bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Income Inequalities in Cameroon: The Influence of Employment Status
Authors: Nda'Chi Deffo Rodrigue , Tchoumdop Michèle Estelle Ndonou , Kamga Benjamin Fomba 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Due to interruptions and closures of activities resulting from social distancing measures implemented to limit the spread of the virus, individuals have seen their incomes reduced, increasing poverty and pre-crisis inequalities. These inequalities have been exacerbated by measures such as the increase in family allowances, which only benefit civil servants. The objective of this study is to analyse the contribution of the activity situation due to COVID-19 to household income inequalities in Cameroon. The data used are those collected from 604 households by CEREG as part of an IDRC-funded study on the impact of public policies related to the COVID-19 pandemic in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d'Ivoire and Senegal. The Gini and Theil inequality indices show increased income inequality in households where the head is not employed. The conditional quantile regression shows that employment status has a significant and higher effect during severe restrictions on the incomes of typical households in the 25th, 50th, 75th and 90th percentiles. On the other hand, this increased the distribution of income inequalities within households in the first three quartiles, more than 70% of which can be explained by the change in behaviour resulting from the loss of employment by the heads of household. This result is confirmed by the fact that the share of employment in the formation of income inequalities fell during severe restrictions, according to the Shapley decomposition.
Bone microarchitecture and strength in men and women with PLS3 gene variants assessed with HR-pQCT
Authors: Zervou Zografia , Bevers Melissa S A M , Wyers Caroline E , Bruggenwirth Hennie T , Demirdas Serwet , van den Bergh Joop P , Zillikens M Carola 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
X-linked osteoporosis, caused by PLS3 genetic variants, is a rare bone disease, clinically affecting mainly men. Limited data are available on bone microarchitecture and genotype–phenotype correlations in this disease. Our aims were to assess bone microarchitecture and strength in adults with PLS3 variants using high-resolution peripheral quantitative computed tomography (HR-pQCT) and to explore differences in the phenotype from HR-pQCT between PLS3 variants. HR-pQCT scans were obtained from the distal radius and tibia of 13 men and 3 women with PLS3 variants. Results were compared with age- and sex-matched controls from a normative dataset from literature and expressed as Z-scores. Median age was 46 yr for men and 48 yr for women. In men, total bone area was large (median Z-score: 1.33 radius; 1.46 tibia) due to a large trabecular area (+1.73 radius; +1.87 tibia), while the cortical area was small (−2.61 radius; −2.84 tibia). Total volumetric bone mineral density (BMD) was low due to low trabecular (−3.46 radius; −3.37 tibia) and cortical BMD (−2.87 radius; −2.26 tibia). Regarding bone microarchitecture, the largest deviations were found in trabecular number (−2.18 radius; −1.64 tibia), trabecular separation (+2.32 radius; +1.65 tibia), and cortical thickness (−2.99 radius; −2.46 tibia), whereas trabecular thickness and cortical porosity were normal (−0.36 and −0.58 radius; 0.09 and −0.79 tibia). Additionally, failure load was low (−2.39 radius; −2.2 tibia). Results in the women deviated less from normative data. Men with frameshift/nonsense variants seemed to have more deviant trabecular and cortical microarchitecture and strength, at both scan locations, than those with missense/in-frame insertion variants. In conclusion, HR-pQCT provides valuable insights into bone area, BMD, microarchitecture, and strength in adults with PLS3 variants and can be used to explore genotype–phenotype relationships. Longitudinal analyses in larger groups are needed to study the natural course of the disease and treatment effects.
Maternal body size affects sex allocation in a gregarious parasitoid
Authors: Holditch Zane G , DiMartini Claudia , Turcotte Karas , Shuster Stephen M 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
In parasitoid wasps, body size is a key predictor of reproductive success, as size is often correlated with increased gamete production. In Hymenoptera, due to haplodiploid sex determination, sperm are required to produce daughters but not sons, so sex allocation relies on a female’s ability to obtain and manage a finite supply of sperm. Body size may, therefore, affect sex allocation if smaller males provide fewer sperm, or if larger, more fertile females deplete their sperm supplies by fertilizing more eggs. We examined the importance of male and female body size on offspring production and sex allocation in the parasitoid, Nasonia vitripennis (Walker). We predicted larger females would experience constrained sex allocation due to limited sperm, especially if mated with smaller males. We categorized 80 males and 80 females by size (large or small) into 4 mating groups: large females with large or small males, and small females with large or small males. We analyzed brood size and offspring sex ratios after each female oviposited on 12 pupae of Sarcophaga bullata (Parker). Overall, larger females produced more offspring and a greater proportion of males. Sex ratios became more male-biased with increased offspring production, indicating that sperm depletion had affected sex allocation in larger females. In contrast, male size did not affect sex allocation, but exhibited a small positive effect on females’ offspring production. Our study highlights a complex relationship between body size, fecundity, and sex allocation, enhancing our understanding of reproductive strategies in haplodiploid organisms.
