bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Obata-type theorem on compact Einstein manifolds with boundary
Authors: Akutagawa Kazuo
Published: February 2021

We show a kind of Obata-type theorem on a compact Einstein n-manifold $$(W, \bar{g})$$

(
W
,

g

¯

)

with smooth boundary $$\partial W$$

∂
W

. Assume that the boundary $$\partial W$$

∂
W

is minimal in $$(W, \bar{g})$$

(
W
,

g

¯

)

. If $$(\partial W, \bar{g}|_{\partial W})$$

(
∂
W
,

g

¯

|

∂
W

)

is not conformally diffeomorphic to $$(S^{n-1}, g_S)$$

(

S

n
-
1

,

g
S

)

, then for any Einstein metric $$\check{g} \in [\bar{g}]$$

g
ˇ

∈

[

g

¯

]

with the minimal boundary condition, we have that, up to rescaling, $$\check{g} = \bar{g}$$

g
ˇ

=

g

¯

. Here, $$g_S$$

g
S

and $$[\bar{g}]$$

[

g

¯

]

denote respectively the standard round metric on the $$(n-1)$$

(
n
-
1
)

-sphere $$S^{n-1}$$

S

n
-
1

and the conformal class of $$\bar{g}$$

g

¯

. Moreover, if we assume that $$\partial W \subset (W, \bar{g})$$

∂
W
⊂
(
W
,

g

¯

)

is totally geodesic, we also show a Gursky-Han type inequality for the relative Yamabe constant of $$(W, \partial W, [\bar{g}])$$

(
W
,
∂
W
,
[

g

¯

]
)

.
Age as a merit in admission decisions for higher education
Authors: Sandsør Astrid Marie Jorde , Hovdhaugen Elisabeth , Bøckmann Ester
Published: February 2021

This paper uses register data to study how a particular age reward feature affects admission into two highly competitive study programs: medicine and law. The Norwegian admission system to higher education is centralized, and applicants compete in two quotas: one quota almost entirely based on grade point average from upper secondary education and one quota where students can compete with improved grades and where being older automatically increases the chance of acceptance, by awarding age points. For these study programs, we find that the admission system creates a waiting game, as gaining admission in the second quota is nearly impossible without accumulating a substantial amount of age points. If age predicts completion in higher education, this waiting game might be justified. However, if anything, we find the opposite to be true. Our paper suggests that age should carry less weight in admission decisions and that countries and/or higher education institutions should carefully consider how their admission system affects student incentives and how applicants are selected.
Body size affects the vertical movement of benthic amphipods through subsurface sediments in response to drying
Authors: Patel C. , Vadher A. N. , Mathers K. L. , Dwyer C. , Wood P. J.
Published: February 2021

This study aimed to experimentally examine how riverbed drying and different rates of water level reduction influenced the vertical movement of amphipods of various sizes into different subsurface sediment compositions. Using sediment columns (mesocosms) filled with different sized transparent substrates, we explored how varying speeds of drawdown affected vertical movement and stranding of individuals. We hypothesised that: (1) larger individuals would be less able to migrate within subsurface sediments compared to smaller ones; (2) smaller sediment particles would lead to more individuals becoming stranded and; (3) faster rates of water level drawdown would increase the likelihood of individuals becoming stranded above the waterline. Body size significantly influenced the final position of an individual, with smaller individuals accessing deeper sediments more readily. Larger amphipods were more likely to become stranded above the waterline. Amphipods migrated to greater depths during faster water level reduction rates with smaller individuals displaying greater overall movement. Sediment particle size did not influence the ability of amphipods to move vertically into subsurface sediments in response to water level reduction. The results indicate that subsurface sediments may serve as a refuge from surface drying but that both the size of individual invertebrates influences their ability to migrate vertically.
Density Measurements of Two Liquefied Biomethane-Like Mixtures over the Temperature Range from (100 to 180) K at Pressures up to 9.0 MPa
Authors: Cavuoto Giuseppe , von Preetzmann Nils , Eckmann Philipp , Li Jianrong , van der Veen Adriaan M. H. , Kleinrahm Reiner , Richter Markus
Published: February 2021

Densities of two synthetic biomethane-like mixtures were measured in the homogeneous liquid phase and the supercritical region using a low-temperature single-sinker magnetic-suspension densimeter. Both mixtures consist of methane, nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen, whereas the second mixture additionally contains carbon dioxide. For the first mixture, four isotherms from (100 to 160) K were studied over the pressure range from (1.5 to 6.6) MPa. The second mixture was investigated along three isotherms from (140 to 180) K at pressures of (2.6 to 9.0) MPa, where only the densities at 180 K are usable due to solidification of the carbon dioxide at the lower temperatures. The relative expanded combined uncertainty (k = 2) of the experimental densities was estimated to be in the range of (0.022 to 0.027)  % for the first mixture and (0.046 to 0.054)  % for the second mixture, respectively. Due to a supercritical liquefaction procedure and the integration of a special VLE-cell, densities in the homogeneous liquid phase could be measured without changing the composition of the liquefied mixture. Moreover, saturated-liquid densities were determined by extrapolation of the experimental single-phase liquid densities to the vapor pressure, which was determined experimentally for the mixture without carbon dioxide and calculated with an equation of state (EOS) for the mixture containing carbon dioxide. The relative expanded combined uncertainty (k = 2) of the saturated-liquid densities is less than 0.08 % in most cases. The new experimental results were compared with the GERG-2008 equation of state; the deviations are less than 0.17 %.
A Longitudinal Investigation of Children’s Trauma Memory Characteristics and Their Relationship with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms
Authors: McGuire Rosie , Hiller Rachel M. , Ehlers Anke , Fearon Pasco , Meiser-Stedman Richard , Leuteritz Sophie , Halligan Sarah L.
Published: February 2021

