bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Intraoperative marking of the tumour resection surface for improved radiation therapy planning in head and neck cancer: preclinical evaluation of a novel liquid fiducial marker
Authors: Steybe David , Russe Maximilian Frederik , Ludwig Ute , Sprave Tanja , Vach Kirstin , Semper-Hogg Wiebke , Schmelzeisen Rainer , Voss Pit Jacob , Poxleitner Philipp 
Published: September 2020

Objective To evaluate a novel liquid fiducial marker for intraoperative marking of the tumour resection surface in oral cancer patients to facilitate precise postoperative delineation of the interface between the tumour resection border and reconstructed tissue for intensity-modulated radiation therapy. Methods A total of 200 markers were created by injecting the volumes of 10 µl, 20 µl, 30 µl, 40 µl and 50 µl of a liquid marker composed of sucrose acetoisobutyrate (SAIB) and iodinated sucrose acetoisobutyrate (x-SAIB) into the soft tissue of porcine mandible segments. Visibility of the resulting markers was quantified by threshold-based segmentation of the marker volume in CT- and CBCT imaging and by a comparison of signal intensities in MRI. Results Even the lowest volume of SAIB-/x-SAIB investigated (10 µl) resulted in a higher visibility (CTSoft tissue: 88.18 ± 13.23 µl; CTBone: 49.55 ± 7.62 µl; CBCT: 54.65 ± 12.58 µl) than observed with the incorporation of titanium ligature clips (CTSoft tissue: 50.15 ± 7.50 mm3; CTBone: 23.90 ± 3.39 mm3; CBCT: 33.80 ± 9.20 mm3). Markers created by the injection of 10 µl and 20 µl could reliably be delineated from markers created by the injection of higher volumes. Conclusion SAIB/x-SAIB, which has recently become available as a Conformité Européenne (CE)-marked fiducial marker, provides an option for fast and reliable production of markers with excellent visibility in imaging modalities used in oral cancer radiation therapy (RT) planning routine.
The direct-medical costs associated with interferon-based treatment for Hepatitis C in Vietnam
Authors: Nguyen Huyen Anh , Cooke Graham S. , Day Jeremy N. , Flower Barnaby , Phuong Le Thanh , Hung Trinh Manh , Dung Nguyen Thanh , Khoa Dao Bach , Hung Le Manh , Kestelyn Evelyne , Thwaites Guy E. , Chau Nguyen Van Vinh ,   SEARCH Investigators, Turner Hugo C. 
Published: September 2020

Background: Injectable interferon-based therapies have been used to treat hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection since 1991. International guidelines have now moved away from interferon-based therapy towards direct-acting antiviral (DAA) tablet regimens, because of their superior efficacy, excellent side-effect profiles, and ease of administration. Initially DAA drugs were prohibitively expensive for most healthcare systems. Access is now improving through the procurement of low-cost, generic DAAs acquired through voluntary licenses. However, HCV treatment costs vary widely, and many countries are struggling with DAA treatment scale-up. This is not helped by the limited cost data and economic evaluations from low- and middle-income countries to support HCV policy decisions. We conducted a detailed analysis of the costs of treating chronic HCV infection with interferon-based therapy in Vietnam. Understanding these costs is important for performing necessary economic evaluations of novel treatment strategies. Methods: We conducted an analysis of the direct medical costs of treating HCV infection with interferon alpha (IFN) and pegylated-interferon alpha (Peg-IFN), in combination with ribavirin, from the health sector perspective at the Hospital for Tropical Diseases, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, in 2017. Results: The total cost of the IFN treatment regimen was estimated to range between US$1,120 and US$1,962. The total cost of the Peg-IFN treatment regimen was between US$2,156 and US$5,887. Drug expenses were the biggest contributor to the total treatment cost (54-89%) and were much higher for the Peg-IFN regimen. Conclusions: We found that treating HCV with IFN or Peg-IFN resulted in significant direct medical costs. Of concern, we found that all patients incurred substantial out-of-pocket costs, including those receiving the maximum level of support from the national health insurance programme. This cost data highlights the potential savings and importance of increased access to generic DAAs in low- and middle-income countries and will be useful within future economic evaluations.
Waiting for the Payday? The Market for Startups and the Timing of Entrepreneurial Exit
Authors: Arora Ashish , Fosfuri Andrea , Rønde Thomas 
Published: September 2020

