bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The initial decade of conservation funding following the Aulacaspis yasumatsui (Diaspididae) invasion of Guam
Authors: Marler Thomas E. , Cruz Gil N. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractGuam was invaded by Aulacaspis yasumatsui in 2003, and numerous funding agencies contributed to the attempts to mitigate the resulting biotic threats and conserve the host Cycas micronesica population. We discuss these initially funded projects, outline some lessons learned, and address the contemporary funding needs. The initial projects were successful in establishing the Rhyzobius lophanthae predator and securing crucial benchmark data on plant population density and demography prior to the commencement of plant mortality. After several years of conservation efforts that included unsuccessful attempts to establish fully effective biological control, a shift of major funds toward rescuing plants from military construction sites resulted in a loss of focus on the most needed conservation endeavors. The cycad species was listed under the United States Endangered Species Act in 2015 as a result of this invasion and the failure to establish effective biological control. This case study presents an example where the causes of the threats to species survival are clearly understood, but the copious amounts of funding that have been spent were not devoted to mitigating those threats. The lessons from Guam may inform emergency management decisions within other newly invaded cycad habitats in other countries.
POLYCRISIS AND ‘UNNATURAL RAIN’ IN URBAN NEIGHBOURHOODS OF BENGAL: The Twin Cities and Issues of Peripheral Centrality
Authors: Singh Rahul 
Published: January 2025

AbstractEmerging urban studies scholarship has shown how cities are not fraught with one single crisis but are in a state of polycrisis, with the global South's experience of polycrisis differing significantly in how the crises originate and in the strategies employed to deal with them. Urban Bengal's polycrisis originates in imaginations of the urban in London in the eighteenth century, but has taken on a different shape as inhabitants find modes of survival. Today, in the broader context of the climate change crisis affecting the twin cities of Bengal, this article explores the Howrah–Kolkata relation and lack of peripheral centrality that has generated a sense of polycrisis in Bengal. I begin by contextualizing rain in the twin cities and its change to ‘unnatural’ for the periphery observed in recent years. I trace an aqueous history of the region and the growing socio‐economic inequalities between them. I take the Urban Howrah and Park Street neighbourhoods from Howrah and Kolkata respectively to locate the sense of the polycrisis that inhabitants have been experiencing and dealing with. Here, I use class and gender as two frames to map issues of mobility, insecurities, solidarities and the infrastructural access necessary for survival in the urban. I conclude by arguing for a reworking of the twin cities’ relations by centralizing peripheries like Howrah, both to lessen the polycrisis affecting both and the urban pressure on the core—Kolkata.
URBANIZING VOLATILITY: On Recurrent Crises and the Economic Rhythms of Latin American Urbanization
Authors: Magalhães Felipe N.C. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractDebates on global South urbanization have been an important focus of recent urban studies scholarship. Looking at the urban South from the point of view of the Latin American context, this article highlights a missing piece of the economic viewpoint in such debates: the instability that shapes the peripheral economies with which Southern urban dynamics interact. The article argues that this higher level of economic volatility is an important factor in many urban/sociospatial dynamics in Latin America—hence indispensable for an accurate theoretical understanding of the specificities of its cities and urban processes. The applicability of the idea for other regions of the global South is a hypothesis in need of verification and may involve important implications for current urban research. Moreover, I propose that the geographical approaches to precarity may be enhanced with the dimension of economic volatility, which is usually more intense in precarious (urban) contexts.
