bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Post-seismic crustal internal deformation in a layered earth model
Authors: Liu Tai , Fu Guangyu , She Yawen , Tang He
Published: April 2021

This study introduces a novel method for computing post-seismic crustal internal deformation in a layered earth model. The surface dislocation Love number (DLN) calculated by the reciprocity theorem was implemented as the initial value. Furthermore, numerical integration of the value from the Earth's surface to the interior was undertaken to obtain the internal DLN. This method does not require a combination of the general solution and particular solution for the calculation of internal deformation above the seismic source, thus avoiding the loss of precision. When the post-seismic deformation within a certain period is calculated, the particular solutions at the beginning and end of the considered period cancel each other. This simplifies the calculation of post-seismic internal deformation. The numerical results depict that as the degrees increase, the post-seismic DLN reaches stability in a shorter interval of time. Thus, for improved efficiency of the post-seismic internal deformation calculation, the post-seismic DLNs should be calculated within 2000 degree and integrated with the coseismic results. As an application, the post-seismic Coulomb failure stress changes (∆CFS) induced by the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake in the near field around the Japanese archipelagos and two major faults in Northeast China were simulated. The results exhibit that the ∆CFS values in the near field agree well with those simulated by the method in a half-space layered earth model, thus verifying the present method. The coseismic ∆CFS on the Mishan-Dunhua fault in Northeast China, as an example, is only 0.094–0.668 KPa. However, the ∆CFS caused by the viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle within 5 yr following the 2011 Tohoku-Oki event on the same fault exceeds the coseismic results. Therefore, the cumulative effect of the viscoelastic relaxation of the mantle is deserving of attention.
Seasonal hydrological loading in the Great Lakes region detected by GNSS: a comparison with hydrological models
Authors: Xue Liang , Fu Yuning , Martens Hilary R
Published: April 2021

Crustal deformation caused by hydrological processes has long been detected using space geodetic techniques, yet questions remain about the relative contributions of surface water and groundwater to the geodetic signals in different regions. Here, we investigate forward models of elastic loading deformation caused by a variety of water-storage changes within the Great Lakes region, including fluctuations in lake-water volume, soil moisture and snow load. We use lake-level data from the Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory, soil-moisture content from the North American Land Data Assimilation System (NLDAS), snow load from the Snow Data Assimilation System (SNODAS) and background hydrological load at the global scale from Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment (GRACE). We compare the modelled surface deformation with estimates of hydrological loading deformation inferred from Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) measurements. We find that seasonal deformation measured by GNSS is dominated by regional-scale hydrological loading based on strong correlations with the modelled loading displacements. The mean correlation coefficient for the study network is 0.56. The correlation coefficients vary spatially within the study region and exceed 0.9 at some stations near to the Great Lakes. We assess the relative contribution of each individual hydrological component to the total integrated hydrological load. We find that soil moisture consistently explains the largest percentage (27–69 per cent) of the total vertical loading deformation for 87 per cent of GNSS stations in the Great Lakes region. Snow loading and soil moisture contribute relatively equally in the northern reaches of the study area (e.g. Canadian shield, northern Superior basin). Lake loading accounts for about 10–25 per cent of the total loading signal in the immediate vicinity of the lakes. We also investigate the sensitivities of the surface loading displacements to three different Earth models, including two with lateral variations in structure. The structural variations considered here have limited impact (<0.2 mm) on the predicted hydrological loading displacements and could be neglected at the current level of observational precision.
Countering Biased Judgments of Individuals Who Display Autism-Characteristic Behavior in Forensic Settings
Authors: Logos Katie , Brewer Neil , Young Robyn L
Published: April 2021

According to expectancy violations theory, displays of behavior considered “unusual” during an interaction will trigger scrutiny of an individual. Such scrutiny may be detrimental in forensic contexts, where deception detection is emphasized. Autistic individuals, in particular, may be scrutinized unfavorably given unusual nonverbal behavior associated with the condition. Across two experiments using between-subjects’ designs, participants (overall N = 3,342) watched a scripted police-suspect interrogation, randomized to view the suspect display autism-related behaviors or none of those behaviors. Autistic behavior biased evaluations of deception and guilt as a function of violating individual behavioral expectations, regardless of whether decisive or ambiguous evidence framed the suspect as guilty or innocent. Promisingly, however, providing an autism information card attenuated such evaluations. Our research extends expectancy violations theory, advances understanding of determinants of forensic judgments, highlights important applied implications for nonverbal behavior displays in the justice system and recommends methods to protect against bias.
Evolution of media frames about e-cigarettes from 2004 to 2019: a content analysis of newspapers in China
Authors: Lyu Joanne Chen , Wang Di , Mao Zhifei , Ling Pamela M
Published: April 2021

