bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Sensitivity to network perturbations in the randomized shortest paths framework: theory and applications in ecological connectivity
Authors: Kivimäki Ilkka , Van Moorter Bram , Saerens Marco 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
The randomized shortest paths (RSP) framework, developed for network analysis, extends traditional proximity and distance measures between two nodes, such as shortest path distance and commute cost distance (related to resistance distance). Consequently, the RSP framework has gained popularity in studies on landscape connectivity within ecology and conservation, where the behavior of animals is neither random nor optimal. In this work, we study how local perturbations in a network affect proximity and distance measures derived from the RSP framework. For this sensitivity analysis, we develop computable expressions for derivatives with respect to weights on the edges or nodes of the network. Interestingly, the sensitivity of expected cost to edge or node features provides a new signed network centrality measure, the negative covariance between edge/node visits and path cost, that can be used for pinpointing strong and weak parts of a network. It is also shown that this quantity can be interpreted as minus the endured expected detour (in terms of cost) when constraining the walk to pass through the node or the edge. Our demonstration of this framework focuses on a migration corridor for wild reindeer (Rangifer rangifer) in Southern Norway. By examining the sensitivity of the expected cost of movement between winter and calving ranges to perturbations in local areas, we have identified priority areas crucial for the conservation of this migration corridor. This innovative approach not only holds great promise for conservation and restoration of migration corridors, but also more generally for connectivity corridors between important areas for biodiversity (e.g. protected areas) and climate adaptation. Furthermore, the derivations and computational methods introduced in this work present fundamental features of the RSP framework. These contributions are expected to be of interest to practitioners applying the framework across various disciplines, ranging from ecology, transport and communication networks to machine learning.
Price transparency at the point of prescribing with real-time prescription benefits
Authors: Fitts Austin , Teare Andrew J , Nelson Scott D 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Purpose
Real-time prescription benefits (RTPB) shows prescribers patient-, medication-, and pharmacy-specific information on medication pricing, prior authorization requirements, and lower-cost alternatives. RTPB is intended to improve patient satisfaction and prescription fill rates by decreasing out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions. Therefore, we evaluated how RTPB affects prescribing patterns by examining acceptance and subsequent fill rates for RTPB alternative suggestions.

Methods
RTPB was implemented in February 2022 using external vendor interfaces. Prescribing data from March 2022 to March 2023 were analyzed. RTPB displayed alerts for medications requiring prior authorization or when alternative medications would result in cost savings. Patients were included if their prescription received an RTPB response and they had a subsequent encounter with pharmacy fill data. Primary outcomes were alert acceptance rates and prescription fill rates across RTPB alert groups, with a secondary outcome of monthly copay savings for accepted alerts.

Results
RTPB requests received a response for 88% of prescriptions, with price estimates provided for 77.9% of them. Lower-cost alternatives accounted for 67.2% of alerts, while prior authorization requirements represented 15% of alerts. Prescribers selected a lower-cost alternative 32% of the time. For those with an RTPB alert, patients filled prescriptions 68% of the time when an alternative was chosen, compared to 59% of the time when the original prescription was retained (odds ratio, 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.5-1.6; P &lt; 0.001). Patients saved an average of $27.77 per month on copay costs when alternatives were selected.

