bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Afrothismiaceae (Dioscoreales), a new fully mycoheterotrophic family endemic to tropical Africa
Authors: Cheek Martin , Soto Gomez Marybel , Graham Sean W. , Rudall Paula J. 
Published: November 2023

SummaryAfrothismia is a genus of non-photosynthetic mycoheterotrophs from the forests of continental tropical Africa. Multiple phylogenetic inferences using molecular data recover the genus as sister to a clade comprising mycoheterotrophic Thismiaceae and the photosynthetic family Taccaceae, contrary to earlier placements of Afrothismia and Thismiaceae within Burmanniaceae. Morphological support for separating Afrothismia from the rest of Thismiaceae has depended on the zygomorphic flowers of Afrothismia (although some species of Thismia are also zygomorphic), and their clusters of root tubers, each with a terminal rootlet. The number of described species of Afrothismia has recently increased from four to 16, with seven more species as yet undescribed; these discoveries have added morphological characters that support its distinction from Thismiaceae. Most notably, the ovary in Afrothismia has a single stalked placenta, and circumscissile fruits from which seeds are exserted by placental elevation (vs in Thismiaceae, three placentas, a deliquescing fruit lid, and seeds not exserted). Afrothismia stamens are inserted in the lower part of the floral tube, where they are attached to the stigma, and individual flowers are subtended by a single large dorsal bract. In contrast, in Thismiaceae, stamens are inserted at the mouth of the tube, free of and distant from the stigma, and each flower is subtended by a loose whorl of (2 –) 3 (– 4) bracts. Here we formally characterise Afrothismiaceae and review what is known of its development, seed germination, interactions with mycorrhizal Glomeromycota, biogeography, phylogeny and pollination biology. All but one (Afrothismia insignis; Vulnerable) of the 13 species assessed on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species are either Endangered or Critically Endangered; one species (A. pachyantha) is considered extinct.
Value co-destruction: Problems and solutions
Authors: Alexander Matthew , Vallström Niklas 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe concept of value co-creation (VCC) is central to service-dominant logic (SDL) and forms its second axiom, namely that “Value is cocreated by multiple actors, always including the beneficiary” (Vargo & Lusch, 2016, p.8). In parallel with the evolution of VCC in SDL, the term “value co-destruction” (VCD) has also emerged within the services and marketing literature (Echeverri & Skålén, 2011; Plé & Cáceres, 2010). Value co-destruction is pitched as a reverse concept to VCC—another side of the same coin (Plé, 2017)—capturing how interactions, practices, and resource integrations between actors might have negative impacts on value formation. Research on VCD has both expanded and fragmented (Echeverri & Skålén, 2021), but the concept has not been subject to the same scrutiny as VCC. In this article, we question the logic underpinning VCD conceptualization and problematize its use. We articulate three specific problems: first, the need to view VCC as a normative statement; second, a logical flaw in how VCD captures negative outcomes; and third, an issue with the “co” in co-destruction. We offer two solutions for researchers in this area: first, given that VCC is representative of a metatheory, we present mid-range theories as providing opportunities for exploring the role of valence in interactive service experiences; second, we identify literature that presents a continuum of contrasting negative and positive value outcomes.
Blazing the trail for innovative tuberculosis diagnostics