This study conducted a content analysis of 639 news articles about e-cigarettes in China from 2004–2019 to examine longitudinal changes in media frames and media tones about e-cigarettes in Chinese newspapers. Results indicated that policy frame was the most frequently used frame, followed by human impact frame, information frame, and uncertainty frame. Dividing the time period of 2004–2019 into four phases (i.e., 2004–2006, 2007–2010, 2011–2017 and 2018–2019), the study found that the frequency of the information frame significantly decreased over time, while the policy frame and uncertainty frame significantly increased, with the policy frame being the dominant frame in recent years. In contrast, the use of the economic frame and morality frame fluctuated, both reaching peaks in the phase of 2007–2010 and decreasing in the most recent phase. Overall, the tone of the large majority of news articles was unfavorable, and the turning point occurred in the phase of 2007–2010 when the percentage of news articles with negative tone exceeded those with positive tone for the first time. Framing of e-cigarette news articles in China demonstrated the pivotal role of policy makers in defining the e-cigarette issue, and the influence of the international public health community, as an important and reliable information source, on defining the health risk of e-cigarettes, which has implication for not only e-cigarette control, but tobacco control in China in general.
Female–Female Reproductive Suppression: Impacts on Signals and Behavior
Authors: Freeman Angela R
Published: April 2021

Synopsis

Female–female reproductive suppression is evident in an array of mammals, including rodents, primates, and carnivores. By suppressing others, breeding females can benefit by reducing competition from other females and their offspring. There are neuroendocrinological changes during suppression which result in altered behavior, reproductive cycling, and communication. This review, which focuses on species in Rodentia, explores the current theoretical frameworks of female–female reproductive suppression, how female presence and rank impacts reproductive suppression, and some of the proposed mechanisms of suppression. Finally, the understudied role of olfactory communication in female–female reproductive suppression is discussed to identify current gaps in our understanding of this topic.
Forecasting the response of a recovered pinniped population to sustainable harvest strategies that reduce their impact as predators
Authors: Rossi Steven P , Cox Sean P , Hammill Mike O , den Heyer Cornelia E , Swain Douglas P , Mosnier Arnaud , Benoît Hugues P
Published: April 2021

The recovery of marine mammal populations has led to increased predation on commercially valuable prey species, creating conflicts with fisheries and calls for predator control. Grey seals are important predators of Atlantic Cod and Winter Skate in the southern Gulf of St. Lawrence (sGSL), and both species are likely to be extirpated unless grey seal presence in that ecosystem is strongly reduced. We aimed to identify harvest strategies that reduced grey seal presence in the sGSL to levels that favour fish recovery while maintaining grey seal conservation goals. We fit an integrated population model to grey seal abundance, reproductive and mark-recapture data, and projected future presence in the sGSL while varying the magnitude and age-composition of the annual commercial quota. We found that both removal and conservation targets could be met with annual quotas of 6000 seals if 50% of hunted seals were young of the year (YOY), though small amounts of overhunting reduced seal abundance below limit reference levels. Harvest strategies that targeted higher proportions of YOY were less likely to trigger conservation concerns, though these strategies required much larger quotas to achieve removal targets.
No causal associations between childhood family income and subsequent psychiatric disorders, substance misuse and violent crime arrests: a nationwide Finnish study of >650 000 individuals and their siblings
Authors: Sariaslan Amir , Mikkonen Janne , Aaltonen Mikko , Hiilamo Heikki , Martikainen Pekka , Fazel Seena
Published: April 2021

Background

Childhood family income has been shown to be associated with later psychiatric disorders, substance misuse and violent crime, but the consistency, strength and causal nature of these associations remain unclear.

Methods

We conducted a nationwide cohort and co-sibling study of 650 680 individuals (426 886 siblings) born in Finland between 1986 and 1996 to re-examine these associations by accounting for unmeasured confounders shared between siblings. The participants were followed up from their 15th birthday until they either migrated, died, met criteria for the outcome of interest or reached the end of the study period (31 December 2017 or 31 December 2018 for substance misuse). The associations were adjusted for sex, birth year and birth order, and expressed as adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs). The outcomes included a diagnosis of a severe mental illness (schizophrenia-spectrum disorders or bipolar disorder), depression and anxiety. Substance misuse (e.g. medication prescription, hospitalization or death due to a substance use disorder or arrest for drug-related crime) and violent crime arrests were also examined. Stratified Cox regression models accounted for unmeasured confounders shared between differentially exposed siblings.

Results

For each $15 000 increase in family income at age 15 years, the risks of the outcomes were reduced by between 9% in severe mental illness (aHR = 0.91; 95% confidence interval: 0.90–0.92) and 23% in violent crime arrests (aHR = 0.77; 0.76–0.78). These associations were fully attenuated in the sibling-comparison models (aHR range: 0.99–1.00). Sensitivity analyses confirmed the latter findings.

