bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Molecular and nanoscale evaluation of N-cadherin expression in invasive bladder cancer cells under control conditions or GW501516 exposure
Authors: Elie-Caille Céline , Lascombe Isabelle , Péchery Adeline , Bittard Hugues , Fauconnet Sylvie 
Published: June 2020

AbstractN-cadherin is a transmembrane glycoprotein expressed by mesenchymal origin cells and is located at the adherens junctions. It regulates also cell motility and contributes to cell signaling. In previous studies, we identified that its anomalous expression in bladder carcinoma was a tumor progression marker. A pharmacological approach to inhibit N-cadherin expression or to block its function could be relevant to prevent disease progression and metastasis development. The morphological exploration of T24 invasive bladder cancer cells by atomic force microscopy (AFM) revealed a spindle-like shape with fibrous structures. By engaging force spectroscopy with AFM tip functionalized with anti-E or anti-N-cadherin antibodies, results showed that T24 cells expressed only N-cadherin as also demonstrated by Western blotting and confocal microscopy. For the first time, we demonstrated by RTqPCR and Western blotting analyses that the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor β/δ (PPARβ/δ) agonist GW501516 significantly decreased N-cadherin expression in T24 cells. Moreover, high non-cytotoxic doses of GW501516 inhibited confluent T24 cell wound healing closure. By using AFM, a more sensitive nanoanalytical method, we showed that the treatment modified the cellular morphology and diminished N-cadherin cell surface coverage through the decreasing of these adhesion molecule-mediated interaction forces. We observed a greater decrease of N-cadherin upon GW501516 exposure with AFM than that detected with molecular biology techniques. AFM was a complementary tool to biochemical techniques to perform measurements on living cells at the nanometer resolution level. Taken together, our data suggest that GW501516 could be an interesting therapeutic strategy to avoid bladder cancer cell spreading through N-cadherin decrease.
Assessment of Psychosocial Functioning in a Large Cohort of Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Kossmann C. , Heller J. , Brüne M. , Schulz C. , Heinze M. , Cordes J. , Mühlbauer B. , Rüther E. , Timm J. , Gründer G. , Juckel G. 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
This study addresses the question of whether psychosocial functioning measured by the Personal and Social Performance (PSP) Scale is related to various psychopathological measures in a cohort of patients with schizophrenia.

Methods
The ‘Neuroleptic Strategy Study’ (NeSSy) performed at 14 German hospitals between 2010 and 2013 compared two treatment strategies instead of individual drugs. Secondary end-points were the two PSP scales as well as measures of quality of life (SF-36) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS).

Results
149 patients were randomised. There was no difference between the two treatment strategies (first-generation versus second-generation antipsychotics) with regard to the PSP. There were differences in doctors’ assessments regarding psychosocial functioning compared with patients’ own assessments. Furthermore, there were relationships between the PSP and quality of life, level of skills (ICF), and severity of disease (PANSS), level of sexual activities and poor well-being under antipsychotic medication but not with cognitive changes.

Conclusions
The findings on psychosocial functioning of patients with schizophrenia related to severity and skill level could be confirmed. Further findings were the correlation between psychosocial functioning and quality of life, well-being under treatment, and sexuality what emphasizes the substantial importance of a reduced psychosocial functioning.
Math-word embedding in math search and semantic extraction
Authors: Greiner-Petter André , Youssef Abdou , Ruas Terry , Miller Bruce R. , Schubotz Moritz , Aizawa Akiko , Gipp Bela 
Published: June 2020

