bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The moderating effects of ethnicity on key predictors of trauma in child welfare involved adolescents
Authors: Washburn Micki , Carr L. Christian , Dettlaff Alan J.
Published: July 2018

Key predictors of trauma were examined using a multi‐group analysis of a nationally representative sample of 716 child welfare involved youth ages 11–17. Results indicate that co‐occurring clinical depression was associated with trauma across all racial/ethnic groups. Results also support that youth's ethnicity moderates the relationship between gender, history of sexual abuse and sexual orientation and the development of trauma. Contrary to prior research, trauma was not significantly associated with substance abuse or having experienced out of home placement for all ethnic groups. Implications for policy, practice with child welfare involved adolescents and future research in this area are discussed.
Voice outcome measures after flexible endoscopic injection laryngoplasty
Authors: Hamdan Abdul‐Latif , Rizk Marwan , Khalifee Elie , Ziade Georges , Kasti Maher
Published: July 2018

Objective

To report voice outcome measures after injection laryngoplasty using the transnasal or transoral flexible endoscopic technique.

Methods

A retrospective review of all patients who underwent flexible endoscopic injection laryngoplasty between June 2010 and August 2016 was carried out. Only those patients who had pre‐ and post‐injection voice outcome measures recorded were included. Voice outcome measures recorded included perceptual voice evaluation using GRBAS, Voice Handicap Index‐10 (VHI‐10), maximum phonation time (MPT) and closed quotient (CQ) before and after treatment.

Results

Forty‐six patients were identified, of which 32 had pre‐ and post‐injection voice outcome measures recorded. There were 19 males and 13 females. The mean age was 56.97 years (range 20–86 years) and the most common indication was unilateral vocal fold paralysis. Thirteen patients had a transnasal flexible endoscopic injection), while 19 patients were injected transorally. Following injection laryngoplasty, there was significant improvement in the mean grade of dysphonia (2.81 vs. 1.22, P < 0.01, roughness (2.44 vs. 1.34, P < 0.01), breathiness (2.72 vs. 1.13, P < 0.01), asthenia (2.78 vs. 1.06, P < 0.01), and strain (2.44 vs. 1.19, P < 0.01), MPT (3.85 s vs. 9.85 s, P < 0.01) and mean CQ (0.19 vs. 0.46, P < 0.01). There was also a decrease in the mean VHI‐10 score (33.31 vs. 7.94, P < 0.01).

Conclusion

s: Patients achieved significant improvement in both subjective and objective voice measures after flexible endoscopic injection laryngoplasty via the nasal or transoral route. Voice outcomes were comparable to those reported for other approaches. This technique provides an alternative approach for the management of patients with vocal fold paralysis or glottal insufficiency.
Analytical structural behaviour of elastic flapping wings under the actuator effect
Authors: Zare H. , Pourtakdoust Seid H. , Bighashdel A.
Published: July 2018

The effect of inertial forces on the Structural Dynamics (SD) behaviour of Elastic Flapping Wings (EFWs) is investigated. In this regard, an analytical modal-based SD solution of EFW undergoing a prescribed rigid body motion is initially derived. The formulated initial-value problem is solved analytically to study the EFW structural responses, and sensitivity with respect to EFWs’ key parameters. As a case study, a rectangular wing undergoing a prescribed sinusoidal motion is simulated. The analytical solution is derived for the first time and helps towards a conceptual understanding of the overall EFW's SD behaviour and its analysis required in their designs. Specifically, the EFW transient and steady response in on-off servo condition is also attended.
Generation of strong magnetic fields with a laser-driven coil
Authors: Zhang Zhe , Zhu Baojun , Li Yutong , Jiang Weiman , Yuan Dawei , Wei Huigang , Liang Guiyun , Wang Feilu , Zhao Gang , Zhong Jiayong , Han Bo , Hua Neng , Zhu Baoqiang , Zhu Jianqiang , Wang Chen , Fang Zhiheng , Zhang Jie
Published: July 2018

As a promising new way to generate a controllable strong magnetic field, laser-driven magnetic coils have attracted interest in many research fields. In 2013, a kilotesla level magnetic field was achieved at the Gekko XII laser facility with a capacitor–coil target. A similar approach has been adopted in a number of laboratories, with a variety of targets of different shapes. The peak strength of the magnetic field varies from a few tesla to kilotesla, with different spatio-temporal ranges. The differences are determined by the target geometry and the parameters of the incident laser. Here we present a review of the results of recent experimental studies of laser-driven magnetic field generation, as well as a discussion of the diagnostic techniques required for such rapidly changing magnetic fields. As an extension of the magnetic field generation, some applications are discussed.
A direct comparison of particle-resolved and point-particle methods in decaying turbulence
Authors: Mehrabadi M. , Horwitz J. A. K. , Subramaniam S. , Mani A.
Published: July 2018

