bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The End Days of the Fourth Eelam War: Sri Lanka's Denialist Challenge to the Laws of War
Authors: Price Megan 
Published: January 2022

AbstractDuring the final months of Sri Lanka's 2006–2009 civil war, Sri Lankan armed forces engaged in a disproportionate and indiscriminate shelling campaign against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), which culminated in the deaths of tens of thousands of civilians. Conventional wisdom suggests that Sri Lanka undermined international humanitarian law (IHL). Significantly, however, the Sri Lankan government did not directly challenge such law or attempt to justify its departure from it. Rather, it invented a new set of facts about its conduct to sidestep its legal obligations. Though indirect, this challenge was no less significant than had Sri Lanka explicitly rejected those obligations. Drawing on Clark et al.'s concept of denialism, this article details the nature of Sri Lanka's challenge to the standing of IHL. At the core of its denialist move, Sri Lanka maintained that while the LTTE was using civilians as human shields, government forces were adhering to a zero civilian casualty approach. With this claim, Sri Lanka absolved itself of any responsibility for the toll inflicted on civilians and sealed its conduct off from the ambit of IHL. This case illustrates how actors can considerably undermine the law using strategies of contestation far more subtle than direct confrontation.
Acceptance and challenges of the introduction of the routine community-based vitamin A supplementation strategy: the case of Burkina Faso
Authors: Ouédraogo Ousmane , Zeba Augustin Nawidimbasba , Kaboré Saidou , Berthé Abdramane , Drabo Koiné Maxime , Ouaro Dabiré Dowrot Bertine , Bambara Estelle , Ouédraogo Helene , Ilboudo Tegawendé Pierre , Konaté Claudine , Garnier Denis , Boussery Gunter , Kiburente Mediatrice , Zagré Noël Marie 
Published: January 2022

AbstractObjectives:With the phase-out of the polio campaigns, Burkina Faso has developed a new strategy for routine community-based vitamin A supplementation (VAS) by institutionalising community-based health workers (CBHW) to sustain the gain of two decades of successful programming. Formative research was conducted soon after the strategy was introduced to solicit feedback on the acceptability of the new approach by the implementing actors while identifying the main implementation challenges for improving its effectiveness and sustainability.Design:This qualitative study was conducted in 2018 through (i) document review, (ii) individual interviews with key informants at the central, regional and district levels, and (iii) focus groups with CBHW and caregivers.Setting:Data collection was carried out at six levels of sites covering the entire country and selected based on VAS coverage rates with the community routine. A total of six health districts were selected.Participants:We conducted 46 individual interviews with health workers and 20 focus groups with 59 CBHW and 108 caregivers.Results:The study showed good acceptability of the strategy by all stakeholders. In the first 2 years of implementation, the national coverage of VAS was maintained at a high level (above 90 %) and there was a reduction in operational costs. The main challenges included delayed CBHW remuneration and weak communication and supervisionConclusions:The acceptability of the community-based routine VAS was good and was perceived to have a high potential for sustainability. Addressing identified challenges will allow us to better manage the expectations of community stakeholders and maintain the initial results
Physical and chemical mechanisms that impact the detection, identification, and quantification of organic matter and the survival of microorganisms on the Martian surface – a review
Authors: Bak Ebbe Norskov , Nørnberg Per , Jensen Svend J. Knak , Thøgersen Jan , Finster Kai 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe iconic Viking Landers that landed on Mars in 1976 demonstrated that the Martian surface is an extreme place, dominated by high UV fluxes and regolith chemistry capable of oxidizing organic molecules. From follow-on missions, we have learned that Mars was much warmer and wetter in its early history, and even some areas of Mars (such as crater lakes, possibly with sustained hydrothermal activity) were habitable places (e.g. Grotzinger et al. (2014). Science (New York, N.Y.) 343; Mangold et al. (2021). Science (New York, N.Y.). However, based on the Viking results we have learnt that the search for life and its remains is challenged by abiotic breakdown and alteration of organic material. In particular, the harsh radiation climate at the Martian surface that directly and indirectly could degrade organics has been held accountable for the lack of organics in the Martian regolith. Recent work simulating wind-driven erosion of basalts under Mars-like conditions has shown that this process, comparable to UV- and ionizing radiation, produces reactive compounds, kills microbes and removes methane from the atmosphere. and thereby could equally jeopardize the success of life-seeking missions to Mars. In this review, we summarize and discuss previous work on the role of physical and chemical mechanisms that affect the persistence of organics, and their consequences for the detection of life and/or its signatures in the Martian regolith and in the atmosphere.
Explicit Calculations of Wet‐Bulb Globe Temperature Compared With Approximations and Why It Matters for Labor Productivity
Authors: Kong Qinqin , Huber Matthew 
Published: January 2022

