bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Update on the Impact of Depot Medroxyprogesterone Acetate on Vaginal Mucosal Endpoints and Relevance to Sexually Transmitted Infections
Authors: Dabee Smritee , Balle Christina , Onono Maricianah , Innes Steve , Nair Gonasagrie , Palanee-Phillips Thesla , Burgener Adam D. , Bosinger Steven E. , Passmore Jo-Ann S. , Heffron Renee , Jaspan Heather , Happel Anna-Ursula 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose of Review
The long-acting reversible intramuscularly-injected contraceptive depot medroxyprogesterone acetate (DMPA-IM) is widely used by cisgender women in Africa. Although DMPA-IM provides reliable contraception, potential effects on the female genital tract (FGT) mucosa have raised concern, including risk of HIV infection. This review summarises and compares evidence from observational cohort studies and the randomised Evidence for Contraceptive Options in HIV Outcomes (ECHO) Trial.

Recent Findings
Although previous observational studies found women using DMPA-IM had higher abundance of bacterial vaginosis (BV)-associated bacteria, increased inflammation, increased cervicovaginal HIV target cell density, and epithelial barrier damage, sub-studies of the ECHO Trial found no adverse changes in vaginal microbiome, inflammation, proteome, transcriptome, and risk of viral and bacterial STIs, other than an increase in Th17-like cells.

Summary
Randomised data suggest that DMPA-IM use does not adversely change mucosal endpoints associated with acquisition of infections. These findings support the safe use of DMPA-IM in women at high risk of acquiring STIs, including HIV.

Graphical Abstract
Proximity Effect of Fe–Zn Bimetallic Catalysts on CO2 Hydrogenation Performance
Authors: Liu Shengkun , Zhao Qiao , Han Xiaoxue , Wei Chongyang , Liang Haoting , Wang Yidan , Huang Shouying , Ma Xinbin 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe interaction between a promoter and an active metal crucially impacts catalytic performance. Nowadays, the influence of promoter contents and species has been intensively considered. In this study, we investigate the effect of the iron (Fe)–zinc (Zn) proximity of Fe–Zn bimetallic catalysts on CO2 hydrogenation performance. To eliminate the size effect, Fe2O3 and ZnO nanoparticles with uniform size are first prepared by the thermal decomposition method. By changing the loading sequence or mixing method, a series of Fe–Zn bimetallic catalysts with different Fe–Zn distances are obtained. Combined with a series of characterization techniques and catalytic performances, Fe–Zn bimetallic proximity for compositions of Fe species is discussed. Furthermore, we observe that a smaller Fe–Zn distance inhibits the reduction and carburization of the Fe species and facilitates the oxidation of carbides. Appropriate proximity of Fe and Zn (i.e., Fe1Zn1-imp and Fe1Zn1-mix samples) results in a suitable ratio of the Fe5C2 and Fe3O4 phases, simultaneously promoting the reverse water–gas shift and Fischer–Tropsch synthesis reactions. This study provides insight into the proximity effect of bimetallic catalysts on CO2 hydrogenation performance.
Graphical Abstract
$$W^{1,2}$$ Bott-Chern and Dolbeault Decompositions on Kähler Manifolds
Authors: Piovani Riccardo 
Published: June 2023

AbstractLet $$(M,J,g,\omega )$$

(
M
,
J
,
g
,
ω
)

be a Kähler manifold. We prove a $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

weak Bott-Chern decomposition and a $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

weak Dolbeault decomposition of the space of $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

differential (p, q)-forms, following the $$L^2$$

L
2

weak Kodaira decomposition on Riemannian manifolds. Moreover, if the Kähler metric is complete and the sectional curvature is bounded, the $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

Bott-Chern decomposition is strictly related to the space of $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

Bott-Chern harmonic forms, i.e., $$W^{1,2}$$

W

1
,
2

smooth differential forms which are in the kernel of an elliptic differential operator of order 4, called Bott-Chern Laplacian.
Digitalisierung der pädagogischen Arbeit in Kindertageseinrichtungen
Authors: Pfützner Maria , Knauf Helen 
Published: June 2023

