bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
RNA Biopesticides: A Cutting‐Edge Approach to Combatting Aquaculture Diseases and Ensuring Food Security
Authors: Li Qiu , Huang Lixing 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTAquaculture plays a crucial role in addressing global nutritional demands and economic growth. However, the high‐density nature of aquaculture presents significant challenges, including disease outbreaks that hinder production and impact profitability. Diseases are a major concern, with losses exceeding 25%, and new pathogens emerging each year. Traditional pharmaceuticals struggle with drug resistance and environmental harm, raising food safety concerns due to chemical residues. RNA‐based biopesticides offer a promising solution by targeting specific mRNA sequences in pathogens, thereby inhibiting their growth and reproduction. These biopesticides, including siRNA and dsRNA, have shown great potential in managing aquaculture diseases. With high specificity and minimal environmental impact, RNA biopesticides provide an innovative, sustainable approach to combating diseases in aquaculture, enhancing both food security and environmental safety.
Efficacy of carbon nanotube bucky paper for interlaminar damage sensing in composites and fiber‐metal laminates
Authors: Kumar Vinay , Agnihotri Prabhat K. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractDelamination between adjacent laminas and debonding at the fiber/metal interface are common failure modes in composites and fiber‐metal laminates (FMLs). During the initial stages, these flaws are difficult to detect because of their small size and limited applicability of existing damage‐sensing techniques due to the associated heterogeneity and anisotropy with composites and FMLs. Here, we demonstrate a feasible interlaminar damage‐sensing strategy in composites and FMLs using carbon nanotube (CNT) bucky paper (BP). The microstructure dependence of BP electrical conductivity allows it to sense the damage under varying loading conditions. The accuracy of strain sensing with BP is similar to the commercial 120 Ω strain gauge. The BP sensor accurately detects the interlaminar damage in composites (glass fiber/epoxy, carbon fiber/epoxy) and glass fiber–Al (GLARE) laminates. The delamination is marked by a steep rise in the electrical resistance of BP‐modified coupons. Moreover, the sensing capability of the BP sensor is found to be independent of the electrical conductivity of the tested coupons. Thus, the present approach is applicable to sense the interlaminar damage in a much wider class of structural composites and FMLs.Highlights
Timely and accurate damage detection in composites is important to ensure their structural integrity.
Electrical resistance of bucky paper (BP) varies with deformation.
Performance of the BP sensor is comparable to the strain gauge at small strains.
BP accurately captures interlaminar damage in composites and FMLs.
BP is suitable for damage sensing in a wider class of layered materials.
Prenatal Diagnosis of ACTG2 Visceral Myopathy Presented With Fetal Megacystis Identified in the Second Trimester
Authors: Yu Qiu‐Xia , Liu Na , Zhen Li , Wen Yun‐Jing , Li Dong‐Zhi 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTVariants of the ACTG2 gene cause autosomal dominant ACTG2 visceral myopathy, a disorder of smooth muscle dysfunction of the bladder and gastrointestinal system. Bladder involvement can behave as fetal megacystis (FM). We report four prenatal cases of ACTG2 visceral myopathy. All four cases presented with FM identified by ultrasound in the second trimester. All had invasive genetic investigations during pregnancy, and trio exome sequencing revealed likely pathogenic or pathogenic ACTG2 variants in the fetuses. Three of the four variants were de novo, and one was inherited form mother who had symptoms of smooth muscle dysfunction since childhood. ACTG2 visceral myopathy is the most concern in fetuses with isolated second‐trimester megacystis. Genetic diagnosis of single gene disorders associated with FM is useful in parental counseling, pregnancy management and risk assessment of recurrence in future pregnancy.
Screening and diagnosis of pulmonary hypertension associated with chronic lung disease (PH‐CLD): A consensus statement from the pulmonary vascular research institute's innovative drug development initiative—group 3 pulmonary hypertension
Authors: Vitulo P. , Piccari L. , Wort S. J. , Shlobin O. A. , Kovacs G. , Vizza C. D. , Hassoun P. M. , Olschewski H. , Girgis R. E. , Nikkho S. M. , Nathan S. D. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractPulmonary hypertension (PH) is a frequent complication of chronic lung disease (CLD). However, PH is difficult to diagnose early since accompanying symptoms overlap and are similar to those of the underlying CLD. In most cases the PH is mild to moderate and therefore physical signs may be absent or subtle. This consensus paper provides insight into the clues that might suggest the presence of occult PH in patients with CLD. An overview of current diagnostic tools and emerging diagnostic technologies is provided as well as guidance for the work‐up and diagnosis of PH in patients with CLD.
