bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The long-acting C5 inhibitor, ravulizumab, is efficacious and safe in pediatric patients with atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome previously treated with eculizumab
Authors: Tanaka Kazuki , Adams Brigitte , Aris Alvaro Madrid , Fujita Naoya , Ogawa Masayo , Ortiz Stephan , Vallee Marc , Greenbaum Larry A. 
Published: October 2020

Abstract
Background
Atypical hemolytic uremic syndrome (aHUS) is a rare, complement-mediated disease associated with poor outcomes if untreated. Ravulizumab, a long-acting C5 inhibitor developed through minimal, targeted modifications to eculizumab was recently approved for the treatment of aHUS. Here, we report outcomes from a pediatric patient cohort from the ravulizumab clinical trial (NCT03131219) who were switched from chronic eculizumab to ravulizumab treatment.

Methods
Ten patients received a loading dose of ravulizumab on Day 1, followed by maintenance doses administered initially on Day 15, and then, every 4–8 weeks thereafter, depending on body weight. All patients completed the initial evaluation period of 26 weeks and entered the extension period.

Results
No patients required dialysis at any point throughout the study. The median estimated glomerular filtration rate values remained stable during the trial: 99.8 mL/min/1.73m2 at baseline, 93.5 mL/min/1.73m2 at 26 weeks, and 104 mL/min/1.73m2 at 52 weeks. At last available follow-up, all patients were in the same chronic kidney disease stage as recorded at baseline. Hematologic variables (platelets, lactate dehydrogenase, and hemoglobin) also remained stable throughout the initial evaluation period and up to the last available follow-up. All patients experienced adverse events; the most common were upper respiratory tract infection (40%) and oropharyngeal pain (30%). There were no meningococcal infections reported, no deaths occurred, and no patients discontinued during the study.

Conclusions
Overall, treatment with ravulizumab in pediatric patients with aHUS who were previously treated with eculizumab resulted in stable kidney and hematologic parameters, with no unexpected safety concerns when administered every 4–8 weeks.

Trial registration
Trial identifiers:
Trial ID: ALXN1210-aHUS-312
Clinical trials.gov: NCT03131219
EudraCT number: 2016-002499-29
Laboratory evaluation of the Sigma Transwab® transport system for the recovery of Candida species using the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (CLSI) document M40-A2
Authors: Elcocks E. , Adukwu E.C. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractRising healthcare complications due to fungal infections increase the importance of efficient specimen collection and maintenance systems for correct identification and diagnosis. The CLSI M40-A2 protocol provides guidelines for laboratories assessing quality of medical transport devices, including swab transport systems (STS). This study assessed the efficiency of the Sigma Transwab® foam and flock swab in recovering and maintaining viability of different Candida spp. including C. auris, in different test conditions. Both swab types recovered and maintained viability of all Candida spp. with greater CFU at room temperature after incubation (24 and 48 h) in comparison with swabs maintained at 4 °C.
Microsites and early litter decomposition patterns in the soil and forest canopy at regional scale
Authors: Aguilar-Cruz Yonatan , García-Franco José G. , Zotz Gerhard 
Published: October 2020

AbstractPlant litter decomposition is a key ecological process that is mostly studied at the forest floor. However, decomposition generally starts in the canopy. In this study, we evaluated the effect of litter composition and climate on the initial phase of decomposition in the soil and two contrasting types of canopy microsites along an elevational gradient (0–2200 m a.s.l.). To this end, we incubated standard material composed by green (fast decomposing) and rooibos (slow decomposing) tea bags for three months. Tea bags were placed in soil (buried at 5 cm) and in the canopy at ca. 5 m above the ground in “micro-wetlands” (tank bromeliads) and dry crown microsites (branches). Along the elevational gradient, green tea decomposed faster than rooibos tea in all microsites and forests. Mass loss for both tea types was lowest on branches at all sites, except for green tea in a wet forest where decomposition did not significantly differ among microsites. In wet forests, decomposition did not differ between bromeliads and soil, while in a dry forest, decomposition was faster in bromeliads. We found that the effects of climatic variables [monthly average temperature (TEMP) and total precipitation (PREC) for the incubation months] on decomposition differed between microsites. Along the elevational gradient, the mass loss in soil was positively correlated with TEMP but not with PREC, whereas on branches, mass loss was negatively correlated with TEMP and positively correlated with PREC. Unlike on branches, mass loss in bromeliads slightly decreased with PREC and increased with TEMP. Our study shows that microsite conditions interact with climate (TEMP and PREC) leading to differences in the general decomposition patterns in the forest canopy.
Investigating spatiotemporal dynamics and trade-off/synergy of multiple ecosystem services in response to land cover change: a case study of Nanjing city, China
Authors: Zhao Jie , Li Cheng 
Published: October 2020

