bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Executive functioning skills and their environmental predictors among pre‐school aged children in South Africa and The Gambia
Authors: Milosavljevic Bosiljka , Cook Caylee J. , Fadera Tijan , Ghillia Giulia , Howard Steven J. , Makaula Hleliwe , Mbye Ebrima , McCann Samantha , Merkley Rebecca , Mshudulu Mbulelo , Saidykhan Mariama , Touray Ebou , Tshetu Nosibusiso , Elwell Clare , Moore Sophie E. , Scerif Gaia , Draper Catherine E. , Lloyd‐Fox Sarah 
Published: May 2023

AbstractExecutive functions (EFs) in early childhood are predictors of later developmental outcomes and school readiness. Much of the research on EFs and their psychosocial correlates has been conducted in high‐income, minority world countries, which represent a small and biased portion of children globally. The aim of this study is to examine EFs among children aged 3–5 years in two African countries, South Africa (SA) and The Gambia (GM), and to explore shared and distinct predictors of EFs in these settings. The SA sample (N = 243, 51.9% female) was recruited from low‐income communities within the Cape Town Metropolitan area. In GM, participants (N = 171, 49.7% female) were recruited from the rural West Kiang region. EFs, working memory (WM), inhibitory control (IC) and cognitive flexibility (CF), were measured using tablet‐based tasks. Associations between EF task performance and indicators of socioeconomic status (household assets, caregiver education) and family enrichment factors (enrichment activities, diversity of caregivers) were assessed. Participants in SA scored higher on all EF tasks, but children in both sites predominantly scored within the expected range for their age. There were no associations between EFs and household or familial variables in SA, except for a trend‐level association between caregiver education and CF. Patterns were similar in GM, where there was a trend‐level association between WM and enrichment activities but no other relationships. We challenge the postulation that children in low‐income settings have poorer EFs, simply due to lower socioeconomic status, but highlight the need to identify predictors of EFs in diverse, global settings.Research Highlights
Assessed Executive Functioning (EF) skills and their psychosocial predictors among pre‐school aged children (aged 3–5 years) in two African settings (The Gambia and South Africa).
On average, children within each setting performed within the expected range for their age, although children in South Africa had higher scores across tasks.
There was little evidence of any association between socioeconomic variables and EFs in either site.
Enrichment activities were marginally associated with better working memory in The Gambia, and caregiver education with cognitive flexibility in South Africa, both associations were trend‐level significance.
Molecular functions of the double‐sided and inverted ubiquitin‐interacting motif found in Xenopus tropicalis cryptochrome 6
Authors: Okano Keiko , Otsuka Hiroaki , Nakagawa Marika , Okano Toshiyuki 
Published: May 2023

