bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Validating a novel genetic technology for hybrid maize seed production under management practices associated with resource‐poor farmers in Zimbabwe
Authors: Hamadziripi Esnath Tatenda , Collinson Sarah , Voss Rachel C. , Baudron Frédéric , Labuschagne Maryke T. , Franke Angelinus C. , Zaman‐Allah Mainassara , Olsen Mike S. , Burgueño Juan , Cairns Jill E. 
Published: October 2024

Societal Impact StatementA hybrid maize seed production technology has the potential to reduce the complexity of hybrid seed production and increase seed quality. Here, we investigate the potential impact of this technology on yields when hybrid maize is recycled. Hybrid maize recycling is a practice used by resource‐poor farmers as a coping mechanism during drought years. Recycling hybrid maize produced using this technology could provide a small yet significant yield benefit to resource‐poor farmers when they chose to recycle. This study provides an example of how social considerations can be incorporated into testing strategies of new technologies to ensure equitable benefits.Summary

Understanding the performance of new genetic technologies in farmers' real‐world realities, especially those relevant to resource‐poor farmers, is often overlooked but is essential to ensure equitable benefits. A new genetic technology was developed to simplify hybrid maize seed production in sub‐Saharan Africa, thereby improving farmers' access to high‐quality hybrid seed. Hybrids produced with this technology segregate 50:50 for pollen‐producing and non‐pollen producing and are designated 50% non‐pollen producing (FNP). FNP maize has higher yields in low‐input environments. As recycling hybrid maize seed remains a common practice in Zimbabwe, including among resource‐poor households, it is important to understand the impact of recycling FNP seed on the yield gains from the FNP technology.
The potential impact of recycling FNP hybrid seed was assessed by testing three seed recycling scenarios on‐station and on‐farm. The extent of hybrid seed recycling and the types of households recycling hybrid maize seed over a 3‐year period were also investigated.
Hybrid maize seed recycling was associated with resource‐poor farmers, although it was not continually practiced across years. Yield gains associated with FNP were retained under recycling practices, albeit reduced. The greatest yield benefit was when seed from only non‐pollen‐producing plants was used. Yield gains were associated with longer ears and more kernels per ear.
While recycling hybrid maize seed reduces potential yields due to inbreeding depression, in the years when farmers cannot afford to plant hybrid maize only, recycling non‐pollen‐producing hybrid maize seed conferred a yield benefit of 116 kg ha−1.
Effects of Ginseng Consumption on Cardiovascular Health Biomarkers in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Zhang Xiao‐Feng , Min Rui‐Xue , Wang Zhen , Qi Yue , Li Ruo‐Nan , Fan Jian‐Ming 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTGinseng, with various pharmacological activities, has received increasing attention to improve cardiovascular health (CVH). Therefore, this meta‐analysis synthesized the effect of ginseng consumption on biomarkers of CVH in adults. A systematic search was performed in the databases of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and the Cochrane Library through July 24, 2023 to screen out English‐language randomized controlled trials (RCTs) evaluating the effects of ginseng consumption on body composition, blood pressure, vascular stiffness, lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, insulin resistance, inflammatory cytokines, and adipocytokines in adults. The weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were used to evaluate the overall effect size, and STATA 12.0 was used for comprehensive analysis. Forty‐five studies were included in the meta‐analysis. Ginseng consumption significantly reduced systolic blood pressure (SBP) (WMD = −2.57 mmHg, 95% CI = −4.99 to −0.14, p = 0.038), total cholesterol (TC) (WMD = −4.40 mg/dL, 95% CI = −8.67 to −0.132, p = 0.043), low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‐C) (WMD = −2.81 mg/dL, 95% CI = −4.89 to −0.72, p = 0.008), C‐reactive protein (CRP) (WMD = −0.41 mg/L, 95% CI = −0.73 to −0.10, p = 0.010), and interleukin‐6 (IL‐6) (WMD = −2.82 pg./mL, 95% CI = −4.31 to −1.32, p < 0.001). Subgroup analyses suggested that supplementation with ginseng for less than 12 weeks significantly reduced SBP, but 12 weeks or more improved TC and CRP. Ginseng consumption on SBP, TC, and CRP seemed to be more effective on unhealthy participants. The meta‐analysis showed that ginseng consumption might have the potential to improve SBP, TC, LDL‐C, CRP, and IL‐6. These findings suggest that ginseng is a potential candidate for the maintenance of CVH. However, our results had high heterogeneity. Future high‐quality studies are needed to firmly establish the clinical efficacy of ginseng consumption.
A Landscaping Assessment and Call‐to‐Action to Improve Access to Novel Reserve Antibiotics in 14 Low‐ and Middle‐Income Countries
