bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sex differences in language competence of 4-year-old children: Female advantages are mediated by phonological short-term memory
Authors: Lange Benjamin P. , Zaretsky Eugen 
Published: August 2021

AbstractFor some time now, psycholinguistic research has involved the study of sex differences in language development. Overall, girls seem to have an early advantage over boys, mainly in regard to vocabulary, which appears to decrease and, eventually, vanish with age. While there are numerous studies on sex differences in the acquisition of vocabulary as well as grammar, early sex differences in phonological short-term memory (PSTM) have been mostly neglected, or if research was conducted, it resulted in null findings, for the most part. In the present study, we examined sex differences in language competence (in a wide array of linguistic domains) of German children 4 years of age. Several tests were administered to assess articulation, vocabulary, grammar, speech comprehension, and, most importantly, PSTM (by means of the repetition of non-words and sentences). Girls performed better than boys in all domains, although some effect sizes were small. Most importantly, we found evidence for a female advantage in PSTM performance. Furthermore, mediation analyses revealed that the obtained sex differences in articulation, vocabulary, grammar, and comprehension were partially or fully mediated by (sex differences in) PSTM.
An approach to drastically reduce the required legs DOFs for bipedal robots and lower-limb exoskeletons
Authors: Jamisola Rodrigo S. , Roberts Rodney G. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractWe present a method to drastically reduce the required number of degrees-of-freedom (DOFs) needed for walking for each leg of bipedal robots and lower-limb exoskeletons. This approach releases more legs DOFs in the null space to do other tasks, instead of unnecessarily constraining them. It uses relative reference frames to control relative motion between the two feet, instead of the usual method of controlling foot movement with respect to fixed reference frames. In its basic form, it controls the bipedal walking holistically using two controllers: (1) world space control using relative feet motion and (2) null-space control of the legs posture.
Impact of weather conditions on cheetah monitoring with scat detection dogs
Authors: Mutoro Noreen M. , Eberle Jonas , Petermann Jana S. , Schaab Gertrud , Wykstra Mary , Habel Jan Christian 
Published: August 2021

AbstractKnowledge on cheetah population densities across their current range is limited. Therefore, new and efficient assessment tools are needed to gain more knowledge on species distribution, ecology and behaviour. Scat detection dogs have emerged as an efficient and non-invasive method to monitor elusive and vulnerable animal species, like cheetahs, due to the dog’s superior olfactory system. However, the success of locating scat using detection dogs can be significantly improved under suitable weather conditions. We examined the impact of temperature, humidity and wind speed on detection rates of scat from cheetahs during a scat detection dog survey in Northern Kenya. We found that average wind speed positively influences the scat detection rate of detection dogs working on leash. Humidity showed no significant influence. Temperature showed a strong negative correlation with humidity and thus was excluded from our model analyses. While it is likely that wind speed is especially invalid for dogs working off leash, this study did not demonstrate this. Wind speed could thus influence the success of monitoring cheetahs or other target species. Our findings help to improve the survey and thus maximise the coverage of study area and the collection of target samples of elusive and rare species.
Half-a-Century of Terrorist Attacks: Weapons Selection, Casualty Outcomes, and Implications for Counter-Terrorism Medicine
Authors: Tin Derrick , Margus Colton , Ciottone Gregory R. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractBackground:High profile terrorist attacks in major capital cities have seemingly become a regular occurrence and the resultant mass-casualty events continue to challenge health care systems. Counter-Terrorism Medicine (CTM) addresses unique terrorism-related issues relating to the mitigation, preparedness, and response measures to asymmetric, multi-modality terrorist attacks. This study is an epidemiological examination of all terrorism-related events sustained from 1970-2019, analyzing historical weapon types used and the resulting fatal injuries (FI) and non-fatal injuries (NFI) sustained.Methods:The Global Terrorism Database (GTD) was searched for all attacks from 1970-2019. Attacks met inclusion criteria if they fulfilled the three terrorism-related criteria, as set by the GTD codebook. Ambiguous events were excluded. State-sponsored terrorist events do not meet the codebook’s definition, and as such, are excluded from the study. Available counts of FI and NFI in each incident were then sorted and aggregated by weapon type to enable mean and standard deviation calculations.Results:In total, 168,003 events were recorded from the years 1970-2019. Explosives, bombs, and/or dynamite (E/B/D) were the most commonly used weapon type and accounted for 48.78% of all terrorism events, followed by the use of firearms in 26.77% of events. A total of 339,435 FI and 496,225 NFI resulted from all terrorism events that occurred during the study period. Combined, E/B/D and firearms accounted for 75.55% of all events, 67.1% of all FI, and 79.3% of all NFI. Each individual terrorism event inflicted a mean FI rate of 2.14 FI per event (SD = 10.2) and a mean NFI rate of 3.22 NFI per event (SD = 45.19).Conclusions:Although terrorism is complex and does not solely rely on death tolls as a measure of success, this analysis shows a historic mean FI rate of 2.14 and NFI rate of 3.22 per event over the past 50 years. Proven weapons such as E/B/D and firearms combine to account for over 75% of weapon types used in all events. Use of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) such as chemical, biological, radiation, and nuclear (CBRN) weapons has been rare (0.2%), yet has extreme high potential to inflict mass casualties with mean NFI rates of 49.62 and 28.75 for chemical and biological weapons, respectively.
Neurophysiology of non-native sound discrimination: Evidence from German vowels and consonants in successive French–German bilinguals using an MMN oddball paradigm
Authors: Wottawa Jane , Adda-Decker Martine , Isel Frédéric 
Published: August 2021

