bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Earthquakes and Economic Outcomes: Does Central Bank Independence Matter?
Authors: Klomp Jeroen , Sseruyange John
Published: August 2020

This study explores whether the degree of central bank independence influences the economic performance in the period immediately following an earthquake. Earthquakes create a classic monetary policy challenge: how to accommodate the real shock in the short run with the objective of low inflation. The ultimate outcome of this dilemma depends for a large part on the degree of delegation of the monetary powers to an independent central bank and the inflation averseness of the central bank governors. Our main empirical findings clearly indicate that the increase in the inflation rate after an earthquake is significantly smaller when monetary policy is conducted by a more independent central bank. At the same time, countries with an independent central bank are confronted with a wider output gap after an earthquake suggesting a slower economic recovery.
A performance- and energy-oriented extended tuning process for time-step-based scientific applications
Authors: Kalinnik Natalia , Kiesel Robert , Rauber Thomas , Richter Marcel , Rünger Gudula
Published: August 2020

Scientific application codes are often long-running time- and energy-consuming parallel codes, and the tuning of these methods towards the characteristics of a specific hardware is essential for a good performance. However, since scientific software is often developed over many years, the application software usually survives several hardware generations, which might make a re-tuning of the existing codes necessary. To simplify the tuning process, it would be beneficial to have software with inherent tuning possibilities. In this article, we explore the possibilities of tuning methods for time-step-based applications. Two different time-step-based application classes are considered, which are solution methods for ordinary differential equations and particle simulation methods. The investigation comprises a broad range of tuning possibilities, starting from the choice of algorithms, the parallel programming model, static implementation variants, input characteristics as well as hardware parameters for parallel execution. An experimental investigation shows the different characteristics of the application classes on different multicore systems. The results show that a combination of offline and online tuning leads to good tuning results. However, due to the different input characteristics of the two application classes, regular versus irregular, different tuning aspects are most essential.
Environmental impact of high-value gold scrap recycling
Authors: Fritz Benjamin , Aichele Carin , Schmidt Mario
Published: August 2020

Purpose

The gold routes satisfying the global gold supply are mining (74%), recycling of high-value gold (23%), and electronic scraps (3%). Besides its applications in the investment, jewelry, and industrial sector, gold also has a bad image. The gold production in industrial as well as artisanal and small-scale mines creates negative impacts such as resource depletion, extensive chemical use, toxic emissions, high energy consumption, and social concerns that are of great importance. On the other hand, almost all gold is recycled and has historically always been. In common life cycle assessment (LCA) databases, there is no data on recycling of high-value gold available. This article attempts to answer the question what the ecological benefits of this recycling are.

Method

In this study, we were able to collect process data on the most commonly used high-value gold scrap recycling process, the aqua regia method, from several state-of-the-art German refineries. With this data, life cycle inventories were created and a life cycle model was produced to finally generate life cycle impacts of high-value gold scrap recycling.

Results

This study contains the corresponding inventories and thus enables other interested parties to use these processes for their own LCA studies. The results show that high-value gold scrap recycling has a considerably lower environmental impact than electronic gold scrap recycling and mining. For example, high-value gold scrap recycling in Germany results in a cumulative energy demand (CED) of 820 MJ and a global warming potential (GWP) of 53 kg-CO2-Eq. per kg gold. In comparison, common datasets indicate CED and GWP levels of nearly 8 GJ and 1 t-CO2-Eq. per kg gold, respectively, for electronic scrap recycling and levels of 240 GJ and 16 t-CO2-Eq. per kg gold, respectively, for mining.

Conclusion

The results show that buying gold from precious metal recycling facilities with high technological standards and a reliable origin of the recycling material is about 300 times better than primary production.
Fairness, Ethnicity, and COVID-19 Ethics
Authors: Paton Alexis
Published: August 2020

Recent weeks have seen an increased focus on the ethical response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Ethics guidance has proliferated across Britain, with ethicists and those with a keen interest in ethics in their professions working to produce advice and support for the National Health Service. The guiding principles of the pandemic have emerged, in one form or another, to favour fairness, especially with regard to allocating resources and prioritizing care. However, fairness is not equivalent to equity when it comes to healthcare, and the focus on fairness means that existing guidance inadvertently discriminates against people from ethnic minority backgrounds. Drawing on early criticisms of existing clinical guidance (for example, the frailty decision tool) and ethical guidance in Britain, this essay will discuss the importance of including sociology, specifically the relationship between ethnicity and health, in any ethical and clinical guidance for care during the pandemic in the United Kingdom. To do otherwise, I will argue, would be actively choosing to allow a proportion of the British population to die for no other reason than their ethnic background. Finally, I will end by arguing why sociology must be a key component in any guidance, outlining how sociology was incorporated into the cross-college guidance produced by the Royal College of Physicians.
“We” Are In This Together, But We Are Not One and the Same
Authors: Braidotti R.
Published: August 2020

