bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rwanda: Genocide and After
Authors: Newbury David
Published: August 2021

The papers that follow were based on presentations to two roundtables on Rwanda organized at the African Studies Association Annual Meeting held in Toronto, on November 6,1994.

At the outset, it is important to note three aspects of those roundtables. First, they were not organized as a comprehensive set of papers; instead, with one or two exceptions, the roundtables were formed of those papers which were submitted independently of each other by individual members of the ASA. I was asked simply to coordinate their presentation and prepare the papers for publication afterward. The result of this was regrettable in one major aspect: there was very little representation of Rwandans on the panels, and therefore also in this collection, although a large number of Rwandans attended the roundtables and participated energetically in the discussions, which together with the paper presentations lasted formally for nearly 6 hours, and informally far into the night.
Genocide and Socio-Political Change: Massacres in two Rwandan Villages
Authors: Longman Timothy
Published: August 2021

From the comfort of American living rooms, the violence that ravaged Rwanda for four months in mid-1994 seemed almost incomprehensible. The daily newspaper reports and nightly television coverage that presented disturbing images of slaughter and destruction failed to provide the necessary background to make sense of the disaster. For most Americans, little option was left than to view the devastation as an expression of some inherent savagery in the Rwandan population.

In this article, I draw upon the example of two Rwandan communities to help explain the nature of the violence that swept Rwanda after the death of President Juvénal Habyarimana. These two communities bear certain similarities: they lie in neighboring communes in Kibuye Prefecture; both are relatively remote; and each community centers around a parish of the Presbyterian Church.
The Mille Collines and Kigali at War
Authors: Gutekunst Marc Daniel
Published: August 2021

As the tragic events of Rwanda started unfolding on April 6, 1994, I was in Kigali setting up a Postwar Rehabilitation and Development Program we had developed in collaboration with the Rwandan Ministries of Health and Defense, and ORTPN (the Rwandan Office of Tourism and National Parks). This program, implemented by a local NGO, included four components. The first consisted in the physical rehabilitation of institutions damaged in the war between October 1990 and March 1993, primarily hospitals, health centers and dispensaries in the Prefectures of Byumba and Ruhengeri. The first phase of this component had been completed by March 25, 1994, with funding from the Canadian Government and the EEC. Subsequent phases were intended to be program-oriented and to provide institutional support to these health facilities.
The Geopolitics of Rwandan Resettlement: Uganda and Tanzania
Authors: Smith Charles David
Published: August 2021

By October 1994 the population of refugees from Rwanda and Burundi registered with the UN High Commission of Refugees in Tanzania was about 570,000. (Personal communication: Yukiko Hameda, UNHCR-Nairobi.) And from the point of view of the international and Tanzanian authorities responsible for refugees, the crisis continues to grow. On December 23, 1994, Patrick Chokala, Press Secretary to the Tanzanian President, claimed that 300-400 refugees enter Tanzania every day; the total number then was 591,000. (Daily News, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, 24 December 1994.)

The human tragedy, the genocide which began after President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down on April 6, 1994 and which in the space of a few short months left one-half million people dead and precipitated the flight of two and one-half million people to refugee camps in Zaire and Tanzania, cannot be undone, although expeditious and fair judicial procedures are a necessary step to a secure future.
History Teaching in Rural Areas: The University of Venda
Authors: Kirkaldy Alan
Published: August 2021

I would argue that history students should understand that the whole body of historical writing consists of interpretations of the past. They should be able to analyse a wide variety of texts and form their own opinions on a historical topic, and should be able to construct a coherent argument, using evidence to support their opinion. In doing so, they should be actively aware that their argument is no more “true” than that offered by any other historian. It is as much a product of their personal biography and the social formation in which they live as of the evidence used in its construction. Even this evidence is the product of other personal biographies and other social forces.
Policy Issues for African Universities
Authors: Domatob Jerry Komia
Published: August 2021

The first universities were established in ancient Africa in places such as Timbuctoo, Goa and Ethiopia. In contemporary Africa, the Islamic Al-Azar University is the oldest academy.
PAT 101: Principles of Patronage
Authors: Nelson Charles M.
Published: August 2021

PAT 101: Principles of Patronage reviews the structure, operations and results of a voluntary patronage system. It illustrates the theory of patronage by using empirical examples drawn from The University as a formal institutional structure, and from the academic and administrative operation of that institution. Patronage and educational functions are compared to show how the these two aspects of The University interact, and to document the results which follow from this interaction.
Mirror Images and Shared Standpoints: Black Women in Africa and in the African Diaspora
Authors: Johnson-Odim Cheryl
Published: August 2021

Let me begin by defining two terms that I use in the title. By “mirror images” I mean people who look alike based on certain physical characteristics they have in common. These characteristics may not be exactly the same, but they are close enough that people are both self-identified and other-identified as looking the “same.”

