bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Climate‐driven vegetation greening further reduces water availability in drylands
Authors: Chen Zefeng , Wang Weiguang , Cescatti Alessandro , Forzieri Giovanni 
Published: December 2022

AbstractClimate change alters surface water availability (WA; precipitation minus evapotranspiration, P − ET) and consequently impacts agricultural production and societal water needs, leading to increasing concerns on the sustainability of water use. Although the direct effects of climate change on WA have long been recognized and assessed, indirect climate effects occurring through adjustments in terrestrial vegetation are more subtle and not yet fully quantified. To address this knowledge gap, here we investigate the interplay between climate‐induced changes in leaf area index (LAI) and ET and quantify its ultimate effect on WA during the period 1982–2016 at the global scale, using an ensemble of data‐driven products and land surface models. We show that ~44% of the global vegetated land has experienced a significant increase in growing season‐averaged LAI and climate change explains 33.5% of this greening signal. Such climate‐induced greening has enhanced ET of 0.051 ± 0.067 mm year−2 (mean ± SD), further amplifying the ongoing increase in ET directly driven by variations in climatic factors over 36.8% of the globe, and thus exacerbating the decline in WA prominently in drylands. These findings highlight the indirect impact of positive feedbacks in the land–climate system on the decline of WA, and call for an in‐depth evaluation of these phenomena in the design of local mitigation and adaptation plans.
Textural and physicochemical properties of threadfin bream surimi gels prepared with salted duck egg white as substitute for hen egg white
Authors: Srisai Prim , Pansawat Nantipa , Rattanaporn Kittipong , Limpisophon Kanokrat 
Published: December 2022

SummaryEgg white can improve the textural properties of low‐grade surimi gels. We investigated the comparative effects of salted duck egg white (SDEW) and hen egg white (HEP), at equal egg white protein and salt levels, on the textural and physicochemical properties of low‐grade threadfin bream surimi gels. At 0.50% protein and 2.75% salt, the textural properties of the surimi prepared with SDEW were comparable with those of the surimi prepared with HEP, and their breaking force values were as twice as that of the surimi prepared with salt only. According to the surimi gel's soluble peptide content and protein pattern, both SDEW and HEP demonstrated inhibitory activities against the degradation of the myosin heavy chain. Surimi gels prepared with SDEW or HEP formed gel structures mainly via disulphide bonds and hydrophobic interactions, thereby resulting in stronger gels that retain water. Therefore, 0.50% protein SDEW could substitute for HEP in low‐grade surimi gels.
In vitro assessment of the effect of lactose‐free milk on colon microbiota of lactose‐intolerant adults
Authors: Casciano Flavia , Nissen Lorenzo , Chiarello Elena , Di Nunzio Mattia , Bordoni Alessandra , Gianotti Andrea 
Published: December 2022

SummaryMilk is an essential food, but a large part of adult's population is uncapable to digest lactose. Lactose intolerance can seriously affect the intestinal ecology and compromise the host's well‐being. In this scenario, the role of human gut microbiota is crucial, but little is known about that because few research studies were conducted, via either clinical trials or in vitro models. Also, due to the call to reduce animal testing in science, an in vitro model with the gut microbiota of lactose‐intolerant adults is necessary. This paper proposes an in vitro model coupling oro‐gastro‐duodenal digestion to colonic fermentation to evaluate lactose impact on colon microbiota of lactose‐intolerant adults. Microbiomics and metabolomics with respect to a baseline of fermentation were compared. Generally, when the insult was given, taxa specialised for dairy sugars were unaffected, but Bacteroidaceae and Lachnospiraceae were underrepresented. Lactose triggered raise of opportunistic Proteobacteria dominated by harmful Klebsiella. In addition, an important reduction of essential short‐chain fatty acids was observed, and in particular, that of butyrate. Although more observations need to be conducted, as well as a comparison with the healthy condition, the present work gives results for pre‐clinical application in the sight to reduce animal testing.
Study on antioxidant activity of wheat bran extract microcapsules in vitro and in vivo
Authors: Yu Xiaohong , Gong Bingye , Li Mengyue , Li Wei , Chen Xiaodong 
Published: December 2022

