bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Structural relaxation probed by resistance drift in amorphous germanium
Authors: Dong Ning-Ning , Xu Jian-Gen , Cui Jin-Jiang , Wang Xiaodong 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Amorphous germanium films with different thicknesses are deposited by magnetron sputtering (MS) method. Optical band gap and surface resistance are characterized. Our analysis reveals that there are three kinds of structural relaxation (SR) that may occur in amorphous germanium (a-Ge), and they are spontaneous SR (SSR), annealing-induced SR (AISR), and medium range order (MRO)-to-continuous random network (CRN) Sr Samples all demonstrate a band gap widening after these kinds of Sr The properties and mechanisms of SSR, AISR, and MRO-to-CRN SR are elucidated, respectively, which sheds some light on the controversies about SR in a-Ge films. In addition, some experimental results about SSR and AISR are also provided.
Effect of Ce addition on microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloy
Authors: Tian Wei , Hu Mengnan , Chen Xiaohong , Zhou Honglei , Sun Yue , Lu Qingqing , Wan Maoyuan 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
The effects of rare earth Ce on the microstructure, mechanical properties and corrosion behavior of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloys were investigated by means of microstructure analysis, tensile test and electrochemical corrosion test. The research shows that the Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloy after low temperature heat treatment mainly contains the S (Al2CuMg) phase, the T (Al20Cu2Mn3) phase, the Al6 (Mn, Fe) phase and the Al7Cu2Fe phase, and the rare earth Ce makes the alloy form the new rare earth phase Al8Cu4Ce. The appearance of this phase has a significant refinement effect on the Al6 (Mn, Fe) phase. Compared with Ce-free, the yield strength and tensile strength of Al-Cu-Mn-Mg-Fe alloy with 0.254 ωt% Ce increased by 7% and 15%, respectively, and the elongation increased from 3.1% to 4.8%. It also has better corrosion resistance, which is represented by the decrease of corrosion current density and positive shift of corrosion potential in Tafel measurement in solutions of different concentrations, and the increase of corrosion impedance in electrochemical impedance spectroscopy test, especially the corrosion current density was reduced by 6.06 μA cm−2 in 3.5% NaCl solution.
Blue-noise sampling for human retinal cone spatial distribution modeling
Authors: Lanaro Matteo Paolo , Perrier Hélène , Coeurjolly David , Ostromoukhov Victor , Rizzi Alessandro 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
This paper proposes a novel method for modeling retinal cone distribution in humans. It is based on Blue-noise sampling algorithms being strongly related with the mosaic sampling performed by cone photoreceptors in the human retina. Here we present the method together with a series of examples of various real retinal patches. The same samples have also been created with alternative algorithms and compared with plots of the center of the inner segments of cone photoreceptors from imaged retinas. Results are evaluated with different distance measure used in the field, like nearest-neighbor analysis and pair correlation function. The proposed method can effectively describe features of a human retinal cone distribution by allowing to create samples similar to the available data. For this reason, we believe that the proposed algorithm may be a promising solution when modeling local patches of retina.
Which Components of a Smartphone Walking App Help Users to Reach Personalized Step Goals? Results From an Optimization Trial
Authors: Kramer Jan-Niklas , Künzler Florian , Mishra Varun , Smith Shawna N , Kotz David , Scholz Urte , Fleisch Elgar , Kowatsch Tobias 
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Background
The Assistant to Lift your Level of activitY (Ally) app is a smartphone application that combines financial incentives with chatbot-guided interventions to encourage users to reach personalized daily step goals.

Purpose
To evaluate the effects of incentives, weekly planning, and daily self-monitoring prompts that were used as intervention components as part of the Ally app.

Methods
We conducted an 8 week optimization trial with n = 274 insurees of a health insurance company in Switzerland. At baseline, participants were randomized to different incentive conditions (cash incentives vs. charity incentives vs. no incentives). Over the course of the study, participants were randomized weekly to different planning conditions (action planning vs. coping planning vs. no planning) and daily to receiving or not receiving a self-monitoring prompt. Primary outcome was the achievement of personalized daily step goals.

Results
Study participants were more active and healthier than the general Swiss population. Daily cash incentives increased step-goal achievement by 8.1%, 95% confidence interval (CI): [2.1, 14.1] and, only in the no-incentive control group, action planning increased step-goal achievement by 5.8%, 95% CI: [1.2, 10.4]. Charity incentives, self-monitoring prompts, and coping planning did not affect physical activity. Engagement with planning interventions and self-monitoring prompts was low and 30% of participants stopped using the app over the course of the study.

