bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Adaptive function and phylogenetic significance of novel skeletal features of a new Devonian microconchid tubeworm (Tentaculita) from Wyoming, USA
Authors: Zatoń Michał , Hu Mingxi , di Pasquo Mercedes , Myrow Paul M.
Published: August 2021

A new genus and species of microconchid tubeworm, Aculeiconchus sandbergi n. gen. n. sp., is described from the Givetian (Devonian) Maywood Formation of Cottonwood Canyon, Wyoming, USA. It possesses unique hollow spines of various lengths on the tube underside, a position previously undocumented for these fossils. Like some cyclostome bryozoans possessing basal tubular extensions, the basal spines of Aculeiconchus n. gen. were presumably also used for fixation to flexible substrata, e.g., algal thalli, which is a previously undocumented adaptive strategy in microconchids. Together with other skeletal features, such basal spines could suggest that ‘lophophorate’ microconchids, unlike the other tentaculitoids, might be phylogenetically not as distant from bryozoans as previously thought. The Maywood Formation, which contains a few-millimeters thick, monospecific shell accumulation of the microconchids described herein, records deposition in an estuarine brackish setting within narrow channels that were cut into underlying strata. The microconchids were opportunistic taxa that repeatedly colonized these salinity-stressed estuarine channels, leading to a series of adaptive innovations, including colonization of plant stems during the Early Devonian (Beartooth Butte Formation) and possibly flexible, soft-algal substrata during the Middle Devonian (Maywood Formation, this study). Tectonic quiescence during the Early and Middle Devonian indicates that erosion and subsequent deposition of the Maywood and the underlying Beartooth Butte Formation channels were responses to major eustatic events. Over a span of nearly 30 Myr, channels were cut successively during lowstand conditions and a distinctive faunal assemblage with microconchids tracked marine transgressions into the channels.

UUID: http://zoobank.org/394c8b32-d5e7-411e-8e56-6fb9f55bbb8a
INITIAL SELF-EMBEDDINGS OF MODELS OF SET THEORY
Authors: ENAYAT ALI , MCKENZIE ZACHIRI
Published: August 2021

By a classical theorem of Harvey Friedman (1973), every countable nonstandard model
$\mathcal {M}$
of a sufficiently strong fragment of ZF has a proper rank-initial self-embedding j, i.e., j is a self-embedding of
$\mathcal {M}$
such that
$j[\mathcal {M}]\subsetneq \mathcal {M}$
, and the ordinal rank of each member of
$j[\mathcal {M}]$
is less than the ordinal rank of each element of
$\mathcal {M}\setminus j[\mathcal {M}]$
. Here, we investigate the larger family of proper initial-embeddings j of models
$\mathcal {M}$
of fragments of set theory, where the image of j is a transitive submodel of
$\mathcal {M}$
. Our results include the following three theorems. In what follows,
$\mathrm {ZF}^-$
is
$\mathrm {ZF}$
without the power set axiom;
$\mathrm {WO}$
is the axiom stating that every set can be well-ordered;
$\mathrm {WF}(\mathcal {M})$
is the well-founded part of
$\mathcal {M}$
; and
$\Pi ^1_\infty \text{-}\mathrm {DC}_\alpha $
is the full scheme of dependent choice of length
$\alpha $
.

Theorem A.

There is an
$\omega $
-standard countable nonstandard model
$\mathcal {M}$
of
$\mathrm {ZF}^-+\mathrm {WO}$
that carries no initial self-embedding
$j:\mathcal {M} \longrightarrow \mathcal {M}$
other than the identity embedding.

Theorem B.

Every countable
$\omega $
-nonstandard model
$\mathcal {M}$
of
$\ \mathrm {ZF}$
is isomorphic to a transitive submodel of the hereditarily countable sets of its own constructible universe
$L^{\mathcal {M}}$
.

Theorem C.

The following three conditions are equivalent for a countable nonstandard model
$\mathcal {M}$
of
$\mathrm {ZF}^{-}+\mathrm {WO}+\forall \alpha \ \Pi ^1_\infty \text{-}\mathrm {DC}_\alpha $
.

(I)

There is a cardinal in
$\mathcal {M}$
that is a strict upper bound for the cardinality of each member of
$\mathrm {WF}(\mathcal {M})$
.

(II)

$\mathrm {WF}(\mathcal {M})$
satisfies the powerset axiom.

(III)

For all
$n \in \omega $
and for all
$b \in M$
, there exists a proper initial self-embedding
$j: \mathcal {M} \longrightarrow \mathcal {M}$
such that
$b \in \mathrm {rng}(j)$
and
$j[\mathcal {M}] \prec _n \mathcal {M}$
.
From principles to practice: methods to increase the transparency of research ethics in violent contexts
Authors: Baron Hannah , Young Lauren E.
Published: August 2021