By “shared standpoints” I mean that people who have these are commonly enough situated in a set of circumstances or conditions due to shared factors such as ‘race,’ class, ethnicity, religion, sex etc. that they have a common perspective vis-á-vis a number of issues. People can have a shared standpoint on the basis of any one of these factors in common, or, a combination of them.
Musical Feedback: African America’s Music in Africa
Authors: Collins John
Published: August 2021

Since the end of the nineteenth century, black music has been prominent in the international arena—from ragtime to rumba and jazz, right up to today’s black and white fusions. Dance music and drama originally from Africa were adapted to the New World, creating an enormous impact there and feeding back into the mainstream of music in Africa itself. This double transformation, brought about by leaving and returning home, has created a truly international music-style in Africa, and yet one that is doubly African.
“Culture [Wars]” and the African Diaspora: Challenge and Opportunity for U.S. Museums
Authors: Early James Counts
Published: August 2021

At the close of the twentieth century, we are witnessing across the globe competing, frequently cataclysmic discourses about identity. These discourses are literally erupting into activities that reshape the meaning of “national culture.” Simultaneously, many of these cultural confrontations are giving visibility and voice to transnational cultural communities. Within this world-wide context, U.S. cultural and educational institutions are at the national frontline of a related volatile, but potentially promising, debate frequently referred to as “cultural wars.” Museums in particular have become a flash point on the cultural landscape of what cultural conservatives Arthur A. Schlesinger and Patrick J. Buchanan accurately, although shrilly, formulate as “a struggle to redefine the national identity.”
Conversation with South African Poet Keorapetse Kgositsile
Authors: Taylor-Guthrie Danille
Published: August 2021

The following is a reconstruction of a conversation I had with Keorapetse on April 15, 1996. Keorapetse (Willie) Kgositsile is a South African poet and former Deputy Secretary of Arts and Culture for the ANC (African National Congress). Keorapetse once told me about the profound impact Richard Wright’s Native Son had on him as a young man. I was intrigued by the implied American to Africa influences contained in this statement. I began our conversation there.

In the 1950’s a Black sailor from the United States came to Capetown and gave someone there a copy of Richard Wright’s Native Son. That single copy traveled around the whole country. Each person would keep it a week or two, read and reread it, and then pass it on. Native Son convinced me that as an African writer I did not have to sound like a carbon copy English boy if I wrote in English.
Area Studies and the Disciplines: A Rejoinder
Authors: Harbeson John W.
Published: August 2021

Robert Bates’ letter entitled “Area Studies and the Discipline” (American Political Science Association, Comparative Politics 1, Winter 1996, pp. 1-2) uses the occasion of the SSRC’s abolishing of area committees to announce that “within the academy, the consensus has formed that area studies has failed to generate scientific knowledge.” As someone who has done some of his most important work on African development issues, Bates deplores declining investment in area studies as a “loss to the social sciences, as well as to the academy,” at an inopportune moment, “just when our [political science] discipline is becoming equipped to handle area knowledge in a rigorous fashion.”
Economic Stagnation in Sub-Sahara Africa and Breaking the Implicit Bargain
Authors: Hentz James J.
Published: August 2021

Economic stagnation in most of Sub-Sahara Africa is so persistent that “afro-pessimism” has gone from a term of art to common usage. Africa is entering its second decade of economic reform through neoliberal Stabilization Programs (STABs) and Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs). There is little evidence that these reforms work. Africa is largely to blame, but so too are the logically flawed structural adjustment programs propagated by the International Financial Institutions (IFIs).
African Female Circumcision and the Missionary Mentality
Authors: Russell-Robinson Joyce
Published: August 2021

Alice Walker and former Democratic Congresswoman Pat Schroeder of Colorado have something in common. Both advocate the cessation of female circumcision in African countries, and both tout themselves as feminists, though Walker, borrowing from African American culture, prefers to be labeled as a womanist. What the elders had in mind when they described young African American women as “womanish,” or as “omanish,” the eclipsed form of that same word, was that such girls were too fast, or that they obtruded upon areas that were not their business. While Schroeder cannot properly be called a womanist (to do so would be to misapply the term), one can say that, similar to Alice Walker, Schroeder is putting herself into other people’s business, specifically the business of female circumcision in African communities.
Gender Relations in the Democratization Process: An Analysis of Agrarian Policies in Africa
Authors: Fall Yassine
Published: August 2021

This paper is an attempt to link women’s empowerment in the democratization process and the sexual division of labour and resources in land management. Following the introduction, section two will assess the scope of women producers’ participation in the agrarian sector. Section three will analyze traditional land management systems. The impact of land reforms on women’s access to land is examined in section four. Finally, the conclusion will stress the need to create the legal and political climate that will allow the emergence of a more balanced land policy as a first step towards sustainable democratization.

