bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Predicting the Effects of Gypsy Moth on Near-View Aesthetic Preferences and Recreation Appeal
Authors: Hollenhorst Steven J. , Brock Samuel M. , Freimund Wayne A. , Twery Mark J. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Using the Scenic Beauty Estimation (SBE) approach, near-view color photographs were taken of 25 forested Central Appalachian Plateau sites exhibiting gypsy moth induced tree mortality from 6% (uninfested control site) to 98%. The slides were randomly arranged and presented to 400 subjects who rated the slides on a 10-point preference scale. Attitudes concerning forest management did not influence visual quality, while knowledge of the presence of gypsy moth damage had a negative effect. No differences were found between ratings of visual quality and recreation appeal. The final regression model explained 68% of the variance in visual quality. Tree mortality was an outstanding predictor, with linear and quadratic functions of tree mortality best describing the variability in ratings. Flowering mountain laurel and stand age also contributed significantly to the model. Scenic preferences and appeal for visitation increased initially as mortality approached 30-40%. Up to this point, increased sunlight, visual penetration, and flowering understory growth may have mitigated the negative effects of mortality. As mortality exceeded this level, ratings dropped sharply. We conclude that from the standpoint of near-view aesthetics or recreation value, gypsy moth suppression may only be necessary in stands where tree mortality is expected to be unusually high. FOR. SCI. 39(1):28-40.
Cultural, Environmental, and Genetic Factors Interact to Affect Performance of Planted Shortleaf Pine
Authors: Hallgren S. W. , Tauer C. G. , Weeks D. L. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The effects of lift date and storage on plantation performance were evaluated for 12 families of shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata Mill.) from Oklahoma and Arkansas in 2 consecutive years. Plantation performance was affected by lift date, storage treatment, and planting site weather. A high capacity for survival and growth was observed for lift dates from November through March for unstored seedlings and December through February for seedlings stored 28 days. Outside this lifting window stored seedlings showed lower survival and growth. Winter cold and spring drought caused significant losses for seedlings that had not had sufficient time to become established after transplanting. Seedlings planted after no storage in November and early December showed the highest capacity for rapid growth probably because they had the longest time to grow roots and become established before the next growing season. Root growth potential and the number of first-order lateral roots were good indicators of family field performance while root volume, height, diameter and presence of a terminal bud and secondary needles were not. The number of first-order lateral roots was highly heritable. For. Sci. 39(3):478-498.
Describing Leaf Area Distribution in Loblolly Pine Trees with Johnson's SB Function
Authors: Jerez Mauricio , Dean Thomas J. , Cao Quang V. , Roberts Scott D. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The objective of this study is to evaluate the fit of Johnson's SB distribution function to vertical foliage distributions of variously aged and treated loblolly pine trees when the function is fit with two percentiles of the observed distributions. Foliage distributions are linked to various stand properties, and straightforward means of quantifying foliage distribution may lead to a convenient method of characterizing forest stands using remote sensing technology such as LiDAR. Regression analyses indicate that the 15th and 50th percentiles of the distributions were best correlated with variables of crown structure and tree age. Skewness and kurtosis of the distributions calculated with the function's parameters also varied with crown structure and age. Cumulative fractions of leaf area calculated with fitted SB functions matched measured values well; cumulative values of absolute leaf area showed less correspondence with measured values, but residuals of both centered around zero. Incompatibilities between the continuous SB function and the irregular and discrete nature of foliage distribution of single trees occasionally produced large prediction errors. Based on these results, the SB function fitted with the two-percentile method suitably describes the vertical distribution of leaf area of a wide variety of loblolly pine trees. FOR. SCI. 51(2):93–101.
