bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Investment Case for E-Government Procurement: A Cost–Benefit Analysis
Authors: Bosio Erica , Hayman Gavin , Dubosse Nancy 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn almost every country, government is the largest buyer of works, goods, and services from the private sector. Through the laws and practice of public procurement, governments create competition among firms, thus optimizing public expenditure. However, public procurement is often associated with inefficient allocation of resources and corruption. One method to reduce inefficiencies and abuse in public procurement is the use of e-government procurement (e-GP) platforms. Yet nearly 40% of countries—mostly low- and lower-middle income countries—do not have functioning e-GP platforms. Cost–benefit analysis is used to make the investment case for the development and integration of e-procurement systems in low- and lower middle-income countries. The costs of setting up an e- GP system include an initial investment of $9.03 million, on average, for the planning, design, and build phases spread over a 5-year period. Annual operating and maintenance expenses during pilot and deployment phases are estimated at $1.1 million annually. In total, it is estimated that the net present value of costs to design, build, test, deploy, and operate a robust e-GP system is $16.7 million for a typical low- and middle-income country (at an 8% discount rate). While there are many tangible benefits of e-GP, the benefit assessed here is the reduction in the prices of goods, works, and services paid by government buyers. Using the average percentage reduction in procurement prices of 6.75%, the savings from an e-procurement system are valued at $637.9 million and $5.2 billion for low- and lower middle-income countries, respectively. The benefit–cost ratio of implementing an e-GP system in the average low-income country ranges from 8 to 58 and is 142 to 473 for a lower middle-income country. The size of the procurement market, the reduction in procurement prices, the duration of the implementation process, and the penetration rate of e-GP throughout government are principal determinants in the return on investment.
Conditionalities in International Organization Accession Processes: Spreading Business and Human Rights Norms in Central and Eastern Europe?
Authors: Higham Ian 
Published: June 2023

AbstractGovernments sometimes adopt policies that are not aligned with their preferences or have not come onto their agendas when doing so is linked to a reward. International organizations can therefore set conditions for coveted membership that include adopting new human rights and regulatory policies. As international organizations increasingly converge around the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, how might they promote national uptake of these guidelines? This article considers the prospects of accession conditionality in answering this question. The focus of the article is on European Union and Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) expansion in Central and Eastern Europe, where uptake of business and human rights policies remains comparatively low. The article argues that while these organizations increasingly include business and human rights conditionalities in accession negotiations, there remains significantly greater scope for promoting the Guiding Principles.
Toward low-cost automated monitoring of life below water with deep learning
Authors: Ayyagari Devi , Morris Corey , Barnes Joshua , Whidden Christopher 
Published: June 2023

AbstractOceans will play a crucial role in our efforts to combat the growing climate emergency. Researchers have proposed several strategies to harness greener energy through oceans and use oceans as carbon sinks. However, the risks these strategies might pose to the ocean and marine ecosystem are not well understood. It is imperative that we quickly develop a range of tools to monitor ocean processes and marine ecosystems alongside the technology to deploy these solutions on a large scale into the oceans. Large arrays of inexpensive cameras placed deep underwater coupled with machine learning pipelines to automatically detect, classify, count, and estimate fish populations have the potential to continuously monitor marine ecosystems and help study the impacts of these solutions on the ocean. In this paper, we successfully demonstrate the application of YOLOv4 and YOLOv7 deep learning models to classify and detect six species of fish in a dark artificially lit underwater video dataset captured 500 m below the surface, with a mAP of 76.01% and 85.0%, respectively. We show that 2,000 images per species, for each of the six species of fish is sufficient to train a machine-learning species classification model for this low-light environment. This research is a first step toward systems to autonomously monitor fish deep underwater while causing as little disruption as possible. As such, we discuss the advances that will be needed to apply such systems on a large scale and propose several avenues of research toward this goal.
