bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Rubber ducks to ecological citizenship: a review of practitioner-oriented research on ecological issues in the social studies
Authors: Zackary Seitz R. 
Published: September 2020

PurposeThe world is facing unprecedented potential disaster with the impending climate crisis. Research within social studies education surrounding the integration of ecological issues, while still on the fringes, has seen a recent surge. This is a review of practitioner-oriented research published in the last ten years on teaching these issues in social studies classes.Design/methodology/approachThis study reviews practitioner-oriented articles on teaching ecological issues in social studies classes. The author searched databases and did a manual review using specific search terms. The author’s first level of analysis was to analyze the year of publication, whether the article was (co) written by a practicing teacher and whether the article featured a lesson plan/resources. The author then analyzed the content/focus of each article.FindingsIn total, ten articles were (co)written by a practicing teacher, 23 articles included lesson plans and the article themes could fall into one of six themes (water issues, pollution, climate change, climate activism, sustainability and economic growth and ecological citizenship/ethics).Research limitations/implicationsThe author was unable to review one year of articles from the Ohio Social Studies Review due to the COVID-19 pandemic and only having remote institutional access to library materials.Originality/valueIn reviewing the practitioner-oriented articles, the author hopes to not only strengthen the curricular justifications for teaching these issues in social studies classes but also show what research has been done and provide critiques and show what could be done in the future.
Direct cathodic electron uptake coupled to sulfate reduction by Desulfovibrio ferrophilusIS5 biofilms
Authors: McCully Alexandra L. , Spormann Alfred M. 
Published: September 2020

SummaryDirect electron uptake is emerging as a key process for electron transfer in anaerobic microbial communities, both between species and from extracellular sources, such as zero‐valent iron (Fe0) or cathodic surfaces. In this study, we investigated cathodic electron uptake by Fe0‐corroding Desulfovibrio ferrophilus IS5 and showed that electron uptake is dependent on direct cell contact via a biofilm on the cathode surface rather than through secreted intermediates. Induction of cathodic electron uptake by lactate‐starved D. ferrophilus IS5 cells resulted in the expression of all components necessary for electron uptake; however, protein synthesis was required for full biofilm formation. Notably, proteinase K treatment uncoupled electron uptake from biofilm formation, likely through proteolytic degradation of proteinaceous components of the electron uptake machinery. We also showed that cathodic electron uptake is dependent on SO42− reduction. The insensitivity of Fe0 corrosion to proteinase K treatment suggests that electron uptake from a cathode might involve different mechanism(s) than those involved in Fe0 corrosion.
Is there a nexus between China outward foreign direct investment and welfare in Côte dʼIvoire? Empirical evidence from the Toda–Yamamoto procedure
Authors: Allou Ehouma Jacques , Adeleye Bosede Ngozi , Cheng Jianhua , Abdul Rehman 
Published: September 2020

