bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
US-China Strategic Competition in the Context of the Global COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Rigger Shelley , Montagne Jamie Rose 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Since the end of the Qing dynasty, US-China relations have had a strong strategic dimension. Whether the two sides were allied in the fight against Japanese militarism, divided over Communism, or drawn together in an anti-Soviet rapprochement, strategic considerations have always played a key role. At times, engagement has emerged as both sides’ strategic preference, while at other times, the dominant form of interaction was competition. As this paper will show, policymakers in the US rarely embrace engagement without reservation; skepticism and caution are persistent themes in Washington’s China policy. Nonetheless, the balance of engagement and competition shifted toward competition after the Global Financial Crisis, and that trend has accelerated since 2015. As China’s economic, military, and political power have grown, its relationship with the US has deteriorated. The COVID-19 pandemic has reinforced the tension between the two great powers. Both sides’ policies are shaped by interactions and “facts on the ground,” but concepts and theories from the world of international relations (IR) theory have also contributed. We will argue that these theoretical perspectives have, at times, oversimplified complex drivers and motivations, reducing each side’s perception of the other to caricature. The result is to make difficult challenges even more fraught. A more rational, evidence-based approach to the relationship—one that avoids unnecessary confrontation and conflict—requires abandoning a priori thinking and assumption-driven policymaking.
Strategic Choices for Switzerland in the US-China Competition
Authors: Grano Simona A. , Weber Ralph 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
This chapter explores the case of Switzerland as a “small power” in the currently emerging new world order. Particularly, we address the Swiss position amid the growing strategic competition between the United States (US) and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and given its long-standing but evolving practice of neutrality. In our chapter, we set off by discussing Switzerland’s foreign policy positioning against the backdrop of three theoretical perspectives: Switzerland as a state like all others; Switzerland as a small state; and, finally Switzerland as a small neutral state. With the help of these three categories, we further locate Switzerland’s foreign policy firmly in the “hedging zone,” especially concerning the country’s China policy. The chapter then discusses four key documents, all of which have been released in recent years, drawing out the country’s foreign policy framework, before reaching some conclusions.
Continuity and Change in Italy-China Relations: From Economic Pragmatism to Selective Followership and Back
Authors: Andornino Giovanni B. 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Italy is generally not a conspicuous actor in world affairs. In 2019, however, the Italian government chose to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for cooperation within the framework of China’s “Belt and Road Initiative” (BRI), thereby stepping right into the middle of what has become a defining feature of the current international system, namely the US-China strategic competition. This chapter focuses on Italy’s domestic politics to argue that Rome used the BRI MoU as a tool to strike a tactical entente with the PRC to leverage Beijing’s resulting goodwill in order to extract the economic concessions that had long eluded Italian policy-makers. Between 2018 and 2019 Italy reacted to the budding “neutrality” vs. “taking sides” dilemma in the post-unipolar order by moving across “sub-zones” within a China policy that remained firmly anchored in the “hedging zone”.
The UK’s Response to the Challenge of Managing Its Relationships with China and the US
Authors: Wye Roderic F. 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
As a medium-sized power, but one with particular global responsibilities and ambitions deriving from its position on the UN Security Council, the UK finds itself in a special position in terms of a balancing to bandwagoning continuum (The concept is taken from Alan Bloomfield, 2016) in its response to China in the light of the intense strategic competition between China and the US that has been emerging. The UK has until recently operated, as Australia, largely within the central hedging zone, seeking its own relationship with China, but remaining fundamentally committed to the alliance with the US. But that positioning rather underestimates the profound shifts that have taken place in Britain’s overall view and relationship with China. Less than a decade ago the UK was rejoicing in the so-called golden era of its bond with China, a description that seemed to be aligning the UK in some respects more closely with Chinese objectives (and certainly using Chinese-style language to describe the connection). It is now considerably more China-sceptical.