AbstractCryptochromes (CRYs) are multifunctional molecules that act as a circadian clock oscillating factor, a blue‐light sensor, and a light‐driven magnetoreceptor. Cry genes are classified into several groups based on the evolutionary relationships. Cryptochrome 6 gene (Cry6) is present in invertebrates and lower vertebrates such as amphibians and fishes. Here we identified a Cry6 ortholog in Xenopus tropicalis (XtCry6). XtCRY6 retains a conserved long N‐terminal extension (termed CRY N‐terminal extension; CNE) that is not found in any CRY in the other groups. A structural prediction suggested that CNE contained unique structures; a tetrahelical fold structure topologically related to KaiA/RbsU domain, overlapping nuclear‐ and nucleolar‐localizing signals (NLS/NoLS), and a novel motif (termed DI‐UIM) overlapping a double‐sided ubiquitin‐interacting motif (DUIM) and an inverted ubiquitin‐interacting motif (IUIM). Potential activities of the NLS/NoLS and DI‐UIM were examined to infer the molecular function of XtCRY6. GFP‐NLS/NoLS fusion protein exogenously expressed in HEK293 cells was mostly observed in the nucleolus, while GFP‐XtCRY6 was observed in the cytoplasm. A glutathione S‐transferase (GST) pull‐down assay suggested that the DI‐UIM physically interacts with polyubiquitin. Consistently, protein docking simulations implied that XtCRY6 DI‐UIM binds two ubiquitin molecules in a relationship of a twofold rotational symmetry with the symmetry axis parallel or perpendicular to the DI‐UIM helix. These results strongly suggested that XtCRY6 does not function as a circadian transcriptional repressor and that it might have another function such as photoreceptive molecule regulating light‐dependent protein degradation or gene expression through a CNE‐mediated interaction with ubiquitinated proteins in the cytoplasm and/or nucleolus.
Development of the Cold Agglutinin Disease Symptoms and Impact Questionnaire (CAD‐SIQ)
Authors: Joly Florence , DasMahapatra Pronabesh , DiBenedetti Dana B. , Kosa Katherine , Hill Quentin A. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractObjectivesCold agglutinin disease (CAD) is a rare autoimmune hemolytic anemia. This study aimed to identify disease‐related symptoms and impacts important to patients with CAD, and to develop a novel CAD‐specific patient‐reported outcome measure.MethodsAdults with CAD were randomly selected from a United States patient panel to participate in concept elicitation (CE) interviews to identify important symptoms and impacts or cognitive debriefing (CD) interviews to assess the comprehension and relevance of the draft item set.ResultsOverall, 37 adults were included (mean [range] age 67.2 [35–87] years). In CE interviews (n = 16), the most frequently reported CAD‐related symptoms were reactions to cold environments and fatigue (both 93.8%). CAD had negative impacts on enjoyable activities (81.3%) and daily activities (75.0%). Following CE, standard survey methodological principles were used to develop a draft item pool of 14 concepts. Items were refined through three iterative rounds of CD interviews (n = 21), yielding 11 final items: fatigue; cold sensitivity; dyspnea; wearing extra clothing; limited physical, social, and enjoyable activities; difficulty with usual activities; mood; frustration; and anxiety/stress.ConclusionsThe novel 11‐item CAD‐Symptoms and Impact Questionnaire provides a measure of the symptoms and impacts of CAD that are important to patients.
Environmental quality mediates the ecological dominance of cooperatively breeding birds
Authors: Lin Yu‐Heng , Chen Ying‐Yu , Rubenstein Dustin R. , Liu Ming , Liu Mark , Shen Sheng‐Feng 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAlthough social species as diverse as humans and ants are among the most abundant organisms on Earth, animals cooperate and form groups for many reasons. How these different reasons for grouping affect a species' ecological dominance remains unknown. Here we use a theoretical model to demonstrate that the different fitness benefits that animals receive by forming groups depend on the quality of their environment, which in turn impacts their ecological dominance and resilience to global change. We then test the model's key predictions using phylogenetic comparative analysis of >6500 bird species. As predicted, we find that cooperative breeders occurring in harsh and fluctuating environments have larger ranges and greater abundances than non‐cooperative breeders, but cooperative breeders occurring in benign and stable environments do not. Using our model, we further show that social species living in harsh and fluctuating environments will be less vulnerable to climate change than non‐social species.
Different aspects of vocabulary depth knowledge in L2 Chinese reading comprehension: Comparing higher‐ and lower‐proficiency readers
Authors: Chen Tianxu , Zhang Dongbo 
Published: May 2023

AbstractGrammatical and vocabulary knowledge (i.e., breadth and depth) are widely acknowledged as key predictors of reading comprehension in a second language (L2). However, it remains unclear how different aspects of vocabulary depth may independently contribute to L2 reading comprehension and how learners' proficiency may moderate the relative contributions of vocabulary knowledge. Based on the Lexical Quality Hypothesis and the Reading Systems Framework, this study investigated 238 L2 Chinese learners who were college‐level students in China, using a set of reading‐related tasks. The results showed that (1) vocabulary breadth and grammatical knowledge independently contributed to L2 reading comprehension with grammatical knowledge being a more deciding factor; (2) different aspects of vocabulary depth (i.e., polysemy and synonymy), over and above vocabulary breadth and grammatical knowledge, played an independent role; and (3) more importantly, lower‐proficiency learners relied more on vocabulary breadth whereas higher‐proficiency learners made more use of vocabulary depth during text‐level comprehension.
Different approaches, similar results: Preparing foreign language teachers to implement high‐leverage teaching practices
Authors: Kissau Scott , Davin Kristin J. , Haudeck Helga , Wang Chuang 
Published: May 2023

