bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The agri-food system (re)configuration: the case study of an agroecological network in the Ecuadorian Andes
Authors: Vallejo-Rojas Virginia , Rivera-Ferre Marta G. , Ravera Federica 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSocial Ecological System (SES) research highlights the importance of understanding the potential of collective actions, among other factors, when it comes to influencing the transformative (re)configuration of agri-food systems in response to global change. Such a response may result in different desired outcomes for those actors who promote collective action, one such outcome being food sovereignty. In this study, we used an SES framework to describe the configuration of local agri-food systems in Andean Ecuador in order to understand which components of the SES interact, and how they support outcomes linked to five food sovereignty goals. Through a survey administered to mestizo and indigenous peasants, we analyze the key role played by the Agroecological Network of Loja (RAL) in transforming the local agri-food system through the implementation of a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS). This study demonstrates that participation in the RAL and PGS increases farmers’ adoption of agroecological practices, as well as their independence from non-traditional food. Additionally, RAL lobbying with the municipality significantly increases households’ on-farm income through access to local markets. Being part of indigenous communities also influences the configuration of the food system, increasing the participation in community work and access to credit and markets, thus positively affecting animal numbers, dairy production and income diversification. The complexity of the interactions described suggests that more research is needed to understand which key factors may foster or prevent the achieving of food sovereignty goals and promote household adaptation amid high uncertainty due to global change.
On the consolidation state of sediments from the accretionary prism offshore Vancouver Island, North Cascadia Margin
Authors: Riedel Michael , Saeed Awais , Urlaub Morelia , Zhang Junli , Kopf Achim 
Published: June 2022

AbstractSediment geotechnical properties are an important component of geohazard analyses and studies on submarine slope failures on continental margins. The northern Cascadia margin is a region of repeated subduction earthquakes and related geohazards including devastating tsunamis. Despite several drilling campaigns at this margin mostly for gas hydrate studies, sediment geotechnical properties are lacking to date. We therefore investigated a set of 20 half-round samples from four drill sites of Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 311 along a margin-perpendicular transect. Samples were analysed for Atterberg properties (liquid limit, plasticity limit, plasticity index) and consolidation state (pre-consolidation stress, over-consolidation ratio, initial void ratio and compression index). Results of these parameters are in good agreement with similar studies at the southern Cascadia margin from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 204 and are regarded robust, despite the long time-span between sample recovery in 2005 and our analyses. Individual results are interpreted at each of the drill sites and reflect the overall tectonic state of the location within the accretionary prism. An interplay of site-specific tectonic forcing, including thrust faulting, uplift, folding, and erosion appears to govern the depth-dependent consolidation state of the sediments.
Assessment of groundwater quality using statistical methods: a case study
Authors: Chakraborty Monica , Tejankar Ashok , Coppola Gerardo , Chakraborty Sudip 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Human activities substantially contribute to the rise of various contaminating ionic levels in the water, which translates in a risk to humans, flora, and fauna. Assessment of groundwater quality is very important to estimate the contaminants to take preventive measures and predict future disasters. The statistical method is very effective in combining this estimation with other tools. As a case study, Aurangabad city of India was chosen and 55 groundwater samples were collected from the dugwells and borewells according to the domestic location of the inhabitants and the location of the various industries. The study aims to create various graphs that expose the human-related health risks posed by the considered contaminants. All the samples were analyzed to trace the amount of a considerable range of pollutants; consequently, a health risk assessment for carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks was carried out. A water suitability study for irrigation and drinking purposes found that in the studied samples, nitrate was present as the major pollutant among the others. Industrial wastewaters mainly caused nitrate pollution in the area and solid fertilizers and pesticides.
Higher cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of neuronal injury in HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment
Authors: Ellis Ronald J. , Chenna Ahmed , Petropoulos Christos J. , Lie Yolanda , Curanovic Dusica , Crescini Melanie , Winslow John , Sundermann Erin , Tang Bin , Letendre Scott L. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractWe evaluated whether biomarkers of age-related neuronal injury and amyloid metabolism are associated with neurocognitive impairment (NCI) in people with and without HIV (PWH, PWoH). This was a cross-sectional study of virally suppressed PWH and PWoH. NCI was assessed using a validated test battery; global deficit scores (GDS) quantified overall performance. Biomarkers in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were quantified by immunoassay: neurofilament light (NFL), total Tau (tTau), phosphorylated Tau 181 (pTau181), amyloid beta (Aβ)42, and Aβ40. Factor analysis was used to reduce biomarker dimensionality. Participants were 256 virally suppressed PWH and 42 PWoH, 20.2% female, 17.1% Black, 7.1% Hispanic, 60.2% non-Hispanic White, and 15.6% other race/ethnicities, mean (SD) age 56.7 (6.45) years. Among PWH, the best regression model for CSF showed that higher tTau (β = 0.723, p = 3.79e-5) together with lower pTau181 (β = −0.510, p = 0.0236) best-predicted poor neurocognitive performance. In univariable analysis, only higher tTau was significantly correlated with poor neurocognitive performance (tTau r = 0.214, p = 0.0006; pTau181 r = 0.00248, p = 0.969). Among PWoH, no CSF biomarkers were significantly associated with worse NCI. Predicted residual error sum of squares (PRESS) analysis showed no evidence of overfitting. Poorer neurocognitive performance in aging PWH was associated with higher CSF tTau, a marker of age-related neuronal injury, but not with biomarkers of amyloid metabolism. The findings suggest that HIV might interact with age-related neurodegeneration to contribute to cognitive decline in PWH.
Conceptualizing ‘Cooperation’ and ‘Defection’ in the Volunteer’s Dilemma (and in Social Dilemmas More Generally)*
Authors: Raub Werner 
Published: June 2022

