bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Carbon and nitrogen isotopic variability in foxtail millet (Setaria italica) with watering regime
Authors: Lightfoot Emma , Ustunkaya M. Cemre , Przelomska Natalia , O'Connell Tamsin C. , Hunt Harriet V. , Jones Martin K. , Petrie Cameron A.
Published: October 2019

Rationale

Carbonised plant remains are analysed for reconstruction of past climates and agricultural regimes. Several recent studies have used C4 plants to address related questions, and correlations between modern C4 plant δ13C values and rainfall have been found. The millets were important food crops in prehistoric Eurasia, yet little is known about causes of isotopic variation within millet species. Previous research has shown there to be significant isotopic variation between millet accessions. Here we compare isotope ratios from plants grown under different watering regimes. This allows for a consideration of whether or not Setaria italica is a good proxy for environmental reconstruction.

Methods

We compare stable isotope ratios of Setaria italica plants grown in a controlled environment chamber with different watering regimes. We compare the carbon isotope ratios of leaves and grains, and the nitrogen isotope ratios of grains, from 12 accessions of Setaria italica.

Results

We find significant isotopic variability between watering regimes. Carbon isotope ratios are positively correlated with water availability, and on average vary by 1.9‰ and 1.7‰ for leaves and grains, respectively. Grain nitrogen isotope ratios also vary with watering regime; however, the highest isotope ratios are found with the 130‐mL watering regime.

Conclusions

The carbon isotope ratios of Setaria italica are strongly correlated with water availability. However, the correlation is the opposite to that seen in studies of C3 plants. The difference in isotopic ratio due to watering regime is comparable with that seen between different accessions; thus distinguishing between changing varieties of Setaria italica and changing climate is problematic. In terms of grain nitrogen isotope ratios, the highest δ15N values were not associated with the lowest watering regime. Again, δ15N variation is comparable with that which would be expected from an aridity effect or a manuring effect, and thus distinguishing between these factors is probably problematic.
Radial pole path approach for fast response of affine constrained nonlinear systems with matched uncertainties
Authors: Kaheni Mojtaba , Hadad Zarif Mohammad , Akbarzadeh Kalat Ali , Chisci Luigi
Published: October 2019

This article proposes a novel robust feedback linearization control scheme for affine uncertain nonlinear systems subject to matched uncertainties and constraints on the control input. In this method, instead of placing the linearized system poles at exact locations, radial paths in the open left‐hand plane are selected to freely move the poles so as to enhance as much as possible the speed of response while guaranteeing satisfaction of input signal constraints. The stability of our proposed method is analyzed by means of the multivariable circle criterion and the Kalman‐Yakubovich‐Popov lemma. Simulation results demonstrate how the method significantly increases the speed of response compared to fixed pole placements.
Prescribed performance adaptive neural output feedback dynamic surface control for a class of strict‐feedback uncertain nonlinear systems with full state constraints and unmodeled dynamics
Authors: Zhang Jiao‐Jun , Sun Qi‐Ming
Published: October 2019

This paper studies the output feedback tracking control problem for a class of strict‐feedback uncertain nonlinear systems with full state constraints and unmodeled dynamics using a prescribed performance adaptive neural dynamic surface control design approach. A nonlinear mapping technique is employed to address the state constraints. Radial basis function neural networks are utilized to approximate the unknown nonlinear functions. The unmodeled dynamics is addressed by introducing an available dynamic signal. Subsequently, we construct the controller and parameter adaptive laws using a backstepping technique. Based on Lyapunov stability theory, it is shown that all signals in the closed‐loop system are semiglobally uniformly ultimately bounded and that the tracking error always remains within the prescribed performance bound. Simulation results are presented to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Li2S‐Based Li‐Ion Sulfur Batteries: Progress and Prospects
Authors: Jiang Jicheng , Fan Qining , Chou Shulei , Guo Zaiping , Konstantinov Konstantin , Liu Huakun , Wang Jiazhao
Published: October 2019

The great demand for high‐energy‐density batteries has driven intensive research on the Li–S battery due to its high theoretical energy density. Consequently, considerable progress in Li–S batteries is achieved, although the lithium anode material is still challenging in terms of lithium dendrites and its unstable interface with electrolyte, impeding the practical application of the Li–S battery. Li2S‐based Li‐ion sulfur batteries (LISBs), which employ lithium‐metal‐free anodes, are a convenient and effective way to avoid the use of lithium metal for the realization of practical Li–S batteries. Over the past decade, studies on LISBs are carried out to optimize their performance. Herein, the research progress and challenges of LISBs are reviewed. Several important aspects of LISBs, including their working principle, the physicochemical properties of Li2S, Li2S cathode material composites, LISBs full batteries, and electrolyte for Li2S cathode, are extensively discussed. In particular, the activation barrier in the initial charge process is fundamentally analyzed and the mechanism is discussed in detail, based on previous reports. Finally, perspectives on the future direction of the research of LISBs are proposed.
Electron Transporting Bilayer of SnO2 and TiO2 Nanocolloid Enables Highly Efficient Planar Perovskite Solar Cells
Authors: Hu Manman , Zhang Luozheng , She Suyang , Wu Jianchang , Zhou Xianyong , Li Xiangnan , Wang Deng , Miao Jun , Mi Guojun , Chen Hong , Tian Yanqing , Xu Baomin , Cheng Chun
Published: October 2019

