bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Trade-Off Negotiation Strategy for Pareto-Optimal Service Composition with Additive QoS-constraints
Authors: Di Napoli Claudia , Rossi Silvia
Published: September 2020

QoS-based service composition enables the development of complex business applications. They are composed of distributed services characterized by QoS attributes representing non-functional characteristics, such as cost, execution time, and reliability. With the proliferation of services on the Internet, more candidates for each component service may be available with different QoS values. Hence, the ones satisfying QoS global constraints required for the application have to be selected. Automated negotiation is adopted to select component services in a dynamic market of services where provided QoS values may vary according to different market strategies. Nevertheless, when dealing with multiple QoS attributes, multiple service providers, and not shared information, it is difficult to guarantee the formal properties of the negotiation outcomes. In the present work, we propose a trade-off negotiation strategy that allows reaching a Pareto-optimal agreement, if it exists. The agreement consists of the QoS values of component services that are the ones selected to provide the complete application. The strategy exploits both the competition, that is due to multiple services providing the same functionality with different QoS values, and the cooperation among the providers of the different component services, that are necessary to meet the required end-to-end QoS constraints.
Simulation of THz Oscillations in Semiconductor Devices Based on Balance Equations
Authors: Linn Tobias , Bittner Kai , Brachtendorf Hans Georg , Jungemann Christoph
Published: September 2020

Instabilities of electron plasma waves in high-mobility semiconductor devices have recently attracted a lot of attention as a possible candidate for closing the THz gap. Conventional moments-based transport models usually neglect time derivatives in the constitutive equations for vectorial quantities, resulting in parabolic systems of partial differential equations (PDE). To describe plasma waves however, such time derivatives need to be included, resulting in hyperbolic rather than parabolic systems of PDEs; thus the fundamental nature of these equation systems is changed completely. Additional nonlinear terms render the existing numerical stabilization methods for semiconductor simulation practically useless. On the other hand there are plenty of numerical methods for hyperbolic systems of PDEs in the form of conservation laws. Standard numerical schemes for conservation laws, however, are often either incapable of correctly handling the large source terms present in semiconductor devices due to built-in electric fields, or rely heavily on variable transformations which are specific to the equation system at hand (e.g. the shallow water equations), and can not be generalized easily to different equations. In this paper we develop a novel well-balanced numerical scheme for hyperbolic systems of PDEs with source terms and apply it to a simple yet non-linear electron transport model.
Etazene (N,N-diethyl-2-{[(4-ethoxyphenyl)methyl]-1H-benzimidazol-1-yl}-ethan-1-amine (dihydrochloride)): a novel benzimidazole opioid NPS identified in seized material: crystal structure and spectroscopic characterization
Authors: Siczek Marta , Zawadzki Marcin , Siczek Miłosz , Chłopaś-Konowałek Agnieszka , Szpot Paweł
Published: September 2020

Purpose

The aim of the study was to present the spectroscopic characteristics and crystal structure of the etazene—a benzimidazole opioid, which appeared on the illegal drug market in Poland in the last weeks.

Methods

The title compound was analyzed by X-ray crystallography as well as gas and liquid chromatography combined with mass spectrometry. Spectroscopic techniques have also been used, such as nuclear magnetic resonance, infrared and ultraviolet-visible spectroscopies.

Results

We presented the identification and the broad chemical characterization of etazene, a synthetic opioid that has recently been introduced on the illegal drug market.

Conclusions

In this paper, we described single-crystal X-ray, chromatographic and spectroscopic characterization of a synthetic opioid that emerged on the new psychoactive substance (NPS) market in Poland. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first full characterization of etazene. Analytical data presented in the work can be helpful in identification and detection of the NPS in forensic and clinical laboratories.
Dimethylamine oxidation by homogenic (Fe+2 and UV) and heterogenic (CuO) activated peroxydisulfate
Authors: Rykowska I. , Andrzejewski P. , Wolski R. , Dabrowska A.
Published: September 2020

Oxidation of water or wastewaters with classical oxidants such as chloramine, chlorine dioxide, ozone or permanganate may lead to formation of carcinogenic N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA), when dimethylamine (DMA) is present as water pollution. This study shows that peroxydisulfate (PDS) could be considered as relatively ‘safe’ oxidant as PDS partly destroys dimethylamine without formation of NDMA. Prior to use, peroxydisulfate was activated. Metal ions Fe+2, UV radiation and metal oxides CuO were compared as activator compounds to understand their efficiency in PDS systems (radical and non-radical) for oxidation of DMA. The amount of nitrate formed as the result of nitrogen oxidation, as well as formaldehyde (FA), formed as the result of methyl groups oxidation, was monitored as an indicator of DMA degradation. Application studies conducted on natural water showed that activated peroxydisulfate can effectively protect against the undesirable NDMA formation.
Seasonal participation in maize markets in Zambia: Do agricultural input subsidies and gender matter?
Authors: Simtowe Franklin , De Groote Hugo
Published: September 2020