We use particle-resolved direct numerical simulation (PR-DNS) as a model-free physics-based numerical approach to validate particle acceleration modelling in gas-solid suspensions. To isolate the effect of the particle acceleration model, we focus on point-particle direct numerical simulation (PP-DNS) of a collision-free dilute suspension with solid-phase volume fraction$\unicode[STIX]{x1D719}=0.001$in a decaying isotropic turbulent particle-laden flow. The particle diameter$d_{p}$in the suspension is chosen to be the same as the initial Kolmogorov length scale$\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}_{0}$($d_{p}/\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}_{0}=1$) in order to overlap with the regime where PP-DNS is valid. We assess the point-particle acceleration model for two different particle Stokes numbers,$St_{\unicode[STIX]{x1D702}}=1$and 100. For the high Stokes number case, the Stokes drag model for particle acceleration under-predicts the true particle acceleration. In addition, second moment quantities which play key roles in the physical evolution of the gas–solid suspension are not correctly captured. Considering finite Reynolds number corrections to the acceleration model improves the prediction of the particle acceleration probability density function and second moment statistics of the point-particle model compared with the particle-resolved simulation. We also find that accounting for the undisturbed fluid velocity in the acceleration model can be of greater importance than using the most appropriate acceleration model for a given physical problem.
Independent caudal fin actuation enables high energy extraction and control in two-dimensional fish-like group swimming
Authors: Gao Amy , Triantafyllou Michael S.
Published: July 2018

We study through numerical simulation the optimal hydrodynamic interactions and basic vorticity control mechanisms for two fish-like bodies swimming in tandem. We show that for a fish swimming in the wake of an upstream fish, using independent pitch control of its caudal fin, in addition to optimized body motion, results in reduction of the energy needed for self-propulsion by more than 50 %, providing a quasi-propulsive efficiency of 90 %, up from 60 % without independent caudal fin control. Such high efficiency is found over a narrow parametric range and is possible only when the caudal fin is allowed to pitch independently from the motion of the main body. We identify the vorticity control mechanisms employed by the body and tail to achieve this remarkable performance through thrust augmentation and destructive interference with the upstream fish-generated vortices. A high sensitivity of the propulsive performance to small variations in caudal fin parameters is found, underlying the importance of accurate flow sensing and feedback control. We further demonstrate that using lateral line-like flow measurements to drive an unscented Kalman filter, the near-field vortices can be localized within 1 % of the body length, and be used with a phase-lock controller to drive the body and tail undulation of a self-propelled fish, moving within the wake of an upstream fish, to stably reach the optimal gait and fully achieve maximum energy extraction.
Finite-sized rigid spheres in turbulent Taylor–Couette flow: effect on the overall drag
Authors: Bakhuis Dennis , Verschoof Ruben A. , Mathai Varghese , Huisman Sander G. , Lohse Detlef , Sun Chao
Published: July 2018

We report on the modification of drag by neutrally buoyant spherical finite-sized particles in highly turbulent Taylor–Couette (TC) flow. These particles are used to disentangle the effects of size, deformability and volume fraction on the drag, and are contrasted to the drag in bubbly TC flow. From global torque measurements, we find that rigid spheres hardly decrease or increase the torque needed to drive the system. The size of the particles under investigation has a marginal effect on the drag, with smaller diameter particles showing only slightly lower drag. Increase of the particle volume fraction shows a net drag increase. However, this increase is much smaller than can be explained by the increase in apparent viscosity due to the particles. The increase in drag for increasing particle volume fraction is corroborated by performing laser Doppler anemometry, where we find that the turbulent velocity fluctuations also increase with increasing volume fraction. In contrast to rigid spheres, for bubbles, the effective drag reduction also increases with increasing Reynolds number. Bubbles are also much more effective in reducing the overall drag.
Direct numerical simulation of wind turbulence over breaking waves
Authors: Yang Zixuan , Deng Bing-Qing , Shen Lian
Published: July 2018

We study wind turbulence over breaking waves based on direct numerical simulation (DNS) of two-fluid flows. In the DNS, the air and water are simulated as a coherent system, with the interface captured using the coupled level-set and volume-of-fluid method. Because the wave breaking is an unsteady process, we use ensemble averaging over 100 runs to define turbulence statistics. We focus on analysing the turbulence statistics of the airflow over breaking waves. The effects of wave age and wave steepness are investigated. It is found that before wave breaking, the turbulence statistics are largely influenced by the wave age. The vertical gradient of mean streamwise velocity is positive at small and intermediate wave ages, but it becomes negative near the wave surface at large wave age as the pressure force changes from drag to thrust. Furthermore, wave-coherent motions make increasingly important contributions to the momentum flux and kinetic energy of velocity fluctuations (KE-F) as the wave age increases. During the wave breaking process, spilling breakers do not influence the wind field significantly; in contrast, plunging breakers alter the structures of wind turbulence near the wave surface drastically. It is observed from the DNS results that during wave plunging, a high pressure region occurs ahead of the wave front, which further accelerates the wind in the downstream direction. Meanwhile, a large spanwise vortex is generated, which greatly disturbs the airflow around it, resulting in large magnitudes of Reynolds stress and turbulence kinetic energy (TKE) below the wave crest. Above the crest, the magnitude of KE-F is enhanced during wave plunging at small and large wave ages, but at intermediate wave age, the transient enhancement of KE-F is absent. The effect of wave breaking on the magnitude of KE-F is further investigated through the analysis of the KE-F production. It is discovered that at small wave age, the transient enhancement of KE-F is caused by the appearance of a local maximum in the profile of total momentum flux; but at large wave age, it results from the change in the sign of the KE-F production from negative to positive, due to the sign change in the wave-coherent momentum flux. At intermediate wave age, neither of these two processes is present, and the transient growth of KE-F does not take place.
Annual Variations of 14C Concentration in the Tree Rings in the Vicinity of Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant
Authors: Ežerinskis Žilvinas , Šapolaitė Justina , Pabedinskas Algirdas , Juodis Laurynas , Garbaras Andrius , Maceika Evaldas , Druteikienė Rūta , Lukauskas Darius , Remeikis Vidmantas
Published: July 2018

