bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Effect of using reclaimed water via furrow and subsurface drip systems under alternate partial root-zone irrigation mechanism on crops growth and soil properties
Authors: Hashem Mahmoud S. , Guo Wei , Qi Xue-Bin , Li Ping , She Ying-jun , Cui Jiaxin , Li Tong 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe growing population in the face of water scarcity inevitably necessitates the quest for alternative sources of irrigation water, which integrates them with irrigation strategies for improved agricultural productivity to meet the Sustainable Development Goals. A three-year field experiment was conducted in 2017, 2018, and 2019 to investigate the effect of water quality (reclaimed water (RW) and clean water (CW)), irrigation techniques (subsurface drip irrigation (SDI) and furrow irrigation (FUI)), irrigation methods (full irrigation (FI) and alternate partial root-zone irrigation (APRI) (70% ETc)), and their interactions on the fresh fruit yield (FY), irrigation water use efficiency (IWUE), and nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of tomatoes. Further, electrical conductivity (EC), pH, and organic matter (OM) of soil were evaluated. The experiments were undertaken over three growing spring seasons in a greenhouse at the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences in Henan Province, China. Throughout the three years of this study, the yield, the IWUE, and the NUE values of all treatments under RW were higher than those corresponding values under CW. The trend was the same under SDI as it was under FUI. Statistical analyses revealed that there was no significant effect (P > 0.05) of water quality, irrigation technique, and irrigation methods on the soil EC, pH, and OM over the three years. In addition, the interaction between the different experimental factors over the three years of the study was not significant. In conclusion, the application of RW under SDI can result in saving CW and increasing productivity without any negative effect on the investigated soil properties. Furthermore, when RW-SDI is used in conjunction with APRI, it can result in increasing IWUE.
Corallivory on small Porites colonies increases with coral colony size but is reduced by macroalgal associational refuge
Authors: Srednick G. , Edmunds P. J. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractNumerous tropical macroalgae provide associational refuge to other benthic organisms, presumably due to their physical structure and/or production of chemical metabolites. One feature determining their effectiveness as an associational refuge is likely to be the size of the organism benefitting from the refuge. Using a manipulative experiment in the back reef of Moorea, French Polynesia, we tested if the macroalga Turbinaria ornata provided an associational refuge from fish corallivores for small colonies of massive Porites spp., and how this differed with colony size (20–100 mm diameter). Tissue loss through corallivory increased with colony size but was ~ 72% less for Porites colonies associated with T. ornata versus colonies separated from this macroalga, while dense macroalgae beds on contemporary reefs negatively impact the recruitment, growth and survival of corals, small colonies of Porites appear to benefit, through reduced corallivory, by associating with the macroalga Turbinaria. This association may come at a cost (e.g., reduced growth) and should be the focus of future research.
Prognostic value of pretreatment inflammatory markers in localised prostate cancer before radical prostatectomy
Authors: Grogg Josias Bastian , Rizzi Gianluca , Gadient Jana , Wettstein Marian Severin , Affentranger Andres , Fankhauser Christian Daniel , Eberli Daniel , Poyet Cédric 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Purpose
There is growing evidence of an association between inflammatory processes and cancer development and progression. In different solid tumor entities, a pronounced inflammatory response is associated with worse oncological outcome. In this study, we aim to evaluate the prognostic role of clinically established pretreatment inflammatory markers in patients with localised prostate cancer (PCa) before radical prostatectomy (RP).

Methods
A total of 641 men met our inclusion criteria and were followed prospectively for a median of 2.85 years. Univariable logistic and Cox regression analysis were performed to analyse associations between preoperative inflammatory markers and tumor characteristics, and biochemical recurrence free survival (BRFS).

