bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Soil enzyme activities in heavily manured and waterlogged soil cultivated with ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum)
Authors: Rupngam Thidarat , Messiga Aimé J. , Karam Antoine 
Published: December 2023

Extended waterlogging (WL) conditions can alter soil enzyme activities and their role in maintaining healthy soils. We assessed the effects of soil moisture regimes (field capacity [FC] and WL) and phosphorus (P) rates (0, 15, 30, 45 kg available P ha–1) on ( i) soil enzymes and microbial biomass carbon (MBC), microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN), and microbial biomass P (MBP); and ( ii) dissolved organic carbon (DOC) and total dissolved nitrogen (TDN). The treatments were tested in a 4-month greenhouse experiment using intact soil columns under annual ryegrass ( Lolium multiflorum). WL decreased the activity of β-glucosidase and acid phosphomonoesterase but increased N-acetyl-β-glucosaminidase in soils. These changes were associated with changes in MBC, DOC, MBN, and TDN, but not MBP. Anoxic conditions in WL soil promote the activity of anaerobes and contribute to the reduction of Fe oxyhydroxides and the release of DOC, TDN, and P in the soil solution. The activity of the extracellular enzymes decreased in WL with additions of slurry indicating adequate supply of C, N, and P. Our results also showed that both enzyme activities and microbial biomass were restricted in the upper soil layer with limited downward movement along the soil profile. We can conclude that since these enzymes control the hydrolysis of cellulose, phosphomonoester, and chitin, soil moisture influences the direction and magnitude of C, N, and P in manured and waterlogged soil cultivated with ryegrass.
Secret key rate bounds for quantum key distribution with faulty active phase randomization
Authors: Sixto Xoel , Currás-Lorenzo Guillermo , Tamaki Kiyoshi , Curty Marcos 
Published: December 2023

AbstractDecoy-state quantum key distribution (QKD) is undoubtedly the most efficient solution to handle multi-photon signals emitted by laser sources, and provides the same secret key rate scaling as ideal single-photon sources. It requires, however, that the phase of each emitted pulse is uniformly random. This might be difficult to guarantee in practice, due to inevitable device imperfections and/or the use of an external phase modulator for phase randomization in an active setup, which limits the possible selected phases to a finite set. Here, we investigate the security of decoy-state QKD when the phase is actively randomized by faulty devices, and show that this technique is quite robust to deviations from the ideal uniformly random scenario. For this, we combine a novel parameter estimation technique based on semi-definite programming, with the use of basis mismatched events, to tightly estimate the parameters that determine the achievable secret key rate. In doing so, we demonstrate that our analysis can significantly outperform previous results that address more restricted scenarios.
Optimal Inapproximability with Universal Factor Graphs
Authors: Austrin Per , Brown-Cohen Jonah , Håstad Johan 
Published: December 2023

The factor graph of an instance of a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP) is the bipartite graph indicating which variables appear in each constraint. An instance of the CSP is given by the factor graph together with a list of which predicate is applied for each constraint. We establish that many Max-CSPs remain as hard to approximate as in the general case even when the factor graph is fixed (depending only on the size of the instance) and known in advance.

Examples of results obtained for this restricted setting are:

(1)
Optimal inapproximability for Max-3-Lin and Max-3-Sat (Håstad, J. ACM 2001).

(2)
Approximation resistance for predicates supporting pairwise independent subgroups (Chan, J. ACM 2016).

(3)
Hardness of the “(2 + ϵ)-Sat” problem and other Promise CSPs (Austrin et al., SIAM J. Comput. 2017).

The main technical tool used to establish these results is a new way of folding the long code which we call “functional folding”.
Differences in Survival between Black and White Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma: Comparison of Data from the DOD Central Cancer Registry and SEER
Authors: Lin Jie , Orestes Michael I. , Shriver Craig D. , Zhu Kangmin 
Published: December 2023

Abstract

Background:
Barriers to health care access may contribute to the poorer survival of Black patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) than their White counterparts in the U.S. general population. The Department of Defense's (DOD) Military Health System (MHS) provides universal health care access to all beneficiaries with various racial backgrounds.

