bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Loss in macronutrient pools in bilberry and lingonberry in mesic Scots pine forests after Northern red oak introduction
Authors: Woziwoda Beata , Dyderski Marcin K. , Parzych Agnieszka , Jonczak Jerzy , Jagodziński Andrzej M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractForest transformation from coniferous monocultures to mixed stands is being promoted worldwide, including the introduction of fast-growing broadleaved tree species within native stands. Here, we studied how enrichment of temperate European Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) forest by North-American northern red oak Quercus rubra impacted macronutrient concentrations in two long-lived and dominant components of the forest understory: bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus and lingonberry V. vitis-idaea. Study sites were located in forest complexes (central Poland) which occupy continuously reforested lands (hereafter ancient forests) as well as post-agricultural lands (recent forests), all suitable for mesic pine forests. Samples of bilberry and lingonberry leaves, stems, and fruits were collected in pine stands and in adjacent Scots pine-red oak stands, in both ancient and recent forests. Concentrations of macronutrients (C, N, P, K, Ca, S, and Mg) in aboveground biomass components were analysed using standardized chemical procedures. The study revealed intra- and interspecific (bilberry vs. lingonberry) differences in concentrations of all nutrients in leaves, stems, and fruits, except for invariable C concentrations. Macronutrient accumulations in plants were decreased by land-use discontinuity and favoured by enrichment of tree stands by Q. rubra. The estimated macronutrient pools were much higher for V. myrtillus than V. vitis-idaea in all forest types studied. They were lower in forests enriched with Q. rubra, both ancient (up to 25.5% for bilberry and 99.9% for lingonberry) and recent (46.9% and 99.9%, respectively), as well as in recent pine forest (46.6% and 81.1%, respectively) than in ancient pine forest. Higher K and S pools (39.3% and 6.5%, respectively) noted for bilberry in an ancient forest with Q. rubra were exceptions. Despite more effective accumulations of elements at the species level, macronutrient pools of Vaccinium myrtillus and V. vitis-idaea decreased significantly in the presence of introduced Q. rubra due to negative impacts of this broadleaved tree on bilberry and lingonberry cover and biomass. Therefore, the limitation of alien Q. rubra planting in sites of mesic pine forest with the abundant occurrence of V. myrtillus and/or V. vitis-idaea is recommended.
Graphic abstract
Injustice Without Evidence: The Unique Role of Conspiracy Theories in Social Justice Research
Authors: van Prooijen Jan-Willem 
Published: September 2021

AbstractConspiracy theories are widespread and have a profound impact on society. The present contribution proposes that conspiracy theories are explanatory narratives that necessarily contain justice judgments, as they include attributions of blame and accusations of unethical or criminal conduct. Conspiratorial narratives also are mental simulations, however, and may elicit genuine feelings of injustice also without evidence of actual malpractice. Indeed, conspiracy theories sometimes describe unfair events that are unlikely to have occurred, unethical authorities that might not actually exist, and so on. Here I propose two complementary processes that stimulate belief in evidence-free conspiracy theories: (1) Existential threats instigate biased mental processing and motivated reasoning, that jointly promote an alternative perception of reality; and (2) group allegiances shape how people perceive, interpret, and remember facts to highlight the immoral qualities of competing outgroups. Due to these processes, conspiracy theories elicit a set of distinct reactions such as poor health choices and rejection of science. Moreover, evidence-free conspiracy theories require interventions beyond traditional approaches to install justice principles, such as debunking falsehoods and reducing polarized intergroup distinctions. I conclude that the scientific study of conspiracy theories is part of, and has a unique place in, social justice research.
Case Studies in Social Death: The Criminalization and Dehumanization of Six Black and Latino Boys
Authors: Medina Falzone Gabby 
Published: September 2021

