bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Quality of life among Ethiopian cancer patients
Authors: Wondie Yemataw , Hinz Andreas 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Purpose
Cancer is of increasing prevalence in less-developed countries. However, research on the patients’ quality of life (QoL) in these countries is very limited. The aim of this study was to examine QoL of cancer patients in Africa.

Method
A sample of 256 cancer patients treated in an Ethiopian hospital was examined with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire EORTC QLQ-C30, the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. A group of 1664 German cancer patients served as a comparison group.

Results
Most of the scales of the EORTC QLQ-C30 showed acceptable reliability in the Ethiopian sample. Compared with the German cancer patients, the Ethiopian patients showed lower QoL in most dimensions, especially in financial difficulties, physical functioning, pain, and appetite loss (effect sizes between 0.52 and 0.75). Illiteracy, tumor stage, and treatment (surgery and chemotherapy) were associated with QoL in the Ethiopian sample. QoL was strongly correlated with fatigue, anxiety, and depression.

Conclusion
The EORTC QLQ-C30 is a suitable instrument for measuring QoL in Ethiopia. The detriments in QoL in the Ethiopian patients indicate specific cancer care needs for the patients in a developing country.
Aarhus-Konvention und Unionsrecht als prägende Faktoren für die Verbandsklage im UmwRG
Authors: Guckelberger Annette 
Published: March 2020

ZusammenfassungDie Aarhus-Konvention kann auf eine nunmehr 20-jährige Geschichte zurückblicken. Bis heute
sind aber noch keineswegs alle Rechtsfragen geklärt. Die Haltung des Aarhus Convention Compliance
Committee sowie die Rechtsprechung des EuGH zu Art. 9 Abs. 2, 3 Aarhus-Konvention (nachfolgend: AK) haben
erhebliche Folgen für die Ausgestaltung der Verbandsklage im UmwRG. Dieses musste mehrmals nachjustiert
werden, weitere Änderungen sind zu prognostizieren.
Allgemeiner Rahmen der energetischen Folgenutzung von ehemaligen Kohlestandorten im Zuge des Kohleausstiegs
Authors: Wehmeyer Anna 
Published: March 2020

ZusammenfassungDieser Beitrag befasst sich mit der Frage, unter welchen Bedingungen die ehemals bergbaulich und zum
Zweck der Kohleverstromung genutzten Flächen zum erforderlichen Ausbau der erneuerbaren Energien und
Energiezwischenspeicher verwendet werden können. Dazu wird untersucht, welche Empfehlungen der Abschlussbericht
der Kommission “Wachstum, Strukturwandel und Beschäftigung” zur Folgenutzung ehemaliger
Kohlestandorte enthält und danach, welche rechtlichen Bestimmungen sich durch das Bundesberggesetz
(BBergG), das Raumordnungsrecht und das Genehmigungsrecht für erneuerbare Energien und Energiezwischenspeicher
ergeben. Außerdem wird der aktuelle Stand in Form von aktuellen Projekten und die aktuelle Gesetzgebung
diesbezüglich betrachtet. Der erste Teil untersucht den Abschlussbericht der Kommission “Wachstum,
Strukturwandel und Beschäftigung” und die allgemeinen rechtlichen Rahmenbedingungen, denen die
Folgenutzung der ehemaligen Kohlestandorte und die Errichtung von Anlagen zur Erzeugung von Strom aus erneuerbaren
Energien unterstehen.
Neue Regeln für die Gentechnik in Europa?
Authors: Andersen Elisabeth , Schreiber Katharina 
Published: March 2020

ZusammenfassungAnknüpfend an den Beitrag der Autorinnen in NuR 2020, 99ff. zum EuGH-Urteil C-528/16 vom 25.
Juli 2018 zur Anwendbarkeit der Europäischen Freisetzungsrichtlinie 2001/18/EG auf zielgerichtete Mutageneseverfahren
im Rahmen der Grünen Gentechnologie und den dazu ergangenen Reaktionen beleuchtet der vorliegende Beitrag
die Auswirkungen des Urteils auf den Handel und die Forschung. Darüber hinaus gibt der Beitrag durch
die Darstellung und Kommentierung der im Nachgang zur Entscheidung ergangenen Reformvorschläge einen
Ausblick auf die möglichen weiteren Entwicklungen im Bereich der europäischen Regulierung von
genetisch veränderten Organismen.
Determining the total energy budget of the tick Ixodes ricinus
Authors: Alasmari Saeed , Wall Richard 
Published: March 2020

