bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of uncertainty on economic growth: The role of pro‐market institutions in developing countries
Authors: Gomado Kwamivi Mawuli 
Published: August 2024

AbstractVarious shocks, including the Gulf War, the US recession, the 9/11 attacks, financial credit crunch, and domestic political shocks like coups, and revolutions, have contributed to the persistence of high uncertainty. This uncertainty has direct implications for economic activity, affecting both business investment and household consumption decisions. This article explores the mediating role of the quality of pro‐market institutions in the relationship between economic performance and changes in the uncertainty. It also investigates whether reforming pro‐market institutions during a period of uncertainty can mitigate the negative effects of the uncertainty on economic performance, while analyzing the channels through which the mediating effect of reforms during uncertainty manifests. Using a sample of 61 developing countries over the period 1990–2014, our results, robust to various tests, indicate that higher quality of pro‐market institutions significantly reduces the negative effects of uncertainty on economic performance. Indeed, the reduction in GDP growth due to a change in uncertainty decreases by 93 percentage points with higher levels of pro‐market institutional quality, and this variation depends on the nature of the pro‐market institutions considered. Furthermore, implementing pro‐market institutional liberalization reforms during a period of uncertainty could not only alleviate the negative effects of uncertainty but also contribute to medium‐term economic growth. The analysis of channels suggests that this effect is mediated by the impact of reforms on household consumption and business investment. These results highlight how pro‐market institutions and reforms in these institutions can enhance the resilience of economies facing high uncertainty or unexpected and substantial economic shocks.
Deep Roots, Bama Soil: Narrative multimodal anthropology and fugitive histories
Authors: Campbell Tylar 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis article explores the concept of fugitive histories through narrative multimodal anthropology in Black memory spaces. The aim of this research was to understand how multimodal anthropology and fugitive histories can be used to preserve and re‐imagine narratives that counteract erasure. This article presents a narrative multimodal podcast I produced exploring my personal connection to racial violence, in conversation with a visit to the National Memorial for Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum to consider the ways in which narrative multimodal production and curation may benefit the health and well‐being of Black communities, with a focus on Black fugitivity refusal, and reclamation as a strategic application of the Black Radical Tradition.
Genomic selection in western redcedar: from proof of concept to operational application
Authors: Gamal El‐Dien Omnia , Shalev Tal J. , Yuen Macaire M. S. , Van der Merwe Lise , Kirst Matias , Yanchuk Alvin D. , Ritland Carol , Russell John H. , Bohlmann Joerg 
Published: August 2024

Summary

Forests face many threats. While traditional breeding may be too slow to deliver well‐adapted trees, genomic selection (GS) can accelerate the process. We describe a comprehensive study of GS from proof of concept to operational application in western redcedar (WRC, Thuja plicata).

Using genomic data, we developed models on a training population (TrP) of trees to predict breeding values (BVs) in a target seedling population (TaP) for growth, heartwood chemistry, and foliar chemistry traits. We used cross‐validation to assess prediction accuracy (PACC) in the TrP; we also validated models for early‐expressed foliar traits in the TaP.

Prediction accuracy was high across generations, environments, and ages. PACC was not reduced to zero among unrelated individuals in TrP and was only slightly reduced in the TaP, confirming strong linkage disequilibrium and the ability of the model to generate accurate predictions across breeding generations. Genomic BV predictions were correlated with those from pedigree but displayed a wider range of within‐family variation due to the ability of GS to capture the Mendelian sampling term.