Conclusions

Associations between childhood family income and subsequent risks for psychiatric disorders, substance misuse and violent crime arrest were not consistent with a causal interpretation.
Are operating room distractions, interruptions and disruptions associated with performance and patient safety? A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Mcmullan Ryan D , Urwin Rachel , Gates Peter , Sunderland Neroli , Westbrook Johanna I
Published: April 2021

Objective

The operating room is a complex environment in which distractions, interruptions and disruptions (DIDs) are frequent. Our aim was to synthesize research on the relationships between DIDs and (i) operative duration, (ii) team performance, (iii) individual performance and (iv) patient safety outcomes in order to better understand how interventions can be designed to mitigate the negative effects of DIDs.

Methods

Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and PsycINFO) and reference lists were systematically searched. Included studies were required to report the quantitative outcomes of the association between DIDs and team performance, individual performance and patient safety. Two reviewers independently screened articles for inclusion, assessed study quality and extracted data. A random-effects meta-analysis was performed on a subset of studies reporting total operative time and DIDs.

Results

Twenty-seven studies were identified. The majority were prospective observational studies (n = 15) of moderate quality. DIDs were often defined, measured and interpreted differently in studies. DIDs were significantly associated with extended operative duration (n = 8), impaired team performance (n = 6), self-reported errors by colleagues (n = 1), surgical errors (n = 1), increased risk and incidence of surgical site infection (n = 4) and fewer patient safety checks (n = 1). A random-effects meta-analysis showed that the proportion of total operative time due to DIDs was 22.0% (95% confidence interval 15.7–29.9).

Conclusion

DIDs in surgery are associated with a range of negative outcomes. However, significant knowledge gaps exist about the mechanisms that underlie these relationships, as well as the potential clinical and non-clinical benefits that DIDs may deliver. Available evidence indicates that interventions to reduce the negative effects of DIDs are warranted, but current evidence is not sufficient to make recommendations about potentially useful interventions.
A cost-effectiveness analysis of the Chronic Disease Management Program in patients with hypertension in Korea
Authors: Kim Woorim , Lee Sang Ah , Chun Sung-Youn
Published: April 2021

Background

The Chronic Disease Management Program (CDMP) of Korea has been introduced to improve care continuity in patients with hypertension and diabetes.

Objective

This study evaluated the cost effectiveness of the CDMP in patients with hypertension from the perspective of the healthcare payer.

Methods

A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed based on a Markov simulation model. The cost and effect of the CDMP versus usual care was compared in individuals aged 40 years or above. The two strategies were presumed to result in a difference in the incidence of myocardial infarction, stroke, and chronic kidney disease. The model was analyzed over the lifetime of the cohort. Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) was calculated by dividing the difference in lifetime costs by the difference in lifetime effects (quality adjusted life years, QALYs) between the two strategies. Costs were expressed in Korean Won (KRW).

Results

The ICER value of the CDMP participation strategy was −5 761 088 KRW/QALY compared to usual care. Similar tendencies were found when limiting the population to only clinic users (−3 843 355 KRW/QALY) and national health examination participants (−5 595 185 KRW/QALY).

Conclusion

The CDMP was highly cost-effective in patients with hypertension aged 40 years or above. Implementing efficient policies that enhance care coordination and improve outcomes in patients with hypertension is important.
Economic Statecraft by Other Means: The Use and Abuse of Anti-Bribery Prosecution
Authors: Tomashevskiy Andrey
Published: April 2021

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is frequently used by the US law enforcement authorities to prosecute both US and foreign firms for bribery in foreign host countries. Evidence increasingly shows that anti-bribery enforcement is associated with a reduction in foreign investment inflows to host countries associated with enforcement actions. The determinants of enforcement actions remain understudied, however. I argue that enforcement actions are often political in nature, operating as de-facto sanctions against targeted countries. FCPA prosecutions can thus be viewed as a tool of economic statecraft, designed to reduce foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows to targeted states and enforce US foreign policy objectives. Using data on FCPA enforcement actions along with data on UN voting patterns, alliances, and US foreign aid, I find that FCPA enforcement actions are more likely to target firms that bribe in host countries with foreign policy preferences that diverge from the United States. This paper is among the first to empirically study the determinants of anti-bribery enforcement and to explicitly consider the political nature of FCPA prosecutions. These findings have broad implication for political economy research on foreign investment, economic statecraft, and corruption.
Leader Influence in Role Selection Choices: Fulfilling Role Theory's Potential for Foreign Policy Analysis
Authors: Wehner Leslie E , Thies Cameron G
Published: April 2021

While it has been well-documented when and how leaders matter in foreign policy, there is still no clear roadmap on how to connect and investigate the different possibilities that leadership studies offer for the benefit of role theory development. Thus, this article lays the foundation for a dialogue between role theory and leader-based approaches to foreign policy. We approach this as a “glass half full” as leaders are present in role theory, but not properly integrated in terms of theorization and methods to study their influence on the overall selection of roles. We present a range of possible ways to study the beliefs and personal characteristics of leaders and other motivational approaches that inform and shape their role selection process. A better integration of the individual level can give foreign policy scholars and practitioners a more complete picture of why governments decide to prioritize certain roles over others. Introducing a way forward in establishing a more robust connection between leaders and the roles of the state also provides scholars with a more complete toolkit to analyze and unpack agent–structure relations in foreign policy.
Development, implementation, and use of an “equity lens” integrated into an institutional quality scorecard
Authors: Connolly Mark , Selling Mary Kate , Cook Scott , Williams James S , Chin Marshall H , Umscheid Craig A
Published: April 2021

