bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Reversing Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease Promotes Healthy Pediatric Cardiovascular Structures: The PROC Study
Authors: Li Menglong , Shu Wen , Zou Yuchen , Xiao Huidi , Asihaer Yeerlin , Guan Mengying , Khattab Nourhan , Thapa Bipin , Sapkota Suman , Vermund Sten H. , Huang Dayong , Hu Yifei 
Published: April 2024

INTRODUCTION:
We investigated the impact of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) on cardiovascular structure development in children.

METHODS:
We followed 1,356 children with the mean age of 6.6 years for 4.5 years in Beijing, China. We assessed the association of MASLD with cardiovascular structure (carotid intima-media thickness and left ventricular mass) outcomes at baseline and follow-up.

RESULTS:
Over follow-up, 59 children had persistent MASLD, 109 had incident MASLD (progression), and 35 had normalization of liver health. Children with MASLD normalization showed a significantly lower mean development in carotid intima-media thickness (0.161 vs 0.188 mm) and left ventricular mass (4.5 vs 12.4 g) than children with persistent MASLD.

DISCUSSION:
The control of MASLD was associated with improved cardiovascular structure development.
Sipuncula (Peanut Worms) in Indonesia Waters: A Review
Authors: Cintra Allsay Kitsash Addifisyukha , Fitrian Tyani , Novianty Hilda , Jasmadi Jasmadi , Sjafrie Nurul Dhewani Mirah 
Published: April 2024

