bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protective Effects of Ginkgolide on a Cellular Model of Alzheimer’s Disease via Suppression of the NF-κB Signaling Pathway
Authors: Niu Tian-Tong , Yin He , Xu Bao-Lei , Yang Ting-Ting , Li Hui-Qin , Sun Yi , Liu Guang-Zhi
Published: February 2022

Synopsis

NF-κB signaling has been reported to play a key regulatory role in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of ginkgolide on cell viability in an AD cellular model involving an APP/PS1 double gene-transfected HEK293 cell line (APP/PS1-HEK293) and further explore the mechanisms of action related to NF-κB signaling. The optimal time point and concentration of ginkgolide for cell proliferation were screened using a cell counting kit-8 assay. Based on the results, an in vitro study was performed by co-culture of APP/PS1-HEK293 with different dosages of ginkgolide, followed by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to measure the levels of supernatant tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-6, as well as western blotting and real-time polymerase chain reaction to detect intracellular protein and mRNA expression of NF-κB p65, IκBa, Bcl-2, and Bax. APP/PS1-HEK293 cells exhibited the highest cell viability at a concentration of 100 µg/ml after 48 h of treatment with ginkgolide. The supernatant levels of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 in the high-dosage ginkgolide-treated groups were lower than those in the control group. Compared with the control group, there were decreased intracellular protein and mRNA expression of NF-κB p65 and Bax, but increased protein and mRNA expression of IκBa in both high-dosage and low-dosage groups. Ginkgolide may enhance cell viability, indicative of its neuroprotective effects on AD, at least partially via suppression of the NF-κB signaling pathway involving anti-apoptosis and anti-inflammation mechanisms. Therefore, ginkgolide might be a promising therapeutic agent against AD.

Graphical abstract
Social phobic beliefs mediate the relationship between post-event processing regarding the worst socially aversive experience and fear of negative evaluation
Authors: Seinsche Rosa J. , Walter Bertram , Fricke Susanne , Neudert Marie K. , Zehtner Raphaela I. , Stark Rudolf , Hermann Andrea
Published: February 2022

The experience of socially aversive events is proposed to be a critical etiological factor in the development of social anxiety symptoms even though the experience itself is also common among healthy individuals. Rather than the event itself, accompanying factors such as maladaptive processing might be associated with higher levels of social anxiety symptoms. One-hundred-seventy-four individuals participated in this online-survey comprising questionnaires regarding social anxiety symptoms and retrospective reports concerning maladaptive processing of the worst socially aversive event. Structural equation modelling was used to analyze the hypothesized mediation of maladaptive processing and fear of negative evaluation by intrusive re-experiencing and social phobic beliefs. The positive association between retrospectively evaluated maladaptive processing after the worst socially aversive event and fear of negative evaluation was mediated by social phobic beliefs but not by intrusive re-experiencing. These results point towards the relevance of further investigating processing strategies after socially aversive events as a potential influencing factor for SAD development.

Trial registration.

The trial was registered at the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00021502) on June 3rd, 2020.
Study on application of fuzzy control model in phosphate removal system of sewage water
Authors: Zhou Ke
Published: February 2022

The precise input of flocculant and coagulant aid into phosphate wastewater is a key problem to degrade the phosphate content in sewage water and make the total phosphates and suspended pollutants in sewage water reach the discharged standard. In this paper, a new method combining fuzzy control technology with wastewater treatment control system was proposed to establish an automatic control system suitable for phosphates removal treatment. Based on experiment data and current experience, the membership function and fuzzy rules were set up, and the fuzzy control technology was obtained with simulation analysis, and the efficient treatment of sewage water was realized. It can be seen from the results that the fuzzy control technology can be applied to the phosphate removal control system for treating sewage water, and the standard of stable, accurate and efficient sewage treatment system can be established.
Evaluation of groundwater contamination for fluoride and nitrate in Nellore Urban Province, Southern India: a special emphasis on human health risk assessment (HHRA)
Authors: Reddy C. K. V. Chaithanya , Golla Veeraswamy , Badapalli Pradeep Kumar , Reddy N. B. Y.
Published: February 2022

Groundwater pollution with fluoride and nitrate is one of the most serious issues in coastal regions. Thirty-nine groundwater samples were collected in the current research region and tested for PH, TDS, and EC. Thirty-nine groundwater samples were collected in the current research region and tested for PH, TDS, EC and cations, anions, and hardness. The elevated parameters are EC, PH, TDS, and nitrates. The fluoride fell in the permissible limit in Nellore urban area, nitrate and fluoride exposure heath risk calculated by using the US EPA method. From that, the total hazard index (THI) was calculated. The fluoride total hazard index value ranges from 0.15 to 0.95 and that of average 0.45, which fell below < 1, hence no significance on children, women, and men. The nitrate is falling in excess in groundwater. The ranges are 35 mg/l to 72 mg/l, and adverse value is 47.8 mg/l. The total hazard index (THI) of nitrates fell at > 1, which indicates a harmful for the human health. The computed THI affected percentage is the children (100%), women (95%), and men (30%). The nitrate was released in water due to the industrial discharge, septic tanks, manure pools, sewer system, and rock–water interaction. The abundance of the cations and anions is Ca2+ > Na+ > Mg2+ > K+ and HCO3− > Cl− > SO42 > NO3 > F. The Gibbs diagram explains the source of the chemistry; hence, all samples fell in the rock–water interaction area.
Evaluation of groundwater quality and its impact on human health: a case study from Chotanagpur plateau fringe region in India
Authors: Chakraborty Baisakhi , Roy Sambhunath , Bera Biswajit , Adhikary Partha Pratim , Bhattacharjee Sumana , Sengupta Debashish , Shit Pravat Kumar
Published: February 2022

