bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Conceptual Foundations of Sustainability
Authors: Malt Barbara C. , Majid Asifa 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThreats to the health of our environment are numerous. Much research in science and engineering is devoted to documenting, understanding, and attempting to mitigate the harm itself. The root challenge for sustainability, however, is human behavior. As such, changes to human behaviors and the internal processes that drive them are also essential. Critical to understanding sustainability‐related behaviors is the individual's conceptualization of the natural world and its components and processes. The papers in this topiCS issue address these conceptualizations by drawing from anthropological, linguistic, educational, philosophical, and social cognitive perspectives as well as traditional psychological approaches to the study of concepts and their development in children. They engage with many domains bearing on environmental sustainability including climate change, biodiversity, land and water conservation, resource use, and design of the built environment. They coalesce around four broad themes: (a) What people know (or believe) about nature broadly and about specific aspects of nature, and how they acquire and use this knowledge; (b) how knowledge is expressed and shared via language; (c) how knowledge and beliefs interact with affective, social, and motivational influences to yield attitudes and behaviors; and (d) how members of different cultures and speakers of different languages differ in these ways. The papers also point to lessons for advancing sustainability via public policy and public messaging, education, conservation and nature management, and design of the built environment.
Fostering Collective Intelligence in Human–AI Collaboration: Laying the Groundwork for COHUMAIN
Authors: Gupta Pranav , Nguyen Thuy Ngoc , Gonzalez Cleotilde , Woolley Anita Williams 
Published: June 2023

AbstractArtificial Intelligence (AI) powered machines are increasingly mediating our work and many of our managerial, economic, and cultural interactions. While technology enhances individual capability in many ways, how do we know that the sociotechnical system as a whole, consisting of a complex web of hundreds of human–machine interactions, is exhibiting collective intelligence? Research on human–machine interactions has been conducted within different disciplinary silos, resulting in social science models that underestimate technology and vice versa. Bringing together these different perspectives and methods at this juncture is critical. To truly advance our understanding of this important and quickly evolving area, we need vehicles to help research connect across disciplinary boundaries.This paper advocates for establishing an interdisciplinary research domain—Collective Human‐Machine Intelligence (COHUMAIN). It outlines a research agenda for a holistic approach to designing and developing the dynamics of sociotechnical systems. In illustrating the kind of approach, we envision in this domain, we describe recent work on a sociocognitive architecture, the transactive systems model of collective intelligence, that articulates the critical processes underlying the emergence and maintenance of collective intelligence and extend it to human–AI systems. We connect this with synergistic work on a compatible cognitive architecture, instance‐based learning theory and apply it to the design of AI agents that collaborate with humans. We present this work as a call to researchers working on related questions to not only engage with our proposal but also develop their own sociocognitive architectures and unlock the real potential of human–machine intelligence.
Transcriptome analysis reveals that PbMYB61 and PbMYB308 are involved in the regulation of lignin biosynthesis in pear fruit stone cells
Authors: Zhu Yansong , Wang Yicheng , Jiang Huiyan , Liu Wenjun , Zhang Shuhui , Hou Xukai , Zhang Susu , Wang Nan , Zhang Rui , Zhang Zongying , Chen Xuesen 
Published: June 2023

