bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dependent plurals and three levels of multiplicity
Authors: Minor Serge
Published: July 2021

The paper focuses on the semantics of distributivity, grammatical number, and cardinality predicates (numerals and modifiers like several). I argue that constructions involving so-called ‘dependent plurals’, i.e. plurals lacking cardinality predicates occurring in the scope of certain quantificational items such as all and most (e.g. All the girls were wearing hats), pose a challenge to familiar semantic frameworks that distinguish between two sources of multiplicity: mereological plurality and distributive quantification. I argue that dependent plural readings should be analysed as distinct both from cumulative readings and distributive readings, in the classical sense. I demonstrate how this can be accomplished in a semantic framework where expressions are evaluated relative to sets of assignments, or plural info states (van den Berg, in Stokhof and Torenvliet (eds) Proceedings of the 7th Amsterdam Colloquium, ILLC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1990, in Dekker and Stokhof (eds) Proceedings of the 9th Amsterdam Colloquium, ILLC, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, 1994, Some aspects of the Internal Structure of Discourse. The Dynamics of Nominal Anaphora. PhD thesis, University of Amsterdam, 1996). The specific formal implementation is based on a modified version of Brasoveanu’s (Structured nominal and modal reference. PhD thesis, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, 2007, Linguist Philos 31(2):129–209. 10.1007/s10988-008-9035-0, 2008) Plural Compositional DRT. In this framework we are able to distinguish between two types of distributivity: weak distributivity across the assignments in a single plural info state and strong distributivity across multiple info states. I argue that both of these types of distributivity play a role in the semantics of natural language, accounting for the contrasting properties of ‘singular quantifiers’, such as each and every, and ‘plural quantifiers’, such as all and most. The contrasting properties of bare plurals and plurals involving cardinality modifiers are analysed in terms of the distinction between state-level and assignment-level (mereological) plurality.
TRU-NET: a deep learning approach to high resolution prediction of rainfall
Authors: Adewoyin Rilwan A. , Dueben Peter , Watson Peter , He Yulan , Dutta Ritabrata
Published: July 2021

Climate models (CM) are used to evaluate the impact of climate change on the risk of floods and heavy precipitation events. However, these numerical simulators produce outputs with low spatial resolution that exhibit difficulties representing precipitation events accurately. This is mainly due to computational limitations on the spatial resolution used when simulating multi-scale weather dynamics in the atmosphere. To improve the prediction of high resolution precipitation we apply a Deep Learning (DL) approach using input data from a reanalysis product, that is comparable to a climate model’s output, but can be directly related to precipitation observations at a given time and location. Further, our input excludes local precipitation, but includes model fields (weather variables) that are more predictable and generalizable than local precipitation. To this end, we present TRU-NET (Temporal Recurrent U-Net), an encoder-decoder model featuring a novel 2D cross attention mechanism between contiguous convolutional-recurrent layers to effectively model multi-scale spatio-temporal weather processes. We also propose a non-stochastic variant of the conditional-continuous (CC) loss function to capture the zero-skewed patterns of rainfall. Experiments show that our models, trained with our CC loss, consistently attain lower RMSE and MAE scores than a DL model prevalent in precipitation downscaling and outperform a state-of-the-art dynamical weather model. Moreover, by evaluating the performance of our model under various data formulation strategies, for the training and test sets, we show that there is enough data for our deep learning approach to output robust, high-quality results across seasons and varying regions.
Density-based weighting for imbalanced regression
Authors: Steininger Michael , Kobs Konstantin , Davidson Padraig , Krause Anna , Hotho Andreas
Published: July 2021

In many real world settings,
imbalanced data impedes model performance of learning algorithms, like neural networks, mostly for rare cases. This is especially problematic for tasks focusing on these rare occurrences. For example, when estimating precipitation, extreme rainfall events are scarce but important considering their potential consequences. While there are numerous well studied solutions for classification settings, most of them cannot be applied to regression easily. Of the few solutions for regression tasks, barely any have explored cost-sensitive learning which is known to have advantages compared to sampling-based methods in classification tasks. In this work, we propose a sample weighting approach for imbalanced regression datasets called DenseWeight and a cost-sensitive learning approach for neural network regression with imbalanced data called DenseLoss based on our weighting scheme. DenseWeight weights data points according to their target value rarities through kernel density estimation (KDE). DenseLoss adjusts each data point’s influence on the loss according to DenseWeight, giving rare data points more influence on model
training compared to common data points. We show on multiple differently distributed datasets that DenseLoss significantly improves model performance for rare data points through its density-based weighting scheme. Additionally, we compare DenseLoss to the state-of-the-art method SMOGN, finding that our method mostly yields better performance. Our approach provides more control over model training as it enables us to actively decide on the trade-off between focusing on common or rare cases through a single hyperparameter, allowing the training of better models for rare data points.
Information-theoretic regularization for learning global features by sequential VAE
Authors: Akuzawa Kei , Iwasawa Yusuke , Matsuo Yutaka
Published: July 2021

