bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Social benefits of government investment in enterprises
Authors: Fan Xiaoshuai , Chen Ying‐Ju , Zhou Junjie
Published: January 2020

A critical issue for many governments is boosting the adoption rates of products or technologies that enhance consumer surplus or total social welfare. Governments may, for example, pay subsidies to producers or to consumers to stimulate the manufacture or consumption of specific products, for example, energy‐efficient appliances or more effective drugs. This research proposes a strategic government investment policy, namely, share acquisition, and demonstrates its effectiveness in reaching societal objectives. We consider a Cournot quantities‐choice market comprised of homogeneous firms where the government intervenes to buy shares, and turning private firms into state‐owned enterprises. We recognize that purchasing a single private firm is the optimal policy for the government to reach its societal objectives. Additionally, taking into consideration financial constraints, we find that the optimal stake increases with the budget. Compared with the optimal output‐based subsidy policy, when the budget is low, the optimal government investment policy induces a higher consumer surplus. In addition, in differentiated Cournot competition, under which firms compete in selling substitutable products, we find that when the budget is sufficient, the optimal stake purchased first decreases and then increases according to the substitutability level among products.
Small prey exploitation during the final Gravettian in the northeast of the Iberian Peninsula: The case of Level D from Arbreda Cave
Authors: Rufí Isaac , Lloveras Lluís , Soler Joaquim , Soler Narcís
Published: January 2020

Arbreda Cave is one of the most important sites in the Reclau Caves complex (Serinyà, north‐east Iberian Peninsula). Its stratigraphy reveals that the cave was intensively occupied during the Upper Palaeolithic. As in other archaeological sites in the western Mediterranean regions, a shift towards an intensification in small prey exploitation has been observed over the course of this period. This trend is indicated by the presence of large quantities of small mammal remains, mainly rabbits, in the archaeofaunal assemblages. However, the anthropogenic origin of these bone accumulations requires to be proved through the detailed taphonomic analysis because their presence in the archaeological record may be consequence of the activity of different agents. On this question, neotaphonomic studies have become a valuable tool with which to distinguish the taphonomic signatures produced by terrestrial carnivores, birds of prey, and humans.

Although most researchers agree on the importance of small prey in the human diet during this period, this issue has not yet been resolved. Because data are still scarce, subsistence in some Upper Palaeolithic episodes, such as the final Gravettian, is not well understood. The aim of this paper is to establish the origin of the small mammal prey assemblages from Level D of Arbreda Cave and to assess the importance of these animals for the subsistence of humans in western Mediterranean regions. This level has been dated to ca. 25–20 kyr 14C BP and is mainly contemporary with the palaeoenvironmental cold conditions derived from the Greenland Stadial 3. The results of this study indicate that Level D small mammal prey assemblages have a remarkable anthropogenic footprint. Rabbits were intensively exploited, but other small mammals, such as hedgehogs, were also part of the human diet. The animal carcasses were brought whole to the cave, where they were butchered, cooked, and consumed. In addition, marrow exploitation was also practiced in the case of the rabbits.

Although at Arbreda Cave, ungulates were a primary resource in the subsistence of hunter–gatherers; small prey also played an important role in human diet during the final Gravettian.
Research on WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/chitosan composites with excellent electrical and magnetic properties
Authors: Song Mengmeng , Zhou Meng , Hu Hengfeng , Fu Heqing
Published: January 2020

First, attapulgite‐Fe3O4 magnetic filler (ATP‐Fe3O4) was prepared by using a chemical precipitation method. Subsequently, graphite oxide (GO) was prepared through Hummer method, and then reduced GO (RGO) was prepared through GO reduced by chitosan (CS). Finally, a series of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS composites were prepared by introduced RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS to waterborne polyurethane. The structure and properties were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR), X‐ray diffraction (XRD), vibrating sample magnetometry (VSM), thermogravimetric analysis TGA, conductivity test, and tensile test. The experimental results indicated that thermal stability and tensile strength of nanocomposites were improved with the increase of the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS. Meanwhile, with the increase of the RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS content, the electrical and magnetic properties of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS composites were improved. When the content of RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS was 8 wt%, the electrical conductivity and the saturation magnetic strength of WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS composites were 3.1 × 10−7 S·cm−1 and 1.38 emu/g, respectively. WPU‐RGO/ATP‐Fe3O4/CS composites have excellent electrical and magnetic properties.
Graphene Oxide as a Prospective Graft in Polyethylene Glycol for Enhancing the Toughness of Epoxy Nanocomposites
Authors: Jayan Jitha S , Saritha Appukuttan , Deeraj Battula Durga Siva , Joseph Kuruvilla
Published: January 2020

