bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Impact of increasing vegetation coverage on gaining and losing streams in an arid endorheic river watershed
Authors: Jin Xin , Jin Yanxiang , Mao Xufeng , Fu Di , Zhai Jingya , Zheng Li 
Published: December 2023

AbstractTo improve the ecology in northern China, the Chinese government has launched a series of revegetation projects. However, the impact of increasing vegetation coverage on gaining and losing streams remains largely unexplored, particularly in arid endorheic watersheds with frequent exchanges of water and other materials between surface water and groundwater. To address this, we modified the vegetation growth module of the soil and water assessment tool (SWAT) to simulate the vegetation coverage change proposed for the middle and lower reaches of the Bayin River. We then coupled the modified SWAT to a modular finite‐difference groundwater flow model to simulate the surface and subsurface water exchange. Hydrological, meteorological, and hydrogeological observation data were then used to build and calibrate the coupled model for the period 2001–2019. We set two vegetation coverage scenarios (non‐revegetation and vegetation) and two irrigation variants (non‐irrigation and irrigation) to investigate the impact of changes in vegetation coverage and the related irrigation variant on gaining and losing streams. The results showed that the vegetated land area and annual leaf area index both increased significantly between 2019 and 2001. The groundwater discharge to the gaining streams was more strongly affected by revegetation and related irrigation than the groundwater recharge from the losing streams. Irrigation related to revegetation emphasizes the effect of revegetation on streamflow. We suggest that in arid endorheic river basins, because of the related irrigation, revegetation has a substantial impact on groundwater level and streamflow, which is mainly composed of baseflow. Therefore, the irrigation efficiency of newly planted vegetation must be improved to stabilize the groundwater level and related ecological conditions.
Mitochondrial DNA copy number and cancer risks: A comprehensive Mendelian randomization analysis
Authors: Cai Xianlei , Liang Chao , Zhang Miaozun , Dong Zhebin , Weng Yihui , Yu Weiming 
Published: December 2023

AbstractMitochondrial DNA plays a critical role in the pathophysiology of cancer. However, the associations between mitochondrial DNA copy number (mtDNA‐CN) and cancer risk are controversial. Mendelian randomization (MR) analyses were performed using three independent instrumental variables (IVs) to explore potential associations between mtDNA‐CN and 20 types of cancer. The three sets of IVs were primarily obtained from participants in the UK Biobank and the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology consortium using different methods. The outcome data of cancers were investigated using summary statistics from the FinnGen cohort. The potential causal associations were evaluated using the MR‐Egger regression, weighted median, inverse‐variance weighted (IVW), and weighted mode methods. The robustness of IVW estimates was validated using leave‐one‐out sensitivity analysis. Additionally, a meta‐analysis was conducted to pool results from three sets of IVs. The results revealed that genetically predicted mtDNA‐CN was not associated with cancer risk (odds ratio = 1.02; 95% confidence interval: 0.95–1.10). Subgroup analyses indicated no causal association between mtDNA‐CN and breast, lung, prostate, skin, colorectal, gastric, liver, cervical uteri, esophageal, thyroid, bladder, pancreas, kidney, corpus uteri, ovary, brain, larynx, and anus cancers. It was observed that mtDNA‐CN was associated with lip, oral cavity, and testis cancers. However, these results should be interpreted with caution because a small number of patients with lip and oral cavity or testis cancers were included. The comprehensive MR analysis demonstrated that mtDNA‐CN is not a suitable biomarker for tumor risk assessment.
Multiple schedules of conjugate reinforcement and extinction: A translational model for assessing automatically reinforced behavior
Authors: Peterson Matthew C. , Ghezzi Patrick M. , Rapp John T. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis study evaluated the extent to which a conjugate reinforcement schedule (CONJ) involving a contingency between pedaling a stationary bike and viewing a preferred movie could serve as a translational preparation for the analysis of automatically reinforced behavior. In part, researchers examined whether providing participants with either an accurate or an inaccurate rule about the extinction (EXT) component of a multiple schedule (MULT) contributed to the development of control by the MULT (CONJ EXT) schedule. Results show schedule control emerged for four of five participants who received the accurate rule and none of the five participants who received the inaccurate rule. In addition, participants who received accurate rules typically increased pedaling during CONJ components that followed two consecutive EXT components, suggesting that they experienced deprivation for audio and visual stimulation generated by pedaling. These preliminary findings suggest that researchers could use this translational preparation to identify matched interventions for some automatically reinforced behavior.
