bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Contributions of processes using semantic information and character‐to‐sound correspondences to kanji word‐reading performance in Japanese primary school children
Authors: Sambai Ami , Tsukada Mayu , Miki Ayaka , Uno Akira 
Published: February 2023

BackgroundIn opaque orthographies, such as English, children with low reading skills tend to rely more on semantic information due to their inadequate acquisition of sub‐lexical knowledge. This tendency has also been reported for kanji, a non‐alphabetic and opaque Japanese orthography. However, previous studies on this phenomenon have had methodological limitations, such as a small number of stimuli in reading tests and insufficient investigation of a consistency effect. This study addressed these limitations and aimed to clarify whether Japanese children with low reading accuracy are characterised by a stronger reliance on semantic information and a smaller contribution to the reading process based on character‐to‐sound correspondences to the kanji word‐reading performance than children with high reading accuracy in reading kanji words.MethodsA total of 129 Japanese students in the fifth and sixth grades participated in this study, and 11 of them had been previously diagnosed with developmental dyslexia. They read an experimenter‐created list of kanji words. We tested how frequency, imageability and consistency of character‐to‐sound correspondences affected children's reading accuracy and error types and how the effects of these variables were modulated by reading accuracy level.ResultsFor children with lower reading accuracy, the frequency and consistency effects on reading accuracy decreased, whereas the imageability effect was stronger. Children with low reading accuracy frequently did not respond, whereas children with high reading accuracy made word substitution and legitimate alternative reading of component (LARC) errors frequently.ConclusionsThe reading processing of children with low reading accuracy is characterised by a stronger reliance on semantic information and a smaller contribution of a reading process based on character‐to‐sound correspondences to reading performance than that of children with high reading accuracy. Reading characteristics of children with low reading accuracy might be due to their inadequate lexical and sub‐word knowledge.
Rapid and nondestructive analysis of lipstick on different substrates using ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy and chemometrics
Authors: Ka Khei Lim , Verma Rajesh , Tan Eva Lee Yin , Low Kah Hin , Ismail Dzulkiflee , Mohamad Asri Muhammad Naeim 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLipstick can be an important piece of evidence in crimes like murders, rapes, and suicides. Due to its prevalence, it can be an important corroborative evidence in crime reconstruction. The analysis of such evidence can provide an evidentiary link between the suspect, the victim, object, or the crime scene. We report the use of nondestructive ATR‐FTIR spectroscopy combined with chemometrics for the classification of 10 brands of lipsticks with nine samples each. Chemometric method of partial least square‐discriminant analysis (PLS‐DA) has been employed to interpret the data and classify the samples into their respective classes. The PLS‐DA model provides an AUC figure above 0.99 in all brands except one; for which it is slightly less at 0.94. We have also tested the traces of these lipstick samples on different substrates treating them as unknowns in the already trained PLS‐DA model. 100% of the samples on nine substrates viz. a cotton, nylon, plastic, dry tissue, denim (blue jeans), wet tissue, nitrile gloves, white paper, and polyester were correctly attributed to their source brand. In conclusion, the results suggest that ATR‐FTIR combined with the chemometrics is a rapid, nondestructive, and accurate method for the discrimination and source attribution of lipstick. This study has potential for use in actual forensic casework conditions.
