bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Carbon Dioxide Emission from Soils of the Ecotone Zone in the North of Western Siberia
Authors: Goncharova O. Yu. , Matyshak G. V. , Timofeeva M. V. , Chuvanov S. V. , Tarkhov M. O. , Isaeva A. V. 
Published: September 2023

AbstractThe study area in the north of Western Siberia is located in the southern tundra–taiga ecotone near the southern boundary of discontinuous permafrost zone. Three contrasting ecosystems—pine forests with Albic Podzols; palsa with Histic Oxyaquic Turbic Cryosols, and bogs with Fibric Histosols—predominate in this area. The objectives of the study included evaluation of the CO2emission from soils in the growing seasons of 2019–2022 and analysis of the factors controlling spatial and interannual variability of the emission. The study included analysis of the soil respiration (static closed chamber method) data and soil hydrothermal parameters in August for four years. In the absence of definite trends in climatic parameters over the past 10 years, a gradual increase in the soil temperature in all ecosystems and an increase in the depth of summer thawing in palsa were observed. These changes were not accompanied by significant changes in the CO2emission. Its averaged values varied from 485 to 540 mg CO2/(m2h) in forest ecosystems and from 150 to 255 mg CO2/(m2h) in the palsa–bog complex with high coefficients of spatial variability. High CO2emission in forest ecosystems is determined by a favorable hydrothermal regime, high root biomass, and good water-physical properties. Part of the CO2produced by palsa soils is transported with suprapermafrost water flows toward the adjacent bog and is released from the surface of bog soils. Soil temperature interrelated with seasonal thawing depth proved to be a significant predictor of the spatial variability of CO2emission from the soils of the palsa–bog complex.
Successful sacral neuromodulation treatment of refractory faecal incontinence in a patient with spina bifida and partial sacral agenesis
Authors: Luchristt Douglas , Kawasaki Amie 
Published: September 2023

A woman in her early 20s with a history of lumbosacral lipomyelomeningocele with associated partial sacral agenesis and tethered cord was referred for possible sacral neuromodulation treatment of her refractory faecal incontinence. Anorectal testing revealed a thinned and weakened anal sphincter complex with absent left-sided bulbocavernosus and anal wink reflexes.Through a two-stage approach, she underwent successful placement of a chronic tined quadripolar sacral nerve lead and implanted pulse generator. Despite significant distortion of normal bony anatomic landmarks, bilateral S3 and S4 foraminal entry was possible, with intraoperative motor and sensory testing providing key confirmation of appropriate lead placement. The patient had a substantial improvement in her baseline frequency and urgency with a near-complete resolution of faecal incontinence episodes during her test phase.
Comparative assessment of subretinal hyper-reflective material in patients treated with brolucizumab versus aflibercept in HAWK and HARRIER
Authors: Sadda SriniVas , Sarraf David , Khanani Arshad M , Tadayoni Ramin , Chang Andrew A , Saffar Insaf , Gedif Kinfemichael , Wong David T 
Published: September 2023

PurposePost hoc analysis of the phase III HAWK and HARRIER studies to compare the reductions in subretinal hyper-reflective material (SHRM) thickness following brolucizumab 6 mg or aflibercept 2 mg treatment and to assess SHRM thickness and thickness variability as a potential biomarker of visual outcomes in patients with neovascular age-related macular degeneration (nAMD).MethodsOptical coherence tomography images from the brolucizumab (n=700) and aflibercept (n=696) arms were analysed for the maximum SHRM thickness across the macula over 96 weeks. In a pooled treatment-agnostic analysis, the effect of week 12 SHRM thickness and SHRM thickness variability on best-corrected visual acuity (BCVA) through week 96 were also assessed.ResultsBrolucizumab was associated with numerically higher percentage reductions from baseline in SHRM thickness versus aflibercept in all patients (week 96: 54.4% vs 47.6%, respectively) and also in the matched subgroups with disease activity at week 16 (week 96: 51.6% vs 33.8%, respectively). In eyes with lower SHRM measurements at week 12, mean BCVA gains from baseline were higher at week 96 (<200 µm, +6.47 Early Treatment Diabetic Retinopathy Study letters; ≥200 µm, +3.10 letters). Eyes with the lowest SHRM thickness variability from week 12 to week 96 showed the greatest mean BCVA gains from baseline (week 96: <12 µm, +7.42 letters; >71 µm, −2.95 letters).ConclusionsIn HAWK and HARRIER, greater reductions in maximum SHRM thickness from baseline were observed with brolucizumab compared with aflibercept. Furthermore, the data suggest that SHRM thickness postloading and SHRM thickness variability over time are biomarkers for visual outcomes in patients with nAMD.
Impact of 1-hour and 3-hour sepsis time bundles on antibiotic use in emergency departments in Queensland, Australia: a before-and-after cohort study
Authors: Wilks Kathryn , Mason Donna , Rice Michael , Seaton Robert , Redpath Lyndell , Gibbons Kristen , Ergetu Endrias , Lane Paul , Venkatesh Balasubramanian 
Published: September 2023

