bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
H3.1 Eviction Marks Female Germline Precursors in Arabidopsis
Authors: Hernandez-Lagana Elvira , Autran Daphné
Published: October 2020

In flowering plants, germline precursors are differentiated from somatic cells. The female germline precursor of Arabidopsis thaliana is located in the internal (nucellar) tissue of the ovule, and is known as the Megaspore Mother Cell (MMC). MMC differentiation in Arabidopsis occurs when a cell in the subepidermal layer of the nucellar apex enters the meiotic program. Increasing evidence has demonstrated that MMC specification is a plastic process where the number and developmental outcome of MMCs are variable. During its differentiation, the MMC displays specific chromatin hallmarks that distinguish it from other cells within the primordium. To date, these signatures have been only analyzed at developmental stages where the MMC is morphologically conspicuous, and their role in reproductive fate acquisition remains to be elucidated. Here, we show that the histone 3 variant H3.1 HISTONE THREE RELATED 13 (HTR13) can be evicted in multiple subepidermal cells of the nucellus, but that H3.1 eviction persists only in the MMC. This pattern is established very early in ovule development and is reminiscent of the specific eviction of H3.1 that marks cell cycle exit in other somatic cell types, such as the root quiescent center (QC) of Arabidopsis. Our findings suggest that cell cycle progression in the subepidermal region of the ovule apex is modified very early in development and is associated with plasticity of reproductive fate acquisition.
Plant Triterpenoid Crosstalk: The Interaction of Brassinosteroids and Phytoecdysteroids in Lepidium sativum
Authors: Tarkowská Danuše , Krampolová Eliška , Strnad Miroslav
Published: October 2020

Plant steroid alcohols, plant sterols, are essential components of cell membranes that perform many functions. Their most prominent function is maintaining membrane semipermeability and regulating its fluidity through their specific interaction with phospholipids and membrane proteins. This work is focused on the study of the interaction of two groups of plant sterols, brassinosteroids (BRs) and phytoecdysteroids (PE). Steroid substances belonging to both groups are important signaling molecules essential for plant growth and development, but while the first group has all the known attributes of plant hormones, the second lacks hormonal function in plants. The aim of this preliminary study was to determine at what concentration level and to what extent substances of this type are able to interact with each other, and thus influence the early growth and development of a plant. It was found that exogenously applied PE 20-hydroxyecdysone (20E) significantly reduced the level of endogenous BRs in four-day-old garden cress (Lepidium sativum) seedlings. On the other hand, exogenously applied BRs, 24-epibrassinolide (epiBL), caused the opposite effect. Endogenous 20E was further detected at the picogram level in garden cress seedlings. Thus, this is the first report indicating that this plant species is PE-positive. The level of endogenous 20E in garden cress seedlings can be decreased by exogenous epiBL, but only at a relatively high concentration of 1·10−6 M in a culture medium. The image analysis of garden cress seedlings revealed that the length of shoot is affected neither by exogenous BRs nor PE, whereas the root length varies depending on the type and concentration of steroid applied.
Color-Indicating, Label-Free, Dye-Doped Liquid Crystal Organic-Polymer-Based-Bioinspired Sensor for Biomolecule Immunodetection
Authors: Huang Haw-Ming , Chuang Er-Yuan , Chen Fu-Lun , Lin Jia-De , Hsiao Yu-Cheng
Published: October 2020

The highly sensitive interfacial effects between liquid crystal (LC) and alignment layers make LC-bioinspired sensors an important technology. However, LC-bioinspired sensors are limited by quantification requiring a polarized microscope and expensive equipment, which makes it difficult to commercialize LC-bioinspired sensors. In this report, we first demonstrate that dye-doped LC (DDLC) chips coated with vertically aligned layers can be employed as a new LC-bioinspired sensing technology. The DDLC-bioinspired sensor was tested by detecting bovine serum albumin (BSA) and immunocomplexes of BSA pairs. The intensities of the dye color of the DDLC-bioinspired sensor can be changed with the concentrations of biomolecules and immunocomplexes. A detection limit of 0.5 µg/mL was shown for the color-indicating DDLC-bioinspired sensors. We also designed a new method to use the quantitative DDLC-bioinspired sensor with a smart-phone for potential of home test. The novel DDLC-bioinspired sensor is cheap, label-free, and easy to use, furthering the technology for home and field-based disease-related detection.
Recent Advances in Surface Activation of Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) by Gaseous Plasma Treatments
Authors: Primc Gregor
Published: October 2020

Fluorinated polymers are renowned for their chemical inertness and thus poor wettability and adhesion of various coatings. Apart from chemical methods employing somewhat toxic primers, gaseous plasma treatment is a popular method for the modification of surface properties. Different authors have used different plasmas, and the resultant surface finish spans between super-hydrophobic and super-hydrophilic character. Some authors also reported the hydrophobic recovery. The review of recent papers is presented and discussed. Correlations between plasma and/or discharge parameters and the surface finish are drawn and the most important conclusions are summarized. The concentration of oxygen in the surface film as probed by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy is inversely dependent on the concentration of oxygen in gaseous plasma. The predominant mechanism leading to hydrophilic surface finish is bond scission by deep ultraviolet radiation rather than functionalization with reactive oxygen species.
Luminescent Cellulose Fibers Modified with Poly((9-Carbazolyl)Methylthiirane)
Authors: Erdman Aleksandra , Kulpinski Piotr , Gabor Jadwiga , Stanula Arkadiusz , Swinarew Andrzej S.
Published: October 2020