Multiscale habitat selection of an imperiled subspecies of Least Chipmunk (Neotamias minimus): when a generalist is really a specialist
Authors: McKibben Fiona E , Frey Jennifer K 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Habitat loss is a leading cause of species endangerment, yet information about habitat is anecdotal for most mammals. The Least Chipmunk (Neotamias minimus) is the most widespread chipmunk in North America and is purportedly a habitat generalist, which should buffer it against habitat loss. However, the southernmost subspecies (Peñasco Least Chipmunk [N. m. atristriatus]) in the Sacramento Mountains of southern New Mexico has declined significantly and has been proposed for listing as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The declining subspecies presents a conundrum because it could be either a habitat generalist experiencing declines due to factors other than habitat loss or a habitat specialist experiencing habitat loss. We investigated multiscale habitat selection by N. m. atristriatus at the landscape, home-range, and within-home-range scales. We hypothesized that habitat selection by the Peñasco Least Chipmunk would be influenced by plant community type, topography, disturbance, ecological edge, and understory structure. For the landscape scale we conducted surveys using remote cameras and tested predictions using occupancy models. At the home-range and within-home-range scales, we obtained used locations via radiotelemetry and tested predictions by comparing habitat features at used and available locations. At all 3 scales, chipmunks selected for open stands of relatively large trees interspersed with meadows containing low cover provided by shrubs. This specialized vegetation structure was principally provided by a distinctive Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)–Gooseberry Currant (Ribes montigenum) plant community. Chipmunks avoided disturbance including burnt forests, ski runs, and roads. We conclude that the Peñasco Least Chipmunk is a habitat specialist across multiple scales and that the loss of its required habitat has been the principal cause of its decline.
Soil-hydrological properties in response to grazing practices in the alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Fu Ruiyu , Chen Qiaoyan , Du Yangong , Dai Licong , Guo Xiaowei , Fan Bo , Li Qian , Hu Zhongmin 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Alpine meadows of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau (QTP) are experiencing severe degradation due to intensified human activity and climate changes. However, there has been little attention paid to the effects of grazing practices on the soil-hydrological properties of degraded alpine meadows. In this study, three grazing practices were established in an alpine Kobresia meadow: free grazing, reduced grazing, and grazing exclusion. We found the 0-10 cm soil water retention capacity (SWR) and plant available water content (AWC) in grazing exclusion treatment were higher than that reduced grazing and free grazing treatments, whereas the 20-40 cm display the opposite pattern. The AWC and SWR variations were closed related to soil properties, the redundancy analysis shown that SWR and AWC were positive related to soil organic matter (SOM), total porosity (TP), capillary porosity (CP), while negative correlations with soil bulk density (BD), clay, and silt content, and RDA1 and RDA2 explained 81.71% of the total variability in SWR and AWC. Structural equation modeling found that soil organic matter (SOM) was identified as the most important factor affecting SWR, with a direct standardized coefficient of 0.91, while CP was the key factor influencing AWC, with a direct standardized coefficient of 0.97. Therefore, the higher 0-10 cm SWR and AWC in grazing exclusion treatment may attributed to its higher SOM and CP, respectively. Furthermore, root biomass can affect SWR and AWC via its direct effect and direct through altering BD and SOM. Our study suggests that the response of soil hydrological properties to grazing practices was different, grazing exclusion only increase topsoil water retention capacity but not favor deep soil water retention capacity. We thus should take different grazing practices to improve the soil water conservation of degraded grassland in future grazing management.
Precarious joy: Meena Alexander, postsecularism, and bhakti poetry
Authors: Ratti Manav 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This article compares the poetry of Meena Alexander with India’s traditions of bhakti poetry and reads it through a critical lens of postcolonial postsecularism. The devotional and egalitarian strands of bhakti poetry inform Alexander’s questioning of the hierarchies and taxonomies of gender, race, and religion. In turn, bhakti brought Alexander faith and helped her understand her life’s precarities, ones grounded in both worldly and spiritual struggle. A framework of postcolonial postsecularism addresses the aspects of religion and secularism that appealed to Alexander. These aspects include political secularism’s commitment to inclusiveness, minority rights, and democracy. They also include the need for faith, values, and ethics that religion seeks to fulfill.
Harnessing Hope and Bolstering Knowledge of How to Quit: A Qualitative Investigation of Including Efficacy Content in Tobacco Risk Communication via Daily SMS
Authors: Brinken Lillian , Shiells Kate , Ferguson Stuart G , Franja Stefania , Blackwell Anna , Braboszcz Claire , Maynard Olivia M 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Introduction
Tobacco warning labels typically feature confronting health-risk messages that aim to evoke fear to change behavior. Evidence shows these graphic health warning labels (GHWLs) can be effective but can also lead to unintended responses, including avoidance or defensiveness. Theory suggests that targeting beliefs about the likelihood and benefits of successfully quitting may increase adaptive responses to risk information.