Authors: Motta Fabrizio , Nizamuddin Summiya , Khan Ejaz , Muraya Tracie , Vega Silvio , Fadare Joseph , Koya Shaffi F. , Villegas Maria Virginia , Sultan Faisal , Lumley Tara , Dwivedi Rahul , Jankelowitz Lauren , Cohn Jennifer 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTBackgroundAntimicrobial resistance (AMR) presents a significant global mortality burden which particularly affects the low‐ and middle‐income countries (LMICs). Enhancing diagnostics to identify drug‐resistant infections and improving appropriate access to novel Reserve antibiotics in LMICs can address AMR‐related morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. This article characterizes the AMR landscape across 14 LMICs and describes an introductory pathway for novel Reserve antibiotics.MethodsThis mixed‐method study was completed in 14 LMICs in Africa, the Americas, Asia and Europe through a combination of qualitative interviews with physicians and public health experts (PHEs), and a quantitative survey of physicians, supported by an assessment of secondary materials relating to antibiotic introduction and AMR burden.ResultsA total of 54 physicians and 17 PHEs were interviewed, and 209 physicians participated in the survey. Top unmet needs across public and private settings were as follows: access to new antibiotics to better manage drug‐resistant infections; affordability; adequate safety profile for prescribed antibiotics. Access to diagnostics and antibiotic susceptibility testing was noted as a barrier, with large tertiary and private centres experiencing better access. Implementation of antibiotic stewardship programmes was variable and limited by insufficient funding, shortage of infectious disease physicians, poor AMR education and lack of restrictions to limit antibiotic use. Antibiotic access varies by sector, centre type, location and strength of individual state procurement systems. In particular, private sector facilities have better access to Reserve products. In most countries, most Reserve antibiotics included in WHO's Essential Medicines List (EML) were not included in national EMLs or not registered in countries.ConclusionThis study has helped to identify common barriers and pathways to Reserve antibiotic access, irrespective of the level of preparedness of countries. The data offer insights into possible solutions to improve access and highlight opportunities to strengthen access pathways and expedite access, for example, by identifying priority antibiotics based on national public health need. A six‐step introductory pathway for novel Reserve antibiotics is described.
Fintech and urban environmental sustainability: Exploring the impact of financial technology on urban carbon emissions
Authors: Li Rongrong , Zhang Siqi , Wang Qiang , Hu Sailan 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThe rapid growth of financial technology (fintech) in China has obtained considerable attention, especially in terms of its effects on carbon emissions. Investigating the link between fintech advancement and emissions is essential for promoting sustainable urban development. This research utilizes panel data from 286 Chinese cities spanning 2000–2021, employing a fixed‐effects model to evaluate fintech's influence on carbon emissions. Additionally, a threshold model is applied to examine how different levels of research expenditure, environmental greening, and fixed asset investment modify this relationship. The results reveal that: (i) fintech expansion is linked to reduced carbon emissions; (ii) threshold effects are significant, with research investment, environmental greening, and fixed asset investment influencing the impact of fintech on emissions. More specifically, the reduction in emissions driven by fintech is strengthened by higher research investment, enhanced environmental greening, and increased fixed asset investment. The study concludes with policy suggestions, emphasizing the need to improve fintech infrastructure, elevate research funding, and focus on environmental greening programs.
A Novel Bayesian Spatio‐Temporal Surveillance Metric to Predict Emerging Infectious Disease Areas of High Disease Risk
Authors: Kim Joanne , Lawson Andrew B. , Neelon Brian , Korte Jeffrey E. , Eberth Jan M. , Chowell Gerardo 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTIdentification of areas of high disease risk has been one of the top goals for infectious disease public health surveillance. Accurate prediction of these regions leads to effective resource allocation and faster intervention. This paper proposes a novel prediction surveillance metric based on a Bayesian spatio‐temporal model for infectious disease outbreaks. Exceedance probability, which has been commonly used for cluster detection in statistical epidemiology, was extended to predict areas of high risk. The proposed metric consists of three components: the area's risk profile, temporal risk trend, and spatial neighborhood influence. We also introduce a weighting scheme to balance these three components, which accommodates the characteristics of the infectious disease outbreak, spatial properties, and disease trends. Thorough simulation studies were conducted to identify the optimal weighting scheme and evaluate the performance of the proposed prediction surveillance metric. Results indicate that the area's own risk and the neighborhood influence play an important role in making a highly sensitive metric, and the risk trend term is important for the specificity and accuracy of prediction. The proposed prediction metric was applied to the COVID‐19 case data of South Carolina from March 12, 2020, and the subsequent 30 weeks of data.
Does Remdesivir Lower COVID‐19 Mortality? A Subgroup Analysis of Hospitalized Adults Receiving Supplemental Oxygen
Authors: Potter Gail E. , Proschan Michael A. 
Published: October 2024