This article presents the results of research related to the development of cellulose man-made fibers with luminescent properties. The fibers were obtained from regenerated cellulose with the use of the N-Methylmorpholine-N-Oxide (NMMO) method for lyocell (Tencel) fiber formation. The method is named after the cellulose solvent (NMMO) used to obtain the spinning solution. Fibers are formed by the dry–wet spinning method. Due to the characteristic of the lyocell process, the fibers were easily modified to achieve luminescent properties with star-shaped organic compound poly((9-carbazolyl)methylthiirane) (KMT). Fibers were examined on their mechanical parameters with the use of Zwick Z2.5/TN1S tensile testing machine, and the results show the influence of the KMT concentration in the fiber matrix on mechanical parameters of the fibers. The study also attempted to determine the concentration of the modifier in the fibers with the use of UV-VIS Spectrofluorometer JASCO. The luminescent properties of fibers were estimated as well, using Jobin–Yvon spectrofluorometer FLUOROMAX–4, and the results are very promising as the fibers emit blue light in the range of visible light spectrum even for small concentrations of KMT (about 0.1 wt.%).
Green Dairy Plant: Process Simulation and Economic Analysis of Biogas Use in Milk Drying
Authors: Janošovský Ján , Marková Eva , Kačmárová Adriána , Variny Miroslav
Published: October 2020

A project of a new milk drying unit processing 4800 kg/h of fresh milk into milk powder with expected steam consumption of 1000 kg/h (equivalent to ca. 2.6 GJ/h) was assessed. In this paper, investment profitability of this project was analyzed combining mathematical modeling, market analysis, and parametric sensitivity study. Aspen Plus was used as the simulation environment to determine values of key process variables—major streams, mass flows, and energy consumption. Co-digestion of cattle manure in an adjacent biogas plant was considered to provide biogas to partially or completely substitute natural gas as an energy source. As biogas composition from potential co-digestion was unknown, variable methane content from 45 to 60 mol.% was considered. In the next step, thorough economic analysis was conducted. Diverse effects of biogas addition depending on market prices, biogas treatment costs, and biogas methane content were simulated and evaluated. In a market situation closest to reality, biogas mixing to boiler fuel decreased simple payback period from 11.2 years to 5.1 years. However, if biogas treatment costs were high (final biogas price equal to or above 0.175 EUR/m3), the simple payback period was increased two- to sixfold, making the analyzed project practically unfeasible.
Evaluation of Remote Sensing and Reanalysis Snow Depth Datasets over the Northern Hemisphere during 1980–2016
Authors: Xiao Lin , Che Tao , Dai Liyun
Published: October 2020

Snow cover is a key parameter of the climate system and its significant seasonal and annual variability have significant impacts on the surface energy balance and global water circulation. However, current snow depth datasets show large inconsistencies and uncertainties, which limit their applications in climate change projections and hydrological processes simulations. In this study, a comprehensive assessment of five hemispheric snow depth datasets was carried out against ground observations from 43,391 stations. The five snow depth datasets included three remote sensing datasets, i.e., Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer for the Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-2 (AMSR2), Global Snow Monitoring for Climate Research (GlobSnow), and two reanalysis datasets, i.e., ERA-Interim and the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 (MERRA-2). Assessment results imply that the spatial distribution of GlobSnow and ERA-Interim exhibit overall better agreements with ground observations than other datasets. GlobSnow and ERA-Interim exhibit less uncertainty during the snow accumulation and ablation periods, respectively. In plain and forested regions, GlobSnow, ERA-Interim and MERRA-2 show better performances, while in mountain and forested mountain areas, GlobSnow exhibits the best performance. AMSR-E and AMSR2 agree better with ground observations in shallow snow condition (0–10 cm), while MERRA-2 shows more satisfying performance when snow depth exceeds 50 cm. These systematic and integrated understanding of the five representative snow depth datasets provides information on data selection and data refinement, as well as data fusion, which is our next work of interest.
Improving Water Leaving Reflectance Retrievals from ABI and AHI Data Acquired Over Case 2 Waters from Present Geostationary Weather Satellite Platforms
Authors: Gao Bo-Cai , Li Rong-Rong
Published: October 2020