AbstractWet‐bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is a widely applied heat stress index. However, most applications of WBGT within the heat stress impact literature that do not use WBGT at all, but use one of the ad hoc approximations, typically the simplified WBGT (sWBGT) or the environmental stress index (ESI). Surprisingly, little is known about how well these approximations work for the global climate and climate change settings that they are being applied to. Here, we assess the bias distribution as a function of temperature, humidity, wind speed, and radiative conditions of both sWBGT and ESI relative to a well‐validated, explicit physical model for WBGT developed by Liljegren, within an idealized context and the more realistic setting of ERA5 reanalysis data. sWBGT greatly overestimates heat stress in hot‐humid areas. ESI has much smaller biases in the range of standard climatological conditions. Over subtropical dry regions, both metrics can substantially underestimate extreme heat. We show systematic overestimation of labor loss by sWBGT over much of the world today. We recommend discontinuing the use of sWBGT. ESI may be acceptable for assessing average heat stress or integrated impact over a long period like a year, but less suitable for health applications, extreme heat stress analysis, or as an operational index for heat warning, heatwave forecasting, or guiding activity modification at the workplace. Nevertheless, Liljegren's approach should be preferred over these ad hoc approximations and we provide a fast Python implementation to encourage its widespread use.
Interseismic Strain Accumulation Across the Main Recent Fault, SW Iran, From Sentinel‐1 InSAR Observations
Authors: Watson Andrew R. , Elliott John R. , Walters Richard J. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThe Main Recent Fault is a major right‐lateral strike‐slip fault in the western Zagros mountains of Iran. Recent geodetic and geological studies estimate a low slip rate of 1–6 mm/yr at an unknown depth which, when combined with a non‐ideal fault geometry, makes the Main Recent Fault a difficult but interesting target for InSAR analysis. This analysis would further cement the estimated slip rate and provide an opportunity of estimate the depth to the base of the locked seismogenic zone, both important constraints on the seismic hazard posed by the fault, as well as for understanding how oblique convergence is accommodated and partitioned across the Zagros. We use 200 Sentinel‐1 SAR images from the past 5 years, spanning two ascending and two descending tracks, to estimate the first InSAR‐derived slip rate and locking depth for a 300 km long section of the fault. We utilize two established processing systems, LiCSAR and LiCSBAS, to produce interferograms and perform time series analysis, respectively. We constrain north‐south motion using GNSS observations, decompose our InSAR line‐of‐sight velocities into fault‐parallel and vertical motion, and fit 1‐D screw dislocation models to three fault‐perpendicular profiles of fault‐parallel velocity, following a Bayesian approach to estimate the posterior probability distribution on the fault parameters. We estimate an interseismic slip velocity of 2.4 ± 1.2 mm/yr below a loosely constrained 14 km locking depth, the first such estimate for the fault, and discuss the challenges in constraining the locking depth for low magnitude interseismic signals.
A Spatial Analysis of Dispersion Mechanisms in the Hydrological Response Using a Spatially Distributed Travel Time Model
Authors: Chong Pablo , Gironás Jorge , Niemann Jeffrey D. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractVarious dispersion mechanisms are known to link the spatial heterogeneity of the basin morphology and flow dynamics to the hydrologic response. Recent studies have conducted spatial analysis of the kinematic and geomorphological dispersion coefficients that characterize these mechanisms, as well as identified the influence of hillslopes, channels, and runoff production on their values. Nevertheless, an explicit and distributed dynamic representation of the travel times has not been used for this purpose. This study quantifies dispersion mechanisms by calculating spatially distributed flood wave travel times and hillslope and channel velocities, with a spatially distributed kinematic‐wave based model that explicitly accounts for the path heterogeneity, the dynamics of upstream flow contributions, and the nonlinear dependence on runoff intensity. Hence, the role of these factors and their influence on the dispersion mechanisms across different scales is studied in detail. Using different runoff intensities, the scaling of the dispersion mechanism coefficients according to the contributing areas within the Quintero Creek basin and two of its sub‐basins (in central Chile) is obtained. These scaling relationships are compared against those previously reported in the literature, which were obtained with approaches that simplify the treatment of travel times. Both basin‐specific and more general factors manifesting in the behavior of the dispersion mechanisms are found. Dispersion coefficients increase with area, and the role of the hillslope‐channel transition is controlled by runoff intensity, affecting the relative contribution of the dispersion mechanisms to the total dispersion at different spatial scales.