ABSTRACTThe first Adaptive COVID‐19 Treatment Trial (ACTT‐1) showed that remdesivir improved COVID‐19 recovery time compared with placebo in hospitalized adults. The secondary outcome of mortality was almost significant overall (p = 0.07) and highly significant for people receiving supplemental oxygen at enrollment (p = 0.002), suggesting a mortality benefit concentrated in this group. We explore analysis methods that are helpful when a single subgroup benefits from treatment and apply them to ACTT‐1, using baseline oxygen use to define subgroups. We consider two questions: (1) is the remdesivir effect for people receiving supplemental oxygen real, and (2) does this effect differ from the overall effect? For Question 1, we apply a Bonferroni adjustment to subgroup‐specific hypothesis tests and the Westfall and Young permutation test, which is valid when small cell counts preclude normally distributed test statistics (a frequently unexamined condition in subgroup analyses). For Question 2, we introduce Qmax, the largest standardized difference between subgroup‐specific effects and the overall effect. Qmax simultaneously tests whether any subgroup effect differs from the overall effect and identifies the subgroup benefitting most. We demonstrate that Qmax strongly controls the familywise error rate (FWER) when test statistics are normally distributed with no mean–variance relationship. We compare Qmax to a related permutation test, SEAMOS, which was previously proposed but not extensively applied or tested. We show that SEAMOS can have inflated Type 1 error under the global null when control arm event rates differ between subgroups. Our results support a mortality benefit from remdesivir in people receiving supplemental oxygen.
Measurement and Analysis of Surface Temperature Gradients on Magnetron Sputtered Thin Film Growth Studied Using NiCr/NiSi Thin Film Thermocouples
Authors: Liu Zhihui , Yang Yumeng , Sun Yi , Guo Tengda , Shen Kai , Cheng Yongjun , Wang Bi , Hu Kai , Zhang Chuanbing , Hao Gang , Zhou Jiankang , Wu Mengxuan , Cui Baoli , Ding Wanyu , Wang Zixi 
Published: October 2024