The current generation of geostationary weather satellite instruments, such as the Advanced Baseline Imagers (ABIs) on board the US NOAA GOES 16 and 17 satellites and the Advanced Himawari Imagers (AHIs) on board the Japanese Himawari-8/9 satellites, have six channels located in the visible to shortwave IR (SWIR) spectral range. These instruments can acquire images over both land and water surfaces at spatial resolutions between 0.5 and 2 km and with a repeating cycle between 5 and 30 min depending on the mode of operation. The imaging data from these instruments have clearly demonstrated the capability in detecting sediment movements over coastal waters and major chlorophyll blooms over deeper oceans. At present, no operational ocean color data products have been produced from ABI data. Ocean color data products have been operationally generated from AHI data at the Japan Space Agency, but the spatial coverage of the products over very turbid coastal waters are sometimes lacking. In this article, we describe atmospheric correction algorithms for retrieving water leaving reflectances from ABI and AHI data using spectrum-matching techniques. In order to estimate aerosol models and optical depths, we match simultaneously the satellite-measured top of atmosphere (TOA) reflectances on the pixel by pixel basis for three channels centered near 0.86, 1.61, and 2.25 μm (or any combinations of two channels among the three channels) with theoretically simulated TOA reflectances. We demonstrate that water leaving reflectance retrievals can be made from ABI and AHI data with our algorithms over turbid case two waters. Our spectrum-matching algorithms, if implemented onto operational computing facilities, can be complimentary to present operational ocean versions of atmospheric correction algorithms that are mostly developed based on the SeaWiFS type of two-band ratio algorithm.
Family Social Capital and Delinquent Behavior in the United Kingdom
Authors: Hoffmann John P. , Thorpe Jared D. , Dufur Mikaela J.
Published: October 2020

Research suggests that juvenile delinquency has a number of deleterious effects on adolescents’ lives. A promising way to discourage delinquent behavior is by increasing social capital, which involves social connections adolescents have to other actors and pro-social norms that flow through these networks. The primary source of social capital is one’s family members, but no studies to date have focused directly on the effects of family social capital on delinquent behavior in the United Kingdom (U.K.). We use data from the U.K. Millennium Cohort Study (MCS, 2015–2016; n = 11,352) to assess different sources of family social capital among youth. The results of negative binomial regression models indicate that certain types of family social capital, including parental supervision, not fighting with parents, and talking to parents when youth are worried, are associated with less delinquent behavior, even after adjusting for covariates such as family structure, household income, and peer behaviors. The results add to the empirical foundation that supports family social capital’s attenuating effects on youth misbehaviors and increases confidence in the utility of social capital to serve as a generally applicable theory of youth development and behaviors.
Protecting Canyonlands: Anatomy of a National Park Struggle in Southeastern Utah, USA
Authors: Mumich Natalie S. , Buckley Geoffrey L. , Youngs Yolonda , Martello Tatyana
Published: October 2020

National parks have been called “America’s best idea”, but their creation and management never fail to stir controversy. On September 12, 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill creating Canyonlands National Park (CANY). Instead of a preservation climax, however, the establishment of CANY simply opened a new chapter in the long-term effort to protect a much greater percentage of southeastern Utah’s canyon country. Over the next several decades, park enthusiasts and wilderness advocates sought to expand the boundaries of CANY, while agricultural interests and extractive industries lobbied vigorously to limit the influence of the National Park Service. In this paper, we use archival data and methods to reconstruct the story of CANY’s creation and review attempts since then to extend protections beyond the original park’s borders, seeking to understand the different social, political, and economic forces that aligned to propose—as well as the forces that rallied to contest—these expansion efforts. While our findings indicate that the stakeholders involved and the issues that drive them have changed little over the past sixty years, we also cite several examples of successful collaboration that could serve as guideposts for future conservation efforts, both in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Measuring Operational Performance of Major Chinese Airports Based on SBM-DEA
Authors: Choi Yongrok , Wen Hua , Lee Hyoungsuk , Yang Hang
Published: October 2020

This study analyzes the sustainable feasibility of major airports in China in terms of airport operational efficiency (AOE). As AOE should be measured by economic performance as well as qualitative service management such as delay rate abatement, our study uses a multi-input/output slack-based data envelopment analysis model. We find that the 37 major airports in China have very low AOE levels, with an average of 48.2% during the study period of 2016–2019, implying great potential to enhance their efficiency. Even though the AOE trend is increasing upwards, it is still very much behind in terms of global standards. Moreover, this upward trend may come from external factors in the commercially driven eastern region airports and politically supported western region airports, and the AOE gap with airports in the central region is becoming larger. This implies that most airports in China are not yet self-sustaining. There are two ways for these airports to enhance AOE: more investment in infrastructure, such as airport facilities, and management upgrades from peer-learning efforts. We examined the feasibility of these two optimal paths and found that there is no need for decreasing returns to scale, implying that most of the airports can improve their AOE through additional investment, except for the eight airports with constant returns to scale, such as Beijing and Guangzhou. Moreover, each of the individual airports should learn from the top benchmarking airports on the production frontier. This study emphasizes the role of qualitative service performance and concludes that customized, self-sustaining innovation is required for all of the 37 major airports in China.
Enterprise Architecture and Organizational Benefits: A Case Study
Authors: Saleem Farrukh , Fakieh Bahjat
Published: October 2020