Methods:
We compared overall survival of patients with HNSCC by race in the MHS and the general population, respectively, to assess whether there were differences in racial disparity between the two populations. The MHS patients were identified from the DOD's Central Cancer Registry (CCR) and the patients from the U.S. general population were identified from the NCI's Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) program. For each cohort, a retrospective study was conducted comparing survival by race.

Results:
Black and White patients in the CCR cohort had similar survival in multivariable Cox regression models with a HR of 1.04 and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of 0.81 to 1.33 after adjustment for the potential confounders. In contrast, Black patients in the SEER cohort exhibited significantly worse survival than White patients with an adjusted HR of 1.47 (95% CI = 1.43–1.51). These results remained similar in the subgroup analyses for oropharyngeal and non-oropharyngeal sites, respectively.

Conclusions:
There was no racial difference in survival among patients with HNSCC in the MHS system, while Black patients had significantly poorer survival than White patients in the general population.

Impact:
Equal access to health care could reduce racial disparity in overall survival among patients with HNSCC.
Hallucinations in Large Multilingual Translation Models
Authors: Guerreiro Nuno M. , Alves Duarte M. , Waldendorf Jonas , Haddow Barry , Birch Alexandra , Colombo Pierre , Martins André F. T. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Hallucinated translations can severely undermine and raise safety issues when machine translation systems are deployed in the wild. Previous research on the topic focused on small bilingual models trained on high-resource languages, leaving a gap in our understanding of hallucinations in multilingual models across diverse translation scenarios. In this work, we fill this gap by conducting a comprehensive analysis—over 100 language pairs across various resource levels and going beyond English-centric directions—on both the M2M neural machine translation (NMT) models and GPT large language models (LLMs). Among several insights, we highlight that models struggle with hallucinations primarily in low-resource directions and when translating out of English, where, critically, they may reveal toxic patterns that can be traced back to the training data. We also find that LLMs produce qualitatively different hallucinations to those of NMT models. Finally, we show that hallucinations are hard to reverse by merely scaling models trained with the same data. However, employing more diverse models, trained on different data or with different procedures, as fallback systems can improve translation quality and virtually eliminate certain pathologies.
The Qumran Opisthographic Papyri as a Scribal Cluster of Manuscripts
Authors: Aksu Ayhan 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
This essay will explore to which the degree the opisthographic papyri from Qumran can be seen as a scribal cluster, which I understand to be a group of manuscripts that were produced and/or circulated within the same scribal context. This contribution will present a case study by focusing on the papyrus opisthographs 4Q433a/4Q255, 4Q499/4Q497, 4Q503/4Q512, and 4Q509/4Q496/4Q506. These manuscripts will be considered by combining material and textual approaches. Analysis from the perspective of palaeography and codicology will establish if these scrolls share significant material features, such as writing style, columnisation, and scribal markings. Textual analysis will assess the intertextual relations between these compositions and explore whether they share common themes and vocabulary. This case study aims to increase our understanding of how the scribes behind the Dead Sea Scrolls engaged with their texts, and explores different scholarly approaches to reconstruct ancient groupings of texts.
Explaining Mythical Composite Monsters in a Global Cross-Cultural Sample
Authors: Knowlton Timothy W. , Roberts Seán G. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Composite beings (“monsters”) are those mythical creatures composed of a mix of different anatomical forms. There are several scholarly claims for why these appear in the imagery and lore of many societies, including claims that they are found near-universally as well as those arguments that they co-occur with particular sociocultural arrangements. In order to evaluate these claims, we identify the presence of composite monsters cross-culturally in a global sample of societies, the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample. We find that composite beings are not universal, and that their presence or absence co-varies most significantly with social stratification and transportation technology. This supports hypotheses that the cultural evolution of composite monsters is driven by human concerns with social distinctions within societies as well as increased contact with distant peoples.
On the identity of Speocarcinus celebensis Tesch, 1918 (Decapoda, Brachyura, Pilumnidae) from Sulawesi
Authors: Ng Peter K. L. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The type of the poorly known pilumnid crab, Speocarcinus celebensis Tesch, 1918, is redescribed and figured. As Speocarcinus is now known to be a wholly American pseudorhombilid, the generic placement of this Tesch species has been in doubt. Ng (1987) provisionally assigned it to Viaderiana Ward, 1942, but Števčić (2011) decided to place it in a new monotypic genus, Bossacarcinus. The type is a poorly preserved subadult female, and not a male as originally reported. Bossacarcinus celebensis is likely to be a pilumnine, not a rhizopine, and is compared with allied genera like Viaderiana, Ser Rathbun, 1931, Heteropilumnus De Man, 1895, and Xestopilumnus Ng & Dai, 1996.
What Causes the Subsurface Velocity Maximum of the East Australian Current?
Authors: Oke Peter R. , Rykova Tatiana , Sloyan Bernadette M. , Ridgway Ken R. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
The East Australian Current (EAC) system includes a poleward jet that flows adjacent to the continental shelf, a southward and eastward extension, and a complex eddy field. The EAC jet is often observed to be subsurface intensified. Here, we explain that there are two factors that cause the EAC to develop a subsurface maximum. First, the EAC flows as a narrow current, carrying low-density water from the Coral Sea into the denser waters of the Tasman Sea. This results in horizontal density gradients with a different sign on either side of the jet, negative onshore and positive offshore. According to the thermal wind relation, this produces vertical gradients in southward current that are surface intensified onshore and subsurface intensified offshore. Second, we show that the winds over the shelf are mostly downwelling favorable, drawing the surface EAC waters onshore. This aligns the region of positive horizontal density gradients with the EAC core, producing a subsurface velocity maximum. The presence of a subsurface maximum may produce baroclinic instabilities that play a role in eddy formation and EAC separation from the coast.