There has been a proliferation of research with human participants in violent contexts over the past ten years. Adhering to commonly held ethical principles such as beneficence, justice, and respect for persons is particularly important and challenging in research on violence. This letter argues that practices around research ethics in violent contexts should be reported more transparently in research outputs, and should be seen as a subset of research methods. We offer practical suggestions and empirical evidence from both within and outside of political science around risk assessments, mitigating the risk of distress and negative psychological outcomes, informed consent, and monitoring the incidence of potential harms. An analysis of published research on violence involving human participants from 2008 to 2019 shows that only a small proportion of current publications include any mention of these important dimensions of research ethics.
From Slaves and Servants to Citizens? Regulating Dependency, Race, and Gender in Revolutionary France and the French West Indies
Authors: Sarti Raffaella
Published: August 2021

A crucial aspect of the regulation of domestic service is the regulation of people's status. Because of its emphasis on freedom and equality, the French Revolution is particularly interesting. “Men are born and remain free and equal in rights. Social distinctions may be based only on considerations of the common good.” These principles of the Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen (26 August 1789) did not seem to leave room for slavery and master/servant hierarchies. Yet, their impact on slaves and servants was ambivalent, as I shall show by focusing on France and its Caribbean colonies. Dependency, race, and gender are crucial in my analysis. After sketching the features of servants, serfs, slaves, and indentured servants at the end of the Ancien Régime, I will analyse how the Revolution affected them, focusing on serfs and servants in metropolitan France, on black colonial slaves, and on female slaves and servants. While I investigate the “French imperial nation-State”, I will also provide some comparison with the American case. The Revolution led to a feminization of dependence both in metropolitan France and in the French Caribbean, making dependence more gendered. It abolished serfdom and slavery, and enfranchised male domestiques. Thus, on the one hand, it was really revolutionary; on the other, colonial slavery was first replaced by bonded labour and then reintroduced. Male domestiques were enfranchised briefly and only on paper; they would be enfranchised when slavery in the French colonies was abolished (1848). Women were excluded: mistresses and maids had to wait until 1944 to become full citizens. This makes it impossible to establish clear-cut distinctions between pre-revolutionary and post-revolutionary times, and in part challenges the difference between metropole and colonies.
Appropriating Africa: An Essay on New Africanist Schools
Authors: Taiwo Olufemi
Published: August 2021

In recent times Africa has been a favourite quarry of American social scientists and humanities scholars. It has served Africanist scholars, mostly white, as a springboard for their eminently successful careers, as objects of study, and as cartographic points to which some of them could lay claim as theirs, trespass on which is often the equivalent of a capital offence in African Studies. Many of us have often been lectured, harangued, sometimes nearly insulted, because we dared to suggest that a subject on which a particular Africanist is “expert,” or one that happens to excite her or him has little relevance to the scholarly concerns of African scholars or the lives of Africans! There are variations on this theme: it wasn't so long ago that feminists of different persuasions kept looking to Africa for primal, originary matriarchies.
Senegal: The Decade and its Consequences
Authors: Sow Fatou
Published: August 2021

The significance of the UN Decade for Women, in Africa as a whole and in Senegal in particular, must be assessed not only in terms of what was gained and what was not, but also in terms of where we started and the odds we were up against. For women in Africa, the decade meant the droit a la parole — the right to speak out, and the right be heard -- whether this right was won or granted, exercised spontaneously or in organized ways, and even if it was controlled or censored. Discourse by women on women was opened. Women seized the right to speak for themselves about themselves, sometimes freely, and sometimes cautiously within imposed limits.
Evaluating the World Bank’s Major Reports: A Review Essay
Authors: Browne Robert S.
Published: August 2021

As the decade of the 1970’s drew to a close, Africa’s leaders were becoming concerned over the economic stagnation visibly creeping across the Continent. The dramatic escalation in energy prices, combined with the general world inflation, had palpably shifted the terms of trade against the African petroleum importers, effectively neutralizing the higher commodity prices which African exports had enjoyed in the earlier years of the decade. Per capita GDP figures, which in most of Africa had been rising since independence, had begun to slip. In some countries the physical and social infrastructure was clearly detriorating.
The Myth of Middle Class Moderation: African Lessons for South Africa
Authors: Baker Pauline H.
Published: August 2021

An underlying assumption that ocurs in both conventional wisdom and in many academic analyses of political behavior is the notion that a critical linkage exists between political change and economic performance. The assumption is that economic growth is either a precondition or a correlate of democracy and political stability. Little empirical research has been done to test the validity of this widely held assumption as it applies to multicultural societies. Moreover, in the African environment, the assumption seems to operate only in selected cases or in ways that defy categorization. Jerry Rawlings, for example, said he led his first coup d’etat in Ghana because the government was going to devalue the currency; he led his second coup, in part, because the next government was going to devalue; and, during his own tenure in office, he has presided over a 1000 percent devaluation.
Editor’s Introduction
Authors: Glickman Harvey
Published: August 2021

This ISSUE is almost totally comprised of the first half of a two part publication series that relates Africanists to the Africa policy of the U.S. government. As a whole, the two parts—in this and the next ISSUE —review the relationship of the opinions and the activities of the Africanist community outside the U.S. government (mainly academics) to the thrust and substance of policy and the process of policy-making inside the U.S. government. The two major articles in the present ISSUE—on Africanists and U.S. foreign and national security policy by Larry Bowman of the University of Connecticut, and on Africanists and U.S. economic assistance policy by Michael Bratton of Michigan State University—represent the first part.
Academic Analysis and U.S. Economic Assistance Policy on Africa
Authors: Bratton Michael
Published: August 2021

