bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
NPCC4: Climate risk and equity—advancing knowledge toward a sustainable future | Introduction
Authors: Balk Deborah , Braneon Christian , Leichenko Robin , Moss Richard , Towers Joel 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThis Introduction to NPCC4 provides an overview of the first three NPCC Reports and contextualizes NPCC4's deliberate decision to address justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion in its collective work and in its own practices, procedures, and methods of assessment. Next, it summarizes the assessment process, including greater emphasis on sustained assessment. Finally, it introduces the NPCC4 chapters and their scope.
Evaluation and selection of sources of resistance in popcorn to southern corn leaf blight
Authors: Saluci Julio Cesar Gradice , Vivas Marcelo , de Almeida Rafael Nunes , Vasconcelos Luana Cruz , Valadares Fernanda Vargas , de Andrade Junior Marcelo Serafim , Santos Juliana Saltires , Mussi‐Dias Vicente , da Silveira Silvaldo Felipe , do Amaral Júnior Antônio Teixeira 
Published: June 2024

AbstractSouthern corn leaf blight (SCLB), caused by Bipolaris maydis, is an important leaf disease of popcorn. The use of resistant genotypes is the most suitable control option for this disease, but there are few sources of resistance described in popcorn germplasm for use in breeding programmes. This research aimed to identify new sources of resistance in a panel of popcorn inbred lines. A total of 184 lines were evaluated in the field twice a year for the incidence and severity of SCLB symptoms. A set of candidate lines for sources of resistance (CLSR) was selected and evaluated in a greenhouse under artificial inoculation based on joint analysis of variance and grouping of means. Data from the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC), based on three symptom severity assessments, allowed the analysis of variance followed by the grouping of means. The lines presented high phenotypic variability for the incidence and severity of SCLB under field conditions, enabling the selection of lines with higher potential for resistance. The test of means for AUDPC in the greenhouse allowed the formation of five groups, with the highest resistance comprising 23 lines. This group gathered lines with resistance to SCLB, the potential for grain yield and expansion capacity, in addition to lines that stood out with satisfactory performance as parents in previous research. Twelve percent (23 lines) out of the total evaluated lines were indicated as a source of resistance to SCLB.
Impacts of in‐vitro zebularine treatment on genome‐wide DNA methylation and transcriptomic profiles in Salix purpurea L.
Authors: Khodaeiaminjan Mortaza , Gomes Carolina , Pagano Andrea , Kruszka Dariusz , Sulima Paweł , Przyborowski Jerzy Andrzej , Krajewski Paweł , Paiva Jorge Almiro Pinto 
Published: June 2024

AbstractRenewable energy resources such as biomass are crucial for a sustainable global society. Trees are a major source of lignocellulosic biomass, which can vary in response to different environmental factors owing to epigenetic regulation, such as DNA C‐methylation. To investigate the effects of DNA methylation on plant development and wood formation, and its impacts on gene expression, with a focus on secondary cell wall (SCW)‐associated genes, Salix purpurea plantlets were cloned from buds derived from a single hybrid tree for both treatment and control conditions. For the treatment condition, buds were exposed to 50 μM zebularine in vitro and a combined strategy of whole‐genome bisulfite sequencing (WGBS) and RNA‐seq was employed to examine the methylome and transcriptome profiles of different tissues collected at various time points under both conditions. Transcriptomic and methylome data revealed that most of the promoter and gene body demethylation had no marked effects on the expression profiles of genes. Nevertheless, gene expression tended to decrease with the increased methylation levels of genes with highly methylated promoters. Results indicated that demethylation is less evident in centromeric regions and sex chromosomes. Promoters of secondary cell wall‐associated genes, such as 4‐coumarate‐CoA ligase‐like and Rac‐like GTP‐binding protein RHO, were differentially methylated in the secondary xylem samples collected from two‐month potted treated plants compared to control samples. Our results provide novel insights into DNA methylation and gene expression landscapes and a basis for investigating the epigenetic regulation of wood formation in S. purpurea as a model plant for bioenergy species.
Life is strongly emergent
Authors: Paolini Paoletti Michele 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn this article, I argue that life is a strongly emergent phenomenon. For the project of drawing a real distinction between living and non‐living beings cannot but appeal to strongly emergent powers. First, I introduce some features whose possession is typically taken to be sufficient for possessing life, i.e., Life‐Sufficient Features (or LS‐Features). I also clarify what I mean by “strongly emergent powers”. And I fully develop and illustrate my argument. Subsequently, I examine no less than 17 possible reactions to my argument. I show why all of such reactions turn out to be troublesome or inadequate.
What is narrativity?
Authors: Keven Nazim 
Published: June 2024