Sequential variational autoencoders (VAEs) with a global latent variable z have been studied for disentangling the global features of data, which is useful for several downstream tasks. To further assist the sequential VAEs in obtaining meaningful z, existing approaches introduce a regularization term that maximizes the mutual information (MI) between the observation and z. However, by analyzing the sequential VAEs from the information-theoretic perspective, we claim that simply maximizing the MI encourages the latent variable to have redundant information, thereby preventing the disentanglement of global features. Based on this analysis, we derive a novel regularization method that makes z informative while encouraging disentanglement. Specifically, the proposed method removes redundant information by minimizing the MI between z and the local features by using adversarial training. In the experiments, we trained two sequential VAEs, state-space and autoregressive model variants, using speech and image datasets. The results indicate that the proposed method improves the performance of downstream classification and data generation tasks, thereby supporting our information-theoretic perspective for the learning of global features.
Board behavior’s impact on entrepreneurial orientation in public enterprises
Authors: Tremml Timo , Löbbe Sabine , Kuckertz Andreas
Published: July 2021

Public enterprises find themselves in increasingly competitive markets, a situation that makes having an entrepreneurial orientation (EO) an urgent need, given that EO is an indispensable driver of performance. Research describes politicians delaying the strategic change of public enterprises when serving as board members, but empirical evidence of the impact of board behavior on EO in public enterprises is lacking. We draw on stakeholder-agency theory (SAT) and resource dependence theory (RDT) and use structural equation modeling (SEM) to investigate survey data collected from 110 German energy suppliers that are majority government owned. Results indicate that board strategy control and board networking do not seem to predict EO on first sight. Closer analysis reveals a board networking–EO relationship depending on ownership structure. Remarkably, we find that it is not the usually suspected local municipal owner who hinders EO in our sample organizations but minority shareholders engaging in board networking activities. The results shed light on the intersection of governance and entrepreneurship with special reference to the fine-grained conceptualization of RDT.
Robustness of digital camera identification with convolutional neural networks
Authors: Bernacki Jarosław
Published: July 2021

This paper considers the area of digital forensics (DF). One of the problem in DF is the issue of identification of digital cameras based on images. This aspect has been attractive in recent years due to popularity of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter etc., where lots of photographs are shared. Although many algorithms and methods for digital camera identification have been proposed, there is lack of research about their robustness. Therefore, in this paper the robustness of digital camera identification with the use of convolutional neural network is discussed. It is assumed that images may be of poor quality, for example, degraded by Poisson noise, Gaussian blur, random noise or removing pixels’ least significant bit. Experimental evaluation conducted on two large image datasets (including Dresden Image Database) confirms usefulness of proposed method, where noised images are recognized with almost the same high accuracy as normal images.
Critical Relations of Crowns in Critical Times of Coronavirus Depression
Authors: Kunos Ádám , Maróti Miklós , Zádori László
Published: July 2021

The critical relations are the building blocks of the relational clone of a relational structure with respect to the relational operations intersection and direct product. In this paper we describe the critical relations of crowns. As a consequence, we obtain that the subpower membership problem for any crown is polynomial-time solvable.
Root anatomy and soil resource capture
Authors: Lynch Jonathan P. , Strock Christopher F. , Schneider Hannah M. , Sidhu Jagdeep Singh , Ajmera Ishan , Galindo-Castañeda Tania , Klein Stephanie P. , Hanlon Meredith T.
Published: July 2021

Background

Suboptimal water and nutrient availability are primary constraints in global agriculture. Root anatomy plays key roles in soil resource acquisition. In this article we summarize evidence that root anatomical phenotypes present opportunities for crop breeding.

Scope

Root anatomical phenotypes influence soil resource acquisition by regulating the metabolic cost of soil exploration, exploitation of the rhizosphere, the penetration of hard soil domains, the axial and radial transport of water, and interactions with soil biota including mycorrhizal fungi, pathogens, insects, and the rhizosphere microbiome. For each of these topics we provide examples of anatomical phenotypes which merit attention as selection targets for crop improvement. Several cross-cutting issues are addressed including the importance of phenotypic plasticity, integrated phenotypes, C sequestration, in silico modeling, and novel methods to phenotype root anatomy including image analysis tools.

Conclusions

An array of anatomical phenes have substantial importance for the acquisition of water and nutrients. Substantial phenotypic variation exists in crop germplasm. New tools and methods are making it easier to phenotype root anatomy, determine its genetic control, and understand its utility for plant fitness. Root anatomical phenotypes are underutilized yet attractive breeding targets for the development of the efficient, resilient crops urgently needed in global agriculture.
Rotational thromboelastometry and conventional coagulation tests in patients undergoing major cardiac or aortic surgery: a retrospective single-center cohort study
Authors: Keyl Cornelius , Bashota Albina , Beyersdorf Friedhelm , Trenk Dietmar
Published: July 2021

