bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Compositional Nature of Tense, Mood and Aspect
Authors: Verkuyl Henk J.
Published: October 2021

Bringing together fifty years' worth of cross-linguistic research, this pioneering monograph explores the complex interaction between tense, mood and aspect. It looks at the long way of combining elementary semantic units at the bottom of phrase structure up to and including the top of a sentence. Rejecting ternary tense as blocking compositionality, it introduces three levels obtained by binary tense oppositions.  It also counters an outdated view on motion by assuming that change is not expressed as having an inherent goal but rather as dynamic interaction between different number systems that allows us to package information into countable and continuous units. It formally identifies the central role of a verb in a variety of argument structures and integrates adverbial modifiers into the compositional structure at different tense levels of phrase structure. This unique contribution to the field will be essential reading for advanced students and researchers in the syntax-semantics interface.
The Cost-Benefit Fallacy: Why Cost-Benefit Analysis Is Broken and How to Fix It
Authors: Flyvbjerg Bent , Bester Dirk W.
Published: October 2021

Most cost-benefit analyses assume that the estimates of costs and benefits are more or less accurate and unbiased. But what if, in reality, estimates are highly inaccurate and biased? Then the assumption that cost-benefit analysis is a rational way to improve resource allocation would be a fallacy. Based on the largest dataset of its kind, we test the assumption that cost and benefit estimates of public investments are accurate and unbiased. We find this is not the case with overwhelming statistical significance. We document the extent of cost overruns, benefit shortfalls, and forecasting bias in public investments. We further assess whether such inaccuracies seriously distort effective resource allocation, which is found to be the case. We explain our findings in behavioral terms and explore their policy implications. Finally, we conclude that cost-benefit analysis of public investments stands in need of reform and we outline four steps to such reform.
Algorithms and the Individual in Criminal Law
Authors: Jorgensen Renée
Published: October 2021

Law-enforcement agencies are increasingly able to leverage crime statistics to make risk predictions for particular individuals, employing a form of inference that some condemn as violating the right to be “treated as an individual.” I suggest that the right encodes agents’ entitlement to a fair distribution of the burdens and benefits of the rule of law. Rather than precluding statistical prediction, it requires that citizens be able to anticipate which variables will be used as predictors and act intentionally to avoid them. Furthermore, it condemns reliance on various indexes of distributive injustice, or unchosen properties, as evidence of law-breaking.
Best Practice Injury Compensation Processes Following Intentional Vehicular Assaults and Other Large Scale Transport Incidents: A Delphi Review
Authors: Varker Tracey , McGregor Kari , Pedder David J. , Lethbridge Ros , Grant Genevieve , Knight Holly , Jones Kimberley A. , Jacobs Jurriaan , O’Donnell Meaghan
Published: October 2021

Objective:

Intentional vehicular assaults on civilians have become more frequent worldwide, with some resulting in mass casualties, injuries, and traumatized witnesses. Health care costs associated with these vehicular assaults usually fall to compensation agencies. There is, however, little guidance around how compensation agencies should respond to mental and physical injury claims arising from large-scale transport incidents.

Methods:

A Delphi review methodology was used to establish expert consensus recommendations on the major components of “no fault” injury claim processes for mental and physical injury.

Results:

Thirty-three international experts participated in a 3-round online survey to rate their agreement on key statements generated from the literature. Consensus was achieved for 45 of 60 (75%) statements, which were synthesized into 36 recommendations falling within the domains of (1) facilitating claims, (2) eligibility rules, (3) payments and benefits for clients, (4) claims management procedures, (5) making and explaining decisions, (6) support and information resources for clients, (7) managing scheme staff and organizational response, (8) clients with special circumstances, and (9) scheme values and integrity.

Conclusions:

The recommendations present an opportunity for agencies to review their existing claims management systems and procedures. They also provide the basis for the development of best practice guidelines, which may be adapted for application to compensation schemes in different contexts worldwide.
COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Patients With Epilepsy or Other Chronic Conditions
Authors: Asadi-Pooya Ali A. , Barzegar Zohreh , Sadeghian Saeid , Nezafat Abdullah , Shahisavandi Mina , Nabavizadeh Seyed Ali
Published: October 2021

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to investigate the opinions of different groups of people in Iran on their willingness to receive a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine.

Methods:

In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed a sample (based on consecutive referrals) of 5 groups of people in late 2020: a group of the general population from Shiraz (without a history of any chronic medical or psychiatric problems), patients with epilepsy, patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), patients with cardiac problems, and patients with psychiatric problems. The survey included 4 general questions and 3 COVID-19–specific questions.

Results:

A total of 582 people participated. In total, 66 (11.3%) people expressed that they were not willing to receive a COVID-19 vaccine. Psychiatric disorders (odds ratio [OR]: 3.15; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.31-7.60; P = 0.006) and male sex (OR: 2.10; 95% CI: 1.23-3.58; P = 0.010) were significantly associated with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.