Of all the policy issue areas that concern the U.S. government in its relations with Africa, economic assistance policy has attracted the deepest and widest involvement from U.S. university scholars. University-based analysts have enjoyed numerous avenues of access to officials who define, design, implement and evaluate U.S. foreign aid programs for sub-Saharan Africa. U.S. universities have stronger institutional linkages with the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) than with any other Washington institution discussed in this ISSUE, including the U.S. Congress and agencies within the the national security bureaucracy.
Kenya’s Opposition and the Crisis of Governance
Authors: Muigai Githu
Published: August 2021

The complex process of democratization in Kenya continues with the competitive but flawed national elections of December 1992 and their disputed aftermath. This article examines the crisis of governance and legitimacy in Kenya in the context of the rise of opposition parties and the reemergence of multiparty competitive politics before the December 1992 elections.
Coverage of Africa in American Popular Magazines
Authors: Domatob Jerry
Published: August 2021

Our students read magazines. Many of us, as professors, assign popular news magazines in our classes for the discussion of current events. This essay examines the coverage of Africa in Time and Newsweek to explore the images they present to their readers.
Reflections on Two African Universities
Authors: Mathieu James T.
Published: August 2021

Both quotes point to the importance of a center. A center connotes stability, solidity, balance, equilibrium at the core. At the university level this center should be found in the dynamic interdependence of the five constituencies of a university—students, faculty, administration and staff, the support base, and the public. In this article I will discuss how and if the African university center holds and if it can be identified as exemplifying something near excellence, focusing on two universities.
African Universities: Problems and Solutions
Authors: Etuk Emma S.
Published: August 2021

The 38th Annual Meeting of the African Studies Association (ASA) was held November 3-6 in Orlando, Florida. In a panel made possible by a grant from USIA, discussion centered on the “Problems In African University Administration” in which more than ten participants from African universities examined some of the problems and solutions affecting the African higher education. The opinions expressed here reflect my extemporaneous comments made at the ASA meeting.
Ghana’s Universities and their Government: An Ambiguous Relationship
Authors: Peil Margaret
Published: August 2021

The relationship between African universities and their governments tends to be strained, whether these governments are political or military. Those in power often have little experience of higher education or understanding of its needs and there is little consensus about its goals. Political and economic insecurity provides little opportunity for “ivory tower theorizing”; low wages and inadequate resources are a poor basis for the research which needs to be done. Governments provide declining support and want a lot for their money. Universities are expected to become partly self-supporting through research contracts and charges to students, and teaching “relevant” subjects is supposed to prepare students for real jobs (which are often a future hope rather than a present reality). As beneficiaries of government cash, staff and students should not criticize or challenge government interests. Much is said about the benefits of science and engineering courses and of the wastefulness of humanities courses, ignoring the fact that governments are usually run by people with arts rather than science degrees.
The ‘Black Atlantic Communication Network’: African American Sailors and the Cape of Good Hope Connection
Authors: Atkins Keletso E.
Published: August 2021

Francis Seymour, a curly headed nigger from the land of stars and stripes, was brought up for having shown a little too much of the Yankee spirit of independence... He became refractory, refused to do any [work], demanded a sovereign from Mr. Neethling, said....that if he did not get the sovereign he would knock it out of [him]. His abuse was very unsparing, and he was only prevented from “knocking it out” by the opportune appearance of Mr. J. J. Meintjes, who procured a police officer, and the “man of independent mind” was given into custody.

While on its homeward passage in 1813, the whaling ship William Penn was intercepted off the island of Trinidad in the South Atlantic by a British frigate, boarded, and informed of the existence of war; and that the American seamen were prisoners of H.M.S. Acorn. Within a half hour, the Acorn and its prize (now manned by English sailors) were underway, heading off southeast for the Cape of Good Hope. After a passage of forty days they anchored in Table Bay.
The Clinton Administration and Africa: A View from Helsinki, Finland
Authors: Laakso Liisa
Published: August 2021

Africa occupies a special position in the foreign policies of the Nordic countries of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden. In spite of their limited capacities, lack of colonial ties with Africa, or any significant economic interests in Africa, the Nordic countries have attained a relatively high profile, especially in Southern Africa. After Finland and Sweden joined the European Union (EU) in 1995, Africa assumed an even greater level of foreign policy significance for the Nordic countries. Most notable in this regard is Finland’s assumption in 1999 of the EU presidency, a position that makes Finland responsible for the negotiations over the continuation of the EU’s Lomé Convention with 71 countries of Africa, the Caribbean, and the Pacific. It is in this context that this article assesses Nordic perceptions of the Clinton administration’s foreign policy toward Africa. It is important to note, however, that there is no one monolithic “Nordic perspective.” The opinions and approaches documented in policy papers or informal statements by individual civil servants following African affairs can widely vary. People working with development cooperation, for example, tend to be more recipient-oriented than those looking at Africa from a more general foreign policy point of view. The tradition of outspoken human rights policy still differentiates Norwegian and Swedish approaches from the cautious policy of Finland. Yet behind these different tones, one can distinguish common premises stemming from the many similarities of the Nordic countries and their conscious efforts to generate coherent, coordinated foreign policies toward Africa.
The Clinton Administration and Africa: A View from Ottawa, Canada
Authors: Black David R. , Adibe Clement E.
Published: August 2021

