bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Projected future daily characteristics of African precipitation based on global (CMIP5, CMIP6) and regional (CORDEX, CORDEX-CORE) climate models
Authors: Dosio Alessandro , Jury Martin W. , Almazroui Mansour , Ashfaq Moetasim , Diallo Ismaila , Engelbrecht Francois A. , Klutse Nana A. B. , Lennard Christopher , Pinto Izidine , Sylla Mouhamadou B. , Tamoffo Alain T.
Published: June 2021

We provide an assessment of future daily characteristics of African precipitation by explicitly comparing the results of large ensembles of global (CMIP5, CMIP6) and regional (CORDEX, CORE) climate models, specifically highlighting the similarities and inconsistencies between them. Results for seasonal mean precipitation are not always consistent amongst ensembles: in particular, global models tend to project a wetter future compared to regional models, especially over the Eastern Sahel, Central and East Africa. However, results for other precipitation characteristics are more consistent. In general, all ensembles project an increase in maximum precipitation intensity during the wet season over all regions and emission scenarios (except the West Sahel for CORE) and a decrease in precipitation frequency (under the Representative Concentration Pathways RCP8.5) especially over the West Sahel, the Atlas region, southern central Africa, East Africa and southern Africa. Depending on the season, the length of dry spells is projected to increase consistently by all ensembles and for most (if not all) models over southern Africa, the Ethiopian highlands and the Atlas region. Discrepancies exist between global and regional models on the projected change in precipitation characteristics over specific regions and seasons. For instance, over the Eastern Sahel in July–August most global models show an increase in precipitation frequency but regional models project a robust decrease. Global and regional models also project an opposite sign in the change of the length of dry spells. CORE results show a marked drying over the regions affected by the West Africa monsoon throughout the year, accompanied by a decrease in mean precipitation intensity between May and July that is not present in the other ensembles. This enhanced drying may be related to specific physical mechanisms that are better resolved by the higher resolution models and highlights the importance of a process-based evaluation of the mechanisms controlling precipitation over the region.
Quantification of shear viscosity and wall slip velocity of highly concentrated suspensions with non-Newtonian matrices in pressure driven flows
Authors: Wilms Patrick , Wieringa Jan , Blijdenstein Theo , van Malssen Kees , Kohlus Reinhard
Published: June 2021

The rheological characterization of concentrated suspensions is complicated by the heterogeneous nature of their flow. In this contribution, the shear viscosity and wall slip velocity are quantified for highly concentrated suspensions (solid volume fractions of 0.55–0.60, D4,3 ~ 5 µm). The shear viscosity was determined using a high-pressure capillary rheometer equipped with a 3D-printed die that has a grooved surface of the internal flow channel. The wall slip velocity was then calculated from the difference between the apparent shear rates through a rough and smooth die, at identical wall shear stress. The influence of liquid phase rheology on the wall slip velocity was investigated by using different thickeners, resulting in different degrees of shear rate dependency, i.e. the flow indices varied between 0.20 and 1.00. The wall slip velocity scaled with the flow index of the liquid phase at a solid volume fraction of 0.60 and showed increasingly large deviations with decreasing solid volume fraction. It is hypothesized that these deviations are related to shear-induced migration of solids and macromolecules due to the large shear stress and shear rate gradients.
Sharp interface limit of a multi-phase transitions model under nonisothermal conditions
Authors: Cristoferi Riccardo , Gravina Giovanni
Published: June 2021

A vectorial Modica–Mortola functional is considered and the convergence to a sharp interface model is studied. The novelty of the paper is that the wells of the potential are not constant, but depend on the spatial position in the domain$$\Omega $$Ω. The mass constrained minimization problem and the case of Dirichlet boundary conditions are also treated. The proofs rely on the precise understanding of minimizing geodesics for the degenerate metric induced by the potential.
Die Feststellung der energiepolitischen und energiewirtschaftlichen Notwendigkeit des Tagebaus Garzweiler
II nach 48 Kohleverstromungsbeendigungsgesetz (KVBG) – rechtspolitisch verfehlt und verfassungswidrig?
Authors: Schomerus Thomas
Published: June 2021

48 KVBG stellt den energiewirtschaftlichen und -politischen Bedarf für den Braunkohletagebau
Garzweiler II in den Grenzen der Leitentscheidung der Landesregierung Nordrhein-Westfalen von 2016 fest.
Unter Einbeziehung mehrerer Gutachten wird dargelegt, dass der anzuerkennende weite Spielraum für gesetzliche
Bedarfsfeststellungen in evident unsachlicher Weise ausgefüllt wurde. Die Bedarfsfeststellung geht
von unzutreffenden Annahmen aus, sie ist nur schwer mit bestehenden und künftigen Klimazielen vereinbar,
und sie beruht auf einer Fehlgewichtung der Anwohnerbelange. Die Landesregierung ist daher durch 48 KVBG
nicht im Hinblick auf künftige Planungen und Zulassungen gebunden, sondern muss u.a. in der anstehenden
neuen Leitentscheidung eine eigenständige planerische Entscheidung treffen.
A parameter-free unconstrained reformulation for nonsmooth problems with convex constraints
Authors: Galvan Giulio , Sciandrone Marco , Lucidi Stefano
Published: June 2021

