bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Is a spatial investigation possible without long-distance refit/conjoin? Application to the MIS 11 lithic assemblage of levels E and J from La Cansaladeta site (Tarragona, Spain)
Authors: Yeşilova Görkem Cenk , Ollé Andreu , Vergès Josep Maria 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this manuscript, we present the first systematic refitting results of the small-scale Middle Pleistocene (MIS11) rock shelter site of La Cansaladeta. The lithic materials that have been recovered from the archaeological levels E and J were the main study materials. These levels were investigated regarding spatial pattern analysis and analyzed with auxiliary methods such as quantitative density mapping demonstration and technological analysis of the lithic clusters. Thus, the spatial patterns of the two levels were compared and discussed, in terms of connections, clusters, and movement of the lithic elements. Undoubtedly, the well preservation of the archaeological levels offered a great opportunity for the interpretation of the spatial patterns in a high-resolution perspective. La Cansaladeta has not been paid attention adequately so far may be due to the small dimension of the excavation surface or to the scarcity of faunal record. Our results show that small-scale sites without long-distance refit/conjoin connections can provide significant spatial information. Indeed, if the sites have very well-preserved archaeological levels, the absence of long connections can be supported by the auxiliary methods.
Cellular mechanosignaling in pulmonary arterial hypertension
Authors: Wang Ariel , Valdez-Jasso Daniela 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a vasculopathy characterized by sustained elevated pulmonary arterial pressures in which the pulmonary vasculature undergoes significant structural and functional remodeling. To better understand disease mechanisms, in this review article we highlight recent insights into the regulation of pulmonary arterial cells by mechanical cues associated with PAH. Specifically, the mechanobiology of pulmonary arterial endothelial cells (PAECs), smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) and adventitial fibroblasts (PAAFs) has been investigated in vivo, in vitro, and in silico. Increased pulmonary arterial pressure increases vessel wall stress and strain and endothelial fluid shear stress. These mechanical cues promote vasoconstriction and fibrosis that contribute further to hypertension and alter the mechanical milieu and regulation of pulmonary arterial cells.
The future of farming: Who will produce our food?
Authors: Giller Ken E. , Delaune Thomas , Silva João Vasco , Descheemaeker Katrien , van de Ven Gerrie , Schut Antonius G.T. , van Wijk Mark , Hammond James , Hochman Zvi , Taulya Godfrey , Chikowo Regis , Narayanan Sudha , Kishore Avinash , Bresciani Fabrizio , Teixeira Heitor Mancini , Andersson Jens A. , van Ittersum Martin K. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAchieving SDG2 (zero hunger) in a situation of rapid global population growth requires a continued focus on food production. Farming not merely needs to sustainably produce nutritious diets, but should also provide livelihoods for farmers, while retaining natural ecosystems and services. Rather than focusing on production principles, this article explores the interrelations between farms and farming systems in the global food system. Evaluating farming systems around the world, we reveal a bewildering diversity. While family farms predominate, these range in size from less than 0.1 ha to more than 10,000 ha, and from hand hoe use to machine-based cultivation, enabling one person to plant more than 500 ha in a day. Yet, farming in different parts of the world is highly interdependent, not least because prices paid for farm produce are largely determined by global markets. Furthermore, the economic viability of farming is a problem, globally. We highlight trends in major regions of the world and explore possible trajectories for the future and ask: Who are the farmers of the future? Changing patterns of land ownership, rental and exchange mean that the concept of ‘what is a farm’ becomes increasingly fluid. Next to declining employment and rural depopulation, we also foresee more environmentally-friendly, less external input dependent, regionalised production systems. This may require the reversal of a global trend towards increasing specialisation to a recoupling of arable and livestock farming, not least for the resilience it provides. It might also require a slow-down or reversal of the widespread trend of scale enlargement in agriculture. Next to this trend of scale enlargement, small farms persist in Asia: consolidation of farms proceeds at a snail’s pace in South-east Asia and 70% of farms in India are ‘ultra-small’ – less than 0.05 ha. Also in Africa, where we find smallholder farms are much smaller than often assumed (< 1 ha), farming households are often food insecure. A raft of pro-poor policies and investments are needed to stimulate small-scale agriculture as part of a broader focus on rural development to address persistent poverty and hunger. Smallholder farms will remain an important source of food and income, and a social safety net in absence of alternative livelihood security. But with limited possibilities for smallholders to ‘step-up’, the agricultural engine of growth appears to be broken. Smallholder agriculture cannot deliver the rate of economic growth currently assumed by many policy initiatives in Africa.
