bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Flying high: Sampling savanna vegetation with UAV‐lidar
Authors: Boucher Peter B. , Hockridge Evan G. , Singh Jenia , Davies Andrew B. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

The flexibility of UAV‐lidar remote sensing offers a myriad of new opportunities for savanna ecology, enabling researchers to measure vegetation structure at a variety of temporal and spatial scales. However, this flexibility also increases the number of customizable variables, such as flight altitude, pattern, and sensor parameters, that, when adjusted, can impact data quality as well as the applicability of a dataset to a specific research interest.

To better understand the impacts that UAV flight patterns and sensor parameters have on vegetation metrics, we compared 7 lidar point clouds collected with a Riegl VUX − 1LR over a 300 × 300 m area in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. We varied the altitude (60 m above ground, 100 m, 180 m, and 300 m) and sampling pattern (slowing the flight speed, increasing the overlap between flightlines and flying a crosshatch pattern), and compared a variety of vertical vegetation metrics related to height and fractional cover.

Comparing vegetation metrics from acquisitions with different flight patterns and sensor parameters, we found that both flight altitude and pattern had significant impacts on derived structure metrics, with variation in altitude causing the largest impacts. Flying higher resulted in lower point cloud heights, leading to a consistent downward trend in percentile height metrics and fractional cover. The magnitude and direction of these trends also varied depending on the vegetation type sampled (trees, shrubs or grasses), showing that the structure and composition of savanna vegetation can interact with the lidar signal and alter derived metrics. While there were statistically significant differences in metrics among acquisitions, the average differences were often on the order of a few centimetres or less, which shows great promise for future comparison studies.

We discuss how these results apply in practice, explaining the potential trade‐offs of flying at higher altitudes and with alternate patterns. We highlight how flight and sensor parameters can be geared toward specific ecological applications and vegetation types, and we explore future opportunities for optimizing UAV‐lidar sampling designs in savannas.
How to generate accurate continuous thermal regimes from sparse but regular temperature measurements
Authors: von Schmalensee Loke 
Published: March 2023

Abstract

In ecology, there is an emerging emphasis on the importance of capturing temperature variation at relevant scales. Temperature fluctuates continuously in nature but is sampled at discrete time points, so how often should ecologists measure temperature to capture its variation? A recent development in thermal ecology is the use of spectral analysis of temperature time series to determine at what frequencies important temperature fluctuations occur. Building on this, I borrow from signal processing theory to show how continuous thermal regimes can be effectively reconstructed from discrete, regular, measurements, and provide a rule of thumb for designing temperature sampling schemes that capture ecologically relevant temporal variation.

I introduce sinc interpolation, a method for reconstructing continuous waveforms from discrete samples. Furthermore, I introduce the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, which states that continuous complex waveforms can be perfectly sinc‐interpolated from discrete, regular, samples if sampling intervals are sufficiently short. To demonstrate the power of these concepts in an ecological context, I apply them to several published high‐resolved (15‐min intervals) temperature time series used for ecological predictions of insect development times. First, I use spectral analysis to illuminate the fluctuation frequencies that dominate the temperature data. Second, I employ sinc interpolation over artificially thinned versions of the temperature time series. Third, I compare interpolated temperatures with observed temperatures to demonstrate the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem and its relation to spectral analysis. Last, I repeat the ecological predictions using sinc‐interpolated temperatures.

Daily, and less frequent, fluctuations dominated the variation in all the temperature time series. Therefore, in accordance with the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, 11‐h measurement intervals consistently retrieved most 15‐min temperature variation. Moreover, previous predictions of insect development times were improved by using sinc‐interpolated, rather than averaged, temperatures.