ObjectiveTo determine if the introduction of an emergency department (ED) sepsis screening tool and management bundle affects antibiotic prescribing and use.DesignMulticentre, cohort, before-and-after study design.SettingThree tertiary hospitals in Queensland, Australia (median bed size 543, range 520–742).ParticipantsAdult patients, presenting to the ED with symptoms and signs suggestive of sepsis who had blood cultures collected. These participants were further assessed and stratified as having septic shock, sepsis or infection alone, using Sepsis-3 definitions. The study dates were 1 July 2017–31 March 2020.InterventionThe breakthrough series collaborative ‘Could this be Sepsis?’ Programme, aimed at embedding a sepsis screening tool and treatment bundle with weighted-incidence syndromic combined antibiogram-derived antibiotic guidelines in EDs.Main outcome measuresThe primary outcome was the rate of empirical prescriptions adherent to antibiotic guidelines during the ED encounter. Secondary outcomes included the empirical prescriptions considered appropriate, effective antibiotics administered within 3 hours and assessment of harm measures.ResultsOf 2591 eligible patients, 721 were randomly selected: 241 in the baseline phase and 480 in the post-intervention phase. The rates of guideline adherence were 54.0% and 59.5%, respectively (adjusted OR (aOR) 1.41 (95% CI 1.00, 1.98)). As compared with baseline, there was an increase in the rates of appropriate antibiotic prescription after bundle implementation (69.9% vs 57.1%, aOR 1.92 (95% CI 1.37, 2.68)). There were no differences between the baseline and post-intervention groups with respect to time to effective antibiotics, adverse effects or ED rates of broad-spectrum antibiotic use.Conclusion and relevanceThe use of an ED sepsis screening tool and management bundle was associated with an improvement in the rates of appropriate antibiotic prescription without evidence of adverse effects.
Identifying occupational health inequities in the absence of suitable data: are there inequities in access to adequate bathrooms in US workplaces?
Authors: Johnson Candice Y , Fujishiro Kaori 
Published: September 2023

ObjectivesOur research questions are often chosen based on the existence of suitable data for analysis or prior research in the area. For new interdisciplinary research areas, such as occupational health equity, suitable data might not yet exist. In this manuscript, we describe how we approached a research question in the absence of suitable data using the example of identifying inequities in adequate bathrooms in US workplaces.MethodsWe created a conceptual model that hypothesises causal mechanisms for occupational health inequities, and from this model we identified a series of questions that could be answered using separate data sets to better understand inequities in adequate workplace bathrooms. Breaking up the analysis into multiple steps allowed us to use multiple data sources and analysis methods, which helped compensate for limitations in each data set.ResultsUsing the conceptual model as a guide, we were able to identify some jobs that likely have inadequate bathrooms as well as subpopulations potentially at higher risk for inadequate bathrooms. We also identified specific data gaps by reflecting on the challenges we faced in our multistep analysis. These gaps, which indicated future data collection needs, included difficulty finding data sources for some predictors of inadequate bathrooms that prevented us from fully investigating potential inequities.ConclusionsWe share our conceptual model and our example analysis to motivate researchers to avoid letting availability of data limit the research questions they pursue.
Smoking behaviour, tobacco sales and tobacco advertising at 40 ‘Smoke Free Hospitals’ in Vietnam
Authors: Merritt Joshua David , Yen Pham Ngoc , Thu-Anh Nguyen , Ngo Chau Quy , Giap Vu Van , Nhung Nguyen Viet , Ha Bui Thi , Thuy Ma Thu , Anh Nguyen Thuy , An Nguyen Thuy , Marks Guy Barrington , Negin Joel , Velen Kavindhran , Fox Greg James 
Published: September 2023

