bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diseases and causes of death among alpacas in Sweden: a retrospective study
Authors: Björklund Christina , Båge Renée , Morrell Jane , de Verdier Kerstin , Nisu Hartzell Lisbeth , Kjellinbro Nanna , Belák Katinka , Bernodt Karin , Gavier‐Widen Dolores
Published: May 2019

Background

Due to increasing popularity in Sweden during the last decade, alpacas are frequently encountered by practising veterinarians and pathologists. Knowledge regarding their health and diseases under Swedish conditions is, however, limited.

Objectives

To improve knowledge about the health of alpacas in Sweden by collecting information on diseases and health status.

Design

A retrospective study was made of 93 necropsies conducted on alpacas in Sweden during the period 2001–2013.

Setting

Data were obtained from the two major veterinary pathology centres in Sweden. The alpacas were hobby or farm animals and they were submitted by veterinarians in local practices or at a national animal healthcare organisation.

Results

The digestive system was most frequently affected (29 per cent), with parasitic gastroenteritis (17 per cent) and hepatic disease being especially prevalent (15 per cent fascioliasis and 7 per cent hepatitis). Cardiovascular conditions (9 per cent), systemic diseases (7 per cent) and perinatal deaths were also common, including abortions (10 per cent) and fatal septicaemia (4 per cent). Wasting/emaciation was a frequent finding (26 per cent). Other diagnoses included dermatitis (8 per cent), diseases of the central nervous system (8 per cent), traumatic injuries (7 per cent), neoplasia (5 per cent), pneumonia (5 per cent) and nephritis (3 per cent).

Conclusions

This study identified areas of concern regarding diagnostic and pathological procedures, for which specific measures have been recommended. One particular cause for concern was the number of deaths from emaciation in weanling alpacas during late winter or early spring. For adult alpacas, infectious and non‐infectious causes of death were approximately equally frequent. Many of the diseases were considered clinically acute but pathology often showed them to be chronic conditions that had eventually deteriorated and presented as acute cases in the late stages. This study revealed similarities in the health/disease status reported in other European countries and in North America. The results can be used by alpaca keepers and veterinary practitioners to improve management, diagnosis and treatment of alpacas.
Use of hygrothermal modeling to validate the application of an open-cell spray-foam insulation application to a high-rise heritage building in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Authors: Wells John A. , Spewak Robert
Published: May 2019

The increasing cost of new building construction has made repurposing existing building stock economically more viable compared with a green site new build. In addition to capital cost benefits, increasing urban densification through repurposing existing buildings is one of the solutions for enhancing the urban environment. This paper summarizes the investigative work completed to substantially improve the energy efficiency of a heritage 10 storey building in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The investigative work for the remediation involved hygrothermal modeling to rationalize the introduction of thermal insulation to the interior face of the exterior walls. Based on the modelling, an open-cell spray foam was applied to the interior face of the masonry walls. Temperature, moisture, and relative humidity sensors were placed in various locations throughout the building to monitor the exterior walls, primarily to identify if deleterious levels of moisture were accumulating in the masonry. The results were also used to compare the in-situ performance of the building with the predicted performance from the hygrothermal models. The investigation confirmed that obtaining accurate in-situ moisture readings in masonry products is significantly impacted by initial internal moisture levels, necessitating pre-test calibration. Regardless, moisture sensor data accumulated to date indicate that after six years of monitoring, deleterious levels of moisture in the masonry and plaster are not occurring in the exterior walls, which is in good agreement with hygrothermal model results for open-cell foam. The results of this investigation confirm that the implementation of hygrothermal modeling is an effective and accurate analysis tool in the long-term durability assessment of building envelopes for heritage buildings.
Monoamine oxidase is a source of oxidative stress in obese patients with chronic inflammation
Authors: Sturza Adrian , Olariu Sorin , Ionică Mihaela , Duicu Oana M. , Văduva Adrian O. , Boia Eugen , Muntean Danina M. , Popoiu Călin M.
Published: May 2019

Obesity is an important preventable risk factor for morbidity and mortality from cardiometabolic disease. Oxidative stress (including in visceral adipose tissue) and chronic low-grade inflammation are the major underlying pathomechanisms. Monoamine oxidase (MAO) has recently emerged as an important source of cardiovascular oxidative stress. The present study was conducted to evaluate the role of MAO as contributor to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in white adipose tissue and vessels harvested from patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery. To this aim, visceral adipose tissue and mesenteric artery branches were isolated from obese patients with chronic inflammation and used for organ bath, ROS production, quantitative real-time PCR, and immunohistology studies. The human visceral adipose tissue and mesenteric artery branches contain mainly the MAO-A isoform, as shown by the quantitative real-time PCR and immunohistology experiments. A significant upregulation of MAO-A, the impairment in vascular reactivity, and increase in ROS production were found in obese vs. non-obese patients. Incubation of the adipose tissue samples and vascular rings with the MAO-A inhibitor (clorgyline, 30 min) improved vascular reactivity and decreased ROS generation. In conclusion, MAO-A is the predominant isoform in human abdominal adipose and vascular tissues, is overexpressed in the setting of inflammation, and contributes to the endothelial dysfunction.
Optimization of the electric field calculation for a rod-shaped conductor in a uniform electric field
Authors: Wu Juan , Gao Xin , Ma Yikai
Published: May 2019

