bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Modeling the spatial dynamics of land cover transitions and vegetation conditions in Abuja city, Nigeria
Authors: Mshelia Yoksa Salmamza , Onywere Simon Mang’erere , Letema Sammy 
Published: August 2024

Purpose
This paper aims to assess the current and future dynamics of land cover transitions and analyze the vegetation conditions in Abuja city since its establishment as the capital of Nigeria in 1991.

Design/methodology/approach
A random forest classifier embedded in the Google Earth Engine platform was used to classify Landsat imagery for the years 1990, 2001, 2014 and 2020. A post-classification comparison was used to detect the dynamics of land cover transitions. A hybrid simulation model that comprised cellular automata and Markovian was used to model the probable scenario of land cover changes for 2050. The trend of Normalized Difference Vegetation Index was examined using Mann–Kendall and Theil Sen’s from 2014 to 2022. Nighttime band data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration were obtained to analyze the trend of urbanization from 2014 to 2022.

Findings
The findings show that built-up areas increased by 40%, while vegetation, bare land and agricultural land decreased by 27%, 7% and 8%, respectively. Vegetation had the highest declining rate at 3.15% per annum. Built-up areas are expected to increase by 17.1% between 2020 and 2050 in contrast with other land cover. The proportion of areas with moderate vegetation improvement is estimated to be 15.10%, while the proportion of areas with no significant change was 38.10%. The overall proportion of degraded areas stands at 46.8% due to urbanization.

Originality/value
The findings provide a comprehensive insight into the dynamics of land cover transitions and vegetation variability induced by rapid urbanization in Abuja city, Nigeria. In addition, the findings provide valuable insights for policymakers and urban planners to develop a sustainable land use policy that promotes inclusivity, safety and resilience.
Unravelling the complexities of biotic homogenization and heterogenization in the British avifauna
Authors: Wayman Joseph P. , Sadler Jonathan P. , Martin Thomas E. , Graham Laura J. , White Hannah J. , Tobias Joseph A. , Matthews Thomas J. 
Published: August 2024

Abstract

Biotic homogenization is a process whereby species assemblages become more similar through time. The standard way of identifying the process of biotic homogenization is to look for decreases in spatial beta–diversity. However, using a single assemblage‐level metric to assess homogenization can mask important changes in the occupancy patterns of individual species.

Here, we analysed changes in the spatial beta–diversity patterns (i.e. biotic heterogenization or homogenization) of British bird assemblages within 30 km × 30 km regions between two periods (1988–1991 and 2008–2011). We partitioned the change in spatial beta–diversity into extirpation and colonization‐resultant change (i.e. change in spatial beta–diversity within each region resulting from both extirpation and colonization). We used measures of abiotic change in combination with Bayesian modelling to disentangle the drivers of biotic heterogenization and homogenization.

We detected both heterogenization and homogenization across the two time periods and three measures of diversity (taxonomic, phylogenetic, and functional). In addition, both extirpation and colonization contributed to the observed changes, with heterogenization mainly driven by extirpation and homogenization by colonization. These assemblage‐level changes were primarily due to shifting occupancy patterns of generalist species.

Compared to habitat generalists, habitat specialists had significantly (i) higher average contributions to colonization‐resultant change (indicating heterogenization within a region due to colonization) and (ii) lower average contributions to extirpation‐resultant change (indicating homogenization from extirpation). Generalists showed the opposite pattern.

Increased extirpation‐resultant homogenization within regions was associated with increased urban land cover and decreased habitat diversity, precipitation, and temperature. Changes in extirpation‐resultant heterogenization and colonization‐resultant heterogenization were associated with differences in elevation between regions and changes in temperature and land cover.

Many of the ‘winners’ (i.e. species that increased in occupancy) were species that had benefitted from conservation action (e.g. buzzard (Buteo buteo)). The ‘losers’ (i.e. those that decreased in occupancy) consisted primarily of previously common species, such as cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).

