bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A randomized, placebo-controlled phase 2 study of paclitaxel in combination with reparixin compared to paclitaxel alone as front-line therapy for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (fRida)
Authors: Goldstein Lori J. , Mansutti Mauro , Levy Christelle , Chang Jenny C. , Henry Stephanie , Fernandez-Perez Isaura , Prausovà Jana , Staroslawska Elzbieta , Viale Giuseppe , Butler Beth , McCanna Susan , Ruffini Pier Adelchi , Wicha Max S. , Schott Anne F. ,   for the fRida Trial Investigators, Alvarez Ricardo H. , Schott Anne F. , Abu-Khalaf Maysa , Ibrahim Nuhad , Daniel Brooke , Meshad Michael , Kanamori David , Zelnak Amelia , Graham Mark , Comer Jason , Huizing Manon , Duhoux Francois , Richard Vincent , Verhoeven Didier , Smakal Martin , Krasenska Marta , Kohoutek Milan , Zimovjanova Martina , Kubala Eugen , Campone Mario , Ferrero Jean-Marc , Goncalves Anthony , Venat-Bouvet Laurence , Medioni Jacques , Biganzoli Laura , Parra Hector Soto , Pedrazzoli Paolo , Colleoni Marco , Moroni Mauro , Amadori Dino , Morandi Paolo , Cinieri Saverio , Tomczak Piotr , Sarosiek Tomasz , Wojtukiewicz Marek , Mruk Andrzej , Kukielka-Budny Bożena , Novoa Silvia Antolin , Alonso Estela Vega , Jimenez Miguel Martin
Published: September 2021

Purpose

CXCR1, one of the receptors for CXCL8, has been identified as a druggable target on breast cancer cancer stem cells (CSC). Reparixin (R), an investigational oral inhibitor of CXCR1, was safely administered to metastatic breast cancer patients in combination with paclitaxel (P) and appeared to reduce CSC in a window-of-opportunity trial in operable breast cancer. The fRida trial (NCT02370238) evaluated the addition of R to weekly as first-line therapy for metastatic (m) TNBC.

Subjects and Methods

Subjects with untreated mTNBC were randomized 1:1 to R or placebo days 1–21 in combination with weekly P 80 mg/m2 on days 1, 8, 15 of 28-day cycles. The primary endpoint was PFS by central review.

Results

123 subjects were randomized (62 to R + P and 61 to placebo + P). PFS was not different between the 2 groups (median 5.5 and 5.6 months for R + P and placebo + P, respectively; HR 1.13, p = 0.5996). ALDH+ and CD24−/CD44+ CSC centrally evaluated by IHC were found in 16 and 34 of the 54 subjects who provided a metastatic tissue biopsy at study entry. Serious adverse events (21.3 and 20% of subjects) and grade ≥ 3 adverse reactions (ADR) (9.1 and 6.3% of all ADRs) occurred at similar frequency in both groups.

Conclusion

fRida is the first randomized, double-blind clinical trial of a CSC-targeting agent in combination with chemotherapy in breast cancer. The primary endpoint of prolonged PFS was not met.

Clinical Trial Registration/Date of Registration

NCT01861054/February 24, 2015.
Temporal trends, tumor characteristics and stage-specific survival in penile non-squamous cell carcinoma vs. squamous cell carcinoma
Authors: Wenzel Mike , Siron Nicolas , Collà Ruvolo Claudia , Nocera Luigi , Würnschimmel Christoph , Tian Zhe , Shariat Shahrokh F. , Saad Fred , Briganti Alberto , Tilki Derya , Banek Severine , Kluth Luis A. , Roos Frederik C. , Chun Felix K. H. , Karakiewicz Pierre I.
Published: September 2021

Purpose

To compare Cancer-specific mortality (CSM) in patients with Squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) vs. non-SCC penile cancer, since survival outcomes may differ between histological subtypes.

Methods

Within the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results database (2004–2016), penile cancer patients of all stages were identified. Temporal trend analyses, cumulative incidence and Kaplan–Meier plots, multivariable Cox regression and Fine and Gray competing-risks regression analyses tested for CSM differences between non-SCC vs. SCC penile cancer patients.

Results

Of 4,120 eligible penile cancer patients, 123 (3%) harbored non-SCC vs. 4,027 (97%) SCC. Of all non-SCC patients, 51 (41%) harbored melanomas, 42 (34%) basal cell carcinomas, 10 (8%) adenocarcinomas, eight (6.5%) skin appendage malignancies, six (5%) epithelial cell neoplasms, two (1.5%) neuroendocrine tumors, two (1.5%) lymphomas, two (1.5%) sarcomas. Stage at presentation differed between non-SCC vs. SCC. In temporal trend analyses, non-SCC diagnoses neither decreased nor increased over time (p > 0.05). After stratification according to localized, locally advanced, and metastatic stage, no CSM differences were observed between non-SCC vs. SCC, with 5-year survival rates of 11 vs 11% (p = 0.9) for localized, 33 vs. 37% (p = 0.4) for locally advanced, and 1-year survival rates of 37 vs. 53% (p = 0.9) for metastatic penile cancer, respectively. After propensity score matching for patient and tumor characteristics and additional multivariable adjustment, no CSM differences between non-SCC vs. SCC were observed.