In the present paper we propose to rewrite a nonsmooth problem subjected to convex constraints as an unconstrained problem. We show that this novel formulation shares the same global and local minima with the original constrained problem. Moreover, the reformulation can be solved with standard nonsmooth optimization methods if we are able to make projections onto the feasible sets. Numerical evidence shows that the proposed formulation compares favorably against state-of-art approaches. Code can be found at https://github.com/jth3galv/dfppm.
Substitution across profit shifting methods and the impact on thin capitalization rules
Authors: Goerdt Gideon , Eggert Wolfgang
Published: June 2021

Thin capitalization rules limit firms’ ability to deduct internal interest payments from taxable income, thereby restricting debt shifting activities of multinational firms. Since multinational firms can limit their tax liability in several ways, regulation of debt shifting may have an impact on other profit shifting methods. We therefore provide a model in which a multinational firm can shift profits out of a host country by issuing internal debt from an entity located in a tax haven and by manipulating transfer prices on internal goods and services. The focus of this paper is the analysis of regulatory incentives, $$(i)$$

(
i
)

if a multinational firm treats debt shifting and transfer pricing as substitutes or $$(ii)$$

(
i
i
)

if the methods are not directly connected. The results provide a new aspect for why hybrid thin capitalization rules are used. Our discussion in this paper explains why hybrid rules can result in improvements in welfare if multinational firms treat methods of profit shifting as substitutes.
Improved performance of Bis-GMA dental composites reinforced with surface-modified PAN nanofibers
Authors: Amiri Parisa , Talebi Zahra , Semnani Dariush , Bagheri Rouhollah , Fashandi Hossein
Published: June 2021

In the present work, polyacrylonitrile (PAN) nanofibers reinforced dental composites were investigated to achieve the improved interfacial adhesion between the PAN nanofiber and resin matrix using surface modification of nanofibers. PAN nanofibers mat were prepared by electrospinning and then, surface treated with the activated bisphenol A glycidyl methacrylate (Bis-GMA)/triethyleneglycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) (50/50 mass ratio) dental resin followed by photo-curing. Also, the treated nanofibers mat was milled into a powder to achieve the uniform distribution of nanofibers in the matrix resin. The reinforced dental composite were prepared by mixing the various mass fraction of the powder (0.5–15 wt%) with the Bis-GMA/TEGDMA dental monomers. The effect of weight ratio of surface-modified nanofibers to blend resin on the chemical structure, morphology, compression and flexural properties, color and polymerization shrinkage of dental composites was evaluated. The results showed that using surface-treated nanofibers with content of 5 wt% enhanced the compression strength, flexural strength, flexural modulus and work of rupture of the resultant dental composite by factors of 23%, 7%, 80%, and 145%, respectively, comparing to the unreinforced neat resin. Also, the polymerization shrinkage reduces by 37%. These significant improved properties of the dental composite could be due to the semi-interpenetration network formation between surface-modified nanofibers and resin matrix and well distribution of nanofibers in the dental resin. Further increasing the nanofiber content led to poor mechanical properties of obtained dental composites. The results also, revealed that the color of resin composite could be whiter using modified PAN nanofibers as the filler.
Three-Dimensional Structural Geological Modeling Using Graph Neural Networks
Authors: Hillier Michael , Wellmann Florian , Brodaric Boyan , de Kemp Eric , Schetselaar Ernst
Published: June 2021

Three-dimensional structural geomodels are increasingly being used for a wide variety of scientific and societal purposes. Most advanced methods for generating these models are implicit approaches, but they suffer limitations in the types of interpolation constraints permitted, which can lead to poor modeling in structurally complex settings. A geometric deep learning approach, using graph neural networks, is presented in this paper as an alternative to classical implicit interpolation that is driven by a learning through training paradigm. The graph neural network approach consists of a developed architecture utilizing unstructured meshes as graphs on which coupled implicit and discrete geological unit modeling is performed, with the latter treated as a classification problem. The architecture generates three-dimensional structural models constrained by scattered point data, sampling geological units and interfaces as well as planar and linear orientations. The modeling capacity of the architecture for representing geological structures is demonstrated from its application on two diverse case studies. The benefits of the approach are (1) its ability to provide an expressive framework for incorporating interpolation constraints using loss functions and (2) its capacity to deal with both continuous and discrete properties simultaneously. Furthermore, a framework is established for future research for which additional geological constraints can be integrated into the modeling process.
Analytischer „Scharfsinn“ und geschulte Intuition im Dialog
Authors: Ader Sabine
Published: June 2021

Der Beitrag entfaltet Fallverstehen und sozialpädagogische Diagnostik als Schlüsselprozess professioneller Urteilsbildung. Als Ausgangspunkt rücken der besondere Handlungskontext sowie der spezifische, professionelle Blick in der Sozialen Arbeit in den Fokus. Im Anschluss werden die mit der sozialpädagogischen Perspektive verbundenen Kernbestandteile professioneller Urteilsbildung skizziert und ihre Verbindung zueinander aufgezeigt. Abschließend geht es um die fachlichen Anforderungen an dieses anspruchsvolle Vorhaben.
The supply of the public lacus of Pompeii, estimated from the discharge of their overflow channels
Authors: Monteleone Maria C. , Crapper Martin , Motta Davide
Published: June 2021