Our results show that focusing purely on changes in spatial beta–diversity over time may obscure important information about how changes in the occupancy patterns of individual species contribute to homogenization and heterogenization.
Novel use of the rectus abdominus muscle flap for vaginal reconstruction in complex obstetric fistula repair: A case series
Authors: Patel Tulsi , Brown Rodger , Chipungu Ennet , Breen Michael , Draganchuk Jennifer , Nampandeni Patrick , Legesse Awol , Wilkinson Jeffrey 
Published: August 2024

AbstractObjectiveGlobally, obstetric fistula is a tragic outcome following obstructed labour. Failure of complex repair and post‐operative incontinence are common. We describe an innovative surgical technique incorporating the rectus abdominus flap at the time of fistula repair.DesignRetrospective case series.SettingMalawi, Fistula Care Centre.MethodsPatients were followed for 3 months after discharge to determine continence and healing.ResultsFive of six patients were continent at 3 months and one was lost to follow‐up by dry at a one month post‐operative phone call. There were no major complications.ConclusionsThe rectus abdominus flap may be a useful adjunct to repair of complex obstetric fistula.
Implementation outcomes from a multi‐site stepped wedge cluster randomized family caregiver skills training trial
Authors: Van Houtven Courtney Harold , Decosimo Kasey , Drake Connor , Bruening Rebecca , Sperber Nina R. , Dadolf Joshua , Tucker Matthew , Coffman Cynthia J. , Grubber Janet M. , Stechuchak Karen M. , Kota Swetha , Christensen Leah , Colón‐Emeric Cathleen , Jackson George L. , Franzosa Emily , Zullig Leah L. , Allen Kelli D. , Hastings Susan N. , Wang Virginia 
Published: August 2024

AbstractObjectiveTo assess whether a team collaboration strategy (CONNECT) improves implementation outcomes of a family caregiver skills training program (iHI‐FIVES).Data Sources and Study SettingiHI‐FIVES was delivered to caregivers at eight Veterans Affairs (VA) medical centers. Data sources were electronic health records, staff surveys, and interviews.Study DesignIn a stepped wedge cluster randomized trial, sites were randomized to a 6‐month time interval start date for iHI‐FIVES launch. Sites were then randomized 1:1 to either (i) CONNECT, a team collaboration training strategy plus Replicating Effective Programs (REP), brief technical support training for staff, or (ii) REP only (non‐CONNECT arm). Implementation outcomes included reach (proportion of eligible caregivers enrolled) and fidelity (proportion of expected trainings delivered). Staff interviews and surveys assessed team function including communication, implementation experience, and their relation to CONNECT and iHI‐FIVES implementation outcomes.Data Collection/Extraction MethodsThe sample for assessing implementation outcomes included 571 Veterans referred to VA home‐ and community‐based services and their family caregivers eligible for iHI‐FIVES. Prior to iHI‐FIVES launch, staff completed 65 surveys and 62 interviews. After the start of iHI‐FIVES, staff completed 52 surveys and 38 interviews. Mixed methods evaluated reach and fidelity by arm.Principal FindingsFidelity was high overall with 88% of expected iHI‐FIVES trainings delivered, and higher among REP only (non‐CONNECT) compared with CONNECT sites (95% vs. 80%). Reach was 18% (average proportion of reach across eight sites) and higher among non‐CONNECT compared with CONNECT sites (22% vs. 14%). Qualitative interviews revealed strong leadership support at high‐reach sites. CONNECT did not influence self‐reported team function.ConclusionsA team collaboration strategy (CONNECT), added to REP, required more resources to implement iHI‐FIVES than REP only and did not substantially enhance reach or fidelity. Leadership support was a key condition of implementation success and may be an important factor for improving iHI‐FIVES reach with national expansion.
Maintaining maintenance: The real effects of financial reporting for infrastructure
Authors: McDonough Ryan P. , Yan Claire J. 
Published: August 2024