AbstractForeign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role in the socio‐economic advancement of developing countries. In the last decade, FDI inflows from China into Côte dʼIvoire have grown rapidly. Using quarterly time series data from 2003Q1 to 2017Q4, this study probes if China FDI has any significant welfare impact on the citizens of Côte dʼIvoire vis‐à‐vis if a causal relationship exists. The policy outcome is to stimulate further discourse that will reduce poverty and enhance the living standard of the population. The study uses vector autoregressive (VAR) and the Toda and Yamamoto (1995) modification of the non‐Granger causality test to determine if a causal relationship exists and the direction of causality. The empirical analysis provides evidence of a unidirectional causality from China FDI to social welfare (proxied by the human development index [HDI]) but no indication of causality between China FDI to economic welfare (proxied by real gross domestic product per capita [GDPPC]). This study, which is borne out of empirical curiosity, fills a lacuna in the FDI literature. To the best of our knowledge, this paper is a novel contribution that examines the FDI‐welfare nexus between China and a developing economy like Côte dʼIvoire. Thus, policies that will further stimulate FDI inflows from China must be carefully crafted to attract funding to the most productive sectors of the economy in order to improve both social and economic welfare. By extension, the policies may be adapted by developing economies with similar characteristics to Côte dʼIvoire.
Recent advances in starch‐based films toward food packaging applications: Physicochemical, mechanical, and functional properties
Authors: Lauer Moira K. , Smith Rhett C. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractInterest in starch‐based films has increased precipitously in response to a growing demand for more sustainable and environmentally sourced food packaging materials. Starch is an optimal candidate for these applications given its ability to form thermoplastic materials and films with affordable and often sustainably sourced plasticizers like those produced as waste byproducts by biodiesel and agricultural industries. Starch is also globally ubiquitous, affordable, and environmentally benign. Although the process of producing starch films is relatively straightforward, numerous factors, including starch source, extraction method, film formulation, processing methods, and curing procedures, drastically impact the ultimate material properties. The significant strides made from 2015 to early 2020 toward elucidating how these variables can be leveraged to improve mechanical and barrier properties as well as the implementation of various additives or procedural modifications are cataloged in this review. Advances toward the development of functional films containing antioxidant, antibacterial, or spoilage indicating components to prevent or signal the degradation of food products are also discussed.
Oil field microorganisms cause highly localized corrosion on chemically inhibited carbon steel
Authors: Mand Jaspreet , Enning Dennis 
Published: September 2020

SummaryCarbon steel pipelines, a means for crude oil transportation, occasionally experience highly localized perforation caused by microorganisms. While microorganisms grown in laboratory culture tend to corrode steel specimens unevenly, they rarely inflict a corrosion morphology consistent with that of pipelines, where centimetre‐sized corrosion features are randomly distributed within vast stretches of otherwise pristine metal surface. In this study, we observed that corrosion inhibitors (CIs), widely used for the control of acid gas (H2S, CO2) corrosion in oil fields, also affect microbial growth and activity. Inhibited carbon steel resisted biofilm formation and underwent negligible corrosion (< 0.002 mm Fe0 year−1), despite 15 months of exposure to oil field waters harbouring a diverse microbiome. In contrast, physical scavenging of CI in these waters led to severe and highly localized corrosion (up to 0.93 mm Fe0 year−1) underneath biofilms dominated by methanogenic archaea and sulfate‐reducing bacteria. A sharp decline in CI concentration, as well as its active components, quaternary ammonium compounds (QACs), correlated with microbial sulfidogenesis. CIs are ubiquitously present in oil field waters and play an underappreciated role in microbial corrosion mitigation. Physical and biological scavenging of CIs may create local differences in steel inhibition effectiveness and thus result in highly localized corrosion.
Plant growth‐stimulating rhizobacteria capable of producing L‐amino acids
Authors: Pizarro‐Tobias Paloma , Ramos Juan‐Luis , Duque Estrella , Roca Amalia 
Published: September 2020

SummaryPseudomonas putida BIRD‐1 is a microorganism that inhabits the rhizosphere and solubilizes phosphate and iron and produces indolacetic acid [Roca, A., Pizarro‐Tobías, P., Udaondo, Z., Fernández, M., Matilla, M.A., Molina‐Henares, M.A., et al. (2013) Analysis of plant growth‐promoting properties encoded by the genome of the rhizobacterium Pseudomonas putida BIRD‐1. Environ Microbiol 15: 780–794]. In this study, we generated mutant strains that are capable of producing the plant growth stimulating compounds L‐tryptophan and L‐phenylalanine. We prepared clones that overproduce L‐tryptophan by first mutagenizing P. putida BIRD‐1, then by selecting for clones in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of 5‐fluoro‐D,L‐tryptophan. The production of this aromatic amino acid was confirmed by chemical analysis and cross‐feeding experiments with auxotrophs. One of the mutants, named P. putida BIRD‐1‐12, was mutagenized again to isolate clones that are also able to grow in the presence of inhibitory concentrations of p‐fluoro‐D,L‐phenylalanine. One of these resulting clones was then isolated and named BIRD‐1‐12F. Our analysis revealed that the strains that either overproduce L‐tryptophan, or L‐tryptophan and L‐phenylalanine, excel at promoting the growth of a number of plant crops of agricultural interest.
Serum immune modulators during the first cycle of anti‐PD‐1 antibody therapy in non‐small cell lung cancer: Perforin as a biomarker
Authors: Ota Takayo , Fukui Tomoya , Nakahara Yoshiro , Takeda Takayuki , Uchino Junji , Mouri Takako , Kudo Keita , Nakajima Saki , Suzumura Tomohiro , Fukuoka Masahiro 
Published: September 2020