Significance Statement
Observations of the East Australian Current (EAC) show that the strongest currents are often below the surface at about 100-m depth. Two factors cause this subsurface maximum. First, because the EAC is a narrow jet, carrying warm water southward from the Coral Sea, the density gradient across the jet changes sign, causing surface-intensified currents onshore and subsurface-intensified currents offshore. Second, the wind field over the shelf often pulls the shallow waters shoreward, shifting the waters that cause subsurface intensification to align with the center of the jet, resulting in a subsurface maximum of the EAC. This process may be responsible for the generation of eddies in the Tasman Sea.
The Testing Effect in the Lecture Hall: Does it Transfer to Content Studied but Not Practiced?
Authors: Glaser Julia , Richter Tobias 
Published: December 2023

Background Practice tests have been shown to be an effective means to foster long-term retention in higher education, at least compared to restudying (i.e., the testing effect). Objective The present study replicated and extended prior research by examining whether and to what extent the positive effects of testing on long-term retention in a typical psychology lecture transfer to content presented only during initial learning (and not practiced). Method Using a within-subjects design, we alternated post-lecture multiple-choice practice tests and restudying opportunities in two psychology classes ( N = 67). One week after the final lecture session of a cycle of six weekly lecture sessions, retention of learning content was assessed by comparing performance on questions referring to content practiced via testing, encountered via restudying, or unreviewed. Results We found a testing effect for practiced content, whereas no transfer effect occurred for untested content from the same lecture sessions. Conclusion These results show that the testing effect is a powerful learning tool, but also suggest a possible boundary condition pertaining only to explicitly tested content. Teaching Implications Practice testing should be integrated regularly in higher education courses to foster long-term retention for a final test. However, educators should take care that important content is fully covered in practice tests.
Temporal changes to adult case fatality risk of COVID-19 after vaccination in England between May 2020 and February 2022: a national surveillance study
Authors: Halford Florence , Yates Kathryn , Clare Tom , Lopez-Bernal Jamie , Kall Meaghan , Allen Hester 
Published: December 2023

