bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Electronic data acquisition and operational control system for time‐of‐flight sputtered neutral mass spectrometer
Authors: Bajo Ken‐ichi , Fujioka Osamu , Itose Satoru , Ishihara Morio , Uchino Kiichiro , Yurimoto Hisayoshi
Published: September 2018

A new electric data acquisition and operational control system was developed for time‐of‐flight sputtered neutral mass spectrometry (TOF‐SNMS). The system is designed for high‐speed data acquisition, data processing, and data streaming. The developed system is constructed on an NI‐PXI platform and provides timing clocks for the TOF‐SNMS operation. The system performs data processing of noise suppression and ion counting while acquiring TOF mass spectrum for 13‐microsecond length at sampling rate of 3 GS/s for every 1 millisecond. In addition, the system acquires and records TOF mass spectrum of 60‐microsecond length at sampling rate of 3 GS/s for every 1 millisecond without data processing. The system detects single ion signals from accumulated TOF mass spectrum of 107 times and counts up to 10 ions accurately from a single event of TOF mass spectrum.
Considerations for Summer Online Book Clubs
Authors: Smith Jennifer M.
Published: September 2018

Middle school students participated in a summer online book club as an opportunity to read and discuss texts during the summer months. The author provides considerations for educators who may be interested in conducting summer online book clubs with their students, based on student interviews and observations throughout the summer book club.
$$ {R}_{D^{\left(*\right)}},{R}_{K^{\left(*\right)}} $$ and neutrino mass in the 2HDM-III with right-handed neutrinos
Authors: Li Shao-Ping , Li Xin-Qiang , Yang Ya-Dong , Zhang Xin
Published: September 2018

Abstract

Given that the two-Higgs-doublet model of type III (2HDM-III) has the potential to address the

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

D

*

anomalies while the resolution to the

$$ {R}_{K^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

K

*

deficits requires new degrees of freedom within this framework, we consider in this paper a unified scenario where the low-scale type-I seesaw mechanism is embedded into the 2HDM-III, so as to accommodate the

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

D

*

and

$$ {R}_{K^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

K

*

anomalies as well as the neutrino mass. We first revisit the

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

D

*

anomalies and find that the current world-averaged results can be addressed at 2σ level without violating the bound from the branching ratio

$$ \mathrm{\mathcal{B}}\left({B}_c^{-}\to {\tau}^{-}\overline{\nu}\right) $$

ℬ

B
c
−

→

τ
−

ν
¯

≤ 30%. The scenario predicts two sub-eV neutrino masses based on a decoupled heavy Majorana neutrino and two nearly degenerate Majorana neutrinos with mass around the electroweak scale. For the

$$ {R}_{K^{\left(*\right)}} $$

R

K

*

anomalies, the same scenario can generate the required Wilson coefficients in the direction C
9
μ

NP
 = − C
10
μ

NP
 < 0, with

$$ \mathcal{O}(1) $$

O

1

Yukawa couplings for the muon and the top quark.
Media studies to enhance the production of verticillins facilitated by in situ chemical analysis
Authors: Amrine Chiraz Soumia M , Raja Huzefa A , Darveaux Blaise A , Pearce Cedric J , Oberlies Nicholas H
Published: September 2018

Verticillins are a group of epipolythiodioxopiperazine alkaloids that have displayed potent cytotoxicity. To evaluate their potential further, a larger supply of these compounds was needed for both in vivo studies and analogue development via semisynthesis. To optimize the biosynthesis of these secondary metabolites, their production was analyzed in two different fungal strains (MSX59553 and MSX79542) under a suite of fermentation conditions. These studies were facilitated by the use of the droplet-liquid microjunction-surface sampling probe (droplet probe), which enables chemical analysis in situ directly from the surface of the cultures. These experiments showed that the production of verticillins was greatly affected by growth conditions; a significantly higher quantity of these alkaloids was noted when the fungal strains were grown on an oatmeal-based medium. Using these technologies to select the best among the tested growth conditions, the production of the verticillin analogues was increased while concomitantly decreasing the time required for fermentations from 5 weeks to about 11 days. Importantly, where we could previously supply 5–10 mg every 6 weeks, we are now able to supply 50–150 mg quantities of key analogues per month via laboratory scale fermentation.

Graphical abstract
Poverty dynamics and graduation from conditional cash transfers: a transition model for Mexico’s Progresa-Oportunidades-Prospera program
Authors: Villa Juan M. , Niño-Zarazúa Miguel
Published: September 2018

The effects of conditional cash transfers (CCTs) on poverty and well-being have been widely studied. However, there is limited knowledge on how a CCT should respond to the dynamics of poverty. How should program administrators treat beneficiaries that exit poverty in period t-1, but exhibit a high probability of falling into poverty in period t? This is a relevant, yet unanswered question. This paper provides an analysis of the implications of poverty dynamics in the implementation of graduation strategies of CCTs, taking Mexico’sProgresa-Oportunidades-Prospera(POP) program as reference case. We propose a Markovian transition model that allows to control for unobserved heterogeneity, state dependence, and attrition. The model provides a framework for a generic graduation condition that can be applied to cash transfer programs that follow well-defined eligibility income thresholds. Overall, we find that only one-third of program beneficiaries that were poor in 2002 exhibited low probabilities of becoming poor in 2009–12 and therefore could be regarded as true ‘graduates’ of the program. We also find that the ‘recertification’ process of POP—which takes place every three years—would be more efficient if it took place every 3.7 and 5.1 years in urban and rural areas, respectively.
Assessing Growth in a Diagnostic Classification Model Framework
Authors: Madison Matthew J. , Bradshaw Laine P.
Published: September 2018

