bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Early generation seed starter materials and approaches to seed production: Challenge for improving the potato seed system in Uganda
Authors: Namugga Prossy , Aijuka Son , Arinda Osbert , Mateeka Benon , Barekye Alex 
Published: April 2023

AbstractQuality seed is one of the key inputs for increasing potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) productivity; however, its limited availability is widely recognized as a major constraint to potato production. In Uganda, certified seed production meets approximately 1.5% of effective demand implying most farmers use home‐saved seed. This practice encourages the buildup of degenerative seed‐borne diseases which ultimately affect productivity. Consequently, a study was conducted to determine the productivity of different seed potato production starting stock: tissue culture plantlets (TC) and rooted apical cuttings. Fifty plants of two potato varieties, NAROPOT1 and NAROPOT4, and for each starter material were evaluated both in the field and screen house for two seasons at Kachwekano and Karengyere research stations. Data were collected on the number of tubers per plant and tuber weight. Highly significant differences were observed for the type of starter materials and varieties for the number of tubers per plant (p ≤ 0.001) from both the screen house and field environments. More tubers per plant were obtained from TC for both varieties and the highest recorded was (24.5) for NAROPOT4 and (15.5) for NAROPOT1 in the screen house. Tuber weight was higher from rooted apical cuttings for both varieties NAROPOT1 (153.3 g) and NAROPOT4 (167.7 g). The correlation between the number of tubers per plant and weight was highly significant at p ≤ 0.001. Tissue culture raised plants were more productive in terms of tuber, and numbers are more important in seed production than weight and mini‐tuber production can be done by farmers under affordable conditions.
Sustainable institutional investors, corporate sustainability performance, and corporate tax avoidance: Empirical evidence for the European capital market
Authors: Velte Patrick 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis study addresses the influence of sustainable institutional investors (SII), based on the signatory status of the UN Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), on corporate tax avoidance. Moreover, the moderating influence of corporate sustainability performance (CSP) is analyzed. The analyses concentrate on a European sample consisting of 1689 firm‐year observations between 2014 and 2020 (EUROSTOXX 600) embedded in a stakeholder agency theoretical framework. Correlation, regression, and robustness analyses are conducted. The results are in line with prior studies on equity ownership and tax avoidance and indicate that SII have a negative impact on tax avoidance and that CSP strengthens this negative effect. These results are robust to a battery of sensitivity analyses. SII represent a major monitoring mechanism in promoting responsible tax behavior, which is in line with other stakeholders' interests. Tax avoidance should be integrated into overall sustainability management to realize an increased firm reputation. As the European Commission initiated several regulations on sustainable finance, sustainability reporting, and tax disclosure, the empirical results stress the interdependencies between ownership structure, CSP, and tax avoidance. The study makes a major contribution to prior analyses, as this study is the first to assess the link between SII and tax avoidance and the moderating impact of CSP to urge top management to increase sustainability efforts.
The power of culture: Does Confucian culture contribute to corporate environmental information disclosure?
Authors: Chao Shujun , Wang Shanyong , Li Haidong , Yang Shu 
Published: April 2023

AbstractWith the intensification of global environmental issues, corporate environmental information disclosure has received increasing attention. Different cultural and policy backgrounds have led to very different styles of corporate environmental information disclosure behavior. Whether Confucianism, the dominant culture that has influenced China for thousands of years, contributes to corporate environmental information disclosure deserves to be studied. Based on data from 3180 Chinese listed firms, this study confirms the positive effect of Confucian culture on environmental information disclosure. Meanwhile, Taoist culture and environmental regulation can positively moderate this effect. In addition, heterogeneity analysis unveils that Confucian culture plays a greater role in corporate environmental information disclosure for state‐owned firms and firms in highly polluting industries, while this role is weakened for firms with a high proportion of female executives and executives with foreign experience. This study links culture and environmental information disclosure, which helps to arouse the attention of whole society to utilize excellent traditional culture and helps the government to formulate effective environmental regulation policies.
