bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anwendungen der FISH in der Diagnostik von Lungenkarzinomen
Authors: Hieggelke Lena , Schultheis Anne M.
Published: November 2020

Die rasante Entwicklung im Bereich der Lungenkrebstherapie wurde maßgeblich auch durch die Entdeckung molekularer Marker und der damit verbundenen Möglichkeit einer personalisierten Therapie bestimmt. Die heutige Lungenkrebsdiagnostik stellt hohe Anforderungen an den Pathologen. An kleinen Gewebeproben muss nicht nur die Diagnose gestellt, sondern müssen auch alle therapierelevanten Biomarker getestet werden. Das verlangte Mindestmaß bei fortgeschrittenem nichtkleinzelligen Lungenkarzinom („non small cell lung cancer“, NSCLC) mit Nicht-Plattenepithel-Histologie umfasst die Testung von EGFR, BRAF, ALK, ROS1 und PD-L1. Für Plattenepithelkarzinome ist bislang nur die PD-L1-IHC (Immunhistochemie, IHC) gefordert. Nach Möglichkeit sollten neuere Biomarker wie RET, MET, HER2, NTRK und KRAS integriert werden. Die Fluoreszenz-in-situ-Hybridisierung („fluorescence in situ hybridization“, FISH) ist eine gut-etablierte Methode zum Nachweis einer ALK-, ROS1- und RET-Translokation, wobei die ALK-IHC als gleichwertig anerkannt wurde. Die Relevanz der MET-FISH zum Amplifikationsnachweis im First-line-Setting ist umstritten. Nicht eindeutige Fälle sollten immer mit einem orthogonalen Verfahren validiert werden. Hierzu eignet sich bei ALK und ROS1 die IHC mit dem Vorteil schneller und kostengünstiger Testergebnisse sowie geringen Gewebeverbrauchs. Bei allen anderen Translokationen oder bei Diskrepanz zwischen IHC und FISH sollte ein sequenzierungsbasiertes Verfahren ergänzt werden. Zur Detektion der seltenen NTRK-Fusionen eignet sich bei hoher Sensitivität ein IHC-Vorscreening; die sequenzierungsbasierte Analyse ist hier bei Positivität zur Bestätigung indiziert.
Comparing ethnic segregation across cities—measurement issues matter
Authors: Meister Moritz , Niebuhr Annekatrin
Published: November 2020

This paper investigates how important measurement issues such as the modifiable areal unit problem (MAUP), random unevenness and spatial autocorrelation affect cross-sectional studies of ethnic segregation. We use geocoded data for German cities to investigate the impact of these measurement problems on the average level of segregation and on the ranking of cities. The findings on the average level of residential segregation turn out to be rather robust. The ranking of cities is, however, sensitive to the assumptions regarding reallocation of population across neighbourhoods that the use of different segregation measures involves. Moreover, the results suggest that standard aspatial approaches tend to underrate the degree of segregation because they ignore the spatial clustering of ethnic groups. In contrast, non-consideration of random unevenness gives rise to a moderate upward bias of the mean segregation level and involves minor changes in the ranking of cities if the minority group is large. However, the importance of random segregation significantly increases as the size of the minority group declines. If the size of specific ethnic groups differs across regions, this may also affect the ranking of regions. Thus, the necessity to properly account for measurement issues increases as segregation analyses become more detailed and consider specific (small) minority groups.
Clean label starch: production, physicochemical characteristics, and industrial applications
Authors: Park Shinjae , Kim Yong-Ro
Published: November 2020

Recently, health-conscious consumers have a tendency to avoid the use of modified starch in their food products because of reluctance regarding food additives or chemical processes. The present paper considers the characteristics and manufacturing methods of clean label starch, which is free from chemical modification. Clean label starch manufacturing is mainly dependent on starch blending, physical and enzymatic modification methods. Physical modifications include ultrasound, hydrothermal (e.g., heat-moisture treatment and annealing), pre-gelatinization (e.g., drum drying, roll drying, spray cooking, and extrusion cooking), high-pressure (high hydrostatic pressure), and pulsed electric field treatments. These physical processes allow variation of starch properties, such as morphological, thermal, rheological, and pasting properties. Enzyme treatment can change the properties of starch more dramatically. Actual use of clean label starch with such altered properties has occurred in industry and is described here. This review may provide useful information on the current status and future direction of clean label starch in the field of food science.
Efficacy and safety of darolutamide in Japanese patients with nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer: a sub-group analysis of the phase III ARAMIS trial
Authors: Uemura Hiroji , Matsushima Hisashi , Kobayashi Kazuki , Mizusawa Hiroya , Nishimatsu Hiroaki , Fizazi Karim , Smith Matthew , Shore Neal , Tammela Teuvo , Tabata Ken-ichi , Matsubara Nobuaki , Iinuma Masahiro , Uemura Hirotsugu , Oya Mototsugu , Momma Tetsuo , Kawakita Mutsushi , Fukasawa Satoshi , Kobayashi Tadahiro , Kuss Iris , Le Berre Marie-Aude , Snapir Amir , Sarapohja Toni , Suzuki Kazuhiro
Published: November 2020

Background

Darolutamide, an oral androgen receptor inhibitor, has been approved for treating nonmetastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (nmCRPC), based on significant improvements in metastasis-free survival (MFS) in the ARAMIS clinical trial. Efficacy and safety of darolutamide in Japanese patients are reported here.