SUMMARYPear fruit stone cells have thick walls and are formed by the secondary deposition of lignin in the primary cell wall of thin‐walled cells. Their content and size seriously affect fruit characteristics related to edibility. To reveal the regulatory mechanism underlying stone cell formation during pear fruit development and to identify hub genes, we examined the stone cell and lignin contents of 30 ‘Shannongsu’ pear flesh samples and analyzed the transcriptomes of 15 pear flesh samples collected at five developmental stages. On the basis of the RNA‐seq data, 35 874 differentially expressed genes were detected. Additionally, two stone cell‐related modules were identified according to a WGCNA. A total of 42 lignin‐related structural genes were subsequently obtained. Furthermore, nine hub structural genes were identified in the lignin regulatory network. We also identified PbMYB61 and PbMYB308 as candidate transcriptional regulators of stone cell formation after analyzing co‐expression networks and phylogenetic relationships. Finally, we experimentally validated and characterized the candidate transcription factors and revealed that PbMYB61 regulates stone cell lignin formation by binding to the AC element in the PbLAC1 promoter to upregulate expression. However, PbMYB308 negatively regulates stone cell lignin synthesis by binding to PbMYB61 to form a dimer that cannot activate PbLAC1 expression. In this study, we explored the lignin synthesis‐related functions of MYB family members. The results presented herein are useful for elucidating the complex mechanisms underlying lignin biosynthesis during pear fruit stone cell development.
The astrocytic Na+‐HCO3− cotransporter, NBCe1, is dispensable for respiratory chemosensitivity
Authors: Li Keyong , Gonye Elizabeth C. , Stornetta Ruth L. , Bayliss Christopher B. , Yi Grace , Stornetta Daniel S. , Baca Serapio M. , Abbott Stephen B.G. , Guyenet Patrice G. , Bayliss Douglas A. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe interoceptive homeostatic mechanism that controls breathing, blood gases and acid‐base balance in response to changes in CO2/H+ is exquisitely sensitive, with convergent roles proposed for chemosensory brainstem neurons in the retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) and their supporting glial cells. For astrocytes, a central role for NBCe1, a Na+‐HCO3− cotransporter encoded by Slc4a4, has been envisaged in multiple mechanistic models (i.e. underlying enhanced CO2‐induced local extracellular acidification or purinergic signalling). We tested these NBCe1‐centric models by using conditional knockout mice in which Slc4a4 was deleted from astrocytes. In GFAP‐Cre;Slc4a4fl/fl mice we found diminished expression of Slc4a4 in RTN astrocytes by comparison to control littermates, and a concomitant reduction in NBCe1‐mediated current. Despite disrupted NBCe1 function in RTN‐adjacent astrocytes from these conditional knockout mice, CO2‐induced activation of RTN neurons or astrocytes in vitro and in vivo, and CO2‐stimulated breathing, were indistinguishable from NBCe1‐intact littermates; hypoxia‐stimulated breathing and sighs were likewise unaffected. We obtained a more widespread deletion of NBCe1 in brainstem astrocytes by using tamoxifen‐treated Aldh1l1‐Cre/ERT2;Slc4a4fl/fl mice. Again, there was no difference in effects of CO2 or hypoxia on breathing or on neuron/astrocyte activation in NBCe1‐deleted mice. These data indicate that astrocytic NBCe1 is not required for the respiratory responses to these chemoreceptor stimuli in mice, and that any physiologically relevant astrocytic contributions must involve NBCe1‐independent mechanisms.
imageKey points
The electrogenic NBCe1 transporter is proposed to mediate local astrocytic CO2/H+ sensing that enables excitatory modulation of nearby retrotrapezoid nucleus (RTN) neurons to support chemosensory control of breathing.
We used two different Cre mouse lines for cell‐specific and/or temporally regulated deletion of the NBCe1 gene (Slc4a4) in astrocytes to test this hypothesis.
In both mouse lines, Slc4a4 was depleted from RTN‐associated astrocytes but CO2‐induced Fos expression (i.e. cell activation) in RTN neurons and local astrocytes was intact.
Likewise, respiratory chemoreflexes evoked by changes in CO2 or O2 were unaffected by loss of astrocytic Slc4a4.
These data do not support the previously proposed role for NBCe1 in respiratory chemosensitivity mediated by astrocytes.
Analysis of Liquid Film Evaporation in Porous Particles: Toward Optimal Wick Parameters for Heat Transfer in Heat Pipes
Authors: Mei Xiaokang , Xie Yingxi , Chai Shitong , Wu Xiaohua , Lu Longsheng 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Evaporation of working fluids inside capillary wicks determines the heat transfer capability of heat pipes. However, the relationship between wick parameters and evaporative heat transfer remains unclear. To establish a correlation between wick parameters of sintered porous particles and evaporation characteristics, a boundary condition model was developed, incorporating wick parameters such as particle radius (R), particle distance (d), apparent contact angle (θa), and initial liquid height (H). In the absence of a significant size effect, the profile of the liquid–vapor interface was determined using the boundary model by numerically solving the augmented Young–Laplace equation. Ammonia was used as an example to investigate evaporation characteristics. The curvature radius of the intrinsic meniscus (Re) was found to serve as a bridging factor between these wick parameters and evaporation characteristics. When Re exceeded 40.3 μm, a limitation in evaporative heat transfer within the thin film region was observed. The relationship between R, d, θa, and H was quantitatively described based on this evaporative heat transfer limit. Furthermore, a nondimensional analysis of the governing equation for the evaporating liquid film profile was conducted, yielding an influencing factor (λ) that governed the thin film profile. The proposed model and its outcomes could offer valuable theoretical insights for the structural design of sintered porous particles, the optimization of surface modification levels, and the determination of the appropriate working fluid charging ratio during the manufacturing process of heat pipes.
An Estimation Method for Bias Error of Measurements by Utilizing Process Data, An Incidence Matrix and a Reference Instrument for Data Validation and Reconciliation
Authors: Tamura Akinori , Hidaka Yuki , Ikeda Haruhiko , Hamaura Norikazu 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
With further applications of AI, IoT, and digital twin technology to plant operation and maintenance, it is becoming increasingly important to ensure data reliability. Data validation and reconciliation (DVR) represents one promising technique to ensure data reliability by minimizing the uncertainty of measurements based on statistics. DVR has been widely applied to nuclear power electrical generation plants in Europe and the U.S. in recent years. The most important input for DVR analysis is measurement uncertainty. In Japan, performance management of nuclear power plants is often done by measuring condensate flowrate. While the uncertainty of other flowmeters is handled by the JIS standard, the condensate flowmeter is specially calibrated every few cycles. This leads to reduction of effectiveness of DVR analysis due to variations in measurement uncertainty management. To overcome this issue, we propose an estimation method for measurement uncertainty by utilizing process data, an incidence matrix between sensors, and a reference instrument. The conventional method proposed in the previous study only treats the random error. The proposed method quantitatively estimates not only random error but also bias error by considering the uncertainty of the reference instrument. Using several benchmark problems, we found that the proposed method was applicable to various flow conditions, including physically fluctuating flow such as that observed in the feedwater flow in nuclear power plants. We anticipate that the proposed method will promote use of DVR analysis in nuclear power plants in Japan.
Crystal structure and induced stability of trimeric BxpB: implications for the assembly of BxpB-BclA complexes in the exosporium of
Bacillus anthracis
Authors: Chattopadhyay Debasish , Walker Dionna R. , Rich-New Shane T. , Kearney John F. , Turnbough, Jr. Charles L. 
Published: June 2023

