distinguish three main approaches: symmetrical archaeology, assemblage thinking and relational archaeologies. This paper will examine the nature of the ontological turn and offer a critical review of its use in archaeology.
What Difference Does Posthumanism Make?
Authors: Crellin Rachel J. , Harris Oliver J.T.
Published: May 2021

In this paper we argue that to understand the difference Posthumanism makes to the relationship between archaeology, agency and ontology, several misconceptions need to be corrected. First, we emphasize that Posthumanism is multiple, with different elements, meaning any critique needs to be carefully targeted. The approach we advocate is a specifically Deleuzian and explicitly feminist approach to Posthumanism. Second, we examine the status of agency within Posthumanism and suggest that we may be better off thinking about affect. Third, we explore how the approach we advocate treats difference in new ways, not as a question of lack, or as difference ‘from’, but rather as a productive force in the world. Finally, we explore how Posthumanism allows us to re-position the role of the human in archaeology,
ANALYSIS OF CELL TRANSMISSION MODEL FOR TRAFFIC FLOW SIMULATION WITH APPLICATION TO NETWORK TRAFFIC
Authors: MAULANA A. S. , PUDJAPRASETYA S. R.
Published: May 2021

The cell transmission model (CTM) is a macroscopic model that describes the dynamics of traffic flow over time and space. The effectiveness and accuracy of the CTM are discussed in this paper. First, the CTM formula is recognized as a finite-volume discretization of the kinematic traffic model with a trapezoidal flux function. To validate the constructed scheme, the simulation of shock waves and rarefaction waves as two important elements of traffic dynamics was performed. Adaptation of the CTM for intersecting and splitting cells is discussed. Its implementation on the road segment with traffic influx produces results that are consistent with the analytical solution of the kinematic model. Furthermore, a simulation on a simple road network shows the back and forth propagation of shock waves and rarefaction waves. Our numerical result agrees well with the existing result of Godunov’s finite-volume scheme. In addition, from this accurately proven scheme, we can extract information for the average travel time on a certain route, which is the most important information a traveller needs. It appears from simulations of different scenarios that, depending on the circumstances, a longer route may have a shorter travel time. Finally, there is a discussion on the possible application for traffic management in Indonesia during the Eid al-Fitr exodus.
Positive Thinking: Social Science, Sociology and the Intellectual Legacy of Auguste Comte
Authors: Sonenscher Michael
Published: May 2021

How can you know something that cannot be seen, heard, tasted, touched or smelled? The question applies most obviously to things like rights, justice or freedom because they do not seem be as easy to locate or describe as things that can be known by the senses. Part of the point of positivism was that under certain conditions they can. To Auguste Comte (1798–1857), the movement's founder, it was possible to have as positive a knowledge of rights, justice or freedom as whatever was needed to know a cat or a mat. Positivism could, therefore, have as much to do with morality as with epistemology and as strong a concern with values and beliefs as with facts and certainty. The resulting capacity to move seamlessly between the external and the internal and from the physical to the moral was one reason why, together with the word “sociology,” the other word that came to be associated most widely and durably with positivism was another of Comte's coinages, “altruism.” Positivism, in short, was the science—or knowledge—of altruism.
Fibromyalgia as a Heterogeneous Condition: Subgroups of Patients Based on Physical Symptoms and Cognitive-Affective Variables Related to Pain
Authors: Martínez M. Pilar , Sánchez Ana I. , Prados Germán , Lami María J. , Villar Beatriz , Miró Elena
Published: May 2021

Fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic syndrome characterized by heterogeneous clinical manifestations, and knowing this variability can help to develop tailored treatments. To understand better the heterogeneity of FM the present cross-sectional study analyzed the role of several physical symptoms (pain, fatigue and poor sleep quality) and cognitive-affective variables related to pain (pain catastrophizing, pain vigilance, self-efficacy in pain management, and pain acceptance) in the configuration of clinical profiles. A sample of 161 women with FM fulfilled an interview and several self-report measures to explore physical symptoms, cognitive-affective variables, disability and psychopathology. To establish FM groups a hierarchical cluster analysis was performed. The findings revealed three clusters that differed in the grouping variables, Wilks’ λ = .17,F(14, 304) = 31.50,p< .001, ηp2= .59. Group 1 (n= 72) was characterized by high physical and psychological affectation, Group 2 (n= 19) by low physical affectation and high pain self-efficacy, and Group 3 (n= 70) by moderate physical affectation and low pain catastrophizing. The external validation of the clusters was confirmed, Wilks’ λ = .72,F(4, 314) = 14.09,p< .001, ηp2= .15, showing Group 1 the highest levels of FM impact and psychopathological distress. Considering the distinctive clinical characteristics of each subgroup therapeutic strategies addressed to the specific needs of each group were suggested. Assessing FM profiles may be key for a better understanding and approach of this syndrome.
Method-Specific Suicide Rates and Accessibility of Means
Authors: Lin Chien-Yu , Hsu Chia-Yueh , Chen Ying-Yeh , Chang Shu-Sen , Gunnell David
Published: May 2021

