bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Community Abundance and Environmental Monitoring to Support Coral Reef Management in East Portland Special Fishery Conservation Area, Jamaica
Authors: Williams Claire M. , Martindale Rowan C. , Henry Denise , Gordon-Smith Debbie-Ann , Bergan Pearl
Published: February 2023

Global warming and human impacts continue to be devastating for coral reef systems. Jamaican reefs have been adversely affected by a variety of threats including hurricanes, coral bleaching, disease, and algal overgrowth, the impact of which has been exacerbated by global climate change, overfishing, and urchin disease. Despite the dire situation, with proper protection, algal coral phase shifts can be reversed. One area that is being protected is the East Portland Special Fishery Conservation Area (EPSFCA). The EPSFCA is monitored by the Alligator Head Foundation (AHF), which houses a coral nursery, mangrove nursery, and leads monitoring and restoration practices. Although reefs in Jamaica, such as Discovery Bay, were well studied in the 1970s-early 2000s, many ecological studies have not extended to other regions around the island. In particular, the unique reefs of Northeast Jamaica lack data necessary for conservation efforts; no baseline information on community composition had been collected until the establishment of the AHF. To obtain an ecological baseline, this project synthesizes environmental data (nutrient levels, temperature, light) with community assemblage data (fish counts, benthic substrate assessments, and invertebrate counts) from EPSFCA reefs. These sites will be compared using ordinations. To address a longer timeframe of reef evolution, this project will use similar techniques on a fossil reef to see how Caribbean reefs have changed over thousands of years. An analysis of EPSFCA reefs from 2017-2019 found that many sites are distinct, but most reefs show signs of degradation (e.g., high algal cover). Much of the variation between sites can be explained by the abundance of turf algae and the corals Colopophyllia natans, Agaricia grahamae, and Acropora cervicornis. The goal of this project is to combine the EPSFCA data with environmental information to provide a road map for where conservation efforts are likely to support recovery.
The Past as a Lens for Biodiversity Conservation on a Dynamically Changing Planet
Authors: McGuire Jenny L. , Lawing A. Michelle , Díaz Sandra , Stenseth Nils C.
Published: February 2023

Both climate and land-use change have accelerated over the past decades. The cumulative effects of these disruptions are not additive or systematic, rather they pose complex, dynamic environmental challenges to ecological systems. To survive, terrestrial plants and animals will need to shift their distributions to track habitable regions or exhibit the flexibility to survive these shifting environmental regimes. As biota dramatically shift their ranges, ecological communities across Earth’s natural landscapes will restructure. We must formulate effective, long-term dynamic conservation approaches to accommodate migration, adaptation, and acclimation in response to rapid change. However, given the dynamic nature of today’s changes, it can be challenging to identify the most effective strategies that allow ecosystems to bounce forward. I will present research from a new special feature that argues the importance of taking a deeper-time perspective to large-scale solutions to the modern biodiversity crisis. Conservation practitioners highlight the ecological theory and hypotheses that should be examined to effectively translate historical findings into actionable conservation practices. Ecologists and paleoecologists, working across temporal scales, demonstrating approaches that have already begun to effectively inform the conservation of biodiversity on a dynamically changing planet. Studies identify resilient and connected landscapes, explore ecological movement dynamics, and evaluate how extinctions and range-shifting species lead to the erosion of functional groups that affect trait-environment dynamics through space and time. I will highlight research that addresses some of the main challenges for performing conservation paleontology at large spatial scales: 1) knowledge coproduction; 2) hypothesis development and testing using long-term historical data; 3) reporting of effect sizes for direct applications; and 4) integration into applied products.
Metabarcoding of American Mink Scat to Explore Shifting Baselines in the Gulf of Maine
Authors: Williams Sara , Shirazi Sabrina , Hughes Karissa , Abin Chris , Welch Linda , Mychajliw Alexis M. , Hofman Courtney A.
Published: February 2023

The mink (Neogale sp.) has been important species in North American ecosystems and communities for millennia; before European colonization, Indigenous families hunted and trapped mink for their pelts. As part of the euro-colonial fur trade (~1600-1900), wide-spread and intense harvest of mink and other furbearers transformed ecosystems, including the likely extinction of the sea mink (Neogale macrodon) in the Gulf of Maine. The American mink (Neogale vison) has slowly moved into areas that were previously inhabited by the sea mink in coastal and island Maine. The expansion of American mink has been implicated as a potential cause for the declining seabird populations on Maine islands. Here, we use metabarcoding of American mink scat collected in the USFWS Maine Coastal Islands National Wildlife Refuge to evaluate if American mink are predating upon seabirds. Preliminary analysis of mink scat from Petit Manan Island has not implicated mink in bird predation but we did recover host DNA and dietary components including lobster and fish (Cunner). Currently, managers remove American mink from the Refuge islands to protect nesting seabirds but perhaps the seabird populations are returning to population sizes of when sea mink was present in the area. Harvest of furbearers as part of the euro-colonial fur trade may still have implications for ecosystem form and function today.
Shell Microstructure as an Indicator of Changing Environmental Conditions in Coastal Oceans
Authors: Carskaddan Jane S. , Harnik Paul G. , Metzler Rebecca A.
Published: February 2023