Groundwater is a vital and purest form of natural resource. In the recent years, various anthropogenic causes threat its natural quality. Therefore, its suitability for drinking, irrigation and other purposes make doubtful conditions of human well-being, especially in developing countries. In this present study, groundwater quality was evaluated for drinking, irrigation and human health hazard purposes particularly in Chotanagpur plateau fringe of India. In total, 58 water samples were collected from different locations in pre-monsoon (February–March 2020) and post-monsoon (October–November 2020) seasons to delineate seasonal variation of groundwater quality according to as reported by WHO (WHO guidelines for drinking-water quality, World Health Organization, Geneva, 2011) guidelines. Groundwater Quality Index (GWQI) and Heavy metal Pollution Index (HPI) have been applied to assess the suitability of drinking purposes. Irrigation parameters (SAR, SSP, MAR, PI, KR) showed the significant deterioration of water quality in pre-monsoon than post-monsoon period. Major cations (such as sodium, calcium) and major anions (such as bicarbonate, nitrate and fluoride) exceeded their standard limit in both the seasons. Non-carcinogenic health risk is found due to heavy metal contamination through drinking water. The health risk index was higher for children in comparison with adults. This research finding can definitely help to planners and administrators for immediate decision making regarding public health (for groundwater quality improvement).
Water quality and risk assessment of copper content in drinking water stored in copper container
Authors: Manne Ravi , Kumaradoss Mohan Maruga Raja Muthu , Iska Raja Sekhara Reddy , Devarajan Agilandeswari , Mekala Nageswararao
Published: February 2022

In most developing countries, drinking water is still a serious challenge. Many water purification methods exist, but they are costly and out of reach for many people. Copper is an ancient metal that has been used from several thousands of years. Because of its antibacterial properties, ancient cultures held this metal in high regard. Copper vessels are still in use today for storing drinking water due to its ability to purify water. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the copper concentration in drinking water after storing in copper containers/bottle over different time periods with respect to copper safety levels. For this study, water is stored in a copper container up to 168 h and the water samples are collected at different intervals. The concentration of copper is analyzed in water samples using ICPMS, and it ranges from 0.009 to 0.823 mg/L, which indicates as time increases simultaneously copper content also raises in the stored water. The higher copper content was detected at sample@168 h which was also well within the permissible limits of World Health Organization and United States Environmental Protection Agency.
Steady declining trend of groundwater table and severe water crisis in unconfined hard rock aquifers in extended part of Chota Nagpur Plateau, India
Authors: Bera Biswajit , Shit Pravat Kumar , Sengupta Nairita , Saha Soumik , Bhattacharjee Sumana
Published: February 2022

Scarcity of groundwater is a severe problem in this region due to over exploitation of groundwater from unconfined hard rock aquifers. The main objectives of this study are to analyse the spatiotemporal variability and fluctuation of groundwater table and to predict the location of groundwater depression pockets. Total 21 consecutive years (1996–2017) groundwater monitoring well data (pre- and post-monsoon) have been collected from CGWB, Government of India. The nonparametric Mann–Kendall trend analysis and standardized precipitation index (SPI) have been applied to detect the trend of groundwater level and rainfall variability, respectively. Exponential smoothing has also been fitted for future prediction. The pre- and post-monsoon results (1996–2017) showed that around 77% (22 stations) and 78% (23) monitoring stations were indicating declining trend of groundwater table at the rate of −0.006 to −0.205 m/year and −0.005 to −0.192 m/year, respectively. Similarly, future (2040) groundwater depression result predicted that around 75% (21) stations, the groundwater table will be depleted above 5 m during pre-monsoon while about 53% (16 stations) monitoring wells, the groundwater table will be fallen above 5 m during post-monsoon. Consequently, around 52% (15) and 50% (14) stations are being faced groundwater drought in the recurrent interval of above 2 years during pre-monsoon and post-monsoon, respectively. Driving factors of water table depletion are huge withdrawal of groundwater for dry farming and reduction of recharge areas due to rapid land use modification. The uniqueness of this study exhibits the nature of declining trend of groundwater table and identification of depression pockets.
The influence of coating super-hydrophobic carbon nanomaterials on the performance of membrane distillation
Authors: Aljumaily Mustafa M. , Alayan Haiyam M. , Mohammed Ahmed A. , Alsaadi Mohammed A. , Alsalhy Qusay F. , Figoli Alberto , Criscuoli Alessandra
Published: February 2022