Abstract. Background: Few studies have investigated whether means accessibility is related to the spatial distribution of suicide. Aims: To examine the hypothesis that indicators of the accessibility to specific suicide methods were associated with method-specific suicide rates in Taipei City, Taiwan. Method: Smoothed standardized mortality ratios for method-specific suicide rates across 432 neighborhoods and their associations with means accessibility indicators were estimated using Bayesian hierarchical models. Results: The proportion of single-person households, indicating the ease of burning charcoal in the home, was associated with charcoal-burning suicide rates (adjusted rate ratio [aRR] = 1.13, 95% credible interval [CrI] = 1.03–1.25). The proportion of households living on the sixth floor or above, indicating easy access to high places, was associated with jumping suicide rates (aRR = 1.16, 95% CrI, 1.04–1.29). Neighborhoods’ adjacency to rivers, indicating easy access to water, showed no statistical evidence of an association with drowning suicide rates (aRR = 1.27, 95% CrI = 0.92–1.69). Hanging and overall suicide rates showed no associations with any of these three accessibility indicators. Limitations: This is an ecological study; associations between means accessibility and suicide cannot be directly inferred as causal. Conclusion: The findings have implications for identifying high-risk groups for charcoal-burning suicide (e.g., vulnerable individuals living alone) and preventing jumping suicides by increasing the safety of high buildings.
Slab Temperature Evolution Over the Lifetime of a Subduction Zone
Authors: Holt A. F. , Condit C. B.
Published: May 2021

The thermal evolution of subducting slabs controls a range of subduction processes, yet we lack a robust understanding of how thermal structure develops over a subduction zone's lifetime. We investigate the time‐dependence of slab thermal structure using dynamically consistent, time evolving models. Pressure‐temperature (P–T) conditions along the slab Moho and slab top exhibit substantial variability throughout the various phases of subduction: initiation, free sinking, and mature subduction. This variability occurs in response to time‐dependent subduction properties (e.g., fast vs. slow convergence) and thermal structure inherited from previous phases (e.g., due to upper plate aging). At a given depth, the slab cools rapidly during initiation, after which slower cooling occurs. In the case of the Moho, additional cooling occurs during the free sinking phase. We explore the implications of time‐dependent thermal structure on exhumed rocks and slab dehydration. Modeled slab top P–T paths span much of the P–T space associated with exhumed rocks, suggesting a significant component of recorded variability may have dynamic origins. Coupling our P–T profiles with thermodynamic models of oceanic lithosphere, we show that dehydrating ultramafic rocks at the slab Moho provide the bulk of hydrous fluid at subarc depths during the earliest phases. Over subsequent phases, these rocks carry fluids into the deeper mantle, and it is mafic crust along the slab top that releases water at subarc depths. We conclude that varying subduction conditions, and non‐steady‐state thermal structure, challenge the utility of kinematically driven models with constant subduction parameters, particularly for investigating thermal structure in the geological past.
Paleogene Sedimentary Records of the Paleo‐Jinshajiang (Upper Yangtze) in the Jianchuan Basin, Yunnan, SW China
Authors: He Mengying , Zheng Hongbo , Clift Peter D. , Bian Zixuan , Yang Qing , Zhang Bihui , Xia Lei
Published: May 2021

