bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ineffability: the Very Concept
Authors: Gäb Sebastian
Published: March 2020

In this paper, I analyze the concept of ineffability: what does it mean to say that something cannot be said? I begin by distinguishing ineffability from paradox: if something cannot be said truly or without contradiction, this is not an instance of ineffability. Next, I distinguish two different meanings of ‘saying something’ which result from a fundamental ambiguity in the term ‘language’, viz. language as a system of symbols and language as a medium of communication. Accordingly, ‘ineffability’ is ambiguous, too, and we should make a distinction between weak and strong ineffability. Weak ineffability is rooted in the deficiencies of a particular language while strong ineffability stems from the structure of a particular cognitive system and its capacities for conceptual mental representation. Mental contents are only sayable if we are able to conceptualize them and then create signs to represent them in communication.
No arbitrage in continuous financial markets
Authors: Criens David
Published: March 2020

We derive integral tests for the existence and absence of arbitrage in a financial market with one risky asset which is either modeled as stochastic exponential of an Itô process or a positive diffusion with Markov switching. In particular, we derive conditions for the existence of the minimal martingale measure. We also show that for Markov switching models the minimal martingale measure preserves the independence of the noise and we study how the minimal martingale measure can be modified to change the structure of the switching mechanism. Our main mathematical tools are new criteria for the martingale and strict local martingale property of certain stochastic exponentials.
Megalin: a Novel Determinant of Renin-Angiotensin System Activity in the Kidney?
Authors: Sun Yuan , Lu Xifeng , Danser A. H. Jan
Published: March 2020

Purpose of Review

Megalin is well known for its role in the reabsorption of proteins from the ultrafiltrate. Recent studies suggest that megalin also reabsorbs renin and angiotensinogen. Indeed, without megalin urinary renin and angiotensinogen levels massively increase, and even prorenin becomes detectable in urine.

Recent Findings

Intriguingly, megalin might also contribute to renal angiotensin production, as evidenced from studies in megalin knockout mice. This review discusses these topics critically, concluding that urinary renin-angiotensin system components reflect diminished reabsorption rather than release from renal tissue sites and that alterations in renal renin levels or megalin-dependent signaling need to be ruled out before concluding that angiotensin production at renal tissue sites is truly megalin dependent.

Future studies should evaluate megalin-mediated renin/angiotensinogen transcytosis (allowing interstitial angiotensin generation), and determine whether megalin prefers prorenin over renin, thus explaining why urine normally contains no prorenin.
The Influence of Taurine Supplementation on Serum and Tissular Fe, Zn and Cu Levels in Normal and Diet-Induced Insulin-Resistant Rats
Authors: Król Ewelina , Okulicz Monika , Kupsz Justyna
Published: March 2020

Taurine (Tau) is a β-sulphonated amino acid postulated to improve glucose homeostasis in insulin resistance and diabetes. Changes in carbohydrate metabolism are accompanied by oxidative stress, which may disturb the mineral balance. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the effect of Tau supplementation on the levels of trace elements in rats fed either a standard (AIN-93M, 4% fat) diet or a modified high-fat diet (30% fat). For 8 weeks, male Wistar rats were fed these diets supplemented with 3% Tau. Taurine supplementation normalized increased serum insulin concentration and insulin resistance index; however, it did not improve serum CRP concentration in high-fat diet fed rats. The high-fat diet supplemented with Tau decreased the renal and splenic Zn levels, but the tissular Fe content did not change. The effect of Tau supplementation on the mineral balance to some extent depended on the fat content in the rats’ diet. The high-fat diet supplemented with Tau decreased the rats’ splenic Zn levels but increased their femur levels. In the group fed the standard diet, Tau reduced the rats’ femur Zn level, whereas their splenic Zn level was comparable. Tau supplementation decreased the renal Cu level and serum ceruloplasmin concentration in the rats fed the standard diet, but this effect was not observed in the rats fed the high-fat diet. In conclusion, supplementary taurine failed to ameliorate disturbances in mineral homeostasis caused by high-fat diet feeding and led to tissular redistribution of Zn and Cu in the rat.
Atrophy patterns of hippocampal subfields in T2DM patients with cognitive impairment
Authors: Li MengChun , Huang LiLi , Yang Dan , Luo CaiMei , Qin RuoMeng , Zhang Bing , Zhao Hui , Xu Yun
Published: March 2020

Purpose

To identify the volume changes of hippocampus subfields in T2DM patients with cognitive impairment and to determine how these atrophy patterns associate with impairments in different cognitive domain.

Methods

A total of 117 individuals were recruited, including T2DM patients with cognitive impairment (T2DM-CI) (n = 34), T2DM patients without cognitive impairment (T2DM-non-CI) (n = 36) and normal controls (NC) (n = 47). All subjects went through a 3.0 T magnetic resonance (MR) scan and a neuropsychological assessment. Hippocampal subfield volumes were processed using the FreeSurfer 6.0.0 and compared among the three groups. Partial correlation analyses were used to estimate the relationship between cognitive function and hippocampal subfield volume, with age, sex, education, and eTIV (estimated total intracranial volume) as covariants.

