bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Knowledge and Power: Perspectives on the Production and Decolonization of African/ist Knowledges
Authors: Grosz-Ngaté Maria
Published: December 2020

African scholarship on epistemic decolonization and African self-determination has generated reflection and debate among African Studies scholars for several decades. The debate has gained new force in recent years and has resonated in African studies in new ways, prompted in part by political events and social activism around enduring racism. Grosz-Ngaté’s 2019 Presidential Lecture provides an opportunity to reflect further on these issues. It explores questions related to the production and decolonization of knowledge in conversations with colleagues in Mali and Senegal and draws out the implications of these discussions for African Studies Association members and for the Association at large.
Reading alchemically: guides to ‘philosophical’ practice in early modern England
Authors: Rampling Jennifer M.
Published: December 2020

Dozens of early modern treatises claim to offer straightforward instructions on the theory and practice of alchemy, including all the steps necessary to produce the philosophers’ stone and a range of medicinal elixirs. Yet the resulting works often seem to obfuscate more than they explain: omitting vital information, disguising ingredients and practices behind cover names, and describing outcomes that seem, to modern eyes, impossible. Were such ‘instruction manuals’ ever intended to offer guides for actual practice, or did they serve other ends – from attracting patrons to persuading sceptics of the truth of alchemy? Drawing upon alchemical dialogues written, compiled and annotated by English alchemists in the late fifteenth and the sixteenth centuries, I argue that these works of ‘philosophical’ alchemy could indeed serve as technical manuals, although not always of the kind we might expect. Such writings offer advice not only on practical techniques, but also on the process of reading alchemically: guiding readers through the exegetical minefield of alchemical writing, in order both to extract meaningful chemical recipes from obscure texts, and to craft the practitioner's own persona as an alchemical philosopher.
Recipes for recombining DNA: A history ofMolecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manual
Authors: Creager Angela N.H.
Published: December 2020

Laboratory instructions and recipes are sometimes edited into books with a wide circulation. Even in the late twentieth century, publications of this nature remained influential. For example, protocols from a 1980 summer course on gene cloning at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory provided the basis for a bestselling laboratory manual by Tom Maniatis, Ed Fritsch and Joe Sambrook. Not only did theMolecular Cloning: A Laboratory Manualbecome a standard reference for molecular biologists (commonly called the ‘bible’), but also its recipes and clear instructions made gene cloning and recombinant DNA technologies accessible to non-specialists. Consequently, this laboratory manual contributed to the rapid spread of genetic-engineering techniques throughout the life sciences, as well as in industry. As is often the case with how-to books, however, finding a way to update methods in this rapidly changing field posed a challenge, and various molecular-biology reference books had different ways of dealing with knowledge obsolescence. This paper explores the origins of this manual, its publication history, its reception and its rivals – as well as the more recent migration of such laboratory manuals to the Internet.
Interregna: Time, Law, and Resistance
Authors: Chua Lynette J.
Published: December 2020

The temporality of resistance is one of interregna. Resistance wins, loses, and draws, while old and new power relations continuously rise and fall, being entrenched and resurrected as they are contested and usurped. Just as power radiates from all over, from the state, law, other social institutions, and relationships, resistance is diffused across yet vested in individuals and groups, moving in solidarity through interconnected pasts, presents, and futures. “Interregna” thus resonates with contemporary theories about the multisited nature of power, but expands the scope of attention to temporal heterogeneity. It sees resistance as a great host crossing lands, seas, and times. Protests in this political moment are connected by their fury and determination to overcome injustice, as well as by histories and memories to struggles that came before. “Interregna” also keeps us alert to unknown wrongs that lie ahead, and the need to fight ceaselessly for progressive justice. Understanding resistance as interregna, we sharpen our appreciation for law and power, and the manner by which we study legal mobilization, legal consciousness, and social change.
The Fellow Who Made Himself President of a European Republic: Gregory Ignatius Zhatkovych
Authors: Magocsi Paul Robert
Published: December 2020

This is the first comprehensive biography based on unique archival sources about Gregory Ignatius Zhatkovych, a Pittsburgh-based lawyer, who in 1918–1919 was instrumental in the creation of Czechoslovakia and the inclusion of its far eastern region, Subcarpathian Rus'/Ruthenia, into the new country.
A low-frequency blind survey of the low Earth orbit environment using non-coherent passive radar with the Murchison widefield array
Authors: Prabu S. , Hancock P. , Zhang X. , Tingay S. J.
Published: December 2020

We have extended our previous work to use the Murchison widefield array (MWA) as a non-coherent passive radar system in the FM frequency band, using terrestrial FM transmitters to illuminate objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) and the MWA as the sensitive receiving element for the radar return. We have implemented a blind detection algorithm that searches for these reflected signals in difference images constructed using standard interferometric imaging techniques. From a large-scale survey using 20 h of archived MWA observations, we detect 74 unique objects over multiple passes, demonstrating the MWA to be a valuable addition to the global Space Domain Awareness network. We detected objects with ranges up to 977 km and as small as$0.03$${\rm m}^2$radar cross section. We found that 30 objects were either non-operational satellites or upper-stage rocket body debris. Additionally, we also detected FM reflections from Geminid meteors and aircraft flying over the MWA. Most of the detections of objects in LEO were found to lie within the parameter space predicted by previous feasibility studies, verifying the performance of the MWA for this application. We have also used our survey to characterise these reflected signals from LEO objects as a source of radio frequency interference (RFI) that corrupts astronomical observations. This has allowed us to undertake an initial analysis of the impact of this RFI on the MWA and the future square kilometer array (SKA). As part of this analysis, we show that the standard MWA RFI flagging strategy misses most of this RFI and that this should be a careful consideration for the SKA.
Screening of central obesity among normal-weight children and adolescents in Shandong, China
Authors: Zhang Ying-xiu , Chen Jian , Liu Xiao-hui
Published: December 2020

