bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monitoring nitrate reduction: hydrogeochemistry and clogging potential in raw water wells
Authors: Ortmeyer F. , Volkova K. , Wisotzky F. , Wohnlich S. , Banning A.
Published: February 2021

The mainly agricultural input of NO3- and compliance with drinking water guideline values pose major challenges for many water suppliers. Additionally, associated changes in hydrochemistry, especially concerning products of NO3- reduction (Fe2+/3+, Mn2+/4+, Ca2+, Mg2+, SO42-, HCO3-) and subsequent reactions, can have a major influence on mineral saturation states and well yield: well productivity can be strongly reduced by mineral precipitation and silting. To evaluate hydrogeochemical evolution and clogging potential for a given well field, thorough hydrochemical and geochemical investigations are required. Therefore, time-dependent and depth-specific ion concentrations in water samples (n = 818) were analysed in a catchment area of a waterworks in western Germany. The sediments of the aquifers were extensively investigated for their geochemistry (CS, scanning electron microscope, aqua regia digestion and dithionite solution; n = 253). In addition, PhreeqC was used to model saturation indices in order to identify possible mineral precipitation in the wells. Results show a high NO3- input into deep wells screened in Tertiary sediments due to an admixture of Quaternary groundwater. Directly at the Quaternary-Tertiary boundary, chemolithotrophic NO3- reduction consuming pyrite occurs. Protons released during the process are pH-buffered by dissolving carbonate minerals. Overall, the hydrochemistry and especially the saturation indices are strongly influenced by NO3- reduction and its degradation products. A change in well yield has not yet been observed, but future clogging by ochre formation or sintering cannot be excluded.
Economic Complexity and Environmental Performance: Evidence from a World Sample
Authors: Boleti Eirini , Garas Antonios , Kyriakou Alexandra , Lapatinas Athanasios
Published: February 2021

In this paper, we analyze the relationship between economic complexity and environmental performance using annual data on 88 developed and developing countries for the period of 2002–2012. We use the Economic Complexity Index, which links a country’s productive structure with the amount of knowledge and know-how embodied in the goods it produces, and the Environmental Performance Index as a measure of environmental performance. We show that moving to higher levels of economic complexity leads to better overall environmental performance, which means that sophistication of exported products does not induce environmental degradation. Nevertheless, we find that the effect of economic complexity on air quality is negative, i.e., exposure to PM2.5, CO$$_2$$

2

, methane and nitrous oxide emissions increases, and these findings are robust across alternative econometric specifications.
Success of collaboration for sustainable agriculture: a case study meta-analysis
Authors: Velten Sarah , Jager Nicolas W. , Newig Jens
Published: February 2021

More and better collaboration between farmers and other stakeholders has repeatedly been identified as a key strategy for sustainable agriculture. However, for collaboration to actually benefit sustainable agriculture certain conditions have to be met. In this paper, we scrutinize the conditions that support or hamper the success of collaborative efforts in the context of sustainable agriculture. For this purpose, we conducted an exploratory case study meta-analysis to consolidate insights from 30 case studies on local and regional collaborative groups for a more sustainable agriculture in the EU. Through multiple regression analysis, we evaluated which factors influence the ‘success’ of such collaboratives. Thereby, we measured success through five explicit and comprehensive success criteria. We found two external, five actor-related, and five organization and management-related factors to decisively influence the different success criteria. Overall, our results highlight that collaboration success requires defining priorities as for each of the success criteria a different set of factors is decisive. Although our results showed trade-offs between the achievement of social and economic goals, it is possible to pursue some success criteria simultaneously. Furthermore, our results give reason to be optimistic about the performance of collaboratives: internal factors, which are in the hand of the collaboratives, are likely to be of greater importance than uncontrollable external conditions. Additionally, conditions encountered at the outset of a collaborative matter less than the way these conditions develop toward later stages. Thus, rather than depending on external and predefined conditions, success largely depends on the agency within the collaboratives.
Asymptotic analysis of self-excited and forced vibrations of a self-regulating pressure control valve
Authors: Schröders Simon , Fidlin Alexander
Published: February 2021

Pressure vibrations in hydraulic systems are a widespread problem and can be caused by external excitation or self-exciting mechanisms. Although vibrations cannot be completely avoided in most cases, at least their frequencies must be known in order to prevent resonant excitation of adjacent components. While external excitation frequencies are known in most cases, the estimation of self-excited vibration amplitudes and frequencies is often difficult. Usually, numerical studies have to be executed in order to elaborate parameter influences, which is computationally expensive. The same holds true for the prediction of forced oscillation amplitudes. This contribution proposes asymptotic approximations of forced and self-excited oscillations in a simple hydraulic circuit consisting of a pump, an ideal consumer and a pressure control valve. Two excitation mechanisms of practical interest, namely pump pulsations (forced vibrations) and valve instability (self-excited vibrations), are analyzed. The system dynamics are described by a singularly perturbed third-order differential equation. By separating slow and fast variables in the system without external excitation, a first-order approximation of the slow manifold is computed. The flow on the slow manifold is approximated by an averaging procedure, whose piecewise defined zero-order solution maps the valve’s switching property. A modification of the procedure allows for the asymptotic approximation of the system’s forced response to an external excitation. The approximate solutions are validated within a realistic parameter range by comparison with numerical solutions of the full system equations.
A strictly economic explanation of gender roles: the lasting legacy of the plough
Authors: Cigno Alessandro
Published: February 2021