In this paper we analyze the radiocarbon (14C) concentration changes over the whole operational period of the Ignalina Nuclear Power Plant (INPP) including the post-shutdown decommissioning. Environmental samples from the vicinity of the INPP and a rural area as background of pine tree rings were analyzed with the single stage accelerator mass spectrometer (SSAMS). The analysis shows the local influence of the INPP from 3 to 7 pMC. The whole time span from 1983 to 2015 is divided into three periods representing the early and late operational and post-shutdown stages of the INPP with different 14C profiles in analyzed samples. The influence of the maintenance of the INPP and radioactive waste management activities are indicated and discussed.
New AMS Dates for Verteba Cave and Stable Isotope Evidence of Human Diet in The Holocene Forest-Steppe, Ukraine
Authors: Ledogar Sarah H , Karsten Jordan K , Madden Gwyn D , Schmidt Ryan , Sokohatskyi Mykhailo P , Feranec Robert S
Published: July 2018

Excavations at several locations in Verteba Cave have uncovered a large amount of human skeletal remains in association with faunal bones and Tripolye material culture. We aim to establish radiocarbon (14C) dates for eight sites and to evaluate whether these deposits are singular events, or slow accumulations over time.14C measurements, along with stable carbon and nitrogen isotope data from human and faunal remains, were collected from 18 specimens. Stable isotope values were used to evaluate human and animal diet, and whether freshwater reservoir effects offset measured dates. We found diets of the sampled species had limited to no influence from freshwater resources. Human diet appears to be dominated by terrestrial plants and herbivores. Four new sites were identified as Eneolithic. Comparisons of dates from top and bottom strata for two sites (7 and 20) reveal coeval dates, and we suggest that these deposits represent discrete events rather than slow continuous use. Lastly, we identified dates from the Mesolithic (8490±45 BP, 8765±30 BP), Iron Age (2505±20 BP), Slavic state era (1315±25 BP), and Medieval Period (585±15 BP), demonstrating periodic use of the cave by humans prior to and after the Eneolithic.
Estimation of additive and dominance genetic variance components for female fertility traits in Iranian Holstein cows
Authors: Ghiasi H. , Abdollahi-Arpanahi R. , Razmkabir M. , Khaldari M. , Taherkhani R.
Published: July 2018

The aim of the current study was to estimate additive and dominance genetic variance components for days from calving to first service (DFS), a number of services to conception (NSC) and days open (DO). Data consisted of 25 518 fertility records from first parity dairy cows collected from 15 large Holstein herds of Iran. To estimate the variance components, two models, one including only additive genetic effects and another fitting both additive and dominance genetic effects together, were used. The additive and dominance relationship matrices were constructed using pedigree data. The estimated heritability for DFS, NSC and DO were 0.068, 0.035 and 0.067, respectively. The differences between estimated heritability using the additive genetic and additive-dominance genetic models were negligible regardless of the trait under study. The estimated dominance variance was larger than the estimated additive genetic variance. The ratio of dominance variance to phenotypic variance was 0.260, 0.231 and 0.196 for DFS, NSC and DO, respectively. Akaike's information criteria indicated that the model fitting both additive and dominance genetic effects is the best model for analysing DFS, NSC and DO. Spearman's rank correlations between the predicted breeding values (BV) from additive and additive-dominance models were high (0.99). Therefore, ranking of the animals based on predicted BVs was the same in both models. The results of the current study confirmed the importance of taking dominance variance into account in the genetic evaluation of dairy cows.
Projection-operator methods for classical transport in magnetized plasmas. Part 1. Linear response, the Braginskii equations and fluctuating hydrodynamics
Authors: Krommes John A.
Published: July 2018

An introduction to the use of projection-operator methods for the derivation of classical fluid transport equations for weakly coupled, magnetised, multispecies plasmas is given. In the present work, linear response (small perturbations from an absolute Maxwellian) is addressed. In the Schrödinger representation, projection onto the hydrodynamic subspace leads to the conventional linearized Braginskii fluid equations when one restricts attention to fluxes of first order in the gradients, while the orthogonal projection leads to an alternative derivation of the Braginskii correction equations for the non-hydrodynamic part of the one-particle distribution function. The projection-operator approach provides an appealingly intuitive way of discussing the derivation of transport equations and interpreting the significance of the various parts of the perturbed distribution function; it is also technically more concise. A special case of the Weinhold metric is used to provide a covariant representation of the formalism; this allows a succinct demonstration of the Onsager symmetries for classical transport. The Heisenberg representation is used to derive a generalized Langevin system whose mean recovers the linearized Braginskii equations but that also includes fluctuating forces. Transport coefficients are simply related to the two-time correlation functions of those forces, and physical pictures of the various transport processes are naturally couched in terms of them. A number of appendices review the traditional Chapman–Enskog procedure; record some properties of the linearized Landau collision operator; discuss the covariant representation of the hydrodynamic projection; provide an example of the calculation of some transport effects; describe the decomposition of the stress tensor for magnetised plasma; introduce the linear eigenmodes of the Braginskii equations; and, with the aid of several examples, mention some caveats for the use of projection operators.
Electron mirror instability: particle-in-cell simulations
Authors: Hellinger Petr , Štverák Štěpán
Published: July 2018

