bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Inter‐subject correlation of electroencephalographic and behavioural responses reflects time‐varying engagement with natural music
Authors: Kaneshiro Blair , Nguyen Duc T. , Norcia Anthony M. , Dmochowski Jacek P. , Berger Jonathan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractMusical engagement can be conceptualized through various activities, modes of listening and listener states. Recent research has reported that a state of focused engagement can be indexed by the inter‐subject correlation (ISC) of audience responses to a shared naturalistic stimulus. While statistically significant ISC has been reported during music listening, we lack insight into the temporal dynamics of engagement over the course of musical works—such as those composed in the Western classical style—which involve the formulation of expectations that are realized or derailed at subsequent points of arrival. Here, we use the ISC of electroencephalographic (EEG) and continuous behavioural (CB) responses to investigate the time‐varying dynamics of engagement with functional tonal music. From a sample of adult musicians who listened to a complete cello concerto movement, we found that ISC varied throughout the excerpt for both measures. In particular, significant EEG ISC was observed during periods of musical tension that built to climactic highpoints, while significant CB ISC corresponded more to declarative entrances and points of arrival. Moreover, we found that a control stimulus retaining envelope characteristics of the intact music, but little other temporal structure, also elicited significantly correlated EEG and CB responses, though to lesser extents than the original version. In sum, these findings shed light on the temporal dynamics of engagement during music listening and clarify specific aspects of musical engagement that may be indexed by each measure.
Browsing impacts on seedling survival of Black Box (Eucalyptus largiflorens)
Authors: Moxham Claire , Kenny Sally A. 
Published: April 2024

SummaryBlack Box (Eucalyptus largiflorens F. Muell) is a dominant floodplain tree across the Murray‐Darling Basin. At Hattah‐Kulkyne National Park (northwest Victoria), historical changes in the hydrological regime and land use have degraded Black Box populations, with the majority of trees in poor health and with limited recruitment. To mitigate this threat, environmental watering has been implemented to improve condition, but successful regeneration has been limited. A 17‐month trial (April 2021 to September 2022) was undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of different management techniques in promoting Black Box regeneration (natural regeneration, seed‐scattering, tube stock and browsing control: guarded and unguarded tube stock). At the end of the trial, only four of the initial 63 seedlings remained alive (two guarded tube stock and two natural regeneration). Most seedling death was attributed to browsing (likely kangaroos), which was evident in the first three months, with unguarded plants heavily impacted. No germinants were recorded in the seed—scattering plots. Our findings of high browsing impacts on Black Box seedling survival, corroborates existing data on browsers (abundance levels and management thresholds) and emphasises the importance of incorporating herbivore browsing management in floodplain vegetation management strategies that aim to promote regeneration within Hattah‐Kulkyne National Park.
Genetic analyses verify sexually mature escaped farmed Atlantic cod and farmed cod eggs in the natural environment
Authors: Jorde Per Erik , van der Meeren Terje , Quintela María , Dahle Geir , Mateos‐Rivera Alejandro , Aase Marit , Norberg Birgitta , Sævik Pål Næverlid , Bjørn Pål Arne , Glover Kevin Alan 
Published: April 2024

AbstractElucidating the effects of domesticated organisms escaping into the natural environment represents a topic of importance in both evolutionary and conservation biology. However, when excluding the abundant data on salmonids, there is a lack of knowledge on this topic for marine fish aquaculture, which continues to expand globally. In order to bridge this empirical gap, we investigated a suspected escape of sexually mature domesticated Atlantic cod from a commercial marine fish farm in northern Norway. This involved genotyping samples of fish from cages on the farm, putatively identified escapees and wild cod captured in the region and samples of recently spawned eggs collected in the sea. Genetic analyses confirmed a farmed ancestry of the suspected escapees, and significantly, 27% of the sampled cod eggs. Furthermore, statistical analyses revealed a strong reduction in genetic variation in all samples of the farmed cod, including low effective population size and high degree of siblingship. These results thus document the escape of sexually mature adult cod and the release of fertilized domesticated cod eggs into the natural environment. Although it is possible that some of the mature escapees spawned post‐escape, the fact that only a single egg of potential hybrid farmed × wild origin was identified, together with the high number of mature cod in the farm, points to within cage spawning as the primary source of these eggs. This suggestion is supported by oceanic particle‐drift modelling, verifying that transport of eggs between the farm and the egg sampling locations was plausible. This study represents a rare documentation of interaction between domesticated and wild populations for a marine fish, pointing towards potential impacts on the local wild population.