The end-Cretaceous plant extinction: Heterogeneity, ecosystem transformation, and insights for the future
Authors: Wilf Peter , Carvalho Mónica R. , Stiles Elena 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The Cretaceous–Paleogene (K–Pg) mass extinction was geologically instantaneous, causing the most drastic extinction rates in Earth’s History. The rapid species losses and environmental destruction from the Chicxulub impact at 66.02 Ma made the K–Pg the most comparable past event to today’s projected “sixth” mass extinction. The extinction famously eliminated major clades of animals and plankton. However, for land plants, losses primarily occurred among species observed in regional studies but left no global trace at the family or major-clade level, leading to questions about whether there was a significant K–Pg plant extinction. We review emerging paleobotanical data from the Americas and argue that the evidence strongly favors profound (generally >50%), geographically heterogeneous species losses and recovery consistent with mass extinction. The heterogeneity appears to reflect several factors, including distance from the impact site and marine and latitudinal buffering of the impact winter. The ensuing transformations have affected all land life, including true angiosperm dominance in the world’s forests, the birth of the hyperdiverse Neotropical rainforest biome, and evolutionary radiations leading to many crown angiosperm clades. Although the worst outcomes are still preventable, the sixth mass extinction could mirror the K–Pg event by eliminating comparable numbers of plant species in a geologic instant, impoverishing and eventually transforming terrestrial ecosystems while having little effect on global plant-family diversity.
On Sarnak’s Density Conjecture and Its Applications
Authors: Golubev Konstantin , Kamber Amitay 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Sarnak’s density conjecture is an explicit bound on the multiplicities of nontempered representations in a sequence of cocompact congruence arithmetic lattices in a semisimple Lie group, which is motivated by the work of Sarnak and Xue ([58]). The goal of this work is to discuss similar hypotheses, their interrelation and their applications. We mainly focus on two properties – the spectral spherical density hypothesis and the geometric Weak injective radius property. Our results are strongest in the p-adic case, where we show that the two properties are equivalent, and both imply Sarnak’s general density hypothesis. One possible application is that either the spherical density hypothesis or the Weak injective radius property imply Sarnak’s optimal lifting property ([57]). Conjecturally, all those properties should hold in great generality. We hope that this work will motivate their proofs in new cases.
Optimal parabolic upper bound for the energy-momentum relation of a strongly coupled polaron
Authors: Mitrouskas David , Myśliwy Krzysztof , Seiringer Robert 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWe consider the large polaron described by the Fröhlich Hamiltonian and study its energy-momentum relation defined as the lowest possible energy as a function of the total momentum. Using a suitable family of trial states, we derive an optimal parabolic upper bound for the energy-momentum relation in the limit of strong coupling. The upper bound consists of a momentum independent term that agrees with the predicted two-term expansion for the ground state energy of the strongly coupled polaron at rest and a term that is quadratic in the momentum with coefficient given by the inverse of twice the classical effective mass introduced by Landau and Pekar.
Modulation of gut microbiota by diet and probiotics: potential approaches to prevent gestational diabetes mellitus
Authors: Cruz Marisa Carreira , Azinheiro Sarah , Pereira Sónia Gonçalves 
Published: June 2023

AbstractGestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a rising global health problem that affects approximately 6% of pregnant women. Lifestyle interventions, particularly diet, and exercise are the first-line treatment, followed by pharmacotherapy, but with associated side effects to both mother and offspring. Modulation of gut microbiota may help prevent or manage GDM. Some gut bacterial groups associated with GDM are also associated with inflammatory biomarkers and gut dysbiosis. Available literature reports that low-glycaemic index diet reduces maternal fasting and 2-hour postprandial glucose and maintains a beneficial gut bacterial composition. Pre- and probiotics can aid GDM therapy by modulating gut microbiota to eubiotic status and improving glucose metabolism. Probiotics as adjuvant GDM therapy should consider bacterial strains, dosage, and treatment duration. Limitations in their use require further studies to develop specific probiotic-based GDM supplement therapy that impacts glycaemic control and inflammatory status by reducing fasting plasma glucose, insulin resistance, and improving lipid profiles of pregnant women.