Authors: Yerlikaya Seda , Broger Tobias , Isaacs Chris , Bell David , Holtgrewe Lydia , Gupta-Wright Ankur , Nahid Payam , Cattamanchi Adithya , Denkinger Claudia M. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic brought diagnostics into the spotlight in an unprecedented way not only for case management but also for population health, surveillance, and monitoring. The industry saw notable levels of investment and accelerated research which sparked a wave of innovation. Simple non-invasive sampling methods such as nasal swabs have become widely used in settings ranging from tertiary hospitals to the community. Self-testing has also been adopted as standard practice using not only conventional lateral flow tests but novel and affordable point-of-care molecular diagnostics. The use of new technologies, including artificial intelligence-based diagnostics, have rapidly expanded in the clinical setting. The capacity for next-generation sequencing and acceptance of digital health has significantly increased. However, 4 years after the pandemic started, the market for SARS-CoV-2 tests is saturated, and developers may benefit from leveraging their innovations for other diseases; tuberculosis (TB) is a worthwhile portfolio expansion for diagnostics developers given the extremely high disease burden, supportive environment from not-for-profit initiatives and governments, and the urgent need to overcome the long-standing dearth of innovation in the TB diagnostics field. In exchange, the current challenges in TB detection may be resolved by adopting enhanced swab-based molecular methods, instrument-based, higher sensitivity antigen detection technologies, and/or artificial intelligence-based digital health technologies developed for COVID-19. The aim of this article is to review how such innovative approaches for COVID-19 diagnosis can be applied to TB to have a comparable impact.
Is iterative feature selection technique efficient enough? A comparative performance analysis of RFECV feature selection technique in ransomware classification using SHAP
Authors: Mowri Rawshan Ara , Siddula Madhuri , Roy Kaushik 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe realm of cybersecurity places significant importance on early ransomware detection. Feature selection is critical in this context, as it enhances detection accuracy, mitigates overfitting, and reduces training time by eliminating irrelevant and redundant data. However, iterative feature selection techniques tend to select the best-performing subset of features through an iterative process which leaves chance for a crucial feature not being selected and the number of selected features may not always be the optimal or the most suitable for a given problem. Hence, this study aims to conduct a performance comparison analysis of an iterative feature selection technique- Recursive Feature Elimination with Cross-Validation (RFECV) with six supervised Machine Learning (ML) models to evaluate its efficiency in classifying ransomware utilizing the Application Programming Interface (API) call and network traffic features. The study employs an Explainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) framework called SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) to derive the crucial features when RFECV is not integrated with the ML models. These features are then compared with RFECV-selected features when it is integrated. Results show that without RFECV the ML models achieve better classification accuracies on two datasets. Again, RFECV falls short of selecting impactful features, leading to more false alarms. Moreover, it lacks the capability to rank the features based on their importance, reducing its efficiency in ransomware classification overall. Thus, this study underscores the importance of integrating explainability techniques to identify critical features, rather than solely relying on iterative feature selection methods, to enhance the resilience of ransomware detection systems.
The Florentine Relation: A Newly Discovered Sixteenth-Century Description of the Kingdom of Kongo
Authors: Thornton John K. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractA newly discovered Spanish description of Kongo increases our knowledge of the country, joining Filippo Pigafetta’s famous account to expand our knowledge of Kongo in this early period. This research shows that the MS was written in 1587 or 1588 and was written by Carmelite Diego de la Encarnación. It adds details on the history of the country, daily life culture, and links to other Carmelite works, including an unpublished chapter of an account by Diego de Santissimo Santo and shows the author could have written a longer but well-known account in the Vatican Library. It includes extensive quotations from the new text.
Prospect of ultrahigh-resolution fast neutron absorption spectroscopy based on a laser plasma electron accelerator
Authors: Wang Wen-Zhao , Feng Jie , Zhang Xiao-Peng , Li Yao-Jun , Zhou Wei-Jun , Yan Wen-Chao , Zhang Guo-Qiang , Fu Chang-Bo , Chen Li-Ming 
Published: November 2023