A common assessment research design is the single-group pre-test/post-test design in which examinees are administered an assessment before instruction and then another assessment after instruction. In this type of study, the primary objective is to measure growth in examinees, individually and collectively. In an item response theory (IRT) framework, longitudinal IRT models can be used to assess growth in examinee ability over time. In a diagnostic classification model (DCM) framework, assessing growth translates to measuring changes in attribute mastery status over time, thereby providing a categorical, criterion-referenced interpretation of growth. This study introduces the Transition Diagnostic Classification Model (TDCM), which combines latent transition analysis with the log-linear cognitive diagnosis model to provide methodology for analyzing growth in a general DCM framework. Simulation study results indicate that the proposed model is flexible, provides accurate and reliable classifications, and is quite robust to violations to measurement invariance over time. The TDCM is used to analyze pre-test/post-test data from a diagnostic mathematics assessment.
Prevalence of Burnout among Canadian Radiologists and Radiology Trainees
Authors: Zha Nanxi , Patlas Michael N. , Neuheimer Nick , Duszak Richard
Published: September 2018

Purpose

Physician burnout is on the rise compared to the average population, and radiology burnout rates are ranked high compared to other specialties. We aim to assess radiologist and radiology trainee burnout in Canada.

Methods

A survey using the abbreviated 7-item Maslach Burnout Inventory that characterizes burnout symptoms into personal accomplishment, emotional exhaustion, and depersonalization was sent to all eligible members of the Canadian Association of Radiologists in January 2018. The anonymous survey was hosted on SurveyMonkey for 1 month. A reminder e-mail was sent halfway through the survey period.

Results

Overall, 262 of 1401 invited radiology trainees and radiologists completed the survey (response rate 18.7%). With regards to personal accomplishment, we observed that (1) burnout in this domain improved with increased years worked and (2) milder symptoms were observed in community radiologists compared with their academic counterparts. In comparison with other studies of radiologist burnout, we found mild burnout symptoms in personal accomplishment, but severe symptoms in the burnout domains of both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.

Conclusions

Canadian radiologists and radiology trainees reported above average burnout symptoms with regard to both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Future research directions include exploring etiologies of burnout and implementation of treatment strategies based on these identified problem areas.
DeepNitro: Prediction of Protein Nitration and Nitrosylation Sites by Deep Learning
Authors: Xie Yubin , Luo Xiaotong , Li Yupeng , Chen Li , Ma Wenbin , Huang Junjiu , Cui Jun , Zhao Yong , Xue Yu , Zuo Zhixiang , Ren Jian
Published: September 2018

Protein nitration and nitrosylation are essential post-translational modifications (PTMs) involved in many fundamental cellular processes. Recent studies have revealed that excessive levels of nitration and nitrosylation in some critical proteins are linked to numerous chronic diseases. Therefore, the identification of substrates that undergo such modifications in a site-specific manner is an important research topic in the community and will provide candidates for targeted therapy. In this study, we aimed to develop a computational tool for predicting nitration and nitrosylation sites in proteins. We first constructed four types of encoding features, including positional amino acid distributions, sequence contextual dependencies, physicochemical properties, and position-specific scoring features, to represent the modified residues. Based on these encoding features, we established a predictor called DeepNitro using deep learning methods for predicting protein nitration and nitrosylation. Using n-fold cross-validation, our evaluation shows great AUC values for DeepNitro, 0.65 for tyrosine nitration, 0.80 for tryptophan nitration, and 0.70 for cysteine nitrosylation, respectively, demonstrating the robustness and reliability of our tool. Also, when tested in the independent dataset, DeepNitro is substantially superior to other similar tools with a 7%−42% improvement in the prediction performance. Taken together, the application of deep learning method and novel encoding schemes, especially the position-specific scoring feature, greatly improves the accuracy of nitration and nitrosylation site prediction and may facilitate the prediction of other PTM sites. DeepNitro is implemented in JAVA and PHP and is freely available for academic research at http://deepnitro.renlab.org.
GAAD: A Gene and Autoimmiune Disease Association Database
Authors: Lu Guanting , Hao Xiaowen , Chen Wei-Hua , Mu Shijie
Published: September 2018

