bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Healthcare and Terrorism: The Lebanese Experience
Authors: Iskandar Nooreddine , Rahbany Tatiana , Shokor Ali 
Published: March 2021

AbstractBackground:Due to the common instability caused by political and security issues, Lebanese hospitals have experienced acts of terrorism multiple times. The most recent Beirut Explosion even forced several hospitals to cease operations for the first time in decades—but studies show the preparedness levels for such attacks in similar countries are low.Objective:The aim of this study is to explore the experience of Lebanese hospitals with terrorist attacks.Methods:This qualitative study used semi-structured interviews with various stakeholders to assess their experience with terrorist bombings. Data was analyzed using the thematic analysis method.Results:The researchers found that Lebanese hospitals vary greatly in their structures and procedures. Those differences are a function of 3 contextual factors: location, culture, and accreditation status. Hospitals found near ‘dangerous zones’ were more likely to be aware and to have better response to such events. A severe lack of communication, unity of command, and collaboration between stakeholders has made the process fragmented.Conclusion:The researchers recommend a larger role for the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) in this process, and the creation of a platform where Lebanese organizations can share their experiences to improve preparedness and resilience of the Lebanese healthcare system in the face of terrorism.
Local limit theorems in relatively hyperbolic groups I: rough estimates
Authors: DUSSAULE MATTHIEU 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis is the first of a series of two papers dealing with local limit theorems in relatively hyperbolic groups. In this first paper, we prove rough estimates for the Green function. Along the way, we introduce the notion of relative automaticity which will be useful in both papers and we show that relatively hyperbolic groups are relatively automatic. We also define the notion of spectral positive recurrence for random walks on relatively hyperbolic groups. We then use our estimates for the Green function to prove that$p_n\asymp R^{-n}n^{-3/2}$for spectrally positive-recurrent random walks, where$p_n$is the probability of going back to the origin at timenand whereRis the inverse of the spectral radius of the random walk.
A virtual environment for evaluation of computer vision algorithms under general airborne camera imperfections
Authors: Mahmoudi Arshiya , Sabzehparvar Mehdi , Mortazavi Mahdi 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThis paper describes a camera simulation framework for validating machine vision algorithms under general airborne camera imperfections. Lens distortion, image delay, rolling shutter, motion blur, interlacing, vignetting, image noise, and light level are modelled. This is the first simulation that considers all temporal distortions jointly, along with static lens distortions in an online manner. Several innovations are proposed including a motion tracking system allowing the camera to follow the flight log with eligible derivatives. A reverse pipeline, relating each pixel in the output image to pixels in the ideal input image, is developed. It is shown that the inverse lens distortion model and the inverse temporal distortion models are decoupled in this way. A short-time pixel displacement model is proposed to solve for temporal distortions (i.e. delay, rolling shutter, motion blur, and interlacing). Evaluation is done by several means including regenerating an airborne dataset, regenerating the camera path on a calibration pattern, and evaluating the ability of the time displacement model to predict other frames. Qualitative evaluations are also made.
Vulnerability and resiliency implications of human capital and linked inequality presence denial perspectives: Acknowledging Zigler's contributions to child well-being
Authors: Nichols Lodato Bronwyn , Hall Jennifer , Spencer Margaret Beale 
Published: March 2021

AbstractEdward Zigler's groundbreaking research on child development resulted in the historic Head Start program. It is useful to examine the theoretical implications of his work by applying a human development theoretical perspective. Phenomenological variant of ecological systems theory (PVEST) is a strengths-based theoretical framework that engages the variability of resource access and coping strategies that promote positive identity development for diverse children. While skill acquisition is a key focus of human capital theory's engagement of early childhood needs, this article highlights the on-going status of human vulnerability that undergirds identity development over the life course. The authors note that “inequality presence denial” combines with high-risk contexts, framed by geography and psychohistoric moments (e.g., The Great Recession, COVID-19), to alter diverse children's developmental pathways. The acknowledgement of “morbid risk” motivates the urgency for research that builds upon Zigler's innovations and privileges human development imperatives. The case study explores these concepts by examining the challenges and assets available to mothers in a low-income community. The article's closing notes developments in the field of economics that ameliorate human capital theory's conceptual limitations, underscoring human development's theoretical strength in motivating research and policies that are maximally responsive to children's positive identity development.
Grammar instruction through multinational telecollaboration for pre-service teachers
Authors: Wach Aleksandra , Zhang De , Nichols-Besel Kristen 
Published: March 2021