Results
Median age at RP was 64 years. Gleason Score (GS) 7a (263, 41%) was the most prevalent histology, whereas high-risk PCa (≥ GS 8) was present in 156 (24%) patients. Lympho-nodal metastasis and positive surgical margin (PSM) were detected in 69 (11%) and 180 (28%) patients, respectively. No statistically relevant association could be shown between pretreatment inflammatory markers with worse pathological features like higher tumor stage or grade, nodal positive disease or PSM (for all p > 0.05). Additionally, pretreatment inflammatory markers were not associated with a shorter BRFS (p > 0.05). Known risk factors (tumor grade, tumor stage, nodal positivity and positive surgical margins) were all associated with a shorter BRFS (for all p < 0.0001).

Conclusion
In this large prospective cohort, preoperative inflammatory markers were not associated with worse outcome.
Coexistence of DOPG model membranes and $$\beta$$-aescin micelles: a combined scattering and NMR study
Authors: Gräbitz-Bräuer Friederike , Dargel Carina , Geisler Ramsia , Fandrich Pascal , Sabadasch Viktor , Porcar Lionel , Mix Andreas , Hellweg Thomas 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe saponin $$\beta$$
β
-aescin is well known for its self-aggregation above the critical micelle concentration (cmc) and its interaction with model membranes made of zwitterionic phospholipids including the formation of mixed bicelle systems. In this study, we investigate the interaction of $$\beta$$
β
-aescin with small unilamellar vesicles (SUVs) made of the negatively charged lipid 1,2-dioleoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphoglycerol (DOPG). The study is conducted at a pH value at which aescin is negatively charged as well, and mixtures up to an aescin content of 50 mol% (equivalent to a molecular ratio of 1:1) were investigated, so that the cmc of aescin is exceeded by far. Analysis of the system by scattering and NMR methods was performed with respect to two reference systems made of the bare components: DOPG SUVs and aescin micelles. Wide-angle X-ray scattering (WAXS) was used to determine molecular correlation distances for both kinds of molecules, and small-angle neutron and X-ray scattering (SANS and SAXS) revealed a structural picture of the system, which was further confirmed by diffusion-ordered nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (DOSY-NMR). Contrary to the expected solubilization of the DOPG membrane, most probably none- or only weakly-interacting, separated DOPG SUVs and aescin micelles were found. The study additionally highlights the importance of using independent methods to characterize a rather complex colloidal system in order to obtain a complete picture of the structures formed.
Health utility assessments in individuals undergoing diagnostic and surveillance colonoscopy: improved discrimination with a cancer-specific scale
Authors: Bulamu Norma B. , Chen Gang , McGrane Ellen , Cock Charles , Young Graeme P. , Symonds Erin L. 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Purpose
To compare the sensitivity and discriminant validity of generic and cancer-specific measures for assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) for individuals undergoing diagnostic or surveillance colonoscopy for colorectal cancer.

Methods
HRQoL was assessed using EQ-5D-5L (generic), and EORTC QLQ-C30 (cancer-specific) scales, 14 days after (baseline) and one-year following colonoscopy (follow-up). Utility scores were calculated by mapping EORTC-QLQ-C30 onto QLU-C10D. Differences between participants with different indications for colonoscopy (positive faecal occult blood test (FOBT), surveillance, or symptoms) and colonoscopy findings (no polyps, polyps, or cancer) were tested using Wilcoxon-Mann–Whitney and Kruskal–Wallis H tests. Sensitivity was assessed by calculating the ceiling effects (proportion reporting the best possible level).

Results
246 adults completed the survey, including those undergoing colonoscopy for symptoms (n = 87), positive FOBT (n = 92) or surveillance (n = 67). Those with symptoms had the lowest HRQoL at both baseline and follow-up, with differences observed within the HRQoL domains/areas of role function, appetite loss and bowel function on the QLU-C10D. No differences were found in HRQoL when stratified by findings at colonoscopy with both measures or when comparing baseline and follow-up responses. Participants reporting full health with EQ-5D-5L (21% at baseline and 16% at follow-up) still had problems on the QLU-C10D, with fatigue and sleep at baseline and with role function and fatigue at follow-up.

