bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Identification of putative coral pathogens in endangered Caribbean staghorn coral using machine learning
Authors: Selwyn Jason D. , Despard Brecia A. , Vollmer Miles V. , Trytten Emily C. , Vollmer Steven V. 
Published: September 2024

AbstractCoral diseases contribute to the rapid decline in coral reefs worldwide, and yet coral bacterial pathogens have proved difficult to identify because 16S rRNA gene surveys typically identify tens to hundreds of disease‐associate bacteria as putative pathogens. An example is white band disease (WBD), which has killed up to 95% of the now‐endangered Caribbean Acropora corals since 1979, yet the pathogen is still unknown. The 16S rRNA gene surveys have identified hundreds of WBD‐associated bacterial amplicon sequencing variants (ASVs) from at least nine bacterial families with little consensus across studies. We conducted a multi‐year, multi‐site 16S rRNA gene sequencing comparison of 269 healthy and 143 WBD‐infected Acropora cervicornis and used machine learning modelling to accurately predict disease outcomes and identify the top ASVs contributing to disease. Our ensemble ML models accurately predicted disease with greater than 97% accuracy and identified 19 disease‐associated ASVs and five healthy‐associated ASVs that were consistently differentially abundant across sampling periods. Using a tank‐based transmission experiment, we tested whether the 19 disease‐associated ASVs met the assumption of a pathogen and identified two pathogenic candidate ASVs—ASV25 Cysteiniphilum litorale and ASV8 Vibrio sp. to target for future isolation, cultivation, and confirmation of Henle‐Koch's postulate via transmission assays.
Covering the land with oil palm: revelation, value, and landownership among the Kairak‐speaking Baining of Papua New Guinea
Authors: Yaneva‐Toraman Inna 
Published: September 2024

AbstractThis article explores how a displaced Papua New Guinean people decided to lease their customary land for oil palm plantation farming to restore their land use rights and resolve ongoing disputes with migrant settlers. By transforming the landscape into a territorialized space as a plantation, Kairak‐speaking Baining hoped to gain actual landownership status and control over their land, which in turn, they believed, could bring them the development they had long dreamed of. I argue that Kairak conceptions about the plantation as a tool to reveal their landownership and remove the settlers drew on Melanesian notions about covering and revelation, changing perceptions of value, and discourse around ‘settlerhood’ and ‘nativism’, and show how agribusiness capital expansion strategies leverage regional politics of identity and autochthony. By illustrating how the plantation expansion unfolded differently in this region, the material offers new insights on the Plantationocene, global land grabs, dispossession and migration, and reaffirms the consequences reported elsewhere in the world where enclosures of exclusion lead to forceful rearrangements of people's social and economic lives, leaving their hopes and plantation promises unrealized.
Potential of 3D printing in development of foods for special medical purpose: A review
Authors: Shi Hao , Zhang Min , Mujumdar Arun S. , Li Chunli 
Published: September 2024

AbstractNutritional management has emerged as an effective strategy to mitigate the risks of malnutrition and disease‐related mortality among patients. The emergence of novel food types, particularly foods for special medical purposes (FSMPs), has garnered increasing attention from researchers and businesses. 3D printing (3DP) technology, alternatively known as food additive manufacturing, has gained popularity among novel food developers due to its distinct capabilities in tailoring nutrition, appearance, texture, and enhancing overall edible quality. This review examines current market trends, product forms, and unique characteristics of FSMPs, highlighting the progress made in applying 3DP to the development of functional foods and drugs. Despite its potential medical benefits, there are limited instances of direct utilization of 3DP in the production of such specialized food type. Currently, the FSMP market faces several challenges, including limited product diversity, inadequate formula design, and a lack of product appeal. 3DP offers significant advantages in catering to the unique needs of special patients, encompassing both physiological medical benefits and enhanced sensory as well as psychological eating experiences. It holds great promise in promoting precision medicine and personalized home‐based FSMPs preparations. This review will delve into the development strategies and feasibility of 3DP in creating specialized medical food for patients with unique conditions and across different age groups. Additionally, it explores the potential challenges of applying 3DP to the FSMP sector, such as regulatory frameworks, patient acceptance, cost of 3D‐printed FSMPs, and the improvement of 3DP.
Identification and function of microRNAs in hemipteran pests: A review
Authors: Ren Yipeng , Dong Wenhao , Chen Juhong , Xue Huaijun , Bu Wenjun 
Published: September 2024

