bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Monitoring and modelling the effects of ecosystem engineers on ecosystem functioning
Authors: Losapio Gianalberto , Genes Luísa , Knight Christopher J. , McFadden Tyler N. , Pavan Lucas 
Published: April 2023

Abstract

Biodiversity is crucial for supporting ecosystem functioning, yet some species play a disproportionate role in maintaining complex ecological processes. Ecosystem engineers are species that directly influence ecosystems by modifying biophysical environments, creating novel habitats, altering biogeochemical cycles, increasing biodiversity and/or modulating ecological processes. Although these species may substantially influence ecosystem functioning, their role is often overlooked and difficult to quantify. Understanding the status, dynamics and trends of ecosystem engineers is essential for mitigating biodiversity loss and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

This review reveals the common but underappreciated roles that ecosystem engineers play in ecosystem functioning across many different taxa, biomes and ecological processes. We first synthesise how knowledge of ecosystem engineering improves our understanding of species interactions and the ecological processes underlying both ecosystem functioning and BEF relationships. We provide a conceptual model for addressing the effects of ecosystem engineers in BEF research and ecological dynamics.

We provide a ‘how to’ analytical framework for monitoring and quantifying changes in ecosystem engineers and their effects on ecosystem functioning. This framework includes (i) what variables to measure, how and at which scale; (ii) experiments involving species exclusion or removal, introduction and comparative designs when experimental manipulation is not feasible and (iii) statistical, data‐driven and theory‐driven models.

We discuss how to leverage ecosystem engineering in the context of current global change and ecosystem restoration efforts. Including ecosystem engineers in conservation and restoration programs, when implemented in the appropriate context and supported by an understanding of ecological mechanisms and processes, may be crucial for sustaining biological diversity and functional ecosystems.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Has Chinese Certified Emission Reduction trading reduced rural poverty in China?
Authors: Zhang Yue‐Jun , Liu Jing‐Yue , Woodward Richard T. 
Published: April 2023

AbstractConsolidating and expanding poverty alleviation while simultaneously reducing carbon emissions has become one of the main issues facing China. The Chinese Certified Emission Reduction (CCER) trading programme is an important supplementary mechanism to China's carbon trading market. Based on the data of 1782 counties in China from 2006 to 2017 and a difference‐in‐differences model, this study investigates the rural poverty reduction effect of CCER trading. We find that: (1) during the sample period, CCER trading has increased the per capita net income of rural residents by at least 2.5% or 187.5 RMB (about 27.8 USD or 39.3 AUD) per year. (2) The poverty reduction effect of CCER trading in poor counties is greater than that in nonpoor counties. (3) Some relevant heterogeneous effects are also measured. We find that CCER trading of hydropower projects has played a significant poverty reduction effect; the poverty reduction effect is further enhanced when the county has additional CCER projects; we also identify regional differences with CCER trading having a greater poverty reduction effect in the western and central regions. (4) Compared with the implementation of the CCER project, trading the emission reductions generated by the CCER project has brought more significant poverty reduction effects.
Spontaneous hospitalization in the immediate aftermath of the manchester arena bombing
Authors: Bartolucci Andrea , Magni Michele 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe distribution of the patients among available hospitals is pivotal to effectively manage a terrorist attack. Unfortunately, by the time of the arrival of the first relief unit, victims self‐present to the hospital outside any distribution plan (spontaneous hospitalization). This paper presents an evidence‐based investigation of victims' spontaneous hospitalization and distribution of patients in the immediate aftermath of the Manchester Arena Bombing with a focus on patients who self‐presented at the local hospitals by nonambulance vehicles. Despite the quick arrival of the relief units, 85 patients (61%) made their own way to the hospitals, self‐presenting at an emergency department outside the dispersal framework. Results of this paper show that, differently from the literature, survivors not always decided to go to the closest hospital but, for people living close to the event (less than 15 miles) the decision is to go toward the most familiar hospital close to their home rather than the event. This paper can be used to improve response plans after terrorist attacks that consider victims' behavior and the phenomena of “reverse triage” and “wave of casualties”; without such consideration, in fact, a planned distribution and the consequently management plan effectiveness and efficacy are lower.
Migrant remittances, agriculture investment and cropping patterns
Authors: Ali Ubaid , Mughal Mazhar , de Boisdeffre Lionel 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWe investigate how the receipt and amount of domestic or international transfers influences household decisions regarding farm investment and the selection of capital and labour‐intensive crops. We argue that, even though recipient households may use additional income to increase agricultural investment, investment can fall in the short run if labour constraints arising from the migrant member's absence are binding and capital accumulation is suboptimal. Employing a set of endogenous treatment estimates, we test this hypothesis on data from 5636 rural households in Pakistan. Our findings show a substantial difference between recipient and non‐recipient households in terms of their economic behaviour. Recipient households make 100% less agricultural investment and generate 82% less production compared to non‐recipient households. The estimates are found to be robust when tested with alternate empirical techniques (Heckman Selection and matching). The impact is stronger in the case of households that receive domestic transfers, with 100% less farm investment and 77% less production than non‐recipient households. Remittances result in a decrease in production of both capital‐ and labour‐intensive crops, reflecting a decline in overall farm activity. Similar farm investment and cropping patterns are observed relative to the amount of remittances received. The results are robust to different model specifications and estimation procedures.
COL19A1 is a predictive biomarker for the responsiveness of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma patients to immune checkpoint therapy
Authors: Liu Jian‐Hua , Lin Ju‐Ze , Qiu Qianhui , Zhu Changbin , Li Weiwei , Li Qian , Huang Zhan , Xia Xueer , Qiao Guibin , Tang Jiming 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe use of neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy has revolutionized the management of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) patients. Nevertheless, patients who would maximally benefit from these therapies have not been identified.MethodsWe collected postoperative specimens from 103 ESCC patients, of which 66 patients comprised a retrospective cohort and 37 comprised a prospective cohort. Patient specimens were subjected to applied multi‐omics analysis to uncover the mechanistic basis for patient responsiveness to cancer immunotherapy. The tumor microenvironment characteristics of these patient specimens was explored and identified by multiplex immunofluorescence and immunohistochemistry.ResultsResults demonstrated high COL19A1 expression to be a novel biomarker for successful immunotherapy (COL19A1high, odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.31 [0.10–0.97], p = 0.044). Compared with COL19A1low patients, COL19A1high patients benefited more from neoadjuvant immunotherapy (p < 0.01), obtained better major pathological remissions (63.3%, p < 0.01), with a trend toward better recurrence‐free survival (p = 0.013), and overall survival (p = 0.056). Moreover, analysis of an immune‐activation subtype of patients demonstrated increased B cell infiltration to be associated with favorable patient survival and a better response to neoadjuvant immunotherapy plus chemotherapy.ConclusionsThe findings of this study provide insight into the optimal design of individual treatments for ESCC patients.
Extracellular vesicles in tumor angiogenesis and resistance to anti‐angiogenic therapy
Authors: Ye Zi‐Wu , Yu Zi‐Li , Chen Gang , Jia Jun 
Published: April 2023