Abstract
Fast neutron absorption spectroscopy is widely used in the study of nuclear structure and element analysis. However, due to the traditional neutron source pulse duration being of the order of nanoseconds, it is difficult to obtain a high-resolution absorption spectrum. Thus, we present a method of ultrahigh energy-resolution absorption spectroscopy via a high repetition rate, picosecond duration pulsed neutron source driven by a terawatt laser. The technology of single neutron count is used, which results in easily distinguishing the width of approximately 20 keV at 2 MeV and an asymmetric shape of the neutron absorption peak. The absorption spectroscopy based on a laser neutron source has one order of magnitude higher energy-resolution power than the state-of-the-art traditional neutron sources, which could be of benefit for precisely measuring nuclear structure data.
The effects of green tea extract supplementation on body composition, obesity-related hormones and oxidative stress markers: a grade-assessed systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Asbaghi Omid , Rezaei Kelishadi Mahnaz , Larky Damoon Ashtary , Bagheri Reza , Amirani Niusha , Goudarzi Kian , Kargar Fatemeh , Ghanavati Matin , Zamani Mohammad 
Published: November 2023

AbstractResearch indicates that green tea extract (GTE) supplementation is beneficial for a range of conditions, including several forms of cancer, CVD and liver diseases; nevertheless, the existing evidence addressing its effects on body composition, oxidative stress and obesity-related hormones is inconclusive. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the effects of GTE supplementation on body composition (body mass (BM), body fat percentage (BFP), fat mass (FM), BMI, waist circumference (WC)), obesity-related hormones (leptin, adiponectin and ghrelin) and oxidative stress (malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (TAC)) markers. We searched proper databases, including PubMed/Medline, Scopus and Web of Science, up to July 2022 to recognise published randomised controlled trials (RCT) that investigated the effects of GTE supplementation on the markers mentioned above. A random effects model was used to carry out a meta-analysis. The heterogeneity among the studies was assessed using the I2index. Among the initial 11 286 studies identified from an electronic database search, fifty-nine studies involving 3802 participants were eligible to be included in this meta-analysis. Pooled effect sizes indicated that BM, BFP, BMI and MDA significantly reduced following GTE supplementation. In addition, GTE supplementation increased adiponectin and TAC, with no effects on FM, leptin and ghrelin. Certainty of evidence across outcomes ranged from low to high. Our results suggest that GTE supplementation can attenuate oxidative stress, BM, BMI and BFP, which are thought to negatively affect human health. Moreover, GTE as a nutraceutical dietary supplement can increase TAC and adiponectin.
MFAP5 variant-induced multiple giant thoracic aortic aneurysm
Authors: Jin Yuxi , Li Tiange , Wu Shaoying , Liu Zhongqiang , Li Yifei 
Published: November 2023

AbstractHeritable thoracic aortic aneurysms are complex conditions characterised by the dilation or rupture of the thoracic aorta, often occurring as an autosomal-dominant disorder associated with life-threatening complications. In this case report, we present a de novo variant, MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs9), which is implicated in the development of inherited thoracic aortic aneurysm. The proband, a 15-year-old male, presented with recurrent cough, dull chest pain, chest distress, vomiting, and reduced activity tolerance, leading to the diagnosis of heritable thoracic aortic aneurysms. Whole-exome sequencing identified a novel heterozygous variant in MFAP5 (NM_003480, c.236_237insA, and p.N79Kfs9). MutationTester and PolyPhen-s predicted this variant to be damaging and disease-causing (probability = 1), while the SFIT score indicated protein damage (0.001). Structural analysis using the AlphaFold Protein structure database revealed that this mutation disrupted the N-linked glycosylation site, resulting in a frameshift, amino acid sequence alteration, and truncation of an essential protein site. To our knowledge, this is the first case report describing a young patient with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm carrying the novel MFAP5 c.236_237insA (p.N79Kfs*9) variant. This variant represents the third identified mutation site associated with heritable thoracic aortic aneurysm. Given the high mortality and morbidity rates associated with thoracic aortic aneurysms, the prevention of severe and fatal complications is crucial in the clinical management of this condition. Our case highlights the importance of whole-exome sequencing and genetic screening in identifying potential pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, particularly in early-onset patients with aortic dilation, to inform appropriate management strategies.
Variability of morphology, phytochemical traits and essential oil profile of tea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) accessions in the southern region of the Caspian Sea
Authors: Montahae Dargah Samira , Bagher Rezaei Mohammad , Ghanbari Jahromi Marzieh , Kalateh Jari Sepideh , Jahangirzadeh Khiavi Shahin 
Published: November 2023