Ocean ecosystems are undergoing pronounced changes in temperature and chemistry. Biomineralizing animals, such as mollusks, that produce calcium carbonate shells can be sensitive to these changes, and this may be reflected in the microstructure of their shells. Shell microstructure potentially offers conservation paleobiologists an additional tool for assessing spatiotemporal changes in environmental conditions resulting from human activities. Previous work suggests that environmental factors, such as temperature and pH, can affect how mollusks build their shells. Certain mollusks continuously lay down tablets of nacre on the interior of their shells, and the thickness of these tablets may reflect the temperature of the environment in which the organism lived. We have been investigating spatial and temporal variation in tablet thickness in two groups of marine mollusks. Our first case study focuses on a variety of present-day abalone species along a temperature gradient. Data were collected from individuals raised in aquaculture at controlled temperatures, as well as wild-grown individuals from different latitudes in the Pacific Ocean. Our second case study focuses on the marine bivalve Nucula proxima from the northern Gulf of Mexico. Live and dead Nucula proxima specimens were collected from 20 meters water depth offshore Louisiana and Alabama; radiocarbon analyses indicate that these specimens represent both present-day and pre-Industrial populations. Our preliminary results show: 1) little variation in tablet thickness among abalone grown in aquaculture at different temperatures, suggesting that fine scale variation in temperature has little effect on abalone microstructure; and 2) an increase in tablet thickness during the past 250 years for N. proxima offshore Louisiana, but little change in N. proxima microstructure in coastal Alabama over past centuries.
Geological Perspectives on the Degradation and Restoration of Coral Reefs
Authors: Toth Lauren T.
Published: February 2023

The growth and maintenance of coral-reef structures built over 1000s of years serve as the foundation for the myriad ecosystem services reefs provide to society. Predicting how reef building will change in the future is, therefore, critical to designing effective coral-reef management strategies; however, it is challenging to accurately forecast the long-term process of reef accretion based on short-term ecological studies alone. Geological records, particularly those from sensitive, marginal reef environments such as the subtropical reef system of south Florida, are essential for projecting changes in reef accretion, and for optimizing strategies for coral-reef management. Using a combination of millennial-scale reconstructions of reef accretion and paleoecology from reef cores, and contemporary carbonate budget modeling, I evaluated the past, present, and a possible future of coral-reef development in south Florida. I will show that climate has been the primary control on the rate and extent of regional reef development and, by 3000 years ago, reef accretion was negligible throughout the region. This confined the ecosystem to an unstable equilibrium in which a veneer of living coral was the only barrier to catastrophic reef erosion. In recent decades, climate and other anthropogenic disturbances have pushed many reefs into a novel state characterized by a loss of reef-building corals that is unprecedented in the geological record. These changes have unbalanced Florida’s carbonate budgets, leading to increases in reef-framework erosion. I will show that there is hope for ongoing coral restoration efforts to revive reef growth on a local scale to levels comparable to long-term natural baselines; however, the central role of climate in both the millennial-scale declines in reef building and the modern decline in coral populations suggests that the efficacy of these local efforts will be limited without global-scale action to mitigate anthropogenic climate change.
Modeling Pre-Impact Baselines at Scale to Inform Species Recovery
Authors: Grace Molly K. , Akçakaya Resit , Avery Aaron , Duncan Clare , Hansford James , Herbert Gregory S. , Kramer Andrew M. , Mannion Philip D. , Prohaska Ana , Ravenscroft Harri , Rodrigues Ana , Saupe Erin , Stephenson P. J. , Turvey Samuel , Welch Jessica , Williams Jack
Published: February 2023

This talk will describe the work of the CPN Pre-Impact Baselines Working Group to leverage the wealth of paleoecological and historical ecological data to facilitate estimation of pre-impact species distribution baselines. Species conservation has long focused on preventing human-driven extinctions, and over the past 50 years conservation success has been measured using changes in species’ extinction risk. However, recently calls have been made for a parallel focus on species recovery, and on developing metrics with which to assess its achievement. This call to action within the conservation community is fuelled in part by the recognition that baselines of species abundance and distribution have shifted dramatically across human generations with globally detectable human impacts on ecosystems beginning at least several thousand years ago. While assessment of extinction risk generally only considers species’ change over the past few decades, assessment of recovery requires considering change over centuries to millennia. This requires identifying the baseline status at the time when humans first became a major factor influencing the abundance and distribution of a species. Two new frameworks for considering conservation status relative to a species’ pre-impact baseline have been recently released: EPOCH (Evaluation of POpulation CHange), and the IUCN Green Status of Species. These frameworks have been lauded as moving conservation in a much-needed direction, but there is also concern about whether these methods will be applicable to any but a few well-known, charismatic species. Using a combination of modelling approaches, we are working to estimate species pre-impact distributions in a way that is accessible to conservation practitioners, helping to unshift the baseline and bring species recovery into the mainstream.
Establishing Modern Peat Analogs to Decipher Mangal Sub-Habitats From Historical Peats
Authors: Neely Samuel H. , Raymond Anne
Published: February 2023

