bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The ‘Dark Side’ of Social Capital: A Cross-National Examination of the Relationship Between Social Capital and Violence in Africa
Authors: Alcorta Ludovico , Smits Jeroen , Swedlund Haley J. , de Jong Eelke
Published: January 2020

Research and policy circles often emphasize the importance of social capital in achieving social transformation and economic development. There is also, however, potentially a ‘dark side’ to social capital. This study investigates the relationship between two different types of social capital—structural and cognitive—using two different measures of political violence: self-reported support for political violence and self-reported participation in political violence. We theorized that cognitive social capital will facilitate social cohesion within a community, enabling particularized trust between neighbours and a shared identity. On the other hand, structural social capital, or associational membership, potentially facilitates the diffusion of grievances and facilitates collective mobilization. Accordingly, we predict that higher levels of structural social capital will be associated with support for and participation in political violence, whilst higher levels of cognitive social capital will be associated with less support for and participation in political violence. We then test these predictions using Afrobarometer data on 40,455 individuals living in 27 African countries. Multivariate regression analysis confirms that indicators of structural and cognitive social capital have contrasting relationships with support for and participation in political violence. While particularized trust and national identity are negatively associated with political violence, religious and community associational membership are positively associated with political violence. In addition, we find that strength of attachment to a social identity, regardless of whether to an ethnic or national identity, is an important indicator of political violence.
Social Enterprises’ Hybridity in the Concept of Institutional Logics: Evidence from Polish NGOs
Authors: Mikołajczak Paweł
Published: January 2020

Social enterprises have gained wide recognition as a tool for solving social and environmental problems. They generate new opportunities in the social sphere, while being active in the commercial field. They are hybrid organizations that face many challenges when pursuing frequently conflicting goals. Social enterprises are therefore an expression of the possibility of different institutional logics coexisting as part of the same organization. Social enterprises running a commercial activity and using business-like practices legitimize the market logic, while the social goal of their operation is consistent with the logic of social welfare. Although there an intense discussion takes place in the literature on institutional logics that may affect nonprofits’ activity as hybrid organizations, so far the topic has been empirically verified only to a limited extent. The aim of this article is to examine the successful coexistence of the market logic and the social-welfare logic in NGOs acting as social enterprises. On the basis of a representative national survey of 3800 NGOs, including 412 carrying out market sales and thereby referred to as social enterprises, a one-factor analysis of variance was carried out. The obtained findings of the study indicate that social enterprises acting as non-governmental organizations successfully combine the market and the social-welfare logics.
The Image-Based Inertial Release (IBIR) Test: A New High Strain Rate Test for Stiffness Strain-Rate Sensitivity Identification
Authors: Fletcher L. , Pierron F.
Published: January 2020

A key limitation of current moderate and high strain rate test methods is the need for external force measurement. For high loading rate hydraulic machines, ringing in the load cell corrupts the force measurement. Similarly, the analysis of split-Hopkinson bar tests requires the assumption that the specimen is in a state of quasi-static equilibrium. Recently, image-based inertial test methods have shown that external force measurement is not required if full-field measurements are available and inertial effects are significant enough. In this case the load information is provided by the acceleration fields which are derived from full-field displacement measurements. This article describes a new image-based inertial test method that can be used for simultaneous quasi-static and high strain rate stiffness identification on the same test sample. An experimental validation of the new test method is provided using PMMA samples. A major advantage of this new test method is that it utilises a standard tensile test machine and the only specialist equipment that is required is an ultra-high speed camera.
Better define beta–optimizing MDD (minimum detectable difference) when interpreting treatment-related effects of pesticides in semi-field and field studies
Authors: Duquesne Sabine , Alalouni Urwa , Gräff Thomas , Frische Tobias , Pieper Silvia , Egerer Sina , Gergs René , Wogram Jörn
Published: January 2020

The minimum detectable difference (MDD) is a measure of the difference between the means of a treatment and the control that must exist to detect a statistically significant effect. It is a measure at a defined level of probability and a given variability of the data. It provides an indication for the robustness of statistically derived effect thresholds such as the lowest observed effect concentration (LOEC) and the no observed effect concentration (NOEC) when interpreting treatment-related effects on a population exposed to chemicals in semi-field studies (e.g., micro-/mesocosm studies) or field studies. MDD has been proposed in the guidance on tiered risk assessment for plant protection products in edge of field surface waters (EFSA Journal 11(7):3290, 2013), in order to better estimate the robustness of endpoints from such studies for taking regulatory decisions. However, the MDD calculation method as suggested in this framework does not clearly specify the power which is represented by the beta-value (i.e., the level of probability of type II error). This has implications for the interpretation of experimental results, i.e., the derivation of robust effect values and their use in risk assessment of PPPs. In this paper, different methods of MDD calculations are investigated, with an emphasis on their pre-defined levels of type II error-probability. Furthermore, a modification is suggested for an optimal use of the MDD, which ensures a high degree of certainty for decision-makers.
Communication and computation inter-effects in people counting using intelligence partitioning
Authors: Shallari Irida , Krug Silvia , O’Nils Mattias
Published: January 2020