Conclusion

Non-SCC penile cancer is rare. Although exceptions exist, on average, non-SCC penile cancer has comparable CSM as SCC penile cancer patients, after stratification for localized, locally invasive, and metastatic disease.
Biased Maintenance of Attention on Sad Faces in Clinically Depressed Youth: An Eye-Tracking Study
Authors: Buhl Christina , Sfärlea Anca , Loechner Johanna , Starman-Wöhrle Kornelija , Salemink Elske , Schulte-Körne Gerd , Platt Belinda
Published: September 2021

The role of negative attention biases (AB), central to cognitive models of adult depression, is yet unclear in youth depression. We investigated negative AB in depressed compared to healthy youth and tested whether AB are more pronounced in depressed than at-risk youth. Negative AB was assessed for sad and angry faces with an eye-tracking paradigm [Passive Viewing Task (PVT)] and a behavioural task [Visual Search Task (VST)], comparing three groups of 9–14-year-olds: youth with major depression (MD; n = 32), youth with depressed parents (high-risk; HR; n = 49) and youth with healthy parents (low-risk; LR; n = 42). The PVT revealed MD participants to maintain attention longer on sad faces compared to HR, but not LR participants. This AB correlated positively with depressive symptoms. The VST revealed no group differences. Our results provide preliminary evidence for a negative AB in maintenance of attention on disorder-specific emotional information in depressed compared to at-risk youth.
Implicit consensus clustering from multiple graphs
Authors: Boutalbi Rafika , Labiod Lazhar , Nadif Mohamed
Published: September 2021

Dealing with relational learning generally relies on tools modeling relational data. An undirected graph can represent these data with vertices depicting entities and edges describing the relationships between the entities. These relationships can be well represented by multiple undirected graphs over the same set of vertices with edges arising from different graphs catching heterogeneous relations. The vertices of those networks are often structured in unknown clusters with varying properties of connectivity. These multiple graphs can be structured as a three-way tensor, where each slice of tensor depicts a graph which is represented by a count data matrix. To extract relevant clusters, we propose an appropriate model-based co-clustering capable of dealing with multiple graphs. The proposed model can be seen as a suitable tensor extension of mixture models of graphs, while the obtained co-clustering can be treated as a consensus clustering of nodes from multiple graphs. Applications on real datasets and comparisons with multi-view clustering and tensor decomposition methods show the interest of our contribution.
A holistic sustainability assessment of organic (certified and non-certified) and non-organic smallholder farms in Kenya
Authors: Kamau Juliet Wanjiku , Schader Christian , Biber-Freudenberger Lisa , Stellmacher Till , Amudavi David M. , Landert Jan , Blockeel Johan , Whitney Cory , Borgemeister Christian
Published: September 2021

The introduction of organic farm management practices in sub-Saharan Africa could act as a lever for supporting regional sustainable development. In this study, we sought to assess the sustainability performance of organic (certified and non-certified) and non-organic farms in the dry Kajiado County and the wet Murang’a County in Kenya, based on four sustainability dimensions:Good Governance,Environmental Integrity,Economic ResilienceandSocial Well-Being. We collected household survey data from 400 smallholder farms, which were formally characterized into five types (mixed organic and conventional, certified organic, organic, conventional, and subsistence farms). We used multivariate analysis of variance, linear fixed-effects and general linear models to examine differences in sustainability performance. Model results indicate that all farms lack reliable farm management information and that only limited knowledge, skills and social security exist for farmers and farm workers. Comparison of the five farm types indicates no significant differences in their sustainability performance. Nonetheless, certified organic farms had better sustainability performance than non-certified farms due to higher economic resilience, environmental integrity, better support and training for workers. However, except for avoiding the use of agrochemicals in certified farms, there is relatively little difference in the farm management practices across farm types. Our results also indicate that farms in Murang’a were more sustainable than those in Kajiado due to better regional land-tenure security and conflict resolution mechanisms, soil and water conservation measures, and farm commercial viability. Nonetheless, unlike Kajiado, farms in Murang’a showed a tendency toward poor animal husbandry practices which affects overall animal welfare, limited credit uptake and market involvement. The results of this study can support decision making to identify appropriate interventions for improving sustainability in smallholder farms.
Social effects on AVT and CRF systems
Authors: Backström Tobias , Thörnqvist Per-Ove , Winberg Svante
Published: September 2021