Membrane distillation (MD), as a hybrid desalination technology with super-hydrophobic characteristics, has been emerging in the recent year. In this contest, the outstanding features of carbon-based nanomaterials have promising potential to contribute to the MD process evolution. This work presented an endeavor to impart the super-hydrophobic features of powder activated carbon (PAC) into poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-hexafluoropropylene) (PVDF-HFP) membranes for DCMD applications. The FTIR indicates that the CNM was successfully coated onto the PVDF-HFP membrane which leading to higher contact angle values (from 83° to 124°, porosity (45% 86.9%) and water distillate flux at each increment in the PAC loading weigh. The novel coated membranes with 30 mg CNM led to an enhancement of the permeate flux (higher fluxes were obtained at higher CNMs loading) presented fluxes around 77 L/m2.h and exhibited a high salt rejection (> 99.9%) in most cases.
Spatial modeling of groundwater depth fluctuations using co-active neuro-fuzzy inference system (CANFIS) and geographic information system (GIS)
Authors: Gholami Vahid
Published: February 2022

Groundwater drawdown and reduction of groundwater resources are serious problems in the water supply. Unfortunately, sufficient and accurate data on the groundwater depth fluctuations values are not available in all plains of the world. In the present study, a co-active neuro-fuzzy inference system (CANFIS) network and geographic information system (GIS) were used to simulate the annual groundwater drawdown values on the southern coasts of the Caspian Sea (Iran). For this purpose, the annual drawdown values in 250 piezometric wells as the output variable were evaluated. Further, the effective factors in groundwater depth fluctuations were evaluated as inputs of the CANFIS network, including water table depth, annual precipitation, annual evaporation, the transmissivity of aquifer formations, topography, distance from the sea, distance from water sources, population density, and withdrawal values in the influence radius of the study wells. The modeling process was performed in three stages: training, cross-validation, and test. According to the results, the CANFIS network has a high performance in modeling groundwater drawdown ​​(training R-sqr = 0.97; test R-sqr = 0.82). Then, the inputs of the tested network were prepared in the GIS in raster format for the study plain. The tested network was used to simulate the annual fluctuations of groundwater depth ​​in the plain and the simulation results were presented in the GIS as an annual groundwater drawdown map. Overlap and comparison of the observed values ​​of groundwater drawdown and the simulated values ​​in the map indicate the high performance of the CANFIS network (R-sqr = 0.81). Therefore, the used methodology can be applied to simulate the annual drawdown of groundwater depth in plains without groundwater depth data.
Recent advances on the synthesis of natural pyrrolizidine alkaloids: alexine, and its stereoisomers
Authors: Mohammadi Ziarani Ghodsi , Jamasbi Negar , Mohajer Fatemeh
Published: February 2022

Natural products have attracted the interest of the scientific community due to their importance and application. Alexine is a naturally polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine alkaloid that is broadly found in plant sources and isolated from Alexa leiopetala. The biological properties such as glycosidase inhibitors, anti-virus, and anti-HIV activities, makes it interesting target for synthetical studies. This review reports different approaches and methodologies to the synthesis of alexine, and its stereoisomers as the target compounds in numerous studies.

Graphical Abstract
Impact of Japan's local community power on green tourism
Authors: Jin Chenghua , Takao Misuzu , Yabuta Masahiro
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this study was to analyze the impact of local community power on green tourism (after this, abbreviated as GT). The analytical features were as follows; First, we derived the concept of local community power from "agricultural village activity," "local activity", and "regional support," to describe the degree of cooperation and collaboration among people who use local resources related to agriculture. Second, a theoretical model for the impact of local community power on GT was developed and analyzed. Third, a covariance structure analysis was conducted on the relationships between local community power and GT using data from the 2015 agricultural census. Results of the analysis revealed that local community power has a positive impact on green tourism.
Status of Planned and Ongoing Paediatric Trials Investigating COVID-19 Vaccines: A Cross-Sectional Study of Paediatric Clinical Trials Planned in Agreed PIPs and/or Registered in Clinical Trial Databases
Authors: Christiansen Helle , Thirstrup Steffen , Hallgreen Christine Erikstrup
Published: February 2022

Background

The immune system matures throughout childhood; therefore, evidence about the safety and efficacy of vaccines for the prevention of COVID-19 in the paediatric population is important. Efficacy and safety have not been established for COVID-19 vaccines in a large part of the paediatric population at the time of the initial approval for use in adults. This study aims to provide an overview of planned and ongoing paediatric clinical trials investigating the safety and/or efficacy of COVID-19.