Conclusion:

Vaccine hesitancy is a global issue. Patients with psychiatric disorders had the highest rate of vaccine hesitancy. Previous studies have shown that depression and anxiety are associated with a reduced adherence to the recommended medical advice. Why male sex is associated with vaccine hesitancy is not clear. Researchers should investigate the rates and the factors affecting the vaccine hesitancy in their corresponding communities.
Understanding the motivations for open-source hardware entrepreneurship
Authors: Li Zhuoxuan , Seering Warren , Yang Maria , Eesley Charles
Published: October 2021

Having upended the traditional software development, which historically was centred exclusively on proprietary, copyright-protected code, open-source has now entered the physical artefact world. In doing so, it has started to change not only how physical products are designed and developed, but also the commercialisation process. In recent years, authors have witnessed entrepreneurs intentionally choosing not to patent their product design and technologies but instead licencing the designs and technologies under open-source licences. The entrepreneurs share their product designs online with their community – people who congregated due to the shared interests in products’ technology or project’s social objectives. Founding a startup firm without excluding others from using their own invention is not a common practice. Therefore, there is reason to ask if this choice a strategic decision or irrational action due to short-sightedness or extreme altruism? Conducting interviews with 65 founders, we grounded a framework explaining that the driver of going open is a result of both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. In addition, we observed the change of identities over time among the entrepreneurs. We hope to use this paper as a pilot study of this emerging socio-technological phenomenon, which is understudied relative to the proprietary product commercialisation process.
Adaptive Fuzzy String Matching: How to Merge Datasets with Only One (Messy) Identifying Field
Authors: Kaufman Aaron R. , Klevs Aja
Published: October 2021

A single dataset is rarely sufficient to address a question of substantive interest. Instead, most applied data analysis combines data from multiple sources. Very rarely do two datasets contain the same identifiers with which to merge datasets; fields like name, address, and phone number may be entered incorrectly, missing, or in dissimilar formats. Combining multiple datasets absent a unique identifier that unambiguously connects entries is called the record linkage problem. While recent work has made great progress in the case where there are many possible fields on which to match, the much more uncertain case of only one identifying field remains unsolved: this fuzzy string matching problem, both its own problem and a component of standard record linkage problems, is our focus. We design and validate an algorithmic solution called Adaptive Fuzzy String Matching rooted in adaptive learning, and show that our tool identifies more matches, with higher precision, than existing solutions. Finally, we illustrate its validity and practical value through applications to matching organizations, places, and individuals.
Hands Stencils in El Castillo Cave (Puente Viesgo, Cantabria, Spain). An Interdisciplinary Study
Authors: Ripoll Sergio , Bayarri Vicente , Muñoz Francisco J. , Ortega Ricardo , Castillo Elena , Latova José , Herrera Jesús , Moreno-Salinas David , Martín Ignacio
Published: October 2021

Our Palaeolithic ancestors did not make good representations of themselves on the rocky surfaces of caves and barring certain exceptions – such as the case of La Marche (found on small slabs of stone or plaquettes) or the Cueva de Ambrosio – the few known examples can only be referred to as anthropomorphs. As such, only hand stencils give us a real picture of the people who came before us. Hand stencils and imprints provide us with a large amount of information that allows us to approach not only their physical appearance but also to infer less tangible details, such as the preferential use of one hand over the other (i.e., handedness). Both new and/or mature technologies as well as digital processing of images, computers with the ability to process very high resolution images, and a more extensive knowledge of the Palaeolithic figures all help us to analyse thoroughly the hands in El Castillo cave. The interdisciplinary study presented here contributes many novel developments based on real data, representing a major step forward in knowledge about our predecessors.
The administration of a pre-digested fat-enriched formula prevents necrotising enterocolitis-induced lung injury in mice
Authors: Sodhi Chhinder P. , Gonzalez Salazar Andres J. , Kovler Mark L. , Fulton William B. , Yamaguchi Yukihiro , Ishiyama Asuka , Wang Sanxia , Prindle Thomas , Vurma Mustafa , Das Tapas , Jia Hongpeng , Lu Peng , Hackam David J.
Published: October 2021

Necrotising enterocolitis (NEC) is a devastating gastrointestinal disease of prematurity that typically develops after the administration of infant formula, suggesting a link between nutritional components and disease development. One of the most significant complications that develops in patients with NEC is severe lung injury. We have previously shown that the administration of a nutritional formula that is enriched in pre-digested Triacylglyceride that do not require lipase action can significantly reduce the severity of NEC in a mouse model. We now hypothesise that this ‘pre-digested fat (PDF) system’ may reduce NEC-associated lung injury. In support of this hypothesis, we now show that rearing newborn mice on a nutritional formula based on the ‘PDF system’ promotes lung development, as evidenced by increased tight junctions and surfactant protein expression. Mice that were administered this ‘PDF system’ were significantly less vulnerable to the development of NEC-induced lung inflammation, and the administration of the ‘PDF system’ conferred lung protection. In seeking to define the mechanisms involved, the administration of the ‘PDF system’ significantly enhanced lung maturation and reduced the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). These findings suggest that the PDF system protects the development of NEC-induced lung injury through effects on lung maturation and reduced ROS in the lung and also increases lung maturation in non-NEC mice.
A longitudinal study of predictors of serious psychological distress during COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Breslau Joshua , Roth Elizabeth A. , Baird Matthew D. , Carman Katherine G. , Collins Rebecca L.
Published: October 2021

Background

The prevalence of serious psychological distress (SPD) was elevated during the COVID-19 pandemic in the USA, but the relationships of SPD during the pandemic with pre-pandemic SPD, pre-pandemic socioeconomic status, and pandemic-related social stressors remain unexamined.