Stress and aggression have negative effects on fish welfare and productivity in aquaculture. Thus, research to understand aggression and stress in farmed fish is required. The neuropeptides arginine-vasotocin (AVT) and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) are involved in the control of stress and aggression. Therefore, we investigated the effect of agonistic interactions on the gene expression of AVT, CRF and their receptors in juvenile rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The social interactions lead to a clear dominant-subordinate relationship with dominant fish feeding more and being more aggressive. Subordinate fish had an upregulation of the AVT receptor (AVT-R), an upregulation of CRF mRNA levels, and higher plasma cortisol levels. The attenuating effect of AVT on aggression in rainbow trout is proposed to be mediated by AVT-R, and the attenuating effect of the CRF system is proposed to be mediated by CRF.
Gender-based Decision Making in Marketing Channel Choice – Evidence of Maize Supply Chains in Southern Ethiopia
Authors: Gebre Girma Gezimu , Isoda Hiroshi , Amekawa Yuichiro , Rahut Dil Bahadur , Nomura Hisako , Watanabe Takaaki
Published: September 2021

We examine factors affecting the choice of marketing channels for maize among male, female, and joint decision-making farm households using data from households in Dawuro zone, southern Ethiopia. Econometric results suggest that female and joint decision-makers are more likely to sell maize to consumers or retailers in the main local market where the maize price is higher than to wholesale merchants directly from the farm. Individual decision-makers (male or female) who grow improved maize varieties are more likely to sell to wholesalers directly from the farm. This may be an indication of the effectiveness of joint decisions over individual decisions related to the market price. We also found that improved maize varieties distributed to farmers in the study area are of poor quality and that there is a lack of modern storage facilities so that farmers have to sell immediately after harvest during the lower price season. Thus, there is a need for policies promoting the distribution of high-quality maize seeds and encouraging investments in the establishment of modern maize storage facilities in the study area.
Effect of upper eyelid blepharoplasty on corneal biomechanical, topographic and tomographic parameters 4 weeks after surgery
Authors: Sommer Falk , Untch Elisa , Spoerl Eberhard , Herber Robert , Pillunat Lutz E. , Terai Naim
Published: September 2021

Purpose

To investigate the effect of “skin-only” upper eyelid blepharoplasty on corneal biomechanics and central as well as peripheral topographic/tomographic parameters before and 4 weeks after surgery.

Methods

In a prospective study, the corneal hysteresis (CH) and corneal resistance factor (CRF) were evaluated before and after blepharoplasty. Corneal topographic (maximum simulated keratometry value, inferior-superior value, index of surface variance, index of vertical asymmetry, index of height asymmetry, index of height decentration) and tomographic parameters (corneal thickness, corneal astigmatism and mean 5-mm- and 7-mm-zone keratometry value) were measured by the Pentacam HR. Statistical analysis was performed using a linear mixed model considering correlated data of both eyes.

Results

This study included 42 eyes of 35 patients (mean age: 64.5 years, range 52–82 years). Four weeks after surgery CH and CRF increased (9.4 ± 2.3 to 10.2 ± 2.2 mmHg and 9.7 ± 2.1 to 10.5 ± 2.2 mmHg) but did not reach statistical significance (P = 0.100 and P = 0.072). A significant increase in central maximum simulated keratometry value (Kmax) from 45.0 ± 2.3 to 45.4 ± 2.2 diopters (D) was observed (P = 0.004). Inferior-superior value (I-S) and index of surface variance (ISV) showed significant changes from 0.32 ± 0.98 to 0.10 ± 0.98 D (P = 0.02) and from 19.98 ± 9.84 to 22.93 ± 11.23 (P = 0.009), respectively. These alterations did not affect the subjective spherical equivalent (-0.09 ± 4.71 to -0.04 ± 4.51 D; P = 0.437) and the best-corrected distance visual acuity of patients (0.11 ± 0.14 to 0.15 ± 0.15 logMAR; P = 0.142). Age, gender and corneal thickness were not correlated with pre and postoperative differences of CH, CRF, corneal compensated IOP, Kmax, corneal astigmatism or I-S.

Conclusion

The trend of increasing CH and CRF values might indicate a rise of corneal damping capacity. Despite statistically significant differences of Kmax, I-S and ISV, all other tomographical and topographical parameters did not change 4 weeks after surgery. The corneal steepening with a mean change of 0.4 diopters and the decrease of I-S with a mean of 0.22 diopters do not seem to have a clinically relevant effect for blepharoplasty patients in daily practice.
Novel WEE2 compound heterozygous mutations identified in patients with fertilization failure or poor fertilization
Authors: Jin Jiamin , Tong Xiaomei , Zhang Yin-Li , Yang Weijie , Ma Yerong , Ren Peipei , Zhou Feng , Zhang Songying
Published: September 2021

Purpose

To study associations between novel WEE2 mutations and patients with fertilization failure or poor fertilization.

Methods

Thirty-one Chinese patients who underwent treatment with assisted reproductive technology and suffered from repeated (at least two times) total fertilization failure (TFF) or a low fertilization rate were enrolled. Genomic DNA was extracted from patients for whole-exome sequencing. Suspicious mutations were validated by Sanger sequencing. WEE2 protein levels in oocytes from affected patients were examined by immunofluorescence. Disruptive effects of mutations on WEE2 protein stability, subcellular localization, and kinase function were analyzed through western blotting, immunofluorescence, and flow cytometry in HeLa cells.

