bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Vagal nerve stimulation preserves right ventricular function in a rat model of right ventricular pressure overload
Authors: Yoshida Keimei , Saku Keita , Jan Bogaard Harm , Abe Kohtaro , Sunagawa Kenji , Tsutsui Hiroyuki 
Published: November 2022

AbstractVagal nerve stimulation (VNS) ameliorates pulmonary vascular remodeling and improves survival in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the direct impact of VNS on right ventricular (RV) function, which is the key predictor of PH patients, remains unknown. We evaluated the effect of VNS among the three groups: pulmonary artery banding (PAB) with sham stimulation (SS), PAB with VNS, and control (no PAB). We stimulated the right cervical vagal nerve with an implantable pulse generator, initiated VNS 2 weeks after PAB, and stimulated for 2 weeks. Compared to SS, VNS increased cardiac index (VNS: 130 ± 10 vs. SS: 93 ± 7 ml/min/kg; p < 0.05) and end‐systolic elastance assessed by RV pressure–volume analysis (VNS: 1.1 ± 0.1 vs. SS: 0.7 ± 0.1 mmHg/μl; p < 0.01), but decreased RV end‐diastolic pressure (VNS: 4.5 ± 0.7 vs. SS: 7.7 ± 1.0 mmHg; p < 0.05). Furthermore, VNS significantly attenuated RV fibrosis and CD68‐positive cell migration. In PAB rats, VNS improved RV function, and attenuated fibrosis, and migration of inflammatory cells. These results provide a rationale for VNS therapy as a novel approach for RV dysfunction in PH patients.
Covering random graphs with monochromatic trees
Authors: Bradač Domagoj , Bucić Matija 
Published: November 2022

AbstractGiven an ‐edge‐colored complete graph , how many monochromatic connected components does one need in order to cover its vertex set? This natural question is a well‐known essentially equivalent formulation of the classical Ryser's conjecture which, despite a lot of attention over the last 50 years, still remains open. A number of recent papers consider a sparse random analogue of this question, asking for the minimum number of monochromatic components needed to cover the vertex set of an ‐edge‐colored random graph . Recently, Bucić, Korándi, and Sudakov established a connection between this problem and a certain Helly‐type local to global question for hypergraphs raised about 30 years ago by Erdős, Hajnal, and Tuza. We identify a modified version of the hypergraph problem which controls the answer to the problem of covering random graphs with monochromatic components more precisely. To showcase the power of our approach, we essentially resolve the 3‐color case by showing that is a threshold at which point three monochromatic components are needed to cover all vertices of a 3‐edge‐colored random graph, answering a question posed by Kohayakawa, Mendonça, Mota, and Schülke. Our approach also allows us to determine the answer in the general ‐edge colored instance of the problem, up to lower order terms, around the point when it first becomes bounded, answering a question of Bucić, Korándi, and Sudakov.
Green hydrogen partnerships with the Global South. Advancing an energy justice perspective on “tomorrow's oil”
Authors: Lindner Robert 
Published: November 2022

AbstractFuel cells and other hydrogen‐based technologies are increasingly seen as a key pillar of global decarbonization efforts. A major challenge to be overcome is the future availability of large quantities of affordable green hydrogen to supply the envisioned hydrogen economy. Several industrialized countries have formulated ambitious national hydrogen strategies that rely heavily on importing green hydrogen from other countries, including countries in the Global South that are rich in renewable energy. This paper is based on an extensive literature review and policy analysis. It provides the first structured overview of existing and emerging North–South green hydrogen partnerships and analyzes them through the lens of energy justice theory. The findings show that international collaboration has increased significantly in recent years, with a clear focus on Brazil, Egypt, India, and Morocco. Partnerships are led by both government and private sector actors and mainly take the form of pilot projects, feasibility studies, and scientific collaboration. The paper also points out that existing partnerships have several shortcomings, such as the lack of sociopolitical considerations and the dominance of donor economic priorities over sustainable development in partner countries. Finally, the paper discusses how an energy justice perspective could help improve future partnership approaches to achieve the twin goals of global climate change mitigation and sustainable development in the Global South.
A Density Functional Theory Study on Rechargeable Mg‐ion Batteries: C20 Fullerene as a Promising Anode Material
Authors: Kose Ahmet , Yuksel Numan , Ferdi Fellah Mehmet 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn this study, the applicability of C20 fullerene as anode material in Mg‐ion batteries was investigated by Density Functional Theory (DFT). The interaction energy of the Mg2+ ion on C20 structure was found as −147.3 kcal/mol. The HOMO‐LUMO gap value decreased during Mg interaction on C20 structure while it increased during Mg2+ interaction. The charge distributions obtained after the interactions of Mg atoms on C20 show that charge transfer has taken place. The storage capacity value of C20 structure was calculated to be 893 mAhg−1. The diffusion barrier was calculated as 1.9 kcal/mol. In addition, the diffusion coefficient for Mg and Mg2+ on C20 structure were computed as 1.5×10−25 and 4.61×10−4, respectively. Consequently, the high storage capacity, high conductivity and low diffusion barrier for discharge/charge process and the suitability of the diffusion coefficient suggest that C20 fullerene structure can be used as a potential anode material in rechargeable Mg‐ion batteries.
The dynamics of related diversification: Evidence from the health insurance industry following the Affordable Care Act
Authors: Zhou Yue Maggie , Yang Weikun , Ethiraj Sendil 
Published: November 2022