Methods

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial, 1509 patients with nmCRPC and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) doubling time ≤ 10 months were randomized 2:1 to darolutamide 600 mg twice daily or matched placebo while continuing androgen deprivation therapy. The primary endpoint was MFS.

Results

In Japan, 95 patients were enrolled and randomized to darolutamide (n = 62) or placebo (n = 33). At the primary analysis (cut-off date: September 3, 2018), after 20 primary end-point events had occurred, median MFS was not reached with darolutamide vs. 18.2 months with placebo (HR 0.28, 95% CI 0.11–0.70). Median OS was not reached due to limited numbers of events in both groups but favored darolutamide in the Japanese subgroup. Time to pain progression, time to PSA progression, and PSA response also favored darolutamide. Among Japanese patients randomized to darolutamide vs. placebo, incidences of treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) were 85.5 vs. 63.6%, and incidences of treatment discontinuation due to TEAEs were 8.1 vs. 6.1%.

Conclusions

Efficacy outcomes favored darolutamide in Japanese patients with nmCRPC, supporting the clinical benefit of darolutamide in this patient population. Darolutamide was well tolerated; however, due to the small sample size, it is impossible to conclude with certainty whether differences in the safety profile exist between Japanese and overall ARAMIS populations.
Students’ experiences of study-related exhaustion, regulation of learning, peer learning and peer support during university studies
Authors: Räisänen Milla , Postareff Liisa , Lindblom-Ylänne Sari
Published: November 2020

The present mixed-method longitudinal study examines students’ experiences of study-related exhaustion, regulation of learning, peer learning and peer support during university studies. At the first measurement point, 188 first-year students completed the questionnaire. At the second measurement point, 91 of the 188 students participated in the follow-up study at their fourth study year and completed the same questionnaire again. Of these, twelve students were interviewed. The results showed that experienced study-related exhaustion and self-regulation of content increased during studies. However, the results also showed a large individual variation in experienced study-related exhaustion. The students whose exhaustion decreased described experiences of peer support that helped them to develop their self-regulation skills. Students whose study-related exhaustion remained low evaluated their self-regulation skills as good. They experienced that they did not need other students’ support in the regulation of learning. The students whose study-related exhaustion increased or remained high described more problems in self-regulation. Most students relied on peer support because of self-regulation problems. However, not all students used other students’ support despite of problems in studying. It can be concluded that regulation skills have a key role in experienced study-related exhaustion during studies.
Fluorescence analysis allows to predict the oxidative capacity of humic quinones in dissolved organic matter: implication for pollutant degradation
Authors: Palma Davide , Parlanti Edith , Sourzac Mahaut , Voldoire Olivier , Beauger Aude , Sleiman Mohamad , Richard Claire
Published: November 2020

Dissolved organic matter (DOM) controls the degradation and sequestration of aquatic pollutants and, in turn, water quality. In particular, pollutant degradation is performed by oxidant species that are generated by exposure of DOM to solar light, yet, since DOM is a very complex mixture of poorly known substances, the relationships between potential oxidant precursors in DOM and their oxydative capacity is poorly known. Here, we hypothesized that production of oxidant species could be predicted using fluorescence analysis. We analysed water samples from an alluvial plain by fluorescence spectroscopy; the three-dimensional spectra were then decomposed into seven individual components using a multi-way algorithm. Components include a protein-like fluorophore, e.g. tryptophan-like and tyrosine-like, three humic fluorophores, 2-naphthoxyacetic acid, and a by-product. We compared component levels with the ability of water samples to generate reactive species under solar light. The results show a strong correlation between reactive species production and the intensity of two humic-like fluorophores assigned to reduced quinones. Monitoring these fluorophores should thus allow to predict the ability of DOM degradation of pollutants in surface waters.
Patterns of biomarker expression in patients treated with primary endocrine therapy – a unique insight using core needle biopsy tissue microarray
Authors: Parks R. M. , Albanghali M. A. , Syed B. M. , Green A. R. , Ellis I. O. , Cheung K-L.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Prediction of response to primary endocrine therapy (PET) in older women is based on measurement of oestrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PgR) and human epidermal growth factor (HER)-2. This study uses a unique method for construction of core needle biopsy (CNB) tissue microarray (TMA), to correlate expression of a panel of 17 biomarkers with clinical outcome, in patients receiving PET.

Methods

Over 37 years (1973–2010), 1758 older (≥ 70 years) women with operable primary breast cancer were managed in a single institution. Of these, 693 had sufficient good-quality CNB to construct TMA, of which 334 had ER-positive tumours treated by PET with a minimum of 6-month follow-up. A panel of biomarkers was measured by immunohistochemistry (ER, PgR, HER2, Ki-67, p53, CK5/6, CK 7/8, EGFR, BCL-2, MUC1, VEGF, LKB1, BRCA1, HER3, HER4, PTEN and AIB1). Expression of each biomarker was dichotomised into ‘low’ or ‘high’ based on breast cancer-specific survival (BCSS).

