bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Balconies during COVID-19 lockdown: exploring the change in patterns of use in Cairo
Authors: Khalil Marwa , Eissa Doha 
Published: February 2022

PurposeThis paper questions the change in patterns of use of the balcony during lockdown. It investigates whether residents, specifically of apartment buildings in Cairo, used their balconies more frequently or for different activities during the lockdown.Design/methodology/approachThe study was conducted through a mixed methods approach. More specifically, a sequential explanatory design was adopted where quantitative data were collected at first followed by qualitative data collection. The study proceeded in two stages. First, an online questionnaire with 160 respondents was conducted to depict the change in the frequency and use patterns of balconies pre/post lockdown in Cairo. The respondents were approached through snowball sampling. Second, in-depth semi-structured interviews with 20 participants, approached through convenience sampling, were done. The interviews aimed to provide interpretation and rationale for the responses, patterns and correlations identified from the questionnaire results.FindingsThe findings of this study confirm that there is a change in the pattern of use of balconies in terms of frequency and the types of hosted activities. The analysis revealed three key ideas that characterize those changes: the balcony as a found space, as a loose space and as a space of self-expression at home. It also expands on spatial qualities of balconies that promoted their use. The study emphasizes the significance of such outdoor private spaces in apartment buildings and puts forward balconies as an essential element of future dwellings design for the multiple benefits they behold.Originality/valueThe originality of the study stems from tackling such a timely and unprecedented situation, where still few studies investigating the relationship between pandemic and the architecture of homes have been conducted. Furthermore, this study focuses particularly on exploring the use of balconies in Cairo, one of the largest cities in both Africa and the Middle East, during lockdown. Its findings might ultimately help formulate, define and characterize new trends in the architecture of homes that would embrace human needs in times of prosperity and rising tensions alike.
Social media usage and academic performance from a cognitive loading perspective
Authors: Hameed Irfan , Haq Mirza A. , Khan Najmonnisa , Zainab Bibi 
Published: February 2022

Purpose
Social media has shown a substantial influence on the daily lives of students, mainly due to the overuse of smartphones. Students use social media both for academic and non-academic purposes. Due to an increase in the usage of social media, academicians are now confronting pedagogical issues, and the question arises as to whether the use of social media affects students’ performance or not. Considering this, this study aims to examine the role of social media usage on students’ academic performance in the light of cognitive load theory.

Design/methodology/approach
Using a quantitative research approach, 220 valid responses were received through an e-survey administered to university students. The proposed claims were tested through structural equation modeling using AMOS version 24.

Findings
Findings revealed that social media usage for non-academic purposes harmed students’ academic performance. Additionally, social media usage for academic purposes and social media multitasking did not affect students’ academic performance. Most importantly, social media self-control failure moderates the relationship between “social media usage for non-academic purposes” and students’ academic performance.

Practical implications
The findings of the study can be used by the academic policymakers of institutions and regulatory bodies.

Originality/value
The study suggests that teachers not only rely on using social media as a learning tool but also concentrate on improving student self-control over the use of social media through various traditional and non-traditional activities, such as online readings, group discussions, roleplays and classroom presentations.
A single bout of exhaustive treadmill exercise increased AMPK activation associated with enhanced autophagy in mice skeletal muscle
Authors: Wang Ping , Li Chun Guang , Zhou Xian , Cui Di , Ouyang Ting , Chen Weikai , Ding Shuzhe 
Published: February 2022