AbstractResearch SummaryWe provide a theory of when relatedness will encourage both diversifying entry and post‐entry exit. Our formal model reveals two channels through which resource sharing in combination with firm capabilities affects diversifying entry and post‐entry exit. Facing business opportunities in a new segment, low capability firms from a more related segment expect to benefit from more synergies and are therefore more likely to enter than firms with similar capability but from less related segments. Post entry, unfavorable shocks in the new segment tighten the survival criteria and drive some more related but low capability firms out. These predictions are supported using data on U.S. health insurance firms' entry into and exit from the Affordable Care Act market from 2013 to 2017.Managerial SummaryWhen would factors that favor related diversifiers' entry into a new business segment also encourage their exit post‐entry? Using data on U.S. health insurance firms' entry into and exit from the Affordable Care Act (ACA) market from 2013 to 2017, we find that more related diversifiers (i.e., insurers offering Medicaid), especially the low capability ones, are more likely to enter ACA. However, facing cost shocks in the new segment, more related diversifiers, especially the low capability ones, are more likely to exit than less related diversifiers (i.e., insurers offering no Medicaid). This is consistent with our formal model that predicts a selection at entry that favors related diversifiers due to expected synergies and an adverse selection post‐entry against low capability related diversifiers.
Apigenin attenuates inflammatory response in allergic rhinitis mice by inhibiting the TLR4/MyD88/NF‐κB signaling pathway
Authors: Li Huajing , Zhang Hongmei , Zhao Hua 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBackgroundAllergic rhinitis (AR) is an immunoglobulin E (IgE)‐mediated immune inflammatory response that mainly affects the nasal mucosa. Currently, there is evidence that apigenin, as a flavonoid, has anti‐allergic potential.Material/MethodsIn vitro, compound 48/80 and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were used to induce mast cell activation and inflammation in HMC‐1 cells. In vivo, ovalbumin (OVA) induced and stimulated AR in BALB/c mice. ELISA was used to detect the contents of β‐hexosaminidase, histamine, eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), OVA‐specific IgE, IgG1, and IgG2a, inflammatory factors in cells and mouse serum. Cell viability and apoptosis were measured with MTT and flow cytometry. Toll like receptor 4 (TLR4)/myeloid differentiation factor88 (MyD88)/Nuclear transcription factor‐κB (NF‐κB) pathway‐related proteins in cells and mouse nasal mucosa tissues were analyzed with Western blotting. The levels of Th1 (IFN‐γ) and Th2 (IL‐4, IL‐5, and IL‐13) cytokines and Th1 (T‐bet) and Th2 (GATA‐3) specific transcription factors were also assessed. The ratio of Th1 (CD4+IFN‐γ+) / Th2 (CD4+IL‐4+) cells in mouse peripheral blood mononuclear cells was evaluated by flow cytometry.ResultsApigenin significantly inhibited compound 48/80‐induced secretion of β‐hexosaminidase and histamine. Apigenin blocked LPS‐induced decrease in cell viability and increase in cell apoptosis and inflammatory cytokine secretion by suppressing the activity of the TLR4/MyD88/NF‐κB pathway. Apigenin treatment reduced the levels of OVA‐specific IgE, IgG1 and IgG2a as well as β‐hexosaminidase, histamine and ECP levels in mouse serum. Moreover, administration with apigenin decreased Th2 cytokine and transcription factor levels and increased Th1 cytokine and transcription factor levels, and promoted the ratio of Th1/Th2 cells in AR mice. Additionally, apigenin significantly alleviated nasal symptoms and nasal eosinophil infiltration in AR mice.ConclusionsApigenin alleviates the inflammatory response of allergic rhinitis by inhibiting the activity of the TLR4/MyD88/NF‐κB signaling pathway.
Genomic selection strategies to increase genetic gain in tea breeding programs
Authors: Lubanga Nelson , Massawe Festo , Mayes Sean , Gorjanc Gregor , Bančič Jon 
Published: November 2022