Autoimmune diseases (ADs) arise from an abnormal immune response of the body against substances and tissues normally present in the body. More than a hundred of ADs have been described in the literature so far. Although their etiology remains largely unclear, various types of ADs tend to share more associated genes with other types of ADs than with non-AD types. Here we present GAAD, a gene and AD association database. In GAAD, we collected 44,762 associations between 49 ADs and 4249 genes from public databases and MEDLINE documents. We manually verified the associations to ensure the quality and credibility. We reconstructed and recapitulated the relationships among ADs using their shared genes, which further validated the quality of our data. We also provided a list of significantly co-occurring gene pairs among ADs; with embedded tools, users can query gene co-occurrences and construct customized co-occurrence network with genes of interest. To make GAAD more straightforward to experimental biologists and medical scientists, we extracted additional information describing the associations through text mining, including the putative diagnostic value of the associations, type and position of gene polymorphisms, expression changes of implicated genes, as well as the phenotypical consequences, and grouped the associations accordingly. GAAD is freely available at http://gaad.medgenius.info.
Meta-analysis – perineural invasion as prognostic factor in rectal cancer
Authors: Murugesan Jothi Rajasekaran , Murugesan Shenthil Prabhu , Yip Jim , Hitos Kerry , Fulham Stephen , Engel Alexander
Published: September 2018

Objectives The aim of this analysis was to determine prognostic value of perineural invasion in rectal cancer.

Methods Medline (PubMed, Ovid), Embase and Cochrane Library were searched for relevant reports published from January 1980 up to December 2017. All clinical trials which studied perineural invasion in rectal cancer, prospective observational studies, clinical registry data and retrospective case series which reported perineural invasion as an outcome were included. Case reports, abstracts, letters and comments were excluded. hazard ratio (HR) with 95% confidence interval (CI) was used to determine the prognostic value.

Results Nineteen studies comprising 6438 patients with rectal cancer were analysed. The results indicate that perineural invasion is a negative prognostic factor as evident from the overall survival (HR = 1.30, 95% CI 1.13–1.50, p < 0.01) and disease-free survival (HR = 2.14, 95% CI 2.06–2.22, p < 0.01).

Conclusion This study shows that presence of perineural invasion is associated with poor prognosis in rectal cancer.
Higher density, higher performance at POWDERMET2018
Authors: Capus Joseph
Published: September 2018

Achievements and opportunities for obtaining high strength in ferrous PM parts were reviewed in two separate programs at POWDERMET2018 in San Antonio. Presentations covered advances from powders to compacting, sintering and hardening.
Adaptation, Artificial Intelligence, and Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Authors: Barry Daniel T.
Published: September 2018

Adaptation, cooperation, and trust are at the center of rehabilitation. Artificial intelligence and robots enhance adaptation with guidance for movement, cues for sensation, control of environment, and improved situational awareness. That said, how do we decide to trust complex technologies that might seek personal information or control dangerous equipment?
Exoskeleton and End‐Effector Robots for Upper and Lower Limbs Rehabilitation: Narrative Review
Authors: Molteni Franco , Gasperini Giulio , Cannaviello Giovanni , Guanziroli Eleonora
Published: September 2018

Recovery of upper and lower limbs function is essential to reach independence in daily activities in patients with upper motor neuron syndrome (UMNS). Rehabilitation can provide a guide for motor recovery influencing the neurobiology of neuronal plasticity providing controlled, repetitive, and variable patterns. Increasing therapy dosage, intensity, number of repetition, execution of task‐oriented exercises, and combining top‐down and bottom‐up approaches can promote plasticity and functional recovery. Robotic exoskeletons for upper and lower limbs, based on the principle of motor learning, have been introduced in neurorehabilitation. In this narrative review, we provide an overview of literature published on exoskeleton devices for upper and lower limb rehabilitation in patients with UMNS; we summarized the available current research evidence and outlined the new challenges that neurorehabilitation and bioengineering will have to face in the upcoming years. Robotic treatment should be considered a rehabilitation tool useful to generate a more complex, controlled multisensory stimulation of the patient and useful to modify the plasticity of neural connections through the experience of movement. Efficacy and efficiency of robotic treatment should be defined starting from intensity, complexity, and specificity of the robotic exercise, that are related to human‐robot interaction in terms of motion, emotion, motivation, meaning of the task, feedback from the exoskeleton, and fine motion assistance. Duration of a single session, global period of the treatment, and the timing for beginning of robotic treatment are still open questions. There is the need to evaluate and individualize the treatment according to patient's characteristics. Robotic devices for upper and lower limbs open a window to define therapeutic modalities as possible beneficial drug, able to boost biological, neurobiological, and epigenetic changes in central nervous system. We need to implement large and innovative research programs to answer these issues in the near future.
Sir Edward Carne of Ewenni, c.1496-1561
Authors: Orofino Anna Maria
Published: September 2018

The Tudor Welshman, Sir Edward Carne (c.1496-1561), gained a wide reputation as an outstanding diplomat and lawyer. Chosen by Cardinal Wolsey to enter the service of King Henry VIII, he was sent to Rome asexcusatorin the process of annulment of the king’s marriage to Queen Catherine of Aragon. After the Rota had refused to annul Henry’s marriage, Carne returned to Glamorgan, and continued his career as a civil servant. He was appointed justice of the peace, master of requests and was made a member of the Council in the Marches of Wales. His next main appointment was as English envoy to the Holy See during the reign of Mary I. Carne was entrusted with the difficult task of restoring diplomatic relations between England and Rome. He remained in Rome until his death in 1561. His attachment to Wales and his staunch Catholic faith are evident in the burial memorial erected to his memory in a church in Rome by two Welsh friends.
Duress as a tort law defence?
Authors: Murphy John
Published: September 2018