Enterprise architecture (EA) is a framework that consists of multiple processes to align business strategies with information technology (IT) architecture. It helps the organization standardize business operations and incorporate systems in different layers to achieve business goals and organizational benefits. This study focuses on identifying organizational benefits that can be achieved through EA implementation. The study comprises three main phases: (i) benefits realization (from literature review), (ii) benefits reconfirmation (from EA experts), and (iii) benefits validation (through a case study). Specifically, the benefits considered in this study are related to EA products, services, and strategies are known as: (i) business agility, (ii) creating competitive advantage, and (iii) increasing value. The study covers a vast literature review to define the current status of EA and organizational benefits. In addition, the study incorporates a number of measuring factors for each EA benefits with the help of a literature review. The initial findings reconfirmed and modified based on the experts’ opinions collected through interview sessions. The research applied the grounded theory and qualitative approach to analyze the interview sessions. Accordingly, using the experts’ advice, we proposed a model to show the steps and guidelines for assessing EA organizational benefits using corresponding measuring factors and sub-criteria. Finally, the proposed model validated through an in-depth case study to get final confirmation and see the model fits reality. Overall, this research highlight the potential benefits an organization can achieve from EA framework implementation. The proposed framework can assist EA decision-makers to understand and realize the EA benefits and its assessment process.
Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Energy Demand of Craft Mezcal in Mexico
Authors: Maciel Martínez Jazmín , Baltierra-Trejo Eduardo , Taboada-González Paul , Aguilar-Virgen Quetzalli , Marquez-Benavides Liliana
Published: October 2020

Agave distillates, such as tequila and mezcal, are alcoholic spirits representative of Mexican culture. In recent years, the demand for mezcal has increased, and with it the requirement for raw materials, bringing with it a series of difficulties. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential environmental impact and energy demand of the production of young craft mezcal from an endemic agave (Agave cupreata) found in the central and southern Pacific area of Mexico. The potential environmental impact of the mezcal studied was obtained through the life cycle analysis methodology using a midpoint approach by the ReCiPe method to calculate the potential environmental impact with SimaPro software (version 8.2.3.0., PRé Sustainability, Amersfoort, The Netherlands). The functional unit is a young craft mezcal bottle of 750 mL with 46% Vol. Alc. The stage of highest contribution to the environmental impact of mezcal was the manufacturing/processing, contributing 59.6% of them. The energy demand of the craft mezcal resulted in 163.8 MJ/bottle of 7.5 dl. The kg CO2eq in mezcal (1.7) is higher than beer (0.63) or white wine (1.01), but lower than whisky (2.25) or pisco (3.62). These findings could allow the search for alternatives for the development of sustainable production.
Analysis of Changes in Soil Organic Carbon, Energy Consumption and Environmental Impact Using Bio-Products in the Production of Winter Wheat and Oilseed Rape
Authors: Juknevičius Darius , Kriaučiūnienė Zita , Jasinskas Algirdas , Šarauskis Egidijus
Published: October 2020

Agricultural management, environmentally friendly technologies, chemical, organic and bio-based substances used, as well as meteorological factors, have a significant impact on the fluctuations of soil organic carbon (SOC). The aim of this research was to analyze the effect of different biopreparations on the changes of SOC content and the winter wheat and winter oilseed rape yields by assessing the energy consumption efficiency and the environmental impacts. The experimental research was conducted from 2017 to 2019 in three different treatments, in two of which were used either a molasses and magnesium sulphate based-biopreparation (T1) or a bacteria-based biopreparation (T2), while treatment T3 was applied as a control where no biopreparations were used. The dynamics of SOC content were analyzed at two depths: 0–10 and 10–20 cm. For the analysis of energy efficiency indicators and environmental impacts, the greenhouse gas (GHG) and energy consumption conversion equivalents were used. A summary of the results showed that both types of biopreparations had a positive effect on the changes of SOC content, which was especially evident in the deeper layers at 10–20 cm depth, where, irrespective of the crop type, a more significant increase of the SOC content was observed every year of the experiment compared to the control treatment. Biopreparations had a significant effect in increasing the winter wheat and winter oilseed rape yield. The best energy efficiency ratio was observed in winter wheat (4.84) and winter oilseed rape (5.11) in treatment T1. The results of the environmental impact assessment showed that the lowest GHG emissions were recorded in the winter wheat production in treatment T1 at 108.7–149.1 kg CO2eq Mg−1, while the highest were observed in oilseed rape production in the control treatment T3 at 343.4 kg CO2eq Mg−1.
Reassessing the Role of Shared Mobility Services in a Transport Transition: Can They Contribute the Rise of an Alternative Socio-Technical Regime of Mobility?
Authors: Ruhrort Lisa
Published: October 2020

Recent years have seen a proliferation of platform-based “shared mobility services” (SMS) such as car-, bike-, and e-scooter-sharing in many cities in Germany and around the world. At the same time, these services have become the subject of intense debates: Are they replacing private car travel, thus contributing to sustainable mobility in cities? Or are they drawing users away from public transit and cycling while obstructing public space? From the perspective of sustainable mobility politics, it seems far from clear which role these new services could play in transitioning to a less car-centric mobility system. While a number of potential effects and ensuing governance issues of shared mobility services (e.g., regarding questions of equitable access, data governance, the role of public versus private actors) have already been studied, this article explores the role of shared mobility services (SMS) in triggering system dynamics and feedback loops in the context of sustainability transitions. The article connects questions regarding the sustainability effects of “shared mobility services” with the role of “push” measures to reduce private car traffic in cities. Using a theoretical framework from socio-technical transitions research and from the sociology of technology, it describes the recent growth of shared mobility services in Berlin as an example of the upscaling dynamics of socio-technical niche innovations. Drawing on a series of workshops with mobility service providers and representatives of public authorities, it analyses the potential for conflict as well as for coalition-building between service providers and public authorities. Based on the theoretical concept of the role of feedback loops and windows of opportunity for transitions, it shows how the market growth of shared mobility services has added momentum to an already ongoing political debate over the legitimate use of public space in Berlin. Against this backdrop, the article discusses how growing numbers of car-, bike-, and e-scooter-sharing vehicles could open up windows of opportunity for re-distributing space away from private cars. The article concludes that supporting and regulating SMS will be key to steering their growth in the direction of sustainability.
Ergodic Tendencies in Sub-Systems Coupled to Finite Reservoirs—Classical and Quantal
Authors: Englman Robert
Published: October 2020