Results

Three of thirty-one (9.6%) enrolled patients had six compound heterozygous mutations of the WEE2 gene, and three of them were reported here for the first time (c.115_116insT, c.756_758delTGA, and c.C1459T). Oocytes from affected patients showed decreased WEE2 immunofluorescence signals. In vitro experiments showed that the mutant WEE2 gene caused reduced WEE2 protein levels or cellular compartment translocation in HeLa cells, leading to decreased levels of the phosphorylated Cdc2 protein. Compared with the wild-type WEE2 protein, the mutant WEE2 proteins were also found to have different effects on the cell cycle.

Conclusion

Three novel compound heterozygous WEE2 variants were found in patients with pronucleus formation failure. This study provides new evidence that WEE2 mutations result in loss of function, which could result in fertilization failure.
Indentation modulus extrapolation and thickness estimation of ta-C coatings from nanoindentation
Authors: Lorenz L. , Chudoba T. , Makowski S. , Zawischa M. , Schaller F. , Weihnacht V.
Published: September 2021

Coatings used in tribological applications often exhibit high hardness and stiffness to achieve high wear resistance. One coating characterization method frequently used is nanoindentation which allows the determination of indentation hardness and indentation modulus among other material properties. The indentation modulus describes the elastic surface behavior during indentation and is, among hardness, a direct indicator for wear resistance. To obtain the true indentation modulus of a coating, it must be measured with varying loads and then extrapolated to zero load. Current recommendation of the standard ISO 14577-4:2016 is a linear extrapolation which fits poorly for nonlinear curves. Such nonlinear curves are commonly found for high hardness mismatches between coating and substrate, for example, superhard tetrahedral amorphous carbon coatings (ta-C) on a steel substrate. In this study, we present a new empirical fit model, henceforth named sigmoid. This fit model is compared to several existing fit models described in the literature using a large number of nanoindentation measurements on ta-C coatings with wide ranges of indentation modulus and coating thickness. This is done by employing a user-independent and model agnostic fitting methodology. It is shown that the sigmoid model outperforms all other models in the combination of goodness of fit and stability of fit. Furthermore, we demonstrate that the sigmoid model’s fit parameter directly correlates with coating thickness and thus allows for a new approach of determining ta-C coating thickness from nanoindentation.
Clinical evaluation of a wearable sensor for mobile monitoring of respiratory rate on hospital wards
Authors: Järvelä Kristiina , Takala Panu , Michard Frederic , Vikatmaa Leena
Published: September 2021

A wireless and wearable system was recently developed for mobile monitoring of respiratory rate (RR). The present study was designed to compare RR mobile measurements with reference capnographic measurements on a medical-surgical ward. The wearable sensor measures impedance variations of the chest from two thoracic and one abdominal electrode. Simultaneous measurements of RR from the wearable sensor and from the capnographic sensor (1 measure/minute) were compared in 36 ward patients. Patients were monitored for a period of 182 ± 56 min (range 68–331). Artifact-free RR measurements were available 81% of the monitoring time for capnography and 92% for the wearable monitoring system (p < 0.001). A total of 4836 pairs of simultaneous measurements were available for analysis. The average reference RR was 19 ± 5 breaths/min (range 6–36). The average difference between the wearable and capnography RR measurements was − 0.6 ± 2.5 breaths/min. Error grid analysis showed that the proportions of RR measurements done with the wearable system were 89.7% in zone A (no risk), 9.6% in zone B (low risk) and < 1% in zones C, D and E (moderate, significant and dangerous risk). The wearable method detected RR values > 20 (tachypnea) with a sensitivity of 81% and a specificity of 93%. In ward patients, the wearable sensor enabled accurate and precise measurements of RR within a relatively broad range (6–36 b/min) and the detection of tachypnea with high sensitivity and specificity.
Critical Configurations and Tube of Typical Trajectories for the Potts and Ising Models with Zero External Field
Authors: Bet Gianmarco , Gallo Anna , Nardi Francesca R.
Published: September 2021

We consider the ferromagneticq-state Potts model with zero external field in a finite volume evolving according to Glauber-type dynamics described by the Metropolis algorithm in the low temperature asymptotic limit. Our analysis concerns the multi-spin system that hasqstable equilibria. Focusing on grid graphs with periodic boundary conditions, we study the tunneling between two stable states and from one stable state to the set of all other stable states. In both cases we identify the set of gates for the transition and prove that this set has to be crossed with high probability during the transition. Moreover, we identify the tube of typical paths and prove that the probability to deviate from it during the transition is exponentially small.
A cloud-based cognitive computing solution with interoperable applications to counteract illegal dumping in smart cities
Authors: Coccoli Mauro , De Francesco Vincenzo , Fusco Antonio , Maresca Paolo
Published: September 2021