AbstractPrevious studies reported inconsistent findings on autophagy activation in skeletal muscles after acute exercise. In this study, we investigated the effect of a single bout of exhaustive treadmill exercise on AMPK and autophagy activations in mice gastrocnemius muscle in vivo. Male ICR/CD‐1 mice were randomly divided into the control and exercise groups. The later was subjected to a single bout of exhaustive treadmill exercise. Changes of AMPK, phosphorylation of AMPKThr172(pAMPKThr172), and autophagy markers including Beclin1, LC3II/LC3I and p62 mRNA and protein expressions in gastrocnemius muscle at different times (0, 6, 12, 24 h) after the exercise were analysed by quantitative real‐time PCR and western blot. Our results demonstrated that a single bout of exhaustive treadmill exercise significantly induced AMPK content and AMPK activity at 0, 6 and 12 h after the exercise, and changed the expressions of autophagy markers at different time points in the recovery period, respectively. Moreover, we observed positive correlations between expressions of LC3II/LC3I ratio and pAMPKThr172or AMPK, and a negative correlation between expressions of p62 and AMPK or pAMPKThr172. In conclusion, a single bout of exhaustive treadmill exercise in mice caused a prolonged activation of AMPK and improved autophagy in the gastrocnemius muscle. The regulation of autophagic markers were related to enhanced AMPK activity. The findings indicate that acute exercise enhanced AMPK‐related autophagy activation may be the underlying molecular mechanism that regulates cellular energy metabolism during exercise.
Back to our roots: exploring the role of root morphology as a mediator of beneficial plant–microbe interactions
Authors: Herms Courtney Horn , Hennessy Rosanna Catherine , Bak Frederik , Dresbøll Dorte Bodin , Nicolaisen Mette Haubjerg 
Published: February 2022

SummaryPlant breeding for belowground traits that have a positive impact on the rhizosphere microbiome is a promising strategy to sustainably improve crop yields. Root architecture and morphology are understudied plant breeding targets despite their potential to significantly shape microbial community structure and function in the rhizosphere. In this review, we explore the relationship between various root architectural and morphological traits and rhizosphere interactions, focusing on the potential of root diameter to impact the rhizosphere microbiome structure and function while discussing the potential biological and ecological mechanisms underpinning this process. In addition, we propose three future research avenues to drive this research area in an effort to unravel the effect of belowground traits on rhizosphere microbiology. This knowledge will pave the way for new plant breeding strategies that can be exploited for sustainable and high‐yielding crop cultivars.
The draw of dysfunction: India’s urban infrastructure in skateboard video
Authors: McDuie‐Ra Duncan 
Published: February 2022

AbstractIndia’s urban infrastructure is maligned for its breakdowns, inefficiencies, and inequities, and popular resentment at dysfunctional infrastructure is constant in public life. This article focuses on the surprising desire for India’s urban infrastructure among skateboarders. Skateboarders are drawn to India’s urban infrastructure because of its dysfunction, its seemingly unfinished nature. I explore these relationships by analysing four skate videos and making three arguments. First, infrastructure attracts skateboarders for possibilities of creative interpretation and appropriation, on‐camera aesthetics, and the encounters generated between mostly foreign (though not always “western”) skaters and local urban dwellers. Second, far from isolated moments, the appropriation of India’s infrastructure is captured and circulated to an audience of millions in skateboard videos. Third, skate video presents urban India as a frontier in its subcultural geographic and cartographic imagination; although over two decades India’s cities have drifted closer to skateboarding’s core; concrete and steel replacing cows and festivals on screen. The article closes by exploring the implications for skateboarding—a subculture built on disrupting the city, hacking its infrastructure, moving against its flows—when operating in spaces where disruption is the essential condition of everyday life, and how this is transmitted to an adjacent viewing public.
Yield gaps of lucerne (Medicago sativa L.) in livestock systems of Argentina
Authors: Jáuregui José Martín , Ojeda Jonathan J. , Berone Germán Darío , Lattanzi Fernando Alfredo , Baudracco Javier , Fariña Santiago Rafael , Moot Derrick J. 
Published: February 2022