AbstractPrecise and accessible techniques for measuring metabolic responses to environmental stress are essential to allow the likely impacts of climate and climate change on tick distribution, abundance and phenology to be predicted. A more detailed understanding of the metabolic profile of ticks may also help the complex responses to pathogen infection and effects on transmission to be evaluated. Here, a series of biochemical protocols employing spectrophotometric methods are used to determine the entire energy budget of ticks. Protein, carbohydrate, total lipid, neutral lipid and glycogen were measured in individualIxodes ricinusnymphs and adults. Two key trends were identified: in adults, protein was relatively more abundant than in nymphs, whereas in nymphs, glycogen and carbohydrate were more abundant than in adults, with glycogen alone composing 39% of the mass of metabolites in nymphs compared to 15 and 10% in females and males, respectively. The methods used were able to successfully separate neutral lipids from the polar phospholipids and the importance of distinguishing stored from structural lipid in estimates of lipid reserves is emphasised. The results demonstrate that the spectrophotometric approaches deliver relatively rapid and reliable estimates of the total energetic budget and can be used to quantify the metabolic profiles of individual ticks, demonstrating their suitability for use in ecological and epidemiological studies.
The impact of Oncotype DX breast cancer assay results on clinical practice: a UK experience
Authors: Crolley Valerie E. , Marashi Husam , Rawther Shabbir , Sirohi Bhawna , Parton Marina , Graham Janine , Vinayan Anup , Sutherland Stephanie , Rigg Anne , Wadhawan Anshu , Harper-Wynne Catherine , Spurrell Emma , Bond Hannah , Raja Fharat , King Judy 
Published: March 2020

Abstract
Background
Genomic tests are increasingly being used by clinicians when considering adjuvant chemotherapy for patients with oestrogen receptor-positive (ER+), human epidermal growth factor 2-negative (HER2−) breast cancer. The Oncotype DX breast recurrence score assay was the first test available in the UK National Health Service. This study looked at how UK clinicians were interpreting Recurrence Scores (RS) in everyday practice.

Methods
RS, patient and tumour characteristics and adjuvant therapy details were retrospectively collected for 713 patients from 14 UK cancer centres. Risk by RS-pathology-clinical (RSPC) was calculated and compared to the low/intermediate/risk categories, both as originally defined (RS < 18, 18–30 and > 30) and also using redefined boundaries (RS < 11, 11–25 and > 25).

Results
49.8%, 36.2% and 14% of patients were at low (RS < 18), intermediate (RS 18–30) and high (RS > 30) risk of recurrence, respectively. Overall 26.7% received adjuvant chemotherapy. 49.2% of those were RS > 30; 93.3% of patients were RS > 25. Concordance between RS and RSPC improved when intermediate risk was defined as RS 11–25.

Conclusions
This real-world data demonstrate the value of genomic tests in reducing the use of adjuvant chemotherapy in breast cancer. Incorporating clinical characteristics or RSPC scores gives additional prognostic information which may also aid clinicians’ decision making.
Reversible and non-reversible Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms for reservoir simulation problems
Authors: Dobson P. , Fursov I. , Lord G. , Ottobre M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractWe compare numerically the performance of reversible and non-reversible Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms for high-dimensional oil reservoir problems; because of the nature of the problem at hand, the target measures from which we sample are supported on bounded domains. We compare two strategies to deal with bounded domains, namely reflecting proposals off the boundary and rejecting them when they fall outside of the domain. We observe that for complex high-dimensional problems, reflection mechanisms outperform rejection approaches and that the advantage of introducing non-reversibility in the Markov Chain employed for sampling is more and more visible as the dimension of the parameter space increases.
The Dilemmas of Constitutional Courts and the Case for a New Design of Kelsenian Institutions
Authors: Castillo-Ortiz Pablo 
Published: March 2020

