bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Are B chromosomes useful for crop improvement?
Authors: Jones Neil , Ruban Alevtina 
Published: March 2019

Societal Impact StatementEnsuring the sustainable production of food within the context of an increasing world population is a huge challenge facing humankind. Here we review the existence of additional, non‐essential chromosomes, known as B chromosomes, and consider their potential usefulness for crop improvement. These enigmatic chromosomes have long fascinated scientists and although their origin and function in plants is somewhat obscure, new research is beginning to shed light on these mysterious chromosomes. This work suggests that B chromosomes may be useful for crop improvement, particularly in grasses, where they show promise as a mechanism to introduce new genes, which could potentially help us to produce more efficient crops.
Summary
The question of the usefulness of supernumerary B chromosomes (Bs) has long fascinated cytogeneticists. Since their discovery in 1907 thousands of species with Bs have been discovered, but their function in the genetics system remains enigmatic, from their origin, evolution, and adaptive significance, as well as their molecular structure and organization. New research is beginning to answer some of these tantalizing questions. Here, we summarize the known data and conclude that Bs are potentially useful, but only in a few known cases, especially in the grasses, and notably in terms of their engineering as plant artificial chromosomes (mini‐chromosomes) to carry whole suites of transgenes outside of, and free from interference with, the normal genome.
Multi‐criteria decision analysis for environmental remediation: Benefits, challenges, and recommended practices
Authors: Havranek Timothy J. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractMulti‐criteria decision analysis (MCDA) is a social process and analytical framework that has been utilized since the late 1960s and widely applied in industries other than the remediation field. Given the complex features of remediation projects, MCDA holds the promise of providing considerable value to the remediation industry. However, its value has yet to be fully realized. This paper describes the potential benefits of MCDA to the environmental remediation industry, the factors that may limiting its use in this industry, and the MCDA process in general. The MCDA process description includes recommended practices for including stakeholder values and objectives and for performing stochastic MCDA. Lastly, the paper includes recommendations for enhancing stakeholder communications within the MCDA process.
Visual Quantitative Detection of Circulating Tumor Cells with Single‐Cell Sensitivity Using a Portable Microfluidic Device
Authors: Abate Mahlet Fasil , Jia Shasha , Ahmed Metages Gashaw , Li Xingrui , Lin Li , Chen Xiaoqian , Zhu Zhi , Yang Chaoyong 
Published: March 2019

AbstractImmunocytological technologies, molecular technologies, and functional assays are widely used for detecting circulating tumor cells (CTCs) after enrichment from patients' blood sample. Unfortunately, accessibility to these technologies is limited due to the need for sophisticated instrumentation and skilled operators. Portable microfluidic devices have become attractive tools for expanding the access and efficiency of detection beyond hospitals to sites near the patient. Herein, a volumetric bar chart chip (V‐Chip) is developed as a portable platform for CTC detection. The target CTCs are labeled with aptamer‐conjugated nanoparticles (ACNPs) and analyzed by V‐Chip through quantifying the byproduct (oxygen) of the catalytic reaction between ACNPs and hydrogen peroxide, which results in the movement of an ink bar to a concentration‐dependent distance for visual quantitative readout. Thus, the CTC number is decoded into visually quantifiable information and a linear correlation can be found between the distance moved by the ink and number of cells in the sample. This method is sensitive enough that a single cell can be detected. Furthermore, the clinical capabilities of this system are demonstrated for quantitative CTC detection in the presence of a high leukocyte background. This portable detection method shows great potential for quantification of rare cells with single‐cell sensitivity for various applications.
Supported Single Atoms as New Class of Catalysts for Electrochemical Reduction of Carbon Dioxide
Authors: Cheng Yi , Yang Shize , Jiang San Ping , Wang Shuangyin 
Published: March 2019