Spatial Continuity of Tree Attributes in Bottomland Hardwood Forests in the Southeastern United States
Authors: Dimov Luben D. , Chambers Jim L. , Lockhart Brian Roy 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Sustainable forest management and conservation require understanding of underlying basic structural and competitive relationships. To gain insight into these relationships, we analyzed spatial continuity of tree basal area (BA) and crown projection area (CPA) on twelve 0.64-ha plots in four mixed bottomland hardwood stands in Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Variogram range indicated that BA spatial continuity of trees with dbh &gt;10.0 cm extended an average 4.5 m. This distance equaled the quadratic mean crown radius (QMCR) of the overstory trees. Overall, 95% of the variability in BA was accounted for by the spatially structured variance and could be modeled as spatial dependence. Removal of suppressed trees from the analyses reduced the variability in BA at small separation distances and increased the variogram range. The average spatial continuity of unsuppressed trees averaged 18.2 m and was 17.6, 18.5, and 18.5 m based on the BA variograms, CPA variograms, and cross-variograms, respectively. This distance corresponded to four times the QMCR of the overstory trees and extended far enough to encompass the first- and second-order neighbors. The results suggest an existence of complex competitive influences and confirm findings in nonwoody vegetation that competitive effects can propagate beyond the direct neighbors. FOR. SCI. 51(6):532–540.
An Econometric Analysis of the Effect of Forest Dependence on the Economic Well-Being of Canadian Communities
Authors: Leake Nancy , Adamowicz Wiktor L. , Boxall Peter C. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This study examines how changes in economic activity in forestry, expressed as forest dependence at a census subdivision level (CSD), affected measures of economic well-being. The empirical models used to address this question were developed and estimated using random effects panel and two-stage least-squares estimators using data from the 1986, 1991, and 1996 Canadian census. The results illustrate the contribution of economic diversity to income growth and poverty reduction. However, the results also suggest that forest dependence was positively and significantly related to unemployment rates and to the incidence of poverty for people in private households. Forest dependence was shown to have little or no effect on median household income and the distribution of income within CSDs. These relationships were assessed while holding constant other factors expected to affect community level economic well-being, including economic diversity, trade exposure, and aggregate demand.
Hospital response to a new case-based payment system in China: the patient selection effect
Authors: Zhang Xinyu , Tang Shenglan , Wang Ruixin , Qian Mengcen , Ying Xiaohua , Maciejewski Matthew L 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Providers have intended and unintended responses to payment reforms, such as China’s new case-based payment system, i.e. Diagnosis-Intervention Packet (DIP) under global budget, that classified patients based on the combination of principal diagnosis and procedures. Our study explores the impact of DIP payment reform on hospital selection of patients undergoing total hip/knee arthroplasty (THA/TKA) or with arteriosclerotic heart disease (AHD) from July 2017 to June 2021 in a large city. We used a difference-in-differences approach to compare the changes in patient age, severity reflected by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI), and a measure of treatment intensity [relative weight (RW)] in hospitals that were and were not subject to DIP incentives before and after the DIP payment reform in July 2019. Compared with non-DIP pilot hospitals, trends in patient age after the DIP reform were similar for DIP and non-DIP hospitals for both conditions, while differences in patient severity grew because severity in DIP hospitals increased more for THA/TKA (P = 0.036) or dropped in non-DIP hospitals for AHD (P = 0.011) following DIP reform. Treatment intensity (measured via RWs) for AHD patients in DIP hospitals increased 5.5% (P = 0.015) more than in non-DIP hospitals after payment reform, but treatment intensity trends were similar for THA/TKA patients in DIP and non-DIP hospitals. When the DIP payment reform in China was introduced just prior to the pandemic, hospitals subject to this reform responded by admitting sicker patients and providing more treatment intensity to their AHD patients. Policymakers need to balance between cost containment and the unintended consequences of prospective payment systems, and the DIP payment could also be a new alternative payment system for other countries.
