bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Principles or templates? The antecedents and performance effects of cross‐border knowledge transfer
Authors: Oldroyd James B. , Morris Shad S. , Dotson Jeffrey P.
Published: August 2019

Research Summary

Strategic use of codified knowledge across borders can be a vital component for project‐based work. Analyzing 237 global consulting projects, we examine the performance effects of drawing upon different types of codified knowledge. We argue and find that using principle‐based forms of knowledge is likely to improve a project's customer responsiveness, whereas using template‐based knowledge increases a project's cost effectiveness. We also explore what drives project managers to select different forms of knowledge in the first place. Specifically, we find that manager experience drives knowledge principle use, whereas institutional distance drives knowledge template use. Taken together, our findings suggest that organizations need to carefully consider the performance implications of different types of codified knowledge that get used and understand what drives managers to use them.

Managerial Summary

Managers understand the importance of knowledge management systems for project‐based work. Efforts are often made to ensure that knowledge is codified and disseminated throughout the firm so employees can draw upon them to complete their projects. Unfortunately, however, such efforts often lead to stockpiles of information that remain untapped and underutilized. This study seeks to answer two questions. First, how can managers influence workers to utilize different types of codified knowledge in the first place? Second, do different types of codified knowledge have differential effects on performance? We find that increased individual experience drives the use of knowledge principles, whereas workers that are more distant are more likely to use knowledge templates. At the same time, we find that when individuals draw upon knowledge principles it increases the customer responsiveness of their projects, whereas the use of knowledge templates increases cost effectiveness. This suggests that project‐based firms should carefully consider codifying both knowledge templates as well as knowledge principles and consider how to incentivize workers to draw upon these different forms of knowledge.
The risk of being ranked: Investor response to marginal inclusion on the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list
Authors: Lewis Ben W. , Carlos W. Chad
Published: August 2019

Research Summary

Despite the proliferation of lists and rankings that recognize firms for superior performance, empirical studies have been limited in their ability to causally evaluate how inclusion for the marginal firm influences shareholder value. We address this limitation by examining how investors responded to firms that were barely included or excluded from the 100 Best Corporate Citizens list. Contrary to prevailing theoretical expectations, our findings indicate that marginal firms that were included in the ranking experienced negative abnormal returns compared to marginal firms that were excluded. We discuss the theoretical implications of these findings and how they inspire future research questions for scholarship on rankings and status. We also discuss implications for managers that question whether and when being ranked results in financial benefits or liabilities.

Managerial Summary

Because being ranked is generally seen as an important strategic objective for companies, managers must carefully consider how much attention and resources to allocate toward this pursuit. Although existing research suggests that being ranked can be beneficial, we have a limited understanding about whether barely making a ranked list is worth the effort. We provide new insights for managers by showing that investors not only respond negatively to marginal inclusion on a ranking but also provide suggestions for how companies might counteract this effect. Specifically, our results suggest that making consistent, focused investments that are relevant to external stakeholders may buffer organizations from the potential negative effects of marginal inclusion on a ranking. These insights may also inspire managers to reconsider their firms' commitments to being ranked.
Equipment‐Free Quantitative Readout in Paper‐Based Point‐of‐Care Testing
Authors: Li Zedong , You Minli , Bai Yuemeng , Gong Yan , Xu Feng
Published: August 2019

Equipment‐free paper‐based devices with quantitative readout have gained considerable interests in recent years, due to the features of remarkable cheapness, prominent portability, and excellent user friendliness. These equipment‐free strategies have been demonstrated to be able to detect a variety of analytes with good performance, such as metal ions, nucleic acids, and cells, thus showing great potential for point‐of‐care testing in resource‐limited settings. In this review, the latest advances of equipment‐free quantitative readout strategies in paper‐based point‐of‐care testing are summarized, including distance‐based strategy, counting‐based strategy, time‐based strategy, and text‐based strategy. Each type of equipment‐free strategy is sequentially introduced and discussed. Finally, conclusions and perspectives are discussed.
Trace and bulk organics removal during ozone–biofiltration treatment for potable reuse applications
Authors: Sundaram Vijay , Pagilla Krishna
Published: August 2019

This study investigated impact of ozone/biological activated carbon (BAC) filtration design and operational parameters on contaminants of emerging concern (CEC) and bulk organics removal over 450 days of operation. Two parallel BAC filters with identical media and influent were maintained, each at a different empty bed contact time of 10 and 20 min. This study captured the CEC removal performance of a BAC filter over an extended operational period after treating 65,000 bed volumes. Ozone system was operated at ozone dose to TOC ratio range of 0.9–2. Biofilter with lower EBCT (10 min) and exhausted media resulted in poor removals of Tris(2‐chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP), perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), sucralose, meprobamate, N,N‐diethyl‐m‐toluamide (DEET), and cotinine. Biofilter with higher EBCT (20 min) and remaining adsorptive effects resulted in significant (84% or more) removal of all CECs that were detected in the ozonated effluent. Increasing both ozone dose and BAC EBCT resulted in increased removal of UV absorbance (UVA254). The evaluation of impact of ozone:TOC ratio and BAC EBCT on CEC removal, bulk organics (TOC), and UVA254 performed in this study confirmed the importance of these two parameters on overall success of nonreverse osmosis (RO) potable reuse projects.

Practitioner points

Ozone–BAC biofiltration is feasible strategy for indirect potable reuse water reclamation.