We show that the descendants of ancient farmers may have an interest in marrying among themselves, and thus maintaining the gendered division of labour originally justified on comparative-advantage grounds by the advent of the plough, even after they emigrate to a modern industrial economy where individual productivity depends on education rather than physical characteristics. The result rests on the argument that, if efficiency requires the more productive spouse to specialize in raising income, and the less productive one in raising children, irrespective of gender, an efficient domestic equilibrium will be implemented by a costlessly enforceable pre-marital contract stipulating that the husband should do the former and the wife the latter. A contract may not be needed, however, if time spent with children gives direct utility, because an efficient equilibrium may then be characterized by little or no division of labour.
Correction to: The impact of closing schools on working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence using panel data from Japan
Authors: Yamamura Eiji , Tsustsui Yoshiro
Published: February 2021

A correction to this paper has been published: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11150-021-09548-9
Augmented Reality in Orthopedic Surgery Is Emerging from Proof of Concept Towards Clinical Studies: a Literature Review Explaining the Technology and Current State of the Art
Authors: Casari Fabio A. , Navab Nassir , Hruby Laura A. , Kriechling Philipp , Nakamura Ricardo , Tori Romero , de Lourdes dos Santos Nunes Fátima , Queiroz Marcelo C. , Fürnstahl Philipp , Farshad Mazda
Published: February 2021

Purpose of Review

Augmented reality (AR) is becoming increasingly popular in modern-day medicine. Computer-driven tools are progressively integrated into clinical and surgical procedures. The purpose of this review was to provide a comprehensive overview of the current technology and its challenges based on recent literature mainly focusing on clinical, cadaver, and innovative sawbone studies in the field of orthopedic surgery. The most relevant literature was selected according to clinical and innovational relevance and is summarized.

Recent Findings

Augmented reality applications in orthopedic surgery are increasingly reported. In this review, we summarize basic principles of AR including data preparation, visualization, and registration/tracking and present recently published clinical applications in the area of spine, osteotomies, arthroplasty, trauma, and orthopedic oncology. Higher accuracy in surgical execution, reduction of radiation exposure, and decreased surgery time are major findings presented in the literature.

In light of the tremendous progress of technological developments in modern-day medicine and emerging numbers of research groups working on the implementation of AR in routine clinical procedures, we expect the AR technology soon to be implemented as standard devices in orthopedic surgery.
A case of hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency with recurrent abdominal pain diagnosed 40 years after the occurrence of the initial symptom
Authors: Honda Daisuke , Ohsawa Isao , Iwanami Keiichi , Rinno Hisaki , Tomino Yasuhiko , Suzuki Yusuke
Published: February 2021

Hereditary angioedema due to C1-inhibitor deficiency (HAE-C1-INH) is a rare disease, which induces an acute attack of angioedema mediated by bradykinin. HAE-C1-INH can cause serious abdominal pain when severe edema develops in the gastrointestinal tract. However, because it takes a long time, 13.8 years on average in Japan, from the occurrence of the initial symptom to the diagnosis due to low awareness of the disease, undiagnosed HAE-C1-INH patients sometimes undergo unnecessary surgical procedures for severe abdominal pain. We herein present a 56-year-old patient with HAE-C1-INH, who underwent numerous abdominal operations. He frequently needed hospitalization with the administration of opioid due to severe abdominal pain. However, after he was accurately diagnosed with HAE-C1-INH at 55 years of age, he could start self-administration for an acute attack with icatibant, a selective bradykinin B2 receptor antagonist. Consequently, he did not need hospitalizing for ten months after the beginning of the treatment. A series of an accurate diagnosis and appropriate treatment for HAE-C1-INH improved his quality of life. Thus, HAE-C1-INH should be considered, when we meet patients with unidentified recurrent abdominal pain. This case highlights significance of an early diagnosis and appropriate treatment for HAE-C1-INH.
A price on warming with a supply chain directed market
Authors: Raffensperger John F.
Published: February 2021

Existing emissions trading system (ETS) designs inhibit emissions but do not constrain warming to any fixed level, preventing certainty of the global path of warming. Instead, they have the indirect objective of reducing emissions. They provide poor future price information. And they have high transaction costs for implementation, requiring treaties and laws. To address these shortcomings, this paper proposes a novel double-sided auction mechanism of emissions permits and sequestration contracts tied to temperature. This mechanism constrains warming for many (e.g., 150) years into the future and every auction would provide price information for this time range. In addition, this paper proposes a set of market rules and a bottom-up implementation path. A coalition of businesses begin implementation with jurisdictions joining as they are ready. The combination of the selected market rules and the proposed implementation path appear to incentivize participation. This design appears to be closer to “first best” with a lower cost of mitigation than any in the literature, while increasing the certainty of avoiding catastrophic warming. This design should also have a faster pathway to implementation. A numerical simulation shows surprising results, e.g., that static prices are wrong, prices should evolve over time in a way that contradicts other recent proposals, and “global warming potential” as used in existing ETSs is generally erroneous.
Student‐teacher conflict moderates the link between students’ social status in the classroom and involvement in bullying behaviors and exposure to peer victimization
Authors: Marengo Davide , Fabris Matteo Angelo , Prino Laura Elvira , Settanni Michele , Longobardi Claudio
Published: February 2021

Introduction

Student–teacher relationships have been shown to influence bullying‐related behaviors in students. In this study we considered the moderating role of student‐teacher conflict and students’ social status in the classroom and involvement in bullying behaviors and peer victimization.

