bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Protection Through Presence: UN Peacekeeping and the Costs of Targeting Civilians
Authors: Fjelde Hanne , Hultman Lisa , Nilsson Desirée 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAre UN peacekeepers effective in protecting civilians from violence? Existing studies examine this issue at the country level, thereby making it difficult to isolate the effect of peacekeepers and to assess the actual mechanism at work. We provide the first comprehensive evaluation of UN peacekeeping success in protecting civilians at the subnational level. We argue that peacekeepers through their sizable local presence can increase the political and military costs for warring actors to engage in civilian targeting. Since peacekeepers’ access to civilian populations rests on government consent, peacekeepers will primarily be effective in imposing these costs on rebel groups, but less so for government actors. To test these conjectures we combine new monthly data on the location of peacekeepers with data on the location and timing of civilian killings in Africa. Our findings suggest that local peacekeeping presence enhances the effectiveness of civilian protection against rebel abuse, but that UN peacekeeping struggles to protect civilians from government forces.
Shared Parental Leave: Exploring Variations in Attitudes, Eligibility, Knowledge and Take-up Intentions of Expectant Mothers in London
Authors: TWAMLEY KATHERINE , SCHOBER PIA 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIn April 2015, the UK introduced Shared Parental Leave (SPL), allowing mothers to transfer their maternity leave to their partners from two weeks after the birth or adoption of a child. There has been very limited research conducted on this leave policy to date and knowledge on take-up is poor. We present findings from an in-depth survey conducted with expectant mothers in two NHS trusts in England on their knowledge, views and plans around leave after the birth of their child and examine variations across educational and ethnic groups. A total of 575 expectant mothers took part in the survey. Around 7.4 per cent of expectant mothers who were (self-)employed or in education intended to take SPL. Finances and worries over fathers’ careers were cited as the primary barriers to take up of SPL. Individual entitlement for fathers and knowing others who took SPL increased individuals’ reported intention to take SPL. Applying logistic regression models, we found that knowledge of and access to SPL is correlated with education, ethnicity and home ownership. Future research and policy design should attend to such issues to ensure equitable access across families.
A computationally efficient algorithm to find time-optimal trajectory of redundantly actuated robots moving on a specified path
Authors: Mansouri Saeed , Sadigh Mohammad Jafar , Fazeli Masoud 
Published: August 2018

SUMMARYA time-optimal problem for redundantly actuated robots moving on a specified path is a challenging problem. Although the problem is well explored and there are proposed solutions based on phase plane analysis, there are still several unresolved issues regarding calculation of solution curves. In this paper, we explore the characteristics of the maximum velocity curve and propose an efficient algorithm to establish the solution curve. Then we propose a straightforward method to calculate the maximum or minimum possible acceleration on the path based on the pattern of saturated actuators, which substantially reduces the computational cost. Two numerical examples are provided to illustrate the issues and the solutions.
The Empire of International Legalism
Authors: Hurd Ian 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThe international rule of law is a political system of governance. It rests on the expectation that governments will abide by their legal obligations and so defines what counts as appropriate behavior for states. The relationship between law and politics in global governance is better understood as an empire of global legalism than as an anarchic world of sovereign states. Legal justification is the lingua franca of legitimation contests among governments, as states strive to show that their preferred policies are lawful and that those they oppose are unlawful. Seeing the world this way helps to show the political content of international law: neither a neutral framework that sustains all viewpoints nor an inherently progressive contribution to global order, international law is a political system of governance that advances some interests at the expense of others, and our attention should be directed toward assessing which interests are served by the turn to global legalism and at whose expense.
Covert Positive Incentives as an Alternative to War
Authors: Pattison James 
Published: August 2018