This paper addresses a straightforward question: ‘Should tort law recognise a defence of duress?’ Previous scholarship concerning this issue is thin on the ground, and the answers it supplies are demonstrably inadequate. Those who have favoured the development of a duress defence in tort have done so by analogy with criminal law where duress is, of course, well established. The rival school of thought has sought to highlight the fact that excuse defences are out of place in tort and that, therefore, there is no room for duress in tort. This paper rejects both approaches. It accepts that the criminal law is a poor source of analogy, but rejects the idea that duress must be seen as an excuse (and hence the idea that there can be no space for it in tort). It offers a fresh start based on the role of duress within tort law's sibling, the law of contract. It identifies three possible conceptions of duress in contract and then asks whether these conceptions could be used to ground a comparable defence of duress in tort by analogy. It concludes that a plausible case can be made in respect of each conception, but – given that the paper has primarily theoretical ambitions – it stops short of advocating any one conception in particular.
Violence and Social Salvation at the Texas Prison Rodeo
Authors: SCOFIELD REBECCA
Published: September 2018

From 1931 until 1986, at the annual Texas Prison Rodeo, incarcerated people performed before massive crowds. In this negotiated space, prison officials, audience members, and imprisoned riders welded together a performance of violent range labor with a discourse of social rehabilitation. Responsible for funding all educational and recreational programs for the incarcerated population of Texas, the rodeo purported to save lives even as it risked them. Prisoner-led reforms in the 1960s and 1970s, however, helped expose the failures of Texas's labor regime, stripping the rodeo of its rehabilitative pretenses and contributing to the eventual demise of prison rodeo in Texas.
Forging a Women's United Front: Chinese elite women's networks for national salvation and resistance, 1932–1938
Authors: GUO VIVIENNE XIANGWEI
Published: September 2018

Focusing on Chinese elite women who gravitated towards national affairs in the pre-war urban sites of eastern China and who migrated to Wuhan after the outbreak of the War of Resistance (1937–1945), this article analyses the emergence, development, and integration of their sociopolitical networks for the purpose of promoting women's participation in national salvation, against a backdrop of the deepening national crisis in the 1930s. I argue that two years before the Second Kuomintang-Chinese Communist Party (KMT-CCP) United Front was officially formed, these elite women, hailing from diverse social and political backgrounds and different professions, had already established their own leadership during the national salvation movement and called for a women's united front. Therefore, rather than being simply political rhetoric enhanced under the auspices of the KMT-CCP alliance, the women's united front served as an important institution with which Chinese elite women identified and through which they empowered themselves at a local and then national level, across and beyond geopolitical boundaries. I conclude that the birth and evolution of this women's united front, which have been neglected in the historiography of China's War of Resistance, are crucial to an understanding of unsettling negotiations, communication, and cooperation between the various forces signed up to the cause of national salvation in the 1930s, and to the interpretation of popular resistance before the war.
Global cities and cultural diversity: challenges and opportunities for young people's nutrition
Authors: Harding Seeromanie , Elia Christelle , Huang Peiyuan , Atherton Chelsea , Covey Kyla , O'Donnell Gemma , Cole Elizabeth , Almughamisi Manal , Read Ursula M. , Dregan Alexandru , George Trevor , Wolfe Ingrid , Cruickshank J. Kennedy , Maynard Maria , Goff Louise M. , O'Keeffe Majella
Published: September 2018

Childhood obesity is a common concern across global cities and threatens sustainable urban development. Initiatives to improve nutrition and encourage physical exercise are promising but are yet to exert significant influence on prevention. Childhood obesity in London is associated with distinct ethnic and socio-economic patterns. Ethnic inequalities in health-related behaviour endure, underpinned by inequalities in employment, housing, access to welfare services, and discrimination. Addressing these growing concerns requires a clearer understanding of the socio-cultural, environmental and economic contexts of urban living that promote obesity. We explore opportunities for prevention using asset based-approaches to nutritional health and well-being, with a particular focus on adolescents from diverse ethnic backgrounds living in London. We focus on the important role that community engagement and multi-sectoral partnership play in improving the nutritional outcomes of London's children. London's children and adolescents grow up in the rich cultural mix of a global city where local streets are characterised by diversity in ethnicities, languages, religions, foods, and customs, creating complex and fluid identities. Growing up with such everyday diversity we argue can enhance the quality of life for London's children and strengthen their social capital. The Determinants of young Adult Social well-being and Health longitudinal study of about 6500 of London's young people demonstrated the positive impact of cultural diversity. Born to parents from over a hundred countries and exposed to multi-lingual households and religious practices, they demonstrated strong psychological resilience and sense of pride from cultural straddling, despite material disadvantage and discrimination. Supporting the potential contribution of such socio-cultural assets is in keeping with the values of social justice and equitable and sustainable development. Our work signals the importance of community engagement and multisectoral partnerships, involving, for example, schools and faith-based organisations, to improve the nutrition of London's children.
First assessment of the conservation status of the jaguarPanthera oncain the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: De La Torre J. Antonio , Rivero Marina , Camacho Gamaliel , Álvarez-Márquez Luis Arturo , Medellín Rodrigo A.
Published: September 2018