Conclusion
Implementation of RTPB was found to result in significant improvements in prescription fill rates and decrease patient copay costs, despite low alert acceptance rates.
Enacted appreciation and the meta-normative structure of urgency
Authors: Porter Elliot 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Some considerations are urgent and others are not. Sometimes we invite criticism if we neglect the urgency of our situation, even if our action seems adequate to respond to it. Despite this significance, the literature does not offer a satisfactory analysis of the normative structure of urgency. I examine three views of urgency, drawn from philosophical and adjacent literature, which fail to explain the distinctive criticism we face when we neglect the urgency of our reasons. Instead I argue that urgent considerations pre-empt our deliberation about less urgent considerations. Urgency, then, is a meta-normative phenomenon, setting standards for how we handle and respond to first-order considerations, requiring that we close deliberation. In the face of urgency, appropriate action is not enough: commitment is called for. This is how we enact appreciation of our practical reasons, independently of our carrying out the action they call for.
Ecological perspectives on female and male reproductive success with competition in two Serapias species
Authors: Borràs Joshua , Cursach Joana , Herrera Cayetano , Perelló-Suau Sebastià , Capó Miquel 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background and Aims
The deceptive strategies by which orchids are pollinated and how these are capable of attracting pollinators remain understudied with regard to their implications for plant fitness. Despite their ecological importance, limited investigations have been conducted on sexual deception and shelter mimicry in orchid species, making this a compelling avenue in orchid biology research. To expand the knowledge of these reproductive mechanisms, we studied the pollination of Serapias lingua and S. parviflora in co-occurring and isolated sites in the Balearic Islands (Spain), further accentuated by the presence of a hybrid, indicating shared pollinators.

Methods
We employed bagging and hand pollination experiments to examine the reproductive biology of the two species. Furthermore, we evaluated the influence of phenotypical and ecological factors on reproductive success, including biometric measurements, reproductive performance and neighbourhood diversity (co-flowering and pollinator communities).

Key Results
Reproductive mechanisms between these two orchid species exhibit substantial disparities. Serapias lingua relies primarily on insect-mediated pollination, while S. parviflora demonstrates self-reproduction capacity. Although events of open pollination are rare, hybridization occurs predominantly when S. lingua is the pollen donor. Fruit set in S. parviflora was positively correlated with plant height, while in S. lingua it was negatively associated with flower size. The coexistence of the two species positively affected pollinium removal in S. parviflora, but did not exert an influence on reproductive traits in S. lingua. Overall, biometric parameters were diminished in isolated compared with co-occurring sites. At the community level, the increased diversity of co-flowering species in the vicinity exhibited an inhibitory effect on pollinium removal in S. parviflora.

Conclusions
Under a context of pollinator loss or phenological mismatch between pollinator presence and flowering, the selfing capacity of S. parviflora would guarantee reproduction whereas S. lingua survival would be compromised. Furthers studies are needed to assess the effects of phenotypical and ecological factors on reproductive success of S. lingua in pollinator-decline scenarios.
Reasonableness: a guiding light—A probe into the World Court’s landmark judgment on substantive standards of investment protection and its takeaways for investment treaty tribunals
Authors: Abedian Mir-Hossein , Eftekhar Reza 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In its recent Judgement on Certain Iranian Assets, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) extensively addressed various international investment law issues that arose from the interpretation and application of an FCN (Friendship, Commerce, and Navigation). This represents a rare instance of the World Court addressing such matters to such a great extent. Chief amongst the Court’s holdings was the test put forward by the ICJ for assessing the ‘reasonableness’ of state measures for the purpose of evaluating their compliance with international standards of investment protection such as ‘fair and equitable treatment’ and ‘non-expropriation’. Acknowledging a trend in investment treaty jurisprudence, the Court went on to introduce more concrete yardsticks for examining the ‘reasonableness’ of state measures. The ICJ’s holdings on this matter could contribute to the enhanced ‘certainty’ and ‘predictability’ in decisions concerning ‘fair and equitable treatment’ standard and ‘non-expropriation’ obligation. The application of the tests of ‘reasonableness’ formulated by the ICJ in the field of investment treaty law could provide states with a greater margin of appreciation when exercising their ‘right to regulate’. In practical terms, as opposed to a stringent ‘proportionality’ analysis, the ICJ’s formulation of ‘reasonableness’ would mean an alleviated burden of proof for states to justify the propriety of their measures towards foreign investors.
Evaluation of laparoscopic peritoneal lavage for perforated diverticulitis: a national registry-based study
Authors: Kollatos Christos , Sköldberg Filip , Graf Wilhelm 
Published: May 2024

Abstract

Background
Laparoscopic lavage (LPL) has been suggested for treatment of non-feculent perforated diverticulitis. In this observational study, the surgical treatment of diverticular disease in Sweden outside prospective trials was investigated.

