bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Pathogenicity of Curvularia geniculata Causing Ear Rot in Foxtail Millet (Setaria italica) in China
Authors: Zhu Kangning , Xu Jing , Diao Yulin , Chen Guoqiu , Zhang Wenfei , Wang Kaixi , Zhang Meng , Dou Shuang , Sun Xin , Li Qian , Li Hongyang , Sun Xiaofei , Zhang Haijin 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTFoxtail millet (Setaria italica) an economically important crop globally, particularly in China. In 2021, a foxtail millet ear rot disease was first found in Chaoyang City, Liaoning Province, China. Symptomatic tissues were sampled, and the fungal isolate GZWB008 was identified as Curvularia geniculata based on morphological characteristics and ITS, GAPDH and RPB2 gene sequence analyses. Pathogenicity was confirmed by artificial inoculation, which produced symptoms consistent with those observed in the field. Koch's postulates were fulfilled by re‐isolation of C. geniculata from inoculated symptomatic ears. This is the first report confirming C. geniculata as a causal agent of ear rot in foxtail millet, expanding knowledge of its host range and highlighting its potential threat to millet production.
Simulated retail food environments: A literature review of systems science approaches to advance equity in access to healthy diets
Authors: Mui Yeeli , Winkler Megan R. , Hunt Shanda L. , Gittelsohn Joel , Tracy Melissa 
Published: January 2025

SummaryAs researchers increasingly utilize systems science simulation modeling (SSSM), little is known about how and by whom SSSMs are being leveraged to address inequities in access to healthy diets. We evaluated the extent to which studies (n = 66) employing SSSM to examine retail food environments (RFEs): included three pillars of equity (social position, human capital, socioeconomic and political context) that shape RFEs and access to healthy diets; grounded model design and development in theory; engaged with diverse stakeholders and lived experiences related to RFEs; and translated model findings towards addressing inequities in RFEs. Most studies (n = 58) included some model characteristics related to social position (e.g., age). Characteristics related to human capital (e.g., meal planning skills) were the least integrated fundamental pillar (n = 15). All studies included some characteristics related to socioeconomic and political context; however, we found little to no incorporation of social contexts (e.g., cultural and societal norms). Regarding model design and development, less than one‐third of studies specified theoretical frameworks or engaged with local domain experts and stakeholders. While certain research objectives and, consequently, model types lend themselves better than others to address key pillars that influence RFEs, findings show that models are not fully leveraging SSSMs to analyze the multiple, interacting dimensions – particularly social phenomena – influencing equity in access to healthy diets. Greater attention to engaging stakeholders and the role of human capital and social contexts will likely better equip models to more holistically examine equitable food access, including essential pathways and unintended consequences of programs and policies.
Imagining Coat‐Hangers and Pills: A Qualitative Exploration of Abortion Beliefs and Attitudes in Hostile Policy Contexts in the United States
Authors: Schroeder Rosalyn , Freedman Lori R. , Becker Andréa , Ahlbach Chris , Biggs M. Antonia 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTObjectiveWe explored awareness of and attitudes about the safety of various methods people use to attempt to end a pregnancy without medical assistance, which we refer to in this study collectively as self‐managed abortion (SMA).MethodsIn 2020, we invited individuals living in eight United States (US) states considered “hostile” to abortion rights or with a history of criminalizing abortions performed outside the formal healthcare system to participate in semi‐structured telephone interviews regarding their attitudes toward these practices. We analyzed coded transcripts for content and themes.ResultsWe interviewed 54 individuals. Participants perceived methods of ending a pregnancy on one's own to have a high potential for complications, often evoking “coat hanger” abortions. Participants also frequently referenced methods such as physical trauma, herbs, teas, alcohol, or other drugs. Very few participants reported awareness of medication abortion pills. When asked about the safety of SMA in the context of self‐sourcing these medications, participants considered pills safer and more acceptable than other SMA methods, while still fearing incorrect use and complications. Others believed that SMA could offer greater reproductive autonomy, less stigma, and a safer physical and psychological experience than facility‐based abortion care.ConclusionIn 2020, most participants perceived SMA as involving unsafe practices and did not include use of medication abortion pills. Future research should document how beliefs and attitudes have been influenced by the expansion in telemedicine provision of medication abortion, the implementation of new state abortion bans, and the promulgation of Shield Laws.