AbstractIn recent years, narrative accounts of the self have gained increasing attention. It is widely accepted that humans are storytelling creatures, that stories shape our self‐conception, and that we fail to be agents without a narrative framework. While there is less agreement on what constitutes a narrative, it is generally understood to be more than a chronological listing of life events; it is also an account of the explanatory relationships among these events—a story of how events lead to other events. However, specifying the nature of this explanatory relationship has proven difficult. As critics have pointed out, narrativists often resort to simplistic notions of narrative when faced with criticism. The concept of narrative explanation needs to be elaborated in a way that is both substantive enough to exclude trivial behaviours from being considered narratives and nonrestrictive enough to accommodate ordinary lives that may not be particularly story‐like. In this paper, I review existing accounts of narrative explanation and propose a teleological account, according to which narratives consist of goal‐directed explanations of a sequence of events. I argue that a teleological account of narrative explanation can be a fruitful way to clarify the concept of “narrative” in the context of the narrative self by addressing the most common objections.
Oral health status, behavior, and practices among hearing impaired children attending a specialized school in Jordan
Authors: Rajab Lamis Darwish , Da'as Noor Mustafa 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAimsTo assess the oral health status and related factors among hearing impaired schoolchildren.MethodsA cross‐sectional study among 115 hearing impaired schoolchildren enrolled at the School of the Deaf in Jordan. The World Health Organization (WHO) methodology and criteria were applied to collect data on caries, gingival bleeding. The WHO classification modified by Andreasen et al. was used to record traumatic dental injuries (TDIs). Sociodemographic data, oral health practices, and oral health related quality of life information were collected using a structured questionnaire.ResultsThe prevalence of caries among the study sample was 84.3%, the dominating component was untreated dental caries. Mean decayed, missing, filled primary teeth (dmft) was 8 in the primary dentition and 3.62 in the mixed dentition, mean Decayed, Missing, Filled permanent Teeth (DMFT) was 1.38 in the mixed dentition and 2.87 in the permanent. The overall mean of gingival bleeding percentage among the whole study sample was 70.38%. the prevalence of TDIs was of 11.3% and mostly caused by falls.ConclusionsThe prevalence of dental caries and caries experience, rate of gingival bleeding and dental trauma in children with hearing impaired individuals are high compared to figures observed in studies conducted among Jordanian schoolchildren with normal hearing. Dental diseases impact the quality of life of these individuals.
Scientists, censorship, and suppression: A combined comparative‐processual analysis of U.S. cases involving chemical and climate change expertise
Authors: Hess David J. 
Published: June 2024

AbstractAlthough scientific research is often crucial for efforts to achieve improved environmental regulation for industrial products and processes, scientists who document or publicize research on possible risks can face suppression or censorship by industry, government, and other actors. This study contributes to the sociology of science by examining the challenges and responses of environmental scientists in the U.S. in two research areas: toxic chemicals and climate change. Drawing on comparative and processual methods applied to a small‐N, unique data set of cases, the study conducts formal coding of variables for contextual conditions and four general categories of the suppression sequence: triggering circumstances and actions, suppression actions, responses, and outcomes. The first stage of the analysis identifies significant relationships between contextual conditions and the suppression sequence, such as the different forms of suppression that government employees and university professors face. The second stage identifies three composite processual sequences: employment risk for government scientists, records attacks for both government and university scientists, and reputation attacks on university scientists. Together, the two types of analysis advance research by identifying novel relationships in a more systematic way than is accomplished with the standard approach of one or a few cases. The approach also examines the benefits of a mode of comparative analysis that can be more readily connected with theory testing via process tracing at the case level. The practical issue of responding to suppression or censorship is considered, which could be of value to environmental scientists and their partners.
Tryptophan intrinsic fluorescence from wound healing correlates with re‐epithelialization in a rabbit model
Authors: Duran‐Padilla Marco , Serrano‐Loyola Raul , Perez‐Garcia Adolfo , Carrillo‐Betancourt Rodolfo , Campos‐García Rojas Cuauhtemoc , Reyes‐Alberto Miguel , Franco Walfre , Hernandez‐Ruiz Joselin , Gutierrez‐Herrera Enoch 
Published: June 2024