Conclusion
Patients undergoing colonoscopy for symptoms had lower HRQoL compared to surveillance or positive FOBT. The cancer-specific QLU-C10D was more sensitive and had greater discriminant ability between patients undergoing colonoscopy for different indications.
Highly surface-selective nitration of cellulose nanofibers under mildly acidic reaction conditions
Authors: Saito Yasuko , Okada Ken , Endo Takashi , Sakakibara Keita 
Published: September 2023

AbstractCellulose nitrate (CN) is used in numerous industrial materials, such as propellants, lacquers, and plastics, exploiting its highly flammable, hydrophobic, and plastic characters. The downsizing of cellulose nitrate fibers may enhance their properties. Although a direct nitration of cellulose nanofiber (CNF) is a prospective method for preparing nanosized CN materials, it is difficult because of the susceptibility of CNF to acids. In the previous study, we prepared nitrated cellulose nanofibers (NCNFs) using never-dried CNFs and relatively dilute H2SO4, obtaining a high yield and degree of substitution. In this study, we describe a novel highly surface-selective nitration method using dried CNFs. To prevent the acid hydrolysis of the CNFs, mildly acidic conditions (acetic acid/acetic anhydride/HNO3) were used instead of the conventional mixed-acid systems. Solid- and gel-state NMR studies revealed that the original crystalline structure of the produced NCNF core was retained, even after nitration, whereas the cellulose molecules on the NCNF surface were completely converted to cellulose pernitrates. The NCNFs exhibited morphologies comprising thin nanofiber diameters of approximately 10–50 nm with high specific surface areas of approximately 260 m2 g–1. Thus, unique core–shell NCNFs were prepared, potentially leading to the development of CNF derivatives with novel applications and functions.
Graphical abstract
Electro-assisted filtration of microfibrillated cellulose: the impact of the degree of fibrillation
Authors: Hjorth Anna , Vøllo Kristiansen Anna , Øvrebø Hans Henrik , Theliander Hans 
Published: September 2023

AbstractEfficient dewatering is necessary to achieve an economically sustainable large-scale production of microfibrillated cellulose (MFC) because the low solids content of the final product (< 3 wt.%) results in high costs related to transportation and storage, and problems for products with water incompatibility. Mechanical dewatering is preferred to thermal drying due to its lower energy demand, but MFC has a very high filtration resistance, which implies that an excessive filter area is necessary. Thus, to improve the dewatering, electro-assisted filtration may be used. In this study a bench-scale dead-end filter press was modified and the electro-assisted filtration of MFC, with two degrees of fibrillation, was investigated. The impact of the degree of fibrillation was clear when either pressure or electric field were applied separately. It was more challenging to dewater MFC with a higher degree of fibrillation using conventional filtration due to a greater surface area being subjected to the liquid flow. The opposite was found when using an electric field alone: the more fibrillated material has a higher surface charge and thereby is impacted more by the electric field. A combination of pressure and electric field resulted in a greatly improved dewatering rate, but no significant difference could be observed between the two qualities. After dewatering, the water retention value was slightly decreased, but the material still showed a gel-like behaviour, although the network strength was slightly reduced, as seen by a reduction in yield stress, storage and loss moduli. This was plausibly due to a decrease in the surface area and/or deformed network.
Perceptions of urban green infrastructures for climate change adaptation in Lausanne, Switzerland: unveiling the role of biodiversity and planting composition
Authors: Doussard Claire , Delabarre Muriel 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThis interdisciplinary study addresses the gap in understanding the perceptions of individuals regarding the role of urban green infrastructures (UGIs) in climate change adaptation, particularly with respect to biodiversity and planting composition. While climate-responsive design strategies commonly focus on increasing permeable green spaces and canopy coverage, the explicit consideration of biodiversity remains limited. By introducing a novel analytical framework, we investigate how residents in Lausanne, Switzerland, assess the impact of biodiversity and planting composition on the potential of UGIs to adapt cities to climate change. Through a questionnaire-based survey (N = 527) and the use of photomontages and statistics, we examine the perceived potential of biodiverse versus uniform planting compositions to address climate change adaptation in Lausanne. Our findings demonstrate that respondents perceive biodiverse planting compositions as more successful strategies, attributing greater importance to trees in adaptation efforts, while overlooking the contributions of biodiverse herbaceous and shrub strata and soil permeability. Additionally, site characteristics associated with specific urban conditions significantly influence these perceptions. This evidence is subsequently discussed in two ways. Firstly, our analytical framework contributes to assessing the potential of UGIs in climate change adaptation, shedding light on the significance of planting composition. Secondly, the research emphasizes the need to transition from conventional climate-responsive approaches to more nuanced and sensitive methodologies that consider the multifaceted aspects of biodiversity. Such an approach holds promise for advancing the understanding of UGIs in climate change adaptation and informs future research directions.
Determining the willingness to link climate and trade policy
Authors: Lumkowsky Marcel , Carlton Emily K. , Victor David G. , Dannenberg Astrid 
Published: September 2023

