bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Advances and challenges in cancer treatment and nutraceutical prevention: the possible role of dietary phenols in BRCA regulation
Authors: Khan Haroon , Labanca Fabiana , Ullah Hammad , Hussain Yaseen , Tzvetkov Nikolay T. , Akkol Esra Küpeli , Milella Luigi
Published: September 2021

Over the years, the attention towards the role of phytochemicals in dietary natural products in reducing the risk of developing cancer is rising. Cancer is the second primary cause of mortality worldwide. The current therapeutic options for cancer treatment are surgical excision, immunotherapy, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Unfortunately, in case of metastases or chemoresistance, the treatment options become very limited. Despite the advances in medical and pharmaceutical sciences, the impact of available treatments on survival is not satisfactory. Recently, natural products are a great deal of interest as potential anti-cancer agents. Among them, phenolic compounds have gained a great deal of interest, thanks to their anti-cancer activity. The present review focuses on the suppression of cancer by targeting BRCA gene expression using dietary polyphenols, as well as the clinical aspects of polyphenolic agents in cancer therapy. They regulate specific key processes involved in cancer progression and modulate the expression of oncogenic proteins, like p27, p21, and p53, which may lead to apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, inhibition of cell proliferation, and, consequently, cancer suppression. Thus, one of the mechanisms underlying the anti-cancer activity of phenolics involves the regulation of tumor suppressor genes. Among them, the BRCA genes, with the two forms (BRCA-1 and BRCA-2), play a pivotal role in cancer protection and prevention. BRCA germline mutations are associated with an increased risk of developing several types of cancers, including ovarian, breast, and prostate cancers. BRCA genes also play a key role in the sensitivity and response of cancer cells to specific pharmacological treatments. As the importance of BRCA-1 and BRCA-2 in reducing cancer invasiveness, repairing DNA damages, oncosoppression, and cell cycle checkpoint, their regulation by natural molecules has been examined.
Ground-Penetrating Radar as phenotyping tool for characterizing intraspecific variability in root traits of a widespread conifer
Authors: Lombardi Erica , Ferrio Juan Pedro , Rodríguez-Robles Ulises , Resco de Dios Víctor , Voltas Jordi
Published: September 2021

Background and Aim

Drought is the main abiotic stress affecting Mediterranean forests. Root systems are responsible for water uptake, but intraspecific variability in tree root morphology is poorly understood mainly owing to sampling difficulties. The aim of this study was to gain knowledge on the adaptive relevance of rooting traits for a widespread pine using a non-invasive, high-throughput phenotyping technique.

Methods

Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) was used to characterize variability in coarse root features (depth, diameter and frequency) among populations of the Mediterranean coniferPinus halepensisevaluated in a common garden. GPR records were examined in relation to aboveground growth and climate variables at origin of populations.

Results

Variability was detected for root traits among 56 range-wide populations categorized into 16 ecotypes. Root diameter decreased eastward within the Mediterranean basin. In turn, root frequency, but not depth and diameter, decreased following a northward gradient. Root traits also varied with climatic variables at origin such as the ratio of summer to annual precipitation, summer temperature or solar radiation. Particularly, root frequency increased with aridity, whereas root depth and diameter were maximum for ecotypes occupying the thermal midpoint of the species distribution range.

Conclusion

GPR is a high-throughput phenotyping tool that allows detection of intraspecific variation in root traits ofP. halepensisand its dependencies on eco-geographic characteristics at origin, thereby informing on the adaptive relevance of root systems for the species. It is also potentially suited for inferring population divergence in resource allocation above- and belowground in forest genetic trials.
Exploring Employee Perceptions towards Smart Working during the COVID-19 Pandemic: a Comparative Analysis of Two Italian Public Research Organizations
Authors: Cellini Marco , Pisacane Lucio , Crescimbene Massimo , Di Felice Fabio
Published: September 2021

Of all the socio-economic changes caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, the disruption to workforce organizations will probably leave the largest indelible mark. The way work will be organized in the future will be closely linked to the experience of working under the same institution’s response to the pandemic. This paper aims to fill the gap in knowledge about smart working (SW) in public organizations, with a focus on the experience of the employees of two Italian research organizations, CNR and INGV. Analysing primary data, it explored and assessed how SW had been experienced following the implementation of governmental measures aimed at limiting the spread of COVID-19.
The Crit coefficient in Mokken scale analysis: a simulation study and an application in quality-of-life research
Authors: Crișan Daniela R. , Tendeiro Jorge N. , Meijer Rob R.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

In Mokken scaling, the Crit index was proposed and is sometimes used as evidence (or lack thereof) of violations of some common model assumptions. The main goal of our study was twofold: To make the formulation of the Crit index explicit and accessible, and to investigate its distribution under various measurement conditions.

Methods

We conducted two simulation studies in the context of dichotomously scored item responses. We manipulated the type of assumption violation, the proportion of violating items, sample size, and quality. False positive rates and power to detect assumption violations were our main outcome variables. Furthermore, we used the Crit coefficient in a Mokken scale analysis to a set of responses to the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a self-administered questionnaire for assessing current mental health.