While trauma memory characteristics are considered a core predictor of adult PTSD, the literature on child PTSD is limited and inconsistent. We investigated whether children’s trauma memory characteristics predict their posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) at 1 month and 6 months post-trauma. We recruited 126 6–13 year olds who experienced a single-incident trauma that led to attendance at an emergency department. We assessed trauma memory disorganisation and sensory-emotional qualities through both narrative recall and self-report questionnaire, and PTSS at 1-month post-trauma and at 6-month follow-up. We found that, after controlling for age, children’s self-reported trauma memory characteristics were positively associated with their concurrent PTSS, and longitudinally predicted symptoms 6-months later. However, observable trauma memory characteristics coded from children’s narratives were not related to PTSS at any time. This suggests that children’s perceptions of their trauma memories are a more reliable predictor of the development and maintenance of PTSS than the nature of their trauma narrative, which has important implications for clinical practice.
Effects of a single aerobic exercise on perfused boundary region and microvascular perfusion: a field study
Authors: Fuchs Alexander , Neumann Tobias , Drinhaus Hendrik , Herrmann Anika , Vink Hans , Annecke Thorsten
Published: February 2021

The endothelium and the glycocalyx play a pivotal role in regulating microvascular function and perfusion in health and critical illness. It is unknown today, whether aerobic exercise immediately affects dimensions of the endothelial surface layer (ESL) in relation to microvascular perfusion as a physiologic adaption to increased nutritional demands. This monocentric observational study was designed to determine real-time ESL and perfusion measurements of the sublingual microcirculation using sidestream dark field imaging performed in 14 healthy subjects before and after completing a 10 km trial running distance. A novel image acquisition and analysis software automatically analysed the perfused boundary region (PBR), an inverse parameter for red blood cell (RBC) penetration of the ESL, in vessels between 5 and 25 µm diameter. Microvascular perfusion was assessed by calculating RBC filling percentage. There was no significant immediate effect of exercise on PBR and RBC filling percentage. Linear regression analysis revealed a distinct association between change of PBR and change of RBC filling percentage (regression coefficient β: − 0.026; 95% confidence interval − 0.043 to − 0.009; p = 0.006). A single aerobic exercise did not induce a change of PBR or RBC filling percentage. The endothelium of the microvasculature facilitates efficient perfusion in vessels reacting with an increased endothelial surface layer.
Reference dependence, loss aversion and residential property development decisions
Authors: Bao Helen X. H. , Meng Charlotte Chunming , Wu Jing
Published: February 2021

We analyse land transaction and residential development data from Beijing, China and identify that developers’ evaluation of land transaction exhibits reference dependence and loss aversion. Developers with prior land transaction losses set higher house prices than those without prior losses. This effect is strongest at the beginning and towards the end of the property sales period. It is moderated by developers’ ownership structure and listing status. Privately-owned firms experience stronger effects than their state-owned counterparts, whereas unlisted firms are more strongly affected than their listed counterparts. Results have implications on the relationship between the land and the housing markets in China. In a booming land market where land acquisition entails a high price, developers will transfer excess land price to house prices, thereby increasing the latter. The land market plays an integral role in managing housing prices in China.
Engines need transmission belts: the importance of people in technology transfer offices
Authors: Micozzi Alessandra , Iacobucci Donato , Martelli Irene , Piccaluga Andrea
Published: February 2021

Over the last 20 years, universities and Public Research Organizations have increased their efforts to transfer their research results towards industrial applications in order to generate economic and social impact. Among many different actions, new technology transfer offices (TTOs) have been set up and existing ones strengthened. The present paper intends to evaluate the effects of a specific policy action launched by the Italian Patent and Trademark Office (UIBM) within the Italian Ministry of Economic Development (MISE), aimed at increasing the number of employees in TTOs to foster technology transfer in general and the valorization of intellectual property rights more specifically. Our results suggest that the impact of the UIBM policy action has been positive and that in some specific situations the impact was stronger. Our results therefore contribute to the technology transfer literature and can have implications for both academic research and decisions regarding investments in human resources in university TTOs.
Measures of long-term trends in mathematics: linking large-scale assessments over 50 years
Authors: Majoros Erika , Rosén Monica , Johansson Stefan , Gustafsson Jan-Eric
Published: February 2021