Properties of the electron mirror instability and its competition with the usually dominant whistler (electron cyclotron) instability driven by the electron perpendicular temperature anisotropy are investigated at the linear level using a Vlasov linear solver and at the nonlinear level using a two-dimensional full particle code. The simulation results show that the linearly subdominant electron mirror instability may compete at the nonlinear level with the whistler instability and may even eventually become the dominant mode that generates robust non-propagating sub-ion-scale coherent structures in the form of magnetic peaks.
Soil characteristics influencing the spatial distribution of melioidosis in Far North Queensland, Australia
Authors: Goodrick I. , Todd G. , Stewart J.
Published: July 2018

The environmental bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, is responsible for the potentially fatal disease melioidosis. Factors responsible for the temporospatial distribution of cases are incompletely understood, although a combination of rainfall, groundwater levels and the physicochemical properties of soil are important. The distribution of culture-positive cases of melioidosis from 1996 to 2016 in Far North Queensland, Australia, was investigated to determine the association with different soil types and landforms in Cairns, the region's largest city. Cases were clustered on alluvial fan landforms of strongly bleached gradational textured and yellow massive gradational textured soils indicating these soils are more suitable for B. pseudomallei and risk of melioidosis infection is higher in these areas, cases were less frequent on other soil types on alluvial fan landforms (despite comparable population density) and beach ridges. This indicates that the combination of these soils might be more suitable for B. pseudomallei, increasing the risk of disease in these locations. Sociodemographic characterisics of the population in cluster locations were considered. Knowledge of local soil characteristics may help predict cases of melioidosis and inform public health strategies to prevent the disease. Because melioidosis case clusters were identified, testing for the presence of B. pseudomallei across the study area is a useful target of future research.
Utility of serial 12-lead electrocardiograms in children with Marfan syndrome
Authors: Arunamata Alisa A. , Nguyen Charles T. , Ceresnak Scott R. , Dubin Anne M. , Olson Inger L. , Murphy Daniel J. , Selamet Tierney Elif S.
Published: July 2018

Objectives

The goal of this study was to assess the utility of serial electrocardiograms in routine follow-up of paediatric Marfan patients.

Methods

Children ⩽18 years who met the revised Ghent criteria for Marfan syndrome and received a 12-lead electrocardiogram and echocardiogram within a 3-month period were included. Controls were matched by age, body surface area, gender, race, and ethnicity, and consisted of patients assessed in clinic with a normal cardiac evaluation. Demographic, clinical, echocardiographic, and electrocardiographic data were collected.

Results

A total of 45 Marfan patients (10.8 [2.4–17.1] years) and 37 controls (12.8 [1.3–17.1] years) were included. Left atrial enlargement and left ventricular hypertrophy were more frequently present on 12-lead electrocardiogram of Marfan patients compared with controls (12 (27%) versus 0 (0%), p<0.001; and 8 (18%) versus 0 (0%), p=0.008, respectively); however, only two patients with left atrial enlargement on 12-lead electrocardiogram were confirmed to have left atrial enlargement by echocardiogram, and one patient had mild left ventricular hypertrophy by echocardiogram, not appreciated on 12-lead electrocardiogram. QTc interval was longer in Marfan patients compared with controls (427±16 versus 417±22 ms, p=0.03), with four Marfan patients demonstrating borderline prolonged QTc intervals for gender.

Conclusions

While Marfan patients exhibited a higher frequency of left atrial enlargement and left ventricular hypertrophy on 12-lead electrocardiograms compared with controls, these findings were not supported by echocardiography. Serial 12-lead electrocardiograms in routine follow-up of asymptomatic paediatric Marfan patients may be more appropriate for a subgroup of Marfan patients only, specifically those with prolonged QTc interval at their baseline visit.
Exploring the penetration of loanwords in the core vocabulary of Middle English:carryas a test case
Authors: DURKIN PHILIP
Published: July 2018

This article takes as its starting point the extent of borrowing in Middle English among the hundred meanings included in the Leipzig–Jakarta List of Basic Vocabulary, a recently developed tool for exploring the impact of borrowing on basic vocabulary on a cross-linguistic basis. This is adopted for the possibility it provides for taking an empirically based approach to identifying at least a proportion of those loanwords that have most impact on the core lexicon. The article then looks in detail at a particularly striking example identified using this list: the verbcarry, borrowed into English in the late fourteenth century from Anglo-Norman, and found with some frequency in its modern core meaning from the very beginning of its history in English. The competition this word shows with native synonyms, especiallybear, is surveyed, and the systemic pressures that may have facilitated its widespread adoption are explored, as well as the points of similarity it shows with some other borrowings into the core vocabulary of Middle English; in particular, the hypothesis is advanced that a tendency towards isomorphism in vocabulary realizing basic meanings may be a significant factor here. The article also contends that the example ofcarrysheds new light on the receptivity of even basic areas of the lexicon to Anglo-Norman lexis in the late Middle English period. The trajectory shown by this word is particularly illuminating, with borrowing in a restricted meaning with reference to the commercial bulk transportation of goods, merchandise, etc. being followed by very rapid development of a much broader meaning, which even within the fourteenth century appears in at least some varieties (notably the works of Chaucer) to be a significant competitor for nativebearas default realization of the basic meaning ‘to transfer/carry (something, especially in one's hands)’.
Syntactic effects of contact in translations: evidence from object pronoun placement in Middle English
Authors: HAEBERLI ERIC
Published: July 2018