Intestinal Stromal Cells in the Turmoil of Inflammation and Defective Connective Tissue Remodeling in Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Drygiannakis Ioannis , Kolios George , Filidou Eirini , Bamias Giorgos , Valatas Vassilis 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
In steady state, intestinal subepithelial myofibroblasts form a thin layer below the basement membrane. Unlike the rest of the stromal cells in the lamina propria, they express tensile proteins, guide epithelial regeneration, and sense luminal microbiota. Upon inflammation in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they express activation markers, accept trophic signaling by infiltrating neutrophils and macrophages, and are activated by cytokines from helper T cells to produce a narrow spectrum of cytokines and a wider spectrum of chemokines, attract cells of innate and adaptive immunity, orchestrate inflammatory responses, and qualitatively and quantitatively modify the extracellular matrix. Thus, beyond being structural tissue components, they assume active roles in the pathogenesis of complicated IBD. Discrimination between myofibroblasts and fibroblasts may be an oversimplification in light of single-cell sequencing data unveiling the complexity of multiple phenotypes of stromal cells with distinct roles and plasticity. Spatial transcriptomics revealed distinct phenotypes by histologic localization and, more intriguingly, the assembly of mucosal neighborhoods that support spatially distinct functions. Current IBD treatments target inflammation but fail in fibrostenotic or fistulizing disease. Baseline and recent findings on stromal cells, molecules, and pathways involved in disrupted extracellular matrix homeostasis are reviewed to provide relevant pharmacologic targets.
Integration of persistence in the 5P-medicine approach for age-related chronic diseases
Authors: Borrás-Blasco Joaquín , Ramírez-Herráiz Esther , Navarro-Ruiz Andrés 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
5P medicine is defined as Personalized, Predictive, Preventive, Participatory, and Population-based. 5P medicine may be improved by including a factor that could provide information about the therapeutic value of a particular drug treatment and measure its effectiveness in clinical practice. We propose that this factor may be treatment persistence, and that its addition to 5P medicine would allow to define a new improved 6P medicine. Persistence is the length of time between initiation and the last dose, which immediately precedes discontinuation, that is, a definitive suspension of the treatment. By including this sixth P, the persistence, we would be able to present the value of a treatment for each individual patient with its own characteristics, state of the disease, with more than one age-related diseases and patient journey. Persistence is a concept of the value of a treatment that includes the three main stakeholders of the pharmacotherapeutic process: Patient, Physician, and Pharmacist. Persistence is becoming a useful measure to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of therapies in real-world setting in chronic diseases. Drug treatments with longer persistence are more likely to provide better disease control and to be amenable to dose adjustment in order to optimize treatment cost in age-related chronic diseases. Long-term persistence could be a measure of a drug´s real-world performance and has been shown to aid in clinical decision-making.
Ten-year results of an international external quality control programme for measurement of anti-tuberculosis drug concentrations
Authors: Stemkens Ralf , Mouhdad Chaima , Franssen Eric J F , Touw Daniel , Alffenaar Jan-Willem , Te Brake Lindsey H M , Sturkenboom Marieke G G , Aarnoutse Rob E 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Objectives
Participation in an external (interlaboratory) quality control (QC) programme is an essential part of quality assurance as it provides laboratories with valuable insights into their analytical performance. We describe the 10 year results of an international QC programme for the measurement of anti-tuberculosis (TB) drugs.

Methods
Each year, two rounds were organized in which serum (or plasma) samples, spiked with known concentrations of anti-TB drugs, were provided to participating laboratories for analysis. Reported measurements within 80%–120% of weighed-in concentrations were considered accurate. Mixed model linear regression was performed to assess the effect of the measured drug, concentration level, analytical technique and performing laboratory on the absolute inaccuracy.

Results
By 2022, 31 laboratories had participated in the QC programme and 13 anti-TB drugs and metabolites were included. In total 1407 measurements were reported. First-line TB drugs (isoniazid, rifampicin, pyrazinamide and ethambutol) represented 58% of all measurements. Overall, 83.2% of 1407 measurements were accurate, and the median absolute inaccuracy was 7.3% (IQR, 3.3%–15.1%). The absolute inaccuracy was related to the measured anti-TB drug and to the performing laboratory, but not to the concentration level or to the analytical technique used. The median absolute inaccuracies of rifampicin and isoniazid were relatively high (10.2% and 10.9%, respectively).