A cross‐sectional study of differences in medication for opioid use disorder receipt among pregnant people enrolled in Medicaid in Oregon, United States
Authors: Cioffi Camille C. , Acevedo Ann Martinez , Cohen Deborah J. , Kaufman Menolly R. , Parker Kea , Terplan Mishka , Lindner Stephan R. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractBackground and AimsMedication is the gold standard to support a healthy pregnancy for pregnant people with opioid use disorder (OUD). This study measured inequities and differences in OUD medication treatment among pregnant people in Oregon, USA.Design, Setting, Participants and MeasurementsOur study population consisted of Medicaid enrollees across the US state of Oregon who had at least one live hospital birth between 2012 and 2020 and one diagnosis of OUD prenatally (n = 4363). We measured differences in demographic characteristics (age, race, ethnicity, location) among those with and without medication for OUD in the prenatal through 3‐months postpartum period (any medication use, and by type), and compared exclusive methadone versus buprenorphine receipt. We report unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios.FindingsAdjusted odds ratios for medication for OUD were lower among American Indian/Alaska Native pregnant people compared with White pregnant people [adjusted odds ratio (aOR) 0.59 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.42, 0.83)], younger pregnant people compared with those aged 30–34 years [aOR, ages 15–19: 0.1 (95 CI = 0.06, 0.18); aOR, ages 20–24: 0.58 (95 CI = 0.49, 0.69)] and rural pregnant people compared with those in urban communities [aOR 0.58 (95 CI = 0.5–0.67)]. Rural pregnant people with OUD also had lower odds of methadone receipt [aOR 0.23 (95 CI = 0.17, 0.3)] and higher odds of buprenorphine receipt [aOR 3.99 (95 CI = 2.97, 5.35)] than other people in this study. Among those who received medication, Black pregnant people had increased odds of receiving methadone compared with buprenorphine [aOR 2.09 (95 CI = 1.1–3.97)].ConclusionsIn Oregon, USA, inequities in receipt of any medication for opioid use disorder were observed among pregnant people who identified as American Indian or Alaska Native, younger than 25, and living in rural communities. Black pregnant people in Oregon, USA, were more likely to receive methadone than buprenorphine.
The Association Between Maternal Preeclampsia and Risk for Offspring Infectious Diseases–A Sibling Matched Analysis
Authors: Marciano Dor , Sheiner Eyal , Sergienko Ruslan , Wainstock Tamar 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTBackgroundPreeclampsia is a severe, multisystem complication that affects 2%–5% of pregnancies, and is a leading cause of fetal and maternal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Preeclampsia may have devastating results on maternal health and may affect offspring's immediate and long‐term health. Previous studies have examined the impact of maternal preeclampsia on the long‐term health outcomes of offspring, many of these studies have been limited by confounding factors that could bias the results. The classic way of analyzing the relationship between maternal preeclampsia and long‐term infectious morbidity of the offspring, which typically involves comparing the rates of infectious disease hospitalization between the exposed and unexposed groups, may not be sufficient due to the potential influence of unmeasured confounding factors.ObjectiveTo study the association between maternal preeclampsia and long‐term offspring infectious morbidity, while employing sibling‐matched analysis to maximize confounder control.Study designA retrospective cohort was conducted, including parous women, who were diagnosed with preeclampsia in one pregnancy. A sibling‐matched analysis was performed, so that one sibling was, and the other was not, prenatally exposed to maternal preeclampsia. Incidence of the offspring hospitalization with infectious morbidities were compared between the siblings, as well as the time to first hospitalization with such a diagnosis. Multivariable survival analysis was performed to adjust for confounding variables.ResultsOffspring of mothers with preeclampsia (n = 4272) were significantly (p < 0.001) at a higher risk for long‐term infectious hospitalization compared to offspring of mothers without preeclampsia (n = 4272), with a hazard ratio of 1.324 (95% CI 1.168–1.503) after adjusting for maternal age, gestational age, and mode of delivery.ConclusionsOffspring born following pregnancies complicated with preeclampsia are at increased risk for infectious morbidity, even while rigorously adjusting for confounders in a sibling analysis.