Herein, commercially accessible SnO2 and home‐made TiO2 nanoparticles as a combined electron transporting bilayer (ETBL) are applied to achieve highly efficient planar perovskite solar cells (PSCs). With the formed cascade‐aligned energy levels from the proper stacking of SnO2 and TiO2 layers and the excellent defect‐passivation ability of TiO2, SnO2/TiO2 ETBLs effectively reduce energy loss and inhibit defects formation both at the electron transporting layers (ETL)/perovskite interfaces and within the bulk of perovskite layer as revealed by a comprehensive analysis of photoelectric characteristic analysis, including ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy, photoluminescence, and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Consequently, the PSC devices acquired a power conversion efficiency (PCE) of 20.50% with a Voc of 1.10 V, a Jsc of 24.2 mA cm−2 and an fill factor of 77%, which are superior to the values of the control device based on single SnO2 layer with a PCE of 18.09% (a 13.3% boosting on PCE). Moreover, there was no degradation after 49 days, indicating the great stability after adding TiO2 layer. Herein, it is demonstrated that the cascaded alignment of energy levels between the electrode and perovskite layer by ETBLs could be an effective approach to improve the photovoltaic performance of the PSCs with excellent long‐term stability.
ITC‐2Cl: A Versatile Middle‐Bandgap Nonfullerene Acceptor for High‐Efficiency Panchromatic Ternary Organic Solar Cells
Authors: Yan Cenqi , Liu Tao , Chen Yuzhong , Ma Ruijie , Tang Hua , Li Gang , Li Tengfei , Xiao Yiqun , Yang Tao , Lu Xinhui , Zhan Xiaowei , Yan He , Li Gang , Tang Bo
Published: October 2019

An effective way to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic solar cells (OSCs) is to use the ternary architecture consisting of a donor, an acceptor, and a third component. Identifying the proper third component for successful ternary OSCs, however, is not an easy task. Herein, it is demonstrated that a middle‐bandgap acceptor, ITC‐2Cl, functions as a successful third component for several wide‐bandgap donor: ultranarrow bandgap acceptor binary systems (PBDB‐T‐2F: F8IC, PBDB‐T‐2F: IOIC‐2Cl, and PBDB‐T‐2Cl: IOIC‐2Cl). Photovoltaic parameters, including VOC, JSC, fill factor (FF), and power conversion efficiency (PCE), are effectively improved by incorporating ITC‐2Cl, which lies in the complementary absorption of ITC‐2Cl and host binary system, high‐lying LUMO level of ITC‐2Cl, and the inhibition of bimolecular recombination. The ternary device based on PBDB‐T‐2Cl: ITC‐2Cl: IOIC‐2Cl achieves a champion PCE of 14.75% (certified as 13.78%) with a very low energy loss of 0.48 eV. These results provide critical insight into the ternary strategy and encourage re‐evaluation and restudy of the photoactive materials previously reported with moderate performance.
Connections between 3′ end processing and DNA damage response: Ten years later
Authors: Murphy Michael Robert , Kleiman Frida Esther
Published: October 2019

Ten years ago we reviewed how the cellular DNA damage response (DDR) is controlled by changes in the functional and structural properties of nuclear proteins, resulting in a timely coordinated control of gene expression that allows DNA repair. Expression of genes that play a role in DDR is regulated not only at transcriptional level during mRNA biosynthesis but also by changing steady‐state levels due to turnover of the transcripts. The 3′ end processing machinery, which is important in the regulation of mRNA stability, is involved in these gene‐specific responses to DNA damage. Here, we review the latest mechanistic connections described between 3′ end processing and DDR, with a special emphasis on alternative polyadenylation, microRNA and RNA binding proteins‐mediated deadenylation, and discuss the implications of deregulation of these steps in DDR and human disease.

This article is categorized under:

RNA Processing > 3′ End Processing

RNA‐Based Catalysis > Miscellaneous RNA‐Catalyzed Reactions

RNA in Disease and Development > RNA in Disease
Models of the Main Geomagnetic Field Based on Multi-satellite Magnetic Data and Gradients—Techniques and Latest Results from the Swarm Mission
Authors: Finlay Christopher C.
Published: October 2019