The rapid development of the Internet of Things is affecting the requirements towards wireless vision sensor networks (WVSN). Future smart camera architectures require battery-operated devices to facilitate deployment for scenarios such as industrial monitoring, environmental monitoring and smart city, consequently imposing constraints on the node energy consumption. This paper provides an analysis of the inter-effects between computation and communication energy for a smart camera node. Based on a people counting scenario, we evaluate the trade-off for the node energy consumption with different processing configurations of the image processing tasks, and several communication technologies. The results indicate that the optimal partition between the smart camera node and remote processing is with background modelling, segmentation, morphology and binary compression implemented in the smart camera, supported by Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) version 5 technologies. The comparative assessment of these results with other implementation scenarios underlines the energy efficiency of this approach. This work changes pre-conceptions regarding design space exploration in WVSN, motivating further investigation regarding the inclusion of intermediate processing layers between the node and the cloud to interlace low-power configurations of communication and processing architectures.
Phase Equilibria in the System Ag-Cu-Si
Authors: Yang Hongwei , Reisinger Gabriel , Flandorfer Hans , Richter Klaus W.
Published: January 2020

The ternary alloy system Ag-Cu-Si was investigated in detail for the first time. The phase diagram was analysed by means of light optical microscopy, powder x-ray diffraction, differential thermal analysis (DTA) and scanning electron microscopy in combination with energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy. The complete isothermal section at 650 °C was studied experimentally, and several additional samples were studied in order to obtain insight into phase equilibria with the high-temperature phases of the binary Cu-Si system. DTA studies in two vertical sections were used to determine ternary invariant phase reactions and to construct the ternary reaction scheme (Scheil diagram). A liquidus surface projection was constructed by combining these data with microstructure analysis of selected as-cast samples.
Personal is Not Political? The Sexual Self in Russian Talk Shows of the 1990s
Authors: Gradskova Yulia
Published: January 2020

The changes in the public discourse on sex and the sexual self in post-Soviet Russia are usually referred to as a “sexual revolution”. However, the fast rejection of freedoms with respect to sexual identities, same-sex relationships and withering of the public discussions about intimacies and sex-education already in the early 2000s requires closer look at discourses of the “sexual revolution” of the 1990s in Russia in order to understand better the character of this rapid change. In this paper I am particularly interested in the discursive dimension and historical implications of the new sexual selves as expressed in the public space in a form of TV-show. The article is analyzing discourses around sexuality and intimacy with focus on two talk-shows broadcasted by the Russian television in the 1990s (“Ya sama” and “Pro eto”) and dealing with gender identities, sexualities and intimacies. I show that articulation of the sexual self as a choice that is relatively free from political and material constraints was an important dimension of the public presentation of sexuality. At the same time differences and deviations from the institutionalized and normalized (hetero)sexuality started to be seen as a subject of “personal choice” and “individual responsibility”.
Functioning of the children with hydrocephalus
Authors: Szefczyk-Polowczyk Lucyna , Mandera Marek
Published: January 2020

The objective of the study was to examine selected aspects of the functioning of children treated for hydrocephalus, with particular emphasis on their degree of independence. Analysis of the medical records of patients treated for hydrocephalus in the Department of Pediatric Neurosurgery in Katowice in 2000–2010. The Barthel scale was used to assess the children’s independence. Information on the children’s functioning was obtained directly from their parents using a questionnaire developed by the author. The parent group comprised 131 people, including 110 women (85%) and 21 men (15%). The study group comprised 131 children treated for hydrocephalus. In the examined group, 59 children (45%) were fully independent (first degree), 44 (34%) were partially independent (second degree) and 28 (21%) were completely dependent (third degree). Most of the children with congenital and post-inflammatory hydrocephalus attended the generally accessible school (public school), while the majority of the children with posthemorrhagic hydrocephalus attended rehabilitation and educational centers or special schools (p < 0.05) The lowest level of independence was found for children with hemorrhagic hydrocephalus who had undergone repeated operations. The child’s degree of independence and the etiology of hydrocephalus determined the type of school the child attended. The study’s results indicate that rehabilitation plays a key role in the lives of children with hydrocephalus.
Review über Psychopharmaka mit Zulassung in Österreich für die Anwendung an Kindern und/oder Jugendlichen
Authors:   Österreichische Gesellschaft für Kinder- und Jugendpsychiatrie, Psychosomatik und Psychotherapie, Huscsava Mercedes , Vesely Christine , Scharinger Christian , Plener Paul
Published: January 2020