Methods

We identified all paediatric clinical trials investigating the safety and/or efficacy of COVID-19 vaccines in clinicaltrials.gov and clinicaltrialregister.eu, as well as all clinical trials planned in agreed PIPs (Paediatric Investigational Plans) as of 11 June 2021. Information about the study design, the paediatric age groups that they included, and the primary and secondary safety and efficacy outcomes were collected, together with expected timelines for the studies.

Results

21 clinical trials were identified through the clinical trial registries and 19 clinical trials were specified in 6 agreed PIPs, 5 of these trials were also in the trial registers. All PIPs stipulated development of the COVID-19 vaccines for the full paediatric population, with a deferral. The earliest expected completion date of a PIPs is March 2024. The majority (14/21) of registered trials are randomised double-blinded studies. All investigated safety, 20 have a surrogate efficacy outcome (immunogenicity), of these 7 also measure clinical efficacy (COVID-19 infections). 18 studies were initiated, of these, all but one is still ongoing and one in adolescents has been finalised.

Conclusion

Even though several trials have been planned in agreed PIPs, the registered paediatric clinical trials identified are most often not part of a PIP.
From Linear to Circular Economy: a Transaction Cost Approach to the Ecological Transformation of the Firm
Authors: Nygaard Arne
Published: February 2022

Ownership and control have been the strategic focus of organizational analyses to achieve performance. The emergence of sustainable strategies has, however, confronted conventional organizational theory because performance has become a complex concept containing both social elements and environmental dimensions together with conventional economic aspects. Increased climate change, temperature risk, and environmental hazards, as well as intertwined social consequences, create a need for new theoretical insights to understand the emerging circular organization of product lifecycle networks. The ongoing climate crisis calls for new institutional approach that challenges future organizational structures. We present a framework for integrating low-carbon ecological transformation from linear to sustainable circular inter-organizational networks. The global and circular economy increases performance ambiguity, the uncertainty of eco-opportunism, information asymmetry, and transaction costs. Consequently, sustainability makes it necessary to integrate and control organizations throughout the supply chain to avoid eco-opportunism and to economize transaction costs.
Social Connectedness Matters: Depression and Anxiety in Transgender Youth During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Tüzün Zeynep , Başar Koray , Akgül Sinem
Published: February 2022

Background

Gender-affirming and supportive relations for transgender youth are considered protective in terms of mental health.

Aim

To describe how transgender youth perceived changes in their gender expression, in the course of the gender-affirming path, and the effect of social connectedness and social support on depression and anxiety during the pandemic.

Methods

In this cross-sectional study, transgender youth completed an online survey developed to evaluate the perceived changes in gender expression and affirmation path that occurred during COVID-19 and the age-stratified lockdown. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the effect of social connectedness and social support on depression and anxiety in this population during the pandemic. The participants completed the following scales: Social Connectedness Scale Revised (SCS-R), Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). The effect of lockdown on life conditions, gender expression, social and medical gender-affirming path, social connectedness, social support, depression, and anxiety levels were examined. Linear regression analyses were performed to evaluate the relationships between BDI and STAI scores and other variables.

Outcomes

The relationship between the levels of perceived social connectedness, and social support, the pandemic-related changes in living conditions and depression and anxiety scores were calculated.

Results

A total of 49 transgender youth with a mean age of 20.53 ± 1.86 years were enrolled. Participants reporting discomfort at the place they live and who had difficulties concerning gender expression and affirmation had higher depression and anxiety scores and perceived lower social support from their family. Social connectedness score was a significant negative predictor of depression severity, whereas social connectedness and social support were both significant negative predictors of anxiety severity.

Clinical Implications

Our results show increased adversity for transgender youth when connectedness with supportive people is diminished. During the COVID-19 pandemic, social connectedness and social support perceived by transgender youth are associated with better mental health.

Strengths and Limitations

This is one of the first studies to evaluate the changes that occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic in transgender youth with relation to social support and connectedness, during an age-stratified lockdown. The main limitations were the small study size, skewed gender ratio and that the study sample came from a single gender clinic.

Conclusion

As social connectedness and social support are significant predictors of depression and anxiety severity, special attention is needed to increase contact and support for transgender youth during the pandemic.
Categorical traces and a relative Lefschetz–Verdier formula
Authors: Lu Qing , Zheng Weizhe
Published: February 2022

We prove a relative Lefschetz–Verdier theorem for locally acyclic objects over a Noetherian base scheme. This is done by studying duals and traces in the symmetric monoidal$2$-category of cohomological correspondences. We show that local acyclicity is equivalent to dualisability and deduce that duality preserves local acyclicity. As another application of the category of cohomological correspondences, we show that the nearby cycle functor over a Henselian valuation ring preserves duals, generalising a theorem of Gabber.
Wake behind a discontinuous cylinder: unveiling the role of the large scales in wake growth and entrainment
Authors: Mandava V.S.R. , Herrero Joan , Kopp Gregory A. , Giralt Francesc
Published: February 2022

The turbulent flow in the wake of a discontinuous cylinder (DC) was investigated. The DC geometry consisted of cylinder segments

