bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Humanitarianism as a tool of statecraft: contested authority, sovereign violence, and humanity in the Syrian civil war
Authors: Seven Ümit 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThis research explores the dynamics of interaction between the sovereign state and international humanitarian organisations in alleviating human suffering in the Syrian civil war. Considering civil wars as a rupture in sovereignty, its focus is on the practices of the sovereign state within its social context and the resulting implications for aid organisations. I argue that the Syrian regime has employed state violence, in tandem with administrative and bureaucratic impediments, to reassert its sovereign authority in humanitarian decision‐making processes. This exercise of sovereign power is intertwined with the actions of aid organisations, thereby reshaping power dynamics among the state, aid organisations, and vulnerable populations. Through a qualitative method, I show that the deployment of state violence concomitantly pushes aid organisations, specifically the United Nations, towards enforcing the state sovereignty defined by the regime. As an effect of assertive sovereignty, interpretations of humanitarian principles and practices are continuously negotiated and constructed differently by aid organisations, even though they share a common overarching goal.
Diosgenin ameliorating non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease via Nrf2‐mediated regulation of oxidative stress and ferroptosis
Authors: Zhang Xin , Yin Guoliang , Chen Suwen , Meng Decheng , Yu Wenfei , Liu Hongshuai , Wang Linya , Zhang Fengxia 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimThis study aimed to investigate the mechanisms through which diosgenin inhibits the pathogenesis of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease, focusing particularly on ferroptosis‐related pathways and its reliance on nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2.Materials and MethodsUsing a rat model, we showed diosgenin's efficacy in reducing lipid deposition throughout the body and examined its impact on ferroptosis‐related gene expression in vivo. Moreover, in vitro experiments using human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cell line cells were conducted to assess oxidative stress and ferroptosis levels.ResultsDiosgenin decreased lipid accumulation and steatosis; lowered serum levels of total cholesterol, triglycerides, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, glutamic pyruvic transaminase and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase; reduced interleukin‐1β and tumour necrosis factor‐α; diosgenin decreased malondialdehyde levels; and increased serum superoxide dismutase levels in a rat model of high‐fat diet‐induced non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease. Diosgenin upregulated the expression of nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 and its downstream ferroptosis‐related genes to inhibit ferroptosis in the livers of rats with non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease. Diosgenin decreased reactive oxygen species levels and enhanced the expression of ferroptosis‐related genes in human hepatocellular liver carcinoma cells induced by free fatty acids, with its effects being dependent on nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2.ConclusionsThis study highlights the potential of diosgenin from Dioscoreaceae plants in mitigating oxidative stress and ferroptosis levels through nuclear factor erythroid 2‐related factor 2 regulation, offering novel insights into the treatment of non‐alcoholic fatty liver disease and other metabolic disorders through traditional Chinese medicine.
Efficacy and safety of once‐weekly insulin icodec versus once‐daily basal insulin in Japanese individuals with type 2 diabetes: A subgroup analysis of the ONWARDS 1, 2 and 4 trials
Authors: Watada Hirotaka , Ásbjörnsdóttir Björg , Nishida Tomoyuki , Nishimura Rimei , Yamamoto Yuiko , Yamauchi Toshimasa , Kadowaki Takashi 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimTo explore the efficacy and safety of once‐weekly insulin icodec (icodec) in Japanese adults (≥20 years old) with type 2 diabetes from the global ONWARDS 1, 2 and 4 trials.Materials and MethodsInsulin‐naive (ONWARDS 1) and insulin‐experienced (ONWARDS 2 and 4) individuals were randomized to icodec or a once‐daily insulin comparator: insulin glargine U100 [ONWARDS 1 (basal insulin only) and 4 (basal–bolus regimen)] or insulin degludec [ONWARDS 2 (basal insulin only)]. The primary outcome was change in glycated haemoglobin from baseline to end of treatment (EOT) (ONWARDS 1: Week 52; ONWARDS 2 and 4: Week 26). Here, we present the Japanese subgroup results.ResultsSimilar reductions in glycated haemoglobin from baseline to EOT were observed in each trial for icodec and comparators. The proportion of time in range (blood glucose 3.9–10.0 mmol/L) at EOT was also comparable across treatment groups (time in range: 58%–68%), as was time spent with blood glucose below 3.0 mmol/L (<1.0%). Combined clinically significant (blood glucose <3.0 mmol/L) or severe (requiring external assistance for recovery) hypoglycaemia rates were low, with no severe events (ONWARDS 1 and 2) or a single severe event (ONWARDS 4; icodec group) reported. These results generally aligned with findings from the respective global populations. No new safety issues were identified.ConclusionsIcodec improved glycaemic control to a similar degree as once‐daily basal insulin comparators while maintaining low levels of clinically significant or severe hypoglycaemia. The findings support icodec use in Japanese individuals with different levels of type 2 diabetes progression.
