bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A rapid method to quantify vein density in C4 plants using starch staining
Authors: Simpson Conor J. C. , Singh Pallavi , Sogbohossou Deedi E. O. , Eric Schranz M. , Hibberd Julian M. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractC4 photosynthesis has evolved multiple times in the angiosperms and typically involves alterations to the biochemistry, cell biology and development of leaves. One common modification found in C4 plants compared with the ancestral C3 state is an increase in vein density such that the leaf contains a larger proportion of bundle sheath cells. Recent findings indicate that there may be significant intraspecific variation in traits such as vein density in C4 plants but to use such natural variation for trait‐mapping, rapid phenotyping would be required. Here we report a high‐throughput method to quantify vein density that leverages the bundle sheath‐specific accumulation of starch found in C4 species. Starch staining allowed high‐contrast images to be acquired permitting image analysis with MATLAB‐ and Python‐based programmes. The method works for dicotyledons and monocotolydons. We applied this method to Gynandropsis gynandra where significant variation in vein density was detected between natural accessions, and Zea mays where no variation was apparent in the genotypically diverse lines assessed. We anticipate this approach will be useful to map genes controlling vein density in C4 species demonstrating natural variation for this trait.
A novel mutation in the SCN9A gene associated with congenital insensitivity to pain, anhidrosis, and mild cognitive impairment
Authors: Romagnuolo Maurizio , Moltrasio Chiara , Cavalli Riccardo , Brena Michela , Tadini Gianluca 
Published: June 2023

AbstractCongenital insensitivity to pain (CIP) is a rare phenotype characterized by the inability to perceive pain stimuli with subsequent self‐injuries, whereas CIP associated with anhidrosis (CIPA) is an overlapping phenotype mainly characterized by insensitivity to noxious stimuli and anhidrosis. CIP is primarily associated with pathogenetic variants in the SCN9A gene while CIPA is associated with pathogenetic variants in NGF and NRTK genes. However, in recent years, a significant overlap between these two disorders has been observed highlighting the presence of anhidrosis in SCN9A variants. We report the cases of two siblings (age 4 and 6 years) born from consanguineous parents presenting with a previously undescribed phenotype due to a novel pathogenic variant in SCN9A clinically characterized by congenital insensitivity to pain, anhidrosis, and mild cognitive impairment.
Sun protection, progress, myths, and inconsistencies (a proposal for the democratization of ISO 24443)
Authors: Minaberry Yanina Susana , Svarc Federico Eugenio 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe concept of modern human sun protection is no more than one hundred years, but real development of it, including protection against UVA + UVB radiation (and more recently also the IR and blue light), has been no more than 30 years. One fundamental issue while formulating sunscreens is the photostability of the UV filters, which is particularly feeble for the UVA. The gold standard for the determination of sunscreen UVA protection “in vitro” is ISO 24443:2021. Still, interlaboratory results are not as consistent as expected. The Technical Committee for Cosmetics (ISO TC 217) has tried to standardize the method with precise specifications for the materials and equipment used. In particular, the standardization of UV exposure sources based on Xe arc lamps. This fact requires expensive equipment out of the reach of many laboratories to achieve adequate temperature control on the samples. In this paper, it will be shown that, within the experimental error, satisfactory results were achieved with a cheap commercial LED source irradiating only in the UVA spectra. Evidence is presented to conclude that other more relevant factors must be considered as the main cause of uncertainties.
PARG1 and EXA1 genes as possible components of the facultative epigenetic control of plant development
Authors: Kupriyanova Evgenia , Manakhov Andrey , Ezhova Tatiana 
Published: June 2023

AbstractPlants are able to adjust their developmental program in response to incremental environmental changes by reprogramming the epigenomes of the cells. This process, known as facultative epigenetic developmental control, underlies plant developmental plasticity and the amazing diversity of morphotypes, which arises from the changes in cell fates. How plants determine when epigenome reprogramming should occur is largely unclear. Here, we show that the Arabidopsis PARG1 and EXA1 genes, encoding poly(ADP‐ribose) glycohydrolase and GYF domain protein involved in nonsense‐mediated mRNA decay, respectively, act synergistically in maintaining leaf cell identity. Loss of their function in Arabidopsis tae mutant triggers autoimmunity and wounding response, alters transcription of a number of epigenetic regulators, initiates the acquisition of pluripotency by cells of the developed leaf and ectopic outgrowths and buds formation. The dependence of the cell fate on the activity level of PARG1 and EXA1 genes indicates that these interacting genes may function as an important regulator of facultative epigenetic control of plant development.
Insourcing public services: Consequences for wages and employment
Authors: Hansen Gustav Egede , Petersen Ole Helby 
Published: June 2023