AbstractWe show how ‘cooperation’ and ‘defection’ in the Volunteer’s Dilemma can be conceptualized in line with established terminology for game-theoretic models of social dilemmas. Commonly employed labels for strategies in the Volunteer’s Dilemma are not well in line with our conceptualization. Also, our conceptualization suggests new theory formation and empirical research on the Volunteer’s Dilemma.
COVID-19 Vulnerability Mapping of Asian Countries
Authors: Sarkar Showmitra Kumar , Morshed Md. Manjur , Chakraborty Tanmoy 
Published: June 2022

Abstract

Objective:
The objective of this study is to map vulnerability of Asian countries to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Method:
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 2007 framework for natural hazards, vulnerability is a function of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacity. From an extensive literature review, we identified 16 socioeconomic, meteorological, environmental, and health factors that influence coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases and deaths. The underlying factors of vulnerability were identified using principal component analysis.

Results:
Our findings indicate that the percentage of the urban population, obesity rate, air connectivity, and the population aged 65 and over, diabetes prevalence, and PM2.5 levels all contributed significantly to COVID-19 sensitivity. Subsequently, governance effectiveness, human development index (HDI), vaccination rate, and life expectancy at birth, and gross domestic product (GDP) all had a positive effect on adaptive capacity. The estimated vulnerability was corroborated by a Pearson correlation of 0.615 between death per million population and vulnerability.

Conclusion:
This study demonstrates the application of universal indicators for assessing pandemic vulnerability for informed policy interventions such as the COVAX vaccine roll-out priority. Despite data limitations and a lack of spatiotemporal analysis, this study’s methodological framework allows for ample data incorporation and replication.
Physicians’ Perception About the Side Effects of COVID-19 Vaccine and Their Role in Vaccination Program
Authors: Muhammad Khayal , Shah Syed Sikandar , Muhammad Gul , Ullah Nadeem , Butt Muhammad Hammad , Higazi Hassan , Baraka Mohamed A. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractIntroduction:The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused many problems in the health sector. Effective and safe vaccines are the only tool to combat the COVID-19 disease. Researchers and regulatory agencies have made efforts to develop such vaccines and healthcare professionals were prioritized for the vaccination program as first-line care providers. Considering this prioritization, we aimed to assess the physicians’ perceptions regarding the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.Methods:An interview-based study was conducted from May 5 May to November 5, 2021 (6 months) in a teaching hospital in the capital city of Islamabad, Pakistan.Results:Among the 200 physicians who agreed to participate in the interview, 74% were male. A total of 94% did not experience any side effects after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of the type of vaccine; 6% experienced side effects. Furthermore, 90% of physicians were afraid of side effects due to the high number of vaccine doses.Conclusion:Conclusively, physicians had a positive perception regarding the COVID-19 vaccine. Healthcare authorities and related departments must take precautions to ensure the effective and safe COVID-19 vaccine to change the perceptions of physicians who had a negative perception. This will not only reduce the reluctance among physicians regarding administering COVID-19 vaccine, but will also boost and facilitate the vaccination program for the general public as well.
Feminist institutionalism(s)
Authors: Bogaards Matthijs 
Published: June 2022