Methods
Participants with nil imminent quitting intentions were recruited to a randomized controlled trial (RCT) in the United Kingdom investigating the effects of receiving daily textual SMS messages targeting risk, self-efficacy, and response-efficacy beliefs on cessation behavior. To explore their experiences receiving SMS messages during the RCT as well as their naturalistic exposure to GHWLs, we undertook a qualitative investigation conducting semi-structured interviews with 20 participants. Four main themes were generated via thematic analysis.

Results
Participants found efficacy messaging motivating, reporting increased hope for cessation. Further, these messages bolstered knowledge about cessation benefits and treatment options, which may increase treatment-related health literacy. Self-efficacy and response-efficacy messages were well-received and seen to complement each other whereas naturalistic exposure to GHWLs was associated with defensive responses and the use of strategies to manage negative affect. GHWLs were seen to contribute to the stigmatization of people who smoke (PWS) as part of a broader denormalization of smoking.

Conclusions
GHWLs in their current form can have unintended consequences for PWS and can lead to defensive responses. By contrast, messages that address efficacy beliefs can increase hope, knowledge of cessation supports, and motivation, thus supporting adaptive responses to smoking health risks.

Implications
Continued use of confronting graphic health warning labels in their current form should be reconsidered. Future policy and research should investigate how efficacy content can be effectively integrated into tobacco packaging to optimize the impact of this space in targeting determinants of cessation. Efficacy content can give people who smoke hope for the future and valuable information about pathways to cessation. These benefits may have applications in other streams of health promotion such as primary care, m-health initiatives, or public service announcements.
Slow burn: Re-examining the legacy of Conservative Party modernization
Authors: Critch Nathan , Kerr Peter , Kettell Steven 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This article reconsiders the longer-term legacy of David Cameron’s attempts to ‘modernize’ the Conservative Party. In doing so, we aim to make three main contributions to existing scholarship. Firstly, whilst Cameron’s modernization project is judged to have been a failure by most scholars, we show that Conservative leaders post-Cameron have continued a process of party adaptation that exhibits striking continuities with many of its key elements. Secondly, whilst these developments have co-existed alongside a ratcheting up of seemingly ‘anti-modernizing’ populist and nationalist rhetoric, we contend that such moves show important continuities with Cameron’s own attempts to balance modernization with gestures towards Thatcherite politics. Thirdly, we offer a re-conceptualization of Conservative Party modernization as a fluid and contingent aspect of Conservative Party statecraft marked by an oscillation between, and sometimes a fusing of, modernizing rhetoric with more traditional Tory appeals.
Designing-in simulation-based learning for the police recruit Brief of Evidence education
Authors: Burnes Leighton , Davies Amanda , Aslett Duane 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Historically, in police and judicial procedures that follow the ‘innocent until proven guilty’ legal process, the responsibility at court hearings is for the respective police or law enforcement officers to present a prosecution that leaves no reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the alleged offender. A critical argument for the prosecution is situated within a Brief of Evidence (BOE) a compilation of one or all of the following: police statements, witness statements, expert testimony, and physical and digital evidence. Preparing police recruits for developing a BOE has traditionally been a text-based approach. Advances in approaches to education, including simulation-based learning are elevating the level of preparation of police recruits for the reality of operational duties, through situated, authentic learning experiences. This paper presents a case study of the application of a design plan that creates authentic situated learning experiences in investigative practice subjects for developing a BOE.
Counting sign changes of partial sums of random multiplicative functions
Authors: Geis Nick , Hiary Ghaith 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACT
Let f be a Rademacher random multiplicative function. Let $$ M_f(u):=\sum_{n \leq u} f(n) $$ be the partial sum of f. Let $V_f(x)$ denote the number of sign changes of $M_f(u)$ up to x. We construct a family of increasing intervals $[y_k, X_k]$ that contain at least 1 sign change of $M_f(u)$ eventually, almost surely. As a consequence, we show that for any constant c &gt; 2, $$ V_f(x) = \Omega ((\log \log \log x)^{1/c} ) $$ almost surely.
Macroprudential Regulation, Quantitative Easing, and Bank Lending
Authors: Orame Andrea , Ramcharan Rodney , Robatto Roberto 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
We show that widely used macroprudential regulations that rely on historical cost accounting (HCA) to insulate banks’ balance sheets from financial market volatility significantly affect the transmission of monetary policy onto bank lending. Using detailed supervisory data from Italian banks, we find that HCA mutes the transmission of quantitative easing and other monetary policies that affect the long end of the yield curve, weakening the effectiveness of interventions aimed at reducing firm credit constraints. We suggest alternative policies that have the benefits of HCA but allow monetary policy to pass through.