Do reserve requirements restrict bank behavior?
Authors: Gunji Hiroshi , Miura Kazuki 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis study aims to examine whether a reserve requirement system constrains bank behavior. In Japan, a system is applied to certain regional banks where required reserve ratios are imposed based on the amount of their deposits. Using a natural experiment, we perform a bunching estimation to examine whether this reserve requirement system decreases bank deposits. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to examine the effects of reserve requirement systems through bunching estimation. Our results demonstrate that the reserve deposit system depresses bank deposits, resulting in a decline in total deposits. However, this phenomenon is not observed during periods of unconventional monetary policies. This study highlights an important consideration when discussing changes in the reserve requirement system.
Digital Twin/MARS‐CycleGAN: Enhancing Sim‐to‐Real Crop/Row Detection for MARS Phenotyping Robot Using Synthetic Images
Authors: Liu David , Li Zhengkun , Wu Zihao , Li Changying 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTRobotic crop phenotyping has emerged as a key technology for assessing crops' phenotypic traits at scale, which is essential for developing new crop varieties with the aim of increasing productivity and adapting to the changing climate. However, developing and deploying crop phenotyping robots faces many challenges, such as complex and variable crop shapes that complicate robotic object detection, dynamic and unstructured environments that confound robotic control, and real‐time computing and managing big data that challenge robotic hardware/software. This work specifically addresses the first challenge by proposing a novel Digital Twin(DT)/MARS‐CycleGAN model for image augmentation to improve our Modular Agricultural Robotic System (MARS)'s crop object detection from complex and variable backgrounds. The core idea is that in addition to the cycle consistency losses in the CycleGAN model, we designed and enforced a new DT/MARS loss in the deep learning model to penalize the inconsistency between real crop images captured by MARS and synthesized images generated by DT/MARS‐CycleGAN. Therefore, the synthesized crop images closely mimic real images in terms of realism, and they are employed to fine‐tune object detectors such as YOLOv8. Extensive experiments demonstrate that the new DT/MARS‐CycleGAN framework significantly boosts crop/row detection performance for MARS, contributing to the field of robotic crop phenotyping. We release our code and data to the research community (https://github.com/UGA-BSAIL/DT-MARS-CycleGAN).
Trust in Sustainability: Unraveling the CSR‐Performance Nexus Through Organizational Trust and Past Performance in the Banking Sector
Authors: Kim Byung‐Jik , Kim Min‐Jik , Kim Tae‐Hyun 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTThis research examines the effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR) on the performance of a prominent commercial bank in South Korea, with a specific focus on how organizational trust mediates this relationship and how previous performance moderates it. Anchored in the Warmth and Competence theory and the micro‐foundations perspective on CSR, we develop a moderated mediation model to delineate the intricate interactions among these variables. Employing a time‐lagged research design and gathering multi‐level, multi‐source data from 5223 employees across 520 bank branches, our findings reveal that CSR positively and indirectly influences financial performance by bolstering organizational trust. Additionally, our results pinpoint past financial performance as a crucial moderator in the CSR‐trust dynamic, indicating that the trust‐enhancing impact of CSR intensifies in organizations with a history of high performance. By elucidating the mediating role of trust and the conditional effect of past financial performance, this study advances a deeper understanding of the circumstances and mechanisms through which CSR affects organizational outcomes. These insights are vital for understanding CSR's role in promoting sustainable development within organizations. By fostering trust and enhancing performance, CSR initiatives can support organizations in establishing enduring, mutually advantageous relationships with stakeholders, thereby fostering the creation of sustainable value for both businesses and the broader community. This study underscores the importance of a multi‐level, context‐aware approach to CSR that recognizes both the micro‐level foundations and the macro‐level contingencies of socially responsible activities as drivers of sustainable organizational development.