Sipunculans, or peanut worms, are unsegmented worm-like marine organisms with distinctive trunk-like bodies. They play important roles in marine ecosystems, such as bioerosion, bioturbation, and food sources. Sipunculans are also harvested as human food in some regions worldwide. Despite their importance, a comprehensive understanding of the Sipuncula in Indonesia is still limited. This work aimed to compile a study of the distribution, ecology, and potency of Sipuncula species in Indonesian waters. The distribution of Sipuncula species in Indonesian waters was recorded from the northernmost to the easternmost part of Indonesia. So far, nineteen species have been found in Indonesian waters and are dominated by Sipunculus nudus. In Indonesia, Sipuncula exhibits a diverse range of habitats, they can be found in seagrass, mangrove and coral reef ecosystems, in both sandy and muddy sediments. Sipunculans found in Indonesia have ecosystem function as bioturbator, shell-utilizer, and coral-symbiotic species. Sipuncula also has potency as a food and nutraceutical for human health maintenance because it contains highly nutritious such as protein, carbohydrates, ash, lipids, moisture, minerals, amino acids, and fatty acids. In some areas in Indonesia, local communities use Sipuncula as a traditional food source and fishing bait. Given its significance for marine ecosystems and human livelihoods in Indonesia, future management strategies should include regulations on catch size and management practices, data collection, promotion of sustainable fishing practices, and research on Sipuncula biology and ecology. Addressing these knowledge gaps will help to ensure the sustainable use and conservation of Sipuncula in Indonesia.
Identity and Investment: A Critical Exploration of English Major Students’ Perceptions of Learning and Using English Language in Contemporary China
Authors: Yuan Di 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This study is contextualized onto three levels- the macro-level globalized context, the meso-level national context, and the micro-level of school contexts. Under the influence of these different contexts, this study is designed as a phenomenological study with the aim to understand the phenomenon of English learning and using perceptions, investment, and identity constructions of ten English major students in China through semi-structured interviews. In order to fulfill that goal, Darvin and Norton (2015)’s model provides a solid theoretical foundation for the researcher to investigate this critical educational phenomenon. The findings of the study include not only how participants reflect on their English learning experiences at different learning stages, but also how they exert their sense of agency and re-construct their English language identity in new environment. Findings also show the power of native English as a form of capital and the influence of authoritative voices on students’ perceptions and language identity while students enter and transfer their English learning to teaching trajectories. By providing a critical and multi-layered approach, this study demonstrates how Chinese educational system institutionalizes native English and thus shapes English major students in China.
Motivational Dynamics of Intermediate Chinese Learners in a COVID-Induced Remote IPA-Informed CSL Curriculum: A Case Study From a CDST Lens
Authors: Zhang Xin , Pan Xiaofei 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Grounded in a complex and dynamic systems theory (CDST) perspective of L2 learning motivation, this year-long longitudinal study examines evolving motivational dynamics of two intermediate Chinese as a Second Language (CSL) learners at a Sino-US joint-venture university in China during the COVID-19 pandemic. Adopting Higgins’ framework of motivation, this case study focuses on the interplay of learner motivation for value, control, and truth effectiveness and contextual factors in shaping the contrastive motivational trajectories of two CSL learners who displayed discrepancy in the improvement of Mandarin oral proficiency. In particular, the two contextual factors of interest are an Integrated Performance Assessment (IPA) -informed CSL curriculum and COVID-induced remote online learning. We focus on how learners co-adapted with the “here-and-now” manifestations of these contextual factors and how their motivational dynamics and learning behaviors evolved based on multiple interrelated layers of the temporal-spatial context. The findings show that CSL learners’ motivational dynamics were shaped by multiple overlapping and interrelated motivations related to value, control, and truth effectiveness, which emerged out of the contingencies and affordances in the learning context. The learner-context co-adaptations play a significant role in directing relevant motivational dimensions and thereby shaping the overall identity of the whole system. This empirical study contributes to CSL and L2 motivational studies by exploring the applicability of a CDST approach and a global motivational framework to study intermediate CSL learners’ motivational dynamics and how they individually co-adapted with an innovative curricular design and the perturbance during the COVID-19 online teaching and learning process. The paper reflects on the effectiveness and applicability of IPA in an intermediate-level CSL curriculum from a motivational perspective and offers insights into understanding and promoting the complex learner motivation during COVID-19 for language educators.
An Investigation Into Learners’ Cognitive Processes in Data-Driven Learning: Case Studies of Six Learners of Chinese
Authors: Liu Tanjun , Chen Meilin 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Data-driven learning (DDL), the direct use of corpus by learners in the second language classroom, has been shown to be effective in improving learners’ acquisition of various English linguistic items (Boulton & Cobb, 2017). However, it is still limited to our knowledge regarding how learners interact with DDL-related materials or tools and how DDL works in the learning/teaching of languages other than English. This study aims to closely examine the cognitive processes of six learners of Chinese in using printed concordance-based materials to learn Chinese resultative constructions. These materials contained adapted complete concordance sentences drawn from the Lancaster Corpus for Mandarin Chinese (McEnery & Xiao, 2004). The results show that in general, learners employed various strategies when scrutinising the concordance lines, particularly cognitive strategies such as summarising and grouping. Differences among individual learners were also found: learners who used more diverse strategies with higher frequencies could successfully infer the regularities, which led to learning gains. The study provides some implications for effective teacher guidance in DDL.
Toward Teaching Innovatively: L2 Teachers’ Belief Change and Development
Authors: Wang Chaochang , Tsay Li-Jiuan 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
Rapid technological advances and enhanced global cooperation have led to tremendous changes in access to information and new modes of communication and, hence, calls have been made for instantaneous adjustments in education (Fullan, 2007). Despite global access to internet-enhanced modes of communication and up-to-date information on all subjects – including those relating to new and effective approaches to pedagogy – traditional teacher-centered teaching prevails in many EFL contexts. This is the case even though this approach to teaching has been insufficient to address challenges in EFL teaching. This study explores how the teaching beliefs of 12 EFL teachers changed as they learned to teach innovatively and to teach with features of learner-centeredness and L2 interaction. In the context of a MA program capstone course, the teachers were introduced to the essential elements, such as learner-centeredness and L2 interaction, involved in four approaches to teaching innovatively: task-based language teaching, problem-posing, scripting and oral interpretation, and extensive reading. The data analyzed comprised the teachers’ belief reports, written reflections on teaching interactively, interview accounts, and the teacher educator’s observational notes. The results of this study revealed changes in teachers’ beliefs about innovative teaching with the aforementioned features, the influential forces bringing about the change, and teachers’ growing expertise in using and drawing on concepts in teaching practice.
A Strategy for Happiness, in the Wake of Spinoza
Authors: Lavaert Sonja 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This article investigates the anthropology of Spinoza as a strategy for happiness, political, as well as individual. Inspired by the readings, comments, and perspectives of Matheron, Deleuze, and Balibar, I will analyze Spinoza’s theory of the affects as the basis for this strategic anthropology. These authors all share an ontological and political vision organized around the concepts of multitude and the transindividual which result directly from Spinoza’s analysis of the human affects in books III and IV of the Ethics, and his theory of political dynamics developed in the Political treatise. They consider Spinoza a contemporary and share with him the idea of a relational ontology and an inextricable and mutual interdependence of the individual and the community which is captured in the concept of the transindividual. With Matheron/Spinoza I will focus on the question of anthropology and the structure of thought, with Deleuze/Spinoza on the kinds of knowledge in relation to the human mind and body, and with Balibar/Spinoza on the transindividual, productive, active, and thus strategic nature of our thinking. These three analyses of human thought and affects all proceed from the hypothesis of conatus/desire as human essence and aim not just at theoretical knowledge but rather at the effective improvement of our well-being and lives, that is, at happiness.
A review on innovative approaches to expansive soil stabilization: Focussing on EPS beads, sand, and jute
Authors: Utkarsh  , Jain Pradeep Kumar 
Published: April 2024