Field integration of shoot gas-exchange and leaf chlorophyll fluorescence measurements to study the long-term regulation of photosynthesis in situ
Authors: Oivukkamäki Jaakko , Aalto Juho , Pfündel Erhard E , Tian Manqing , Zhang Chao , Grebe Steffen , Salmon Yann , Hölttä Teemu , Porcar-Castell Albert 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Understanding the diurnal and seasonal regulation of photosynthesis is an essential step to quantify and model the impact of the environment on plant function. Although the dynamics of photosynthesis have been widely investigated in terms of CO2 exchange measurements, a more comprehensive view can be obtained when combining gas-exchange and chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF). Until now, integrated measurements of gas-exchange and ChlF have been restricted to short-term analysis using portable infrared gas analyzer systems that include a fluorometer module. In this communication we provide a first-time demonstration of long-term, in situ and combined measurements of photosynthetic gas-exchange and ChlF. We do so by integrating a new miniature pulse amplitude modulated-fluorometer into an existing system of automated chambers to track photosynthetic gas-exchange of leaves and shoots in situ. The setup is used to track the dynamics of the light and carbon reactions of photosynthesis at a 20-min resolution in leaves of silver birch (Betula pendula Roth) during summertime. The potential of the method is illustrated using the ratio between electron transport and net assimilation (ETR/ANET), which reflects the internal electron use efficiency of photosynthesis. The setup successfully captured the diurnal patterns in the ETR/ANET during summertime, including a large increase in noon ETR/ANET in response to a period of high temperatures and relatively low soil moisture, pointing to a drastic decrease in electron-use efficiency. The observations emphasize the value of combined and long-term in situ measurements of ChlF and gas-exchange, opening new opportunities to investigate, model and quantify the regulation of photosynthesis in situ and the connection between ChlF and photosynthetic gas-exchange. The next steps, potential and limitations of the approach are discussed.
Predicting lane-changing risk considering class imbalance problem: a control method for synthetic sample
Authors: Li Ye , Yu Le , Liu Fei , Wu Dan , Xing Lu 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The class imbalance has long been a problem in traffic safety research, which significantly reduces the prediction accuracy for minority class samples. In this study, a Control Methods for Synthetic Sample (CMSS) is proposed to control samples synthesized in direction which is conducive to the improvement of prediction performance. This method first employs several oversampling methods to synthesize samples. Then, a regression model is established based on the cluster centers of synthetic samples and the corresponding value of performance improvement after adding the synthetic samples. The Shapley Additive Explanations (SHAP) technique is used to interpret it, and thus determine the features that have the most significant influence on the improvement. After that, random disturbance terms are added to several important features to make a directional adjustment. To achieve better prediction performance, the particle swarm algorithm (PSO) is utilized to search for the number of features and the value of random perturbation terms. The highD dataset is used to validate the effectiveness of CMSS by predicting the lane-changing risk. In addition, the impact of factors such as imbalance rates on the effect of CMSS is discussed. Results show that CMSS can effectively improve the prediction performance of the non-integrated learning models under different class imbalance ratios. It is also revealed that the category of the regression model has a significant effect on the results of CMSS. As a novel method, CMSS can be combined with various kinds of oversampling methods to bring new perspectives for solving the class imbalance problem.
Statement of Partnership and Humility: A Structural Intervention to Improve Equity and Justice in Medical Education
Authors: Benoit Laura J. , Alves-Bradford Jean-Marie , Amiel Jonathan , Gordon Rachel J. , Lypson Monica L. , Pohl Daniel J. , Cunningham Hetty 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Problem
Due to generational exposure to the Black Lives Matter movement, other antibias social movements, and diverse peer advocacy groups, health professions students are often more knowledgeable than their teachers about ways in which systemic racism and bias have led to scientific inaccuracies that contribute to health inequities. However, traditional hierarchies and concerns about retaliation may limit educational communities from benefiting maximally from students’ contributions.

Approach
In spring 2021, faculty and students at the Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, Columbia University, designed a structural innovation to engage faculty and students in partnership toward decreasing bias in medical education. This article discusses development and implementation of a Statement of Partnership and Humility (SPH) disclosure slide on which faculty members acknowledge consideration of potential teaching biases and invite student feedback.

Outcomes
The initial primary goal of the SPH slide was to increase faculty awareness and engagement in antibias topics; however, the unexpected dividends of decreasing faculty anxiety about receiving student feedback and promoting student engagement have proven equally powerful in promoting a healthy, inclusive learning environment.

Next Steps
Next steps include gathering qualitative and quantitative data to elicit both faculty and student perspectives on the use of the SPH slide, particularly with regard to psychological safety and openness to feedback.