AbstractAnalysts have long advocated a linkage between international cooperation on climate change and trade measures, such as border tariffs, as a means of enforcing agreements to achieve deeper cooperation. Nevertheless, it has remained difficult to evaluate whether policy makers will allow such linkages and whether linking climate and trade would, in reality, yield beneficial effects to international cooperation. Working with a large sample of climate experts who are highly experienced in climate diplomacy and policy, we elicited how they view the legitimacy and usefulness of linking trade and climate and what factors can explain those views. We find that experts from richer countries, especially Europe, are more likely to see linkage as legitimate and effective. These experts are particularly likely to favor universal border adjustments (UBAs) that apply to all countries to level the economic playing field, rather than trade measures that define an exclusive “club” of countries making extra efforts to cut emissions while punishing non-club members. This finding reveals tensions between a shift in academic thinking about the value of club-based strategies—including clubs that use border measures for enforcement—and what climate policy experts see as valuable. European experts are particularly likely to favor UBAs and they are also least likely to see risks in implementing trade measures. In general, countries with high quality national institutions see lower risks in using trade measures to enforce greater cooperation on climate change. A particularly robust finding is that experts who perceive their home country’s emissions reduction pledge as ambitious are more likely to see risks from using trade measures. While these are the countries that could benefit the most from using trade measures, they are also the countries that are offering the most under the existing Paris Agreement. Experts seem to be increasingly aware of the dissonance between the voluntarism of the Paris Agreement and growing political pressures to apply trade measures. We also find the attributes of experts, such as training and career experience, can affect their assessments. In some models, experts with economic or business backgrounds are more likely to favor trade measures while those with careers in natural science, diplomacy, and national government are less sanguine. Our results suggest that diverging views on the need for trade-based enforcement are robust, associated with important attributes of countries such as their commitments, and likely to persist—suggesting that policy strategies favoring the use of trade measures must pay close attention to the conditions that will determine where and how trade measures can be implemented. Experts from many countries that are the biggest supporters of the Paris approach to climate cooperation also doubt the legitimacy of trade measures.
Privacy in Early Childhood Education and Care: The Management of Family Information in Parent–Teacher Conferences
Authors: Solberg Janne 
Published: September 2023

AbstractFamilies have a right to privacy, but we know little about how the public–private boundary is negotiated at the micro level in educational settings. Adopting ethnomethodology, the paper examines how talk about the home situation was occasioned and managed in ten parent–teacher conferences in early childhood education and care (ECEC), with a special focus on the ECEC teacher’s strategies for eliciting family information. The paper demonstrates a continuum of interactional practices which, in various degrees, make parents accountable for providing family information. The analysis shows that parents both volunteer and provide the pursued information, thus actively orienting to the norm of visibility in child rearing. However, although both parties orient to questioning and fishing as business as usual, the parents’ accounts sometimes had an excusing quality or they adopted a reserved communication style, suggesting a certain ambivalence as well. The paper outlines different ways of understanding the present partnership ideal in parent–teacher teacher cooperation with implications for the negotiation of privacy. The paper also addresses training, which can contribute to staff and student reflections on the management of the public–private boundary.
Primary school students’ understanding of the manifestations of technology
Authors: Lind Johan , Davidsson Eva , Lundström Mats 
Published: September 2023