AbstractTea (Camellia sinensis (L.) Kuntze) leaves are an important beverage crop due to their high caffeine content. Although the north of Iran is the main region for high-quality tea plants, there is no document on variations of phenotypic traits of different accessions. The present study was to assess the biodiversity of 12 tea accessions originating from four tea main sites in Iran (Langroud, Siahkal, Kobijar and Bazkiaguorab) using multivariate analysis. Two-year-old tea plants were cultivated in a completely randomized design with five replicates in a greenhouse. One year after plant establishment, phenotypic characteristics were studied. The tea accessions showed different responses in chlorophyll and total ash contents. The highest and lowest amount of caffeine in tea accessions was found in Kobijar A7 and Langroud A2, respectively. Epicatechin was obtained in a 6.48–15.44 mg g−1 range, and the maximum variability was found in epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), differing from 0.94 to 21.03 mg g−1. Langroud A2 and Bazkiaguorab A11 contained the maximum EGCG and the total polyphenolic content in Bazkiaguorab was greater than other accessions. Heat map analysis showed the maximum variability of EGCG, catechin, and GA among the accessions. The main essential oil compounds were 2-pentyl furan followed by hexanal, gamma-terpinene, octane, ortho-cymene, terpinen-4-ol, alpha-copaene and E-caryophyllene. In conclusion, changes in phytochemical traits caused by genetics and origin can significantly alter the quality of tea compounds. The results of this study can be utilized as raw materials in future breeding projects to improve new cultivars with superior characteristics.
Critical theory and memory politics: leftist autocritique after the Ukraine war
Authors: Heinze Eric 
Published: November 2023

AbstractIn recent years, Western governments have invoked the values of universal human rights to justify large-scale military operations. Critical theorists have often responded that these campaigns serve not to promote peace, stability, or prosperity, but to entrench Western economic and political power, often in ways that have been devastating for local populations. However, Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine casts doubt on whether assumptions about Western dominance will continue to furnish adequate accounts of global armed conflict. Critical theorists base many of their views on what is sometimes called ‘memory politics’, meaning that they cite histories of Western militarism, colonialism, racism and economic exploitation as backdrops to current policies. In this article it is argued that they will only be able to explain a conflict like the Ukraine war with credibility by incorporating into their memory politics the left’s own histories of supporting autocratic regimes.
Compact size antenna for skin implantable medical devices
Authors: Janapala Doondi Kumar , Moses Nesasudha , Bhagavathsingh Jebasingh 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis research work presents an implantable antenna that operates at 5.8 GHz. By using a radiator with a loop-based design, the antenna can be made smaller. Radiator is made up of three connected rectangular loops. On the substrate’s back side, an I-shaped ground plane is used. As substrate and superstrate, polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) with dimensions of 7 mm × 5 mm × 0.3 mm is used. The conducting sections are made using copper foil that is 30 µm thick. The suggested antenna is examined by the implantable medical device using realistic human scalp phantom models and a homogenous skin box. Simulated study revealed that it operates around 5.8 GHz with a bandwidth from 5.69 to 5.92 GHz. The specific absorption rate was 0.28 and 0.26 W/kg for skin box and human scalp phantoms, respectively, at 1 mW input power across 1 g volume tissue.
The mental health and well-being of adolescents with/without intellectual disability in the UK
Authors: Emerson E. , Totsika V. , Hatton C. , Hastings R. P. 
Published: November 2023

Abstract

Aims
To estimate the self-reported and parent-reported mental well-being of adolescents (aged 14 and 17) with/without intellectual disability in a sample of young people representative of the UK population.

Methods
Secondary analysis of data collected in Waves 6 and 7 of the UK’s Millennium Cohort Study. The analytic sample consisted of 10,838 adolescent respondents at age 14 (361 with intellectual disability and 10,477 without) and 9,408 adolescent respondents at age 17 (292 with intellectual disability and 9,116 without).