Methods

Sample consisted of 1742 students (47.2% females, mean age = 10.79; SD = 1.36; range = 8–14) clustered in 113 classrooms, of which 1017 (58.4%) attended primary schools and 725 (41.6%) attended lower secondary schools. We implemented a series of multilevel analyses aimed at determining the role of student‐teacher conflict, and students’ social status among classroom peers (i.e., average, popular, rejected, neglected, and controversial statuses), as well their interaction, in influencing verbal, physical, and social forms of bullying and victimization at school.

Results

Student‐teacher conflict had a significant positive effect on all bullying and victimization variables. Regarding students’ social status, rejected students showed increased bullying and victimization when compared with average students, except in social bullying. Significant interactions emerged indicating that a highly conflictual student‐teacher relationship exacerbated bullying behaviors and the risk of victimization among rejected students. Additionally, popular students who had conflictual relationship with their teachers were more likely to engage in physical bullying then average students.

Conclusions

Our study suggests the importance of low conflictual student‐teacher relationships in acting as a buffer for aggressive student‐student interactions in the classroom, especially when these interactions involve students rejected by their classroom peers.
War's Logic
Authors: Echevarria II Antulio J.
Published: February 2021

Antulio J. Echevarria II reveals how successive generations of American strategic theorists have thought about war. Analyzing the work of Alfred Thayer Mahan, Billy Mitchell, Bernard Brodie, Robert Osgood, Thomas Schelling, Herman Kahn, Henry Eccles, Joseph Wiley, Harry Summers, John Boyd, William Lind, and John Warden, he uncovers the logic that underpinned each theorist's critical concepts, core principles, and basic assumptions about the nature and character of war. In so doing, he identifies four paradigms of war's nature - traditional, modern, political, and materialist - that have shaped American strategic thought. If war's logic is political, as Carl von Clausewitz said, then so too is thinking about war.
Infrastructures
Authors: Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy
Published: February 2021

Influential policy advisors call for a reform of the management of, and investment in infrastructures at both the regional and the national level.
Fostering trustworthy data sharing: Establishing data foundations in practice
Authors: Stalla-Bourdillon Sophie , Carmichael Laura , Wintour Alexsis
Published: February 2021

Independent data stewardship remains a core component of good data governance practice. Yet, there is a need for more robust independent data stewardship models that are able to oversee data-driven, multi-party data sharing, usage and re-usage, which can better incorporate citizen representation, especially in relation to personal data. We propose that data foundations—inspired by Channel Islands’ foundations laws—provide a workable model for good data governance not only in the Channel Islands, but also elsewhere. A key advantage of this model—in addition to leveraging existing legislation and building on established precedent—is the statutory role of the guardian that is a unique requirement in the Channel Islands, and when interpreted in a data governance model provides the independent data steward. The principal purpose for this paper, therefore, is to demonstrate why data foundations are well suited to the needs of data sharing initiatives. We further examine how data foundations could be established in practice—and provide key design principles that should be used to guide the design and development of any data foundation.
CLASSICAL NOMADOLOGIES
Authors: Khellaf Kyle
Published: February 2021

However, precisely because Plato did not yet have at his disposition the constituted categories of representation (these appeared with Aristotle), he had to base his decision on a theory of Ideas. What appears then, in its purest state, before the logic of representation could be deployed, is a moral vision of the world. It is in the first instance for these moral reasons that simulacra must be exorcized and difference thereby subordinated to the same and the similar. For this reason, however, because Plato makes the decision, and because with him the victory is not assured as it will be in the established world of representation, the rumbling of the enemy can still be heard. Insinuated throughout the Platonic cosmos, difference resists its yoke. Heraclitus and the Sophists make an infernal racket. It is as though there were a strange double which dogs Socrates’ footsteps and haunts even Plato's style, inserting itself into the repetitions and variations of that style.
BECOMING DOMESTIC IN HESIOD'S WORKS AND DAYS
Authors: Radcliffe Ben
Published: February 2021

The work of Gilles Deleuze is populated by literary and artistic figures who become stuck, confined, and exhausted: he has written about the characters of Samuel Beckett, for instance, who are incapacitated by a compulsion to count and sort; Sacher-Masoch's protagonists, who share their author's eponymous desire to defer endlessly the sexual act; and the notorious figures in the paintings of Francis Bacon, determined but unable to escape the confines of their own bodies. What accounts for Deleuze's interest in scenes of stasis and immobility? These figures, and others like them, seem to appeal to Deleuze precisely because their corporeal limitations coincide with intense and inscrutable affects, as if Spinoza's maxim, ‘we do not even know what the body can do’, is true especially when the body's capacities appear most restricted. This is an aspect of Deleuze's thought that complicates his reputation as a philosopher of limitless becoming, movement, and synthesis.
ANIMAL REVOLT AND LINES OF FLIGHT IN LUCRETIUS, BOOK FIVE
Authors: Hutchins Richard
Published: February 2021