Conclusions
Daily cash incentives increased physical activity in the short term. Planning interventions and self-monitoring prompts require revision before they can be included in future versions of the app. Selection effects and engagement can be important challenges for physical-activity apps.

Clinical Trial Information
This study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03384550.
Computational methods for the integrative analysis of single-cell data
Authors: Forcato Mattia , Romano Oriana , Bicciato Silvio 
Published: March 2020

AbstractRecent advances in single-cell technologies are providing exciting opportunities for dissecting tissue heterogeneity and investigating cell identity, fate and function. This is a pristine, exploding field that is flooding biologists with a new wave of data, each with its own specificities in terms of complexity and information content. The integrative analysis of genomic data, collected at different molecular layers from diverse cell populations, holds promise to address the full-scale complexity of biological systems. However, the combination of different single-cell genomic signals is computationally challenging, as these data are intrinsically heterogeneous for experimental, technical and biological reasons. Here, we describe the computational methods for the integrative analysis of single-cell genomic data, with a focus on the integration of single-cell RNA sequencing datasets and on the joint analysis of multimodal signals from individual cells.
Matrix decomposition for modeling lesion development processes in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Hu Menghan , Crainiceanu Ciprian , Schindler Matthew K , Dewey Blake , Reich Daniel S , Shinohara Russell T , Eloyan Ani 
Published: March 2020

Summary
Our main goal is to study and quantify the evolution of multiple sclerosis lesions observed longitudinally over many years in multi-sequence structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI). To achieve that, we propose a class of functional models for capturing the temporal dynamics and spatial distribution of the voxel-specific intensity trajectories in all sMRI sequences. To accommodate the hierarchical data structure (observations nested within voxels, which are nested within lesions, which, in turn, are nested within study participants), we use structured functional principal component analysis. We propose and evaluate the finite sample properties of hypothesis tests of therapeutic intervention effects on lesion evolution while accounting for the multilevel structure of the data. Using this novel testing strategy, we found statistically significant differences in lesion evolution between treatment groups.
Markers of A1 astrocytes stratify to molecular sub-types in sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease brain
Authors: Ugalde Cathryn L , Lewis Victoria , Stehmann Christiane , McLean Catriona A , Lawson Victoria A , Collins Steven J , Hill Andrew F 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Astrocytes are glial cells of the central nervous system that become reactive under conditions of stress. The functional properties of reactive astrocytes depend on their stimulus that induces the upregulation of specific genes. Reactive astrocytes are a neuropathological feature of prion disorders; however, their role in the disease pathogenesis is not well understood. Here, we describe our studies of one polarization state of reactive astrocytes, termed A1 astrocytes, in the frontal cortex region of 35 human sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease brains encompassing a range of molecular sub-types. Examination of two mRNA markers of A1 astrocytes, C3 and GBP2, revealed a strong linear correlation between the two following their log-normalization (P = 0.0011). Both markers were found upregulated in the sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease brain compared with age-matched control tissues (P = 0.0029 and 0.0002, for C3log and GBP2log, respectively), and stratifying samples based on codon 129 genotype revealed that C3log is highest in homozygous methionine and lowest in homozygous valine patients, which followed a linear trend (P = 0.027). Upon assessing other disease parameters, a significant positive correlation was found between GBP2log and disease duration (P = 0.031). These findings provide evidence for a divergence in the astrocytic environment amongst patients with sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease based on molecular sub-type parameters of disease. While more research will be needed to determine the global changes in the genomic profiles and resulting functional properties of reactive astrocytes in disease, considering the evidence demonstrating that A1 astrocytes harbour neurotoxic properties, the changes seen in C3log and GBP2log in the current study may reflect differences in pathogenic mechanisms amongst the sporadic Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease sub-types associated with the A1 polarization state.
Double-Layer Network Negative Public Opinion Information Propagation Modeling Based on Continuous-Time Markov Chain
Authors: Liu Xiaoyang , Tang Ting , He Daobing 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
In view of the fact that the existing public opinion propagation aspects are mostly based on single-layer propagation network, these works rarely consider the double-layer network structure and the negative opinion evolution. This paper proposes a new susceptible-infected-vaccinated-susceptible negative opinion information propagation model with preventive vaccination by constructing double-layer network topology. Firstly, the continuous-time Markov chain is used to simulate the negative public opinion information propagation process and the nonlinear dynamic equation of the model is derived; secondly, the steady state condition of the virus propagation in the model is proposed and mathematically proved; finally, Monte Carlo method is applied in the proposed model. The parameters of simulation model have an effect on negative public opinion information propagation, the derivation results are verified by computer simulation. The simulation results show that the proposed model has a larger threshold of public opinion information propagation and has more effective control of the scale of negative public opinion; it also can reduce the density of negative public opinion information propagation and suppress negative public opinion information compared with the traditional susceptible infected susceptible model. It also can provide the scientific method and research approach based on probability statistics for the study of negative public opinion information propagation in complex networks.
On Foreign Investor ‘Privilege’ and the Limits of the Law: A Reply to Ivar Alvik
Authors: Kurtz Jürgen 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
International investment treaties are structurally characterized by inherent asymmetry in the (non-relative) legal protections extended to foreign investors vis-à-vis domestic companies and nationals. For many lawyers, ‘foreign privilege’ is deeply problematic as it violates a foundational legal principle – namely, equality before the law. Yet law and law alone cannot always offer a definitive answer of this sort. At the very least, legal hypotheses should be rigorously tested against insights from other disciplines that can offer sharp analytical light on the complex contours of a given phenomenon. In this reply, I explore the political economy of host state policy as it is formed against three categories of foreign direct investment (FDI). Conceptually (and empirically), this political economy matrix reveals sharply varying levels of risk of hostile state action against distinct forms of FDI. To be sure, this analysis alone does not justify the traditional and expansive model of bilateral investment treaty protections. Yet, at least for some categories, this political economy case reveals an internal problem that is difficult (if not impossible) for the state itself to resolve, and, thus, it may well be rational for such a state to leverage international norms to extend qualified extra-domestic priority to foreign actors.
Missing links in the study of solute and particle exchange between the sea floor and water column
Authors: Rühl Saskia , Thompson Charlie , Queirós Ana M , Widdicombe Stephen 
Published: March 2020