AbstractWord embedding, which represents individual words with semantically fixed-length vectors, has made it possible to successfully apply deep learning to natural language processing tasks such as semantic role-modeling, question answering, and machine translation. As math text consists of natural text, as well as math expressions that similarly exhibit linear correlation and contextual characteristics, word embedding techniques can also be applied to math documents. However, while mathematics is a precise and accurate science, it is usually expressed through imprecise and less accurate descriptions, contributing to the relative dearth of machine learning applications for information retrieval in this domain. Generally, mathematical documents communicate their knowledge with an ambiguous, context-dependent, and non-formal language. Given recent advances in word embedding, it is worthwhile to explore their use and effectiveness in math information retrieval tasks, such as math language processing and semantic knowledge extraction. In this paper, we explore math embedding by testing it on several different scenarios, namely, (1) math-term similarity, (2) analogy, (3) numerical concept-modeling based on the centroid of the keywords that characterize a concept, (4) math search using query expansions, and (5) semantic extraction, i.e., extracting descriptive phrases for math expressions. Due to the lack of benchmarks, our investigations were performed using the arXiv collection of STEM documents and carefully selected illustrations on the Digital Library of Mathematical Functions (DLMF: NIST digital library of mathematical functions. Release 1.0.20 of 2018-09-1, 2018). Our results show that math embedding holds much promise for similarity, analogy, and search tasks. However, we also observed the need for more robust math embedding approaches. Moreover, we explore and discuss fundamental issues that we believe thwart the progress in mathematical information retrieval in the direction of machine learning.
Integrating supercomputing clusters into education: a case study in biotechnology
Authors: Fernández Álvaro , Fernández Camino , Miguel-Dávila José-Ángel , Conde Miguel Á. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe integration of a Supercomputer in the educational process improves student’s technological skills. The aim of the paper is to study the interaction between science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and non-STEM subjects for developing a course of study related to Supercomputing training. We propose a flowchart of the process to improve the performance of students attending courses related to Supercomputing. As a final result, this study highlights the analysis of the information obtained by the use of HPC infrastructures in courses implemented in higher education through a questionnaire that provides useful information about their attitudes, beliefs and evaluations. The results help us to understand how the collaboration between institutions enhances outcomes in the education context. The conclusion provides a description of the resources needed for the improvement of Supercomputing Education (SE), proposing future research directions.
Longitudinal evaluation of friendship project: A multicultural – antiracist program for elementary school children
Authors: Spyropoulou Elli , Sourlantzi Angeliki , Karakosta Aspasia , Kotsampasoglou Maria , Giovazolias Theodoros 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThis study presents the results of the evaluation of Friendship Project-Greek version (FP-GR), a school based multicultural and anti-racist program aiming to develop intercultural skills and positive intergroup relationships, as well as familiarize and sensitize children with refugees’ life circumstances and difficulties. The aim of the study was to adapt FP in the Greek context and evaluate its longitudinal effectiveness in Greek students. The sample of the present research consisted of 314 children aged 9–12 years from six elementary schools in Athens and Crete, Greece. Students were randomly assigned to condition (intervention or control group) and the effectiveness of the program was examined through three measurements (before, at the end of the intervention and 3 months later). Data analyses (Repeated measures ANCOVA’s, Confirmatory Factor Analyses) were conducted using SPSS 25 and Mplusv.8.0. Results showed that FP-GR influenced participants’ general attitudes towards refugees, affected their xenophobic and intolerant attitudes but did not seem to have any significant impact on participants’ altruism. These results provide initial evidence that the FP-GR is an effective school-based prejudice-reduction program that promotes inclusive education for refugee-background elementary school children. Suggestions for the improvement of specific elements of FP-GR are also provided.
Seabed Resuspension in the Chesapeake Bay: Implications for Biogeochemical Cycling and Hypoxia
Authors: Moriarty Julia M. , Friedrichs Marjorie A. M. , Harris Courtney K. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractSediment processes, including resuspension and transport, affect water quality in estuaries by altering light attenuation, primary productivity, and organic matter remineralization, which then influence oxygen and nitrogen dynamics. The relative importance of these processes on oxygen and nitrogen dynamics varies in space and time due to multiple factors and is difficult to measure, however, motivating a modeling approach to quantify how sediment resuspension and transport affect estuarine biogeochemistry. Results from a coupled hydrodynamic–sediment transport–biogeochemical model of the Chesapeake Bay for the summers of 2002 and 2003 showed that resuspension increased light attenuation, especially in the northernmost portion of the Bay, shifting primary production downstream. Resuspension also increased remineralization in the central Bay, which experienced larger organic matter concentrations due to the downstream shift in primary productivity and estuarine circulation. As a result, oxygen decreased and ammonium increased throughout the Bay in the bottom portion of the water column, due to reduced photosynthesis in the northernmost portion of the Bay and increased remineralization in the central Bay. Averaged over the channel, resuspension decreased oxygen by ~ 25% and increased ammonium by ~ 50% for the bottom water column. Changes due to resuspension were of the same order of magnitude as, and generally exceeded, short-term variations within individual summers, as well as interannual variability between 2002 and 2003, which were wet and dry years, respectively. Our results quantify the degree to which sediment resuspension and transport affect biogeochemistry, and provide insight into how coastal systems may respond to management efforts and environmental changes.
Homologous recombination deficiency in breast cancer
Authors: Bartl Thomas , Farr Alex 
Published: June 2020