The prevalence of central obesity in the total population has been reported in numerous studies. However, information on the prevalence of central obesity within normal-category BMI is scant. In the present study, we examined the profiles of central obesity among normal-weight children and adolescents. A total of 29 516 (14 226 boys and 15 290 girls) normal-weight children and adolescents (excluding underweight, overweight and obesity) aged 7–18 years were included in the final analysis. Central obesity was defined by the international age- and sex-specific cut-offs of waist circumference (WC) and threshold of waist:height ratio (WHtR ≥ 0·5). All subjects were classified into four groups (Q1–Q4) according to the age- and sex-specific quartiles of BMI, those in the upper fourth (Q4) were defined as ‘high-normal BMI’ and those in the lower fourth (Q1) were defined as ‘low-normal BMI’. The prevalence of central obesity as measured by WC was 9·90 (95 % CI 9·41, 10·39) % for boys and 8·11 (95 % CI 7·68, 8·54) % for girls; by WHtR was 2·97 (95 % CI 2·69, 3·25) % for boys and 2·44 (95 % CI 2·20, 2·68) % for girls. Subjects in the Q4 group had a much higher prevalence of central obesity than their counterparts in the Q1 group (P < 0·01). Our findings suggest that the health risks of children with normal-weight central obesity may be missed when BMI is used alone as a measure; it is meaningful to include WC in clinical practice and to include the simple message ‘Keep your waist to less than half your height’.
THE POLITICS OF DANCE:EUNOMIAAND THE EXCEPTION OF DIONYSUS IN PLATO'SLAWS
Authors: Yu Kenneth W.
Published: December 2020

How to inculcate virtue in the citizens of Magnesia by means of the dance component ofchoreiaconstitutes one of the principal concerns in theLaws(=Leg.), revealing Plato's evolving ideas about the expediency of music andpaideiafor the construction of his ideal city since theRepublic. Indeed, a steady stream of monographs and articles on theLawshas enriched our understanding of how Plato theorizes the body as a site of intervention and choral dance as instrumental in solidifying social relations and in conditioning the ethical and political self. As one scholar has aptly put it: ‘a city and its sociopolitical character [are] effectively danced into existence.’ Drawing on this recent work, I focus on an enigmatic passage inLawsBook 7 that merits more attention than it has received, in which Plato curiously singles out Bacchic dances from those that are ‘without controversy’ (815b7–d4):

τὴν τοίνυν ἀμφισβητουμένην ὄρχησιν δεῖ πρῶτον χωρὶς τῆς ἀναμφισβητήτου διατεμεῖν. τίς οὖν αὕτη, καὶ πῇ δεῖ χωρὶς τέμνειν ἑκατέραν; ὅση μὲν βακχεία τ᾽ ἐστὶν καὶ τῶν ταύταις ἑπομένων, ἃς Νύμφας τε καὶ Πᾶνας καὶ Σειληνοὺς καὶ Σατύρους ἐπονομάζοντες, ὥς φασιν, μιμοῦνται κατῳνωμένους, περὶ καθαρμούς τε καὶ τελετάς τινας ἀποτελούντων, σύμπαν τοῦτο τῆς ὀρχήσεως τὸ γένος οὔθ᾽ ὡς εἰρηνικὸν οὔθ᾽ ὡς πολεμικὸν οὔθ᾽ ὅτι ποτὲ βούλεται ῥᾴδιον ἀφορίσασθαι: διορίσασθαι μήν μοι ταύτῃ δοκεῖ σχεδὸν ὀρθότατον αὐτὸ εἶναι, χωρὶς μὲν πολεμικοῦ, χωρὶς δὲ εἰρηνικοῦ θέντας, εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐκ ἔστι πολιτικὸν τοῦτο τῆς ὀρχήσεως τὸ γένος, ἐνταῦθα δὲ κείμενον ἐάσαντας κεῖσθαι, νῦν ἐπὶ τὸ πολεμικὸν ἅμα καὶ εἰρηνικὸν ὡς ἀναμφισβητήτως ἡμέτερον ὂν ἐπανιέναι.