Algorithms for treatment of diffuse bleeding in cardiac surgery are based on intervention thresholds of coagulation tests, such as rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM) or conventional laboratory tests. The relationship between these two approaches is unclear in patients with increased risk of coagulation abnormalities. We retrospectively analyzed the data of 248 patients undergoing major cardiac and/or aortic surgery. ROTEM and conventional laboratory tests were performed simultaneously after termination of cardiopulmonary bypass and protamine administration to investigate the extrinsic and intrinsic system, and to determine deficiencies in platelets and fibrinogen. We evaluated the association between ROTEM and conventional tests by linear regression analysis and compared the frequency of exceeding established thresholds for clinical intervention. Significant linear associations between ROTEM 10 min after the start of coagulation, and plasma fibrinogen concentration or platelet count (FIBTEM A10, R2 = 0.67, p < 0.001; EXTEM A10, R2 = 0.47, p < 0.001) were obtained. However, the 95% prediction intervals exceeded clinically useful ranges (92–233 mg/dL fibrinogen at the intervention threshold of FIBTEM A10 = 10 mm; 14 × 103–122 × 103/µL platelets at the intervention threshold of EXTEM A10 = 40 mm). The association between EXTEM and INR (R2 = 0.23), and INTEM and aPTT (R2 = 0.095) was poor. The frequency of exceeding intervention thresholds and, consequently, of triggering treatment, varied markedly between ROTEM and conventional tests (p < 0.001 for all comparisons). The predictability of conventional coagulation test results by ROTEM is limited, thus hampering the interchangeability of methods in clinical practice.
Antimicrobial and antioxidant activity of Evernia prunastri extracts and their isolates
Authors: Shcherbakova A. , Strömstedt A. A. , Göransson U. , Gnezdilov O. , Turanov A. , Boldbaatar D. , Kochkin D. , Ulrich-Merzenich G. , Koptina A.
Published: July 2021

Lichens are symbiotic organisms formed by a fungus and one or more photosynthetic partners which are usually alga or cyanobacterium. Their diverse and scarcely studied metabolites facilitate adaptability to extreme living conditions. We investigatedEvernia prunastri(L.) Ach., a widely distributed lichen, for its antimicrobial and antioxidant potential.E. prunastriwas sequentially extracted by hexane (Hex), dichloromethane (DCM) and acetonitrile (ACN) that were screened for their antioxidant and antimicrobial (againstStaphylococcus aureus,Pseudomonas aeruginosa,Escherichia coli and Candida albicans) activities. The Hex extract possessed the highest antioxidant capacity (87 mg ascorbic acid/g extract) corresponding to the highest content of phenols (73 mg gallic acid/g extract). The DCM and Hex extracts were both active againstS. aureus(MICs of 4 and 21 µg/ml, respectively) but were less active against Gram-negative bacteria and yeast. The ACN extract exhibited activity on bothS. aureus(MIC 14 µg/ml) andC. albicans(MIC 38 µg/ml) and was therefore further fractionated by silica gel column chromatography. The active compound of the most potent fraction was subsequently characterized by1H and13C-NMR spectroscopy and identified as evernic acid. Structural similarity analyses were performed between compounds fromE. prunastriand known antibiotics from different classes. The structural similarity was not present. Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities ofE. prunastriextracts originate from multiple chemical compounds; besides usnic acid, most notably evernic acid and derivatives thereof. Evernic acid and its derivatives represent possible candidates for a new class of antibiotics.

Graphic abstract
Maximization of Some Types of Information for Unidentified Item Response Models with Guessing Parameters
Authors: Ogasawara Haruhiko
Published: July 2021

It is known that a family of fixed-effects item response models with equal discrimination and different guessing parameters has no model identifiability. For this family, some types of information including the Fisher information and a new one are maximized to have model identification. The conditions of monotonicity of these types of information with respect to a tuning parameter are given. In the case of the logistic model with guessing parameters, it is shown that maxima do not exist under some parametrization, where negative lower asymptote can be employed without changing the probabilities of correct responses by examinees.
Efficient water treatment achieved in recirculating aquaculture system using woodchip denitrification and slow sand filtration
Authors: Lindholm-Lehto Petra Camilla , Pulkkinen Jani Tapio , Kiuru Tapio , Koskela Juha , Vielma Jouni
Published: July 2021

For a recirculating aquaculture system (RAS), a passive water treatment system was designed for efficient discharge nutrient removal and water reuse in RAS production. Denitrification in a woodchip bioreactor filled with birch wood (Betula pendula) followed by sand filtration was introduced into a side-loop of an experimental RAS rearing rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). Denitrification efficiency remained high (96%) throughout the experiment and reached a nitrogen removal rate of 15 g NO3-N m−3 per day. Sand filtration was used to remove dissolved and particulate matter and improve water quality before being returned to water circulation. To ensure the absence of harmful substances in the system, heavy metals were quantified. Additionally, off-flavor-inducing compounds were quantified in the circulating water and in fish flesh. Significantly higher concentrations of geosmin (GSM) (p<0.05) were observed in the controls compared to side-looped systems, but a similar effect was not observed in the case of 2-methylisoborneol (MIB). Among heavy metals, concentrations of Co (30 μg L−1), Ni (40 μg L−1), and Pb (140 μg L−1) decreased to below 10 μg L−1 in the side-loop water after the start-up of the system. Only low concentrations of Cu (5–30 μg L−1) were found in the rearing tank water, in both the side-loop and controls. The results indicated that this type of process design is suitable for safely producing fish of high quality.
A Numerical Study on the Influence of an Axial Magnetic Field (AMF) on Vacuum Arc Remelting (VAR) Process
Authors: Karimi-Sibaki E. , Kharicha A. , Abdi M. , Vakhrushev A. , Wu M. , Ludwig A. , Bohacek J.
Published: July 2021