International comparative assessments of student achievement are constructed to assess country-level differences and change over time. A coherent understanding of the international trends in educational outcomes is strongly needed as suggested by numerous previous studies. Investigating these trends requires long-term analysis, as substantial changes on the system level are rarely observed regarding student outcomes in short periods (i.e., between adjacent international assessment cycles). The present study aims to link recent and older studies conducted by the International Association for the Evaluation of Educational Achievement (IEA) onto a common scale to study long-term trends within and across countries. It explores the comparability of the achievement tests of the Trends in International Mathematics and Science Study and previous IEA studies on mathematics in grade eight. Employing item response theory, we perform a concurrent calibration of item parameters to link the eight studies onto a common scale spanning the period from 1964 to 2015 using data from England, Israel, Japan, and the USA.
Toxicity of representative mixture of five rare earth elements in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) juveniles
Authors: Hanana Houda , Kleinert Christine , Gagné François
Published: February 2021

Rare earth elements (REEs) are contaminants of increasing interest due to intense mining activities for commercial purposes and ultimately released in the environment. We exposed juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) to a representative mixture of the five most abundant REEs for 96 h at concentrations similar found in lakes contaminated by mining activities at 0.1, 1, 10, and 100X whereas the 1x mixture contained cerium (Ce, 280 μg/L), lanthanum (La, 140 μg/L), neodymium (Nd, 120 μg/L), praseodymium (Pr, 28 μg/L), and samarium (Sm, 23 μg/L). We investigated the expression of 14 genes involved in oxidative stress, DNA repair, tissue growth/proliferation, protein chaperoning, xenobiotic biotransformation, and ammonia metabolism in the liver. In addition, DNA damage, oxidative stress (lipid peroxidation or LPO), inflammation (cyclooxygenase or COX activity), detoxification mechanisms (glutathione-S-transferase activity or GST), and labile zinc were determined in gills. The data revealed that genes involved in oxidative stress-catalase (cat), heat shock proteins 70 (hsp70), and glutamate dehydrogenase (glud) were upregulated while glutathione S-transferase (gst) and metallothionein (mt) gene expressions were downregulated. The mixture was genotoxic and increased labile Zn in gills of exposed trout. These changes occurred at concentrations 600 times lower than the LC50 for this mixture indicating effects below the 1X concentration. Based on principal component analysis and concentration-dependent reponses, the following sublethal effects were considered the most important/significant: DNA strand breaks (genotoxicity), labile Zn, cat, gst, hsp70, sparc, mt, and glud. These effects of fish juveniles are likely to occur in environments under the influence of mining activities.
The Role of Lipid Transfer Proteins as Food and Pollen Allergens Outside the Mediterranean Area
Authors: Scheurer Stephan , van Ree Ronald , Vieths Stefan
Published: February 2021

Purpose of Review

To provide an overview of the prevalence and clinical manifestation of non-specific lipid transfer proteins (LTP)-mediated allergies outside the Mediterranean area and to address potential reasons for the different geographical significance of LTP-driven allergies.

Recent Findings

LTPs are major allergens in the Mediterranean area, which frequently can elicit severe reactions. Pru p 3 the LTP from peach is reported as genuine allergen and is considered a prototypic marker for LTP-mediated allergies. However, both food and pollen LTP allergies exist outside the Mediterranean area, but with lower clinical significance, different immunogenicity, and less clarified role.

Evidence has been reported that in areas with high exposure to pollen, in particular to mugwort, pollen-derived LTPs can act as a primary sensitizer to trigger secondary food allergies. Co-sensitization to unrelated allergens might be causative for less severe reactions in response to LTPs. However, the reason for the geographical different sensitization patterns to LTPs remains unclear.
Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund Inequalities for Polynomials in Bergman and Hardy Spaces
Authors: Gröchenig Karlheinz , Ortega-Cerdà Joaquim
Published: February 2021

We study the relationship between sampling sequences in infinite dimensional Hilbert spaces of analytic functions and Marcinkiewicz–Zygmund inequalities in subspaces of polynomials. We focus on the study of the Hardy space and the Bergman space in one variable because they provide two settings with a strikingly different behavior.
Molecular characterization of chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus and peanut witches’ broom phytoplasma associated with chickpea stunt disease and identification of new host crops and leafhopper vectors in India
Authors: Reddy Madem Gurivi , Baranwal Virendra Kumar , Sagar Doddachowdappa , Rao Govind Pratap
Published: February 2021