AbstractTumor angiogenesis plays an important role in the development of cancer as it allows the delivery of oxygen, nutrients, and growth factors as well as tumor dissemination to distant organs. Although anti‐angiogenic therapy (AAT) has been approved for treating various advanced cancers, this potential strategy has limited efficacy due to resistance over time. Therefore, there is a critical need to understand how resistance develops. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are nano‐sized membrane‐bound phospholipid vesicles produced by cells. A growing body of evidence suggests that tumor cell‐derived EVs (T‐EVs) directly transfer their cargoes to endothelial cells (ECs) to promote tumor angiogenesis. Importantly, recent studies have reported that T‐EVs may play a major role in the development of resistance to AAT. Moreover, studies have demonstrated the role of EVs from non‐tumor cells in angiogenesis, although the mechanisms involved are still not completely understood. In this review, we provide a comprehensive description of the role of EVs derived from various cells, including tumor cells and non‐tumor cells, in tumor angiogenesis. Moreover, from the perspective of EVs, this review summarized the role of EVs in the resistance to AAT and the mechanisms involved. Due to their role in the resistance of AAT, we here proposed potential strategies to further improve the efficacy of AAT by inhibiting T‐EVs.
Recent advances of benzimidazole as anticancer agents
Authors: Venugopal Sneha , Kaur Balwinder , Verma Anil , Wadhwa Pankaj , Magan Muskan , Hudda Sharwan , Kakoty Violina 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCancer is the second leading cause of death globally, with 9.6 million deaths yearly. As a life‐threatening disease, it necessitates the emergence of new therapies. Resistance to current chemotherapies drives scientists to develop new medications that will eventually be accessible. Because heterocycles are so common in biological substances, compounds play a big part in the variety of medications that have been developed. The “Master Key” is the benzimidazole nucleus, which consists of a six‐membered benzene ring fused with a five‐membered imidazole/imidazoline ring, which is an azapyrrole. One of the five‐membered aromatic nitrogen heterocycles identified in American therapies that have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Our results show that benzimidazole's broad therapeutic spectrum is due to its structural isosteres with purine, which improves hydrogen bonding, electrostatic interactions with topoisomerase complexes, intercalation with DNA, and other functions. It also enhances protein and nucleic acid inhibition, tubulin microtubule degeneration, apoptosis, DNA fragmentation, and other functions. Additionally, readers for designing the more recent benzimidazole analogues as prospective cancer treatments.
Healthcare professionals' experiences of situations during a procedure with a child with autism spectrum disorder in the high‐technology environment
Authors: Pettersson Emelie , Christensen Berit Møller , Berglund Ingalill Gimbler , Huus Karina 
Published: April 2023