Results

From the panel of biomarkers, multivariate analysis showed:

High ER (p = 0.003) and PgR (p = 0.002) were associated with clinical benefit of PET at 6 months, as opposed to progressive disease.

High ER (p = 0.0023), PgR (p < 0.001) and BCL-2 (p = 0.043) and low LKB1 (p = 0.022) were associated with longer time to progression.

High PgR (p < 0.001) and low MUC1 (p = 0.021) were associated with better BCSS.

Expression of other biomarkers did not show any significant correlation.

Conclusions

In addition to ER and PgR; MUC1, BCL-2 and LKB1 are important in determining the outcome of PET in this cohort.
SMILE: a feature-based temporal abstraction framework for event-interval sequence classification
Authors: Rebane Jonathan , Karlsson Isak , Bornemann Leon , Papapetrou Panagiotis
Published: November 2020

In this paper, we study the problem of classification of sequences of temporal intervals. Our main contribution is a novel framework, which we call , for extracting relevant features from interval sequences to construct classifiers. introduces the notion of utilizing random temporal abstraction features, we define as , as a means to capture information pertaining to class-discriminatory events which occur across the span of complete interval sequences. Our empirical evaluation is applied to a wide array of benchmark data sets and fourteen novel datasets for adverse drug event detection. We demonstrate how the introduction of simple sequential features, followed by progressively more complex features each improve classification performance. Importantly, this investigation demonstrates that significantly improves AUC performance over the current state-of-the-art. The investigation also reveals that the selection of underlying classification algorithm is important to achieve superior predictive performance, and how the number of features influences the performance of our framework.
Three polymorphisms of renin-angiotensin system and preeclampsia risk
Authors: Wang Chen , Zhou Xiao , Liu Huai , Huang Shuhui
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Some data suggest an association between the single nucleotide polymorphisms AGT T704C, ACE I/D, and AT1R A1166C and preeclampsia, but overall, the data are conflicting; the aim of our study was to discover a more stable and reliable association between these polymorphisms and PE risk.

Methods

A comprehensive literature search for this meta-analysis was conducted. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to evaluate the strength, and heterogeneity test was conducted. Trial sequential analysis was also performed.

Results

A total of forty studies were finally included in our meta-analysis. The AGT T704C polymorphism was associated with PE risk in three genetic models (dominant OR = 1.33, 95%CI = 1.12–1.59; heterozygote OR = 1.26, 95%CI = 1.05–1.52; homozygote OR = 1.44, 95%CI = 1.14–1.83). No heterogeneity was observed in the three genetic models for the ACE I/D polymorphism. For subgroup analysis by geography, no significant association was detected. Significant associations were observed in mixed race, early-onset, late-onset, and more than 200 subgroups for the AT1R A1166C polymorphism; however, only one study was analyzed in these subgroups.

Conclusions

Our results indicated the AGT T704C and ACE I/D polymorphisms were associated with an increased risk of PE. Increased risks were also observed for the two polymorphisms in subgroups including Asians, Europeans, Caucasoid, and Mongoloid. Moreover, an increased PE risk with the ACE I/D polymorphism in the severe PE population was also detected. Regarding the AT1R A1166C polymorphism, weak associations were observed, but further studies are required.
Complete loss of case and gender within two generations: evidence from Stamford Hill Hasidic Yiddish
Authors: Belk Zoë , Kahn Lily , Szendrői Kriszta Eszter
Published: November 2020

Yiddish was the everyday language spoken by most Central and East European Jews during the last millennium. As a result of the extreme loss of speakers during the Holocaust, subsequent geographic dispersal, and lack of institutional support, Yiddish is now an endangered language. Yet it continues to be a native and daily language for Haredi (strictly Orthodox) Jews, who live in close-knit communities worldwide. We have conducted the first study of the linguistic characteristics of the Yiddish spoken in the community in London’s Stamford Hill. While Krogh (in: Aptroot, Aptroot et al. (eds.) Leket: Yiddish studies today, Düsseldorf University Press, Düsseldorf, pp 483–506, 2012), Assouline (in: Aptroot, Hansen (eds.) Yiddish language structures, De Gruyter Mouton, Berlin, pp 39–62, 2014), and Sadock and Masor (J Jew Lang 6(1):89–110, 2018), investigating other Hasidic Yiddish-speaking communities, observe what they describe as morphological syncretism, in this paper we defend the claim that present-day Stamford Hill Hasidic Yiddish lacks morphological case and gender completely. We demonstrate that loss of morphological case and gender is the result of substantial language change over the course of two generations: while the case and gender system of the spoken medium was already beginning to undergo morphological syncretism and show some variation prior to World War II, case and gender distinctions were clearly present in the mental grammar of both Hasidic and non-Hasidic speakers of the relevant Yiddish dialects at that stage. We conclude the paper by identifying some of the language-internal, sociolinguistic and historical factors that have contributed to such rapid and pervasive language change, and compare the developments in Stamford Hill Hasidic Yiddish to those of minority German dialects in North America.
Pathological angiogenesis and inflammation in tissues
Authors: Jeong Ji-Hak , Ojha Uttam , Lee You Mie
Published: November 2020