By identifying the highest frequency at which ecologically (or otherwise) relevant temperature fluctuations occur and applying the Nyquist–Shannon sampling theorem, ecologists (or others doing climate‐related research) can use sinc interpolation to produce remarkably accurate continuous thermal regimes from sparse but regular temperature measurements. Surprisingly, these concepts have remained largely unexplored in ecology despite their applicability, not least in thermal ecology.
Religion as a social determinant of women's cancer screening: Evidence from state level data for policy and resource allocation
Authors: Medcalfe Simon K. , Slade Catherine P. , Habegger Wendy 
Published: March 2023

AbstractReligion as a Social Determinant of Health (SDOH) is established in relevant literature. The challenge is to translate the theoretical and empirical relationship between religion and health to practical applications and policymaking to build partnerships between state government entities and faith‐based organizations. Our manuscript focuses on the connection between adherence to religion and the pernicious public health problem of cancer in women. Using publicly available state level data and Ordinary Least Square regression analysis, we identify the SDOH, including adherence to religion, that are associated with state level rates of cancer screening for women. We confirm that states with higher levels of adherence to religion have higher rates of cancer screening for women including Pap smear and mammogram. Our results show that the magnitude of the effect of adherence to religion and state level rates of cancer screening for women is similar to that of other key SDOH. Our results provide state‐level targets for population health improvements that should be addressed with policy that recognizes and encourages partnerships with faith‐based organizations to improve health for women.
Assessing removal methods for controlling Dichrostachys cinerea encroachment and their impacts on plant communities in an East‐African savannah ecosystem
Authors: Utaile Yonas Ugo , Honnay Olivier , Cheche Simon Shibru , Helsen Kenny 
Published: March 2023

AbstractQuestionsWoody plant encroachment is known to adversely affect the biodiversity and functioning of savannah ecosystems, yet removal strategies have been shown to have variable success. Here, we evaluated the effectiveness of three woody removal methods or treatments for controlling the leguminous thorny shrub Dichrostachys cinerea, and assessed plant community responses following removal.LocationSavannah plains of Nech Sar National Park, South‐Ethiopian rift valley.MethodsBased on a total of seventy‐two 10 m × 10 m experimental plots spread across six blocks, we carried out: (a) stump burning; (b) stump application with glyphosate herbicide; and (c) mechanical uprooting on D. cinerea, and monitored the number, height, and thickness of resprouts and the number of resprouting stumps for two consecutive years. In addition, we surveyed all vascular plant species per plot for each removal method and control.ResultsWe found that the uprooting treatment resulted in a higher number of resprouting stumps and lower number of resprouts, and a smaller resprout height and diameter. The fire treatment showed the greatest reduction in the number of resprouting stumps and resprouts, whereas glyphosate treatment showed intermediate results although resprout height and diameter were significantly greater compared with the uprooting treatment. Whereas plant species richness and diversity were higher in the fire treatment, they were adversely affected in the uprooting treatment.ConclusionOur results demonstrate that none of the woody removal methods were effective enough to completely eradicate D. cinerea from the field trials after only one intervention, suggesting the need for follow‐up management actions considering their impacts on both woody encroachment and biodiversity restoration.
Neural stem cells transplantation combined with ethyl stearate improve PD rats motor behavior by promoting NSCs migration and differentiation
Authors: Huang Jiapei , Yi Lan , Yang Xiaoxiao , Zheng Qi , Zhong Jun , Ye Sen , Li Xican , Li Hui , Chen Dongfeng , Li Caixia 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBackgroundIn recent years, the ability of neural stem cells (NSCs) transplantation to treat Parkinson's disease (PD) has attracted attention. However, it is still a challenge to promote the migration of NSCs to the lesion site and their directional differentiation into dopaminergic neurons in PD. C‐C motif chemokine ligand 5 (CCL5) and C‐C motif chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) are expressed in the brain and are important regulators of cell migration. It has been reported that ethyl stearate (PubChem CID: 8122) has a protective effect in 6‐OHDA‐induced PD rats.MethodsParkinson's disease rats were injected with 6‐hydroxydopamine (6‐OHDA) into the right substantia nigra, and striatum followed by 8 μL of an NSC cell suspension containing 100 μM ethyl stearate and 8 × 105 cells in the right striatum. The effect of transplantation NSCs combined with ethyl stearate was assessed by evaluating apomorphine (APO)‐induced turning behavior and performance in the pole test. Quantitative real‐time reverse transcription–polymerase chain reaction (qRT‐PCR), Western blotting (WB), and immunofluorescence staining were also performed.ResultsNSCs transplantation combined with ethyl stearate ameliorated the behavioral deficits of PD rats. PD rats that received transplantation NSCs combined with ethyl stearate exhibited increased expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and an increased number of green fluorescent protein (GFP)‐positive cells. Furthermore, GFP‐positive cells migrated into the substantia nigra and differentiated into dopaminergic neurons. The expression of CCL5 and CCR5 was significantly increased after transplantation NSCs combined with ethyl stearate.ConclusionsThese findings suggest that NSCs transplantation combined with ethyl stearate can improve the motor behavioral performance of PD rats by promoting NSCs migration from the striatum to the substantia nigra via CCL5/CCR5 and promoting the differentiation of NSCs into dopaminergic neurons.
IRCM‐Caps: An X‐ray image detection method for COVID‐19
Authors: Qiu Shuo , Ma Jinlin , Ma Ziping 
Published: March 2023