The COVID-19 pandemic is a man-made disaster, caused by undue interference in the ecological balance and the lives of multiple species. Paradoxically, the contagion has resulted in increased use of technology and digital mediation, as well as enhanced hopes for vaccines and biomedical solutions. It has thereby intensified humans’ reliance on the very high-tech economy of cognitive capitalism that caused the problems in the first place. This combination of ambivalent elements in relation to the Fourth Industrial revolution and the Sixth Extinction is the trademark of the posthuman condition. This essay explores this condition further, offering both critical and affirmative propositions for moving forward.
The COVID-19 Pandemic and Ethics in Mexico Through a Gender Lens
Authors: Manrique De Lara Amaranta , De Jesús Medina Arellano María
Published: August 2020

In Mexico, significant ethical and social issues have been raised by the COVID-19 pandemic. Some of the most pressing issues are the extent of restrictive measures, the reciprocal duties to healthcare workers, the allocation of scarce resources, and the need for research. While policy and ethical frameworks are being developed to face these problems, the gender perspective has been largely overlooked in most of the issues at stake. Domestic violence is the most prevalent form of violence against women, which can be exacerbated during a pandemic: stress and economic uncertainty are triggers for abuse, and confinement limits access to support networks. Confinement also exacerbates the unfair distribution of unpaid labor, which is disproportionately assigned to women and girls, and highlights inequality in the overall labor market. Lack of security measures has resulted in attacks towards health workers, particularly female nurses, due to fear of contamination. Finally, resource results in lack of access to other health necessities, including sexual and reproductive health services. Research across all disciplines to face—and to learn from—this crisis should be done through a gender lens, because understanding the realities of women is essential to understand the pandemic’s true effects in Mexico and the world.
Influence of glenosphere diameter and lateralization on instability of reverse shoulder arthroplasty
Authors: Wegmann K. , Alikhah A. , Leschinger T. , Harbrecht A. , Müller L. P. , Hackl M. , Ott N.
Published: August 2020

Background

Prosthetic replacement of the proximal humerus with reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) is an established means of treatment. Due to its unique biomechanical characteristics, RSA can restore shoulder function to a satisfying level in the case of cuff tear arthropathy, arthritis, and fractures. However, complications are frequent in RSA, one of the more common being implant instability with dislocation. The present study investigated the influence of glenosphere diameter and metaglene lateralization using a unique test setup.

Methods

Seven fresh-frozen cadaveric specimens of the shoulder were thawed and dissected. The subscapularis muscle, the infraspinatus, and the three heads of the deltoid muscle were fixed to a pulley system. After implanting an RSA in different configurations (38/42 mm glenosphere with lateralization of +0 mm, +5 mm, or +10 mm), the implants were dislocated using selective muscle pull. The frequency of dislocations depending on the prosthesis configuration was documented.

Results

The larger glenosphere diameter of 42 mm showed less dislocations than the diameter of 38 mm (39 vs. 46). Lateralization of +0, +5 mm, and +10 mm showed 26, 29, and 30, dislocations, respectively. Dislocation via pull on the infraspinatus muscle was most frequent. None of the results reached statistical significance.

Conclusion

The current investigation used a novel technique for investigating the effect of lateralization and glenosphere diameter on RSA instability. Despite indicating tendencies, the present test setup could not prove the hypothesis that a larger glenosphere diameter and increased lateralization add to stability. The lack of statistical significance could be attributable to the low specimen number. The clinical significance of lateralization and glenosphere diameter should be further assessed in future biomechanical investigations.
Health outcomes in offspring born to survivors of childhood cancers following assisted reproductive technologies
Authors: Sommerhäuser Greta , Borgmann-Staudt Anja , Astrahantseff Kathy , Baust Katja , Calaminus Gabriele , Dittrich Ralf , Fernández-González Marta J. , Hölling Heike , König Charlotte J. , Schilling Ralph , Schuster Theresa , Lotz Laura , Balcerek Magdalena
Published: August 2020

Purpose

An increasing number of childhood cancer survivors are using assisted reproductive technologies (ART) to overcome treatment-related fertility impairment. We report perinatal and health outcomes of offspring born to survivors following ART.

Methods

The FeCt Multicenter Offspring Study surveyed the health of offspring of childhood cancer survivors. Health outcomes in offspring born to survivors following ART (n = 57, 4.6%) or after spontaneous conception (n = 1182) were assessed in the German cohort (n = 1239) using bivariate analysis. Findings were put into the context of the general German population by health outcome assessment in 1:1 matched-pair analysis (n = 2478).

Results

Nearly twice the survivors used ART compared with numbers reported for the German general population (4.6% vs. 2.6%). Successful pregnancies were achieved after a median of two cycles, mainly using non-cryopreserved oocytes/sperm. Multiple sibling births (p < 0.001, 28.1% vs. 3.0%) and low birth weight (p = 0.008; OR = 2.659, 95% CI = 1.258–5.621) occurred significantly more often in offspring born to survivors who utilized ART than spontaneously conceived children, whereas similar percentages were born preterm or too small for their gestational age. ART did not increase the prevalence of childhood cancer or congenital malformations in offspring born to survivors.

