bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A novel homozygous ALMS1 protein truncation
mutation (c.2938dupA) revealed variable clinical
expression among Saudi Alström syndrome patients
Authors: Bdier Amnah Yousuf , Al-Qahtani Faten Abdullah , Kumar Verma Prashant , Alshoaibi Naeem Abdulmoneem , Mohammed Alrayes Nuha , Shaik Noor Ahmad , Foo Roger Sik Yin , Bhuiyan Zahurul Alam , Al-Aama Jumana Y.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

Alström syndrome, ALMS (OMIM 203800) is a rare multi-systemic disease. The characteristic clinical features include blindness due to progressive cone-rod dystrophy, sensorineural hearing loss, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dilated cardiomyopathy, and childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to identify the genetic cause of Alström syndrome in patients who presented with variable clinical characteristics.

Material and methods

Clinical phenotyping and whole exome sequencing were performed in Saudi Alström syndrome patients. The Sanger sequencing was done to ascertain the segregation of Alström syndrome causative mutation in the family members. The rare prevalence of this mutation was further established by sequencing an additional 100 healthy Saudi controls.

Results

Whole exome sequencing analysis revealed that Alström syndrome patients have inherited a novel homozygous protein truncating mutation (c.2938dupA) in the ALMS1 gene segregated in an autosomal recessive fashion. This variant was absent in healthy controls. Genotype-phenotype analysis showed its interesting association with intra-familial clinical variability with regards to vision abnormalities, age at onset of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), obesity and hearing loss symptoms in the Alström syndrome patients.

Conclusions

Our findings indicate that the atypical presentation of Alström syndrome, even within siblings, could sometimes lead to clinical misdiagnosis. Hence, the present study emphasizes the utility of exome sequencing to support the clinical diagnosis of Alström syndrome patients.
The effect of the spread of the new COVID-19 on the psychological and social adaptation of families of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Khasawneh Mohammad
Published: November 2020

Background

Helping families of persons with disabilities in times of the spread of COVID-19 is a major step to ensure their social and psychological adaptation. This call comes from the fact that from a health perspective, persons with disabilities have less immunity and are more vulnerable to deceases and infections. Many families of persons with disabilities have also expressed their concerns regarding the safety of their disabled member/s. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the impact of the new COVID-19 on the psychological and social adjustment of fam-ilies of persons with disabilities in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Participants and procedure

The sample of the study was chosen randomly from the Asir region. The sample consisted of any member of the families of persons with disabilities (parents and siblings). Participants responded to a questionnaire, which was sent electronically via WhatsApp to the families of persons with disabilities. The questionnaire gathered demographic information about the disabled member from the family (age and level of disability). The ques-tionnaire underwent statistical treatment to extract data for analysis.

Results

The results showed less ability for families of persons with disabilities to adapt psychologically and socially to the spread of COVID-19. The findings revealed the existence of fundamental differences in the levels of psy-chological and social adaptation among these families due to the level of disability of their member and due to the variable of age, and in favor of the age group of 11-15 years. The study recommended providing safe methods of communication with families of persons with disabilities to reduce the feeling of psychological iso-lation and loneliness as much as possible during the quarantine or curfew periods.

Conclusions

This study explored the levels of psychological and social adaptation of families of persons with disabilities in the time of COVID-19. The spread of the virus created a crisis in different counties and millions of people were infected. Persons with disabilities are among the categories affected most by the infection of the virus due to their weak immunity and their health problems. Therefore, response plans need to take measures that cover the needs of persons with disabilities and their families.
A comparative evaluation of the Eustachian tube cartilage between healthy and diseased ears using a 3 Tesla MRI
Authors: Aydın Nevin , Saylısoy Suzan , Adapınar Baki , Arslantas Didem
Published: November 2020

Introduction

The purpose of this study was to prospectively assess the Eustachian tube (ET) cartilage using 3 Tesla (3T) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and compare the results between healthy ears and those with a middle ear disease.

Material and methods

The study included 56 ears with a middle ear disease as the patient group and 100 ears without a middle ear disease as the control group. The patients’ age ranged from 18 to 65 years. The axial three-dimensional (3D) multiple echo recombined gradient echo (MERGE) sequence and oblique parasagittal planes were obtained. Visualisation of the ET cartilage was assessed on the MR images using a three-point numerical rating score. In the axial plane, the ET lumen’s diameter was measured from the mid-portion of the cartilage.

Results

There was no significant difference between the patient group and the control group according to patients’ age and gender, and the medial laminal thickness of the ET cartilage. In the patient group, the diameter of the ET cartilage was significantly smaller than in the control group. The ET lumen diameter was significantly lower according to each of the three scoring systems.

Conclusions

3T MRI provides an evaluation of the ET cartilage and isthmus level, which are small but important anatomical localisations and surgical landmarks. MR imaging has the potential to provide essential information on ET prior to new surgical treatments, such as balloon dilation for middle ear diseases.
Correlation of texture feature analysis with bone marrow infiltration in initial staging of patients with lymphoma using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography
Authors: Kenawy Mahmoud A. , Khalil Magdy M. , Abdelgawad Mahmoud H. , El-Bahnasawy H. H.
Published: November 2020

Introduction

To explore whether radiomic features of fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomo­graphy–computed tomography (PET/CT) has association with bone marrow infiltration (BMI) in comparison to other conventional PET metrics.

