bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Scale morphology is a promising, additional tool for exploring the taxonomy and ecology of freshwater fishes
Authors: Bánó Bálint , Bolotovskiy Aleksey , Levin Boris , Mattox George M. T. , Cetra Mauricio , Czeglédi István , Takács Péter 
Published: March 2024

AbstractIt has long been recognized that presence–absence, localisation, size, number and shape of fish scales can be important taxonomic features. Although there are some notes on the relationship between scale morphology and ecological needs, in the absence of a sufficiently large and detailed database, the morphological variability of fish scales and the factors responsible for this variability have not yet been explored in detail. For this reason, a database—which contains the shape and relative size data of 193 freshwater fish taxa of 14 orders, originated from five biogeographic realms—has been built. Database analyses showed that both the scale shape and relative size are proper taxonomic indicators. They can be used to separate higher taxonomic categories (e.g., orders), and by the simultaneous analysis of shape and size scale morphology, we showed increased sensitivity for species‐level detachments. Our results suggest that while both the shape and the size of the fish scales are genetically determined, they are also useful descriptors of the niche segregation (habitat use, flow preference) of close relative species. Scale morphology is a promising additional tool to specify the environmental preferences of lesser known or close relative recent and extinct fish species. And also can be of great help in such cases when only the scales are available for taxonomic identification, for example, in the research field of archaeology and palaeontology.
Low temperature fabrication of highly dense α‐Si3N4 ceramics
Authors: Du Songmo , Zhang Jie , Li Fei , Chen Zhanglin , Zhang Shijia , Zhao Shuo , Zhao Dengke , Fan Binbin , Chen Kexin , Liu Guanghua 
Published: March 2024

AbstractHighly dense α‐silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics were densified at a lower temperature of 1450°C under a moderate mechanical pressure of 50 MPa from commercial α‐Si3N4 powder and with conventional Al2O3–Y2O3 sintering additives. The fabricated α‐Si3N4 ceramics exhibited a hardness of 19 GPa, which is higher than that of the β‐Si3N4 ceramics usually obtained. The effect of sintering temperature and sintering pressure in the liquid phase sintering of the α‐Si3N4 ceramics is studied. The role of the dissolution–reprecipitation process and the particle rearrangement during densification of the α‐Si3N4 ceramics is discussed.
Stock market liberalization and management earnings forecasts: Evidence from a quasi‐experiment in China
Authors: Huang Jianqiao , Deng Yilu , Jiu Lili 
Published: March 2024

AbstractThis study examines the impact of Chinese stock market liberalization on the quality of firms' information disclosures. Although previous studies have explored the economic outcomes of stock market liberalization, little is known about its impact on the quality of management earnings forecasts. We treat China's Stock Connect program as a quasi‐experiment and draw data from Chinese A‐share‐listed companies from 2012 to 2017. Using a staggered difference‐in‐difference model, we find that eligible firms issue more accurate earnings forecasts after implementation of the Connect program compared with ineligible firms. Our mechanism analyses show that the positive effect is more pronounced for firms with initially opaque information environment and higher ex ante agency costs, suggesting that market liberalization facilitates higher‐opaque firms to issue more accurate earnings forecasts to meet the information demand from foreign investors, and facilitates monitoring in firms with weak internal governance, thereby improving earnings forecasts quality.
Impact of the emotional development approach on psychotropic medication in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities: a retrospective clinical analysis
Authors: Barrett B. F. , Wehmeyer M. , Kolb J. , Ostermann T. , Sappok T. 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundCompared with the general population, adults with an intellectual developmental disorder (IDD) are more likely to develop mental health problems and to receive high levels of psychotropic medication, particularly antipsychotics. The emotional development (ED) approach may help to better understand the nature of challenging behaviour (CB) and tailor treatment and support accordingly. The aim of this retrospective study was to investigate the impact of the ED approach on the prescription of psychotropic medication during inpatient psychiatric treatment.MethodsThe clinical data of 1758 patients were analysed within a retrospective study design over a period of 12 years. ED level was assessed (1) for the first time (INITIAL‐SEO), (2) during a previous hospital stay (PAST‐SEO) or (3) not at all (NO‐SEO). The effects of the ED assessment and the respective intervention during the current admission on the number of psychotropics and the number and dosage of antipsychotics were analysed for the total sample, including those with CB, autism spectrum disorders and psychosis. Group differences were analysed by a chi‐square test and a one‐factorial analysis of variance. For analysing the impact of the application of the ED approach on psychotropic medication, a covariance model was applied. Changes between the subsamples were analysed by t‐tests for dependent samples.ResultsThe ED approach had a significant impact on reducing the overall amount of psychotropic medication and the dosage of antipsychotics in all patients with IDD. These effects were mainly attributable to those showing CB. In patients with autism spectrum disorders, the developmental approach reduced the number of antipsychotics. No effects could be observed in patients with psychosis; in this subsample, both the number and dosage of antipsychotics increased.ConclusionsThe application of the ED approach in the current hospital stay reduced the number of psychotropic drugs and the number and dosage of antipsychotics, especially in those patients with IDD and CB, but also in those with autism spectrum disorders.
Evaluation of novel cosmetic shampoo formulations against Malassezia species: Preliminary results of anti‐dandruff shampoo formulations
Authors: Ergin Çağrı , Kurt Özgür , Türkoğlu Murat , Sevinç Hakan , Akbaba Göknur 
Published: March 2024

