bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Limited decadal growth of mountain birch saplings has minor impact on surrounding tundra vegetation
Authors: Scharn Ruud , Negri Isabel S. , Sundqvist Maja K. , Løkken Jørn O. , Bacon Christine D. , Antonelli Alexandre , Hofgaard Annika , Nilsson R. Henrik , Björk Robert G. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractTemperatures over the Arctic region are increasing at three times the rate of the global average. Consequently, Arctic vegetation is changing and trees are encroaching into the tundra. In this study, we examine the establishment and growth of mountain birch (Betula pubescens ssp. tortuosa), which forms the treeline in subarctic Europe, and its impact on community composition across the treeline ecotone nearby Abisko, Sweden. Birch advancement along elevational gradients was studied by comparing data collected in 2016 with data collected 10 and 15 years previously. Species identity, cover, and phylogenetic relatedness were used to assess the impact of birch encroachment on community composition. Our results show that birch occurrence above the treeline did not affect plant community composition, probably owing to the observed lack of significant growth due to herbivore browsing, nitrogen limitation, or a reduction in snow cover. Independent of birch performance, the tundra community structure shifted toward a novel community dissimilar from the forest plant community found below the treeline. Taken together, our findings are explained by species‐specific responses to climate change, rather than by a linear forest advance. Future treeline advancements are likely more restricted than previously expected.
Standardizing protocols for determining the cause of mortality in wildlife studies
Authors: Cristescu Bogdan , Elbroch L. Mark , Forrester Tavis D. , Allen Maximilian L. , Spitz Derek B. , Wilmers Christopher C. , Wittmer Heiko U. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractMortality site investigations of telemetered wildlife are important for cause‐specific survival analyses and understanding underlying causes of observed population dynamics. Yet, eroding ecoliteracy and a lack of quality control in data collection can lead researchers to make incorrect conclusions, which may negatively impact management decisions for wildlife populations. We reviewed a random sample of 50 peer‐reviewed studies published between 2000 and 2019 on survival and cause‐specific mortality of ungulates monitored with telemetry devices. This concise review revealed extensive variation in reporting of field procedures, with many studies omitting critical information for the cause of mortality inference. Field protocols used to investigate mortality sites and ascertain the cause of mortality are often minimally described and frequently fail to address how investigators dealt with uncertainty. We outline a step‐by‐step procedure for mortality site investigations of telemetered ungulates, including evidence that should be documented in the field. Specifically, we highlight data that can be useful to differentiate predation from scavenging and more conclusively identify the predator species that killed the ungulate. We also outline how uncertainty in identifying the cause of mortality could be acknowledged and reported. We demonstrate the importance of rigorous protocols and prompt site investigations using data from our 5‐year study on survival and cause‐specific mortality of telemetered mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in northern California. Over the course of our study, we visited mortality sites of neonates (n = 91) and adults (n = 23) to ascertain the cause of mortality. Rapid site visitations significantly improved the successful identification of the cause of mortality and confidence levels for neonates. We discuss the need for rigorous and standardized protocols that include measures of confidence for mortality site investigations. We invite reviewers and journal editors to encourage authors to provide supportive information associated with the identification of causes of mortality, including uncertainty.