AbstractResearch on students’ perceptions and understanding of technology has shown that students have a narrow view of technology: for example, technology is often manifested in students’ descriptions as artefacts or objects. This study investigates the ways in which students’ understanding of how technology is manifested expands during a series of classroom activities in technology. The study was conducted at a compulsory primary school with eight-year-old students. The data (video and audio recordings) were collected in small-group interactions and in whole-class discussions. In the interactions, the students utilised self-taken photographs to visualise their understanding and perception of technology’s manifestations: object, activity, volition, and knowledge (Mitcham in Thinking through technology. The path between engineering and philosophy, The University of Chicago Press, 1994). Based on their prior knowledge, the students perceived technology as contemporary electrical artefacts. As they engage in a technology project, they develop and expand their understanding of how technology is manifested, as well as relate different manifestations to one another. The findings indicate that students achieve a more advanced understanding of technological manifestations compared to only discussing each manifestation of technology separately.
Microhabitat requirements of the uncompahgre fritillary butterfly (Boloria improba acrocnema) and climate change implications
Authors: Williams Andrea N. , Alexander Kevin D. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe Uncompahgre fritillary butterfly (Boloria improba acrocnemaGall LF, Sperling FAH (1980) A new high altitude species of Boloria from southwestern Colorado (Nyphalidae), with a discussion of phenetics and hierarchical decisions. J Lepidopterists’ Soc 34:230–252 1980) was listed as federally endangered in 1991 and is considered a habitat indicator for alpine ecosystem health. They are found on patches ofSalix nivalisin isolated habitats of the San Juan Mountains, Colorado, USA. Here, we estimated historicalB. i. acrocnemaabundance from annual distance sampling (2003–2020) at seven sub-colonies and sampled current (July 2021) measurements of herbaceous coverage, soil moisture content, and slope, aspect, and elevation at 700 sample sites. We used regression models to test the effects of these microhabitat characteristics on historical abundance. Our results show that increases in slope from 11° to 31°, individual coverage of five alpine plant species (S. nivalis,Geum rossii,Phacelia sericea,Noccaea fendleri, andLewisia pygmaea), and soil moisture content between 0.09 m3/m3and 0.38 m3/m3positively influence butterfly abundance. However, increases in elevation, bare ground coverage, and presence ofSalix planifolia,Aster alpinus,Antennaria media, andAndrosace chamaejasmewere correlated with lower abundance estimates.Implications for insect conservationEffects of climate change which decrease coverage of these alpine plant species, allow encroachment of lower elevation species, or reduce soil moisture will decreaseB. i. acrocnemaabundance. These results emphasize the extinction risk ofB. i. acrocnemadue to range limitations and prolonged drought conditions in the Western U.S. By defining additional resource requirements ofB. i. acrocnema, we can model climate effects on survivorship and consider nearby microhabitats that may be habitable by this endangered species.
A bundle-type method for nonsmooth DC programs
Authors: Kanzow Christian , Neder Tanja 
Published: September 2023

AbstractA bundle method for minimizing the difference of convex (DC) and possibly nonsmooth functions is developed. The method may be viewed as an inexact version of the DC algorithm, where each subproblem is solved only approximately by a bundle method. We always terminate the bundle method after the first serious step. This yields a descent direction for the original objective function, and it is shown that a stepsize of at least one is accepted in this way. Using a line search, even larger stepsizes are possible. The overall method is shown to be globally convergent to critical points of DC programs. The new algorithm is tested and compared to some other solution methods on several examples and realistic applications.