Most technology startups are set up for exit through acquisition by large corporations. In choosing when to sell, startups face a trade-off. Early acquisition reduces execution errors, but later acquisition both improves the likelihood of finding a better match and benefits from increased buyer competition. Startups’ exit strategies vary considerably: Some startups aim to sell early; others remain in stealth mode by developing the invention for a late sale. We develop an analytical model to study the timing of the exit strategy. We find that startups with more capable founding teams commit to a late exit, whereas those with less capable founding teams commit to an early exit. Finally, startups with founding teams of intermediate capabilities remain flexible: They seek early offers but eventually sell late. If trying the early market is so costly that startups have to make a mutually exclusive choice between an early and late sale, startups sell inefficiently late. Instead, if they can collect early offers at no cost before deciding on the timing of sale, there are too many early acquisitions. This paper was accepted by David Simchi-Levi, business strategy.
Scalable garbage collection for in-memory MVCC systems
Authors: Böttcher Jan , Leis Viktor , Neumann Thomas , Kemper Alfons 
Published: September 2020

To support Hybrid Transaction and Analytical Processing (HTAP), database systems generally rely on Multi-Version Concurrency Control (MVCC). While MVCC elegantly enables lightweight isolation of readers and writers, it also generates outdated tuple versions, which, eventually, have to be reclaimed. Surprisingly, we have found that in HTAP workloads, this reclamation of old versions, i.e., garbage collection, often becomes the performance bottleneck.
It turns out that in the presence of long-running queries, state-of-the-art garbage collectors are too coarse-grained. As a consequence, the number of versions grows quickly slowing down the entire system. Moreover, the standard background cleaning approach makes the system vulnerable to sudden spikes in workloads.
In this work, we propose a novel garbage collection (GC) approach that prunes obsolete versions eagerly. Its seamless integration into the transaction processing keeps the GC overhead minimal and ensures good scalability. We show that our approach handles mixed workloads well and also speeds up pure OLTP workloads like TPC-C compared to existing state-of-the-art approaches.
Incorporating super-operators in big-data query optimizers
Authors: Leeka Jyoti , Rajan Kaushik 
Published: September 2020

The cost of big-data analytics is dominated by shuffle operations that induce multiple disk reads, writes and network transfers. This paper proposes a new class of optimization rules that are specifically aimed at eliminating shuffles where possible. The rules substitute multiple shuffle inducing operators (
Join, UnionAll, Spool, GroupBy
) with a single streaming operator which implements an entire sub-query. We call such operators
super-operators.

A key challenge with adding new rules that substitute sub-queries with super-operators is that there are many variants of the same sub-query that can be implemented via minor modifications to the same super-operator. Adding each as a separate rule leads to a search space explosion. We propose several extensions to the query optimizer to address this challenge. We propose a new abstract representation for operator trees that captures all possible sub-queries that a super-operator implements. We propose a new rule matching algorithm that can efficiently search for abstract operator trees. Finally we extend the physical operator interface to introduce new parametric super-operators.
We implement our changes in SCOPE, a state-of-the-art production big-data optimizer used extensively at Microsoft. We demonstrate that the proposed optimizations provide significant reduction in both resource cost (average 1.7x) and latency (average 1.5x) on several production queries, and do so without increasing optimization time.
Status of circulating bone turnover markers in elderly osteoporosis/osteopenia patients in comparison with healthy subjects
Authors: Tehrani Sadra Samavarchi , Moallem Maryam , Ebrahimi Reyhane , Hosseini Seyed Reza , Nooreddini Hajighorban , Parsian Hadi 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background
In the aging individuals, osteoporosis is a major health problem. Due to the various limitations of dual X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) for diagnosis osteoporosis, serum-based biochemical markers have been suggested for the discrimination between the patients and healthy subjects.