Lucretius is the first classical author to have written a history of animal resistance. In a fifty-line passage from Book Five of De rerum natura, the ‘animal revolt’ (5.1297–349), Lucretius describes the rise of empire and its instrumentalization of animals for war. When the animals are led onto the battlefield, however, they swerve against their ‘armed teachers and savage masters’ (1311). The linear rise of empire, built on the abuse of animals’ bodies, is deterritorialized by those same animal bodies in a chaotic scene that takes place on what Monica Gale has called a ‘cosmic battlefield’. This paper follows Lucretius’ account in Book Five of De rerum natura of the linear rise of empire, its increasing capture of animal life, and the rupture of empire's linear trajectory by a clinamen, or ‘swerve’, of rebel animals. I compare Lucretius’ account of the rise of empire to what Deleuze and Guattari call a ‘molar line’, and the swerve of rebel animals to Deleuze and Guattari's notion of the ‘line of flight’.
MarriageorProfession? MarriageandProfession? Marriage Patterns Among Highly Successful Women of Jewish Descent and Other Women in Nineteenth- and Twentieth-Century German-Speaking Central Europe
Authors: Zwicker Lisa Fetheringill , Rose Jason Ulysses
Published: February 2021

This study analyzes the marriage patterns of five hundred highly successful women in modern German-speaking Central Europe. Among the women at the very top of their professions, women of Jewish descent were more likely than non-Jewish women to marry while they pursued their careers. The results of our quantitative study—67.6 percent of women of Jewish descent married versus 51.6 percent of non-Jewish women—provide a unique body of data that complements and contributes to other research that identifies distinctive aspects of Central European Jewish life patterns: the high number of Jewish women university students, the importance of women of Jewish descent in a number of fields, and Jewish families as early adopters of a modern family form with a small number of children and intensive investment in each child.
Babylon Berlin: Media, Spectacle, and History
Authors: Fuechtner Veronika , Lerner Paul
Published: February 2021

Babylon Berlin (henceforth BB) premiered in Germany on the pay channel Sky TV in October 2017 and in the United States on the streaming service Netflix in January 2018. It is based on Volker Kutscher's series of crime novels set in late Weimar Republic and early Nazi-era Berlin. At its center are the lives and investigations of the laconic and tormented police detective Gereon Rath and his charismatic and irrepressible assistant Charlotte (Lotte) Ritter. In anticipation of the series premiere on public television, marathon screenings took place in 150 cinemas across Germany, where audience members dressed up in 1920s fashion and enjoyed a Currywurst break. Its viewership in the Federal Republic was topped only by the global fantasy behemoth Game of Thrones. The series is clearly modeled on American series such as Mad Men (2007–2015) and The Wire (2002–2008) as it unfolds a complex web of characters and subplots with loving attention to the history and fashions of the time. Indeed, this collaboration of seasoned directors Tom Tykwer, Achim von Borries, and Henk Handloegten is the most expensive German TV series to date. The fact that BB premiered on pay TV while having been largely produced with public funds drew some ire. German reviewers questioned both the circumstances of its production and its creative ambition. While Der Spiegel called it “a masterpiece,” one much debated blog review went so far as to call it “pure crap,” which neither reflected historical truth nor carried artistic merit. Many critics faulted the series for trading in postcard clichés and creating a 1920s “Berlin Disneyland.” The weekly Die Zeit complained that there was a little too much cute dialect, such as “icke” and “kiek ma,” which made the critic sometimes feel like wiping the dirt makeup off the proletarian faces. (And indeed, one of the numerous intertexts of this series are Heinrich Zille's unflinching depictions of proletarian misery.)
Benchmark Discrepancies and Mutual Fund Performance Evaluation
Authors: Cremers K. J. Martijn , Fulkerson Jon A. , Riley Timothy B.
Published: February 2021

We introduce a new holdings-based procedure to identify whether a mutual fund has a benchmark discrepancy, which we define as a benchmark other than the prospectus benchmark best matching a fund’s investment strategy. We find that funds with a benchmark discrepancy tend to be riskier than their prospectus benchmarks indicate. As a result, the funds on average outperform their prospectus benchmarks, before further risk adjustments, despite underperforming the benchmarks that best match their portfolios.
Magnetohydrodynamics of protoplanetary discs
Authors: Lesur Geoffroy R. J.
Published: February 2021

Protoplanetary discs are made of gas and dust orbiting a young star. They are also the birth place of planetary systems, which motivates a large amount of observational and theoretical research. In these lecture notes, I present a review of the magnetic mechanisms applied to the outer regions (

$R\gtrsim 1\ \mathrm {AU}$

) of these discs, which are the planet-formation regions. In contrast to usual astrophysical plasmas, the gas in these regions is noticeably cold (

