bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
A new approach to modeling the microdosimetry of proton therapy beams
Authors: Abolfath Ramin , Helo Yusuf , Carlson David J. , Stewart Robert , Grosshans David , Mohan Radhe 
Published: April 2020

IntroductionTo revisit the formulation of the mean chord length in microdosimetry and replace it by the particle mean free path appropriate for modelings in radiobiology.MethodsWe perform a collision‐by‐collision followed by event‐by‐event Geant4 Monte Carlo simulation and calculate double‐averaged stepping length, 〈〈l〉〉, for a range of target sizes from mm down to μm and depth in water. We consider 〈〈l〉〉 to represent the particle mean free path.ResultsWe show that 〈〈l〉〉 continuously drops as a function of depth and asymptotically saturates to a minimum value in low energies, where it exhibits a universal scaling behavior, independent of particle nominal beam energy. We correlate 〈〈l〉〉 to linear density of DNA damage, complexities of initial lethal lesions and illustrate a relative difference between predictive RBEs in model calculations using mean chord length vs the proposed mean free path. We demonstrate consistency between rapid increase in RBE within and beyond the Bragg peak and 〈〈l〉〉, a decreasing function of depth.Discussion and conclusionAn interplay between localities in imparted energy at nanometer scale and subsequent physio‐chemical processes, causalities and pathways in DNA damage requires substitution of geometrical chord length of cell nuclei by mean‐free path of proton and charged particles to account for a mean distance among sequential collisions in DNA materials. To this end, the event averaging over cell volume in the current microdosimetry formalism must be superseded by the collision averaging scored within the volume. The former, is fundamentally a global attribute of the cell nuclei surfaces and boundaries and is characterized by their membrane diameters, hence such global indices are not appropriate to quantitatively represent the radiobiological strength of the particles and their RBE variabilities that is associated with the sensitivities to local structure of the collisions and their spatio‐temporal collective patterns in DNA materials.
Deliberative layering: Explaining diverse interest mobilization across the European Parliament's Policy Cycle
Authors: Coen David , Lehmann Wilhelm , Katsaitis Alexander 
Published: April 2020

AbstractDrawing from work on deliberation and information‐access, this paper conceptually frames why and when different types of interests mobilize across the parliamentary policy cycle. We posit that each policy stage holds its own deliberative purpose and logic, leading to a variation in the type and volume of information demanded. The legitimacy of the expertise interest groups provide is affected by their organizational characteristics. To ensure the smooth flow of the policy process, members of parliament encourage groups that legitimately hold relevant information to mobilize at each policy stage, while lobbyists choose to mobilize when their expertise allows them to better influence policy‐makers' debates. We test our argument in the context of the European Parliament, following a unique survey of the 8th legislature (2014–2019). The responses lend support to our model. In a policy process that contains various stages of deliberation, different organizations hold an information‐expertise key that gives them access at different stages. Significantly, less studied groups, such as think tanks and consultancies, mobilize well ahead of others in the cycle's initial phases; while lobbyists representing public constituencies dominate in the final stages. The paper contributes to broader theoretical discussions on pluralism, bias, and deliberation in policy‐making.
Integrating genomics for chickpea improvement: achievements and opportunities
Authors: Roorkiwal Manish , Bharadwaj Chellapilla , Barmukh Rutwik , Dixit Girish P. , Thudi Mahendar , Gaur Pooran M. , Chaturvedi Sushil K. , Fikre Asnake , Hamwieh Aladdin , Kumar Shiv , Sachdeva Supriya , Ojiewo Chris O. , Tar’an Bunyamin , Wordofa Nigusie Girma , Singh Narendra P. , Siddique Kadambot H. M. , Varshney Rajeev K. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractKey messageIntegration of genomic technologies with breeding efforts have been used in recent years for chickpea improvement. Modern breeding along with low cost genotyping platforms have potential to further accelerate chickpea improvement efforts.AbstractThe implementation of novel breeding technologies is expected to contribute substantial improvements in crop productivity. While conventional breeding methods have led to development of more than 200 improved chickpea varieties in the past, still there is ample scope to increase productivity. It is predicted that integration of modern genomic resources with conventional breeding efforts will help in the delivery of climate-resilient chickpea varieties in comparatively less time. Recent advances in genomics tools and technologies have facilitated the generation of large-scale sequencing and genotyping data sets in chickpea. Combined analysis of high-resolution phenotypic and genetic data is paving the way for identifying genes and biological pathways associated with breeding-related traits. Genomics technologies have been used to develop diagnostic markers for use in marker-assisted backcrossing programmes, which have yielded several molecular breeding products in chickpea. We anticipate that a sequence-based holistic breeding approach, including the integration of functional omics, parental selection, forward breeding and genome-wide selection, will bring a paradigm shift in development of superior chickpea varieties. There is a need to integrate the knowledge generated by modern genomics technologies with molecular breeding efforts to bridge the genome-to-phenome gap. Here, we review recent advances that have led to new possibilities for developing and screening breeding populations, and provide strategies for enhancing the selection efficiency and accelerating the rate of genetic gain in chickpea.
Three Tertiary Euphorbia species persisted in the forests of the Balkan Peninsula
Authors: Caković Danka , Frajman Božo 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe Balkan Peninsula is renowned as a refugium of forest species, which were more widespread in the Tertiary. We here investigated three species from one of the largest genera of flowering plants, Euphorbia, which survived the Pleistocene glaciations in the Balkan Peninsula, but responded differently to Holocene warming. Using ITS sequences, multivariate morphometrics and relative genome size (RGS) measurements, we explored relationships among E. amygdaloides, E. heldreichii and E. orjeni, for which different taxonomic treatments have been proposed. The ITS-inferred phylogenies indicate that all three species form independent evolutionary lineages, which have similar RGS, but differ morphologically, and should thus be treated as independent species. The most enigmatic of them, E. orjeni, was found for the first time after 100 years at its type locality in Montenegro, and, based on herbarium revision, was discovered also in the surroundings of Belgrade. Euphorbia heldreichii is more widespread, distributed in the southern Balkan Peninsula, whereas E. amygdaloides occurs in forests throughout Europe, North Africa and Western Asia. Our study emphasises the importance of further botanical exploration of the Balkan Peninsula, a hotspot of European biotic diversity.
The instability of globalization: applying evolutionary game theory to global trade cooperation
Authors: Krapohl Sebastian , Ocelík Václav , Walentek Dawid M. 
Published: April 2020