AbstractAlthough often overlooked, positive incentives can play a key role in tackling aggression, human rights abuses, and the spread of weapons of mass destruction. In this essay, I focus on one form of positive incentives: covert incentives. First, I argue that covert incentives are preferable to overt incentives since they enable policymakers to eschew the shackles of public opinion and avoid worries of moral hazard and the corruption of international society. Second, I argue that covert incentives are often more justifiable than covert force since they do not involve problematic methods and do not make it easier to undertake military action. Accordingly, I conclude that there is a prima facie duty to employ covert positive incentives as opposed to overt incentives and covert force.
Acute Inferior Myocardial Infarction Caused by Lightning Strike
Authors: Aydin Fatih , Turgay Yildirim Ozge , Dagtekin Evrin , Huseyinoglu Aydin Ayse , Aksit Ercan 
Published: August 2018

AbstractLightning strike is an infrequent natural phenomenon with serious medical complications, like multiple organ damage, and it is associated with increased risk of mortality. Cardiovascular complications are among the most hazardous complications of lightning strike. Lightning strike can cause various serious consequences ranging from electrocardiographic changes to death. We reported a 21-year-old patient with no cardiovascular risk factors struck by lightning and presented by inferior ST elevated myocardial infarction (MI). The patient was followed up in the intensive care unit and MI complication did not develop during follow-up. The patient was lost due to multi-organ failure after 20 hours.AydinF, Turgay YildirimO, DagtekinE, Huseyinoglu AydinA, AksitE. Acute inferior myocardial infarction caused by lightning strike. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2018;33(6):658–659.
A citizen perspective on nutritional warnings as front-of-pack labels: insights for the design of accompanying policy measures
Authors: Ares Gastón , Aschemann-Witzel Jessica , Curutchet María Rosa , Antúnez Lucía , Moratorio Ximena , Bove Isabel 
Published: August 2018

AbstractObjectiveNutritional warnings have recently been suggested as a simplified front-of-pack nutrition labelling scheme to facilitate citizens’ ability to identify unhealthful products and discourage their consumption. However, citizens’ perspective on this policy is still under-researched. The objective of the present work was to study how citizens perceive nutritional warnings and to evaluate public support of this policy, with the goal of deriving recommendations for the design of policy measures accompanying the introduction of nutritional warnings.DesignAn online survey with 1416 Uruguayan citizens, aged 18–75 years, 61 % female, was conducted. Participants had to answer a series of questions (open-ended and multiple-choice) related to their perception of warnings as a front-of-package nutrition labelling scheme.ResultsParticipants showed a positive attitude towards nutritional warnings, which were regarded as easy to understand and to identify on food packages. The majority of respondents emphasized that they would take nutritional warnings into account when making their food choices, stating that they would allow them to make informed choices and, consequently, to increase the quality of their diet and their health status. Health motivation appeared as a crucial driver for taking nutritional warnings into consideration.ConclusionsA high level of public support for nutritional warnings was observed. Responses can be used to derive a range of recommendations for a policy mix that should synergistically support the introduction of nutritional warnings and encourage citizens to take them into account when making their food purchases.
Statistical Analysis of Separation Distance Between Equatorial Plasma Bubbles Near Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand
Authors: Bumrungkit Acharaporn , Supnithi Pornchai , Saito Susumu 
Published: August 2018

AbstractIonospheric disturbances can lead to the major detrimental effects on the availability of ground‐based augmentation system. In low‐latitude regions, equatorial plasma bubbles (EPBs) frequently arise. They originated from the bottom side of the ionosphere with the electron density inside the plasma bubbles lower than the outside area. It is well known that the EPB causes the strong fluctuation on Global Positioning System signals when passing through the ionospheric disturbed regions. Sometimes the EPBs may have more than one front. To better understand the ionospheric anomaly effect on ground‐based augmentation system efficiency, the separation distance between EPBs needs to be studied. In this work, we analyze the slant total electron content from dual‐frequency Global Positioning System receivers near Suvarnabhumi International Airport, Thailand, to ascertain the EPB occurrence. The distance between observed EPBs is computed based on the Haversine formula technique. The results found that the estimated separation distances between depletions on disturbed days in 2015 are in the range of 100 to 1,200 km.
Contribution of Convection‐Induced Heat Flux to Winter Ice Decay in the Western Nansen Basin
Authors: Ivanov Vladimir , Smirnov Alexander , Alexeev Vladimir , Koldunov Nikolay V. , Repina Irina , Semenov Vladimir 
Published: August 2018