AbstractTea [Camellia sinensis (L.) O. Kuntze] is mainly grown in low‐ to middle‐income countries (LMIC) and is a global commodity. Breeding programs in these countries face the challenge of increasing genetic gain because the accuracy of selecting superior genotypes is low and resources are limited. Phenotypic selection (PS) is traditionally the primary method of developing improved tea varieties and can take over 16 yr. Genomic selection (GS) can be used to improve the efficiency of tea breeding by increasing selection accuracy and shortening the generation interval and breeding cycle. Our main objective was to investigate the potential of implementing GS in tea‐breeding programs to speed up genetic progress despite the low cost of PS in LMIC. We used stochastic simulations to compare three GS‐breeding programs with a Pedigree and PS program. The PS program mimicked a practical commercial tea‐breeding program over a 40‐yr breeding period. All the GS programs achieved at least 1.65 times higher genetic gains than the PS program and 1.4 times compared with Seed‐Ped program. Seed‐GSc was the most cost‐effective strategy of implementing GS in tea‐breeding programs. It introduces GS at the seedlings stage to increase selection accuracy early in the program and reduced the generation interval to 2 yr. The Seed‐Ped program outperformed PS by 1.2 times and could be implemented where it is not possible to use GS. Our results indicate that GS could be used to improve genetic gain per unit time and cost even in cost‐constrained tea‐breeding programs.
Taking a step towards understanding interactions between teacher efficacy in behavior management and the social learning environment: a two-level multilevel analysis
Authors: Bapst M. S. , Genoud P. A. , Hascoët M. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractBehavior management in the classroom is well known for being a challenge and a source of stress for preservice and experienced teachers alike. This means it may not only impact teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs, but teachers’ efficacy perceived by their students too, engendering effects on the social learning environment and vice-versa. This article aims at taking a step towards a better understanding of which aspects of the social learning environment preservice teachers and their students take into account when positioning themselves on behavior management efficacy. It then goes onto exploring how students’ perception of teacher efficacy in behavior management varies across classes and how it interacts with the social learning environment through a two-level model analysis. Results showed that the social learning environment’s dimensions are associated with the perception of teacher efficacy by students. On one hand, students perceive that efficacy in behavior management is linked to the social learning environment and therefore expect that an efficient teacher in this area will be able to create a healthy relationship with appropriate rules and class organization. On the other, when it comes to preservice teachers, findings seem to show the importance of the training program and how it supports self-efficacy beliefs throughout first teaching experiences as results go in the direction of confirming that these beliefs stabilize fairly early on, because unlike the students, the preservice teachers seem to take other aspects than the learning environment into account while evaluating their self-efficacy regarding behavior management. Finally, this research adds yet another element to the observation that effective behavior management within the classroom requires a positive relationship between teachers and their students. In addition, the way rules and organization are taken into account by students demonstrates the need for a proactive approach in which teachers’ expectations are clear.
Morphometric and physiological development confirm skull ossification level as a reliable indicator of age in a passerine bird, the Noisy Miner
Authors: Etezadifar Farzaneh , Major Richard , McDonald Paul G. 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn birds, several physiological characters have been proposed and tested as possible criteria of age. Among them, skull development is likely to provide a valuable reflection of other physiological developments, however the relationship between skull ossification and other physiological and morphometric traits has rarely been quantified within species. Here, we investigated suitability of skull ossification as an indicator of age in Noisy Miners (Manorina melanocephala), an Australian passerine bird. We compared skull ossification with other age indicators including the bursa of Fabricius, gonadal development, and a range of commonly used body size measures that included wing length and tarsus length. We carried out morphological measurements on 1251 individual Noisy Miner carcasses that had been collected during a culling experiment in November, December and May 2015–2016 from north-eastern NSW, Australia. The probability of a bursa of Fabricius being present in an individual bird changed with skull ossification level, with a significant reduction in the size of the bursa of Fabricius correlating with the degree of skull ossification. In male Noisy Miners, birds that were at a later stage of skull ossification had significantly larger testis size than those with a lower stages of skull ossification. In females, ovary size increased significantly as skull ossification progressed. In both sexes, skull ossification level was also correlated with body mass and skeletal measures. Given this, the level of skull ossification in Noisy Miners accurately correlates with other age indicators, and can justifiably be used as a non-invasive aging method in the field for live birds.
Size matters: biochemical mineralization and microbial incorporation of dicarboxylic acids in soil
Authors: Kashi Hamed , Loeppmann Sebastian , Herschbach Jennifer , Schink Carina , Imhof Wolfgang , Kouchaksaraee Reza Mohsenian , Dippold Michaela A. , Spielvogel Sandra 
Published: November 2022