Conclusion

ART use by childhood cancer survivors was successful with both fresh and cryopreserved oocytes/sperm, and did not influence perinatal health or health outcomes when known confounders were taken into account.

Implications for Cancer Survivors

Oncofertility is an important component of patient care. Our study implicates that the utilization of ART by adult survivors of childhood cancer does not put offspring at additional risk for adverse perinatal or health outcomes.
Applying the Values of Geoethics for Sustainable Speleotourism Development
Authors: Antić Aleksandar , Peppoloni Silvia , Di Capua Giuseppe
Published: August 2020

Establishing sustainable and responsible speleotourism development is a major challenge and involves complex activities. Adequate theoretical starting point is the application of geoethical values related to the conservation and protection of the caves to be used for touristic purposes. Positive and negative cases of human behaviors towards speleological geoheritage are discussed, in order to highlight what should be done in cave management to avoid malpractices and on what elements could be founded adequate strategies aimed at promoting sustainable speleotourism. This is important to tourism management organizations involved in the promotion of caves and in creating economic opportunities for local populations, while respecting cave ecosystems. Modern cave management must be focused on the protection of the cave ecosystems, finding ways to achieve at the same time an economic development of local communities. But this approach needs the adoption of a geoethical framework of values to be shared by all stakeholders involved so that successful cooperation can be achieved despite differences in interests and expectations. The aim of this paper is to raise the awareness about the need to apply the values of geoethics to speleotourism, stimulating new fields of discussion within the scientific and technical communities involved in studies and activities related to geotourism and geoheritage. The possibilities of developing new ways to manage caves, in order to promote a sustainable socio-economic development of local communities, have to be balanced with the protection of natural environments as much as possible. The proposed theoretical frameworks have the goal to increase the discussion on the best ways of connecting speleotourism to sustainable and responsible cave management, presenting two case studies, and pointing out potential solutions.
Assessing the Past and Future Sustainability of Global Helium Resources, Extraction, Supply and Use, Using the Integrated Assessment Model WORLD7
Authors: Olafsdottir Anna Hulda , Sverdrup Harald Ulrik
Published: August 2020

The sustainability of the helium production, supply and use was assessed using the WORLD7 integrated model. The use of helium is at present concluded to be unsustainable with respect to long-term supply security, because of lack of significant recycling. There is no risk for significant helium scarcity in the short term (before 2030), but in the long term, the scarcity risk is unavoidable under business as usual. The helium supply runs into limitations by 2090, under business as usual and supply declines after that. The study shows that the present helium recycling rate is far too low, causing helium to be squandered in one-way use and that is driving helium prices up. A scenario analysis with the WORLD7 model suggests that a sustained program for helium recycling and demand management, combined with political efforts to ban unnecessary use, will be able to significantly improve the long-term helium supply situation. The outputs show that such efforts may be sufficient for avoiding any scarcity under the demand assumptions taken.
Auf dem Weg zur responsiven Demokratie? Online-Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung in der Stadtentwicklung als aktiver Link zwischen Kommunalpolitik und Bevölkerung
Authors: Radtke Jörg , Saßmannshausen Sheree May
Published: August 2020

Öffentlichkeitsbeteiligung setzt mehr und mehr auf Online-Formate. Was können neue technische Möglichkeiten im Infrastrukturkontext leisten? Lassen sich so ein stärkerer Einbezug von BürgerInnen sowie eine bessere Vermittlung und Rückkopplung zwischen lokaler Bevölkerung, Politik und Fachplanung erreichen?

Die These des vorliegenden Beitrages besteht darin, dass, erstens, jenseits der klassischen Legitimationskonzepte Kategorien der Responsivität, Nähe und Sichtbarkeit für die Legitimitätsgenerierung entscheidend sind, welche, zweitens, durch Online-Formate befördert werden können. Anhand eines kommunalen Fallbeispiels werden einige Optionen für Echtzeit-Formate und Virtual Planning in der Stadtentwicklung exemplifiziert und aufgezeigt, wie Responsivität erzeugt werden kann. Hierbei kommen dem Design der Applikation, den Einstellungen von Politik und Verwaltung sowie einer passenden Beteiligungskultur/-strategie und umfassenden Mobilisierung der Bevölkerung, der gelingenden Verknüpfung mit Offline-Formaten, dem Vorhandensein von Ressourcen für den Betrieb und einem proaktiven Management der Beteiligungsplattform zentrale Bedeutung zu.
Clinical presentation and management of acromegaly in elderly patients
Authors: Ceccato Filippo , Barbot Mattia , Lizzul Laura , Cuccarollo Angela , Selmin Elisa , Merante Boschin Isabella , Daniele Andrea , Saller Alois , Occhi Gianluca , Regazzo Daniela , Scaroni Carla
Published: August 2020

Background and aim

Acromegaly is a rare disease with a peak of incidence in early adulthood. However, enhanced awareness of this disease, combined with wide availability of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), has increased the diagnosis of forms with mild presentation, especially in elderly patients. Moreover, due to increased life expectancy and proactive individualized treatment, patients with early-onset acromegaly are today aging. The aim of our study was to describe our cohort of elderly patients with acromegaly.

