bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A Drought Reconstruction from the Low-Elevation Juniper Forest of Northwestern Kyrgyzstan since CE 1565
Authors: Chen Feng , Yu Shulong , He Qing , Ermenbaev Bakytbek , Satylkanov Rysbek 
Published: February 2019

AbstractNaryn River provides large amounts of water resource for Central Asian countries. Thus, the severity and frequency of drought variation relate to runoff has important influences on social and economic development of this region. In this study, the new tree-ring width chronologies of juniper trees from the low-elevation site of the western Tien Shan are used to reconstruct drought variation for northwestern Kyrgyzstan and place the short instrumental period (1950–2013) of Standardised Precipitation-Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) in a long-term context. The SPEI reconstruction successfully reflects the dry and wet periods over the past 451 years, and captures a recent wetting trend that generally agrees with the drought reconstructions for the spruce-dominated area. However, some differences between the tree-ring records from spruce-dominated and juniper-dominated areas reflect regional climate differences. The comparison between drought events in the SPEI reconstruction and historical event of Central Asia reveals drought variations have had profound influences on some historical archives over the past several centuries. This study provides the first long-term SPEI reconstruction and drought evaluation from the low-altitude area of Central Asia, contributing to climate change issues in Central Asia.
Climate Change and the Rise and Fall of the Oxus Civilization in Southern Central Asia
Authors: Luneau Élise 
Published: February 2019

AbstractDuring the Final Bronze Age (around 3750/3700 BP), the proto-urban sedentary cultural entity in southern Central Asia—known as the Oxus civilization or Bactria-Margiana Archaeological Complex—underwent major social transformations in different field aspects leading to a deep cultural change in the middle of the 4th millennium BP. Among the different reasons suggested to explain these sociocultural changes, the hypothesis of global climate change in Central Asia at the beginning of the 4th millennium BP has been emphasized by different scholars. In this paper, I will examine current paleo-environmental data in relation with the climate evolution during the Mid- and Late Holocene. A critical assessment of the hypothesis of climatic change in Central Asia at the beginning of the 4th millennium BP allows to stimulate the discussion anew. I argue that the present data do not support a drastic climate change during the first half of the 4th millennium BP as a responsible factor for the fall of the Oxus civilization, although local environmental modifications should also not be underestimated and further investigated in a more integrated perspective of co-evolution of the ecological environment and the human societies.
Resilience of the Human-Water System at the Southern Silk Road: A Case Study of the Northern Catchment of Erhai Lake, China (1382–1912)
Authors: Xu Anning , Yang Liang Emlyn , Yang Weibing , Hillman Aubrey L. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis study focuses on the northern catchment of Erhai Lake that lies in the heart of the ancient Southern Silk Road (the Tea-Horse Roads) in southwest China. The hydrologic environment of this region is complex and evolved under significant human impacts, especially after large populations migrated after 1382 under the policy of military tillage. This led to increased pressures on the human-water relationship of this region but also stimulated social resilience to water stresses. This paper investigates the manner in which local people addressed the conflicts of utilizing limited water for people, livestock and irrigation until 1912. The approaches of statistical analysis, spatial analysis and correlation analysis were adopted, and historical data on floods, water conservation projects, plants, and disease were collected to support a detailed examination of the evolution of the human-water relationship in the study area. The results indicate that: (1) the evolution of the hydrologic environment, including the river system and the hydro-chemical environment, had a close correspondence with human activities; (2) local people constructed various water conservation and engineering facilities and changed their farming structures to cope with water stresses, which partly contributed to the break out and spread of Schistosomiasis japonica; (3) the resilience of the human-water relationship became weaker as the management of water projects diminished; (4) the sustainable development of the human-water relationship could be maintained through regular water management and environmental governance. These findings emphasize the influences of social policy and human activities on the resilience of the catchment and improve our understanding of resilience theory.
Demographic Changes, Trade Routes, and the Formation of Anthropogenic Landscapes in the Middle Volga Region in the Past 2500 Years
Authors: Vyazov Leonid A. , Ershova Ekaterina G. , Ponomarenko Elena V. , Gajewski Konrad , Blinnikov Mikhail S. , Sitdikov Ayrat G. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe development of landscapes of the central part of the Middle-Volga region in the last 2500 years was a discontinuous process of the explosive growth of population and land utilization alternating with stages of depopulation and desolation. The periods of depopulation and transitions of cultures occurred at similar times to climate changes. Some cultures were associated with distinct climatic episodes, such as the association of the Dark Ages Cold Period with Hun, post Hun, Heraldic, and Khasarian times, and the Medival Warm Period with the time of Volga Bulgaria. A combination of archaeological and paleoecological analyses allowed us to reconstruct a sequence of landscape and land use changes in relation to the historical development of the region. The first millennium CE was a time of major changes in population, agricultural technologies, social structure, and settlement patterns in the forest-steppe zone. The MiddleVolga region underwent a transition from a non-populated, mainly-forested landscape of first centuries CE to a highly deforested agricultural landscape of the Volga Bulgarian state by the 11th century CE. Within several centuries, the landscape was transformed by shifting cultivation, wood and ore extraction, and the formation and expansion of pastures and road networks. The process of deforestation in the region was facilitated by the relatively warm climates of the Medieval Warm Period.
Evolution of Saline Lakes in the Guanzhong Basin During the Past 2000 Years: Inferred from Historical Records
Authors: Fei Jie , He Hongming , Yang Liang Emlyn , Li Xiaoqiang , Yang Shuai , Zhou Jie 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThis study reconstructed the possible existence of saline lakes in the Guanzhong Basin during the past 2000 years. Using Chinese historical literature as well as stone inscriptions, a total of five historical saline lake bodies which had existed in this region were documented: Lakes Yanchize, Xiluchi, Dongluchi, Zhuyanze and Xiaoyanchi. Lakes Zhuyanze, Yanchize, Xiluchi, Dongluchi, and Xiaoyanchi desiccated respectively at some point during 1076–1701 AD, 1584–1735 AD, 1666–1791 AD, 1666–1791 AD, and 1712–1906 AD. The lakes in the west of this region possibly desiccated relatively early, and the lakes in the east desiccated relatively late. Most of the lakes desiccated during a cold climate period. It seems that the dry period of the 15th–17th centuries overlapped with the periods that some of the lakes desiccated. All the five lakes desiccated during periods of increased soil erosion. The main causes of the degradation and desiccation of Lakes Yanchize, Xiluchi and Dongluchi were flood irrigation and silt sedimentation. The degradation and desiccation of Lake Yanchize and Lakes Dongluchi and Xiluchi corresponded to periods of population explosion when land was heavily cultivated in Fuping and Pucheng Counties. The existence of historical saline lakes indicates that the remains of the Sanmen Paleo-Lake existed in the Guanzhong Basin during the past 2000 years.
The Ili River Delta: Holocene Hydrogeological Evolution and Human Colonization
Authors: Deom Jean-Marc , Sala Renato , Laudisoit Anne 
Published: February 2019