AbstractHemiptera is one of the most significant orders of insect pests, including whiteflies, true bugs, aphids, planthoppers, psyllids, and so forth, which have led to substantial economic losses in agricultural industries and have significantly affected food yields through their ability to suck the phloem sap of crops and transmit numerous bacterial and viral pathogens. Therefore, explorations of pest‐specific, eco‐friendly and easy‐to‐adopt technologies for hemipteran pest control are urgently needed. To the best of our knowledge, microRNAs (miRNAs), which are endogenous non‐coding small RNAs approximately 22 nucleotides in length, are involved in regulating gene expression via the direct recognition and binding of the 3′‐untranslated region (3′‐UTR) of target messenger RNAs (mRNAs) or by acting as a center of a competitive endogenous RNA (ceRNA) network at the post‐transcriptional level. This review systematically outlines the characterization and functional investigation of the miRNA biogenesis pathway in hemipteran pests, such as whiteflies, true bugs, aphids and planthoppers. In addition, we explored the results of small RNA sequencing and functional observations of miRNAs in these pests, and the results suggest that the numerous miRNAs obtained and annotated via high‐throughput sequencing technology and bioinformatic analyses contribute to molting development, fitness, wing polyphenism, symbiont interactions and insecticide resistance in hemipteran pests. Finally, we summarize current advances and propose a framework for future research to extend the current data and address potential limitations in the investigation and application of hemipteran miRNAs.
Antibacterial effect and mechanism of theaflavin against Listeria monocytogenes and its application on apple skins
Authors: Lin Yunzhi , Shen Cunkuan , Zhao Junxin , Wang Chen , Obara Manami , Maung Aye Thida , Morita Miho , Abdelaziz Marwa Nabil Sayed , Masuda Yoshimitsu , Honjoh Ken‐ichi , Miyamoto Takahisa 
Published: September 2024

AbstractTheaflavin 3,3′‐digallate (TF3), a major polyphenolic component of black tea, exhibits antibacterial effects against many foodborne pathogens. However, the antibacterial mechanisms of TF3 against Listeria monocytogenes remain unclear. In this study, we investigated the effects of TF3 on viability, biofilm, and membrane function of L. monocytogenes by the conventional plating method, crystal violet staining, and microscopy using fluorescent dyes JC‐1 and Laurdan, respectively. It was found that TF3 showed excellent antibacterial activity against L. monocytogenes with the minimum inhibitory concentration of 62.5 mg/L. The viable count determined on TSA decreased by 3 log after the treatment for 2 h with TF3 at 62.5 mg/L. The viable count determined on TSA containing 4% NaCl decreased by more than 4 log after the treatment for 30 min with TF3 at the same concentration, suggesting that TF3 gave damage on the cells, enhancing the antibacterial action of 4% NaCl, but the damage was recoverable in the absence of 4% NaCl. To explore the antibacterial mechanisms of TF3, the effects of TF3 on membrane potential and membrane fluidity were investigated. TF3 reduced both membrane potential and fluidity of L. monocytogenes at 62.5 mg/L, suggesting that TF3 damaged the structural integrity of the cell membrane. TF3 reduced biofilm mass of mature biofilm of L. monocytogenes. Moreover, THEAFLAVIN TF40, a commercially available Camellia sinensis leaf extract containing TF3, reduced viable count of L. monocytogenes by 2 log on apple skin. These results suggest the potential of theaflavins as a natural anti‐Listeria disinfectant.
Synergy‐as‐principle in global climate regulation
Authors: Roeben Volker 
Published: September 2024