This paper uses data from 1128 households drawn from 35 districts, three agroecological zones and five provinces in Zambia to explore the influence of gender and other parameters on seasonal maize market participation. We apply a multivariate regression and the Blinder-Oaxaca decomposition technique to identify determinants of seasonal market participation and to decompose the differences in market participation outcomes between male headed and female headed households, respectively. About 10% of the households were ‘selling low and buying high’ which, through the supply enhancement effect, fertiliser subsidies and credit, enhanced maize selling soon after harvest while reducing the propensity to purchase in the lean season, an indication of the positive effect on food self-sufficiency. Significant market participation gaps were observed between male and female headed households in both seasons, with more female headed households purchasing maize soon after harvest and less of it in the lean season than their male counterparts. These differences were attributable to endowment effects. The study recommends policies that promote equitable access to production resources, such as the land, in order to reduce the gaps in market participation between men and women and for them to take advantage of the inter-seasonal maize price movements.
Who talks to whom: an evaluation of a call log visualization
Authors: Riegler Valerie , Wang Lina , Doppler-Haider Johanna , Pohl Margit
Published: September 2020

Adding temporal information to social network visualizations is still a challenging task despite previous research efforts. Visualizing call logs on an event-based level can show various attributes of a connection. The dimension time is of great interest to analysts as it offers insights into trends and patterns such as changing relationships between different actors or economic opportunities for businesses. Yet current approaches suffer from limitations that can be improved with the visualization design presented in this work. Our presented visualization was developed considering aesthetic criteria and characteristics of adjacency matrices and node-link diagrams. A heuristic evaluation according to these criteria was conducted. In a formative evaluation process, an artificial dataset was specifically created to examine dynamic social networks. A qualitative user study with observation and think-aloud protocols was conducted and analyzed with regard to the user’s strategies, limitations of the visualization and potential additional features. The visualization appears to be suitable for all of the evaluated network tasks; however, path-related tasks were more challenging than other tasks.

Graphical abstract
Integrated reservoir characterization and fluid flow distribution of the Kaimiro Formation, Taranaki Basin, New Zealand
Authors: Shalaby Mohamed Ragab , Binti Sapri Syamimi Hana , Islam Md Aminul
Published: September 2020

An integrated reservoir characterization study is achieved on the Early to Middle Miocene Kaimiro Formation in the Taranaki Basin, New Zealand, to identify the quality of the formation as a potential reservoir.
The Kaimiro Formation is a section of the Kapuni Group in the Taranaki Basin, consisting mainly of sandstone and a range of coastal plain through shallow marine facies. Several methods were accomplished for this study: petrophysical evaluation, sedimentological and petrographical descriptions and well log analysis. Based on the petrophysical study, the Kaimiro Formation is interpreted to have several flow units ranges up to 15 μm. Higher RQI and FZI reflect potential reservoir, while the pore size and pore throat diameters (r35) are found to be within the range of macro- and megapores, on the contrary to macropores related to poor reservoir quality concentrated in Tui-1 well. This is in good agreement with other measurements that show the formation is exhibited to be a good promising reservoir as the formation comprises a good average porosity of 19.6% and a good average permeability of 879.45 mD. The sedimentological and petrographical studies display that several diagenetic features have been affecting the formation such as compaction, cementation, dissolution and the presence of authigenic clay minerals. Although these features commonly occur, the impact on the reservoir properties and quality is minor as primary and secondary pores are still observed within the Kaimiro sandstone. Moreover, well log analysis is also completed to further ensure the hydrocarbon potential of the formation through a qualitative and quantitative analysis. It has been confirmed that the Kaimiro Formation is a promising reservoir containing several flow units with higher possibility for storage capacity.
On the Famous Traditional Chinese Medicine “Fu Zi”: Discovery, Research, and Development of Cardioactive Constituent Mesaconine
Authors: Wang Feng-Peng , Chao Ruo-Bing
Published: September 2020

This review summarizes the process of the discovery, research, and development of a cardioactive component, mesaconine, from the lateral roots of Aconitum carmichaelii (“Fu Zi”). To date, pre-clinical showed that mesaconine is a novel type of cardiotonic lead drug with relatively high potency, low toxicity, and a new mechanism.

Graphic Abstract
Detecting and Recognizing Outliers in Datasets via Linguistic Information and Type-2 Fuzzy Logic
Authors: Niewiadomski Adam , Duraj Agnieszka
Published: September 2020

Uncertainty appearing in datasets (stochastic, linguistic, of measurements, etc.), if not handled properly, may negatively affect information analysis or retrieval procedures. One of possible methods of dealing with uncertain (rare, strange, unexampled) data is to treat them as “outliers” or “exceptions”. Among different definitions and algorithms for detecting outliers, we are especially interested in those based on linguistic information represented with type-2 fuzzy logic. We introduce new definitions of outliers in datasets in terms fuzzy properties and linguistically expressed quantities of objects possessing them. Next, new algorithms for detecting outlying objects are presented, to answer whether outliers appear in a dataset or not. Finally, recognition algorithms are presented and exemplified to enumerate particular objects being outliers (e.g., to eliminate them for further considerations). The novelty of this contribution is that we define, detect and recognize outliers using linguistic information represented mostly by type-2 fuzzy sets and logic (if any other information like measures or distances is not accessible), and we supersede this way some earlier approaches based on similar but relatively limited assumptions.
The problem with (most) network detection and response
Authors: Campfield Mike
Published: September 2020

There was once a time when real-time behavioural threat detection at the scale of modern corporate networks was a distant hope. Enterprises had to rely on security information and event management (SIEM) and endpoint detection and response (EDR) data to spot threats. While both categories could do part of the job, they were vulnerable to attacker countermeasures, and there was still a massive gap in network visibility.