“Jack‐of‐all‐trades” is parthenogenetic
Authors: Maraun Mark , Bischof Paul S. P. , Klemp Finn L. , Pollack Jule , Raab Linnea , Schmerbach Jan , Schaefer Ina , Scheu Stefan , Caruso Tancredi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSex is evolutionarily more costly than parthenogenesis, evolutionary ecologists therefore wonder why sex is much more frequent than parthenogenesis in the majority of animal lineages. Intriguingly, parthenogenetic individuals and species are as common as or even more common than sexuals in some major and putative ancient animal lineages such as oribatid mites and rotifers. Here, we analyzed oribatid mites (Acari: Oribatida) as a model group because these mites are ancient (early Paleozoic), widely distributed around the globe, and include a high number of parthenogenetic species, which often co‐exist with sexual oribatid mite species. There is evidence that the reproductive mode is phylogenetically conserved in oribatid mites, which makes them an ideal model to test hypotheses on the relationship between reproductive mode and species' ecological strategies. We used oribatid mites to test the frozen niche variation hypothesis; we hypothesized that parthenogenetic oribatid mites occupy narrow specialized ecological niches. We used the geographic range of species as a proxy for specialization as specialized species typically do have narrower geographic ranges than generalistic species. After correcting for phylogenetic signal in reproductive mode and demonstrating that geographic range size has no phylogenetic signal, we found that parthenogenetic lineages have a higher probability to have broader geographic ranges than sexual species arguing against the frozen niche variation hypothesis. Rather, the results suggest that parthenogenetic oribatid mite species are more generalistic than sexual species supporting the general‐purpose genotype hypothesis. The reason why parthenogenetic oribatid mite species are generalists with wide geographic range sizes might be that they are of ancient origin reflecting that they adapted to varying environmental conditions during evolutionary history. Overall, our findings indicate that parthenogenetic oribatid mite species possess a widely adapted general‐purpose genotype and therefore might be viewed as “Jack‐of‐all‐trades.”
Harnessing the temporal and projective attributes of human agency to promote anticipatory climate change adaptation
Authors: Serrao‐Neumann Silvia , Taygfeld Pazit , Asbridge Emma F. , Mackey Brendan , Rogers Kerrylee , Low Choy Darryl 
Published: June 2022

AbstractHuman agency is seen as a critical component of adaptive capacity concerning environmental change. This capacity may entail social actor's ability to learn from past experience, and create opportunities in the present for dealing with uncertainty and change in the future. However, it also means that actors need to be able to overturn structural barriers that impede anticipatory adaptation to climate change such as lack of political leadership, power imbalances, acceptance of climate risks and willingness to act. While scholarship around questions of structural barriers is common in environmental studies literature, there is less understanding about how future thinking could help to strengthen human agency. Harnessing the temporal and projective attributes of human agency by which social actors can exert influence over the future and create solutions may comprise a promising way forward. This paper investigates how social actors understand past social and environmental change and explores how scenario planning may help actors apply their understanding of changes over time to devise policies for climate change adaptation. The paper applies this exploratory lens to an Australian coastal local government area engaged in scenario planning and adaptation pathways planning. Findings indicate that the temporality aspect of agency applied to solving complex issues and overcoming structural barriers manifests differently from an individual to a collective perspective. This means that while scenario planning and adaptation pathways planning helps with anticipatory identification and experimentation, this may not be sufficient to overturn structural barriers to adaptation in the short‐term.
Dynamic risk stratification using Markov chain modelling in patients with chronic heart failure
Authors: Kazmi Syed , Kambhampati Chandrasekhar , Cleland John G.F. , Cuthbert Joe , Kazmi Khurram Shehzad , Pellicori Pierpaolo , Rigby Alan S. , Clark Andrew L. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAimsRisk changes with the progression of disease and the impact of treatment. We developed a dynamic risk stratification Markov chain model using artificial intelligence in patients with chronic heart failure (CHF).Methods and resultsWe described the pattern of behaviour among 7496 consecutive patients assessed for suspected HF. The following mutually exclusive health states were defined and assessed every 4 months: death, hospitalization, outpatient visit, no event, and leaving the service altogether (defined as no event at any point following assessment). The observed figures at the first transition (4 months) weres 427 (6%), 1559 (21%), 2254 (30%), 1414 (19%), and 1842 (25%), respectively. The probabilities derived from the first two transitions (i.e. from baseline to 4 months and from 4 to 8 months) were used to construct the model. An example of the model's prediction is that at cycle 4, the cumulative probability of death was 14%; leaving the system, 37%; being hospitalized between 12 and 16 months, 10%; having an outpatient visit, 8%; and having no event, 31%. The corresponding observed figures were 14%, 41%, 10%, 15%, and 21%, respectively. The model predicted that during the first 2 years, a patient had a probability of dying of 0.19, and the observed value was 0.18.ConclusionsA model derived from the first 8 months of follow‐up is strongly predictive of future events in a population of patients with chronic heart failure. The course of CHF is more linear than is commonly supposed, and thus more predictable.