Using predicted TaP BVs in multi‐trait selection, we functionally implemented and integrated GS into an operational tree‐breeding program.
Within‐canopy variation in chlorophyll fluorescence parameters can be well captured by vertical patterns of leaf biophysical and chemical traits
Authors: Zhuang Jie , Wang Quan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThe strong correlation between chlorophyll fluorescence (ChlF) parameters and photosynthesis highlights the need for a comprehensive spatial representation of ChlF parameters within the canopy. Such an approach is essential to advance our understanding and to improve the representation and modeling of water and carbon fluxes at scales ranging from the leaf to the canopy level. However, the challenge remains in determining how to effectively describe and track the variability of ChlF parameters within the canopy. In this study, we determined the variation in leaf biophysical and chemical traits and ChlF parameters along the vertical height of the canopy for several species in a temperate deciduous forest. We observed general associations of height with leaf biophysical and chemical traits and ChlF parameters, although these relationships were species‐dependent. In addition, leaf biophysical and chemical traits, particularly light‐harvesting pigments, showed significant effects on ChlF parameters. To effectively track variation in ChlF parameters within the canopy, we used gradient‐boosted regression (GBR) models driven by leaf traits and species, which explained more than 80% of the variation in all ChlF parameters. Our study demonstrates the feasibility of utilizing leaf biophysical and chemical traits to predict vertical variation in ChlF parameters and provide supportive data for modeling canopy photosynthesis.
Trade credit, labor employment, and demand for skills: An empirical investigation of Vietnamese small and medium enterprises
Authors: Bach Thang Ngoc , Le Thanh 
Published: August 2024

AbstractThis paper examines the effect of firms' trade credit use on their labor demand and the composition of this labor demand in terms of skilled and unskilled workers. Our analysis is conducted on a rich data set of private manufacturing small and medium enterprises in Vietnam over the period of 2009–2013. We find strong and robust evidence that these firms recruit more workers when they receive trade credit offered from their suppliers. In addition, larger trade credit is associated with firms' higher propensity to hire skilled labor. We also find that the effect of trade credit on firms' labor market decision works through the investment channels, especially through those investment projects leading to the enhancement of firms' innovative capability. These findings highlight the role of trade credit regulations for job creation and economic development.
A Novel Fast Wavenumber Selection Scheme for Line-by-Line Monte Carlo Simulations of High-Temperature Gases
Authors: Alinejad Farid , Bordbar Hadi , Hostikka Simo 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Implementing line-by-line absorption spectra in the Monte Carlo method provides benchmark solutions for radiative heat transfer in participating media. It is, however, a computationally demanding calculation, and therefore its application is limited to small and medium-scale cases. In gas mixtures, one of the most time-consuming parts is the wavenumber selection for each emission bundle (also known as photon). Due to interdependency of spectral emission of individual species, trial-and-error is needed to obtain the emission wavenumber of species. Doing trial-and-error with tight convergence threshold through large set of data increases the simulation time. This paper presents a novel scheme to select the wavenumber by adding a new dataset which circumvents the need for trial-and-error. The performance of the new scheme is exhibited in four different test cases containing CO2, H2O, and CO. An excellent agreement was observed between the results of the new and old schemes. Compared to the previously published hybrid selection scheme, the wavenumber selection is around seven times faster using the new scheme.
AnnotateXR: An Extended Reality Workflow for Automating Data Annotation to Support Computer Vision Applications
Authors: Chidambaram Subramanian , Jain Rahul , Swarup Reddy Sai , Unmesh Asim , Ramani Karthik 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Computer vision (CV) algorithms require large annotated datasets that are often labor-intensive and expensive to create. We propose AnnotateXR, an extended reality (XR) workflow to collect various high-fidelity data and auto-annotate it in a single demonstration. AnnotateXR allows users to align virtual models over physical objects, tracked with six degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) sensors. AnnotateXR utilizes a hand tracking capable XR head-mounted display coupled with 6DOF information and collision detection to enable algorithmic segmentation of different actions in videos through its digital twin. The virtual–physical mapping provides a tight bounding volume to generate semantic segmentation masks for the captured image data. Alongside supporting object and action segmentation, we also support other dimensions of annotation required by modern CV, such as human–object, object–object, and rich 3D recordings, all with a single demonstration. Our user study shows AnnotateXR produced over 112,000 annotated data points in 67 min.
Exploratory Factor Analysis for Machining Error Data of Compressor Blades Based on Dimensionality-Reduced Statistical Analysis Method
Authors: Fan Lingsong , Ren Yubin , Tan Miaolong , Wu Baohai , Gao Limin 
Published: August 2024