Bei entsprechender Indikation für eine medikamentöse Behandlung wird im Rahmen der psychopharmakologischen Behandlung von Kindern und Jugendlichen auf wenige zugelassene Substanzen zurückgegriffen. Um den aktuellen Zulassungsstand der in Österreich verfügbaren Psychopharmaka für die Altersgruppe der unter 18-Jährigen zu erfassen, und damit einen Baustein für eine informierte Aufklärung bereitzustellen, wurde das Arzneispezialitätenregister des österreichischen Bundesamts für Sicherheit im Gesundheitswesen systematisch durchsucht. Die entsprechenden Detailtabellen sind abgebildet.
On Convex Bodies that are Characterizable by Volume Function
Authors: Horváth Ákos G.
Published: January 2020

The “old-new” concept of a convex-hull function was investigated by several authors in the last seventy years. A recent research on it led to some other volume functions as the covariogram function, the widthness function or the so-called brightness functions, respectively. A very interesting fact that there are many long-standing open problems connected with these functions whose serious investigation was closed before the “age of computers”. In this survey, we concentrate only on the three-dimensional case; we will mention the most important concepts, statements, and problems.
Possibilities and Drawbacks of Using an Online Application for Semi-automatic Corpus Analysis to Investigate Discourse Markers and Alternative Fluency Variables
Authors: Wolk Christoph , Götz Sandra , Jäschke Katja
Published: January 2020

To overcome planning phases in spontaneous speech production, learners and native speakers use strategies such as (un)filled pauses, smallwords or discourse markers. Small scale studies in this vein have demonstrated that learners differ from native speakers in that they underuse smallwords and discourse markers, and rely on other fluency-enhancing strategies instead. In the present paper, we present a corpus-based study, which investigates fluency-enhancing strategies in four components of theLouvain International Database of Spoken English Interlanguage(LINDSEI; Gilquin et al. 2010), covering four learner English varieties, namely Spanish, German, Bulgarian and Japanese. We investigate 216 different fluencemes (i.e. fluency-enhancing features; Götz in Fluency in native and nonnative English speech, John Benjamins, Amsterdam, 2013) in 200 transcribed interviews with advanced learners of English. An online coding application, which was specially designed and programmed for this project, enables us to cover such a large amount of data. We report on the design, functionality and (dis-)advantages of the online application, the multilevel-coding system we implemented, and the methodological challenges we face in detail. We will also present the findings of one first pilot study where we exhibit considerable variation between and within learners of particular native languages concerning fluenceme frequencies, while distributional patterns of fluencemes are rather similar across varieties.
Corrective Justice Among States
Authors: Eleftheriadis Pavlos
Published: January 2020

The debate concerning solidarity and justice among states has missed the key contribution made to international affairs by corrective justice. Unlike distributive justice, which applies within states, corrective justice applies among states. It applies in particular to cooperative arrangements creating interdependence among them. Corrective justice does not require fairness in outcomes. It requires redress in cases of loss caused by unfairness. An illustration of corrective justice among states is the Eurozone’s response to the financial crisis. The assistance offered to the most burdened states was not as an attempt to arrive at fair shares but an attempt to remedy the losses unfairly caused by the mistakes made by the Eurozone as a whole, when designing its basic architecture.
Exploring married girls’ subjective experiences of well‐being and challenges
Authors: Baba Hajara , Salifu Yendork Joana , Atindanbila Samuel
Published: January 2020

Introduction

The well‐being of married girls is often significantly affected by their early transitioning into the institution of marriage. This is accompanied by a normative shift in their focus from education and personal development to family life and motherhood. However, it is important we understand married girls’ perspectives of what their marriage mean to them and how that affects their well‐being. Therefore, this study explored the subjective experiences of well‐being and challenges among married girls in the Northern region of Ghana.

Methods

A phenomenological approach was used to gather data through in‐depth interviews. Twenty‐one married girls between the ages of 12 and 19 years in Sagnarigu, Tolon and Mion districts of the Northern Region of Ghana were interviewed and data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Findings revealed that girls who perceived their marriage as early reported negative emotions whereas those who perceived their marriage as timely reported positive emotions. Married girls’ positive experiences were characterised by child bearing, higher social status, received social support and satisfaction of needs in their marriage. Challenges identified included poor socio‐economic status, inadequate parenting skills, pregnancy and childbirth related distresses.

Conclusions

Married girls expressed more positive outcomes in their marriage than they did for negative outcomes despite their general perception of their marriage being early. Implications for interventions and policy decision making are discussed.
A novel approach for rectal trauma. The use of a transanal platform to repair a combined high-velocity rectal gun fire wound
Authors: Guraieb-Trueba Montserrat , Sánchez-Robles Juan Carlos , Pérez-Morales Oscar Enrique , García-Núàez Luis Manuel
Published: January 2020

Up to 80% of the rectal injuries reported in US trauma centers occur secondary to firearm injuries. Rectal gunshot wounds are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Diverse surgical approaches and techniques have been described; however, controversy persists regarding the best management for these complex injuries. Nowadays, no single approach has proven to provide optimal results when dealing with these injuries. We present a case of a young male that suffered a combined (intra-extraperitoneal) gun shot gun to the rectus and the use of a transanal platform to repair it.
Epidemiological and prognostic single center study of anal carcinoma
Authors: Mohammed Alrubai Alaa Mobder , Al-Naqqash Manwar Abdulelah , Alshewered Ahmed Salih
Published: January 2020

Background Anorectal carcinoma includes the anal margin, the anal canal, and the lower rectum. The incidences of anal tumors represent 1.4 % of all gastrointestinal tumors.