Polyethylene glycol (PEG) was successfully grafted onto the surface of graphene oxide (GO) by the “grafting to” technique. PEG, GO as well as the PEG grafted GO (GO‐g‐PEG) was successfully incorporated into an epoxy matrix and subsequently cured using diethylenetoluenediamine (DETDA) to make epoxy nanocomposites. Mechanical, thermal, and rheological properties of the epoxy nanocomposites were studied to check the effectiveness of these fillers in the epoxy matrix. An improvement of 255% and 334% at a very low filler loading of about 0.1 wt% was observed in the fracture toughness of GO and GO‐g‐PEG loaded systems versus the neat epoxy. Toughening mechanisms are also explained by analyzing SEM images of the fractured surface. Modeling of rheological properties was carried out by following time‐independent Newtonian model. The homogeneity of the epoxy filler systems are explained with the help of Cole–Cole plots. The thermal stability of the filler loaded epoxy composites was examined in detail by TGA. Improvements in mechanical properties reveal the potential benefit of the grafting process in epoxy toughening. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 60:773–781, 2020. © 2020 Society of Plastics Engineers
Design of a tether‐driven minimally invasive robotic surgical tool with decoupled degree‐of‐freedom wrist
Authors: Chandrasekaran Karthik , Thondiyath Asokan
Published: January 2020

Background

Dexterous surgical tool wrists used in tele‐operated robotic surgery typically have mechanically coupled pitch and yaw degree of freedom (DoF). This leads to complex control requirements.

Materials and Methods

The design of a robotic surgical tool with a mechanically decoupled dexterous wrist which uses stationary tether guides to guide drive tethers is presented. The tethers are routed through the plane of symmetry of the tool and follow law of belting to mechanically decouple the wrist. An optimization procedure for the placement of the stationary tether guides to minimize the change in tether length is presented.

Results

Experimental and analytical results confirm the decoupled motion capability of the wrist. Also, the change in length of tether segments over the operating range of motion was found to be very small.

Conclusion

A prototype has been fabricated through metal 3D printing and integrated to a tele‐operated robotic setup to demonstrate its utility in surgical application.
Global output feedback regulation of nonlinear time delay systems subject to sensor measurement faults
Authors: Li Kuo , Hua Changchun , Guan Xinping
Published: January 2020

This article studied the global output feedback regulation problem for a class of uncertain nonlinear time delay systems subject to unknown measurement faults on sensors. Different from the existing works, we consider the unknown time‐varying delays on the system states and relax their conservative condition on nonlinear functions. By introducing two novel time‐varying gains, a new global output feedback regulation algorithm is proposed, which ensures control parameters can be chosen flexibly. The proposed linear‐like controller is independent of the unknown time‐varying delays. Moreover, it has a simple structure, which is convenient for the implementation in practice. Based on the Lyapunov stability theory, it is strictly proved that all signals of the resulting closed‐loop system are globally bounded with the designed controller. Finally, a simulation example is presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed output feedback regulation algorithm.
Emerging DNA Technologies and Stigmatization
Authors: Machado Helena , Granja Rafaela
Published: January 2020

Despite their consolidated role in providing evidence for criminal justice, DNA technologies have been subjected to continuous investment that has given rise to the emergence of new DNA technologies. This chapter will focus on such innovations, explaining how forensic genetics is increasingly expanding its role in the criminal justice system. Recent technologies such as familial searching and forensic DNA phenotyping might help to generate intelligence for criminal investigations. Familial searching is a technology that attempts to identify criminal suspects through their genetic connection with relatives. Forensic DNA phenotyping makes it possible to focus on a particular suspect group that shares genetic ancestry and/or externally visible characteristics. The chapter critically reviews the existing debate in the field of social sciences about emerging DNA technologies. The core argument is that the application of DNA phenotyping and familial searching in the governance of crime holds the potential to increase risks of stigmatization and reinforce the criminalization of certain populations who are more vulnerable to the actions of the criminal justice system.
Cement-based additive manufacturing: experimental investigation of process quality
Authors: Foteinopoulos Panagis , Esnault Vivien , Komineas George , Papacharalampopoulos Alexios , Stavropoulos Panagiotis
Published: January 2020

The interest in additive manufacturing (AM) of cement-based materials is steadily increasing. Moreover, there is a growing need for higher productivity and part quality. In this study, the impact of the different values of the process parameters on part quality was identified. An alternative process-control strategy was investigated, according to which the width of the extruded path is controlled by the ratio of the extrusion speed over the scanner head speed. To conduct linear- and rotational-extrusion experiments, an experimental apparatus was designed. The significance of the effect of the speed ratio on the part quality was found to be the highest, followed by the extrusion radius, whereas the extrusion speed appeared to be of low importance. Therefore, in linear extrusion, high quality and consistency can be achieved by maintaining the ratio value above 0.8. However, in rotational extrusion, the effect of the radius was additionally considered by calculating the ratio on the outer side of the part, rather than on the centerline. Thus, acceptable quality and consistency were ensured for both linear and curved paths by controlling the aforementioned ratio values.
Regularity of solutions to anisotropic nonlocal equations
Authors: Chaker Jamil
Published: January 2020

We study harmonic functions associated to systems of stochastic differential equations of the form $$dX_t^i=A_{i1}(X_{t-})dZ_t^1+\cdots +A_{id}(X_{t-})dZ_t^d$$

d

X
t
i

=

A

i
1

(

X

t
-

)

d

Z
t
1

+
⋯
+

A

id

(

X

t
-

)

d

Z
t
d

, $$i\in \{1,\dots ,d\}$$

i
∈
{
1
,
⋯
,
d
}

, where $$Z_t^j$$

Z
t
j

are independent one-dimensional symmetric stable processes of order $$\alpha _j\in (0,2)$$