BackgroundCurrently used biomarkers for immunotherapy are inadequate because they are only based on tumor properties. In view of microenvironment changes by tumors, host immunity should be considered, which may result in identifying more accurate and easily detectable biomarkers for daily clinical practice. Here, we assessed serum immune‐modulating factor levels for the response to anti‐PD‐1 antibodies during the first cycle in non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients.MethodsSerum was collected from patients with advanced NSCLC treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab at several time points during the first cycle. We applied the enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) and multiplex assays to measure the levels of immune modulators.ResultsA total of 40 patients treated with nivolumab and 26 patients treated with pembrolizumab were studied. By ELISA, serum perforin, but not granzyme B, was measured in all samples. By multiplex assay, 10 immune modulators, including granzyme B, were measured in some, but not all, samples. Serum baseline perforin levels were strongly associated with increased progression‐free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) times. Sequential changes in perforin levels during the first cycle were weakly associated with the clinical outcome.ConclusionsSerum baseline perforin levels may be used to predict the prognosis of NSCLC patients treated with anti‐PD‐1 antibody therapy.Key pointsTo identify a useful predictive marker for anti‐PD‐1 antibody therapy, using blood samples might be helpful.Serum baseline perforin levels were closely associated with prognosis with anti‐PD‐1 antibody therapy in non‐small cell lung cancer.
Validation and comparison of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire‐25 (NEI VFQ‐25) and the Visual Function Index‐14 (VF‐14) in patients with cataracts: a multicentre study
Authors: Wan Yu , Zhao Liming , Huang Chen , Xu Yanhui , Sun Min , Yang Yang , An Li , Lv Shuxuan , Yu Yanan , Chen Dongmei , Zhou Peng , Wang Yinhao , Zhang Mingzhou , Jiang Aimin , Chen Zhimin , Li Xuemin 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPurposeThe present study aimed to investigate and compare the psychometric properties of the National Eye Institute Visual Functioning Questionnaire‐25 (NEI VFQ‐25) and the Visual Function Index‐14 (VF‐14) in a large sample of patients with cataracts.MethodsA total of 1052 patients with bilateral age‐related cataracts were recruited in the study. Patients with other comorbidities that severely impacted vision were excluded. Participants completed the two questionnaires in random order. Classical test theory and Rasch analyses were used to assess the psychometric properties of the questionnaires.ResultsComplete data were obtained from 899 patients. The mean overall index score on the NEI VFQ‐25 was 76.1 ± 19.0, while that on the VF‐14 was 46.5 ± 15.0. Cronbach's α‐values for the NEI VFQ‐25 and VF‐14 were 0.89 and 0.95, respectively. Ceiling effects were observed on nine of the 12 subscales in the NEI VFQ‐25. The correlation between total scores on the NEI VFQ‐25 and VF‐14 was moderate (r = 0.600; p < 0.001), and subscales of the NEI VFQ‐25 were weakly or moderately correlated with the similar domains on the VF‐14. Rasch analysis revealed ordered category thresholds and sufficient person separation for both instruments, while the two questionnaires had critical deficiencies in unidimensionality, targeting and differential item functioning.ConclusionNeither the NEI VFQ‐25 nor VF‐14 is optimal for the assessment of vision‐related quality of life in typical Chinese patients with cataracts. The potential deficiencies of the questionnaires should be taken into consideration prior to application of the instruments or interpretation of the results.
No clear survival benefit of azacitidine for lower‐risk myelodysplastic syndromes: A retrospective study of Nagasaki
Authors: Toriyama Eo , Hata Tomoko , Yokota Ken‐ichi , Chiwata Masahiko , Kamijo Rena , Hashimoto Miki , Taguchi Masataka , Horai Makiko , Matsuo Masatoshi , Matsuo Emi , Takasaki Yumi , Kawaguchi Yasuhisa , Itonaga Hidehiro , Sato Shinya , Ando Koji , Sawayama Yasushi , Taguchi Jun , Imaizumi Yoshitaka , Tsushima Hideki , Jo Tatsuro , Yoshida Shinichiro , Moriuchi Yukiyoshi , Miyazaki Yasushi 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe efficacy of azacitidine (AZA) on survival of lower risk (LR) ‐ myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) is controversial. To address this issue, we retrospectively evaluated the long‐term survival benefit of AZA for patients with LR‐MDS defined by International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS). Using data from 489 patients with LR‐MDS in Nagasaki, hematologic responses according to International Working Group 2006 and overall survival (OS) were compared among patients that received best supportive care (BSC), immunosuppressive therapy (IST), erythropoiesis‐stimulating agents (ESA), and AZA. Patients treated with AZA showed complete remission (CR) rate at 11.3%, marrow CR at 1.9%, and any hematologic improvement at 34.0%, with transfusion independence (TI) of red blood cells in 27.3% of patients. and platelet in 20% of patients, respectively. Median OS for patients received IST, ESA, BSC, and AZA (not reached, 91 months, 58 months, and 29 months, respectively) differed significantly (P < .001). Infection‐related severe adverse events were observed in more than 20% of patients treated with AZA. Multivariate analysis showed age, sex, IPSS score at diagnosis, and transfusion dependence were significant for OS, but AZA treatment was not, which maintained even response to AZA, and IPSS risk status at AZA administration was added as factors. We could not find significant survival benefit of AZA treatment for LR‐MDS patients.
The Normalization of Bogota Social Housing Residents: Class Tensions in Third World Urban Peripheries
Authors: Hurtado‐Tarazona Adriana , Álvarez Rivadulla María José , Fleischer Friederike 
Published: September 2020