Objectives Risk of death after severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has fallen during the pandemic, largely due to immunity from vaccination. In England, the timing and extent of this reduction varied due to staggered eligibility during the primary vaccination campaign, based on age and clinical risk group. Duration of protection is less well understood. Our objective was to estimate the case fatality risk (CFR) by vaccination status and time since last dose during a period of widespread community testing, to better understand the impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination and duration of protection. Design SARS-CoV-2 cases diagnosed between May 2020 and February 2022 were linked to vaccine records from the National Immunisation Management System. CFR was calculated as the proportion of cases that died of COVID-19 per the death certificate, aggregated by week of specimen and stratified by 10-year age band and vaccination status. Setting England, UK. Participants A total of 10,616,148 SARS-CoV-2 cases, aged ≥18 years, recorded by England’s laboratory reporting system. Main outcome measures Case fatality risk of COVID-19, stratified by age band and vaccination status. Results Overall, a reduction in CFR was observed for all age bands, with a clear temporal link to when the age group became eligible for primary vaccination and then the first booster. CFR increased with age (0.3% 50–59 years; 1.2% 60–69; 4.7% 70–79; 16.3% 80+) and was highest in the unvaccinated – albeit a reduction was observed over time. The highest CFR was seen in the unvaccinated 80+ group prior to vaccination rollout (30.6%). CFR was consistently lowest in vaccinated populations within 6 months of last dose, yet increased after over 6 months elapsed since last dose, across all age bands. Conclusions COVID-19 CFR reduced after vaccination, with the lowest CFR seen across all age bands when vaccinated up to 6 months prior to specimen date. This provides some evidence for continued booster doses in older age groups.
Fabrication of high performance polyimide fibers by dry-jet wet spinning technology
Authors: Wang Xiaowei , Zhang Mengying , Niu Hongqing , Wu Dezhen 
Published: December 2023

High-performance co-polyimide (co-PI) fibers derived from 3,3`4,4`-biphenyldianhydride (BPDA), p-phenylenediamine (p-PDA) and 2-(4-aminophenyl)-5-amino-benzimidazole (BIA) were prepared via the wet spinning and dry-jet wet spinning method, respectively. The distinctions between wet spinning and dry-jet wet spinning processes on the structures and properties of co-PI fibers were systematically investigated. The co-PI fibers prepared by dry-jet wet spinning exhibited smoother surface morphology and higher mechanical properties than those of co-PI prepared by wet spinning. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction (WAXD) results showed that the co-PI fibers prepared by dry-jet wet spinning exhibited highly oriented structure along the fiber direction along with a low degree of lateral packing order in the transverse direction. Small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) revealed that the radius, length, misorientation and internal surface roughness of the microvoids in the co-PI fibers prepared by the dry-jet wet spinning are lower than those in co-PI fibers prepared by wet spinning. Moreover, the effect of air layer height, as well as the heat treatment on the structure and properties of fibers during the dry-jet wet spinning process, was also studied. The tensile strength and modulus of co-PI fibers prepared by dry-jet wet spinning reached 2.72 GPa and 114.29 GPa, respectively, with an air layer height of 10 mm and a heat stretching temperature of 440°C.
Age-adjusted D-Dimer Thresholds Combined with the Modified Wells Score as a Predictor of Lower Extremity Deep Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Hao Wei , Liu Xuanhui , Feng Jiancheng , Qian Yu , An Shuo , Tian Ye , Quan Wei , Sun Jian , Wei Yingsheng , Zhang Xinjie , Jiang Rongcai 
Published: December 2023

Background Neurosurgical patients are at an increased risk of deep venous thrombosis (DVT), which, if not properly managed, can lead to pulmonary embolism. This study aimed to investigate the accuracy of age-adjusted D-dimer thresholds combined with the modified Wells score as a predictor for lower extremity DVT diagnosis. Methods We conducted a study among patients aged >50 years with suspected lower extremity DVT in the neurosurgery intensive care unit between December 2019 and December 2020. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was performed to examine the diagnostic capacity of age-adjusted D-dimer combined with the modified Wells score. Results A total of 233 participants, with an average age of 71.81 ± 12.59 years, were enrolled in the study. The mean D-dimer levels were 0.73 ± 0.39 mg/L. Among the participants, 57 (57.9%, 33 males) were diagnosed with DVT. The age-adjusted D-dimer combined with the modified Wells score had the highest area under the curve for diagnosing lower extremity DVT compared to D-dimer and age-adjusted D-dimer alone, with an AUC of 0.858. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, negative predictive value, and accuracy of the age-adjusted D-dimer combined with the modified Wells score for DVT diagnosis were 78.95%, 80.68%, 57%, 92.2%, and 80.26%, respectively. When analyzing subgroups, the accuracy was 79.55% for participants with cerebral hemorrhage, 81.69% for those with craniocerebral injury, 74.99% for participants with intracranial infection, and 88.89% for those with craniocerebral tumor. Conclusion The combination of the age-adjusted D-dimer thresholds with the modified Wells score might effectively predict lower extremity DVT.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards glaucoma among new glaucoma patients and their first-degree relatives: A cross-sectional study in a tertiary eye care centre in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Authors: AlQahtani Ghadah Mohammed S , Al Zahrani Abdullah T , Ahmad Khabir , Albalawi Alaa Nukhaylan , Obeid Dana Ahmad , Al Shahwan Sami 
Published: December 2023