$T < 300\ \mathrm {K}$

) and dense, which implies a very low ionisation fraction close to the disc midplane. In these notes, I deliberately ignore the innermost

$(R\sim 0.1\ \mathrm {AU})$

region, which is influenced by the star–disc interaction and various radiative effects. I start by presenting a short overview of the observational evidence for the dynamics of these objects. I then introduce the methods and approximations used to model these plasmas, including non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics, and the uncertainties associated with this approach. In this framework, I explain how the global dynamics of these discs is modelled, and I present a stability analysis of this plasma in the local approximation, introducing the non-ideal magneto-rotational instability. Following this mostly analytical part, I discuss numerical models that have been used to describe the saturation mechanisms of this instability, and the formation of large-scale structures by various saturation mechanisms. Finally, I show that local numerical models are insufficient because magnetised winds are also emitted from the surface of these objects. After a short introduction on wind physics, I present global models of protoplanetary discs, including both a large-scale wind and the non-ideal dynamics of the disc.
The discovery and structural requirements of inhibitors of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase
Authors: Lee David L. , Prisbylla Michael P. , Cromartie Thomas H. , Dagarin Derek P. , Howard Stott W. , Provan W. McLean , Ellis Martin K. , Fraser Torquil , Mutter Linda C.
Published: February 2021

The benzoylcyclohexane-1,3-diones, the triketones, are potent bleaching herbicides whose structure-activity relationships and physical properties are substantially different from classical bleaching herbicides, which affect phytoene desaturase. The first clue to their unique mechanism of action was the discovery that rats treated with a triketone were found to be tyrosinemic. Additionally, examination of the rat urine revealed the accumulation of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate (HPP) and p-hydroxyphenyllactate. These results suggested that this chemically induced tyrosinemia was the result of the inhibition of p-hydroxyphenylpyruvate dioxygenase (HPPD, EC 1.13.11.27), and this suggestion was confirmed when a triketone was shown to be a potent inhibitor of rat liver HPPD. In plants, HPPD is a component of the biosynthetic pathway to plastoquinone (PQ), which in turn is a key cofactor of phytoene desaturase. The expectation that triketone-treated plants should accumulate tyrosine while having reduced PQ levels was dramatically demonstrated in the meristematic tissue of ivyleaf morningglory. Plant HPPD, like the mammalian enzyme, was inhibited in vitro by triketones. These biochemical effects provide evidence that the triketone herbicidal mechanism of action is HPPD inhibition leading to a deficiency of PQ, a key cofactor for carotenoid biosynthesis. Other chemical classes of bleaching herbicides were also examined for their ability to elevate tyrosine and deplete PQ as a definitive means of establishing their mode of action and for delineating the structural and physical chemical requirements for an HPPD herbicide. Evidence is provided to support the claim that a 2-benzoylethen-1-ol substructure is the minimum substructure required for a potent HPPD inhibitor.
Comprehensive Review on Reaching and Grasping of Objects in Robotics
Authors: Marwan Qaid Mohammed , Chua Shing Chyi , Kwek Lee Chung
Published: February 2021

Interaction between a robot and its environment requires perception about the environment, which helps the robot in making a clear decision about the object type and its location. After that, the end effector will be brought to the object’s location for grasping. There are many research studies on the reaching and grasping of objects using different techniques and mechanisms for increasing accuracy and robustness during grasping and reaching tasks. Thus, this paper presents an extensive review of research directions and topics of different approaches such as sensing, learning and gripping, which have been implemented within the current five years.
Immunogenicity and safety of a quadrivalent meningococcal tetanus toxoid-conjugate vaccine (MenACYW-TT)vs. a licensed quadrivalent meningococcal tetanus toxoid-conjugate vaccine in meningococcal vaccine-naïve and meningococcal C conjugate vaccine-primed toddlers: a phase III randomised study
Authors: van der Vliet D. , Vesikari T. , Sandner B. , Martinón-Torres F. , Muzsay G. , Forsten A. , Adelt T. , Diaz Gonzalez C. , Simko R. , B'Chir S. , Neveu D. , Jordanov E. , Dhingra M. S.
Published: February 2021

Vaccination remains the best strategy to reduce invasive meningococcal disease. This study evaluated an investigational tetanus toxoid-conjugate quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MenACYW-TT)vs.a licensed tetanus toxoid-conjugate quadrivalent meningococcal vaccine (MCV4-TT) (NCT02955797). Healthy toddlers aged 12–23 months were included if they were either meningococcal vaccine-naïve or MenC conjugate (MCC) vaccine-primed (≥1 dose of MCC prior to 12 months of age). Vaccine-naïve participants were randomised 1:1 to either MenACYW-TT (n= 306) or MCV4-TT (n= 306). MCC-primed participants were randomised 2:1 to MenACYW-TT (n= 203) or MCV4-TT (n= 103). Antibody titres against each of the four meningococcal serogroups were measured by serum bactericidal antibody assay using the human complement. The co-primary objectives of this study were to demonstrate the non-inferiority of MenACYW-TT to MCV4-TT in terms of seroprotection (titres ≥1:8) at Day 30 in both vaccine-naïve and all participants (vaccine-naïve and MCC-primed groups pooled). The immune response for all four serogroups to MenACYW-TT was non-inferior to MCV4-TT in vaccine-naïve participants (seroprotection: range 83.6–99.3% and 81.4–91.6%, respectively) and all participants (seroprotection: range 83.6–99.3% and 81.4–98.0%, respectively). The safety profiles of both vaccines were comparable. MenACYW-TT was well-tolerated and demonstrated non-inferior immunogenicity when administered to MCC vaccine-primed and vaccine-naïve toddlers.
Spanish Scientists’ Opinion about Science and Researcher Behavior
Authors: Frias-Navarro Dolores , Pascual-Soler Marcos , Perezgonzalez José , Monterde-i-Bort Héctor , Pascual-Llobell Juan
Published: February 2021