The study presented in this paper is the outcome of the activity carried on within the program “Party Cloud Challenge per Genova”, promoted by IBM in collaboration with the city municipality of Genoa, Italy. This challenge aimed to show how using cognitive computing solutions in an integrated cloud-based development environment enables the rapid deployment of advanced services with interoperable applications. Specifically, we investigated a solution to cope with the problem of illegal dumping prevention in a smart city. In this respect, we will describe the study of the prototype of an automated visual recognition and alerting system. The presented solution relies on the use of cognitive computing technologies to analyze videos provided by cameras installed in urban areas, to identify trash, especially bulky waste, where it should not be, and trigger an alarm to the municipality. In particular, we want to take advantage of the pictures, frames and videos continuously recorded by cameras installed for traffic monitoring, for surveillance, etc. in smart cities where the waste management system is supposed to be integrated with other municipality services for environment control and management. Besides, an organization plan is also proposed for intelligent waste collection as well as some organizational ideas for scalability.
Covering Norway spruce container seedlings with reflective shading cloth during field storage affects seedling post-planting growth
Authors: Tikkinen Mikko , Riikonen Johanna , Luoranen Jaana
Published: September 2021

The field storage of container seedlings is often a necessity after the seedlings have been transported from nurseries close to the regeneration area. Suboptimal storage conditions can lead to reduced growth or even seedling mortality. Supporting favourable conditions for the seedlings during storage requires labour, especially for the watering of seedlings, and therefore increases the costs of forest regeneration. In this study, we examined the effects of covering Norway spruce container seedlings with a reflective shading cloth and neglecting the watering during field storage. This was done by measuring the drying of the seedlings during field storage, the rooting of the seedlings when planting, and the subsequent survival and performance in the field two and three growing seasons after planting. The study comprised one-year-old Norway spruce container seedlings covered with reflective shading cloth and seedlings with no cover (subject to rainfall) in 2012 and 2013; additionally, in 2013, replicates from both treatments were stored in conditions where rainfall was impeded. The stem water potential was measured, a rooting test was carried out, and the seedlings were planted in the test field weekly over 42 days of field storage without watering. As a novel finding, the results indicate that covering the seedlings with a reflective shading cloth during the field storage increased the risk of grey mould in summer storage and led to negative effects regarding post planting seedling development. The application of a shading cloth directly on the seedlings cannot be recommended to prolong the watering intervals during field storage in the current climatic conditions in Southern Finland, where the risk of grey mould is high.
A data-driven model of the COVID-19 spread among interconnected populations: epidemiological and mobility aspects following the lockdown in Italy
Authors: Di Giamberardino Paolo , Iacoviello Daniela , Papa Federico , Sinisgalli Carmela
Published: September 2021

An epidemic multi-group model formed by interconnected SEIR-like structures is formulated and used for data fitting to gain insight into the COVID-19 dynamics and into the role of non-pharmaceutical control actions implemented to limit the infection spread since its outbreak in Italy. The single submodels provide a rather accurate description of the COVID-19 evolution in each subpopulation by an extended SEIR model including the class of asymptomatic infectives, which is recognized as a determinant for disease diffusion. The multi-group structure is specifically designed to investigate the effects of the inter-regional mobility restored at the end of the first strong lockdown in Italy (June 3, 2020). In its time-invariant version, the model is shown to enjoy some analytical stability properties which provide significant insights on the efficacy of the implemented control measurements. In order to highlight the impact of human mobility on the disease evolution in Italy between the first and second wave onset, the model is applied to fit real epidemiological data of three geographical macro-areas in the period March–October 2020, including the mass departure for summer holidays. The simulation results are in good agreement with the data, so that the model can represent a useful tool for predicting the effects of the combination of containment measures in triggering future pandemic scenarios. Particularly, the simulation shows that, although the unrestricted mobility alone appears to be insufficient to trigger the second wave, the human transfers were crucial to make uniform the spatial distribution of the infection throughout the country and, combined with the restart of the production, trade, and education activities, determined a time advance of the contagion increase since September 2020.
Explaining the Use of Performance Information by Public Managers: Do Task-Related Factors Matter?
Authors: Allegrini Veronica , Monteduro Fabio , Del Prete Francesco
Published: September 2021

Organizational factors have frequently shown a significant influence on the use of performance information by public managers, but the study of task-related factors has been neglected. Combining insights from public administration, organizational studies, and a behavioural approach, this article investigates whether some task characteristics influence the use of performance information by public managers. Drawing on an e-mail survey on managers working in Italian medium-size municipalities, an empirical analysis was developed. Findings show that task analysability and task variability directly affect performance information use by public managers. Task interdependence shows an indirect effect on performance information use through its availability.
Citation patterns between impact-factor and questionable journals
Authors: Kulczycki Emanuel , Hołowiecki Marek , Taşkın Zehra , Krawczyk Franciszek
Published: September 2021