Few healthcare provider organizations systematically track their healthcare equity, and fewer enable direct interaction with such data by their employees. From May to August 2019, we enhanced the data architecture and reporting functionality of our existing institutional quality scorecard to allow direct comparisons of quality measure performance by gender, age, race, ethnicity, language, zip code, and payor. The Equity Lens was made available to over 4000 staff in September 2019 for 82 institutional quality measures. During the first 11 months, 235 unique individuals used the tool; users were most commonly from the quality and equity departments. Two early use cases evaluated hypertension control and readmissions by race, identifying potential inequities. This is the first description of an interactive equity lens integrated into an institutional quality scorecard made available to healthcare system employees. Early evidence suggests the tool is used and can inform quality improvement initiatives.
DoE and Risk-Based DMAIC Principle for Implementation of Enhanced Analytical Quality by Design Approach to Multipurpose-Chromatography Method for Simultaneous Estimation of Multiple Fixed-Dose Combination Products of Aspirin
Authors: Prajapati Pintu B , Jayswal Kajal V , Shah Shailesh A
Published: April 2021

Background

Numerous RP-HPLC and HPTLC methods have been reported for estimation of fixed-dose combination (FDC) products of aspirin with anti-hypertensive and anti-lipidemic drugs. Each FDC of aspirin needs separate and dedicated chromatographic conditions for analyses. No chromatographic method has been reported for simultaneous estimation of FDC products of aspirin using a single chromatography condition.

Objective

A multipurpose HPTLC method was developed for simultaneous estimation of some FDC products of aspirin using an enhanced analytical quality-by-design approach based on a design of experiment (DoE) and risk-based define, measure, analyse, improve and control (DMAIC) principle to save solvent, cost, and time of analysis.

Method

The risk-based DMAIC process was carried out with identification of potential method risk parameters and their assessment using risk priority number (RPN) ranking and filtering. The DoE-based DMAIC process was carried out by the implementation of fractional factorial and full factorial design.

Results

The mobile phase composition and volume of modifier were found to be critical method risk parameters for resolution of all peaks. The developed method was found to be validated, and assay results of all FDC products of aspirin were found to be in good agreement with their respective labelled claim.

Conclusions

The developed method is found to be solvent, cost, and time saving and also fulfilled the analytical requirements of many reported chromatography methods. Hence, the developed method is a multipurpose chromatography for analysis of FDC products of aspirin.

Highlights

DoE and risk-based DMAIC principle to development of the multipurpose-chromatography method. The developed method was applied for the estimation of eight different FDC products of aspirin.
Three Different Approaches Based on Derivative Ratio Spectra for Spectrophotometric Resolution of a Quaternary Mixture in Semisolid Dosage Form
Authors: Fahmy Nesma M , Hesham Khaled , Tawakkol Shereen M , AbdelAziz Lobna , Abdelrahman Mona H
Published: April 2021

Background

Recent incorporated spectrophotometer software supporting mathematical methods was considered as an optimum key for the resolution of multicomponent mixtures.

Objective

Several spectrophotometric techniques are introduced for the determination of mixtures of tretinoin (TN), hydroquinone (HQ), and fluocinolone acetonide (FA), in the presence of the preservative methyl paraben (MP), without any separation procedure, taking into consideration the presence of two minor components and the severe overlap of their spectra.

Method

Constant multiplication coupled spectrum subtraction resolved the quaternary mixture into the zero-order absorption spectrum of TN alone and a severely overlapped, ternary mixture of HQ, FA, and MP. Three approaches based on the derivative ratio spectra were applied to resolve this ternary, severely overlapped mixture: derivative ratio-zero-crossing point method, factorized derivative ratio method, and double divisor derivative ratio method.

Results

The work was conducted over a concentration range of 1–10, 4–38, and 4–35 µg/mL, for TN, HQ, and FA, respectively. The results obtained were compared statistically to each other and to the official methods, showing no significant difference.

Conclusions

The proposed methods were successfully applied for the simultaneous determination of the three drugs in the presence of MP in synthetic mixtures and in their combined dosage form (Trimelasma® cream) with very good accuracy and precision.