Materials and methods

This is a cross-sectional retrospective study of 96 outpatients. Clinical, endocrine, treatment, and follow-up data were collected using the electronic database of the University Hospital of Padova, Italy.

Results

We diagnosed acromegaly in 13 patients, aged ≥65 years, presenting with relatively small adenomas and low IGF-1 secretion. Among them, 11 patients were initially treated with medical therapy and half normalized hormonal levels after 6 months without undergoing neurosurgery (TNS). Remission was achieved after TNS in three out of four patients (primary TNS in two); ten patients presented controlled acromegaly at the last visit. Acromegaly-related comorbidities (colon polyps, thyroid cancer, adrenal incidentaloma, hypertension, and bone disease) were more prevalent in patients who had an early diagnosis (31 patients, characterized by a longer follow-up of 24 years) than in those diagnosed aged ≥65 years (5 years of follow-up).

Conclusions

Elderly acromegalic patients are not uncommon. Primary medical therapy is a reasonable option and is effectively used, while the rate of surgical success is not reduced. A careful cost-benefit balance is suggested. Disease-specific comorbidities are more prevalent in acromegalic patients with a longer follow-up rather than in those diagnosed aged ≥65 years.
Policing and Regulating Commercial Sex in Taiwan: A Review from Gender, Culture and Legal Perspectives
Authors: LIN Chih-Chieh (Carol) , SU Fang-Yi , CHUNG Ping-Hsuan
Published: August 2020

Commercial sex has been a complex and controversial issue in Taiwan. It was banned several times and finally partially legalized in law when the Congress finally amended Article 80 of the Social Order Maintenance Law and authorized local governments to establish red-light districts. Unfortunately, in reality, until now, no local government has established a red-light district. Therefore, all commercial sex is still illegal in Taiwan. By reviewing this issue from gender, culture, and legal perspectives, this paper discusses the regulation of commercial sex in Taiwan in three parts. In the first part, this paper provides a historical view of the development of commercial sex and how the government regulated it in different periods. In the second part, this paper introduces the debate and various perspectives of feminist legal theories on this issue. Finally, compared with the regulation models of Japan and Singapore, this paper proposes an empowerment approach in response to the current Social Order Maintenance Law. Focusing on sex workers’ autonomy and subjectivity, the new approach hopes to balance the interests between the rights of sex workers and the needs of social order and public health.
Optimizing sampling rate of wrist-worn optical sensors for physiologic monitoring
Authors: Bent Brinnae , Dunn Jessilyn P.
Published: August 2020

Introduction:

Personalized medicine has exposed wearable sensors as new sources of biomedical data which are expected to accrue annual data storage costs of approximately $7.2 trillion by 2020 (>2000 exabytes). To improve the usability of wearable devices in healthcare, it is necessary to determine the minimum amount of data needed for accurate health assessment.

Methods:

Here, we present a generalizable optimization framework for determining the minimum necessary sampling rate for wearable sensors and apply our method to determine optimal optical blood volume pulse sampling rate. We implement t-tests, Bland–Altman analysis, and regression-based visualizations to identify optimal sampling rates of wrist-worn optical sensors.

Results:

We determine the optimal sampling rate of wrist-worn optical sensors for heart rate and heart rate variability monitoring to be 21–64 Hz, depending on the metric.

Conclusions:

Determining the optimal sampling rate allows us to compress biomedical data and reduce storage needs and financial costs. We have used optical heart rate sensors as a case study for the connection between data volumes and resource requirements to develop methodology for determining the optimal sampling rate for clinical relevance that minimizes resource utilization. This methodology is extensible to other wearable sensors.
Understanding shared decision-making experience among vulnerable population: Focus group with food bank clients
Authors: Lee Young Ji , Brazile Tiffany , Galbiati Francesca , Hamm Megan , Bryce Cindy , Jain Sandeep , Kraschnewski Jennifer , McTigue Kathleen
Published: August 2020

Introduction:

Shared decision-making (SDM) is a critical component of delivering patient-centered care. Members of vulnerable populations may play a passive role in clinical decision-making; therefore, understanding their prior decision-making experiences is a key step to engaging them in SDM.

Objective:

To understand the previous healthcare experiences and current expectations of vulnerable populations on clinical decision-making regarding therapeutic options.

Methods:

Clients of a local food bank were recruited to participate in focus groups. Participants were asked to share prior health decision experiences, explain difficulties they faced when making a therapeutic decision, describe features of previous satisfactory decision-making processes, share factors under consideration when choosing between treatment options, and suggest tools that would help them to communicate with healthcare providers. We used the inductive content analysis to interpret data gathered from the focus groups.

