bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Superior haplotypes to enhance grain filling in rice (Oryza sativa L.) identified through GWAS
Authors: Jaldhani V. , Suman K. , Rao D. Sanjeeva , Travis Tony , Rao I. Subhakara , Rathod Santosha , Voleti S. R. , Subrahmanyam D. , Rao P. Raghuveer , Barbadikar Kalyani M. , Mangrauthia S. K. , Sundaram R. M. , Price Adam H. , Neeraja C. N. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Background
Key traits for determining rice grain yield include the total number of spikelets per panicle (STOT), the total number of grains per panicle (GTOT), and the percentage of grain filling per panicle (GFTOT). Molecular genetic basis of grain yield is complex and regulates several interconnected genes. Identification of candidate genes and their favourable haplotypes associated with the spikelets, grains and grain filling would accelerate rice grain yield enhancement projects. The interface between genetic and environmental factors often influences the grain filling, affecting overall grain yield. Therefore, we executed a Genome-Wide Association Study (GWAS) to investigate the candidate genes associated with grain-filling traits and to explore genotype × environment (G × E) interactions influencing grain filling traits in rice—STOT, GTOT and GFTOT in the subset of Rice Diversity Panel 1 (RDP1).

Methods and results
A set of 188 RDP1 accessions were evaluated across two environments (wet seasons—2021 and 2022) following the standard package of practices to raise healthy crop. Phenotyping analysis identified promising genotypes for three traits of study—STOT and GTOT (Priano Guaira and Tainan-Iku No. 512) and GFTOT (IR8 and Biser-1). GWAS was carried out using 5.2 M SNP dataset in the Parallel Identification of QTL’s using EMMAX (PIQUE) pipeline. Five QTLs, one for STOT (qSTOT6.6), one for GTOT (qGTOT4.2) and three for GFTOT (qGFTOT3.4, qGFTOT3.5 and qGFTOT12.1), were detected. Further, superior haplotypes for eight candidate genes (LOC_Os6g38850 and LOC_OS6g39050 for STOT; LOC_OS4g11040 for GTOT; LOC_OS3g62720, LOC_OS3g62750, LOC_OS3g62820, LOC_OS12g03450 and LOC_OS12g03470 for GFTOT) were identified.

Conclusions
Our results provide key genetic information for the enhancement of grain filling traits in rice. The identified candidate genes and superior haplotypes can possibly be utilized in marker-assisted selection to improve rice grain yield through gene-pyramid breeding/haplotype-assisted breeding.
Exploring AI governance in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region: gaps, efforts, and initiatives
Authors: Trigui Hana , Guerfali Fatma , Harigua-Souiai Emna , Qasrawi Radwan , Atri Chiraz , Sokhn Elie Salem , El Morr Christo , Hammami Karima , Souiai Oussama , Wu Jianhong , Kong Jude Dzevela , Rousseau Jean Jacques , Znaidi Sadri 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This commentary explores MENA”s AI governance, addressing gaps, showcasing successful strategies, and comparing national approaches. It emphasizes current deficiencies, highlights regional contributions to global AI governance, and offers insights into effective frameworks. The study reveals distinctions and trends in MENA”s national AI strategies, serving as a concise resource for policymakers and industry stakeholders.
DAO Token Transferability: Property, Contract, and Technology
Authors: Lee Joseph , Fricotté Alexandre 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
A Decentralised Autonomous Organisation (DAO) is a new form of digital enterprise that operates on blockchain networks. It enables a new model of collaboration through diverse capital contributions and equitable sharing of benefits and risks. This paper explores the legal dimensions of DAO token transferability, a vital aspect for the expansion of DAO operations. First, it evaluates how property law (including the proposal by the Law Commission of England and Wales for a third category of digital asset ownership) might apply to DAO tokens so as to mitigate legal risks and ensure smooth transferability. Secondly, it investigates the potential for DAO software protocols to implement contractual transferability restrictions and examines their technological design. Finally, it looks at the legal enforceability of such restrictions and the policies needed to support their legal recognition.
Public space at stake: competing forms of territorialisation and the construction of a democratic public space in the first years of the Italian Republic
Authors: Cirefice Virgile 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The end of the civil war, the fall of the Italian Social Republic, the allied occupation and the gradual transition to the new Italian Republic not only set Italy on the path to democracy, but also gradually gave Italians access to a new public space. This article proposes to revisit the classic question of the legacy of Fascism by looking at the question of space and the difficult construction of a genuine democratic space. During the ventennio, opponents were largely denied access to common spaces, both symbolically and physically. The article raises the question of violence and the exclusive appropriation of space, showing that the representations and practices inherited from Fascism did not disappear overnight. But these practices of space were not always violent: by looking at aspects that are often neglected (graffiti, manifestos, noises and singing), the aim is to show that the transition took time and was sometimes complicated, despite the political leaders of the Italian Republic claiming to have opened up a completely new era.
Investigation of serum galanin, alarin, meteorin-like protein, and ischemia modified albumin levels in patients with schizophrenia
Authors: Gul Ozlem , Gul Huseyin Fatih , Parsanoglu Zozan , Balaban Ozlem Devrim 
Published: December 2024