ZusammenfassungDie zunehmende Durchdringung aller Lebensbereiche mit (digitalen) Medien umfasst nicht nur technische Innovation, sondern auch soziale und kulturelle Veränderungen. Auch Kindertageseinrichtungen sind von diesem Prozess der Mediatisierung betroffen. Die hier vorgestellte Studie geht der Frage nach, welche Veränderungen mit der zunehmenden Nutzung digitaler Instrumente in Kindertageseinrichtungen einhergehen. Am Beispiel des für den Elementarbereich zentralen pädagogischen Werkzeugs der Bildungsdokumentation wird untersucht, wie sich die Digitalisierung auf die pädagogische Arbeit auswirkt. Mit Hilfe von Gruppendiskussionen wurden dazu die Erfahrungen und Perspektiven pädagogischer Fachkräfte erfasst. Die Analyse zeigt Veränderungen auf verschiedenen Ebenen: Nicht nur der Prozess des Dokumentierens verläuft mit der Nutzung von Dokumentationsapps anders, auch die Bildungsdokumentation selbst verändert sich. Die Fachkräfte bewerten die Kommunikation mit ihren Kolleginnen und Kollegen sowie mit Kindern und Eltern als umfangreicher.
The relationship between internalized weight stigma and physical and mental health-related quality of life in a large sample of women: a structural equation modeling analysis
Authors: Zagaria Andrea , Cerolini Silvia , Mocini Edoardo , Lombardo Caterina 
Published: June 2023

Abstract
Purpose
Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) refers to an individual's perception of their physical and mental health status over time. Although emerging evidence has documented a negative association between weight stigma (i.e., negative weight-related attitudes and beliefs towards individuals with overweight or obesity) and mental HRQOL, its influence on physical HRQOL still needs to be fully clarified. This study aims to investigate the impact of internalized weight stigma on mental and physical HRQOL by employing a structural equation modeling (SEM) approach.

Methods
The Short Form Health Survey 36 (SF-36) and the Weight Bias Internalization Scale (WBIS) were administered to a sample of 4450 women aged 18–71 (Mage = 33.91 years, SD = 9.56) who self-identified in a condition of overweight or obesity (MBMI = 28.54 kg/m2; SD = 5.86). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was conducted to assess the dimensionality of the scales before testing the proposed structural model.

Results
After establishing the adequacy of the measurement model, SEM results revealed that internalized weight stigma was significantly and negatively associated with both mental (β = − 0.617; p < 0.001) and physical (β = − 0.355, p < 0.001) HRQOL.

Conclusion
These findings offer additional support to prior research by confirming the association between weight stigma and mental HRQOL. Moreover, this study contributes to the existing literature by strengthening and extending these associations to the physical HRQOL domain. Although this study is cross-sectional in nature, it benefits from a large sample of women and the use of SEM, which offers advantages over traditional multivariate techniques, e.g., by explicitly accounting for measurement error.
Level of evidence: Level V, descriptive cross-sectional study.
Cognitive presence in learner–content interaction process: The role of scaffolding in online self-regulated learning environments
Authors: Al Mamun Md Abdullah , Lawrie Gwendolyn 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe effectiveness of learner–content interaction in online inquiry depends on the extent student cognitive presence can be fostered. This study sought to understand how scaffolding support enhances cognitive presence during the learner–content interaction process in the online environment. Two learning modules on introductory science concepts were developed incorporating the predict observe explain (POE) pedagogical framework. Students engaged with these learning modules to learn the science concepts independently. Data sources comprised post-module interviews, written responses, and observations of student interactions with the online learning modules. Analysis of discussions revealed that the adopted pedagogical framework can effectively foster student cognitive presence during the learner–content interaction process. Findings further revealed that the scaffolding elements embedded into the learning modules contribute to the emergence of higher levels of cognitive presence especially for the students with prior knowledge. Conversely, this study provides evidence that students may develop misconceptions about the science concepts even with the embedded scaffolding and guidance. This study calls for further research into the continual improvement of the pedagogical approach to stimulate cognitive presence for both advanced and novice learners and reduce the potential risk of misconceptions occurring during the learner–content interaction process.
Engineering Spin States of Isolated Copper Species in a Metal–Organic Framework Improves Urea Electrosynthesis
Authors: Gao Yuhang , Wang Jingnan , Yang Yijun , Wang Jian , Zhang Chuang , Wang Xi , Yao Jiannian 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe catalytic activities are generally believed to be relevant to the electronic states of their active center, but understanding this relationship is usually difficult. Here, we design two types of catalysts for electrocatalytic urea via a coordination strategy in a metal–organic frameworks: CuIII-HHTP and CuII-HHTP. CuIII-HHTP exhibits an improved urea production rate of 7.78 mmol h−1 g−1 and an enhanced Faradaic efficiency of 23.09% at − 0.6 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, in sharp contrast to CuII-HHTP. Isolated CuIII species with S = 0 spin ground state are demonstrated as the active center in CuIII-HHTP, different from CuII with S = 1/2 in CuII-HHTP. We further demonstrate that isolated CuIII with an empty $${d}_{{{\text{x}}^{2}\text{-y}}^{2}}^{0}$$