Whereas ergodic theories relate to limiting cases of infinite thermal reservoirs and infinitely long times, some ergodicity tendencies may appear also for finite reservoirs and time durations. These tendencies are here explored and found to exist, but only for extremely long times and very soft ergodic criteria. “Weak ergodicity breaking” is obviated by a judicious time-weighting, as found in a previous work [Found. Phys. (2015) 45: 673–690]. The treatment is based on an N-oscillator (classical) and an N-spin (quantal) model. The showing of ergodicity is facilitated by pictorial presentations.
Occurrence and Probabilistic Risk Assessment of Fumonisin B1, Fumonisin B2 and Deoxynivalenol in Nixtamalized Maize in Mexico City
Authors: Gilbert-Sandoval Ixchel , Wesseling Sebastiaan , Rietjens Ivonne M. C. M.
Published: October 2020

Fumonisins (FB1+FB2) and deoxynivalenol (DON) are mycotoxins produced by Fusarium species that might be present in maize and maize products. Knowledge on their occurrence in nixtamalized maize from Mexico together with an accompanying risk assessment are scarce, while nixtamalized maize is an important food in Mexico. This study presents the occurrence of FB1 + FB2 and DON in nixtamalized maize samples collected in Mexico City and analyses their distribution and resulting estimated daily intake for Mexican consumers by a probabilistic approach using a two-dimensional Monte-Carlo simulation. The results obtained reveal that for FB1 + FB2, 47% of the Mexican men and 30% of the Mexican women might exceed the provisional tolerable daily intake (PMTDI) of 2 µg/kg bw/day for fumonisins and for DON, 9% of men and 5% of women would be exceeding the PMTDI of 1 µg/kg bw/day, corresponding to the high consumers. The results raise a flag for risk managers in Mexico, to consider regulations and interventions that lower mycotoxin levels in nixtamalized maize for human consumption.
Improving Influenza HA-Vlps Production in Insect High Five Cells via Adaptive Laboratory Evolution
Authors: Correia Ricardo , Fernandes Bárbara , Alves Paula M. , Carrondo Manuel J.T. , Roldão António
Published: October 2020

The use of non-standard culture conditions has proven efficient to increase cell performance and recombinant protein production in different cell hosts. However, the establishment of high-producing cell populations through adaptive laboratory evolution (ALE) has been poorly explored, in particular for insect cells. In this study, insect High Five cells were successfully adapted to grow at a neutral culture pH (7.0) through ALE for an improved production of influenza hemagglutinin (HA)-displaying virus-like particles (VLPs). A stepwise approach was used for the adaptation process, in which the culture pH gradually increased from standard 6.2 to 7.0 (ΔPh = 0.2–0.3), and cells were maintained at each pH value for 2–3 weeks until a constant growth rate and a cell viability over 95% were observed. These adapted cells enabled an increase in cell-specific HA productivity up to three-fold and volumetric HA titer of up to four-fold as compared to non-adapted cells. Of note, the adaptation process is the element driving increased specific HA productivity as a pH shift alone was inefficient at improving productivities. The production of HA-VLPs in adapted cells was successfully demonstrated at the bioreactor scale. The produced HA-VLPs show the typical size and morphology of influenza VLPs, thus confirming the null impact of the adaptation process and neutral culture pH on the quality of HA-VLPs produced. This work strengthens the potential of ALE as a bioprocess engineering strategy to improve the production of influenza HA-VLPs in insect High Five cells.
Estimating Human Impacts on Soil Erosion Considering Different Hillslope Inclinations and Land Uses in the Coastal Region of Syria
Authors: Mohammed Safwan , Abdo Hazem G. , Szabo Szilard , Pham Quoc Bao , Holb Imre J. , Linh Nguyen Thi Thuy , Anh Duong Tran , Alsafadi Karam , Mokhtar Ali , Kbibo Issa , Ibrahim Jihad , Rodrigo-Comino Jesus
Published: October 2020