Navigating and Riding the Double Bind of Economic and Political Hedging: Japan and the US-China Strategic Competition
Authors: Chiavacci David 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Japan finds itself in a double bind. On the one hand, the United States (US) has been a committed military ally, guaranteeing the national security of Japan since 1952. Any discussion of abandonment by the US sends shockwaves throughout the conservative security establishment of Japan. On the other hand, the rise of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) has transformed it into the most important trade partner of Japan, by far. Japan is interested in a continued expansion of the PRC economy. This paper analyzes the foreign economic policy of Japan and the security policy of the conservative, LDP-led governments under the leadership of Prime Minister Shinzō Abe (2012–2020) and his successors in this complex interplay of international relations and national politics.
Food System in India. Challenges, Performance and Promise
Authors: Gulati Ashok , Paroda Raj , Puri Sanjiv , Narain D. , Ghanwat Anil 
Published: January 2023

AbstractIndia’s transformation of its food system from a highly deficient one in the mid-1960s to one that is self-reliant and marginally surplus now is a success story that holds lessons for many smallholder economies in Africa and south and south-east Asia. India has emerged as the largest producer of milk, spices, cotton and pulses; the second largest producer of wheat, rice, fruits and vegetables; the third largest producer of eggs; and the fifth largest producer of poultry meat. It is also the largest exporter of rice, spices and bovine meat. All of this became possible with an infusion of new technologies, innovative institutional engineering, and the right incentives. However, as India looks towards 2030 and beyond, its food system faces many challenges ranging from increasing pressure on natural resources (soils, water, air, forests) to climate change to fragmenting land holdings, increasing urbanisation, and high rates of malnutrition amongst children. To meet these challenges successfully, India needs a proper mix of policies- from the subsidy-driven to the investment-driven, from price policy to income policy, promoting agricultural diversification towards more nutritious food. It also needs to incentivise its private sector to build efficient and inclusive value chains, giving due importance to environmental sustainability. More innovative technologies, from green-to-gene, increasing digitalisation, the Internet of Things, and artificial intelligence, would be needed to ‘produce more from less’ with a goal of feeding the most populous nation on this planet by 2030 in a sustainable manner.
The Transition Steps Needed to Transform Our Food Systems
Authors: Webb Patrick , Flynn Derek J. , Kelly Niamh M. , Thomas Sandy M. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractContemporary food systems are unable to keep up with the food and nutritional demands of the world’s population and are unsustainable. The situation is set to worsen in the future due population growth and climate change, increasing competition for land, water, and other natural resources, and emerging diseases, conflict, and economic volatility. Government policymakers, donors, businesses, non-governmental organisations, and civil society should be encouraged to adopt a radical approach to transforming contemporary food systems. This chapter chalks out a practical plan for specific transition steps needed for the transformation of food systems. It lays out steps that can be taken at the international level, by national governments, civil societies, companies operating in the food system, and donors. It is emphasised that food systems need to move beyond addressing hunger to address all forms of malnutrition. Consumer demand needs to be harnessed as a significant driver of change. Food systems must become fully environmentally sustainable, thereby operating within planetary boundaries, and no one must be left behind during the transition. The transition needs to deliver transformed food systems capable of operating at two speeds, i.e., responding to immediate needs and short-term shocks, but also able to address the long-term restructuring of food systems needed to respond to climate change, population growth and urbanisation. The choices faced by these stakeholders may be confsidered by setting new priorities and principles to guide transition choices, placing poor and marginalised people at the heart of the transition, tackling trade-offs and compromises head on, ensuring that the transition process is appropriately resourced, and incentivising and supporting the actions.