AbstractRecognizing the importance of multinational telecollaboration and form-focused instruction in computer-assisted language learning teacher education, this article investigates teaching English grammar through a seven-week-long telecollaborative project with 41 pre-service language teachers from the United States (US), Poland, and China. The telecollaboration was a pedagogical intervention in which the US participants taught grammar to their non-native-speaker peers. Specifically, the study aimed to trace pre-service teachers’ grammar instruction techniques applied in the communication-oriented context of online exchanges and responses to this instruction, the grammar forms attended to in the exchanges, and the participants’ evaluations of the usefulness of telecollaboration for teaching and learning grammar. Utilizing data from the participants’ emails and results of a post-project survey, this mixed methods study reveals that (1) the implicit technique of modeling was the most frequently applied; (2) the grammatical forms used in both implicit and explicit teaching reflected the communicative orientation of the exchanges; (3) the levels of uptake (i.e. attempts to follow the models provided in the input), and the forms attended to by the learners, reflected their proficiency levels and linguistic background; and (4) participants reported positive opinions about the value of telecollaboration in grammar instruction and in teacher training. The data thus underscore the benefits of online exchanges in giving prospective teachers hands-on experience with communicative grammar teaching.
Echinococcosis in both heart and lungs, the first case reported in Albania
Authors: Maliqari Numila , Teneqexhi Loreta , Koja Albert , Veshti Altin , Baboci Arben , Haxhiu Albana , Kuci Saimir , Ibrahimi Alfred , Cela Durim , Vanini Vittorio 
Published: March 2021

AbstractAn 11-year-old male was admitted with cough and fever for the last 4 days and also complained of pain in the right lung for some weeks. The boy did not show any other symptoms and his past medical history was unremarkable as well. The radiologist findings showed an aspect that suggested for echinococcosis.At first, it was realised the heart intervention. About a 2-month period later, the child underwent another cyst removal in lung. He had begun taking albendazole 5 days before the heart intervention. The therapy was continued until the lung intervention and for 12 weeks post-operatively. The patient had an uneventful recovery and after about 4 years.
The utility of ISSRs for the identification of interspecific hybrids between pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum [L.] R.Br.) × napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum Schumach)
Authors: Jade S. S. , Takawale P. S. , Bahulikar R. A. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractInterspecific hybrids between pearl millet (Pennisetum glaucum) and napier grass (Pennisetum purpureum) give rise to perennial fodder crops characterized by high biomass, broad clumps and good palatability. These hybrids are triploid and developed by hand pollination of napier grass pollen on pearl millet panicles. The progeny shows a high percentage of pearl millet genotype due to self-pollination in the female parent. Identification of hybrids at a young stage based on morphological characters is difficult. DNA-based molecular markers have high discriminating power and were used to assess genetic differences between hybrids and their parents. Genetic diversity was studied in 18 pearl millet × napier grass hybrids along with their parents and two released national checks using inter simple sequence repeat (ISSR) markers. Eight ISSR primers gave rise to 125 bands, of which 120 bands were polymorphic. Polymorphic information content and ISSR primer index ranged from 0.40 to 0.49 and 8.88 to 11.14, respectively. The hybrids showed the presence of unique bands, besides those shared with male and female parents. Female (pearl millet) parents formed a separate group in the dendrogram constructed based on ISSR polymorphism. The male (napier grass) parents formed a separate group along with hybrids, indicating a higher similarity of hybrids with the male parents. Principal component analysis and STRUCTURE analyses showed a similar grouping. The close resemblance of hybrids to the male parents confirmed their interspecific origin. The study revealed that ISSR marker analysis could be a quick and reliable method to identify interspecific hybrids at an early stage of growth.
Intergenerationale Transmission psychischer Auffälligkeiten unter Berücksichtigung von Geschlechtereffekten
Authors: Alsmeier Nina , Schulz Wolfgang 
Published: March 2021