AbstractIsolated policy interventions are unlikely to effectively address a highly complex and cross‐cutting issue such as climate change. Such issues require more integrated or holistic approaches. The concept of searching for synergy across multiple objectives could then achieve better outcomes than a default position of trade‐off and collision. This contribution construes a novel principle of synergy to structure integrated decision‐making in global climate regulation through law. This article grounds its argument theoretically in the analysis of global regulation. It first develops the rationale of a regulatory principle justifying synergetic choices in rule‐design and rule‐application. It then sets out a typology of regulatory synergies – reinforcing, functional, and dormant or connecting – which can be arranged on a sliding scale and delivered with appropriate policy tools. It also suggests pathways for synergy‐as‐principle to advance beyond an effective strategy to acquiring legal bindingness within global regulation through law. Finally, this article tests the workability of this principle in four scenarios where climate protection and adjacent objectives intersect. Beyond this analysis of global climate regulation, this article points to the deeper normative foundations capable of supporting a non‐exclusionary global community.
Continuous Monitoring of Vegetation and Soil Recovery After Eucalyptus grandis Removal in Dense Trees and Shrubs Areas
Authors: Ruwanza Sheunesu 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTInvasion by invasive alien plants is a global challenge and South Africa has invested billions of Rands to manage invaders through the Working for Water programme. However, regular monitoring after alien plant clearing is hardly done, yet it forms the basis for assessing clearing programme effectiveness, particularly ecosystem recovery trajectories. I monitored both vegetation and soil recovery 6 years after Eucalyptus grandis clearing by Working for Water at Zvakanaka Farm in Limpopo Province of South Africa. Vegetation diversity and soil physical properties were surveyed in 2019 and re‐surveyed in 2022 on fell‐and‐removal and fell‐and‐stackburn cleared treatments and compared to the nearby uninvaded treatment. Results show a significant increase in species richness in 2022 compared to 2019 in the fell‐and‐removal treatment. Cover of both native trees and shrubs as well as forbs was significantly higher in 2022 compared to 2019 in the fell‐and‐removal treatment compared to the fell‐and‐stackburn treatment. Most secondary invaders such as Acacia mearnsii, E. cloeziana, Lantana camara and Rubus rigidus that frequently occurred in 2019 showed decreased occurrence in 2022 on both cleared treatments. Between the two sampling years, soil compaction improved on the fell‐and‐removal treatment only, whereas hydraulic conductivity increased significantly in 2022 compared to 2019 in both the fell‐and‐removal and fell‐and‐stackburn treatments. Soils that were strongly and severely repellent in 2019 in the fell‐and‐stackburn treatment were becoming slightly repellent in 2022. These results show varied vegetation and soil improvements between 2019 and 2022 in both the fell‐and‐removal and fell‐and‐stackburn cleared treatments an indication that recovery is moving towards a positive vegetation and soil recovery trajectory in the direction of the uninvaded treatment. Recommendations for successful passive restoration such as secondary invasion follow‐up clearing are discussed.
Living With Hyraxes: Biogeography and Comparative Ecology of West African Fornasinius Beetles
Authors: Ajong Stephanie N. , Luiselli Luca , Lado Thomas Francis , Demaya Gift Simon , Eniang Edem A. , Segniagbeto Gabriel Hoinsoude , Ketoh Guillaume Koffivi , Le Duc Olivier , De Palma Michele , Amori Giovanni , Fa Julia E. , Behangana Mathias , Hema Emmanuel M. , Dendi Daniele 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTAmong the flower beetles (Scarabaeidae, Cetoniinae), the Goliathini comprise several genera of medium‐ and large‐sized beetles widely distributed in sub‐Saharan Africa. In this tribe, the genus Fornasinius Bertoloni, 1853, includes two species found in West Africa: F. higginsi (Westwood) and F. klingbeili Zöller, Fiebig,and Schulze. In this study, we present new data on the comparative ecology and biogeography of these two species, including sex ratio, population structure by size, monthly activity patterns and habitat features at two different spatial scales. These observations were conducted, mostly opportunistically, over a 20‐year period in Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. Both species exhibited similar overall population structure and morphometrics. They were characterised by a male‐skewed adult sex ratio (with possible bias), male‐larger sexual size dimorphism and consistent population structure by size; the two species are seemingly parapatric (with the potential contact zone being separated in eastern Ghana by the Volta River and Volta Lake). Both are primarily found in the vicinity of trees that contained middens of hyraxes, such as Dendrohyrax dorsalis (F. higginsi), Dendrohyrax interfluvialis (F. klingbeili) and Procavia capensis (F. klingbeili). F. higginsi has been primarily observed in forest habitat, while F. klingbeili was found in both forests and Guinea savannahs. Occurrence sites of F. higginsi were predominantly characterised by higher tree cover, less bare areas and built‐up zones. Although these beetles may be locally abundant within hyrax middens, they typically occur in only a relatively small number of sites within their preferred habitat. Monthly activity patterns differed between the two species. Although adults of both species were observed throughout the year, sightings of F. higginsi were more common during the wet season, whereas F. klingbeili sightings were more frequent in the dry season. The observed differences in monthly activity patterns between these ecologically and morphologically similar species may help to minimise interspecific competition in potential—yet unknown—sites of syntopy. Although some Fornasinius populations might be locally threatened by deforestation or overhunting of hyraxes, the careful management of hyrax populations should adequately ensure the conservation of these two beetle species.
Physiological control for left ventricular assist devices based on deep reinforcement learning
Authors: Fernández‐Zapico Diego , Peirelinck Thijs , Deconinck Geert , Donker Dirk W. , Fresiello Libera 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe improvement of controllers of left ventricular assist device (LVAD) technology supporting heart failure (HF) patients has enormous impact, given the high prevalence and mortality of HF in the population. The use of reinforcement learning for control applications in LVAD remains minimally explored. This work introduces a preload‐based deep reinforcement learning control for LVAD based on the proximal policy optimization algorithm.MethodsThe deep reinforcement learning control is built upon data derived from a deterministic high‐fidelity cardiorespiratory simulator exposed to variations of total blood volume, heart rate, systemic vascular resistance, pulmonary vascular resistance, right ventricular end‐systolic elastance, and left ventricular end‐systolic elastance, to replicate realistic inter‐ and intra‐patient variability of patients with a severe HF supported by LVAD. The deep reinforcement learning control obtained in this work is trained to avoid ventricular suction and allow aortic valve opening by using left ventricular pressure signals: end‐diastolic pressure, maximum pressure in the left ventricle (LV), and maximum pressure in the aorta.ResultsThe results show controller obtained in this work, compared to the constant speed LVAD alternative, assures a more stable end‐diastolic volume (EDV), with a standard deviation of 5 mL and 9 mL, respectively, and a higher degree of aortic flow, with an average flow of 1.1 L/min and 0.9 L/min, respectively.ConclusionThis work implements a deep reinforcement learning controller in a high‐fidelity cardiorespiratory simulator, resulting in increases of flow through the aortic valve and increases of EDV stability, when compared to a constant speed LVAD strategy.
The polymyxin‐B direct hemoperfusion OPTimal Initiation timing with Catecholamine PMX‐OPTIC study: A multicenter retrospective observational study
Authors: Nakamura Kensuke , Okazaki Tetsuya , Tampo Akihito , Mochizuki Katsunori , Kanda Naoki , Ono Takahiro , Yanagita Kunio , Shimomura Taro , Murase Taichi , Saito Ken , Hirayama Takahiro , Ito Tomoaki , Ogawa Koji , Nakamura Mizuki , Oda Tomohiro , Morishima Takeshi , Fukushima Takuma , Yasui Hiroharu , Akashi Naoki , Oshima Kojiro , Kawarazaki Hiroo , Akiba Tsukasa , Uemura Susumu , Honma Yuhei , Nitta Kenichi , Okamoto Koji , Takaki Shunsuke , Takeda Hirotaka , Yamashita Chizuru 
Published: September 2024