The effect of partial delignification on the stress–strain relationship in transverse compression
Authors: Jakob Matthias , Gindl-Altmutter Wolfgang 
Published: January 2023

AbstractDue to very significant improvements in the mechanical performance of solid wood, densification after partial or full delignification has received renewed attention. While studies predominantly focus on isolated cases, e.g., one wood species densified in one anatomical direction, systematic investigations of the effect of wood structure on the densification process are seldom performed. The present study compares the deformation patterns of one representative softwood (spruce) and hardwood (poplar), respectively, in transverse compression. In terms of variables, the native and partially delignified state, wet and dry conditions, and three different orientations of wood grain are considered. It shows that the structural inhomogeneity of spruce wood, with low-density earlywood and high-density latewood, governs its densification pattern and hinders defect-free densification. Contrarily, diffuse-porous poplar is structurally more homogeneous, which together with more efficient softening by delignification leads to favorable densification behavior. Overall, delignification led to a significant softening of both wood species in transverse compression, which greatly enhanced the softening effect of high wood moisture content.
Resveratrol rescues cutaneous radiation-induced DNA damage via a novel AMPK/SIRT7/HMGB1 regulatory axis
Authors: Jin Yi , Liu Xingyuan , Liang Xiaoting , Liu Jiabin , Liu Jieyu , Han Zonglin , Lu Qianxin , Wang Ke , Meng Bingyao , Zhang Chunting , Xu Minna , Guan Jian , Ma Li , Zhou Liang 
Published: January 2023

AbstractCutaneous radiation injury (CRI) interrupts the scheduled process of radiotherapy and even compromises the life quality of patients. However, the current clinical options for alleviating CRI are relatively limited. Resveratrol (RSV) has been shown to be a promising protective agent against CRI; yet the mechanisms of RSV enhancing radioresistance were not fully elucidated and limited its clinical application. In this study, we demonstrate RSV promotes cutaneous radioresistance mainly through SIRT7. During ionizing radiation (IR) treatment, RSV indirectly phosphorylates and activates SIRT7 through AMPK, which is critical for maintaining the genome stability of keratinocytes. Immunoprecipitation and mass spectrometry identified HMGB1 to be the key interacting partner of SIRT7 to mediate the radioprotective function of RSV. Mechanistic study elucidated that SIRT7 interacts with and deacetylates HMGB1 to redistribute it into nucleus and “switch on” its function for DNA damage repair. Our findings establish a novel AMPK/SIRT7/HMGB1 regulatory axis that mediates the radioprotective function of RSV to alleviate IR-induced cutaneous DNA injury, providing an efficiently-curative option for patients with CRI during radiotherapy.
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) reservoirs, and antibiotics resistance trends: a one-health surveillance for risk analysis from “farm-to-fork”
Authors: Meena Prem Raj , Priyanka Priyanka , Singh Arvind Pratap 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
Extraintestinal pathogenic Escherichia coli (ExPEC) associated infections are significant health concerns for both animals and humans. ExPEC strains are associated with various infections in humans, i.e. urinary tract infections, meningitis, septicemia, and other infections. Over the few years, several studies revealed, food animals act as a reservoir for ExPEC pathovars, but there is no information about the agricultural sector. In particular, the extensive use of antibiotics in food animals and agricultural settings could be significantly contributed to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant pathogens. However, global outbreaks of food-borne illnesses from contaminated food have made a significant concern for both public health and food safety. This review focuses on the reservoirs for ExPEC and their potential circulation between animals, humans, and environment. In this, we first report that the agricultural setting could be the reservoir of ExPEC and can play a role in disseminating antimicrobial-resistant ExPEC. A thorough understanding of ExPEC ecology, reservoirs, and transmission dynamics can significantly contribute to reducing the burden of ExPEC-associated infections. Overall, the study provides the important data on the current state of knowledge for different reservoirs with dynamic, dissemination, and transmission of antimicrobial-resistance ExPEC in animals, humans, and environment in the “One-Health” context.