α
j

∈

(
0
,
2
)

, $$j\in \{1,\dots ,d\}$$

j
∈
{
1
,
⋯
,
d
}

. In this article we prove Hölder regularity of bounded harmonic functions with respect to solutions to such systems.
Prediction of Postoperative Mortality in Patients with Organ Failure After Gastric Cancer Surgery
Authors: Park Ji‐Ho , Lee Hyuk‐Joon , Oh Seung‐Young , Park Shin‐Hoo , Berlth Felix , Son Young‐Gil , Kim Tae Han , Huh Yeon‐Ju , Yang Jun‐Young , Lee Kyung‐Goo , Suh Yun‐Suhk , Kong Seong‐Ho , Yang Han‐Kwang
Published: January 2020

Background

Scarce data are available on the characteristics of postoperative organ failure (POF) and mortality after gastrectomy. We aimed to describe the causes of organ failure and mortality related to gastrectomy for gastric cancer and to identify patients with POF who are at a risk of failure to rescue (FTR).

Methods

The study examined patients with POF or in‐hospital mortality in Seoul National University Hospital between 2005 and 2014. We identified patients at a high risk of FTR by analyzing laboratory findings, complication data, intensive care unit records, and risk scoring including Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation (APACHE) IV, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (SOFA) score, and Simplified Acute Physiology Score (SAPS) 3 at ICU admission.

Results

Among the 7304 patients who underwent gastrectomy, 80 (1.1%) were identified with Clavien–Dindo classification (CDC) grade ≥ IVa. The numbers of patients with CDC grade IVa, IVb, and V were 48 (0.66%), 11 (0.15%), and 21 (0.29%), respectively. Pulmonary failure (43.8%), surgical site complication (27.5%), and cardiac failure (13.8%) were the most common causes of POF and mortality. Cancer progression (100%) and cardiac events (45.5%) showed high FTR rates. In univariate analysis, acidosis, hypoalbuminemia, SOFA, APACHE IV, and SAPS 3 were identified as risk factors for FTR (P < 0.05). Finally, SAPS 3 was identified as an independent predictive factor for FTR.

Conclusions

Cancer progression and acute cardiac failure were the most lethal causes of FTR. SAPS 3 is an independent predictor of FTR among POF patients after gastrectomy.
Doxapram as an additive to propofol sedation for endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography: a placebo-controlled, randomized, double-blinded study
Authors: Jokelainen Jarno , Belozerskikh Anna , Mustonen Harri , Udd Marianne , Kylänpää Leena , Lindström Outi , Mazanikov Maxim , Pöyhiä R.
Published: January 2020

Background

Endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography (ERCP) requires moderate to deep sedation, usually with propofol. Adverse effects of propofol sedation are relatively common, such as respiratory and cardiovascular depression. This study was conducted to determine if doxapram, a respiratory stimulant, could be used to reduce the incidence of respiratory depression.

Methods

This is a single-center, prospective randomized double-blind study performed in the endoscopy unit of Helsinki University Central Hospital. 56 patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio to either receive doxapram as an initial 1 mg/kg bolus and an infusion of 1 mg/kg/h (group DOX) or placebo (group P) during propofol sedation for ERCP. Main outcome measures were apneic episodes and hypoxemia (SpO2 < 90%). Mann–Whitney test for continuous variables and Fisher’s exact test for discrete variables were used and mixed effects modeling to take into account repeated measurements on the same subject and comparing both changes within a group as a function of time and between the groups.

Results

There were no statistically significant differences in apneic episodes (p = 0.18) or hypoxemia (p = 0.53) between the groups. There was a statistically significant rise in etCO2levels in both groups, but the rise was smaller in group P. There was a statistically significant rise in Bispectral Index (p = 0.002) but not modified Observer’s Assessment of Agitation/Sedation (p = 0.21) in group P. There were no statistically significant differences in any other measured parameters.

Conclusions

Doxapram was not effective in reducing respiratory depression caused by deep propofol sedation during ERCP. Further studies are warranted using different sedation protocols and dosing regimens.

Clinical trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov ID NCT02171910.
Association of laparoscopic colectomy versus open colectomy on the long-term health-related quality of life of colon cancer survivors
Authors: Thong Melissa S. Y. , Jansen Lina , Chang-Claude Jenny , Hoffmeister Michael , Brenner Hermann , Arndt Volker
Published: January 2020

Background

Laparoscopic colectomy (LC) is a less invasive alternative to open colectomy (OC) in the treatment of stage I–III colon cancer. Research on the long-term (5-year post-diagnosis) health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of LC patients is scarce. Our study aimed to compare the long-term HRQOL and psychological well-being of stage I–III colon cancer survivors treated either with LC or OC.