Background
Tobacco remains the leading cause of preventable death globally. Vietnam’s 2012 Law on Prevention and Control of Tobacco Harms establishes all healthcare facilities as smoke-free environments. We aimed to evaluate the implementation of these policies within health facilities across Vietnam.

Methods
A cross-sectional study was undertaken at 40 central, provincial, district and commune healthcare facilities in four provinces of Vietnam. The presence of tobacco sales, smoke-free signage, evidence of recent tobacco use and smoking behaviours by patients and staff were observed over a 1-week period at multiple locations within each facility. Adherence with national regulations was reported using descriptive statistics.

Results
23 out of 40 facilities (57.5%) followed the requirements of the national smoke-free policy regarding tobacco sales, advertising and signage. Smoking was observed within health facility grounds at 26 (65%) facilities during the observation period. Indirect evidence of smoking was observed at 35 (88%) facilities. Sites where smoking was permitted (n=2) were more likely to have observed smoking behaviour (relative risk (RR) 2.16, 95% CI 1.83 to 2.56). Facilities where tobacco was sold (n=7) were more likely to have smoking behaviour observed at any of their sites (RR 1.53, 95% CI 0.93 to 2.51).

Conclusions
Implementation of current smoke-free hospital regulations remains incomplete, with widespread evidence of smoking observed at three levels of the Vietnamese healthcare facilities. Further interventions are required to establish the reputation of Vietnamese healthcare facilities as smoke-free environments.
Structure of microemulsions in the continuous phase channel
Authors: Schmidt Robert Franz , Prévost Sylvain , Gradzielski Michael , Zemb Thomas 
Published: September 2023

AbstractWe have studied the microemulsion and lamellar phases of two of the most commonly described systems based on nonionic C12E5 and ionic AOT surfactants. We show that C12E5 is best described by the symmetric disordered open connected lamellar model (DOC-lamellar), contrary to the more commonly employed standard flexible model. In the case of AOT, the bicontinuous microemulsion structure is best described by the standard flexible model at high temperatures. Around room temperature, connected cylinders in a molten cubic crystal phase are the only description which corresponds to the data. In the lamellar phase, around one third of the available surface area is lost in fluctuations and defects. Comparing structurally predictive models with results from conductivity measurements show that salt adsorption in the hydrated ethoxy groups is dominant for C12E5 (nonionic). For AOT, our conductivity measurements clarify the role of tortuosity versus cation absorption.
Kidney Function and Risk of Renal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Alcala Karine , Zahed Hana , Cortez Cardoso Penha Ricardo , Alcala Nicolas , Robbins Hilary A. , Smith-Byrne Karl , Martin Richard M. , Muller David C. , Brennan Paul , Johansson Mattias 
Published: September 2023

Abstract

Background:
We evaluated the temporal association between kidney function, assessed by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), and the risk of incident renal cell carcinoma (RCC). We also evaluated whether eGFR could improve RCC risk discrimination beyond established risk factors.

Methods:
We analyzed the UK Biobank cohort, including 463,178 participants of whom 1,447 were diagnosed with RCC during 5,696,963 person-years of follow-up. We evaluated the temporal association between eGFR and RCC risk using flexible parametric survival models, adjusted for C-reactive protein and RCC risk factors. eGFR was calculated from creatinine and cystatin C levels.

Results:
Lower eGFR, an indication of poor kidney function, was associated with higher RCC risk when measured up to 5 years prior to diagnosis. The RCC HR per SD decrease in eGFR when measured 1 year before diagnosis was 1.26 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), 1.16–1.37], and 1.11 (95% CI, 1.05–1.17) when measured 5 years before diagnosis. Adding eGFR to the RCC risk model provided a small improvement in risk discrimination 1 year before diagnosis with an AUC of 0.73 (95% CI, 0.67–0.84) compared with the published model (0.69; 95% CI, 0.63–0.79).