So, first of all, we should separate questionable dancing far from dancing that is without controversy. Which is the controversial kind, and how are the two to be distinguished? All the dancing that is of a Bacchic kind and cultivated by those who indulge in intoxicated imitations of Nymphs, Pans, Sileni and Satyrs (as they name them), when performing certain rites of expiation and initiation—this entire class of dancing cannot easily be marked off either as pacific or as warlike, nor as of any one particular kind. The most correct way of defining it appears to me to be this—to place it away from both pacific and warlike dancing, and to pronounce that this type of dancing is οὐ πολιτικόν; having thus set aside and dismissed it, we will now return to the warlike and pacific types, which without controversy belong to us.
The Scope of Military Jurisdiction for Violations of International Humanitarian Law
Authors: Simmons Claire
Published: December 2020

Drafters of international humanitarian law (IHL) treaties clearly envisaged a role for military justice systems in the implementation and enforcement of these treaties. Nevertheless, the adequacy of military jurisdiction over violations of international law is being questioned in certain spheres. In the context of these debates this article considers the domestic rationale for military justice systems and explores the role and limits of military jurisdiction in combating impunity for violations of IHL. In focusing on the need to effectively repress and suppress all violations of IHL, the article addresses the extent to which some sort of military justice may be necessary for the effective enforcement of certain provisions. It also explores the way in which increased scrutiny of the impact of these justice systems on the rights of individuals has led to restrictions on the format and scope of military jurisdiction. Although there are difficulties in internationalising the discussion on military jurisdiction because of differences in domestic legal traditions, the choice of effective IHL enforcement mechanisms, which includes the choice of military or civilian jurisdiction, is key in combating impunity for violations of this body of law and protecting the rights of those involved.
Electrophysiological effects of slim straight intracochlear electrode position
Authors: Ordonez F , Sudhoff H , Todt I
Published: December 2020

Objective

The electrical current distribution of a cochlear implant electrode within the cochlea is essential for post-operative hearing performance. The slim straight electrode is designed to enable the placement of contacts in a lateral or medial direction to the modiolus. The electrophysiological effect of this different contact direction is so far unknown. The aim of this study was to determine the influence of intracochlear laterally or medially directed electrode contacts on electrophysiological behaviour.

Method

A slim straight electrode was inserted into the cochleae of five patients, and the neural response threshold was measured in a laterally and medially directed contact position. The cochleae in five temporal bone specimens were de-capped allowing an insertional observation of the contact position (lateral versus medial) of the electrode.

Results

There was no difference in neural response threshold between a lateral and a medial position of the contacts. Temporal bone study indicated no intracochlear torsion of the electrode.

Conclusion

Our study provides evidence that the intracochlear position of slim straight electrode contacts does not affect the neural response threshold.
Time to break up with the international community? Rhetoric and realities of a political myth in Cambodia
Authors: Travouillon Katrin , Bernath Julie
Published: December 2020

The international community is as ubiquitous as it is elusive and its universalist pretensions remain unchallenged in political and academic discourse. In response, this article turns to Bottici's work on political myths. Against the notion of myths as falsehoods, we argue that they create their own sphere of shared social and political reality. The analysis centres on the case of Cambodia, a country that served as an experiment of liberal interventionism. It draws on archival and field research on two consecutive international interventions, a review of public statements by international actors, and interviews with Cambodian actors and activist. We argue that to understand the ideas actors use to orient themselves as they press for change, it is necessary to consider how decades of engagement with the myth have shaped the political imaginary. Our empirical analysis points to three different phases in the use of the myth: Its production during UNTAC, the reinforcement of its narratives through subsequent legal, aid and development interventions, and finally its contemporary use in a post-liberal context. We observe that Cambodian actors increasingly engage the myth to question the terms of transnational cooperation for democracy. Our work has implications for assessments of the legacies of liberal peacebuilding.
Methylation of the glucocorticoid receptor promoter in children: Links with parents as teachers, early life stress, and behavior problems
Authors: Gardini Elena Silvia , Schaub Simone , Neuhauser Alex , Ramseier Erich , Villiger Arna , Ehlert Ulrike , Lanfranchi Andrea , Turecki Gustavo
Published: December 2020

The present study examined the effect of early life stress (ELS) on the glucocorticoid receptor gene (NR3C1) methylation, the associations between NR3C1 methylation and behavior problems, and the effect of the program Parents as Teachers (PAT) on NR3C1 methylation. Participants included 132 children, 72 assigned to the PAT intervention group and 60 to the PAT control group. Children were aged 3 years, and were living in psychosocially at-risk families. We assessed NR3C1 methylation of the NGFI-A binding regions of exon 1F via sodium bisulfite sequencing from saliva DNA. Results indicated that (a) children living in families receiving PAT had decreased methylation at one single cytosine–guanine dinucleotides (CpG) site; (b) current maternal depressive symptoms and parental disagreement were predictive of increased methylation of mean NGFI-A and three single CpG sites; and (c) increased methylation of mean NGFI-A and one single CpG site was significantly associated with increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms. In addition, mean NGFI-A was a mediator of the association between parental disagreement and a child's affective problems. These results suggest that PAT may contribute to preventing NR3C1 methylation in preschool children living in psychosocially at-risk situations, and confirm previous findings on the associations between ELS, NR3C1 methylation, and behavior problems.
‘A mere gutter!’ The Carioca Aqueduct and water delivery in mid-nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Metcalf Alida C. , Smith Sean Morey , Kennedy S. Wright
Published: December 2020

The two key aspects of water infrastructure – engineered and human – in mid-nineteenth-century Rio de Janeiro are the foci of this article. On the one hand, gravity flow engineering brought fresh water from the Tijuca Forest to the fountains in the city, but on the other, hundreds of slaves carried heavy jugs of water from the fountains though the streets to residences. Using the account of Thomas Ewbank (1856), georeferenced historical maps and a field study, this article first reconstructs the route of the Carioca Aqueduct, then, using the accounts of Ewbank and other travellers, turns to the delivery of water in the city by enslaved water carriers.
Vitamin C deficiency as an unusual cause of pulmonary hypertension and refusal to walk
Authors: Tan Jason W. Y. , Lee Olive P. E. , Leong Ming Chern
Published: December 2020