Does paid parental leave affect children's schooling outcomes? Replicating Danzer and Lavy (2018)
Authors: Troccoli Claudia 
Published: December 2023

SummaryDanzer and Lavy (2018) study how the duration of paid parental leave affects children's educational performance using data from PISA. An extension of the maximum duration from 12 to 24 months in Austria had no statistically significant effect on average, but the authors highlight the existence of large and statistically significant heterogenous effects that vary in sign depending on the education of mothers and children's gender. The policy increased the scores obtained by sons of highly educated mothers by 33% of a standard deviation (SD) in Reading and 40% SD in Science. On the contrary, sons of low educated mothers experienced a decrease of 27% SD in Reading and 23% SD in Science. In this article, I replicate their study following the recommended estimation procedure taking into account both the survey's stratified two‐stage sample design and the fact that PISA relies on imputation to derive student scores. I show that the estimates of the effects of the parental leave extension become substantially smaller in magnitude and non‐significant.
Clinical significance of gastrointestinal bleeding history in patients who undergo left atrial appendage closure
Authors: Kikuchi Tatsuya , Kono Yoshiyasu , Nakagawa Koji , Okada Hiroyuki , Miyamoto Masakazu , Takaya Yoichi , Hirata Shoichiro , Inoo Shoko , Kuraoka Sakiko , Okanoue Shotaro , Matsueda Katsunori , Satomi Takuya , Hamada Kenta , Iwamuro Masaya , Kawano Seiji , Kawahara Yoshiro 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackground and AimAnticoagulant users with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (NVAF) sometimes suffer from gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) and have difficulty continuing the medication. Left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) has been developed for such situations. We aimed to clarify the clinical significance of a history of GIB in comparison to other factors in patients who had undergone LAAC.MethodsFrom October 2019 to September 2023, patients with NVAF who underwent LAAC at our hospital were enrolled. We investigated the percentage of patients with a history of GIB who underwent LAAC and compared the incidence of post‐LAAC bleeding in these patients compared to those with other factors.ResultsA total of 45 patients were included. There were 19 patients (42%) with a history of GIB who underwent LAAC. In a Kaplan–Meier analysis, the cumulative incidence of bleeding complications after LAAC was significantly higher in patients with a history of GIB in comparison to patients with other factors. There were eight cases of post‐LAAC bleeding in total, and seven cases had GIB.ConclusionsWe need to recognize that GIB is a significant complication in patients who undergo LAAC. The management of GIB by gastroenterologists is essential to the success of LAAC.
Endoscopic submucosal dissection for superficial esophageal cancer in a diverticulum: A case report with literature review
Authors: Hamada Yasuhiko , Ikenoyama Yohei , Umeda Yuhei , Yukimoto Hiroki , Shigefuku Akina , Fujiwara Yasuko , Beppu Tsuyoshi , Nakamura Misaki , Horiki Noriyuki , Nakagawa Hayato 
Published: December 2023

AbstractSuperficial esophageal cancer (SEC) in a diverticulum is rare and has a high risk of perforation during endoscopic resection. Although endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a standard treatment option, it is challenging to perform. Here, we describe the case of a 79‐year‐old male patient with a history of ESD for SEC. Surveillance esophagogastroduodenoscopy identified a 20‐mm‐sized reddish depressed lesion in a diverticulum in the middle esophagus. The lesion was confirmed to be squamous cell carcinoma by biopsy. Magnification endoscopy with narrow‐band imaging showed intraepithelial papillary capillary loops of type B1 according to the magnified endoscopic classification of the Japan Esophageal Society. Endoscopic ultrasonography revealed the presence of the muscular layer of the esophagus wall in the diverticulum. Therefore, the lesion was diagnosed as SEC, confined to the epithelium or lamina propria mucosae, in a Rokitansky diverticulum. Based on these findings, ESD was considered technically feasible. Traction‐assisted ESD using clip with line was performed, and en bloc resection was achieved without adverse events. The resected specimen pathologically revealed a squamous cell carcinoma confined to the lamina propria mucosae without lymphovascular invasion, suggesting a curative resection. The patient recovered well, and no recurrence has been observed for 5 years after the ESD. Whether ESD is appropriate for the treatment of SEC in a diverticulum remains unclear. However, our case shows that it can be a treatment option in such cases due to its minimal invasiveness and good effectiveness.