Methods

A probability-based sample (N = 1751) of the US population age 20 and over was followed prospectively from February 2019 (T1), with subsequent interviews in May 2020 (T2) and August 2020 (T3). Multinomial logistic regression was used to assess prospective relationships between T1 SPD with experiences of disruption of employment, health care, and childcare at T2. Binary logistic regression was then used to assess relationships of T1 SPD, and socioeconomic status and T2 pandemic-related stressors with T3 SPD.

Results

At T1, SPD was associated with age, race/ethnicity, and household income. SPD at T1 predicted disruption of employment (OR 4.5, 95% CI 1.4–3.8) and health care (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.4–7.1) at T2. SPD at T1 (OR 10.2, 95% CI 4.5–23.3), low household income at T1 (OR 2.6, 95% CI 1.1–6.4), disruption of employment at T2 (OR 3.2, 95% CI 1.4–7.6), and disruption of healthcare at T2 (OR 3.3, 95% CI 1.5–7.2) were all significantly associated with elevated risk for SPD at T3.

Conclusions

Elevated risk for SPD during the COVID-19 pandemic is related to multiple psychological and social pathways that are likely to interact over the life course. Policies and interventions that target individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions as well as those experiencing persistent unemployment should be high priorities in the mental health response to the pandemic.
THE AMBIGUITY OF EXPERTISE IN THE ADMINISTRATIVE STATE
Authors: Postell Joseph
Published: October 2021

When the modern administrative state emerged in America during the Progressive Era, at the beginning of the twentieth century, it was typically grounded on the premise that administrative officials are experts who should be insulated from politics. This theory, combined with emerging ideas of scientific management, contributed to the intellectual justification for the administrative state. However, progressives never fully reconciled the tension between this theory and the democratic nature of American politics. Because of this ambiguity and tension in the progressives’ theory of expertise, the politics/administration dichotomy was abandoned shortly after the administrative state was constructed. The place of expertise in the administrative state is still ambiguous, even in the twenty-first century.
FISCAL EQUIVALENCE: PRINCIPLE AND PREDATION IN THE PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE
Authors: Skarbek Emily C.
Published: October 2021

Fiscal equivalence in the public administration of justice requires local police and courts to be financed exclusively by the populations that benefit from their services. Within a polycentric framework, broad based taxation to achieve fiscal equivalence is a desirable principle of public finance because it conceptually allows for the provision of justice to be determined by constituent’s preferences, and increases the political accountability of service providers to constituents. However, the overproduction of justice services can readily occur when the benefits of the justice system are not enjoyed equally. Paradoxically, the same properties that make fiscal equivalence desirable by imposing restraint and control between constituents and local government also create internal pressures for agents of the state to engage in predatory, revenue-generating behavior.
Decision under normative uncertainty
Authors: Dietrich Franz , Jabarian Brian
Published: October 2021

While ordinary decision theory focuses on empirical uncertainty, real decision-makers also face normative uncertainty: uncertainty about value itself. From a purely formal perspective, normative uncertainty is comparable to (Harsanyian or Rawlsian) identity uncertainty in the ‘original position’, where one’s future values are unknown. A comprehensive decision theory must address twofold uncertainty – normative and empirical. We present a simple model of twofold uncertainty, and show that the most popular decision principle – maximizing expected value (‘Expectationalism’) – has different formulations, namelyEx-AnteExpectationalism,Ex-PostExpectationalism, and hybrid theories. These alternative theories recommend different decisions, reasoning modes, and attitudes to risk. But they converge under an interesting (necessary and sufficient) condition.
Concerning variation in encoding spatial motion: Evidence from Finnish
Authors: Tuuri Emilia
Published: October 2021

This article describes variation in the use of frames of reference (FoRs; object-centred, viewpoint-centred, and geocentric, as inHolistic Spatial Semantics) in Finnish descriptions of motion and connects questions of variation to a typological framework. Recent research has described the choice of FoRs as a process with multiple factors. This complexity and controlling for the main variables posited in the literature create the starting point for the current study that explores factors affecting the choice of FoRs in motion situations and within speakers of the same language. The data were elicited from 50 native speakers of Finnish by using video stimuli. The informants were (mostly) formally educated young adults living in urban surroundings. The analysis reveals considerable variation in individual coding strategies, especially in the inclusion of the speaker’s viewpoint. It also considers variation with respect to different types of trajectories and cross-linguistic differences in the resources of spatial reference.
Mental Health and Social Connectedness Across the Adult Lifespan in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Gregory Madeline A. , Legg Nicole K. , Senay Zachary , Barden Jamie-Lee , Phiri Peter , Rathod Shanaya , Turner Brianna J. , Paterson Theone S. E.
Published: October 2021