Real-time behavioural threat detection at the scale of modern corporate networks was once a distant hope. Now we have network detection and response (NDR) solutions – but not all are equally capable.

Perhaps the most important issue is the static nature of many NDRs. Many NDR systems are more akin to intrusion detection and prevention systems, anchored to rules or signatures, sending out alerts based on simple pattern-matching. This is where machine learning can play a critical role, says Mike Campfield of ExtraHop.
The security implications of quantum cryptography and quantum computing
Authors: Cavaliere Fabio , Mattsson John , Smeets Ben
Published: September 2020

Classical cryptography relies on the assumption that nobody can solve a certain difficult mathematical problem in a realistic amount of time or rely on information theory arguments. Quantum cryptography relies instead on fundamental quantum physics laws. Using large quantum computers, one could break all classical asymmetric algorithms currently used for key distribution and digital signatures.

Quantum computing seems to threaten many of the encryption systems in use today, which assume that nobody can solve a difficult mathematical problem in a realistic amount of time.

Fabio Cavaliere, John Mattsson and Ben Smeets of Ericsson Research provide an overview of the technologies and protocols for Quantum key distribution (QKD) systems, discuss their security implications and examine standardisation activities for QKD networks. They also introduce quantum random number generators (QRNGs) as an important building block for both classical and quantum encryption systems, and address the security challenges posed by the advent of quantum computers.
Critical infrastructure under attack: lessons from a honeypot
Authors: Barak Israel
Published: September 2020

As its name suggests, critical infrastructure is just that – critical. It includes facilities, information, processes and systems upon which our society functions and depends – from energy and our water supply, to transport, election systems and the government. The health sector too is pivotal in supporting everyday citizens and never has this been clearer than today, in the midst of a pandemic.

Critical infrastructure includes facilities, information, processes and systems upon which our society functions and depends. And it is increasingly under attack.

To counter this threat, critical infrastructure operators should aim to minimise mean time to response when attacks occur. They also need to gain more visibility into their systems – particularly between the IT and OT environments. And security needs to be an intrinsic element in all OT systems, right from the initial design, argues Israel Barak, Cybereason.
Refined Radiocarbon Chronologies for Northern Iroquoian Site Sequences: Implications for Coalescence, Conflict, and the Reception of European Goods
Authors: Birch Jennifer , Manning Sturt W. , Sanft Samantha , Conger Megan Anne
Published: September 2020

This article presents results to date of the Dating Iroquoia project. Our objective is to develop high-precision radiocarbon chronologies for northeastern North American archaeology. Here, we employ Bayesian chronological modeling of 184 AMS radiocarbon dates derived from 42 Northern Iroquoian village sites in five regional sequences in order to construct new date estimates. The resulting revised chronology demands a rethinking of key assumptions about cultural process in the region regarding the directionality and timing of processes of coalescence and conflict and the introduction of European trade goods. The results suggest that internal conflict may have preceded confederacy formation among the Haudenosaunee but not the Wendat, as has been previously assumed. External conflict, previously thought to have begun in the early seventeenth century, began more than a century earlier. New data also indicate that the timing and distribution of European materials were more variable between communities than acknowledged by the logic underlying traditional trade-good chronologies. This enhanced chronological resolution permits the development and application of archaeological theories that center the lived experiences and relational histories of Iroquoian communities, as opposed to the generalized thinking that has dominated past explanatory frameworks.
Reperfusion Therapy for Acute Stroke in Pregnant and Post-Partum Women: A Canadian Survey
Authors: Uy Christopher E. , Gosselin-Lefebvre Stéphanie , Book Adam M. , Field Thalia S.
Published: September 2020

Background/objective:

A Canadian Stroke Best Practices consensus statement on Acute Stroke Management during pregnancy was published in 2018. The state of individual practice, however, is unknown.

Methods:

A survey on treatment of acute stroke in pregnant and post-partum women was distributed via the Canadian Stroke Consortium email list. Descriptive statistics (frequencies and proportions) were calculated for demographic and response variables and free-text responses were coded for thematic content.

Results:

Thirty-five participants completed the survey; 12 had experience with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA), endovascular therapy (EVT), or both in pregnant patients. None had treatment-related complications. The majority (92%) of those who had not yet encountered the issue in practice expressed some reservation about giving IV-tPA to an otherwise eligible pregnant woman. In a theoretical scenario where an otherwise eligible pregnant woman was a candidate for both IV-tPA and EVT, 58% of respondents would have opted for EVT alone. Amongst this cohort comprised mainly of stroke sub-specialists, more than a third had treated pregnant patients with reperfusion therapy.