Vitamin C deficiency has been a historical disease rarely seen nowadays. We illustrate a case of a boy with autism presenting with severe pulmonary hypertension and refusal to walk secondary to vitamin C deficiency. Initiating treatment with high-dose vitamin C reversed his symptoms and he regained full power of his lower limbs with total normalisation of his pulmonary pressures.
Does high-variation training facilitate transfer of training in paediatric transthoracic echocardiography?
Authors: McMahon Colin J. , Gallagher Sarah , James Adam , Deery Aoife , Rhodes Mark , van Merriënboer Jeroen J. G.
Published: December 2020

Background:

Factors that facilitate transfer of training in paediatric echocardiography remain poorly understood. This study assessed whether high-variation training facilitated successful transfer in paediatric echocardiography.

Methods:

A mixed-methods study of transfer of technical and interpretive skill application amongst postgraduate trainees. Trainees were randomised to a low or high-variation training group. After a period of 8 weeks intensive echocardiography training, we video-recorded how trainees completed an echocardiogram in a complex cardiac lesion not previously encountered. Blinded quantitative analysis and scoring of trainee performance (echocardiogram performance, report, and technical proficiency) were performed using a validated assessment tool by a blinded cardiologist and senior cardiac physiologist. Qualitative interviews of the trainees were recorded to ascertain trainee experiences during the training and transfer process.

Results:

Sixteen trainees were enrolled in the study. For the cumulative score for all three components tested (echocardiogram performance, report, and technical proficiency), χ2 = 8.223, p = .016, which showed the high-variation group outperformed the low-variation group. Two common themes which assisted in the transfer emerged from interviews are as follows: (1) use of strategies described in variation theory to describe abnormal hearts, (2) the use of formative live feedback from trainers during hands-on training.

Conclusion:

Training strategies exposing trainees to high-variation training may aid transfer of paediatric echocardiography skills.
GROWTH AND CONVERGENCE THROUGH TECHNOLOGICAL INTERDEPENDENCE
Authors: Jin Wei , Zhou Yixiao
Published: December 2020

This paper presents a multi-country version of the Ramsey growth model with cross-country technological interdependence. The results rationalize several stylized facts about growth and convergence. First, individual countries tend to converge toward country-specific balanced growth paths rather than steady-state equilibria. Second, an economy that accounts for a smaller share of the world technology distribution harnesses the “advantages of backwardness” to catch up at a faster speed. Third, countries grow at different rates during the phase of transitional dynamics. However, technological interdependence creates a force toward cross-country convergence in the growth rate and stability of world income distribution in the long run. Finally, cross-country differences in structural characteristics and initial conditions lead to divergences in the level of income per capita.
Evaluation of emotional (depression) and behavioural (nutritional, physical activity and sleep) status of Turkish adults during the COVID-19 pandemic period
Authors: Karahan Yılmaz Sevil , Eskici Günay
Published: December 2020

Objective:

To evaluate emotional (depression) and behavioural (nutritional behaviours, physical activity status and sleep patterns) of Turkish adult individuals during the COVID-19 pandemic period.

Design:

Cross-sectional online survey. The participants filled out a questionnaire (developed by using Google Forms) that contained descriptive characteristics, nutritional behaviours, sleep patterns, physical activity status, anthropometric measurements, COVID-19-related level of knowledge and the questions of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale through e-mail or social media (WhatsApp).

Setting:

Turkey.

Participants:

Totally, 1120 adult individuals who completed an online survey between April and May 2020.

Results:

It was determined that 29·1 % of the individuals showed mild, 34·2 % moderate and 23·4 % severe depression symptoms during the pandemic period. A significant relationship was found between gender, age and educational status, marital status and depression levels of the individuals, respectively (χ2= 35·292, χ2= 103·46, χ2= 24·524 and χ2= 86·208,P< 0·05). The top three foods consumed most during the pandemic period are tea and coffee (66·6 %), pastry (e.g. cake and cookie) (56·4 %) and desserts (49·6 %). During the pandemic period, 42·5 % of the individuals stated that they slept more and 40·2 % stated that there was no change in their sleep patterns. Daily physical activity durations were determined as 8·25 ± 1·77 h for sleep, 4·21 ± 2·68 h for lying down, 5·42 ± 2·64 h for sitting and 6·16 ± 4·82 h for standing activities.

Conclusion:

It was determined that the individuals showed different levels of depression symptoms during the pandemic period. Especially, carbohydrate food consumption increased, and physical activity status and sleep patterns changed due to the increased time spent sitting and lying.
Pneumonia in endangered aquatic mammals and the need for developing low-coverage vaccination for their management and conservation
Authors: Nabi Ghulam , McLaughlin Richard W. , Khan Suliman , Hao Yujiang , Chang Ming Xian
Published: December 2020