The role of angiogenesis in the growth of organs and tumors is widely recognized. Vascular–organ interaction is a key mechanism and a concept that enables an understanding of all biological phenomena and normal physiology that is essential for human survival under pathological conditions. Recently, vascular endothelial cells have been classified as a type of innate immune cells that are dependent on the pathological situations. Moreover, inflammatory cytokines and signaling regulators activated upon exposure to infection or various stresses play crucial roles in the pathological function of parenchymal cells, peripheral immune cells, stromal cells, and cancer cells in tissues. Therefore, vascular–organ interactions as a vascular microenvironment or tissue microenvironment under physiological and pathological conditions are gaining popularity as an interesting research topic. Here, we review vascular contribution as a major factor in microenvironment homeostasis in the pathogenesis of normal as well as cancerous tissues. Furthermore, we suggest that the normalization strategy of pathological angiogenesis could be a promising therapeutic target for various diseases, including cancer.
Thrust Shear Sense and Shear Zone Fabrics in the Higher Himalaya, Siyom Valley, Eastern Arunachal Himalaya, India
Authors: Goswami Tapos Kumar , Baruah Sukumar , Mahanta Bashab Nandan , Kalita Pranjit , Bora Polash
Published: November 2020

The Higher Himalayan Crystallines (HHC) in the Siyom river section of eastern Arunachal Himalaya, display top-to- ESE compressional ductile shear from Pene to Menchuka. In this part of the Himalayan Metamorphic Belt (HMB), the base of the Main Central Thrust (MCT) is the southern boundary of the ductile shear fabrics in HHC. Across the MCT, a significant break in the grade of metamorphism is observed between the HHC and the Lesser Himalayan Sequences (LHS). The ductile shear fabrics documented in the HHC are primary S-C and S-C′ fabrics, asymmetric folds, porphyroclasts and porphyrobalsts, brittle- ductile structures and asymmetric boudins. Three phases of folding representing three deformation episodes (D1-D3) in HHC are recorded in the area. The rocks of the HHC in Siyom valley are completely transposed by the D2 deformation into NNW dipping C- plane. Ductile shear represented by grain scale structures include sigmoidal foliation, rotation of the inclusion trails in garnet porphyroblasts, asymmetric folds with consistent top-to-ESE sense of shear. The ductile to brittle-ductile shear fabrics in the area indicate that the thrust sense of shear in the HHC is consistent without any shear sense reversal from Pene to Menchuka. These compressional shear fabrics provide invaluable field evidences for constraining the evolution of this part of the Higher Himalaya.
What Is the Impact of Informal Entrepreneurship on Venture Capital Flows?
Authors: Santos Eunice , Fernandes Cristina I. , Ferreira João J. , Lobo Carla Azevedo
Published: November 2020

There has been a diverse range of research on the factors enabling informal entrepreneurship as well as the means to avoid or to eradicate its incidence. Several researchers argued that venture capital and financial flows, in general, contribute to economic growth and development. There have also been observations of how the investor level of trust in institutions facilitates investment decisions. This trust comes into play at the level of informal entrepreneurship and the ability of governments to control this type of entrepreneurship. Given that a great deal of research on this subject focuses its analysis on developing countries, we have chosen to investigate the reality of European countries precisely because of the scarcity of studies on the effect of informal entrepreneurship in this context. Our research aims to assess how informal entrepreneurship effects on venture capital flows. We use aggregated data at country level collected from a variety of sources, including the World Bank, Organization for Cooperation and Development and World Economic Forum, between 2006 and 2015 and 23 countries in Europe, corresponding to 230 observations (panel no. balanced). Through econometric estimation, which took place according to methodologies based on multiple regression models for panel data, the results demonstrate how informal entrepreneurship has a negative moderating effect between GDP and venture cUKapital flows. We intend to contribute to a better understanding of the effect of informal entrepreneurship on the flows of venture capital.
Religiosity and Trust: Evidence from the United States
Authors: Valente Rubia R. , Okulicz-Kozaryn Adam
Published: November 2020

Background

Trust is one of the key driving forces behind human action and an important factor in shaping human interaction. Trust can improve economic growth, political and civic involvement, democratic stability, and subjective well-being. Yet, trust has been in decline for the last 60 years in the U.S.

Purpose

This article tests the effect of several indicators of religiosity, including an index for both social and individual religiosity, on trust. Common religious doctrine instructs followers to place their trust solely in God, and can therefore be interpreted as a determinant of generalized trust. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to find out whether religious people are more likely to be distrustful of others and whether they are more likely to be misanthropic.

Methods

We use the US General Social Survey (GSS, 1972–2018, [Formula: see text]), a large, recurring, and nationally-representative sample of U.S. adults. Using the GSS, we investigate the relationship between religiosity and trust (interpersonal and generalized) in a well-controlled model using OLS regressions. We examine both the effects of social religiosity (e.g. church attendance, membership at religious organization), and individual religiosity (e.g. belief in God, feeling of closeness to God, prayer), on trust and on misanthropy. Several additional robustness tests were conducted.

Results

The findings demonstrate that while social religiosity or belonging (services attendance, church membership) predicts more trust, individual religiosity or believing (prayer, closeness and belief in God) predicts lower trust. Likewise, social religiosity lowers misanthropy, while individual religiosity promotes it. Furthermore, we show that it is important to consider individual and social religiosity simultaneously because they correlate and have opposite effects–this is an intriguing and not entirely obvious finding as most people would expect that religiosity in general, has a positive effect on trust.