AbstractObjectivesMalassezia species are common, clinically relevant, and lipid‐dependent yeasts of humans. They are also the leading causes of the dandruff problem of humans, and the azoles are used primarily in their topical and systemic treatment. Resistance to azoles is an emerging problem among Malassezia sp., which indicates the need of new drug assessments that will be effective against dandruff and limit the use of azoles and other agents in treatment. Among them, the efficacy of various combinations of piroctone olamine and climbazole against Malassezia sp. is highly important. Here, we assessed the efficacies of various piroctone olamine and climbazole formulations against Malassezia sp. in comparison with ketoconazole.MethodsA total of nine formulations were included in the study, where each formulation was prepared from different concentrations of piroctone olamine and climbazole and both. All formulations contained the same ingredients as water, surfactants, hair conditioning agents, and preservatives. Malassezia furfur CBS1878, Malassezia globosa CBS7874, and Malassezia sympodialis CBS9570 were tested for antifungal susceptibility of each formulation by agar diffusion method. Sizes of the inhibition zones were compared with standard medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole, and the data were analyzed by Dunnett's multiple‐comparison test.ResultsFor all Malassezia sp. strains, climbazole 0.5% and piroctone olamine/climbazole (0.1%/0.1% and 0.1%/0.5%) combinations were found to have the same effect as the medical shampoo containing 2% ketoconazole. Piroctone olamine/climbazole 1.0%/0.1% formulation showed the same efficacy as 2% ketoconazole on M. furfur and M. sympodialis, while 0.1%/0.5% formulation to only M. furfur. For M. globosa, none of the formulations tested were as effective as ketoconazole.ConclusionThe species distribution of Malassezia sp. varies depending on the anatomical location on the host. According to the results of this study, climbazole and piroctone olamine combinations seem to be promising options against the dandruff problem with their high antifungal/anti dandruff efficacy.
Price effects of commodity financialization: Review of the evidence
Authors: Kupabado Moses Mananyi , Kaehler Juergen 
Published: March 2024