Effective therapy of polymyositis in mice via selective inhibition of the immunoproteasome
Authors: del Rio Oliva Marta , Kirk Christopher J , Groettrup Marcus , Basler Michael 
Published: June 2022

AbstractPolymyositis (PM) is a chronic autoimmune inflammatory myopathy resulting in muscle weakness. The limited approved therapies and their poor efficacy contribute to its comorbidity. We investigated the therapeutic use of ONX 0914 and KZR‐616, selective inhibitors of the immunoproteasome, in C protein‐induced myositis (CIM), a mouse model of PM that closely resembles the human disease. Diseased mice (day 13 postimmunization) were treated with 10 mg/kg ONX 0914, KZR‐616, or vehicle on alternate days until day 28. Endpoints included muscle strength assessed by a grip strength meter, serum creatine kinase activity, histology, and immunohistochemistry analysis. Treatment with ONX 0914 or KZR‐616 prevented the loss of grip strength in mice after CIM induction, while vehicle‐treated animals displayed progressive muscle weakness. Immunoproteasome inhibition lowered PM‐associated leukocyte infiltration of the muscle and prevented increased serum creatine kinase levels. LMP7‐deficient mice were resistant to CIM induction, as they showed no alterations in grip strength or creatine kinase (CK) levels or muscular alterations. In conclusion, selective inhibition of the immunoproteasome displays therapeutic efficacy in a preclinical mouse model of PM with suppression of muscle inflammation and preservation of muscle strength. Positive results from this study support the rationale for using KZR‐616 in clinical studies.
The positivity‐preserving finite volume scheme with fixed stencils for anisotropic diffusion problems on general polyhedral meshes
Authors: Yang Di , Gao Zhiming , Ni Guoxi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractTwo kinds of nonlinear cell‐centered positivity‐preserving finite volume schemes are proposed for the anisotropic diffusion problems on general three‐dimensional polyhedral meshes. Firstly, the one‐sided flux on the cell‐faces is discretized using the fixed stencil of all vertices, then the cell‐centered discretization scheme is obtained using the nonlinear two‐point flux approximation. On this basis, a new explicit weighted second‐order vertex interpolation algorithm for arbitrary polyhedral meshes is designed to eliminate the vertex auxiliary unknowns in the scheme. In addition, an improved Anderson acceleration algorithm is adopted for nonlinear iteration. Finally, some benchmark examples are given to verify the convergence and positivity‐preserving property of the two schemes.
The intersectionality of life course socioeconomic status, race, and cognitive decline: An 18‐year follow‐up
Authors: Zeng Yue , Lum Terry Yat Sang , Chen Yu‐Chih 
Published: June 2022

AbstractObjectivesStudies have documented the impact of childhood socioeconomic status (SES) on cognition. However, research that simultaneously considers SES in varied life stages, the multidimensional mechanisms, and racial differences is relatively understudied. This study examines the intersectionality across age, SES, and race and its impact on cognitive trajectories.MethodsUsing 8376 respondents aged 65+ from the 1998–2016 Health and Retirement Study, we used latent growth curve modeling to examine the effects of four life course models (latency, pathway, accumulation, and mobility) on 18‐year trajectories of mental status and episodic memory. We further tested for differences in the links between SES and cognitive trajectories between black and white respondents.ResultsCognitive function declines with age and is interrelated with SES and race. Adulthood has a stronger effect on cognitive performance than childhood. However, linked positive childhood and adulthood SES contributes to positive cognition. Accumulated SES disadvantages were associated with lower cognition. Older adults with downward mobility and low SES throughout their lifespans had the lowest cognition scores. Life course models operated differently on trajectories of cognitive decline, yet the effects were particularly evident among older black respondents. Overall, those with socioeconomic advantages tended to have a slower decline in cognition, while a faster decline occurred for those with accrued disadvantages.ConclusionsCognitive performance is a complex, longitudinal process intertwined with socioeconomic conditions and population heterogeneity shaped by life course contexts. Policies that facilitate healthy cognitive performance and address SES inequality could equalize health opportunities and address racial cognitive disparities later in life.
