bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dysfunctional Nigerian Insurance Industry: Failure of Law or Regulation?
Authors: Okiche Ebelechukwu , Adibe Emeka , Obi-Ochiabutor Clara 
Published: July 2022

This work interrogates the reason for the poor performance of the Nigerian insurance industry. The reason for doing this is that there is a strong correlation between insurance and development. The illiterate villager in the remotest part of Nigeria understands the advantages of "pooling" in risk mitigation. A system of coming together to contribute resources into a pool in order to take a small percentage of same to compensate the few members of the group who suffer risks is very much part of the everyday life of the traditional Nigerian society. This is what insurance is all about. Insurance, as we see it today, developed from this rudimentary aspect to the sophisticated business which it has become today. Being that our people are familiar with the tenets of insurance what then is the problem of Nigeria’s modern insurance industry that makes it remain at the lowest ebb in terms of performance in the financial services industry? Is the problem that of inadequacy in our law or ineffective regulation? Using the doctrinal method, the study examines both the legal and the institutional framework for insurance business to ascertain what the problem is. Our finding is that notwithstanding some grey areas in the Insurance Act, 2003, the major problem of the industry is failure of regulation. We recommend that the regulator, the National Insurance Commission (NAICOM) be more proactive to enable the industry take its pride of place in Nigeria as is the case all over the developed world.
Oxygen uptake efficiency slope in healthy normal weight young males: an applicable framework for calculation and interpretation
Authors: Falcioni Lavinia , Guidetti Laura , Baldari Carlo , Gallotta Maria Chiara , Meucci Marco 
Published: July 2022

Background
The oxygen uptake efficiency slope (OUES) is considered a reliable indicator of cardiorespiratory fitness in young and clinical populations who cannot achieve maximal effort during a graded exercise test. However, OUES accuracy depends on the data points used for its calculation and it is still not clear if the submaximal OUES can accurately assess CRF in healthy young males.

Objective
We investigated the association between peak oxygen uptake and peak and submaximal OUES, and the agreement between submaximal OUES and peak OUES in male adolescents and young adults.

Methods
In this cross-sectional, observational study, fifty normal weight healthy participants (age 14–22 years, peak oxygen uptake 43.8 ± 7.3 mL·min−1·kg−1) performed a graded exercise test on a cycle ergometer and pulmonary gas exchange was assessed using breath-by-breath analysis. Peak oxygen uptake, and oxygen consumption at the aerobic and at the anaerobic threshold were determined as the 30-s average of the oxygen consumption values. Peak OUES (up to peak) and submaximal OUES (up to the aerobic and anaerobic thresholds) were calculated from the logarithmic relation between oxygen consumption and pulmonary ventilation.

Results
Very strong correlations were observed between peak oxygen uptake and peak OUES (r = 0.80–0.88) while fair-to-very strong correlations were observed between the peak oxygen uptake and the two submaximal OUES (r = 0.32–0.81). The level of agreement between peak OUES and OUES up to the anaerobic threshold (r = 0.89–0.93; Typical percentage error 6%; Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.89–0.93) was greater than the one between the peak oxygen uptake with OUES up to the aerobic threshold (r = 0.39–0.56; Typical percentage error 15%; Intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.38–0.56).

Conclusions
. The peak OUES is a better indicator of aerobic fitness than the OUES up to the anaerobic threshold in healthy, young males. The OUES up to the anaerobic threshold is a valid alternative to peak OUES.
Beyond bushfire severity: mapping the ecological impact of bushfires on the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area
Authors: Laidlaw Melinda J. , Hines Harry B. , Melzer Rhonda I. , Churchill Tracey B. 
Published: July 2022

ABSTRACT
Bushfire severity mapping and analysis for Queensland’s Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area properties following wildfires in 2019/20 was found to under-predict the ecological impact within closed-canopy rainforests, biasing against the prioritisation of rainforest-dependent threatened fauna for assessment and the allocation of recovery resources. By incorporating the fire tolerance of vegetation communities mapped within the bushfire extent, bushfire severity can be extended to predict the potential ecological impact of each severity class on ecosystems, and priority species. Prioritising threatened species based on potential ecological impact rather than fire severity alone allows post-fire survey and monitoring to be better targeted to those species likely most severely impacted. It also allows resources and recovery actions to be directed towards those areas of greatest concern, which may not have suffered the worst bushfire severity.
The Herbaceous Species Tropical Savanna of West Timor Indonesia: Structure and Composition Pattern
Authors: Gaol Mangadas Lumban , Mudita I. Wayan 
Published: July 2022