AbstractBackgroundWound healing monitoring and timely decision‐making are critical for wound classification. Tryptophan (Tr) intrinsic fluorescence, detected at 295/340 nm, provides a noninvasive approach for wound assessment. Our previous work demonstrated that this autofluorescence is associated with keratinocytes in a highly proliferative state in vitro.ObjectiveWe investigated the correlation between Tr fluorescence and key wound healing parameters, including re‐epithelialization, fibrosis, neovascularization, and acute and chronic inflammation, using a rabbit model.MethodsSeven rabbits underwent wound healing assessment over a 15‐day period. We employed histological analysis from central and marginal biopsies, and UV fluorescence imaging captured by a monochromatic near‐UV sensitive camera equipped with a passband optical filter (340 nm/12 nm). Excitation was achieved using a 295 nm LEDs ring lamp. Normalized fluorescence values were correlated with histological measurements using Pearson correlation.ResultsThe UV fluorescence strongly exhibited a strong correlation with re‐epithelization (r = 0.8) at the wound edge, with peak intensity observed between the sixth and ninth days. Notably, wound‐healing dynamics differed between the wound center and edge, primarily attributed to variations in re‐epithelialization, neovascularization, and chronic inflammation.ConclusionOur findings highlight the presence of autofluorescence at 295/340 nm during wound healing, demonstrating a robust association with re‐epithelialization. This excitation/emission signal holds promise as a valuable noninvasive strategy for monitoring wound closure, re‐epithelialization, and other biological processes where Tr plays a pivotal role.
The effects of immigrant generational status on the likelihood of misreporting turnout
Authors: Qi Dan 
Published: June 2024

AbstractObjectiveThis article explores the effects of immigrant generational status on the likelihood of misreporting turnout. I contend that varied levels of immigrant status affect individuals’ misreporting turnout in different ways due to social desirability and assimilation level concerns.MethodsUsing data from 2016 and 2020 Cooperative Election Study data sets, which include questions on respondents’ immigrant status and voting behavior variables, this study analyzes the effect of varied levels of immigrant status on misreporting turnout.ResultsThe analysis shows that there is a decreased likelihood of misreporting turnout as individuals move farther away from their immigrant generation in both the 2016 and 2020 elections. In other words, first‐generation immigrants are most likely to misreport turnout. Second‐ and third‐generation immigrants are less likely to misreport turnout than the first generations but are still significantly more likely to misreport their turnout than those who are not immigrants or who do not have immigrant parents or grandparents.ConclusionThe findings generally support the expectation. The levels of immigrant status affect individuals’ misreporting turnout in different ways.
The VSSL scale: A brief instructor tool for assessing students' perceived value of software to learning statistics
Authors: Alter Udi , Dang Carmen , Kunicki Zachary J. , Counsell Alyssa 
Published: June 2024

AbstractThe biggest difference in statistical training from previous decades is the increased use of software. However, little research examines how software impacts learning statistics. Assessing the value of software to statistical learning demands appropriate, valid, and reliable measures. The present study expands the arsenal of tools by reporting on the psychometric properties of the Value of Software to Statistical Learning (VSSL) scale in an undergraduate student sample. We propose a brief measure with strong psychometric support to assess students' perceived value of software in an educational setting. We provide data from a course using SPSS, given its wide use and popularity in the social sciences. However, the VSSL is adaptable to any statistical software, and we provide instructions for customizing it to suit alternative packages. Recommendations for administering, scoring, and interpreting the VSSL are provided to aid statistics instructors and education researchers understand how software influences students' statistical learning.
Suppression of plant immunity by Verticillium dahliae effector Vd6317 through AtNAC53 association
Authors: Liu Lisen , Li Jianing , Wang Zhaohan , Zhou Haodan , Wang Ye , Qin Wenqiang , Duan Hongying , Zhao Hang , Ge Xiaoyang 
Published: June 2024