Although the Near Threatened jaguarPanthera oncaranges from the south-west USA to central Argentina, populations outside Amazonia are generally small and isolated. One such area, the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in the state of Chiapas, Mexico, is potentially an important area for jaguar conservation but information on the species in this region is limited and its conservation status is unknown. In this study we documented the occurrence and abundance of jaguars in the Sierra Madre de Chiapas complex. We compiled all available records of the species within the region and conducted a camera-trap survey during August 2015–December 2016. Interviews were conducted to determine the perception of the jaguar by cattle owners and to obtain information on any livestock predation. We found that jaguars still occur throughout the Sierra Madre de Chiapas landscape, including the plains on the Pacific Coast of Chiapas, but its abundance in the region is low. On the basis of our findings we have incorporated the Sierra Madre de Chiapas in Mexico's National Jaguar Conservation Strategy, and recommend that international organizations include this area in their priorities for jaguar conservation. To improve coexistence between jaguars and the communities of the Sierra Madre de Chiapas, strategies need to be developed, in collaboration with the local communities, to improve livestock practices for reduction of predation by jaguars, to strengthen government conservation policies and to implement educational and communication programmes about the importance of this species in the region.
Modelling, trajectory optimisation and prototyping of sequentially actuated manipulators
Authors: Harton David , Laliberté Thierry , Gosselin Clément
Published: September 2018

This paper presents a concept of sequentially actuated multi-degree-of-freedom (DOF) robot with only one motor. A switching mechanism allowing to actuate sequentially the different joints–or combinations of the joints–of the robot is also proposed. Potential actuation schemes (joint combinations) are presented and their properties are discussed. Cartesian pick-and-place trajectories are then considered using different actuation schemes. An optimisation algorithm is presented in order to provide the best possible sequence by minimising the amplitude of the joint rotations for a given actuation combination. A simple planar two-DOF and the SCARA architectures are used to illustrate the concept. Finally, a prototype is developed with the aim of demonstrating the sequentially actuated manipulator concept.
WHY THE VAGUENESS PARADOX IS AMAZING
Authors: Frances Bryan
Published: September 2018

One of the hardest problems in philosophy, one that has been around for over two thousand years without generating any significant consensus on its solution, involves the concept of vagueness: a word or concept that doesn't have a perfectly precise meaning. There is an argument that seems to show that the word or concept simply must have a perfectly precise meaning, as violently counterintuitive as that is. Unfortunately, the argument is usually so compressed that it is difficult to see why exactly the problem is so hard to solve. In this article I attempt to explain just why it is that the problem – the sorites paradox – is so intractable.
AN UNBELIEVABLE MYTH: THE INVENTION OF JESUS?
Authors: Watson Brenda
Published: September 2018

A response to Lataster's article defending Jesus’ agnosticism in Think 43
UNRAVELLING THE KNOT: ON RACE, RACISM, AND HUMAN HISTORY
Authors: Mitchell-Yellin Benjamin
Published: September 2018

This article argues for a shift in our thinking about racism. There are two main philosophical approaches at present: the moral view, which analyses racism in terms of individuals' attitudes, and the political view, which analyses it in terms of institutions. But neither is fully satisfactory. So I propose an alternative, genealogical account, which is better equipped to explain the phenomena associated with racism and is more in line with the historical record.
TRUTH, LIES, AND BULLSHIT
Authors: Joaquin Jeremiah Joven
Published: September 2018

Bullshit is a prevalent phenomenon in this info-crazy world of ours. With the help of Princeton philosopher Harry Frankfurt, I want to provide a brief philosophical account of this phenomenon, and offer some practical tips to how we could deal with it.
LETTING GO OF ONE'S LIFE STORY
Authors: Wagner Nils-Frederic
Published: September 2018

Persons are widely believed to be rational, planning agents that are both author and main character of their life stories. A major goal is to keep these narratives coherent as they unfold, and part of a fulfilled life allegedly stems from this coherence. My aim is to challenge these convictions by considering two related claims about persons and their lives. (1) Contrary to the widespread theoretical conviction in philosophy of mind and action, persons are fundamentally emotional and affective rather than rational and deliberative beings. And so, (2) on a practical level, persons need not constantly aspire to integrate their past, present, and future into a coherent whole in order to live fulfilled lives. Needless to say, I cannot hope to defend these claims and their relation in great detail with a few brief strokes. In addition to theoretical reflections, I discuss some practical implications and potential benefits that come with discarding the daunting task of continuously keeping track of one's life story. Drawing on insights from a contemplative Buddhist tale, I venture that the practice of letting go can break the spell, and give rise to an alleviating source of liberation from life's troubles.
TRUST: A RECIPE
Authors: Ryan Shane
Published: September 2018

An essay on trust.
Drivers of Firn Density on the Greenland Ice Sheet Revealed by Weather Station Observations and Modeling
Authors: Vandecrux B. , Fausto R. S. , Langen P. L. , van As D. , MacFerrin M. , Colgan W. T. , Ingeman‐Nielsen T. , Steffen K. , Jensen N. S. , Møller M. T. , Box J. E.
Published: September 2018