Zusammenfassung. Hintergrund: Kinder psychisch kranker Eltern sind eine Hochrisikogruppe. Eine mütterliche Erkrankung scheint sich stärker negativ auf die Nachkommen auszuwirken als eine väterliche Erkrankung. Ob sich die Auswirkungen auf Mädchen und Jungen unterscheiden, ist unklar. Fragestellung: Ziel der Studie ist die Klärung von Geschlechtereffekten bei der intergenerationalen Transmission psychischer Auffälligkeiten. Methode: Es wurden N = 267 Familien untersucht, indem die Depressions- und Angstsymptome von Müttern und Vätern mit einem latenten Wachstumskurvenmodell über vier Messzeitpunkte (zehn Jahre) modelliert wurden. Die Überprüfung erfolgt mittels Strukturgleichungsmodellen. Ergebnisse: Es wurden Zusammenhänge zwischen elterlichen und kindlichen Auffälligkeiten gefunden. Dabei steht eine väterliche depressive Symptomatik stärker mit jugendlichen externalisierenden Auffälligkeiten in Verbindung als eine mütterliche depressive Symptomatik. Mädchen entwickeln tendenziell mehr als Jungen internalisierende Auffälligkeiten bei psychisch belasteten Eltern. Schlussfolgerung: Zukünftige Studien sollten Mütter und Väter gleichermaßen einbeziehen. Weiterhin sollten verstärkt Transmissionsmechanismen inklusive möglicher Mediatoren mit Berücksichtigung des elterlichen und kindlichen Geschlechtes untersucht werden.
Engineered Continental‐Scale Rivers Can Drive Changes in the Carbon Cycle
Authors: Shen Zhixiong , Rosenheim Brad E. , Törnqvist Torbjörn E. , Lang Andreas 
Published: March 2021