Whereas object pronouns regularly occurred before the main verb in Old and early Middle English, such word orders were to a large extent lost in Middle English prose by the end of the thirteenth century. Nevertheless, some isolated later texts still show regular preverbal occurrences of object pronouns. Such word orders are most frequent with three texts that are translations of French sources. This article closely examines one of these texts, the Middle English prose Brut, and its source, and argues that contact influence is the most plausible explanation for its distinct behaviour with respect to object pronoun placement. It is also shown that the translator does not slavishly follow his source and that the contact effects are mainly of the statistical type in that word orders occurring very marginally in other texts appear with high frequencies in the Brut while such a contrast is not found for a word order that is unattested elsewhere. These observations are compatible with the equally exceptional but slightly different distribution of object pronouns in another translation from French, the Ayenbite of Inwyt. The findings of this article show that translation-induced contact and, possibly, contact in bilingual language use more generally can have important quantitative effects and that these have to be seriously considered in any syntactic analysis of historical texts based on a foreign source text.
ARE HIGHER WAGES GOOD FOR BUSINESS? AN ASSESSMENT UNDER ALTERNATIVE INNOVATION AND INVESTMENT SCENARIOS
Authors: Caiani Alessandro , Russo Alberto , Gallegati Mauro
Published: July 2018

This paper aims at investigating the interplay between inequality, innovation dynamics, and investment behaviors in shaping the long-run patterns of growth of a closed economy. By extending the analysis proposed in Caiani et al. [(2018) Journal of Evolutionary Economics], we explore the effects of alternative wage regimes under different investment and technological change scenarios. Experimental results seem to de-emphasize the role of technological progress as a possible source of greater inequality. Overall, simulation results are consistent with the predominance of a wage-led growth regime in most of the scenarios analyzed: A faster growth of low- and middle-level workers’ wages, relative to managers’, generally exert beneficial effects on the economy and allows to counteract the labor-saving effects of technological progress. Furthermore, a distribution more favorable to workers does not compromise firms’ profitability, but rather strengthen it by creating a more favorable macroeconomic environment, which encourages further innovations, stimulates investment, and sustains economic growth.
A label survey to identify ingredients potentially containing GM organisms to estimate intake exposure in Brazil
Authors: Cortese Rayza Dal Molin , Martinelli Suellen Secchi , Fabri Rafaela Karen , Proença Rossana Pacheco da Costa , Cavalli Suzi Barletto
Published: July 2018

Objective

To identify ingredients from products and by-products derived from GM crops in packaged food products and to analyse the presence of these ingredients in the foods most commonly consumed by the Brazilian population.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

A search of the scientific literature to identify the use of products and by-products derived from GM crops in foods in Brazil and a study of food labels in a supermarket belonging to one of the ten largest supermarket chains in Brazil.

Subjects

To identify the ingredients present in packaged food products and their nomenclatures, the labels of all packaged food products available for sale in a supermarket were analysed. Subsequently, the presence of potential GM ingredients in the foods most commonly consumed by the Brazilian population was analysed.

Results

A total of twenty-eight GM crops’ by-products with applications in the food industry (from soyabeans, corn, cotton and a yeast) were identified. Such by-products are presented as food ingredients or additives on food labels with 101 distinct nomenclatures. Most of the variety (63·8 %) and the quantity (64·5 %) of the foods most commonly consumed by Brazilians may contain a least one GM ingredient.

Conclusions

The presence of at least one potential GM ingredient was observed in more than half of the variety of foods most commonly consumed by the Brazilian population. Such ingredients were identified with distinct nomenclatures and incomplete descriptions, which may make it difficult to identify potential GM foods and confuse consumers when making food choices.
A new class of nondiffracting pulses based on focusing leaky waves
Authors: Fuscaldo Walter , Comite Davide , Boesso Alessandro , Baccarelli Paolo , Burghignoli Paolo , Galli Alessandro
Published: July 2018

In this work, we propose an azimuthally-invariant periodic leaky-wave (LW) radiator for the generation of Bessel beams and X-waves by means of backward cylindrical LWs at millimeter wavelengths. A rigorous framework is first outlined to understand the theoretical constraints of such a novel design. A specific attention is devoted to the impact of the attenuation constant on the focusing properties of the generated Bessel beams. On this basis, a practical design is then proposed to meet the previous requirements. Numerical results for different frequency spectra confirm the interesting capabilities of the considered structure, paving the way for the first generation of nondiffracting pulses produced by focusing LWs.
CPW-fed concurrent, dual band planar antenna for millimeter wave applications
Authors: Agarwal Smriti , Singh Dharmendra
Published: July 2018