A rod-shaped conductor in a uniform electric field is analyzed based on finite difference method. Most induction charges distribute at the two hemisphere ends, which is similar with two connected conducting spheres in a uniform field. Therefore, the boundary potentials are calculated by multiple image method for the system with two connected conducting spheres. Comparing the results from our method with those from traditional method with constant boundary potentials, our method can improve calculation evidently. Results prove that this method is available and credible, and it can give electric field with high precision.
Exploring the dark universe: Constraints on dynamical dark energy models from CMB, BAO and growth rate measurements
Authors: Rivera Alexander Bonilla , García-Farieta Jorge Enrique
Published: May 2019

In order to explain the current acceleration of the universe, the fine-tuning problem of the cosmological constant [Formula: see text] and the cosmic coincidence problem, different alternative models have been proposed in the literature. We use the most recent observational data from CMB (Planck 2018 final data release) and LSS (SDSS, WiggleZ, VIPERS) to constrain dynamical dark energy (DE) models. The CMB shift parameter, which traditionally has been used to determine the main cosmological parameters of the standard model [Formula: see text], is employed in addition to data from redshift-space distortions through the growth parameter [Formula: see text] to constrain the mass variance [Formula: see text]. BAO data are also used to study the history of the cosmological expansion and the main properties of DE. From the evolution of [Formula: see text], we found a slowdown of acceleration behavior at low redshifts, and by using the Akaike and Bayesian Information Criteria (AIC, BIC), we discriminate different models to find those that are better suited to the observational data, finding that the interacting dark energy (IDE) model is the most favored by observational data, including information from SNIa and Hz. The analysis shows that the IDE model is followed closely by EDE and [Formula: see text] models, which in some cases fit better the observational data with individual probes.
CHAOTIC COEXISTENCE IN A RESOURCE–CONSUMER MODEL
Authors: LADEIRA DENIS G. , de OLIVEIRA MARCELO M.
Published: May 2019

We study the interspecies competition in a simple resource–consumer model which includes the resource supply as a dynamic variable. In the model, an organism of each species needs to consume a certain minimum rate of resource (food) to survive; a higher rate of consumption is required for reproduction. We analyze the orbit diagrams and Lyapunov exponents in order to characterize the system dynamical behavior. We observe that under a periodic food supply, the system can exhibit coexistence in the form of limit cycle oscillations. For a certain parameter range, we observe chaotic behavior emerging from successive period doublings and quasi-periodicity.
Influence of Harmonic Perturbation on Speed of Billiard Particle as Combination of Deterministic Acceleration and White Noise
Authors: Dubkov Alexander , Krasnova Alexandra , Chichigina Olga
Published: May 2019

Chaotic system under influence of harmonic force is considered. Namely, the motion of Fermi-accelerated billiard particles interacting with scatterers with harmonically oscillating boundaries is investigated. The domain of main parameters in which the acceleration of particles does not depend on the period of scatterers oscillations is found. In this domain, the effect of such oscillations can be considered as an impact of white Gaussian noise whose intensity depends only on the amplitude of velocity of scatterer oscillations and the mean free path of particles. The results of numerical simulations are in good agreement with the results of analytical considerations.
Leavitt path algebras over arbitrary unital rings and algebras
Authors: Nordstrom Hans , Nordstrom Jennifer A. Firkins
Published: May 2019

We expand the work of Tomforde by further extending the construction of Leavitt path algebras (LPAs) over arbitrary associative, unital rings. We show that many of the results over a commutative ring hold in the more general setting, provide some useful generalizations of prior results, and give a definition for an iterated Leavitt path extension in our context.
Domestic corpuscular inflaton
Authors: Giugno Andrea , Giusti Andrea
Published: May 2019

The aim of this paper is to provide a more precise description of the paradigm of corpuscular slow-roll inflation, which was previously introduced by Casadio et al. in [Corpuscular slow-roll inflation, Phys. Rev. D 97 (2018) 024041]. Specifically, we start by expanding the Starobinsky theory on a curved background and then infer the number and nature of the propagating degrees of freedom, both in the true inflationary phase and in a quasi-de Sitter approximation. We correctly find that the particle spectrum contains a transverse trace-free mode and a scalar one. The scalar mode displays a tachyonic nature during the slow-roll phase, due to the instability of the system, whereas it acquires the appropriate oscillatory behavior as the background approaches a critical value of the curvature. These results confirm the fact that the Einstein–Hilbert term acts as a perturbation to the quadratic one, and is responsible for driving the early Universe out of the inflationary phase, thus realizing the inflaton field in terms of pure (corpuscular) gravity.
Studying quantum correlations dynamics in the phase space for continuous-variable Werner states and Bell-diagonal states
Authors: Siyouri Fatima-Zahra , Mansour Hicham Ait , Elbarrichi Fadoua
Published: May 2019