Development and characterization of waterproofing flexible mortar incorporating partially cured geopolymers synthesized from fly ash and blast furnace slag
Authors: Ipekci Terzioglu Meltem , Cinar Sahin Filiz 
Published: December 2024

AbstractGeopolymers offer a green alternative to cement for use in construction chemicals. This study aimed to synthesize partially cured geopolymeric structures for use in waterproofing mortars, targeting applications such as water tanks, pools, and areas exposed to seawater and rain, where preventing crack formation and water leakage is crucial. The quantity of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) in a two‐component waterproofing flexible mortar was reduced by incorporating geopolymer cured in open air under ambient conditions. Based on characterization tests, three geopolymers were selected for inclusion in the mortar formula. Fresh mortar pre‐tests and performance tests on cured mortar were conducted. The results indicated that the mortar formula containing geopolymer at 75 wt.% of OPC, with a solid/liquid weight ratio of 1.5 and a blast furnace slag/fly ash weight ratio of 75:25, where the blast furnace slag had a more amorphous structure, exhibited optimal characteristics in crack bridging, bond strength, capillary water absorption, and waterproofing capacity. This study demonstrates the effectiveness of geopolymers in reducing OPC consumption and enhancing their user‐friendliness in waterproofing mortar applications. It offers practical insights into optimizing geopolymer formulations for superior performance and environmental benefits.
Understanding the Impacts of Arctic Climate Change Through the Lens of Political Ecology
Authors: Malik Ishfaq Hussain , Ford James D. 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTClimate change is a critical global issue with far‐reaching implications for the environment, society, and economy. Political ecology examines the relationship between political systems, social inequalities, and ecological concerns in relation to climate change. It focuses on how power dynamics, resource allocation, and political decisions influence vulnerability, adaptation, and mitigation efforts, highlighting the intersectionality between politics, ecology, and climate change impacts. Climate change in the Arctic is having profound geopolitical, environmental, and socioeconomic impacts on Indigenous Peoples. However, few, if any, studies have examined these interactions from a political ecology standpoint. Herein, we review and analyze the complex relationships and power dynamics that shape and are shaped by climate change in the Arctic through a political ecology lens, developing an understanding of how political, economic, and social factors interact to drive climate change impacts and responses. We introduce the term Arctic Political Ecology to understand these dynamics. The paper examines the significance of Indigenous knowledge, environmental governance, and Indigenous Peoples' sovereignty in control over productive resources, promoting sustainable practices, and addressing the challenges posed by climate change. We highlight the need for a comprehensive approach that considers the political ecology of climate change in the Arctic to understand the interplay of capitalism, colonialism, and resource exploitation.
Climate‐Friendly Vacations and Tourism
Authors: Ballantyne Anne Gammelgaard , Petersen Lars Kjerulf , Fals Katinka Bundgård , Lysgaard Jonas Andreasen 
Published: December 2024

ABSTRACTThis article explores the socio‐cultural barriers and drivers shaping transitions toward climate‐friendly vacation practices. It highlights the influence of culturally embedded ideas and imaginaries surrounding holidays, intertwined with structural, cultural, and social constraints. These barriers and drivers are continually constructed and reinforced through various practices and discourses, shaping societal perceptions and behaviors. In addition, inherent dilemmas related to economic and social aspects of sustainability in the tourism sector also influence travel practices and discourses. An important argument concerns the malleability of barriers to climate‐friendly vacation practices. Although tourism desires and imaginaries tend to be associated with resource‐intensive practices, they are not inherently incompatible with climate‐friendly alternatives. Recognizing the socially constructed nature of these barriers and drivers opens avenues for societal change through collective action and policy initiatives. Understanding behavioral aspects of the green transition requires insights into the structural factors that shape behavior. Shared imaginaries and values regarding vacations and tourism constitute vital structural factors, and studies focusing on such structural meanings can enrich our understanding of societal transitions. This article calls for acknowledging socio‐cultural dynamics where vacation desires, memory creation, and individual dilemmas are shaped by shared imaginaries and structural conditions, paving the way for meaningful change in the tourism industry and beyond.