AbstractGradually decaying Arctic sea ice changes the boundary conditions at the surface, separating ocean and atmosphere. In recent years, substantial reductions in sea ice during winter have been observed in the Atlantic sector of the Arctic Ocean, which forms the gateway for warm water inflow from the midlatitudes. In this study, we used routine output from the Mercator Ocean global operational system (MOGOS) to assess the efficiency of winter thermohaline convection transporting heat from deep layers to the ocean surface along the Atlantic origin water (AW) pathway, between Svalbard and Franz Joseph Land in the Nansen Basin. Positive temperature extremes in the AW layer in midwinter promote favorable prerequisite conditions for deep‐reaching thermohaline convection, with explicit signs captured by the MOGOS. Balance equations with several assumptions for the compact region around the position (81.30°N, 31°E) of the long‐term (2004–2010) mooring demonstrated that winter heat loss at the ocean surface is mainly compensated by convective heat flux from the AW layer. Heat and salt fluxes, associated with horizontal advection, are compatible with convective fluxes, while contribution of ice formation/melt is substantially smaller. Conclusion about the dominant role of vertical convection in shaping thermohaline structure and reducing sea ice in winter is supported by correlation analysis of the MOGOS output and mooring‐based measurements. Unfavorable background conditions (thick and consolidated sea ice in combination with specific directions of ice drift) may significantly alter convection development, as demonstrated for two sequential years with substantially different external forcing.
Sources, Sinks, and Propagation Characteristics of the Quasi 6‐Day Wave and Its Impact on the Residual Mean Circulation
Authors: Gan Quan , Oberheide Jens , Pedatella Nicholas M. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractThis study employs a troposphere to lower thermosphere assimilation model data set generated by the Whole Atmosphere Community Climate Model with data assimilation provided by the Data Assimilation Research Test Bed (WACCM + DART) to explore the sources, sinks, and propagation characteristics of the quasi 6‐day wave (Q6DW) in the year 2007. WACCM + DART reproduces the burst‐like Q6DW and compares well with Sounding of the Atmosphere using Broadband Emission Radiometry and Thermosphere, Ionosphere, Mesosphere Energetics and Dynamics Doppler Interferometer observations. The most prominent Q6DW took place in later February and mid‐October, while the Q6DW was absent during solstice conditions in 2007. The occurrence of a large Q6DW in the equinoctial mesosphere and lower thermosphere is highly dependent on wave amplification and overreflection processes associated with barotropic/baroclinic instabilities and wave critical layers defined by the zonal mean zonal winds. During solstices, the winter hemisphere waveguide is negative and prevents the vertical wave propagation from the source region into the mesosphere and lower thermosphere. Meanwhile, the critical layer for the Q6DW encloses the unstable region in the summer hemisphere and thus blocks the energy conversion from the mean flow to the wave. The resulting circulation pattern due to the Q6DW momentum deposition is upward and poleward in both hemispheres and thus weakens the residual mean circulation in the summer hemisphere but strengthens it in the winter hemisphere. Also, the Q6DW impact on the residual mean circulation points to broader implications for the mean state of the upper atmosphere, for example, the thermospheric O/N2 ratio due to upward constituent transport and related changes in the ionospheric plasma.
Mapping the Lateral Development of Lightning Flashes From Orbit
Authors: Peterson Michael , Rudlosky Scott , Deierling Wiebke 
Published: August 2018