d

x

2

-y

2

0

orbital in CuIII-HHTP experiences a single-electron migration path with a lower energy barrier in the C–N coupling process, while CuII with a single-spin state ($${d}_{{{\text{x}}^{2}\text{-y}}^{2}}^{1}$$

d

x

2

-y

2

1

) in CuII-HHTP undergoes a two-electron migration pathway.
Measuring SMEs Risk – Evidence from Malaysia
Authors: Bai Min , Harith Samir 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThis research examines the risk of failure in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia, using a dataset of 303 individual companies from 2005 to 2014. The study aims to provide a robust framework for quantifying SME risk and understanding the relationship between operational characteristics and risk. The methods available to calculate SME risk are the pure-play beta, accounting beta and probability of survival methods. We then use Gaussian mixture model (GMM) regression framework to examine the relationship between SME risk and firm characteristics. Our results show (1) having a high amount of debt does not necessarily make a SME riskier than its counterparts; (2) profitability significantly affects SME risk; and (3) size, firm age and business ethnicity are not significantly associated with SME’s risk in Malaysia. Our results also show that PP beta works better for risk measurement comparing with other risk measures. The study is important for a range of stakeholders, including government in relation to sustainable economic growth goals and other areas of public policy, as well as investors, customers, suppliers, employees, and society, as it aims to provide a robust framework for quantifying SME risk and avoiding avoidable business churn. The research draws on information from financial statements, owner ethnicity, age and gender, business location, shareholding, and items stored in the database, providing a rich panel of data for businesses over time.
Diffuse debris entrainment in glacier, lab and model environments
Authors: Rempel Alan W. , Hansen Dougal D. , Zoet Luke K. , Meyer Colin R. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractSmall quantities of liquid water lining triple junctions in polycrystalline glacier ice form connected vein networks that enable material exchange with underlying basal environments. Diffuse debris concentrations commonly observed in ice marginal regions might be attributed to this mechanism. Following recent cryogenic ring-shear experiments, we observed emplacement along grain boundaries of loess particles several tens of microns in size. Here, we describe an idealized model of vein liquid flow to elucidate conditions favoring such particle transport. Gradients in liquid potential drive flow toward colder temperatures and lower solute concentrations, while deviations of the ice stress state from hydrostatic balance produce additional suction toward anomalously low ice pressures. Our model predicts particle entrainment following both modest warming along the basal interface resulting from anticipated natural changes in effective stress, and the interior relaxation of temperature and solute concentration imposed by our experimental protocols. Comparisons with experimental observations are encouraging, but suggest that liquid flow rates are somewhat higher and/or more effective at dragging larger particles than predicted by our idealized model with nominal parameter choices. Diffuse debris entrainment extending several meters above the glacier bed likely requires a more sophisticated treatment that incorporates effects of ice deformation or other processes.
Subglacial hydrology modeling predicts high winter water pressure and spatially variable transmissivity at Helheim Glacier, Greenland
Authors: Sommers Aleah , Meyer Colin , Morlighem Mathieu , Rajaram Harihar , Poinar Kristin , Chu Winnie , Mejia Jessica 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWater pressure beneath glaciers influences ice velocity. Subglacial hydrology models are helpful for gaining insight into basal conditions, but models depend on unconstrained parameters, and a current challenge is reproducing elevated water pressures in winter. We eliminate terms related to englacial storage, opening by sliding, and melt due to changes in the pressure-melting-point temperature, to create a minimalist version of the Subglacial Hydrology And Kinetic, Transient Interactions (SHAKTI) model, and apply this model to Helheim Glacier in east Greenland to explore the winter base state of the subglacial drainage system. Our results suggest that meltwater produced at the bed alone supports active winter drainage with large areas of elevated water pressure and preferential drainage pathways, using a continuum approach that allows for transitions between flow regimes. Transmissivity varies spatially over several orders of magnitude from 10−4 to 103 m2s−1, with regions of weak transmissivity representing poorly connected regions of the system. Bed topography controls the location of primary drainage pathways, and high basal melt rates occur along the steep valley walls. Frictional heat from sliding is a dominant source of basal melt; different approaches for calculating basal shear stress produce significantly different basal melt rates and subglacial discharge.
Predictors of within-individual variability in cognitive performance in schizophrenia in a South African case–control study
Authors: Wootton Olivia , Dalvie Shareefa , MacGinty Rae , Ngqengelele Linda , Susser Ezra S. , Gur Ruben C. , Stein Dan J. 
Published: June 2023