AbstractBackgroundPolymyxin‐B direct hemoperfusion (PMX‐DHP) is an endotoxin adsorption column‐based blood purification therapy. Since one of the most potent effects of PMX‐DHP is blood pressure elevations, it may be the most effective when it is introduced at the time when the need for vasopressors is the greatest, which, in turn, may reduce mortality.MethodsA multicenter retrospective study was conducted at 24 ICUs in Japan. In each ICU, the 20 most recent consecutive cases of septic shock treated with PMX‐DHP were analyzed. The duration between the time of the peak vasopressive agent dose, expressed as the noradrenaline equivalent dose (NEq), and the time of PMX initiation was evaluated. The primary outcome was 28‐day mortality, and a multivariable analysis was performed to investigate factors associated with mortality.ResultsA total of 480 septic shock patients were included in the analysis. Among all patients, the 28‐day mortality group was older, more severely ill, and had a higher body mass index. The NEq peak and NEq on PMX‐DHP initiation were both higher in deceased patients. Regarding the timing of PMX‐DHP initiation from the NEq peak, −4 << 4 h had more survivors (229/304, 75.3%) than ≤−4 h (50/75, 66.7%) and ≥4 h (66/101, 65.4%) (p = 0.085). When −4 << 4 h was assigned as a reference, the timing of PMX‐DHP initiation from the NEq peak of ≤−4 h had an odds ratio of 1.96 (1.07–3.58), p = 0.029, while ≥4 h had an odds ratio of 1.64 (0.94–2.87), p = 0.082 for 28‐day mortality, in the multivariable regression analysis. A spline curve of the relationship between the probability of death and the timing of PMX‐DHP initiation from the NEq peak showed a downward convex curve with a nadir at timing = 0. The odds ratios of the timing of PMX‐DHP initiation other than −4 << 4 h were significantly higher in an older age, male sex, lower BMI, more severe illness, and higher oxygenation.ConclusionsThe induction of PMX‐DHP at the time of the peak vasopressor dose correlated with lower mortality. PMX‐DHP is one of the options available for elevating blood pressure in septic shock, and its initiation either too early or late for shock peak may not improve the outcome.
Tax privacy concerns hamper digitization of the nanostore channel
Authors: Escamilla Rafael , Brosi Prisca , Fransoo Jan C. , Mora‐Quiñones Camilo , Mejía‐Argueta Christopher 
Published: September 2024