Soils in the coastal region of Syria (CRoS) are one of the most fragile components of natural ecosystems. However, they are adversely affected by water erosion processes after extreme land cover modifications such as wildfires or intensive agricultural activities. The main goal of this research was to clarify the dynamic interaction between erosion processes and different ecosystem components (inclination, land cover/land use, and rainy storms) along with the vulnerable territory of the CRoS. Experiments were carried out in five different locations using a total of 15 erosion plots. Soil loss and runoff were quantified in each experimental plot, considering different inclinations and land uses (agricultural land (AG), burnt forest (BF), forest/control plot (F)). Observed runoff and soil loss varied greatly according to both inclination and land cover after 750 mm of rainfall (26 events). In the cultivated areas, the average soil water erosion ranged between 0.14 ± 0.07 and 0.74 ± 0.33 kg/m2; in the BF plots, mean soil erosion ranged between 0.03 ± 0.01 and 0.24 ± 0.10 kg/m2. The lowest amount of erosion was recorded in the F plots where the erosion ranged between 0.1 ± 0.001 and 0.07 ± 0.03 kg/m2. Interestingly, the General Linear Model revealed that all factors (i.e., inclination, rainfall and land use) had a significant (p < 0.001) effect on the soil loss. We concluded that human activities greatly influenced soil erosion rates, being higher in the AG lands, followed by BF and F. Therefore, the current study could be very useful to policymakers and planners for proposing immediate conservation or restoration plans in a less studied area which has been shown to be vulnerable to soil erosion processes.
On Editing Prose, the Gender Gap in Publishing, and Eating Alligator!: A chat with Cara Blue Adams, Editor of Southern Review
Authors: Adams Cara Blue , Hunt Katie
Published: October 2020

Cara Blue Adams's fiction has appeared in Narrative, The Kenyon Review, and The Sun, among other journals. She won the Kenyon Review Short Fiction Prize. She lives in Baton Rouge, where she is the fiction and nonfiction editor of The Southern Review.
"We’ve Always Wanted Work That Stands Out": A Chat With Dzekashu MacViban, Editor of Cameroon-based Bakwa Magazine
Authors: MacViban Dzekashu , Mogami Gaamangwe
Published: October 2020

Bakwa’s website describes its purpose this way: “Bakwa, was founded to counter the absence of literary magazines in Cameroon; with a wide ranging remit that’s broader than the literary, Bakwa – is an eclectic, intelligent take on the dynamic cultural scenes often missed by mainstream, western media.”
Fearlessly Claiming Your Own Experience: A Chat with Rebecca Olson, Editor of Calyx
Authors: Olson Rebecca , Catalano Hadley
Published: October 2020

Rebecca Olson is the Senior Editor at CALYX. She joined the journal that publishes art and literature by women in 2008 as an intern. A year later she was hired for the editorial position, armed with a new MFA in Poetry from Oregon State University and deeper understanding of publishing, writing and editing. In the following interview, the St. Paul, Minnesota native discusses her love for the CALYX family, how she balances her creativity with work and why feminist literature is empowering.
Fixing the System, A Lit Mag Finds Compassion For its Contributors: A Chat with Alexis Santi, Editor of Our Stories
Authors: Santi Alexis E. , Mudivarti Priyatam
Published: October 2020

Alexis E. Santi earned his MFA in Creative Writing from George Mason University in Fiction. In 2005, he founded Our Stories because of his commitment to helping emerging writers find not only a home for their work but to legitimize the work of countless others who feel that their work would be otherwise ignored. His own creative writing has been published in Word Riot, In Posse Review, Dark Sky Magazine, Prick of the Spindle, Cubista Magazine, Revista 22, and The Plum Ruby Review. In 2006 he was one of two Americans awarded a translation grant to live in a castle for three months. He has reviewed thousands of manuscripts since Our Stories was founded six years ago and written extensively on his unique perspective of being a writer and editor of a literary journal with a unique humanistic mission.
"Providing a ‘Safe Space’ for Women to Submit Their Writing": A Chat With Debbie Taylor, Editor of Mslexia
Authors: Taylor Debbie , Post Connie
Published: October 2020

Mslexia is a British based magazine for women writers. There are unique qualities about the magazine that make it remarkable and interesting. The editor and staff are focused on championing women writers in a variety of unique and exciting ways. I enjoyed this interview and learning more about this successful and far reaching journal. Mslexia has found amazing ways to re-invent itself and stay fresh, compelling, and distinctive.
If It's Heavy It's Ripe: On Writing and Political Sentiment
Authors: Parnell Catherine
Published: October 2020

Writers and students often ask how to marry the personal and the political in their work. While I have no good answer, I did have an aha moment a few days ago that struck as I lifted a striped watermelon at the local market: if it’s heavy it’s ripe. The same holds true for the personal and the political. If it’s heavy, it’s good. But too much weight and the watermelon – the work – becomes unmanageable. So, to lift a phase from the poet Fred Marchant: beware the tipping point. And yet… Isn’t that the point of writing? To tip readers into a new space?
Inequality in Publishing: What Can be Done?
Authors: Tuch Becky
Published: October 2020

By now you’ve surely seen the numbers. VIDA, an organization dedicated to women in the literary arts, has done an incredible service to the literary community by amassing the statistics regarding gender breakdown in publishing. If you’ve seen the pie charts, then you know: women writers are in trouble. So we must now ask ourselves: What can be done in the interest of equality?
Lit Mags & Small Presses Doing Good Works
Authors: Tuch Becky
Published: October 2020

As the holiday season approaches, we thought we would celebrate those lit mags and small presses that do good deeds in the world. Below you will find a list of literary organizations that lend a hand in fighting various societal problems.
Beginning at the Beginning; Review of American Short Fiction, Winter/Spring 2008
Authors: Tuch Becky
Published: October 2020