Whole-genome sequencing rule-out of suspected hospital-onset Rhizopus outbreaks
Authors: Chu Victoria T. , Nafees Saba , Waltari Eric , McNeil Nicole , Caughell Carolyn , Sanchez-Guerrero Estella , Wang Lusha , Stanley Kim , Cunningham Gail , Wong Joan , Phelps Maíra , Tato Cristina M. , Miller Steve , DeRisi Joseph L. , Yokoe Deborah S. , Ramirez-Avila Lynn , Langelier Charles R. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractTwo independent temporal-spatial clusters of hospital-onset Rhizopus infections were evaluated using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Phylogenetic analysis confirmed that isolates within each cluster were unrelated despite epidemiological suspicion of outbreaks. The ITS1 region alone was insufficient for accurate analysis. WGS has utility for rapid rule-out of suspected nosocomial Rhizopus outbreaks.
In the CEO We Trust: Negative Effects of Trust Between the Board and the CEO
Authors: Bae Kee-Hong , El Ghoul Sadok , Gong Zhaoran (Jason) , Guedhami Omrane 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn this study, we investigate whether and how trust between board members and the CEO (board–CEO trust) affects the performance of mergers and acquisitions. Contrary to conventional wisdom, we find that firms with higher levels of board–CEO trust exhibit poor M&A performance. High trust is associated with low acquisition announcement returns, long-term stock return performance, and post-deal operating performance. This negative effect of board–CEO trust is more pronounced among acquiring companies prone to agency problems. Our results suggest that, in the institutional setting of corporate boards, high trust can be too much of a good thing.
Stephanostomum minankisi n. sp. (Digenea: Acanthocolpidae) from dusky flounder Syacium papillosum (Paralichthydae) from southern Gulf of Mexico: A new species without spines?
Authors: García-Teh J.G. , Hernández-Mena D.I. , Vidal-Martínez V.M. , Aguirre-Macedo M.L. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
A new species of the genus Stephanostomum is described for the southeastern Gulf of Mexico based on morphological and nucleotide evidence. Stephanostomum minankisi n. sp. infects the intestine of the dusky flounder Syacium papillosum in the Yucatan Continental Shelf, Mexico (Yucatan Peninsula). Sequences of the 28S ribosomal gene were obtained and compared with available sequences of the other species and genera of the families Acanthocolpidae and Brachycladiidae from GenBank. A phylogenetic analysis was conducted, including 39 sequences, 26 of which represented 21 species and six genera of the family Acanthocolpidae. The new species is characterized by the absence of circumoral spines and spines on the tegument. Nonetheless, scanning electron microscopy consistently revealed the pits of 52 circumoral spines distributed in a double row with 26 spines each, and forebody spined. Other distinctive features of this species are testes in contact (sometimes overlapping), the vitellaria running along the body lateral fields to the mid-level of the cirrus-sac, pars prostatica and ejaculatory duct similar in length, and uroproct present. The phylogenetic tree showed that the three species found as parasites of dusky flounder (the new adult species and two in metacercaria stages) were grouped into two different clades. S. minankisi n. sp. was the sister species of Stephanostomum sp. 1 (Bt = 56) and formed a clade with S. tantabiddii, supported by high bootstrap values (100).
Competition relations between selected microalgae and bloom-forming Ulva prolifera
Authors: Liu Qing , Cui Ruifei , Lin Jianing , Kang Zhenjun , Zhou Xiaojian 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Large-scale Ulva prolifera green tides have successively occurred for 16 years (2007–2022) in the Yellow Sea (YS), and the different life stages of U. prolifera play critical roles in regulating the occurrence and development of green tides. U. prolifera and microalgae have a similar niche in seawater, but their potential interactions are not yet clearly understood. In this study, we investigated the competition relationship between two microalgae and U. prolifera at five different development stages in controlled laboratory experiments. The results showed that one microalgae Alexandrium tamarense, can only inhibit U. prolifera gametes at the first settlement stage. Inversely, the germinated U. prolifera begin to show negative effects on microalgae in multiple ways at the subsequent four stages, and the growth inhibition rates among these stages ranged from 19 to 100%. The complex interactions may influence the formation of green tides. Meanwhile, the potential ecological consequences on phytoplankton, even the decreased occurrence of microalgal blooms in the YS need to be further evaluated.