SummaryBRCAmutation-related DNA repair deficiencies increase the individual sensitivity to DNA-targeting agents. Therefore, the patient’sBRCAmutational status is evaluated in clinical practice as a predictive marker in response to platinum salts and poly-ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) inhibitors for breast cancer treatment. A substantial subset ofBRCAwild-type breast cancer lesions, however, share both prominent molecular characteristics and clinical behavior patterns with cancer that harborsBRCAmutations, including DNA repair deficiencies. Also referred to as “BRCAness”, this observation is related to aberrations of the homologous recombination (HR) repair pathway, which deprive cancer cells of the ability to adequately mend potentially lethal double-strand breaks and result in a BRCA-like genomic instability. Hence, HR deficiency is a promising target for related therapeutic options and the predictive potential of HR testing for treatment response has been increasingly studied. Several HR deficiency-testing assays have been proposed and prospectively validated for various cancer types; however, preliminary results in early breast cancer are inconsistent. As scientific evidence for a potential therapeutic benefit in breast cancer is scarce, HR testing remains highly experimental and should be limited to the boundaries of clinical studies until results of ongoing phase 3 trials are available.
Punctuality development and delay explanation factors on Norwegian railways in the period 2005–2014
Authors: Økland Andreas , Olsson Nils O. E. 
Published: June 2020

AbstractThe paper revisits an investigation of delays and punctuality on Norwegian railroads from 2010, re-evaluating its findings and studying the effects of later measures put in place between 2010 and 2014. Norwegian railways saw a steady decline in punctuality from 2005–2010, prompting the establishment of a task force to understand the trends and patterns behind the delays on the network. Data was collected on punctuality and delays, as well as on factors that were likely causes of delays. The original study pointed to three main areas that cause delays during the period 2005–2009: (1) an increased error rate in infrastructure and rolling stock, (2) extensive work close to the tracks due to increased maintenance and renewals and (3) an inability to perform consistently even under normal weather conditions. Measures were put in place to turn around the overall performance. Appending data for 2010–2014, new regression models indicate that although their influence on delays and low punctuality changed as these measures have been put in place, some factors remained influential: low temperature (< − 10 °C and < − 15 °C) and snowfall (> 10 cm), reduced train lengths and increased volume of train services (both freight and passenger trains) still contribute to delays and low punctuality. The paper contributes to the literature on empirical analyses of delay causes. However, it can also be read as an illustration of an approach for an ex post evaluation of effects from punctuality improvement initiatives.
DESERV IT: A Method for Devolving Service Tasks in IT Services
Authors: Baer Florian , Sandkuhl Kurt , Leyer Michael , Lantow Birger 
Published: June 2020