SummaryWheat bran extracts (WBE, mainly composed of feruloyl oligosaccharides (FOs)) have been approved by FDA in GRAS Notice. WBE was utilised in octenyl succinate anhydride‐modified starch (OSA‐starch)‐based microcapsules as wall materials to protect β‐carotene (BC) from oxygen. The storage retention and antioxidant indexes in vivo and in vitro of microcapsules were determined. The results showed that these characteristics were positively related to the proportion of WBE in the wall material. The in vivo antioxidant indexes in mouse serum and liver were positively regulated at gavage dose around content in wheat grain (normal dose), while at a higher dosage, the in vivo free oxidative stress fell into disorder. The results indicated that WBE was a good component of wall material, which can improve the antioxidant environment during both storage and consumption. This experiment provides a theoretical basis for the industrial application of WBE in the field of microcapsules.
Nanoemulsions loaded with compound photosensitisers: synergistic photodynamic inactivation effects of curcumin and riboflavin tetra butyrate
Authors: Zhang Chunling , Zhang Yushu , Fang Qiangsheng , Li Rui , Yuan Yuan , Zhuang Hong 
Published: December 2022

SummaryAntimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) is an effective method in the field of sterilisation. Singlet oxygen (1O2) is an important substance in photodynamic sterilisation that needs to be detected. It involves energy transfer from an excited photosensitiser to surrounding oxygen molecules to produce cytotoxic 1O2 species, a process termed as type II reaction. Traditional photodynamic sterilisation for fresh produce generally involves only a single photosensitiser and uses nanoemulsions coating to make the photosensitiser work better. This allows the emulsion to produce only a limited amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the presence of light, such that the bactericidal effect is limited. We have innovatively compounded two photosensitisers and stored them as nanoemulsions. The composite photosensitiser produces relatively higher ROS and the nanoemulsions have good stability as well as rheological properties, and the photosensitisers are well coated in the emulsions. In summary, nanoemulsions based on composite photosensitisers showed synergistic activity in controlling the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, which provides a novel approach for raw sterilisation to maintain food safety.
The effect of different edible fungal polysaccharides on the stability of whey protein isolate solution near isoelectric point
Authors: Shang Jiaqi , Ritian Jin , Yang Wei , Teng Xiangyu , Sun Hui , Zhang Fengrui , Zhang Lili , Xu Yan , Ren Haowei , Liu Ning 
Published: December 2022