One of the most fundamental issues in academia today is understanding the differences between legitimate and questionable publishing. While decision-makers and managers consider journals indexed in popular citation indexes such as Web of Science or Scopus as legitimate, they use two lists of questionable journals (Beall’s and Cabell’s), one of which has not been updated for a few years, to identify the so-called predatory journals. The main aim of our study is to reveal the contribution of the journals accepted as legitimate by the authorities to the visibility of questionable journals. For this purpose, 65 questionable journals from social sciences and 2338 Web-of-Science-indexed journals that cited these questionable journals were examined in-depth in terms of index coverages, subject categories, impact factors and self-citation patterns. We have analysed 3234 unique cited papers from questionable journals and 5964 unique citing papers (6750 citations of cited papers) from Web of Science journals. We found that 13% of the questionable papers were cited by WoS journals and 37% of the citations were from impact-factor journals. The findings show that neither the impact factor of citing journals nor the size of cited journals is a good predictor of the number of citations to the questionable journals.
Corpus Linguistics in Legal Discourse
Authors: Goźdź-Roszkowski Stanisław
Published: September 2021

There are many different ways in which modern Corpus Linguistics can be used to enrich and broaden our understanding of legal discourse. Based on the central principle of co-occurrence and co-selection in language construction, this paper reviews current applications of Corpus Linguistics in the area of legal discourse focusing on issues ranging from phraseology, variation in legal discourse, legal translation, register and genre perspectives on legal discourse, legal discourse in forensic contexts to evaluative language in judicial settings. It revisits the notion of ‘corpus’ and it highlights the relevance of various types of legal corpora and computer tools in legal linguistic research.
Science Highlights and Final Updates from 17 Years of Total Solar Irradiance Measurements from the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment/Total Irradiance Monitor (SORCE/TIM)
Authors: Kopp Greg
Published: September 2021

The final version (V.19) of the total solar irradiance data from the SOlar Radiation and Climate Experiment (SORCE) Total Irradiance Monitor has been released. This version includes all calibrations updated to the end of the mission and provides irradiance data from 25 February 2003 through 25 February 2020. These final calibrations are presented along with the resulting final data products. An overview of the on-orbit operations timeline is provided as well as the associated changes in the time-dependent uncertainties. Scientific highlights from the instrument are also presented. These include the establishment of a new, lower TSI value; accuracy improvements to other TSI instruments via a new calibration facility; the lowest on-orbit noise (for high sensitivity to solar variability) of any TSI instrument; the best inherent stability of any on-orbit TSI instrument; a lengthy (17-year) measurement record benefitting from these stable, low-noise measurements; the first reported detection of a solar flare in TSI; and observations of two Venus transits and four Mercury transits.
Cross-cultural differences in academic self-efficacy and its sources across socialization contexts
Authors: Gebauer Miriam M. , McElvany Nele , Köller Olaf , Schöber Christian
Published: September 2021

This study investigated how as reported by Bandura (Self-efficacy: The exercise of control Freeman, 1997) sources of self-efficacy differ across socialization contexts for German students with diverse immigrant backgrounds. We measured all four sources of academic self-efficacy in three socialization contexts for students of former Soviet Union and Turkish descent as well as without an immigrant background, assuming that we would find differences between these groups. Participants were 1217 seventh-grade students in Germany. Multigroup structural equation analyses with latent variables revealed the differential importance of socialization contexts for the relation between academic self-efficacy and its sources across groups. For students of former Soviet Union and Turkish descent, verbal or social persuasion is the strongest contributing factor for academic self-efficacy, whereas for students without an immigrant background, it is mastery experience. In the school context, significant relationships between sources of self-efficacy and academic self-efficacy could only be observed for students without an immigrant background. The results both support and refine Bandura’s social cognitive theory by showing that self-related constructs function differently in students with culturally diverse immigrant backgrounds.
A low-area design of two-factor authentication using DIES and SBI for IoT security
Authors: Sudha M. N. , Rajendiran M. , Specht Mariusz , Reddy Kasarla Satish , Sugumaran S.
Published: September 2021

Internet of things (IoTs) is an integration of heterogeneous physical devices which are interconnected and communicated over the physical Internet. The design of secure, lightweight and an effective authentication protocol is required, because the information is transmitted among the remote user and numerous sensing devices over the IoT network. Recently, two-factor authentication (TFA) scheme is developed for providing the security among the IoT devices. But, the performances of the IoT network are affected due to the less memory storage and restricted resource of the IoT. In this paper, the integration of data inverting encoding scheme (DIES) and substitution-box-based inverter is proposed for providing the security using the random values of one-time alias identity, challenge, server nonce and device nonce. Here, the linearity of produced random values is decreased for each clock cycle based on the switching characteristics of the selection line in DIES. Moreover, the linear feedback shift register is used in the adaptive physically unclonable function (APUF) for generating the random response value. The APUF–DIES-IoT architecture is analyzed in terms of lookup table, flip flops, slices, frequency and delay. This APUF–DIES-IoT architecture is analyzed for different security and authentication performances. Two existing methods are considered to evaluate the APUF–DIES-IoT architecture such as TFA-PUF-IoT and TFA-APUF-IoT. The APUF–DIES-IoT architecture uses 36 flip flops at Virtex 6; it is less when compared to the TFA-PUF-IoT and TFA-APUF-IoT.
Identifying Outstanding Transition-Metal-Alloy Heterogeneous Catalysts for the Oxygen Reduction and Evolution Reactions via Subgroup Discovery
Authors: Foppa Lucas , Ghiringhelli Luca M.
Published: September 2021