Results

The total hippocampal volume had a reduction trend among the three groups, and the significantly statistical difference only was found between T2DM-CI group and NC group. Regarding the hippocampal subfields, the volumes of left subiculum, left presubiculum, left fimbria, right CA1 and right molecular layer HP decreased significantly in the T2DM-CI group (P < 0.05/12). Partial correlation analyses showed that the volumes of the left subiculum, left fimbria, and left presubiculum were significantly related to executive function. The right hippocampal CA1 volume was significantly correlated with memory in the T2DM-CI group (P < 0.05). But in T2DM-non-CI group, the correlation between the left fimbria volume and the memory, the left subiculum volume and MoCA were different with the T2DM-CI group and NC group (P < 0.05).

Conclusions

The smaller the volume of left presubiculum, the worse the executive function, and the atrophy of the right CA1 was related to memory impairment in T2DM-CI group. However the result was the opposite in T2DM-non-CI group. There might be a compensation mechanism of hippocampus of T2DM patients before cognitive impairment.
Rapid development of an iatrogenic aortic dissection following transcatheter aortic valve implantation
Authors: Geile Julian , Doberentz Elke , Madea Burkhard
Published: March 2020

Transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) represents a catheter-based and minimally invasive replacement of the aortic valve. TAVI is considered to be a relatively safe procedure and has evolved to a standard procedure in inoperable and high-risk patients with aortic stenosis. We present a case of an octogenarian who died in hospital less than a day after an initially satisfactory TAVI. Cardiologists suspected a combination of cardiogenic and hemorrhagic shock as the cause of death. Autopsy showed rupture of an extensive aortic dissection, which had developed within 24 h after the procedure. The cause of death was eventually defined as internal bleeding due to a rapid two-stage vascular process. The manner of death was considered accidental because an iatrogenic vessel injury beyond the aortic arch was causative for the death. This unusual case highlights the potential for rare, but fatal, complications within the scope of cardiac catheterizations, such as TAVI. Additionally, our findings suggest that these complications need to be recognized in the diagnostic process and management of post-interventional complications.
Extracellular vesicle isolation from human renal cancer tissue
Authors: Zieren Richard C. , Dong Liang , Pierorazio Phillip M. , Pienta Kenneth J. , de Reijke Theo M. , Amend Sarah R.
Published: March 2020

Renal cell carcinoma is a lethal disease that is often discovered incidentally. New non-invasive biomarkers are needed to aid diagnosis and treatment. Extracellular vesicles (EVs), membranous vesicles secreted by all cells, are a promising potential source for cancer biomarkers, but new methods are required that are both sensitive and specific for cancer identification. We have developed an EV isolation protocol optimized for kidney tumor and normal kidney tissue that yields a high vesicle concentration, confirmed by nanoparticle tracking analysis (NanoSight) and by nanoscale flow cytometry (NanoFCM). Using Western blot, we confirmed presence of EV markers CD81, CD63, flotillin-1, and absence of cellular debris, calnexin. Transmission electron microscopy images demonstrate intact membranous EVs. This new method improves existing protocols with additional steps to reduce contaminants in the EV product. Characterization of our isolation product confirms successful isolation of EVs with minimal contamination. The particle yields of our protocol are consistent and high as assessed by both standard and novel methods. This optimized protocol will contribute to biomarker discovery and biological studies of EVs in renal cancer.
Lysosomal Hydrolase Cathepsin D Non-proteolytically Modulates Dendritic Morphology in Drosophila
Authors: Zhang Ting , Cheng Daxiao , Wu Cunjin , Wang Xingyue , Ke Qiang , Lou Huifang , Zhu Liya , Wang Xiao-Dong , Duan Shumin , Liu Yi-Jun
Published: March 2020

The main lysosomal protease cathepsin D (cathD) is essential for maintaining tissue homeostasisviaits degradative function, and its loss leads to ceroid accumulation in the mammalian nervous system, which results in progressive neurodegeneration. Increasing evidence implies non-proteolytic roles of cathD in regulating various biological processes such as apoptosis, cell proliferation, and migration. Along these lines, we here showed that cathD is required for modulating dendritic architecture in the nervous system independent of its traditional degradative function. UponcathDdepletion, class I and class III arborization (da) neurons inDrosophilalarvae exhibited aberrant dendritic morphology, including over-branching, aberrant turning, and elongation defects. Re-introduction of wild-type cathD or its proteolytically-inactive mutant dramatically abolished these morphological defects. Moreover, cathD knockdown also led to dendritic defects in the adult mushroom bodies, suggesting that cathD-mediated processes are required in both the peripheral and central nervous systems. Taken together, our results demonstrate a critical role of cathD in shaping dendritic architecture independent of its proteolytic function.
AI-based chatbots in customer service and their effects on user compliance
Authors: Adam Martin , Wessel Michael , Benlian Alexander
Published: March 2020

