bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
How evidence, implementation, policy, and politics come together within evidence systems: Lessons from South Africa
Authors: Stewart Ruth 
Published: June 2022

SummaryMotivationAlthough the field of evidence‐informed policy‐making has grown significantly in the last 20 years, little is written about how it manifests within government policy, and whether it makes a meaningful difference to development outcomes. This article seeks to fill that gap.PurposeThrough reflection and analysis of shifts in the wider evidence ecosystem, and developments in South Africa specifically, the article describes how in South Africa the political and policy spheres come together with changes in production and use of evidence to increase the potential to improve the lives of millions of people.Methods and approachThis article is based on structured reflection and analysis of 20 years of contributions to the evidence ecosystem in low‐, lower‐middle, and upper‐middle income countries (L&MICs), in particular in Africa. It includes analysis of documentation of initiatives, policies, and practices relating to the production and use of evidence, with a focus on South Africa.FindingsThere are clear shifts within evidence‐informed decision‐making (EIDM) systems over time in the production of evidence and in the implementation of evidence approaches. The varied experiences documented in South Africa and across L&MICs highlight valuable lessons for others. In South Africa the policies underpinning evidence use, and the political context in which evidence‐informed decision‐making takes place, combine to contribute to increasing use of evidence in the country. Reflecting on the system developments across Africa and further afield reveals how one country's system is both influenced by these wider contexts and has potential to influence the wider system with clear policy implications.Policy implicationsRoutine use of evidence in decision‐making requires new practices to become standard across not only policy systems, but also evidence systems. Changes are needed across a range of actors, organizations, and institutions. There are lessons to be learnt from varied experiences including those in L&MICs, to inform advances towards the institutionalization of evidence use in policy. This case study highlights the importance of synergistic developments in both evidence production and use, of genuine partnerships at all levels, and of the policies and frameworks that underpin change.
Mitral annular calcification: The incremental diagnostic value of 3D transesophageal echocardiography
Authors: Yirerong Juliet , Wen Jason , Jain Ankit 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThree‐dimensional (3D) echocardiography is an important tool in the evaluation of mitral valve anatomy. We illustrate a case of a 67‐year‐old female who was admitted for non‐ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and underwent two‐vessel coronary artery bypass grafting for surgical disease. Her two‐dimensional (2D) echocardiographic images intraoperatively demonstrated a mass on the posterior mitral valve leaflet which created a diagnostic challenge; 3D transesophageal imaging was crucial in identifying the true nature of the pathology to be mitral annular calcification with supra‐annular extension.
Spread of Bambusa bambos (L.) Voss influences litter‐dwelling arthropod communities in native forests: a case study from Sri Lanka
Authors: Wijewickrama Tharanga , Karunaratne Inoka , Wijesundara Siril , Nijamdeen Mafaziya , Ekanayake Gayandi , Jayawardhane Jayamini , Abeysundara Sachith P. , Madawala Sumedha 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Both native and non‐native bamboo populations can expand their distributions in a rather irregular manner, inflicting changes in native vegetation with potential consequences for litter‐dwelling arthropod communities. To our knowledge, no studies have been undertaken to explore the impacts of bamboo spread on litter‐dwelling arthropods.
This study examined the impacts of Bambusa bambos, a spreading native bamboo species, on abundance and order richness of litter‐dwelling arthropods in tropical moist evergreen forests. Bamboo‐rich and non‐bamboo forests were compared in three study sites at Moragahakanda in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. Arthropods were sampled from leaf litter and individuals were categorised into their respective orders.
Arthropod abundance and order richness were higher in bamboo‐rich forests than in non‐bamboo forests across all sites, indicating more hospitable micro‐habitat conditions following bamboo spread. Litter‐dwelling arthropods belonging to orders Blattodea, Hymenoptera, Diptera, Lepidoptera and Orthoptera were either more prevalent or more frequently associated with bamboo‐rich forests than non‐bamboo forests, suggesting a potential shift in community structure.