AbstractAfter decades of private companies delivering public services, governments are increasingly using a mix of outsourcing and insourcing to provide services. With insourcing, governments replace market competition with public monopoly and concentrated private ownership with more dispersed public ownership. Despite these fundamental changes in competition and ownership, little is known theoretically and empirically about how insourcing affects employees. This study uses high‐quality, individual‐level Danish register data to examine how insourcing affects employees overall and among employees of different gender and age. The analysis shows that insourcing significantly and positively affects short‐ and intermediate‐term work income and employment. Moreover, moderation analyses suggest that insourcing is particularly beneficial for female, younger, and older employees. These findings have important implications for policy makers, as they provide insights into longstanding questions about insourcing in public administration and reveal how estimating total insourcing costs should include employee consequences, especially for female and younger/older employees.
Roughness‐induced effects on the thermomicropolar fluid flow through a thin domain
Authors: Pažanin Igor , Suárez‐Grau Francisco J. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractIn this paper, we study the asymptotic behavior of the thermomicropolar fluid flow through a thin channel with rough boundary. The flow is governed by the prescribed pressure drop between the channel's ends and the heat exchange through the rough wall is allowed. Depending on the limit of the ratio between channel's thickness and the wavelength of the roughness, we rigorously derive different asymptotic models clearly showing the roughness‐induced effects on the average velocity and microrotation. To accomplish that, we employ the adaptation of the unfolding method to a thin‐domain setting.
Welfare‐improving tax evasion
Authors: Canta Chiara , Cremer Helmuth , Gahvari Firouz 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWe study optimal income taxation in a two‐group framework where the private cost of misreporting income is positively correlated with productivity. If high‐wage types always reveal their income truthfully, then letting low‐wage types cheat leads to Pareto‐superior outcomes regardless of the audit costs (as compared to deterrence). With no cheating, redistribution takes place on first‐ or second‐best frontiers and low‐wage types always end up worse off than high‐wage types. Letting low‐wage types misreport reduces the need to recourse to second‐best mechanisms. Additionally, it increases the reach of first‐best redistribution to outcomes at which low‐wage types are better off than high‐wage types.
Trapped within the logic of modernity/coloniality
Authors: Hernandez‐Carranza Giovanni , Carranza Mirna , Grigg Elizabeth 
Published: June 2023