The Role of Political Actors in Realizing Sustainable European Energy Markets: Insights From the Trinational Upper Rhine Region
Authors: Leopold Franziska , Blum Bianca , Schröder Dominik 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTAgainst the background of the European decarbonization strategy, this study examines the extent to which the expansion of renewable energies can lead to tensions with the social and ecological dimensions of the sustainability concept. The study is based on qualitative interviews with 66 experts conducted in the trinational metropolitan region of the Upper Rhine in Germany, France, and Switzerland. Following a description of the status‐quo in each country, a public choice analysis is used to identify the key actors in the political decision‐making process to determine the extent to which they facilitate or impede the energy‐transition and cross‐border cooperation, as well as group‐specific socio‐environmental‐conflicts. Based on the identified conflicts, eco‐social‐policy recommendations are derived that can also enhance trinational cooperation.
Features and dolomitizing mechanisms in inner platform facies across the Permian–Triassic boundary (External Dinarides, Croatia)
Authors: Aljinović Dunja , Richoz Sylvain , Smirčić Duje , Chen Yanlong , Nestell Galina , Jazvac Ivan , Petrash Daniel A. 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThe strata encompassing the Permian–Triassic boundary interval capture a pivotal period in Earth's history, with significant changes in Phanerozoic Earth system dynamics, culminating in a severe mass extinction. In carbonate platforms, this boundary is marked by a shift from skeletal to microbial carbonate production. Whereas extensive research has focused on the End‐Permian Mass Extinction in open‐marine shelf environments, the transition within inner platform facies remains underexplored due to limited dating options and pervasive dolomitization. This study examines the Permian–Triassic boundary interval at the continuous dolostone, Brušane‐Sy section, in the External Dinarides (Croatia), that retains much of its original fabric. High‐resolution petrography, biostratigraphy and chemostratigraphy (δ13Ccarb and δ13Corg) were utilized to detail sedimentary responses across the boundary. The Upper Permian fine‐crystalline dolostone features well‐preserved cryptomicrobial/bioclastic, peritidal microfacies with calcareous algae and foraminifera. In contrast, the Lower Triassic dolostone, shows a transition to a medium‐crystalline, fabric‐destructive dolostone texture. The transition from fabric‐retentive Permian to fabric‐destructive Triassic dolostone is attributed to two dolomitization processes: (i) Late Permian transgression facilitating aragonite/high Mg‐calcite deposition, later transforming neomorphically into fabric‐retentive dolostone texture due to abundant precursor dolomite nuclei; and (ii) dispersed Early Triassic primary dolomite precipitation later stabilized during shallow burial with decaying microbial mats serving as loci for crystal growth but decreased nucleation. This shift is recorded by a minimal negative δ13Ccarb excursion (≤0.7‰) and a more pronounced shift in Δ13C (δ13Ccarb – δ13Corg; ca 4.6‰). Contrasting with typical open‐marine Permian–Triassic boundary excursions, such isotopic features reflect the localized shift in primary production to photoautotrophy (algae and cyanobacteria) and early dolomitization in the presence of seawater‐derived dissolved inorganic carbon. Understanding these sedimentary and diagenetic dynamics provides crucial insights into environmental changes and biogeochemical cycles affecting Permian–Triassic boundary dolomitization, offering a comprehensive view of the End‐Permian Mass Extinction across a wider range of shallow marine carbonate dominated depositional environments.