Abstract

Introduction:
Cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia may be assessed by measuring within-individual variability (WIV) in performance across a range of cognitive tests. Previous studies have found increased WIV in people with schizophrenia, but no studies have been conducted in low- to middle-income countries where the different sociocultural context may affect WIV. We sought to address this gap by exploring the relationship between WIV and a range of clinical and demographic variables in a large study of people with schizophrenia and matched controls in South Africa.

Methods:
544 people with schizophrenia and 861 matched controls completed an adapted version of The University of Pennsylvania Computerized Neurocognitive Battery (PennCNB). Demographic and clinical information was collected using the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Diagnoses. Across-task WIV for performance speed and accuracy on the PennCNB was calculated. Multivariate linear regression was used to assess the relationship between WIV and a diagnosis of schizophrenia in the whole sample, and WIV and selected demographic and clinical variables in people with schizophrenia.

Results:
Increased WIV of performance speed across cognitive tests was significantly associated with a diagnosis of schizophrenia. In people with schizophrenia, increased speed WIV was associated with older age, a lower level of education and a lower score on the Global Assessment of Functioning scale. Increased accuracy WIV was significantly associated with a younger age in people with schizophrenia.

Conclusions:
Measurements of WIV of performance speed can add to the knowledge gained from studies of cognitive dysfunction in schizophrenia in resource-limited settings.
A letter to Baba
Authors: el-Malik Shiera S. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThis is a piece of creative non-fiction. The letter from a daughter to a father is an attempt to understand intergenerationally shared histories, experiences, and different orientations. It aims to imagine what decolonial thinking could look and feel like. Interdisciplinary in its orientation, the letter moves between personal stories and the broader scholarly quest to contemplate the embodied racialized violence of the current conjuncture. The letter suggests that embodied racialized violence is powerful and banal. It explores how it can be carried in the ties that bind – the love, minds, bodies, experiences, and stories of – a familial relationship and the people they encounter. It also represents an inversion of scholarly work in which the interactions that hone arguments are thinly noted in brief acknowledgements, and the citationary writing takes centre stage. Here, the interaction is central, and the citationary writing is laid out in footnotes.
Behavior of Canadian life annuity prices
Authors: Charupat Narat , Kamstra Mark J. 
Published: June 2023

AbstractWe examine the behavior of Canadian life annuity prices by measuring how quickly and fully they respond to changes in market interest rates. The price responses, though not immediate, start relatively quickly and become more complete over time. Over the whole sample period, the responses appear to be asymmetric – annuity providers generally raise prices faster when interest rates decline than reduce prices when the opposite occurs, which is disadvantageous to annuity customers. In addition, we find unusual annuity price behavior during the period of the 2008 financial crisis.
Observation of Shallow Slow Earthquakes by Distributed Acoustic Sensing Using Offshore Fiber‐Optic Cable in the Nankai Trough, Southwest Japan
Authors: Baba Satoru , Araki Eiichiro , Yamamoto Yojiro , Hori Takane , Fujie Gou , Nakamura Yasuyuki , Yokobiki Takashi , Matsumoto Hiroyuki 
Published: June 2023