AbstractExpansive soils pose major geotechnical challenges due to significant volume changes. This research investigates an innovative stabilization approach using sand, expanded polystyrene (EPS) beads, and jute fibres to enhance the properties of expansive soil. The purpose is to utilize the unique characteristics of these admixtures to restrict swelling potential and improve strength and load-bearing capacity. Experimental testing quantified improvements through parameters like unconfined compressive strength (UCS), swelling pressure, California bearing ratio (CBR), compaction characteristics, and Atterberg limits. Soil samples were prepared with individual and combined admixtures at optimum proportions and extensively tested after proper curing. Quantitative results indicated that including sand, EPS beads, and jute fibres increased the soil’s UCS by 41, 29, and 23%, respectively. The swelling pressure, on the other hand, decreased by 14, 18, and 11%, respectively. Maximum improvements were achieved with combined admixtures: UCS increased by 65%, swelling pressure reduced by 23%, and CBR improved from 5 to 6.5%. Regression analysis indicated a strong correlation (R2= 0.96) between admixture proportions and resultant UCS. The key achievements are effective swelling control, a marked increase in shear strength parameters, and synergy between admixtures in enhancing expansive soil properties. This sustainable stabilization method using industrial by-products presents a promising solution for constructing stable civil structures even in problematic expansive soil regions.
Institutionelle Kommunikation in der digitalen Öffentlichkeit: Das kommunikative Repertoire der Polizei Hamburg auf Twitter
Authors: Androutsopoulos Jannis , Maas Nikolaus 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
This paper uses the notion of communicative repertoire to investigate the language conduct of an institutional organization in a social media environment, with the Twitter (now ‘X’) account of Hamburg Police as a case in point. Theoretically drawing on interactional sociolinguistics, media linguistics and Twitter research, we view communicative repertoire as the sum of linguistic and semiotic resources that are mobilized by organizational agents to participate in a multi-faceted digital public space that comprises both the dissemination of messages to a digital audience (the account’s followers) and dialogic exchanges with self-selected members of the digital publics. The analysis is based on all tweets produced by the Hamburg Police over a period of three months, complemented by an interview with the organization’s social media team. We operationalize the communicative repertoire by means of a multi-level analytical scheme that comprises: (a) different types of linguistic and graphic resources, (b) two participation formats (initiative and responsive messages) and (c) several action types. The findings show that the language conduct of Police Hamburg is multi-faceted and shows striking stylistic differences between initiative and responsive tweets. While initiative tweets draw on pre-digital genres of Police communication (e.g. call for witnesses), responsive tweets repeatedly show accommodation towards users. Overall, the case of Hamburg Police illustrates how mediatization transforms practices of institutional communication.
CEO Type and Firm Performance: Evidence from Nasdaq Baltic
Authors: Voveris Donatas 
Published: April 2024