We surveyed 348 Psychology and Education researchers within Spain, on issues such as their perception of a crisis in Science, their confidence in the quality of published results, and the use of questionable research practices (QRP). Their perceptions regarding pressure to publish and academic competition were also collected. The results indicate that a large proportion of the sample of Spanish academics think there is a crisis in Science, mainly due to a lack of economic investment, and doubts the quality of published findings. They also feel strong pressure to publish in high impact factor journals and a highly competitive work climate.
Dust Storm‐Enhanced Gravity Wave Activity in the Martian Thermosphere Observed by MAVEN and Implication for Atmospheric Escape
Authors: Yiğit Erdal , Medvedev Alexander S. , Benna Mehdi , Jakosky Bruce M.
Published: February 2021

Lower atmospheric global dust storms affect the small‐ and large‐scale weather and variability of the whole Martian atmosphere. Analysis of the CO2 density data from the Neutral Gas and Ion Mass Spectrometer instrument on board NASA's Mars Atmosphere Volatile EvolutioN (MAVEN) spacecraft show a remarkable increase of gravity wave (GW)‐induced density fluctuations in the thermosphere during the 2018 major dust storm with distinct latitude and local time variability. The mean thermospheric GW activity increases by a factor of two during the storm event. The magnitude of relative density perturbations is around 20% on average and 40% locally. One and a half months later, the GW activity gradually decreases. Enhanced temperature disturbances in the Martian thermosphere can facilitate atmospheric escape. For the first time, we estimate observationally that, for a 20% and 40% GW‐induced disturbances, the net increase of Jeans escape flux of hydrogen is a factor of 1.3 and 2, respectively.
Balanced Cross‐Sections and Numerical Modeling of the Lithospheric‐Scale Evolution of the Hindu Kush and Pamir
Authors: Kelly Sean , Beaumont Christopher
Published: February 2021

The role of deformation and removal of continental lithospheric mantle (CLM) during continent‐continent collision, while recognized as fundamental to the evolution of orogenic systems, often remains speculative as direct evidence for these processes is typically absent. Nevertheless, these poorly understood deep lithospheric processes are expected to produce first‐order controls on the style of crustal shortening, magmatism, and metamorphism in large‐scale orogens. The Hindu Kush and Pamir offer an excellent opportunity to constrain these deep processes, as high‐quality seismic images reveal oppositely dipping slabs under the Hindu Kush and Pamir, inferred to be subducting Indian and Asian lithospheres, respectively. Using two‐dimensional mantle‐scale geodynamical models, we show that these along‐strike differences can be explained by the nature of the indenting Indian plate; thinner fringe Indian crust beneath the Hindu Kush, and full‐thickness Indian crust beneath the Pamir. In the Hindu Kush models, steep subduction of India follows early delamination of the Asian lithospheric mantle, whereas in the Pamir models, Asian delamination is followed by flat‐slab underthrusting of Indian CLM and forced subduction of northern Asian terranes. These styles of mantle delamination and subduction have key implications for the ensuing styles of magmatism, metamorphism, and crustal‐scale evolution of these systems. In the Hindu Kush, subduction of fringe India leads to burial of Indian crust under Asia, limiting both Himalayan growth and deformation of the Tajik Basin. In contrast, in the Pamir, forced subduction of the Alai terrane leads to Alai crust underthrusting the Pamir, forming the Pamir orocline.
Profiles of Near‐Surface Rock Mass Strength Across Gradients in Burial, Erosion, and Time
Authors: Townsend Kirk F. , Clark Marin K. , Zekkos Dimitrios
Published: February 2021

Rock mass strength is recognized as an important control on landscape morphology and evolution. However, the controls on rock strength in mountainous topography remain poorly characterized, in part because strength remains challenging to quantify at spatial scales relevant to geomorphology. Here we quantify the mechanical properties of rock masses using subsurface S‐wave velocities, Schmidt hammer hardness values, and Geological Strength Index (GSI) observations. We produce shallow depth profiles of rock mass shear strength using intact rock hardness as measured from a Schmidt hammer, and assessment of the structure and surface conditions of fractures using GSI. We apply these techniques to the Western Transverse Ranges, southern California, USA, where gradients in stratigraphic age and erosion rate allow us to evaluate our methodology. We resolve strength differences of 200 kPa to ∼5 MPa that appear to be related to diagenetic changes associated with the maximum burial depth of young clastic sedimentary rocks. For rocks of the same lithologic type, stratigraphic age, and inferred burial histories, we resolve smaller differences in strength (300 kPa–1.5 MPa) that appear to be positively correlated with mean erosion rates. We suggest that the increase in strength with increasing erosion rate reflects decreased residence time in the weathering zone for ranges experiencing faster fault slip rates. These findings demonstrate up to an order of magnitude variability in strength with respect to burial, erosion, and time for lithologically similar rocks. As such, lithology alone is unlikely to adequately capture the role of rock strength in landscape evolution.
Identifying Geomorphic Process Domains in the Synthetic Landscapes of West Virginia, USA
Authors: Jaeger K. L. , Ross M. R. V.
Published: February 2021