AbstractInvestigating the spatiotemporal trends and trade-off/synergy relationships among ecosystem services can provide effective support for urban planning and decision making toward sustainable development. With Nanjing city in China as a case study, this study assessed the spatiotemporal dynamics of six key ecosystem services from 2005 to 2030. Integration of Markov-cellular automata and ecosystem services models was realized to analyze the potential impacts of future urbanization on ecosystem services by simulating business-as-usual (BAU), cropland protection (CP), and ecological restoration (ER) scenarios. Furthermore, an innovative trade-off/synergy degree was developed to quantify the magnitude of the complex relationship among the multiple ecosystem services under the different scenarios. Due to the rapid expansion of built-up land, carbon storage, habitat quality, and air purification decreased 2.92%, 5.80%, and 7.91%, respectively. The CP scenario exhibited the highest crop production values, and the ER scenario was a better urban development strategy that enhanced the regulating ecosystem services at the expense of crop production. To promote urban ecosystem services and minimize trade-offs, we proposed certain future urban development strategies, including ecological corridor construction and compact development. The study could provide a scientific reference for the effective ecosystem management of Nanjing and other rapidly urbanized regions.
Development and Psychometric Properties of a New Questionnaire to Assess Mental Health and Concerning Behaviors in Children and Young People with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): The Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB) Scale
Authors: Tarver Joanne , Vitoratou Silia , Mastroianni Mathilde , Heaney Natalie , Bennett Eleanor , Gibbons Felicity , Fiori Federico , Absoud Michael , Ramasubramanian Lakshmi , Simonoff Emily , Santosh Paramala 
Published: October 2020