In order to estimate the reactivity of a large number of potentially complex heterogeneous catalysts while searching for novel and more efficient materials, physical as well as data-centric models have been developed for a faster evaluation of adsorption energies compared to first-principles calculations. However, global models designed to describe as many materials as possible might overlook the very few compounds that have the appropriate adsorption properties to be suitable for a given catalytic process. Here, the subgroup-discovery (SGD) local artificial-intelligence approach is used to identify the key descriptive parameters and constrains on their values, the so-called SG rules, which particularly describe transition-metal surfaces with outstanding adsorption properties for the oxygen-reduction and -evolution reactions. We start from a data set of 95 oxygen adsorption-energy values evaluated by density-functional-theory calculations for several monometallic surfaces along with 16 atomic, bulk and surface properties as candidate descriptive parameters. From this data set, SGD identifies constraints on the most relevant parameters describing materials and adsorption sites that (i) result in O adsorption energies within the Sabatier-optimal range required for the oxygen-reduction reaction and (ii) present the largest deviations from the linear-scaling relations between O and OH adsorption energies, which limit the catalyst performance in the oxygen-evolution reaction. The SG rules not only reflect the local underlying physicochemical phenomena that result in the desired adsorption properties, but also guide the challenging design of alloy catalysts.
Designing computer-based tests: design guidelines from multimedia learning studied with eye tracking
Authors: Dirkx K. J. H. , Skuballa I. , Manastirean-Zijlstra C. S. , Jarodzka H.
Published: September 2021

The use of computer-based tests (CBTs), for both formative and summative purposes, has greatly increased over the past years. One major advantage of CBTs is the easy integration of multimedia. It is unclear, though, how to design such CBT environments with multimedia. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether guidelines for designing multimedia instruction based on the Cognitive Load Theory (CLT) and Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML) will yield similar effects in CBT. In a within-subject design, thirty-three vocational students completed a computer-based arithmetic exam, in which half of the items were presented in an original design format, and the other half was redesigned based on the CTML principles for instructional design (i.e., adapted format). Results showed that applying CTML principles to a CBT decreased the difficulty of the test items, i.e., students scored significantly higher on the adapted test items. Moreover, eye-tracking data showed that the adapted items required less visual search and increased attention for the question and answer. Finally, cognitive load, measured as silent pauses during a secondary think-aloud task, decreased. Mean fixation duration (a different indicator of cognitive load), however, did not significantly differ between adapted and original items. These results indicate that applying multimedia principles to CBTs can be beneficial. It seems to prevent cognitive overload and helps students to focus on important parts of the test items (e.g., the question), leading to better test results.
The Importance of Riparian Forest Cover to the Ecological Status of Agricultural Streams in a Nationwide Assessment
Authors: Tolkkinen Mikko , Vaarala Saku , Aroviita Jukka
Published: September 2021

Forested riparian corridors are a key management solution for halting the global trend of declining ecological status of freshwater ecosystems. There is an increasing body of evidence related to the efficacy of these corridors at the local scale, but knowledge is inadequate concerning the effectiveness of riparian forests in terms of protecting streams from harmful impacts across larger scales. In this study, nationwide assessment results comprising more than 900 river water bodies in Finland were used to examine the importance of adjacent land use to river ecological status estimates. Random forest models and partial dependence functions were used to quantify the independent effect of adjacent land use on river ecological status after accounting for the effects of other factors. The proportion of adjacent forested land along a river had the strongest independent positive effect on ecological status for small to medium size rivers that were in agricultural landscapes. Ecological quality increased by almost one status class when the adjacent forest cover increased from 10 to 60%. In contrast, for large rivers, adjacent forested land did not show an independent positive effect on ecological status. This study has major implications for managing river basins to achieve the EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) goal of obtaining good ecological status of rivers. The results from the nationwide assessment demonstrate that forested riparian zones can have an independent positive effect on the ecological status of rivers, indicating the importance of riparian forests in mitigating the impacts of catchment-level stressors. Therefore, forested buffer zones should be more strongly considered as part of river basin management.
Examination of the diaphragm in obstructive sleep apnea using ultrasound imaging
Authors: Molnár Viktória , Molnár András , Lakner Zoltán , Tárnoki Dávid László , Tárnoki Ádám Domonkos , Jokkel Zsófia , Szabó Helga , Dienes András , Angyal Emese , Németh Fruzsina , Kunos László , Tamás László
Published: September 2021

Purpose

The aim of this study was to analyze the effect of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) on the ultrasound (US) features of the diaphragm and to determine if diaphragmatic US may be a useful screening tool for patients with possible OSA.

Methods

Patients complaining of snoring were prospectively enrolled for overnight polygraphy using the ApneaLink Air device. Thickness and motion of the diaphragm during tidal and deep inspiration were measured. Logistic regression was used to assess parameters of the diaphragm associated with OSA.