AbstractExtensive survey of paleocourses of the Ili delta discovered archaeological findings that, chronologically attributed and systematized, allowed the historical reconstruction of the human occupation of the delta. Until recently the colonization was believed to have begun only during medieval times. We argue it began much earlier at the start of the Bronze Age of Kazakhstan (second half of the III millennium BC) under the impulse of new economical activities based on stockbreeding and bronze metallurgy. The basic method of research consisted in surveys, collection of surface finds and documentation of hydrogeological and climatic data. The correlation between the two types of information gives an idea of the factors that influenced the distribution of habitats, mostly represented by winter camps. Their number and concentration change by epoch, pointing to changes in both cultural proclivities and environmental factors. The understanding of the whole historical process requires background knowledge of the hydrological history of the Ili delta, a complex system involving active distributaries and intermittent or inactive paleo-courses, and showing the anticlockwise rotation of 5 successive deltas. Generally speaking, arid climate phases stabilize the delta, pluvial phases favor changes in various directions. Human colonization concerned the two Holocene deltas preceding the modern one: relict terraces of the Uzunaral delta (8–4 ka BP) and terraces of mild active distributaries of the Bakanas delta (4000–250 BP), subject during the last 4000 years to complex geomorphological and hydrological changes that, when reconstructed and correlated with the distribution of finds, explain the location of habitats and allow the mutual chronological attribution of geological and cultural deposits.
Stability and G × E analysis of zinc-biofortified rice genotypes evaluated in diverse environments
Authors: Inabangan-Asilo Mary Ann , Mallikarjuna Swamy B. P. , Amparado Amery F. , Descalsota-Empleo Gwen Iris L. , Arocena Emily C. , Reinke Russell 
Published: February 2019