Results

We found that the false positive rates of Crit were close to the nominal rate in most conditions, and that power to detect misfit depended on the sample size, type of violation, and number of assumption-violating items. Overall, in small samples Crit lacked the power to detect misfit, and in larger samples power differed considerably depending on the type of violation and proportion of misfitting items. Furthermore, we also found in our empirical example that even in large samples the Crit index may fail to detect assumption violations.

Discussion

Even in large samples, the Crit coefficient showed limited usefulness for detecting moderate and severe violations of monotonicity. Our findings are relevant to researchers and practitioners who use Mokken scaling for scale and questionnaire construction and revision.
CEO age, shareholder monitoring, and the organic growth of European firms
Authors: Barba Navaretti Giorgio , Castellani Davide , Pieri Fabio
Published: September 2021

The question of why some firms grow faster than others is of high theoretical and practical importance. Beyond a wealth of studies based on stochastic models, firm growth has mostly been explained by looking at the structural characteristics of firms, sectors, and countries. The role of managers’ characteristics in fostering firms’ growth has been explored much less. In this study, we adopt one key characteristic of managers, the age of the chief executive officer (CEO) and examine its relationship with the firm’s organic growth. Using data from a large sample of European manufacturing firms, we find that firms managed by young CEOs grow faster in terms of sales and assets, but not in terms of profitability. These results hold with the inclusion of a large vector of firm and CEO characteristics, and a battery of robustness checks, including issues related to the time horizon and appointment of CEOs, the educational attainment of younger cohorts of managers, and endogeneity. We hypothesize that young CEOs are incentivized to boost firm growth to signal their talent in the managerial market and to secure a longer stream of future compensation benefits. To the extent that firm growth does not translate into higher profitability, this may create an agency problem, due to the divergence of this corporate strategy from shareholders’ targets. In line with this hypothesis, we find that a more concentrated ownership that allows for more effective monitoring moderates the relationship between CEO age and firm growth.
Error bounds for the spectral approximation of the potential of a homogeneous almost spherical body
Authors: Bucha Blažej , Rossi Lorenzo , Sansò Fernando
Published: September 2021

Several kinds of approximation of the gravitational potential of a homogeneous body by truncated spherical harmonics series are in use in physical geodesy. However, only one of them is capable of a representation converging to the true potential in the whole layer between the Brillouin sphere and the Bjerhammar sphere of the body. We aim at providing various majorizations, namely upper bounds, of the error with the double purpose of proving explicitly the convergence in the sense of different norms and of giving computable bounds, that might be used in numerical studies. The first aim is reached for all the norms. For the second, however, it turns out that among the bounds, when applied to the example of the terrain correction of the Earth, only those referring to the mean absolute error and the mean squared error at the level of Brillouin sphere of minimum radius give significant and useful results. In order to make the computation an easy exercise, a simple approximate formula has been developed requiring only the use of the distribution function of the heights of the surface of the body with respect to the Bjerhammar sphere.
Heterogeneity in Trajectories of Life Satisfaction After Reunification: The Role of Individual Resources and Life Stage in Former East Germany
Authors: Wetzel Martin , Wörn Jonathan , Hünteler Bettina , Hank Karsten
Published: September 2021

For people living in the former East Germany, reunification with the former West Germany fundamentally transformed the sociopolitical system and most domains of everyday life. Previous research has revealed temporal shifts in average life satisfaction after reunification in the former East German population as a whole, but so far little is known about heterogeneity in patterns of adjustment within the population. Building on evidence of considerable diversity in trajectories of adjustment to other critical life events, in the current study we use longitudinal data from the German Socio-Economic Panel Study and growth mixture models to identify typical yet distinct trajectories of life satisfaction among former East Germans, covering the period just before reunification and four years thereafter. We identified four trajectories: continuously satisfied (experienced by 17% of the sample), upward adjusters (24%), downward adjusters (34%), and continuously dissatisfied (25%). Results of logistic regression analyses indicate that the propensity to follow a particular trajectory was strongly predicted by an individual’s baseline economic (employment, but not income), socio-relational (loneliness) and personal (education, satisfaction with health) resources. Whereas former East Germans with more resources just prior to reunification were more likely to maintain high or increase in life satisfaction, their peers with fewer resources were more apt to either maintain low or decrease in life satisfaction. People in their mid-twenties through mid-fifties (i.e., prime working age) at the time of reunification were also more likely to maintain low life satisfaction. Accordingly, reunification affected the unfolding of individual lives differently.
Advanced hemodialysis equipment for more eco-friendly dialysis
Authors: Gauly Adelheid , Fleck Nicole , Kircelli Fatih
Published: September 2021