Objective
To investigate the serum levels of bone turnover markers in elderly osteoporosis patients.

Methods
The serum samples from elderly subjects (osteoporosis (n = 28), osteopenia (n = 28), and healthy ones (n = 28) were collected from Amirkola Health and Ageing Project study. Furthermore, serum levels of bone formation and bone resorption markers as well as estrogen and progesterone were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Kruskal–Wallis test and receiver operating characteristic curve analysis were used for statistical analysis using SPSS.

Results
Levels of bone alkaline phosphatase (B-ALP) and procollagen type I N-terminal propeptide (PINP) differed between groups (P = 0.003 and 0.009, respectively). Furthermore, PINP and B-ALP levels had the best area under the curve, sensitivity, and specificity for the discrimination between patients with osteoporosis and healthy individuals.

Conclusion
In conditions in which we are not able to assess the bone mineral density by DEXA, analysis of the B-ALP and PINP levels may be a helpful tool.
Adjunctive favipiravir for severe COVID-19: a retrospective observational study of the first 41 patients in Thailand
Authors: Prasithsirikul Wisit , Pongpirul Krit , Sakornsakolpat Phuwanat , Burana Chuti , Phutrakool Phanupong , Pongpirul Wannarat A. 
Published: September 2020

Abstract

Background
Favipiravir is a promising drug for COVID-19, but evidence from a robust clinical trial is limited.

Objective
To describe the demographics, clinical characteristics, and various antiviral treatment regimens (with and without favipiravir) of patients with severe and nonsevere COVID-19.

Method
We conducted a retrospective observational study in all COVID-19 patients admitted at Bamrasnaradura Infectious Diseases Institute (BIDI) from January 8 to March 30, 2020. We compared the demographics, clinical characteristics, and various antiviral treatment regimens of 12 severe and 29 nonsevere COVID-19 patients in Thailand.

Results
Adjunctive favipiravir was given to only severe cases. The median length of hospitalization of patients either receiving favipiravir or not receiving favipiravir was not significantly different (P = 0.8549), but those who received adjunctive favipiravir became reverse transcriptase–polymerase chain reaction negative 2 days sooner than the other group (median: 6 days vs. 8 days; P = 0.1125).

Conclusion
The findings suggested that adjunctive favipiravir might not be effective for patients with severe COVID-19, but further studies with larger sample sizes are needed.
Borderline regularity for fully nonlinear equations in Dini domains
Authors: Adimurthi Karthik , Banerjee Agnid 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
In this paper, we prove borderline gradient continuity of viscosity solutions to fully nonlinear elliptic equations at the boundary of a

C

1
,
Dini

C^{1,\mathrm{Dini}}

-domain.
Our main result constitutes the boundary analogue of the borderline interior gradient regularity estimates established by P. Daskalopoulos, T. Kuusi and G. Mingione.
We however mention that, differently from the approach used there which is based on

W

1
,
q

W^{1,q}

estimates, our proof is slightly more geometric and is based on compactness arguments inspired by the techniques in the fundamental works of Luis Caffarelli.
Magnetic iron oxide/clay nanocomposites for adsorption and catalytic oxidation in water treatment applications
Authors: Fadillah Ganjar , Yudha Septian Perwira , Sagadevan Suresh , Fatimah Is , Muraza Oki 
Published: September 2020

AbstractPhysical and chemical methods have been developed for water and wastewater treatments. Adsorption is an attractive method due to its simplicity and low cost, and it has been widely employed in industrial treatment. In advanced schemes, chemical oxidation and photocatalytic oxidation have been recognized as effective methods for wastewater-containing organic compounds. The use of magnetic iron oxide in these methods has received much attention. Magnetic iron oxide nanocomposite adsorbents have been recognized as favorable materials due to their stability, high adsorption capacities, and recoverability, compared to conventional sorbents. Magnetic iron oxide nanocomposites have also been reported to be effective in photocatalytic and chemical oxidation processes. The current review has presented recent developments in techniques using magnetic iron oxide nanocomposites for water treatment applications. The review highlights the synthesis method and compares modifications for adsorbent, photocatalytic oxidation, and chemical oxidation processes. Future prospects for the use of nanocomposites have been presented.
A Finite Element Splitting Method for a Convection-Diffusion Problem
Authors: Thomée Vidar 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
For a spatially periodic convection-diffusion problem, we analyze a time stepping method based on Lie splitting of a spatially semidiscrete finite element solution on time steps of length k, using the backward Euler method for the diffusion part and a stabilized explicit forward Euler approximation on