Despite the well-established characteristics of shareholder-CEOs and professional-CEOs, previous research has yielded inconclusive findings on the actual impact of the separation of shareholding and management on firm financial performance. This study aimed to address this gap by going off the beaten path of research centered on the U.S.-listed firms and investigating 55 firms listed on the Nasdaq Baltic market in the post-Soviet countries of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania from 2017 to 2021. While professional-CEO-led firms displayed higher Tobin’s Q (M = 1.37) compared to shareholder-CEO-led firms (M = 1.17), and shareholder-CEO-led firms had a higher average ROE (M = 7.76%) compared to professional-CEO-led firms (M = -1.74%), independent samples t-test analysis revealed that these differences in either stock market performance (p = .250 > .05) or shareholder return (p = .193 > .05) were statistically insignificant. These findings challenge organizational life cycle theory and agency theory predictions, aligning instead with stewardship theory and upper echelons theory, suggesting that CEO characteristics, motivation, and actions, while clearly distinct for shareholder-CEOs and professional-CEOs, are not the sole determinant of financial performance in mature firms. Accordingly, shareholder-CEOs, other stockholders, and boards of directors should draw support from these findings in their considerations regarding firm leadership.
Cell Shape Sensing Licenses Dendritic Cells for Homeostatic Migration to Lymph Nodes
Authors: Alraies Zahraa 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Immune cells experience large deformation events while patrolling their environment. These cell shape changes arise from the physical constraints encountered during migration within and between tissues. It has become increasingly clear that these cells can survive and adapt to these changes in cell shape using dedicated shape sensing pathways. However, how shape sensing impacts their behavior and function remains largely unknown. Here we identify a shape sensing mechanism that couples dendritic cell motility to expression of CCR7, the chemokine receptor guiding their migration from the periphery to lymph nodes. We found that this mechanism relies on the lipid metabolism enzyme cPLA2, requires nuclear envelop unfolding and tension and is finely tuned by the Arp2/3 actin nucleation complex. We further observed that shape sensing through the Arp2/3-cPLA2 axis leads to Ikkb-NFkB-dependent transcriptional reprogramming of dendritic cells, which was shown to control their migration to lymph node and tolerogenic function at steady-state. Our results highlight that cell shape changes experienced by immune cells can define their migratory behavior and immunoregulatory properties, revealing the contribution of the physical properties of tissues to adaptive immunity.
Development of Novel Skin Mimetic Substrate to Assess the Adhesion Properties of Transdermal Patches
Authors: Bagde Arvind , Mosley-Kellum Keb , Salau Oluwaseyi , Dev Satyanarayan , Modi Nisarg , Singh Mandip 
Published: April 2024