Women’s potential contributions in rural development, particularly in food production, have been extensively documented.
Enhancing Female Participation in African Agricultural Transformation: The Nigerian Experience
Authors: Olusi Janet
Published: August 2021

African agriculture needs to be transformed because of the persistent low productivity of the sector. Women play a major role in agriculture but are prevented from optimizing their performance due to socioeconomic factors such as lack of access to productive resources, deforestation, and air and water pollution. But the lack of women extension workers stands out as a major limitation. This paper highlights the plight of women farmers in Africa, using research results from Nigeria. Suggestions are made for improving female participation. These suggestions, the paper stresses, are viable only if the conditions of African women’s lives are improved. A careful implementation of these suggestions will hopefully transform African agriculture.
Disguised Tourism and the Electoral Process in Africa: A Study of International Observers and the 1998 Local Government Elections in Nigeria
Authors: Soremekun Kayode
Published: August 2021

This article is based on the premise that the aid establishment views Africa as probably the world’s last backwater. Simply put, bureaucrats, politicians, and other policymakers in the western world are rather content with Africa’s present status, an attitude that not only accords with their career aspirations, but also spawns a certain amount of sybaritic pleasure about the inclement condition of the continent. It is against this background that this article examines the motives and aspirations of the international observers in the Nigerian electoral process, focusing on the attitudes and the impact of the observers in the 1998 local government elections.

International electoral observation and monitoring are an integral part of the global dimensions of democratization. Many writers have averred that one major reason for the upswing in Africa’s quest to democratize is the cessation of the power play between Moscow and Washington.
The Western Academic Abroad: An African Response
Authors: Gutkind Peter C. W.
Published: August 2021

The setting was comfortable, and the social atmosphere relaxed. By all measures, he was a distinguished colleague. He had received a good degree from a Western university; he was respected in his own country (Nigeria); he belonged to those citizens who are often referred to as “our leaders of thought”; he had published widely; and he had been asked to speak at many professional meetings in both the Western and non-Western world. By local standards he was well paid, and his home and his family revealed all the features of his “elite” status. As a visiting researcher I had gone to see him to exchange views, to learn about the state of affairs in the country. He was polite, he was helpful; we joked about this and that, exchanged memories of events which had taken place at this or that conference. Academic chit-chat blended with that kind of casual conversation which makes life pleasant.
Polls Apart: South African Women and the 1999 General Election
Authors: Vincent Louise
Published: August 2021

More than one million more women than men registered to vote in South Africa’s second democratic election in 1999. The election saw 29.8 percent of seats in the national legislature (or 119 out of 400) going to women (up from 27 percent in the previous Parliament and in stark contrast to the less than 3 percent of women parliamentarians prior to 1994). Eight ministers and eight deputy ministers in South Africa’s new Parliament are women. The new cabinet has women in charge of nontraditional portfolios, such as foreign affairs, public service, mineral and energy affairs, communications and land affairs, in addition to health and housing. This doubles the number of female members compared to the previous executive.
Topography as a determinant of bird distribution in secondary Atlantic Forest fragments
Authors: Ribon Rômulo , dos Santos Luane Reis , De Marco Paulo , Marini Miguel Ângelo
Published: August 2021

The spatial distribution of Neotropical birds at local scales is often associated with plant successional stages and unique microhabitats such as bamboo stands and treefall gaps. Only 15% of the Atlantic Forest remains, yet this habitat is home to more than 200 endemic birds. Understanding the distribution of bird species within the Atlantic Forest can improve the test of ecological hypotheses related to habitat use and habitat selection. This study analyses the distribution of birds among different types of relief (lowlands, ravines, hillsides, and hilltops) in 41 forest fragments of different sizes (1 to 384.5 ha) within the Atlantic Forest, south east Brazil. The presence and absence data were analysed with dynamic occupancy models to determine the influence of area and topography in the distribution of bird species. Of the 169 species detected, we were able to estimate an occupancy probability of 67. Among them, relief type was an important variable for 26 species (39%). Most species showed a preference for lowlands and ravines, and some showed an association of combinations of these two reliefs with hillsides and hilltops. These preferences might be related to distribution of preferred food, nesting microhabitats, and thermoregulation. For the endemic and threatened Atlantic Forest mountain birds, the ecological association with areas of relief is a strong, and previously unsuspected, spatial distribution pattern. Our results suggest that the ecology and distribution of birds in tropical forests across hilly regions could be better understood if topography is considered. This pattern should be better investigated among other taxa in tropical forests.
ELICITED IMITATION TASKS AS A MEASURE OF L2 PROFICIENCY
Authors: Kostromitina Maria , Plonsky Luke
Published: August 2021

Elicited imitation tasks (EITs) have been proposed and examined as a practical measure of second language (L2) proficiency. This study aimed to provide an updated and comprehensive view of the relationship between EITs and other proficiency measures. Toward that end, 46 reports were retrieved contributing 60 independent effect sizes (Pearson’sr) that were weighted and averaged. Several EIT features were also examined as potential moderators. The results portray EIT as a generally consistent measure of L2 proficiency (r= .66). Among other moderators, EIT stimuli length was positively associated with stronger correlations. Overall, the findings provide support for the use of EITs as a means to greater consistency and practicality in measuring L2 proficiency. In our Discussion section, we highlight the need for more transparent reporting and provide empirically grounded recommendations for EIT design and for further research into EIT development.
Cardiovascular anomalies in Seckel syndrome: report of two patients and review of the literature
Authors: Donmez Yasemin Nuran , Giray Dilek , Epcacan Serdar , Goktas Emine , Aypar Ebru
Published: August 2021