AbstractIn the general analysis of thin‐film growth processes, it is often assumed that the temperature of the film growth surface is the same as the temperature of the film growth substrate. However, a temperature gradient exists between the film growth surface and film growth substrate. Using the growth surface of TiO2 thin films as an example, the temperature gradient of the film growth surface is tested and analyzed. A NiCr/NiSi thin‐film thermocouple is fabricated using the direct‐current pulse magnetron sputtering method. A three‐layer NiCr/NiSi thin‐film thermocouple temperature measurement system is established to measure the temperature gradient of the film growth surface. The growth surface temperature and substrate temperature of the TiO2 thin films are measured. For a sputtering power density of 0.83 W cm−2, the temperature difference between the first and second layers is 104.79 °C, while the temperature difference between the second and third layers is 39.92 °C. A standard K‐type thermocouple is used to measure the substrate temperature, which is recorded to be 132.05 °C, consistent with common measurements of substrate temperature. The heat conduction on the film growth surface in the vacuum chamber is examined and a model for the temperature measurement device during film growth is constructed.
Short‐length mechanical bond anchorage for reinforcement bars made of FRP: Experimental and numerical investigations
Authors: Hammerl Mathias , Reichenbach Sara , Pressmair Nadine , Kromoser Benjamin 
Published: October 2024

AbstractThe availability of fiber‐reinforced polymers (FRP) as an alternative for conventional steel reinforcement in concrete construction is increasing. To widen the scope of application, for example, in the case of prestressing, and to improve the bond behavior at the bar ends, end anchorages need to be considered. Within this paper, a new short‐length anchor representing a combination between a bond and mechanical anchor is presented using a special inner geometry to increase the load‐bearing capacity due to the mechanical wedge effect, with a bonding length of only 50 mm. Besides giving a short overview of different anchorage systems, the paper focuses on experimental investigations that were performed with mechanical bond anchors with a variation of the inner geometry of the steel anchorage, different FRP bars, and different load transfer media. A numerical investigation completes the study by showing an approach to calculate the presented mechanical bond anchors. It was found that a small thickness of the bonding material is favorable, and a decrease of the bonding length is not necessarily disadvantageous. A tensile failure of the FRP bars was not achieved, although a full exploitation seems promising since a utilization of up to 83% of a basalt FRP bar was reached.
Molecular systematics of Cuscuta subgenus Monogynella (Convolvulaceae) based on plastid and nuclear sequences
Authors: Albal Asawari , Costea Mihai , Stefanović Saša 
Published: October 2024

AbstractCuscuta (dodders) consists of ~200 species circumscribed into four subgenera (C. subg. Cuscuta, subg. Grammica, subg. Monogynella, subg. Pachystigma) and is the only parasitic genus in Convolvulaceae (the morning‐glory family). This genus shows a significant diversity in plastid functionality and represents a rare mixotrophic system within parasitic plants, where different trophic modes can be found at a lower phylogenetic level. Cuscuta subg. Monogynella contains chlorophyllous hemiparasitic species distributed primarily across Eurasia, with Central Asia as its center of diversity. Apart from a few placeholders in broad‐scale phylogenies, this group has not been extensively sampled and studied taxonomically, morphologically, or geographically. Our paper presents the first in‐depth phylogeny for C. subg. Monogynella based on plastid trnL‐F and nuclear ITS sequence regions. Our wide taxon sampling included 12 out of the 15 presently recognized species, with specimens from across their geographic distribution. Our analyses show highly congruent trees, forming similar clades using both plastid and nuclear markers, with no indication of hybridization. Most of the species, represented by multiple individuals from various geographic regions, have been found reciprocally monophyletic or paraphyletic. One individual from south‐west China formed its own separate lineage, with substantial branch length subtending it, and given its distinct geographic distribution, likely belongs to a new species.
Quantisation of type IIB superstring theory and the matrix model
Authors: Asano Yuhma 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
We discuss the path-integral quantisation of perturbative string theory and show equivalence between the Polyakov-type, Schild-type and Nambu-Goto-type formulations of critical type II superstring theory. Remarkably, we also find that the Minkowskian path integral realises causality in the sense that a string does not propagate between points at space-like separation, by giving careful consideration to the measure of the world-sheet metric. We also discuss matrix regularisation of the path integral for type IIB perturbative superstring theory. The obtained matrix models are the Euclidean IKKT matrix model and a modified Minkowskian IKKT model, depending on how the matrix regularisation is applied.
A new empirical index to track the technological novelty of inventions: A sector-level analysis
Authors: Gao Yuan , Lazarova Emiliya 
Published: October 2024