Abstract
Various machining errors inevitably occur on aero-engine compressor blades, including leading-edge contour error, trailing-edge contour error, camber contour error, and more. The current complexity surrounding the numerous machining error types and their obscure interrelationships imposes immense effort for aerodynamic analysis and hinders overall error control. Thus, elucidating error correlations to achieve error dimensionality reduction is imperative. This study pioneers a dimensionality reduction approach via exploratory factor analysis to conduct a comprehensive statistical analysis of 13 types of blade machining errors. The proposed technique can categorize the 13 errors into three groups, each dominated by a distinct common factor. Furthermore, bootstrap resampling establishes the 95% confidence intervals for the factor scores. Capitalizing on the grouping structure uncovered by exploratory factor analysis, multiple linear regression models are built for the errors within each group, and then, a preliminary conjecture is made about the potential control error types for each group of errors based on the regression coefficients. This hypothesis is then evidenced by the statistical analysis of cross section profile error data of 28 blades. The present work can not only optimize machining processes but also relax tolerance requirements and diminish the effort of aerodynamic analysis.
Two new species and supplementary description of two sympatric species of eriophyoid mites&nbsp;from south China (Acari: Eriophyoidea)
Authors: Tan Meng-Chao , Liang Xu-Hui , Tan Fei , Hu Lin 
Published: August 2024

Two new species of eriophyoid mites from China, are described and illustrated, namely: Shevtchenkella radermachera sp. nov. on Radermachera sinica (Hance) Hemsl. (Bignoniaceae); Tetra clerodendrum sp. nov. on Clerodendrum fortunatum L. (Lamiaceae). We provided two new combinations—Aculops puerariae (Qin, Wang & Wei, 2008) comb. nov. and Kyllocarus microcarpae (Wang, Wei & Yang, 2009) comb. nov. All new eriophyoid mite species are vagrants, causing no apparent symptom to their host plants.
Neurotransmitter acetylcholine mediates the mummification of
Ophiocordyceps sinensis
-infected
Thitarodes xiaojinensis
larvae
Authors: Chai Wenmin , Mao Xianbing , Li Chunfeng , Zhu Liancai , He Zongyi , Wang Bochu 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACT

Parasites can manipulate host behavior to facilitate parasite transmission. One such host–pathogen interaction occurs between the fungus
Ophiocordyceps sinensis
and the ghost moth
Thitarodes xiaojinensis. O. sinensis
is involved in the mummification process of infected host larvae. However, the underlying molecular and chemical mechanism for this phenomenon is unknown. We characterized the small molecules regulating host behaviors and the altered metabolites in infected and mummified host larvae. Lipid-related metabolites, such as phosphatidylcholine, were identified in infected and mummified larvae. Decreased levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh) and elevated choline levels were observed in the brains of both the infected and mummified larvae. The aberrant activity of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) and relative mRNA expression of
ACE2
(acetylcholinesterase) may mediate the altered transformation between ACh and choline, leading to the brain dysfunction of mummified larvae. Caspofungin treatment inhibited the mummification of infected larvae and the activity of AChE. These findings indicate the importance of ACh in the mummification of host larvae after
O. sinensis
infection.

IMPORTANCE

Ophiocordyceps sinensis
-infected ghost moth larvae are manipulated to move to the soil surface with their heads up in death. A fruiting body then grows from the caterpillar’s head, eventually producing conidia for dispersal. However, the underlying molecular and chemical mechanism has not been characterized. In this study, we describe the metabolic profile of
Thitarodes xiaojinensis
host larvae after
O. sinensis
infection. Altered metabolites, particularly lipid-related metabolites, were identified in infected and mummified larvae, suggesting that lipids are important in
O. sinensis
-mediated behavioral manipulation of host larvae. Decreased levels of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine were observed in both infected and mummified larvae brains. This suggests that altered or reduced acetylcholine can mediate brain dysfunction and lead to aberrant behavior. These results reveal the critical role of acetylcholine in the mummification process of infected host larvae.
Inhibition of transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 reduces shedding and transmission during
Streptococcus pneumoniae
co-infection with influenza
Authors: Murakami Daichi , Kono Masamitsu , Sakatani Hideki , Iyo Takuro , Hijiya Masayoshi , Shiga Tatsuya , Kinoshita Tetsuya , Sumioka Takayoshi , Okada Yuka , Saika Shizuya , Koizumi Yusuke , Hotomi Muneki 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACT

Transmission is the first step for a microorganism to establish colonization in the respiratory tract and subsequent development of infectious disease.
Streptococcus pneumoniae
is a leading pathogen that colonizes the mucosal surfaces of the human upper respiratory tract and causes subsequent transmission and invasive infections especially in co-infection with influenza A virus. Host factors contributing to respiratory contagion are poorly understood. Transient receptor potential vanilloid (TRPV) channels have various roles in response to microoorganism. Inhibition of TRPV exacerbates invasive infection by
Streptococcus pneumoniae
, but it is unclear how TRPV channels influence pneumococcal transmission. Here, we describe the effect of inhibition of TRPV1 on pneumococcal transmission. We adopted a TRPV1-deficient infant mouse model of pneumococcal transmission during co-infection with influenza A virus. We also analyzed the expression of nasal mucin or pro-inflammatory cytokines. TRPV1 deficiency attenuated pneumococcal transmission and shedding during co-infection with influenza A virus. TRPV1 deficiency suppressed the expression of nasal mucin. In addition, there were increases in the expression of tumor necrosis factor-α and type I interferon, followed by the suppressed replication of influenza A virus in TRPV1-deficient mice. Inhibition of TRPV1 was shown to attenuate pneumococcal transmission by reducing shedding through the suppression of nasal mucin during co-infection with influenza A virus. Inhibition of TRPV1 suppressed nasal mucin by modulation of pro-inflammatory responses and regulation of replication of influenza A virus. TRPV1 could be a new target in preventive strategy against pneumococcal transmission.
Metabolic changes associated with polysaccharide utilization reduce susceptibility to some β-lactams in
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
Authors: Nilson Rachael , Penumutchu Swathi , Pagano Francesco S. , Belenky Peter 
Published: August 2024

ABSTRACT

Antibiotic therapy alters bacterial abundance and metabolism in the gut microbiome, leading to dysbiosis and opportunistic infections.
Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron
(
Bth
) is both a commensal in the gut and an opportunistic pathogen in other body sites. Past work has shown that
Bth
responds to β-lactam treatment differently depending on the metabolic environment both
in vitro
and
in vivo
. Studies of other bacteria show that an increase in respiratory metabolism independent of growth rate promotes susceptibility to bactericidal antibiotics. We propose that
Bth
enters a protected state linked to an increase in polysaccharide utilization and a decrease in the use of simple sugars. Here, we apply antibiotic susceptibility testing, transcriptomic analysis, and genetic manipulation to characterize this polysaccharide-mediated tolerance (PM tolerance) phenotype. We found that a variety of mono- and disaccharides increased the susceptibility of
Bth
to several different β-lactams compared to polysaccharides. Transcriptomics indicated a metabolic shift from reductive to oxidative branches of the tricarboxylic acid cycle on polysaccharides. Accordingly, supplementation with intermediates of central carbon metabolism had varying effects on PM tolerance. Transcriptional analysis also showed a decrease in the expression of the electron transport chain (ETC) protein NQR and an increase in the ETC protein NUO, when given fiber versus glucose. Deletion of NQR increased
Bth
susceptibility while deletion of NUO and a third ETC protein NDH2 had no effect. This work confirms that carbon source utilization modulates antibiotic susceptibility in
Bth
and that anaerobic respiratory metabolism and the ETC play an essential role.