Results:

Twenty-six food bank clients participated in four focus groups. All participants lived in areas of socioeconomic disadvantage. Four themes emerged: prior negative clinical decision-making experience with providers, patients preparing to engage in SDM, challenges encountered during the decision-making process, and patients’ expectations of decision aids. Participants also reported they were unable to discuss therapeutic options at the time of decision-making. They also expressed financial concerns and the need for sufficiently detailed information to evaluate risks.

Conclusion:

Our findings suggest the necessity of developing decision aids that would improve the engagement of vulnerable populations in the SDM process, including consideration of affordability, use of patient-friendly language, and incorporation of drug–drug and drug–food interactions information.
Conditional reflex to urine culture: Evaluation of a diagnostic stewardship intervention within the Veterans’ Affairs and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Practice-Based Research Network
Authors: Claeys Kimberly C. , Zhan Min , Pineles Lisa , Lydecker Alison , Clore Gosia , Goto Michihiko , Leekha Surbhi , Linkin Darren , Evans Charlesnika T. , Trautner Barbara W. , Goetz Matthew B. , Baghdadi Jonathan D. , Perencevich Eli N. , Morgan Daniel J.
Published: August 2020

Objective:

In the absence of pyuria, positive urine cultures are unlikely to represent infection. Conditional urine reflex culture policies have the potential to limit unnecessary urine culturing. We evaluated the impact of this diagnostic stewardship intervention.

Design:

We conducted a retrospective, quasi-experimental (nonrandomized) study, with interrupted time series, from August 2013 to January 2018 to examine rates of urine cultures before versus after the policy intervention. We compared 3 intervention sites to 3 control sites in an aggregated series using segmented negative binomial regression.

Setting:

The study included 6 acute-care hospitals within the Veterans’ Health Administration across the United States.

Participants:

Adult patients with at least 1 urinalysis ordered during acute-care admission, excluding pregnant patients or those undergoing urological procedures, were included.

Methods:

At the intervention sites, urine cultures were performed if a preceding urinalysis met prespecified criteria. No such restrictions occurred at the control sites. The primary outcome was the rate of urine cultures performed per 1,000 patient days. The safety outcome was the rate of gram-negative bloodstream infection per 1,000 patient days.

Results:

The study included 224,573 urine cultures from 50,901 admissions in 24,759 unique patients. Among the intervention sites, the overall average number of urine cultures performed did not significantly decrease relative to the preintervention period (5.9% decrease; P = 0.8) but did decrease by 21% relative to control sites (P < .01). We detected no significant difference in the rates of gram-negative bloodstream infection among intervention or control sites (P = .49).

Conclusions:

Conditional urine reflex culture policies were associated with a decrease in urine culturing without a change in the incidence of gram-negative bloodstream infection.
Second-order effects or ideational rifts? Explaining outcomes of European elections in an era of populist politics
Authors: Ehin Piret , Talving Liisa
Published: August 2020

This article seeks to enhance our understanding of the European Parliament (EP) elections in an era of populist and anti-European Union (EU) politics. Specifically, it aims to evaluate both the conventional second-order elections theory as well as an alternative approach that regards EP elections as an arena for conflict between liberal-democratic Europeanism and populist, extremist and euroskeptic alternatives. It does so by deriving a series of hypotheses from both approaches and testing these with party-level data from all EU member states in the context of 2019 EP elections. Our results challenge both explanations. Party size is a robust predictor of electoral performance in EP elections, and its effect is moderated by electoral system design. While large parties lost votes across the EU, their losses were more pronounced in countries where national legislatures are elected under plurality or mixed systems. We find no evidence of incumbent losses or electoral cycle effects. Party-level populism, extremism and euroskepticism did not systematically predict electoral performance but party ideology appears to have moderated the effects of incumbency and party size. Incumbency was associated with vote gain among populist and far-right parties but not other parties, and the effect of size also varied across party ideologies. In sum, these results suggest that vote fragmentation in the 2019 EP elections is partly explained by electoral system design, while it was not driven by the desire to punish political incumbents. Populist and far-right parties in power appear to be particularly immune to punishing behavior often associated with EP elections.
ARTEMIS, THE 14C AMS FACILITY OF THE LMC14 NATIONAL LABORATORY: A STATUS REPORT ON QUALITY CONTROL AND MICROSAMPLE PROCEDURES
Authors: Moreau Christophe , Messager Cyrielle , Berthier Bernard , Hain Stéphane , Thellier Bruno , Dumoulin Jean-Pascal , Caffy Ingrid , Sieudat Marc , Delqué-Količ Emmanuelle , Mussard Solène , Perron Marion , Setti Valérie , Beck Lucile
Published: August 2020