The abundance and order richness of litter‐dwelling arthropods in non‐bamboo forests was explained by environmental variables, whilst no such associations were observed in bamboo‐rich forests.
The overall findings indicate that the spread of bamboo may facilitate litter‐dwelling arthropods and cause a compositional shift in taxonomic assemblages, perhaps as a result of changes in the micro‐habitat conditions on the forest floor.
Early report on the severity of COVID‐19 in hematologic patients infected with the SARS‐CoV2 omicron variant
Authors: Ullrich Fabian , Hanoun Christine , Turki Amin T. , Liebregts Tobias , Breuckmann Katharina , Alashkar Ferras , Reinhardt Hans Christian , von Tresckow Bastian , von Tresckow Julia 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIntroductionPatients with hematologic disease are at high risk of morbidity and mortality from COVID‐19 due to disease‐inherent and therapy‐related immunodeficiency. Whether infection with the SARS‐CoV2 omicron variant leads to attenuated disease severity in these patients is currently unknown.MethodsWe assessed clinical and laboratory parameters in 61 patients with underlying hematologic conditions with a SARS‐CoV2 omicron variant infection confirmed by nucleic acid amplification testing.ResultsFifty patients reported symptoms of COVID‐19, most commonly fatigue (37 patients, 60.66%) and cough (32 patients, 52.46%). 39.34% of patients reported fever. Dyspnea was reported by 10 patients and 7 patients (11.48%) required oxygen therapy. Anosmia and ageusia were relatively rare, occurring in less than 10% of patients. Severity of SARS‐CoV2 infection could be assessed in 60 patients. Five cases of critical illness leading to ICU admission occurred during the observation period. Overall mortality was 9.84% in this patient cohort, with heterogeneous causes of death. The majority of omicron‐infected hematologic patients experienced mild symptoms or remained asymptomatic.DiscussionIn this study, symptoms of COVID‐19 tended to be milder than described for previous SARS‐CoV2 variants. However, the extent to which attenuated severity of omicron‐variant SARS‐CoV2 infection is caused by altered viral pathogenicity or pre‐existing host immunity cannot be inferred from our data and should be investigated in larger prospective studies.
Chemical processes in receiving soils accelerate solubilisation of phosphorus from desert dust and fire ash
Authors: Tiwari Sudeep , Erel Ran , Gross Avner 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAtmospheric deposition of desert dust and ash from wildfires are recognised as major suppliers of phosphorus (P) to soils in many terrestrial ecosystems. The biological effects of desert dust and fire ash P depend on their interactions with the receiving soils. However, the chemical processes and environmental conditions that control dust and ash P bioavailability post deposition are unknown. Soil and rhizospheric pH and organic exudates are acknowledged as central parameters that control soil P bioavailability. Here we performed a series of in‐vitro incubation experiments to study their effects on P solubility of various desert dust and fire ash samples. Then, we tested the dust and ash P solubility that were added to acidic and alkaline soils. Our results show that dust P solubility gradually increases by a few orders of magnitude as pH decreases from 7 to 2.5 and also with increased concentrations of oxalic and malic acids, two ubiquitous P solubilising organic exudates in soils. In both cases, the increase in dust P solubility occurs mainly by dissolving P from insoluble Ca‐P minerals such as apatite, the major P bearing mineral in desert dust. P solubility of fire ash was dramatically higher than that of desert dust but showed the same pattern of a gradual increase with decreasing pH or with increasing concentrations of oxalic and malic acids. When the dust was suspended with soils, extractable P level was ~10 times higher in alkaline soil than acidic soil despite the lower pH of the later, probably due to the strong P sorption capacity of the acidic soils. On the contrary, when fire ash was suspended, extractable P in the acidic soil was higher than that of the alkaline soil indicating substantial variation in P forms. Overall, our results indicate that the bioavailability of P from desert dust and fire ash is largely controlled by environmental and chemical factors in the receiving soils.Highlights
Atmospheric deposition from desert dust and fire ash is a major phosphorus source to soils.
However, the actual bioavailability of dust and ash P post deposition is unknown.