AbstractObjectiveCOVID‐19 is ravaging the world, but traditional reverse transcription‐polymerase reaction (RT‐PCR) tests are time‐consuming and have a high false‐negative rate and lack of medical equipment. Therefore, lung imaging screening methods are proposed to diagnose COVID‐19 due to its fast test speed. Currently, the commonly used convolutional neural network (CNN) model requires a large number of datasets, and the accuracy of the basic capsule network for multiple classification is limital. For this reason, this paper proposes a novel model based on CNN and CapsNet.MethodsThe proposed model integrates CNN and CapsNet. And attention mechanism module and multi‐branch lightweight module are applied to enhance performance. Use the contrast adaptive histogram equalization (CLAHE) algorithm to preprocess the image to enhance image contrast. The preprocessed images are input into the network for training, and ReLU was used as the activation function to adjust the parameters to achieve the optimal.ResultThe test dataset includes 1200 X‐ray images (400 COVID‐19, 400 viral pneumonia, and 400 normal), and we replace CNN of VGG16, InceptionV3, Xception, Inception‐Resnet‐v2, ResNet50, DenseNet121, and MoblieNetV2 and integrate with CapsNet. Compared with CapsNet, this network improves 6.96%, 7.83%, 9.37%, 10.47%, and 10.38% in accuracy, area under the curve (AUC), recall, and F1 scores, respectively. In the binary classification experiment, compared with CapsNet, the accuracy, AUC, accuracy, recall rate, and F1 score were increased by 5.33%, 5.34%, 2.88%, 8.00%, and 5.56%, respectively.ConclusionThe proposed embedded the advantages of traditional convolutional neural network and capsule network and has a good classification effect on small COVID‐19 X‐ray image dataset.
Convergence of carbon sink magnitude and water table depth in global wetlands
Authors: Li Jinquan , Jiang Mingkai , Pei Junmin , Fang Changming , Li Bo , Nie Ming 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWetlands are strategic areas for carbon uptake, but accurate assessments of their sequestration ability are limited by the uncertainty and variability in their carbon balances. Based on 2385 observations of annual net ecosystem production from global wetlands, we show that the mean net carbon sinks of inland wetlands, peatlands and coastal wetlands are 0.57, 0.29 and 1.88 tons of carbon per hectare per year, respectively, with a mean value of 0.57 tons of carbon per hectare per year weighted by the distribution area of different wetland types. Carbon sinks are mainly in Asia and North America. Within and across wetland types, we find that water table depth (WTD) exerts greater control than climate‐ and ecosystem‐related variables, and an increase in WTD results in a stronger carbon sink. Our results highlight an urgent need to sustain wetland hydrology under global change; otherwise, wetlands are at high risk of becoming carbon sources to the atmosphere.
Altered wing phenotypes of captive‐bred migratory birds lower post‐release fitness
Authors: Stojanovic Dejan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractCaptive breeding and release to the wild is a globally important conservation tool. However, captivity can result in phenotypic changes that incur post‐release fitness costs, especially if they affect strenuous or risky behaviours. Bird wing shape is critical for migration success and suboptimal phenotypes are strongly selected against. In this study, I demonstrate surprising plasticity of bird wing phenotypes in captivity for 4/16 studied species. In a model species, captive‐born juveniles with wild wing phenotypes (a 1‐mm longer distal primary flight feather) survived post‐release at 2.7 times the rate of those with captive phenotypes (i.e. a shorter distal feather). Subtle phenotypic changes and their fitness impacts are more common than widely realised because they are easily overlooked. To improve captive breeding for conservation, practitioners must surveil phenotypic changes and find ways to mitigate them.
Primidone improves symptoms in TRPM3‐linked developmental and epileptic encephalopathy with spike‐and‐wave activation in sleep
