bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Biocontrol of weedy Sporobolus grasses in Australia using fungal pathogens
Authors: Steinrucken T. V. , Vitelli J. S. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractIn Australia there are five weedy Sporobolus grass (WSG) species that heavily impact agricultural industries and native biodiversity. WSG have been the subject of several efforts to find host-specific pathogens with potential for classical and inundative biocontrol. Most of these studies are only discussed in unpublished reports or theses, so in this paper we synthesise the available peer-reviewed and ‘grey’ literature that discuss classical, augmentative and inundative biocontrol of WSG in Australia using fungal pathogens. We consider the hundreds of fungal pathogens previously isolated from Sporobolus hosts on an international and national scale. Of the pathogens investigated for WSG biocontrol previously, the only promising classical biocontrol agent was a smut fungus (Ustilago sporoboli-indici) from South Africa that is now present in Queensland and New South Wales, Australia. Its method of introduction to Australia is unknown. We hence discuss the history and potential for augmentative biocontrol of WSG using U. sporoboli-indici. Next, we summarise inundative biocontrol efforts. Several ascomycetes isolated from Australian WSG populations have been tested in this regard, including species of Nigrospora, Fusarium, Curvularia, Microdochium, Pestalotiopsis, and Neopestalotiopsis. However, a lack of host-specificity or efficacy subsequently precluded their further development, and potential improvements on those inundative biocontrol studies are discussed. Finally, we discuss a collection of endemic fungal taxa isolated from diseased Sporobolus in Australia, which are currently undergoing virulence, pathogenicity, and host-specificity screening as potential inundative biocontrol agents for WSG. Our intention is that the lessons learned from previous studies and summarised herein, will support ongoing development of WSG biocontrol agents in Australia, and more broadly, weed biocontrol using plant pathogens anywhere in the world.
Effects of orange rust on sugarcane yield traits in a multi-environment breeding program
Authors: Dijoux Jordan , Dumont Thomas , Paysan Maureen , Legrand Charline , Hervouet Catherine , Barau Laurent , Rott Philippe , Hoarau Jean-Yves 
Published: March 2023

AbstractOrange rust caused by Puccinia kuehnii is a major emerging disease in many sugarcane-producing countries. Breeding for resistant varieties is the main strategy for controlling orange rust. The rapid spread of this disease in recently contaminated sugarcane industries offers the opportunity to use on-going breeding trials to investigate the effect of orange rust on yield traits and gauge levels of resistance required to minimize losses. Orange rust was first observed in 2018 in Reunion. This study reports the effects of the disease on cane yield (CY), recoverable sugar (RS), fiber content (FIB) and economic index (EI) in five environments of Reunion’s sugarcane breeding program located in diverse agro-climatic zones. Disease resistance assessed under natural infection had high broad-sense heritability (0.76–0.91) in multi-environment analyses. Mean infection levels differed between locations congruently with location differences for two influential climatic parameters (humidity and temperature). Maximum potential yield losses ($${YL}_{max}$$

YL

max

) associated with orange rust were estimated using regression analyses of yield traits versus disease susceptibility. $${YL}_{max}$$

YL

max

for CY and EI varied between environments and reached up to 26.0% and 24.2% respectively, in one of the most humid environments. RS was either unaffected or only slightly increased by the disease. In contrast, FIB was always reduced by the disease ($${YL}_{max}$$