Human activities such as mining, agriculture, and urbanization have resulted in severe, large‐scale alteration to landform organization and associated geomorphic processes. The mountaintop mining (MTM) region of West Virginia, USA has experienced dramatic topographic alteration, by removing steep slopes and introducing plateau‐like areas at ridgelines and benches on valley fills. The resulting engineered landforms create synthetic landscapes, disconnected from previous geomorphic processes. Invoking the process domain concept, we compare differences in slope‐area relations, cumulative area distributions (CADs), elevation, slope, upslope accumulated area, and a slope*area product before and after mining to adjacent unmined sub‐catchments in five study basins. Differences in the slope‐area relation include a 42% slope reduction in low drainage areas, corresponding to hillslopes, unchanneled valleys, and debris flow dominated channels, which may fall below thresholds required for debris flow processes. The curved slope‐area relation that represents valley incision by debris flows is replaced by slope‐area relations that resemble basins where gullying and the stream power law dominate. Extremely high chemical weathering of unconsolidated valley fills materials may facilitate process domain shifts from debris flows to gullying and fluvial erosion. The characteristic power law scaling break in CADs that represents the headward limit of the channelized network is subdued in post‐mined sites and may reflect headward channelized network extension in mined basins. Slope‐area relations and CADs present a unique topographic signature of MTM activity, potentially providing an analytical approach to assess impacts on underlying geomorphic processes for other synthetic landscapes such as cities or large‐scale agricultural production.
Representativeness of FLUXNET Sites Across Latin America
Authors: Villarreal Samuel , Vargas Rodrigo
Published: February 2021

Environmental observatory networks (EONs) provide information to understand and forecast the spatial and temporal dynamics of Earth's biophysical processes. Consequently, representativeness analyses are important to provide insights for improving EONs' management, design, and interpretation of their value‐added products. We assessed the representativeness of registered FLUXNET sites (n = 41, revised on September 2018) across Latin America (LA), a region of great importance for the global carbon and water cycles, which represents 13% of the world's land surface. Nearly 46% of registered FLUXNET sites are located in evergreen broad‐leaf forests followed by sites in woody savannas (∼20%). Representativeness analyses were performed using a 0.05° spatial grid for multiple environmental variables, gross primary productivity (GPP), and evapotranspiration (ET). Our results showed a potential representativeness of 34% of the surface area for climate properties, 36% for terrain parameters, 34% for soil resources, and 45% when all aforementioned environmental variables were summarized into a principal component analysis. Furthermore, there was a 48% potential representativeness for GPP and 34% for ET. Unfortunately, data from these 41 sites are not all readily available for the scientific community, limiting synthesis studies and model benchmarking/parametrization. The implication is that global/regional data‐driven products are forced to use information from FLUXNET sites outside LA to predict patterns in LA. Representativeness could increase to 86% (for GPP) and 80% (for ET) if 200 sites are optimally distributed. We discussed ongoing challenges, the need to enhance interoperability and data sharing, and promote monitoring efforts across LA to increase the accuracy of regional‐to‐global data‐driven products.
Decoding the Age of the Ice at Mars’s North Pole
Authors: Shultz David
Published: February 2021

Exposure to sunlight creates telltale patterns in the polar ice cap that change over time, potentially providing insight into the climatic history of the Red Planet.
Daily mean temperature and HFMD: risk assessment and attributable fraction identification in Ningbo China
Authors: Zhang Rui , Lin Zhehan , Guo Zhen , Chang Zhaorui , Niu Ran , Wang Yu , Wang Songwang , Li Yonghong
Published: February 2021

Background

Hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD) remains a significant public health issue, especially in developing countries. Many studies have reported the association between environmental temperature and HFMD. However, the results are highly heterogeneous in different regions. In addition, there are few studies on the attributable risk of HFMD due to temperature.

Objectives

The study aimed to assess the association between temperature and HFMD incidence and to evaluate the attributable burden of HFMD due to temperature in Ningbo China.

Methods

The research used daily incidence of HFMD from 2014 to 2017 and distributed lag non-linear model (DLNM) to investigate the effects of daily mean temperature (Tmean) on HFMD incidence from lag 0 to 30 days, after controlling potential confounders. The lag effects and cumulative relative risk (CRR) were analyzed. Attributable fraction (AF) of HFMD incidence due to temperature was calculated. Stratified analysis by gender and age were also conducted.