Ozone–BAC empty bed contact time is a critical design parameter.

Adsorption and biodegradation are both important mechanisms for trace organic contaminant removal in BAC.
Erratum: An anomaly-free atlas: charting the space of flavour-dependent gauged U(1) extensions of the Standard Model
Authors: Allanach B.C. , Davighi Joe , Melville Scott
Published: August 2019

We correct a statement in our original paper and add anomaly-free charge assignments for SMν

R
with 7 ≤ Q
max ≤ 10.
Stokes polytopes: the positive geometry for ϕ4 interactions
Authors: Banerjee Pinaki , Laddha Alok , Raman Prashanth
Published: August 2019

Abstract

In a remarkable recent work [1], the amplituhedron program was extended to the realm of non-supersymmetric scattering amplitudes. In particular it was shown that for tree-level planar diagrams in massless ϕ
3 theory (and its close cousin, bi-adjoint ϕ
3 theory) a polytope known as the associahedron sits inside the kinematic space and is the amplituhedron for the theory. Precisely as in the case of amplituhedron, it was shown that scattering amplitude can be obtained from the canonical form associated to the Associahedron. Combinatorial and geometric properties of associahedron naturally encode properties like locality and unitarity of (tree level) scattering amplitudes. In this paper we attempt to extend this program to planar amplitudes in massless ϕ
4 theory. We show that tree-level planar amplitudes in this theory can be obtained from geometry of objects known as the Stokes polytope which sits naturally inside the kinematic space. As in the case of associahedron we show that the canonical form on these Stokes polytopes can be used to compute scattering amplitudes for quartic interactions. However unlike associahedron, Stokes polytope of a given dimension is not unique and as we show, one must sum over all of them to obtain the complete scattering amplitude. Not all Stokes polytopes contribute equally and we argue that the corresponding weights depend on purely combinatorial properties of the Stokes polytopes. As in the case of φ3 theory, we show how factorization of Stokes polytope implies unitarity and locality of the amplitudes.
Geometry of ℝ+ × E3(3) exceptional field theory and F-theory
Authors: Chabrol Lilian
Published: August 2019

Abstract

We consider a non trivial solution to the section condition in the context of ℝ+ ×E
3(3) exceptional field theory and show that allowing fields to depend on the additional stringy coordinates of the extended internal space permits to describe the monodromies of (p, q) 7-branes in the context of F-theory. General expressions of non trivial fluxes with associated linear and quadratic constraints are obtained via a comparison to the embedding tensor of eight dimensional gauged maximal supergravity with gauged trombone symmetry. We write an explicit generalised Christoffel symbol for E
3(3) EFT and show that the equations of motion of F-theory, namely the vanishing of a 4 dimensional Ricci tensor with two of its dimensions fibered, can be obtained from a generalised Ricci tensor and an appropriate type IIB ansatz for the metric.
Note about T-duality of non-relativistic string
Authors: Klusoň J.
Published: August 2019

Abstract

In this note we perform canonical analysis of T-duality for non-relativistic string in stringy Newton-Cartan background. We confirm recent result that T-duality along longitudinal spatial direction of stringy Newton-Cartan geometry maps non-relativistic string to the relativistic string that propagates on the background with light-like isometry.
The Swampland Distance Conjecture for Kähler moduli
Authors: Corvilain Pierre , Grimm Thomas W. , Valenzuela Irene
Published: August 2019

Abstract

The Swampland Distance Conjecture suggests that an infinite tower of modes becomes exponentially light when approaching a point that is at infinite proper distance in field space. In this paper we investigate this conjecture in the Kähler moduli spaces of Calabi-Yau threefold compactifications and further elucidate the proposal that the infinite tower of states is generated by the discrete symmetries associated to infinite distance points. In the large volume regime the infinite tower of states is generated by the action of the local monodromy matrices and encoded by an orbit of D-brane charges. We express these monodromy matrices in terms of the triple intersection numbers to classify the infinite distance points and construct the associated infinite charge orbits that become massless. We then turn to a detailed study of charge orbits in elliptically fibered Calabi-Yau threefolds. We argue that for these geometries the modular symmetry in the moduli space can be used to transfer the large volume orbits to the small elliptic fiber regime. The resulting orbits can be used in compactifications of M-theory that are dual to F-theory compactifications including an additional circle. In particular, we show that there are always charge orbits satisfying the distance conjecture that correspond to Kaluza-Klein towers along that circle. Integrating out the KK towers yields an infinite distance in the moduli space thereby supporting the idea of emergence in that context.
Linear Chern-Simons-matter theories in the planar limit
Authors: Suyama Takao
Published: August 2019

Abstract

We study

$$ \mathcal{N} $$

N

= 3 linear Chern-Simons-matter theories in the planar limit. The matter content of the theory is depicted by a linear-shape diagram with n nodes and n − 1 links for any n. The free energy and the vevs of BPS Wilson loops are given in terms of a single 1-form on ℂℙ1 which can be determined explicitly for all linear theories. The analytic structure of the vevs of the Wilson loops is investigated in detail for n = 1 and n = 2. Theadditionoffundamentalmattersisalsodiscussed.
Will Healthy Eating Make You Happier? A Research Synthesis Using an Online Findings Archive
Authors: Veenhoven Ruut
Published: August 2019