AbstractCarbon dioxide (CO2) emitted from excess consumption of fossil fuels leads to the rise of CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere. One of the most attractive solutions to cut CO2 emission is the electrochemical reduction of CO2 to produce fuels and build a low carbon emission economy. However, the electrochemical CO2 reduction reaction (CO2RR) is a great challenge due to the activation of the highly stable, linear CO2 molecules, and the process involves proton‐coupled multi‐electron transfer with a high energy barrier. Thus, it is critical to develop efficient and highly stable catalyst materials for CO2RR. Nanoparticle‐based electrocatalysts have been extensively investigated, but the broad size distribution not only limits their activity due to the size‐dependent catalytic properties, but also constrains the selectivity and leads to undesired side reactions. Single‐atom catalysts (SACs), a rising star in the catalytic area, can combine the merits of heterogeneous and homogeneous catalysts, offering outstanding opportunities for CO2RR. The advent of SACs for CO2RR has attracted enormous attention recently, and great effort has been devoted into the area and significant advancements have been achieved in recent years. Here, this mini review updates the development of SACs for CO2RR, and their opportunities and challenges are discussed.
Property Functions of Whiteness: Counter‐Narrative Analysis of Teach For America and Their Partnership With Black and Latinx Fraternities and Sororities
Authors: Muñoz Susana M. , Vasquez Heilig Julian , Del Real Manuel 
Published: March 2019

AbstractIn this chapter, the authors consider the controversy surrounding Teach For America and their alliance with Black and Latinx fraternities and sororities, and conclude with suggestions for community service and best practices for these organizations.
Smart Citizens in the Hackable City: On the Datafication, Playfulness, and Making of Urban Public Spaces Through Digital Art
Authors: de Lange Michiel , Synnes Kåre , Leindecker Gerald 
Published: March 2019

AbstractThis contribution explores concepts, approaches and technologies used to make urban public spaces more playful and artful. Through a variety of compelling narratives involving play and art it assists in the design of new cyberparks, public spaces where digitally mediated interactions are an inherent part. How can play and interactive art be used to strengthen urban public spaces by fostering citizen engagement and participation? We propose to not only utilise interactive media for designing urban (public) spaces, but also for social innovation for the benefit of citizens. in cyberparks. The contribution connects urbanity, play and games, as well as concepts of active and passive interactive digital art as part of trends towards pervasive urban interaction, gameful design and artification. We position this as an important part of developing human-centred smart cities where social capital is central, and where citizens engaging in play and art are prerequisites for sustainable communities. Using art, play and games to foster citizen engagement and collaboration is a means to develop social technologies and support the development of collective intelligence in cyberparks. This is studied in concrete cases, such as the Ice Castle in Luleå, Sweden and the Ars Electronica in Linz, from a multi-disciplinary stance involving interaction design, digital art, landscape design, architecture, and health proficiencies. We will analyse two cases of gameful design and one case of digital interactive art being used to address urban issues. Rezone the game is an interactive multimedia game developed to tackle vacancy in the city of Den Bosch in the Netherlands. The Neighbourhood is a board game developed to involve various stakeholders in making their neighbourhood using water as a collective resource.
D* polarization vs. $$ {R}_{D^{\left(\ast \right)}} $$ anomalies in the leptoquark models
Authors: Iguro Syuhei , Kitahara Teppei , Omura Yuji , Watanabe Ryoutaro , Yamamoto Kei 
Published: March 2019

Abstract

Polarization measurements in

$$ \overline{B}\to {D}^{\left(\ast \right)}\tau \overline{\nu} $$

B
¯

→

D

∗

τ

ν
¯

are useful to check consistency in new physics explanations for the R

D
and

$$ {R}_{D^{*}} $$

R

D
*

anomalies. In this paper, we investigate the D
* and τ polarizations and focus on the new physics contributions to the fraction of a longitudinal D
* polarization (F

L

D *
), which is recently measured by the Belle collaboration F

L

D *
= 0.60 ± 0.09, in model-independent manner and in each single leptoquark model (R2, S1 and U1) that can naturally explain the

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(\ast \right)}} $$

R

D

∗

anomalies. It is found that ℬ(B

c

+
→ τ
+
ν) severely restricts deviation from the Standard Model (SM) prediction of F

L,SM

D *
= 0.46±0.04 in the leptoquark models: [0.43, 0.44], [0.42, 0.48], and [0.43, 0.47] are predicted as a range of F