Clinical Characteristics and Laboratory Diagnoses of Pediatric Patients Hospitalized During an Outbreak of Mycoplasma pneumoniae
Authors: Meng Tao , Xu Yuanhong 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThis study prospectively collected the clinical data, information on respiratory pathogens, and laboratory findings of children with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumonia) infection who were hospitalized at the First Affiliated Hospital of Anhui Medical University during the M. pneumoniae outbreak in Hefei City, Anhui Province, China, between October 2023 and December 2023. We analyzed the prevalence of M. pneumoniae infection in hospitalized children during the M. pneumoniae outbreak, discrepancies in the detection of M. pneumoniae by multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and serological methods, and the differences in clinical characteristics and laboratory results of patients with co‐infections of M. pneumoniae and other pathogens with the aim of providing a reference for disease assessment and clinical treatment of M. pneumoniae. A total of 270 children, 146 males and 124 females, were enrolled in the study after screening with the inclusion criteria. The most common co‐infections were adenovirus (ADV) (48 cases) and influenza A virus (FLU A) (30 cases). The prevalence of infections was higher in children under the age of 7 years (54.1%). In addition, 167 of the PCR‐positive patients were infected with macrolide‐resistant Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MRMP), suggesting that MRMP infections are common in hospitalized children. Levels of procalcitonin (PCT) (OR 15.765 [95% CI, 1.651–150.533], p < 0.017) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) (OR 1.006 [95% CI, 1.003–1.009], p < 0.001) were independently predictive of co‐infections in patients infected with M. pneumoniae.
Common pitfalls in oncology drug applications aiming for conditional marketing authorization
Authors: Sarac Sinan B. , Kiely Peter , Stankeviciute Simona , Camarero Jorge , McKee Amy 
Published: January 2025

Early approval mechanisms, such as conditional approval in the EU, have been used extensively to provide timely access to therapeutic innovations to cancer patients with unmet medical needs.While based on promising early evidence, such approvals are challenging from many perspectives due to the lack of comprehensive data. The limitation typically relates to data that demonstrates clinical benefit via early endpoints and is only acceptable when the early evidence is particularly convincing to assume that the benefits of early access are greater than the potential harms.This paper describes the requirements for conditional approval and presents common pitfalls in oncology, such as misunderstandings about the strength of evidence from exploratory trials and secondary analyses, lack of planning and opportunities to improve communication. Thereafter, we present a framework (‘EDGE’) on how to improve the submission and evaluation of drug applications for conditional approval in the EU.
Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells in Humans Exhibit Resistance to Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (SAHA) Owing to the Diminished Level of Hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p
Authors: Kao Shih‐Wen , Kuo Wei‐Wen , Tsai Bruce Chi‐Kang , Mwakalinga Ebro Chawesa , Mhone Thomas Gabriel , Chen Ming‐Cheng , Kuo Chia‐Hua , Liu Yi‐Sheng , Lin Shinn‐Zong , Huang Chih‐Yang 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) presents an escalating public health challenge globally. However, drug resistance has emerged as a major impediment to successful HCC treatment, limiting the efficacy of curative interventions. Despite numerous investigations into the diverse impacts of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p on tumor growth across different cancer types, its specific involvement in chemotherapy resistance in HCC remains elusive. Our study aims to explore the potential involvement of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p in HCC drug resistance using HA22T cell lines: HA22T and HA22T‐HDACi‐resistance cells. The HA22T‐HDACi‐resistance cell line is an established liver cancer cell line that is resistant to histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACi), apicidin, and suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA). Utilizing qPCR, the levels of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p showed a notable decrease in the HA22T‐HDACi‐resistance cell line compared with HA22T cells. Subsequently, we examined the influence of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p expression on cell death in both cell lines. The findings demonstrated that alterations in hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p levels directly impacted apoptosis in both HA22T and HA22T‐HDACi‐resistance cell lines with SAHA treatment. Afterwards, we recognized TRAF6 as a target gene of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p, shedding light on its potential role in modulating apoptosis via targeting TRAF6 in HCC. These findings underscore the potential significance of hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p in overcoming drug resistance in HCC, offering insights into its dual role in apoptosis modulation and TRAF6 targeting. The study suggests that hsa‐miR‐125a‐5p may inhibit expression of TRAF6 in HCC, presenting a promising avenue for gene therapy in HCC with HDACi resistance.