Methods
This population-based study used the National Patient Register to identify all patients in Sweden with emergency admissions for diverticular disease, as defined by ICD codes from July 2014 to December 2020. Demographics, surgical procedures and outcomes were assessed. In addition, register data since 1997 were retrieved to assess co-morbidities, previous abdominal surgeries, and previous admissions for diverticular disease.

Results
Among 47 294 patients with emergency hospital admission, 2035 underwent LPL (427 patients) or sigmoid resection (SR, 1608 patients) for diverticular disease. The mean follow-up was 30.8 months. Patients selected for LPL were younger, healthier and with less previous abdominal surgery for diverticular disease than those in the SR group (P &lt; 0.01). LPL was associated with shorter postoperative hospital stay (mean 9.4 versus 14.9 days, P &lt; 0.001) and lower 30-day mortality (3.5% versus 8.7%, P &lt; 0.001). Diverticular disease–associated subsequent surgery was more common in the SR group than the LPL group except during the first year (P &lt; 0.001). LPL had a lower mortality rate during the study period (stratified HR 0.70, 95% c.i. 0.53–0.92, P = 0.023).

Conclusion
Laparoscopic lavage constitutes a safe alternative to sigmoid resection for selected patients judged clinically to require surgery.
Genetic polymorphisms, biomarkers and signaling pathways associated with septic shock: from diagnosis to therapeutic targets
Authors: Wu Mingzheng , Mi Bobin , Liu Liu , Ma Haoli , Jiang Cheng , Jiang Shan , Li Yulin , Zhao Yan 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Septic shock is a severe form of sepsis characterized by high global mortality rates and significant heritability. Clinicians have long been perplexed by the differential expression of genes, which poses challenges for early diagnosis and prompt treatment of septic shock. Genetic polymorphisms play crucial roles in determining susceptibility to, mortality from, and the prognosis of septic shock. Research indicates that pathogenic genes are known to cause septic shock through specific alleles, and protective genes have been shown to confer beneficial effects on affected individuals. Despite the existence of many biomarkers linked to septic shock, their clinical use remains limited. Therefore, further investigation is needed to identify specific biomarkers that can facilitate early prevention, diagnosis and risk stratification. Septic shock is closely associated with multiple signaling pathways, including the toll-like receptor 2/toll-like receptor 4, tumor necrosis factor-α, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B, mitogen-activated protein kinase, nuclear factor κB, Janus kinase/signal transducer and activator of transcription, mammalian target of rapamycin, NOD-like receptor thermal protein domain-associated protein 3 and hypoxia-induced-factor-1 pathways. Understanding the regulation of these signaling pathways may lead to the identification of therapeutic targets for the development of novel drugs to treat sepsis or septic shock. In conclusion, identifying differential gene expression during the development of septic shock allows physicians to stratify patients according to risk at an early stage. Furthermore, auxiliary examinations can assist physicians in identifying therapeutic targets within relevant signaling pathways, facilitating early diagnosis and treatment, reducing mortality and improving the prognosis of septic shock patients. Although there has been significant progress in studying the genetic polymorphisms, specific biomarkers and signaling pathways involved in septic shock, the journey toward their clinical application and widespread implementation still lies ahead.
Local adaptation to climate inferred from intraspecific variation in plant functional traits along a latitudinal gradient
Authors: Tudor Emily P , Lewandrowski Wolfgang , Krauss Siegfried , Veneklaas Erik J 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Ascertaining the traits important for acclimation and adaptation is a critical first step to predicting the fate of populations and species facing rapid environmental change. One of the primary challenges in trait-based ecology is understanding the patterns and processes underpinning functional trait variation in plants. Studying intraspecific variation of functional traits across latitudinal gradients offers an excellent in situ approach to assess associations with environmental factors, which naturally covary along these spatial scales such as the local climate and soil profiles. Therefore, we examined how climatic and edaphic conditions varied across a ~160-km latitudinal gradient to understand how these conditions were associated with the physiological performance and morphological expression within