AbstractStrangers with different economic needs come to live together in social housing projects, posing an organizational challenge. In most current Latin American cities, this tends to be in standardized complexes with small apartments in segregated peripheries. Many residents change from living in informal neighborhoods to a different type of urban citizenship based on partially subsidized home ownership, which they experience as social mobility. Others already live in the formal city and buy their apartments without a subsidy. How neighbors relate to each other, handle conflicts, and organize becomes a practical problem that worries governments, residents, and developers. This article analyzes tensions in social housing complexes in Bogotá, in relation to national regulations, architectural design, and residents’ hopes and aspirations. Based on survey and ethnographic data, it claims that the rigid material and normative environment of social housing negatively affects neighborly relations, resulting in lack of trust, conflicts, and working against a sense of community. It shows that educational community programs serve as vehicles for “normalization” and atomization according to middle‐class ideals of citizenship. Residents embrace the restrictions that suit their aspirations for social mobility and inclusion, yet negotiate others in the face of economic need.
The geography of publishing in the Anthropocene
Authors: Hazlett Megan A. , Henderson Kate M. , Zeitzer Ilana F. , Drew Joshua A. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractOne key aspect of the Anthropocene is the inherent disparities between the Global North and the Global South. These differences manifest in the causes and impacts of pollution, climate change, and species extinctions, but are they also present in the ways we write about the Anthropocene? We examine 77 peer‐reviewed papers spanning 2009–2019 that explicitly feature conservation in an Anthropocene context. We compare these papers to a control group of papers that feature conservation but do not engage specifically with the Anthropocene literature. We found that both “Anthropocene” and “conservation” papers include a disproportionately large number of authors with affiliations in the Global North, despite half of the research taking place in the Global South. Moreover, this overrepresentation occurs regardless of author position or journal impact factor. We find that 84% of Anthropocene articles and 91% of conservation articles occurring in the Global North had a first author from the country of study, as opposed to only 55% of Anthropocene articles and 62% of conservation articles from the Global South. Studies occurring in the Global North almost always had at least one coauthor from the country of study (96% of Anthropocene articles and 97% of conservation articles). In contrast, only 81% of Anthropocene articles and 83% of conservation articles occurring in the Global South had any local coauthors. We used two text‐mining algorithms to characterize the authorship networks and topics occurring in Anthropocene and conservation papers. These analyses showed that while both groups are interdisciplinary, Anthropocene papers had more distributed authorship networks and greater linkages across topics, and therefore have a flatter “topic surface” than the conservation papers. Our work suggests that conservation research programs that are explicitly grounded in the Anthropocene as a theoretical framework are more likely to reach across disciplinary lines.
Conservation biology education at small liberal arts colleges: An opportunity for growth
Authors: Rosin Cooper , Zedler Paul H. 
Published: September 2020