AbstractBackgroundHigh technological environments can be challenging for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), because they can be sensitive to new environments, new faces and changes in daily routines. Those children are frequent visitors in those settings, and due to their heightened healthcare needs and their comorbidities, it could constitute a challenge for healthcare professionals to encounter those children. Exploring the healthcare professionals' experiences can contribute to facilitate the procedure for a child with ASD.MethodA qualitative descriptive retrospective design with a critical incident technique has been used to capture the situations. Twenty healthcare professionals were interviewed about situations affecting the procedure in the high‐technology environments, defined as anaesthesia and radiology departments.ResultThe findings revealed both favourable situations and unfavourable situations affecting the procedure in the high‐technology environment. The situations described by the healthcare professionals often involved their interactions with the child and the parents. The interactions were influenced by the parents' attitudes to the procedure and also the healthcare professionals and the parents' different expectations on the procedure. Other experiences described by the healthcare professionals were the unpredictability in different situations. Those situations were related to the child's unpredictable behaviour in those environments and also to the unpredictable effect of premedication provided to the child. Moreover, the result revealed the organizational prerequisites for facilitating a procedure, such as not feeling any time pressure when leading a child through a procedure.ConclusionsInteractions between healthcare professionals, children with ASD and parents in the high‐technology environment are complex. Unpredictability characterizes situations when leading a child with ASD through a procedure. This place demands on the healthcare professional, the environment and the organization.
Deep Learning for Scene Flow Estimation on Point Clouds: A Survey and Prospective Trends
Authors: Li Zhiqi , Xiang Nan , Chen Honghua , Zhang Jianjun , Yang Xiaosong 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAiming at obtaining structural information and 3D motion of dynamic scenes, scene flow estimation has been an interest of research in computer vision and computer graphics for a long time. It is also a fundamental task for various applications such as autonomous driving. Compared to previous methods that utilize image representations, many recent researches build upon the power of deep analysis and focus on point clouds representation to conduct 3D flow estimation. This paper comprehensively reviews the pioneering literature in scene flow estimation based on point clouds. Meanwhile, it delves into detail in learning paradigms and presents insightful comparisons between the state‐of‐the‐art methods using deep learning for scene flow estimation. Furthermore, this paper investigates various higher‐level scene understanding tasks, including object tracking, motion segmentation, etc. and concludes with an overview of foreseeable research trends for scene flow estimation.
The impact of organisational factors on treatment outcomes for those seeking alcohol or other drug treatment: A systematic review
Authors: Hobden Breanne , Freund Megan , Lawson Samuel , Bryant Jamie , Walsh Justin , Leigh Lucy , Sanson‐Fisher Rob 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIntroductionOrganisational factors have been found to be associated with health outcomes in a number of health‐care settings. Despite likely being an important influence on the quality of care provided within alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatment centres, the impact of organisational factors on AOD treatment outcomes have not been extensively explored. This systematic literature review examines the characteristics, methodological quality and findings of published studies exploring the association between organisational factors and client AOD treatment outcomes.MethodsMedline, Embase, PsycINFO and the Cochrane database were searched from 2010 to March 2022 for relevant papers. Studies meeting the inclusion criteria underwent quality assessment using the Joanna Brigg's Institute critical appraisal tool for cross‐sectional studies, followed by data extraction of key variables pertaining to the aims. A narrative summary was used to synthesise the data.ResultsNine studies met the inclusion criteria. Organisational factors examined included cultural competency, organisational readiness for change, directorial leadership, continuity of care practices, service access, service to needs ratios, dual diagnosis training, therapeutic optimism and the funding model/health‐care system that treatment was delivered in. Outcome measures included duration, completion or continuation of treatment; AOD use; and patient perceptions of treatment outcomes. Seven out of nine papers found a significant interaction between at least one organisational variable and AOD treatment outcomes.Discussion and ConclusionsOrganisational factors are likely to impact treatment outcomes for patients seeking treatment for AOD. Further examination of the organisational factors that influence AOD outcomes is needed to inform systemic improvements to AOD treatment.
The basis and implications of diverging approaches to colorectal adenoma surveillance in the West
Authors: Ow Tsai‐Wing , Tse Edmund , Iyngkaran Guru , Macrae Finlay 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAlgorithms for the surveillance of colorectal adenomas have recently undergone revision in Australia and abroad. Despite a shared evidence base, significant differences are observed and optimal intervals for surveillance remain controversial. We sought to explore their differences in relation to current evidence, practical aspects and how we may improve our own approach to adenoma surveillance in Australia.
Digital sustainable business models: Using digital technology to integrate ecological sustainability into the core of business models
Authors: Böttcher Timo Phillip , Empelmann Sarah , Weking Jörg , Hein Andreas , Krcmar Helmut 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWhen presented with the latest statistics on global warming, it becomes evident that ecological sustainability will be equally important as economic sustainability for companies. A new wave of start‐ups shows that ecological sustainability can be integral to a business model (BM) without compromising economic success. Like start‐ups that designed their BMs to be ecologically and economically sustainable, incumbents also need to undergo two fundamental transformations in parallel: digital and sustainable BM transformation. While each transformation alone is considered demanding, we examined 31 start‐ups to develop a taxonomy of digital sustainable BMs to understand how companies can master these complementary challenges and provide guidelines on achieving ecological and economic sustainability by implementing digital BMs. We use this taxonomy to derive four distinct archetypes of how sustainability can be an integral part of the BM: Sustainable Software Solutions, Sustainable Product‐Service Systems, Sustainability Intelligence, and Digital Sustainable Platforms. For each archetype, we reveal the role of digital technology in creating ecological BMs and how these BMs create sustainable value from an ecological, economic, and technological perspective. Therefore, we go beyond using digital technology to optimise production or logistics or enable remote work and implement sustainability as an integral part of the core logic of the organisation and its identity. For practice, our strategy guidelines contribute to creating a sustainable reality based on digital technology implemented in the BMs.
Delegation of insulin administration to non‐registered healthcare workers in community nursing teams: A qualitative study
Authors: Stenner Karen , Shore Colin B. , Maben Jill , Mold Freda , Winkley Kirsty , Cook Angela 
Published: April 2023