$5D$

long (with

$D$

being the diameter of the cylinder) separated by gaps of width

$2.5D$

. Particle image velocimetry and hot-wire anemometry were used to analyse the flow at two Reynolds numbers,

$Re = 4000$

and

$10\,000$

, for

$x/D \le 180$

. Large eddy simulations for both the DC and the infinite continuous cylinder (CC) wakes were also carried out at

$Re = 10\,000$

. The DC configuration was devised to trigger the shedding of horseshoe vortices (HSV) in the very-near-wake region with the intent of illustrating the role that these three-dimensional HSVs, previously identified in the far-wake region of CC, play in the entrainment process in turbulent wakes. The DC geometry produced HSVs by the interaction between the high momentum flow through the gaps and the main spanwise vortex shed behind each cylinder segment, while in the CC wake they evolve from near-wake instabilities straddled with hairpin vortices that detach spanwise vorticity from the shed Kármán vortices. The DC wake was found to grow and spread in the transverse direction with a much faster rate than for the CC wake, up until approximately

$x/D \approx 50$

. Prior to this location, the enhanced growth rate caused by the shear-aligned HSV led to a wake width of approximately 3 times that of the CC wake, with a maximum mean velocity deficit that was approximately half.
A numerical investigation of granular shock waves over a circular cylinder using the discrete element method
Authors: Mathews Akhil K. , Khan Aqib , Sharma Bhanuday , Kumar Sanjay , Kumar Rakesh
Published: February 2022

Numerical simulation based on the discrete element method (DEM) is used to investigate the flow field generated when a cylindrical obstacle is placed in a supersonic granular stream. Robust validation of the simulation model is performed by comparing numerical results with experiments. Experiments are performed using a two-dimensional set-up generating rapid granular flow owing to gravity. DEM simulations demonstrate that a rapid gas-like stream of grains suddenly decelerates across the shock wave and finally collapses into a slow-moving heap at the cylinder. The volume fraction suddenly increases across the shock layer and remains constant thereafter. The flow physics of the shock wave and the granular heap is elucidated through fundamental fluid dynamic quantities such as the velocity, volume fraction, pressure and granular temperature. It is shown that the interaction of grains with a cylindrical obstacle results in the generation of pressure, which is responsible for sustaining static granular heaps on the cylinder. The total pressure is resolved into collisional and streaming components. A streaming pressure is generated owing to velocity fluctuations, and is found to be significant only in the shock wave region. The observations show that the rheological complexity offered by granular shock waves is a direct manifestation of the dissipative and frictional nature of granular collisions. The new insight into the granular heaps could be relevant to a variety of applications involving granular-fluid–solid interactions.
Computational modelling of Leidenfrost drops
Authors: Chakraborty Indrajit , Chubynsky Mykyta V. , Sprittles James E.
Published: February 2022

The Leidenfrost effect, where a drop levitates on a vapour film above a hot solid, is simulated using an efficient computational model that captures the internal flow within the droplet, models the vapour flow in a lubrication framework and is capable of resolving the dynamics of the process. The initial focus is on quasi-static droplets and the associated geometry of the vapour film formed beneath the drop, where we are able to compare with experimental analyses and assess the range of validity of the theoretical model developed in Sobac et al. (Phys. Rev. E, vol. 103, 2021, 039901). The computational model also allows us to explore parameter space, varying both the drop size and viscosity of the liquid, with computational results in excellent agreement with the theoretical model for high-viscosity liquids. Interestingly, for large water drops, discrepancies between the computational model and experiments occur, and possible reasons for this observation are provided. Our predictions reveal features including a regime with a dimpleless bottom surface of the drop and a minimum in the vapour layer thickness as a function of the drop size. Finally, the capability to simulate dynamics is revealed by computations that predict and track the vapour ‘chimney’ instability for large drops.
TAKING REINHARDT’S POWER AWAY
Authors: MATTHEWS RICHARD
Published: February 2022

We study the notion of non-trivial elementary embeddings under the assumption that V satisfies ZFC without Power Set but with the Collection Scheme. We show that no such embedding can exist under the additional assumption that it is cofinal and either is a set or that the scheme of Dependent Choices of arbitrary length holds. We then study failures of instances of Collection in symmetric submodels of class forcings.
Informal Coalitions and Legislative Agenda Setting in Mexico’s Multiparty Presidential System
Authors: Kerevel Yann P. , Bárcena Juárez Sergio A.
Published: February 2022