We investigate the ability of Wigner function to reveal and measure general quantum correlations in two-qubit open system. For this purpose, we analyze comparatively their dynamics for two different states, continuous-variable Werner states (CWS) and Bell-diagonal states (BDS), independently interacting with dephasing reservoirs. Then, we explore the effects of decreasing the degree of non-Markovianity on their behavior. We show that the presence of both quantum entanglement and quantum discord allow to have a negative Wigner function, in contrast to the result obtained for the closed two-qubit system [F. Siyouri, M. El Baz and Y. Hassouni, The negativity of Wigner function as a measure of quantum correlations, Quantum Inf. Process. 15(10) (2016) 4237–4252]. In fact, we conclude that negativity of Wigner function can be used to capture and quantify the amount of general non-classical correlations in open quantum systems.
Synthesis and gas sensitivity properties of novel metallocorroles and functionalized graphene oxide
Authors: Tang Jijun , Chen Bin , Zhang Yamei , Lu Jianyu , Zhang Tang , Guo Qilin , Zhang Jing
Published: May 2019

Corrole compounds with the 18-[Formula: see text] electron marcrocycle display unique electrochemical properties and show potential value in sensor fields. In this paper, a novel 10-(4-Chlorophenyl)-5,15-di(4-methylphenyl)-Corrole (Cl-Cor 1) and its metal complex 10-(4-Chlorophenyl)-5,15-di(4-methylphenyl)-Corrole-Co (Cl-Cor-Co 2) were synthesized. Then corrole compounds were introduced onto graphene oxide (GO). UV-Vis spectroscopy, fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), and mass spectrometry were used to determine synthesized compounds. Capacity gas sensing analysis system was also examined to evaluate the gas sensitivity toward NO2 of Cl-Cor 1, Cl-Cor-Co 2, Cl-Cor+GO 3, Cl-Cor-Co+GO 4 and GO 5 at room temperature. It can be found that Cl-Cor-Co 2 has gas-sensing property for nitrogen dioxide (NO)2, but recovery performance is low. It is interesting that the gas sensitivity and recovery performance could be evidently improved when the GO is grafted onto Cl-Corrole-Co, which is ascribed to the [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] interaction between Corrole and GO. The gas respond at room temperature enormously indicating that covalently Cl-Cor-Co+GO 4 can be used as gas sensors candidate.
DEINDUSTRIALIZATION OF SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA
Authors: CLARK DON
Published: May 2019

Sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries as a group have been deindustrializing for more than three decades. Logistic growth functions of the share of manufacturing value added in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) provide estimates of the rate at which the manufacturing sector has diffused into each SSA economy. Deindustrializers (industrializers) have negative (positive) manufacturing sector diffusion rates. Sixteen SSA countries experienced significant deindustrialization. Factors associated with deindustrialization trends are identified. Countries with low real per capita incomes and those unable to diversify their manufacturing base, expand production for export, or export sophisticated products more frequently experienced deindustrialization. These countries also had relatively low gross capital formation and educational expenditure shares of GDP. Starting with a small manufacturing base does not appear to constrain the industrialization process. Excessive reliance on minerals production did not encourage deindustrialization. Policies are identified that will help countries avoid deindustrialization.
Maximal Distance Discounted and Weighted Revisit Period: A Utility Approach to Persistent Unmanned Surveillance
Authors: Olsen Christopher C. , Kalyanam Krishna , Baker William P. , Kunz Donald L.
Published: May 2019

Autonomous unmanned vehicles are well suited for long-endurance, persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (PISR) missions. In order to conduct missions, vehicles must implement a method of task selection. We propose the Maximal Distance Discounted & Weighted Revisit Period ([Formula: see text]) utility function as a solution. We derive [Formula: see text] as a zeroth-order approximation to an infinite horizon solution of PISR when formulated as a dynamic programming (DP) problem. We then use the DP solution to develop a heuristic utility function for autonomous task selections, with the goal of minimizing the prioritized revisit time to each task. Our function adapts to different task maps and task priorities, is scalable in the number of tasks, and is robust to the ad-hoc addition or removal of tasks. We demonstrate how the [Formula: see text] parameters influence vehicle behavior. We also prove that the policy results in steady-state task selections that are periodic and that such periodicity occurs regardless of initial conditions. We then demonstrate periodicity via numerical simulations on a set of test scenarios. We present a two-step heuristic methodology for selecting utility function parameters that deliver empirically good performance, which we demonstrate through a simulation-based comparison to a single-vehicle Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) solution. The comparisons are based on four sample task maps designed to resemble operational scenarios.
TGFβ-induced SMAD4-dependent Apoptosis Proceeded by EMT in CRC
Authors: Siraj Abdul K. , Pratheeshkumar Poyil , Divya Sasidharan Padmaja , Parvathareddy Sandeep Kumar , Bu Rong , Masoodi Tariq , Kong Yan , Thangavel Saravanan , Al-Sanea Nasser , Ashari Luai H. , Abduljabbar Alaa , Al-Homoud Samar , Al-Dayel Fouad , Al-Kuraya Khawla S.
Published: May 2019