Anthropogenic activities can lead to several devastating effects on the environment. The pollutants, which include the discharge of effluents, runoffs in the form of different lethal and sub-lethal concentrations of pesticides, heavy metals, and other contaminants, can harm exposed fauna and flora. The aquatic environment is the ultimate destination for many pollutants which negatively affect aquatic biodiversity and even can cause a species to become extinct. A pollutant can directly affect the behavior of an animal, disrupt cellular systems, and impair the immune system. This harm can be reduced and even mitigated by adopting proper approaches for the conservation of the target biota. Among aquatic organisms, cetaceans, such as the Yangtze finless porpoise, Irrawaddy dolphin, Ganges River dolphin, Amazon River dolphin, and Indus River dolphin, are at a higher risk of extinction because of lack of knowledge and research, and thus insufficient information with respect to their conservation status, management, and policies. Pneumonia is one of the leading causes of mass mortalities of cetaceans. This article reviews the limited research reported on stress and pneumonia induced by pollution, stress-induced pneumonia and immunosuppression, pneumonia-caused mass mortalities of aquatic mammals, and vaccination in wildlife with a specific focus on aquatic mammals, the role of genomics in vaccine development and vaccination, and the major challenges in vaccine development for biodiversity conservation.
The origins of the state: technology, cooperation and institutions
Authors: Benati Giacomo , Guerriero Carmine
Published: December 2020

We develop a theory of state formation shedding light on the rise of the first stable state institutions in Bronze Age Mesopotamia. Our analysis suggests that the mix of adverse production conditions and unforeseen innovations pushed groups favored by old technologies to establish the state by granting political and property rights to powerless individuals endowed with new and complementary skills. Through these reforms, the elite convinced the nonelite that a sufficient part of the returns on joint investments would be shared via public spending and, thus, to cooperate and accumulate a culture of cooperation. Different from the main alternative theories, we stress that: (1) group formation is heavily shaped by unforeseen shocks to the returns on both risk-sharing and innovation; (2) complementarity in group-specific skills, and not violence, is key determinant of state formation; (3) military, merchant and, especially, religious ranks favored state formation and culture accumulation.
Using a stochastic economic scenario generator to analyse uncertain superannuation and retirement outcomes
Authors: Chen Wen , Koo Bonsoo , Wang Yunxiao , O’Hare Colin , Langrené Nicolas , Toscas Peter , Zhu Zili
Published: December 2020

The retirement systems in many developed countries have been increasingly moving from defined benefit towards defined contribution system. In defined contribution systems, financial and longevity risks are shifted from pension providers to retirees. In this paper, we use a probabilistic approach to analyse the uncertainty associated with superannuation accumulation and decumulation. We apply an economic scenario generator called the Simulation of Uncertainty for Pension Analysis (SUPA) model to project uncertain future financial and economic variables. This multi-factor stochastic investment model, based on the Monte Carlo method, allows us to obtain the probability distribution of possible outcomes regarding the superannuation accumulation and decumulation phases, such as relevant percentiles. We present two examples to demonstrate the implementation of the SUPA model for the uncertainties during both phases under the current superannuation and Age Pension policy, and test two superannuation policy reforms suggested by the Grattan Institute.
Reduced peanut sensitization with maternal peanut consumption and early peanut introduction while breastfeeding
Authors: Azad Meghan B. , Dharma Christoffer , Simons Elinor , Tran Maxwell , Reyna Myrtha E. , Dai Ruixue , Becker Allan B. , Marshall Jean , Mandhane Piushkumar J. , Turvey Stuart E. , Moraes Theo J. , Lefebvre Diana L. , Subbarao Padmaja , Sears Malcolm R.
Published: December 2020

New guidelines for peanut allergy prevention in high-risk infants recommend introducing peanut during infancy but do not address breastfeeding or maternal peanut consumption. We assessed the independent and combined association of these factors with peanut sensitization in the general population CHILD birth cohort (N = 2759 mother–child dyads). Mothers reported peanut consumption during pregnancy, timing of first infant peanut consumption, and length of breastfeeding duration. Child peanut sensitization was determined by skin prick testing at 1, 3, and 5 years. Overall, 69% of mothers regularly consumed peanuts and 36% of infants were fed peanut in the first year (20% while breastfeeding and 16% after breastfeeding cessation). Infants who were introduced to peanut early (before 1 year) after breastfeeding cessation had a 66% reduced risk of sensitization at 5 years compared to those who were not (1.9% vs. 5.8% sensitization; aOR 0.34, 95% CI 0.14–0.68). This risk was further reduced if mothers introduced peanut early while breastfeeding and regularly consumed peanut themselves (0.3% sensitization; aOR 0.07, 0.01–0.25). In longitudinal analyses, these associations were driven by a higher odds of outgrowing early sensitization and a lower odds of late-onset sensitization. There was no apparent benefit (or harm) from maternal peanut consumption without breastfeeding. Taken together, these results suggest the combination of maternal peanut consumption and breastfeeding at the time of peanut introduction during infancy may help to decrease the risk of peanut sensitization. Mechanistic and clinical intervention studies are needed to confirm and understand this “triple exposure” hypothesis.
If We Build It, Only Some Will Come: An Experimental Study of Mobilization for Seattle’s Democracy Voucher Program
Authors: Henderson Geoffrey , Han Hahrie
Published: December 2020