AbstractAlthough 70% of autistic children and young people meet criteria for co-occurring psychiatric conditions, there are few screening measures specifically for autistic individuals. We describe the development and validation of the Assessment of Concerning Behavior (ACB), an instrument co-developed with the autistic community to assess mental health and problematic/risky behaviors. Items include descriptions to facilitate symptom recognition by autistic people, and carers/professionals. The ACB was completed by 255 parents, 149 autistic children and young people and 30 teachers. Internal consistency, stability and validity was assessed. The ACB parent-version fit a two-factor model (internalizing and externalizing problems) and showed adequate test–retest reliability, internal consistency and construct validity. The ACB is a promising new measure for research and clinical use in autism.
“Andrà tutto bene”: Associations Between Character Strengths, Psychological Distress and Self-efficacy During Covid-19 Lockdown
Authors: Casali Nicole , Feraco Tommaso , Ghisi Marta , Meneghetti Chiara 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe Covid-19 pandemic obliged people around the world to stay home and self-isolate, with a number of negative psychological consequences. This study focuses on the protective role of character strengths in sustaining mental health and self-efficacy during lockdown. Data were collected from 944 Italian respondents (mean age = 37.24 years, SD = 14.50) by means of an online survey investigating character strengths, psychological distress and Covid-19-related self-efficacy one month after lockdown began. Using principal component analysis, four strengths factors were extracted, namely transcendence, interpersonal, openness and restraint. Regression models with second-order factors showed that transcendence strengths had a strong inverse association with psychological distress, and a positive association with self-efficacy. Regression models with single strengths identified hope, zest, prudence, love and forgiveness as the strengths most associated with distress, love and zest as the most related to self-efficacy and zest to general mental health. Openness factor and appreciation of beauty showed an unexpected direct relation with psychological distress. These results provide original evidence of the association of character strengths, and transcendence strengths in particular, with mental health and self-efficacy in a pandemic and are discussed within the field of positive psychology.
How Extreme Is the Precautionary Principle?
Authors: Hansson Sven Ove 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe precautionary principle has often been described as an extreme principle that neglects science and stifles innovation. However, such an interpretation has no support in the official definitions of the principle that have been adopted by the European Union and by the signatories of international treaties on environmental protection. In these documents, the precautionary principle is a guideline specifying how to deal with certain types of scientific uncertainty. In this contribution, this approach to the precautionary principle is explicated with the help of concepts from the philosophy of science and comparisons with general notions of practical rationality. Three major problems in its application are discussed, and it is concluded that to serve its purpose, the precautionary principle has to (1) be combined with other decision principles in cases with competing top priorities, (2) be based on the current state of science, which requires procedures for scientific updates, and (3) exclude potential dangers whose plausibility is too low to trigger meaningful precautionary action.
Ethical Decision Making in Autonomous Vehicles: The AV Ethics Project
Authors: Evans Katherine , de Moura Nelson , Chauvier Stéphane , Chatila Raja , Dogan Ebru 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe ethics of autonomous vehicles (AV) has received a great amount of attention in recent years, specifically in regard to their decisional policies in accident situations in which human harm is a likely consequence. Starting from the assumption that human harm is unavoidable, many authors have developed differing accounts of what morality requires in these situations. In this article, a strategy for AV decision-making is proposed, the Ethical Valence Theory, which paints AV decision-making as a type of claim mitigation: different road users hold different moral claims on the vehicle’s behavior, and the vehicle must mitigate these claims as it makes decisions about its environment. Using the context of autonomous vehicles, the harm produced by an action and the uncertainties connected to it are quantified and accounted for through deliberation, resulting in an ethical implementation coherent with reality. The goal of this approach is not to define how moral theory requires vehicles to behave, but rather to provide a computational approach that is flexible enough to accommodate a number of ‘moral positions’ concerning what morality demands and what road users may expect, offering an evaluation tool for the social acceptability of an autonomous vehicle’s ethical decision making.
„Clankriminalität“ und die „German Angst“
Authors: Feltes Thomas , Rauls Felix 
Published: October 2020

ZusammenfassungDie Autoren üben Kritik an der Definition der „Clankriminalität“, beleuchten den administrativen Ansatz und stellen dies in Zusammenhang zur „German Angst“ und Kriminalitätsfurcht.
Aristotle’s lobster: the image in the text
Authors: Fürst von Lieven Alexander , Humar Marcel , Scholtz Gerhard 
Published: October 2020

AbstractThe Anatomai, a lost work written by Aristotle, must have contained a collection of various drawings and figures of species as well as their organs. In his texts (mainly the Historia animalium), Aristotle is often referring to the drawings after the description of species. Our study applies the method of the comparative view (‘Vergleichendes Sehen’) to provide an access to and reconstruction of Aristotle’s lost illustrations based on his textual descriptions. As an example, we chose the treatment of the European lobster (Homarus gammarus L., 1758) in the Aristotelian corpus as a case study. First, we analyse the etymology of the Greek term astakós referring to the lobster and provide an overview on the putative synonyms. Second, we confront the textual basis of the description with several questions concerning the degree of abstraction, the relation between text and image, and the spatial orientation of the image. Finally, we present a step-by-step reconstruction of Aristotle’s illustrations of the lobster based on the various passages dealing with its anatomy in the text of the Historia animalium. The problems which arise by a confrontation of the textual basis with hypothetical images are discussed at a more general level. We conclude that this kind of a text-based image reconstruction is only possible if the object described by Aristotle is unambiguously identifiable and still visually accessible.
Vorstellungen legitimen Regierens: Legitimationspolitik in der Großen Regierungserklärung der 19. Wahlperiode im Vergleich
Authors: Barnickel Christiane 
Published: October 2020

ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag rekonstruiert die Legitimationsvorstellungen politischer Akteure, wie sie in der Großen Regierungserklärung und der parlamentarischen Aussprache der 19. Wahlperiode diskursiv artikuliert werden und tastet sie auf den (post-)demokratischen Gehalt der Legitimationsargumente ab. Mit der Postdemokratiedebatte wird an eine der prominentesten aktuellen Krisendiagnosen der Demokratie angeknüpft, die auf ihren empirischen Gehalt hinsichtlich ideationaler Wandlungsprozesse, gefasst als legitimatorische Leitideen, befragt wird. Mittels einer diskursnetzwerkanalytischen Betrachtung der legitimatorischen Kerngehalte und über einen Vergleich mit den früheren Regierungserklärungen seit 1949 wird ermittelt, inwieweit die öffentlich vermittelten legitimatorischen Vorstellungen in Tradition oder Opposition zu längerfristigen Entwicklungslinien stehen.Es wird gezeigt, wie Legitimationsargumente zusammenspielen und letztlich Begründungsmuster dominant sind, die demokratische Kernnormen eher randständig verhandeln und insbesondere die legitimatorische Inputdimension vernachlässigen. Damit setzt sich im legitimationspolitischen Diskurs eine bereits seit Längerem andauernde Entwicklung fort, die sich zudem dadurch auszeichnet, dass es kaum mehr gemeinsame legitimatorische Kernnormen gibt, gleichzeitig aber nur in wenigen Fällen ein offener Konflikt über den legitimatorischen Gehalt von Legitimationsargumenten besteht. Im Vergleich zu Vorgängerdebatten vollzieht sich nun allerdings ein Wandel hinsichtlich einzelner Legitimationsargumente. Insbesondere bricht die Verwendung von Ökonomisierungs- und Freiheitsargumenten sowie ein Konflikt über die legitimatorische Bedeutung von ‚Nationalismus‘ mit bislang bestehenden Kontinuitäten.
Assessment of groundwater quality in Khulna city of Bangladesh in terms of water quality index for drinking purpose
Authors: Mahmud Asif , Sikder Shraboni , Joardar Jagadish Chandra 
Published: October 2020

AbstractValuation of water quality index (WQI) is one of the simplest, easily understandable, and efficacious techniques to evaluate the quality and suitability of water for drinking as well as other purposes. This research was aimed to investigate the drinking water quality of tube wells from different areas in Khulna City, Bangladesh, by developing the WQI. Water samples from 59 tube wells were collected from different locations during the pre-monsoon time. pH, electric conductivity (EC), dissolve oxygen (DO), total dissolved solid (TDS), chloride (Cl−), nitrate (NO3−), and total hardness of the collected water samples were analyzed for the calculation of WQI. The mean value for pH, EC, DO, TDS, Cl−1, NO3−, and total hardness was 7.30, 1650 μS/cm, 1.60 mg/l, 1188.7 mg/l, 414.6 mg/l, 0.029 mg/l, and 52.03 mg/l, respectively. The calculated WQI values for individual places were distributed spatially through mapping by using ArcGIS software. Based on the WQI values, the drinking water was categorized into excellent, good, poor, very poor, and unfit for drinking purposes. The calculated WQI values ranged from 40.11 to 454.37 with an average value of 108.94. Among all the groundwater samples, 11.86% were excellent, 54.24% were good, 23.73% were poor, 1.69% were very poor, and 8.47% were unfit for drinking purpose based on WQI. The results showed that the groundwater quality of most of the studied areas of Khulna city could be considered safe and suitable for drinking barring the elevated EC and chloride content in some areas. Since Khulna city is situated in the southwestern part of Bangladesh and gradually approaches toward the base level of the Bay of Bengal which might be the source of salt concentration in the groundwater of Khulna city, Bangladesh.
A predictive protocol to obtain maximum water-free oil production rate for perforated vertical wells
Authors: Adeleye James O. , Olamigoke Olugbenga , Mumuni Oluseun T. 
Published: October 2020