Are patients with newly diagnosed frozen shoulder more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes? A cohort study in UK electronic health records
Authors: Dyer Brett P. , Burton Claire , Rathod‐Mistry Trishna , Blagojevic‐Bucknall Miliça , van der Windt Danielle A. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimTo estimate the association between newly diagnosed frozen shoulder and a subsequent diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in primary care.MethodsWe conducted an age‐, gender‐ and practice‐matched cohort study in UK primary care electronic medical records containing 31 226 adults diagnosed with frozen shoulder, matched to 31 226 without frozen shoulder. Patients with pre‐existing diabetes were excluded. Variables were identified using established Read codes. A hazard ratio (HR) for the association between incident frozen shoulder and a subsequent type 2 diabetes diagnosis was estimated using shared frailty Cox regression, adjusted for age and gender. To determine whether the association could be explained by increased testing for type 2 diabetes based on other risk factors, a secondary analysis involved re‐running the Cox model adjusting for the mean number of consultations per year, hyperlipidaemia, hypertension, obesity, thyroid dysfunction, ethnicity, deprivation, age, and gender.ResultsParticipants with frozen shoulder were more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (1559 out of 31 226 patients [5%]) than participants without frozen shoulder (88 out of 31 226 patients [0.28%]). The HR for a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in participants with frozen shoulder versus people without frozen shoulder was 19.4 (95% confidence interval [CI] 15.6–24.0). The secondary analysis, adjusting for other factors, produced similar results: HR 20.0 (95% CI 16.0–25.0).ConclusionsPeople who have been newly diagnosed with frozen shoulder are more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in the following 15.8 years. The value of screening patients presenting with frozen shoulder for type 2 diabetes at presentation, alongside more established risk factors, should be considered in future research.
Cost–utility analysis and drug pricing of once‐weekly insulin icodec versus once‐daily insulin degludec for type 2 diabetes patients treated with basal insulin in China
Authors: Hu Shanshan , Wang Shuowen , Gu Shengying , Qi Chendong , Shi Chenyang , Fan Guorong 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimInsulin icodec is a first once‐weekly administration basal insulin analogue for type 2 diabetes. This study aimed to investigate the price range of icodec for type 2 diabetes in the Chinese market, taking insulin degludec as reference.Materials and MethodsLong‐term health outcomes and costs for icodec and degludec were simulated using the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study Outcomes Model (version 2.1) over 40 years from the Chinese healthcare provider's perspective. The efficacy and safety data were obtained from the ONWARDS 2 trial (Switching to once‐weekly insulin icodec versus once‐daily insulin degludec in individuals with basal insulin‐treated type 2 diabetes (ONWARDS 2): a phase 3a, randomised, open label, multicentre, treat‐to‐target trial). Cost–utility analysis and a binary search were used to investigate the price range of icodec. Sensitivity analyses were performed to verify the robustness of the base‐case analysis results.ResultsAfter a 40‐year simulation, the quality‐adjusted life years (QALY) of icodec and degludec were 10.32 and 10.28 years, respectively. At the initial assumption of the same annual costs of icodec and degludec of $455.40, icodec was the dominant therapy compared with degludec, with higher QALYs and lower total cost. After the binary search, we observed that the annual cost range of icodec was $625.17–$855.25. This cost range was finally adjusted to be $597.66–$736.34 using one‐way sensitivity analysis and confirmed using probabilistic sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis. The scenario analysis revealed that the annual cost range of icodec could be $506.70–$736.34 if the price of degludec decreased by 20% in the future.ConclusionInsulin icodec appears to be more cost effective than degludec if the annual cost of icodec ranges from $597.66 to $736.34 for patients with type 2 diabetes in China.