Healthcare in general and dialysis care in particular are contributing to resource consumption and, thus, have a notable environmental footprint. Dialysis is a life-saving therapy but it entails the use of a broad range of consumables generating waste, and consumption of water and energy for the dialysis process. Various stakeholders in the healthcare sector are called upon to develop and to take measures to save resources and to make healthcare and dialysis more sustainable. Among these stakeholders are manufacturers of dialysis equipment and water purification systems. Dialysis equipment and consumables, together with care processes need to be advanced to reduce waste generation, enhance recyclability, optimize water purification efficiency and water use. Joint efforts should thus pave the way to enable delivering green dialysis and to contribute to environmentally sustainable health care.
Assignment Flow for Order-Constrained OCT Segmentation
Authors: Sitenko Dmitrij , Boll Bastian , Schnörr Christoph
Published: September 2021

At the present time optical coherence tomography (OCT) is among the most commonly used non-invasive imaging methods for the acquisition of large volumetric scans of human retinal tissues and vasculature. The substantial increase of accessible highly resolved 3D samples at the optic nerve head and the macula is directly linked to medical advancements in early detection of eye diseases. To resolve decisive information from extracted OCT volumes and to make it applicable for further diagnostic analysis, the exact measurement of retinal layer thicknesses serves as an essential task be done for each patient separately. However, manual examination of OCT scans is a demanding and time consuming task, which is typically made difficult by the presence of tissue-dependent speckle noise. Therefore, the elaboration of automated segmentation models has become an important task in the field of medical image processing. We propose a novel, purely data driven geometric approach to order-constrained 3D OCT retinal cell layer segmentation which takes as input data in any metric space and can be implemented using only simple, highly parallelizable operations. As opposed to many established retinal layer segmentation methods, we use only locally extracted features as input and do not employ any global shape prior. The physiological order of retinal cell layers and membranes is achieved through the introduction of a smoothed energy term. This is combined with additional regularization of local smoothness to yield highly accurate 3D segmentations. The approach thereby systematically avoid bias pertaining to global shape and is hence suited for the detection of anatomical changes of retinal tissue structure. To demonstrate its robustness, we compare two different choices of features on a data set of manually annotated 3D OCT volumes of healthy human retina. The quality of computed segmentations is compared to the state of the art in automatic retinal layer segmention as well as to manually annotated ground truth data in terms of mean absolute error and Dice similarity coefficient. Visualizations of segmented volumes are also provided.
Fatty acid metabolism and colon cancer protection by dietary methyl donor restriction
Authors: Aladelokun Oladimeji , Hanley Matthew , Mu Jinjian , Giardina John C. , Rosenberg Daniel W. , Giardina Charles
Published: September 2021

Introduction

A methyl donor depleted (MDD) diet dramatically suppresses intestinal tumor development in Apc-mutant mice, but the mechanism of this prevention is not entirely clear.

Objectives

We sought to gain insight into the mechanisms of cancer suppression by the MDD diet and to identify biomarkers of cancer risk reduction.

Methods

A plasma metabolomic analysis was performed on ApcΔ14/+ mice maintained on either a methyl donor sufficient (MDS) diet or the protective MDD diet. A group of MDS animals was also pair-fed with the MDD mice to normalize caloric intake, and another group was shifted from an MDD to MDS diet to determine the durability of the metabolic changes.

Results

In addition to the anticipated changes in folate one-carbon metabolites, plasma metabolites related to fatty acid metabolism were generally decreased by the MDD diet, including carnitine, acylcarnitines, and fatty acids. Some fatty acid selectivity was observed; the levels of cancer-promoting arachidonic acid and 2-hydroxyglutarate were decreased by the MDD diet, whereas eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) levels were increased. Machine-learning elastic net analysis revealed a positive association between the fatty acid-related compounds azelate and 7-hydroxycholesterol and tumor development, and a negative correlation with succinate and β-sitosterol.

Conclusion

Methyl donor restriction causes dramatic changes in systemic fatty acid metabolism. Regulating fatty acid metabolism through methyl donor restriction favorably effects fatty acid profiles to achieve cancer protection.
Accumulation pattern of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons using Plantago lanceolata L. as passive biomonitor
Authors: Hubai Katalin , Kováts Nora , Sainnokhoi Tsend-Ayush , Teke Gábor
Published: September 2021

Biomonitors are considered a cheap alternative of active air samplers, especially where spatial pattern of air quality is to be monitored, requiring numerous parallel measurements. Of higher plants,Plantago lanceolataL. has been proven a good monitor species with proper accumulation capacity. While biomonitoring studies are difficult to compare due to inherent errors such as the diverse plant material used in different studies, the No. 227 OECD GUIDELINE FOR THE TESTING OF CHEMICALS: Terrestrial Plant Test: Vegetative Vigour Test provides a tool to test extract of aerosol samples under controlled laboratory conditions. In our study, this guideline was followed to experimentally treatPlantagowith the aqueous extract of a diesel exhaust sample. Accumulation pattern of polyaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) was assessed and compared to samples collected in the field. Unlike most studies reported in the literature, both in the experimentally treated and fieldPlantagosamples, high ratio of high molecular weight PAHs was experienced. Distribution pattern of accumulated PAHs showed strong correlation between the experimentally treated sample and most of the field plantain samples, underlying the usefulness of laboratory treatments for bioaccumulation studies.
DNA methylation age analysis of rapamycin in common marmosets
Authors: Horvath Steve , Zoller Joseph A. , Haghani Amin , Lu Ake T. , Raj Ken , Jasinska Anna J. , Mattison Julie A. , Salmon Adam B.
Published: September 2021