AbstractExchanges of solutes and solids between the sea floor and water column are a vital component of ecosystem functioning in marine habitats around the globe. This review explores particle and solute exchange processes, the different mechanisms through which they interact at the ecosystem level, as well as their interdependencies. Solute and particle exchange processes are highly dependent on the characteristics of the environment within which they takes place. Exchange is driven directly by a number of factors, such as currents, granulometry, nutrient, and matter inputs, as well as living organisms. In turn, the occurrence of exchanges can influence adjacent environments and organisms. Major gaps in the present knowledge include the temporal and spatial variation in many of the processes driving benthic/pelagic exchange processes and the variability in the relative importance of individual processes caused by this variation. Furthermore, the accurate assessment of some anthropogenic impacts is deemed questionable due to a lack of baseline data and long-term effects of anthropogenic actions are often unknown. It is suggested that future research should be transdisciplinary and at ecosystem level wherever possible and that baseline surveys should be implemented and long-term observatories established to fill the current knowledge gaps.
Cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) meal fed to healthy adult dogs does not affect general health and minimally impacts apparent total tract digestibility
Authors: Kilburn Logan R , Carlson Anne T , Lewis Elizabeth , Serao Mariana C Rossoni 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Insects can serve as a novel high-quality protein source for pet foods. However, there is an absence of research investigating the use of insects in pet food. The study objective was to evaluate the apparent total tract digestibility and possible health effects of diets containing graded levels of cricket (Gryllodes sigillatus) meal fed to healthy adult dogs. Thirty-two adult Beagles were randomly assigned to one of four dietary treatments: 0%, 8%, 16%, or 24% cricket meal. Dogs were fed their respective diet for a total of 29 d with a 6-d collection phase. Fecal samples were collected daily during the collection phase to measure total fecal output as well as apparent total tract digestibility for dry matter (DM), organic matter, crude protein, fat, total dietary fiber, and gross energy. Blood samples were taken prior to the study and on day 29 for hematology and chemistry profiles. Data were analyzed in a mixed model including the fixed effects of diet and sex. Total fecal output increased on both an as-is (P = 0.030) and DM basis (P = 0.024). The apparent total tract digestibility of each nutrient decreased (P &lt; 0.001) with the increasing level of cricket meal inclusion. All blood values remained within desired reference intervals indicating healthy dogs. Slight fluctuations in blood urea nitrogen (P = 0.037) and hemoglobin (P = 0.044) levels were observed but were not considered of biological significance. Even with the decrease in digestibility with the inclusion of cricket meal, diets remained highly digestible at greater than 80% total apparent digestibility. In conclusion, crickets were demonstrated to be an acceptable ingredient for dog diets.
Competing Through Keyword Advertising
Authors: Colangelo Giuseppe 
Published: March 2020