An investigation was carried out to identify and characterize the phytoplasma and viruses associated with the chickpea varieties showing severe stunting, leaf reddening, yellowing and phyllody symptoms during the summer season of 2018–2019 and 2019–2020 in eight states of India. The average disease incidence was recorded from 3 to 32% in different states. The presence of chickpea chlorotic dwarf virus (CpCDV) was confirmed in thirty-seven chickpea samples by amplification of CpCDV coat protein gene and sequence comparison analysis. No record of association of luteovirus, polerovirus and cucumovirus could be detected in any of the symptomatic chickpea samples by RT-PCR assay. Brassica nigra, B. juncea, Lens culinaris, two weeds (Heteropogan contartus, Aeschynomene virginica) and one leafhopper (Amarasca biguttula) were identified as new putative hosts for CpCDV. Association of peanut witches’ broom phytoplasma was confirmed in twenty-eight chickpea samples, Sesamum indicum, five weeds hosts and two leafhopper species (Exitianus indicus, Empoasca motti) using nested PCR assays with primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16Rn. The results of phytoplasma association in plants and leafhopper samples were further validated by using five multilocus genes (secA, rp, imp, tuf and secY) specific primers. Sequence comparison, phylogenetic and virtual RFLP analysis of 16S rRNA gene and five multilocus genes confirmed the identity of association of 16SrII-C and 16SrII-D subgroups of phytoplasmas strain with chickpea samples collected from Andhra Pradesh (AP), Telangana, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and New Delhi. Mixed infection of phytoplasma (16SrII-D) and CpCDV was also detected in symptomatic chickpea samples from AP and Telangana. The reports of association of 16SrII-C subgroup phytoplasma in chickpea and 16SrII-D subgroup phytoplasma in C. sparsiflora and C. roseus are the new host records in world and from India, respectively.
Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation as a multifunctional technique for the characterization of polymeric nanocarriers
Authors: Quattrini Federico , Berrecoso Germán , Crecente-Campo José , Alonso María José
Published: January 2021

The importance of polymeric nanocarriers in the field of drug delivery is ever-increasing, and the accurate characterization of their properties is paramount to understand and predict their behavior. Asymmetric flow field-flow fractionation (AF4) is a fractionation technique that has gained considerable attention for its gentle separation conditions, broad working range, and versatility. AF4 can be hyphenated to a plurality of concentration and size detectors, thus permitting the analysis of the multifunctionality of nanomaterials. Despite this potential, the practical information that can be retrieved by AF4 and its possible applications are still rather unfamiliar to the pharmaceutical scientist. This review was conceived as a primer that clearly states the “do’s and don’ts” about AF4 applied to the characterization of polymeric nanocarriers. Aside from size characterization, AF4 can be beneficial during formulation optimization, for drug loading and drug release determination and for the study of interactions among biomaterials. It will focus mainly on the advances made in the last 5 years, as well as indicating the problematics on the consensus, which have not been reached yet. Methodological recommendations for several case studies will be also included.

Graphical abstract
On generalizations of quasi-prime ideals of an ordered left almost semigroups
Authors: Yiarayong Pairote
Published: January 2021

The purposes of this paper are to introduce generalizations of quasi-prime ideals to the context of $$\phi $$
ϕ
-quasi-prime ideals. Let $$\phi : {\mathcal {I}}(S) \rightarrow {\mathcal {I}}(S) \cup \left\{ \emptyset \right\} $$

ϕ
:
I

(
S
)

→
I

(
S
)

∪

∅

be a function where $$ {\mathcal {I}}(S)$$

I
(
S
)

is the set of all left ideals of an ordered $${{\mathcal {L}}}{{\mathcal {A}}}$$

L
A

-semigroup S. A proper left ideal A of an ordered $${{\mathcal {L}}}{{\mathcal {A}}}$$

L
A

-semigroup S is called a $$\phi $$
ϕ
-quasi-prime ideal, if for each $$a, b\in S$$

a
,
b
∈
S

with $$ab \in A - \phi (A)$$

a
b
∈
A
-
ϕ
(
A
)

, then $$a \in A$$

a
∈
A

or $$b\in A$$

b
∈
A

. Some characterizations of quasi-prime and $$\phi $$
ϕ
-quasi-prime ideals are obtained. Moreover, we investigate relationships between weakly quasi-prime, almost quasi-prime, $$\omega $$
ω
-quasi-prime, m-quasi-prime and $$\phi $$
ϕ
-quasi-prime ideals of ordered $${{\mathcal {L}}}{{\mathcal {A}}}$$

L
A

-semigroups. Finally, we obtain necessary and sufficient conditions of $$\phi $$
ϕ
-quasi-prime ideal in order to be a quasi-prime ideal.
Bariatrische Chirurgie – welche Therapieoptionen?
Authors: Felsenreich Daniel Moritz , Prager G.
Published: February 2021