Conclusions and Implications

Our results indicate that religiosity is a substantial determinant of social trust and of misanthropy. The divergent results based on whether religiosity is social or individual in character is a new conceptual approach towards religiosity not previously undertaken in the literature. Ingroup favoritism and outgroup derogation theory explains our findings—connecting with God disrupts connection with humans.
Benefits and Feasibility of Using Videos to Assess Medical School Applicants’ Empathetic Abilities in Multiple Mini Interviews
Authors: Kim Kyong-Jee , Lee Nam Young , Kwon Bum Sun
Published: November 2020

Purpose

We sought to evaluate the feasibility and benefits of using video-based scenarios in Multiple Mini Interviews (MMIs) to assess candidate’s empathic abilities by investigating candidate perceptions and the acceptability, fairness, reliability, and validity of the test.

Methods

The study sample was candidates for admission interviews held in the MMI format at a medical school in South Korea. In this six-station MMI, one station included a 2-min video clip of a patient-doctor communication scenario to assess candidate emphatic abilities, whereas paper-based scenarios were used in the other stations. Candidate’s perceptions and acceptability of using the video-based scenario in the empathy station were examined using a 41-item post-MMI questionnaire. Fairness of the test was assessed by means of differences in candidate perceptions and performance across different demographics or backgrounds. Construct validity was assessed by examining the relationship of candidate performances in the empathy station with those in other stations. The G-coefficient was analyzed to estimate the reliability of the test.

Results

Eighty-two questionnaires were returned, a 97.6% response rate. Candidates showed overall positive perceptions of the video-based scenario and they found it authentic and interesting. The test was fair as there were no differences in candidates’ perceptions of the patient-doctor relationship presented in the video clip and neither in their performance nor in their perceived difficulty of the station across demographics or backgrounds. Construct validity was established as candidate performance in the empathy station was not associated with that of any other stations. The G-coefficient was 0.74.

Conclusions

The present study demonstrates that the video-based scenario is a feasible tool to assess candidate’s empathy in the MMI.
A new method for the quantification of adsorbed styrene acrylate copolymer particles on cementitious surfaces: a critical comparative study
Authors: Schirmer Ulrike , Osburg Andrea
Published: November 2020

The amount of adsorbed styrene acrylate copolymer (SA) particles on cementitious surfaces at the early stage of hydration was quantitatively determined using three different methodological approaches: the depletion method, the visible spectrophotometry (VIS) and the thermo-gravimetry coupled with mass spectrometry (TG–MS). Considering the advantages and disadvantages of each method, including the respectively required sample preparation, the results for four polymer-modified cement pastes, varying in polymer content and cement fineness, were evaluated.

To some extent, significant discrepancies in the adsorption degrees were observed. There is a tendency that significantly lower amounts of adsorbed polymers were identified using TG-MS compared to values determined with the depletion method. Spectrophotometrically generated values were ​​lying in between these extremes. This tendency was found for three of the four cement pastes examined and is originated in sample preparation and methodical limitations.

The main influencing factor is the falsification of the polymer concentration in the liquid phase during centrifugation. Interactions in the interface between sediment and supernatant are the cause. The newly developed method, using TG–MS for the quantification of SA particles, proved to be suitable for dealing with these revealed issues. Here, instead of the fluid phase, the sediment is examined with regard to the polymer content, on which the influence of centrifugation is considerably lower.
Design issues and performance analysis of CCM boost converters with RHP zero mitigation via inductor current sensing
Authors: Leoncini Mauro , Levantino Salvatore , Ghioni Massimo
Published: November 2020

The right-half plane (RHP) zero in the control to output voltage transfer function of a boost converter operating in the continuous conduction mode limits the loop bandwidth. By injecting a scaled version of the inductor current into the loop, it is possible to shift the zero from the right-half plane to the left-half plane, which leads to increased stability of the control loop. This solution generates a static voltage error at the output of the converter (tracking error), which may be unacceptable in practical applications. A few strategies to mitigate or correct this tracking error have been suggested. However, they have never been fully assessed. This paper thoroughly investigates the impact of the RHP zero mitigation technique on the dynamic performance of a boost converter, and identifies the complex trade-off between the system stability, transient response, and tracking error correction capability. Based on these findings, design guidelines are provided to help maximize system performance. A representative case study is considered to highlight the performance benefits and simulation results are presented to validate the analysis.
Mesenchymale Stammzellen als neue Therapie bei Morbus-Crohn-Patienten mit Fisteln
Authors: Cabalzar-Wondberg Daniela , Turina Matthias
Published: November 2020