Effect of high intensity ultrasonic treatment on structural, rheological, and gelling properties of potato protein isolate and its co‐gelation properties with egg white protein
Authors: Zhao Hongxi , Zhao Ruixuan , Liu Xinshuo , Zhang Liang , Liu Qiannan , Liu Wei , Wu Tao , Hu Honghai 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe study aimed to investigate the effect of high intensity ultrasonic (HIU) treatment at different times (0, 10, 20, and 30 min) on the structure and gel properties of water‐soluble potato protein isolate (WPPI) and to further investigate the improvement of gel properties of ultrasonicated WPPI (UWPPI) by the addition of egg white protein (EWP). HIU reduced the particle size of WPPI, whose structure became loose and disordered, which improved gelling properties of UWPPI. Fourier transform infrared results indicated that α‐helix content decreased, whereas the proportion of irregular curl increased with the increase in ultrasonication time (0–20 min), indicating that the initially ordered structure of UWPPI became disordered. After HIU treatment, the free sulfhydryl groups of UWPPI and surface hydrophobicity decreased and fluorescence intensity increased. These results demonstrated that the HIU loosened the structure of UWPPI, exposing more chromogenic groups while embedding more hydrophilic groups. After thermal induction, UWPPI gel hardness increased and exhibited excellent water holding capacity. After the addition of EWP, rheological properties stabilized, and the hardness of UWPPI‐EWP gels increased significantly, forming internally structured protein gels with a tightly ordered structure and increased brightness. Thus, HIU changed the structure and gelling properties of WPPI, and the addition of EWP further enhanced the performance of hybrid protein gels.Practical ApplicationHigh intensity ultrasonic changed the structure of water‐soluble potato protein isolate (WPPI) and improved the properties of WPPI gels. The addition of egg white protein significantly improved the quality of mixed protein gels which showed great potential industrial value.
Purification and characterization of a fungal laccase expressed in Kluyveromyces lactis suitable for baking
Authors: Molina Melisa A. , Cazzaniga Amanda , Milde Laura B. , Sgroppo Sonia C. , Zapata Pedro D. , Fonseca Maria I. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractLaccase enzyme can replace chemical additives to improve texture properties and the volume of bread. Laccase encoding gene from Phlebia brevispora, a native fungus from Misiones, Argentina, was expressed in the generally recognized as safe yeast Kluyveromyces lactis. To improve laccase activity, medium conditions were optimized. The use of iron sulfate at a concentration of 1 mM led to optimum laccase activity (1289 U·L−1) on the fourth day of incubation. SDS‐PAGE analysis revealed that the molecular mass of purified laccase was about 180 kDa. Optimum pH for the enzyme was 4 and optimum temperature was 40°C. Laccase exhibited high stability at low pH and high temperature. The application of recombinant laccase to bread decreased hardness, gumminess, and chewiness and increased bread volume. Based on these results, recombinant laccase from P. brevispora with improved yield is a good option for application as an improver of the physicochemical quality of bread at the industrial level. Besides, it will allow us to advance toward our goal of developing healthy alternatives for the bakery industry. No previous work has been reported concerning the heterologous expression of the laccase gene native to the province of Misiones, Argentina, with an aim for application in baking.Practical ApplicationHealthy bakeries became a trend in recent years. The use of the laccase enzyme increases the specific volume and decreases the hardness of bread, being thus an alternative for the replacement of chemical additives in the bakery industry.
NMπ 2.0: Software update to minimize the risk of false positives among determinants of reproductive success
Authors: Chybicki Igor J. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractIn plant populations, parentage analysis helps understand factors shaping individual reproductive success. However, estimating reproductive success determinants based on parentage counts requires decoupling the effects of individual fecundity and propagule dispersal. The neighbourhood model implemented in the NMπ software provides a standard solution for this problem based on the fixed‐effects regression‐like approach. Nonetheless, it has been recently shown that the method is prone to false discoveries when important fecundity determinants are omitted. To account for the unexplained variance in fecundity, the Bayesian approach was developed based on the new model (the hierarchical neighbourhood model; HNM). Here, I present the NMπ software update that allows the HNM approach to be used in the framework of a friendly interface. More importantly, the HNM approach is now made available for both dispersed (seedlings) and nondispersed (seeds with known mothers) progeny data. The Bayesian approach, among others, selects significant fecundity determinants, estimates the proportion of variance in reproductive potential explained by selected determinants (R2), and provides individual female and male fecundity values. Although the software was designed to handle microsatellite marker data, a solution is proposed for large sets of single nucleotide polymorphisms. The program can be run on Windows (using either a terminal or a graphical interface) as well as (using a terminal) on Linux, or macOS platforms. In any case, NMπ can utilize multicore processors to speed up the analysis. The updated package containing the code, the executable file, the user manual, and example data is available at https://www.ukw.edu.pl/pracownicy/plik/igor_chybicki/3694/.