Results

The significant associations between Tmean and HFMD incidence were observed in Ningbo for lag 0–30. Two peaks were observed at both low (5–11 °C) and high (16–29 °C) temperature scales. For low temperature scale, the highest CRR was 2.22 (95% CI: 1.61–3.07) at 7 °C on lag 0–30. For high temperature scale, the highest CRR was 3.54 (95% CI: 2.58–4.88) at 24 °C on lag 0–30. The AF due to low and high temperature was 5.23% (95% CI: 3.10–7.14%) and 39.55% (95% CI: 30.91–45.51%), respectively. There was no significant difference between gender- and age-specific AFs, even though the school-age and female children had slightly higher AF values.

Conclusions

The result indicates that both high and low temperatures were associated with daily incidence of HFMD, and more burdens were caused by heat in Ningbo.
Efficiency limits of concentrating spectral-splitting hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PV-T) solar collectors and systems
Authors: Huang Gan , Wang Kai , Markides Christos N.
Published: February 2021

Spectral splitting is an approach to the design of hybrid photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) collectors that promises significant performance benefits. However, the ultimate efficiency limits, optimal PV cell materials and optical filters of spectral-splitting PVT (SSPVT) collectors remain unclear, with a lack of consensus in the literature. We develop an idealized model of SSPVT collectors and use this to determine their electrical and thermal efficiency limits, and to uncover how these limits can be approached through the selection of optimal PV cell materials and spectral-splitting filters. Assuming that thermal losses can be minimized, the efficiency limit, optimal PV material and optimal filter all depend strongly on a coefficient w, which quantifies the value of the delivered thermal energy relative to that of the generated electricity. The total (electrical plus thermal) efficiency limit of SSPVT collectors increases at higher w and at higher optical concentrations. The optimal spectral-splitting filter is defined by sharp lower- and upper-bound energies; the former always coincides with the bandgap of the cell, whereas the latter decreases at higher w. The total effective efficiency limit of SSPVT collectors is over 20% higher than those of either standalone PV modules or standalone ST collectors when w is in the range from 0.35 to 0.50 and up to 30% higher at w ≈ 0.4. This study provides a method for identifying the efficiency limits of ideal SSPVT collectors and reports these limits, along with guidance for selecting optimal PV materials and spectral-splitting filters under different conditions and in different applications.
Confocal-based fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy with a SPAD array detector
Authors: Slenders Eli , Castello Marco , Buttafava Mauro , Villa Federica , Tosi Alberto , Lanzanò Luca , Koho Sami Valtteri , Vicidomini Giuseppe
Published: February 2021

The combination of confocal laser-scanning microscopy (CLSM) and fluorescence fluctuation spectroscopy (FFS) is a powerful tool in studying fast, sub-resolution biomolecular processes in living cells. A detector array can further enhance CLSM-based FFS techniques, as it allows the simultaneous acquisition of several samples–essentially images—of the CLSM detection volume. However, the detector arrays that have previously been proposed for this purpose require tedious data corrections and preclude the combination of FFS with single-photon techniques, such as fluorescence lifetime imaging. Here, we solve these limitations by integrating a novel single-photon-avalanche-diode (SPAD) array detector in a CLSM system. We validate this new implementation on a series of FFS analyses: spot-variation fluorescence correlation spectroscopy, pair-correlation function analysis, and image-derived mean squared displacement analysis. We predict that the unique combination of spatial and temporal information provided by our detector will make the proposed architecture the method of choice for CLSM-based FFS.
Rictor/mTORC2 involves mitochondrial function in ES cells derived cardiomyocytes via mitochondrial Connexin 43
Authors: Wang Jia-dan , Shao Ying , Liu Dan , Liu Nuo-ya , Zhu Dan-yan
Published: February 2021

Rictor is a key component of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2) and is required for Akt phosphorylation (Ser473). Our previous study shows that knockdown of Rictor prevents cardiomyocyte differentiation from mouse embryonic stem (ES) cells and induces abnormal electrophysiology of ES cell-derived cardiomyocytes (ESC-CMs). Besides, knockdown of Rictor causes down-expression of connexin 43 (Cx43), the predominant gap junction protein, that is located in both the sarcolemma and mitochondria in cardiomyocytes. Mitochondrial Cx43 (mtCx43) plays a crucial role in mitochondrial function. In this study, we used the model of cardiomyocyte differentiation from mouse ES cells to elucidate the mechanisms for the mitochondrial damage in ESC-CMs after knockdown of Rictor. We showed swollen and ruptured mitochondria were observed after knockdown of Rictor under transmission electron microscope. ATP production and mitochondrial transmembrane potential were significantly decreased in Rictor-knockdown cells. Furthermore, knockdown of Rictor inhibited the activities of mitochondrial respiratory chain complex. The above-mentioned changes were linked to inhibiting the translocation of Cx43 into mitochondria by knockdown of Rictor. We revealed that knockdown of Rictor inactivated the mTOR/Akt signalling pathway and subsequently decreased HDAC6 expression, resulted in Hsp90 hyper-acetylation caused by HDAC6 inhibition, thus, inhibited the formation of Hsp90-Cx43-TOM20 complex. In conclusion, the mitochondrial Cx43 participates in shRNA-Rictor-induced mitochondrial function damage in the ESC-CMs.