AbstractTo fully grasp the systems of oppression youth of color must navigate, educators must consider their experiences outside as well as inside the classroom. This paper adds to the small but growing body of literature across fields highlighting how Black and Latinx youth are simultaneously positioned by schools and the justice system as criminals that must be contained and removed from school and society. This paper argues that the concept of social death, which refers to social suffering as a result of criminalization and dehumanization, helps contextualize the process by which carceral oppression manifests in students’ lives. Based on an interview study with thirty adults who were first incarcerated as adolescents, this paper focuses on three Black and three Latino male participants’ experiences with social death in schools and their neighborhoods.
Effect of COVID-19 lockdown on regional pollution in Ireland
Authors: Spohn Teresa K. , Martin Damien , Geever Michael , O’Dowd Colin 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThis study examines the regional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on pollution in Ireland by comparing the 2020 measurements of ozone (O3), nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and particulate matter (PM) from monitoring stations around the country to the previous 3-year average. Results indicate that O3 was 5.6% lower and 13.7% higher than previous years during the lockdown at rural and suburban sites, respectively. NO2 decreased by 50.7% in urban areas, but increased slightly in agricultural regions, consistent with satellite observations. PM concentrations did not change significantly compared to previous years; however, a reduction in the signal variability in the smaller size particle measurements may be the result of different emission sources. The reduction in NO2 likely increased the ratio of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) to NOx (nitrogen oxides), creating a NOx limited environment, which resulted in an initial increase in O3 in suburban areas, and the lower than usual levels observed at rural sites. Meteorology showed higher than average wind speeds prior to lockdown, which likely acted to disperse PM and NO2.
Live cell molecular analysis of primary prostate cancer organoids identifies persistent androgen receptor signaling
Authors: Heninger Erika , Kosoff David , Rodems Tamara S. , Sethakorn Nan , Singh Anupama , Gungurthi Harshitha , Carlson Kristin N. , Yang Bing , Gilsdorf Cole , Pasch Cheri A. , Deming Dustin A. , Ellis Leigh , Beebe David J. , Jarrard David F. , Lang Joshua M. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractProstate Cancer (PC) is a disease with remarkable tumor heterogeneity that often manifests in significant intra-patient variability with regards to clinical outcomes and treatment response. Commonly available PC cell lines do not accurately reflect the complexity of this disease and there is critical need for development of new models to recapitulate the intricate hierarchy of tumor pathogenesis. In current study, we established ex vivo primary patient-derived cancer organoid (PDCO) cultures from prostatectomy specimens of patients with locally advanced PC. We then performed a comprehensive multi-parameter characterization of the cellular composition utilizing a novel approach for live-cell staining and direct imaging in the integrated microfluidic Stacks device. Using orthogonal flow cytometry analysis, we demonstrate that primary PDCOs maintain distinct subsets of epithelial cells throughout culture and that these cells conserve expression of androgen receptor (AR)-related elements. Furthermore, to confirm the tumor-origin of the PDCOs we have analyzed the expression of PC-associated epigenetic biomarkers including promoter methylation of the GSTP1, RASSF1 and APC and RARb genes by employing a novel microfluidic rare-event screening protocol. These results demonstrate that this ex vivo PDCO model recapitulates the complexity of the epithelial tumor microenvironment of multifocal PC using orthogonal analyses. Furthermore, we propose to leverage the Stacks microfluidic device as a high-throughput, translational platform to interrogate phenotypic and molecular endpoints with the capacity to incorporate a complex tumor microenvironment.
3-Doors Compassion Project: Examining the longitudinal effects of a nine-month Tibetan mind-body meditation program
Authors: Gawrysiak M. , Pohlig R. T. , Chaoul A. , Vaughn M. , Rocco G. , Clark C. , Grassetti S. , Petrovitch D. , Wangyal T. 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAbundant research supports the benefits of participating in mindfulness meditation training programs including Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction and Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. However, these well researched programs include a narrow range of meditation practices and research to date has minimally examined how home practice associates with favorable outcomes. The present study evaluated the 3 Doors Compassion Project (3DCP), a structured 9-months meditation program that teaches Tibetan Mind-Body practices and examined how frequency and duration of home practice associated with favorable outcomes. Twenty-seven medical and mental healthcare professionals completed assessments prior to, during, and following participation in the 3DCP program and recorded daily meditation practices. Study aims were to test general effectiveness of the 3DCP program and to test the hypotheses that frequency and duration of meditation home-practice would associate with improvements on mindfulness, stress, and depression. General linear mixed modeling demonstrated significant improvements throughout the duration of the 3DCP program for mindfulness, depression (p < .001) and stress (p < .05), with each variable evidencing incremental monthly improvements. Frequency of meditation (i.e., days practiced per month), but not time (i.e., minutes per month) was significantly associated with improvements throughout the 3DCP program. Results provide support for the benefits of the 3DCP while offering clinically useful information that can inform current guidelines for meditation home practice. As predicted, the 3DCP was associated with significant improvements on all outcomes. Favorable outcomes were linked to frequency, but not total time of meditation practice, which suggests that consistent meditation may be more helpful than extended meditation.
The role of complementary feeding in India’s high child malnutrition rates: findings from a comprehensive analysis of NFHS IV (2015–2016) data
Authors: Petrikova Ivica 
Published: September 2021