Results

Of 100 patients, 64 were defined as having OSA. Thicknesses of the left and right hemidiaphragms were significantly different between OSA and control groups. Using a combination of diaphragmatic dimensions, diaphragm dilation, age, sex, and BMI, we developed an algorithm that predicted the presence of OSA with 91% sensitivity and 81% specificity.

Conclusion

A combination of anthropometric measurements, demographic factors, and US imaging may be useful for screening patients for possible OSA. These findings need to be confirmed in larger sample sizes in different clinical settings.
Poverty traps across levels of aggregation
Authors: Fitz Dylan , Gouri Suresh Shyam
Published: September 2021

Poverty trap studies help explain the simultaneous escape from poverty by some households and regions alongside deep and persistent poverty elsewhere. However, researchers remain divided about how important poverty traps are in explaining the range of poverty dynamics observed in various contexts. We build a theoretical model that integrates micro-, meso-, and macro-level poverty traps, allowing us to analyze the ways in which multiple layers of poverty traps interact and reinforce each other. Through this simulation model, markets and institutions arise endogenously and help certain individuals escape poverty, while others remain persistently poor. In addition to one’s own productivity and initial capital levels, we explore how individual opportunity and income can be heavily determined by market access and institutional factors beyond one’s control. Using simulation results from controlled experiments, we can identify the role played by meso- and macro-conditions (that correspond to local markets and country-wide institutions, respectively) in helping individuals escape poverty. Our results suggest that even in a parsimonious model—with optimizing, forward-looking agents operating in a world with only one trap at each level—local and national context matters immensely and combines to determine individual opportunity in complex ways.
Joint-preserving surgical treatment options for irreparable posterosuperior rotator cuff tear
Authors: Grubhofer Florian , Warner Jon JP
Published: September 2021

Treatment of irreparable rotator cuff tears in young active patients is challenging. A variety of therapeutic options are available. Only a few joint-preserving treatment options show reliable improvements over a long-term follow-up period. However, the treatment outcomes of joint preservation procedures are not comparable to those of RTSA, as patients are typically younger and have higher expectations. It is remarkable that most of the joint-preserving therapeutic options for irreparable rotator cuff ruptures lack long-term treatment results. This article highlights the indications, technical aspects, and treatment outcomes of the most commonly performed joint-preserving surgeries for irreparable rotator cuff rupture.
Diagnostic coding of chronic physical conditions in Irish general practice
Authors: Pericin Ivana , Larkin James , Collins Claire
Published: September 2021

Background

Chronic conditions are responsible for significant mortality and morbidity among the population in Ireland. It is estimated that almost one million people are affected by one of the four main categories of chronic disease (cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, and diabetes). Primary healthcare is an essential cornerstone for individuals, families, and the community and, as such, should play a central role in all aspects of chronic disease management.

Aim

The aim of the project was to examine the extent of chronic disease coding of four chronic physical conditions in the general practice setting.

Methods

The design was a descriptive cross-sectional study with anonymous retrospective data extracted from practices.

Results

Overall, 8.8% of the adult population in the six participating practices were coded with at least one chronic condition. Only 0.7% of adult patients were coded with asthma, 0.3% with COPD, 3% with diabetes, and 3.3% with CVD. Male patients who visited their GP in the last year were more likely to be coded with any of the four chronic diseases in comparison with female patients. A significant relationship between gender and being coded with diabetes and CVD was found.

Conclusions

For a likely multitude of reasons, diagnostic coding in Irish general practice clinics in this study is low and insufficient for an accurate estimation of chronic disease prevalence. Monitoring of information provided through diagnostic coding is important for patients’ care and safety, and therefore appropriate training and reimbursement for these services is essential.
Measuring the exposure of Black, Asian and other ethnic groups to COVID-infected neighbourhoods in English towns and cities
Authors: Harris Richard , Brunsdon Chris
Published: September 2021

Drawing on the work of The Doreen Lawrence Review—a report on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities in the UK—this paper develops an index of exposure, measuring which ethnic groups have been most exposed to COVID-19 infected residential neighbourhoods during the first and second waves of the pandemic in England. The index is based on a Bayesian Poisson model with a random intercept in the linear predictor, allowing for extra-Poisson variation at neighbourhood and town/city scales. This permits within-city differences to be decoupled from broader regional trends in the disease. The research finds that members of ethnic minority groups can be living in areas with higher infection rates but also that the risk of exposure is distributed unevenly across these groups. Initially, in the first wave, the disease disproportionately affected Black residents but, as the pandemic has progressed, especially the Pakistani but also the Bangladeshi and Indian groups have had the highest exposure. This higher exposure of the Pakistani group is not straightforwardly a function of neighbourhood deprivation because it is present across a range of average house prices. We find evidence to support the view, expressed in The Doreen Lawrence Review, that it is linked to occupational and environmental exposure, particularly residential density but, having allowed for these factors, differences between the towns and cities remain.