Bacterial species-specific antimicrobial efficacies of three different body embalming solutions for anatomical studies
Authors: Lindenberg Marc , Buchhorn Andreas , Reineke Christiane , Vonberg Ralf-Peter , Schmiedl Andreas 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
While body decompensation is mainly facilitated by bacteria, investigating the antimicrobial properties of body preservation methods is still a neglected research area. We performed microbiological sampling for potentially pathogenic bacteria species of brain, lung, liver, colon, and subcutis samples obtained from bodies perfused with embalming solutions of variable composition with emphasis on variable formaldehyde concentrations. We, thereby, identified spore-forming aerobic and anaerobic bacteria mainly in the samples obtained from the colon of ethanol- and lower-concentrated formaldehyde formulation embalmed bodies. Moreover, we could identify Enterococcus species in bodies preserved with the latter method. Tissue samples of the subcutis remained sterile. Long-term incubation of special mycobacteria growth indicator tubes revealed no growth of mycobacteria in all 60 samples analyzed. Overall, we show survival of bacterial genera known to be especially environmentally resistant but also include potentially pathogenic members. Knowledge of bactericidal capacities of embalming solutions are therefore critical to assess risk and apply appropriate disinfection routines while working with human bodies. Moreover, new formulations to reduce potentially toxic substances for embalming needs to be evaluated regarding their bactericidal capacities.
Efficient conversion of rebaudioside C to steviol by Paenarthrobacter ilicis CR5301
Authors: Li Hongfei , Sun Daqing , Cao Longkui , Wang Baohui 
Published: January 2023

Abstract
To improve the conversion efficiency of rebaudioside C, this study screened the Paenarthrobacter ilicis CR5301 from soil samples and identified it by 16S rRNA. The conversion experiment proved that P. ilicis CR5301 was capable of converting rebaudioside C. The effects of initial pH, temperature, inoculation amount, and substrate concentration on rebaudioside C conversion rate were investigated. The results showed that the conversion rate of rebaudioside C reached up to 100% when CR5301 was incubated in a conversion medium with an initial pH of 7.0 for 8 h at 28°C and 270 rpm. The conversion time was reduced by at least 16 h compared with previous studies. The conversion product was analyzed and identified as steviol by high performance liquid chromatography, ultra performance liquid chromatography-triple-time of flight mass spectrometer, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy methods. In addition, stevioside, rebaudioside A, dulcoside A, and some unknown components in steviol glycosides byproduct were all efficiently converted to steviol. These findings provide an efficient approach to the conversion of rebaudioside C and byproduct to steviol to simplify the subsequent industrial process and improve the reuse value of steviol glycosides.
Hot off the press: SGEM#383: Tommy can you hear me—Deaf and hard‐of‐hearing patients in the ED
Authors: Heitz Corey , Challen Kirsty , Milne William K. 
Published: January 2023

AbstractPatients who are deaf and hard of hearing may have difficulty accessing healthcare resources when compared with non‐deaf or hard of hearing patients. Little research has been performed investigating in what ways these difficulties manifest. This article summarizes the podcast and blog discussing the manuscript by James et al. in which deaf and hard of hearing patients are compared to non‐deaf and hard of hearing patients when it comes to acuity, length of stay, and emergency department revisits. Social media commentary is included.
Transition of cluster headache phenotype: An interview-based study
Authors: Søborg Marie-Louise Kulas , Petersen Anja Sofie , Lund Nunu , Wandall-Holm Malthe Faurschou , Jensen Rigmor Højland , Barloese Mads 
Published: January 2023

Background Cluster headache exists diagnostically in a chronic and episodic variant between which patients can convert. We aimed to describe how many patients change phenotype, elucidate possible factors associated with this transition and identify differences in clinical features between primary and secondary phenotypes. Methods 540 well-defined cluster headache patients according to current ICHD-criteria completed a cross-sectional semi-structured interview. Results Total transition-incidence for the cohort was 20.7%. Conversion from chronic to episodic was reported by 6.3% and transition from episodic to chronic by 14.4% with attack side shift as a possible predictor (p = 0.007). Compared to primary chronic patients, secondary chronic patients had more frequent (60 vs 34 per month, p = 0.0487), but shorter (60 vs 90 minutes, p = 0.041) attacks. Secondary episodic patients experienced shorter remission periods than primary episodic patients (6 vs 11 months, p = 0.010). Treatment response was poor in all groups and only one third had effective prevention. Conclusion Cluster headache is a fluctuating disorder with a fifth of our cohort having experienced at least one phenotype change during course of disease. Apart from attack side shifts, no predictors for transition were identified. Severity differed between primary and secondary subtypes. Overall, there is an urgent need for better understanding of cluster headache.