In recent years, millimeter wave (MMW) has received tremendous interest among researchers, which offers systems with high data rate communication, portability, and finer resolution. The design of the antenna at MMWs is challenging as it suffers from fabrication and measurement complexities due to associated smaller dimensions. Current state-of-the-art MMW dual-band antenna techniques demand high precision fabrication, which increases the overall cost of the system. Henceforth, the design of an MMW antenna with fabrication and measurement simplicity is quite challenging. In this paper, a simple coplanar waveguide (CPW) fed single-band MMW antenna operating at 94 GHz (W band) and a dual-band MMW antenna operating concurrently at 60 GHz (V band) and 86 GHz (E band) have been designed, fabricated, and measured. A 50 Ω CPW-to-microstrip transition has also been designed to facilitate probe measurement compatibility and to provide proper feeding to the antenna. The fabricated single frequency 94 GHz antenna shows a fractional bandwidth of 11.2% andE-plane (H-plane) gain 6.17 dBi (6.2 dBi). Furthermore, the designed MMW dual-band antenna shows fractional bandwidth: 2/6.4%, andE-plane (H-plane) gain: 7.29 dBi (7.36 dBi)/8.73 dBi (8.68 dBi) at 60/86 GHz, respectively. The proposed antenna provides a simple and cost-effective solution for different MMW applications.
Protection of migrants from enforced disappearance: A human rights perspective
Authors: Duhaime Bernard , Thibault Andréanne
Published: July 2018

This article looks at the issue of enforced disappearances of migrants during their migratory journey or once they have reached their destination, a subject yet to be addressed in the literature. It examines how the legal and analytical framework provided by international human rights law and migration law applies to enforced disappearances of migrants. It then reviews the factors that contribute to this phenomenon in different contexts, including the disappearance of migrants for political reasons, those that take place in detention and deportation processes and those that take place within the context of migrant smuggling and trafficking.
Partial Castastrophism and Pick & Choose Empiricism: The Science of “Creationist” Geology
Authors: Frazier William J.
Published: July 2018

“Scientific creationists” have created their own version of geology in order to defend their axiomatic insistance on a young Earth. To “prove” the Earth's youth, they cite (among other things) measured decay-rates of Earth's magnetic field and concentrations of elements in seawater. They also state that all plutons are quick frozen, that plutonic igneous rocks bear no relation to modern volcanism, and that all sedimentary rocks must be interpreted in terms of a “global hydrologic singularity,” i.e. Noah's Flood.

Having explicitly denied uniformitarianism and embraced catastrophism, “Creationists” renege by using uniformitarian reasoning over and again. They practice “pick & choose” empiricism by citing only those data which seem to support their case. “Creationists” even choose when and if to apply scientific principles, e.g. their use of thermodynamics to “disprove” organic evolution while ignoring thermodynamics' implications for magma cooling and metamorphism.

The methods of “Creationism” are clearly intended not to increase knowledge of the Earth but to delude the scientifically unsophisticated. Thus, “Creationism” can hardly be considered a science. Further, its repeated use of fallacious thinking brands “Creationism” as hopelessly illogical and its disingenuous statements and tactics disqualify it from even the ranks of nonempirical epistemological systems.
Geological Age Determinations by Non-Radiometric Methods
Authors: Cowart James B.
Published: July 2018

Because no one was around to chronicle most of the geological events which occurred during the earth's history, it is necessary to rely upon somewhat less direct (but no less useful) methods to place these events in the proper time frame. The basic assumptions used are 1) we live in an ordered universe, and 2) physical laws have not changed through time. The assigning of an age (in years) to a particular event requires that some process having a predictable rate be utilized. Various radioactive nuclides are commonly used but a number of other methods provide supplementary or complementary chronologic information. These other methods include tree-ring counting, varve counting, thermoluminescence, amino acid racemization, obsidian hydration, and magnetic reversals. Because of the cross testing of methods and the interlocking nature of the age data, the geologic time scale rests upon a very firm foundation.
Heterochrony and the Problem of Missing Links in Evolutionary Sequences
Authors: Broadhead Thomas W. , Waters Johnny A.
Published: July 2018

Critics of the concept of organic change through time have demanded proof not only of “transitional forms” but of specific transitions among higher taxonomic groups. Transitional forms among species and between a species of one genus and a species of another genus have been criticized because most demonstrated ancestor-descendant transitions are considered to occur within one “kind” of organism; the “kind” concept is bereft of biological meaning.

Natural selection acts upon organisms at all stages of ontogeny, and especially at larval-juvenile stages. Large shifts in the morphology of one or more features are common in groups of organisms that evolve by heterochrony. Because heterochrony involves a change in timing of the appearance or development of a particular feature, recognition of heterochrony requires a confident knowledge of ontogeny. The resulting increase in complexity (e.g. recapitulation) or decrease in complexity (e.g. paedomorphosis), well documented among living organisms, commonly excludes morphologic intermediates. Paedomorphosis is especially important in the evolution of progressively simplifying lineages and has been well documented from living plants and animals and fossil representatives of echinoderms (blastoids, crinoids), conodonts, arthropods, mollusks and vertebrates. Heterochrony characterizes the evolution of most metazoan organisms, occurs at all taxonomic levels and was probably responsible for major innovations by which higher taxonomic groups are recognized.
A Case Against Pelagochthony: The Untenability of Carboniferous Arborescent Lycopod-dominated Floating Peat Mats
Authors: Gastaldo Robert A.
Published: July 2018