The term lacus generally identified the public fountains in the main streets of ancient Roman towns, providing for the population daily water demand. The simplest lacus consisted of a stone basin and a spout stone, concealing one or two supply pipes. 35 street fountains of this type have been surveyed in Pompeii, to gather information on their supply and its variation in time. A new method was devised for calculating the discharge through the overflow channel of each lacus, and this value was taken as an estimate of the water supplied to each fountain. The overflow channel internal cross-section width was measured at four elevations, and the cross-section profile was reconstructed based on these data. Three water levels of 1 cm, half of the cross-section height and entire cross section height, were considered at each channel’s inlet, obtaining a corresponding channel discharge. The values obtained, ranging from 0.03 to 2.9 l/s, were checked against the trajectory of the fountain water jet, making sure that it remained within the basin length. For 28 fountains the average discharge was found to be 0.08 l/s when the water was at the lowest level, 0.43 l/s for the intermediate level and 1.18 l/s for a full inlet. The average time of residence of the water, in the lacus draw basin, was estimated between 11 min and 3 h. An estimate of the demand of all the town lacus was compared with the capacity of the aqueduct channel entering at Porta Vesuvio: the town lacus could have been supplied contemporaneously at the minimum and intermediate discharges.
Correction to: Lithology and fluid discrimination using rock physics-based modified upper Hashin–Shtrikman bound: an example from onshore Niger Delta Basin
Authors: Okeugo C. G. , Onuoha K. M. , Ekwe A. C.
Published: June 2021

In the original publication of the article, table 2 and some of the figures were incorrectly published.
An invasive infection caused by the thermophilic mold Talaromyces thermophilus
Authors: Dichtl Karl , Koc Özlem , Forster Johannes , Scharf Christina , Suerbaum Sebastian , Andrassy Joachim , Wagener Johannes , Schroeder Ines
Published: June 2021

Background

Increasing incidence of invasive infections caused by rare fungi was observed over the recent years.

Case

Here, we describe the first reported case of an infection caused by the thermophilic mold Talaromyces thermophilus. Cultivation and, hence, identification of this fastidious organism is challenging since standard incubation conditions are not sufficient. Retrospective analysis of patient samples and in vitro experiments demonstrated that testing for fungal antigens, i.e., the cell wall components galactomannan and β-1,3-d-glucan, is a promising tool.
Does Heart Rate Variability Biofeedback Enhance Executive Functions Across the Lifespan? A Systematic Review
Authors: Tinello Doriana , Kliegel Matthias , Zuber Sascha
Published: June 2021

The scope of this systematic review was to summarize the existing literature on the effects of heart rate variability biofeedback (HRV-BF) on executive functions (EFs) across the lifespan. Specifically, it aimed to investigate the factors that may affect the efficacy of HRV-BF interventions, such as the study population, duration and intensity of the intervention, or the technical equipment. This review was conducted according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies that measured and presented at least one EF were included. We included controlled and uncontrolled trials involving clinical and general populations. From the initial list of 137 papers, 16 final studies were reviewed, with 777 participants. Fifty-six percent of the studies included in this review reported significant positive effects of HRV-BF intervention on at least one EF. Attention was the domain that most often benefited from the intervention. The majority of EF improvements (78%) occurred in studies that addressed patient populations or individuals that may present particular profiles: individuals exposed to stress, professional athletes, war veterans, children and adults with ADHD, and clinical older patients. The remaining studies (22%) that reported significant improvements focused on the general population. Efficacy was neither related to the duration or intensity of the intervention nor related to the technical equipment. Overall, our review shows that HRV-BF may be beneficial (a) to increase attentional skills, inhibition, and working memory and (b) when targeting more vulnerable individuals or individuals with particular profiles. However, further development of standardized, controlled protocols and consistent reporting of effect sizes may contribute to establishing the relevance of HRV-BF biofeedback interventions within the field of cognitive enhancement.
Corrosion performance of graphene oxide coated 304 SS in PEMFC environment
Authors: Mandal Pramod , Usha Kiran N , Chanda Uttam K , Pati Soobhankar , Roy Sudesna
Published: June 2021

In this work, an electrophoretic deposition technique was used to deposit graphene oxide (GO) on 304 stainless steel. Its corrosion performance was evaluated in a simulated polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell environment. The corrosion current density (icorr) and interfacial contact resistance (ICR) were measured at 8.9 µA/cm2 and 19.3 mΩ cm2, respectively. The icorr of GO coated 304SS is several orders lower than bare SS 304. Similarly, the ICR of GO coated 304SS is nearly half of bare 304SS at a compaction pressure of 150 N/cm2. The potentiodynamic polarization plot indicates the prevalence of multiple corrosion mechanisms. A prolonged corrosion study for 30 days immersed in the simulated PEM cell environment shows the formation of rounded pits that corroborate the activity of pitting corrosion.
Convergence structures and locally solid topologies on vector lattices of operators
Authors: Deng Yang , de Jeu Marcel
Published: June 2021