AbstractBackgroundAcademic research is the site where the production and dissemination of knowledge are embedded in Eurocentric epistemologies which are posited as universal and non‐Eurocentric knowledges are devalued, dismissed, and ignored.ObjectivesThe goal was to explore the tensions that emerged between the Global North team and the Global South team, from the Global North's perspective.MethodsThis paper a collaborative autoethnography to trace how the logics' of coloniality of power structured a transnational research project focused on exploring Indigenous Women's experience of marginalization. The autoethnography involved engaging in critical reflexive auto‐interviews between the team members in the Global North, analyzing field notes and personal written reflections.ResultsAutoethnography revealed how colonial conditioning respectively shaped both—the Global North and the Global South teams' expectations of one another, and as such, how they each operationalized decoloniality in the research process.ConclusionThe Global North team focused on epistemically disengaging from coloniality but became overly concerned on meeting the expectations of the funder's temporally oriented productivity demands and ended up rearticulating coloniality's logics. The Global South was concerned with remedying the material dimensions of coloniality in their local community but became overly focused on adopting neoliberal logic models to efficiently satisfy the North's productivity expectations. Meaning, they, too, rearticulated coloniality's logics.
Poisson average maximum likelihood‐centered penalized estimator: A new estimator to better address multicollinearity in Poisson regression
Authors: Li Sheng , Wang Wei , Yao Menghan , Wang Junyu , Du Qianqian , Li Xuelin , Tian Xinyue , Zeng Jing , Deng Ying , Zhang Tao , Yin Fei , Ma Yue 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe Poisson ridge estimator (PRE) is a commonly used parameter estimation method to address multicollinearity in Poisson regression (PR). However, PRE shrinks the parameters toward zero, contradicting the real association. In such cases, PRE tends to become an insufficient solution for multicollinearity. In this work, we proposed a new estimator called the Poisson average maximum likelihood‐centered penalized estimator (PAMLPE), which shrinks the parameters toward the weighted average of the maximum likelihood estimators. We conducted a simulation study and case study to compare PAMLPE with existing estimators in terms of mean squared error (MSE) and predictive mean squared error (PMSE). These results suggest that PAMLPE can obtain smaller MSE and PMSE (i.e., more accurate estimates) than the Poisson ridge estimator, Poisson Liu estimator, and Poisson K‐L estimator when the true s have the same sign and small variation. Therefore, we recommend using PAMLPE to address multicollinearity in PR when the signs of the true s are known to be identical in advance.
What Does it Take to Love a Bug? Knowledge, Emotional Valence, and Politics in Attitudes Toward Insect Conservation
Authors: Malt* Barbara C. , Marsh Jessecae K. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractDomain knowledge is often considered a minor contributor to environmental attitudes, with social and motivational factors dominating. Yet, domains may differ. Declining insect populations are a critical conservation concern but are not prominent in public discourse, potentially reducing the impact of social and motivational variables. We present data on the relations of insect knowledge (both propositional and causal), associated emotional valences, and political orientation to concern for insect conservation, for samples of American college students and U.S. and U.K. Prolific workers. We asked whether concern for insect conservation is more associated with knowledge than emotional valence or political orientation, and whether this is especially so for U.K. residents, who have a reputation for a love of nature that is not linked to political identity. We found that U.K. participants did show greater overall concern, consistent with the national reputation. Causal knowledge mattered, but political orientation was the strongest predictor of concern for insect conservation for both U.S. and U.K. participants. Valence contributed for U.S. participants but not for U.K. participants. Our results suggest that politicized public discourse penetrates attitudes toward insects even when it does not explicitly concern insects, and knowledge variation has less impact. However, the emotional reaction has a reduced influence where relevant discourse is less polarized. Insects may often evoke negative emotions and motivations, but it is not impossible to love a bug.
Dynamic Behavior of a Tilting-Pad Thrust Bearing Operating Under a Hybrid Lubrication Regime
Authors: Silva Barbosa Jefferson , Cavallini Aldemir Ap , Ferreira Santos Ilmar , Steffen Valder 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The present contribution aims to evaluate the effects of the oil pressure injection on the dynamic behavior of a hybrid-lubricated tilting-pad thrust bearing. First, a thermohydrodynamic model is applied to determine the equilibrium position as dictated by pressure and temperature distributions resulting from both hydrodynamic and hybrid lubrication regimes. Subsequently, the perturbation and frequency reduction methods are applied to determine the stiffness and damping coefficients of the bearing for various operational conditions. The results show that the dynamic force coefficients are strongly dependent on the operational conditions of the bearing, such as static load and rotating speed, as well as the perturbation frequency, for both lubrication regimes. The quantification of the injection pressure influence on the force coefficients of hybrid-lubricated thrust bearings is the main original contribution of this work.
Investigation of the Effects of Transmission Layout on Powertrain Efficiency, Performance, and Exhaust Emissions in Parallel Hybrid Vehicles
Authors: Karaoğlan Mustafa Umut 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
The investigation studies about increasing powertrain efficiency and reducing exhaust emissions and fuel consumption have been focused on hybrid vehicles for a few decades. However, the investigations are related to improvement of an individual powertrain component or energy management strategy for hybrid vehicles. Therefore, this study investigates the effects of the layout of the three-speed transmission and various gear selection procedures on vehicle performance, component efficiency, and exhaust emissions for same vehicle parameters, gear ratios, and capacity of the components in a parallel hybrid powertrain. Three design alternatives have been modeled and powertrain simulations have been performed according to the three different drive cycles as New European Drive Cycle (NEDC), Federal Test Procedure (FTP-72), and Istanbul Drive Cycle (IDC) using matlab®—Simulink® environment. The main simulation results are given for vehicle performance (acceleration, grading capacity, and maximum speed) and component efficiencies (battery and electric motor), brake-specific fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions of the engine as CO2, CO, HC, and NOx during the operation on the three-drive cycle. The simulation results showed that better vehicle performance, fuel consumption, and exhaust emissions can be achieved separately by changing the layout of the transmission in parallel hybrid vehicles.
Development and Validation of the Greek Version of Weight Pressures in Sport—Females Questionnaire
Authors: Kontele Ioanna , Vassilakou Tonia , Psychountaki Maria , Reel Justine J. , Donti Olyvia 
Published: June 2023

Weight Pressures in Sport—Females (WPS-F) questionnaire measures sport-related pressures that female athletes experience regarding body weight, shape, size, and appearance. In order to examine the psychometric properties of the Greek version of the inventory, two different studies were conducted. In the first study, using a sample (n = 225) of female Greek athletes aged 12–20 years, exploratory factor analysis produced two factors (Factor 1: Pressures From Coaches and Sports About Weight and Factor 2: Pressures Regarding Appearance and Performance) and supported the original factor structure. In the second study, using a different sample (n = 318) of female Greek athletes aged 11–18 years, confirmatory factor analysis provided support for the two-factor structure. Weight Pressures in Sport—Females questionnaire was demonstrated to be a valid and reliable instrument for Greek female athletic populations. Future studies should further test the factorial structure in younger and older athletes and in larger samples.
Detection of Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra of Optically Induced Carriers with the Properties of the Effective Mass in the WS2 Transition Metal Dichalcogenide
Authors: Babunts R. A. , Batueva A. V. , Gurin A. S. , Likhachev K. V. , Edinach E. V. , Baranov P. G. 
Published: June 2023