AbstractOff Cape Muroto area, along the Nankai Trough in southwest Japan, is a typical area with adjacent occurrences of slow and megathrust earthquakes. High‐resolution monitoring of slow earthquakes is necessary to understand tectonic conditions. In the off Muroto area, distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) measurement, which provides high‐density strain data, has been conducted using offshore fiber‐optic cable. We observed shallow tremors, a type of slow earthquakes, using DAS measurement for the first time. The characteristics of the tremor signals recorded by DAS were longer durations than those recorded in seismographs and composed of several phases with apparent velocities of several hundreds of m/s to several km/s that are coherent only in tens of meters. By combining DAS and seismograph data, we located these tremors around a subducted seamount peak. Therefore, spatial relationship between slow earthquakes and structural characteristics is suggested. This is a pioneering study of slow earthquake observation using DAS.
Cynaropicrin disrupts tubulin and c-Myc-related signaling and induces parthanatos-type cell death in multiple myeloma
Authors: Boulos Joelle C. , Omer Ejlal A. , Rigano Daniela , Formisano Carmen , Chatterjee Manik , Leich Ellen , Klauck Sabine M. , Shan Le-tian , Efferth Thomas 
Published: June 2023

AbstractThe majority of blood malignancies is incurable and has unforeseeable remitting-relapsing paths in response to different treatments. Cynaropicrin, a natural sesquiterpene lactone from the edible parts of the artichoke plant, has gained increased attention as a chemotherapeutic agent. In this study, we investigated the effects of cynaropicrin against multiple myeloma (MM) cells in vitro and assessed its in vivo effectiveness in a xenograft tumor zebrafish model. We showed that cynaropicrin exerted potent cytotoxicity against a panel of nine MM cell lines and two leukemia cell lines with AMO1 being the most sensitive cell line (IC50 = 1.8 ± 0.3 µM). Cynaropicrin (0.8, 1.9, 3.6 µM) dose-dependently reduced c-Myc expression and transcriptional activity in AMO1 cells that was associated with significant downregulation of STAT3, AKT, and ERK1/2. Cell cycle analysis showed that cynaropicrin treatment arrested AMO1 cells in the G2M phase along with an increase in the sub-G0G1 phase after 24 h. With prolonged treatment times, cells accumulated more in the sub-G0G1 phase, implying cell death. Using confocal microscopy, we revealed that cynaropicrin disrupted the microtubule network in U2OS cells stably expressing α-tubulin-GFP. Furthermore, we revealed that cynaropicrin promoted DNA damage in AMO1 cells leading to PAR polymer production by PARP1 hyperactivation, resulting in AIF translocation from the mitochondria to the nucleus and subsequently to a novel form of cell death, parthanatos. Finally, we demonstrated that cynaropicrin (5, 10 µM) significantly reduced tumor growth in a T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL) xenograft zebrafish model. Taken together, these results demonstrate that cynaropicrin causes potent inhibition of hematopoietic tumor cells in vitro and in vivo.
Structural basis of protein condensation on microtubules underlying branching microtubule nucleation
Authors: Guo Changmiao , Alfaro-Aco Raymundo , Zhang Chunting , Russell Ryan W. , Petry Sabine , Polenova Tatyana 
Published: June 2023

AbstractTargeting protein for Xklp2 (TPX2) is a key factor that stimulates branching microtubule nucleation during cell division. Upon binding to microtubules (MTs), TPX2 forms condensates via liquid-liquid phase separation, which facilitates recruitment of microtubule nucleation factors and tubulin. We report the structure of the TPX2 C-terminal minimal active domain (TPX2α5-α7) on the microtubule lattice determined by magic-angle-spinning NMR. We demonstrate that TPX2α5-α7 forms a co-condensate with soluble tubulin on microtubules and binds to MTs between two adjacent protofilaments and at the intersection of four tubulin heterodimers. These interactions stabilize the microtubules and promote the recruitment of tubulin. Our results reveal that TPX2α5-α7 is disordered in solution and adopts a folded structure on MTs, indicating that TPX2α5-α7 undergoes structural changes from unfolded to folded states upon binding to microtubules. The aromatic residues form dense interactions in the core, which stabilize folding of TPX2α5-α7 on microtubules. This work informs on how the phase-separated TPX2α5-α7 behaves on microtubules and represents an atomic-level structural characterization of a protein that is involved in a condensate on cytoskeletal filaments.