A comprehensive numerical model is proposed to study the influence of an axial magnetic field (AMF) on the solidification behavior of a Titanium-based (Ti–6Al–4V) vacuum arc remelting (VAR) ingot. Both static and time-varying AMF are examined. The proposed 2D axisymmetric swirl model includes calculating electromagnetic and thermal fields in the entire system composed of the electrode, vacuum plasma, ingot, and mold. A combination of vector potential formulation and induction equation is proposed to model the electromagnetic field accurately. Calculations of the flow in the melt pool and solidification of the ingot are also carried out. All governing equations are presented in cylindrical coordinate. The presence of a weak AMF, such as the earth magnetic field, can dramatically influence the flow pattern in the melt pool. The “Electro-vortex flow” is predicted ignoring AMF or in the presence of a time-varying AMF. However, the flow pattern is “Ekman pumping” in the presence of a static AMF. The amount of side-arcing has no influence on the pool depth in the presence of an AMF. Modeling results are validated against experiments.
Formal self duality
Authors: Kölsch Lukas , Schüler Robert
Published: July 2021

We study the notion of formal self duality in finite abelian groups. Formal duality in finite abelian groups has been proposed by Cohn, Kumar, Reiher and Schürmann. In this paper we give a precise definition of formally self dual sets and discuss results from the literature in this perspective. Also, we discuss the connection to formally dual codes. We prove that formally self dual sets can be reduced to primitive formally self dual sets similar to a previously known result on general formally dual sets. Furthermore, we describe several properties of formally self dual sets. Also, some new examples of formally self dual sets are presented within this paper. Lastly, we study formally self dual sets of the form $\{(x,F(x)) \ : \ x\in {\mathbb {F}}_{2^{n}}\}$
{
(
x
,
F
(
x
)
)

:

x
∈

F

2

n

}
where F is a vectorial Boolean function mapping ${\mathbb {F}}_{2^{n}}$

F

2

n

to ${\mathbb {F}}_{2^{n}}$

F

2

n

.
Decision making in hematology—chronic myeloid leukemia
Authors: Petzer Andreas L.
Published: July 2021

Chronic myeloid leukemia is nowadays associated with a good prognosis and an excellent life expectancy. However, certain levels of responses have to be achieved with the various available tyrosine kinase inhibitors at certain time points during the treatment otherwise adequate diagnostic and therapeutic actions have to be initiated. This paper will focus on these issues.
Left ventricular false tendons
Authors: Velthuis S. , Senden P. J.
Published: July 2021

Left ventricular false tendons (LVFTs) are fibromuscular structures, connecting the left ventricular free wall or papillary muscle and the ventricular septum.

There is some discussion about safety issues during intense exercise in athletes with LVFTs, as these bands have been associated with ventricular arrhythmias and abnormal cardiac remodelling. However, presence of LVFTs appears to be much more common than previously noted as imaging techniques have improved and the association between LVFTs and abnormal remodelling could very well be explained by better visibility in a dilated left ventricular lumen.

Although LVFTs may result in electrocardiographic abnormalities and could form a substrate for ventricular arrhythmias, it should be considered as a normal anatomic variant. Persons with LVFTs do not appear to have increased risk for ventricular arrhythmias or sudden cardiac death.
Rapid Consolidation of WC-ZrSiO4 Hard Materials by Spark Plasma Sintering: Microstructure, Densification, and Mechanical Properties
Authors: Lee Jeong-Han , Oh Ik-Hyun , Kim Ju-Hun , Hong Sung-Kil , Park Hyun-Kuk
Published: July 2021

Densely consolidated WC-based hard materials with 5–20 vol% ZrSiO4 was fabricated by spark plasma sintering at 1400 ℃ at a constant heating rate of 70 ℃/min−1. To achieve mechanical alloying of WC-ZrSiO4, planetary ball milling was carried out for 12 h, during which the brittle-brittle components (WC-ZrSiO4) became fragmented and their particles became refined. It was observed that certain, specific, non-isothermal sintering kinetics, such as apparent activation energy, sintering exponents, and densification strain, affected the densification behavior. The evolution of phase structure from powder to compact was found to be related the lattice distortion and micro-strain in the basal planes of WC. By examining the mechanical properties of the samples, it was that the added zircon content leads to enhanced fracture toughness (12.9 MPa m1/2) owing to the presence of WC-ZrSiO4 in the cemented carbide. In fact, the microcrack propagation of the fracture passed through zircon from a transgranular to a ductile component (fcc) where the crack tips could be absorbed.