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has had profound consequences on collective mental health and well-being, and yet, older adults appear better off than younger adults. The current study examined mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups in a large sample (n = 5,320) of Canadians using multiple hierarchical regression analyses. Results suggest older adults are experiencing better mental health and more social connectedness relative to younger adults. Loneliness predicted negative mental health outcomes across all age groups, while the negative association between social support and mental health was only significant at average and high levels of loneliness in the 65–69 age group. Results point towards differential mental health impacts of the pandemic across adult age groups and indicate that loneliness and social support may be key intervention targets during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should further examine mechanisms of resiliency among older Canadian adults during the pandemic.
Poor efficacy of oral iron replacement therapy in pediatric patients with heart failure
Authors: Puri Kriti , Spinner Joseph A. , Powers Jacquelyn M. , Denfield Susan W. , Tunuguntla Hari P. , Choudhry Swati , Dreyer William J. , Price Jack F.
Published: October 2021

Introduction:

Iron deficiency is associated with worse outcomes in children and adults with systolic heart failure. While oral iron replacement has been shown to be ineffective in adults with heart failure, its efficacy in children with heart failure is unknown. We hypothesised that oral iron would be ineffective in replenishing iron stores in ≥50% of children with heart failure.

Methods:

We performed a single-centre retrospective cohort study of patients aged ≤21 years with systolic heart failure and iron deficiency who received oral iron between 01/2013 and 04/2019. Iron deficiency was defined as ≥2 of the following: serum iron <50 mcg/dL, serum ferritin <20 ng/mL, transferrin >300 ng/mL, transferrin saturation <15%. Iron studies and haematologic indices pre- and post-iron therapy were compared using paired-samples Wilcoxon test.

Results:

Fifty-one children with systolic heart failure and iron deficiency (median age 11 years, 49% female) met inclusion criteria. Heart failure aetiologies included cardiomyopathy (51%), congenital heart disease (37%), and history of heart transplantation with graft dysfunction (12%). Median dose of oral iron therapy was 2.9 mg/kg/day of elemental iron, prescribed for a median duration of 96 days. Follow-up iron testing was available for 20 patients, of whom 55% (11/20) remained iron deficient despite oral iron therapy.

Conclusions:

This is the first report on the efficacy of oral iron therapy in children with heart failure. Over half of the children with heart failure did not respond to oral iron and remained iron deficient.
OF ALCOHOL, APES, AND TAXES: GÜNTER SCHMÖLDERS AND THE REINVENTION OF ECONOMICS IN BEHAVIORAL TERMS
Authors: Graf Rüdiger
Published: October 2021

The article examines an early and idiosyncratic version of behavioral economics or “empirical socio-economics,” which the German economist and taxation expert Günter Schmölders developed in the postwar decades. Relying on both his published papers and his lecture notes and correspondence, it scrutinizes Schmölders’s intellectual upbringing in the tradition of the Historical School of Economics (Historische Schule der Nationalökonomie) and his relation to the emerging ordoliberalism, demonstrating that the roads that led to dissatisfaction with the emerging neoclassical mainstream and the unrealistic behavioral assumptions of macroeconomic models were manifold. Accordingly, it shows that behavioral economics is compatible with various intellectual and political backgrounds and convictions. Yet, it still forms a distinct entity: comparing Schmölders with contemporary and later behavioral economists, I will show that they shared essential methodological assumptions as well as an understanding of human beings as decision-making organisms.
A DIMENSIONAL RESULT ON THE PRODUCT OF CONSECUTIVE PARTIAL QUOTIENTS IN CONTINUED FRACTIONS
Authors: HUANG LINGLING , MA CHAO
Published: October 2021

This paper is concerned with the growth rate of the product of consecutive partial quotients relative to the denominator of the convergent for the continued fraction expansion of an irrational number. More precisely, given a natural number
$m,$
we determine the Hausdorff dimension of the following set:
$$ \begin{align*} E_m(\tau)=\bigg\{x\in [0,1): \limsup\limits_{n\rightarrow\infty}\frac{\log (a_n(x)a_{n+1}(x)\cdots a_{n+m}(x))}{\log q_n(x)}=\tau\bigg\}, \end{align*} $$

where
$\tau $
is a nonnegative number. This extends the dimensional result of Dirichlet nonimprovable sets (when
$m=1$
) shown by Hussain, Kleinbock, Wadleigh and Wang.
Qualified to be deviant: stigma-management strategies among Chinese leftover women
Authors: Liu Qian
Published: October 2021