Adipositas und damit einhergehende Komorbiditäten wie Diabetes mellitus Typ 2 (DMII), arterielle Hypertonie, Schlafapnoe, Erkrankungen des Bewegungsapparates usw. nehmen weltweit stetig zu. Bariatrische/metabolische Operationen stellen die bei Weitem effizienteste Methode dar, um langfristig Gewicht zu reduzieren und Komorbiditäten zu verbessern bzw. komplett in Remission zu bringen. Die Wirkungsmechanismen dieser Eingriffe umfassen neben Malabsorption und/oder Restriktion eine veränderte Ausschüttung verschiedener Hormone und Botenstoffe im Körper („gut hormones“, Adipozytokine usw.) sowie Veränderungen von Gallensäuren und des Mikrobioms. Die Indikation zu einer bariatrischen/metabolischen Operation (OP) kann ab einem BMI von ≥ 40 kg/m2 oder von ≥ 35 kg/m2 bei Bestehen mindestens einer der oben genannten Komorbiditäten gestellt werden. Gemäß den aktuellen Richtlinien der Amerikanischen Diabetesgesellschaft (ADA) kann auch schon bei einem BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2 eine OP in Erwägung gezogen werden, wenn bei bestehendem DMII kein suffizienter Gewichtsverlust oder keine glykämische Kontrolle auf konservative Art und Weise erreicht werden kann. Die derzeit am häufigsten durchgeführten bariatrischen/metabolischen Operationsmethoden sind die Sleeve-Gastrektomie (Schlauchmagen), der Y‑Roux-Magenbypass und der One-anastomosis-Magenbypass, wobei die Wahl der Operationsmethode von mehreren Faktoren abhängt und für jeden Patienten individuell entschieden werden sollte. Zur Evaluierung der passenden OP-Methode, zur Abschätzung des Risikos und zur individuellen Vorbereitung des Patienten müssen im Vorfeld der OP verschiedene Untersuchungen durchgeführt werden. Es konnte mittlerweile in vielen Studien gezeigt werden, dass die metabolische Chirurgie sehr sicher ist und die Lebenserwartung sowie die Lebensqualität des Patienten dadurch erheblich verlängert bzw. verbessert werden. Durch metabolische Chirurgie ist es im Langzeitverlauf möglich, neben Gewichtsverlust eine erhebliche Verbesserung/Remission von DMII, kardiovaskulären Erkrankungen, Erkrankungen des Bewegungs- und Stützapparats und Lebererkrankungen zu erreichen sowie das Risiko, an Karzinomen zu erkranken (bzw. daran zu versterben), erheblich zu reduzieren.
A new approach to model the counts of earthquakes: INARPQX(1) process
Authors: Altun Emrah , Bhati Deepesh , Khan Naushad Mamode
Published: February 2021

This paper introduces a first-order integer-valued autoregressive process with a new innovation distribution, shortly INARPQX(1) process. A new innovation distribution is obtained by mixing Poisson distribution with quasi-xgamma distribution. The statistical properties and estimation procedure of a new distribution are studied in detail. The parameter estimation of INARPQX(1) process is discussed with two estimation methods: conditional maximum likelihood and Yule-Walker. The proposed INARPQX(1) process is applied to time series of the monthly counts of earthquakes. The empirical results show that INARPQX(1) process is an important process to model over-dispersed time series of counts and can be used to predict the number of earthquakes with a magnitude greater than four.
An improved convergence based on accelerated modulus-based Gauss–Seidel method for interactive rigid body simulations
Authors: Miyamoto Shugo , Yamashita Makoto
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we propose a novel method that fits linear complementarity problems arising in interactive rigid-body simulations, based on the accelerated modulus-based Gauss–Seidel (AMGS) method. We give a new sufficient condition for the convergence of the generated sequence under a milder condition on the matrix splitting than the special case of the AMGS method. This gives a flexibility in the choice of the matrix splitting, and an appropriate matrix splitting can lead to a better convergence rate in practice. Numerical experiments show that the proposed method is more efficient than the simple application of the AMGS method, and that the accuracy in each step of the proposed method is superior to that of the projected Gauss–Seidel method.
The Dark Side of Resilience
Authors: Mahdiani Hamideh , Ungar Michael
Published: February 2021

Is resilience always adaptive and functional, or can resilience be maladaptive in contexts where it masks vulnerability or prevents effective action to address risk? In this paper, we propose a new reading of resilience research which challenges the prevailing positive perspective and instead proposes that negative aspects of resilience are common. We focus on studying resilience on a spectrum, distinguishing between degrees of functionality by asking three questions: (1) Is there a wrong degree of resilience? (2) Is there a wrong context for resilience? and (3) Is there a wrong type of resilience? We conclude with reflections on the dark side of resilience by differentiating between functional and less functional adaptation in relation to contexts, degrees of risk, and types of resilience shown.
Population structure, gene flow and relatedness of Natterer’s bats in Northern England
Authors: Mordue Simone , Aegerter James , Mill Aileen , Dawson Deborah A. , Crepaldi Carolina , Wolff Kirsten
Published: February 2021

There have been significant declines in population numbers of many bat species in the United Kingdom, including Natterer’s bats Myotis nattereri, over the last century, largely due to anthropogenic changes. The philopatry, which temperate-zone bats often exhibit to their natal landscapes, in combination with anthropogenic threats, can lead to fragmentation, isolation and sub-division of populations. This may result in bottlenecks and declines in genetic diversity. Multi-scaled research is required to disentangle how the variation in the physical traits of bat species (e.g. affecting flight), as well as their social and behavioural traits (e.g. community size, migration, breeding systems), may affect the genetic health of populations and provide a potential buffer against fragmentation. We used microsatellite markers to characterise the genetic diversity and population structure present in Natterer’s bat colonies to determine whether summer roosting bat colonies were spatially differentiated or part of a meta-population. Analyses of population structure and measures of genetic relatedness suggest spatially differentiated populations of bats exhibit long term site fidelity to summer roosting sites, whilst high genetic diversity at sites indicates gene exchange occurs via swarming sites. Natterer’s bats in northern England may travel greater distances to swarming sites than has been previously documented.
Sustainability evaluation and spatial heterogeneity of urban agglomerations: a China case study
Authors: Zhou Ruomeng , Liu Gang , Zhang Yunsheng
Published: February 2021