AbstractProducing an oilfield in a cost-effective way depends on how long water production could be delayed in the reservoir. Many flow mechanisms, correlations, and methods to calculate maximum water-free oil production rate have been published, However, those methods have generally failed to not consider the skin effect which affects the flow into the wellbore. In this paper, the semi-analytical perforation skin model as presented by Karakas and Tariq is incorporated into the Meyer and Garder correlation for critical oil rate from a perforated vertical well interval to obtain the maximum water-free oil production rate and optimal perforation parameters. The resulting coupled computational model is used to determine the sensitivity of the maximum water-free oil production rate to wellbore perforation parameters. Whilst an increase in perforation length and decrease in spacing between perforation increase the critical flow rate, an increase in perforation radius did not translate to higher productivity. The optimal perforation angles are 45° and 60°, however, for the data used in this work the maximum water-free oil rate of 23.2 std/d was obtained at 45° of phasing angle, 1 in of spacing between perforation, 0.36 in of perforation radius and 48 in of perforation length. Thus, the perforation strategy can be optimized prior to drilling and completion operations to improve productivity using the computational model presented in this work.
Conceptualizing the National Group for the Crime of Genocide: Is Law Able to Account for Identity Fault Lines?
Authors: Lingaas Carola 
Published: October 2020

Abstract“National group” is one of four victim groups that is explicitly protected by international criminal law from genocide. At the core of any genocide lies an element of identity. Yet, the fixed group categories that the law provides for seemingly do not conform to the fluidity of group identities. Is the law at all able to account for identity fault lines? By recourse to research on identity construction and otherness, this article argues that the interpretation of the law of genocide can benefit, structurally and legally, from insight into the forces at work before a genocide erupts. In recognizing the perpetrator’s definitional power over the victim group, the courts should increasingly focus their investigation into the mind of the génocidaires and their perception of the national victim group. In addition to discussing the dynamics of intergroup conflicts leading up to a genocide, this article also looks at the jurisprudence of criminal courts on the issues of nationality, national groups, and national identity for the crime of genocide.
Algorithmic Trading and Market Quality: International Evidence
Authors: Boehmer Ekkehart , Fong Kingsley , Wu Juan (Julie) 
Published: October 2020

AbstractWe study the effect of algorithmic trading (AT) on market quality between 2001 and 2011 in 42 equity markets around the world. We use an exchange colocation service that increases AT as an exogenous instrument to draw causal inferences about AT on market quality. On average, AT improves liquidity and informational efficiency but increases short-term volatility. Importantly, AT also lowers execution shortfalls for buy-side institutional investors. Our results are surprisingly consistent across markets and thus across a wide range of AT environments. We further document that the beneficial effect of AT is stronger in large stocks than in small stocks.
Shared intrinsic functional connectivity alterations as a familial risk marker for ADHD: a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging study with sibling design
Authors: Chiang Huey-Ling , Tseng Wen-Yih Isaac , Wey Hsiao-Ying , Gau Susan Shur-Fen 
Published: October 2020

AbstractBackgroundAlthough aberrant intrinsic functional connectivity has been reported in attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), we have a limited understanding of whether connectivity alterations are related to the familial risk of ADHD.MethodsFifty-three probands with ADHD, their unaffected siblings (n = 53) and typically developing controls (n = 53) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. A seed-based approach with the bilateral precuneus/posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) was used to derive a whole-brain functional connectivity map in each subject. The differences in functional connectivity among the three groups were tested with one-way ANOVA using randomized permutation. Comparisons between two groups were also performed to examine the increase or decrease in connectivity. The severity of ADHD symptoms was used to identify brain regions where symptom severity is correlated to the strength of intrinsic functional connectivity.ResultsWhen compared to controls, both probands and unaffected siblings showed increased functional connectivity in the left insula and left inferior frontal gyrus. The connectivity in these regions was linked to better performance in response inhibition in the control group but absent in other groups. Higher ADHD symptom severity was correlated with increased functional connectivity in bilateral fronto-parietal-temporal regions only noted in probands with ADHD.ConclusionsAlterations in resting-state functional connectivities with the precuneus/PCC, hubs of default-mode network, account for the underlying familial risks of ADHD. Since the left insula and left inferior frontal gyri are key regions of the salience and frontoparietal network, respectively, future studies focusing on alterations of cross-network functional connectivity as the familial risk of ADHD are suggested.