SUMMARYVerticillium dahliae, a soil‐borne fungal pathogen, compromises host innate immunity by secreting a plethora of effectors, thereby facilitating host colonization and causing substantial yield and quality losses. The mechanisms underlying the modulation of cotton immunity by V. dahliae effectors are predominantly unexplored. In this study, we identified that the V. dahliae effector Vd6317 inhibits plant cell death triggered by Vd424Y and enhances PVX viral infection in Nicotiana benthamiana. Attenuation of Vd6317 significantly decreased the virulence of V. dahliae, whereas ectopic expression of Vd6317 in Arabidopsis and cotton enhanced susceptibility to V. dahliae infection, underscoring Vd6317's critical role in pathogenicity. We observed that Vd6317 targeted the Arabidopsis immune regulator AtNAC53, thereby impeding its transcriptional activity on the defense‐associated gene AtUGT74E2. Arabidopsis nac53 and ugt74e2 mutants exhibited heightened sensitivity to V. dahliae compared to wild‐type plants. A mutation at the conserved residue 193L of Vd6317 abrogated its interaction with AtNAC53 and reduced the virulence of V. dahliae, which was partially attributable to a reduction in Vd6317 protein stability. Our findings unveil a hitherto unrecognized regulatory mechanism by which the V. dahliae effector Vd6317 directly inhibits the plant transcription factor AtNAC53 activity to suppress the expression of AtUGT74E2 and plant defense.
An Experimental Investigation on Novel Segmented Omni Wheeled Hybrid Mobile Robot to Assess Obstacle Climbing Capability
Authors: Nagaraja Prashanth , Joharapuram Sudheer Reddy , Malenahalli Ganesh Bindusagar , Herai Matt Basavaraj , Umesh Nikhil , Madrahalli Chidanandamurthy Kiran 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
This article introduces a novel quadrupedal hybrid mobile robot with a segmented omni wheel design capable of climbing obstacles of height greater than its wheel radius. The unique wheel design comprises two parallel coaxial 240-deg segmented omni wheels per leg with independent offset angle control. The transformation from wheel to leg mode and vice versa can be seamlessly achieved by controlling the offset angle between the segmented omni wheels. A series of experiments are carried out to evaluate the robot's performance for obstacle climbing capability utilizing various wheel end effector designs, and a comparative analysis is presented. The results indicate that the obstacle climbing capability of segmented omni wheel design with zero offset angle is improved by 40.7% compared to standard wheel, and the unique wheel design configuration facilitates seamless staircase climbing capability without any complex control scheme. In addition, statistical studies using the Taguchi method and analysis of variance (ANOVA) are performed on the experimental findings. A linear regression model to predict power consumption has been developed, and the significant factors influencing the robot's power consumption and stability are presented.
A C-3 Clamp for Improved Connection Between Catheter Tube and Barbed Connector Together With Its Evaluation Using a Maximum Pull-Off Force Method
Authors: Ceco Irma , Yanez Leonardo Zamora , Scott Peter , Li Mo , Slocum Alexander , Fuenfer Michael 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
The majority of hospitalized patients require the insertion of a catheter as part of their medical treatment. For catheters to be connected to external devices, barbed connectors are often employed. If this connection is ever disrupted, a direct channel from the environment to the patient's internal body may be introduced, leading to a life-threatening emergency. Current methods of securing catheter tubes to connectors have various limitations that have prevented their widespread adoption in medical settings, ranging from low ease of use to poor geometric compatibility. The authors present a device, called the Catheter Connector Clamp (C-3), shown in Fig. 1 that will securely clamp multisize catheter tubes to existing barbed connectors to increase the security and repeatability of the connection. The authors also propose a method for comparing the effectiveness of current catheter connection solutions to their C-3 design using maximum pull-off force. On silicone medical tubing, the C-3 clamp performed more than twice as well as friction alone (2.09 times more), and 25% better than the hospital gold-standard taped connection.
Characterization of Resistance-Welded Hybrid Sandwich Sheets With Additively Manufactured Core Structure
Authors: Rosenthal Stephan , Dardaei Joghan Hamed , Hahn Marlon , Tekkaya A. Erman 
Published: June 2024