This paper highlights the intersection of gender, sexuality and class in shaping the ways in which ‘leftover’ women navigate legal and social discrimination. ‘Leftover women’ is a stigmatising term in China that refers to women who do not get married by the time they reach their late twenties. Based on my fieldwork in China with queer and heterosexual ‘leftover’ women, I introduce two strategies of stigma management: ‘buying a licence to be deviant’ and ‘identity-hopping’. The former is a strategy adopted by heterosexual women with financial resources and a desire frequently expressed by queer women. ‘Buying a licence to be deviant’ refers to the strategy of accumulating sufficient financial resources to justify one's choice to be deviant and deal with the legal consequences of the evasion of the population policies. ‘Identity-hopping’ is popular among those with a lower social and financial status, who use the law's labelling function to hop from one stigmatised identity to another as a way to deal with stigma. From an intersectional lens, this paper advances law and society's study of stigma and discrimination by emphasising the hierarchy of stigmatised identities and the strategy of using the law's power of labelling identities to hop from one identity to another. It also demonstrates how the intersection of gender, sexuality and class complicates the ways in which leftover women understand and engage with the law.
“Or any other similar criteria”: Towards advancing the protection of LGBTQI detainees against discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence during non-international armed conflict
Authors: Rossouw Vaughn
Published: October 2021

Discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence committed against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) detainees remains one of the most pressing contemporary humanitarian challenges. This article focuses on the interpretation of the phrase “or any other similar criteria” as contained in Article 3 common to the four Geneva Conventions, upon which adverse distinction is prohibited, in order to qualify sexual orientation and gender identity as prohibited grounds of adverse distinction. The interpretation of “or any other similar criteria” will be embarked upon by employing the general rule of treaty interpretation provided for in the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, so as to qualify sexual orientation and gender identity as “any other similar criteria” and ultimately to realize the protection of LGBTQI detainees against discrimination and sexual and gender-based violence during non-international armed conflict.
Using a Holistic Modeling Approach to Simulate Mud‐Induced Periodic Stratification in Hyper‐Turbid Estuaries
Authors: Schmidt J. , Malcherek A.
Published: October 2021

This study focuses on a holistic modeling approach, in which water, fluid mud, and immobile mud are all calculated by only one set of equations. To integrate the immobile mud into this concept, a holistic transport equation including sediment transport and consolidation is developed. In some estuaries, extensive deepening and dredging resulted in tidal deformation and sediment import to such extent, that hyper‐turbid conditions developed. Recent measurements from the Ems estuary show that the locations of interfaces between water, fluid mud, and consolidated mud vary during a tidal cycle. Conditions are varying from fully mixed to stably stratified. As a suitable case study for the holistic model, a 1D vertical numerical simulation of the Ems has been set up, which is able to qualitatively reproduce the observed vertical velocity, concentration, and velocity shear profile. The simulation shows mud‐induced periodic stratification.
Equilibrium of Self‐Formed, Single‐Thread, Sand‐Bed Rivers
Authors: Viparelli E. , Eke E. C.
Published: October 2021

Equilibrium geometry of single‐thread rivers with fixed width (engineered rivers) is determined with a flow resistance relation and a sediment transport relation, if characteristic discharge, sediment caliber and supply are specified. In self‐formed channels, however, channel width is not imposed, and one more relation is needed to predict equilibrium geometry. Specifying this relation remains an open problem. Here we present a new model that brings together a coherent train of research progress over 35 years to predict equilibrium geometry of single‐thread rivers from the conservation of channel and floodplain material. Predicted channel geometries are comparable with field observations. In response to increasing floodplain width, sand load and grain size, the equilibrium slope increases, bankfull depth and width decrease. As the volume fraction content of mud in the sediment load increases, bankfull width‐to‐depth ratio and slope decrease suggesting that mud load has a strong control on channel patterns and bankfull geometry.
Topographic Controls on Channelized Meltwater in the Subglacial Environment
Authors: Simkins L. M. , Greenwood S. L. , Munevar Garcia S. , Eareckson E. A. , Anderson J. B. , Prothro L. O.
Published: October 2021

Realistic characterization of subglacial hydrology necessitates knowledge of the range in form, scale, and spatiotemporal evolution of drainage networks. A relict subglacial meltwater corridor on the deglaciated Antarctic continental shelf encompasses 80 convergent and divergent channels, many of which are hundreds of meters wide and several of which lack a definable headwater source. Without significant surface‐melt contributions to the bed like similarly described landforms in the Northern Hemisphere, channelized drainage capacity varies non‐systematically by three orders of magnitude downstream. This signifies apparent additions and losses of basal water to the bed‐channelized system that relates to bed topography. Larger magnitude grounding‐line retreat events occurred while the channel system was active than once channelized drainage had ceased. Overall, this corridor demonstrates that meltwater drainage styles co‐exist in time and space in response to bed topography, with prolonged impacts on grounding‐line behavior.
Investigating Wintertime GPM‐IMERG Precipitation in the North Atlantic
Authors: Boisvert Linette , Grecu Mircea , Shie Chung‐Lin
Published: October 2021