Aims: This research was conducted to investigate the current structure and composition pattern of savanna of West Timor.
Study Design: Fourteen (14) stands (100 x 100 m) and 280 plots (1m x 1m) representing area of savanna were selected by purposive sampling.
Place and Duration of Study: The research was conducted in area of savanna in the District of Kupang West Timor Indonesia between April to November 2021.
Methodology: All ground herbs in each plot were identified to species level. Density, dominance, and Importance Value Index (IVI) for each species present were calculated. All species were categorized according to their habit as grass and non-grass and according to the economic value. Index Similarity between stand was calculated to investigate similarity of flora composition between stands by using Coefficient Sørensen (Ss).
Results: Of 14 stands and 280 plots investigated, 58 herbaceous species member of 23 families were identified, consisting of 27.12% grass and 72.88% non-grass species Based on plant density, dominance, and IVI, the most dominant grass species were Setarias phacelata (Schumach.) Stapf & C.E. Hubb. ex M.B. Moss, Bothriochloa pertusa (L.) A. Camus, Panicum repens L, and Zoysia matrella (L.) Merr. The most dominant non-grass species were Cyperus rotundus L., Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lamk, and Mimosa pudica. The distribution of plant shows that most species present were species with low density where few species were within the category of abundant. Index of Similarity between 14 stands was very low, where about 57.14% of stands were dissimilar. Therefore, plant composition among stands varied. Of 16 grass species present, about 25.00% were considered medical plants, 18.75% as ornamental plants, 18.75% as plants used to make various tools, 12.5% as source of human food, and 31.25% as plants for erosion control. Of all non-grass species, about 59.52% were considered useful as medical plants; 19.04% as food sources, 16.67 as ornamental plants, and 4.76% as animal fodder sources.
Conclusion: Based on this result it can be concluded that herbaceous species savanna of West Timor has a high diversity and economic potential that have not been used due to the lack of information. Therefore, the tropical savanna of West Timor needs to be managed sustainably to maintain its diversity and ecosystem health.
The Molecular Relationship between Stress and Insomnia
Authors: Birch Jasmine N. , Vanderheyden William M. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe bi‐directional relationship between sleep and stress has been actively researched as sleep disturbances and stress have become increasingly common in society. Interestingly, the brain and underlying neural circuits important for sleep regulation may respond uniquely to stress that leads to post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and stress that does not. In stress that does not lead to PTSD, the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis (HPA) pathway is activated normally that results in sympathetic nervous system activation that allows the brain and body to return to baseline functioning. However, exposure to stress that leads to PTSD, causes enhanced negative feedback of this same pathway and results in long‐term physiological and psychological changes. In this review, how stress regulates glucocorticoid signaling pathways in brain glial cells called astrocytes, and then mediates stress‐induced insomnia are examined. Astrocytes are critical sleep regulatory cells and their connections to sleep and stress due to disturbed glucocorticoid signaling provide a novel mechanism to explain how stress leads to insomnia. This review will examine the interactions of stress neurobiology, astrocytes, sleep, and glucocorticoid signaling pathways and will examine the how stress that leads to PTSD and stress that does not impacts sleep‐regulatory processes.
Conductive and Semiconductive Nanocomposite‐Based Hydrogels for Cardiac Tissue Engineering
Authors: Alamdari Sania Ghobadi , Alibakhshi Abbas , de la Guardia Miguel , Baradaran Behzad , Mohammadzadeh Reza , Amini Mohammad , Kesharwani Prashant , Mokhtarzadeh Ahad , Oroojalian Fatemeh , Sahebkar Amirhossein 
Published: July 2022

AbstractCardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide and the most common cause is myocardial infarction. Therefore, appropriate approaches should be used to repair damaged heart tissue. Recently, cardiac tissue engineering approaches have been extensively studied. Since the creation of the nature of cardiovascular tissue engineering, many advances have been made in cellular and scaffolding technologies. Due to the hydrated and porous structures of the hydrogel, they are used as a support matrix to deliver cells to the infarct tissue. In heart tissue regeneration, bioactive and biodegradable hydrogels are required by simulating native tissue microenvironments to support myocardial wall stress in addition to preserving cells. Recently, the use of nanostructured hydrogels has increased the use of nanocomposite hydrogels and has revolutionized the field of cardiac tissue engineering. Therefore, to overcome the limitation of the use of hydrogels due to their mechanical fragility, various nanoparticles of polymers, metal, and carbon are used in tissue engineering and create a new opportunity to provide hydrogels with excellent properties. Here, the types of synthetic and natural polymer hydrogels, nanocarbon‐based hydrogels, and other nanoparticle‐based materials used for cardiac tissue engineering with emphasis on conductive nanostructured hydrogels are briefly introduced.
Printed GaAs Microstructures‐Based Flexible High‐Performance Broadband Photodetectors
Authors: Zumeit Ayoub , Dahiya Abhishek Singh , Christou Adamos , Mukherjee Rudra , Dahiya Ravinder 
Published: July 2022

AbstractNano/microstructures of compound semiconductors such as gallium arsenide (GaAs) demonstrate enormous potential for advanced photonic technologies as they provide realistic means for miniaturization of optoelectronic devices that feature better performance and low power consumption. However, intimately integrating them onto flexible substrates is challenging and restricts their use in the next generation of applications such as wearables and soft robotics. Herein, printed arrays of well‐defined and laterally aligned semi‐insulating (undoped) and doped GaAs microstructures are presented to develop high‐performance flexible broadband photodetectors. The direct roll transfer printed GaAs microstructures‐based photodetectors exhibit excellent performance under ultraviolet and near‐infrared illumination, including ultrafast response (2.5 ms) and recovery (8 ms) times, high responsivity (>104 AW–1), detectivity (>1014 Jones), external quantum efficiency (>106), and photoconductive gain (>104) at low operating voltage of 1 V. The achieved performance is among the best reported for broadband photodetectors but with an added benefit of the developed devices having a flexible form factor. Further, the photodetectors show stable performance under mechanical bending (500 cycles) and twisting loading. The developed materials and manufacturing route can enable high‐speed communications and computation via high‐performance flexible electronics and optoelectronics and transform numerous emerging applications such as wearable systems and internet of things.
Building research capacity in an under‐represented group: The STAARS program experience
Authors: Schreiber Kelsey L. , Barrett Christopher B. , Bageant Elizabeth R. , Shimeles Abebe , Upton Joanna B. , DiGiovanni Maria 
Published: July 2022

AbstractFor decades, the lack of high‐quality empirical economic research on the state of Africa's agriculture and rural economies has been an important factor impeding the formulation of evidence‐based policy on the continent. The Structural Transformation of African Agriculture and Rural Spaces program aims to build a critical mass of early career African scholars and policy research through an emphasis on mentorship and professional development to help remedy that deficiency. This paper explains the motivations, origins, and outcomes to date of the program, and offers lessons learned for others wishing to create research capacity development opportunities for under‐represented groups.
The landscape of metabolic brain alterations in Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Batra Richa , Arnold Matthias , Wörheide Maria A. , Allen Mariet , Wang Xue , Blach Colette , Levey Allan I. , Seyfried Nicholas T. , Ertekin‐Taner Nilüfer , Bennett David A. , Kastenmüller Gabi , Kaddurah‐Daouk Rima F. , Krumsiek Jan ,   for the Alzheimer's Disease Metabolomics Consortium (ADMC)
Published: July 2022