Die Behandlung komplexer Morbus-Crohn-assoziierter perianaler Fisteln erfordert meist ein interdisziplinäres Vorgehen. Der medikamentösen Therapie wird zur initialen Behandlung sowie zum Remissionserhalt eine essenzielle Rolle zuteil. Bei einem unzureichenden Ansprechen oder bei Therapieversagen ist bei symptomatischen Fisteln ein chirurgisches Vorgehen der nächste Schritt. Aufgrund der Komplexität der Grunderkrankung und der krankheitsassoziierten Anatomie führt die operative Behandlung jedoch häufig zu Fistelrezidiven. Die Behandlung mit mesenchymalen Stammzellen etabliert sich als eine neue innovative Therapieoption bei Patienten mit perianalen Crohn-assoziierten komplexen Fisteln, die auf eine konventionelle Therapie oder auf Biologika nicht oder nur unzureichend angesprochen haben. Die aus dem Fettgewebe eines Spenders gewonnenen Stammzellen werden lokal injiziert und weisen immunmodulatorische und antiinflammatorische Eigenschaften auf, was zu einer besseren Fistelheilung führen soll. Diese ambulant durchführbare Operation stellt zudem eine sphinkterschonende Behandlungsmethode ohne größere Wundfläche dar. In der Literatur finden sich zum jetzigen Zeitpunkt vielversprechende Resultate, die bislang auch im eigenen Patientengut bestätigt werden können.
Automation, work and the achievement gap
Authors: Danaher John , Nyholm Sven
Published: November 2020

Rapid advances in AI-based automation have led to a number of existential and economic concerns. In particular, as automating technologies develop enhanced competency, they seem to threaten the values associated with meaningful work. In this article, we focus on one such value: the value of achievement. We argue that achievement is a key part of what makes work meaningful and that advances in AI and automation give rise to a number achievement gaps in the workplace. This could limit people’s ability to participate in meaningful forms of work. Achievement gaps are interesting, in part, because they are the inverse of the (negative) responsibility gaps already widely discussed in the literature on AI ethics. Having described and explained the problem of achievement gaps, the article concludes by identifying four possible policy responses to the problem.
Association Between Medicaid Expansion and Diagnosis and Management of Colon Cancer
Authors: Hoehn Richard S. , Rieser Caroline J. , Phelos Heather , Sabik Lindsay M. , Nassour Ibrahim , Paniccia Alessandro , Zureikat Amer H. , Tohme Samer T.
Published: November 2020

BACKGROUND:

The Affordable Care Act facilitated improved insurance coverage for states that expanded Medicaid coverage, but the impact on cancer outcomes is unclear. This study compared changes in the diagnosis and management of colon cancer in states that did and did not participate in Medicaid expansion.

STUDY DESIGN:

Using a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences (DID) approach, we analyzed Medicaid and uninsured patients in the National Cancer Data Base during 2 time periods: pre (2011-2012) and post expansion (2015-2016). Patients in non-expansion states were compared with those in January 2014 expansion states with regard to changes in patient and facility characteristics, cancer staging, treatment decisions, and surgical outcomes.

RESULTS:

Along with increased Medicaid coverage (DID = 20.27; p < 0.001), patients in expansion states had an increase in stage I diagnoses (DID = 2.97; p = 0.035), distance traveled (miles, DID = 6.67; p = 0.005), and treatment at integrated network programs (DID = 2.67; p = 0.045). More early-stage patients were treated within 30 days (DID = 7.24; p = 0.035) and more stage IV patients received palliative care (DID = 5.01; p = 0.048). Among surgical patients, Medicaid expansion correlated with fewer urgent cases (< 7 days, DID = –5.88; p = 0.008) and more minimally invasive surgery (DID = 5.00; p = 0.022). There were no observed differences in postoperative outcomes or adjuvant chemotherapy.

CONCLUSIONS:

Medicaid expansion correlated with earlier diagnosis, enhanced access, and improved surgical care for colon cancer patients. These findings highlight the importance of improving health insurance coverage and can help guide future policy efforts.
Ethnic Identities in the Land of the Pharaohs
Authors: Matić Uroš
Published: November 2020

Ethnic Identities in the Land of the Pharaohs deals with ancient Egyptian concept of collective identity, various groups which inhabited the Egyptian Nile Valley and different approaches to ethnic identity in the last two hundred years of Egyptology. The aim is to present the dynamic processes of ethnogenesis of the inhabitants of the land of the pharaohs, and to place various approaches to ethnic identity in their broader scholarly and historical context. The dominant approach to ethnic identity in ancient Egypt is still based on culture historical method. This and other theoretically better framed approaches (e.g. instrumentalist approach, habitus, postcolonial approach, ethnogenesis, intersectionality) are discussed using numerous case studies from the 3rd millennium to the 1st century BC. Finally, this Element deals with recent impact of third science revolution on archaeological research on ethnic identity in ancient Egypt.
What Behavioural Science and Risk Communication Tell Us about the Future of Food
Authors: BOBO Jack
Published: November 2020

Evolving consumer tastes and competing food trends have made the modern foodscape ever more complex for food and beverage companies to navigate. Not only must food companies deliver products that are safe to consume, but they must also be wary of consumer perceptions of risk, which can undermine new foods and established brands. Risk communication refers to the collection and analysis of real-time information through social listening and other avenues to provide advice to organisations and individuals facing threats to their economic or social well-being. Companies use a range of tools in this area, including polling and social media monitoring, in addition to social listening; however, these tools often fail to get at the sentiments that underlie the concerns identified. Behavioural science is particularly relevant to companies working in controversial sectors to anticipate issues and to respond before they become problems. For this reason, companies are establishing behavioural science teams in order to improve strategic decision-making and enhance the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.
Inter-State Communication Submitted by the State of Palestine against State of Israel (U.N. Comm'n on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination)
Authors: McDougall Gay
Published: November 2020