A simple additive staging system for newly diagnosed multiple myeloma
Authors: Abdallah Nadine H. , Binder Moritz , Rajkumar S. Vincent , Greipp Patricia T. , Kapoor Prashant , Dispenzieri Angela , Gertz Morie A. , Baughn Linda B. , Lacy Martha Q. , Hayman Suzanne R. , Buadi Francis K. , Dingli David , Go Ronald S. , Hwa Yi L. , Fonder Amie L. , Hobbs Miriam A. , Lin Yi , Leung Nelson , Kourelis Taxiarchis , Warsame Rahma , Siddiqui Mustaqeem A. , Kyle Robert A. , Bergsagel P. Leif , Fonseca Rafael , Ketterling Rhett P. , Kumar Shaji K. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractRisk stratification in multiple myeloma is important for prognostication, patient selection for clinical trials, and comparison of treatment approaches. We developed and validated a staging system that incorporates additional FISH abnormalities not included in the R-ISS and reflects the additive effects of co-occurring high-risk disease features. We first evaluated the prognostic value of predefined cytogenetic and laboratory abnormalities in 2556 Mayo Clinic patients diagnosed between February 2004 and June 2019. We then used data from 1327 patients to develop a risk stratification model and validated this in 502 patients enrolled in the MMRF CoMMpass study. On multivariate analysis, high-risk IgH translocations [risk ratio (RR): 1.7], 1q gain/amplification (RR: 1.4), chromosome17 abnormalities (RR: 1.6), ISS III (RR: 1.7), and elevated LDH (RR: 1.3) were independently associated with decreased overall survival (OS). Among 1327 evaluable patients, OS was 11.0 (95% CI: 9.2–12.6), 7.0 (95% CI: 6.3–9.2), and 4.5 (95% CI: 3.7–5.2) years in patients with 0 (stage I), 1 (stage II), and ≥2 (stage III) high-risk factors, respectively. In the MMRF cohort, median OS was 7.8 (95% CI: NR-NR), 6.0 (95% CI: 5.7-NR), and 4.3 (95% CI: 2.7-NR) years in the 3 groups, respectively (P < 0.001). This 5-factor, 3-tier system is easy to implement in practice and improves upon the current R-ISS.
SpermTree, a species-level database of sperm morphology spanning the animal tree of life
Authors: Fitzpatrick John L. , Kahrl Ariel F. , Snook Rhonda R. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractSperm are the most morphologically variable cell type known, despite performing the same functional role of fertilizing eggs across all sexually reproducing species. Sperm morphology commonly varies among individuals, populations, closely related species, and across animal phyla. Sperm morphology has long been used as a tool for placing species in a phylogenetic context and a range of selective forces are hypothesized to influence sperm evolution and diversification. However, we currently lack robust examinations of macroevolutionary (i.e. across phyla) patterns of sperm evolution, due largely to the challenges of comparing sperm morphological data across the animal tree of life. Here we describe the SpermTree database, which currently represents 5,675 morphological descriptions of sperm morphology from 4,705 unique species from 27 animal phyla. This dataset includes measurements of sperm head, midpiece, flagellum and total length, the latter of which spans four orders of magnitude. All entries in the dataset are matched to currently accepted scientific names in taxonomic databases, facilitating the use of these data in analyses examining sperm evolution in animals.
Photosensitization agents for fs laser writing in PDMS
Authors: Boisvert Jean-Sebastien , Hlil Antsar , Loranger Sebastien , Riaz Ali , Ledemi Yannick , Messaddeq Younes , Kashyap Raman 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis study aims at identifying compounds incorporated into Polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) which produce large refractive index change under fs laser exposition, potentially leading to optimal writing of waveguides or photonic devices in such a soft host. Germanium derivative, titania and zirconite derivatives, benzophenone (Bp), irgacure-184/500/1173 and 2959 are investigated. We show a mapping of the RI index change relative to the writing speed (1 to 40 mm/s), the repetition rate (606 to 101 kHz) and the number of passes (1 to 8) from which we establish quantitative parameters to allow the comparison between samples. We show that the organic materials, especially irgacure-184 and benzophenone yield a significantly higher maximum refractive index change in the order of 10−2. We also show that the strongest photosensitivity is achieved with a mixture of organic/organo-metallic material of Bp + Ge. We report a synergetic effect on photosensitivity of this novel mixture.
Numerical analysis of a second-grade fuzzy hybrid nanofluid flow and heat transfer over a permeable stretching/shrinking sheet
Authors: Nadeem Muhammad , Siddique Imran , Awrejcewicz Jan , Bilal Muhammad 
Published: January 2022