Patients and methods Our study is retrospective and was conducted at Baghdad Medical City. Patient’s data were collected from the medical records through a predesigned sheet that included the following information: demographic data, medical history, past-history, presenting symptoms, pathological data, and treatment details.

Results The median age was 49 years. As regard tumor extension, 85.71 % of patients had anal disease, while anorectal cancer was encountered in 14.28 % of cases only. Male to female ratio was 1:3. Most of cases were SCC 78.57 %. Only 11 patients (39.28 %) were diagnosed as Stage I, whereas 12 patients (42.85 %) had Stage II-III disease. Moderate differentiated tumors are the most common. The tumor mass located between 5–10cm das a distance from anal verge in 12 (42.85 %) of patients. We found 6 (21.42 %) patients with positive virology tests with no specificity detected. APR was the mainstay for treatment of stage I disease. Neoadjuvant treatment followed by TME resection was the treatment found in locally advanced tumors. The mean Overall Survival (OS) for patients received neoadjuvant CRT in the study was 43.5 months, while, the mean OS was 45.73 months in the adjuvant setting. Univariate analysis for OS according to prognostic factors revealed that sites of cancer, grades and histopathology were significant independent prognostic factors for OS in this study. The anal canal tumor was associated with shorter OS (33.25) months in comparison to the anorectal cancer (OS = 47.22 months). Based on tumor grade, well and moderate differentiation have better OS (60.21 months) while, poorly grade was associated with shorter OS (43.07 months). On the concern of SCC, it was associated with shorter OS (37 months) in comparison to higher survival in patients with adenocarcinoma (46.13 months).

Conclusion Anal canal cancer has poorer prognosis than anorectal. The early-stage has a better OS that needs more effort for early diagnosis and treatment.
Self-reported wellbeing indicators are a valuable complement to traditional economic indicators but are not yet ready to compete with them
Authors: BENJAMIN DAN , COOPER KRISTEN , HEFFETZ ORI , KIMBALL MILES
Published: January 2020

We join the call for governments to routinely collect survey-based measures of self-reported wellbeing and for researchers to study them. We list a number of challenges that have to be overcome in order for these measures to eventually achieve a status that is competitive with traditional economic indicators. We discuss in more detail one of the challenges, comprehensiveness: single-question wellbeing measures do not seem to fully capture what people care about. We briefly review the existing evidence, suggesting that survey respondents, when asked to make real or hypothetical trade-offs, would not always choose to maximize their predicted response to single-question wellbeing measures. The deviations appear systematic, and they persist under conditions where alternative explanations are less plausible. We also review an approach for combining single-question measures into a more comprehensive wellbeing index – an approach that itself is not free of ongoing theoretical and implementational challenges, but that we view as a promising direction.
Assessment of antibiotic-resistant organism transmission among rooms of hospitalized patients, healthcare personnel, and the hospital environment utilizing surrogate markers and selective bacterial cultures
Authors: Kwon Jennie H. , Reske Kimberly , O’Neil Caroline A. , Cass Candice , Seiler Sondra , Wallace Meghan A. , Hink Tiffany , Liang Stephen Y. , Fraser Victoria J. , Burnham Carey-Ann D. , Dubberke Erik R. ,   for the CDC Prevention Epicenters Program
Published: January 2020

Objective:

To assess potential transmission of antibiotic-resistant organisms (AROs) using surrogate markers and bacterial cultures.

Design:

Pilot study.

Setting:

A 1,260-bed tertiary-care academic medical center.

Participants:

The study included 25 patients (17 of whom were on contact precautions for AROs) and 77 healthcare personnel (HCP).

Methods:

Fluorescent powder (FP) and MS2 bacteriophage were applied in patient rooms. HCP visits to each room were observed for 2–4 hours; hand hygiene (HH) compliance was recorded. Surfaces inside and outside the room and HCP skin and clothing were assessed for fluorescence, and swabs were collected for MS2 detection by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and selective bacterial cultures.

Results:

Transfer of FP was observed for 20 rooms (80%) and 26 HCP (34%). Transfer of MS2 was detected for 10 rooms (40%) and 15 HCP (19%). Bacterial cultures were positive for 1 room and 8 HCP (10%). Interactions with patients on contact precautions resulted in fewer FP detections than interactions with patients not on precautions (P < .001); MS2 detections did not differ by patient isolation status. Fluorescent powder detections did not differ by HCP type, but MS2 was recovered more frequently from physicians than from nurses (P = .03). Overall, HH compliance was better among HCP caring for patients on contact precautions than among HCP caring for patients not on precautions (P = .003), among nurses than among other nonphysician HCP at room entry (P = .002), and among nurses than among physicians at room exit (P = .03). Moreover, HCP who performed HH prior to assessment had fewer fluorescence detections (P = .008).