Material and methods

Forty-four patients (with pathologically proven lymphoma disease) underwent staging 18F-FDG PET/CT scan. Primary tumour was semi-automatically or manually segmented with a threshold standardised uptake value (SUV) of 3. A total of 73 features were extracted from eight different textures. Spearman correlation was used to test the correlation of features with conventional quantitative metrics such as SUV, metabolic tumour volume, and total lesion glycolysis. Specificity and sensitivity (including 95% confidence intervals [CI]) for each of the studied parameters were derived using receiver operative characteristic (ROC) curves. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used to identify independent predictors associated with BMI.

Results

Correlation between conventional PET metrics and features ranged between 0.50 and 0.97 for positive correlation (33 significant association features) and ranged from –0.52 to –0.97 for inverse correlation (three significant association features) for both strong and moderate correlations. Analysis of ROC curves showed that high-intensity long-run emphasis 4 bin, high-intensity large zone emphasis 64 bin, long-run emphasis (LRE) 64 bin, large-zone emphasis 64 bin, max spectrum 8 bin, busyness 64 bin, and code similarity 32 and 64 bin were significant discriminators of BMI among other features (area under curve > 0.682, p < 0.05). Univariate analyses of texture features showed that code similarity and long-run emphasis (both 64 bin) were significant predictors of bone marrow involvement. Multivariate analyses revealed that LRE (64 bin, p = 0.031) with an odds ratio of 1.022 and 95% CI of (1.002–1.043) were independent variables for bone marrow involvement.

Conclusions

18F-FDG PET/CT radiomic features are synergistic to visual assessment of BMI in patients diagnosed with lymphoma using 18F-FDG PET/CT. Further assessment of long-run emphasis is highly warranted.
Sulfuric acid-amine nucleation in urban Beijing
Authors: Cai Runlong , Yan Chao , Yang Dongsen , Yin Rujing , Lu Yiqun , Deng Chenjuan , Fu Yueyun , Ruan Jiaxin , Li Xiaoxiao , Kontkanen Jenni , Zhang Qiang , Kangasluoma Juha , Ma Yan , Hao Jiming , Worsnop Douglas R. , Bianchi Federico , Paasonen Pauli , Kerminen Veli-Matti , Liu Yongchun , Wang Lin , Zheng Jun , Kulmala Markku , Jiang Jingkun
Published: November 2020

Abstract. New particle formation (NPF) is one of the major sources of atmospheric ultrafine particles. Due to the high aerosol and trace gas concentrations, the mechanism and governing factors for NPF in the polluted atmospheric boundary layer may be quite different from those in clean environments, which is however less understood. Herein, based on long-term atmospheric measurements from January 2018 to March 2019 in Beijing, the nucleation mechanism and the influences of H2SO4 concentration, amine concentrations, and aerosol concentration on NPF are quantified. The collision of H2SO4-amine clusters is found to be the dominating mechanism to initialize NPF in urban Beijing. The coagulation scavenging due to the high aerosol concentration is a governing factor as it limits the concentration of H2SO4 amine clusters and new particle formation rates. Besides, the effective amine concentration is another limiting factor in Beijing because amine is sometimes insufficient for nucleation at the kinetic limit. Based on the synergistic effects of these factors on H2SO4-amine nucleation, governing factors for H2SO4-amine nucleation for different conditions are summarized.
Calibration of Mg / Ca and Sr / Ca in coastal marine ostracods as proxy
of temperature
Authors: Rodríguez Maximiliano , Not Christelle
Published: November 2020