AbstractUndergraduate education is a critical period for recruiting the next generation of conservation biologists and engaging a broader community of conservationists. As small liberal arts colleges (SLACs) can be particularly effective at meeting these goals, promoting conservation biology education at these institutions is essential. In this study, we paired a web review and e‐mail questionnaire (46 respondents) to assess conservation biology coursework and faculty expertise at the top 100 SLACs in the United States. Our results highlight that there is very strong student interest in conservation biology coursework, and that maintaining faculty expertise in the discipline is a priority for those departments that currently have it. Nonetheless, 40% of these institutions lack faculty expertise and 26% lack any coursework in the discipline. Embracing this opportunity for growth will require engaging the broader educational community, with the goal of expanding faculty expertise, coursework, and general access to education in conservation biology.
Evaluating the impact of the documentary series Blue Planet II on viewers' plastic consumption behaviors
Authors: Dunn Matilda Eve , Mills Morena , Veríssimo Diogo 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe global scale of the ocean plastics crisis demands a collective change in plastic consumption behaviors. The documentary series Blue Planet II has been praised for driving changes in consumer behaviors by raising awareness about this issue, yet there is little evidence that directly links the documentary to viewers' plastic consumption. We investigated the effectiveness of Blue Planet II as a behavior change intervention by conducting randomized control trials and used revealed preferences to measure plastic consumption behaviors. Although environmental knowledge was found to be positively influenced by Blue Planet II, this did not translate into a behavioral change among participants. Our results support the hypothesis that, due to the complexities of human behavior, exposure to a single documentary is unlikely to lead to a distinct increase in individual pro‐environmental actions. However, the potential for Blue Planet II to have an impact at a wider societal level, namely through influencing policy, remains unexplored.
Beta‐blocker therapy in heart transplant recipients: A review
Authors: Masarone Daniele , Vastarella Rossella , Melillo Enrico , Petraio Andrea , Pacileo Giuseppe 
Published: September 2020

AbstractBeta‐blockers are essential drugs for the treatment of many cardiovascular diseases, such as heart failure, acute and chronic ischemic heart disease, tachyarrhythmias, and hypertension. However, these drugs have not been used in cardiac transplant patients for many years owing to the fear that they could reduce cardiac output and functional capacity. In recent years, however, some evidence has shown that even in cardiac transplanted patients, β‐blockers are useful and effective in the treatment of sinus tachycardia, supraventricular and ventricular tachyarrhythmias, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, and arterial hypertension. Furthermore, some data have shown that the use of β‐blockers is associated with reduced mortality in heart transplant recipients. In this review, we summarize this evidence with particular emphasis on the practical aspects of the use of β‐blockers in post‐transplantation patients to promote the use of this important class of drugs in clinical practice.