AbstractLegal and political controversies persist about the performance of Kelsenian-type constitutional courts in democratic systems. One of the reasons is that the design of these institutions cannot easily accommodate simultaneous but conflicting demands for the strong protection of democracy and human rights, judicial independence and constitutional restraint. Challenging the dominant approach to the design of contemporary constitutional courts, this article proposes a new way to balance these three values through reforms to the structure of Kelsenian institutions. The proposal seeks to institutionalize constitutional restraint, embedding it into courts’ internal functioning rules while, concurrently, emancipating constitutional judges from political control through a reform of appointment procedures. It is argued that the combined effects of these two reforms will produce constitutional courts that are more independent and able to protect the core elements of a democratic political community while, at the same time, increasing constitutional deference to the democratically elected legislator.
Planktonic algae abundance and diversity are similar in urban stormwater ponds of different geographic locations and natural shallow lakes
Authors: Minelgaite Greta , Frost Paul C. , Xenopoulos Marguerite A. , Stephansen Diana A. , Fejerskov Morten L. , Vollertsen Jes 
Published: March 2020

AbstractElevated levels of different contaminants are typical to stormwater management ponds. Despite that, a number of works report stormwater ponds serving as habitats for a variety of biota. In this study we aimed to examine phytoplankton communities of urban ponds, as the basis of the aquatic food web, and compare them to those of natural shallow lakes. Stormwater ponds were selected from two distant geographic locations: three in Denmark and three in Canada. As a reference to natural systems, three Danish shallow lakes were sampled. The sampling was carried out in the spring, summer and fall of 2014. The phytoplankton communities in ponds were found to be at least as rich in taxa as natural shallow lakes. Their abundance and biovolume varied highly among the types of water bodies as well as in each pond or lake individually, depending on the sampling month. We did not find any significant differences among ponds and natural shallow lakes at the investigated taxonomic level, despite some distinction observed by multivariate DCA and CCA analyses. Little difference was found between Canadian and Danish ponds as well, even though they are separated by a large geographic distance. This study shows that stormwater ponds are habitats for diverse planktonic algae communities which have some similarities to those of natural shallow lakes. Also, the similarities observed between Danish and Canadian ponds indicate some consistence with the urban homogenization hypothesis, although this should be further looked into by future works examining a larger number and distinct types of ponds.
PARP inhibitors in the treatment of ovarian cancer
Authors: Zeimet Alain G. , Wieser Verena , Knoll Katharina , Reimer Daniel , Marth Christian 
Published: March 2020