Abstract
The present electroencephalographical multi-speaker MMN oddball experiment was designed to study the phonological processing of German native and non-native speech sounds. Precisely, we focused on the perception of German /ɪ-iː/, /ɛ-ɛː/, /a-aː/ and the fricatives [ʃ] and [ç] in German natives (GG) and French learners of German (FG). As expected, our results showed that GG were able to discriminate all the critical vowel contrasts. In contrast, FG, despite their high L2 proficiency level, were only marginally sensitive to vowel length variations. Finally, neither GG nor FG discriminated the opposition between [ʃ] and [ç], as revealed by the absence of MMN response. This latter finding was interpreted in terms of low perceptual salience. Taken together, the present findings lend partial support to the Perceptual Assimilation Model for late bilinguals (PAM-L2) for speech perception of non-native phonological contrasts.
Potential of existing online 24-h dietary recall tools for national dietary surveys
Authors: Gazan Rozenn , Vieux Florent , Mora Ségolène , Havard Sabrina , Dubuisson Carine 
Published: August 2021

AbstractObjective:To describe existing online, 24-h dietary recall (24-h DR) tools in terms of functionalities and ability to tackle challenges encountered during national dietary surveys, such as maximising response rates and collecting high-quality data from a representative sample of the population, while minimising the cost and response burden.Design:A search (from 2000 to 2019) was conducted in peer-reviewed and grey literature. For each tool, information on functionalities, validation and user usability studies, and potential adaptability for integration into a new context was collected.Setting:Not country-specificParticipants:General populationResults:Eighteen online 24-h DR tools were identified. Most were developed in Europe, for children ≥10 years old and/or for adults. Eight followed the five multiple-pass steps but used various methodologies and features. Almost all tools (except three) validated their nutrient intake estimates, but with high heterogeneity in methodologies. User usability was not always assessed, and rarely by applying real-time methods. For researchers, eight tools developed a web platform to manage the survey and five appeared to be easily adaptable to a new context.Conclusions:Among the eighteen online 24-h DR tools identified, the best candidates to be used in national dietary surveys should be those that were validated for their intake estimates, had confirmed user and researcher usability, and seemed sufficiently flexible to be adapted to new contexts. Regardless of the tool, adaptation to another context will still require time and funding, and this is probably the most challenging step.
Magmatism and Extension in the Anaconda Metamorphic Core Complex of Western Montana and Relation to Regional Tectonics
Authors: Howlett Caden J. , Reynolds Aislin N. , Laskowski Andrew K. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractMetamorphic core complexes (MCCs) are a product of crustal extension, but their dynamics are still debated. Early research suggests that the formation of MCCs in the western United States was due to gravitational collapse of crust that had been thickened during Cordilleran orogenesis. However, the instability of overthickened crust alone cannot explain the diachronous formation of core complexes with a strong spatial dependency, as there was relatively uniform crustal thickness along strike of the Cordillera. For this reason, there is an interest in what role other lithospheric processes (such as subducted slab removal) play in the evolution of MCCs. We investigate the role of such processes by determining the temporal relation between magmatism and extension in the Anaconda MCC (AMCC) of western Montana. Geologic mapping, zircon U‐Pb geochronology, and zircon (U‐Th)/He thermochronology reveal that the initiation of extension in the AMCC in the Eocene (∼53 Ma) began at least 3 Myr after the emplacement of voluminous Paleocene two‐mica plutons. We interpret that the AMCC is an example of a core complex that was primed for extension by magmatic thermal weakening and suggest that foundering of the Farallon flat slab and the onset of the ignimbrite flareup in western Montana was responsible for the initiation of AMCC extension. An updated compilation of MCC cooling ages and Cenozoic volcanic activity across the western United States supports previous interpretations that the removal of Farallon oceanic lithosphere likely initiated MCC exhumation in some regions.
L‐Band Synthetic Aperture Radar Observation of Ionospheric Density Irregularities at Equatorial Plasma Depletion Region
Authors: Sato Hiroatsu , Kim Jun Su , Otsuka Yuichi , Wrasse Cristiano Max , Rodrigues de Paula Eurico , Rodrigues de Souza Jonas 
Published: August 2021