Groundwater Contamination in Arid Coastal Areas: Qatar as a Case Study
Authors: Shomar Basem , Sankaran Rajendran 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe Arab region is located in an arid environment and suffers from water scarcity and poor water quality which are expected to become more severe in coming years due to global warming. In this study, the groundwater quality of 205 wells in Qatar was investigated. The physical parameters of pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total dissolved solids (TDS), salinity, inorganic carbon (IC), and organic carbon (OC) were determined. The study characterized the concentrations of major anions of Cl, F, Br, NO3, PO4, and SO4, and major cations of Ca, K, Mg, and Na. Importantly, metals and metalloids including V, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, As, Se, Mo, Cd, Ba, Pb, and U were determined. The results revealed that the groundwater of all wells is not drinkable due to high salinity (average TDS 4598 mg/L and salinity 0.4%, respectively). Additionally, average concentrations of major anions Cl, SO4, and F were 1472, 1064, and 1.9 mg/L, respectively, and all exceed the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines for drinking water. However, NO3 concentration in 11 out of 205 wells was above the WHO guidelines of 50 mg/L due to intensive agriculture and fertilizer applications. Major cations of Ca, K, Mg, and Na were higher than WHO guidelines with average concentrations of 345, 63, 127, and 923 mg/L, respectively. All trace metals were much lower than the WHO guidelines for drinking water; however, the vanadium (V) average concentration in groundwater of all wells was 31 μg/L, which is five times higher than the Dutch guidelines (whereas the WHO has no guidelines for V). The groundwater of Qatar is dominated by Ca and Mg sulfates in Sabkha environments and dominated by NaCl in the coastal zones from evaporate environments consisting of coastal salt flats, salt pans, estuaries, and lagoons supersaturated by salts and the influence of sea water intrusion.
Microstructural evolution and thermal shock resistance mechanism of calcium magnesium aluminate (CMA) aggregate in alumina castables
Authors: Chen Yichen , Pan Liping , Li Yawei , Zhu Qingyou , Liao Ning , Zhu Tianbin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThe microstructural evolution and thermal shock resistance mechanism of calcium magnesium aluminate (CMA) aggregate after its introduction into alumina castables remain unclear. The hydration behavior of alumina castables containing CMA aggregates with various particle sizes under 25°C curing conditions is investigated. Additionally, the microstructural evolution and the interfacial properties of CMA‐containing castables with temperatures, as well as the recovery of castable strength of CMA‐containing aggregates after resintering, are comprehensively examined. The results indicate that CMA aggregate enhances early strength and promotes CAC hydration of castables, forming a “core–shell” structure with spinel–calcium aluminate (CA)–calcium dialuminate (CA2) as the “core” and hydration phase as the “shell.” Sintering at 1600°C causes different overflow behavior in CMA aggregates, affecting the castable strength. Following resintering at 1700°C, the recovery ratio of flexural strength of castables containing CMA aggregate exceeds 15%, attributed to the overflow of CA/CA2 in the CMA aggregate, which repairs microcracks and enhances thermal shock resistance.
Antidiabetic potential of ethanolic crude extract of Garcinia atroviridis fruits: in vitro, in ovo, and in silico analysis
Authors: Shahid Muhammad , Fazry Shazrul , Najm Ahmed AbdulKareem , Law Douglas , Hoong Cheah Yew , Joe Lim Seng , Jiun Chang Shu , Mackeen Mukram M. 