AbstractOptical lightning measurements from the Lightning Imaging Sensor (LIS) are used to map the lateral development of lightning flashes and produce statistics that describe their motion through the electrified cloud. This is accomplished by monitoring the frame‐by‐frame (group‐level) evolution of the optical signals produced during each flash. While the optical flash properties recorded by LIS gravitate towards the most exceptional optical signals produced during the flash, group‐level data describe the evolution and lateral development of the flash resulting from physical lightning process that emits enough light out of the top of the cloud to be detected from orbit. The groups that comprise LIS flashes constitute examples of complex lateral flash structure that can extend 80 km in length with dozens to hundreds of visible branches. The lateral development of individual flashes is described in terms of its speed and direction of motion, whether the development extends the overall length of the flash or reilluminates an existing segment, and whether it is directed inbound or outbound with respect to the origin. Sixty‐five percent of propagating groups are directed outbound from the origin, 22% extend the length of the flash, and 3–5% reilluminate an existing branch. LIS flashes are commonly oriented from east to west and develop at speeds ranging from 104 to 106 m/s, consistent with large‐scale leader development. These results provide evidence that lightning imagers may be used in conjunction with Lightning Mapping Array systems to document physical lightning phenomena across global domains.
Novel β-phenylacrylic acid derivatives exert anti-cancer activity by inducing Src-mediated apoptosis in wild-type KRAS colon cancer
Authors: Kim Su Jin , Noh Tae Hwan , Son Sujin , Kim Do Hyun , Kim Wooseong , Lee Yunna , Choo Jieun , Heo Gwangbeom , Kim Min Jae , Chung Hae Young , Jung Yunjin , Jung Jee Hyung , Moon Hyung Ryong , Im Eunok 
Published: August 2018

AbstractMany stress conditions including chemotherapy treatment is known to activate Src and under certain condition Src can induce the apoptotic signal via c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. Here we report that the newly synthesized β-phenylacrylic acid derivatives, MHY791 and MHY1036 (MHYs), bind to epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase domains and function as EGFR inhibitors, having anti-cancer activities selectively in wild-type KRAS colon cancer. Mechanistically, MHYs-induced Src/JNK activation which enhanced their pro-apoptotic effects and therefore inhibition of Src by the chemical inhibitor PP2 or Src siRNA abolished the response. In addition, MHYs generated reactive oxygen species and increased ER stress, and pretreatment with antioxidant-inhibited MHY-induced ER stress, Src activation, and apoptosis. Furthermore, the irreversible EGFR inhibitor PD168393 also activated Src while the reversible EGFR inhibitor gefitinib showed the opposite effect, indicating that MHYs are the irreversible EGFR inhibitor. Collectively, Src can play a key role in apoptosis induced by the novel EGFR inhibitor MHYs, suggesting that activation of Src might prove effective in treating EGFR/wild-type KRAS colon cancer.
Vector measurement and performance tuning of a terahertz bottle beam
Authors: Li Heting , Wang Xinke , Wang Sen , Sun Wenfeng , Ye Jiasheng , Han Peng , Feng Shengfei , Yu Yue , Zhang Yan 
Published: August 2018