Magnetic field observations from low-Earth-orbiting satellites provide a unique means of studying ionospheric current systems on a global scale. Such studies require that estimates of other sources of the Earth’s magnetic field, in particular, the dominant main field generated primarily in Earth’s core but also due to the magnetized lithosphere and large-scale magnetospheric currents, are first removed. Since 1999 multiple low-Earth-orbit satellites including Ørsted, CHAMP, SAC-C, and most recently the Swarm trio have surveyed the near-Earth magnetic field in increasing detail. This chapter reviews how models of the main magnetic field are today constructed from multiple satellites, in particular discussing how to take advantage of estimated field gradients, both along-track and across-track. A summary of recent results from the Swarm mission regarding the core and lithospheric field components is given, with the aim of informing users interested in ionospheric applications of the options available for high accuracy data reduction. Limitations of the present generation of main field models are also discussed, and it is pointed out that further progress requires improved treatment of ionospheric sources, in particular at polar latitudes.
Aggregated aluminium exposure: risk assessment for the general population
Authors: Tietz Thomas , Lenzner Ariane , Kolbaum Anna Elena , Zellmer Sebastian , Riebeling Christian , Gürtler Rainer , Jung Christian , Kappenstein Oliver , Tentschert Jutta , Giulbudagian Michael , Merkel Stefan , Pirow Ralph , Lindtner Oliver , Tralau Tewes , Schäfer Bernd , Laux Peter , Greiner Matthias , Lampen Alfonso , Luch Andreas , Wittkowski Reiner , Hensel Andreas
Published: October 2019

Aluminium is one of the most abundant elements in earth’s crust and its manifold uses result in an exposure of the population from many sources. Developmental toxicity, effects on the urinary tract and neurotoxicity are known effects of aluminium and its compounds. Here, we assessed the health risks resulting from total consumer exposure towards aluminium and various aluminium compounds, including contributions from foodstuffs, food additives, food contact materials (FCM), and cosmetic products. For the estimation of aluminium contents in foodstuff, data from the German “Pilot-Total-Diet-Study” were used, which was conducted as part of the European TDS-Exposure project. These were combined with consumption data from the German National Consumption Survey II to yield aluminium exposure via food for adults. It was found that the average weekly aluminium exposure resulting from food intake amounts to approx. 50% of the tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg/kg body weight (bw)/week, derived by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). For children, data from the French “Infant Total Diet Study” and the “Second French Total Diet Study” were used to estimate aluminium exposure via food. As a result, the TWI can be exhausted or slightly exceeded—particularly for infants who are not exclusively breastfed and young children relying on specially adapted diets (e.g. soy-based, lactose free, hypoallergenic). When taking into account the overall aluminium exposure from foods, cosmetic products (cosmetics), pharmaceuticals and FCM from uncoated aluminium, a significant exceedance of the EFSA-derived TWI and even the PTWI of 2 mg/kg bw/week, derived by the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives, may occur. Specifically, high exposure levels were found for adolescents aged 11–14 years. Although exposure data were collected with special regard to the German population, it is also representative for European and comparable to international consumers. From a toxicological point of view, regular exceedance of the lifetime tolerable aluminium intake (TWI/PTWI) is undesirable, since this results in an increased risk for health impairments. Consequently, recommendations on how to reduce overall aluminium exposure are given.
Prognostic performance of computerized tomography scoring systems in civilian penetrating traumatic brain injury: an observational study
Authors: Lindfors Matias , Lindblad Caroline , Nelson David W. , Bellander Bo-Michael , Siironen Jari , Raj Rahul , Thelin Eric P.
Published: October 2019

Background

The prognosis of penetrating traumatic brain injury (pTBI) is poor yet highly variable. Current computerized tomography (CT) severity scores are commonly not used for pTBI prognostication but may provide important clinical information in these cohorts.

Methods

All consecutive pTBI patients from two large neurotrauma databases (Helsinki 1999–2015, Stockholm 2005–2014) were included. Outcome measures were 6-month mortality and unfavorable outcome (Glasgow Outcome Scale 1–3). Admission head CT scans were assessed according to the following: Marshall CT classification, Rotterdam CT score, Stockholm CT score, and Helsinki CT score. The discrimination (area under the receiver operating curve, AUC) and explanatory variance (pseudo-R2) of the CT scores were assessed individually and in addition to a base model including age, motor response, and pupil responsiveness.

Results

Altogether, 75 patients were included. Overall 6-month mortality and unfavorable outcome were 45% and 61% for all patients, and 31% and 51% for actively treated patients. The CT scores’ AUCs and pseudo-R2s varied between 0.77–0.90 and 0.35–0.60 for mortality prediction and between 0.85–0.89 and 0.50–0.57 for unfavorable outcome prediction. The base model showed excellent performance for mortality (AUC 0.94, pseudo-R2 0.71) and unfavorable outcome (AUC 0.89, pseudo-R2 0.53) prediction. None of the CT scores increased the base model’s AUC (p > 0.05) yet increased its pseudo-R2 (0.09–0.15) for unfavorable outcome prediction.

Conclusion

Existing head CT scores demonstrate good-to-excellent performance in 6-month outcome prediction in pTBI patients. However, they do not add independent information to known outcome predictors, indicating that a unique score capturing the intracranial severity in pTBI may be warranted.
Unusual developmental morphology and anatomy of vegetative organs in Utricularia dichotoma—leaf, shoot and root dynamics
Authors: Reut Markus S. , Płachno Bartosz J.
Published: October 2019

