bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty, technical description
Authors: Ihsan Gülmez M. , Okuyucu Şemsettin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Purpose
Tympanoplasty is a surgical procedure performed to cure middle ear infections and restore normal middle ear function. It is one of the most common procedures in otological surgery. Since Wullstein described tympanoplasty, the microscope has been a widely used surgical tool in otological surgery. Transcanal endoscopic ear surgery (TEES) has come to the forefront as an alternative option due to the various limitations of microscopic surgery and the development of otological surgical techniques. When reviewing the types and tecniques of grafts used in tympanoplasty in the current literature, it is clear that the ideal graft material and tecnique to meet all needs has not yet been found. The objective of this study is to describe a novel graft technique, a modification of the cartilage-perichondrium graft obtained from tragal cartilage, which is believed to represent an optimal solution for the desired graft technique at the highest level.

Material&Method
The study included 40 patients who underwent endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty at Hatay Mustafa Kemal University Hospital between 2015 and 2022. All patients underwent clinical otological examination and pure tone audiometry before and after surgery. Hearing results were expressed as pure tone mean air-bone gap (ABG) at 4 frequencies (500,1000,2000,4000 Hz). For all operations, the primary surgeon was the second author. Patients with inadequate follow-up, revision surgery, inflammatory middle ear mucosa, perforation etiology other than chronic otitis media were not included in the study.

Results
No complications were observed in the patients included in the study. Accordingly, the graft was intact at the end of the 6th month in 38 of the 40 patients operated on. The graft success rate was 95%. The mean preoperative PTA-ABG was 22.1. The mean post-operative PTA-ABG was 5.7. Mean closed PTA-ABG was 16.4.

Conclusion
In parallel with the development of otological surgical technologies, endoscopy is becoming increasingly important in tympanoplasty. We believe that our technique, endoscopic annular chondroperichondrial tympanoplasty, will be an important step in the search for the ideal grafting technique.
Biofeedback rehabilitation in patients with binocular inhibition due to macular disease
Authors: Silvestri Valeria , Piscopo Paola , Turco Simona , Amore Filippo , Rizzo Stanislao , Mandelcorn Mark S. , Tarita-Nistor Luminita 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
To investigate whether patients with binocular reading inhibition due to central vision loss benefit from a new biofeedback (BF) rehabilitation method that aimed at improving fixation stability and at establishing a correspondence between the monocular preferred retinal loci (PRLs) on functioning retina in both eyes.

Methods
Thirty-three patients with bilateral macular disease and with binocular reading inhibition participated in 10 training sessions consisting of 10-min visual stimulation for each eye to stabilize fixation and relocate the PRL (if needed) using the BF module of the MP-1 microperimeter (Nidek Technologies Srl., Vigonza, PD, Italy). Binocular and monocular reading performance, contrast sensitivity, and visual acuity were evaluated pre and post training. Binocular summation/inhibition was evaluated with binocular ratio (BR).

Results
Fixation stability improved significantly post training in both eyes. Maximum reading speed during binocular viewing increased from 57 ± 24wpm pre training to 67 ± 24wpm post training. BR increased for all parameters of reading, visual acuity, and contrast sensitivity. Training resulted in a complete reversal of binocular reading inhibition in 30% of patients.

Conclusions
For patients with binocular inhibition due to central vision loss, BF training to stabilize fixation and to bring the monocular PRLs into correspondence on functioning retina in both eyes is an efficient rehabilitation method to improve binocular performance.
Stairway to health: stair vs elevator usage and its impact on the health of NHS Staff
Authors: Jude Edward B. , Purohit Akul , Puri Sundeep , Heald Adrian H. , Tentolouris Nikolaos 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
Reduced stair usage has been linked to metabolic and cardiovascular diseases. The aim of our study was to investigate stair/elevator use by the National Health System (NHS) staff in the UK.

Methods
Anonymised online survey of stair usage. Staff were asked if they never used the elevator (group 1), took the elevator less than 25% (group 2), 25–50% (group 3), or > 50% of the time (group 4), if going up more than one flight of stairs.

Results
Participants (n = 422) comprised of consultants, other doctors, other healthcare professionals, and administration staff. To the question of stair taking, 35.8% belonged to group 1, 30.1% group 2, 12.3% group 3, and 21.8% to group 4. Body mass index (BMI) and presence of at least one co-morbidity increased significantly as stair usage decreased (p < 0.001 and p = 0.005, respectively). Females used the lift significantly more often than males (p = 0.01). Current smokers tended to take the elevator more often than never and ex-smokers (p = 0.061).