AbstractA new wave of protectionism is threatening the open and cooperative international order. This paper applies evolutionary game theory to analyze the stability of international trade cooperation. Global trade liberalization is modeled as an iterated prisoner’s dilemma between all possible pairs of WTO member states. Empirical data are used to model the sizes and competitiveness of the respective markets, which then determine the resulting gains and costs of trade cooperation. Because of the large number of WTO member states and repeated rounds of their interactions, we use computer simulations to calculate the strategies that lead to the maximum ‘fitness’ of the respective member states and consequently diffuse through the population of countries. The results of our simulations show that international trade cooperation is not a stable equilibrium and that extreme levels of trade liberalization can be exploited successfully by protectionist trade policies.
The Best of Both Worlds or the Worst of Both Worlds? Multilateral Development Banks, Immunities and Accountability to Rights-Holders
Authors: Erdem Türkelli Gamze 
Published: April 2020

AbstractMultilateral development banks (MDBs) are accorded immunities and privileges as agents of their member states as justified by functionalist arguments. They are also operationally hybrid: they are actors in their own right in addition to being functional agents. Navigating the functionalist imagery and relying on the argument that they are delegated purely economic pursuits (i.e. financing economic development), MDBs are able to eschew accountability to rights-holders that are affected by their decisions and operations. Although administrative law approaches have succeeded in increasing transparency, instilling self-regulatory frameworks and providing for independent review, the absence of external oversight of such review mechanisms and the broad immunities to suit enjoyed by MDBs have impeded true accountability to rights-holders. This article argues that, in so far as they engage in private sector financing operations, MDBs and their constituent arms share the form, function and relationships of an economic corporation to a large extent. Consequently, their immunities should be limited to render them bound—like ordinary corporations- by the domestic norms with respect to rule of law and human rights of the home and host countries in which they operate in order to make them accountable to rights-holders and to provide recourse for wrongdoings.
Gender, Race and Political Ambition: The Case of Ontario School Board Elections
Authors: Davidson Adrienne M. , McGregor R. Michael , Siemiatycky Myer 
Published: April 2020

AbstractThe political underrepresentation of women and racial minorities in Canadian politics is well documented. One political arena that has yet to be examined in this respect, however, is school boards. Using data from a candidate survey conducted during the course of the 2018 Ontario school board elections, as well as demographic data collected on the entire population of school board candidates, we explore the unique characteristics of school board elections. The research note begins by describing the gender and racial composition of candidates and trustees in Canada's most populous province. It then considers the ways in which school board elections may serve as a launchpad to higher office for either of these two traditionally underrepresented groups, as we explore the features of progressive political ambition, recruitment into school board campaigns and the relative electoral success of racialized candidates and women in this local office. While women do very well in school board elections, they are significantly less likely than their male counterparts to have the desire to move up to provincial or federal politics. Meanwhile, racialized candidates contest school board election in significant numbers and report similar levels of progressive ambition relative to their white counterparts, but they fare exceptionally poorly in school board elections.
Impact of comorbidity on health-related quality of life among type 2 diabetic patients in primary care
Authors: Pati Sandipana , Pati Sanghamitra , Akker Marjan van den , Schellevis F. (François) G. , Jena Sunita , Burgers Jako S. 
Published: April 2020

Abstract

Background:
Health-related quality of life (HRQL) is an important outcome for chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus that is associated with complications, comorbidities, and lifelong care.