Graphic Abstract
Effect and mechanism of rheological properties and structure of a novel hydrophobically associating polymer on sand sedimentation rate
Authors: Zhao Zhongcong , Wang Meng , Liu Tao , Cheng Xiaoliang , Chen Tengfei , Ge Yanrong , Guo Xiupeng
Published: July 2021

With hydrophobic associating polymer (BCG-1) and anionic surfactant sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) solution as the object, this work studies the different polymer concentration and surfactant concentration on the influence law of fluid properties and examines the sand sedimentation rate and the correlation of fluid properties. After the liquid was tested by electron microscope and rheometer, it was found that the interaction between the surfactant and the polymer is with phases, which provided different angles for revealing the change rule of the deposition rate of sand. When the concentration of SDBS solution is in the second phase (0.05–0.2%), although the system property changes slightly and the microscopic morphology does not change greatly, the deposition rate of sand still decreases significantly. Relaxation time spectrometry explains that the reduction in the sedimentation rate of the sand is caused by the shift of the polymer chain motion mode, whereas the phase angle can clearly manifest this change, and the phase angle is highly correlated with the deposition rate of sand.
First report on the prevalence of bacteria in cystic fibrosis patients (CF) in a tertiary care center in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Banjar Hanaa , Ghawi Afrah , AlMogarri Ibrahim , Alhaider Sami , Alomran Hanan , Hejazi Abdullah , Alfadhel Abdulrahaman , Khanjar Sharouk , AlAshgar Mais , Alghazzi Alaa , Abanemai Lama , AlFattani Areej
Published: July 2021

Introduction:

Bacterial infections in CF patients are common and start early in life. The prognosis of the disease is substantially dependent on chronic respiratory infection and inflammation. Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA) infection or chronic colonization have been established to cause a chronic decline in pulmonary function (PFT), and/or increase CF mortality.

Objectives:

To obtain the prevalence of all bacterial pathogens in our CF patients and assess their evolution over time.

Method:

A retrospective review of 327 patients with confirmed CF of all age groups, who had respiratory culture samples at the first visit and on a regular follow-up between January 1,1990 and December 2018, was conducted.

Results:

A total of 327 patients had a respiratory culture obtained at presentation. Two hundred and sixteen (66%) of 327 patients are alive, while 111 (34%) have died. Respiratory cultures were taken from nasopharyngeal aspiration (NPA) in 199 patients (61%), tracheal aspirate in 9 (3%), bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL)in one (0.29%), and in 124 patients (38%), sputum was induced. The eastern province contributed to the highest number of patients (122, 37.7%). There is a persistent increase in the prevalence of the common bacteria over the follow-up period of 7 years, namely Hemophilus influenzae (H. influenzae), Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), and all Pseudomonas (P. aeruginosa) culture types.

Comparing cultures from the first and last follow-up visits, there was an increase in the prevalence of all (P. aeruginosa) cultures from 120 (34%) to 137 (53%), and a decrease in the prevalence of (S. aureus) and (H. influenzae) during the same follow-up period.

Conclusion:

There is a progressive increase in the number of patients with the most pathogenic types of bacteria because of the advanced age at presentation. As more adult patients are enrolled, there is a need for improved awareness regarding the early eradication of pathogenic bacteria to prevent progressive pulmonary damage.
Factors influencing the use of non-plastic reusable shopping bags: A cognitive-normative-habitual approach
Authors: Muposhi Asphat , Mpinganjira Mercy , Wait Marius
Published: July 2021

The widespread use and irresponsible disposal of single-use plastic shopping bags are posing a significant threat to environmental sustainability. The use of non-plastic reusable shopping bags (NPRSBs) is being promoted in several jurisdictions to avert this challenge. However, this form of pro-environmental behaviour is failing to embed among consumers in emerging markets. This study therefore examines the factors influencing the behaviour of using NPRSBs among consumers, using a modified theory of planned behaviour. Data were collected from 487 South African consumers using a structured questionnaire and were analysed using structural equation modelling. The results identified ‘attitudes’ and ‘personal norms’ as the building blocks for the formation of pro-reusable shopping bags use intentions, which, in turn, influence actual behaviour. The findings also pointed to the need to foster the development of descriptive norms related to the use of NPRSBs in order to enhance mainstream use. Accordingly, this study recommends the use of rational and norm-based strategies to stimulate the behaviour of using NPRSBs.
Numerical and experimental testing of aircraft tyre impact during landing
Authors: Gan Y. , Fang X. , Wei X. , Nie H.
Published: July 2021

The capability of aircraft tyres to sustain landing impact loads is essential for flight landing safety. Hence, the development of a reliable experimental database is necessary to validate numerical models. The experimental data on aircraft tyre landing impact in the public literature are somewhat sparse. This paper describes a detailed design rig for aircraft tyre impact testing. A finite element model is then created and simulated using a finite element tool (ABAQUS). Inflation and static load simulations are analysed based on the FE tyre model to confirm its reliability. Comparison of experimental measurements with the results reveals that the model can predict the significant features of aircraft tyre impact in a landing scenario. Very little experimental data are publicly available to verify aircraft tyre models. Therefore, the experimental data in this paper fill this gap in the literature.
Xanthene-stained nanoparticles for phosphorescence anisotropy measurements
Authors: Schmidt Markus J. , Rösgen Thomas
Published: July 2021

For the measurement of flow-induced microrotations in flows utilizing the depolarization of phosphorescence anisotropy, suitable luminophores are crucial. The present work examines dyes of the xanthene family, namely Rhodamine B, Eosin Y and Erythrosine B. Both in solution and incorporated in particles, the dyes are examined regarding their luminescent lifetimes and their quantum yield. In an oxygen-rich environment at room temperature, all dyes exhibit lifetimes in the sub-microsecond range and a low intensity signal, making them suitable for sensing fast rotations with sensitive acquisition systems.
A Religious Vaccination? How Christian Communities React to Right-Wing Populism in Germany, France and the US
Authors: Cremer Tobias
Published: July 2021