IMPORTANCE

Antibiotics are indispensable medications that revolutionized modern medicine. However, their effectiveness is challenged by a large array of resistance and tolerance mechanisms. Treatment with antibiotics also disrupts the gut microbiome which can adversely affect health.
Bacteroides
are prevalent in the gut microbiome and yet are frequently involved in anaerobic infections. Thus, understanding how antibiotics affect these bacteria is necessary to implement proper treatment. Recent work has investigated the role of metabolism in antibiotic susceptibility in distantly related bacteria such as
Escherichia coli
. Using antibiotic susceptibility testing, transcriptomics, and genetic manipulation, we demonstrate that polysaccharides reduce β-lactam susceptibility when compared to monosaccharides. This finding underscores the profound impact of metabolic adaptation on the therapeutic efficacy of antibiotics. In the long term, this work indicates that modulation of metabolism could make
Bacteroides
more susceptible during infections or protect them in the context of the microbiome.
Job satisfaction and psychosocial factors and their association with job performance in Iranian midwives: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Mashayekh-Amiri Sepideh , Mirghafourvand Mojgan 
Published: August 2024

BackgroundThe global shortage of midwives and their job performance can significantly affect the quality of care for mothers, newborns, and their families.ObjectivesThis study aimed to determine the status of job satisfaction and psychosocial factors and their relationships with the job performance of midwives in Tabriz City, Iran.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingUrban health centres and public and private hospitals in Tabriz, Iran.ParticipantsA total of 575 midwives were included in this study using census sampling from November 2022 to January 2023. Inclusion criteria were midwives with at least B.Sc. degrees and 6 months of work experience while midwives with a history of depression were excluded from the study. The occupational-social-demographic characteristics questionnaire, Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire and Woman-Centred Care Scale Midwife Self-Report were used to collect data. The Pearson correlation test was used to investigate the relationship between job satisfaction and psychosocial factors in midwives’ job performance. In multivariate analysis, the general linear model (GLM) adjusting for occupational-social-demographic characteristics was also used.ResultsAccording to the Pearson correlation test, there was a significantly direct correlation between job satisfaction (r=0.21, p<0.001) and psychosocial factors (r=0.23, p<0.001) with job performance. Also, as suggested by the GLM, midwives’ job performance increases as job satisfaction (β=0.05, 95% CI 0.01 to 0.11, p=0.044) and psychosocial factors (β=0.13, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.23, p=0.007) increase.ConclusionsThere was a direct relationship between midwives’ job satisfaction and psychosocial factors and their job performance.
Protocol for a discrete choice experiment: understanding preferences for seeking health services for survivors of sexual violence in Uganda
Authors: Stark Lindsay , Mutumba M , Ssewamala Fred , Brathwaite Rachel , Brown Derek S , Atwebembere Raymond , Mwebembezi Abel 
Published: August 2024

IntroductionSexual violence is a significant public health concern with severe physical, social and psychological consequences, which can be mitigated by health service utilisation. However, in Uganda and much of sub-Saharan Africa, these services are significantly underused, with 9 out of 10 survivors not seeking care due to a range of psychological, cultural, economic and logistical factors. Thus, there is a strong need for research to improve health service utilisation for survivors of sexual violence.Methods and analysisThe proposed study seeks to address the underutilization of health services for female survivors of sexual violence using a discrete choice experiment (DCE). The study will be conducted in the greater Masaka region of southwestern Uganda and target adult female survivors of sexual violence. We will first undertake qualitative interviews with 56 survivors of sexual violence to identify the key attributes and levels of the DCE. In order to ensure a sufficiently powered sample, 312 women who meet inclusion criteria will be interviewed. Our primary analysis will employ a mixed (random parameters) logit model. We will also model the role of individual-specific characteristics through latent class models.Ethics and disseminationThe study protocol was reviewed and approved by the following ethics review boards in Uganda and the USA: the Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI), the Uganda National Council for Science and Technology (HS2364ES), Washington University in St Louis and the University of Michigan. Our methods conform to established guidelines for the protection of human subjects involved in research. Our dissemination plan targets a broad audience, ranging from policymakers and government agencies to healthcare providers, academic communities and survivors themselves.