Human DNA methylation data have previously been used to develop highly accurate biomarkers of aging (“epigenetic clocks”). Subsequent studies demonstrate that similar epigenetic clocks can also be developed for mice and many other mammals. Here, we describe epigenetic clocks for common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) based on novel DNA methylation data generated from highly conserved mammalian CpGs that were profiled using a custom Infinium array (HorvathMammalMethylChip40). From these, we developed and present here two epigenetic clocks for marmosets that are applicable to whole blood samples. We find that the human-marmoset clock for relative age exhibits moderately high age correlations in two other non-human primate species: vervet monkeys and rhesus macaques. In a separate cohort of marmosets, we tested whether intervention with rapamycin, a drug shown to extend lifespan in mice, would alter the epigenetic age of marmosets, as measured by the marmoset epigenetic clocks. These clocks did not detect significant effects of rapamycin on the epigenetic age of marmoset blood. The common marmoset stands out from other mammals in that it is not possible to build accurate estimators of sex based on DNA methylation data: the accuracy of a random forest predictor of sex (66%) was substantially lower than that observed for other mammals (which is close to 100%). Overall, the epigenetic clocks developed here for the common marmoset are expected to be useful for age estimation of wild-born animals and for anti-aging studies in this species.
Life cycle assessment and process simulation of prospective battery-grade cobalt sulfate production from Co-Au ores in Finland
Authors: Rinne Marja , Elomaa Heini , Lundström Mari
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The soaring demand for cobalt for lithium-ion batteries has increased interest in the utilization of non-conventional cobalt sources. Such raw materials include complex ores containing minerals such as cobaltite and skutterudite, which, while rare, occur around the world, including in Finland, Canada, and the USA. The goal of this study was to evaluate the cradle-to-gate impacts of cobalt sulfate recovery from unutilized cobalt- and gold-bearing ores with the use of process simulation.

Methods

A literature analysis was conducted to establish the state-of-the-art processing methods for complex cobalt ores containing significant amounts of gold. The drafted process was simulated using HSC Sim software to obtain a mass and energy balance, which was compiled into a life cycle inventory (LCI). The environmental impact categories (global warming, acidification, eutrophication, ozone depletion, photochemical smog creation, water use) were calculated in GaBi software. Uncertainty regarding the possible future raw material composition was studied, and the simulation was used to investigate process performance and to evaluate the effect of variation in the process parameters on the environmental impact indicators.

Results and discussion

The results indicated that the main cobalt mineral type (cobaltite, linnaeite) had only minor effects on the evaluated impact categories. With cobaltite-dominated ores (High As case), the global warming potential (GWP) was estimated to be 20.9 kg CO2-eq, of which 12.7 kg CO2-eq was attributed to the hydrometallurgical process. With linnaeite-dominated ores, the equivalent values were 20.4 kg CO2-eq and 11.0 kg CO2-eq. The production of a high grade concentrate was observed to greatly decrease the impacts of the hydrometallurgical process, but the cobalt losses in the beneficiation stage and the mineral processing impacts would likely increase. The simulation showed that there is still potential to improve the cobalt recovery (to approximately 96%), which would also affect the indicator values.

Conclusions

The impacts were estimated prior to intensive metallurgical testing to determine the possible high impact areas in the process. Based on this, it is suggested that, during hydrometallurgical processing, improved treatment of cobalt-containing wash waters and the optimization of oxygen utilization efficiency in pressure leaching are the most significant ways to decrease the environmental impacts. Optimal solutions for the concentrate could be found when experimental data on the minerals processing steps becomes available.
Cu/Pd-catalyzed borocarbonylative trifunctionalization of alkynes and allenes: synthesis of β-geminal-diboryl ketones
Authors: Yuan Yang , Wu Fu-Peng , Spannenberg Anke , Wu Xiao-Feng
Published: September 2021

Functionalized bisboryl compounds have recently emerged as a new class of synthetically useful building blocks in organic synthesis. Herein, we report an efficient strategy to synthesize β-geminal-diboryl ketones enabled by a Cu/Pd-catalyzed borocarbonylative trifunctionalization of readily available alkynes and allenes. This reaction promises to be a useful method for the synthesis of functionalized β-geminal-diboryl ketones with broad functional group tolerance. Mechanistic studies suggest that the reaction proceeds through borocarbonylation/hydroboration cascade of both alkynes and allenes.
Detecting failure modes in image reconstructions with interval neural network uncertainty
Authors: Oala Luis , Heiß Cosmas , Macdonald Jan , März Maximilian , Kutyniok Gitta , Samek Wojciech
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The quantitative detection of failure modes is important for making deep neural networks reliable and usable at scale. We consider three examples for common failure modes in image reconstruction and demonstrate the potential of uncertainty quantification as a fine-grained alarm system.