For vector lattices E and F, where F is Dedekind complete and supplied with a locally solid topology, we introduce the corresponding locally solid absolute strong operator topology on the order bounded operators $${\mathscr{L}}_{\mathrm{ob}}(E,F)$$

L
ob

(
E
,
F
)

from E into F. Using this, it follows that $${\mathscr{L}}_{\mathrm{ob}}(E,F)$$

L
ob

(
E
,
F
)

admits a Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology whenever F does. For each of order convergence, unbounded order convergence, and—when applicable—convergence in the Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology, there are both a uniform and a strong convergence structure on $${\mathscr{L}}_{\mathrm{ob}}(E,F)$$

L
ob

(
E
,
F
)

. Of the six conceivable inclusions within these three pairs, only one is generally valid. On the orthomorphisms of a Dedekind complete vector lattice, however, five are generally valid, and the sixth is valid for order bounded nets. The latter condition is redundant in the case of sequences of orthomorphisms, as a consequence of a uniform order boundedness principle for orthomorphisms that we establish. We furthermore show that, in contrast to general order bounded operators, orthomorphisms preserve not only order convergence of nets, but unbounded order convergence and—when applicable—convergence in the Hausdorff uo-Lebesgue topology as well.
Topology change, emergent symmetries and compact star matter
Authors: Ma Yong-Liang , Rho Mannque
Published: June 2021

Topology effects have being extensively studied and confirmed in strongly correlated condensed matter physics. In the limit of large number of colors, baryons can be regarded as topological objects—skyrmions—and the baryonic matter can be regarded as a skyrmion matter. We review in this paper the generalized effective field theory for dense compact-star matter constructed with the robust inputs obtained from the skyrmion approach to dense nuclear matter, relying on possible “emergent” scale and local flavor symmetries at high density. All nuclear matter properties from the saturation density n0 up to several times n0 can be fairly well described. A uniquely novel—and unorthdox—feature of this theory is the precocious appearance of the pseudo-conformal sound velocity $v^{2}_{s}/c^{2} \approx 1/3$

v

s

2

/

c

2

≈
1
/
3
, with the non-vanishing trace of the energy momentum tensor of the system. The topology change encoded in the density scaling of low energy constants is interpreted as the quark-hadron continuity in the sense of Cheshire Cat Principle (CCP) at density $\gtrsim 2n_{0}$
≳
2

n

0

in accessing massive compact stars. We confront the approach with the data from GW170817 and GW190425.
When Ideas Matter
Authors: Baloch Bilal A.
Published: June 2021

Comparativist scholarship conventionally gives unbridled primacy to external, material interests–chiefly votes and rents–as proximately shaping political behaviour. These logics tend to explicate elite decision-making around elections and pork barrel politics but fall short in explaining political conduct during credibility crises, such as democratic governments facing anti-corruption movements. In these instances, Baloch shows, elite ideas, for example concepts of the nation or technical diagnoses of socioeconomic development, dominate policymaking. Scholars leverage these arguments in the fields of international relations, American politics, and the political economy of development. But an account of ideas activating or constraining executive action in developing democracies, where material pressures are high, is found wanting. Resting on fresh archival research and over 120 original elite interviews, When Ideas Matter traces where ideas come from, how they are chosen, and when they are most salient for explaining political behaviour in India and similar contexts.
On the automorphism group of minimal -adic subshifts of finite alphabet rank
Authors: ESPINOZA BASTIÁN , MAASS ALEJANDRO
Published: June 2021

It has been recently proved that the automorphism group of a minimal subshift with non-superlinear word complexity is virtually
$\mathbb {Z}$
[Cyr and Kra. The automorphism group of a shift of linear growth: beyond transitivity. Forum Math. Sigma3 (2015), e5; Donoso et al. On automorphism groups of low complexity subshifts. Ergod. Th. & Dynam. Sys.36(1) (2016), 64–95]. In this article we extend this result to a broader class proving that the automorphism group of a minimal
$\mathcal {S}$
-adic subshift of finite alphabet rank is virtually
$\mathbb {Z}$
. The proof is based on a fine combinatorial analysis of the asymptotic classes in this type of subshifts, which we prove are a finite number.
Partisan Dislocation: A Precinct-Level Measure of Representation and Gerrymandering
Authors: DeFord Daryl R. , Eubank Nicholas , Rodden Jonathan
Published: June 2021