Communicating with customers through live chat interfaces has become an increasingly popular means to provide real-time customer service in many e-commerce settings. Today, human chat service agents are frequently replaced by conversational software agents or chatbots, which are systems designed to communicate with human users by means of natural language often based on artificial intelligence (AI). Though cost- and time-saving opportunities triggered a widespread implementation of AI-based chatbots, they still frequently fail to meet customer expectations, potentially resulting in users being less inclined to comply with requests made by the chatbot. Drawing on social response and commitment-consistency theory, we empirically examine through a randomized online experiment how verbal anthropomorphic design cues and the foot-in-the-door technique affect user request compliance. Our results demonstrate that both anthropomorphism as well as the need to stay consistent significantly increase the likelihood that users comply with a chatbot’s request for service feedback. Moreover, the results show that social presence mediates the effect of anthropomorphic design cues on user compliance.
Watershed prioritization for soil and water conservation aspect using GIS and remote sensing: PCA-based approach at northern elevated tract Bangladesh
Authors: Arefin Riad , Mohir Md. Mohirul Islam , Alam Jahangir
Published: March 2020

The current study has been derived to understand morphometric parameters to pledge the reduction in the proclaimed drought influence for climate change. Watershed prioritization has been studied using the geographical information system and remote sensing techniques for soil erosion and water preservation measure at Plio–Pleistocene elevated tract in Bangladesh. Secondary data, i.e., SRTM DEM and the topographical sheets, have been used for the drainage network identification. Seventeen watersheds of fifth order and three watersheds of sixth order are selected for the whole study. Sixteen basic morphometric parameters that are categorized as areal, linear and relief aspects have been used for the study area. The study area comprises sixth stream order that has been obtained using a stream threshold value of 100-m length. Morphometric analysis is suitable for water and soil conservation practice where groundwater and relevant data sets are not available. For the categorization and correlation of the morphometric parameters, principal component analysis (PCA) has been used in the present study. PCA analysis is more suitable, well-known and widely used method for its simplicity to choose more influencing parameters (correlated parameters) that are responsible for watershed prioritization. Strongly correlated components (Dd, Rc, Re and Rb) are used for the compound parameter (Cp) and final priority (Rp) calculation. Low Cp value is suitable for water and soil conservation measure. Therefore, the corresponding low Cp has been taken as one for final priority ranking (Rp) purpose, then second lowest value as two, and so on.
A simplified method for experimentally quantifying crude oil swelling during immiscible carbon dioxide injection
Authors: Fakher Sherif , Imqam Abdulmohsin
Published: March 2020

Immiscible carbon dioxide (CO2) injection is one of the highly applied enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods due to its high oil recovery potential and its ability to store CO2 in the reservoir. The main mechanism of immiscible CO2 injection is oil swelling. Generally, oil swelling is measured experimentally or measured using modeling methods. This research conducts oil swelling experiments using a simplified method in order to easily and accurately measure oil swelling and determines some of the most significant factors that may impact oil swelling during CO2 injection. The impact of varying CO2 injection pressure, temperature, oil viscosity and oil volume on oil swelling capacity was investigated. The simplified method managed to accurately determine the value of oil swelling for all the experiments. One of the factors that was found to impact the method significantly was the oil volume used. The oil volume in the experimental vessel was found to be extremely important since a large oil volume may result in a false oil swelling value. The oil swelling results were compared to other researches and showed that the method applied had an accuracy of over 90% for all the results obtained. This research introduces a simple method that can be used to measure oil swelling and applies this method to investigate some of the factors that may impact the oil swelling capacity during immiscible CO2 injection.
Impact of residual fuel ash layers on the catalytic activation of K-feldspar regarding the water–gas shift reaction
Authors: Fürsatz Katharina , Kuba Matthias , Janisch Daniel , Aziaba Kouessan , Hammerl Christoph , Chlebda Damian , Łojewska Joanna , Hofbauer Hermann
Published: March 2020

Interaction of biomass ash and bed materials in thermochemical conversion in fluidized beds leads to changes of the bed particle surface due to ash layer formation. Ash components present on the bed particle surface strongly depend on the ash composition of the fuel. Thus, the residual biomass used has a strong influence on the surface changes on bed particles in fluidized bed conversion processes and, therefore, on the catalytic performance of the bed material layers. Ash layer formation is associated with an increase in the catalytic activity of the bed particles in gasification and plays a key role in the operability of different biomass fuels. The catalytic activation over time was observed for K-feldspar used as the bed material with bark, chicken manure, and a mixture of bark and chicken manure as fuels. The changes on the bed material surfaces were further characterized by SEM/EDS and BET analyses. Raman, XPS, and XRD analyses were used to characterize the crystal phases on the bed material surface. An increase in surface area over time was observed for K-feldspar during the interaction with biomass ash. Additionally, a more inhomogeneous surface composition for fuels containing chicken manure in comparison to pure bark was observed. This was due to the active participation of phosphorus from the fuel ash in the ash transformation reactions leading to their presence on the particle surface. A decreased catalytic activity was observed for the same BET surface area compared to bark combustion, caused by the different fuel ash composition of chicken manure.
Effects of diameter distribution errors on stand management decisions according to a simulated individual tree detection
Authors: Vauhkonen Jari
Published: March 2020