The Clinton administration’s new African policy thrust, combined with the changing contours of Canadian African policy, has brought the two governments’ approaches closer together than ever before. In most fundamental respects, their stated aims are closely congruent: They seek in general to promote stability and progress in Africa, conceived in broadly neo-liberal terms. Beyond these general objectives, however, Washington and Ottawa exhibit differences of emphasis and approach that are interesting given the especially close relationship that has long existed between the two countries. In important ways, Canada’s “kinder, gentler” approach to Africa serves to soften the face of U.S. policy priorities without fundamentally altering them, and in this respect serves as a valuable contributor to the fulfillment of U.S. hegemonic priorities on the continent and around the globe. Canada nonetheless has its own history, habits, and linkages in Africa that, although under strain, still allow it to periodically play a surprisingly prominent role on issues of concern to Africans at this historical moment of continental transformation.
The Clinton Administration and Africa: A View from Gaborone, Botswana
Authors: Swatuk Larry A.
Published: August 2021

With fanfare befitting the arrival of a god of the Western material world, U.S. President Bill Clinton toured Southern Africa imparting “words of wisdom” along the way. His aim, we were told, was to see that the United States becomes Africa’s “true partner.” The reason being, according to Clinton, “[a]s Africa grows strong, America grows stronger ... Yes, Africa needs the world, but more than ever it is equally true that the world needs Africa.” To this end, the United States would pursue a mix of political and economic policies that included the African Crisis Response Initiative and the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act, both designed to foster “stability” and “prosperity” on the continent. Lofty goals, to be sure, but ends whose means are badly in need of interrogation. This article does just that: To wit, does Clinton, on behalf of U.S. policymakers, mean what he says? If so, in naming “peace” and “prosperity,” can he make them? Put differently, does the Clinton administration have the power to introduce order where there was chaos? Or will it only compound existing problems and visit new ones upon those who had few to begin with?
Elite Solidarity, Communal Support, and the 1999 Presidential Election in Nigeria
Authors: Enemuo Francis C.
Published: August 2021

Modeled after the U.S. presidency, the office of the president of Nigeria is easily the most powerful position in the land. The president is both the chief of state and the head of government. The authority of the nation’s chief executive expanded greatly during the patrimonial regimes of General Ibrahim Babangida and General Sani Abacha. Indeed, not only was power concentrated in the hands of these despots, its exercise was also marked by massive corruption, brazen nepotism, and sustained brutality. Against this background, it was perhaps natural that the presidential election of February 27, 1999, would excite keen interest among the Nigerian populace, elite groups, ethnoregional blocs, and the international community. This article highlights some of the ethnoregional forces and elite interests that influenced the election and examines their possible implications for the sustenance of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.
Party Registration and the Subversion of Democracy in Nigeria
Authors: Agbese Pita Ogaba
Published: August 2021

Nigeria has had three programs of transition from military to civil rule in the last 13 years. Despite the enormous resources wasted on the first two programs, by Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Sani Abacha, democracy remains a mirage in Nigeria. The demise of the two programs was not just a monumental failure on the part of the two leaders; it also vividly demonstrates the military’s inability to effect a lasting transition to civil rule. In addition, the utter failure of both programs has exposed the political brinkmanship to which the military is prepared to go to subvert democracy. Babangida’s brazen annulment of the June 1993 presidential election and Abacha’s repressive, dictatorial, and corrupt governing style brought Nigeria closer to the edge of the precipice than any other crisis since the civil war of the 1960s.
Military Hegemony and the Transition Program
Authors: Fayemi J.’Kayode
Published: August 2021

This article cautions that the democratization process in Nigeria is not a foregone conclusion. Given the nature of the competing interests within Nigeria’s military hierarchy, there is nothing to suggest that every officer within the ruling military elite has embraced this transition project. This article focuses on the place of the military in the transition program.

Although entrenched military interests are not the only threat to the transition program, there is no doubt that the prominent role played by retired and serving military officers in the whole process of party formation and selection of presidential candidates has exacerbated concerns about the specter of militarism. While some in Nigeria simply see the military as the armed wing of the dominant oligarchy, others conclude that the military actually is the oligarchy.
Synthetic topology in Homotopy Type Theory for probabilistic programming
Authors: Bidlingmaier Martin E. , Faissole Florian , Spitters Bas
Published: August 2021

The ALEA Coq library formalizes measure theory based on a variant of the Giry monad on the category of sets. This enables the interpretation of a probabilistic programming language with primitives for sampling from discrete distributions. However, continuous distributions have to be discretized because the corresponding measures cannot be defined on all subsets of their carriers. This paper proposes the use of synthetic topology to model continuous distributions for probabilistic computations in type theory. We study the initial σ-frame and the corresponding induced topology on arbitrary sets. Based on these intrinsic topologies, we define valuations and lower integrals on sets and prove versions of the Riesz and Fubini theorems. We then show how the Lebesgue valuation, and hence continuous distributions, can be constructed.
Effects of mobile phone radiofrequency radiation on sperm quality
Authors: Sciorio Romualdo , Tramontano Luca , Esteves Sandro C.
Published: August 2021