ABSTRACT

The outermost exosporium layer of
Bacillus anthracis
spores, the causative agents of anthrax, is comprised of a basal layer and an external hair-like nap. The nap includes filaments composed of trimers of the collagen-like glycoprotein BclA. Essentially all BclA trimers are attached to the spore in a process in which part of the 38-residue amino-terminal domain (NTD) of BclA forms an extremely stable interaction with the basal layer protein BxpB. Evidence indicates that the BclA-BxpB interaction is direct and requires trimeric BxpB. To further investigate the nature of the BclA-BxpB interaction, we determined the crystal structure of BxpB. The structure was trimeric with each monomer consisting of 11 β strands with connecting loops. The structure did not include apparently disordered amino acids 1–19, which contain the only two cysteine residues of the 167-residue BxpB. The orientation of the structure reveals regions of BxpB that could be involved in interacting with the BclA NTD and with adjacent cysteine-rich proteins in the basal layer. Furthermore, the BxpB structure closely resembles that of the 134-residue carboxyl-terminal domain of BclA, which forms trimers that are highly resistant to heat and detergent. We demonstrated that BxpB trimers do not share this resistance. However, when BxpB trimers are mixed with a peptide containing residues 20–38 of BclA, they form a complex that is as stable as BclA-BxpB complexes extracted from spores. Together, our results provide new insights into the mechanism of BclA-BxpB attachment and incorporation into the exosporium.