Soil pH, organic acids concentrations and P sorption capacity controls dust and ash bioavailability.
The bioavailability of atmospheric P is controlled by environmental factors in the receiving soils.
A New Departure on the Path to Reconciliation and Unity in Christ
Authors: Sauca Ioan 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIn 2022, the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is to gather in Karlsruhe, Germany, around the theme “Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity.” The churches in Germany, together with churches in the neighbouring countries of France and Switzerland, will host the delegates of the WCC member churches from all over the world. This is the third time a WCC assembly will take place in Europe, following the founding assembly in Amsterdam in 1948 and the WCC’s 4th Assembly in Uppsala in 1968. This article examines the context for the assembly, especially that of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and the path of the fellowship since the WCC’s 10th Assembly in Busan in 2013, which was expressed in the Pilgrimage of Justice and Peace. It will also examine the theological grounding, contextual relevance, and thematic coherence of the assembly.
The German Protestant Churches and the World Council of Churches
Authors: Raiser Konrad 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAgainst the background of the 11th Assembly of the World Council of Churches, to be held in Germany in 2022, this article reviews the history of the relationship between German Protestantism and the WCC from the mid‐20th century to the present day. It recalls the relationship between the German Protestant Church and the ecumenical movement in the period of National Socialism, the new beginning that followed the Second World War, controversies over social and political involvement in the 1960s and subsequent decades, the existence of Protestantism in the two German states during the Cold War period, and subsequent efforts to promote justice, peace, and nonviolence.
Retelling, Reimagining, and Repurposing
Authors: Rajkumar Peniel Jesudason Rufus 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe forthcoming assembly of the World Council of Churches (WCC) is scheduled for 2022 in Karlsruhe, Germany, more than 50 years after the last assembly on European soil, held in 1968 in Uppsala, Sweden. In the past half century, Europe has changed dramatically. So, what does Europe, as the context for this great ecumenical event, hold for the prophetic witness of the ecumenical movement in our time, and what does it mean for a WCC assembly to “return” to Europe in this specific context? This article reflects on this European context for the assembly from a perspective of postcolonialism, understood not just as an abstract critical theory but as a critical commitment to the transformation of the current world (dis)order brought about by colonialism. The article goes on to discuss postcolonialism as an interpretive tool for developing a transformative ecumenical vision for the 21st century in the run‐up to the WCC assembly in Karlsruhe and beyond.
Novel graphical family tree representation to develop an interactive expert system
Authors: Mostafa Mohamed A. , Al‐Qurishi Muhammad , Al‐Amri Atif , Aksoy Mehmet S. , Emam Ahmed 
Published: June 2022

AbstractFamily inheritance distribution is an interesting and challenging problem. When a person dies, all of their wealth is passed on to their heirs. Heirs are family members of the deceased with specific relationships. The distribution process of wealth in Islam has many rules that make it difficult to understand and require an expert to solve. Many interrelated rules make it difficult to teach and learn. Therefore, there have been multiple attempts to develop an expert system to help solve the family inheritance problem. The existing solutions have some limitations in terms of the completeness of rules, and user‐system interactions, which make these systems unreliable. In this study, we developed an expert system to calculate family inheritance. The two main contributions of this work are the development of a complete set of inheritance rules and the design of intelligent user‐system interaction. We innovate the design of the family tree, which plays the role of an interaction layer with the user. The results of our proposed system demonstrate an accuracy of approximately 93%.