We introduce a fine-grained measure of the extent to which electoral districts combine and split local communities of co-partisans in unnatural ways. Our indicator—which we term Partisan Dislocation—is a measure of the difference between the partisan composition of a voter’s geographic nearest neighbors and that of her assigned district. We show that our measure is a good local and global indicator of district manipulation, easily identifying instances in which districts carve up clusters of co-partisans (cracking) or combine them in unnatural ways (packing). We demonstrate that our measure is related to but distinct from other approaches to the measurement of gerrymandering, and has some clear advantages, above all as a complement to simulation-based approaches, and as a way to identify the specific neighborhoods most affected by gerrymandering. It can also be used prospectively by district-drawers who wish to create maps that reflect voter geography, but according to our analysis, that goal will sometimes be in conflict with the goal of partisan fairness.
Associations between body shape across the life course and adulthood concentrations of sex hormones in men and pre- and postmenopausal women: a multicohort study
Authors: Chen Ya-Wen , Hang Dong , Kværner Ane S. , Giovannucci Edward , Song Mingyang
Published: June 2021

The objective was to investigate associations between life-course adiposity and sex hormone concentrations: trajectory of adiposity from age 5 to 40 (premenopausal)/60 (postmenopausal women and men) in relation to levels of oestrone (E1), oestradiol (E2), sex hormone-binding globulins (SHBG), testosterone in 4801 premenopausal and 6019 postmenopausal women in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and NHS II, and 2431 men in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. We used group-based trajectory models to identify groups within each cohort based on recalled somatotypes and reported BMI. Multivariate linear regression models were used to compare sex hormone concentration across different trajectory groups. The mean age at blood draw was 64·1 ± 8·1 years for men, 59·4 ± 6·0 for postmenopausal and 44·1 ± 4·6 for premenopausal women. In men, compared with the medium-stable group, lean-marked increase and medium increase groups had lower levels of SHBG (percentage difference: −17 and −9 %) and testosterone (−15 and −13 %). In postmenopausal women, compared with the medium-stable group, lean-marked increase and medium increase groups had higher levels of E1 (21 and 34 %) and E2 (45 and 68 %) but lower level of SHBG (–29 and −35 %). In premenopausal women, compared with the lean-moderate increase group, medium-stable/increase and heavy-stable/increase groups had lower levels of SHBG (–6 and −28 %). Attained adulthood adiposity and middle-life weight gain were associated with lower SHBG and testosterone in men, higher E1 and E2 and lower SHBG in postmenopausal women, and lower SHBG in premenopausal women. The study indicates the importance of maintaining a healthy body weight throughout life course for homoeostasis of sex hormones.
THE OSSIFIED DEBATE ON A UN CONVENTION ON STATE RESPONSIBILITY
Authors: Sarvarian Arman
Published: June 2021

This article examines the developments on future action concerning the 2001 ILC Articles on the Responsibility of States for Internationally Wrongful Acts (ARSIWA) in the Sixth Committee of the UN General Assembly. It reviews the past 20 years, from the presentation of the final draft at the 56th session in 2001, to the most recent debate at the 74th session in 2019. In scrutinising the procedural actions taken over the relevant period, it argues that the ARSIWA have ossified in the Sixth Committee even as they have continued to gain authority through application in practice. This ossification is due not only to divisions amongst delegations on future action but also to disagreements on a select number of provisions. Whilst these substantive issues have narrowed, debate is made fruitless by entrenched positions that do not take account of the application of the ARSIWA in practice.
Crinitostella laguardai, new genus and species of wood-dwelling deep-sea sea-star (Asteroidea: Caymanostellidae) from the Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Martin-Cao-Romero Carolina , Solís-Marín Francisco Alonso , Bribiesca-Contreras Guadalupe
Published: June 2021

The Caymanostellidae is a family of rarely encountered wood-dwelling deep-sea sea-stars, with only six species, in two genera, described to date. During the COBERPES 5 expedition on board the RV ‘Justo Sierra’, off Tabasco, Gulf of Mexico in 2013, 12 specimens were recovered from a single piece of sunken wood. Herein we describe a new genus and species of caymanostellid, Crinitostella laguardai gen. nov., sp. nov. This species represents the shallowest known caymanostellid (418–427 m depth), and the first known occurrence of the Caymanostellidae from the Gulf of Mexico. The family Caymanostellidae displays affinities with several groups, such as Asterinidae and Korethrasteridae, making it difficult to infer its phylogenetic position evidenced by the myriad of contrasting phylogenetic hypotheses proposed. In an attempt to shed some light on the phylogenetic relationships of the family, sequences of nuclear and mitochondrial DNA of the new species were generated and combined with published data. As previously suggested, caymanostellids seem to be part of valvatacean polytomy rather than velatids.
The English referencing behaviors of first- and second-grade Spanish–English emergent bilinguals in oral narrative retells
Authors: Lucero Audrey , Donley Kevin , Bermúdez Bobbie
Published: June 2021

This study investigated differences in the English referencing behaviors in the context of oral narrative retell between typically developing first- and second-grade Spanish–English emergent bilingual children in dual language immersion and English-only instructional contexts (N = 105). Children heard and retold Mercer Mayer wordless picture books, and analyses were conducted to examine how they used nominals and pronominals to maintain and switch reference to potential thematic protagonists in the story. Multivariate analysis of variance showed significant grade-level differences in the proportion of pronominals used to switch and maintain reference to BOY/S (boy and dog or frog), as well as to switch to BOY. In contrast, instructional context differences were significant only for reference to the DOG or FROG. The finding that second graders in both dual language immersion and English-only programs continued to demonstrate an overreliance on pronominal forms to switch reference in a second language suggests that differences in literacy and oral language development may extend beyond the grades that we investigated. It is therefore important to continue investigating the referencing behaviors of emergent bilingual children throughout the elementary years of schooling.
Consensus in networks of uncertain robot manipulators without using neighbors’ velocity information
Authors: Almodarresi Seyed Mostafa , Kamali Marzieh , Sheikholeslam Farid
Published: June 2021