Key Message

Tree-level forest inventory data are becoming increasingly available, which motivates the use of these data for decision-making. However, airborne inventories carried out tree-by-tree typically include systematic errors, which can propagate to objective function variables used to determine optimal forest management. Effects of under-detection focused on the smallest trees on predicted immediate harvest profits and future expectation values were assessed assuming different sites and interest rates. Management decisions based on the erroneous information caused losses of 0–17% of the total immediate and future expected income of Scots pine stands.

Context

Optimal decisions on how to manage forest stands can depend on the absence or presence of intermediate and understory trees. Yet, these tree strata are likely prone to inventory errors.

Aims

The aim of this study is to examine implications of making stand management decisions based on data that include systematic errors resembling those typically observed in airborne inventories carried out tree-by-tree.

Methods

Stand management instructions were developed based on theoretical diameter distribution functions simulated to have different shape, scale, and frequency parameters corresponding to various degrees of under-detection focused on the smallest trees. Immediate harvest income and future expectation value were derived based on various management alternatives simulated.

Results

Errors in diameter distributions affected the predicted harvest profits and future expectation values differently between the simulated alternatives and depending on site type and interest rate assumptions. As a result, different alternatives were considered as optimal management compared to the use of the error-free reference distributions. In particular, the use of no management or most intensive management alternatives became preferred over alternatives with intermediate harvesting intensities. Certain harvesting types such as thinning from below became preferred more often than what was optimal. The errors did not affect the selection of the management alternative in 71% of the simulations, whereas in the remaining proportion, relying on the erroneous information would have caused losing 2%, on average, and 17% at maximum, of the total immediate and future expected income.

Conclusion

The effects above might not have been discovered, if the results were validated for inventory totals instead of separately considering the immediate and future income and losses produced by the erroneous decisions. It is recommended not to separate but to integrate the inventory and planning systems for well-informed decisions.
Revisional Notes on the Cloud Forest Butterfly Genus Oxeoschistus Butler in Central America (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae)
Authors: Pyrcz T W , Zubek A , Boyer P , Nakamura I , Wacławik B , Florczyk K
Published: March 2020

So far, six species ofOxeoschistusButler, including its junior synonymDioristeThieme, were listed from Central America, with five of them from Costa Rica alone, which appears to represent the highest regional diversity of this Neotropical montane butterfly genus. Our research based on field work, morphological studies and barcode analysis proved that one record is a misunderstanding perpetuated in scientific literature for over a century:Oxeoschistus cothonidesGrose-Smith is identified here as an individual form of the female ofO. cothonSalvin. The presence ofOxeoschistus tauropolis(Westwood) in Costa Rica, subject to some controversy, is confirmed, and a new local subspecies is described from Costa Rica,O. tauropolis mitsukoPyrcz & Nakamura n. ssp. Specific status ofO. euriphyleButler is reinstated based on morphological and molecular data. A new subspeciesO. hilara lempiraPyrcz n. ssp. is described from Honduras.O. puerta submaculatusButler is reported for the first time from the Darién region on the Panama–Colombia border. Species relationships are preliminarily evaluated based on COI data concluding, among others, thatO. hilaraandO. euriphyleare less closely related than previously assumed. Altitudinal and distributional data are revised, and ecological and behavioural information of all the species of Central AmericanOxeoschistusis provided.
Respiratory tract infection-related healthcare utilisation in children with Down’s syndrome
Authors: Manikam Logan , Schilder Anne G. M. , Lakhanpaul Monica , Littlejohns Peter , Alexander Emma C. , Hayward Andrew
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Children with Down’s syndrome (DS) are prone to respiratory tract infections (RTIs) due to anatomical variation, immune system immaturity and comorbidities. However, evidence on RTI-related healthcare utilisation, especially in primary care, is incomplete. In this retrospective cohort study, we use routinely collected primary and secondary care data to quantify RTI-related healthcare utilisation in children with DS and matched controls without DS.

Methods

Retrospective cohort study of 992 children with DS and 4874 matched controls attending English general practices and hospitals as identified in Clinical disease research using LInked Bespoke studies and Electronic health Records (CALIBER) from 1997 to 2010. Poisson regression was used to calculate consultation, hospitalisation and prescription rates, and rate ratios. Wald test was used to compare risk of admission following consultation. The Wilcoxon rank–sum test was used to compare length of stay by RTI type and time-to-hospitalisation.