Incorporating knowledge of changes in climatic, oceanographic and ecological conditions in Canadian stock assessments
Authors: Pepin Pierre , King Jacquelyne , Holt Carrie , Gurney‐Smith Helen , Shackell Nancy , Hedges Kevin , Bundy Alida 
Published: June 2022

AbstractEnvironmental impacts on fisheries are pervasive, yet methods to account for them in stock assessments and management decisions vary in rigour and quality. The prevalence and efficacy of methods to account for environmental impacts are not well documented, limiting our ability to adequately respond to future environmental and climate changes for adaptive resource management. In Canada, legislation now requires that environmental conditions are considered in the management of fish stocks, yet the current extent of implementation in assessment processes is poorly understood. We assessed the use of climate, oceanographic and ecological considerations in science advisory processes for 178 stock assessments by Fisheries and Oceans Canada. We evaluated whether these considerations were included in conceptual hypotheses about broad‐scale mechanisms, quantitative or qualitative analyses, and the development of management advice on current or future stock status. Conceptual hypotheses were included in 46% of assessments; quantitative inclusions occurred in 21% of assessments, while qualitative interpretations appeared in 31% of assessments; and 27% of assessments included climate, oceanographic and/or ecological considerations in the advice. Assessments of salmonids, invertebrates and pelagic taxa more frequently made use of environmental data than those for groundfish and elasmobranchs. Comparing our findings with assessments in other jurisdictions highlighted a gap in Canada's ability to respond to environmental changes and a need to develop integrated management approaches, such as regional ecosystem assessments and approaches that combine modelling and empirical analyses, with socio‐economic analysis within interdisciplinary teams.
Trading water for carbon in the future: Effects of elevated CO2 and warming on leaf hydraulic traits in a semiarid grassland
Authors: Mueller Kevin E. , Ocheltree Troy W. , Kray Julie A. , Bushey Julie A. , Blumenthal Dana M. , Williams David G. , Pendall Elise 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe effects of climate change on plants and ecosystems are mediated by plant hydraulic traits, including interspecific and intraspecific variability of trait phenotypes. Yet, integrative and realistic studies of hydraulic traits and climate change are rare. In a semiarid grassland, we assessed the response of several plant hydraulic traits to elevated CO2 (+200 ppm) and warming (+1.5 to 3°C; day to night). For leaves of five dominant species (three graminoids and two forbs), and in replicated plots exposed to 7 years of elevated CO2, warming, or ambient climate, we measured: stomatal density and size, xylem vessel size, turgor loss point, and water potential (pre‐dawn). Interspecific differences in hydraulic traits were larger than intraspecific shifts induced by elevated CO2 and/or warming. Effects of elevated CO2 were greater than effects of warming, and interactions between treatments were weak or not detected. The forbs showed little phenotypic plasticity. The graminoids had leaf water potentials and turgor loss points that were 10% to 50% less negative under elevated CO2; thus, climate change might cause these species to adjust their drought resistance strategy away from tolerance and toward avoidance. The C4 grass also reduced allocation of leaf area to stomata under elevated CO2, which helps explain observations of higher soil moisture. The shifts in hydraulic traits under elevated CO2 were not, however, simply due to higher soil moisture. Integration of our results with others' indicates that common species in this grassland are more likely to adjust stomatal aperture in response to near‐term climate change, rather than anatomical traits; this contrasts with apparent effects of changing CO2 on plant anatomy over evolutionary time. Future studies should assess how plant responses to drought may be constrained by the apparent shift from tolerance (via low turgor loss point) to avoidance (via stomatal regulation and/or access to deeper soil moisture).
To see and be seen: Technological change and power in deforestation driving global value chains
Authors: Gallemore Caleb , Delabre Izabela , Jespersen Kristjan , Liu Ting 
Published: June 2022

AbstractNew digital tools for monitoring forest‐ and land‐cover change have made it easier for civil society actors to call firms to account for deforestation. In response, companies in deforestation‐linked global value chains (GVCs) have turned to these technologies themselves. In contrast to many case analyses of technology in GVCs, which focus on how technology changes production processes, forcing governance to adapt, forest‐monitoring technologies change governance directly. Synthesising work on transaction characteristics and power relations in GVCs to address this novel situation, we argue that monitoring technologies’ effects on GVCs will likely depend on their accessibility. Proprietary technologies favour large‐scale operations and already established lead firms, while open technologies could support democratization. Treating forest‐ and value‐chain information as a public good could support more inclusive, equitable and sustainable value chains.