On December 12, 2019, the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the Committee) issued its decision on the question of jurisdiction in the inter-state communication submitted by the State of Palestine against Israel. It is among the three first inter-state communications ever before human rights treaty bodies and therefore sets numerous precedents on matters of procedure and in this case, on the question of jurisdiction and the unique nature of the Convention on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (the Convention)—the first of a series of treaties codifying and expanding the scope of human rights law.
Generalised liouville processes and their properties
Authors: Hoyle Edward , Menguturk Levent Ali
Published: November 2020

We define a new family of multivariate stochastic processes over a finite time horizon that we call generalised Liouville processes (GLPs). GLPs are Markov processes constructed by splitting Lévy random bridges into non-overlapping subprocesses via time changes. We show that the terminal values and the increments of GLPs have generalised multivariate Liouville distributions, justifying their name. We provide various other properties of GLPs and some examples.
Zipf’s law for atlas models
Authors: Fernholz Ricardo T. , Fernholz Robert
Published: November 2020

A set of data with positive values follows a Pareto distribution if the log–log plot of value versus rank is approximately a straight line. A Pareto distribution satisfies Zipf’s law if the log–log plot has a slope of $-1$. Since many types of ranked data follow Zipf’s law, it is considered a form of universality. We propose a mathematical explanation for this phenomenon based on Atlas models and first-order models, systems of strictly positive continuous semimartingales with parameters that depend only on rank. We show that the stationary distribution of an Atlas model will follow Zipf’s law if and only if two natural conditions, conservation and completeness, are satisfied. Since Atlas models and first-order models can be constructed to approximate systems of time-dependent rank-based data, our results can explain the universality of Zipf’s law for such systems. However, ranked data generated by other means may follow non-Zipfian Pareto distributions. Hence, our results explain why Zipf’s law holds for word frequency, firm size, household wealth, and city size, while it does not hold for earthquake magnitude, cumulative book sales, and the intensity of wars, all of which follow non-Zipfian Pareto distributions.
Synchronized Lévy queues
Authors: Kella Offer , Boxma Onno
Published: November 2020

We consider a multivariate Lévy process where the first coordinate is a Lévy process with no negative jumps which is not a subordinator and the others are non-decreasing. We determine the Laplace–Stieltjes transform of the steady-state buffer content vector of an associated system of parallel queues. The special structure of this transform allows us to rewrite it as a product of joint Laplace–Stieltjes transforms. We are thus able to interpret the buffer content vector as a sum of independent random vectors.
Bias from Network Misspecification Under Spatial Dependence
Authors: Betz Timm , Cook Scott J. , Hollenbach Florian M.
Published: November 2020

The prespecification of the network is one of the biggest hurdles for applied researchers in undertaking spatial analysis. In this letter, we demonstrate two results. First, we derive bounds for the bias in nonspatial models with omitted spatially-lagged predictors or outcomes. These bias expressions can be obtained without prior knowledge of the network, and are more informative than familiar omitted variable bias formulas. Second, we derive bounds for the bias in spatial econometric models with nondifferential error in the specification of the weights matrix. Under these conditions, we demonstrate that an omitted spatial input is the limit condition of including a misspecificed spatial weights matrix. Simulated experiments further demonstrate that spatial models with a misspecified weights matrix weakly dominate nonspatial models. Our results imply that, where cross-sectional dependence is presumed, researchers should pursue spatial analysis even with limited information on network ties.
Generalized Full Matching
Authors: Sävje Fredrik , Higgins Michael J. , Sekhon Jasjeet S.
Published: November 2020

Matching is a conceptually straightforward method to make groups of units comparable on observed characteristics. The method is, however, limited to settings where the study design is simple and the sample is moderately sized. We illustrate these limitations by asking what the causal effects would have been if a large-scale voter mobilization experiment that took place in Michigan for the 2006 election were scaled up to the full population of registered voters. Matching could help us answer this question, but no existing matching method can accommodate the six treatment arms and the 6,762,701 observations involved in the study. To offer a solution for this and similar empirical problems, we introduce a generalization of the full matching method that can be used with any number of treatment conditions and complex compositional constraints. The associated algorithm produces near-optimal matchings; the worst-case maximum within-group dissimilarity is guaranteed to be no more than four times greater than the optimal solution, and simulation results indicate that it comes considerably closer to the optimal solution on average. The algorithm’s ability to balance the treatment groups does not sacrifice speed, and it uses little memory, terminating in linearithmic time using linear space. This enables investigators to construct well-performing matchings within minutes even in complex studies with samples of several million units.
RADIOCARBON DATING OF PRECIOUS CORALS OFF THE SOUTHWEST COAST OF KOCHI PREFECTURE, SOUTHWEST JAPAN
Authors: Okumura Tomoyo , Kumon Fujio , Tokuyama Hidekazu
Published: November 2020