Conclusion
Stair walking can reflect overall activity level and less usage can reflect poor health amongst NHS workers. We showed an association between those choosing to take the elevator more and BMI and comorbidity in health care professionals. It is important to encourage staff to engage in targeted physical activity to improve overall health.
Incidence trends of ductal carcinoma in situ in New Zealand women between 1999 and 2022
Authors: Chen Qian , Elwood Mark , Campbell Ian , Cavadino Alana , Aye Phyu Sin , Tin Tin Sandar 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Background
In New Zealand, BreastScreen Aotearoa (BSA), a biennial national breast screening programme, was implemented in 1998. This study examines the incidence trends of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) in New Zealand women from 1999 to 2022.

Methods
All women with a primary diagnosis of DCIS over the 24-year study period were identified from the New Zealand Cancer Registry and BSA records. Age-standardised incidence rates (ASIR), detection rates (ASDR) and average annual percent changes were calculated.

Results
The annual ASIR was 13.5 per 100,000 New Zealand women, and increased by 0.91% (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.26%, 1.66%) annually. Among women aged 45–69 years during 2006–2022, the annual ASIR was 36.3 for programme-detected DCIS, increasing 1.29% (95%CI: 0.13%, 2.73%) per year, and 14.2 for non-programme-detected DCIS, with no significant changes over the study period. The programme-detected ASIRs were highest for Pacific (38.6), Asian (38.2), and Māori (38.0) women. The programme ASDR was 0.55 per 1000 women screened, with no significant changes over time, and was highest for Asian (0.69), and Māori and Pacific (both at 0.65) women.

Conclusion
DCIS incidence increased in New Zealand women from 1999 to 2022, driven by an increase in screening participation, and varied by ethnicity.
Genetic monitoring suggests ongoing genetic change in wild salmon populations due to hybridization with aquaculture escapees
Authors: San Román Itzia Coral , Fleming Ian A. , Duffy Steven J. , Holborn Melissa K. , Smith Nicole , Messmer Amber , Davenport Danielle , Bradbury Ian R. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Substantial domestication associated divergence of farmed from wild Atlantic salmon has raised concerns regarding the negative impacts of farm escapees on the genetic integrity and adaptability of wild salmon populations. Studies from across the North Atlantic have repeatedly demonstrated the presence of hybridization and introgression from escapees into wild salmon populations, however longer-term genetic monitoring has rarely been conducted. Here we use targeted SNP panels to evaluate the presence of hybridization and subsequent introgression of escaped farmed salmon into 18 southern Newfoundland rivers and reconstruct the number of escapees contributing to hybrids sampled over an 8-year period encompassing three reported escape events. Ongoing hybridization was observed throughout the entire time series, with F1 young-of-the-year individuals detected every year, as well as a notable increase in the proportion of backcross wild fish. Population estimates of domestic admixture were highest in smaller rivers reaching up to 78%, and the amount of aquaculture-associated European ancestry within individuals ranged as high as 39%. Spatial patterns of hybridization were closely associated with proxies of wild population size based on habitat area. Genetic analyses of relatedness indicated that at least one farm escapee parent was present each year, with the highest estimated numbers occurring after two escape events. This 8-year genetic time series, the longest monitoring period for farm escapee impacts in North America, offers valuable insight into the ongoing genetic impacts of escaped farmed salmon on wild populations.
The Role of Information Processing as an Underlying Mechanism in the Experience of Anxiety Reactivity and Anxiety Perseveration, Two Dissociable Dimensions of Trait Anxiety
Authors: Moore Sophia , Dondzilo Laura , Mazidi Mahdi , MacLeod Colin , Notebaert Lies 
Published: January 2025

Abstract

Purpose
While long considered a unitary dimension, research has moved towards a multidimensional understanding of trait anxiety, and has identified two dissociable dimensions of trait anxiety: anxiety reactivity and anxiety perseveration. Despite the consolidation of this understanding over the past decade, the mechanisms underlying these two dimensions are not well established. The present study examined the novel role of information processing in the experience of anxiety reactivity and perseveration, specifically, how enhanced processing of situational information influences reactivity, and how enhanced processing of implicational information influences perseveration.

Method
Undergraduate university students (N = 142) were exposed to an interview-based stressor. As participants approached this stressor, they were provided with information reflecting one of the two content categories, intended to encourage a situational or implicational processing mode. Anxiety reactivity and anxiety perseveration were measured by assessing changes in state anxiety (measured using a single item visual analogue state anxiety measure) in the lead up and wake of this stressor.

Results
Mixed-design ANOVAs did not reveal a significant relationship between enhanced processing of situational information and anxiety reactivity, nor between enhanced processing of implicational information and anxiety perseveration. An experimental manipulation involving valence revealed that receiving positive information reduced the intensity of state anxiety elevations in the aftermath of the information processing task.