To what extent can presidents exert gatekeeping power in opposition-led legislatures? Drawing on a study of roll rates in the Mexican Chamber of Deputies, where presidents lack legislative majorities and often face a legislature controlled by the opposition, this article argues that gatekeeping power is divided among multiple actors. It finds that presidents exert weak gatekeeping power over the agenda. While presidents and their parties are rarely defeated in votes related to presidential initiatives, they generally create stable, informal coalitions with opposition parties to pass their bills. Moreover, the agenda-setting power of the president and the president’s party is weaker with bills that originate in the legislative branch, where the party is occasionally rolled on legislative initiatives and during the amendment stage if it is not also the median party.
GASKAP-HI pilot survey science I: ASKAP zoom observations of Hi emission in the Small Magellanic Cloud
Authors: Pingel N. M. , Dempsey J. , McClure-Griffiths N. M. , Dickey J. M. , Jameson K. E. , Arce H. , Anglada G. , Bland-Hawthorn J. , Breen S. L. , Buckland-Willis F. , Clark S. E. , Dawson J. R. , Dénes H. , Di Teodoro E. M. , For B.-Q. , Foster Tyler J. , Gómez J. F. , Imai H. , Joncas G. , Kim C.-G. , Lee M.-Y. , Lynn C. , Leahy D. , Ma Y. K. , Marchal A. , McConnell D. , Miville-Deschènes M.-A. , Moss V. A. , Murray C. E. , Nidever D. , Peek J. , Stanimirović S. , Staveley-Smith L. , Tepper-Garcia T. , Tremblay C. D. , Uscanga L. , van Loon J. Th. , Vázquez-Semadeni E. , Allison J. R. , Anderson C. S. , Ball Lewis , Bell M. , Bock D. C.-J. , Bunton J. , Cooray F. R. , Cornwell T. , Koribalski B. S. , Gupta N. , Hayman D. B. , Harvey-Smith L. , Lee-Waddell K. , Ng A. , Phillips C. J. , Voronkov M. , Westmeier T. , Whiting M. T.
Published: February 2022

We present the most sensitive and detailed view of the neutral hydrogen (

${\rm H\small I}$

) emission associated with the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), through the combination of data from the Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) and Parkes (Murriyang), as part of the Galactic Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (GASKAP) pilot survey. These GASKAP-HI pilot observations, for the first time, reveal

${\rm H\small I}$

in the SMC on similar physical scales as other important tracers of the interstellar medium, such as molecular gas and dust. The resultant image cube possesses an rms noise level of 1.1 K (

$1.6\,\mathrm{mJy\ beam}^{-1}$

)

$\mathrm{per}\ 0.98\,\mathrm{km\ s}^{-1}$

spectral channel with an angular resolution of

$30^{\prime\prime}$

(

${\sim}10\,\mathrm{pc}$

). We discuss the calibration scheme and the custom imaging pipeline that utilises a joint deconvolution approach, efficiently distributed across a computing cluster, to accurately recover the emission extending across the entire

${\sim}25\,\mathrm{deg}^2$

field-of-view. We provide an overview of the data products and characterise several aspects including the noise properties as a function of angular resolution and the represented spatial scales by deriving the global transfer function over the full spectral range. A preliminary spatial power spectrum analysis on individual spectral channels reveals that the power law nature of the density distribution extends down to scales of 10 pc. We highlight the scientific potential of these data by comparing the properties of an outflowing high-velocity cloud with previous ASKAP+Parkes

${\rm H\small I}$

test observations.
The Right Accounting of Wrongs: Examining Temporal Changes to Human Rights Monitoring and Reporting
Authors: Arnon Daniel , Haschke Peter , Park Baekkwan
Published: February 2022

Scholars contend that the reason for stasis in human rights measures is a biased measurement process, rather than stagnating human rights practices. We argue that bias may be introduced as part of the compilation of the human rights reports that serve as the foundation of human rights measures. An additional source of potential bias may be human coders, who translate human rights reports into human rights scores. We first test for biases via a machine-learning approach using natural language processing and find substantial evidence of bias in human rights scores. We then present findings of an experiment on the coders of human rights reports to assess whether potential changes in the coding procedures or interpretation of coding rules affect scores over time. We find no evidence of coder bias and conclude that human rights measures have changed over time and that bias is introduced as part of monitoring and reporting.
Voter Turnout Decline and Party Responsiveness
Authors: Ezrow Lawrence , Krause Werner
Published: February 2022

Numerous studies conclude that declining turnout is harmful for democracy. However, we uncover the arguably positive effect that political parties become more responsive to the median voter in the election after turnout has decreased. We assume that parties are vote seeking and show that moderate voters are responsible for changes in turnout, and we argue that declining turnout in an election sends a clear signal to political parties that there is an opportunity to mobilize disaffected voters in the following election by responding to changes in public opinion. We report the results of statistical analyses on data from thirteen democracies from 1977 to 2018 that provide evidence that declining voter turnout in one inter-election period is associated with increasing party responsiveness to public opinion in the following period. Our findings have important implications for our understanding of voter turnout, political representation, and parties' election strategies.
Understanding factors influencing wheat productivity in Ethiopian highlands
Authors: Kihara J. , Gurmessa B. , Tamene L. , Amede T. , Sommer R.
Published: February 2022