The terrestrial carnivorous speciesUtricularia dichotomais known for a great phenotypic plasticity and unusual vegetative organs. Our investigation on 22 sources/populations revealed that after initiation of a leaf and two bladders on a stolon, a bud was formed in the proximal axil of the leaf, developing into a rosette with up to seven organs. The first two primordia of the bud grew into almost every possible combination of organs, but often into two anchor stolons. The patterns were generally not population specific. The interchangeability of organs increased with increasing rank in the succession of organs on stolon nodes. A high potential of switching developmental programs may be successful in a fluctuating environment. In this respect, we were able to show that bladders developed from anchor stolons experimentally when raising the water table. Anatomical structures were simple, lacunate and largely homogenous throughout all organs. They showed similarities with many hydrophytes, reflecting the plant’s adaptation to (temporarily) submerged conditions. The principal component analysis was used in the context of dynamic morphology to illustrate correlations between organ types in the morphospace ofU. dichotoma, revealing an organ specific patchwork of developmental processes for typical leaves and shoots, and less pronounced for a typical root. The concept and methods we applied may prove beneficial for future studies on the evolution of Lentibulariaceae, and on developmental morphology and genetics of unusual structures in plants.
Seasonal variability of SST fronts and winds on the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil
Authors: Chen Huan-Huan , Qi Yiquan , Wang Yuntao , Chai Fei
Published: October 2019

Fourteen years (September 2002 to August 2016) of high-resolution satellite observations of sea surface temperature (SST) data are used to describe the frontal pattern and frontogenesis on the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil. The daily SST fronts are obtained using an edge-detection algorithm, and the monthly frontal probability (FP) is subsequently calculated. High SST FPs are mainly distributed along the coast and decrease with distance from the coastline. The results from empirical orthogonal function (EOF) decompositions reveal strong seasonal variability of the coastal SST FP with maximum (minimum) in the astral summer (winter). Wind plays an important role in driving the frontal activities, and high FPs are accompanied by strong alongshore wind stress and wind stress curl. This is particularly true during the summer, when the total transport induced by the alongshore component of upwelling-favorable winds and the wind stress curl reaches the annual maximum. The fronts are influenced by multiple factors other than wind forcing, such as the orientation of the coastline, the seafloor topography, and the meandering of the Brazil Current. As a result, there is a slight difference between the seasonality of the SST fronts and the wind, and their relationship was varying with spatial locations. The impact of the air-sea interaction is further investigated in the frontal zone, and large coupling coefficients are found between the crosswind (downwind) SST gradients and the wind stress curl (divergence). The analysis of the SST fronts and wind leads to a better understanding of the dynamics and frontogenesis off the southeastern continental shelf of Brazil, and the results can be used to further understand the air-sea coupling process at regional level.
Impact of curcumin on replicative and chronological aging in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae yeast
Authors: Stępień Karolina , Wojdyła Dominik , Nowak Katarzyna , Mołoń Mateusz
Published: October 2019

Curcumin is a biologically active compound of vegetable origin which has a hormetic effect. Pro-health and anti-aging properties of curcumin have been known for years. The main benefit of curcumin is thought to be its anti-oxidative action. Despite vast amount of data confirming age-delaying activity of curcumin in various groups of organisms, so far little has been discovered about curcumin’s impact on cell aging in the experimental model of theSaccharomyces cerevisiaebudding yeast. We have been able to demonstrate that curcumin significantly increases oxidative stress and accelerates replicative and chronological aging of yeast cells devoid of anti-oxidative protection (withSOD1andSOD2gene deletion) and deprived of DNA repair mechanisms (RAD52). Interestingly, curcumin delays aging, probably through hormesis, of the wild-type strain BY4741.
Grafting for combinatorial binary model using frequent itemset mining
Authors: Lee Taito , Matsushima Shin , Yamanishi Kenji
Published: October 2019

We consider the class of linear predictors over all logical conjunctions of binary attributes, which we refer to as the class of combinatorial binary models (CBMs) in this paper. CBMs are of high knowledge interpretability but naïve learning of them from labeled data requires exponentially high computational cost with respect to the length of the conjunctions. On the other hand, in the case of large-scale datasets, long conjunctions are effective for learning predictors. To overcome this computational difficulty, we propose an algorithm,GRAfting for Binary datasets (GRAB), which efficiently learns CBMs within the$$L_1$$L1-regularized loss minimization framework. The key idea of GRAB is to adopt weighted frequent itemset mining for the most time-consuming step in the grafting algorithm, which is designed to solve large-scale$$L_1$$L1-RERM problems by an iterative approach. Furthermore, we experimentally showed that linear predictors of CBMs are effective in terms of prediction accuracy and knowledge discovery.
Hierarchical cluster analysis and multiple event relocation of seismic event clusters in Hungary between 2000 and 2016
Authors: Czecze Barbara , Bondár István
Published: October 2019