AbstractOver the past 10 years, feminist scholarship has made important contributions to the new institutionalism in political science. This literature has developed into two directions. Some scholars have sought to gender existing approaches, resulting in feminist historical institutionalism, feminist sociological institutionalism, feminist discursive institutionalism, and even feminist rational choice institutionalism. Others have tried to sketch a feminist institutionalism on a par with, and as an alternative to, the classic approaches. Through an analysis of eight recent books, this review asks which direction shows the most promise.
Race, Racism, and Antiracism in Brazil and Mexico
Authors: Cohen Theodore W. 
Published: June 2022

This essay reviews the following works:The Pursuit of Ruins: Archaeology, History, and the Making of Modern Mexico. By Christina Bueno. Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 2016. Pp. xi + 280. $29.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780826357328.Mestizo Modernity: Race, Technology, and the Body in Postrevolutionary Mexico. By David S. Dalton. Gainesville: University of Florida Press, 2018. Pp. x + 248. $84.95 hardcover. ISBN: 9781683400394.Becoming Brazilians: Race and National Identity in Twentieth-Century Brazil. By Marshall C. Eakin. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2017. Pp. xvii + 343. $31.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781316626009.Redeeming La Raza: Transborder Modernity, Race, Respectability, and Rights. By Gabriela González. New York: Oxford University Press, 2018. Pp. xvi + 261. $36.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780190909628.The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Edited by James N. Green, Victoria Langland, and Lilia Moritz Schwarcz. Durham, NC: Duke University Press Books, 2019. Pp. 608. $32.95 paperback. ISBN: 9780822371076.Frontiers of Citizenship: A Black and Indigenous History of Postcolonial Brazil. By Yuko Miki. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2018. Pp. xix + 306. $29.99 paperback. ISBN: 9781108405409.Estudiar el racismo: Afrodescendientes en México. Edited by María Elisa Velázquez Gutiérrez. Mexico City: Secretaría de Cultura, Instituto Nacional de Antropología e Historia, 2019. Pp. 619. Mex$445.00 hardcover. ISBN: 9786075393209.
Elframingde la economía en la prensa local de Argentina: Explicando el sesgo pro gobierno
Authors: Tagina María Laura , Delle Donne Franco 
Published: June 2022

ResumenLas valoraciones de los ciudadanos sobre un tema están influidas por elframeque construyen los medios de comunicación. En Argentina, los diarios locales ocupan un lugar destacado en el menú de consumo de información y están con frecuencia en manos de empresarios asociados al poder político de turno. Nos preguntamos si la cobertura que hacen de las noticias económicas responde a algún patrón generalizable y, de existir variaciones, qué las explica. A partir del análisis de las portadas de veintidós diarios, publicadas durante la campaña electoral de 2017, mostramos que existe un sesgo pro gobierno en la cobertura de noticias económicas locales, que beneficia al oficialismo local. Dicho alineamiento se profundiza cuanto más concentrado se encuentra el poder en los jefes de gobierno locales y cuanto mayor es el carácter rentista de esaspolities. A la vez, las noticias económicas nacionales tienen una probabilidad mayor de recibir un encuadre positivo cuando son publicadas por diarios que reciben pauta oficial nacional, cuando el mandatario local es copartidario del presidente y mientras más años lleva en el cargo. La pertenencia de los diarios a grupos mediáticos también afecta el encuadre de las noticias, aumentando el sesgo pro gobierno de las noticias locales pero disminuyéndolo en las noticias nacionales.
When models fail: An introduction to posterior predictive checks and model misspecification in gravitational-wave astronomy
Authors: Romero-Shaw Isobel M. , Thrane Eric , Lasky Paul D. 
Published: June 2022