Conclusions:

The reported safety experience with both IV-tPA and EVT was reassuring. Overall, there was a hesitancy towards use of IV-tPA in pregnancy that is discordant with the recent consensus statement. Possible barriers to uptake identified through thematic analysis were concerns regarding risks of bleeding in the pregnant patient, presence of EVT as a perceived alternative, and the need for express consent from the patient and family.
Pilot test of an accrual Common Metric for the NIH Clinical and Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Consortium: Metric usefulness
Authors: Peterson Laura E. , Daudelin Denise H. , Welch Lisa C. , Parajulee Anshu , Selker Harry P.
Published: September 2020

The Common Metrics Initiative aims to develop and field metrics to improve research processes within the national Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) Consortium. A Median Accrual Ratio (MAR) common metric was developed to assess the results of efforts to increase subject accrual into a set of clinical trials within the expected time period. A pilot test of the MAR was undertaken at Tufts Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI) with eight CTSA Consortium hubs. Post-pilot interviews were conducted with 9 CTSA Principal Investigators (PIs) and 23 pilot team members. Over three-quarters (78%) of respondents reported that the MAR could be useful for performance improvement, but also described limitations or concerns. The most commonly cited barrier to MAR use for performance improvement was difficulty in interpreting the single value that is produced. Most respondents were interested in using the MAR to assess recruitment at an individual trial level. Majority of respondents (63%) had mixed opinions about aggregating metric results across the CTSA Consortium for comparison or benchmarking. Collecting data about additional contextual factors, and comparing accrual between subgroups, were cited as potentially helping address concerns about aggregation. Significant challenges remain in ensuring that the MAR can be sufficiently useful for collaborative process improvement. We offer recommendations to potentially improve metric usefulness.
Fertility, migration, and altruism
Authors: Berman Eli , Rzakhanov Zaur
Published: September 2020

Migration is a human capital investment in which parents bear costs and children share returns. Therefore, migrants from a population with heterogeneous intergenerational discount rates will self-select on intergenerational altruism. Intergenerational altruism and fertility are arguably linked, therefore immigrants might self-select on eventual fertility. Soviet Jews who migrated to Israel despite high migration costs averaged almost one child more than members of the same birth cohorts who migrated later, at lower cost. Distinguishing selection from treatment effects using mothers' age at migration, selection accounts for most of that difference (the proportion varies with specification), even with controls for religion and religiosity. Selection on fertility may have other explanations, including cultural preservation. To probe, we conduct an alternative empirical test of immigrant selection on altruism, finding that U.S. immigrants spend more time with grandchildren than do natives. Additionally, immigrant self-selection on fertility provides an alternative explanation for Chiswick's (1978, Journal of Political Economy86(5), 897–921) earnings-overtaking result.
Social-Emotional Learning for Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum: High School Teachers’ Perspectives
Authors: Gardner Anita , Wong Michelle , Ratcliffe Belinda
Published: September 2020

Social-emotional learning (SEL) is key to student success. Teachers can effectively implement SEL programs to a variety of school populations, with demonstrated improvements in emotional, social, and academic outcomes. Research also suggests that SEL for students on the autism spectrum can result in improved outcomes. Although social-emotional difficulties are core characteristics of autism, there is a dearth of research identifying the SEL needs for high school students on the autism spectrum and how to meet these needs. The aim of this preliminary qualitative study was to explore teachers’ perceptions of SEL needs in a high school setting with adolescents on the autism spectrum. A focus group was conducted with 8 experienced teachers from mainstream and special needs settings. The thematic analysis identified 3 themes: (a) SEL needs of students on the autism spectrum, (b) teaching SEL in high school settings, and (c) gaps in SEL. The study also revealed suggestions for how a SEL program could be developed so that it best meets the needs of the teachers who would be implementing it. Outcomes from this study provide important insights into SEL in adolescents on the autism spectrum in special education and have practical implications for intervention models.
PARTITIONS OF WITH IDENTICAL REPRESENTATION FUNCTION
Authors: CHEN SHI-QIANG , YAN XIAO-HUI
Published: September 2020

For a given set
$S\subseteq \mathbb {Z}_m$
and
$\overline {n}\in \mathbb {Z}_m$
, let
$R_S(\overline {n})$
denote the number of solutions of the equation
$\overline {n}=\overline {s}+\overline {s'}$
with ordered pairs
$(\overline {s},\overline {s'})\in S^2$
. We determine the structure of
$A,B\subseteq \mathbb {Z}_m$
with
$|(A\cup B)\setminus (A\cap B)|=m-2$
such that
$R_{A}(\overline {n})=R_{B}(\overline {n})$
for all
$\overline {n}\in \mathbb {Z}_m$
, where m is an even integer.
The effectiveness of nutrition education programmes on improving dietary intake in athletes: a systematic review
Authors: Boidin Aimee , Tam Ryan , Mitchell Lachlan , Cox Gregory R. , O’Connor Helen
Published: September 2020