In the last decades, the universal use of mobile phones has contributed to radiofrequency electromagnetic radiation environmental pollution. The steady growth in mobile phone usage has raised concerns about the effects of phone radiation on male reproductive health. Epidemiological studies report a sharp decline in sperm counts in developing countries, and worldwide withc.14% of couples having difficulties to conceive, many of which are attributed to a male infertility factor. Environment and lifestyle factors are known to contribute to male infertility. Exposure to heat, radiation, or radioactivity might induce damage to biological tissue organs, including the testis. Given the ubiquitous use of mobile phones, the potential adverse effects of the resulting environmental radiation needs to be elucidated further. It seems to be an apparent relationship between the increased exposure to mobile phone radiofrequency and sperm quality decline, but the evidence is not conclusive. Our review summarizes the evidence concerning the possible adverse effects of cell phone radiation on the male reproductive system, with a focus on sperm quality. Also, we critically analyze the effects of elevated testicular temperature and oxidative stress on male fertility and how these factors could interfere with the physiological activities of the testis.
OPTION PRICING UNDER THE FRACTIONAL STOCHASTIC VOLATILITY MODEL
Authors: HAN Y. , LI Z. , LIU C.
Published: August 2021

We investigate the European call option pricing problem under the fractional stochastic volatility model. The stochastic volatility model is driven by both fractional Brownian motion and standard Brownian motion. We obtain an analytical solution of the European option price via the Itô’s formula for fractional Brownian motion, Malliavin calculus, derivative replication and the fundamental solution method. Some numerical simulations are given to illustrate the impact of parameters on option prices, and the results of comparison with other models are presented.
Ethnicity as an Explanatory Factor in the Ghana 2000 Elections
Authors: Nugent Paul
Published: August 2021

Ghana opened a new chapter in its checkered political history when in December 2000 the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC) was removed from office by means of the ballot box. The New Patriotic Party (NPP) won half the parliamentary seats and its presidential candidate, John A. Kufuor, triumphed with something to spare in the second round of balloting. Although there were some violent incidents that marred the proceedings, the assessment of most observers was that the polls were well conducted and that the final result accurately reflected how Ghanaians had actually voted.
Elections and Ethnic Violence in Côte d’Ivoire: The Unfinished Business of Succession and Democratic Transition
Authors: Daddieh Cyril K.
Published: August 2021

For nearly half a century politics in Côte d’Ivoire had been dominated by a single individual, Félix Houphouët-Boigny; a single political party, the Democratic Party of Côte d’Ivoire (Parti démocratique de Côte d’Ivoire, PDCI); and roughly the same cohort of politicobureaucratic elites. This rare combination of regime longevity and elite cohesion had produced considerable state competence and impressive economic growth which, in turn, fostered relative peace between the different classes, the various ethnic and religious groups, and indigenous Ivorians and foreign residents. Thus, Côte d’Ivoire was heralded as an oasis of peace and prosperity and a haven for immigrants seeking refuge from economic impoverishment and ethnic or civil strife at home.
Democracy and the Construction of Allogeny/Autochthony in Postcolonial Cameroon
Authors: Jua Nantang
Published: August 2021

Since independence Cameroon has been a hegemonic state, evidenced by the 1966 introduction of a single party, the Cameroon National Union (CNU), which was purportedly created to foster national integration. This focus on national integration led to a de-emphasis of all other issues such as fundamental human rights. And because a select elite assigned itself the task of imagining the form the nation would take, this process was naturally accompanied by a contraction of the political space. Because the national integration project had paid minimal dividends after more than two decades, Cameroonians refused to legitimize it. They had realized that it simply served as a ruse for the ruling class to convert the state into a patrimonial one. Hence, people sought to regain their voices and participation through the democratic process. Reluctantly, the state capitulated to demands for political pluralism, passing the so-called Liberal Laws of 1990. However, by allowing multiparty politics, the government ruptured the facade of cohesion of the ruling class, which resulted in elites becoming increasingly preoccupied with maintaining their power and losing interest in the national integration project.
Title VI and African Studies: Prospects in a Poly centric Academic Landscape
Authors: McCann James C.
Published: August 2021

In 1996, the Ford Foundation and the African Studies Association published African Studies in the United States: A Perspective by Jane Guyer, a noted economic anthropologist and then-program director at Northwestern University. In that commissioned volume, Guyer outlined, as she saw them, three distinct eras of African studies in the United States. She also collected and analyzed data about the production of knowledge concerning Africa, specifically numbers of doctorates in key disciplines, linkages to African institutions, and intellectual trends in scholarship. The data and perspectives she presented reflected the situation in African studies in the first half of the 1990s and sought to endorse the Ford Foundation funding initiative “Strengthening African Studies.” The purpose of this article is to revisit the question almost a decade later and in particular to reflect upon the specific role of federally funded area studies programs (i.e., Title VI) in the study of Africa.
Study Abroad in Africa: A Personal Memoir
Authors: Buschman Jim
Published: August 2021

In talks on study abroad given over the last 20 years, I have frequently alluded to my own experiences as an undergraduate in Nigeria in 1964–1965. I have drawn on personal example to make the following points, among others, to the students in my audiences:

•

You do not need to know beforehand all the benefits of studying abroad.