AbstractRice is the major staple food and source of energy in Asia, particularly in the Philippines. Most of the popular, high-yielding rice varieties lack sufficient amount of micronutrients to meet daily human requirements. Micronutrient deficiencies are a major health burden globally and can cause severe health problems. In the Philippines, nearly one-third of the population is zinc (Zn) deficient. Breeding healthier rice varieties is one of the major sustainable interventions to tackle micronutrient deficiencies. However, genotype and environment interactions (G × E) are a major obstacle in breeding for high-Zn rice varieties, thus an understanding of G × E interactions and identifying stable genotypes through multi-location evaluation will help in identifying potential lines for varietal release. We evaluated eight high-Zn rice breeding lines along with checks in several locations across the Philippines during 2014 wet season (WS), 2015 dry season (DS) and 2015WS, and 2016DS. Individual and combined analysis of variance revealed significant genotypic effects and G × E interactions for all the traits studied. Significant positive correlations between grain iron (Fe) and Zn, days to maturity, and plant height were observed, whereas grain yield and Zn were negatively correlated. Stability analysis using Kang’s stability index, additive main effects and multiplicative interaction, and genotype main effects plus G × E (GGE) consistently identified IR10M300 as the most stable genotype across seasons in terms of yield and grain Zn. Over all IR10M300 has a yield of 4690.3 kg ha−1 and grain Zn of 18.3 ppm. It outperformed two rice variety checks (PSBRc82 and MS13) for grain Zn with comparable yield with the yield check (PSBRc82) and was successfully released as the first High-Zinc Rice 1 (NSICRc 460) in the Philippines.
The interpretation of uncertainty in ecological rationality
Authors: Kozyreva Anastasia , Hertwig Ralph 
Published: February 2019

AbstractDespite the ubiquity of uncertainty, scientific attention has focused primarily on probabilistic approaches, which predominantly rely on the assumption that uncertainty can be measured and expressed numerically. At the same time, the increasing amount of research from a range of areas including psychology, economics, and sociology testify that in the real world, people’s understanding of risky and uncertain situations cannot be satisfactorily explained in probabilistic and decision-theoretical terms. In this article, we offer a theoretical overview of an alternative approach to uncertainty developed in the framework of the ecological rationality research program. We first trace the origins of the ecological approach to uncertainty in Simon’s bounded rationality and Brunswik’s lens model framework and then proceed by outlining a theoretical view of uncertainty that ensues from the ecological rationality approach. We argue that the ecological concept of uncertainty relies on a systemic view of uncertainty that features it as a property of the organism–environment system. We also show how simple heuristics can deal with unmeasurable uncertainty and in what cases ignoring probabilities emerges as a proper response to uncertainty.
In Patients with Early-Onset Scoliosis, Can Growing Rods Be Removed without Further Instrumentation? An Evidenced-Based Review
Authors: Shen Tony S. , Schairer William , Widmann Roger 
Published: February 2019

Early-onset scoliosis (EOS) is defined by the presence of spinal deformity in children 10 years of age or younger. Left untreated, patients with EOS are at high risk for thoracic insufficiency and early demise. This article provides a critical review of a recent prospective cohort study of children with EOS: “Graduation Protocol After Growing-Rod Treatment: Removal of Implants without New Instrumentation Is Not a Realistic Approach,” by Kocyigit and colleagues ( J Bone Joint Surg Am. 2017;99(18):1554–1564). Treatment for EOS requires deformity correction while accommodating the growing spine. Dual growing rod implantation is a well-described technique that consists of the placement of two telescoping rods anchored to vertebrae proximal and distal to the apex of the curve. Multiple lengthening procedures are then performed as the child grows. Management of the endpoint of growing rod treatment remains controversial, with high complication rates associated with final fusion. As an alternative to final fusion or implant retention, Kocyigit and colleagues examined the removal of growing rods without spinal fusion and found that this procedure resulted in substantial worsening of the deformity in nine out of ten patients. This treatment group was terminated on ethical grounds. We believe this important result demonstrates that the removal of implants without fusion is an unacceptable treatment strategy that leads to poor outcomes.
Creating a Virtuous Leviathan: The Party, Law, and Socialist Core
Values
Authors: LIN Delia , TREVASKES Susan 
Published: February 2019

AbstractIn recent years, the Chinese Communist Party has declared that its governance
must dominate over all aspects of law-making and enforcement, declaring that its
leadership must be implemented across the entire process of governing the
country in accordance with the law. Contemporaneous to this new way of thinking
about the law-Party nexus is a propaganda push to integrate moral values into
the law. This paper is about moralizing governance in the Xi Jinping era. It
explores the ideology behind the promotion of this morals–law
integration, focusing on the Socialist Core Values in the legal realm under the
current Xi Jinping administration. We do so from two interrelated perspectives.
The first examines the relationship between law and morality. Here, we argue
that the Party’s calls for a law–morality amalgam can be
understood as a form of “pan-moralism.” The second looks at the
supremacy of Party rule, extending the theory of the “Leviathan”
proposed by Thomas Hobbes to take into account the Party’s morality push.
This two-pronged argument enables us to assert that the Xi Jinping
administration is creating a “virtuous Leviathan.”
Collapse of particle-laden buoyant plumes
Authors: Apsley D. D. , Lane-Serff G. F. 
Published: February 2019