The objective of our paper is to develop a workflow that allows us to calculate more accurate hypocenter locations in seismic event clusters of aftershock sequences or artificial events. Due to the increased sensitivity of the seismological instruments and density of the network, we are able to record small natural and artificial events. The discrimination of these events is necessary to investigate the recent tectonic movements in the Pannonian Basin. As a first step, we performed a hierarchical cluster analysis on the events in the Hungarian National Seismological Bulletin using the spatial distances between the events to obtain event clusters. We selected 5 different test clusters from the list of clusters where two clusters consist of quarry blasts, another two consist of earthquakes, and the last one is a mixture of earthquakes and anthropogenic events. In the second step, to prepare for the double-difference multiple event location analysis, we manually revised the arrival time picks in the Hungarian National Seismological Bulletin in order to increase the consistency and accuracy of the arrival times. We obtained improved single-event locations with the iLoc algorithm using the RSTT 3D global velocity model to provide initial locations for the double-difference relocation. We applied waveform cross-correlation at every station to obtain the differential times and correlation matrices. In order to discriminate the events in the mixed event cluster, we repeated the hierarchical cluster analysis, but this time, we used the correlation matrix as a distance metric. Examining the shape of the resulting dendrogram, it is clear that certain subclusters are well separated. In these subclusters, the coordinates of the events are close to the mines, where explosive quarrying takes place. With this technique, we are able to identify explosions that were listed as earthquakes in the catalogue.
Karst landscapes of China: patterns, ecosystem processes and services
Authors: Wang Kelin , Zhang Chunhua , Chen Hongsong , Yue Yueming , Zhang Wei , Zhang Mingyang , Qi Xiangkun , Fu Zhiyong
Published: October 2019

Context

The karst region of southwestern China, one of the largest continuous karsts in the world, is known for its unique landscapes and rich biodiversity. This region has suffered severe environmental degradation (e.g., vegetation cover loss, soil erosion and biodiversity loss). In recent decades, Chinese governments at different levels have initiated several ecological programs (e.g., Green for Grain, Mountain Closure) to restore the degraded environment and to alleviate poverty.

Objectives

This study summarizes landscape studies of karst landscapes patterns, their dynamics and interactions among landscape pattern, hydrological processes and ecosystem services (ES).

Methods

We conducted a systematic literature review of science and land use policy to identify knowledge gaps and recommend future research and policy directions.

Results

Karst landscapes have experienced rapid turnover in recent decades due largely to the overlap of intense human activity on the fragile karst ecosystems. Many studies have comprehensively examined hydrology, soil processes and ecosystem services (ES) and their relationships with landscape pattern. Most of these studies have found that karst ecosystems recover with improved ES. However, the importance of epikarst in hydrological and soil processes, intense anthropogenic disturbance and landscape heterogeneity in landscape models remains elusive.

Conclusions

Future research should focus on in-depth examination and modelling of karst specific hydrological and soil processes, investigating relationships between climatic change, landscape change, ecological processes, and region-specific ES assessments. Results from such research should provide the necessary scientific support for a comprehensive, national karst rocky desertification treatment project (Stage II) and poverty alleviation initiatives.
Why Secondary Schools Do Not Implement Far-Reaching Smoke-Free Policies: Exploring Deep Core, Policy Core, and Secondary Beliefs of School Staff in the Netherlands
Authors:   SILNE-R consortium, Schreuders Michael , van den Putte Bas , Kunst Anton E
Published: October 2019

Background

Secondary schools that implement smoke-free policies are confronted with students who start smoking outside their premises. One solution is to complement smoke-free policies with prohibitions for all students to leave the school area during school hours, technically making school hours a smoke-free period. However, there are strikingly few Dutch secondary schools that implement this approach. This study explores why staff members in the Netherlands decide not to implement smoke-free school hours for all students.

Method

We interviewed 13 staff members, with different functions, from four secondary schools. The analysis was informed by the Advocacy Coalition Framework (ACF) to delve into the values, rationales, and assumptions of staff with the aim to identify deep core, policy core, and secondary beliefs.

Results

We identified six beliefs. Two deep core beliefs are that schools should provide adolescents the freedom to learn how to responsibly use their personal autonomy and that schools should only interfere if adolescents endanger or bother others. Three policy core beliefs identified included the following: that smoking is not a pressing issue for schools to deal with; that schools should demarcate their jurisdiction to intervene in adolescents’ lives in time, space, and precise risk behavior; and that implementing smoke-free school hours would interfere with maintaining positive student-staff relationships. One secondary belief identified was that smoke-free school hours would be impossible to enforce consistently.

Conclusion

This paper was the first to demonstrate the many beliefs explaining why schools refrain from voluntary implementing far-reaching smoke-free policies.
Dipodidae (Mammalia, Rodentia) from the Paleogene of south-east Serbia
Authors: Wessels Wilma , van de Weerd Andrew A. , de Bruijn Hans , Marković Zoran
Published: October 2019

Isolated cheek teeth of the Asian dipodidHeosminthus primiverisfrom four early Oligocene localities in the Koritnica-Babušnica basin, south-east Serbia, are described. The record of the Paleogene Dipodidae of Central Asia and Europe is briefly discussed. The current view of the migration pattern of the Paleogene Dipodidae between central Asia and Europe is revised: the migration ofPlesiosminthusinto Europe during the late Oligocene was preceded by the immigration ofHeosminthusinto the Serbo-Macedonian high (S. E. Europe) during the early Oligocene.
Effects of Maruca vitrata multi-nucleopolyhedrovirus and neem oil, Azadirachta indica Juss on the eggs of the cowpea pod borer, Maruca vitrata Fabricius (Lepidoptera: Crambidae)
Authors: Traoré F. , Waongo A. , Ba M.N. , Dabiré C. , Sanon A. , Tamò M. , Pittendrigh B. R.
Published: October 2019