AbstractAimsTo explore stakeholder perspectives on the benefits and/or disadvantages of the delegation of insulin injections to healthcare support workers in community nursing services.DesignQualitative case study.MethodsInterviews with stakeholders purposively sampled from three case sites in England. Data collection took place between October 2020 and July 2021. A reflexive thematic approach to analysis was adopted.ResultsA total of 34 interviews were completed: patients and relatives (n = 7), healthcare support workers (n = 8), registered nurses (n = 10) and senior managers/clinicians (n = 9). Analysis resulted in three themes: (i) Acceptance and confidence, (ii) benefits and (iii) concerns and coping strategies. Delegation was accepted by stakeholders on condition that appropriate training, supervision and governance was in place. Continuing contact between patients and registered nurses, and regular contact between registered nurses and healthcare support workers was deemed essential for clinical safety. Services were reliant on the contribution of healthcare support workers providing insulin injections, particularly during the COVID‐19 pandemic. Benefits for service and registered nurses included: flexible team working, increased service capacity and care continuity. Job satisfaction and career development was reported for healthcare support workers. Patients benefit from timely administration, and enhanced relationships with the nursing team. Concerns raised by all stakeholders included potential missed care, remuneration and task shifting.ConclusionDelegation of insulin injections is acceptable to stakeholders and has many benefits when managed effectively.ImpactDemand for community nursing is increasing. Findings of this study suggest that delegation of insulin administration contributes to improving service capacity. Findings highlight the essential role played by key factors such as appropriate training, competency assessment and teamwork, in developing confidence in delegation among stakeholders. Understanding and supporting these factors can help ensure that practice develops in an acceptable, safe and beneficial way, and informs future development of delegation practice in community settings.Patient or Public ContributionA service user group was consulted during the design phase prior to grant application and provided comments on draft findings. Two people with diabetes were members of the project advisory group and contributed to the study design, development of interview questions, monitoring study progress and provided feedback on study findings.
Importance of catchment hydrological processes and calibration of hydrological‐hydrodynamic rainfall‐runoff models in small rural catchments
Authors: David Amrei , Rodriguez Ernesto Ruiz , Schmalz Britta 
Published: April 2023

AbstractIn recent years, many two‐dimensional (2D) hydrodynamic models have been extended to include the direct rainfall method (DRM). This allows their application as a hydrological‐hydrodynamic model for the determination of floodplains in one model system. In previous studies on DRM, the role of catchment hydrological processes (CaHyPro) and its interaction with the calibration process was not investigated in detail. In the present, case‐oriented study, the influence of the spatiotemporal distribution of the processes precipitation and runoff formation in combination with the 2D model HEC‐RAS is investigated. In a further step, a conceptual approach for event‐based interflow is integrated. The study is performed on the basis of a single storm event in a small rural catchment (low mountain range, 38 km2) in Hesse (Germany). The model results are evaluated against six quality criteria and compared to a simplified baseline model. Finally, the calibrated improved model is contrasted with a calibrated baseline model. The results show the enhancement of the model results due to the integration of the CaHyPro and highlight its interplay with the calibrated model parameters.