Alluvial fan response to Alpine Fault earthquakes on the Westland piedmont, Whataroa, Aotearoa‐New Zealand
Authors: Almond Peter C. , Berryman Kelvin , Villamor Pilar , Read Stuart , Alloway Brent V. , Tonkin Philip 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe examined the stratigraphy of alluvial fans formed at the steep range front of the Southern Alps at Te Taho, on the north bank of the Whataroa River in central West Coast, South Island, New Zealand. The range front coincides with the Alpine Fault, an Australian‐Pacific plate boundary fault, which produces regular earthquakes. Our study of range front fans revealed aggradation at 100‐ to 300‐year intervals. Radiocarbon ages and soil residence times (SRTs) estimated by a quantitative profile development index allowed us to elucidate the characteristics of four episodes of aggradation since 1000 CE. We postulate a repeating mode of fan behaviour (fan response cycle [FRC]) linked to earthquake cycles via earthquake‐triggered landslides. FRCs are characterised by short response time (aggradation followed by incision) and a long phase when channels are entrenched and fan surfaces are stable (persistence time). Currently, the Te Taho and Whataroa River fans are in the latter phase. The four episodes of fan building we determined from an OxCal sequence model correlate to Alpine Fault earthquakes (or other subsidiary events) and support prior landscape evolution studies indicating ≥M7.5 earthquakes as the main driver of episodic sedimentation. Our findings are consistent with other historic non‐earthquake events on the West Coast but indicate faster responses than other earthquake sites in New Zealand and elsewhere where rainfall and stream gradients (the basis for stream power) are lower. Judging from the thickness of fan deposits and the short response times, we conclude that pastoral farming (current land‐use) on the fans and probably across much of the Whataroa River fan would be impossible for several decades after a major earthquake. The sustainability of regional tourism and agriculture is at risk, more so because of the vulnerability of the single through road in the region (State Highway 6).
Post‐wildfire coastal dunefield response using photogrammetry and satellite indices
Authors: DaSilva Marcio D. , Bruce David , Hesp Patrick A. , da Silva Graziela Miot , Downes Joram 
Published: March 2023

AbstractFire has been suggested to be an initiation mechanism of landscape instability and coastal dune transgression, but modern evidence showing a shift to a transgressive dune phase is lacking. Following the largest wildfire in historical records on Kangaroo Island, South Australia, bimonthly uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) surveys were conducted on three coastal dune sites to study their post‐fire responses. The three sites studied here represent the landscape diversity of the temperate dunes of Kangaroo Island with both active coastal and inland relict stabilised dune fields studied. UAV surveys were used to reconstruct landscapes with structure from motion (SfM) photogrammetry and compared over time to illustrate significant changes in the landscape. The geomorphic and vegetation changes are compared in net and intra‐survey comparisons to illustrate the post‐fire dunefield response and trends towards stabilisation. Because of a lack of reliable baseline pre‐fire data, satellite geomedians are used to compute spectral indices to show the trajectory of ground cover in the study sites in the years preceding and following the fire. Satellite indices are used to separate 3D changes according to ground cover types and show their differing post‐fire responses. Local and regional wind, temperature and rainfall records are presented to provide weather patterns of the years preceding and following the fire, illustrating the wet and mild post‐fire weather. The overall results indicate no significant landscape instability across the studied sites and that the ground cover of vegetation is nearing pre‐fire baselines, showing that a severe fire has not caused a transgressive dunefield to develop.