AbstractPlasma density irregularities in the equatorial ionosphere are thought to cause the distortions of L‐band Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images, which have been observed in recent years, but the origin of the image distortion has not yet been clearly identified experimentally. We report on the first simultaneous observation of equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) by the ALOS‐2/PALSAR‐2 satellite and ground 630‐nm airglow imager in northern Brazil. We observe stripe‐like distortions of SAR signal power that are aligned in the direction of local magnetic field lines. The stripe‐like patterns are observed in the vicinity of airglow depletion. The result shows that the observed L‐band SAR stripes are caused by ionospheric scintillation due to plasma irregularities with the scale size of hundreds of meters associated with EPBs. We show that the SAR scintillation stripes are predominantly found at the location of sharp density gradients in the two‐dimensional form.
A Bayesian Machine Learning Algorithm for Predicting ENSO Using Short Observational Time Series
Authors: Chen Nan , Gilani Faheem , Harlim John 
Published: August 2021

AbstractA simple and efficient Bayesian machine learning (BML) training algorithm, which exploits only a 20‐year short observational time series and an approximate prior model, is developed to predict the Niño 3 sea surface temperature (SST) index. The BML forecast significantly outperforms model‐based ensemble predictions and standard machine learning forecasts. Even with a simple feedforward neural network (NN), the BML forecast is skillful for 9.5 months. Remarkably, the BML forecast overcomes the spring predictability barrier to a large extent: the forecast starting from spring remains skillful for nearly 10 months. The BML algorithm can also effectively utilize multiscale features: the BML forecast of SST using SST, thermocline, and windburst improves on the BML forecast using just SST by at least 2 months. Finally, the BML algorithm also reduces the forecast uncertainty of NNs and is robust to input perturbations.
The Origin of Systematic Forecast Errors of Extreme 2020 East Asian Summer Monsoon Rainfall in GloSea5
Authors: Ham Yoo‐Geun , Kim Ji‐Gwang , Lee Jeong‐Gil , Li Tim , Lee Myong‐In , Son Seok‐Woo , Hyun Yu‐Kyung 
Published: August 2021

AbstractThis study examined the origin of the systematic underestimation of rainfall anomalies over East Asia during July–August 2020 in operational forecasts. Through partial nudging experiments, we found that the East Asian rainfall anomalies were successfully predicted in GloSea5 with corrected tropical sea surface temperature (SST) forcing. Once the observed SST is applied over the Indian Ocean and tropical central‐eastern Pacific, a low‐level anticyclonic anomaly over the subtropical western Pacific, which transports warm‐moist air from the tropics to increase the East Asian precipitation, is well reproduced as observed. By further separating the SST into climatological and anomalous components, we revealed that the cold and dry mean state bias over the Indian Ocean and central‐eastern Pacific is responsible for the weak anomalous atmospheric teleconnection patterns from the tropics to East Asia. This implies that correcting the model mean climatological fields can directly impact the operational seasonal forecast skill.
Ozone Anomalies in the Free Troposphere During the COVID‐19 Pandemic
Authors: Bouarar Idir , Gaubert Benjamin , Brasseur Guy P. , Steinbrecht Wolfgang , Doumbia Thierno , Tilmes Simone , Liu Yiming , Stavrakou Trissevgeni , Deroubaix Adrien , Darras Sabine , Granier Claire , Lacey Forrest , Müller Jean‐François , Shi Xiaoqin , Elguindi Nellie , Wang Tao 
Published: August 2021

AbstractUsing the CAM‐chem Model, we simulate the response of chemical species in the free troposphere to scenarios of primary pollutant emission reductions during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Zonally averaged ozone in the free troposphere during Northern Hemisphere spring and summer is found to be 5%–15% lower than 19‐yr climatological values, in good agreement with observations. About one third of this anomaly is attributed to the reduction scenario of air traffic during the pandemic, another third to the reduction scenario of surface emissions, the remainder to 2020 meteorological conditions, including the exceptional springtime Arctic stratospheric ozone depletion. For the combined emission reductions, the overall COVID‐19 reduction in northern hemisphere tropospheric ozone in June is less than 5 ppb below 400 hPa, but reaches 8 ppb at 250 hPa. In the Southern Hemisphere, COVID‐19 related ozone reductions by 4%–6% were masked by comparable ozone increases due to other changes in 2020.
Urban Basin Structure Imaging Based on Dense Arrays and Bayesian Array‐Based Coherent Receiver Functions
Authors: Wang Xin , Zhan Zhongwen , Zhong Minyan , Persaud Patricia , Clayton Robert W. 
Published: August 2021