Objectives:
The present study aims to explore the impact of comorbidities on the different dimensions of HRQL among type 2 diabetic patients attending primary care.

Methods:
A total of 912 type 2 diabetic patients attending primary care centers in India were assessed using a predesigned and pretested questionnaire – Diabetes Comorbidity Evaluation Tool in Primary Care. The HRQL was measured by physical and mental health summary scores [physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS)] of the Short Form Health Survey 12. The associations of sociodemographic variables and clinical variables with PCS and MCS were assessed, and a minimal difference of 5 in the scores (on a scale of 0–100) was kept as clinically relevant difference for this study. Mean differences in mental (MCS) and physical (PCS) scores of quality of life by number and type of comorbid conditions in type 2 diabetic patients were calculated.

Result:
The presence of comorbid conditions was associated with lower scores of PCS and MCS (P < 0.001). Significant reduction in HRQL was found with increase in number of comorbid conditions, and negative association was established between the number of comorbidities and the PCS (r = −0.25, P < 0.0001) and MCS scores (r = −0.21, P < 0.0001). Among comorbidities, acid peptic disease, chronic lung disease, visual impairment, depression, and stroke had significantly and clinically relevant reduced scores. Duration of diabetes, use of insulin, and obesity were also associated with poor HRQL.

Conclusion:
Comorbidities considerably impair the HRQL among type 2 diabetic patients. National programs designed for diabetes management should also take into account the challenges of coexisting chronic conditions and its substantial effect on HRQL.
Centrist anti-establishment parties and their protest voters: more than a superficial romance?
Authors: Engler Sarah 
Published: April 2020

AbstractNew centrist anti-establishment parties (CAPs) are successful competitors in Central and Eastern Europe. Due to their emphasis on anti-establishment rhetoric and a moderate ideological platform, their breakthrough is usually explained by voters’ dissatisfaction with existing parties. However, little is known about the ideological component of their support. Expectations on the impact of ideology on vote choice in the protest voting literature range from ‘pure protest voting’, which denies any impact of ideology, to a more moderate approach, which combines protest and ideological considerations. Using survey data, I confirm that CAPs attract voters with lower levels of political trust, but ideology also matters. The degree of ideological sorting, however, varies. While some CAPs mainly attract voters from one side of the political spectrum, others attract voters from the left to the right more equally. The differences in the initial composition of their electorates have implications for the parties’ future.
The Association of Dyslexia and Developmental Speech and Language Disorder Candidate Genes with Reading and Language Abilities in Adults
Authors: Doust Catherine , Gordon Scott D. , Garden Natalie , Fisher Simon E. , Martin Nicholas G. , Bates Timothy C. , Luciano Michelle 
Published: April 2020

AbstractReading and language abilities are critical for educational achievement and success in adulthood. Variation in these traits is highly heritable, but the underlying genetic architecture is largely undiscovered. Genetic studies of reading and language skills traditionally focus on children with developmental disorders; however, much larger unselected adult samples are available, increasing power to identify associations with specific genetic variants of small effect size. We introduce an Australian adult population cohort (41.7–73.2 years of age, N = 1505) in which we obtained data using validated measures of several aspects of reading and language abilities. We performed genetic association analysis for a reading and spelling composite score, nonword reading (assessing phonological processing: a core component in learning to read), phonetic spelling, self-reported reading impairment and nonword repetition (a marker of language ability). Given the limited power in a sample of this size (~80% power to find a minimum effect size of 0.005), we focused on analyzing candidate genes that have been associated with dyslexia and developmental speech and language disorders in prior studies. In gene-based tests, FOXP2, a gene implicated in speech/language disorders, was associated with nonword repetition (p < .001), phonetic spelling (p = .002) and the reading and spelling composite score (p < .001). Gene-set analyses of candidate dyslexia and speech/language disorder genes were not significant. These findings contribute to the assessment of genetic associations in reading and language disorders, crucial for understanding their etiology and informing intervention strategies, and validate the approach of using unselected adult samples for gene discovery in language and reading.
Topological Properties of Epidemic Aftershock Processes
Authors: Baró Jordi 
Published: April 2020