AbstractVarious entities, such as startups, suppliers, and governments, face substantial difficulties in convincing nanostore shopkeepers to adopt digital technologies. Given the informal status of nanostores, we posit that shopkeepers experience Tax Privacy Concerns from their operational records potentially becoming transparent to the tax authorities, which hampers their inclination to digitize. Through the application of a survey and vignette experiments in the field with hundreds of shopkeepers across three cities in Latin America, we find consistent evidence for the negative role of Tax Privacy Concerns, above and beyond shopkeepers' Willingness to Share Data with various entities, Trust in the government and other entities, and general Privacy Concerns. Further, we show that having entities that shopkeepers trust and are willing to share data with offer technological solutions does not mitigate shopkeepers' Tax Privacy Concerns and boosts digitization. In contrast, positive word of mouth that data are unlikely to be shared with the tax authorities does mitigate Tax Privacy Concerns. Overall, our findings provide novel evidence for the existence and influence of privacy concerns for operational data among microentrepreneurs, which answers calls in the extant literature to explore privacy concerns beyond the consumer context.
After Admission: The Emotional Suffering of Students Enrolled Through the Rural Students Quota Plan in China's Elite Universities
Authors: Wang Songdi , Chen Jiexiu , Zhou Lu 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTThe Chinese government has implemented a series of special admission policies in recent years to promote higher education equity. One of the key approaches is the ‘Rural Students Quota Plan’, which requires elite universities to enrol a certain number of rural students from disadvantaged social and economic backgrounds each year. This study adopted qualitative methods to explore the experiences of these students, focusing on their emotional journeys after admission to elite universities. In this project, 32 rural students from R University were invited to participate in semi‐structured interviews. After thematic analysis, this paper further focuses on the systematic presentation and in‐depth analysis of ten of these Quota Plan students' university experiences to carefully delve into their emotional journeys while integrating the narratives of other participants as background data into the analysis. Drawing on Bourdieu's conceptual tools, this study highlights how emotional struggles such as the sense of feeling lost and inferior are shaped by external social structures and the elite university field. The study argues that as elite universities strive to enrol more rural students, mechanisms must be put in place to better support rural students in their adaptation and integration throughout the higher education process.
Explaining Temporal Trends in School‐Related Stress: A Decomposition Analysis of Repeated Swedish Survey Data
Authors: Högberg Björn 
Published: September 2024

ABSTRACTConcerns related to school are consistently ranked as among the greatest stressors in the lives of adolescents. Research from varying contexts report rising rates of school‐related stress among students, but we currently lack knowledge on what drives these trends. The aim of this study is to investigate the predictors of temporal trends in school‐related stress in Swedish students between 2003 and 2020. To this end, repeated surveys of 9807 Swedish students aged 16 years are analysed using Blinder‐Oaxaca decomposition techniques. The results show that the rise in school‐related stress was primarily due to growing schoolwork difficulties and social exclusion among students, indicating possibly adverse consequences of a large‐scale educational reform as well as of the COVID‐19 pandemic. In addition, rising academic aspirations contributed to the increase, in line with arguments concerning the increasing weight attached to educational success among adolescents in the ‘schooled society’.