The spin properties of transition metal dichalcogenides are of interest for applications in spintronics. Anisotropic electron paramagnetic resonance spectra in a WS2 single crystal under optical excitation have been detected. These spectra assumingly belong to localized carriers near the valence band and reflect features of the 5d shell of the crystal. It has been shown that the g-factor for the magnetic field perpendicular to the c‑axis of the crystal (in-plane magnetic field) is larger than that for the magnetic field parallel to the c‑axis (perpendicular to the layer plane), which can provide information on the type of the 5d function. The discussed center is most likely described by the $$5d({{z}^{2}} - {{r}^{2}})$$ wavefunction, which can be associated with the valence band of the crystal.
Attendance characteristics of the breast and colorectal cancer screening programmes in a highly urbanised region of the Netherlands: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Bongaerts Thomas H G , Büchner Frederike L , de Munck Linda , Elferink Marloes A G , Guicherit Onno R , Numans Mattijs E 
Published: June 2023

ObjectivesThroughout Europe, many countries offer population-based cancer screening programmes (CSPs). In the Netherlands, two implemented CSPs are targeting people of 50 years and older, aiming at breast cancer (BC) and colorectal cancer (CRC). In order for a CSP to be (cost-)effective, high participation rates and outreach to the populations at risk are essential. People living in highly urbanised areas and big cities are known to participate less in CSPs. The aim of this study was to gain further insight into the participation patterns of a screening-eligible population of 50 years and over, living in a highly urbanised region, over a longer time period.DesignA retrospective observational study.SettingParticipation data of the regional screening organisation, linked to the cancer incidence data derived from the Netherlands Cancer Registry, concerning the city of The Hague, between 2005 and 2019. Attendance groups were defined as attenders (attending >50% of the invitations) and non-attenders (attending ≤50% of the invitations), and were mutually compared.ResultsThe databases contained 106 377 unique individuals on the BC screening programme (SP) and 73 669 on the CRC-SP. Non-attendance at both CSPs was associated with living in a lower socioeconomic status (SES) neighbourhood and as a counter effect, also associated with a more unfavourable, relatively late-stage, tumour diagnosis. When combining the results of the two CSPs, our results imply high screening adherence over time. Women who did not participate in both CSPs were older, and more often lived in neighbourhoods with a lower SES score.ConclusionsSince low screening uptake is one of the factors that contribute to increasing inequalities in cancer survival, future outreach strategies should be focused on engaging specific non-attending subgroups.
Effects of metformin on bone mineral density and bone turnover markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Hu Jinhua , Han Jingjie , Jin Min , Jin Jing , Zhu Jialei 
Published: June 2023

ObjectivesMetformin is associated with osteoblastogenesis and osteoclastogenesis. This study aims to investigate the impacts of metformin therapy on bone mineral density (BMD) and bone turnover markers.DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.MethodsSearches were carried out in PubMed, EMBASE, Web of science, Cochrane library, ClinicalTrials.gov from database inception to 26 September 2022. Two review authors assessed trial eligibility in accordance with established inclusion criteria. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool (RoB V.2.0). Data analysis was conducted with Stata Statistical Software V.16.0 and Review Manager Software V.5.3.ResultsA total of 15 studies with 3394 participants were identified for the present meta-analysis. Our pooled results indicated that metformin had no statistically significant effects on BMD at lumbar spine (SMD=−0.05, 95% CI=–0.19 to 0.09, p=0.47, participants=810; studies=7), at femoral (MD=−0.01 g/cm2, 95% CI=−0.04 to 0.01 g/cm2, p=0.25, participants=601; studies=3) and at hip (MD=0.01 g/cm2, 95% CI=–0.02 to 0.03 g/cm2, p=0.56, participants=634; studies=4). Metformin did not lead to significant change in osteocalcin, osteoprotegerin and bone alkaline phosphatase. Metformin induced decreases in N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen (MD=−6.09 µg/L, 95% CI=–9.38 to −2.81 µg/L, p=0.0003, participants=2316; studies=7) and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (MD=−55.80 ng/L, 95% CI=–97.33 to −14.26 ng/L, p=0.008, participants=2325; studies=7).ConclusionThis meta-analysis indicated that metformin had no significant effect on BMD. Metformin decreased some bone turnover markers as N-terminal propeptide of type I procollagen and C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen. But the outcomes should be interpreted with caution due to several limitations.