Methods

We propose a deterministic, modular and lightweight approach called Interval Neural Network (INN) that produces fast and easy to interpret uncertainty scores for deep neural networks. Importantly, INNs can be constructed post hoc for already trained prediction networks. We compare it against state-of-the-art baseline methods (MCDrop, ProbOut).

Results

We demonstrate on controlled, synthetic inverse problems the capacity of INNs to capture uncertainty due to noise as well as directional error information. On a real-world inverse problem with human CT scans, we can show that INNs produce uncertainty scores which improve the detection of all considered failure modes compared to the baseline methods.

Conclusion

Interval Neural Networks offer a promising tool to expose weaknesses of deep image reconstruction models and ultimately make them more reliable. The fact that they can be applied post hoc to equip already trained deep neural network models with uncertainty scores makes them particularly interesting for deployment.
Endovascular treatment with Viabahn stent-grafts for arterial injury and bleeding at the visceral arteries: initial and midterm results
Authors: Ueda Tatsuo , Murata Satoru , Tajima Hiroyuki , Saito Hidemasa , Yasui Daisuke , Sugihara Fumie , Mizushima Shohei , Mine Takahiko , Kawamata Hiroshi , Hayashi Hiromitsu , Kumita Shin-Ichiro
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The purpose of the study is to evaluate the initial and midterm efficacy and safety of endovascular treatment (EVT) using Viabahn stent-graft (SG) for arterial injury and bleeding (AIB) at the visceral arteries.

Materials and methods

Consecutive patients with visceral AIB who underwent EVT using Viabahn between January 2017 and February 2021 were retrospectively reviewed. Technical success, clinical success, peripheral organ ischemia, peri-procedural complications, bleeding-related mortality, 30-day mortality, neck length, re-bleeding, endoleaks, and patency of the SGs at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months were evaluated.

Results

EVT using Viabahn was performed in 14 patients (mean age: 68.6 years; 12 males) and 15 arteries. The technical and clinical success rates were 100%. The rates of peripheral organ ischemia, peri-procedural complications, bleeding-related mortality, and 30-day mortality were all 0%. The mean neck length was 9.9 mm. No endoleaks or re-bleeding occurred during the follow-up (mean: 732 days). The SG patency was confirmed after 1, 3, 6, and 12 months in 78.6%, 78.6%, 78.6%, and 56.1% of the patients, respectively.

Conclusion

EVT using Viabahn for AIB at the visceral arteries was safe and effective. SG occlusions without ischemia often occurred after 12 months.
Design, Manufacturing, and Characterization of Hybrid Carbon/Hemp Sandwich Panels
Authors: Boccarusso Luca , Pinto Fulvio , Cuomo Stefano , De Fazio Dario , Myronidis Kostas , Durante Massimo , Meo Michele
Published: September 2021

Advanced sandwich composite structures that incorporate foams or honeycombs as core materials, have been extensively investigated and used in various applications. One of the major limitations of the conventional materials used is their weak impact resistance and their end-of-life recyclability and overall sustainability. This paper is focused on the study of the production and mechanical characterization of hybrid sandwich panels using hemp bi-grid cores that were manufactured with an ad hoc continuous manufacturing process. Bi-grid structures were stratified in multiple layers, resulting in cores with different thicknesses and planar density. Sandwich panels made with carbon fibers skins were then subjected to Low Velocity Impact, compression and indentation and the damaged panels were investigated via CT-Scan. Results show that the high tailorability of the failure modes and the very good energy absorption properties of the hybrid material open new exciting perspectives for the development of new sandwich structures that can extend the use of natural fibers into several industrial applications.
Altered Resting-State Functional Connectivity in the Default Mode Network in Male Juvenile Violent Offenders
Authors: Sun Qiaoling , Zhang Yingdong , Zhou Jiansong , Wang Xiaoping
Published: September 2021

Young males are often associated with more violence, leading to some serious negative consequences. However, the physiology and the neuroimaging patterns underlying juvenile violence remain unclear. Of the limited knowledge on juvenile violence, the default mode network has been known to be associated with its pathophysiology. This study aimed to investigate functional connectivity alterations of the default mode network in male juvenile violent offenders. 31 juvenile violent offenders in a high-security facility, who were convicted of aggressive behaviors by court, and 28 normal controls from a middle school were recruited as participants. They underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. And independent component analysis approaches were used to analyze their data. Compared to the normal controls, the juvenile violent offenders showed a different default mode network pattern, with the functional connectivity increased in the posterior cingulate, and decreased in the right middle temporal, left angular, right precuneus and right middle frontal cortex. Our findings revealed that the male juvenile violent offenders were associated with abnormal default mode network functional connectivity, which might be a neuroimaging basis for their tendency to violence.
Going healthy: how product characteristics influence the sales impact of front-of-pack health symbols
Authors: Maesen Stijn , Lamey Lien , ter Braak Anne , Jansen Léon
Published: September 2021