Healthy eating adds to health and thereby contributes to a longer life, but will it also add to a happier life? Some people do not like healthy food, and since we spend a considerable amount of our life eating, healthy eating could make their life less enjoyable. Is there such a trade-off between healthy eating and happiness? Or instead a trade-on, healthy eating adding to happiness? Or do the positive and negative effects balance? If there is an effect of healthy eating on happiness, is that effect similar for everybody? If not, what kind of people profit from healthy eating happiness wise and what kind of people do not? If healthy eating does add to happiness, does it add linearly or is there some optimum for healthy ingredients in one’s diet? I considered the results published in 20 research reports on the relation between nutrition and happiness, which together yielded 47 findings. I reviewed these findings, using a new technique. The findings were entered in an online ‘findings archive’, the World Database of Happiness, each described in a standardized format on a separate ‘findings page’ with a unique internet address. In this paper, I use links to these finding pages and this allows us to summarize the main trends in the findings in a few tabular schemes. Together, the findings provide strong evidence of a causal effect of healthy eating on happiness. Surprisingly, this effect is not fully mediated by better health. This pattern seems to be universal, the available studies show only minor variations across people, times and places. More than three portions of fruits and vegetables per day goes with the most happiness, how many more for what kind of persons is not yet established.
Undersown cover crops have limited weed suppression potential when reducing tillage intensity in organically grown cereals
Authors: Salonen J. , Ketoja E.
Published: August 2019

Adoption of reduced tillage in organic cropping has been slow, partly due to concerns about increasing weed infestation. Undersown cover crops (CCs) are considered to be a feasible option for weed management but their potential for weed suppression is insufficiently investigated in low-till organic cropping. The possibilities to reduce primary tillage by introducing CCs to maintain weed infestation at a level that does not substantially jeopardize crop yield were studied in a field experiment in southern Finland during 2015–2017. Eight different CC mixtures were undersown in cereals and the response in weed occurrence was consecutively assessed in spring barley, winter wheat, and finally, as a subsequent effect, in spring wheat. Growth of CCs was too slow to prevent the flush of early emerging weeds in spring barley whereas in winter wheat, CCs succeeded in hindering the growth of weeds. However, CCs could not prevent the increase of perennial weeds in a reduced tillage system in which the early growth of spring wheat was retarded in cool 2017. Consequently, after 2 years of reduced tillage, weed biomass was about 2.6 times higher and spring wheat yield was 30% lower than in plowed plots, respectively. No major differences in weed control efficacy among CC treatments were evident. A grain yield benefit was recorded after repeated use of leguminous CCs. The need for long-term field studies remains of particular interest regarding post-harvest performance and influence of CCs on perennial weeds before the inversion tillage.
ON BLOOD, POWER, AND PUBLIC INTEREST: THE CONCEALMENT OF HINDU SACRIFICIAL RITES UNDER INDIAN LAW
Authors: Moodie Deonnie
Published: August 2019

Critiques of animal sacrifice in India have become increasingly strident over the past fifteen years. In the state of West Bengal, many of these critiques center on Kālīghāṭ, a landmark Hindu pilgrimage site in Kolkata where goats are sacrificed daily to the goddess Kālī. However, while similar critiques of this practice have resulted in many Indian states pushing to ban it—or enforce previous bans of it—no such legal action has been issued in West Bengal. Instead, in 2006, the Calcutta High Court ruled that this practice must be visually concealed at Kālīghāṭ. Drawing on modernist notions of cleanliness and public space, the bench argued that the blood and offal produced by this practice creates an inappropriate visual experience for visitors at a major pilgrimage and tourist site in this city. In the act of concealing sacrifice, the Calcutta High Court follows suit with courts across India in deeming the practice unmodern. Yet the Court's orders are defied daily by practitioners at Kālīghāṭ who seek physical and visual access to sacrificed animals and their blood. They believe Kālī desires that blood, and bestows her power and blessings through it. Fault lines in Hindu conceptions of power are dramatized here. The power of the courts is pitted against the power of the gods as Hindus debate the potency, necessity, and modernity of this practice.
Calling Time on Oronsay: Revising Settlement Models Around the Mesolithic–Neolithic Transition in Western Scotland, New Evidence from Port Lobh, Colonsay
Authors: Finlay Nyree , Cerón-Carrasco Ruby , Housley Rupert , Huggett Jeremy , Jardine W. Graham , Ramsay Susan , Smith Catherine , Wright Dene , Augley Julian , Wright Peter J.
Published: August 2019

For over 120 years, the shell middens of western Scotland and the series of open-air sites on Oronsay have been the focus of debate in European Mesolithic studies. This paper challenges the significance of Oronsay in light of results from the geophysical survey and test-excavation of a new limpet and periwinkle shell midden dated to the late 5th or start of the 4th millennium calbcat Port Lobh, Colonsay that offers fresh evidence to re-evaluate critically the role of Oronsay and coastal resources in island settlement models ahead of the Mesolithic–Neolithic transition. Test excavations recovered a marine molluscan assemblage dominated by limpet and periwinkle shells together with crab, sea urchin, a fishbone assemblage composed mainly of Gadidae, some identifiable bird and mammal bone, carbonised macroplant remains, and pumice as well as a bipolar lithic assemblage and coarse stone implements. Novel seasonality studies of saithe otolith thin-sections suggest wintertime tidal fishing practices. At least two activity events may be discerned, dating from the late 5th millennium calbc. The midden could represent a small number of rapidly deposited assemblages or maybe the result of stocastic events within a more extended timeframe. We argue that alternative research questions are needed to advance long-standing debates about seasonal inter-island mobility versus island sedentism that look beyond Oronsay to better understand later Mesolithic occupation patterns and the formation and date of Oronsay middens. We propose alternative methodological strategies to aid identification of contemporaneous sites using geophysical techniques and lithic technological signatures.
A Spirit of Generosity: Philanthropy in the Scotch Whisky Industry
Authors: MacKenzie Niall G. , Gordon Jillian , Gannon Martin J.
Published: August 2019