AbstractResearch has identified 10 high‐leverage teaching practices (HLTPs) that can impact student learning of a foreign language. While acknowledging the importance of this work, more research is needed to inform the preparation of novice teachers to enact these practices. In response, the researchers conducted a case study involving two foreign language teacher preparation programs in the United States and Germany, to better understand how the two very different programs prepare their candidates to implement HLTPs, which HLTPs are emphasized, and how successful they are at preparing their aspiring teachers to implement one practice that has been identified in the research as particularly important (facilitating target language comprehensibility). Survey, teaching observation, and interview data collected from teacher candidates and their instructors suggested the critical nature of select HLTPs, that some of the subcomponents of one of these practices may be more challenging for novice teachers to master than others, and that there may be multiple approaches to preparing foreign language teachers to implement HLTPs.
Adapting Patient and Public Involvement processes in response to the Covid‐19 pandemic
Authors: Snowdon Claire , Silver Elizabeth , Charlton Paul , Devlin Brian , Greenwood Emma , Hutchings Andrew , Moug Susan , Vohra Ravinder , Grieve Richard 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBackgroundThe COVID‐19 pandemic brought rapid and major changes to research, and those wishing to carry out Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) activities faced challenges, such as restrictions on movement and contact, illness, bereavement and risks to potential participants. Some researchers moved PPI to online settings during this time but remote consultations raise, as well as address, a number of challenges. It is important to learn from PPI undertaken in this period as face‐to‐face consultation may no longer be the dominant method for PPI.MethodsUK stay‐at‐home measures announced in March 2020 necessitated immediate revisions to the intended face‐to‐face methods of PPI consultation for the ESORT Study, which evaluated emergency surgery for patients with common acute conditions. PPI plans and methods were modified to all components being online. We describe and reflect on: initial plans and adaptation; recruitment; training and preparation; implementation, contextualisation and interpretation. Through first‐hand accounts we show how the PPI processes were developed, experienced and viewed by different partners in the process.Discussion and ConclusionsWhile concerns have been expressed about the possible limiting effects of forgoing face‐to‐face contact with PPI partners, we found important benefits from the altered dynamic of the online PPI environment. There were increased opportunities for participation which might encourage the involvement of a broader demographic, and unexpected benefits in that the online platform seemed to have a ‘democratising’ effect on the meetings, to the benefit of the PPI processes and outcomes. Other studies may however find that their particular research context raises particular challenges for the use of online methods, especially in relation to representation and inclusion, as new barriers to participation may be raised. It is important that methodological challenges are addressed, and researchers provide detailed examples of novel methods for discussion and empirical study.Patient and Public ContributionWe report a process which involved people with lived experience of emergency conditions and members of the public. A patient member was involved in the design and implementation, and two patients with lived experience contributed to the manuscript.
‘Lifts your spirits, lifts your mind’: A co‐produced mixed‐methods exploration of the benefits of green and blue spaces for mental wellbeing
Authors: McCartan Claire , Davidson Gavin , Bradley Liam , Greer Katherine , Knifton Lee , Mulholland Aodán , Webb Paul , White Chris 
Published: May 2023