Authors: Becker Lena‐Luise , Horn Denise , Boschann Felix , Van Hoeymissen Evelien , Voets Thomas , Vriens Joris , Prager Christine , Kaindl Angela M. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDevelopmental and epileptic encephalopathy with continuous spike‐and‐wave activation in sleep (CSWS) or DEE‐SWAS is an age‐dependent disease, often accompanied by a decline in cognitive abilities. Early successful treatment of CSWS is associated with a better cognitive outcome. We retrospectively analyzed the clinical, electrophysiological, radiological, and genetic data of children with DEE‐SWAS associated with melastatin‐related transient receptor type 3 gene (TRPM3) missense variants. We report two unrelated children with pharmacoresistant DEE‐SWAS and developmental delay/regression and different heterozygous de novo missense variants in the TRPM3 gene (NM_001366145.2; c.3397 T > C/p.Ser1133Pro, c.2004G > A/p.Val1002Met). The variant p.Val1002Met (previously known as p.Val990Met or p.Val837Met) and p.Ser1133Pro were recently shown to result in a gain‐of‐function effect. Based on this finding, previous drug resistance, and the experimentally demonstrated inhibitory effect of primidone on TRPM3, we initiated an individualized therapy with this drug. In both children, developmental regression was stopped, psychomotor development improved, and CSWS was no longer detectable. To our knowledge, this is the first report of a treatment with primidone in TRPM3‐associated CSWS. Our results highlight the importance of early genetic diagnosis in patients with epilepsy and the possibility of precision medicine, which should be considered in the future in individuals with a TRPM3‐linked DEE‐SWAS.
A narrative review of studies assessing the quality of life in patients with generalized pustular psoriasis
Authors: Patel Payal M. , Sanchez‐Melendez Stephanie N. , Nambudiri Vinod E. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractGeneralized pustular psoriasis (GPP) is a clinical entity distinct from psoriasis, associated with a poor clinical prognosis, often resulting in severe systemic complications and mortality. The relapsing nature of the disease with recurrent or intermittent flares imposes a significant burden on patients' quality of life (QoL). Although inadequately studied, QoL data in GPP patients has been a recent point of investigation. We conducted a literature search on PubMed/MEDLINE using the following search terms: ‘generalized pustular psoriasis’ OR ‘pustular psoriasis’ AND ‘quality of life’. We identified 12 relevant articles that provide insight into the large impact of GPP on the QoL of patients, the burden of the disease and the treatment, and the success of new treatment options in making a clinically important difference to QoL. This review illustrates a need for routine assessment of the QoL in interventional clinical trials for GPP and during physician encounters. This information can help guide clinicians on how to tailor the treatment approach from the patient's perspective or illustrate whether new therapies offer meaningful benefits to patient care as we enter an era of exciting new treatments for this challenging condition.
Fish condition as an indicator of stock status: Insights from condition index in a food‐limiting environment
Authors: Haberle Ines , Bavčević Lav , Klanjscek Tin 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIndividual performance defines population dynamics. Condition index – a ratio of weight and some function of length – has been louded as an indicator of individual performance and recommended as a tool in fisheries management and conservation. However, insufficient understanding of the correlation between individual‐level processes and population‐level responses hinders its adoption. To this end, we use composite modelling to link individual's condition, expressed through the condition index, to population‐level status. We start by modelling ontogeny of European pilchard (Sardina pilchardus, Clupeidae) as a function of food and constant temperature using Dynamic Energy Budget theory. We then provide a framework to simultaneously track the individual‐ and population‐level statistics by incorporating the dynamic energy budget model into an individual‐based model. Lastly, we explore the effects of fishing pressure on the statistics in two constant and food‐limited environmental carrying capacity scenarios. Results show that, regardless of the species' environmental carrying capacity, individual condition index will increase with fishing mortality, that is, with reduction of stock size. Same patterns are observed for gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata, Sparidae), a significantly different species. Condition index can, therefore, in food‐limited populations, be used to (i) estimate population size relative to carrying capacity and (ii) distinguish overfished from underfished populations. Our findings promote a practical way to operationally incorporate the condition index into fisheries management and marine conservation, thus providing additional use for the commonly collected biometric data. Some real‐world applications, however, may require additional research to account for other variables such as fluctuating environmental conditions and individual variability.
Pregnancy in end‐stage kidney disease: Great news that needs to be handled carefully
Authors: Kazory Amir 
Published: March 2023