Abstract. The Mg / Ca ratio of marine shells has been widely used in temperature paleoreconstructions to understand past marine conditions. Temperature calibrations are known to be species-specific but only available for a few species, despite the large number of known ostracod species. Here, we develop temperature calibrations for two shallow marine ostracods, Sinocytheridea impressa and Neomonoceratina delicata, using modern sediment samples. Our results show that adult specimens of these two species are useful as a paleothermometer. We observed significant correlations using the Mg / Ca ratios of both species to the annual (Mg / CaS. impressa = 3.7•T−62.7, Mg / CaN. delicata = 1.6•T−16.8) and April (Mg / CaS. impressa = 2.7•T−37.2, Mg / CaN. delicata = 1.6•T−15.7) temperatures. The correlation of temperature to the Mg / Ca ratio of S. impressa is more significant, and therefore should be preferred for paleoreconstructions. Re-analysis from satellite data allows us to validate our temperature calibration to an extended area around the Pearl River Estuary. Our results show that Mg / Ca of S. impressa and N. delicata ostracods can be used to reconstruct water temperature at a regional scale, which provides information on the oceanic circulation in coastal areas of the South China Seas. Finally, the Sr / Ca ratios of both species do not correlate with any of the 24 water parameters recorded by the Environmental Protection Department of Hong Kong, including temperature (21.7–24.1 °C), salinity (23.8–33.7 psu), dissolved oxygen (4.3–7.1 mg L−1), suspended solids (1.9–35.4 mg L−1) and pH (7.7–8.2).
Carbonyl Sulfide: Comparing a Mechanistic Representation of
the Vegetation Uptake in a Land Surface Model and the Leaf
Relative Uptake Approach
Authors: Maignan Fabienne , Abadie Camille , Remaud Marine , Kooiijmans Linda M. J. , Kohonen Kukka-Maaria , Commane Róisín , Wehr Richard , Campbell J. Elliott , Belviso Sauveur , Montzka Stephen A. , Raoult Nina , Seibt Ulli , Shiga Yoichi P. , Vuichard Nicolas , Whelan Mary E. , Peylin Philippe
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Land surface modelers need measurable proxies to constrain the quantity of carbon dioxide (CO2) assimilated by continental plants through photosynthesis, known as Gross Primary Production (GPP). Carbonyl sulfide (COS), which is taken up by leaves through their stomates and then hydrolysed by photosynthetic enzymes, is a candidate GPP proxy. A former study with the ORCHIDEE land surface model used a fixed ratio of COS uptake to CO2 uptake normalized to respective ambient concentrations for each vegetation type (Leaf Relative Uptake, LRU). COS leaf fluxes were then computed from GPP, and the resulting concentrations were transported with an atmospheric model which included all other known COS fluxes as inputs. Modelled COS concentrations could then be compared to COS measurements from the NOAA air sampling tower network. The LRU approach is known to have limited accuracy since the LRU ratio changes with variables such as Photosynthetically Active Radiation (PAR): while CO2 uptake slows under low light, COS uptake is not light limited. However, the LRU approach has been popular for COS-GPP proxy studies because of its ease of application and apparent low contribution to uncertainty for regional scale applications. In this study we refined the COS-GPP relationship and implemented in ORCHIDEE a mechanistic model that describes COS uptake by continental vegetation. We compared the simulated COS fluxes against measured hourly COS fluxes at two sites, and studied the model behaviour and links with environmental drivers. We performed simulations at global scale, and estimated the global COS uptake by vegetation to be −756 Gg S yr−1, in the middle range of former studies (−490 to −1335 Gg S yr−1). Based on the mechanistic approach in ORCHIDEE, we derived new LRU values for the different vegetation types, ranging between 0.92 and 1.72, close to recently published averages for observed values of 1.21 for C4 and 1.68 for C3 plants. We transported the COS using the monthly vegetation COS fluxes derived from both the mechanistic and the LRU approaches, and evaluated the simulated COS concentrations at NOAA sites. Although the mechanistic approach was more appropriate when comparing to high-temporal-resolution COS flux measurements, both approaches gave similar results when transporting with monthly COS fluxes and evaluating COS concentrations at stations. In our study, uncertainties between these two approaches are of second importance as compared to the uncertainties in the COS global budget, which are currently a limiting factor to the potential of COS concentrations to constrain GPP simulated by land surface models on the global scale.
Microbial activity, methane production, and carbon storage in Early Holocene North Sea peats
Authors: Lippmann Tanya J. R. , in 't Zandt Michiel H. , Van der Putten Nathalie N. L. , Busschers Freek  S. , Hijma Marc P. , van der Velden Pieter , de Groot Tim , van Aalderen Zicarlo , Meisel Ove H. , Slomp Caroline P. , Niemann Helge , Jetten Mike S. M. , Dolman Han A. J. , Welte Cornelia U.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Northern latitude peatlands act as important carbon sources and sinks but little is known about the greenhouse gas (GHG) budget of peatlands submerged beneath the North Sea during the last glacial-interglacial transition. We found that whilst peat formation was diachronous, commencing between 13,680 and 8,360 calibrated years before the present, stratigraphic layering and local vegetation succession were consistent across a large study area. The CH4 concentrations of the sediment pore waters were low at most sites, with the exception of two locations, and the stored carbon was large. Incubation experiments in the laboratory revealed molecular signatures of methanogenic archaea, with strong increases in rates of activity upon methylated substrate amendment. Remarkably, methanotrophic activity and the respective diagnostic molecular signatures could be not be detected. Heterotrophic Bathyarchaeia dominated the archaeal communities and bacterial populations were dominated by candidate phylum JS1 bacteria. Although CH4 accumulation is low at most sites, the presence of in situ methanogenic micro-organisms, the absence of methanotrophy, and large widespread stores of carbon hold the potential for GHG production if catalysed by a change in environmental conditions. Despite being earmarked as a critical source of CH4 seepage, seepage from these basal-peat deposits is restricted, as evidenced by low in situ CH4 concentrations.
Reviews and Syntheses: Impacts of plant silica – herbivore interactions on terrestrial biogeochemical
cycling
Authors: Hwang Bernice C. , Metcalfe Daniel B.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Researchers have known for decades that silicon plays a major role in biogeochemical and plant-soil processes in terrestrial systems. Meanwhile, plant biologists continue to uncover a growing list of benefits derived from silicon to combat abiotic and biotic stresses, such as defense against herbivory. Yet despite growing recognition of herbivores as important ecosystem engineers, many major gaps remain in our understanding of how silicon and herbivory interact to shape biogeochemical processes, particularly in natural systems. We review and synthesize 119 available studies directly investigating silicon and herbivory to summarize key trends and highlight research gaps and opportunities. Categorizing studies by multiple ecosystem, plant, and herbivore characteristics, we find substantial evidence for a wide variety of important interactions between plant silicon and herbivory, but highlight the need for more research particularly in non-graminoid dominated vegetation outside of the temperate biome as well as on the potential effects of herbivory on silicon cycling. Continuing to overlook silicon-herbivory dynamics in natural ecosystems limits our understanding of potentially critical animal-plant-soil feedbacks necessary to inform land management decisions and to refine global models of environmental change.
Remote sensing and radiosonde datasets collected in the San Luis
Valley during the LAPSE-RATE campaign
Authors: Bell Tyler M. , Klein Petra M. , Lundquist Julie K. , Waugh Sean
Published: November 2020