Coastal sedimentation and topographic changes in the Mataram Plain, Lombok (Indonesia) following the 1257 CE eruption of Samalas volcano
Authors: Malawani Mukhamad Ngainul , Lavigne Franck , Hadmoko Danang Sri , Syamsuddin Syamsuddin , Handayani Lina , Sudrajat Yayat , Virmoux Clément , Saulnier Copard Ségolène , Kusnadi Kusnadi 
Published: April 2023

AbstractThe 1257 CE eruption of Samalas volcano, Indonesia, buried the entire island of Lombok beneath various thicknesses of pyroclastic material during this Volcanic Explosivity Index (VEI) 7 event. This study aims to reconstruct the paleo‐topography of western Lombok before the Samalas eruption in 1257 CE and analyse the sedimentation processes that led to its landscape evolution over the last 700 years. Stratigraphic data were collected from various surveys, such as outcrops, coring, drilling, hand auger and wells observation. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) measurements were performed to complement the stratigraphic data. A combination of stratigraphy, ERT and topographic data from various sources (topographic map, Digital Elevation Model Nasional [DEMNAS] and Real Time Kinematic [RTK] measurement) is employed to determine the depth of the paleo‐surface. Topographic modelling was performed by subtracting the delta‐DEM (DDEM) from the current‐DEM (CDEM). The result of this operation is a paleo‐DEM, which is used to reconstruct the paleo‐hydrographic features such as shoreline positions and river channels. Modelling results demonstrate that the relief has not been significantly modified, except in lowland areas, which is the sediment accumulation zone. River channels have experienced minor changes, except for the location of the river mouth and the degree of meandering. Significant changes occurred at the shoreline that has prograded by approximately 1.6 km during the last 700 years. A schematic model is built to illustrate the evolution processes of the study area, consisting of the pre‐eruption condition, the immediate post‐eruption condition and development of the current condition. This model further develops the previously proposed model with a higher resolution and simultaneously revises the estimated boundary of the pyroclastic density current (PDC) deposit from previous work.
Geometric constraints within tripeptides and the existence of tripeptide reconstructions
Authors: O'Donnell Timothée , Agashe Viraj , Cazals Frédéric 
Published: March 2023

AbstractDesigning movesets providing high quality protein conformations remains a hard problem, especially when it comes to deform a long protein backbone segment, and a key building block to do so is the so‐called tripeptide loop closure (TLC). Consider a tripeptide whose first and last bonds ( and ) are fixed, and so are all internal coordinates except the six dihedral angles associated to the three carbons. Under these conditions, the TLC algorithm provides all possible values for these six dihedral angles–there exists at most 16 solutions. TLC moves atoms up to in one step and retains low energy conformations, whence its pivotal role to design move sets sampling protein loop conformations. In this work, we relax the previous constraints, allowing the last bond () to freely move in 3D space–or equivalently in a 5D configuration space. We exhibit necessary geometric constraints in this 5D space for TLC to admit solutions. Our analysis provides key insights on the geometry of solutions for TLC. Most importantly, when using TLC to sample loop conformations based on consecutive tripeptides along a protein backbone, we obtain an exponential gain in the volume of the ‐dimensional configuration space to be explored.
All‐atom simulations of the trimeric spike protein of SARS‐CoV‐2 in aqueous medium: Nature of interactions, conformational stability and free energy diagrams for conformational transition of the protein
Authors: Panthi Bhavana , Dutta Saheb , Chandra Amalendu 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe spike protein of SARS‐CoV‐2 exists in two major conformational states, namely the ‘open’ and ‘closed’ states which are also known as the ‘up’ and ‘down’ states, respectively. In its open state, the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the protein is exposed for binding with ACE2, whereas the spike RBD is inaccessible to ACE2 in the closed state of the protein. In the current work, we have performed all‐atom microsecond simulations of the full‐length trimeric spike protein solvated in explicit aqueous medium with an average system size of ~0.7 million atoms to understand the molecular nature of intra‐ and inter‐chain interactions, water‐bridged interactions between different residues that contribute to the stability of the open and closed states of the protein, and also the free energy landscape for transition between the open and closed states of the protein. We have also examined the changes of such interactions that are associated with switching from one state to the other through both unbiased and biased simulations at all‐atom level with total run length of 4 μs. Interestingly, after about 0.8 μs of unbiased molecular dynamics run of the spike system in the open state, we observed a gradual transition of the monomeric chain (B) from open to its partially closed or down state. Initially the residues at the interface of chain B RBD in the open state spike protein were at non‐hydrogen‐bonding distances from the residues of chain C RBD. However, the two RBDs gradually came closer and finally the residue S459 of the RBD of chain B made a hydrogen bond with F374 of chain C in the last 200 ns of the simulation along with formation of a few more hydrogen bonds involving other residues. Since no transition from closed to the open state of the protein is observed in the present 1 μs unbiased simulation of the closed state protein, the current study seems to suggest that the closed conformational state is preferred for the spike protein of SARS‐CoV‐2 in aqueous medium. Furthermore, calculations of the free energy surface of the conformational transition from open (up) to the closed (down) state using a biased simulation method reveal a free energy barrier of ~3.20 kcal/mol for the transition of RBD from open to the closed state, whereas the barrier for the reverse process is found to be significantly higher.