Highlights

This was a comparative study between conventional and new methods for resolving ternary, severely overlapped mixtures. Mathematical manipulation steps and enrichment techniques aided accurate quantification of the minor components in mixtures.
Interspecific competition affects resource use by three cryptic freshwater species ofHyalellaSmith, 1874 (Amphipoda: Hyalellidae)
Authors: Mercer Arissa A , Cothran Rickey D
Published: April 2021

Species that use the same resources present a paradox for understanding their coexistence. This is especially true for cryptic species because they are phenotypically similar. We examined how competition affects food-resource use in three cryptic species of Hyalella Smith, 1874, a freshwater-amphipod genus. We hypothesized that competitively inferior species would use high-quality algae patches when alone and competitively superior species would displace inferior species to low-quality patches. We compared use of foraging patches varying in algal content (i.e., quality) when species were alone or with another species. Our results showed that the competitively inferior species spent more time on the low-quality patch in the presence of the competitively superior species, but the behavior of the competitively superior species was independent of heterospecifics. This study provides insight into the role of interspecific competition in shaping resource use and patterns of coexistence in nature.
Cultural diplomacy in the acquisition of the head of the Satala Aphrodite for the British Museum
Authors: Patrizio Gunning Lucia
Published: April 2021

The current location and curatorial display at the British Museum of a Hellenistic bronze head of the goddess Anahita in the guise of Aphrodite, found at Satala (Asia Minor), reveal little of the importance ascribed to it at the time of its acquisition, or of the complex route by which the head came to form part of the museum’s collection. Detailed examination of archival documentation relating to this acquisition shows how, despite nineteenth-century Ottoman and Italian legislation in relation to antiquities, this head and its accompanying bronze hand were found in the province of Armenia, sold by an Ottoman diplomat to a private collector in Rome and used to secure the sale of a collection of jewellery to the British Museum. The journey of the head illustrates the importance of diplomatic channels, the workings of the nineteenth-century European trade in art and antiquities and how museums, diplomats and collectors were able to assemble collections.
Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration: Assessing the Link between Passive and Active Representation for Foreign-Born Clients
Authors: Capers K Jurée , Smith Candis W
Published: April 2021

Representative bureaucracy scholars contend that clients are likely to experience greater benefits and more positive policy outcomes from public agencies when bureaucrats share salient demographic characteristics. Despite the large body of evidence that shows a link between passive and active representation, much of the extant representative bureaucracy literature rests on an assumption of group homogeneity. However, racial groups have a great deal of heterogeneity among them, particularly due to immigration patterns. One-fifth of Black Americans have ties to some other country, thus allowing us to leverage heterogeneity among this group to examine who most effectively represents foreign-born clients. Differences between Black native-born bureaucrats and Black foreign-born clients in experiences, socialization processes, and interests may hinder the linkage between passive and active representation for Black immigrants. However, a shared connection to immigration among foreign-born Black clients and Latinx and Asian bureaucrats may facilitate a passive to active representation linkage for Black immigrants. Using fixed effects, comparative relational analytic models, we analyze New York City public school data from the 2005–2006 to 2015–2016 school terms to find that racial representative bureaucracy crosses ethnic lines. Both foreign-born and native-born Black students experience performance gains when taught by a Black teacher. Our research holds implications for understanding the complexities of representation for pan-ethnic groups and emphasizes the challenges that heterogeneity poses for the theory of representative bureaucracy.
Nutrient uptake and gas exchange of Great Basin plants provide insight into drought adaptations and coexistence
Authors: Mata-González Ricardo , Hovland Matthew , Abdallah Mohamed A B , Martin David W , Noller Jay S
Published: April 2021

Aims

Although increases in precipitation variability in arid ecosystems are projected due to climate change, the response of desert shrub communities to precipitation change has not been fully elucidated. Such knowledge is important since drought-adapted plants exhibit varied mechanisms of survival that may contribute to species coexistence.

Methods

We tested the responses of eight drought-adapted plants, a mix of graminoids, shrubs and forbs to three summer precipitation scenarios (1.3, 2.6 and 3.9 cm per month) in a common garden experiment in the Great Basin (Owens Valley, California). Changes in mineral nutrient uptake (carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, boron, zinc, iron and sodium) and gas exchange parameters (photosynthetic rate and stomatal conductance) were investigated in the studied species.

Important Findings

Two graminoids (Sporobolus airoides and Leymus triticoides) and one salt tolerant shrub species (Atriplex confertifolia) responded to increased water availability with increases in photosynthetic rate and/or stomatal conductance. There was a significant correlation between water availability and uptake of nutrients for five out of eight species. Artemisia tridentata, with higher rates of photosynthesis, contained greater amounts of potassium, copper and boron, while Juncus arcticus, with higher rates of photosynthesis, contained greater amounts of magnesium and iron, and less sodium. Juncus arcticus and three salt-adapted species (A. confertifolia, Distichlis spicata and S. airoides) exhibited correlations with stomatal conductance and concentrations of nutrients. Results indicate that differential physiological response mechanisms to increased moisture and associated nutrient uptake strategies in drought-adapted species may mediate coexistence under increased summer precipitation.
Sinus Bradycardia in a Pediatric Patient Treated With Remdesivir for Acute Coronavirus Disease 2019: A Case Report and a Review of the Literature
Authors: Chow Eric J , Maust Branden , Kazmier Katherine M , Stokes Caleb
Published: April 2021