Cenozoic surface uplift of Tibetan Plateau has driven the birth and reorganization of large river systems in Asia. The development of the Yangtze River, closely linked to plateau uplift, has important implications for the regional tectonic‐geomorphology processes, but is still under debate. The key scientific question is whether the Upper Yangtze (upper Jinshajiang) once flowed southeast to the South China Sea. In this study, we carried out provenance analysis on Paleogene sedimentary rocks in the Jianchuan Basin, composed of the Baoxiangsi, Jinsichang, and Shuanghe formations. We compared them with similar deposits in other regional basins, as well as with potential sources. Heavy‐mineral and geochemical data show that sediments from the Jinsichang formation are more mature compared with those from the Shuanghe and Baoxiangsi formations. The Jinsichang formation represents the products of a large fluvial system, whereas the Baoxiangsi formation is mainly dominated by local sources. The Shuanghe formation contains material from both distant sources and locally eroded materials. Detrital zircon U‐Pb age patterns from the Jianchuan Basin are similar to those in sediments in the Gonjo, Simao, and Chuxiong basins, and show great similarity with the modern Jinshajiang River. Statistical analysis of the zircon ages suggests that the Songpan‐Ganzi terrane was the primary source for all sediments, while the Yangtze Craton and northern Qiangtang terrane constitute secondary sources. Taken together these data confirm that a paleo‐Jinshajiang flowed south toward to the South China Sea from the SE Tibetan Plateau in the late Eocene, constraining the age of formation of the First Bend.
What Triggers Caldera Ring‐Fault Subsidence at Ambrym Volcano? Insights From the 2015 Dike Intrusion and Eruption
Authors: Shreve T. , Grandin R. , Smittarello D. , Cayol V. , Pinel V. , Boichu M. , Morishita Y.
Published: May 2021

Surface deformation accompanying dike intrusions is dominated by uplift and horizontal motion directly related to the intrusions. In some cases, it includes subsidence due to associated magma reservoir deflation. When reservoir deflation is large enough, it can form, or reactivate preexisting, caldera ring‐faults. Ring‐fault reactivation, however, is rarely observed during moderate‐sized eruptions. On February 21, 2015 at Ambrym volcano in Vanuatu, a basaltic dike intrusion produced more than 1 m of coeruptive uplift, as measured by InSAR, synthetic aperture radar correlation, and Multiple Aperture Interferometry. Here, we show that an average of ∼40 cm of slip occurred on a normal caldera ring‐fault during this moderate‐sized (VEI < 3) event, which intruded a volume of ∼24 × 106 m3 and erupted ∼9.3 × 106 m3 of lava (DRE). Using the 3D Mixed Boundary Element Method, we explore the stress change imposed by the opening dike and the depressurizing reservoir on a passive, frictionless fault. Normal fault slip is promoted when stress is transferred from a depressurizing reservoir beneath one of Ambrym's main craters. After estimating magma compressibility, we provide an upper bound on the critical fraction (f = 7%) of magma extracted from the reservoir to trigger fault slip. We infer that broad basaltic calderas may form in part by hundreds of subsidence episodes no greater than a few meters, as a result of magma extraction from the reservoir during moderate‐sized dike intrusions.
An Unbroken Record of Climate During the Age of Dinosaurs
Authors: Wang Chengshan , Gao Yuan , Ibarra Daniel , Wu Huaichun , Wang Pujun
Published: May 2021

A scientific drilling project in China has retrieved a continuous history of conditions from Earth’s most recent “greenhouse” period that may offer insights about future climate scenarios.
Quantifying Eruptive and Background Seismicity, Deformation, Degassing, and Thermal Emissions at Volcanoes in the United States During 1978–2020
Authors: Reath K. , Pritchard M. E. , Roman D. C. , Lopez T. , Carn S. , Fischer T. P. , Lu Z. , Poland M. P. , Vaughan R. G. , Wessels R. , Wike L. L. , Tran H. K.
Published: May 2021

An important aspect of volcanic hazard assessment is determination of the level and character of background activity at a volcano so that deviations from background (called unrest) can be identified. Here, we compile the instrumentally recorded eruptive and noneruptive activity for 161 US volcanoes between 1978 and 2020. We combine monitoring data from four techniques: seismicity, ground deformation, degassing, and thermal emissions. To previous work, we add the first comprehensive survey of US volcanoes using medium‐spatial resolution satellite thermal observations, newly available field surveys of degassing, and new compilations of seismic and deformation data. We report previously undocumented thermal activity at 30 volcanoes using data from the spaceborne ASTER sensor during 2000–2020. To facilitate comparison of activity levels for all US volcanoes, we assign a numerical classification of the Activity Intensity Level for each monitoring technique, with the highest ranking corresponding to an eruption. There are 96 US volcanoes (59%) with at least one type of detected activity, but this represents a lower bound: For example, there are 12 volcanoes where degassing has been observed but has not yet been quantified. We identify dozens of volcanoes where volcanic activity is only measured by satellite (45% of all thermal observations), and other volcanoes where only ground‐based sensors have detected activity (e.g., all seismic and 62% of measured degassing observations). Our compilation provides a baseline against which future measurements can be compared, demonstrates the need for both ground‐based and remote observations, and serves as a guide for prioritizing future monitoring efforts.
Sources, Occurrence and Characteristics of Fluorescent Biological Aerosol Particles Measured Over the Pristine Southern Ocean
Authors: Moallemi Alireza , Landwehr Sebastian , Robinson Charlotte , Simó Rafel , Zamanillo Marina , Chen Gang , Baccarini Andrea , Schnaiter Martin , Henning Silvia , Modini Robin L. , Gysel‐Beer Martin , Schmale Julia
Published: May 2021