Abstract. In July 2018, the International Society for Atmospheric Research using Remotely-piloted Aircraft (ISARRA) hosted a flight week to showcase the role remotely-piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) can have in filling the atmospheric data gap.This campaign was dubbed Lower Atmospheric Process Studies at Elevation – A Remotely-piloted Aircraft Team Experiment(LAPSE-RATE). In support of this campaign, ground-based remote and in-situ systems were also deployed for the campaign.The University of Oklahoma deployed the Collaborative Lower Atmospheric Mobile Profiling System (CLAMPS), the University of Colorado deployed two Doppler wind lidars, and the National Severe Storms Lab deployed a Mobile Mesonet with the ability to launch radiosondes. This paper focuses on the data products from these instruments that result in pro-files of the atmospheric state. The data are publicly available in the Zenodo LAPSE-RATE community portal (https://zenodo.org/communities/lapse-rate/). The profile data discussed are available at https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3780623 (Bell and Klein, 2020), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3780593 (Bell et al., 2020b), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3727224 (Bell et al., 2020a), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3738175 (Waugh, 2020b), https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3720444 (Waugh, 2020a),and https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3698228 (Lundquist et al., 2020).
Robust isochron calculation
Authors: Powell Roger , Green Eleanor C. R. , Marillo Sialer Estephany , Woodhead Jon
Published: November 2020

Abstract. The standard classical statistics approach to isochron calculation assumes that the distribution of uncertainties on the data arising from isotopic analysis is strictly Gaussian. This effectively excludes datasets that have more scatter from consideration, even though many appear to have age significance. A new approach to isochron calculations is developed in order to circumvent this problem, requiring only that the central part of the uncertainty distribution of the data defines a “spine” in the trend of the data. This central spine can be Gaussian but this is not a requirement. This approach significantly increases the range of datasets from which age information can be extracted but also provides seamless integration with well-behaved datasets and thus all legacy age determinations. The approach is built on the robust statistics of Huber (1981) but using the data uncertainties for the scale of data scatter around the spine rather than a scale derived from the scatter itself, ignoring the data uncertainties. This robust data fitting reliably determines the position of the spine when applied to data with outliers but converges on the classical statistics approach for datasets without outliers. The spine width is determined by a robust measure, the normalised median absolute deviation of the distances of the data points to the centre of the spine, divided by the uncertainties on the distances. A test is provided to ascertain that there is a spine in the data, requiring that the spine width is consistent with the uncertainties expected for Gaussian-distributed data. An iteratively reweighted least squares algorithm is presented to calculate the position of the robust line and its uncertainty, accompanied by an implementation in Python.
THE EVALUATION OF THE INFLUENCE OF LAND SURFACE TEMPERATURE IN ENERGY BALANCE ESTIMATED BY S-SEBI MODEL
Authors: Rocha N. S. , Käfer P. S. , Skokovic D. , Veeck G. , Diaz L. R. , Kaiser E. , Carvalho C. M. , Veettil B. K. , Costa S. T. L. , Cruz R. C. , Robérti D. , Rolim S. B. A.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Evapotranspiration (ET) is one of the least understood components of the hydrological cycle. Its application is varied, from agricultural, ecological and hydrological monitoring, to control of the evolution of climate change. The goal of this work was to analyze the influence that uncertainties in the estimate of Land Surface Temperature (LST) can cause on ET estimates by S-SEBI model in Pampa Biome area. The results indicate that the daily evapotranspiration is higher when the pixel LST is lower, which also shows the influence of land use on the variability of ET. They also demonstrated the importance of LST's accuracy in the selection of the driest and wettest pixels in applying S-SEBI model, because when there are uncertainties in estimates of LST, the errors in the estimates of the energy components multiply. The Pampa Biome native grass crops have lower Latent Heat Flux (LET) than other land uses, with higher values of LET during the spring-summer period when compared to autumn-winter.
Spatiotemporal history of fault–fluid interaction in the Hurricane fault, western USA
Authors: Koger Jace M. , Newell Dennis L.
Published: November 2020