AbstractArgentina grows the second‐largest area of lucerne in the world. Despite its importance, a yield gap exists between potential and measured yields, but factors contributing to it are still unclear. This study aimed to identify management factors and research needs to reduce the lucerne yield gap to improve the livestock systems in this region. We used meteorological data coupled with lucerne crop modelling and measured yields from the National Lucerne Cultivar Evaluation Network (NLCEN) to quantify the lucerne yield gap in nine sites located within the Argentinian Pampas (between parallels 30–45°S and meridians 58–65°W) and three sites outside the Pampas. Specifically, we used the model developed by McCall & Bishop‐Hurley (2003), adapted and calibrated for lucerne in Argentina by Berone et al. (2017) to estimate the potential yield (PY) for 12 locations (three irrigated and nine rainfed), and compared those results with measured yields from the NLCEN to calculate yield gaps. We found the average available photosynthetic active radiation (PAR) and temperatures were sufficient to achieve 21.5 ± 3.7 t dry matter (DM) ha−1 yr−1 under rainfed conditions (environments with mean annual rainfall from 400 to 1,200 mm). However, the average measured yield from the NLCEN was 16.8 ± 2.4 t DM ha−1 yr−1 (a 22% gap). Potential yields ranged between 10 and 25 t DM ha−1 yr−1 under rainfed conditions and between 25 and 39 t DM ha−1 yr−1 for irrigated crops. As latitude increased rainfed locations had lower yields, while irrigated locations had higher yields. Adding irrigation was predicted to increase yields to 35.4 ± 2.0 t DM ha−1 yr−1 (a 53% gap) in rainfed sites. For irrigated locations, the gap was smaller (27.3 ± 3.5 vs 32.4 ± 2.2 t DM ha−1 yr−1 for measured vs potential yield, respectively), and most likely linked to nutrient deficits. Also, current grazing management was estimated to achieve approximately 50% less grazing efficiency than optimal grazing management. Our results demonstrated that the livestock industry can potentially increase animal production under current environmental conditions. The four main adjustments to achieve this are increased use of irrigation, increased use of fertilisers, earlier commencement of grazing in spring and increased stocking rates. The costs of irrigation, fertilisers and grazing management are envisaged to be small compared with potential increases in incomes and thus profitability available to beef and dairy farmers using lucerne as a major feed source in Argentina.
Australia's First Nations
Authors: Merlan Francesca Cordelia 
Published: February 2022

AbstractSince the 1990s, the term “nation” for Indigenous Australian groups has emerged, along with an increasingly common phrase “First Nations,” used both by Indigenous groups in self‐reference and by others in reference to them. This article examines the multiple sources of nation and its emergence in Australia as a contemporary form of Indigenous political discourse. Following a history of repeated dismissal of representative organizations by the Australian state, collective gains in recognition and legal visibility of Indigenous people, globally and nationally, have motivated a search for persuasive forms of organization that can command political authority between local social forms and governments, businesses, and other entities. Treaties are commonly understood as between distinct “nations,” but—notoriously—the Australian state did not negotiate treaties with Indigenous people. The emergence of “nation” is aspirational and double‐sided: it responds to dominant Australian conditions and political demands but retains much that is distinctive of Aboriginal social process rather than erasing it in the socio‐political innovation of nationhood. The rise of Australian Indigenous “nations,” recent and partial, sheds light both on persistence in Indigenous action and extension of governmental power into Indigenous domains—the “post‐” of settler colonialism.
Variable selection and debiased estimation for single‐index expectile model
Authors: Jiang Rong , Peng Yexun , Deng Yufei 
Published: February 2022