In this paper, new distributed adaptive methods are proposed for solving both leaderless and leader–follower consensus problems in networks of uncertain robot manipulators, by estimating only the gravitational torque forces. Comparing with the existing adaptive methods, which require the estimation of the whole dynamics, presented methods reduce the excitation levels required for efficient parameter search, the convergence time, and the complexity of the regressor. Additionally, proposed schemes eliminate the need for velocity information exchange between the agents. Global asymptotic synchronization is shown by introducing new Lyapunov functions. Simulation results are provided for a network of 10 4-DOF robot manipulators.
Disparity in Gender Representation of Speakers at National Emergency Medical Services Conferences: A Current Assessment and Proposed Path Forward
Authors: Davic Alexandra , Carey Erin , Lambert Erin , Luckingham Therese , Mongiello Nikki , Peralta Randi , Puccio Nicolina , Rivera Kimberly , Torre Kirsten , Maloney Lauren M.
Published: June 2021

Introduction:

Gender disparities between Emergency Medicine physicians with regards to salary, promotion, and scholarly recognition as national conference speakers have been well-documented. However, little is known if similar gender disparities impact their out-of-hospital Emergency Medical Services (EMS) colleagues. Although there have been improvements in the ratio of women entering the EMS workforce, gender representation has improved at a slower rate for paramedics compared to emergency medical technicians (EMTs). Since recruitment, retention, and advancement of females within a specialty have been associated with the visibility of prominent, respected female leaders, gender disparity of these leaders as national conference speakers may contribute to the “leaky pipeline effect” seen within the EMS profession. Gender representation of these speakers has yet to be described objectively.

Study Objective:

The primary objective of this study was to determine if disparity exists in gender representation of speakers at well-known national EMS conferences and trade shows in the United States (US) from 2016-2020. The secondary objective was to determine if males were more likely than females to return to a conference as a speaker in subsequent years.

Methods:

A cross-sectional analysis of programs from well-known national conferences, specifically for EMS providers, which were held in the US from 2016-2020 was performed. Programs were abstracted for type of conference session (pre-conference, keynote, main conference) and speakers’ names. Speaker gender (male, female) was confirmed via internet search.

Results:

Seventeen conference programs were obtained with 1,709 conference sessions that had a total of 2,731 listed speaker names, of whom 537 (20%) were female. A total of 30 keynote addresses had 39 listed speaker names of whom six (15%) were female. No significant difference was observed in the number of years males returned to present at the same conference as compared to females.

Conclusion:

Gender representation of speakers at national EMS conferences in the US is not reflective of the current best estimate of the US EMS workforce. This disparity exists not only in the overall percent of female names listed as speakers, but also in the percent of individual female speakers, and is most pronounced within keynote speakers. Online lecture platforms, as an unintentional consequent of the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with intentional speaker development and mentorship initiatives, may reduce barriers to facilitating a new pipeline for more females to become speakers at national EMS conferences.
Story Memory Impairment Rates and Association with Hippocampal Volumes in a Memory Clinic Population
Authors: Wong Christina G. , Jeffers Sharlene L. , Bell Samantha A. , Caldwell Jessica Z.K. , Banks Sarah J. , Miller Justin B.
Published: June 2021

Objective:

Story memory tasks are among the most commonly used memory tests; however, research suggests they may be less sensitive to memory decline and have a weaker association with hippocampal volumes than list learning tasks. To examine its utility, we compared story memory to other memory tests on impairment rates and association with hippocampal volumes.

Method:

Archival records from 1617 older adults (Mage = 74.41, range = 65–93) who completed the Wechsler Memory Scale – 4th edition (WMS-IV) Logical Memory (LM), Hopkins Verbal Learning Test – Revised (HVLT-R), and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test – Revised (BVMT-R) as part of a clinical neuropsychological evaluation were reviewed. Scores >1.5 SD below age-adjusted means were considered impaired, and frequency distributions were used to examine impairment rates. A subset of participants (n = 179) had magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data that underwent image quality assessment. Partial correlations and linear regression analyses, accounting for age, education, and total intracranial volume (TIV), examined associations between memory raw scores and hippocampal volumes.

Results:

For delayed recall, nearly half of the sample was impaired on HVLT-R (48.8%) and BVMT-R (46.1%), whereas a little more than a third was impaired on LM (35.7%). Better performance on all three measures was related to larger hippocampal volumes (r’s =. 26–.43, p’s < .001). Individually adding memory scores to regression models predicting hippocampal volumes improved the model fit for all measures.