AbstractIntroductionAlzheimer's disease (AD) is accompanied by metabolic alterations both in the periphery and the central nervous system. However, so far, a global view of AD‐associated metabolic changes in the brain has been missing.MethodsWe metabolically profiled 500 samples from the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. Metabolite levels were correlated with eight clinical parameters, covering both late‐life cognitive performance and AD neuropathology measures.ResultsWe observed widespread metabolic dysregulation associated with AD, spanning 298 metabolites from various AD‐relevant pathways. These included alterations to bioenergetics, cholesterol metabolism, neuroinflammation, and metabolic consequences of neurotransmitter ratio imbalances. Our findings further suggest impaired osmoregulation as a potential pathomechanism in AD. Finally, inspecting the interplay of proteinopathies provided evidence that metabolic associations were largely driven by tau pathology rather than amyloid beta pathology.DiscussionThis work provides a comprehensive reference map of metabolic brain changes in AD that lays the foundation for future mechanistic follow‐up studies.
Near‐Infrared Spectroscopic Characterization of Cardiac and Renal Fibrosis in Fixed and Fresh Rat Tissue
Authors: Adegoke John A. , Gassner Callum , Sharma Varun J. , Patel Sheila K. , Jackett Louise , Afara Isaac O. , Raman Jaishankar , Burrell Louise M. , Wood Bayden R. 
Published: July 2022

AbstractClinical diagnosis of fibrosis is currently reliant on conventional methods. The current “gold standard” for fibrosis diagnosis is histological examination of a biopsy, which is labour intensive and requires extensive sample preparation. Here we show that a portable handheld near‐infrared spectrometer coupled with machine learning algorithms can discriminate between kidney and cardiac fibrosis in a rat model of kidney failure compared to healthy rats without kidney failure. The most significant changes in the spectra of fibrotic tissue included shifts in absorption bands at 1509, 1581, 1689 and 1725 nm attributed to collagen components. The best discrimination of fibrosis was achieved in kidney tissue (AUC=0.962), which showed a higher level of fibrosis compared to cardiac tissue (AUC=0.882). The results show the potential of the NIR spectroscopy to detect and to quantify fibrosis in the heart and kidney that in the future could be applied as an intraoperative surgical tool to guide surgical procedures.
The gas permeability properties of poly(vinyltrimethylsilane) treated by low‐temperature plasma
Authors: Syrtsova Daria , Piskarev Mikhail , Zinoviev Alexandr , Кuznetsov Alexandr , Skryleva Elena , Gilman Alla , Теplyakov Vladimir 
Published: July 2022

AbstractThe results of one‐sided treatment of polyvinyltrimethylsilane (PVTMS) films using low‐temperature air plasma are presented. The treatment was carried out at 25°C in air at a pressure in the reaction chamber of 10–25 Pa and a processing time of 10–60 s. The surface of the plasma‐treated PVTMS films was analyzed by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy and the contact angle values determined. The effect of the plasma conditions, such as the treatment time and the pressure in the reactor chamber, on the transport properties of the modified membrane for He, O2, N2, CO2, and CH4 were investigated in detail. The permeability of all plasma‐treated PVTMS films for the studied gases except for He was found to decrease depending on the modification conditions, leading to an increase in selectivity for such pairs as He/CH4, CO2/CH4, and O2/N2. The selectivity of the modified PVTMS achieved a maximum value when the films were treated with plasma for 20–40 s at a chamber pressure of 15–20 Pa. The effective diffusion coefficients of the studied gases were obtained experimentally. It was shown that the volumetric diffusion of gases, particularly O2 and N2, in PVTMS before as after plasma treatment is described by the classical diffusion equations. The theoretical approaches to the influence of boundary conditions on selective gas transfer through polymeric membrane are considered. To estimate the prospects for the long‐term use of membranes based on modified PVTMS, the stability of the parameters gas permeability and selectivity of the modified samples was investigated over 9 months. It was shown that the modification of PVTMS by the method of low‐temperature plasma in air is a promising method for expanding the spectrum of membrane processes based on existing commercial membranes.
Where should phonics teaching start? ‘satpin’ and its origins, rivals and implications
Authors: Cochrane Gill , Brooks Greg 
Published: July 2022