In mangroves of South Florida, plant debris accumulates and humifies to form peat. The structure and composition of mangrove peat differs among mangal sub-habitats, leading to categorically distinct peat types reflective of the taphonomically active zone (TAZ). Here, taphonomic processes degrade and shape the peat until it is sequestered in the depth of final burial (DFB). Sequestered peats provide historical archives of the mangal depositional environment and the palaeoecological context of peat formation that are used to reconstruct mangal sub-habitats. However, as peat passes through the TAZ, information about the precursor mangal sub-habitat is reduced, which may skew mangrove community reconstructions. To better understand the influence of the TAZ on peat formation, we analyzed plant organ- and taxon-based measures by characterizing surficial mangrove peats from two contrasting mangal sub-habitats in Barnes Sound, Florida: a tidally influenced, Rhizophora-dominated fringe sub-habitat; and an inundated, interior mixed forest basin sub-habitat. We found (1) peats formed in basin sites have greater amounts of leaf litter, which correlates with reduced tidal activity and restricted detritivore access to the litter layer; (2) peats formed in fringe sites have higher root percentages, or root–shoot ratios, which provide a reliable method to differentiate between peats at depth, and (3) mangal sub-habitats differ in preserved organismal signals, such as foraminifera and insect parts. Further, we compare our surficial core samples to historical, deep core samples from other South Florida mangrove peat deposits to establish modern peat analogs needed to decipher preserved mangrove peats. These comparisons suggest that few aerial plant organs survive the TAZ and sequestered peats are biased towards root-rich peats characteristic of fringe sub-habitats; however, sequestered peats with lower root-shoot ratios indicate leaf litter-rich peats formed in basin sub-habitats.
Environmental Controls on Predator and Prey Body Size in the Northern Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Calderaro Luke A. , Harnik Paul G. , Rillo Marina C.
Published: February 2023

The Mississippi River delivers vast quantities of nutrient-rich freshwater to the northern Gulf of Mexico, fueling primary productivity in the coastal zone. Aerobic decomposition of these phytoplankton blooms has resulted in one of the most extensive dead zones on Earth. In contrast, primary productivity and hypoxia are more limited in the northeastern Gulf, where coastal environments are fed by smaller watersheds. How do environmental factors such as primary productivity, oxygen availability, and sea surface temperature shape coastal food webs? Here, we investigate environmental correlates of predator and prey body size in benthic mollusks using Holocene death assemblages. Results of linear mixed effects models indicate that bivalve size and the frequency of drilling predation are both influenced by dissolved oxygen concentrations; bivalve size increases and drilling frequency decreases with declining oxygen levels. Sea surface temperature is positively associated with predator and prey size, whereas net primary productivity has little effect on the size of predators or prey. Predator-to-prey size ratios were not significantly associated with any of the environmental factors considered. Larger bivalves found in oxygen-limited areas may be due to decreased predation pressure, resulting in greater prey longevity. Warmer waters with sufficient dissolved oxygen may also provide suitable growth conditions to increase the size of bivalves and predatory gastropods. Holocene death assemblages can be used to test long-standing hypotheses regarding environmental controls on predator-prey body size distributions through geologic time and provide baselines for assessing the ongoing effects of anthropogenic eutrophication and warming on coastal food webs.
The comparison and relationship of IHSG, NIKKEI, and NASDAQ
Authors: Mamesah Gracia H. , Harikatan Kristianto , Hutapea Lidya C. M. , Palalangan Marchanda C.
Published: February 2023

The movement of market indices in Indonesia, Japan and the United States tends to be uncertain during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to examine the relationship between the three markets and compare performance during the pandemic. The samples used are the IHSG, NIKKEI, and NASDAQ with an observation period from 19 November 2021 to 31 May 2022. This study finds that during the observed period the market return of the IHSG still has a positive performance compared to NIKKEI and NASDAQ. However, the mean difference test also proves that the performance gap between the markets of the three countries is still relatively the same. In addition, this study also shows that there is a unidirectional relationship between IHSG, NIKKEI, and NASDAQ.
The preference of Bitcoin and stocks in Indonesia
Authors: Budiarso Novi , Pontoh Winston
Published: February 2023

Bitcoin is an alternative and is currently in demand by investors. This condition triggers investors' preferences to invest in stocks or cryptocurrencies. This study examines the causality between Bitcoin and the market index in Indonesia in terms of determining the preferences of investors. On this objective, the sample is taken from 1 January 2022 to 31 October 2022. The findings of this study imply that investors' preferences tend to be caused by stock price movements. But, the result of estimation also finds that the preference of investors tends to be influenced by the movement of Bitcoin.
Acceptance of Digital Sports: A Study Showing the Rising Acceptance of Digital Health Activities
Authors: Cui Nan
Published: February 2023