Recent literature on philanthropy and business has focused on the returns to businesses and entrepreneurs from giving. In this article, we show how historical context impacts the motivations and organizational forms created over time in philanthropic giving that effect and affect such returns. We do this through the prism of the changing ownership structures in the Scotch whisky industry in the twentieth century using an institutional theory lens. In doing so, we capture the story of three sisters who inherited a Scotch whisky business in the 1940s and transformed it into a hybrid philanthropic-commercial vehicle that remains in operation today. We present an extended theoretical model illustrating the interplay of context, motivation, and organizational structure over time on exchanges of capital in entrepreneurial philanthropy.
Integrating heavy-mineral, geochemical and biomarker analyses of Plio-Pleistocene sandy and silty turbidites: a novel approach for provenance studies (Indus Fan, IODP Expedition 355)
Authors: Andò S , Aharonovich S , Hahn A , George SC , Clift PD , Garzanti E
Published: August 2019

A multidisciplinary mineralogical, geochemical and biomarker study of Indus Fan sediments cored during International Ocean Discovery Program (IODP) Expedition 355 to the Laxmi Basin was carried out to define the different compositional signatures of sand, silt and clay. Upper Pliocene – lower Pleistocene turbidites from sites U1456 and U1457 were selected as the best candidates for this study. The integrated dataset presented here was obtained by coupling traditional and innovative bulk-sediment and single-mineral techniques on the same samples. Turbiditic deposits mostly consist of medium to fine silt, including rich and diverse heavy-mineral assemblages. Such a fine grain size forced us to push the limits of high-resolution quantitative heavy-mineral analysis down to as low as 5 μm. Heavy-mineral analysis allowed us to establish a Himalayan origin of the detritus in the studied turbidites. Heavy-mineral concentrations are higher in channel-fill than in overbank deposits. Mineralogical and geochemical data concur in revealing that fast-settling ultradense minerals such as zircon are preferentially concentrated in channel-fill deposits, whereas the top of overbank deposits are notably enriched with slow-settling platy phyllosilicates. Biomarker analysis represents a most suitable complementary technique that is able to investigate the provenance signature of the finer sediment fraction, largely consisting of clay. This technique allowed us to identify a largely terrigenous origin of organic matter at Site U1456 and an open marine origin at Site U1457. The latter site lies closer to the Laxmi Ridge, where thermal maturity increases with depth to reach the early oil window (127°C at c. 320 m below the seafloor).
Correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancy among women in the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Adhikari Tara Ballav , Acharya Pawan , Rijal Anupa , Mapatano Mala Ali , Aro Arja R
Published: August 2019

Unwanted and mistimed pregnancies impose threats on the health and well-being of the mother and child and limit the acquisition of optimal sexual and reproductive health services, especially in resource-constrained settings like the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This study aimed to determine the prevalence and correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies among women in the DRC. Data were drawn from the 2013–14 DRC Demographic Health Survey (EDS-RDC II). Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to identify correlates of mistimed and unwanted pregnancies. Sequential logistic regression modelling including distal (place of residence), intermediate (socio-demographic and socioeconomic factors) and proximal (reproductive health and family planning) factors was performed using multivariate analysis. More than a quarter (28%) of pregnancies were reported as unintended (23% mistimed and 5% unwanted). Women who wanted no more children (aOR 1.21; CI: 1.01, 1.44) had less than 24 months of birth spacing (aOR 2.14; CI: 1.80, 2.54) and those who intended to use a family planning method (aOR 1.24; CI: 1.01, 1.52) reported more often that their last pregnancy was mistimed. Women with five or more children (aOR 2.13; CI: 1.30, 3.49), those wanting no more children (aOR 13.07; CI: 9.59, 17.81) and those with more than 48 months of birth spacing (aOR 2.31; CI: 1.26, 4.23) were more likely to report their last pregnancy as unwanted. The high rate of unintended pregnancies in the DRC shows the urgency to act on the fertility behaviour of women. The associated intermediate factors for mistimed and unwanted pregnancy indicate the need to accelerate family planning programmes, particularly for women of high parity and those who want no more children. Likewise, health promotion measures at the grassroots level to ensure women’s empowerment and increase women’s autonomy in health care are necessary to address the social factors associated with mistimed pregnancy.
POLITICS, RESEARCH AGENDAS AND ABORTIVE FIELDWORK PLANS OVER LYKTOS, CRETE: A HISTORY OF ARCHAEOLOGICAL RESEARCH
Authors: Kotsonas Antonis
Published: August 2019