The cortical thickness of tricenarian cocaine users assembles features of an octogenarian brain
Authors: Rothmann Leonardo Melo , Tondo Lucca Pizzato , Borelli Wyllians Vendramini , Esper Nathalia Bianchini , Portolan Eduardo Tavares , Franco Alexandre Rosa , Portuguez Mirna Wetters , Ferreira Pedro Eugênio , Bittencourt Augusto Martins Lucas , Soder Ricardo Bernardi , Viola Thiago Wendt , da Costa Jaderson Costa , Grassi‐Oliveira Rodrigo 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIt has been suggested that substance use disorders could lead to accelerated biological aging, but only a few neuroimaging studies have investigated this hypothesis so far. In this cross‐sectional study, structural neuroimaging was performed to measure cortical thickness (CT) in tricenarian adults with cocaine use disorder (CUD, n1 = 30) and their age‐paired controls (YC, n1 = 30), and compare it with octogenarian elder controls (EC, n1 = 20). We found that CT in the right fusiform gyrus was similar between CUD and EC, thinner than the expected values of YC. We also found that regarding CT of the right inferior temporal gyrus, right inferior parietal cortex, and left superior parietal cortex, the CUD group exhibited parameters that fell in between EC and YC groups. Finally, CT of the right pars triangularis bordering with orbitofrontal gyrus, right superior temporal gyrus, and right precentral gyrus were reduced in CUD when contrasted with YC, but those areas were unrelated to CT of EC. Despite the 50‐year age gap between our age groups, CT of tricenarian cocaine users assembles features of an octogenarian brain, reinforcing the accelerated aging hypothesis in CUD.
Bayesian random‐effects meta‐analysis with empirical heterogeneity priors for application in health technology assessment with very few studies
Authors: Lilienthal Jona , Sturtz Sibylle , Schürmann Christoph , Maiworm Matthias , Röver Christian , Friede Tim , Bender Ralf 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIn Bayesian random‐effects meta‐analysis, the use of weakly informative prior distributions is of particular benefit in cases where only a few studies are included, a situation often encountered in health technology assessment (HTA). Suggestions for empirical prior distributions are available in the literature but it is unknown whether these are adequate in the context of HTA. Therefore, a database of all relevant meta‐analyses conducted by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG, Germany) was constructed to derive empirical prior distributions for the heterogeneity parameter suitable for HTA. Previously, an extension to the normal‐normal hierarchical model had been suggested for this purpose. For different effect measures, this extended model was applied on the database to conservatively derive a prior distribution for the heterogeneity parameter. Comparison of a Bayesian approach using the derived priors with IQWiG's current standard approach for evidence synthesis shows favorable properties. Therefore, these prior distributions are recommended for future meta‐analyses in HTA settings and could be embedded into the IQWiG evidence synthesis approach in the case of very few studies.
Breaking free from academic scams: Five key reflections on the cloned journal conundrum
Authors: Vijay Solomon Rajadurai 
Published: December 2023

Key points
Emerging as a novel cybercrime, cloned (or hijacked) journals with identical ISSNs to legitimate ones have surfaced.
These cloned journals employ various tactics, and this article identifies and discusses the top five.
Fraudulent journals primarily focus on print‐only publications, using parallel websites to mislead researchers.
Cloned journals are using videos on their homepages to deceitfully showcase indexing in databases like Scopus or Web of Science.