Digital sports and health activities are rapidly gaining acceptance as viable alternatives to traditional physical activities. With the widespread adoption of digital technologies, people are turning to digital sports and health activities to maintain their physical fitness and well-being. This abstract explores the rising acceptance of digital health activities, particularly in the field of sports. The study highlights the various digital health activities available to consumers, such as fitness tracking apps, virtual coaching, and online exercise classes. The study reviews the benefits of digital health activities, such as increased accessibility, flexibility, and personalization. The study examines the factors that influence the acceptance of digital health activities, such as ease of use, perceived usefulness, and social influence. The study also discusses the challenges of implementing digital health activities, such as data privacy and security concerns, and the need for adequate technological infrastructure. The study concludes that the rising acceptance of digital health activities in the field of sports is indicative of a broader trend towards the adoption of digital technologies in healthcare. As the technology continues to advance, digital health activities are poised to play an increasingly important role in healthcare, providing accessible and personalized solutions to promote physical fitness and well-being.
Research on the Development of China Real Estate in the future of health care Industry
Authors: Xuebing Sun
Published: February 2023

The healthcare industry is one of the fastest-growing sectors globally, and its expansion has implications for a wide range of industries, including the real estate sector. In China, the real estate market has been closely linked with the healthcare industry due to the growing demand for healthcare facilities, particularly in urban areas.This research aims to explore the development of the China real estate market in the future of the healthcare industry. It will examine the current state of the healthcare industry and the key trends driving its growth in China, as well as the role of real estate in facilitating this growth. The research will draw on a range of data sources, including government reports, industry publications, and academic literature, to provide a comprehensive overview of the current state of the healthcare industry and its future trajectory. The research will also include case studies of successful healthcare and real estate development projects in China to provide a practical perspective on the opportunities and challenges in this space.The findings of this research will have implications for a wide range of stakeholders, including real estate developers, investors, and policymakers. By better understanding the link between the healthcare industry and the real estate sector in China, stakeholders can make more informed decisions regarding investment and development opportunities in this rapidly growing industry.Overall, this research will contribute to a better understanding of the complex interplay between the healthcare industry and the real estate market in China and will provide insights into the future of these industries in the country
Expression of folk art in urban landscape design in health care sector under the optimized interactive genetic algorithm
Authors: Jiaqi Yan
Published: February 2023

The integration of folk art into urban landscape design has become increasingly popular in the healthcare sector, as it is believed to positively impact patient well-being and recovery. The use of interactive genetic algorithms (IGA) has optimized the design process by enabling designers to use computational tools to generate and refine design solutions that effectively incorporate folk art into the urban landscape. The interactive genetic algorithm involves an iterative process where designers input their preferences and the system generates variations of the design based on these preferences. The designers then provide feedback on these variations, leading to further refinement and improvement of the design. This approach enables designers to quickly and efficiently generate and refine landscape design solutions that meet the specific needs of healthcare facilities. Folk art is a particularly effective design element in healthcare settings because it is often associated with positive emotions, memories, and cultural identities. By incorporating folk art into the urban landscape design of healthcare facilities, designers can create an environment that is comforting, familiar, and culturally sensitive, which can positively impact patient outcomes. Overall, the use of interactive genetic algorithms to optimize the incorporation of folk art into urban landscape design in healthcare facilities represents a promising approach to creating spaces that support patient well-being and recovery. This approach can lead to the creation of healthcare environments that are not only functional and efficient but also aesthetically pleasing and culturally relevant.
Role Played by Innovativeness of Biotechnology Firms in Firm Growth: Identifying the Moderating Roles of Top Management Support and Team Innovation Orientation
Authors: Marra Peter , Wang Meng
Published: February 2023

Research has stated that innovativeness is a key element in biotechnology firms where support from the top management (TMS) and team innovation orientation (TMI) shape the development of the innovative process in the firms. The current study explores biotechnology firms’ (INN) innovativeness in firm growth (FG) in Malaysia. The study included and empirically tested two moderators, the role of TMS and TMI. Questionnaires were used to obtain a sample of 125 biotechnology firms. A survey was dispensed to three to four employees with three or more years of experience in managerial positions. A sample of 215 complete responses was utilized for SEM analysis. The findings revealed that innovativeness in biotechnology firms in Malaysia has a significant link in boosting FG. TMS moderates the association between INN and FG, whereas TMI is insignificant.  The study has presented findings that confirm the importance of the innovativeness of biotechnology firms. It establishes the role of TMS in strengthening the correlation between innovation and firm growth.
Publishing trends of journals and articles in Journal Citation Reports during the COVID-19 pandemic: a descriptive study
Authors: Kim Sang-Jun , Park Kay Sook
Published: February 2023