Seckel syndrome is a very rare autosomal recessive disorder also known as bird headed dwarfism”. It is characterised by proportional short stature, low birth weight, dysmorphic facial appearance, and mental retardation. In addition to its dysmorphic features, skeletal, endocrine, gastrointestinal, haematologic, genitourinary, and nervous system has been involved. Cardiovascular features very rarely associate with Seckel syndrome. We report two patients with Seckel syndrome, one with dilated cardiomyopathy and the other with multiple ventricular septal defects. Dilated cardiomyopathy and isolated ventricular septal defect have not been previously reported in Seckel syndrome. Cardiovascular evaluation should be performed in all patients with Seckel syndrome. Early diagnosis of congenital and acquired heart diseases will reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients.
Isolated partial anomalous origin of a branch pulmonary artery from the descending aorta
Authors: Liu Wei-Li , Lin Ming-Chih , Jan Sheng-Ling
Published: August 2021

The condition of partial anomalous origin of a branch pulmonary artery from the descending aorta could be found in several diseases and should be carefully differentiated. We report an unusual case of anomalous systemic arterial supply to normal basal segments of the left lower lung and another case of intralobar pulmonary sequestration. These two cases were treated successfully by transarterial embolisation using the Amplatzer Vascular Plug. We also set up a diagnostic algorithm to differentiate these diseases from anomalous systemic arterial supply to the pulmonary region. It is possible to make the correct diagnosis using the step-by-step diagnostic algorithm and careful interpretation of chest computed tomography angiography.
Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS): psychometric characteristics of a Spanish adaptation in a clinical population
Authors: Vázquez Morejón Antonio J. , Vázquez-Morejón Raquel , Conde Álvarez Patricia
Published: August 2021

Background:

The Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS) is an instrument that can be easily applied for routine evaluation of the impact of mental disorders on patient functioning. In spite of the interest in its use, there is very little information available on its psychometric characteristics and even less in Spanish.

Aims:

The objective of this study was to analyse its psychometric characteristics.

Method:

The sample consisted of 441 patients treated in a community mental health unit. They filled out the WSAS and two psychopathology measures, one for anxiety and the other for depression. Fifty-five of them, chosen at random, were asked to fill out the scale again a second time to explore its temporal reliability.

Results:

The scale showed high internal consistency, a single factor that explained 60.4% of the variance, and temporal reliability of .78 for the total score. Significant correlations were found between the WSAS scores and the psychopathological measures, as well as significant differences between those working and those on leave.

Conclusions:

The results confirm the validity and reliability of the scale and support its possible use for routine evaluation of the functional impact of mental disorders.
Digital Language Learning (DLL): Insights from Behavior, Cognition, and the Brain
Authors: Li Ping , Lan Yu-Ju
Published: August 2021

How can we leverage digital technologies to enhance language learning and bilingual representation? In this digital era, our theories and practices for the learning and teaching of second languages (L2) have lagged behind the pace of scientific advances and technological innovations. Here we outline the approach of digital language learning (DLL) for L2 acquisition and representation, and provide a theoretical synthesis and analytical framework regarding DLL's current and future promises. Theoretically, DLL provides a forum for understanding differences between child language and adult L2 learning, and the effects of learning context and learner characteristics. Practically, findings from learner behaviors, cognitive and affective processing, and brain correlates can inform DLL-based language pedagogies. Because of its highly interdisciplinary nature, DLL can serve as an approach to integrate cognitive, social, affective, and neural dimensions of L2 learning with new and emerging technologies including VR, AI, and big data analytics.
Evaluation of the ‘H2NOE Water Schools’ programme to promote water consumption in elementary schoolchildren: a non-randomised controlled cluster trial
Authors: Griebler Ursula , Titscher Viktoria , Weber Michael , Affengruber Lisa
Published: August 2021

Objective:

This study evaluated a simple environmental intervention called ‘Water Schools’ in Lower Austria providing free refillable water bottles and educational material.

Design:

Non-randomised controlled cluster trial with three measurements: at baseline (T0), after the intervention at 9 months (T1) and after 1-year follow-up (T2).

Setting:

Half-day elementary schools in Lower Austria (Austria).

Participants:

Third-grade pupils from twenty-two schools in the intervention group (IG) and thirty-two schools in the control group (CG) participated in the study. Data were analysed for 569 to 598 pupils in the IG and for 545 to 613 in the CG, depending on the time of measurement.

Results:

The consumption of tap water increased in the IG from baseline to T1 and then decreased again at T2, but this was similar in the CG (no statistically significant difference in the time trend between the IG and CG). Similar results were seen for tap water consumption in the mornings. The proportion of children who only drank tap water on school mornings increased significantly from baseline to T1 in the IG compared to the CG (P = 0·020). No difference in the changes over time occurred between the groups for the proportion of pupils drinking approximately one bottle of tap water during school mornings.