Seattle, Washington instituted a new “democracy voucher” program in 2017 providing each registered voter with four $25 campaign finance vouchers to contribute to municipal candidates. Prior research shows that without efforts to mobilize voters, electoral reforms like the voucher program are often insufficient to increase participation among underrepresented groups. We examine how mobilization affects the voucher program’s redistributive goals – does it increase participation among infrequent voters, or does it engage regular participants in politics? In the 2017 election cycle, we partnered with a coalition of advocacy organizations on a field experiment to estimate the effects of providing voters with information about democracy vouchers through door-to-door canvassing, texting, digital advertisements, and e-mails. While mobilization increased voucher use and voter turnout, responsiveness was greatest among frequent voters. As our findings suggest that transactional mobilizing is insufficient to engage infrequent participants, we posit that deeper organizing is necessary to fulfill the program’s redistributive goals.
Machine Learning im Bildungskontext: Evidenz für die Genauigkeit der automatisierten Beurteilung von Essays im Fach Englisch
Authors: Meyer Jennifer , Jansen Thorben , Fleckenstein Johanna , Keller Stefan , Köller Olaf
Published: December 2020

Zusammenfassung: Argumentatives Schreiben ist eine bedeutsame Kompetenz in der Fremdsprache Englisch. Entsprechende Schreibaufgaben sind Teil von Schulabschlussprüfungen in der Sekundarstufe II und von Zugangstests für Hochschulen (z.B. TOEFL®). Trotz ihrer Bedeutsamkeit wurden diese komplexen Schreibleistungen bisher im Kontext großer Schulleistungsuntersuchungen kaum empirisch untersucht. Ein Grund dafür ist die aufwendige Auswertung der Essays, für die eine große Anzahl speziell trainierter Kodiererinnen und Kodierer zur Beurteilung benötigt wird. Um den Aufwand der Auswertung zu reduzieren, können Machine Learning Verfahren eingesetzt werden, welche die Urteile der Kodiererinnen und Kodierer approximieren. Dabei werden linguistische Eigenschaften der Essays automatisiert erfasst, die dann genutzt werden, um mit Hilfe von statistischen Verfahren des maschinellen Lernens die menschlichen Urteile vorherzusagen. In der vorliegenden Arbeit soll dieses Vorgehen dargestellt und das Potenzial solcher automatisierten Prozeduren in Bezug auf die Vorhersagegenauigkeit untersucht werden. Dazu lagen Texte von N = 2179 Schülerinnen und Schülern der 11. Jahrgangsstufe in Deutschland und der Schweiz vor. Zur Kodierung der Texte wurde die open source-Software The Common Text Analysis Platform (CTAP) eingesetzt, die linguistische Textmerkmale automatisch kodiert. Auf Basis dieser Textmerkmale wurden die vorliegenden Urteile von trainierten Kodiererinnen und Kodierern des Educational Testing Service (ETS) vorhersagt. Die Genauigkeit der Vorhersage erwies sich als zufriedenstellend ( r = .75; Anteil genauer Übereinstimmung: 42%) und konnte im Vergleich mit einer etablierten kommerziellen Software des ETS (e-rater®; r = .81; Anteil genauer Übereinstimmung: 42%) bestehen. Es wurden vergleichbare Ergebnisse für die lineare Regression sowie Gradient Boosting als Analysestrategien zur Vorhersage der menschlichen Urteile gefunden. Möglichkeiten und Limitationen der automatisierten Textbeurteilung und deren Anwendung in Forschung und Praxis werden diskutiert.
Determining the Isotopic Composition of Surface Water Vapor Flux From High‐Frequency Observations Using Flux‐Gradient and Keeling Plot Methods
Authors: Hu Yongbo , Xiao Wei , Wei Zhongwang , Welp Lisa R. , Wen Xuefa , Lee Xuhui
Published: December 2020

The isotopic composition of surface water vapor flux (δE) is a quantity frequently used to investigate the local and regional water cycle. This study reports the results of a comparative evaluation of δE determined with the Keeling plot and the flux‐gradient methods using high‐frequency data collected at a cropland site and a lake site. Three regression models, ordinary least squares (OLS), York's solution (YS), and geometric mean regression, were tested with the Keeling plot method. Results show that concentration‐dependent field characterization of measurement errors can improve the estimation of the YS regression. For both sites, broad agreement was achieved among the Keeling plot method with YS regression, the Keeling plot method with OLS regression and the flux‐gradient method. For the lake site, OLS was the least biased of the three regression models in reference to the δE calculated by the Craig‐Gordon (CG) model of isotopic evaporation of open water. Good agreement was aslo achieved between the flux‐gradient method and the CG model at the lake site under open‐fetch conditions. A footprint analysis suggests that the Keeling method with OLS regression may be less sensitive to fetch than the flux‐gradient method.
Advancing Satellite Precipitation Retrievals With Data Driven Approaches: Is Black Box Model Explainable?
Authors: Li Zhi , Wen Yixin , Schreier Mathias , Behrangi Ali , Hong Yang , Lambrigtsen Bjorn
Published: December 2020