Dynamic Hydrogel‐Based Strategy for Traumatic Brain Injury Modeling and Therapy
Authors: He Xin , Lei Meng , Chen Xuewen , Xu Feng , Liu Heng , Wei Zhao 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTTraumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most traumatizing and poses serious health risks to people's bodies due to its unique pathophysiological characteristics. The investigations on the pathological mechanism and valid interventions of TBI have attracted widespread attention worldwide. With bio‐mimic mechanic cues, the dynamic hydrogels with dynamic stiffness changes or reversible crosslinking have been suggested to construct the in vitro disease models or novel therapeutic agents for TBI. However, there is a lack of clarification on the dynamic hydrogels currently reported and their biomedical applications on TBI. Our review starts with introducing the native mechanical characters and changes in TBI and then summarizes the common chemical strategies of the dynamic hydrogels with dynamically tunable stiffness and reversible networks for in vitro modeling and therapy. Finally, we prospect the future development of dynamic hydrogels in the mechanical modeling of TBI, providing new mechanical insights for TBI and guidance for tailored brain‐targeted biomaterials.
Beyond Ownership: The Role of Institutional Investors in International Corporate Governance
Authors: Drobetz Wolfgang , El Ghoul Sadok , Guedhami Omrane , Yu Xinya 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTResearch Question/IssueThis paper reviews key theories on the governance role of institutional investors, examines institutional ownership trends globally, and highlights recent research on their evolving impact on corporate governance. The paper also incorporates insights from select Special Issue articles dedicated to understanding the role of institutional investors worldwide.Research Findings/InsightsWe show that while most existing research focuses on the United States, recent evidence highlights significant global growth in institutional ownership. However, research examining the role of institutional investors outside the United States remains limited, despite some recent progress.Theoretical/Academic ImplicationsInstitutional investors are increasingly shaping global capital markets and corporate governance through growing ownership, increased shareholder activism, and rising passive investment strategies. We provide recommendations for relevant topics to guide future research, including the governance preferences of institutional investors (i.e., voice vs. exit) across different investor types and international settings, as well as the collective influence of multiple institutional investors on corporate governance practices and outcomes.Practitioner/Policy ImplicationsThere is a meaningful need for future studies to address the influence and effectiveness of institutional investors on corporate governance practices around the world. A better understanding of their role in different settings should improve their impact on corporations and, more broadly, on society.JEL ClassificationG32, G34
Evaluating the effectiveness of fortified livestock enclosures as a human‐carnivore conflict mitigation tool in Tanzania's Ruaha landscape
Authors: Grau Ana , Salerno Jonathan , Hilton Tom , Lowasa Asanterabi , Cotterill Alayne , Dickman Amy J. 
Published: January 2025

AbstractConflict with humans, particularly over livestock predation, poses a severe and continuing threat to the conservation of large carnivores, particularly in reserve‐adjacent and unprotected areas. Such conflict also inflicts substantial costs on people living alongside large carnivores. Though conflict is complex, attacks upon livestock are one of the factors that drive immediate hostility toward carnivores, inflict economic damage upon livestock‐keepers, and can lead to retaliatory and preventative carnivore killing. Many conflict mitigation and livestock protection approaches exist, but it is crucial to examine their effectiveness. In this study, we evaluated the effectiveness of fortified livestock enclosures in reducing predation of livestock in an area surrounding Ruaha National Park in southern Tanzania. These fortified enclosures are built with chain‐link fences and are aimed to replace the traditional enclosures built with acacia thorn branches. We implemented a before‐after‐control‐impact (BACI) design to test the short‐term impacts of the fortified enclosure intervention. We then conducted a cost–benefit analysis (CBA) based on costs of construction of fortified enclosures and benefits accruing as prevented livestock depredation. Finally, we tested the hypothesis that fortified enclosures would diminish in effectiveness over time as carnivores become habituated, the fortification deteriorates due to lack of maintenance, and/or predation risk would increase. For the long‐term analysis, we used monthly data from 758 livestock‐keeping households from 2010 to 2016. Across both short‐ and long‐term analyses, fortified enclosures were effective at reducing the odds of experiencing predation of livestock by carnivores by 94% and 60%, respectively. Based on mean predation rates (c. 0.10 livestock month) and observed reductions, the benefit/cost ratios over 5 years of construction of a fortified enclosure with metal or wooden poles are 3.36 and 7.89, respectively, when subsidized. Our study contributes actionable evidence on the impact of an intervention to inform conservation strategies supporting human–carnivore coexistence.