Conclusions:

Not only the children in the IG but also those in the CG drank more tap water after 1 school year than at the beginning. The measurement of drinking habits in the CG may have been intervention enough to bring about changes or to initiate projects.
Moral Ethnicity and Political Tribalism in Kenya’s “Virtual Democracy”
Authors: Orvis Stephen
Published: August 2021

Kenyan politics have long been among the most “ethnic” in Africa. From the battles over the constitutional formula for independence to the waning days of the one-party regime in the late 1980s, Kenyan politicians sought support from their ethnic or subethnic groups, and citizens perceived most political battles to be about dividing the “national cake” among the constituent ethnic groups. Political liberalization since 1991 has not fundamentally changed this atmosphere. Most obviously, it has allowed ethnic politics to reemerge into open, public debate. Ruling and opposition parties represent primarily all, some, or coalitions of ethnic groups. Ethnically marked electoral violence, largely instigated by the ruling regime, has come to be expected, though not accepted, as part of the campaign season. Leaders are far more prone to make appeals to the state for resources in openly ethnic terms than they dared to do in the one-party era.
Ethnicity, Democratization, and Political Dramas: Insights into Ethnic Politics in Mauritania
Authors: Jourde Cédric
Published: August 2021

Since the establishment of party politics in colonial Mauritania, and especially since independence in 1960, the Mauritanian political arena has been marked by ethnic tensions. The best example is certainly the ethnic violence that occurred at the end of the 1980s between the Arab-Berbers (Bidhan) and the “Black Africans.” But in Mauritania, as in other countries marked by ethnic tensions and conflicts, it would be an analytical mistake to overlook other forms of group solidarity and other forms of conflict. Often, tensions based on ethnic differences unfold in conjunction with political struggles within ethnic communities, with accommodation across ethnic boundaries, and with debates about the type of political regime. These dynamics must be taken into account if we are to understand the significance of ethnicity as a political variable.
The Academy and the Crisis of African Governance
Authors: Murungi John
Published: August 2021

Richard A. Joseph’s article “Facing Africa’s Predicament: Academe Needs to Play a Stronger Role” (Chronicle of Higher Education, March 7, 2003) poses a thought-provoking question. He asks, “How can a revolution in African governance be effected that would build complexes of institutions that operate efficiently and synergistically?” The revolution is needed, he says, because “entrenched political corruption throughout Africa has become just one element of a broader phenomenon that I call ‘catastrophic governance.’” He defines the catastrophe as “endemic practices that steadily undermine a country’s capacity to increase the supply of public goods to serve the basic needs of its population, including the security of life itself.” The practices he has in mind include repressive regimes, absence of democratic institutions, pervasive corruption, theft, mismanagement, and inefficient utilization of public resources.
Study-Abroad and Cultural Exchange Programs to Africa: America’s Image of a Continent
Authors: Pires Mark
Published: August 2021

America’s understanding, or perhaps more appropriately its misunderstanding, of Africa is based on a long history of explorer, traveler, and missionary experience recounted in travelogue and the popular press. For the most part, images of Africa expressed in these accounts portray a world of barbarous, uncivilized peoples living in the unbearable climes of torrid deserts and tropical swelter. Today, there is little evidence to suggest any fundamental change in these earlier perceptions. As Michael McCarthy comments, “[the] ‘dark continent’ image of Africa as a mixture of desert and jungle, savage beasts and beastly savages, has persisted to such an extent that it has become over time the essential way in which most Americans have come to understand African realities.”
Education, Tourism, or Just a Visit to the Wild?
Authors: Ntarangwi Mwenda
Published: August 2021

This paper is both a personal and an academic reflection on my work as a U.S.-trained Kenyan anthropologist directing a study-abroad program for American undergraduate students in Kenya. It is an attempt to address three main issues: First is to understand why students choose to come to Kenya and what they hope to achieve by studying here. Second is to get a sense of what kind of prior images and information these students have of Kenya and Africa and how this influences their interaction with Kenya. Third is to understand how I as a Kenyan anthropologist trained in America balance the tasks of cultural broker and teacher of students in Kenya as is demanded of my position as director of a study-abroad program.
A Broad Perspective: Reflections of an African Study Abroad
Authors: Pendleton Denise C.
Published: August 2021

In the spring of 1999, I competed for the chance to participate in an African study-abroad program. The program was sponsored by The Africa Program, founded in 1994 with a goal of promoting business relationships between Texas and Africa. Recognizing the crucial role that education plays in fostering such an economic venture, The Africa Program offered to send qualified candidates to study in the Senegambia region of West Africa in the summer of 1999. The selection was open to students and faculty of the University of Texas at Arlington, both undergraduate and graduate, and to the community at large.
Study Abroad in Tanzania
Authors: Grosz-Ngaté Maria , Pallais Saskia , Walz Jonathan
Published: August 2021

The University of Florida (UF) Center for African Studies and International Center jointly sponsor an academic-year program at the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) in Tanzania. Begun in 1989, the program offers students from across the United States the opportunity to pursue their studies in a range of fields alongside Tanzanian students. Students pay UDSM tuition and a program development fee. In accordance with the agreement between UDSM and UF, tuition is deposited in an account at the University of Florida to be used for UDSM faculty development: Each year several junior faculty members nominated by their departments spend three months at UF working in consultation with local faculty and using UF library and computer facilities. In my capacity as assistant director of the Center for African Studies, I have had the pleasure of working with both the visiting Tanzanian faculty and the U.S. students going to Tanzania.
Externe Validierung einer Single-Item Skala zur Erfassung der Motivation zum Rauchstopp
Authors: Pashutina Yekaterina , Kastaun Sabrina , Ratschen Elena , Shahab Lion , Kotz Daniel
Published: August 2021