Conclusions
Findings are discussed with reference to limitations and future extensions that could investigate the potential role of cognitive biases in this proposed relationship between enhanced information processing and anxiety reactivity and perseveration.
The EU Taxonomy and the Syndicated Loan Market
Authors: Sautner Zacharias , Yu Jing , Zhong Rui , Zhou Xiaoyan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The European Union (EU) Taxonomy on Sustainable Activities is one of the most far-reaching financial market regulations to combat climate change. Using international data from the syndicated loan market, we demonstrate that firms with larger EU Taxonomy-eligible revenue shares paid lower interest rates in the years before the formal introduction of the Taxonomy. Business revenue is Taxonomy-eligible if it originates from “transitional activities” that substantially contribute to climate change mitigation. A one-standard-deviation increase in firm revenue from transitional activities is associated with 5 basis points (bp) lower loan spreads (5% relative to the standard deviation). Effects are more pronounced for firms in countries with greater climate risk exposure and more stringent environmental policies, and when lending institutions have green preferences. The effects of transitional revenue do not simply reflect a borrower’s ESG ratings or broad exposure to climate risks and opportunities. Overall, our results indicate that financial markets already priced in some of the intended effects of the Taxonomy.
The unintended consequences of a quantitative, centralized faculty promotion system: empirical evidence from a developing country
Authors: Sabagh Zaynab , Moshtari Mohammad 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
The Iranian higher education system is expansive, boasting nearly 80,000 faculty members. To guarantee transparency, fairness, and the alignment of professors’ activities with the priorities of higher education policies, its promotion system is centralized and relies heavily on quantitative measures of performance. This study identifies the unintended consequences facing the promotion system in Iranian public universities. The data sources include interviews and discussion sessions with faculty members and policymakers, along with policy and regulatory documents related to the promotion system. The results reveal that the system’s shortcomings have led to low-quality teaching and research activities, devaluation of academic tasks other than research publication, unethical practices, and a decline in faculty well-being. The impact, however, varies depending on each faculty member’s individual profile and institutional factors. Despite the unintended consequences of a centralized quantitative promotion assessment, decentralization does not appear to be feasible or straightforward for all higher education institutions, at least in the short term; not all institutions have the capability and resources to craft and enforce their promotion system. However, the criteria and processes used in the centralized promotion system could be improved by simplifying the measures, enhancing the evaluation processes, adding some qualitative dimensions of assessment, and providing institutional resources for faculty members’ professional development.
Food insecurity among international students’ studying in Melbourne, Australia: experiences and impacts
Authors: Catherine Waite , Beatriz Gallo Cordoba , Lucas Walsh , Sue Kleve , Tammie Choi , Agrata Mukherkee , Yuqi Lin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Food insecurity among international students at Australian universities is a hidden phenomenon obscured by shame and stigma, exacerbated by the cost-of-living crisis and deprivations intensified by the Covid-19 epidemic. However, there is limited diversity in understanding of young people’s navigations of food insecurity. The aims of this paper are to illuminate the experiences, impacts, management strategies and factors affecting international students’ ability to access and acquire culturally appropriate food that is nutritious, sufficient and safe. Overall, key findings relate to the importance of the early months after arrival to their country of study and the related, and increased likelihood of experiencing food insecurity during that time. These months are crucial due to competing priorities related to securing housing, study and linguistic challenges, a constrained financial situation, and the time required to develop knowledge about the city, its neighbourhoods and how best to procure safe, accessible, nutritious and culturally familiar food. Another key finding was that cultural food insecurity underscores students’ ongoing experiences with food, as well as the dissatisfaction, disconnection and melancholy that accompanies trade-offs that are inevitably made resulting in settling for locally available food that is less nutritious, culturally familiar or desirable. If international students are to be adequately supported during their time studying in Australian universities, better evidence-based solutions, informed by international students themselves, need to be identified.
An exploratory study of ASEAN students’ engagement dynamics with local communities in China, Japan, and South Korea
Authors: Li Xin , Chen Lilan , Liu Yingxin 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Drastic shifts in geopolitical and economic landscapes in East Asia have escalated competition among China, Japan, and South Korea for higher education market share within ASEAN countries. This surge in ASEAN tertiary student enrollments in these countries has been altering the internationalization dynamics of not only the host universities but also the surrounding societies. Extant literature needs to be updated to address this recent influx of ASEAN tertiary students, particularly their connections with local societies within East Asia. To fill in the gap, this study explores the engagement dynamics of ASEAN students with these local societies, as well as the resultant impacts. Through semi-structured interviews, this study involved 27 participants, including ASEAN students, university administrators and staff, and representatives from local governmental and non-governmental organizations across selected locales in the 3 countries. The findings identified varying degrees of engagement among ASEAN students with local societies of the three countries across economic, socio-cultural, and diplomatic-political dimensions. This cross-national variance is potentially attributable to divergent governmental strategies and university motivations for recruiting ASEAN students.