L

D *
for the R2, S1, and U1 leptoquark models, respectively, where the current data of

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(\ast \right)}} $$

R

D

∗

is satisfied at 1σ level. It is also shown that the τ polarization observables can much deviate from the SM predictions. The Belle II experiment, therefore, can check such correlations between

$$ {R}_{D^{\left(\ast \right)}} $$

R

D

∗

and the polarization observables, and discriminate among the leptoquark models.
The Effect of Perioperative Iron Therapy in Acute Major Non‐cardiac Surgery on Allogenic Blood Transfusion and Postoperative Haemoglobin Levels: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Schack Anders , Berkfors Adam A. , Ekeloef Sarah , Gögenur Ismail , Burcharth Jakob 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundPerioperative anaemia in relation to surgery is associated with adverse clinical outcomes. In an elective surgical setting, it is possible to optimize patients prior to surgery, often by iron supplementation with correction of anaemia. Possibilities for optimization prior to and during acute surgical procedures are limited. This review investigates whether iron treatment initiated perioperatively improves outcomes in patients undergoing major acute non‐cardiac surgery.MethodThis systematic review was performed using PubMed, EMBASE (Ovid) and Scopus to identify current evidence on iron supplementation in acute surgery. Primary outcomes were allogenic blood transfusion (ABT) rate and changes in haemoglobin. Secondary outcomes were postoperative mortality, length of stay (LOS), and postoperative complications. Iron was administered at latest within 24 h after end of surgery.ResultsOf the 5413 studies screened, four randomized controlled trials and nine observational cohort studies were included. Ten studies included patients with hip fractures. A meta‐analysis of seven studies showed a risk reduction of transfusion (OR = 0.35 CI 95% (0.20–0.63), p = 0.0004, I2 = 66%). No influence on plasma haemoglobin was found. Postoperative mortality was reduced in the iron therapy group in a meta‐analysis of four observational studies (OR 0.50 (CI 95% 0.26–0.96) p = 0.04). No effect was found on LOS, but a reduction in postoperative infection was seen in four studies.ConclusionsThis review examined perioperative iron therapy in acute major non‐cardiac surgery. IV iron showed a lower 30‐day mortality, a reduction in postoperative infections and a reduction in ABT largely due to the observational studies. The review primarily consisted of small observational studies and does not have the power to formally recommend this practice.
Non-static spherically symmetric spacetimes and their conformal Ricci collineations
Authors: Khan Fawad , Hussain Tahir , Bokhari Ashfaque Hussain , Akhtar Sumaira Saleem 
Published: March 2019

Abstract
For a perfect fluid matter, we present a study of conformal Ricci collineations (CRCs) of non-static spherically symmetric spacetimes. For non-degenerate Ricci tenor, a vector field generating CRCs is found subject to certain integrability conditions. These conditions are then solved in various cases by imposing certain restrictions on the Ricci tensor components. It is found that non-static spherically symmetric spacetimes admit 5, 6 or 15 CRCs. In the degenerate case, it is concluded that such spacetimes always admit infinite number of CRCs.
The turbulent kinetic energy budget in a bubble plume
Authors: Lai Chris C. K. , Socolofsky Scott A. 
Published: March 2019