Methods

This study used a German population-based cohort of patients treated with either LC (n = 86) or OC (n = 980). LC patients were matched to OC patients using a propensity score. At 5-year follow-up, patients completed assessments on HRQOL (EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-CR29) and psychological well-being (distress and disease/treatment burden). Least square mean scores of HRQOL were derived using linear regression. Proportions of patients with moderate/high distress and disease/treatment burden were compared with Chi-square tests.

Results

In total, 81 LC patients were matched to 156 OC patients. Generally, LC patients had HRQOL comparable to OC patients, albeit LC patients reported significantly better body image (87.1 versus 81.0, p = 0.03). Distress levels were generally low and comparable between the two groups, even though LC patients were more likely to experience disease recurrence (16% versus 7%, p = 0.02) than OC patients. OC patients were more likely to feel moderate/high levels of burden associated with the treatment (72% versus 56%, p = 0.01) and the time after treatment completion (43% versus 28%, p = 0.02).

Conclusion

LC patients reported comparable long-term HRQOL outcomes but higher levels of psychological well-being than OC patients 5 years after diagnosis, even though LC was associated with higher risk of disease recurrence.
On proportional deformation paths in hypoplasticity
Authors: Bauer Erich , Kovtunenko Victor A. , Krejčí Pavel , Krenn Nepomuk , Siváková Lenka , Zubkova Anna V.
Published: January 2020

We investigate rate-independent stress paths under constant rate of strain within the hypoplasticity theory of Kolymbas type. For a particular simplified hypoplastic constitutive model, the exact solution of the corresponding system of nonlinear ordinary differential equations is obtained in analytical form. On its basis, the behaviour of stress paths is examined in dependence of the direction of the proportional strain paths and material parameters of the model.
Automated local Fourier analysis (aLFA)
Authors: Kahl Karsten , Kintscher Nils
Published: January 2020

Local Fourier analysis is a commonly used tool to assess the quality and aid in the construction of geometric multigrid methods for translationally invariant operators. In this paper we automate the process of local Fourier analysis and present a framework that can be applied to arbitrary, including non-orthogonal, repetitive structures. To this end we introduce the notion of crystal structures and a suitable definition of corresponding wave functions, which allow for a natural representation of almost all translationally invariant operators that are encountered in applications, e.g., discretizations of systems of PDEs, tight-binding Hamiltonians of crystalline structures, colored domain decomposition approaches and last but not least two- or multigrid hierarchies. Based on this definition we are able to automate the process of local Fourier analysis both with respect to spatial manipulations of operators as well as the Fourier analysis back-end. This automation most notably simplifies the user input by removing the necessity for compatible representations of the involved operators. Each individual operator and its corresponding structure can be provided in any representation chosen by the user.
Advantage of clonal deployment in Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst)
Authors: Chen Zhi-Qiang , Hai Hong Nguyen Thi , Helmersson Andreas , Liziniewicz Mateusz , Hallingbäck Henrik R. , Fries Anders , Berlin Mats , Wu Harry X.
Published: January 2020

Key message

There is considerable genetic gain of tree volume from clonal deployment in Norway spruce (Picea abies(L.) H. Karst) and clonal deployment will have at least 50% more or double genetic gain than the seedling deployment.

Context

Genetic parameters and genetic gains for wood quality and growth traits were estimated in six large clonal progeny trials.

Aims

Develop the optimal clonal deployment strategy of Norway spruce in Sweden.

Methods

Wood quality and growth traits were measured in all clonal trials and additive and non-additive genetic variances are partitioned.

Results

Additive and non-additive genetic variances were equally important for growth traits while non-additive variance was small or not significant for wood quality trait. The genetic gain predicted for clonal deployment was greater than any of the other four deployment strategies. Selecting the top 1% of tested clones (clonal forestry) would have 48.4% and 134.6% more gain than the gain predicted for the seedling deployment of selected full-sib families and half-sib family (family forestry), respectively, at the same selection intensity.

Conclusion

This study highlights that testing of 30–40 clones per family would maximize the realized genetic gain for different clonal selection scenarios, either selecting the best ten or 20 clones without any co-ancestry restrictions or selecting the best single clone from each of the best ten or 20 families (e.g., co-ancestry restriction). Clonal mean selection and vegetative deployment are the most effective.
Overlap joining of aluminium and copper using laser micro welding with spatial power modulation
Authors: Hollatz S. , Heinen P. , Limpert E. , Olowinsky A. , Gillner A.
Published: January 2020

The rising demand for high power battery systems for the electric mobility requires the connection of a large number of cells. Due to the functionality of the cell chemistry, a combination of copper and aluminium is necessary. The differing material properties like thermal conductivity as well as the formation of intermetallic phases are challenging for welding processes. This study contains the results for overlap joints of copper and aluminium using a laser beam welding process with spatial power modulation. With a parameter variation, the cross-sectional shape of the weld seams and therefore, the ratio of depth to width can be adjusted. With additional longitudinal cross sections and an energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy analysis, the different mixing behaviour of the dissimilar material depending on the top layer is investigated.
Natural and Eco-Friendly Materials for Triboelectric Energy Harvesting
Authors: Slabov Vladislav , Kopyl Svitlana , Soares dos Santos Marco P. , Kholkin Andrei L.
Published: January 2020