AbstractA terahertz (THz) bottle beam is realized by adopting the combination of a Teflon axicon and a silicon lens. By using a THz imaging system with a focal-plane array, the vector characteristics of the THz bottle beam are coherently measured and detailedly analyzed, including the transverse (Ex) and longitudinal (Ez) components. The experimental phenomena vividly reveal the distribution characteristics and the formation origin of the THz optical barrier. A vectorial diffraction integral algorithm of a focusing optical system are utilized to exactly simulate the measured results. Besides, the features of the THz bottle beam are effectively tuned by varying the parameters of the Teflon axicon and the silicon lens. This work gives a full view to understand the evolution characteristics of the THz bottle beam and provide a solid experimental foundation for guiding the future applications of this type of THz beam.
Genetics of serum urate concentrations and gout in a high-risk population, patients with chronic kidney disease
Authors: Jing Jiaojiao , Ekici Arif B. , Sitter Thomas , Eckardt Kai-Uwe , Schaeffner Elke , Li Yong , Kronenberg Florian , Köttgen Anna , Schultheiss Ulla T. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWe evaluated genetics of hyperuricemia and gout, their interaction with kidney function and medication intake in chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of urate and gout were performed in 4941 CKD patients in the German Chronic Kidney Disease (GCKD) study. Effect estimates of 26 known urate-associated population-based single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were examined. Interactions of urate-associated variants with urate-altering medications and clinical characteristics of gout were evaluated. Genome-wide significant associations with serum urate and gout were identified for known loci at SLC2A9 and ABCG2, but not for novel loci. Effects of the 26 known SNPs were of similar magnitude in CKD patients compared to population-based individuals, except for SNPs at ABCG2 that showed greater effects in CKD. Gene-medication interactions were not significant when accounting for multiple testing. Associations with gout in specific joints were significant for SLC2A9 rs12498742 in wrists and midfoot joints. Known genetic variants in SLC2A9 and ABCG2 were associated with urate and gout in a CKD cohort, with effect sizes for ABCG2 significantly greater in CKD compared to the general population. CKD patients are at high risk of gout due to reduced kidney function, diuretics intake and genetic predisposition, making treatment to target challenging.
Identification of a dioxin-responsive oxylipin signature in roots of date palm: involvement of a 9-hydroperoxide fatty acid reductase, caleosin/peroxygenase PdPXG2
Authors: Hanano Abdulsamie , Shaban Mouhnad , Almousally Ibrahem , Murphy Denis J. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractDioxins are highly hazardous pollutants that have well characterized impacts on both animal and human health. However, the biological effects of dioxins on plants have yet to be described in detail. Here we describe a dioxin-inducible caleosin/peroxygenase isoform, PdPXG2, that is mainly expressed in the apical zone of date palm roots and specifically reduces 9-hydroperoxide fatty acids. A characteristic spectrum of 18 dioxin-responsive oxylipin (DROXYL) congeners was also detected in date palm roots after exposure to dioxin. Of particular interest, six oxylipins, mostly hydroxy fatty acids, were exclusively formed in response to TCDD. The DROXYL signature was evaluated in planta and validated in vitro using a specific inhibitor of PdPXG2 in a root-protoplast system. Comparative analysis of root suberin showed that levels of certain monomers, especially the mono-epoxides and tri-hydroxides of C16:3 and C18:3, were significantly increased after exposure to TCDD. Specific inhibition of PdPXG2 activity revealed a positive linear relationship between deposition of suberin in roots and their permeability to TCDD. The results highlight the involvement of this peroxygenase in the plant response to dioxin and suggest the use of dioxin-responsive oxylipin signatures as biomarkers for plant exposure to this important class of xenobiotic contaminants.
Tissue-engineered 3D melanoma model with blood and lymphatic capillaries for drug development
Authors: Bourland Jennifer , Fradette Julie , Auger François A. 
Published: August 2018

AbstractWhile being the rarest skin cancer, melanoma is also the deadliest. To further drug discovery and improve clinical translation, new human cell-based in vitro models are needed. Our work strives to mimic the melanoma microenvironment in vitro as an alternative to animal testing. We used the self-assembly method to produce a 3D human melanoma model exempt of exogenous biomaterial. This model is based on primary human skin cells and melanoma cell lines while including a key feature for tumor progression: blood and lymphatic capillaries. Major components of the tumor microenvironment such as capillaries, human extracellular matrix, a stratified epidermis (involucrin, filaggrin) and basement membrane (laminin 332) are recapitulated in vitro. We demonstrate the persistence of CD31+ blood and podoplanin+/LYVE-1+ lymphatic capillaries in the engineered tissue. Chronic treatment with vemurafenib was applied to the model and elicited a dose-dependent response on proliferation and apoptosis, making it a promising tool to test new compounds in a human-like environment.