Results

RTI-related healthcare utilisation is significantly higher in children with DS than in controls in terms of GP consultations (adjusted RR 1.73; 95% CI 1.62–1.84), hospitalisations (adjusted RR 5.70; 95% CI 4.82–6.73), and antibiotic prescribing (adjusted RR 2.34; 95% CI 2.19–2.49). Two percent of children with DS presenting for an RTI-related GP consultation were subsequently admitted for an RTI-related hospitalisation, compared to 0.7% in controls.

Conclusions

Children with DS have higher rates of GP consultations, hospitalisations and antibiotic prescribing compared to controls. This poses a significant burden on families. Further research is recommended to characterise healthcare behaviours and clinical decision-making, to optimise care for this at risk group.
Generating multiple reference vectors for a class of many-objective optimization problems with degenerate Pareto fronts
Authors: Hua Yicun , Jin Yaochu , Hao Kuangrong , Cao Yuan
Published: March 2020

Many-objective optimization problems with degenerate Pareto fronts are hard to solve for most existing many-objective evolutionary algorithms. This is particularly true when the shape of the degenerate Pareto front is very narrow, and there are many dominated solutions near the Pareto front. To solve this particular class of many-objective optimization problems, a new evolutionary algorithm is proposed in this paper. In this algorithm, a set of reference vectors is generated to locate the potential Pareto front and then generate a set of location vectors. With the help of the location vectors, the solutions near the Pareto front are mapped to the hyperplane and clustered to generate more reference vectors pointing to Pareto front. This way, the location vectors are able to efficiently guide the population to converge towards the Pareto front. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is examined on two typical test problems with degenerate Pareto fronts, namely DTLZ5 and DTLZ6 with 5–40 objectives. Our experimental results show that the proposed algorithm has a clear advantage in dealing with this class of many-objective optimization problems. In addition, the proposed algorithm has also been successfully applied to optimization of process parameters of polyester fiber filament melt-transportation.
A Review on Surface-Functionalized Cellulosic Nanostructures as Biocompatible Antibacterial Materials
Authors: Tavakolian Mandana , Jafari Seid Mahdi , van de Ven Theo G. M.
Published: March 2020

As the most abundant biopolymer on the earth, cellulose has recently gained significant attention in the development of antibacterial biomaterials. Biodegradability, renewability, strong mechanical properties, tunable aspect ratio, and low density offer tremendous possibilities for the use of cellulose in various fields. Owing to the high number of reactive groups (i.e., hydroxyl groups) on the cellulose surface, it can be readily functionalized with various functional groups, such as aldehydes, carboxylic acids, and amines, leading to diverse properties. In addition, the ease of surface modification of cellulose expands the range of compounds which can be grafted onto its structure, such as proteins, polymers, metal nanoparticles, and antibiotics. There are many studies in which cellulose nano-/microfibrils and nanocrystals are used as a support for antibacterial agents. However, little is known about the relationship between cellulose chemical surface modification and its antibacterial activity or biocompatibility. In this study, we have summarized various techniques for surface modifications of cellulose nanostructures and its derivatives along with their antibacterial and biocompatibility behavior to develop non-leaching and durable antibacterial materials. Despite the high effectiveness of surface-modified cellulosic antibacterial materials, more studies on their mechanism of action, the relationship between their properties and their effectivity, and more in vivo studies are required.
The Influence of the Organizational Structure, Environment, and Resource Provision on the Use of Accrual Accounting in Municipalities
Authors: Nitzl Christian , Hilgers Dennis , Hirsch Bernhard , Lindermüller David
Published: March 2020

Despite its benefits, municipalities frequently struggle to take advantage of accrual accounting as a basis for managerial decisions. We assume that the reason for this is that municipalities technically implement accrual accounting but sometimes keep it decoupled from daily decision making. To identify factors that facilitate a more sophisticated usage of accrual accounting in German public administrations, we examined the influence of the municipality’s contextual situation, organizational structure, and resource provision on the degree of sophistication in the use of accrual accounting. We found that the most relevant driver for a more sophisticated use of accrual accounting is the contextual situation in which the municipality is embedded. In our research model, a municipality’s contextual situation consists of fiscal stress, its political competition and culture, and the relevant legal system. Another important factor is the adequate provision of resources, such as an IT system that delivers easily accessible and accurate accounting information. Notably, the specific organizational structure of the municipality, which is often regarded as highly bureaucratic and the main obstruction to reforms, is not significant.
Large-Scale Identification and Time-Course Quantification of Ubiquitylation Events during Maize Seedling De-Etiolation
Authors: Wang Yue-Feng , Chao Qing , Li Zhe , Lu Tian-Cong , Zheng Hai-Yan , Zhao Cai-Feng , Shen Zhuo , Li Xiao-Hui , Wang Bai-Chen
Published: March 2020