AbstractFollowing the 2007/2008 financial crisis, the price effects of commodity financialization have become an important research topic. We review the empirical evidence, focusing on statistical approaches and econometric models, and find that (1) Granger‐causality tests are unable to establish a relationship between commodity futures prices and funds of financial investors, implying a lack of evidence that financialization influences commodity futures prices and (2) studies that use correlation and price spread analysis mostly report evidence of a significant price effect of financialization. Thus, the statistical and econometric approaches adopted by the various studies influence the empirical findings. In addition, data identification may have an impact since economic models and statistical techniques can be sensitive to slight differences in the dataset. Our study of the literature shows that the definition of financialization is open‐ended and ambiguous. A theoretical literature review on financialization could be the logical next step.
Phasic Dissonance, Timbral Contrast: Analysing 20th‐Century Guitar Harmonies with Discrete Fourier Transform
Authors: Chandler Oliver , Thorneycroft Isabella 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACTOne of the six‐string classical guitar's most distinctive features is its unbalanced timbre. That is to say, only four pitches of the chromatic aggregate are overtonally supported by the resonances of the guitar's three bass strings. A common pitch‐ and structure‐generating strategy, exploited by twentieth‐century composers who wrote for the guitar, is bound up with this affordance. Local and global harmonic contrasts are often built around an antagonism between open‐string sets and fretted harmonies that largely avoid duplicating notes associated with the open strings. Open‐string/fretted binaries derive their sonic antagonism not just from timbral distinction, however, but from the fact that their pitch materials often lie at diametrically opposed positions on the circle of fifths. In many instances, this colouristic conflict replaces harmonic‐functional tension as a structure‐generating agent; the latter is reduced to a surface‐level topic. Representative works by Frank Martin and Leo Brouwer are taken as exemplifications of this trend.In demonstrating the subtle interactions between instrumental affordance and abstract pitch relationships and hierarchies, an invaluable theoretical approach developed by Ian Quinn and finessed by Jason Yust entails the study of harmonic quality through the discrete Fourier transform. This mathematical formula has been processed into an easy‐to‐use but powerful web application by Jennifer Harding – the Pitch Class DFT Vector Calculator – making its explanatory power available to music analysts without mathematical expertise. Part of the raison d’être of this article is to show how this application might be used and, more important, how the information that it yields might be interpreted.
Spatio‐temporal patterns of tick‐borne disease diagnoses in Indiana, USA (2009–2018)
Authors: Omodior Oghenekaro , Anderson Kristina R. , Blekking Jordan , Nicholas Kaukis 
Published: March 2024

AbstractAimsAlthough tick‐borne disease (TBD) incidence has increased in the United States (U.S.) in the past decade, new evidence suggests that notifiable diseases surveillance records may not accurately reflect the true magnitude of TBD diagnoses. Furthermore, while regional electronic health records (EHR) are readily accessible their potential use as a more stable and consistent source of TBD diagnoses data has remained largely unexplored.Methods and ResultsIn this study, we used EHR from a database of more than 100 hospitals, healthcare networks, and insurance providers in Indiana, U.S., to better understand incidence, spatio‐temporal and demographic distribution of TBD Diagnoses from 2009–2018. Our results revealed that in Indiana, from 2009 to 2018, there were 5173 unique TBD Diagnoses across three diagnoses categories: Lyme disease (72.5%, n = 3751), Rickettsioses (12.0%, n = 623) and Other TBD Diagnoses (15.4%, n = 799). Using EHR, the average yearly Lyme disease diagnoses was more than double the cases obtained using notifiable disease surveillance data for the same period. Patients with a TBD Diagnoses were generally older (ages 45–59) and less racially diverse (96.3% white). Rickettsiosis diagnoses were reported more among male patients (55.2%), while Lyme disease diagnoses were higher among female patients (57.1%). Temporal data illustrated higher frequencies of diagnoses from May to July. Hot spot analysis identified a Lyme disease hot spot in northwest Indiana, while hotspots of Rickettsiosis and Other TBD Diagnoses category were identified in southwest Indiana. Extrapolated to the Indiana population, chi‐squared (χ2) tests of independence revealed that the observed distribution of TBD diagnoses in our data was significantly different from the expected distribution in the Indiana population‐based race, gender and age groups.ConclusionsOur study findings demonstrate that in Indiana, EHR provide a stable data source for elucidating TBD disease burden and for monitoring spatio‐temporal trends in TBD diagnoses.
Implementation of a national monitoring programme of Campylobacter in Irish broilers to measure progress of on‐farm and primary processing control measures
Authors: Golden Olwen , Gutierrez Montserrat , O'Flaherty Joseph , Unger Kilian , Doyle Bernadette , Keogh Tara , McLernon Joanne , Pearce Rachel , O'Brien Tony , Byrne William 
Published: March 2024