SummaryThis article develops a penalised asymmetric least squares estimator for single‐index expectile model. The oracle property of the proposed estimator is established. Moreover, the debiasing technique is used to construct an estimator that is asymptotically normal, which enables the construction of valid confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Simulation studies and one real data application are conducted to illustrate the finite sample performance of the proposed methods.
Effect of ethanol washing on porcine pulmonary artery wall decellularization using sodium dodecyl sulfate
Authors: Kim Hyungtae , Choi Kwang Ho , Sung Si Chan , Kim Young Suk 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundTo determine the effectiveness of ethanol (EtOH) washing on porcine pulmonary artery (PA) wall decellularization using sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS), we compared three different washing methods (phosphate‐buffered saline [PBS], pH 9 alkali, and EtOH washing).MethodsFresh porcine PA walls were decellularized using 0.5% SDS and 0.5% sodium deoxycholate (SDC). The decellularized tissues were rinsed using three different washing techniques. Histological, biochemical, and mechanical analyses were conducted. Implantation into the subcutaneous tissue of rats and patch implantation into the carotid artery of dogs were performed as preliminary in vivo studies.ResultsThe decellularization protocol based on SDS and SDC effectively removed the cells. The major extracellular matrix (ECM) structures (collagen, elastic fiber, and glycosaminoglycan) were properly preserved with the 75% EtOH‐washing method. Significantly reduced residual SDS content was identified in EtOH‐washed tissues compared to that in the other methods. No significant difference in the mechanical strength test was observed between the washing methods, and the EtOH‐washing method showed better results in the metabolic activity test compared to the PBS‐washing method. In the rat study model, no acute rejection or massive calcification was observed. The in vivo preliminary canine study showed better cell repopulation in the EtOH‐washed group.ConclusionEtOH washing of SDS‐based decellularized porcine PA wall can reduce the residual SDS content and preserve ECM structures, especially the elastin content, and could also enhance cell repopulation after re‐implantation.
Overt hepatic encephalopathy is an independent risk factor for de novo infection in cirrhotic patients with acute decompensation
Authors: Alabsawy Eman , Shalimar  , Sheikh Mohammed Faisal , Ballester Maria Pilar , Acharya Subrat Kumar , Agarwal Banwari , Jalan Rajiv 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBackgroundThe occurrence of overt hepatic encephalopathy (OHE) is associated with increased mortality. HE is commonly precipitated by infection, but whether HE predisposes to new infection is unclear. This study aimed to test if OHE predisposes to de novo infection during hospitalisation and its association with short‐term mortality.Aims and MethodsSeven hundred and fifty‐nine consecutive patients were identified at two institutions from prospectively maintained clinical databases of cirrhotic patients admitted with acute decompensation (AD). Infection and HE data were collected on the day of admission, and the occurrence of de novo infections was assessed for 28 days after admission. EASL‐CLIF organ failure criteria were used to determine the presence of organ failures. Multivariable analysis using the logistic regression model was used to assess predictors of 28‐day mortality and de novo infection.ResultsPatients were divided into four groups; no baseline OHE or infection (n = 352); OHE with no baseline Infection (n = 221); no OHE but baseline infection (n = 100) and OHE with baseline infection (n = 86). On multivariate analyses, OHE (OR, 1.532 [95% CI, 1.061–2.300,P = 0.024]), and admission to ITU (OR, 2.303 [95% CI, 1.508–3.517,P < 0.001]) were independent risk factors for de novo infection. 28‐day mortality was 25.3%, 60.2%, 55.0% and 72.1% in the 4‐groups respectively. Age, INR and creatinine were independently predictive of mortality. The presence of overt HE, infection, coagulation, kidney, circulatory, respiratory and liver failures were significantly associated with higher mortality.ConclusionOHE is an independent risk factor for de novo infection in cirrhotic patients with AD.
Modification of a GnRH‐based system to synchronise oestrus in Bos indicus cattle improves pregnancy rates to AI in heifers but not cows
Authors: Cavalieri J , Das S 
Published: February 2022

ObjectiveTo investigate if modification of a gonadotrophin‐releasing hormone (GnRH) based protocol to synchronise oestrus in Bos indicus cattle will improve response rates to the first administration of GnRH and improve pregnancy rates to artificial insemination (AI).DesignRandomised control study.MethodsBos indicus heifers, nonlactating and lactating cows allocated to a GnRH‐18 treatment (n = 237) were treated with an intravaginal device (IVD) and cloprostenol (0.5 mg IM) on day −11 and on day 0 remaining animals in the GnRH‐7 treatment (n = 222) were administered an IVD and every animal was treated with GnRH (100 μg IM). On day 7, equine chorionic gonadotrophin (400 IU IM) and cloprostenol were administered and IVD's were removed. Animals detected in oestrus on day 9 were artificially inseminated while those not detected in oestrus were administered GnRH (100 μg IM) at 1700 hours and inseminated on day 10. Bulls were inserted 2 weeks after completion of AI and remained until day 65.ResultsThe GnRH‐18 protocol increased the diameter of the largest follicle in the ovary on day 0, increased the percentage of new CL's induced after day 0 (46.3% vs 36.1%, for GnRH‐18 and GnRH‐7; P = 0.022), decreased circulating concentrations of progesterone on day 7 and increased odds of pregnancy to AI in heifers but not in nonlactating and lactating cows.ConclusionTreatment with the GnRH‐18 compared to the GnRH‐7 protocol increased pregnancy rates to AI in heifers but not in nonlactating or lactating cows.
Are brand names special words? Letter visual‐similarity affects the identification of brand names, but not common words
Authors: Perea Manuel , Baciero Ana , Labusch Melanie , Fernández‐López María , Marcet Ana 
Published: February 2022