Manufacturers increasingly adopt health symbols, which translate overall product healthiness into a single symbol, to communicate about the overall healthiness of their grocery products. This study examines how the performance implications of adding a front-of-pack health symbol to a product vary across products. We study the sales impact of a government-supported health symbol program in 29 packaged categories, using over four years of scanner data. The results indicate that health symbols are most impactful when they positively disconfirm pre-existing beliefs that a product is not among the healthiest products within the category. More specifically, we find that health symbols are more effective for (i) products with a front-of-pack taste claim, (ii) lower priced products, and (iii) private label products. Furthermore, these results are more pronounced in healthier categories than in unhealthier categories. Our findings imply that health symbols can help overcome lay beliefs among consumers regarding a product’s overall healthiness. As such, adding a health symbol provides easy-to-process information about product healthiness for the consumer and can increase product sales for the manufacturer.
Loss given default in SME leasing
Authors: Kaposty Florian , Klein Philipp , Löderbusch Matthias , Pfingsten Andreas
Published: September 2021

Leasing provides a fundamental source of firm funding, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises. A crucial difference from loans and bonds is that the lessor retains ownership rights of the leased asset during the lease term. This facilitates the asset utilization and work-out process and leads to higher liquidation proceeds. Hence, previous findings on the loan and bond loss given default (LGD) are not transferable to the leasing industry. Our analysis is based on a very granular data set covering a great variety of information on the lessee, the leased asset, as well as contractual and transactional characteristics. We examine novel LGD determinants such as an external credit rating, the lessee’s limited liability, and the number of leased assets and collaterals. Moreover, new results on previously explored factors question earlier findings, for example, on the lease contract type. Most importantly, as proposed by Miller and Töws (J Bank Finance 91:189–201, 2018), we analyze two different LGDs, one based on the asset utilization proceeds, the other on repayments. Our results clearly indicate the crucial importance of this separation when analyzing the drivers of the leasing LGD in detail because several determinants affect these LGDs in different ways. Our study assists both lessors and regulators in assessing the effective risk of lease contracts and enables lessors to enhance their risk management and work-out processes.
Streptozocin/5-fluorouracil chemotherapy of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours in the era of targeted therapy
Authors: Lahner Harald , Mathew Annie , Klocker Anna Lisa , Unger Nicole , Theysohn Jens , Rekowski Jan , Jöckel Karl-Heinz , Theurer Sarah , Schmid Kurt Werner , Herrmann Ken , Führer Dagmar
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The role of streptozocin-based chemotherapy (STZ CTx) in advanced, well-differentiated pancreatic neuroendocrine tumours (PanNET) and the best sequence of treatments in advanced PanNET are unclear. We examined the outcomes after STZ CTx in patients who had been selected according to the current therapeutic guidelines.

Methods

Data from 50 PanNET patients consecutively treated with STZ CTx between 2010 and 2018 were analysed. The endpoints of the study were the objective-response rate (ORR), progression-free survival (PFS), and overall survival (OS).

Results

STZ CTx was the first-line treatment in 54% of patients. The PanNET grades were as follows: 6% G1, 88% G2, and 6% well-differentiated G3. The ORR was 38%. Stable disease was the best response in 38% of patients and 24% showed progressive disease. Treatment was discontinued because of toxicity in one patient. Median PFS and OS were 12 (95% confidence interval (CI), 8.5–15.5) and 38 months (95% CI, 20.4–55.6), respectively. In the Kaplan-Meier analysis, the median OS was 89 months (95% CI, 34.9–143.1) for STZ CTx as first-line therapy compared with 22 months (95% CI, 19.3–24.7; p = 0.001, log-rank test) for subsequent lines. Bone metastases negatively impacted survival (HR, 2.71, p = 0.009, univariate analysis, HR, 2.64, p = 0.015, multivariate analysis, and Cox regression).

Conclusions

In patients selected according to current guidelines, PFS, and OS after STZ CTx were lower than previously reported, whereas ORR was unchanged. First-line treatment was positively associated with OS and the presence of bone metastases was negatively associated with OS. Pre-treatment with targeted or peptide-receptor radionuclide therapy did not alter ORR, PFS, or OS.
Direct and indirect links between children’s socio-economic status and education: pathways via mental health, attitude, and cognition
Authors: Dalmaijer Edwin S. , Gibbons Sophie G. , Bignardi Giacomo , Anwyl-Irvine Alexander L. , Siugzdaite Roma , Smith Tess A. , Uh Stepheni , Johnson Amy , Astle Duncan E.
Published: September 2021