AbstractIn this work, the heat transfer features and stagnation point flow of Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) hybrid second-grade nanofluid through a convectively heated permeable shrinking/stretching sheet is reported. The purpose of the present investigation is to consider hybrid nanofluids comprising of Alumina $$\left( {{\text{Al}}_{{2}} {\text{O}}_{{3}} } \right)$$

Al
2

O
3

and Copper $$\left( {{\text{Cu}}} \right)$$

Cu

nanoparticles within the Sodium Alginate (SA) as a host fluid for boosting the heat transfer rate. Also, the effects of free convection, viscous dissipation, heat source/sink, and nonlinear thermal radiation are considered. The converted nonlinear coupled fuzzy differential equations (FDEs) with the help of triangular fuzzy numbers (TFNs) are solved using the numerical scheme bvp4c. The numerical results are acquired for various engineering parameters to study the Nusselt number, skin friction coefficient, velocity, and temperature distribution through figures and tables. For the validation, the current numerical results were found to be good as compared to existing results in limiting cases. It is also inspected by this work that with the enhancement of the volume fraction of nanoparticles, the heat transfer rate also increases. So, it may be taken as a fuzzy parameter for a better understanding of fuzzy variables. For the comparison, the volume fraction of nanofluids and hybrid nanofluid are said to be TFN [0, 0.1, 0.2]. In the end, we can see that fuzzy triangular membership functions (MFs) have not only helped to overcome the computational cost but also given better accuracy than the existent results. Finding from fuzzy MFs, the performance of hybrid nanofluids is better than nanofluids.
Comoclathrin, a novel potent skin-whitening agent produced by endophytic Comoclathris strains associated with Andalusia desert plants
Authors: Georgousaki Katerina , González-Menéndez Victor , Tormo José R. , Tsafantakis Nikolaos , Mackenzie Thomas A. , Martín Jesús , Gumeni Sentiljana , Trougakos Ioannis P. , Reyes Fernando , Fokialakis Nikolas , Genilloud Olga 
Published: January 2022

AbstractAs part of our screening program for the discovery of molecules of microbial origin with skin-whitening activity, 142 diverse fungal endophytes from a wide variety of Andalusia arid plants were screened, applying the OSMAC approach. The fungal strains CF-090361 and CF-090766, isolated from xerophytic plants, were selected as the most promising, while phylogenetic analysis revealed that both strains could represent a new species within the genus Comoclathris. The effect of different fermentation conditions on the production of tyrosinase inhibitory activity was examined, in order to identify the optimum cultivation conditions. LCMS based metabolomics was applied to determine significant differences between the strains and fermentation conditions, and to identify potential bioactive secondary metabolites. Bioassay-guided purification of the main active components led to the isolation of three new compounds (1–3), along with the known compounds graphostrin B (4) and brevianamide M (5). Compound 1 (Comoclathrin) demonstrated the strongest anti-tyrosinase activity (IC50 0.16 μΜ), which was 90-times higher than kojic acid (IC50 14.07 μΜ) used as positive control. Additionally, comoclathrin showed no significant cytotoxicity against a panel of cancer cell lines (HepG2, A2058, A549, MCF-7 and MIA PaCa-2) and normal BJ fibroblasts. These properties render comoclathrin an excellent development candidate as whitening agent.
Automated shape-transformable self-solar-tracking tessellated crystalline Si solar cells using in-situ shape-memory-alloy actuation
Authors: Yun Min Ju , Sim Yeon Hyang , Lee Dong Yoon , Cha Seung I. 
Published: January 2022