SummaryWhey protein isolate (WPI) is unstable near isoelectric point with simultaneous precipitation or phase separation, which negatively affects its application. In the current study, four kinds of edible fungal polysaccharides were selected to improve the WPI stability through non‐covalent interaction. The addition of edible fungal polysaccharides significantly improved the WPI stability. Zeta potential analysis showed that edible fungal polysaccharides reduced the zeta potential of WPI. The analysis of rheological properties showed that complex solutions exhibited higher viscosity and behaved as pseudoplastic fluids. Bio‐layer interferometry demonstrated the interactions between edible fungal polysaccharides and WPI, and the KD between Tremella fuciformis (TFP) and WPI was the lowest. LC–MS/MS results indicated that the peptide fragments “VGINYWLAHK” and “TPEVDDEALEKFDK” in α‐lactalbumin and β‐lactoglobulin were probably binding regions interacted with the four kinds of edible fungal polysaccharides. Furthermore, molecular docking results inferred GLN43 and GLU127 were the major residues in the α‐lactalbumin and β‐lactoglobulin.
The origin of regulatory from the effector cells in LAG‐3‐marked Th1 immunity against severe influenza virus infection
Authors: Dutta Avijit , Hung Chen‐Yiu , Chen Tse‐Ching , Chang Chia‐Shiang , Hsiao Sung‐Han , Lin Yung‐Chang , Lin Chun‐Yen , Huang Ching‐Tai 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn severe respiratory virus infections, including influenza, an exaggerated host immune response has been linked to the severe disease and death. Control of the overwhelming immune response is thus essential. Efforts with broad‐spectrum immunosuppressive agents such as steroids are disappointing. A better understanding of host immune response using animal experimental system is required to avoid undesired outcome of experimental manipulation. Following severe influenza virus infection in influenza hemagglutinin antigen‐specific transgenic mouse experimental model, step‐wise evolving cells from a pool of naïve hemagglutinin‐specific CD4+ T cells were studied for phenotypic, genomic, and functional characterization in vivo. Naïve CD4+ T cells respond with Th1 commitment in the absolute majority. They first develop into LAG‐3MedIFN‐γ‐secreting Th1 effectors and then evolve into LAG‐3HighIFN‐γ‐not‐secreting regulators with increasing LAG‐3 expression upon continuous activation and cell division. The LAG‐3MedIFN‐γ‐secreting effectors contribute to inflammation, boost inflammatory response of cognate antigen‐specific CD8+ T cells, and aggravate the disease despite facilitated virus clearance. In contrast, LAG‐3High regulators do not contribute to inflammation, suppress CD8+ T cell inflammatory response, alleviate lung pathology, and ameliorate the disease with preserved virus clearance. Moderated CD8+ T cells retain proliferative capacity, and persist beyond virus clearance. Such moderation is distinct from Foxp‐3+ regulator‐mediated suppression, which suppresses proliferative and inflammatory responses of the CD8+ T cells and impairs virus clearance with inflammation alleviation. Origin of regulatory from the effector cells of LAG‐3‐marked Th1 immunity alleviates lung inflammation without impairment of virus eradication.
Testing a supervisor‐led extension of self‐reflection resilience training: A controlled trial randomized by platoon at the Royal Military College
Authors: Kho Madison C. , Karin Eyal , Gucciardi Daniel F. , Crane Monique F. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractThe study tested an extension of a promising adaptive self‐reflective approach to resilience training. The extension integrated resilience training content in routine workplace activities via supervisors. Participants were military cadets (N = 168), randomized by platoon into two conditions. The control condition received the original self‐reflective resilience training only (n = 85), and the intervention condition additionally received a supervisor‐led extension of this programme (n = 83). Participants completed assessments of depression and anxiety symptoms and perceived stress at four time points over five months. Cadet performance scores were also obtained. Findings indicated that participants receiving the supervisor‐led extension demonstrated better psychological outcomes earlier than cadets in the control condition. However, at Time 4 both interventions had equivalent levels of mental health outcomes and perceived stress. The supervisor‐led condition demonstrated better average performance than the control condition for the performance measure congruent to the workplace activity in which the extension was applied. Mechanisms for the effectiveness of the supervisor‐led extension were explored. Analysis suggested that perceived supervisor support for the individual mediated the intervention–psychological outcome relationship. This research demonstrates the effectiveness of a scalable resilience intervention and speaks to a role of supervisors in facilitating resilience via supportive interactions.
South to north investment linkages and decent work in Brazil
Authors: Wagner Patrick , Raess Damian 
Published: December 2022

AbstractOver the last 25 years, the BRICs asserted themselves as drivers of globalization. But what does their new‐found prominence mean for working conditions at home? Using a novel sub‐national database covering outward investment linkages and working conditions in Brazilian municipalities, this study tests whether a direct investment in Europe leads to the introduction of decent working conditions in Brazil. The empirical results provide strong support for the investing‐up effect using a mixture of panel data analysis and text analysis. The results suggest that economic integration with high‐standard developed countries can act as a powerful mechanism for labor standard improvements in developing countries.
Premature atrial contraction immediately after catheter ablation was associated with late recurrence of atrial fibrillation
Authors: Fujisawa Tomoki , Kawakami Hiroshi , Nagai Takayuki , Miyazaki Shigehiro , Akazawa Yusuke , Miyoshi Toru , Higaki Akinori , Seike Fumiyasu , Higashi Haruhiko , Nishimura Kazuhisa , Inoue Katsuji , Ikeda Shuntaro , Yamaguchi Osamu 
Published: December 2022