Politics and research agendas have had a major role in shaping the archaeology of Crete. This article focuses on the history of research on Lyktos, one of the most important ancient cities of the island, to explore the impact of academic and non-academic factors on archaeological fieldwork. Relying on wide-ranging archival research and extending from the Renaissance to the early twenty-first century, the analysis covers the fluctuation of international scholarly interest in Lyktos, the often abortive plans for excavations by numerous British, Italian, German and Greek archaeologists, and the ways in which fascination with the ancient city relates to broader political and disciplinary history. I also synthesise the small-scale fieldwork conducted at the site and reconstruct its archaeological landscape from the Bronze Age to the Medieval period, offering several new insights in local topography and material culture. This work challenges the characterisation of Lyktos as a ‘phantom city’ and highlights the significance of the site for the archaeology of Crete.
Embodied Knowledge as Revolutionary Dance: Representations of Cuban Modern Dance in Alma Guillermoprieto's Dancing with Cuba
Authors: Oriol Rachel
Published: August 2019

This article examines Alma Guillermoprieto's use of embodied knowledge in her memoir Dancing with Cuba. Descriptions of embodiment reveal her struggle to reconcile the values of modern dance with Ernesto Guevara's symbolic New Man—the ideal revolutionary used to promote physical labor as the means to a socialist utopia. I argue that Guillermoprieto solves this crisis by turning toward language, in particular language that activates the kinesthetic imagination—an archive of embodied experiences dancers rely on to engage choreography. An emphasis on embodied knowledge in the memoir shows how crucial dancing bodies are to the literary archive of the Revolution.
A Changing Focus: The Evolution of Irish Step Dancing Competitions in Australia
Authors: Mollenhauer Jeanette
Published: August 2019

Considerable differences exist between Irish step dancing competitions in the current era and those which were held in the late nineteenth century. This article traces the evolution of step dancing competition praxes in Australia, exposing the multiple transformations which have occurred over time. It focuses on the shift from cultural representation to individual aesthetics and the ways in which this change has resulted from disparate influences both within the genre itself and from the broader sociocultural status of Irish immigrants in Australia.
Understanding the Resilience of Soil Moisture Regimes
Authors: Feng Maoyuan , Liu Pan , Cai Ximing , Wallington Kevin , Shi Liangsheng , Li Yu
Published: August 2019

Resilience of soil moisture regimes (SMRs) describes the stability of a particular SMR and its ability to withstand disturbances. This study analyzes the resilience of SMRs with quantifiable ecological (ECO‐) and engineering (ENG‐) metrics for a stochastic dynamic soil moisture system. The SMR is defined by the stationary state, described by a stationary probability distribution function (pdf), of the soil moisture dynamical system, and further classified into arid, semiarid, semiwet, and wet classes. Applying the stationary pdf of soil moisture dynamics derived by Rodriguez‐Iturbe et al. (1999, https://doi.org/10.1098/rspa.1999.0477) and Laio, Porporato, Ridolfi, et al. (2001, https://doi.org/10.1016/S0309‐1708(01)00005‐7), the ENG‐ and ECO‐ resilience metrics of the various SMRs are quantified. We show that the recovery rate of soil moisture is a convex function of the expected soil moisture at the stationary state―the recovery rate reaches a minimum value at some intermediate soil moisture status. We also show that the maximum acceptable changes in the infiltration condition indicate the capacity of a system to avoid possible regime shifts. SMR shifts are characterized by phenomena of stagnation and hysteresis, which suggest two distinct thresholds for SMR shifts and their reversions. In particular, the semiwet SMR that is favorable to agriculture requires stricter infiltration conditions than other SMRs. This resilience analysis provides better understanding of how natural hydrological conditions control soil moisture, which helps provide guidance on maintaining SMRs suitable for agricultural activities and desertification prevention.
Extreme Conditions in the Bering Sea (2017–2018): Record‐Breaking Low Sea‐Ice Extent
Authors: Stabeno Phyllis J. , Bell Shaun W.
Published: August 2019

The lowest winter‐maximum areal sea‐ice coverage on record (1980–2019) in the Bering Sea occurred in the winter of 2017/2018. Sea ice arrived late due to warm southerly winds in November. More typical northerly winds (albeit warm) in December and January advanced the ice, but strong, warm southerlies in February and March forced the ice to retreat. The cold pool (shelf region with bottom water < 2 °C) was the smallest on record, because of two related mechanisms: (1) lack of direct cooling in winter by melting sea ice and (2) weaker vertical stratification (no ice melt reduced the vertical salinity gradient) allowing surface heating to penetrate into the near bottom water during summer. February 2019 exhibited another outbreak of warm southerly winds forcing ice to retreat. The number of >31‐day outbreaks of southerly winds in winter has increased since 2016.
The Evolution and Role of Midtropospheric Cyclonic Vortex in the Formation of Super Typhoon Nepartak (2016)
Authors: Wu Shenglan , Fang Juan
Published: August 2019