Recent Arctic atmospheric warming induces more frequent surface melt in the accumulation area of the Greenland ice sheet. This increased melting modifies the near‐surface firn structure and density and may reduce the firn's capacity to retain meltwater. Yet few long‐term observational records are available to determine the evolution and drivers of firn density. In this study, we compile and gap‐fill Greenland Climate Network (GC‐Net) automatic weather station data from Crawford Point, Dye‐2, NASA‐SE, and Summit between 1998 and 2015. These records then force a coupled surface energy balance and firn evolution model. We find at all sites except Summit that increasing summer turbulent heat fluxes to the surface are compensated by decreasing net radiative fluxes. After evaluating the model against firn cores, we find that, starting from 2006, the density of the top 20 m of firn at Dye‐2 increased by 11%, decreasing the pore volume by 18%. Crawford Point and Summit show stable near‐surface firn density over 1998–2010 and 2000–2015 respectively, while we calculate a 4% decrease of firn density at NASA‐SE over 1998–2015. For each year, the model identifies the drivers of density change in the top 20‐m firn and quantifies their contributions. The key driver, snowfall, explains alone 72 to 92% of the variance in day‐to‐day change in firn density while melt explains from 7 to 33%. Our result indicates that correct estimates of the magnitude and variability of precipitation are necessary to interpret or simulate the evolution of the firn.
Multiview Shape‐From‐Shading for Planetary Images
Authors: Alexandrov Oleg , Beyer Ross A.
Published: September 2018

We propose and validate an algorithm for shape‐from‐shading that works for planetary data, with multiple input images, realistic camera models, non‐Lambertian reflectance, variable albedo, uncertain camera positions and orientations, low angles of illumination, and shadows. The algorithm begins with images and existing terrain data (provided by stereogrammetry, lidar data, or even just a flat surface) which is then optimized. We show that shape‐from‐shading is able to recover more detail than obtained from stereo alone while eliminating stereo numerical artifacts and improving the terrain accuracy. Our software implementation is released under an open‐source license as part of the NASA Ames Stereo Pipeline.
Congressional Hearing Tackles Illegal Fishing
Authors: Showstack Randy
Published: September 2018

Illegal, unregulated, and underreported fishing worldwide could account for more than $36.4 billion annually. Where do efforts to curb it stand?
The Fate of Carbon and Nutrients Exported Out of the Southern Ocean
Authors: Hauck Judith , Lenton Andrew , Langlais Clothilde , Matear Richard
Published: September 2018

Southern Ocean (SO) nutrient export via mode and intermediate waters is known to affect global biological production. The accompanying effects on the CO2 flux outside the SO are less certain. We performed idealized model simulations to separate the transient effects of SO carbon pumps on nutrients, primary production, and CO2 flux outside the SO. The SO biological carbon pump leads to dissolved inorganic carbon and nutrient reduction at the surface and in the exported water masses, and to a dissolved inorganic carbon increase at depth through the sinking of organic matter. When primary production is suppressed in the SO, only 30% of SO export, 43% of SO net primary production, and 50% of biologically driven SO CO2 flux are compensated outside the SO on a 200‐year time scale. In contrast, when the abiotically driven CO2 flux is suppressed, 90% of CO2 outgassing in the SO is compensated by air‐sea CO2 exchange outside the SO. The longer sequestration time scale of the biological carbon pump can be explained by incomplete compensation of primary production. This is a result of almost complete compensation of diatom productivity and no compensation of nanophytoplankton productivity due to feedbacks in phytoplankton community composition. The longer sequestration time scale is further sustained by the sinking and remineralization of particles in the deep ocean that are not in contact with the atmosphere over the 200‐year time scale considered. As SO biologically driven CO2 flux is only partly compensated outside the SO, potential future changes in SO productivity may have an important impact on the global carbon cycle.
The Morphology of the Tasmantid Seamounts: Interactions Between Tectonic Inheritance and Magmatic Evolution
Authors: Richards F. D. , Kalnins L. M. , Watts A. B. , Cohen B. E. , Beaman R. J.
Published: September 2018

Basement structure is known to exert strong magmatic and morphological control on continental volcanoes, but relatively little is known about the structural control of submarine volcanoes. Here we investigate the morphology of the Tasmantid Seamounts, a >2,400 km long chain of age‐progressive intraplate volcanoes, ranging from 56 to 7 Ma. The seamounts are emplaced over the extinct Tasman Sea spreading center, which was active between 84 and 52 Ma. While thick sediment (∼1 km) obscures much of the basement, detailed morphological and geophysical analyses of the seamounts reveal a strong correlation between tectonic setting, seamount orientation, and volcanic structure, despite the ≥20 Ma interval between spreading cessation and seamount emplacement. Seamounts emplaced on fracture zones or spreading segment‐transform fault inside corners are typically large and elongate. Where original morphology is preserved, they often appear rugged and predominantly fissure‐fed. By contrast, comparatively smooth, conical seamounts with isolated dike‐fed flank cones are often found midsegment and at outside corners. Volcanic fabrics also align closely with the expected principal stress directions for strong mechanical coupling across transform faults. This behavior suggests the lithosphere is dissected by numerous deep faults, channeling magma along preexisting structural trends. Generally, low effective elastic thicknesses (<10 km) and lack of correlation with plate age at emplacement suggest that structural inheritance is also a major control on lithospheric strength near the extinct spreading center. Our study clearly demonstrates that, like in the continents, structural inheritance in oceanic lithosphere can exert significant control on the morphology of submarine volcanoes.
A Model for Crack Initiation in Solidifying Lava
Authors: Piombo Antonello , Dragoni Michele
Published: September 2018