Published: April 2024

SummaryVarious parts of Garcinia atroviridis have long been used to address various health issues and as a seasoning. Past research has highlighted the leaf extracts' diverse medicinal properties, including antioxidant, antihyperlipidaemic, antibacterial, antitumor, anti‐inflammatory, and antifungal effects. No research has explored the therapeutic effects of the ethanolic crude extract of G. atroviridis fruits (GAECE) for diabetes. This study aims to assess GAECE's antidiabetic potential using various methods, including in vitro and in ovo assays, cytotoxicity testing, phytochemical profiling, and in silico analysis to identify active compounds. The GAECE was prepared using the maceration method and evaluated for its inhibitory effect against DPP‐4, α‐glucosidase, and α‐amylase enzyme activities. The glucose uptake potential and the kinetic study of glucose uptake were performed to determine the time required to exert its glucose uptake potential. Moreover, the antihyperglycaemic effect was evaluated in diabetes induced in ovo model. Q‐TOF LCMS was performed to identify the phytochemical, which was then subjected to molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was conducted for 100 nanoseconds to validate the ligand–receptor complexes. GAECE exhibited promising antidiabetic potential, with half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of 0.129 ± 0.002 mg mL−1 for α‐amylase and 0.593 ± 0.01 mg mL−1 for α‐glucosidase; and showed an inhibition of 70.07 ± 0.96% for DPP‐4 enzymes at 0.5 mg mL−1. The 50% cell viability was found to be 0.87 ± 0.08 mg mL−1, 0.76 ± 0.04 mg mL−1, and 0.66 ± 0.03 mg mL−1 for 24, 48, and 72 h of treatment, respectively. Furthermore, GAECE showed potential for glucose uptake in differentiated L6 cells, resulting in a 136.7 ± 1.2% increase in glucose uptake. Kinetic analysis revealed peak potential at 10 min at the concentration of 0.4 mg mL−1. In in ovo diabetes induced model, GAECE reduced blood plasma glucose levels (152.4 ± 0.52 mg dL−1), which was similar to the effect of insulin.
Metabolic programming of organ‐specific natural killer cell responses
Authors: Delconte Rebecca B. , Sun Joseph C. 
Published: April 2024

SummaryCells of the mammalian innate immune system have evolved to protect the host from various environmental or internal insults and injuries which perturb the homeostatic state of the organism. Among the lymphocytes of the innate immune system are natural killer (NK) cells, which circulate and survey host tissues for signs of stress, including infection or transformation. NK cells rapidly eliminate damaged cells in the blood or within tissues through secretion of cytolytic machinery and production of proinflammatory cytokines. To perform these effector functions while traversing between the blood and tissues, patrolling NK cells require sufficient fuel to meet their energetic demands. Here, we highlight the ability of NK cells to metabolically adapt across tissues, during times of nutrient deprivation and within tumor microenvironments. Whether at steady state, or during viral infection and cancer, NK cells readily shift their nutrient uptake and usage in order to maintain metabolism, survival, and function.
Geopolitical EU? The EU's Wartime Assistance to Ukraine
Authors: Johansson‐Nogués Elisabeth , Leso Francesca 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis article explores the European Union's (EU's) assistance to Ukraine through the lens of critical geopolitics with a view to ascertaining whether the EU has become more geopolitical in its thinking and actions towards Eastern Europe. Our findings point to a mixed picture. Whilst the EU ‘mindscape’ appears to have shifted in relation to Eastern Europe, Ukraine and itself as an actor in the region, it is less apparent that the EU's foreign and security policy action has become geopoliticised. The 2022 Russian invasion has certainly seen a step change from the hesitant and self‐conscious approach that characterised the EU's engagement with Eastern Europe prior to 2022. However, declarations such as that by the High Representative and Vice President of the European Commission (HRVP) around the ‘birth of geopolitical Europe’ appear to be somewhat premature, as there is limited evidence at this stage that the EU is willing to provide leadership on the geospatial (re)ordering of the region.