AbstractWe use the adoption of General Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 34 (GASB 34) to examine whether disclosing information in states' financial reports influences their investment decisions. GASB 34 requires governments to report on general infrastructure assets and permits either the standard depreciation approach or the modified approach. The modified approach requires additional disclosures, a step which we argue promotes greater transparency about a government's infrastructure and can potentially facilitate infrastructure investment decisions. We find a robust positive association between the modified approach and investment in infrastructure maintenance. Additional evidence demonstrates a more pronounced effect when external monitoring is likely higher and government officials are likely better informed as a result of the increased disclosure. We further find that states using the modified approach are less likely to cut or divert funds intended for infrastructure maintenance. Our study suggests that disclosing information in governments' financial reports can have real effects, such as mitigating underinvestment in infrastructure maintenance, which governments often defer to future periods in violation of the interperiod equity principle and to the detriment of society.
When politicians behave badly: Political, democratic, and social consequences of political incivility
Authors: Bøggild Troels , Jensen Carsten 
Published: August 2024

AbstractMany citizens find politics too uncivil, and incivility is often considered a source of political disaffection. However, research studying these effects almost exclusively relies on survey experiments, which yield contrasting results depending on design choices and do not study downstream consequences for satisfaction with democracy and compliance with public policy. We present a theoretical argument on these downstream consequences and study how citizens respond to political incivility in their real‐life information environment using a multi‐wave survey panel of 6055 Danish citizens with 18,805 interviews spanning 18 months. Using generalized difference‐in‐differences models and a natural experiment, we demonstrate nontrivial adverse effects of political incivility on political trust, satisfaction with democracy, and intentions to comply with policies, while intentions to vote are unaffected. Our results highlight how elite rhetoric shapes support for the political system and policy compliance and pinpoint the potential and pitfalls of survey experiments and our own panel approach.
Making Space for the Maritorio: Raizal Dispossession and the Geopoetic Imagination in the San Andrés Archipelago
Authors: Cupples Julie , Gleghorn Charlotte , Lee Dixie , Ribeiro Raquel 
Published: August 2024

AbstractDrawing in part on the work of Édouard Glissant, this article explores how the Raizal population of the San Andrés Archipelago in the Caribbean mobilises the concept of maritorio as an archipelagic geopoetic vessel with emancipatory potential. This concept disrupts dominant land/sea binaries that result from and are rooted in geopolitical mechanisms and colonial fantasies. The San Andrés Archipelago is administratively and politically part of Colombia, but the Raizal people of the Archipelago share a long colonial and postcolonial history with Black Creole people elsewhere in the Anglophone Caribbean, especially the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua, based on diverse forms of economic, familial, and cultural exchange and marine mobilities. For many years, the status of the Archipelago was the basis of a dispute between Nicaragua and Colombia at the International Court of Justice, who ruled in 2012 that the islands were in fact Colombian while Nicaragua gained 75,000 km2 of sea. This ruling was devastating for the Raizales, fragmenting their maritorio and further thwarting Black mobilities and cultural exchange across the region. Legal‐geopolitical dislocations applied to the islands and the sea exacerbated structural conditions of racial and environmental injustice, while geopoetic responses by Raizal people to this state of affairs serve to confront colonial dispossession, ecological damage, and the ideological fixities of the Eurocentric nation‐state.
Outcomes and quality of life in patients receiving durable left ventricular assist device with biventricular support
Authors: Iyengar Amit , Weingarten Noah , Song Cindy , Rekhtman David , Shin Max , Helmers Mark R. , Wald Joyce , Cevasco Marisa , Atluri Pavan 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundPatients requiring biventricular support (BIVAD) face higher morbidity than those undergoing durable left ventricular assist device (LVAD) implantation alone. The goal of the current study was to evaluate quality of life (QOL) of patients with LVAD therapy in the modern era, stratified by use of biventricular support.MethodsAll patients undergoing LVAD at our center were reviewed between October 2017 and September 2021. Patients were stratified by perioperative use of BIVAD. Patients were administered a telephone survey consisting of the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ‐12) as well as free‐responses regarding satisfaction surrounding their operation. Outcomes included survival, KCCQ‐12 metrics, and thematic analysis of free response questions.Results92 patients were identified, of whom 26 (28%) received BIVAD support. BIVAD patients had more preoperative ECMO use (54% vs. 12%, p < 0.001) and lower INTERMACS scores (Category 1: 46% vs. 14%, p = 0.001). Three‐year survival was 73.8% among LVAD‐alone patients and 50.1% among BIVAD patients (log‐rank p = 0.022). Median composite KCCQ‐12 score was 78 (57–88). No differences in composite or any component scores were noted between groups. 76% of patients report they would be moderately or extremely like to go through surgery again if given repeat choice. The most common themes expressed were overall gratitude (24%) and disappointment with device‐related restrictions (20%).ConclusionsPatients requiring BIVAD therapy have more advanced shock, longer associated hospital courses, and lower long‐term survival. However, those that survive enjoy similar overall quality of life, and many endorse positive outlooks on their surgical course. Continued assessments of quality of life are important in providing patient‐centered LVAD care.
Testing sample selection criteria and loss of biomarkers during cleaning of archaeological unglazed pottery to maximize organic residue quantities
Authors: Janzen George , Formberg Jason , Braun Arno , Hammann Simon , Hornung Sabine , Fiedler Sabine 
Published: August 2024