We are all amateurs at the beginning. And while the latest issue of American Short Fiction includes strictly established authors, beginning writers can take heart: The well-established also had to sit in the slush pile before getting discovered and they too had their share of rejection letters. Thanks to some in-depth biographical notes, we are able to see how important American Short Fiction (and literary magazines in general) has been in launching the careers of some of our now-favorite writers. For its fortieth anniversary issue, this journal has done a beautiful job of showcasing the talent and diversity of its contributors, while also announcing itself as a significant fixture in many authors' lives.
New York and Other Diverse Countries: Brooklyn Lit Mag is Home for High-Quality Prose and Art Criticism; Review of Brooklyn Rail, Spring 2016
Authors: Gray Max
Published: October 2020

The Brooklyn Rail’s dogged pursuit of good art and art criticism is one trait that’s helped it thrive for so long; the journal has published smart, largely accessible art criticism, essays, fiction, and poetry since its founding in 2000 by a cohort of artists including the painter Phong Bui, who remains its Publisher today. But the Rail’s adherence to high editorial standards mark it as a truly special journal, one that Bui calls a “social sculpture” or “work of art.” In an age when your average media consumer won’t view a work of art unless he is fooled into doing it, The Brooklyn Rail is something of an anomaly.
New Magazine Explores Intersection of Art, Literature and Technology; Review of Carbon Culture, Fall 2014
Authors: Inciarte Rachael
Published: October 2020

Carbon Culture, a new magazine of technology, literature, and art says of itself, “Our collection of voices and artistic work explore who we are as human beings in a technological world.” It’s a bold idea, and certainly a relevant one, as even the most technophobic literature lovers among us are being dragged through twitter trenches and iPhone tutorials. The Fall 2014 Issue is the inaugural issue. Additionally, every month CC also posts issues online.
A Tribute to Beauty; Review of Chicago Review, Summer 2008
Authors: Boissonneau Zachary
Published: October 2020

The voluminous Summer 2008 edition of Chicago Review is really two journals in one. The first half is a tribute to American New York School poet Barbara Guest (1920-2006), featuring three of her short plays, many poems, and commentary by twelve contributors. Guest is best known by this reviewer for her excellent book, Herself Defined: The Poet H.D. and Her World (1984). The second half of the journal features seventeen poems, three short stories, one essay, one interview, ten reviews, and a note by C.D. Wright and letter by John Ashbery.
New Online Lit Mag is a First Stop for Flash Fiction; Review of First Stop Fiction, Fall 2014
Authors: Trout Stefanie
Published: October 2020

First Stop Fiction is an online literary journal publishing flash fiction that ends at the earliest possible moment. That is, there are no neat conclusions where the reader knows what happens to the characters after the story has ended. Instead, First Stop Fiction readers are left to ponder, speculate, and marinate in the last words, perhaps reading the story over again from the beginning. In the editors’ own words, “First Stop Fiction is dedicated to publishing stories that spare no opportunity to end. We like things left messy. We like resonance achieved, then left alone.” In that sense, First Stop Fiction specializes in publishing something like poetry-in-fiction’s clothing, and it does so very well.
Esteemed Lit Mag Charts Wide Experience of Human Nature; Review of Five Points, Winter 2015 - 2016
Authors: Reade Tripp
Published: October 2020

Shall I begin with the Five Points 17.1 contributor’s list? Will you want to know that these pages are spangled with NEA, Guggenheim, and Rockefeller fellowships, Pushcart, Library of Congress, and AWP prizes, magazine editors, professors, and poets-in residence? That the list of their published chapbooks, collections, short stories, and novels would consume the rest of this review if I let it? Or will it be better to turn aside, into a consideration of the issue itself? The latter? By all means, then.
Breathe the Fresh Air; Review of Georgia Review, Fall 2008
Authors: Corvaia Vince
Published: October 2020

The Fall 2008 issue of The Georgia Review contains five essays, two short stories, ten poems (including the latest by Albert Goldbarth), reviews by three contributors, artwork by Judy Pfaff, and excerpts from a new book featuring the correspondence between Robert Lowell and Elizabeth Bishop.
Apocalyptic Indeed; Review of Green Mountains Review, 20th Anniversary 2008
Authors: Feldman Kirsten
Published: October 2020

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary with a double issue entitled American Apocalypse, the Green Mountains Review explores uniquely American dread, tempered with spare, yearning shreds of hope only toward the end. In stark contrast to its last double issue, Comedy in Contemporary American Poetry, ironically readied for publication just before the Towers fell in New York, this issue confronts head-on the changes in the American psyche since that fateful day as exemplified by the work of thirty-six poets and short story writers. Not for the faint-hearted or laugh-seeking reader, this group of writers as collected and edited by GMR's insightful staff found little to applaud and much to lament. With that said the work is well written, thoughtful, and provocative.
Beauty in the Grotesque; Review of Hayden's Ferry Review, Spring/Summer 2008
Authors: Boissonneau Zachary
Published: October 2020