Zusammenfassung. Zielsetzung: Die Motivation to Stop Scale (MTSS) ist eine englischsprachige Single-Item Skala zur Vorhersage von Rauchstoppversuchen. Ziel dieser Arbeit war die externe Validierung der deutschsprachigen Version der MTSS (Motivation zum Rauchstopp Skala, MRS) an einer Stichprobe von aktuell Tabakrauchenden in Deutschland. Methodik: Datenbasis war die Deutsche Befragung zum Rauchverhalten (DEBRA), eine deutschlandweite, persönlich-mündliche Haushaltsbefragung von Personen ab 14 Jahren mit telefonischer Nachbefragung nach 6 Monaten. Analysiert wurden Daten aus den ersten 18 Wellen (Juni 2016–Mai 2019) von 767 aktuell Tabakrauchenden. Die MRS (Stufe 1–7 = keine bis höchste Motivation) wurde bei der Erstbefragung eingesetzt. Bei der Nachbefragung wurde die Anzahl der Rauchstoppversuche seit Erstbefragung erfasst. Logistische Regression wurde durchgeführt und die diskriminative Genauigkeit der MRS mittels Area Under the Receiver Operating Characteristic Curve (ROC-AUC) berechnet. Ergebnisse: Bei Erstbefragung waren 61,1 % ( n = 469; 95 % Konfidenzintervall (KI) = 57.7–64.6) der 767 Rauchenden nicht zum Rauchstopp motiviert (MRS-Stufe 1–2). Insgesamt unternahmen 185 der 767 Rauchenden (24,1 %; 95 % KI = 21.1–27.1) zwischen der Erst- und Nachbefragung mindestens einen Rauchstoppversuch. Mit steigender Motivationsstufe auf der MRS nahm die Wahrscheinlichkeit für einen Rauchstoppversuch zu: Odds Ratio = 1.37, 95 % KI = 1.25–1.51, bei einer diskriminativen Genauigkeit von ROC-AUC = 0.64. Schlussfolgerung: Die MRS ist ein kurzes und valides Messinstrument zur Erfassung der Rauchstoppmotivation im deutschen Sprachraum.
“Tiny Wiggles” in the Late Miocene Red Clay Deposits in the North‐East of the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zhang Rui , Wei Xiaohao , Kravchinsky Vadim A. , Yue Leping , Zheng Yan , Qin Jie , Yang Lijun , Ma Minghao , Xian Feng , Gong Hujun , Zhang Yunxiang , Liu Xiaofan
Published: August 2021

Small amplitude or short period geomagnetic anomalies known as “tiny wiggles” (TWs) are often hard to identify because of magnetic signal smoothing in the marine record of geomagnetic reversals. We report here the late Miocene record of geomagnetic reversals in the aeolian red clay sediments of Linxia Basin in China that enables us to identify two TWs. We performed magnetostratigraphy dating and used spectral analysis to distinguish orbital cycles in the records of magnetic susceptibility (MS) and sedimentary grain size (GS) and develop an orbitally tuned age model. The presence of two TWs in the study section, that correspond to C5n.2n‐3 and C5r.2r‐1, is confirmed by orbital calibration of our age model through recognition of eccentricity, obliquity and precession in MS and GS records.
Relative Tsunami Hazard From Segments of Cascadia Subduction Zone For Mw 7.5–9.2 Earthquakes
Authors: Salaree Amir , Huang Yihe , Ramos Marlon D. , Stein Seth
Published: August 2021

Tsunamis from earthquakes of various magnitudes have affected Cascadia in the past. Simulations of Mw 7.5–9.2 earthquake constrained by earthquake rupture physics and geodetic locking models show that Mw ≥ 8.5 events initiating in the middle segments of the subduction zone can create coastal tsunami amplitudes comparable to those from the largest expected event. Our rupture and tsunami simulations reveal that the concave coastline geometry of the Pacific Northwest coastline focuses tsunami energy between latitudes 44° and 45° in Oregon. The possible coastal tsunami amplitudes are largely insensitive to the choice of slip model for a given magnitude. These results are useful for identifying the most hazardous segments of the subduction zone and demonstrate that a worst‐case rupture scenario does not uniquely yield the worst‐case tsunami scenario at a given location.
Simulated Global Coastal Ecosystem Responses to a Half‐Century Increase in River Nitrogen Loads
Authors: Liu Xiao , Stock Charles A. , Dunne John P. , Lee Minjin , Shevliakova Elena , Malyshev Sergey , Milly Paul C. D.
Published: August 2021