Right-wing populists across Western democracies have markedly increased references to Christianity in recent years. While there is much debate about how and why they have done so, less attention has been paid to how Christian communities react to this development. The present study addresses this gap through a comparative analysis of Christian responses to right-wing populist politics in Germany, France and the US. It relies on quantitative studies, survey data and the qualitative analysis of 39 in-depth interviews with right-wing populist leaders, mainstream party politicians and church officials. The findings of this analysis suggest a potential ‘religious vaccination effect’ among Christian voters against right-wing populism but underline its connection to elite actor behaviour. Specifically, the availability of a ‘Christian alternative’ in the party system, as well as religious leaders’ willingness and ability to create a social taboo around the populist right seem critically to impact religious immunity to populism.
‘The Days of their Heedless Power Were Over and Done’: Dynamics of Power in the Military Structures of the Precolonial Asante State, 1874–1900
Authors: Manu-Osafo Manuel J.
Published: July 2021

The British surprisingly faced no military resistance when they captured Asante in 1896. Previous works have focused on the agency of actors like Prempe and Frederick Hodgson to explain why. This paper, in contrast, approaches this epoch in Asante history from the context of the sociopolitical power structure within which the precolonial Asante state operated. It asserts that Asante's independence was contingent on having a strong military. But since it had no standing army, the state used Asante's ‘social contract’ to coerce its subjects into ad hoc armies to meet military threats. Starting from the 1874 Sagrenti War, however, the state disregarded the social contract. This unleashed a series of events that undermined the state's power to coerce Asantes into military service. The article posits further that this erosion of the state's coercive power ultimately prevented it from countering the British with armed resistance in 1896 to maintain independence.
Implementation of neutralizing fields for particle–particle simulations using like charges
Authors: Zhao Yinjian , Cui Chen , Zhang Yanan , Hu Yuan
Published: July 2021

The particle–particle (PP) model has a growing number of applications in plasma simulations, because of its high accuracy of solving Coulomb collisions. One of the main issues restricting the practical use of the PP model is its large computational cost, which is now becoming acceptable thanks to state-of-art parallel computing techniques. Another issue is the singularity that occurs when two particles are too close. The most effective approach of avoiding the singularity would be to simulate particles with only like charges plus a neutralizing field, such that the short-range collisions are equivalent to those of using unlike charges. In this paper, we introduce a way of adding the neutralizing field by using the analytical solution of the electric field in the domain filled with uniformly distributed charges, for applications with homogeneous and quasi-neutral plasmas under a reflective boundary condition. Two most common Cartesian domain geometries, cubic and spherical, are considered. The model is verified by comparing simulation results with an analytical solution of an electron–ion temperature relaxation problem, and a corresponding simulation using unlike charges. In addition, it is found that a PP simulation using like charges can achieve a significant speed-up of 100 compared with a corresponding simulation using unlike charges, due to the capability of using larger time steps while maintaining the same energy conservation.
Long-term size and range changes of the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus population in the Balkans: a review
Authors: DOBREV DOBROMIR , TSIAKIRIS RIGAS , SKARTSI THEODORA , DOBREV VLADIMIR , ARKUMAREV VOLEN , STARA KALLIOPI , STAMENOV ANTON , PROBONAS NIKOS , KOMINOS THEODOROS , GALANAKI ANTONIA , KRET ELZBIETA , HALLMANN BEN , GRUBAČ BRATISLAV , SUŠIĆ GORAN , MARINKOVIĆ SAŠA , HRIBŠEK IRENA , SKORIĆ STEFAN , JERRENTRUP HANS , LUCIĆ VEDRAN , KAPELJ SVEN , STOYANOV GEORGI , ZAKKAK SYLVIA , HRISTOV HRISTO , STOYCHEV STOYCHO , SIDIROPOULOS LAVRENTIS , BINO TAULANT , DEMERDZHIEV DIMITAR
Published: July 2021

The Eurasian Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus is a large Palearctic, Indohimalayan and Afrotropical Old-World vulture. The species’ range is vast, encompassing territories from the Pyrenees to the Himalayas. We reviewed and analysed a long-term data set for Griffon Vulture in the Balkans to estimate the change in its population size and range between 1980 and 2019. After a large historical decline, the Griffon Vulture population slightly increased in the last 39 years (λ = 1.02) and reached 445–565 pairs in 2019. We recorded a gradual increase of Griffon Vulture subpopulations in Serbia (λ = 1.08 ± 0.003), Bulgaria (λ = 1.08 ± 0.003) and Croatia (λ = 1.05 ± 0.005) and steep to a moderate decline of the species subpopulations in Greece (λ = 0.88 ± 0.005) and North Macedonia (λ = 0.94 ± 0.01). However, species range contracted to half of its former range in the same period. It occurred in 42 UTM squares in the 1980–1990 period and only 20 UTM squares between 2011 and 2019 and concentrated into three source subpopulations in Bulgaria, Serbia, and Croatia. Following reintroductions of the Griffon Vulture in Bulgaria, new colonies were formed at three novel localities after 2010. Regular movements of individuals between the different subpopulations exist nowadays. Therefore, preservation of both current and former core areas used for breeding and roosting is essential for species conservation in the region. However, the Griffon Vulture still faces severe threats and risk of local extinction. Various hazards such as poisoning, collision with energy infrastructure, disturbance and habitat alteration are depleting the status of the Balkan population and its full recovery. Further studies should analyse age-specific survival and mortality, recruitment, genetic relatedness, spatial use to inform the viability of this population in the future.
Autonomy and control in the wish to die in terminally ill patients: A systematic integrative review
Authors: Rodríguez-Prat Andrea , Wilson Donna M. , Agulles Remei
Published: July 2021