Nutrition education programmes for athletes aim to enhance nutrition knowledge and more importantly support positive dietary change to enhance performance, health and well-being. This systematic review assessed changes in the dietary intakes of athletes in response to nutrition education programmes. A search was conducted which included studies providing quantitative dietary intake assessment of athletes of any calibre aged between 12 and 65 years in response to a nutrition education programme. Standardised differences (effect sizes) were calculated (when possible) for each dietary parameter. The search yielded 6285 papers with twenty-two studies (974 participants (71·9 % female)) eligible for inclusion. Studies described athletes competing at high school (n3) through to college level or higher (n19). Study designs were either single arm with an intervention-only group (twelve studies;n241) or double arm including an intervention and control group (ten studies;n689). No control groups received an alternative or ‘sham’ intervention. Face-to-face lectures (9/22) and individual nutrition counselling (6/22) were the most common education interventions. Non-weighed, 3-d diet records (10/22) were the most frequently utilised dietary assessment method. Although 14/22 studies (n5 single andn9 double) reported significant change in at least one nutrition parameter, dietary changes were inconsistent. Poor study quality and heterogeneity of methods prohibit firm conclusions regarding overall intervention success or superior types of educational modalities. Of note, carbohydrate intakes ‘post-intervention’ when assessed often failed to meet recommended guidelines (12/17 studies). Given the substantial investment made in nutrition education interventions with athletes, there is a need for well-designed and rigorous research to inform future best practice.
Redemption of Land
Authors: Westbrook Raymond
Published: September 2020

The term of redemption, ge'ula, is widely used in the Bible. It basically denotes the rightful getting back of a person or object that had once belonged to one or to one's family but had been lost. In the laws this takes the form of avenging a relative's murder (“redemption of blood”), of buying back a relative from slavery, or a relative's land from an outsider. The term is also used of the commuting to money payments of offerings for sacrifice. In narrative, and in particular, prophetic texts the term is given a wider meaning. It denotes the saving òf a person from the clutches of his enemies by a powerful relative, usually God. The enemies may be foreign nations, creditors or even such abstract forces as sin or death. The idea of payment, which exists in some of the laws, retreats into the background. We must be careful, therefore, in examining the sources, to remember that the term ge'ula had not only several legal meanings but also had fairly general currency in the literature of Ancient Israel.
Marine and fungal biostimulants improve grain yield, nitrogen absorption and allocation in durum wheat plants
Authors: Laurent Eve-Anne , Ahmed Nawel , Durieu Céline , Grieu Philippe , Lamaze Thierry
Published: September 2020

Durum wheat culture requires a high level of N fertilization to achieve ideal protein concentration for semolina and pasta quality, contributing to N losses. Optimizing plant N use efficiency could improve agro-environmental balance. In the current paper, we studied the impact of the marine (DPI4913) and fungal (AF086) extracts (biostimulants) applied on leaves on growth, N absorption and N fluxes in durum wheat in field and greenhouse experiments. In the field, 15NO3− and 15NH4+ were injected into the soil; in the greenhouse, N of the flag-leaf was labelled with 15NH4+. Flag-leaf senescence was studied by estimating leaf chlorophyll concentration. In greenhouse, biostimulants increased grain yield, total N in plant and the proportion of plant N in ears. When water was limited in greenhouse experiment, neither biostimulants had any effect. In the field, DPI4913 increased soil fertilizer-derived 15N accumulated in grains. In the greenhouse, biostimulants increased the proportion of 15N applied to the flag-leaf recovered in grains and accelerated leaf senescence. For plants treated with biostimulants, flag-leaf N resorption increased. Biostimulants had a larger positive impact on mineral N root uptake than on N remobilization. In conclusion, our study has shown that DPI4913 and AF086 can promote plant growth and grain yield, N uptake and remobilization. Thus, these biostimulants could be used to optimize durum wheat N fertilization and contribute to reduced N losses.
The Orchestra as Acting Area in Greek Tragedy
Authors: Ley Graham , Ewans Michael
Published: September 2020

For some years past there has been a welcome change of emphasis towards the consideration of staging in books published on Greek tragedy; and yet with that change also a curious failure to be explicit about the central problem connected with all stagecraft, namely that of the acting-area. In this study two scholars with considerable experience of teaching classical drama in performance consider this problem of the acting-area in close relation to major scenes from two Greek tragedies, and suggest some general conclusions. The article must stand to some extent as a critique of the succession of books that has followed the apparently pioneering study of Oliver Taplin, none of which has made any substantial or sustained attempt to indicate where actors might have acted in the performance of Greek tragedy, though most, if not all, have been prepared to discard the concept of a raised ‘stage’ behind the orchestra.