Based on a successful cloud‐resolving simulation with the Weather Research and Forecasting Model, this study examines the evolution and the role of midtropospheric mesoscale cyclonic vortex in the formation of Super Typhoon Nepartak (2016). The midtropospheric vortex is correlated with the convective activity in pre‐Nepartak. Once the deep convection outbreaks, the midtropospheric vortex intensifies first via the vertical advection associated with the severe updrafts and then through the midlevel convergence associated with stratiform precipitation. As the stratiform precipitation dissipates, the midlevel vortex weakens slightly in the following shallow convection phase. The above‐described processes recur sequentially during the pregenesis of Nepartak, and the midtropospheric vortex demonstrates diurnal variations. Its intensification usually corresponds to the weakening of low‐level cyclonic circulation except for the deep convection phase, indicating that the development of midtropospheric vortex can inhibit the development of self‐sustained low‐level cyclonic circulation. Although the midtropospheric vortex is not always a quasi‐balanced perturbation, a cold core can be found in the lower troposphere below it during the most of the pregenesis stage. The appearance of the cold core enhances the low‐level temperature gradient around it, which favors convection burst. In addition, the closed cyclonic circulation associated with the midlevel vortex can serve as a pouch protecting the vorticity, moisture, and convection inside from the vertical wind shear and dry air intrusion when the low‐level and midlevel vortices are overlapped in the late pregenesis stage, which facilitates the sustained deep convection and the formation of Nepartak.
Seasonal Polar Temperatures on the Moon
Authors: Williams J.‐P. , Greenhagen B. T. , Paige D. A. , Schorghofer N. , Sefton‐Nash E. , Hayne P. O. , Lucey P. G. , Siegler M. A. , Aye K. Michael
Published: August 2019

The Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment on the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter has been acquiring visible and infrared radiance measurements of the Moon for nearly 10 years. These data have been compiled into polar stereographic maps of temperatures poleward of 80° latitude at fixed local times and fixed subsolar longitudes to provide an overview of diurnal temperatures of the polar regions. The data have been divided into winter and summer seasons, defined by the times of year when the subsolar latitude is above or below the equator, to characterize the variations in seasonal temperatures that result from the 1.54° angle between the Moon's spin pole and the ecliptic plane. Since the illumination in the polar regions is perpetually at grazing angles, topography plays a dominate role in surface temperatures. Consequently, the surface and near‐surface thermal environment can vary in complex ways with time of day and season, which produces areas that are seasonally shadowed for prolonged periods and that are much more extensive than the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs). We find that surfaces below 110 K capable of cold trapping water over 1 Gyr increases by factors of 2.8 and 4.3 in the winter for the south and north polar regions, respectively, with seasonal residence times of adsorbed water molecules occurring at higher temperatures and thus larger areas.
The POU4F2/Brn-3b transcription factor is required for the hypertrophic response to angiotensin II in the heart
Authors: Mele Laura , Maskell Lauren J. , Stuckey Daniel J. , Clark James E. , Heads Richard J. , Budhram-Mahadeo Vishwanie S.
Published: August 2019

Adult hearts respond to increased workload such as prolonged stress or injury, by undergoing hypertrophic growth. During this process, the early adaptive responses are important for maintaining cardiac output whereas at later stages, pathological responses such as cardiomyocyte apoptosis and fibrosis cause adverse remodelling, that can progress to heart failure. Yet the factors that control transition from adaptive responses to pathological remodelling in the heart are not well understood. Here we describe the POU4F2/Brn-3b transcription factor (TF) as a novel regulator of adaptive hypertrophic responses in adult hearts since Brn-3b mRNA and protein are increased in angiotensin-II (AngII) treated mouse hearts with concomitant hypertrophic changes [increased heart weight:body weight (HW:BW) ratio]. These effects occur specifically in cardiomyocytes because Brn-3b expression is increased in AngII-treated primary cultures of neonatal rat ventricular myocytes (NRVM) or foetal heart-derived H9c2 cells, which undergo characteristic sarcomeric re-organisation seen in hypertrophic myocytes and express hypertrophic markers, ANP/βMHC. The Brn-3b promoter is activated by known hypertrophic signalling pathways e.g. p42/p44 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK/ERK1/2) or calcineurin (via NFAT). Brn-3b target genes, e.g. cyclin D1, GLUT4 and Bax, are increased at different stages following AngII treatment, supporting distinct roles in cardiac responses to stress. Furthermore, hearts from male Brn-3b KO mutant mice display contractile dysfunction at baseline but also attenuated hypertrophic responses to AngII treatment. Hearts from AngII-treated male Brn-3b KO mice develop further contractile dysfunction linked to extensive fibrosis/remodelling. Moreover, known Brn-3b target genes, e.g. GLUT4, are reduced in AngII-treated Brn-3b KO hearts, suggesting that Brn-3b and its target genes are important in driving adaptive hypertrophic responses in stressed heart.
PTPσ inhibitors promote hematopoietic stem cell regeneration
Authors: Zhang Yurun , Roos Martina , Himburg Heather , Termini Christina M. , Quarmyne Mamle , Li Michelle , Zhao Liman , Kan Jenny , Fang Tiancheng , Yan Xiao , Pohl Katherine , Diers Emelyne , Jin Gim Hyo , Damoiseaux Robert , Whitelegge Julian , McBride William , Jung Michael E. , Chute John P.
Published: August 2019