U.S. presidential approval and the macroeconomy: 1960–2022
Authors: Coggin T. Daniel 
Published: September 2024

AbstractU.S. presidential approval is a topic that has long attracted the interest of political pundits, journalists, candidates, and academics. This study focuses on quarterly U.S. presidential approval and measures of the U.S. macroeconomy. This research will expand, update and reinvestigate this relationship using new data, additional variables and the IVX predictive regression model of Kostakis, et al. (2015), specifically developed for time series data with mixed orders of integration such as we have here. We found that (as measured by Gallup data) U.S. presidential approval is a stationary mean‐reverting variable with a long‐term mean of approximately 50%. Our results also suggest that presidential party and the business cycle have no impact on the mean of quarterly presidential approval as standalone variables. However, using a comprehensive set of macroeconomic variables in a single study, we found that macroeconomic variables make a difference in applying predictive regression models to indicate significance. Specifically, before and after controlling for other macroeconomic variables, political party and the business cycle, more immediate “pocketbook issues” like gasoline prices and inflation expectations are important issues to American voters' presidential approval rating. Simply put, our regression results suggest rising prices and the expectation of rising prices consistently lower presidential approval in our sample data. This is a result that will likely interest political practitioners and academics alike.
The influence of genetic variation on pre‐oviposition processes for host‐parasitoid co‐evolution
Authors: Martinez‐Chavez Laura Marcela , Roberts Joe M. , Karley Alison J. , Wamonje Francis O. , Pope Tom W. 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Despite the importance of parasitoid wasps as biological control agents and the vast literature available on different aspects of their natural history and ecology, it is only recently that an interest in integrating genetics into aphid‐parasitoid studies has emerged.
Some studies have been completed on the effect of genetic variation on aphid parasitism outcomes, especially after the description of aphid physiological resistance to parasitoids and its role in their co‐evolution. The interaction between aphids and parasitoids goes beyond the physiological conflict between the parasitoid egg and the aphid internal defences. A series of aphid and parasitoid attributes, that can be influenced by biotic and abiotic factors, precedes that last step in the oviposition process.
The understanding of how genetic variation can play a crucial role in influencing the pre‐egg‐laying stages of the aphid‐parasitoid interaction remains relatively unexplored.
Here, we review currently available information on this topic. We contextualise the aphid‐parasitoid co‐evolution process exemplified by the post‐oviposition approach. Knowledge gaps are also discussed and the significance of fulfilling them is addressed.
An ecology‐evolutionary perspective on aphid‐parasitoid research is advocated, by incorporating genetic variation into the study of aphid‐parasitoid co‐evolution. This will increase the understanding of the adaptation and evolution of both organism's characteristics in response to each other and abiotic pressures, and also the implications for pest management.
Nitrogen overfertilization: Impact on ecological interactions and floral morphology in a peri‐urban environment
Authors: Brito Vera Gabriel A. , Calderón Ximena , Pérez Fernanda 
Published: September 2024

Abstract
Nitrogen is a crucial element that affects plant metabolic processes and indirectly influences the structure and dynamics of ecological interactions in terrestrial ecosystems. Since the invention of the Haber–Bosch process, human activity has significantly influenced the amount of nitrogen released into the environment. However, how do these overfertilization processes affect flora and fauna in urban ecosystems?