Abstract
Bayesian inference is a powerful tool in gravitational-wave astronomy. It enables us to deduce the properties of merging compact-object binaries and to determine how these mergers are distributed as a population according to mass, spin, and redshift. As key results are increasingly derived using Bayesian inference, there is increasing scrutiny on Bayesian methods. In this review, we discuss the phenomenon of model misspecification, in which results obtained with Bayesian inference are misleading because of deficiencies in the assumed model(s). Such deficiencies can impede our inferences of the true parameters describing physical systems. They can also reduce our ability to distinguish the ‘best fitting’ model: it can be misleading to say that Model A is preferred over Model B if both models are manifestly poor descriptions of reality. Broadly speaking, there are two ways in which models fail. Firstly, models that fail to adequately describe the data (either the signal or the noise) have misspecified likelihoods. Secondly, population models—designed, for example, to describe the distribution of black hole masses—may fail to adequately describe the true population due to a misspecified prior. We recommend tests and checks that are useful for spotting misspecified models using examples inspired by gravitational-wave astronomy. We include companion python notebooks to illustrate essential concepts.
Assessing the Promise and Performance of Agencies in the Government of Canada
Authors: Doberstein Carey 
Published: June 2022

AbstractCanada has not escaped trends in most liberal democracies with the rapid growth of agencies created by government to deliver public goods, often justified on elements of their mandate—service delivery, adjudication of disputes, regulatory oversight, among others—benefiting from an arm's-length relationship to the government of the day. Yet Canadian studies of this phenomenon remain mostly absent from the robust comparative literature theorizing and documenting the emergence of widespread “agencification” and its relationship to performance. This article draws on the Government of Canada's Public Service Employee Survey (PSES) microdata from 2017 to test key hypotheses advanced by proponents of agencification, specifically that agencies are more innovative, autonomous and efficient public organizations. We discover that those working in agencies generally report less climate of innovation and less work autonomy than those working in departments, though some types of agencies—namely regulatory and parliamentary ones—defy these trends.
Increased use of cadaver specimens as a method for improving medical student satisfaction with clinical ear anatomy teaching at St George's, University of London: a pilot study
Authors: O'Hagan M , Sunnucks D 
Published: June 2022

AbstractBackgroundDelivering sufficient otology education for undergraduates is known to be difficult, with limited teaching time being a contributing factor. Increasing student access to dissections of the ear could serve to increase satisfaction with teaching at St George's, University of London, UK.ObjectiveTo evaluate student satisfaction with clinical ear anatomy teaching and investigate whether it can be improved using dissected specimens.MethodParticipants completed an online survey and knowledge examinations, both before and after attending a new tutorial, with answers from before and after the session being compared.ResultsPre-teaching satisfaction scores concerning teaching were low, at an average of 2.45 (out of 7), with a mean examination result of 6.53 (out of 10). Post-teaching average satisfaction increased by 3.20 points to 5.65 (out of 7) (p < 0.01) and examination scores increased by 1.53 points to 8.07 (out of 10) (p < 0.01).ConclusionStudents are supportive of increased access to cadaver dissections of the ear, and facilitating this can improve satisfaction with otology teaching.
Olfactory changes after endonasal endoscopic cerebrospinal fluid fistula repair: long-term outcomes
Authors: Basak H , Beton S , Akyıldız S , Yücel L , Guliyev H , Meco C 
Published: June 2022