We present the turbulent kinetic energy (t.k.e.) budget of a dilute bubble plume in its asymptotic state. The budget is derived from an experimental dataset of bubble plumes formed inside an unstratified water tank. The experiments cover both the adjustment phase and asymptotic state of the plume. The diameters $d$ of air bubbles are in the range 1–4 mm and the air void fraction $\unicode[STIX]{x1D6FC}_{g}$ is between 0.7 % and 1.8 %. We measured the three components of the instantaneous liquid velocity vector with a profiling acoustic Doppler velocimeter. From the experiments, we found the following inside the heterogeneous bubble core of the plume: (i) the probability density functions of the standardized liquid fluctuations are very similar to those of homogeneous bubble swarms rising with and without background liquid turbulence; (ii) the characteristic temporal frequency $f_{cwi}$ at which bubbles inject t.k.e. into the liquid agrees with the prediction $f_{cwi}=0.14u_{s}/d$ observed and theoretically derived for homogeneous bubble swarms ($u_{s}$ is the bubble slip velocity); (iii) the liquid turbulence is anisotropic with the ratio of turbulence intensities between the vertical and horizontal components in the range 1.9–2.1; (iv) the t.k.e. production by air bubbles is much larger than that by liquid mean shear; and (v) an increasing fraction of the available work done by bubbles is deposited into liquid turbulence as one moves away from the plume centreline. Together with the existing knowledge of homogeneous bubble swarms, our results of the heterogeneous bubble plume support the view that millimetre-sized bubbles create specific patterns of liquid fluctuations that are insensitive to flow conditions and can therefore be possibly modelled by a universal form.
Bromine as indicator of source of lacustrine sedimentary organic matter in paleolimnological studies
Authors: Ribeiro Guevara Sergio , Rizzo Andrea , Daga Romina , Williams Natalia , Villa Stefania 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBromine (Br) to organic matter (OM) concentration ratio is studied in lake sediment sequences to provide information on environmental changes modifying OM production. The sequences studied were extracted from shallow lakes Morenito, El Trébol, Escondido, and Portezuelo; and deep lakes Futalaufquen, Moreno, and Traful (North Patagonia Andean range). Lake Morenito, a former Lake Moreno bay until its closure in AD 1960, showed a decrease in Br:OM ratios from 1.38 to 0.74 after lake closure, associated with an increase of primary autochthonous productivity attributable to the development of submerged and emerging macrophytes. Sedimentary sequences from Lakes Escondido, Portezuelo, and El Trébol (with large participation of macrophytes in primary productivity), and from Lakes Moreno, Futalaufquen, and Traful (with little development of littoral macrophytes), showed Br:OM ratios consistent with the Lake Morenito pattern. Consistently, the morphometric parameters mean depth and shoreline development correlate with Br:OM ratios. Therefore, Br:OM ratios can be associated with the composition of primary autochthonous productivity, with values of about 0.7 associated to significant macrophyte contributions, and higher values associated with more pelagic contributions. Accordingly, Br:OM variations along a sedimentary sequence can be associated with modifications on the composition of the primary autochthonous productivity of the water body, providing information on environmental changes.
Mid- to late Holocene cooling events in the Korean Peninsula and their possible impact on ancient societies
Authors: Constantine Mark , Kim Minkoo , Park Jungjae 
Published: March 2019

AbstractWe present a multiproxy record using pollen, magnetic susceptibility, carbon isotopic composition, carbon/nitrogen ratio, and particle size of mid- to late Holocene environmental changes based on a sediment core from the Pomaeho lagoon on the east coast of Korea. The records indicate that climate deteriorations around 6400 cal yr BP and 4000 cal yr BP caused rapid vegetation changes in the study area, which were presumably attributable to low sunspot activity and strong El Niño–like conditions, respectively. These two cooling events were likely modulated by different climate mechanisms, as El Niño–Southern Oscillation activity began to strengthen around 5000 cal yr BP. These events may have had a substantial impact on ancient societies in the study area. Combining our results with archaeological findings indicated that climate deterioration led to drastic declines in local populations around 6400 cal yr BP, 4400 cal yr BP, and 4000 cal yr BP. Because of its high population, coastal East Asia (e.g., eastern China, Japan, and Korea) is particularly vulnerable to potential cooling events in the future. Therefore, there is a strong need for detailed paleoclimate information in this region.
Change in Atlantic cod migrations and adaptability of early land-based fishers to severe climate variation in the North Atlantic
Authors: Edvardsson Ragnar , Patterson William P. , Bárðarson Hlynur , Timsic Sandra , Ólafsdóttir Guðbjörg Ásta 
Published: March 2019