Colorectal cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. In Saudi Arabia, colorectal cancer is more aggressive and presents at younger age, warranting new treatment strategies. Role of TGFβ/Smad4 signaling pathway in initiation and progression of colorectal cancer is well documented. This study examined the role of TGFβ/Smad4 signaling pathway in a large cohort of Saudi patients with colorectal cancer, followed by in vitro analysis to dissect the dual role of TGFβ on inducing epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and apoptosis. Our study demonstrated high frequency of Smad4 alterations with low expression of Smad4 protein identifying a subgroup of aggressive colorectal cancer to be an independent marker for poor prognosis. Functional studies using colorectal cancer cells show that TGFβ induces Smad4-dependent EMT followed by apoptosis. Induction of mesenchymal transcriptional factors, Snail1 and Zeb1, was essential for TGFβ-induced apoptosis. Our results indicate that KLF5 acts as an oncogene in colorectal cancer cells regardless of Smad4 expression and inhibition of KLF5 is requisite for TGFβ-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, TGFβ/Smad4 signal inhibits the transcription of KLF5 that in turn switches Sox4 from tumor promoter to suppressor. A high incidence of Smad4 alterations were found in the Saudi patients with colorectal cancer. Functional study results indicate that TGFβ induces Smad4-dependent EMT followed by apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells.
Function of Human Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes in Early-Stage Non–Small Cell Lung Cancer
Authors: O'Brien Shaun M. , Klampatsa Astero , Thompson Jeffrey C. , Martinez Marina C. , Hwang Wei-Ting , Rao Abishek S. , Standalick Jason E. , Kim Soyeon , Cantu Edward , Litzky Leslie A. , Singhal Sunil , Eruslanov Evgeniy B. , Moon Edmund K. , Albelda Steven M.
Published: May 2019

Cancer progression is marked by dysfunctional tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) with high inhibitory receptor (IR) expression. Because IR blockade has led to clinical responses in some patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), we investigated how IRs influenced CD8+ TIL function from freshly digested early-stage NSCLC tissues using a killing assay and intracellular cytokine staining after in vitro T-cell restimulation. Early-stage lung cancer TIL function was heterogeneous with only about one third of patients showing decrements in cytokine production and lytic function. TIL hypofunction did not correlate with clinical factors, coexisting immune cells (macrophages, neutrophils, or CD4+ T regulatory cells), nor with PD-1, TIGIT, TIM-3, CD39, or CTLA-4 expression. Instead, we found that the presence of the integrin αeβ7 (CD103), characteristic of tissue-resident memory cells (TRM), was positively associated with cytokine production, whereas expression of the transcription factor Eomesodermin (Eomes) was negatively associated with TIL function. These data suggest that the functionality of CD8+ TILs from early-stage NSCLCs may be influenced by competition between an antitumor CD103+ TRM program and an exhaustion program marked by Eomes expression. Understanding the mechanisms of T-cell function in the progression of lung cancer may have clinical implications for immunotherapy.
Bolus Administration of Polyamines Boosts Effects on Hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury and Regeneration in Rats
Authors: Doi Junshi , Fujimoto Yasuhiro , Teratani Takumi , Kasahara Naoya , Maeda Masashi , Tsuruyama Tatsuaki , Iida Taku , Yagi Shintaro , Uemoto Shinji
Published: May 2019

Background:It was demonstrated that polyamines ameliorate ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) and promote regeneration in the liver. An optimal protocol of polyamine treatment remains unknown in the clinical setting. We examined 2 types of administration methods using rat models. Methods: Experiment 1: evaluation of pharmacokinetics of polyamines. Experiment 2: for 3 days preoperatively and 5 days postoperatively, polyamines were given to male Lewis rats in the following three groups: the control group, no polyamine administration; the chow group, 0.05% polyamines mixed in chow; the bolus group, polyamines (200 μmol/kg) given by gastric tube once a day. All rats received 70% hepatectomy after 40 min of warm IRI. Postoperatively, IRI and regeneration were evaluated with assessment of serum levels of hepatic enzymes, histology and immunohistochemistry of liver tissue, and measurement of remnant liver weight. Results: The blood concentrations of polyamines in the portal vein increased at 1 h of bolus administration, while they did not increase without the bolus. The bolus group was significantly associated with lower serum levels of aspartate/alanine aminotransferases (p < 0.05), decreased hepatocyte congestion, vacuolization and necrosis in histopathological scoring (p < 0.05), a lower number of TUNEL-positive hepatocytes (p < 0.05), higher remnant liver weight at 24, 48, and 168 h (p < 0.05), and a higher Ki-67 labeling index (24 h, p < 0.01) compared with the chow group. Conclusion: The bolus administration of polyamines was more effective in ameliorating IRI and promoting regeneration than chow administration. Perioperative bolus administration of polyamines might be an optimal treatment, when clinically applied.
Individual Treatment Effect Estimation of 2 Doses of Dabigatran on Stroke and Major Bleeding in Atrial Fibrillation
Authors: Stam-Slob Manon C. , Connolly Stuart J. , van der Graaf Yolanda , van der Leeuw Joep , Dorresteijn Jannick A.N. , Eikelboom John W. , Peters Ron J.G. , Alings Marco , Visseren Frank L.J.
Published: May 2019

Background:

We aimed to estimate absolute benefit and harm from treatment with dabigatran in individual patients with atrial fibrillation, and to select the optimal dose for each individual.