Comparative evaluation of weighted mean and composite score for combining assessments
Authors: Nassar Hani M. , Tekian Ara , Linjawi Amal I. , Park Yoon Soo 
Published: March 2023

AbstractObjectivesApproaches for combining scores have been based on weighted mean (WM) without consideration for psychometric characteristics of each individual assessments. This study evaluates consequences of WM and composite score (CS) approach.MethodsData from two longitudinal cohorts (n = 219) were utilized for performance in three Operative Dentistry courses as basis to compare the two score‐combining methods. Four assessments (two written and two practical exams) from each course were combined using WM and CS approaches. WM scores were calculated by multiplying the score by its weight and summing across assessments. The CS approach follow a modification of the Kane and Case method, by standardizing scores, taking into account the reliability and associations between each assessment score. t‐Tests and Pearson's correlation were used to evaluate the consequences of the WM and CS approaches. In addition, changes in each student's rank across WM and CS were determined.ResultsCombining scores using CS method produced lower scores and higher percentage failure in all courses compared to WM. Students ranks were changed significantly when CS was used with only 15% of the cohorts retained their ranks.ConclusionsCS produced a composite that is correlated with WM but still being substantively different providing meaningful and psychometrically rigorous information.
Overuse of corticosteroids in patients with immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) between 2011 and 2017 in the United States
Authors: Cuker Adam , Tkacz Joseph , Manjelievskaia Janna , Haenig Jens , Maier Joan , Bussel James B 
Published: April 2023

AbstractCorticosteroids (CSs) are standard first‐line therapy for immune thrombocytopenia (ITP). Prolonged exposure is associated with substantial toxicity; thus guidelines recommend avoidance of prolonged CS treatment and early use of second‐line therapies. However, real‐world evidence on ITP treatment patterns remains limited. We aimed to assess real‐world treatment patterns in patients with newly‐diagnosed ITP, using two large US healthcare databases (Explorys and MarketScan) between January 1, 2011 and July 31, 2017. Adults with ITP, ≥12 months of database registration prior to diagnosis, ≥1 ITP treatment, and ≥1 month enrollment following initiation of first ITP treatment were included (n = 4066 Explorys; n = 7837 MarketScan). Information on lines of treatment (LoTs) was collected. As expected, CSs were the most common first‐line treatment (Explorys, 87.9%; MarketScan, 84.5%). However, CSs remained by far the most common treatment (Explorys ≥77%; MarketScan ≥85%) across all subsequent LoTs. Second‐line treatments such as rituximab (12.0% Explorys; 24.5% MarketScan), thrombopoietin receptor agonists (11.3% Explorys; 15.6% MarketScan), and splenectomy (2.5% Explorys; 8.1% MarketScan) were used much less frequently. CS use is widespread in the US in patients with ITP across all LoTs. Quality improvement initiatives are needed to reduce CS exposure and bolster use of second‐line treatments.
Comparison and validation of metadta for meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies
Authors: Nyaga Victoria N. , Arbyn Marc 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe developed metadta, a flexible, robust, and user‐friendly statistical procedure that fuses established and innovative statistical methods for meta‐analysis, meta‐regression, and network meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies in Stata. Using data from published meta‐analyses, we validate metadta by comparing and contrasting its features and output to popular procedures dedicated to the meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy studies; (midas [Stata], metandi [Stata], metaDTA [web application], mada [R], and MetaDAS [SAS]). We also demonstrate how to perform network meta‐analysis with metadta, for which no alternative procedure is dedicated to network meta‐analysis of diagnostic test accuracy data in the frequentist framework. metadta generated consistent estimates in simple and complex diagnostic test accuracy data sets. We expect its availability to stimulate better statistical practice in the evidence synthesis of diagnostic test accuracy studies.