Prediction of childhood maltreatment and subtypes with personalized functional connectome of large‐scale brain networks
Authors: Zhang Jiang , Zhao Tianyu , Zhang Jingyue , Zhang Zhiwei , Li Hongming , Cheng Bochao , Pang Yajing , Wu Huawang , Wang Jiaojian 
Published: June 2022

AbstractChildhood maltreatment (CM) has a long impact on physical and mental health of children. However, the neural underpinnings of CM are still unclear. In this study, we aimed to establish the associations between functional connectome of large‐scale brain networks and influences of CM evaluated through Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) at the individual level based on resting‐state functional magnetic resonance imaging data of 215 adults. A novel individual functional mapping approach was employed to identify subject‐specific functional networks and functional network connectivities (FNCs). A connectome‐based predictive modeling (CPM) was used to estimate CM total and subscale scores using individual FNCs. The CPM established with FNCs can well predict CM total scores and subscale scores including emotion abuse, emotion neglect, physical abuse, physical neglect, and sexual abuse. These FNCs primarily involve default mode network, fronto‐parietal network, visual network, limbic network, motor network, dorsal and ventral attention networks, and different networks have distinct contributions to predicting CM and subtypes. Moreover, we found that CM showed age and sex effects on individual functional connections. Taken together, the present findings revealed that different types of CM are associated with different atypical neural networks which provide new clues to understand the neurobiological consequences of childhood adversity.
Long‐term outcomes of high dose carbon‐ion radiation therapy for unresectable upper cervical (C1‐2) chordoma
Authors: Aoki Shuri , Koto Masashi , Ikawa Hiroaki , Imai Reiko , Tokuhiko Omatsu , Shinoto Makoto , Takiyama Hirotoshi , Yamada Shigeru , Tsuji Hiroshi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBackgroundChordoma is a rare, locally invasive neoplasm of the axial skeleton. Complete resection is often difficult, especially for the upper‐cervical (C1‐2) spine. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of carbon‐ion radiotherapy (CIRT) for unresectable C1‐2 chordoma.MethodsPatients with C1‐2 chordoma treated with definitive CIRT (60.8 Gy [RBE] in 16 fractions) were retrospectively analyzed. We evaluated OS, LC, PFS, and toxicity.ResultsNineteen eligible patients all completed the planned course of CIRT. With the median follow‐up 68 months (range: 29–144), median OS was 126 months (range: 36‐NA). Five‐year OS, LC, and PFS were 68.4% (95% CI, 42.8%–84.4%), 75.2% (46.1%–90.0%), and 64.1% (36.3%–82.3%), respectively. Regarding acute toxicity of grade ≥3, there was only one grade 3 mucositis. Late toxicity included radiation‐induced myelitis (grade 3 in 1 patient; 5.3%), and compression fractures (n = 5; 26.3%).ConclusionsHigh‐dose CIRT is a promising treatment option for unresectable upper cervical chordoma.
Permutationally invariant polynomial representation of polarizability tensor surfaces for linear regression analysis
Authors: Omodemi Oluwaseun , Kaledin Martina , Kaledin Alexey L. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractA linearly parameterized functional form for a Cartesian representation of molecular dipole polarizability tensor surfaces (PTS) is described. The proposed expression for the PTS is a linearization of the recently reported power series ansatz of the original Applequist model, which by construction is non‐linear in parameter space. This new approach possesses (i) a unique solution to the least‐squares fitting problem; (ii) a low level of the computational complexity of the resulting linear regression procedure, comparable to those of the potential energy and dipole moment surfaces; and (iii) a competitive level of accuracy compared to the non‐linear PTS model. Calculations of CH4 PTS, with polarizabilities fitted to 9000 training set points with the energies up to 14,000 cm−1 show an impressive level of accuracy of the linear PTS model obtained with ~1600 parameters: ~1% versus 0.3% RMSE for the non‐linear vs. linear model on a test set of 1000 configurations.