YL

max

≤6.5%). Multi-environment analyses of yield traits of varieties common to all five environments gave insights into the impact of orange rust on the yielding ability of these varieties across all environments. All these data provide food for thoughts to efficient breeding strategies for varietal resistance to orange rust.
Reframing Prehistoric Human-Proboscidean Interactions: on the Use and Implications of Ethnohistoric Records for Understanding the Productivity of Hunting Megaherbivores
Authors: Lupo Karen D. , Schmitt Dave N. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe
role that humans played in the extinction of Pleistocene proboscideans is highly controversial. Ethnohistoric records of elephant hunting, in concert with theoretical rationales, are often used as proxy evidence to support the view that ancient humans regularly and efficiently targeted large-sized proboscideans to the point of extinction. This paper examines the socioeconomic and technological contexts of elephant hunting in contemporary and ethnohistoric records to show how these circumstances influenced the scale of harvest, productivity, and valuation of elephants. Quantitative and qualitative evidence derived from some of these records are used to analyze the efficiency of elephant capture using traditional hunting technologies (spears, poisoned projectiles, traps, and drives). This analytical framework provides a systematic method for evaluating the productivity of proboscidean predation. Results show that prior to the widespread use of firearms in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the acquisition of elephants, irrespective of the traditional hunting technology used, was a dangerous, high-cost activity often associated with a high-risk of hunting failure. In the ethnographic record, elephant hunting is consistently associated with prestige-seeking among egalitarian hunter-gatherers. Although the analysis presented here is derived from hunting episodes that involved modern elephants, the physical characteristics and abilities that make these animals expensive and risky to hunt were likely manifested by most Pleistocene proboscideans. Using ethnographic data, a framework for recognizing how prestige hunting is manifested under different ecological and sociopolitical circumstances is provided and offers an alternative and compelling explanation for zooarchaeological patterning of costly prey in the past.
The Prevalence of Mental Health Service Use in Australian Workers with Accepted Workers’ Compensation Claims for Low Back Pain: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Gray Shannon E. , Di Donato M. , Sheehan L. R. , Iles R. , Collie A. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability globally and interferes with work performance and quality of life. For work-related LBP, Australian workers can receive workers’ compensation and access funded healthcare to promote recovery, including mental health services, as there are strong links between chronic LBP and mental health. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of funded mental health services for workers with compensated LBP.

Methods
Claims and services data from four Australian workers’ compensation jurisdictions were analysed. Prevalence of accessing at least one mental health service was reported as a percentage of all claims overall and by duration of time loss, age group, sex, financial year of claim lodgement, jurisdiction, socioeconomic status and remoteness. Odds of accessing at least one service was determined using logistic regression.

Results
Almost 10% of LBP claims accessed at least one mental health service (9.7%) with prevalence increasing with time loss. Prevalence was highest in Victoria however a higher percentage of workers with LBP accessed mental health services earlier in Queensland. Odds of accessing services was highest with longest time loss duration, among females and in Queensland. Lower odds were observed in regional areas and among those aged over 56 years.

Conclusion
Findings suggest opportunities for workers’ compensation regulators and insurers to provide greater access to appropriate mental health services alongside physical treatment as standard practice, such as those in more remote locations or earlier in a claim, to improve recovery outcomes for workers with LBP.
Novel BECCS implementation integrating chemical looping combustion with oxygen uncoupling and a kraft pulp mill cogeneration plant
Authors: Saari Jussi , Peltola Petteri , Kuparinen Katja , Kaikko Juha , Sermyagina Ekaterina , Vakkilainen Esa 
Published: March 2023