Quality control procedures have been developed at the Laboratoire de Mesure du Carbone 14 (LMC14) national laboratory throughout the years of operation. Routine procedures are applied to sample preparation depending on their composition and their size. The tuning of the ARTEMIS AMS facility, hosted by the LMC14 laboratory, uses an accurate procedure. A batch of unknown samples is measured with accompanying samples (primary and secondary standards and blanks), which give a powerful set of data to control the quality of each measurement. A homemade database has been created to store the sample information and study the evolution of the accompanying samples. The LMC14 laboratory participated in the Sixth International Radiocarbon Intercomparison, SIRI. The results are presented here, with statistical tests to assess the quality of the preparations and measurements done at the LMC14 national laboratory. To obtain a reliable radiocarbon (14C) age by AMS, 1 mg of sample is required in routine analysis. Recently, the LMC14 developed a new procedure dedicated to microsamples, allowing the size of samples to be reduced and contributing to opening 14C dating to materials that were previously unreachable. This new procedure has been successfully tested on valuable Cultural Heritage samples: lead white mural paintings.
PACIFISM, INFECTION, AND ‘SOMATIC CITIZENSHIP’ IN WARTIME BRITAIN, 1940–1943
Authors: SAUNDERS DAVID
Published: August 2020

This article explores how marginalized groups navigated the everyday politics of citizenship in Britain during the Second World War through a case-study of the Sorby Research Institute in Sheffield, a site in which pacifists and conscientious objectors participated in medical experiments as an alternative to military service. Examining the experiences of volunteers who were infested with parasites in a study of infectious disease transmission, this article traces the emergence of ‘somatic citizenship’ at the SRI: a distinctive kind of wartime service that was rooted in the everyday sensations, routines, and practices of the body. Ultimately, this article argues that the somatic labours of medical research offered a way of partially reconciling the conflicting demands of pacifism and national duty, allowing volunteers to reposition themselves as heroic wartime citizens. However, this was not a straightforward path to social rehabilitation, with various political, moral, and hygienic anxieties disrupting the pursuit of community acceptance. While contributing to ongoing work on citizenship, subjectivity, and emotion in wartime Britain, these findings also demonstrate how unconventional sources – in this case, medicalized descriptions of the body – can be redeployed to illuminate the politically saturated nature of everyday life under the conditions of total war.
An investigation into the temperature phase transitions of synthesized lithium titanate materials doped with Al, Co, Ni and Mg byin situpowder X-ray diffraction
Authors: van Niekerk X. , Ferg E. E. , Gelant C. , Billing D. G.
Published: August 2020

Li4Ti5O12(LTO) and its doped analogues Li4Ti4.95M0.05O12(M = Al3+, Co3+, Ni2+, and Mg2+) were synthesized and characterized usingin situPXRD to monitor the phase transitions during the sol–gel synthesis of the spinel material. These results are complimented by thermogravimetric analysis, which illustrates the decomposition of the materials synthesized, where the final LTO products are seen to form at approximately 550 °C. The material has an amorphous structure from room temperature, coupled with a crystalline phase which is speculated to be H2Ti2O5·H2O. This crystalline phase disappears at 250 °C, with the material still in the amorphous state. The crystalline LTO phase starts at approximately 550 °C, with anatase co-crystallizing with the spinel phase. Rutile appears at 600 °C and co-crystallizes with the final product at 850 °C, where anatase is no longer seen. The rutile impurity remains present after cooling the material to room temperature, and results indicate that prolonged heating at 850 °C is required to reduce the rutile content. Rietveld refinement of diffraction patterns show that the unit-cell parameter increases with increasing temperature, coupled with a decrease when cooling the sample. The crystallite sizes follow the same trend, with a significant increase above temperatures of 750 °C.
History, status, and productivity of the Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas
Authors: KIACZ SIMON , SHACKELFORD CLIFFORD E. , HENEHAN ANTHONY K. , BRIGHTSMITH DONALD J.
Published: August 2020

Newly established populations of endangered species can help mitigate declines elsewhere and can be a valuable genetic reservoir. When these populations are located within anthropogenic habitats, they may also help mitigate the potential biodiversity loss created by urbanization. The Red-crowned Amazon Amazona viridigenalis is an endangered species that has become naturalized in multiple urban areas throughout the United States and Mexico, and these populations may currently outnumber the population within their historical habitat. While these urban populations may hold the majority of this endangered species, very few studies have analyzed the status and trends of this species, or of threatened parrots in general, in urban areas. Our study focuses on an urban Red-crowned Amazon population in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV) of Texas: the only parrot population currently recognized as native to the United States. To determine a timeline of Red-crowned Amazon arrival and growth in the LRGV, we reviewed published literature and online citizen science databases. To quantify current population levels and trends, we conducted 412 surveys at all known roost sites throughout the LRGV from January 2016 through April 2019. We also quantified the ratio of adult and juvenile parrots at roosts. Our data suggest the species has been present in the LRGV consistently since the 1970s and showed rapid growth from the mid-1990s through roughly 2016. Roost counts suggest there is currently a minimum LRGV population of about 680 and the population has been relatively stable over the last 3.5 years. Productivity averaged 19% over three breeding seasons, suggesting successful internal reproduction. This study provides important baseline information for the management and conservation of Red-crowned Amazons in the region and provides a valuable timeline on the beginnings and trends of this recently established urban population of Amazona parrot.
Ability of Critical Care Medics to Confirm Endotracheal Tube Placement by Ultrasound
Authors: Joyce Michael , Tozer Jordan , Vitto Michael , Evans David
Published: August 2020

Introduction:

The Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS) guidelines were recently updated to include ultrasound confirmation of endotracheal tube (ETT) location as an adjunctive tool to verify placement. While this method is employed in the emergency department under the guidance of the most recent American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP; Irving, Texas USA) guidelines, it has yet to gain wide acceptance in the prehospital setting where it has the potential for greater impact. The objective of this study to is determine if training critical care medics using simulation was a feasible and reliable method to learn this skill.