Women’s empowerment and gender equality in agricultural value chains: evidence from four countries in Asia and Africa
Authors: Quisumbing Agnes , Heckert Jessica , Faas Simone , Ramani Gayathri , Raghunathan Kalyani , Malapit Hazel ,   The pro-WEAI for Market Inclusion Study Team, Malapit Hazel , Heckert Jessica , Eissler Sarah , Faas Simone , Martinez Elena , Myers Emily , Pereira Audrey , Quisumbing Agnes , Ragasa Catherine , Raghunathan Kalyani , Rubin Deborah , Seymour Greg 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWomen play important roles at different nodes of both agricultural and off-farm value chains, but in many countries their contributions are either underestimated or limited by prevailing societal norms or gender-specific barriers. We use primary data collected in Asia (Bangladesh, Philippines) and Africa (Benin, Malawi) to examine the relationships between women’s empowerment, gender equality, and participation in a variety of local agricultural value chains that comprise the food system. We find that the value chain and the specific node of engagement matter, as do other individual and household characteristics, but in different ways depending on country context. Entrepreneurship—often engaged in by wealthier households with greater ability to take risks—is not necessarily empowering for women; nor is household wealth, as proxied by their asset ownership. Increased involvement in the market is not necessarily correlated with greater gender equality. Education is positively correlated with higher empowerment of both men and women, but the strength of this association varies. Training and extension services are generally positively associated with empowerment but could also exacerbate the inequality in empowerment between men and women in the same household. All in all, culture and context determine whether participation in value chains—and which node of the value chain—is empowering. In designing food systems interventions, care should be taken to consider the social and cultural contexts in which these food systems operate, so that interventions do not exacerbate existing gender inequalities.
Spatial components dependence for bidimensional time-constant AR(1) model with $$\alpha $$-stable noise and triangular coefficients matrix
Authors: Grzesiek Aleksandra 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this paper, we examine the bidimensional time-constant autoregressive model of order 1 with$$\alpha $$α-stable noise. We focus on the case of the triangular coefficients matrix for which one of the spatial components of the model simplifies to the one-dimensional autoregressive time series. We study the asymptotic behaviour of the cross-codifference and the cross-covariation applied to describe the dependence in time between the spatial components of the model. As a result, we formulate the theorem about the asymptotic relation between both measures, which is consistent with the result that is correct for the case of the non-triangular coefficients matrix.
Improvement of preconditioned bi-Lanczos-type algorithms with residual norm minimization for the stable solution of systems of linear equations
Authors: Itoh Shoji 
Published: September 2021

AbstractIn this paper, improved algorithms are proposed for preconditioned bi-Lanczos-type methods with residual norm minimization for the stable solution of systems of linear equations. In particular, preconditioned algorithms pertaining to the bi-conjugate gradient stabilized method (BiCGStab) and the generalized product-type method based on the BiCG (GPBiCG) have been improved. These algorithms are more stable compared to conventional alternatives. Further, a stopping criterion changeover is proposed for use with these improved algorithms. This results in higher accuracy (lower true relative error) compared to the case where no changeover is done. Numerical results confirm the improvements with respect to the preconditioned BiCGStab, the preconditioned GPBiCG, and stopping criterion changeover. These improvements could potentially be applied to other preconditioned algorithms based on bi-Lanczos-type methods.
Are lipid nanoparticles really superior? A holistic proof of concept study
Authors: Wiemann Sabrina , Keck Cornelia M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractLipid nanoparticles are a successful carrier system for dermal drug delivery. They possess various beneficial properties, i.e., increased chemical stability for chemically labile compounds, increased dermal penetration of active compounds, or skin carrying properties after dermal application due to the formation of a so-called “invisible patch.” Despite manifold studies showing these properties individually, a study that investigates if one lipid nanoparticle formulation can really combine all the above-mentioned benefits at once is not yet available. In the present study, lipid nanoparticles (NLC) were produced and characterized regarding their physico-chemical properties. The chemical stability of the incorporated active ingredient (AI) was determined, as well as the dermal penetration efficacy of the AI, and the skin carrying properties of the NLC after dermal penetration. The properties of the NLC were compared to classical formulations, i.e., AI dissolved in pure oil, an o/w cream base and a nanoemulsion. All formulations contained similar lipids and emulsifiers, which allowed for a direct comparison of the different properties. NLC were shown to provide most efficient chemical stabilization and most efficient dermal penetration for the AI. The formation of the invisible patch was shown for the NLC but not for the other formulations. Skin hydration and skin carrying properties were also most pronounced for the NLC. Results provide evidence that NLC can combine all beneficial effects that were previously described in one formulation. Thus, providing evidence that NLC are a holistically superior formulation principle when compared to other formulation principles.