The Effect of Seeding Rate and Perennial Ryegrass Ploidy on Sward Botanical Composition and Herbage Production in Binary Mixtures Under Sheep Grazing
Authors: McGrane L. , Boland T. M. , McHugh N. , Creighton P. 
Published: January 2025

ABSTRACTThere are numerous benefits to the inclusion of clover and non‐leguminous forb species in grassland swards for pasture‐based sheep production, however there is a notable lack of management advice available for the use of these diverse swards, representing a significant barrier to on farm uptake. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of seeding rate (SR) and perennial ryegrass ploidy on sward botanical composition, herbage production and herbage quality of binary sward mixtures under sheep grazing. The swards investigated were perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.) plus white clover (Trifolium repens L.), perennial ryegrass plus red clover (Trifolium pratense L.), perennial ryegrass plus plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.) and perennial ryegrass plus chicory (Cichorium intybus L.). A set total SR of 25 kg ha−1 was used in all treatments, within which clover seed was included at rates of 2.5, 5.0 or 7.5 kg clover ha−1, and forb seed was included at rates of 2.0, 3.5 or 5.0 kg forb ha−1 for the Low SR, Med SR and High SR treatments, respectively. The binary swards were sown with a diploid or tetraploid perennial ryegrass. Results indicate that SR had a significant effect on sward botanical composition and that within the inclusion rates used in this study, SR treatments of 2.5, 3.5, 5.0 and 7.5 kg ha−1, were sufficient for the establishment of white clover, chicory, red clover and plantain, respectively, in a binary sward mixture. The tetraploid swards expressed a lower perennial ryegrass tiller density relative to diploid swards, which was beneficial for the establishment of white clover and plantain.
Development and evaluation of a polymer material‐based formulation for non‐surgical nasolabial fold reduction
Authors: Iida Masayuki , Hanada Yoko , Miyazaki Yukihiro , Shimpo Ayumi , Tsukahara Kazue , Yasu Tomoko , Takeda Kosuke , Nagai Yuko 
Published: January 2025

AbstractObjectiveCurrently, nasolabial folds are mainly removed by invasive procedures, resulting in long‐lasting changes, as non‐surgical user‐implementable alternatives are scarce and inefficient. For example, the use of coating films for this purpose has thus far faced substantial difficulties because such films should combine the antithetical properties of shrinkability and flexibility. Herein, we challenge this status quo by identifying a polymer that simultaneously exhibits shrinkability and flexibility and using this polymer to develop a cosmetic formulation for immediate and non‐invasive nasolabial fold removal.MethodsThe developed formulation, namely a solution of norbornene/tris(trimethylsiloxy)silylnorbornene copolymer in disiloxane, was tested on a group of Japanese women using visual evaluation, three‐dimensional shape analysis and ultrasonography. The polymer film obtained upon drying the formulation was subjected to shrinkage and flexibility tests, and its synchronization with the skin was examined using optical microscopy. The free volume of the polymer films was evaluated using positron annihilation measurements and molecular dynamics simulations.ResultsUpon application, the liquid formulation rapidly dries to produce a skin‐synchronized polymer film that exhibits significant drying‐induced shrinkage without cracking, thereby exerting a lift‐up effect and inducing changes in the internal skin structure to efficiently reduce the nasolabial fold, providing a feeling of rejuvenation. On average, the proposed treatment decreases the nasolabial fold depth by 1 mm, increases the opening angle of the nasolabial fold by 11.5° and reduces the hypodermis thickness by 0.2 mm.ConclusionOur results facilitate the development of cosmetic products targeting the nasolabial fold and inspire further research in this field.