Methods:

We derived and validated a prediction model for ischemic stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation from the 3 treatment arms of the RE-LY trial (Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy With Dabigatran Etexilate) (n=11 955 in derivation cohort, n=6158 in validation cohort). Readily available patient characteristics were included in Fine and Gray competing risk models (sex, age, smoking, antiplatelet drugs, previous vascular disease, diabetes mellitus, blood pressure, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and hemoglobin). Five-year risks for ischemic stroke/systemic embolism and major bleeding were estimated without anticoagulation therapy, and compared with high- and low-dose dabigatran.

Results:

Model calibration was good, and discrimination was adequate with a c-statistic of 0.65 (95% CI, 0.62–0.70) for ischemic stroke/systemic embolism and 0.69 (95% CI, 0.66–0.71) for major bleeding. The 5-year absolute risk reduction for ischemic stroke/systemic embolism with dabigatran 150 mg twice daily ranged from <10% in 20% of patients to >25% in 14% of patients, and the 5-year absolute risk increase for major bleeding ranged from <5% in 53% of patients to 15% to 20% in 1% of patients. Comparing high-dose to low-dose dabigatran, the net benefit (absolute risk reduction minus absolute risk increase) was positive for 46% of patients.

Conclusions:

The absolute treatment benefits and harms of dabigatran in atrial fibrillation can be estimated based on readily available patient characteristics. Such treatment effect estimations can be used for shared decision making before starting dabigatran treatment and to determine the optimal dose.

Clinical Trial Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00262600.
Incidence and Clinical Impact of Recurrent Takotsubo Syndrome: Results From the GEIST Registry
Authors: El‐Battrawy Ibrahim , Santoro Francesco , Stiermaier Thomas , Möller Christian , Guastafierro Francesca , Novo Giuseppina , Novo Salvatore , Mariano Enrica , Romeo Francesco , Romeo Fabiana , Thiele Holger , Guerra Federico , Capucci Alessandro , Giannini Irene , Brunetti Natale Daniele , Eitel Ingo , Akin Ibrahim
Published: May 2019

Background

Current literature only reports variable information from single‐center studies on the recurrence rate, the complications, and the outcome of patients with Takotsubo syndrome (
TTS)
experiencing recurrent
TTS
. Therefore, a detailed description of clinical characteristics, predictors, and the prognostic impact of patients with TTS and recurrences in a multicenter registry is needed.

Methods and Results

We analyzed 749 patients with TTS from 9 European centers being part of the international, multicenter GEIST (German Italian Stress Cardiomyopathy) Registry. Patients were divided into the recurrence group and the nonrecurrence group. The recurrence rate at a median follow‐up of 830 days (interquartile range, 118–1701 days) was 4%. Most recurrences were documented in the first 5 years after the index
TTS
episode. Up to 2
TTS
recurrences were documented in 2 of 30 patients (6%). A variable ballooning pattern (n=6, 0.8%) with, in particular, involvement of the right ventricular occurred in 3 cases (0.4%) at the recurrence event. Except for the higher presence of arterial hypertension (86.7% versus 68.3%;
P
=0.03) in the recurrence group, no other baseline characteristics were different between groups. Observation of
TTS
complications during follow‐up, including stroke, thromboembolic events, in‐hospital death, and cardiogenic shock, revealed no significant differences between groups (
P
>0.05), except the higher presence of pulmonary edema in the recurrence group versus the nonrecurrence group (13.3% versus 4.9%;
P
=0.04).

Conclusions

The incidence of
TTS
recurrence is estimated to be 4% in this multicenter
TTS
registry. A variable
TTS
pattern at recurrence is common in up to 20% of recurrence cases.
Diffusivity-Factor Approximation for Spectral Outgoing Longwave Radiation
Authors: Feng Jing , Huang Yi
Published: May 2019

Accurate integration of directional radiance shows that the conventional diffusivity-factor approximation with a constant diffusivity angle results in an overestimation of the outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) in the window band and an underestimation in the absorption band. We propose an analytical estimation of a spectrally dependent diffusivity angle for clear-sky spectral OLR, considering actual atmospheric conditions and realistic optical path geometry. Beginning with the plane-parallel geometry, we present a new, physical explanation of the conventional diffusivity angle that applies to the gas absorption bands and derives an alternative solution for the window bands. Then a correction scheme is developed to account for the impact of the spherical Earth geometry on the diffusivity angle. The proposed method achieves higher accuracy, reducing biases to generally less than 2% in all spectral regions.
On the Relation between the Boreal Spring Position of the Atlantic Intertropical Convergence Zone and Atlantic Zonal Mode
Authors: Pottapinjara Vijay , Girishkumar M. S. , Murtugudde R. , Ashok K. , Ravichandran M.
Published: May 2019