The quality of acid soils treated with seaweed (Kappapychus alvarezii) sap enriched biochar from Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: Kilowasid Laode Muhammad Harjoni , Manik Dwita Siniona , Nevianti Nevianti , Komang Gusti Arya , Mutmainna Puja , Afa La Ode , Rakian Tresjia Corina , Hisein Waode Siti Anima , Ramadhan La Ode Ahmad Nur , Alam Syamsu 
Published: January 2023

Biochar enriched with fertilizers has the potential to improve the quality of acid soils. In the agricultural sector, it was reported that the sap of <em>Kappapychus</em><em> alvarezii</em> (K-sap) is often used as a biofertilizer. Therefore, this study aimed to (i) examine the character of biochar enriched with the K-sap and (ii) analyze the soil quality after incubation. This study was carried out using two treatment factors arranged in a randomized block design, namely the biochar dose at 0%, 2.5%, 5.0%, and 7.5% in weight and K-sap at concentrations of 0%, 5%, 10%, and 15%. Ten kilograms of acid soil were incubated with K-sap enriched biochar for up to 2 weeks in each experimental pot. The results showed that the absorption band increased with the K-sap concentration for the functional group associated with the OH-stretching of the biochar enriched with K-sap was stronger and wider than the unenriched. The peak elevation pattern detected by X-ray diffraction for all biochars was similar. The dosage of 7.5% biochar enriched with 5%-10% K-sap concentrations increased pH, EC, organic C, total N, C:N ratio, available P, and exchangeable K, Ca, Mg, and Si than those without treatment. Furthermore, ammonium and total spores of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi decreased, flagellates increased with and without the biochar, while the nitrate, total bacteria, and fungi of all treatments were similar. Based on these results, it was concluded that biochar enriched with K-sap could improve the quality of acid soil.
A technology package to improve growth and yield of sweet sorghum in ex-coal mining land, East Kalimantan, Indonesia
Authors: Munawwarah Tarbiyatul , Sulaeman Yiyi 
Published: January 2023

Huge ex-coal mining land provides the soil for crop development, yet soil improvement is required. Fertilizer and soil organic matter application and liming are standard practices to improve soil productivity. The integrated crop and land management (ICLM) package offers alternative technology to increase growth and crop yield. This study aimed to evaluate an ICLM technological package to improve sweet sorghum growth and production in the ex-coal mining land. The sweet sorghum of Bioguma 1 Agritan variety was used as the indicator crop. The ICLM was composed of mixed organic fertilizers (1,000 kg granule organic fertilizer ha<sup>-1</sup>, 10 kg Procal soil amendment ha<sup>-1</sup>, 10 kg Kayabio biofertilizer ha<sup>-1</sup>, and 5 kg NPK fertilizer ha<sup>-1</sup>), mixed inorganic fertilizers (300 kg NPK ha<sup>-1</sup>, 50 kg Urea ha<sup>-1</sup>, 10 kg Procal soil amendment ha<sup>-1</sup>, and 10 kg Kayabio biofertilizer ha<sup>-1</sup>), and local bio-activators. The field trial used a group-randomized design with four frequencies of bio-activator application and five replications. Mixed organic fertilizer was used to cover the planting holes, where previously, the seed was soaked by a bio-activator and put into holes. The mixed fertilizer was applied to a 14-day-old plant using the hole punch method (<em>tugal</em>). Results of this study showed that local bio-activator significantly affected the sorghum growth and yield. The best frequency of bio-activator application was three times spraying. ICLM are prospective technology to improve soil condition, crop growth, and crop yield in ex-coal mining land.