Background/Objective

Personal autonomy and control are major concepts for people with life-limiting conditions. Patients who express a wish to die (WTD) are often thought of wanting it because of loss of autonomy or control. The research conducted so far has not focused on personal beliefs and perspectives; and little is known about patients’ understanding of autonomy and control in this context. The aim of this review was to analyze what role autonomy and control may play in relation to the WTD expressed by people with life-limiting conditions.

Methods

A systematic integrative review was conducted. The search strategy used MeSH terms in combination with free-text searching of the EBSCO Discovery Service (which provides access to multiple academic library literature databases, including PubMed and CINAHL), as well as the large PsycINFO, Scopus, and Web of Science library literature databases from their inception until February 2019. The search was updated to January 2021.

Results

After the screening process, 85 full texts were included for the final analysis. Twenty-seven studies, recording the experiences of 1,824 participants, were identified. The studies were conducted in Australia (n= 5), Canada (n= 5), USA (n= 5), The Netherlands (n= 3), Spain (n= 2), Sweden (n= 2), Switzerland (n= 2), Finland (n= 1), Germany (n= 1), and the UK (n= 1). Three themes were identified: (1) the presence of autonomy for the WTD, (2) the different ways in which autonomy is conceptualized, and (3) the socio-cultural context of research participants.

Significance of results

Despite the importance given to the concept of autonomy in the WTD discourse, only a few empirical studies have focused on personal interests. Comprehending the context is crucial because personal understandings of autonomy are shaped by socio-cultural–ethical backgrounds and these impact personal WTD attitudes.
Die X-chromosomale Adrenoleukodystrophie oder vom Umgang mit seltenen Erkrankungen in der hausärztlichen Praxis
Authors: Paunovic Svetlana , Koehler Wolfgang , Knechtle Beat
Published: July 2021

Zusammenfassung. Wir berichten über einen 48-jährigen Patienten mit einer X-chromosomalen Adrenoleukodystrophie mit einer langsam progredienten beinbetonten spastischen Paraparese, einer vegetativen Dysfunktion mit Blasen- und Sexualfunktionsstörung sowie einer primären Nebennierenrindeninsuffizienz. Die Diagnose Adrenomyeloneuropathie, die Erwachsenenform der Adrenoleukodystrophie, mit Morbus Addison konnte im Alter von 20 Jahren mittels Nachweis einer erhöhten Konzentration der überlangkettigen Fettsäuren im Plasma gestellt werden. Die Therapie ist symptomorientiert.
Dynamics of the African Plate 75 Ma: From Plate Kinematic Reconstructions to Intraplate Paleo‐Stresses
Authors: Wouters Marius C. , Pérez‐Díaz Lucía , Tuck‐Martin Amy , Eagles Graeme , Adam Jürgen , Govers Rob
Published: July 2021

Plate reconstruction studies show that the Neotethys Ocean was closing due to the convergence of Africa and Eurasia toward the end of the Cretaceous. The period around 75 Ma reflects the onset of continental collision between the two plates as convergence continued to be taken up mostly by subduction of the Neotethys slab beneath Eurasia. The Owen transform plate boundary in the northeast accommodated the fast northward motion of the Indian plate relative to the African plate. The rest of the plate was surrounded by mid‐ocean ridges. Africa was experiencing continent‐wide rifting related to northeast‐southwest extension. We aim to quantify the forces and paleostresses that may have driven this continental extension. We use the latest plate kinematic reconstructions in a grid search to estimate horizontal gravitational stresses (HGSs), plate boundary forces, and the plate's interaction with the asthenosphere. The contribution of dynamic topography to HGSs is based on recent mantle convection studies. We model intraplate stresses and compare them with the strain observations. The fit to observations favors models where dynamic topography amplitudes are smaller than 300 m. The results also indicate that the net pull transmitted from slab to the surface African plate was low. To put this into context, we notice that available tectonic reconstructions show fragmented subduction zones and various colliding micro‐continents along the northern margin of the African plate around this time. We therefore interpret a low net pull as resulting from either a small average slab length or from the micro‐continents' resistance to subduction.
The Digital Forest: Mapping a Decade of Knowledge on Technological Applications for Forest Ecosystems
Authors: Nitoslawski S. A. , Wong‐Stevens K. , Steenberg J. W. N. , Witherspoon K. , Nesbitt L. , Konijnendijk van den Bosch C. C.
Published: July 2021