AbstractRelative to its economic growth and poverty levels, Indian children suffer from higher levels of malnutrition than children in many other low- and middle-income countries. Research presented in this article examined the links between infant and young child feeding practices among Indian children and their rates of stunting, underweight, wasting, and anaemia, with a particular focus on the types of semisolid complementary food consumed. It did so through a comprehensive analysis of data on more than 57,000 6-to-23-month-old children obtained from the nationally representative National Family Health Survey IV (2015–2016). One of the key findings was that especially feeding children animal-sourced and vitamin-A-rich food was associated with lower malnutrition rates. The study further interrogated whether livestock ownership and participation in the Integrated Child Development Services programme could be supportive of better complementary child feeding and concluded that daily food receipts from the programme and poultry ownership were indeed linked with significantly higher rates of children following the recommended feeding practices as well as with somewhat lower children’s malnutrition rates.
On the people counting problem in smart homes: undirected graphs and theoretical lower-bounds
Authors: Giaretta Alberto , Loutfi Amy 
Published: September 2021

AbstractSmart homes of the future will have to deal with multi-occupancy scenarios. Multi-occupancy systems entail a preliminary and critical feature: the capability of counting people. This can be fulfilled by means of simple binary sensors, cheaper and more privacy preserving than other sensors, such as cameras. However, it is currently unclear how many people can be counted in a smart home, given the set of available sensors. In this paper, we propose a graph-based technique that allows to map a smart home to an undirected graph G and discover the lower-bound of certainly countable people, also defined as certain count. We prove that every independent set of n vertices of an undirected graph G represents a minimum count of n people. We also prove that the maximum number of certainly countable people corresponds to the maximum independent sets of G, and that the maximal independent sets of G provide every combination of active sensors that ensure different minimum count. Last, we show how to use this technique to identify and optimise suboptimal deployment of sensors, so that the assumptions can be tightened and the theoretical lower-bound improved.
La-Faujasite zeolite activated with boron trifluoride: synthesis and application as solid acid catalyst for isobutane–isobutene alkylation
Authors: Bolonio David , Sánchez-Palencia Yolanda , García-Martínez María-Jesús , Ortega Marcelo F. , Ortiz José Eugenio , Costafreda Jorge , Canoira Laureano 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe sodium form of Faujasite Y (Na-FAU) zeolite has been synthesized by the hydrothermal method, and it has been exchanged with ammonium sulphate and later with lanthanum (III) chloride solutions to obtain the La-FAU catalyst. The three zeolites Na-FAU, NH4+-FAU and La-FAU have been characterized by microcrystalline X-ray diffraction, X-ray fluorescence, surface area, pore volume and Brönsted acid sites. The La-FAU catalyst has been successfully activated with boron trifluoride etherate, and it has been tested in the alkylation reaction of isobutane with isobutene up to 112 h of time on stream, since the raw La-FAU catalyst showed a rapid deactivation.
Metamodel-based multidisciplinary design optimization methods for aerospace system
Authors: Shi Renhe , Long Teng , Ye Nianhui , Wu Yufei , Wei Zhao , Liu Zhenyu 
Published: September 2021