Development of building stock model for an emerging city in India: Learnings for enabling circular economy in the built environment
Authors: Sharma Namya , Kalbar Pradip P. , Salman Muhammad 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis study explores the prospects of urban mining for a steadily developing city “Thane,” located in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region of India, through building material stock accounting (BMSA). A novel bottom‐up approach for stock accounting was developed for the cities with limited data availability, through the integration of geodata spatial analysis, archetype identification through statistical modeling, and regional building design assessment for material intensity calculation. This study is the first of its kind in the Indian context and focuses on the stock estimation of the most common building materials: concrete, reinforcement steel, and masonry bricks within the boundaries of a typical Indian urban area. The results showed that the total built‐up stock in Thane city in 2018 amounts to 84.7 million metric ton (MT) by weight; concrete 57.7%, bricks 40.4%, steel 1.9%. Such reservoirs of raw material can be harnessed to fulfill the future material requirements of the construction industry through proposed circular economy interventions such as material bank creation, local recycling facilities, and development of a secondary material market. The material stock estimated in this study was 46.1 MT/capita for permanent building dwellers and with potential infrastructural developments underway, urban mining application can be ensured by redefining design and demolition strategies and multi‐level collaboration for generating alternative material sources for the construction sector. This work of BMSA intends to provide meaningful insights into exploring the potentials of urban mining and help chart the future roadmaps of sustainable construction in India.
Protective effect of chlorogenic acid on liver injury in heat‐stressed meat rabbits
Authors: Ji Rongmei , Chen Jiali , Xu Jian , Zhang Lirui , Liu Lei , Li Fuchang 
Published: April 2024

AbstractThis study investigated the protective effects of chlorogenic acid (CGA) on production performance and liver function of rabbits under heat stress (HS) condition. A total of 120 healthy New Zealand weaned rabbits with similar initial body weight, were randomly divided into 3 treatments with 20 replicates per treatment and 2 weaned rabbits per replicate: control (CON) group (rabbits were housed at 25 ± 1°C and fed a basal diet), HS group (rabbits were housed at 35 ± 1°C and fed a basal diet), and HS + CGA group (rabbits were housed at 35 ± 1°C and fed a basal diet supplemented with 800 mg/kg CGA). The trial lasted for 28 days. The results showed that HS challenge decreased (p < 0.05) growth performance, induced oxidative stress and hepatic apoptosis, and caused liver damage in rabbits. However, dietary CGA supplementation increased (p < 0.05) body weight gain and feed efficiency, and enhanced (p < 0.05) antioxidative capacity in serum and liver in HS‐challenged rabbits; attenuated HS‐induced increases in urea nitrogen (p = 0.03), alanine aminotransferase (p = 0.03), aspartate aminotransferase (p = 0.01), caspase‐8 (p = 0.02), and caspase‐3 (p = 0.04) as well as decrease albumin (p = 0.04). Moreover, supplementation with CGA upregulated Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway‐related genes expressions, including Nrf2 (p = 0.009), HO‐1 (p = 0.03) and SOD1 (p = 0.04) in HS‐challenged rabbits. Our findings demonstrated that dietary CGA supplementation could alleviate HS‐induced decline in growth performance, and protect against HS‐induced liver damage partially through enhancing antioxidant capacity via acting Nrf2/HO‐1 pathway and inhibiting hepatic apoptosis in rabbits.
The woman is the active agent: General practitioners and the agentive displacement of abortion in Ireland
Authors: McCaffrey Brenna 
Published: April 2024

AbstractAfter the legalization of abortion in 2018, Ireland needed clinicians to become abortion providers and make this political win a medical reality. Yet Irish doctors had next‐to‐no training in abortion care, and barriers ranging from stigma to economic pressures in the healthcare system impacted doctors’ desire to volunteer. How did hundreds of Irish doctors make the shift from family doctor to abortion provider? Drawing on ethnographic research conducted between 2017 and 2020, this article explores the process by which Irish general practitioners became abortion providers, attending to the material impact of medical technologies on that journey. Drawing from medical anthropologists who have examined similar themes of agency, pharmaceuticals, and medico‐legal frameworks within the topic of assisted dying, I build on Anita Hannig's idea of “agentive displacement” to frame the productive impact of abortion pills on this transition.