Precipitation is expected to increase in a warming climate, which can have profound impacts on local and global hydrologic budgets. However, the precipitation in high latitudes remains highly uncertain. We compare wintertime precipitation in the North Atlantic using GPM‐IMERG, GPCP, MERRA‐2 and ERA5 between 2000–2019 and show that while interannual variations between products are similar, large differences in magnitudes exist, specifically in areas of higher precipitation where Integrated Multi‐satellitE Retrievals for GPM (IMERG) produces an excess of 2 mm day−1. EOF analysis demonstrates observations and reanalyses show similar spatial variability in the most dominant precipitation patterns and are highly correlated (r = −0.6) with the North Atlantic Oscillation. Analysis of IMERG extreme precipitation further shows that it is most densely populated in this same area where large discrepancies in magnitudes between products exist. IMERG extreme precipitation was found to drive the monthly anomalies. Future work needs to be focused on extreme precipitation characteristics, patterns and the driving atmospheric factors.
Response of the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation to Historical Volcanic Eruptions
Authors: DallaSanta K. , Orbe C. , Rind D. , Nazarenko L. , Jonas J.
Published: October 2021

The impact of volcanic eruptions on surface climate is well‐appreciated, but their in situ impact on the Quasi‐Biennial Oscillation (QBO) has received comparatively little attention. This study examines the QBO responses to Krakatoa and Pinatubo using five configurations of the NASA Goddard Institute for Space Studies Model E2.2 and MERRA‐2 reanalysis. A dynamically consistent response is found in terms of static stability, zonal wind, and upwelling. Eruptions are found to bias the QBO towards a westerly state, such that the QBO period response depends upon the phase at the time of eruption. The QBO does not have a clear amplitude response to an eruption, based on these simulations. The underlying mechanisms appear not to be influenced to first‐order by interactive composition, sea surface temperatures, or long‐term trends in and ozone‐depleting substances.
A Magnetospheric Driver of Westward Traveling Surge: Plasma‐Sheet Bubble
Authors: Wei Dong , Zhang Fei , Yang Jian , Wang Wenrui , Sun Weiqin , Cui Jun , Angelopoulos Vassilis
Published: October 2021

The westward traveling surge (WTS) is one of the most significant manifestations of auroral substorms. The formation and evolution of WTS are the key to understanding the dynamics of substorm. However, the generation mechanism of WTS remains unclear. This study investigates the magnetospheric driver of WTS using numerical simulations of the Inertialized Rice Convection Model. We model a typical WTS event by specifying a low‐entropy bubble injection from the magnetotail. The simulated characteristics of the WTS are consistent with typical observed features. Simulation confirms that the bubble injection creates an intense upward Region‐1 field‐aligned current to flow into the ionosphere, which is responsible for the prominent auroral structure. Moreover, the calculated speed of westward expansion of the bubble in the magnetosphere agrees very well with the speed of the westward surge in the ionosphere. Therefore, the plasma‐sheet bubble is believed to be a possible magnetospheric source of the WTS.
Understanding the Recent and Future Mechanical Evolution of the SongPan Ganzi—Qaidam NE Tibet Moho‐Offset
Authors: Orellana‐Rovirosa Felipe , Shi Yaolin
Published: October 2021

Present‐day seismic imaging, reveals crustal thickness varying from about 70 km under SongPan‐Ganzi (SG) to about 50 km under Qaidam basin (QB) terranes in NE Tibet. This vertical Moho offset occurs over horizontal spans of less than 20 km, and is somehow confirmed by gravimetric and electromagnetic observations. Paleotectonic and litho‐stratigraphic reconstructions suggest that the region amalgamates at least three microcontinents, but current geophysical observations reveal basically two distinct microplates (SG and QB). We conduct 2D Stokes' flow numerical simulations to understand the mechanical evolution of the SG‐QB contact, focusing our attention on Moho‐offset kinematics. We find that in the absence of tectonic horizontal motions, generic systems with a Moho offset of the sort, are unstable in timescales of about ∼3 Ma, solely due to the effect of vertical driving‐forces (gravity‐driven relaxation given topographic‐ or Moho‐gradients). Then, an observation‐controlled parameter setting (seismically derived densities, locally accepted viscosities and layer thicknesses, and considering a potentially likely QB litho‐mantle weakening by SG‐derived melts) suggests that added tectonic horizontal convergence (GPS constraints on Tibetan deformations) to the previous scenario, tends to dominate the internal velocity field and deformation. Topography‐driven SG‐lower‐crustal flow may inject a small amount of mass into QB. The Moho‐offset changes significantly in timescales of about ∼5–10 Ma; an initially vertical Moho‐offset, aside from a reference‐frame‐dependent translation, differentially deforms (stretches) and rotates (becoming oblique), smoothing‐out the terranes' crustal‐thickness transition. Through time, accumulated Moho‐offset rotation and smoothing are somewhat smaller when there is tectonic horizontal shortening. The left‐lateral Kunlun‐suture motion might rejuvenate the Moho‐offset through time.
Determination of Emission Factors of Pollutants From Biomass Burning of African Fuels in Laboratory Measurements
Authors: Pokhrel Rudra P. , Gordon Janica , Fiddler Marc N. , Bililign Solomon
Published: October 2021