AbstractIntroductionMental health problems are a considerable public health issue and spending time in nature has been promoted as a way to access a range of psychological benefits leading to the development of nature‐based interventions for people with severe and enduring mental health problems. Less, however, is understood about the potential benefits and efficacy of day‐to‐day routine access to outdoor green and blue spaces for mental health service users.MethodsUsing a mixed‐methods design between April and October 2021, we explored the benefits and barriers to spending time outdoors with a purposive sample of mental health service users (N = 11) using qualitative interviews and an online general population survey (N = 1791). Qualitative evidence highlighted the restorative benefits of nature and identified a number of barriers associated with fears around personal safety, social anxiety, fatigue and lack of motivation. COVID‐19 had also restricted access to green and blue spaces. Having social contact and support encouraged people to spend time outdoors. In the quantitative survey, self‐report and standardised measures (the Patient Health Questionnaire and the Warwick–Edinburgh Wellbeing Scale) were used to assess past and current mental wellbeing.FindingsStatistically significant differences were found between wellbeing and the use of green and blue spaces. Those with mental health problems spent time outdoors because they: felt guilty; wanted to reduce their anxiety; or rely on someone for encouragement. Those without mental health problems endorsed more positively framed reasons including relaxation, improving physical health or getting exercise. Barriers for people with mental health problems involved safety concerns, feeling anxious and having a poor self‐image. These findings give insight into motivations for an outdoor activity to help inform the design of public mental health interventions.ConclusionFurther work is required to improve access and safety to promote the benefits of green and blue spaces for everyone.Patient or Public ContributionThe research team included expert experienced researchers with a mental health service provider (Praxis Care) and they were involved in the development of the research idea, funding application, design, data collection, analysis, writing up and dissemination activities.
Feasibility study on electrically conductive joining of MoSi2 electrodes for spark plugs
Authors: Gruber Manuel , Tilz Anton , Harrer Walter , Papsik Roman , Fimml Wolfgang , Engelmayer Michael 
Published: May 2023

AbstractDespite the often outstanding functional as well as (high temperature‐) mechanical properties of ceramics, their usage is often limited due to their inherent brittleness. This also compromises the joining with metals, which is often indispensable for engineering applications. In this context, electrically conductive ceramics like MoSi2 are promising materials for the application as electrodes where high temperatures in harsh environments are present (e.g., in spark plugs for large gas engines). Due to the difficult joining of the respective materials, long‐term experiments are thereby often still pending. In this work, adhesive bonding, brazing, tungsten inert gas‐, and resistance welding were performed to evaluate their applicability for generating electrically conductive as well as mechanically reliable joints between MoSi2 and Inconel 600, aiming to utilize MoSi2 electrodes in spark plugs. Fractographic analyses are performed to understand cracks associated with the high (thermo‐) mechanical stresses. Additionally, a finite element model was set up for a deeper understanding of the observed fracture behavior. While adhesive bonding is acceptable for short‐term experiments at low temperatures, brazing and resistance welding may qualify for fast and reliable manufacturing of spark plugs with ceramic electrodes.
L2 writing as a scaffold for L2 speaking accuracy
Authors: Sletova Natalia 
Published: May 2023