We study the thermomechanical evolution of a stationary lava body cooling from the upper surface. The body progressively solidifies and develops a boundary layer made of an upper solid thermoelastic crust and a lower viscoelastic layer. The presented approach to the problem is one‐dimensional and quasi‐static. Under the assumption that the crust is a brittle solid with a given strength, we study the generation of tensile fractures. We consider a single fracture event and we assume that a fracture is produced when the thermal stress exceeds the strength over a certain depth interval, inferred from the observation of striae. The fracture propagates abruptly across the brittle layer, driven by the difference between the thermal stress and the tensile strength. The model can contribute to explain the formation of striae, surfaces caused by crack advance, in particular, of the first fracture. We find that the Young modulus controls the crack growth. The model provides an explanation for the presence of the rough bands on striae. For its higher values the fracture extends partially into the viscoelastic region; while for lower values the crack is confined to the brittle layer. The maximum opening width is typically in the order of a few thousandths of the vertical length of the crack. The resumption of crack process must await further cooling of the lava body.
Flexible Coupling in Joint Inversions: A Bayesian Structure Decoupling Algorithm
Authors: Piana Agostinetti Nicola , Bodin Thomas
Published: September 2018

When different geophysical observables are sensitive to the same volume, it is possible to invert them simultaneously to jointly constrain different physical properties. The question addressed in this study is to determine which structures (e.g., interfaces) are common to different properties and which ones are separated. We present an algorithm for resolving the level of spatial coupling between physical properties and to enable both common and separate structures in the same model. The new approach, called structure decoupling (SD) algorithm, is based on a Bayesian trans‐dimensional adaptive parameterization, where models can display the full spectra of spatial coupling between physical properties, from fully coupled models, that is, where identical model geometries are imposed across all inverted properties, to completely decoupled models, where an independent parameterization is used for each property. We apply the algorithm to three 1‐D geophysical inverse problems, using both synthetic and field data. For the synthetic cases, we compare the SD algorithm to standard Markov chain Monte Carlo and reversible‐jump Markov chain Monte Carlo approaches that use either fully coupled or fully decoupled parameterizations. In case of coupled structures, the SD algorithm does not behave differently from methods that assume common interfaces. In case of decoupled structures, the SD approach is demonstrated to correctly retrieve the portion of profiles where the physical properties do not share the same structure. The application of the new algorithm to field data demonstrates its ability to decouple structures where a common stratification is not supported by the data.
Drivers of Antarctic Sea Ice Volume Change in CMIP5 Models
Authors: Schroeter S. , Hobbs W. , Bindoff N. L. , Massom R. , Matear R.
Published: September 2018

Antarctic sea ice trends have to date been linked to surface winds, through sea ice motion and atmospheric thermal advection. This paper analyzes sea ice volume in 10 Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 5 (CMIP5) model configurations under pre‐industrial and historical climate forcings, to compare the relative importance of ice motion and thermodynamic processes. We find that the models' responses to historical forcings is dependent on their sea ice motion formulation; models with low‐magnitude sea ice motion tend to have historical trends that are dominated by thermodynamic processes, while sea ice models with higher‐magnitude motion have more spatially variable relative contributions from dynamic and thermodynamic processes. Trends at the sea ice edge during the season of sea ice advance are generally dominated by dynamic processes, whereas during retreat thermodynamic trends dominate. The models show more disagreement in the sea ice interior. This analysis highlights the different estimates and patterns of sea ice volume among global climate models and offers insight into the drivers of sea ice volume change as well as the subsequent implications for simulated atmosphere‐sea ice‐ocean interactions.
LRH-1 mitigates intestinal inflammatory disease by maintaining epithelial homeostasis and cell survival
Authors: Bayrer James R. , Wang Hongtao , Nattiv Roy , Suzawa Miyuki , Escusa Hazel S. , Fletterick Robert J. , Klein Ophir D. , Moore David D. , Ingraham Holly A.
Published: September 2018

Epithelial dysfunction and crypt destruction are defining features of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). However, current IBD therapies targeting epithelial dysfunction are lacking. The nuclear receptor LRH-1 (NR5A2) is expressed in intestinal epithelium and thought to contribute to epithelial renewal. Here we show that LRH-1 maintains intestinal epithelial health and protects against inflammatory damage. Knocking out LRH-1 in murine intestinal organoids reduces Notch signaling, increases crypt cell death, distorts the cellular composition of the epithelium, and weakens the epithelial barrier. Human LRH-1 (hLRH-1) rescues epithelial integrity and when overexpressed, mitigates inflammatory damage in murine and human intestinal organoids, including those derived from IBD patients. Finally, hLRH-1 greatly reduces disease severity in T-cell-mediated murine colitis. Together with the failure of a ligand-incompetent hLRH-1 mutant to protect against TNFα-damage, these findings provide compelling evidence that hLRH-1 mediates epithelial homeostasis and is an attractive target for intestinal disease.
Two-site H2O2 photo-oxidation on haematite photoanodes
Authors: Avital Yotam Y. , Dotan Hen , Klotz Dino , Grave Daniel A. , Tsyganok Anton , Gupta Bhavana , Kolusheva Sofia , Visoly-Fisher Iris , Rothschild Avner , Yochelis Arik
Published: September 2018