Determination of 3‐chloro‐1,2‐propanediol in biological samples by quick‐easy‐cheap‐effective‐rugged‐and‐safe extraction coupled with gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry and its biodistribution in rats
Authors: Lv Lei , Su Hang , Chen Shanbin , He Jinxing , Yang Yuhong , Liu Yuan , Xing Hanzhu 
Published: April 2023

3‐Chloro‐1,2‐propanediol is a common food contaminant, but reports on its determination in biological tissues are lacking. In the present study, a method was developed to detect 3‐chloro‐1,2‐propanediol contents in rat tissues by quick‐easy‐cheap‐effective‐rugged‐and‐safe extraction and gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry analysis. Biological samples were extracted with ethyl acetate and purified with adsorbents. The optimized adsorbent for each sample was selected from 4–5 combinations of N‐propylethylenediamine, octadecylsilane, graphitized carbon black, strong anion exchange, and florisil. Extracted 3‐chloro‐1,2‐propanediol was derivatized with heptafluorobutyric anhydride and subjected to gas chromatography‐mass spectrometry. This method had good linearity (correlation coefficients >0.99) in the range of 2–2000 ng/g for blood, kidney, liver, testis, and brain samples. The limits of detection were under 0.8 ng/g; the limits of quantification were 2 ng/g; the recovery rates were 85%–102%; and the matrix effects were 1.98%–7.67%. This method also had good precision. The dynamic changes in 3‐chloro‐1,2‐propanediol in rats gavaged with 20 mg/kg b.w. for 24 h were detected using this method. The 3‐chloro‐1,2‐propanediol content in each tissue sharply increased to a peak, rapidly decreased within 2 h, and stabilized at 12 h. 3‐Chloro‐1,2‐propanediol persisted in the kidney, testis, and liver 24 h after gavage.
Combined addition of plant litter altered remediating effects on petroleum‐contaminated soil in Northern Shaanxi, China
Authors: Zhang Xiaoxi , Hu Jiawei , Tian Shuang , Zhou Wenxing , Liu Kaixuan , Wang Yiren , Zhang Man , Huang Yanying 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn the present study, we assessed whether the nonadditive effects of mixed litter decomposition on soil biological and chemical properties, which was usually recognized in clean soils, could be used to enhance the efficiency of petroleum‐contaminated soil necrophytoremediation. In particular, six common plant species from the petroleum production region of Northern Shaanxi, China were collected, forming nine mixture types. The single and mixed litters were used to treat petroleum‐contaminated soil with a proportion of 45 g kg−1 at 25°C and a constant humidity for 150 days. The possible nonadditive effects on the efficiency of removing contaminants and recovering the damaged soil traits caused by the mixed litter addition were then investigated. The results indicate that monospecific litter treatments significantly increased the degradation rates of petroleum contaminants, the available N and P contents, and the catalase and dehydrogenase activities by 36%–74%, 28%–455%, and 8%–102%, respectively (p < 0.05). The mixed addition of the litters from Lespedeza davurica and Artemisia scoparia or those from Agropyron cristatum and Bromus inermis caused significant synergistic effects, enhancing the overall petroleum component removal, replenishing nutrients (particularly nitrogen) or stimulating enzymatic activities (especially for sucrase, phosphatase, catalase, and urease). The observed values of the corresponding indicators following mixed litter treatment were observed to significantly increase by 12%–18%, 23%–58%, and 9%–24% (p < 0.05), relative to their predicted values, which were calculated based on the observed values from the monospecific litter treatments and the proportion of the litter in the mixture. However, other litter combinations may weaken the remediation effects of the litter addition. In general, a high content of nutrients, primary metabolites (e.g., soluble sugars and amino acids), and the potential bio‐surfactants and co‐metabolized substrates (including terpenoids and flavonoids) of mixed litters enhanced the remediation efficiency of mixed litters. Notably, an increase in the chemical diversity of mixed litter may weaken its synergistic effects on the degradation of petroleum components and the simulation of soil polyphenol oxidase activity. Our results demonstrate that appropriate litter mixing combinations can effectively enhance the efficiency of necrophytoremediation, thus providing new approaches for the more convenient and economical remediation of petroleum‐contaminated soil.