To promote the development of the western region in China, it is necessary to build an indicator system to scientifically measure the level of sustainable development in Western China. Based on the construction of a sustainable development level evaluation indicator system, this study employs the panel data entropy model to evaluate the sustainable development level of four state-level urban agglomerations in Western China from 2009 to 2018. Then, the geographical detector model is used to measure the spatial heterogeneity degree of the sustainability index and detect the factors influencing the spatial heterogeneity. The results show that (1) the innovation environment and economic growth are the core factors influencing the sustainable development level. (2) The sustainable development level of the cities within the urban agglomerations varies considerably. The sustainability level of central cities and provincial capital cities is significantly higher than that of outlying cities. (3) From the perspective of time, the sustainable development level of the Chengdu–Chongqing urban agglomeration and Guanzhong Plain urban agglomeration shows a rising trend; the Lanzhou–Xining urban agglomeration fluctuates greatly; and the Hohhot–Baotou–Ordos–Yulin urban agglomeration is decreasing. (4) The spatial heterogeneity level of sustainable development among cities in the western urban agglomerations is high, economic factors play a leading role in the spatial heterogeneity of sustainable development, and the western region needs to emphasize regional coordinated development.
Paradoxes in psychology resonating in its empirical research of religion
Authors: Belzen Jacob A.
Published: February 2021

As a scientific enterprise, the psychology of religion is vitally dependent on developments in psychology in general, sharing its strengths as well as its weaknesses. The article discusses psychology being haunted by a number of paradoxes that resonate in psychological research on religion as well. As a prominent specimen of such empirical psychology of religion, the oeuvre of R. W. Hood, a well-known contemporary US contributor to that field, is selected. Another stage in a long-standing cheerful dialogue with Hood, the article points out some remarkable parallels with the oeuvres of Hall and James, founding fathers of US psychology. While critically engaging with some of the core issues and tendencies in Hood’s publications, the article explains the sense in which his struggle to find a balance with regard to three paradoxical tendencies will be a major task for the field during the next few decades of the 21st century.
Care at a Distance
Authors: Pols Jeannette
Published: February 2021

Often the switch to telecare technology used to help caretakers provide treatment to their patients off-site is portrayed as either a nightmare scenario or a much needed panacea for all our healthcare woes. This widely researched study probes what happens when technologies are used to provide healthcare at a distance. Drawing on ethnographic studies of both patients and nurses involved in telecare, Jeannette Pols demonstrates that instead of resulting in less intensive care for patients, there is instead a staggering rise in the frequency of contact between nursing staff and their patients. 'Care at a Distance' takes the theoretical framework of telecare and provides hard data about these innovative care practices, while producing an accurate portrayal of the pros and cons of telecare.
Poverty, Irrationality, and the Value of Cash Transfers
Authors: Acland Daniel
Published: February 2021

It has been demonstrated that irrationality reduces the efficiency of individuals’ allocations, as measured by their “true” or rational preferences. There is also evidence that poverty increases irrationality of different sorts. As a result, the net benefit to society of a cash transfer from taxpayers to welfare recipients may not be zero. The fact that the transfer will be allocated less efficiently by the recipients than by the taxpayers will reduce the value of the transfer, while if the transfer increases recipients’ rationality, it will increase the efficiency of the allocation of their pretransfer budgets, thus increasing the value of the transfer. The net effect on society will be positive or negative, depending in large part on the degree to which the transfer increases rationality. I model these effects in the context of present-biased preferences and explore the effect of irrationality, income, and the size of transfer on the value of transfers. I conclude that under a plausible range of conditions, transfers can generate a substantial positive net benefit. I also model the choices of a fully rational paternalist and find little support for paternalistic in-kind transfers.
The effect of Y on the microstructure and mechanical performance of an Mg-Al-Y casting alloy
Authors: Korgiopoulos K. , Pekguleryuz M.
Published: February 2021

Environmental gains of electric cars can be optimized with the use of lightweight and recyclable magnesium in the vehicle’s structural components. Ductility improvement of low-density Mg-Al alloys will extend their use in automotive body applications. The authors achieved 63% ductility improvement in Mg-6wt%Al with trace Y (1.5 ppm) due to the β-phase refinement and predicted that higher levels would not perform as well. As predicted, 0.3wt% of Y addition investigated in this study led to lower mechanical performance and β-phase refinement than those obtained with trace additions. The tensile ductility and yield strength increased by ~13% and 16%, respectively, and the compression strain to fracture by ~22%. Scanning electron and optical microscopy, X-Rays diffraction, mechanical testing and thermodynamic calculations were used to investigate the effect of 0.3wt% Y on the microstructure of Mg-6wt%Al. The matrix dissolution revealed the close association of the Al2Y and the β-Mg17Al12 phases.
Not Just the Raising of Money: Hampton Institute and Relationship Fundraising, 1893–1917
Authors: Smith Troy A.
Published: February 2021

