bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Supporting the planning and management of biodiversity through the development of a geospatial decision support system
Authors: Mileti Florindo Antonio , Russo Danilo , Fraissinet Maurizio , Langella Giuliano , Ferraro Giuliano , Terribile Fabio 
Published: January 2024

AbstractToday, the issue of biodiversity conservation is, more than ever before, one of primary importance since it has become common knowledge that biodiversity provides many services that are relevant to the sustaining of ecological integrity and, so, for the benefit of humanity. Within this framework, rural areas are particularly exposed to degradation threats and, therefore, biodiversity loss due to their lying between and interlinking with urban and natural areas. The European Commission underlines the relevance of this conservation in its Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, which identifies a series of needs for conserving biodiversity in Europe, among which is the need for more operational tools to support biodiversity management. This paper aims to demonstrate that a geoSpatial decision support system (S‐DSS), developed through focused interdisciplinary research and implemented over a Geospatial Cyberinfrastructure, might provide a powerful web‐based operational tool to encourage both the engagement of a large range of end‐users and stakeholders and the better implementation of the Habitats Directive as indicated by the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030. The platform supports data visualization and on‐the‐fly computer applications for modeling, all via a web browser. The S‐DSS tool brings together knowledge of soil and environmental sciences, biodiversity and information technology. The S‐DSS tool is demonstrated through three use cases in the Campania region (Southern Italy) from different users' perspectives. The connection of data and model aims to provide information that will improve knowledge and awareness of biodiversity. In just a few clicks, the production of maps, results and statistics provides an overview of the biodiversity over a personalized area drawn by the user. The approach is highly transferable to other areas, from other administrative regions to the whole European territory, because it is based on general algorithms that are easily applied elsewhere, providing there is the necessary data availability.
The behaviour change technique: Profile of a multimodal lifestyle intervention
Authors: Englund Anja , Sommar Johan Nilsson , Krachler Benno 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIntroductionThe behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 was developed to identify the smallest active ingredients of a lifestyle intervention, that is, behaviour change techniques (BCTs) based on a written description. By participation and direct observation of an intervention, we intend to not only identify BCTs but also assess exposure time for each BCT. Adding the dimension of exposure time should enable us to make quantitative comparisons between the different BCTs employed. We intend to demonstrate this by studying the hypotheses that exposure to information‐related BCTs is similar for all targeted lifestyle modalities but decreases in the course of the intervention.MethodsDuring 5‐week intensive multimodal lifestyle interventions at a Swedish clinic for lifestyle medicine, we identified BCTs according to behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 and noted exposure times to BCTs in all mandatory parts of the behaviour change intervention.ResultsTwo hundred thirty‐one independent intervention components were evaluated. BCTs 8.1 Behavioural practice/rehearsal (126 h), 4.1 Instruction on how to perform the behaviour (98 h) and 6.1 Demonstration of the behaviour (65 h) were the most common in terms of exposure time. Relative exposure to BCTs with an informative nature was similar for the different treatment phases (33%−37%−28%; p = 0.09) but higher for physical activity compared to food habits, stress management and unspecific lifestyle medicine (63%−25%−22%−25%; p < 0.001).ConclusionsThe behaviour change technique taxonomy version 1 can be extended by adding exposure time for different BCTs. The resulting BCT–exposure profile can be used for assessing the relative importance of different behaviour change strategies.
Treatment outcome and prognostic factors of external auditory canal squamous cell carcinoma: A retrospective study in a tertiary center
Authors: Huang Yi‐Ting , Wu Jiunn‐Liang , Chao Wen‐Yuan , Lee Wei‐Ting 
Published: January 2024

AbstractObjectiveSquamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the external auditory canal (EAC) is a rare malignancy with various treatment strategies and outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical characteristics and survival outcomes and identify prognostic factors in patients with SCC of EAC.MethodsTwenty‐one patients with SCC of EAC treated in a single tertiary center between 2009 and 2021 were retrospectively reviewed and analyzed. The modified Pittsburgh classification system was applied for staging. Factors associated with survival were identified by univariate survival analysis.ResultsThe mean age at diagnosis was 61 years (range: 41–79 years). Early‐stage (T1 + T2) accounts for 38.1% of the series and advanced‐stage (T3 + T4) accounts for 61.9%. Eighteen (85.7%) patients underwent primary surgery with curative intent. The 5‐year overall survival rate of the 21 patients was 67.4%. Tumor invasion to the otic capsule, eustachian tube, sigmoid sinus, and dura were associated with poor prognosis in univariate analysis (p = .046; .008; .027; and .08, respectively).ConclusionsFactors predictive of less favorable survival include the history of COM, tumor invasion to the otic capsule, eustachian tube, sigmoid sinus, and dura. It is important to make a precise and systemic preoperative evaluation of disease extent.Level of Evidence4
Polymer Waste Valorization into Advanced Carbon Nanomaterials for Potential Energy and Environment Applications
Authors: Pattanshetti Akshata , Koli Amruta , Dhabbe Rohant , Yu Xiao‐Ying , Motkuri Radha Kishan , Chavan Vijay D. , Kim Deok‐kee , Sabale Sandip 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThe rise in universal population and accompanying demands have directed toward an exponential surge in the generation of polymeric waste. The estimate predicts that world‐wide plastic production will rise to ≈590 million metric tons by 2050, whereas 5000 million more tires will be routinely abandoned by 2030. Handling this waste and its detrimental consequences on the Earth's ecosystem and human health presents a significant challenge. Converting the wastes into carbon‐based functional materials viz. activated carbon, graphene, and nanotubes is considered the most scientific and adaptable method. Herein, this world provides an overview of the various sources of polymeric wastes, modes of build‐up, impact on the environment, and management approaches. Update on advances and novel modifications made in methodologies for converting diverse types of polymeric wastes into carbon nanomaterials over the last 5 years are given. A remarkable focus is made to comprehend the applications of polymeric waste‐derived carbon nanomaterials (PWDCNMs) in the CO2capture, removal of heavy metal ions, supercapacitor‐based energy storage and water splitting with an emphasis on the correlation between PWDCNMs' properties and their performances. This review offers insights into emerging developments in the upcycling of polymeric wastes and their applications in environment and energy.
The impact of technology transfer on managerial delegation under vertical product differentiation
Authors: Wang Xingtang 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis paper analyzes the impact of technology transfer on managerial delegation contracts. Under price competition, if technology transfer occurs, it increases the level of managerial delegation of a firm producing low‐quality product. When the degree of technology transfer is relatively high, technology transfer improves the managerial delegation of producing high‐quality products. When the degree of technology transfer is relatively low, technology transfer reduces the managerial delegation of firms producing high‐quality products. Under quantity competition, technology transfer reduces the managerial delegation coefficient of all firms. We further analyze the Stackelberg competition and the royalty situation.
Will technological innovation uncertainty affect the distribution of benefits from low‐carbon innovation activities in industrial clusters?—A study based on gray Shapley values
Authors: Tang Xi , Feng Junwen , Mao Xiangyu , Feng Bo , Wu Junmin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractTechnological innovation of industrial cluster is an important measure to realize low‐carbon development. However, the uncertainty associated with new technologies can have a significant impact on the earnings of enterprises. This paper examines the benefit distribution of collaborative technological innovation in industrial clusters through the gray Shapley value, which makes up for the problem that existing research ignores the impact of the uncertainty of technological innovation on the distribution of benefits and provides a new research perspective. In addition, this paper also provides some countermeasures for the Chinese government to encourage enterprises in industrial clusters carry out low‐carbon innovation activities.
The “educational capital” of corporate boards and initial public offering pricing: Evidence from the US initial public offerings
Authors: Wu Shuai , Tang Wei , Fu Qiang , Xu Yu 
Published: January 2024

AbstractWe unravel the conditions under which the type of education found among board members mitigates the uncertainty in new equity markets. Our results indicate that issuers in low R&D industries—as well as those faced with complex organizational structures—leave less money on the table when their boards are dominated by executives with managerial skills. Conversely, boards with highly specialized members in small and knowledge‐intensive firms reduce underpricing. Finally, we document that both types of board education lessen initial public offering share–price volatility in the immediate post‐issue period. This research is the first to derive conclusive evidence that more executives in the boards with managerial skills and boards with highly specialized members facilitate price discovery in signaling issuer reputation on the first trading day. This study has implications that we provide investors with unique non‐financial information, boards' “education capital,” that can be considered before making investment decisions.
Assessing electrofishing effort required to estimate species richness of fishes in nonwadeable rivers of Alabama, USA
Authors: Sammons Steven M. , Dattilo Jason E. , Rider Steven J. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Objective
Much of the fish biodiversity in the southeastern USA is found in lotic systems, but assessment of fish community structure in large nonwadeable rivers has lagged compared to streams. Sampling designs that adequately estimate species richness are a prerequisite to creating bioassessment metrics but thus far has not been attempted in highly biodiverse rivers in the southeastern USA east of the Mississippi River.