ABSTRACTWe use biochemical, biological, archaeological, and historical analysis to examine relationships between Atlantic cod migration, sea temperature, and shifts in the distribution and occupancy of historical fishing sites in Iceland during the last millennium. Results support the hypothesis that the cooling climate of the North Atlantic during the period commonly referred to as the Little Ice Age coincided with changes in Atlantic cod migration patterns. Historical analysis shows a concomitant increase in reports of worsening Atlantic cod fishing and a severe decrease in domestic fishing, particularly in north Iceland. We conclude that Atlantic cod fisheries in Iceland originally thrived because of the proximity to cod migration routes. However, despite the mobility of local fishers, fluctuations in fish migrations, coupled with a harsher climate and increased competition for fishing grounds, resulted in a stagnation that lasted until the eventual modernization of the fishery in the mid-nineteenth century.
Euthanasia and assisted suicide of persons with psychiatric disorders: the challenge of personality disorders
Authors: Nicolini Marie E. , Peteet John R. , Donovan G. Kevin , Kim Scott Y. H. 
Published: March 2019

AbstractBackgroundEuthanasia or assisted suicide (EAS) for psychiatric disorders, legal in some countries, remains controversial. Personality disorders are common in psychiatric EAS. They often cause a sense of irremediable suffering and engender complex patient–clinician interactions, both of which could complicate EAS evaluations.MethodsWe conducted a directed-content analysis of all psychiatric EAS cases involving personality and related disorders published by the Dutch regional euthanasia review committees (N = 74, from 2011 to October 2017).ResultsMost patients were women (76%, n = 52), often with long, complex clinical histories: 62% had physical comorbidities, 97% had at least one, and 70% had two or more psychiatric comorbidities. They often had a history of suicide attempts (47%), self-harming behavior (27%), and trauma (36%). In 46%, a previous EAS request had been refused. Past psychiatric treatments varied: e.g. hospitalization and psychotherapy were not tried in 27% and 28%, respectively. In 50%, the physician managing their EAS were new to them, a third (36%) did not have a treating psychiatrist at the time of EAS request, and most physicians performing EAS were non-psychiatrists (70%) relying on cross-sectional psychiatric evaluations focusing on EAS eligibility, not treatment. Physicians evaluating such patients appear to be especially emotionally affected compared with when personality disorders are not present.ConclusionsThe EAS evaluation of persons with personality disorders may be challenging and emotionally complex for their evaluators who are often non-psychiatrists. These factors could influence the interpretation of EAS requirements of irremediability, raising issues that merit further discussion and research.
Multi-DoFs Exoskeleton-Based Bilateral Teleoperation with the Time-Domain Passivity Approach
Authors: Buongiorno Domenico , Chiaradia Domenico , Marcheschi Simone , Solazzi Massimiliano , Frisoli Antonio 
Published: March 2019

SummaryIt is well known that the sense of presence in a tele-robot system for both home-based tele-rehabilitation and rescue operations is enhanced by haptic feedback. Beyond several advantages, in the presence of communication delay haptic feedback can lead to an unstable teleoperation system. During the last decades, several control techniques have been proposed to ensure a good trade-off between transparency and stability in bilateral teleoperation systems under time delays. These proposed control approaches have been extensively tested with teleoperation systems based on identical master and slave robots having few degrees of freedom (DoF). However, a small number of DoFs cannot ensure both an effective restoration of the multi-joint coordination in tele-rehabilitation and an adequate dexterity during manipulation tasks in rescue scenario. Thus, a deep understanding of the applicability of such control techniques on a real bilateral teleoperation setup is needed. In this work, we investigated the behavior of the time-domain passivity approach (TDPA) applied on an asymmetrical teleoperator system composed by a 5-DoFs impedance designed upper-limb exoskeleton and a 4-DoFs admittance designed anthropomorphic robot. The conceived teleoperation architecture is based on a velocity–force (measured) architecture with position drift compensation and has been tested with a representative set of tasks under communication delay (80 ms round-trip). The results have shown that the TDPA is suitable for a multi-DoFs asymmetrical setup composed by two isomorphic haptic interfaces characterized by different mechanical features. The stability of the teleoperator has been proved during several (1) high-force contacts against stiff wall that involve more Cartesian axes simultaneously, (2) continuous contacts with a stiff edge tests, (3) heavy-load handling tests while following a predefined path and (4) high-force contacts against stiff wall while handling a load. The found results demonstrated that the TDPA could be used in several teleoperation scenarios like home-based tele-rehabilitation and rescue operations.