H2O2 is a sacrificial reductant that is often used as a hole scavenger to gain insight into photoanode properties. Here we show a distinct mechanism of H2O2 photo-oxidation on haematite (α-Fe2O3) photoanodes. We found that the photocurrent voltammograms display non-monotonous behaviour upon varying the H2O2 concentration, which is not in accord with a linear surface reaction mechanism that involves a single reaction site as in Eley–Rideal reactions. We postulate a nonlinear kinetic mechanism that involves concerted interaction between adions induced by H2O2 deprotonation in the alkaline solution with adjacent intermediate species of the water photo-oxidation reaction, thereby involving two reaction sites as in Langmuir–Hinshelwood reactions. The devised kinetic model reproduces our main observations and predicts coexistence of two surface reaction paths (bi-stability) in a certain range of potentials and H2O2 concentrations. This prediction is confirmed experimentally by observing a hysteresis loop in the photocurrent voltammogram measured in the predicted coexistence range.
Pathogenic variants in glutamyl-tRNAGln amidotransferase subunits cause a lethal mitochondrial cardiomyopathy disorder
Authors: Friederich Marisa W. , Timal Sharita , Powell Christopher A. , Dallabona Cristina , Kurolap Alina , Palacios-Zambrano Sara , Bratkovic Drago , Derks Terry G. J. , Bick David , Bouman Katelijne , Chatfield Kathryn C. , Damouny-Naoum Nadine , Dishop Megan K. , Falik-Zaccai Tzipora C. , Fares Fuad , Fedida Ayalla , Ferrero Ileana , Gallagher Renata C. , Garesse Rafael , Gilberti Micol , González Cristina , Gowan Katherine , Habib Clair , Halligan Rebecca K. , Kalfon Limor , Knight Kaz , Lefeber Dirk , Mamblona Laura , Mandel Hanna , Mory Adi , Ottoson John , Paperna Tamar , Pruijn Ger J. M. , Rebelo-Guiomar Pedro F. , Saada Ann , Sainz Bruno , Salvemini Hayley , Schoots Mirthe H. , Smeitink Jan A. , Szukszto Maciej J. , ter Horst Hendrik J. , van den Brandt Frans , van Spronsen Francjan J. , Veltman Joris A. , Wartchow Eric , Wintjes Liesbeth T. , Zohar Yaniv , Fernández-Moreno Miguel A. , Baris Hagit N. , Donnini Claudia , Minczuk Michal , Rodenburg Richard J. , Van Hove Johan L. K.
Published: September 2018

Mitochondrial protein synthesis requires charging mt-tRNAs with their cognate amino acids by mitochondrial aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, with the exception of glutaminyl mt-tRNA (mt-tRNAGln). mt-tRNAGln is indirectly charged by a transamidation reaction involving the GatCAB aminoacyl-tRNA amidotransferase complex. Defects involving the mitochondrial protein synthesis machinery cause a broad spectrum of disorders, with often fatal outcome. Here, we describe nine patients from five families with genetic defects in a GatCAB complex subunit, including QRSL1, GATB, and GATC, each showing a lethal metabolic cardiomyopathy syndrome. Functional studies reveal combined respiratory chain enzyme deficiencies and mitochondrial dysfunction. Aminoacylation of mt-tRNAGln and mitochondrial protein translation are deficient in patients’ fibroblasts cultured in the absence of glutamine but restore in high glutamine. Lentiviral rescue experiments and modeling in S. cerevisiae homologs confirm pathogenicity. Our study completes a decade of investigations on mitochondrial aminoacylation disorders, starting with DARS2 and ending with the GatCAB complex.
An ultra-low thiourea catalyzed strain-release glycosylation and a multicatalytic diversification strategy
Authors: Xu Chunfa , Loh Charles C. J.
Published: September 2018

The utility of thiourea catalysis in selective glycosylation strategies has gained significant momentum lately due to its versatility in hydrogen bonding or anionic recognition activation modes. The use of these non-covalent interactions constitute a powerful means to construct glycosidic linkages as it mimics physiologically occurring glycosyltransferases. However, glycosyl donor activation through the currently employed catalysts is moderate such that, in general, catalyst loadings are rather high in these transformations. In addition, thiourea catalysis has not been well explored for the synthesis of furanosides. Herein, we demonstrate an ultra-low loadings stereoselective and stereospecific thiourea catalyzed strain-release furanosylation and pyranosylation strategy. Our ultra-low organocatalyzed furanosylation enables a multicatalytic strategy, which opens up a unique avenue towards rapid diversification of synthetic glycosides. In-situ NMR monitoring unravel insights into unknown reaction intermediates and initial rate kinetic studies reveal a plausible synergistic hydrogen bonding/Brønsted acid activation mode.