AbstractObjective:The objective of the current research is to study the serum levels of ischemia modified albumin (IMA), a new oxidative stress indicator, and various peptides (galanin, alarin, and meteorin-like protein) that may affect the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, determine their relationship with clinical features and each other, and compare them to those in healthy controls.Materials and Methods:This is a cross-sectional study consisting of 45 individuals with schizophrenia who are in remission and 45 healthy individuals. The differences and relationships between categorical variables and serum protein levels of the patient and control groups were statistically analysed. Receiver operating characteristics analysis was used for the diagnostic decision-making properties of serum protein levels to predict the presence of the disease.Results:In comparison with the control group, the median levels of serum proteins galanin and alarin were statistically lower in the patient group, whereas METRNL and IMA levels were higher. Considering the predictive values of serum proteins in the diagnosis of the disease, it was observed that serum galanin, alarin, and IMA levels had a sensitivity and specificity higher than 80%, followed by METRNL with 73.3% sensitivity and 66.7% specificity.Conclusion:Our findings reveal galanin, alarin, meteorin-like protein, and IMA are important molecules with high sensitivity and specificity in diagnosing schizophrenia. Furthermore, we think that further studies are needed to use them as reliable parameters in terms of clinical course, classification, and prognosis in explaining the etiopathogenesis of the disease.
What Would You Say? Estimating Causal Effects of Social Context on Political Expression
Authors: Schulz William Small 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
I develop a survey method for estimating social influence over individual political expression, by combining the content-richness of document scaling with the flexibility of survey research. I introduce the “What Would You Say?” question, which measures self-reported usage of political catchphrases in a hypothetical social context, which I manipulate in a between-subjects experiment. Using Wordsticks, an ordinal item response theory model inspired by Wordfish, I estimate each respondent’s lexical ideology and outspokenness, scaling their political lexicon in a two-dimensional space. I then identify self-censorship and preference falsification as causal effects of social context on respondents’ outspokenness and lexical ideology, respectively. This improves upon existing survey measures of political expression: it avoids conflating expressive behavior with populist attitudes, it defines preference falsification in terms of code-switching, and it moves beyond trait measures of self-censorship, to characterize relative shifts in the content of expression between different contexts. I validate the method and present experiments demonstrating its application to contemporary concerns about self-censorship and polarization, and I conclude by discussing its interpretation and future uses.
Redescription of Meteterakis striatura Oshmarin & Demshin, 1972 (Heterakidae: Meteterakinae) from a geoemydid tortoise in China with comments on the genus
Authors: Malysheva S.V. , Sokolova E.A. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Meteterakis striatura Oshmarin & Demshin, 1972 is redescribed from the posterior intestine of tropical tortoise Geoemyda spengleri (Gmelin, 1789) (Testudines: Geoemydidae) from China. Some characteristic features of the male reproductive system not reported previously are now reported for the present species. These include the presence of two blind diverticula near the mid-region of the seminal vesicle and a small cuticular structure near the opening of the cloaca – which we propose to name the ‘scutum.’ The morphological function and diagnostic value of these characters as well as presence of gubernaculum or ‘gubernacular mass’ in examined representatives of the genus, including paratype specimens of M. amamiensis Hasegawa, 1990 and M. ishikawanae Hasegawa, 1987 is discussed. Illustrative material is supplemented with scanning electron microscope and light microscope images of adult males and females. The molecular characterization of the species is inferred from 18S and 28S rDNA. The taxonomic composition of the genus Meteterakis is discussed and the full list of species with taxonomic remarks is updated.
How do policy environments shape public service motivation during the national disaster? Evidence from large-scale survey experiments
Authors: Lee Don S. , Chung Kee Hoon , Park Soonae 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
This study examines the impact of COVID-19-induced policy environments on civil servants’ public service motivation (PSM), a topic not yet adequately researched. Using a vignette survey experiment, we investigate how four types of COVID-19 policy environment information – 1) total deduction of annual leave compensation, 2) a significant increase in working hours, 3) positive assessments of government responses from domestic audiences, and 4) positive assessments of government responses from other advanced democracies – shape civil servants’ PSM during the pandemic. We analyze original data from over 4,000 South Korean civil servants in central and local governments, gathered as part of a representative survey. Results show that reducing compensation to prepare the disaster relief fund has a negative impact, whereas recognition by advanced democracies has a positive impact on PSM. Our analysis suggests the importance of policy environments in both motivating and demotivating civil servants during a pandemic crisis.
Topological and metric emergence of continuous maps
Authors: CARVALHO MARIA , RODRIGUES FAGNER B. , VARANDAS PAULO 
Published: December 2024