Cowpea,Vigna unguiculata(L.) Walp., is the most cultivated and consumed legume in West Africa and is typically attacked by several insect pests, includingMaruca vitrata, leading to reduced yields. This study assessed under laboratory conditions the efficacy of neem oil andM. vitratamulti-nucleopolyhedrovirus (MaviMNPV) againstM. vitrataeggs as alternatives to second generation pesticides. Hatching and mortality rates after biopesticide application of neem oil,MaviMNPV, and the two in combination reduced the egg viability by 89%, 84% and 91%, respectively. Moreover, the combination ofMaviMNPV and neem oil induced 100% mortality among the hatched larvae, compared to 60% and 100% alone, respectively. Implications for using these biopesticides are discussed within an integrated pest management (IPM) context.
Effect of zerumbone on scopolamine‐induced memory impairment and anxiety‐like behaviours in rats
Authors: Jafarian Sahba , Ling King‐Hwa , Hassan Zurina , Perimal‐Lewis Lua , Sulaiman Mohd Roslan , Perimal Enoch Kumar
Published: October 2019

Introduction

We investigated the effects of zerumbone (1 and 10 mg/kg) against hyperactivity, anxiety and memory impairment in scopolamine‐induced dementia in Sprague‐Dawley rats.

Methods

Open field tests, elevated plus maze and Morris water maze were performed to assess general locomotor activity, anxiety‐like behaviours and learning and memory processes respectively in rats pretreated with scopolamine.

Results

Scopolamine‐treated rats showed high total activity, stereotype, and total distance travelled in the open field arena, reduced number of entries to open arms, decreased the percentage of time spent in open arms and higher escape latency time in the Morris water maze test. Interestingly, single administration of zerumbone (1 and 10 mg/kg) reversed the hyperactivity, anxiety‐like behaviours, and learning impairment effects of scopolamine in the three experimental model studied respectively.

Discussion

Our findings demonstrated that the scopolamine‐induced impairment of learning and memory was reversed by the administration of zerumbone. As a conclusion, our findings presented the positive effects of zerumbone on dementia‐like behaviours in the animal model used and could possibly contribute for future research to manage hyperactivity, anxiety, and learning disabilities.
Islam and Suicide Attacks
Authors: Nanninga Pieter
Published: October 2019

This Element explores the disputed relationship between Islam and suicide attacks. Drawing from primary source material as well as existing scholarship from fields such as terrorism studies and religious studies, it argues that Islam as a generic category is not an explanatory factor in suicide attacks. Rather, it claims that we need to study how organisations and individuals in their particular contexts draw tools such as Islamic martyrdom traditions, ritual practices and perceptions on honour and purity from their cultural repertoire to shape, justify and give meaning to the bloodshed.
How to Use Replication Assignments for Teaching Integrity in Empirical Archaeology
Authors: Marwick Ben , Wang Li-Ying , Robinson Ryan , Loiselle Hope
Published: October 2019

The value of new archaeological knowledge is strongly determined by how credible it is, and a key measure of scientific credibility is how replicable new results are. However, few archaeologists learn the skills necessary to conduct replication as part of their training. This means there is a gap between the ideals of archaeological science and the skills we teach future researchers. Here we argue for replications as a core type of class assignment in archaeology courses to close this gap and establish a culture of replication and reproducibility. We review replication assignments in other fields and describe how to implement a replication assignment suitable for many types of archaeology programs. We describe our experience with replication in an upper-level undergraduate class on stone artifact analysis. Replication assignments can help archaeology programs give students the skills that enable transparent and reproducible research.
Ice-sheet scale distribution and morphometry of triangular-shaped hummocks (murtoos): a subglacial landform produced during rapid retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet
Authors: Ojala Antti E. K. , Peterson Gustaf , Mäkinen Joni , Johnson Mark D. , Kajuutti Kari , Palmu Jukka-Pekka , Ahokangas Elina , Öhrling Christian
Published: October 2019

High-resolution digital elevation models of Finland and Sweden based on LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) reveal subglacial landforms in great detail. We describe the ice-sheet scale distribution and morphometric characteristics of a glacial landform that is distinctive in morphology and occurs commonly in the central parts of the former Scandinavian Ice Sheet, especially up-ice of the Younger Dryas end moraine zone. We refer to these triangular or V-shaped landforms as murtoos (singular, ‘murtoo’). Murtoos are typically 30–200 m in length and 30–200 m in width with a relief of commonly <5 m. Murtoos have straight and steep edges, a triangular tip oriented parallel to ice-flow direction, and an asymmetric longitudinal profile with a shorter, but steeper down-ice slope. The spatial distribution of murtoos and their geomorphic relation to other landforms indicate that they formed subglacially during times of climate warming and rapid retreat of the Scandinavian Ice Sheet when large amounts of meltwater were delivered to the bed. Murtoos are formed under warm-based ice and may be associated with a non-channelized subglacial hydraulic system that evacuated large discharges of subglacial water.
Breaking the Privacy Paradox: The Value of Privacy and Associated Duty of Firms
Authors: Martin Kirsten
Published: October 2019