Hayden's Ferry Review is a biannual publication of Arizona State University's creative writing department. The Spring/Summer 2008 issue--themed "The Grotesque"--features poetry, fiction, and visual art from over sixty contributors, and includes an international section. It seems to be split evenly between poetry and prose as far as page count goes, and the only obvious continuity of set up is the entire international section sandwiched between the scattered poetry, prose, and visual art.
Lit Mag is a Beautiful Curation of Creative Pieces; Review of Isthmus, Fall/Winter 2015
Authors: Page Laura
Published: October 2020

Isthmus editors Ann Przyzycki and Randy Devita do not include a note to preface, nor is there a stated theme for this, the fourth installment of the magazine. Rather, the works speak for themselves, and for this reader, Isthmus 4 is a beautiful curation of pieces that speak to comings and goings, appendages of spirit gained and lost in the context of family and human connections. All of the pieces together add caveat or context to what it means to be an individual living with and without other individuals. The result is a collection of collisions and capitulations, shutting-ins and striking-outs.
Just Because You're Alone, Doesn't Mean You Have to Be Lonely; Review of Isthmus, Spring/Summer 2018
Authors: HK Petur
Published: October 2020

Tinder is meant to act as a bridge, an isthmus, if you will, between two (or more) strangers, and like any social interaction, it has its own customs and traditions. No one is at home on Tinder—although some do seem more comfortable than others—and generally, it's not a place you want to stay for long. It’s a place to meet and then, ideally, leave together. More often than not, though, who you actually end up getting to know better is yourself and, probably, your own loneliness. Isthmus Review does something quite similar in its seventh issue. Already on the front cover we're confronted with a pram chugging down a crystalline river in the middle of nowhere North America. The scene is majestic, the picture is black-and-white, and the pram is filled to the brim with passengers. We, however, are left standing on the shore.
A Place for the Offbeat; Review of Jokes Review, Summer 2018
Authors: Jacobs-Beck Kim
Published: October 2020

Some writers specialize in humor or in the offbeat. Even those who do not sometimes play with the form. Jokes Review wants to see your funny poem or offbeat piece of fiction. This is a new journal, started in summer 2016, published biannually online and in print. Editors Peter Clarke, Matt Kramer, Mark Dwyer and Erica Stumpe say that their vision is to “promote writers and artists whose work just took a wrong turn and went ever-so-gracefully off the deep end.” They accept all literary genres and visual art, and encourage experimental, hybrid, humorous, and “scraps” of writing, as well as “ironic existential rants” and the occasional “inspired manifesto.” Submissions should be less than 3500 words. Jokes Review is open to pieces that may not fit neatly into the categories of other journals.
Lit Mag is Home for Best of What's Happening in Literature Today; Review of Kenyon Review, Spring 2016
Authors: Rohatgi Rashi
Published: October 2020

That the March/April issue of The Kenyon Review is full of beautiful writing by important people should surprise no one: the magazine, prominent since the mid-20th century, has on its current advisory board Amitav Ghosh, Joyce Carol Oates, Ann Patchett, and other writers of the same caliber. In his Editor’s Notes, David H. Lynn makes much of the blossoming overlapped content between the current print and online issues, but, as ever, the real treat is in the small assemblages – particularly, here, Transylvanian poetry, an early Tennessee Williams play with commentary, and a new Amit Majumdar story – punctuated by less overtly curated selections. An unofficial theme, memory, seems to run quietly through each piece.
Esteemed Australian Lit Mag Brims With Dynamic Culture; Review of Meanjin, Winter 2014
Authors: Clarke Amy
Published: October 2020

As the opening editorial points out, Meanjin began as a poetry magazine nearly 75 years ago, and it continues to count the verse-driven art as its lifeblood. The poems in this edition are scattered throughout, running like veins through the entire edition, keeping the pulse and purpose of the magazine always at the forefront of the reader’s mind. Varying in style and composition, full of free verse and experimental forms, these poems are written by seasoned professionals and burgeoning artists alike. Meanjin Volume 73 begins with several brief articles under the heading, Perspectives, which explore the topics of modern day racism, the warmth of a grandmother’s kitchen, the pain of losing a neighborhood to a government buy-out, and the dramatic changes brought upon modern day journalism by the digital age.
Boston-based Lit Mag Showcases Best of the Best; Review of Ploughshares, Winter 2015-2016
Authors: Johnston Timston
Published: October 2020

I signed up to be a part of The Review Review back in late January of this year. My first assignment arrived in a very comforting yellow envelope, my name handwritten—I was happy; I had been waiting for my first literary journal to arrive and the suspense of which one I’d receive incubated an anticipation I hadn’t felt since I was a kid waiting for magazines and letters to make it my way. I let the package sit on my desk and allowed it to coagulate some of the gravity in the room until I couldn’t resist any longer. When opened, I sighed in defeat. I recognized the symbol of the uppercase P, the 1/5th of the top cover dedicated to the title blocks, its proud etching: AT EMERSON COLLEGE. Ploughshares. This is the worst thing that could have happened to me.
Wit, Charm, Depth. Lit Mag is Full of Compelling Works From Diverse Writers; Review of Post Road, Spring/Summer 2015
Authors: Spencer Joanne
Published: October 2020

Originally founded in New York City in 1999, Post Road is now partnered with Boston College as a non-profit literary magazine published bi-annually. They accept unsolicited material that include, but not limited to, poetry, fiction, non-fiction and critiques to name just a few.