This article examines the workings of Hampton Institute's external relations program to show how the school developed loyal supporters and donors. By 1900, Hampton was the wealthiest school for African Americans, and its philosophy—stressing vocational education and forsaking political equality—was at its most influential during this time, attracting numerous followers as well detractors. Little has been written about how Hampton actually raised money and few have explored in any detail why it was so successful in fundraising. Hampton's leaders developed a comprehensive, state-of-the-art external relations program that forged meaningful connections with its supporters. Hampton's coordinated outreach efforts were highly effective at getting its message to its target audience—wealthy White Northerners—making them feel closely connected to Hampton and its students, as well as making them feel, through their support of Hampton, that they were part of solving the so-called race problem.
A Call out of Seir: The Meaning and Future of US Labor Law
Authors: Tomlins Christopher
Published: February 2021

The Cambridge Handbook of US Labor Law for the Twenty-First Century decries federal labor law for forsaking American workers and undermining American unions. Its contributors seek a reformed labor law for the current century. In this review essay, I examine the handbook’s contention that federal labor law has failed. To assess the merits of the claim, we must test the foundations of its contributors’ assumptions—about the labor movement, about the place of the labor movement in the political economy of American capitalism envisaged by labor law, and, indeed, about law itself. To do so, I turn to earlier, critical research on the character of American labor laws, notably Joel Rogers’s seminal 1990 essay “Divide and Conquer,” and also to work of my own. To put it crudely, I ask how much labor law reform actually matters.
Ghost in a Shell: The Scenario Tool and the World Making of Royal Dutch Shell
Authors: Andersson Jenny
Published: February 2021

This article examines the history of the Royal Dutch Shell scenarios, from the first horizon scan exercise in 1967. It proposes that forward-looking scenarios were integrated in planning at Shell as tools for managing uncertainty in global time and space relations of oil after 1967. Specifically, the article proposes that Shell strategically used the scenarios to respond to arguments, emanating both from OPEC and from the Club of Rome, of oil as a limited resource. Shell used the scenarios to create images of a future oil market dominated by innovation, creativity, and sustainable solutions.
Modernity, Cultural Reasoning, and the Institutionalization of Social Inequality: Racializing Death in a Venezuelan Cholera Epidemic
Authors: Briggs Charles L.
Published: February 2021

In Love in Times of Cholera, Gabriel García Márquez (1985) creates a powerful image of Latin American modernity in the character of Dr. Juvenal Urbino. Urbino is called back from France, where he has studied medicine and embraced European modernity, in order to save the coastal Colombian city in which he was born from that quintessence of the premodern world of ignorance, filth, and backwardness—cholera. García Márquez captures exquisitely the terror that is conjured up by the disease—thousands of bodies wracked by rivers of diarrhea and vomit, cramps, sunken eyes, blue lips, and twisted limbs, many of them dying rapidly. But Urbino is armed with that quintessence of modernity—hygiene. The terror inspired by the epidemic enables Urbino to transform both the urban landscape and bodily practices in keeping with the dictates of Continental biopower, neatly mediated by his own patrician class standing.
Medium-scale commercial agriculture in Zimbabwe: the experience of A2 resettlement farms
Authors: Shonhe Toendepi , Scoones Ian , Murimbarimba Felix
Published: February 2021

The emergence of medium-scale farms is having important consequences for agricultural commercialisation across Africa. This article examines the role of medium-scale A2 farms allocated following Zimbabwe's land reform after 2000. While the existing literature focuses on changing farm size distributions, this article investigates processes of social differentiation across medium-scale farms, based on qualitative-quantitative studies in two contrasting sites (Mvurwi and Masvingo-Gutu). Diverse processes of accumulation are identified across commercial, aspiring and struggling farmers, and linked to contrasting patterns of agricultural production and sale, asset ownership, employment and finance. The ability to mobilise finance, influenced by the state of the macro-economy, as well as forms of political patronage, is identified as a crucial driver. Contrary to assertions that A2 farms are largely occupied by ‘cronies’ and that they are unproductive and under-utilised, a more differentiated picture emerges, with important implications for policy and the wider politics of Zimbabwe's countryside following land reform.
Time for practice: implications of undergraduate pianists’ choices of repertoire
Authors: Zhukov Katie , Ginsborg Jane
Published: February 2021

There is an on-going debate as to the skills needed for 21stcentury careers in classical music and how undergraduate students should learn them. Many graduate pianists report being under-prepared for the music profession, lacking sight-reading skills in particular. While research-evidenced pedagogy for improving sight-reading skills has been developed, little is known regarding what impact enhancing this skill could have on undergraduate educational experience. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of sight-reading training on undergraduate pianists’ choices of repertoire for practice. Two groups of 12 participants were recruited from three institutions in the UK and Australia. One group undertook the sight-reading training programme for 10 weeks. Both groups listed the solo, concerto, chamber and accompanying repertoire they practised. The mean lengths of time participants spent practising each kind of repertoire were calculated. There were significant effects of institution and therefore country on practice time but no effects of the sight-reading training. Nevertheless, the findings suggest that interventions should be designed to develop pianists’ practical skills, including sight-reading, and the long-term effects of such interventions on quality of deliberate practice, particularly on the types of repertoire that are likely to be most valuable for pianists in the early stages of their career, should be evaluated.
Challenge of forecasting demand of medical resources and supplies during a pandemic: A comparative evaluation of three surge calculators for COVID-19
Authors: Kamar A. , Maalouf N. , Hitti E. , El Eid G. , Isma'eel H. , Elhajj I. H.
Published: February 2021