Predictors of Frequency and Success of Wild Meat Hunting Trips and Carcass Prices in an African Biodiversity Hotspot
Authors: Emogor Charles A. , Ingram Daniel J. , Balmford Andrew , Fletcher Robert J. , Detoeuf Diane , Balmford Ben , Agbor Dan O. , Coad Lauren 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Hunting wild animals for food and income, which is pervasive across tropical regions, drives biodiversity loss. Interventions to promote sustainable wild meat harvesting require information on hunter behavior. Here we monitored the hunting activities of 33 hunters in SE Nigeria over three years (1,106 hunter-months) to identify correlates of (a) the probability of initiating a hunting trip on any given day; (b) trip success – whether an animal was caught, and if so, how many; and (c) carcass price. We found a higher probability of initiating a trip during periods with bright moon phases and in peak agriculture season. Hunters were more likely to catch at least one animal when there was less rainfall and on shorter hunting trips. However, among successful trips, the number of animals caught increased with trip duration. Taken together, these results suggest hunters set themselves a minimum target of not returning empty-handed rather than optimally adjusting their hunting effort. Lastly, the carcass price per kilogram of a species’ meat increased with its palatability but decreased with mass, with the fall in price observed to be greater for rarely caught, smaller-bodied animals than more frequently caught animals. Our results provide deeper insights into the behavioral plasticity of wild meat hunters.
Exploring Community-Based Wildlife Tourism from an Environmental Justice Perspective: A Case Study of the Wild Olive Tree Camp in South Africa
Authors: van Megen Lizzy , Anthony Brandon P. 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Within the legacy of environmental injustices in South Africa, this study explores the role of community-based wildlife tourism (CBWT) in promoting equitable land management. We discuss whether community-based initiatives, specifically related to tourism, can provide lasting structural benefits to local communities. Utilizing the environmental justice (EJ) framework, we conducted a qualitative case study involving semi-structured interviews with 23 participants involving the Wild Olive Tree Camp, a CBWT enterprise in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Region in South Africa. By analyzing the neoliberal approach to environmental resources for tourism, we demonstrate that while CBWT might benefit local communities in the short term, it risks perpetuating neocolonial structures and dependencies in the long term. This study underscores the need to acknowledge historical trauma stemming from segregation and apartheid and advocates for the restructuring of power imbalances in tourism management while promoting equitable access to knowledge and land rights. This study contributes to the EJ scholarship by contextualizing these issues within the historical reality of the region.
Social Entrepreneurial Marketing and Innovation in B2B Services: Building Resilience with Explainable Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Olan Femi , Papadopoulos Thanos , Spanaki Konstantina , Jayawickrama Uchitha 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) and other digital technologies are altering the nature of social entrepreneurship, marketing, and other service activities. The structures and strategies of entrepreneurs undergo radical change as a result of the impact of XAI on marketing and innovation. Despite the increased interest in business to business (B2B) literature, there are limitations on how and what circumstances the activities of B2B marketing on social entrepreneurship. Therefore, this study outlines how XAI will impact B2B services by building resilience during and after crisis events such as the COVID-19 pandemic. To develop an in-depth understanding on the theories of social entrepreneurship, B2B marketing, and emerging technologies, this study set apart and conceptualize relevant factors and linkages. The result shows that based on a survey of 295 samples of B2B services entrepreneurial businesses, XAI enhances the establishment of a sustainable resilience for B2B marketing activities and contribute to building social entrepreneurial strategies for B2B marketing innovation.
Computer-Assisted Proofs for Lyapunov Stability via Sums of Squares Certificates and Constructive Analysis
Authors: Devadze Grigory , Magron Victor , Streif Stefan 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
We provide a computer-assisted approach to ensure that a given discrete-time polynomial system is (asymptotically) stable. Our framework relies on constructive analysis together with formally certified sums of squares Lyapunov functions. The crucial steps are formalized within the proof assistant

$$\texttt {Minlog}$$

Minlog

. We illustrate our approach with an example issued from the control system literature.
Parametric Topological Entropy of Possibly Discontinuous Maps in Compact Hausdorff Spaces and Hyperspaces
Authors: Andres Jan , Ludvík Pavel 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
It is well known that the topological entropy of the induced hyperspace map is positive, provided so is the topological entropy of the original continuous single-valued map. In this paper we ask whether this is also true for the sequences of multivalued maps. In particular, we consider various definitions (some of them for the first time) of topological entropy for multivalued nonautonomous dynamical systems in compact Hausdorff spaces and investigate their mutual relations. We explain that some of them can deal with arbitrary multivalued maps, i.e. without regularity restrictions. For upper semicontinuous multivalued maps, we study the parametric topological entropy of the induced possibly discontinuous dynamical systems in hyperspaces. We show, among other things, that a comparison of different types of entropy notions allows us to make the entropy estimates without direct calculations. Several illustrative examples are supplied.