IMPORTANCE

The
B. anthracis
exosporium plays major roles in spore survival and infectivity, but the complex mechanism of its assembly is poorly understood. Key steps in this process are the stable attachment of collagen-like BclA filaments to the major basal layer structural protein BxpB and the insertion of BxpB into an underlying basal layer scaffold. The goal of this study is to further elucidate these interactions thereby advancing our understanding of exosporium assembly, a process shared by many spore-forming bacteria including important human pathogens.
Positive affect training to reduce mental health problems during the COVID-19 pandemic: a proof-of-concept randomised clinical trial
Authors: Bryant Richard , Dawson Katie , Azevedo Suzanna , Yadav Srishti , Tran Jenny , Choi-Christou Jasmine , Andrew Elpiniki , Beames Joanne , Keyan Dharani 
Published: June 2023

BackgroundThe social restrictions occurring during the pandemic contributed to loss of many sources of reward, which contributes to poor mental health.ObjectiveThis trial evaluated a brief positive affect training programme to reduce anxiety, depression and suicidality during the pandemic.MethodsIn this single-blind, parallel, randomised controlled trial, adults who screened positive for COVID-19-related psychological distress across Australia were randomly allocated to either a 6-session group-based programme based on positive affect training (n=87) or enhanced usual care (EUC, n=87). Primary outcome was total score on the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale—anxiety and depression subscales assessed at baseline, 1-week post-treatment, 3 months (primary outcome time point) as well as secondary outcome measures of suicidality, generalised anxiety disorder, sleep impairment, positive and negative mood and COVID-19-related stress.FindingsBetween 20 September 2020 and 16 September 2021, 174 participants were enrolled into the trial. Relative to EUC, at 3-month follow-up the intervention led to greater reduction on depression (mean difference 1.2 (95% CI 0.4 to 1.9)), p=0.003), with a moderate effect size (0.5 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.9)). There were also greater reduction of suicidality and improvement in quality of life. There were no differences in anxiety, generalised anxiety, anhedonia, sleep impairment, positive or negative mood or COVID-19 concerns.ConclusionsThis intervention was able to reduce depression and suicidality during adverse experiences when rewarding events were diminished, such as pandemics.Clinical implicationsStrategies to improve positive affect may be useful to reduce mental health issues.Trial registration numberACTRN12620000811909.
Effectiveness of population-wide screening and mass drug administration for leprosy control in Kiribati: the COMBINE protocol
Authors: Coleman Mikaela , Hill Jeremy , Timeon Eretii , Rimon Erei , Bauro Temea , Ioteba Nabura , Cunanan Arturo , Douglas Nicholas M , Islam Tauhid , Tomlinson Jill , Campbell Patrick O , Williman Jonathan , Priest Patricia , Marais Ben J , Britton Warwick J , Chambers Stephen T 
Published: June 2023

IntroductionProgress towards leprosy elimination is threatened by increasing incidence in ‘hot-spot’ areas where more effective control strategies are urgently required. In these areas, active case finding and leprosy prevention limited to known contacts is insufficient for control. Population-wide active case-finding together with universal prevention through mass drug administration (MDA) has been shown to be effective in ‘hot-spot’ areas, but is logistically challenging and expensive. Combining leprosy screening and MDA with other population-wide screening activities such as for tuberculosis may increase programme efficiency. There has been limited evaluation of the feasibility and effectiveness of combined screening and MDA interventions. The COMBINE study aims to bridge this knowledge gap.Methods and analysisThis implementation study will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of active leprosy case-finding and treatment, combined with MDA using either single-dose rifampicin or rifamycin-containing tuberculosis preventive or curative treatment, for reducing leprosy incidence in Kiribati. The leprosy programme will run over 2022–2025 in concert with population-wide tuberculosis screening-and-treatment in South Tarawa. The primary research question is to what extent the intervention reduces the annual leprosy new case detection rate (NCDR) in adults and children compared with routine screening and postexposure prophylaxis (PEP) among close contacts (baseline leprosy control activities). Comparisons will be made with (1) the preintervention NCDR separably among adults and children in South Tarawa (before–after study) and (2) the corresponding NCDRs in the rest of the country. Additionally, the postintervention prevalence of leprosy obtained from a survey of a ‘hot-spot’ sub-population will be compared with prevalence documented during the intervention. The intervention will be implemented in collaboration with the Kiribati National Leprosy Programme.Ethics and disseminationApproval has been obtained from the Kiribati Ministry of Health and Medical Services (MHMS), the University of Otago (H22/111) and the University of Sydney (2021/127) Human Research Ethics Committees. Findings will be shared with the MHMS, local communities and internationally through publication.
Effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on sales of sexual and reproductive health products: an ecological study of pharmacies in Kenya
Authors: Chiu Calvin , Wong Anne , Melvin Odette , Vernon Jessica , Liu Jenny X , McCoy Sandra I , Packel Laura J 
Published: June 2023