Abstract
Production of additively manufactured sandwich sheets is limited to small sizes. In the newly introduced process route, additively manufactured core structures are joined with large rolled face sheets by resistance welding, and the formability of the hybrid sandwich sheets is investigated. The necessity of developing the humps to improve the quality of resistance welding is initially investigated. Two different core structures, namely honeycomb and hollow sphere, are selected, and electrical-thermal coupled simulations with the abaqus software are performed to study the temperature distribution during resistance welding without and with hump. The strength of the joints for the fabricated sandwich sheets is verified by a quasi-static shear test. It is experimentally proven that the sandwich sheets without a hump in the core structure are not fully joined, and desired temperature localization is possible only by applying the hump. This is because the hump reduces the contact area, which leads to an increase in current density at the point where the resistance ratios are changed. This leads to higher temperatures in the intended joining zone. Different hump geometries for the core structure are designed, fabricated, and joined to the face sheets under different process parameters. The spot contact yields up to 50% higher shear strength than the linear or area contact. The free air-bending results show that the double weld is essential for successful subsequent bending. It is also concluded that increasing the resistance welding time by more than 120 ms does not affect the joining strength of hybrid sheets.
Physiological and transcriptomic response to methyl-coenzyme M reductase limitation in
Methanosarcina acetivorans
Authors: Chadwick Grayson L. , Dury Gavin A. , Nayak Dipti D. 
Published: June 2024

ABSTRACT

Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) catalyzes the final step of methanogenesis, the microbial metabolism responsible for nearly all biological methane emissions to the atmosphere. Decades of biochemical and structural research studies have generated detailed insights into MCR function
in vitro
, yet very little is known about the interplay between MCR and methanogen physiology. For instance, while it is routinely stated that MCR catalyzes the rate-limiting step of methanogenesis, this has not been categorically tested. In this study, to gain a more direct understanding of MCR’s control on the growth of
Methanosarcina acetivorans,
we generate a strain with an inducible
mcr
operon on the chromosome, allowing for careful control of MCR expression. We show that MCR is not growth rate-limiting in substrate-replete batch cultures. However, through careful titration of MCR expression, growth-limiting state(s) can be obtained. Transcriptomic analysis of
M. acetivorans
experiencing MCR limitation reveals a global response with hundreds of differentially expressed genes across diverse functional categories. Notably, MCR limitation leads to strong induction of methylsulfide methyltransferases, likely due to insufficient recycling of metabolic intermediates. In addition, the
mcr
operon is not transcriptionally regulated, i.e., it is constitutively expressed, suggesting that the overabundance of MCR might be beneficial when cells experience nutrient limitation or stressful conditions. Altogether, we show that there is a wide range of cellular MCR concentrations that can sustain optimal growth, suggesting that other factors such as anabolic reactions might be rate-limiting for methanogenic growth.

IMPORTANCE

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas that has contributed to ca. 25% of global warming in the post-industrial era. Atmospheric methane is primarily of biogenic origin, mostly produced by microorganisms called methanogens. Methyl-coenzyme M reductase (MCR) catalyzes methane formatio in methanogens. Even though MCR comprises ca. 10% of the cellular proteome, it is hypothesized to be growth-limiting during methanogenesis. In this study, we show that
Methanosarcina acetivorans
cells grown in substrate–replicate batch cultures produce more MCR than its cellular demand for optimal growth. The tools outlined in this study can be used to refine metabolic models of methanogenesis and assay lesions in MCR in a higher-throughput manner than isolation and biochemical characterization of pure protein.