SummaryThe recent exciting findings on the use of poly(adenosine diphosphate [ADP]-ribose) polymerase inhibitor (PARPi) maintenance therapy in the first-line and later lines of treatment in ovarian cancer are illustrated. Unprecedented advantages have been shown in first-line therapy not only in BRCA-mutated cancers, but also in tumor exhibiting a homologous recombination repair deficiency (HRD) unrelated to BRCA aberrations. The advantages of PARP maintenance therapy in around 50% of HR-proficient high-grade ovarian cancers are far less clear and, even though of statistical significance, the clinical benefit for the patients may be of borderline significance. The pre-treatment testing of HRD remains a matter of debate especially in the light of the current era of precision medicine. Data on the combination of PARPi with bevacizumab maintenance therapy uncovered additive beneficial therapeutic effects. In recurrent ovarian cancer, results on PARPi maintenance therapy after response to platinum-based reinduction chemotherapy are also excellent. At present, however, PARPi maintenance therapy remains reserved for PARPi-naive patients, since the data on PARPi after PARPi is extremely sparse.
Performance of simplified surgical site infection (SSI) surveillance case definitions for resource limited settings: Comparison to SSI cases reported to the National Healthcare Safety Network, 2013–2017
Authors: Westercamp Matthew D. , Dudeck Margaret A. , Allen-Bridson Kathy , Konnor Rebecca , Edwards Jonathan R. , Park Benjamin J. , Smith Rachel M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractSurgical site infections (SSIs) are among the most common healthcare-associated infections in low- and middle-income countries. To encourage establishment of actionable and standardized SSI surveillance in these countries, we propose simplified surveillance case definitions. Here, we use NHSN reports to explore concordance of these simplified definitions to NHSN as ‘reference standard.’
Archaeology enters the ‘atomic age’: a short history of radiocarbon, 1946–1960
Authors: KERN EMILY M. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractToday, the most powerful research technique available for assigning chronometric age to human cultural objects is radiocarbon dating. Developed in the United States in the late 1940s by an alumnus of the Manhattan Project, radiocarbon dating measures the decay of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 (C14) in organic material, and calculates the time elapsed since the materials were removed from the life cycle. This paper traces the interdisciplinary collaboration between archaeology and radiochemistry that led to the successful development of radiocarbon dating in the early 1950s, following the movement of people and ideas from Willard Libby's Chicago radiocarbon laboratory to museums, universities and government labs in the United States, Australia, Denmark and New Zealand. I show how radiocarbon research built on existing technologies and networks in atomic chemistry and physics but was deeply shaped by its original private philanthropic funders and archaeologist users, and ultimately remained to the side of many contemporaneous Cold War scientific and military projects.
Soybean expansion and the challenge of the coexistence of agribusiness with local production and conservation initiatives: pesticides in a Ramsar site in Uruguay
Authors: Soutullo Alvaro , Ríos Mariana , Zaldúa Natalia , Teixeira-de-Mello Franco 
Published: March 2020

SummarySoybean has undergone the greatest expansion of any global crop, fuelled by the emergence of herbicide-resistant crops. In Uruguay, soybean croplands have increased from virtually zero to more than 1 million ha in 20 years. Uruguay is also implementing its system of protected areas. Here, we assess the presence of pesticides within a Ramsar site and protected area, in a basin dominated by croplands. We consider pesticides as surrogates of the subtle impacts of agribusiness on conservation initiatives and other productions. Pesticides were found in soils, fishes and beehives, both within and around the protected area. Endosulfan was found in all matrices analysed (23 of 80 samples), while glyphosate (0–2.31 mg/kg) and aminomethylphosphonic acid (AMPA; 0–0.61 mg/kg) were found in all soil classes. The study also allowed for a retrospective evaluation of a recent policy banning endosulfan in Uruguay, suggesting that while the protected area has not been immune to the impacts of agribusiness on human health or biodiversity, limiting the use of pesticides reduces or avoids some of them. This has implications for the design of multifunctional landscapes and for the debate on land sharing versus land sparing.
Vitamin D status among patients with drug-resistant and non-drug-resistant epilepsy
Authors: Jésus Pierre , Godet Bertrand , Darthou-Pouchard Lucile , Fayemendy Philippe , Abdallah-Lebeau Françoise , Villeneuve Olivier , Marcon Claire , Gimenez Laetitia , Preux Pierre Marie , Couratier Philippe , Desport Jean Claude 
Published: March 2020

Abstract. Background & Aims: Epilepsy affects nearly 70 million people worldwide. Vitamin D deficiency may influence the balance of certain epilepsies. The purpose of this study was to determine the vitamin D status and anthropometric measurements of people with epilepsy (PWE), according to their pharmacosensitivity. Methods: Forty-six PWE, with or without drug resistance, underwent nutritional assessment after giving consent. Weight, body mass index (BMI), triceps skinfold thickness (TSF), fat mass (FM) and free fat mass (FFM) by bioelectrical impedance analysis were measured. Serum vitamin D was determined without supplementation. Deficiency was defined as a level < 30 ng/mL. Statistical analysis involved Student t test, ANOVA and Chi2. Results: Patients were aged 44.5 ± 14.3 years, with 60.9% of drug-resistance. BMI was 28.7 ± 7.0, 2.2% were malnourished and 30.4% obese according to the BMI. The average vitamin D level was 15.3 ± 9.9 ng/mL, with 87.0% of deficiency, and 40.0% of severe deficiency (<10 ng/mL). The TSF was higher in drug-resistant cases (p = 0.03). There was no link between drug resistance and anthropometric measurements, FM, FFM or vitamin D concentration. Conclusions: Although limited in size, this study showed that PWE are more often obese. Vitamin D deficiency is more common than in the general population, with a much higher prevalence of severe deficiency.
The Narrative Competence Task
Authors: Zanchi Paola , Zampini Laura 
Published: March 2020