Remdesivir is an RNA polymerase inhibitor that is commonly used in the treatment of patients with severe acute coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spreads, the use of remdesivir is likely to increase. Most of the patients treated with remdesivir will not experience any adverse events although some side effects have been reported. Here, we describe a case of sinus bradycardia associated with remdesivir therapy in a pediatric patient with severe acute COVID-19.
The Disappointing, Parenthetical Providence of God in Daniel Defoe’s Journal of the Plague Year
Authors: Seidel Kevin
Published: April 2021

Daniel Defoe’s fictional narrators talk often about God’s providence but not usually to appeal to an overarching social or natural order, to solve problems of theodicy, or to claim special divine attention. In the Bible scene near the beginning of Defoe’s novel Journal of the Plague Year (1722), a passage of scripture opened to by chance convinces the narrator, H.F., to stay in London and protect his business during the plague. This scene primes Defoe’s readers to recognise later in the novel divine providence acting not through so much as with creaturely agents, human and nonhuman.
Confined massive circumstellar shell in type IIL SN 2008fq
Authors: Chugai N N
Published: April 2021

I explore a phenomenon of the circumstellar H α and H β absorption lines in the spectrum of the luminous type IIL SN 2008fq taken on day 6.8 after the discovery. The absorption is identified with the radiatively accelerated pre-shock wind up to ∼800 km s−1. The required initial luminosity is attributed to earlier circumstellar interaction with the confined dense shell of ∼0.08 M⊙. Modelling of a similar luminous type IIL SN 1998S based on the same approach results in a comparable shell mass of ∼0.1 M⊙. The larger mass of more than 1 dex for the confined dense shells of both SNe IIL compared to that of type IIP supernovae is attributed to the larger progenitor mass of type IIL supernovae.
Which planets trigger longer lived vortices: low-mass or high-mass?
Authors: Hammer Michael , Lin Min-Kai , Kratter Kaitlin M , Pinilla Paola
Published: April 2021

Recent ALMA observations have found many protoplanetary discs with rings that can be explained by gap-opening planets less massive than Jupiter. Meanwhile, recent studies have suggested that protoplanetary discs should have low levels of turbulence. Past computational work on low-viscosity discs has hinted that these two developments might not be self-consistent because even low-mass planets can be accompanied by vortices instead of conventional double rings. We investigate this potential discrepancy by conducting hydrodynamic simulations of growing planetary cores in discs with various aspect ratios (H/r = 0.04, 0.06, 0.08) and viscosities (1.5 × 10−5 ≲ α ≲ 3 × 10−4), having these cores accrete their gas mass directly from the disc. With α < 10−4, we find that sub-Saturn-mass planets in discs with H/r ≤ 0.06 are more likely to be accompanied by dust asymmetries compared to Jupiter-mass planets because they can trigger several generations of vortices in succession. We also find that vortices with H/r = 0.08 survive >6000 planet orbits regardless of the planet mass or disc mass because they are less affected by the planet’s spiral waves. We connect our results to observations and find that the outward migration of vortices with H/r ≥ 0.08 may be able to explain the cavity in Oph IRS 48 or the two clumps in MWC 758. Lastly, we show that the lack of observed asymmetries in the disc population in Taurus is unexpected given the long asymmetry lifetimes in our low-viscosity simulations (α ∼ 2 × 10−5), a discrepancy we suggest is due to these discs having higher viscosities.
Binary pathways to SLSNe-I: SN 2017gci
Authors: Stevance H F , Eldridge J J
Published: April 2021

Some hydrogen-poor superluminous supernovae (SLSNe) exhibit bumps in the tails of their light curves associated with hydrogen features in their late time spectra. Here we use the explosion parameters of one such SLSN – SN 2017gci – to search the stellar models of the Binary Population And Spectral Synthesis (BPASS) code for potential progenitors. We find good matches for a 30 M⊙ progenitor star in a binary system and no matches from single-star models. Common envelope and mass transfer after the giant branch, combined with increased mass loss from strong stellar winds immediately before death, allow the progenitor to lose its hydrogen envelope decades before the explosion. This results in a hydrogen poor SLSN and allows for delayed interaction of the ejecta with the lost stellar material.
Kinetic Analysis Suggests Evolution of Ribosome Specificity in Modern Elongation Factor-Tus from “Generalist” Ancestors
Authors: De Tarafder Arindam , Parajuli Narayan Prasad , Majumdar Soneya , Kaçar Betül , Sanyal Suparna
Published: April 2021