In order to rectify perceived problems in the nineteenth century autochthonous and allochthonous theories of coal formation, an alternative theory was proposed that hypothesized that sylvo-marine, lycopod-dominated, floating peat mats were responsible for the development of Carboniferous coals. This pelagochthony theory was not widely accepted at the time but recently has been resurrected in order to explain the formation of Carboniferous coals well within the “Biblical time scale.” Numerous, unsubstantiated “facts” have been proposed to support the floating mat hypothesis including: the supposed hollow construction of arborescent lycopods; the extensive intertwining of stigmarian axial systems; a supposed continuous transgression of the shallow epeiric sea; a supposed stratified water column below the floating mat; and others. An examination of lycopod anatomy and morphology negates the contention of hollow arborescent lycopods and allows establishment of criteria to aid in the identification ofin situplants. An evaluation of the floating mat hypothesis in perspective demonstrates the untenable character of this proposed coal-forming mechanism. Reattachment of the floating mat is highly probable in the shallow epeiric sea, either by stigmarian axial systems proper, or helically arranged ‘rootlets.’ Isostatic adjustments of the mat would continue downwards as more biomass is generated by maturation of the trees. However, if this is ignored, meteoric waters introduced onto the surface of the mat would promote rapid decay in the tropical environment, and may preclude peat accumulation.
Human and Not-so-Human Footprint Images on the Rocks
Authors: Tanner William F.
Published: July 2018

Human footprints, and similar images, have been described from rocks on various continents: North and South America, Europe, Asia and Africa; on rocks of any age, including Precambrian metamorphics.

Many of these images are carved. The Precambrian “footprints” of North Georgia were carved on the modern rock surface, but are not within the rock. Weathering rates are so high that they can be only some hundreds of years old. The instep and all of the toes were sharply defined, as is characteristic of carvings. The number of toes was not constant from print to print. The Cretaceous “footprints” of Missouri were also sharply-defined carvings, although they appeared on the bedding plane. There are no “jumping” indentations at either heel or toe, even though the two prints (side by side) were completely isolated on a wide smooth surface. The Precambrian “footprints” of Sweden likewise are carvings, on the modern weathering surface, with sharply-detailed outlines.

Many more of these images are not footprints of any animal at all. They vary in size, shape, and depth of indentation. Just as carved images typically show too much sharp detail, these images do not show any detail, rarely resemble the correct shape, and commonly are not consistent in size. The Cretaceous “footprints” of central Texas are a hodge-podge of random markings of various kinds, the large majority of which were formed by differential erosion of a non-homogenous limestone. Whereas dinosaur footprints in the same rocks show systematic patterns and sequences, the so-called “human footprints” are erratic natural markings and excavations.

A tiny minority of these images was made by the feet of human or primitive humanoid creatures. These genuine footprints show recognizable patterns and sequences, but not much detail; occur on bedding planes; and date only from Pleistocene or late Pliocene rocks.
Ultramarathon mit Diabetes mellitus Typ 1
Authors: Knechtle Beat , Nikolaidis Pantelis T.
Published: July 2018

Zusammenfassung. Wir berichten über einen 63-jährigen Läufer mit insulin-pflichtigem Diabetes mellitus Typ 1 seit dem 21. Lebensjahr. Im Alter von 32 Jahren lief er seinen ersten Marathon, mit 34 Jahren seinen ersten Ultramarathon. Bisher hat er über 90 Marathons und Ultramarathons bestritten. Dank einer Insulinpumpe und kontinuierlichem Glukose-Monitoring hat er bisher 48 24-h-Läufe mit einer durchschnittlichen Leistung von 133 km bestritten. Die Analyse des Trainings sowie der HbA1c-Werte zeigt eine signifikante Zunahme des monatlichen Laufvolumens, eine signifikante Abnahme des HbA1c-Werts über die Jahre sowie einen signifikanten Zusammenhang zwischen den monatlichen Laufkilometern und dem HbA1c-Wert.
Ein Ausdauersportler mit Schmerz in der Wade – vermutlich muskuloskeletal?
Authors: Gasser Benedikt
Published: July 2018

Zusammenfassung. Die tiefe Venenthrombose ist häufig und zählt mit einem Anteil von rund einem Drittel zu den häufigsten Erkrankungen des kardiovaskulären Bereiches. Allerdings liegen oft Risikofaktoren vor, und die Diagnose ist bei einem Ausdauersportler mit Wadenschmerzen entsprechend unwahrscheinlich. Es zeigte sich jedoch eine Wadenumfangsdifferenz von rund 1 cm, und die spätere Labordiagnostik zeigte ein erhöhtes D-Dimer. Die sofort eingeleitete Heparinisierung verbesserte die klinische Symptomatik innerhalb von fünf Tagen komplett. Beim zusätzlich im Verlauf durchgeführten Ultraschall konnte kein thromboembolisches Geschehen mehr nachgewiesen werden.
The Campotosto Seismic Gap in Between the 2009 and 2016–2017 Seismic Sequences of Central Italy and the Role of Inherited Lithospheric Faults in Regional Seismotectonic Settings
Authors: Falcucci E. , Gori S. , Bignami C. , Pietrantonio G. , Melini D. , Moro M. , Saroli M. , Galadini F.
Published: July 2018