AbstractNowadays, IT operations devolve many tasks in IT services to internal customers (i.e., IT self-service). The rationale for this service task devolvement is often to reduce the IT personnel’s workload. However, prior research has shown that IT operations often fail to achieve this goal. Existing methods for modeling and analyzing services fall short of supporting service providers in identifying and specifying service tasks suitable to be devolved to (internal) customers. This paper presents, therefore, the first method for devolving service tasks in IT services (DESERV IT). DESERV IT is a compound of four method components encompassing a joint meta-model, a visual notation for modeling IT services, and procedural recommendations. The DESERV IT meta-model extends the meta-model of service blueprinting by means of concepts required to analyze service task devolvement. DESERV IT is evaluated in four evaluation episodes. The results of the evaluation episodes show that DESERV IT is perceived as effective, useful, complete, and generalizable by experts in the IT service management and enterprise architecture discipline. This paper contributes to enterprise modeling by demonstrating the feasibility of DESERV IT in an example case and describing DESERV IT’s evolution during the evaluation episodes. DESERV IT supports practitioners (e.g., request fulfillment managers) in modeling and analyzing IT services.
Decision analysis of agroforestry options reveals adoption risks for resource-poor farmers
Authors: Do Hoa , Luedeling Eike , Whitney Cory 
Published: June 2020

AbstractAgroforestry interventions have the potential to benefit the livelihoods of farmers and communities worldwide. However, given the high system complexity, the long-term benefits of agroforestry are difficult to anticipate. This study aimed to integrate uncertainty into long-term performance projections for agroforestry interventions in the highlands of Northwest Vietnam. We applied decision analysis and probabilistic modeling approaches to produce economic ex-ante assessments for seven agroforestry options (intercropping of maize, forage grass, or coffee with tea, nut, fruit, and timber trees) promoted in the region. Our results indicate that farmers likely prefer annual monocultures due to the relatively early incomes and short time-lag on returns. However, the results also show that annual profits from monocrops can be expected to decrease over time, due mainly to unsustainable soil use. Agroforestry systems, on the other hand, return substantial profits in the long term, but they also incur high establishment and maintenance costs and can generate net losses in the first few years. Initial financial incentives to compensate for these losses may help in promoting agroforestry adoption in the region. Uncertainties related to farmers’ time preference, crop yields, and crop prices appeared to have the greatest influence on whether monocropping or agroforestry emerged as the preferable option. Narrowing these key knowledge gaps may offer additional clarity on farmers’ optimal course of action and provide guidance for agencies promoting agroforestry interventions in Vietnam and elsewhere. Our model produced a set of plausible ranges for net present values and highlighted critical variables, more clarity on which would support decision-making under uncertainty. Our innovative research approach proved effective in providing forecasts of uncertain outcomes and can be useful for informing similar development interventions in other contexts.
A Baseline Analysis of Regulatory Review Timelines for ANVISA: 2013–2016
Authors: Patel Prisha , Cerqueira Daniela Marreco , Santos Gustavo Mendes Lima , de Lima Soares Renata , Sousa Varley Dias , Liberti Lawrence , McAuslane Neil 
Published: June 2020

Abstract
Background
The Brazilian health regulatory agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária, ANVISA) has embarked on transformational initiatives to fulfill its mandate to provide timely access to safe, effective, and quality therapeutics. A new Brazilian law was enacted to provide the agency with greater flexibility. Optimizing Efficiencies in Regulatory Agencies (OpERA) is a regulatory-strengthening program that seeks to provide benchmarking data that can be used to define performance targets and focus performance improvement. The objective of this study was to use OpERA methodology to undertake a retrospective analysis of the timelines associated with important components of the ANVISA regulatory review process to establish a baseline against which the influence of the new law could be measured.

Methods
The OpERA tool was used to collect specific milestone data that identify time periods, review stages, and data points for products approved by ANVISA 2013–2016.

Results
For the 138 products approved in this cohort, the overall median approval time was 795 days. ANVISA and submitting companies will need to reduce their review and response times by approximately half in order to meet the total time goal of 365 days.