Conclusions:

Contact precautions were associated with greater HCP HH compliance and reduced detection of FP and MS2.
HIPPI-2: A versatile high-precision polarimeter
Authors: Bailey Jeremy , Cotton Daniel V. , Kedziora-Chudczer Lucyna , De Horta Ain , Maybour Darren
Published: January 2020

We describe the High-Precision Polarimetric Instrument-2 (HIPPI-2) a highly versatile stellar polarimeter developed at the University of New South Wales. Two copies of HIPPI-2 have been built and used on the 60-cm telescope at Western Sydney University’s (WSU) Penrith Observatory, the 8.1-m Gemini North Telescope at Mauna Kea and extensively on the 3.9-m Anglo-Australian Telescope (AAT). The precision of polarimetry, measured from repeat observations of bright stars in the SDSS g′band, is better than 3.5 ppm (parts per million) on the 3.9-m AAT and better than 11 ppm on the 60-cm WSU telescope. The precision is better at redder wavelengths and poorer in the blue. On the Gemini North 8-m telescope, the performance is limited by a very large and strongly wavelength-dependent TP that reached 1000’s of ppm at blue wavelengths and is much larger than we have seen on any other telescope.
Beyond ‘Propaganda’: Images and the moral citizen in late-socialist Vietnam
Authors: BAYLY SUSAN
Published: January 2020

This article forges connections between two vibrant areas of current research within and beyond Asian studies: visual anthropology and the anthropology of morality and ethics. Its focus is on achieving moral citizenship as represented in Vietnam's visually spectacular capital, Hanoi, and on images as active and morally compelling, not mere reflections of the challenges of late-socialist marketization. The case of Vietnam compares intriguingly with other contexts where visuality has been fruitfully explored, including India and post-socialist Eurasia. The question asked is how images, both personal and official, can work either to provide or deny the viewer a quality of moral agency which they feel to be their due. The answer is found in the intertwining of silence and speech in relation to images. This includes what is said and unsaid in regard to public iconography, including memorial statuary and state message posters. It is proposed that the visuality of the urban street space is a continuum involving significant interaction with the intimacies of home and family image use. The article also seeks to add to our methodological ideas about treating fieldwork photographs as a basis for interaction with interlocutors, hence as active research tools rather than mere adjuncts to observation and analysis.
Feminist methodology between theory and praxis
Authors: Prügl Elisabeth
Published: January 2020

The article revisits the problematic relationship between feminist theory and praxis through the writings of Marysia Zalewski, one of the foremost feminist theorists of IR. Zalewski has dealt with this relationship through her work on methodology. In three sections, the article explores: (a) her engagement with standpoint theory through her interventions in feminist IR debates with ‘the mainstream’; (b) her adoption of feminist postmodernism, embracing a deconstructive posture and in particular the notion of ‘hauntings’ as a methodological device; and (c) the development of a distinctive methodological attitude that seeks to involve, rather than explain or instruct. Crucially, for Zalewski, theory and praxis/politics cannot be separated methodologically: languages of mastery and an attitude of ‘doing something’ are of one cloth. The paper ends with a reflection about how L. H. M. Ling's method of ‘chatting’ could be enacted in engagements that cross the social fields of academia and policy.
THE RELATIVE SIGNIFICANCE OF SYNTACTIC KNOWLEDGE AND VOCABULARY KNOWLEDGE IN SECOND LANGUAGE LISTENING ABILITY
Authors: Vafaee Payman , Suzuki Yuichi
Published: January 2020

The main purpose of the current study was to examine the relative significance of vocabulary knowledge (VK) and syntactic knowledge (SK) in second language (L2) listening ability, while accounting for the effect of several cognitive and affective factors. A total of 263 English-as-a-foreign-language learners took a standardized listening test (IELTS), as well as a battery of nine linguistic (two aural SK tests and two aural VK tests—covering both breadth and depth of VK), cognitive (two working memory tests and a metacognitive knowledge questionnaire), and affective measures (two L2 listening anxiety questionnaires). Structural equation modeling analysis revealed that both VK and SK were significant predictors of L2 listening ability; however, VK was a stronger predictor with an effect size being almost twice as much as the one for SK (.55 vs. .28). The results also showed that metacognitive knowledge, working memory, and L2 listening anxiety are significant predictors of L2 listening ability.
Immigration and Child Mortality: Lessons from the United States at the Turn of the Twentieth Century
Authors: Dribe Martin , Hacker J. David , Scalone Francesco
Published: January 2020