The oft-cited privacy paradox is the perceived disconnect between individuals’ stated privacy expectations, as captured in surveys, and consumer market behavior in going online: individuals purport to value privacy yet still disclose information to firms. The goal of this paper is to empirically examine the conceptualization of privacy postdisclosure assumed in the privacy paradox. Contrary to the privacy paradox, the results here suggest consumers retain strong privacy expectations even after disclosing information. Privacy violations are valued akin to security violations in creating distrust in firms and in consumer (un)willingness to engage with firms. This paper broadens the scope of corporate responsibility to suggest firms have a positive obligation to identify reasonable expectations of privacy of consumers. In addition, research perpetuating the privacy paradox, through the mistaken framing of disclosure as proof of anti-privacy behavior, gives license to firms to act contrary to the interests of consumers.
What Is a Pain in a Body Part?
Authors: Aydede Murat
Published: October 2019

The International Association for the Study of Pain’s (IASP) definition of “pain” defines it as a subjective experience. The Note accompanying the definition emphasizes that, as such, pains are not to be identified with objective conditions of body parts (such as actual or potential tissue damage). Nevertheless, it goes on to state that a pain “is unquestionably a sensation in a part or parts of the body, but it is also always unpleasant and therefore also an emotional experience.” This generates a puzzle that philosophers have been well familiar with: how to understand our utterances and judgments attributing pain to body parts. (The puzzle is, of course, general extending to all sensations routinely located in body parts.) This work tackles this puzzle. I go over various options specifying the truth-conditions for pain-attributing judgments and, at the end, make my own recommendation which is an adverbialist, qualia-friendly proposal with completely naturalistic credentials that is also compatible with forms of weak intentionalism. The results are generalizable to other bodily sensations and can be used to illustrate, quite generally, the viability of a qualia-friendly adverbialist (but naturalist and weakly intentionalist) account of perception.
What Is Novel in Hegel'sPhenomenology of Spirit
Authors: Barba-Kay Antón
Published: October 2019

While it has long been commonplace to advert to thePhenomenology of Spirit's peculiar prosaic form, there has been no sustained, thematic attempt to understand the relationship between that form—as a continuous, quasi-fictional narrative—and the work's philosophical content. I argue that some of what has been felt to be outlandish about the form may be better accounted for by reading it as connected to purposeful literary decisions, decisions in turn exhibiting philosophical claims about the new mode of modern self-understanding that the argument is concerned with advancing. Extending Allen Speight's suggestions that Hegel sees literature as closely connected to his theory of agency, I argue that thePhenomenology's narrative should be understood as itself specifically and deliberately novelesque. I focus on three points that help clarify the book's form as not simply in keeping with, but as expressing aspects of its content: (1) the narrative structure of consciousness (as a unified, unfolding activity through which Hegel explores the notion of actuality), (2) the theatricalizing counterpoint between the ‘in itself’ and ‘for itself’ (as a dramatic device that Hegel connects to the social underpinnings of consciousness), and (3) the role of confession and forgiveness in the argument (as a theme that Schlegel had singled out as essential to the novel, and that Hegel repurposes both to criticize and to overcome Romanticism). I do not say that thePhenomenologyis itself a novel, but that construing some of its formal features and gestures as evoking the genre of the novel can help us to see more of what is philosophically at stake in them, and therefore in the work as a whole.
Modelling a paleo valley glacier network using a hybrid model: an assessment with a Stokes ice flow model
Authors: Imhof Michael A. , Cohen Denis , Seguinot Julien , Aschwanden Andy , Funk Martin , Jouvet Guillaume
Published: October 2019

Modelling paleo-glacier networks in mountain ranges on the millennial timescales requires ice flow approximations. Hybrid models calculating ice flow by combining vertical shearing (shallow ice approximation) and longitudinal stretching (shallow shelf approximation) have been applied to model paleo-glacier networks on steep terrain, yet their validity has not yet been assessed quantitatively. Moreover, hybrid models consistently yield higher ice thicknesses than Last Glacial Maximum geomorphological reconstructions in the European Alps. Here, we compare results based on the hybrid Parallel Ice Sheet Model (PISM) and the Stokes model Elmer/Ice on the Rhine Glacier, a catchment of the former European Alpine Icefield. For PISM, we also test two magnitudes of flux limitation in a scheme that reduces shearing velocities. We find that the flux limitation typically used in PISM yields significantly reduced shearing speeds and increases ice thicknesses by up to 500 m, partly explaining previous overestimations. However, reducing the ice flux limitation allows the hybrid model to minimize this mismatch and captures sliding speeds, ice thicknesses, ice extent and basal temperatures in close agreement with those obtained with the Stokes model.
‘Our members are growing up!’: contradictions in ageing talk within a lifelong learning institute
Authors: Roberts Summer C.
Published: October 2019