Abstract. The Hurricane fault is a ∼250 km long,
west-dipping, segmented normal fault zone located along the transition
between the Colorado Plateau and the Basin and Range tectonic provinces in the western USA. Extensive evidence of fault–fluid interaction includes calcite
mineralization and veining. Calcite vein carbon (δ13CVPDB)
and oxygen (δ18OVPDB) stable isotope ratios range from
−4.5 ‰ to 3.8 ‰ and from −22.1 ‰ to −1.1 ‰,
respectively. Fluid inclusion microthermometry constrains paleofluid
temperatures and salinities from 45 to 160 ∘C and from 1.4 wt % to 11.0 wt %
as NaCl, respectively. These data suggest mixing between two primary fluid
sources, including infiltrating meteoric water (70±10 ∘C, ∼1.5 wt % NaCl, δ18OVSMOW
∼-10 ‰) and sedimentary brine (100±25 ∘C, ∼11 wt % NaCl, δ18OVSMOW ∼ 5 ‰). Interpreted
carbon sources include crustal- or magmatic-derived CO2, carbonate
bedrock, and hydrocarbons. Uranium–thorium (U–Th) dates from five calcite vein samples indicate
punctuated fluid flow and fracture healing at 539±10.8 (1σ),
287.9±5.8, 86.2±1.7, and 86.0±0.2 ka in the upper
500 m of the crust. Collectively, data predominantly from the footwall
damage zone imply that the Hurricane fault imparts a strong influence on the
regional flow of crustal fluids and that the formation of veins in the
shallow parts of the fault damage zone has important implications for the
evolution of fault strength and permeability.
Soil: the great connector of our lives now and beyond COVID-19
Authors: Poch Rosa M. , dos Anjos Lucia H. C. , Attia Rafla , Balks Megan , Benavides-Mendoza Adalberto , Bolaños-Benavides Martha M. , Calzolari Costanza , Chabala Lydia M. , de Ruiter Peter C. , Francke-Campaña Samuel , García Préchac Fernando , Graber Ellen R. , Halavatau Siosiua , Hassan Kutaiba M. , Hien Edmond , Jin Ke , Khan Mohammad , Konyushkova Maria , Lobb David A. , Moshia Matshwene E. , Murase Jun , Nziguheba Generose , Patra Ashok K. , Pierzynski Gary , Rodríguez Eugenio Natalia , Vargas Rojas Ronald
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Humanity depends on the existence of healthy soils, both
for the production of food and for ensuring a healthy, biodiverse
environment, among other functions. COVID-19 is threatening food
availability in many places of the world due to the disruption of food
chains, lack of workforce, closed borders and national lockdowns. As a
consequence, more emphasis is being placed on local food production, which
may lead to more intensive cultivation of vulnerable areas and to soil
degradation. In order to increase the resilience of populations facing this
pandemic and future global crises, transitioning to a paradigm that relies
more heavily on local food production on soils that are carefully tended and
protected through sustainable management is necessary. To reach this goal,
the Intergovernmental Technical Panel on Soils (ITPS) of the Food and
Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) recommends five active
strategies: improved access to land, sound land use planning, sustainable
soil management, enhanced research, and investments in education and
extension.

The soil is the great connector of lives, the source and destination of
all. It is the healer and restorer and resurrector, by which disease passes
into health, age into youth, death into life. Without proper care for it we
can have no community, because without proper care for it we can have no
life.

– Wendell Berry (American novelist)
Representative surface snow density on the East Antarctic Plateau
Authors: Weinhart Alexander H. , Freitag Johannes , Hörhold Maria , Kipfstuhl Sepp , Eisen Olaf
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Surface mass balances of polar ice sheets are essential to estimate the
contribution of ice sheets to sea level rise. Uncertain snow and firn
densities lead to significant uncertainties in surface mass balances,
especially in the interior regions of the ice sheets, such as the East
Antarctic Plateau (EAP). Robust field measurements of surface snow density
are sparse and challenging due to local noise. Here, we present a snow
density dataset from an overland traverse in austral summer 2016/17 on the
Dronning Maud Land plateau. The sampling strategy using 1 m carbon fiber
tubes covered various spatial scales, as well as a high-resolution study in
a trench at 79∘ S, 30∘ E. The 1 m snow density has been
derived volumetrically, and vertical snow profiles have been measured using a
core-scale microfocus X-ray computer tomograph. With an error of less than
2 %, our method provides higher precision than other sampling devices of
smaller volume. With four spatially independent snow profiles per location,
we reduce the local noise and derive a representative 1 m snow density with an error of the mean of less than 1.5 %. Assessing sampling methods used in previous studies, we find the highest horizontal variability in density
in the upper 0.3 m and therefore recommend the 1 m snow density as a robust
measure of surface snow density in future studies. The average 1 m snow
density across the EAP is 355 kg m−3, which we identify as
representative surface snow density between Kohnen Station and Dome Fuji. We cannot detect a temporal trend caused by the temperature increase over the
last 2 decades. A difference of more than 10 % to the density of
320 kg m−3 suggested by a semiempirical firn model for the same
region indicates the necessity for further calibration of surface snow
density parameterizations. Our data provide a solid baseline for tuning the
surface snow density parameterizations for regions with low accumulation and low temperatures like the EAP.
High-resolution simulations of interactions between surface ocean dynamics and frazil ice
Authors: Herman Agnieszka , Dojczman Maciej , Świszcz Kamila
Published: November 2020