Abstract
We introduce the Knowledge Origin Re-Combination Index (KORCI) to measure the ex-ante technological novelty of inventions at the sectoral level. The index is developed through the intertemporal comparison of a sequence of networks, which represents the complex connections between the technological components listed in subsequent cohorts of patent applications. This allows us to quantify the intensity of the recombination of components and the introduction of new ones at the frontier of technological knowledge. Using patent data from three sectors – artificial intelligence, computer technology, and pharmaceuticals – we are the first to document the cyclical nature of the evolution of ex-ante technological novelty of inventions across all three sectors. These evolutionary cycles, however, are not synchronized, and therefore it is unlikely that they are driven by a common innovation engine. Further investigation into the correlation between KORCI and patent growth rates reveals other differences among the sectors in both direction and strength. We conjecture that the relation between the degree of ex-ante technological novelty and invention activities depends on the specific innovation environment of the sector – whether these are process-based or product-based. Our new tool opens opportunities for new empirical research into the evolution of innovation at the sectoral level.
Automatic Abelian Complexities of Parikh-Collinear Fixed Points
Authors: Rigo Michel , Stipulanti Manon , Whiteland Markus A. 
Published: October 2024

AbstractParikh-collinear morphisms have the property that all the Parikh vectors of the images of letters are collinear, i.e., the associated adjacency matrix has rank 1. In the conference DLT–WORDS 2023 we showed that fixed points of Parikh-collinear morphisms are automatic. We also showed that the abelian complexity function of a binary fixed point of such a morphism is automatic under some assumptions. In this note, we fully generalize the latter result. Namely, we show that the abelian complexity function of a fixed point of an arbitrary, possibly erasing, Parikh-collinear morphism is automatic. Furthermore, a deterministic finite automaton with output generating this abelian complexity function is provided by an effective procedure. To that end, we discuss the constant of recognizability of a morphism and the related cutting set.
Revealing Goal-Directed Neural Control of the Pharyngeal Phase of Swallowing
Authors: Zainaee Shahryar , Archer Brent , Scherer Ronald , Bingman Verner , Ghasemi Mehran 
Published: October 2024

AbstractSwallowing is considered a three-phase mechanism involving the oral, pharyngeal, and esophageal phases. The pharyngeal phase relies on highly coordinated movements in the pharynx and larynx to move food through the aerodigestive crossing. While the brainstem has been identified as the primary control center for the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, existing evidence suggests that the higher brain regions can contribute to controlling the pharyngeal phase of swallowing to match the motor response to the current context and task at hand. This suggests that the pharyngeal phase of swallowing cannot be exclusively reflexive or voluntary but can be regulated by the two neural controlling systems, goal-directed and non-goal-directed. This capability allows the pharyngeal phase of swallowing to adjust appropriately based on cognitive input, learned knowledge, and predictions. This paper reviews existing evidence and accordingly develops a novel perspective to explain these capabilities of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing. This paper aims (1) to integrate and comprehend the neurophysiological mechanisms involved in the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, (2) to explore the reflexive (non-goal-directed) and voluntary (goal-directed) neural systems of controlling the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, (3) to provide a clinical translation regarding the pathologies of these two systems, and (4) to highlight the existing gaps in this area that require attention in future research. This paper, in particular, aims to explore the complex neurophysiology of the pharyngeal phase of swallowing, as its breakdown can lead to serious consequences such as aspiration pneumonia or death.