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the changes that occurred in journal and article publishing during the noncontact period that started in 2020 due to COVID-19.Methods: The integrated journal list in Journal Citation Reports (JCR) 2017–2021 and the search results of Web of Science were analyzed using pivot tables in Microsoft Excel. The articles, citations, impact factor (IF), publishers, open access (OA) status, and compound annual growth rate (CAGR) were investigated using the data.Results: The CAGRs of articles, citations, and IFs in JCR journals increased throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the increase in OA articles was accompanied by a decreasing share of subscription articles. The top 20 journals in JCR-SCIE (Science Citation Index Expanded), based on the number of articles, accepted OA policies and showed a strong influence, accounting for 7% to 9% of all articles. MDPI and Frontiers were OA publishers included among the top 10 publishers. Large publishers maintained their competitiveness through mergers and acquisitions with OA publishers. Due to the rapid distribution of OA and early access articles as part of the international response to overcome COVID-19, the CAGRs of citations and IFs increased more than that of articles, and the publication and use of journal articles have become more active.Conclusion: The publication and use trends in JCR journals analyzed herein will provide useful information for researchers’ selection of journals for article submission, analyses of research performance, and libraries’ journal subscription contracts.
Abundance modulates the ecosystem functional contributions of two sympatric Caribbean sea cucumbers
Authors: Munger Rachel , Watkins Hannah V. , Dunic Jillian C. , Côté Isabelle M.
Published: February 2023

In highly diverse systems such as coral reefs, many species appear to fulfil similar ecological roles, suggesting that they might be ecologically equivalent. However, even if species provide similar functions, the magnitude of those roles could modulate their impact within ecosystems. Here, we compare the functional contributions of two common, co-occurring Caribbean sea cucumber species, Holothuria mexicana and Actynopyga agassizii, in terms of ammonium provisioning and sediment processing on Bahamian patch reefs. We quantified these functions through empirical measures of ammonium excretion, and in situ observations of sediment processing coupled with fecal pellet collections. On a per-individual level, H. mexicana excreted approximately 23% more ammonium and processed approximately 53% more sediment per hour than A. agassizii. However, when we combined these species-specific functional rates to species abundances to produce reef-wide estimates, we found that A. agassizii contributed more than H. mexicana to sediment processing at 57% of reefs (1.9 times more per unit area across all surveyed reefs), and more to ammonium excretion at 83% of reefs (5.6 times more ammonium per unit area across all surveyed reefs), owing to its higher abundance. We conclude that sea cucumber species can differ in the rates at which they deliver per capita ecosystem functions but their ecological impacts at the population level depend on their abundance at a given location.
Developing community pharmacists’ role in the management of type 2 diabetes and related microvascular complications: a nationwide survey in Australia
Authors: Woodhams Louise , Chalmers Leanne , Hillis Graham S. , Sim Tin Fei
Published: February 2023

Background

Community pharmacists have regular interactions with people living with type 2 diabetes to supply medications, and have a potential role in supporting other primary care professionals in the screening, management, monitoring and facilitation of timely referral of microvascular complications. This study aimed to investigate the contemporary and future roles of community pharmacists in diabetes-related microvascular complication management.

Methods

This study involved an online Australian nation-wide survey of pharmacists administered via Qualtrics® and distributed through social media platforms, state and national pharmacy organisations, and via major banner groups. Descriptive analyses were undertaken using SPSS.

Results

Among 77 valid responses, 72% of pharmacists already provided blood pressure and blood glucose monitoring services for the management of type 2 diabetes. Only 14% reported providing specific microvascular complication services. Over 80% identified a need for a comprehensive microvascular complication monitoring and referral service, and agreed it is feasible and within the scope of practice of a pharmacist. Almost all respondents agreed that they would implement and provide a monitoring and referral service if provided with appropriate training and resources. Potential barriers to service implementation were competing demands and lack of remuneration and awareness among consumers and health professionals.

Conclusions

Type 2 diabetes services in Australian community pharmacies do not currently focus on microvascular complication management. There appears to be strong support for implementing a novel screening, monitoring and referral service via community pharmacy to facilitate timely access to care. Successful implementation would require additional pharmacist training, and identification of efficient pathways for service integration and remuneration.
A Fractal Dimension Analysis to Evaluate the Change in the Alveolar Osseous Structure of Mandibular Incisors after Orthodontic Treatment: A Retrospective Study
Authors: Parekh Unnati , Shetti Shraddha , Golgire Someshwar , Nannajanawar Lalita , Fulari Sangamesh
Published: February 2023

Introduction: As bone traces tooth movement during orthodontic treatment, leading to biological response of the surrounding tissues of the teeth resulting in remodelling of the socket, favourable bone response is expected after incisor retraction. Orthodontic treatment causing changes in alveolar bone can be evaluated using Fractal dimension (FD) analysis, a mathematical method of information processing, where the input data is in the form of an image and generated information is displayed as numbers. Aim: To evaluate changes in the trabecular structure of alveolar bone after incisor retraction in the mandibular symphysis region in adult patients using fractal analysis. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study was conducted with digital Orthopantomogram (OPG) of 30 patients with class I and class II malocclusion with mandibular incisor protrusion treated with extraction and retraction of anterior teeth were taken with standard protocols at the three different periods, before orthodontic treatment (T0), before retraction (T1) and after retraction of anterior teeth (T2) included in the study. Regions of interest were located between the apices of mandibular incisors. FD was calculated using ImageJ software. Statistical Analysis was carried out by repeated Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) test and post-hoc test. Results: Total of 30 cases were selected, out of which 15 were males and 15 females with the mean age of 21±2 years. FD values of the alveolar bone of mandibular incisors at T0 were 1.470±0.09 which reduced to 1.390±0.09 at T1 and to 1.350±0.08 at T2. This overall changes in FD values were significant (p-value=0.001). Conclusion: Fractal dimension analysis demonstrate significant changes in bone trabeculation of the mandibular symphysis region before and after orthodontic treatment. It has valuable impact in the cases of fenestration, dehiscence’s, and osteoporosis.
Effect of Wood Ash in the Preparation of “Soumbala” from Parkia biglobosa Seeds
Authors: Nadège Koné Ténincoura , Bi Irié Abel Boli Zamblé , Didier Kedjebo Kra Brou , Simplice Guehi Tagro
Published: February 2023