Triboelectric nanogenerators (TENGs) are promising electric energy harvesting devices as they can produce renewable clean energy using mechanical excitations from the environment. Several designs of triboelectric energy harvesters relying on biocompatible and eco-friendly natural materials have been introduced in recent years. Their ability to provide customizable self-powering for a wide range of applications, including biomedical devices, pressure and chemical sensors, and battery charging appliances, has been demonstrated. This review summarizes major advances already achieved in the field of triboelectric energy harvesting using biocompatible and eco-friendly natural materials. A rigorous, comparative, and critical analysis of preparation and testing methods is also presented. Electric power up to 14 mW was already achieved for the dry leaf/polyvinylidene fluoride-based TENG devices. These findings highlight the potential of eco-friendly self-powering systems and demonstrate the unique properties of the plants to generate electric energy for multiple applications.
Metabolic and catecholamine response to sympathetic stimulation in early-treated adult male patients with phenylketonuria
Authors: Sumanszki Csaba , Kovacs Krisztian , Karvaly Gellert Balazs , Kiss Erika , Simon Erika , Patocs Attila , Toth Miklos , Komka Zsolt , Reismann Peter
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Defective function of phenylalanine hydroxylase in phenylketonuria (PKU) results in the accumulation of phenylalanine (Phe) and the reduction of tyrosine (Tyr) in the blood, interfering in the normal development and function of organs and tissues in the body. Tyr is the precursor of catecholamines, secreted in response to stress by the adrenal medulla and paraganglia. The aim of this study was to evaluate plasma catecholamine and amino acid response to an escalating series of sympathetic stress tests in PKU patients.

Methods

Twelve males with classical PKU (aged 18–41 years) and ten healthy male controls were included in this study. The subjects were exposed to three different sympathetic stress stimulations: cold pressor, isometric handgrip, and peak treadmill tests to exhaustion. Physiological, metabolic, and hormonal changes were determined.

Results

Aerobic capacity (VO2max) was significantly lower in the PKU group (p = 0.018); however, relative VO2maxwas similar in the two groups during the spiroergometric test. No significant differences in norepinephrine or in epinephrine response were found between the two groups during the different stimulation tests. Blood Phe increased significantly in the PKU group compared with controls (p = 0.027) during the spiroergometric test, while Tyr levels remained stable in both groups.

Conclusion

PKU itself might not influence stress-induced catecholamine changes. Only strenuous exercise increased blood Phe levels in PKU subjects.
Sex Differences in Care Need and Survival in Patients Admitted to Nursing Home Poststroke
Authors: Yu Amy Y. X. , Maclagan Laura C. , Diong Christina , Austin Peter C. , Kapral Moira K. , Swartz Richard H. , Bronskill Susan E.
Published: January 2020

Background:

Women are more likely to be admitted to nursing home after stroke than men. Differences in patient characteristics and outcomes by sex after institutionalization are less understood. We examined sex differences in the characteristics and care needs of patients admitted to nursing home following stroke and their subsequent survival.

Methods:

We identified patients with stroke newly admitted to nursing home between April 2011 and March 2016 in Ontario, Canada, with follow-up until March 2018 using linked administrative data. We calculated prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the primary outcomes of dependence for activities of daily living, cognitive impairment, frailty, health instability, and symptoms of depression or pain, comparing women to men. The secondary outcome was all-cause mortality.

Results:

Among 4831 patients, 60.9% were women. Compared to men, women were older (median age [interquartile range, IQR]: 84 [78, 89] vs. 80 [71, 86]), more likely to be frail (prevalence ratio 1.14, 95% CI [1.08, 1.19]), have unstable health (1.45 [1.28, 1.66]), and experience symptoms of depression (1.25 [1.11, 1.40]) or pain (1.21 [1.13, 1.30]), and less likely to have aggressive behaviors (0.87 [0.80, 0.94]). Overall median survival was 2.9 years. In a propensity-score-matched cohort, women had lower mortality than men (hazard ratio 0.85, 95% CI [0.77, 0.94]), but in the age-stratified survival analysis, the survival advantage in women was limited to those aged 75 years and older.

Conclusions:

Despite lower subsequent mortality, women admitted to nursing home after stroke required more care than men. Pain and depression are two treatable symptoms that disproportionately affect women.
Reconciliation and Cultural Genocide: A Critique of Liberal Multicultural Strategies of Innocence
Authors: Paquette Elisabeth
Published: January 2020

The aim of this article is to interrogate the concept of cultural genocide. The primary context examined is the Government of Canada's recent attempt at reconciliation through the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Drawing on the work of Audra Simpson (Mohawk), Glen Sean Coulthard (Yellowknives Dene), Kyle Powys Whyte (Potawatomi), Stephanie Lumsden (Hupa), and Luana Ross (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, located at Flathead Indian Reservation in Montana), I argue that cultural genocide, like cultural rights, is depoliticized, thus limiting the political impact these concepts can invoke. Following Sylvia Wynter, I also argue that the aims of “truth and reconciliation” can sometimes serve to resituate the power of a liberal multicultural settler state, rather than seek systemic changes that would properly address the present-day implications of the residential school system. Finally, I argue that genocide and culture need to be repoliticized in order to support Indigenous futurity and sovereignty.
Withdrawing and Drawing In: Political Discourse in Policed Communities
Authors: Weaver Vesla , Prowse Gwen , Piston Spencer
Published: January 2020