Abstract. Frazil and grease ice forms in the ocean mixed layer (OML) during highly turbulent conditions (strong wind, large waves) accompanied by intense heat loss to the atmosphere. Three main velocity scales that shape the complex, three-dimensional (3D) OML dynamics under those conditions are the friction velocity u* at the ocean–atmosphere interface, the vertical velocity w* associated with convective motion, and the vertical velocity w*,L associated with Langmuir turbulence. The fate of buoyant particles, e.g., frazil crystals, in that dynamic environment depends primarily on their floatability, i.e., the ratio of their rising velocity wt to the characteristic vertical velocity, which is dependent on w* and w*,L. In this work, the dynamics of frazil ice is investigated numerically with the high-resolution, non-hydrostatic hydrodynamic model CROCO (Coastal and Regional Ocean COmmunity Model), extended to account for frazil transport and its interactions with surrounding water. An idealized model setup is used (a square computational domain with periodic lateral boundaries, spatially uniform atmospheric and wave forcing). The model reproduces the main features of buoyancy- and wave-forced OML circulation, including the preferential concentration of frazil particles in elongated patches at the sea surface. Two spatial patterns are identified in the distribution of frazil volume fraction at the surface: one related to individual surface convergence zones, very narrow, and oriented approximately parallel to the wind/wave direction and one in the form of wide streaks with a separation distance of a few hundred meters, oriented obliquely to the direction of the forcing. Several series of simulations are performed, differing in terms of the level of coupling between the frazil and hydrodynamic processes, from a situation when frazil has no influence on hydrodynamics (as in most models of material transport in the OML) to a situation in which frazil modifies the net density, effective viscosity, and transfer coefficients at the ocean–atmosphere interface and exerts a net drag force on the surrounding water. The role of each of those effects in shaping the bulk OML characteristics and frazil transport is assessed, and the density of the ice–water mixture is found to have the strongest influence on those characteristics.
Identifying the combined effect of shared autonomous vehicles and congestion pricing on regional job accessibility
Authors: Zhong Shaopeng , Cheng Rong , Li Xufeng , Wang Zhong , Jiang Yu
Published: November 2020

Most of the existing research on shared autonomous vehicles (SAVs) and road congestion pricing have studied the short-term impact on traffic flow. These types of studies focused on the influences on mobility and ignored the long-term impacts on regional job accessibility. Given this, from the perspective of land use and transportation integration, this study explored the long-term effects of SAVs and cordon-based congestion pricing on regional land use, transportation, and job accessibility. The contributions of this study have been summarized by the following three purposes. First, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study was the first attempt to identify the long-term impact of the combination of these two technologies on regional job accessibility. Second, compared to the previous research methodology, this study adopted the land use and transportation integrated model (TRANUS model) and scenario planning to ensure the comprehensiveness and validity of the results. Third, this study analyzed the spatial heterogeneity of the impact of the combination of the two technologies on regional job accessibility in different areas with different built-environment attributes. To realize this purpose, this study quantitatively classified traffic analysis zones (TAZs) using data mining technology, i.e., factor analysis and clustering analysis. Results showed that the introduction of SAVs will contribute to job and population development in the charging zone and reduce the negative effect of road congestion pricing. From the perspective of reducing the average travel time between TAZs, the best strategy will be to implement SAVs alone, followed by integrated use of SAVs and road congestion pricing, while the worst strategy will be to implement the cordon-based congestion pricing policy alone. By comparison, from the perspective of improving regional job accessibility, the effect of introducing SAVs was better than that of road congestion pricing, while the combination of these two technologies was not superior to implementing SAVs alone.
Educación para la mitigación y adaptación al cambio climático en América Latina
Authors: Cruz Castaño Norella , Páramo Pablo
Published: November 2020

Este artículo establece el estado actual de la investigación en educación sobre cambio climático en Latinoamérica, a partir de una revisión de las publicaciones que aparecen en las bases de datos Scielo, Ebsco Host, Dialnet y Redalyc, desde 2009 a 2019. Se utilizaron las categorías “educación” y “cambio climático” o “calentamiento de la tierra” y se seleccionó una muestra de 36 estudios. Los resultados indican que en América Latina la educación sobre el cambio climático se ha abordado principalmente con estudios de percepción y representaciones sociales y en algunos casos con propuestas educativas que tienen a la población joven como objetivo. Se evidencian concepciones erróneas sobre el cambio climático y confusión de este fenómeno con otras problemáticas ambientales.
De los juegos a la gamificación: propuesta de un modelo integrado
Authors: Londoño Vásquez Laura Marcela , Rojas López Miguel David
Published: November 2020

El interés por temas relacionados con juegos dentro de los procesos educativos se remonta a numerosas propuestas que surgen a partir de los años 60 y a su aplicabilidad en diferentes disciplinas: militar, salud, ciencias sociales e ingeniería, etc. Este documento muestra la evolución desde la forma básica del juego hasta conceptos recientes, como juegos serios y gamificación. Presenta una revisión teórica de diferentes estudios realizados en el campo de juegos en la educación, sus características y aplicaciones. En un segundo momento, el artículo propone un modelo teórico integrador de los conceptos asociados a los juegos en la educación, que explica las relaciones entre aprendizaje y diversión.
Influence of engagement, work-environment, motivation, organizational learning, and supportive culture on job satisfaction.
Authors: Majid Muhammad , Ramli Mohamad Faizal , Badyalina Basri , Roslan Azreen , Azreen Jihan Che Mohd Hashim Azreen Jihanx
Published: November 2020