Methods
Fish communities in four nonwadeable rivers across Alabama spanning catchments of 2046–57,415 km2 were sampled using electrofishing in summer and fall of 2015 and 2016. All rivers were sampled during day; two rivers were also sampled at night to assess diel changes in species accumulation.

Result
In total, 55,239 fishes were collected across rivers, representing 106 species in 24 families. Species collected continued to increase as sampling increased in all river-season combinations, rarely displaying an asymptote. Species generally accrued more quickly and accumulation curves showed more tendency to asymptote in fall than summer in all but the largest river. Species accumulated faster at night than during the day in both rivers during summer but was similar between diel periods in fall. On average, 95% of the species observed were collected in eight subreaches in fall but not until nine during summer; however, observed number of species was generally one to six species lower than mean estimates of true species richness. Sampling efforts collected approximately similar species assemblages across transects, years, season, and diel periods. Extrapolation of species accumulation curves suggested that 6–17 km of sampling distance would be required to collect all species present.

Conclusion
Results of this study demonstrate that assessing fish communities in species nonwadeable rivers requires an inordinate amount of sampling effort, which may be unattainable for many agencies. Further study is warranted to develop innovative solutions to overcome these logistical challenges.
Testing the accuracy of the SexEst software for sex estimation in a modern Greek sample
Authors: Nikita Paraskevi‐Anna , Garoufi Nefeli , Valakos Eustratios , Constantinou Chrysovalantis , Nikita Efthymia , Chovalopoulou Maria‐Eleni 
Published: January 2024

AbstractSex estimation from human skeletal remains is fundamental in osteoarcheology and forensic anthropology. The increasing availability of reference skeletal collections across the world has allowed the development of morphological and metric methods for skeletal sex estimation, some of which may be implemented in specialized computer software. The present study aims to evaluate the freely available SexEst software, which utilizes cranial and postcranial measurements, and different classification models for sex estimation, on a contemporary Greek population comprising of 227 (126 males and 101 females) adult individuals. After the calculation of intra‐observer error to assess the repeatability of the measurements, the proposed variables were tested for classification accuracy individually and in different combinations. Based on the results, the postcranial models outperformed the cranial ones in all cases and can be adequately applied on a Greek population sample. The light gradient boosting (LGB) algorithm yielded the highest correct classification rates when no missing values exist, while the linear discriminant analysis (LDA) models should only be used when dealing with missing data. The highest classification accuracy for a 0.65 posterior probability threshold was reached when utilizing a combination of postcranial variables (89.67%), while the lowest was achieved with the cranial measurement “Glabella‐occipital length” (45.00%). The same models yielded the highest and lowest accuracy for a 0.5 probability threshold, with values of 92.96% and 67.73%, respectively. Combining variables yielded higher accuracies in both skeletal regions, suggesting that the software would be more helpful in cases of intact skeletons. The loss of classification accuracy due to population specificity further corroborates the need to include different ancestries in sex estimation software.
Bactericidal activity of slightly acidic electrolyzed water against the cariogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans and other oral bacteria
Authors: Nishihama Saki , Miyata Ayaka , Le Mi Nguyen‐Tra , Kawada‐Matsuo Miki , Kaneyasu Yoshino , Ohta Kouji , Ohge Hiroki , Shiba Hideki , Komatsuzawa Hitoshi 
Published: January 2024

AbstractIntroductionSlightly acidic electrolyzed water (SAEW) is sterilizing agent produced by the electrolysis of hydrochloric acid. Because SAEW has been applied to various foods as the disinfectant, SAEW is expected to be used in the medical field. In this study, we evaluated the bactericidal effect of SAEW on various oral bacteria.MethodologyThe bactericidal activity of SAEW against cariogenic bacteria, periodontopathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic‐resistant bacteria was evaluated.ResultsWe first examined the effect of SAEW on Streptococcus mutans UA159 with different reaction time or the number of bacterial cells. SAEW showed complete bactericidal activity against up to 107 cells within 1 min and even 10 s. Against cariogenic bacteria, periodontopathogenic bacteria, and antibiotic‐resistant bacteria, we evaluated the bactericidal effect of SAEW against 10 S. mutans clinical isolates, three periodontopathogenic bacteria, and 18 cephalosporin‐resistant Gram‐negative bacteria, and we found complete killing against all bacteria. Various dilutions (25%, 50%, and 75%) of SAEW by water still showed complete bactericidal activity, while dilutions by artificial saliva lost the bactericidal activity significantly, with 23.3% bactericidal activity even by 75% SAEW. Storage of SAEW for 7 days at room temperature still showed complete killing activity.ConclusionOur results demonstrated that SAEW has a high antibacterial effect on oral bacteria, indicating the possibility of clinical use in the dental field such as disinfection of dental devices and oral care.
Wildlife farming: Balancing economic and conservation interests in the face of illegal wildlife trade
Authors: Meeks Dominic , Morton Oscar , Edwards David P. 
Published: January 2024

Abstract

Demand for wildlife and their products continues to grow, often despite increasingly militarised regulation and consumer awareness campaigns. We review the sustainability, legality and feasibility of wildlife farming of animals, as a potential conservation tool to ensure the development of an equitable and sustainable trade model.