m
≥
1

{m\geq 1}

intervals of length

k
/
m

{k/m}

for the convection part.
This complements earlier work on time splitting of the problem in a finite difference context.
Moving beyond language(s): a case study on a newcomer’s translanguaging practices
Authors: Degano Sarah , Kirsch Claudine 
Published: September 2020

AbstractNumerous scholars have investigated translanguaging in students with a migration background by examining the deployment of their linguistic repertoire. By contrast, few studies have adopted a social semiotic perspective on translanguaging. Similarly, studies on newcomers in this field are scarce. Newcomers, especially those to the trilingual education system in Luxembourg, face significant language challenges. The present paper explores the ways in which Portuguese-speaking Harry combined the resources of his semiotic repertoire in science and French lessons in Year 4, and discusses different combinations of resources. Findings based on field notes and video-recordings of classroom activities show that the eleven-year-old engaged in learning by activating his prior knowledge and deploying his semiotic repertoire in resourceful ways. He mobilised features of five languages, coordinated linguistic, paralinguistic and extralinguistic resources, and aligned his resources to those of his peers. Furthermore, he reproduced the semiotic combinations of peers as well as the translanguaging practices in class. We show that a newcomer orchestrates his semiotic resources in complex ways to communicate, make meaning and engage in learning processes. Further research into the deployment of the semiotic repertoire at school is needed.
Bi-plurilingual formulation practices in conversational writing interactions
Authors: Stierwald Mona 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe present article approaches the subject of oral formulation practices in multilingual and conversational writing interactions. Within the framework of pluriliteracy in the context of foreign language practice at university, special emphasis is placed on the manifestations of linguistic repairs as a mechanism, integrated in sequences of interactive formulation. By analyzing extracts of an interaction between three students according to the method of conversation analysis (CA), linguistic and interactional particulars of these repairs are identified, allowing for a first typology of formulation procedures with embedded repair operation.A second aim is to demonstrate in what way different languages are being used during the formulation process. By doing so, the question of how students draw on their plurilingual resources is discussed. The overall issue is addressed through a theoretical framework of functional language distribution in conversational writing.
Influence of polyvinyl alcohol–glutaraldehyde on properties of thermal insulation pipe from blast furnace slag fiber
Authors: Han Baochen , Du PeiPei , Zhang Yuzhu , Xing Hongwei , Wei Guangsheng , Wang Haiyang 
Published: September 2020