Material augmented semantic segmentation of point clouds for building elements
Authors: Liang Houhao , Yeoh Justin K. W. , Chua David K. H. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractPoint clouds are utilized to enable automated engineering applications for their ability to represent spatial geometry. However, they inherently lack detailed surface textures, posing challenges in differentiating objects at the texture level. Hence, this study introduces a 2D–3D fusing approach, leveraging material properties recognized from registered images as an augmented feature to enhance deep learning methods for the segmentation of building elements within point clouds. The proposed method was evaluated quantitatively on a 3D indoor data set with an implementation in an office room. The results are promising, showing improvement in recognition performance, particularly for objects with similar geometry but having different material properties. For instance, the segmentation of boards increased by 70.87%, and doors improved by 41.06% using the PointNet architecture. This enhanced segmentation not only reduces the time for interpreting point clouds but also has the potential to benefit downstream applications such as Scan‐to‐building information modeling (BIM), as defining regions for objects is essential.
The impact of peritoneal dialysis on oxypurinol and urate elimination in people with gout
Authors: Wilson Luke C. , Ward Jacob , Wright Daniel F. B. , Green Suetonia C. , Stocker Sophie L. , Putt Tracey L. , Schollum John B. W. , Walker Robert J. 
Published: April 2024

AbstractGout affects 15%–30% of individuals with advanced kidney disease. Allopurinol which is rapidly and extensively metabolised to an active metabolite, oxypurinol, is the most commonly prescribed urate‐lowering therapy. Oxypurinol is almost entirely eliminated by the kidneys (>95%) and has an elimination half‐life of 18–30 h in those with normal kidney function. However, oxypurinol pharmacokinetics are poorly understood in individuals with kidney failure on peritoneal dialysis. This study characterised the elimination of oxypurinol and urate in people with gout receiving peritoneal dialysis. Oxypurinol steady‐state oral clearance (CL/F), elimination half‐life as well as kidney (CLk) and peritoneal (CLpd) clearances for oxypurinol and urate were calculated from the plasma, urine and dialysate concentration data for each individual. Our results demonstrate that oxypurinol and urate are removed by peritoneal dialysis, accounting for more than 50% of oxypurinol and urate clearances. An allopurinol dose about 50%–60% lower than the usual dose used for a patient with normal kidney function will provide adequate urate‐lowering therapy.
Incidence, severity, and risk factors for white spot lesions in adolescent patients treated with clear aligners
Authors: Liu Qian , Song Zhixin 
Published: April 2024

AbstractObjectivesThis study was aimed to clarify the incidence, severity, and clinical risk factors for white spot lesions (WSLs) in adolescent patients treated with clear aligners.MethodsPre‐treatment and post‐treatment intraoral photographs of 203 adolescent patients undergoing clear aligner therapy were retrospectively evaluated to assess the occurrence and severity of WSLs. Information on patients' general oral condition and orthodontic treatment was collected from clinical medical documents, retrospective questionnaires, and ClinCheck® software. Independent risk factors and model performance were determined by multivariate logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis.ResultsThirty‐five percent of adolescent patients developed WSLs during clear aligner treatment. Logistic regression analysis revealed that the presence of WSLs before treatment (OR 2.484, 95% CI 1.245‐4.957), frequency of drinking carbonated beverages (OR 1.508, 95% CI 1.045‐2.177), and number of anterior attachments (OR 2.192, 95% CI 1.502‐3.198) were risk factors for the occurrence of WSLs in adolescent patients treated with clear aligners (P < .05), whereas the number of times they brushed each day (OR 0.656, 95% CI 0.454‐0.947) and frequency of aligner cleaning after eating while wearing them (OR 0.611, 95% CI 0.433‐0.861) were protective factors against WSLs (P < .05).ConclusionsThe incidence of WSLs was high in adolescent patients treated with clear aligners. Few brushings each day, pre‐treatment WSLs, a high frequency of drinking carbonated beverages, a low frequency of aligner cleaning after eating while wearing them, and a high number of anterior attachments are strongly associated with the development of WSLs in adolescent patients treated with clear aligners.