In this study, we investigate the occurrence of primary biological aerosol particles (PBAP) over all sectors of the Southern Ocean (SO) based on a 90‐day data set collected during the Antarctic Circumnavigation Expedition (ACE) in austral summer 2016–2017. Super‐micrometer PBAP (1–16 µm diameter) were measured by a wide band integrated bioaerosol sensor (WIBS‐4). Low (3σ) and high (9σ) fluorescence thresholds are used to obtain statistics on fluorescent and hyper‐fluorescent PBAP, respectively. Our focus is on data obtained over the pristine ocean, that is, more than 200 km away from land. The results indicate that (hyper‐)fluorescent PBAP are correlated to atmospheric variables associated with sea spray aerosol (SSA) particles (wind speed, total super‐micrometer aerosol number concentration, chloride and sodium concentrations). This suggests that a main source of PBAP over the SO is SSA. The median percentage contribution of fluorescent and hyper‐fluorescent PBAP to super‐micrometer SSA was 1.6% and 0.13%, respectively. We demonstrate that the fraction of (hyper‐)fluorescent PBAP to total super‐micrometer particles positively correlates with concentrations of bacteria and several taxa of pythoplankton measured in seawater, indicating that marine biota concentrations modulate the PBAP source flux. We investigate the fluorescent properties of (hyper‐)fluorescent PBAP for several events that occurred near land masses. We find that the fluorescence signal characteristics of particles near land is much more variable than over the pristine ocean. We conclude that the source and concentration of fluorescent PBAP over the open ocean is similar across all sampled sectors of the SO.
Protein arginine methyltransferases: promising targets for cancer therapy
Authors: Hwang Jee Won , Cho Yena , Bae Gyu-Un , Kim Su-Nam , Kim Yong Kee
Published: May 2021

Protein methylation, a post-translational modification (PTM), is observed in a wide variety of cell types from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. With recent and rapid advancements in epigenetic research, the importance of protein methylation has been highlighted. The methylation of histone proteins that contributes to the epigenetic histone code is not only dynamic but is also finely controlled by histone methyltransferases and demethylases, which are essential for the transcriptional regulation of genes. In addition, many nonhistone proteins are methylated, and these modifications govern a variety of cellular functions, including RNA processing, translation, signal transduction, DNA damage response, and the cell cycle. Recently, the importance of protein arginine methylation, especially in cell cycle regulation and DNA repair processes, has been noted. Since the dysregulation of protein arginine methylation is closely associated with cancer development, protein arginine methyltransferases (PRMTs) have garnered significant interest as novel targets for anticancer drug development. Indeed, several PRMT inhibitors are in phase 1/2 clinical trials. In this review, we discuss the biological functions of PRMTs in cancer and the current development status of PRMT inhibitors in cancer therapy.
JunB is a key regulator of multiple myeloma bone marrow angiogenesis
Authors: Fan Fengjuan , Malvestiti Stefano , Vallet Sonia , Lind Judith , Garcia-Manteiga Jose Manuel , Morelli Eugenio , Jiang Qinyue , Seckinger Anja , Hose Dirk , Goldschmidt Hartmut , Stadlbauer Andreas , Sun Chunyan , Mei Heng , Pecherstorfer Martin , Bakiri Latifa , Wagner Erwin F. , Tonon Giovanni , Sattler Martin , Hu Yu , Tassone Pierfrancesco , Jaeger Dirk , Podar Klaus
Published: May 2021