Hippolytus (428 BC) is the earliest of the surviving plays of Euripides to involve three speaking actors in one scene. Both Alcestis (438 BC and Medea (431 BC almost certainly require three actors to be performed with any fluency, but surprisingly present their action largely through dialogue and confrontation — surprisingly, perhaps, because at least since 458 BC and the performance of the Oresteia it is clear that three actors were available to any playwright.
Sensitivity to Shame in Greek and Roman Epic, with Particular Reference to Claudian and Nonnus
Authors: Newbold R. F.
Published: September 2020

English shame and German scham derive from the Gothic schama, ‘to hide, cover, conceal’. German Hemd (shirt) and English and French chemise are other derivatives. In some languages the word for ‘shame’ and the word for ‘wound’ are the same. A wound exposes and can thereby advertise vulnerabilty and a cause for shame. Hiding or covering may seek to guard against wounding, humiliating exposure.

Shame is self-evidently an important human emotion. Insofar as animals are innocent of shame, experience of it is a mark of humanity. Much human behaviour is influenced by fear of shame and embarrassment. Living in the face and eyes, shame is very close to the experienced self. Self-image and self-esteem are heavily determined by one's susceptibility to shame. Experience of shame is impossible without a sense of individuation, without a sense of discreteness from the world and of being an object in the eyes of another. Study of shame sensitivity therefore offers many clues to an individual's or a culture's behaviour, sense of identity and relationship to the environment.
FACTORISABLE MULTITASK QUANTILE REGRESSION
Authors: Chao Shih-Kang , Härdle Wolfgang K. , Yuan Ming
Published: September 2020

A multivariate quantile regression model with a factor structure is proposed to study data with multivariate responses with covariates. The factor structure is allowed to vary with the quantile levels, which is more flexible than the classical factor models. Assuming the number of factors is small, and the number of responses and the input variables are growing with the sample size, the model is estimated with the nuclear norm regularization. The incurred optimization problem can only be efficiently solved in an approximate manner by off-the-shelf optimization methods. Such a scenario is often seen when the empirical loss is nonsmooth or the numerical procedure involves expensive subroutines, for example, singular value decomposition. To show that the approximate estimator is still statistically accurate, we establish a nonasymptotic bound on the Frobenius risk and prediction risk. For implementation, a numerical procedure that provably marginalizes the approximation error is proposed. The merits of our model and the proposed numerical procedures are demonstrated through the Monte Carlo simulation and an application to finance involving a large pool of asset returns.
Post-operative discharge education for parent caregivers of children with congenital heart disease: a needs assessment
Authors: Mannarino Candace N. , Michelson Kelly , Jackson Lindsay , Paquette Erin , McBride Mary E.
Published: September 2020

Objective:

Children with congenital heart disease (CHD) have complex unique post-operative care needs. Limited data assess parents’ hospital discharge preparedness and education quality following cardiac surgery. The goals were to identify knowledge gaps in discharge preparedness after congenital heart surgery and to assess the acceptability of an educational mobile application to improve discharge preparedness.

Methods:

Telephonic interviews with parents of children with two-ventricle physiology who underwent cardiac surgery 5–7 days post-discharge and in-person interviews with clinicians were conducted. We collected parent and clinician demographics, parent health literacy information and patient clinical data. We analysed interview transcripts using summative content analysis.

Results:

We interviewed 26 parents and 6 clinicians. Twenty-two of the 26 (85%) parents felt ready for discharge; 4 of the 6 (67%) clinicians did not feel most parents were ready for discharge. Fifteen of the 26 parents (58%) reported receiving the majority of discharge teaching on the day of discharge. Eight parents did not feel like all of their questions were answered. Most parents (14/26, 54%) preferred visual educational learning aids and could accurately describe important aspects of care. Most parents (23/26, 88%) and all 6 clinicians felt a mobile application for post-operative care education would be helpful.

Conclusions:

Most parents received education on the day of discharge and could describe the information they received prior to discharge, although there were some preparedness gaps identified after discharge. Clinicians and parents varied in their perceptions of the readiness for discharge. Most responses suggest that a mobile application for discharge education may be helpful for transition to home.
Pregnancy and early post-natal outcomes of fetuses with functionally univentricular heart in a low-and-middle-income country
Authors: Vaidyanathan Balu , Vijayaraghavan Aparna , Thomas Stephy , Sudhakar Abish
Published: September 2020

Background:

Care of children with functionally univentricular hearts is resource-intensive.

Objectives:

To analyse pregnancy and early post-natal outcomes of fetuses with functionally univentricular hearts in the setting of a low–middle-income country.

Methods:

A retrospective study was conducted during the period of January 2008–October 2019. Study variables analysed included gestational age at diagnosis, maternal and fetal comorbidities and cardiac diagnosis including morphologic type of single ventricle. Outcomes analysed included pregnancy outcomes, type of post-natal care and survival status on the last follow-up.