The societal integration of immigrants is a great concern in many of today’s Western societies, and has been so for a long time. Whether we look at Europe in 2015 or the United States at the turn of the twentieth century, large flows of immigrants pose challenges to receiving societies. While much research has focused on the socioeconomic integration of immigrants there has been less interest in their demographic integration, even though this can tell us as much about the way immigrants fare in their new home country. In this article we study the disparities in infant and child mortality across nativity groups and generations, using new, high-density census data. In addition to describing differentials and trends in child mortality among 14 immigrant groups relative to the native-born white population of native parentage, we focus special attention on the association between child mortality, immigrant assimilation, and the community-level context of where immigrants lived. Our findings indicate substantial nativity differences in child mortality, but also that factors related to the societal integration of immigrants explains a substantial part of these differentials. Our results also point to the importance of spatial patterns and contextual variables in understanding nativity differentials in child mortality.
Using Boulder Tracks as a Tool to Understand the Bearing Capacity of Permanently Shadowed Regions of the Moon
Authors: Sargeant H. M. , Bickel V. T. , Honniball C. I. , Martinez S. N. , Rogaski A. , Bell S. K. , Czaplinski E. C. , Farrant B. E. , Harrington E. M. , Tolometti G. D. , Kring D. A.
Published: January 2020

Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) are abundant at the lunar poles. They experience no direct sunlight and reach temperatures as low as 30 K. PSRs are of interest as evidence suggests that some may contain water ice (H2O/OH‐), which could provide a record of the evolution of volatiles in the inner solar system. This water ice is also a critical resource for life‐support systems and rocket propellant. A better understanding of mechanical properties of PSR regolith, such as its bearing capacity, will help optimize the design of future exploration rovers and landers. Thirteen boulder tracks were identified on the edge of, or inside, south polar lunar PSR enhanced imagery and used to estimate the strength of the PSR regolith at latitudes of 70° to 76° in sites with maximum annual temperatures of 65 to 210 K. PSR boulder track features are similar to those observed in highland, mare, and pyroclastic regions of the Moon, implying similar properties of the regolith. Measured features were used to estimate bearing capacity for PSR regolith at depths of ~0.28 to 4.68 m. Estimated bearing capacity values suggest that these PSRs may be somewhat stronger than highland and mare regions at depths of 0.28 to 1.00 m. Bearing capacity in these PSRs is statistically the same as those in other regions of the Moon at depths of 1.00 to 2.00 m. The results of this study can be used to infer bearing capacity as one measure for the trafficability of lower‐latitude PSRs of the type measured here.
Southern California Vegetation, Wildfire, and Erosion Had Nonlinear Responses to Climatic Forcing During Marine Isotope Stages 5–2 (120–15 ka)
Authors: Glover Katherine C. , Chaney April , Kirby Matthew E. , Patterson William P. , MacDonald Glen M.
Published: January 2020

A multiproxy record from Baldwin Lake, San Bernardino Mountains, allowed us to examine variation and relationships between erosion, wildfire, vegetation, and climate in subalpine Southern California from 120 to 15 ka. Bulk organics, biogenic silica, and molar C:N data were generally antiphased with magnetic and trace element data and displayed long‐term (105 year) shifts between autochthonous and allocthonous deposition. This was most pronounced during Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 5, and we hypothesize that local summer insolation was the primary driver for Baldwin Lake's productive and unproductive lake state alternations. Wildfire history was inferred from charcoal concentrations and vegetation change from pollen. Relationships between these ecological processes, basin deposition, and summer insolation were often nonlinear. Sagebrush expansion, wildfire, and weak basin weathering characterized MIS 4, while during MIS 2, the basin was highly erosive, rarely burned, and the forest was impacted by shifts in Southern Californian hydroclimate. Despite coniferous forest cover throughout MIS 3, submillennial oscillations in charcoal, pollen, and bulk organic content occurred, consistent with pollen records from Eurasia's Mediterranean biome that span multiple glacial‐interglacial cycles. Highly resolved global CO2 records and sea surface temperatures in key regions of the Pacific show no apparent relationship to these landscape conditions, and we suggest submillennial hydroclimatic variability as a potential driver. Highly resolved long pollen records from Southern California are an urgent research need to better understand the finer‐scale (≤103 year) interactions between past vegetation, wildfire, and erosion, given the current natural disaster risks that 21st century climate change poses to both human and ecological communities.
Multidecadal Climate Variability in the Southern Region of the California Current System During the Last 1,800 Years
Authors: Abella‐Gutiérrez Jose , Herguera Juan Carlos , Mortyn P. Graham , Kelly Christopher S. , Martínez‐Botí Miguel A.
Published: January 2020

How climate warming is going to affect the multidecadal climate variability in the North Pacific remains an open question. Here we present a record of this type of variability inferred from carbon productivity and sea surface temperature (SST) proxies in high‐resolution sediment records from the Southern California Current System (CCS). The reconstruction covers ~1,800 years of the Common Era and is associated with the latitudinal migration of the CCS tropical boundary at multidecadal timescales. Inorganic carbon proxies and a Globigerinoides ruber Mg/Ca summer SST reconstruction are associated with the intrusion of the tropical waters in the Southern CCS and organic carbon proxies with the strength of the California Current (CC). From these and other sediment components, we derived a principal component that captures the balance between tropical and subarctic waters in the study region. This principal component record shows further connections with land moisture records, which suggests a link with Pacific basin scale climate reorganization. The results show periods of reduced Pacific multidecadal climate variability associated with cold periods in the Northern Hemisphere (NH). We propose a mechanism related with the southward migration of the westerlies during relatively cool periods in the NH and a southward shift of the North Pacific Current, which could have reduced the advection of subarctic waters to the subtropical region.
Identification of Snow Using Fully Polarimetric SAR Data Based On Entropy and Anisotropy
Authors: Varade Divyesh , Singh Gulab , Dikshit Onkar , Manickam Surendar
Published: January 2020