AbstractThe development of an environmentally friendly binder can immensely benefit and promote the BF slag fiber industry. Accordingly, in this study, fiber insulation pipes were prepared using water glass, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), and PVA–glutaraldehyde (GA); moreover, their bulk density, moisture absorption capacity, and thermal conductivity coefficient were measured and compared. The results demonstrated that the values of these three parameters depend on the binder concentration and dosage under certain fiber quality, pipe sizes, and manufacturing process conditions. The best binder composition was proven to be that of PVA–GA, prepared using 3 wt% PVA and 5 wt% GA herein, which facilitated reduction in the bulk density and improvement of the waterproof properties and insulation performance of the slag fiber pipes.
Judicial Review (Departmentalism) vs Supremacy: The Connection to a 17th Century Debate and a Dilemma for Today
Authors: Kabala Boleslaw Z 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Proponents of judicial supremacy argue that the interpretation of the Constitution by the Supreme Court is authoritative for the two other branches of government, while advocates of judicial review (or departmentalism) argue that authority to interpret the Constitution resides in each branch. Both sides offer historical examples in which their understanding prevailed. How to resolve this impasse? I argue that Hobbes and Spinoza can inform the debate. To do so, I first unpack the terms: what is the difference between judicial review or departmentalism and judicial supremacy? I then show that a renowned legal scholar, Larry Alexander, specifically invokes Hobbes in defense of judicial supremacy. For Alexander, the Supreme Court functions as a Hobbesian sovereign. Spinoza presents a clear alternative to the Hobbesian solution of avoiding a state of nature by concentrating power in a unitary sovereign, namely, via a strategy of diffusing power throughout society. But Spinoza’s solution is not yet a formal separation of powers. This conception of power can therefore clarify the assumptions made by advocates of both judicial review or departmentalism and judicial supremacy. I close by considering instances in American history when the application of departmentalist logic did not lead to a Hobbesian state of nature. And what are the lessons for today? I suggest that it is perhaps time to consider an analog to the Canadian/Israeli notwithstanding clause. But rather than adopting verbatim their legislative override, which effectively designates the legislative branch to be supreme, we could require two of the three independent and equal branches to decide contended constitutional questions. Such an American notwithstanding clause would respect the design of our federal government.
Surgical treatment of locally advanced thyroid cancer
Authors: Roka Rudolf 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Operations in this area are demanding and require special experience in endocrine, thoracic and vascular surgery, an experienced anaesthesiologist, as well as the interdisciplinary cooperation with other medical specialists (nuclear medicine, oncology, radiology, otolaryngology). A reliable system of surgical guidelines has been developed from a few individual publications with special impact.
Finite 𝑝-groups all of whose 𝓐2-subgroups are generated by two elements
Authors: Zhang Lihua , Zhang Junqiang 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
Assume G is a finite p-group.
We prove that if all

𝒜
2

{\mathcal{A}_{2}}

-subgroups of G are generated by two elements, then so are all non-abelian subgroups of G.
By using this result, we classify the p-groups which have at least two

𝒜
1

{\mathcal{A}_{1}}

-subgroups and in which the intersection of every pair of distinct

𝒜
1

{\mathcal{A}_{1}}

-subgroups equals the intersection of all the

𝒜
1

{\mathcal{A}_{1}}

-subgroups.
It turns out that such p-groups are the finite p-groups all of whose non-abelian subgroups are generated by two elements, and the converse also almost holds.
Even character degrees and normal Sylow 2-subgroups
Authors: Pan Hongfei , Hung Nguyen Ngoc , Dong Shuqin 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
The Ito–Michler theorem on character degrees states that if a prime p does not divide the degree of any irreducible character of a finite group G, then G has a normal Sylow p-subgroup.
We give some strengthened versions of this result for

p
=
2

{p=2}

by considering linear characters and those of even degree.
Convergence of a series associated with the convexification method for coefficient inverse problems
Authors: Klibanov Michael V. , Nguyen Dinh-Liem 
Published: September 2020

Abstract
This paper is concerned with the convergence of a series associated with a certain version of the convexification method.
That version has been recently developed by the research group of the first author for solving coefficient inverse problems.
The convexification method aims to construct a globally convex Tikhonov-like functional with a Carleman weight function in it.
In the previous works, the construction of the strictly convex weighted Tikhonov-like functional assumes a truncated Fourier series (i.e. a finite series instead of an infinite one) for a function generated by the total wave field.
In this paper, we prove a convergence property for this truncated Fourier series approximation.
More precisely, we show that the residual of the approximate PDE obtained by using the truncated Fourier series tends to zero in

L
2

{L^{2}}

as the truncation index in the truncated Fourier series tends to infinity.
The proof relies on a convergence result in the

H
1

{H^{1}}

-norm for a sequence of

L
2

{L^{2}}

-orthogonal projections on finite-dimensional subspaces spanned by elements of a special Fourier basis.
However, due to the ill-posed nature of coefficient inverse problems, we cannot prove that the solution of that approximate PDE, which results from the minimization of that Tikhonov-like functional, converges to the correct solution.