AbstractThe design of complex aerospace systems is a multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO) problem involving the interaction of multiple disciplines. However, because of the necessity of evaluating expensive black-box simulations, the enormous computational cost of solving MDO problems in aerospace systems has also become a problem in practice. To resolve this, metamodel-based design optimization techniques have been applied to MDO. With these methods, system models can be rapidly predicted using approximate metamodels to improve the optimization efficiency. This paper presents an overall survey of metamodel-based MDO for aerospace systems. From the perspective of aerospace system design, this paper introduces the fundamental methodology and technology of metamodel-based MDO, including aerospace system MDO problem formulation, metamodeling techniques, state-of-the-art metamodel-based multidisciplinary optimization strategies, and expensive black-box constraint-handling mechanisms. Moreover, various aerospace system examples are presented to illustrate the application of metamodel-based MDOs to practical engineering. The conclusions derived from this work are summarized in the final section of the paper. The survey results are expected to serve as guide and reference for designers involved in metamodel-based MDO in the field of aerospace engineering.
N and Fe doped NiO nanoparticles for enhanced photocatalytic degradation of azo dye methylene blue in the presence of visible light
Authors: Ramesh Martha 
Published: September 2021

AbstractPure NiO, N-doped, Fe-doped, N and Fe codoped NiO NPs were fabricated via a precipitation process. The powder X-ray diffraction (XRD) revealed the face centered cubic phase of NiO products. The full width at half maximum (FWHM) of the XRD peak was steadily enlarged with the order of elements N, Fe, N/Fe doped to NiO, and shifted towards a greater angle due to decrease in grain size, as shown by XRD. The average crystallite size of NiO products was calculated, ranging from 6.67 to 3.76 nm, according to the Debye Scherrer formula. The scanning electron microscopy (SEM) demonstrated considerable morphological changes in the produced nanoparticles, including those directed to rock-like geometries (NiO and Fe/NiO nanoparticles) while gas covered-nanocrystals (N/NiO and N/Fe/NiO nanoparticles) were formed using precipitation method. The particle size range of 10–50 nm was estimated using the bar scale in transmission electron microscopy (TEM) pictures. The elemental composition of Ni, O, Fe and N atoms in the respected samples was analyzed by Energy Dispersive X-Ray Analysis (EDX). Photoluminescence (PL) showed band edge emission at 370 nm. The band edge-absorption peak, which is caused by electronic transitions between energy levels, is determined to be in the range 314–325 nm. A UV–Vis analysis found an energy gap amid 3.2 eV and 2.5 eV. The chemical condition of the Fe and N doped NiO composites were validated using XPS. Using visible photo application of undoped and doped NiO NPs, the degradation of an azo dye termed methylene blue was examined. It was N/Fe/NiO (79.8%), Fe/NiO (76%), N/NiO (73%), and NiO (62%) throughout the 6 h irradiation duration. Increased production of OH•radicals was detected in fluorescence tests using terephthalic acid (TA) for N/Fe/NiO NPs, indicating the higher photo-degradation described. Furthermore, the degradation trends of both undoped and doped NiO NPs closely matched the pseudo first order kinetics, according to the kinetic analysis. There was also a suggestion for a thorough MB breakdown mechanism.
One-bath one-step dyeing of polyester/cotton (PC) blends fabric with disperse dyes after acetylation of cotton
Authors: Kumsa Girmaye , Gebino Gemeda , Ketema Gezu 
Published: September 2021