Conclusions:
This study demonstrated that kidney function markers are associated with RCC risk, but the nature of these associations are consistent with reversed causality. Markers of kidney function provided limited improvements in RCC risk discrimination beyond established risk factors.

Impact:
eGFR may be of potential use to identify individuals in the extremes of the risk distribution.
Cross-Cultural Language Awareness: Contrasting Scenarios of Literacy Learning
Authors: Francis Norbert , Chireac Silvia-Maria , McClure John 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
In the research on literacy learning the concept of language awareness has come forward as a unifying framework for understanding the underlying knowledge that supports ability in reading and writing. Consensus is gathering around the idea that language awareness is an essential foundation. If subsequent work in this area confirms it, this factor may turn out to be the key cognitive-domain explanation for successful literacy learning in school (and for academic purposes in general). In this review we examine two cross-cultural comparisons regarding this claim. The comparisons point to the need to examine cases that juxtapose contrasting conditions. Relevant contrasts place side by side examples that appear to be typical and examples that appear to be exceptional. Taking what appear on the surface as sharply diverging cases, how is access to requisite underlying competencies similar, and how different, from one instance to the other?
Deeper than Belief: Intuitive Judgment as a Context-Driven Process
Authors: Lang Jacob , Körner Christin , Körner Annett 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Based on “laws” of contagion and similarity, it is understood that people tend to believe that meanings associated with one object may be transferred onto another, and the meanings of the first may “contaminate” the second. The perceived contamination may influence the individual’s way of interacting with the object. We aimed to produce a rich description of individual differences that predict intuitive judgments in response to scenarios involving activation of contagion heuristics. Adolescents and adults in Germany completed a survey and provided rated responses to hypothetical scenarios. They also gave open-ended remarks on one scenario: whether they would wear a sweater that had belonged to Adolf Hitler if they were cold. Content analysis produced a composite description of reflections with insights into historical consciousness in contemporary Germany. Also examined was the extent to which quantitative responses were related to demographics, personality characteristics, supernatural beliefs, and responses to other scenarios.
Emotion Understanding in Polish Children: A Cross-Cultural Comparison between Polish, British, and Italian Children
Authors: Stępień-Nycz Małgorzata , Białecka-Pikul Marta , Tang Yulong , Pons Francisco 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Emotion understanding (EU) is the capacity to understand the nature, causes, and consequences of the emotional experience of the self and others. The cultural differences and similarities in the development of EU are still not well recognized, especially within Slavic culture and language. We tested 180 Polish children aged 5–11 years using the Test of Emotion Comprehension and compared their results with data from British and Italian children. We revealed a similar pattern of EU development between the three groups, showing a growing number of the core EU components with age. In all samples, the three difficulty-differentiated clusters of EU components were distinguishable. Some cultural differences were observed only in a few EU components – especially, British and Italian children recognized the cognitively-based individualistic aspect of emotions to a higher degree than Polish children. These results supplement the current knowledge about EU development in children within European cultures.
A new species of furry crown crab, Limnopilos Chuang & Ng, 1991 (Brachyura, Hymenosomatidae) from Tonle Sap, Cambodia
Authors: Ng Peter K. L. , Chhuoy Samol 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
A new species of the wholly freshwater hymenosomatid crab genus Limnopilos Chuang & Ng, 1991, is described from Tonle Sap River in the lower Mekong drainage, Cambodia. This is the fourth species known, and the second one from Indochina. The type species, of Limnopilos, L. naiyanetri Chuang & Ng, 1991, was from the Chao Phraya drainage to the west in central Thailand. The new species is characterized by the presence of a rostrum, relatively shorter ambulatory legs and a different structure of the male first gonopod. Limnopilos sumatranus Naruse & Ng, 2007, is also recorded from southern Peninsular Malaysia for the first time.
Relationship fecundity – morphometrics in the green tiger shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus De Haan, 1844 (Decapoda, Penaeidae), along the Palk Bay, southern Peninsular India
Authors: Rajkumar M. , Pillai S. Lakshmi , Jose Josileen , Sobhana K. S. , George M. Rosalind 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