A growing body of literature examines how direct or vicarious contact with forms of state surveillance affects political behavior and perceptions of government legitimacy. We develop a new method, Portals, to collect conversations between black residents from highly policed areas in five different U.S. cities between 2016 and 2018. While existing research emphasizes how interactions with the carceral state are alienating and demobilizing, our analysis of these conversations identifies productive ways in which citizens respond to oppressive encounters with police. The political discourses used by Portals participants, we argue, are centered on a logic of “collective autonomy”—given police ignorance, abuses of police authority, and the little political power that residents of highly policed communities have to demand change, many conclude that power is best achieved by strategically distancing from state institutions in the short term while building community power in the long term. Crucially, articulations of collective autonomy transcend the ideological positions of participants and track closely with an ideological tradition in black politics that persists across generations and contexts of state oppression.
Relevance of students’ demographic characteristics, sources of information and personal attitudes towards HIV testing for HIV knowledge: evidence from a post-conflict setting
Authors: Milic Marija , Dotlic Jelena , Stevanovic Jasmina , Parlic Milan , Mitic Katarina , Nicholson Desmond , Arsovic Aleksandra , Gazibara Tatjana
Published: January 2020

Although studies on HIV knowledge have previously been conducted in central Serbia and southern Kosovo, none has included the Serbian population residing in the northern part of the Kosovo province. The aim of this study was to assess HIV-related knowledge and to estimate factors contributing to a higher HIV-related knowledge level among Serbian university students in the Kosovo province. A cross-sectional study including 1017 first- and fourth-year students enrolled at the University of Pristina temporarily seated in Kosovska Mitrovica was carried out during the academic year 2013–2014. The students completed a 31-item questionnaire comprising demographic data, HIV transmission knowledge and attitude towards HIV testing. Data were statistically analysed. Students demonstrated good knowledge of HIV (average 32.8 ± 3.3 out of a maximum 42). Only 5% of the students reported having been tested for HIV. Factors associated with being more knowledgeable about HIV were studying health-related disciplines (β= −0.09; 95% confidence interval [CI] −0.13, 0.00), using the internet as a source of information about HIV (β= −1.09; 95% CI −1.65, −0.52), having a positive attitude towards HIV testing (β= −0.43; 95% CI −0.59, −0.26), having a low self-perceived risk for HIV infection (β= 0.41; 95% CI 0.23, 0.56) and the position that one would keep the same level of contact with an HIV-positive person after learning their HIV status (β= 0.38; 95% CI 0.21, 0.55). Setting up specialized classes on this topic at high schools and universities could help to increase the awareness of HIV infection and promote HIV testing and a positive attitude towards HIV-positive persons.
Near-axis expansion of stellarator equilibrium at arbitrary order in the distance to the axis
Authors: Jorge R. , Sengupta W. , Landreman M.
Published: January 2020

A direct construction of equilibrium magnetic fields with toroidal topology at arbitrary order in the distance from the magnetic axis is carried out, yielding an analytical framework able to explore the landscape of possible magnetic flux surfaces in the vicinity of the axis. This framework can provide meaningful analytical insight into the character of high-aspect-ratio stellarator shapes, such as the dependence of the rotational transform and the plasma beta limit on geometrical properties of the resulting flux surfaces. The approach developed here is based on an asymptotic expansion on the inverse aspect ratio of the ideal magnetohydrodynamics equation. The analysis is simplified by using an orthogonal coordinate system relative to the Frenet–Serret frame at the magnetic axis. The magnetic field vector, the toroidal magnetic flux, the current density, the field line label and the rotational transform are derived at arbitrary order in the expansion parameter. Moreover, a comparison with a near-axis expansion formalism employing an inverse coordinate method based on Boozer coordinates (the so-called Garren–Boozer construction) is made, where both methods are shown to agree at lowest order. Finally, as a practical example, a numerical solution using a W7-X equilibrium is presented, and a comparison between the lowest-order solution and the W7-X magnetic field is performed.
RESIDUAL STOCHASTIC PRECEDENCE ORDER
Authors: Misra Amit Kumar , Gupta Vaishali , Misra Neeraj
Published: January 2020

The aim of this paper is to introduce a new stochastic order based on the residual lifetimes of two nonnegative dependent random variables and the stochastic precedence order. We develop some characterizations and preservation properties of this stochastic order. In addition, we study some of its reliability properties and its relation with other existing stochastic orders. One of the possible applications in reliability theory has also been discussed.
Music Lessons: Exploring the Role and Meaning of Music for Older Adults with Dementia
Authors: Elliott Melanie , Gardner Paula , Narushima Miya , McCleary Lynn
Published: January 2020