Impact of multidisciplinary team meetings on the management of patients with breast cancer in a large private healthcare facility
Authors: Orlowski Christian , Lai John , Vereker Melissa , Antill Yoland , Richardson Gary , White Michelle , Gregory Peter , Kemp Sarah , Morgan Joanna , Ooi Corinne , Senior Jennifer , David Steven 
Published: February 2023

AbstractAimsMultidisciplinary meetings (MDMs) play a crucial role in decision‐making in breast cancer patient care. This study aimed to firstly assess the impact of breast cancer MDMs in decision‐making for breast cancer patients and secondly to determine the concordance between MDM recommendations and implementation of clinical practice.MethodsPatient cases to be presented at the weekly breast cancer MDMs were identified and prospectively enrolled. Management plans were predicted by the treating surgeon with the pre‐MDM management plans then compared to MDM recommendations. Changes in decision‐making were assessed in the following domains: further surgery, systemic therapy (endocrine, chemotherapy or targeted), radiotherapy, enrolment in a clinical trial, further investigations, and referral to other specialists or services. Patient records were subsequently reviewed at 3 months post‐MDM to assess the rate of implementation of MDM recommendations and any reasons for discordance.ResultsOut of 50 cases, 66% (CI 53–79%; p < .005) experienced a change in management plan as a result of MDM discussion, with a total of 66 episodes of recorded change per decision‐making domain affecting the following: further surgery (7.6%), endocrine therapy (4.5%), chemotherapy (19.7%), targeted therapy (4.5%), radiotherapy (18.2%), enrolment for a clinical trial (12.1%), additional investigations (22.7%), and further referrals (10.6%). MDM recommendations were implemented in 83.7% of cases.ConclusionThe breast cancer MDMs were found to substantially impact on the management plans for breast cancer patients, with 83.7% of MDM recommendations being implemented into clinical practice. This study reinforces the importance of MDMs in the management of these patients, as well as highlighting the need for further investigating and addressing the potential barriers to the implementation of MDM recommendations.
Standing fuel with back‐fires are effective in reducing fire hazardous in prescribed burning in the deciduous miombo woodland
Authors: Mbanze Aires Afonso , Cumbe Alberto José , Serrote Caetano , Shuangao Wang , Ribeiro Natasha Sofia 
Published: February 2023

AbstractSavannah fires are of utmost importance to the livelihoods of rural households living in the miombo woodlands of southeast and southern Africa in carrying out their daily activities. In order to add to the existing knowledge on safe prescribed burning procedures, we developed an experimental physics‐based approach modelled on the implementation of a winter surface fire in northern Mozambique. Twelve experimental fire plots were established and burned to identify local conditions that allow a safe prescribed burn to be conducted in the Miombo woodland, northern Mozambique. Two non‐destructive methods were used to measure the amount of forest fuel, namely: the disk meter method and the triangular line‐intercept sample. The plots were burned alternately and parallel to the prevailing wind direction using a head and backing fire. Relationships between fire behaviour, fuel properties, site characteristics and weather conditions were determined using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Covariance (ANCOVA). The ANOVA models predicted 51% and 55% of fire behaviour variance for the flame height and rate of spread, respectively, while the ANCOVA accounted for 67% and 65% of fire behaviour for the flame height and rate of spread, respectively. Findings from this research suggest that standing fuel with back‐fire produces lower‐intense fire with higher controllability.