Abstract
The objective of the present study was to develop novel skin mimetic substrates using 3D Fused Deposition Modeling (FDM) printing using materials with similar surface energy as skin and evaluate the adhesion property of pressure-sensitive adhesives (PSAs). Additionally, the objective was to study the effect of various intrinsic factors, including coat weight, elastic properties of backing membranes, and viscosity of PSAs on adhesion properties of PSAs. Our novel 3D-printed polypropylene (PP) probe was successfully printed and postprocessed using FDM printing coupled with an automated robotic arm setup for adhesion testing. Probe tack test results showed no significant difference in peak adhesive force in case of skin and PP probes. However, PP probes showed about a 10.26-fold decrease (p < 0.0001) in the adhesive force compared to the SS probe. Probe tack and peel adhesion tests of the marketed Salonpas patch also showed a significant decrease (p < 0.0001) in the adhesive force in case of PP as compared to the SS probe/plate. Effect of coat weight using PP probe results revealed that both amine (PSA-4302) and non-amine (PSA-4501) compatible silicone PSAs showed significant (p < 0.05) increase in their adhesion prosperities at 10 mg/cm2 as compared to 5 mg/cm2 coating. Further, the choice of backing membrane and viscosity of silicone PSAs also showed a significant (p < 0.0001) effect on the PSA’s adhesion property. In conclusion, PP probes/plates could be a promising approach for in vitro adhesion testing of TDS products. Further, intrinsic properties, including coat weight and viscosity of silicone PSAs, significantly affected their adhesion properties.
Physico-chemical characterization of water obtained by condensation of moisture from an atmospheric water generator in Tunisia
Authors: Chebbi Ghada , Elaoud Anis , Abid Mohamed Ali , Trigui Maher 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

The availability of water resources is an uphill struggle for many countries in the world since it guarantees environmental, agronomic, food, economic competitiveness, and public health. Water scarcity is becoming a headache worldwide, and this solution has become a must. The technique of condensation of moisture through the water vapor contained in the atmosphere is developed to generate water. Therefore, the purpose of our work is an additional source of water through the process of condensation of moisture to supply drinkable water intended for consumption. In this context, a condensation prototype Kumulus has been adapted. In those studies, tests conducted in different regions of Tunisia to determine the physicochemical quality of the produced water. To improve the quality of the water obtained, a treatment process has been implemented. Dew quality is assessed according to the standards of potable water quality. Ion concentration meets the requirements of the World Health Organization, European Directives, and Tunisian Drinking Water Guidelines. Costs and economic aspects are also considered. The results of water chemistry can therefore be viewed as a "footprint" of regional and local air composition.
This project aims to produce water in areas where access to water is difficult. This technique provides an alternative to other sources of drinking water.
Evaluation and distribution of essential minerals in different soil habitats of cold arid high-altitude environment
Authors: nil Guru Charan , nil Vijay K Bharti , nil Jatinder Kumar , NIl Rajendra Kumar , nuil Preeti Mahawar 
Published: April 2024

Abstract

Essential minerals are the main constituents of soil ecosystems, and status of soil is directly affected by the availability of these mineral nutrients to the feed/forages and then to the livestock. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the objectives to investigate essential mineral nutrients in various soil ecosystems in cold arid region of India. The study was done in Leh-Ladakh, a cold arid region of India, under the Tibetan plateau and the part of Trans-Himalayas. For the study, soil samples from various soils (agriculture soil, pasture land, Indus River sediment and road side soils) were collected and analyzed for iron (Fe), Magnesium (Mg), Manganese (Mn), Zinc (Zn), and Boron (B). Our experimental results revealed that, Fe content varied from 9520 to 65660 ppm, whereas total mean concentration was found 32027.22±2026.57 ppm in pasture land. The total average content of Mn in pasture land, Indus River sediment and road side soils were found 583.33±34.21, 661.28±118.77 and 582.99±20.71 ppm respectively, while values varied from 197.70-1089.00, 166-6603.00 and 300.30-1209.00 ppm respectively. The total mean concentration of Zn was reported 84.87±7.91, 191.86±143.95 and 79.14±4.39 ppm respectively in pasture land, Indus River sediment and road side soils, while values ranged from 3.75-242.90, 17.48-7804.00 and 2.95-220.70 ppm respectively in pasture land, Indus River sediments and road side soils. B concentration ranged from 1.71-212.60, 2.24-5653.00 and 6.44-141.30 ppm and the total mean concentration was observed as 80.10±7.06, 151.62±103.89, 36.41±2.53 ppm respectively in pasture land, Indus River sediment and road side soils. Results of our study revealed that Fe, Mg, Mn, Zn and B were found within the typical range of soil indicating that the levels of studied essential mineral nutrients are within the range in various soil ecosystems from cold arid region as far as the requirement of crop plants and livestock are concerned.