Abnormal resting-state effective connectivity in large-scale networks among obsessive-compulsive disorder
Authors: Xu Yinhuan , Han Shaoqiang , Wei Yarui , Zheng Ruiping , Cheng Jingliang , Zhang Yan 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic mental illness characterized by abnormal functional connectivity among distributed brain regions. Previous studies have primarily focused on undirected functional connectivity and rarely reported from network perspective.MethodsTo better understand between or within-network connectivities of OCD, effective connectivity (EC) of a large-scale network is assessed by spectral dynamic causal modeling with eight key regions of interests from default mode (DMN), salience (SN), frontoparietal (FPN) and cerebellum networks, based on large sample size including 100 OCD patients and 120 healthy controls (HCs). Parametric empirical Bayes (PEB) framework was used to identify the difference between the two groups. We further analyzed the relationship between connections and Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).ResultsOCD and HCs shared some similarities of inter- and intra-network patterns in the resting state. Relative to HCs, patients showed increased ECs from left anterior insula (LAI) to medial prefrontal cortex, right anterior insula (RAI) to left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (L-DLPFC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (R-DLPFC) to cerebellum anterior lobe (CA), CA to posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and to anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). Moreover, weaker from LAI to L-DLPFC, RAI to ACC, and the self-connection of R-DLPFC. Connections from ACC to CA and from L-DLPFC to PCC were positively correlated with compulsion and obsession scores (r = 0.209, p = 0.037; r = 0.199, p = 0.047, uncorrected).ConclusionsOur study revealed dysregulation among DMN, SN, FPN, and cerebellum in OCD, emphasizing the role of these four networks in achieving top-down control for goal-directed behavior. There existed a top-down disruption among these networks, constituting the pathophysiological and clinical basis.
Climate Therapy and the Making of a Slavic Riviera on the Yugoslav Coast
Authors: Tchoukarine Igor 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBeginning with the profound geopolitical changes created by the dissolution of the Austro-Hungarian monarchy and the creation of the Czechoslovak and Yugoslav states, this article examines how medical knowledge about maritime climate and sea-based therapies was mobilized in Czech popular touristic writing about Yugoslavia's Adriatic coast in the 1920s. The analysis of archival documents as well as non-specialist medical publications of Czech or Prague-trained doctors show that Czech tourists and curists (travelers in search of health treatments) were offered a freeform, all-encompassing therapeutic environmental approach. Inspired by Neo-Hippocratic principles, doctors stressed the importance of factors such as salt water, clean air, temperature variation, sunshine, flora, and modern facilities for disease prevention or the restoration of one's health. These doctors’ relative success in promoting the therapeutic virtues of the Adriatic Sea is explained in large part, this article argues, by a broad nexus of intertwined interests (such as the growth of tourism, concerns about public health, and the influence of Neo-Slavism) embedded in the project of transforming the Adriatic Sea into a therapeutic site.
The effect of the affordable care act and racial dynamics on federal Medicaid transfers
Authors: Olvera Johabed G. , Smith Candis Watts , vonLockette Niki D. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe Affordable Care Act (ACA) was intended to reduce inequalities in access to healthcare resources. However, a 2012 Supreme Court decision allowed states to opt out of a key component of the policy, leading to even greater variation in Medicaid’s implementation. Using this variation, we estimate the effect of the ACA Medicaid expansion and racial dynamics on federal Medicaid-CHIP transfers received by states at the county level. To do so, we use a difference-in-differences specification and allow the expansion effect to vary across counties with different population shares of Black Americans. We find that Medicaid expansion increases the funds that are sent to counties, but additional analyses show that the racial demographics of a county also serve to influence how federal resources are apportioned. Specifically, the analyses reveal a curvilinear relationship between the proportion of Black residents and the dispersal of funds.