It has been hypothesized that early enzymes are more promiscuous than their extant orthologs. Whether or not this hypothesis applies to the translation machinery, the oldest molecular machine of life, is not known. Efficient protein synthesis relies on a cascade of specific interactions between the ribosome and the translation factors. Here, using elongation factor-Tu (EF-Tu) as a model system, we have explored the evolution of ribosome specificity in translation factors. Employing presteady state fast kinetics using quench flow, we have quantitatively characterized the specificity of two sequence-reconstructed 1.3- to 3.3-Gy-old ancestral EF-Tus toward two unrelated bacterial ribosomes, mesophilic Escherichia coli and thermophilic Thermus thermophilus. Although the modern EF-Tus show clear preference for their respective ribosomes, the ancestral EF-Tus show similar specificity for diverse ribosomes. In addition, despite increase in the catalytic activity with temperature, the ribosome specificity of the thermophilic EF-Tus remains virtually unchanged. Our kinetic analysis thus suggests that EF-Tu proteins likely evolved from the catalytically promiscuous, “generalist” ancestors. Furthermore, compatibility of diverse ribosomes with the modern and ancestral EF-Tus suggests that the ribosomal core probably evolved before the diversification of the EF-Tus. This study thus provides important insights regarding the evolution of modern translation machinery.
Estimation of peptide elongation times from ribosome profiling spectra
Authors: Pavlov Michael Y , Ullman Gustaf , Ignatova Zoya , Ehrenberg Måns
Published: April 2021

Ribosome profiling spectra bear rich information on translation control and dynamics. Yet, due to technical biases in library generation, extracting quantitative measures of discrete translation events has remained elusive. Using maximum likelihood statistics and data set from Escherichia coli we develop a robust method for neutralizing technical biases (e.g. base specific RNase preferences in ribosome-protected mRNA fragments (RPF) generation), which allows for correct estimation of translation times at single codon resolution. Furthermore, we validated the method with available datasets from E. coli treated with antibiotic to inhibit isoleucyl-tRNA synthetase, and two datasets from Saccharomyces cerevisiae treated with two RNases with distinct cleavage signatures. We demonstrate that our approach accounts for RNase cleavage preferences and provides bias-corrected translation times estimates. Our approach provides a solution to the long-standing problem of extracting reliable information about peptide elongation times from highly noisy and technically biased ribosome profiling spectra.
Rising wealth inequality: when r − g matters
Authors: Khieu Hoang
Published: April 2021

We investigate the effects of the gap between the rate of return on wealth and the growth rate, r − g, on wealth inequality using a model of inherited wealth and productivity inheritance featuring heterogeneity in labor income and in the death rate. The heterogeneity in the death rate implies different health types, which imply type dependence and scale dependence. Labor income heterogeneity implies a U-shaped effect of r − g on wealth inequality. Long-run wealth inequality increases in r − g if the distribution of the death rate features good-health types and if r − g is sufficiently larger than a positive threshold, which is increasing the dispersion of labor income. The share of good-health types and the r − g’s threshold in the Survey of Consumer Finances are 31.8% and 4.5%, respectively.
Using Audit and Feedback to Improve Antimicrobial Prescribing in Emergency Departments: A Multicenter Quasi-Experimental Study in the Veterans Health Administration
Authors: Livorsi Daniel J , Nair Rajeshwari , Dysangco Andrew , Aylward Andrea , Alexander Bruce , Smith Matthew W , Kouba Sammantha , Perencevich Eli N
Published: April 2021

Background

In this pilot trial, we evaluated whether audit-and-feedback was a feasible strategy to improve antimicrobial prescribing in emergency departments (EDs).

Methods

We evaluated an audit-and-feedback intervention using a quasi-experimental interrupted time-series design at 2 intervention and 2 matched-control EDs; there was a 12-month baseline, 1-month implementation, and 11-month intervention period. At intervention sites, clinicians received (1) a single, one-on-one education about antimicrobial prescribing for common infections and (2) individualized feedback on total and condition-specific (uncomplicated acute respiratory infection [ARI]) antimicrobial use with peer-to-peer comparisons at baseline and every quarter. The primary outcome was the total antimicrobial-prescribing rate for all visits and was assessed using generalized linear models. In an exploratory analysis, we measured antimicrobial use for uncomplicated ARI visits and manually reviewed charts to assess guideline-concordant management for 6 common infections.

Results

In the baseline and intervention periods, intervention sites had 28 016 and 23 164 visits compared to 33 077 and 28 835 at control sites. We enrolled 27 of 31 (87.1%) eligible clinicians; they acknowledged receipt of 33.3% of feedback e-mails. Intervention sites compared with control sites had no absolute reduction in their total antimicrobial rate (incidence rate ratio = 0.99; 95% confidence interval, 0.98–1.01). At intervention sites, antimicrobial use for uncomplicated ARIs decreased (68.6% to 42.4%; P < .01) and guideline-concordant management improved (52.1% to 72.5%; P < .01); these improvements were not seen at control sites.