Coastal ecosystems are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic stressors such as harmful algal blooms and hypoxia through the combined effects of eutrophication and warming. As a major terrestrial nitrogen source to the ocean, rivers play a key role in shaping coastal nitrogen budgets and biogeochemical cycling. Combining an enhanced‐resolution, global ocean biogeochemical model with temporally changing river inputs, we estimate that elevated river nitrogen loads alone resulted in a 5.8% increase (16.6 Tg) in the global coastal nitrogen inventory from 1961 to 2010, accompanied by increases in coastal net primary productivity (+4.6%) and benthic detrital flux (+7.3%). The ecosystems most sensitive to added nitrogen were those with long residence times and strong nitrogen limitation. While even enhanced‐resolution global models remain limited in their capacity to resolve shelf‐scale responses, these basic factors provide two relevant axes for frameworks assessing the comparative coastal ecosystem susceptibility to enhanced nitrogen loads, and the effectiveness of mitigation strategies.
The Precipitated Electrons in the Region of Diffuse Aurora Driven by Ionosphere‐Thermosphere Collisional Processes
Authors: Khazanov George V. , Glocer Alex , Chu Mike
Published: August 2021

Traditionally, it is widely assumed that the source of electron precipitation in the region of diffuse aurora is wave‐particle interaction processes in the Earth's plasmasheet. It is difficult to imagine that ionosphere‐thermosphere system is also actively involved in the formation of electron precipitation and provides a very noticeable energy contribution to this process. In this study, we use specifically designed simulation scenarios of the SuperThermal Electron Transport code to clearly distinguish between the magnetospheric and ionospheric contributions to the precipitating electrons in the region of diffuse aurora. It is demonstrated that atmospheric collisional processes and the overall magnetosphere‐ionosphere‐atmosphere energy circulation dynamics, with the participation of two magnetically conjugate hemispheres, play a very important role in the formation of electron energy fluxes that are coming from the magnetosphere.
Interspecific Soil Water Partitioning as a Driver of Increased Productivity in a Diverse Mixed Mediterranean Forest
Authors: Rog Ido , Tague Christina , Jakoby Gilad , Megidish Shacham , Yaakobi Assaf , Wagner Yael , Klein Tamir
Published: August 2021

It has been assumed that mixing of species with high physiological diversity reduces competition over water and light resources, compared to single‐species forests. Although several mechanisms to explain this observation have been proposed, quantification of these effects is lacking. Here we studied water‐use dynamics for five tree species in a mature, mixed, evergreen, and Mediterranean forest. We use empirical measurements of key tree structural attributes including root distribution, through DNA barcoding and soil cores, tree height and biomass along with measurements of species‐specific water use for two years. These measurements at the tree‐scale were used to parameterize an ecosystem model of coupled water, carbon and energy fluxes (Regional Hydro Ecologic Simulation System, RHESSys). Site‐scale empirical measurements showed contrasting diurnal and seasonal transpiration and sap flow curves across tree species, with year‐round activity in angiosperms, and mostly wet season‐activity in gymnosperms. Water‐use patterns matched the rooting depth patterns, with the deep‐ and shallow‐rooted Ceratonia and Cupressus, showing year‐round and seasonal behaviors, respectively. RHESSys estimates of species‐specific and stand‐scale transpiration, biomass and productivity across 20 years of climate variation showed substantial differences between mixed and monoculture scenarios. Stand‐scale annual net primary productivity and transpiration increased by 20–70 g C m−1 yr−1 and 40–80 mm yr−1, respectively, for mixed stands relative to average fluxes aggregated across monocultures. Model results, collaborated by field data provide evidence for niche partitioning of the soil water resource among co‐habiting tree species, and demonstrate that this mechanism can facilitate higher productivity and an enhanced forest carbon sink especially in semi‐arid regions.
Configuration and Timing of Collision Between Arabia and Eurasia in the Zagros Collision Zone, Fars, Southern Iran
Authors: Cai Fulong , Ding Lin , Wang Houqi , Laskowski Andrew K. , Zhang Liyun , Zhang Bo , Mohammadi Ali , Li Jinxiang , Song Peiping , Li Zhenyu , Zhang Qinghai
Published: August 2021

The configuration and timing of the Arabia‐Eurasia continental collision, part of the broader Alpine‐Himalayan collisional system, remains controversial. We conducted sandstone petrology, detrital zircon U‐Pb‐Hf isotopic and trace element analysis, and Cr‐spinel electron microprobe geochemical analysis of samples from Paleocene to Miocene peripheral foreland strata in interior Fars, southern Iran. These data were used to test competing models for ophiolite obduction and Arabia‐Eurasia collision. In addition, we applied these data to compare the history of outward and upward growth of the Zagros and Himalayan‐Tibetan segments of the Alpine‐Himalayan collisional orogenic belt. The first appearance of radiolarian‐rich chert conglomerate, 100–90 Ma detrital zircons with positive ɛHf(t) values from +1 to +20 and midocean ridge geochemical affinity, and suprasubduction zone (SSZ) affinity Cr‐spinel is in the lower and middle Sachun Formation. These data indicate that obduction occurred before deposition of the upper Maastrichtian‐lower Paleocene Sachun Formation and developed in an intra‐oceanic setting rather than an Arabia‐Eurasia collision setting. Abundant continental‐arc affinity detrital zircon with 180–160 Ma and 50–27 Ma age‐probability peaks and varied ɛHf(t) values are present in the upper Oligocene‐lower Miocene Razak and Agha Jari formations, indicating sedimentary overlap with Eurasia. SSZ‐affinity Cr‐spinel in all samples indicates that ophiolitic rocks were a continual source of detritus in the foreland basin since Paleocene. The depositional age of the basal Razak Formation is between 25.7 and 21.5 Ma. Therefore, we interpret that collision between Arabia and Eurasia must have been initiated before deposition of the Razak Formation.
Computational models of adaptive behavior and prefrontal cortex
Authors: Soltani Alireza , Koechlin Etienne
Published: August 2021