Sperm DNA damage: The possible link between obesity and male infertility, an update of the current literature
Authors: Peel Andrew , Saini Anmol , Deluao Joshua C. , McPherson Nicole O. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractObesity prevalence worldwide is increasing significantly. Whilst maternal obesity has clear detrimental impacts on fertility, pregnancy and foetal outcomes, more recently there has been an increasing focus on the role of paternal obesity in human fertility. Recent meta‐analyses have indicated that obesity in men negatively affects basic sperm parameters such as sperm count, concentration and motility, increases the incidence of infertility and reduces the chances of conception. Sperm DNA damage, typically characterised by DNA strand breaks and oxidation of DNA nucleotides, is a specialised marker of sperm quality that has been independently associated with recurrent miscarriage, reduced assisted reproduction success and increased mutational loads in subsequent offspring. Whilst, there are still conflicting data in humans as to the association of obesity in men with sperm DNA damage, evidence from rodent models is clear, indicating that male obesity increases sperm DNA damage. Human data are often conflicting because of the large heterogeneity amongst studies, the use of body mass index as the indicator of obesity and the methods used for detection of sperm DNA damage. Furthermore, comorbidities of obesity (i.e., heat stress, adipokines, insulin resistance, changes in lipids, hypogonadism and obstructive sleep apnoea) are also independently associated with increased sperm DNA damage that is not always modified in men with obesity, and as such may provide a causative link to the discrepancies amongst human studies. In this review, we provide an update on the literature regarding the associations between obesity in men and fertility, basic sperm parameters and sperm DNA damage. We further discuss potential reasons for the discrepancies in the literature and outline possible direct and indirect mechanisms of increased sperm DNA damage resulting from obesity. Finally, we summarise intergenerational obesity through the paternal linage and how sperm DNA damage may contribute to the transmission.
Borderzone Departure Cities: Jumping‐Off Urbanism of Irregular Migration on the Edges of Europe
Authors: Katz Irit 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThe increasing fortification of borders produces new urban forms of irregular migration. This paper invokes the concept of “borderzone departure cities” as urban constellations created where global migration routes meet blocked borders in cities which become jumping‐off points from which migrants try to depart. The paper examines Athens and Calais as borderzone departure cities located at both sides of the EU Schengen area. By focussing on the Athenian City Plaza squat and the makeshift Calais Jungle camp as emblematic yet relational spaces of departure, the paper moves beyond the squat/camp divide to better understand how irregular migrants struggle against hostile bordering apparatuses through urban practices of meanwhile inhabitation and mobile commoning. The paper illustrates how these spaces were variously assembled, run, and experienced to form the conditions for movement and stay, each holding different potentials for creating solidarity infrastructures and negotiating forms of migrant citizenship to support the uncertain urban realities of those stuck on the move.
Unravelling the “Thin Blue Line”: Policing as an Engine of Inequality
Authors: Boyce Geoff , Massaro Vanessa , Spess Laura 
Published: February 2023

AbstractThis paper argues that policing be understood as a creative social force that reproduces important dimensions of earlier iterations of the colour line. The paper advances this argument by integrating findings from two distinct research projects: the first on the household financial losses that follow arrest by immigration officials in Tucson, AZ; and the second focusing on the everyday costs of policing and carceral supervision absorbed by residents of Philadelphia, PA. Together, data from these sites illuminate how exposure to policing exhausts emotional and material resources from expansive family and community networks of care and support. To theorise the connection between financial dispossession and the dispossession of future opportunity, we draw on a heuristic reading of the “thin blue line” symbol. We conclude by suggesting a need for closer attention to how contemporary state interventions drive patterns of dispossession and vulnerability that accumulate across various scales, sites, rhythms, and collectivities.
Development of machine learning models to predict posterior capsule rupture based on the EUREQUO registry
Authors: Triepels Ron J. M. A. , Segers Maartje H. M. , Rosen Paul , Nuijts Rudy M. M. A. , van den Biggelaar Frank J. H. M. , Henry Ype P. , Stenevi Ulf , Tassignon Marie‐José , Young David , Behndig Anders , Lundström Mats , Dickman Mor M. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractPurposeTo evaluate the performance of different probabilistic classifiers to predict posterior capsule rupture (PCR) prior to cataract surgery.MethodsThree probabilistic classifiers were constructed to estimate the probability of PCR: a Bayesian network (BN), logistic regression (LR) model, and multi‐layer perceptron (MLP) network. The classifiers were trained on a sample of 2 853 376 surgeries reported to the European Registry of Quality Outcomes for Cataract and Refractive Surgery (EUREQUO) between 2008 and 2018. The performance of the classifiers was evaluated based on the area under the precision‐recall curve (AUPRC) and compared to existing scoring models in the literature. Furthermore, direct risk factors for PCR were identified by analysing the independence structure of the BN.ResultsThe MLP network predicted PCR overall the best (AUPRC 13.1 ± 0.41%), followed by the BN (AUPRC 8.05 ± 0.39%) and the LR model (AUPRC 7.31 ± 0.15%). Direct risk factors for PCR include preoperative best‐corrected visual acuity (BCVA), year of surgery, operation type, anaesthesia, target refraction, other ocular comorbidities, white cataract, and corneal opacities.ConclusionsOur results suggest that the MLP network performs better than existing scoring models in the literature, despite a relatively low precision at high recall. Consequently, implementing the MLP network in clinical practice can potentially decrease the PCR rate.