AbstractBackgroundAlthough premature atrial contractions (PACs) just after catheter ablation (CA) for atrial fibrillation (AF) are common, their clinical significance is uncertain. This study aimed to evaluate whether the PAC burden after an initial CA for AF was associated with late recurrence.MethodsWe enrolled 346 patients with AF (median age, 65 years; 30% female; 57% with paroxysmal AF) who underwent an initial radiofrequency CA and a 24‐h Holter monitoring the day after the procedure. PAC was defined as supraventricular complexes occurring ≥30% earlier than expected compared with a previous RR interval, and the number of PAC/24 h during post‐procedural Holter monitoring was analyzed.ResultsAF recurred in 106 patients (31%) during a median follow‐up of 19 months. These patients had significantly more PAC/24 h than those without (median [interquartile range], 891 [316–4351] beats vs. 409 [162–1,303] beats; p < 0.01). The number of PACs was independently associated with AF recurrence after adjustment for clinical parameters and left atrial (LA) enlargement. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis revealed that 1431 PAC/24 h was the optimal cut‐off value for predicting AF recurrence. Adding the PAC/24 h to the prediction model with LA diameter appeared to correctly reclassify patients who were thought to be at high risk for AF recurrence into the low‐risk group and vice versa.ConclusionsThe number of PACs was an independent risk factor for AF recurrence. A 24‐h Holter recording the day after an initial CA is a simple and beneficial tool for the risk stratification of AF recurrence.
Public assessments of ministerial leadership in times of national crisis: The case of the pandemic crisis
Authors: Lee Don S. 
Published: December 2022

AbstractPublic administration and political science researchers have debated what constitutes effective ministerial leadership in presidential governments. Some argue that, looking at it from the chief executive's perspective, ministers ought to be capable of supporting her policy programs, but others, taking the bureaucrats' point of view, contend that ministers need to be experienced in managing agencies and executing policy correctly. However, there has been a lack of research on the public assessments of ministerial leadership, particularly in times of crisis. We contribute experimental evidence by analyzing original survey data on more than 1200 South Korean citizens collected during the COVID‐19 pandemic. We find that, overall, citizens are more likely to endorse ministers' technical expertise and management abilities than their political skills during a crisis. Moreover, as the impact of a national crisis becomes more severe, the levels of support enjoyed by ministers with technical expertise increase more than the support given to ministers with other skills.
Association between management, human resources, and care provided to patients with special healthcare needs in dental specialty centers in Brazil: A cross‐sectional study
Authors: Reis‐Oliveira Jennifer , Costa Brune de Sousa Faria , Borges‐Oliveira Ana Cristina , de Abreu Mauro Henrique Nogueira Guimarães 
Published: December 2022