Results:

A total of 504 fetuses were included. Mean maternal age was 27.5 ± 4.8 years and mean gestational age at diagnosis was 25.6 ± 5.7 weeks. Pregnancy outcomes included non-continued pregnancies (54%), live births (42.7%) and loss to follow-up (3.3%). Gestational age at diagnosis was the only factor that impacted pregnancy outcomes (non-continued pregnancies 22.5 ± 3.5 vs. live births 29.7 ± 5.7 weeks; p < 0.001). Of the 215 live births, intention-to-treat was reported in 119 (55.3%) cases; of these 103 (86.6%) underwent cardiac procedures. Seventy-nine patients (36.7%) opted for comfort care. On follow-up (median 10 (1–120) months), 106 patients (21%) were alive. Parental choice of intention-to-.treat or comfort care was the only factor that impacted survival on follow-up.

Conclusions:

Prenatal diagnosis of functionally univentricular hearts was associated with overall low survival status on follow-up due to parental decisions on not to continue pregnancy or non-intention-to-treat after birth. Early detection of these complex defects by improved prenatal screening can enhance parental options and reduce resource impact in low-and-middle-income countries.
Assessing the accuracy of treatment planning system based radiotherapy structure volumes
Authors: Sharma Richa , Sharma Sunil Dutt , Avasthi Devesh Kumar
Published: September 2020

Aim:

The purpose of the present study was to assess the accuracy of radiotherapy (RT) structure volume generated by the Monaco treatment planning system (TPS) for three different computed tomography (CT) slice thicknesses. Further, this study addressed the important issue of ‘different volumes of the same RT structure shown at different places’ in the Monaco TPS. Also, the practical impact of this difference in structure volumes has been studied for brain or head and neck patients.

Materials and Methods:

Objects of known volumes were scanned with different CT slice thicknesses and contoured as an RT structure in Monaco TPS and two different volumes provided by the TPS for each RT structure were noted and compared with the real volumes of these objects. In addition, correlation was also assessed between TPS provided volumes and real volumes of these objects. The study was further extended to obtain correlation of volumes in cases of organs that exist in pairs (e.g., eye) in the human body.

Results:

Monaco TPS overestimates structure volumes except for objects with sharp corners. Although, volumes shown at different places of the same structure have nearly a linear correlation, volumes under structure table are more accurate than those shown under dose–volume histogram (DVH) statistics (total volume) table. Difference in magnitude between these two volumes has no correlation if this difference is analysed for paired organs.

Findings:

This study confirmed that Monaco TPS provides ‘different value at different places’ of the volume of a given contoured structure. It is recommended that this issue should be reviewed and resolved by the supplier.
Reasoning about Cardinal Directions between 3-Dimensional Extended Objects using Answer Set Programming
Authors: Izmirlioglu Yusuf , Erdem Esra
Published: September 2020

We propose a novel formal framework (called 3D-NCDC-ASP) to represent and reason about cardinal directions between extended objects in 3-dimensional (3D) space, using Answer Set Programming (ASP). 3D-NCDC-ASP extends Cardinal Directional Calculus (CDC) with a new type of default constraints, andNCDC-ASP to 3D. 3D-NCDC-ASP provides a flexible platform offering different types of reasoning: Nonmonotonic reasoning with defaults, checking consistency of a set of constraints on 3D cardinal directions between objects, explaining inconsistencies, and inferring missing CDC relations. We prove the soundness of 3D-NCDC-ASP, and illustrate its usefulness with applications.
Perspectives on Asia: is China kitsch?
Authors: Castelli Alberto
Published: September 2020

Due to the introduction of the market economy, in the past four decades China has switched from being a “planned country” – planned economy, planned art – into a domestic version of cultural pluralism. Consumerism has refilled the vacuum left by the retreat of Maoist ideology. However, the overwhelming success of mass culture is sided by the progressive marginalization of the intellectuals or elite, featuring a culture that is kitsch in its ideological twist. In China, present-day cultural constructions provide a forum of debate for the identity of the whole nation, no more traditional, and not yet modern. In other words, consumerism and commercialism, triggered by products of market economy, have generated a cultural consumption of redundant bad taste. Kitsch indeed.1
“WE SPEAK BACK!”
Authors: Curington Celeste Vaughan
Published: September 2020

A body of scholarship interrogates conventional notions of citizenship, viewing full social inclusion beyond formal status and as a matter of belonging. This paper integrates the perspective of anti-Blackness with that of belonging and theorizes anti-Black non-belonging. Based on more than a year of fieldwork in the Lisbon metropolitan area, I illustrate how the reality of anti-Black non-belonging in Portugal means that African-descendant women are vulnerable to racist, everyday practices in public space that impact their individual and group reality and feelings of national belonging. Employing a counter narrative methodology, I argue that Cape Verdean women’s narratives of anti-Black non-belonging illustrate the agentic strategy that they deploy to carve our alternative modes of belonging as they navigate their everyday lives. Their accounts illustrate the continued need for African-descendant women to draw from their everyday knowledge of domination to employ resistance, whether through their own parenting or through their own reactionary voices in public space. Anti-Black non-belonging is therefore both a form of racialization and a matter of resistance; as African-descendent women are racialized as foreign, non-being, and out of place, they also challenge the ideology of Portuguese anti-racialism that places Africans and African descendants outside of European citizenry.
Landfalling Droughts: Global Tracking of Moisture Deficits From the Oceans Onto Land
Authors: Herrera‐Estrada Julio E. , Diffenbaugh Noah S.
Published: September 2020