AbstractAlthough second language (L2) writing is a popular topic among SLA researchers, the fact that L2 writing has the potential to act as a scaffold for L2 speaking accuracy is often overlooked. This study's objective was to provide empirical evidence that L2 writing can be used to improve accuracy of L2 oral discourse. Twenty‐three Novice and 21 Intermediate university learners of Russian participated in the study. They completed a text reconstruction task by working with the original text to “notice the gap” using both written and spoken modes of recall. Both written and spoken forms of recall provided sufficient opportunity for improving lexical diversity of produced texts with both Novice and Intermediate learners and, additionally, for improving semantic accuracy with Intermediate learners. Only the Novice and Intermediate learners working with the written text as recall showed improvement in their speaking accuracy, however. Further research to investigate ways of incorporating written texts and tasks in communicative classroom activities is warranted.Письменные навыки в иностранном языке как инструмент для улучшения аккуратности разговорной речи.АННОТАЦИЯНесмотря на то, что письменные навыки в иностранном языке являются популярной темой среди исследователей, тот факт, что практика письма на иностранном языке имеет потенциал улучшить аккуратность устной речи, часто упускается вниманием. Цель данного исследования заключалась в предоставлении эмпирических данных о том, что навыки письма на иностранном языке могут использоваться для улучшения аккуратности устного дискурса. В исследовании приняли участие двадцать три ученика русского языка как иностранного начинающего уровня и двадцать один—среднего уровня. Они выполнили задание, включающее в себя письменную и устную реконструкцию текста и последующую работу с оригинальным текстом с целью обнаружения ошибок и их исправления. Использование как письменной, так и устной формы для реконструкции текста обеспечило улучшение лексического разнообразия произведенных текстов как для учеников начинающего уровня, так и для учеников среднего уровня, а также для повышения семантической аккуратности у учеников среднего уровня. Однако только ученики начинающего и среднего уровня, работающие с текстом в письменном виде, продемонстрировали улучшение в аккуратности устного дискурса. По результатам эксперимента, необходимы дальнейшие исследования по использованию письменных текстов и заданий в коммуникативных классах.
Acetylcholine titre regulation by non‐neuronal acetylcholinesterase 1 and its putative roles in honey bee physiology
Authors: Kim Sanghyeon , Seong Keon Mook , Lee Si Hyeock 
Published: May 2023

AbstractSimilar to other insects, honey bees have two acetylcholinesterases (AChEs), AmAChE1 and AmAChE2. The primary catalytic enzyme for acetylcholine (ACh) hydrolysis in synapses is AmAChE2, which is predominantly expressed in neuronal tissues, whereas AmAChE1 is expressed in both neuronal and non‐neuronal tissues, with limited catalytic activity. Unlike constitutively expressed AmAChE2, AmAChE1 expression is induced under stressful conditions such as heat shock and brood rearing suppression, but its role in regulating ACh titre remains unclear. In this paper, to elucidate the role of AmAChE1, the expression of AmAChE1 was suppressed via RNA interference (RNAi) in AmAChE1‐induced worker bees. The ACh titre measurement following RNAi revealed that the expression of AmAChE1 downregulated the overall ACh titre in all tissues examined without altering AmAChE2 expression. Transcriptome analysis showed that AmAChE1 knockdown upregulated protein biosynthesis, cell respiration, and thermogenesis in the head. These findings suggest that AmAChE1 is involved in decreasing neuronal activity, enhancing energy conservation, and potentially extending longevity under stressful conditions via ACh titre regulation.
Nonlethally assessing elasmobranch ontogenetic shifts in energetics
Authors: Wheeler Carolyn R. , Irschick Duncan J. , Mandelman John W. , Rummer Jodie L. 
Published: May 2023

AbstractBody condition is an important proxy for the overall health and energetic status of fishes. The classically used Fulton's condition factor requires length and mass measurements, but mass can be difficult to obtain in large species. Girth measurements can replace mass for wild pelagic sharks. However, girth‐calculated condition has not been validated against Fulton's condition factor intraspecifically, across ontogeny or reproduction, or in a controlled setting. We used the epaulette shark (Hemiscyllium ocellatum), because they are amenable to captive reproduction, to track fine‐scale body condition changes across life stages, oviparous reproduction and between condition indices. We measured four girths, total length and mass of 16 captive epaulette sharks across 1 year and tracked female reproduction daily. We also collected length and mass data from an additional 72 wild‐caught sharks and 155 sharks from five previous studies and two public aquaria to examine the relationship between length and mass for this species. Even though data were derived from a variety of sources, a predictable length–mass relationship (R2 = 0.990) was achievable, indicating that combining data from a variety of sources could help overcome knowledge gaps regarding basic life history characteristics. We also found that condition factor decreased during early life stages, then increased again into adulthood, with predictable changes across the female reproductive cycle. Finally, we determined that both Fulton's and girth condition analyses were comparable. Outcomes from this study uniquely provide body condition changes across the complete life history, including fine‐scale female reproductive stages, and validate the use of girths as a nonlethal whole‐organism energetic assessment for fishes.