five spatially distinct populations spanning the latitudinal distribution of a model species (Stylidium hispidum Lindl.). Northern populations had patterns of trait means reflecting water conservation strategies that included reduced gas exchange, rosette size and floral investment compared to the southern populations. Redundancy analysis, together with variance partitioning, showed that climate factors accounted for a significantly greater portion of the weighted variance in plant trait data (22.1%; adjusted R2 = 0.192) than edaphic factors (9.3%; adjusted R2 = 0.08). Disentangling such independent and interactive abiotic drivers of functional trait variation will deliver key insights into the mechanisms underpinning local adaptation and population-level responses to current and future climates.
Effects of acclimation temperature and feed restriction on the metabolic performance of green sturgeon
Authors: Zillig Kenneth W , Hannan Kelly D , Baird Sarah E , Cocherell Dennis E , Poletto Jamilynn B , Fangue Nann A 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Green sturgeon (Acipenser medirostris) are an anadromous threatened species of sturgeon found along the Pacific coast of North America. The southern distinct population segment only spawns in the Sacramento River and is exposed to water temperatures kept artificially cold for the conservation and management of winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha). Past research has demonstrated costs of cold-water rearing including reduced growth rates, condition and survivorship of juvenile green sturgeon. Our research investigates how the stressors of water temperature and food limitation influence the metabolic performance of green sturgeon. We reared green sturgeon at two acclimation temperatures (13 and 19°C) and two ration amounts (100% and 40% of optimal feed). We then measured the routine and maximum metabolic rates (RMR and MMR, respectively) of sturgeon acclimated to these rearing conditions across a range of acute temperature exposures (11 to 31°C). Among both temperature acclimation treatments (13 or 19°C), we found that feed restriction reduced RMR across a range of acute temperatures. The influence of feed restriction on RMR and MMR interacted with acclimation temperature. Fish reared at 13°C preserved their MMR and aerobic scope (AS) despite feed restriction, while fish fed reduced rations and acclimated to 19°C showed reduced MMR and AS capacity primarily at temperatures below 16°C. The sympatry of threatened green sturgeon with endangered salmonids produces a conservation conflict, such that cold-water releases for the conservation of at-risk salmonids may constrain the metabolic performance of juvenile green sturgeon. Understanding the impacts of environmental conditions (e.g. temperature, dissolved oxygen) on ecological interactions of green sturgeon will be necessary to determine the influence of salmonid-focused management.
Correcting detection bias in mapping the abundance of marine megafauna using a Mediterranean seabird as an example
Authors: Lambert Charlotte , Cecere Jacopo G , De Pascalis Federico , Grémillet David 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
Distance sampling surveys are extensively used to estimate the abundance of wide-ranging species but are prone to detection biases. This may be particularly acute for strip-transect protocols, which assume perfect detection. We examined this assumption by quantifying the detection probability of a declining seabird (Scopoli’s shearwater, Calonectris diomedea), with particular attention to time of day and observation conditions at sea. We found detection probability was negatively affected by sun glare but positively by cloud cover and considerably dropped during mid-day hours due to circadian changes in behaviour (reduced detectability while resting). This result urges for systematically assessing and correcting detection bias when using strip-transect data to derive abundance information. Here, we did so by building a detection-corrected presence-absence ensemble model and combining it with a compilation of colony sizes and locations. A Monte-Carlo simulation ensured uncertainty propagation within and across data sources. The corrected abundance map showed shearwaters were largely prevalent in the central Mediterranean, Tunisia hosting most of the population both at sea and at colonies (45% of the global population; 79% of breeding pairs). This first accurate map is an essential conservation tool, emphasizing the importance of transnational actions for such species, that know no political boundaries.
Assessing the influence of offshore wind turbine noise on seasonal fish chorusing
Authors: Siddagangaiah Shashidhar , Fang Chen Chi- , Hu Wei-Chun , Akamatsu Tomonari , Pieretti Nadia 
Published: May 2024