Predicting the presence of hypoxic hypolimnia in lakes at large spatial scales
Authors: LaBrie Richard , Maranger Roxane 
Published: December 2023

AbstractLakes and reservoirs provide multiple essential ecosystem services to humans, and several of these require the presence of a cool, oxygen‐rich hypolimnion. These ecosystem services include supporting habitat for recreational fish species and the maintenance of a non‐eutrophic state by limiting internal nutrient loading. However, changes in land use and global warming are modifying the thermal structure of lakes worldwide, creating episodic or prolonged periods of hypoxia, changing a lakes ability to deliver certain ecosystem services. Here, we used National Lake Assessment data and machine learning approaches to identify which lake or watershed features determined the presence of a hypolimnion and which contributed to the development of hypoxia. A random forest of 1000 trees predicted the presence of a hypolimnion with 85% accuracy using commonly measured morphometric and physicochemical variables as well as land use. Mean and maximum depths had a disproportionate influence, entirely obscuring the influence of variables commonly associated with lake mixing, such as light penetration and fetch. In contrast, depth had a more restrained role to predict the presence of hypoxia; the latter was predicted with an overall accuracy of 85%, from epilimnetic nitrogen and carbon concentrations. Although the nutrient‐color groups had a minor influence in the random forests, there was a clear trend of increased hypoxia with higher turbidity. Our approach allows for the broad‐scale assessment of lakes with hypolimnia and suggests that increasing eutrophication and browning will promote profundal hypoxia, altering the delivery of certain ecosystems services.
Study on lap joining and characterization of tin (Sn) powder on stainless steel SS304 using microwave heating
Authors: Tayier W. , Janasekaran S. , Tai V. C. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractMetal bonding via joints of low melting point materials such as zinc and tin has been technically challenging. This paper presents a unique technique for bonding small dimensions and the low melting point of materials through the microwave hybrid heating (MHH) process. Joint of stainless steel SS304 was applied to the joint with the tin (Sn) powder with the application of microwave radiation by using domestic microwave oven at 2.45 GHz of constant frequency, 200–360 W of microwave power, 120–180 s of exposure time, and 10–20 % of the epoxy rate. A developed heat chamber was used as a susceptor and insulator in the microwave hybrid heating (MHH) process. The tin powder and parent metals were strongly bonded as lap position by the microwave hybrid heating (MHH) process at 360 W of microwave power, 180 s of constant exposure time, and 20 % of the constant epoxy rate. Characterization of the joint was evaluated through microhardness and x‐ray diffraction (XRD) analysis techniques. It was found that the intermetallic compounds (phase) of nickel tin (NiSn), iron tin (Fe1.84Sn), sulfur tin (SSn), chromium tin (Cr2Sn3), chromium tin (CrSn2), and tin phosphorus (SnP) at the joint surface with highest microhardness obtained at 498.4 HV 0.05 at 360 W of microwave power.
Effects of precipitation hardening on cutting force, surface roughness and tool wear in turning of 15‐5PH stainless steel
Authors: Elyasi M. , Maghsoudpour A. , Soleimanimehr H. , Akhavan Farid A. 
Published: December 2023

Abstract15‐5PH steel is a group of martensitic stainless steel which is strengthened by precipitation hardening. This paper is aimed to evaluate the effects of precipitation hardening on the machinability of 15–5PH. Machining was carried out at different feed rates and cutting speeds under heat treatment conditions H900 (meaning heat treatment at 900 °F) and H1150. The cutting force, work‐piece's surface roughness and tool wear were compared to the results of turning in solution condition. Scanning electron microscopy observation revealed that crater and flank wear were the main tool wear types in the turning of 15–5PH under the H900, solution and H1150 conditions. In addition, turning in the H900 condition causes defects such as “side flow” of the workpiece surface and “plowing” by the tool, compared to turning in the solution condition. The analysis of variance indicated that H1150 had the highest performance in reducing the cutting force, tool wear and surface roughness. The comparison between turning in H900 and solution conditions showed that the average cutting force and tool's flank wear in the H900 condition are 18 % and 11 % higher than solution condition, respectively. However, the mean roughness was 14 % lower under H900 than the solution condition.