Receptor type protein tyrosine phosphatase-sigma (PTPσ) is primarily expressed by adult neurons and regulates neural regeneration. We recently discovered that PTPσ is also expressed by hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs). Here, we describe small molecule inhibitors of PTPσ that promote HSC regeneration in vivo. Systemic administration of the PTPσ inhibitor, DJ001, or its analog, to irradiated mice promotes HSC regeneration, accelerates hematologic recovery, and improves survival. Similarly, DJ001 administration accelerates hematologic recovery in mice treated with 5-fluorouracil chemotherapy. DJ001 displays high specificity for PTPσ and antagonizes PTPσ via unique non-competitive, allosteric binding. Mechanistically, DJ001 suppresses radiation-induced HSC apoptosis via activation of the RhoGTPase, RAC1, and induction of BCL-XL. Furthermore, treatment of irradiated human HSCs with DJ001 promotes the regeneration of human HSCs capable of multilineage in vivo repopulation. These studies demonstrate the therapeutic potential of selective, small-molecule PTPσ inhibitors for human hematopoietic regeneration.
The complex of ferric-enterobactin with its transporter from Pseudomonas aeruginosa suggests a two-site model
Authors: Moynié Lucile , Milenkovic Stefan , Mislin Gaëtan L. A. , Gasser Véronique , Malloci Giuliano , Baco Etienne , McCaughan Rory P. , Page Malcolm G. P. , Schalk Isabelle J. , Ceccarelli Matteo , Naismith James H.
Published: August 2019

Bacteria use small molecules called siderophores to scavenge iron. Siderophore-Fe3+complexes are recognised by outer-membrane transporters and imported into the periplasm in a process dependent on the inner-membrane protein TonB. The siderophore enterobactin is secreted by members of the family Enterobacteriaceae, but many other bacteria includingPseudomonasspecies can use it. Here, we show that thePseudomonastransporter PfeA recognises enterobactin using extracellular loops distant from the pore. The relevance of this site is supported by in vivo and in vitro analyses. We suggest there is a second binding site deeper inside the structure and propose that correlated changes in hydrogen bonds link binding-induced structural re-arrangements to the structural adjustment of the periplasmic TonB-binding motif.
Harmonious genetic combinations rewire regulatory networks and flip gene essentiality
Authors: New Aaron M. , Lehner Ben
Published: August 2019

We lack an understanding of how the full range of genetic variants that occur in individuals can interact. To address this shortcoming, here we combine diverse mutations between genes in a model regulatory network, the galactose (GAL) switch of budding yeast. The effects of thousands of pairs of mutations fall into a limited number of phenotypic classes. While these effects are mostly predictable using simple rules that capture the ‘stereotypical’ genetic interactions of the network, some double mutants have unexpected outcomes including constituting alternative functional switches. Each of these ‘harmonious’ genetic combinations exhibits altered dependency on other regulatory genes. These cases illustrate how both pairwise and higher epistasis determines gene essentiality and how combinations of mutations rewire regulatory networks. Together, our results provide an overview of how broad spectra of mutations interact, how these interactions can be predicted, and how diverse genetic solutions can achieve ‘wild-type’ phenotypic behavior.
Challenging the point neuron dogma: FS basket cells as 2-stage nonlinear integrators
Authors: Tzilivaki Alexandra , Kastellakis George , Poirazi Panayiota
Published: August 2019

Interneurons are critical for the proper functioning of neural circuits. While often morphologically complex, their dendrites have been ignored for decades, treating them as linear point neurons. Exciting new findings reveal complex, non-linear dendritic computations that call for a new theory of interneuron arithmetic. Using detailed biophysical models, we predict that dendrites of FS basket cells in both hippocampus and prefrontal cortex come in two flavors: supralinear, supporting local sodium spikes within large-volume branches and sublinear, in small-volume branches. Synaptic activation of varying sets of these dendrites leads to somatic firing variability that cannot be fully explained by the point neuron reduction. Instead, a 2-stage artificial neural network (ANN), with sub- and supralinear hidden nodes, captures most of the variance. Reduced neuronal circuit modeling suggest that this bi-modal, 2-stage integration in FS basket cells confers substantial resource savings in memory encoding as well as the linking of memories across time.
A meta-analysis of genome-wide association studies identifies multiple longevity genes
Authors: Deelen Joris , Evans Daniel S. , Arking Dan E. , Tesi Niccolò , Nygaard Marianne , Liu Xiaomin , Wojczynski Mary K. , Biggs Mary L. , van der Spek Ashley , Atzmon Gil , Ware Erin B. , Sarnowski Chloé , Smith Albert V. , Seppälä Ilkka , Cordell Heather J. , Dose Janina , Amin Najaf , Arnold Alice M. , Ayers Kristin L. , Barzilai Nir , Becker Elizabeth J. , Beekman Marian , Blanché Hélène , Christensen Kaare , Christiansen Lene , Collerton Joanna C. , Cubaynes Sarah , Cummings Steven R. , Davies Karen , Debrabant Birgit , Deleuze Jean-François , Duncan Rachel , Faul Jessica D. , Franceschi Claudio , Galan Pilar , Gudnason Vilmundur , Harris Tamara B. , Huisman Martijn , Hurme Mikko A. , Jagger Carol , Jansen Iris , Jylhä Marja , Kähönen Mika , Karasik David , Kardia Sharon L. R. , Kingston Andrew , Kirkwood Thomas B. L. , Launer Lenore J. , Lehtimäki Terho , Lieb Wolfgang , Lyytikäinen Leo-Pekka , Martin-Ruiz Carmen , Min Junxia , Nebel Almut , Newman Anne B. , Nie Chao , Nohr Ellen A. , Orwoll Eric S. , Perls Thomas T. , Province Michael A. , Psaty Bruce M. , Raitakari Olli T. , Reinders Marcel J. T. , Robine Jean-Marie , Rotter Jerome I. , Sebastiani Paola , Smith Jennifer , Sørensen Thorkild I. A. , Taylor Kent D. , Uitterlinden André G. , van der Flier Wiesje , van der Lee Sven J. , van Duijn Cornelia M. , van Heemst Diana , Vaupel James W. , Weir David , Ye Kenny , Zeng Yi , Zheng Wanlin , Holstege Henne , Kiel Douglas P. , Lunetta Kathryn L. , Slagboom P. Eline , Murabito Joanne M.
Published: August 2019