In our experiments, we used elevated nitrogen concentrations to simulate terrestrial eutrophication processes in Nicotiana tabacum L. We evaluated reproductive traits such as floral morphology using geometric morphometrics. Additionally, nectar volume and solute concentration, along with other vegetative traits, were quantified. Subsequently, the impacts of these modifications on herbivory and pollination interactions in a peri‐urban environment were measured.
Overfertilization resulted in notable modifications to the floral shape of the lobes, as well as a significant increase in percentage of herbivory by chewing insects, without affecting floral visitation rates. We also observed that elevated herbivory on fertilised plants did not show a direct correlation with overall pollination rates per plant or seed set. In contrast, the reduction in leaf size during the second phase of the experiment, owing to overfertilization effects, affected seed production. The roles of potential pollinators and their influence on seed quantity in control plants are discussed.
Nitrogen is a crucial element not only for plants in natural terrestrial ecosystems but also plays a fundamental role in the modification and shaping of reproductive and vegetative structures. Moreover, it affects the functionality of ecological interactions of pollination and herbivory in anthropogenic environments, such as peri‐urban areas.
Does School Consolidation in Rural Areas Affect Students' Education? Empirical Evidence From China
Authors: Li Yu , Gao Bo 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTIn the late 1990s, an extensive consolidation of schools in rural China led to the amalgamation of numerous primary and secondary schools into urban schools or their discontinuation. The study aimed to investigate whether China's school consolidation movement has influenced the educational attainment of rural students. The data are sourced from the China Household Income Project (CHIP) and regional statistical yearbooks, and the cross‐section difference‐in‐differences (DID) method is used to analyse the differences in high school enrolment of rural students between regions with different degrees of school consolidation. Empirical analysis results indicate that school consolidation substantially enhances the probability of rural students receiving high school education, as well as having a positive impact on rural students taking the college entrance examination and receiving a longer formal education. Moreover, the findings of the empirical analysis remain significant even after controlling for variations in government educational expenditures, substituting the explained variables, as well as eliminating the influence of school‐entering age. The adjustment of rural schools, as an inevitable historical trend, is beneficial to improving rural educational attainment.
Urodynamic study and its correlation with cardiac meta‐iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) in body‐first and brain‐first subtypes of Parkinson's disease
Authors: Kim Min Seung , Kim Jong Keun , Kwak In Hee , Lee Jeongjae , Kim Young Eun , Ma Hyeo‐Il , Kang Suk Yun 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackground and purposeLower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) are frequently observed in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), but the underlying mechanism remains elusive. The concept of “body‐first” and “brain‐first” subtypes in PD has been proposed, but the correlation of PD subtype with LUTS remains unclear. We aimed to investigate the disparities in urological dysfunctions between body‐first and brain‐first subtypes of PD using urodynamic studies (UDS).MethodsWe reviewed patients with PD (disease duration <3 years) who had undergone UDS and completed urological questionnaires (Overactive Bladder Symptom Score [OABSS] and International Prostate Symptom Score [IPSS]) and a voiding diary. Patients were categorized as having body‐first or brain‐first PD based on cardiac sympathetic denervation (CSD) using cardiac meta‐iodobenzylguanidine (MIBG) uptake and the presence of rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder (RBD), assessed using a questionnaire (PD with CSD and RBD indicating the body‐first subtype).ResultsA total of 55 patients with PD were categorized into body‐first PD (n = 37) and brain‐first PD (n = 18) groups. The body‐first PD group exhibited smaller voiding volume and first desire volume (FDV) than the brain‐first PD group (p < 0.05 in both). Also, the body‐first PD group had higher OABSS and IPSS scores, and higher prevalence of overactive bladder diagnosed by OABSS, compared to the brain‐first PD group. In multiple linear regression, cardiac MIBG uptake was positively correlated with FDV and voiding volume and negatively correlated with OABSS and IPSS (p < 0.05 in all).ConclusionsPatients with the body‐first PD subtype exhibited more pronounced overactive bladder symptoms and impaired storage function in the early stage of disease. Additionally, cardiac MIBG was significantly associated with urological dysfunction.