Ectotherm mitochondrial economy and responses to global warming
Authors: Sokolova Inna M. 
Published: February 2023

AbstractTemperature is a key abiotic factor affecting ecology, biogeography, and evolution of species. Alterations of energy metabolism play an important role in adaptations and plastic responses to temperature shifts on different time scales. Mitochondrial metabolism affects cellular bioenergetics and redox balance making these organelles an important determinant of organismal performances such as growth, locomotion, or development. Here I analyze the impacts of environmental temperature on the mitochondrial functions (including oxidative phosphorylation, proton leak, production of reactive oxygen species(ROS), and ATP synthesis) of ectotherms and discuss the mechanisms underlying negative shifts in the mitochondrial energy economy caused by supraoptimal temperatures. Owing to the differences in the thermal sensitivity of different mitochondrial processes, elevated temperatures (beyond the species‐ and population‐specific optimal range) cause reallocation of the electron flux and the protonmotive force (Δp) in a way that decreases ATP synthesis efficiency, elevates the relative cost of the mitochondrial maintenance, causes excessive production of ROS and raises energy cost for antioxidant defense. These shifts in the mitochondrial energy economy might have negative consequences for the organismal fitness traits such as the thermal tolerance or growth. Correlation between the thermal sensitivity indices of the mitochondria and the whole organism indicate that these traits experience similar selective pressures but further investigations are needed to establish whether there is a cause‐effect relationship between the mitochondrial failure and loss of organismal performance during temperature change.
STAT3 regulates 5‐Fu resistance in human colorectal cancer cells by promoting Mcl‐1–dependent cytoprotective autophagy
Authors: Yue Yuanyi , Zhang Qiang , Wang Xueqing , Sun Zhengrong 
Published: February 2023

AbstractChemoresistance to 5‐fluorouracil (5‐Fu)‐based chemotherapy is one of the primary reasons for the failure of colorectal cancer (CRC) management. STAT3 can mediate tumor drug resistance through a variety of diverse mechanisms. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms of STAT3‐induced 5‐Fu resistance in CRC are still poorly understood. Here, we aimed to investigate the potential mechanism(s) of STAT3‐induced 5‐Fu resistance in CRC. Quantitative RT‐PCR and Western blot were used to test the expression of STAT3 and Mcl‐1 in chemosensitive and chemoresistant CRC tissues and cell lines. After overexpression or knockdown of STAT3 or Mcl‐1, and/or treatment with or without 5‐Fu or chloroquine (CQ), we tested cell viability, inhibitory concentration 50% (IC50) value of 5‐FU, cell apoptosis, proliferation, migration, and autophagy. STAT3 and Mcl‐1 were significantly upregulated in the chemoresistant CRC tissues and cell lines, and STAT3 positively regulated Mcl‐1. Functional studies demonstrated that STAT3 promoted 5‐Fu resistance in CRC. Mechanistically, STAT3 triggered autophagy via Mcl‐1 to induce cancer chemoresistance. Our results show that STAT3 regulates 5‐Fu resistance in CRC by promoting Mcl‐1–dependent cytoprotective autophagy. Our results provide a novel role of STAT3 and may offer a new approach for managing CRC 5‐Fu resistance.