AbstractFloodplains of large alluvial rivers modulate the composition of riverine organic carbon (OC) and control OC oxidative loss, constituting a critical component in the global river‐atmosphere‐ocean carbon cycle. Therefore, anthropogenic management disconnecting rivers from their floodplains is expected to reduce the oxidative loss and to change the quality and quantity of riverine OC exported to the ocean. Here, we test this idea by combining two chronometers—14C age spectra of OC and optically stimulated luminescence ages of quartz—to interrogate sediments of the Lower Mississippi River (LMR) system to constrain the anthropogenic effects on carbon cycling in a continental‐scale sediment routing system. The 14C age of the LMR OC has been reduced from >5,000 yr in prehistoric sediments to <3,000 yr in historic and modern sediments with significantly narrowed age spectrum width, following centuries of embanking the LMR. Bank stabilization reduced the river‐floodplain sediment exchange by ∼90%, effectively cutting off older floodplain OC from the river and reducing OC residence time in the severely truncated floodplain system, and expedited the downstream transmission of OC. The reduced residence time will have decreased riverine OC loss and enhanced younger OC delivery to marine sediments. We estimate that the oxidative loss of the LMR OC has been reduced by ≥ 1.1 Tg C/yr or 40%. Extrapolation to other large rivers that have undergone anthropogenic changes similar to the LMR illustrates that this process likely represents a carbon sink that can significantly increase if currently free‐flowing large tropical rivers are embanked in the future.
Earth's Magnetic Field Strength and the Cretaceous Normal Superchron: New Data From Costa Rica
Authors: Di Chiara A. , Tauxe L. , Staudigel H. , Florindo F. , Protti M. , Yu Y. , Wartho J.‐A. , van den Bogaard P. , Hoernle K. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractConstraining the long‐term variability and average of the Earth's magnetic field strength is fundamental to understanding the characteristics and behavior of the geomagnetic field. Questions remain about the strength of the average field, and the relationship between strength and reversal frequency, due to the dispersion of data from key time intervals. Here, we focus on the Cretaceous Normal Superchron (CNS; 121‐84 Ma), during which there were no reversals. We present new intensity results from 41 submarine basaltic glass (SBG) sites collected on the Nicoya Peninsula and Murcièlago Islands, Costa Rica. New and revised40Ar/39Ar and biostratigraphic age constraints from previous studies indicate ages from 141 to 65 Ma. One site with an age of 135.1 ± 1.5 Ma (2σ) gave a reliable intensity result of 34 ± 8 µT (equivalent to a virtual axial dipole moment, VADM, value of 88 ± 20 ZAm2), three sites from 121 to 112 Ma, spanning the onset of the CNS, vary from 21 ± 1 to 34 ± 4 µT (53 ± 3 to 87 ± 10 ZAm2). These results from the CNS are all higher than the long‐term average of ∼42 ZAm2and data from Suhongtu, Mongolia (46–53 ZAm2) and are similar to the Troodos Ophiolite, Cyprus (81 ZAm2, reinterpreted in this study). Together with the reinterpreted data, the new Costa Rica results suggest that the strength of the geomagnetic field was approximately the same both before and after the onset of the CNS. Therefore, the data do not support a strict correlation between polarity interval length and the strength of the magnetic field.
From Bow Waves to Traveling Atmospheric Disturbances: Thermospheric Perturbations Along Solar Eclipse Trajectory
Authors: Yan Maodong , Dang Tong , Lei Jiuhou , Wang Wenbin , Zhang Shun‐Rong , Le Huijun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractIn this study, we investigate the characteristics of thermospheric perturbations triggered by a set of four solar eclipses, using the Thermosphere Ionosphere Electrodynamics General Circulation Model. Simulations show that temperature and horizontal wind perturbations have different wave rears but similar wavefronts, due to the coupling of energetic and dynamic processes. The perturbations are closely related to the eclipse trajectory, and their phase speed is modulated by the eclipse speed. As the eclipse shadow sweeps through the upper atmosphere, traveling atmospheric disturbances (TADs) are launched in the eclipse region and they, moving along with their moon shadow source, form bow wavefronts of thermospheric disturbances. The perturbations at a particular time are superimposed by preexisting waves and newly excited waves. With the termination of the eclipse near the sunset terminator, individual sequences are not any more organized along a specific alignment to form a bow wave. Instead, they evolve into freely propagating large‐scale TADs. The large‐scale TADs remain propagating in the direction perpendicular to the wavefronts, which is determined by history of the eclipse trajectory and thermospheric conditions. These conditions include specifically season and the latitudinal location of the eclipse trajectory.
Strain Accumulation and Release Rate in Canada: Implications for Long‐Term Crustal Deformation and Earthquake Hazards
Authors: Ojo Adebayo Oluwaseun , Kao Honn , Jiang Yan , Craymer Michael , Henton Joseph 
Published: March 2021

AbstractTo advance the understanding of crustal deformation and earthquake hazards in Canada, we analyze seismic and geodetic data sets and robustly estimate the crust strain accumulation and release rate by earthquakes. We find that less than 20% of the accumulated strain is released by earthquakes across the study area providing evidence for large‐scale aseismic deformation. We attribute this to glacial isostatic adjustment (GIA) in eastern Canada, where predictions from the GIA model account for most of the observed discrepancy between the seismic and the geodetic moment rates. In western Canada, only a small percentage (<20%) of the discrepancy can be attributed to GIA‐related deformation. We suspect that this may reflect the inaccuracy of the GIA model to account for heterogeneity in Earth structure or indicate that the present‐day effect of GIA in western Canada is limited due to the fast response of the upper mantle to the deglaciation of the Cordillera Ice Sheet. At locations of previously identified seismic source zones, we speculate that the unreleased strain is been stored cumulatively in the crust and will be released as earthquakes in the future. The Gutenberg‐Richter model predicts, however, that the recurrence interval can vary significantly in Canada, ranging from decades near plate boundary zones in the west to thousands of years in the stable continental interior. Our attempt to quantify the GIA‐induced deformation provides the necessary first step for the integration of geodetic strain rates in seismic hazard analysis in Canada.
Trace Elements From Ocean‐Going Vessels in East Asia: Vanadium and Nickel Emissions and Their Impacts on Air Quality
Authors: Zhao Junri , Zhang Yan , Xu Haoran , Tao Shu , Wang Rong , Yu Qi , Chen Ying , Zou Zhong , Ma Weichun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractVanadium (V) and nickel (Ni) are considered the most abundant trace metals in ship exhaust burning heavy fuel oils. This study is the first attempt to estimate the impact of V and Ni from shipping on air quality in East Asia for the year 2015. In this study, emission inventories of V and Ni from shipping and land‐based sources were constructed and implemented into the revised aerosol module to simulate ambient V and Ni concentrations. Our results showed that ship emissions contributed the majority of vanadium and were important to nickel emissions in most coastal regions in East Asia, with the contributions exceeding 60% and approximately 40% in some regions, respectively. The simulated ambient V and Ni concentrations has been validated by the measurements, and the comparison revealed there was an obvious improvement (reducing the mean bias by 32%–63%) in the model performance of the V and Ni predictions after including shipping emissions. Our study filled the gaps of trace element contributions in coastal regions and implied that the impact of metals from shipping traffic on regional air quality is worthy of attention in East Asia. Although the International Maritime Organization (IMO) low‐sulfur fuel policy has been implemented since 2020, the impact of shipping traffic on trace metals with respect to regional air quality is still important given heavy fuel oils being in use.
Detection of Stage‐Discharge Rating Shifts Using Gaugings: A Recursive Segmentation Procedure Accounting for Observational and Model Uncertainties
Authors: Darienzo M. , Renard B. , Le Coz J. , Lang M. 
Published: March 2021