A child’s socio-economic environment can profoundly affect their development. While existing literature focusses on simplified metrics and pair-wise relations between few variables, we aimed to capture complex interrelationships between several relevant domains using a broad assessment of 519 children aged 7–9 years. Our analyses comprised three multivariate techniques that complimented each other, and worked at different levels of granularity. First, an exploratory factor analysis (principal component analysis followed by varimax rotation) revealed that our sample varied along continuous dimensions of cognition, attitude and mental health (from parallel analysis); with potentially emerging dimensions speed and socio-economic status (passed Kaiser’s criterion). Second, k-means cluster analysis showed that children did not group into discrete phenotypes. Third, a network analysis on the basis of bootstrapped partial correlations (confirmed by both cross-validated LASSO and multiple comparisons correction of binarised connection probabilities) uncovered how our developmental measures interconnected: educational outcomes (reading and maths fluency) were directly related to cognition (short-term memory, number sense, processing speed, inhibition). By contrast, mental health (anxiety and depression symptoms) and attitudes (conscientiousness, grit, growth mindset) showed indirect relationships with educational outcomes via cognition. Finally, socio-economic factors (neighbourhood deprivation, family affluence) related directly to educational outcomes, cognition, mental health, and even grit. In sum, cognition is a central cog through which mental health and attitude relate to educational outcomes. However, through direct relations with all components of developmental outcomes, socio-economic status acts as a great ‘unequaliser’.
Non-destructive Fluorescence Spectroscopy as a Tool for Discriminating Between Olive Oils According to Agronomic Practices and for Assessing Quality Parameters
Authors: Martín-Tornero Elísabet , Fernández Antonio , Pérez-Rodriguez Juan Manuel , Durán-Merás Isabel , Prieto María Henar , Martín-Vertedor Daniel
Published: September 2021

A non-destructive fluorescence method combined with chemometric algorithms has been developed for discriminating between olive oils. The excitation-emission matrices (EEMs) of two olive oil varieties (Arbosana and Oliana) from two crop seasons, which had undergone two different irrigation treatments (control irrigation strategy and regulated deficit irrigation (RDI)), were recorded. EEMs were analysed using parallel factor analysis (PARAFAC), followed by linear discriminant analysis (LDA) incorporating three PARAFAC components. This analysis was able to discriminate between olive oils according to crop season (100% of predictions in the validation set were correct) and variety (100% of predictions were correct). Moreover, good discrimination (80% of correct predictions) was also achieved when examining olive oils belonging to the same variety but submitted to two different irrigation treatments. Further, the olive oil quality parameters obtained using conventional methods were compared with those obtained using unfolded partial least squares (U-PLS). Good correlation coefficients were obtained for Rancimat hours (r = 0.87), K270 (r = 0.75) and total polyphenol content (r = 0.94).
Therapy concepts in the context of precision medicine for pediatric malignancies—children are not adults
Authors: Salzer Elisabeth , Hutter Caroline
Published: September 2021

Cancer remains the leading cause of death from disease among children beyond the age of one. Survival of pediatric patients with cancer has dramatically improved over the last decades but some tumors remain almost intractable and relapse is still associated with an infaust prognosis. Despite the heterogeneity of pediatric malignancies, most treatments include the same set of generic therapies.  Optimizing delivery of conventional therapeutics has been the driving force behind continuous improvements but further escalation of conventional therapy is unlikely to improve outcomes. The limited success of targeted drugs in pediatric cancer patients, originally developed for cancers in adults, can be connected to the different etiology of tumors in children versus adults. In addition, many pediatric cancers lack reliable biomarkers, cannot be studied in large cohorts and only few available therapies target abberations specific for certain pediatric cancers.

These observations have led to the establishment of pediatric precision-medicine programs. The major goal of these programs is to identify patient-tailored molecular treatment plans that will eventually improve quality of life and survival. Despite the initial euphemism, the impact of actionable matched treatments and the most adequate value-based genomics strategies are not yet well established. A non-competitive collaborative model based on pediatric cancer priorities and strong collaboration between academia, pharmaceutical companies and regulators is needed. In the near future, clinical trials need to focus on biologically defined patient subsets, in an even smaller patient population. A major collaborative effort between all associated groups will be necessary to ensure success of pediatric precision cancer medicine.
Clostriden als nachhaltige Plattform für Chemikalien und Lebensmittel
Authors: Janke Christian
Published: September 2021

Cellulose and carbon dioxide (CO2) belong to the most promising carbon sources for sustainable processes in the field of industrial biotechnology. Cellulose is the most abundant biological polymer on earth and microbial carbon dioxide consumption represents one possibility to reduce global warming. Clostridial biocatalysts are able to utilize both carbon sources efficiently and offer various ways to develop new industrial processes.
Jäger und Gejagte — wie sich Pilze gegen räuberische Amöben wehren
Authors: Ferling Iuliia , Radosa Silvia , Hillmann Falk
Published: September 2021