Biomass burning (BB) is a major source of pollutants that impact local, regional, and global climate, air quality, and public health. However, the influence of burning conditions and fuel type on the emission factors of pollutants is still not well understood. Here, we present the results from a laboratory study of emission factors (EFs) of pollutants from six different sub‐Saharan African biomass fuels combusted under a wide range of burning conditions, ranging from smoldering to flaming. We found that particulate matter (PM) and carbon monoxide (CO) EFs (g (kg wood)−1) are highly sensitive to the burning conditions, with an order of magnitude variation between flaming and smoldering burning conditions. Nitric oxide (NO) EF shows a fuel type dependence, with higher NO EFs for fuels with larger nitrogen content. While CO is not generally a proxy for PM2.5 emissions, in this work a correlation was found between CO and PM emissions generated by combustion of seven wood fuels with moisture content (dry basis) <10% in a tube furnace and measured from a laboratory smog chamber with a temperature of ∼21–24°C and an RH below 5%. Unlike total PM, EFs of inorganic particle‐phase species do not show dependence on burning conditions. Finally, we showed that burning biomass fuels in a tube furnace would be a useful experimental approach to study BB emission under controlled burning conditions.
Major Element Signatures of Silicate Dust Deposited on the West African Margin: Links With Transport Patterns and Provenance Regions
Authors: Le Quilleuc Meryll , Bory Aloys Jean‐Mathias , Philippe Sylvie , Derimian Yevgeny , Skonieczny Charlotte , Petit Jean‐Eudes , Ponlevé Déborah , Diallo Aboubacry , Ndiaye Thierno , Alaimo Véronique , Louis Quentin , Tribovillard Nicolas , Bout‐Roumazeilles Viviane
Published: October 2021

Mineral dust deposition characteristics are poorly constrained, even in the Northeastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean, which is immediately downwind of the Saharan desert and the largest marine repository of aeolian dust in the world. Here, we report on a 2‐year (March 2013–February 2015) time series of deposited dust on the Senegalese margin. This record enables us to document the chemical variability (major elements) of the settling Saharan dust (<30 µm silicate fraction, i.e., carbonate‐free) at a resolution varying from one week to one day, along with the deposition flux. This continuous time series reveals a greater geochemical diversity than previously reported, particularly during the dry winter‐spring season when continental trade winds sweep across vast regions of West Africa at low atmospheric levels before reaching the sampling site. By contrast, during major deposition events, which make up for most of the yearly flux, our record shows that Saharan dust chemical composition displays much narrower ranges. Trajectory analyses indicate that these relatively well‐defined chemical signatures are due to the limited number of provenance sectors involved during major deposition occurrences. The chemical characterization of the dust deposited during these events, hence, allows identifying the major element fingerprint of the related source regions, the most important one being a sizable area at the border of Algeria and Mali including the Tanezrouft desert north of the Taoudeni basin. Also, since these major events are associated with major Saharan outbreaks, they provide estimations of the prevailing elemental signatures for Saharan dust impacting the Northeastern Tropical Atlantic Ocean.
A Note on the Role of Seasonal Expansions and Contractions of the Flowing Fluvial Network on Metapopulation Persistence
Authors: Giezendanner J. , Benettin P. , Durighetto N. , Botter G. , Rinaldo A.
Published: October 2021

Does a dynamic drainage density have a role on species persistence in the river basin? The general viability of a focus species under time‐varying hydrologic connectivity and habitat quality is a topic gaining traction in view of recent advances in our understanding of flowing fluvial network dynamics and of ecological interactions occurring on directed trees. Here, we combine metapopulation dynamics and scaling theory to investigate how the structure of river networks and time‐changing hydrological and geomorphological attributes control local metapopulation survival. This is done by introducing seasonal fluctuations of the drainage density subsuming overall time‐changing connectivity and distributed changes in habitat quality of the fluvial domain. Suitable replicas of channel networks within an assigned domain are used to compute the statistics of evolving metapopulation capacities, properties of a landscape matrix measuring the viability of the focus species. To obtain consistent replicas of the substrate for ecological interactions, we employ constructs whose suitability for the task has long been established. We find that the river network structure blends the fluctuations into a nontrivial scaling of the metapopulation capacity with the sum of total active contributing sites at any point of the flowing network. The latter is proportional to the mean distance to the outlet of the flowing dendrite and to the tree diameter—a measure of the overall connectivity of the active stream links. Scaling emerges as a robust ensemble property that enables the linkage of ecological patterns across a river network to clearly identified hydrological and geomorphological factors.
Sitagliptin activates the p62–Keap1–Nrf2 signalling pathway to alleviate oxidative stress and excessive autophagy in severe acute pancreatitis-related acute lung injury
Authors: Kong Lingming , Deng Jie , Zhou Xiang , Cai Binbin , Zhang Baofu , Chen Xiaohu , Chen Zongjing , Wang Weiming
Published: October 2021