AbstractEarthquakes in seismological catalogs and acoustic emission events in lab experiments can be statistically described as point events in linear Hawkes processes, where the spatiotemporal rate is a linear superposition of background intensity and aftershock clusters triggered by preceding activity. Traditionally, statistical seismology interpreted these models as the outcome of epidemic branching processes, where one‐to‐one causal links can be established between mainshocks and aftershocks. Declustering techniques are used to infer the underlying triggering trees and relate their topological properties with epidemic branching models. Here, we review how the standard Epidemic Type Aftershock Sequence (ETAS) model extends from the Galton‐Watson branching processes and bridges two extreme cases: Poisson and scale‐free power law trees. We report the statistical laws expected in triggering trees regarding some topological properties. We find that the statistics of such topological properties depend exclusively on two parameters of the standard ETAS model: the average branching ratio nb and the ratio between exponents α and b characterizing the production of aftershocks and the distribution of magnitudes, respectively. In particular, the classification of clusters into bursts and swarms proposed by Zaliapin and Ben‐Zion (2013b, https://doi.org/10.1002/jgrb.50178) appears naturally in the aftershock sequences of the standard ETAS model depending on nb and α/b. On the other hand swarms can also appear by false causal connections between independent events in nontectonic seismogenic episodes. From these results, one can use the memory‐less Galton‐Watson as a null model for empirical triggering processes and assess the validity of the ETAS hypothesis to reproduce the statistics of natural and artificial catalogs.
Microstructure Evolution of Hydrate‐Bearing Sands During Thermal Dissociation and Ensued Impacts on the Mechanical and Seepage Characteristics
Authors: Wu Peng , Li Yanghui , Liu Weiguo , Liu Yu , Wang Dayong , Song Yongchen 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn this study, a microfocus X‐ray computed tomography‐based triaxial testing apparatus was used to observe and quantify the microstructure evolution of hydrate‐bearing sands during thermal dissociation of hydrate. Three triaxial shear tests with X‐ray computed tomography were conducted to study the influence of hydrate dissociation on the mechanical behavior of hydrate‐bearing sands. The results show that hydrate covering the sand particle surface dissociates first and then at the menisci between sand particles. The secondary hydrate formation mainly occurs on the menisci between sand particles and the surfaces of the hydrate shells where hydrates already exist. Hydrate dissociation could cause fabric changes in hydrate‐bearing sands, resulting in a more isotropic orientation distribution of sand particles. The failure behavior of the hydrate‐free sand specimen is similar to that of the specimen after hydrate dissociation, which shows an obvious drum‐shaped failure pattern with X‐shaped shear bands. However, the hydrate‐bearing sand specimen exhibits a shear band with a determined thickness and inclination angle. Hydrate dissociation could cause a significant loss of supporting cementation, resulting in a decline in the stiffness and failure strength. The failure strength of hydrate‐free sand specimen is slightly higher than that of the specimen after hydrate dissociation; this may due to that the homogeneous orientation frequency distribution can enhance the stability of the force chain between sand particles. The secondary hydrate formation causes sediment deformation resulting in a decrease in absolute permeability due to pore blockage.
Gas‐Pyroclast Motions in Volcanic Conduits During Strombolian Eruptions, in Light of Shock Tube Experiments
Authors: Salvatore Valentino , Cigala Valeria , Taddeucci Jacopo , Arciniega‐Ceballos Alejandra , Peña Fernández Juan José , Alatorre‐Ibargüengoitia Miguel Angel , Gaudin Damien , Palladino Danilo M. , Kueppers Ulrich , Scarlato Piergiorgio 
Published: April 2020

AbstractIn a Strombolian volcanic eruption, bursting of a pressurized gas pocket accelerates a mixture of gas and pyroclasts along a conduit and out of a vent. While mixture ejection at the vent is the subject of direct geophysical measurements, and a key to eruption understanding, the dynamics of how the mixture moves in the conduit are not observable and only partly understood. Here, we use analog, transparent shock tube experiments to study the dynamics of gas and particles under fast gas decompression in a vertical tube. Maximum particle exit velocity increases linearly with increasing energy (pressure times volume) of the pressurized gas and, subordinately, with decreasing particle size and depth in the tube. Particles, initially at rest, are at first accelerated and dispersed in the conduit by the expanding gas. When the gas decelerates or even reverses its motion due to pressure changes in the tube, the particles, moving under their inertia, are then decelerated by the gas drag. Deceleration lasts longer for lower initial gas energy and for deeper particle starting position. Experiments and eruptions share two key vent ejection features: (1) particles exit the vent already decelerating, and (2) the exit velocity of the particles decays over time following the same nonlinear law. Friction with slower or even backflowing gas likely causes pyroclast deceleration in volcanic conduits during Strombolian explosions. Pyroclast deceleration, in turn, affects their exit velocity at the vent, as well as estimates of the explosion source depth based on temporal changes in exit velocity.