The Impact of Organisational Interventions on Student Perceptions of the Learning Environment: A Repeated Cross‐Sectional Study
Authors: Molla Mithu , Servis Mark , Hodgens Tiffany , Akinjobi Zainab , Jain Sharad 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundThe learning environment (LE) refers to the social interactions, organisational culture and physical spaces that shape learners' perceptions and learning. With numerous efforts to measure and improve it, there is still a lack of clearly identified, evidence‐based interventions that impact the LE. Our aims were to design LE interventions and measure their effectiveness using a comparison of student responses on the Association of American Medical Colleges Graduation Questionnaire (AAMC GQ).ApproachRoot causes of problems in the LE were identified, and comprehensive interventions were then put in place. Interventions addressed three main categories where problems were identified as follows: faculty development, physician wellness, and the learning climate committee. To evaluate changes postintervention, we utilised a repeated cross‐sectional design.EvaluationDeidentified item‐level response data were analysed and organised as a pre‐intervention period (2016–2018) and postintervention period (2021–2023). None of the mistreatment events were statistically significant between the periods, except for “required to perform personal services”. However, perceptions of faculty professionalism improved significantly in the postintervention period for all questions except the hidden curriculum (HC).ImplicationsTaken together, our results show that large‐scale interventions may be effective at improving perceptions of faculty professionalism but have limited effect on frequency of mistreatment events. The hidden curriculum failed to show improvement with our interventions and has been identified as an area of further research and ongoing interventions.
Diagnostic Performance of Two Different Techniques to Quantify CMV‐Specific Cell‐Mediated Immunity in Intermediate‐Risk Seropositive Kidney Transplant Recipients
Authors: Fernández‐Ruiz Mario , Nuévalos Marcos , Rodríguez‐Goncer Isabel , García‐Ríos Estéfani , Ruiz‐Merlo Tamara , Redondo Natalia , Trujillo Hernando , González Esther , Polanco Natalia , Caso José María , Aparicio‐Minguijón Eduardo , López‐Medrano Francisco , San Juan Rafael , Andrés Amado , Pérez‐Romero Pilar , Aguado José María 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundKidney transplant (KT) recipients at intermediate risk for cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection constitute a potential target for individualized prevention strategies informed by the CMV‐specific cell‐mediated immunity (CMV‐CMI). The optimal method for the functional assessment of CMV‐CMI in this group remains unclear.MethodsWe included 74 CMV‐seropositive KT recipients that did not receive T‐cell‐depleting induction and were managed by preemptive therapy. CMV‐CMI was monitored at baseline and months 1, 3, 6, and 12 by intracellular cytokine staining (ICS) and a interferon (IFN)‐γ‐release assay (QuantiFERON‐CMV [QTF‐CMV]). Both methods were compared for discriminative capacity (areas under the receiving operating characteristic curve [auROCs]) and diagnostic accuracy to predict protection against high‐level (≥1000 IU/mL) CMV DNAemia and/or disease.ResultsEighteen patients (24.3%) experienced high‐level CMV DNAemia or disease. There were no significant differences in the discriminative capacity to predict protection of CMV‐specific CD8+ (auROC: 0.719) and CD4+ T‐cell counts (auROC: 0.664) enumerated by ICS and IFN‐γ production measured by QTF‐CMV (auROC: 0.666). Optimal cutoff values of ≥9.8 CMV‐specific CD4+ T‐cells/µL and ≥5.7 CD8+ T‐cells/µL by ICS yielded excellent specificity (95.7% and 86.9%, respectively) and positive predictive values (PPVs) (>98.0%), but a sensitivity below 60%. A reactive QTF‐CMV (IFN‐γ ≥0.2 IU/mL) provided good sensitivity (81.6%) and PPV (92.5%), at the expense of a poor specificity (22.2%).ConclusionsThe discriminative capacity to predict immune protection against clinically relevant CMV infection among intermediate‐risk KT recipients was comparable for ICS and QTF‐CMV. A selected ICS threshold may provide better specificity than the interpretative cut‐off values currently recommended for QTF‐CMV.