Conclusions
The 10 year results of this external QC programme illustrate the need for continuous external QC for the measurement of anti-TB drugs for research and patient care purposes, because one in six measurements was inaccurate. Participation in the programme alerts laboratories to previously undetected analytical problems.
MiR-144-5p and miR-21-5p do not drive bone disease in a mouse model of type 1 diabetes mellitus
Authors: Daamouch Souad , Blüher Matthias , Vázquez David Carro , Hackl Matthias , Hofbauer Lorenz C , Rauner Martina 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The increased risk of fractures in patients with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is nowadays well recognized. However, the exact mechanism of action of diabetic bone disease has not been fully elucidated. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are gene regulators that operate post-transcriptionally and have been implicated in the development of various metabolic disorders including T1DM. Previous studies have implicated a role for miR-144-5p and miR-21-5p, which are involved in controlling oxidative stress by targeting Nrf2, in T1DM. To date, it is unclear whether miR-144-5p and miR-21-5p affect bone health in T1DM. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the influence of miR-144-5p and miR-21-5p knockdown in the development of bone disease in T1DM male mice. Therefore, T1DM was induced in 10-wk-old male mice using streptozotocin (STZ). One week later, after development of hyperglycemia, antagomir-144-5p and antagomir-21-5p or their non-targeting control were administered at 10 mg/kg BW once a week until the end of the experiment. At 14 wk of age, glucose levels, bone, and fat mass were analyzed. The results revealed that treating T1DM male mice with antagomir-144-5p and antagomir-21-5p did not protect against diabetes development or bone loss, despite the successful downregulation of the miRNAs and the normalization of Nrf2 mRNA levels in bone tissue. Histological and serological parameters of bone formation or resorption were not altered by the antagomir treatment. Finally, we measured the expression of miRNA-144-5p or miRNA-21-5p in the serum of 30 individuals with T1DM and compared them to non-diabetic controls, but did not find an altered expression of either miRNA. In conclusion, the knockdown of miR-144-5p and miR-21-5p does not affect STZ-induced diabetes development or loss of bone mass in male mice. However, it does normalize expression of the anti-oxidant factor Nrf2 in diabetic bone tissue.
Regulating Heat Networks: An Appraisal of the Energy Act 2023
Authors: Caine Catherine Ann 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Heat networks have the potential to deliver up to 20% of heat to homes in the UK by 2050 and are able to deliver significant reductions in carbon emissions contributing substantially to the UK’s 2050 net zero target. However, for many years the sector has been unregulated which means that some consumers of heat networks have been paying high prices for heating systems which may have been poorly constructed and which they do not understand. This analysis identifies three key problems that have arisen from a lack of regulation in the sector: higher prices for consumers, a lack of transparency and understanding of heat networks, and design and build problems, which have all served as barriers to realising low carbon heating in the UK. The recently enacted Energy Act 2023 will be analysed to determine the extent to which it will resolve these problems.
How Election Rules Affect Who Wins
Authors: Grimmer Justin , Hersh Eitan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Contemporary election reforms that are purported to increase or decrease turnout tend to have negligible effects on election outcomes. We offer an analytical framework to explain why. Contrary to heated political rhetoric, election policies have small effects on outcomes because they tend to target small shares of the electorate, have a small effect on turnout, and/or affect voters who are relatively balanced in their partisanship. After developing this framework, we address how the findings bear on minority voting rights. We then show that countermobilization from political parties cannot explain the small effects of election laws. We explain that even when a state passes multiple policies at the same time, the reforms will still only have a marginal effect on turnout and an ambiguous effect on who wins. Finally, we explain what policies should raise alarm about affecting outcomes.