While there are some positive examples of well‐managed wildlife farming in trade, we identify common themes of misuse including the intentional mislabelling of wild‐caught specimens in global trade and the use of wild‐caught individuals to supplement captive stocks.

We also highlight the frequent failure to incorporate biological data into management strategies, resulting in the widespread use of species with potentially unfavourable life history traits, which constrain the economic and biological sustainability of wildlife farming programmes.

We develop a structured decision framework to aid the examination of when wildlife farming may most benefit or hinder species conservation.

Synthesis and applications. Key opportunities include developing species suitability assessments and removing barriers to legitimate participation with wildlife farming among poor, rural communities. In the absence of management strategies that address the issues of species suitability and accessibility, wildlife farming will continue to place significant strain on wild populations while failing to provide conservation value and sustainable economic returns.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Effect of temperature and moisture composite environments on the mechanical properties and mechanisms of woven carbon fiber composites
Authors: Chen Jingsong , Yang Guangwu , Xiao Shoune , Chen Dongdong , Wang Mingmeng , Jiang Lanxin 
Published: January 2024

AbstractTemperature and moisture are important environmental conditions governing the usage of carbon fiber‐reinforced plastics (CFRP). In this study, tensile, compression, and shear tests of woven CFRP composites were conducted in four composite environments: cold‐temperature dry state, room‐temperature dry state, elevated‐temperature dry state, and elevated‐temperature wet state. Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy was used to analyze the molecular composition and structure under these environments. The fracture morphology was also analyzed using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to understand the deterioration mechanism of the material properties at the macro and micro scales. Finally, a two‐parameter Weibull statistical model was used to evaluate the scattering of the composites. The results demonstrate that the tensile, compressive, and shear properties of the material decrease under harsh conditions, and the degradation effect on the ultimate strength is much greater than that of the modulus. Cold‐temperature dry and elevated‐temperature wet conditions are particularly severe. Composite environments significantly affect the macroscopic failure process and ultimate failure mode of materials. In general, the temperature and humidity of the matrix system acts at the core of the deterioration mechanism of composites, affecting the properties of the fiber/matrix and orthogonal woven fiber interfaces, and eventually resulting in a loss of their constitutive strength and bearing capacity. The theoretical ultimate strength were consistent with the experimental values.Highlights
Comprehensive mechanical property testing in multiple composite environments.
Degradation mechanisms were revealed from multiscale morphology analysis.
Scattering of composites were evaluated using statistical analyses.
Cold temperature dry and elevated temperature wet were the worst states.
Deterioration effect of environment on matrix and interface is the core failure mechanism.
Compression molding of polypropylene‐ and polyethylene‐based composite materials using siliceous waste concrete powder
Authors: Kanda Yasuyuki 
Published: January 2024

AbstractThis study investigated the applicability of siliceous waste concrete powder (WCP‐S) as a reinforcing particle in plastic composite materials for effectively utilizing waste concrete. WCP‐S was obtained by milling waste concrete. Two types of resin materials, polypropylene (PP) and polyethylene (PE), were used as the matrix of the composite material. Composite materials were fabricated via compression molding, and the effect of the WCP‐S content on the mechanical properties of the composite materials was investigated. The flexural strength of the PP‐based material decreased with increasing WCP‐S content, whereas the flexural modulus increased. This result suggests insufficient interfacial adhesion between the matrix resin and WCP‐S in the plastic region with high flexural load. To improve this interfacial adhesion, we investigated the mechanical properties of the PE‐based composite material. The flexural strength remained almost constant on increasing the WCP‐S content in the PE‐based composite material, whereas the flexural strength increased. Therefore, WCP‐S is a promising reinforcement particle with an improved flexural modulus for PP or PE resins.Highlights
Plastic composite material was fabricated using WCP‐S.
The flexural strength of PP‐based composite material decreased.
The flexural strength of PE‐based composite material remained almost constant.
Flexural modulus increased the PP‐ and PE‐based composite material.
WCP‐S is a promising reinforcement particle for PP/PE resins.