The real world is uncertain, and while ever changing, it constantly presents itself in terms of new sets of behavioral options. To attain the flexibility required to tackle these challenges successfully, most mammalian brains are equipped with certain computational abilities that rely on the prefrontal cortex (PFC). By examining learning in terms of internal models associating stimuli, actions, and outcomes, we argue here that adaptive behavior relies on specific interactions between multiple systems including: (1) selective models learning stimulus–action associations through rewards; (2) predictive models learning stimulus- and/or action–outcome associations through statistical inferences anticipating behavioral outcomes; and (3) contextual models learning external cues associated with latent states of the environment. Critically, the PFC combines these internal models by forming task sets to drive behavior and, moreover, constantly evaluates the reliability of actor task sets in predicting external contingencies to switch between task sets or create new ones. We review different models of adaptive behavior to demonstrate how their components map onto this unifying framework and specific PFC regions. Finally, we discuss how our framework may help to better understand the neural computations and the cognitive architecture of PFC regions guiding adaptive behavior.
The effect of daily intake of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink, with and without added calcium, on serum adiponectin and sirtuins 1 and 6 in adult subjects with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Nikooyeh Bahareh , Hollis Bruce W. , Neyestani Tirang R.
Published: August 2021

Background

Some evidence suggests indirect ameliorating effects of vitamin D in diabetes via adiponectin and sirtuins. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of daily intake of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink, either with or without added calcium, on serum adiponectin, sirtuins (SIRT)1 and 6.

Methods

Briefly, 75 adults aged 30–60 years from both sexes with type 2 diabetes were randomly allocated to one of the three groups: (i) D-fortified-yogurt drink (DY; containing 1000 IU vitamin D and 300 mg calcium), (ii) Ca+D-fortified-yogurt drink (CDY; containing 1000 IU vitamin D and 500 mg calcium) and (iii) plain yogurt drink (PY; containing no detectable vitamin D and 300 mg calcium). All assessments were performed initially and after 12 weeks.

Results

A significant within-group increment in serum adiponectin concentrations was observed in both DY and CDY groups (+60.4 ± 8.6, +57.5 ± 6.4 µg/L, respectively; p < 0.001 for both). The concentrations of SIRT1 and SIRT6 had a significant within-group increment only in the CDY group (p = 0.003, p = 0.001 respectively). Being in CDY group was more favorable predictor of improvement in SIRT6 concentrations. Changes of 25(OH)D were a significant predictor of changes of adiponectin. However, this association disappeared following adjustment for changes of SIRT1. In contrast, the association between changes of 25(OH)D and HbA1c remained significant even after adjustment for SIRT1.

Conclusions

Daily consumption of vitamin D-fortified yogurt drink for 12 weeks resulted in an increase in circulating concentrations of SIRT1 and SIRT6 in T2D subjects and D+Ca-fortified yogurt drink was more in favor of SIRT6 increment.
Salt tolerance-based niche differentiation of soil ammonia oxidizers
Authors: Sun Xiangxin , Zhao Jun , Zhou Xue , Bei Qicheng , Xia Weiwei , Zhao Bingzi , Zhang Jiabao , Jia Zhongjun
Published: August 2021

Ammonia oxidizers are key players in the global nitrogen cycle, yet little is known about their ecological performances and adaptation strategies for growth in saline terrestrial ecosystems. This study combined 13C-DNA stable-isotope probing (SIP) microcosms with amplicon and shotgun sequencing to reveal the composition and genomic adaptations of active ammonia oxidizers in a saline-sodic (solonetz) soil with high salinity and pH (20.9 cmolc exchangeable Na+ kg−1 soil and pH 9.64). Both ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and bacteria (AOB) exhibited strong nitrification activities, although AOB performed most of the ammonia oxidation observed in the solonetz soil and in the farmland soil converted from solonetz soil. Members of the Nitrosococcus, which are more often associated with aquatic habitats, were identified as the dominant ammonia oxidizers in the solonetz soil with the first direct labeling evidence, while members of the Nitrosospira were the dominant ammonia oxidizers in the farmland soil, which had much lower salinity and pH. Metagenomic analysis of “Candidatus Nitrosococcus sp. Sol14”, a new species within the Nitrosococcus lineage, revealed multiple genomic adaptations predicted to facilitate osmotic and pH homeostasis in this extreme habitat, including direct Na+ extrusion/H+ import and the ability to increase intracellular osmotic pressure by accumulating compatible solutes. Comparative genomic analysis revealed that variation in salt-tolerance mechanisms was the primary driver for the niche differentiation of ammonia oxidizers in saline-sodic soils. These results demonstrate how ammonia oxidizers can adapt to saline-sodic soil with excessive Na+ content and provide new insights on the nitrogen cycle in extreme terrestrial ecosystems.