Results
Parental reports of adolescent problems on the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) indicated that adolescents with intellectual disability at ages 14 and 17 were more likely to have problems than those without intellectual disability across all SDQ domains. Adolescent self-report data at age 17 indicated that adolescents with intellectual disability were more likely to (self)-report that they had problems than those without intellectual disability on all but one SDQ domain. The magnitude of relative inequality between those with and without intellectual disability was consistently lower for self-report than parental report. On indicators of depression, mental well-being, self-harm, positive mental health, happiness and general psychological distress at ages 14 and 17, we found no self-reported group differences between adolescents with and without intellectual disability.

Conclusions
Further research is needed to understand: (1) why the magnitude of mental health inequalities between those with and without intellectual disability on the SDQ may be dependent on the identity of the informant; and (2) whether such differences are also apparent for other measures of mental health or well-being.
Two Competing Drivers of the Recent Walker Circulation Trend
Authors: Watanabe Masahiro , Iwakiri Tomoki , Dong Yue , Kang Sarah M. 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThe Pacific Walker circulation (PWC) weakens under global warming in climate change projections, supported by a global hydrological constraint. However, the PWC has strengthened over the past decades despite ongoing global warming, and the cause has been a puzzle. Because PWC is coupled with the pattern of sea surface temperature (SST) in the tropical Pacific, quantifying the relative impact of SST pattern change and global warming on the past PWC trend is important. We show, using an atmosphere model driven by observed boundary conditions for 1979–2013 and a hypothetical uniform surface warming trend with varying magnitude, that the PWC scales with warming and weakens by 8% per °C, but this effect cannot overcome the SST pattern effect that intensifies the circulation. Further attribution experiments show that the past strengthening of PWC is explained directly by the SST warming pattern in the narrow equatorial band, about 30% of which is induced by the Indian Ocean.
Ice Cloud Formation Related to Oceanic Supply of Ice‐Nucleating Particles: A Case Study in the Southern Ocean Near an Atmospheric River in Late Summer
Authors: Sato Kazutoshi , Inoue Jun 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis study investigated ice cloud formation associated with marine bioaerosols over the Southern Ocean (SO) using a combination of cloud particle sensor (CPS) sonde observations, satellite products, reanalysis data, and backward trajectory analysis. The CPS sonde detected ice clouds at temperatures higher than −10°C in the mid‐troposphere near an atmospheric river at high‐latitudes over the SO. Backward trajectory analyses indicated that a mid‐latitude air mass with a high concentration of atmospheric dimethylsulfide (DMS) in the atmospheric boundary layer (<1 km) arrived at the ice cloud formation layer over the high‐latitudes. The DMS in the boundary layer began to increase under high wave conditions, coincident with the highest chlorophyll‐a concentrations in the ocean. These results suggest that bioaerosols emitted from the ocean over the mid‐latitudes acted as ice‐nucleating particles for ice cloud formation over high‐latitudes.
Impact of Assimilating C‐Band Phased‐Array Radar Data With EnKF on the Forecast of Convection Initiation: A Case Study in Beijing, China
Authors: Ming Jie , Gong Peng , Lu Yinghui , Zhao Kun , Huang Hao , Chen Xingchao , Wang Shuguang , Zhang Qiang 
Published: November 2023

AbstractThis study used a Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF)‐based Ensemble Kalman Filter (EnKF) system to assimilate reflectivity (Z) and radial velocity (Vr) data in precipitating and clear‐air regions from the Beijing Daxing International Airport C‐band phased‐array radar (C‐PAR) to improve the forecasts of a convective initiation (CI) case occurred on 18 June 2020. The results showed that high‐frequency assimilating the C‐PAR Vr in clear‐air region is conducive to increase the forecast lead time of CI by significantly improving the initial dynamic and thermodynamic fields, which creates a more accurate pre‐CI environment. After assimilating the C‐PAR clear‐air Vr, the CI case can be accurately predicted with a 20 min forecast lead time in the best‐case scenario. This is the first real‐case study to demonstrate the benefits of assimilating high spatiotemporal resolution PAR clear‐air radial velocity data for the CI process.