Investigation of controlled drug release of ibuprofen with prepared and characterized innovative bigel materials
Authors: Kizilhan E. , Özcan Y. , Erden Gönenmiş D. , Mutlu D. , Gök C. , Arslan Ş. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractNew systems called bigels have been discovered recently, alongside other consolidations of hydrogels and organogels. The purpose of this research is to develop bigels using span 40, alginate, centaury oil, black cumin oil and sorbitan monopalmitate for controlled ibuprofen release. Characterization of prepared materials was performed using various analysis by fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry. The pH 7.2 level was used for the swelling test of bigels. Cytocompatibility of bigels was determined by using human immortalized human keratinocyte cells. Bigels have been tested for their effectiveness as controlled medication delivery formulations by in vitro studies. The prepared bigels did not show any toxic effects on human cells. This indicates that the prepared materials were biocompatible. For controlled drug release kinetics, zeroth‐order, first‐order, Higuchi, and Korsmeyer‐Peppas kinetic models were used. According to results, the kinetic modeling of bigels by Korsmeyer‐Peppas is also highly compatible. Consequently, controlled drug release was successfully carried out by the novel bigel materials formed by adding an active ingredient. Our results clearly indicate that bigels have been an alternative potential material for controlled drug delivery systems by the properties of biocompatibility, slower release of the drug and the diffusion release mechanism.
Empirical modeling of profile roughness parameters during end milling of aluminium alloy 5052/tungsten carbide/graphite hybrid composite
Authors: Dhas D.S.E.J. , Wins K.L.D. , Beatrice B.A. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis study presents an empirical modeling approach to reveal the effect of end milling parameters on the profile roughness parameters. Aluminium hybrid composite was melt‐stir die cast into the required work material, setting a predetermined weight fraction of reinforcements. The experimental design was adopted using the Taguchi meta‐heuristic algorithm for the selection of the levels of the end milling parameters. The profile roughness parameters namely arithmetic average roughness (Ra), root mean square roughness (Rq), and mean roughness depth (Rz) were considered as output responses, which were measured using stylus type surface roughness tester. Non‐linear second‐order empirical models were formulated and from them, the profile response parameters were predicted with 95 % accuracy. The results revealed that the depth of cut and spindle speed are contributing 54.22 % and 38.6 % respectively among the selected input parameters on the cumulative output.
Effect of copper interlayer to the microstructure and strength of alumina/304 stainless steel joint brazed with silver‐copper‐titanium filler
Authors: Li A. H. , Li T. , Chen X. G. , Guo W. B. , Xue H. T. , Chen C. X. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractAlumina and 304 stainless steel were brazed with silver‐copper‐titanium filler+copper foil. The effect of adding copper foil to the filler on the microstructure of the alumina/304 joint was studied, and the reasons for the effect of adding copper foil with different thicknesses on the joint performance were also analyzed. The standard microstructure of alumina/304 joint with silver‐copper‐titanium+copper foil filler is alumina ceramic/copper compound with titanium and oxygen (3 : 3 : 1) (Cu3Ti3O) continuous layer+copper titanide (TiCu)/silver solid solution+copper solid solution/titanium compound with iron (1 : 2) (TiFe2)+iron‐chromium compound/304 stainless steel. The added copper foil inhibits the diffusion of titanium elements, thereby reducing the formation of the brittle copper compound with titanium and oxygen (3 : 3 : 1) (Cu3Ti3O) and alleviating the residual stress. In addition, after adding copper foil, the copper solid solution is distributed in blocks in the joint, which also improves the plastic deformation ability of the joint. Under the synergistic effect of these two effects after adding copper foil, the joint strength is improved. When the copper foil was 200 μm, the shear strength is 198.10 MPa.
Mechanical and thermal behaviour of stir cast sillimanite/red mud/LM25 Al‐alloy metal matrix composite
Authors: Yadav A. K. , Kumar N. 
Published: December 2023

AbstractThis paper investigates the mechanical and thermal characterization of hybrid metal matrix composites of sillimanite/red mud/LM25 aluminium alloy produced by stir casting process. The weight percentage of red mud and sillimanite are taken 5 %, 10 % and 15 % in the ratio of 1 : 1. Energy dispersive spectroscopy confirmed that both reinforcements are present in the base alloy. The aluminium‐metal matrix composites exhibit symmetrical distribution of red mud and sillimanite particles when observed through microscopic images, with minimal agglomeration. A detailed analysis is performed on the composites to determine the effects of sillimanite and red mud content on its tensile strength, thermal conductivity and hardness. Experimental results show that the accumulation of reinforcing material enhances the ultimate tensile strength and hardness at the expense of percentage elongation and thermal conductivity.