Purpose Glaucoma, a disease characterized by optic nerve damage and associated visual field defects, is the main cause of irreversible loss of vision, both globally and locally. Appropriate management of glaucoma involves early diagnosis in addition to early and continuous control of the disease to protect the optic nerve from further damage. This study aimed to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards glaucoma among patients making their first visit to the glaucoma clinics, at King Khaled Eye Specialist Hospital in Riyadh, and their first-degree relatives. Methods This cross-sectional study used self-administered questionnaires. Informed consent was obtained prior to questionnaire distribution. The questionnaire included four sections on sociodemographic data, and awareness, and KAP towards glaucoma. Results Overall, 120 participants were included in our study: 70 (58.3%) were glaucoma patients and 50 (41.7%) were first-degree relatives. Forty-four (62.9%) participants in the patient group and 39 (78%) in the relative group were men. Thirty-four (48.6%) patients were aged 41–65 years, whereas 41 (82%) relatives were aged 18–40 years. Thirty-six patients (52.2%) and 35 relatives (70%) had heard of the term ‘glaucoma’. The correct definition of glaucoma was selected by only 12 participants (17.1%) in the patient group and 4 (8.2%) in the relative group. Living outside the central region of Saudi Arabia and having a negative systemic medical history were associated with poorer knowledge of glaucoma definition (p < 0.05). Although 84.8% of patients believed that compliance with anti-glaucoma medications helps in disease control, only 22.7% reported good compliance. The correct method of instilling eye drops was stated by 43.9% of the patients, and good hospital visit habits were reported by 53.03%. Eighty percent of glaucoma patients strongly recommended that their first-degree relatives be screened for glaucoma. Conclusion Knowledge about glaucoma is still limited, and awareness programs need to be further activated to spread correct knowledge about the nature of glaucoma, the importance of compliance with treatment, the correct method of instilling eye drops, and the significance of screening at-risk individuals. Patient families should also be involved in educational programs.
Effects of CSF1R/p-ERK1/2 signaling pathway on RF/6A cells under high glucose conditions
Authors: Yuan Lin Hui , Zhang Li Jun 
Published: December 2023

Objective This study analyzed how high glucose affects CSF1R and p-ERK1/2 expression in RF/6A cells. Methods The cells were cultured as high glucose (HG) and normal control (C) groups, and CSF1R shRNA was introduced. Real time PCR was used to detect the expression of CSF1R and p-ERK1/2 mRNA. Western blot was used to detect the expression of CSF1R and p-ERK1/2 proteins. Cell Counting Kit 8 (CCK-8) method was used to detect cell proliferation, while flow cytometry was used to detect apoptosis in HREC. Results Real-time PCR showed significantly raised CSF1R mRNA expression in HG. CSF1R inhibition lowered HG + LV shCSF1R CSF1R mRNA levels. Western blotting revealed higher CSF1R and p-ERK1/2 protein expression in HG than in C. Their expression level dropped after CSF1R inhibition. The number of tube-forming cells was higher in HG than in C, which reduced after CSF1R suppression. Inhibiting CSF1R also decreased cell proliferation and raised apoptosis. Conclusion Overall, under high glucose, CSF1R and p-ERK1/2 were highly expressed, leading to reduced cellular activity, and CSF1R inhibition helped alleviate this effect.