The ubiquitin system is crucial for the development and fitness of higher plants. De-etiolation, during which green plants initiate photomorphogenesis and establish autotrophy, is a dramatic and complicated process that is tightly regulated by a massive number of ubiquitylation/de-ubiquitylation events. Here we present site-specific quantitative proteomic data for the ubiquitylomes of de-etiolating seedling leaves of Zea mays L. (exposed to light for 1, 6, or 12 h) achieved through immunoprecipitation-based high-resolution mass spectrometry (MS). Through the integrated analysis of multiple ubiquitylomes, we identified and quantified 1926 unique ubiquitylation sites corresponding to 1053 proteins. We analyzed these sites and found five potential ubiquitylation motifs, KA, AXK, KXG, AK, and TK. Time-course studies revealed that the ubiquitylation levels of 214 sites corresponding to 173 proteins were highly correlated across two replicate MS experiments, and significant alterations in the ubiquitylation levels of 78 sites (fold change >1.5) were detected after de-etiolation for 12 h. The majority of the ubiquitylated sites we identified corresponded to substrates involved in protein and DNA metabolism, such as ribosomes and histones. Meanwhile, multiple ubiquitylation sites were detected in proteins whose functions reflect the major physiological changes that occur during plant de-etiolation, such as hormone synthesis/signaling proteins, key C4 photosynthetic enzymes, and light signaling proteins. This study on the ubiquitylome of the maize seedling leaf is the first attempt ever to study the ubiquitylome of a C4 plant and provides the proteomic basis for elucidating the role of ubiquitylation during plant de-etiolation.
A survey of speech-language pathology treatment for non-progressive dysarthria in Australia
Authors: Gracia Narissa , Rumbach Anna F. , Finch Emma
Published: March 2020

Aim:

To identify management practices of Australian speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in the treatment of non-progressive dysarthria using a subsystem approach, and to explore SLPs’ consideration and implementation of the theoretical underpinnings of non-progressive dysarthria management.

Method:

A 39-item online survey was distributed to Australian SLPs, with 80 responses suitable for data analysis.

Results:

Practices of SLPs were variable for the management of the speech subsystems. The Lee Silverman Voice Treatment (LSVT®) was the most commonly used manualised treatment program, and was employed by 63.77% of respondents. Almost all SLPs (>88%) provided strategies to improve functional communication. There was no clear preference for low tech alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) devices. Speech generating devices were the most commonly employed high tech device. Almost two-thirds of respondents used non-speech oral motor exercises (NSOMEs) in treatment. SLPs had varied frequencies and models of service delivery for intervention. SLPs valued interventions targeting the activity and participation domains of the ICF, however this was restricted by the treatment context and resources available. The majority of SLPs (92.06%) were aware of the principles of motor learning, however many were unsure regarding the specifics of implementation.

Conclusion:

There is a clear need for further research into the efficacy of treatment techniques to guide decision-making.
The Cult of Convenience: Marketing and Food in Postwar America
Authors: WEBER MARGARET
Published: March 2020

Amidst other major changes to the food system, America witnessed an extensive transformation of marketing within the postwar era. Specifically, the concept of convenience quickly became a favorite of corporations across the food chain. However, despite the favorable market conditions and an outwardly receptive customer base, companies quickly found that they needed to negotiate with public perceptions of food, cultural ideals, and social realities. Using primarily corporate sources, this paper explores the development and use of convenience by food marketers. It investigates how processors sought to exploit postwar tensions between labor and gender. The project also examines how companies grappled with customer expectations of product quality. Ultimately, companies that successfully leveraged their ability to offer quick, quality meals further embedded themselves into consumer choices and lifestyles. By cultivating and marketing a specific message, corporations used convenience to make themselves appear indispensable to living and eating well in the postwar era.
England's fresh approach to food waste: problem frames in theResources and Waste Strategy
Authors: Bradshaw Carrie
Published: March 2020

Coexisting and eye-watering levels of food abundance, waste, overconsumption and hunger are symptomatic of a broken food system punctuated by vested interests in systematic overproduction. Against that backdrop, this paper evaluates England's ‘new’ approach to food waste in light of concerns that policy-makers have framed food waste as a consumer behaviour problem, rather than a structural challenge. TheResources and Waste Strategy'sacknowledgement of normalised overproduction is thus remarkable, but unexpected. However, frame critical analysis reveals how an apparent departure from preoccupations with economic growth, combined with promises of government action, obscure an ongoing reluctance to intervene against powerful interests and the causes (not symptoms) of food waste. Legislative proposals, rather thanreducingsurplus, shift the burden ofredistributingfood away from the state and retailers, on to charities and farmers. With England, perhaps wrongly, seen as a world-leader on food waste, this has implications for other jurisdictions, as well as forthcoming consultations.
Increasing the Resistance of GPS Receivers by Using a Fuzzy Smart Estimator in Weak Signal Conditions
Authors: Farhad M. A. , Mosavi M. R. , Abedi A. A. , Mohammadi K.
Published: March 2020