EmoiPlanner: Human emotion and intention aware socially acceptable robot navigation in human‐centric environments
Authors: Yu Weiwei , Kok Siong Yuen , Srivastava Gautam 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThe deployment of robots in human‐centric environments has significantly increased in recent years. It is crucial for robots to navigate human environments while understanding social norms and personal boundaries to ensure a harmonious coexistence between humans and robots. A socially aware robot should be capable of interpreting and responding appropriately to human cues, expressions, and intentions, thereby fostering trust and confidence among humans. However, prior studies were insufficient or unable to address the navigation challenges in human‐populated environments, as they perceive people as obstacles rather than social agents. Recent studies have utilized proxemic areas that are present in interpersonal interactions for human‐robot interaction scenarios, but they have enforced consistent proxemic areas for social robot navigation. This approach fails to fully capture the highly sophisticated behaviour and preferences of humans. Therefore, we propose a psychologically‐based adaptive proxemic area that fluctuates based on the human's emotional state. Furthermore, we integrate this feature into a reinforcement learning‐based social navigation framework, making our navigation framework robust to the unpredictable affections of humans. Additionally, our navigation framework includes human intention prediction to approximate the future proxemic area, thereby avoiding interference with the path to be taken by individuals. We have named our framework the Human Emotion and Intention Aware Path Planner (EmoiPlanner). Our framework has been subjected to case studies involving realistic crowd navigation scenarios, and the results indicate that it enables robots to navigate through crowds without causing discomfort to pedestrians who exhibit stochastic behaviours and emotional states, while also ensuring efficient path planning.
Association between antibiotic use and cardiovascular diseases in metabolic dysfunction‐associated steatotic liver disease: A nationally representative retrospective cohort study
Authors: Kang Ju Hyun , Park Sun Jae , Jeong Seogsong , Park Young Jun , Kim Hye Jun , Song Jihun , Choi Jiwon , Park Sangwoo , Kim Jaewon , Lee Hyeokjong , Chang Jooyoung , Son Joung Sik , Park Sang Min 
Published: September 2024

AbstractAimVarious subcategories for steatotic liver disease (SLD) were proposed globally. Previous studies suggested a heightened risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) with prolonged antibiotic exposure and metabolic dysfunction‐associated SLD (MASLD), respectively. This study investigates the impact of antibiotic usage on CVD in MASLD patients.MethodsFrom the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 276 520 adults aged 40 and older were included. Antibiotic exposure was defined by the cumulative prescription days and the number of classes. Participants were categorized into no SLD and MASLD groups. Hepatic steatosis was defined by using the fatty liver index ≥60. From 2013 to 2019, 16 197 CVD cases were recorded. A multivariate Cox model, adjusting for covariates, assessed adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for CVD risk associated with MASLD and antibiotic prescriptions.ResultsThe group with ≥91 days of antibiotics prescribed and MASLD showed a significantly increased risk of CVD (aHR, 1.56; 95% CI, 1.39–1.74) compared with antibiotic non‐users without SLD. Furthermore, the group with ≥4 classes of antibiotics prescribed and MASLD had an elevated risk of CVD (aHR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.34–1.66) compared with antibiotic non‐users without SLD. Consistent results were observed in several sensitivity analyses.ConclusionsOur study identified prolonged antibiotic exposure may be a factor that increases the risk of CVD in MASLD patients. These findings suggest an epidemiological basis for the therapeutic application of antibiotics in MASLD patients, and emphasize the need for further studies to deepen the understanding of these intricate relationships.