•

You will make a great many mistakes, and that is both unavoidable and expected.

•

You will learn and grow in spite of the mistakes you make.

•

To be a minority is difficult.

•

You can learn much about yourself and your home country by studying abroad.
Migrating with Dignity: Conceptualising Human Dignity Through EU Migration Law
Authors: Bačić Selanec Nika , Petrić Davor
Published: August 2021

Human dignity in the jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union – Human dignity in EU migration law, particularly in the area of asylum law and irregular migration – Requirement of dignified treatment of third-country nationals in the EU – Relationship between human dignity and substantive values such as tolerance, identity, rights, justice, and the law – Human dignity as a moral right, a legal status, and a political status – Human dignity as a moral principle with a legal pedigree, which underpins determinations of the scope of rights of third-country nationals in EU migration law
#MeToo in China: How Do the Voiceless Rise Up in an Authoritarian State?
Authors: Xiong Jing , Ristivojević Dušica
Published: August 2021

Amid the global #MeToo movement, the #MeToo movement in China started in early 2018. For over a year, several influential cases, broad civic participation and engagement, as well as extensive discussions shocked and shook the whole country, creating a sociopolitical dynamic that was unusual in the context of persistent suppression of civil society and strict restrictions on freedom of speech. As feminist activists and researchers—Jing living and working in China, Dušica doing her fieldwork in Taiwan at the time—we were astounded by the powerful challenge that #MeToo has posed to misogynistic societies around the globe. What we have been trying to understand is how the #MeToo movement emerged and grew even as so many other social movements were suppressed in China, and what strategies the survivors, volunteers, and activists in the #MeToo movement used to break through the overwhelming censorship and restrictions.
16-element CPW Series Fed Millimeter-wave Hexagonal Array Antenna for 5G Femtocell Applications
Authors: Harini V. , Sairam M. V. S. , Madhu R.
Published: August 2021

A 16-element coplanar waveguide series fed hexagonal array antenna is proposed at millimeter-wave frequency range. In this paper, the analysis is initiated from a single-element hexagonal patch then extended to 1×2 array, 1×4 array, and 4×4 series fed hexagonal patch array antennas. The idea behind this design is to improve fractional bandwidth stage-wise with improved gain maintaining constant efficiency with all the structures. The 16-element array antenna is fabricated on Rogers RT Duriod 5880™substrate withɛr= 2.2 and 0.508 mm thickness. This array antenna exhibits low return loss at 28 GHz with a reflection coefficient value of −31.02 dB including almost 102% radiation efficiency and attained a maximum gain value of 8.98 dBi. The results are quite comparable with simulated 4×4 array antenna using the HFSS tool. The size of the proposed antenna is quite small which will be best suited for 5 G Femtobase stations to provide indoor communications at millimeter-wave frequencies.
COVID–19. Effect of Moral Messages to Persuade the Population to Stay at Home in Spain, Chile, and Colombia
Authors: Frias-Navarro Dolores , Pascual-Soler Marcos , Berrios-Riquelme Jose , Gomez-Frias Raquel , Caamaño-Rocha Leynin
Published: August 2021

Analyze whether the content of three moral messages (deontological, ethical utilitarianism, ethical virtue) and a control message differentially affect the probability of engaging in four behaviors: Washing their hands, participating in public gatherings, staying at home/avoiding social contact, and forwarding the message to inform more people. In our study, the sender of the message is a university professor. These variables are measured in terms of their behavioral intentions and others’ behavioral intentions (beliefs about others’ behavior). Randomized Controlled Trial. Our study includes the analysis of the possible moderating effect of the country of residence (Spainn= 1,122, Chilen= 1,107, and Colombian= 1,433). The message with content referring to ethical virtue and staying at home obtains statistically significant lower scores on the probability of carrying out public health behaviors and sharing the message received. Regarding beliefs about the behavior of others, the message of ethical virtue has the same negative effect, but only on the likelihood of other people washing their hands, staying at home, and sharing the public health message. Institutional messages aimed at promoting public health behaviors are necessary in a pandemic situation. Our recommendation is to use deontological and utilitarian, or non-moral, content.
Herbicide options to manage novel turf-type bahiagrass (Paspalum notatum)
Authors: Boeri P. Agustin , Unruh J. Bryan , Kenworthy Kevin E. , Trenholm Laurie E. , Rios Esteban F.
Published: August 2021