Increasing yields in farmer fields is a priority to address increasing food demands. The study was conducted within four wheat-growing areas in Ethiopia: Debre Birhan, Hosaina, Sinana and Maychew. The objectives were to identify (1) best-bet soil fertility management options based on agronomic performance and economic evaluation and (2) key yield-reducing factors in farmer fields based on an agronomic survey among 55 participating farmers. Two types of on-farm experiments were conducted: researcher-managed trials that tested combinations of nutrients, including micronutrients, organic resources or both over two cropping seasons and farmer-managed trials comparing ‘improved practice’ against ‘farmer’s practice’. Fertilizer treatment affected wheat productivity in Debre Birhan (p < 0.01), a site limited in sulphur. Here, full NPK increased yields over the control (p < 0.05), whereas a combination of NPK and manure was better than the application of manure as the only source of added nutrients (p < 0.05). Applying half the recommended NPK with micronutrients and manure achieved similar yields as the full fertilizer treatment. In Hosaina, treatment had no significant effect on wheat productivity, although a combination of NPK and zinc resulted in an additional 26–57% yield relative to the other treatments. In Maychew, a significant treatment effect (p < 0.05) was observed. Here, the treatment with lower rates of nitrogen and phosphorous had lower yields than the full NPK treatment. A significant effect of plant densities on on-farm productivity was also observed. We conclude that although nutrient management including use of micronutrients is important in specific cases, investments to optimize plant densities have a huge potential to increase food productivity.
In memory of Professor Iain Wilkinson: cognitive and neuroimaging endophenotypes in a consanguineous schizophrenia multiplex family
Authors: Wilkinson Iain D. , Mahmood Tariq , Yasmin Sophia Faye , Tomlinson Anneka , Nazari Jamshid , Alhaj Hamid , el din Soumaya Nasser , Neill Joanna , Pandit Chhaya , Ashraf Shahzad , Cardno Alastair G. , Clapcote Steven J. , Inglehearn Chris F. , Woodruff Peter W.
Published: February 2022

Background

Schizophrenia endophenotypes may help elucidate functional effects of genetic risk variants in multiply affected consanguineous families that segregate recessive risk alleles of large effect size. We studied the association between a schizophrenia risk locus involving a 6.1Mb homozygous region on chromosome 13q22–31 in a consanguineous multiplex family and cognitive functioning, haemodynamic response and white matter integrity using neuroimaging.

Methods

We performed CANTAB neuropsychological testing on four affected family members (all homozygous for the risk locus), ten unaffected family members (seven homozygous and three heterozygous) and ten healthy volunteers, and tested neuronal responses on fMRI during an n-back working memory task, and white matter integrity on diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) on four affected and six unaffected family members (four homozygous and two heterozygous) and three healthy volunteers. For cognitive comparisons we used a linear mixed model (Kruskal–Wallis) test, followed by posthoc Dunn's pairwise tests with a Bonferroni adjustment. For fMRI analysis, we counted voxels exceeding the p < 0.05 corrected threshold. DTI analysis was observational.

Results

Family members with schizophrenia and unaffected family members homozygous for the risk haplotype showed attention (p < 0.01) and working memory deficits (p < 0.01) compared with healthy controls; a neural activation laterality bias towards the right prefrontal cortex (voxels reaching p < 0.05, corrected) and observed lower fractional anisotropy in the anterior cingulate cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.

Conclusions

In this family, homozygosity at the 13q risk locus was associated with impaired cognition, white matter integrity, and altered laterality of neural activation.
Madame Mariquita, Greek Dance, and French Ballet Modernism
Authors: Gutsche-Miller Sarah
Published: February 2022

This article seeks to correct prevailing narratives of French ballet modernism, which exclude one of its earliest and most significant choreographers, Madame Mariquita. Although long overshadowed by the Diaghilev enterprise and by dancers such as Isadora Duncan, Mariquita's experiments with creating dances that drew on ancient Greek imagery while ballet mistress at the Paris Opéra-Comique in the early 1900s were central to ballet culture in France at a pivotal moment in dance history. This article discusses Mariquita's nascent ballet modernism through her choreography of Greek dances as well as her engagement with early twentieth-century French dance and broader cultural trends.
Dancing to Transgress: Palestinian Dancer Sahar Damoni's Politics of Pleasure
Authors: Ophir Hodel
Published: February 2022

As a woman Palestinian dancer and choreographer in Israel, Sahar Damoni performs within multiple contexts of cultural, gendered, and political oppression, employing her bodily art to challenge these structures, most poignantly through dances that express and evoke pleasure and sensual joy. Offering a detailed ethnography of three of Damoni's performances within one year in Israel/Palestine, I argue that an examination of her artistry provides unique insight into the intricate workings—and transgressions—of gender, ethnic, and national boundaries through the movement of the body in dance.
Design, modeling, and testing of a soft actuator with variable stiffness using granular jamming
Authors: Hu Junfeng , Liang Long , Zeng Bin
Published: February 2022