AbstractBackgroundCampylobacter is the most common food‐borne pathogen in the European Union. In 2018, the crude incidence rate in Ireland was 63.6 per 100,000 population. Chicken is considered an important source of infection for humans. In 2015, the Campylobacter Stakeholders' Group (CSG) was established to reduce Campylobacter contamination levels in Irish broiler flocks.AimsThis work aimed to describe the Campylobacter monitoring programme that was established by the CSG, to analyse the results of this testing between 2019 and 2022, and to assess progress.Methods and ResultsThis paper describes the monitoring programme that was established by the CSG, which harmonized Campylobacter enumeration testing across all Irish broiler processors and allowed comparability of results for trend analysis. An analysis of the 2019–2022 data is presented here and compared to previous studies of Campylobacter levels in Irish broilers. An analysis of the 2019–2022 data showed a significant reduction in levels in both caeca and neck skin when the results from 2022 were compared to those from 2019 to 2020. Campylobacter spp. were detected in 37% of caecal samples from first depopulation (pre‐thin) broilers and 30% of neck skin samples in 2022, with just 4% of carcases (in neck skin samples) with ≥1000 colony‐forming units per gram detected in 2022. Campylobacter levels detected in Irish broilers, in the present monitoring programme were less than those reported in previous studies in both caecal and carcase samples, although not directly comparable for statistical significance because of differences in study methods.ConclusionsThe cooperation between stakeholders and regulators of the Irish broiler chicken industry over the past decade has facilitated a coordinated approach to monitoring of Campylobacter levels in broilers, and implementation of control measures. This has enabled a steady reduction in the levels of Campylobacter in Irish chicken.
Role of arm reaching movement kinematics in friction perception at initial contact with smooth surfaces
Authors: Afzal Naqash , du Bois de Dunilac Sophie , Loutit Alastair J. , Shea Helen O. , Ulloa Pablo Martinez , Khamis Heba , Vickery Richard M. , Wiertlewski Michaël , Redmond Stephen J. , Birznieks Ingvars 
Published: March 2024

AbstractWhen manipulating objects, humans begin adjusting their grip force to friction within 100 ms of contact. During motor adaptation, subjects become aware of the slipperiness of touched surfaces. Previously, we have demonstrated that humans cannot perceive frictional differences when surfaces are brought in contact with an immobilised finger, but can do so when there is submillimeter lateral displacement or subjects actively make the contact movement. Similarly, in, we investigated how humans perceive friction in the absence of intentional exploratory sliding or rubbing movements, to mimic object manipulation interactions. We used a two‐alternative forced‐choice paradigm in which subjects had to reach and touch one surface followed by another, and then indicate which felt more slippery. Subjects correctly identified the more slippery surface in 87 ± 8% of cases (mean ± SD; n = 12). Biomechanical analysis of finger pad skin displacement patterns revealed the presence of tiny (<1 mm) localised slips, known to be sufficient to perceive frictional differences. We tested whether these skin movements arise as a result of natural hand reaching kinematics. The task was repeated with the introduction of a hand support, eliminating the hand reaching movement and minimising fingertip movement deviations from a straight path. As a result, our subjects’ performance significantly declined (66 ± 12% correct, mean ± SD; n = 12), suggesting that unrestricted reaching movement kinematics and factors such as physiological tremor, play a crucial role in enhancing or enabling friction perception upon initial contact.
imageKey points
More slippery objects require a stronger grip to prevent them from slipping out of hands.
Grip force adjustments to friction driven by tactile sensory signals are largely automatic and do not necessitate cognitive involvement; nevertheless, some associated awareness of grip surface slipperiness under such sensory conditions is present and helps to select a safe and appropriate movement plan.
When gripping an object, tactile receptors provide frictional information without intentional rubbing or sliding fingers over the surface. However, we have discovered that submillimeter range lateral displacement might be required to enhance or enable friction sensing.
The present study provides evidence that such small lateral movements causing localised partial slips arise and are an inherent part of natural reaching movement kinematics.
NOx Emission Predictions in Gas Turbines Through Integrated Data-Driven Machine Learning Approaches
Authors: Hoque Kazi Ekramul , Hossain Tahiya , Haque ABM Mominul , Miah Md. Abdul Karim , Haque Md Azazul 
Published: March 2024