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Progress towards the elimination of trachoma as a public health problem in four counties of Eastern Equatoria State, Republic of South Sudan
Authors: Ohidor Stephen , Presley Nicholas A. , Sanders Angelia M. , Nute Andrew W. , Gonzalez Tania A. , Bol Yak Yak , Nyibong Albino W. , Weiss Paul , Niquette James , Callahan E. Kelly , Nash Scott D. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractBackgroundTrachoma is targeted by the World Health Organization (WHO) for elimination as a public health problem by 2030. Trachoma impact surveys using standardised methodology are recommended to monitor progress towards elimination and to determine eligibility for continued surgery, antibiotics, facial cleanliness, and environmental improvement (SAFE) interventions. From 2007 to 2015, four counties of Eastern Equatoria State, South Sudan, received three to five rounds of mass drug administration with antibiotics. A trachoma impact survey in 2015 indicated all four counties had trachomatous‐inflammation follicular prevalence among children ages 1–9 years above the WHO elimination threshold (range 17.4%–47.6%). Based on these results, the recommended number of years of SAFE interventions were implemented and the counties were subsequently resurveyed.MethodsBetween 2021 and 2023, trachoma impact surveys were conducted in Budi, Kapoeta East, Kapoeta North, and Kapoeta South counties using a two‐stage cluster sample design. Trained and certified graders examined participants for trachoma clinical signs using the WHO simplified grading system to estimate county‐level prevalence.ResultsA total of 12,570 individuals from 3286 households in 116 survey clusters were examined for trachoma. Prevalence of trachomatous‐inflammation follicular among children ages 1–9 years was 5.6% (95% confidence interval [CI]:3.7%–8.3%) in Kapoeta South, 7.4% (CI:5.1%–10.7%) in Budi, 12.3% (CI:7.8%–18.9%) in Kapoeta East, and 18.1% (CI:13.5%–24.0%) in Kapoeta North. Trachomatous inflammation‐intense prevalence among children ages 1–9 years ranged from 0.4% (CI:0.2%–1.0%) in Kapoeta East to 2.1% (CI:1.4%–3.2%) in Kapoeta North, and trachomatous trichiasis in individuals ages ≥15 years ranged from 1.0% (CI:0.5%–2.1%) in Kapoeta North to 1.9% (CI:1.3%–2.8%) in Budi.ConclusionsAs no county reached the WHO elimination thresholds of trachomatous‐inflammation follicular <5% or trachomatous trichiasis <0.2%, SAFE interventions should continue. Furthermore, these districts are classified as having persistent trachoma, based on trachomatous‐inflammation follicular levels remaining >5% after two impact surveys. Compared to results from 2015, the prevalence of trachomatous‐inflammation follicular, trachomatous inflammation‐intense, and trachomatous trichiasis in all counties decreased, indicating that the Republic of South Sudan Ministry of Health's Trachoma Control Program is advancing towards its elimination goal.
ASSESSING SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION PRACTICES IN NIGERIA: CHALLENGES, OPPORTUNITIES, AND STRATEGIES FOR ADVANCEMENT
Authors: Unegbu Hyginus C.O. , YAWAS Danjuma S. , Dan-asabe Bashar 
Published: January 2025

The Nigerian construction industry stands at a critical juncture, facing challenges and opportunities in its journey towards sustainable development. This study aims to investigate the current state of sustainable construction practices and sustainability challenges in Nigeria, with a focus environmental, social and economic domains. Three hundred and fifty questionnaires were distributed to respondents from the construction companies used for the study out which three hundred and thirty seven were utilized for data analyses in Linear Structural Relation (LISREL) using Confirmatory Factor Analyses tool. The result of the data analyses indicates a moderate to weak sustainable construction practices with the factor loadings ranging from 0.55 to 0.65 for the variables across all the constructs. This implies inconsistent practices or lack of commitment to sustainable construction practices by the construction companies. The result also shows high level of sustainability challenges with environmental sustainability challenges emerging the highest of threat followed by social sustainability and economic sustainability challenges. The result reflects a relatively positive scenario where the respondents are aware of and acknowledge sustainability challenges. These findings offer critical insights for policymakers, industry practitioners, and researchers seeking to enhance sustainability efforts within the Nigerian construction sector, guiding strategic interventions and decision-making processes to address sustainability challenges effectively and foster a more sustainable construction industry.