Soft robots combine the load-bearing capability of rigid material with the resilience, shape-shifting capabilities of soft materials. This paper presents a novel soft actuator with stiffness variation using particulate jamming technology. We design a hybrid composite structure consisting of driving layer and jamming layer. The driving layer with the arc air chamber aim to achieve large bending deformation. A membrane containing particles is integrated with driving layer to module its stiffness. The influence factors of stiffness variation were analyzed from energy of point of view. The dependence of granular attributes on the stiffness of the actuator was studied. Furthermore, we illustrated influence of stiffness changes on the kinematic and dynamic performance of the soft actuator. The experimental results showed these performance indexes are twofold. On the one hand, the structural parameters have significant effect on the bending angle, but on the other hand they have little effect on the end force. We found that flow resistance inside air chamber results in bending morphology variation. The dynamic response subjected to a square-wave air pressure was analyzed to exhibit the actuator’s transient and steady vibration behavior. The actuator with greater stiffness has faster responsiveness, but smaller range of motion. These conclusions are helpful to adjust the stiffness behavior and to improve motion performance.
Topic selection process in health technology assessment agencies around the world: a systematic review
Authors: Qiu Yingpeng , Thokala Praveen , Dixon Simon , Marchand Robert , Xiao Yue
Published: February 2022

Objective

The purpose of this study was to systematically review the process for topic selection by health technology assessment (HTA) agencies around the world to provide the knowledge base for the improvement of topic selection frameworks in HTA agencies.

Methods

A systematic search was conducted in PubMed and EMBASE to identify papers up to February 2019. Gray literature was identified by screening the Web sites of HTA agencies on the nonprofit member list of the International Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment (INAHTA). Data were extracted for each HTA agency and synthesized, with issues including general contextual information about each agency and the process of topic selection.

Results

Out of forty-nine nonprofit members of INAHTA, a total of seventeen HTA agencies with a framework for topic selection were identified from twenty-two included papers/documents. Multiple criteria were used for topic selection in all frameworks and agencies undertook multiple steps, which could include the specification of criteria for topic selection, identification of topics, short listing of potential topics, scoping of potential topics, scoring and ranking of potential topics, and deliberation and decision on final topics for HTA. Shortcomings were found in relation to methods of scoring and ranking as well as lack of monitoring and the evaluation of the process.

Conclusions

Our study provides insights into the current practice of topic selection in HTA agencies. Multiple criteria decision analysis methodology appears highly relevant to these processes. A consensus approach for the development of methods of topic selection would be valuable for the HTA community.
Big data architecture and data mining analysis for market segment applications of differential global navigation satellite system (GNSS) services: case study of the analysis of the demand for navigation and agriculture
Authors: Martín Angel , Capilla Raquel Maria , Anquela Ana Belén
Published: February 2022

Location and navigation services based on global navigation satellite systems (GNSS) are needed for real-time high-precision positioning applications in relevant economic sectors, such as precision agriculture, transport, civil engineering or mapping. Real-time navigation users of GNSS networks have significantly increased all around the world, since the 1990s, and usage has exceeded initial expectations. Therefore, if the evolution of GNSS network users is monitored, the dynamics of market segments can be studied. The implementation of this hypothesis requires the treatment of big volumes of navigation data over several years and the continuous monitoring of customers. This paper is focused on the management of massive connection of GNSS users in an efficient way, in order to obtain analysis and statistics. Big data architecture and data analyses based on data mining algorithms have been implemented as the best way to approach the hypothesis. Results demonstrate the dynamic of users of different market segments, the increasing demand over the years and, specifically, conclusions are obtained about the trends, year-on-year correlation and business volume recovering after economic crisis periods.
2nd c. CE defenses around small towns in Roman Britain structured by road network connectivity
Authors: Lewis Joseph
Published: February 2022

The large-scale provision of defenses around small towns in Roman Britain during the 2nd c. CE is without parallel in the Roman Empire. Although the relationship between defended small towns and the Roman road network has been noted previously, provincial-level patterns remain to be explored. Using network analysis and spatial inference methods, this paper shows that defended small towns in the 2nd c. are on average better integrated within the road network – and located on road segments important for controlling the flow of information – than small towns at random. This research suggests that the fortification of small towns in the 2nd c. was structured by the connectivity of the Roman road network and associated with the functioning of thecursus publicus.
THE ECONOMISTS AND THE COMBINATION LAWS: A REAPPRAISAL
Authors: Hupfel Simon
Published: February 2022

The repeal of the British Combination Laws in 1824 is generally considered by historians as the landmark of modern trade unionism, and has been attributed to the contributions of classical political economists. In the sole article that addressed this issue in the field of the history of economic thought, William Grampp reached the opposite conclusion, according to which the influence of the economists (John Ramsay McCulloch, David Ricardo, Thomas Robert Malthus, Robert Torrens, and Nassau William Senior) on repeal was actually small. Resituating the debates over the Combination Laws in their political context, we try to show, despite the relatively reduced volume of the classical economists’ direct contributions, that the economists were clearly favorable to the measure, and how “political economy” played a significant role in the achievement of repeal. In doing so, we offer a reflection on the methodology used by Grampp to study the influence of economic ideas on political debates and public policy.