Conclusions

At intervention sites, total antimicrobial use did not decrease, but an exploratory analysis showed reduced antimicrobial prescribing for viral ARIs. Future studies should identify additional targets for condition-specific feedback while exploring ways to make electronic feedback more acceptable.
Relational Wrongs and Agency in Tort Theory
Authors: Sage Nick
Published: April 2021

Abstract—

Some of those theorists who believe tort law consists of relational wrongs also believe, under the influence of Kant’s legal philosophy, that tort law is concerned for the agency of the two parties to a wrongful interaction. I argue that these theorists should discard their agency framework. It distorts our view of tort doctrine and does not really fit the law’s relational structure. We can reach a better understanding just by pursuing the idea that torts are relational wrongs. I try to diagnose and suggest cures for the intellectual tendencies that lead Kantian theorists away from this approach.
Human Resource Management in the Latin European Context
Authors: Trullen Jordi , Obeso Carlos
Published: April 2021

This chapter provides an overview of the current human resource management (HRM) landscape in Latin Europe. Latin European countries are commonly associated with lower levels of active population, weaker systems of social protection, higher rates of self-employment, and a dualistic labor market. On the basis of data collected in the last round of the Cranet Survey on Comparative Human Resource Management (2014/15), we investigate the extent to which we can also talk of an idiosyncratic Latin European model in terms of HRM. Similar to previous analyses, we can observe significant variance in terms of HRM among Latin European countries. At the same time, however, there seem to be some distinguishable traits. According to companies surveyed, the HRM department has a low degree of influence on strategic decision-making, and investment in training and development of employees is lower than in other European countries. The Latin model also reveals a greater level of labor unrest vis-à-vis continental Europe, which gives unions a prominent role in decision-making (with special emphasis on pay) and results in the primary objective of the HRM department being labor relations. Finally, there is less involvement by line management in the management of employees, partly as a result of their own lack of training.
Institutional Approaches to Examining the Influence of Context on Human Resource Management
Authors: Allen Matthew M. C. , Wood Geoffrey
Published: April 2021

This chapter reviews three related, but distinctive, institutional approaches to human resource management (HRM) policies within organizations. The approaches view institutions, organizations, and their HRM policies as conceptually separate, but ontologically connected. In other words, they view context and HRM as intertwined, meaning that institutions play a key role in constituting what firms are and what HRM is in different contexts. The chapter reviews work on HRM within (1) the “varieties” approaches of the varieties of capitalism and business systems frameworks, (2) historical institutionalism, and (3) the regulationist framework. The chapter highlights the similarities among, as well as the differences between, these frameworks. In contrast to some other research perspectives, these institutional approaches add value to HRM analyses by explaining key variation among the nature of firms and how that variation influences important outcomes, such as HRM policies and practices, employees’ skill development, job tenure patterns, and social inequality. They also provide frameworks to address (1) how and why HRM changes and (2) how national and international institutions influence the types of HRM that firms adopt and their ability to achieve different objectives in contrasting locations. Individually and collectively, they demonstrate the importance of context on the nature of organizations, what HRM is, and the links between HRM and organizational outcomes.
Contemporary Repetitions
Authors: LaVigne Michelle
Published: April 2021

This chapter argues for a new reading of The Nutcracker as a repeating feature in contemporary ballet culture. Although the history of The Nutcracker has been told again and again, an investigation of its reappearances year after year has not. This chapter opens that dialogue by considering the ongoing circulation of The Nutcracker in order to present an argument that its repetitions matter as a rhetorical and contemporary phenomenon. The chapter examines works by Maurice Béjart, Matthew Bourne, Mark Morris, and Christopher Wheeldon to investigate the rhetoric in The Nutcracker’s reworkings. This way of reading The Nutcracker suggests that the rhetorical potential of contemporary culture grows from the remaking and reperformance of familiar forms.
Alexei Ratmansky’s Abstract-Narrative Ballet
Authors: Searcy Anne
Published: April 2021

Alexei Ratmansky’s works challenge the way that Western critics and choreographers split ballet into abstract and narrative categories. This chapter explains how Western ballet arrived at the division between abstract and narrative. This developed out of the ideology of absolute music, the understanding that music could not have any meaning other than a purely formal one. During the Cold War, American choreographers such as George Balanchine took up the belief in absolute music in order to push against Soviet models of ballet. The Cold War also encouraged Western ballet experts to conflate abstraction with progress. Within this context, the chapter analyzes Ratmansky’s Russian Seasons (2006), which can appear as both abstract and narrative to its audiences. Ratmansky’s career thus challenges many long-held assumptions in the West about forward progress in ballet.
Fusion and Renewal in the Works of Jiří Kylián
Authors: Vaghi Katja
Published: April 2021

Trapped between the labels of innovator and traditionalist, the Netherlands-based Czech choreographer Jiří Kylián has often been overlooked by scholars, in favor of contemporaneous choreographers whose works are more clearly postmodern. Still, in the way a water droplet ultimately carves the stone, Kylián’s movement language, a blend of ballet and modern dance, and his atmospheres rich in signification have slowly influenced Dutch and international dance, redefining what we anticipate from a resident ensemble and coming to epitomize the direction contemporary ballet has taken today. This chapter considers how Kylián’s later works embody these tendencies, specifically through their references to the baroque, discussing these neo-baroque references under the light of intertextuality and intermediality. The chapter also implicitly unpacks what it means to reference in dance.