An aging population and increasing rates of dementia point to the need for alternative strategies that allow individuals to age in place. This multiple case study explored, from an insider’s perspective, the role and meaning of music for individuals with dementia who are aging in place. Methods were semi-structured interviews, observations, and videos. The study’s central theme is connection, with three types of “connectors” – self, partner, and music – as subthemes. Connection to self involves present moment awareness, accessing memories, and self-expression. Connection to partner builds on self-connection and spending time together with music. Lastly, the connection to music builds on the previous two subthemes as well as the desire to keep things “normal”. This study provides insight into the growing body of interdisciplinary literature dedicated to dementia, music, aging in place, and contemplative practices, as well as implications for aging and caring for someone with dementia.
Weak Superiority, Imprecise Equality and the Repugnant Conclusion
Authors: Jensen Karsten Klint
Published: January 2020

Derek Parfit defends the Imprecise Lexical View as a way to avoid the Repugnant Conclusion. Allowing for ‘imprecise equality’, Parfit argues, makes it possible to avoid some well-known problems for the Lexical View. It is demonstrated that the Lexical View (without imprecise equality) has stronger implications than envisaged by Parfit; moreover, his assumption of Non-diminishing Marginal Value makes the Lexical View collapse into a much stronger view, which lets the two appear incompatible. Introducing imprecise equality does not address the latter problem. But it does makes it possible for the Imprecise Lexical View to soften the discontinuities it would otherwise face, at the cost of blurring the difference between options.

However, if Non-diminishing Marginal Value is rejected, the remaining complications for the resulting most plausible version of the Imprecise Lexical View, including a confrontation with Arrhenius’ Non-Elitism Condition, may be within a range where the view largely remains defensible.
Two approaches to compilation of bilingual multi-word terminology lists from lexical resources
Authors: Šandrih Branislava , Krstev Cvetana , Stanković Ranka
Published: January 2020

In this paper, we present two approaches and the implemented system for bilingual terminology extraction that rely on an aligned bilingual domain corpus, a terminology extractor for a target language, and a tool for chunk alignment. The two approaches differ in the way terminology for the source language is obtained: the first relies on an existing domain terminology lexicon, while the second one uses a term extraction tool. For both approaches, four experiments were performed with two parameters being varied. In the experiments presented in this paper, the source language was English, and the target language Serbian, and a selected domain was Library and Information Science, for which an aligned corpus exists, as well as a bilingual terminological dictionary. For term extraction, we used the FlexiTerm tool for the source language and a shallow parser for the target language, while for word alignment we used GIZA++. The evaluation results show that for the first approach the F1 score varies from 29.43% to 51.15%, while for the second it varies from 61.03% to 71.03%. On the basis of the evaluation results, we developed a binary classifier that decides whether a candidate pair, composed of aligned source and target terms, is valid. We trained and evaluated different classifiers on a list of manually labeled candidate pairs obtained after the implementation of our extraction system. The best results in a fivefold cross-validation setting were achieved with the Radial Basis Function Support Vector Machine classifier, giving a F1 score of 82.09% and accuracy of 78.49%.
The Rehabilitation of ʿAlī in Sunnī Ḥadīth and Historiography
Authors: HUSAYN NEBIL
Published: January 2020

After the Prophet Muhammad, the most contested figure in Islamic history would be his son-in-law, ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib. ʿAlī’s political rivals staunchly denounced him, his family and his partisans as impious criminals in his own lifetime and after his death. Shortly after his assassination, the Umayyads succeeded in obtaining the reins of the caliphate and establishing a dynasty that lasted close to a century. Medieval sources indicate that rhetoric and propaganda hostile to ‘Alī permeated public discourse under the Umayyads. Nonetheless, through the efforts of his admirers, ʿAlī became a respected authority in both Sunnī and Shīʿī Islam within a few centuries of his death. His nearly universal portrayal in Muslim literature as a pious authority rather obscures a centuries-long process of contestation and rehabilitation. This study considers the methods that ḥadīth transmitters and scholars employed to reconcile expectations regarding ʿAlī’s character and image in Sunnism with the vast and heterogeneous body of accounts about him. Sunnī scholars made use of their editorial privilege by transmitting selected versions of reports and omitting controversial material.
Disaggregating Landscape‐Scale Nitrogen Attenuation Along Hydrological Flow Paths
Authors: Jawitz J.W. , Desormeaux A.M. , Annable M.D. , Borchardt D. , Dobberfuhl D.
Published: January 2020