Recently, with the extensive availability of fully polarimetric synthetic aperture radar (SAR) data, methods that are simple and efficient, and involve lesser computation and data processing, are needed to be explored for snow cover mapping. This paper analyzes different polarimetric parameters such as entropy, anisotropy, and the mean scattering angle for the identification of snow cover area. We present a novel index for mapping snow cover based on the assessment of entropy (H) and anisotropy (A) using fully polarimetric SAR data and refer to it as the radar snow fraction (RSF). The RSF is proposed as an extension of the H(1‐A) metric by applying a sigmoidal function to this metric. The experiments to evaluate the applicability of the proposed RSF are carried out using fully polarimetric SAR data of L‐band ALOS‐2/PALSAR‐2 and C‐band RADARSAT‐2 data sets corresponding to different geographical locations in the Indian Himalayas. The developed snow cover maps from the proposed method were validated with respect to reference snow cover maps derived by thresholding the Normalized Differenced Snow Index developed from multispectral data (e.g., Landsat‐8 imagery). These maps were also statistically compared with those obtained from the conventional radar snow index, which is based on the polarization fraction. We determined a mean overall accuracy of 0.8 between the developed snow cover maps and the reference maps for the different data sets used for experiments. The results showed that, in general, the RSF outperformed the other polarimetric parameters for snow cover detection.
Do Satellite Surface Soil Moisture Observations Better Retain Information About Crop‐Yield Variability in Drought Conditions?
Authors: Modanesi S. , Massari C. , Camici S. , Brocca L. , Amarnath G.
Published: January 2020

Soil moisture is a highly suitable indicator for assessing agricultural drought, as plants start to wilt when there is not sufficient soil water to meet evapotranspiration demand. In this study, we provide insights on information obtained from satellite surface soil moisture observations (as compared to modeled soil moisture and observed ground precipitation) on water stress and its impact on crop production variability in India. The analysis involved generating a Standardized Soil Moisture Index using (1) satellite soil moisture observations from the European Space Agency Climate Change Initiative and (2) the Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2 soil moisture data set as well as producing a Standardized Precipitation Index using ground‐based rainfall observations from the Indian Meteorological Department. Spanning the period from 1998 to 2015, the study covers Maharashtra and Karnataka states. These states were recently hit by a severe drought, resulting in significant crop failure and human losses. Results show that soil moisture is an important limiting factor for crop production. As such, it is more suitable for representing agricultural drought than precipitation during drought conditions, as it correlates more closely with reduced crop yields. Additionally, using the satellite‐based Standardized Soil Moisture Index seemed to explain crop yield reductions better than when we applied the model‐based Standardized Soil Moisture Index from Modern‐Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications, version 2, particularly for irrigated crops (i.e., wheat). This preliminary study can underpin future crop‐forecasting tools assimilating satellite soil moisture data. In practice, satellite soil moisture may help to improve the efficiency of agricultural and irrigation management practices.
Changing Source‐Transport Dynamics Drive Differential Browning Trends in a Boreal Stream Network
Authors: Fork Megan L. , Sponseller Ryan A. , Laudon Hjalmar
Published: January 2020

Dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentrations are increasing in freshwaters worldwide, with important implications for aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, and ecosystem services. While multiple environmental changes may be responsible for these trends, predicting the occurrence and magnitude of “browning” and relating such trends to changes in DOC sources versus hydrologic transport remain key challenges. We analyzed long‐term trends in DOC concentration from the two dominant landscape sources (riparian soils and mire peats) and receiving streams in a boreal catchment to evaluate how browning patterns relate to land cover and hydrology. Increases in stream DOC were widespread but not universal. Browning was most pronounced in small, forested streams, where trends corresponded to twofold to threefold increases in DOC production in riparian soils and increases in annual DOC export from a forested headwater. By contrast, DOC did not change in mire peats or streams draining catchments with high lake or mire cover, nor did we observe trends in DOC export from a mire‐dominated headwater. The distinct long‐term trends in DOC sources also altered concentration‐discharge relationships, with a forested headwater shifting from transport‐limited toward chemostasis, and a mire outlet stream shifting from chemostasis to source‐limitated. Modified DOC supply to headwaters, together with altered seasonal hydrology and differences in the dominant water source along the stream network gave rise to predictable browning trends and consistent concentration‐discharge relationships. Overall, our results show that the sources of DOC to boreal aquatic ecosystems are responding to environmental change in fundamentally different ways, with important consequences for browning along boreal stream networks.
The significance of genetic mutations and their prognostic impact on patients with incidental finding of isolated del(20q) in bone marrow without morphologic evidence of a myeloid neoplasm
Authors: Ravindran Aishwarya , He Rong , Ketterling Rhett P. , Jawad Majd D. , Chen Dong , Oliveira Jennifer L. , Nguyen Phuong L. , Viswanatha David S. , Reichard Kaaren K. , Hoyer James D. , Go Ronald S. , Shi Min
Published: January 2020