Herbicide management information is lacking for recently developed turf-type bahiagrass germplasm. The objective of this study was to evaluate the herbicide tolerance of nine experimental bahiagrass genotypes compared to the industry standard ‘Argentine’. The experimental entries included Argentine and ‘Wilmington’ mutants, and wild-type breeding lines. Plants were grown under greenhouse conditions, and 12 herbicides were applied at 1× and 2× labeled rates. Bentazon, bromoxynil, carfentrazone + 2,4-D + MCPP + dicamba, and carfentrazone were classified as safe. Fluroxypyr, halosulfuron, and triclopyr + clopyralid reduced growth >50% when applied at twice the label rate. Fenoxaprop, sulfentrazone + imazethapyr, and thiencarbazone + iodosulfuron + dicamba reduced growth and caused turfgrass injury above an acceptable threshold (≥20%). In general, the Argentine mutants showed greater herbicide injury compared to the Wilmington mutants. However, metsulfuron exceeded the acceptable injury threshold and stopped growth in all the genotypes, Argentine and genotype WT6 were the least injured by this herbicide. The experimental genotype WT6 consistently showed the greatest herbicide tolerance. Except for one genotype (WT4), the experimental genotypes responded similarly or better than Argentine to the tested herbicides, except for metsulfuron.
Measuring Atmospheric CO2 Enhancements From the 2017 British Columbia Wildfires Using a Lidar
Authors: Mao Jianping , Abshire James B. , Kawa Stephan R. , Riris Haris , Sun Xiaoli , Andela Niels , Kolbeck Paul T.
Published: August 2021

During the summer 2017 ASCENDS/ABoVE airborne science campaign, the NASA Goddard CO2 Sounder lidar overflew smoke plumes from wildfires in the British Columbia, Canada. In the flight path over Vancouver Island on 8 August 2017, the column XCO2 retrievals from the lidar measurements at flight altitudes around 9 km showed an average enhancement of 4 ppm from the wildfires. A comparison of these enhancements with those from the Goddard Global Chemistry Transport model suggested that the modeled CO2 emissions from wildfires were underestimated by more than a factor of 2. A spiral‐down validation performed at Moses Lake airport, Washington showed a bias of 0.1 ppm relative to in situ measurements and a standard deviation of 1 ppm in lidar XCO2 retrievals. The results show that future airborne campaigns and spaceborne missions with this type of lidar can improve estimates of CO2 emissions from wildfires and estimates of carbon fluxes globally.
Radiation Feedback Accelerates the Formation of Typhoon Haiyan (2013): The Critical Role of Mid‐Level Circulation
Authors: Yang Bolei , Nie Ji , Tan Zhe‐Min
Published: August 2021

The prediction of tropical cyclones (TC) genesis remains a great challenge. This study shows that the radiation (mostly cloud‐radiation) feedback accelerates the formation of Typhoon Haiyan (2013) by first enhancing the mid‐level circulation. Simulations indicate that the response of the mid‐level circulation is about one day ahead of the low‐level circulation when radiation feedback is removed. The radiation‐heating anomaly in the disturbance region induces a secondary circulation transporting more water vapor upward at high levels. Thus, the stratiform precipitation is enhanced, manifested as the expansion of the stratiform coverage and the increase of the vertical gradient of latent heating. This leads to a stronger mid‐level potential vorticity production and enhancement of the mid‐level circulation, finally promoting TC genesis. Comparing with previous ideas on how radiation feedback accelerates TC genesis, our results emphasize the critical role of the mid‐level circulation and the cloud‐radiation‐induced thermodynamical and dynamic responses in the vertical.
Coupling Between Lithosphere Removal and Mantle Flow in the Central Andes
Authors: Wang Huilin , Currie Claire A. , DeCelles Peter G.
Published: August 2021

The central Andes is part of a Cordilleran orogen formed through continent‐ocean convergence. In contrast to the thickened crust, the mantle lithosphere below much of the orogen is anomalously thin. Additionally, the surface is characterized by widespread backarc magmatism and transient ∼100‐km‐wide basins that developed the over last 30 million years, with basins located systematically seaward of major backarc ignimbrite centers and basin formation predating the late Miocene magma/ignimbrite flare‐up. Using numerical models, we propose a novel mechanism whereby lithosphere removal is coupled with mantle flow. First, a small area of high‐density eclogitized lower crust initiates a gravitational instability, causing a localized basin at the surface that subsides and then uplifts. Foundering crust and adjacent lithosphere are entrained by subduction‐induced mantle flow, driving regional lithosphere removal and magmatism. The models demonstrate that mantle flow can amplify a local lithosphere instability to orogen‐wide lithosphere removal, rapidly eliminating accumulated mass in the orogen.
Mode of Precipitation Variability Generated by Coupling of ENSO With Seasonal Cycle in the Tropical Pacific
Authors: Fukuda Yoshihiro , Watanabe Masahiro , Jin Fei‐Fei
Published: August 2021

Tropical precipitation anomalies show very different patterns over the central‐eastern equatorial Pacific between the developing and decay phases of extreme El Niño despite similar patterns of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies. Using observational data and atmospheric simulations for 1979–2018, we identified a meridional dipole mode of tropical precipitation variability, called the Pacific precipitation dipole mode (PPDM), which is critical for seasonally varying rainfall patterns related to extreme El Niño. We examined the mechanism of PPDM using a numerical model and found that the seasonal shift of the warm SST band in the eastern equatorial Pacific, when coupled with extreme SST anomalies, causes phase reversal of the PPDM. The PPDM can be regarded as a different manifestation of the El Niño/Southern Oscillation combination mode, as revealed by the surface wind anomalies, which also explains the distinct impact of extreme El Niño events over East Asia.
Global Flash Drought Monitoring Using Surface Soil Moisture
Authors: Sehgal Vinit , Gaur Nandita , Mohanty Binayak P.
Published: August 2021