Bone marrow (BM) angiogenesis significantly influences disease progression in multiple myeloma (MM) patients and correlates with adverse prognosis. The present study shows a statistically significant correlation of the AP-1 family member JunB with VEGF, VEGFB, and IGF1 expression levels in MM. In contrast to the angiogenic master regulator Hif-1α, JunB protein levels were independent of hypoxia. Results in tumor-cell models that allow the induction of JunB knockdown or JunB activation, respectively, corroborated the functional role of JunB in the production and secretion of these angiogenic factors (AFs). Consequently, conditioned media derived from MM cells after JunB knockdown or JunB activation either inhibited or stimulated in vitro angiogenesis. The impact of JunB on MM BM angiogenesis was finally confirmed in a dynamic 3D model of the BM microenvironment, a xenograft mouse model as well as in patient-derived BM sections. In summary, in continuation of our previous study (Fan et al., 2017), the present report reveals for the first time that JunB is not only a mediator of MM cell survival, proliferation, and drug resistance, but also a promoter of AF transcription and consequently of MM BM angiogenesis. Our results thereby underscore worldwide efforts to target AP-1 transcription factors such as JunB as a promising strategy in MM therapy.
Comprehensive Review of AL amyloidosis: some practical recommendations
Authors: Al Hamed Rama , Bazarbachi Abdul Hamid , Bazarbachi Ali , Malard Florent , Harousseau Jean-Luc , Mohty Mohamad
Published: May 2021

Amyloid light chain (AL) amyloidosis is among the more common and more severe of the amyloidoses usually involving the slow proliferation of a bone-marrow-residing plasma cell (PC) clone and the secretion of unstable immunoglobulin-free light chains (FLC) that infiltrate peripheral tissues and result in detrimental end-organ damage. Disease presentation is rather vague, and the hallmark of treatment is early diagnosis before irreversible end-organ damage. Once diagnosed, treatment decision is transplant-driven whereby ~20% of patients are eligible for autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) with or without bortezomib-based induction. In the setting of ASCT-ineligibility, bortezomib plays a central role in upfront treatment with the recent addition of daratumumab to the current emerging standard of care. In general, management of AL amyloidosis is aimed at achieving deep, durable responses with very close monitoring for early detection of relapse/refractory disease. This article provides a comprehensive review of the management of patients with AL amyloidosis including goals of therapy, current treatment guidelines in the setting of both ASCT-eligibility and ineligibility, treatment response monitoring recommendations, toxicity management, and treatment of relapse/refractory disease.
High incidence of thromboembolism in patients with chronic GVHD: association with severity of GVHD and donor-recipient ABO blood group
Authors: El Jurdi Najla , Elhusseini Heba , Beckman Joan , DeFor Todd E. , Okoev Grigori , Rogosheske John , Lazaryan Aleksandr , Weiler Kristen , Bachanova Veronika , Betts Brian C. , Blazar Bruce R. , Brunstein Claudio G. , He Fiona , Holtan Shernan G. , Janakiram Murali , Gangaraju Radhika , Maakaron Joseph , MacMillan Margaret L. , Rashidi Armin , Warlick Erica D. , Bhatia Smita , Vercellotti Gregory , Weisdorf Daniel J. , Arora Mukta
Published: May 2021

Chronic graft-versus-host disease (cGVHD) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) is associated with systemic inflammation and endothelial dysfunction, increasing risk for thromboembolic events (TEE). In 145 adult recipients who developed cGVHD after a matched sibling or umbilical cord blood donor HCT from 2010 to 2018, 32(22%) developed at least 1 TEE event, and 14(10%) developed 2 TEE events. The 5-year cumulative incidence of TEE was 22% (95% CI, 15–29%) with a median time from cGVHD to TEE of 234 days (range, 12–2050). Median time to the development of LE DVT or PE was 107 (range, 12–1925) compared to 450 days (range, 158–1300) for UE DVT. Cumulative incidence of TEE was 9% (95% CI, 0–20%), 17% (95% CI, 9–25%), and 38% (95% CI, 22–55%) in those with mild, moderate, and severe GVHD, respectively. Higher risk for TEE was associated with cGVHD severity (hazard ratio [HR] 4.9, [95% CI, 1.1–22.0]; p = 0.03), non-O-donor to recipient ABO match compared to O-donor to O-recipient match (HR 2.7, [95% CI, 1.0–7.5]; p = 0.053), and personal history of coronary artery disease (HR 2.4, [95% CI, 1.1–5.3]; p = 0.03). TEE was not associated with 2-year non-relapse mortality or 5-year overall survival.