Satellite‐based precipitation retrieval is an essential and long‐standing scientific problem. With an increase of observational satellite data, the advances of data‐driven approaches such as machine learning (ML)/deep learning (DL) are favored to deal with large data sets and potentially improve the accuracy of precipitation estimates. In this study, we took advantage of new technologies by wrapping up a ML/DL‐based model pipeline (LinkNet segmentation + tree ensemble). This approach is applied to the Advanced Microwave Sounding Unit (AMSU) on National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration 18 and 19 flight, and compared with the MultiRadar MultiSensor. Four simulations were configured to examine the performance gain by incorporating three components: (1) precipitation identification, (2) nonlocal features, and (3) precipitation classification. More importantly, we examined the interpretability of the “black box” model to get a better understanding of the underlying physical connections. First, the results by this model pipeline suggest the advantages of the ML model by reducing the systematic error and instantaneous error to a factor of two. Second, identifying precipitation pixels helps to reduce the systematic error by 130%, and predicting precipitation classification benefits improved correlations by 32%. Last, channels at higher frequencies (beyond 150 GHz) are favored to identify precipitation regions, and also channels at 89 and 150 GHz are ranked as the two most important features to precipitation retrieval. This study explores the potentials of AMSU precipitation estimates with ML algorithms and provides means of interpreting the models to facilitate the better prediction of precipitation.
Assessments of Weather Research and Forecasting Land Surface Models in Precipitation Simulation Over the Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zhong Lei , Huang Ziyu , Ma Yaoming , Fu Yunfei , Chen Mingxing , Ma Ming , Zheng Jianqiu
Published: December 2020

Precipitation is a key hydrometeorological variable for understanding surface energy partitioning and water budget over the Tibetan Plateau (TP). A substantial proportion of summer precipitation falls as rain. The effects of different land surface models (LSMs) on the TP’s precipitation and their inner mechanisms remain unclear. Therefore, the assessments of different LSMs coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting model in precipitation simulation were investigated over the TP during June 28–29 of 2008. The simulated results were evaluated with the merged Climate Prediction Center (CPC) MORPHing technique (CMORPH) precipitation data set developed by the China Meteorological Administration. The assessment demonstrated that precipitation simulated by the Community Land Model Version 4 (CLM4), Noah‐Multiparameterization (Noah‐MP), and Pleim‐Xiu LSM schemes was wider and stronger compared with the merged CMORPH over the central and western TP but was underestimated over the eastern and southern regions. Generally, both CLM4 and Noah‐MP schemes exhibited higher forecasting quality and accuracy in simulating precipitation over the TP. The optimal precipitation simulation was achieved by applying the Noah‐MP scheme, with a lowest root mean square error of 9.53 mm/day, mainly attributed to its corrections of overforecasting for precipitation that did not occur. Further mechanism analysis indicated that soil moisture‐energy flux‐precipitation feedback play an important role in different LSM schemes.
Lateral Variations in Lower Crustal Strength Control the Temporal Evolution of Mountain Ranges: Examples From South‐East Tibet
Authors: Penney Camilla , Copley Alex
Published: December 2020

Controversy surrounds the rheology of the continental lithosphere, and how this rheology controls the evolution and behavior of mountain ranges. In this study, we investigate the effect of lateral contrasts in the strength of the lower crust, such as those between cratonic continental interiors and weaker rocks in the adjacent deforming regions, on the evolution of topography. We combine numerical modeling with recently published results from stable‐isotope palaeoaltimetry in south‐east Tibet. Stable‐isotope palaeoaltimetry in this region provides constraints on vertical motions, which are required to distinguish between competing models for lithosphere rheology and deformation. We use numerical modeling to investigate the effect of lateral strength contrasts on the shape and temporal evolution of mountain ranges. In combination with palaeoaltimetry results, our modeling suggests that lateral strength contrasts provide a first‐order control on the evolution of topography in south‐east Tibet. We find that the evolution of topography in the presence of such strength contrasts leads to laterally varying topographic gradients, and to key features of the GPS‐ and earthquake‐derived strain‐rate field, without the need for a low‐viscosity, lower‐crustal channel. We also find that palaeoaltimetric samples may have been transported laterally for hundreds of kilometers, an effect which should be accounted for in their interpretation. Our results are likely to be applicable to the evolution of mountain ranges in general and provide an explanation for the spatial correlation between cratonic lowland regions and steep mountain range‐fronts.
Fracture Caging to Limit Induced Seismicity
Authors: Frash L. P. , Fu P. , Morris J. , Gutierrez M. , Neupane G. , Hampton J. , Welch N. J. , Carey J. W. , Kneafsey T.
Published: December 2020

Geothermal resources offer a stable low‐carbon energy source. However, geothermal sites can collocate with the hypocenters of large‐magnitude seismic events. Large seismic events pose a risk to public safety and are therefore a liability for efforts to develop geothermal resources. Here, we propose “fracture caging” to limit induced seismic event magnitudes and present evidence from numerical model predictions, laboratory experiments, and field observations. Fracture caging involves drilling tactical production wells around a geothermal injection zone to contain fluids in fracture‐dominated flow systems. Prior to our work, the effect of small wells on the growth of large fractures and on flow through fractures was subject to debate. Our work shows that production wells can impede fracture growth and contain high‐pressure fluids in fracture‐dominated rocks. This containment offers a mechanism to limit induced seismicity.
Emerging Pacific Quasi‐Decadal Oscillation Over the Past 70 Years
Authors: Chunhan Jin , Bin Wang , Jian Liu
Published: December 2020