This paper intends to investigate the role of engagement, motivation, work environment, supportive culture, and organizational learning on job satisfaction. Responses were collected from 169 employees in Malaysian higher education sector. Further, the data obtained were analysed by using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). The results indicated that there are positive and significant relationships between engagement, supportive culture, motivation, and work environment on job satisfaction among employees of Malaysian higher education sector. However, organizational learning is not a significant towards job satisfaction. In future research, employees from private universities and public universities can be studied as comparison. By conducting these comparisons, it will help in creating plans to narrow down the gaps between these two sectors. In addition, the results will help to enhance the rising literature on job satisfaction from Asian context as this study was based on Malaysian samples. Data from employees working in different higher education institutions was utilized for this study to ensure the unbiased responses. Therefore, this study contributes to the literature concerning job satisfaction among employees, and the results of this study provide significant evidence on the influence of engagement, motivation, work-environment, organizational learning and supportive culture on job satisfaction in Malaysian higher education sector.Keywords: Malaysia, Engagement, Motivation, Work Environment, Organizational Learning, Supportive Culture, Job Satisfaction, Higher Education
Análise do romance industrial "Norte e Sul", de Elizabeth Gaskell, e as representações da industrialização e seus desdobramentos
Authors: Nascimento Andressa De Oliveira
Published: November 2020

O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar no romance industrial Norte e Sul, de Elizabeth Gaskell, as representações da Revolução Industrial inglesa e seus desdobramentos sociais, tais como o conflito entre classes, as condições de trabalho e os mecanismos – greves e sindicatos – de reivindicação dos trabalhadores. Em Norte e Sul, Elizabeth Gaskell relata a vida de Margareth Hale, uma mulher de classe média sulista que devido ao pai se muda para Milton, uma cidade industrial no norte da Inglaterra. Nesse novo ambiente, a protagonista terá que superar seus preconceitos sobre a classe burguesa e os operários, deixando para trás a idealização do campo.
A literatura romantica de Goethe através da obra os sofrimentos do jovem Werther
Authors: Greboge Montoia Mayla Louise
Published: November 2020

Este artigo é resultado de uma pesquisa realizada na disciplina de Teoria da História III, na Universidade Federal do Paraná (UFPR) e tem, como finalidade, relacionar os debates da disciplina com a literatura produzida no período de estudo, séculos XVIII e XIX. A obra escolhida foi “Os sofrimentos do Jovem Werther” de 1774, do grande escritor alemão Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Com base em uma categorização proposta pelo historiador Michel Lowy, Goethe pode ser considerado um verdadeiro romântico, que sente saudade do passado, é pessimista quanto ao futuro, avesso à racionalidade e, que vive um constante conflito entre indivíduo e sociedade. Ao longo do artigo, busca-se demonstrar de que forma e porque esta obra permite chegar a tais conclusões.
Analysis of a Telescoped Orogenic Gold System: Insights from the Fosterville Deposit
Authors: Voisey Christopher R. , Tomkins Andrew G. , Xing Yanlu
Published: November 2020

The Fosterville gold (Au) deposit is hosted in the Bendigo zone within the western Lachlan orogen, southeast Australia, and contains three distinct mineralization styles: (1) refractory Au in fine-grained arsenopyrite and arsenian pyrite disseminated throughout metasedimentary rocks near brittle faults, (2) visible Au hosted in fault-controlled quartz-carbonate veins associated with stibnite mineralization, and (3) vein-hosted visible Au with little or no associated stibnite. Refractory Au mineralization is found throughout the deposit, whereas visible Au ± stibnite occurs deeper in the system (>800-m depth from surface). Thus, Fosterville provides a unique opportunity to study a telescoped orogenic Au system that changes mineralization style as a function of depth. Microscopy, neutron tomography, nanoscale secondary ion mass spectrometry, and field observations have been conducted to investigate mineralogical and structural controls on the various styles of Au mineralization. These observations are used as the foundation for reactive mass transport geochemical modeling using HCh software. Results are considered in the context of an evolving mineral system over the formation history of the deposit, and relative timing of mineralization is inferred. Two alternatives for the genesis of such a system include the following: (1) metal deposition was controlled by ongoing physicochemical changes at a very shallow level in the crust in one evolving mineralization stage or (2) two or three deposits formed in the same location, with each different style of mineralization representing a separate period of fluid infiltration, each potentially tens of millions of years apart. Based on careful observations, microanalysis, and thermodynamic modeling, we suggest that the latter is more likely. Therefore, we suggest that Fosterville is to be recognized as a telescoped orogenic Au system, where relatively high temperature mineralization and alteration assemblages were overprinted vertically by later, lower-temperature assemblages.
Transition to Higher Education for Students with Autism: Challenges and Support Needs
Authors: Sefotho Maximus M. , Onyishi Charity Neejide
Published: November 2020

Increasing pieces evidence suggest that learners with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and their families experience limiting challenges in their transition at different developmental and academic levels in life. It is not clear, however, what the specific challenges that limit their successful transition are, despite parents' and teachers' efforts to support them. The current study sought to investigate the factors challenging students with ASD in transitioning to higher education. The study adopted a phenomenological qualitative research design with a total of 10first-year students with ASD in higher education institutions in Nigeria. The one-on-one interview was conducted, guided by a semi-structured interview schedule. Data collected were analyzed using content analysis, through the inductive thematic procedure. The results revealed five main themes, which include: academic functioning difficulties, social difficulties, structural issues, mental health problems, and lack of resources and supports. Each major theme was discussed based on the emerging subthemes. The findings of the study suggest an increased need for academic, social, materials, and environmental supports for students with ASD who transition to higher education institutions. More supports should be put in place to help learners with autism develop personal resources that will encourage their success in higher education institutions.
Face Analysis Using Row and Correlation Based Local Directional Pattern
Authors: Ramalingam Srinivasa Perumal
Published: November 2020