Patients with a sole del(20q) chromosomal abnormality and without morphologic features of a myeloid neoplasm (MN) have shown variable clinical outcomes. To explore the potential risk stratification markers in this group of patients, we evaluated their genetic mutational landscape by a 35-gene MN-focused next-generation sequencing (NGS) panel and examined the association of mutations to progression of MNs. Our study included 56 patients over a 10-year period with isolated del(20q), of whom 23 (41.1%) harbored at least one mutation. With a median follow-up of 32.6 months (range: 0.1−159.1), 9 of 23 patients with mutation(s) progressed to MNs, while all 33 patients without mutations did not progress to MN. Kaplan−Meier survival analysis demonstrated the presence of mutation(s) as a significant risk factor for progression to MN (P < 0.0001). MN progression was strongly associated with the presence of non-DNMT3A/TET2/ASXL1 epigenetic modifiers and nonspliceosome mutations (P = 0.003). There was no significant difference among patients with and without MN progression with respect to the number of mutations, variant allele frequency, percentage of del(20q), and other clinical/laboratory variables. This study illustrates the underlying genetic heterogeneity and complexity of isolated del(20q), and underscores the prognostic value of NGS mutational analysis in these cases.
Anti-inflammatory effects of ozenoxacin, a topical quinolone antimicrobial agent
Authors: Tabara Keisuke , Tamura Rie , Nakamura Aki , Mori Sachi , Kitano Takamichi , Fujikawa Koki , Fujikawa Mika , Okamoto Kazuaki , Kanayama Shoji , Uratsuji Hideya , Ikeda Fumiaki , Matsumoto Tatsumi
Published: January 2020

Ozenoxacin is a topical quinolone showing potent antimicrobial activities against Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and is widely used for the treatment of inflammatory acne. However, the anti-inflammatory activities of ozenoxacin have not been examined so far. In the present study, we investigated the in vitro and in vivo anti-inflammatory effects of ozenoxacin. The production of interleukin (IL)-6 and IL-8 by human epidermal keratinocytes stimulated by heat-killed Cutibacterium acnes was significantly inhibited by ozenoxacin at concentrations from 1 to 30 μg ml−1. Likewise, the production of IL-6, IL-8, and tumor necrosis factor alpha by stimulated THP-1 cells, a human monocyte cell line, was inhibited by ozenoxacin at concentrations from 1 to 30 μg ml−1. The production of IL-1β by THP-1 was also inhibited by ozenoxacin at the concentration of 30 μg ml−1. Phosphorylation of the mitogen-activated protein kinases and degradation of IκB-α, an inhibitory factor of NF-κB in keratinocytes and THP-1 cells, was increased by stimulation with heat-killed C. acnes. Of these activated intracellular pathways, the p38 phosphorylation pathway was remarkably reduced by ozenoxacin in both keratinocytes and THP-1 cells. In addition, the application of 2% ozenoxacin suppressed the increase in the ear thickness of rats induced by an intracutaneous injection of heat-killed C. acnes. These findings suggest that ozenoxacin possesses an anti-inflammatory activity, which may contribute to its therapeutic effects on inflammatory acne.
Structural basis of p62/SQSTM1 helical filaments and their role in cellular cargo uptake
Authors: Jakobi Arjen J. , Huber Stefan T. , Mortensen Simon A. , Schultz Sebastian W. , Palara Anthimi , Kuhm Tanja , Shrestha Birendra Kumar , Lamark Trond , Hagen Wim J. H. , Wilmanns Matthias , Johansen Terje , Brech Andreas , Sachse Carsten
Published: January 2020

p62/SQSTM1 is an autophagy receptor and signaling adaptor with an N-terminal PB1 domain that forms the scaffold of phase-separated p62 bodies in the cell. The molecular determinants that govern PB1 domain filament formation in vitro remain to be determined and the role of p62 filaments inside the cell is currently unclear. We here determine four high-resolution cryo-EM structures of different human and Arabidopsis PB1 domain assemblies and observed a filamentous ultrastructure of p62/SQSTM1 bodies using correlative cellular EM. We show that oligomerization or polymerization, driven by a double arginine finger in the PB1 domain, is a general requirement for lysosomal targeting of p62. Furthermore, the filamentous assembly state of p62 is required for autophagosomal processing of the p62-specific cargo KEAP1. Our results show that using such mechanisms, p62 filaments can be critical for cargo uptake in autophagy and are an integral part of phase-separated p62 bodies.