ABSTRACT
The impressive growth of online shopping has had a significant impact on firms’ strategies and customer behavior, bringing to the fore new forms of trademark exploitation that may affect competition. A prominent role is played by keyword advertising services provided by internet search engines. Keyword advertising systems have been the subject of several litigations with regard to the legality of the use of keywords which correspond to trademarks, since trademark holders complain that the essential functions of trademarks might be detrimentally affected. However, given the importance of search engines for attracting customers to the websites of retailers and competitors, online advertising restrictions also raise anticompetitive concerns on both sides of the Atlantic. Indeed, the E-commerce Sector Inquiry carried out by the European Commission reported that some retailers are limited in their ability to use or bid on the trademarks of certain manufacturers to get a preferential listing on search engines’ paid referencing service or are only allowed to bid on certain positions. Furthermore, the UK Competition and Markets Authority encountered brand-bidding restrictions in the markets for broadband, credit cards, energy, flights, and home insurance, while the Netherlands Authority for Consumers & Markets analyzed the hotel sector. Moreover, in the US, the Federal Trade Commission has ruled that the largest online retailer of contact lenses unlawfully entered into a web of anticompetitive agreements with rivals, preventing them from bidding for search engine result advertisements that would inform consumers that identical products were available at lower prices. The aim of this paper is to shed light on the economic rationales and legal implications of keyword advertising to strike a proper balance between trademark protection and freedom of competition.
Maidenhead to Conventicle: The Curious Transformation of a Woodcut
Authors: Williams William Proctor 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Thomas Heywood’s play A Maidenhead Well Lost (1634), printed by Nicholas Okes, has a woodcut larger than the usual page size for this quarto on its title-page and later in the book. It was clearly devised for this book only. Aside from this curious fact, the woodcut, considerably modified, was used later in John Taylor’s polemical The Brownists conventicle (1641) which was not printed by Okes who was dead by then. Although the existence of this woodcut is noted by scholars, notably Greg and Foakes, it has never been given careful bibliographical study. This paper provides such a study and considers the curious use of the woodcut in both books.
New Light on the History of Isaac Newton's Library
Authors: Thomson Karen 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
In the standard scholarly work, The Library of Isaac Newton published by CUP in 1978, John Harrison makes two significant assumptions about the library’s early history which are incorrect. This paper highlights the necessary revisions, including the unnoticed role played by Mrs Jane Musgrave, Jane Austen’s godmother, in the library’s preservation. It also proposes for the first time a plausible reason why John Huggins, Warden of the Fleet Prison, bought the library from the executors immediately after Newton’s death.
Multiparametric MRI for early identification of therapeutic response in recurrent glioblastoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors
Authors: Song Joseph , Kadaba Priyanka , Kravitz Amanda , Hormigo Adilia , Friedman Joshua , Belani Puneet , Hadjipanayis Constantinos , Ellingson Benjamin M , Nael Kambiz 
Published: March 2020

Abstract

Background
Physiologic changes quantified by diffusion and perfusion MRI have shown utility in predicting treatment response in glioblastoma (GBM) patients treated with cytotoxic therapies. We aimed to investigate whether quantitative changes in diffusion and perfusion after treatment by immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) would determine 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6) in patients with recurrent GBM.

Methods
Inclusion criteria for this retrospective study were: (i) diagnosis of recurrent GBM treated with ICIs and (ii) availability of diffusion and perfusion in pre and post ICI MRI (iii) at ≥6 months follow-up from treatment. After co-registration, mean values of the relative apparent diffusion coefficient (rADC), Ktrans (volume transfer constant), Ve (extravascular extracellular space volume) and Vp (plasma volume), and relative cerebral blood volume (rCBV) were calculated from a volume-of-interest of the enhancing tumor. Final assignment of stable/improved versus progressive disease was determined on 6-month follow-up using modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology criteria.

Results
Out of 19 patients who met inclusion criteria and follow-up (mean ± SD: 7.8 ± 1.4 mo), 12 were determined to have tumor progression, while 7 had treatment response after 6 months of ICI treatment. Only interval change of rADC was suggestive of treatment response. Patients with treatment response (6/7: 86%) had interval increased rADC, while 11/12 (92%) with tumor progression had decreased rADC (P = 0.001). Interval change in rCBV, Ktrans, Vp, and Ve were not indicative of treatment response within 6 months.

Conclusions
In patients with recurrent GBM, interval change in rADC is promising in assessing treatment response versus progression within the first 6 months following ICI treatment.

Key Points
• In recurrent GBM treated with ICIs, interval change in rADC suggests early treatment response.
• Interval change in rADC can be used as an imaging biomarker to determine PFS6.
• Interval change in MR perfusion and permeability measures do not suggest ICI treatment response.