Face analysis, which includes face recognition and facial expression recognition, has been attempted by many researchers and gave ideal solutions. The problem is still active and challenging due to an increase in the complexity of the problem viz. due to poor lighting, face occlusion, low-resolution images, etc. Local pattern descriptor methods introduced to overcome these critical issues and improve the recognition rate. These methods extract the discriminant information from the local features of the face image for recognition. In this paper, the local descriptor based two methods, namely row-based local directional pattern and correlation-based local directional pattern proposed by extending an existing descriptor -- local directional pattern (LDP). Further, the two feature vectors obtained by these methods concatenated to form a hybrid descriptor. Experimentation has carried out on benchmark databases and results infer that the proposed hybrid descriptor outperforms the other descriptors in face analysis.
Dimensão Social da Sustentabilidade e Saúde Pública: Um Levantamento Bibliométrico
Authors: Maira Sagaz Sidimar , Marques Kneipp Jordana , Lucietto Deison Alencar , Da Rosa Gama Madruga Lúcia Rejane
Published: November 2020

Este estudo analisou as características das publicações sobre sustentabilidade social e saúde pública nas bases de dados Web Of Science (WOS) e SCOPUS. Ele possui abordagem quantitativa e caracteriza-se como levantamento bibliométrico. Identificaram-se 769 publicações na WOS e 1.601 na SCOPUS. A primeira publicação aconteceu em 1989. A partir daí houve incremento de publicações até 2017, com maior participação de artigos científicos (598 na WOS e 1.03 3 na SCOPUS), especialmente no quinquênio 2013-2017. Houve predomínio de artigos oriundos de instituições internacionais e em áreas como Medicina, Saúde Pública, Ciências Sociais e Ciências Ambientais. Dentre os mais citados, constatou-se predomínio de publicações em língua inglesa, envolvendo relações entre ecologia, desenvolvimento sustentável, sustentabilidade ambiental e sustentabilidade social e saúde. O levantamento bibliométrico contribui para a aproximação entre a dimensão social da sustentabilidade e aponta para a relevância da temática na gestão de ações, programas e organizações de saúde pública no país.
Monitoramento do Faturamento nos Setores de Urgência/Emergência no Sistema Único de Saúde: Proposta de Um Roteiro para Auxiliar o Gestor
Authors: Rached Chennyfer Dobbins Abi , Mathias Denise
Published: November 2020

Comparando a produção de uma unidade de Pronto Atendimento, sob gestão da Autarquia Hospitalar Municipal, constatou-se discrepância entre a quantidade de procedimentos aprovados e os valores apurados, embora o Sistema Único de Saúde não remunere a instância municipal e estadual por produção, os valores registrados no SIGTAP foram utilizados como indicadores da acurácia da base de dados, com o objetivo de se elaborar um instrumento facilitador do monitoramento da exatidão de alguns procedimentos essenciais de constarem na base de dados do Sistema de Informação Ambulatorial no serviço de urgência e emergência. Utilizando a pesquisa-ação foi possível detalhar as fases do processo de codificação, elaborar e aplicar o instrumento, acompanhar os resultados que evidenciaram aumento do valor financeiro do procedimento, de R$1,16 para R$6,04, o que demonstrou a eficácia da utilização do instrumento proposto, que foi expandido para os demais estabelecimentos de saúde.
Die Praxis der Verständigung im Strafprozess
Authors: Altenhain Karsten , Jahn Matthias , Kinzig Jörg
Published: November 2020

The so-called “Verständigung im Strafverfahren“ – plea bargaining in criminal cases – is and has been a highly controversial issue. In 2013, the German Federal Constitutional Court ruled the respective provisions of the German criminal code constitutional. Still, it assigned legislators the task to constantly examine the effectiveness of the inherent protective measures to ensure its constitutionality.

This volume presents the findings from a nationwide research project undertaken by researchers from the Universities of Düsseldorf, Frankfurt am Main and Tübingen. Based on the analysis of relevant court rulings, court records and both surveys and interviews with pertinent court personnel, it analyzes how the law is applied in practice.
Stone Soup
Authors: Silcox Mark ,   Department of Philosophy, Florida State University
Published: November 2020

Certain sorts of disputes about principles of distributive justice that have occupied a great deal of attention in recent political philosophy turn out to be fundamentally unresolvable, when they are conducted in ignorance of whether an important subclass of basic social goods exists within any particular society. I employ the folktale ‘Stone Soup’ to illustrate how such distributional goods might come into existence. Using the debate about John Rawls’s Difference Principle as an example, I argue that a proper appreciation for the axiological status of these goods shows that disputes about principles (at least as these have been conducted within the Rawlsian tradition) should be relegated to a subsidiary status relative to other, more fundamental concerns about the ethics of economic distribution.