Conclusions
The observations from this baseline study have identified opportunities for ANVISA and sponsor companies to collaborate to reduce regulatory assessment times while assuring the timely approval of safe and effective, quality medicines. These analyses will be repeated to determine how the provisions of the new Law will impact the activities of ANVISA and the extent of sponsors' contributions to this effort.
Consumption of flavonoid-rich fruits and risk of CHD: a prospective cohort study
Authors: Yang Yiyi , Dong Jia-Yi , Cui Renzhe , Muraki Isao , Yamagishi Kazumasa , Sawada Norie , Iso Hiroyasu , Tsugane Shoichiro ,   for the Japan Public Health Center-based Prospective Study Group
Published: June 2020

AbstractAlthough the association between fruit consumption and CHD risk has been well studied, few studies have focused on flavonoid-rich fruits (FRF), in particular strawberries and grapes. We aimed to verify the association of total and specific FRF consumption with risk of CHD by a large prospective cohort study. A total of 87 177 men and women aged 44–75 years who were free of CVD and cancer at study baseline were eligible for the present analysis. FRF consumption was assessed using a FFQ. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the hazard ratios (HR) of CHD in relation to FRF consumption with adjustment for potential risk factors and confounders. During a mean follow-up of 13·2 years, we identified 1156 incident CHD cases. After full adjustment for covariates including demographics, lifestyles and dietary factors, the HR were 0·93 (95 % CI 0·77, 1·11), 0·91 (95 % CI 0·75, 1·11), 0·84 (95 % CI 0·67, 1·04) and 0·78 (95 % CI 0·62, 0·99) for the second, third, fourth and fifth quintiles compared with the lowest quintile of FRF consumption. Regarding specific fruits, we observed a significant inverse association for citrus fruit consumption and a borderline inverse association for strawberry consumption, while no association was observed for apple/pear or grape consumption. Although the associations appeared to be stronger in women, they were not significantly modified by sex. Higher consumption of FRF, in particular, citrus fruits, may be associated with a lower risk of developing CHD.
Street food in Eastern Europe: a perspective from an urban environment in Moldova
Authors: Albuquerque Gabriela , Gelormini Marcello , de Morais Inês Lança , Sousa Sofia , Casal Susana , Pinho Olívia , Moreira Pedro , Breda João , Lunet Nuno , Padrão Patrícia 
Published: June 2020

AbstractStreet food is popular in Eastern Europe, but its diversity and nutritional value are unknown. This study aimed to characterise the street food environment in Chişinău, Moldova, including the vending sites and vendors, food availability and nutritional composition of foods and beverages. All street food vending sites (single point of sale) located in a 1-km buffer centred on the main public market were systematically selected (n 439; n 328 participants). Data on vending sites’ characteristics (mobility, type of physical set-up and access to electricity), operating periods and food availability were collected. Samples of the most commonly available foods of unknown composition were collected (twenty-eight home-made and twenty-four industrial). Macronutrients, Na and K were quantified through chemical analysis. Fruits, beverages and food other than fruits were available in 2·5, 74·3 and 80·8 % of the vending sites, respectively. Among the latter, 66·4 % sold only industrial foods (e.g. pretzels, biscuits, wafers, chocolate and ice cream), 21·5 % only home-made (e.g. savoury and sweet pastries) and 12·1 % both. Home-made foods presented larger serving sizes and energy/serving (median kJ/serving: 1312·5 v. 670·3, P = 0·022); industrial foods were more energy-dense (median kJ/100 g: 1797·0 v. 1269·8, P = 0·002). High SFA, trans-fat and Na contents were found, reaching 10·9 g/serving, 1·4 g/serving and 773·7 mg/serving, respectively. Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages were available in 80·7 and 42·0 % of the vending sites selling beverages, respectively. Concluding, industrial snacks and home-made pastries high in Na and unhealthy fat were frequent in Chişinău. Prevention of diet-related diseases in Moldova may benefit from the improvement of the nutritional profile of street food.