Droughts threaten food, energy, and water security, causing death and displacement of millions of people and billions of dollars in damages. However, there are still important gaps in the understanding of drought mechanisms and behaviors, inhibiting the accuracy of early‐warning systems designed to protect communities worldwide. We use an object‐tracking algorithm to track clusters of precipitation‐minus‐evaporation moisture deficits across land and ocean areas of the globe from 1981–2018. This analysis reveals a new type of “landfalling drought” that originates over the ocean and “migrates” onto land. We find that 16% of droughts that affected the continents worldwide from 1981–2018 were landfalling droughts. These droughts were significantly larger (220–425%) and more intense (4–30%)—and grew (253–285%) and intensified (9–28%) faster—than droughts that developed solely over the land or ocean. To identify potential underlying mechanisms, we analyze moisture transport associated with landfalling droughts over western North America. We find that landfalling droughts in this region are associated with anomalously anticyclonic atmospheric pressure patterns that reduce moisture fluxes over the Pacific Ocean toward the continent. By advancing understanding of the spatiotemporal evolution of droughts, our findings offer the potential to improve seasonal‐scale prediction and long‐term projection of global drought risks.
Most of the Arctic’s Microscopic Algae Are Chilling Under Ice
Authors: Fritts Rachel
Published: September 2020

New research reveals that tiny single-celled organisms in the Arctic Ocean are growing more numerous as climate change thins the ice.
Unexpected Biomass Burning Aerosol Absorption Enhancement Explained by Black Carbon Mixing State
Authors: Denjean Cyrielle , Brito Joel , Libois Quentin , Mallet Marc , Bourrianne Thierry , Burnet Frederic , Dupuy Régis , Flamant Cyrille , Knippertz Peter
Published: September 2020

Direct and semi‐direct radiative effects of biomass burning aerosols (BBA) from southern and central African fires are still widely debated, in particular because climate models have been unsuccessful in reproducing the low single scattering albedo in BBA over the eastern Atlantic Ocean. Using state‐of‐the‐art airborne in situ measurements and Mie scattering simulations, we demonstrate that low single scattering albedo in well‐aged BBA plumes over southern West Africa results from the presence of strongly absorbing refractory black carbon (rBC), whereas the brown carbon contribution to the BBA absorption is negligible. Coatings enhance light absorption by rBC‐containing particles by up to 210%. Our results show that accounting for the diversity in black carbon mixing state by combining internal and external configurations is needed to accurately estimate the optical properties and henceforth the shortwave direct radiative effect and heating rate of BBA over southern West Africa.
Chemical Reaction Between Metallic Iron and a Limited Water Supply Under Pressure: Implications for Water Behavior at the Core‐Mantle Boundary
Authors: Nishi M. , Kuwayama Y. , Hatakeyama T. , Kawaguchi S. , Hirao N. , Ohishi Y. , Irifune T.
Published: September 2020

Water transportation to the deep lower mantle via plate subduction may induce a reaction between water and iron at the core‐mantle boundary. Recent experimental studies suggest that such a reaction may generate FeO2Hx‐rich domains, which can explain the seismic structures of the ultralow velocity zone in this region. In this study, the chemical reaction between metallic iron and a limited water supply at ~120 GPa was investigated using time‐resolved in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction measurements in combination with the laser‐heated diamond anvil cell technique. Contrary to the results of earlier studies, the formation of FeO instead of FeO2Hx without intermediate phases was observed. Considering the unlimited availability of iron in the core and the limited water supply resulting from mantle downflow, the FeO‐rich layers consisted of Fe‐bearing ferropericlase and postperovskite, which must have locally cumulated at the bottom of the mantle simultaneously with hydrogen incorporation into the core.
Highly Heterogeneous Pore Fluid Pressure Enabled Rupture of Orthogonal Faults During the 2019 Ridgecrest Mw7.0 Earthquake
Authors: Shi Qibin , Wei Shengji
Published: September 2020

Here, we show that the 2019 Mw7.0 Ridgecrest mainshock as well as its Mw6.5 foreshock ruptured orthogonal conjugate faults. We invert the waveforms recorded by the dense strong motion network at relatively high frequencies (up to 1 Hz for P; 0.25 Hz for S) to derive multiple‐point source models for both events, aided by path calibrations from a Mw5.4 and a Mw5.5 earthquake. We demonstrate that the mainshock started from a shallow (3 km) depth with a Mw5.2 event and ruptured the main fault branches oriented in the NW‐SE direction. At ~11 s, two Mw6.2 subevents took place on the SW‐NE oriented fault branches that conjugate to the main fault to the NE and SW. The SW branch rupture partially overlapped with the foreshock rupture. We suggest the coseismic rupture on nearly orthogonal faults was enabled by high pore fluid pressure, which greatly weakened the immature fault system in a heterogeneous way.