AbstractAiming at the classic problem of dyeing of polyester–cotton blended fabric one-bath one-step dyeing of PC blends with disperse dye after surface modification of cotton were studied. Surface modification of cotton was carried out using fibrous acetylation methods. The optimum value for surface modification was obtained with a concentration of acetylation agent 16% and time of reaction 2.5 h, gave a percent acetylation of 34. Surface chemistry and thermal decomposition were studied by using FTIR spectra and TGA. The tear strength crease recovery, pilling and abrasion resistance were evaluated. The experiment result of dyeing showed that the optimum value was obtained with dye concentration above 1% at a temperature of 120 °C warp tensile strength decreased by 12% and weft tensile strength was decreased by 9% from the control half-bleached fabric. Results of this study showed that one-step one bath dyed modified PC blend with disperse dye fabric presents good fastness property and color strength values compared with conventional two-bath dyed fabric.
Campaigning on the Ability to Govern: A Study of Strategic References to Competence Made by Political Parties in Europe
Authors: Rafałowski Wojciech 
Published: September 2021

AbstractOne of the sources of the incumbent advantage over the challenger in a two-candidate election is the possibility of referring to accomplishments in office. Incumbents exploit this resource in their campaigning rhetoric by putting greater emphasis on competence than challengers do. However, this tendency has not been tested outside two-party systems yet. In multiparty settings, the outgoing government, often formed by a coalition of parties, faces multiple opposition forces. This can change the strategic context of the competition, so the generalizations made in two-party systems may not be adequate. Using the Comparative Campaign Dynamics Dataset, I demonstrate that the tendency to put more emphasis on competence does not apply to government parties in multiparty elections in Europe. However, parties with better positions in the pre-electoral polls are more likely to emphasize traits associated with the ability to govern efficiently during the campaign.
Management Innovation and Middle Managers: The Role of Empowering Leadership, Voice, and Collectivist Orientation
Authors: Rohlfer Sylvia , Hassi Abderrahman , Jebsen Simon 
Published: September 2021

ABSTRACTExposing under which conditions management innovation diffuses within firms, this study investigates at the individual level the mediating influence of middle managers’ voice behavior on the relationship between CEOs’ empowering leadership behavior and perceived management innovation. We also propose that the magnitude of this relationship depends on middle managers’ collectivist orientation. This study exploits a unique Moroccan sample of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and utilizes structural equation modeling to analyze the studied relations. We found that the positive relationship between CEOs’ empowering leadership behavior and management innovation is mediated by middle managers’ voice. This effect is conditioned by middle managers’ collectivist orientations, which positively influence their attention to CEOs’ signals and the value and frequency of their contributions to management innovation. While research has identified the external and organizational factors that shape management innovation, our study concentrates on the individual level and accentuates that middle managers’ closeness to management processes, combined with their access to technical knowledge, renders them essential to management innovation. We contradict arguments that middle managers may be less inclined to help management innovation to emerge. SMEs can systematically invest in management innovation by advancing their managerial capabilities and considering individual value orientations.
Discrimination and resentment: examining American attitudes about Native Americans
Authors: Foxworth Raymond , Boulding Carew 
Published: September 2021

AbstractWhat shapes Americans' attitudes toward and about Native Americans? Public opinion research acknowledges that race and ethnicity are a factor in shaping US public opinion. Native Americans have been almost entirely excluded from this research. But we do know that, despite being a relatively small population, the general public holds stereotypes and false narratives about Native Americans that have been perpetuated by popular culture, education curriculum, and national myths. In this paper, we use new and original data collected under the Reclaiming Native Truth project to examine the factors that shape attitudes toward Native Americans. More specifically, we examine individual and contextual factors that shape views of discrimination against Native Americans and resentment toward Native Americans. We find that political ideology (liberal versus conservative) and the reliance on Native American stereotypes are factors most consistently associated with resentment and attitudes about Native American discrimination, although direct personal experiences and factual knowledge also matter. Our findings contribute to conversations about attitudes toward racial and ethnic minority groups and emerging scholarship on the role of political attitudes in settler-colonial societies.