AbstractPhotovoltaic energy systems in urban situations need to achieve both high electricity production and high capacity in restricted installation areas. To maximize power output, solar-tracking systems tilt solar arrays to track the sun’s position, and typically flat modules are used to maximize the cross-sectional area. Such tracking systems are complex and expensive, and flat modules cannot utilize omnidirectional incident light. For solar systems in urban environments, we have developed two-dimensional (2D) or three-dimensional (3D) tessellated solar-cell modules that use shape transformation, and combine solar tracking and an arch structure for use in restricted areas. The modules can use scattered and omnidirectional incident light. Simply by attaching shape-memory alloy strips to the surface of the solar panels, the shape of the array can be transformed in response to heat from sunlight. Compared to a perfect solar-tracking system, our simulation results indicate that the modules present a large cross-sectional area perpendicular to the direction of sunlight and provide superior tracking performance, resulting in a 60% increase in electricity production over the course of 1 day. In addition, by using different designs for the tessellation units, dome shaped or other 3D structures are possible, for specific applications and to meet aesthetic requirements.
Boger nanofluid: significance of Coriolis and Lorentz forces on dynamics of rotating fluid subject to suction/injection via finite element simulation
Authors: Ali Bagh , Siddique Imran , Hussain Sajjad , Ali Liaqat , Baleanu Dumitru 
Published: January 2022

AbstractThis study briefings the roles of Coriolis, and Lorentz forces on the dynamics of rotating nanofluids flow toward a continuously stretching sheet. The nanoparticles are incorporated because of their unusual qualities like upgrade the thermal transportation, which are very important in heat exchangers, modern nanotechnology, electronics, and material sciences. The primary goal of this study is to improve heat transportation. Appropriate similarity transformations are applied for the principal PDEs to transform into nonlinear dimensionless PDEs. A widely recognized Numerical scheme known as the Finite Element Method is employed to solve the resultant convective boundary layer balances. Higher input in the solvent fraction parameter has a rising effect on the primary velocity and secondary velocity magnitude, and decreasing impact on the distributions of temperature. It is seen that growing contributions of the Coriolis, and Lorentz forces cause to moderate the primary and secondary velocities, but the temperature and concentration functions show opposite trend. The concentration, temperature, and velocities distributions for suction case is prominently than that of injection case, but inverse trend is observed for local Nusselt and Sherwood numbers. These examinations are relevant to the field of plastic films, crystal growing, paper production, heat exchanger, and bio-medicine.
Effects of endometriosis on immunity and mucosal microbial community dynamics in female olive baboons
Authors: Le Nhung , Cregger Melissa , Fazleabas Asgerally , Braundmeier-Fleming Andrea 
Published: January 2022

AbstractEndometriosis is defined as the growth of endometrial tissue in ectopic locations, and is associated with altered immune and microbial phenotypes. It is unclear if these changes are the result of the disease or may be causative. We induced endometriosis in non-human primates (Papio Anubis) to test our hypothesis that the growth of endometriotic lesions results in alterations in immune and microbial dynamics that may advance disease progression. Baboon samples were collected pre-inoculation (prior to disease induction), at 3, 6, 9, and 15 months after disease induction. Tolerant regulatory T-cells (Tregs) and inflammatory T-helper 17 (Th17) cells were identified in peripheral blood and within the eutopic/ectopic endometrial tissues. Microbiome communities were identified in fecal/urine samples. The induction of endometriosis decreased peripheral Tregs cells while Th17 cells increased at all post-induction collections, thus reducing the Tregs:Th17 cells ratio, indicating systemic inflammation. Microbiome diversity and abundance were altered at each sample site after disease induction. Thus, induction of endometriosis in baboons caused an immune shift toward an inflammatory profile and altered mucosal microbial profiles, which may drive inflammation through production of inflammatory mediators. Immune and microbial profiling may lead to innovative diagnostic tools and novel therapies for endometriosis treatment.