C/C–SiC composites derived from single‐source poly(silylene–acetylene) precursors
Authors: Dong Shilong , Hu Xueying , Yuan Qiaolong , Huang Farong 
Published: June 2022

AbstractCarbon‐fiber‐reinforced carbon–silicon carbide (C/C–SiC) composites were prepared by impregnating carbon fibers with ethynylphenyl‐terminated poly(silylene–acetylene) (EPTSA) as a single‐source precursor with subsequent hot pressing and pyrolysis. The structural evolution, crystallization behavior, and graphitization of bulk C–SiC ceramics, as well as their mechanical properties and ablation behavior, were investigated. The EPTSA precursor starts to transform into inorganic SiC ceramic materials at 800°C, which is characterized by an amorphous structure with weight loss, shrinkage, and densification between 800 and 1000°C. The formation of SiC crystals inhibited the growth of the graphitic structure between 1000 and 1200°C. As the temperature was raised, both graphite and SiC crystals continued to grow, and the crystalline forms became more complete. The carbon‐fiber cloth (T300CF)‐reinforced C–SiC composite (T300CF/C–SiC) prepared using polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) exhibited excellent mechanical properties. After five PIP cycles, the flexural strength, flexural modulus, and interlaminar shear strength of the T300CF/C–SiC composite reached 169 MPa, 32.5 GPa, and 9.38 MPa, respectively. In addition, the chopped‐carbon‐fiber‐reinforced C–SiC composite fabricated using the PIP process demonstrated good oxyacetylene‐torch ablation properties.
Design of mechanically advantaged glasses with hydration‐induced stress profiles
Authors: Gross Timothy M. , Wu Jingshi 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe glass composition design work leading to the discovery of highly crack resistant glasses exhibiting hydration‐induced stress profiles is described. Initial hydration studies on ternary aluminosilicate glasses show the importance of potassium for facilitating hydration. Further modification of the glass composition through the incorporation of P2O5 increased the hydration rate such that a specimen with a 29‐µm hydration depth was prepared by holding in an 85°C 85% relative humidity chamber for 65 days. Not only did this glass have a high Vickers indentation crack resistance of >20 kgf, but the sample also displayed considerable stored energy at failure. This indication of a stress profile was subsequently measured and a compressive stress (CS) of 400 MPa with a compressive depth of layer of 29 µm was found. The initially long process times were shortened using pressurized steam vessels. When held at 250°C and .3 MPa, samples can be prepared with surface CSs >300 MPa and compressive depths >30 µm in less than 8 h.
Challenges and opportunities of brand corporate social responsibility classification: A review, new conceptualization and future research agenda
Authors: Prasad Ashok A. , Kumar Ravi Shekhar 
Published: June 2022

AbstractScholars have outlined several corporate social responsibility (CSR) classifications to analyse the wide range of CSR initiatives. The usage of diverse CSR types has resulted in independent and fragmented research. Previous literature reviews have analysed the overall CSR domain or focused on specific CSR activity, like cause‐related marketing. A comprehensive review of CSR classifications is not available to the best of the authors' knowledge. This article synthesizes the literature on CSR classification and proposes a holistic brand CSR mechanism classification schema. We review the CSR classifications outlined in 104 academic resources published between 1979 and 2021 (across 47 ABDC listed journals and one book). The review utilizes the 5W1H—Who, Why, What, When, Where and How—analytical framework to reveal the underlying rationale of different CSR classifications. The 5W1H analysis indicates that the majority of CSR classifications are from the overall business perspective rather than the product brand perspective. It also suggests the importance of the CSR delivery mechanism, that is, how CSR is delivered. The review finds a lack of conceptual basis in the extant brand CSR mechanism classifications. To address these challenges, we propose a conceptually grounded classification schema for brand CSR mechanisms with 10 classes to capture the feasible options holistically and parsimoniously. We describe the proposed classes and sub‐classes, provide real‐life illustrations, and assess the proposed classification's robustness. The implications of this study for theory, practice, and consumers are discussed. Leveraging the proposed classification, we identify several avenues for further research.