Abrupt onset and swift intensification characterize flash droughts. Global surface soil moisture (θRS) from NASA's Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite can facilitate a near‐real‐time assessment of emerging flash droughts at a 36‐km footprint. However, a robust flash drought monitoring using θRS must account for the (a) short observation record of SMAP, (b) nonlinear geophysical controls over θRS dynamics, and (c) emergent meteorological drivers of flash droughts. We propose a new method for near‐real‐time characterization of droughts using Soil Moisture Stress (SMS, drought stress) and Relative Rate of Drydown (RRD, drought stress intensification rate)—developed using SMAP θRS (March 2015–May 2021), footprint‐scale seasonal soil water retention parameters and land‐atmospheric coupling strength. SMS and RRD are nonlinearly combined to develop Flash Drought Stress Index (FDSI) to characterize emerging flash droughts (FDSI ≥ 0.71 for moderate to high RRD and SMS). Globally, FDSI shows a high correlation with concurrent meteorological anomalies. A mechanistic evaluation of flash droughts is presented for the Northern Great Plains, Central South Africa, and Eastern Australia using FDSI, SMS, and RRD. About 5.6% of the earth's landmass experienced flash droughts of varying intensity and duration during 2015–2021 (FDSI ≥ 0.71 for >30 consecutive days), majorly in global drylands. FDSI shows high skill in forecasting vegetation health with a lead of 0–2 weeks, with exceptions in irrigated croplands and mixed forests. With readily available parameters, low data latency, and no dependence on model simulations, we provide a robust tool for global near‐real‐time flash drought monitoring using SMAP.
Sustained intracellular calcium rise mediates neuronal mitophagy in models of autosomal dominant optic atrophy
Authors: Zaninello Marta , Palikaras Konstantinos , Sotiriou Aggeliki , Tavernarakis Nektarios , Scorrano Luca
Published: August 2021

Mitochondrial dysfunction and mitophagy are often hallmarks of neurodegenerative diseases such as autosomal dominant optic atrophy (ADOA) caused by mutations in the key mitochondrial dynamics protein optic atrophy 1 (Opa1). However, the second messengers linking mitochondrial dysfunction to initiation of mitophagy remain poorly characterized. Here, we show in mammalian and nematode neurons that Opa1 mutations trigger Ca2+-dependent mitophagy. Deletion or expression of mutated Opa1 in mouse retinal ganglion cells andCaenorhabditis elegansmotor neurons lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, increased cytosolic Ca2+levels, and decreased axonal mitochondrial density. Chelation of Ca2+restores mitochondrial density in neuronal processes, neuronal function, and viability. Mechanistically, sustained Ca2+levels activate calcineurin and AMPK, placed in the same genetic pathway regulating axonal mitochondrial density. Our data reveal that mitophagy in ADOA depends on Ca2+-calcineurin-AMPK signaling cascade.
Routinization of prenatal screening with the non-invasive prenatal test: pregnant women’s perspectives
Authors: van der Meij Karuna R. M. , Njio Annabel , Martin Linda , Gitsels-van der Wal Janneke T. , Bekker Mireille N. , van Vliet-Lachotzki Elsbeth H. , van der Ven A. Jeanine E. M. , Kater-Kuipers Adriana , Timmermans Danielle R. M. , Sistermans Erik A. , Galjaard Robert-Jan H. , Henneman Lidewij ,   the Dutch NIPT Consortium
Published: August 2021

Due to the favorable test characteristics of the non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT) in the screening of fetal aneuploidy, there has been a strong and growing demand for implementation. In the Netherlands, NIPT is offered within a governmentally supported screening program as a first-tier screening test for all pregnant women (TRIDENT-2 study). However, concerns have been raised that the test’s favorable characteristics might lead to uncritical use, also referred to as routinization. This study addresses women’s perspectives on prenatal screening with NIPT by evaluating three aspects related to routinization: informed choice, freedom to choose and (personal and societal) perspectives on Down syndrome. Nationwide, a questionnaire was completed by 751 pregnant women after receiving counseling for prenatal screening. Of the respondents, the majority (75.5%) made an informed choice for prenatal screening as measured by the multidimensional measure of informed choice (MMIC). Education level and religious affiliation were significant predictors of informed choice. The main reason to accept screening was “seeking reassurance” (25.5%), and the main reason to decline was “every child is welcome” (30.6%). The majority of respondents (87.7%) did not perceive societal pressure to test. Differences between test-acceptors and test-decliners in personal and societal perspectives on Down syndrome were found. Our study revealed high rates of informed decision-making and perceived freedom to choose regarding fetal aneuploidy screening, suggesting that there is little reason for concern about routinization of NIPT based on the perspectives of Dutch pregnant women. Our findings highlight the importance of responsible implementation of NIPT within a national screening program.