The green tiger shrimp, Penaeus semisulcatus, is a commercial species supporting important fishery along the Palk Bay coasts. It is a much sought-after seafood commodity influencing the livelihood of the local fishers. This study aims to investigate the fecundity of the species in relation to its morphometry. Fecundity is an index of reproductive capacity used to calculate a stock’s reproductive potential and the egg’s survival. The absolute fecundity of the shrimp ranged from 26 100 to 750 000 ova alive per female, and the mean absolute fecundity from 59 100 to 583 000 ova alive per female. The relationship between fecundity and the morphometric measurements showed a positive exponential correlation. One-way ANOVA indicated a significant difference in the different size classes’ carapace length, total weight, ovary weight, absolute fecundity, stomach weight, and gastrosomatic index. There was no significant difference between the relative fecundity and the gonadosomatic index. This study provides insight into the reproductive potential of P. semisulcatus for efficient management of the resource in Palk Bay, Tamil Nadu, India.
Climate Paradiplomacy: A Comparative Study of Canadian Provinces (British Columbia, Ontario, and New Brunswick)
Authors: Chaloux Annie , Boudreau Jennyfer , Grégoire-Mailhot Gabriel , Simard Philippe 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
Climate change is one of the most important issues of our time. However, its diffuse and complex nature makes it difficult to find global and effective solutions, as these require multi-scale contributions. Although the international climate regime primarily involves states, actors from other levels of government also have active international climate agendas. This is certainly true of several Canadian provinces. The objective of this study is to provide a comprehensive portrait of the paradiplomatic actions that Canadian provinces have undertaken around climate change. The comparative analysis presented here is based on a conceptual framework that distinguishes three types of paradiplomatic instruments: institutionalization, the use of intra-state routes, and the use of extra-state routes. Our analysis shows that Canadian provinces pursue similar paradiplomatic strategies, but that their intensity and sustainability vary widely according to the availability of economic and human resources, as well as political will.
Adoption of Caste by Christian and Jewish Communities in India
Authors: Ponniah James 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
This essay investigates how caste, the most problematic cultural category of India, renders Indian versions of two Abrahamic religions, Judaism and Christianity, a site of ambivalence and conflict. It explores how caste has played out differently in the lives of two Abrahamic religious communities, i.e., the Christians and the Jews at two different locales, Kerala and Andhra. In Kerala, both Syrian Christians and Cochin Jews adopted caste as the given social order of the host country. They practised it to their advantage as it not only made it possible for them to get integrated into the existing Hindu cultural universe of the host nation but also conferred upon them a respectable social status, resulting in the acquisition of social/cultural capital. However, in Andhra, Christian and Jewish Madigas embraced their respective religions to eschew caste and gain self-respect. In Kerala, while caste became an effective route for a harmonious integration into the cultural matrix of the host territory, it not only disrupted intra-communal amity both among the Cochin Jews and the Kerala Christians but also became a source of defiance and alienation from the core teachings of each of these religions, resulting in the loss of ‘spiritual capital’. On the contrary, the rejection of caste on the part of the Madiga Jews and Madiga Christians, perhaps, brought them closer to the central message of fraternity and equality found both in Judaism and in Christianity, whereby they fared better in ‘spiritual and religious capitals’ than their counterparts in Kerala.
Protestant Christianity and Devotional Literature
Authors: Boratti Vijayakumar M. 
Published: September 2023

Abstract
The present article explores the first-ever publication of vacanas of the twelfth century in colonial Karnataka in which a native Christian convert (catechist) of Basel mission writes a treatise on the religious and philosophical tradition of Liṅgāyats. The intention is to study how a native catechist consciously thought through colonial categories and vernacular idioms in interpreting vacanas and employing them as a touchstone to adjudicate Liṅgāyatism. Totally antithetical to Christian views of Liṅgāyatism, the native Liṅgāyat scholars’ idea of vacana literature and what it represented for them will be examined in the second part. The article straddles two registers: a) construction of Liṅgāyat religious/textual traditions with Christian categories and formulation of an ethical framework by the catechist in a Christian tract Liṅgāyata Mata Vicāra (1874) and b) reception, subversion and re- constitution of such construction by the elite Liṅgāyat scholars in the post-1874 scenario.