Previous studies have talked about the existence of a relation between the Atlantic meridional mode (AMM) and Atlantic zonal mode (AZM) via the meridional displacement of the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) in the Atlantic during boreal spring and the resulting cross-equatorial zonal winds. However, why the strong relation between the ITCZ (or AMM) and zonal winds does not translate into a strong relation between the ITCZ and AZM has not been explained. This question is addressed here, and it is found that there is a skewness in the relation between ITCZ and AZM: while a northward migration of ITCZ during spring in general leads to a cold AZM event in the ensuing summer, the southward migration of the ITCZ is less likely to lead to a warm event. This is contrary to what the previous studies imply. The skewness is attributed to the Atlantic seasonal cycle and to the strong seasonality of the AZM. All those cold AZM events preceded by a northward ITCZ movement during spring are found to strictly adhere to typical timings and evolution of the different Bjerknes feedback components involved. It is also observed that the causative mechanisms of warm events are more diverse than those of the cold events. These results can be expected to enhance our understanding of the AZM as well as that of chronic model biases and contribute to the predictability of the Indian summer monsoon through the links between the two as shown in our earlier studies.
Changing Seasonal Predictability of Arctic Summer Sea Ice Area in a Warming Climate
Authors: Holland Marika M. , Landrum Laura , Bailey David , Vavrus Steve
Published: May 2019

We use a large ensemble set of simulations and initialized model forecasts to assess changes in the initial-value seasonal predictability of summer Arctic sea ice area from the late-twentieth to the mid-twenty-first century. Ice thickness is an important seasonal predictor of September ice area because early summer thickness anomalies affect how much melt out occurs. We find that the role of this predictor changes in a warming climate, leading to decadal changes in September ice area predictability. In January-initialized prediction experiments, initialization errors grow over time leading to forecast errors in ice thickness at the beginning of the melt season. The magnitude of this ice thickness forecast error growth for regions important to summer melt out decreases in a warming climate, contributing to enhanced predictability. On the other hand, the influence of early summer thickness anomalies on summer melt out and resulting September ice area increases as the climate warms. Given this, for the same magnitude ice thickness forecast error in early summer, a larger September ice area anomaly results in the warming climate, contributing to reduced predictability. The net result of these competing factors is that a sweet spot for predictability exists when the ice thickness forecast error growth is modest and the influence of these errors on melt out is modest. This occurs at about 2010 in our simulations. The predictability of summer ice area is lower for earlier decades, because of higher ice thickness forecast error growth, and for later decades because of a stronger influence of ice thickness forecast errors on summer melt out.
Cooperation with China to Advance Scientific and Technological Knowledge
Authors: Nayak Shailesh
Published: May 2019

The development of a country is closely linked to investments made in science and technology as well as in social science and humanities. The investments made by China during last three decades in scientific research and technological innovation have led to flourishing industries and ultimately to economic development. India needs to enhance its investment in scientific research and innovation. However, unregulated development also leads to environmental and ecological issues. India and China are both actively addressing issues related to climate change. It may be worthwhile to develop a joint strategy by India and China to mitigate impacts of climate change. Another area where India and China can work together to understand the Himalayan eco-system as it affects many countries in this region. A formation of the Himalayan Science Council has been proposed to address issues related to glaciology, biodiversity, earthquakes and landslide as well as social and cultural issues. Such collaboration can be further advanced in the Arctic and Antarctica through the Asian Forum for Polar Sciences and influence Arctic and Antarctic research. The scientific leadership which India has in the Indian Ocean needs to leveraged for scientific diplomacy with China. Such scientific collaboration will not only help India and China but also contribute towards addressing regional and global scientific challenges.
Bidirectional Cross-Linguistic Association of Phonological Skills and Reading Comprehension: Evidence From Hong Kong Chinese-English Bilingual Readers
Authors: Deng Qinli , Choi William , Tong Xiuli
Published: May 2019

This study examined the roles of first-language (L1) Chinese and second-language (L2) English phonological skills in English and Chinese reading comprehension, respectively, and their association with reading comprehension difficulties among Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children. We tested 258 second graders on nonverbal intelligence, working memory, phonological skills, word reading, and reading comprehension, in both Chinese and English. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that Chinese phonological skills contributed to English reading comprehension both directly and indirectly, through the mediation of English phonological skills and English word reading. In contrast, English phonological skills contributed only indirectly to Chinese reading comprehension through L1 Chinese phonological and word reading skills. Furthermore, poor Chinese readers, poor English readers, and poor readers in both Chinese and English exhibited lower levels of lexical tone awareness than average readers, even after controlling for nonverbal intelligence, word reading, and working memory. Poor Chinese readers outperformed poor English readers and poor readers in both Chinese and English on Chinese segmental phonological awareness, and their performance was comparable to average readers. These findings suggest that both suprasegmental and segmental phonological skills are critical to the development of reading comprehension across L1 Chinese and L2 English in Hong Kong Chinese-English bilingual children.
Evaluation method for the hygroscopic and cooling function of knitted fabrics
Authors: Yang Yang , Weijing Zhang , Zhang Peihua
Published: May 2019