Aims: Evaluation of the biochemical and microbiological characterization of Parkia biglobosa seeds added with wood ash during the fermentation for the preparation of "soumbala" (traditional condiment used across West Africa).

Study Design:  Food safety

Methodology: 32 soumbala samples due to eight samples per commune were collected in the markets of Dimbokro (city in the center of Côte d'Ivoire) and three communes from Abidjan district, namely Adjamé, Abobo and Cocody. Also, 5 kg of Parkia biglobosa seeds divided into 14 samples were collected on Adjamé’s market. The loads of microorganisms (mesophilic aerobic germs, lactic acid bacteria, Bacillus, yeasts and moulds) were determined by counting after culture in agar medium. The physico-chemical composition (pH, titratable acidity and soluble sugars) of Soumbala and Parkia bigloboda seeds has been determined according to standard methods.

Results: The results of physico-chemical analyses showed that the pH varied from 5.53 to 7.95 for the control and from 8.2 to 8.6 for the "soumbala" produced in the presence of ash during 72 hours of fermentation, while that of the commercial "soumbala" was between 6.4 and 7.7. The protein, reducing sugar and fat contents increase while the dry matter and total carbohydrate contents of the seeds decrease during the fermentation process. Microbiological analyzes showed that the Bacillus loads varied from 5.2 to 9.9 log (CFU/g) for the control and 4.2 to 10.9 log (CFU/g) with the addition of wood ash with a respective optimum of 60 hours, those of lactic acid bacteria varied respectively by 2.3 log (UFC/g) and 3.1 log (UFC/g) in the control and supplemented with wood ash to reach an optimal load similar of 5.5 log (CFU/g). Yeast and mold loads varied from 2 to 5.2 log (CFU/g) for the control and from 3 to 4.5 and 5.6 log (CFU/g) respectively with the addition of wood ash. Bacillus was the only microorganism with the highest load both in commercial soumbala [10.2 log (CFU/g)] and in laboratory-produced soumbala [9.7 log (CFU/g)].

Conclusion: Wood ash had a enhancing effect on the fermentation of Parkia biglobosa seeds where Bacillus are in the majority. "Soumbala" produced in the laboratory were free of lactic acid bacteria and fungi at the end of fermentation.
Garbage in, Garbage out—Words of Caution on Big Data and Machine Learning in Medical Practice
Authors: Teno Joan M.
Published: February 2023

This JAMA Forum discusses developments with machine learning and artificial intelligence and provides examples showing how humans are required in these processes to avoid errors in classification.
Association of Social Determinants and Tumor Biology With Racial Disparity in Survival From Early-Stage, Hormone-Dependent Breast Cancer
Authors: Hoskins Kent F. , Calip Gregory S. , Huang Hsiao-Ching , Ibraheem Abiola , Danciu Oana C. , Rauscher Garth H.
Published: February 2023

Importance

Black women with hormone receptor–positive breast cancer experience the greatest racial disparity in survival of all breast cancer subtypes. The relative contributions of social determinants of health and tumor biology to this disparity are uncertain.

Objective

To determine the proportion of the Black-White disparity in breast cancer survival from estrogen receptor (ER)-positive, axillary node-negative breast cancer that is associated with adverse social determinants and high-risk tumor biology.

Design, Setting, and Participants

A retrospective mediation analysis of factors associated with the racial disparity in breast cancer death for cases diagnosed between 2004 and 2015 with follow-up through 2016 was carried out using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Oncotype registry. The study included women in the SEER-18 registry who were aged 18 years or older at diagnosis of a first primary invasive breast cancer tumor that was axillary node-negative and ER-positive, who were Black (Black), non-Hispanic White (White), and for whom the 21-gene breast recurrence score was available. Data analysis took place between March 4, 2021, and November 15, 2022.

Exposures

Census tract socioeconomic disadvantage, insurance status, tumor characteristics including the recurrence score, and treatment variables.

Main Outcomes and Measures

Death due to breast cancer.

Results

The analysis with 60 137 women (mean [IQR] age 58.1 [50-66] years) included 5648 (9.4%) Black women and 54 489 (90.6%) White women. With a median (IQR) follow-up time of 56 (32-86) months, the age-adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for breast cancer death among Black compared with White women was 1.82 (95% CI, 1.51-2.20). Neighborhood disadvantage and insurance status together mediated 19% of the disparity (mediated HR, 1.62; 95% CI, 1.31-2.00; P < .001) and tumor biological characteristics mediated 20% (mediated HR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.28-1.90; P < .001). A fully adjusted model that included all covariates accounted for 44% of the racial disparity (mediated HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.11-1.71; P < .001). Neighborhood disadvantage mediated 8% of the racial difference in the probability of a high-risk recurrence score (P = .02).