AbstractAimsThis study aimed to identify the association between management and human resource factors with the performance of dental care provided to patients with special health care needs (SHCN) in secondary care in Brazil in the second cycle of the Program for Quality Improvement and Access to Dental Specialty Centers (PMAQ‐CEO).Methods and ResultsThis study is a secondary data analysis from the second cycle from PMAQ‐CEO, which evaluated 1097 Dental Specialty Centers (DSCs), conducted in 2018. Seventeen independent variables taken from dentists’ training, and dental team management characteristics were analyzed to assess their influence on the reported “Performance of care for SHCN patients”. An estimated score was generated from their performance on 23 questions related to the physical and human structure and work processes in the oral health care of SHCN patients in the DSCs. Negative binomial regression model with values p ≤ 0.05 were considered significant. Data analysis included residual deviation to the degree of freedom and the chi‐square test. The patient care performance score with SHCN increases significantly when the DSC has a manager (RR = 1.019; CI = 1.011–1.026) and goal monitoring and analysis (RR = 1.012; CI = 1.007–1.005). By contrast, the DSCs in which the dentist is a statutory public servant (RR = 0.998; CI = 0.997–1.000) and performs additional unhealthy or hazardous duties (RR = 0.998; CI = 0.996–0.999) are less likely to provide a higher quality care.ConclusionThe heterogeneity and low‐performance scores for dental care provided to SHCN was identified in Brazilian health services. It was possible to verify that management and human resource factors of the DSCs were associated with the performance of dental care provided to SHCN patients.
Recasting the state: The Scottish National Party and the Nieuw‐Vlaamse Alliantie
Authors: Brown Swan Coree 
Published: December 2022

AbstractIn 2014, voters in Scotland and Flanders were faced with a choice which would shape the constitutional future of their respective nations as well as that of the British and Belgian states. The Scottish National Party and the Nieuw‐Vlaamse Alliantie sought different types of self‐government, but their proposals were made in response to the embedding state. This article analyses the messaging of each party, determining that both discursively use the state – as concept and as institution – in similar ways. Both acknowledge the interdependence inherent to governance in the twenty‐first century, but argue that self‐government remains necessary. They also use the perceived failings of the state to make their case for self‐government. However, there are important, albeit subtle, areas of variation, reflecting both the nature of each party’s self‐government goals and their strategies in pursuit of them.
Conflictual and consensual class relations in collective governance: Comparing the expansion of short apprenticeships in Germany and Switzerland
Authors: Graf Lukas 
Published: December 2022

AbstractCollective skill formation builds on a long tradition of cooperation between state actors, unions, and employer associations. As such, it can be considered strongly path‐dependent, which also refers to deeply institutionalized arrangements reconciling economic and social objectives across public and private actors. Yet, given structural changes in the economy and crises on the training market, dual apprenticeship training has been increasingly challenged to maintain its balance between economic and social objectives. In this context, I analyse the expansion of short‐track dual apprenticeship training, which represents a lower‐cost, lower‐qualification variant of traditional dual apprenticeships in Germany and Switzerland. In these countries—both of which are core examples of collective skill formation systems—such short‐tracks were expanded starting in the early 2000s. However, German unions have heavily opposed this expansion, while Swiss unions have actively supported it. I carry out a comparative historical‐institutional analysis to address this puzzle and unpack the respective change processes. Focussing on the dominant governance modes, I find that in Switzerland, the expansion of short‐tracks is linked to path reinforcement in terms of a liberal corporatist system characterized by polite employer domination. In contrast, in Germany I observe that the developments around short‐tracks are associated with a path switch from a social to a more liberal collective skill formation arrangement but one that is linked to rather ‘hostile’ employer domination.
The multi‐dimensional politics of education policy in the knowledge economy: The case of Italy (1996–2008)
Authors: Durazzi Niccolo , Pavolini Emmanuele , Battaglia Fabio 
Published: December 2022

AbstractDespite rhetorical agreement amongst all major political‐economic actors around the importance of education policy in the knowledge economy, the reform of education systems remains a complex political endeavour. The article explores the politics of education policy by focussing on its multi‐dimensionality. It argues that education systems simultaneously perform three functions: they distribute educational opportunities; they provide skills to the labour market; and they are a source of public sector employment. It is argued that policy change in one dimension is likely to trigger spill‐over effects onto the others, giving rise to complex political dynamics at the intersection of the parliamentary and corporatist arenas. It is in this context that centre‐left and centre‐right parties (try to) pursue distributional goals whilst being pressured by different interest groups. The theoretical argument is explored empirically through a detailed reconstruction of over a decade of intense reform activity in the Italian upper‐secondary education system.