The 2016–2017 seismic sequence, in central Italy, was caused by the Mt. Vettore‐Mt. Bove active fault system, which generated three mainshocks, the largest one of Mw6.6, on 30 October 2016. On 18 January 2017, four Mw5–5.5 seismic events nucleated on the Campotosto active fault. The fault is considered as potentially responsible forM~6.6 seismic events and a seismic gap. The structure also nucleated a Mw5.4 aftershock during the 2009 L'Aquila seismic sequence. We here combined new geological/geomorphological field data, 1945 aerial photographs interpretation, geodetic (Differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar and Global Positioning System) data, and local historical seismicity analysis to determine how much of the Campotosto seismogenic source ruptured during the 2009 and 2016–2017 seismic sequences. The obtained residual seismic moment of the Campotosto seismic gap is in the range Mw6.4–6.6 earthquake. Moreover, the review of the regional tectonic setting and evolution allowed us a brand new and comprehensive reading of the seismotectonics for the region, in terms of both seismic potential and segmentation of the seismogenic sources, which results strictly connected to the long‐term activity of inherited lithospheric discontinuities, among which the major Ancona‐Anzio fault. We here first highlight that such regional structures strongly influenced the structural setting and evolution of the surrounding regions, in a progressive and continuous process of tectonic inversions, which implies that structural heritage must be understood and considered when dealing with seismotectonics of a given tectonically active region.
A Rock Guide to Fireworks
Authors: Duncombe Jenessa
Published: July 2018

Before a firework was red, it was a strontium salt waiting for its moment.
Rotations of Normal Fault Blocks Quantify Extension in the Central Tauride Intramontane Basins, SW Turkey
Authors: Koç Ayten , van Hinsbergen Douwe J. J. , Langereis Cor G.
Published: July 2018

Quantifying the amount of stretching in extensional basin systems is often challenging in the absence of seismic profiles or boreholes. However, when fault spacing and orientation as well as vertical axis rotation patterns are known, map‐view restoration may provide a good estimate of total extension. This integrated structural and paleomagnetic approach provides a relatively straightforward tool in extensional basin restoration and fault zone kinematic analysis. Here we provide results of an extensive paleomagnetic survey of the Neogene Central Tauride intramontane basins (SW Turkey), where previous work revealed a complex array of basin‐bounding normal faults and relay ramps. In total, 437 oriented cores were sampled at 43 sites distributed within Miocene‐Pliocene continental sedimentary rocks from the Ilgın, Altınapa, Yalvaç, and Beyşehir basins. Despite the more or less coherent overall strike of the mountain belt and basins, rotations vary from ~42° clockwise (Yalvaç) to ~10° (Beyşehir), ~21° (Ilgın), and ~30° (Altınapa) counterclockwise. We show that the rotation pattern is related to normal faults and lateral variations in fault displacement superimposed on regional rotation patterns. We restore these to estimate a minimum NE‐SW horizontal extension of ~30–35 km across the basin system. As a consequence of our reconstruction, it appears that the Sultandağları range that exposes low‐grade metamorphic Paleozoic and Mesozoic rocks of the Geyikdağı and Bolkardağ nappes of the Taurides represents a Miocene extensional core complex.
Assessment of genetic factor and depression interactions for asthma symptom severity in cohorts of childhood and elderly asthmatics
Authors: Park Heung-Woo , Song Woo-Jung , Cho Sang-Heon , McGeachie Michael J. , Martinez Fernando , Mauger Dave , Bender Bruce G. , Tantisira Kelan G.
Published: July 2018

It is well known that depression is associated with asthma symptoms. We assessed the combined effects of genetic factors and depression on asthma symptom severity using Bayesian network (BN) analysis. The common 100 top-ranked single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were obtained from two genome-wide association studies of symptom severity in two childhood asthmatics trials (CAMP (Childhood Asthma Management Program) and CARE (Childhood Asthma Research and Education)). Using SNPs plus five discretized variables (depression, anxiety, age, sex, and race), we performed BN analysis in 529 CAMP subjects. We identified two nodes (depression and rs4672619 mapping to ERBB4 (Erb-B2 receptor tyrosine kinase 4)) that were within the Markov neighborhood of the symptom node in the network and then evaluated the interactive effects of depressive status and rs4672619 genotypes on asthma symptom severity. In childhood asthmatics with homozygous reference alleles, severe depression was related to less severe symptoms. However, in childhood asthmatics with heterozygous alleles and homozygous variant alleles, depression and symptom severity showed a positive correlation (interaction permutation P value = 0.019). We then tried to evaluate whether the interactive effects that we found were sustained in another independent cohort of elderly asthmatics. Contrary to the findings from childhood asthmatics, elderly asthmatics with homozygous reference alleles showed a positive correlation between depression and symptom severity, and elderly asthmatics with heterozygous alleles and homozygous variant alleles showed a negative correlation (interaction permutation P value = 0.003). In conclusion, we have identified a novel SNP, rs4672619, that shows interactive effects with depression on asthma symptom severity in childhood and elderly asthmatics in opposite directions.