Abstract
The reduction of NOx emissions is a paramount endeavor in contemporary engineering and energy production, as these emissions are closely linked to adverse environmental and health impacts. The prediction of NOx emission from gas turbines through several integrated data-driven machine learning methods has been evaluated in study. The study compares the performance of ensemble and conventional machine learning models, demonstrating superior accuracy achieved by the ensemble models. Specifically, the Random Forest model achieved an accuracy rate of 91.68%, XGBoost yielded an accuracy of 91.54%, and CATBoost exhibited the highest accuracy at 92.76%. These findings highlight the capability of data-driven machine learning techniques in enhancing NOx emission predictions in gas turbines. The improved prediction by ensembles can be utilized in the development and implementation of more effective control and mitigation strategies in practical applications. Through the application of these advanced machine learning approaches, the gas turbine industry can play a pivotal role in minimizing its environmental impact while optimizing operational efficiency. This study also provides valuable insights into the effectiveness of ensemble machine learning models, advancing our understanding of their capabilities in addressing the critical issue of NOx emissions from gas turbines.
Population-specific variations in
KCNH2
predispose patients to delayed ventricular repolarization upon dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine therapy
Authors: Camara Mahamadou D. , Zhou Yitian , Dara Antoine , Tékété Mamadou M. , Nóbrega de Sousa Taís , Sissoko Sékou , Dembélé Laurent , Ouologuem Nouhoun , Hamidou Togo Amadou , Alhousseini Mohamed L. , Fofana Bakary , Sagara Issaka , Djimde Abdoulaye A. , Gil Pedro J. , Lauschke Volker M. 
Published: March 2024

ABSTRACT

Dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine is efficacious for the treatment of uncomplicated malaria and its use is increasing globally. Despite the positive results in fighting malaria, inhibition of the Kv11.1 channel (hERG; encoded by the
KCNH2
gene) by piperaquine has raised concerns about cardiac safety. Whether genetic factors could modulate the risk of piperaquine-mediated QT prolongations remained unclear. Here, we first profiled the genetic landscape of
KCNH2
variability using data from 141,614 individuals. Overall, we found 1,007 exonic variants distributed over the entire gene body, 555 of which were missense. By optimizing the gene-specific parametrization of 16 partly orthogonal computational algorithms, we developed a
KCNH2
-specific ensemble classifier that identified a total of 116 putatively deleterious missense variations. To evaluate the clinical relevance of
KCNH2
variability, we then sequenced 293 Malian patients with uncomplicated malaria and identified 13 variations within the voltage sensing and pore domains of Kv11.1 that directly interact with channel blockers. Cross-referencing of genetic and electrocardiographic data before and after piperaquine exposure revealed that carriers of two common variants, rs1805121 and rs41314375, experienced significantly higher QT prolongations (ΔQTc of 41.8 ms and 61 ms, respectively, vs 14.4 ms in controls) with more than 50% of carriers having increases in QTc >30 ms. Furthermore, we identified three carriers of rare population-specific variations who experienced clinically relevant delayed ventricular repolarization. Combined, our results map population-scale genetic variability of
KCNH2
and identify genetic biomarkers for piperaquine-induced QT prolongation that could help to flag at-risk patients and optimize efficacy and adherence to antimalarial therapy.