Conclusions:

Despite findings suggesting that story memory is less sensitive to memory dysfunction, it was not differentially associated with hippocampal volumes compared to other memory measures. Results support assessing memory using different formats and modalities in older adults.
Gatekeeper Training and Minimum Standards of Competency
Authors: Hawgood Jacinta , Woodward Alan , Quinnett Paul , De Leo Diego
Published: June 2021

Abstract. Gatekeeper training (GKT) is one of the most widely used suicide prevention strategies. It involves training people who are not necessarily clinicians to be able to identify people experiencing suicidality and refer them to appropriate services. While there is a dearth of research that supports the causal link between GKT and reduced suicide rates, this is likely the result of a variety of factors including training design, definitions of “gatekeepers,” differing populations in which the gatekeeper (GK) operates, and other variables that may influence suicide rates. Despite this, research suggests that GKT improves people's knowledge, skills, and confidence in helping individuals who experience suicidal ideation and enhances positive beliefs about the efficacy of suicide prevention. However, there is no consensus on GK competencies to allow differences in effectiveness between various training programs to be measured, that is, knowledge, skills and abilities, attitudes, and self-efficacy attributes expected of a person resulting from the training. This paper discusses challenges in developing GK competencies. It uses developments in suicide prevention competencies for clinicians, vocational education, and training sector competencies, as well as empirical work in GKT, to propose minimum GK competencies that may be examined for further research and evaluation of programs.
Food Security Lessons from the Vikings
Authors: Dacey James
Published: June 2021

Scandinavian societies of the first millennium adapted their farming practices to volcano-driven climate changes.
Determination of Vapor and Momentum Roughness Lengths Above an Undulating Soil Surface Based on PIV‐Measured Velocity Profiles
Authors: Gao Bo , Coltman Edward , Farnsworth John , Helmig Rainer , Smits Kathleen M.
Published: June 2021

Accurately predicting bare‐soil evaporation requires the proper characterization of the near‐surface atmospheric conditions. These conditions, dependent on factors such as surface microtopography and wind velocity, vary greatly and therefore require high‐resolution datasets to be fully incorporated into evaporation models. These factors are oftentimes parameterized in models through the aerodynamic resistance (ra), in which the vapor roughness length (z0v) and the momentum roughness length (z0m) are two crucial parameters that describe the transport near the soil‐atmosphere interface. Typically, when evaluating bare‐soil evaporation, these two characteristic lengths are assumed equal, although differences are likely to occur especially in turbulent flows over undulating surfaces. Thus, this study aims to investigate the relationship between z0v and z0m above undulating surfaces to ultimately improve accuracy in estimating evaporation rate. To achieve this goal, four uniquely designed wind tunnel—soil tank experiments were conducted considering different wind speeds and undulation spacings. Particle image velocimetry (PIV) was used to measure the velocity field above the undulating surface in high resolution. Using the high‐fidelity data set, the logarithmic ratio of z0v to z0m is determined and used to estimate ra. Results confirm that these lengths differ significantly, with the logarithmic ratio roughly ranging from −15 to −5 under the conditions tested. PIV‐measured results demonstrate this ratio is closely tied to the mass and momentum transport behaviors influenced by surface undulations. Using the data‐integrated formulation of ra, predictions of evaporation rate were prepared for both the laboratory and lysimeter experiments, demonstrating the efficacy of the proposed approach in this study.
Urinary sediment microRNAs can be used as potential noninvasive biomarkers for diagnosis, reflecting the severity and prognosis of diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Han Qiuxia , Zhang Youcai , Jiao Tingting , Li Qi , Ding Xiaonan , Zhang Dong , Cai Guangyan , Zhu Hanyu
Published: June 2021

Background

Patients with both diabetes mellitus (DM) and kidney disease could have diabetic nephropathy (DN) or non-diabetic renal disease (NDRD). IgA nephropathy (IgAN) and membranous nephropathy (MN) are the major types of NDRD. No ideal noninvasive diagnostic model exists for differentiating them. Our study sought to construct diagnostic models for these diseases and to identify noninvasive biomarkers that can reflect the severity and prognosis of DN.

Methods

The diagnostic models were constructed using logistic regression analysis and were validated in an external cohort by receiver operating characteristic curve analysis method. The associations between these microRNAs and disease severity and prognosis were explored using Pearson correlation analysis, Cox regression, Kaplan–Meier survival curves, and log-rank tests.

Results

Our diagnostic models showed that miR-95-3p, miR-185-5p, miR-1246, and miR-631 could serve as simple and noninvasive tools to distinguish patients with DM, DN, DM with IgAN, and DM with MN. The areas under the curve of the diagnostic models for the four diseases were 0.995, 0.863, 0.859, and 0.792, respectively. The miR-95-3p level was positively correlated with the estimated glomerular filtration rate (p < 0.001) but was negatively correlated with serum creatinine (p < 0.01), classes of glomerular lesions (p < 0.05), and scores of interstitial and vascular lesions (p < 0.05). However, the miR-631 level was positively correlated with proteinuria (p < 0.001). A low miR-95-3p level and a high miR-631 level increased the risk of progression to end-stage renal disease (p = 0.002, p = 0.011).