Particle loading affects the dynamics of buoyant plumes, since the difference between particle and fluid densities is much greater than that in the fluid alone. In stratified environments, plume rise is density limited; after initial overshoot, the plume reaches a terminal level and spreads radially. Particles dropping from this horizontal intrusion may be re-entrained. This recycling of dense matter reduces plume buoyancy and intrusion height and, for sufficient load, can lead to plume collapse. Entrainment-based formulae yield a steady-state plume rise. We identify a new conserved quantity for such plumes. Integrating paths of particles dropping from the intrusion yields the fraction re-entrained. A simple mathematical model predicts from buoyancy ratio at source ($P=$ negative particle buoyancy divided by positive fluid buoyancy) whether a particle-laden plume will collapse. Under this model, for small settling velocity, a particle-laden plume will not collapse if $P<0.368$. Above this, collapse depends also on the amount of particle-free ambient fluid entrained in the overshoot region. For pure plumes, experimental evidence suggests that this is small. For forced plumes, more substantial overshoot and entrainment is shown to increase the critical ratio. An extension, based on successive recycling, estimates time to collapse. To investigate further we develop a simple computational model, coupling a ‘top-hat’ plume model, an analytical formula for radially decaying concentrations in the intrusion and an axisymmetric finite-volume solution for time-dependent settling and entrainment. The model can predict the impact of particle load on final rise, as well as the occurrence and time scales of plume collapse.
The phylogeny of the Diploporita: a polyphyletic assemblage of blastozoan echinoderms
Authors: Sheffield Sarah L. , Sumrall Colin D. 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe phylogenetic relationships of Paleozoic blastozoan echinoderms are poorly understood and many of the traditionally ascribed groups are likely polyphyletic. Diploporitans, those blastozoans with double pore (diplopore) respiratory structures, have never been placed within a rigorous phylogenetic framework, and their highly variable morphologies suggest that they do not represent a natural clade. A maximum parsimony phylogenetic analysis, spanning a wide range of diploporitan and related taxa, indicates that diplopore-bearing blastozoans are a polyphyletic grouping and, consequently, that diplopore respiratory structures have evolved more than once within the echinoderms. Constraint analyses indicate that a single diplopore-bearing clade bearing the traditionally defined Glyptosphaeritida, Sphaeronitida, Asteroblastida is less parsimonious than multiple diplopore-bearing clades inferred by the unconstrained analysis.
Protected areas and benthic characteristics influence the distribution of the Vulnerable bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India
Authors: Patankar Vardhan , Wagh Tanmay , Marathe Aniruddha 
Published: February 2019

AbstractThe Vulnerable bumphead parrotfish Bolbometopon muricatum, a highly prized fishery resource worldwide, has experienced population declines throughout its geographical range. There is limited knowledge of the distribution and abundance of, and threats to, this fish in Indian waters, particularly for the Andaman and Nicobar Islands. To assess the species’ distribution and conservation status we conducted underwater surveys across 75 sites around 51 islands and interviewed 99 fishers across the Andaman and Nicobar archipelago. We recorded a total of 59 individual B. muricatum across nine sites from the northernmost island in the Andamans (Landfall Island) to the southernmost island in the Nicobars (Great Nicobar Island). Interviews revealed that most fishers (100% in Nicobar, 94% in Middle Andaman, 62% in South Andaman) had seen B. muricatum, and knowledge of the species is highest amongst spearfishers. Generalized linear models indicated that presence of marine protected areas and high live coral cover influenced the abundance and distribution of B. muricatum. The species' density seems to be naturally low in the archipelago. We discuss our findings in the light of protecting rare and threatened species, and recommend strengthening the existing marine protected areas in these islands.
Which values should be built into economic measures?
Authors: Schroeder S. Andrew 
Published: February 2019

AbstractMany economic measures are structured to reflect ethical values. I describe three attitudes towards this: maximalism, according to which we should aim to build all relevant values into measures; minimalism, according to which we should aim to keep values out of measures; and an intermediate view. I argue the intermediate view is likely correct, but existing versions are inadequate. In particular, economists have strong reason to structure measures to reflect fixed, as opposed to user-assessable, values. This implies that, despite disagreement about precisely how to do so, economists should standardly adjust QALYs and DALYs to reflect egalitarian values.
The Case for Public Policy Expertise in Political Science
Authors: Herrera Veronica , Post Alison E. 
Published: February 2019

ABSTRACTThe politics of public policy is a vibrant research area increasingly at the forefront of intellectual innovations in the discipline. We argue that political scientists are best positioned to undertake research on the politics of public policy when they possess expertise in particular policy areas. Policy expertise positions scholars to conduct theoretically innovative work and to ensure that empirical research reflects the reality they aim to analyze. It also confers important practical advantages, such as access to a significant number of academic positions and major sources of research funding not otherwise available to political scientists. Perhaps most importantly, scholars with policy expertise are equipped to defend the value of political science degrees and research in the public sphere.