AbstractCompared to women with normal kidney function, women with end‐stage kidney disease (ESKD) are much less likely to become pregnant, but more likely to have a complicated pregnancy. While renal transplantation remains the best option for women who desire to have a child, pregnancy on dialysis should be considered an option for those who may not receive a transplant during their reproductive years. Many physicians do not encounter a pregnant patient with ESKD during their nephrology training, and may not feel prepared to provide care for such patients in a busy practice. In this paper, we briefly provide an overview of the most significant practical points related to management of a pregnant patient with ESKD through a real‐life case with twin pregnancy. The two key elements in management of these patients would be an intensified hemodialysis regimen and a multidisciplinary team that can provide frequent, regular, and multifaceted assessments.
A brief review on 3D printing of chocolate
Authors: VA Athira , Udayarajan Chinthu T. , Goksen Gulden , Brennan Charles Stephen , P Nisha 
Published: March 2023

SummaryThe use of 3D printing (3DP) for food applications is gaining attention both as a research topic, and for industrial applications. Chocolate is one of the most common food commodities used for 3DP, owing to its melt extrusion capability and popularity in the high‐end food industry. However, chocolate remains a difficult substrate to work with, due to its complex composition as well as rheological properties. The quality of cocoa beans and the processing conditions of chocolate manufacture influence the quality of 3DP. This review briefly covers areas such as processing of chocolate, types of 3D printing of chocolate, rheology of chocolate inks, textural attributes and sensory evaluation of the 3D chocolate products.
Eco‐friendly and non‐toxic lysozyme immobilised on chitosan bacteriostatic agent for strawberry and fresh Tremella fuciformis preservation
Authors: Liu Yi , Zhu Li , Ma Yongliang , Liu Lu , Wang Hongsu , Niu Xiaodi 
Published: March 2023

SummarySafe and suitable food preservatives can ensure food safety and reduce resource wastage. This paper focuses on the modification of chitosan (CS) using 2,2,6,6‐tetramethylpiperidine‐1‐oxyl radical (TEMPO)/laccase oxidation system and chitosanase. The experimental results showed that the aldehyde group content of the modified CS was increased by 83.3% and the water solubility increased by 4.5 times. In addition, the covalent binding with lysozyme (LSZ) also improved the inhibition effect and the diameter of the inhibition circle was increased by 3 mm. Applying the LSZ‐modified CS to the preservation of strawberries and Tremella fuciformis (T. fuciformis), it was found that the preservation time of strawberries could be extended by 2 days at room temperature, and the microbial spoilage of T. fuciformis was also inhibited. This study provided a CS derivative that could be used as a carrier of natural antibacterial agents, which increased application scope of CS and provided a basis for antimicrobial preservation of food.