AbstractBrand names are often considered a special type of words of special relevance to examine the role of visual codes during reading: unlike common words, brand names are typically presented with the same letter‐case configuration (e.g., IKEA, adidas). Recently, Pathak et al. (European Journal of Marketing, 2019,53, 2109) found an effect of visual similarity for misspelled brand names when the participants had to decide whether the brand name was spelled correctly or not (e.g., tacebook [baseword: facebook] was responded more slowly and less accurately than xacebook). This finding is at odds with both orthographically based visual‐word recognition models and prior experiments using misspelled common words (e.g., viotin [baseword:violin] is identified as fast asviocin). To solve this puzzle, we designed two experiments in which the participants had to decide whether the presented item was written correctly. In Experiment 1, following a procedure similar to Pathak et al. (European Journal of Marketing, 2019,53, 2109), we examined the effect of visual similarity on misspelled brand names with/without graphical information (e.g.,anazonvs.atazon[baseword:amazon]). Experiment 2 was parallel to Experiment 1, but we focused on misspelled common words (e.g.,anarillovs.atarillo; baseword:amarillo[yellow in Spanish]). Results showed a sizeable effect of visual similarity on misspelled brand names – regardless of their graphical information, but not on misspelled common words. These findings suggest that visual codes play a greater role when identifying brand names than common words. We examined how models of visual‐word recognition can account for this dissociation.
Robust determinants of the shadow economy
Authors: Zhanabekov Sarsen 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThis study examines the determinants of the shadow economy by employing Bayesian Model Averaging technique, which allows taking into account model uncertainty. Having estimated millions of combinations of models, the study revealed that while higher GDP growth rate, trade openness, and better institutional quality lead to the reduction of the informal sector, higher rate of unemployment, complicated regulations, and the large size of government are associated with a greater size of the shadow economy. Lessening bureaucratic complexity by eliminating burdensome regulations could help to reduce both wasteful spending of government on operating these regulations and the size of the underground economy.
Distinct leaf water potential regulation of tree species and vegetation types across the Cerrado–Amazonia transition
Authors: Soares Jancoski Halina , Schwantes Marimon Beatriz , C. Scalon Marina , de V. Barros Fernanda , Marimon‐Junior Ben Hur , Carvalho Eder , S. Oliveira Rafael , Oliveras Menor Imma 
Published: February 2022

AbstractThe Cerrado–Amazonia transition harbors forest and savanna formations under the influence of pronounced climate seasonality; however, the water use strategies of this key region is not yet well understood. This study aimed at deciphering in intra‐ and interspecific variability in leaf water potential regulation among species across three distinct vegetation types (typical cerrado, cerradão, and semideciduous seasonal forest) of the Cerrado–Amazonia transition region. We expected a variation across iso/anisohydric strategies driven by plant–environment interactions and by species attributes (phenology and wood density). We selected 21 dominant species (seven per vegetation type), recorded their phenological strategy and wood density, and measured leaf water potential (Ψl) during the dry and rainy seasons to analyze variations associated with minimum Ψl, predawn Ψl (ΔΨpd), and midday Ψl (ΔΨmd) under the effect of variable vapor pressure deficit (VPD). The variation in Ψl across species was higher in the dry season than in the rainy season for all vegetation types. Most species from typical cerrado and cerradão showed similar behavior patterns, with higher Ψl regulation under high VPD and lower ΔΨpd. In contrast, most forest species showed lower regulation under high VPD, and higher ΔΨpd. Total or partial deciduousness together with strong stomatal regulation seems to be common water regulation strategies in the dry season for cerrado species but not for forest species. Our results suggest that, if drought events become more intense and frequent as predicted, seasonal forest species may be more vulnerable due to their lower Ψl regulation.Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.