What seems obvious for most free-living bacteria, also appeals for yeast and filamentous fungi: their natural reservoirs include a variety of micropredators, such as members of the Amoebozoa kingdom. Not only do they share a predatory lifestyle, but their amoeboid motility and way of ingesting living microbial food reveals several similarities to innate immune cells. Understanding how fungi have learned to cope with such environmental phagocytes will shed new light on the evolutionary driving forces of fungal diversity and virulence.
Bispezifische Antikörper: Hoffnungsträger in der Krebsimmuntherapie
Authors: Stadlbauer Katharina , Stadlmayr Gerhard , Rüker Florian , Wozniak-Knopp Gordana
Published: September 2021

Nearly seventy years have passed since the first attempts to fuse the antibodies, „magic bullets“ with exquisite target specificity, into multispecific agents that can connect a targeted cell with an effector immune cell. Such efforts have triggered a plethora of engineering advancements to optimize the antigen engagement. Even the most conserved domains of the antibody molecule have been modified to achieve two unique chains pairing, or with an introduction of novel antigen binding sites.
MicroRNAs bei COVID-19: kleine Moleküle mit großem Potenzial?
Authors: Bär Christian , Derda Anselm A. , Thum Thomas
Published: September 2021

COVID-19 still remains a severe global health threat. Despite the high-speed development of vaccines that efficiently prevent COVID-19, there are still no effective treatments of the disease once people are infected. MicroRNAs are powerful regulators of gene expression. They are intensely investigated as therapeutic targets up to the clinical stage. In addition, microRNAs can be detected in the circulation, and thus, represent promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers for (long)-COVID-19.
Duale Rezeptorsignale: Wie setzen Adhäsions-GPCR Signale in Funktion um?
Authors: Gross Victoria Elisabeth , Prömel Simone
Published: September 2021

Adhesion GPCR are exceptional receptors due to their functional and structural diversity. A key to their function/signalling, setting them apart from other GPCR, is their extraordinarily large, complex N terminus, via which they mediate different molecular mechanisms and integrate diverse biological functions. Here, we discuss dual modes of adhesion GPCR action and how they translate into physiological functions: activation of G protein pathways and signals solely elicited by the N terminus.
A New GAN-Based Approach to Data Augmentation and Image Segmentation for Crack Detection in Thermal Imaging Tests
Authors: Tian Lulu , Wang Zidong , Liu Weibo , Cheng Yuhua , Alsaadi Fuad E. , Liu Xiaohui
Published: September 2021

As a popular nondestructive testing (NDT) technique, thermal imaging test demonstrates competitive performance in crack detection, especially for detecting subsurface cracks. In thermal imaging test, the temperature of the crack area is higher than that of the non-crack area during the NDT process. By extracting the features of the thermal image sequences, the temperature curve of each spatial point is employed for crack detection. Nevertheless, the quality of thermal images is influenced by the noises due to the complex thermal environment in NDT. In this paper, a modified generative adversarial network (GAN) is employed to improve the image segmentation performance. To improve the feature extraction ability and alleviate the influence of noises, a penalty term is put forward in the loss function of the conventional GAN. A data preprocessing method is developed where the principle component analysis algorithm is adopted for feature extraction. The data argumentation technique is utilized to guarantee the quantity of the training samples. To validate its effectiveness in thermal imaging NDT, the modified GAN is applied to detect the cracks on the eddy current pulsed thermography NDT dataset.
Is Parental Mindfulness Associated with Quality of Life and Itch Intensity in Children with Psoriasis and Eczema and Well-being in Parents?
Authors: Heapy Connor , Norman Paul , Emerson Lisa-Marie , Murphy Ruth , Bögels Susan , Thompson Andrew R.
Published: September 2021

Objectives

Childhood psoriasis and eczema negatively impact the well-being of children and their parents. Identifying variables that protect against, or reduce, the negative impact of these skin conditions could greatly improve the lives of children with these skin conditions and their parents. We therefore aimed to investigate whether higher levels of parental dispositional mindfulness are associated with lower levels of psychological distress and better quality of life in children with psoriasis or eczema and their parents.

Methods

Children with psoriasis or eczema (n = 180, M age = 10.22, females = 108) and their parents (n = 210, M age = 39.97, females = 183) were recruited from social media and NHS dermatology clinics in the UK. Parents completed questionnaires assessing dispositional mindfulness, parental stress, psychological distress (depression, anxiety, general stress), and quality of life related to their child’s skin condition. Children completed questionnaires assessing quality of life related to their skin condition and pruritus (itch intensity).

Results

Parental dispositional mindfulness explained significant amounts of variance in parental stress, parent depression, parent anxiety, parent general stress, and both parent and child quality of life. These relationships were not moderated by skin condition.

Conclusion

Parental dispositional mindfulness is associated with better well-being in parents of children with psoriasis or eczema, and their children. Mindfulness-based interventions for parents may be beneficial for improving well-being in both children with skin conditions and their parents.

Trial Registration: https://aspredicted.org/xf429.pdf (see Supplementary Materials A).