AbstractObjectiveThis study aimed to evaluate odour measurements after endoscopic repair of cerebrospinal fluid fistulas.MethodDemographic characteristics, cerebrospinal fluid leak location, surgical procedure, aetiology and smell test results were retrospectively reviewed.ResultsA total of 27 patients were included. The mean age was 43.52 years. The aetiology was spontaneous in 13 patients (48.1 per cent) and traumatic in 14 patients (51.9 per cent). The skull base defect was at the cribriform plate in 15 patients (55.6 per cent), the frontal sinus posterior wall in 4 patients (14.8 per cent), the sphenoid sinus posterior wall in 4 patients (14.8 per cent), around the anterior ethmoid artery in 2 patients (7.4 per cent), at the ethmoid roof in 1 patient (3.7 per cent) and at the sphenoid sinus posterolateral wall in 1 patient (3.7 per cent). After the comparison of pre-operative and post-operative values in identification, discrimination and threshold categories, a statistically significant difference was seen only in the threshold category (p = 0.014).ConclusionThe results demonstrated that endoscopic repair of cerebrospinal fluid leak is safe in terms of olfactory functions.
Unmanned aerial vehicle surveys reveal unexpectedly high density of a threatened deer in a plantation forestry landscape
Authors: Pereira Javier A. , Varela Diego , Scarpa Leonardo J. , Frutos Antonio E. , Fracassi Natalia G. , Lartigau Bernardo V. , Piña Carlos I. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractThe Vulnerable marsh deer Blastocerus dichotomus, the largest native cervid in South America, is declining throughout its range as a result of the conversion of wetlands and overhunting. Estimated densities in open wetlands of several types are 0.1–6.8 individuals per km2. We undertook the first unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) survey of the marsh deer to estimate the density of this species in a 113.6 km2 area under forestry management in the lower delta of the Paraná River, Argentina. During 6–8 August 2019, at a time of year when canopy cover is minimal, we surveyed marsh deer using Phantom 4 Pro UAVs along 94 transects totalling 127.8 km and 8.6 km2 (8.1% of the study area). The 5,506 photographs obtained were manually checked by us and by a group of 39 trained volunteers, following a standardized protocol. We detected a total of 58 marsh deer, giving an estimated density of 6.90 individuals per km2 (95% CI 5.26–8.54), which extrapolates to 559–908 individuals in our 113.6 km2 study area. As it has generally been assumed that marsh deer prefer open habitats, this relatively high estimate of density within a forestry plantation matrix is unexpected. We discuss the advantages of using UAVs to survey marsh deer and other related ungulates.
Transmission electron microscopy on a case of Cyclospora cayetanensis infection from an immune-competent case confirms and extends prior detailed descriptions of its notably small endogenous stage
Authors: Dubey Jitender P. , Charlesworth Jon E. , Pritt Bobbi S. 
Published: June 2022

AbstractAlthough infections with Cyclospora cayetanensis are prevalent worldwide, many aspects of this parasite's life cycle remain unknown. Humans are the only known hosts, existing information on its endogenous development has been derived from histological examination of only a few biopsy specimens. In histological sections, its stages are less than 10 μm, making definitive identification difficult. Here, confirmation of cyclosporiasis in a duodenal biopsy specimen from an 80-year-old man without any recognized immunodeficiency patient is reported. Asexual forms (schizonts) and sexual forms (gamonts) were located within enterocytes, including immature and mature schizonts, an immature male gamont and a female gamont. Merozoites were small (<5 μm × 1 μm) and contained two rhoptries, subterminal nucleus and numerous micronemes and amylopectin granules. These parasite stages were like those recently reported in the gallbladder of an immunocompromised patient, suggesting that the general life-cycle stages are not altered by immunosuppression.
Colouring graphs with forbidden bipartite subgraphs
Authors: Anderson James , Bernshteyn Anton , Dhawan Abhishek 
Published: June 2022

AbstractA conjecture of Alon, Krivelevich and Sudakov states that, for any graph
$F$
, there is a constant
$c_F \gt 0$
such that if
$G$
is an
$F$
-free graph of maximum degree
$\Delta$
, then
$\chi\!(G) \leqslant c_F \Delta/ \log\!\Delta$
. Alon, Krivelevich and Sudakov verified this conjecture for a class of graphs
$F$
that includes all bipartite graphs. Moreover, it follows from recent work by Davies, Kang, Pirot and Sereni that if
$G$
is
$K_{t,t}$
-free, then
$\chi\!(G) \leqslant (t + o(1)) \Delta/ \log\!\Delta$
as
$\Delta \to \infty$
. We improve this bound to
$(1+o(1)) \Delta/\log\!\Delta$
, making the constant factor independent of
$t$
. We further extend our result to the DP-colouring setting (also known as correspondence colouring), introduced by Dvořák and Postle.