Association of obesity and thyroidectomy‐specific perioperative outcomes
Authors: Memeh Kelvin , Abou Azar Sara , Afolaranmi Oluwasegun , Vaghaiwalla Tanaz M. 
Published: December 2024

AbstractBackgroundThere is limited large‐scale data on the effect of obesity on thyroidectomy‐specific outcomes. To fill this gap in the literature, this study evaluates the association between obesity and thyroidectomy‐specific outcomes using a large real‐world surgical outcomes dataset.Materials and MethodsThe 2016–2019 American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Targeted Thyroidectomy dataset (ACS NSQIP) was queried. Using an inverse probability weighted (IPW) model, the impact of BMI on the primary (postoperative voice hoarseness, neck hematoma, and hypocalcemia.) and secondary outcomes (operative time and postoperative length of stay) were estimated. BMI was evaluated as per the WHO obesity categories. Sensitivity analysis was performed.Results24,370 patients were evaluated with an average BMI of 30.6, a mean age of 51.8 years, 77.5% were female, and 7.9 % were Hispanic. In univariate analysis, patients with BMI >30 had a higher risk of postoperative voice hoarseness (6.7 vs. 5.8% and p = 0.005) and neck hematoma (2.1 vs. 1.7% and p = 0.014) and a lower risk in hypocalcemia rates (3.6% vs. 4.6 % and p < 0.001). In the fully adjusted multivariable IPW models, BMI >30 was associated with a higher rate of postoperative voice hoarseness (RR 1.12 and p = 0.031) and neck hematoma (RR 1.25 and p = 0.024) but a lower rate of hypocalcemia (RR 0.81 and p = 0.001). Also, patients with BMI >30 had longer OR time (adjusted difference: 6.33 min and p < 0.001) and length of stay (adjusted difference: 1.36 h and p = 0.002).ConclusionIn this national cohort of patients undergoing thyroidectomy, obesity was associated with a decreased rate of hypocalcemia but an increased rate of postoperative voice hoarseness and neck hematoma.
Constructing tree amplitudes of scalar EFT from double soft theorem
Authors: Zhou Kang 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
The well known Adler zero can fully determine tree amplitudes of non-linear sigma model (NLSM), but fails to fix tree pion amplitudes with higher-derivative interactions. In this paper we propose a novel method based on exploiting the double soft theorem for scalars, which can be applied to a wider range. To test the applicability, we use this method to construct tree NLSM amplitudes and tree amplitudes those pions in NLSM couple to bi-adjoint scalars. We also construct the simplest pion amplitudes which receive leading higher-derivative correction, with arbitrary number of external legs. All resulted amplitudes are formulated as universal expansions to appropriate basis.
Illuminating the care/repair nexus in the ‘pandemic era’, and the potential for care beyond repair in Danish poultry production
Authors: Rutt Rebecca Leigh , Møller Alberte Skriver 
Published: December 2024

AbstractExamining the Danish poultry industry in a time of rising outbreaks of infectious disease (the so-called ‘pandemic era’) including avian influenza, this study documents the often-unseen harms resulting from current dominant forms of response. Inspired by multispecies studies and ethnography, we pay attention to entangled human and more-than-human worlds. Specifically, we document the multifarious ways in which responses to worsening avian influenza alter the everyday lives of birds in production, their farmers, and public veterinarians. We also show how such changes are distributed in ways that further slant the playing field against smaller scale and organic poultry production, under the hegemony of globalized capitalist agriculture. Throughout, we shed light on the analytical purchase of two key concepts in feminist scholarship and science and technology studies respectively: care and repair. While understood as integral to human and more-than-human wellbeing, care’s tendency to summon pleasant associations is challenged by the reality of embodied care practices in complex and compromised socio-ecological contexts. Repair has been wielded conceptually to interrogate activities that stabilize systems at risk, while largely ignoring or even exacerbating the drivers of instability. Mobilized together, we can better understand how hegemonic logics delimit possibilities for care, but also the limits and limitations of dominant response repertoires. Finally, we illuminate farming practices of care beyond repair, which may help chart alternatives for Danish agriculture within, and perhaps beyond, the pandemic era.