AbstractAs the number of studies in organic residue analysis (ORA) of ancient pottery—a sensitive but as of today also a destructive method—increases, archaeologists are interested in knowing which samples promise the biggest abundance of analytes in order to avoid unnecessary loss of artefacts. Another frequently asked question is whether the routinely performed cleaning procedure should be omitted for samples intended for ORA to preserve the availability of analytes. We tested several selection criteria commonly accessible to archaeologists (texture, position, shape) for lipid quantities in ancient pottery in order to determine the most productive sherds for analysis. Moreover, we monitored loss of lipids during the water‐and‐brush cleaning process. Beside the usually targeted straight‐chain fatty acids (FA), less abundant biomarkers such as α,ω‐dicarboxylic acids (DCA), ω‐(o‐alkylphenyl)alkanoic acids (APAA) and hydroxy fatty acids (HFA) were also screened. The highest concentrations of analytes were observed in rims of coarse‐textured plates and cooking pots, demonstrating the usefulness of the proposed criteria. The washing procedure applied here did not lead to a loss of bulk FA, although the effect on minor components was not uniform.
Laparoscopic right gastroepiploic artery‐sparing distal gastric tube resection with lymph node dissection for gastric tube cancer after esophagectomy: A novel surgical approach (with video)
Authors: Aoki Hikaru , Kawada Hironori , Hanabata Yusuke , Shinkura Akina , Harada Kaichiro , Tachibana Keigo , Awane Kento , Tanino Keisuke , Nishitai Ryuta 
Published: August 2024