Global satellite navigation systems (GNSS) are nowadays used in many applications. GNSS receivers experience limitations in receiving weak signals in a degraded environment. Hence, tracking weak GNSS signals is a topic of interest to researchers in this field. Different methods have been proposed to address this issue, each of which has advantages and disadvantages. In this paper, a method based on the vector tracking method is proposed for weak signal tracking. This method has been developed based on a strong Kalman filter instead of the extended Kalman filter used in conventional vector tracking methods. In order to adjust important parameters of this filter, the fuzzy method is used. The results of tests performed with both simulated data and real data demonstrate that the proposed method performs better than previous ones in weak signal tracking.
Land and poverty: the role of soil fertility and vegetation quality in poverty reduction
Authors: Heger Martin Philipp , Zens Gregor , Bangalore Mook
Published: March 2020

The debate on the land–poverty nexus is inconclusive, with past research unable to identify the causal dynamics. We use a unique global panel dataset that links survey and census derived poverty data with measures of land ecosystems at the subnational level. Rainfall is used to overcome the endogeneity in the land–poverty relationship in an instrumental variable approach. This is the first global study using quasi-experimental methods to uncover the degree to which land improvements matter for poverty reduction. We draw three main conclusions. First, land improvements are important for poverty reduction in rural areas and particularly so for Sub-Saharan Africa. Second, land improvements are pro-poor: poorer areas see larger poverty alleviation effects due to improvements in land. Finally, irrigation plays a major role in breaking the link between bad weather and negative impacts on the poor through reduced vegetation growth and soil fertility.
Gender and Status in American Political Science: Who Determines Whether a Scholar Is Noteworthy?
Authors: Alter Karen J. , Clipperton Jean , Schraudenbach Emily , Rozier Laura
Published: March 2020

We investigate gender disparities in status construction in American political science, focusing on three questions: 1) Do institutions within the discipline of political science—including departments, APSA, editorial boards, and academic honor societies–reflect or remedy gender disparities that exist in many forms of recognition, including appointments to top leadership and citations? 2) Are institutions with centralized and accountable appointment mechanisms less gender skewed compared to networked and decentralized selection processes where implicit bias may go unchecked? 3) Does leaning in help? Does the effort of women to publish and to claim a seat at leadership tables increase the likelihood that higher-level status positions will follow? We find that the distribution of highest-status positions is still gender skewed, that women are over-represented in positions that involve more service than prestige, that “leaning in” by serving as section chair, on editorial boards, or on academic councils is not necessarily a gateway to higher-status appointments, and that accountability promotes greater gender parity. The study raises questions about the goal of gender parity when it comes to lower-status service, and about the types of contributions our discipline rewards.
Attitudes Toward Intimate Partner Violence Against Women in the	European Union: A Systematic Review
Authors: Gracia Enrique , Lila Marisol , Santirso Faraj A.
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Attitudes toward intimate partner violence against women (IPVAW) are increasingly recognized as central to understanding of this major social and public health problem, and guide the development of more effective prevention efforts. However, to date this area of research is underdeveloped in western societies, and in particular in the EU. The present study aims to provide a systematic review of quantitative studies addressing attitudes toward IPVAW conducted in the EU. The review was conducted through Web of Science, PsychINFO, Medline, EMBASE, PUBMED, and the Cochrane Library, in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. This review aimed to identify empirical studies conducted in the EU, published in English in peer-reviewed journals from 2000 to 2018, and analyzing attitudes toward IPVAW. A total of 62 of 176 eligible articles were selected according to inclusion criteria. Four sets of attitudes toward IPVAW were identified as the main focus of the studies: legitimation, acceptability, attitudes toward intervention, and perceived severity. Four main research themes regarding attitudes toward IPVAW emerged: correlates of attitudes, attitudes as predictors, validation of scales, and attitude change interventions. Although interest in this research area has been growing in recent years, the systematic review revealed important gaps in current knowledge on attitudes toward IPVAW in the EU that limits its potential to inform public policy. The review outlines directions for future study and suggests that to better inform policy making, these future research efforts would benefit from an EU-level perspective.
The Association Between Emotion, Social Information Processing, and	Aggressive Behavior: A Systematic Review
Authors: Smeijers Danique , Benbouriche Massil , Garofalo Carlo
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Aggressive individuals are thought to process social information in such a manner that the likelihood of engaging in aggressive acts increases drastically. Additionally, emotion and emotion regulation skills are implicated in aggressive and violent behavior as well. However, little attention has been paid to the reciprocal relations between emotion and emotion regulation and Social Information Processing (SIP) in explaining aggression. Therefore, the present study systematically examined extant research on the role of emotion and SIP in aggressive behavior. The results supported substantial overlap between emotion and emotion regulation processes and SIP in explaining aggression. Due to the paucity and nature of available studies, no firm conclusion can be drawn about the nature of their reciprocal relationships. However, the integration of cognition and emotion seems a promising avenue of research for explaining the development and manifestation of aggressive behavior, as well as to inform its prevention and treatment. Future research is needed to elucidate the likely intertwined roles of emotion and the entire SIP process in offender or at-risk populations.
Similarities and Differences in the Mechanisms Causing the European Summer Heatwaves in 2003, 2010, and 2018
Authors: Liu Xuebang , He Bin , Guo Lanlan , Huang Ling , Chen Deliang
Published: March 2020