Forest ecosystem resilience is of considerable interest worldwide, particularly given the climate crisis, biodiversity loss, and recent instances of zoonotic diseases linked to deforestation and forest loss. Novel, digital‐based technologies are also increasingly ubiquitous. We provide a more comprehensive understanding of how these new technologies are being used for forest management in different sectors and contexts, and discuss potential implications and future research needs for forestry researchers, managers, and policymakers. We carried out a literature database search and scoping review to collect peer‐reviewed articles from 2010 to 2020, and developed a forest‐technology classification to identify hardware and/or software technologies and techniques, methodology used, forest management application(s), spatial and temporal context, subsequent challenges and limitations, and opportunities. A qualitative analysis revealed a strong emphasis on remote sensing‐based innovations for forest monitoring, planning, and management, where machine‐learning techniques also play an important role in data collection, processing, and analysis. Data fusion approaches are also becoming more common, enabled by open‐source data sets and data sharing practices. More emerging technologies and applications include virtual/augmented environments for understanding human‐nature relationships and behavior patterns, automated workflows for forestry operations, and urban green infrastructure mapping and ecosystem services assessments via social media and mobile tracking applications. The continued adoption of digital‐based tools will likely bring about new research questions about forest ecosystems as dynamic social, ecological, and technological landscapes, and future work should more closely examine how forestry researchers, managers, and stakeholders can anticipate and adapt to both environmental and technological uncertainty change in a forest‐ecosystem context.
Using a New Top‐Down Constrained Emissions Inventory to Attribute the Previously Unknown Source of Extreme Aerosol Loadings Observed Annually in the Monsoon Asia Free Troposphere
Authors: Wang Shuo , Cohen Jason Blake , Deng Weizhi , Qin Kai , Guo Jianping
Published: July 2021

The contribution of biomass burning to the total aerosol loading over Monsoon Asia is both significant and continuing to increase. To better match the spatio‐temporal distribution of aerosols and trace gasses observed in the free troposphere, this work applied a 3‐D constrained emission inventory based on top‐down remotely sensed NO2 measurement to investigate the most extreme of the annually occurring biomass burning seasons in Monsoon Asia. In 2016, this constituted an extreme event observed over a 6‐day period covering millions of square kilometers, including over regions that are typically in the rainy phase of the Asian Monsoon. The results are shown to be consistent with respect to Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission precipitation, AERONET measurements, MODIS AOD, MOPITT CO, and reanalysis meteorology, over both the biomass burning source as well as the millions of square kilometers downwind both to the East and to the Southwest. Reproducing the observed long‐range transport pattern requires the time of biomass burning to be increased, regions not previously identified as burning to be actual source regions, and the emissions of Black Carbon (BC) to be 6.6 to 11.9 times larger than current inventories. The underlying mechanism for this long‐range transport involves a new 3‐D pathway that can occur during the transition from the North phase to the South phase of the Asian Monsoon. The results are also consistent with the new idea that large loadings of BC in the lower free troposphere may significantly affect the meteorological field and the overall vertical distribution of aerosols in the tropical troposphere.
Structural basis of early translocation events on the ribosome
Authors: Rundlet Emily J. , Holm Mikael , Schacherl Magdalena , Natchiar S. Kundhavai , Altman Roger B. , Spahn Christian M. T. , Myasnikov Alexander G. , Blanchard Scott C.
Published: July 2021

Peptide-chain elongation during protein synthesis entails sequential aminoacyl-tRNA selection and translocation reactions that proceed rapidly (2–20 per second) and with a low error rate (around 10−3 to 10−5 at each step) over thousands of cycles1. The cadence and fidelity of ribosome transit through mRNA templates in discrete codon increments is a paradigm for movement in biological systems that must hold for diverse mRNA and tRNA substrates across domains of life. Here we use single-molecule fluorescence methods to guide the capture of structures of early translocation events on the bacterial ribosome. Our findings reveal that the bacterial GTPase elongation factor G specifically engages spontaneously achieved ribosome conformations while in an active, GTP-bound conformation to unlock and initiate peptidyl-tRNA translocation. These findings suggest that processes intrinsic to the pre-translocation ribosome complex can regulate the rate of protein synthesis, and that energy expenditure is used later in the translocation mechanism than previously proposed.
Cell specific variation in viability in suspension in in vitro Poiseuille flow conditions
Authors: Connolly Sinead , Newport David , McGourty Kieran
Published: July 2021

The influence of Poiseuille flow on cell viability has applications in the areas of cancer metastasis, lab-on-a-chip devices and flow cytometry. Indeed, retaining cell viability is important in the emerging field of adoptive cell therapy, as cells need to be returned to patients’ bodies, while the viability of other cells, which are perhaps less accustomed to suspension in a fluidic environment, is important to retain in flow cytometers and other such devices. Despite this, it is unclear how Poiseuille flow affects cell viability. Following on from previous studies which investigated the viability and inertial positions of circulating breast cancer cells in identical flow conditions, this study investigated the influence that varying flow rate, and the corresponding Reynolds number has on the viability of a range of different circulating cells in laminar pipe flow including primary T-cells, primary fibroblasts and neuroblastoma cells. It was found that Reynolds numbers as high as 9.13 had no effect on T-cells while the viabilities of neuroblastoma cells and intestinal fibroblasts were significantly reduced in comparison. This indicates that in vitro flow devices need to be tailored to cell-specific flow regimes.