Ever since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the new coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic, there has been a public health debate concerning medical resources and supplies including hospital beds, intensive care units (ICU), ventilators and protective personal equipment (PPE). Forecasting COVID-19 dissemination has played a key role in informing healthcare professionals and governments on how to manage overburdened healthcare systems. However, forecasting during the pandemic remained challenging and sometimes highly controversial. Here, we highlight this challenge by performing a comparative evaluation for the estimations obtained from three COVID-19 surge calculators under different social distancing approaches, taking Lebanon as a case study. Despite discrepancies in estimations, the three surge calculators used herein agree that there will be a relative shortage in the capacity of medical resources and a significant surge in PPE demand if the social distancing policy is removed. Our results underscore the importance of implementing containment interventions including social distancing in alleviating the demand for medical care during the COVID-19 pandemic in the absence of any medication or vaccine. The paper also highlights the value of employing several models in surge planning.
The Data Comparison of Electron Density Between CSES and DEMETER Satellite, Swarm Constellation and IRI Model
Authors: Liu Jing , Guan Yibing , Zhang Xuemin , Shen Xuhui
Published: February 2021

The China Seismo‐Electromagnetic Satellite (CSES), which is also called ZhangHeng‐1 (ZH‐1), was successfully launched on February 2, 2018. Evaluating the quality of observation data is imperative for the satellite mission and users. Through the comparative analysis of electron density between CSES and DEMETER satellite, Swarm constellation and international reference ionosphere (IRI) model from May 8, 2018 to December 31, 2019, it was found that the patterns of electron density for CSES are similar with those of other observations and model outputs, such as the maxima and minima nearly locating in the same place, having the ionospheric phenomena of wave number 3/4, electron density enhancements at mid‐latitude, and Weddell Sea Anomaly (WSA). The correlation coefficients are higher in the Southern Hemisphere, especially in the region of WSA. The correlation between CSES and IRI model is also better around the equatorial ionization anomaly crests during the daytime, while the correlation coefficients are low around the magnetic equator for the Ne single peak detected by CSES. Comparing the observation data in orbit during the same time, the correlation coefficients between CSES and Swarm constellation all exceed 0.75, the curves of nearby orbits exhibiting the consistent peaks or troughs around the roughly same latitudes. Nevertheless, there are systematic biases in the values between the electron density data of CSES and other observations/models, 1–2 times and over two times lower than IRI model during the nighttime and daytime, respectively. The electron density values of Swarm constellation are 3–6 times greater than those of CSES according to the data statistics of nearby orbits. We considered that both hardware design and data processing may potentially have effects on the Ne systematic biases between the CSES and other observations. Through the comparative analysis, it is concluded that the electron density observed by CSES can exhibit the ionospheric characteristics at the altitude of 507 km, and the data can be applied to the ionospheric phenomena study.
Reconstructing the Preindustrial Coastal Carbon Cycle Through a Global Ocean Circulation Model: Was the Global Continental Shelf Already Both Autotrophic and a CO2 Sink?
Authors: Lacroix Fabrice , Ilyina Tatiana , Laruelle Goulven G. , Regnier Pierre
Published: February 2021

The contribution of continental shelves to the marine carbon cycle is still poorly understood. Their preindustrial state is, for one, essentially unknown, which strongly limits the quantitative assessment of their anthropogenic perturbation. To date, approaches developed to investigate and quantify carbon fluxes on continental shelves have strongly simplified their physical and biogeochemical features. In this study, we enhance the global ocean biogeochemistry model HAMburg Ocean Carbon Cycle by explicitly representing riverine loads of carbon and nutrients, as well as improving the representation of organic matter dynamics in the coastal ocean. Our simulations, at a resolution of ∼0.4°, reveal a globally averaged shelf water residence time (RT) of 12–17 months, which is much shorter than the global RTs previously assumed in benchmark studies (>4 years). This shorter global RT, induced primarily through outer shelf regions with large oceanic inflows, promotes an efficient offshore transport of terrestrial and marine organic carbon (0.44 PgCyr−1) and a dissolved inorganic carbon sink from the organic cycling of carbon on the global shelf (net ecosystem productivity [NEP] equal to +0.20 PgCyr−1). In turn, this autotrophic state of continental shelves contributes to a weak global preindustrial sink of atmospheric CO2 (0.04 PgCyr−1), dominated by extensive regions with large oceanic inflows and positive NEPs, such as the Patagonian shelf, the East China Sea and the outer North Sea. The contemporary global shelf CO2 uptake of 0.15 PgCyr−1 furthermoresuggests that the anthropogenic CO2 uptake (0.11 PgCyr−1) on the global continental shelf is less efficient with respect to the open ocean.