AbstractThe transformation and turnover time of medium- to long-chain dicarboxylic acids (DCA) in soil is regulated by microbial uptake and mineralization. However, the chain length of n-alkyl lipids may have a remarkable influence on its microbial utilization and mineralization and therefore on the formation of stable soil organic carbon from e.g. leave- needle- and root-derived organic matter during decomposition. To investigate their size dependent mineralization and microbial incorporation, four DCA of different chain lengths (12–30 carbon atoms), that were 13C labeled at each of their terminal carboxylic groups, were applied to the Ah horizon of a Fluvic Gleysol. Incorporation of 13C into CO2 and in distinct microbial groups classified by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis was investigated. Mineralization of DCA and incorporation into PLFA decreased with increasing chain length, and the mineralization rate was highest during the first days of incubation. Half-life time of DCA carbon in soil increased from 7.6 days for C12 DCA to 86.6 days for C18 DCA and decreased again to 46.2 days for C22 DCA, whereas C30 DCA had the longest half-life time. Rapid and efficient uptake of C12 DCA as an intact molecule was observable. Gram-negative bacteria incorporated higher amounts of DCA-derived 13C compared to other microbial groups, especially compared to actinomycetes and fungi during the first phase of incubation. However, the incorporation of C12 DCA derived 13C into the PLFA of actinomycetes, and fungi increased steadily during the entire incubation time, suggesting that those groups take up the 13C label from necromass of bacteria that used the C12 DCA for formation of their lipids before.
Insights into product design students’ perception of, and engagement with, creativity in design education
Authors: McInerney Dermot 
Published: November 2022

AbstractCreativity is acknowledged as an essential component of the design process and considered a key design graduate attribute. Despite this assertion, several studies have highlighted that the teaching of creativity in design education is often implicit rather than explicit. Moreover, there is a paucity of research on product design students’ experience of creativity in design education, leaving a gap in knowledge relevant to how creativity may be better fostered in design education. In this study, reflexive thematic analysis was used to analyse the data from online focus groups conducted with product design students. The three themes constructed provide insights into how students perceive and engage with creativity. Theme 1,the influence of social factors on creativity, uncovers the diametric effect students’ social eco-system can have on their creativity. These include an aversion to being associated with it due to weight of expectation and negative perceptions around creativity, as well as the ‘invisible support system’ created by peers. Theme 2,sanctuary seeking tendencies of novice design students, reveals behaviours that oppose essential creative attributes: a freedom from risk and ambiguity and desire for certainty and achievability. Theme 3,tension between passion for and pursuit of creativity, outlines the conflict between participants’ ideologies and actions when pursuing creativity highlighting a reluctance to utilise structured creativity tools while gravitating towards unstructured methods such as ‘relaxed attention’. Together, the three themes form a picture of product design students’ complex relationship with creativity and importance of self-efficacy. The findings of this study make an important contribution to our understanding of design students’ perception of, and engagement with, creativity in design education. As such these findings are relevant for both design education and future creativity tool development.
A conversational agent for emotion expression stimulation in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders
Authors: Catania Fabio , Garzotto Franca 
Published: November 2022

AbstractDifficulty in emotion expression and recognition is typical of the personality trait known as alexithymia, which is often observed in persons with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD). Past research has investigated various forms of conversational technology for people with NDD, but only a few studies have explored the use of conversational agents to reduce alexithymia. This paper presents Emoty, a speech-based conversational agent designed for people with NDD to train emotional communication skills. An original characteristic of this agent is that it exploits the emotional expression power of the voice. Emoty engages users in small conversations during which they are asked to repeat sentences and express specific emotions using the appropriate vocal tone. We ran an empirical study to evaluate the usability and effectiveness of our conversational agent. The study involved 19 Italian individuals with NDD and alexithymia aged from 29 to 45 (10 women and 9 men). They used Emoty in five individual sessions over two and a half months. The results showed that two subjects encountered problems using the system because they had difficulty verbalizing the sentences and were not understood by Emoty. The others performed the assigned tasks with the agent. Their capability to express emotions with the voice consistently improved, and other benefits were observed in other social and communication skills.
Prosecuting Crimes Against Humanity: Complementarity, Victims’ Rights and Domestic Courts
Authors: Maguire Ruairi 
Published: November 2022

AbstractIn this paper I argue that when states commit, assist, or culpably fail to prevent crimes against humanity against their own people, they should, subsequently, have primacy in prosecuting those crimes. They have a presumptive right (and duty) to punish perpetrators, and so a claim against third parties not to do so. In contrast to those who emphasise the importance of national sovereignty, I set out a victim-centred justification for this claim. I argue that victims of crimes against humanity, and members of groups that have been targeted for these crimes, have a special interest in having their status as members of their political community re-affirmed. Punishment by their state of war-related crimes against them has the expressive function of re-affirming their status as equal members of their national community, and the state’s commitment to protecting their rights. I set out some reasons to think that this is valuable for victims and members of targeted groups. These interests, I argue, are weighty enough to ground the primacy of states in prosecution.