AbstractUrban basin investigation is crucial for seismic hazard assessment and mitigation. Recent advances in robust nodal‐type sensors facilitate the deployment of large‐N arrays in urban areas for high‐resolution basin imaging. However, arrays typically operate for only one month due to the instruments' battery life, and hence, only record a few teleseismic events. This limits the number of available teleseismic events for traditional receiver function (RF) analysis‐the primary method used in sediment‐basement interface imaging in passive source seismology. Insufficient stacking of RFs from a limited number of earthquakes could, however, introduce significant biases to the results. In this study, we present a novel Bayesian array‐based Coherent Receiver Function (CRF) method that can leverage datasets from short‐term dense arrays to constrain basin geometry. We cast the RF deconvolution as a sparsity‐promoted inverse problem, in which the deconvolution at a single‐station involves the constraints from neighboring stations and multiple events. We solve the inverse problem using a trans‐dimensional Markov chain Monte Carlo Bayesian algorithm to find an ensemble of RF solutions, which provides a quantitative way of deciding which features are well resolved and warrant geological interpretation. An application in the northern Los Angeles basin demonstrates the ability of our method to produce reliable and easy‐to‐interpret RF images. The use of dense seismic networks and the state‐of‐the‐art Bayesian array‐based CRF method can provide a robust approach for subsurface structure imaging.
Climatology of Melting Layer Heights Estimated From Cloud Radar Observations at Various Locations
Authors: Song Jae In , Yum Seong Soo , Park Sung‐Hwa , Kim Ki‐Hoon , Park Ki‐Jun , Joo Sang‐Won 
Published: August 2021

AbstractA melting layer (ML) detection algorithm for cloud radar with polarimetric capability was developed and applied to the cloud radar data collected from five different sites around the world for several years. The retrieved melting layer top height (MLH) showed a very good correspondence with the ECMWF Reanalysis 5 zero degree level data for all five sites. The ML characteristics were distinctively different for different sites, revealing climatological characteristics of ML forming clouds in different regions. Generally, ML tended to occur more frequently in summer than in winter except for a maritime site, where low stratiform clouds formed frequently in summer, the top of which might be lower than the freezing level. In contrast, at two Arctic sites, ML occurred almost exclusively in summer because it was too cold to have an ML in the other seasons. The MLH also varied significantly from site to site but generally was higher during warmer seasons. Based on MLH, two new indices, bulk temperature lapse rate (BLR) and relative depth (RD) of liquid cloud below MLH (RD) were developed, which were useful to explain the environmental characteristics of the five sites. BLR generally increased with the surface temperature at all sites except at the marine site that showed an opposite trend, where a unique synoptic pattern in winter generated high BLR in this cold season. These findings confirm that studies on thermodynamic structures using cloud radars can be broadened, taking advantage of BLR and RD information, as these indices can represent environmental thermodynamic characteristics of the clouds that have ML.
Kicking in Diabetes Support (KIDS) Intervention Effects: Parent Reports of Diabetes Management
Authors: Kichler Jessica C. , Kaugars Astrida S. 
Published: August 2021

Objectives: The Kicking In Diabetes Support (KIDS) Project is a semistructured multifamily group therapy (MGT) intervention for adolescents who have type 1 diabetes (T1D) and their parents, which incorporates both peer support and family systems processes to improve diabetes management skills. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical utility of this intervention by examining parent perspectives and health-related outcomes. Methods: Adolescents and their parents participated in the 8-session (6 core sessions and 2 booster follow-up sessions at 2 and 4 months) intervention in 1 of 8 waves of the group administration over a four-year period. Parents completed self-report measures (e.g., readiness to change behaviors, self-management, and responsibility in T1D management) at baseline, posttreatment, and follow-up. A medical chart review documented health care utilization and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels. Results: Of the 38 families that completed baseline assessments, 20 families had parent self-report measures for all 3 timepoints. There were significant improvements in parents’ reports of readiness to change behaviors and self-management. There was variability in reports of parent-adolescent division of T1D responsibility across the 3 timepoints. In addition, adolescent HbA1c levels, the number of clinic visits, and emergency room utilization were significantly reduced over time. Conclusions: The results of this study suggest that parents are amenable to a MGT intervention for adolescents with T1D conducted in a clinical setting. Further, there are sustained improvements in the parent–child interactional processes related to T1D management, glycemic levels, and health care utilization during an often-difficult developmental period. Implications for Impact Statement The present study suggests that from a parent perspective, a multifamily group intervention for adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents may be helpful in improving family process constructs (such as shifting responsibility for diabetes care and self-management) and adolescents’ health-related outcomes (such as glycemic levels and health care utilization). This brief diabetes group intervention may be able to be incorporated into a variety of clinical settings, used within different diabetes subpopulations (such as with adolescents recently diagnosed with diabetes), and adapted to various types of diabetes treatment regimens.