Graphical abstract
Soliton Decomposition of the Box-Ball System
Authors: Ferrari Pablo A. , Nguyen Chi , Rolla Leonardo T. , Wang Minmin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe box-ball system (BBS) was introduced by Takahashi and Satsuma as a discrete counterpart of the Korteweg-de Vries equation. Both systems exhibit solitons whose shape and speed are conserved after collision with other solitons. We introduce a slot decomposition of ball configurations, each component being an infinite vector describing the number of sizeksolitons in eachk-slot. The dynamics of the components is linear: thekth component moves rigidly at speedk. Let$\zeta $be a translation-invariant family of independent random vectors under a summability condition and$\eta $be the ball configuration with components$\zeta $. We show that the law of$\eta $is translation invariant and invariant for the BBS. This recipe allows us to construct a large family of invariant measures, including product measures and stationary Markov chains with ball density less than$\frac {1}{2}$. We also show that starting BBS with an ergodic measure, the position of a taggedk-soliton at timet, divided bytconverges as$t\to \infty $to an effective speed$v_k$. The vector of speeds satisfies a system of linear equations related with the generalised Gibbs ensemble of conservative laws.
The place of Africa in international relations: the centrality of the margins in Global IR
Authors: Raineri Luca , Baldaro Edoardo 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe Global IR research agenda lays emphasis on the marginalised, non-Western forms of power and knowledge that underpin today's international system. Focusing on Africa, this article questions two fundamental assumptions of this approach, arguing that they err by excess of realism – in two different ways. First, the claim that Africa is marginal to international relations (IR) thinking holds true only as long as one makes the whole of IR discipline coincide with the Realist school. Second, the Global IR commitment to better appreciate ‘non-Western’ contributions is ontologically realist, because it fails to recognise that the West and the non-West are dialectically constitutive of one another. To demonstrate this, the article first shows that Africa has moved from the periphery to the core of IR scholarship: in the post-paradigmatic phase, Africa is no longer a mere provider of deviant cases, but a laboratory for theory-building of general validity. In the second part, the Sahel provides a case for unsettling reified conceptions of Africa's conceptual and geographical boundaries through the dialectical articulation of the inside/outside dichotomy. Questioning the ‘place’ of Africa in IR – both as identity and function – thus paves the way to a ‘less realist’ approach to Global IR.
Unity in fragility: nonviolence and COVID-19
Authors: Baldoli Roberto , Radaelli Claudio M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic witnessed extreme forms of biopolitics, as well as the urgency to reconsider our relationship with the planet. Although biopolitics draws attention to the technologies of domination by public authorities, we cast the concepts ofbiosand politics in the wider framework of nonviolence. In this framework, bios is the set of practices (praxis) of ordinary citizens. And politics is power created by harm reduction, or actions in daily life that testimony the desire not to harm others or the planet. We leverage nonviolence at three levels, scaling up from the individual to social behaviour and to the planet. The first level concerns nonviolence as self-sufferance and as praxis to claim back the sovereignty of the body. In the second level, nonviolence is collective mobilization – building social capital, self-governance, and solidarity. The third level provides the vision of a diverse ecological citizenship with a sustainable relationship between human beings and the planet.
The effects of habitat type and pathogen infection on tick host-seeking behaviour
Authors: Richardson Elise A. , Taylor Caitlin E. , Jabot Brittney , Martin Estelle , Keiser Carl N. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTick-borne pathogens pose a significant risk to livestock, wildlife and public health. Host-seeking behaviours may depend on a combination of infection status and environmental factors. Here, we assessed the effects of habitat type and pathogen infection on host-seeking behaviour (questing) in the lone star tick, Amblyomma americanum. Ticks were collected using a tick drag from two different habitat types: xeric hammock and successional hardwood forests. Using a standardized assay, we recorded the likelihood of questing for each tick, the average height quested and total time spent questing and then tested each tick for the presence of Rickettsia spp. and Ehrlichia spp. using conventional polymerase chain reaction. We did not detect Ehrlichia in any ticks, although 30% tested positive for Rickettsia amblyommatis, a member of the Rickettsia spotted fever group. Ticks infected with R. amblyommatis spent less time questing compared to uninfected ticks, with infected ticks spending 85 s on average questing and uninfected ticks spending 112 s. Additionally, ticks collected from xeric hammock habitats spent over twice as long questing compared to ticks from successional hardwood forests. Ticks from xeric hammock spent 151 s on average questing while ticks from successional hardwood forest spent only 58 s during a 10-min observation period. These results demonstrate that habitat type and infection status can influence tick host-seeking behaviours, which can play a pivotal role in disease dynamics.