AbstractOffshore wind farms have recently emerged as a renewable energy solution. However, the long-term impacts of wind turbine noise on fish chorusing phenology are largely unknown. We deployed a hydrophone 10 m from a foremost turbine in Taiwan situated at the Miaoli offshore wind farm (Taiwan Strait) for two years to investigate sound levels and assess the potential influence of turbine noise on seasonal fish chorusing patterns during 2017 and 2018. Wind turbine noise (measured in the 20–250 Hz frequency band) was significantly higher in autumn and winter (mean SPL: 138–143 dB re 1 μPa) and was highly correlated with wind speed (r = 0.76, P &lt; 0.001). During both years, fish chorusing exhibited a consistent trend, that is, beginning in spring, peaking in summer, decreasing in autumn, and absent in winter. Our results show the noise from a single turbine during the two-year monitoring period did not influence the seasonal fish chorusing (r = −0.17, P ≈ 1). Since the offshore wind farm installations are growing in magnitude and capacity across the Taiwan Strait, this study for the first time provides baseline operational sound levels and an understanding of the fish seasonal vocalization behavior at the foremost turbine of the first wind farm in Taiwan. The results presented here provide useful insights for policymakers and constitute a reference starting point for advancing knowledge on the possible effects of wind turbines on fish chorusing in the studied area.
Induced Subgraph Density. I. A loglog Step Towards Erd̋s–Hajnal
Authors: Bucić Matija , Nguyen Tung , Scott Alex , Seymour Paul 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In 1977, Erd̋s and Hajnal made the conjecture that, for every graph $H$, there exists $c&gt;0$ such that every $H$-free graph $G$ has a clique or stable set of size at least $|G|^{c}$, and they proved that this is true with $ |G|^{c}$ replaced by $2^{c\sqrt{\log |G|}}$. Until now, there has been no improvement on this result (for general $H$). We prove a strengthening: that for every graph $H$, there exists $c&gt;0$ such that every $H$-free graph $G$ with $|G|\ge 2$ has a clique or stable set of size at least $$ \begin{align*} &2^{c\sqrt{\log |G|\log\log|G|}}.\end{align*} $$ Indeed, we prove the corresponding strengthening of a theorem of Fox and Sudakov, which in turn was a common strengthening of theorems of Rödl, Nikiforov, and the theorem of Erd̋s and Hajnal mentioned above.
Visceral Leishmaniasis–Human Immunodeficiency Virus–Coinfected Patients Are Highly Infectious to Sandflies in an Endemic Area in India
Authors: Singh Om Prakash , Chaubey Rahul , Kushwaha Anurag Kumar , Fay Michael P , Sacks David , Sundar Shyam 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
In an area endemic with Indian visceral leishmaniasis (VL), we performed direct xenodiagnosis to evaluate the transmission of Leishmania donovani from patients with VL–human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) coinfection to the vector sandflies, Phlebotomus argentipes. Fourteen patients with confirmed VL-HIV coinfection, with a median parasitemia of 42 205 parasite genome/mL of blood, were exposed to 732 laboratory-reared pathogen-free female P argentipes sandflies on their lower arms and legs. Microscopy revealed that 16.66% (122/732) of blood-fed flies were xenodiagnosis positive. Notably, 93% (13/14) of the VL-HIV group infected the flies, as confirmed by quantitative polymerase chain reaction and/or microscopy, and were 3 times more infectious than those who had VL without HIV.