Abstract. The oral narratives of 240 Italian children aged 3–8 years were analyzed using a new instrument, the Narrative Competence Task (NCT). The data showed a gradual increase in the children’s narrative competence in both the macrostructure and the microstructure. Statistically significant differences between preschool-age and school-age children were found on all the variables considered. In addition to increased chronological age, a significant role of cognitive abilities (general non-verbal intelligence and sequential reasoning) and linguistic skills (mean length of utterance and lexical diversity) emerged in explaining the variance in children’s narrative macrostructure. Children with superior cognitive and linguistic abilities produced richer narratives characterized by a greater quantity of information, a better structure, and a wider use of mental state lexicon.
Early Studies in Solar Wind Coupling and Substorms
Authors: McPherron Robert L. 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThe space age began while I was a Physics student at Berkeley. NASA stimulated space research by the creation of eight centers of excellence each with a new building and very large grants. These centers became the nucleus of research activities that continue 55 years later. Data from new instruments and spacecraft provided unique opportunities for young people to make significant discoveries. In my case the concept of the auroral substorm was crucial, as later were data from the first instrumented synchronous satellite ATS‐1, and one of the first eccentric orbiters OGO‐5. In this account I describe my early experiences and the difficulties of completing my undergraduate degree. I then describe graduate work at Berkeley and multiple trips to the auroral zone. On completion of my PhD I began work at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and soon became a professor. My graduate work and early research as a professor enabled me to introduce important concepts including the substorm growth phase, the concept of a magnetospheric substorm, the substorm current wedge, the near‐Earth neutral line, the dipolarization of the synchronous magnetic field during substorms, the semiannual variation in geomagnetic activity, and algorithms to predict the Dst index and AL index. I also did extensive work in investigations of ULF waves, magnetic storms, and the interaction of the solar wind with the magnetosphere, but these occurred later and are not discussed. I end with the question of whether it is possible today for young people with a background similar to mine to achieve similar success.
Extreme Phytoplankton Blooms in the Southern Tropical Indian Ocean in 2011
Authors: Liao Xiaomei , Du Yan , Wang Tianyu , He Qingyou , Zhan Haigang , Hu Shuibo , Wu Guofeng 
Published: March 2020

AbstractThis study investigates extreme phytoplankton blooms in the southern tropical Indian Ocean (TIO) in January–April 2011 using the extended ocean color products and in situ data. The amplitude of the blooms was approximately 4 times higher than the climatological value and 2 times higher than that in 1998–1999. The anomalous enhancement of surface chlorophyll‐a concentration (Chla) was associated with the strong upwelling Rossby waves that forced by the extraordinary strong wind stress curl in the southeastern TIO during 2010–2011 La Niña, which was much stronger than that of 1998–1999 La Niña. The Rossby waves uplifted the thermocline, which was shoaled by more than 70 m relative to the climatology. The results of the nonlinear 1.5‐layer reduced‐gravity model further suggest that the thermocline variations are mainly due to the wind stress curl over the interior TIO. In the vertical direction, the Argo data show a distinct upward and westward propagation of subsurface cooling, indicating that the upwelling of cold nutrient‐rich waters leads to the abnormally high Chla. The strong upwelling processes are also well captured by the Moored Array for African‐Asian‐Australian Monsoon Analysis and Prediction observations at 8°S, 80.5°E. Based on the climatological in situ nitrate data, the Rossby wave‐induced nitrate supply and potential new production at the mooring site are estimated. The potential f ratio ranges from 50% to 87% when the water brought to the surface is assumed to have originated from 60 to 200 m, thus indicating the dominant role of nutrient supply by the upwelling processes.