AbstractWe prove that every homeomorphism of a compact manifold with dimension one has zero topological emergence, whereas in dimension greater than one the topological emergence of a
$C^0-$
generic homeomorphism is maximal, equal to the dimension of the manifold. We also show that the metric emergence of a continuous self-map on compact metric space has the intermediate value property.
From the field: a cryptosporidiosis outbreak among veterinary students associated with activities during the lambing period in Norway during 2024
Authors: Hovd Lise B. N. , Jiménez-Meléndez Alejandro , Varegg Mathilde S. , Woolsey Ian D. , Olstad Ingrid , Mathisen Sigurd J. , Reksen Olav , Robertson Lucy J. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
A recent outbreak of cryptosporidiosis (Cryptosporidium parvum, subtype IIdA23G1) among veterinary students associated with extracurricular activities concerned with lambs is described from Norway. Although cryptosporidiosis outbreaks among veterinary students have been frequently reported, this is among the first from lamb contact. Cryptosporidium oocysts were detected in samples from two students and three lambs. A questionnaire distributed immediately after the outbreak was recognized, identified an assumed attack rate of 50% based on exposure and illness among exposed students (28 of 56), despite most reporting good or very good hygiene measures. Laboratory diagnostics confirmed infection in two of these. The illness lasted over a week in most students (up to 15 days), but contact with health services was negligible. In addition to implementing measures to reduce the likelihood of further such outbreaks among veterinary students, it is recommended that future outbreaks of diarrhoea among ruminants on the farm should be investigated for aetiological agents.
A simple blame calculus for explicit nulls
Authors: LHOTÁK ONDŘEJ , WADLER PHILIP 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Gradual typing provides a model for when a legacy language with less precise types interacts with a newer language with more precise types. Casts mediate between types of different precision, allocating blame when a value fails to conform to a type. The blame theorem asserts that blame always falls on the less-precisely typed side of a cast. One instance of interest is when a legacy language (such as Java) permits null values at every type, while a newer language (such as Scala or Kotlin) explicitly indicates which types permit null values. Nieto et al. in 2020 introduced a gradually typed calculus for just this purpose. The calculus requires three distinct constructors for function types and a non-standard proof of the blame theorem; it can embed terms from the legacy language into the newer language (or vice versa) only when they are closed. Here, we define a simpler calculus that is more orthogonal, with one constructor for function types and one for possibly nullable types, and with an entirely standard proof of the blame theorem; it can embed terms from the legacy language into the newer language (and vice versa) even if they are open. All results in the paper have been mechanized in Coq.
Inventing sacredness in a colonial city: a British garden cemetery in nineteenth-century Hong Kong
Authors: Tam Bobby 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The Hong Kong Colonial Cemetery, established in 1845, served as both an exemplary burial space and a refuge from the ‘degenerative’ tropical urban environment for the British during the second half of the nineteenth century. This article argues that what constitutes the sacredness of the cemetery was not merely Christian values, but a mixture of personal emotional meanings and imperialist sentiments. The sacredness of the site during the nineteenth century also rested upon the exclusion of the Chinese ‘other’, even though such boundaries were often volatile due to the diverse and unfixed nature of the colonial community, and the rising influences of the Chinese elites.
Differentiating the neurobiological correlates for reading gains in children with reading difficulties with and without attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder using fMRI
Authors: Rosch Keri S. , Khashab Masa , Ghanaiem Sanad , Farah Rola , Horowitz-Kraus Tzipi 
Published: December 2024