Conclusions and Relevance

In this study, racial differences in social determinants of health and indicators of aggressive tumor biology including a genomic biomarker were equally associated with the survival disparity in early-stage, ER-positive breast cancer among US women. Future research should examine more comprehensive measures of socioecological disadvantage, molecular mechanisms underlying aggressive tumor biology among Black women, and the role of ancestry-related genetic variants.
Noninvasive Blue-Light Channel Imaging of Retinal Nonperfusion in Vein Occlusion
Authors: Barbosa Gabriel Castilho Sandoval , Novais Eduardo Amorim , Guerra Ricardo Luz Leitão
Published: February 2023

This case report discusses the use of blue-light channel imaging as an alternative to fluorescein angiography to evaluate the extent of retinal nonperfusion due to vein occlusion.
Morning Glory Syndrome With Bergmeister Papilla and Retinal Detachment
Authors: Yu Guangwei , Zhai Zhaoxia , Ge Jinling
Published: February 2023

This case report discusses a diagnosis of morning glory syndrome and concurrent Bergmeister papilla and retinal detachment in a child aged 3 years.
Expanding Embedded 3D Bioprinting Capability for Engineering Complex Organs with Freeform Vascular Networks
Authors: Fang Yongcong , Guo Yihan , Wu Bingyan , Liu Zibo , Ye Min , Xu Yuanyuan , Ji Mengke , Chen Li , Lu Bingchuan , Nie Kaiji , Wang Zixuan , Luo Jianbin , Zhang Ting , Sun Wei , Xiong Zhuo
Published: February 2023

Creating functional tissues and organs in vitro on demand is a major goal in biofabrication, but the ability to replicate the external geometry of specific organs and their internal structures such as blood vessels simultaneously remains one of the greatest impediments. Here, this limitation is addressed by developing a generalizable bioprinting strategy of sequential printing in a reversible ink template (SPIRIT). It is demonstrated that this microgel‐based biphasic (MB) bioink can be used as both an excellent bioink and a suspension medium that supports embedded 3D printing due to its shear‐thinning and self‐healing behavior. When encapsulating human‐induced pluripotent stem cells, the MB bioink is 3D printed to generate cardiac tissues and organoids by extensive stem cell proliferation and cardiac differentiation. By incorporating MB bioink, the SPIRIT strategy enables the effective printing of a ventricle model with a perfusable vascular network, which is not possible to fabricate using extant 3D printing strategies. This SPIRIT technique offers an unparalleled bioprinting capability to replicate the complex organ geometry and internal structure in a faster manner, which will accelerate the biofabrication and therapeutic applications of tissue and organ constructs.
Photo‐Responsive Bilayer Soft Actuators Synergic Fluorescence and Shape Change Towards Biomimetic Untethered Camouflage Robots
Authors: Yan Yuxin , Wu Yuhan , Wang Qian , Wang Yang , Zhan Yuan , Sun Zhengguang , Yu Li , Wang Xianbao
Published: February 2023

Soft actuators synergic color and shape change behaviors are highly interesting and have a great potential to enable biomimetic robotic devices. However, it remains a grand challenge to achieve color and shape change behaviors on demand for emulating complicated activities of living creatures adjusting to surrounding environments. Herein, photo‐responsive bilayer actuators synergic fluorescence and shape change behaviors are fabricated based on silica carbon dots (Si‐CDs) and liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs). In the design, Si‐CDs/polydimethylsiloxane composite film acting as a photochromic layer provides tunable fluorescence performance under ultraviolet while graphene/LCE composite film functioning as a photo‐actuation layer affords reversible deformation under near‐infrared. Thanks to stable fluorescence and photo‐actuation behaviors of bilayer soft actuators, desired camouflage, and locomotion features are realized in untethered bio‐inspired soft robots such as artificial flytrap and inchworm‐inspired walkers by morphology engineering and driven manner manipulation. This work offers a toolbox for designing multifunctional photo‐responsive soft actuators and promotes them towards untethered bio‐inspired intelligent robotic devices.
Improving the TADF in Corannulene‐Based Emitters via Tuning the Strength of Donor and Acceptor Groups
Authors: Jacob Jesni M. , Jennifer G Abigail , Varathan Elumalai , Ravva Mahesh Kumar
Published: February 2023