The role of anxiety and gender in anticipation and avoidance of naturalistic anxiety‐provoking experiences during adolescence: An ecological momentary assessment study
Authors: Smith Ashley R. , Jones Emily L. , Subar Anni R. , Do Quyen B. , Kircanski Katharina , Leibenluft Ellen , Brotman Melissa A. , Pine Daniel S. , Silk Jennifer S. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractObjectiveAnxiety symptoms often increase in late childhood/early adolescence, particularly among girls. However, few studies examine anxiety‐relevant gender differences during anticipation and avoidance of naturalistic experiences during adolescence. The current study uses ecological momentary assessment (EMA) to examine associations among clinical anxiety, gender, anticipation, and attempted avoidance of person‐specific anxiety‐provoking experiences in youth ages 8–18.Method124 youth (73 girls) completed 7 consecutive days of EMA. Seventy participants (42 girls) met criteria for one or more anxiety disorders, while the remaining 54 were healthy controls (31 girls). Participants reported the experience that they were “most worried about happening that day” and completed ratings about that event including whether they attempted to avoid that experience. Multilevel models examined whether diagnostic group (anxious, healthy), gender (boys, girls), or their interaction predicted anticipatory ratings or avoidance of these experiences.ResultsAnalyses revealed significant diagnostic group by gender interactions for anticipatory ratings. Specifically, anxious girls reported greater worry and predicted more negative outcomes related to future experiences. However, only a main effect of diagnostic group emerged for attempted avoidance. Finally, anticipatory worry predicted higher rates of attempted avoidance, but this association did not vary by diagnostic group, gender, or their interaction.ConclusionThese findings extend the literature on the interplay of anticipation and avoidance to person‐specific naturalistic experiences in pediatric anxiety. They reveal that anxious girls report more anticipatory anxiety and worry, while avoidance of real‐world anxiety‐provoking scenarios is a key concern for anxious youth independent of gender. By using EMA to examine person‐specific anxiety‐inducing experiences we can begin to understand how these processes and experiences unfold in the real world.
A qualitative assessment of dental hygiene educators’ COVID‐19 related burnout
Authors: Arnett Michelle C. , Ramaswamy Vidya , Snay Sarah , Evans Elizabeth , Rulli Danielle 
Published: June 2022

AbstractPurposeThe purpose of this study was to elicit ideas or concerns influencing dental hygiene educators’ experiences of personal and professional burnout, burnout working with students, and teaching efficacy in an online/hybrid environment as a result of the COVID‐19 pandemic.MethodsA qualitative, content‐analysis study included a convenience sample of dental hygiene educators emails. An invitation to participate in an August 2021 or October 2021 focus group was sent via Qualtricsxm with informed consent, and focus groups were held over Zoom. Conversations were audio recorded, transcribed, and de‐identified. Consensus on a codebook by two coders achieved an 88% agreement.ResultsFifty‐three were invited to the August 2021 focus groups for a 26% (n = 14) response rate, and 116 were invited to the October 2021 focus groups for an 11% (n = 13) response rate. Contributing factors to experiences of burnout expressed were: (1) work–life balance (n = 59), including (a) overwork, (b) pressure to be available, and (c) lack of boundaries; (2) change (n = 34) involving (a) developing new protocols, (b) constant uncertainty, (c) COVID‐19 requirements, and (d) new platforms; and (3) negative interactions (n = 32) with (a) students and (b) faculty.ConclusionA lack of work–life balance from overwork, pressure to be available at all times, no boundaries with students, and an absence of a sense of connection for workplace vitality were contributors to burnout. Work‐from‐home flexibility, a work environment that supported wellness and mental well‐being, and the ability to leave the workplace for periods of time were reported as helpful solutions to combatting burnout.