Evaluating how nitrogen (N) sources are attenuated throughout the landscape is critical to further our understanding of catchment‐scale N budgets. We developed a catchment‐scale N budget for a mixed land use karst springshed using in situ measurements (nitrate leaching fluxes and attenuation) and long‐term records (surface N inputs and spring exports) to estimate 20‐year average landscape‐scale N loading, attenuation, and export. We introduce a conceptual model framework to compute N export that can be applied consistently for point or nonpoint sources. The model is based on the product of only four components for each N source: population density or proportion of land cover, P; specific load, L; anthropogenic attenuation, A; and natural attenuation, N. The product of these components is computed for each N source and then integrated at the basin scale. The concise PLAN model framework predicted attenuation of 90% ± 3% of N inputs, in close agreement with the estimate based on measured spring mass discharge (87% ± 3%). Further, when this attenuation is disaggregated along the hydrological flow path, we estimate that 64% of inputs are lost in the surface soil, 20% in the vadose zone, and 6% in the aquifer. Livestock and human wastes were estimated to be the dominant contributors to spring N export, which was independently supported by isotopic data. The PLAN model is a simple, transferable framework that supports systematically computing N export based on proportioning of load and attenuation. Identifying the main sources of N ultimately contributing to discharged N loads is a critical step toward source‐related water‐quality management.
Controls on Sediment Accretion and Blue Carbon Burial in Tidal Saline Wetlands: Insights From the Oregon Coast, USA
Authors: Peck Erin K. , Wheatcroft Robert A. , Brophy Laura S.
Published: January 2020

Oregon estuaries provide important opportunities to assess controls on tidal saline wetland carbon burial and sediment accretion as both rates of relative sea level rise (RSLR; −1.4 ± 0.9 to 2.8 ± 0.8 mm yr−1) and fluvial suspended sediment load relative to estuary area (0.23 to 17 × 103 t km−2 yr−1) vary along the coast. We hypothesized that vertical accretion, measured using excess 210Pb in least‐disturbed wetlands within seven Oregon estuaries, would vary with either RSLR or sediment load relative to estuary area, and carbon burial would correlate strongly to sediment accretion. Mean rates of high marsh accretion (0.8 ± 0.2 to 4.1 ± 0.2 mm yr−1) indicate that Oregon tidal wetlands have mainly kept pace with twentieth‐century RSLR with the exception that the accretionary balance in the central coast is negative, suggesting drowning. Experiencing the fastest rates of RSLR, central‐coast estuaries may foreshadow the fates of other Oregon estuaries under future accelerated sea level rise. Comparison of mass accumulation rates with sediment loads, however, indicates low trapping efficiency and therefore no fluvial sediment limitation. Thus, nonlinear feedback between RSLR and sediment accretion may enhance wetland resistance to drowning. Among wetlands keeping pace with or exceeding RSLR, sediment accretion displays no significant relationship with elevation but rather appears controlled by both the rate of RSLR and relative sediment load, highlighting the importance of incorporating both factors into future studies of tidal saline wetlands. Carbon burial rates, controlled by sediment accretion, will likely increase with future accelerated sea level rise.
Parameter's Controls of Distributed Catchment Models—How Much Information is in Conventional Catchment Descriptors?
Authors: Merz Ralf , Tarasova Larisa , Basso Stefano
Published: January 2020

One major challenge in large scale modeling is the estimation of spatially consistent distributed parameters, that are parameters with a clear functional relationship to climate and landscape characteristics. We present a newly developed PArameter Set Shuffling (PASS) approach, which is able to provide such regionally consistent parameter sets. The PASS method does not require any a priori assumption on the relationship between model parameters and catchment descriptors. It instead derives these relationships from observed patterns of calibrated parameters and available catchment descriptors. We tested the PASS approach to derive parameters of a conceptual hydrological model applied to 263 German catchments. The resulting median model efficiencies for training and test catchments are, respectively, 0.74 and 0.72, similar to those obtained by other modeling approaches, which use regional calibration. In this study, a combination of catchment descriptors that clearly controls model parameters is not found. In fact, we show that various regional functional relationships between catchment descriptors and model parameters result in similarly good model performances. Moreover, catchment descriptors used for parameter prediction can be replaced in the parameter prediction, without any decrease in model performance. Our results suggest that by using conventional catchment descriptors based on averages, only the amount of information that is also retained in the existing correlations among climatic and catchment indicators is exploited. Development of a new generation of hydrologically meaningful catchment and climate descriptors is required to further improve our capability of forecasting hydrological dynamics of interest by means of large scale models and regionalization approaches.
Genome-wide rare variant analysis for thousands of phenotypes in over 70,000 exomes from two cohorts
Authors: Cirulli Elizabeth T. , White Simon , Read Robert W. , Elhanan Gai , Metcalf William J. , Tanudjaja Francisco , Fath Donna M. , Sandoval Efren , Isaksson Magnus , Schlauch Karen A. , Grzymski Joseph J. , Lu James T. , Washington Nicole L.
Published: January 2020

Understanding the impact of rare variants is essential to understanding human health. We analyze rare (MAF < 0.1%) variants against 4264 phenotypes in 49,960 exome-sequenced individuals from the UK Biobank and 1934 phenotypes (1821 overlapping with UK Biobank) in 21,866 members of the Healthy Nevada Project (HNP) cohort who underwent Exome + sequencing at Helix. After using our rare-variant-tailored methodology to reduce test statistic inflation, we identify 64 statistically significant gene-based associations in our meta-analysis of the two cohorts and 37 for phenotypes available in only one cohort. Singletons make significant contributions to our results, and the vast majority of the associations could not have been identified with a genotyping chip. Our results are available for interactive browsing in a webapp (https://ukb.research.helix.com). This comprehensive analysis illustrates the biological value of large, deeply phenotyped cohorts of unselected populations coupled with NGS data.