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a complication of severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Sitagliptin (SIT) is a DPP4 inhibitor that exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects; however, its mechanism of action in SAP-ALI remains unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of SIT on SAP-ALI and the specific pathways involved in SAP-induced lung inflammation, including oxidative stress, autophagy, and p62–Kelch-like ECH-associated protein 1 (Keap1)–NF-E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) signalling pathways. Nrf2 knockout (Nrf2−/−) and wild-type (WT) mice were pre-treated with SIT (100 mg/kg), followed by caerulein and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administration to induce pancreatic and lung injury. BEAS-2B cells were transfected with siRNA-Nrf2 and treated with LPS, and the changes in inflammation, reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and autophagy were measured. SIT reduced histological damage, oedema, and myeloperoxidase activity in the lung, decreased the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and inhibited excessive autophagy and ROS production via the activation of the p62–Keap1–Nrf2 signalling pathway and promotion of the nuclear translocation of Nrf2. In Nrf2-knockout mice, the anti-inflammatory effect of SIT was reduced, resulting in ROS accumulation and excessive autophagy. In BEAS-2B cells, LPS induced ROS production and activated autophagy, further enhanced by Nrf2 knockdown. This study demonstrates that SIT reduces SAP-ALI-associated oxidative stress and excessive autophagy through the p62–Keap1–Nrf2 signalling pathway and nuclear translocation of Nrf2, suggesting its therapeutic potential in SAP-ALI.
Nationwide rollout reveals efficacy of epidemic control through digital contact tracing
Authors: Elmokashfi Ahmed , Sundnes Joakim , Kvalbein Amund , Naumova Valeriya , Reinemo Sven-Arne , Florvaag Per Magne , Stensland Håkon Kvale , Lysne Olav
Published: October 2021

Fuelled by epidemiological studies of SARS-CoV-2, contact tracing by mobile phones has been put to use in many countries. Over a year into the pandemic, we lack conclusive evidence on its effectiveness. To address this gap, we used a unique real world contact data set, collected during the rollout of the first Norwegian contact tracing app in the Spring of 2020. Our dataset involves millions of contacts between 12.5% of the adult population, which enabled us to measure the real-world app performance. The technological tracing efficacy was measured at 80%, and we estimated that at least 11.0% of the discovered close contacts could not have been identified by manual contact tracing. Our results also indicated that digital contact tracing can flag individuals with excessive contacts, which can help contain superspreading related outbreaks. The overall effectiveness of digital tracing depends strongly on app uptake, but significant impact can be achieved for moderate uptake numbers. Used as a supplement to manual tracing and other measures, digital tracing can be instrumental in controlling the pandemic. Our findings can thus help informing public health policies in the coming months.
Spatiotemporal coordination of the RSF1-PLK1-Aurora B cascade establishes mitotic signaling platforms
Authors: Lee Ho-Soo , Min Sunwoo , Jung Ye-Eun , Chae Sunyoung , Heo June , Lee Jae-Ho , Kim TaeSoo , Kang Ho-Chul , Nakanish Makoto , Cha Sun-Shin , Cho Hyeseong
Published: October 2021

The chromatin remodeler RSF1 enriched at mitotic centromeres is essential for proper chromosome alignment and segregation and underlying mechanisms remain to be disclosed. We here show that PLK1 recruitment by RSF1 at centromeres creates an activating phosphorylation on Thr236 in the activation loop of Aurora B and this is indispensable for the Aurora B activation. In structural modeling the phosphorylated Thr236 enhances the base catalysis by Asp200 nearby, facilitating the Thr232 autophosphorylation. Accordingly, RSF1-PLK1 is central for Aurora B-mediated microtubule destabilization in error correction. However, under full microtubule-kinetochore attachment RSF1-PLK1 positions at kinetochores, halts activating Aurora B and phosphorylates BubR1, regardless of tension. Spatial movement of RSF1-PLK1 to kinetochores is triggered by Aurora B-mediated phosphorylation of centromeric histone H3 on Ser28. We propose a regulatory RSF1-PLK1 axis that spatiotemporally controls on/off switch on Aurora B. This feedback circuit among RSF1-PLK1-Aurora B may coordinate dynamic microtubule-kinetochore attachment in early mitosis when full tension yet to be generated.
Robust hemostatic bandages based on nanoclay electrospun membranes
Authors: Cui Yan , Huang Zongwang , Lei Li , Li Qinglin , Jiang Jinlong , Zeng Qinghai , Tang Aidong , Yang Huaming , Zhang Yi
Published: October 2021

Death from acute hemorrhage is a major problem in military conflicts, traffic accidents, and surgical procedures, et al. Achieving rapid effective hemostasis for pre-hospital care is essential to save lives in massive bleeding. An ideal hemostasis material should have those features such as safe, efficient, convenient, economical, which remains challenging and most of them cannot be achieved at the same time. In this work, we report a rapid effective nanoclay-based hemostatic membranes with nanoclay particles incorporate into polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) electrospun fibers. The nanoclay electrospun membrane (NEM) with 60 wt% kaolinite (KEM1.5) shows better and faster hemostatic performance in vitro and in vivo with good biocompatibility compared with most other NEMs and clay-based hemostats, benefiting from its enriched hemostatic functional sites, robust fluffy framework, and hydrophilic surface. The robust hemostatic bandages based on nanoclay electrospun membrane is an effective candidate hemostat in practical application.