AbstractIntroductionTotal resection of the gastric tube with lymphadenectomy for advanced gastric tube cancer is highly invasive and associated with severe complications. Other surgical option, partial gastrectomy or wedge resection, is insufficient if lymph node metastasis is suspected. Therefore, a technique balancing invasiveness and curability is required.Materials and Surgical TechniqueFirst, we laparoscopically peeled off adhesions of the gastric tube, gastric mesentery (including the right gastroepiploic artery/vein), pericardial membrane, and aorta, up to the planned resection line. Subsequently, we cut the infrapyloric and right gastric arteries at their roots and dissected No. 5 and No. 6 lymph nodes. We taped and spared the right gastroepiploic artery and vein and dissected the tissues including No. 4d lymph nodes. Finally, the gastric tube was cut using a linear stapler, and the remaining gastric tube was anastomosed to the jejunum with a circular stapler. The mean operative time for the three cases treated using this intervention was 729 min. The patients were discharged on postoperative day 8 or 9 without any complications. They all remained alive and recurrence‐free.DiscussionThis novel approach balances invasiveness and curability by leveraging the advantages of laparoscopy. The procedure was performed safely and reproducibly in three consecutive cases, providing another viable option for the treatment of gastric tube cancer.
Blood pressure management after endovascular thrombectomy: Insights of recent randomized controlled trials
Authors: Dong Xiao , Liu Yuanyuan , Chu Xuehong , Yu Erlan , Jia Xiaole , Ji Xunming , Wu Chuanjie 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe ideal blood pressure (BP) target in patients who undergo endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) with successful reperfusion is uncertain. Observational studies show that elevated BP during this period is associated with a higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and worse clinical outcomes. Several randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have explored whether intensive BP lowering improves clinical outcomes in these patients.AimsThis review aims to summarize the recent RCTs that compare intensive and conventional BP management strategies following EVT and discuss the innovative directions to improve.ResultThe recently published RCTs failed to demonstrate the benefit of intensive BP control on the functional outcome and decreasing the risk of ICH. The complex mechanism in cerebral blood flow regulation and the inappropriate BP range chosen in RCTs may be the reasons behind the inconsistent results between observational studies and RCTs. Individualized BP management, reducing BP variability, and multi‐stage BP management should be paid more attention in future exploration.ConclusionIntensive BP target did not improve clinical outcomes after successful EVT as compared with a conventional BP target. Further research is required to identify the optimal BP management strategy after reperfusion.
Emotion dysregulation and obesity: A conceptual review of the literature
Authors: Atwood Molly E. 
Published: August 2024

SummaryProblematic eating behaviours are prevalent in individuals living with obesity and have been linked to weight gain over time. Furthermore, there is evidence that heightened negative emotionality is common in a subset of individuals living with obesity and that negative emotions often precede problematic eating behaviours. Consequently, several theories have highlighted emotion dysregulation as a potential explanatory mechanism of this relationship. However, to date, no comprehensive review has compiled the specific ways in which individuals living with obesity exhibit emotion dysregulation. The present review utilizes Gratz and Roemer's (2004) multidimensional conceptualization of emotion regulation and dysregulation as a framework to summarize the extant literature on emotion dysregulation in obesity. Specifically, this review examines research related to: (1) awareness and clarity of emotions; (2) acceptance of, and willingness to experience, emotion; (3) the ability to remain goal directed and inhibit impulsive behaviour when distressed; and (4) access to emotion regulation strategies. Overall, findings from the present review demonstrate that individuals living with obesity exhibit deficits in emotion clarity, and experience difficulty inhibiting impulsive behaviour and remaining goal directed when experiencing emotion. Strengths and limitations of the literature are reviewed, and future research directions and clinical implications are discussed in light of these findings.
Allergic contact dermatitis to woods of the genus Dalbergia in musical instruments
Authors: Gamboa Pedro M. , Sánchez de Vicente Javier , Segurola Aritza , Galán Cristina , Escalera Lucy Mónica Pérez , Arrien Angel , Jáuregui Ignacio 
Published: August 2024

AbstractBackgroundThe woods of trees of the genus Dalbergia are a frequent cause of allergic contact dermatitis.ObjectivesTo describe the different patterns of symptoms and sensitisation to woods of the genus Dalbergia in four patients whose regular work is linked to music, either as performers (two patients) or instrument makers.ResultsThe patients showed extensive cross‐reactivity between the different Dalbergia woods. The two musicians exhibited symptoms exclusively in the contact areas, while the instrument makers showed a pattern of airborne symptoms. The period from sensitisation to the development of symptoms varied greatly among the patients.ConclusionsThe symptoms of allergic contact dermatitis to Dalbergia woods differ markedly depending on the route of contact. Cross‐reactivity between the woods of this genus is very wide. The sensitising potential varies between the various Dalbergia woods, which require different contact periods depending on their sensitising power.