Uniform Stretch Behavior of Creased Units
Authors: Zhang Qian , Meloni Marco , Feng Jian , Cai Jianguo 
Published: January 2025

Abstract
Compared to ideal purely rotational creases, the introduction of rotational stiffness in the creases of origami/kirigami units inevitably alters the shape transformation process due to the interaction between the creases and the panels. The unfolding process of creased units with crease rotational stiffness involves two stages: the flattening process and the over-tensioning process. This paper focuses on the impact of crease rotational stiffness on the uniform stretching process of creased units of different modes and sizes. During the flattening process, the strain energy distribution for creased units in straight and inclined modes is analyzed, revealing the influence of geometric parameters through the use of a scale parameter, which can provide references for the design of creased units. In the over-tensioning process, the suppression effect of low over-tension strain levels on out-of-plane residual deformation in the flattened state of the creased units is systematically explained, with a significant influence from panel width. Additionally, it is discovered and explained that over-tension strain can lead to the overall rotation of certain areas in inclined creased units. Although this paper starts with a simple creased unit and overlooks the interactions between panels, the coupling deformation behavior between the crease and the panels during the tensioning process can still provide valuable insights for the deformation analysis of more intricate origami/kirigami structures.
Charting a new vision: lessons on
Vision & Change
from a network of biology educators
Authors: Hsu Jeremy L. , Misra Anjali , Wolyniak Michael J. , Goller Carlos C. , Mathews Stephanie , Swamy Uma , Newman Dina L. , Moore Michael E. 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACT

The 2011
Vision & Change
report outlined several recommendations for transforming undergraduate biology education, sparking multiple pedagogical reform efforts. Among these was the Promoting Active Learning and Mentoring (PALM) network, an NSF-funded program that provided mentorship and training to instructors on implementing active learning in the classroom. Here, we provide a perspective on how members of the biology education community in PALM view the recommendations of
Vision & Change
, drawing upon our experiences both as members of PALM and as leaders of an associated project funded by another NSF grant that hosted PALM alumni at various conferences. These efforts have allowed us to gain insight into how our alumni think of
Vision & Change
, including how they interpret its recommendations, the challenges and opportunities that they view for implementing these recommendations, and the areas they see as critical to be addressed in future national reports for supporting undergraduate biology education. We synthesize these voices here, providing perspectives from a diverse group of biology instructors on what they think about
Vision & Change
, and provide recommendations for the biology education community based upon these PALM community voices.
Generation and Absorption of Photons by a Two-Level Atom Ultrastrongly Coupled to an Electromagnetic Field
Authors: Kozlovskii A. V. 
Published: January 2025

Within the Rabi quantum model, it has been shown theoretically that a two-level atom ultrastrongly coupled to an electromagnetic field generates or absorbs photons. Photons can be generated if the field is initially in the vacuum state. Under certain initial states of the atom + field system, the absorption of photons is possible in the field mode in the ultrastrong atom–field coupling regime. If the atom is initially in the ground (unexcited) state and the field is in the vacuum state, photons can be generated under resonance condition ωa ≈ ωf or ξ ≡ ωa/ωf ≈ 1, where ωa and ωf are the atomic transition and field frequencies, respectively, in the ultrastrong coupling regime. At the negative detuning when ξ $$ \ll $$ 1 or ωa$$ \ll $$ ωf, Rabi oscillations of the average number of photons $${{\langle \hat {n}\rangle }_{t}}$$ with $$0 \leqslant {{\langle \hat {n}\rangle }_{t}} \leqslant {{n}_{{\max }}} \gg 1$$ are observed in the case of the ultrastrong coupling with the atom–field coupling constant $$\tilde {g} \equiv {\text{|}}g{\text{|/}}{{\omega }_{{\text{f}}}} \sim 1$$; in this case, the population of the excited atomic state is Pe(t) ≈ 0.5. At a large positive detuning when ξ $$ \gg $$ 1, photons are not generated, i.e., $$\langle \hat {n}\rangle \approx 0$$, and the atom remains in the initial state, i.e., Pe(t) ≈ 0. The statistics of photons in the generation regime is nearly chaotic: the variance of photons is much larger than the level of the coherent field state (i.e., is super-Poisson). Field photons are absorbed without the excitation of the atom in the ultrastrong coupling regime in the case of the coherent initial state of the field $$(\langle \hat {n}(t = 0\rangle > 0)$$ for certain positive detuning values. In this case, the field becomes sub-Poisson.