The evaluation of thermal-wet properties contributes to the research and development of fabrics, but there is no effective method to address and achieve evaluation of the hygroscopic and cooling properties of knitted fabrics to date. Therefore, an evaluation method aiming at this issue was proposed, and based on experimental investigation the hygroscopic and cooling property of fabrics was estimated by the combined evaluation of moisture management and the thermal property in a dynamic state. The moisture management property shows the liquid water absorption and diffusion performance of fabrics. Beside this, the thermal properties of fabrics were tested respectively in the dry and wet states. The thermal property of dry fabric showed the heat transfer and radiation of fabric itself, whereas the thermal property of wet fabric demonstrated the combined effect of the coupled heat–moisture property of wet fabric and the cooling function of moisture evaporation and diffusion. Furthermore, the thermal properties of fabrics were tested using a YG606 II thermal resistance tester, which was refitted by a program to control heating power. Eight knitted fabric samples having different cooling comfortability rates or values were selected to verify the feasibility and effectivity of this method. The consistency of this method was also verified by the obtained experimental results. Based on the obtained results, it can be observed that this method was well consistent with verified experimental results. Therefore, an effective method for the evaluation of hygroscopic and cooling knitted fabrics was obtained that satisfies the measurement of performance, and desirable fabric properties can be achieved for various applications.
From labour contractors to worker-agents: Transformations in the recruitment of migrant labourers in India
Authors: Raj Jayaseelan , Axelby Richard
Published: May 2019

This article examines the circumstances in which the tasks performed by professional labour contractors may be passed on to worker-agents. It does so by critically engaging with the experience of migrant workers from the eastern Indian state of Jharkhand as they travel to work in the Peermade tea belt in the South Indian state of Kerala. Specifically, we identify shifts in economic and political contexts that have permitted these functions to pass from labour contractors to workers-agents and from a Sardari (top-down) to a Ristedari (kinship based) system. Outlining the functions of the labour contractor—as bridge, broker and buffer—the article details the complex processes and the series of negotiations that occur during the transition from labour contractor to worker-agent-led recruitment and the implications of this shift for labour relations in the production setting. We conclude by calling for further consideration of the ‘worker-agent’ as a key emerging figure in understanding the contemporary transformations in the reproduction of footloose migrant labour, which may have larger ramifications for other contexts in South Asia and beyond.
Homes for the Poor? Public Housing and the Social Construction of Space in Baghdad, 1945-1964
Authors: Alger Andrew
Published: May 2019

Public housing in Iraq has been unduly subsumed into narratives of a declining monarchy propped up by oil wealth and international expertise at the onset of the Cold War. According to this narrative, it was a minor concern of an Iraqi government whose infrastructural investment plans contributed little to improving the national economy. A detailed analysis of the labor and expertise that flowed into Iraqi public housing between 1945 and 1958 gives rise to a different narrative, in which migrants to the city participated directly in extending and reshaping the urban fabric. According to this narrative, housing developers sought design and construction methods that would diminish laborers’ political autonomy. In practice, however, public housing construction methods empowered economically and socially marginalized city residents to direct its future growth.
Single-stage repair of thoracic aortic aneurysm and spinal cord compression
Authors: Kumar Akshay , Shiwalkar Nimisha , Persaud Purnadeo Narpaul , Haridas Arun Kumar
Published: May 2019

A ruptured thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated by spinal cord compression resulting in paraparesis although rare, can be a life-threatening condition. Despite treatment, patients may have a permanent disability due to the disease process itself or as a consequence of the surgical procedure. We describe an unusual case of descending thoracic aortic aneurysm complicated by vertebral erosion and paraparesis from spinal cord compression. The patient was successfully management by an interdisciplinary surgical approach utilizing a single-stage procedure comprising replacement of the aorta with a Dacron graft, spinal decompression surgery, and vertebral reconstruction using a titanium mesh cage.
Who now Remembers the Roma?
Authors: Nicolae Valeriu
Published: May 2019

In the case of the Jews, there are not merely a few criminals but all of Jewry rose from criminal roots and in its very nature is criminal. The Jews are no people like other people but a pseudo-people welded together by hereditary criminality… The annihilation of Jewry is no loss to humanity but just as useful as capital punishment or protective custody against other criminals. Joseph Göbbels 1944
Study on monitoring of cohesive zone damage for L-shaped carbon fiber–reinforced plastic adhesive joints based on distributed fiber Bragg grating
Authors: Huang Xiangyang , Zhang Mengcheng , Song Chunsheng , Zhou Zude
Published: May 2019