AbstractThe stage‐discharge rating curve is subject at many hydrometric stations to sudden changes (shifts) typically caused by morphogenic floods. We propose an original method for estimating shift times using the stage‐discharge observations, also known as gaugings. This method is based on a recursive segmentation procedure that accounts for both gaugings and rating curve uncertainties through a Bayesian framework. It starts with the estimation of a baseline rating curve using all available gaugings. Then it computes the residuals between the gaugings and this rating curve with uncertainties. It proceeds with the segmentation of the time series of residuals through a multi‐change point Bayesian estimation accounting for residuals uncertainties. Once the first set of shift times is identified, the same procedure is recursively applied to each sub‐period through a “top‐down” approach searching for all effective shifts. The proposed method is illustrated using the Ardèche River at Meyras in France (a typical hydrometric site subject to river bed degradation) and evaluated using several synthetic data sets for which the true shift times are known. The applications confirm the added value of the recursive segmentation compared with a “single‐pass” approach and highlight the importance of properly accounting for uncertainties in the segmented data. The recursive procedure effectively disentangles rating changes from observational and rating curve uncertainties.
Laboratory Investigations of Acoustic Anisotropy in Artificial Porous Rock With Aligned Fractures During Gas Hydrate Formation and Dissociation
Authors: Liu Shengbiao , Han Tongcheng , Fu Li‐Yun 
Published: March 2021

AbstractFractures can widely exist in hydrate‐bearing reservoirs and can give rise to anisotropic acoustic properties that play an important role in the accurate assessment of fractured reservoirs. However, the knowledge of the responses of acoustic anisotropy in fractured hydrate‐bearing reservoirs is still poorly understood. To obtain such understanding, we designed and implemented dedicated laboratory experiments to measure the anisotropic acoustic velocities in an artificial sandstone with aligned penny‐shaped fractures parallel to the layers during hydrate formation and dissociation at the confining pressures of 20 and 50 MPa, respectively. We showed that although the velocities at higher confining pressure were systematically greater, all the velocities at both confining pressures increased and decreased during hydrate formation and dissociation, respectively. We also showed that the velocities during hydrate formation were significantly higher than those during dissociation at hydrate saturation greater than 10%. It was found that all the velocities smoothly reduced with decreasing saturation during dissociation, while the varying velocities exhibited distinct increasing gradients during formation, where the compressional wave anisotropy reduced dramatically at saturation between 10% and 25%. Analyses of the experimental results suggested that the floating hydrate evolved to bridge the surfaces of fractures when hydrate saturation exceeded 10% during hydrate formation, and the bridging hydrate gradually transformed to floating in the pore system during dissociation. The results provide new insights into hydrate distribution and its effects on acoustic anisotropy in fractured reservoirs during hydrate formation and dissociation and will contribute to improving the accuracy of hydrate assessment in such reservoirs.