Quasi‐decadal variation in various Pacific regions has been recognized for decades but its spatial‐temporal characteristics and generation mechanisms remain poorly understood. Here we show that the sea surface temperature (SST) in the equatorial central Pacific (ECP) exhibits a prominent 11‐year periodicity since 1951 but not before. An episodic‐like quasi‐decadal warm event is initiated in a northeast‐southwest tilted belt from the United States' west coast to the ECP. The initial development involves positive feedback between atmospheric heating‐induced Rossby waves and underlying SST in the tropical North Pacific. The amplification of ECP warming is primarily due to equatorward heat advection and deepening thermocline, while the zonal advective feedback mainly controls its decay. The quasi‐decadal oscillation (QDO) tends to follow the 11‐years solar cycle with a 1‐to‐2‐year phase delay, meanwhile, it possibly links to the nonlinear behavior of ENSO. The cause of intensification of the QDO over the past 70 years, however, remains elusive.
Divergent Changes in Terrestrial Water Storage Across Global Arid and Humid Basins
Authors: Hu Baoyi , Wang Lei , Li Xiuping , Zhou Jing , Pan Yun
Published: December 2020

Understanding the terrestrial water storage changes (∆S) across global arid and humid river basins is crucial to closing the basin‐scale water balance, but still largely unclear. Here, we combine the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment, Global Land Data Assimilation System, and WaterGAP Global Hydrology Model products to study ∆S in 197 global river basins with different aridity by using detrended analyses, and find that annual or multiyear mean ∆S is small in most arid basins but relatively larger in humid basins, given the climate change and anthropogenic impacts removed. Through component analysis, we find that the soil moisture changes in drier basins contribute more to ∆S than those in humid basins; and the contribution of groundwater storage changes to S is irrelevant to varying moisture conditions. Our results will benefit water balance studies in global river basins (e.g., global evapotranspiration estimation with a water balance approach), and have implications for water cycle studies in the context of global change.
In Situ Observations of the Ion Diffusion Region in the Venusian Magnetotail
Authors: Gao J. W. , Rong Z. J. , Persson M. , Stenberg G. , Zhang Y. C. , Klinger L. , Wang X. D. , Liu D. , Wei Y. , Barabash S. , Futaana Y.
Published: December 2020

Utilizing the in situ observations of the Analyzer of Space Plasmas and Energetic Atoms (ASPERA‐4) and the magnetometer (MAG) onboard Venus Express, we report evidence of crossing the ion diffusion region of magnetic reconnection. Evidence of magnetic reconnection is based on two cases recorded by Venus Express in the Venusian magnetotail. In both cases, the variations of the magnetic field components are consistent with the classical picture of crossing the ion diffusion region. Our evidence is also supported by observed ion flows whose directions and speeds agree with expected characteristics of reconnection outflow. The reconnection crossing cases demonstrate that magnetic reconnection can appear in both ± E‐hemispheres in the Venusian magnetotail. The Venusian magnetotail provides a unique space laboratory for the investigation of the reconnection process.
Unsupervised Learning of Seismic Wavefield Features: Clustering Continuous Array Seismic Data During the 2009 L'Aquila Earthquake
Authors: Shi Peidong , Seydoux Léonard , Poli Piero
Published: December 2020

We apply unsupervised machine learning to 3 years of continuous seismic data to unravel the evolution of seismic wavefield properties in the period of the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake. To obtain sensible representations of the wavefield properties variations, we extract wavefield features (i.e., entropy, coherency, eigenvalue variance, and first eigenvalue) from the covariance matrix analysis of the continuous wavefield data. The defined wavefield features are insensitive to site‐dependent local noise, and inform the spatiotemporal properties of seismic waves generated by sources inside the array. We perform a sensitivity analysis of these wavefield features, and track the evolution of source properties from the unsupervised learning of the uncorrelated features. By clustering the wavefield features, our unsupervised analysis avoids explicit physical modeling (e.g., no requirement for event location and magnitude estimation) and can naturally separate peculiar patterns solely from continuous seismic data. Our model‐free unsupervised learning of wavefield features reveals distinct clusters well correlated with different periods of the seismic cycle, which are consistent with previous model‐dependent studies.
Vine Copula Ensemble Downscaling for Precipitation Projection Over the Loess Plateau Based on High‐Resolution Multi‐RCM Outputs
Authors: Sun Chaoxing , Huang Guohe , Fan Yurui , Zhou Xiong , Lu Chen , Wang Xiuquan
Published: December 2020

A vine copula‐based ensemble downscaling (VCED) framework is proposed to jointly downscale the projected precipitation from multiple regional climate models (RCMs). This approach can effectively reduce the biases inherent to precipitation projections from different RCMs and thus provide more reliable ensemble projections. The proposed approach was applied to RCM projections over the Loess Plateau of China, which features complex topography and various climatic zones. Precipitation projections from 7 RCMs were used, and 21 sets of downscaling results were obtained. The performance of the VCED in reproducing historical precipitation across the Loess Plateau was evaluated using mean absolute error (MAE), the Taylor diagram, and the rank histogram (RH). The proposed VCED approach was found to be more effective than quantile mapping and bivariate copula methods in achieving robust precipitation projections. Overall flat RH diagrams indicate that the ensemble prediction and observations have strong consistency in distribution. Future precipitation changes of two 30‐year periods (i.e., the 2050s and 2080s) under two Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) scenarios (RCP 4.5 and RCP 8.5) over the Loess Plateau were then analyzed after postdownscaling processes. The results show that the average annual precipitation over the Loess Plateau may increase by 8.4%–11.4% under the RCP 4.5 scenario and by 9.3%–17.5% under RCP 8.5. The projected precipitation in the south‐central parts of the Loess Plateau would be significantly reduced whereas those of the other parts be significantly increased.