Human longevity is heritable, but genome-wide association (GWA) studies have had limited success. Here, we perform two meta-analyses of GWA studies of a rigorous longevity phenotype definition including 11,262/3484 cases surviving at or beyond the age corresponding to the 90th/99th survival percentile, respectively, and 25,483 controls whose age at death or at last contact was at or below the age corresponding to the 60th survival percentile. Consistent with previous reports, rs429358 (apolipoprotein E (ApoE) ε4) is associated with lower odds of surviving to the 90th and 99th percentile age, while rs7412 (ApoE ε2) shows the opposite. Moreover, rs7676745, located near GPR78, associates with lower odds of surviving to the 90th percentile age. Gene-level association analysis reveals a role for tissue-specific expression of multiple genes in longevity. Finally, genetic correlation of the longevity GWA results with that of several disease-related phenotypes points to a shared genetic architecture between health and longevity.
An alternative framework for fluorescence correlation spectroscopy
Authors: Jazani Sina , Sgouralis Ioannis , Shafraz Omer M. , Levitus Marcia , Sivasankar Sanjeevi , Pressé Steve
Published: August 2019

Fluorescence correlation spectroscopy (FCS), is a widely used tool routinely exploited for in vivo and in vitro applications. While FCS provides estimates of dynamical quantities, such as diffusion coefficients, it demands high signal to noise ratios and long time traces, typically in the minute range. In principle, the same information can be extracted from microseconds to seconds long time traces; however, an appropriate analysis method is missing. To overcome these limitations, we adapt novel tools inspired by Bayesian non-parametrics, which starts from the direct analysis of the observed photon counts. With this approach, we are able to analyze time traces, which are too short to be analyzed by existing methods, including FCS. Our new analysis extends the capability of single molecule fluorescence confocal microscopy approaches to probe processes several orders of magnitude faster and permits a reduction of photo-toxic effects on living samples induced by long periods of light exposure.
A CRISPR-Cas12a-derived biosensing platform for the highly sensitive detection of diverse small molecules
Authors: Liang Mindong , Li Zilong , Wang Weishan , Liu Jiakun , Liu Leshi , Zhu Guoliang , Karthik Loganathan , Wang Man , Wang Ke-Feng , Wang Zhong , Yu Jing , Shuai Yuting , Yu Jiaming , Zhang Lu , Yang Zhiheng , Li Chuan , Zhang Qian , Shi Tong , Zhou Liming , Xie Feng , Dai Huanqin , Liu Xueting , Zhang Jingyu , Liu Guang , Zhuo Ying , Zhang Buchang , Liu Chenli , Li Shanshan , Xia Xuekui , Tong Yaojun , Liu Yanwen , Alterovitz Gil , Tan Gao-Yi , Zhang Li-Xin
Published: August 2019

Besides genome editing, CRISPR-Cas12a has recently been used for DNA detection applications with attomolar sensitivity but, to our knowledge, it has not been used for the detection of small molecules. Bacterial allosteric transcription factors (aTFs) have evolved to sense and respond sensitively to a variety of small molecules to benefit bacterial survival. By combining the single-stranded DNA cleavage ability of CRISPR-Cas12a and the competitive binding activities of aTFs for small molecules and double-stranded DNA, here we develop a simple, supersensitive, fast and high-throughput platform for the detection of small molecules, designated CaT-SMelor (CRISPR-Cas12a- and aTF-mediated small molecule detector). CaT-SMelor is successfully evaluated by detecting nanomolar levels of various small molecules, including uric acid and p-hydroxybenzoic acid among their structurally similar analogues. We also demonstrate that our CaT-SMelor directly measured the uric acid concentration in clinical human blood samples, indicating a great potential of CaT-SMelor in the detection of small molecules.
An anaerobic bacterium host system for heterologous expression of natural product biosynthetic gene clusters
Authors: Hao Tingting , Xie Zhoujie , Wang Min , Liu Liwei , Zhang Yuwei , Wang Weicang , Zhang Zhao , Zhao Xuejin , Li Pengwei , Guo Zhengyan , Gao Shushan , Lou Chunbo , Zhang Guodong , Merritt Justin , Horsman Geoff P. , Chen Yihua
Published: August 2019

Anaerobic bacteria represent an overlooked rich source of biological and chemical diversity. Due to the challenge of cultivation and genetic intractability, assessing the capability of their biosynthetic gene clusters (BGCs) for secondary metabolite production requires an efficient heterologous expression system. However, this kind of host system is still unavailable. Here, we use the facultative anaerobe Streptococcus mutans UA159 as a heterologous host for the expression of BGCs from anaerobic bacteria. A natural competence based large DNA fragment cloning (NabLC) technique was developed, which can move DNA fragments up to 40-kb directly and integrate a 73.7-kb BGC to the genome of S. mutans UA159 via three rounds of NabLC cloning. Using this system, we identify an anti-infiltration compound, mutanocyclin, from undefined BGCs from human oral bacteria. We anticipate this host system will be useful for heterologous expression of BGCs from anaerobic bacteria.