Methods:

Twenty critical care paramedics with no previous experience with point-of-care ultrasound volunteered for advanced training in prehospital ultrasound. Four ultrasound fellowship trained emergency physicians proctored two three-hour training sessions. Each session included a brief introduction to ultrasound “knobology,” normal sonographic neck and lung anatomy, and how to identify ETT placement within the trachea or esophagus. Immediately following this, the paramedics were tested with five simulated case scenarios using pre-obtained images that demonstrated a correctly placed ETT, an esophageal intubation, a bronchial intubation, and an improperly functioning ETT. Their accuracy, length of time to respond, and comfort with using ultrasound were all assessed.

Results:

All 20 critical care medics completed the training and testing session. During the five scenarios, 37/40 (92.5%) identified the correct endotracheal placements, 18/20 (90.0%) identified the esophageal intubations, 18/20 (90.0%) identified the bronchial intubation, and 20/20 (100.0%) identified the ETT malfunctions correctly. The average time to diagnosis was 10.6 seconds for proper placement, 15.5 seconds for esophageal, 15.6 seconds for bronchial intubation, and 11.8 seconds for ETT malfunction.

Conclusions:

The use of ultrasound to confirm ETT placement can be effectively taught to critical care medics using a short, simulation-based training session. Further studies on implementation into patient care scenarios are needed.
The Macedonian Fake News Industry and the 2016 US Election
Authors: Hughes Heather C. , Waismel-Manor Israel
Published: August 2020

During the 2016 US presidential election, Americans were exposed to an onslaught of disinformation on social media. Many of the most viral posts originated from Veles, a small town in central Macedonia. During fieldwork in Veles, where we interviewed several residents and disinformation creators, we found that the epicenter of this viral phenomenon was Mirko Ceselkoski, an autodidact social media expert, teacher, and mentor to Veles’ fake news operators. We interviewed Ceselkoski and registered and attended his online course—the same course numerous Veles residents took offline. Our research confirms (1) the pivotal role Ceselkoski had in the creation of this industry; (2) the economic motivation driving the fake news disseminators; and (3) the manner in which the mostly young people in their early twenties with little English fluency were able to generate so much traffic and disseminate so much disinformation.
Opportunity and impasse: social change and the limits of international legal strategy
Authors: McConnell Lee
Published: August 2020

A diverse range of actors, from practitioners and academics to civil society groups and activists, appear to see hope in international law for the advancement of their causes. This paper examines whether this optimism is well-founded. It explores whether international law can serve as an agent of social change, and whether it can accommodate radical changes in social order. It begins by exposing a formalist stance that is immanent to much ‘legal activist’ discourse. It then explores links between this mode of jurisprudential thought and idealist epistemology. Drawing from the philosophy of Theodor Adorno, and in particular his notion of ‘identity-thinking’, it uncovers structural connections between formalism, idealism, law, and economy that call into question international law's socially-transformative potential. The perspective advanced in this paper falls somewhere between the polarities of opportunity and impasse, seeking to acknowledge the importance of legal strategies in safeguarding the disenfranchised, while remaining alive to their potential dangers and limitations.
Can Social Pressure Foster Responsiveness? An Open Records Field Experiment with Mayoral Offices
Authors: Moy Bryant J.
Published: August 2020

This paper examines the extent to which social pressures can foster greater responsiveness among public officials. I conduct a non-deceptive field experiment on 1400 city executives across all 50 states and measure their level of responsiveness to open records requests. I use two messages to prime social pressure. The first treatment centers on the norm and duty to be responsive to the public’s request for transparency. The second treatment is grounded in the peer effect literature, which suggests that individuals change their behavior in the face of potential social sanctioning and accountability. I find no evidence that mayors are affected by priming the officials’ duty to the public. The mayors who received the peer effects prime were 6–8 percentage points less likely to respond, which suggests a “backfire effect.” This paper contributes to the growing responsiveness literature on the local level and the potential detrimental impact of priming peer effects.
The Seasonal and Longitudinal Variations of Nighttime OI 135.6‐nm Emission at Equatorial Ionization Anomaly Crests Observed by the DMSP/SSUSI
Authors: Guo Bing , Xu Jiyao , Sun Longchang , Lin Yingjun , Yuan Wei
Published: August 2020