Abstract

Objective:
Reading difficulties (RD) frequently co-occur with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and children with both RD + ADHD often demonstrate greater challenges in reading and executive functions (EF) than those with RD-only.

Methods:
This study examined the effect of a 4-week EF-based reading intervention on behavioral and neurobiological correlates of EF among 8–12 y.o. English-speaking children with RD + ADHD (n = 19), RD-only (n = 18), and typically developing children (n = 18). Behavioral and resting-state fMRI data were collected from all participants before and after 4 weeks of the EF-based reading computerized program. Group (RD + ADHD, RD-only, typical readers) x Test (pre- and post-intervention) repeated measures ANOVAs were conducted for reading, EF, and brain functional connectivity (FC) measures.

Results:
Across groups, reading (fluency, comprehension) and EF (inhibition, speed of processing) behavioral performance improved following the intervention. Exploratory subgroup comparisons revealed that children with RD + ADHD, but not RD-only, showed significant gains in reading comprehension, whereas inhibition improved in both RD groups, but not among typical readers. Furthermore, across groups, FC between the frontoparietal (FP) and cingulo-opercular (CO) networks decreased following the intervention. Exploratory subgroup comparisons revealed that children with RD + ADHD, but not RD-only, showed a significant decrease in FC of FP-CO and FP-dorsal attention network.