The mutual orthogonality of components is inevitable in the three-dimensional structure of modern aircrafts and satellites. Taking the connection of the frame, stiffening rib and other ribs with the skin as an example, it can be simplified as L-shaped adhesive joints. This article analyzes to obtain the mapping relational model between the change in strain distribution and the evolution of adhesive damage in the adhesive area of straight carbon fiber–reinforced plastic plate for L-shaped carbon fiber–reinforced plastic adhesive joints based on the cohesive zone model in the ABAQUS software; determines the experimental layout of the distributed fiber Bragg grating sensors based on the simulation and analysis results; and embeds the fiber Bragg grating sensors into the straight carbon fiber–reinforced plastic adhesive parts, to demonstrate the mapping relational model between the change in strain distribution and the evolution of adhesive damage for carbon fiber–reinforced plastic adhesive parts obtained through previous simulation analysis by monitoring the cohesive zone damage of L-shaped adhesive joints. The maximum error between experimental results and simulation results does not exceed 8.5%. Finally, it monitors the cohesive zone damage of adhesive layer for L-shaped carbon fiber–reinforced plastic adhesive joints based on the fiber Bragg grating sensor from the perspective of the theory and experiment.
Investigation of Home Delivery Models and Logistics Services in China
Authors: Song Liying , Mao Baohua , Wu Zhengqiang , Wang Jun
Published: May 2019

The last-mile issue is of great concern in coping with the considerable development of the internet shopping market in China. Several issues arise from home delivery activities for fulfilling internet shopping orders; for example, increased operating costs for handling failed home deliveries, and deteriorating traffic conditions resulting from frequent delivery trips. To improve the logistics efficiency of home delivery operations and solve the problem of delivery failures, pick-up points (PPs) and self-delivery boxes (SDBs) are being implemented in China. This study investigates three home delivery models including the traditional model, the PP model, and the SDB model. Under each model, the carrier’s delivery distance and the customer’s collection distance are calculated. According to the distance, the costs of the three delivery models are compared. To simulate the carrier’s delivery route, an ant colony algorithm combined with genetic algorithm is developed to optimize the delivery route in this research. The research findings are: (1) Both the PP model and the SDB model are capable of reducing the customer’s collection cost significantly, by between 29.1% and 84%, when at least 30% of home deliveries are missed. (2) The SDB model is more favorable in relation to reducing the delivery costs of the express company, by between 67.1% and 71.3% when the proportion of missed home deliveries ranges from 20% to 50%. (3) Among PPs using the post office, convenience store, and subway station, the subway station network is the most effective scheme in relation to reducing the customer’s collection cost, by 84%.
Vehicle Detection and Tracking in Complex Traffic Circumstances with Roadside LiDAR
Authors: Zhang Zhenyao , Zheng Jianying , Xu Hao , Wang Xiang
Published: May 2019

The problem of traffic safety has become increasingly prominent owing to the increase in the number of cars. Traffic accidents often occur in an instant, which makes it necessary to obtain traffic data with high resolution. High-resolution micro traffic data (HRMTD) indicates that the spatial resolution reaches the centimeter level and that the temporal resolution reaches the millisecond level. The position, direction, speed, and acceleration of objects on the road can be extracted with HRMTD. In this paper, a LiDAR sensor was installed at the roadside for data collection. An adjacent-frame fusion method for vehicle detection and tracking in complex traffic circumstances is presented. Compared with the previous research, objects can be detected and tracked without object model extraction or a bounding box description. In addition, problems caused by occlusion can be improved using adjacent frames fusion in the vehicle detection and tracking algorithms in this paper. The data processing procedure are as follows: selection of area of interest, ground point removal, vehicle clustering, and vehicle tracking. The algorithm has been tested at different sites (in Reno and Suzhou), and the results demonstrate that the algorithm can perform well in both simple and complex application scenarios.
Disaggregate Short-Term Location Prediction Based on Recurrent Neural Network and an Agent-Based Platform
Authors: Dong Yanjie , Polak John , Sivakumar Aruna , Guo Fangce
Published: May 2019

With the growing popularity of mobile and sensory devices, there has been a strong research interest in short-term disaggregate-level location prediction. Such predictive models have huge application potential in several sectors to change and improve people’s daily life and experience. Existing methods in this research stream have mainly focused on the prediction of sequence of location, with valuable temporal information overlooked. In addition, data limitations have constrained the development and understanding from different algorithms. In this paper, the authors propose a recurrent neural network-based method (RNN and LSTM, long short-term memory) for the next and future location prediction. This model predicts the sequence in time, thus it can predict both when and where an individual will be in the future and the duration of the stay at each location. The predictive model is developed based on an agent-based simulation platform that can produce realistic spatial-temporal trajectory data at the individual level. Analysis of the simulated data has shown that RNN and LSTM are capable of predicting future locations with better results than other comparative methods, especially for agents with high location variability. Online prediction with true location information fed into the model later in the day would greatly improve the predicted results. However, significant variations can be observed at the zonal level, with all methods performing much better on frequently visited locations than less visited locations or irregular visits.