AbstractBioenergy with CO2 capture and storage (BECCS) is a promising negative emission technology (NET). When using sustainably produced biomass as fuel, BECCS allows the production of power and heat with negative CO2 emissions. The main technical challenges hindering the deployment of BECCS technologies include energy penalties associated with the capture process. This work evaluates the performance of an advanced CO2 capture technology, chemical looping with oxygen uncoupling (CLOU), replacing a conventional fluidized bed boiler in the power boiler role in a large, modern integrated pulp and paper mill. Results from a MATLAB/Simulink reactor model were incorporated in a plant and integration model developed in a commercial process simulation software to quantify the performance of the CLOU-integrated cogeneration plant. The results show that in this specific application, the typically already low efficiency penalty of CLOU-based carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems could be eliminated entirely, and actually even a very small efficiency gain could be obtained. The highly efficient operation is possible due to the high moisture and hydrogen contents of the biomass and the separation of combustion products and excess air streams in the CLOU process; this provides an opportunity to recover a significant amount of heat by flue gas condensation at a higher temperature level than what is possible in a conventional boiler. Together with abundant low-temperature heat sinks available at the pulp and paper application allows freeing a considerable amount of low-pressure steam for expansion in the condensing turbine. The resulting increase in gross generator output proved enough to not only match, but very slightly exceed the approximately 18 MW parasitic load introduced by the CLOU system in comparison to the conventional boiler.
Multimedia ad exposure scale: measuring short-term impact of online ad exposure
Authors: Aslan Oğuz Evin , Strle Gregor , Košir Andrej 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThe shift toward fragmented and ubiquitous use of multimedia poses several challenges to our understanding and assessment of multimedia exposure and its effects. This article focuses on multimedia advertising exposure and its impact on consumer behavior. It presents the development of Multimedia Ad Exposure Scale (MMAES) – an instrument designed to measure short-term effects of online multimedia ad exposure in terms of engagement, psychological reactance, awareness and attitude, and purchase intention. The main research challenge has been to identify core dimensions that can reliably measure such exposure, particularly in the context of ad-supported video streaming. The development of MMAES is presented through its conceptualization, operationalization, and an observational study conducted via crowdsourcing. The target group is young adults (ages 18-24, N = 360), digital natives who engage with ad-supported video streaming more than any other user group. Exploratory factor analysis revealed a well-defined four-factor structure of MMAES. The results of the validity and reliability measures show good content and construct validity as well as good overall reliability and very good internal consistency of MMAES. Overall, the results show that MMAES is a reliable instrument for measuring the short-term effects of multimedia ad exposure and its weak ground truth.
Politics, markets, and CEO pay: a congruence analysis of two competing theoretical explanations of executive compensation at large firms in Finland
Authors: Rosenblum Jordan 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis article conducts a congruence analysis on the historical development of CEO pay at large firms in Finland to contribute to the debate between prominent competing theoretical perspectives on the causes of CEO pay and consequent income inequality. It examines the alignment of the empirical evidence on CEO pay in Finland with a market-based theory, which emphasizes market forces, and a politics-based theory, which emphasizes the distribution of power between labor and employers, drawing from Power Resources Theory, to see whether a particular perspective holds more explanatory power. The congruence analysis finds that the expectations of the politics-based perspective are aligned with CEO pay developments in the 1970s and 1980s, when labor was strong and CEO pay was modest, as well as the difference between CEO pay developments before the mid-1990s and afterward, when employers were strong and CEO pay grew rapidly to new heights. It also finds that the market-based perspective is helpful for explaining developments starting in the mid-1990s. The impact of the market on CEO pay is shown to be contingent on the distribution of power in society.
Myopic capital market concerns and investment incentives in business alliances
Authors: Chen Hui , Pfeiffer Thomas 
Published: March 2023