In this investigation, a systematic study on the design and development of corannulene‐based thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters using density functional theory methods is carried out. Benzene, benzopyrazine, difluoro‐benzopyrazine, benzene‐1,2‐dithiol, and tetrasulfone are introduced on corannulene bowl as electron‐withdrawing groups to alter the electron‐accepting property of corannulene. Three different donors, viz., carbazole, phenoxazine, and 5,10‐dihydrophenazine are substituted on the rim position of corannulene to alter the absorption properties. The relationship between chemical structure and TADF property is established by evaluating the dihedral angle between donor and acceptor units, spin–orbit coupling (SOC) values, the energy difference between singlet‐triplet excited states (ΔEST), and rates of reverse intersystem crossing (kRISC). The newly designed TADF emitters show absorption in the blue to near‐IR regions depending on the strength of the donor and acceptor moieties. Careful analysis of these properties delineates the relationship between SOC values and the nature of the excited states, which is crucial for achieving high kRISC.
A Zero‐Energy, Zero‐Emission Air Conditioning Fabric
Authors: Zhang Kai , Lei Xiaojuan , Mo Caiqing , Huang Jin , Wang Ming , Kang En‐Tang , Xu Liqun
Published: February 2023

High indoor humidity/temperature pose serious public health threat and hinder industrial productivity, thus adversely impairing the wellness and economy of the entire society. Traditional air conditioning systems for dehumidification and cooling involve significant energy consumption and have accelerated the greenhouse effect. Here, this work demonstrates an asymmetric bilayer cellulose‐based fabric that enables solar‐driven continuous indoor dehumidification, transpiration‐driven power generation, and passive radiative cooling using the same textile without any energy input. The multimode fabric (ABMTF) consists of a cellulose moisture absorption–evaporation layer (ADF) and a cellulose acetate (CA) radiation layer. The ABMTF exhibits a high moisture absorption capacity and water evaporation rate, which quickly reduces the indoor relative humidity (RH) to a comfortable level (40–60% RH) under 1 sun illumination. The evaporation‐driven continuous capillary flow generates a maximum open‐circuit voltage (Voc) of 0.82 V, and a power density (P) up to 1.13 µW cm−3. When a CA layer with high solar reflection and mid‐infrared (mid‐IR) emissivity faces outward, it realizes subambient cooling of ≈12 °C with average cooling power of ≈106 W m−2 at midday under radiation of 900 W m−2. This work brings a new perspective to develop the next‐generation, high performance environmentally friendly materials for sustainable moisture/thermal management and self‐powered applications.
Enhanced Bacterial‐Infected Wound Healing by Nitric Oxide‐Releasing Topological Supramolecular Nanocarriers with Self‐Optimized Cooperative Multi‐Point Anchoring
Authors: Li Guowei , Lv Kai , Cheng Qikun , Xing Hui , Xue Wei , Zhang Wu , Lin Qianming , Ma Dong
Published: February 2023

Polymeric systems that provide cationic charges or biocide‐release therapeutics are used to treat the bacteria‐infected wound. However, most antibacterial polymers based on topologies with restricted molecular dynamics still do not satisfy the clinical requirements due to their limited antibacterial efficacy at safe concentrations in vivo. Here a NO‐releasing topological supramolecular nanocarrier with rotatable and slidable molecular entities is reported to provide conformational freedom to promote the interactions between the carrier and the pathogenic microbes, hence greatly improving the antibacterial performance. With improved contacting‐killing and efficient delivery of NO biocide from the molecularly dynamic cationic ligand design, the NO‐loaded topological nanocarrier achieves excellent antibacterial and anti‐biofilm effects via destroying the bacterial membrane and DNA. MRSA‐infected rat model is also brought out to demonstrate its wound‐healing effect with neglectable toxicity in vivo. Introducing flexible molecular motions into therapeutic polymeric systems is a general design to enhance the healing of a range of diseases.
Elastomeric polymers for conductive layers of flexible sensors: Materials, fabrication, performance, and applications
Authors: Huang Yingxiang , Peng Cong , Li Yu , Yang Yanzhao , Feng Wei
Published: February 2023

In the wave of the Internet era created by computer and communication technology, flexible sensors play an important role in accurately collecting information owing to their excellent flexibility, ductility, freeform bending or folding, and versatile structural shapes. By endowing elastomeric polymers with conductivity, researchers have recently devoted extensive efforts toward developing high‐performance flexible sensors based on elastomeric conductive layers and exploring their potential applications in diverse fields ranging from project manufacturing to daily life. This review reports the recent advancements in elastomeric polymers used to make conductive layers, as well as the relationships between elastomeric polymers and the performance and application of flexible sensors are comprehensively summarized. First, the principles and methods for using elastomeric polymers to construct conductive layers are provided. Then, the fundamental design, unique properties, and underlying mechanisms in different flexible sensors (pressure/strain, temperature, humidity) and their related applications are revealed. Finally, this review concludes with a perspective on the challenges and future directions of high‐performance flexible sensors.
Copper‐Catalyzed Synthesis of β‐Alkynyl Ketones from Propargylic Alcohols and Enamides
Authors: Wang Yucheng , Wang Bo , Ren Zhihui , Guan Zheng‐Hui
Published: February 2023

An efficient method to access β‐alkynyl ketones from propargylic alcohols and enamides under copper catalysis was developed. This methodology allows access to a series of highly functionalized β‐alkynyl ketones in moderate to excellent yields under mild conditions. Moreover, the resultant products could further be transformed to various valuable scaffolds with potential biological activities.