Conclusions

These four microRNAs could be noninvasive tools for distinguishing patients with DN and NDRD. The levels of miR-95-3p and miR-631 could reflect the severity and prognosis of DN.
Molecular mechanisms underpinning sarcomas and implications for current and future therapy
Authors: Damerell Victoria , Pepper Michael S. , Prince Sharon
Published: June 2021

Sarcomas are complex mesenchymal neoplasms with a poor prognosis. Their clinical management is highly challenging due to their heterogeneity and insensitivity to current treatments. Although there have been advances in understanding specific genomic alterations and genetic mutations driving sarcomagenesis, the underlying molecular mechanisms, which are likely to be unique for each sarcoma subtype, are not fully understood. This is in part due to a lack of consensus on the cells of origin, but there is now mounting evidence that they originate from mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs). To identify novel treatment strategies for sarcomas, research in recent years has adopted a mechanism-based search for molecular markers for targeted therapy which has included recapitulating sarcomagenesis using in vitro and in vivo MSC models. This review provides a comprehensive up to date overview of the molecular mechanisms that underpin sarcomagenesis, the contribution of MSCs to modelling sarcomagenesis in vivo, as well as novel topics such as the role of epithelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EMT)/mesenchymal-to-epithelial-transition (MET) plasticity, exosomes, and microRNAs in sarcomagenesis. It also reviews current therapeutic options including ongoing pre-clinical and clinical studies for targeted sarcoma therapy and discusses new therapeutic avenues such as targeting recently identified molecular pathways and key transcription factors.
Revealing thermally-activated nucleation pathways of diffusionless solid-to-solid transition
Authors: Li Minhuan , Yue Zhengyuan , Chen Yanshuang , Tong Hua , Tanaka Hajime , Tan Peng
Published: June 2021

Solid-to-solid transitions usually occur via athermal nucleation pathways on pre-existing defects due to immense strain energy. However, the extent to which athermal nucleation persists under low strain energy comparable to the interface energy, and whether thermally-activated nucleation is still possible are mostly unknown. To address these questions, the microscopic observation of the transformation dynamics is a prerequisite. Using a charged colloidal system that allows the triggering of an fcc-to-bcc transition while enabling in-situ single-particle-level observation, we experimentally find both athermal and thermally-activated pathways controlled by the softness of the parent crystal. In particular, we reveal three new transition pathways: ingrain homogeneous nucleation driven by spontaneous dislocation generation, heterogeneous nucleation assisted by premelting grain boundaries, and wall-assisted growth. Our findings reveal the physical principles behind the system-dependent pathway selection and shed light on the control of solid-to-solid transitions through the parent phase’s softness and defect landscape.
Characterising lithium-ion electrolytes via operando Raman microspectroscopy
Authors: Fawdon Jack , Ihli Johannes , Mantia Fabio La , Pasta Mauro
Published: June 2021

Knowledge of electrolyte transport and thermodynamic properties in Li-ion and beyond Li-ion technologies is vital for their continued development and success. Here, we present a method for fully characterising electrolyte systems. By measuring the electrolyte concentration gradient over time via operando Raman microspectroscopy, in tandem with potentiostatic electrochemical impedance spectroscopy, the Fickian “apparent” diffusion coefficient, transference number, thermodynamic factor, ionic conductivity and resistance of charge-transfer were quantified within a single experimental setup. Using lithium bis(fluorosulfonyl)imide (LiFSI) in tetraglyme (G4) as a model system, our study provides a visualisation of the electrolyte concentration gradient; a method for determining key electrolyte properties, and a necessary technique for correlating bulk intermolecular electrolyte structure with the described transport and thermodynamic properties.
Increased risk of acute kidney injury in coronavirus disease patients with renin–angiotensin–aldosterone-system blockade use: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Lee Sul A , Park Robin , Yang Ji Hyun , Min In Kyung , Park Jung Tak , Han Seung Hyeok , Kang Shin-Wook , Yoo Tae-Hyun
Published: June 2021

Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a severe complication of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) that negatively affects its outcome. Concern had been raised about the potential effect of renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system (RAAS) blockades on renal outcomes in COVID-19 patients. However, the association between RAAS blockade use and incident AKI in COVID-19 patients has not been fully understood. We investigated the association between RAAS blockade exposure and COVID-19-related AKI in hospitalized patients through meta-analysis. Electronic databases were searched up to 24th December 2020. Summary estimates of pooled odds ratio (OR) of COVID-19-related AKI depending on RAAS blockade exposure were obtained through random-effects model. The random-effect meta-analysis on fourteen studies (17,876 patients) showed that RAAS blockade use was significantly associated with increased risk of incident AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients (OR 1.68; 95% confidence interval 1.19–2.36). Additional analysis showed that the association of RAAS blockade use on COVID-19-related AKI remains significant even after stratification by drug class and AKI severity. RAAS blockade use is significantly associated with the incident AKI in hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Therefore, careful monitoring of renal complications is recommended for COVID-19 patients with recent RAAS blockade use due to the potential risk of AKI.