Radiocarbon (14C) dating was performed for various types of precious coral colony fragments collected from the Ashizuri fishing field, around 100–200 m deep, off the southwest coast of Kochi Prefecture, Japan, to understand the historical background of one of the largest precious coral fishing fields in Japan. The 14C ages of the 55 specimens range from ~7500 years ago to the modern. Most of the measured samples were older than 1871, when fishing activities of precious corals began in Kochi Prefecture. These results suggest that most of the deaths of the precious coral colonies were due to natural causes, such as natural mortality, predation, or various forms of environmental degradation, and not strictly related to destructive fishing practices. Additionally, precious corals started inhabiting the study area at least ~7500 years ago, when the marine condition became similar to that of today after the Last Glacial Period. This study is the first to focus on the age of dead precious coral fragments and has revealed that they might be an important fossil resource that could lengthen the timespan of precious coral fishery. This additional time may enable us to establish reasonable and effective regulations for sustainable fishery.
Characterising percentage energy from ultra-processed foods by participant demographics, diet quality and diet cost: findings from the Seattle Obesity Study (SOS) III
Authors: Gupta Shilpi , Rose Chelsea M. , Buszkiewicz James , Ko Linda K. , Mou Jin , Cook Andrea , Aggarwal Anju , Drewnowski Adam
Published: November 2020

Higher consumption of ‘ultra-processed’ (UP) foods has been linked to adverse health outcomes. The present paper aims to characterise percentage energy from UP foods by participant socio-economic status (SES), diet quality, self-reported food expenditure and energy-adjusted diet cost. Participants in the population-based Seattle Obesity Study III (n755) conducted in WA in 2016–2017 completed socio-demographic and food expenditure surveys and the FFQ. Education and residential property values were measures of SES. Retail prices of FFQ component foods (n378) were used to estimate individual-level diet cost. Healthy Eating Index (HEI-2015) and Nutrient Rich Food Index 9.3 (NRF9.3) were measures of diet quality. UP foods were identified following NOVA classification. Multivariable linear regressions were used to test associations between UP foods energy, socio-demographics, two estimates of food spending and diet quality measures. Higher percentage energy from UP foods was associated with higher energy density, lower HEI-2015 and NRF9.3scores. The bottom decile of diet cost ($216·4/month) was associated with 67·5 % energy from UP foods; the top decile ($369·9/month) was associated with only 48·7 % energy from UP foods. Percentage energy from UP foods was inversely linked to lower food expenditures and diet cost. In multivariate analysis, percentage energy from UP foods was predicted by lower food expenditures, diet cost and education, adjusting for covariates. Percentage energy from UP foods was linked to lower food spending and lower SES. Efforts to reduce UP foods consumption, an increasingly common policy measure, need to take affordability, food expenditures and diet costs into account.
‘Building the Internationalist City from Below’: The Role of the Czechoslovak Industrial Cooperative “Interhelpo” in Forging Urbanity in early-Soviet Bishkek
Authors: Leupold David
Published: November 2020

The paper explores the historical trajectory of Interhelpo, an industrial cooperative from Czechoslovakia, and its role in forging urbanization “from below” in early-Soviet town of Pishpek (now Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan). In light of scarce literature available on the success and failures of Western internationalist communes in the early Soviet period, this paper draws from intensive field work in Kyrgyzstan and understudied sources in Czech, Kyrgyz, Slovak and Russian to offer a novel, bottom-up narrative on the socialist city in Central Asia.

Founded 1914 by Czech, Slovak, Hungarian, German internationalists and Ido-learners around the mountaineer and Bolshevik Rudolf Pavlovič Mareček in the Czechoslovakian town Žilina, the cooperative actively shaped urbanization in what would be become known as the capital of Soviet Kyrgyzstan. From 1925 until its liquidation during WWII, the cooperative built from scratch a whole district including the first electric power station of the city, textile and furniture factories, workshops for tailors, shoemakers and joiners, a school, a kindergarten, a tannery, a brewery as well as unique residential district. In the process, the cooperative forged an organic patchwork language referred to as spontánne esperanto to secure translocal collaboration between internationalists from Central Europe, on the one hand, and a heterogeneous mix of workers including Armenians, Kyrgyz, Dungans, Uygurs, Uzbeks, Russians and Ukrainians, on the other.

Transcending a purely historical analysis, the paper ultimately turns to the urban landscape of present-day Bishkek. There it argues that while the district built by Interhelpo corresponds today to an exiled site dislocated by the hegemonic ethno-national memory regime, its materiality harbors relicts of another future capable of mobilizing alternative narratives on the city and her socialist and multi-ethnic past.
Class Consciousness of Rural Migrant Children in China
Authors: Chen Jiaxin , Wang Dan
Published: November 2020

The state of class consciousness of working-class children in China has received scant attention in the scholarly literature. This study examines the class consciousness of rural migrant children as they are about to join their migrant parents and become “China's new workers.” Qualitative investigations were conducted in two primary schools in Beijing. Focus group and individual interviews were held with 87 fifth- and sixth-grade migrant children in the two case schools and 324 valid student questionnaires were collected. The findings reveal that migrant children are aware of the unequal class relationships suffered by migrant workers; however, their interpretations of class-based injustices exhibit false consciousness, shadowed by individualism, meritocracy and the duality of images. Family and school may play vital roles in shaping migrant children's class consciousness.