ObjectivesTo examine how sales of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) products varied among pharmacies in Kenya using administrative data, leveraging natural variation in the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying policy restrictions between 2019 and 2021.Design and settingEcological study of pharmacies in Kenya.Participants761 pharmacies using the Maisha Meds product inventory management system (capturing 572 916 products sold).OutcomesSales quantity, price and revenue of SRH products sold per pharmacy per week.ResultsCOVID-19 deaths were associated with a −2.97% (95% CI −3.82%, −2.11%) decrease in sales quantity, a 1.09% (95% CI 0.44%, 1.72%) increase in sales price and a −1.89% (−1.00%, −2.79%) decrease in revenues per pharmacy per week. Results were similar when considering new COVID-19 cases (per 1000) and the Average Policy Stringency Index. Results differed substantially between individual SRH products—a large decrease in sales quantity in pregnancy tests, injectables and emergency contraception, a modest decrease in condoms and no change in oral contraception. Sales price increases were similarly varied; four of the five most sold products were revenue neutral.ConclusionsWe found a robust negative association between SRH sales at pharmacies in Kenya and COVID-19 reported cases, deaths and policy restriction. Although our data cannot definitively point to reduced access, existing evidence from Kenya regarding unchanged fertility intentions, increases in unintended pregnancies and reported reasons for non-use of contraceptives during COVID-19 suggests a prominent role of reduced access. While policymakers may have a role in sustaining access, their role may be limited by broader macroeconomic problems, such as global supply chain disruptions and inflation, during supply shocks.
Multicentre, randomised, double-blind, parallel controlled trial to investigate timing of platelet inhibition after coronary artery bypass grafting: TOP-CABG trial study
Authors: Yuan Xin , Chu Qing , Chen Kai , Wang Yang , Zhang Lihua , Zheng Yingli , Hu Shengshou 
Published: June 2023

IntroductionDual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT), referred to as the combination of aspirin and P2Y12receptor antagonist (clopidogrel or ticagrelor), potentially improves patency of saphenous vein grafts (SVG) after coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), while it is further proposed that DAPT potentially increases bleeding risk. Compared with DAPT, de-escalated DAPT (De-DAPT) is an effective antiplatelet strategy for acute coronary syndrome treatment, which significantly reduces the risk of bleeding without increasing the incidence of major adverse cardiovascular events. However, insufficient evidence is available to determine the timing of DAPT after CABG.Methods and analysisThe Timing of Platelet Inhibition after Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (TOP-CABG) is a multicentre, randomized, double-blind, parallel controlled trial, which is conducted in sixteen centres in China. TOP-CABG aims to compare one-year patency rate of SVG between De-DAPT and DAPT and to explore the impact of the two regimens on bleeding events. A total of 2, 300 patients undergoing isolated CABG will be randomized 1:1 to De-DAPT referred to as ticagrelor+aspirin during first three months post-CABG and aspirin+ticagrelor placebo for next nine months or to DAPT group with ticagrelor+aspirin for one year after CABG. Patients, treating physicians and investigators will be blinded to allocation. Patients are evaluated at one, three, six, nine and twelve months post-operatively through an outpatient hospital visit. At one year after CABG, patients are required to take coronary CT angiography (CCTA). The primary efficacy endpoint is occlusion of SVGs and the primary safety endpoint is risk of bleeding episodes (the Bleeding Academic Research Consortium (BARC) classification ≥2) within 1-year after CABG. Secondary outcomes include SVG failure, significant (≥70%) venous or arterial graft stenosis and a series of major adverse cardiovascular events within one year after CABG.Ethics and disseminationThe Ethics Committee in Fuwai hospital approved this study (2022-1774). Fifteen centres agreed to participate the TOP-CABG trial, and the study has been approved in these 15 centres by whose ethics committee. The results of the trial will be submitted for publication in a peer-reviewed journal.Trial registration numberNCT05380063.