Effects of a Forest Health Thinning Program on Land and Timber Values in Eastern Oregon
Authors: Adams Darius M. , Latta Gregory S. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The Healthy Forests Restoration Act authorizes programs of thinning on public forest lands to reduce fire hazard and improve the vigor of residual stands. These programs could generate significant volumes of merchantable sawtimber, potentially altering supply-demand conditions in local sawtimber markets and the values of private timberland. We examine the effects of two hypothetical programs on timberland prices in eastern Oregon using a model of the region's market. We find both reductions and increases in the values of various types of private timberland due to changes in the output of the region's industry, the timing of private harvests, and long-term sawtimber prices. Thinning programs in other western regions with comparable conditions of private inventory and a declining sawtimber processing industry could produce similar changes.
Forest Service Nurseries: 100 Years of Ecosystem Restoration
Authors: Dumroese R. Kasten , Landis Thomas D. , Barnett James P. , Burch Frank 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The USDA Forest Service broke ground on its first nursery in 1902 and since then its nurseries have adapted to many changes in scope and direction: from fire restoration to conservation, to reforestation, and back to restoration. In addition to providing a reliable source of native plant material, they have also been a source of research and technology transfer in seedling production and quality. Today, Forest Service nurseries face difficult times due to sharp declines in reforestation seedling orders, but strive to respond to increased demand for a wide variety of native plants for ecosystem restoration.
Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Annual Inventory Answers the Question: What Is Happening to Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands?
Authors: Shaw John D. , Steed Brytten E. , DeBlander Larry T. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Widespread mortality in the pinyon-juniper forest type is associated with several years of drought in the southwestern United States. A complex of drought, insects, and disease is responsible for pinyon mortality rates approaching 100% in some areas, while other areas have experienced little or no mortality. Implementation of the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) annual inventory in several states coincided with the onset of elevated mortality rates. Adjunct inventories provided supplemental data on damaging agents. Preliminary analysis reveals the status and trends of mortality in pinyon-juniper woodlands.
Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR): An Emerging Tool for Multiple Resource Inventory
Authors: Reutebuch Stephen E. , Andersen Hans-Erik , McGaughey Robert J. 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Airborne laser scanning of forests has been shown to provide accurate terrain models and, at the same time, estimates of multiple resource inventory variables through active sensing of three-dimensional (3D) forest vegetation. Brief overviews of airborne laser scanning technology [often referred to as “light detection and ranging” (LIDAR)] and research findings on its use in forest measurement and monitoring are presented. Currently, many airborne laser scanning missions are flown with specifications designed for terrain mapping, often resulting in data sets that do not contain key information needed for vegetation measurement. Therefore, standards and specifications for airborne laser scanning missions are needed to insure their usefulness for vegetation measurement and monitoring, rather than simply terrain mapping (e.g., delivery of all return data with reflection intensity). Five simple, easily understood LIDAR-derived forest data products are identified that would help insure that forestry needs are considered when multiresource LIDAR missions are flown. Once standards are developed, there is an opportunity to maximize the value of permanent ground plot remeasurements by also collecting airborne laser data over a limited number of plots each year.
The Increasing Influence of Urban Environments on US Forest Management
Authors: Nowak David J. , Walton Jeffrey T. , Dwyer John F. , Kaya Latif G. , Myeong Soojeong 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The expansion of urban land promises to have an increasingly significant influence on US forest management in the coming decades. Percent of the coterminous United States classified as urban increased from 2.5% in 1990 to 3.1% in 2000, an area about the size of Vermont and New Hampshire combined. Patterns of urban expansion reveal that increased growth rates are likely in the future. The most urbanized regions of the United States are the Northeast (9.7%) and the Southeast (7.5%), with these regions also exhibiting the greatest increase in percent urban land between 1990 and 2000. Forests near urban communities face a special set of challenges that will only intensify as these communities grow in area, population, and complexity.