AbstractWe study a publicly traded firm that cares about its short-term stock market performance while collaborating with a privately owned firm in a business alliance. The firms each undertake a relation-specific investment and then bargain over the allocation of the joint surplus generated by the alliance. The public firm’s myopic market concerns affect both the total size of the surplus and how the firms divide the surplus. While the public firm always becomes more aggressive and obtains more of the surplus, the total size of the surplus may become larger or smaller, due to the effect of myopic market concerns on the firms’ investment incentives. We establish conditions under which the investment and the value of each firm increase or decrease with market concerns. The market concerns could mitigate or exacerbate the hold-up problem between the two firms and thus could either benefit or harm the whole business alliance. We also study two extensions with (i) the two investments being substitutes instead of complements and (ii) both firms being publicly listed. In both cases, the insights from our main model still hold.
Economic policy uncertainty, renewable energy and environmental degradation: Evidence from Egypt
Authors: Selmey Mousa Gowfal , Elamer Ahmed A 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
This study contributes to the growing but still limited body of literature on the impact of economic policy uncertainty, renewable energy usage, and economic growth on environmental degradation in Egypt. Using the autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bound test, we examine the existence of cointegration relationships in Egypt over the period 1990–2018. Our results indicate that economic policy uncertainty is positively associated with environmental degradation in both the short and long run. Additionally, we find that economic growth exacerbates environmental degradation in both the short and long term. Finally, renewable energy consumption has a significant negative effect on environmental degradation in the long run. Therefore, ensuring economic policy stability is crucial for maintaining environmental quality. To this end, Egyptian policymakers should prioritize low-carbon research and development techniques, as well as the adoption of renewable energy sources to mitigate environmental degradation.
Zirconium preconcentration from zircon raffinate using gamma radiation–induced polymerization of reduced graphene oxide composite
Authors: Ali Amr Hamdi , Abdo Shaimaa Mohammed , Dakroury Gehan Abdel Rahman Sadek 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Zirconium is commonly used as a cladding material for nuclear reactors. The purity of the zirconium material seeks to control reactor efficiency. A novel composite of reduced graphene oxide–grafted polyacrylic acid, malic acid, and trioctylamine (rGO-g-PAA-MA/TOA) was prepared using in situ radical polymerization with gamma radiation at a dose of 25 KGy from a 60Co cell to preconcentrate zirconium Zr(IV) from zircon raffinate. Five distinct rGO-g-PAA-MA/TOA composite compositions were created and evaluated. The best composite composition was 62.95% acrylic acid, 15.8% malic acid, and 15.8% trioctylamine. After 60 min, the sorption reaction reached equilibrium at pH 0.35 and 20 °C. The pseudo nth order indicated that the order of the sorption reaction was 1.8476. The Elovich model and Dubinin-Radushkevich model controlled the kinetic mechanism and adsorption isotherm of the sorption reaction, respectively; based on estimated regression plots and quantitatively with three different error functions: coefficient of determination (R2), chi-square statistic (χ2), and corrected Akaike information (AICc). The adsorption capacity of rGO-g-PAA-MA/TOA was 75.06 mg g−1. Exothermic reaction and spontaneous sorption took place. Using 2 M H2SO4, 98% of the zirconium was efficiently desorbed. The separation of contaminated Ti(IV) from desorbed Zr(IV) by raising pH to 2.5 through hydrolysis and ZrO2 formation.
Resource productivity and environmental degradation in EU-27 countries: context of material footprint
Authors: Mushafiq Muhammad , Prusak Błażej 
Published: March 2023

AbstractThis study explores the relationship between the resource productivity and environmental degradation in European Union-27 countries. This study tests this relationship in context of high, moderate, and low material footprint sub-samples; these samples are formed utilizing the expectation–maximization machine learning algorithm. Using the panel data set of EU-27 countries from 2000 to 2020, linear and non-linear autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) are applied for the symmetric and asymmetric evidence and to test environmental Kuznets curve (EKC), linear ARDL with the quadratic function is included. Results of the symmetric relationship find evidence of resource productivity’s impact on the environmental degradation. In full sample of EU-27, both symmetric and asymmetric methods show that the short run and long run increase of resource productivity lower the environmental degradation. Only long run asymmetric relationship in high material footprint subsamples supports that the resource productivity controls environmental degradation. Results of moderate material footprint sub-sample are mixed. However, low material footprint countries show that resource productivity in long run controls the environmental degradation in symmetry and only positive resource controls productivity in short run in asymmetric relationship. The reason for mixed results is the quadratic nature of sub-samples. EKC hypothesis is validated in moderate and low material footprint sub-samples. This research has many policy implications.
Macrophage Anti-inflammatory Behaviour in a Multiphase Model of Atherosclerotic Plaque Development
Authors: Ahmed Ishraq U. , Byrne Helen M. , Myerscough Mary R. 
Published: March 2023

AbstractAtherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease characterised by the formation of plaques, which are deposits of lipids and cholesterol-laden macrophages that form in the artery wall. The inflammation is often non-resolving, due in large part to changes in normal macrophage anti-inflammatory behaviour that are induced by the toxic plaque microenvironment. These changes include higher death rates, defective efferocytic uptake of dead cells, and reduced rates of emigration. We develop a free boundary multiphase model for early atherosclerotic plaques, and we use it to investigate the effects of impaired macrophage anti-inflammatory behaviour on plaque structure and growth. We find that high rates of cell death relative to efferocytic uptake results in a plaque populated mostly by dead cells. We also find that emigration can potentially slow or halt plaque growth by allowing material to exit the plaque, but this is contingent on the availability of live macrophage foam cells in the deep plaque. Finally, we introduce an additional bead species to model macrophage tagging via microspheres, and we use the extended model to explore how high rates of cell death and low rates of efferocytosis and emigration prevent the clearance of macrophages from the plaque.
Die Vorhersage von Lockerungsmissbräuchen und intramuralen Regelverstößen mittels aktuarischer Prognoseinstrumente – eine retrospektive Validierungsstudie der OGRS 3 und des SVG-5
Authors: Verzagt Hanna , Heyder Robin , Biedermann Laura , Rettenberger Martin 
Published: March 2023

ZusammenfassungKriminalprognostische Verfahren sind unerlässlicher Bestandteil der Beurteilung von Rückfallwahrscheinlichkeiten im Zuge von Entlassungsentscheidungen. Ihre Eignung zur Vorhersage von Lockerungsmissbräuchen und intramuralen Regelverstößen wurde hingegen bislang kaum untersucht. Die vorliegende Studie prüft die prädiktive Validität der 3. Version der Offender Group Reconviction Scale (OGRS 3) und des Screeninginstrument zur Vorhersage des Gewaltrisikos (SVG-5) an einer Stichprobe von 200 Insassen der Justizvollzugsanstalt Frankenthal. Darüber hinaus werden weitere potenzielle Prädiktoren explorativ untersucht. Für die Prognoseinstrumente ergeben sich überwiegend geringe bis maximal moderate Effektstärken (OGRS 3: Area Under the Curve (AUC) = 0,522 bis 0,556 und SVG-5: AUC = 0,561 bis 0,653). Die vorliegenden Ergebnisse sollten aufgrund methodischer Limitationen allerdings zurückhaltend interpretiert werden. Sie können jedoch als Ausgangspunkt und Grundlage für zukünftige Forschung in diesem Bereich verwendet werden, da die Resultate nahelegen, dass auch Lockerungsmissbräuche und intramurales Fehlverhalten grundsätzlich vorhergesagt werden können.
Chemotherapy in Cutaneous Melanoma: Is There Still a Role?
Authors: Pham James P. , Joshua Anthony M. , da Silva Ines P. , Dummer Reinhard , Goldinger Simone M. 
Published: March 2023

Abstract
Purpose of Review
In the preceding decade, the management of metastatic cutaneous melanoma has been revolutionised with the development of highly effective therapies including immune checkpoint inhibitors (specifically CTLA-4 and PD-1 inhibitors) and targeted therapies (BRAF and MEK inhibitors). The role of chemotherapy in the contemporary management of melanoma is undefined.

Recent Findings
Extended analyses highlight substantially improved 5-year survival rates of approximately 50% in patients with metastatic melanoma treated with first-line therapies. However, most patients will progress on these first-line treatments. Sequencing of chemotherapy following failure of targeted and immunotherapies is associated with low objective response rates and short progression-free survival, and thus, meaningful benefits to patients are minimal.

Summary
Chemotherapy has limited utility in the contemporary management of cutaneous melanoma (with a few exceptions, discussed herein) and should not be the standard treatment sequence following failure of first-line therapies. Instead, enrolment onto clinical trials should be standard-of-care in these patients.