Whether encouraging successful ageing or labelling one as a stereotypical senior citizen, messages surrounding ageing pervade the daily lives of older adults. However, as a social status, age remains primarily in the background of older adults’ conversations, only being drawn into the focus when one is identified as older. This paper draws on interviews with members and staff of an Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) in the southeastern United States of America in order to examine the ways that they discuss age and ageing. These older adults’ ageing talk often focused on navigating away from negative ideas about age and avoiding labels deemed pejorative. Humour was occasionally used in identifying age, which carried potential for reinforcing as well as subverting ageism. Yet, members highlighted positive value in being older, particularly as demonstrated through participation in age-segregated education. Overall, these findings reflect the conflicting influences of deeply embedded ageist beliefs and personal desires to age successfully among this group of white, upper-middle-class, educated older adults. Ultimately, OLLI served as a protective environment for these privileged individuals, shielding the self from stereotypes otherwise present in ageing talk.
Relationship between primary eradication ofHelicobacter pyloriand drinking habits in women: collaborative research between a pharmacy and a clinic
Authors: Ozeki Kayoko , Asano Michio , Furuta Takahisa , Ojima Toshiyuki
Published: October 2019

Helicobacter pyloriis a cause of stomach cancer and peptic ulcer. For prevention, improving the eradication rate ofH. pyloriis crucial. However, the association between eradication and lifestyle of infected patients, including alcohol consumption, remains unclear. We explored associations between failed primary eradication therapy and drinking status by sex. This study involved 356 patients who visited a pharmacy with prescriptions for primaryH. pylorieradication therapy. We assessed drinking habits using a questionnaire. Data on patients with failed primary eradication were provided by the nearby local clinic. We performed logistic regression analysis to examine the effect of drinking habit and frequency of drinking on failed primary eradication by sex. The odds ratio of primary eradication failure in female patients with a drinking habit was 3.75 (P= 0.001), but that in male patients was not significant. The odds ratio tended to increase in relation to drinking frequency in women. Frequent consumption of alcohol is not only likely to affect eradication, but also has a large impact on the bodies of women, who are more susceptible than men to the effects of alcohol. Thus, women should take greater care in alcohol consumption.
Schizophrenia–schizoaffective–bipolar spectra: an epistemological perspective
Authors: Gama Marques João , Ouakinin Sílvia
Published: October 2019

For decades clinicians and researchers have been thinking and writing about the spectrum of schizophrenia disorders. Indeed both Kraepelin and Bleuler believed in schizophrenia as a spectrum, both in a clinical (individual) and hereditary (family) continuum, from just some exquisite personality traits to unquestionable chronic and debilitating psychosis. Other authors would put the schizophrenia spectrum disorders on different levels of continuum: developmental, psychofunctional, existential, and genetic. Here, we would like to present an historical chronology for the schizophrenia–schizoaffective–bipolar spectra plus a tridimensional model for these spectra: the first axis for categories (affective versus nonaffective psychoses), the second axis for dimensions (personality versus full blown psychosis), and a third axis for biomarkers (remission versus relapse). We believe that without the schizophrenia–schizoaffective–bipolar spectra concept in our minds all our efforts will keep failing one the hardest quest: searching for biomarkers in schizophrenia and related disorders.
Democracy versus Security as Standards of Political Legitimacy: The Case of National Policy on Irregular Migrant Arrivals
Authors: Lenard Patti Tamara , Macdonald Terry
Published: October 2019

Democratic citizens confront a range of problems framed as “security” issues, in policy areas such as counterterrorism and migration control, which place substantial political pressure on democratic norms. We develop a normative theoretical framework for assessing whether and how policies that curtail democratic governance standards in the name of security can be justified as politically legitimate. To do so, we articulate a novel normative account of legitimacy, which integrates insights from both democratic and realist traditions of thought to illuminate the complementary contributions of democratic and security standards to political legitimacy. We further elaborate a framework for applying this theoretical account to political practice in the form of a policy-focused “security test” for legitimacy in democratic states. Finally, we explore how this test may be deployed to help resolve policy dilemmas in democratic practice, by examining its application to a case study of national policy on irregular boat arrivals in Australia and Canada. Through this analysis, we contribute to the development of both richer theoretical understandings of the complex modern value of political legitimacy, and clearer action-guiding principles for balancing competing demands of legitimacy within securitized democratic policy regimes.
And If the Opponents of Gender Ideology Are Right? Gender Politics, Europeanization, and the Democratic Deficit
Authors: Rawłuszko Marta
Published: October 2019

This article explores the dynamics of antigender mobilization in Poland and shows how gender equality projects are interconnected with the rise of opponents of “gender ideology.” It highlights material and discursive links between the local implementation of gender mainstreaming and the antigenderist backlash. The article points out that particular gender equality policies in non-Western settings result from Europeanization and thus are marked by a significant democratic deficit—that is, they are promoted without engaging a wider audience and elude parliamentary control. The study shows that if gender equality projects, such as gender mainstreaming, are fostered by external international commitments and obscure bureaucratic measures, they may unintentionally provide the impetus for antigender mobilization. Indeed, gender wars are fueled not only by controversies over gender and LGBT equality but also by growing concerns about citizens’ control over the state and its policies. The article is data based, and by employing framing analysis, it provides an explanation of the recent political success of antigenderist campaigns, which take place in a world of reconfigured states and diminishing democracies.