The mechanisms causing European heatwaves in recent years, particularly their differences among several heatwaves, are poorly understood. Here atmospheric circulation anomalies and soil moisture‐temperature coupling during the summer 2018 heatwave are comprehensively examined and compared with the 2003 and 2010 heatwaves using ERA5 reanalysis, model simulations, and eddy covariance flux measurements. We show that the 2018 heatwave successively affected northern and central Europe, and the peak temperature in Finland and northwest Russia broke historical records of the past 40 years. Although three heatwaves were all initially triggered by atmospheric circulation anomalies, the strong moisture‐temperature coupling were found to further strengthen the 2003 and 2010 heatwaves. This coupling was also strong in central Europe during 2018 heatwave, but was weak in the northern European center of the heatwaves. The high temperature in 2018 was mainly due to increases in the amount of net surface radiation caused by the clear skies associated with reduced precipitation. Furthermore, we also find that land cover plays a critical role in determining the occurrence and strength of soil moisture‐temperature coupling. Cropland/grassland depletes soil moisture more readily than forests, thereby triggering a more rapid release of sensible fluxes as observed during 2018 heatwave.
El Niño‐Driven Oxygenation Impacts Peruvian Shelf Iron Supply to the South Pacific Ocean
Authors: Rapp Insa , Schlosser Christian , Browning Thomas J. , Wolf Fabian , Le Moigne Frédéric A. C. , Gledhill Martha , Achterberg Eric P.
Published: March 2020

Upwelling ocean currents associated with oxygen minimum zones (OMZs) supply nutrients fuelling intense marine productivity. Perturbations in the extent and intensity of OMZs are projected in the future, but it is currently uncertain how this will impact fluxes of redox‐sensitive trace metal micronutrients to the surface ocean. Here we report seawater concentrations of Fe, Mn, Co, Cd, and Ni alongside the redox indicator iodide/iodate in the Peruvian OMZ during the 2015 El Niño event. The El Niño drove atypical upwelling of oxygen‐enriched water over the Peruvian Shelf, resulting in oxidized iodine and strongly depleted Fe (II), total dissolved Fe, and reactive particulate Fe concentrations relative to non‐El Niño conditions. Observations of Fe were matched by the redox‐sensitive micronutrients Co and Mn, but not by non‐redox‐sensitive Cd and Ni. These observations demonstrate that oxygenation of OMZs significantly reduces water column inventories of redox‐sensitive micronutrients, with potential impacts on ocean productivity.
Arctic Sea‐Ice Variability During the Instrumental Era
Authors: Brennan M. Kathleen , Hakim Gregory J. , Blanchard‐Wrigglesworth Edward
Published: March 2020

Arctic sea‐ice extent (SIE) has declined drastically in recent decades, yet its evolution prior to the satellite era is highly uncertain. Studies using SIE observations find little variability prior to the 1970s; however, these reconstructions are based on limited data, especially prior to the 1950s. We use ensemble Kalman filter data assimilation of surface air temperature observations with Last Millennium climate model simulations to create a fully gridded Arctic sea‐ice concentration reconstruction from 1850 to 2018 and investigate the evolution of Arctic SIE during this period. We find a decline of ∼1.25×106 km2 during the early 20th‐century warming (1910–1940). The 25‐year trends during this period are ∼33–38% smaller than the satellite era (1979–2018) but almost twice as large as previous estimates. Additionally, we find that variability of SIE on decadal timescales prior to the satellite era is ∼40% greater than previously estimated.
The Optimal Precursor of El Niño in the GFDL CM2p1 Model
Authors: Yang Zeyun , Fang Xianghui , Mu Mu
Published: March 2020

By applying the principal component analysis‐based particle swarm optimization algorithm, the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation is firstly calculated in the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory Climate Model version 2p1 (GFDL CM2p1) to identify the optimal precursor (OPR) of El Niño. Specifically, through optimizing the initial perturbation, the OPRs that have the largest nonlinear evolution (i.e., mature state of El Niño) for two reference states are obtained, which are then confirmed according to the validation test. The results indicate that both OPRs show positive sea surface temperature perturbation in the west (2°N–2°S, 135.5–165.5°E). For the subsurface component, they exhibit positive subsurface temperature perturbation (STP) in the whole mixed layer of the west and negative STP in the upper layer of the east (i.e., 0‐ to 85‐m depth, 2°N–2°S, 79.5–109.5°W). Further analyses of the evolution of the sea surface temperature perturbation, STP, and surface wind perturbation suggest that the development of the OPRs in the model is consistent with the recognized mechanism for El Niño‐Southern Oscillation development, that is, through the Bjerknes positive feedback. The results indicate that the model can realistically capture the dominant processes for El Niño development, and the principal component analysis‐based particle swarm optimization algorithm is a practical solution for calculating the conditional nonlinear optimal perturbation in a complicated numerical model such as the GFDL CM2p1. They both shed a light on guiding the realistic observing systems.