Conclusions:
These results support the differential response to an EF-based reading intervention of children with RD with and without comorbid ADHD at brain and behavioral levels.
Ineffectiveness of phosphorus binding treatments in a semi-enclosed area of a large, shallow, and hypereutrophic lake
Authors: Davidson Joseph L. , Jacquemin Stephen J. , Newell Silvia E. , Hughes John C. , Starr Lindsay D. , McCarthy Mark J. 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Hypereutrophic Grand Lake St Marys (GLSM) is a large (52 km2), shallow (mean depth ~ 1.5 m) reservoir in an agricultural watershed of western Ohio (USA). GLSM suffers from extensive cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms (cHABs) that persist much of the year, resulting in total microcystin concentrations that are often above safe contact levels. Over two summers (2020 and 2021), two phosphorus (P) binding agents (alum and lanthanum/bentonite clay Phoslock, respectively), in conjunction with a P-binding algaecide (SeClear) in 2021, were applied to a 3.24-ha enclosure to mitigate cHAB activity and create a ‘safe’ recreational space for the public. We evaluated these applications by comparing total phosphorus (TP), total microcystin, total chlorophyll, and phycocyanin concentrations within the enclosure and the adjacent lake. Some evidence for short-term reductions in TP, microcystin, chlorophyll, and phycocyanin concentrations were observed following each P binding treatment, but all parameters rapidly returned to or exceeded pre-application levels within 2–3 weeks after treatment. These results suggest that in-lake chemical treatments to mitigate cHABs are unlikely to provide long-lasting benefits in these semi-enclosed areas of large, shallow, hypereutrophic systems, and resources may be better applied toward reducing external nutrient loads (P and nitrogen) from the watershed.
Climate tipping points and their potential impact on drinking water supply planning and management in Europe
Authors: van Thienen Peter , ter Maat Herbert , Stofberg Sija 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The current generation of climate models has proven very helpful in understanding and projecting anthropogenic climate change but has also shown to be insufficient for studying the interactions of tipping elements and their impact on overall climate stability. As a consequence, tipping elements are mostly absent from climate projections that are commonly used by the drinking water industry to test the resilience of their systems. There is, however, mounting evidence for the existence and potential (possibly even imminent) activation of some of these tipping elements. The drinking water sector is, by necessity, slow-moving as its infrastructure is meant to operate for many decades and in practice often does so even longer. The time scales of possible changes associated with tipping element activations may, however, be much shorter. We provide a review of the current understanding of climate tipping elements and present a simple model that investigates potential magnitudes and time scales of rapid climate change associated with tipping element activations. We study the potential consequences for drinking water supply systems, focusing on Europe, and argue that given the associated deep uncertainty and far-reaching consequences, it is essential to include tipping scenarios in the decision-making processes in the drinking water sector.
Radar Characterization of Salt Layers in Europa's Ice Shell as a Window Into Critical Ice‐Ocean Exchange Processes
Authors: Wolfenbarger N. S. , Blankenship D. D. , Young D. A. , Scanlan K. M. , Chivers C. J. , Findlay D. , Steinbrügge G. B. , Chan K. , Grima C. , Soderlund K. M. , Schroeder D. M. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThe potential habitability of Jupiter's moon Europa has motivated two missions: NASA's Europa Clipper and ESA's JUpiter ICy moons Explorer (JUICE). Both missions are equipped with ice‐penetrating radars which will transmit radio waves into the subsurface, recording reflections from interfaces defined by contrasts in ice shell dielectric properties. Assuming an MgSO4 ocean, we show that salt layers, formed through the freezing of subsurface liquid water reservoirs, can be detected by ice‐penetrating radar instruments on Europa Clipper and JUICE. Furthermore, because these features are thermodynamically stable within the minimally attenuating portion of Europa's ice shell, referred to here as the “pellucid region,” they could produce brighter reflections than deeper liquid water interfaces. We demonstrate how ice‐penetrating radar measurements of salt layer thickness could establish lower bounds on the parameter space of possible initial reservoir thickness and salinity, constrain the origin of reservoirs (ice shell melt vs. ocean injection), and—if sourced through ocean injection—the ocean salinity.
GPR37-enhanced ubiquitination of ATP1A1 inhibits tumor progression and radiation resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Hu Jiaru , Meng Fang , Lv Lei , Hong Fu , He Qing , Zhu Qi , Tian Tian , Chang Na , Zhang Shiqiang , Yi Qiyi , Qian Liting 
Published: December 2024

AbstractRadiotherapy resistance is one of the main reasons for the dismal clinical outcome of patients with esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC). Therefore, clarifying the targets and molecular mechanisms of radiotherapy resistance in ESCC is of great theoretical and clinical significance to enhance the efficacy of radiotherapy. In this study, GPR37 was identified as a key factor facilitating ESCC radiosensitization. We found that GPR37 is lowly expressed in ESCC, especially in radioresistant ESCC tumors. And its insufficiency is related to the malignant characteristics and unfavorable prognosis in ESCC. Further investigation revealed that GPR37 level is inversely regulated by promoter methylation but positively regulated by ZNF750. Functionally, GPR37 could not only overcome radioresistance of ESCC, but also inhibit proliferation, migration, and invasion. Mechanistically, GPR37 interacts with the ATP1A1 protein, effectively promoting its ubiquitination-induced degradation, thereby limiting the activation of the AKT/mTOR signaling pathway. Additionally, GPR37 can be transported to recipient cells via exosomes and inhibit the malignant behavior of recipient cells. Overall, these findings suggest that GPR37-ATP1A1 axis holds potential as a therapeutic target for the management of ESCC, especially for overcoming radiation resistance.