Nighttime atomic oxygen (OI) 135.6‐nm emission observed by the Special Sensor Ultraviolet Spectrographic Imager (SSUSI) instrument on board the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) F18 satellite is utilized to investigate the seasonal and longitudinal variations of the equatorial ionization anomaly (EIA) crests at a fixed 20:00 local time (LT) from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2015. The OI 135.6‐nm emission intensity at the southern and northern EIA crests for each day is considered as a superposition of zonal mean and Zonal Wavenumbers 1–4 components. On the seasonal‐longitudinal variations of the OI 135.6‐nm emission intensity at both EIA crests, the obvious double‐peak structure appears in equinoxes for all 4 years. The longitudinal peaked structures are also prominent in equinoxes, and Peak‐3 structure dominates. The main results are as follows: (1) The zonal mean emission intensity and amplitudes of Wavenumbers 1–4 components at both EIA crests are also evident in equinoxes and have a major semiannual and annual periods, except for amplitude of Wavenumber 4 at the southern EIA crest; the amplitude of Wavenumber 1 component is generally greater than Wavenumbers 2–4; (2) the phases of Wavenumbers 1 and 2 components at both EIA crests have a 1‐year period, and the seasonal variations of the phase of Wavenumber 1 component at both EIA crests are in phase but antiphase in Wavenumber 2; and (3) the phases of Wavenumbers 1 and 2 components between the OI 135.6‐nm emission intensity and the total electron content (TEC) at both EIA crests are almost consistent in April and solstices.
Stable Carbon Isotope Studies of CH4 Dynamics Via Water and Plant Pathways in a Tropical Thai Paddy: Insights Into Diel CH4 Transportation
Authors: Komiya Shujiro , Yazaki Tomotsugu , Kondo Fumiyoshi , Katano Kentaro , Lavric Jost V. , McTaggart Iain , Pakoktom Tiwa , Siangliw Meechai , Toojinda Theerayut , Noborio Kosuke
Published: August 2020

Separate evaluation of methane (CH4) emission dynamics (e.g., oxidation, production, and transportation) at the soil‐plant‐atmosphere and soil‐water‐atmosphere interfaces has been limited in tropical rice paddies, but it is crucial for comprehending the entire CH4 cycles. We investigated CH4 oxidation, production, and transportation through plant and water pathways during the reproductive stage in a tropical Thailand rice paddy field using natural abundance carbon stable isotope ratios (δ13CH4 and δ13CO2). Mass balance equations using δ13CH4 and δ13CO2 in soil gases indicated that CH4 oxidation in the planted soil exceeded those in the interrow soil due to oxygen supply through rice roots. In addition, at 1–11 cm depth acetate fermentation was the dominant process in the planted soil, whereas in the interrow soil the dominant process was H2/CO2 reduction. The water pathway showed a significant negative correlation between CH4 flux and released δ13CH4 over 24 hr, driven by a diel change in episodic ebullition, steady ebullition, and diffusion, all due to diel changes in soil temperature and atmospheric pressure. In contrast, the plant pathway showed a significant positive relationship between CH4 flux and emitted δ13CH4 throughout one day. A comparison of the diel change in emitted δ13CH4 between the water and plant pathways showed that the rice plants transported CH4 in soil bubbles without any large isotopic fractionation. The diel change in the plant‐mediated CH4 transportation was mainly controlled by diel changes in soil bubble expansion and CH4 diffusion through plants, which were probably regulated by diel changes in soil temperature and atmospheric pressure.
Simulations for CMIP6 With the AWI Climate Model AWI‐CM‐1‐1
Authors: Semmler Tido , Danilov Sergey , Gierz Paul , Goessling Helge F. , Hegewald Jan , Hinrichs Claudia , Koldunov Nikolay , Khosravi Narges , Mu Longjiang , Rackow Thomas , Sein Dmitry V. , Sidorenko Dmitry , Wang Qiang , Jung Thomas
Published: August 2020

The Alfred Wegener Institute Climate Model (AWI‐CM) participates for the first time in the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP), CMIP6. The sea ice‐ocean component, FESOM, runs on an unstructured mesh with horizontal resolutions ranging from 8 to 80 km. FESOM is coupled to the Max Planck Institute atmospheric model ECHAM 6.3 at a horizontal resolution of about 100 km. Using objective performance indices, it is shown that AWI‐CM performs better than the average of CMIP5 models. AWI‐CM shows an equilibrium climate sensitivity of 3.2°C, which is similar to the CMIP5 average, and a transient climate response of 2.1°C which is slightly higher than the CMIP5 average. The negative trend of Arctic sea‐ice extent in September over the past 30 years is 20–30% weaker in our simulations compared to observations. With the strongest emission scenario, the AMOC decreases by 25% until the end of the century which is less than the CMIP5 average of 40%. Patterns and even magnitude of simulated temperature and precipitation changes at the end of this century compared to present‐day climate under the strong emission scenario SSP585 are similar to the multi‐model CMIP5 mean. The simulations show a 11°C warming north of the Barents Sea and around 2°C to 3°C over most parts of the ocean as well as a wetting of the Arctic, subpolar, tropical, and Southern Ocean. Furthermore, in the northern middle latitudes in boreal summer and autumn as well as in the southern middle latitudes, a more zonal atmospheric flow is projected throughout the year.