AbstractChildren who enter school not yet reading need some systematic phonics to get them started, but cannot be expected to cope with the whole alphabet or more than a subset of phoneme–grapheme correspondences and grapheme–phoneme correspondences at that stage. So phonics schemes necessarily adopt some sequence for the introduction of graphemes and phonemes. The Letters and Sounds scheme began with satpin, that is, those graphemes and their most frequent correspondences with phonemes, /s æ t p ɪ n/, and the two most widely used British phonics schemes incorporate variants of that initial sequence. Yet why those graphemes and phonemes? This article traces satpin back to its origins in the 1960s in the work of Sally B. Childs and Aylett Royall Cox, American exponents of Orton–Gillingham methods. The article focuses upon a 1967 publication by Cox featuring a version of satpin and explains and explores its scientific basis. We then show both where Cox's insight has been influential (or not) in British literacy schemes and where authors of phonics materials have taken a different tack, or suggested alternative phonetic starting points. The phonetic analysis underlying Cox's rationale needs updating. When that is done, both it and the rediscovered original logic may suggest useful changes in the initial teaching sequence of phonemes and graphemes.
Retail or consumer responsibility?—Reflections on food waste and food prices among deal‐prone consumers and market actors
Authors: Aschemann‐Witzel Jessica , Randers Louise , Pedersen Susanne 
Published: July 2022

AbstractSupermarkets have been criticized by nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) for pricing tactics that trigger overpurchase, which may subsequently lead to food waste. Some retailers have responded by abolishing price promotions. However, is it the macro‐level of the market structure, or the micro‐level of the consumer, that is to blame for food waste? With an outset in consumer responsibilization theory and through 24 in‐depth qualitative interviews, we explore how consumers and institutional actors perceive the responsibility for food waste in the interface between retailers and consumers, and how this perception has evolved. We identify two responsibility narratives—one that portrays the consumer as a self‐governed actor and the other as interdependent on the institutionally shaped context. We uniquely show that over time, a process of hybrid responsibility expansion has led to an extension of the consumer's responsibility into the retailer's domain of action, and vice versa. Findings highlight that responsibilization is not either on the consumers or retailers' side and can expand for both. This provides a nuance and a new contribution to the theory. For businesses, our results imply that abolishing price promotions does not align with consumer's ascription of responsibility. In turn, actions that involve collaborations of actors, including consumers, speak much more to the perception of responsibility expansion.
Photothermally responsive theranostic nanocomposites for near‐infrared light triggered drug release and enhanced synergism of photothermo‐chemotherapy for gastric cancer
Authors: Zhou Taicheng , Wu Lili , Ma Ning , Tang Fuxin , Chen Jialin , Jiang Zhipeng , Li Yingru , Ma Tao , Yang Na , Zong Zhen 
Published: July 2022

AbstractNear‐infrared (NIR) photothermal therapy plays a critical role in the cancer treatment and diagnosis as a promising carcinoma treatment modalities nowadays. However, development of clinical application has been greatly limited due to the inefficient drug release and low tumor accumulation. Herein, we designed a NIR‐light triggered indocyanine green (ICG)‐based PCL core/P(MEO2MA‐b‐HMAM) shell nanocomposites (PPH@ICG) and evaluated their therapeutic effects in vitro and in vivo. The anticancer drug 5‐fluorouracil (5Fu) and the photothermal agent ICG were loaded into a thermo‐sensitive micelle (PPH@5Fu@ICG) by self‐assembly. The nanoparticles formed were characterized using transmission electron microscopy, dynamic light scattering, and fluorescence spectra. The thermo‐sensitive copolymer (PPH@5Fu@ICG) showed a great temperature‐controlled drug release response with lower critical solution temperature. In vitro cellular uptake and TEM imaging proved that PPH@5Fu@ICG nanoparticles can home into the lysosomal compartments under NIR. Moreover, in gastric tumor‐bearing nude mice, PPH@5Fu@ICG + NIR group exhibited excellent improvement in antitumor efficacy based on the NIR‐triggered thermo‐chemotherapy synergy, both in vitro and in vivo. In summary, the proposed strategy of synergistic photo‐hyperthermia chemotherapy effectively reduced the 5Fu dose, toxic or side effect, which could serve as a secure and efficient approach for cancer theranostics.