Advances in preparation of acellular human dermis for tissue banking and transplantation
Authors: Stern Irit , Barrera Valentina , Randles Michael , Rooney Paul 
Published: December 2024

Abstract
Non-healing wounds cost the National Health Service over £5.6 billion annually in wound management. Skin allografts are used to treat non-healing wounds, ulcers and burns, offering the best protection against infection. In order to allow host cells to repopulate and to avoid immunogenicity, cell components are removed through decellularisation. Decellularisation of human dermis has so far been performed in NHS Blood and Transplant using a combination of two enzymes (RNase T1 and the recombinant human DNase Pulmozyme)®. This study aims at validating a new method to remove DNA from donated dermis via the use of a single enzyme, Benzonase, known for its effectiveness of DNA digestion. Skin samples were decellularised by removing the epidermis, lysing of dermal cells, removal of cellular fragments by a detergent wash and removal of nucleic acids by a nuclease incubation with either Benzonase or Pulmozyme + RNase T1. DNA quantification with PicoGreen, as well as histology on wax-embedded biopsies, stained with DAPI and haemotoxylin and eosin, were performed. In vitro toxicity test on human osteosarcoma immortalised cells and skin fibroblasts, and biomechanical (tensile) testing, were also performed. The effectiveness of DNA digestion with the new methodology was comparable to previous procedure. Mean DNA removal percentage following decellularisation with Pulmozyme + RNase was 99.9% (3.83 ng/mg). Mean DNA removal percentage with Benzonase was 99.8% (9.97 ng/mg). Histology staining showed complete decellularisation following either method. Benzonase was proven to be non-toxic to both cell lines used, and a one-way Anova test showed no significant difference in neither stress nor strain between acellular dermal matrix decellularised with either Benzonase or Pulmozyme + RNase T1. Benzonase was able to effectively decellularise dermis after prior removal of epidermis. It performed just as well as the combination of Pulmozyme + RNase T1, but represents significant advantages in terms of cost effectiveness, procurement and storage; Benzonase has been successfully used in the decellularisation of other tissues, thus would be better for Tissue Banking use. Switching to this combined DNase/RNase can have far-reaching consequences in the production of acellular human dermal matrix by NHSBT and in the treatment of patients requiring it.
Optimized PVA-(ZnO)x-(PANI)1−x nanocomposites: characterization and humidity sensing application
Authors: Elkatlawy Saeid M. , Elzwawy Amir , Sakr Abdelhamid A. , Morsy Mohamed 
Published: December 2024

AbstractThis work presents an effort to study the potential of ternary PVA/ZnO/PANI nanocomposite for humidity sensing applications. Easily-peeled-off films of the ternary system were formed by the solution casting method and characterized. FTIR manifested the uniformity of the synthesized films and the existence of both polyaniline and ZnO functional groups in the relevant PVA host matrix. Characteristic absorption bands of PVA were overlapped with some characteristic bands of polyaniline. XRD patterns show the typical semicrystalline peak for the pristine PVA. The XRD analysis did not demonstrate any crystalline peaks for ZnO due to the capping-off effect of the PVA macromolecule. Energy dispersive X-ray mapping analysis and SEM micrographs manifested a homogeneous distribution of ZnO and PANI particles and a smooth yet dense film appearance. A study of electronic transitions and band gap displayed that the value of the band gap varies based on component concentration with the lowest value for the film of equal concentration of both ZnO and polyaniline. The humidity sensing behavior of the films was explored at different frequencies. The most variation in impedance was reached at 500 Hz, while the impedance variation at 50 Hz is the best from the performance point of view, where the relation between the impedance and relative humidity is linear. Samples F3 [PVA (ZnO)0.7(PANI)0.3], and F4 ﻿[PVA (ZnO)0.5(PANI)0.5] revealed the highest sensitivity among other tested samples. The measured hysteresis for the F3 and F4 samples were 1.38E + 05 MΩ/RH and 1.55E + 05 MΩ/RH, respectively. Impedance and complex impedance spectroscopy measurements confirmed that the film F3 revealed the highest sensitivity among the other tested samples. The proposed structure of the sensor can be employed for real-life applications since it can be easily coupled with electronic read devices and its overall functionality.