Transnational Diffusion of Health Policy Ideas in Uruguay in the Early Twentieth Century
Authors: ROSSEL CECILIA , MONESTIER FELIPE 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis article analyzes how policy ideas already adopted in Europe, particularly in France, were taken into consideration for the design of Uruguay’s National Public Assistance (NPA) policy. Established in 1910, the NPA was a pioneering government social policy for the time and for the region.Some have argued that the design of the NPA law followed the secular and republican model instituted in France at the end of the nineteenth century when France established the Assistance Publique, particularly regarding the extent of public assistance to the poor, the role of the state in the provision of health care (as opposed to charity-based provision) and the centralization of health-care services (as opposed to a decentralized health-care system).We analyze how these revolutionary ideas were discussed by the technicians and politicians who participated in the process that culminated in the approval of the law in Uruguay discussed these revolutionary ideas. We explore the factors that motivated the creation of the commission that developed the law. We also review available documentation on the drafting of the bill and the parliamentary debate that culminated in its approval. We find that the design of the NPA included many ideas diffused mainly from France. The French model was not simply emulated, however. Rather, the authors of the NPA thoroughly analyzed and considered the features and main consequences of the Assistance Publique, suggesting that diffusion in this case was more a process of learning than of simple mimicry.
Sports participation, activity, and obesity in children who have undergone the Fontan procedure
Authors: Baleilevuka-Hart Marica E. , Khader Ayesha , Gonzalez De Alba Cesar E , Holmes Kathryn W. , Huang Jennifer H. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractBackground:Children with CHD are at risk for obesity and low levels of activity. These factors are associated with an increased risk of poor outcome. Participation in organised sports is an important avenue for children to maintain physical activity, though the relationship between sports participation and obesity has not been examined in the Fontan population.Methods:We performed a cross-sectional study of children aged 8–18 who had been evaluated between January 1, 2015 and October 1, 2019 at the Doernbecher Children’s Hospital outpatient paediatric cardiology clinic and had previously undergone a Fontan. Patients were excluded if they were unable to ambulate independently or if they had undergone a heart transplant. Patient characteristics were recorded from the electronic medical record. Parents were interviewed via a telephone survey and asked to describe their child’s activity levels and sports participation.Results:Our final cohort included 40 individuals, 74% were male. The overall prevalence of obesity (CDC BMI >95% for sex/age) in the cohort (23%) was significantly higher in non-athletes (33%) than athletes (0) (p = 0.02). There was no difference in cardiac complications or comorbidities between athletes and non-athletes. Athletes were more likely to meet daily activity recommendations (p = 0.05).Conclusion:Fontan patients who do not participate in sports are significantly more likely to be obese and less likely to be active than those who do. This is the first study to demonstrate the association between competitive sports participation and decreased likelihood of obesity in the Fontan population.
Reduced N‐Limitation and Increased In‐Stream Productivity of Autotrophic Biofilms 5 and 15 Years After Severe Wildfire
Authors: Rhea Allison E. , Covino Tim P. , Rhoades Charles C. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe ecosystem services provided by forests are under threat as wildfire frequency and severity increase throughout the western US. Severe wildfire can change physical environments and biogeochemical processes in watersheds with lasting effects on watershed nutrient cycling. For example, nitrate‐nitrogen (NO3‐N) export often increases following wildfire and can remain elevated for decades in severely burned watersheds. In this study, we investigated the effects of wildfire on stream biotic processing and watershed nutrient balance following two wildfires that burned along the Colorado Front Range. We evaluated stream water chemistry, nutrient limitation, benthic biomass, and stream metabolism along stream reaches within three burned and three unburned watersheds from July 26 to August 16, 2017. Although the two high‐severity wildfires occurred 5 and 15 years prior to the study, the streams draining burned watersheds still had 23‐times higher NO3‐N concentrations than unburned watersheds, a trend that is consistent across seasons and throughout the 15‐year post‐fire record. Autotrophic nitrogen (N) limitation was reduced in the nitrate‐rich burned streams. Consequently, autotrophic biomass and primary productivity were 2.5 and 20‐times greater, respectively, in burned relative to unburned streams. Together, these data suggest that N supply from burned uplands exceeded the increase in stream N demand and was the primary cause of chronic, elevated NO3‐N export from these severely burned watersheds. Accordingly, aquatic ecosystems within or downstream of burned watersheds may be susceptible to eutrophication and harmful algal blooms until vegetation recovery and plant nutrient demand reduce N supply to streams.