Racial Inequality in the Prime of Life: Infectious Disease Mortality in U.S. Cities, 1906–1933
Authors: Antoine-Jones Aja , Feigenbaum James J. , Hoehn-Velasco Lauren , Muller Christopher , Wrigley-Field Elizabeth 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn the first half of the twentieth century, deaths from infectious disease, especially among the very young, fell dramatically in American cities. However, as infant mortality fell and life expectancy rose, racial inequality in urban infectious disease mortality grew. In this paper, we show that the fall in mortality and the rise in racial inequality in mortality reflected two countervailing processes. The dramatic decline in infant mortality from waterborne diseases drastically reduced the total urban infectious disease mortality rate of both Black and white Americans while having a comparatively small effect on the total racial disparity in urban infectious disease mortality. In contrast, the unequal fall in tuberculosis mortality, particularly in the prime of life, widened racial inequality in infectious disease mortality in US cities.
Twisted Civility: Comparing Courtesy, Coercion and Shaming in Southeast Asian Cities and Beyond
Authors: Rungby Asmus , Harms Erik 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe literature on civility navigates the gravitational pulls of binary camps: civility sceptics tend to emphasize how it operates as an instrument of power; civility optimists tend to emphasize its emancipatory potentials. While some scholarship has attempted to reconcile these perspectives by showing how civility can be both negative and positive, such theorization tends to describe this relation in terms of ambivalence. While these approaches rightly indicate that normative judgments about civility are largely a matter of perspective, the concept of twisted civility developed here focuses on the ways in which actors become trapped by the dynamic shifts of force embedded within civility. Comparisons across seemingly incommensurate examples suggest that such multidirectional dynamics are not culturally specific but rather more generalizable. Building our theoretical conception of twisted civility from a comparative approach based on research in Kuching and Saigon, and then using the concept to consider examples from the United States and Denmark, this article also reverses the direction of theorizing typically employed in scholarship on civility. Using postcolonial Southeast Asia as the source of theory rather than its afterthought, the method here uses anthropological comparison to generate theory and to problematize assumptions that universalize Euro-American trajectories of civility.
A survey of weed research priorities: key findings and future directions
Authors: Brainard Daniel C. , Haramoto Erin R. , Leon Ramon G. , Kells James J. , Van Wychen Lee R. , Devkota Pratap , Jugulam Mithila , Barney Jacob N. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWe conducted an online survey of weed scientists in the United States and Canada to (1) identify research topics perceived to be important for advancing weed science in the next 5 to 10 years and (2) gain insight into potential gaps in current expertise and funding sources needed to address those priorities. Respondents were asked to prioritize nine broad research areas, as well as 5 to 10 subcategories within each of the broad areas. We received 475 responses, with the majority affiliated with academic institutions (55%) and working in cash crop (agronomic or horticultural) study systems (69%). Results from this survey provide valuable discussion points for policy makers, funding agencies, and academic institutions when allocating resources for weed science research. Notably, our survey reveals a strong prioritization of Cultural and Preventative Weed Management (CPWM) as well as the emerging area of Precision Weed Management and Robotics (PWMR). Although Herbicides remain a high-priority research area, continuing challenges necessitating integrated, nonchemical tactics (e.g., herbicide resistance) and emerging opportunities (e.g., robotics) are reflected in our survey results. Despite previous calls for greater understanding and application of weed biology and ecology in weed research, as well as recent calls for greater integration of social science perspectives to address weed management challenges, these areas were ranked considerably lower than those focused more directly on weed management. Our survey also identified a potential mismatch between research priorities and expertise in several areas, including CPWM, PWMR, and Weed Genomics, suggesting that these topics should be prime targets for expanded training and collaboration. Finally, our survey suggests an increasing reliance on private sector funding for research, raising concerns about our discipline’s capacity to address important research priority areas that lack clear private sector incentives for investment.